she's here!

Emerson Bailey White made her entrance into the world, into our family, and stole our hearts on Friday April 24, 2009 at 8:40 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and "officially" measured 20 inches long (the nurse recorded her length as 18.5 inches because she refused... even after it was suggested several times... to straighten Emerson's leg out of the fetal position. Our official measurement was done by our own resident doctor, a.k.a. poppi, after we got home).


I am pretty sure my doctor realized that changing the plan on me at the last minute was a cruel thing to do. So, at my appointment on Thursday, after determining that things were already progressing on their own he set up to meet us at the hospital the next morning to break my water. I did have contractions through the night, but nothing "organized". So, we were at the hospital at 10 a.m. Friday as scheduled. Even after the doctor broke my water, things progressed slowly. I was BORED out of my mind. I was calling home to have them bring games, magazines, or an iphone- though no one was willing to part with theirs.

About 4 p.m., we started on a low dose of pitocin which finally got things going. I got the epidural about 5:30 p.m., which slowed progress a little. Delivery still seemed a ways off at 8:00 p.m., and Paul was starving so he decided to go out and grab a bite to eat with my brother before everything closed. My mom was there and Gilen was visiting (bringing me a fresh stack of magazines), so I was not alone. While Paul was gone, the nurse came in to adjust the baby's heart monitor. She couldn't find the baby because she was still "too high" and moving around too much- she said. She needed to put an internal monitor on the baby. I mentioned I was feeling a lot of pressure and all though it seemed unlikely, I would say the baby was low and I was just about ready to push. The nurse checked and sure enough, I was right! She paged the nurses station for them to get Dr. Safarik there ASAP. He was at home about 20 minutes away. Gilen called Paul, who was in line to order food, and told him to get back to the hospital. Then all the hustle and bustle broke out- nurses running everywhere trying to get things ready. Paul returned shortly and then we just had to wait for Dr. Safarik to arrive- I had to try really hard not to have the baby before he got there. My family turned into a bunch of comedians, making me laugh, which really didn't help matters.

When Dr. Safarik ran in, we were all ready to go. All it took was 3 easy pushes and Emerson was here! We went from 0 to baby in 10 hours! Quite a contrast to the 24 hours of labor, 3 1/2 hours of pushing, and the use of a vacuum extractor that was employed with Avery! It was even an improvement over the 20 minutes of pushing required with Finley (which at the time I thought was GREAT!). I guess with each child it gets faster and easier! IF there is a next time, we might be in trouble!

We went home Saturday evening- after Paul got done with his golf tournament. Yeah, he played in a golf tournament the day after having a baby, while I sat in the hospital. I agreed to it when we were going to be having the baby on Thursday, we would be home Friday and I would have family in town to help while he played. We still did have family around, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The girls were well taken care of and I was never alone either- my mom kept me in good company. It was just the last few hours that were frustrating. The day before I delivered there was a big baby rush, so the mother baby unit was full after I had Emerson. They kept me upstairs on the labor and delivery floor instead of moving us downstairs. But, Saturday afternoon, the labor and delivery unit was filling up again, so they moved us downstairs to wait until Paul came to get us. Because they knew we were going home, they just put us in a back room and left us to ourselves. I think the nurse checked on us once. I felt like we were just being babysat. That is when I started to resent the fact that Paul was off playing golf. Otherwise, I really would have been fine with it.

Since being home, we have just been getting settled in, trying to get used to 3. The girls are LOVING their new little sister. They want to hold her ALL. THE. TIME. Both Avery and Finley are such good BIG sisters. Avery is such a little mama- telling and showing Finley how to be gentle, how to hold Emerson, and just bossing Finley around (sometimes it gets a little out of control). Finley is my sweet little helper- she gets diapers, throws diapers away, brings me blankets and binkies, always with a smile. They are both so concerned with the baby. It is so very sweet.

Emerson had a rough night the first night we were home, but since has done great. She is nursing like a champ, filling diapers like a champ (which is a completely foreign phenomenon in our house), sleeping well, and just being an overall good baby. Paul is wondering when the shoe is going to drop- when are the sleepless nights going to return?! I think the trial in this is the fact that the other girls are constantly crawling on me, touching the baby, and just wanting more of the attention that has been diverted away from them. It will be a challenge- especially after my mom goes home. But, overall we are adjusting well to our newly expanded little family.

