Growth Spurts

Last week Tatum must have gone through some major growth spurt because she had three modes:

Eating

Sleeping

Fussy

She was eating every 30 minutes to an hour during the day, and we're not giving her a bottle (with breast milk) until she's a month old so it was all Mama, baby.  Thankfully she was still sleeping well at night and I was getting 3-5 hours of sleep at a time which is just rapturous!  But the day times were a bit brutal.

It made me think about growth spurts that God takes us through.  We're hungry and just want more and more and more, and if we can't feel Him around we get rather fussy and complaining and vocal about it. Sometimes we're forced to grow and we're just not too happy about it.  We cry and want to be held all the way through it.  There's no spiritual binky to satisfy your soul.

And I'm wondering why God's deciding to coincide my spiritual growth spurt with Tatum's...it's rather exhausting...

Tatum's Third Week

Here's my little Tater Tot at 3 weeks old.  This time three weeks ago we were just arriving at the birth center and I was sinking into the hot bath and thanking the sweet Lord Jesus for it!

This past week has been our first full week just us three here.  Matt's gone back to work and I've been learning to vacuum one-handed.  I'v learned the Moby wrap and the Ergo baby have been absolutely essential to getting anything done, as Miss Tatum doesn't like to be put down for long...like for these weekly pictures.  Besides this yawn picture we don't have one picture of the 60-some-odd pictures where she isn't frowning!

The past 4 or 5 nights she's decided to be a grumpy night owl and stay awake from 8 until 2ish, eat every 20-40 minutes, sleep for 5 minutes and fuss in between.  At least she makes up for it and sleeps until 11 or 12 the next day, and she's (sometimes) sleeping for 4-6 hours at night--hallelujah!

On another random note, I finally finished what was supposed to be my "early labor project" - this puzzle!  Only thing was my early labor lasted less than an hour before I was in full swing active labor, so Beth and I got this out during week 2 to finally finish!  Its of Vail, Colorado, which is where Matt and I went on our honeymoon.  

It felt like Disneyland covered with snow--such fun!

But you didn't come here to see pictures of a puzzle or our honeymoon - you came for Tatum!  So here's a few from the past week of our little Tater Tot:

We got an activity mat that Roy seems to like as much as Tatum does...

a little Daddy/daughter time

its a lot of work holding that head up...

Roy is still protector of the realm

Isn't this cloth diaper the cutest?! Thanks Chad & Karli!

Dad's knees make a good bouncer substitute

Roy is beginning to take over the activity mat...

That's all for now!

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Tatum's Second Week

I'm sitting here nuzzling the downy softness of Tatum's light brown hair, breathing in the scent of new baby and a hint of Burt's Bees baby wash, and reveling in the sweetness of being a mom.

The past two weeks have gone by both fast and slow.  Time seems to stand still when I'm just staring at her, and then I look up and its time for bed again.  Things I mean to get done just stay undone. 

Its amazing how much she changes day to day.  She lifts her head, and holds her head and upper body up by herself. She smiles, has giggled, and now focuses on toys suspended over her swing or bouncer.  Yesterday she was looking at pictures in a book, and when I turned around she was holding onto one of the pages.  

One of her favorite places to be is on Daddy's chest.  I love hearing him talk to her, calling her Bucko (a little masculine, but Dad gets to choose his own nicknames), Pumpkin Pie and Sweet Pea. 

Tonight she was exploring her face and then found out she had hair.  She petted it awhile, then all of the sudden grabbed a big hunk of it and yanked with all her might.  And proceeded to scream.  And not let go.  I had to pry her tiny fingers from the death grip she had on herself, and once she was on my shoulder and being held she finally calmed down.

This was from tonight--sheer perfection.  Down to the Alfalfa cowlick.

And I had to showcase this outfit--camo and lace.  That's my baby girl. (with Roy watching over her)

And here's a few more from the past week:

She fell asleep during her bath...must have been very relaxing!

And I love love love love her crazy hair.  Not so much the spit up on my shirt but what the hay...comes with the package :-)

Even on days like today and yesterday, when she must be going through a growth spurt and is wanting to feed every 30-45 minutes and cries her head off if she's not being held, its still the best job in the world just to pick her up and know I'm the one that can instantly quiet her.  Her smile (even if its just her passing gas) makes it all worth it.

