Ella Grace

We welcomed our newest little bundle of joy on June 29, 2015.  She was born on Grandpa Hettinger's 75th birthday so it was a pretty special birthday for him! He said it was the best one in 75 years!
She was born at 9:31 a.m. and weighed 6 lb 9 oz and was 21 inches long (although at the pediatrician a few days later she measured 19 inches long so I'm not sure which was right).
I woke up in the middle of the night around 3:30 on Sunday night/Monday morning with contractions.  Once again, I wasn't sure if it was contractions because I had been having Braxton Hicks for so long. I wasn't sure if it was the real thing or just more Braxton Hicks.  They were uncomfortable enough that I couldn't really go back to sleep so I started timing them.  They were irregular with some being 4 min apart and some being 7 minutes apart.  I had been timing them for about 20 minutes laying in bed and then Charlotte started crying. So I tapped Jared and said "Charlotte is awake but I am laying here timing contractions to see if I am in labor." He went and got Charlotte and I went and laid in the tub for comfort.  After a while he came in and said Charlotte was back asleep but that he couldn't go back to sleep and wanted to know what was going on and if I thought I really was in labor.  I told him I thought so but wasn't really sure yet.  He went in the extra bedroom (Savannah's room) for something and noticed there were a bunch of dead fish in the fish tank and decided he needed to clean out the fish tank in case my parents came to stay for a few days in that room.  I said "Seriously right now?!".  But yes he decided it was a good time for that:)  Meanwhile I went ahead and started getting dressed and ready and also packed a quick hospital bag.  I called my parents around 5:30 a.m.  (Jared sent a text about 15 minutes earlier but they didn't respond and I decided a text probably wasn't going to wake them up so I called).  Dad answered and I said "good morning we just wanted to call and be the first to wish you happy birthday:) He said "Is it time?" and I said "I think so". So about 30 minutes later mom showed up and we left for the hospital around 6:30.  When we got the hospital and they checked me to make sure I was in labor they said I was about a 6.  I said "so I get to stay?" and she said yes:)
I had been really going back and forth about whether or not to have the epidural.  I had Savannah naturally because she came so quickly and I didn't have a choice but then I opted to have one with Charlotte because I thought "Why not?" but afterwards I regretted it because by the time I got it it only was about 15 minutes until she was born and then my back was so sore afterwards and I hated having the catheter and also the risks of side effects. I thought that it was silly to save myself 15 minutes of pain.  So I really wanted to do this one natural but didn't know if I would be able to do it if I was given the choice of an epidural.  I decided I would just see if labor progressed quickly and if it did then I would go natural.  They wheeled me to a delivery room and I told them I was going to try to do natural. I asked for a room with a bathtub because I had heard that it helps during natural childbirth.  I was super annoyed when they told me that there is a rule that if a woman isn't 37 weeks along then she can't use the bathtub.  I was only one day shy of being 37 weeks!! Seriously? Not only that but I don't even understand how that rule makes any sense any way. So regardless I was disappointed I wasn't getting that option.  We got into the room and the nurse stayed for a few minutes getting us ready and then said I was free to walk around or down the halls if I wanted and she'd be back in about 45 minutes to check me.  I thought "45 minutes!!?" what in the world?  At this point it had already been about an hour since we got there and I thought I need to know how quickly I am progressing so I can mentally prepare for what's in store.  I asked her to check me so I knew how dilated I was.  She checked and said "Oh my you are an 8! I am impressed!"  She was impressed because I honestly don't make a sound when I am in labor.  They never know how far along I am because I am not complaining or giving any clue that I am in a ridiculous amount of pain.  Anyways once I knew I was already an 8 and this would hopefully go quickly I just prepared myself for getting through what was in store naturally and hoping it would be quick!  She left the room and for a while it was just Jared and I in there which was really nice. He was extremely helpful.  He put on some nice music (Jack Johnson) and squeezed my hips and back when I was having a contraction (advice we got from Heather).  It was actually really helpful.  I don't know if it helps ease the pain or if it is just a distraction but either way it was great.  Contractions definitely started coming quicker and pain became more intense.  I kind of felt the need to squat during the upcoming contractions and when I did I felt like at that point things went very quickly.  A few times later my water broke.  They came in and cleaned up and then left.  Things continued to go this way and probably about 20 minutes later I felt like she was crowning.  We called for the nurses/doctor and I got up on the bed.  The nurses came in and said yes she was coming right then and called for the doctor.  They told me to try to wait until the doctor could come in but at this point I couldn't really wait.  Baby was coming and I didn't have much control over that:) I remember holding onto Jared desperately (he was beside me) and looking up at him as the pain and feeling got out of this world intense and then almost instantly she was born.  Our sweet bundle of joy:)  The love that can be felt in that moment is unlike any other.  It is simply the best moment I think a woman/man can have in this life.  It is indescribably special and sacred.  Ella was born perfectly healthy and beautiful as could be.  They gave her to me to hold right away and so we just snuggled and pretty soon after she wanted to eat and was a great eater from the start.
I was so happy to have done it naturally.  I was so happy I didn't have to worry about an epidural at that point and I was good to go. No more pain and no side effects.  It was totally worth it for me.  Since my babies are small and labor is quick it is totally doable.  I was also proud to know that I could do it even when I had the option of having an epidural.  As always the next few days are a blur, but I felt so good and baby was doing so well that we were actually able to leave the hospital a day early.  We were ready to leave the busy hospital with all of the constant interruptions and hospital food and get back to the rest of our happy family:)  So incredibly blessed!

