For almost a year now, I've been coloring in a coloring book that Joan Ellen found for me.  It has the words to "It is Well, With My Soul" in them.  Each phrase has an accompanying picture.  Most of them have been nature pictures, which are always my favorite.  I have trouble just sitting still.  I have always wanted to have a book to read, or sit and crochet in the car.  Even just sitting with Gary in the evenings when he is watching tv, I feel like I need to keep my hands occupied.  Lately I've been doing that by coloring.

6-7, Heading to bed for the night.

Today marks 2 weeks since Katherine was born.  It's been a great 2 weeks, even though we are operating on less sleep than normal.  With the other kids away in Alabama on vacation, it's been like a vacation.  I don't have near the work load around here that I usually have, and I can take naps when Katherine is napping.  She has done exceptionally well with breast feeding, and with riding in the car.  We are getting two long sleep stretches out of her: one at night and one during the day.

6-8, Running errands with Momma.

I have always liked the newborn stage.  They are so cuddly, and no one minds if you stay home to rest and snuggle babies.  They eat all the time, but other than that they really aren't any trouble.  You sit them down, and they don't roll or crawl or run off.  They don't back talk or destroy your house when you are in a different room.  And did I mention just how cuddly you are.  I had forgotten just how soft they are, and how the smell, and the way they just fit so perfectly on your collar bone under your neck.

6-4, Katherine's first Sunday at Church.

Don't get me wrong.  I miss my sleep ALOT, and I have NEVER enjoyed breast feeding.  Though I will say it's not so bad this time, as I remember.  The recovery from birth this time has been tougher than it was with the others.  And I know there will be a stressful learning curve when we add the three oldest back into the mix, and I finish taking back over the household chores and routines from Gary.

6-5, Momma and Kate.

I've always liked the newborn stage, but this time it's all the sweeter. I mentioned the following morning after Katherine was born that "not everyone gets pregnant who wants to, not everyone gets to keep the babies they get pregnant with, not everyone gets a rainbow baby after enduring a loss, and being acutely aware of that this pregnancy made today all the more special." There has been so much joy with this baby.  And the relief at her arriving safely, was seriously like going from standing in the bottom of the Mariana Trench with a sack of weighs in each hand, to bouncing around on the Moon with practically no gravity. There really just aren't enough words at the relief it is to hold her, and known that she's ours to keep, and she's not going away.

6-4, Daddy and Kate

Labor this time, like our pregnancy was very emotional.  I didn't know what to expect, and in all honesty the last two weeks, I was more anxious and stressed than I had been before with the exception of the week in pregnancy that we lost Abigail.  I was so afraid that we had come all this way, to the point that we could safely relieved a baby, only to wait too long and lose another one.  Even during labor, it was hard to remember the three healthy births we had, I could only remember the terrible outcome from the last labor.  I can remember telling, maybe more asking Gary, that this wasn't Abigail, and that it wouldn't end that way would it?

5-31, Daddy giving the girl her first bath.

Having Katherine here has also been healing to my heart.  I still miss Abigail, and I still wonder who she would have been.  But having the chance again to mother a baby and see her grow has given me a sense of peace that was still alluding me.  It's not that she's replaced Abigail, and I don't think like some loss moms, that I am getting Abigail back again in Kate.  Rather, she has brought hope back in our life.  And, just in case, this is our last baby, I am soaking it all up.

6-3, Cuddling in the bed.

Gary and I were a bit discouraged at our Monday doctor's appointment to find out that my contractions had done much, and that Kate was still pretty high.  Dr. Leo strongly recommended giving it another week, but after talking about it we talked about revisiting the issue on Thursday.  I went up to see him again Wednesday morning, and saw very little change.  He still recommended waiting, but we had decided that we wanted this baby here by Thursday night one way or the other.  He warned of the increased likelihood of needing a c-section, and told us to be prepared for a 24 to 48 hour labor not one of my short labors.  He scheduled us to come in Wednesday at 4 to start the process overnight, and said he'd see us about 5 on Thursday morning.


The nurses all thought he was crazy to schedule an overnight induction for a fifth pregnancy, particularly with my speedy delivery history.  But I didn't want to get my hopes up.  Within a few hours we had regular contractions, by 9 I told Gary there was no way we'd be sleeping tonight.  When I reached a 6 and my water broke even though she was still at a station -3 (WAY up high), and the nurse called Dr. Peterson who was on call to come right away.  In less than an hour Kate was born, and this time Gary didn't have to catch.  Dr. Peterson, told everyone that he doesn't know why Dr. Leo scheduled an induction for his night on call, instead on his own night on call. haha.  Dr. Leo came in this morning, shocked, and said he's never going to live this down.  They all were giving him a pretty hard time as he left this morning.


