That's right folks, we got chickens!
J asked if we were putting ourselves in a box. Four kids, homeschooling, chickens ...
Well, we might be. But it's pretty fun!
Little Izzy,
You were my longest pregnancy and came only 4 days early. I waited for you anxiously because it was my goal not to use any drugs after having a scary episode with pitocin when your brother was born. I planned as well as I could by switching to a midwife and MD group and hiring a doula to prepare me and coach me through labor. Honestly, when I told people about my wishes for a drug free delivery, I was met with blank stares or shock. Sometimes even rude comments, like "WHY would you want to do THAT!" I think even leading up to the whole thing, your dad was not completely on board (and certainly not during it ... more on that later).
For about 24 hours before you were born I did not feel good. I felt nauseous. Like first trimester nauseous. I thought I must be sick. That was something I didn't ever experience with your brothers and sister. I skipped church that morning because I assumed I was coming down with something.
At around 1:30 I tried to take a nap with your siblings. When I laid down on the bed, my water broke. I was excited and hopeful and contractions started coming about every 10 minutes. The pain was intense but manageable. Very slowly, over the next 5 hours the contractions made there way to every 8 minutes apart with increasing intensity. I thought I might be in for a long night.
Your brothers and sister played at the Walker's house until about 7:30 when they came home and Ms. Aubri took over in taking care of them. Your Cupcake arrived at our house sometime around 7.
Rebecca, my doula, arrived around 5:30 and helped with rubbing my back and squeezing my hips to relieve some of the pressure of the contractions. She suggested we walk around outside. The night was perfect. The weather was perfect, no humidity. The sun was going down. One of the trees in our backyard had just bloomed that day and that distracted me from the pain for a little while. I leaned on your dad for support.
At around 7:30 we moved back inside because I didn't feel like I could stand any longer. I thought a bath might help. When we walked inside, I could hear that your siblings were in the bathtub down the hall, and I thought "Oh no, there isn't going to be enough hot water!" I was right. When we ran a bath the water only stayed warm enough to cover my legs.
Rebecca tried pouring hot water over my back, and your dad even brought in boiling water from the kitchen. Looking back, this is funny to me. A little like it must have been a long time ago when everyone had home births, midwives, and no running hot water.
The midwife had suggested I come in to the hospital when the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. At this point the contractions were still only 7 minutes apart. While I was in the bath I hit that moment of panic. I was so uncomfortable and cold and the contractions were no longer bearable. I had to get out. The second I stepped out of the tub a contraction hit that was crazy. I grabbed your dad in panic and almost fell on the ground. I said, "We have to get to the hospital, I have to have an epidural NOW." I was begging. I was whispering so that my doula didn't hear because I didn't want her to convince me otherwise.
From that moment on, my contractions were excruciating and every 2 minutes. They went from 7 minutes apart to 2 minutes and I thought I might die. We all agreed it was time to go. I couldn't sit in the car, so I hunched over your car seat (it was already installed in the back seat) with lots of pillows. Our house was 30 minutes from the hospital and the roads were under construction the whole way. I begged your dad as we drove to call ahead to the anesthesiologist and make sure he was ready and waiting for me at the entrance to the hospital. Your dad (knowing that this was an impossible request) made fake phone calls to the hospital to ease my distress!
Once we arrived at the hospital, we parked in the parking garage where we were told there was a bridge straight to labor and delivery. The moment I stepped out of the car I fell to my hands and knees. It was the only way I could position myself to make it through the contraction. My doula asked if I felt pressure in my bottom. I did, but it wasn't anything intense like I thought it would be. She knew that meant I was close to having you. Your Cupcake ran in to the hospital to find a wheelchair and I just remember thinking, there is NO way I am sitting in a wheelchair! The thought of moving into an upright position seemed impossible, and I had no intentions of leaving the comfort of my hands and knees on the floor of the parking garage!
From that point on, my eyes were mostly closed. Your dad managed to get me into the wheelchair. In the brief moments that I opened my eyes, I can remember seeing lots of nurses running with me down the hallway, one of them asking in an annoyed tone if I was trying to have this baby at home.
A short 15 minutes after we made it to our room you were in my arms! In an instant I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude and had completely forgotten the past 9 hours. And you were as awake as I was, eyes wide open taking it all in, this new world you had entered. You were so much more alert than all of your siblings, and nursed like a pro. I was up and on my feet shortly after you were born taking pictures of you while your dad drove to the airport to pick up your Gigi. I think when all was said and done he was probably more exhausted than I was!
I am 6 months behind in publishing this post because I am 6 months behind in getting him to the pediatrician for his 2 year checkup! Pitiful! His appointment is still a month away, so I will go ahead and write while I have a minute...
Height:
Weight:
Development: Wills loves shapes and numbers. He knows the difference between a hexagon and pentagon. He can identify random shapes like a rhombus. He loves pointing out shapes and counting. Physically Wills is very coordinated. He wants to do everything his big brother and sister do. He loves all sports and has great hand-eye coordination. He climbs and jumps off of everything and rarely learns his lesson after falling and getting hurt.
Likes/Dislikes: Wills loves to dance and as he says, "show us his moves" which include a lot of hand rolls, booty shaking, and running in circles and jumping. He is a rough little boy and gets in trouble all of the time for hitting. In typical third-born fashion, Wills struggles to share and always seems to think he is going to get a toy taken away from him. Although in reality, both Trip and Anna Kate are very sweet with him most of the time.
Stories: Wills is very independent and sometimes just goes quietly and does what he wants to do. At our Monday school group, he escaped a fenced in playground without anyone noticing and made his way across a parking lot and into the school building where he found me! At church, he escaped a baby gated area and made his way onto an elevator before anyone could catch him. This has happened so many times under my supervision, that I don't hold it against the caregivers, although they are always very apologetic.
Six months ago, I wrote, "Turning 2 has actually been a less "terrible" experience with Wills and sort of a turning point in terms of his ability to communicate with us." Boy was I wrong! My opinion today is that he is easily my most difficult toddler. And that is saying a lot, because AK was very strong willed. My theory is that he learned from the best (Anna Kate) and has upped his game! His fits are astronomical. While AK could get you with the sheer pitch of her screams, Wills adds in the physical element swinging his arms and flailing his body to make the fit especially dramatic. Thankfully he is to the point where he understands the mere mention of a spanking and knows to turn off the fit. Anna Kate never really could turn it off until she was ready.
