Anne Noelle

Finally! She is here! Last Friday, May 18 at 6:59 p.m., Anne Noelle was born into this world. To say we are thrilled, would be an understatement!

Her story actually starts the night before. Thursday evening I had just had it. Emotionally and physically I felt as though I just couldn't go any more. I had a breakdown, and my girls surrounded me, prayed for me, and that evening around 11:30 p.m. I awoke to contractions. They stayed five minutes apart for the next hour, so I decided to get up and get our birthing pool set up and start preparing for a long night. I checked my phone and saw my sister, Ashlea, had texted me a message saying "C'mon Anne Noelle!" I texted her back and said it looked as though things were finally going to start. I called my midwife to give her the heads up and she said she would let the rest of the team know and they would make their way out. My contractions continued until they arrived, around 1:30-2:00 in the morning. Nate and I went for a walk around the pivot and they continued. We got back to the house and decided to try and rest until things started picking up. I laid down and my contractions started petering out. I was so disappointed.....a false alarm!

Everyone slept and the next morning before they left, my midwife checked me and said I was four centimeters and 75% effaced. She went ahead and stretched me and said to call when things picked up. After they left, I stayed in bed most of the morning. I was so tired, disappointed, and just uncomfortable. Anne had dropped a couple weeks earlier and so I had a lot of pressure and could feel her shoulders pushing on my pelvic bone every time I stood up or rolled over in bed.

Lunchtime came and I noticed my contractions were starting back up again. They were about five minutes apart. The girls went to play at a friend's house and Landon went to his grandma's for a nap, so I had the house to myself. I started cleaning my kitchen, washed my floors, cleaned bathrooms, picked up the kids rooms. My contractions got closer together. When they were about three to four minutes apart, I texted my midwife to let her know. I started heating hot water on the stove to keep my pool hot. I started to notice more pressure on my bottom, so I texted again, around 2:30-3 in the afternoon, and my midwife said she would be coming back out. I called Nate to let him know he should be coming home soon, and then decided to get in my pool to relieve some of my back pain.

I got in the pool, and as I sat there, something didn't feel right. The water wasn't warm enough, the pool seemed too big, and I wasn't comfortable giving birth in it. For those who know me, this is super unusual. Water births are my drug. The water helps me deal with labor and delivery.

I got out of the pool and decided to set up a birthing area back in our bedroom and out in the living room, just in case we were in either place when it was time. Nate came home and I continued to labor. The midwives showed up between 4 and 4:30.  Around 6:30 I sometimes felt as though I could almost push, so I had her check me. I was 8 cm. She broke my water and I made my way back to our bedroom. I had a little bit of a break before it was time to push. We were talking and laughing. I felt a contraction coming on and suddenly it was go time!!

The whole pushing process lasted, maybe ten minutes, but it was the most intense ten minutes of my life!! One thing I love about my midwives, is they take their time. They coach me through every last detail so as to help me not to tear. Anne crowned and when she did she didn't turn to the side like most babies do. They turn to the side so you can dip their shoulders and they usually just fall right out. Because Anne didn't do this, my midwife had to help her out some. She had to reach up (yes!) and move her! I didn't know any of this until after, which is probably best, but it needed to be done. Anne had arrived!

She came out with her eyes opened and her lungs working overtime! Nate cut the cord and we wrapped up our baby and just enjoyed the fact that she was here and everything was okay. As time went on, it became apparent that my uterus wasn't contracting the way it should have been. I hadn't lost a lot of blood during delivery, but afterwards it wasn't slowing and stopping like it should have been. I took some herbs and pills that cause the uterus to start contracting. Anne also was nursing, but it was like my uterus became lazy. They put an ice pack on my stomach, which hardened my uterus right up and I started having afterbirth pains, which is a good thing. Once they were satisfied that everything was working properly, the weighing and measuring began.

Anne was 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. She falls right in the middle of our brood.
Here is a sweet picture of her and her daddy....

It's been almost a week now, and Anne has been doing a great job. At this point she seems like a fairly content baby, and pretty easy going, which will be needed around here! I am feeling good and getting around easier every day. We are so thankful for all the prayers and encouragement over the last few weeks as we were waiting for her arrival. We are so thankful for a healthy baby girl and a quick and safe delivery. Our midwives are amazing and we have been so blessed to have them for our children's' births.
We are so glad you are here Anne Noelle!

Birthdays, Houses & Babies

It's been a while since I have been on here. Life has been moving pretty fast lately. There haven't been too many weeks where we didn't have anything going on. April is a busy month for us because we have two birthdays. Charlotte is the beginning and Larissa is at the end. Nate's birthday is the first of May. So there's lots of celebrating going on here in the spring! Here is some pictures of the birthday girls.....

We don't do birthday parties every year, where they invite friends over. Charlotte turned five, so she got to have a birthday party, and the next one will be when they turn ten. Which, in Larissa's case, will be in two more years! So we celebrated her birthday with Grandpa and Grandma.

The house is coming along. We had some great help a couple weekends ago, and got the shingles off the roof. The addition is done, and the guys have been working on the carport, back porch roof and front porch roof. They are pretty much done with that as well. Hopefully we'll get to order the steel soon for the roof!

Here is our front porch! I can't wait to put a rocking chair out here and rock our little baby!

This is our addition. This will be our bedroom, bathroom & closet.

Back porch. It now goes all the way over to the carport, so we will have a nice covered area back here. 

Carport. We are looking forward to having a semi protected area to park our vehicles. 

