Rowan's Birth Story

The week Rowan was born I had been feeling contractions, and was already dilated to 3 cm. Wednesday night I was feeling some pretty strong contractions, and thought maybe it was time. Later that evening the contractions lightened up, so we just figured it was pre-term contractions. The next morning around 9am I felt my water 'break'. Since Liam's water technically broke 2 days prior to being born, we were unsure how much time we had. I wasn't feeling any strong contractions like the night before, but we knew if the water had broke we should get to the hospital to have it looked at. I was 98% sure this was the real thing, so we spent the morning packing up and finishing up some last minute things. We dropped off Liam at Grandma's house, and then headed over to the hospital around noon. They confirmed that the fluid was amniotic and since I was only at 3.5 cm, and not contracting, they offered to give me some pitocin. We decided to wait to see if I progressed on my own. Mike ran to get a bite to eat since he hadn't had any food that day...when he returned they checked me again and I was the same so we decided to get started on the pitocin. They kept checking me, and I was progressing very slowly. Shortly after I started to feel some pain in my back, and told them I would want my epidural soon. 20 minutes or so went by and the anesthesiologist was not there. I guess I just figured the Dr. was already at the hospital, but he had to be called in. And since it was Thanksgiving, people were busy with their family dinners...They said he was on his way, but another 20 or so minutes went by and he still was not there. I was going to just wait till I really needed it to ask for it, but I am glad I didn't because it was close to 2 hours before he showed up, and I had progressed to 6 cm. He had to go in twice because the first one was going into a blood vessel. After I got the epidural both our heart rates had dipped, and they had to keep adjusting my position to make sure we stayed normal. They also turned off the pitocin until the Dr. could get to the hospital. My normal OB was not available that day, so his partner filled in. I didn't know anything about him, so I was sad that my OB wasn't going to be there. After they turned off the pitocin I didn't progress any on my own, so when the Dr. showed up around 7pm, they turned the pitocin back up. Finally about an hour or so after I was finally at 10 cm. The nurse adjusted the bed and told the Dr. we were ready. She was going to have me push a little, but her head was already crowning!! The doctor came in, and they had me push about 3 1/2 times and she was born at 8:34 pm! They took her over to the prep cart, and wiped her down. The nurse said she was the stickiest baby she had ever seen....I joked that it was all the creamed honey I ate! They let us hang out for 2 hours in the delivery room, which was nice since I had been rushed out with Liam, and ended up passing out in the bathroom. I was able to let the medicine wear off and take in the experience. She started nursing right away, she was a natural!! Then we moved to my room around 11pm. They took her to give her a bath, and check her out. After she was returned Mike was able to say goodbye. He needed to get home to let the dogs out and feed them after being inside for 13 plus hours. Rowan and I spent the night and next 2 days eating, sleeping (me only cat naps) and bonding. She loves being held and wasn't too happy if I put her down. One of the nurses told me that Rowan was the ONLY baby born in that hospital on Thanksgiving. And also one of only a few there the whole time we were there...which is quite remarkable considering we live in Utah county, probably the #1 county of births in the U.S. Before we left they told us that she had a heart murmur, and the Dr. checking her out wanted to see her the next day to see if it was going to be an issue. We took her to be checked out on Sunday, and the Dr. said it appeared to be fixing itself, and to follow up on her 2 week visit to be sure. We are slowly getting used to having a new born again, and no sleep, but are just loving our new addition to our family.

Welcome Thanksgiving Baby!

I will post the birth story soon, but just wanted to announce that our little girl came one week early in the evening of Thanksgiving day, November 26th 2009. Her name is Rowan Kendall, coming in at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and is 19 inches long. She has a lot of beautiful hazelnut brown hair, and we are already smitten by her!

Baby Bump #2 (38 Weeks)

So I have to admit that I'm a little surprised that I've made it to 38 weeks. Unlike a lot of women out there, I am not in any hurry for her to come. I actually love being pregnant...and it's kinda a bitter sweet moment now because we are fairly sure (not 100%, but close) that she will be our last kid. I started to pack some things last night for the hospital, but still need to do some last minute things before I'm ready-ready. Not a whole lot else to report. I've been going weekly now to the Dr's to be checked and measured and all seems well and normal. I have had some small contractions here and there, and I can tell my body is getting ready for her to come.

