As I near the time for my two daughters to turn 5 months and 17 months! I realize that time flies by way to fast. The huge moments that happen day to day make my heart melt even though to outsiders they seem small. For example Susan rolling over or Emma learning and wanting to color.
I am so grateful that I have the ability to stay at home with my girls. I enjoy playing with them and snuggling them and watching them grow and learn. I have really enjoyed watching them start to interact together.
Growing up the in my mind dreaded question "what do you want to be when you grow up" was always asked and I always was told that a housewife is not a real goal. I dont see why not. A housewife plays many rolls and is working 24/7. While I am still perfecting my role of housewife or homemaker or really whatever title you care to sue, I am loving what I do.
I completed a Bachelor degree in Theatre, a past time that I love dearly. I have come to realize that while I love theatre as well as other hobbies, there was never any one thing that I really wanted to do long term but be a mother.
I have to say now that I am here I have never felt more at home, more fulfilled in what I am doing, more like I am in the right place finally. While my houseworking skills could use some work, my job as mother is going pretty well. The goofy antics of my darling Emma keep me laughing, and the adorable smiles and giggles from my sweet Susan keep me smiling. No matter how bad my day gets these two can turn it around, ha even when they are the cause of it being a bad day.
While Andrew and I are trying to find what our place is, and while finances and other "adult" issues cause stress, I try my best to be like my father and be optimistic. Life is just too short not to love it. So this is me saying that I love my life, the good times, and yes even the bad times. I have wonderful support from friends and family.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Another beautiful and natural birth
The Day You Were Born
Susan Nicole Littlejohn
10-19-2011
The pregnancy came as a surprise but what a wonderful surprise! I had morning sickness for quite a while but only the nausea part. I lost 11 lbs in the first 4 months. I only gained 25 lbs the whole pregnancy! I craved mint, thin mints, peppermint patties, mint ice cream etc. It was a pretty easy pregnancy and I loved feeling you move inside me. I loved you from the moment I knew about you! You decided to arrive 10 days early! Your original “due date” was Oct 29th but you arrived on the 19th.
Now for the birth story:
Daddy was asleep in bed at 3 am when I started to feel a slight contraction. Since I was up almost every 45 minutes to use the restroom I thought I would wake him up too. I shook Daddy and said “Honey I think we might have a baby in the next couple days” All he did was grunt and roll over. I tried to get some sleep myself.
Around 7 am the contractions picked up and this time I shook daddy harder. “Ok now I think we will have a baby TODAY” Around this time your big sister Emma was waking up as well. We all got dressed went downstairs and had some breakfast.
I called the doctor who told me to come in for an earlier appt. (I had one scheduled for 1:30 pm that day) We went into the doctor at 11 am. I wouldnt leave the house until after I had made my playlists or music and had all my comfort items and what not.
The doctor told us that labor could either pick up or fizzle out. Since I was only 38 1/2 weeks along they said it could end up being false labor. I decided that I wasnt going to do false labor and would do what I had to to get you here, even though it meant changing birthday party plans for the weekend.
We went to the fairfield mall to walk around and try to get things moving. We walked the entire mall when my water broke around 4 pm. We drove back to Marmee and Pop Pops house. I got into the shower as Daddy called the doctor. They said to come in, at this point the pain was not great only about 4 or 5.
We kissed Emma goodbye and gave her a hug then headed to the hospital.
When we got there all the rooms were full and we had to wait in the triage. We arrived at the hospital around 5:30 pm. There were 5 other mothers in labor in triage too! One of the dads used the bathroom that was for the mothers ONLY and stank it up real bad...sigh.
As we sat there Daddy made me laugh to distract me, around 5:50 pm the contractions started to get worse right after they checked to see how far along I was. The pain jumped to off the charts. Since there were only 3 birthing rooms in the family beginnings natural birth center we had to wait for them to move a family out and clean the room. Around 7:25 pm they moved us from triage to the waiting area of family beginnings. There I labored in front of a group of men visiting someone else until about 7:45. At that point they moved me into the room.
Cat, our midwife wanted to check me on the bed at first but my mind was set to get into the labor tub. There was only about 2 inches of water in the tub when we got to the room. As daddy changed into swim trunks I told him he had to get the midwife NOW.
She walked into the bathroom and said “ok im going to check to see how diala...oh my thats a head” With one simple push your head had already come out.
Now back track a little bit in the waiting room my contractions were on top of eachother there was NO time in between, in fact the next one began before the other ended. When I started to push I pushed your head out then it seemed like 15 minutes to me, but daddy says it was really only about 2 or 3 that my body contracted again.
I thought “really NOW my body wont contract?” I was standing over the water and on the second push you were here at 7:58 pm. You were ready to meet the world.
They promptly gave you to me and I held you skin to skin for about 15 minutes in the tub. You immediately latched and began to breast feed. We moved to the bed shortly after and I continued to hold you. We sat skin to skin for the first hour or so.
It was another wonderful pregnancy, and wonderful all natural, no drug or IV, birth. I couldn't have asked for better. What a precious gift you are to me and your daddy. And what a wonderful experience bringing you into the world.
A year late but still a wonderful memory
October 22 2010
We had waited patiently for your arrival. We had wanted a baby for so long and the day was finally here. First off getting pregnant with my precious angel took almost 2 years! But we were finally successful. I had a very good pregnancy. The first 18 weeks I was sick as a dog and had morning sickness from sun up to sun down. But other than that it was great. By half way through I had a slipped disk which caused pain but that was fixed. There was no swelling, only gained 27 lbs. I craved COLD M&Ms.
Now to the birth, the exciting part.
We were living in New Mexico at the time. Daddy had been working all sorts of crazy shifts for work in the USAF. He was at work when I first thought I felt something happening. That was at 3 am. I sat and kept track to what was going on and called Daddy at work at 7 am. Thats when things started to become kind of regular.
When I called the guy who answered was being a little snot and gave me attitude. He said “hes on the flight line and cant talk” I told him “well can you tell him that his wife called and said that I think I'm in labor” he promptly hung up and RAN out to Daddy to tell him. When Daddy called back I told him to take his time.
He came home around 8 am. I called grandparents to let them know what was going on around then too.
Daddy was tired because he had been up 24 + hours so I let him sleep while I tracked my contractions. He woke up to track them for me while I took a shower. My contractions never got regular or intense. Around noon Daddy got a tingly daddy sense that it was time to go. So we loaded up the car and headed out. We checked in at about 12:30. The nurse thought that I was not in enough pain and that since it was the first time that she would be sending me home. When she checked me though she was surprised to find me at 8 cm! She said “youre not going anywhere this baby is coming”
My water broke around 1 pm.
They filled up the birthing tub and I climbed in around 1:30. By this point the contractions were hurting just a little bit so it helped out. Around 3 pm it was time to push. You however did not want to be born in the water. We tried over ten different positions to try and get you here but you played peek a boo, you would start to crown then go back in.
We moved to the bed and tried around five more positions, finally we found one that worked. I was squatting and tugging on a sheet that was wrapped around a bar and daddy was pulling the other end. So tug of war. My contractions were still no where regular at all. After 2 hours of pushing you finally made your arrival at 5:15 pm. Beautiful and precious. I held you for the first hour before they took you to weigh you. I enjoyed the skin to skin contact. You breastfed within 2 minutes of being put onto my chest. Daddy cut your umbilical cord.
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