Rachel: 9 months

Height: 27 in (25%)

Weight: 15 lb 13.5 oz (5%)

Head: 44 cm (50%)

this is as pudgy as she gets

Teeth: zero! maybe a slight ridge, but nothing convincing. She still tries to gnaw on me though...
Hair: lots! it's a light brown with a bit of texture and curl, especially around her ears
Eyes: blue, though they are starting to have a green/brown tint in some lights? it seems late for them to be changing but it's possible
Birth mark: the inside of her belly button has a dark red birthmark. I spent the first month or so thinking it was a scab from the umbilical cord but I'm pretty sure it's just a regular birthmark

in a hand-smocked dress from Cousin Janet in England!

Likes: food! She nurses frequently, downs any solid as fast as you can spoon it in, and will squawk at you whenever she sees you holding something edible. She has great finger dexterity so she will pick up tiny specks but can't manage to gum much down yet. She loves to bang things together, especially pots from the toy kitchen. She loves to make sound, often picking up a plastic cup and singing into it and laughing at the echo. She LOVES her brother and sister and looks around expectantly whenever she hears them making sound in another room. I often have to find a quiet room and shut the door in order to nurse her because she is constantly looking for them. She still LOVES the water, whether it's a bath or a swimming pool, even if she's getting splashed in the face. She also likes to be snuggled up in a wrap so she can stay by me when I'm trying to get things done around the house

a typical Rachel pose

she LOVES faces!

Dislikes: waiting too long for things, not being able to see people she loves, getting stuck under furniture. Occasionally she freaks out about going to bed but most of the time our sweet, chill baby is still that--sweet, and chill. She will occupy herself for long stretches of time with basic toys and will follow me down the hall on her tummy if I walk away to get something. She is especially patient with her siblings, who still think she is the best toy ever and love to get right in her face.

New tricks: crawling. And by crawling, I mean this:

AWESOME. She started with baby pushups and graduated to serious planking. She often pauses on her hands and knees but continues to get mobile through fish flops and the animated worm. I hope she keeps it up! She has started giggling spontaneously when she finds something funny or makes a funny sound, though her giggle still sounds like a forced laugh and/or machine gun. She still sings and chatters all day long, and has added a new sound to her repertoire that Scotty aptly named the "Eagle Screech." She has also started signing "more", clapping, and waving.

The Birth Center is not the Hospital (but it's not a cave either!)

A birth center is not a hospital--but it's not a cave either :)

First, for those of you who are medically inclined or otherwise curious, here are the medical procedures I *did* have at the birth center.

the Larsen Ladies

5 days old!

For me:
 Check of temperature, blood pressure, pulse when I arrived. One course of IV antibiotics to prevent transfer of Group B strep bacteria, 1 hour before delivery. General timing of contractions based on watching me have contractions. Check of my temperature and blood pressure after getting in the tub. One cervical check that revealed complete dilation at 5:30am. Shot of pitocin in the leg after delivery to slow bleeding (this is not routine but was based on the above average amount of bleeding I had). Post delivery check of fundal height, uterine contractions, and determination of bleeding several times during my stay.

For Rachel:
Monitoring of heartbeat upon arrival at birth center, during a contraction, and after entering thee tub and between pushing contractions. This monitoring was for a minute or two at a time and could have been done with the doppler or the fetalscope; my nurse used the doppler so we could all hear the heartbeat. There were no concerns and she always sounded great! Delayed cord clamping--the midwife waited until the cord had stopped pulsing before clamping the umbilical cord, which Eric cut. He had never gotten to do that before and thought it was pretty cool! Monitoring of temperature frequently after birth, including while still in the tub. Full newborn exam conducted by the midwife when she was an hour old. Full checkup with the pediatrician on day 2, and check up with the nurses at the birth center on day 4.

attack of the ginormous thumb!

What we didn't have:
Pitocin to induce. Epidural. Stitches (hooray!). Fetal monitoring belts. IV tubes and pole. Any time apart! My baby was either in my arms, Eric's, or my mom's. Except when I shared her with my wonderful nurses and doula for some baby love :) but that was because I love those ladies! Baby eye goop (antibiotic to prevent transfer of mom's STDs). Baby vitamin K shot. Hepatitis shot (she did have this at the pediatrician on day 2). Newborn PKU (this was only done once, instead of twice, and was completed by the nurses at the birth center on day 4).

So excited to have a baby sister!

