Noah's Biggest Fans

In the first week of Noah's life we were blessed beyond words by family & friends who came to stay for the week or just dropped in for a minute. Whether here for 5 minutes or 5 days, we are very thankful for the continued love and support, thoughts and prayers extended to our new family.

Our first round of "fans" arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes before Noah made his grand entrance. My mom and dad left shortly after we called them Thursday morning and made the trek all the way from Pensacola... with an extra surprise in the shape of my sister, Kelly! I knew my mom and dad were making their way up, but had no idea that Kelly was coming with them until she walked in the room about an hour after Noah was born! I was so worn out and delirious but on the inside was feeling so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that the 3 of them had made it just in time, and were now getting to meet our boy for the first time. I am eternally grateful...

Because of the perfect timing of the weekend, Kelly was able to stay until Sunday...she left us with a fridge/freezer full of delicious food, a cleaner house (with one less mouse), and plenty new mama tips and tricks that have definitely come in handy. I think she was already plotting her return before she even left... and if she wasn't I know her kiddos were. While skyping with the Bullington kids, Wilson was sure to let us know that their Fall Break was only one full week of school away and then they would be coming to meet their new cousin. A little skyping action:

My mom and dad were able to stay a whole week with us! What a blessing/relief! And in Mama Bo and Papa Bo fashion, not only did Noah get a lot of lovin' but so did our house. You see, we live in camp-provided housing so there are some things that are a little rough around the edges. Well, my parents live for such projects and were busy updating, repairing, replacing, scrubbing, painting, installing, building, supplying, etc. the entire time they were here. Again, we are so thankful for their help and support. They snuck in plenty of Noah time though, too:

As I predicted, Chris' mama would not be able to stay away if Noah came on his own before the scheduled induction on the 7th. And I was right... he was born just after midnight on Thursday/Friday and she could hardly stand that it would be almost 3 weeks before she could get her hands on her first grandbaby. So, by that afternoon she had booked her flight and was on her way early Saturday morning. She arrived at the hospital just in time for us to be discharged and to meet Noah for the first time. Again, I planned the time so well that she was able to make it for a couple of days. She had to leave Booger behind, but he will meet Noah in about 2 weeks in North Carolina. We were very excited that she was able to make it to hold and love on our precious boy:

 Noah also met his first Uncle Matt and his first Aunt Heather (GiuGiu), the ones who aren't married to each other. This poor kid is going to be so confused, Heather & Matt who are married and Heather & Matt who are siblings. I promise, our family tree does fork even if we do live in east Tennessee...

We also had a very special stop-by from Noah's Grand-Godmother, Ann Thompson. She (and 4 other ladies) were on their way back to Florida from Luke Thompson's wedding in Michigan. We were sad that we couldn't make the wedding, but were very excited that Grandma Ann was able to stop for a few minutes and love on Noah for the first time. The other ladies (Mary, Sharon, Lois, and Cynthia) didn't seem to mind admiring him either.

I think those are all the photos of visitors that we have, but we had many more folks come by to offer their congratulations, drop off a plethora of food and gifts, and to get a look at our little guy. Allison brought us some delicious soup, listened to me ramble about the whole labor and delivery (thanks for that, it's good for my soul), and to hug the little munchkin. Several ladies from Bethel Presbyterian Church (Pat, Sue, Debbie) brought by lots and lots of gifts and soups from the Bethel family (thank you so much... you've really shown us what it means to be part of a Christ-centered community).  Dennis McCurry (Outdoor Ministry Team for CJK) generously supplied us with a bunch of diapers, wipes, and Noah's first (and maybe only) Volunteer outfits (thank you, you've made Chris' nights MUCH easier). And that only scratches the surface of the many cards, gifts, phone calls, and messages we've received over the past 3 weeks. I am slowly getting around to thank-you's and returning phone calls... please bear with me.

And for your viewing pleasure, one of our first family photos:

Mama is Back...