Katherine was born at 11:24, May 24th, 2017.  She weighed 8 lbs 12 oz, which makes her our heaviest baby to date.  She was 20 inches long, same as Rebecca.  She has a head full of dark hair, and is the spitting image of Ruth and Gary with her Cunningham ears, the flat rounded nose, and big ole cheeks.  She also has the same squish eyes as Ruth.  She doesn't care to open them much, but they look dark blue like the others did.  They did some extra blood sugar test over night since she is in the 93% for her gestational age.  The first one came back a little low, but the rest have been fine.  She has actually nursed quite a bit - nearly an hour the first time, and about 5-10 minutes every hour for the next 3. which was a surprise, I can't recall any of the others doing so well so quickly.  She is sleeping away right now.  They expect to release us tomorrow morning first thing.

May 1, 36 weeks 2 days, face shot.  Look at those big old cheeks.  She's going to look like Gary and Ruth, I'm sure of it.  Still holding out hope for red hair though.

Monday afternoon I had my 38 week appointment.  Everything went well.  I'm so excited to finally be down to the end.  It feels real and yet surreal to realize that we should have a baby by this time next week at the latest.  The plan is to go in Monday afternoon, and set definite induction plans for that day or beginning of the week, depending on how things look.

35 weeks.

May 1, Kate's foot.

My parents are planning to take the entire day on Friday to drive down.  They will be here about a week.  So, anytime after that sounds like a good time to have a baby  They have plans to take the older kids back to Alabama with them for a few weeks.  We've not worked out all the details of how long they will stay, but that should help too, with adjusting to having a baby back in the house.  I'm hoping when they come back, that they can stay over a little while too.  Having Mother around with 4 kids in the house would be wonderful.

May 1, Profile shot.

Now, we are just playing the waiting game.  And before you ask, don't ask about whether or not the contractions are picking up, don't ask when I think we'll go into labor, just don't ask.  Let's be honest Ruth came 19 days early, and Rebecca came 10 days late.  Three of our four children had to be induced.  I doubt this one is any different.  Besides, do you really think I had her and just didn't tell you?  Seriously though if one more person asks, I'm ready to tell you people 3 weeks after she gets here, that by the way, she arrived.

38 weeks on my 32nd b'day.

Today, I took the gift cards and money that we were given for Kate, and after my final MFM appointment, Britt, Ruth, Rebecca and I headed over to Babies R Us.  I picked up almost everything that was still left on my list (still debating on the bumper, and there were a few little things the store I went into was out of).  So tonight, I was able to put the last of that stuff together.


Of course this room will still primarily be a guest room.  After all Kate will sleep in the cradle in our room until she sleeps more or less through the night, or outgrows the cradle.  I might put her in here for naps, but we'll still need a place for company.  I really love how everything has come together the coral and teal and sage green with little bits of pink here and there.  It's so feminine and yet not super girly.

I really loved getting to hang out with all the ladies that came up to Panera Bread for the shower.  Now, that we live so far from Church (and let's be honest, we haven't been close (location wise) to our Church family since Rebecca was born), it was extra wonderful to be able to just sit and listen to all these ladies that I admire.  It's good to visit with so many special friends.  And did I mention Panera Bread.  Last time we ate there it was winter in PA on the way home from Church.  So that would have been winter 2014-2015?  I love their tomato soup, and their bread, and their paninis.  Anyway, it was delicious too.














We got several things that we needed for Kate.  A changing pad for the diaper bag, some pacifiers, bath stuff, a baby bullet for making baby food again, diapers and wipes (you can't get enough of those).  Then we got some adorable things.  Like little onesies and some beautiful pictures for her room.  Sis. Linda made the prettiest blanket.  We also got two cute little lovies just the same that I can attach a pacifier to.  We were very adamant about not using a pacifier for the girls because Britt managed to turn one backwards, and get it behind his gums to choke on it.  I threw them all away that afternoon.  But, it is proving difficult to break the thumb sucking at 6 and 4, so I thought maybe we could try pacifiers again, and just ALWAYS keep them on some sort of clip, so I loved those.  Of course the girls are insisting that I sew a mouth on the lovies because they have eyes and a nose, but no mouth. haha.













We also got a few gift cards, and some cash.  Apparently the Babies R Us there in Brandon was out of several items, so we are planning on Monday or Tuesday when we are in town to pick up a few last things that people wanted to get.  The last two days I've worked on our nursery/guest room.  I moved some of the furniture around a bit to make things fit better, put together the baby bed, washed up everything I still needed to wash, and had Gary hang some pictures yesterday.  It's really looking nice.  She's going to have the prettiest nursery of all the kids.