One Week Later....

What a difference a week can be!

The first picture was at 7:15am 5/11/11 on the way to the hospital,

the second on 5/18/11 holding my wonderful baby!

Welcoming Britta Laine to the World!

I've neglected this blog since having Britta 7 weeks ago, so now I'll write about having Britta, before I forget the details. Be aware that it's going to be long!

On May 11th, we woke up and went to the hospital at 7:30am for our scheduled induction. Yes, it's true, I was induced at 39 weeks and 1 day. I was also induced with Kiersten at 39 weeks 6 days and was helped into labor with Annika at 40 weeks 6 days. So really, I am not sure if I would ever go on my own, but I didn't care to wait and see either! Judge if you will, but you won't get any apologies here.

When we got to the hospital they were ready for us and took us to our room (which by the way was over twice the size of the room we stayed in when I had Annika in St. Paul). We went through the routine of answering about 30-40 minutes of questions. I can't imagine having to go through all of that while in full labor either...what are they thinking with all of those questions?

Around 8:15 or 8:20, Dr Lines came over and broke my water. She asked if I wanted to start pitocin to start my labor. I was actually having non-painful contractions about 6-8 minutes apart anyway (these started at 13 weeks of pregnancy though). I turned it down and said I wanted to walk the halls and get things going instead. This worked really well with Kiersten and I had her within 4 hours of getting my water broken so I wanted to try it again. Actually, with Kiersten I only went down the hall and back one time and was in full labor with strong contractions right on top of each other so I thought maybe it would be the same.

It wasn't quite the same as with Kiersten's birth. We had to walk the halls for about an hour and a half. At that point we went back to our room and the nurse hooked me up to the monitors and I was having contractions 2 minutes apart. She asked what my pain level was and I said it was maybe at a 2 with 10 being the highest. She said, "Okay, I'll call the anesthesiologist to come up to give you an epidural then". I couldn't believe that she was calling her already but she said, well, if you know you want one, you only have to endure as much pain as you want. Plus, sometimes it takes them a while to get up there. By 11am I had an epidural, still with only a few somewhat painful contractions. The nurse checked me after my epidural and I was dilated to 5 cm. I was at a 3 when I arrived so I was making progress at that point.

Around 12pm the nurse put me on pitocin because every other contraction of mine was not very strong. They were still 2 minutes apart. Dr. Lines came back to check on me at 12:15 or so. Funny thing, when she walked in the room she started laughing because I was sitting there looking at the hospital menu deciding what I wanted to eat when I was done! When she checked me at that point I was dilated to a 6+. At that point the nurse began to set up the room for delivery. She mentioned that I would probably go within the hour. This kind of surprised me because I felt great still.

Around 1pm I rang the nurse because I was starting to feel funny and almost a little sick to my stomach. I honestly can't fully describe the feeling....kind of an adrenaline rush. I thought I maybe needed a boost on my epidural. She came quickly saying I was probably just getting ready to go, and in transition. She checked me and I was maybe at an 8. She had me roll on my side to help me finish effacing. I did and at 1:10 she came in and at that point told me not to move at all because it might cause me to start to push. She looked slightly rushed which I could tell meant this was close. She went out to call Dr. Lines. When she came back in, she said that Dr. Lines was with a patient (the clinic is across the street) and was coming. I got a little nervous because I felt like I was going to start having a baby right then. Luckily Dr. Lines was there within a few minutes. She had me roll back onto my back again. I missed the first push because for some reason we all started laughing about something that Craig said (thanks Craig). So, when the next contraction came around I could start pushing.

Britta was here within 1 1/2 contractions at 1:20pm! Right away Dr. Lines had me reach for her and pull her up to me. It was AMAZING to hold her tiny warm body up to mine. I didn't hold Annika or Kiersten quite that quickly without them being all wrapped up in blankets. What an awesome experience to hold your baby instantly like this! Not something I can put into words. She was so beautiful! Right away she was wide eyed just looking at everything.

