Baby #3 Turns 4!

Just after your 3rd birthday

Around Christmas time. Your hair was so long!

Just after your 4th birthday. Little Stinker.

Dear Evie Marie,

I should start by apologizing that this post is a week late. We had our church musical during your birthday week and this year was the first year you were able to participate. Being busy with that isn't a real excuse why I haven't gotten this blog done sooner, but it is the truth.

You are four. It is so hard to believe. I want to remember you as one and two and three, but it's difficult. I know you as four and you are quite an amazing character. When people meet you one of the first things they notice is your eyes. I know I have mentioned them in previous posts, but you have recently come up with why they look the way they do. They are blue with gold in the middle. If asked, or if we ask you to tell people about your eyes, you will say, "God sprinkled gold in them. He told me that and he always tells me the truth." Well, ok then. Who is going to argue with that? The next thing people notice is your size. You are a tall little girl taking after Daddy's side of the family. I'm sure that you will surpass your sisters in height at some point in the not so distant future. You can also be shy, but once comfortable, look out! You will talk anyone's ear off and some of the things you come up with are just hilarious.

Here are some things Daddy and I have noticed about you over the past year...

• You like to be called "dude." Daddy started calling you Dude a little while ago and whenever he calls you by your name you casually say, "Dad, you can call me Dude if you want to." Oh. Ok. Thanks Dude. 
• You love the Minnesota Zoo...like, really love it. You ask almost every day if we can go so you can see the snake, the sharks and the crocodiles. They are not scary to you because you know that they are behind the glass and cannot get out. You love the crocodiles the most. You now have three toy crocodiles that you likes to sleep with. Their names are Pete, Super and Walter. Yup. If anyone should go into your room, they should be prepared. You have also made friends with a raccoon statue outside of the Minnesota Trail. We sometimes sit by him and eat a snack and you have decided that he is your buddy and that you love him. If you ever want to go to the zoo, they should bring you along. It will be an adventure. If anyone gets scared, don't worry...you will hold their hand.
• In your three year old blog post, I wrote about how much you love The Hulk. The love of The Hulk continues, but it has spread to all superheros and villains. You know more about the Marvel characters than anything else, mostly because some friends of ours got you a 100 Marvel Superhero Character book. You have your favorites, but you know all about The Hulk, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Spider Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Thor, Loki, Black Widow, Rocket Raccoon, Odin, The Thing, Falcon, Ant Man and Wasp just to name a few. It should also be noted that you have a special place in your heart for villains. Whenever we are watching a movie or reading a book you pick out the bad guy and name him/her as your favorite. Maybe you know they need some love too.
• You had your second set of tubes put in this year as well as your adenoids taken out. This last winter was rough on your ears. You had 5 infections in 4 months and it was recommended that we do surgery. Our ENT was great. I asked a lot of questions and he was very reasonable. The fluid in your ears was just not draining, but my hope was that since the weather was getting nicer, things would get better and we wouldn't have to do surgery. We waited a couple of weeks to see what would happen and in that time we realized how much you couldn't hear anything we were telling you. The volume on the car radio had to be turned way up and if we were talking to you, we had to make sure you were looking at us so that you could understand what we were trying to tell you. Well, we went through with the surgery and I am so glad we did. Your ears were filled with thick mucus and your adenoids were large and swollen. Surgery was the right thing to do. Everything after that day was LOUD! Radios and the TV had to be turned down, toilets had to be flushed once you left the bathroom, you ran inside when I hit the garage door button. It was all too loud for you. Overall, you are just a happier kid since the day of surgery.
• We decided to put all three of you into swim lessons this summer. Grandma and Papa take you to the Y to swim and you love it, but you never had formal lessons. Well, it turns out, you are a fish. You LOVE swim lessons. You had no fear and did whatever your teacher asked you to do. You also caught on to techniques really fast. You can float on your back, swim underwater, dive for rings, swim more than 5 feet on your own, and jump in all by yourself. The best day was when your teacher threw 4 rings into the water and you took a deep breath, dove under and came up with all 4 on your arm. Amazing. We then went up to Brainard to spend some time with Nick, Carrie and the kids at a water park. You didn't want to leave the pool. You were a maniac! You swam for almost 3 hours straight. In the big pool, the lazy river (not using a tube of course but just letting the current take you around and around while you swam underwater), and down the water slides. You can't wait for your next session of lessons to learn more. 
• I have a cousin, Shane, that lives in Canada. We don't get to see him often, but when he is in town, he makes a point to come and see all of us. Over the past year, you have had an odd fascination with him. After his last visit, you talked about him constantly. "Is Shane coming over? What is Shane's favorite color? Can we go see Shane? Does Shane live really far away? I want to take Shane to the zoo." For a while you wouldn't take any pictures when we went places. The only way I could get you to pose is to say that I would send it to Shane. He's your best guy. Then, you got a rubber snake. It's black, yellow and orange. Can you guess what you named him? Yup. Shane. 

