My girl

Snapped a couple shots in between clothing changes today while the girls spent some quality time together and the boys napped.

We LOVE having Daddy home

Think they're related?

This may be too much information...

for some. But I know that there are some folks that want to hear our labor and delivery story, so here it is. I promise it's not too graphic, but if you get queasy talking about being dilated and pushing, maybe you should stop reading right here and catch us at our next post :).

Thursday my OB told me I was 3cm dilated and she stripped my membranes. Friday morning my contractions started at 7 am and stayed exactly 7 minutes apart ALL DAY. They were painful and lasting about a minute or more. At 4:30 pm I got up to go to the bathroom, and I had a contraction that almost brought me to me knees. I knew. I looked at Mark and said let's go. By the time we got in the car it was 5 and we were headed to the Madsons to drop off Markus. The contractions had become 4 minutes apart, and by the time we hit DuPont-Steilacoom road they were lasting 2 minutes. We decided to go straight to the hospital, not knowing what the traffic would be like on a rainy Friday evening on I-5, and asked Randy and Beckie to meet us there. The Lord completely opened up traffic on our way. There was a bunch of cars on the road, but it seemed like he just gave us a clear path. We arrived at the hospital, released Markus unto Auntie Beckie and Uncle Rando's awesome hands and headed in. They checked me pretty quickly, as they didn't have to enter any of my info or anything because I had been a frequent flier there anyways. I was only at a 4. They asked me if I was going to be wanting an epidural- um, yeah. They told me everyone was there having a baby that night (in fact, the nurse that checked me was dressed for dinner as she had been called in because they were so busy) so she said they would send in the anesthesiologist whenever she was available. She showed up about 40 minutes later, so I got the epidural sooner than I wanted, but they told me I shouldn't take my chances. Of course, I slowed down at that point. At 8pm I was still only a 4, so they started Pitocin. Meanwhile, we met the doctor, the resident and the fellow that were all going to be a part of my delivery (do we really need all those people?). At 11, I was only at a 6. I was bummed. A little over an hour later the doctor came in to break my water. Oops! It was already broken, and I was almost complete. The nurse came in a bit later, checked me, and I was complete. Halle was only at a +1, so the nurse just said, let's do a couple pushes just to make sure you remember what to do. She will probably take a little bit. So I pushed twice, then her heartbeat came off the monitor. So the nurse rolled me on my side and was trying for awhile to find her again. The whole doctor team showed up for the report, and the nurse said she was only at +1 station and would probably be a bit. The doctor says, once you get the heartbeat back let's get her pushing again. The nurse found her heartbeat, and they lifted up one of my legs so I could get on my back and start pushing again. That's when all three docs and the nurse told me not to move and not to push, because her head was coming out. No one was ready. The fellow quickly got gowned and gloved, they removed the bottom of the bed and I barely pushed and out she came. That was it. Pretty amazing. It happened so fast, which was such a blessing because by this point my body was really reacting to the epidural and my entire upper body was shaking uncontrollably- hard to focus on pushing when your arms are shaking and your teeth are chattering. They immediately put her right on my chest and let her stay there with me for 35 minutes. It was heaven, and she never even cried because she was so content there.

And that's the story of how little Halle Joy entered the world. It was such a blessing to have my mom there with us to experience her birth. God gave us wonderful nurses and doctors and we were so thankful!

Checking in

Time for an update from mommy! Mark has been doing a fantastic job keeping the blog updated and flooded with pictures of our newest blessing, Halle Joy. We have Markus home with us, and I must say, it seems like we have always been a family of four. It feels so natural, so right. Markus has blown me away with how well he has done with her so far. Sure, he's only been around her for 24 hours, but all he has wanted to do thus far is kiss her and hug her and touch her. If anything, he's a little too affectionate! He's teething right now and she is not a big fan of his wet, drooly kisses on her face. So we are working on kisses on her head, which seem to satisfy both of them. Mark and I are adjusting well too, I think. There are plenty of adjustments to be made to go from one kid to two, but at least we already have the newborn learning curve under our belt. I feel so much more confident as I care for Halle than I did for Markus in those first few weeks. I don't find myself second guessing, and I am even willing to let her cry and fuss (oh my!) for the greater good of my boys, knowing that she will be fine and her needs will eventually be met. Physically I am feeling well, except the fact that I have a nasty SI joint (hip/low back area) sprain which is making getting around quite difficult. I am so thankful for church provided dinners, for Mark being home another week and a half and having a boy who can go up and down the stairs by himself, as I am not allowed to carry him right now. We are so thankful for all of the support we have received in this first week from my family and are so excited to see so many new people checking up on us through our blog. We covet your prayers as we continue to adjust and learn and grow now as a team of 4!

Daddy's Girl

How does one become a daddy's girl...i suppose it begins like this.

Halle's Many Faces!

