Nada's Birth Story

(Today was her EDD.) Around midnight on the morning of Friday, March 20th, a strong contraction woke me up. I continued having powerful contractions all day, ranging from 20 to 60 minutes apart. I was able to get through each one using techniques I learned in a Hypnobirthing class, "breathing up" with each uterine surge so that I wasn't in any pain. Brian's mom arrived around 2pm, and Brian and I headed for the hospital at 7:00. I was able to skip triage and go straight into a labor & delivery room, per Jan, the on-call midwife. At my appointment on the previous day I was dilated to 3cm, and once I was settled in at the hospital, I was at a 5. Brian was a wonderful support, rubbing my back and always encouraging me. I continued breathing calmly and relaxing throughout the labor. Brian, Jan, and the nurse Jule all said that they couldn't tell when I was having a contraction because it just looked like I was sleeping the whole time. We knew I was in transition when I threw up, and little Nada Mae came into the world at 11:33pm. I didn't tear at all, which has helped make recovery wonderful. Jule said, "That was one of the best natural births I've ever seen!" and Jan said, "It was an honor to be a part of this." I was able to hold and bond with Nada for quite a while right after she was born, and she nursed for 45 minutes (and pooped) before I gave her up to be assessed and cleaned. We came home Sunday afternoon. I am feeling great, and Nada is so calm and easy-going, which I attribute partly to the calm labor. My MIL is being an amazing help, taking care of Kara and Joshua and preparing meals. We'll see how I adjust to having a family of 5 once she leaves on Friday. Thank you all for your love and support. I can't wait for you to meet our little baby girl! We love her!

IT's A GIRL!!!

* This is a temporary post by Brian until Leah can update :)

Nada Mae Vance
Born on Friday, March 20th @ 11:33PM
Weight: 7lb 2oz
Length: 18in
Hair: looks to be Red (surprise!) but really short so we'll see what happens

Pictures to Compare

We went to Brackenridge Park last month, and I had to have Kara and Joshua each sit on the turtle there once I remembered that I had a picture of Kara sitting on it when she was around Joshua's age. It's so fun to see how much she's grown. I don't think Kara and Joshua look a whole lot alike (his head is huge, and she's so petite), but you can definitely tell that they're brother and sister.

Joshua, 20 months

Kara, 20 months

Kara, 4 years

38 weeks

Kara's 4th Birthday

Dora the Explorer was the theme this year. The girls each colored their own set of binoculars and then went on a "puzzle hunt", using maps to find puzzle pieces around the house. Then they got to put the puzzle together, and we had cupcakes for the treat. After opening presents, they "walked the plank" blindfolded and then played "Dora, Boots, Swiper" (variation of "Duck, Duck, Goose"). Kara loved having so many girls at her party; we were glad everyone made it! Happy birthday, Kara!

Stock Show and Rodeo

Well, we didn't see any stock shows or watch any rodeos, but we had a good visit to the grounds. It would have been even better if it hadn't been quite so windy and chilly that day, but the kids still had fun.





The petting zoo was a big hit.





The deer liked to nibble on jackets... a lot.


Brian liked the kangaroos best.


Ice cream cones on such a cold day? They were free, so... heck yeah!






Inflatables



Push-ups in exchange for free junk from the Army



Kara earned a "really pretty necklace."

Zoo

We went to the zoo last month, and we rode the miniature train there. The kids had a good time. It was a lot of walking, though. We'd only brought the single stroller for Joshua, and Kara was quite tired by the time we called it quits. Our season passes expire this month, so we wanted to go a couple more times before they did.

I know he looks constipated, but Joshua really is saying "cheese."