Party of Four

And just like that, we became a party of four. In hardly more time than it takes for you to read this, our little boy made his much anticipated debut and our hearts expanded beyond our imaginations.

I've heard the second comes faster than the first. They ain't kiddin'. Burke was 3 days overdue, so I wasn't surprised when this guy wasn't here shortly after his 9/4 due date.

Regardless, I started to replicate a similar pattern that seemed to work on Burke's eviction: swimming, sitting on the yoga ball, and the infamous labor inducing smoothie. (Sidenote - y'all...this thing has been pinned over 12 THOUSAND times on Pinterest. I'm not entirely sure it works. So I am now terrified of the overdue mama mafia I may have created in case they're out to get me, pitchforks and all.)

I thought we might get to share a birthday, but when mine came & went without any signs of labor, I got anxious. I kept eating lots of pineapple and dates and tried some spicy cookie things that were a total failure. He wasn't budging.

Luckily, my mom was in town so she helped me stay distracted. She drove in from Arkansas "just in case" so she wouldn't miss this one's arrival. She joined me for my 9/7 check-up followed by pizza with extra oregano and 1-hour foot massages. For dinner, we had Indian street food. I started having contractions, but they dissipated once I went to bed. That was not the day. But, she got some good time in with B, playing blasters in the back yard, testing out their head lamps, and learning B's newest trick: mooning! 

Gran getting to know Grandson #2

After I was officially 1 week overdue, we had an appointment with the perinatologist on 9/12 to have an ultrasound and non-stress test. They needed to check amniotic fluid levels, take measurements, and make sure the kiddo responded to stimuli appropriately.

My biggest concern, beyond the healthy stats, was this kid's size. If you recall, Burke was 9 lbs, 7 oz at 3 days late. His size resulted in a prolonged labor and almost an emergency c-section that I thankfully avoided since dude was crowning as the c-section team scoped out the situation. Recovery was rough to say the least. We were now pushing over a week late, and I was terrified of how big this melon might be growing to be. The ultrasound confirmed that the babe's head was measuring "only" 9.6 cm...leaving a whopping 0.4 cm of "space" for him to fit through the birth canal at full 10cm dilation. Seems like a pretty tight margin for error, even if we're talking the Metric system.

They confirmed everything was a-ok in utero and that there wasn't a reason to induce. The doc's actual words were "Most women don't go over 43 weeks, so just hang in there. We'll start seeing you 2x/week if you pass 42 weeks." Don't go OVER FORTY THREE WEEKS? Oh boy. Hunker down and make the ice packs. I went to bed thinking we still had quite a ways to go before we met this kid.

He had other plans. Here's how it all went down...

At 4:00am, contractions woke me up. Nothing terrible, much like some of the false labor I'd experienced earlier on. But they were repetitive enough for me to time them. They were 30 seconds to a minute long, and coming every 6-10 minutes. But not intense yet.

4:30am: I woke Jason up to let him know I'd been having consistent contraction for the past half hour and that he might want to shower just in case we needed to head to hospital. He did. Contractions kept coming at the same pace and intensity. Jason woke my mom up to let her know we might be going to the hospital, so she started getting up so she could be home with Burke.

5:00am: I got out of the shower - which felt amazing - and contractions were only lasting 25-40 seconds now, but coming every 2-3 minutes. We called the midwife who advised us to wait it out until they were lasting a minute and were growing in intensity. We live close to the hospital, so she wasn't worried about us waiting until the last minute. A shift change was coming up at 7, so she promised to alert the next midwife on call that we might be coming in.

J packed the car, woke up my mom, and we prepped for the hospital. It was only 5 minutes down the road, so we weren't in a rush. I'd hoped to try laboring in the labor pool, and they'd told me it could take 1-2 hours to be filled, so I didn't mind getting there on the early side.


6:35am: We decided to head on to the hospital. Burke would be waking up soon, so we figured it'd be better to get out of the house before he woke up.

