Regular Jeans

After being pregnant with the miscarriage and then pregnant with Annie, I have been in maternity clothes for the past 12 months! I can't wear the "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant" shirt now because I'm just FAT. I know it's baby fat, but it's still fat. I take Annie everywhere I go so people understand I just had a baby. Okay, that's not the real reason, but it's a perk :) So yesterday, my old jeans were kind of poking out more than the rest of my clothes in the closet like they were daring me, and I thought "yeah right" but I decided to be brave and try them anyway. One leg in, okay this is good... two legs in... now here come the thighs... ERGH! They're on!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're a size bigger than my smallest from last summer, but they're regular jeans nontheless. I thought I was going to have to go buy jeans another size bigger, but I was pleasantly surprised I get to NOT go shopping and save some money :0 (Well, Barry will be happy about that part anyway) hehe

Annie has arrived!

This picture was taken shortly after I was admitted to Redlands Community Hospital around 3pm on Friday, September 4th. We were so excited that Dr. Goo offered to keep me for induction even though I wasn't having contractions anymore. She knew that I lived an hour away and had other children at home, so she figured it was the best option for our family. She was right!!! Grandma Mary was already at home with Fischer and the girls, so it was the best bet for everyone.



My doctor (Dr. Beitel) had stripped my membranes the day before at my regular doctor appointment and I was dilated to a "3" at that time. My contractions started around 4pm on Thursday and were 5 minutes apart for a good 3-4 hours. We decided to go down the hill and stay in a hotel to be closer to the hospital for when active labor began. After we checked into our hotel room and I went to bed, the contractions stopped. I woke up at 5am on Friday with contractions 10 minutes apart, but they shortly subsided as well. We went to the hospital around noon before driving back to Victorville to wait for labor to begin when we got the good news we could stay.

My first nurse, Jackie, was fantastic. She and the entire staff treated us so well and didn't act like we were crazy for coming in early like most hospitals do. She started the Pitocin drip around 2:45pm and my contractions started within 30 minutes or so. They were bearable and I had done this three times before without any medication, so I knew I was doing well being dilated to a "6" without too much pain. Even though I knew I could make it through the whole labor going "au natural" again, I decided to try an epidural just to see what it was like. The anesthesiologist inserted the epidural around 5:30pm and I immediately quit feeling all pain. It was great!!! Unfortunately the trade-off was that labor subsided and I became frustrated with that. Then, Dr. Goo broke my water around 7:20pm to get things going and upped the Pitocin from 4ml to 6ml. I told her once I hit "7", I usually moved to a "10" within 30-40 minutes. She said she'd stick around and wasn't going anywhere.




The new nurse, Rosy, had to go next door to do another delivery, so Eva checked me 40 minutes later and said I was still a "6". I couldn't believe it because the pressure was so strong and I knew she was coming soon. Rosy showed up about 15 minutes after that and I told her I had to push. Sure enough, I was ready!!! She got the doctor and we began delivery. I pushed through one contraction to get Annie's head out and her body slid out during the second contraction without any effort. We all said "wow" because it was super fast.

Annie Kayleen Ray was officially born at 9:19pm on Friday, September 4, 2009 (on her due date). She weighed 7 lb. 3 1/2 oz. and was 20 inches long. She has a quiet disposition and is so sweet. She eats well every 2-3 hours and sleeps well in between feedings. Luckily, her sisters and the other household noises do not disturb her at all. She has adjusted well to her new life with our family and we are so blessed to be called her parents.

Fischer was in love and delighted with her from the minute he saw her. Gracie is a mother hen and wants to hold her all the time. She likes to burp her and look at her with adoring eyes. Chloe walks around and says "baby" all the time and "niiiice" while she focuses to "nicely" and "gently" touch her. She also likes to kiss her on the head a lot.

It has been a good few days and we are looking forward to raising this new beautiful baby girl. I can only hope we are the good parents that Annie deserves. I am so happy to be a new mommy and look to Heavenly Father for guidance and direction as I raise all four of my wonderful children!

Ashlee's, Ashlee's, we all fall down!

HAHAHA... Gracie is singing this wrong, but it's so funny I had to share. I think she might be spending a lot of time with Ashlee lately ;)

Gracie Belle

Despite the anticipation of a new baby, I decided to go ahead and enroll Gracie in preschool at the beginning of the school year instead of waiting until October. Thankfully, we have friends nearby who have their son in the same class, so if I can't manage to take her one day, she can rideshare with them. Yesterday was her first day, and of course I forgot the camera. When we got there, she was very shy and timid at first. She went to find the toys and kitchen set, then quickly came back to me not knowing what to expect. I was catching up with an old co-worker of mine who was also putting her daughter in the class and was hanging out for a few minutes to see if Gracie would warm up to the new environment. Then lo' and behold, Carter shows up and she snaps out of her shy shell and instantly became the Gracie we all know and love. It was funny to see how quickly she relaxed. She kissed me goodbye and went on her way. At the end of the day, I was informed that she was singing really loudly and looking happy. I'm so glad she had a great first day without any tears!!!

She is becoming quite the little grown up. She loves to play with her sister, but easily tells her what to do as though she's the mommy. The girls were playing really quietly today under the kitchen table and I kept hearing "Come here, Chloe." "That's enough, Chloe." "Put that down, Chloe." "Relax, Chloe." "Now, go over there, Chloe." It was so funny. From what I hear, this is how I used to be when I was little too. Grrrreat... tells me what I'm in store for huh? And Mom always said, "Just wait until you have kids of your own." At least it's still fun... for now!!!! And quietly, the girls are both napping at the same time. Ahhhh, the sound of silence (and the laundry going).