What I missed about being in the hospital:

1. Having food delivered to my door without having to make it.
2. Hospital pictures of my newborn (just because I have them with my other two!) Though my doula took pictures I'm just waiting to see!
3. A remote controlled bed so I could sit up without arranging pillows or having to use non-existent stomach muscles.
4. The awesome, ginormous cup with a straw which is great for drinking while nursing.
5. The ease and routine of newborn paperwork, like a birth certificate! It is easier when you have your baby in a traditional hospital.

What I didn't miss about being in the hospital:

1. Actually eating the hospital food.
2. Bright lights and linoleum.
3. Hospital gowns that hang open in the back and have convenient front pockets that gape open unexpectedly, exposing your breasts to random people as you walk the halls.
4. Having a shared bathroom after delivery!
5. Having to spend my first recovery night without Eric because of having a roommate.
6. Spending the recovery night at the hospital with nurse interruptions and beeping monitors.
7. Having to get out of the tub for the last hour of contractions!

LONG feet and monkey toes!

What I LOVED about the birth center:

1. The huge tub. Getting in the tub. Staying in the tub. Having Eric in the tub with me!
2. Knowing all of my care providers, including nurses, beforehand. There wasn't a single person in my space that I didn't already know.
3. Wearing my own clothes. At first I thought this would be a downside, because what do you wear in labor? And what if it gets all gross? But in the end it was so nice to just wear whatever I wanted to at the time, including a super comfy skirt that I could happily live in. I ALWAYS felt comfortable, and my stuff didn't get messy at all.
4. Not having tight bands strapped to my stomach. I can tell that I'm having contractions without them showing up on a printout! It was MUCH more comfortable to not have them. With Alyssa I had periods of time with the monitors on and even got in the tub with them, but it was still a relief to have them removed.
5. Not having a tube in my arm. I still have my IV antibiotics, but the only thing left was a bandaid. It was nice to not worry about snagging it on something! I chose to have a heplock in delivery with Alyssa (the IV needle inserted but closed off and taped down without any attached tubing) in case I bled out and needed a transfusion. It was nice to not have that this time, but I would have had it if I was worried about that complication.
6. Seeing my bright eyed baby gaze up at me. No meds. No eye goop. No sticking and poking her with things for her first day!
7. Getting to have Eric with me the whole time, and not having to send the baby off somewhere with him while I stayed behind. After delivery we curled up together (Eric and I, mom had Rachel) and took a nice nap on a super comfy bed.

her bracelet is her "hospital bracelet" and it says "Larsen"

So those are my thoughts. If I had another one (which I  don't think I will but I can't make that final of a decision right now!) I would do it exactly the same way. Especially if he/she was also petite as that makes delivery that much nicer :)

The Story of Rachel Marie

My baby is 3 weeks old today, and I still haven't posted her birth story or any pictures of her! I've been waiting to get pictures back from my doula, who got some amazing shots of the very first moments, but also because this story isn't as detailed or documented as my first two. If I had to pick a theme for Rachel's birth it would be "Let it Be." I wasn't micromanaging every detail of my labor plan or researching up a storm on natural childbirth like I was with Alyssa. The whole experience this time around was very hands off, very peaceful, and very perfect.

It all started with tears. My official due date was August 31, but by my calculations I would have put her due on the 28th. My predictions have been more accurate for my other two, so I felt pretty confident that this little girl would make her appearance during the last week of August, and I really expected her around the 26th. I had planned my chemistry classes to be on maternity leave during that week, with a test and an independent in-class research project. Every day, my students would look up when they walked in the room and exclaim: "you're still here!" When September 1st rolled around, I hit a wall. I was officially overdue, I was tired from not sleeping and being uncomfortable, I was stressed that my maternity leave would roll over into the next (and harder!) unit, and I was just DONE. Eric could sense this and suggested I take a nice warm bubble bath and zone out. He even lent me his iphone with my birth music playlist so I could listen to my favorite tunes. I don't think he expected the deluge of tears. After sitting by me for awhile, he asked me if I wanted alone time or if I wanted him to hold me. Through sobs I told him I just needed a hug and that wonderful husband of mine didn't hesitate--he jumped right into the tub with me, fully clothed!

40 weeks pregnant!