6:45am: At the hospital, J dropped me off in front and I headed up to reception to get checked in while he parked. The friendly security guard greeted me and said "Are we gonna have a baby today?" I responded with "That better be the reason this guy woke me up so early!"

No one was at the desk, so we had to wait a bit. Finally, got all checked in. I requested a labor tub, and she told me just to let the nurses know once I'm called back. I should have plenty of time. They were going to work on getting me in as soon as they could. Apparently, we were right in the middle of the 7am shift change. I went to the restroom and felt like I was going to be nauseous.

7:02am: My ID bracelet notes our admission time as 7:02am. I waited while J went to get the bags.
Contractions continued occasionally, but I was mostly relaxed, drinking water while I waited.

7:14am: I took this photo in the waiting room and texted my sisters at 7:16. We exchanged a few excited texts. Shortly after, J brought up the bags. It was probably another 15 minutes before we were called back to triage.

7:30am: They call us back. As we walk through the triage door, a contraction hits. I pause a minute before continuing down the hallway. The nurse smiles and directs us to the triage room directly across the hall from the nurse's station where everyone is greeting each other as they come onto their new shifts for the day.

I don the flattering hospital gown and wait on the gurney. The doctor stops by to say hello, and we joke about how we just saw him less than 18 hours prior. The midwife was on her way in.

A nurse comes in to get my vitals and says "alright, we'll see if we're gonna keep you here or not."

The midwife joins us and asks if I have a copy of my water birth certificate since it's apparently not in my file. They need that to fill the tub. Yes, I have it. Great. She puts her gloves on to perform the cervical exam. A contraction hits once I lay back on the gurney. That one hurt. I squeezed J's hand. There were 2 more like that.

7:50pm: After the cervical exam the midwife said, "Well, I don't think you're gonna get that tub."

I said, "Oh. Where are we?"

She said, "Oh," she says calmly with a twinge of disbelief, "we're at 9" and yells out the door to the nurse's station, "She's going to have this baby - we're at 9cm with a bulging bag. She needs a room now!"

J texts my sisters that I'm 9cm dilated at 7:50am.

Pandemonium ensues. (Spoiler alert: in the next 5 minutes, my water breaks, I am transported down the hall, transitioned from gurney to bed, and pop out a baby.)

Another contraction. Flurry of nurses. Lots of nurses talking. "She's going to 6. Room 6 is hers. Is 6 ready? Take her to 6. Get room 6 ready." Water breaks as they push the gurney out the triage room door. Nurses start talking of meconium, "significant meconium," "notify the NICU." I feel the baby crowning. The army of nurses led by the midwife navigate the gurney down the hallway to Delivery Room 6. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a baby in the hallway.

J follows like a pack mule with all of our stuff in tow, not missing a step.

They wheel me into Room 6.

Nurses scramble to find the equipment. Apparently Room 6 is not quite ready for welcoming a baby. "Where's a table? Can we get one from another room stat?!" "Where's the IV?" "We aren't doing an IV - no time." This sweet sweet midwife is running the show, no question. I remember being very surprised by her assertiveness, yet politeness, since I'd only encountered her tender side thus far.

Now the nurses have to convince me to move from gurney to bed. Excuse me? Contractions are coming quickly and furiously. You want me to what?!? They might as well be asking me to pole vault in Rio. Between contractions, I manage to shift one foot and one cheek and one hand to the bed, but another contraction hits before I can fully make the move.

The midwife calmly explains to me (or so J remembers...it's all a bit hazy from here out) that I can't deliver the baby with one butt cheek on the gurney and one on the bed...the baby will fall on the floor between the two beds. Seems I'm in a predicament.

I remember one of the nurses encouraging me to "just" lift my butt up a little bit more and scoot over. Seems simple enough. Unless you're holding an 8-pound bowling ball between your legs with only 0.4cm room for error of said ball falling on the floor while excruciating tidal waves of pain wash over you every 30 seconds.

