September 12 - Crosby Benson Allen Arrives

1 steroid shot, some Pitocin, an antibiotic, some gnarly contractions, a failed epidural, lots of hand squishing, a birthing ball, some body shaking, probably more than a few swear words, and 8 hours after check in, Crosby Benson Allen was born!

Crosby Benson Allen

Monday, September 12, 2016 (31 days early)

12:13 am

6 lbs, 2 oz

16.5 inches 

Birth Story Highlights

Proud that lots of docs & nurses were asking if this was our 1st child.

Water broke at 8:15 am.
To hospital at 3:00 pm.
Tests to see if what was leaking was amniotic fluid.
Confirmation that water had broken at 4:30-5:00 pm.
Pray with Bryan.
Steroid (to help with baby's lungs since he was so early) & antibiotics (since I hadn't even had the chance to be tested for Group B Strep) & IV at 5:00 pm.
B home to pack bags & ask Bryce to stay at 5:30. Called Mom & asked her to come up.
Tolerated contractions best standing and bouncing on exercise ball.
Ordered epidural at 9:30 pm.
Epidural FINALLY arrived at 11.
Epidural DID NOT work.
Dilated 5+ to 9 in 30 min.
Lots & lots of silent prayers. Lots & lots of body shaking and tears streaming.
Epidural re-strung & mostly working at 11:50.
Doc popped water bubble.
Doc here to check where I was at.
A couple pushes and delivered by Dr. Jeffrey Broberg at 12:13 am.

Since he's a whole month early, he'll spend some time in the NICU working on blood sugar levels and getting his lungs stronger, but he is doing well and we feel so blessed. He tried nursing when he was first born, but he is just so tiny that he doesn't know how quite yet. I will be pumping and labeling for the NICU until he can come home and eat well.

Both Bryan & I held Crosby for a few minutes today, but the NICU nurses tell us that what he needs most is to sleep and relax and stay warm so that he can grow. 

Bryan's two weeks of paternity leave start today. So thankful to have that since it looks like our Crosby will be hanging out here for a couple days.

 

Text sent to family: Family! Crosby is doing well! Breathing/Lungs: He is on room air. No oxygen needed. Blood Sugar: His level is 97. Normal is above 60. He won't need to be checked again for that. Antibiotics: They put him on antibiotics in case he had an infection because most of the time, premature babies have a small infection. It's proactive. His blood culture won't be back until 24 hours after testing. He'll be here at least 48 hours for the antibiotics. Then he needs to prove that he can eat enough, breathe, and hold his temp on his own. 

Grama & Grampa arrived late yesterday evening and brought the big kids to hospital to meet their brother. Unfortunately, because it's flu/RSV season, no one under five years old is allowed in the NICU except on Sundays and with signed immunization records & "no sick" verification forms. They settled for making him a card and looking at pics & video on Dad's phone.

Grampa went back to see Cros (after the required/timed five minute hand wash), but Grama stayed back just to be safe since she's had a couple dizzy episodes.

September 11 - Just a Quick Hosptial Check

She just looked too cute not to take a picture.

This morning, I woke up around 8:15 when my Mom called me to a kind of "pop" and a little bit of pee coming out. I wondered and wondered if it was my water breaking, but brushed it off because I'm only 35 weeks along! BUT.....I couldn't shake the thought that I might be having a baby today.

I was 35 weeks pregnant and wanted to take a picture in my very favorite maternity shirt I had ever owned before I had my baby.

Guys, I was so poppy (popular) when I would wear this shirt. Everyone commented. Old men, young ladies, doctors, grocery store cashiers. Everyone. And that's why I loved this shirt. Because I'm an attention whore. 

 

 The thing is, my water had broken about an hour before I took these pics. But I was 95% sure I had just peed my pants. So we went to church where Bryan taught the Elders Quorum lesson and I played the piano in Primary. No contractions. No gushing fluids.

Went to the hospital after church just in case. But didn't even take bags because I was SURE they'd tell me to quit being dramatic about pee and send me home.

We were SHOCKED when the doctor came in to tell me my water had broken. Bryan had to go home and pack bags and bring them back. 

 

Glad I took the pictures when I did. Because baby boy was here 16 hours later.

Bryce's foot and the 3 big kids at home with Bryce. Waiting for Grama & Grampa to arrive.

September 10 - Birthday Party, Potty Training, & Low Babe

Cute Nora went to her first real birthday party today! Sally Hall turned four! Nora had a great time on the water slide/bounce house, eating pink ice cream, and playing games!

Also caught cute Nora peeking at her potty chart proudly this afternoon.

I told Bryan that I felt like baby boy had dropped in the last few days. This picture proved it.

