He's here! Theo's Birth Story

Theodore Benjamin Petersen arrived on April 28, 2014 at 8:03pm. He weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. Here's the full story, complete with photo overload (don't say I didn't warn you).

I was scheduled to be induced on my due date, April 28th, but I thought for sure the baby would come beforehand.  I had contractions all the prior week but by the time we had to pick my mom up from the airport on Saturday nothing had developed. So instead of heading home, we went straight from the airport into downtown Portland so she could see the city. We also drove her past the temple, then went to dinner together. I was so happy to have my mom in town; I may even have cried tears of joy when I first saw her at the airport. You can chalk it up to pregnancy hormones but there is nothing like being with one's own mom.

Sunday was pretty uneventful- church with everyone commenting, "Didn't think we'd see you here!" or "Haven't you had that baby yet?" That night we ate dinner then relaxed and talked. As we were chatting, Ben asked, "What are we going to name this baby?" This was a question we'd been asking for months and we'd narrowed it down to four names: Mckay, Abraham, Theodore and Edward. I was pretty set on Mckay but Ben wasn't quite so convinced. He asked me to consider Theodore again to which my mom responded, "I love that name!" I guess it's lucky my mom was there for the conversation because her enthusiasm was able to sway my opinion and I changed my mind. By the end of the night we'd decided to name him Theodore. It's funny because if he'd been born just a day earlier I'm pretty sure he would have been Mckay Benjamin Petersen. I guess we'll just have to save that name for the future

Monday morning we had to be at the hospital at 7am. What a relief it was to have my mom there to take care of Nayeli. We left them both sleeping.
 

Before heading to the hospital in all my nine-month pregnant glory. Oh I'm so glad not to be that pregnant anymore.

Selfie in the car on the way to have our second child

We arrived at the hospital and they checked us in. By the time I was all set up and my doctor came in to break my water, it was 9am. We had decided to have my doctor break my water and then try to go into labor naturally. By 9:30 I was pacing the halls with Ben at my side. Eventually I started to have some strong contractions and so I asked to speak with the anesthesiologist. 

He came in and told me that if I wanted an epidural he wanted to have me sitting up during the procedure. My mind was taken back to when I was in labor with Nayeli and shaking so badly from the pain that I could barely hold still as I laid on my side for the epidural. In all honesty, the memory scared me, so as the contractions intensified I didn't hesitate to ask for the epidural.

Everything went smoothly until the epidural slowed my contractions. By the time we had determined that I wasn't going to go into labor on my own it was 2pm. They started me on a low dose of Pitocin and then it was a waiting game. Luckily my epidural was just perfect and I was able to move and mildly feel my contractions without having extreme pain. I relished in the time and relaxed, slept and read.  Ben, however, was a little more anxious.

He became so stir crazy that he took predictions from the doctor and all the nurses about what time they thought the baby would come. He also wrote ridiculous things on the white board in the room. Under "Your Goals" it reads: have a healthy baby, give birth to a Rhoades Scholar, hike the Appalachian trail, be home in time for dinner. The last goal was crossed off because by the time I was fully dilated and ready to push it was 7:45pm. Yeah, we missed dinner time.

But we both didn't care because after only 10 minutes of pushing baby boy Petersen was born. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and gave me quite a scare because he looked just awful when he came out.  They put him on my chest and Ben took a picture right at that moment. This is what he looked like:

Doesn't he look terrible? He wasn't crying or moving; he only blinked his eyes a few times. Thankfully after some good rubbing he began to cry. It was music to my ears. Apparently he has swallowed fluid while in-utero. As a side note, I was so proud of Ben because he cut the cord this time (with Nayeli he didn't want to). He even joked with the doctor that he'd love to cut the cord with a knife from the company where he works. We got a good laugh out of it, even though I knew he was only half-joking.

Pinked up

He was born with a full head of dark hair and chubby chubby arms.

When they told me he weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces I was SHOCKED! No wonder I had felt so uncomfortable and could barely breath for the month before his birth! He weighed almost two pounds more than Nayeli did when she was born.

