SURPRISE, MORE SHOTS!

Brinlee brought home a note from school the other day that said she wasn't up to speed on her vaccinations and that we needed to get her in for some shots.  I was pretty confused.  We've never skipped or missed any doses with her, but when I called the school nurse she said there was indeed a problem.  Want to know what the problem was?

The school district is really  strict about the amount of time that passes between each round of multi-dose vaccines, and according to the district standards, her second dose of Hepatitis B from back when she was 6 months old was given to her a whopping 3 days early... and they wouldn't count it.

We probably could have put up a stink about it, but we decided to bribe Brinlee with candy and just go in and get it taken care of instead. A few months ago when we had been in with her I had promised her that she wouldn't need any more shots for a long time.  Little did I know.

I felt really bad.  But she was actually a really good sport about it, bless her heart.  Here she was right before the shot (that's supposed to be a thumbs up... we'll work on that later).

I didn't take pictures of her after the shots, they wouldn't have been nearly as happy looking.
But the lollypop did help!
And now she's all approved and good to go.

...sheesh...

NURSE'S NOTE: ALL PLUGGED UP

Well today was fun.

There's just nothing quite like re-arranging your afternoon and abandoning your original plans so that you can instead wrestle your poor, scared little kiddo in the doctors office for a few hours....

Sigh.    

Back in May when we had Brinlee in for her 4-year-old check up, the doctor took a peek in her ears and said she was pretty full of wax.  She said it usually works itself out, but told us we need to bring her back in if she starts complaining of discomfort or having difficulty hearing.

Well, over the last few weeks Brinlee started being bothered by those very things!  Not consistently, so I hadn't thought much about it.  But over the last few days it really started to kick in, and this morning in particular she was pretty bugged.  She kept tugging at her ears and telling me "They feel weird mom, I just can't hear!"  

Poor baby girl.  While I was in the shower she decided to take matters into her own hands and when I got out I found her busy with a Q-tip... Ack!!

Now.  If I'm being totally fair and honest, I would admit that she has learned by example...  

Not that I haven't made it very clear to these kiddos that Q-tips are a mommy's job only!

But I like clean ears, ok!  Especially kid ears. 

And I know what you're thinking - DeeAnna, Q-tips? Seriously, you're a nurse!

Well don't worry, I get it now, we've learned our lesson around here and I'll be changing my ways.

Brinlee was near tears.  "It's not working, I still can't hear.  And my ear hurts!"  So I peeked in, did my own quick swab, came out with some blood, went into official panic mode, called Tim for a quick "help calm me down and tell me what to do!" session, and then took her in to get checked out.  

Long story short:

- There had NOT been any damage to her eardrum, thank goodness! 

- She was totally plugged on both sides by a huge amount of deep wax.

- The doctor wanted to do a good rinse of both ears to help get her feeling and hearing better.

- Brinlee completely hated it!  

- And every single person in that whole office definitely heard her make that very clear  :(

Before they did the rinse, they put in some ear drops and our little lady looked something like this.

And then an hour later when all was said and done we were leaving looking something like this.

Talk about rough.  My poor sweet girl!
I will say this, her ears may have been plugged, but her lungs were working just fine.  She sure hollered.  Bless her heart.  She tried so hard to be tough and brave, but it was uncomfortable, and she just hated it.
But, now she feels and hears like a new woman.  So, worth it I guess?
Still heartbreaking.

Lessons Learned:
1. It's true what they say, No more Q-tips!
2. Don't be fooled by little ears, they can hold an amazing amount of gunk. (Seriously, it was a ton!)
3. A milkshake really can make everything better.

Sheesh.  Here's to a happier, more relaxed, not so traumatizing, not so tear-filled, not so ear wax-filled, fun day tomorrow.  She deserves it!

ODUS 2.0 vol 8: DADDY DOESN'T HAVE BOOBEES

I was getting the girls into the tub a while back and the conversation went something like this:

"Hey mom, do I have boobees anymore?
Daddy doesn't have boobees.
I hope I don't have boobees soon. They're yucky."

