Introducing Baby "Jay"

We have a baby! John Elwood the fifth was born at 8:04 am on Wednesday. He was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 1/4 inches long. His nickname will be "Jay".

I first want to apologize for anyone I would have loved to call to tell them the news. The phone reception here at the hospital is very bad...we are even having to write text messages and send someone to take our phones outside of the hospital to send them. Calling people consists of over half of the conversation going "can you hear me now"...
BUT our baby is here!!!I was in labor most of Tuesday but I didn't tell anyone because I was sick of false alarms. We ended up going to the hospital Tuesday night at 11:45pm because my contractions were 2-3 min. apart. We got to the hospital and I was already dilated to a 6. Our whole experience having baby Jay was a good experience, I am happy, and I hope to tell that story in a few days.
For now...here are some pictures John picked out for me to post:)

I hadn't slept for more than 10 min. at a time (except for about 45 min. during the epidural) for the last 29 hours when this picture was taken:) This is right after he came out.

Daddy helping clean up and weigh baby.

Daddy is already a pro at swaddling baby.

Baby Jay and Grandma Nibbelink

Baby Jay and Grandma Shaler

Baby Jay and Grandpa Shaler

John giving him his first bath at the hospital.

John Elwood IV, V, and III

Me and baby late this afternoon after a nap:)

I love this picture of John and baby Jay.

Dear Baby,

Dear Baby,
You looked cute in your ultrasound today. You sucked on your wrist, stuck out your tongue, and they said you were over 7 lbs. and doing good. I can't wait to meet you. We plan to go to the hospital for induction on Wednesday. I am so excited to meet you that I decided to write you a letter about how you came to be:)

Mommy and Daddy met at church. We had some friends that hung out with us together so we really got to know each other. When daddy asked me out on our first date he knew I was busy...but I canceled my other plans because I thought he was too cute to pass up:) We dated for about 10 months before we got engaged. We got married about 6 months later.

Mommy and Daddy were married 5 years ago on June 30 (which might be YOUR birthday). This is also a special day for mommy because her parents and grandparents both got married on that day and she made profession of faith at church on that day when she was younger.
Here are some pictures of Mommy and Daddy 5 years ago on their wedding day:)





One of the things I love about your daddy is that he almost always answers his cell phone:0
By the way, Daddy loves orange Gatorade:)

Mommy loves chocolate chip cookies and other sweets:

You are going to be named after these awesome dudes:


About Mommy and Daddy:
Mommy has done many things since she has been married. She is a teacher, she has coached HS&MS Volleyball, she has been a soccer and volleyball referee. She has enjoyed scrap booking, couponing (http://www.beingdutchgetsyoumuch.blogspot.com/), and photo and video editing.

Daddy has also done many things since he has been married. He has been an irrigation tech for many years, and has made our own backyard look amazing. He is an accomplished drummer and has played for church worship for years and even wrote some of the music for mommy and daddy's wedding. He also wrote a drum recessional for a friends wedding. He loves 4-wheeling in the Land Cruiser and I'm sure he can't wait to take you jeeping in the mountains with Grandpa and Grandma Shaler. In fact, when we knew you were coming into our lives, we celebrated by going jeeping.

Since we knew about you:
Mommy has has a hard pregnancy with you little man- but it will all be worth it:)
Daddy has been awesome taking care of mommy and can't wait to meet you.
Mommy has been blogging about each stage of pregnancy, so you can read about it when you grow up:)

You will get to live in Colorado. Mommy grew up in Iowa, and daddy grew up in Colorado and Nevada. Colorado is great because of the sunshine, low humidity and friendly healthy people. Here is the view of the mountains from your front porch:)


You are going to have lots of people that love you.
Your Uncle Kyle and Aunt Lori
and cousins Caleb and Isaiah:
Uncle Chad and Aunt Christine:
Uncle Kyle and Aunt Davina and Cousins J.T. and Camille:
Grandpa and Grandma Shaler:
Grandpa and Grandma Nibbelink: And lots of other friends!

Little man, please be good on your way out on Wed. or Thurs.:) If you want to come without giving mommy much pain she would love you for it, but either way...we will love you! See you soon.

