Halle Kate's Birth Story Part 2: The Time I Actually Went Into Labor

So I left you off in Part 1 on Sunday, November 30th, with me having sporadic contractions but nothing of really any pattern that didn't taper off eventually.  By now I am highly irritable and probably the most uncomfortable I have ever been in my life for a prolonged period of time.  I don't know why this pregnancy was just so different, but it was physically so much harder than my other two.  Perhaps it was how she was sitting or something, but the comfort level was lacking for sure.

So I wake up, still as uncomfortable on December 1, and realize I am still having contractions, only now they seem more consistent then they were.  I can't tell you how often I used that contraction app on my phone over the past two weeks, but it was NOTHING compared to how much I was going to use it that day.  So at 6:30 I text Mark, who has gone for a run "I think I may be in labor."  He heads back to find me in the bed timing them, they were 5 minutes apart and hurting more.  We know there is nothing we can do but wait and see, and really don't fancy another hospital bill so he begins to get ready to head out for work.  It was a tough decision but I am glad we made it because it was going to be a long day.  

I went ahead and went about my normal routine, got the boys up, fed, dressed, and doing what we normally do, waiting to see if activity would take them away like it had been doing in the past.  When it didn't I decided to call my doctor and they said they could work me in within the next 30 minutes so I finished getting myself dressed, got the boys out the door, and met my mom at Dr. Doerrfeld's office so she could sit with the boys.  I go in, still contracting, and wait for him to come do a Group B strep test and check me.  Normally I do not look forward to these appointments, but today I was ready to see if anything had changed.  He came in, laughing sympathetically because I was here again with the same symptoms as the week before.  He checked me and said I was only at 2, and that until it got to where I couldn't talk through contractions, they were closer together, or my water broke that there was nothing we could do but wait and see.  He said it could be tomorrow, 3 days from now, or 2 weeks, there was no way to tell, but nothing would have surprised him.  I walked out of there, grateful not to have a hospital bill, but just emotionally drained thinking I was going to do this with no end in sight.

So I load the boys back up in the car, cry a little bit about it, and what else is there to do but go to starbucks to make yourself feel better?  Reid had also asked for donuts and with no energy left to think about making lunch I said "sure, why not?" and we drove through the donut store on our way back to the house.  Contractions were still coming and still stronger than they had been but I was functioning.  By this point I am usually having to stop what I am doing with some of them, but I didn't want to let the boys see me hurt or know something was up.  Finally nap time came which was glorious as I was then able to lay down and labor, or get in the bath, or do whatever I needed to do.  I sent Mark a text to figure out when he would be home and then just did my thing.

Poor Mark by the way because when he got home I was pretty much worth nothing.  I had been contracting 10 hours or so by that point and totally left dinner and boys up to him.  I don't even think I ate that night.  He got them up, took them outside to ride bikes, and then took them to the grocery story to get stuff from a list I had made and thought about attempting to do that night.  I was so impressed and thankful since it would give me an empty house to continue to time and work through contractions.  By the time he got home I said "I think I have hit my rhythm" and it was true that I felt like I was in "actual labor" by that point and that I had just hit a stride with it (I know that doesn't make sense really).  Finally the boys were in bed thanks to my hubby and he and I settled down to watch netflix while I labored.  By now its around 9:30-10 and they are starting to come much closer together and are slightly stronger.  But we also know that even though I was contracting every 2-3 minutes last time doesn't mean I am making progress so we stay put.  I had alerted Abby that we may be calling her and Adam again to stay the night with the boys.  

We go to bed around 10 and Mark stays up late with me to time contractions.  They move to around 2.5 to 3 minutes apart and are pretty strong, I am having to breathe through each of them.  I remember Mark praying over us at one point asking God that if this was the real thing to let us be certain, let my water break, and that Halle Kate would be ok to come then.  Eventually my non-night owl succumbed to sleep and I continued to contract until around 11:30-12 when they suddenly got much further apart.  I was kind of upset by this point because I felt I had labored ALL DAY LONG for it to lead no where and for me to end up exhausted.  I am very blessed with great friends who had offered to keep the boys the next day if in fact this ended up being the case (thank you Shaina and Amy!).  

