It's that time of year again when, for me at least, things are always put back into perspective. I openly admit that throughout the year I am prone to focusing on negatives or stresses that are present in my life. Like a lot of people I am sad to say that on a day to day basis it is normal for me to overlook those things in my life that I should be most thankful for. Those that I AM most thankful for. So here's a little blog to remind myself how good I have it...
My Family: I can't stress this enough. I am so thankful for my little girls. Though life can be a little crazy at times with three little ones, all constantly on the go, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a wonderful support system in my husband and parents. Kevin and I have been through a lot but I think we are a stronger couple because of it. He has given me three wonderful girls and they are a reminder everyday of our love. All I have to do is look around and I am instantly reminded of those who love me most.
My Friends: Honestly, I think I have the BEST group of friends that anyone could ask for, both in Michigan and in Minnesota. Though I don't see my friends nearly enough they have not deserted me and still give me the unending support they always have. Whether I am on the phone with Sarah, chatting with Jill or emailing Jen or Lindsay I always end the conversation feeling so much better than I did before it started. Then every day I go to work with the greatest group of girls (I guess I should say women) that anyone could ask for. We take our job seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously and that makes all the difference :D I love you ALL!!!
There are so many other things I am thankful for: Having a job, a home, food every day, etc. Sure, we could stand to live in a larger place and have a little more money in the bank...but all in all I have more than a lot of people and possibly more than I deserve. To all of you who play a part in my life...THANK YOU!!!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Days and Nights
Day, night...night, day. It seems that my newest bundle of joy has not yet figured out which is which. For the most part Elana is a quiet, serene baby. She can sleep in the noisy living room with no problem, is not bothered by lights and can even rest when her sisters try to attack her. Unfortunately for mommy she seems to do most of this sleeping when she's supposed to be awake. Ugh. As of right now Kevin and I are able to tag team her and get a little rest each...BUT he leaves on Sunday to go back to work and I have NO IDEA how I am going to handle things then. I get all shaky when I think about being up with Elana all night and then having to drag my butt out of bed at 6:00am when the girls get up. Heaven help me. Most of the time I pride myself on the amount of energy I have and what I can do with the three girls...but I am afraid that if tested with this particular situation I will fail miserably. I guess I will know soon enough!
On the plus side my little punkin' is eating like a champion. It has come to the point where I don't think breastfeeding is enough so my Dr. suggested that I supplement with formula. She will drink 3-4 oz at a time which for my girls is just CRAZY. Hopefully she will climb up the growth chart a bit though I am not going to hold my breath on that one.
On the plus side my little punkin' is eating like a champion. It has come to the point where I don't think breastfeeding is enough so my Dr. suggested that I supplement with formula. She will drink 3-4 oz at a time which for my girls is just CRAZY. Hopefully she will climb up the growth chart a bit though I am not going to hold my breath on that one.
Monday, November 23, 2009
I'm Back! Labor Update
I have Internet again!! WOOHOO!! For all of the blogs I have missed I am sorry and I will do my best to catch up ASAP. I have missed reading about what is going on with all of my friends!
Most of you know what is going on with me but I will use this as my update post all the same. On November 6th at 10:41pm Elana Kathleen Britting was born. The entire labor was somewhat odd, nothing like what I have experienced with my previous two. First off I was induced, something I have never gone through. I had been feeling crummy for a while and my Dr. felt that induction was the best option (I LOVE THIS DR!) So I arrived bright and early at the hospital on the morning of the 6th. They set me up in my room and explained what they were going to do. I was to get 4 doses of a pill designed to get me ready for labor, each dose being 4 hours apart. After this I would be given pitocin for contractions. My Dr. explained that I would probably not have the baby until the next day, Saturday. Not what I wanted to hear, but at least I knew she was coming.
So Kevin and I got comfortable, thinking we wouldn't see some action for a while. I got my first dose of meds at around 9:00am or so. Not much happened. Some light contractions but that's about it. Second dose was given between 4 and 5 hours later...At first not much else happened, but soon I started to get regular "medium" contractions. By medium I mean that I was able to talk and/or breath through them. When my Dr. came in around5 or 6 I was at 3 cm and about 50% effaced. She asked me to get up and walk around, shower, etc. She then instructed the nurse to give me the third dose after I was done showering and that she would see me in the morning. I said "a-ok" and told her to have a good night. I spent some time walking around like she asked...and it wasn't long before the contractions became more intense.
Around this time Kevin left to get dinner. It was also about this time that I called him and told him to come back. LOL. The nurse gave me the third dose of meds around 8:00. Up until this point I had no pain meds, etc. That was all about to change. After about 10 minutes with the third dose of meds I was ready for something. The contractions were hard and very very VERY intense. First they tried to give me a narcotic, but all it did was make me feel drunk and shake like a leaf. Not gonna cut it.
