Monday, November 23, 2009
Home Sweet Home
We are home. For good. I am loving every minute of it. I am sorry to those of you I did not get to say goodbye to. We are where we belong now.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
6 weeks old!
I cannot believe that Lily is 6 weeks old already! We have had an eventful 6 weeks filled with lots of love and family. Shane's parents came to visit the day I came home from the hospital and were such a huge help during those first few days when I was trying to figure out how to be a mom of a newborn again. They stayed for 2 weeks and then I had a few weeks of just the 5 of us, which was nice too. My mom, stepdad, sister and nephews came to visit at the beginning of October and just left yesterday, which was sad...I didn't realize how much I miss family until they are gone. We had some great times while they were here and I got to meet my new nephew who is 11 days older than Lillian. Here are some new pictures of their visit and Lily now that she is 6 weeks old.
Lily and Owen
Cousins
Lily is such a good baby. She hardly cries and is typically happy all the time. She loves to take baths and coo at our faces. If I lay her on the couch, she likes to stare at the couch material and giggle...it is cute. Today I put her in her crib for the first time, and she was staring at the white wall just smiling away and giggling...I think her guardian angel was probably entertaining her. She has very kissable lips and smells heavenly all the time. The dogs are still getting used to her and we are teaching them about being gentle when it comes to smelling and investigating her. I will update again soon...we are going to try and take some pictures outside with the 5 of us if the weather would warm up and get nice again.
Lily and Owen
Cousins
Lily is such a good baby. She hardly cries and is typically happy all the time. She loves to take baths and coo at our faces. If I lay her on the couch, she likes to stare at the couch material and giggle...it is cute. Today I put her in her crib for the first time, and she was staring at the white wall just smiling away and giggling...I think her guardian angel was probably entertaining her. She has very kissable lips and smells heavenly all the time. The dogs are still getting used to her and we are teaching them about being gentle when it comes to smelling and investigating her. I will update again soon...we are going to try and take some pictures outside with the 5 of us if the weather would warm up and get nice again.
My birth story....
I have had a few people ask about my birth story, and so I thought I would write about it on here. I have never been big on sharing this sort of thing, but since it was such a unique experience, I will indulge everyone.
I had been having contractions the whole week before I actually went into labor. My original birth plan was to have this baby girl completely naturally and to labor in the water at the birthing center at Methodist. On Sunday the 30th of August, I was contracting hard and left church early because it was just too much to sit through service as waves rippled through my abdomen. I decided to stay home and ride it out because my contractions were regular, but abnormally regular. I went to bed around midnight and woke up at 4am because I could not sleep through the pain. I called my midwife and she told me to come in. Luckily my bag was completely packed so all we had to do was wake up the girls, get in the car, and head to the hospital.
When we got there, they hooked me up to monitors because I was not quite 37 weeks and they wanted to make sure I was in real labor. They gave me some fluids through an IV and told me to rest so that the contractions would slow down. Lily had other plans, because the contractions only strengthened and started coming closer together. They decided to admit me, and my midwife ordered the birthing tub to be warmed up and ready for me by the time I got to my room. I was in so much pain, but managed to walk down the hall to my room and somehow get my clothes off to get in the tub.
The tub was huge....much too large for my small frame and I just found myself floating all over the place like a beach ball and was not able to stable myself enough to relax. The warm water also did not ease my contractions in the least and after 10 minutes I said screw this bath and screw doing this naturally....I want the epidural now! They told me that my midwife would be here in 20 minutes and wanted to check me before I got the epidural....20 minutes seriously seemed like a lifetime. On a scale from 1 to 10, my pain was a 12....and my water had not even broke yet! With Kennedy, I was dilated to a 5, and was walking around the hospital making phonecalls and functioning normally. This was nothing like that labor. Shane and the nurse got me into the bed (which was not the position I originally wanted to deliver in), and my midwife finally arrived. I was hurting so bad that every other contraction ended with the f-bomb. I am not one to even say that word when I am mad, but this experience definitely warranted that word. My midwife checked me while the anesthesiologist was standing by in the back of the room. I was told that I was 8cm dilated and once my water broke I would be at a 10, and that I was too far to have any pain medicine. I was seriously bummed because I NEEDED some relief. As soon as she said that, my water broke and I immediately felt like I had to push. I don't remember much after that because my body went into some kind of weird shock. I think it was all the natural endorphins that my brain was releasing to help me deal with the pain because I was out of it. My girls and Shane were all there supporting me....Shane was holding my hand and Kaylee was feeding me ice chips with a spoon. Kennedy was just kind of sitting back waiting for the baby to come out, but I could feel her presence, and that helped. I pushed for about 20 minutes and Lillian arrived face up! I now know that the intense pain I was experiencing was actually back labor and my midwife said it is the most painful way to deliver a baby....especially without pain meds! She of course was perfect and because of the lack of the epidural, was breathing on her own, and very alert. Her apgar scores were great and she never left me. Kaylee got to cut the cord, and the girls got to hold her within minutes of her birth. We were all beaming once she was here.
