Vala's Pumpkin Patch 2012

Yesterday, we spent the day at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. We visited Vala's last year and knew that it would become a yearly tradition for us. Yesterday was a beautiful day - 75 degrees and sunny! And, since it was a weekday and the opening day, the park was fairly quiet. We didn't have to wait to do any of the activities.

This picture is a fun new tradition, too! 

Vala's has some BIG pumpkins

Our little and growing family

This is how 5-day-old Lydia spent most of her day

Silas: "Hey Goat!"

Watching the pumpkin-smashing dragon show

Graveyard Golf - Jonah's favorite part of the day. You can't tell from the picture, but the room was dark and everything was glowing from black lights. 

The boys LOVED jumping on this giant pillow. At one point, Silas fell down and couldn't get up because of all the bouncing going on around him. He just kept saying, "Help me! Help me!"

Lydia's first train ride

Another highlight of our day, especially for Silas

We stopped for some ice cream. Jonah picked chocolate for himself and Silas to share. Mike and I got pumpkin and vanilla twist soft serve. The pumpkin soft serve was delicious!

Jonah and Daddy on the barnyard adventure ride. Lydia and I skipped this one.

Lydia and I also skipped the trip out to the pumpkin patch and found a nice, quiet place to nurse instead. She was a happy little girl after that!

The rest of the family coming back from the pumpkin patch. Jonah was disappointed that there were no big pumpkins in the field they went to. So, he helped us pick out one big pumpkin from one of the already-picked piles. 

By the end of the day, we had two TIRED guys! What a fun-and-family-filled day!

Lydia's Birth Story

For those who are interested...

Lydia's Birth Story

I suppose I should start by saying that although both boys had to be induced at 41 weeks and almost 42 weeks, I had a feeling that something was going to be different about Lydia's birth. With the boys, I felt as if I could stay pregnant with them forever. By a few weeks ago, I was ready for Lydia to be here and to be done being pregnant. Last Saturday, we had a quiet, relaxing day at home. I worked on laundry, made banana bars, got caught up on finances, meal planned for the week, and got a grocery list made. That evening, we went to a surprise 40th wedding anniversary party for a couple from our church. Not long after we arrived at the party my water broke. Thankfully, it started leaking slowly. We hadn't even started to eat yet, so I tried not to make it known what had happened. We stuck around long enough to eat a quick meal but then took off hoping that it didn't seem so strange that we left so soon. Once home, I called my midwife who talked through a few options with me but really felt that I needed to come to the hospital. So, we called Evann, a girl from our church, and asked her to stay with the boys until my parents were able to get back to Wahoo. I said "get back" to Wahoo because my parents had been home for only about 24 hours before we were calling them. They had been in town visiting us for a few days last week. I worked two full days last week and they stayed with the boys while I worked. They left Wahoo on Friday afternoon. My parents thought they could get ready and be back on the road by about 10:00pm that night. Mike and I finished packing our bags and getting things in order. When we were ready to leave for the hospital, we told the boys what was going on. Jonah said, "But I thought Grandma and Grandpa were going to be here when the baby was born." We told him that Grandma and Grandpa would be there when they woke up. His reply - "Evann AND Grandma and Grandpa?!?!" He was excited!

