25 Weeks in the Middle of Summer

I sincerely cannot believe that I am already 25 weeks. Where has this pregnancy gone!? I like to believe that I am paying extra attention this time - to every craving, baby movement and mood swing. I'm holding onto everything since I know this is our last time.

This baby moves round SO MUCH! First thing in the morning, random times while I'm working, and especially at bed time. There is an acrobatic show happening in there when I lay down to read.

Once the baby arrives, Madeline and Ellery will share a room. I'm hoping to make the room changes this summer and before school starts so that the girls can figure out how to fall asleep in the same room. I can't imagine that this will go smoothly!

Everyone will be in town this weekend for Ellery's 5th birthday party. Also, for Geoff's 36th birthday - can't forget to celebrate him! I have recruited John and Geoff to move the trundle bed from Ally's guest room to our house. Ellery has already claimed the top bed, but I'm sure the sleeping arrangement will be a nightly battle. Can't wait!

I have the room layouts all figured out. I have the paint ready to touch the walls up. I have (relatively) gender neutral decorations for the baby's room. We'll add "girl" or "boy" touches once the baby is here. I'm ready to do this! Hopefully everyone else is ready too. Next, I need to take all of the baby clothes and items down from the attic before I get too big to climb up!

We have the infant car seat, bases and stroller ready to go thanks to Corliss! We were lucky to use the same infant carrier for both Ellery and Madeline, but it expired last December. (side note - always try to recycle expired car seats! I can't imagine the trash pile up if we don't!) We decided on Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Elite Infant Car Seat (Spencer) with the Graco SnugRider Elite Frame Stroller. Our Tahoe will easily fit any car seats three in a row in the middle, but my Lexus is much narrower. In order to fit three in a row in the back seat, we had to find a narrow infant car seat plus by a narrower child car seat for one of the girls (we went with the  Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat (Saturn)

Now about the summer heat. Ellery was born July 4 and yes it was hot. However, being only 25 weeks pregnant now and knowing that I have 15 weeks to go and will have to brave the entire summer while larger than ever is not a pleasant thought. I've already had ankle swelling so I can only imagine how July/August/September will go. I should probably buy a portable fan and a travel chair. Luckily, a snow-cone can make you forgot how hot it is for 15 minutes.

Snow-cone Break!

Ellery and I went to see Dr. Gautreau for my 25 week check up today. When we listened to the heart beat (which was 140) Ellery said "ummm that is really loud" and covered her ears. I wonder what she will say when the baby cries and interrupts her My Little Pony marathons.

25 weeks

Round 3!

Here we are again, one more time. We are thrilled to be having a third baby due on October 9! Notice that I am 20 weeks and I did not say boy or girl. That is because we are not finding out this time! Let me back up.

2017 proved to NOT be the year of the 3rd Morthland baby. After a few miscarriages, specifically on January 28, 2018, Madeline came up to me, pointed to my belly and said "you have a baby in your belly, mom." I said "not right now, Mad" but I thought "babies are intuitive I should probably take a test." I bought a few tests and took one the next day. And it was positive! I called Dr. Gautreau and I went in for lab work to confirm the pregnancy. My HCG level was 110 and progesterone was 34 - all looked promising! I then had blood work done for two weeks to make sure my levels were increasing. The best part of being closely monitored was that beginning at 6 weeks, I had a sonogram every week up until 11 weeks! At 6 weeks, the sonogram confirmed implementation in my uterus, but there was not a fetal pole yet! From the beginning, everything about this pregnancy has been completely different from my other two.

6 weeks (2.08.18)

While this was going on, we told no one (Well that isn't true, I told my best friend Mia because she is pregnant too and we have the same due date!). I was too afraid to say it out loud or share the news. Geoff and I agreed to wait until 10-12 weeks to tell. At least that was the plan....

My parent's Mardi Gras Ball was February 3, which I was dreading because of the need to "fake drink" to prevent any questions. Our friend Paul came in town for a visit and came to the ball with us. We told him over dinner the night before the ball because I wasn't drinking wine and it was a little obvious. Well, Paul had a little to much fun with the bourbon the following night and decided to tell my sister Anna, who told my sister Kelsey. So at 4 weeks and change, three people knew.