It turns out, "boobees" is Brinlee language for "goopies", which is what I had been calling the sad but copious amounts of gunk coming from the girls eyes during their round of pink eye,
which came after their round with coughs, runny noses and fevers,
and came only shortly before we all went the rounds with a stomach bug,
and then finished off with the girls going yet another round with coughs, runny noses, and fevers.

In a nutshell, January was a rough month for us.  We spent almost 4 weeks wearing pajamas, running humidifiers, sitting up all night, taking long naps, splashing in very steamy baths, and wiping noses.
So. Much. Snot.

Yes, that is a picture of McKenna sitting up at 1:00 in the morning being consoled through her fever watching a video... of herself.

Poor baby girls.

Luckily February was a much better month for us. Whew!

Even when they are sicky and waiting for breakfast with serious bed-head, they are stinking cute!

Nurse's Note: Oh, So That's Croup

There's a tree on our street that always seems to get into the Autumn Spirit early, and I don't blame it.  It's quite the actress (of course it's a girl!) and really puts on quite a show!  Just a couple days into October we saw the first hint of yellow in its leaves, and for the last few weeks we've watched it change from yellow, to orange, to red.  In fact, all of Ohio has become something like a painting.  It's really been just dreamy!

On a less dreamy note, I guess Fall decided it didn't want to come without a buddy.  That's kind of lonely.  So along with all the dazzling colors, this year the first week of October brought us some Croup!

It was terrible.

Tim actually diagnosed the girls.  The smarty pants.  He had just finished learning about croup.  And I actually remembered a few random things about it and had seen some croupy kids during my crash-course in pediatrics way back in nursing school. So we kind of had an idea of what was coming. We knew it was viral, knew it was miserable, knew a few basic treatment tips that might help a little, but knew that we were mostly going to have to tough it out.  Sometimes it does help to know a little, so I thought we were pretty prepared.  Bring on the bad nights, high fevers, and sick, sad babies, we are ready! Right?

Wrong!   

I sure did not realize that croup could be so bad!  It was rough!

Both girls got it, but McKenna got it first and had it the worst.  On her Croup night #2 she spiked some pretty scary fevers and ended up spending some time in the emergency room.  Well two emergency rooms actually.  She didn't turn around like they thought she would at the first hospital, so the little sweetie got an ambulance ride to the Children's hospital and spent a few hours there too.  Poor thing.  Not our best night.

Brinlee started in with her round of it the very next night.  And from there, they spent a good solid week in and out of fevers, coughing like crazy, sitting up at night next to open windows, trying to choke down fluids over a raw, scratchy throat, soaking in hot baths, and crying... a lot.  It's enough to break a poor mama's heart! 

These babies really were troopers though.  They both completely lost their little voices, and were obviously about as miserable and exhausted as two little people can be.  But they stayed just as sweet as ever and toughed it out like champions.  They are so awesome.

Once things had settled some, I did feel a little sheepish for getting so frazzled.  A hospital visit?  Hmm.  I mean, we do have a decent medical background, and it was "just croup"... but I didn't feel sheepish for long.  As it turns out Croup is a bummer of a bug! And apparently not as textbook as we thought.  We were glad we decided to go with our gut on this one.  I just hope that we can say this was our lesson in Croup, and we can now log it away for safe keeping and never re-visit it again, ever.  I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?

Here's hoping!

Nurse's Note: My Week

Here is a little look at my week so far.

Looks like a seriously good time doesn't it?
You know, it really hasn't been actually.  I spent all last week absolutely miserable.  I caught a bit of a bug (read: some completely awful virus) and spent several days trying not to breathe on the girls and sleeping as much as I could.  It was terrible.

