Ariya Marie Olive: A Birth Story!

  
An entire MONTH has passed since this little sweetie joined our crew and our family feels more complete than ever. The boys have shown nothing but love and adoration for little Ariya from the very start and she's been such a rockstar baby, totally going with the flow. As long as she doesn't have to wait too long to eat and has a clean diaper, she happily plays on the floor, travels around with me in the sling and falls asleep when she's tired. This third baby thing is the real deal - she's just pure joy.
 

Although she is an angel baby now, of all 3 of my pregnancies this one was the most uncomfortable for me. My body felt really heavy and achy and with the hot days setting in, I was just so ready for little miss to be here. I was hopeful after hearing from so many people that third babies 'often come early' that this would be the case, but at my last couple of weekly appointments I had progressed - and sadly, stalled - at 2-3 cm dilated, even after having my membranes stripped once. Our girl had plans of her own!

Justin and I convinced ourselves that baby girl was going to come early and come quickly and that left us a bit panicked as to what the boys would do if that were the case. Justin's mom, Jodi, was all packed and ready to come at a moment's notice but seeing as she had a 4+ hour drive from St. Louis, we weren't sure she would make it in time. So when we asked her on Saturday if she was willing to come stay with us early, she made the trip the next day. As it turned out, baby decided not to come until Thursday but we all got some good quality days with grandma and that is never time wasted. While she was here, I wore ruts in the sidewalks around the neighborhood walking laps to help move baby down and entice her to come out. Of course it didn't work, and I was extra exhausted every evening but it gave me something productive to do!

June 16 - baby girl's due date!
Throughout my entire pregnancy, I'd had some crazy Braxton Hicks contractions that had been getting more and more uncomfortable by the day. When I woke up to use the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning, I was really excited to feel what I thought were some real contractions beginning. In the morning I announced to everyone that today WAS going to be the day! (a little positive thinking never hurts, right?) I had an appointment with my midwife at 9:00 and at that point she said I was about 4 cm dilated and baby had moved way down, so finally some progress over the week before! She stripped my membranes really well and said she was sure baby would be here before the next morning. (yay!) During my early labor, which turned out to be most of the day, we hung out around the house, took a few walks and played on the construction equipment in our neighborhood (I had a funny moment of 'wow, how life has changed' as I was leaning up against a huge dirty loader tire to work through a contraction. Ha!) 

6:45
After dinner, my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart and lasting almost a minute at a time. We called Amanda, the midwife on call, and she said she would meet us at the hospital. We left the boys happily playing in the pool with grandma and made the 12 minute trip. At this point, my contractions still weren't very painful and the ride didn't seem very uncomfortable at all so I was a little nervous maybe we were going in too early but I was set on trying for a water birth again and wanted to make sure I had time to labor in the tub for a while before baby was ready to come. 

7:15
After getting all checked in, we headed up to delivery room 6 (the same room both Avery and Cullen were born in!), I was hooked up to a monitor for 20 minutes and my IV was placed while the tub was being filled. Baby's heartbeat was regular and strong and soon I was able to get out of the bed and into the water. 

7:40
I have nothing but super positive things to say about laboring in a tub. Somehow the warm water makes contractions so much less intense and being able to sway with the water and lean up against the inflatable sides has proven to be my ideal laboring position. The next hour or so was spent chatting with Justin and Amanda between contractions, listening to Live on Pandora, and focusing on blowing ripples on the water to block out the pain. I was so much more aware, calm and confident this time around and thanks to Justin sticking mint and lemon oils in my face upon request, I'm happy to say I didn't get sick once! (more than I can say for my last two deliveries!) 

As contractions became more intense, my water broke and I was ecstatic (as ecstatic as one can be at this point of labor) to find that the fluid was clear so I would be able to stay in the water to deliver! (unlike both Avery and Cullen's deliveries, where I had to get out at this point due to having meconium-stained fluid that meant I was considered higher risk and couldn't continue with a water birth) After my water broke, contractions started to get much more intense and right on top of each other. I started to push a little through each contraction until Amanda checked and announced that baby's head was ready.  

8:56 
I pushed two big pushes, one to deliver her head and one for her body - and she was here! Amanda caught her and handed her over to me under the water and I pulled her up and out onto my chest. 

