Ruth works her magic

I just can't believe how old she looks. She's going to be five in five days! *sniffle sniffle*

She will never have a shortage of protectors!

Baby Joe. We all adore him :)

Ruth you are amazingly gifted! Thank you so much for taking the time to bless us with these photos!

I am still here. It's just seems that things have gotten a lot busier. Wonder why? I will post soon... promise!

Newborn Comparison.

Praise God that I have FOUR yes!!! FOUR newborns to compare to eachother. I am so thankful for my healthy wonderful children and I am SO thankful for the amazing birth that I had with Joe. I always said (jokingly) that if the Lord wants us to have many children he should make it easier every time. Well he has done accordingly! Anyway here they are for your viewing pleasure... my babies

Here's Adon and up until now I didn't realize how much he and Baby Joe look alike. I guess Adon's birth isn't as fresh in my mind.

Here is my Emma girl... too crazy, doesn't look a thing like her now! Pretty much all of Emma's newborn stuff is on video so this is one of the newest pictures I have of her, she would have only been a few days. She looks the most similar to Joe. Her nose and eyes are a little different but the lips and chin were cast from the same mold for sure!

Here's the Ephrim boy! He and Joe deffinately share the grimacing brow! Joe is not nearly as chubby looking. Ephrim and Emma had chubbier faces. Adon and Baby Joe are both long and lean looking. I also don't remember Ephrim having so much hair but he and Joe have the same little hairdo!
And here's another look at Baby Joseph. Does anyone else out there have a hard time calling your baby by their name. I dont' know what it is, it takes a while for the name to grow on me. He is very wide eyed when he's awake and is already focusing on people's faces. He LOVES to watch his Daddy. I'll try to post soon about all the funny things that have been going on here...

Okay I'm really sorry for the suggestive nature of this song but I had to add it because it has been in my head for the last two and a half days.

Okay so if you're a guy or someone that doesn't like birth stories you can skip to the bottom of the post for the basic info and pictures.

I read a lot of stuff on midwifery during this pregnancy and one thing that I read that stuck in my head was a woman's interpretation of what a contraction was. She said it was like being run down by a train with it shining the light on you and blasting the horn and no matter what you do it's behind you. Her midwife told her that it wasn't like that, it was like riding on the front of the train, it's can't run you over. You just have to ride the train. So unlike with Ephrim, I did not have scriptue going through my head this time, I had music from the Space Jam sound track.

So Baby Joe is here. He will not be Joey, just for those of you who are tempted, I know Grandpa was dissapointed. He'll be Joe or Joseph. My Mom is determined to continue calling him Buster and I'm having a really hard time not calling him Ephrim.

My labor (according to me) was pretty long. Wednesday at 4:30pm I started having contractions ten minutes apart and they continued until Thursday morning at about 7 when they stopped until 10:30. Then they picked up again and Dalen and I bunkered down for a long day and night.

My husband is amazing. I bossed him around ruthlessly and he was so gracious about it. I have not done a thing for myself in the last two days and he has been happy to do whatever I have asked of him. So about 3:30 am Friday I was in the tub and I had one very nasty contraction that I almost felt like was going to run me over. At that point I said I wanted to go into the hospital but the next contraction was easier and they remained that way until this morning when we went into the hospital. They did grow stronger and longer but they were never closer than ten minutes apart and because of that my Dr. said I wasn't really in labor yet (HAHA). So we went in at eight this morning and Dr.Almas thought I was about 8cm dilated (I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to be dilated much more so this was awesome news) but now instead of dealing with the shock that I wasn't progressing I was dealing with the shock that I was going to have to push this baby out soon. Something that I had told Dalen I didn't feel ready for.

