Too Pooped To Pop

.... that about says it all ...

what i'll miss ....

I leave tomorrow ...

how can I leave those kissable lips ?

i got to see a couple become a family

Brooke & I enjoy games together ... but it's a BLAST playing with Steve! Truly, I will miss that

no one can tell me that a newborn doesn't smile

we caught several smiles - mostly while he was sleeping

wonder what he was dreaming about ...

and as i hold him, i REALLY wonder what he'd tell me if he could speak

ok - i've been the recipient of many mighty miracles

the witness of incredible beauty

the holder of love

but nothing can compare with my

intense joy

of seeing my baby love her baby

here's what else I'll miss:

gage's hair right after a sponge bath

his sweet, sweet baby breath

the "o" that forms on his lips as he looks around in wonder

his hoarse cry

the fat rolls forming on his neck

sleeping with Gage on my chest

the way none of us can stop the powerful stream that inevitably happens when we're almost finished changing his diaper

kissing his cheeks

hearing his contented coos just after eating and at the beginning of sleep

being unaware and apathetic about what time of day or night it is

my unlimited access to snuggles

Steven's rise of blood pressure and exclamation of "MOTHER!" when I taunt him during a game

Brookie and Steven telling me they love me

burying my face in Gage's hair as I hold him

thank you, kids

for the time here, for wanting me, for sharing your precious miracle

I will miss you

gage gets visitors

Trevor, Caci & Jace came up from Provo the day after Gage was born

Caci & Jace made Welcome Banners for Gage

Jace knew to be oh-so-gentle

proud papa

everything about watching Brooke & Steven with Gage is amazing ... i can't seem to take my eyes off of them

dressed to go to his 1st doctor visit

late Friday night Toni & Poncho (Steven's parents)

also known as Nana & G-Diddy

arrived for a quick visit

While Brooke, Gage & I took a 3- hour long nap, these amazing people made a delicious celebratory steak dinner :)

when they left a couple of hours later, freshly made chocolate-chip cookies were waiting for us

Gage has a whole lot of people who love him

Can't wait for us all to be here for his blessing

hey all the rest of you Chapmans, hang in there ... October will be here soon

and you'll be able to plant kisses on this precious guy's chubby cheeks

until then

know that I'm snuggling him and showering him

with enough kisses for all of us

(lucky me!)

gage update

tired family

Dressed to go home

1st car ride

So anyway ...

this was all an incredible experience

Brooke's epidural ceased to work twice during her labor.  One of those times was during pushing.  It was awful.  The delivery doctor came in after 2 1/2 hours of pushing.  After assessing everything he ordered a spinal block.

It is quite an ordeal getting a delivering mother having back to back contractions and the inability to NOT push ... to sit in spinal position and be very still.

But being the trooper she is, she did it.

The narcotic the nurse anesthetist put into her spinal worked wonders.

We had a relaxed, but surprisingly strong Brooke.

With a vacuum attached to Gage's head, 3 or 4 contractions and good hard pushing later, he was delivered.

This was, without a doubt, the neatest thing I've ever seen.

It beats the northern lights.

It beats diving at coral gardens

It beats The Rock Islands of Palua

It beats Bali's Candi Dasa.

Very cool.

Gage .. September 8, 2009

7 lbs. 6 oz.  19 1/2"