There is not enough time in the day for me to write about all the things that have happened in the last 20 days, but I will do my best in providing a glimpse of our recent weeks. I will give you a few events at a time... today I will start with my account of the L&D. Here we go:


LABOR & DELIVERY: 10/02/09
We arrived at the hospital between 8-9am on Thursday, Noah's due date. I wanted to just go to the Doc's office to be checked out, but we would have had to wait another 30 minutes before even talking to a nurse about coming in, so we headed up to L&D Triage. I was the only person in there so we were seen pretty quickly. After a few "tests" to find out what was going on, the nurse quickly declared that my water had definitely broken and that we would be headed to a room shortly (which we later found out was the ONLY available room left in the unit). We got settled into the room, made phone calls to let folks know that this is definitely happening, and around 11 I was able to get up and walk around the unit. Things stayed pretty "normal" for 5-6 hours and I was able to get up and walk or shower or do the birthing ball every so often for about 30 minutes at a time. The nurse (Julie) would come in and hook me back up to the monitors and check me every couple of hours, which turned out to be one of the less enjoyable parts because 1) it made me lose my lunch every time (even though I had not eaten in over 12 hours) and 2) my contractions were consistent but I was making no progress. My contractions started to get more intense at 2-3 minutes apart around 4pm but I had stayed at 4cm since being admitted earlier in the morning. Dr. Cottam (my OB) had left at 3pm and was calling to check on me around 5pm, suggesting that we needed to change something otherwise I was going to continue to labor with little progress and wear myself out. My options were to go ahead and start pitocin or have a pressure monitor "installed" to measure what exactly my contractions were doing. Sticking with the "natural" mindset I opted for the monitor, which did NOT fair well. More lunch losing and tears in my eyes (the only time I cried during labor) and pulling the nurse's hand away... so we stopped with that option. It wasn't that my contractions weren't getting stronger, they just weren't dilating me, so I was feeling the pain and pressure with each contraction... and the weird part is that I was having what Chris called "double shots" meaning that I was having two contractions back to back with no time in between, going 2-3 min, and then having two more back to back. This was starting to get to me so I asked for Stadol (a narcotic that just takes the edge off, not a pain reducer... think 2 for 1 margaritas) before they started the pitocin so that I could relax between contractions. When they had started to get intense I was shaking and having a hard time resting between them, so the Stadol definitely helped, allowing me to relax for the 2-3 minutes b/t contractions. Once the pitocin was administered everything started moving right along... more intensity, more dilation, etc. From about 7pm on I progressed steadily, hardly opening my eyes, only talking when talked to. My focus was on breathing and relaxing, Chris rubbing my back through each contraction (also offering to play DJ with the iPod), and hoping that I could get through with only the Stadol. Also, let me mention, that Chris was a trooper... communicating with the nurses of what we wanted, holding his bladder for several hours because I wouldn't let him leave my side, rubbing my back until his arm nearly fell off, encouraging me with every contraction, among other slightly more intimate memories I will keep to ourselves. Dr. Many would be the one to deliver our baby and she was periodically checking in on us, beginning to "worry" that I would end up laboring for more than 18 hours after my water had broken, which meant I would potentially need antibiotics to reduce risk of infection for Noah. Although his heart rate remained "perfect" throughout labor, we would still have to take precautions just in case... I missed the 18hr mark by about 30 minutes. Around 10pm our nurse (Meredith) came in and checked me, finding that I was at about 8.5cm. She began to situate the room and equipment in preparation for delivery. This is when it really sank in for me... I was about to have this baby, most likely before midnight. Holy crap... Around 11pm Meredith wanted to do a "test push" to see what kind of pusher I would be, at which she quickly learned that I meant business! Dr. M was actually delivering another baby at that time, so I had to wait a few more contractions before going again to give her time to get in the room. I never understood the statement "I feel like I need to push" and what it really means, but with my contractions coming one behind the other pretty intensely, there wasn't much waiting I was able to do. I asked to continue to push, and she let me, and soon after the Dr. joined us. At this point (around 11:20pm) the nursery nurses, the Dr's assistant, and Meredith were all gearing up for delivery... one of the nursery nurses asked if he would be here before midnight so she could fill out the paperwork and Meredith indicated that she thought so. Oh man, here we go... so I will spare the details, but with Chris at my side, Dr. M running the show and the other folks offering words of encouragement and incredible support, we pushed until 12:05am when Noah Matthew entered this big new world! He came out wide-eyed and screaming at 8lbs6oz, 20 1/2inches with beautiful color and chubby cheeks (he got those from his mama). His daddy may have shed a few more tears than his mama, both proud and relieved that the "hard part" was past us. The nurses cleaned him up, the Dr. finished with me, and Noah was handed to his daddy to cuddle and love. We are now a family of three and a half...

