John Michael- A Birth Story

If you've known me for any length of time, you'll know that there is always a story.  So, why would John Michael's arrival be any different?  I held onto the hopes that the labor and delivery would be smooth- but I think that in the back of my mind, I knew that wouldn't be the case.  And so it begins...

Wednesday, December 8th, was my due date.  I had been to the doctor on Tuesday, only to find out that there was no progression, and that I would have to wait another week.  But on Wednesday, I thought things were taking a different turn.  I woke up with contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart.  I called Michael and told him that he needed to come home, and that I was going to call the doctor's office.  They wanted me to come into the office first so that they could check me- so I did.  And guess what?  No dilation.  The doctor told me I was in pre-labor and sent me back home.  He said that we could walk around the mall and try to "walk him out."  My parents were already on the way to Birmingham, so I just told them to meet us at Brookwood mall.  We had lunch and proceeded to walk around the mall- all the while I'm having contractions and stopping every so often to deal with the pain.  After about an hour of walking, nothing had changed, so I decided to give up and go home.

Once we got back home, the contractions were getting stronger and more unbearable, so we called the doctor back.  He told us to meet him at labor and delivery, so off we went.  I was admitted, even though there was still no dilation.  They said they would give me something for pain so that I could sleep peacefully through the night and be "fresh and ready" for labor the following day.  So, I got a shot of morphine around 7pm, and tried to settle in for the night.  The nurse told my parents to go on home, as she was sure that labor wouldn't really begin until the following morning... "after dawn" she said.  So, they went home.  Around 11pm, the contractions were getting pretty bad so I asked Michael to go find the nurse.  My original nurse had gone down the hall to help deliver another baby, so I had another nurse come in.  She asked if I wanted a pill, and I told her that I would take whatever she would give me.  Well, it was an ambien.  At the time, I really didn't think about it- I mean, ambien is supposed to help you sleep, so maybe I could then sleep through the pain.  Not so.

Around midnight, I was making so much noise in our room that I told Michael the people next to us were going to think I was having a natural delivery.  My original nurse finally came in and asked if anyone had checked me since her last check on me at 6pm.  I told her no, she checked me, and informed me that I was 5cm dilated.  As she rushed out to get the materials for an epidural, my water broke.  When the anesthesiologist showed up, I finally got my epidural.  That was the least amount of pain the whole night.  At this point in the evening, Michael had now called my parents (who had just gotten into bed) to tell them that I was 5cm, water broken, getting an epidural.  They got dressed and got back in the car for yet another drive.

It seemed like the next thing I knew, my nurse was saying something about me passing 9cm- and that it was time to push.  I have no idea how long that lasted, but I do remember getting an oxygen mask at some point because they were concerned about John Michael's heart rate.  In between pushing, they told me to breathe deeply in the oxygen mask and rest.  Problem was... I kept falling asleep because of the ambien.  Michael kept waking me up, but I couldn't stop.  The morphine and ambien were just too much for me.

Finally, I realized that John Michael was not moving past a certain point, because everyone seemed concerned.  My doctor told me that we had a couple of options... he could use the forceps and if John Michael didn't come with the next push, that we were going to have to get a c-section.  I told him to do whatever he needed to do, so out came the forceps.  Luckily, the next push did the trick, but as John Michael made his debut, the doctor realized that he was wrapped three times in the umbilical cord.  Once around the neck, once around the waist, and once around the leg.  However, because of the Lord's amazing grace, he was fine.  He was born on Thursday, December 9th at 4:20am- and he was 7lbs, 6oz, and 22 inches long.

So here we are a little over a week later, and we have a beautiful baby boy who is an absolute joy!  Michael and I are beyond blessed, and can't believe that the Lord would bless us with such an amazing gift.  So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to John Michael Sanford.

One day short of a due date

It's Tuesday morning, and I'm on my favorite perch these days... the couch.  I started having contractions last Thursday morning, and have been working from home since Friday.  My sweet mom came up on Saturday to bring some food for the freezer (gotta love stocked meals).  I was feeling good for once and really wanted to get out of the house to do anything at all, so we went up to the outlet mall down the street and did a little Christmas shopping.  I kept hoping that a little walking might urge John Michael to get a move on- but I think it just lulled him back to sleep.  Sunday was quite a bit more painful- not sure if it had anything to do with the walking or not, but the contractions went away... then they came back... then they went away... and so on.
I woke up at 3:30 this morning to some painful contractions, and decided to start timing them.  They were coming anywhere between 4 and 7 minutes... until 4:45 when I went to go wake Michael up.  Then as you can guess, they stopped again.  They're pretty sporadic now- and I have a doctor's appointment today anyway, so I figure I'll just wait until then.
IF I'm dilated at all today, we'll hopefully be scheduled this week- but if not, they'll wait and schedule something next week.  John Michael has definitely made it to his due date (tomorrow).  I wasn't sure if he'd be a late comer or an early arrival... the jury is still out until later today on whether or not he'll be a late comer.  His daddy likes to take his time too, so with any luck, he'll be laid back like Michael.
So... there may or may not be any new blog posts for a little while.  But, you can be sure that there will be TONS of pictures if I have anything to do with it!  Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Time for a Finished Nursery!