I think I may have fell asleep for possibly 30-45 minutes, I honestly don't know, but around 1ish the contractions came back about 3 minutes apart. I remember lying there, rubbing my belly during each contraction and praying "Jesus bring her soon."  I may have gotten up and walked around the bathroom some to see if they would go away, they didn't.  Mark was blissfully asleep and I admit being a little upset that he was getting to sleep while I did all the hard work lol.  I think around 2:30 they tapered off again at which point I got highly upset (I told you I was irritable) and had a nice chat with God asking that the contractions would actually lead somewhere and my water would break if it would be His will, but if not that they would stop.  I may have dosed again only to be awoken at 3 with hard contractions.  Once again I got up and went and walked the bathroom some, then went and laid down.  It was during this time I thought I had a small gush, but wasn't sure if my water had broken or not.  I was not getting my hopes up at all, I wanted to be very sure.  

Of course I went to the bathroom and tried to access the situation, and still couldn't determine completely what had actually happen.  With some some contractions I would leak very small amounts of what I now know was amniotic fluid.  It got to where I would labor in our stand up shower with each contraction.  Finally I did what every desperately pregnant woman does, I googled "how to tell if your water has broken?" lol.  According to an article on a site I found out that if it was indeed your water breaking with a slow leak, some would gush out when you got back up after lying down for a bit.  Armed with this new information I went and laid down again for a few minutes then got up and felt a small gush.  I was hopeful enough that I woke up Mark and told him what I thought had happened.  He said "well if it is your water your contractions will get closer together and when they do thats when we will go."  He rolled over and went back to sleep for another 45 minutes, while I once again got up to go labor in the bathroom.  I was standing in our shower, when I saw fluid that was pink tinged and I knew then officially that my water had broken and we needed to leave.  Finally I woke Mark up saying "Mark every time I move something gushes out of me, and now it is pink tinged, it has to be my water breaking."  So we get all of our stuff together, call Adam and Abby to come and stay with the boys and head to the hospital around 5:20.  

Stay tuned for Part 3: The Time I Actually Have the Baby

Halle Kate's Birth Story Part 1: That Time I Thought I Went into Labor

So this will probably be filled with way too many TMI details but I really want to do my best to remember everything and get all my thoughts and feelings out before this is too distant of a memory.  As we all know I have never made it "full term" aka 40 weeks in any pregnancy.  Reid was born at 38 weeks 2 days, Owen at 37 weeks 4 days, so with this sweet girl I expected it to be about the same.  What I didn't anticipate was how different this pregnancy would be.

At the end of this pregnancy I could not believe how uncomfortable I was.  I did not remember it being THAT bad with either of the boys pregnancies.  I began having braxton hicks contractions around 34 weeks that were incredibly uncomfortable.  They usually came at night, and would make my belly SO TIGHT.  Also she was riding very low so by the end of the day my body was just worn out.  I would take baths just to attempt to get some relief.  She also could have been sitting funny because I felt as if she had no room, my skin was tight, my insides were tight, everything.  All of this just led to a very much irritated me.  I was uncomfortable 24/7 and had just what I am sure was the worst attitude.  I didn't want to go anywhere, do anything, and couldn't imagine going longer than 37 weeks!!!

We went to Tyler the weekend before thanksgiving.  I had contractions in the car on the way there some, and then some infrequently throughout the weekend.  Riding back on Saturday night was the same story.  I remember feeling more contractions that night though than any other.  I figured my body was just exhausted so after we got the boys in bed, I got the order from Mark to go lay down.  We finally fell asleep for a few hours, until around 3 on Sunday morning to Mark snoring.  I than began to realize I was having pretty consistent contractions.  I moved to the couch so I didn't disturb Mark and started timing them.  They were semi sporadic, ranging from 6-10 minutes apart.  Finally around 430 or so I went and told Mark not to be alarmed but I was going to go get in the bath to see if it helped.  I got in the bath but they didn't go away. . . it wasn't unbearable, but you could definitely tell they were happening.  So I went back and laid down, trying not to worry about it and tried to go to sleep some.  By the time Mark got up for church (around 6) I told him I was still having contractions, so I probably shouldn't go that morning and that I would ask Mom and Dad to come and get the boys so I could rest.  All of those things happened and I sat down and rested, got in the shower, and rested some more.  The contractions stayed consistent, so I ended up calling the on call nurse at my doctor's office and she said if they weren't gone by 2 to go to the hospital.

