Introducing…

Finn Everest Crandall

born March 2nd 2011 @ 5:56am

9lbs 15oz, 22in long, 15in head circumference

It was quite a journey, from my perspective, to get Finn out so I’m going to start from the beginning.  I’d been having a lot of shooting pain in my baby exit area for a number of weeks but had been told that that isn’t the right kind of pain I need to be in for pushing a baby out.  I’d been having contractions as well but they weren’t regular and most of them were very light.  On Monday February 28th I went in for my check up and I was in a very emotional state due to lack of sleep and constantly feeling like I’d been kicked in the crotch.  I made it through my fetal monitoring with out an emotional break down but when I was in with the doctor I couldn’t contain it anymore.  He asked if I had any questions and I asked him when I could be induced which I believe is the last thing I said without having to concentrate on not crying.  Dr.Jerono could tell I was beyond uncomfortable and my blood pressure was way up for the first time as well so he said I could be induced at anytime I wanted, I could even walk back to the delivery room right now and start the process but he wanted to see if I was dilated because if I wasn’t the induction would probably take a few days.  After he checked he said I was about a 2 so I was  good candidate for drinking their dreaded cocktail.  I had asked if I could skip the cocktail since it hadn’t been very effective when I had Reese and it was insanely disgusting and he said yes but somehow by the end of the conversation we were back to me starting with the cocktail.  I went in for my ultrasound after that and they estimated that Finn was already about 8.5 lbs but he couldn’t get an accurate estimate since Finn’s head was so low,  so then he said that he wanted me to be induced either that day or the next so that Finn didn’t get any bigger.  I decided that since I was already so emotional and had had so little sleep, that I would go home and try to relax and spend a fun last day with Reese as an only child and then come back the next day and be induced.  Nate and I both felt very good about our decision and we ended up having a very relaxing evening with Reese, we even took one last family photo:

Dr.Jerono had instructed us to have a relaxing breakfast and come in after that, so Nate took Reese to school and after we got a few more things ready we headed over to the hospital and got checked in.  We were up to the delivery room just before noon and started the fetal monitoring and then the midwife told me that I was dilated to a 1 and still had a little more to go before I was fully effaced, Nate and I were wondering what happened to the other cm I was dilated the day before but we tried not to be discouraged.  After they plugged in my IV they gave me the dreaded cocktail and sent me to my room to drink it and hopefully begin labor.  Despite the disgusting taste of the cocktail I downed it as quickly as I could and hoped that this time around it would do something.  With Reese I took the cocktail at 10am on Wednesday and didn’t have her until 11:20pm on Thursday so Nate and I had prepped ourselves for having Finn Wednesday night but we’re hoping he’d be out by noon on Wednesday.  We pretty much just hung out in the room all afternoon watching TV, but I had begun to feel contractions so we were excited that maybe it was working this time.  We went back to the delivery room at 4pm for more fetal monitoring and it was pretty uneventful but they said I was having contractions and to go have dinner and then come back at 7 got more monitoring.  Even though we knew they meant go to my room and have dinner we decided we’d rather escape the hospital for a few hours and go home for dinner with Reese, so we did.  It was so relaxing to be at home for a few hours and it definitely helped to take my mind off the impending pain.  We went back at 7 and by then I was beginning to feel a lot of pain so they gave me a little something and told me to walk around and come back at 10:30.  It was really cold outside by then so Nate and I were stuck just walking around the hospital and making circuits on the stairs.  When we went back for more fetal monitoring Finn’s heart rate begin to sky rocket and the midwife was a little worried because it wasn’t coming down and my blood pressure was still up.  Nate and I could tell that if Finn’s heart rate didn’t improve soon we were going to be having a c-section.  They started me on some saline and some homeopathic something to try and get Finn’s heart rate to improve, I started rubbing my stomach and it calmed him down enough to get back in the acceptable range, but they were still worried.  Since I was at 4cm by this point they decided to give me an epidural in the hopes that it would calm both Finn and I down.  The anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural and to make a very long story short, the first time she tried she punctured my spinal dura and a little bit of fluid leaked out so she had to give me a different type of epidural that was in a different place, I didn’t realize this at the time but this little puncture would play more of a role later on.  The epidural helped with the contractions but I immediately became concerned when they checked to see how far along I was and I could feel it, with Reese I couldn’t feel anything and that’s the way I liked it, I tried not to let myself think to much about it right then but I told the midwife and she didn’t seem to have an issue with it.  For the rest of the night I was stuck at 5cm every time she checked and even with the oxytocin it was slow going.  I had a lot of pain in my pelvis and the midwife said that that was Finn basically banging his head against my bones trying to get out and that the epidural wouldn’t do anything for that and sometime between 4:30 and 5 in the morning I thought my water had broke but they couldn’t tell for sure.  A little after that they came to inject some more of the epidural medicine and I was feeling a lot better when all of the sudden I had massive pain and pressure and I told Nate to ring the bell for the midwife because I felt like I was going to poop everywhere.  The midwife came in and told me that I was at a 10 and Finn was pushing his way out, I told her she was wrong and that I just needed to poop really really bad but she seemed positive that that feeling was Finn coming and not a giant poop.  I’ll spare some of the details and just say that I never ever ever had the desire to feel a child come out of me and yet that’s exactly what I had to feel.  I was clutching Nate to my chest and biting his hand and they ended up giving me an episiotomy and after 20-30 mins of pushing and me begging Nate not to make me, Finn was out.  He was a purplish gray color and I could see him lying on the table between my legs and after they gave him a quick check there they handed him to me and Dr.Jerono had finally rolled out of bed and wandered into my room, I did in fact inform him that he was late to the party.