It really is about time I finished it.  After all, today marks 39 weeks.  And, we'll find out if I have progressed at all in this afternoon's appointment.  Up until this point, I have tried to keep my hopes down, because when I hear that there is absolutely no progression at all, I get really disappointed.  But, that's not the point for today's blog post!  Onward to the nursery!!!

Let's start off with a huge shout out to Alison Peak for the fantastic job she did on doing John Michael's name for me.  I had seen some really cute stuff she did for Evelyn, and just had to have her do something for John Michael too.  I love how it turned out... not too baby looking.  I don't know why I'm so dead set on his nursery not looking too babyish, but anyway.  Here's the finished product as it sits over the crib.

Directly across from the crib is the changing table with my three paintings I did.  You can see close ups of them in this post.  This is the changing table that my mom, cousin and I found on our scavenger hunt to find a changing table that wasn't really a changing table.  I love how it turned out.  And, we have storage below for diapers and such, as well as a wipe warmer (which conveniently also serves as a nightlight).

And yes, the diaper genie was one of those things that I heard mixed reviews about.  However, the more Michael and I thought about it, the more we realized that we needed something super secure to keep our curious schnauzer out of the dirty diaper hunt.  We're saving ourselves a lot of heartache, I'm sure.  Over by the crib, Michael put up a shelf, which holds some sentimental items, and currently John Michael's going home outfit.  This shelf is awesome because our video monitor sits up there as well, and points directly down into the crib.  Michael and I have already had some fun playing with that monitor.  We just can't get over how it has night vision.  Yeah, it's the little things. :)

On the other side of the crib sits our fun find from IKEA.  We love this chair and matching ottoman.  The blanket over the back is a sweet gift from Haley Justice Gardiner (which just so happened to match the room perfectly- and I'm pretty sure she didn't know that).  

And speaking of IKEA, here's the rug I found there that I'm in love with.  The only thing that bothers me about it is that I can't get it to stop sliding around and puckering up.  We've tried the rug tape, which failed miserably... anyone have any other ideas?

Michael's dresser that he grew up using sits in the other corner of the room.  It has TONS of space in the drawers, and it doesn't hurt that it's also a sentimental piece for John Michael to now get to use it.  

And, we're ready to start reading to him... as Michael and I both LOVE to read.  We can't wait to pass that trait along.  (Notice the IKEA lamp I snagged- that was another item that I really struggled with was finding a lamp that was more modern and less baby).  And I love the cute hamper too.

And now to show a little bit of my embarrassing OCD nature.  But mainly to brag on my sister-in-laws Rebecca and Meg, who are absolutely the most INCREDIBLE sister-in-laws on the planet!  Yes, it's a closet.  And yes, alot of the hanging clothes are clothes that we got at showers (although the majority of his clothes are in the dresser drawers).  

But, if you look above the hanging clothes, you'll notice the bins labeled with different sizes.  Yep, that would be the hand-me-downs from Rebecca and Meg.  I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to have these two women in our lives.  We don't have a shortage of boys in our family, but I have just been beyond amazed at the generosity.  And, not only that, but Stephen and Rebecca have just poured out the generosity with things like a swing, vibrating seat, and anything else that they thought we could use- they have sent our way.  So, here's my little teary-eyed thanks to family for being so incredible!!!

And, since Santa himself is coming soon, John Michael is definitely ready to show his Christmas spirit just weeks after his own arrival... (thanks to Rebecca Tidwell and Cindy Hopkins)

I realize that this has been a long post, but it's been awhile in the making.  So, I'll leave you with one wide shot of the nursery view from the door.  Thanks to everyone who has helped us, been generous to us, prayed for us, put things together with and for us (shout out to Paw Paw), prepared food for us (shout out to our moms)... we can't for you all to meet John Michael in person!  WE can't wait to meet John Michael in person!  Have a great week- maybe the next post will be his introduction.  Pray, people, pray!

38 Weeks and Swollen

It's not like I haven't been dealing with swelling before now... but for some reason today, I was possessed to take a picture of my feet and legs at work... because when I try to point my feet, I can feel the skin stretching.  And it's not just my feet and legs.  Oh no, my hands are feeling it too!  Luckily I removed my wedding band long ago, as I knew that I would not be passed over by the swelling fairy. 

Other good feelings this week include no sleep (although Benadryl helps), complete absentmindedness (which is especially fun at work when you're trying to maintain a level of professionalism), and a hunger that simply won't quit (which is great for my hopes of ever looking normal again).  And I said I was going to be one of those women who DIDN'T complain about pregnancy in the end days.  Well, that has gone down the drain.  I'm crabby, and I don't care who knows it!  Come on, John Michael!  It's got to be getting crowded in there!  There's so much space out here!