Quirky Facts of Our L&D:
* I may never drink apple juice again.
* We heard stats ranging from 3%-10% of babies are born ON there due date... Noah missed his by 5 minutes.
* I never asked for the epidural.. I wouldn't have let them near me with a needle anyhow.
* Apparently, I apologized frequently to the nursing staff and Dr. for what was going on down yonder.
* "Hees and Hoos" of breathing are silly... just breathe slow and close your eyes to focus. I think those breathing techniques are for the entertainment of others in the room.
* Chris offered to play Mitch Hedberg during my contractions.
* You quickly lose any shred of modesty during childbirth.
* I wouldn't do anything differently... every bit of the pain was worth it.

The staff at Parkwest were above and beyond what we expected. They helped make our experience a positive and successful one... we are eternally thankful for their care and expertise that helped us bring home our healthy baby boy.

NMF:What to say? Perfection in the flesh...

Well, I'm not sure exactly what to say, you know having a new baby at home and our lives being completely changed and the lack of sleep and what not... so I am going to post a few pictures from the birth and 1st couple of days.

Noah Matthew Ford, born October 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 am. Forcing his way into the world at 8 lbs 6 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, 14 & a hair cm head. He was born 5 min past his due date and labored with his mamma for 18 hours!

And Then There Were None...

Today was our LAST prenatal Dr's appointment, measuring in at 39.5 weeks, 35lbs total weight gain, good 2cm, head dropped since last visit, carpel tunnel in my arms, puffy feet, and still hanging on for Oct. 7th. I even asked the doc if she had plans for this afternoon, we could nip this in the bud, but unfortunately she was all booked up. She seems to think that he will be one of those babies that just needs a little extra enticing... she said she has had to "evict" many of babies through induction and all have been fine. And as of right now he is still measuring of average size, which means natural birthing is still the plan.

But, with all that, I have developed a new outlook. This baby isn't stubborn, he is just a go-with-the-flow, laid back, hippie kid who isn't in a rush to venture out of his nest. Though his name literally means "peaceful wanderer", he just hasn't found his vagabond spirit yet. I was really starting to feel discouraged and exhausted, tiring of hearing people tell me that "he will come when he is ready"...but now we know that he will be here within the week at the most, what is there to fret about? My parents are coming up to help and Heather will be back and forth offering her love and support. Chris' mama will be here mid-October to stay for a week... we will have mucho help spread out throughout the month, so why be frustrated that I have to be pregnant an extra week? Maybe because I am normally a spontaneous kind of girl this whole induction thing was throwing me off my game, way too planned and organized, but it may end up working to our advantage to have folks help us out.

Heather and the boys came over for a quick visit and birthing pep rally last night. She said she wanted to "measure" for herself to get the feel for if he was coming soon or if he would wait. She seems to think he will hold out, or at least she's hoping so she can get back south before he comes! I was craving some of Granny's chicken and dumplins so she brought all the fixin's and as it should be, we Bowen girls were barefoot and pregnant standing over a hot pot of dumplins. It only took us 3 hours, but man, were they worth it! Not quite right on the nose as Gran's, but pretty darn close:

Chris and I also were given a very generous gift (thanks, my sister) to continue to stock up on our cloth diapering supplies. Like I've said before, we are super pumped about how much money and resources we will save over time by using cloth diapers, however, it is an investment to get started... so being given a gift to grow our supplies in any way is a huge blessing. Heather seemed to think that we would breeze through the first sizes of diapers and covers and doesn't want Noah's butt to go uncared for, so we went to Cutie Tooties and were able to supply most of the larger size necessities. With that being said, I also updated the registry there if anyone is interested. Thanks, Giustis, our kiddo's butt will now be covered from 15-30lbs. :)

Please continue to pray for us and our healthy pregnancy/delivery. We are loving the cooler weather and I think God knew that I needed to feel the fall friskiness... it is my favorite, you can't help but be in a good mood. If you haven't heard from us before then, October 7th at 6:30am is when we "report" to Parkwest to evict the little guy from his cozy little hiding spot. If you think about it, say a little prayer before you go to bed on the 6th... no 12lb babies.

As If Waiting for Baby Wasn't Exciting Enough...

We moved! Yep, that's right... we have made the move down the hill to the Program Director house here at camp. Don't worry, our address is the same, so you can continue to send the baby gifts here. :) There are still a few "organizational pieces" we would like to add to our laundry room and bedroom to help store those random things you don't know what to do with, but we are mostly settled in. We decided that it would be easier to make the move sans baby than try to wait until we have a newborn... GOOD IDEA. Other than the constant downpour that fell on our heads, I essentially unpacked boxes as Chris and friends brought them down. This house is much smaller (PTL) and easier to keep clean and much more our speed. We are thankful to be here and for what our future holds here at camp.