Backtrack to May 2013

I forgot to post a few things from May 2013 that I didn't want to forget:) First, Nana and Papa flew out in May to visit and be there for Charlotte's baby blessing.   Getting everyone together after church was completely chaotic and Charlotte was having a meltdown, so not the best pictures but they document the moment! :)

 While Nana and Papa were visiting we went and visited a local horse farm about 10 minutes away from our house in Shelbyville.  They give free tours to come and walk through the plantation home and current working and training facility for Saddlebred horses. This is Nana and Savannah in one of the beautiful plantation bedrooms.

 They had an adorable little foal that came out that the let us all pet and Savannah was in heaven.  So cute.

 Nana getting time with Charlotte.  Already at this age Charlotte was pretty particular about wanting to be only with me but she was pretty good with Nana and Papa.

 Jared and Savannah walked around and looked at some of the beautiful areas of the property. This girl LOVES her Daddy!

 Going to see the horses.

Summer travel

We planned the Alder family vacation for the beginning of June which consisted of flying to California and then we would drive back to Arizona and stay for a little bit to have more time with family and also to see our friends in Arizona that we hadn't seen in forever. We hadn't been back to Arizona for 2 years.  Then we were going to fly home and within a few days drive with my whole family to Virginia to go on our family vacation with them.  So I decided it made more sense to just stay in Arizona until it was time to go to Virginia and then just fly straight there.  So that meant that we vacationed pretty much the whole month of June and although it was a little difficult with a three month old, it was awesome:)

Although the kids flew a lot when they were really young they didn't have any memory of it so to both of them it was like their first time flying. For weeks before we left I heard them ask a billion times if it was time to get on the airplane yet. So cute.  So we started off our vacation by flying to Newport Beach, California where Jared's brother Lance lives and we met the whole family there.  I was a little worried about how Charlotte would do during the flight but she was an absolute angel. Never cried.  She was either like this:

Or this:

It was awesome.

And although they don't look thrilled in this picture they were both super happy. I packed enough snacks to feed an army so I guess they were just busy eating...

This is more like it...

 Our beach house was awesome.  From the back view there was the bay:

This is our house.  I am standing at the bay and straight ahead is the ocean. It was a perfect location.

 
The kids love love love looking for seashells. I think they would be happy just doing that all day.

 I loved walking down the boardwalk with Charlotte.

 We went at the beginning of June which I guess is known for not being a very busy time which meant it was perfect for us!! The weather was a bit chilly and the water was freezing but I am totally okay with that if it means it's not crowded. This was my view walking to meet everyone there. Notice our lonely red tent popped up at the end of the sidewalk and not another soul around.  Perfect:)

 If this doesn't look like heaven then I don't know what is...napping on the beach with waves splashing in the background.

 The boys found a big hole that they thought was awesome and liked to sit in it but then the lifeguard came and told us they needed to get out because it was dangerous if it caved in so their fun came to an end. And to be honest I was nervous about it the whole time so I was fine with leaving it alone.