Another thing that I struggled with was wether I should have my water broken or not. I really made a point to let my body do what it needed to do during this labor so I felt like why stop now. I knew that God had made my body to do this so why take it out of his hands in the end. Well he took care of that for me. Dr. was just about to break my water when I started puking and then pop, the water was broken. My God is awesome... down to the last detail! Dr. went down to the OR after my water broke because I wasn't really having any contractions yet and I urged her to go do what she needed to do. This was at about 8. My contractions picked up to five minutes apart and almost right away I started bearing down. I was still only 8 but Joe was ready and so was I! Dr. came in and felt that his head was not in a good position so we did a little fancy menuvering (you'd be amazed what you're capable of in extreme pain) and we got his head in the proper position. Three contractions later we had a baby boy!

There is something to be said for instinct. When I was pushing Ephrim out I was terrified, my body was in flight mode not fight. They had to keep me focused and constantly be telling me what to do. This time I was in fight mode. People would talk to me and ask me questions and I just was not on the same plane of existance as them, I'm sure that some of you who have gone through this know what I mean. I was there but I wasn't. The only thing I can relate this experience to would be a Kamakazee pilot. I wasn't facing certain death, but I knew that it was going to hurt (there is no suitable word for this) and so I flew into it screaming (even if it was just in my head) with everything I had.

I am so thankful for all the people I had there. Jaclyn and Starla were so awesome to see. Starla's play by play and defence in the IV situation were priceless and Jaclyn's emotion was something pretty special for me. These are two of the dearest women in my life and it just doesn't get any better than to see someone else experience the joy that you are feeling.

God was so merciful and gracious. I had an awesome experience with Dr.Almas and I am so blessed by her capability and so thankful that my husband showed me my bitterness towards her in the beginning of this pregnancy. Godly husbands are SO worth having around ;)

So for those of you who skipped the long drawn out version here it is.

Joseph Paul Ed Wiebe. February 15th (Daddy's guess) 9:57 am. 7lbs 12 oz. 21 inches long.

Just minutes after Baby Joe was born.

This picture reminds me of Ephrim (I'll do a newborn comparison later)

Not a big fan of his vitamin injection

The FAB Dr. I love this picture, it makes me think of reality TV for some reason.

Dad's and their babies are the most amazing thing. Nothing makes me love my husband more than seeing him holding one of his children!
Checking out the babe.
Aunty Jaclyn and Joe! YAY!!!
We love him! Can you tell?
Okay I'm sorry, but, man I look good!

4cm

Going to try to sleep.

Update

okay so my contractions have been 10 minutes apart since about 4:30. That's a great sign and I'm feeling really optamistic that we're going to get our Valentine's baby.

If it goes longer than Valentine's... well lets not think about that. All I have to the about is one contraction. I only have to do one. Then when that ones gone I just have one more to do ;)

Please keep praying!

Contractions

Well I'm having contractions. They are only about 20 seconds long or so but they hurt and they are starting to get more regular. I am trying to get supper finished up and the dish washer loaded so I can go lay down. My body is telling me very strongly to rest. Anyway please keep praying for Buster and I. It would be great to have this baby without any intervention. Valentine's Day here we come?

Update

Well for those of you who are wondering, there is still no baby Buster! He is a very contented little guy in there and just doesn't want to come out. Sherry (a nurse at the hospital) says he knows what the weather is like and he's too smart to come out now. If that's the case, he should be here today (it's warming up).

I had my membranes swept again yesterday and man was that just wonderful (sarcasm) I was having fairly regualr, but not really painful contractions last night but this morning... nadda! It's really okay, I don't feel like I'm suffering with my overdueness. This is pretty much a given for me and I really do a lot to prepare myself mentally. I know though that when Valentine's comes and goes and there is no baby (if) then I will begin to struggle. Valentine's has been my mental due date all along.

Dr. Almas wants to break my water tomorrow morning when I go in. I'm not into it, but didn't have time to talk to her yesterday as she was in a hurry to get to the OR. So I will just get her to sweep my membranes again tomorrow morning and beg her to give me until Monday to have the baby before we break my waters. I will be 42 weeks on Monday and at that point if the breaking of the waters doesn't work I'll have to have a c-section anyway.