Giving birth is an incredible experience. Nothing quite compares.

Ben was so great to have at my side. While I was pushing he just kept rubbing my arm and telling me, "You're doing great. You're doing amazing". He's the best.

One of my favorite photos. The proud papa holding his boy.

As soon as I saw Theo I thought, "Whose baby is this?" I didn't feel like he looked anyone in our family. Even now a month later, I see very little resemblance to Ben or I. Some people have told us he looks like me or Nayeli but I guess we'll see.

After we had taken some pictures and each held him, Ben left to go get my mom and Nayeli. It was super late, but since my mom had let Nayeli have a nap at 6pm (my mom is an extremely relaxed personality) she was wide awake and ready to meet her brother.

She loved him right away

"I be gentle mama" - Nayeli

Our first photo as a family of four

My mom was so amazing to have here. She did so much for our family, including filling our fridge and pantry with food and caring for Nayeli. She also cooked and cleaned and helped me with a ton of fun decorating projects. But that'll have to be the subject of another post.

Ben works for CRKT, a knife and tool company, and this spoon is one of their products. He runs their social media, so he posted this picture to their social media pages with the caption, "Some children are just born with a silver spoon".

Sleeping in the hospital was awful- they wouldn't take Teddy to the nursery and he woke up every hour to hour and a half to feed. Thus the exhausted look on my face the next day.

Ben brought Nayeli and my mom back in the morning

After a short visit, Ben took my mom and Nayeli home and we got to have some quiet time with Teddy. One thing we did with Nayeli in the hospital was a mini newborn photo shoot. We decided to do the same with Teddy. Ben isn't an expert photographer, but he's not too shabby, and I love the beautiful lighting we were able to get through our window.

Finally after two days in the hospital, we were discharged on Wednesday. I had slept awful both nights and couldn't wait to get home to be with my family, especially Nayeli. She was a little traumatized with not having me at home. We're buddies, she and I.

Teddy in his going home outfit. Lame picture I know- he's our second child and this is all we got. What else can I say?

Leaving the hospital

One thing we've had people ask us is what we're going to call him. I usually respond, "Theodore the First" because we haven't quite decided. Teddy is what I prefer, but I often find myself calling him Theo. And if he wants to go by Ted when he's older, so be it (Ben's great-grandfather was known as Big Ted). I'm just happy he's here and he's ours.

Walking Time Bomb

36 weeks pregnant

I am a walking time bomb.

Yesterday was Ben and my fourth wedding anniversary. We have both been so anxious about baby coming that we decided not to get each other anything. In fact, I kept joking that my anniversary gift to him was a son and was there any better anniversary gift than that? Even when he suggested he'd still like to get me flowers, I told him to buy them after baby comes. That way I can enjoy them instead of arriving home from the hospital to a dead bouquet.

Yesterday was my last doctor's appointment. I am already dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced. She also stripped my membranes. However, because my mom is flying into town on Saturday and I have no other family here, my doctor has agreed to induce me on Monday, April 28th, my due date. I'm all for it. But if the baby decided to come earlier I think I'd be okay with that too.

I almost thought that is what he had decided to do yesterday at about 4pm when I started having regular contractions. But by 6 the contractions let up. Granted I wasn't mall-walking like I did the day Nayeli was born (mall walking with a two year old in the pouring Portland rain just doesn't sound fun), so my laying on the couch watching Shark Tank must have put a damper on my labor.

I had planned on taking a long walk this morning, but I woke up to pouring rain again... so I've decided to drive to Target and wrestle my toddler as we peruse the aisles. If that doesn't put me into labor, I don't know what will. Oh yeah, Pitocin. But that's not coming until Monday, so for now I'll have to employ my archaic methods and hope for the best. Wish me luck.

Life Lately

This is my third attempt at blogging in the past week. For some reason I couldn't get pictures to upload, but since today it's finally working I'll give a quick update on our life lately.

Nayeli

Oh how this girl keeps me on my toes. She has started talking a lot and, with her signs, she can communicate quite a bit.

