Friends

This is a friend of mine, Christi, from Warsaw, Indiana that happened to be in Dallas the week I was going to have Ira. We were able to meet up with her and her husband the night before I went in to give birth. We went out for dinner and had a great visit. We all were enjoying ourselves so much that the time seemed to fly by and it was 10:30 p.m. before we knew it. I can't tell you what a blessing it was to spend time with this dear friend. Our time together was sweet...a perfect way to close a season in my life and a great encouragement to reflect on as I would awake to a new one. She is truly a godly inspiration to me. I love her and miss her dearly.

These next few pictures are of my dear friend Jessica. Wow! I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing this woman has been to me since our move to Texas. The Lord has used her to bless me in countless ways. She has served my family and I above and beyond any expectations. She is a gift of grace from the Father and I am so grateful for her.

This is Ruthie Pearl, Jessica's little girl and Oliver's little friend :o)

Here's Jessica lovin on baby Ira the day after his birth.

This dear friend is Erin. She too is a gift of grace and has been a tremendous blessing to get to know. She has been such an inspiration to me....so real and honest about life and faith. The Lord uses her to challenge and encourage me. I am so thankful for her.

Here's Erin's little boy, Augie, with Oliver.

The whole gang together minus Violet...Erin's little girl...she didn't feel like getting her picture taken that day :o)

These women have taught me so much this past year...about the Lord, about trust, about being a friend, about serving, about humility, about loving others, about mothering and parenting, and about grace. When I grow up, I want to be like them.

Ira in His First Hour

Here are pictures from Ira's first hour of life. What an amazing experience. The Lord never ceases to amaze me. I am so grateful.

Ira Meets His Brothers & Sisters

I've had difficulty keeping up on making posts so I'm just doing simple ones to get caught up. These are pictures from the day after Ira was born when the kiddos came home to meet their new baby brother. Such sweet moments watching them embrace and look into the eyes of their brother they loved before they ever met him.

Welcome Ira Sinclair

Ira Sinclair was born at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 2010. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19" long. You can see that contrary to what the sonogram showed...Ira does have a head full of dark hair. He is absolutely beautiful. God is amazing. We are so grateful.

(This is a picture from my baby shower...I thought it was fitting for the occasion.)

The midwife/birthing center experience was wonderful. We were very pleased. Only having experienced hospital births, we were amazed at how natural you can do things. We never knew there was a way to naturally induce labor...not that it always works right away, but the fact that there was a natural way to stimulate your body to respond was beyond us. By God's grace, natural induction was a quick success for us. We arrived around 9:30 Friday morning and by 10 I had my first dose of antibiotics and the midwife striped my membranes, which is worse than labor pains. Then from there I alternated walking and pumping every half hour for four hours...and repeated the antibiotics, striping the membranes and walking/pumping process. The contractions maintained a consistent pattern of about a minute apart for most of the day increasing in pain and duration of each one. It was thankfully manageable and I transferred to the tub when they began to last longer and became more intense. The total time probably in the tub was about an hour. When I was dialated to 8 and in transition, we decided to move me to the bed to be ready to deliver. Within moments settling into the bed, I pushed maybe three times and Ira was here! It was so quick...so quick that he was still in the sac as he began to come out, but it broke. It made me think of God's protection over him as I gave birth.

Ira was placed on my chest immediately following his arrival. He was covered in this white sticky layer of goop...called vernix. I hesitated in enjoying his arrival right away because I was assuming they would take him from me quicker, but that was not the case. I held him for quite a while before they simply took him long enough to lay him at the end of my bed to wrap him in a receiving blanket and give him right back to me to begin nursing. They didn't suction his nose or goop his eyes up, which I am use to from previous hospital deliveries. After nursing him, I asked them about washing him up...at least his hair...but my midwife told me not to bathe him and just let his skin absorb the vernix. Well, his skin soaked it right up and several hours later he was vernix free and soft as ever. I still haven't bathed him...and he still smells sweet like a newborn baby.

We were on the road home by ten that night....just three hours after giving birth. It had been one long day yet it went so quick too. My birthing assistant said I was the quickest natural induction delivery she has ever seen in the last 13 years of her experience. Thank you Lord for making it quick.

Three days later Ira and I had to go in for a check-up. Everything was good, except for my postpartum problems that hit me quickly. Instead of using the usual depression medicine I've been prescribed in the past that didn't seem to help too much, my midwife called me in a prescription to a compounding pharmacy, a natural progesterone (hormone) cream that I just apply to my wrist and rub into my arms. It has helped tremendously. Unfortunately, at two weeks my hormones shift drastically again, but I just increased the cream to applying it three times a day as opposed to two. I am just blown away by the natural way postpartum depression can be treated. I know though that it isn't always enough for some...but thankfully for me it is working. I'm so thankful. Now if there were only a cream that I could rub on Ira to make him sleep through the night :o) I forgot what a glorious thing sleep is....Lord help me be content and grateful through this season. I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

I think of the pain and discomfort I have been spared through Ira's birthing experience and first weeks adjusting to life and I can't help but be thankful. It is easy to complain about different things during this particular season of adjustment, but I've been quick to remind myself of those things I've been spared. Like not tearing during birth (a first ever for me), healing quickly, not having any cramping or afterbirth contractions, not having any engorgement and being blessed with a baby that can pass gas from both ends very easily...just to name a few :o) But most importantly, I remind myself that I have been blessed with a healthy baby and spared the experience of losing a child like a dear friend of mine. I have no reason to complain, but many reasons to rejoice and be thankful. God is good all the time...whether your in the valley, on a mountaintop or in between....He is good all the time.