My baby...you are one of a kind. You make me laugh and you make me crazy, but I wouldn't change one thing about you. You are kind, independent, strong willed, loving, determined, and unique. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us over the next year.

I love you My Monster.
Mommy.

Baby #3 Turns 3!

Just after your second birthday, having fun in the yard with the sprinklers.

Ham. 2 1/2.

My Monster. Almost 3.

Dear Sweet Baby Girl (a.k.a Monster),

Just like your sisters, you are growing up too fast. And, you are literally GROWING UP! You are wearing clothes that your sisters were wearing when they turned four and here you are, three years old and fitting into them. Our guess is that you will one day pass me and both your sisters to reach a solid 5 foot 10 inches. You are caring, smart, spunky, and full of love. Everything the baby of the family should be. Here is what you have been up to the past year.

• You love all things HULK. For Natalie, Mack and Brody's birthdays last year, Aunt Sarah threw a Super Hero themed birthday party. I found a Hulk shirt for you to wear because, well, it reminded me of you. Calm and collected...then...BAM! Out of control and angry. Well, you grew attached to that shirt. We told you more about who and what The Hulk was and over the past year you "LOVE LOVE Hulk Smash." Macie found a book at the library and you have learned that Bruce Banner is the guy who turns into The Hulk when he gets angry...and you won't like him when he's angry...but you do. You think he is the best. The shirt in the third picture is your second Hulk shirt since you grew out of the original one. You would wear it everyday if I let you. I think there will be many Hulk presents headed your way this year.
• Orange is your favorite color. I'm not sure how someone so young picks a favorite color, but all of you have done it. Natalie's is black. Macie's is purple. Whether it is picking out a crayon to color with or a flavor of popsicle, you want orange. You also feel the need to point it out wherever we go. If we are driving and you see a truck, billboard, car or construction sign, from the backseat I hear "Momma!!! ORANGE!!!" 
• You have no interest in potty training. I would really like you to be done with diapers but I also know that I would be wasting a lot of energy to try and make you do something that you are not ready for. You have no problems sitting down and going when I tell you to, but you would just rather have a diaper. However, when you are ready, I have a pair of Hulk underwear waiting for you. 
• Recently you have started to call Casey, "My Buddy." It's the cutest thing. One day I heard you yelling, "Buddy! Hey Buddy! Come here Buddy. You are my Buddy. Mom, I love my Buddy." He tolerates you very well. We couldn't have asked for a better dog when dealing with babies and small children. 
• When you run, you kick your heels up so that they hit your butt. It is so funny to watch! You have also gotten into a habit of coming up to me or Daddy or whoever is watching you at the time saying, "I'll be right back, k? I'm just gonna go over here, then, I'll be right back, k?" And off you go, running and kicking your butt the whole time. 
• You have been the only one of our children to love your tricycle. Your sisters had a really hard time getting the hang of pedaling. I think your legs are long enough that you get enough power to get the trike going. You cruise around the block with us and in the backyard on the patio. As you ride you get going quite fast, so you lean back into the seat. It looks very similar to the kid from "The Shining" who rides around the hotel hallways on his trike. Molly and I have asked you to say "Red Rum" a couple of times, but you refuse and ride off. 
• There are a couple of TV shows that you have grow attached to: Doc McStuffins, Curious George (the movie and the show), and Imagination Movers. With the Imagination Movers last CD, Rock-O-Matic, they put out a 25 min DVD to go with it. You are obsessed with both. As far as kid CD's go, it's not bad. Daddy and I have rocked out with you quite a few times, but, after watching or listening to anything over 100 times, it gets a little old.
• You still love your babies. Feeding them, changing them, handing them off to anyone while they sleep so you can go play something else, and pushing them in a stroller. You are so careful with them and they are all named Boom Ollie Ollie (a reference to the Imagination Movers song "Remember When"). Our friends and family have also learned to be careful with their swings, car seats and bouncy chairs when we come over. You go around and buckle them so when a baby gets set down into them, first the parent thinks "Hmmmm...Evie's been here." Then they have to dig under their infants back to try and unfasten the buckles. 