At 9:30 I was at 3 1/2 cm and received my epidural. Around 10:15 a nurse came in and said that something was happening to the baby's heart beat and that she wanted to check me. The news was a surprise...I was a full 10 cm!! I thought Kev was going to pass out when he heard that. Neither he nor I nor the nurse thought that I would go from 3 1/2 to 10 in less than one hour. Apparently my Dr. didn't think so either because when they called her to let her know she didn't believe them. It took some convincing for her to get out of bed and drive back to the hospital. LOL. I will NEVER EVER forget my Dr. running in with messed up hair, sweat pants and a long sleeved Kansas City Chiefs shirt on. As I learned later she was still so out of it that after the delivery it took her until the next morning to really figure out that she had delivered my baby, LOL.
I began pushing at 10:39. At 10:41 I was done. No joke. My water didn't even break until Elana was born. Apparently this is unusual because my "quickie delivery" is all I heard about for the rest of my stay in the hospital. As for me, I was just happy that I had delivered a beautiful baby girl :D
Sooooo...that's my delivery story. Elana is now 2 weeks and 1 day old and is fitting in perfectly with our little family. Ellie loves getting me diapers and being my little helper. Emma just kind of looks at Elana and laughs...She calls her "Lana." As for me, the hormones are starting to balance out a bit. I am so thankful for Kevin being home and the help I have been getting from my dad and mom. I am really starting to believe that I can do this, that I can handle being a mommy to all three girls...Not that I didn't think so before, but there was always some fear...Now I am no longer afraid of what I will or won't do...I am too busy worrying about what the three crazy ones will do!
Most of you know what is going on with me but I will use this as my update post all the same. On November 6th at 10:41pm Elana Kathleen Britting was born. The entire labor was somewhat odd, nothing like what I have experienced with my previous two. First off I was induced, something I have never gone through. I had been feeling crummy for a while and my Dr. felt that induction was the best option (I LOVE THIS DR!) So I arrived bright and early at the hospital on the morning of the 6th. They set me up in my room and explained what they were going to do. I was to get 4 doses of a pill designed to get me ready for labor, each dose being 4 hours apart. After this I would be given pitocin for contractions. My Dr. explained that I would probably not have the baby until the next day, Saturday. Not what I wanted to hear, but at least I knew she was coming.
So Kevin and I got comfortable, thinking we wouldn't see some action for a while. I got my first dose of meds at around 9:00am or so. Not much happened. Some light contractions but that's about it. Second dose was given between 4 and 5 hours later...At first not much else happened, but soon I started to get regular "medium" contractions. By medium I mean that I was able to talk and/or breath through them. When my Dr. came in around5 or 6 I was at 3 cm and about 50% effaced. She asked me to get up and walk around, shower, etc. She then instructed the nurse to give me the third dose after I was done showering and that she would see me in the morning. I said "a-ok" and told her to have a good night. I spent some time walking around like she asked...and it wasn't long before the contractions became more intense.
Around this time Kevin left to get dinner. It was also about this time that I called him and told him to come back. LOL. The nurse gave me the third dose of meds around 8:00. Up until this point I had no pain meds, etc. That was all about to change. After about 10 minutes with the third dose of meds I was ready for something. The contractions were hard and very very VERY intense. First they tried to give me a narcotic, but all it did was make me feel drunk and shake like a leaf. Not gonna cut it.
At 9:30 I was at 3 1/2 cm and received my epidural. Around 10:15 a nurse came in and said that something was happening to the baby's heart beat and that she wanted to check me. The news was a surprise...I was a full 10 cm!! I thought Kev was going to pass out when he heard that. Neither he nor I nor the nurse thought that I would go from 3 1/2 to 10 in less than one hour. Apparently my Dr. didn't think so either because when they called her to let her know she didn't believe them. It took some convincing for her to get out of bed and drive back to the hospital. LOL. I will NEVER EVER forget my Dr. running in with messed up hair, sweat pants and a long sleeved Kansas City Chiefs shirt on. As I learned later she was still so out of it that after the delivery it took her until the next morning to really figure out that she had delivered my baby, LOL.
I began pushing at 10:39. At 10:41 I was done. No joke. My water didn't even break until Elana was born. Apparently this is unusual because my "quickie delivery" is all I heard about for the rest of my stay in the hospital. As for me, I was just happy that I had delivered a beautiful baby girl :D
Sooooo...that's my delivery story. Elana is now 2 weeks and 1 day old and is fitting in perfectly with our little family. Ellie loves getting me diapers and being my little helper. Emma just kind of looks at Elana and laughs...She calls her "Lana." As for me, the hormones are starting to balance out a bit. I am so thankful for Kevin being home and the help I have been getting from my dad and mom. I am really starting to believe that I can do this, that I can handle being a mommy to all three girls...Not that I didn't think so before, but there was always some fear...Now I am no longer afraid of what I will or won't do...I am too busy worrying about what the three crazy ones will do!
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