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Betty Ann’s Birth

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

On Thursday the family went to the YMCA and I took a walk on the treadmill.  By the end  of a mile or so I had to get off and just sit on the bench.  I told Matthew I think we should go home and was really tired.  Contractions were pretty consistent and getting more difficult.  When we got home around 5 I was sure (though always had a voice of doubt) that this would be the night.  We called Matt’s mom to see if she could pick up the kids for the night incase something happened during the night.  Meanwhile, I watched Emma and dealt with the contractions as they came.  Around 8:00, Mom Weldon arrived with Heidi and they took the kids home with them.  Matt and I hung out for another hour or so before heading to bed.

I slept fitfully, wakened by contractions every hour or so.  By 3AM I just couldn’t lie down anymore and woke up Matthew.  He got up, showered, got the bags and carseat in the car, and I called the midwife.  She was already at the birth center and told me I could come in if I wanted or wait it out longer at home.  I told her we would leave within the hour.  I showered, ate, got through contractions and we were on our way at 4.

When we were about a quarter of a mile away, the snow started to fall.  We arrived at the birth center at 4:30 and I was 5cm, 80% effaced.  Hooray!
The other birth that was going on required a lot of the midwife’s attention, and since we didn’t mind, Matthew and I were left alone for about 90% of the time.

After laboring on the ball for awhile, I got in the tub for the rest of the time.  I was planning on having a water birth.

During transition, I was pouring sweat and having a hard time holding myself together.  I opened my eyes more (even though the pictures don’t show it) and looked at Matthew for strength while I held onto him with all my might.  Near the end I told him not to leave me.  I remember hearing the nurse and midwife saying to eachother, “In a half hour she’ll feel like a million bucks.”  That pulled me through for the last haul.  I knocked down my cup of ice.  I cried.  I did not scream.  The nurse came in and sat on the edge of the tub and said, “You look scared to move.”  I told her I was terrified to move!  She encouraged me that it would probably be the thing that I needed to get this baby out.  It was the last mile of a huge race.  I had to finish.  I moved.  Sure enough it got harder, but it was almost over.  It was 8:20 or so when I started to push.  The nurse was still there and the midwife came and perched next to her on the tub.  They just coached me along with encouraging words, and Matthew held onto me from behind.  I hadn’t told the midwife that I wanted to catch the baby, but it just kind of happened, and she didn’t touch me or the baby until she was completely out and in the water.  Then they gently brought her up to my chest and we sat there in awe!

I kept crying and saying, “Is this real?  Is this real?!”

It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced.  Each of my children’s births are.  This was so unique in many ways.  My first waterbirth.  The first time I caught my own baby.  The most untraumatic birth.   It was snowing outside while I labored, and we welcomed Betty Ann into the world.
We got out of the tub (not as difficult as I imagined it might be) and cozied up on the bed together.  All three of us.  Grandma arrived.  We ate tuna sandwiches from an Amish cafe up the street.  I didn’t feel full.  Betty got weighed in at 7lbs 7oz.  It was the 7th.  She is the 7th grandbaby on the Weldon side and the 17th grandbaby on the Watt side, and the 37th great-grandbaby of my Grandma Betty Horton, her namesake.  Pretty amazing!  Ann is the middle name of Matthew’s mom.  Two amazing women, and we pray she is just as strong and thoughtful as they both were and are.
19 inches long.
Six and a half hours later, we loaded up and went home!
The rest of the day, Matthew and I relaxed and enjoyed Betty as if she were the only child.  I had to prepare her that she wasn’t!

On Sunday, the kids came home and met Betty for the first time.

New Year, New Beginnings

/ amylynw / Leave a comment

As baby continues to delight herself in the warmth and coziness of Mama’s womb, Mama continues to wonder how it can possibly be delightful!  I console myself that she is indeed warm and cozy and that our birthday-less month of January will finally be graced with a happy birthday.

