Falling in love all over again

 

While I was pregnant, I wondered to myself how I could love another child as much as I love the three I have.  Well, its much easier than I thought!  I have fallen completely in love all over again!  This little one melts my heart and I just can’t get enough of her. In fact I wish I could just stop time all together and she is only 13 days old!  ‘

Its so funny that with your first, in my case 3, you just cant wait for the next milestone because its so much fun to watch them grow. For us though, we couldn’t wait for these developmental milestones to see them sit up, eat solids, crawl, walk and talk just because we wanted to know they could do them.  Prematurity has so many unknowns and with each milestone they achieved it was a huge relief for us.  With Molly, I don’t want to move to the next milestone because I don’t want this moment to end because time passes entirely too fast. I just lay and gaze at her and I don’t want her to grow another day older!

Hospital picture

Her first night!

Perfect ears, hands and feet!

She was born with a small wound on her right hand (as you can see in the picture below) and we were told that it was from her sucking on her hand in the womb.  Its so true because she still tries to suck on her hand although we have been working on trying to get the thumb instead!

Getting ready to head home!

Homecoming outfit!

Meeting Grandparents for the first time!

Headed to the doctor on my scheduled c-section date September 24th. We when left the hospital Molly weighed 6 lbs 1oz down 8 oz from her birth weight.  So I was of course worried she wasn’t getting enough to eat…to my surprise she weighed 6lbs 11oz (up 10oz) and 20 inches long gaining an inch in length all in just 4 days!

Loving Baby Molly!  We sit her with us at dinnertime and this particular night I was trying to get the kids to sit and eat their food.  I told them they needed to sit at the table and eat their food to show Molly how big boys and girls eat.  So Carter dipped a big spoonful of his mashed potatoes and hopped down out of his chair and was headed straight for Molly,  He was going to show her how to eat!

I really love it when I find my thumb!

Sleeping beauty!

Sweet little piggy's!

All dressed up!

Meeting Baby Molly

 

We talked a lot about Baby Molly before she arrived, how much fun she would be and what we could do with her.  So the anticipation of her arrival was huge for Lila, Carter and Madelyn. 

They came up to hospital the morning after she was born and busted in the door with the biggest grins I have ever seen yelling baby Molly.  They immediately started loving all over her.  They were beyond excited to finally meet her. The first feeling I had was complete joy seeing all of my babies together for the first time.  Then I suddenly felt like my big babies were not babies anymore and they appeared so grown up.  What happened to them overnight? It was a sad moment for me to suddenly realize this and wonder where the time went.

Meeting for the first time….

Lila wanted to hold her but she wasn’t quite sure what to do!  She just kept giggling with excitement each time she looked at her.

Madelyn was a pro snuggling with her and patting her arm just like a little mommy.  Every time someone else would hold Molly she would say “I hold her”

Carter had the biggest grin I have ever seen each time he held her.  It was either pure love or the excitement of thoughts of how he would pick on her later. When someone else besides Brad or I would hold Molly he would say mommy hold her.  He was very protective big brother!

Oh what have I gotten myself into! She was actually trying to suck her thumb.  Looks like we might have 4 thumb suckers!

A family of 6….

As we finally headed home on Thursday, I was so excited to see the kids and for us to finally get some quality time together.  As soon as we pulled in the driveway, the kids ran towards the van and I was expecting great big hugs. Instead they went right past me saying where’s baby Molly as they jumped in the van. They were trying so hard to see in the car seat we had to take it out of the van and sit her on the ground so they could all see her.

They couldn’t wait to get inside so they could hold her.

Mags had to check her out too

The next morning the kids were up before me and Molly was still sleeping so I headed downstairs to spend some quality time with them before she woke up.  However, as soon as they seen me they wanted to know where baby Molly was. I told them she was upstairs sleeping and they wouldn’t give up until I went to get her.

I couldn’t be more blessed and happy that so far they have adjusted quite well to their new baby sister and seem to love her to death.  I guess what’s one more when all your life you've had to share mom and dad and everything else!

Welcome to the World Molly Caroline

 

On the morning of September 17th, I was feeling like I had swelled up quickly over the weekend, totally exhausted that morning and wondering to myself how I was going to make it for the next week until she arrived. Over the weekend I had taken a 24 hour urine test to check for preeclampsia because my blood pressure had been higher than normal at the past two appointments. In my mind I was completely fine because I had been feeling great and taking my blood pressure at home and it was completely normal.  We had gotten the results of the blood work back on Saturday it was completely normal but for some reason they didn’t run the urine.  But the doctor on call seemed totally confident that I would be fine so it never even crossed my mind that I might deliver soon other than going into natural labor.

That afternoon I had a NST (non stress test) and an AFI (ultrasound to check the baby's fluid).  So I was just heading out the door with the kids to go pick up Mamoo, so that she could  watch them while I went to my appointment, when the phone rang from the doctor’s office.  It was the nurse practitioner and I could just tell in her voice that she was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear. Her and I had talked a lot about how much I wanted to do a vaginal delivery so she knew I was going to be disappointed.  She told me that my urine counts were just over what they liked for them to be and had talked to my primary doctor. He thought delivery would be best since I was 38 weeks and 6 days so we could avoid an emergency situation if my blood pressure did indeed continue to rise over the next week.  At first I argued a bit not wanting this to happen but then I remembered how exhausted I felt and how I I felt like I had blown up like a balloon over night so I decided that maybe it was time.