I honestly don't know if I will do a drug-free birth again. I know it is way healthier for both mom and baby, but if our next baby is facing up, I am scared of going through that again. It was not the experience that I expected or wanted,but I was thankful that she was healthy, and that was all that mattered.
So there it is in a nutshell...there are some other bizarre things that happened to me while I was out of it, but it is hard to talk about those things because not a lot of women have experience it and don't know how to react when I talk about it. Here are some pictures from my labor.
Managing the pain...
Shane trying to be supportive, but not knowing quite how to help.
Absolute relief!
Beautiful baby girl.
I had been having contractions the whole week before I actually went into labor. My original birth plan was to have this baby girl completely naturally and to labor in the water at the birthing center at Methodist. On Sunday the 30th of August, I was contracting hard and left church early because it was just too much to sit through service as waves rippled through my abdomen. I decided to stay home and ride it out because my contractions were regular, but abnormally regular. I went to bed around midnight and woke up at 4am because I could not sleep through the pain. I called my midwife and she told me to come in. Luckily my bag was completely packed so all we had to do was wake up the girls, get in the car, and head to the hospital.
When we got there, they hooked me up to monitors because I was not quite 37 weeks and they wanted to make sure I was in real labor. They gave me some fluids through an IV and told me to rest so that the contractions would slow down. Lily had other plans, because the contractions only strengthened and started coming closer together. They decided to admit me, and my midwife ordered the birthing tub to be warmed up and ready for me by the time I got to my room. I was in so much pain, but managed to walk down the hall to my room and somehow get my clothes off to get in the tub.
The tub was huge....much too large for my small frame and I just found myself floating all over the place like a beach ball and was not able to stable myself enough to relax. The warm water also did not ease my contractions in the least and after 10 minutes I said screw this bath and screw doing this naturally....I want the epidural now! They told me that my midwife would be here in 20 minutes and wanted to check me before I got the epidural....20 minutes seriously seemed like a lifetime. On a scale from 1 to 10, my pain was a 12....and my water had not even broke yet! With Kennedy, I was dilated to a 5, and was walking around the hospital making phonecalls and functioning normally. This was nothing like that labor. Shane and the nurse got me into the bed (which was not the position I originally wanted to deliver in), and my midwife finally arrived. I was hurting so bad that every other contraction ended with the f-bomb. I am not one to even say that word when I am mad, but this experience definitely warranted that word. My midwife checked me while the anesthesiologist was standing by in the back of the room. I was told that I was 8cm dilated and once my water broke I would be at a 10, and that I was too far to have any pain medicine. I was seriously bummed because I NEEDED some relief. As soon as she said that, my water broke and I immediately felt like I had to push. I don't remember much after that because my body went into some kind of weird shock. I think it was all the natural endorphins that my brain was releasing to help me deal with the pain because I was out of it. My girls and Shane were all there supporting me....Shane was holding my hand and Kaylee was feeding me ice chips with a spoon. Kennedy was just kind of sitting back waiting for the baby to come out, but I could feel her presence, and that helped. I pushed for about 20 minutes and Lillian arrived face up! I now know that the intense pain I was experiencing was actually back labor and my midwife said it is the most painful way to deliver a baby....especially without pain meds! She of course was perfect and because of the lack of the epidural, was breathing on her own, and very alert. Her apgar scores were great and she never left me. Kaylee got to cut the cord, and the girls got to hold her within minutes of her birth. We were all beaming once she was here.
I honestly don't know if I will do a drug-free birth again. I know it is way healthier for both mom and baby, but if our next baby is facing up, I am scared of going through that again. It was not the experience that I expected or wanted,but I was thankful that she was healthy, and that was all that mattered.
So there it is in a nutshell...there are some other bizarre things that happened to me while I was out of it, but it is hard to talk about those things because not a lot of women have experience it and don't know how to react when I talk about it. Here are some pictures from my labor.
Managing the pain...
