Labor Story

I'm a slacker, I know. But I am finally going to share our exciting story. Kyla Michelle Jensen decided to come on April 15th, two days after my due date. I woke up at about 3 in the morning, not from labor pains but because Kaden needed a drink and was crying. I took care of him and went to the bathroom (typical for a pregnant woman!). I kept having a bunch of contractions so I decided to time them for a little while because I was curious just how close they were. I also got on facebook to help distract me so I didn't go completely crazy. They were coming every 1-3 minutes and some were lasting a minute. At 3:45 I decided it was time to go so I walked over to the bathroom to grab my make-up and stuff. Wow. I thought I was going to have the baby right there. I knew she was going to come soon, so I woke Brad up. "Honey, we need to go to the hospital. She's coming, soon." He jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. I just sat there (contraction). I couldn't move and I could barely speak. He had to go wake up my sister (to listen for our kids) and my mom (so she could come to the hospital too). Meanwhile, I struggled to throw on a pair of pants and a hoodie.

Brad sped the whole way to the hospital. I'm so grateful we didn't get pulled over! I told him I wanted a wheelchair because I knew I wouldn't be able to walk the whole way. We got inside as fast as we could and the security guard was awesome. Brad got the wheelchair and the guard told him to go get the elevator while he wheeled me over there. He took me into the labor and delivery area too. Super nice guy!

Luckily the nurses decided to just put me in a labor and delivery room without making me go into the triage room first. It took all my strength to get out of that wheelchair. By the time I got on the bed and they started their admit questions it was 4:08. The nurse asked if I was planning on an epidural and I just laughed. I knew there wasn't enough time. She checked me and told the other nurse to call the doctor.

We spent the next few minutes answering questions. Brad would answer when I was having a contraction (thankfully). At about 4:25 my water broke (an odd sensation). The doctor walked in about a minute later. Once he gowned up I started pushing and two pushes later Kyla was with us. Brad was able to cut the cord and after they were done weighing and measuring her I was able to hold her! That's the first time either of us have been able to do those things. It was absolutely incredible! It all happened so fast... they didn't even have time to give me an IV.

The nurses cleaned up the room and my mom walked in at 4:45. I told her sorry, and she thought I was apologizing for waking her up so early. Then she saw Brad was holding a baby, "You already had her!" So, she wasn't there for the delivery but she still got to enjoy her granddaughter. My dad even stopped by that morning on his way to work just to see her.

She was born at 4:30 and weighed exactly 7 pounds and she was 19 inches long.

Anyway, that's the story minus gory details and other things I figured no one really wants to know. To address the question of whether I'll get an epidural next time, we'll just see. It was definitely intense but now I know I can do it. Brad was amazing and helped keep me from hyperventilating! Every delivery is different so I can't really say whether I'll want an epidural next time or not. I will say that the recovery has been great this time. Not that I've ever had any problems, but I was ready to come home from the hospital the next day (and I did). I've only had a few complaints and all in all I feel fantastic! Yay for that!

Patience is a virtue

And I'm not so sure I have it. Tomorrow is my due date. I went to the doctor this morning. He said he'd put me at about a 4.5 (last week's doctor really can be overly generous). He said I'm very thin, but didn't give me a percent this time. I didn't think to ask until we were gone. So, basically not much has changed. I still have frequent, painful contractions. Just nothing regular lately. Because I'm a VBAC he doesn't want to induce me. Pitocin increases the risk of uterine rupture (which is already increased as a VBAC). He said he could break my water, but then I run the risk of not starting in labor and having to use pitocin to try to get it going. So, his advice for right now is to just be patient. Part of me totally agrees and knew this is what I'd hear today. The other part of me is screaming, "GET THIS BABY OUT!" She is really low and I have a hard time walking sometimes as a result.

The one thing I want more than anything else is to be able to bring this baby home with me. I don't want to deal with the NICU and I don't want to spend even one night driving back and forth from the hospital. With that in mind, if she needs another week I'm okay with that. Beyond that, I'm not so sure. Maybe next week I'll be able to buckle down and make it longer. Just don't ask me today to make it another 2+ weeks!

I want to thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts, and prayers. I really appreciate all the support we've received. We just hope this stubborness isn't a sign of things to come.

Some pictures

Here are a few random pictures along with a couple from Aaron's birthday. I can't get all my pictures on my computer right now, so I may post more later... maybe!

Aaron loves to help do the dishes. Thank heavens the kitchen floor is tile!

The boys "helping" their dad move the entertainment center. We finally brought it in from the garage.

This picture just makes me happy!

Aaron blowing out his birthday candle.

This is his cake. Yeah, I know I'm a terrible cake decorator. But, he liked it and it tasted pretty good. He loves Toy Story.

Aaron is 2

Aaron turned 2 on the 7th. I'm grateful that our little girl decided not to come that day. I don't think it would be any fun to share a birthday with a sibling when you're not a twin. He had his check-up on Friday, so here are his stats:

Length: 34 3/4 inches (50-75%)
Weight: 29 lbs. (50-75%)
Head Circ: 50.2 cm. (75-90%)

Now, compared to Kaden at his 4 year check-up in Feb. they are pretty close is size. Here are Kaden's stats:

Weight: 33 lbs.
Height: 40 1/2 inches

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get them on the computer... maybe.

Beautiful Blue

Brad took this on Saturday and I absolutely love it! Just thought I would share it with everyone else!