Mardi Gras Ball

Weekly Sonograms

7 weeks (2.21.18)

8 weeks (2.28.18)

9 weeks (3.07.18)

My next fake drinking event was our friend Ben's wedding on March 10. I thought we did well, until weeks later Ben told me that Geoff spilled the news to him and most of the wedding party. My parents kept the girls for the weekend. When we picked the girls up in Lake Charles, I asked my mom how it went (she seemed exhausted). She said "I'm not sure I could handle more than 2!" which was the perfect set up for me to say "Well, looks like you're going to have to figure it out because one more is coming!"

Ben and Kristin's Wedding

10 week bump

After what seemed like forever, we were finally 11 weeks and headed to California, ready to share the news with the Morthlands!

11 weeks (3.22.18)

We ordered the girls "Big Sister" shirts for when we arrived in Palm Springs on March 27. Corliss noticed first. It took John a second to put it all together. It was hard to avoid posting pictures while we traveled! At 11 weeks, I was craving sour candy. I sent Geoff to the store a couple times for sour gummy worms.

April was a blur, and by May 1, I was really showing! I felt the baby's first kicks at 16 weeks and 5 days! We had told close friends and family, but people were beginning to give me looks and ASK IF I WAS PREGNANT! Luckily, I don't offend easily ;) At 16 weeks I was craving pickles and cheese-its. 

Bump at 17 weeks (May 1)

Bump at the Walk to Cure Arthritis (May 5)

I finally felt confident. The baby was moving more and more. Mother's Day Weekend seemed like the right time to let the world know that the Morthland Caboose was on its way!

"These girls are why I wake up (so early) in the morning, why I cry over 

mushy commercials and partly why I’m loosing my sanity. So let’s just

 add one more to the mix. Our caboose baby will join us in October!"

We had our 20 week anatomy scan on May 23. I thought for sure that one of us would cave and ask the gender, but we both stayed strong! Baby is developing beautifully and was moving around the whole time! I cannot believe that we are half way there. I'm beginning to nest, which I'm happy is happening early because the girls will be sharing a room. The sooner we initiate that and get them used to it, the better.

Baby at 20 weeks

20 week baby bump

That is my 20 week recap! I will blog for this baby, mostly for my memory's sake. I am loosing it after having these kids. But also, I wouldn't want this baby to feel left out. He or she was and is very much wanted and prayed for.

Madeline's Birth Story

I have always said that I did not want to be induced, but I also believe that everything happens the way you should when you put it in God's hands.

Monday night (May 18) I woke up shivering and body aching. I was shivering so much that I woke Geoff up! Then the cramps stared. At first they were constant and I thought it was just because of the membrane sweep that Dr. Gautreau had performed earlier that day. Then the cramps turned into contractions. Geoff told me to call my mom who told me to call the doctor. Dr. Lawler, the doctor on call, told me he could hear in my voice that I was in pain and to come up the hospital.

I called Kelsey and told her up come over to stay with Ellery. I was positive that this was a false alarm so I was already apologizing for wasting her time. We got to the hospital around 5:40am. It felt like déjà vu since it has been less than 2 years since we were there for Ellery! I was hooked up to the monitors to see if I was contracting. I was contracting, but not enough to be considered in active labor. However, my temperature was at 99 degrees and baby's heart rate was high so the doctor decided to keep me to monitor me. By 7am the doctors talked and suspected that I could have Chorioamnionitis. They decided that it would be safer for the baby to be out rather than in, so the plan was to induce and have the baby that day! Once the doctor left I cried because I wanted Madeline to pick her birthday. I was also upset that Dr. Gautreau would not be delivering her because she was off on Tuesdays. But Geoff told me that this was God's doing - he was picking her birthday just as he would if she had come in her due date. After he said that I saw it no other way. It was go time! 

