Sunday, August 20, 2006

Returning Home

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words! I went to bed weds. night disappointed that I was still at home and not in labor. However, in God's kindness both Chris and I were able to get a good night sleep. Sleep is not something we've had with the previous two births. I woke up around 5 am with some strong contractions, determined to keep them coming I went to the gym and walked for for 45 min. They started coming at such a strength & pace that I decided it was best to return home. But of course not before a starbucks coffee, muffin & a little spurgeon! Seriously, there's a devoted starbucks fan for ya, I'm in labor and stopping off to get my morning joe :-) I was able to read morning and evening for a short duration before heading home to wake up Chris. Which really set my soul at peace for the day ahead. We left for the hospital about 8:00 am, hoping that this was the real thing. Sure enough I had dialted closer to 5 centimeters and the nurse sent me walking. Upon returning I was nearing 6 and fully effaced. At this point the contractions turned the corner from these really hurt, to ok these REALLY hurt where's the epi? The nurse started the IV fluids and I recived an epidural about 45 minutes later. The dr. came in and broke my water around 11:30 am and we waited comfortably for a couple of hours. The delivery came very quickly. My parents, our good friends Jon & Lory Payne and my brother were all in the room talking with us at 2:00 pm. The nurse came in to annouce she was going to check me, everyone went out expecting to come back in and at 2:06 pm Rylee was born. Needless to say it was a fast delivery!

I have loved holding and studying Rylee these past few days. She is so sweet & so far has hardly cried. She looks so much like Taylor did it's unbelievable! Taylor & Trevor have done great with their baby sister. Even Trevor seems to instinctively know to be gentle. Something I was concerned about. They both give her kissess & love. However, since returning home their sinfulness has been on full display. Let's just say these past few days has made having two children a walk in the park :-) I am so thankful for Chris' presence and am currently fighting off anxious thoughts for when he returns to work friday. I am confident that God will give me grace! And after all it's only a season, a short one at that.

I am however taking any thoughts or suggestions from expereinced moms out there on handling multiple children :-)

6 comments:

Laurie said...

Congratulations! I am so impressed that you're blogging already. I'll be praying for you on Friday. I remember so clearly the potential "trauma" of hubby returning to work after the birth of a little one. If it's any comfort, we all adjusted fairly quickly and it felt like baby had always been here.

BTW, I know your friend Lory. (at least I knew her when she was Lory Ramos). We did a youth camp with their youth group...she was just a baby - well practically. Say hi for me if you get a chance!

megan haughery said...

congrats!
i'm just a few months ahead of you with the whole three kids scene (julia is four months old this week!)

a few things that have helped/are helping me (mostly tips from older moms)
- 90 days to sanity!
- have 'book time' when you're nursing. this has helped me keep track of my two year old when i'm otherwise tied up. especially helpful those first few weeks when it seemed i was nursing all the time. i read my kids lots and lots of books...
- in the long run, being faithful to discipline is more beneficial than attending the crying baby...
- nap when you can... trust the Lord for strength when you can't. (def. alot less naps this time around)
- my favorite "mom verse" - "As your days, so shall your strength be... Deut 33:25" No matter how hectic, His grace is more than sufficient to help as you look to Him!

megan

Tara said...

Ask and you shall recieve... thanks Ladies for the advice/encouragement. Megan I liked your "90 days to sanity" also great reminder about discipline vs. crying baby. Something I have been preparing myself for. Megan your kids are adorable! Lory sent me to your blog.
And speaking of Lory, Laurie I will tell her you said hi. They are expecting their first in Febuary and she should be starting a blog up soon.

Danielle said...

Congratulations! I'm so glad your delivery went so well and you got to spend time with the Lord and at Starbucks to start your day off! :)

Love the name Rylee! Actually, that's on my baby name list for my own children, when the time comes.

Patrick said...

Not sure if you have been overloaded with advice, but I thought of a few things that have helped me during the early days of new babies and adjusting to more than 1 (or 2)
- Cook dinner in the morning when possible. This helps you avoid the awful afternoon hour when everyone is tired and grumpy and the baby decides that she will scream for 2 hours straight without any good reason! The freezer is your new best friend (as are the take-out meals that you may consume in large quantities until you can face the idea of cooking again! Your children will not have any long lasting ill effects from eating take-out for a few meals! lol)
- Don't sweat the small stuff. The nesting instinct has probably well and truly left the building, so now it is time for just the basics...feed everyone (hopefully 3 times a day!), bathing is optional, the laundry pile will eventually not look like Mt Everest, the bathroom tiles will not rot away if they are not sparkling and your visitors will cope if there are crumbs from last week on the floor. Rest when you can! I didn't learn this lesson until I had my 3rd child. I wish I had have taken my own advice back then!
- Take encouragement that having 2 other kids is often easier than 1, because a lot of times they will entertain each other while you nurse or bath Rylee etc. Try to involve the older kids in what you're doing where possible to keep them distracted from getting into mischief when your hands are tied up.

Anyway, I will be recalling all these great words of advice in 15 weeks when our baby arrives! Feel free to remind me of these things (especially the cleaning bit!) and how helpful I told you they would be! I will be praying that the Lord would br gracious and kind to you all as Chris goes back to work.

Many blessings to you and your family.

anne said...

praying for you in these first few weeks with your new little one. I am right there with you!! You have two older ones, while I have just one and I feel like I have my hands full!!!
OK the Starbucks thing...so hillarious and I would have gone if they would have been open when we went to the hospital!
Rylee is too cute, and I hope all is well!