Welcome Little One

Dear Sophia Madelynn,

We are so glad you have arrived safely to our family. We had a long hard night before you were born, but you were so good and waited until the 18th of March to come (I knew that you didn't want to share your birthday with the leprechauns!). They started Pitocin the night before around 7 pm and by 3 the next morning I was still only dilated to a 3! I was very frustrated and felt like I wasn't going to make it. Dad kept encouraging me though and told me he knew that I could do it, that I was strong and was doing a great job. The monitors didn't work when we got up to walk around or when I wanted to get in the tub or sit on the ball... I was sure that would help so the contractions didn't hurt so much. The doctor and nurses needed to make sure your heartbeat was good, so I stayed in bed all night. By 4 in the morning I started having my own contractions and they finally turned off the Pitocin... then I started to dilate more quickly which was a good thing... I was pretty sure we were headed for a Cesarean birth... so I was very grateful that my body was getting ready for you to come. By 8 in the morning I had a really strong desire to push and even though I wasn't quite dilated to a 10, the doctor came in and got everything ready. You were anxious to come, and it didn't take many contractions of pushing to get you out, even though your head was turned the wrong way. When they gave you to me, I was so grateful to see that you were healthy. Dad and I were thrilled that you were finally here!

Olivia and Coleman came to visit you soon after you were born... they were so excited to finally meet you. They have been praying for you since they found out we were going to have another baby. Even before then, they prayed that Heavenly Father would send another baby to our family.... so you are an answer to their prayers (and ours!).

You are now a week old, and I am still in awe at the journey that it took for you to get here. Many years ago Dad and I went on a Pioneer Trek with the youth in our ward. We went to Martin's Cove and pulled handcarts, and each of us got to learn about someone in one of the handcart companies. I learned about my grandmother, six generations back, named Sophia Mason Crook who crossed the plains with the Willie Handcart company. She was 65 years old when she crossed--her husband had died before she left England so she went alone with one of her children. Her toes were frozen and had to be amputated... but she made it to the Salt Lake Valley. She was strong and faithful and committed to the gospel. I felt such a strong connection to Sophia during that Trek and I knew that if we were able to ever have another baby, we would name her Sophia or him Mason after her. After four years of trying to have a baby, it looked like we weren't going to be able to have any more. There were times that I was devastated and heartbroken about it, but I had finally come to feel peace with the way our family was. We had been blessed with two wonderful children and it felt like we were going to be okay the way we were.

In July of 2009 we held a reunion for the Crook family. Again I felt a strong connection to Sophia Mason Crook and was so grateful for the chance that I'd had to "get to know" her during the Trek. I felt a little sick that day, but didn't think much of it until a couple of weeks later, on July 24th--Pioneer Day--when I took a pregnancy test and found out that I was pregnant with you! It seemed so fitting to find out on Pioneer Day. I felt that you were going to be a girl and that your name would be Sophia... even though Dad wasn't sure he was ready to commit to anything until he met you.

When I was only 11 weeks along I had a pulmonary embolism and it was such a scary experience, mostly because we weren't sure how it would affect you. I took two shots of medicine each day so I wouldn't have another clot. They weren't fun, but it was worth it. Because of the high risk, we got to see a perinatologist every 6-8 weeks to make sure that you were growing and developing, which was a good comfort.

I was surprised when I went for an ultrasound at 12 weeks and they told me you were going to be a boy! It didn't feel right, but the perinatologist was certain she could see boy parts. I thought it was too early to tell, and she said that there was a chance she was wrong, but she was pretty sure. I spent the next 8 weeks getting used to the idea that you would be Mason instead of Sophia. Coleman was so excited to have a little brother--he knew you would be a great video game partner. When we had an ultrasound at 20 weeks though the nurse and perinatologist were very apologetic and explained that they had been wrong, and now they were absolutely certain that you were a girl. It was such a relief to me and just felt right. Coleman got used to the idea of having a sister (who still might be a great video-game partner) and Olivia was thrilled at the idea of having a baby sister.

After you were born they asked us what your name was... I looked at Dad and he nodded and answered "Sophia" which has been your name all along! We decided to give you the middle name of Madelynn after both of your grandmothers... my mom was named Madeline after her grandmother and Dad's mom's middle name is Lynn, so we combined the two for your middle name. I love that you are named after three women that are strong, determined, and faithful. They are great examples to me and I hope that you will learn from them as well.

In the last seven days I have learned that you are persistent, trusting, patient, vocal, peaceful, and determined. I know that in the next days, weeks, months, and years we will learn a lot more about each other. I am so glad that you came to our family... we love you!

Love,
Mom

It's just not my thing...

Since I had my blood clot back in September I have known that my doctor was planning an artificial induction of labor--save for a glorious week where I believed that I could change medications and go into labor on my own, but that was shattered after an appointment with the perinatologist who talked me out of switching medicine for many valid reasons--yet I am still opposed to being induced. I judge no one that WANTS to be induced or HAS BEEN or WILL BE induced or anything... it just isn't my thing for many reasons... so I have a plan.

Now that we have her room almost finished (photos to come when I finish the quilt... this weekend???)... and her clothes washed and ready to wear I am almost feeling that we can welcome her into the world.

