....AND BABY MAKES SIX!

10:21 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
Kiersten Fern Olmsted was born on December 15th, 2009 at 9am. She weighed 9lbs 2 oz at birth.


We arrived at the Hospital at 6:15 am. I was changed into a gown and put on the monitors to get readings on baby's heart rate and see if I was contracting or not ( I was not). Baby looked good! My IV was placed and they started the saline solution. I talked with the anesthesiologist, the Surgeons, and before long it was time to hear to the OR! For the first time ever I was wheeled there on a bed.... With all my other girls I walked into the OR. We left Andrew in the hall, he would be called in after I was numbed. I moved to the operating table and got in position for my spinal. During this time the check blood pressure and other vitals before starting the spinal. They had a hard time getting an accurate read on my blood pressure. Apparently I am between cuff sizes. eventually they got that fixed and started the spinal. This time the spinal went pretty quick. I am always happy when it is done. Sitting there trying to hold still is nerve wracking every time! I immediately started feeling numb, and my legs were heavy as they lay me down and set up for surgery. It seemed like an eternity before Andrew was by my side but eventually he was there to hold my hand as we waited for our 4th daughter to be born.


At 9am on the dot Kiersten entered the world screaming..... the most amazing sound EVER! Tears instantly roll down my face as they call for Andrew to cut her cord. After several minutes Kiersten was brought to my head so I could see her. After a quick photo and a kiss she and Andrew went to my recovery room to wait for me.


I spent the next hour and twenty minutes on the table, getting my tubes tied and then being closed up. I could slowly feel more and more of the doctors touches and eventually pulling and pinching. They had to give me some local anesthetic to finish up.
While I was being closed up Andrew was able to spend time with our baby. After the initial weigh in they left him with her, he fed her some formula, and just held her. He also got to help give her her first Bath. This experience for him was way different than all the other girls where they were taken to the nursery and he stood by their side but did not get to touch or interact with them at all. He was very surprised and happy to have had that time with our newborn.


Eventually we were all back together in recovery. I got to hold Kiersten and nurse her. Phone calls were made to family. OUR Family was now complete!


She is amazing, her sisters adore her and love on her constantly. She nurses like a champ! we are off to a good start. She's slowly making progress getting her days and nights switched around. LIFE is GOOD!

Less than two weeks.....

8:53 AM Edit This 1 Comment »
In so many ways I can not believe that our little one will be here in less than two weeks. It seems like we just found out that we were expecting, and I held My breathe for 3 months hoping and praying that everything was OK with baby. Then once we knew it was and could tell the girls Andrew had to leave on Deployment. Which seemed like forever while he was gone But once he was back it seemed to really shorten the pregnancy. He Left when I was 12 weeks pregnant and returned at 30 weeks. So here we are down to the wire ready to welcome our last little one in 13 short days!
I LOVE being pregnant. I am very fortunate to have fairly un-eventful pregnancies. Other than our one first trimester loss I have not had any terrible symptoms or reactions to being pregnant. We have healthy HUGE babies! So I have to have c-sections, which is why this will be our last. We have decided that 4 cuts to my uterus is enough beyond this the risks go way up and I have to consider my family. I wish I could give my husband a SON but It seems together we are pretty good at making beautiful girls. So as I near the end of this pregnancy it is all bitter sweet. I lay in bed every night and watch my belly moving and savor that feeling of a little life inside me. I do not know if it is easier knowing this is my last or not.
I am also SOOO excited to meet Kiersten and see her with her sisters who are bursting at the seams in anticipation of holding their baby sister. Not to mention how excited I am to see a baby in my husband's arms once again, he is an amazing father and has always been so wonderful with our babies.
This delivery will be the first time my Mother can not be here with us. I am very blessed to have friends and Family here that are going out of their way to help us out with the big girls, But I can not help but wish Mom was able to be here. There is just something comforting about knowing she is near and knowing my girls are in the care of their grandmother when their father and I can not be with them.
I am also getting nervous as I always do about the spinal. That is the worst part of the c-section process (ok the stomach bile juice I have to drink is pretty awful too). My husband would disagree with me BUT he is not the one who has to get the needle in the back, Just like I am not the one who has to watch the blood and gore of the delivery (in his eyes this is the worst part).
But in the end we will have out lil' miracle and it will all be worth it. She may be the most spoiled yet being the BABY of the family and all. NOW I just have to WAIT 13 more days.....