For example, on this specific Sunday she was able to communicate after church that she wanted her tights put on her head. Guess who taught her that trick? *cough, Ben, cough*. Then she proceeded to go look in the mirror and laugh at herself. Sometimes I think her cuteness might kill me.

 Speaking of cuteness, this is how she decided to accessorize her outfit a few weeks ago. You can never wear enough necklaces, right?

In January we went to the Portland Children's Museum with some friends. It was a great experience and Nayeli loved it. She especially fell in love with this huge dog. She carried him around for about 15 minutes, until she finally got too tired. 

 I tried to paint her face to look like a dog... but I sort of failed. At least she was convinced.

Pregnancy and My Life

Here's an obligatory pregnancy selfie at 25 weeks. I'm 30 weeks now and baby boy is growing and moving lots. We're getting really excited for another baby to come to our home.

Last week I failed the gestational diabetes test at my doctor's office, so this week I had to have a three hour glucose test. Besides the fact that I had to fast the night before, drink double the sugar in the half the time, then sit in a waiting room for three hours without throwing up, it wasn't too bad. Thankfully, no gestational diabetes for me. 

My 29th birthday was in January. Ben was out of town  for my actual birthday, but I had a great day anyway. I got a babysitter in the morning so I could go shopping by myself, then went to lunch with a friend from the ward. The next day Ben and I went to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in town. It was delicious and very unique.

I've also been crafting an extreme amount. I think it has something to do with the nesting. 

I got these fun burlap canvases on sale at Joanne's. On this one I painted a heart.

I also decorated our mantel for Valentine's. This is the one area I can decorate without having to worry about Nayeli breaking something. It's my outlet.

Ben

As of late, all my posts seem to indicate that Ben is going through a quarter-life crisis. The truth is that... well... he is going through a quarter-life crisis. That may be the reason he had the crazy courage to ask me if he could go on a three day skiing trip just after returning from a week long business trip. What's even crazier is that I said yes.

So last week Ben flew to Colorado and got to ski Breckenridge and Veil. It was an impulsive decision on both our parts, but a good one. Besides, it's not every day you get to ski Veil for free.

Ben loves to save money and decided to make himself a ski "bag" instead of buying one. This cardboard box with the paracord handle was what he ended up putting together. I told him I'm going to send this Jeff Foxworthy with the label "Redneck ski bag".

At Veil

Boy oh BOY!

On Wednesday we had my 20 week ultrasound. I went into it feeling pretty sure the baby was a boy, but I was going to be grateful if it was a girl, and especially grateful if the baby looked healthy. Having a few miscarriages does that to you- it just makes you grateful to be pregnant.

I'll refrain from posting the picture that proves he's a boy and just show you this cute profile pic. It's so funny- when I look at Nayeli's 20 week ultrasound profile picture I can see her face in it. She already looked like herself when she was just so little. It makes me begin to speculate what this little boy will look like.

But no matter what he looks like, he will be loved and welcomed into our home. We're ready for another set of feet to pitter-patter on our floors :)

Pregnancy Brain

Last week I may or may not have asked Ben (in complete seriousness) if Black Friday ever fell on a Sunday.

Then last night I began cooking hamburger for dinner but soon decided to throw it away because it smelled rancid. I grabbed another pound from the freezer but it also smelled like it had gone bad. Into the garbage it went. Luckily I had enough time to run to the store to buy another pound of fresh hamburger. Much to my dismay, as it cooked it smelled exactly like the previous hamburger I had tossed. I then realized that in my garbage can sat two pounds of perfectly good hamburger.

Remember this ad? Substitute the word pregnancy for drugs and you'll understand why I'm not the brightest light on the Christmas tree this year.

Any questions?

Morning Sickness Log: Pregnancy #4

I started writing this log before I had told anyone except Ben that I was pregnant. I hoped it would provide a humorous look into my morning sick life and that I would later laugh at my experiences while battling constant nausea. It is not meant to make you feel sorry for me. In fact, more than anything, I hope it will resonate with some of you woman out there and you can laugh along with me. More often than not, morning sickness is not really a laughing matter, but if I don't laugh I'll cry, and I'd much rather laugh.