Liam is 23 Months

Liam has such a cute personality.  He is very smart, and very stubborn, both traits he inherited from his dad.  He really is starting to take command of languange and takes every opportunity to practice his words.  The most often ones he's been using this month have been his numbers and colors.  And he is actually starting to get the colors right!  He will combine the word 'Boo-geen-lellow-red' for Blue,green,yellow,red'...it's pretty cute!  He did start saying the word 'Wow' , and 'Oh-no!' and he'll put his hands up to his face and say it...He will say 'again' if he wants you to repeat something.  And he also has taken a liking to picking up trash and wanting to put in in the trash can.  When we are in the play room he likes to 'steal' our spots on the couch.  If we get up, he will run to our spot on the couch and yell 'mama's spot' or daddy's spot'  He will also do something that makes us get up, so he can take our spot!  He's quite mischeivious that way.  He is also really good at puzzles.  He is also still obsessed with lights.  He used to want them on all the time, but lately he wants them off.  He loves to turn the switches on and off too.  If I'm having a difficult time with him, I will distract him with the option of helping me with the lights...it generally seems to work.  He had a bit of a transition issue with starting to wear his winter clothes.  He did not want to wear long sleeves, pants or jackets...but after a few weeks it seems he is getting better about putting these clothes on.  A couple of weeks ago we moved him to his new room.  We ended up keeping his bed a crib for now.  He hasn't shown much of an interest in climbing out of his crib even though we know he is capable of it.  We figure it will be good to adjust to his new room and mature a little more before we move him to the toddler bed.  He still does not understand not to touch the plugs or mess with his furniture, so we feel its safer to keep him in his crib until he's a little older. 

 

This month we had Halloween, and he went trick-or-treating for the first time.  We started Halloween evening off with carving pumpkins. Liam is too young still to participate with the actual carving part, but we had him watch us cut them open and take the guts out. He kept saying 'Ewe' when we showed him the insides. The way he says 'punkin' is soo cute too!  We gave him his pumpkin to play with, and then gave him a glow stick since he just LOVES lights, and we figured he would get a kick out of a glow stick.  Then we got him dressed in his Elmo costume so that he could go trick-or-treating...The trick-or-treater's had already started to show up while we were taking his picture. He wasn't too sure what to make of everything. He seemed a bit shell shocked, so we were able to capture a few pictures with him being cute and calm. I took him out first, and we ran into some neighbors just outside our house. He was talking up a storm about his Elmo costume and how he had shoes on. The first house we went to he was hesitant to say 'trick or treat' , but he grabbed a piece of candy out of the bowl. I was fairly surprised that he knew just what to do.  We just went to a few houses, then dad wanted a chance to take him out, so he took him to a few more...he did end up saying 'Trick-or-treat' at least once, and 'Thank you' too.  When he got home he did NOT want to let go of his Elmo basket. We had to pry his hand open to take his costume off and wash his hands...then we let him carry his stash around the house. He really seemed to enjoy this Halloween...although I think next year he will have a much better understanding what all the fuss is about.

 

For Liam's 2nd birthday party we decided to host it at The Living Planet Aquarium. We also had his party one month early because Rowan is due right around his real birthday which is Dec. 7th. We had the party room for 1.5 hrs. so it was a bit rushed, but overall I think everyone had a good time. We first had a light brunch with bagels and fruit, then we had a treasure hunt with the kids. Liam did not like the activity at all, he just wanted to run around the aquarium and do his own thing...after the treasure hunt, we had to quickly have cake and open presents. Again, Liam didn't want much to do with this, he just wanted to run around and play...guessing this is normal for his age.  I think his favorite part of the whole party was his balloons. He held onto those things and punched them all over the place, it was pretty funny!  After the party, all the guests were free to explore the aquarium...Liam loved splashing in the stingray tank, and crawling around in the ocean caves. Overall I think the party went well. It felt a little hectic and rushed to me, but that is probably because I was the host. It was fun, and the best part of all was I didn't have to clean our house at nine months pregnant : )

Baby Bump #2 (35 Weeks)