We arrived at the hospital around 9:00pm. We got up to Labor & Delivery and settled into our room. The first thing they did was a test to confirm that my water really did break - I had no doubt. The test proved that it did. The on-call resident (we delivered at The Nebraska Medical Center - a teaching hospital) did the first dilation check I had during this pregnancy and said I was at 2 cm and 70% effaced. By this time, I wasn't having any regular contractions. My midwife came to talk to us about our options for the night. Since I was attempting another VBAC, the baby's heartbeat was supposed to be monitored continuously once we arrived at the hospital since changes in heart rate are some of the first signs of uterine rupture (the big concern with VBACs even though the likelihood of one is VERY small). Thankfully, the midwife was willing to let me wait awhile to start being monitored so that we could walk the halls to try to get labor going. By midnight, I was having some contractions but they were small and irregular. So, we tried using a breast pump. It was much more successful in bringing on good, strong contractions, but I would have 4-5 and then they would go away. The only other options we had were to wait it out a few more hours to see if labor would start on its own or to begin pitocin. At this point, I was physically and mentally spent. I had been up since Saturday morning and don't do well with little sleep. I really didn't want to induce labor but also knew that I wouldn't have the energy for labor if we kept waiting. My midwife was very understanding, and although she would have preferred to start pitocin much earlier, we managed to wait until about 3:00am. Since labor still had not started, we agreed to start the pitocin but to go slowly with increasing it to allow my body to take over once I was in labor. Thankfully, I was able to rest for a couple of hours before the contractions got too intense for me to rest through. I didn't sleep at all, but it was good to lay quietly in a dark room and just pray. By about 6:00am, contractions were increasing in intensity. I tried laboring in some different positions to try to speed the labor along, but my physical and mental fatigue was making it so difficult for me to have the strength to manage the contractions and the pain. I was a wreck! I so much desired to have another unmedicated childbirth but just felt as if I couldn't keep going after 24 hours without sleep. My midwife was a good support and counsel as we talked through the options of continuing to labor on my own or to get an epidural. There are many reasons for me not wanting an epidural as well as other means of pain relief, but at the time it came down to me being so physically and emotionally spent that we felt that the best option for me was to get an epidural. I needed rest. We made that decision around 8:00am. The anesthesiologist arrived fairly quickly and got to work. He was unable to get it in on the first attempt (not cool). Thankfully, he was able to get it in on the second attempt. When the midwife checked me around 9:00am, I was 5 cm and 100% effaced. Around 10:00am, my nurse came in and said that she wanted to check me again (we had been avoiding unnecessary checks since my water had broken and we wanted to avoid any chances of bacteria being introduced). While checking, she seemed a bit concerned and said something like, "I don't think I can feel a cervix. I'm going to have the midwife come check you." I was confused at first and disappointed thinking that things weren't progressing as hoped. But, the midwife came in a few minutes later and said, "10 cm. We are ready to start pushing!"

This blew me away! When I labored with Silas unmedicated, I knew exactly what was happening with my body. I knew when I was going through transition. I knew when I reached 10 cm. I knew when I needed to start pushing. This time was completely different. I felt the tightness of the contractions but had no idea that I had reached the point of pushing. 

The second stage of labor (pushing) lasted about 1 hr and 20 mins with Silas. So, I was expecting it to take less than that this time. Not long into pushing, I could tell that my midwife was getting frustrated. She then said that I was doing exactly what I needed to be doing but that the baby wasn't coming down any more. She said that there was some kind of strong, fibrous band of tissue that was preventing the baby from coming through the birth canal. She assumed it was scar tissue from Silas' delivery. We tried lots of different positions for pushing to try to get the baby past the tissue but nothing worked. After an hour and a half, my midwife said that she needed to consult with the OB on duty to see what the next step should be (cutting the tissue or use of the vacuum were two options she mentioned...not fun). She said that in 14 years as a L&D nurse followed by 14 years as a midwife she had never seen something like this. The OB on call was the chief resident. He was very kind and encouraging to us and, after assessing the situation, felt that the best thing to do was to cut the scar tissue. The attending physician joined us as well and agreed with the  resident's decision. Both of them also said that they had not seen scar tissue like this interfering with the delivery of a baby. But, they both felt that once it was cut the baby would be born quite quickly. So, he went ahead an made the cut.

By the first pushing contraction after the cut, progress was being made. She was on her way out! Between contractions, the nurses and drs were chuckling because they could see the top of her head turning from side to side. She was trying to figure out which way to go. It is AMAZING that babies know just what to do! Within 4 or 5 pushing contractions at 12:25pm, our Lydia was born!!! The OB lifted her right up onto my chest. And, things are a bit of a blur after that! I know that she looked right up at me, responding to my voice just moments after birth. She cried right away but calmed quite quickly to my voice and cuddling. Mike got to cut the cord. Lydia did the little newborn crawl to get up to me. The baby nurse performed all of the immediate newborn cares while Lydia laid with me. I loved how the nurses didn't take her from me or even suggest taking her from me. I got to hold her and cuddle her until I got too curious about her size. Then, I gave her up for just a minute while the nurse weighed and measured her - 8 lbs, 7 oz and 21 3/4 inches long. Right after the measuring was done, they gave her right back to me. And, Lydia got to nurse. She latched on right away and spend nearly an hour nursing while the OB took care of me. 

