Asher's Birth Story

{just a few minutes after birth}

Asher's due date, March 4th, came and went with no signs of him making an appearance anytime soon...which was perfectly fine with us. Hubs had a super busy week with teaching, conducting, orchestra rehearsals and a concert. I honestly hoped that Asher would wait to come until the crazy week was over. Lily, Levi, and I stayed busy playing together, keeping the house cleaned/picked up, going to the library, and grocery shopping to re-stock our kitchen. I went to the mall every day to power walk for about 30 minutes. I also continued to exercise, do pelvic rocks, squats, and hula hooping each day. I saw my midwives on Thursday, and I was only 1-2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. With Lily and Levi, I went into labor being at least 4 cm dilated, so I thought Asher's labor would be as long or longer since I wasn't very progressed.

{not happy about being weighed! check out his long feet!}

On Sunday, March 11th, we "slept in" a little because of the time change and then hurried off to church. Oh, I did have a pineapple core smoothie for breakfast...and just so those of you who don't know...with all three of my babies, I've eaten a fresh pineapple core when I'm overdue, and I have always had a baby within 24 hours...now, I don't know if it's the pineapple core kicking in labor or not, but it works for me. Ha!

Throughout the day I started losing the mucus plug and having a little bloody show (which doesn't always mean the baby is coming immediately). I had a few contractions, but they weren't really different from what I'd been having for weeks. I was in touch with my midwife, and she said not to worry about coming until I had a few consistent contractions.

I spent the afternoon posting my 41 week update, playing with Lily and Levi, and making brownies to take to my parents for supper after church. I felt fine all through church, and I had a few painless contractions. After church we headed to mom and dad's. My midwife called to check on me and said that we could come to the clinic anytime, we didn't have to wait for consistent contractions. I still wasn't convinced that Asher would be born that night, so I told her we would let her know what we decided to do.

I was helping Mom get supper on the table when we realized that Levi's glasses were missing. I went out to check in the van and suddenly had a contraction that kind of made me think, "hmmm, maybe we will have this baby tonight." I went back inside and told Jacob that he should go ahead and eat so we could go home and get the kids in bed...just in case labor started up.

We got home about 40 minutes later and I had another contraction...still not strong enough or consistent to make me jump in the car and head to Tennessee. Jacob and I got the kids in bed. I had been praying all through the pregnancy that I would go into labor at night after Lily and Levi were in bed so they wouldn't even know we were leaving and we would come home the next morning. Thankful for answered prayer!

I made sure our bags were ready to go and just kind of piddled around doing dishes and picking up the toys. Right at 10:00 pm, I had a hard contraction that made me stop, breathe and relax through it. I knew active labor had started. I told Jacob he should call his mom to come right away. At 10:05 I had another one. I texted or called (I can't remember which) my mom and sister since they were going to meet us at the clinic. Jacob's mom got to our house and we left right away. I think it was about 10:25.

{getting measured}

I called my midwife and let her know we were on the way. About 10 minutes into our drive, the contractions started coming 3-4 minutes apart and the intensity picked up a lot too. I started feeling extremely nauseous. I wasn't sure if I was in transition or if it was just Jacob's driving making me sick. About half way to the clinic, we were stopped at a red light and I said through a hard contraction, "if it's clear, you'd better go!" Poor Jacob! I'm afraid that made him really scared that we were going to have the baby in the car.

Asher was extremely active even through the contractions. With Lily and Levi, they hardly moved when I was in labor. The thought crossed my mind that there was going to be a problem with the cord, but I didn't think anything more about it.

We made it to the clinic at 11:10. My midwife checked me and I was 7 cm dilated. I asked Jacob to please call Mom and Myra and tell them to hurry. I sat on the birthing ball through 3 or 4 long hard contractions. Jacob was such a great encouragement to me (as always!) holding me and massaging my back through the contractions. My water broke at 11:30. I was like, "um, this baby is coming now!" 

Jacob and my midwife helped me onto the bed and I got ready to start pushing. Mom and Myra rushed in right then. I don't remember how many times I pushed, but it didn't seem like very many until Asher's head was born. Then the room got quiet and my midwives were busy doing something. I had my eyes closed, but I knew something wasn't right. Asher ended up having his fist up by his face, and the cord was wrapped around his neck, arm, and shoulder. My midwives told me to stop pushing and it seemed like an eternity before everyone said, "push! push! push!" Asher was born at 11:50! They immediately put him up on my chest. When I opened my eyes, he was grayish and limp. I thought he was dead. Praise God, he was breathing, even though he didn't cry for a little while. 

{proud daddy! so happy he's here!}

I held him for awhile before Jacob cut the cord. I kept saying over and over, "I can't believe he's here!" Asher Lee weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long. We slept for a few hours at the clinic and then headed home on Monday morning.

{the next morning, ready to head home!}

I am so incredibly thankful for the grace and strength God gave me, for the quick and easy birth, for my midwives - that they worked quickly and skillfully to get Asher untangled, for my awesome husband who was right beside me the entire time, for my mom and sister making it in time, and that we didn't have the baby in the car! God is so good and we praise Him for His faithfulness to us.

Click the links below to read my other birth stories:

Lily's birth story

Levi's birth story

Coming Home.

We got home from the birth clinic around lunch time on Monday. I really wanted to get home earlier because I missed my babies, but the daylight savings time change added to having a baby on the same day really did us in!

Lily was especially excited to meet her new little brother, but Levi wasn't too sure about him.

Our little family of five.

My precious babes.

So sweet!

Introducing...

Asher Lee

Born March 11, 2012 at 11:50 pm

7lbs 5oz, 20 inches long

More pictures and birth story to come soon!

41 weeks!

16 weeks (first picture) with little guy and 41 weeks (hopefully last picture with him on the inside)

Yes, still no baby! I'm actually doing great! Jacob finished off his super busy week last night, so now baby boy is all clear to come whenever he chooses! I mean, it would have been fine for him to come last week, but I think it will be easier for our family for him to come this week. Jacob has a partial spring break this week, which is such a blessing!

I got groceries yesterday, so our refrigerator is well stocked (again), the laundry is done, the house is pretty clean, the bags are packed, the car seat is in the car, and everything else I can think of is done. 

I've been power walking everyday as well as continuing to exercise/do squats/pelvic rocks too. 

Lily was 4 days late, Levi was 6 days late, and I'm wondering if this baby is going to keep with the pattern and be 8 days late. We shall see. :-)

I've lost 2lbs which I always do within a few days of having the baby.

I ate way too much dark chocolate yesterday. I just couldn't help myself!

If little man is born today, he'll share a birthday with my brother.

Hopefully my next post will have pictures of a brand new baby!

40 weeks!

40 weeks with Baby #3

I seriously cannot believe that I am already 40 weeks pregnant! This pregnancy has flown by so fast! I am feeing great, except for the occasional sciatic nerve pain. {ouch!} Yes, I know I look utterly exhausted in the picture. Truth is, I am...but it's been an extremely long day. I had hoped to get a picture this morning before we left for church, but that didn't work out and the rest of the day has been a blur, so this picture just had to do.

I have been having lots of contractions and cramping, but nothing painful or consistent...my body and baby are just getting ready. I honestly don't think he's going to come until closer to my original due date, March 7th. With all three of my pregnancies, the first ultrasound has moved my due date up several days from what I had calculated, but then Lily was four days late and Levi was six days late...closer to what I originally thought.

I'm really not feeling antsy at all. I know he will come when he is ready. I'm truly enjoying my last few days with just Lily and Levi. I want to give them as much love and attention as I can right now because their lives are about to be changed in a huge way.

I'll keep you all updated! Thank you for your prayers!

Bathtime, Books & Baby Names

We had such a good day today! I am just so thankful. Lily and Levi were happy and sweet all day and I had lots of energy! 

After breakfast I decided to give them a bath. Normally Jacob and I do baths together because it wears me out to get both kids bathed without Levi drowning. He is seriously insane in the bathtub. Anyway, I was gathering up the towels and washcloths and clothes we needed and I walked back in the bathroom and found both kids in the bathtub. I have no idea how exactly Levi got in there! He must have slung himself over the side, but he never cried if he hit his head. 

Bathtime thankfully went pretty smooth and didn't wear me out too much. I was completely soaked after the whole ordeal though, thanks to Mr. Levi.

Levi had a short nap and then we went to the library. It's actually a church library that is open to people who don't attend the church. They have the nicest children's room with tons of stuffed animals, puppets, rocking chairs, and awesome books. We stayed for an hour just playing. It was a lot of fun!

Both kids took great naps this afternoon so I was able to get the bathrooms cleaned and some other chores done. 

Oh, several of y'all have asked about the new baby's name. We still haven't decided for sure, but we have some names narrowed down. We will most likely not be carrying on the "L" tradition because 1) we already have a girl's name picked out (if we have any more babies) and it starts with an "A" and 2) the only "L" name we really like is Luke/Lucas and I have a brother named Luke and our cousin is having a little boy a couple weeks after me and they are naming him Luke. I think it would be pretty confusing to have so many Lukes! 

Hope you all have a great Friday!

38 weeks

Wowzers! Only a couple weeks left until we meet our little man! Well, he could technically come anytime, but I'm not counting on him to come early. Lily came 4 days past her due date and Levi was 6 days past.

As far as being ready for the new baby goes, in a way I'm ready for him to get here so we can have a sweet newborn in the house again and I can more easily play with (and take care of) Lily and Levi without my belly getting in the way. On the other hand, I still have a lot of things to do...like packing our bags to take to the clinic, writing out the kids normal daily routine, getting a haircut, etc. I'm doing my best to keep the house cleaned and picked up, so I won't come home to a disaster area.

I've gotten 15 meals in the freezer as well as some breakfast foods and sandwich bread. I know family and church family will help with some meals at the beginning, but it's awesome knowing that I won't have to worry about cooking much for nearly a month! I've been slowly stocking up on groceries so that we'll *hopefully* only need to run to the store for fresh produce and eggs the first few weeks. That's the plan anyway. We'll see how it turns out.

Everything is great with me and the baby. He is head down and very low, and has a great heart beat. He's not moving around as much, but that's not saying a whole lot! Ha. 

35 weeks

35 weeks with Baby #3

Ack! Only 5 weeks left (give or take a few days)! I can't believe how fast the days are flying by! I'm so thankful for the energy I'm continuing to have - although Levi and I started coming down on Friday with the crud that Lily had earlier in the week, so I haven't felt like doing much since then.

It's fun to see the long to-do list being whittled down slowly but surely! This past week I got the car cleaned out (that was a huge job! I can't believe how much stuff we accumulate in there!), the big freezer cleaned out, the lower kitchen cabinets, dishwasher, and oven wiped down, some mending done, several meals and miscellaneous stuff into the freezer, and the top of Lily's closet cleaned out. 

My goal is to have all the to-do list completed in the next three weeks so in the last two weeks before baby I can do "fun stuff." Like getting a haircut, buying some comfy after-baby clothes (I've done this with each pregnancy and it's nice to just have something new that's comfy and cute since we'll have a lot of visitors at the house), and maybe getting a pedicure.

I've been having lots of contractions the last few days as well as a lot of pressure. The baby is still moving all the time too. I love feeling him moving everywhere!

It is definitely getting harder for the kids to sit in my lap comfortably. When we read and rock, they prefer to sit beside me instead of in my lap. It is kind of nice though to have a little shelf to hold them on when I carry them. Ha!

34 weeks

33 weeks (picture from last week)

I'm not begging for compliments by saying this, but y'all, I feel massive and I have 6 weeks to go! I think all my muscles are just shot from having 3 babies so close together, but seriously, I think I'm as big now as I was at 40 weeks with Lily and Levi. 

Everything is continuing to go well with me and the baby. I saw the midwife this week and his heartbeat was great, he's head down and way low already. My blood pressure was good and I'm measuring two weeks behind...as usual. 

I have had a ton of energy lately! It's been so nice to get a lot marked off my to-do-before-baby list. This past week I cleaned out all the kitchen cabinets, pantry, and freezer above the refrigerator, scrubbed the bath tub, got a couple meals in the freezer, and finished up organizing all the kids clothes.

I think I mentioned before about this baby moving a ton. I think he moves more than Lily and Levi did combined! Seriously, I don't know when he sleeps! If I sit for awhile he starts kicking/pushing way up under my ribs and I have to stand up and stretch to get him to stop. Lily and Levi never did that.

I'm so thankful for a healthy pregnancy this far!

31 weeks

31 weeks and a couple days with Baby Boy #2

I'm actually nearly 32 weeks, but I didn't get this posted earlier in the week. 

Everything is going great - 

• I'm feeling good, 
• Baby is head down, 
• I've had no complications with blood pressure or sugar, 
• Baby has a strong heartbeat,
• I'm still measuring a couple weeks small.

My only complaint is that I am so tired, all the time! I'm sleeping great at night, just not getting enough sleep.

I got a very long list made of things I want to get done before baby arrives. It is a realistic list, and doesn't include things I would love to get done, but know I won't...like painting half the rooms in the house! Ha.

Baby Boy still does not have a set-in-stone name, but we are thinking about keeping the name a secret until he's born. We'll see how that goes.

27 weeks

27 weeks with Baby Boy #2

• I had a midwife appointment this week and the heartbeat was good and my blood pressure was good. 
• I'm measuring 24 weeks, but I've measured small with all my babies. 
• Gained 10 lbs so far. 
• Feeling good, and sleeping really well!
• Exercising everyday - like walking, prenatal aerobics dvd, prenatal pilates dvd, or my own little exercise routine made up from parts of each dvd as well as squats and hula hooping.
• I can still wear some regular clothes, just a size bigger than normal (outfit pictured is a regular skirt and a regular shirt I just got at Old Navy for $8!). I did order several maternity shirts from Kohls - can't wait to get them! Hopefully they'll fit! Ha.
• Little Man moves all the time! He's definitely more active than Lily or Levi were.
• He still has no name and we haven't really talked about names recently. He may just be named once we see him.
• We found out last week that my hubby's cousin and his wife are having a baby boy just 7 weeks after us! It'll be neat to have little boys so close. I hope they will be best friends!

24 weeks

24 weeks with Baby Boy #2

How did we get to 24 weeks already?! This baby is going to be here in no time!

• I'm feeling well except for the normal tiredness I've had this entire pregnancy.
• Baby is an active little fellow!
• We still don't have a name picked out.
• This week a friend lost her baby at 37 weeks. I am heartbroken for her.
• I've gained 8 lbs and feel h.u.g.e!
• I found a few maternity clothes at a consignment shop, and I ordered a skirt off ebay. Unfortunately the stretchy belly part of the skirt is massive and uncomfortable, but I'm going to keep it in hopes that I'll grow into it. I despise having to send clothes back. I can still wear some regular clothes (the outfit in the picture is all regular stuff). 
• I'm carrying the baby extremely low (obviously!)...most likely from having 3 pregnancies so close together.

• My sister and I walked/jogged a 5k on Saturday. It was in our neighborhood, and Jacob and I had talked about doing it, but we decided it would be too cold/windy to get the kids out, so we didn't sign up. Myra and her hubby signed up for it, and the night before the race I decided I would walk it. Myra and I walked together and had a great time! We jogged a few short distances, but mainly walked. We finished in less than 45 minutes! I was really excited about that! So, I didn't necessarily "train" for it, but don't be concerned - I take the kids power walking several times each week. 

22 weeks

22 weeks pregnant with Baby Boy #2

I was actually 22 weeks on Sunday, but obviously I'm running a little behind this week. Oh well. Everything is going well! I had an appointment with my midwife today and the baby's heartbeat was good and strong, the placenta sounded good, my blood pressure was good. The baby is measuring a few weeks small, but I measured small with both Lily and Levi, so it's nothing to worry about.

I'm very thankful for a healthy pregnancy this far! The Lord is good!

It's A . . .

BOY!!!!!!!

We are thrilled to be welcoming our second little boy in March!! Everything looked great on the ultrasound and he is growing properly. We are so grateful!

20 weeks with Baby Boy #2

We don't have any names picked out yet. Boy names are soo hard for us to choose! Hopefully we'll come up with one by the time he's born. LOL!

Weekend Highlights

We had such a fun weekend! Jacob left early Friday morning for a "guys weekend" in South Carolina, so it was just the kids and me until Saturday night. We played outside a lot, enjoying the beautiful weather. The kids were so good all weekend, which was such a blessing since I was parenting alone!

Levi practiced his standing/walking along furniture skills. He is a mess! I can't believe he's close to walking already!

We made a trip to Target on Friday, then went to my parents for supper. On Saturday we went grocery shopping, did lots of baking, and visited with my Memaw. 

Sunday marked 20 weeks with Baby #3! We have our anatomy ultrasound in the morning! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

18 weeks

18 weeks with Baby #3

Morning sickness reared it's ugly head again the last week or so. Ugh! Thankfully I usually just feel really really sick but don't throw up every time. That is a blessing! Usually the smell of food triggers the sick feeling, but also lately driving/riding in the car will occasionally make me sick. Raw meat just grosses me out - like it has every pregnancy. I know I'm a sight at the grocery store trying to buy meat. Standing there breathing through my mouth and trying not to gag out loud. It's rough! I'd better quit writing about it, or I'm going to get sick just thinking about it!

I really haven't gotten my energy back yet like I did with my previous pregnancies. I think it's because I'm so busy with my little ones. I've got to work on going to bed earlier! I know I need more sleep.

I'm feeling the baby move a ton! I've been able to feel it for sure since about 13ish weeks, but just the last week or so, it's gotten really noticeable. I love it!!

Clothes have been a thorn in the flesh lately. Maternity clothes are still big, but regular clothes are getting where they aren't comfortable. I really need to go shopping for fall clothes. I recently purged my closet of everything that was worn and stretched and just plain old - I have very little left! Ha. Most of the shirts I've worn the last two falls (pregnancies) have been from Target or Ross, and they were just grundgy. I'm not a big shopper, so buying clothes for myself usually gets put off and put off until I'm desperate. Ha!

I've been able to do my workout dvd a couple times a week - not as much as I'd like, but better than nothing. I am doing a little workout routine everyday that includes squats, lunges, a few jumping jacks, and weighted band exercises. I can do this routine easily with the kids playing around me, without worrying that I'm going to step on them or something. 

I have a midwife appointment on Thursday, so I'll be able to update more after that.

16 weeks

16 weeks with Baby #3

Here is a baby belly shot for those of you who have asked! :) I hate that I haven't gotten around to getting pictures earlier because I want to remember these special weeks.

So far everything is going well with this pregnancy! I had some morning sickness (mainly just queasiness) in the first 13 or so weeks. Raw meat still grosses me out, but other than that, I'm really feeling good. 

Levi has been waking up pretty early in the mornings lately, so I feel like I'm tired all the time. I'm hoping I'll get some more energy here pretty soon.

One thing I'm really struggling with this pregnancy is getting my workouts in. I truly believe that my consistent exercise helped me have endurance for my labor and delivery with Lily and Levi. I can't do my workout while they are awake because I don't want to step on them, so I try to do it during naptime, but lately I've had so many other things to do during naptime. If I wait until the kids go down at night, I'm completely out of energy. I'm hoping that chasing after two children counts as some sort of exercise! Lily will do squats with me and stuff like that, it's just the cardio on the dvd I'm not getting everyday like I did in my previous pregnancies. Now that it's getting cooler, I'm planning to start taking the kids for walks around the neighborhood. Pushing a double stroller definitely gets your heart rate up! 

We'll be finding out the gender of the baby in about a month! I'm so excited!!