I don't have pictures of the WHOLE house, but the nursery is the first room we made sure to get settled, so here is a glimpse. Remember, we know there are "touches of love" that this house will need over time, but we are running on low as far as time goes these days.

In other news, we are one week from Noah's due date and still pregnant. Very pregnant. At the last Dr's appt. on Tuesday she measured me at a "tight 2" and his head still pretty high up, but still it could be any time now. But, because we are slowly/not-so-slowly approaching D-Day, we decided to go ahead and schedule an induction if little dude decides he is just having way too much fun to come join the world. The Dr. gave us the option of waiting another week to see if he would cooperate, but she didn't want me going past 41 weeks. We chose to hold out another week to give me (and him) the best possible scenario for completing a natural birth. So, if he doesn't join the party by then, he will be peer-pressured into this world on October 7th at 6:30am. And being the morning person that I am NOT, I have already figured that I might as well not sleep the night before because we will have to leave the house by 5:30am to get there on time... which means up by 4:30am to shower, wake up, love the doggy, etc. If he knows what's good for him...

And Dan, you will win the privelage of a swift kick to the rear when I see you next if your date is correct. Mama don't wanna wait no more...

Losing Steam...

Alright... I am officially done being pregnant. Sort of. I guess really, officially, I'm not done until the little booger makes his arrival, but it would NOT hurt my feelings if that's today, or yesterday even. Our Dr's appt. went well, but no REAL progress. She says I am a little more thinned out than last time but still sitting at "one and a wiggle"... but then she also says that it could happen any time now. Geesh.

I am victim to sporadic bursts of energy followed by not-so-bursts of lethargy. I get real fired up to do something and then within 10 minutes, if I haven't started whatever the task, I hate the thought of doing it. I am sure I'm about to drive Chris absolutely insane.

We finished our birthing classes last week and pre-registered at the hospital yesterday. I am certainly glad we got all of that out of the way, I signed my name at least 100 times. We also were reassured by the Registration RN that the team of nurses would know from my chart that we are aiming for a natural childbirth, hence, they won't be shoving drugs in my face. We have heard mixed reviews about the nurses' support of all natural, but hearing it from a nurse herself who has worked there for 9+ years made us a little more comfortable. They have a "rule" that they won't take your answer or request DURING a contraction, they will wait and ask you if you meant what you said after the pain is over. Makes sense.

So yes, I am ready. If anyone is praying that he WAITS for a certain date, please stop. I have already threatened to break my sister's legs, with love of course, for praying that I wait until after she gets back from vacation. All I have to say to that is I have been pregnant since January, you all have had a chance to plan ahead. :)

"One and a Wiggle, Almost Two"

I am not sure if it's a legit medical term, but Doc says that I am at "one and a wiggle, almost two", which for those keeping up, is progress from five days ago! Hey, every little bit counts. I have been having contractions on and off for the past week as well. They aren't strong yet, but sometimes they are seven minutes apart and then up to thirty minutes apart, and then they go away entirely. That's slightly frustrating, but I know it's just my body gearing up to do it's thing... Dr. C also said that because of my experience with cramping and such, I may not even be in pain or discomfort until I am at 6 or 7cm, but I will know by the consistency and duration when it's time to go to L&D. Our next appt. is Monday... pray for more progress! In the meantime, a picture for your entertainment of my expedition of birth:

We also had our John Knox Baby Shower yesterday which was amazing and fun. Barbara made an adorable cake. Rachel planned baby games (can't say baby, finish the nursery rhymes, etc.) for our entertainment. Bri had amazing trivia ($242,000 to raise a kid from birth-18... yikes!) that terrified and excited us all at the same time. Julie put together quite the spread of yummy-ness. Eddie provided comic relief and broke a filling. Matt and Allison came over for the morning and shared in the baby fun. EE Staff also came by to show their love and share in the celebration.
And of course, we were once again completely blessed by the generosity of our family and friends in helping us to prepare for Noah's first moments of life. We love the fact that folks are supporting us in our effort to welcome our little guy into the world as naturally and organically as we see fit for our lifestyle and means. I can't wait for him to smell like Burt's Bee's soaps and to put a little cloth diaper on his booty... and the handmade gifts have a special place in my heart as well. There's nothing like it... It's amazing, too, that we haven't receieve anything in excess or that's unnecessary. All that we've been given will be put to great use and won't have time to collect dust in the nursery...

Yummy Carrot Cake by Barbara

 

                         

                           My brother (Uncle Matts RULE!)                         

Ms. Allison

 

Christopher and me, 36.5 Weeks