Happy Fifth Birthday, Bella Buns!

Today sweet Bella turned five!
I can't believe she is already a whole hand.

FIVE things I love about Bella...
1. her enthusiasm for life!

2. her passion

(especially for gum and tight clothes)
3. her social spirit
(particularly at 7 in the morning when she is asking me what we are going to do that day)

4. the way she loves her family
(and cuddles Jane in the mornings)

5. her humor
(like when she ruins a perfectly "good" picture making a crazy face:)

-

-

Her cousin came into town and surprised her for her birthday!
She was so excited!

That girl is crazy about her cousin.
Tonight we took them to dinner-

to the "fire place"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bella!!!!

A Few Sweet Pics

She loves pursing her lips. Rowan and Jane's Feet

A Little Shout Out...

From Girls Night Out at Common Grounds

To One Heck of a Father of Three!

You are an incredible dad!
The kids and I are so blessed by you!

Maybe Next Time I'll Get It Right

It already happened...
I was ask the inevitable question.

"Mom, who do you love the most?" ~Bella

I remember asking my mom that,

and she would always say me.

I felt special.

Until I realized she said the same to my sister.

So I thought I would go with that approach.

Tell each kid they were my favorite.

"You, Bella, I love you the most."~ mom

I felt okay about the response until Bella said,

"No, that's not what you are suppose to say.

You are suppose to say daddy, me, Rowan, and baby Jane."

"Oh." ~ Didn't I feel like a bad mom! :(

Here's the Story

I'll try to keep it short as possible...
but for those of you, like myself, that love detail...
Here is my labor, delivery, and a little post delivery story.

So it all started one really hot, sunny afternoon.
I was feeling drowsy because I had been up late the night before with inconsistent but legitimate contractions. However, I was determined to not go into labor until the following morning. So I tried to take it easy all day, trying not to get too worked up. Later that evening Brett, my sister, my nephew, and I took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese. I was contracting the whole time I was there. Again sitting most of the time, trying to slow them down. The idea of having to labor through the night scared me. With Rowan I had been at work all day the day I had him, so I was exhausted by the time he entered the world. I knew if I was going to have to labor all night it would be even worse. We headed home around 8. My mother-in-law was there waiting for us. We put the kids down and as we were getting into bed, I told Brett I didn't think I was going to make it through the night. We laid down, and an hour later I woke him up telling him my water had broken. I ran to the bathroom (sorry it gets a little gory) and I had passed a fairly large blood clot... not water but blood. (okay that is all the grossness I will speak of) So I called the doctor on call. He said my cervix was probably thinning and to wait until the contractions were 5 to 6 minutes apart. At this point they were 7 to 8. So, we tried to go back to bed. Yea right. At midnight we decided to go ahead and go. I was still bleeding and felt funny about it.

I will try to go a little faster- I am probably losing some readers by now.

Midnight- laboring- in pain- dilated to a 3- 80% effaced
3:00- Epidural- dilated to a five
3:30-5:00- Try to sleep (meanwhile Brett doesn't have to try- he is totally out)
5:00- Sister gets there to keep me company
6:15- Mother-in-law and Jojo arrive; I am thinking it should be any minute
6:30- Dr. arrives; dilated to an 8; he breaks my water
Labor Slows Down.
7:00- I am given a little pitocin to jump start labor again
9:15- Start Pushing
9:23- She's Here!

Oh -After it was all said and done the bleeding ended up being my placenta pulling away from the wall of my uterus. All was well since I was delivering that day anyways.

After arrival we headed back to our room. The first day went wonderfully. We had sweet friends and family come visit. Bella and Rowan met her and fell in love. They have been so sweet with her. Rowan almost too much. If he is holding her and you try to take her away he wraps his arms and legs around her.

Here is a little video of it.

We don't usually tease the guy by pretending to take her away...
I just wanted to get a little footage of it.

The following day the pediatrician came in and told us that Miss Jane had some abnormal white blood cells indicating possible infection. Since I was Group B Positive, (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/groupbstrepinfection.html)
the doctors were very aggressive about treating the possible infection. Group B Strep in babies can be life threatening. Therefore, within a couple of hours they had an IV in Jane's forehead (they tried the hand but couldn't get it in her little vein), and she was given her first round of antibiotics. She had to get them for 48 hours. So we stayed an extra night. When tested again on Saturday morning her blood was normal, so we were given the okay to go home!

Saturday we headed home and every since I have hit the ground running. Except for this morning when my sweet mother-in-law took the older kids and I got to sleep in until 10 and take a shower!

I do have to say going from two kids to three kids has been a much bigger change for me than from one to two. Someone is in constant need of assistance. It is a challenging to say the least, but I love it!

Click HERE for Pictures of Chuck-E-Cheese
Click HERE for Labor, Delivery, and a Few Days After

Wow! We were totally surpised that is was a ....

GIRL!!

Jane Emery Swartz
Born 6-10-09
7lbs. 15oz.

20 inches long

9:23 am
Went into labor last night.
Headed to the hospital at midnight.
She came 9 1/2 hours later.
More details to come.
We feel so so blessed!

Sisters!!!
Bella really wanted it to be a girl.
She was the first one I told.
Her response was, "Does she miss me?"

Our attempt at a family photo.
We'll try again tomorrow.

Ready or Not

He or She is Coming.

Here is the last pic of the four of us.

To be Continued...

One More Week

Induction date set for next Wednesday,

June 10th at 6am.
That is my actual due date,

and I don't anticipate this baby coming any sooner.
Bella buns was induced a week late,

and the mister came on his own two days late.

We are excited and ready to meet the little guy or girl.
It looks like according to the poll

most people are thinking boy.
That is what Brett and I are thinking,

but I guess we will know soon enough.

Let the countdown begin!