After a few more tears, I accepted that she would come when she was ready and I just needed to stop thinking about it. I even joked to Eric that the advantage of birthing a 3 year old is that they come out potty trained...

the family line up

While I had months of constant Braxton-Hicks contractions, I have never had painful contractions start and not turn in to full blown labor. So when I started feeling some twinges during dinner on Sunday night, I knew it was probably that time. We put the kids in bed and I glanced at the clock occasionally, noting that my contractions were about 15-20 minutes apart. It was only 8pm, so I decided a nice long, distracting game of Monopoly would be just the thing. I sat on an exercise ball and snacked while we played--and within 2 turns around the board I had landed on (and purchased!) all four railroads. Eric then proceeded to land on 3 within the next round. Even when he purchased Boardwalk to supplement his ownership of Park Place it was too late. He ended up selling off all his houses and mortgaging his property and within 5 rounds of the board, I had completely wiped him out. SHORTEST MONOPOLY GAME EVER. I took it as a sign to get some rest and laid down for the next two hours while Eric mentally prepared for labor (aka played Call of Duty MW3). At this point my contractions were about every 10-15 minutes and painful but not too terrible. I wasn't able to sleep but I felt fairly relaxed. Eric called our doula, Diane, to give her the heads up. The plan was to call her to come over when I felt like I needed her.

Wendi says they need to make one that says: "I caught my own baby"

We called my mom around midnight to come over and watch the kids while we took a stroll around the park, just as we had the night I was in labor with Alyssa. I continued to have contractions but they weren't any stronger or closer together, still about every 10 minutes. We got back from our walk just before 2am and I suddenly felt very tired. I tried to lay down on the couch while Eric finally went to bed. I managed to doze through a few minor contractions when suddenly I had 2 that caused me to leap off the couch. I could NOT lay down through contractions anymore! I went to post something on facebook so all the well-meaning friends would know this little girl was FINALLY on her way, and the contraction I had while sitting in the computer chair about knocked me on to the ground. I woke Eric up and told him it was time. "Time?" he says. "Yep, time. Call Diana. Tell her it's time." He just looked at me while I had a major contraction. He rubbed my back gently. He waited for more information. Through gritted teeth, I replied: "Eric, pick up your phone. Right now. Call Diane and tell her it is TIME." My legs were starting to shake and suddenly I knew that if I didn't get in the car soon, I wouldn't be leaving my house.

Diane didn't even ask how far apart my contractions were (still about 7-10 minutes). She just knew that I knew! She told us to meet her at the birth center at 4:15am, about 45 minutes later. We finished packing our bag, woke the kids, and sent them off in Nani's car to spend the night with Papa.

30 minutes after birth

The car is the worst place to have strong contractions. You are stuck in one position, with a seatbelt to add extra pressure, and there is nothing to distract you. Also, whenever the car turns even slightly, your muscles tense to stabilize you. It's a perfect storm of AWFUL. Fortunately, I only had to deal with 3 contractions during the drive as Eric decided 80 mph was an appropriate speed. We arrived at the Babymoon Inn at exactly 4:15am and were greeted by the smiling faces of Doula Diane, the nurse Roxanne, and the midwife on call, Wendi and her student midwife. No paperwork to fill out. No hospital intercoms and bracelets. No sitting in OB triage strapped to a billion monitors and listen to the heartbeats of 10 other babies in utero. I just walked in and kept doing what I was doing. Diane and Roxanne were filling up the ginormous jetted tub for me and Wendi asked me how I was doing and we just let it be. Wendi said she would check my dilation whenever I wanted her to, but that she never needed to check if I didn't want to be interrupted. At this point I didn't want to lay down, and labor was definitely moving along so I didn't think twice about waiting.

I spent most of my early labor minding my own business. At the birth center I had the support of Eric and Diane and emotional support from my mom, but I mostly just did my thing and let it happen. It wasn't all fun and games, but it was probably my easiest labor of the three. My contractions varied from 3 minutes apart to 10, and sometimes I could still talk through them and occasionally they threw me a curve. I threw up (3/3 on that end!) but Diane draped a washcloth dipped in peppermint oil over my shoulders and I never felt nauseous again, even when Roxanne was digging unsuccessfully for veins, trying to place the IV for my antibiotic. I also had a washcloth dipped in ice water to keep me from feeling lightheaded or overheating. After cranking through the antibiotic (Roxanne got that bag through in 2 minutes, instead of the 40 it took at the hospital before having Alyssa!) I could finally get in the tub!