My last day of work is March 11th... and between 5 pm on that day and March 16th (the day before scheduled induction) I will be employing any and all ways to naturally induce this labor and bring baby girl safely into the world without the aid of pitocin.

I am so open to ideas that any of you might have... but please don't share negative stories of things that didn't work or horrid labor and birthing stories (with or without inductions) because I need all the positive thoughts and energy I can muster and gather...

I'm already effaced and dilated a bit... and I've had lots of contractions, which is a change from my other pregnancies, but nothing in any sort of pattern, and the contractions (or rather "uterine surges" according to the HypnoBirthing method which to me is a combination of good relaxation and breathing techniques and total kookyness) aren't painful. Despite this, my doctor feels I'll go until the 17th (still the only day she can induce!!! Did I mention I don't want a St. Patrick's Day baby???).

My plans to start this party on my own include:

• Lots of sitting on the birthing ball (as I type even!)
• March 11th, 5:30 pm--Scheduled a massage with a certified prenatal massage therapist who is willing and able to apply pressure to the reflexology points that are known to induce labor. I think this worked for Olivia's birth.
  
• Evening primrose oil--taken orally and um, "applied" when the date gets closer to soften things up.
  
• Spicy foods... anyone up for a Cafe Rio lunch with me on Monday, March 14th? Let's say 11:00 am?
  
• Italian food... with lots of oregano (someone at work has promised a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan GUARANTEED to induce labor... the recipe is even copyrighted!).
• What gets the baby in, gets the baby out (or so I hear). Enough about that.
• Walking, stationary biking, hiking in the mountains (altitude changes, right?), and if it comes down to it, Ryan has been instructed to put the trampoline mat back on (it's still off because we keep getting crazy snow here!).
  
• Rubbing clary sage oil into my belly... and I will state unequivocally that this will be one of the last resorts... this oil smells so bad that it would scare anyone or anything out of a warm safe place... I'm pretty sure I don't want to expose baby, me, or anyone else to this smell. I have delayed purchasing this and will not buy it until it's the 16th and I've had no other success.
• Castor oil... another very last resort which apparently sends the GI tract into such spasms that contractions follow shortly... I hear an OJ chaser makes it all go down a bit better... but it still doesn't sound all that appealing.
  

**Any other ideas for natural labor induction?
(Remember, positive thoughts and experiences only... you can tell me all about the things that DON'T work after this babe is here!)

Prenatal Photos by Ryan

Ryan took some fun pictures of me and the kids while we were in St. George... I only have a handful of photos when I was pregnant with Liv and Coleman, so this time around I wanted to make sure to get some good ones. He did a GREAT job!











Olivia was the aspiring the photographer that clicked the remote in the picture of me and Ryan... and Coleman just loved this fishy face photo and he wanted to make sure to post it on the blog.

Thanks Ry!

Night of Culture

We try to have Harper Family Fun Night on a pretty regular basis... which usually consists of getting a Redbox movie, making some pizzas, and eating treats while we hang out together. Tonight we decided to take our Family Fun Night on the road for a night of culture... not the kind of culture you'd find in New York City or San Francisco or Chicago, because let's face it, it's pretty hard to come by in our neck of the woods... but we had a great time together and got out of the house...

Our first stop was for dinner... we experienced the southern cultural cuisine and consumed tasty fried chicken--sandwiches for the grown-ups, nuggets for the kiddos, and lots of lemonade and fries for us all (hooray for free sandwich coupons).

Then we got to the heart of our evening and saw the BYU Cougarettes in concert... it was so great to watch 20 young women with creative dances, great music, fun costumes, and very interesting uses for props. I loved that we didn't have to worry about immodest costumes and suggestive dance moves... it was great!

Our last stop embraced the culture of obese America as we stopped at Krispy Kreme for the kids to redeem their report cards... did you know that Krispy Kreme gives kids a half-dozen donuts for a good report card? It was so funny to see Coleman... he was excited when he thought he'd be getting a free donut just for showing his grades... and the sheer delight on his face (jaw-dropping happiness) made me smile inside and out. The donuts were warm and sticky, just how we like them.

Our Night of Culture was a great success... we might have to take our show on the road more often!

**As a side note, I probably should go easy on the fried foods... several people have kindly told me that I look "too small" to be this far along in my pregnancy... one even went as far as to say I was "tiny" which has never been a word that applies to me... but Coleman brought it all back into perspective this morning as I was going through some clothes my friend gave me... I held up a cute jacket and told Olivia how much I liked it... Coleman didn't skip a beat and said,

"You're going to have to get MUCH smaller to fit into that, Mom."

(Somehow I don't think Chik-Fil-A and Krispy Kreme are going to help me with that!)

This sign made my day...

No complaining here...

