Lucy's Two!! and a rambling birth story

Today little Lucy turned two years old. It's been a delightful two years. She's a very sweet girl who brings a lot of joy to our family. She loves her babies, to read stories, to play with her sisters and brother. She can say a few words, although I am the only one who can understand them. She signs a few things too. Everyday she takes a long nap. She loves to go outside to do anything and loves to take a bath. She refuses to go to nursery, wants to feed herself and knows how to open anything (including child safety locked medicine bottles, locked doors, the fridge and the oven.)

This is the baby that DH had to lobby hard for. After we had brother I felt like we were done. I was happy with five kids, I was busy with five kids, I got to do most of the work of taking care of five kids. Besides that after H was born we had three miscarriages before we finally had him and I felt like we were lucky he was here. Also it's hard to have big kids and little ones. I felt like, and I still feel like, it's really hard to meet everyone's needs. I would like to do more things with my bigger girls but I can't always. I know there are many benefits they get from having younger sisters and brother and I'm not saying I'd change anything, I'm just saying it's hard. So after E I was done. (LOL) DH really, really wanted more kids. (He still wants more now.)
Eventually I agreed to "try". I got pregnant and miscarried and got pregnant again and miscarried again. Now I was really done.
Finally in one desperate attempt to convince me to try "one more time" he asked me to pray about it.
No. I was having no part of that.
Then one day I was reading in the Ensign and I don't even remember the article I was reading or anything but I knew I needed to take the matter before my Heavenly Father. After much prayer I too felt like we should try again. And I got pregnant. This should be the end of a happy story but it wasn't.
While I was pregnant with G I bled regularly. Every few weeks I would start bleeding. I would have a blessing, stay in bed, and it would go away. About 18 weeks into our pregnancy I bled a lot and we went to the hospital where we learned we were having a girl. Well the pregnancy stuck and 9 months later we had our little caboose. She must have really wanted to be in our family! I know she has a great work to do and is being looked after by more than her scatter brained, over worked mortal mother and family. Another day I'll tell the story of her guardian angel. But for today I have digressed enough and must get on with the story of the big day.

As is my tradition I will tell her birthstory. Lou's story is different than the others. She had a very medically managed birth. After E arrived in our car on the way to the hospital and we found out we were having another baby we decided we either needed to have a homebirth or an induction. I wanted a home birth but DH wasn't comfortable with that. I was a little disappointed as I had wanted to have a home birth for awhile.
With my first three babies I never thought of it or considered it. In fact we had a girl in our ward who had a home water birth (her mother was a midwife) and I thought it was so peculiar. Why would someone want to do that? A few years later as I read more about it and after having 3 great births with no complications (but some annoying interventions) I changed my mind. When we had H, DH was absolutely against it and as it was his first baby I knew he was nervous so we had another hospital birth. With E I don't think we really talked about it. With G I wanted to have her at home and we considered it but it came down to money. It cost $20 to have a hospital birth and several thousand to home birth. Anyway, we decided to have an induction. I didn't want to have a suburban baby again and if we were going to go to the hospital I figured we might as well have the works.

Being induced was really strange. A few days before she as born we had an appointment with my OB. I had started dilating and was 50% effaced so we set up a time at the hospital. Nana flew out the day before and we had everything set for the kids and the laundry done and our bags packed. It was so weird. In the morning we got up and showered and drove the hospital. The whole thing felt very surreal. We walked in and check in and I got changed. Then the anesthesiologist came in and started my epidural. Once that got going Dr Maxwell broke my water and we waited. While we were waiting we watched Pres. Bush's inauguration speech. I didn't feel a thing. It was very odd. After a couple hours the doctor came by to check how things were progressing and decided to start some pitocin. Then we waited some more. Eventually I thought I could feel some pressure so they topped off my epidural and the doctor checked and said I was complete and could push. I felt very odd, it was really really strange to not feel anything. Not having any pain was, of course, great but it was too weird.
I pushed for awhile. I felt like I was taking a long time and like everyone was watching me. (something that doesn't even occur to you with a natural birth). I was so surprised by how many people were in the room, DH told me that it was the same when H was born. Finally she was born. I didn't know so DH told me to stop pushing and I looked down at her. She had a cute little round face and was so sweet. They wrapped her up and handed her to me. The doctor finished all he needed to do and DH and I were left with a sweet new daughter.


I stayed in the hospital a couple days and G and I got to know each other. She was a very easy going baby. Very cuddly. This is a picture of her first bath, first sponge bath anyway. We wrapped her up in her cute pink flower towel.
This is her this morning, she still likes that crazy flower on her head. Now she dives under the water and splashes and laughs and plays with her ducks. She's still so cute and sweet.
Happy Birthday Lucy!!!!!!