Keelyn's Birth Story - The Details

Maybe it was the letter I posted on the 20th in the afternoon, or maybe it was the full moon on the 21st...but Keelyn did finally decide to come...all on her own.

I should have known something was happening because I woke up Wednesday morning with an extremely strong urge to clean. I'm not talking about nesting like the feeling you have at 7 months when everything just has to be perfect...I'm talking about the real deal...the totally instinctive urge to have things "ready." That morning, Hailey and I hand cleaned all of the toys in her toy box in our bedroom...re-organized my shoes in the closet...wiped down all of the bathrooms floor to ceiling...folded 3 loads of laundry that had been in baskets since the weekend...and vacuumed. Seriously. I should have known right then.

About 5:00pm on Wednesday, the 20th, Hailey and I came back from a long walk, and I began having somewhat irregular, but slightly painful contractions. By 7:00pm they were regular, about 7 minutes apart. I was kind of in denial since I had had so many instances of false labor, but I knew enough to call my mom and tell her to pack her bags in case she had to come over in the middle of the night to watch Hailey. By 3:00am the contractions were about 5 minutes apart, but the doctor told me not to come in until they were more painful. We waited until Hailey woke up at about 6:00am on the 21st, and got moving...they were painful, still about 5 minutes apart. At 6:30 as we were heading out the door, my water broke.

We arrived at the hospital about 7:00am...12 hours after labor officially began. I was still 2cm and 50% effaced, and she was still extremely high. I had made that progress weeks ago. So far, all for nothing! Since my water had broken, there was a little bit of urgency to get things moving, but the doctor felt sure that they would on their own soon...so Andrew and I decided to walk the halls of the hospital. By 11:00am, the contractions were the same, and I had dilated only to 3cm. It was apparent my body needed a push...so I hooked up to some Pitocin, and hoped for a fast turn around. At 2:00pm, I requested an epidural. Her head was at -1, but otherwise, still nothing had changed other than what was becoming an intolerable level of pain. We were staring at the clock in amazement, having been sure that morning we'd have a baby by lunch. I tried to relax, but around 3:30pm, things got scary.

Keelyn's heart rate dropped dramatically. Two nurses assisted me in rolling from one side to the other in hopes that things would change...they also disconnected the Pitocin. They frantically hooked me up to oxygen without explanation, and the doctor was called into the room. Apparently she had gotten wrapped up in the umbilical chord, and was not able to move. They needed my contractions to slow down. The doctor determined that the labor was not progressing because there was not enough fluid surrounding baby, so he inserted a pint of saline water into my uterus, and I stayed on oxygen for the remainder of the labor to ensure she was getting enough. The doctor also remained in the room for the remainder of the delivery to be sure things were okay. From here things moved quickly...by 5:30pm she was at station 0, and I was fully effaced at 6cm. In the next two contractions I went from 6-10 cm, and it was go time.

As soon as I started pushing, we got another scare. Apparently during this time of extreme distress, Keelyn had a bowel movement, so there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. At this point we were running out of time, and very concerned for her health. It was very important to get her out quickly, and breathing on her own. Pediatricians waited in the room for her birth. I pushed for a full hour, and she stayed at station 0, with no progress. This baby was bound and determined to stay in there despite a low heart rate, lack of oxygen, inadequate fluid for movement, a pesky cord, some baby poop, and a mommy who was trying very hard to get her out! Knowing that a c-section was a good possibility, we tried the vacuum as one last resort...and with a couple of pushes, it worked!!! At 6:56pm...after 24 hours and some very scary moments, we had our baby girl.

I can't express the relief and surge of emotions I felt when we finally heard her first cry. It has taken me a few days to process how scared I was, and how lucky we are that she is strong and healthy. She is beautiful and amazing in every way. When I hold her I know how blessed I am that she is mine, and that we got through this together. We had an amazing doctor...one who we really grew to love throughout the pregnancy...and two great nurses with us for most of the labor and delivery. They really were our angels that day...The 21st of February, 2008.

I promise I will post more about life with two in the coming days and weeks...but for now this is all I have in me.

Here she is...Keelyn Rose...7 lbs, 15 oz...20.25 inches long.

Letter to Keelyn

Dear Keelyn,

My dear little baby...please come OUT.