Last but not least a little video of our Tater Tot taken by Grandma Beth:

The Birth Story from Roy's Point of View

(Note from Mom: in case you missed it, Matt posted his thoughts as a new father HERE, and you can either scroll down or click HERE for the birth story and pictures)

Hello.

You've heard a lot about me, but I've kept my peace until now.

I'm Roy. AKA the FIRST baby.  Please do not forget that. I've accepted this new addition to the pack but I want it understood that I was here first. Got it? I'll keep reminding you as needed.

I've known something's been up for awhile now.  Mom smells funny and either she's been eating far too much or there was something else going on with that belly of hers.  So I stepped up the guard duty.  Personal escort for 3 am bathroom trips, I made sure her feet were always warm, and despite the fact that her walking duties were seriously shirked I still followed her around incessantly and let her love on me as needed.

Two weeks ago I was on the bed in between her and Dad, and I could sense something was different.  She wasn't sleeping, and didn't seem to appreciate my attempts to lay on her legs. She got up and I, being a good dog followed her into the living room where she and that person who sounds just like her but looks a bit different and calls herself Nonnie started working on a puzzle. 

I tried to find a place to lay next to her but she kept pacing which just aggravated the heck out of me. Can't she stay still and let me do my job?  After awhile they went outside for a walk (I even heard them say the word!) without me.  What gives?  Who does she think is going to take care of her out there?  Surely not that Nonnie person! I waited by the door until they got back.

When they did get back, Dad got up and then things started to get interesting.  Mom was groaning and walking around and I tried to stay by her but she seemed rather irritated and kept almost stepping on me, so I lay down and just watched her with alert ears.

Eventually they left me in my bedroom and rushed off somewhere, which really had me worried!  After a few hours the upstairs neighbors came and got me, but how could they expect me to calm down? Something was happening to my Mom and I was not there to supervise! I paced the floors until they showed me a picture of a teeny person (I think it was a person).  So that was it...Mom had a puppy.  Knowing all was well, I laid right down.

More time went on, though, the neighbors went to sleep and still Mom and Dad weren't home. Something delicious smelling came from the laundry room...it was right at my level too.  It seemed to smell like old goat cheese and was wrapped in a white cloth-like thing with elastic and tabs and placed in a low bucket.  I decided to treat myself to some dessert.

When Dad came in to find me he was not too happy about my choice of a midnight snack.  He kept saying something about a "dirty diaper" and could hardly stand to be within a few feet of me. He took me outside, grabbed some spray and rags and headed back upstairs. 

Then Nonnie came down with a big plastic thing held up by a handle that she put on the kitchen table, and Mom followed slowly being helped by that lovely friend of hers who knows how to scratch a butt really well.  I bounded up to Mom but she recoiled instantly shrieking, "GOOD LORD YOUR BREATH!!!"  Not exactly the reception I had planned.

They finally let me back inside and I sniffed that small person-thing once or twice but was more excited my people were back to give me the attention I deserved.

I must have done something right because they gave me a big Kong filled with peanut butter, muttering something about "masking the smell." They all finally went to sleep and would you believe it? Mom and Dad wouldn't let me in the bedroom! They said I stunk too bad to be in a small space!  And so I paced from their door to Nonnie to Charissa and back to the door until finally Mom opened the door and let me in and then opened a window.

Something was making squeaking noises from that mini-bed,  but I couldn't see over the rim.  Mom finally pulled this little bundle out and laid it on the bed with her so I took a few more sniffs.  Hmmm.  Not to sure on that one, but maybe she'll be gone in the morning.  Seeing everyone was okay, I went to sleep.

The next morning those wonderful people who own my best friend Cooper came and picked me up and I got to spend a whole day and night with them.  The day after when they brought me home I was beyond tired, and that little person was still around and Mom was still holding it.  This kinda irked me.  What was I, chopped liver? Actually in my case that would be a good thing, so what was I? Chopped cucumber?  I decided to give them the cold shoulder.  All day when either of the females called me I just ignored them. Slept with my back to them, didn't even look at them.  

That got pretty old, so I acquiesced the next day and returned my full attention, and figured since the tiny thing was still around I'd better get used to it and guard it as well.  The hardest part is trying to keep my eyes on everyone at once--one in the living room, two in the bedroom--I pace all day long! Do they know how tiring that is?

So now I've accepted this little person is staying.  I do my part and check her out each time I come back from outside or they take her out, sleep by her swing, stay on Mom's side of the bed when the baby is asleep with her and all that good stuff.  