I am feeling better now thankfully, but that means tackling the aftermath.  I hate that.  The sickies make me a bit paranoid as it is (the curse of a nurse I guess), but it's been even worse this winter having a new little baby.  I don't want to see my girls sick.
And so, I'm sterilizing.
Everything.
It makes for some really fun days (insert cheesy smile and sarcastic thumbs up).  
Isn't winter awesome?!

Birthing Baby Number 2

Well, we are officially a family of four, and are officially loving it!!!  :)  We were blessed with a little sister and couldn't have asked for a more special little person.  She is such a sweetheart, we are having way too much fun with her!  Now. On to the fun stuff.  Getting this little lady here wasn't as... hectic, as our first.  But who doesn't love a good birthing story anyway, right?  :)  I figured I'd stick with the 3 version system.  It works nicely for those who want to avoid the not so pleasant details.  Choose which version you want and happy reading!

Version 1: Short and Simple

McKenna was born!  Everyone is home, mama and baby are doing great, and she is, so far, a darling, fairly content, easy-going baby!  We are all happy about that.

Version 2: A Few Nitty Gritty's

Little miss McKenna Grace was born on Thursday, November 13th at 6:18 pm.  She weighed in at 7lbs 13oz, was 19 1/2 in long, has a decent head of surprisingly dark hair, and is absolutely adored by her mama, daddy, and big sister.  She did not come as quickly as Brinlee did (thank goodness), but still kept it fairly short and sweet (about 6 hours start to finish).  Everything went smoothly, and we were able to make it through again this time without any pain meds.  She swallowed a good amount of fluid, and right at first she had a little trouble clearing those lungs and getting a good breath.  She spent some time on a CPAP machine and had a NICU nurse hang close for a while right at first.  But they had her to me pretty quickly and she has done great ever since.  As of her first doctor's appointment at 6 days old, she was already almost back up to birthweight, measured well, and seems to be on a good track.  She's already an awesome eater, a decent sleeper, and wasted no time finding quite an impressive little cry.  She is almost the spitting image of her big sister as a newborn.  She has the same little mouth and gorgeous blue eyes that Brinlee picked up from daddy.  Basically, she's cutest, most perfect and precious little angel!  What can I say?  We make darling girls!

Version 3: All the FUN Details

The last couple weeks of this pregnancy were a little rough (read: miserable!).  I was super sore, fairly consistently sick to my stomach, absolutely exhausted, having trouble walking, and horribly swollen everywhere.  I had a pretty strong feeling that we were not going to make it all the way to 40 weeks, and I was ok with that.

At my 37 week appointment (October 29th) I was dilated to 2 cm and was 50% effaced.  The midwife I saw that day gave me the speech about how quickly I would need to get to the hospital when things started moving (like anyone had to tell me twice!).  I wasn't super surprised, but was definitely glad to see things were moving along.  Having movement meant the end was near.  That, and all my whining was a little more justified  :)  It did put me a little on edge though.  I kept picturing myself going into labor within the week, prayed that Tim would be contact-able, and almost had myself convinced that I wouldn't need the appointment I had set up for the next week.  But, another 6 days went by with nothing and I found myself back at the OB office a week later for my 38 week check-up.  This time, I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced.  I was ecstatic!  I was exactly 4 and 80 at my 38 week mark with Brinlee and she came in a blaze of glory only 4 days later.  I figured those must be my magic numbers and felt for sure that this baby would be making her appearance within the next couple days.  I had my sister come down from Michigan for a few days to be on stand-by, told Tim to expect a phone call any time, and then waited patiently (read: not really patiently at all!) for her to show her sweet face.

But alas, another rough week went by and still no baby!  So frustrating!!!  I was super bummed and, of course, even more uncomfortable.  I didn't even think that was possible!  I went moping back into the office for my 39 week appointment (November 12th) fully intending to whine until they just delivered that baby!  But I eased up some when she checked me and said she wasn't sure how I was still pregnant.  I was dilated to a 6 and almost 90% effaced.  Hello!  She assured me that without doing anything we would have the baby in the next couple of days, but said she would be willing to strip my membranes and send me right over to the hospital if I didn't want to wait.  Tempting.  But Tim was on campus, and my mom was in the air somewhere between Idaho and Ohio.  And I figured, really, what was another day or two anyway?  So I opted out.  My mom got in safely that evening.  And we all waited, "patiently".