Wednesday, August 28: 5.5 weeks pregnant

Am I sick already? Isn't this a little early to be getting sick?

Thursday, August 29

Definitely not too early to be getting sick.

Friday, August 30

Frantically begin searching for my leftover Zofran from my last pregnancy.

Sunday, September 1: Fast Sunday

Sneak the snacks from my purse into my mouth at church so people don't get suspicious.

Monday, September 2: 6 weeks pregnant

Miraculously survive a hike to a waterfall, then crash on the couch the rest of the day.

Tuesday, September 3

Grocery shopping. Nothing looks appetizing. Bought hardly anything knowing I'll have to make another trip later in the week. Who cares.

Thursday, September 6

Second trip to the grocery store this week. Purchased mostly frozen foods.

Friday, September 7

Picked up my Zofran prescription. Manna from heaven.

Sunday, September 8

Survive three hours of church.

Tuesday, September 10: 7 weeks pregnant

Threw up while making breakfast. Breakfast was postponed.

Wednesday, September 11

Laid down after dinner wishing I could throw up. Never threw up. 

Thursday, September 12

Cut up a package of chicken and made a dinner from raw meat. I deserve a gold medal.

Friday, September 13

Absolutely cannot even stand the thought of cooking tonight. Take-out it is.

Saturday, September 14

Muster up the energy to do the two mile hike to Silver Falls (with no pressure from Ben. I was dying to get out of the house). Walk at a one mile per hour speed with Ben patiently trailing at my side. Buy myself an Italian soda at the bottom as a reward. Crash on the couch the rest of the day.

Sunday, September 15

Survive three hours of church. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Monday, September 16: 8 weeks pregnant

How am I going to survive 2+ more months of this?

Tuesday, September 17

I can't even stand to look at my Pinterest feed because of the pictures of the food. 

Wednesday, September 18

By trial and error I discover that drinking soda after dinner is the worst idea ever.

Thursday, September 19

I've decided to never get pregnant again, ever.  EVER.

Friday, September 20

Coldstone Ice Cream makes everything better. Maybe we will have more children.

Sunday, September 21

Nayeli decides not to nap until 5:30 pm. I think I'm going to move to Australia. 

Monday, September 23: 9 weeks

The move to Australia can be postponed for the time being. Nayeli napped at 1pm.

Tuesday, September 24

Buy a large jar of pickles from the grocery store.

Wednesday, September 25

The jar of pickles is gone. I sincerely thought that craving was a joke until now.

Thursday, September 26

Find a week old sippy cup full of milk under the couch. Know I do not have the physical strength to withstand the smell if I open the lid. Into the garbage it goes. 

Friday, September 27

Cried during a Infant Tylenol commercial today- both times that it came on. Hormones, anyone?

Monday, September 30: 10 weeks

Ultrasound in one week. I'm practically counting the hours to know if this baby has a heartbeat.

Wednesday, October 2

Realize I haven't watered my patio plants in weeks. They are all dead. I can't decide if I care or not.

Monday, October 7

Ultrasound. Bouncing baby with a great heartbeat. All the sickness is worth it.

Tuesday, October 15

Cry to Ben asking, “How did I ever forget how awful this is?” He responds, “I don’t know how you could forget. I never did”.

                                             

Monday, October 21: 13 weeks

Finally have the energy to clean Nayeli's room which has been a mess for two+ months. Also get the grimy bathroom cleaned this week. I am finally starting to feel like myself.

Monday, October 28: 14 weeks

I survived the first trimester! And I did it without caffeine! I buy myself a Dr. Pepper to celebrate and spend the night throwing up.

Thursday October 31

Happy Halloween! Invited to a friend's house for dinner where they have delicious orange juice. I drink more than my fair share. Spend the night throwing up.

Tuesday, November 5: 15 weeks

Get to hear baby's heartbeat again. I am so happy to be pregnant.