Somehow, I go for it and swing the left half of my body from gurney to bed as a contraction ended. They are trying to get me into position to push. I said something about "No, I think I'm gonna do it this way." The midwife says something about not having sterile gloves on (again, the room isn't quite set up for this). Instead of settling into the bed, my body takes over, and the momentum from swinging from the gurney flips me all the way over onto my hands and knees. J asks the midwife if he should coach me to push or anything. I lunge into a contraction and the baby is out.

TIME OF BIRTH: 7:55AM

Now that the baby is out, he's still attached via the cord, and I'm on all fours. There are some awkward gymnastics required to situate everyone where they need to be, and the room goes quiet for a millisecond. I don't think anyone can believe this all just happened. Everyone catches their breath and then picks back up the frenzy. Where are the cord clamps. What's the meconium situation? I need scissors. What about the NICU? Why don't we have any baby blankets in here?

7:58am: J texts my sisters, "He's here" which is met with responses of disbelief.

Meanwhile, I hold the beautiful baby boy against my chest, him just as calm and perfect as can be. I think he's a little shell-shocked to be on the outside so quickly, too. J cuts the cord once it stops pulsing (and they track down some scissors). We look at each other like "weren't we just in the waiting room?"

Labor stopped as suddenly as it started, and they give me a shot of pitocin in my leg to help deliver the placenta. As soon as the babe latches my breast, my uterus contracts expelling the placenta.

Minimal bleeding, no significant tearing, no pain meds (what?!?), no stitches. Shortly thereafter, I was able to walk myself to the restroom.

Not only was there no time for an IV, there was no time for paperwork. So, once everything is calm, the nurse starts reviewing the standard questions. All which are comical at this point: are you allergic to latex? Any blood thinner medication? Family history of xyz? Fortunately, none of the above.

Phrases like "you're made for this mama" and "I've never seen it happen so fast my entire career" echo throughout the room as various nurses tend to their duties. Before long, we were headed up to the recovery floor to soon meet Big Brother.

While an unmedicated birth was something I'd once aspired to, it wasn't something I went looking for. With B, I had grand expectations of how "my" birth would go. All of these ideals in my head of what I was going to "try for" and "work towards" or whatever. Most of which flew out the window during labor's transition and excruciating pain. Then, after Burke was born so large, I was quite scared of the idea of a medication-free delivery.

For this adventure, I was committed to listening to my body for whatever it needed at the moment. Epidural, fine. Water labor, fine. And whatever may appeal in between. It was going to be a game time decision with no preconceived notions or self-imposed ideals or judgment.

But, this accidental experience has been such an unexpected blessing. I never felt the childbirth hangover. We were discharged from the hospital 30 hours after delivery. I've been able to keep up with the toddler (to a reasonable degree) - actually going on a walk to ride his new bike and going to his soccer game within 5 days of baby bro's arrival. I didn't really exercise or anything this pregnancy, so I can't attribute the quick recovery to being in excellent shape - far from it. A smaller baby, reasonable expectations, incredibly short labor, miraculous Mother Nature, and other things all contributed to this be a far less traumatic labor than what I'd previously experienced. Both incredibly special, both so unique.

Besides no time for medical intervention, everything happened so quickly that the swell of emotion I expected once they laid him on my chest was replaced with a degree of shock and an almost eery air of calmness. The absence of the physical exertion made it seem too easy. Like my body was saying "okay, now what?" I keep waiting for the emotional train to hit me, and I know it will in due time. It will hit me off guard and overpower me, and that is okay. Once my brain catches up with my body and realizes the feat we have mastered, it will likely humble me to my knees. In the meantime, I will continue to be in awe of what our bodies are capable of, of how God designed them to create, nurture, and bring forth life, of the newborn's instinct to nurse from its mother.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, for I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn for me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 
Matthew 11:28-30

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the healthcare workers who supported me that morning. A few weeks before my due date, the hospital surprisingly revoked some of my doctor's privileges. Reasons were never disclosed, and it seemed like a political fight more than anything of medical concern. Some presumed it was related to the recent court judgment against this Alabama hospital. Protests were planned, media was enlisted, and, while the policies in question didn't directly affect me, I feared the environment between my practice and the hospital might not be as collaborative as it once was. I was afraid my baby would be born in the midst of tensions, or worse yet, used as a pawn in a political game should the opportunity present itself. Fortunately, the hospital provided clarifications and reinstated the privileges shortly thereafter, thereby calming the waters leading to my delivery. But it was unnerving to say the least. While the practice and the hospital still have further agreements to iron out, I cannot say enough positive things about my experience.

