Elizabeth Ann

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Elizabeth Ann

She is here! Elizabeth Ann Hoppie 9lb 15oz 21 in. 10-19-10 1:56 pm. The big day finally came...okay, so we forced the big day, but she's here! We are just so excited to have another member in our family and are thankful for all the support and prayers that have helped us through this journey.

Alright, so here are some details...just in case you want the whole story;-) I really hesitated to be induced because I just really feel that things go better for everyone when the body does its own thing...but in the same breath Aaron was 41 weeks, 10 lb 12 oz with only 90 minutes of labor...a smaller kiddo and a more controlled delivery were sounding good. I decided to go ahead and be induced. Would I do it again? I'm not sure...but I AM sure that 39 weeks was a good idea...holy cow, she would have been HUGE if we let her grow for 2 more weeks!!!

We got to the hospital at 7 a.m.--I was only 3 cm and 60% effaced...grrr. The doctor broke my water around 8:30 and I moved to a 4...woohoo. We started the pitocin and 2 hours later...I was still a 4, dang! This continued for quite some time...lots of contractions but not a lot of action...my body really wasn't ready to give birth and baby girl seemed content to stay in as long as possible. We had a few rough moments where baby's heart rate dropped but a little oxygen and repositioning for me and she was okay. They tried to back off the pitocin to let baby rest but every time they did that the contractions stopped. Not slowed down or weakened, stopped. So we would restart the pit nice and slow and when the contractions got good and strong she would struggle, we would stop the pit and the contractions would stop...this vicious cycle continued on until about 1:30. At this time I was at a 7 and 80%...not too bad. Baby had an episode and we turned off the pit...but the contractions continued! Woohoo!!! Baby was in trouble a bit so Dr. checked again and holy moly it was baby time...once my body kicked into gear it was good to go! Baby girl was struggling so they decided the best thing for me to do was to just get her out...a few good pushes and welcome to the world Elizabeth!!! So how long was labor? I don't know...if you start from the induction time it was about 5 hours...if you start from the time my body kicked into gear it was about 1/2 hour...crazy!

She is here and she is wonderful. I just love how soft and snuggly they are when they are new! She does have a broken collar bone from delivery...ouch! Babies heal so quickly that by next week you won't be able to tell it was ever broken so we're just being a bit gentle with that arm and giving her extra kisses. She also has a heart murmur...but is not showing any symptoms of distress...we're not doing much for that either right now, just watching her a little more closely and hoping she'll grow out of it soon...most newborns do. We can't wait for everyone to meet her and thanks again for all the support and well wishes! Have a great day!!!

The Great Debate, please chime in...

So Aaron is pretty solidly potty trained. He hardly had any accidents anyway and it has been weeks since that occured. Even at night he seems to do well. I keep him in diapers at night because I just don't have the energy to change a bed if he happens to not make it but basically I throw away a dry diaper every single morning. I mentioned this to a friend and she seemed shocked that I would actually throw it away instead of reuse it. I can see the logic in reusing, diapers are expensive and it is hard to toss it when you know the absorbancy is still intact. On the other hand it is underwear...don't we all wake up dry every day and still change our underwear? If we only changed when we had an accident we could wear the same pair for years, decades even (I hope). My kids are hard sleepers...I'll check on them and they are all sweaty and passed out...you have to assume that if they are sweaty on one set of cheeks they are sweaty on both...

Anyway, what is your opinion on the great 'used but not really used' diaper debate?

At least I'm not an elephant

Okay, so yesterday I took Katherine, Kyle, and Aaron to the zoo...for the record Dan was opposed to the adventure...but I went anyway. Apparently there was a new elephant born last Sunday here at the Houston zoo, baby girl Tupelo. We didn't get to see her because she was still too new...the good news is that there was also a baby born 5 months ago and he was out and about so we still got to see a baby elephant, whew. Let me tell you that even though some days I feel like an elephant and may believe that I look like one, I am really, really glad that I am not ACTUALLY one. Baby Tupelo was born full term...at 22 months gestation...weighing 273 pounds. I think my attitude just improved.