Homegrown and Heartgrown: 04/01/2010

This has turned out to be more difficult than I expected it to be. Remembering all the details, deciding what to leave out and what to keep in, and making it interesting.

Largely uneventful and probably pretty normal.
It was surprising to us, considering how both of us wanted to start a family right off the bat, how long it took us to get pregnant with Caleb.
We were sooooo excited to be expecting!   At least, I was until morning sickness hit one month in. Then I wasn't cognizant of much but where the toilet was. I think I had to go quite a few times to the hospital to be re-hydrated. I would spend my days lying on the bed or couch trying to stop the room from spinning and lunch from coming back on me. I was depressed when I went to mow the lawn at the A house, I couldn't find enough strength to pull the cord hard or fast enough to start the lawn mower. Now, I realize that is just part of being pregnant.
Keith was a cute dad-to-be. He would read to me whenever he was home and not studying. Tennis Shoes among the Nephites series is what we read. I think he spent the whole time trying to figure out what he could do to help. He would go to dr appointments with me. At Dr Strebel's office they had a cut out on their counter where they would have their victims/ patients sit to get their blood drawn. He and I would sit there and he would lean his head one way and I would lean mine the other, both queazy about the needles. Which is funny, now, as we both can claim into the several millions of sticks by the needle. I remember after one hydration trip to the hospital they told Keith to get some Gatorade to help keep me up on electrolytes. He, being very well-trained on my taste buds and high barf-trigger quotient, came back with liter sized bottles of every flavor they had... problem is I couldn't drink ANY of them. I tried, I really did, but every single one of them made me throw up. Another time, I casually mentioned that I felt like I could eat a banana. Within 15 minutes he was back from the store with 15 pounds of bananas. Luckily, I was still able to eat them. Those scenarios happened throughout those six sick months. We often ate out because if I cooked something, by the time it was done I couldn't eat it.
A long about 7 months along I started feeling much better. Food didn't instantly repel me any longer. But I also was getting larger and clumsy. I hate to admit it but I sluffed a class or two because I didn't make it up the hill (or once up the stairs in Old Main).
The subject of names came up whenever we were with Keith's family. We discussed loads of names and lots of strategies for naming. We knew that we wanted scripture names and had decided to do one name from the Bible and one name from the Book of Mormon. During one of those sessons the name Caleb came up.   Keith and I both looked at each other and nodded. We felt very strongly that that was to be his name. We chose Moroni for a middle name because we liked the way it flowed and wanted Caleb to be able to have a role model with Moroni's attributes.
About one month from Caleb's due date, the doctor (and hence everyone else) started saying that "this baby can come any time now." That isn't really the thing to tell the first time mom. Every time I walked and my pelvic bones would rub against each other, every time I had to go around with my hand pushing Caleb's toes out of my ribs, every time I threw up (yes, morning sickness returned for that last month) I would hope, pray and expect Caleb to come any time. While he was only 3 days late from his due date, to me it will always feel like he was a month late. During this time he got he nick name "SlowPoke" from Grandpa Larsen (who only lived a couple months after Caleb was born).
But, like taxes and death, come he did.
It started about 1:00 in the morning. I slept off and on for another hour when it finally got painful enough to keep me awake. Then I paced around the apartment until I couldn't stand it any more. I woke up Keith and told him it was time. He helped me to the car and I don't remember much after that until they asked me to sign something at the hospital. Though I didn't say it I thought they were loopy asking me to sign something when I couldn't even sit still in the wheel chair.
When I was dilated enough they gave me an epidural. I think it made my labor slow down. When they put the epidural in they made Keith sit down as he was looking like a ghost. I was glad I couldn't see the needle they were putting in. But other than that Keith tried everything he could think of to help; cold wash cloths to the head, rubbing my back. I always thought it was cute that Reuben would buy Eileen flowers after she had a baby. But, after I have a baby I almost feel like I should be buying Keith flowers. :)   He works so hard and is usually nearly as exhausted as I am.

When it came time to push, I pushed for 3 hours and he still wasn't coming. Even with the epidural, I was getting very tired. Dr. Strebel figured that Caleb was stuck and needed a little help. He asked if he could use forcepts to help. That wasn't fun for anyone involved. Even with the epidural that was one of the most painful things I have experienced. Caleb had little marks on his cheeks for a month or two afterward. However, I think the forcepts were necessary, he was really stuck. The Dr. later said that I had a flat pelvis and that is why he got stuck.

Anyway, he was here and just so cute. Everyone said that he was beautiful. Grandma Elaine said "He's so pretty! But wait, I can't say that about boys, can I? Then he is so handsome." He had Spock ears, pinched at the top to make them pointed. I kidded Keith that it was because he was such a trekkie we had to go up to Grandma Elaine's house each sunday night to watch Star Trek through the whole pregnancy. It wasn't long before his ears relaxed a bit, but his one ear still has a Spockish look to this day.

Because he was so big, 8 lbs 13 ounces, I never really felt like he was a newborn. But I enjoyed playing Mommy, anyway.

While we were still in the hospital I was taking a New-Mommy-How-to-Take-Care-of-Newborns class. The nurse came rushing in with a bottle and said that I needed to feed him immediately. As it turns out Caleb's biliruben was elevated. As I look back on it now, they completely over-reacted. But amidst waiting for my milk to come in, Caleb having to be in the "light suitcase," and being very frustrated that they were making me feed him a bottle when I really wanted to nurse. But of course I wanted to do what was best for him and complied. After a couple of days they had a lactation specialist come in and actually tape a bottle of formula with a tube to me so that he could nurse and get the fluids he needed to help bring down the biliruben.

As it turns out, Keith and I have the ABO blood incompatability that causes the baby's biliruben to sky rocket. Lots of bili lights in our future.

The first night we were home, I began to wonder what we had done. Grandma and Grandpa Nielson were there helping. Keith and Grandpa slept peacefully through the night while Grandma and I took turns holding a crying baby. (Don't know how they did that in a studio apartment). As it turns out, Keith and I did that off and on for the first three months.

As I look back at the pictures of when Caleb was a newborn I wonder what hospital in their right mind would let those two kids leave with that baby.

Caleb was a very active baby. Keith would calm him down by laying him on his lap and "running" his legs, or bounce him on his knee.

Caleb was a great first child and has been a great big brother to his siblings. Don't tell him, but no matter how big he gets he will always be my cute little baby with the Spock ears.

Sorry, little detour to finish this post on Ryah's birthday.

"No 5 for Ryah. Ryah six."

Ryah was lucky enough to have her birthday during spring break. For her birthday we went to a playground that Keith and other Intel employees helped to build in Steilacoom. It is huge and has lots of climbing toys. All the kids played and played (and Mom will never admit that she did too). Then we went home where Anastasia offered to do Ryah's chore for a birthday present. Ryah helped make her own cake. She definately wanted a bus. I had lots of cute ideas to decorate her bus but didn't plan on lack of sufficient powdered sugar. I had to wait for Keith to bring home some more and then had to do a rush job. But she loved it!

She got a bicycle (which she is extremely excited about) and some clothes. From Grandma and Grandpa Nielson she got some water colors, markers, crayons and a notebook (which she has well used already, Mom). Oh and some clothes for her baby that are too small. From Grandma and Grandpa J she got a helmet to go with her bike and a shopping trip with Mom to buy a new dress.

My Ukie baby isn't a baby any more.