...because really, I am thrilled that I am pregnant. For so many years we wanted another baby and I promised myself that I wouldn't complain about my pregnancy if we ever managed to have another baby... so let's call these "observations" or some other benign term so I don't sound like a world-class whiner. Some of these things may have occurred during my other pregnancies... and it's just been so long that I've forgotten... but perhaps it really is harder this time, after all, I am at an "advanced maternal age":

• Leg cramping occurs frequently... at very inopportune times, like during family prayer, in the middle of the night, while I'm lounging watching TV, while I'm talking to a client at work, or any number of other activities or sedentary-ness.
• Sciatica... can I just tell you that my cheeks get so sore that I can't seem to walk upright? I don't think I waddled during my other pregnancies, but this time, it's becoming a more frequent occurrence.
• Sleepless nights... sometimes it's the leg cramping, sometimes it's the having to go to the bathroom or the general feeling of being uncomfortable, but usually it's just waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. I am becoming less and less opposed to chemical induction of sleep (although 3 am is not the best time to take a 6-8 hour Tylenol PM or Unisom)... it presents an obvious dilemma so I usually just lay there wondering if sleep will continue to elude me for the rest of my life... then I drift off for a few precious moments of rest before the alarm goes off.
  
• Frequent urination... I know, this is a given for any pregnant woman, but it seems to be several times an hour instead of every couple of hours like I remember with the other pregnancies.
  
• I am thirsty ALL of the time... which doesn't help with the bathroom issue or the sloshy feeling in my tummy from nausea that's lasted way too long.
  
• Zofran is a good drug... takes away nausea, but it makes me really tired... and it doesn't help to feel extra tired and not be able to sleep.
  
• I recently was reminded that oxytocin is a good hormone and helps women deal with stress... I'm obviously LOW in the oxytocin department, because I've been really cranky lately... just ask anyone that lives with me. Patience is a virtue that I must develop but it seems to be in short supply lately. Last week Coleman said our morning family prayer. His words were very telling: "...and please bless mommy to not be angry at work..."
  
• My belly is much larger than it was with my other pregnancies... just ask Coleman who reminds me often just how large I am. The other day he rubbed my belly and said, "Mom, your this is so much bigger than your these..." and pointed to my chest. Lovely. Another morning I was getting ready to put my dress on (so I had lots of layers of underclothing on already) and he said, "Whoa! You look so much fatter without your clothes on!" Nothing like a 6 year old's honesty to keep it real. It's come from others too... one of my co-workers said, "Wow, you look REALLY pregnant today" and a friend whom I hadn't seen for awhile said, "I can't believe how big you are already!" (just so you know it's not all in my head).
• My face feels puffy. I don't think it looks puffy (I trust that Coleman will let me know when it does) but it feels puffy. That's worth observing.
• With the anti-coagulant medicine I'm on they want to induce me at 39 weeks... isn't the convenience of being induced choosing the day that you have your baby? So during that week my OB/GYN is only available to induce me on March 17th... that would be St. Patrick's Day... can you blame me for feeling very grumpy about this??? I don't want my daughter's birthday to be on St. Patrick's Day. I'm considering changing doctors... for many reasons much more substantial than this one... but I must be truthful... one teeny, tiny factor just might be to get another induction date.

Despite all of these observations, when you ask me how I'm doing, I'm likely to smile and say, "things are fine" because they are. We are getting more and more excited to welcome this little girl into the world (although my to-do list is a mile long before she's allowed to come).

We're Having A....

...beautiful baby....

GIRL!!! Yes, I did just post a bum shot of our daughter to be. You must understand the humor in all of this...

When we first found out that I was pregnant, I really thought we were going to have a girl. My step-dad Mike even dreamt about her. At 12 weeks I went to the perinatologist after my pulmonary embolism (it seems like with a higher risk pregnancy the quality--and cost--of your prenatal care goes way up...). I had a great ultrasound and both the ultrasound tech and perinatologist said they were pretty sure that it was a boy. They could clearly see boy parts, but reminded me that it wasn't a for sure thing... so I spent the next 8 weeks getting used to the idea of having a boy. I even had talked Ryan into using the name I wanted to use (more on that later) and we referred to this baby as "HIM" most of the time. Ryan was relieved that we could just use all of Coleman's old bedding and furniture and that we could get away without painting the room...

..only to be told at our ultrasound yesterday that this baby is definitely not a boy (the perinatologist yesterday said she hates it when anyone names the gender at 12 weeks because they all look like boys). It's all good... we are thrilled, particularly Olivia, although we would have been equally thrilled to confirm that it was a boy. Coleman was a little disappointed but decided that he could love her anyway...

Aside from the startling gender news... the ultrasound went well. Our babe is growing and developing right on track and there is no evidence of any birth defects or other problems. My placenta had been low-lying (close to the cervix) at my last ultrasound, but has since moved away so there is no more concern for placenta previa (thank goodness). The perinatologist confirmed that my treatment (two injections a day--which to be honest still hurt as much as they did when I first started) is working and that the bruising on my stomach will go away, but the lumpy knots that are there might not. They expect the rest of my pregnancy to be uneventful, which is a relief!

So now, I have the task ahead of convincing Ryan that the name I want for our daughter is the one that he wants too (or at least agrees to)... and choosing the color for her new room... which will at some point be turned back into Coleman's room when this little girl gets old enough to share with Olivia.... no pinks or purples allowed, but it's time to say goodbye to the animal room with primary colors.