One of THOSE people

Since my first pregnancy I promised myself that I would not be one of those women that go to the hospital and have to be sent home. Sadly, last night I became one of those women. Because I'm a VBAC the doctors stress getting to the hospital quickly. I started having contractions around 7:30 and were very consistent. I waited for 3 hours, but they weren't stopping so I decided it was time to go to the hospital. They sent me home just after midnight because I wasn't progressing at all. I was still at a 3, maybe a 3.5 and 80%. I felt pretty stupid. I think I need to learn some humility. Once we were home I asked Brad to give me a blessing. I love the comfort that comes from the power of the priesthood. In it he said to be patient and let nature run its course. After he finished I looked at him and said, "She's not coming, is she?" He agreed. He still thinks Kaden is right and she's going to come on Aaron's birthday (the 7th). We went to bed, but I didn't sleep very well. Oh well.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9:20. He checked me and said I'm at a 5 and 80. Then he stripped my membranes. I've been in pain all day and not from contractions. I'm still having contractions, but they aren't consistent anymore. However, they are getting stronger. I just have to keep thinking "be patient, be patient." She'll come when she's ready. The doctor started talking about inducing me, but I'm hesitant to go that route. So, we'll just see how the rest of the day goes and after that, the rest of the week, and after that, next week. Patience, patience, patience...

Easter Fun

Aaron and Kaden showing off some of what the Easter bunny brought this morning. Aaron doesn't like to cooperate for pictures.

He liked looking at the birds though. They really are pretty. A nice addition to our family. I just wish I could be posting pictures of our little girl as our newest addition. But I guess that time will come soon enough.

Brad enjoying his Easter gift, even though we say they were for the boys! That female is super mellow and hardly bites.

Watching a movie in between conference sessions. After I took this picture Aaron turned to me and said, "Stop buggin, Mom!" I think he was mad I caught him picking his nose!

After the last session of conference we finally colored our eggs. The boys had a lot of fun and the eggs turned out so vibrant and bright. These pictures don't really do them justice.

I am super swollen. Just keep in mind that I'm 39 weeks pregnant.

These are Kaden's eggs. They turned out pretty cool. The purple one is supposed to have a picture of Yoda on it. The stupid thing wouldn't transfer though so it just messed up his egg. Oh well. We'll just eat it tomorrow any way.

These are Aaron's eggs. He loved putting the stickers on. The turquoise egg is cracked big time because he pushed the stickers on so hard. But it kept them entertained for almost an hour so I can't complain! All in all we had a great Easter and I hope everyone else did too.

Easter Innocence

Our Saturday started out innocently enough. We went to a City Easter Egg Hunt. It was freezing so we didn't really hang around. The boys found some eggs and quickly traded them in for the candy. Then they were ready to leave.

If you notice above, poor Kaden has his hands in his jacket pockets and is holding the basket through his jacket. I should've put coats on them it was so cold. We left the park and headed to Target to get Aaron's birthday presents. His birthday is on Wednesday and according to Kaden that's also when his little sister is going to be born. Due to Brad's schedule we really didn't have any other time to go shopping, so we decided to just get it done. Once we finished at Target we went over to Wal-Mart and wandered over to their "pet" section. We talked the night before about possibly getting a few fish for the kids to take care over. When we left we decided to run over to PetSmart really quick and see what options they had in fish. We also wanted to compare prices and all that. They kids had fun looking around and Kaden now really wants a guinea pig. Brad feel in love with the parakeets and started talking about getting a couple of those instead of fish. We came home and I started pricing things out on the internet to see what we'd be getting into if we got birds. I figured the costs would be similar to the fish considering we'd be buying everything (cage vs. aquarium, food, filters, etc.) to get started. Brad had to go into work so I figured we'd talk about it more the following week. He called me on his way to work and asked if I was going to go buy the birds while he was gone.

I ended up having my parents watch my kids so I could go buy some birds and supplies. I really didn't want to take a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old with me while I'm 9 months pregnant and buying a bird cage and birds... that's just a little much. Anyway, while I was gone my mom did a wonderful job entertaining the kids (and there were a lot of kids there to entertain). They colored eggs and then made bird nests (pictured above and below). I think it's just those hard chinese noodles coated in chocolate, shaped into a nest, then a couple of robin egg candies placed in the middle.

Aaron had to show off his last egg that he snuck into his mouth right before I took the picture. I turned a movie on for the boys and slipped into my bedroom unnoticed so I could get the cage set up for birds. We wanted it to be a surprise.

I finally got the cage ready and got the green bird put in the cage. She made me feel good because she didn't try to get away or anything. She let me pick her up out of the box and put her into the cage. No struggle, no fight, no flight, minimal biting. I felt confident as I reached in to get the blue bird. Once he cleared the box he took off. I spent the next 5-10 minutes trying to chase him down. Just picture this big pregnant woman trying to chase down a bird. I was climbing on the bed, running around the room. I'm sure it would have been quite the sight! I finally caught him and put him in the cage. Man, he bites hard! And he even managed to poop on the bed sheets while he was fluttering about.

But they really are beautiful animals and we're all excited to have them join our little family. The boys love them already. Kaden named the green one Cookie and Brad named the blue one Swift (because I had to chase him so much). I think Aaron would spend the whole day looking at them if he could. Both of the boys want to hold them, but that's not going to happen until they are older (my kids that is).

Now, these birds are supposed to live for like 10-25 years. I was thinking about that today. That's a really long time to have a pet. Kaden will be 15-30 before these guys die. That's a long time to be buying bird food... So Happy Easter everyone! And don't get tricked as easily as I was! Stick with the simple fish!!!