You have kept Daddy and I on our toes these three years. Everyone who looks into your big beautiful eyes tends to fall in love with you. You know what you want, when you want it and, that doesn't always work out in your favor as a three year old, but as the years go on it will be an amazing asset for you. You are funny and full of energy and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I love you my wonderful child. 

Mommy.  

Baby #3 Turns 2!

This is shortly after your first birthday. You look so little!

Me and you just before Christmas. You had 5 teeth and it was right around this time you started to do your "cheese" smile.

Here you are. 2 years old. Beautiful girl.

Dear Evie,

Happy Birthday sweet girl. I sit here and have mixed emotions. I look at you and am filled with happiness and then, a wave of sadness comes. I wish it wouldn't. I start to think of all of your firsts and for me there are a lot of lasts. You are a kid that is making them count though! You keep us so busy. Everyday a new bit of sparkling personality peeks through and I am amazed at the little person you have become.

• We affectionately call you many names...#3, Stinky, Eve-ers and Monster. You have been our Monster for quite a while now. So long, in fact, that you even answer when you hear us calling you by that name. You are into everything and tend to destroy anything you come in contact with. You are also a climber, so setting things on counters doesn't even stop you. Inside, outside, upside-down...you will get to whatever it is you want.
• You are stubborn. One of your best qualities. You get it from me, unfortunately, but if used correctly, it can be an asset. Because of this, you get into trouble now and then. If Daddy or I has to raise our voice at you or put you in a time out, once it is over, you need affection. This usually comes in the form of a hug from one of your sisters. You walk over to one of them with your arms out saying "Hug. Hug. Hug!" And both are happy to oblige. 
• You have a way of melting peoples hearts. I think this is because of your eyes. You have amazing eyes. They are gorgeous and full of personality. The outer part is dark blue, but the middle, by your pupil, is gold. When we are outside in the sun, looking into your eyes is one of the most beautiful things in this world. 
• You are starting to say so many words. And just in the last week you have started to string together 2 and 3 words at a time. Some of your favorites: squeezie (one of your favorite foods), book, brush teeth, potty, icky, beeper, thank you, bless you, uh-huh, hand, Momma walk, outside, and many more. This is not to mention all the peoples names that you know and remember. I think my favorite though is our neighbor, Greg. You love Greg and when you want to see him you ask for "Wig."
• You transitioned into a twin bed around 19 months old and did amazing. The only thing that has not gone so well is the fact that you only sleep until 5:30 am. That is early, little girl.
• You cannot smile yet. See the third photo above. I think I remember Natalie going though a phase where she smiled like that too. It's so funny! You don't mind being in front of the camera; in fact, when you see someone has a camera and happens to be pointing it in your direction, you make that face just in case they want to take a picture of you. 
• You make all these funny sounds and do all these hilarious gestures. For a while when you wanted to eat, you would make this funny sound with your mouth like you were sucking in your cheeks. That meant you were hungry and wanted food. When you get excited, you scream and say a bunch of nonsense words while rotating each arm into the air Michael Jackson "Thriller" style and run in place. You have this funny high stepper run and a squat walk that make me laugh out loud every time I see it. 
• You love playing with your sisters and you are the first one to tell them that you don't what them to tell you what to do. You have your own ideas and won't be pushed around by them simply because they are older then you. 

This year, I am going to work really hard on focusing on all the amazing things you will do and not so much on the fact that I won't get to experience them with another baby. I am so blessed to have all that I do and when I look at you, that is what I need to remember. Even though you are my third child, you show me new things every day. You are an extraordinary little lady Evie. I love you so much. Happy Birthday my sweet darling. 

Love,

Mommy.

So...maybe I should get a fish.

This post is dedicated to my friend Carrie, who has inspired the title. Thanks Care :)

A fish you might ask? Yes, a fish. Let me tell you why...

I am a maternal person. It is just a part of who I am. Even as a child I knew this about myself. I started babysitting my cousins young and always had little ones on my lap at Christmas even though I was a little one myself.

I did not get along great with my sisters growing up. I had a couple of problems...first, I always had the thought that I was just as old as Sarah, who was two and a half years older than me. Maybe it was because she was the same size as me and maybe it was just a complex, but it is what I believed. Then, when Beth came 14 months after I was born, I was determined to be her mother. She latched on to Sarah, wanting nothing to do with me...rightfully so. So, even though I didn't get along with either of them, I was extremely protective of both. Again, mothering instincts kicking in.