LIFE!

9:41 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Well the Last couple of weeks have been very busy. The girls were on Fall Break at school (year round calendar), and we were preparing for the return of Andrew (A.K.A. Daddy). We were lucky to have the chance for Andrew to take Leave out of Hawaii one week before the ship actually returned home. We were ALL very excited for homecoming and made signs, cleaned house, and baked a cake all in preparation for his return home. Wednesday Oct. 14th was a GREAT day! The flight arrived at the airport on base about 5:15 and we were at Outback for dinner By 6pm. The girls could hardly contain themselves they were so excited to have daddy home. I think he must have gotten a hundred or more kisses throughout dinner. Kate kept saying "I misted you daddy"!
Thursday was a normal school day for Meghan and Melanie, we all walked to school and then Kate and I enjoyed the morning at home with Andrew before heading out for my hair cut and some shopping. Yes I cut My hair REALLY short and I am not exactly loving it but hopefully it will grow. I had a lot of damage to my hair that needed to be cut out. I had a run in with the grill a few weeks ago in which I scorched my hair from a huge ball of fire shooting out of the gas grill after I had not lit it correctly (that was scary). Then I decided to color my own hair after which my poor hair was totally fried so NOW... I look like a boy.... BUT it will grow... RIGHT???
Also on Thursday we had the big 4D ultrasound. Big question "what is the gender"??? Well we found out that we will indeed be welcoming our fourth girl. No shocker there. I must say I was more disappointed than I expected. I love My girls and KNOW I will love this one just as much, BUT... this is our last baby and I am a bit disappointed that I will not EVER have a boy, and that I was unable to give my husband a boy. HE (my husband) is fine with it, possibly because ALL of our girls are daddy's girls they adore him. So one more girl is just more attention and love for daddy.... where is mama's boy???? OR even mama's Girl??? Don't get me wrong, I know my girls love there mom but no one ever fights to sit by me or be my partner in a game, they always want daddy. Anyway, I digress..... It's A GIRL... now what will her name be???? That debate may go on for a while. I have taken to calling her "baby what's her name" in an effort to spark some sense of urgency in my husband who turns down every name I offer up.

Offically have a birthdate picked out!

8:33 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Today I went to see the OBGYN for our 29 week Check. All is going well. We listened to a strong Heart Beat in the 150's (had been in the 130's prior to today but there was a lot of activity today). Fun fact... I am measuring 35 weeks, looks like big baby #4 for the Olmsted family. We do not make dainty, frail lil' babies. Our babies come out chubby and thankfully very healthy. The Dr. said she was going to go ahead and order an ultrasound, and I would have another at 36 weeks. Delivery is set for 39 weeks, December 15th to be exact. We are the first case of the day so that is good news since the worst part of a c-section for me is the fact that I can not eat after midnight the night before. Momma gets cranky with no food!
My Mother will be happy to know that I got my flu Vaccine today! I will also be getting the H1N1 when it is available but they do not have it yet. I also am taking all three girls to get their vaccines on Friday and am praying with all my might that they can do the nose spray vaccine versus an actual injection But will bribe them with ice cream to get the injection done if needed.
We have a 4D ultrasound Scheduled for Oct. 15th so that The Daddy and The Sisters get to see our lil' one. With a little luck we'll also get a peak at "THE GOODS". This would be very helpful in the great baby name debate. My husband is not interested in discussing girl names when he is under the delusion we COULD have a boy. I think I have a pretty consistent track record going here.