They took Finn away for just a second to measure him and while the doctor was sewing me up he made some comment about a 10lb baby, Nate and I were confused and asked what he was talking about and then he clarified Finn’s size with the midwife and told us that Finn was 9 lbs 15 oz.  Nate and I were pretty shocked since we hadn’t been expecting him to be so large.  Once they gave me a few stitches they gave Finn back and we got to relax in the delivery room with our new little boy for a little bit.

They finally wheeled me to my room shortly after 8 and the nurse came and got Finn to administer a glucose test that he needed since he was such a large baby.  Nate and I took a nap and when we woke up Nate went to the nursery and got Finn.  Reese had gymnastics that day so she and my mom came over around 10:45 and Reese finally got to meet her little brother Finn.

Reese seemed to enjoy her little brother and was excited to see Mommy again as well.  After their visit, Nate took them home so that he could get some rest and Finn and I spent the rest of the day together.  It was at this point that I realized the effects of the botched epidural.  Apparently 75% of people that get a dura puncture and lose some spinal fluid will end up with a massive headache and have to have some kind of treatment that involves putting blood or something in to the spinal cavity to make up for the lose, I was really really tired and wasn’t paying much attention at the time so I don’t remember the details.  Because of this risk I was only to get out of bed to use the bathroom and I was to try and lay down as much as possible, I also had to drink at least 3 liters of water a day and I had to have infusions of saline to try and keep my body extra hydrated.  Beyond that since Finn was so large there had been a lot of blood lost when they delivered and they were worried about me being anemic so they were pumping me with even more fluids and some oxytocin as well to help contract the uterus and get all that excess blood out of there.  Needless to say not only was I sore from my 10lb baby but I was also carting around my IVs every time I went to the bathroom.  I tried to get some sleep during the day but for the most part I just got a few minutes here and a few minutes there.  When the doctor came in to check on me that evening he suggested I let the nurses take Finn to the nursery for the night because the thing I needed most at the moment was sleep.  Nate came back with food that evening and stayed for a little bit but then he left to go be with Reese and once again Finn and I were having a little mother son time. 