As a fourth grader, I knew teaching was what I was meant to do with my life. It just fit with every part of who I am. I have never imagined doing anything else.

So now, I am an adult. I am a teacher. I am a wife. I am a mother. I love who I am and what I do.

Now comes the problem. As a mother, for me, I tend to forget the hard or painful times when it comes to my children. The uncomfortable parts of pregnancy, labor, when the kids get sick, etc. God gave me this incredible absentmindedness when it comes to these things. I remember Natalie being 3 months old and looking at Brian saying, "So, when do you want to do this again?" Yep...just a little bit crazy.

* Sidenote - Please keep in mind that I am also the type of mom who has to be away from her children every once in a while. And they need to be away from me. I am a firm believer in focusing on my relationship with Brian so that the rest of the family can be healthy. Everyone in my family has a place. Brian and I are first and the girls come next. This is not to say that I ignore my children. But if Brian and I fall apart, then there is no family and that is the last thing I ever want to happen. Ok, back to the reason I wrote the post*

Evie is going to be two soon and my belly is ITCHING to be pregnant. I see pregnant ladies everywhere. Not only are they stalking me, but families with 4 children follow me around! I think about it and wonder...what's the big deal? But, I have to stop and think. I have to stop and truly think about how full my plate is.

This weekend was one of those weekends. Evie has been running a fever for 2 days. Macie woke up with a fever last night. We were madly dashing back and forth to the doctor to see what was going on. Well, Mace had strep. Great, well theirs meds for that. But Evie, nothing. Teeth are coming in and she has a cold. Overall, she just isn't feeling well. After getting home and trying to make it though the rest of the night, Evie is truly uncomfortable. She spent about 4 hours crying. I had no clue what her problem was. She wouldn't go to sleep even though she was exhausted. I hadn't eaten all day because of the worry and was at my wits end. I was in her bed with her crying too. I made a call to a dear friend who told me, "Gina, go bring her to Children's. This is not like her. Go find out what is wrong." Let me tell you...you need people like this in your life. They save you in moments like this.

So, Macie is already asleep at 7pm because she is exhausted. Natalie was such a trooper all day, we let her stay up with our neighbor who came over while we went to the hospital. As we get there, Evie burps once and "beepers" (as we call it) twice, and I am thinking "Oh, no. We did NOT just come to the ER for gas!" She gets checked in, checked out by the nurse practitioner and we run some tests. Another strep test, because she has a weird rash on her neck and forehead, nope. Not strep. They took some urine to see if she had a bladder infection. Nope, not that either. Finally they did an x-ray of her belly, which was not my idea but that is the exact reason why I feel Children's is the BEST place to go. And that looked fine. In the process of all of this my third child continues to beeper all over the place.

So, we go home. Was she screaming for 4 hours due to gas? Maybe. Were their other things going on with her to cause her to cry and scream and take in more air which causes her to have more gas and pain? Yea, probably. But YIKES! WHAT AM I...NEW? Frustrating.

It is weekends like this that I HAVE to remember. I have to remember what weekends like this do to me. These weekends are not going to go away. I know that. In fact, having three girls, the problems are going to turn from little things like gas to lord knows what. Let the emotional roller coaster begin.

I am a very blessed woman. I am surrounded with love and support. Not everyone has that. I needed to write this to remind myself that I have a lot. Adding another child to our lives would be great, but I need to live in the world now and stop thinking about what I wish I had. Plus, I don't know that having another baby would stop my wanting for babies! As Molly and Carrie have both told me, "Gina, if you have another child, does that mean you WON'T want another one?" Um...I'm not sure.

So, there it is. Focus on the now. Love what you have. Deal with what is in front of your face.

Ok. I will try.

Baby #3 Turns 1!

Newborn

Is this happening? Are you really a year old already?

1 Month

Since birth, you have been an amazing child. You fought so hard to get into this world, and I am so glad you did. You are one of the happiest, most content babies I have ever met.

2 Months

You love the blanket that Grandma made for you. You love to play with it, on it and in it. It calms you when you are crabby and makes the best peek-a-boo toy when you are being silly.

3 Months

When you started to spend more time awake during the day we all got lost in your eyes. They are so big and so blue. You are a beautiful little girl inside and out.