I called Brad and told him Molly was coming today and he needed to come pick me up. I then called Mamoo to tell her she was coming and she said “whose coming?” (haha) that’s how much of a surprise it was to all of us!  Brad is an hour from home and then it is another hour to hospital so it was going to be awhile.  So to kill some time I went to pickup Mamoo and called Grammy on the way to tell her to head our way.  When I got home I hurried around packing the last minute things which included way more than I needed because I was just a nervous wreck and needed something to fill the time.  Brad finally arrived and got himself together and we told the kids where we were going and when they seen us next we would have baby Molly. They were SOOOO excited! We then took one last belly shot and we were on our way. 

We arrived at the hospital about 1:15pm and they checked my cervix to see if I was dilated.  If I was they would induce me and allow me to try vaginally.  However, I was not and at that point I was just ready to see her so I was ok with c-cestion. The more interventions that are done during a vaginal the less likely it will be successful and I would have ended up in the OR anyway.  So they got me prepped and ready and by 3:30pm we were headed back to have our sweet baby. 

I was so calm the entire time and not nervous or anxious at all. I guess knowing what was going to happen since I had been there once before made it that much easier this time.  The surgery went so well and it all happened so fast.  During the triplets delivery it seemed to take forever and then after they were born and whisked away I was put to sleep because I was so anxious and uneasy.  I reminded Brad until he was blue in the face that he needed to take a million pictures.  The poor guy doesn’t do well with blood…WAIT he can’t even change a poop diaper without gagging… let alone be in the room while I am having major surgery.  I was so proud of him when they said get ready dad he just starting snapping over the sheet and I will spare you the pictures that he actually took of her coming out.  It is really quite awesome to have them and I am so glad he captured it but I don’t think he knew what he was taking..in fact I know he didn’t!!

And at 4:11pm….

 

The first thing out of our mouths was “look how big she is!”  It brought tears to my eyes!

She was checked out, weighed and measured at 6lbs 9oz and 19 inches long.

Getting footprints…

She was then given back to Brad where we got to gaze at her while they fixed me up.  It was one of the best moments of my life getting to be with her so soon. This was one of the things I missed most about the triplets delivery.

Getting ready to be wheeled out to recovery

She latched right on and has been nursing successfully ever since.  I couldn’t believe how easy it was and so blessed she took right to it.  There was no learning curve for her…only me! After 24 bottles a day…I am happy to not even have one bottle to clean!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD MOLLY CAROLINE!

38 weeks, the nursery and head up

 

Molly’s room is finally ready for her!! I love it and I can’t believe how clutter free it is.  Only needing one of everything really allows for a whole lot more space.  We just can’t wait for her arrival!

38 week belly is growing everyday!

I just thought this was too funny…Lila has to be in all of the belly pictures and this one looks like she is trying to mimic me!!!

Well now to the exciting news!!!  As we know Molly had been breech this entire pregnancy and in desperation I started seeing a chiropractor who performs the Webster Technique that is suppose to help baby turn.  To everyone’s amusement, I have also tried standing on my head (recommended) and using an ice pack on the top of my belly and a warm heating pad below.

On Thursday, I went in for my appointment and my blood pressure was a little high for me.  The nurse had me lay down for 10 minutes and she rechecked me.  It went down quite a bit so she sent me on my on my way.  I was visiting another triplet mom in the hospital for about an hour afterwards and had missed three calls from the doctor.  Apparently they had decided that I needed to have a non-stress test done of the baby along with some blood work and I needed it done that night.  So at 4:30pm (after leaving the house at 9am that morning) I checked into triage where I was admitted.  I spent the next 4 1/2 hours in a very small room, with nothing to eat or drink since lunch, no cell phone (it died) and no TV, no magazine nothing…let’s just say I was about to scream.  Finally at 9pm I was discharged and baby looked great, blood work normal and blood pressure had even went down despite the fact I was about to explode.  So I was told I needed to do a 24 hour urine test to check the protein levels to be sure it wasn’t preeclampsia.  I did the test and turned it in and on Saturday and called the doctor for the results…again NORMAL.  However, they are still saying I have gestational hypertension (aka 3 almost 3 year olds at home and 38 week prego).  So I now have to have a non stress test and an ultrasound twice a week to check her fluid.  So I went in for my first one test on Monday and the baby looked great.  During the ultrasound the tech said the baby's head is down here…scanning over my lower belly.  I screamed…WHAT…she is head down!!!  The tech looked at me funny and said yes…then I proceeded to tell her she has been breech and this was the best news ever!!!  So after 3 adjustments by the chiropractor, standing on my head and irritating the baby with hot and cold something worked!!!!  All after I had finally talked myself into the fact that I would be having a C-section because by this point the baby turning wasn’t going to be very likely.  The crazy thing is was that I never really felt it like they said I would!  So now we are back to plan A…trying for a VBAC and praying that I starting dilating very soon!!

37 weeks

 

37 week today!!! We couldn’t be more excited that we will be having a FULL TERM baby!  What a blessing!  Only 3 weeks left…nursery pictures to come soon!

Baby Molly is being very stubborn and is still breech so my hopes of avoiding another c-section maybe becoming a reality!  Or maybe she is just trying to tell me she would rather stay in then come out into all the chaos she hears daily!!!