Welcome to the world baby Emerson! We love you!

just a little disheartened

I just got back from my doctor's appointment where I thought we would be setting things up for the impeding induction on Thursday. EVERY. LITTLE. THING I have planned is based on that fact. Family coming (from long distances) to help, the peace of mind I have knowing I would have someone here lined up to stay with the girls while we were at the hospital, my schedule of things to be done before, making it known I would NOT be at church or available for anything this next week as I would be having a baby, not to mention I have my expectations completely pinned on it.... Thursday is THE day.... or, so I thought.

Instead of the appointment proceeding as I would have expected, we just listened to the heartbeat, he asked if I was having contractions, and THAT WAS IT. When I asked if I would be coming in for my appointment on Thursday or just meeting him at the hospital, he casually said that he was no longer going out of town so an induction would not be necessary and we would just be waiting for the baby to decide when the time was right. My heart sank (I am pretty sure my face dropped too). I questioned it, but his response was that it would be ideal if I would make it to 39 weeks (which is this Saturday) and he would prefer not to do anything before that. I get that- I of course want to do what is best for the health and safety of the baby, but I am still so disheartened. You don't go changing plans on a hormonal pregnant woman at the end (especially in this crazy 90 degree heat).... that is just cruel! I am just at a loss. I don't know what to do besides cry (it must be the hormones). I guess this will just give me more time to unpack all those boxes that are stacked in my family room?! Now I have to go break the news to all my family that have rearranged their own schedules to be here by Thursday. sigh.

just waiting

We are just in waiting mode now... waiting for baby girl #3 to make her entrance. My due date is May 2, but my doctor will be out of town the week leading up to that date. We have decided that if things do not happen on their own by Thursday April 23, we will induce labor. I am starting to have pretty intense contractions already (still nothing consistent), so who knows?!

We are kind of hoping the baby holds tight until next Thursday as everyone who will be coming to help is able to come Wednesday at the earliest (and Paul needs all the time he can get to get things finished up at work). It wouldn't usually be an issue since we have wonderful family here in town, but Grandma Lee had to go out of town at the last minute to help Jodi recover from another shoulder surgery. She would normally be the one we call to help with the girls when we go to the hospital. Without her help, we are at a complete loss. We miss you Grandma! Hope you are feeling better Aunt Jodi- our thoughts and prayers are with you! Fortunately we have wonderful friends that have been helping and have offered to step in if the baby comes earlier than Thursday. I was on the verge of a complete meltdown, but I feel much better having a plan in place for all possible scenarios. Thank you, thank you , thank you!

I am so very ready on one hand, but on the other it seems like there is so little time, yet so much to do. I am in full blown nesting mode- organizing, cleaning, rearranging. I am just afraid I won't have enough time to get it all done! Paul is working like crazy to tie up loose ends at work- he is at the bank until all hours almost every night. There are things I need help with that I can't do myself, such as retrieving the newborn baby clothes, the bassinet, the swing, the bouncy seat and all the gear is still buried in the garage. Hopefully that will be resolved this weekend. It is really a necessity as she will be here by next weekend!

The other pressing issue is that this baby still does not have a name! This is very unsettling to me. We have it narrowed down to a few, but still nothing definite. Here is the short list...
Reese Elizabeth- my only concern is that Reese, being a one syllable name is too short and choppy with White (also one syllable)?!
Harlee Elizabeth- love the family connection (Harvey + Lee = Harlee), but don't like the inevitable references to Harley Davidson
Emerson Bailey- LOVE that it sounds good with my maiden name as a middle name. Both the other girls have middle names that have strong family connections.
Rowan- originally my first choice, but Paul is STILL not budging on this one.
Macey- I want everyone in the family to have their own initials, so this would conflict with that. Also, would it grow up with her?

Any thoughts or suggestions? We might just have to wait to meet her!

WARNING: pregnancy causes impaired judgement and clumsiness

I am not sure what it is, but have come to the conclusion in the past 24 hours that the above statement is in deed true (for me at least).