35 Weeks & 2 Days

September 9 - Timeline of Black Eyes

7:45 am:

11:45 am:

3:00 pm:

4:00 pm:

September 7 - Three Kids

Cute Hazey.  He still likes to have his morning snuggles in bed with just he & Momma.  He likes to be awake WAY before he has to go to school at 9:15.  He's usually upstairs and moving by 7:15.  I just think his little silhouette is the cutest ever.

Haze is doing pretty good in Kindergarten.  Except he doesn't like that he doesn't know how to do things on the first try.  He's come home with tear streaks a couple times because he didn't know how to do something (read, work his computer, etc.).  He just wants to be the best at everything!  He's a good boy and I know he'll just keep getting braver & braver.

 

Me & Nora are sure enjoying our time together in the mornings.  Today we chose to build a giraffe with the blocks!  And then it was Nora's idea to build a "Nora giraffe."  That way, we had "a Mommy giraffe and a Nora giraffe."  And then we built a camera to take pictures of the giraffes.  And then her little imagination totally opened up and she built a swimming pool and a table and a bed and a blankie.  She's so tiny and so huge at the same time.

Well, poor Andlie.  Today I noticed that her eye was a bit swollen before school, but I thought it was just allergies.  When I picked her up from school.....WOAH!  Double black eyes!  I think they came because of her fall on Monday night.  I'm pretty sure that her glasses got smashed in to her nose and the eye pieces smashed in to her little eyes when she fell down.  Poor thing burst in to tears as soon as she saw herself!  

We called Daddy and he came home in case we needed to go to the doc.  But then I called the doc and spoke with a nurse and she told me that face bruising (especially around the nose and eyes) will show up later and it will get worse and last for up to a couple weeks.  I was glad to hear that they weren't concerned about her head bonk since her vision is fine, she doesn't have a headache, and she hasn't thrown up.  But her poor eyes look so bad.  And I'm sure they'll get worse by tomorrow.  She's one tough Bug.

September 6 - Star of the Week

Cute Andlie is STAR OF THE WEEK this week at school!  She was so excited to take her poster this morning!  She LOVES that it is two/three different colors!  I'm excited to hear how much everyone else loves it too!

Me & Nora have sure been having fun hanging out alone.  Today I really tried to stop doing other things and just focus on her.  I can't believe she's gonna be a big sister soon!  Today we rode bikes to the mail, swung in the swing, and read many books!  Nora has been talking really well since she was just over one.  It's been fun to just visit with her and be with her.

Cute Haze has been working on his bead butterfly for a few days now and he finished today!  He was so proud!  Looks good, Bud!  (This kid is really good at patterns and math.....)

1:00.  Haze said his shirt was "making him sweaty" so he took it off.  And then ate his chicken nuggets as he wandered around the house.  And immediately, Nora's dress was "making her sweaty."  And then she continued to work on her "BIG, HUGE tower!"

Went outside & played with "Nora's boy" as she calls him.  (Roman Miller.)

Andlie's teacher does home visits for each of her students at the first of the year to get to know the students better.  Andlie was thrilled that her teacher visit landed on the first day of her Star of the Week week!  She cleaned & prepared from the time she got home from school until Mrs. Hoffman arrived (3 hours later).  She made sure to label our cul-de-sac (or "cody sack) and our house so her teacher didn't get lost.  While she was here, she showed her her room, her toys, her other Star of the Week posters, and then took her outside and showed her how she could roller blade, Skip It, and climb the tree!  She loved having her teacher at our house!

September 5 - Labor Day

Labor Day!  Yahooo!!!  Daddy got the day off too, but he woke up at 6:30 to play tennis.  Soooooo, all three tiny ones ended up snuggling in bed with me by 7:45 this morning.  What a wonderful blessing.

After we did some chores, we went and got pizza and then had a picnic at the park!  The kids all had a blast, but the big ones didn't hold still long enough for a pic!

Next, Andlie got to go on a date with Mom for her Special Day!  We sort of took a break from Special Days during the Summer since we traveled a lot, but we're excited to start them back up!  For Andlie's Special Day today, she chose to go get ice cream with Mommy!  We had lots of fun drawing on the chalkboard and giggling (A LOT) and switching each other's ice creams when we weren't looking.  And not cooperating for pictures (again) and then giggling some more.  It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon!

We found a Praying Mantis in our driveway this evening!  The kids had fun checking on it and watching it's progress as it SLOWLY made it's way across the road.

Sadly, during one of the checks, Andlie & Haze were racing to come back inside and Andlie tripped and landed on her head on our porch.  She bent her toe nail back, skinned her elbow, scraped her leg, and even got a chunk of hair scraped out by the door mat.  But most importantly, she hurt her head and it was the most tender owie.  Hazey & Nora were pretty scared/sad for her.  Haze brought her a drink.  Nora brought her her blankie.  And after some ice, medicine, and a snuggle, she seemed to be doing okay.  Poor thing.