Mia Grace - A Birth Story

Welcome to this world, Mia!

Mia Grace Curry

11/09/2012

6:06am

6lbs, 3ozs

17.5 inches

Mia,

Mommy and daddy went to the hospital on Thursday November 8th at 8pm to start the process of bringing you into this world.  By 9pm, paperwork was signed, machines were hooked up, and a tablet was placed to start softening my cervix.  Little did I know that when we arrived at the hospital, I was already having contractions 2-5 minutes apart and dilated to a two.

Throughout the night, the nurses started giving me pitocin (a liquid medication that causes uterine contractions).  I continued to have contractions throughout the night, but nothing that made me think you were about ready to come within the next few hours.

And then, BAM - around 3:30, I felt the pain.  A lot of pain.  While mommy was in the hospital bed breathing through the contractions, daddy was asleep - snoring - on the couch.  I must have been in a deep breathing pattern because as I would exhale, daddy (without even turning around on the couch or opening his eyes) would mumble "tell them to turn the heat up".  He must have thought I was shivering from being cold, when really I was shivering from the pain.  I threatened him and told him that he better get up and go take a walk!

The next couple of hours were a blur. 

 I was progressing very quickly and the doctor asked me if I wanted a shot to relieve the pain.  I was too far along to get an epidural pump, but they could still give me a quick shot in the back to numb some pain.  I thought really quick about passing on the pain shot since we had made it to the end and were ready to push, but I really didn't want to be in any pain whatsoever when you came into our life.  I wanted to be able to be relaxed and be able to enjoy every single second of birthing you.  Luckily, the shot worked just in time for me to push and I could deliver you calmly with my eyes open and a smile on my face.

We had many people in the room that were there to watch you be born.
Bringing life into this world is a miracle and there really isn't a better feeling than to be able to share this amazing process with the people we love.

...and then at 6am, it was time!

We got in position, and I pushed once.

Just one push and you were here.

...at 6:06am you were screaming.

You were placed in my arms and everything around me was gone.  It was just you and me.

You were beautiful.

You were perfect.
You took my breath away.

You were mine.
You were ours - mommy's, daddy's, sissy's, bubby's.

Your warm body, your newborn baby breath, your sweet cry - all of you - cradled in my arms.  Finally.

I love you, Mia!

Your first picture with mommy and daddy.

*I'm still in disbelief at the quickness of your arrival and the one simple push it took to get you here*

Makayla and Mason coming to meet you for the first time!

Mason instantly fell in love with you.

He just wants to kiss you, feed you his food, and kiss you...all the time!

Makayla couldn't be prouder!
She loves you with her whole being.  She can't hold you enough and says that she just can't stop kissing you.

Our first family picture!

My 3 beautiful babes!!

I thank God for three uneventful pregnancies, 3 easy deliveries, and 3 healthy babies.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well.

-Psalm 139:13-14

Welcome to our family, Mia!
You're everything we've ever dreamed of and we've waited our whole lives for you!

Love, Mommy

37 Weeks, 4 Days

You know when you jump into a pool of water and your hair floats and waves through the water as you swim?...well, that's what your baby's hair looks like on an ultrasound.  You can see in the picture below that the arrow is pointing to baby's hair.  I know in this picture it kind of looks like blades of grass, but as baby moves, her hair waves through the amniotic fluid.  It's very cool.

When Makayla was born, she was born with a full head of hair with natural blonde highlighted tips.

 And I remember wondering if Mason would have hair like Makayla (kind of hoping he wouldn't because it was really girly) and sure enough, he didn't.  He was born with just a "normal" head of hair (not too much and not too little).

...and I can't help but wonder how much hair this new little one will have, along with wondering what else this little life will carry with her and bring to us. 

But - besides seeing her hair this morning at our appointment, we got to see many other things!

Her head is low, low, low (the reason behind all of the pressure)...but not low enough to not be able to get a glimpse of her face.  She spent a lot of her time this morning sucking away on her thumb, so you can see in this picture that her fist is up by her mouth.  

