mommy and daddy

The last nine days have been a whirlwind and feel more like three weeks. As exhausting as the sleepless nights have been, Izzy is well worth it. One of the strangest things has been adjusting our thinking to being parents. There's no more quick running an errand or making definite plans. I still find myself surprised to be a mother. It's not just something we're trying out for a few weeks. Being a mom will define and change me for the rest of my life. It's crazy to think of her growing up and becoming her own person. Right now she's so tiny and I just want to freeze time and keep her that way. But I also look forward to hearing her first word (mama of course), seeing her learn to walk and play, and all those other milestones. I know time is going to fly.

One of the best things this week has been seeing how easily and quickly Isabelle stole her daddy's heart. Before she arrived, Nate really wasn't sure how he'd feel. I mean, they pretty much sleep, poop, and eat for the first several weeks so it doesn't sound too exciting. He's also never been big on other people's kids. However, the first time he held Izzy you could tell he was taken. He's protective of her and does a great job at soothing her when she's fussy. He's even figured out the whole cloth diaper thing which is truly impressive. He's going to be a great dad :-)

Isabelle's Birthday

I could literally write pages and pages about the events, emotions, surprises, stresses, treasured moments, and blessings of this week. However, while I could write pages, I realize that not everyone is interested in reading that much so I'll try to spread it out over the next few weeks :-) Right now, I want to capture Isabelle's birth story before the details begin to fade.

As everyone who had the misfortune of seeing me in the last few weeks can attest, I was very very ready to have this baby. I had a feeling however that I was not going to have the normal first baby labor experience of having contractions that gradually increase in intensity and frequency until it's time to go to the hospital. Saturday I could tell Izzy had dropped and I started expecting my water to break even though it's rare. Monday night the contractions kept me up until almost 4am when they finally came to a stop. As I headed for a restroom break before going to bed at 4:20am, I felt my water break. I was excited that it was finally time and that I had a definitive indicator to head to the hospital since I had been nervous that I would go too early/late. I walked in to wake Nate up and his response was to say "no, no, it didn't" and try to go back to sleep. A few minutes later he was still confused about what was going on, but got up and started getting ready. We both grabbed showers, packed the last few items, got a hold of my mom and sister, and headed out the door for the last time as a family of two.

We didn't get checked in at the hospital until 5:09am. At that point I was at 3cm and having irregular contractions. The next three checks showed me at 4cm and my contractions weren't getting regular so they started pushing pitosin around 1pm. I had my epidural at 9am. Izzy's heartbeat would drop too low during contractions so they kept having to reduce the pitosin. They also made me flip sides every 30-45 minutes which required the help of 2-3 people since I was completely numb and immobile from the waist down. This did provide some entertainment when I got testy with Nathan for moving the wrong leg and leaving my left leg bent way behind me....the entertaining part was that he was in fact moving the correct leg and it was actually completely straight and exactly where I was asking him to move it. I was so numbed that I was having some kind of phantom leg experience.

We were all starting to worry that they might have to do a c-section since my contractions were so ineffective and they couldn't push more pitosin because her heartbeat was so unstable and they believed she had wrapped the cord around her. Manda was planning to stay for the whole labor but my mom and grandparents were trying to decide what to do since by 10pm I was still only at 5 cm. Right after they checked me, I started to get intense back labor pains and the abdominal pain was breaking through the epidural. Anesthesia offered an extra dose of concentrated epidural. I was concerned about not being able to feel enough to push but they said the numbness would start wearing off in 45 minutes so I figured that was plenty of time.... they decided to check me again because the pain was still around an 8 or 9 with the extra medicine. 20 minutes after I had been barely 5cm dialated, I was now at ten and ready to push. 18 hours for the first 5cm and 20 minutes for the second 5 explained why the pain had been so bad. Fortunately, my grandparents and Ryan were still there since they had been about ready to leave. Mom, Manda, and Nate had been figuring out who got the comfier couch so they all got up and into action. I had to wait a good 40 minutes for enough nurses to be available to start pushing but the pressure wasn't too bad and the contractions had let up so it wasn't too bad. Pushing was a bit difficult because I was so numb, but it wore off some and an hour later they called the doctor in. I was surprised when they said the head was already out and that I could relax while they got the rest of her out. I only glimpsed her for a minute but everyone else could see that she had the cord wrapped around both her neck and body. It was a huge relief to hear her first screams and see her skin start pinking up. Nate cut the cord while they laid her on my chest. I was absolutely overwhelmed with relief that she was out and safe and healthy. After that, they fixed me up and I got to feed her for the first time before the rest of my family came in to see her.