That night was torture.  I kept waking up sick, hurting, and more and more miserable.  All night long I thought for sure I was going into labor, but never saw any sure signs.  Tim contacted his professors first thing the next morning to tell them he would have to catch up the day's activities and he and I headed back to the OB office.  I was shocked when she checked me and said I hadn't progressed at all.  How could that be?  I sure felt worse!  It was a different midwife there that day and she was not as willing to move things along for us.  She was afraid I would go into labor too fast, so for some reason she sent us back home to try our luck there.  I again was super bummed.  Tim was just down right frustrated.  We sat around home for an hour or two not quite sure what to do next.  About the time Tim was getting serious about trying to contact one of my more regular doctors, I started having some back pain that felt a little too familiar.  We watched it for just enough time to recognize some time-able intervals and then decided that was enough.  If it wasn't for sure time, it was sure close enough!

We got to the hospital around 1:00 pm timing minor contractions at about 8 to 12 minutes apart.  They put us in a triage room, hooked up the monitors, and watched for about an hour.  Around 2:00 the nurse came in and checked me.  I hadn't progressed at all.  She said she had talked to the midwife on call and that she wanted me to walk around for a bit to see if labor was going to move forward.  So, I did.  We walked for about an hour and came back with more noticeable contractions at about 4 minutes apart and I had dilated to a 7.  Yay!  They went ahead and admitted me to a labor room and got me all hooked up and ready to go.  We were going to wait for the midwife to get there before we did anything, but luckily Dr. Kelly was still rounding.  He was the doctor who saw me at my 38 week appointment.  He had seen my name pop up on the roster and was surprised to see I was still pregnant.  So he poked his head in and asked if he could take over and get things moving for me.  I, of course, was more than fine with that.  Just before 4:00 he broke my water and told the nurse to call him as soon as we were ready.  He expected things to be over within the hour.  So, we settled in and waited "patiently".  Tim found a show on TV and I actually dozed off in between contractions.  Such a different pace from what I was used to labor being like!

Around 5:00 the nurse checked me.  I was an 8 and not quite fully effaced.  She let me labor for not quite another hour, at which point I must have looked like the contractions were getting tougher because she asked if she could check me again.  I was still an 8 but much more miserable.  She had me reposition to my left side, and I'm still not sure what it was about that that made a difference, but it worked!  Things moved really fast after that (more like what I am used to  :) and baby girl was there 20 minutes later!

The doctor did make it back in time, though just barely.  I guess I wasn't the only gal who got serious about having a baby right then.  Because I did end up finishing fast, I did tear some again.  But not nearly as bad as last time.  Only 3 stitches this time.   I remembered liking the recovery after my last delivery, so I had told the nurses that I wanted to do things as naturally as possible.  So thats what they let me do.  I don't feel like I handled it as well this time though.  I had more time to realize what was going on and when things really got moving, pain medication started to sound really awesome!  But we pushed through (no pun intended) and this little girlie did come "au natural".  Despite my resolve to be a more quiet laborer, I hollered this time worse than I remember hollering last time... the doctor commented that he didn't think such a noise could come from someone so small.  Talk about embarrassing. No profanities though, success!  McKenna came out weighing 7lbs, 13oz and was 19 1/2 in long.  She had had her first bowel movement in utero and when she came out she swallowed a good amount of the meconium fluid.  She did cry pretty quick, but had some trouble clearing her lungs on her own.  They had an NP and a NICU nurse work with her for a while.  She spent 30 minutes or so on the CPAP machine, but they had her to me in no time and she did awesome after that!