Yesterday while pitting an avocado- with the tip of a knife (which was probably my first mistake)- the knife slipped, went through the avocado flesh and into my index finger of the hand I was holding the avocado with (again, not the smartest idea- I did say that my judgement is compromised in my current pregnant state). I was home with the girls by myself as Paul was still at church. I did everything I knew to do and I stayed completely calm- but I could not help but feel like I was going to pass out. I don't do well with blood (and to think I was convinced I wanted to be a doctor at one point?!). So, my 3 year old daughter, who is really into playing doctor right now, attended to me. I must say she has GREAT bedside manner! "I will be right here. Let me know if you need anything and I will get it for you." "Of course," she said as I asked her to bring me a bandaid - which really didn't do much for the bleeding, but is was worth a shot. She just stayed with me asking me if I was ok as I went in and out of lightheadedness. Then she escorted Paul back to me as soon as he walked through the door. Now, Avery might actually be up to becoming a doctor or a nurse- it is definitely not for me! It is probably a good thing that I have girls too as I don't know if I could deal with all the injuries boys would sustain being boys.

I am recovering. My finger finally stopped bleeding- I don't think I need stitches. It is still throbbing and smarts, but I will survive. I did change my bandage while Paul was still here this morning... just in case I started to pass out again.

That was not the end of my clumsiness. This morning Paul was running a little late, so he asked me to iron his shirt. Harmless enough. Everything was fine until I set the iron down to move the shirt around. Mid-shirt spin, my wrist came in direct contact with the face of the HOT, HOT iron. So, now to add insult to injury, my left hand is now throbbing AND burning. At least it is all on my one hand!

I had big plans for putting together some bookshelves we picked up over the weekend, but given my recent track record, I am thinking I should do something a little less hazardous. I obviously don't need to do anything with potential for injury as I have gotten injured doing the most innocent of tasks.

leg warmers- perfect solution for stubborn little girls

Avery is in a "dresses ONLY" phase- to school, running errands, and even just lounging around the house that is the only thing she will wear. This past Sunday after church, she changed out of her church dress and into yet another dress even though it was chilly. She refused to put on leggings or tights and then complained she was cold- of course. Stubborn, stubborn child!

I have seen leg warmers that you can make out of women's knee high socks. They look so cute under dresses and skirts for toddlers and little girls, but even more ADORABLE on little babies wearing just a onsie.

You can buy them in baby boutiques, and so many places online including BabyLegs and Etsy, but at $8-$12/ pair, I could see it becoming an expensive addiction. With baby girl #3 on the way, I stocked up on women's knee high and crew socks (better fit for newborns) in fun stripes, dots, and patterns at after Christmas sales to make some myself.

It is a project that I've been wanting to try anyway, so I decided to whip some up- hoping they would appeal to Avery and her freezing cold limbs. They were really so simple to make- I made two pairs in about 30 minutes using THIS tutorial. I just love them (even though I used my least favorite prints for the trial run) and the girls do too. I will be making a whole bunch of them in the coming months for baby, and the other girls too (I would be making them for a baby boy too- if that is what we were having... because you have to admit the blue and white striped ones in the picture above are TOO cute!).

we LOVE our girls- ALL of them!

I find it funny that when you are pregnant people feel they can say whatever they want to you, without consequence. Pregnant women have feelings too... and maybe even more sensitive feelings (due to raging hormones). I get emotional and depressed when the comments about how big I am start coming- you know the ones where people argue with you that you are for sure having twins even after you assure them there is only one in there, or "wow you look like you are ready to POP" when you still have 3 months to go. But, the comments I have gotten this pregnancy just take the cake.
.

Last week, a lady approached me at the grocery store when I had both Avery and Finley in the cart. She asked me "what's this one?" (pointing to my obviously pregnant belly). I said cheerfully, "another girl." To which her response was... "that's too bad. I guess you will just have to try again!"

.

SERIOUSLY?!

-

Just today the mail man came to our door to get a signature on a package. When I opened the door he saw the girls at my knees and remarked at how cute they are and how big they were getting. Then he noticed my belly and before he could say anything... I said, "and we have another little girl on the way." (again- cheerfully stated). He then said, "I am so sorry."