For the next 15-20 minutes or so, I was able to just cuddle sweet Ariya and soak in that post-birth high. I distinctly remember there being such an overwhelming sense of calm and quiet in the room. (except for me saying over and over that "It worked!" I'd hoped and prayed for a water birth - and it finally worked!) Unlike when the boys were born and a team of NICU nurses were crowded in the room, this time it was only Justin and I, our midwife Amanda, one nurse, and another nurse that ran in right as she was born (I'm not even sure she made it in time). It was such a wonderful environment for baby to be welcomed into. Ariya was very alert and looking around right away but I think because of the peaceful, warm spot she was nestled into it took her a few minutes to cry (if that's not a testament to how calm the place was, I don't know what is!). One of the nurses started to rub her back and got her to cry so they could make sure her lungs were good and clear, and a healthy cry it was! She scored a 9 on her first (and second) APGAR and when the cord was done pulsing, Justin was able to cut it. 

A few minutes after, they took her to be weighed while I climbed out of the tub to deliver the placenta in the bed. (By far the worst part of delivering baby #3 was the horrendous tummy massaging the nurses had to do afterwards to make my uterus contract - SO MUCH more painful than it was the last two times!) 

Ariya is a spitting image of her brothers as newborns (especially Avery) She has Avery's eyes/nose and Cullen's squishy little mouth and chin. Her hair is all her own - it's DARK (darker than either of the boys' was) and pretty long in the back.

When Grandma Jodi brought the boys to visit the next morning, they were SO excited to see her! Cullen kept saying "Just born!" and Avery couldn't stop ogling over her tiny toes and fingers and they BOTH couldn't stop kissing her all over. So much love for this little sister from the very beginning. 

We were able to leave the hospital after Ariya's 24 hour screen so we made it home at about 10:30 on Friday night. Our stay at the hospital was almost like a little mini-vacation date for Justin and I, if it weren't so uncomfortable to sleep there we would've stayed an extra night! 

We are SO SO SO thankful to Jodi for being with us all week and for keeping the boys so happy while we were gone. It makes the transition much easier knowing that they were having a little mini-vacation of their own at home with grandma, they sure do love having her around!

We are all adjusting well to being a family of five. It was such a treat to have Justin home from work for a couple of weeks, we've never had so much time together at home - ever! It was awesome! We're slowly figuring out logistics and our juggling acts are pretty polished already at four weeks in. 

I've taken more photos over the last month than I have in the history of ever. Unfortunately, most of those photos have yet to make it from my camera to my computer. Maybe someday I'll have a few hours to sort through them... although probably not anytime soon.  I'm soaking up every minute of this newborn snuggle time and when I'm not, there's playtime to be had with bears. And wolves. There will likely be tractors involved.

xoxo

Baby Girl: The Final Days on the Inside :)

As I type this, my floors desperately need to be cleaned, laundry baskets are piled up in need of folding, there are soggy swimming shorts drying on the patio and my boys are in a deep sleep after a long, full day.

But somehow, I know we're ready. This 'readiness' has taken on a much different form than it did the first and second time around. My freezer meal stockpile isn't nearly what I would like it to be, my house is never truly clean and baby girl doesn't have an elaborate nursery ready and waiting for her. (She actually doesn't even have a room yet, just a little space in the corner of our room where she will be for the forseeable future) 
And that's all ok. 
Because she will be more loved than she can ever imagine. Avery and Cullen are so SO excited to meet her and all that new-mom anxiety is all but gone completely the third time around, leaving me with a certain sense of peace as I think about heading into labor/delivery. 

I also have little to no anxiety about how the boys will deal with me going into labor (like I did when I was pregnant with Cullen) With Avery being older, I can explain the situation to him and he understands and as long as Cullen is with Avery, he will be A-Ok. 

I haven't posted much about my pregnancy this time around. Not because I haven't been documenting, but because taking time to sit down and write it out in this blog hasn't been high on my priority list. 

This has been my most difficult pregnancy. Not terrible by any means, but definitely harder. I've been pretty exhausted and with Avery not napping anymore, I haven't had a consistent downtime for myself everyday like I had with each of the boys. Also, my boys rarely stop moving. Like ever. I think that's been the hardest part for me, not being able to keep up with them like I'd like to. I thank God they have each other to wrestle and run with when all I want to do is put my feet up for 15 minutes. I must be getting old! 