41 weeks

Who knew I would get this far?
Here is my 41 weeks picture:

Chad and Christine hung out with mom this weekend, and we all had lunch together on Sunday. Here we are on the couch:

Other than that, not much to say. We'll see how the Dr. appointment goes today.

Nothin else I can do...

If baby wanted to come, he would.
I have tried a few of the typical "getting labor started" techniques and none of them have worked. (But I have stayed away from the caster oil because it grosses me out). Yesterday my mom and I did errands for a LONG time and we kept busy most of the day even riding over a few speed bumps in the car- which didn't help at all:( Today was just the opposite and I had a very lazy day taking 2 naps and relaxing most of the day. I had a stomach ache and back pain for a while- which I thought was something, but it went away.
The weather is changing a bunch (It is thundering outside and raining a bit), and it is supposed to be a full moon tonight, but I don't think that will bring baby either. We are probably waiting for Monday at this point to see what the Ultrasound/non-stress test/Midwife says.

Still waiting...

No big news yet. I saw my midwife today. I am 3cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. She said baby's head is "up in there" but right where he needs to be facing the correct way:) She said labor could start at anytime. She also said she couldn't strip membranes because I am GBS positive- but that was ok anyway because it is sometimes painful. I have had a number of contractions, but they aren't painful- they just tighten my stomach and keep me out of breath. The upper leg pain from baby pushing up against my sciatic nerve has continued. Some have been very painful, some just annoying.

If I don't go into labor this weekend I have another appointment on Monday afternoon and I will have an ultrasound, a non-stress test, and a pre-natal appointment. Then they will decide to induce me on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on how everything looks with the ultrasound and on availability at the hospital.)

Baby loves to move around a lot in the early evening between 5-6 pm, and again between 9-11pm. John and my mom have both felt him and have seen my stomach bouncing up and down:)

My mom flew in on Tuesday night and has been a big help even without the baby here. She has made meals, cleaned my freezer and a few cupboards, and has helped me get ready for baby. John has appreciated having her here because he worries about me less.
I am soo excited I have a timeline again:) Less than a week...or any day now:)

40 weeks

Here is my 40 weeks picture.
Thanks to Davina for fixing this maternity shirt for me. It makes me excited that I get to wear it. On that note, maybe I will try some reverse psychology...
Things that aren't so bad about being pregnant:
1. Non-greasy hair. I've mentioned it before, but my hair looks good for days without me touching it. It doesn't get greasy, or icky. Just shiny and purdy.
2. Food. It's the only time my new years resolution has been to gain weight. Yep. I can eat MORE, and it is fine. People encourage me to eat a lot(healthy food of course).
3. A never ending conversation topic. People will tell you all day about their pregnancy, labor, kids, ect. and most of the time I am interested:)
4. Presents. People are very generous and excited for baby and it is fun to get presents for the little guy.
5. Naps. I have never taken so many naps in my life and not felt guilty for it. The last few days I have gotten up on time and then have taken a morning nap and an afternoon nap. It really helps my hips because if I sleep to long at night they ache.
6. New clothes. This also is limiting (especially near the end), but it was very fun to have a new wardrobe these last 7 months- and pregnancy pants ROCK.
7. Something to look foreword to. I am a person who always needs to have something exciting on the horizon. It doesn't need to be a big trip or anything, just something to look foreword to. This is DEFINITELY some thing to look foreword to.
8. People are super nice. Yep, I have gotten discounts, smiles when crossing the parking lot, and tons of empathy glances from random strangers. It is kinda fun.
That's all I can come up with right now.
Here is a picture of me hanging out with some of my work buddies. It was a great distraction from waiting for labor to start:)

I have another appointment on Thursday, but if nothing happens this week they do a stress test next week to see if they should induce me. My leg pains are still there and annoying and painful. Contractions come and go but are not consistent or painful...so I wait:)

Tee-hee-hee

Only a few things have made me really laugh these past few days.
One was the story my sister told me about my 3 year old nephew who had to pee while they were out at a farm. He couldn't find a tree private enough to pee behind so he peed his pants:)

The other was this website: Have you had that baby yet?
:)

Avoidance

Early on in my pregnancy I wouldn't let myself get excited, because I know that so many miscaragages happen. At about 25 weeks I finally let myself get excited and I started reading a lot more, planning a lot more and thinking about BABY all the time. On Wednesday (after we didn't have the baby on Tuesday), I realized if I keep thinking about baby and labor all the time I will go nuts. I have been avoiding thinking and talking about baby for a few days now. I still make sure he is moving enough and answer at least 5 questions each day about how I am feeling and if there is any news, but I have really enjoyed this time not being pre-occupied with baby coming.