Another Great-Grandchild

Abuelita, or Dita (as Markus affectionately calls her) is certainly one of the most treasured persons in our home. She has recently moved to live with Abu and Papa and has become Markus' favorite playmate. They push eachother around the house, play lots of hide and seek, look at the ducks, sneak gummy bears, play with the Strawberry Shortcake house together and keep lots of secrets from the rest of us (we pretend not to know!). It's not often that great-grandparents are actively in the picture when the children come along, so we're very thankful for these years and special memories that we have to share with her.

Love like you've never been hurt, dance like no one's watching

I saw this wall sign when we were in Cannon Beach and I couldn't agree more. Why do we grow so tired of love...perhaps, because it's conditional and has human limits attached. Christ has shown us that love knows no bounds. He was always quick to recieve someone who was in need, regardless of where that person had been or what they had done. In fact, he exemplified the greatest expression of love known to mankind when He chose to die for all...even those who would never accept Him. He gave of himself freely, because He was more concerned about God being glorified, than protecting himself from the feelings of painful rejection.

Kids teach us alot by how they interact with the world around them and if Markus could verbalize it; this wall sign would fit his philosophy of life to a t; enjoy life to the fullest, celebrate it, revel in it without regard for what others think and enjoy and cherish those who God has put in your path. Express your love to them in lavish and undeniable ways; love, knowing that, regardless of painful experiences or rejection, you have beent true to who God made you to be by fully giving yourself away. After all, He did the same for us. And look at what we have available to us as a result...life everlasting! True love never demands, it freely gives itself away.

Family

Kelsey and I are both privileged to share wonderful relationships with our siblings. Family is of highest value to both of us. It is our greatest desire to see this continue throughout future generations in our family...Markus and Halle are off to a great start!

Thrilled!

Love at first sight

We certainly couldn't have scripted Markus' response any better. Kelsey has done a great job of prepping Markus on Halle's arrival and a BIG thank you goes out to our dear friends, the Madsons, for all they did to assist Markus the hours leading up to his introduction. Lots of lovies and smiles were given...these are just a small sample of his lavish affection. He couldn't contain his joy and excitement...neither can we!

Our sweet little Halle!

Halle Joy is sleeping alot, but Kelsey got some great shots of her this afternoon when she was awake and surveying her little world. More to come...

Seen this baby before

The top pic is Markus. The bottom pic is Halle. Think they look a bit alike?

Daddy's Delight

Thank you, Lord...what a precious treasure!

Halle Joy weighs 8 lbs. 13 oz. and is 19.5 in. Here's a random/fun number stat; she was born at 1:01 on 2/02. She's also latching on well and has already let her intentions be known that she will take a vow of celibacy so that no other guy can come in and steal her heart away as that belongs to Daddy!

Halle Joy is here!

Thank you everyone for your prayers! Halle Joy has arrived and is in her mama's arms and both of our hearts. More details to come...but she sure looks a lot like Markus Sparkus! Can't wait to share our special treasure with you all!

This is how we got in this predicament

...or as Pastor Delaine once told Brian Stewart, "if you play with fire, you are going to get burned!" (This was after Brian seemed shocked that they got pregnant to begin with. Those of you that know these two can only imagine this exchange and how funny it was.)

It's a 9.5!

A gymnist would be pleased with a score like this...so are these parents...we're getting close!

Where did they get these doctors?!

Peace before the Storm

The delivery process sure seems like a lot of 'hurry up and wait'. There are times of great adrenaline and frenzied activity and then there are times of rest and refuel for the road ahead. Kelsey is in a stage now where she will TRY to rest before the 'heavy lifting' that awaits. We can't wait to meet our joyful bundle!

Daughters and Dads

I'm told that there is a very special bond between a father and his little girl. For Kelsey and Carl, this is very true. I'm looking forward to experiencing this as well with my little princess.

Abu & Papa Arrive!

We're ready!

We are thrilled to be at the hospital...awaiting baby H's arrival. We'll keep you posted as things progress.

Progress

As of my OB appt yesterday, I am 3 cm dilated, which is 3 more cm than I ever was with Markus before drugs. My membranes were also stripped yesterday. Needless to say, the bags are completely packed today. The backups to care for Markus have been notified (things have gotten a wee bit tricky with my Dad's health). The dishwasher is loaded (I know that really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but it makes me feel better knowing that it is done). Stay tuned.

It's official...

I can now go into labor. Baby H's room is completely done, including all the washing and folding and organizing of her newborn-3 month clothing (so much pink :) ). Her hospital bag is packed. My hospital bag is packed, except for some last minute toiletries to throw in and the camera. The bassinet is put together and space has been cleared out in our room for it (now I just need Mark to carry it up the stairs). My upstairs has been vaccumed. The wood floors downstairs have been swept and mopped. The refrigerator has been purged and cleaned. The bathrooms have all been given a good once over. The kitchen is clean. Homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (my favorite cookie, in case anyone ever needs to know) are in the freezer. Overdue thank you notes have been written. I saved Mark's favorite new sweatshirt that I thought I had ruined (thank God for Oxiclean). And I only have one cute shirt left.

And just because this blows my mind that this is where we were almost exactly one year ago, a photo.