Play Time With Keely

This past Friday I decided to skip going into work until after lunch. Instead, I went with my girls to the park. We had a lot of fun. Here's a picture of Keely and I playing on the train.

Birth Story

**Update Below**

I don't know if anyone is interested in reading Jordan's birth story, but I always enjoy hearing and reading others birth stories and I need to get Jordan's story down so I will share it. If you aren't interested that's ok and we'll hopefully have some pictures up in a day or two.

Like Jacob posted when I went into labor, my water broke around 5:45 pm on Thursday night (June 5th). I was on my way downstairs with Keely to make some biscuits for dinner and after we made it down a couple steps my water broke and I hurried her back up the stairs! I called Jacob and told him to start heading home, though I was sure we still had some time. My water broke with Keely and the contractions started pretty hard 30 minutes later. I started "nesting" and hanging up and folding clean laundry that I had done that day so I wouldn't have to do it when we got home from the hospital! Jacob comes home and calls our friends who had offered to watch Keely and then makes dinner for him and Keely. Contractions started and they were coming at a good speed but weren't hard at all. I keep moving around and doing things and our friend arrived around 7:30 or so. We talked awhile and she helped me finish folding the laundry (I was really absent minded and couldn't finish a task without thinking and doing 5 other things in between)! It had been raining pretty hard, so our friend encouraged us to go ahead and go so Jacob called the doctor and we left the house around 8:15. The difference this time was that my water had been gushing the whole time where with Keely it gushed once and then just trickled. Also, the contractions just weren't picking up and it felt weird to go ahead and be going to the hospital but something seemed to tell us we needed to go. We got to the hospital and the doctor had told us to go straight to labor and delivery but we didn't know where it was. (There is a new wing where the OBGYN and Pediatric offices and hospital rooms are where we went for appointments but the labor and delivery was still in the old part). We ask someone and they make us check in and they tell us to wait a few minutes. That was when Jacob took matters in his own hands and asked where labor and delivery was and then they took us right there!

Shortly after we arrived, the doctor came in and told us what I had feared...I was only at 1 cm, 80% effaced and the baby's head was at -2 station. The problem was that my water had broken 3 hours earlier and the doctor felt the baby needed to come in the next 15 hours or I would have a dry labor (and what we thought he was saying without saying that I would have to have a c-section if she didn't come in that time frame). However, since her head wasn't engaged very much was why my water kept gushing and so I couldn't walk around to help labor progress until she dropped more. So, he recommended an IV of pitocin to get things going. My contractions had really slowed down and weren't hurting at all while I was on the bed getting checked and talking to the doctor and I knew they weren't progressing things at all. We were reluctant to go with pitocin but felt like that was our only choice. The doctor said he thought it would probably take about 10 hours until the baby was born. My labor was 5 1/2 hours with Keely and so Jacob didn't bring any entertainment with him! After they started the drip (around 9:30), I suggested Jacob go back home to get his computer and books for his class...but then I didn't feel like that was a good idea. I kept going back and forth and Jacob realized he better stay. A little before 10 they came for Jacob to go choose the type of room I would be moved to after delivery. At that time the contractions started coming at a pretty good pace and increased in intensity. Shortly after Jacob got back, I needed his help with applying counter pressure on my lower back. Around that time I went to the restroom and realized that the baby had dropped more and my water was no longer gushing. At that point the contractions were getting really painful and I found a comfortable position leaning against the bed with Jacob pressing my back for a good portion of the time. About an hour or so after the contractions had picked up, they began to fill like transition type contractions. With each contraction I just felt like I couldn't go on anymore and the desire to push increased. The doctor said he'd come back at midnight to check on my, but they called him to come early and he arrived around 11:45. He checked me and I was only at 6 cm! I had 3 hours to go when I was at 6 cm with Keely! I just didn't know how I was going to keep going with the intensity of the contractions. At this point, I didn't have the energy to get back up and laid on my side during the contractions and Jacob somehow still managed to apply the counter pressure on my back. The desire to push increased and it didn't seem too long later when the doctor checked me again and I was at 8 cm. Shortly after he told me I could push and it helped a lot to not have to hold back from pushing. I pushed for 15 minutes or so before Jordan was born at 12:38 am June 6th. Thank goodness for Jacob who saved me from an unneeded cut. A few pushes away from Jordan's birth, the doctor suggested a small cut and I was so ready for her to come and I was like ok if you think so and Jacob was actually watching this time and he said, "I see her, let Sara push a few more times." Thank goodness, because I only tore a tiny, tiny bit this time which hasn't hurt much at all!! (I tore in a star shape with Keely). Since I had a lot of bleeding with Keely, he kept me on the pitocin until morning and didn't have the bleeding problem this time. This birthing experience was a much better experience and I felt really good afterwards. I was really happy with this doctor and he was a great "coach." He helped me a lot when I was unsure of when to push and helped me find a better position to push.

We were discharged 16 hours after Jordan's birth and I felt really good!! It was really nice to be home so much earlier this time. We were able to get into a good schedule starting Saturday. Jordan was awake a lot that 2nd night (though the first night probably doesn't really count because we didn't get to our room until 3am)! She was just up twice the 3rd and 4th night and I think it was the 5th night that she started sleeping from after eating at 11 until 5am! I was afraid it was a fluke but she did it 4 nights in a row. For two nights she went backwards by 30 minutes each night, but last night she went until 5 again. She wasn't waking up enough to eat enough, so I gave her a late night bath and she ate faster and better. **Update** I spoke too soon! Jordan was up a bit last night at 3:30 for a little snack and then woke up a couple other times. Oh well...she is just 12 days old! However, she loves her hands around her face and I had swaddled her too tight that she couldn't get them out and she had mittens on because she kept scratching herself...so that could have been some of it because that is how she soothes herself! Even on the ultrasound she had her hands around her face!! Oh well...it was nice while it lasted!!