I exceeded my goal weight!  Woo Hoo!  Although the doctor didn't ask me to reach a certain weight (and in fact told me not to worry about it) and told me that I was doing just fine on weight gain, I still wanted to reach a "goal".  

*i like working towards a goal*

So - as of 37 weeks and 4 days, I have gained 26 pounds and exceeded my 140 pound mark on the scale.
It made me smile...

And  - as of 37 weeks and 4 days, baby is measuring in at around 6 pounds.  

With Makayla weighing 5lbs, 7ozs and
Mason weighing 6lbs, 8ozs,

this baby may fall right in between the two.

Here's a close up of her nose and lips.

We got to see her practice her breathing and watch her diaphragm move up and down.

We watched her heart beating and recorded a heart rate in the 140s.

We saw her eyes open and close, open and close, and watched her manipulate her thumb around into her mouth more than several times.

While the ultrasound tech did all of her measurements and recordings, we watched our little girl on the screen - in awe.

There is such a special sweetness in being able to participate in creation.

-Pamela S. Nadav

We had a great doctor's appointment this morning and now we just wait until next week when we see the doctor again :)
Getting closer by the day!

In the meantime, I can't wait to write about another "first experience" for our family.

Makayla and Mason were in their first wedding - being a flower girl and ring bearer for Uncle Mike and Nicole!  Daddy was also in the wedding, so unfortunately, mommy was too busy to take any pictures of my little beauty and handsome man *gasp*!  I didn't even get a picture of the Bride and Groom!  Totally unlike me!

Here's a preview of pictures taken from others - 

...and as soon as I get some pictures from the photographer, I will write about the beautiful day!

Baby's Cells

Your Baby's Cells Stay In You For Life

During pregnancy, cells sneak across the placenta. The fetus's cells enter the mother and the mother's cells enter the baby --and stay there for life. In mothers, fetal cells often take residence in her lungs, spinal cord, skin, thyroid gland, liver, intestine, cervix, gallbladder, spleen, lymph nodes, and blood vessels. The baby's cells may also live a lifetime in Mom's heart and brain. 

-Sheryl Feldman

Here's a picture of our pretty little girl!

We tried to get a 3D/4D picture of her this morning, but her little arms and legs wouldn't leave her face long enough to get a picture.

I was amazed at watching hers eye open and close, open and close, open and close...

and her mouth kept opening and closing - she was either busy sucking and tasting or telling us a story...

and she kept sticking her little tongue out at us.

Her bladder was full and her heart rate was 132 beats per minute.

She's measuring in at around 2.5 pounds.

Mmmmmm - I can't wait to meet her!

25 Weeks And A Non-Stress Test

I'm telling you - I have a wild woman in my womb!

We went for a regular doctor visit this morning - 25 weeks, 4 days.

First - Weigh - check (gained 3 pounds)

Second - Pee in a cup - check.

Third - Blood pressure - check (110/60)

Finally - Listen to baby's heartbeat - check (extremely fast)

I couldn't help it, but at the sound of baby's heartbeat, I started giggling.  I had just never heard her heartbeat so loud and so fast before!  Dr laughed and asked me what I had for breakfast.  I only had a banana, a bowl of cereal, and juice (and two bottles of water so I could pee in the cup)...but you would have thought that I had Oreos and a Mountain Dew for breakfast!

After our appointment, I made my next appointment for three weeks - one of my favorite visits to the doctor while being pregnant.  In three weeks we get to do the Glucose Test to test for gestational diabetes (I love the orange drink you get to drink for it) and do another ultrasound!

...then I headed upstairs to the OB floor at the request of doctor to do a non-stress test.  He wanted to monitor baby's heart beat for a little bit.

I laid in bed, they hooked me up (to a monitor for the heartbeat and a monitor for contractions), and watched the Olympics.  I was supposed to only be monitored for about 45 minutes, but because baby was so active and moved around so much, it was about 1.5 hours!  It was hard for them to get data with baby on the move, but doctor said that if everything looked normal from what they did have, then I could be discharged.  Thankfully, everything looked great!

