Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Too Pooped To Pop

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

Thursday, September 17, 2009

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

Saturday, September 12, 2009

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!)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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 .....

Monday, September 7, 2009

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.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

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

Thursday, September 3, 2009

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!)