Daddy, Hailey and I are having a great time together spending our days waiting for you, and we're really fine here...but four could be fun too, don't you think? Hailey wants to teach you to read, and nurse, and color, and sing her favorite songs, and do the booty dance, and so much more. She's all ready for you. I know you can hear her...she's begging you...so am I...please come OUT.

You have family to love you, a bed to sleep in, and quite certainly, milk to drink. This is all you need. I promise it will be fine on the outside. It's so exciting out here. We'll help you through it. Just please come OUT.

Don't you want to put faces to all the craziness you've become accustomed to? Never before have I wished pain on myself like I do right now. Mommy is asking you...pain, please!?!?! I have walked 4 mile walks, cleaned the bathrooms, visualized labor, had my cervix tampered with, and now...now all I can do is beg you...please come OUT.

Today. Starting now. Lasting about 3 hours. With a smile on your face. Weighing about 6 lbs. In the correct position. That's all I ask.

Love you,
Mommy

My Daughter, The Psychic

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant, 2cm dilated, 50% effaced, and once again turned down the option to have a full fledged pitocin induced labor this week. I know...what's wrong with me, huh? Can't get this cervix to change a bit, and I keep changing my mind at the last minute about scheduling an induction! I guess she's not ready to come out yet, and I'm not ready to give up on the possibility of letting things happen naturally, despite my ongoing upper abdominal funk. She only has one more week...then it's not up to either of us any more.

The doctor asked Hailey today if she is ready to be a big sister...she said, "not yet." He then asked when the baby should come...she said, "tomorrow, 6:00." There you have it folks. Kiki is simply waiting until tomorrow at 6:00...then it's go time. I am encouraging Hailey to consider other career paths as well, as the medical community seems to think that is highly unlikely.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Something about late pregnancy brings out the "I'll stop at nothing to protect my people" side of me in ways I rarely see. Not sure if I like it or not, but it comes with the territory.

A few months ago, the hoodlems that used to live next door to the other side of our property (if you think I am throwing words around, I'm not) moved to another house in the neighborhood. We were delighted to meet the newlywed couple who replaced them...mid-40's, very friendly, with two dogs. The dogs were an issue immediately. I don't think these people own a leash. They open their doors, and out go the dogs to do their business and roam around until they feel like coming back. Business commonly takes place in our yard. Mind you, we are well within city limits where this is illegal...we have a two year old daughter who runs around the yard barefoot regularly...and Andrew takes care of our grass moreso than anyone else on the block. Pee and poop in our yard is not something we want to contend with...nor is the occasional vicious run across the yard the dogs take to try to attack other dogs being walked on leashes in the street.

Andrew kindly talked with the neighbor a few weeks ago, and pointed out the problem. He seemed to understand, and came over and cleaned up an enormous amount of poop, with a promise to address the issue. The next day the dogs were out on their own again, going in our yard, and that of the others in the immediate vacinity. People are idiots...or at least they must think we are.

So today...I look outside, and there is one of the dogs peeing on our pansies 3 feet from my front door. I walked out and started yelling at the dog, only to see that little miss next door neighbor was on her front step snacking and watching the whole thing take place. I guess she was too busy stuffing her face to put on shoes and actually care for her dog like a responsible adult. She got mad at me for yelling at the dog. Now I'm the first to admit it is not the dog's fault that he has ignorant owners, but a little scare tactic never hurt a dog...and he was on MY property. She told me she was planning to clean it up (yeah right...in her bare feet while finishing her snickerdoodles and drying her nails). I said that wasn't the point...it is illegal, gross, and it's getting old really fast.

Two minutes later I look out to see she and her husband walking around my front yard with a pooper scooper. So I walked back out and said I was sorry for getting so upset, but this is just not an issue I felt I needed to be dealing with. Here's what she said back to me...QUOTE...

"There's no poop in your yard, SWEETIE." She called me sweetie.

So here it is: late pregnancy Cassidy dealing with dumb disrespectful neighbors who are threatening the well being of my family...I lost it. Right then and there, with Hailey standing inside the screen door and watching me on the front porch...I lost it. She was in my yard, cleaning up after her dogs, and talking to me like I was five feet below her in the mud. I went over their options...so many ways to solve this problem that don't involve calling the police or animal control. I explained why it is against the law...nice dogs do bad things to kids...animal excrement is toxic...and I pay a hefty mortgage each month to pay for that little 200 square foot front yard to have MY name on it. He piped in and told me that all Andrew had asked was that they stop the dogs from using our yard to go to the bathroom...that was his defense, people. Apparently he forgot that he was standing in my yard BECAUSE his dog JUST did exactly that.