Here are some reasons why things are so tricky for me when it comes to having babies.
I had two c-sections in the beginning of my baby days. That means that my uterus has been scarred twice and that makes it susseptable to rupture, which basically means that my uterus could rip open while I'm laboring or delivering and potentially kill Buster and I. There's only about a 2% chance of this happening which means that there is a 98% chance of this not happening, which is good!
I cannot be induced with chemicals. Chemical induction (the gel or drip) creats fake hard contractions that do not follow a natural pattern. Usually (not for everyone) when a womans labor starts it is a gradual progression. It starts out gently and works up to very strong contractions and then you have the baby. With chemical induction you usually skip the gentle part and go right to the strong stuff, wether your body is ready for it or not. The rate of rupture increses with chemical induction. The doctor talked about gelling because I have had one safe VBAC. I'm not into it and I won't do it.
Okay now the thing with breaking my water. Breaking a persons water is permanant. If you gel someone and it doesn't work then you can not gel again and wait for the body to be ready (not that they do that, but you could you know!) Once my water is broken they will not let me leave the hospital, which means that I cannot labor at all at home where I am most comfortable and relaxed and surrounded by people who love and care for me. (if I could home birth I really would Melissa) Now the other thing is, if they break my water and it doesn't work - 1. my body obviously wasn't ready to have this baby 2- you can't unbreak water, once it's done, well it's done. If my labor doesn't start they would either give me oxytosin (which I won't do so that eliminates that option) or they give me a c-section. So breaking my water is really a last resort for me.

I believe that God created my body to do just exactly what it needs to do, when it needs to do it. My baby just needs to fatten up I guess (something I'm not really all that excited about ;)

Anyway, please pray for Buster and I. I will have a baby in the next week, the question just remains how? Pray that Dr. Almas will be favourable tomorrow and allow me to go to 42 weeks. I was 10 days over with Ephrim and we were perfectly fine (as far as birthing goes;)

Thank you!
Bless you!

Buster's newest items

So since my baby doesn't want to come out, I've been pretty bored. House is clean, laundry is running steady and I'm out of ideas. Sure I could do Adon's school portfolio that HAS to be sent on Monday, but that would be boring, much funner last minute! So here is what I've been doing.

The newest pair of booties, still messed up on them, but FAR better than the rabbit fur fiasco!

I just want him to come out so I can put all these tiny little things on him!


This is a reversible kimono jacket. The pattern fabric is flannel. It's a prototype so it not perfect but with a cute Wiebe boy in it I doubt anyone will notice ;)

Ephrim really liked the jacket... apparently I'll have to do some sewing for the other children :)

Check up

So I'm heading into the hospital today for 8:00. It's just for a check up with my doctor. He's on holidays right now so he sees me there instead of his office. I'm really hoping that I've dilated more, I think I have but who knows. In the end God knows what he's doing. My body is deffinately getting ready to have this baby. Dalen said last night that he has a tranny taken apart at work that he needs to get back together then I can have the baby HA! Part of me is thinking the baby will come soon (soon being relative since I'll have him in the next week probably) but there is a big part of me that knows how long I go over. Everything that I read last night said that losing your plug is a sign of labor coming soon, but that labor could still be days or weeks away... yeah. Well If I don't have him by the 18th I'm sure they'll want to do a c-section... if not a little before then. I'm hoping to find out more about that today but I may not get to until I see Dr. Almas.

Pray for us!

Lost my plug

If you dont' know what that means then I will not explain it to you. I'm feeling very anxious and though I realize I may go to bed and wake up in the morning totally the same, right now I think my body is getting ready. All day my braxton hicks have been changing, I've been feeling very different. Please pray, I would love to meet Buster in the next day or two.

The Belly

Okay so here is the progress. I'll show pictures from not pregnant all the way up to "I should have had the baby already"

So this is me pretty much right before I got pregnant. I had lost a bunch of weight and was exercising a lot more so my tummy was in good shape... now I will have to do it all over again, but I will gladly do it for the kisses of a little baby!

