Almost 4 months - My life with three children

Time flies with three children! How is it that I just found time to write this out and Elle is almost four months old? INSANITY is why!

Both Elle and Matheson are currently napping. Nick is at an all day interview and Tristan is at school. It's rare that I have time to myself anymore. 

Nick started calling our daughter, Elle Belle and it has stuck. She is the most darling baby. She's happy and quiet. She sleeps through the night and is very easy going. I felt both boys needed strict routines and if there was kink in the routine, the whole day was off. I have been more lax this time around simply because I am so busy and Miss Elle goes right along with the flow. She enjoys walks to the park with her brother. She won't sleep on the walk as there is just so much to see. She has a ton of dark brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. She is currently wearing 6 months clothes proving that it's the Norstrom gene that creates these BIG babies. 

Elle is such a part of the family already, I can't imagine her not being apart of it. All things happen for a reason. 

Matheson had a hard adjustment when we brought home his little sister. He stopped napping for 3 months and needed Melatonin to go to sleep at night. The whining and crying all day was too much some days, but he eventually came around right around the time Elle turned three months. Tristan is the best big brother to both. He will hold and feed Elle and play with Matheson. Tristan is making good grades even though he is dyslexic and has ADHD. No one works harder than him. It is the grit that will make him successful in life. That I am sure of. Matheson started speech therapy a few weeks ago. He is behind in talking and an evaluation proved him to be in the 1% for his age. We bring him 2x per day for 30 minute sessions. 

Nick lost his job end of June 2020 and hasn't found one yet, but it has been a blessing in disguise as I needed him home. With a pandemic and not able to really go anywhere, being home 24/7 has tested me in ways I never imagined. But I am lucky I married a wonderful man that is a great father and takes care of us. Nick has had a few interviews with three companies that we are hoping he receives an offer from one of them soon. Two are in Houston and one in New York. We have a whole life with friends and family here, but there is something in me that would love to move to another state, another climate, something new and exciting! Hopefully, something pulls through before the end of the year. 

Induction Day!!!

 Today I plan on just getting the little things done around the house. My housekeeper is coming tomorrow as I don't want to come home to a dirty house, but I washed and changed my sheets/ comforter anyways. 

I am still not sure if I will get Cervadil tonight and induce tomorrow or if I will get Pitocin tonight as I am already dilated. I can't wait to meet Elle, but I also can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

Legally Blonde the movie was on last night. Elle Woods is the main character.... it felt like a sign! 

Very exciting!! I get to meet my daughter soon!

Close to the finish line

 I went to my last OB appointment today. Very exciting to be at the finish line. Dr Kelly is on vacation this week, so I saw her PA, Carly. I instantly liked her. 

Surprisingly, I am already 3cm dilated, 40% effaced and mucus plug is gone! My ultrasound showed baby girl head down deep in my pelvis in perfect position. The PA tried to strip my membranes and she did a little, but my cervix is still high, even though she could feel baby's head. She stated that I might go into labor naturally before my induction Monday night. So I been instructed to walk indoors and continue bouncing on my ball. The night before I was up all night with irregular contractions, I am pretty sure from the result of the labor prep acupuncture I received. Carly also stated that I wouldn't need Cervidil for cervix softening, so they will give me Pitocin right away instead. All day since my appointment, I am super sore from her checking my cervix. 

Right now, I am typing this after midnight on August 7th. As soon as I got into bed the contractions started pretty regular. Feeling them mostly in my lower back, which is just agony. I would love to have Elle today as the boys in the family would all be born on the first and the girls, the 7th! I am huge into number meanings and this would be awesome!

Also, huge nesting instinct kicked in when I got home. I made Nick go to the grocery store today to stock up on everything possible that we needed, which is did. I organized the pantry, cleaned the vacuum cleaner head, did a load of laundry and organized the playroom. I have been taking 2 naps per day and today, no nap, but tons of energy to EVERYTHING done. Labor is imminent I just know it. 

Today I will need to go to the hospital for my Covid test prior to my induction. I might also do another acupuncture session too.  

Exactly one more week to go!