 Papa took Savannah out for about 2 minutes to play in the waves before she decided it was just too cold. I don't blame her.

 The kids had the most fun going in the bay and playing with paddle boards and kayaks.  Conner was so good at the paddleboard (I think that's what it's called). Evidently they are hard. I didn't try it but that's what I hear.  Grant is in the background taking Savannah around.

Jared took Logan around for a ride.

 We took the ferry over to Balboa Island:

We had family pictures taken while there of the whole family but this was a quick snapshot someone took of just our family while we were waiting for the big photos...

While we were in Arizona we took our first road trip as a family of 5 to go see Jared's extended family in Eastern Arizona.

 The kids were fascinated by the desert scenery.  They have no memory of living there at all.

 

We did a LOT of this while there because what else do you do in Arizona in the summer?

 Jared had to leave to go back to KY to work and we stayed in Arizona.  Sadly we were there without him on Father's Day. So the kids took this picture to send him showing him the treats they made for him in primary at church.

 This picture says it all.  I have always been opposed to kids sleeping in the bed with me for lots of reasons but mainly because when they do, I don't get any sleep.  When Savannah tries to get in bed with us Jared says she doesn't bother him at all and I insist that she lays on top of me and ends up punching me or kicking me the whole night.  While we were in Arizona Logan and Savannah shared a bed and when I checked on them later, this is what I found. Poor Logan.  Savannah is nearly pushing him entirely out of the bed.

Abigail is so good with babies and was so good with Charlotte.  Oh how I wish she lived close and could babysit for us!! We love Abigail!

 This fort was evidently for "girls only"

 And Logan and Sammy made this fort:

 Gotta love snuggle/nap time with Papa:

 And Nana:

And then we had to say our sad goodbyes and head to Virginia.  I was nervous about this flight for weeks. The thought of being alone with all three kids on the flight with a stopover in Chicago sounded like a nightmare.  But actually it could not have gone better! The kids were so good.   This is how we walked through the airport: everyone holding on to the stroller and in charge of holding their own bag.

 Charlotte was this happy the whole time:

 Savannah was happy but maybe going a little stir crazy:)

 On the last flight I was holding Charlotte and looking at a magazine and she started trying to turn the pages and I thought it was so cute because she looked like she was trying to read a magazine. I got out my phone to take a picture of it. At the same time a flight attendant walked by and thought I was trying to take a picture of the two of us and so graciously offered to take a picture. Wasn't really what I had in mind but at least there is documentation of us, including myself, on the flight (even though it only includes Logan's elbow).

 Once in Virginia, we spent a day at Busch Gardens.  It was an extremely hot day so it was a little difficult for that reason but I think it kept the crowds down so that part was nice. Here is Savannah with cousin John.

 Logan was tall enough to ride this ride with everyone and was over the moon about being big enough for rides.  On the other hand, Savannah was not big enough and was, let's just say...the OPPOSITE of being over the moon about it:)

 First time riding bumper cars and they also rode their first roller coaster (Savannah included) and thought it was the best thing ever. They literally rode the roller coaster about 20 times. With no crowds they could just walk right back on and they loved it!

 Savannah had a birthday while we were there...the big 4!!!! How is it possible!??

 It was a fantastic month, exhausting, but fantastic:)!!

Fun

There are no words to express how much joy Charlotte brings to our family. She has such a fun personality and to say her older siblings adore her doesn't do it justice.  There have been countless times where we will all be dying laughing over something Charlotte is doing. Especially Logan and Savannah. They just think she is the funniest thing ever:) This particular day Logan was standing at the edge of the bed and Charlotte just started kicking him and didn't stop. It was so funny.  And even from this young it's like she already knows that if people laugh she is doing something funny and she will keep doing it.  She had already been doing it for a while before I started to video so of course, by the time I am recording she is getting a little grouchy but oh well.

My shadow

When Charlotte was first born I felt like I sat in the rocking chair next to the bed and nursed, all..day...long.  And maybe because she was bored or didn't have anything else to do or just liked seeing what was going on with the baby, Savannah was always right next to me talking to me and keeping me company.