This is the akward stage in which all my baby belly was on the top and my nice fat pooch was on the bottom, nothing really round yet.. I'm not sure how far along I was here? Maybe five months. I'm sure that if I looked in my blog archives I could find out.

This one you have probably seen. I think I was 36 weeks here. Maybe 37? I carried Buster very high so I managed to keep a small tummy up until he dropped down and as you can see below things have changed!
Yeppers! There's the belly! This is the thing that my husband looks forward to. Up until now he has been very dissapointed with how small my belly has stayed. I on the other hand was quite fine with it. Now I'm lookin ready to pop, but still not nearly as big as I was with Ephrim. My stretch marks haven't even maxed out yet. This is the first time that has happened! Yay! Hopefully this will mean some post partum pound meltage (I'm not dillusional, just a tiny bit hopeful;)

A look back at Adon

Make a photobook - it's easy!

A look back at Emma

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

A look back at Ephrim

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Any guesses?

So I asked Dalen what his guestimation was on the arrival of out baby. Here are his thoughts.

February 15th (I think just to spite my Feb.14 deadline that I've given myself)
6:something AM, which is just mean.
He said 8lbs 12 oz, which is also mean.

I dont' know what the deal is with him. He likes to pick things that make me grumpy and could very likely be more painful! The problem is that he's usually right about these things. Here's hoping he's wrong this time.

Christy told me she thinks I'll have him this week some time. My mom is also really hoping that I'll have him this week too. I would also like to ;) so that my doctor can deliver. But even if he doesn't I'll feel very comfortable with my alternative doctor. So? What are your guesses?

Up a little earlier than planned.

Well it would seem I'm getting up much earlier than I planned this morning. Sometimes it's better to just get up and eat and get started on my day than it is to lay in bed and battle my mind and its imginings.

Since today is the 5th of the month I decided to read the 5th Psalm. Usually I go for the proverbs but it was not so today. Here is what I was greeted with.

Psalm 5:1-3 "Give ear to my words, O Lord,
consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
my king and my God,
for to you I pray.
In the morning, O Lord,
you hear my voice;
in the morning
I lay my requests
before you
and wait in expectation."

HA! Three guesses what my request has been? First two guesses don't count ;)
I am resting in my God and the knowledge that he knows what my body and my baby need. But there is still a part of me that is requesting (request may be too mild of a word) in me that is saying "PLEASE let me have this baby soon! PLEASE!"
But then I manage to calm down and remember that he knows my heart. I'm so thankful to read this Psalm today as it gives me reassurance that it's okay to bring God my doubting pleas. He wants what is real from us. David was notorious for this, often cursing his enemies and calling them to destruction, or crying out in frustration to God asking why He was doing what He was doing. Even with his doubting and anxiousness David was called a friend of God. Who are your greatest friends? Mine are the ones who are honest and real with me and who I know will always tell me the truth and hold me accountable.

Oh and in other news... we picked a name! But of course in Dalen fashion I have been forbidden to tell what it is.

The big D

Yep I'm due today. Any signs of a baby coming... not unless you count the big belly. My target date is Valentine's day. Which is only ten days away. Ephrim was ten days overdue and I'm really hoping that I've had this little one by then. If I haven't by then I think that I'll start getting kind of annoyed. Christy was very convinced that I would have him this week. I would love to! The hammock is hanging by the bed and I just lay there and try to imagine someone in it. I still have things that I want to get done before he comes, but no motivation to do them. Deffinately no nesting happening here. I think I've been there and done that. Now I'm just tired and storing up energy.

Well pray for us that this guy makes an entrance soon (10 days is still pretty soon) and that we will all be healthy afterwards. Of all the things I'm hopeful for the delivery one of them is that I don't get a mess of cold sores again like I did with Emma.

I'm hoping to post a belly picture soon. Hopefully tonight.