Today's the Day

At about 1:30 am last night we quit playing speed scrabble and scrabble-anagrams to hit the sack.  At 4:40 am Steve woke me up to tell me that Brooke's contractions were really strong.  It took us only about 5 minutes for all of us to get dressed (sort of) and out the door.  Brooke could hardly stand it, but was so, so brave.  Steven pulled up to the emergency entrance and I hopped out & grabbed a wheel chair.  This was all dramatic enough it could have come out of a movie.  (all my trips to the hospital were boring)  I barked to the receptionist to contact labor and delivery and told them her name is Brooke Redfern.  Then I took off, crossing my fingers that I'd be able to navigate the ridiculous maze through the under-construction hospital.  But I immediately got stuck at locked doors.  (Why do they lock the doors during the night?  people still need to get places ...)  The security guard saw me about ready to break the doors down and he unlocked and let me through.  Meanwhile, Steven was parking and hurrying in.  Just as we reached the elevator someone dressed in scrubs caught up with us and chewed me out for trying to do this alone.  "What if she delivered in the elevator?  You wouldn't want to be alone with her."  (Actually, that would have been preferable to being with this orderly!)  Going up the elevator this lady put her face right next to Brooke's and did "he-he-hoo ... he-he-hoo"  That was the only smile I saw on Brooke for several hours.  I did everything I could to not laugh.  I know her intentions were good, but it was really, really funny.  Brooke's big fear was that they wouldn't keep her and we'd be sent home.  NOT!!!!  There was no way Steven or I would have left.  Thankfully, oh so thankfully, Brooke's doctor, Dr. Cutie-Pie as he's come to be known, was on call and we were put right into birthing room 3.  It took 3 tries and finally a nurse anesthetist to get her IV in.  We were admitted at about 5 am and by 7:00 she had her epidural in her and working.  OH JOY!!!!!  I went home to see if I could catch some zzzzzs and to pick up a few things we forgot.  I slept for about 1/2 hour and it was blissful, but I just couldn't stay asleep.  I got up, got everything ready, and just as I was about to walk out the door Steve called to say the baby's heart rate was too high and Brooke had a fever.  They were talking about a C-section.  We had a few hours of great concern - both for Brooke and for the baby.  She was sizzling hot.  Eventually, things got back to normal (thanks for the prayers) and as of an hour ago, she was at a 7+, having great contractions, and the baby is happy, happy, happy - as evidenced by his heart rate.  The kids are both asleep right now.  I'm so thankful for epidurals!  I have newfound gratitude and love for Brad after watching Brooke go through her intense pain.  Brad had to watch that and more with me, as I had an epidural with only one birth - the rest were natural.  I know I thought I would die with a couple of the births, but after watching Brooke, I can't imagine how hard it was for Brad to watch me.  A new update after we welcome our little guy .....

fresh

It smells SO GOOD here in Idaho!

I love the evenings, how everything cools off

and I can actually smell fall in the air.

It's calming, relaxing, refreshing.

Yesterday afternoon Steven & Brooke & I walked up through the gardens on campus.

I had to block out all the kazillion freshmen and their families who had the same idea ...

but the gardens are magnificent.  

The cool, clean, crisp, fresh air of just Idaho melded into a floral bliss in the gardens.

We picked a few little flowers to remember the day by.

It was wonderful.

grrrrrrrrrr

ok, so Brooke is a real trooper.  

she's laboring, cramping, contracting

and ne'er a complaint :)

well ... that's not entirely true ... 

but my point is that she is enduring well

so last night we went to the hospital after a day of good hard contractions

she was still at 3 centimeters (HUGE disappointment) but the regular contractions showing on the monitor were impressive

so the nurse called the doctor (just a guy on-call, not someone Brooke has ever seen) who said she could stay, walk around for 2 hours, then if she progressed they would admit her

you should have seen Brooke tromp up and down the hospital stairs!

after 2 hours they hooked her back up only to see that her contractions were astronomical and very close together

they checked her and she had dilated one more centimeter to a 4

YIPEE

then they sent her home.

oh my heck!!!!!!  we could have done all that walking somewhere more pleasurable and then been together at home .... me-thinks the doctor didn't want to come in last night.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

LABORING

Monday night after getting a phone call from Brookie and Steven saying they'd been to the hospital and she was having regular contractions, we put everything else on the back burner and found a way to get me to Idaho.  I was so concerned I'd miss it all ...

but alas! upon my arrival Tuesday afternoon, things had slowed down quite a bit.  

Still, contractions have been coming and going. 

We've done all kinds of things to help her along:

eating chocolate, climbing stairs, tomatoes, foot massages,

i even made her do an obstacle course :)

Today she had a doctor appointment

It was a significant afternoon!  In one short visit, she not only lost her mucus plug (hehehe) but the doctor stripped her membranes AND announced she was already dilated to a 3!!!!!!

yipee!!!!

I'll blog again once we welcome our little sweetie into this world.

(now ... off to the stadium to climb the bleachers!)