Britta weighed 7lbs 11oz (Annika was 8lbs 8oz and Kiersten was 8lbs 11oz). She was 20 inches long. She had a lot of hair and it was kind of a golden color, just like Kiersten when she was a baby. She didn't cry very much either. After about 10 minutes I called my parents and talked to Annika first. She was so excited and said "Okay great, we're on our way!". She handed the phone to my mom and I guess she and Kiersten ran and put their shoes on instantly and were ready to go! I love that they were so excited to see their baby sister!

We called our other family to tell them too. We took a few pictures and then the nurses did everything they needed to do with Britta. Then, around 2pm my parents were there with Kiersten and Annika! It was so much fun to see their excitement. A week before they went to the Big Brother/Big Sister class at the hospital and had gotten a tour of the maternity ward which was so nice because they knew exactly what to expect. They got to hold Britta and we took our first picture as a family of 5. After about 20 minutes I realized that I was absolutely exhausted and so they left.

Because of my adrenaline, I couldn't nap, but that's okay because I got to just enjoy looking about beautiful Britta. Oh yeah, and I finally got to order lunch. I had been dreaming for about 9 months of eating food again and enjoying it. Finally I could! Horray for no more morning sickness!

Britta is named after a relative of ours in Sweden. She still lives in the house where my great grandpa was born. The summer before my Junior year in high school, I was able to go to Sweden and stay with her and her husband Richard for a week with my parents. Her daughter, Gunnel has been to the US many times and brought along her niece, Linnea to come to our wedding. They have been a wonderful connection to our family that is still in Sweden.

Her middle name is Laine. This is after Craig's little sister Samantha Laine Barker. Samantha came to be Craig's sister 6 1/2 years ago after her parents had both passed away of cancer and his parents began to raise her and her brother, Matt. Samantha was also the flower girl in our wedding 10 years ago! She is very special to us. When Craig talked to her on the phone when we were at the hospital, he shared with her that our prayer for Britta is that she grows up to be as amazing of a person as Samantha is. Samantha is an incredible 15 year old!

We are so thankful for our family of three fantastic girls! We can't wait to see what's in store for all of their futures!

Anticipation!

The anticipation right now is killing me! I keep walking by our refridgerator door where we have a 3D ultrasound picture of this beautiful baby girl and I just want to hold her and look at her! I'm nearing the end, 38 weeks and 3 days, and getting so excited!

Last night I finally packed my bag, and packed up the baby things for the hospital. We bought a baby book on Monday (as a 4th child myself, I have to make sure to remember to do things for this child that I did for my first!) Today I worked on packing up suitcases for the girls. I think I may just take them over to my parents house now so that they are ready.

I also made Big sister/little sister shirts this week and can't wait for all three girls to wear them. I even made little fabric flowers that match for them to wear, Annika's on a headband, Kiersten's on a hairclip, and baby sister's on a little cotton hat. Phew! I had visions of me in labor trying to quickly sew between contractions to get them done! If I do say so myself, they all turned out adorable! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of the girls wearing them.

The nursery is now ready. I still have to do some pictures for the walls but I bought the basics, I just need to plan a night for 2 hours at Alpha Copies to design and print them. Not sure when that will be but hoping for this weekend (and before baby comes). I also have to figure out the exact pattern for the curtains. Other than that, my MIL made two blankies for this baby that are adorable (two because I always want a backup). Then fabric that matches them on the bassinet skirt, the crib skirt, and a bassinet sheet (and the curtains and pictures once they are done). Somehow I missed out on the early nesting stages, and now I'm trying to get everything done with little time to spare, between being tired all of the time and not being able catch my breath if I do something really active, such as walk upstairs! Oh well......luckily I have an AMAZING husband who is a MUCH better nester than me this time around!

Health Insurance

I am SO thankful for our health insurance! Here's a recap of our month:

Pink Eye: Kiersten (called in prescription), Beth (called in prescription)
Ear Infections: Kiersten (went into dr and got a script), Annika (went into dr and got a script)
Prenatal visits: Beth (3 total this month)
And today....a burst eardrum: Kiersten

So, 6 appointments and 4 prescriptions later, I am thankful for the large amount of money we pay each month to our insurance, and I will remember this the next time I want to complain.