After a wonderful family-filled weekend of Christmas-round-two, all of a sudden January hit me like a mac truck.  A few reality checks:

One of our nameless children was cleaning the bathroom (very sweet).  However, their imagination got the better of them, and as I readied myself to mop the kitchen floor, I heard and saw the dripping of water through the kitchen ceiling.  I ran upstairs to see the bathroom flooded and more water pouring out of the faucet into the sink.  The plug was in, the sink was overflowing.  At least an inch had accumulated over the entire floor.  The funniest part (I could find this funny about 24 hrs later) was the piece of dental floss strung across the sink like a little bridge over a huge lake.  That MUST be what they were trying to do.  I was not in the presence of mind to take a picture, but I think you can imagine.

Last night, in a fit of nesting, we took down our Christmas tree.  I had everything boxed away and swept up in about 30 minutes flat.  I don’t tend to linger over that job.  All of a sudden our living room has grown to be so spacious!  I’m really not that sad about it, and I usually leave the banister lights up for a few extra weeks, because they’re unobtrusive and wintry.

I was excited to wake up and see this from our backyard this morning:

It’s a beautiful reminder of how God, no matter how busy He is, and I’m sure He’s extremely busy, always takes time to delight us with His creativity.  And while He is comforting hearts, strengthening hands, providing needs, listening to us, He is also painting the sky with heavenly colors.

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>

We pretty much love this girl.  She looks great in turquoise!  Not my favorite color, but on her, it looks beautiful.  Bitty Betty.  At her two week check last Friday, she weighed a whopping 7lbs 5oz.  Tomorrow she will be three weeks old!  She smiles at us when we talk to her.  She reminds me so much of each of the kids, and yet she is her own unique person.  

Betty Ann’s Birth

/ amylynw / 6 Comments

On Thursday the family went to the YMCA and I took a walk on the treadmill.  By the end  of a mile or so I had to get off and just sit on the bench.  I told Matthew I think we should go home and was really tired.  Contractions were pretty consistent and getting more difficult.  When we got home around 5 I was sure (though always had a voice of doubt) that this would be the night.  We called Matt’s mom to see if she could pick up the kids for the night incase something happened during the night.  Meanwhile, I watched Emma and dealt with the contractions as they came.  Around 8:00, Mom Weldon arrived with Heidi and they took the kids home with them.  Matt and I hung out for another hour or so before heading to bed.

I slept fitfully, wakened by contractions every hour or so.  By 3AM I just couldn’t lie down anymore and woke up Matthew.  He got up, showered, got the bags and carseat in the car, and I called the midwife.  She was already at the birth center and told me I could come in if I wanted or wait it out longer at home.  I told her we would leave within the hour.  I showered, ate, got through contractions and we were on our way at 4.

When we were about a quarter of a mile away, the snow started to fall.  We arrived at the birth center at 4:30 and I was 5cm, 80% effaced.  Hooray!
The other birth that was going on required a lot of the midwife’s attention, and since we didn’t mind, Matthew and I were left alone for about 90% of the time.

After laboring on the ball for awhile, I got in the tub for the rest of the time.  I was planning on having a water birth.

During transition, I was pouring sweat and having a hard time holding myself together.  I opened my eyes more (even though the pictures don’t show it) and looked at Matthew for strength while I held onto him with all my might.  Near the end I told him not to leave me.  I remember hearing the nurse and midwife saying to eachother, “In a half hour she’ll feel like a million bucks.”  That pulled me through for the last haul.  I knocked down my cup of ice.  I cried.  I did not scream.  The nurse came in and sat on the edge of the tub and said, “You look scared to move.”  I told her I was terrified to move!  She encouraged me that it would probably be the thing that I needed to get this baby out.  It was the last mile of a huge race.  I had to finish.  I moved.  Sure enough it got harder, but it was almost over.  It was 8:20 or so when I started to push.  The nurse was still there and the midwife came and perched next to her on the tub.  They just coached me along with encouraging words, and Matthew held onto me from behind.  I hadn’t told the midwife that I wanted to catch the baby, but it just kind of happened, and she didn’t touch me or the baby until she was completely out and in the water.  Then they gently brought her up to my chest and we sat there in awe!

