Covey Seely

Covey is going to turn three years old tomorrow and do you know, I haven't journaled about his birth story yet? I mean, I haven't recorded the full story in one, cohesive entry. There are bits and pieces of it recorded in several places but somehow, these three years have come and gone like a dream. Future Covey, if you're reading this and feeling somehow slighted because the date I'm completing this is so much after when you were actually born, take heart. You have been the most incredibly joyful baby and toddler and you are so utterly adored by every member of this family and you're just not allowed to feel bad at all about it! I don't think you will. This is the overthinking mother in me. But you'll understand when you have five kids. :) I'm sure there are lots of other reasons to have long lasting beef with me. JUST KIDDING HOW COULD I SAY THAT we are best friends now and best friends forever and live in a tension free, blissful mother/son relationship.

I knew during my pregnancy that this would be my last baby and I just wanted my body to go into labor naturally. With Lucy, my water had broken at home, with Scarlett, I'd gone into labor on my own, with Isla, we'd gone in to get check out but I was put on Pitocin, with Tess we had a scheduled induction and this round, I just wanted to labor some at home before going to the hospital. I wanted this so bad! These things were not too much to ask!

Covey's official due date was May 25th. I'd had a check up at my OB on May 16th or 17th.  It was obvious that baby was plenty big and that we were both plenty ready. He'd ask if I wanted him to do anything to try to help get labor going (strip my membranes). As much as I was ready to meet this baby boy, I told my doctor there was a dance recital that Saturday the 20th and I really wanted to go to it. Isla and Scarlett would both be dancing in it. I needed to see it. Then I could tell the heavens I was ready and I'd go into labor right after the recital. I was sure that was the way it would happen.

Dr Anderson told me he could schedule an induction for me that Sunday, in case I was too miserable to take it anymore. And that sunday would be the 21st. I had him go ahead and call it in just in case but that I still wanted to try to let nature take it's course. It's interesting how attached we get to our birth plan, even with baby number 5 and having learned that you really can't control these things. 

We went to the recital. They were so darling! And I was the proudest waddling dance mom. So uncomfortable. But so proud. 

Then afterward our dear friends Julie and Mervis Fullmer came with us to eat at this little mexican place on state street in orem. I stepped outside while everyone was having their lunch and I called in to labor and delivery. I scheduled an induction time of 6 AM the following morning. I figured if I wanted to still stick to my non-induced labor plan, I could always call it off. But I wanted the escape option!

Well, we went home afterward and had a typical Saturday evening. Until Scarlett began violently throwing up 11 pm that night. Threw up hard until 4:30 AM. I was up with her allllll night. I called labor and delivery at 3 AM in the middle of that night and cancelled my induction, telling them I

had been up the entire night and wanted to wait until I was rested. Finally got Scarlett resting once the throwing up was done. And then around 6 AM, I started to throw up. It was the absolute worst of the worst! I was having contractions the entire time, in addition to the most violent stomach bug. I was paying hell for all of my wrongs of all of my life! Here's my instagram post from Monday, May 22, 2017.

I went to doctors appointment, huffing and puffing at 9 AM on Monday morning. Body still not fully recovered, energy low, mood foul. He said my urine test showed I was in ketosis and it would be better if I could manage it to go into labor when I had gained my strength back and fully recovered. I was dilated to a 3.5. 

The next day was Tuesday, May 23rd. Three years ago today, in fact. My mother and father in law called around 10 AM and said they'd be coming down that afternoon. It was a wonderful announcement to know they were coming even though Isla had been throwing up that day as well and I was so worried about everyone else getting sick, so worried about Jason getting sick and going into labor and him not being able to accompany me, so worried about other people cleaning up my kids throw up while I was in the hospital, so worried about bringing a new baby home to a germ infested cesspool. 

They arrived and we spent a few hours together chatting a tidying and it was wonderful to have their company. At around 3:30, I called in to labor and delivery because I'd been having super hard, albeit inconsistent contractions. But they were hard enough to take my breath away. I called and she said I could come in and they would check my dilation and monitor me for an hour or so and see if I was in labor. I didn't really think I was but Linda encouraged me to go over and get checked out. So we kissed our babies around 6:30 pm and headed out the door. We decided to go grab some dinner together and headed to Brassa's for some autentic Mexican food. I cried the whole drive there and the whole dinner because of my baby Tess. I knew what was coming but she didn't. I knew she was going to be ousted as the baby of the family and my heart was so heavy. Even though, that's just the way it goes. I was number 4 of 5 and was ousted at one point, too. I still cried for her. 