They tell me just wait until she's old enough to start dropping me cheerios and playing with me...'till then I'll have to just keep reminding them that I'm the FIRST baby!

Tatum's Birth Story

Tuesday morning on August 2nd, I was 9 days overdue and more than ready to have this baby.  Most of our family had been in Seattle for a week, waiting for Tatum’s arrival, and had already had to go back home.  I was trying everything suggested that was given the green light by my midwife, Chris, and after walking miles and miles, scrubbing my floor on my hands and knees, having acupressure massage every night by my family, eating tons of spicy food, consuming a whole pineapple in one sitting, taking evening primrose oil and a host of other serious and not-so-serious attempts, I was basically done trying and ready to let nature take her course.

I had been having consistent Braxton-Hicks contractions since the previous Friday night—anywhere from 2-7 minutes apart. No pain, they didn't hinder any sleeping and I hardly noticed them…I just kept waiting for them to roll over into actual labor. I had never wanted to feel some pain so much!

On Monday, August 1st, we went in for a fetal non-stress test. We had another ultrasound and checked that the amniotic fluid level was still adequate and all that good stuff. She was so low that we couldn't get a good look at her face, and she was so curled up we couldn’t double check to see if it was really a girl.  Their estimation of her weight was 9 lbs 3 oz…with a wide margin for error, they explained.  I thought she was going to weigh around 8 ½ or closer to 9 lbs maybe…

On Tuesday at our appointment at noon, Chris checked me and we were surprised to find I was dilated 3 cm and 50% effaced! Those Braxton-Hicks had been doing something! She stripped my membranes.  UN-COM-FOR-TABLE (Read: ouch)!  It was pretty amazing that Chris would gently push on Tatum’s head and I’d see my whole belly move! Weird that someone can touch your baby inside you before you can!

After heading back home, I laid down for a nap but never fell asleep—just rested.  The contractions seemed to be getting a bit stronger, and by 3:00 I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. They were about 10 minutes apart, but I had to breathe through them.  I got up and told my mom I thought this might be the start of things, and we started a puzzle and let Matt sleep a bit more.  By 4:00 I couldn’t sit down, and even just standing bending over the puzzle was becoming a challenge.  I was so afraid it would peter out, though; I didn’t want to wake Matt or call anyone just yet.

My mom suggested a walk and so we slowly (and uncomfortably) walked once around the neighborhood—me having to stop and breathe through contractions.  I was getting a little nervous…if this was only an hour or so into labor and was starting to take my breath away, how would I handle the amount of hours left?

Back in our house, Matt got up and I told him I thought I was (finally) in labor. It was getting close to 6:00, and the contractions were definitely becoming more intense.  I was beginning to vocalize a bit through them at this point. I asked for some music because the silence in between the contractions made me feel so watched, so Matt put on some country music.  Something about the Dixie Chicks proved to be extremely irritating, and after another contraction all I could verbalize was I wanted something with no words.  Matt then put on some classical music, but Mozart wasn’t cutting it either. Finally he put on the soundtrack to Pride & Prejudice, and the music of Jean-Yves Thibaudet hit the spot and carried me all the way through the actual birth.

 Matt called Chris and let her know things had gotten started and contractions were between 2 and 4 minutes apart, I talked to her and had a relatively easy contraction on the phone, and she said to call back in an hour.

Then the first serious pain hit and I was not prepared for it. I became a bit hysterical and didn’t know what to do—meanwhile I was thinking if this was only the beginning…how much worse was it going to get? My mom and Matt were both unprepared for the sudden intensification as well, and I just stood there crying “What do I do?!?!  What do I do?!?!” until Matt brought some flowers and told me to breathe in and look at the rosebud, and breathe out and look at the unfurled rose.  That helped me through that one and then out came our cheat sheets for my mom and Matt to help me know what to do through contractions. One of my biggest fears had been not knowing or remembering what to do during a contraction, and it turned out I couldn’t remember anything to try to cope except to keep breathing deep.

After that the contractions came fast and very strong—most of them double and sometimes triple peaking.  I would only get a minute or two in between before it would hit again.  I tried laboring on my hands and knees, squatting, and got in the shower but nothing seemed to help me get in a rhythm. I was definitely vocalizing through at this point, but the pain was so shocking it was literally taking my breath and I was giving high pitched yelps instead of letting my voice be low and open.  Even between contractions I was still at a pain level of 4 or 5 and after what seemed like just a few breaths I would feel another wave hit. 

