Nolan Miles

My due date was July 15th. 

Waiting for a due date is something new to me since I was induced with both of the older boys. 

I like being induced. 

I like having a plan. And I like making the plan.

My new doctor didn’t really care much :)

I tried acupuncture, 3 times.

Massages. 

Walking.

Bouncing.

Getting my membranes stripped. 

Walking.

Walking.

Nothing.

My due date came & went. 

My lasts doctors appointment was on July 16th, a Thursday.

My doctor talked about setting an induction for the following Tuesday or Thursday. 

I started to cry. 

I was so frustrated. The anticipation had killed me (dramatic, I know). 

Everyday I woke up thinking it was going to be THE DAY. And then the next day, and the next. 

Our sweet little boy still wasn’t engaging AT ALL. I wasn’t having any consistent contractions. Really the only sign that labor was getting close was “the show” the week before. 

Plus Misty was in town but would be leaving on Sunday.
I needed to have this baby before she had to go back home. 

Dr. Crum felt bad for me & said she would put me on the induction list for Monday but if they were busy I’d get pushed back to Tuesday. 

I kept crying. 

She must have really felt bad for me...

“What if I could get you on the list tonight?”

“I would love that! I will go sit at the hospital all day if I have to so they will get me in.”

HOPE.
Could I be having a baby that night?!

I went home and double checked that everything was ready.
We even took our last family of 4 picture.
I was that sure someone would be calling me from the hospital.

When I hadn’t received a call by 3 am I gave up hope & fell asleep. 

Monday it will be.

I woke up 5:20 Friday morning. 

I’ll try to spare you all the gory details as much as possible…

I was bleeding. Nothing crazy. I wasn’t scared or concerned. I just knew it was getting close to time. 

I called the nurses line just to be safe. 

She told me to wait & what to look for. 

I waited an hour and not much changed.
According to what the nurse had recommended I should keep waiting.
 I wasn’t ok with that so I told Chris it was time to get ready. 

I was checked in and in a triage room just before 8 am. 

The nurse that checked me said I wasn’t going anywhere as I was dilated to a 7 and 80% effaced.

They moved me over to room 2427 after taking some blood so we could donate the cord blood after delivery.

I walked the halls from 9-10 with my posse. 

By then Cole, Sayge & Mackenzie had all joined us at the hospital. 

I was having good contractions while I walked but they would stop just as soon as I did, so at 10:30 my (amazing) nurse Paula, started me on a little pitocin. 

The baby was still sunny side up so they also had me rotating from side to side every 30 minutes. 

At 11:55 my doctor arrived and broke my water. I was still dilated to a 7, 90% effaced and the baby was a -3… still not engaged. 

I was surprised by the intensity of the contractions once my water was broken. 

I had never really felt labor with the other boys because I had an epidural so soon. 

This time I wanted to see if I could make it without one. Just because.

Paula came in a couple times to see if I was feeling pressure… I was not.
And then bam. PRESSURE. 

I called the nurse back in and counted my breathes in my head, waiting for the contraction to pass.

To my surprise Dr Crum came in with Paula. 

She sat on the edge of my bed waiting to check me once the contraction was over. 

I remember telling her I couldn’t not push… she said ok… and then I told her I felt a head. 

She and Chris rolled me to my side, and yes, there was a head. One more push, and our sweet boy was in my arms. 

12:32 PM

8 lbs

21 1/4 inches. 

although somehow he was 20 1/2 inches 3 days later at the doctor 

and then 21 inches a week and a half later.

He came so fast Dr. Crum only had one glove on. 

She and the other nurses in the room all agreed that it was the fastest birth they had ever seen. 

Misty made it to the hospital just in time, and Cole & Sayge escaped just in time. 

They almost saw a whole lot more than they expected to that day ;)

It is true. 

No matter what you do, a baby will not come until he is ready…

and then he will shoot right out ;)

His first visitors had been waiting patiently & were so excited to meet him. 

They have been great brothers from the start. 

Then it was everyone else’s turn to meet Nolan

 

 Almost as surprising as how fast this little guy was born,
was the knock we heard on the door to our hospital room later that night.
Kathy had come from Tulsa to meet our new baby as well!

We’ve known his name would be Nolan for a while. 

Emerson was actually almost a Nolan.

We also decided to name him after my brother Miles as soon as we were sure on the first name. 

It wasn’t until after his name was set that I looked up the meaning for both…

Nolan: Noble

Miles: A gift from God

If you know our story, you know how much this means to me.

A true blessing.

A miracle. 

My sweetest surprise.

 

January 2015

Ringing in the new year:

 Campbells first time at the Phoenix Children’s Museum. 

Emerson was home sick but loved his first time a couple days later when we went back for more fun.

 We saw Mack Baby #3.

He was super wiggly & gave me the first glimpse that he was indeed a boy,

although the technician would not confirm or deny that for me ;)

We jumped in our first Polar Plunge & had the cutest supporters.

 Emerson perfected his climbing skills...

 And Campbell wrote his name for the first time!

October 2014

October was a fun one for us. 

We spent a lot of time getting ready for Halloween, 

Campbell started soccer,

Emerson threw lots of fits because he didn’t start soccer,

and we had visitors for a week… but you already knew that. 

Halloween was so fun this year. 

The boys totally got the concept. 

They loved all (ok everything but the scary) decorations we saw.

Campbell asked everyday if it was “Halloween day yet”.

Trick-or-treating was the best. 

I wasn’t sure how it would go, since Campbell pretty much cried the whole time last year. 

He is our sensitive guy. 

When Campbell saw things that would normally scare him, I would hear him chant to himself

“I am brave, it’s just pretend.”

They both ran up to each door screaming “trick-or-treat” before even ringing the doorbell.

Then Cam would run off, yelling “Thank you!” as he left. 

Emerson was a tad slower, putting each piece of candy in his own bag. 

Emerson’s face right here is priceless

Emerson had an impressive amount of injuries.

Lots of bloody noses, a couple good goose eggs, a scabbed knee and Bronchiolitis. 

He’s on the mend, and hardly has any bruises at the moment :)