Well, at least others can laugh at me at this point.  Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

A Time to Make Peggy Raybon Proud

I'm now within the last month of my pregnancy, and my doctor has told me that I am to "take it easy and keep my feet propped up."  He realizes that I work, so basically I'm supposed to work and go home and that's pretty much it.  I don't know if it's because of my swelling or what- but if you know me, you know that it's not easy for me to just sit around all day and do nothing.  Well, maybe it's not that hard. :)

So, since I have all of this time on my hands, I decided to do something creative and useful while sitting on the couch.  Enter the christening gown that my brother and I wore when we were baptized.

Our names are embroidered on the front bottom left panels, along with the dates we were baptized.  Look at how beautiful this is...

So, naturally when my nephew Bradford was born a little over a year ago, he wore this same gown for his baptism.  Wanting his name to be added to the embroidering, my sister-in-law took the gown to a woman in her hometown.  However, nobody wanted to touch the gown because they said that the fabric was too thin.  One woman said that she could do the embroidery by hand, but that it would take over a year.  Well, by that time, I was going to need the gown for John Michael's baptism.  So, after consulting the brilliant Brenda Keith, I gained the confidence I needed to tackle this whole embroidery thing myself.  I knew that I couldn't do as fabulous a job as my own Godmother had done on our names, but I decided that I would try anyway.  

I bought some embroidery thread, and after two nights of sewing, I finished Bradford's full name and baptism date.  

No, it's not perfect.  But, I never said I was a professional seamstress either.  However, I really enjoyed doing this.  Now all I have to do is John Michael's name, and I'll leave the baptism date for later to add on.  In the meantime, I'm really proud of myself.  I think I would have made my 8th grade home-ec teacher, Peggy Raybon, proud as well.  The only thing she ever saw me sew was a button- and I didn't do that great a job with the button!

I'll end with one more shot of my handiwork. This is Kay, signing out at 37 weeks pregnant, and obviously bored.

Somewhere between 34 and 37 weeks

Well, it finally happened.  I officially got to the point where I voiced that I was tired of being pregnant.  It was last Tuesday to be exact.  Don't get me wrong- I'm super excited about what's happening with John Michael... I still love to feel him moving around and all.  But there are some things that are just starting to get to me.  Take for instance the head banging he's doing "down there."  I apologize if this is too much information for some people, but it seriously brings tears to my eyes and makes me double over in pain.  Or how about the lower back pain that comes from... well, anything.  Or the fact that I can wear one pair of flip flops, and sometimes my tennis shoes- and that's about it.

But, on the bright side, I was 34 weeks last Wednesday... and when I went to the doctor, I was measuring 37 weeks.  Wait, is that a bright side?  I was wondering when the nurse told me that didn't necessarily mean that he was coming early- just that he's big.  Well, the bright side of it was that up until that doctor's appointment, I was starting to wonder if I had a toddler sized baby, because NONE of the doctors would tell me what I was measuring.  Only three weeks ahead of schedule- whew.  Can you hear the sarcasm as I'm typing? :)

I will say this- I was totally blessed two weekends ago with a baby shower at my cousin's house.  One of my best friends (whom I usually only get to see once a year) helped host the shower- my partner in crime, Amy.  And my little sis was there, along with family and friends to make it truly special.  I got a car seat/ carrier- so at least now I know I can bring John Michael home from the hospital!  And we got some very needed things like bath time goodies, onesies, sleepers, the whole nine yards.  Here are some pics from the day:

My sister, Jessica, and me

All of my sweet hostesses

I'll go ahead and say this too while I'm at it (I don't seem to be holding anything else back today)... there was a time in my early stages of pregnancy where I actually said to myself, "Maybe you will be one of those lucky girls who doesn't blow up like the marshmallow man in your last trimester."  Not so, dear friends, not so.  I've come to terms with it though, so it's cool.

Now, I will roll myself off of this couch and go find something else to eat in the kitchen. :)  Have a great week!

First baby shower

I'm so behind on this post- but it has been a busy week here in the Sanford household. My sweet friends Catherine Gilmer and Harriette Jones gave me a baby shower last Sunday, and it was so sweet and wonderful.  I enjoyed catching up, hugging necks, and getting some wonderful gifts for John Michael!
The weekend was pretty busy though- Michael's brother Owen flew in from Austin to surprise Lois for her birthday (which was Saturday).  I was singing in a wedding Saturday evening, so I stuck around Birmingham while the boys went ahead to Selma.  I got to Selma Saturday night, about halfway through the Auburn game.  The whole Sanford clan gathered around the tv to cheer them on, and I was in and out of falling asleep on the couch after the long day.
But, on Sunday, my sweet friends hosted a wonderful baby shower for me, and I wanted to share just some of the pictures.  Here's my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew- my nephew Bradford is always the life of the party, so Stephen brought him for a cameo appearance, as many people had asked to see him. :)

Lauren was a lifesaver!  She wrote down all of my gifts for me- and as always, I LOVED catching up with her!!!!

My mom and my "other mom"- Mrs. Kay.  She came all the way from Auburn for my shower!  I was so surprised!!!!

We had ice cream in these little mason jars, with wonderful toppings and cookies.  It was great!

So, after a long and exciting weekend, we came back to Birmingham, Owen went back to Austin, and then we got hardwood floors in our house.  Yep, that's right.  More on that in the next post...