Update on Life

I'm sorry that I have been a little out of the picture for the past few months. It's been a little insane and I'm attempting to fit everything in but i am failing miserably.

Starting Right were I left off. I got to spend 2 wonderful days in the hospital. I don't know how others feel but I enjoy my time in the hospital. It's my honeymoon with the baby. There are people there to help me. I get rest when I need it and food just comes. When it came time to take Katelyn home the following Sunday, I was a little emotional. It's not that I was depressed but there are a lot of hormones flying around and I was just a little nervous about having to be a mom with 2 kids. I know I'm insane. ]

here are some pic of katie in the hospital and a few videos.

Before we left the hospital the on call pediatrician (it wasn't our normal guy but one of the other doctors in the office) told us that her Bilirubin levels were a little high and that he wanted us to come back in 48 hours and get her tested. 48 hour came and went and on tuesday morning we made our way to the lab.

2 hours later Dr. Wynn calls and asks if we could come into the office. Katelyns bilirubin was at a 17. If it was at a 20 she would have been hospitalized. So he ordered that she needed to be in a light bed until her levels were lower. She needed to be in it at all times and only out of it when I was feeding her, but even at that she had to have a light blanket on her back.

Here is a video of the bed.



She was in the light bed for 3 and a half days and every morning we had to go in and get her levels rechecked. It was a nightmare. She hated the light bed and would just cry and cry and cry. One of us was on Katelyn duty at all times. To get her to sleep I had to lay down next to her and hold the pacifier in her mouth. If it fell out she would start to cry. Again just no fun at all, makes me tear up just thinking about it.

On friday, Katelys week old birthday, she was able to come out of the bed.

The Story of Our Move

A week before Katelyn was born our landlord told us that he was selling the place and that we would need to keep the place clean for showings. AWESOME!

Patrick told him about me and the baby and he was willing to wait 2 weeks before he had a showing. So durning those 2 weeks patrick and I talked a lot about what we were going to do. Were we going to stay and just hope no one comes and looks at the place or were we just going to leave. '

Well the answer to our question came about a day later when I noticed that the owners other property, two doors down, sold for over asking.

We began to look at a few places. I think we saw a total of 4 places. 3 of them were dirty and gross and the last was one was really nice and we were seriously considering but I just didn't feel good about it. The next day I was telling mom about all of this and she said, "well, if katherine and collin were gone then you could move in with me." Thirty minutes later I get a call from Katherine saying that she and Collin found a place and they are going to be moving out in 2 weeks. So I called mom back asked if we could move in. I talked to patrick and we both felt really good about the decision and committed to moving in with my mom.

On May 5th, katherine and Collin moved out and Patrick and I moved in.

It's been a bit of an adjustment. My old room is currently serving as me and patricks bedroom, the living room and the family room and we're using our bed as the couch. Sort of odd and a little embarrassing that at 28 years old I had to move back in with my mom but it's been really good.

Katelyn was going to start in daycare at the end of May, but patrick and I didn't feel comfortable about her starting so young. Audrey started when she was 7 months old and I felt really good about it. This started us talking about me quitting since we don't have rent to deal with. After a few weeks of talking between ourselves and my boss, keith, we decided that starting July 1st I would drop down to part time at home work.

It's only been a week but it has been such a blessing to be home FINALLY with my kids and that I'll be able to be around and involved when Audrey starts Kindergarden this August.

I'll write another post with more pictures and about the blessing soon.

until then here are some adorable videos of Katelyn.

Katelyn Anne Spencer Birth Story

Hi there. I can't believe that she is going to be a month on FRIDAY. Man does life move fast.

I don't know if people are dying to know what happened that day. But I would like to share it anyway. ( I apologize for uncomfortable words and for how bad it's written I did this really fast)

At my last OB appointment on Monday March 26th, we scheduled my induction for Friday March 30th. That gave me plenty of time to finish all my last minute prep (at work and at home) and it meant that patrick could do four 10 hour days and not have to take any time off for the birth and since I would be in the hospital over the weekend, he wouldn't have to take time off for the hospital stay.  S-M-R-T on our part.

On thursday I was to get a call telling me what time to be at the hospital. There were only 2 women before me on the induction list so my OB was confident I would get in early. I was told that on thursday night I would know what time to be at the hospital. Instead the call was informing me that I would get a call between 5:30am and 6:00am telling me what time to go to the hospital. No biggie. I sent an alarm for 5:30 and just kept hitting snooze until I got the call.