I kept crying and saying, “Is this real?  Is this real?!”

It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced.  Each of my children’s births are.  This was so unique in many ways.  My first waterbirth.  The first time I caught my own baby.  The most untraumatic birth.   It was snowing outside while I labored, and we welcomed Betty Ann into the world.
We got out of the tub (not as difficult as I imagined it might be) and cozied up on the bed together.  All three of us.  Grandma arrived.  We ate tuna sandwiches from an Amish cafe up the street.  I didn’t feel full.  Betty got weighed in at 7lbs 7oz.  It was the 7th.  She is the 7th grandbaby on the Weldon side and the 17th grandbaby on the Watt side, and the 37th great-grandbaby of my Grandma Betty Horton, her namesake.  Pretty amazing!  Ann is the middle name of Matthew’s mom.  Two amazing women, and we pray she is just as strong and thoughtful as they both were and are.
19 inches long.
Six and a half hours later, we loaded up and went home!
The rest of the day, Matthew and I relaxed and enjoyed Betty as if she were the only child.  I had to prepare her that she wasn’t!

On Sunday, the kids came home and met Betty for the first time.

>New Year, New Beginnings

/ amylynw / 2 Comments

>As baby continues to delight herself in the warmth and coziness of Mama’s womb, Mama continues to wonder how it can possibly be delightful!  I console myself that she is indeed warm and cozy and that our birthday-less month of January will finally be graced with a happy birthday.

After a wonderful family-filled weekend of Christmas-round-two, all of a sudden January hit me like a mac truck.  A few reality checks:

One of our nameless children was cleaning the bathroom (very sweet).  However, their imagination got the better of them, and as I readied myself to mop the kitchen floor, I heard and saw the dripping of water through the kitchen ceiling.  I ran upstairs to see the bathroom flooded and more water pouring out of the faucet into the sink.  The plug was in, the sink was overflowing.  At least an inch had accumulated over the entire floor.  The funniest part (I could find this funny about 24 hrs later) was the piece of dental floss strung across the sink like a little bridge over a huge lake.  That MUST be what they were trying to do.  I was not in the presence of mind to take a picture, but I think you can imagine.

Last night, in a fit of nesting, we took down our Christmas tree.  I had everything boxed away and swept up in about 30 minutes flat.  I don’t tend to linger over that job.  All of a sudden our living room has grown to be so spacious!  I’m really not that sad about it, and I usually leave the banister lights up for a few extra weeks, because they’re unobtrusive and wintry.

I was excited to wake up and see this from our backyard this morning:

It’s a beautiful reminder of how God, no matter how busy He is, and I’m sure He’s extremely busy, always takes time to delight us with His creativity.  And while He is comforting hearts, strengthening hands, providing needs, listening to us, He is also painting the sky with heavenly colors.

This Christmas

/ amylynw / 2 Comments
Merry Christmas!  We pulled up to Grandma and Granddaddy Weldon’s house with our van honking and kids cheering!
What a wonderful Christmas we had!  Every year the ladies wear high heels on Christmas eve.
Mine are the red ones.
We also do a guys vs. girls crossword puzzle.  Guys won this year. Oh, well!
Our first belly shot of the cousins!  Two weeks apart, and both very ready to hold these little babies in our ARMS instead of our bellies!

Christmas eve also brings Santa Clause, in all his hilarity.  We won’t reveal who he is… but he does a pretty awesome job of making the kids’ night extra special.  This tradition was happening when “Santa” used to sit on Santa’s lap…

Nadine left a plate of cookies and milk and a note for Santa.  This is the first time she’s done this.  She thought of it all on her own, and I’m really not sure where it came from.
The boys slept in the basement.  Just too cute not to squeeze!
Christmas morning brought presents and laughter and fun!
It also brought monkey bread and dutch blitz!
We are so thankful for our wonderful Christmas.  God has truly blessed us abundantly!