Phototherapy

For me the first few days home with a newborn is rough.  My hormones are out of whack, I'm wired with anxiety and this time around I randomly would start to cry for no reason.    To make matters worse Spencer is always having a rough time adjusting to sleeping on his back.  He prefers to be curled up tight on his belly.   Sleep started out hard because he just wouldn't let me lay him down.

So when I got a call first thing on Monday morning, after a long sleepless night, from the pediatrician's clinic saying his bilirubin was way to high and he needed phototherapy to help break down the jaundice,  I started to bawl.  How was I going to keep a kid who hates being on his back strapped to some contraption for 24 hours a day.   I text the expert Mary who has been through this with most of her kids and her compassion and assurance helped calm me down.

Soon the lights were delivered and I painfully strapped Spencer in.  At first as was expected he squirmed and fussed but surprisingly he settled down and went to sleep.   What was more surprising was that he actually mostly happily stayed there the remainder of the night.  There was a time at 4 in the morning when I had just barely fed him and he wouldn't settle down.  Bart being the amazingly patient person he is in the middle of the night sat next to him keeping the binki in his mouth for an hour while I rested.    The next day a gift from God was sent to our house and Spencer had one those sleepy newborn can't stay awake days and peacefully slept in his jail cell.

Oh what a relief it was to get the call later that day that is bilirubin levels were normal and the lights were no longer needed.    How nice it was to cuddle him without any jaundice worries.


He also slept so much better that following night.  I think the lights may have been a blessing in disguise.   It forced him to learn how to relax and sleep on his back.    So here's a hope to more restful nights.

Hello from the Outside- Day 3

  On Saturday Jane had a soccer game and luck would have it it was also picture day so it was a necessity for Jane to go.  Lucky for her she was able to hang out with us in the hospital Friday evening and then Bart took her home and it was just Spencer and I. 

I had the most fabulous nurse that night.  Around 9:30 she came in and said "We will be monitoring Spencer's blood sugar's all night as well as doing some other tests, so why don't you feed him and I will take him to the nursery and bring him back when it's time to nurse".  I did what she said and then I asked her to turn off all the lights and I had one of the deepest sleeps I've had in a long time.   It was wonderful!  

The next day after Jane's soccer game Bart and she came back just in time to give Spencer some more hugs and load up to go home.  

It was fun to have a little extra time with Jane.  Something being a middle child she doesn't always get

Proud Parents

So little

Hello from the Outside- Day 2

Spencer's first day in the world was filled with joy and quiet peace.  We were blessed with many visitors who wanted to welcome our sweet little boy into the world.

After Bart got the girls off to school he came back to the hospital and we had a blissful quiet morning filled with some cuddles from Spencer and some time alone.  At lunch the Jordan Valley Hospital cafeteria arrived with a celebration lunch.  It was very lovely and I joked with Bart that it felt like we were on a date.  Something we probably won't see for a while with a full family of 4 busy kids. 

Bart ran over and picked the girls up as soon as school was over and they came and met their new brother.

Happy Sisters

Aaron for months has been saying I wuv baby pento (Spencer).  He loved finally meeting him. 

Suzanne was so kind to take Aaron to Red Butte and then come and get Emily to have a sleep over.

I thought it was an amazing sacrifice considering her little boy Phin was off camping with Seth and she could have had a little break.   

Raquel stopped by to visit with Avaya.  Raquel is such a validating and fun person and it's carrying over to her kids.  Avaya kept coming up and saying "Cute Baby"  It was adorable.  

Later that evening Scott and Kristie came for a quick visit. 

Mary also stopped by on her way home from women's conference to give me these precious bum covers for his newborn pictures.  Here's a little preview of him wearing them.  

We loved all our visitors and the chance to bond with Spencer in the hospital.

Hello from the Outside Day 1

A few months ago I was sitting in a Dr's office for a checkup and he pointed out that because of my advanced maternal age that there is a bigger risk of having a still born baby past 39 weeks.  So it was his recommendation that I be induced at 39 weeks.  I sat there feeling so icky that the thought of  being pregnant for even a minute less than I have to was music to my soul.    As soon as I could I calculated when I could deliver and the date came up April 28th!!!!  From then on April 28th was imprinted on my soul of the day of relief..