Mark came home to me still contracting so after eating we loaded up and headed to the hospital.  They got me all hooked up and said "Oh honey, your contractions are coming every 1 and a  half to 2 minutes."  I said "I know" and Mark said "You didn't tell me that, you told me every 5!"  I said "I didn't want to completely freak  you out."  They checked me and I was only a 1, and so they monitored me for a little bit before giving me some medicine to stop contractions.  It made my heart race and it makes you anxious, and it didn't stop the contractions at all really.  By now it is the evening and I have still made no change so at 10 p.m.  we go home, still contracting, but with no baby.  I asked the nurse if this was apparently false labor and she said "Your contractions look like your in labor but if you don't dilate it isn't true labor."  Who knew?

Mom and dad take me to get a honey butter chicken biscuit and go home to continue this labor thing.  I was still having contractions throughout the night, and around 5 I go to the restroom and then stand up and feel what I think is my water breaking.  So I wake Mark up and tell him, we call Adam and Abby to come stay with the boys and head BACK to the hospital, sure I was in labor at 35 weeks 1 day.  We get there only to find out my water didn't break according to two separate tests.  They also do a sonogram on her to make sure she is ok, and once again say she is riding very low.  My doctor, whom I love, comes in and has sympathy for me, but says there is nothing we can do...  If it was two weeks from now, he would give me pitocin and let me go, but since I am not far enough along, we just have to wait it out.  So we once again leave the hospital with no baby, but a prescription for ambien to help me sleep and I head home.  I am so thankful for my family who just jumped in and helped with the boys, stayed at the hospital with me, got us lunch, you name it.  We also had wonderful friends from church bring Mark supper that night we were in the hospital, as well as the children's director brought us Cowboy chicken for Monday night.  We are part of the best church and just oh so thankful for the people in our lives!

We make it to and through thanksgiving with me still contracting, sometimes with very hard contractions throughout the week, but nothing that is significant.  It is more just mentally and emotionally exhausting waiting to see what is going to happen.  Basically we have decided we wouldn't head back up to the hospital unless my water broke, because honestly it wasn't worth it.  The next Sunday roles around and we do make it to church, to everyone's surprise, and have a good time with friends and our church family.  I am so glad I went because it was just a nice break from all of the physical and mental drainings of pre-term labor.  I of course am still having contractions every so often and am very irritable (poor Mark and boys).  He was such a trooper through this whole ordeal, and put up with me and my crabbiness wonderfully.  I don't think I have ever ever ever been more uncomfortable for such an extended period of time in my entire life!  Luckily it was drawing close to the end, if only we knew how close it really was.

Part two coming up next.

Visiting Miss Joyce

Most of y'all know I am blessed to have the absolute best family in the entire world.  Seriously on both sides, they are just great.  They love my family and me fiercely and I am so grateful.  One person that is so special to all of us, especially to my boys is our sweet, beautiful, Miss Joyce.  This is my dad's grandmother, my great-grandmother, and my boys' great-great-grandmother.  She is 96 and just now moved from living on her own to an assisted living facility that is beautiful and is located just a few minutes drive from us.  We don't get over there as often as we should, but we like to go visit her when we have a chance.  

There is a big pond outside the back of the facility that is home to 5 ducks.  Miss Joyce watches them out her window and tells us about them when we go talk to her.  Along with snacks for the boys, she usually has something for the boys to feed the ducks.  They are very friendly, one came out and actually ate out of Mark's hand.  We always enjoy our visits and I want the boys to have these special memories with a grandmother that loves them so very much.  

Reid's Roundup: 4 Year Birthday Party

This year Reid said he wanted a cowboy party and luckily if your birthday is pretty close to halloween it can be pretty easy and inexpensive to deliver such a request.  While he napped my family and I quickly set up a small party for him and a few of his friends.  I couldn't have done this though without my aunt Lori, who hosted it and helped get supplies as well.  My mom also bought many things and helped set up and tear down.  I am so grateful for my family, I really don't feel as if I say that enough. 