It took us a full day to decide on her name.   We had tossed around several that we really liked.  But the more we held her, the more her face just looked like a McKenna.  We were in the hospital for 2 nights this time.  McKenna needed one extra check the morning after her 24 hour mark.  Plus I was still feeling a little crummy.  I had heard women talk about post-labor pains, but I had never had any and didn't really know what they were talking about.  I do now.  They were fairly short lived though and by the time we went home Saturday morning I really felt pretty swell.  Thanks to my mom being home with Brinlee, Daddy was able to stay with us both nights.  McKenna looks like him.  That makes two daddy's girls now!  It's so fun to watch him with our new babies.  He's instantly enthralled and has been wrapped around her little finger from the first minute.  Brinlee took a little more convincing.  She and my mom came up to the hospital Friday morning.  Brinlee took one look at McKenna, held her for a second, and then wanted nothing to do with her.  Even when we walked through the door at home, Brinlee was not at all interested in that baby!  But she got over that real quick and now she can't get enough of "baby sister"!  She loves and kisses on her all the time.  It's my favorite thing ever!!!

At her first doctor's appointment at 6 days old McKenna was almost back up to birthweight (7lb 10oz) and  looked great!  She's in the 50th percentile for weight, the 75th percentile for height, and is, in a word, perfect!  She eats like a champion, sleeps fairly well, and has already decided she needs to be loud to be heard.  When she decides to that baby can holler!  But so far there isn't much that seems to really ruffle her feathers.  She's pretty laid back, pretty easy going, pretty content, and just so dang sweet!  You can really tell that she & Brin are sisters.  She has the same little mouth, the same nose, and the same beautiful blue eyes.  She does have a head full of surprisingly dark hair, and the prettiest little face you've ever seen! Needless to say, we have again been spoiled and are very thankful for an awesome baby!  She is certainly one loved little peanut!!  :)

And now, of course, a photo montage!

This is an I Spy photo.  Can you spot Brinlee??  Yes, that's her, asleep on the couch, with the blanket over her head.  She was so into this whole baby thing.

Home and Happy!

First bath.

Love this angel girl!

New This Month

I've always thought that winter goes on way too long, but having a kid makes it even worse!  We are trapped inside, we keep re-catching the sniffles, we often stay in pajamas (and should probably be more embarrassed about that...), and no matter how much I wipe, the poor baby always seems to have snot on her face.  So gross.

The cold weather hasn't completely bested us yet though and we've been keeping ourselves decently entertained.  In fact, my 101 list has its first couple check marks.

#77. Make and keep an eye doctor appointment.  Done!

I forget how kind of awkward and stressful an eye appointment is.  Brian Regan's bit hits it right on the nose (if you haven't seen it, you need to here).  My glasses had been driving me crazy though.  So, I got new ones, and magically I feel so sophisticated.  It's like I'm a whole new woman.  

Tim has been super busy with school but is still the magic man in the kitchen lately.  I may never cook again, he is getting way better at it than I am.  A couple weeks ago he did chicken-n-dumplings, last week we finished off butternut squash soup,  and most recently we've gotten into fish.  It has been heaven!

Brinlee's team won the Super Bowl!  For Christmas Uncle Tyler went to Build-A-Bear and made her a Seattle Seahawks football player.  His name is Doggie, and Brinlee loves him!  

Tim let Brinlee listen to the iPod with him a while ago and she was fascinated!  Now she constantly asks for "pink birds".  That would be The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens.  She got latched onto that one somewhere in her 100 times watching Disney's Fantasia.  That flamingo with the yo-yo is just so funny!  Hey, whatever it takes to spark a love for classical/orchestral music, right??

We've been enjoying the olympics.  

Correction: We've been olympic fanatics!  

Every 2 years it's the same, we can't help ourselves!  Go team USA!!!  I made some cupcakes for the opening ceremonies.  Unfortunately, Tim is on a diet.  So Brin and I enjoyed them all by ourselves.  