Monday, November 11: 16 weeks

I finally feel like I'm reaching normality again. Hallelujah.

Thursday, November 14

Morning sickness? Oh it wasn't soooo bad.

Yeah right. Don't think I'll be thinking that anytime soon. Although by the time I'm ready to have another baby I'm sure I'll have forgotten. Good thing too. Otherwise, I might never have anymore children.

Peanut #2

We are so happy to announce that baby #2 will be gracing our presence sometime around the end of April. The photo above is from my first ultrasound at 11 weeks. Because of previous miscarriages, I had prepared myself not to hear a heartbeat. I went in expecting the worst so that I wouldn't be disappointed. So when the "thump thump thump" came on the screen I couldn't help but shed a tear. The baby was bouncing around and measured the right size. You can even see the baby's little hand up by his/her face in the ultrasound photo. I was so relieved!

I am now 15 weeks along. I have been morning sick, but I am starting to feel better. Today I saw the doctor and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. It's such a miracle to know that a baby is inside of me and I'm giving it life. I am helping it grow. I already feel such a connection to this little one, as does Ben. Although my miscarriages have been hard, they've made us appreciate our babies so much. And this one is no exception.

I've also started to show a lot sooner with this  pregnancy. This picture was taken this morning.

I'm finally crossing over the "Is she pregnant or gaining weight?" phase. Thank heavens.

So there's our great news. We find out the gender of the baby in December at my 20 week ultrasound. I have my suspicions about the baby's gender, but I was completely wrong with Nayeli so I'm still not too sure of myself. Besides, be it boy or girl, we're just thrilled to be expecting again.

A Detour to the Top

Just this last week, the beliefs that I wrote about in my last post were put to the test. To be specific, I'd like to refer to this paragraph:

Another realization I had was that the indirect route we took is similar to the unanticipated surprises in life that may come in the form of a disappointment, loss or failure. However, if we are doing our best to keep the commandments, these road blocks are only detours to lead us to the top. Our Heavenly Father may take us on these detours to help us draw closer to him or even to avoid other treacherous or dangerous obstacles. He can see the big picture, as I did when we finally reached the top of the canyon.

Many of you didn't know this, but I have been expecting a baby since March. Due to my history of miscarriage (first miscarriage story here) the doctor scheduled an early ultrasound for last week. I went in for the appointment, then watched as the ultrasonographer found the uterus and searched for a heartbeat. Even before she said, " I wish I had better news for you" I knew that there was nothing there. Without a heartbeat, what should have been a baby was just a white bean on the screen.  

She then left me alone while she went to find a doctor to talk to me. I had a good cry and it was nice to be alone. I talked to Heavenly Father in my mind. I told him I was sad and disappointed, that I felt helpless, and that I just wanted to have another baby. He listened, then wrapped his arms around me and told me it was okay. I was easily calmed and by the time the doctor came in, I was alright. I was able to calmly discuss my options. I knew within a matter of minutes that it was meant to be.

Since then I've been a yo-yo, hormonally and physically. I feel great or I can cry at the drop of a hat- it just depends on the moment. And physically, miscarrying is never a pony ride. Those of you who have done it before know what I'm talking about. 

However, I remember that Heavenly Father has a plan for our family. I know we will have other children. My greatest comfort comes from the fact that I've already had a successful pregnancy and I know I can carry a baby full term. And she brings so much joy into our lives that I can't help but smile when I look at her.

My other comfort is that I have no regrets. I followed the Spirit when I felt like we should try to have another baby, even though it was sooner than we expected. As I said in my story, this is just a detour toward the top. I hate miscarrying and I wish I didn't have to, but this experience only helps me feel the intense proximity of my Heavenly Father. He wants me to know he's there and after this experience, and many others, I don't doubt it. I can't doubt it.

Flashback to February 2012

Note: Part of the purpose of this post is to remind myself, when pregnant in the future, that pregnancy does not last forever.