So I suppose it won't be so friendly between us any more. I kinda don't care. At first I felt bad for getting upset like that in front of Hailey, but now I don't really. I didn't say anything mean or unecessary. At some point, we have to decide not to let people and their dogs walk all over us because they think they are entitled to do so. Hailey has to learn to stand up for herself on the playground when someone leaves boogers where she plays, too.

I am a dog person. I miss my dogs dearly. They come with responsibility, that's all. Respecting other people's property is part of it.

For anyone who wants to join him, Andrew will be enjoying a nice cold beer sitting in the neighbor's front yard this evening. He might even spill a little.

Happy Valentine's Day

No baby yet, for anyone who's wondering. The doctor stripped the membranes yesterday which he guesses has about a 25% chance of naturally inducing labor for me within 48 hours...half of which have come to pass. He offered to schedule a regular induction for tomorrow, but we didn't take him up on it (right now my gallbladder and I are trying to remember why???). I will go back next Wednesday if she's still avoiding contact with the outside world, and we'll talk again.

Mean time, here's a quick video to brighten your day! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Sisters

Wuffy Game

Today Hailey got to go to her first ever "Wuffy Game." Each year the lady pack hosts one game in which the ticket price is given as a donation to breast cancer research in support of coach Kay, and it was a packed house tonight. If you squint you can see Nana down there in the survivors circle...
Hailey had a blast watching Ms. Wuf, the dance team...oh, and the basketball game. But mostly she enjoyed playing with her stuffed Wuffy...

...and her new pom poms.

Sugar and Spice

Andrew is thrilled that we are having another girl. He is such a good daddy to the one he already has, I just know that he'll fall head over heals all over again. I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate him...as he becomes even further outnumbered in the coming weeks.

I'm not a person who decorates the house in an extremely feminine way, and we make a lot of those types of decisions together. I do complain about the "manly" dirt (ladies, you know what I'm talking about...the stuff you never saw before you got married...) that somehow always makes its way onto a clean bathroom counter, and the smelly shoes that get left out of place around the house. But I did marry a man after all, and stereotypical, he is not. Andrew cooks dinner for us nearly every night. He's not afraid to pick up a vacuum, or do a load of laundry. All this while he also works very hard as the bread winner. He's a team player to the finish...and team Plunkett is getting girlier by the minute.

Before I got pregnant with Keelyn, the room that is now going to be hers, was our office. By process of elimination, it also had become the only remaining room in the house displaying outright masculinity. The walls were adorned with pictures of sporting events and golf outings, and two sets of clubs filled one corner of the room along with some random balls and hats and things.

Let me share the room with you now...in all its lavender delight...

As you can see...ALL GIRL. When it comes to decorating, snips, snails and puppy dog tails are out.

Then there's the topic of raising daughters. As I mentioned before, Andrew is a phenomenal dad to Hailey. He knows how to make her feel special and loved, and he's there for the crazy chases around the house when she asks for it. He sits for tea parties, and has had bows in his hair more times than he'd like me to mention. If we decide to stop at two children, then being a daddy to little girls is it for him. He's okay with that...even excited...but he is training Hailey early for a life filled with athletics...or at the very least being a spectator. He cries "Wolf!" she cries "Pack" with no hesitation. As she is falling asleep in bed at night, you can often hear her saying, "Goooooo Dawgs, Sick 'em! Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff!" So maybe she'll surprise us and grow out of her early love for tutus and hair bows, only to be the star point guard on her high school basketball team.

Here she is getting ready for the super bowl...you be the judge...

Stage 2

Today the city council decided to move to Stage 2 watering restrictions. That means no outdoor watering whatsoever. This is more than a nuisance in our life...more than a matter of whether or not we'll have green grass for spring...this is a matter of putting food on the table.

It's easy to see the "logic" behind the decision at this point. We are facing the serious risk of actually running out of water, and protecting that which we drink is far more important than worrying about pretty lawns and spring bouquets. The problem is actually not with the decision made in the moment today, but with the fact that our city is not equipped to deal with this kind of situation in the first place. Neighboring towns with the same climate have handled the drought without a hiccup, while we have watched watering restrictions grow tighter and tighter in the past six months. Our reservoir isn't big enough, our growth has happened without adequate planning, and as a people, we have watched it happen in vain.