ME: Why?! We love our girls.

MAILMAN: Oh, of course. But having a 3rd girl... you're ok with that?

ME: Of course we are! We are thrilled!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Before we found out we were having a girl, people would make comments about how we must obviously be hoping for a boy this time, or "wouldn't that be sad if you had another girl. "Paul won't be ok having another girl...." WHAT?! Yes, as a matter of fact he will be happy- he LOVES his girls. Secondly, there is nothing I can do to control or change what Heavenly Father sees fit to send us, so WHY I ask myself would anyone say those things?! Now that we do know, I am getting comments about how sorry people are that I am having a 3rd girl. It just make me angry and defensive. Girls are NOT second class citizens or any less desirable than boys... at least not in my book, but I have been noticing that it must be a common opinion out there. It seems to be the consensus that our family could not possibly be complete without a boy. We may or may not have another baby after this one, but the fact that we have 3 girls and 0 boys will not play into that decision. Plus, if I do say so myself, we make pretty cute girls, so why mess with a good thing (that is one of my latest comebacks for the RUDE commentary I have received. No one has been able argue when they see two of them sitting there).

I am just so glad that Avery and Finley are little enough still that they do not "get it" when these kinds of comments are made in front of them. I NEVER want them to feel like they were anything less than absolutely desired as part of our family- as a FIRST choice. I LOVE having girls. I feel completely blessed by these precious little spirits my Heavenly Father has entrusted in our care. Though, I must say, I AM a little afraid of what we are in for when they are all in their teenage years... other than that, I am thrilled! I would of course welcome a baby boy into our family with joy, and I would love for Paul to be able to share father/son things with a little boy, but if Heavenly Father chooses to send us ALL girls, I am ok with that and I know Paul is too. There was a time that I didn't think I would be able to have any children, so for us each one of these little girls is a miracle and blessing beyond measure. If I had all boys, I would feel the same way. I am just grateful to have children, period.

I wish I could say that the commentary will die down after baby girl #3 is here, but I am sure I will continue to get comments when I take all 3 girls to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter. I will just continue to grin, bear it, and work on arming myself with a few more comebacks.

what we will NOT be naming baby girl #3

It has been brought to my attention by several people (my dad included- how does he know these things?!) that Angie Harmon (of Law and Order fame) and her NFL player husband Jason Sehorn have 2 girls- Finley and Avery- just like we do?! Yes, I am VERY aware of this. This was not done intentionally- in my defense, we had an Avery and a Finley before their Avery was born.... I am just saying. When I heard they were expecting again (which was also brought to my attention over and over again) I was bound and determined to wait to see what they named their new addition before we got too set on a name of our own. I just saw HERE that they welcomed baby girl #3 into the world today and her name is Emery Hope. So, just to clarify- we will NOT be naming our baby girl #3 Emery. It is a cute name, but we will be going with something else- I don't know what yet, but rest assured Emery is off our list. I was thinking seriously about Emerson, but I think that might be too close?!

Now, the serious contemplation and discussion can begin- suggestions welcome! I just have a few requirements- it can't start with the letters P, M, A, or F, I would prefer a name that doesn't end in y, and I would like to use Bailey (my maiden name) as her middle name. Any ideas?

the wait is over... 2 + 1 =

We have all been waiting with baited breath around here for the past 18 weeks to find out if this new baby would break the White Family string of girls (there are 6 granddaughters and 0 grandsons on Paul's side of the family). Today- after waiting an hour in the waiting room (seriously?! as if I wasn't nervous enough), we discovered that our baby looks healthy and all is well (which was my main concern) and, we are sticking with tradition and are having yet another White GIRL to add to the bunch... this will make 7 (3 for us).

To be honest, we weren't all that surprised (or at least I wasn't) that we are having a girl . So far, my pregancy has been almost identical to my other two- same severity and duration of sickness, etc... Plus, Avery has been saying all along that she was going to have another baby sister. She never faltered from that story. She was right! I am pretty sure she knew. Plus, the doctor did say (before the ultrasound began) that having several children of a single gender is an indication that there is a biological/mechanical reason behind it, making it more likely to have another of the same gender. There must be some truth to that for us!