Kids Table

Everything here came from the dollar store! 

Watering Hole

Party favors.  They came in packs at the dollar store!!! 

Eating hotdogs

Opening presents

Love my Poppy

Panning for Gold

We took pea gravel and painted it gold. . .

I bought tin pie tins at the dollar store and punched holes in them .  The kids  LOVED IT!

He loved a fishing pole he received. 

Reid Turns 4!!!!

Disclaimer: If you don't want to read a bunch of gooshy stuff about our first born that I feel I need to document as a mom then skip the first two paragraphs and head down to hear how we spent Reid's actual birthday.  

I cannot believe our sweet and precious 1st born is four.  I don't feel as if that much time has passed in between his birth to now, but man oh man how this dude has grown.  He is one of my greatest joys and I am so proud and thankful to God for the man he is becoming even now.  He is sweet, tender-hearted, strong-willed, a leader, a great friend, and a lover of family (especially his brother and his soon-to-be baby sister).  He has taught me so much these last four year. Sometimes I worry I am too hard on him, that I expect to much out of someone so small, that I am not doing right.  But God in His grace gives us minuscule hands at the end of the day that will place themselves on either side of my face to give me a kiss and say he loves me.  So undeserved and so blessed.  

A few things about Reid I don't want to forget.  His imagination has really taken off here in the last few months.  He is always "flying" around with some imaginary friend (Caden usually) and telling us all about what happened.  He likes to dress up in costumes as well, the dinosaur one being his favorite at the moment.  A ball can still entertain him longer than most things.  He is definitely all boy and as full of energy as they come.  By God's grace he is still napping (and I am praying he will until he moves out lol), and we have started "school"which he really has enjoyed.  He follows his daddy around from the time he gets home and loves to do whatever Mark is doing.  He is a pretty awesome eater, eating most anything we put in front of him.  He loves all things chocolate and sweet.  Helping me cook is always a treat for him, especially if we are baking something.  He enjoys crafts for a little bit or two, but needs to really be off running around instead.  He is great at helping me clean up and at doing his "jobs" every weekday (eat breakfast, get dressed, put away jammies, make bed, brush teeth, clean the table).  In case you can't tell we are pretty smitten.  

On Reid's actual birthday we woke him up an hour early so Daddy could see him before he left for work and give him his "present".  I am so glad we did this.  He had the best time getting to be with just us, even for a few minutes.  We had his door decorated and his present on the dining table, but I have no pictures, because we were taking video.  If I am able I will put the video up at the bottom of this post so you can see it.  In his bag was a dinosaur costume and scarecrow costume that I found at a consignment shop for DIRT CHEAP.  Mark and I were planning to take him out that night to allow him to choose a toy (something he NEVER gets to do) but I thought he needed something to open that morning.  It was a good choice, because we played in that thing all day long.  

Daddy helping him become a dinosaur

Stomping off to look at himself in the mirror

How he ate breakfast that morning.  

That evening while Owen stayed with Ballou and Papaw, we took him out by himself to chick-fil-a.  He honestly didn't  know what to do without "brother" there.  He told his daddy as they were dropping him off that Owen need to come too and that he would miss him.  He was so excited though that he never did go play, and talked non-stop to us.  After we left chick we went to target and allowed him to choose a toy for his birthday.  He literally went all around picking stuff up, saying that was what he wanted before finding something else.  With a little help we settled on a Chugginton train set and two chugginton trains to play with.  He was exhausted by the time we got home, but overall I think he had an awesome 4th birthday.

He's 4!

A birthday milkshake for the big 4 year old.

Fall is My Favorite

If you ask anyone in my family what my favorite time of year is, they would tell you fall!  I just love it! I feel like after being cooped up inside because of the horrendous heat for 3 months or so I can finally get outside and breathe (and not get bitten by something).  I also love the cold and crisp and fall clothes, jeans, boots, the whole 9 yards!  Here is just a tid bit of what all has been going on lately in iPhone pictures.