It's like trying to get out of a war we never should have entered in the first place. There's no point in arguing about why we are there, or what we should have done differently. The fact is we are in the war, and we need to focus on an exit strategy. One would hope we can work on peaceful prevention and avoid a "next time." Shame on us if this happens again.

I do feel it's fair for me to judge us as a people at this point. The mayor has been blowing the whistle for months now, while the woman across the street from me still washes her car every single Saturday...while friends of mine still give their children a bath every single night...and while irrigation ran even in the rain until recently. Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of clean children, and really, one would hope that we wouldn't have to face a decision like whether we will bathe or drink...but it seems to be coming to that. This is not to say we are perfect...but we have adapted. Hailey showers with me more frequently, we are careful about toilet flushing, our laundry loads are always full, and we are just more conscious of the situation. That's partly because we are citizens aware of our surroundings, and also because each new watering restriction is a bigger slap in the face to the landscaping industry.

In other areas of the country...and even in neighboring cities and towns...builders, landscapers, and other members of the green industry are allowed special permits with new installations, given that they monitor the situation, and it is in a controlled environment. This is very different from giving every home owner a free for all with a hose a few days a week, though even that would be better than the free for all we had daily at the start of this. We have no plan to protect the green industry like this in place. This means that when a home owner loses his right to the hose, the landscapers virtually lose their right to running a business. Andrew has seen a dramatic drop in calls, and has had many jobs cancelled or postponed...and understandably so. I wouldn't plant right now either. There is no way to protect the investment.

Members of the green industry sat in at City Hall today as the decision was made. Hundreds of employees and business owners, including Andrew, showed up to plead that we not enter Stage 2. While I appreciate their effort, it was a bit late, just as everything has been in this situation. They should have had proposals being moved through the council months ago...and the council should have listened. I believe there was an attempt, but those in charge didn't have the hundreds who care actively backing them, and unfortunately, things went overlooked. Today, they really had no choice but to bring on the heavier restrictions, and no one should expect them to decide differently if they are looking out for our best interest. While I want food on my table, I also want my children to have access to "free" drinking water.

There's no perfect solution to this problem. The mayor would like everyone to limit their in home usage to about 35 gallons per person, daily. We have done the math, and ours comes to about 40 gallons. I would suspect most of the people in the city have no idea how much water they use...and I blame that on the powers that be. You can't recommend something like that, and then fail to equip people with the information they need to follow through. The formula was printed in the paper about a month ago, and that's all I heard of it. Mind you, Hailey and I are home every day, so all of our daily usage comes from our house...not our workplace. That's the next problem with the current "solution." There are plenty of workplaces using far more water than the landscaping industry...but because their water is used inside, no one cares. They depend on water as a resource just as the landscaping industry does, only in less obvious ways.

There are even things landscapers and the like can do to make watering more efficient if given the chance. For some reason, no one seems to be talking about what is such an obvious point to me. This issue is not black and white...not indoor vs. outdoor...it is an issue of overall usage. It is an issue of livelihood, just as it is for the employees of pharma companies topping the list of high water usage. Not even the green industry is pointing this out loudly. Their complaint is that they are being targeted. In my opinion, they are being blatantly ignored.

February

It's February...my "due month"...as in, baby is really almost here! I can't believe this wonderful experience is almost over. I can't wait for the wonderful experience ahead to begin.

Seems like yesterday I was praying we'd get pregnant ...crying because I found out it happened when the doctor told me it shouldn't because I was being treated for a mystery rash, aka staph infection ...rejoicing at the sight of a totally healthy baby on a level two ultrasound ...discussing names ...and only gently tipping the scale.

Fast forward a few VERY SHORT MONTHS, and here we are ...holidays are over ...name is engrained in our 2 year old's head, so changing it might be as traumatic as changing her own name ...baby is healthy enough she could safely be born any day now ...and the scale, well, I avoid it.

If she wants to be like Hailey, she'll come next Saturday. If she wants to continue causing my gallbladder to implode, she'll come the following Wednesday. If she decides to settle down and wait it out, it could be March. I should be napping now. Sleep when baby sleeps, right? How many more afternoon naps am I really going to get the opportunity to take? Andrew sets a good example. Me, well, I'm doing our taxes. How's that for a nesting activity?