The sweet hat handmade by the hospital volunteer auxiliary.

The midwife was expertly prepared to facilitate my delivery. I know she didn't expect to find me dilated to 9cm when she entered that triage room, but she did not skip a beat from that point forward. She commanded the delivery room with a calm assertiveness in the midst of potential chaos. Her gentle spirit hung in the air, and I had zero doubts baby & I were in expert hands. 

Had I delivered at another facility or with another practice, there's a strong chance I would have likely done so on my back in "the right" position. Likely delaying labor, tearing, or requiring additional pushing or intervention. Instead, I met the little guy in the quickest possible amount of time with minimal resistance. The team put our safety & urgency above typical protocol. I felt like I was able to birth the way God built me to, and that's empowering. And to know that a team of women in that room supported my choice to do so was liberating. 

I am grateful for a healthy boy. I am grateful for a strong, supportive partner. I am grateful for the proud big brother that is my firstborn. I am grateful for the delivery team. I am grateful for this experience. And I am grateful that I get to "do life" as this party of four. I cannot imagine it any other way.

The Road to Meet Burke: part 3, bribery works

Yeah, yeah. We bribed the nursing staff.

At the suggestion of our doula, we prepared a few treats for the nursing staff that we'd hoped would at least ensure they all read our birth plan. Since we were delivering at the "baby factory" and were hoping for a more natural birth with as little medical intervention as possible, we figured we might need all the leverage we could get.

I made these 3-4 weeks before the due date and froze them. Once we knew we were heading to the hospital, we pulled them out to defrost & plopped them in a basket with tissue paper, a few copies of our birth plan, and an ingredient list.

I think J made lots of friends when he dropped off the basket at the nurse's station that night!

Cranberry Orange Bread via Joy of Baking

Pumpkin Muffins via Smitten Kitchen

Granola Bars via Smitten Kitchen

It worked. Not only did we receive great service during delivery (everyone who came into our room commented on the yummy treats), but we also scored the corner suite in recovery.

The Road to Meet Burke: part 2, the birth story

Don't worry, I'll keep this PG and do my best to avoid TMI.

As you know, I was trying little things to encourage Burke's overdue arrival in a subtle way before the pressure to medically induce was upon us. Saturday - water aerobics. Sunday - pregnancy/acupressure massage. Monday - the smoothie & yoga ball.

I guess I finished the smoothie around 11am. I think I mentioned to someone early that afternoon via instant messenger that I thought I might've felt a contraction. Nothing significant, but feeling like we were at least making progress.

5:00pm-ish -  I started preparing dinner. I'd read somewhere that you don't want to eat heavy foods prior to childbirth, so I improvised a broth-based kale & bean soup since it was a dreary rainy night. I made plenty, as I figured it'd be good for dinner the next few nights if labor was in the near future. J got home at 6, and we relaxed on the sofa to eat our cozy soup. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I had two servings.

6:12pm - The following text message exchange with my mother-in-law, who was checking in on me.

7:45pm - My tummy started to rumble. After a trip or two to the restroom thanks to the leafy green kale, I was sitting on the couch & hubs brought over some Oreos and milk. Around that time, I started feeling more cramps. I didn't have the appetite to even finish my three Oreos. We decided it would be a good idea to take our hospital bags with us to the next morning's scheduled Dr's appointment, just in case.