Jordan is like Keely and isn't able to latch on yet. I think they both have a high palette and Jordan should hopefully be able to nurse after she grows some (Keely started nursing at 6 weeks). The good thing is that I knew what to do and started pumping right away and so we have a good feeding, pumping, washing and sterilizing schedule going.

So that's the story of Jordan's birth and how things have been going the past 11 days or so!! It's amazing to me sometimes that she is already here!!

Mable

Keely is always saying or doing something funny or amazing us by what she does pick up and knows. When I read to her, often she recites different parts of the stories. One book we read today that we hadn't read in awhile was Fisher Price Little People Alphabet Farm. One line reads, "M is for milking, when Mable says, "Moo!" This evening, Keely brought to me a stuffed cow that is in her plush Noah's Ark and I asked her what it was. She doesn't normally say cow but says moo, so that is what I'm waiting for but instead she says "Mable." That just cracked me up...so are all cows Mable now?

Do They Look Alike?

People have had differing opinions of whether Keely and Jordan look alike or not. Some days I think one thing and some days I think another. Keely's announcement picture was taken when she was 9 days old. Sunday Jordan was 9 days old and I dressed her in the same onesie Keely wore in her picture and took a few pictures to compare. They aren't hte best comparison pictures because Jordan was pretty hungry and her arms and legs were flailing all around...but hopefully it'll still help us to compare. (Jordan is on the left and Keely on the right)

So, what do you think?

What's In A Name?

Has anyone been wondering why we chose the name Jordan Aliza?

The meaning of a name was really important to both of us when choosing both Keely's and Jordan's name. Jacob is also a big believer that the meaning of a name really does reflect on a personality. The other criteria when choosing the girls' names were that I had to be able to imagine calling it up the stairs, all of our names had to flow when introducing the family and the full name had to sound good to our ears when imagining it being called in a graduation ceremony. (We are so silly!!)

Jordan Aliza means streaming down joy.

Keely Nevaeh means beautiful from heaven.

Through the looking glass....

I (Jacob) have been getting back in touch with my creative side. For my birthday, anniversary, father's day, Christmas, and any other holiday this year, Sara bought me a new Canon 40D digital camera and a lens or two to go along with it. While it is waiting for me in Springfield, I have, for the first time since I graduated from college, gotten excited about photography again (for those of you who don't know, I was a film major my first two years of college, and along with shooting films, did A LOT of photography work. If I was missing, it was most likely because I was in the dakroom). I have been reading blogs, and recently started playing with post processing tools, such as Adobe Lightroom. Though these were taken with our point and shoot, I have had fun doing some post processing work on them. Tell me what you think!

First Things We Have Noticed

(Things in italics are my (Sara's) thoughts and additions to Jacob's earlier post.)
First off, Keely has loved baby Jordan from the minute they first met, if not before.

When Keely first met Jordan

"Ticky, Ticky, Ticky"

(Keely likes to tickle her toes)

The two sisters

Every time I turn around, Keely is standing by Jordan, and says, "Baby" and then proceeds to touch her cheek, forehead, sometimes her eye, and pretty much just anywhere she can. She also shows Jordan how to play with the toys that hang down from her vibrating chair, as well as how to bounce the chair (I have to keep a hand on the chair, or else Keely will just let go and Jordan would fly through the air.) It is really neat seeing how much Keely is enjoying her new baby sister.


Ok, so one of the first things we have noticed about Jordan is that she does not like a soiled diaper. The minute the diaper goes from dry to wet, or mushy, she lets us know with a nice cry. This cry does not end until the diaper has been replaced. It is the funniest, and cutest thing, especially when we first realized that this was causing her to cry at 4:00 in the morning.

Last night, Jordan was able to sleep through the soiled diapers...so that was a blessing! The night before she would eat and then 1 1/2 hour later need her diaper changed and then 1 1/2 hour after that eat again. So, that may have just been a thing the first couple days because she wasn't use to those feelings, however, she just "begged" me to change her diaper so we'll see!!

Oh yes, Sara just reminded me that Keely has also wanted to join the baby in both the vibrator chair and the bassinet, another cute sister moment.

Below are our outtakes of the pictures we took for Jordan's announcement. We were trying to get some with the girls together, but Keely didn't like it when Jordan would cry. And Jordan was crying because she was unswaddled!

"I'm outta here."

Announcing...

She Has Arrived....

but we are exhausted. Sara has had a whole 30 minutes of sleep since she woke up Thursday morning, and I have had 2 hours, so stats and pictures will come tomorrow. We're off to bed, well, as long as the newest addition to the family will allow us to be.

The Time Has Come.....

Well folks, I was working late tonight, which has been the theme all week long for me, and around 5:40 Sara calls. I'm thinking I have already held dinner by 40 minutes, so she is probably telling me she is going to start eating. Well, I say "hello," and she says, "Get home now, my water just broke!" I think, "Oh wow!" and start my frantic shut down the computer, pack my bag, and dash out the door routine. We call family, friends, etc, and now are just waiting till the contractions get stronger before we call the doctor and tell him we are on our way. Be thinking of us! Yay!!!