That night they were worried about his glucose levels and told me that if they didn’t improve soon they were going to have to send him to the hospital in Trier to get treatment so I was to feed him every 2 hours and then they’d give him a glucose test to see if his numbers improved.  For the majority of the night they brought him in and had me feed him and then took him away for his test and brought him back and woke me up when it was time to feed him again.  By the time Thursday morning came his numbers were fine and they were no longer testing his glucose levels.  I however was back on my infusions and still not allowed to get out of bed.   Nate was taking Reese to school that morning so my mom came over and spent some time with Finn and I until he arrived with Reese again. 

Reese had lunch with us and seemed to enjoy spending some more time with Mommy and Finn and while she had cried for Mommy the majority of the way home the day before, this time she left without too much of a fuss.  When the doctor came in later that day he said that I was looking much better and they were going to take me off the infusions and take my IV out.  The chief of anesthesiology also came in and was glad that I hadn’t yet had a headache but said I still needed to be drinking lots of water and that I needed to stay off my feet for at least the rest of the day. 

Nate, Finn and I spent a lazy Thursday afternoon laying in my hospital bed with the hopes that since my IV was now out we’d be able to go home the next day.  On Friday morning I asked the doctor if I’d be able to go home and he said as soon as the pediatrician checked Finn out we could go.  She came around that afternoon and gave him high marks and by 3pm I was finally back in my own home.  We had a sore couple of days but I was finally able to get some sleep and with my mom around I’m able to relax a little bit and try and get some rest and spend time with both my kids.  Reese is still very fond of Finn but she’s giving the rest of us attitude so hopefully her life will find a new normal soon and the attitude will stop.

1st Haircut

I’ve been thinking of cutting Reese’s hair for awhile now so finally I talked to my friend and made an appt to get the shaggy mop trimmed up a bit.  You need only to look back at the last few posts to see how long and shaggy it was becoming and it was becoming less curly as well.  I was guessing that the curl was falling out because of how thick and heavy her hair was and was hoping that it would bounce back after a trim.  Well today was the magic day for her first haircut so after school I washed her hair and took a few pictures of how long it had become:

and then we went out to Bitburg and got the job done.  She was very good for her whole haircut, she remained still and only had to be reminded a few times to look at me instead of trying to watch Elaina.  When all was said and done she’s got a cute new shorter haircut and the curl did bounce back up, sure she’ll never have the curl fro she used to but I like that she still has her cute little ringlets at the end.

38 Weeks

Now that Nate is home my contractions have stopped and I’m fairly certain that I will find myself being induced shortly after my due date.  I decided today was as good as any other day to take a few pictures of the giant ball I’m holding beneath my skin.  I realize in a few of the photos it looks like I’m sticking it out but I swear I’m not, I’m just trying to stand up straight for the photo.

 

Nate and I find the roundness particularly creepy

Just a Reminder

You know that point when your kid is a few months old and you notice other kids their age are starting to put sounds together and you get a little worried that your kid is behind because they’re not there yet?  And then a few months later when other kids are using words and you wonder if your kid has as many words in their vocabulary as the other kids?  And then of course the point where you hear some kids speaking in full and complete sentences and wonder if your kid is on track?  I wish I had never had those thoughts about how Reese was progressing verbally because she is that kid who speaks in full and complete sentences, that kid that most adults can understand without trouble, and that kid that NEVER EVER shuts her yapper!  I blame myself for why she is the way she is, I’ve always felt the need to fill any silence with conversation.  For the longest time I didn’t like to be alone and I absolutely hated silence, before we had Reese I would actually leave the TV on all day long so that the house wasn’t silent.  Now I search and hope and pray for even five minutes during the day where I’m not bombarded with questions and comments and random thoughts that pop into her head.  Yesterday we drove to base to get gas and check the mail, this required us to be in the car for roughly an hour and I wish I was exaggerating when I said that she asked me the ENTIRE car ride if we were going to the beach and if we could go to the beach.  I told her the beach was a little too far away for us to drive to today, I told her that it was still a little too cold outside to go to the beach, I tried ignoring her in the hopes that the questions would go away, and then finally I told her that we would need to plan a trip to the beach, this final comment upset her and she informed that she did NOT want to go to the beach.  As irritating as this conversation became, it was still nicer than the usual car ride conversation that goes a little bit like this…Reese: Where are we going Mommy? Me: (insert destination here) R: Where are we going Mommy? Me: (Insert destination here) R: Where are we going Mommy? Me: Where do you think we’re going Reese? R: (Insert destination she’s been told here) Me: Yep, you know where we’re going……..5 second pause in conversation…..R: Where are we going Mommy?

