Home Again

We made it home safe and sound. We are glad to be back in our own stuff and our kids were definitely ready for us all to be home, in our routine, and to have mom and dad back.

The last night in the hospital we had a little pizza party.

Taytum is doing well. She had a doctor's appointment today and weighs 6lbs 13oz. Unfortunately her bilirubin levels are too high so we took the conservative route and went ahead and put her on a bili blanket tonight to see if we can't get her levels to lower. She's at 18.9 and if she goes over 20 they will want to hospitalize her. Other than that she is happy and healthy. She is eating great and sleeping well.

I love this picture. She looks like a present. :)

Day 2 with Taytum

Taytum, Tay, Tate, Tum-tum, Tater:

The whole Fam:

With Gramzee and Grandpa:

Pretty excited to be a big brother:

Welcome Taytum Jean

She has arrived! Taytum Jean Harmon was welcomed into the Harmon family July 29th, 2009 @ 6:31pm at 37.5 weeks, 7 lbs. 5 oz and 21 inches long.

The run down:

- Tuesday night I got this little excited bug to have a baby.

- I was having braxton hicks at regular intervals, not painful, and not super close together.

- I could not sleep Tuesday night.

- Wednesday morning, nothing. A couple of braxton hicks, just kind of like usual.

- I took the kids to the dentist and got home around 12pm

- BH's kicked in at pretty regular intervals, every 7-10 minutes or so.

- I told Jefferson I thought we were going to have a baby that day (I don't think he believed me)

- 12:30pm I asked if I could run get a pedicure.

Jefferson said he would put the kids down for

their naps and I went and got a pedicure. (This served two purposes... really, I just wanted pretty toes for my delivery, but I figured if something was going to put my BH's to rest a massage chair and foot massage would do the trick... it didn't)

- BH's still regular, and kind of moving to my back.

- Get home at 1:30pm and tell Jefferson that we're having a baby today.

- I start cleaning up a little and packing some last minute things.

- I start having to stop and breathe through my contractions which are now about every 5 minutes apart.

- 2:30pm we decide to get the kids up and take them to our friend Carolyn's house.

- 2:45pm we drop dinner off to our friend Dani (I already had it made and was not going to let it go to waste)

- 3:00pm check into the hospital- yup, I'm in labor,

contractions every 1 1/2 minutes.

- I am checked and dilated to 7 cm.

- Decide to breathe out the contractions a little bit. Jefferson applies counter pressure, I use the birthing ball, and walk around a lot.

- Doing okay with the contractions.

- I am fevered and they can't cool me off so they give me an IV antibiotic.

- Taytum is tachycardic (fast heart rate) due to my high temperature.

- 5:00pm get checked- still at a 7!!!! Now I'm angry! All those contractions for nothing?!

- Taytum still tachycardic so they decide they need to speed things along

- 5:25pm break my water- OUCH!

- 5:28 amnio infusion... basically put a tube up me and run a bunch of cool fluids to try to cool Taytum off and slow her heart rate down

- Not really helping, contractions still every 1 1/2 minute and I think I am going to die with each one

- 5:45pm given a shot of terbutaline to slow down contractions

- 6:00pm, still at 7 cm... ask for epidural PLEASE!

- 6:05pm get epidural

- 6:19pm fully dilated

- 6:31pm Taytum is delivered!

- Cord is wrapped tightly around Taytum's neck twice.

- Cut cord, I get to pull baby out and up and right onto me. It was divine!!!

With my midwife Michelle

The kids seeing baby Taytum for the first time. Our friend had them all bathed and in their pajamas. Isn't she wonderful?!

The Harmon Girls:

Taytum was born on the second hottest day ever recorded in Portland, OR. It was 106 degrees. We joked with the nurses that I was just faking it and that we were really just there for the air conditioning.She is doing great. She was breathing pretty fast after she was born and they thought that maybe she had an infection because of my fever during labor. They did a CBC draw and everything came back normal. After a little time with mommy she was breathing right on track. She is a great nurser and is just busy sleeping a ton. We are loving this little lady.