So while not really "fall" per say, this happened before church one night.  Reid got a hair cut from daddy and Owen needed one too so he had his first "daddy cut."  It was sweet and he LOVED it, thought he was as big as big brother, but he looks so old now!  I just need my baby back!

Daddy given hair cuts.

Big big boy now!

 Mark has been wanting to put a pallet wall in what will eventually be both boys' room for a while.  So a few nights this past week he has taken it upon himself to get wood up.  Now all that's left to do is stain it all.  I love how handy he is!

It finally got down to 60 or a little below after raining for 3 days straight and after sitting outside for a little bit I begged for a fire, the first of the year, the first in our new house!  I am a fire girl!  When we started looking for a house this was a must have.  I have never had a mantel before or a place to hang stockings or anything since we have gotten married.  After growing up with a fire place, I just love them and wanted the same for my kids!  Luckily Mark gave it and quite enjoyed the fire that night too.  We even got the  boys a special treat!

Roasting Marshmallows

Blowing out whatever Reid had gotten on fire

Owen approved snack!

Brother approved too

 On  one of the cold and rainy days we played in the rain and came in to take warm baths.  There was still a little bit of time to fill before lunch so we sat down and made pumpkin spice play dough.  Very easy and very fun!

Playing the drums on their play dough

I love little boys in jeans, boots, and hats.  Seriously had a vision of them when they are 8 and 10 after taking this picture.

Feels great for a picnic in the tree house.  

And then sometimes I need just a little me time.  I told Mark I couldn't remember the last time I went to a book store and just read (he thought it was crazy that I wanted to, this is something he has never willingly done lol) and that I just needed that for a little bit.  So he sent me off with a $5 to get a pumpkin spice latte and for and hour and a half I just enjoyed myself.  It was lovely!  

Back tracking. . . Bed Bugs (pictures, so read at your own risk)

Here is a post detailing what else went on during the rest of the summer. . . Some things that were less than ideal.  It had been the perfect summer and then one day while watching Owen and Mark at swim lessons I found what I thought to be the perfect set of couches to fit in our new house.  We were on the look out for some added seating and I saw what appeared to be the perfect set up.  They were on a Facebook buy, sale, or trade site and looked to be what appeared in good condition.  The owner said they were just too big for the apartment they were in.  So after deliberating with Mark, we decided to buy the couch, loveseat, and recliner for what seemed like a steal of a deal.

Now before I go any further you must know that almost everything we owned was either a wedding gift or is a used item.  We rarely by anything just brand new, and are always on the lookout for a good deal.  We kinda go by the same motto as the Duggars, "buy used and save the difference!"  In fact that is what I kept repeating to Mark as we drove to go and pick up our "new" furniture.  I was so proud of us for finding a good deal and saving money!  Upon arriving we inspected the furniture, looked at it, smelled it, everything (or so we thought), paid and headed on our way.  Everything fit perfectly and we began to thoroughly enjoy what seemed like the best buy we had found lately.

Aren't they just the perfect size and all?  Seriously they were great!

Then I started getting what I at first thought was poison ivy.  It was raised and bubbled and in clusters like poison ivy, but didn't quite look like it.  Plus I hadn't gone outside really anywhere where it could be due to the fact I am allergic to bug bites and mosquitos were everywhere!  When it didn't look like poison ivy but stuck around and appeared to get worse I assumed Mark had gotten chiggers when he was clearing brush in our back yard and had brought them in the house somewhere.  We searched our bed and found nothing. . . By now whatever "it" was has spread all over me.  My ankles, the bottom of my back, shoulder, hands, fingers, and up my legs.  I was miserable.  This pregnancy has messed with my histamine reaction so not only was I  incredibly itchy, I was also swelling in the places the where "it" was most concentrated.

How it started out. . .