After about an hour, my midwife and nurses wanted me to eat. I hadn't eaten much of anything since Saturday lunch (24 hrs earlier), and my blood pressure was quite low (70-something over 40-something). So, I ordered a meal and once it got there the nurse took Lydia and gave her a bath and finished her newborn cares. Then, after I finished eating, the nurses wanted me to get up and shower before moving to my postpartum room. I was amazed at how quickly they wanted me up and moving but thankful, too, as I was ready to feel clean. By 3:00pm, we were in our postpartum room resting. I think my parents arrived with the boys around 5:00 or 5:30. It was SO good to see them. Jonah was beaming when he walked into our room with a gift in tow for Lydia. Silas fell in love with his "Baby Lydia" immediately. 

When we went to that party at church at 5:00pm Saturday night, we had no idea of what the next 24 hours would bring. What a blessing and answer to prayer that Lydia arrived quickly and safely! Months of my prayers that the Lord would bring Lydia to us "in Your way and in Your timing" were answered in ways we didn't expect. And, although two of my deepest desires for Lydia's birth - to go into labor on my own and to give birth naturally and unmedicated - did not happen, we have nothing but praise to offer to God. He is good!

She's Here!

I realize this post is a few days late in coming, but it's time to announce on our blog that our little girl, Lydia Lucille, arrived on Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 12:25pm! She made her appearance 4 days before her due date, which was a huge surprise to us considering that her brothers were both induced at least a week past their due dates. Lydia weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long. She has been such a joy and blessing to us already in her 5 short days of life! I will share a few pictures here and will soon share her birth story for those who are interested.

Grandma and Grandpa brought the boys to visit us Sunday evening. They were so excited to meet their sister!

We left for home on Tuesday afternoon. Lydia got all dressed up for the occasion. :)

We stopped at Mommy's chiropractor on the way home for quick adjustments for both Mommy and Lydia. When we arrived at the office, we discovered Lydia's headband turned into a blindfold.

We have been settling back into life at home as a family of 5. Wednesday was a busy day. Lydia had her first appointment with her doctor because her doctor was unable to come to see her at the hospital. Instead, one of the pediatric faculty doctors for UNMC and a small group of his students checked her out in the hospital. Lydia left the hospital on Tuesday weighing 7 lbs, 12 oz. By yesterday noon, she had already started gaining weight and was up to 7 lbs, 15 oz. 

Shortly after we left the doctor's office, my mom called us to say that she thought Silas wasn't feeling good as he wasn't eating and felt warm. Suspecting an ear infection, we called our doctor's office and made him an appointment. So, not long after getting home from Omaha we took off again for Omaha with Silas in tow. I think our pediatrician was a bit surprised to see us back just a few hours later with a different kid! He discovered pretty quickly that Silas' throat was infected. A strep test was positive. Thankfully, strep throat is quickly treated with an antibiotic and it is highly unlikely that Lydia would be able to catch it from him. By last night, Silas was back to his normal self. 

Jonah and Grandma made cookies yesterday afternoon.

Silas was happy to eat a cookie when he got up.

Silas is just loving his little sister. He talks about her all the time and wants to be a part of caring for her. Here he laid on the mat with her and rubbed her back. When it was time to go upstairs for supper, Silas went over to her saying, "Get my baby Lydia." Thankfully, I was able to catch him before he tried to pick her up...we may need to keep a close eye on them!

Lydia with Grandma after supper. I love how it looks like she is smiling! 

Today we spent the day at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. It was a wonderful day, but we are all tired out. I hope to post some pictures of our fun day soon!

Brothers

These two boys have really become friends lately. They have always been good to each other - Silas has always adored Jonah and Jonah has usually been mostly gracious toward Sy. But, just in the past few weeks it seems like they have become friends. It has been so good to see them playing together and wanting each other to be a part of what they are doing. Of course, there are spats, tears, and times when both are yelling "MINE" at the same time. But, they forgive and they love. 

