She's Here!

I apologize for being a blog slacker the last week…we’ve been kinda busy because Little Miss Kendall decided to make her arrival! Here’s how it all went down…

After my appointment last Tuesday where my membranes were stripped I had a lot of cramping, but decided to go for a walk that evening. It was the last thing I felt like doing but I thought that if I ever had a chance of making something happen that would be the day. So Ella and I headed out with the jogging stroller and I made it about a mile while some of my neighbors looked at me and my big belly like I was crazy.

About 9:30 p.m. that evening I started having stronger, more regular contractions so I began timing them. I’ll mention that I was 100% engaged in Lost when this started. Let’s face it, if any TV show could make me go into labor, Lost would be it! From 10:30-11:30 p.m. the contractions were regular enough that I could have gone to the hospital – I had them every 5 minutes for an hour. But, I still didn’t feel like they were strong enough and I didn't want to make the trip and then be sent back home. So I decided to sit down, prop my feet up, drink some water and see what happened. The contractions actually got stronger but they were spaced out farther…so then I didn’t know what to do. It was about midnight by then and Ronnie was getting ready to leave work. Fortunately for me my husband is in the medical field and brought home a pair of sterile gloves so that he could check me and see if I had made any progress since my appointment that morning when I was 4 cm dilated. He got home around 12:30 a.m. and by that time I was in more pain but the timing was still inconsistent. He checked me (after I made him promise that he would NOT break my water – as much as I was ready for this kiddo to come I didn’t want to intervene that much) and thought I was around 5 cm dilated. Instead of going to the hospital, I decided to try to go to sleep. I thought that if I could sleep then I probably wasn’t in labor. I definitely couldn’t sleep so I went downstairs to the couch and watched TV with a pen and paper to time the contractions. By 2 a.m. I was really hurting. The contractions kept getting stronger but they were 6-8 minutes apart rather than 5 minutes. But I was in a lot of pain so I decided to call the doctor’s office. The doctor on call called me back and as soon as I told her what was going on she said, “Honey, go to the hospital you are in labor.” So then, as much as I hated to do it, I called my “babysitter on-call”, Aunt Laura, at 2 a.m. and told her that we needed to go to the hospital. We are so thankful that she was ready and willing to come stay with Ella! By the time she arrived we had our bags ready to go and I was in a lot of pain and wondering why I had been so stubborn and hadn’t gone to the hospital an hour before.

We got to Norton Suburban Hospital around 3 a.m. and I felt like a pregnant lady on TV. Every time I had a contraction I was frozen in the hallway, pushing against a wall and moaning. We got checked in at labor and delivery (by the same woman who checked us in when Ella was born) and around 3:30 a.m. we were in triage in labor and delivery. The lady asked me why I was there and I guess my glare led her to say, “oh, contractions.” So I put on a gown and they checked me and determined that I was about 6 cm dilated. Then came my favorite part, the IV. Yuck. After asking me every possible question about my family medical history they rolled me away to labor and delivery. It was about 4 a.m. by that point and once I arrived in labor and delivery I thought I might be dying. My contractions were on top of each other and, though I had just said that I wanted to wait a little bit longer for the epidural, I decided that I wanted it immediately. They had to wait for a bag of fluids to get in my system before they could give it to me so as soon as the nurse walked out Ronnie started doing his doctor thing and put pressure on the fluid bag so it would flow faster. Then I got a contraction and felt an insanely strong urge to push. I said, “ummmmm, she is like RIGHT THERE.” About that time the anesthesiologist walked in (praise the Lord!) and the nurse told him that she wanted to check me first. Her eyes widened and she said, “She’s at 9!” I panicked, thinking that they wouldn’t give me the epidural, but thankfully the doctor said I was fine and he began throwing me all over the bed to get me in position for the epidural. About 20 minutes later all was good in the world. At that point I was ready to push but my doctor was delivering a baby in the room next to ours so we waited and listened to the cheers as the neighbor baby made its arrival. Around 5:15 a.m. Dr. Cawthon came in to chat and Ronnie asked if he could help deliver. She was more than happy to let him and was actually willing to let him do more than we expected. She seemed as excited as we were! At 5:29 a.m. I began pushing and at 5:51 a.m. on Wednesday, April 7 Kendall Brooke made her arrival and was delivered by her Daddy. She weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 20.25 inches long. We had a couple of surprises at that point. 1. She was so chunky! Well, that wasn’t too much of a surprise since we knew from my ultrasounds that she would be big. But still, seeing all those cute chubby rolls and chubby cheeks was still a surprise that we were so excited about! 2. She has BROWN HAIR! People don’t understand why we were so surprised about this since Ronnie and I both have brown hair. But Ronnie, myself and Ella all followed identical patterns…born completely bald and eventually grew blonde, blonde, blonde hair. We never thought we would have a newborn with brown hair but we love it!