Shane trying to be supportive, but not knowing quite how to help.
Absolute relief!
Beautiful baby girl.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Lillian Renee
We are happy to announce that Lillian Renee Bowman entered the world on August 31st, 2009 at 9:01am. She weighed 6lbs 1oz and was 18 3/4 inches long. Sorry it has taken me so long to post pictures and the announcement, but life just isn't the same with a newborn! My days and nights are starting to mesh together, but I am loving every minute of it. Lily is doing fantastic and is already gaining weight...she loves to nurse and is getting better at letting me know when she is hungry. The girls totally adore her and the first couple days were spent fighting over who got to hold her longer, but it is starting to get better. I have two helpers to change diapers, and fetch things I need for her when they are not easily within my reach. Shane's parents have been here since the 2nd of September and have been so great helping out around the house. I will miss them when they are gone! I have had so many dear friends bring meals over and have realized how much they are appreciated when the last thing you have energy for is cooking...so thank you! I may post about my birth experience later, but for now, here are some pictures of our newest baby girl!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My Little Blessing
I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going. Pretty soon I will have more to blog about and lots of pink on my background. I feel actually really good, even though my night sleep is getting interrupted more and more due to my cramped bladder. I love how this baby girl is getting stronger and stronger everyday and it is comforting knowing if she was born early that she can survive in this world outside of me now.
Babies are seriously amazing! I met this woman at the dentist office the other day that had sole custody of her 5 year old granddaughter. She was telling me a story about how her son's girlfriend had gotten pregnant while she was a meth addict. The mother of course was too strung out to make any kind of appropriate decisions for her baby, so this grandmother stepped in and decided to raise this little girl despite her age of 55 and despite the fact that she had no idea what this baby would be like after she was born due to the fact that she would be addicted to meth upon delivery. After this baby was born, the hospital tested her little body to see what kind of drugs were present and everything imaginable was in her little system. She miraculously detoxed and was sent home about a week later with her grandmother. Even though this baby girl was exposed to meth, alcohol, and a slew of other drugs against her own choice, she is a normal healthy 5 year old today. When I left the dentist office, I said a prayer for this grandmother and asked the Lord to pour blessings on her for all the sacrifices she has made and all the heartache she has endured. I also thanked him for allowing this baby to thrive even though she was not brought into this world under the ideal circumstances. This story touched me, and made me realize what fighters these little babies are and also the bigger plans that Heavenly Father has for us even from the womb.
Have a great weekend everyone, and if you are traveling home, I pray for your safety.
Babies are seriously amazing! I met this woman at the dentist office the other day that had sole custody of her 5 year old granddaughter. She was telling me a story about how her son's girlfriend had gotten pregnant while she was a meth addict. The mother of course was too strung out to make any kind of appropriate decisions for her baby, so this grandmother stepped in and decided to raise this little girl despite her age of 55 and despite the fact that she had no idea what this baby would be like after she was born due to the fact that she would be addicted to meth upon delivery. After this baby was born, the hospital tested her little body to see what kind of drugs were present and everything imaginable was in her little system. She miraculously detoxed and was sent home about a week later with her grandmother. Even though this baby girl was exposed to meth, alcohol, and a slew of other drugs against her own choice, she is a normal healthy 5 year old today. When I left the dentist office, I said a prayer for this grandmother and asked the Lord to pour blessings on her for all the sacrifices she has made and all the heartache she has endured. I also thanked him for allowing this baby to thrive even though she was not brought into this world under the ideal circumstances. This story touched me, and made me realize what fighters these little babies are and also the bigger plans that Heavenly Father has for us even from the womb.
Have a great weekend everyone, and if you are traveling home, I pray for your safety.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Goodbye to a dear friend...
Thank you for being my neighbor for the last 2 years! I will always remember the good times we experienced together and will be forever grateful for your friendship. It was fun laughing and crying with you...I will never forget what a good listener you are. Even though this journey will take us down different paths, I know that someday we will see eachother again...whether it be this life or the next. I am terrible at saying goodbye, and even expressing feelings in front of you, but know that you are always on my mind and in my heart, and your family will consistently be in my prayers. I love you! Have a safe trip and please call when you get settled ;)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
19 week ultrasound pictures of our.....baby girl!
Yes, another girl...Yay! At first, I was a little disappointed, but now, we are so excited to add some more pink to our home. She is perfect in every way, and was moving so beautifully on the ultrasound.....I can't wait to meet her! Here are some pictures from today....enjoy!
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