On schedule for next month, just the birth of another child, at least one more prenatal appointment and a 2 week check-up for the baby. We'll make it worth it!

April Happenings

We had a great Easter, with the whole Foote side of the family coming to Ames. I love watching all of the cousins play together! They have so much fun seeing each other. Annika and Kiersten were excited for weeks before that everyone was coming. We're at 9 cousins and counting! I can't believe we'll have another to add to this mix very shortly.

I think this is probably a new favorite picture. They are so goofy together (when they aren't fighting)! I really can't wait to find out what our baby girl's personality will be like, and how it will mix with the other two.

As for this pregnancy, the time is really ticking down! Yesterday I was 37 weeks along. Now to make sure I'm ready. I need to start thinking of what to bring to the hospital. The crib and bassinet are up in the room now. My mom helped me make a few changes to the bedding to make it special for baby #3. My mother-in-law sewed two blankies for the baby (I've had two for each girl to have on rotation...too many incidents of leaving one in the church nursery, getting sick on one in the night, etc)! I have to work on three pictures for the wall and then we're good.

I've learned one thing with this pregnancy....nesting is NOT easy with a 4 and 2 year old! My doctor put it best yesterday when she said, "Nesting with two kids at home consists of making a nest on the couch and staying there." So true. I clean, I try to organize, but it all seems futile. My ideal of coming home to a perfect house from the hospital may just happen, but there's a good chance it won't. Oh, and if it does, it will take about 10 minutes to undo!

Lately, Annika has been asking very big questions about God. I LOVE that she is so curious and that she is asking these questions. The problem is, I can't quite answer her like I would a High School Young Life kid! The other day we were talking about Jesus dying on the cross and that he rose from the dead. She asked if he was just sleeping and pretending that he was dead. I told her no, that he actually died and came back alive. We talked about how he could do this miracle because he is God's son. Her response, "Well, who is Joseph?"....hmmmm. Try explaining to a 4 year old who thinks that a mommy and daddy have to be married to each other to have a baby that Joseph married Mary, but is not the baby daddy. The best line of the month though would have to be, "I really would like to ask Jesus into my heart, I just have some concerns." What 4 year old says that? I love it. It's been very fun.

32 weeks and counting!

Well, it's been months since I've updated the blog (not that I'm making tons of people really sad by this). I am now 32 weeks pregnant. 8 more to go (or possibly less, but doubtful if thsi pregnancy is like the others).

We've had a total of 3 ultrasounds this pregnancy. The 20 week and 31 week ultrasound both confirming another girl! We're very excited and Annika and Kiersten are EXTREMELY excited! I'm pretty sure we've finally landed on a name for her which is nice to know and nice to read the paper or watch movie credits, etc without trying to read every name to come up with ideas!

As far as the pregnancy goes, I know that people have it way worse, and I am so thankful to be pregnant at all with a healthy baby, but......I seem to not be able to escape ANYTHING this time! Here's my last 7 months:

-Strong cramping early on in the pregnancy from week 4-week 7 or 8
-Throwing up 5-6 times a day starting at week 7
-Knocking that down to 2-3 times with taking Zofran (the miracle drug) 2-3 times a day until week 22
-Still throwing up a few times a week since then....but SO much more tolerable now!
-Getting some sort of pnemonia in week 10 after having a cough for 6 weeks straight and being told by the doctor that I had to stay in bed and farm out my kids for 48 hours (um, sounds good to me)!
-Breaking my toe the night before Kiersten's birthday (the first day I finally felt "over" the bad morning sickness) and having to get it reset in the ER and wear a boot for 4 weeks
-Getting the flu at 27 weeks
-Getting multiple coughs throughout the pregnancy that I can never kick
-Having Restless Leg Syndrome the last few months
-Having hormonal insomnia for a couple of weeks
-And this morning, waking up with pink eye!

It really has been more humorous (though I've had my share of emotional meltdowns) than anything looking back on it.

I really just CAN"T WAIT for this baby to be born! Maybe it's all just making my anticipation that much stronger. I'm so excited to have 3 girls....hopefully I make it through their middle school and high school years!

So....8 more weeks and we'll officially be a family of 5!!!