Oh how I grateful I was when the date finally approached.  Because I was scheduled to be induced at 6:30 in the morning my gracious in laws said they would take Aaron the night before.   So on Wednesday morning I sent Aaron off to his preschool with Bart knowing Pauline would pick him up and he would spend the night with her.  I gave Aaron a quick hug and shed a little tear that the next time I would see him he would no longer be my little baby.   It's always a little hard for me to go through the change of our family dynamics but I've always known Aaron was not meant to be the baby of the family and I found comfort knowing how having a brother will bless his life

The rest of the day I spent completing little odds and ends and then treated myself to a pedicure knowing it would be a long time until I had time to myself again.

Everything went really smoothly with the induction.    Being my forth and 3rd induction I had high hopes that it would go really fast.   Ally has mentioned a few times whenever a patient has a "birth plan" in mind is like they sabotage themselves.   Well I think that is what happened to me.  I came in thinking this is my forth delivery, my last 2 were a breeze so this one will just pop out.   So when I was only dilated to a 3 by lunch time I got very antsy and just couldn't relax.  I think around 2ish the pain became worse and I called for an epidural.  I then expected like my last 2 for the epidural to sink in and I could rest and patiently wait.    The epidural took the pain of the contractions away but the pressure with each contraction was present and made for an uncomfortable and restless afternoon.  Around 5:30 the pressure was so bad I couldn't take it and I felt like pushing.

At this point Bart took this very unattractive picture of me but I want to keep it as a memory of the last time I felt so big, crappy and pregnant.  

I wanted the Dr there immediately but it took him what felt like forever to arrive from clinic.  Finally he came and I had the expectation "OK he will tell me to push a couple of time and my baby will just pop out."  After a couple of pushes the Dr. realized that this little guy was OP or sunny side up meaning his face was turned the wrong way.   What this meant to me was a very slow and painful process of pushing, crying, yelling when Bart answered the phone, and telling the Dr and all the nurses to just shut up.  Dr Empey just laughed and told me to get more mad at him it will help me push harder.

Finally at 6:47 Spencer Ashby Richards made his appearance into the world.

He weighed in at 9 pounds 12 oz.   This was the exact weight as Aaron.  

They had concerns with Spencer's breathing so I only got to hold him for a minute then they whisked him away to the nursery to give him some oxygen and monitor him.

Pauline and John came soon after with the kids but because Spencer was still in the nursery they were not able to hold him. Instead were able to witness Bart giving him his first bath.

It was getting late and the kids had school the next day so Bart took the girls home.  They didn't want to go but were promised they could come back  the next day and hold their new brother.

At this point I had barely held my baby and my body was having trouble calming down from labor and was shaking terribly.  Not exactly the Hallelujah's I was expecting.  They came in to wheel me into the nursery and help feed Spencer a bottle because his blood sugar was low. This was my second view of my little baby.

As I sat next to him waiting for them to get everything ready I reached out and he wrapped his fingers around my hand.  An overwhelming feeling of love for this baby boy came over me and I was smitten.  The "experts" can say all they want about the need for skin to skin to fully bond but for me all it took was Spencer grabbing my hand.  I was overjoyed with the privilege I get to be his mama.  A true blessing from Heaven!!! 

SIT DOWN

The girls came running through the door after school on Monday so jumpy and excited that it was the best day ever.  I think what happened? Did the school get a pizza party or they announced a fun field trip etc....    They proclaim that in a few days they would be getting a new bus driver. 

They have been complaining about their mean bus driver all year.  I'd hear things like" he doesn't let us sit in the back of the bus"  "We can't eat any food on the bus" and "he makes us stay in our seats the whole time and not talk to anyone."  Oh the stress of being in elementary school!! I laugh out loud and remind Jane of our conversation a month or so ago.  She was getting her backpack ready for school and couldn't find her library book.  We talk about the places it could be but it just was nowhere to be found.  I ask her where she remembered seeing it last and she said I remember reading it on the bus.  I then suggest that she ask the bus driver if he has seen the book and Jane's eyes got really big and she said  "I can't he doesn't talk to us,  all he says when you say anything to him is sit down (this was said in a great Asian Accent)."  "It's like sit down is all of our names",  I started laughing so loud and all day long I teased Jane and called her sit down. 


On a side note I've had few of the moms in my neighborhood complain about how horrible the bus situation is.    One even took her kids off the bus and starting driving them herself.  I'm in full defense of the bus.  It's been the greatest life savor to send them out each morning still in my PJ's and magically have them appear around 4 each afternoon.  I also believe full heartedly that a school bus is probably one of the best places to learn true life skills.  I being a bus brat who spent a hour and a half on a bus each day can tell some funny life lesson stories. (That's a blog post for another day) They basically boil down to sometimes you get picked on and sometimes your the one picking on someone else.   Life is a balance of learning to rise above the bullies without becoming a victim and realizing that it doesn't make you a better person to put someone down. 