Matt called Chris at 6:40 with an update that things were getting pretty intense, and again I got an easier contraction while talking to her.  I even told her, “Can I just stay on the phone with you? They’re easier!” I gave the phone back to Matt and right as she was telling him to call back in 30 minutes a real contraction hit. I was vocalizing through it and Matt let Chris listen.  At that point she said to get in the car and get to the birth center! THANK GOODNESS!

They don’t lie when they say that the ride to the hospital/birth center during labor will be the worst car ride of your life.  What I didn’t realize then was I was going through transition while in the car.  I was getting only 30-45 seconds of a break in between very intense contractions, in my car that has almost no shocks.  I kept thinking, “It’s only been four hours...what if we get there and I’m only 4 or 5 cm dilated???” 

We got to the birth center and I was stripping and headed towards the tub as soon as I crossed the threshold. All that thought of what I was going to wear to give birth went out the window.  Bikini top? What bikini top? I didn’t care if Billy Graham had been sitting in the corner--I was getting into that tub as fast as possible!

The second I got in the water things got much better.  It was such a relief, and contractions slowed down a bit giving me a few minutes of much needed rest in between. Chris checked me and I was relieved beyond belief to find out I was 9 cm dilated and 100% effaced! It was definitely reassuring I wasn’t going to have to be doing this for that much longer!  That knowledge and the relief from the hot water helped give me the energy and the confidence I could finish this how I had wanted--drug free and in the water.

Matt got behind me with a cold washcloth, and I held onto his hand like it was a lifeline.  I was finally able to get into a rhythm, moaning “Oooo-kay, ooooo-kay, oooo-Jesus” and staring at a fixed point of the painting on the wall.  During some of the harder contractions I would ask frantically, “Is this normal?!?! Tell me I’m OK!!!”  Chris would get right in front of my face and reassure me that this was totally normal, that this was just a really fast labor and that soon our baby girl would be in my arms. 

After about an hour I began to feel the urge to push. I moved to a different corner of the tub, Matt put his feet in and sat next to me, and when pushing I would pull myself up with his hand and by holding onto the faucet. Focusing on putting effort into pulling my hips up let me relax everything else. Matt began to do my moan/chant with me and it was oddly comforting and irritating at the same time. It was comforting he was doing it with me, but I knew I’d be irritated if we went out of sync so I worked on matching him as he matched me—which in hindsight was probably really helpful in making sure I was taking deep long breaths!

I don’t think I ever got into that “Labor Land-Zen zone,” because in between pushing I would think about the fact that 300,000 other women were giving birth that day, or I would ask if anyone had ever broken the faucet before because I was pulling with all I had. I even sang a bit of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”

Twenty minutes into pushing Chris could see the top of her head. From then it was really encouraging because with every push Matt, my mom, Chris and the student midwife would get really excited about getting to see more of the baby! They held a mirror for me and I got to touch her sweet little head and feel a long lock of hair, but then I had them take it away because I was pushing better with my eyes closed.

It only took 7-10 more minutes of pushing before Tatum Keturah came into the world all at once with one gigantic push at 8:52 pm.  I immediately felt such a release of pressure!  She came out of the water squalling but within a few seconds of me talking to her she was quiet and calm. Right away she pooped twice in my hand (ahh love), and after a few minutes Matt was able to cut the cord. 

Tatum's first breath

She was so calm and alert after we started talking to her!

Instant Love.

Proud Daddy

Auntie Charissa who sped all the way from Portland and still missed the birth--but she was definitely still needed!

She's starting off so spiritual...

Her first outfit

She weighed 9 lbs 15 ½ oz, and was 21 ½ inches long. When the ultrasound technician had said wide margin of error for their guess of 9 lbs 3 oz, I was thinking she would be smaller, not a nearly 10 lb baby!

Even with that, I only had minor second degree tearing. After I delivered the placenta and showered, I got to nurse Tatum for the first time. She was a little champ (or chunk) and nursed for a long time that first time! We got to take her home when she was 4 hours old, and it was so nice to be able to sleep (I actually just stared) in bed with a baby beside me, where less than 12 hours earlier I had been napping uncomfortable at 41 weeks pregnant!