On the day Lucy was born, the tulips in our yard began blooming. On the day Emma was born, the daffodils had just started blooming. On April 12 this past month, Lucy discovered the violets in our yard were in bloom. As this was still a ways from Violet's due date, we still took the appearance of Violet's flowers as a good sign.
On May 3 the violets were still blooming and my bees arrived. Will installed them for me, as I tried to stifle my jealousy and let go of my need for control. Will did a great job with me dictating to him from the dining room window.
We also visited the Farmer's Market opening day and I talked with many fellow suburban farmers about the new laws regarding the Michigan Right to Farm Act that no longer protected us. I was pretty fired up all day about the fact that Michigan took such a backwards step in sustainability. Here I am below with not much physical energy left, but plenty of passion about my God given rights to produce my own food on my own property.
On Saturday night, I finished tucking the girls in and sat down in the rocking chair outside their bedroom door to ensure a speedy road to sleep while Will went to pick up a movie at our local Red Box. Will had finished his college class the night before and everything else on our To Do List was finally complete with the installation of the bees that morning. We finally had time for a relaxing evening together and were going to celebrate with a movie. I logged on to Facebook on my phone and started chatting with my friend and fellow chicken owner while I waited for Emma and Lucy to fall asleep. She wisely advised me to focus on the little human growing inside of me and put trips to city hall and conversations with state representatives aside for now.
Just as I realized she was right, and that part of my fired up anger was probably due to hormones, I dropped my phone. As I leaned down to pick it up I felt a gush of hot water and realized that my water broke! The bathroom was literally four steps away so I rushed to the toilet and was amazed at all of the water coming out of me. I yelled for Lucy who was still awake and she came running, but stopped short when she saw the water all over the bathroom floor. I had her grab my cell phone - still on the floor - and pass it gingerly over the puddles to me. I called Will, who later told me that he thought I was going to tell him to pick up something to eat, and told him to forget the movie and come home! I called my doctor and my sister who was going to stay with the girls and then spent the next couple of minutes trying to calm down Lucy's excitement and deal with the water still flowing out of me.
For the next two hours, Emma slept soundly while our house became a bustle of activity. Will set up the air mattress in Violet's room for my sister, did a load of laundry and cleaned up the house. Lucy bounced back and forth between Will and I, barely able to contain herself from the excitement of being a part of grown up things. I finally convinced her to lay down with me as I waited for the contractions to start. About a half hour after Lucy finally fell asleep, my contractions started and my sister arrived from Bowling Green. Things were unfolding very nicely. Here I am below, before we headed for the hospital. My water continued to leak in big spurts and I had gone through all of the pants I had owned, leaving me to go to the hospital in a pair of pajama bottoms that didn't cover my belly completely. I wasn't in so much pain yet that I was still self-conscious about my belly hanging out.
I left a trail of water from the check in desk, into the elevator, through double doors into triage and then down a long hallway to my hospital room. My water has never broken at home before, and I continued to be amazed and honestly, alarmed at the mess of it all. It was after midnight by the time we were settled into our room and the contractions were becoming steady, with no breaks in between. I listened to the song "A Thousand Years" on my iPhone on repeat the entire night while bouncing on the birthing ball and inhaling essential oils in the diffuser I brought from home. The lights were out in the room and Will slept on and off as I alternated between bouncing and waddling to and from the bathroom to pee. By seven in the morning I was exhausted and starting to get discouraged and Will was joking with the nurses that we had heard the song "A Thousand Years" at least a thousand times by now. My doctor decided that I wasn't having true contractions because there were no breaks in between them and prescribed pitocin to get things going. I reluctantly agreed, but asked for an epidural first. I've done pitocin before with both Luke and Emma, and in my opinion, at that point the natural birth wagon has left the building. Will mentioned from a reclined position on the fold out bed that since the nurse was here with the petocin to just let her get it started so that we didn't "waste any more time" waiting for the epidural. If looks could kill, his estimated time of death would have been 7:05 a.m. I calmly told him that since he wasn't the one in pain, he could continue to waste time on the fold out bed and that I would be waiting patiently for my epidural before a drop of pitocin went into my veins, thank you very much. Needless to say, I got my epidural and they started the pitocin and a little over three and a half hours later our beautiful daughter arrived!
Weighing in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces she was my biggest baby by almost a pound, and at 21 inches long she was almost an inch longer than Lucy and Emma were too. Will and I kept exclaiming how chubby she was and couldn't believe that she was finally here!
Her hair had tiny ringlets in it and we can't help but wonder if this is a sign of curly hair to come! Only time will tell and if she follows in her big sisters footsteps, we may have to wait at least two years before there is enough hair to tell.
Violet enjoyed her first bath and when the nurse rinsed her hair under the faucet, Violet got a look of such contentment on her face that you could almost hear her sigh. This is definitely a switch from her big sisters, who screamed through their first baths and still scream when we rinse their hair.
Later that afternoon, my sister brought the girls to meet Violet. They woke up at their usual sunny seven in the morning and had been begging my sister to bring them to the hospital to meet Violet ever since. Since Violet hadn't even been born yet, Lucy, Emma (and poor Aunt Jane!) definitely had a lesson in patience May 4th! The wait was worth it though and the girls were immediately in love.
They have also been arguing over whose turn it is to hold Violet ever since!
Our family of five on earth, together at last! I missed my older girls so much, and it was heaven on earth to have all three of them snuggled on me.
The blanket was made by a dear friend of mine while I was pregnant with Luke, and has ever since been called "Luke's blanket". It has come to the hospital to help welcome each of Luke's three baby sisters and at this point is a treasured family heirloom. Here Violet is below, snuggling Will in Luke's blanket after the hard work of posing for her portrait.
We arrived home around dinner time, exhausted but elated to be in our own home, together as our new little family of five on earth.
At almost a week old, Violet is a sweet, cuddly little girl who seems to know each of her family member's voices already. She enjoys having her diaper changed, eating and sleeping and really doesn't have time for annoying things like burping. Violet, we are so glad you are here!
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1 comment:
What a wonderful story. You and your family are such blessings to all around you! Can't wait to me Violet Rose and see the girls. Carolyn
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