Savannah time

One of the things that was hardest on me having my third child was the feeling that all of the sudden my other children were being neglected. I didn't feel like I had any time left to spend with them and I felt really bad about it.  I decided to try my hardest to really try to relish my time with them as well and give them as much attention as I could when I had a chance.  I am definitely guilty of just getting so caught up in the whirlwind of the day and the feeling that I need to check items off of my list that I never just take time to savor each moment.  This one particular moment I realized how precious my time is with Savannah. I was laying down and she came and cuddled with me and I laid there with her and then when I decided to take a pic of the moment she of course, really ate it up:) Loved the attention and I was more than happy to give it to her:) Love my Savannah...

Too many doctors visits...

At Charlotte's initial check up at the pediatrician after she was born the doctor noticed that she had a dimple on her tailbone which she said can sometimes be a marker for a tethered spine.  She scheduled an appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound on Charlotte's spine just to rule that out so that we didn't have to worry about it.  That appointment was scheduled on the same day is her one month doctor visit a little later.  In the meantime, she had been a little jaundice. She was jaundice the day we left the hospital but they said it wasn't at a level that we had to worry about and that is should just go away on its own.  Well she began to look a little more and more jaundice as time went on at home and I just noticed that it wasn't seeming to go away. Here she is sunbathing in the sun trying to get rid of the jaundice.  I love how her hair was starting to fall out and leave a mohawk:)

 I called the doctor about it and asked how long to expect it to hang around and we took her in just to check her. Her level was higher than when we left the hospital but still not in a dangerous level.  This was a couple of weeks after she was born.  She wanted me to wait a couple of days and then have her tested again so we did.  The results came back exactly the same. So it was good that it wasn't getting worse but it really wasn't good that she wasn't improving at all. Doctor called and said that we had an ABO incompatibility which meant that my blood type wasn't compatible with hers and that somehow our blood had mixed (possibly at birth) or something like that and that it was possible that my blood was attacking her blood causing the blood cells to be destroyed in her which lowers her white cell blood count and hemoglobin and can also cause prolonged jaundice.  She said that we would have to monitor it to make sure that it would resolve on its own and that she didn't become anemic in the meantime if too much of her hemoglobin was being destroyed (disclaimer: it's been a while since this all happened and I'm trying to remember the details but some of the medical terms may not be exactly correct).  Anyways, I felt like we had already been back and forth to the doctor a million times at this point and the poor girl had her foot poked and blood taken way too many times. It was terrible.  Then it came time for the ultrasound appointment to check on her spine.  We went and had the ultrasound.  Here is my sweet little baby actually soothing herself on the table while waiting to get the ultrasound on her back.  I think she may have even fallen asleep in the middle of it. Sweet baby. Exactly one month old.

