Oh, What a Girl

In August of 2004, I found out I was expecting. Our first child, Owen, was nine months old. We loved our little boy who made us a family, and we were excited to be expanding. Jason and I decided to let Owen share the good news:


But we kept it a secret until AFTER our journey around Lake Superior on the Harley.



From the moment I knew I was pregnant, I secretly hoped and wished and prayed for a little girl. After all, a big brother NEEDS a little sister. So, when the time came for us to find out the gender of our little one, I could hardly believe it when the technician gave us the news: IT'S A GIRL. Really? I had several ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy, and each time I would ask the technician to MAKE SURE IT'S STILL A GIRL. I just could not believe it!

After a couple of false alarms, and walking around three centimeters dilated for weeks, we decided to induce, a day after my due date, on April 25, 2005. We got to the hospital and settled ourselves in. I was hooked up to the Pitocin, which brings on the contractions, and after a while the doctor came in to break my water. Shortly afterwards, my pain intensified and I asked for the epidural. At that time I was 4 centimeters dilated.

This all sounds pretty textbook, doesn't it? Well, let's make it interesting, shall we?

As it happened, when it came time for me to be moved to my actual delivery room, all of the rooms on the regular Labor and Delivery Floor were occupied. Turns out, there was NOBODY on the High Risk Floor. ENTER ME. They put me in a HUGE room, much different from Owen's birth. The hospital has a two visitor limit for the actual delivery, and I had planned on having Jason (of course) and my sister, Melissa, there to assist me during delivery. I also told my mom and Jason's mom that they could stay in the room, QUIETLY, as long as the nurses would let them. And maybe, JUST MAYBE, if they were quiet enough, and out of the way enough, they might be able to stay for the birth.

I got my epidural, and quickly started feeling pressure. I asked the nurse to check me and I was at seven centimeters. I told her she should call the doctor because things happened VERY quickly with Owen. She looked at me like I was stupid, which made me want to get up and claw her eyes out. Five minutes later, I asked her to check me again. Ten centimeters. TEN. And then I see the "oh, shit" look in her eyes as she tells me NOT to push and my doc will be there SOON.

Ummmm, did I mention that no other mamas came to deliver babies on my floor that day? That made MY room the place to be. As I sat and breathed, and cursed, and tried not to push through the contractions, I watched the room fill up. My GIGANTIC room FILL. UP.

At the very last second, my doc came streaking into the room, just like in a movie-and JUST like in Owen's birth-in time to literally CATCH my baby. So, with Jason holding a leg, Melissa holding a leg, my mom and mother-in-law holding each other in the corner, and FORTY innocent nurses and doctors standing by, our GIRL, Emerson K Martin, made her appearance. She weighed nine pounds two ounces and had head full of BLACK hair. My mom said if she hadn't seen her come out of me, she would have never believed she was mine!


We had our girl.


And Owen had a little sister. I never dreamed they would be so close, but they are. Emerson and Owen were BEST FRIENDS, right from the beginning.

Someone to share his basket with:


Someone to make him happy:


Someone to give hugs to:


A crib to play in:


Someone to share snacks with before bed:


He has a cheerleader to root for him:


He has a BEST FRIEND:




I've told you before that Emerson is smart. She's not just smart; she knows she's smart. She helps Owen with his homework. She reads me stories, and when she gets tired of reading me stories, she makes up her OWN stories to tell me. She asks questions I didn't think I'd have to answer any time in this DECADE. Little Miss Smarty Pants can even do her own makeup in the car, without a mirror, with MARKERS.


Yes, Owen may be her best friend, but she's got a soft spot in her heart for her other brother, too. Greyson may be feisty and wild, but when he's in the mood to give you some love, you sure do feel special. Emerson takes it when she can get it.


And although she doesn't quite understand how the baby gets IN the belly, she is fully aware that there are TWO ways for that baby to come out. You can stop by our house anytime for a ROUSING game of "babies-in-the-belly", the game where you never know if you'll be pushing your baby out, or if she'll need to use her SAW to get that baby out. I try to tell myself that SOMEDAY all of this practice labor and birthing will help her out.

I know, without a doubt, that she will make a great mother. She shows me everyday how tender and loving she can be with her baby sister. Em and Alayna are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the VERY near future, I'm sure of it.


Here's a look back at her SIX YEARS of birthdays:

AGE 1


AGE 2


AGE 3


AGE 4


AGE 5


AGE 6



It's hard to remember life without Em, and these past six years have flown by. If anyone out there knows how to slow the time down, I'd pay any price to keep my girl little. Don't grow up too fast, my sweet Emerson.

10

Ten years ago, there was the promise of forever.


And there was family.


And there was dancing.


And there was a party.


And there were friends.


And there was dancing.


And there was a garter.


And cake.


And, did I mention dancing?


And it was the perfect day. A perfect way to start our future.


A future that has held:

not one,


not two,


not three,


but four houses.


A future that has blessed us with:

not one,


not two,


not three,


but four beautiful children.


And there's something strange that happens, more often than not, on March 24th every year: SNOW.

Newlyweds:


Five Years:


Ten Years:


I can't really say that the "I dos" seem like yesterday. And I can't say that it seems like forever since we took our vows. We've moved, traveled, changed jobs, welcomed new lives, said goodbye to other lives, and we've been together through it all.


It seems our life together is now headed in a new direction, one that wasn't really in the plans. But that change is upon us, and we are embracing it.