The tub was awesome. All 15 minutes of it! Ok, it was probably closer to 20, but that's about it. I had a few minutes contraction free to really relax and breathe, and the I had 3 very intense contractions back to back. I kept shifting to find a more comfortable position and ended up kneeling and leaning my head on Eric's lap while he sat on the edge of the tub. Wendi had said she could check me in the tub if I wanted her to, so when I started feeling pressure during the last 2 contractions I called her in. I think I was the only one who WASN'T surprised when she announced that I was complete and the baby was at a +3! At this point I realized that I hadn't gotten a priesthood blessing from Eric, so I asked for a minute and everyone left the room. Eric gave me a wonderful and very brief blessing that my body would know what to do and that Rachel would be strong and healthy while I had 2 more contractions. And then the room was a bustle of activity with Roxanne prepping things for baby's arrival and everyone gathering. At some point Eric joined me in the tub, and when I opened my eyes I saw the midwife Wendi, Doula Diane, the nurse Roxanne, and my mom all kneeling along the edge of the tub, watching me. The student midwife, Ashely, channeled her inner spiderman and was straddling the tub to give me a little extra support. Rachel decided to come barreling through and on the first contraction she was nearly out! I could tell it was too fast so I actually held her back and told her to go slowly :o) On the second contraction it was much less uncomfortable and I knew she would be coming quick. Sure enough, on the third contraction her head was out!

Wendi told me to lean back onto Eric, and together we reached down and lifted this tiny, beautiful baby girl out of the water and into my arms. She was gorgeously pink and screaming merrily away, with a full head of dark hair. She seemed so tiny to me! I later learned that my mom managed to catch that perfect moment on video! Watching it makes me (and everyone else!) cry at how peaceful and natural it was. It's also pretty PC and completely gore-free for a birth movie. I'm not going to post it to a public blog, but if you're interested in seeing it let me know :)

I stayed in the tub holding my tiny baby girl while she started up at me until after I delivered the placenta. We got out to shower off, but I was bleeding more heavily than they would have liked so after a quick 30 second scrub of shampoo in the hair I was back in bed with a shot of pitocin in the leg. My bleeding quickly slowed and the worry was over. After nursing and weighing her in at a tiny 6 lb 4 oz (gestational diabetes? ha!), I handed her off to my mom and curled up by Eric for a nice long nap is a full size bed.

smallest baby ever! ok, at least for me

Papa brought the kids to visit, and while Scotty was more interested in the toys than his baby sister, he did tell me she was really cute :o)

SO excited to be a big sister!

Rachel passed her newborn exam with flying colors and after eating some lunch, we headed home around 1pm.

 For those of you who are curious, the pros and cons of the birth center versus the hospital, and more details about the medical care I had during labor are coming in the next post!

Oceanside 2012

This post is now several months overdue, but better late than never! We spent a wonderful week on the beach in Oceanside with my parents, enjoying some rest, some very early mornings with small children, and lots of big waves. And yes, I fully support boogie boarding at 7.5 months pregnant :) We also spent a day at the Mormon Batallion Museum, which was really cool. The kids loved the activities and my dad was able to look up information on an ancestor he had in the group.
 

Goldilocks

Some HUGE waves

Sand crabs! He was brave enough to touch it :)

First (and only) attempt. It's scary when you're four!

Mormon Batallion

She probably pumped 18 gallons of water--ALL BY HERSELF.

panning for gold

Serious splashing requires full body protection

climbing on art!

Papas are great for wrestling while Daddy is away

this girl makes great faces

Probably the best action shot ever.

Hi, Baby Rachel!

These kids LOVE their Papa Bri

Eric caught this wave before he got eaten....

My happy little man

The proper way to wear sunglasses

Life Like This

Enough with the whining! Not that I've really stopped whining, it's morphed more into a shade of panic, but at least it mostly stays inside my head :) I'm sure I'll feel much better about everything after I meet my new midwives on Monday night. Yep, that's right, NEW midwives at 34.5 weeks. Still mourning the unexpected resignation of my fabulous midwife who has been an emotional rock for me this pregnancy...but hopeful that I click well with the two new ladies who will be involved in the birth of this sweet little baby girl.

The past month has been a whirlwind of fun summer activities and vacation. We spent a wonderful 10 days in Utah with the Larsen clan, which deserves an upcoming post all of its own, as does the fabulous week at the beach in Oceanside we just returned from.

Without further ado, a picture dump of my kids and our summer fun :)

Just after the Moroni was added to the Gilbert, AZ temple! This will be *OUR* temple in a year or two

Last day of swimming lessons! Scotty is finally brave enough to really put his face in the water and have fun looking for toys

It's hot, so I let my kids climb on toys at the mall. And I'm too cheap to put money in!

Happy Father's Day! Probably the most cooking I've done in months. Especially when I can't eat pancakes!

Peter Piper Pizza. Ride on, cowgirl!

Yes, even I rode the miniature carousel.

Driving with papa

Waterfalls and rivers at the zoo

Inside monkey village, watching the spider monkeys eat and jump around.

I promise to be better about blogging, for those of you who actually care. I also promise to keep the pictures flowing and the whining to a minimum :)