I was wheeled to our delivery room and my iv was hooked up. I managed without an epidural until 3cm. Once the contractions hurt so bad that I had to ask people to stop talking I knew it was time for the meds! In my opinion, the worst part about an epidural is that you can't walk, therefore you can't walk to the bathroom to pee and the nurse has to administer a catheter every hour to empty your bladder. Plus I have phantom leg itches. But it sure does make the labor much more enjoyable as a whole! I was able to be on the phone giving the maid service that I got for mother's day a priority list!

I was stuck at 5cm for a few hours until the nurse brought a peanut ball to prop my leg up. It is shaped like a peanut and made out of the same material as an exercise ball. I went from 5cm to 8cm in 30 minutes. Geoff left to run home and change his shirt. I had to call him and say hurry up and get back it's almost time! He showed up 15 minutes later sweating and out of breath! I felt some pressure in my pelvis around 5pm. The nurse came back in, examined me, and said lets start pushing! Once Dr. Whitaker arrived, I pushed a total of 3 contractions, 3 pushes each contraction. After 9 pushes, Madeline Alice Morthland arrived at 5:18pm! 8lbs 5oz and 20 inches long. No one could believe how big she was! She had dark brown hair and the sweetest little dinosaur cry :) Watching Ellery meet her little sister for the first time was something I will never forget. I am so excited to watch them grow as sisters and friends, and so thankful to be a family of FOUR! I have also realized that I will forever be correcting people with her name - It is pronounced "line" not "lynn".

Check out Madeline's birth story in pictures here! The pictures are difficult to organize but hopefully I will get to that soon :)

Madeline Is Here!

I will be posting about Madeline's birth story as soon as I can!

Madeline Alice Morthland

May 19, 2015 at 5:18pm

8 pounds, 5 ounces, 20 inches

Dark brown hair and blue/brown eyes

Madeline's Room

Madeline's room is now complete! All we needed to do was hang the pictures on the wall. I was able to get that done while Geoff took Ellery with him to have the car's oil changed. Ellery still hasn't seen Madeline's room. I am giving her some time to get used to her big girl bed and forget about her crib. Hopefully the first time she see's her crib, Madeline will be in it and she will associate the crib with baby. She also hasn't missed the glider in her room, which is where we used to read books every night before bed. That surprises me! Ellery has been so sweet lately, hugging, patting and swaying with her baby and wrapping her in blankets. She also is very concerned that baby has "poopooed", so she prefers to leave her naked, which cracks me up. She brought a diaper  to me yesterday to put on her baby. Where does she get this stuff?? Hopefully her motherly nature will transfer to Madeline.

As you can see, most of Madeline's things are passed down from Ellery's room. However, the wooden bookshelf/cabinet and some of the wall decorations are new. I have to make sure that she has some new things for when she looks back in 10 years and asks me why she was a hand me down child! And when she asks I will teach her the value of saving money :)

Surprise Baby Celebrations at Work

My coworkers did it again! They surprised me with a lunch celebration at J. Alexander's and then AGAIN after our Employee Activity Committee meeting on the same day! I'm way too emotional for such things. I explained to many people that I did not expect anything! Since Madeline will be only 23 months younger than Ellery, she is all set with the seasonal clothing for now and years to come! Everyone's response is that they love a reason to celebrate, and I couldn't agree more. I also could not be more thankful! I bought diapers this weekend with gift cards and with change to spare! We are ready for baby Madeline!

37 Weeks

Our 37 week doctor visit has come and gone! Madeline's heart rate was at 168! Dr. Gautreau asked if I had caffeine before the visit. I said no, but I did have a box of chocolates (yes, the whole box) around noon. I bought them from a lady selling them at work and I could not put the box down. Dr. Gautreau said that could be it! Or it could be because at 37 weeks the baby's heart will beat faster when she is active in the womb, which she is all of the time! I truly feel like she is trying to kick through my stomach and escape.

I am half a centimeter dilated, which is not as far as I was with Ellery at 37 weeks. I think Madeline plans to take her sweet time.

I did find out that I tested positive for Group B Strep. It is a bacteria that can be found on the mother's skin "down there." If not treated during labor it could spread to the baby and cause respiratory infections or meningitis. According to Dr. Gautreau she will simply give me an antibiotic through my IV during labor and this will prevent it from spreading to Madeline. Apparently some of my friends have tested positive and all of their babies were fine, so I am not too concerned. So says the worrier who couldn't sleep last night because of the "what ifs".