The eviction notice has been given. Induction is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

I check in to the hospital alone on Monday night to soften my cervix overnight. 

Elle will hopefully be born sometime on Tuesday. I can't wait to meet her!

Nick will join me on Tuesday once I am in active labor. Due to Covid, once he's in my room, he can't leave. This makes things tricky with a toddler and a tween at home. Tristan will start middle school online that same day too. My mom will be here, but stressed none the less. It will be an interesting day!!

So far all my bloodwork has been normal and BP in staying in acceptable ranges. I do have pre-eclampsia due to high protein in my urine along with keytones. But so far, it looks as if she will stay put until my induction at 37 weeks. 

My hips and cervix hurt all day and night. Elle is my biggest baby so far. We are predicting at least an 8 pounder by her delivery date. Sleep is hard and I am taking cat naps throughout the day to make up for it. I am miserable! Weight gain is about 41lbs so far. 

35w

I am so behind on posts as I am miserable.

At 31 weeks, I spent 3 days in the hospital as my bp was high and I was having really bad headaches. I was given two steroid injections just in case she needed to be delivered early. Luckily, that did not happen, my BP stabilized and I was able to go home.

I have had weekly ultrasounds and bloodwork with Dr Kelly. Today my labs confirmed that I do indeed have pre-eclampsia again. On top of that, Elle flipped into a breech position. I have been doing everything to get her to move. Acupuncture, bouncing on a ball and inversion positions. I go back to the doctor on Thursday at 35w4d. If she is not in head down position on that day, then I need to schedule a ECV to have her manually turned, then an induction on 37w.

Exactly two weeks away from meeting our girl, IF I make it that long. These headaches that I have had constantly can be debilitating. Some days I can't get out of bed and some days, they are manageable.

Nick lost his job a month ago. We will be ok. He received 6 months severance, plus health insurance. He is able to collect unemployment as well. Plus, Nick has amassed quite a big of wealth over the years that we aren't concerned. We certainly don't want to bleed money and hope he has a job in six months, but it won't be detrimental if not.

I believe all things happen for a reason. Nick has been the best dad and husband the last month. I couldn't have done this without him. It is most likely the reason my pre-e didn't come back earlier as I have had time to rest and nap when needed. Nick takes Matheson outside for play and walks several times per day. It's Texas Summer, which means temps are in the 100s. I don't even walk to the mailbox at this point, so he really is the best.

All of this while the Pandemic is at an all time high and Texas is now one of the worst states for number of cases. Which means, at this point, we literally have been homebound since March... it is end of July with no end in sight.

Last night, I could really tell the stress of all this was getting to Nick as we are super concerned that I may end up with a c-section. That means, Nick would need to care for me, help with a newborn, fully take care of a toddler and monitor Tristan with his online school work when school reopens, which we don't have an actual start date yet. My mom's furlough ends soon and she goes back to work on Aug 3. She is taking a few days off to help watch Matheson while we are in the hospital, but that's it. No one able to help us. It's daunting when I think about how hard it is going to be, c-section or not.

At this point, we can just hope for the best. Whatever will be, will be, just let it be. AND BREATHE.

30w4d - Hospital Observation

Matheson started at Primrose this week, so all my appointments have been made on those days, so that Nick can attend doctor appointments with me.

Sure enough, my blood pressure was high and I needed to go to the hospital's Maternal Fetal Monitoring center to have blood work, urine analysis and serial BP checks done. We were there for about 2 hours and my BP was normal; however, the protein in my urine jumped from 290 two weeks prior to 380. This is very high. Dr Kelly had me also do a 24hr urine collection that same day. I do not have those results yet.

Pre-eclampsia has returned. If my BP gets higher, I can be put on BP medication again and my OB stated she can watch the protein in my urine to a point. However, if my liver enzymes elevate, she will have no choice, but to induce me early. Best case scenario, we are still hoping to make it to 37 weeks, but if not, 32-34 is the best option for Elle.

I am on a week by week basis as of right now. It becomes a delicate balance of keeping me safe and letting baby girl develop more before delivery.

30 Week Maternity Photos