Still uploading...

I wasn't joking when I said it takes 10 times longer to upload pics out in the country!! I'm still trying to upload the 65 pics from yesterday! In the meantime, I've started a number of posts to use those pics, but can't finish them until the pics have finished uploading. At this rate, I won't be able to finish posting them until we get home!

Adon's one-month pics

Adon had his pictures taken with his cousins yesterday. We had so much fun watching the photographer make him smile! He was such a champ...he stayed awake and didn't fuss much despite how hungry he was! I love him so much!

Adon's Travels

Adon went on his first overnight trip on Friday. Daddy had to work, so Adon and I went to Kirksville for a friend's wedding. We stayed in a hotel on Friday night and went to Kate's wedding on Saturday. It was so cold!! It was about 75 degrees when we left home on Friday and had dropped to about 45 degrees by the time we got there. I hadn't packed any warm clothes for either of us. The wedding was outside by a lake and it was so cold and windy. I kept Adon in the snuggly wrapped in blankets, so at least he was warm. Because it was so cold, I didn't want to try to nurse him. I pumped at the hotel on Saturday morning and Adon had his first bottle around lunch time. He did ok with it, but neither of us liked it as much as the closeness of nursing. However, it's nice to know that he'll take a bottle if necessary. Adon did really well in the car both times.

J has this week off of school so we went to Bloomington to visit with J's family. We've been struggling with whether to let Adon sleep on his tummy. He sleeps really well and prefers his tummy, but it's much riskier for SIDS and should sleep on his side or his back. However, he cried so much on his back last night we let him sleep on his tummy and he slept for 7 hours!!! That's the longest he's ever slept! So far it's been nice to lay around and do nothing. Nona's been so helpful holding and snuggling Adon so I can rest. This afternoon, the grandkids (Adon, Bradley, and Ashlin) are having their pictures taken. We'll be in Bloomington until Thursday. We'll sleep at home for one night and then we head off to the ladies' retreat with church.

Also, here are some more pictures of Adon. I'm currently working on uploading some more current ones...however, it takes 10 times longer to upload them when you're out in the country! :o)
First Bath
First Outing
Cute Pictures from March
First Walk with Mom

Too early for graduation

After pooping out the sides of two Huggies and peeing through a Pampers, we're going out today to buy more newborn size diapers. The size 1s look ridiculously huge and after trying them out, they definitely don't hold "stuff" in.

Graduating

Adon has graduated from newborn diapers to Size 1 diapers. After several poopy blow-outs, we finished the few newborn sized diapers and moved him up. They look so big on him, but if they save us from big messes, I guess that's ok.

Also, we saw a 4 day old baby at Babies-R-Us this week who weighed 7 lbs 9 oz when he was born. I couldn't believe Adon was that small only 3 weeks ago! It doesn't seem like he's grown that much, but I know he's getting bigger. Some of his newborn onesies are getting hard to snap.

Baby Pictures...At Last

So it's been almost a month, but I'm slowly starting to catch up. I'll keep posting a few things at a time until we're up-to-date.

Here are pictures of Adon's Birthday and his hospital stay. Please don't judge my really fat face in the delivery pictures. The doctor said I was getting that pre-eclamptic look. As you can see here, I looked normal just a week earlier. I'm still working on the post for Adon's birth, but I want to make sure it's just right, because the Lord did so many amazing things that I want to capture them all. I want to have it on record so I don't forget anything and can tell my children of the wonderful things God has done for us.

And, because most of you have seen these pics already, here are a few more from when Aunt Donna came to visit and was a tremendous help. However, she spoiled Adon by holding him so much that now he hardly sleeps unless someone's holding him. We still trying to let him cry it out at bed time.

J's mom and Ben and Grandpa came to visit the following weekend. Here are some from their visit. Enjoy and stay tuned. More will be coming!!

Picture Update

Thank you for you patience. New pictures are coming. I'm learning how to use photobucket so I'm not limited to blogger's photo limits. I'm in the process of uploading a month's (oh my gosh, Adon is almost a month old already!!!) worth of pictures. I'll post links as I get them finished! Keep checking back for those links. :o)

The Roller Coaster Continues...

03-25-08: Easter Saturday was very busy at the bakery. I suppose it was a good thing that Adon wasn't born BEFORE Easter, because my parents would have been very tied up at the bakery. Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday as we've started calling it, because even the pagans celebrate Easter) came and while I got ready for church, I was very sober. We were still wondering if Adon would arrive that day as we hoped to celebrate new life. I felt so much (self-inflicted) pressure in my spirit for him to make his arrival because we thought it would be perfect to have an Easter baby. We were late for church, as usual, and I didn't want to talk to anyone or answer any questions. Fortunately, my family had saved us seats really close to the back. As we entered the meeting room at the hotel where the church was gathered, I was instantly overcome by the Holy Spirit. The musicians were singing and the only lyrics I can remember are "You're my Master, You're my Owner, and I love serving You." My eyes welled up with tears as I repented for trying to control the circumstances surrounding Adon's birth and for praying so desperately for him to be born on Resurrection Sunday. I confessed,"Lord, you are my Master. You are a good and kind Lord. I am your servant and my body is for your service. I'm carrying this baby for Your glory. Please forgive me for trying to tell you how and when things should happen. I love you and I'll be content to serve you and allow you to determine the details." I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders as the Holy Spirit continued to minister to my heart.