Avery is SO ready to meet baby sister. He asks lots of questions and comes up with all kinds of ideas of things that we should do when baby sister arrives. I have no doubt he will be every bit of the amazing big brother he naturally was when we brought Cullen home, and then some. He's been very excited to take all my belly pictures for me during Cullen's naptime, it's been a fun time for us and he's an amazing little budding photographer!

He made up his own joke that he thinks is hilarious:
"Mom, I know what we can name baby sister!"
"Really? What should we name her?!"
"Maybe"
"Maybe?"
"Yeah, Maybe Baby!"
I laughed SO hard at this because it was the first deliberate joke he's made and he was so proud of himself. He is such a ham!

Cullen is more needy than he's ever been. He doesn't want anyone else to change his diaper and still insists on being rocked before bed by nobody else but me. (even though getting comfy on my gigantic belly is a big challenge for him -and me-, I'm still his only choice)  And I must rub his neck... While humming... And rub his back when I place him in his crib... And blow him a kiss before I close the door. He's very particular about things he must do himself and things he still wants done for him. For reasons like this, I am a bit concerned about the logistics of having 3 and being outnumbered, especially in the beginning.  I fear Cullen isn't going to be as willing to share my attention as Avery was. He's got a strong personality and isn't much for listening to logic at his current stage :)  It does make me feel better that Cullen and Avery have each other and play so well together. They are such good little buddies, I know their bond will only become stronger after baby sister comes home.

The boys and I had a little photo shoot one afternoon during/after rest time. I love, love, LOVE our unstructured time together, these days are going by much too fast for my liking.

Cullen had just woken up from his nap when we pulled him in for a few shots
(he wasn't quite awake, but very cuddly)

Oh, and I have to share the one thing I have made in preparation for baby girl - her quilt!

I've been dilated to 3 cm for over 2 weeks now, with no 'real' contractions (although I've had Braxton Hicks for months). With 2 days until her official due date, I am walking loops around the neighborhood and bouncing around the house trying to coax this baby out. We're ready whenever you are, baby girl!

Avery is FOUR!

Avery turning 4 is sort of surreal for me.
I think it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I'm sitting here waiting on baby sister to arrive exactly 4 years after I was waiting on this little boy to join us and make us a family. My first baby. The one that would totally turn our lives upside down and make life so much more full and happy (and, on occasion, more frustrating too). 

Avery is such a joy in our days. I can't even believe how fast he is growing and learning, it's hard for me to keep up. He continues to have the most creative and active imagination ever. He loves nature and learning about everything around him. He asks so many good questions, I love watching his wheels turn and am amazed at all the information he can retain.
 
In the last year, Avery has matured so much. His speech has gotten so clear and he's come out of his shell quite a bit. He's still a pretty quiet, laid-back dude around others but has really come a long way. He's also learned what to say and do to push our buttons, how to whine, how to instigate and pick on his brother and how to use his newfound independence and stubbornness to drive his mother to the brink of insanity ;)

Some things I don't want to forget about Avery as he turns 4:

Avery LOVES:

Singing. His favorite songs are "Bear Necessities"  and  "I Just Can't Wait to be King"

Playing bear, deer hunter, and bad otter (based on the 'bad otter' in the movie Zootopia... it had quite the effect on him)

Bird watching

Talking about poop

Writing his name (mom, dad and Cullen too)  and drawing big bucks and funny monsters

Wild Kratts

Firefly/butterfly/frog catching

Teaching Cullen everything he knows... the good and the bad ("I taught Cullen that!")

Making up games for he and Cullen to play together

Playing with dad - he is OBSESSED with Justin, his daddy is truly his hero  

Riding his scooter like a champ. He's also getting more confident on his big bike

Dancing - So You Think You Can Dance is BACK! 

Jumping on the trampoline. He is very adamant about not jumping unless the net is securely zipped (after a little rolling-out episode, he learns quickly!)

Going on adventures in the woods

Wearing sunglasses and his favorite outfit - Black sport pants and a neon green long-sleeve shirt

Trucks, tractors and heavy equipment

Since about 6 months ago, Avery sneaks into our bed every night (we have nicknamed him our 'bedbug' because he's so sneaky) and I've adjusted to sleeping with my back to him to protect my belly from his twitchy kicking legs. In turn, he's adjusted to sleeping attached to me with his head between my shoulder blades. Somehow I've gotten used to this... although it could get interesting when baby sister takes up residence in our room very soon. 
 