8:15pm - I decided to take a warm bath to see if these contractions would calm down any. They weren't intense at all, just felt like mild cramps. But they were consistently coming now. J called our doula and she didn't seem to think it was anything to warrant urgency. We had a Dr's appointment at 9am the next morning, so we figured we'd make it through the night and get the Doc's instructions at the appointment. J called my mom & she decided to hit the road early the next morning so she would be wide awake for the 8 hour drive. There wasn't any rush since we thought it could still be a few days till his birthday.

8:45pm - Out of the tub, relaxing, & catching up on Downton Abbey. I used the "Full Term" app to track the contractions.

9:30pm - Contractions still coming. Only lasting 10-30 seconds, about 8-10 minutes apart.

10:00pm - Realized I might be timing these suckers wrong. Maybe these contractions are closer together than I thought?

10:11pm - Called the doctor. She didn't seem convinced that I was in early labor. Considering I was still able to have a normal conversation, I don't blame her. She told me I could come on in & they would check me out but might send me home if I wasn't dilated enough to warrant sticking around.

10:30pm - We decided better safe than sorry and headed to the hospital. J packed the car & I called the doula. She wasn't convinced a baby was coming either because I was so laidback & conversational. I can't blame her--I wasn't convinced either.

10:45pm-ish - We arrive at the hospital. Some of the speed bumps made me a little nauseous, but I was fine when we parked. The maternity entrance was closed for construction, so we had to find a new way inside. While they were getting me checked in, J parked the car. I don't think the admitting nurses were convinced I was there to have a baby either. We chatted about purses, boutique shops, the weather, etc while my room was being prepared.

You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13b & 14.

11:45pm - We were settled in the room. I was rocking the sexy hospital gown & making frequent trips to the restroom. Maybe I lost the mucous plug during one of those trips. Contractions were still mild, but steady.

11:48pm - The nurse is about to perform the cervical exam to check dilation. As she puts on her 2nd glove, my water breaks on the bed. I'm dilated to 5cm. Guess we should settle in for the night & see how this goes. Contractions are still mild & steady.

Midnight - WHOA! The contractions are serious now. YEEEOUCH. We've called the doula and she's headed our way. I'm dealing with the contractions as best I can - standing up & leaning into J, gripping the side of the bed, whatever I could do. J is super supportive. Even offers to let me bite him if it'll help. I remember leaning into him and noticing his shoes. He was wearing suede bucs, and I asked him if he brought other shoes. I was afraid they'd get ruined. The contractions were intensifying. Quickly. And I'm only halfway to being fully dilated? Epidural PLEASE. Now. Forget this natural BS.

12:30ish - After what seems like an eternity, the anesthesiologist arrives. It'll take 10 minutes to administer the epidural, and 10 for it to take effect. While he's inserting the needle, the team arrives to get the baby warmer set up. I'm confused. I asked if this was really about to happen--I mean, we haven't been here that long. The OB looks at me and says, "Well, you went from 5cm to 8cm in under an hour. So yeah, this is definitely happening soon." So THAT's why the contractions were so much more painful. He was on his way!! [J's version of the events differs a bit here, and is probably more accurate. According to him, they checked my cervix at this time, and upon realizing that I was dilated at 8cm, rushed the anesthesiologist to the room before we missed the epidural window. I totally missed that part.]

1:00am-ish - Our doula arrives, surprised we're as far along as we are. I think we all are.

The epidural slowed things down a good bit. So much so, I got a good 2-hour nap. J gave the family updates, and his folks headed to the hospital to be there for the arrival of their grandson.

2:30am - I wake up. Amazed at how much more manageable the contractions are with the drugs. I watch them on the monitor, but the pain is very bearable. I still have movement in my legs & feet, but they are a bit numb.

2:40am-ish - The OB confirms I'm fully dilated and it's time to begin pushing. Our doula sneaks me a honey stick before we start pushing for a little natural energy rush. I push for about 30 minutes, but I'm not making the progress they want to see.

3:15am - We decide to dial back the epidural so I have more feeling in my legs & can be more active. We wait for it to settle in and take a breather. Family gets updates.