These are just a few of the things I caught them doing together yesterday. I missed getting a picture of their "spin class" where Jonah randomly declares it is time for spin class and they run up to Jonah's room to spin in circles until they fall down dizzy and then get up and do it over and over again. 

I am 35 weeks along today. Just 5 (ok maybe 6+) weeks until Lydia arrives! Maybe you could call it nesting, but I have had the desire to go through every room in our house, including our crawl space storage area, and organize everything. It has been a big project! 

Every once in awhile I stop to think what life with 3 kids will be like. Sometimes I think it will be a bit crazy, but other times - like after seeing Jonah and Silas spending so much time playing together - I think it will be just what we need. :) 

A Busy Month

Because of a very strange but welcomed change in the weather pattern, the past two mornings we have been able to have all the windows in our house open and cool, fresh air has filled our home. The air conditioner hasn't been running non-stop like it has been for the past month and a half. Although, it doesn't look like this weather is going to continue and the temps will be back up in the 90s all week long, the brief respite from our 95 to 100+ was much needed and almost seems to be a reflection of our lives - finally slowing down, giving us a chance to breathe and to rest and to enjoy a quieter schedule.

The month of July was a busy one for us. There were only 2 or 3 days the whole month in which there was nothing on the calendar. But, it was also a good month, filled with family, friends, and our church family. As I plugged in my camera to upload some pictures, I realized that the only pictures I took during the month of July were on Silas' birthday - July 3rd. So much happened since then!

We started the month with two weeks of daily parent/child swimming lessons. Both boys did a fantastic job! Jonah still doesn't like to put his whole head under water, but he loves doing his front and back floats with kicking and arm movement. Silas enjoyed blowing bubbles the most but also liked jumping in and hanging out with Daddy and Mommy in the water.

The Fourth of July was pretty low key for us. We planned to go to a picnic in the city park, but by noon it was already close to 100 degrees outside. Our boys (especially Jonah) get heat rash easily and I am not much for the heat these days, so we stayed home. We walked to a park nearby for fireworks in the evening. Being from MN, Mike and I aren't used to so many types of fireworks being legal. Even after two summers of living here, it is strange to walk to the park and see people lighting off some impressive fireworks from their yards/driveways! Once at the park, the other people there were putting on pretty good pre-show entertainment with their own fireworks...so strange for us who grew up with even sparklers being illegal until we were teenagers. The boys loved the fireworks. The city of Wahoo puts on a great show for being a small town.

Toward the middle of the month, my parents came to visit for a week. I agreed to cover some vacation time for a couple of SLPs that I work with. So, my parents stayed with the boys while I worked. My dad tackled the big project of painting our kitchen cupboards. The cupboards were stained very dark and had extremely dated 1970s hardware on them. My dad painted them a color called "Cracker Bitz" and replaced the door knobs and drawer pulls. The kitchen/dining room walls had been white with a dated border and one wall covered in dark paneling. We removed the border and paneling not long after we moved in and then painted our kitchen/dining room "Kimono Red" during the winter. It completely changed the look! It is SO much better than before. My dad still has one small section of cupboards to finish. Also, I need to get things hung on the walls and we need to replace the 1970s light fixture in the kitchen, but it is good to be close to done with these rooms! I don't have good before/after pictures right now. Hopefully, I can get some up soon.

The week after my parents left was Vacation Bible School week at church. I directed the program this year, which was a new experience for me! It was a fantastic week. We used Go Fish's "Backstage With the Bible" curriculum. It was a great curriculum for exposing our children to the gospel. The Lord had his hand on every aspect of the week. There is no way that we could have pulled off such a week by our own strength. Even now as I write, I am amazed at some of the ways that the Lord directly answered specific prayers I had regarding how the week would come together. Over 90 children were exposed to the gospel that week! I really enjoyed connecting with some fantastic women of God from within our church family and from other evangelical churches in town. VBS really was a family event for us this year. Even though he is not yet 4, Jonah participated in the 4-year-old class. He had a blast! Mike taught the 3rd graders. I taught the 5-year-olds. And, Silas was cared for by a sweet young woman from our church. We turned Mike's office into a nursery for the week (our nursery became a classroom) so Silas, Elana, and another little boy could be a part of VBS when they wanted to but also had their own space. By Friday of VBS week, we were WIPED OUT! It truly was by God's grace that we made it through such a full week.

