8 lb 11 oz of Pure Squish and Perfection!

He is FINALLY here!  We made it one day shy of 38 weeks!

Zander McKay Zaugg

August 9, 2014

7:04 am

8 lb 11 oz

20 inches

Thursday night and Friday morning (Aug 7 & 8) were a little rough... I kept thinking I was going into labor, but then I kept falling back asleep.  I think my mind wouldn't let my body go into labor because I was SO excited to go on a date to Olive Garden with my husband for dinner Friday evening!  I hadn't been out to eat (or really out hardly anywhere) in so long!  And we made it- we got to go to Olive Garden.  Yum!

Then we made one walking loop around Target.  I could barely support myself.  I was hanging half my weight on Darin.  We went home and contractions were minimal.  I was kind of bummed.  But in family prayer that night, Corbin said, "Please bless Zander to come tonight."  First time any of us have asked for that specifically, and the good Lord answered a child's prayer!

By 2:00 am, contractions started kicking in.  At first, I thought it would be a repeat of the previous night and that they would die down.  But I couldn't go back to sleep.  Finally at 4:00 am I asked Darin to call his mom to come stay with the kids.  We got to the hospital at about 4:30.  I was dilated to a 5!  I can't even tell you how happy I was to hear the nurse say, "It looks like today is the day!"  YAY!  

And the NEXT good news was that my doctor wasn't technically out of town.  He was just "out of commission" for 6 hours a day over the weekend.  He was already at the hospital that morning, so he came in and broke my water.  (I had to have this baby before he left for his golf tournament at 10:00!)  By 7:00 am I was pushing and at 7:04 there he was- PURE SQUISH AND PERFECTION.

Big brothers came to visit before lunch:

And came again this morning:

We love our little Zander-Man!

Prayers & Dreams

We cannot BELIEVE this little boy has not come yet!  Life is so up in the air each day right now.  I feel like I should be "normal" and taking care of everything, but I do not physically feel normal or strong enough... It's so weird to be in the middle... it's ok to be up and about, but I don't have it in me to do everything I wish I could.

But look what I did today!  I CLEANED UP BREAKFAST!  My kitchen looks good in the morning and for once in the last 3 months, it's because of ME!  (I didn't sweep, but the dishwasher is running and that's as good as it's gunna get today.)

PRAYERS:  We have been praying for so long as a family that our baby will stay in mommy until he is healthy and ready to come.  This past week, we have been telling the boys that it is ok for him to come now.  However, last night as Parker was praying he said, "please bless Mommy and the baby... to stay how they are..."  In the middle of the prayer I gasped and said, "NO!"  Automatic response- I even startled myself!  Not very reverent, but we all kind of laughed.  And Parker clarified that he meant, "UNTIL the day the baby comes."

DREAMS:  I myself have been having crazy pregnancy dreams for a while now.  I've dreamed that I could suck my tummy in really hard and see the baby's face... I've dreamed many times that he has been born... but last night even my HUSBAND started the dreams!  He dreamed that baby was born and a few minutes later, he started raising his eye brows up and down (like Beckham does) and saying, "Pizza?  Pizza?"  Maybe it's a sign that I need to eat pizza tonight and he will come... 

UPDATE:  I didn't write about my doctor appointment this week.  It was on Wednesday.  I hadn't dilated much, but it had been less than a week since my last and FINAL progesterone shot, so it still hadn't worn off.  Dr. B said to come back on Tuesday, and if I am dilating more by then, it's a possibility that I might be able to get started.  I just cannot fathom that I may have to be induced on my FOURTH pregnancy!  If the baby doesn't come by tomorrow, it will officially be the longest I have ever been pregnant.  Something to say for those progesterone shots, I guess...  HOWEVER, I do know that bed rest was necessary.  I have had some people ask me, "so did you really even need to be on bed rest?!"  Obviously, there is no way of knowing how things would have happened if I hadn't stayed down, but at the beginning of May when this whole thing started, I was very upset and in denial.  I specifically prayed to know if this was REALLY necessary.  I received a direct answer that yes, it was.  I cannot say exactly WHY it was necessary, but I trust the answer that I received.  

So be warned- if you see me out and about, and you happen to ask me if bed rest was necessary, I might punch you in the face!  :)        

Summer Rain!

I'll just post the pictures of this afternoon.  Enough said...

Pampering

Looking back over the past 3 months, I am AMAZED at the awesome support system I am blessed to have.  Most of you reading this are probably a part of it.  Family, friends, neighbors... you've watched my kids, brought in meals, cleaned my house, came to visit, brought me treats, read this blog and given me encouraging comments... EVERY little bit has helped me and I thank you ALL!!!  I'm a blessed lady and I know it.  :)

I know I let myself have a bad day on Thursday, but I'm over it and moving on!  I decided that since I don't really need to stay down as much anymore, I might as well let loose and get my hair done...  (It's been since October.)  So Friday, I had one awesome friend drop off dinner, and another awesome friend came to my house to do my hair.  A third awesome friend decided that we needed to go get pedicures on Saturday, which I was totally up for!  Why not do some pampering at this point, right?  (Might I add that my sweet husband has been so supportive and thoughtful... He would probably let me go on a $500 shopping spree tomorrow if I asked him.)  ;)

So today is 37 weeks and we are ready!  I stop the medicine tonight... I guess we will see how well the last shot holds up on it's own.  