We got around to checking into labor and delivery at around 8 pm. I was dilated to a 4.5! A centimeter in a day might not seem like a lot but things were definitely progressing. I was still having hard contractions but again, not regular enough to time them. Everyone tells you textbook what it should be like and sometimes it just isn't that way. I sent this pic to my mom and Jason' mom. Everyone was so thrilled. But I still wasn't sure if my body was really doing this or if we'd be sent home for another few hours to sleep.

Here's the pic of the girls I got back from Linda after I'd told them we were all checked in and waiting to see. She said they were dying with excitement and Lucy was all teary. I of course burst into tears upon seeing this. So much emotion. 

At around 9 pm, they suggested I walk around for a bit to see if that would help move things along. So Jason and I took to the hospital hallways at about 9:30,  just the two of us. We'd been walking for a half hour or so. Everything was so quiet and seemed so empty. So it was a perfect opportunity, my last chance to be a pregnant show girl. 

I kid you not, this jovial late night hallway jig sent me right into having a few of the hardest contractions on top of each other that I'd had so far. I had to stop walking, I had to stop talking, they were crazy, crazy hard. We headed back to the room and when they checked me I was at a 5.5 at 10:30 pm. It was a done deal, we were having this baby. So much excitement! 

At around 2 AM, I was dilated to about a 7 and got an epidural shortly after. I was at a 9.5 just before 5 AM but for some reason it took 2.5 hours for me to finally dilate to a 10. We think that Covey's head was jammed a little strangely in the birth canal because nothing was happening. My epidural wore completely off and I just sobbed for the last hour or so. Every contraction was so painful and terrifying. They gave me a titch of Pitocin at around 7 AM, I closed my eyes and pleaded a silent, desperate prayer, and I knew the next time they checked me I would be at 10 centimeters and ready to push. I pushed twice maybe and that baby boy came at 7:29 AM on May 24, 2017. He was 8 pounds, 12 ounces, 20 inches long, our biggest baby and looked SO MANLY to me. So very surreal!

The girls couldn't stand being away. They loaded up into the van with Grandma and got to the hospital and Isla threw up all over in the back seat of the van. They had to turn around and go home and were all sobbing so desperate to meet their baby brother. What a nightmare! The next day they tried again and were successful. They'd never been in so much heaven! Everyone was overjoyed at his arrival and to meet him. Nothing quite so divine as the birth of a new baby into a family. 

Tess was feeling especially jubilant! Our family became a family of seven and our lives have never been the same. We love this boy so dearly and are so thankful he was sent to complete our family.

Tessa Jase.

Wow. Here we are in the middle of March. I really can't explain the blur that's been the past four and a half months since Tessa was born… or the past several months of craziness before that. But I'm here to tell you about the day Tessa Jase came into the world. I'm late, and I'm sorry. Someday she'll be looking through a blog book and wondering how it could have taken me this long to be able to sit down and write about that wonderful day, and if she's wondering that, sitting there judging me, I know it'll be before she has four kids herself.  I don't love you any less, Tessa! In fact, right now you're my very favorite. It's just a zoo over here at all times. I'm the fourth born child as well and I turned out okay and never felt unloved or neglected. So there's my consolation. 

Jason and I had scheduled an induction with Tessa, something we've never done with our other babies. But he was going through a horrendously strenuous time at work with a merge of another company into Northstar and we felt better about having it scheduled. I will spare you all of the boring details of that business mumbo jumbo, but I will say, it was Sunday morning, October 26th, 2014 at about 6:15 AM that we headed into the hospital. It was surreal. As much as I wanted a good nights sleep beforehand, I woke up so many times looking at the clock. I had been waking up all night to use the restroom for months but this night seemed to be worse. Guess it was the nerves. Back to it being surreal- I'd never shown up to an appointment to have a baby. It kind of felt like I was walking in somewhere and saying yeah I'd like a double cheeseburger with an order of fries… and I'll have my baby too I guess. It felt weird. I'd never known the day before we'd be meeting our baby the following day. Crazy. I'd been having lots of contractions but they weren't consistent enough to really have me in full blown labor. I was dilated to a 2.5 and 80% effaced at my previous doctor's appointment. I was exactly 39 weeks pregnant and it was actually going to be the most relaxing Sunday that Jason had had for some time, being Bishop and all. I was happy that he got to relax that Sunday. That's a joke. I mean, it was nice to just be together but you're not really happy for anyone who gets to relax when you're in labor. Especially not the one other person who was responsible for the whole ordeal.  Just doesn't seem right.