Daily Scene

Yesterday I had some of my mom friends over for the afternoon, and much to Emerson's delight they all brought their little ones. She was the oldest of the group and kind of took charge. She even decided she should make a list of things for the kids to do. Well, maybe she took it a little TOO far...



One day she'll realize those kinds of lists aren't for friends-they're for HUSBANDS.

Wrap It Up

I didn't blog about Christmas. I didn't blog about New Year's. That doesn't mean they weren't important to me-they were! Maybe the holidays came and went with such a flurry that I didn't have time. Or maybe, for once, things went as I had expected them to, and I was content. I assure you, there was quite a bit of craziness. How could there NOT be with four little ones running around?! And I do mean RUNNING.

We got all dressed up for Christmas Eve service at my childhood church, which was followed by a MASSIVE gift-opening EXTRAVAGANZA at my Grandma's house:



Christmas morning was spent discovering all the gifts under the tree:



And then we headed to my sister-in-law's house for MORE family and presents, which is where Greyson revealed his LOVE of princess dresses:



And even LATER that day, we made a two-day ROCKET RUN to our cabin for some fun in the snow:





We headed home to unpack, RE-pack and head to Chicago for a family wedding. I'd like to detail exactly WHY I'm still not fully recovered from this trip, but let's just say three days in Chicago with four children who have never stayed in a hotel and have never been to a wedding is EXHAUSTING. Seriously. But we had a great time, and saw family we haven't seen in quite a while, so it was worth it.



New Year's Eve with some HOT MAMAS:



And THE BIG DAY for Mike and Michelle:











So you see, I haven't forgotten about you. I just needed some time to GATHER myself. I think I'm all back together. We're heading into the DOG-DAYS of winter here in Michigan. It's January. It's freezing cold. There's a little storm out there keeping you on your toes while driving. And there's plenty more where that came from. PLENTY.

My bed's calling me. The bed with the heating blanket cranked all the way up.

The First-Born

Today my little boy turns seven. I've been a mom for seven years. I can't help getting a little sentimental when I think about it. I just cannot believe it has been seven years since Owen came into our family! It seems like yesterday...

On December 13, 2003, Jason and I headed to the hospital because I thought my water had broken. After a few inconclusive tests, the ultrasound tech came in and gave me a quick ultrasound which revealed that my amniotic fluid was VERY low. So I was either leaking fluid or my water had, in fact, broken. Either way, this boy had to come out-soon. I had been having irregular contractions for weeks, but none that ever really got organized and worked. I started out at 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. The docs decided to give me some medicine internally to dilate me and hopefully put me into labor. They said I probably wouldn't feel much until morning, so I decided to rest. We had come to the hospital without eating dinner and by that point Jason was starving, so he WALKED through the GHETTO to get some tacos from a little Mexican place down the street.

At ten o'clock at night. NICE.

By the time he came back I was starting to feel a few contractions-bearable but noticeable. After a few hours, the contractions were getting more intense and I asked for some IV pain meds. I wasn't quite ready for the epidural yet, but needed something. I don't really remember what happened shortly after that, but from what I hear, I was quite amusing. When the loopiness wore off, the pain got even more intense and I asked for the epidural. The nurse told me it would be "a little bit", as the anesthesiologist was in a surgery. I did not want to wait five minutes, let alone however long she thought "a little bit" would be. She told me I could have another dose of the IV meds while I was waiting. As soon I I recieved the meds, they moved me to my labor room and the epidural GOD arrived. I was four centimeters dilated and the contractions were STRONG. In twenty minutes I told the nurse I felt some pressure. She checked me and I was seven centimeters. Twenty minutes after that I told her I thought the baby was coming out. She gave me a look that told me she thought I was crazy. She checked me again I was fully dilated. She told me to "practice push", which I FAKED because I really wanted my doc there and she had not yet made an appearance that day. She immediately told me to STOP pushing (really?!) and HOLD IT until my doc could get there.

My doc who was still at home on a Sunday morning. GREAT.

So, with Jason and Melissa there to help me, I breathed through the contractions until FINALLY my doctor came SPRINTING down the hospital hallway, STREAKED into my room, THREW her coat at a nurse and basically caught our little boy mid-air. It took all of three pushes and there he WAS! All pasty and slimy and screaming and BEAUTIFUL! 7 pounds 15 ounces of baby boy!

We could not have asked for a kinder, funnier, gentler, more thoughtful boy than our Owen. He is a wonderful son and big brother and we are so proud of him! Here's a look back at his first seven birth days:

BIRTH


AGE 1


AGE 2


AGE 3


AGE 4


AGE 5


AGE 6


AGE 7


It's not true what they say-you DON'T forget the pain of delivery. You just discover that all the pain in the world is worth that glorious outcome of a healthy baby in your arms.



Happy Birthday, Owen! We love you so much!

Daily Scene

The kids were headed to Jason's parent's house on Saturday night so we could attend his adult-only Christmas party. NORMALLY Owen is BEGGING me to take him to Nana's house. But on this day he was dragging his feet.

Owen: Do I have to go to Nana's house?

Me: You LOVE going to Nana's house!

Owen: But do I have to stay the night?

Me: Why don't you want to stay the night?

Owen: She makes us change our underwear AND wash our faces before bed and I don't like it.

Me: Well I'll tell her you don't have to change your underwear.


Oh, the WOES of a six-year-old...

Daily Scene

The snow has begun to fly here in Michigan. Today I was out running some errands with Emerson and the white stuff was coming down.

Emerson: I like to think that the snowflakes are God shaking sprinkles onto us.

Me: Awwwww...