So Rowan is about 18 inches long, and is about 5 1/4 lbs. about the size of a honeydew melon. Only one more week and I'll be in my 9th month. Also if I make it till then I will be further along than I ever was with Liam. I do have a feeling that she won't be AS early as he was, but do think she still might be a little early...but who knows?! All I know is I want her to come when she is ready and healthy. I have been a bit lax on the exercise program since I was sick a few weeks ago. Taking a week off just ruined the momentum, and it's been hard to get back into it. Plus I have been feeling a lot more tired and sore, and would rather just take a nap if given the chance. But I have been doing a little bike or yoga once or twice a week, and it does seem to help. Being 8 plus months pregnant is what I imagine getting old feels like...it's hard to get up, bend over, lots of aches and pains all over. And I only have one little one, I can't imagine how hard it is to carry multiples! Anyway, I kinda have the whole nesting thing going on, but probably not as strong as some women do...maybe because I work and when I get home I just want to sit down and relax. A few days ago we moved Liam to his new room, and decided to keep his bed as a crib for now until he's a little older and used to being in his room. We know that he is probably capable of getting out, but he really hasn't shown an interest in doing it yet. So now that he is out of his old room, I'm starting to transition it to Rowan's new room. She will be in our room at night for a while yet, but I do want to have a place to nap her, and have her things organized on the 2nd floor for when we are up there. Anyway, I will be having an ultrasound later today and will update this post when I find out if she is still breech. And also will post a picture later too...so check back.

Baby Bump #2 (32 Weeks)

Well it's been 32 weeks now, and Rowan is about 3.75 lbs. and about 16.7 inches long, about the weight of a large jicama. I definitely can not complain about not feeling her move anymore. She is moving a lot now, and it's obvious. In fact, sometimes I will hold my hand to my belly if I start to feel her move, and she will give a good kick and it startles me, it's kinda funny, and it's definitely a relief to start to feel her move. For the last week or so her movements have been at 3 and 9 o'clock (on sides) instead of at 6 o'clock (bottom), then yesterday for the first time I felt her move at 12 o'clock (top), sooooo, I *think* that she might have moved head down, but we will not know for sure until the Dr. checks her. I'm not as nervous about the labor this time round, although subconsciously I think I am a bit because I've been feeling a bit of anxiety lately. But that also could just be the whole idea of having a newborn, and a 2 yr old at the same time. I will miss the one on one attention that I was able to have with just one baby, but at the same time it will be fun to see how Liam is with his sister.

Liam is 22 Months

It's so hard for us to believe that Liam is only 2 months away from turning 2 years old.  He will officially be our little boy, and not our baby anymore.  He is growing up WAY too fast!  He continues to pick up new words everyday, and they are so frequent, that I've lost count.  His phrases that he's starting to say have meaning, and he uses them to communicate with us.  One morning he was asking for dad, and I told him that daddy was gone and that he was at work, and he said back to me 'Daddy Gone' and 'Daddy Work'.  He also still tells us when he's pooped, but usually he says 'Poot', which we think is so cute.  Most of the time he is right, but we think other times he just likes to tell us.  One morning he even told me he was wet when his diaper leaked.  We have hope that this is a good sign that he will be easier to potty train when the time comes.  He is also using description words like heavy, hot, and cold. And he is starting to count, learn his letters, and know his colors and shapes too.  He will try to say most words that we ask him to, although I haven't been able to get him to say his own name.  Another word that he won't say is 'Open'.  He will make the 'O' shape with his mouth and give me a smile, but won't say it.  He has also started to like other shows other than Elmo.  A couple of his favorites are 'Curious George', and 'Super Why'.  He especially is getting into 'Super Why' and will say the letters and words along with the show.  A really cute thing he started to do that he saw on TV was to put his hand under his chin, and say 'Hmmmm'.  He is a lot more sure footed these days.  He runs, jumps, hops, skips, dances and climbs EVERYWHERE!  He still does not understand the concept of gravity, and I worry one day that he is going to fall off the side of the couch head first.  I continue to tell him to sit on his bum when he's on the couch, and he thinks it's a game.  We recently got him a table so he can color, although at this point in time he thinks the table is funner to climb on.  As far as food goes we think he's the typical toddler in that one day he likes something, then next day he doesn't.  In general the one food group that I've had a hard time getting him to eat is his veggies.  Sometimes he will, most of the time he won't.  Guess I'll have to keep trying on that one.  One personality trait we've noticed that he has is he is very stubborn and strong willed.  Both his parents can be that way as well, so there isn't any surprise there.  His new obsession this month has been lights.  We put some night lights in his room, and he HAS to have them on at all times even though they turn off when it's light in the room.  He notices lights everywhere now, and points them out, and wants them on.  He also likes to turn the light switches on and off.  This issue has been a bit of a hard one, but we are hoping it's just a phase.  He continues to make us proud parents, and we are looking forward to adding a new addition to our family in the not too distant future, and think that Liam will be a great 'big brother'.

Update: A day after I wrote this Liam started to say 'Open'...he likes to proove me wrong : )

comment by mom/grandma on 10/07/2009
sounds like he's the same here as home, he says op-de for open here, he also spells o-p-e it's on one of his Elmo video's here, what a little smarty, we love getting to share him.