Well, we headed up the elevator to labor and delivery with another couple. Her water had broken, kind looking blonde little zoobie couple. They looked so young to me. It was their first baby. I wanted to start having a major diarrhea of the mouth session telling them everything they could anticipate and what it's like watching your baby grow into a child and all of the sleepless nights and poo smeared in weird places. But I didn't. So I said, "Good luck! you'll do great!" instead. It's like how the "tenured" MTC missionaries look at the fresh missionaries entering the MTC. You think you're so experienced and wise and the little newbies are wearing their "dork dots" on their name tags to let everyone know that it's their first day. And you sort of think they're cute and you also pity them and think, "they have no idea what they're in for." It was like that with this newbie soon-to-be parents couple. I just wanted to pinch their cheeks. Then you find out once you actually hit the mission field how ill-prepared and clueless you were when you felt all sure of yourself. I'm sure that's just around the corner with teenage years. Actually, Scarlett alone makes me feel like that a whole lot right now. 

So that couple got all checked into the front desk of labor and delivery and we signed in but were asked to take a seat since her water had broken and she had priority, deservingly so. We sat there next to each other and chit chatted and giggled and watched the strangest movie on TV that was supposed to be a Halloween show for kids… but it was really quite disturbing. And Jason fell asleep on my shoulder. That's right. Here I was about to give birth and he saw it fit to snuggle up on, use me as his human pillow and snooze away. I was uncomfortably frozen for a while, you know how it is when someone sacks out on top of you. I was starting to cramp up a bit trying not to move so I didn't wake him. And then I thought about the situation and gave myself permission to in fact move and wake him. I mean I had earned at least that at this point, right? And then I busted his chops a bit about that and we had a good hearty laugh. In the meantime two additional couples had been rushed back in full blow labor, all of them whose water had broken. What are the chances, right? So there I sat patiently waiting for my turn, the nurses checking in on me regularly. But then I felt like upon realization that I wasn't actually in labor but waiting for an induction, they wanted to scream at me to, "Get to the back of the bus, chop liver!"So there we remained for some time.

 

We finally got into our room and things set up just before 8 AM, had my IV and pitocin started by 9:30ish. And we were in business, baby.

 Labor was so much longer than I thought it would. I guess I just assumed that by number 4 my body would just kick rear and take names. But the fact I was induced made things just go slower because apparently my bod wasn't quite ready to give that baby up. So we played tug-o-war for several hours. When I was checked in I was dilated to a 3 and 100% effaced but it literally took FOREVER to get dilated further. The anesthesiologist came in around 1 pm to give me my epidural and he had forgotten to set it up for a continuous flow initially. So a couple of hours later, when I was feeling tons of intense and painful contractions and still able to do synchronized swim moves with my legs, I knew something was awry, even with as graceful as my moves were. I let the nurses know and he bustled back in apologetically and fixed me up real good right away. Then at about 4 they checked me and I was only at 5 centimeters. 5!! I cried. Because my body was so tired and I was starving! Then at around 4:45, (45 minutes later), I told the nurse I needed a bowl and that I was going to throw up. She said to me, "I bet you're completely dilated," which I thought was strange. Then she told me sometimes mothers get a real wave of serious nausea when they're to 10 cm. Sure enough, they checked me, I was to 10 centimeters, and my doctor said, "You ready to have this baby?" YES!!! And have five thanksgiving dinners ready to roll in once she's out, please.

 I pushed twice. And out she came at 5:04 pm, weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces, 19 inches long. She was every bit as beautiful as I knew she would be. She looked just like she belonged to me, just like I expected her to. She didn't cry quite as much as Isla or Lucy did but a little more than Scarlett. It was the softest sweetest little cry.

Per usual, Grammy and Grandma were both there for the delivery. They had joined the party around 2 pm with lunch for Jason and I had ordered everyone out to enjoy their lunch together while I crunched my ice chips all alone. It was a rare treat to have both Grandpas waiting at the hospital as well to see her and both burst into tears when they came into the room and laid eyes on her. Such a sweet moment.

