Olivia Jane Anne Parris
After weeks of waiting for our sweet little girl, she is finally here. & ironically, after weeks of praying that she would not come early as she was suggesting she would, she not only came well past her due date (longer than her sister Madeline, even) but seemed intent on taking her time in labor, as well. So much for the second child being easier! Olivia means 'bringer of peace' or 'peaceful one', so I am hoping with time she will bear out the reflection of her name!! I have had a lot of people express wanting to know how the labor went- I will keep it very brief here for the general reading (I doubt my Grandpa or Dad
really want the details :) ), and for those of our friends who adore the birth process, you can just write me individually if you wish to know more. For those who would rather know nothing, you can just jump down to the pictures...they are the best part, anyway!
less than 10 hours old
I did try the Castor oil method for inducing labor, twice- first time with no success, but I used such a minimal amount, that the night before I was scheduled for an induction that I still was not convinced I would follow through on, I took a chance and tried one more time, figuring 'why not?' I was feeling pretty restless that night, so Culley jokingly suggested we hadn't tried 4-wheeling (yes, that is a verb on the west coast!) yet. Madeline was staying at our aunt's house due to the aforementioned inductiont that was scheduled, and because there is a major thoroughfare about 5 minutes from our house that is torn up for a couple of miles right now, we figured it would be funny to say we had, anyway. Plus, Culley later admitted he figured it was the one time he could get away with driving like that over closed roads without any real threat of legal ramifications... hmm...
So we drove over bumps and stumps for about half an hour, and while it was somewhat uncomfortable for pregnant me, it was also quite a bit of fun! One of the few times I have not been paranoid about 'breaking the rules'. (Sara will appreciate that).
About 2:30 am I woke up to feel the effects of the castor oil, but by 3:30 I was in full force labor, with contractions consistently lasting for 1 min+, about 3 minutes apart. At 7:30 we called the hospital to say we were on our way and at 7:45 when we checked in I was at 5 cm and 80% effaced....and here is where I Fast Forward to 9:30 pm, 14 hours later...I was still 80% effaced and had been at 8 cm for the past 7 hours...and Olivia was still not descending into the birth canal. My OB was becoming very concerned that I was not at 100%, and was concerned that I would start hemmorhaging, so after 19 hours of 'natural' laboring we made the difficult decision to have a c-section. Culley has described it as one of the most surreal experiences of his life- it was so crazy to make that decision and within another 30 minutes or so...there she was! Healthy and fit as a fiddle, weighing in at 9 # 3 ounces and 21 inches in length. It turned out she was turned posterior and her head was also 'stuck' in my birth canal, so most likely things would have continued to go downhill had we not opted for the c-section. While I am bummed to not have had another completely natural birth (I know some of you are wondering this) ultimately what I feel and am clinging to is gratitude. Gratitude that we labored as long and as well as we did, gratitude to have had such a wonderful partner as Culley to help me through it and look out for me, gratitude for an OB that I would trust (and do!) with my children's well-being to the utmost, gratitude for modern medical capabilities when necessary,and gratitude for our healthy, precious new little girl, OLIVIA JANE ANNE. Our God is very good indeed!
meeting her big sister for the first time
Olivia at 5 days old- she already does not fit
I have to admit, motherhood has far exceeded my expectations in many ways. While the idea of being a mother has always been appealing to me, the reality of it is a far different matter. Yes, there are sleepless nights that roll into early mornings, yes there are temper tantrums that feel like earthquakes, but there are also the chubby hugs, the funny sayings, the drawings of people with legs and heads and no bodies, the endless stories, the imagination, the laughter and love given with reckless abandon, no strings attached...except maybe the ones pulling at my heart. And then there is the first day of school. Awe, the first day of school (be still my beating heart).
Running to pick dandelions-look how big her back pack is on her! But her aunt and uncle bought it for her for Christmas, and ever since she has been saying she would use it when she started school...and she has not forgotten! (too bad the first day of school also coincided with garbage day in our neighborhood! Nice backdrop :) )
Madeline would sit still long enough to take a picture holding her baby sister.