They finally called at 6:30am telling us we had a room prepped and ready. (was expecting them to say be here in an hour and we will have a room ready for you) I should have gotten up at 5:30. I still wanted to shower before I went. (thank goodness I had my bag all ready to go) So I jumped in the shower and rinsed off, while patrick woke Audrey up. He got her dressed  and while he was in the shower I got her breakfast.  But with 3 people. One a 5 year old and the other a very LARGE pregnant woman we didn't move to fast and got out the door at about 7:10 and was at the hospital at about 7:30. After check in and everything we got into the room at about 8.

My nurse that day was Shae. She was awesome and she was being assisted by a student named Whitney from BYU.

We had to wait on doctors orders for the Pitocin and that was started at about 9 am and my contractions started immediately after the medicine was introduced. It was pretty interesting how fast they started coming. Every half hour shae would come back in and increase the Pitocin levels. At about 11 there was really no progress. The contractions were happening regularly but they weren't really doing anything. So they broke my water. After that the contractions got worse. I held off on the epidural as long as I could but at about noon shae tells me that the anesthesiologist might be going into a c-section soon and if I don't get the epidural now it might be a while before he could come back in and do mine. So I oped for the epi then. He was in an out within 15 minutes. He was fast and it didn't hurt too much.  ( I texted everyone at about 12:20 that the epidural was in)

With the epi in I had to be on my side. At first they had me on my left side but then they quickly switched me to my right so that my right side could get some drugs. They then left and said that they would be back in about an hour to switch be to my left side again.

At about 1:00 or a little after they came to switch me. I felt like a beached whale as they twisted me around.

About 30 minutes later they came back in and said that it looked like the baby was in distress on my left side. Her heart rate would drop between contractions and they did not like that at all so they again twisted me to my right side. But it was uncomfortable being on my right by this time so they propped me up with blankets and I was at an odd but comfortable angle, half way on my back and half way on my side. By this time my progress was not really moving. They were worried about the baby and the distress. No one said that I would have to have a c-section but you could tell that they seemed worried about that. I think they wanted to wait a while to see if I would progress more.

Babies heart rate returned to normal once they switch me back to my right and finally things started to progress. Seriously after all this time I think I was only at a 3 or so. It was a very very slow progression.

at about 2:30 I was at a 5.

At 2:45 I was at 7. I told them I could feel pressure (they asked if I felt like I needed to have a bowel movement and I told them no it was pressure on my cervix) so they checked again and I was at an 8. Then they all left (by this time my OB,my OB she was actually in greece, the replacement OB dr. Daly, a resident Dr Ellsworth, shae and whitney were coming in to check on me) By this time I was starting to feel more pressure. Not a TON but enough for me to feel like something was going on.

at 3:10 shae came back in to check on me. I was at a 9. I told her about the pressure but I didn't feel the need to push so I wasn't worried.

at 3:20 I was feeling A TON of pressure, like a little head was there ready to come out. But in my head I was like I'm only at a 9 I can't be ready to push yet.

at 3:25 I told mom and Patrick that if they didn't come back in by 3:30 that someone needed to go and get them. literally a minute later all 4 of them came back in. Shae checked me and katelyn was crowning.

Immediately everyone was in rush mode. No one was ready. The OB and resident still had to get their gowns on and gloves on and the bed still needed to be prepped.  They were telling me not to laugh or move or the baby was going to come. I was shocked. With Audrey when I was fully dilated I had to push for an hour and a half before she was crowning.

So as quick as they could they got everything ready and called in a few extra people to help. It was rather funny to watch and they kept reminding me not to laugh. They all seemed to be panicking. Patrick and mom jumped into a corner so they wouldn't get in the way.

This is the best part.

By 3:30 they were ready for me to push. I pushed for 2 contractions a total of 7 times and Katelyn was out by 3:33.

A very weird labor. It was slow at first and it totally looked like I might be having a c-section and within an hour I went from a 5 to fully dilated and baby crowning.

Here is video of audrey meeting her for the first time. In the end everything happened so fast that we couldn't get audrey to the hospital until after the birth. This is about an hour after katelyn was born.



This is video of Patrick holding her.



I'll get more pictures up and more about what happened to her later. Thanks for reading.

I'm nearing the end! 38 weeks and counting.

I told you it would be 3 weeks before I told you what happened at the appointment AND I am totally surprised that she is still in there. I thought for sure I would go past 38 weeks. (I still have 5 days before I hit 39, fingers crossed).

