The Whitelaws

Warning: birth story - skip to the pictures if you wish. Friday, December 3rd - had a few stronger contractions throughout the day. Kept getting distracted with laundry and Jenna and didn't really pay attention to timing. We had planned to have dinner with Kevin's parents and then take Jenna and her cousins to look at Christmas lights.
Around 6:30pm we head out to look at lights and I decide maybe I should start timing contractions. They are anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes apart, but not painful like I remember with Jenna. We decide to have Jenna spend the night with Papa and Mima (just in case) and leave their house around 7:15pm.
At this point, we're not sure if we should go to the hospital or go home (we had packed up the car before going over for dinner, just in case). Contractions aren't painful even though they're fairly consistent. We go to the dollar store and get some stocking stuffers for Jenna. Then we go to the mall to walk around and see if anything progresses. Kevin makes some comment at the mall like, "Let's get out of here, I don't want you to drop this baby in the mall." So, we're done with the mall and I decide to call the hospital and see what they think around 8:30 pm. They suggest, like I thought, that the contractions should be more painful. You shouldn't be able to walk or talk during one, they say. Well, that's not me, I think to myself - I had just been walking and talking through the mall. They say wait an hour or so and see if they get painful. So, we go home.
9:05pm first painful contraction, 9:10 pm another. We leave the house around 9:15 pm and I call the hospital on the way to tell them we're coming. We have a 25 minute drive.
At the hospital, 9:40ish pm, they check me in triage - 8 cm. They quickly move me to a labor room and check me again - complete. My water breaks and I see them take the bed apart. I panic because I realize that I'm going to have to do this without drugs! They can't get an IV - good thing I was Strep B neg. 10:00ish pm, I really don't think I can do this, and say so. God bless the nurse who said, "Can you do it for 10 minutes? Because I think you're baby will be here in 10 minutes." I think to myself, I can do anything for just 10 minutes - so glad it wasn't much longer than that!
I push for 14 minutes and he's born! Born just 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital - yikes! I have to admit, I always kind of wanted to try to deliver drug/epidural free, but never really thought I could. Now, I'm glad to have the experience even though it was crazy and hard! Glad that what Kevin said about having the baby in the mall, wasn't prophetic!
One of the nurses commented on his cute little nose. I've been loving that cute little nose since the first sonogram picture!

Jenna in her Snow White outfit from Kellen, giving him the Puppy she made for him at the mall.

Kevin's Mom got a new sewing machine recently that can do embroidery. She said I could have her old machine. So, I've been learning to sew! My first project - stockings. I've known that I've wanted to have these stockings made since last Christmas. In fact, I picked out the fabric and got it 75% off the day after Christmas last year. At that point, I didn't know that I'd be the one making them. I'm "sew" glad that I did!
Bonnie helped me figure out how to do the cutting, quilting, putting together, and got me out of a few jams. Then, her machine did the embroidery of the names. I love how they turned out!

Scroll down further and you not only get to see all the stockings, but you get to find out Baby Brother's name!

There is another friend of ours at church, named Sara, due to have a boy 8 days after me. So, they had a shower for both of us. It was a lot of fun!
We got so many great things, including this nursing cover that Bonnie made for me.
One of the hostesses made a diaper cake for me and one for the other Sara - so creative and cute!

Painting the room - Kevin and I did most and saved this little patch for Jenna. Paint color - Moose Mousse.

Finished product with furniture. We're using the same bedding that Jenna used. I was so excited when I found out that the windows from our old house were about the same size as our new house, so the curtains we had for Jenna work here, too!
Jenna and Daddy at a class for siblings given by the hospital. Learning to change a diaper.
We took Jenna on a special date to the mall and she built a puppy for Baby Brother, too.
Picture at 38 weeks, but now I'm 39 weeks. We are ready, so come on Baby Brother!

We've had a fun time this fall visiting Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes. Here's the first Pumpkin Patch outing with the kids of two other band directors.
They had pony rides at this one, but Jenna was still unsure. She settled for riding the hay bale. At the very end of our time there, she decided she wanted to ride a pony, but the ponies were done for the day.

The next outing was to a corn maze and pumpkin patch with the Whitelaws and Keetons.
We had so much fun winding our way through the tall corn, finding 10 punch stations for a card so we could get a free little pumpkin, and then figuring out how to get back out!
And here's another shot of our cute little Tinkerbell! She had a great time saying, "Trick or Treating!"