Finally, exhausted by what was going on I told Mark that I decided to sleep on the coach, because even though we didn't see anything, he had to have brought chiggers into our bed somehow.  I said "if I wake up and there is nothing new then we know what it is and where."  In the middle of a movie I went and got my pillows and threw them on the coach and then settled back in on the loveseat to finish whatever we were watching.  When it was over we flipped the light on and I moved my pillow to where I was going to sleep and saw "it".  "It" happened to be a bug of some sort sitting on my pillow!  When I moved the other pillow there was another bug!  I about LOST IT!!!!!! I starting screaming to Mark "This is it!  This is the culprit!!!!  It's the couches!!!!!  What is it!??!!?!?!"  After some initial investigation (i.e. google) we determined they were BED BUGS!!!!!!!!!  And not tiny ones, but huge (by bed bug standards) ones.  Remember earlier when I said I was allergic to bug bites, well apparently I am HIGHLY allergic to bed bugs!  We quickly turned the couches upside down and pulled up the upholstery to only discover more in each piece of furniture!  I wanted to throw up.  "Out!" I said, "I want them out of my house!!!"  Mark and I proceeded to move said couch and love seat out onto the front porch, and then began to clean up in and around the living room where they had been sitting.  After that we RAN to our room, undid and flipped our mattresses and luckily saw nothing.

EW, EW, EW!

I couldn't believe it, and I was so mad.  I didn't sleep a wink that night, kept feeling like things were biting me, even if they weren't.  Finally I got up around 4:30 and went to get in the shower.  At 8 AM sharp I called the exterminator who said he could come that afternoon.  However it was not over yet.  You see not only where those couches great for sitting, it was also where I folded laundry during nap time!!!!  So I had folded and PUT AWAY everything just the previous day!  I am talking the boys laundry, Mark's and my laundry, towels and sheets, EVERYTHING.  Feeling completely overwhelmed and panicky I went around and got everything out!  Everything out of the linen closet, everything out of the boys' drawers, everything out of mine and Mark's drawers, all the dirty clothes, bedding, everything.  I loaded up what I could fit in the back of our car and with the help of my grandmother (after a huge cry fest on the way to her house.  Pregnancy, no sleep, and the overwhelming pile of every article of fabric in your car needing to be washed will do that to you.) and headed to town to a Laundry Mat where we spent 3 hours washing, drying, and folding everything.  With both boys might I add.

Once we left town and went back to Ballou's house both boys went down for a nap and I headed back out to meet the exterminator.  After looking at the couches he said we had an infestation in there.   I made him come and inspect every room in the house and all beds.  I asked him "Were they in the house first or the couches, because we just bought this house!"  He said no they were in the couches to begin with and weren't anywhere else in the house.  I asked him to spray everywhere just in case, and we left it at that.  This was all on a Wednesday.  Did I mention Mark's brother Blake was coming in on Thursday night to stay the weekend with us.  And that on Saturday his whole family would be there to eat together/see the house?  No?  Well they were, so anything that needed to be done on Wednesday to prepare for that was unable to be done.  It was a mess.  The next day after taking care of kiddos and doing the usual Mark and I cleaned the entire house (again) and finished at 11 right before Blake and Whitney arrived that night.  Seriously I don't know if I have ever been more exhausted.  Mark who never says a week is bad said "This has been the worst week I've had in a long time, maybe ever."

About 3 weeks later, they were starting to heal.

Just so you know, it burns constantly and feels like fire if you scratch it.  

I wish that was the end of the story but 3 weeks later I got bit again.  Even though the couches were out of the house (we burned those suckers) apparently we hadn't gotten every bed bug.  Did you know they are NOTORIOUSLY hard to get rid of, almost impossible really?  No?  Well they are, that is why they are such a big deal  After spending countless nights on the internet looking up what to do and paying more money to get supplies, we took more action.  We took apart our california king size bed, put mattress covers on it and the box springs, moved the mattresses out, and steamed the carpets.  We proceeded to do that to EVERY ROOM with carpets in the ENTIRE HOUSE!!!!!!  We also bought and spread dichotomous earth, a substance that isn't harmful to pets or humans, but will kill bugs, all over the carpet in each room.    We tried to contact the lady and she wouldn't respond via message and when we called she hung up on us and then blocked our  number.  All in all we learned a very important lesson.  Do not buy used furniture unless you know the person personally!  Also by the time we paid for the couches, exterminator, mattress and pillow bags, a steamer, and the dichotomous earth we could have easily bought new couches. . . Oh well you live and you learn

Picture Mark sent me of the couches going up in flames. . . He was so happy to get rid of them.