*While being monitored, I learned from the nurse that a fetal heart rate of over 160 beats per minute is considered Tachycardia*

Remember those two bottles of water and a cup of juice I had before my appointment?...well, that started kicking in!!  A couple of times while being monitored, my bladder reached the maximum capacity of urine and I had to get up to use the restroom.  Whew!  

Anyway, the way things have been going for us, I should have expected that we weren't going to have an easy and normal doctor's appointment.  It's just a little nerve-wracking to have to be monitored and possibly consider there might be an issue, but I'm thankful that everything sounded and looked good and that I got to hear my baby's heartbeat and strong loud kicks for 1.5 hours this morning!

Wild In The Womb

Wrapping up our 24th week!
...and starting to have to remind myself at times to embrace every single moment of this third and last pregnancy!

From the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, I very rarely feel baby girl move.  Several times throughout the day, I will have to stop - sit down and relax - and wake baby girl up.  I have to rub my belly, get a little nudge from her, and assure myself that she's okay :)


Between working during the day and playing with a 1 year old and 3 year old in the evenings, I stay pretty active and on my feet.  I tend to the think that all of the walking and 'up and at 'em' lull baby girl to sleep.  If she does get a little active during the day, maybe I don't notice it because I'm too busy staying busy!


It's not until the late evening or when I'm laying in bed that this little baby goes WiLd in the womb!!  It's absolutely amazing and sometimes I have to get up and get busy just to lull her back to sleep! 


Books say that at 24 weeks gestation, baby is about a foot long coming in at just over 1 pound.  Imagine a one pound ear of corn or a one pound foot long hot dog having a dance party in your womb.  I know anyone who has been pregnant knows exactly what I'm talking about - it's awesome! - one of my very favorite things about being pregnant. 

You go from the little movements (fish blowing bubbles or popcorn popping) to the kicks and punches (what I'm about ready to write about) to the final stages of there being no room in your belly for baby to move (rolls and waves).


So...what does it feel like when baby girl goes wild in the womb?

Sometimes it feels like she has 6 arms and 6 legs - I can't wrap my mind around what could possibly be kicking me and punching me in so many different areas of my belly all at the same time.  It really feels like there is an octopus in my belly that has her tentacles simultaneously knocking on my insides.  Crazy!

  

Sometimes it feels like she is stretching so hard that she is going to pop right through my stomach - I know I have so much more to grow and I know my belly will double in size, but sometimes I think that if I was any bigger, she would rip my skin.  The baby stretches and extends her arms out as far as she can above her head and streeetches and reaches with her feet to touch the very opposite end of her cozy little home.  It's a "feel good" pain and completely impressive!


Sometimes it feels like she is having seizures - This one kind of freaks me out a little bit.  Sometimes there are  one hundred quick movements within 10 seconds in my womb.  What in the world is going on in there?!  I don't know whether to describe it as seizure action or baby girl just being spastic.  These movements are quick, short, and jumpy.  Cool but freaky...and still makes me smile!

Sometimes she punches or kicks so hard that she makes my entire body move - Every once in awhile my entire body will jerk at the strength of her one little punch or kick.  I can't help but say "whoa" and giggle.  


I'm in awe of what one little teeny tiny baby can do.


So...nearing the end of our 24th week and getting a kick out of all of the baby's movements!
No pun intended :)
*i just cracked myself up*

Best Time Of My Life

The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of my life.

"Why," I answered without a thought, "now".

~David Grayson

A loving husband - who is patient; faithful; supportive to every single one of my wants and needs; is the best father I could ever ask for for my children, which in turn makes me love him more than I can even put into words; and puts his family above anything or anyone else.

A beautiful daughter - who is smart; compassionate; can hug me like no other; loves to teach and mother; and makes my life worth living

A handsome son - who is independent; makes me laugh with all he says and does; has the best smoocher on the planet; takes my breath away; and makes my life worth living.
A baby in my womb - who is growing and moving all around; makes mommy very hungry; somebody (a belly) that Makayla and Mason are already loving and kissing; is going to be a baby sister and turn our family of four into a family of five.