4 Months

Mommy and Daddy weren't sure if we made the right choice for your name. Evie (or Eve) means life, and if we are talking about meanings, we definitely chose correctly. It is not a name you hear a lot and we wonder sometimes if you should have been Anna. For me, it only takes your sisters calling out to you and you flashing that big one dimpled smile to know we chose correctly.

5 Months

You are a fighter. Even at 5 and 6 months you want to do things on your own and you stand up for yourself. If your sisters take a toy away from you, you scream and grab it back. You are not going to be pushed around in this world. You already know how to hold your own.

6 Months

You have your own time to do everything. When you were ready to crawl, you got up on your hands and knees and rocked back and forth, back and forth. The first week you did this, we said "It will be any day now and she will be crawling." We waited. We waited some more. You were so close but didn't crawl. Finally, weeks later, you figured it out and have not stopped moving since. Now you are close to walking and the same thing is happening. You can stand on your own for quite a long time. You have been doing this for weeks. Have you started to walk? Nope. We have to wait for you to decide when the right time is. It's really hard to wait...just to let you know...

7 Months

I look at you, and you smile. Then the longer I look at you, you smile even bigger and it never fails, our comes your tongue. It is one of the cutest things you do even if you end up drooling all over the place.

8 Months

You were born in the year of boys. A month after you were born, Easton, was born. You two love to follow each other around the living room and, of course, you always want the same toy. We also love how you chatter away to him and he just smiles. In August, we welcomed your cousin Eli into this world. You have already started to show him the ropes of how this world works. September brought Brody and you liked to think of him as a prop. We found you almost sitting on his head and also using his head to push off of to try and stand up. He did not think this was cool. Then in November, daddy's cousin welcomed Nolan into their family on Thanksgiving. We haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with him, but man, does he seem like a peanut compared to you. There is one other thing these boys have in common...they are all first born children. You are the third child in our family and will have to fight for your own things and for attention. These boys are very lucky right now to not have to share toys or share their parents. You seem to take advantage of this. I encourage them to fight back. :)

9 Months

You love the bathroom and everything in it; especially the toilet. You think it is your own personal pool. So far you have only gotten into it twice and SO FAR there has just been water in it. I will continue to keep my fingers crossed. I will also continue to remind your sisters to shut the door.

10 Months

Your giggle is priceless. That is what I hear the most from friends and family. "If I could just record that little giggle she does and play it all day long, I would always be happy." It is just so cute. You don't have to be laughing or even think something is funny. You sometimes do it when someone smiles back at you or as a little add on to your smile. It is so unique and beautiful.

11 Months

Your during the past month or so, your tongue has been out of control. I don't know if it started when your top tooth came in, or if you just got into the habit of sticking it out, but right now it is out more than in. You spit and giggle at yourself, you smile and out comes your tongue. It is hilarious. 

12 Months

Today you are one year old. My third miracle. We lost a baby right before we got pregnant with you. It was very early in the pregnancy and the doctors told us we should wait a little while before we tried again. We didn't take their advice. I think about this a lot. What if we had waited? Would we have still gotten you? Maybe I wouldn't have hemorrhaged at 11 weeks if we had waited. But then I think that every thing that happened to you and to me was because it was suppose to. I used to think that things happened for a reason. I don't believe that anymore. I do believe that was the path that was put before us and we made it through together. You and me. You will most likely be my last baby. My last pregnancy. I can't say that I'm not sad about that. I will say that I am going keep taking deep breaths and keep living in the moments that you and your sisters put before me. It has only been a year little girl, and I can't wait to see what you are going to do in the next one.

I love you always.

Mommy.

Sour Grapes!

The other night at dinner, the green grapes were quite sour. The girls made sure we knew what their sour faces looked like. I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Natalie's sour face

Macie's sour face

Evie didn't get it. 

In Their Words Wednesday

I am so behind on my posts! I fount this one and forgot to post it quite a while ago. Not very long, but still...enjoy!

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Macie: My baby is sleeping
Molly: Oh. What's your baby's name?
Macie: No, not a baby. A tuppy. (puppy)
Molly: Well, what's your puppy's name?
Macie: Tulta
Molly: Tulta?
Me: Sulsa?
Macie: Yea, Tulta!

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Every once in a while Natalie will be talking to Evie and soon we will hear...

Look Mommy! She's givin me the BIG EYES!