Our Valentine's day turned out not too bad.  We aren't the biggest Valentine's Day fans actually... But we did manage to get into the spirit a little bit and Brin helped me cross off my 101 number 68!

#68. Send out Valentines. Done!

Brinlee did all the stickers and coloring.  They turned out pretty cute!

Tim did bring home a few goodies on Valentine's day.  Flowers and chocolate ice cream for mama, and new jammies and a balloon for the baby.  What a good daddy!  We were thrilled!  She couldn't quit talking about that "heart balloony" that went "so high"!  

And the jammies!  She loves Minnie Mouse and as soon as she saw those, she was all smiles.  She gave those jammies all kinds of cuddles and lovies... even when they were on her... 

Thank you daddy for the fun Valentine's Day!

Is that not the cutest little saggy butt you've ever seen??  Love that girl!

Becoming Un-Lazy

A few weeks ago there was a "code blue" at work while I was on shift, and I happened to be one of the code nurses that night.  So I put on my running feet and quickly scuttled on down to the ER...
And by the time I got there I was seriously winded!  The ER is literally just down the hall from my unit, and it's only a moderately long hall too.  But I was tuckered out.  Then they put me on compressions and that was it, i was spent.  By the end I was afraid I was going to need resuscitated!
I can't say I was totally shocked, I can be lazy.  But really, that's bad.

Tim, on the other hand, is looking forward to running a marathon next year and has had himself on a jogging schedule.  It's starting to get pretty chilly outside though, and about the time I had my near cardiac arrest, Tim was starting to talk about wanting to look into indoor workout options.  So.  We drug ourselves around town the other day and found a sweet deal on a gym membership...

Now, Tim at a gym makes sense.  But me at a gym is comical.  You would think that as a nurse I would be super vigilant about a healthy, active lifestyle.  But I'm really not.  I like bacon way too much and am completely awkward even attempting any type of fitness activity.  It's terrible.  This morning I got my first use out of my gym card, and I think I might see if I can get a hold of the security camera footage.  I'm sure me floundering around on the elliptical could make for some quality entertainment.

But my best foot is forward, so, gym, here we come!  Back in my dancing days I used to really like a good workout.  It's got to be in there somewhere still, I'm sure if I dig deep I can find that joy in pain (I mean exercise) again.

I will not, however, give up bacon.  It means too much to me.

Mary Poppins Parenting

Green Smoothie Face...

vs JELL-O Face.

You know what they say (or at least what Julie Andrews says anyway), 

"a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"  :)

On Headaches Revisited

It has been so long since this subject popped up, but the other day I had a close call with an old enemy.  I call him Misery, the textbooks call him Headache.  

It is no secret that I hate headaches.  I have struggled some with them and have done some rambling about Misery in the past (see here, here, and here).  But honestly, for quite some time now, the little nuisances have been largely out of mind (no pun intended).  I went through a patch a while back where I was getting a headache just about every day and was fighting off a migraine a few times a month.  Then, I got pregnant and like magic, they were gone!  Sweet bliss!  I had one pretty bad migraine (read: absolutely the worst of my life, horrific pain, vomiting, the works, lets not go there) during my first trimester.  But aside from the occasional lack of sleep or not enough water type buggers, since then I have been mostly Misery free!  :)  I had hoped this would happen.  Sometime around my 34 week mark my OB asked me how my headaches were.  When I told him it had been several months since I last had one, he seemed very un-surprised.  He said I probably had hormonal migraines, a fairly common side-kick for women who suffer from excessively miserable monthly feminine stuff... me to a tee.  I had speculated about hormonal headaches before, but had had migraines that were so sporadic (or seemed to be anyway) that I had just logged the thought away.  He suggested that after the baby came to keep a headache journal, watch for trends, and if the headaches and times of the month did indeed seem to match up to let him know.  Apparently this kind of  migraine is very treatable.  Well, the baby came, I got back on schedule, and apparently the doctor was right.  They do seem to match up.  Not only has the monthly stuff been way less punishing (SO happy for that), but the headaches have not really come back at all.  Paradise!  If hormonal headaches really are easily treatable I wouldn't know, I never needed it.