Most of last week was spent trying to recover from VBS the week before. Last weekend was quite busy for me as I was wrapping things up from VBS and had a lot of clean up and organizing to take care of. We enjoyed having a guest preacher last Sunday so Mike didn't have to prepare a sermon that week. The boys got into a habit of waking up early during VBS week since we had to be at church by 8:00 each morning. This week, we have been trying to adjust naps and bed times to work with their fatigue from the week and to get them back to sleeping longer in the mornings. It has been a trying week with disobedience and discipline, but we are thankful for God's grace to help us keep the right focus although it has been difficult at times.

Trying to cool down on one of our 100 degree days this past week

This past week has been county fair week in Wahoo. Thursday night was the big parade in town. Thankfully, Mike was able to find some spots for us that would be in the shade at the time of the parade and set out chairs early. It was so much better than last year!

Cooling down with a freezie

Our boys aren't too into candy. They definitely like a piece or two when they can have it but don't go crazy over collecting it at parades, which is alright by us! Right after I took this picture a group of kids sitting nearby came over to get it. One boy exclaimed, "I'M IN HEAVEN!" Thankfully, one of the girls he was with corrected him by saying, "No, heaven is much better than this!"

3-year-old children make great campaign ads for candidates. Ask a 3-year-old if they want a sticker, of course they will say yes!

I worked two days last week and will work two days again next week. We are working on saving up a bit for me to have some time off once this baby arrives. This busy schedule has definitely caught up to me. Friday night into Saturday morning, I slept over 10 hours (thank you, Mike!). Apparently I didn't wake up to a thunderstorm or to Jonah getting up. We enjoyed a quiet day at home yesterday. We watched a fair amount of the Olympics and took care of some things around the house. I am feeling much more rested today and didn't even take a nap when everyone else was this afternoon. 

We are now off to see Go Fish in concert in Lincoln. Should be a good time! 

Our New 2-Year Old

Silas turned two years old last Tuesday. It's so hard to believe that he is already 2! We had a wonderful day of celebrating him.

Silas woke up to some birthday decorations and a few gifts.

 One of his favorite gifts was this dump truck from Great Grandma Kapusta. It has buttons that make the back go up and down and that make the truck move forward and backward. 

 I made these monkey cupcakes for dessert. Silas thought they were the best thing ever and has been talking about monkey cupcakes quite often since his birthday.

 We didn't do a whole lot during the day of Silas' birthday. I took the boys on one of our big shopping trip outings to Omaha. That is eventful enough for me! In the late afternoons for the past week and a half we have had parent/child swimming lessons. We usually get home around 6:00pm and give the boys quick baths before eating supper. That is why Sy is in his jammies for the rest of these pics. At swimming lessons that night, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Silas. He felt pretty special!

 Silas thought his monkey cupcake was pretty tasty!

I think Silas enjoyed his day. He kept saying "birthday" all day long and was in a fantastic mood the whole day. He got to open a few gifts from family after each meal and was excited about them. From us, he got a new carseat - a Britax Frontier highback harness booster seat. Thankfully, he is at an age that he is satisfied with not getting a "fun" gift from us. But, he has been very excited about his new carseat that matches Jonah's seat. 

We are so thankful for our new two-year-old boy! We love you, Silas! The Lord was good in giving you to us!

Our Little Girl - An Update

Little girl and I are now almost 29 weeks along. We went for an ultrasound yesterday as a check up after our 20-week ultrasound to make sure the placenta had moved to a better place. And, it has! The ultrasound tech working with us was super nice. She turned on the 3D ultrasound and got this precious picture of our girl. Isn't she just so sweet?!?!