**I should mention that we totally bribed the labor & delivery staff. Baked goods including pumpkin muffins, cranberry orange bread, and all-natural granola bars were prepped weeks in advance & frozen in anticipation of the birth date. J delivered them to the nurse's station along with our birth plan & a list of ingredients in case of any food allergies. No doubt this played in our favor. The OB was incredibly impressed with the granola bars. We talked about how easy they are to make several times between contractions.**

4:45am - Time to begin pushing again. This time, game on. The pushes are spot-on, and I can feel progress as each contraction comes and goes. J's feeding me ice chips, squeezing my hand, coaching me to victory. Cynthya (our doula) suggests positions to the OB, who is open to letting me try whatever is comfortable. (I must add that my OB is part of a practice of 7 doctors, so we weren't sure who would actually be on call at the time Burke decided to join us. I definitely liked some of the doctors in the practice more than others, and there were 3 I was really hoping for. We scored one of them, and you better believe I was excited when it was Dr. Smith who returned my call to the answering service earlier that night. We won the lottery in that regard.)

5:15am - Where is this guy? Maybe he's "sunny-side-up" and is going to be more difficult to get out than we thought. About this time, a nurse strolls in with her arms casually folded and says "I'm just being nosy." Excuse me? This is not the time or place for nosing around--I'm pushing out a baby, lady. She leaves after a few minutes, and the OB explains that she was in there to see if she needed to prep the C-section team, just in case. But, once she saw the little guy's head crowning, she knew she could call off the C-section troops. Whew. That's good news.

5:30am - At Cynthya's urging, I reach down and touch his head. Whoa! There it is. That's not normally there. The most wonderful head in the world. I decline the mirror. And J maintains his position at my head at all times. There are just some things you can't un-see.

Even the hairs on your hair are numbered; do not be afraid. Luke 12:7

5:40am - The OB tells us that the delivery team will be coming in soon to get everything set up. Since I'd been pushing for a long time, they may need to run more tests to make sure everything's OK and that he didn't swallow to much fluid or whatever. She also tells me that I need to get angry & get this fella outta here. The activity in the room picks up. Let's do this! Afterall, my family motto is "Odoms finish strong!" as my sister reminded me via text that morning.

5:47am - The doctor puts on her smock and begins to glove up. A contraction comes, and I can't help but push. The doctor says "Wait, I'm not ready. I don't have my gloves on." Too bad, so sad. I wanna meet my baby!!! She catches him in the bed sheets.

5:48am - I see the most precious head of hair. And the sweetest ears. Then fingers and elbows. I see him bring his arms up over his little slimy head. And he just keeps on coming. Where are his legs? His feet? Wow, he's a big baby. I bet that hurt. I'm glad I can't feel it. And he's perfect. And I'm in love. Oh my God, how in love I am. Oh my.

I'm overcome by tears, looking at my wonderful husband next to me, staring in amazement at the best-smelling bundle of flesh lying on my chest. So out-of-touch with whatever is going on in the room around us. He is perfect. The moment is perfect. We are perfect. This is where I'm meant to be. My cup runneth over. This is joy by its very definition.

The rest is a blur. The OB assesses the damage & stitches me up (stage 3, ouch. Thank heavens for the drugs.). The nurses whisk him away to cuddle, prod, and coo. Apparently he's flirting with them. We may be in real trouble here...

Despite the pain, the scary unknown, the vomiting, the middle-of-the-night labor, the deviation from our natural birth plan, the tearing, the unpredictable bodily functions, and everything else, I wouldn't have it any other way. A supportive partner, a healthy baby boy. A beautiful family--I am undoubtedly blessed.

The Road to Meet Burke: part 1, inducing labor

Though Burke was due to meet the world on February 9th, he opted to make a fashionably late entrance. Knowing that the pressure to medically induce was inevitable, it was important to me to both encourage him to make his grand appearance and to let him do it on his own terms.

So, I set out to try a natural encouragement tactic each day he was overdue. There's lots of stuff on the web about natural induction, some of it probably works and some is probably coincidence. Did any of mine work? I can't say for sure, but I think it got him moving & motivated.