As you can tell, it was ballet night when we stopped for pictures! I am nearing 39 weeks now. Hopefully not too much longer. I have been having contractions and when I went for my checkup this week, my midwife checked position of baby, and baby has dropped down and is "engaged", meaning her head has dropped down into the birth canal and can't be moved out. So that is good! I feel a lot of pressure and can feel her shoulders pushing down on my bones. It's getting harder to get up off the sofa or a chair! :) I am praying that baby comes soon. This is the closest my ultrasound due date and my calendar due have ever been. Two days apart, so I am hoping this means I won't be going too much over.

Nate has been busy with cutting hay, baling hay, and basically, all matters of hay! I have been trying to be diligent in getting as much school in as possible before baby comes. I should also be freezing meals and doing some extra cleaning, but until I get lunch over and cleaned up, I am worn out.

But we are all ready for baby. I have my pool, my birthing kit, and all her clothes are washed and hanging in Landon's closet for her. We are looking forward to meeting Anne Noelle. Hopefully sooner then later!

Favorite times of year

Spring is one of my most favorite times of year out here in Arizona. If you blink, you might miss it! Spring is that delicious time when you wake up  in the morning to cool mornings, and cool evenings, and there is usually a wonderful breeze throughout the day. It doesn't last long. Summer is upon us quickly. In fact, yesterday felt like summer, hitting 92 degrees! But the guys have started to cut oat hay and this morning they started baling the first of the cut hay. And it smells so good!

One of my favorite things to do is go out in the morning as the sun is coming up, or in the evening after all the activity of the day and sit on my porch swing and breathe in deep the smell of fresh cut hay. And this morning we could smell it because they were baling. Here are a few photos from the farm.....

Nate baling in the morning

Landon, so excited to see the tractors this morning

He had to go get his own little one!

Bales of hay waiting to  be stacked!

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you are off to a great start!

The house and other news....

I have been wanting to sit down for a while and write, but life in March was super busy. It felt like most weeks we had something going on almost everyday. So, when I did have free time, I was either too tired or had things around the house to catch up on.

Front door

But the latest on the house is that the exterior doors are in!!! And they look great.

back door

The back door's interior matches the wood on the front door and the windows. We are a little concerned how they will hold up with the kids going in and out. Especially the back door. But they look beautiful. Tuesday, they poured the concrete slab for our addition.

The addition will be our bedroom and bathroom. They will start laying block next week, so it will really start looking different out front!

Sunday we ordered our cabinets, countertops and appliances for the kitchen. They should be here in about 4-6 weeks. Just in time for baby. The work on the roof will probably start sometime next week too.

We have a little girl who is turning five this Sunday. Easter Sunday. Hard to believe five years ago, Charlotte was born on Easter Sunday! So we had a little birthday party for her on Saturday for her friends.  I figure we had over 20 kids here for it. All 20 kids represented 6 families. I think they had fun.

These are the only two pictures I got from the party! The kids spent most of the time outside and when I called them in to open gifts, it was a mad house! Until I got in the room, I think everyone had helped Charlotte open the gift they had brought, and it was over! There were just bags and tissue paper strewn everywhere! :) But she had fun and that was the important thing. We will celebrate with the family this weekend.

As for baby, she is doing well. Although, Nate is still betting on a boy. Both he and I had dreams at different times that the baby was a boy. This was all before the ultrasound. The girls are still dead set on the baby being Anne Noelle. I just call the baby, "the baby" because I am not really sure. Ultrasounds can be wrong, although this one seemed pretty obvious. :)
I haven't been feeling too well lately. I have been having a lot of pain in my lower right back, and it shoots down my leg at times, which is probably baby resting its head on my nerve. Somedays I can hardly lift my leg to walk.
Plus, emotionally I get these moments of anxiety and fear. You would think after four babies, I would be feeling confident, but it's just the opposite. I am praying all the time for relief from these feelings, but sometimes it takes a while. I have even been awaken at night by them.
I am 34 weeks and usually I don't start feeling emotional until the last two weeks, so this is new to me. It's been hard to be a joyful mother and wife the last couple weeks. I must confess it will be nice to have this over and moving on to the next phase. At least I am closer to the end then the beginning!

Well, that's a little of what's been going on over here. Hopefully I will have some more pictures next week as the guys start laying block for the addition. Thanks for stopping by!

All done! (with the windows....)

The guys finished installing our windows and french door yesterday! Half of our family came down with a stomach virus, so I didn't get over until today to see the finished product. They look so nice. Even from the outside the difference is noticeable! Makes me excited to get the rest of it done.

Here is a picture of what the original windows look like. These two we didn't replace yet because this is where our addition is going to be.

 Here is the new living room window

 We opted for windows with the shades inside of them since the sun is so bright out here. Plus, I probably won't hang curtains. Who wants to hide such pretty windows?

Here is a picture of the hayseed. The guys just need to put on the roof and it will be done.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Projects galore

I thought I would give you a little update on what's been going on around here. We had ordered our windows and french door on Valentine's Day, so my hubby got busy on building his hay shed. Here are some pictures of the progress so far....

The first bay is up

 Here is another part of the second bay laying on the ground, waiting to be put up.

 This is two days later. They now have four bays up and are welding the purlins in between. They have one more bay to set up and the hay shed will be up, except for the sheeting for the roof and welding the rest of the purlins.

My man welding. For obvious reasons, I don't spend a lot of time down there watching them do their thing!

My husband and his dad, welding away.

 Makeshift scaffolding

The little guy watching how it's done

In other exciting news, we did get all the carpet tore out of most of the house, and all the kitchen cabinets are out. Landon's bathroom is now without a sink and vanity. We picked up a new pedestal sink and toilet at Lowes. We are just deciding on flooring for the bathrooms.

 It already feels like progress, even though we aren't even a fifth of the way done. On my birthday I got a lovely present......

The windows and door are in!!!!! And they will be installed this week! I am so excited! And they look amazing. So hopefully I will have some pictures of new windows later this week! That's what's going on around here!