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My Tough Girl

So when Evie arrived, Natalie and Macie immediately fell in love with her. Of course they did. She is not only gorgeous, but an amazing baby. Both girls OBVIOUSLY knew from the start that their baby sister was/is perfect.

But, like all children, they both went through transition. Natalie got a little bossier and Macie, well, she did the only thing she knew how to do well...take everything out on me.

Macie would love Evie up everyday. Tell me everything she was doing at every moment. Talk to her in a voice three octaves higher than her normal voice. Then...she would throw fits over nothing, do things she knew she shouldn't do and climb into bed EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! Brian and I had to do something.

I got my ears pierced when I was 5. So did my sisters. It was the age when my mom decided that we were old enough to have our ears pierced. So, I decided that when Natalie turned 5 in May, she could get hers pierced too. Needless to say, she wanted nothing to do with it. She knew that it would hurt and she said "NO." on her 5th birthday. So, I was a little upset, and my retort was "Well then, I'll bring Macie to get her ears pierced on your birthday!" I know, its not that mature. I didn't bring her. I'm not that mean.

But this sparked Macie's interest. She was all for getting her ears pierced. So, when Evie was born in June and Macie started acting up in July, we started a sticker chart that she could earn stickers to get her ears pierced. She could earn up to 4 stickers a day for listening to me and her dad. If she got 4 stickers a day, she would have earned all her stickers in three weeks. Of course there were little prizes here and there to keep her interested and, after about 4 weeks, Macie earned her big prize: we went and got her ears pierced.

September 3rd, 2010: This girl was amazing. She sat down. She picked out the purple earrings, of course, we got the little purple marks on her ears. I checked them to make sure they were even, which I don't think they are, and there she sat. One, two, three. Done. Not even one tear. She looked at me like it hurt, but when I told her it was over she just smiled and laughed a little. The kind of laugh where she didn't know whether to keep laughing or cry. What a tough girl.

Purple Ears Pierced!

So Proud

Me and My Little Girls

What was Natalie doing during all this? She was hiding behind Evie's stroller. Oy.

In Their Words Wednesday

Goodness. I do love my kids.

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While eating dinner, Macie went to touch something close to or on Natalie's plate.
Natalie: MACIE! Don't touch my food with your gluten fingers!

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Natalie: Mom, this is how I talk to Evie in my polite voice...
(her voice gets 2 octaves higher) Hi! Hi Evie! Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!


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Me: What did you do at free-choice today?
Natalie: Played Leap Frog. But Mom, they weren't real frogs cause if they were, they would be peein' and jumpin' all OVER the place!


Thanks for the visual.

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While we were laying in bed one morning, Macie bonked her head on the wall.
Macie: Ow. That tickled Mamma!
Me: It did?
Macie: Yea. But Mamma, when I say it tickled, it actually hurt. I just joking when I say that.
Me: Oh. Ok. I'm glad you understand the difference. :)

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A few times this week I have gotten to observe Brian and Evie adore each other. Brian lays on the ground  puts her next to him. She lays there and simply stares at him. Most of the time she smiles then every once in a while you will hear a soft coo and she starts to pant, kick and flail her arms wildly. They are so deeply in love with each other. I'm sure I will never see a more beautiful sight than this.

Insert tears. ;)
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June 24th, 2010

Evie Marie Stangl

Born: June 24th, 2010 at 4:15 p.m.

6 lbs. 7 oz.

19 1/4 in.

Dear Evie,

You are finally here and all of us are so glad! However getting you into this world was quite a process, but what labor isn't? I want to write this down so that you know and so that I don't forget, so here goes...

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Natalie and Macie were spending the weekend with Grandma and Papa so Mommy and Daddy could get some much needed rest. Every day towards the end of your pregnancy was tiring and by 6pm every night I was in the tub to relax then to the couch to rest. We spent Saturday outside with friends at a crayfish boil. The weather was beautiful and I even managed to get a little sun. Daddy and I got home and as we started to get ready for bed, I noticed that I started to have some contractions. They weren't very painful but I could definitely tell something was going on. So, off we headed to the hospital.

I was having contractions, but they weren't very strong, so the Dr. on call decided to give me something to stop the contractions and by 10:00 am we were headed home.

Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Sunday was very uneventful. We spent the day resting and your sisters came home from Grandma and Papa's house. All of us were getting very impatient to meet you!