Pregnancy Update 28 weeks

6:59 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
..... 11 to go! I am Ok with that... I need those 11 weeks since I have not been able to prepare for this baby AT all she can just stay in there a while. We have about 9 weeks after my Andrew comes home to Bust our Butts and get ready for our fourth and final lil' one. Hopefully that is enough time to prepare!


So hear I am looking big and Prego....

I am doing pretty well at this point still comfortable and able to get around well. I am starting to experience some swelling in my hands and feet, but over all am doing well.

As for baby? what is going on in there......

To me it feels like a gymnastics tournament. LOTS of tumbling and thumping and bumping stretching and pushing. I can feel movement all the time If I just pause for a couple of seconds and sometimes without even thinking about it I can feel the movements. She is most active in the evening when I am relaxing after the big Sisters are in bed.

Our little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. She's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. At this point the lungs are also nearly fully matured, so we can start to breathe a little easier that we are at the point in which this baby can survive outside the womb. (although mom needs those 11 weeks so do not even think about it lil' one!).

**** To all who have not noticed or participated I added a baby pool on the right side there-----> it would be fun if you'd add your guess!****

Remembering 911

11:02 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

I know we ALL remember every second of that day as if it were yesterday. In some ways it is hard to believe it has been eight years.
Meghan was born on 8-13-01. Labor day weekend 2001 We moved our new family from upstate NY to Chesapeake VA. Andrew was to report to the USS Enterprise on Friday Sept. 14, 2001. The Enterprise was on deployment at that time and due to return within a few weeks of Andrews report date. This meant that he would work Shore side until the ship returned home.
On Tuesday September 11, 2001 I was the first awake at the house. I had gotten up with Meghan that morning went to the living room turned on The Today show. They were reporting that an airplane had flown into one of the Two tower of the world trade center. I went back to the bedroom told Andrew what happened and Just as I sat back down in the living room I watched the second plane hit the second tower and my heart dropped instantly. I knew this was NO coincidence. In tears I returned to the bedroom and Andrew joined me on the couch where we stayed in our pajamas holding our 4 week old baby for the entire day.

The Enterprise which had left the golf days before 9-11 was the closest aircraft carrier and battle group at that time, they were immediately turned around and were the first to respond flying missions over Afghanistan within days. Mean while my husband reported as he was scheduled to on Friday the 14th. On Monday September 17th, 2001 My husband was on a plane to join the Enterprise for an undetermined amount of time. At that point we did not know when he would return. He left on a military flight so although I was concerned for his safety I was more comfortable with a military flight than a domestic flight. Luckily the extension for the Enterprise ended up being on the shorter side and Andrew returned home in November.

Isn't it too EARLY for NESTING????

7:49 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
Really I am only 25 weeks pregnant. I am Not going Crazy BUT I feel the need to get things ready fro the baby. Like resolve the sleeping arrangements as to where we will be putting all the children and what kind of bed we need to purchase. I would also Like to get out and organize ALL the baby stuff If we are having a girl I have almost everything BUT if we are having a boy I need almost everything. I do not want to sort and wash and fold tons of girlie things if I do not need to. We have the Crib and the high chair and I have a wish list a mile long but again can not BUY anything due to the fact that I do not know the gender (I do not know how people do that whole surprise bologna). This is our last baby and for all the others I bought stuff thinking Oh if the next one is a boy we should get this in Neutral so it can be used by either gender But NOW for my last baby... that is out the window... I want gender specific. If we are having a girl I want a girlie nursery If we are having a boy I want an ALL boy nursery. This is the last hurrah and I am having enough trouble accepting that fact so I should get my way... right?? In addition to the fact that I do not know the gender of this baby I do not have the Hubby here to dig everything out of the garage and put the crib together and HELP me prepare for our baby. So basically I am stuck looking at things Online and sending photo's to my hubby and trying to make decisions so that when things Fall into place hopefully in about a month we'll be able to Just make it happen!
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