So, yes - today is the best time of my life.
...as will be tomorrow and the next day and the next.
Your life is what you make it.


Taking some family and friends out to dinner a couple of nights ago, we announced the expecting arrival of our daughter.  Ordering fortune cookies ahead of time (a batch that said "It's a BOY!!" and a batch that said "It's a GIRL!!"), we asked our family to join us at a local Chinese restaurant.  We sneaked the cookies to our waitress and at the end of the meal she brought us our ticket and 'surprise' fortune cookies.  Passing out the cookies before we left, everyone opened and read their fortunes which shared our wonderful news!  What a a wonderful surprise to our guests!


We couldn't be happier that we are having a little girl - a healthy little girl.  We couldn't ask for more!
I, of course, am very emotional towards Mason...but that's a whole other blog in itself!


We are blessed.
So very blessed.
And today is the best time of my life.

A Bit About Each

First up is...Baby

Documenting the progress, we're 20 weeks along - halfway there!  

As we (me and the kids) pose along the wall and Kevin takes our pictures (a lot of pictures), it's really funny to go back through and look at all of the expressions that were captured.  

20 weeks along and feeling great!

• I don't have any particular cravings.  A couple of months ago, I loved hot dogs and ate 2-3 hot dogs a day - one for breakfast, one before bed, and one during the day as a snack.  This month, I feel like I have lived off of berries and french fries - blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and french fries with ketchup.
• For a few weeks now, I have been feeling baby move.  But being pregnant with my 3rd, I haven't felt near as much movement as I had expected or heard...just one more thing for me to be nervous about if I think about it.
• Tomorrow we have another doctor's appointment and we get to hopefully (fingers crossed) see what gender the baby is.  And yes, for all of those who question if we're finding out what we're having since we already have one of each, we will be finding out if baby cooperates!  It's just something I need to do for bonding, preparing, and organizing purposes!

Up next is...Makayla

3 years old and swings all by herself!

A huge accomplishment!
It was our goal to learn how to pump our legs and swing by ourselves before the end of summer...and look how much time we have left to spare!

"Soaring towards the sky,

I gaze at the tallest tree...

The breeze flows through my hair, 

My thoughts are simple and free..."

She gets so much joy swinging by herself and I get so much joy watching her face (and relaxing in a chair rather than standing at the swings pushing non-stop for an hour or more day after day)!

Finishing up with...Mason

1 year old and can put his shoes on!

Mason can put his own shoes on (thanks to Crocs)!

It feels great to be getting things ready and packed up to head out and I can tell Mason to go put his shoes on.  Not only does it save me time, but it gives him a sense of independence and something to be proud of.

Not only do I love watching him put his shoes on (and most of the time they are on the right feet), but I love watching his face as he looks up at me so proudly when he is done!

He is always so excited to put his shoes and he loves wearing his shoes.  He'll even put his shoes on at night after his bath.  Watching him play at night with his jammies and shoes on just gives me another reason to smile.

It's all kind of bittersweet to watch my kids grow and accomplish these simple, yet wonderful things - swinging and putting shoes on!  I love watching my kids grow, but it makes me sad that the days of learning these things for them are behind us.

It will be gone before you know it.  The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher.  Then suddenly they disappear.

-Dorothy Evslin

I'm Not Worried

The day Mason was born -

and do you know why I was crying?

Sure, it could be because of my "hormones" (don't hormones get blamed a lot during pregnancy/postpartum?), or it could be because of labor and delivery, and it could even be because I am holding my brand new baby, my beautiful son, in my arms...

but the tears in this picture are because of my heart.  

I remember being worried about bringing another baby into our family.

How could I share my attention?

How could I share my time?

How could I care for both of them?

How could I give to Mason what he needed without taking away from Makayla everything she had grown to known and expect?

How could I possibly love Mason as much as I loved Makayla?

 *and as i sit here and type this, i am beginning to tear up (eh, we will blame this on the hormones). such an honest feeling, it makes me sad to think that i was in a place of questioning my love for my child.