Kendall is beautiful and healthy and we can’t put into words how blessed we feel to have two wonderful little girls. Ella has adjusted very, very well and loves giving Kendall kisses. She was so excited when she came to the hospital and yes, she did hand Snuggles the puppy over to Kendall. She was extremely concerned about her “ouchie” on her belly button and the band-aids on her feet, but thankfully all ouchies have healed now! At one point Kendall started crying and Ella said, “Don’t cry baby Kendall…crying’s for babies.” :)

Here are a few pictures from the hospital:
 
Fresh from the womb!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dr. Cawthon, Daddy & Kendall

Pretty girl...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The whole family

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ella crashed in Daddy's bed at the hospital!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daddy & Kendall

Mommy & Kendall

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So peaceful...

 
 

Brown hair!

Ready to go home!

39 week checkup...

Definitely didn’t think I'd ever write 39 weeks! Today’s checkup went ok. I whined and moaned and begged and pleaded for them to induce me today but it didn’t work. I didn’t really expect that it would, but I had to give it a shot, right?!

Dr. Paul is on vacation this week so we saw Dr. Deeley, who I also really like. I had to really prepare Ella for the visit today because she adores Dr. Paul and I wasn’t sure how she would handle being at “Dr. Paul’s office” and not seeing Dr. Paul. Thankfully she did well and was a very good girl during my appointment. I will preface this by saying that I am NOT a whiner. I might be high strung and get upset easier than I should, but I don’t whine. However, things change when you are this pregnant and today I started the whining as soon as Dr. Deeley entered the room. I guess there’s just something about being 39 weeks pregnant with an internal temperature of, oh, let’s guess about 105, who expected to have a 3 week old by now. I had her talking induction before she even sat down. Unfortunately half of their doctors are out this week for spring break (come on people, babies have to be delivered even though it’s spring break!) and they literally had no day or time this week to schedule a non-emergency induction. (Though I consider pushing out a baby with the potential to be over 9 lbs pretty dang close to an emergency. Just kidding.) I am, however, now scheduled for an induction next Wednesday, April 14. They could have scheduled me for Tuesday, April 13, my due date, but Dr. Paul is the doctor on call Wednesday so I figured that if we are already waiting this long I might as well wait one more day for my doctor.

Hopefully it won’t come to an induction. I was lucky enough to experience pitocin with Ella (my water broke but I didn’t actually go into labor and had to be induced) and it’s not fun. Hopefully Kendall will get things going naturally. When Dr. Deeley checked me today I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced – so very, very little change from last week (when I was ALMOST 4 cm). Today Dr. Deeley stripped my membranes, which can help to stimulate labor. That wasn’t fun but if it works it will be worth it. While she was doing it I told her that if she accidentally broke my water I wouldn't be upset - she said that she definitely could if she wanted to. I should have asked what it would take for her to want to...maybe I should have brought some cash with me. ;)

I’ve given up on doing all those things people keep telling me to do to induce labor because it worked for them. If it’s on the list of things to do to induce labor I’ve done it….a lot…and it hasn’t worked. I take that back, I have not and will not drink castor oil. No way. I guess that if being 4 cm dilated and walking all over the Louisville Zoo, all over our neighborhood, and working out on the elliptical at the gym hasn’t gotten things going then it probably won’t. Before we left I brought up Kendall’s size, again, hoping to make one last plea for a quicker induction. I keep hearing that babies gain a pound a week in the last few weeks. She assured me that at this point it’s usually no more than ½ a pound a week. Ummm, ok, so that means my baby that measured 8 lbs 9 oz at 38 weeks will probably weight 9 lbs 9 oz at induction day next week. *big gulp* Maybe we will take another walk around the block…