Monday, June 21st, 2010
Natalie and Macie headed to daycare and I spent the day resting. Around dinner time, I started to not feel very good...again. This time, my contractions were much more painful than two nights ago, but they were only coming every 20 minutes or so. As the hours passed, I continued to contract but nothing was very consistent. By 1:00 am, we decided to call the Dr. and he recommended that once my contractions reached 5 minutes apart, to head to the hospital. Of course, once I got off the phone, they stopped. Arg.

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Daddy took the day off of work to go to the Dr. with me. We had been up most of the night wondering if tonight was the night you were going to make your grand entrance, so needless to say, we were both pretty tired. We saw the Dr. and she told me that I was 4-5 cm dilated and to continue to wait it out. This, of course, put me into tears because I so badly wanted to be done being pregnant and anxious to meet you. They sent me home to rest and relax. She also reminded me that the longer you stayed in my tummy, the better it was for health reasons. So, the waiting continued.

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

The day was pretty uneventful but once dinner time rolled around, the contractions started again. This time, they were close together and painful. I didn't want to go to the hospital, but Daddy insisted. We called Grandma to come and watch your sisters and off we went. The nurses put me in a room and monitored me for a while and yes, I was definitely in labor, however I was still not 37 weeks; I was 36 weeks 5 days. We walked the halls trying to progress labor but by 11:00 pm, everything had stopped...again. We didn't know what was going to happen. At that point, I just wanted to go home. However, that was not suggested and we decided to stay. I was still at 5 cm and the Dr. on call to give me an oral medication and a shot of morphine to help me sleep through the night. I was nervous about the morphine since I had never taken it, but finally made the decision to put my trust in the Drs. and nurses taking care of me and do what they thought was best. I have to say, that was the best decision we made. I got a wonderful night of sleep.

Thursday, June 24th, 2010
I woke up at 5:15 am and had the nurse check on me and when asked if I could sleep more, I said "Yes!" so, that's what I did. I woke up at 7:30 am ready for whatever they were going to tell me. My new nurse was Jan, a nurse that I had had for both of your sisters and is one of the most amazing people I have come into contact with in my life so far. She is amazing and loves her job. After checking my cervix she reassured me that, no, I wasn't going home. After she told me that, I was ready to name you Jan.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I wasn't in as much pain and did some more walking to see if I could move things along. I went from a 5 to a 5 1/2 but it was enough for my Dr. to give permission for an epidural and pitocin. Jan had to help with another labor so she introduced us to Jessica. Again, another amazing woman. We waited for the pitocin to start to work and after an hour or so, a resident came in to break my water.

~Sidenote~ I love watching nurses teach residents what to do!

I still was not making a lot of progress and Jessica noticed that the resident may not have broken my water like she thought she did, so Jessica gave it a shot. She definitely accomplished the task. Not long after that I was fully dilated and my Dr. was called. Jessica suggested that I start to push you out so that when the Dr. arrived she would just have to catch. We went through a couple of rounds of pushing and after 3 or 4 rounds Jessica says "Ok, I want you to push one more time, but I may you stop depending on how close the baby is to crowning...OK STOP! We are going to wait now." It's a good thing I had an epidural, otherwise there would have been no stopping!

My Dr. came through the door minutes later panting! She was stuck in detours and construction and I am pretty sure she ran as soon as she parked her car. Once she was ready, I pushed and not long after, out you came. It was such an amazing moment for all of us in the room. Our Dr. who had been with us through all the scary parts of the pregnancy, Jessica who had helped us through out most of my labor during the day and Daddy and I.

The Dr. held you up and immediately I started to laugh and cry all at the same time. I was so excited that you were a girl. You completed our family and had fought your way to be with us. You were placed on my chest and Daddy and I couldn't stop giggling and crying. As I looked at my Dr., she was smiling and crying with us. What an amazing person. There was no hurry to take you away from me. I cleaned you off and kissed you, and Daddy named you Evie. What a perfect little girl you were the moment you breathed your first breath.

As soon as I could I called Grandma and she put Natalie on the phone...
Natalie: Hi Momma! Are you coming home?
Me: Soon honey...Mommy had the baby.
Natalie: You had the baby!?!?
Me: Yea! You have another baby sister.
Natalie: (big inhaled breath) MACIE WE HAVE A BABY SISTER!
The sound of her excitement still replays in my head when I watch her with you.

Evie, we didn't know if you would make it to us safe. On the day you arrived it was one of the happiest days of our lives. We love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow and see what kind of person you are going to become.

I love you always.
Mommy