Things I have been doing:
Cooking- It has been hot and we don't have AC except for a window unit, so I have been making creative meals that don't heat up the house. I also have experimented with how to make the fresh fruit in the house more appealing. Here I made some cheesecake with peaches, blueberries and a bit of powdered sugar:)

Scrapbooking- I have a great collection of scrapbooking stuff and haven't really touched it since last summer. I am having a lot of fun getting back into it.
Movies/TV- Movies are good for me because shopping means a lot of standing, and when I get the leg pains I don't want to be in the middle of a store barely able to walk:) I have checked out a bunch of movies from the library to watch while I clean and cook, I have caught up on a bunch of ABC shows online. I also watched "When in Rome" from Redbox. I even went to a movie by myself yesterday because it sounded fun and relaxing (and it was in the AC).
I saw "Killers". It was cute.
I plan to watch Toy Story 3 with some friends today.
Photo Editing- Here is one thing I have been working on:
Here is my 39 weeks picture:
John says he can't remember what I look like not pregnant anymore:) He also said I look like a watermelon swallowed a cantalope. Then he asked if I dressed like a watermelon because he said that. My answer was NO, I just have limited clothes that fit right now:)

He flipped!

...Which means no baby yet.
We went in this morning bags with bags packed ready to have a baby. I had felt some significant movement in my belly on Thursday and on Sunday, but I have/had no way of knowing what any of it meant. Yesterday I freaked out because we told everyone today...and what if he flipped? For some reason, last night I got over it and have kind of gone through the day thinking...what is meant to be is meant to be. God has a plan for this too.

When we got to the hospital they knew I had felt significant movement (because I told them when they called last night), so they made me change into my gown and then they got my midwife to do an ultrasound. Sure enough...head down. Yeaaah! We waited for the Dr. to confirm and he did. The midwife checked me (2 1/2 cm dilated and 70-80% effaced), told me it is very rare that they flip this late in pregnancy, and to be happy about it. Then they sent us home. I go in for another prenatal appointment on Friday.

John said about 10 times today "but I wanted a baby today":) I think we are a little bummed that it all happened this way (built up anticipation to a date...and we told so many people, and then he flipped...so now we wait for labor to kick in itself), but on the other hand I have been reading things about C-sections that kind of freak me out so having a vaginal delivery would be nice!

Thanks to everyone for all their well wishes and prayers via comments, texts and e-mails. I really felt loved today and will take those with me when he really decides to come. Ever since I have had a "due date" I have told people I think he will be late. Now I have no clue, but I still think he will be late. Many women are induced especially in their first pregnancy.

As for the shooting pain in my leg, it isn't near as bad today, but I can feel it once in a while. Now it is more obvious that baby's head is pressing up against a nerve which is creating the pain. I am also really tired. By 1:00 this afternoon with all the craziness of the morning, I could barely keep my eyes open and had John make a few phone calls for me so I could take a nap.

Now I have tons of time to do stuff...but what?:) I can do things to stimulate labor, or I can clean some more. Or maybe I will watch "The Bachelorette" and some other shows online:) I switched my countdown to reflect the due date again:)

Another anticipation post

We still haven't completely finished the nursery, but here is a picture of a few of our decorations. As you can see I love Monsters:)

When we get the shelves up I can add some more to those.
We also have a lot of blues and browns going on.


I also want to highlight a "monster diaper cake" that my friend Amy made for me.


