It's Baby Time!!!

Ok, we're officially starting the process of bringing Baby 4 into the world! I will be updating this blog every so often, probably once per hour unless something significant happens.

Contractions started at about 3am on the 9th about an hour apart, but they didn't change much until around 3pm. From then on, they got to be more like 30-45 minutes apart. We brought the kids to Nana and Pop-pop's around 6 while Rebecca and Nana went for pedicures. Stayed in Summerfield until around 8:30 and then headed back home. By then, contractions were only 10 minutes apart, but weren't very long. My friend, Jimmy, came over to watch the BCS Championship football game while Rebecca talked on the phone with friends and puttered around on Facebook. After the game, the contractions really started getting more intense and closer together. This is where we'll start the timeline:

1/10/2012 12:30am - Contraction lasted 2 full minutes and was only 5 minutes after the previous. Called Tanya (our midwife) and let her know things were progressing. She said to hang out for a couple hours and see if they subside or progress.

1:30am - Contractions are pretty intense now. Rebecca's having to breath through them. They're varying in spacing between 5 and 10 minutes, but are consistently 1.5 to 2 minutes long.

2:00am - She's nauseous now. Called Tanya and updated her. She said to head on in to the hospital, so we're on our way!

2:30am - at the hospital. checking in.

2:54am - back in triage. 8cm. nurse runs off to call midwife. water just broke. nurse runs back in.

3:05am - wheeling us into the delivery room

3:06am - Rebecca really needs to push! (she is still standing, barely makes it into the bed and sort of sideways) Tanya has not made it to hospital yet.

Waiting on Our Newest Little One

The Littlest One has decided to keep us waiting. We have had tons of warm-up contractions and some periods of false labor. But 4 Baby remains warm inside of mama. Rebecca was 39 weeks 4 days when she went into labor with Olivia, 38 weeks 3 days with Gabe, and 39 weeks with Ezra.

Week 37!

Well, Rebecca's reached week 37 She asked how she looked in the picture and my response was, "like Alfred Hitchcock." She didn't find that very funny...

Learning about the new baby

Olivia has had lots of questions for me about this baby. She often touches my belly and talks to/prays for the baby. She also has lots of questions about how the baby comes out. She remembers well coming to the hospital to meet Ezra for the first time (even that the hospital room had a green couch that she sat on to hold the baby) and talks about doing that again. In addition to the sibling class she got to go to with me, we have watched some videos about fetal development and we did a lapbook together. Here it is:

Thanks to a friend, we used Lily and the Amazing Journey Lapbook by In the Hands of a Child .

Park Days

Since I changed my schedule, we have spent several Saturday mornings at the park as a family. We have had beautiful weather this fall. And I am so very thankful for the family time.

 

And just a shot to give 4 Baby some press. 35 weeks.

Skirts and the Belly "Bump"

I am taking a sewing class. Here are the results of level 1 (the skirts). Oh and these give you a shot of my belly bump turned mountain. 28 weeks along now. :)

More Views of Baby #4

Rebecca went back to the doc last week for some more ultrasound pictures. The first time, Baby #4 wasn't in the right place for the tech to see the whole spine and the cord attachment. This time everything was great and they officially changed our due date to 1/11/12.

Somewhere between 21 and 23 weeks

Here is precious Baby #4 in the belly! Rebecca looks awesome, doesn't she? Granted, I'm biased...

Arriving sometime around the first of 2012

We got to see the newest addition to our family. The whole family was there to see the little one. So sweet! 4 Baby will surprise us with his/her sex upon delivery although both Jeremy and I admit to glancing and making opposite guesses. :) 4 Baby was 7oz and measuring at 17 weeks instead of 19 as we thought. So I will have a repeat ultrasound in a month to get a better idea if my due date needs to be pushed back. That would put the due date closer to Daddy's birthday. Although, I must say it is not nice to tell a pregnant women she is not as far along as she thought. ;) I mean I have already done weeks 17 and 18. The other possibility is that the baby really is just small. Tanya was happy with everything she saw on the ultrasound and actually wasn't worried about the size either. She said that 7oz is a weight at which discrepancies often pop up. So time will tell. We thank God for this little addition to our family! :)