Needless to say I have a very empty headache journal.

The close call the other night I've decided to write off as a fluke.  It was a super busy night at work and the bugger was scared away easily.  I have had little ones like that more consistently here and there.  But again, they've been hardly noticeable and nothing like they used to be.  Mostly they've just served as reminders that I haven't seen Misery for a while... not that I am complaining about that at all.

My conclusion for now: pregnancy is magic!  Though I'm sure some women wouldn't agree, for me it seemed to do the trick.  I have happily retired the type writer as far as the definitive work on headaches goes, and I am hoping to keep letting the dust collect.

Now... having penned this all out I've probably doomed myself to a bout with bad headaches.  Isn't that how things go?

So Tough Being One

Today Brinlee had her one year old big girl doctor's appointment.  No surprise, she looks perfect!!!  And, also no surprise, she is underweight.  In the last three months she has grown 2 and 1/2 inches, but has only gained 2 ounces.  Apparently it's not necessarily uncommon, but the doctor did want to check her iron level to make sure she doesn't have anemia.  So, after getting picked on at his office, she had to go across the street to the hospital for a quick blood draw.  It was so sad!  She really did awesome actually, poor little thing.  She hollered, but she held nice and still.  Her one little arm didn't give them enough, so she ended up with a hole and a big bandage on both arms.  She looked like a little war hero.  For being such a brave girl (read: producing big crocodile tears, looking really pathetic, and making the nurses feel really bad), she got to take home a cute little teddy bear, which she immediately latched on to and wouldn't let go of for anything.  It's in her crib now.

She spent some time cuddled up with us and teddy on the couch watching Pooh, but she recovered surprisingly quickly and after an hour or so she was back to her old, busy self.  We won't get results of the draw for a couple more days.  What we can say for now however, is that we have one tough baby!

Birthing The Babes

Well, we are officially parents, and are officially loving it!!!  :)  We were blessed with the best little lady ever.  She is so much fun and such a sweetheart!  Getting her here was quite an adventure though.  And so, we review the birthing story, which means two things:  #1 lengthy-ness , and #2 details you may not want to hear about... thus I have devised the 3 version system (OK actually I borrowed this idea, but I thought it to be handy).  Choose which version you want and happy reading!

Version 1: Short and Simple

Brinlee was born!  Everyone is home, mama and baby are doing great, and she is quite possibly the most beautiful and best/easiest baby ever!  Her parents are happy about that.

Version 2: A Few Nitty Gritty's

Little miss Brinlee Kay was born on Friday, May 4th at 11:48 am.  She weighed in at 7lbs 7 oz, was 18in long, has a full head of beautiful blonde hair, and is absolutely adored by her mommy and daddy.  She came a little bit by surprise but she made it nice and quick (read: maybe two hours start to finish) and came "au naturel", meaning no pain meds at all for mom.  But everything was smooth, so no complaining here  :)  Right at first she had a little trouble breathing and spent some time away from us to get some extra oxygen.  But she was back within an hour and has done great since then.  As of her first doctor's appointment at 4 days old, she's down to 6lbs, 15oz, but measures well and seems to be on a good track.  She's already an awesome sleeper, good eater, and hardly makes any noise!  She has her daddy's mouth and a pair of big blue eyes, but otherwise seems to be a good mix and is by far the cutest and sweetest baby to ever come along.

Version 3: All the FUN Details

The Tuesday before she came (May 1st) was officially my 38 week mark.  She wasn't due to be here until the 15th, so I had originally been scheduled to work, but took off early instead.  And it was a good thing I did!  At my 38 week appointment the very next Monday (the 30th), I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced!  Huge surprise!!  I went home a little in shock, a little more cautious, and a little bit scared (read: practically having a mini breakdown).  But I managed to keep it together, and actually didn't see any noticeable progress for the next few days.