Dear Kendall,

Hi. I’m your mother – you currently seem to be quite comfortable living in my tummy. However, I am asking...begging…you to make your exit. As much as I have loved feeling you nearly break every rib on my right ribcage, where your feet have been stuck for weeks, I think it’s time for us to bond on the outside. You decided to scare us 6 weeks ago and pretend that you were going to come too early. So despite warnings to rest and relax, I frantically prepared our home for your arrival. You have continued to dilate my cervix every week and cause contraction after annoying contraction, and frankly the teasing has become a little annoying. We are now at 39 weeks and apparently you are quite large. I’m not sure if you understand what has to happen physically in order for you to leave my tummy, but I would prefer if you stayed the size you are now, or even dropped a few ounces. Maybe do some more kickboxing on my ribs – I’ll take it if it will save certain parts of my body. I promise to feed you immediately upon arrival.

Your sister has been hearing about you for months now, and I think that she currently believes she is being lied to and this “Baby Kendall” chick who is supposed to be coming to our house “any day” or “very soon” is something we fabricated in a devious plot to turn her into a “big girl.” And as for Mommy’s huge tummy, I guess Mommy’s just fat now.

And poor Daddy. He has been a trooper. He’s given me massage after massage, dealt with weird cravings and mood swings, and lost a lot of sleep as I make hourly runs to the restroom each night. He might be more eager for you to leave my tummy than I am.

So here’s all I’m asking – one swift kick or punch to break the amniotic sack. Put all that weight into it. I know you have to have some aggression in you - you’re a Pridemore. And, I love you.

In Christ Alone

In celebration of Easter I wanted to post the lyrics to my favorite song. This is a song that touched me the first time I heard it, and I can rarely get through it without crying. We sang it at church today and I realized that verse 3 is very appropriate for today and a good reminder of what Easter is all about - not the Easter bunny or eggs or even being with family - today we celebrate that Christ died and rose again so that we might all have eternal life. Click here to see a very moving video of the song set to scenes from the Passion of the Christ.

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all - Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid - Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground, His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine -  Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death - This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home - Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Ella's first "real" Easter egg hunt

Today Ella had her first real Easter egg hunt at our church. I say “real” because last year we just hid a few eggs in front of Mom & Dad’s house. She picked up the first one, popped it open, found M&Ms inside and was finished. Today the hunt was scheduled for noon and it looked like the weather wasn’t going to cooperate at all. But the rain stopped and the sun came out and it ended up being beautiful weather!

It was evident during the hunt that Ella hasn’t yet developed Mommy and Daddy’s (especially Daddy’s) competitive nature. I’m sure it will come with time. After she found a pink egg she kept saying “Mommy open the pink egg!” and had no desire to pick up anymore. Our friend Sharon relocated Ella to an area that hadn’t yet been raked clean, then she got into it and ended up with 10 or 11 eggs. Then she discovered that chocolate was inside. Maybe if I had told her that BEFORE the hunt she would have been more into it! She has definitely acquired Mommy’s love for chocolate!

There were several families there that we had never seen before. Our prayer is that they will be back tomorrow and if they don't know about the true meaning of Easter and Jesus's sacrifice for us that they soon will.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 

 
 
 

Our Trip to the Zoo

Today Ronnie was off work and we decided it would be a great day to go to the zoo. We have passes to the Louisville Zoo and Ella loves going, so we thought this gorgeous day would be a good chance to take her one last time while she is our only child. We told her our plans last night and when she woke up this morning the first thing she said was “Going to the zoo, Mommy?!” She was so excited. Ronnie had a really late night at work last night so we had to wait for him to get up, and those few hours were rough for her! When I finally told her she could go wake Daddy up she ran up the stairs, flew open our bedroom door and yelled “Go to the zoo, Daddy!!!!”

We had a great time. One funny thing she kept saying over and over was “I hear something, Mommy!” She usually said that when she heard birds in the indoor exhibits. Ella’s favorite animal to see is the monkey. She absolutely loves monkeys. Today she also really enjoyed seeing the hippo, penguins, elephants, and she begged us to let her inside the cage with the rhinos. Sorry, sweetie! Ella has had a really rough time with her allergies lately. About halfway through she started having one of her allergy meltdowns so we had to give her a dose of Benadryl and then hurry through the rest of the zoo. Needless to say she took a good nap when we got home!

Ella said "Hi monkey!"


How do you measure up to a gorilla?


Daddy thought it would be funny to see how Mommy measures up to a gorilla!




Daddy & Ella


Mommy & Ella