I've never understood why people are so enthralled with what is a gruesome, painful, and dirty process. I can see now though how absolutely amazing it is to see the life, that until now had been only images on a screen and movements in a belly, coming out into the world as a beautiful, unique person. It's truly incredible. Throughout the labor and birth, we had a lot of friends and family praying for us. It meant so much, especially when Izzy was having a low heartbeat and later as I tried to gather the strength to push after so many hours of labor.

Isabelle Marie was born at 1:05am on June 20, 2012, weighing 5lb. 13oz. and measuring 19" tall.

And that's it for today...

The Waiting Game

Izzy has been full-term for almost two weeks now, meaning that while my due date is still a little over a week away, she's safe to come any day now. I would always prefer today. I've discovered that I go through the five stages of grief on a daily basis-denial that I'm still pregnant, anger/annoyance at the level of discomfort and pain, bargaining or begging God to make today I meet my little girl, depression that he said no, and finally acceptance. While this may seem a bit melodramatic, it's pretty much the truth. I have a long list of things that I would love to have done before she comes but most days I'm not feeling up to making much of a dent in the list. The result is that having more time before she comes does not really mean being more prepared. But I'm trying to remember that she must need these extra days/weeks to be fully prepared for life in the real world. I will be quite happy to hold her in my arms instead of in my belly though!

One of the things that has gotten more difficult is trying to make dinner every day. So I decided to try something different this week. Sunday, Nate and I went grocery shopping. Then we came home and spent about 3-4 hours chopping veggies and meat, making pasta, and packaging everything for the freezer so that we had eight dinners ready to go. I've been quite pleased with the results and with how much easier it is during the week because they only take 15-20 minutes to make and clean-up is minimal. I made three different recipes and split them into smaller portions. Two of them I got from http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net and made a few modifications to: teriyaki crock pot chicken and beef tips for grilling. The night before I just pull it out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge. The beef tips might need a few hours on the counter to fully thaw. The lasagna can be cooked frozen but requires 90 minutes.

Next week I plan to try pot roast, hawaiian chicken and veggies for the grill, slow cooker fajitas and pepperoni pasta bake. Yummy!
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Beef Tips for Grilling
4lb round steak, sliced against the grain
4 cups mushrooms, sliced (I didn't do this)
2 red bell peppers
4 minced garlic cloves
2 green bell peppers
1 large white onion
1 zucchini (I added)
1/4 cup of worcestershire
salt/pepper to taste

Split everything  into two containers (I made it into three and it was enough food for Nate and I with some garlic bread). shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Container: Add sliced mushrooms (optional) and Grill in a basket ‘til veggies are crisp and meat is done to your liking (about 15-20 minutes)
Serve over hot buttery rice or with bread or grilled corn.


Teriyaki Crock Pot Chicken
Medium – Large bag of carrots
White Onion into Large Chunks
2 large cans pineapple (undrained) (I recommend only using the juice from the second can)
4 Garlic Cloves
4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
Follow directions above, and split everything into two gallon freezer bags (definitely enough food for three meals for two people). shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Bag: Add 1/4 cup teriyaki and soy sauce (1/8 each) to crock pot, Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours (this was a bit long for high). Serve over hot rice.

Spinach Lasagna
1 box lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
2 jars favorite spaghetti sauce, add a little water or plain tomato sauce to make it go farther
1 tub ricotta cheese (the small size)
1 bag mozarella cheese shredded (3 cups)
Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Salt to taste
Spinach (1 bag of fresh, boiled or sauteed OR 1 can)
Foil tins (I used four of the mini bread loaf ones which are perfect for dinner for two)

Combine cheeses with spinach and herbs, leaving a little mozzarella for topping.  Layer sauce, noodles, cheese mixture until you fill up the pan. top with sauce and a little mozzarella. Cover with foil and write on top to bake at 425 for 45-60 minutes OR 90 minutes if frozen. Freeze. Serve alone or with salad or garlic bread.