I have been horrible about blogging for the past two years. Before that, it was mostly birthdays, so here is an update on the kids.
K continues to thrive in ballet. She loves to dance, and it consumes much of her time. She also completed her first year of Challenge this year. This included Latin, learning to draw a map of the world freehand from memory, winning the Science Fair, learning to draw and label several body systems, learning to recognize logical fallacies, writing nine persuasive essays that addressed choices made my characters in books, and more. Between the ballet classes and schoolwork, we didn't see as much of her as we like, but we are enjoying the time this summer. I took her to brunch this week, and she revealed to me that she enjoys parts of science that just may point her to an engineering degree.
AJ finished his fourth season of flag football with disappointment. His coach this year didn't live up to the standards of AJ's previous coach, and the two boys AJ had played with before felt as discouraged as he did. AJ continues to love Legos, and he builds them quite creatively. He also attended an invention camp this summer, which he enjoyed thoroughly.
H is very much my out-of-the-box kid. He does things his own way, as has been the case for a while. In many ways, he is not a crowd-follower, but he does value the opinions of those close to him. He also enjoys Legos, and he can solve some wooden puzzles we got in Prague quicker than any of us. He may be the most likely of my kids to do some sort of computer programming.
If S is singing, he is happy. He also wears his heart on his sleeve. He is very tenderhearted, but he does have some spunk, too. Oh, and this kid can do math.
A is still finding her place. She has enjoyed her ballet class since last fall, but only time will tell if she remains passionate about it. She also loves to be read to and wants to do her schoolwork when the other kids are doing theirs. For the past two years, she has enjoyed filling sheets of paper with her own "writing" -- lines filled with round-ish figures that archaeologists would classify as some ancient form of writing.
J is a great addition to our family. Everyone dotes on her, and she loves every minute of it. I have had to eliminate quite a few foods from my diet as she has a sensitive stomach, but she is worth it. She is such a little cutie, and her smiles and chuckles bring joy to the whole household.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Joy to the World
On April 4, 2018, we welcomed our sixth child into this world. After five kids, I thought I knew what my labors were like. She changed everything.
In the weeks leading up to the delivery, I had several appointments and tasks I needed to complete. The running joke was that "after this, I can go into labor." Well, my to-do list grew shorter and shorter, and there was still no baby in sight. Finally, two days after my due-date, Timo asked me to give him a haircut. After that, I could have the baby, we joked. After I finished cutting his hair, he went to the bathroom to comb it to see if there were any stray hairs I needed to trim. I had just finished trimming his last stray hair when I felt a gush of fluid.
"I think my water just broke," I stated.
"Really?" he responded, doubtfully. My water had never broken on its own.
"Yeah," I said, as I started to remove my soaked pants.
After hopping in the shower and changing into some dry clothes, we headed to the hospital. I still was not having contractions, but I continued to gush fluid, especially when Timo made me laugh. The towel I was sitting on was not sufficient to absorb the tremendous amounts of amniotic fluid, and my pants wicked it down my legs and onto the floor of Timo's truck.
A couple of minutes before we arrived, I started to have mild contractions. After parking the truck, we headed up to the maternity ward, where I was given a dry hospital gown. After I was given the go-ahead, we walked the halls, timing contractions by how many I had in one turn around the hallways. When the contractions started to get more painful, I headed back to the room. Upon discovering that I was still only dilated to a four, I decided to walk the halls again, this time with an IV in tow. The pain eventually got bad enough that I decided it was time to ask for an epidural. Unfortunately, it did not work its magic for me this time. One side of my body was pretty numb, but I could feel everything on the other side.
Assuming that my progress would slow down after receiving the epidural, I sent Timo to the cafeteria to get some dinner. As my contractions grew stronger and stronger, I began to regret my decision. When the nurse checked me, she was surprised to find that I was about ready to push. And Timothy still wasn't back. I called him. No answer. As I struggled to send him a text while breathing through a painful contraction, he walked in the door. I felt so relieved, but I still had to wait for the doctor.
Thankfully, the doctor and resident arrived soon, and I could finally push. About ten minutes later, our sweet baby 6 was born. They immediately put her on my chest for some bonding time while waiting for the cord to finish pulsing so they could clamp it off. After Timo cut it, I sat there bonding with my newest bundle of joy, finally able to hold my cutie pie. She weighed 8 lb. 10.3 oz, and measured 19.75 inches.
At five hours of labor, this was my quickest delivery and the only time my water broke on its own. I am sure she will continue to pave her own way, proving that she is her own person in many more areas of life. And I will love her through it all.
In the weeks leading up to the delivery, I had several appointments and tasks I needed to complete. The running joke was that "after this, I can go into labor." Well, my to-do list grew shorter and shorter, and there was still no baby in sight. Finally, two days after my due-date, Timo asked me to give him a haircut. After that, I could have the baby, we joked. After I finished cutting his hair, he went to the bathroom to comb it to see if there were any stray hairs I needed to trim. I had just finished trimming his last stray hair when I felt a gush of fluid.
"I think my water just broke," I stated.
"Really?" he responded, doubtfully. My water had never broken on its own.
"Yeah," I said, as I started to remove my soaked pants.
After hopping in the shower and changing into some dry clothes, we headed to the hospital. I still was not having contractions, but I continued to gush fluid, especially when Timo made me laugh. The towel I was sitting on was not sufficient to absorb the tremendous amounts of amniotic fluid, and my pants wicked it down my legs and onto the floor of Timo's truck.
A couple of minutes before we arrived, I started to have mild contractions. After parking the truck, we headed up to the maternity ward, where I was given a dry hospital gown. After I was given the go-ahead, we walked the halls, timing contractions by how many I had in one turn around the hallways. When the contractions started to get more painful, I headed back to the room. Upon discovering that I was still only dilated to a four, I decided to walk the halls again, this time with an IV in tow. The pain eventually got bad enough that I decided it was time to ask for an epidural. Unfortunately, it did not work its magic for me this time. One side of my body was pretty numb, but I could feel everything on the other side.
Assuming that my progress would slow down after receiving the epidural, I sent Timo to the cafeteria to get some dinner. As my contractions grew stronger and stronger, I began to regret my decision. When the nurse checked me, she was surprised to find that I was about ready to push. And Timothy still wasn't back. I called him. No answer. As I struggled to send him a text while breathing through a painful contraction, he walked in the door. I felt so relieved, but I still had to wait for the doctor.
Thankfully, the doctor and resident arrived soon, and I could finally push. About ten minutes later, our sweet baby 6 was born. They immediately put her on my chest for some bonding time while waiting for the cord to finish pulsing so they could clamp it off. After Timo cut it, I sat there bonding with my newest bundle of joy, finally able to hold my cutie pie. She weighed 8 lb. 10.3 oz, and measured 19.75 inches.
At five hours of labor, this was my quickest delivery and the only time my water broke on its own. I am sure she will continue to pave her own way, proving that she is her own person in many more areas of life. And I will love her through it all.
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