....AND BABY MAKES SIX!

10:21 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
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.....