On a side note, when I woke up from my nap today I noticed shooting pain at the top inner part of my thigh. When I stand up straight and put pressure on that leg it is very painful. One of my friends thinks that baby is pushing on one of my nerves. It has been happening all afternoon and evening (and I have been limping around). If baby doesn't come tomorrow, I sure hope this shooting pain in my leg goes away.
Hopefully we have good news tomorrow.

Slowin down...

I feel very pregnant at this point in time. On Wed. night I was having a bunch of contractions, so I started timing them and most were between 8-12 min. apart, one was 6 min. I decided to drink a bunch of water and go to bed because I didn't want labor to start (especially if he is still breech). Thankfully the contractions went away and I could sleep. Yesterday I took it easy all day with a few household chores, but mostly sitting around (and I did a lot of talking on the phone too- Thanks for all the Birthday wishes!). Baby did some significant moving (I think he was trying to flip but his head only moved over a few inches- and it has probably moved back by now).
Today I am moving slowly, but I want to do a few more errands in town so my plan is to move very slowly and hopefully the cars in the parking lot will take pity on me and not run me over:)
Up to this point it has been strange but fun when people are extra nice to me because I am pregnant. I feel guilty sometimes. I got a discount at the hair cutting place because I had to wait so long, people smile at me and apologize if their carts get in your way, and people have never been so nice waiting while I cross the street:) This week I finally need the extra niceness to get across the street slowly.
Only 4 more days!

Kohl's clothes for $1.30

Last week Saturday I purchased a few things from Kohls for gifts and did a few different transactions. Each time I did a transaction I got a $10 off coupon for any $10 purchase of Kids, Juniors or Young Men's clothing. I read all the fine details and basically I was getting $30 worth of free clothing. (I also read it was a promotion only going on in a few states...but Colorado was one of them!)
The deal started today, so I headed to the clearance section to see what I could find. They were having great sales so I also got some non-clearance items. I had to do 3 different transactions and stay as close to $10 each time as possible to get the most bang for my buck, but I got all this for $1.30 (.40 on one transaction and .90 on another). Seriously. Little man is going to be set:)
My favorite is the Mommy's Little Monster outfit!

ONE WEEK LEFT:)

We have a date! The doctor's nurse called this morning and told us that they scheduled the c-section for Tuesday, June 15 at 11am.
At my appointment today they said baby is still breech, but he is doing fine. I asked a LOT of questions about the c-section procedure and what happens before and after. I also plan on attending a breastfeeding clinic thing tomorrow to get prepared on that front.
A bunch of random thoughts...
With one week left I have decided to...get together with lots of friends, do a bunch of shopping (well- coupon shopping at least), finish some last minute things for the nursery, take an infant CPR class with John, take lots of naps, and not make a big deal out of turning 30:)
After I finish some things in the nursery I hope to post pictures of it this weekend.
Here are my belly pictures from this week and last week:
38 weeks: I look kind of sick of being pregnant in this one:)

37 weeks


I changed the ticker at the top of the blog to reflect D-day (delivery day), so even though I am still at 38 weeks, it says 39 because there is one week left!

I checked out a few post-pregnancy books from the library which look good (I have already read one). One is an illustrated baby care guide, which I might take to the hospital for John to look at too.

The little man was dancing in my stomach yesterday for an hour in the afternoon and an hour in the evening. John was very surprised when he just kept moving and moving and he could feel it. It was fun...but I took a nap in between all the movement because I was tired too.

The new plan for baby...

At my appointment yesterday baby was still breech. I told my midwife that I have been trying to keep my but up in the air for 10-15 min. before bed, and a few other techniques for flipping a breech baby. (When I tried the heat/cold one John made me stop because he thought I would freeze baby's head with the ice pack:) She informed me that at this point in time- she doesn't think he will flip. She was there during the version and said some babies move significantly during external version even if they don't flip and our little guy didn't move much at all (even with the doctor pushing hard on my belly). She said there probably is a reason why he isn't flipping. It could be one of many things (cord around the neck, amount of amniotic fluid, or other factors).

So...at this point in time they want to schedule a c-section for 39 weeks. They don't want to go too far into the 39 weeks, so they are looking at the 15th or the 16th. Wow...a date!...He is coming in less than 2 weeks! My blog counter says 16 days, but that would be 11 or 12 days!