So, here's what I did in case you want to try...of course, this is only for full-term babes of at least 40 weeks. And check with your doctor.

Saturday, 2/9: Water aerobics.
I think the instructor & the other participants were a little shocked when we went around & introduced ourselves with our due dates, considering this WAS his due date. All the other mamas-to-be kept checking on me, making sure they knew how to reach J in case I spontaneously gave birth. The class was amazing. I mean, it was so incredible to be weightless in the water and all of the jumping around felt so good. I'd been meaning to try it out throughout my pregnancy, and I kick myself for not doing so earlier. It was a class through Oh Baby! Fitness, and I've really enjoyed all of their classes throughout my pregnancy: Fitness Combo, Prenatal Yoga (taught by pal Kristen Mercado, to boot!), and now Water Aerobics. Burke and I will definitely be attending the Mom & Baby water class once he's old enough!

Sunday, 2/10: Acupressure Prenatal Massage
Recommended by our doula, I made an appointment for a relaxing prenatal massage at the Pregnancy Massage Center. I asked the masseuse to apply gentle pressure on any points that might jumpstart labor without opening the floodgates. The massage was great. Plenty of support pillows for the belly, arm, back, etc.

Monday, 2/11: Pineapple Date Smoothie & Yoga Ball
As already mentioned, I concocted this recipe after reading about certain foods & how they benefit labor. It was quite delicious.

I also spent most of Monday at my desk, sitting on my yoga ball instead of regular chair. It really helped my back.

By the afternoon, I could feel more pressure in my pelvis and thought things were moving along in the right direction.

Little did I know that we'd have a son by sunrise...

Meet our Munchkin

He's here! He's here!! He's finally here!!!

After 6 hours of labor at the hospital, Burke greeted the world & promptly began flirting with the nurses. I'll save the birth details for another time (let's just say that smoothie I concocted did its job.) Instead, how about some eye candy?

Lucky for us, our dear friend Anne was in town for work the days following his arrival and we were blessed with an opportunity to exploit her shutterbug talents while holed up in our hospital room. Seeing this images makes it even harder to accept the fact that Manning family moved to Texas & won't be down the street for future play dates & photo shoots.

Without further adieu, I give you her handiwork (the photos) of our masterpiece (the babe):

Burke's stats:
DOB: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 5:48AM
WGT: 9 pounds, 7 ounces
LTH: 21.75"

Nursery Progress 7: the bedding

Call it nesting, call it a DIY drive. I felt like I needed to make something for this nursery. And decided it should be the bedding.

I followed these simple tutorials for crib sheets and changing pad covers using fabric ordered from fabric.com.

In hindsight, these were easy except for the threading of the elastic. Hello carpal tunnel! Could I have purchased these ready-made? Certainly. But I guess it wouldn't have that "mom made it for me" feel, right? I'm sure he'll be thinking about that right before he poops or pukes all over it.

If you're not the DIYer, lucky for you Target now carries crib sheets in just about every pattern I made:
Mini elephants
Gray chevron
Navy polkadot (I've seen in-store)

And, they're currently on sale for $9 a piece. Knowing this, would I still have given myself carpal tunnel to craft my own? I'd like to think so, but probably not. However, I wouldn't have coordinating changing pad covers, so there. And I won't remind myself that I could've easily fashioned the changing pad covers from the sheets...

The skirt is super simple. I feel guilty calling it a skirt at all. Since I only need it on one side of the crib (the ends being solid & the back up against the wall), I only hemmed a large rectangle of fabric. Then, I attached to the spring frame with binder clips. This makes it easy to adjust as the crib mattress height changes as bambino grows. I like a longer skirt, but Cricket likes to see the floor (aren't those storage bins sexy?), so it's short...for now. I could've used hem tape instead of the machine and this would've taken 10 minutes instead of the 15 it actually took.

I have grand plans to sew a coordinating teething rail once he gets here. But we'll see. I have the fabric, the polyfill, and everything else...it just takes initiative.