The rest of the day was spent with my family. We had a lovely ham dinner with our favorite Parmesan potatoes and a delicious oreo mint cake (my favorite!!). We played games all afternoon and it was incredibly wonderful. I was able to enjoy spending time with my family without worrying about the baby or when he was coming. It was such a nice relief.

Tuesday (the 25th), something in my mind started wondering why the doctor was so concerned about the position of my cervix. I began to worry and searched the internet for what was causing it and how to fix it. The Lord directed me to a site that explained that Adon, while face down, was facing the wrong direction. His forehead was pressing on the bottom of my uterus (instead of the crown of his head) which was pushing the cervix backwards. By feeling his feet and his little rump, I could tell Adon was facing almost exactly the opposite direction that he was supposed to be. This really concerned me, because someone we know just had a C-Section because her daughter was "sunny-side up" just like Adon. The website recommended some exercises that may help spin the baby into the correct position. However, since he'd already dropped, getting him to spin would be quite challenging. I called our chiropractor to find out if he knew anything about spinning babies and if he could help. He said he'd check into it and call me back. I also called my mom and a good friend Libby to explain what I'd learned and the urgency to spin Adon. Both of them prayed with me and put me on the prayer chain at church. Throughout the rest of the day, I did some of the recommended exercises. My mom called me that afternoon and excitedly explained what her sister (Aunt Donna) shared with her about being aligned with God and that they were praying that the Lord would align Adon into the perfect position. Also that afternoon, Jer and I went to the Christian bookstore to use some gift cards and we just happened to find a book filled with prayers about childbirth. Wouldn't you know I flipped right to one that prayed about proper alignment!! My eyes filled with tears as I read through it and prayed that prayer. We bought the book and quickly shared it with Mom, who cried too.

Before we went to bed that night, Jer and I both prayed over Adon and the delivery. We were in complete peace with our good Lord and Master in control and able to do the impossible!

Adon's Birthday

03-26-08: We went to sleep in complete peace that the Lord would perfectly align Adon to be delivered. We went to sleep earlier than usual so we could go to a prayer meeting early Wednesday morning. I woke up around 12:30 to go to the bathroom and my waters broke. I told Jer and his response was, "Are you sure?" :o) When I confirmed that I wasn't peeing on myself, he jumped out of bed and hurriedly packed the last minute things we'd need for the hospital. In the meantime, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get to the hospital without creating a big wet spot in J's car. I decided to sit on a towel and reassured myself that I wouldn't be the first mom to show up at the hospital in the middle of the night with wet pants. :o) Jer got everything packed into the car and very gently helped me get situated. Both of us were so much more calm than the last time we went to the hospital. (We didn't miss the exit this time.) We called Mom and my good friend Hannah, who had gone natural with both of her children. The contractions started on our way to the hospital, but were mild. J took care of the of the admission paperwork and questions for me while I concentrated on the contractions which were getting more intense.

I was admitted to the hospital without going through triage. The nurses got me settled in the hospital bed with the IV and the monitors for my contractions and Adon's heart rate. They were so patient while I worked hard to relax through the increasingly intense contractions. J held my hand and got the laptop set up to play the music I had picked to help me concentrate and relax through each contraction. The contractions would start slow and gradually increase and stay there before easing off. The intensity got stronger and stronger and more painful. My mom was reading her Bible and J was holding my hand. They would take turns rubbing my back and helping move around to be as comfortable as possible. They were so great at helping me relax completely. Hannah got to the hospital around 5:30 am, and she coached my breathing and helped me to focus. J and Hannah reminded me of the source of my strength while Mom prayed and continued to read. She prophesied Psalm 71:5-8 over Adon.

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.
I have become like a wonder to many,
but you have been my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.

I knew that regardless of what happened through Adon's birth that the Lord would be Adon's strong refuge and would deliver him. I knew that his life would be a wonder, displaying the works of the Lord and that Adon would praise him from his first breath.

I was so tired from being up all night and from working through the contractions. The contractions were getting almost unmanageable and I was falling asleep in between them. I had asked J a number of times if I could have some medicine to help with the pain, but he was so strong and reminded me that I could do it without the medicine and it was best for Adon. Our nurse, Lily, checked my progress and monitored my contractions. She told me the contractions were still only mild to moderate and that they weren't even strong yet. Around 8:30 a.m she said that I was only 4 cm. I felt like a deflated balloon. All that work and such little progress. Because my waters had broken, the nurses were concerned about Adon getting an infection without the protective barrier of the amniotic fluid. She said that I would need Pitocin to help the contractions do their job of opening the cervix, because they weren't progressing fast enough on their own. We agreed to the Pitocin knowing that it wasn't for the convenience of the doctor, but it was best for Adon. We knew that the Pitocin would make the contractions stronger and more painful. I pleaded with J for an epidural, because I was barely managing the contractions and knew that it would still be a long labor. We asked Lily to explain all of our options for pain management and the risks associated with each. Though it's not what WE wanted, I felt a complete peace about the epidural.