Thursday the 3rd was my birthday!  Aside from not really being able to believe I'm 24, I felt fine all day.  That night we journeyed down to Idaho Falls and Tim treated me to Olive Garden and ice cream at Orange Leaf, and then home for some cuddling (read: me propped up with several pillows and a heating pad with Tim somewhat nearby) and a movie.  Friday morning I woke up around 5:00 in the morning with an upset stomach.  It really felt a lot like I had eaten something disturbing the night before, but it was uncomfortable enough to keep me awake.  Just a little bit before 6:00 the pain had moved to an ache in my lower back, so I got up to soak in a hot tub for a while.  It didn't really help though and by 8:30 or so I started to recognize the pain as contractions.  They were really mild though and mostly in my back, and were only coming at 3 or 4 an hour.  The doctor had said to come into the hospital when A: my water broke, or B: I was having noticeable contractions at 3 to 5 minutes apart.  I knew my water hadn't broken... and the contractions didn't seem "bad" to me yet, so I figured it was nothing to worry too much about.  Still, just to be safe, Tim called the hospital and talked to a nurse who basically verbalized what I had already been thinking.  So, we waited.

Around 9:00 I was uncomfortable and told Tim he may need to stay home from classes, which he willingly agreed to, as he was still in his pajamas and seemed quite content.  Things had become a little more regular: much more back pain and definite contractions at about 8 to 11 minutes apart.  But yet again, not severe by any means and nothing I thought needed too much worry.  Just after 10:00 my contractions were what I recognized as more like what the doctor had described, so we started counting with that "3-5 minutes for an hour" goal in mind and were on edge for my water to break.  After about 45 minutes they were more regular at 5-8ish minutes apart, but bothersome enough that Tim decided he'd better call into the doctor's office.  They told him to bring me in there, and by the time he had clothes on, I was throwing up in the bathroom and afraid I wasn't going to make it.  I managed to make it to the car, but at the doctor's office the nurse had to come see me, due to the fact that I couldn't walk/talk/breathe through the contractions that were now very regular at a couple minutes apart.  She sent us to the hospital, two nurses met me at the car with a wheelchair, they got me to a room and in the bed, and about 20 minutes later baby girl was here!

The doctor did make it in time, thankfully!!  But only barely.  Thanks to the rapid pace of the events, I did tear down into some muscle (ouch!) and now have a few stitches.  My water never did break though, they did that for me.  And there wasn't time to even think about any kind of pain medication... so this little lady came "au naturel"!  I always pictured myself handling labor and delivery real smooth-like, but unfortunately I think I did a bit more hollering than I had hoped.  No profanities though, success!  Brinlee came out weighing 7lbs, 7oz and 18in long.  It took a while to get a cry from her, and they took her for a little while to put some oxygen on her.  But she was back within the hour and has done great ever since!  She has beautiful blue eyes, a head full of blonde hair, and just the prettiest little face I have ever seen!

We've had lots of eager baby holders, which has been so fun!  We were only in the hospital for one night, but I really felt like I could go home right after delivery.  It was instant relief!!  Daddy stayed with us, and of course didn't get much sleep.  But he is already wrapped around her little finger so, I don't think he minded much.  At her first doctor's appointment at 4 days old she had dropped down to 6lbs 15oz but looks great!  She is in the 25th percentile in height and head circumference, the 50th percentile for weight, and is, in a word, perfect!  She already sleeps for several hours at a time during the night, eats like a champion, and hardly ever cries!  Needless to say we are spoiled and very thankful for an awesome baby!  She is certainly one loved little peanut!!  :)

And now, of course, a picture montage!  Go ahead and tilt your head to one side in preparation of the inevitable "awe, how cute!" pose that you will soon be making

Sporting that adorable blonde hair!

Happy Family ready to go home!

Personal Favorite!