Here are a few pictures from our time at the birthing center....

The birthing room...

This is me getting an IV to start my antibiotics...following this I began the routine of alternating walking/pumping every half hour...this is where the fun begins...

Here are a few shots at the TWU campus we walked around...

I love my husband...he's the main source of my laughter in life...don't know what I'd do without him :o)

This must be a shot of me preparing for my first pumping session...not that anyone really wants to know that, but there ya go...at least it's before and not during :o)

Okay, I must explain the purpose of this next picture...

My mother-in-law sent me a pair of her pink flamingo socks to wear during labor so "a part of her was there for the birth". The thing is, they are the socks I got her for Christmas this past year. She doesn't like pink flamingos. So I'm always picking pink flamingo things up for her. She has quite the collection now and as long as I'm alive her collection will continue to grow :o) Oh, one more noteworthy thing, when she visited last October she wore these same socks to the airport...with capris...so they were visible but scrunched down, but when she went through security she had to take her shoes off and the pink flamingos were exposed for all the world to see...gotta love it! So this picture is really for her...to prove I really did wear them.

Here's me swaying as the pain intensifies...

Here I'm getting ready to get in the tub...the pain is serious now...but I'm still smiling :o)

I'm no longer smiling now...don't want to look at anyone...that candle in the picture got moved (smelled good, but I just couldn't handle it)...and no one could talk...or take pictures...so I think this is the last one before I'm actually giving birth.

Ta dah! There is the proud Grandma from Indiana.

And of course the proud daddy...

I'm getting ready to be sent home...

And finally, a picture with my birthing assistant. She was simply wonderful. I'm so glad she was a part of the whole experience. I'm so grateful for the INANNA Birthing Center and my midwives that cared for me throughout the pregnancy and after. I would definitely do it again...not anytime soon though!

I know this post is long overdue and there will be more posts coming that are behind schedule, but my time is spread pretty thin these days...so deal with it :o)

39 weeks & 1 day...

Here is a picture from yesterday. I really like this one...the way the light is shining on my belly :o) My mom took it! That's right, my mom's here! We have enjoyed the past few days together...the kids are lovin her.

I went Wednesday for another sonogram to check the fluid and the Lord answered prayers! My fluid went from 9 to 14.71...so the bed rest and increased water intake did help....even though I did cheat...the Lord was gracious to allow it to increase anyway.

Based on those results, today we are going in to attempt a natural induction to ensure that I'll have time to get two doses of antibiotics for Group B Strep. So, Lord willing, we'll get to hold baby Ira in our arms today! We covet your prayers today and look forward to sharing our experience with you.

Baby Update - Bed Rest?!

So, here I am, 38 weeks and 2 days. I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and found out that the fluid around the baby is low based on the sonogram I had almost 2 weeks prior. I didn't see my midwife at last weeks appointment because she was ill, so it wasn't until yesterday's appointment that it was addressed. They directed me to get another sonogram to see if the fluid had increased, stayed the same, or decreased. I was on the low end of normal the last time. I went this morning and they found that the fluid has decreased...therefore I must drink at least a gallon of water a day (that means I won't be in bed resting, I will be in the bathroom peeing all day :o) and they also put me on strict bed rest! Let me just say, this will be one challenging task for me...and those that know me best would agree.

Ira is doing fine, heart rate is great, he's breathing on his own, and movement is good. He was 6 lbs. 7 oz. today :o) He is measuring in the 30th percentile. A little guy he is. Here is a picture of him from today. I just simply can't wait to see him!

My baby shower is tomorrow and I am super excited! I have permission to go as long as I carry nothing and do nothing but relax and enjoy my friends. I think I can do that! I'm also excited because we will be picking up my Momma up from the airport Tuesday morning! Yay! I can't wait and neither can the kiddos!

As far as the bed rest goes, I must say, I am blessed to have the wonderful husband I do, because as soon as I told him he made a few phone calls and is on his way home, passed his responsibilities onto someone else for Sunday, and will be home Monday and Tuesday! It makes the bed rest not seem so impossible now to know he will be here to help. He is so good to me and I am so thankful.

So, pray for us. If I haven't gone into labor, I'll be having another sonogram to check the fluids next Friday. I'll keep y'all posted. In the meantime, I'll be resting...and trying to take my friend's advice and enjoy it while I can...

My Diaper Bag and Accessories...They're Done!

Here it is....my first attempt at a diaper bag! I didn't use a pattern, but was inspired by a friends tote bag...hence, I created my own pattern. The sides and bottom are all one piece. Obviously it has a flap...and the handle I made separate sewed it in when I closed up around the top of the bag. You can't tell in any of the pictures, but the handle is wider at the bottom and becomes narrower where it sits on the shoulder. I made it to have five pockets inside and lined the entire inside with plastic. It was quite a mind boggling project for me, but once it was cut and I began sewing it all began to make sense. I think I could do it again with much less strain on the brain. I like it and am very pleased with the results.

Here's a little peek inside...

Nursing cover...

Diapers and travel wipes pouch... I had planned on putting a handle on the side, but forgot and just made the handle like this... It works :o)

And here is my attempt at covering a travel wipes case....they call it a "baby wipes clutch". I didn't have any black rope ribbon so the gold and cream had to do. I just couldn't resist trying.