Lily called the anesthesiologist and the epidural was in by 9:00. I felt an immediate relief from the pain, though I could still feel the pressure of the contractions. Since the epidural wouldn't allow me to get out of bed, I had to have a catheter. Lily started me on the Pitocin at 2 mcg and continued to monitor the contractions. Dr. Radley stopped by to check on me and set up the internal monitor to be able to more accurately monitor my contractions. Lily felt for Adon's position and thought he was still facing half-way between my belly button and my left hip...as he'd been for several weeks. She had me get on my hands and knees (with very numb legs!) to try to turn him. Because I couldn't support my weight this way, she had me lay on my side the rest of the afternoon in hopes that he'd turn. We continued to pray that he would be properly aligned and were confident the Lord would deliver him. Lily came back to monitor the contractions every once in a while and increased the Pitocin to 4 mcg then 6 mcg. My contractions were getting stronger, but they were piggy-backing. So all of the work the two contractions would do regressed in the long break before the next two started. Lily again increased the Pitocin this time to 8 mcg and then again to 10 mcg before the contractions weren't piggy-backing anymore.

I was so thankful for the epidural, which allowed me to sleep for a while. Hannah went back home since I was doing so well and J watched some movies we brought. He was too exited to sleep. Mom continued to pray and read (and drink coffee). Sleeping helped pass the time through the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon. Lily checked my progress shortly after lunchtime and I had progressed some more, but nothing major. In the early afternoon, I developed a fever. This really concerned Lily, because it meant that Adon may have an infection. While I didn't want to take any medicine to hurt Adon, Lily assured me that not controlling the fever would be worse for him. I took some Tylenol (as little as possible) to bring the fever down. The afternoon seemed to leisurely pass. We got a number of opportunities to share our faith and our confidence in the Lord with Lily. We requested of Lily that we hold Adon as soon as he was born (before he was all cleaned up and everything) and that I wanted to nurse him right away. She said that would be fine as long as everything was alright, but with me having a fever, it would be likely that they'd have to do some tests before I could hold him.

Lily checked me again just before 4:00 and I was about 8 cm dilated. She called the doctor to come soon. Mom called Dad and all of the girls to let them know it wouldn't be too much longer. Lily brought in a nursing student who would be observing. Around 5, Lily called the doctor to see if she was on her way. Dr. Radley was stuck in rush hour traffic, it was raining, and there were a number of accidents between her and us. About 5:15, Lily had me start pushing with the help of the nursing student and Jer. Dr. Radley showed up around 5:30 and we got right to work. She was a drill sergeant (though very kind) about this pushing business. We had a lot of work to do and not much time. I don't think I've ever worked so hard in all of my life! Dr. Radley would watch for the contractions and count for me to push during each one. J held my very numb right leg and the nursing student held my left leg while Lily assisted Dr. Radley. Mom had the camera ready to go as soon as Adon was born. Dr. Radley started talking about doing an episiotomy. She didn't want to waste anytime time, because my waters had been broken for so long and because of Adon's possible infection. On top of these things, Adon pooped (meconium) before he was born...which would be fatal if he ingested some of it. I pleaded with her to wait as long as possible before she did one, and she told me to work even harder, because this baby had to be out. She said she'd give me 2 or 3 more pushes before she'd cut. Lily had called a handful of nurses to get to our room immediately, because Adon would have to be checked for so many things because of the infection and the meconium.

During this time, I heard Dr. Radley tell Lily what Adon's position was...occiput anterior...the exact position he needed to be born in. The Lord's mighty hand had turned Adon!! Boy did I work hard after hearing this! In 2 pushes, he was born. It was so fast that Dr. Radley almost didn't catch him. He screamed, and it was the most wonderful sound I've ever heard! He was praising the Lord for delivering him from my womb!

All of the nurses hovered over Adon doing tests as he lay in the tiny heated bed. They sucked his stomach for meconium and found none! His Apgar (test for alertness) score was 99.5 (only because they can't give a 100). He was perfect. They drew some blood to test for an infection. They weighed him at 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches long. While they were doing all of this, J looked at me with huge tears in his eyes and said a barely audible, "We did it!" I sobbed! Our son was born!

Mom was busy taking pictures and J was watching over the nurses shoulders to see him. J got to cut Adon's cord. I know it must have been a proud moment for him! By the time Dr. Radley and Lily had finished cleaning up the afterbirth, Adon was wrapped and in my arms. All I could do was look at him and cry. He was perfect! I've never seen a more beautiful baby! My heart was overwhelmed with joy. Psalm 71 was right on...the Lord was Adon's hope and confidence as Adon relied on God's hand to bring him safely forth from my womb. He'd been perfectly aligned for delivery and had been saved from an infection and the poisonous meconium. From his birth, Adon's life has been filled with God's miraculous wonders declaring His splendor...beginning with the doctor and nurses. I know that God will be Adon's strong refuge all of his days.

Happy Birthday, Adon! You are loved more than you will ever know!