I know that one of the 2 midwives I have seen lately (and really like) will be there (the other one will be gone that week), and the doctor. I went over some of the procedural things for a c-section with my midwife. I don't have to have my hands tied down (even though our baby class instructor said we would), and John can be with me the whole time (unless he goes with the baby to the nursery).

I am kind of sad that I probably won't get to experience the craziness of labor and a vaginal birth. John really wanted me to punch him when I was in extreme pain:) I am also sad that during c-sections the baby goes to the nursery (with dad) for 25-30 min. while they finish the after birth stuff and stitch me up. I think that might be hard for me. (At least I will get to see baby for 5-10 min. before that happens).

My midwife said the VBAC procedure (if there is ever a second kid) is most recommended when c-sections (the first time) happened because of breech babies. That is reassuring (although I am NOT thinking about a second child right now).

On a positive note:
We will know when it is going to happen- so I won't have to worry about John rushing home from work, wondering if contractions are real, or rushing to the hospital because of the positive group B strep test. It will cost the same amount either way (because of insurance). Baby will probably not be born with a smushed head. We just want a healthy baby.

Other things to think about:
Do I look for a c-section video on Youtube to know what to expect? I watched one on external version and it was soothing. I'm afraid watching a video might be traumatic...but then again not knowing what to expect might be just as traumatic.
I have a couple other things I am thinking about but I'm not sure if they are blog-appropriate:)

Let the wild ride of last minute preparations begin!
*I have almost found a good insurance for baby
*I made one freezer meal (maybe I will get time for more)
*I plan on attending a breastfeeding class next week
*I want to go for coffee or lunch with a bunch of friends next week

Things I needed to survive during pregnancy...

I know everyone is different, but these are the things that helped me get through (well almost all the way through) pregnancy.
1. Nausea Pills. The prescription kind. I don't think I have ever been on a prescription for this long, but if I didn't have them, I would have probably not been able to continue teaching, or functioning these last 8 months. The only positive that I have for needing them, is that I have transferred my prescription to a few different locations and have gotten over $60 in gift cards for free.

2. Humidifier. We have a whole house humidifier, but when I got a bad cold that lasted a month, I decided to try a small humidifier in the bedroom too. It is amazing- I can breath so much better when I sleep. I think it has cut back on John's snoring too. I figured it was worth buying because babies need humidifiers...but I'm keeping this one in my bedroom after pregnancy too.

3. Babycenter.com. This website has been very helpful and reliable when researching any kind of pregnancy related question. They also do a great job explaining the size of baby each week and what is going on with your body.

4. Birthdayalarm.com. (OK, not essential to surviving pregnancy- but essential for my guilty conscience) This is a free website where you can sign up and enter the birthdays of your friends and family. They e-mail you a week before their birthday (or anniversary) and the day before. I have REMEMBERED to send a lot more birthday cards since I signed up for this free service. It is especially helpful since I have been sick and wanting to sleep a lot. I highly recommend it.

5. Teachers at my school who have helped out. They would watch my classes: when I had to go to the bathroom, if I had a dr. appointment, or if I was feeling sick and needed to leave last period. THEY ROCK! I couldn't ask for better co-workers.

6. Body Pillow. I sleep with a minimum of 5 pillows at night during pregnancy (good thing we have a king size bed!) I got a body pillow for Christmas, and it has been very helpful for sleeping.

I know it looks like he is at the end of the list, but John has been my rock during this time. He has taken care of me when I am sick, he is so excited to be a dad, he makes sure I eat and gain weight during pregnancy, and he fills my humidifier every night. I love him.

Memorial Day BBQ

We had a great time with some friends from church during a memorial day BBQ that we hosted.
I haven't hosted a party in a while, so it was really fun. I got out some decorations from the basement:
I attempted to make a layered Jello salad:) Kristie helped me with the cool whip stars on the top.

Kristie brought some amazing desserts:

Here are a few of us enjoying the food and fellowship:

My camera died before we hauled out the water balloons and let the boys throw them at John (and the adults have at them too). It turned out to be a GREAT party. Come again everyone.