Last year at this time I was nine months pregnant and feeling oh-so-ready to have a baby. I was waking up every few hours at night to pee, sleeping uncomfortably with a pillow propped beneath both back and belly, and having Braxton Hicks contractions weekly. Not to mention the swollen feet and ankles I was getting from my twelve hour night-shifts in the ER.

And did I mention the envy I had for any woman who had recently given birth? Major jealousy...

But I wasn't the only one expecting. The ER was full of pregnant women. I was the furthest along, then the others followed close behind. A year ago this month we had a baby shower to celebrate.

And today, a year later, we met at another baby shower. Except this time we weren't the pregnant ones. Hallelujah.

 (LtoR) Athena & Nayeli, Kattie & Zara, Heather & Easton, Nesha & Finn)

Although we were missing two others, we grabbed a snapshot of us and our babies. We all did it! We survived the nine months of pregnancy and had adorable children.

So was it worth every middle-of-the-night trip to the bathroom? You'd better believe it. And I'm sure the other girls would agree.

Happy Due Date!

Today is my due date. I saw the doctor this morning and had my membranes stripped.

Current stats: 2.5 cm dilated. 70% effaced. Scheduled in one week for induction on Tuesday, April 3rd (obviously if she hasn't come yet).

I love my doctor. Do you know why? During my appointment he said, "You're going to have a baby this week" with such confidence I believed it. Even if it's not true, he's still my favorite.

P.S. The walk from our apartment around the mall was successful. I contracted the whole time. The only problem: when I sit down the contractions stop. Now to figure out how to trick my body into thinking I'm walking when I'm sitting. If you come up with any ideas, feel free to share. Maybe something like this would work:

This is it... or at least it better be

I am seriously hoping that this is the last post I write before the baby comes. It's nearly 2 am on a Monday morning and here I sit on our couch eating strawberries and pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies. Do I feel guilty? Not at all. I tried to fall asleep with Ben hours ago but can't because I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions the past two hours. Needless to say, they never become consistent and they never get stronger. Sorry to vent, but after 6 weeks of these suckers I think I'm ready to face the real deal and push this baby out.

The good news is baby is growing. Here's the current belly bump:

My mom pointed out today that although I may be small compared to other women, I'm getting large for my body size. It was the nicest thing she could have said to me. I think it made me feel some validation for feeling uncomfortable.

On Tuesday (my due date) the doctor is going to strip my membranes. And then I'm seriously considering walking laps around the mall. Who knows, maybe I'll be the first to deliver a baby in the mall parking lot. In that case, we promise not to name her Penney (JC), Victoria (Secret) or Charlotte (Russe). Although Aeropostale has a nice ring to it...

4 days away...

If you've been watching the pregnancy ticker on the sidebar as closely as I have (which is unlikely), you'd realize that I am due in 4 days. Can you believe it? There may be an end to this pregnancy thing after all.

However this little girl might come later than expected. Fashionably late you could say. Last Saturday night I was having an immense amount of Braxton Hicks. I laid on the couch all night hoping they would turn into real labor. Finally, as we were about to get ready for bed, they stopped. And I haven't had any consistent ones since.

I thought maybe the contractions had been worth it if I was dilated further than a 1. Unfortunately at my appointment on Tuesday I was barely a 2 and 60% effaced. The doctor said he'd likely see me again on Tuesday for my 40 week appointment.

But the good news is since I'm not having Braxton Hicks all the time, I feel great! My energy level has gone up and I'm nesting like crazy. I've sorted through all our food storage this week to find expired items. I've emptied my kitchen and wiped down the shelves. I've even delved into the craft world and have been making the cutest "hair pretties" (as Ben calls them) for the baby. If you know anything about DeBry children, we have no hair as babies and a bow is usually a good idea to help the general public discern that the baby is female.

I bought a bunch of tulle and organza fabric scraps at Hobby Lobby last week and have just been looking up tutorials on the internet. Their beads were also 50% off so for less than $20 I've been having the time of my life making hair accessories.

Some of her summer dresses with the corresponding hair flower on top.
When I do things like this (match clothes with accessories) I have to realize
that I'm my mother's daughter. Matching things is her favorite thing to do.