If my body decides to pull one of those mean tricks and not go into labor after 3 months of bed rest, 21 weeks of shots, and who knows how many "anti-contraction" pills, I don't know what I'll do!  I'm sure I'd laugh about it next year, but for the time being, I'm just hoping for a baby sometime this coming week!  

Emotional Breakdown #.... ?

Happened right in the doc's office yesterday.  Yep, I couldn't even hold back the tears until I got to the car.  I know, ridiculous, but I am so hormonal and so ready to be done!  I think I need to go back and read my positive quotes from a new perspective.

Here was my thinking:

I have felt like the pills I take every 4 hours do more to prevent contractions than the progesterone shots.  So, I figured that I would go to the doctor and NOT get a shot but that I would stay on the pills until Sunday, which is 37 weeks (ie "term").  When I stopped the pills with my prior 2 pregnancies, I was in labor within 12 hours and having that baby!  So I was pretty much planning on having this baby on Monday, Aug 4.

Here was the reality:

My doc didn't like that idea.  What he said made sense, but I was still totally deflated.  He said that the shots are shown to work, but wear off in about a week, so if I skipped this last shot, there could be a chance I'd have the baby before Sunday (before 37 weeks), and that he may have to go to NICU (To quote him, 25% of babies born at 36 weeks still need NICU).  I guess he doesn't trust the pills to work as well as I do.  So I reluctantly gave in, though the tears were forming...

After 13 weeks since being put on bed rest, I thought I was home free!  But now I was looking at another entire week of pregnancy.  Granted, I have taken myself off of bed rest, but I didn't think through how hard it would be physically!  My back hurts all the time and my muscles are NOT used to going up and down stairs so many times a day... plus the fact that I pretty much have zero energy.  (When I've gone off bed rest before, I've quickly had a baby and bounced back!  Never have I remained pregnant for another week!)

So I got the shot and off I went to set up my appointment.  I told the receptionist that I needed my next appointment for Aug 7, and she said, "Oh he will be out of town.  How about the 6th?"  WHAT?!?!  After making it through the worry of having the baby while he was gone all last week, my mind had been at ease that I could have this baby on the 4th and my own doc would be there to deliver him.  And now, because I had to get this last dang shot, it is pretty much looking like a stranger will deliver my baby after all.  The tears started all over again...

Ok, ok, I know it's not the end of the world.  That was yesterday.  Today my tears are dried up and I'm gunna be fine.  And so is the baby.  I'm sure whoever the stranger is will be a competent and kind person.  And three or four more days isn't going to kill me.  Or I could still possibly deliver before Thursday.  Who knows... At this point, anyone's guess is as good as mine as to what will happen.  Maybe stopping the pills on Sunday really will make a difference despite the shot; maybe not.  

The quote at the top of my blog definitely applies now: "Patience means to ABIDE IN FAITH, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most."  I love the "abide in faith" part.  Faith is a wonderful sustaining power.  And I suppose the Lord knows I still have some growing to do in my days of waiting... (and not just physically growing, hopefully).  One day at a time... see what each day brings.



  

5 More Days???

Well, I have been up lots more the past couple days, and ironically all I have is a sore back... not any more contractions!  I know it's really a good thing- looking like we will make it til 37 weeks!  My doc appointment is tomorrow...

Now that I'm not afraid to pick up my 2-year old, though, we found him a fun seat today:

We also had fun this morning making catapults and shooting each other with starbursts:

And lastly, I forced Kirsha to be in a picture with the boys.  She fought me, but they have to remember their fun times with her this summer!  Cute pic, don't you think?

Being Outside!

This morning, I got up and got dressed in denim shorts.  Then I curled my hair.  (Which took a long time cuz my legs were too weak to stand the whole time and I had to keep sitting down taking breaks.)  Parker saw me and said, "Whoa Mom!  You can get up now?!"  Yeah... but it only lasted about 5 minutes.  The shorts were too uncomfortably tight, and it was so hot I had to put my hair in a ponytail.  Good effort, though, right?

After that, the boys made a "Bicycle Obstacle Course" in the driveway and on the lawn.  I went outside to watch them.  Plopped myself in a camping chair and OH MY GOODNESS!  It felt so good to be outside.  The sun wasn't too hot and the breeze was blowing... I couldn't get myself out of the chair.  Even after they'd all gone in for lunch.  I was just stuck... sitting there... in my own little bit of heaven.

Here is the obstacle course:

Parker kind of reminds me of the bear on Madagascar 3 riding his tiny little bike.  He has a bigger one, but I guess he likes the little one better.  :)