I’m writing this all down so that down the road when I begin to worry that Finn doesn’t say enough yet or that he’s not as far along verbally as Reese was at his age, I’ll be able to remember that that may just be a good thing.  I’ll enjoy those silent car rides just a little bit more and as frustrating as it may be to not know what he wants, I’ll remember that soon I’ll know a little too much about what he wants, how we wants it, and when he wants it.  Maybe the bigger lesson I’ve learned from my daughter is that not every silence needs to be filled.  My husband will probably be most excited by my new revelation, he’ll finally get the peace and quiet he’s been looking for. 

Now on a separate topic, my little girl is really really sweet and cute.  Since Nate’s been gone she and Jaeger have taken to bunking with one another and it has got to be one of the cutest things in the world.  Reese is completely oblivious to the fact that Jaeger is sleeping with her, which is probably for the best since she would never be able to fall asleep if she knew Jaeger was so close, she’d be far too preoccupied trying to antagonize her.  I think that has to be the cutest part of the whole thing; as much as Reese taunts and attacks Jaeger throughout the day, Jaeger still wants to be with her.   (As a side note, that is actually a very small amount of stuff with her in bed compared to most nights.  She feels the need to have every blanket possible piled in there with her and there’s a stack of books under pluto that you just can’t see in the photo).

 

Final thought for the day, this baby.  (If you could hear the way I just said that in my head then their would be no need to continue on).  If he’s as active outside of me as he is inside of me then we’re going to have some serious issues.  I keep going back and forth between feeling like he’s never going to come on his own and feeling like he’s going to come very very soon.  Each day that passes the amount of pressure I feel…hmmmm how to put this tastefully….on his exit path?…..seems to grow and grow.  I realize this isn’t going to happen, but sometimes I’m afraid to go to the bathroom because I think he’s going to pop out when I sit down.  I actually caught myself walking with a bit of a waddle today and had to make a conscious effort to try and walk correctly.  I figure if the next few days pass without incident then all this worry will have been for nothing because Nate will be home and Finn will wait and wait and wait until I have the doctor forcibly remove him from me.  This pregnancy has been so much more difficult than my pregnancy with Reese, I’m just hoping that the child that is produced is extremely easy, though Reese was an easy baby so I doubt I’m going to be that lucky.  I just keep telling myself that I was wanting a little boy and that when he finally gets here all the rest of this won’t matter anymore.  Also, I’ve gotten stretch marks this pregnancy, though I’m not actually worried about them because they’re only on my belly button….please tell me who (besides me) gets belly button stretch marks?  I think they’re kind of random and funny and since I usually have a very deep belly button I figure they’ll suck inside of it and no one will be the wiser when this is all over with.  Still though, you have to admit that belly button stretch marks are random. 

I Made Something

Nate got me a sewing machine for Christmas and today I busted it out for the first time and started working on a project.  I had wanted to try it out earlier but when you’ve never had a sewing machine before and the only other times you’ve used one have been under the strict supervision of someone who knows what they’re doing, it can be a little scary.  I had picked up some random fabric at the craft store to practice with before I got started on making things so I decided tonight that I would just go ahead and thread the machine and see what happened. 