It's hot...

But not in the Sandy River! We headed over to Oxbow Park yesterday afternoon/evening to escape the heat. It was wonderfully refreshing. We packed a picnic dinner, set up shop in some shade, and went swimming and built sand castles. The kids love the water and it felt good to cool off for a few hours before returning to our sweltering dwelling place.

Full term

Hip, hip hooray!! So, before baby girl comes I wanted to recollect a few things about this pregnancy.

*It has been super easy, just like the rest of them.

*I have been sick quite a bit this pregnancy. Not pregnant sick, just with colds and whatnot. Jefferson finally gave me a blessing about a month ago and blessed me that I wouldn't get sick again this pregnancy, and I haven't! Yay for the priesthood!

*I have been more comfortable this pregnancy than with the last. Andi was way more up in my ribs and I always had a rib out. This baby has definitely given me some good kicks up in the ribs, but doesn't hang out up there as much. I remember the pain/discomfort of Andi in my ribs bringing tears to my eyes and I would just push and hit my ribs as hard as I could.

*I have also had wonderful adjustments compliments of Dr. Jefferson Harmon throughout this pregnancy, which no doubt have helped.

*This has been my liquid loving pregnancy. I have been addicted to water, juice, popsicles, anything wet!

*I have discovered that about three hours in the freezer is the perfect amount of time for an otter pop to freeze, but still be slightly on the slushy side. So yummy.

*I have gained 25 pounds with this pregnancy so far. (still have a couple more weeks)

*I have often forgotten that I am pregnant... even now with a huge bowling ball of a belly. I am still pretty comfortable and I get caught up in playing with my kids and having Jefferson home.

*This was my first pregnancy without preterm labor!! HOORAY!!! I had preterm when Carter was at 32 weeks and Andi was at 28 weeks. I had to get drugs both times to stop the contractions.

*This baby is super active!! None of mine have been quiet ones so far.

*I crave the smell of gasoline and fumes... weird, I know. I don't know how to explain it, except that if I had a garage I would probably let my car run and just smell the fumes. Not really.

*I still hate naming babies.

*I still love being pregnant.

*I am not near as anxious to have this baby out as I was with my first two. Not that I'm not excited, I'm just content. Though I would be ecstatic if she came out today.

*I'm hoping this will be my first un-induced delivery. My water broke with Carter, but contractions didn't kick in so they gave me a dose of pitocin. And with Andi I was basically in labor for the six weeks prior to my due date so they induced me so the baby wouldn't get stressed, and it also happened to fall at a very convenient time when Jefferson was starting a two week break.

*I am slightly anxious about being a mother to three. I hear it's the hardest transition, but am hopeful seeing other friends handle three very successfully.

*I have felt pressure down below for the past week or two that I never felt with my other two.

*There is no such thing as sleep when you are 37 weeks pregnant or when it is 102 degrees outside and only a few degrees cooler inside. My hips have hurt like crazy when I am laying in bed and I wake up about every half hour to turn over or because of a contraction.

*I am ready to have this baby! My bag is packed, her bag is packed, the bassinet is up and ready, and I think we have all the necessities.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

We woke up Saturday morning and decided to take a trip to the coast to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We had never been and wanted to hit it up before we moved (and before baby girl arrived). We called Ben and Sharon and they were in for our last minute plans so we all loaded up and made the drive over.

The kids love holding hands:

This shark tunnel was a huge hit! We sat in there for probably about 20 minutes watching the sharks swim around us. Carter kept pointing out which ones were the daddy sharks and mommy sharks.

The touch pools were a big hit too.

And of course we had to hit up the playground.

We had a great afternoon and stayed nice and cool. We are going to miss living so close to Ben and Sharon and their boys. Our kids just love playing together so much.

I love Fabric Depot

Here is baby girl's blanket I just finished. Now she can come. :)

Meet Dani

This is my friend Dani. We have known each other for the last three years as both of our husbands have attended chiropractic college together. We used to live in the same apartment complex and do playgroup together with her two children. She is an amazing mom and friend. When I first met Dani she had just found out she had breast cancer. She kicked booty during the treatment and mastectomy and was cancer free!