But in the picture above, where I am brought to tears, it was at that moment I felt it.  My heart, my body, my mind, my soul - every part of my being felt it.  My heart was over flowing with love for my children - both of my children.  It was amazing.  My heart was throbbing and my worries were gone.  It was absolutely amazing how I could feel  my body open up to something that I thought I was incapable of.  

Definitely a moment in time that will never be forgotten.

Bringing Mason into this world...it was divine.

I have given my kids different things and I have met their needs differently.  They are two individuals with different wants, different needs, different likes/dislikes, different desires...They are Makayla and Mason, my son and daughter.  They are their own person and I love each of them for who they are with all of my heart.  I love them to the moon and back -

and I can't wait to love their new brother or sister.

I'm not worried.

(i may be nervous about other things when having a family of five, but i'm definitely not nervous about sharing my love)

Preschool, Memorial Day, Baby Update...And Grandpa

Wow!  Preschool, Memorial Day Weekend, and an update on our little baby that's growin' in my belly!  I'm behind again in updating, but that's no surprise.  May is still here and May is still busy! 

Yesterday, we spent our time at St. John's Hospital while Grandpa Curry underwent Triple Byspass Heart Surgery.  Surgery went well and now we can look forward and pray for a speedy and uneventful recovery.  I can't wait to watch him heal and discover how much better he is going to feel.  With his heart working better than it has in years, he is going to be filled with so much more energy and life.  The human body amazes me!

Makayla has finished up her very first year of preschool!  I can remember the first day I sent her - I was somewhat emotional, trying hard to hold back the tears - but, by the end of the year, sending her off to school and watching her learn and grow had just become a part of our life.  It's been a joy to watch her grow, mature, and learn. 

At her end of the year program she was given a certificate.  She was "promoted" from one preschool class to another.  She was so proud of her certificate that throughout her program she kept standing up, yelling out Mason's name out into the audience, and holding her certificate high above her head to show him.  She was proud!...and it made me smile to know how excited she was to share her moment with Mason!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, spending time relaxing and having fun with friends and family.

We had a yummy dinner at one of Kevin's favorite restaurants, The Burgery Barge, followed by a beautiful night on the Peoria Riverfront listening to our favorite band JammSammich.  We had a great night with some amazing friends, family, and co-workers!

We kicked off our summer by spending a couple of days at the waterpark, swimming in the backyard, and watching a Peoria Chief's baseball game.

At the waterpark, Makayla got to go down the "biiiiiiig waterslide all by herself with daddy"!...and that's exactly how she says it - all by herself, with daddy!

And my boy Mason has no fear.  The exact opposite of Makayla!  He loves the water, he loves swimming, and doesn't mind at all if he goes underwater OR if the water is freezing cold!  He laughs when he is splashed and cries screams if we take him out of the pool before he is ready.

Below is Mason swimming in the backyard and playing with a ball - his favorite things to do! 

 We celebrated a friend's birthday at the Peoria Chief's game this past weekend!  It was hot, sunny, and fun.  Makayla got her face painted like a princess and Mason ate a few cups of ice.  The kids waved their American flags (which was on the news) and enjoyed watching the mascot (a dog) dance on the field. We had a couple of hot, sweaty babies on our hands when we left the game, but the heat didn't seem to bother them as much as it bothered me! 

We had another visit with the Dr yesterday to check on baby and everything sounded great!  Heartbeat was in the 150's, I gained weight, had to get blood drawn, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't pee in a cup (but spent the rest of the morning running to the bathroom every 3-4 minutes).

Knowing that this is my third and last pregnancy, I want to embrace every part of it.  This time around, I am going to take pictures of my growing belly and with help from the kids, we're going to create a cute little timeline of pictures.  Every so often, we'll take pictures like the ones below.  Makayla will hold the "weeks" sign and Mason will hold the "days" sign. 

It was very difficult to get any decent pictures with both kids, but I think that is part of the fun of this.  Mason wasn't too interested in holding up his sign, so Makayla decided she would take over in the second picture.

...16 weeks, 4 days, and growing!
The human body amazes me!!