I packed Madeline's bag and my bag for the hospital last night. I forgot how tiny newborn socks are! Geoff thinks it is a little premature to be packing our bags, but I won't be the one in a mad dash trying to pack my bag when it is time to leave for the hospital! Who am I kidding? I probably WILL be the one packing his bag right after my water breaks.

My goal is to make my sister Anna's high school graduation in Lake Charles on May 12. Madeline is welcome to make her debut any time after that :)

36 Week Sonogram

I had my 36 week sonogram today and Geoff and Ellery (and Ellery's "baby" doll - her new must have) came along! For a second Ellery thought that we were at the doctor for her and she was whimpering :( Geoff held her on his lap and kept pointing to the screen telling her to look at her baby sister! However, she was too busy staring at what the sonogram technician was doing to my belly. Even if she was looking at the screen she couldn't have seen much! Madeline is already head down and facing the back, so we have no shots of her face. We were able to confirm that it is a girl! She is measuring at 6 pounds 5 ounces. My amniotic fluid is at a level 9 so the doctor wants to keep an eye on that. She said to chug lots of water! Which means lots of bathroom breaks at work.

Geoff and Ellery left right after the sonogram but I had to stay and see Dr. Gautreau. I was shocked to find out that my cervix is thinning but I am not dilated! I thought for sure I would be dilated because I have been feeling contractions and pressure on my pelvis. My doctor said we don't want to be dilated yet! She said I will probably mirror Ellery's birth which means baby Madeline will likely not come early. I want her to come a week early because I am ready, but if she waits then we can attend Anna's high school graduation! It will be a last minute decision. Anything can happen!

As I was leaving the hospital, Geoff called and told me to go back inside because there was a tornado warning and he didn't want me driving. So I went back in and took care of our hospital registration. I was stuck there until 10:30 while worrying about Geoff at work and Ellery at school! 

Dr. Gautreau instructed me to pack my hospital bag and get the infant car seat bases in the cars! I cannot believe it is already that time! I need to refresh my memory on the EASY (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time) method for infant schedules! I vaguely remember Ellery's schedule during her first 12 weeks. One difference with Madeline is that she will start daycare at 12 weeks, while Kelsey was able to nanny Ellery at home until she was 1! I'm trying to view this as a positive. Madeline won't have to adjust or transition like Ellery did once she becomes aware that we drop her off at school. It will be a totally different experience.

3 weeks and 6 days until we are due to be a family of 4!

32 Week Check-up

Madeline's heart beat was at 140 and she was moving all over the place, as usual! The good news from my 32 week check up is that Madeline is already head down, which means she is getting ready for the big day! Also, I learned that I have gained less weight this pregnancy, which was surprising because I definitely look bigger! The "bad" news is that I am measuring right at 32 weeks, which means this baby could be 8-9 pounds. 9 pounds?! I am not pushing a 9 pound baby out of me. That is impossible. Dr. Gautreau says we will determine that later. I don't want a c-section! I want everything to go just as perfectly as it did with Ellery! But I know that every pregnancy and birth is different. And however it goes down is how it was meant to be. I am just praying for an 8 pound baby. That is something I never thought I would say!

Looking back on my previous posts, I had bad leg cramps and charlie horses at 32 weeks with Ellery. I am happy to report that I have had none this pregnancy! However, the veins on my hands are enormous and my ankles do swell sometimes at night. And I had a pain in my left hip last night. All normal pregnancy weirdness. 7 weeks to go until Madeline is here!

32 Weeks

We finally managed to take my 32 week bump picture. No judgement...I was sick with a mysterious virus. I rolled out of bed and took one shot. So this is what we get. Yes, I admit to usually taking several pictures and picking the one that is the least awful. It drives Geoff nuts :)

32 Weeks

Madeline is the size of a jicama (still have never seen one in person)

Bump Comparison (32 Weeks with Ellery on the left). 

I am noticeably bigger with Madeline and my belly button has popped earlier!