So for my girls life I hope they remember this experience with their "mean bus driver" because  they've got to be tough to handle all the other "mean situations" that will come along!!


Update September 2016.........Emily and Jane would casually mention how nice it was to have the new bus driver.  Then one day Emily came home and said "Mom you remember that mean bus driver,  well he's back.  I don't know how I'm going to stand it.  Maybe I can take the other bus which drives right by the other trax station and get off there and take trax up to our station and walk the rest of the way home".    My response "It's really worth all that effort just to avoid this bus driver?"  Emily kind of laughed and said "No I guess not"

Where there is kindness there is goodness

10 years ago I held this baby girl in my arms and wondered who she would become.   A decade later I'm seeing her developing into a beautiful kind and generous person.    I looked out the window and saw this lovely tree in full bloom.  It was as if it said "I'm in full bloom today for your "beautiful blooming" daughter.  

 One trait that as always impressed me about Emily is her generosity.  Since she was little she has always been so giving.  She's the first to share her stash of candy.  Just the other day I was having a I really need some chocolate moment.   I had nothing and Bart's poorly hidden stash had been long gone devoured by Aaron.  I called out to Emily for help and she happily hopped down the stairs with a couple of pieces eager to come to my rescue.   She also doesn't blink an eye with objections when Jane asks to play with something or says "Can I wear your shirt today?"    I've come to learn there is something in her nature that loves to be generous with others.    She even wanted Jane and Aaron to come join her for a goofy birthday photo.

At church today she climbs over Bart, Jane, and Aaron to ask me if she could bear her testimony.  I said she didn't need my permission and then a few speakers later she slipped up to the stand and bore a beautiful testimony.  She said that she was thinking about how at 2 PM today she would be 10 and that she had a playdate with a friend a couple of times that week and yesterday when she was at her house she told her friend it was her birthday tomorrow and her friend then gave her one of her old stuffed animals.  Emily then said it made her think that would be what Jesus would have us do.  Just like when she was at her grandma's house her grandma made a bunch of loaves of bread and some homemade jam and she went with her to deliver them to her friends.  Again she said she knows that is what Jesus would want us to do for each other.

I'm very grateful Emily is realizing the value of giving and in the world of "men will become lovers of themselves" this gift will be especially needed.  

Since I got pregnant I've been "preparing" Emily that I would be too pregnant to throw her a friend party.  She's had a really hard time accepting this but was happy her birthday fell on a Sunday so she could celebrate it with all her cousins.  I asked her what kind of cake she wanted me to make and she said "I don't want cake I want to bring donuts." See how kind she is to her swollen pregnant mother.  So a donut cake it was.   I didn't hear any complaints especially from a few lovers of sprinkles fans!!!

So here is a cheer to my Emily the great that her next decades will be a great as her first!!!

Batman V Superman

I pick Aaron up from his Preschool and notice a sign on the door that says tomorrow "Dress up like Princess and Superhero day".   I groan..  This would be so easy if Aaron was only a girl.  He could get into the dress up clothes and have his pick of the liter.  Unfortunately we've yet to cross over and start buying super hero costumes and being March it isn't likely Walmart would have Halloween costumes left over.   So we go home and brainstorm.  Jane discovers a plastic superman cape from Dayson's b day party a few years ago.  Perfect except the straps are missing.   What to do..... What to do?  Aaron mentions the left over Batman duct tape he's been dying to get his hands on but I have safely hidden.  Great we make new straps using Batman duct tape.  Aaron then signed his name on the back and put some strange squirrel sticker he got from a kids meal and was tickled pink that he has a superman-batman cape.  I was  tickled pink he's happy and I can be done thinking about superheroes.  The next morning Bart reminds Aaron he has a Spiderman jacket his uncle Jeff gave him and he quickly put it on.

So here is Aaron just about to walk into preschool in his Superhero get up.    Have I mentioned how emotionally easy this kid is.    He takes things as they are with no complaints when things aren't just so so.

I on the other hand have a hard time just letting things go.  Aaron didn't seem to care that when he walked in the other boys in their perfect muscle man superhero costumes were really confused if he was superman or batman.   One tried to argue with him when he told them he was batman and superman.  I had to fight off the guilt that he wasn't perfectly dressed but Aaron despite the comments was happy with his new cape.  I can learn a lot from this kid.