When baby girl #3 revealed herself today, Paul just laughed and shook his head. I really think he took the news better this time than he did last time. After reality sunk in and the hopes of producing a tall NBA basketball player slipped away yet again (I am pretty sure he is dreaming- even if we did have a boy), he was happy. He truly LOVES his girls and they adore him. We are both just excited to be adding another healthy baby to our family. We would, of course, love to have a boy, but in this economic climate, it might prove to be a great blessing that we are having another girl this time around. We really have enough baby girl clothes to clothe a small nation and enough pink to go around. We should be set. Regardless, we are very excited and look forward to meeting baby girl #3 in April/May! Now the hard part begins... agreeing on a name! That can be a most difficult task for us! Any suggestions?!

WHO is it?!

So, we have been keeping a little secret- well, not really- if I have seen you and talked with you in person, you probably already know, but we have not, until now, made the official "announcement" that we are expecting baby #3 the end of April 2009. When we told Avery that there was a baby in mommy's tummy she looked at me, looked at my belly, then looked back at me and questioned, "WHO is it?" We don't know the answer to that question yet, but we are excited to find out! It is truly a miracle and a blessing after all we went through while dealing fertility issues due to PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) to get pregnant with Avery. I am so grateful that through that initial trial and error process (which seemed to take FOREVER) we have found a combo of treatments and medications that help my body to "work" and get pregnant without trouble (both with Finley and with #3). This time around I was on the Glucophage (metformin) for about 6 months before getting pregnant, which seems to be long enough ahead of time that I did not have to suffer a heartbreaking miscarriage before having a viable pregnancy (as I did before both Avery and Finley). At 14 weeks, everything looks good and seems to be right on track.

We had an appointment a week ago and got to see the little one on ultrasound. It looks like a little baby, but no details to report as of yet. We will have the BIG ultrasound the first week of December where the ultimate question will be answered.... BOY or GIRL?! Everyone in Paul's family is of course rooting for a boy are there are 6 granddaughters and 0 grandsons so far. I would of course love to have a boy, but I would also be OK with another little girl.... especially in this financial climate, another girl would most definitely be more cost effective as we have enough girl clothes to clothe a small nation. We shall see! I am excited either way!

I must say that I will be even more excited when the all-day sickness has past. I fear I have scarred my share of children (my own as well as others in public places) as a result. Up until now, things have gone just about the same as they have with the other 2. So, based on that, I still have about 12 more weeks of feeling crummy. I have even tried the "miracle" drug Zofran this time around with no avail. It hasn't really helped with the nausea and as a lovely side effect, I get a massive headache for the 24 hours after taking it. It is a little bit more challenging this time around with 2 little ones under foot and one that no longer naps.... which means, no rest for me either! But, we are all surviving... thanks in part to Noggin- 24 hours of "preschool on TV" at my disposal.

~

Avery is now starting to catch onto things and really "get it" that there is a new baby coming. She believes that it is another sister- I don't know if that is just all she knows, or if she really has a feeling (little ones can be pretty intuitive?!). I was asking her in the car the other day on the way to play with Grandma Lee and Pa (while I went to my OB appointment) what she thought the baby's name should be. To that she replied, "Mom, the baby doesn't have a name yet. I will know her name when I turn 4, but until then, just don't talk to me about it." Well, OK miss sassy pants! Where does she come up with this stuff? She provides constant entertainment- and these days- CONSTANT chatter! Finley on the other hand is completely clueless. She will understand the new harsh reality of it all in about 6 months when the baby is here. She is very much a momma's girl, so it will be interesting.

I love my girls so much. I love being a mom, even though I have moments when want to pull my hair out. I am truly excited to have another one on the way. I do have to say though, the thought of 3 is a little scary. With 2, it works- I have two hands to hold them or tend to them both at the same time when I am by myself, and then when we are all together there are two parents and we usually each take one child for bedtime, eating out, etc... It will be a whole new experience... as was having 2, in the beginning, and even having 1 at first. I think there is an adjustment period with each new addition. Then after a while though, you can't imagine life any other way. We are so excited for this new adventure!