It was great to see our little girl again - 20 weeks is a long time to wait! She seems to be doing well. The measurements showed that she is big - measuring about 1 1/2 weeks ahead in most areas. The doctor mentioned something about her being somewhere in the 80s for percentile at this gestational age. I guess that we had better be prepared for another big baby!

I was supposed to have my glucose screening last week at my 28-week appointment. However, I started the morning with nausea and my stomach rejected my breakfast. So, it was no surprise to me that my stomach also rejected the yucky sugary glucola drink. I go back for another appointment next week and will have the glucose screen done then. Thankfully, my midwife is giving me the option of eating 18 Brach's original jelly beans instead of the drink. I don't really care for jelly beans (other than red Starburst ones), but anything is better than the glucola. Hopefully, I will be feeling okay that morning and my stomach will accept the jelly beans. My midwife mentioned some other suggestions on how to proceed if I vomit the jelly beans, and I really don't prefer those options. 

Other than that, we are doing well. I am mostly feeling better. I still have some mornings that I feel nauseous, but overall I am much better than I was for so long. I am measuring big - about 2 weeks ahead, which is no surprise since the baby is measuring big. I am getting occasional looks of disbelief when I tell people how far along I am. But, I am still expecting to go past my due date with this baby as I did with the boys. We are praying for me to go into labor on my own this time, and we are thankful to be delivering with a team of midwives who are willing to let me go past my due date with another VBAC.

We haven't done much to prepare for this baby's arrival other than pick up some girls' clothes at garage sales. I am expecting that we will keep her in our room for 4+ months until Silas is ready to move to a bed and share a room with Jonah. There are a few girly things I would like to get - a boppy cover, crib sheets, maybe a new bouncy seat and some pacifiers, but it doesn't seem like there is a whole lot else that we would need to be prepared for her arrival. It really is strange how your perspective changes from one baby to the next in terms of preparation! I just realized the other day that I should look into a hospital tour at the hospital we where will be delivering. We are in the third trimester now and should probably know where to go if I go into labor! 

And now for a name...

We have settled on a name and enjoyed sharing it with our family when we were home not long ago.

She will be

Lydia Lucille

We have continued with our desire to have our children's names be ones of significance. We had a few names and variations of names that we considered, but we landed on Lydia Lucille. The name Lydia comes from Acts 16 in the Bible. There isn't a lot known about the Lydia referenced in the Bible. She first comes into the picture when Paul and Silas were in Philippi on a missionary journey. They went outside the city to a place of prayer along the river and found a group of women who were there together. Verses 14-15 say, "One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us." What is known about Lydia is that she is the first known European convert to Christianity, she was a worshiper of God before hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ but accepted the Truth taught by Paul and was baptized, her family also came to know the Lord which says something about her character and family life if her family readily accepted the Truth she understood at the riverside, and she was hospitable - she invited Paul and his companions to stay at her home during their time at Philippi. She was regarded as a faithful woman of the Lord by Paul and Silas as they visited her after they had been freed from prison. From what is known about Lydia, it is our prayer that our daughter would emulate her character. Lucille is my grandmother's name. She is a joyful woman of God. At 93 years old, she continues to live in her own home and still drives, shops, cooks, bakes, goes out all the time with her friends, and participates in many church activities. She has spent her life caring for and serving others through difficult life circumstances- her siblings, her dad, her husband. I stayed with Grandma during the summer of 2007 while doing my final internship for my master's degree. It was a sweet time that I will always remember. There was coffee brewing every morning and evening. And, she made supper for us just about every night. I'm sure that her hard work ethic, her service to others, and her joy in the Lord have been what have kept her going and healthy well into her 90s. It has always been my desire to incorporate her name somehow into the name of a daughter, and thankfully we are now having a girl!

We are so excited to welcome our Lydia Lucille into our family! Jonah is also very excited about this baby and talks about her pretty much every day. He knows that she will be here in September and will tell that to anyone who asks. I'm not sure how much Silas understands about the baby. He does know that we point to my belly and say there is a baby in there. In fact, one day at church, he pointed to the belly of the man he was sitting with and said "Baby!" Ooops! Also, he knows that the girly clothes I have gotten at garage sales are for the baby. Life will be changing again soon. It is good.