I just got off the phone with her and found out her cancer is back. Stage IV metastatic, terminal, breast cancer. It has spread to her bones and lungs. She has two small children and a husband who is graduating chiropractic college in December. Please keep this amazing woman and her family in your prayers. She has a lot of fight left in her!

*I received permission from Dani to post this.

Nesting

Yes... I am nesting. I started on Monday out of a conscious effort, finally accepting the fact that I have a baby arriving in a month or so. But now it is kind of all consuming. I am washing clothes, clearing out drawers, vacuuming our ceiling and fans and anything else that my attachment hose will reach, buying last minute items for baby girl, sewing the blanket that I have had the material for for over a month, putting a clean sheet on the bassinet... I think the only thing left besides a little more cleaning is packing a bag for the hospital.

I had a Dr's appointment on Tuesday and found out I am 1 1/2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and that the head is "really low." I know this doesn't mean that birth is imminent or anything, but it's kind of exciting to know that my body is moving in the right direction for a birth in a few weeks. Here I am at 36 weeks and some odd days:

When did I get that big?! I don't feel like I look that big... guess I am over 8 months pregnant or something.

I think Carter and Andi are ready for baby sister to arrive (or at least they think they are):

Quelah 24

Sunriver has come and gone, and as always, we had such an amazing time as a family. I truly am so blessed to have such amazing parents and siblings. We have so much fun when we are together! We packed in so many fun activities this year, but managed to still feel like we relaxed. The house we stayed in (Quelah 24) was AMAZING! Everyone got their own room and private bathroom. It also had a nice big living room upstairs, not to mention a family room in the basement with a pool table, foosball table, and big screen tv where the Wii playing occurred, and a hot tub out on the deck.

Every morning us ladies went walking at 6:30am for 45 minutes to an hour. We also had a hot breakfast, compliments of Mom every morning; pumpkin pancakes, whole wheat pancakes, french toast, peppered bacon, scones.... yum. After a hot breakfast we always went and did a bike ride around the "big loop" past the airport, marina, and horse stables, and wound our way around back to the lodge where we would get a drink and snack. It was the perfect ride every morning.

Nap time was spent doing a lot of crafts for us girls: glitter toes, hair clips, picture frames, and cards. (Thank you Sharon for doing my toes so I didn't have to bend over my big belly!! Hopefully they last until I have my pedicure and then baby girl will be out!)

The boys did a lot of this:

And this:

The afternoons were spent riding bikes,

swimming,

playing at the park,

hiking Benham Falls,

playing at the village,

eating snow cones,

And just sitting around playing:

One evening is always spent at Goody's- that spells delicious ice cream.

Another night is always spent at "Rhythm on the Range." They close off the golf course and have live music and food. We packed a picnic dinner and let the kids run around and dance.

One very fun afternoon consisted of a surprise baby shower for me! I had no idea. My mom and I headed to the store to get a couple of things for dinner and when we got home, this is what I found:

I may have got a little teary when I saw everyone and everything set up. Baby girl got some super cute new things!

Thanks Summer for planning and prepping! And thank you everyone for the fabulous gifts!

The food was out of control this year. We had so much yummy goodness. Everyone took a turn cooking each night and we had delicious meals. There was never a lack of treats/dessert: peanut butter bars, magic cookie bars, peanut butter cup cookies, apple cookies, grasshopper cupcakes, not to mention all the candy that lined the counters. :)

And if that wasn't enough Grandpa gave each of the kids a dollar to spend at the candy store. They thought it was pretty neat to pick out whatever candy they wanted. The boys picked out gummy sharks and jets (West Side Story anyone?) and Andi picked out gummy butterflies.

Family Pictures:

Yup, no Jefferson again this year, and he did not surprise me on the Breeze. We missed him like crazy, but managed to survive with all the help of my family. Thank you everyone who helped with my kiddies. And a huge thank you to my mom and dad who plan and fund for everything every year! You are making some fabulous memories for us! Love you all!