In the baby stuff we had some cloth diapers, the thinner ones that are meant to be used as burp clothes, that we had never used much as burp clothes for Reese because Nate’s sister had made us some other ones, so I grabbed those to go with my fabric and figured I’d make a pretty burp cloth for Finn.  They’re pretty thin so I took two and folded them both in half and sewed them together that way so it was nice and thick and then I sewed the patterned fabric on the top and I think it ended up turning out pretty nice.  It has it’s flaws, it’s not quite straight and one of the corners isn’t exactly perfect, but it was a nice learning project and now I know a little bit more about how to use my machine.  I think I’ll make a few more before I start working on some of the projects that I have planned, but I’m just glad that I finally did something.

Mutiny at Gymnastics

It’s not often that I get to use words like “mutiny” and “commandeer” when referencing my sweet, angelic, two year-old girl, but today’s events have provided me with the opportunity to do so.  This is the face of the sweet little girl in question, in fact these photos were taken mere moments before leaving for gymnastics class, she looks so innocent.

Well, we got to gymnastics and after warm ups they go to the wall and do different types of walks across the mat.  Before the teacher could even get over there Reese started shouting out commands to the rest of the students and sure enough when she said bunny hop they all went bunny hopping across the floor.  She got the entire class doing an activity three separate times and her teacher was just laughing and couldn’t believe that Reese had commandeered her class.  Finally Reese stopped shouting out her own commands and started instructing the teacher on what the class was supposed to be doing next.  It was a pretty cute day and luckily her teacher thought it was pretty funny that little Miss Bossy was taking it upon herself to be the instructor. 

Nate’s Gone

Nate’s in California right now for some stupid training (his words not mine) so Reese and I are left to entertain ourselves for three weeks.  Reese is quite the crack up and can keep me laughing, but she’s also 2 so that offers its own set of challenges.  The other day as we were in the car driving away from the pool she told me “I don’t like that attitude Mommy, now knock it off.”  Hmmmmm, where have I heard that before.  Tonight she’s been playing ever so quietly by herself and I was thinking about what camera slacker I’ve been lately so I took a few photos of her and afterwards she said “thank you for the camera Mommy.”  I’m not sure what she’s doing other than she has blocks and a purse and some stuffed animals, other than that her game is a mystery to me, but she does have on her little bucket hat that she’s been wearing every night lately so I felt it was camera worthy.

First I caught her off guard:

 

Then she gave me this, if you can even call this a smile:

Then I asked for a smile and got this very scary smile:

 

Then I asked for a “nice” smile and she rolled her eyes at me:

And finally I got this semi cute photo where she is neither sneering nor rolling her eyes:

 

I also finished a craft project that I had thought to do about 18 months ago.  It’s the outfit Reese came home from the hospital in and the photo is of her at the hospital just before we left to come home; she was so little.

 

Merry Christmas

It was a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit at first since we got back from the States a week in to the month and were dealing with jet lag, but we forced ourselves to get out and a get a tree quickly and hurry to decorate the house.  I was glad we got everything ready because Reese loved all the decorations and was totally in the Christmas mood which helped get Nate and I into the spirit as well.

The week before Christmas we had a ton of snow storms that brought us close to a foot of snow.  Reese loved playing out in it and took turns having us pull her on the sled and making Jaeger go for a ride while she pulled it.

 

On Christmas Eve we had our usual seafood dinner of crab and deep fried shrimp, Nate and I love this tradition but since Reese knew we were opening presents after dinner she had a hard time staying focused on eating.  After dinner we opened presents from Nate’s family.  Reese was so excited and wanted to be in charge of handing them out and opening them and playing with them all at once, she was so cute.

  

On Christmas morning Reese let us sleep in, she still doesn’t get the whole rush downstairs thing.  When she finally got us up we saw what Santa had brought her and then had breakfast which Nate and I both agreed would probably be the last time we’d get to eat breakfast before we opened presents, she was antsy the whole time.  She was so excited to unwrap the presents and then start playing with her new things.  She loved Christmas so much that she still sings Christmas carols and asks us when Santa is coming back.