Sisters had been with Julie and Mervis for most of that day and were so over the moon excited to see baby. Here they are watching her get worked over by the nurse. I was back in the room at this time inhaling an enormous amount of food. 

Tessa Jase, I have so much more to tell you about these first few months of your life. You have been the most perfect addition to our anxiously awaiting family. Your sisters dote on you like nothing I've ever seen and you have a most wonderful little temperament. You are so loved. You are so important.You are such a glorious piece to our family puzzle.

Mayhem.

Okay. I have to start off this post by telling you I'm a total wreck. Like major, total, complete (enter additional synonyms) wreck. I'm 37.5 weeks pregnant. Most of our house is a demolished construction zone. I have a mini-fridge in our bedroom. There are huge unopened boxes of furniture that needs to be assembled sitting in our front room. There are piles of things I have no idea what to do with everywhere I look, because I can't put them in their proper place. The kitchen will be destroyed in the next couple of weeks. I have no idea where anything is. Anything! I've lost my mind. Before you start calling us bad names, I just want you to know we started this whole process before I got pregnant. And before Jason was called as Bishop. We were meeting with the architect for this renovation in January people. January! What is with this all taking so long to get the ball rolling?!? Figuring the plans, hiring a contractor, permits, yada yada yada. Then we found out in March that another baby was on the way,  and in May Jason got called as Bishop. I belong in a loony bin. I've been bawling over everything. And Jason usually takes Lucy to school in the morning (first grade) but he's in San Diego today. So I loaded up all the girls and took her over and sat there parked in front of her school watching her walk in. I was suddenly filled with such immense unexpected sadness watching her walk away. I stayed until I couldn't see her anymore. She isn't with me for most of the day now. It's mid-October and everyone told me sending your kid to first grade was hard for the first couple of weeks with them gone all day but then you get over it. I'm still not over it. We've been at it for almost two solid months! And I miss her so bad. Every single day. She is my soft-spoken little lamb. Ugh this "parenting kids who grow up" thing is so exhilarating to be a part of. And it sucks too. Real bad. 

I need to recap the rest of our summer. Because baby girl number 4 is making her grand entrance into this life so soon. And we both know I won't be back for some time. I'll be hibernating in my pajamas snuggling a newbie, covered in spit up with smeared make up down my face… if any ever makes it on my face. Good to know that'll be the sole purpose of applying it. For smearage. 

Okay, let's visit the last few months in photographs, shall we? Because we know I don't have the brain capacity to write everything out in vivid detail. 

This is what our family home evenings look like:

And this is what our family scripture study looks like:

This is what most of our family pictures look like:

 

This is what a perfectly formed cranium looks like in utero (isn't she absolutely the loveliest?!) : 

 

Lucy and Scarlett still love our chickens, (Isla is still deathly afraid of them):

Oh and they've started trapping their own raccoons. If you missed this story, it's a goodie. They dragged this trap out, set it themselves, put orange slices in it and everything. I myself don't know how to set this trap. And I didn't know orange slices were good for trapping coons. And I didn't know this was happening. Until Jason found a big guy in there the next morning. I'd say he looks sufficiently humbled and repentant. 

And they're still letting me dress them in matching outfits. I'm doing this as long as I possibly can, just to be clear. 

 This is what our summers/early falls look like:

Here are some hilights of our trip (Christensen family retreat with Jason's side of the family) to Duck Creek in July:

Here are a few shots from Lucy's 6th birthday party. Every 6 year old girl dreams of a reptile show. Don't act like you didn't know that.

 

 A few highlights from our trip to the Oregon coast in August:

Bidding farewell to the ocean

And what we came home to:

My Lucia's first day of first grade and my Scarlett's first day of 4 year old preschool:

Then enter BYU football season and my first time ever shooting a shotgun

Turning 31 years old... Jason took me to the spa for massages at the Grand America, to dinner at their buffet there and he ruined a perfectly good birthday selfie.

 

Which leads us up basically to here and now.  Guys, pray for me. Pray I'll make it through this construction and the rest of this pregnancy and labor and delivery and raising these babies up that have been entrusted to me. Because I'm hanging onto sanity by a thread here. No joke.