(Baier is a friend of the family and Avery's babysitter - he LOVES her and her sister, Ellis.)

In the fall, Avery is signed up to go to preschool 3 mornings a week and he's pretty excited about it. I'm excited to see him interacting with some new little friends and to see how he grows in a new environment.  Until then, I'm excited to see him take on the 'big brother' role for a second time. He's so excited to meet baby sister!!  Oh, how I love this little boy of mine... to the moon and back. 

xoxoxo

Cullen the Two-Year-Old!

Two years ago, life changed all over again when we were given this sweet little boy and our days became so much more full and even more happy than we could've imagined.

At two years old, Cullen is fiercely independent and insists on doing everything his way (and on his time). This may be climbing into his carseat in his own roundabout way, pushing his stroller around the block instead of riding in it, helping himself to a snack or cleaning up his own milk spill. He eats his sandwiches inside out and often prefers to cut his own food. He recently moved out of his high chair and joins us at the big table for meals where he politely leans over his plate, wipes up any drips with his napkin and carries his own dishes to the sink when he's finished. (and also usually yells something like 'poop' or 'stinkpot' back and forth with his brother at some point throughout the meal, followed by intense giggling. You can't win them all ;) Cullen is so sweet and has very good manners, but often says 'welcome' when he means to say 'thank you' which is pretty funny :)  He's a very go-with-the-flow kind of guy, unless of course you try to dictate his 'flow', then his temper flares awfully quickly.

Monkey see, monkey do. For better or for worse, these words sum up every one of our days. Cullen watches everyone - especially Avery - very intently and catches onto things very quickly. He follows Avery into the bathroom and uses the potty almost every day, all on his own. He also bites his nails (even though he has no idea why) because he sees his big brother doing it all too frequently and has a pretty quick temper (and fist) when he feels he's been wronged in some way. (Much to Avery's disappointment, he can no longer 'trick' his brother into doing what he wants him to to)

Cullen LOVES Avery. It often seems more like a love-hate judging by how many spats they have but at the end of the day Cullen looks up to Avery with such high regard, he's just his best buddy. He never wants Avery to be out of his sight and wants to do EVERYTHING big brother does. All the time. It makes my heart so happy to see the bond that they have.

Before he goes to sleep, Cullen wants to read 2-3 stories (that he usually wants to 'read' himself) and rock on my lap for 5-10 minutes while humming. He won't go down into his crib unless he has one hand on a book and one cuddling his baby. In the morning, he greets us with the most enthusiastic "HI!" when we go in to get him and is usually found lovingly rocking his baby ("Mah Bebe") or 'changing her poops'. ('poop' is one of his favorite words. So lovely.)

Cullen has become a very intent caretaker of his baby. Most days he's got a baby along with him wherever he goes (even if the mode of transportation isn't what one might consider 'safe' for a baby so small) and he cuddles and coos them ever-so-gently.

His other favorite word? "Cookie!"  He's constantly 'making cookies' or 'eating cookies' or packing 'cookies' (in the form of paper, play food, play-doh, etc) into his pockets.

Cullen's first big injury (which was terrifying for mom, dad AND
Avery) from running and tripping into Avery's desk chair.
He took it like a champ, but my goodness was that bump huge!

Cullen calls animals and vehicles by their sounds. "woof" "meow" "ssssss" "who" "choo-choo" "weee-ooo-weee-ooo" His vocabulary is growing a ridiculous amount every day. He's very eager to learn new words and will repeat them over and over until he gets it just right. If we can't understand a word he's trying to say, he shifts gears and tries to get us to guess in another way- by using hand motions and sound effects or taking us by the hand to show us. Cullen is very sharp and every day he surprises us with something new that he's figured out. We often call him 'boy genius' because of some of the things he says or concepts he connects. 



Cullen's favorites:  Babies, trucks, his 'cape' shirt, rocking to sleep, his 'phones' (a purple princess flip phone, a calculator, a remote, and a number keypad), birds, telling stories, singing songs, 'making cookies', blue, the number 2, the letter E, swinging, putting on way too much lotion (or 'soap' as he calls it), cooking with his mama

Cullen's not-so-favorites: Being left out of anything, being told 'no', Having anything done for him when he wants to do it on his own, having anyone besides mom change his diaper (lucky me)

We all love you so much, our little rascal boy. I can't wait to see all the new new things you learn -and teach us- in this next year :)