At the appointment (on the 13th) the doctor determined that she was measuring at about 2 weeks behind my gestation. Which has been consistent since my first ultrasound so long ago. Again I pop out small things not giant things. 

Here are two SQUISHED pictures of her from that appointment.

This is a pic of her face. On the bottom left she has a hand in front of her mouth. Above that you can make out a squished nose, the darker eye sockets, and her forehead. It took me forever to see it and I never saw it until I turned the picture vertical.

This is a blurry picture of her profile. Again there is a hand in front of her mouth making it look funny.

I've still been having to go in for Non-stress tests. My fluid levels have been getting better, all be it slowly, but the nurse doesn't think I need to come in twice a week any longer. I'm thinking I might just keep going in since it fluctuates so much and so fast. One appointment I can be at a 10 and then the next (3 days later) on the lower side of a 7. Yesterdays measurement was 14 but that doesn't mean it could stay there.

TODAY I LEARNED: I was telling the nurse that she hiccups  A LOT! I guess that's a good indication of if the baby is in stress. The nurse was saying that when a baby is in distress they tend to not move and conserve energy so they don't hiccup but if they are hiccuping then, typically, they are fine. Pretty cool to know.

Yesterday I had an OB appointment and it looks like I am totally ready for this little thing to come. (uncomfortable words coming) My cervix is dilated about the size of a finger tip and it's soft (I'm assuming that is what you want it to be at the end). She just needs to DROP. If she drops she comes. The doc says that once her head hits my cervix labor will begin. So everyone think falling thoughts. (end uncomfortable words)

On awesome note I'm getting everything I need to done. I have the room set up. I still need to decorate it, I've got time to make it cute once she is here. I've got the swing put together, the bassinet ready to go, and the bouncer assembled. AND have bought a ton of little things like, bottles, formula and new onesies. I need to wash all of Audrey's old clothes still. I did wash them before I put them in storage but I figure I should washe them again. The best thing is I finally finished her blanket.

I made it small and a square so it's easier to transport. Audrey's is GIANT and so hard to transport around. Takes up so much space in suitcases and what not.

Here is a close up of the flower patch and the border. I was going to do a much more fancy border but I didn't have enough yarn to make it around 2 more times and I didn't want to go out and buy another ball of yarn. So I stopped at what I felt was a good ending.

This is a close-up of the back side. I'm pretty proud considering I never finished Audreys blanket.

I guess that is all for now.

Baby Katelyn Update

First off we have decided on the name Katelyn Anne. It took FOREVER to agree on a name. I guess we are both pretty picky when it comes to baby names. (The word veto was used a lot.) When we were naming Audrey the name came so fast and it just felt perfect from the moment we decided on it. It seriously was just so easy and we both thought that it would be the same with this one. Nope!

Second Amy made a comment on my blog. Which by the way I totally appreciate. Sorry that I never post comments on your blogs but I do read them religiously. And her comment made me realize that I didn't update you on what has been going on.

So on the 21st I went in for the 3rd ultrasound. It was at the Maternal Fetal Medicine unit at UVRMC with a specialist (I know I am so special ☺). She determined that my placenta has moved and that I can have a natural delivery - but I will be closely monitored just in case something goes wrong.

That was good news. However at the appointment they determined that my fluid level was at a 7 (I guess you don't want it lower than a 5 or they have to deliver) and so they had me do a non stress test that day. After the non stress test, the powers that be, decided that I needed to come in twice a week for a non stress test. The second time I went in my fluid level went up to a 9 and then the 3rd time it went up to a 10. Yeah for me and drinking and resting! And the powers that be decided I didn't need to come in twice a week but just once a week. So tomorrow I have my 4th non stress test and I have my 36 week OB appointment. I will let you know how that goes in....about 3 weeks.

At that same appointment, on the 21st, the specialist didn't like how little Katelyn was and wants to do a 4th ultrasound. That appointment is scheduled for the 13th and if she doesn't like Katelyn's growth then I'll deliver. I'm not too worried. Audrey was petite and her little sister is petite.

I am doing fine now. I'm having labor pains but I am not contracting. Like I said I am 36 weeks today but I honestly don't see myself going past 38 weeks. I will be surprised if I go to the end of the month.  So I am rushing to make sure that I have everything I need done at the office done before I run away for 3 months.

SO MANY VARIABLES I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON!