Ella's Birth Story

August 29th, Ella's due date, came and went with no sign of her coming. I continued with my weekly prenatal appointments with my midwives, and at 41 1/2 weeks I saw an OB for a non stress test and detailed ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that Ella was small and probably not as far along as we originally thought. The OB said everything looked great and that he didn't see any reason to intervene. So I we kept waiting. I kept drinking my red raspberry tea, taking evening primrose oil, and red raspberry capsules (none of these are to "induce" labor, they just help prepare the body for more effective contractions/birth) and seeing two chiropractors regularly, each who specialize in different areas.

As the days passed, I kept busy doing fun things with the kids, keeping the laundry pile caught up, making sure there were snacks prepared for my always-hungry children, etc. I felt well physically and was doing pretty well emotionally. After the 42 week mark passed I would wake up each morning discouraged to STILL be pregnant, but I got out alone in the early morning and walked while praying and listening to the Psalms on audio Bible, and every day I would come back in encouraged and resting in the Lord for when baby girl would come.

On Monday, September 18, I saw both my chiropractors, ran a few errands, cleaned up the house, and we had a friend from college (who was in town for work) over for supper. It was a good day, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. I went to bed but as I was about to fall asleep, I had a harder than normal contraction around 11:30pm. 10-15 minutes later I had another one that made me think, "hmmm, maybe labor is starting?!" I casually mentioned to Jacob, who was still up working on orchestra music, that maybe we'd have a baby tonight. At 12:00AM (I was exactly 43 weeks pregnant) I had another contraction with a definite "labor bite" and I called my midwife to let her know we'd be headed to the birth house in TN as soon as we could. Jacob called his mom to come over and stay with the kids and I called my mom and sister, who planned to meet us at the birth house. The 50 minute drive was pretty uneventful. I had 4 or 5 contractions and just took the time to pray and think and of course slather myself in my essential oils.

We got settled at the birth house and my mom, sister, 2 midwives and the midwives' apprentice all arrived soon after. I worked through some contractions, but honestly, they didn't seem to be progressing/getting harder. They were very sporadic as well, some a few minutes apart, some 15-20 minutes apart. It was really strange. I bounced on the birth ball, stood and swayed my hips, and squatted, to try to help the contractions get more regular. My tailbone is what was really uncomfortable with each contraction and I needed someone to give counter pressure through them. I was also nauseous through the whole labor until it was time to push, so I sipped on ginger tea and sniffed a lot of peppermint to help calm my tummy.

With all my other labors I've carried on conversation between contractions, but then would get in a zone and not talk between them, as they got harder/closer together at transition. This time, from around 1:30-3:30AM, I was still talking and laughing between contractions and I was thinking, either I wasn't in labor or this was going to be a super long labor.

Around 3:30, my midwife suggested I lay down on the bed and let her feel my belly to see if maybe there was a positioning issue with the baby. Both midwives felt and said that Ella was in perfect position. I lay there for around 10 minutes and didn't have a single contraction. I had pretty much convinced myself that I wasn't in labor at all. I said, "well, I'd better get up and see if I'll have some more contractions." I proceeded to get up, immediately had a contraction and felt my body start pushing. I said, "I think I'm pushing!" Haha!

I got on my knees on the bed and leaned over the birth ball for support. We waited for another contraction and after a minute or so of nothing, I "stood up" on my knees and that brought on a contraction. Miss Ella Joy was born at 3:45 in "a push and a half" according to the midwives. ha! Jacob caught her and held her for a minute before passing her to me because I was feeling dizzy and just in so much shock at what happened...remember, a few minutes earlier I didn't even think I was in labor!

We stayed at the birth house for several hours to rest and do all the post-birth stuff. The midwives found several calcifications on the placenta, some weird veins on the water bag, and the cord insertion into the placenta was not very strong. We praise the Lord for caring for me and Ella when those issues could have caused a life threatening situation at any point in the pregnancy for both of us.

3 hours old. Headed home to meet her siblings. She was actually born with her little hands up under her chin like she was praying and ever since she's liked her hands up by her face. So sweet!

All together and so happy Ella is finally here!!

Huge thanks to my sister for capturing the pictures during Ella's birth! Having my mom and sister there is so special and I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

If you love birth stories, here are the links to all of my kiddos. It's fun reading back through them and seeing how I've changed and how our family has grown is many different ways. 

Lily's birth story

Levi's birth story
Asher's birth story
Ava's birth story
Ezra's birth story

Baby #6 is HERE!

Ella Joy was born September 19, at 3:45am - yes, she was exactly 43 weeks according to our original date and 42 weeks +2 days if we use the adjusted date from the ultrasound we had at 18 weeks. Either way, she just needed to be on the inside a little longer than normal and I'm thankful for midwives and a doctor who allowed that!

She weighed 6lbs 8oz and 19 3/4 inches long. 

She is precious and we are all in love with her!

37 weeks with #6

I am so grateful for every week that this sweet baby has to grow and develop. It's been a good week. I've gotten several more projects marked off my list, quite a lot of food put in the freezer - mainly breakfast foods and snacks. I need to work on main dishes now. My mom came over and helped me and the girls assemble breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and hot meat and cheese sandwiches (Pioneer Woman recipe) for Jacob, who will be starting back teaching right around the time Baby Girl is born. I made the burritos before Ezra was born, and Jacob really liked grabbing them before leaving early each morning to teach. It's going to be a little trickier this time though, because we don't have a microwave anymore (zero space in our tiny kitchen). We'll have to be thinking ahead to get them out of the freezer and pop them in the toaster oven.

37 weeks

Jacob grilled this yummy food for supper one night. He has made so many of our meals this pregnancy since I've dealt with lots of nausea. 

I love looking back at my pregnancy pictures for all my babies. Here I am at 37 weeks with each one - top left to right: Lily, Levi, Asher - bottom left to right: Ava, Ezra, Baby Girl. 

Baby #6 update

We are on the homestretch of this pregnancy! Only 5ish more weeks to go! I will be honest and say that this has been a really hard pregnancy. Maybe not necessarily the pregnancy, but this has been a hard season of life, which in turn has made it a tougher pregnancy. 

With each pregnancy, I have realized more and more how important healing after birth is for me (and all mamas). It is hard for me to rest and let others do for me. I have always felt SO good after giving birth, the thought of being in bed (or on the couch) has been a pretty foreign concept for me. I have rested longer after each baby, but this time I plan to even more. The First Forty Days book was a gift from my sister-in-law and it's really good in showing how postpartum care is SO important for mamas - not just short term, but also long term. **Please note, I don't endorse everything in this book, but it's been a very helpful resource to me. It's one of those that you take the meat and spit out the bones.

I have been needing to eat a little snack in the evenings or I wake up in the middle of the night ravenously hungry. In the picture I'm having avocado pudding with 85% dark chocolate sprinkled on top. It might sound gross to you, like it did to Jacob (ha!), but I thought it was good. I have embraced my weirdness at this point in my life. LOL

35 weeks with Baby girl.

We don't have a name picked out. Honestly, we haven't even talked about names lately. We do know it will be a two syllable "E" name. haha!

There are a few things on our list of things we need to buy, but not too much. Jacob needs to go to our storage building and find the carseat, co-sleeper, and baby girl clothes. I still have some organizing/purging projects on my list, along with getting food in the freezer. 

I am feeling pretty well, although I usually start dragging by later afternoon if we've been outside much. The heat and humidity is no joke  when you are this far along pregnant. Baby girl is very wiggly. I had an ultrasound last week and she is finally in correct position for birth and the placenta previa I had at 20 weeks has resolved itself. Very thankful about that!

Hopefully I'll be able to do another update before Baby makes her appearance, but no promises. :)

Baby #6 update

I thought it was about time to do an update on this precious little one because I know I'll one day want to remember these details and won't be able to keep them straight in my mind.

I am currently 21 weeks along! How can we be past the halfway mark already?! Baby is moving all the time and I love the little kicks and movements. I feel huge this time. Maybe because this is #6 in a short amount of years? Maybe it's because I started out smaller than I'd ever been? I don't know. It's NOT really a big deal, I really think it's just how I feel when I look in the mirror. haha (just being honest and recording my thoughts, no need to tell me I don't look big! LOL)

Overall I'm feeling well and my energy has mostly returned! There are still days where I'm extra tired and still some nausea on some days, but for the most part I feel great! I am working out and walking most everyday and that really helps my emotional/mental health and my physical body! 

We found out a few weeks ago that Baby is a GIRL!!! We are all thrilled! I especially hoped for a girl because Ava (age 3) was very insistent that she NEEDED a little sister because she already has a little brother. haha! We had a little gender reveal party with family and some church family and it was fun to see the kids' reactions when they bit into their cupcakes!

We bought a new-to-us 12 passenger van this week because we've outgrown our mini-van! It's definitely BIG and I'm having to learn how to drive/park it, but we love it! haha! I'm so grateful for how the Lord provided it and worked out all the details for us to get it!

Guess what?!?

We are expecting another precious baby in late August! We are all excited and I will post more details about the pregnancy soon!

Filling my mind with truth.

I feel like it's so important to fill our mind with God's Word and good books that grow us and stretch us in our walk with the Lord. These days there are so many ways for unbiblical thinking to creep into our minds - through fear of the future brought on by the news, or articles shared on Facebook, to our own thoughts of failure or discontentment. 

I have struggled through postpartum depression since Ezra was born, after never dealing with it after any of my other babes were born. It has been a dark journey that I didn't even realize I was on for awhile...meaning, I didn't know why I felt like I was literally going pyscho and I didn't know how to verbalize it to anyone. I am doing much better now and only have rough days once in awhile. I hope to share more about it another time, but for now, one huge thing I've learned is that I must make it a priority to fill my mind with TRUTH in order to fight the dark thoughts and feelings. 

Philippians 4:8

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

2 Corinthians 10:5

Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

For the last year or so I've enjoyed using the Overdrive app to listen to audiobooks on my phone. With Overdrive you use your library card to link your account to your local library. It's pretty cool! I have listened to tons of great books!

Lately I've been listening to podcasts as well. I wanted to share my two favorites: 

Cultivating the Lovely with MacKenzie Monroe and At Home with Sally - Sally Clarkson and Kristen Kill. These two podcasts have blessed my heart and soul in an incredible way the last few weeks. MacKenzie is a mom of 4 little ones and I can relate to so much of what she talks about. Sally and Kristen are more like mentors and they love the Lord so much. I have the podcast app on my phone and listen to them through that, but you can also listen to them from your computer. I recommend starting at the first episode and listening to them in order. 

I'm sure the question is brewing in your minds - How in the world does a busy mama like me fit in listening to audiobooks or podcasts? These are times that work for me:

- During my workouts

- Anytime I'm alone in the car running errands (or when I have just my youngest little ones who don't yet beg to listen to their own audiobook. ha!)

- During rest time when I'm doing computer work

- After the babes are in bed while I'm doing dishes, folding clothes or doing other chores. I know this wouldn't work for everyone, but Jacob is gone most evenings so I can just stick in my earbuds and listen. The chores seem to get done so much faster when I'm listening to something too!

One more way I'm filling my mind with truth is through this scripture writing plan. I followed it everyday in January and really loved it. If I don't get it done during my morning time with Jesus, I leave my bible out and do it later in the day. The passages take 10 minutes or less to write out. I love that when I slow down and write out God's Word, I find blessings that I might not have gotten by just reading. You can get print your own plan (it's free!) at Sweet Blessings. 

Think on TRUTH today!

xoxo,

Baby #5 is HERE!!!

It's a BOY!!!
Ezra Mooney, born September 29 at 10:13 am.
7lbs 9oz and 20.5 inches long.

We are rejoicing in God's kindness to us!

40 weeks {Baby #5}

On Friday we celebrated Baby #5's due date! I'm so thankful that we made it to 40 weeks and are healthy and growing well! 

40 weeks

All of my babes have been "late" - 4-7 days past their due dates, so I will be surprised if this baby is any different. All that is left on my to do list is "make granola" and "bake lactation cookies." I plan to keep up with the laundry and have the house neat each night before I go to bed. The next few days I also hope to do special things with the kids until our new baby arrives. 

I'm very thankful to be feeling well! Lily and I went out together this past week to get her a hair cut and a few fall clothes. It was fun to spend some special time together!

40 week comparison - Ava on the left and Baby #5 on the right.

I would definitely appreciate your prayers for the labor and delivery of our sweet baby!

Pregnancy update {Baby #5}

Ahhhh, pregnancy is winding down and Baby #5 will be here before we know it! I'm so excited for the sweet newborn snuggles!

Recently Lily and I went shopping to pick out a new outfit for each gender. It was so hard to just pick one of each! A few days later I was at Walmart and couldn't resist the "little sister" and "lil bro" outfits, so the new baby will have a couple new outfits all their own - the rest will be hand-me-downs from big sisters or big brothers. Jacob still needs to get the tubs of newborn clothes and the infant carseat down from the attic. Haha, you can tell this is our 5th child. :)

36 weeks - with Ava on the left and Baby #5 on the right.

We made a paper chain to count down the last month of pregnancy. I'm hoping the kids aren't too disappointed if we reach the last ring and the baby isn't here yet. :)

37 weeks

I'm feeling well and energetic as long as I remember to take my iron and b vitamins and don't stay out in the heat too long. Even if I stay hydrated while outside, if I'm out for long periods, I'm zapped. A couple of weeks ago we had a nice week of cooler temperatures. It was amazing! We are all looking forward to fall!

I haven't had much of an appetite the last week or so. I'll fix something that sounds super yummy, but then it's all I can do to get down a few bites. Blah.

I'm sleeping great at night except for the occasional interruptions from pregnancy nightmares or children needing something...thankfully that's rare! I definitely feel best when I'm able to get in bed around 9:30 and be asleep by 10, but that's not always doable if I want to see Jacob when he gets home from rehearsals. 

I have done lots of freezer cooking! I love knowing that we have easy breakfasts and suppers on hand so I don't have to worry about meal planning and cooking much in the first few months. I'm also buying up extra groceries so we hopefully won't need to worry about getting out to shop for awhile. Ever since Levi got RSV and Pneumonia as a 7 week old and was in the hospital for a week, I have kept my newborns in for an extra long time. 

Jacob's schedule this school year means he needs to eat breakfast right when I'm having my quiet time each morning. So, in order to get him breakfast and still have my quiet time before the kids all get up, he eats cold cereal a couple mornings each week (he loves cereal, btw :)) and then has breakfast burritos the other mornings. I made up a bunch of burritos and stuck them in the freezer for him. They were so easy - hash browns, scrambled eggs, crumbled sausage, sautéed peppers and onions, cheese and a few shakes of hot sauce. I wrapped them individually in foil and can easily stick one in the toaster oven for him when I get home from the gym and it's ready when he needs to eat. You can also microwave them - take off foil and wrap burrito in a damp paper towel and microwave for 2-3 minutes.

38 weeks

It's been fun being pregnant with my sister and sister in law! Myra is 35 weeks, I'm 38 weeks, and Hannah is 41 weeks!

My sweet Ava. I am cherishing these last few weeks with her as my littlest one. I love the age/stage she's in right now (she'll be 2 in November). I kind of feel like I missed this stage with all my other babes because there was always a new baby in the picture when they were this age. I love that she is talking more and more each day, she loves to read books and do puzzles, she's Miss Get-Into-Everything, she loves to snuggle and she always asks for another "tiss" when I put her to sleep. 

My heart is beyond grateful each day I get to spend with my dear children. They may drive me crazy sometimes, but they are such sweet gifts from the Lord!

Pregnancy update {Baby #5}

This pregnancy is flying by so quickly! I am currently 33 weeks along! 

26 weeks

It is so different being (big) pregnant during the summer! I get worn out so much faster than I ever remember. It's been kind of hard for me because my kids love to be outside all the time and normally we spend most of the summer outside, but this year, we are spending a lot of time inside reading. We try to get out in the morning and in the evening when it's a little cooler.

28 weeks

My energy has been good the last few weeks. I was feeling draggy last month, but once my iron and b vitamins were increased, I've been doing much better. I'm slowly filling my freezer with meals, parts of meals, and baked goods. We just got a quarter of grass-fed beef, so I don't have as much freezer space to work with as I have during other pregnancies. I am also slowly (verrrry slowly) getting things marked off my to-do before baby list. :) 

29 weeks on my 30 birthday :)

I'm still working out at the gym 3 days a week and doing exercises/stretches at home. I'm sleeping great and only wake up at night if a child wakes up or I have a pregnancy nightmare. haha

Comparison :: 30 weeks with Ava on the left, 31 weeks with Baby #5 on the right.

The baby is doing great! He/she is measuring about 3 weeks behind, but that is very normal for me and my babies. 

33 weeks.

I'm so thankful every day for the precious little life growing inside me. Even though it's my 5th baby, I can still hardly fathom the amazing creation I have the privilege to grow! I'm so excited to meet this precious little one!

Pregnancy update {Baby #5}

This is a hard post for me to write. I have wanted to post updates on our sweet little baby, but my heart has been so heavy for weeks. Many of you probably remember me sharing about my sister-in-law losing her first baby at 21 weeks gestation last September. Well, she found out she was pregnant with her second baby about two weeks before I found out I was pregnant with our Baby #5! She and I were so excited to be pregnant together! We loved chatting all things pregnancy related. 

Back at the beginning of May, her precious little Isaac was stillborn at 22 weeks gestation. The grief has been indescribable. Seeing my sister-in-law and brother-in-law go through this again has been heart wrenching. I cannot imagine the sorrow of losing two little ones.

I have struggled with many questions in my own heart. It's been so hard to be the one still pregnant - the one who already has four healthy beautiful children while my sister-in-law just longs to have a baby of her own to snuggle. Trusting God's promises and believing in His perfect will is the only way to get through a trial like this, and I am thankful for the truth of His Word feeding my soul every day.

19 weeks.

I am doing well pregnancy wise. This has definitely been a different pregnancy than normal for me. I have had a lot of cramping and spotting, but thankfully it's not anything to be worried about. I have been making an effort to get my feet up each afternoon while the kids rest/nap - doesn't always happen, but at least I make the effort. :) I've had my occasional only-while-pregnant upper digestive discomfort (in my other pregnancies it's come after eating spicy foods or chocolate, but this time it doesn't seem related to certain foods). Thankfully the discomfort is taken away with a little lemon and peppermint essential oils.

21 weeks.

The 20 week ultrasound went well and everything with Baby is perfect. We are grateful! We did not find out the gender this time! Ever since we found out I was pregnant, we thought it would be fun to wait until birth to find out. The only downside to not finding out is that it means we need to have both a boy and girl name picked out (or at least some ideas of names). So far we have none. Every time I bring up to Jacob about names he starts goofing off and suggesting hilariously crazy names. Haha!

23 weeks.

I'm actually 25 weeks along right now, due September 18th, but I haven't gotten a new picture taken yet. We are thankful for our 5th little blessing!

Coming soon!

We are thrilled to be adding another precious blessing to our family this fall!! 

Ava's birth story.

Sunday, November 10, 4 days overdue with baby girl. 

I woke up and weighed myself first thing. I had lost 2lbs. For some reason I always lose 2lbs right before giving birth. My first thought was, "hmm, I wonder if we'll have a baby today?!" I didn't really think anymore about it as we got ready for church, but then I started losing my mucous plug and although I didn't get super excited, because I've lost my mucous plug several days before labor ever started, I again thought, "maybe today will be the day after all!" 

We went to church and had dinner with Jacob's family. I had some contractions, but none that were any different from what I'd been having regularly for weeks. We came home and got the kids down for naps. Jacob and I lay down too, but I couldn't sleep because I just felt like I needed to be doing something. I got up and did some laundry, emptied and re-loaded the dishwasher, and made muffins. I had a couple "different" contractions, and I texted a couple friends that maybe we'd have a baby today or tomorrow. At 4:01 I had a contraction that got my attention, but I didn't have to stop and breathe through it, so I still wasn't convinced that labor was starting. 

Right around 4:20, I had one that made me stop, focus, and breathe. I went and woke Jacob up and told him that I thought I was in labor and we'd need to head to the birth clinic sometime that evening. I was still hanging on to the hope that labor would hold off until after we put the kids to bed...so we could leave and they wouldn't even know. I had another more intense contraction and I told Jacob he'd better call his mom to come so she'd be here to take care of the kids when we needed to leave. 

We hurried around gathering up our last few things to take and getting stuff ready for the kids. I finally accepted the fact that I really was in labor and we were going to need to get going so we didn't have the baby in the car. When Jacob's mom arrived we quickly told her and the kids goodbye (I cried a little and Asher was calling for me as we waved goodbye). I hadn't eaten anything since dinner, so Jacob ran back in and got me a muffin and a bottle of water. We finally left the house at 5:08. As we were pulling out of the driveway I told Jacob, that he didn't have to drive fast, I thought we had plenty of time...that was before I had any contractions while sitting in the car. Oh, those are not fun! After I breathed and groaned through one, I said, "uh, yeah, you do need to drive fast!" ha!

The whole drive, my contractions were about 6-7 minutes apart. They grew in intensity and I was feeling the baby move down with each one. I had a super hard one (where I thought my water was going to break) while passing the exit to the hospital and I debated telling Jacob to just head there because I didn't think we would make it another 25 minutes. I just told him to hurry and he put on the flashers and for sure hurried! 

Once we got to the birth clinic (we made it in record time!), it seemed like my contractions slowed down, but they didn't, I was just busy talking with the midwives. I sat/bounced/swayed on the birth ball (my favorite way to labor) and leaned over on the bed and groaned and silently quoted my labor/birth verse - Isaiah 41:10 through contractions. I was feeling sick to my stomach, but I never threw up. I also got the shakes, which I always do around transition.

Jacob was amazing. Through all the contractions, he sat behind me and rubbed/put pressure on my low back and hips. My mom and sister arrived at some point and they were a big encouragement to me. I was still talking and listening to the conversation between contractions, but I really appreciated how everyone got quiet when a contraction started. I have always prayed that I wouldn't get ugly toward my husband, family, or midwives when I'm laboring, and it was just nice that they were considerate and I didn't have to ask them to be quiet! 

After a little while, I got in the zone and was staying focused even between contractions. Then I had a few hard, super long contractions and the midwife suggested I should get up on the bed and let her check me (around 7:45, I think). The most comfortable position was lying on my side (which I have never done during birth before). When she checked me I was 10cm and +3 station. I was feeling ready to push, and just then my water broke. 

I pushed through two or three contractions and the midwife said that she could see about half an inch to an inch of the baby's head. I was like (thinking to myself), "man, nobody's got time for that, let's get this baby out!" At the next contraction, I pushed (several times) with all my might and Ava Mae was born at 8:04! I obviously didn't push the whole time with all my might and shoot her out - she was actually born very easily and I had no tearing or even bruising. Ava was crying before she was even completely delivered and she was a beautiful pink! She was my first baby not to have the cord around it's neck. 

After she was born I just lay there with my eyes closed. I was so thrilled that birth was over, but I was almost scared to look at Ava because of how blue Asher was when he was born with the cord around his neck and shoulder. Myra kept telling me to open my eyes and look at my beautiful daughter. It was such a surreal time!

I am so thankful for my wonderful support team and for God's sufficient strength and presence with me.

Isaiah 41:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.