After the ultrasound was done we headed straight to the pediatrician to have our regular one month check up.  While there and going through the standard questions they ask I mention that she has started to spit up a lot and also that she really seems to struggle a lot when trying to dirty her diaper.  Also she only dirties her diaper about once a week and there is hardly ever anything in the diaper afterwards, just a small amount. Also she seems to be really gassy and gets really fussy throughout the day and draws her legs up to her chest like she is in pain. After further discussion, the doctor sends me straight back over to the hospital to have an abdominal ultrasound.  We head back over and have that ultrasound and an xray. Poor little girl had a long day but was still an angel.  After all is done, we head home and wait for the doc to call.  When she calls she says that her ultrasound showed gas all the way from the top of her abdomen to the bottom of her abdomen, literally filling her entire body.  They had never seen a baby so gassy!! It made me feel so bad because to think of a baby that must be in that much pain she really wasn't that fussy. It made me so sad knowing her sweet disposition was just trying to deal with it and was only mildly fussy. Given the circumstances most babies would probably be screaming their head off!  They also noticed that there was water in the colon so they had to wonder why her colon was retaining water and why she was so gassy.  She said they would have to do a barium enema and do another ultrasound of her colon and lower GI to see what was going on.  So the next day we were back at the hospital getting this done (along with more blood work to check jaundice levels).  I was so exhausted from worry at this point and also from running around to all of these appointments.  Jared was with me this time and I was just so overcome at how sad it was to be worrying about our sweet little girl. I have been so blessed that our first two were perfectly healthy and never had a single problem.  I know this is so minor compared to what a lot of people go through with their children but it was so awful.  My heart just hurt having to watch her get poked and prodded and lay there in a little gown on a table while doctors and nurses worked on her.  Jared and I were allowed to stay in the room for the lower GI ultrasound.  They had us wear protective shields and then stand next to her to put our hands on her and talk to her and comfort her.  I was a basketcase inside but was able to keep myself cool on the outside...at least I think so.  After the ultrasound we had to wait for the doc to review everything and then come talk to us.  When she came back she told us that what they were looking for was an indication of Hirschprung's disease.  She said there wasn't 100% positive evidence of it in the  ultrasound but that there were a few things that were "suspicious" and she wouldn't feel comfortable completely ruling it out and would be suggesting to our doctor that we go to the head of Pediatric Gastroenterology at UL and look into it further.  We went to get some lunch afterwards and I was feeling so devastated.  We were looking all over our smartphones trying to find information about Hirschprung's and I just felt so devastated. I felt so overwhelmed and just wanted everything to be over and her to be better and we were just barely at the beginning of it.  Jared reassured me that everything would be fine and everything happens for a reason and that it would all be according to Heavenly Father's plan and just to have faith.  He is SO much more level headed than I am in these situations.  We went home and waited for the call from our doc who did call and refer us to the specialist and he actually agreed to come in on  his day off the next day just to meet with us.  We woke up super early the next morning and drove to the hospital and met with him.  He went over her entire history and evaluated the situation.  He said that he felt pretty sure that she did not have Hirschprung's but that he still wanted to do the biopsy just to make sure. In the meantime he wanted me to stop eating all dairy and other things that she might be sensitive to (eating no dairy was nearly impossible! I never realized how many things have some sort of dairy in them and good heavens I never knew how much I loved cheese until I couldn't have it!).  As far as her jaundice he said that he suspected that it might be something called "breastmilk jaundice" and said to alternate every feeding between breastmilk and formula.  He said that if it truly was breastmilk jaundice than by drinking the formula it would clear the jaundice up.  This was on a Friday and they scheduled the biopsy for the following Tuesday.  We alternated the formula until we saw him again on Tuesday and it was amazing how much better her jaundice looked in just a few days of having formula. Sure enough they tested her the day of her biopsy and sure enough her levels were drastically down and they were able to conclude it was breastmilk jaundice and after that it pretty much completely went away after a few days.  It was amazing.  As far as the biopsy, I was so sad and scared for her to have to have it done even though they assured us it was an easy, simple procedure.  It was so sad to go the Children's Hospital and be surrounded by so many sick kids who were there for so many different reasons. It might be the most depressing place on earth!  I felt blessed that we weren't there for something much more serious.  When we got called back to the prep room Charlotte was starting to get fussy and I asked if it was okay to feed her and they said she wasn't allowed to eat or drink before the procedure. I asked how long until it would all be done and they said a couple of hours. Are you kidding me? She was 4 weeks old and  you are telling me she has to skip a meal? She would seriously be SCREAMING the whole time.  I thought there was no way that could be right or a good way to start the procedure so I walked back to the nurses station and told them I wanted them to check with the doctor.  Sure enough they called him and he said to feed her.  Whew.  They were just going by protocol that patients not have food or drink before surgery but our situation was different.  So thank heavens I got to feed her.  It was so sad when they came to get her and took her away from us. We just sat in the little area while she was whisked away by the medical staff.  It was so hard.  Anyways, pretty quickly, about 30 minutes later they brought her back and said she did great and they were all done! Hooray!! I was so glad it was done. She wasn't a happy camper but at least she was back with me and the biopsy was done.  This is when they brought her back to me.  Here is one happy (and exhausted) momma and one unhappy baby!!

After we went home the doctor called me that night to let us know that she did not have Hirschprung's and just to go on with life as normal.  We didn't need to do any more testing!  We were so thrilled.  Sure enough, after a couple of months she started becoming more regular with her dirty diapers and the spitting up got better and she became completely normal.  My theory is just that since she was born a month early her poor little digestive system just wasn't developed yet and just had to develop a little more before it was working like normal.  How blessed we are that things turned out okay.  We still have to go get a MRI in a few weeks to check her spine again because that first test came back borderline.  Then you have to wait until they are around 9 months old and their body has grown a little to see what has happened to the spine as it has grown. So we will go get that done in a few weeks but I feel pretty good that it will come back fine.   But it will definitely be a relief when we get good news on that too.  But right now she is a perfect normal happy baby.  So blessed.  Love her:)