Snow And A Baby

Thursday, 11/20/08 

8:00 a.m.

We were sitting at breakfast and Eden came up to me and said, "Pray mommy - Baby and Snow!" Eden was asking me to pray for a baby and snow! Amen to that!! It was a clear and cold Chicago day with no predictions of snow, but we prayed and asked for snow and most definitely a baby. By 9:00 a.m. it was snowing - just one more answer to prayer to go!

10:00 a.m.

It had been 41 hours since my water broke and things were still moving in the same direction - contractions, but nothing strong enough to kick labor into high gear. My midwives were still with me and had been for the past 2 days - God Bless them! Jarrett and I spent some time together alone with our midwives and decided that if nothing was "stronger" by 3:00 p.m. we would pack it up and head to the midwife wing at University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago to be induced. By this point we were definitely ready to have a healthy baby despite our homebirth wishes. So since we were planning on going to the hospital if nothing was happening, Sarah checked me and I was definitely still dilated 7 cm.

I tried everything that day! We went for a brisk walk, acupressure, herbs - and sure enough I would get some strong contractions, but nothing was sticking around. By 2:30 we were packing a small bag and hoping for a quick delivery at the hospital.

Sarah went ahead of us to let the midwives at the hospital know what was going. She set me up with a great room and the most wonderful staff. My room even had a tub for pain management! Megan, the other midwife was on her way to stay with me during the labor.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 p.m. and by 6:15 we were settled in the room and ready to go. It took the nurses 4 tries to get the IV in my hand which was SOOO frustrating! I have never ever had a problem with my veins, but for some reason they were having trouble. Praise Him they were able to get it on the 4th try!

By 6:30 the pitocin was administered and things were on their way. Around 7:00 I was REALLY starting to feel my contractions.  (And this is where things were getting painful so Jarrett's going to type about the next part)!

Hello, All:  okay, let me just say that when it comes time to deliver her baby Erin does not fool around.  The intensity of the contractions progressed quickly.  Equally intense though was Erin's determination.  She was so focused.

After being there for Eden's birth and watching my sweet wife chase off nurse after nurse, I was scared to touch her. So I was in charge of administering water and lending a hand to squeeze.  It was not long before the before the intense contractions turned into involuntary pushing.  

During the second episode of involuntary pushing Erin calmly announces that she is feeling burning.  With that the midwives thought it a good idea to lift up the gown (Erin was on all fours in the hospital bed) and take a peek to see where things were at.  And it was a good thing they checked because the next thing I know the midwives were rushing to put on their gloves. She put on her second glove, literally, just in time to catch Uriah as he slipped out of the birth canal.  

Since I was up by Erin's head, I leaned over to see a little weanie.  All the manliness inside of me wanted to yell, "IT'S A BOY!!!"  However, I contained my joy for the moment because I figured if Erin waited this long to find out, she might as well see it for herself. Looking back, I wish I would have said it...It would have been better for the video :) Erin and Uriah did so awesome!  I was so proud of them.      

Erin again...

After 1 stitch, PRAISE HIM, we had a quick recovery in the room and Eden was on her way in to meet her baby brother. She was SO adorable. She snuck in and then got a BIG grin on her face! She loves baby "Ry!" She was a little unsure about sharing the "mimi's" but has gotten used to the fact!

By 9:00 p.m. we were on our way to our private room where my sweet husband had Big Bowl waiting for me! I was so hungry. We had a great 1st night. Uriah slept pretty well snuggled up in my arms and the nurses didn't come in once to check on us. 

We wanted to go home asap since we were all feeling well and anxious to get home so we were discharged less than 24 hours after the birth.

It has been so wonderful since we got home. Uriah had a bit of a rough night last night, but everyone is adjusting well. Eden is doing amazing and loves her baby bro SO much! She kisses him constantly. 

Considering all the facts, a homebirth turned hospital birth was wonderful. Praise Him for His perfect plan!

What a blessing to have a boy and a girl. Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes. We love you all SO much and are so thankful to share this gift with you. 

Lots of Love, 

Erin, Jarrett, Eden, & Uriah

P.S. Pictures are on the way!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

We are proud to announce the birth of our son!!!

URIAH MICHAEL REARDON

Born on his due date... 11/20/08 @ 7.56 p.m.

7 lbs. 10 oz. 19 1/2 inches 

Lots more details to come!

Love, 

Jarrett, Erin, Eden, & Uriah

Erin's homebirth: Take 2

Well, I am pretty sure Eden is beginning to think that her parents are liars and there is in fact no baby.  Last night (just like a week and a half-ago) we told Eden she would have a new baby brother or sister in the morning.  and like last time, she woke and we had to explain to her that the baby was still in mommy's belly.  

So...it is Wednesday morning and on the positive side, we all slept well.  Sarah, the midwife, has been monitoring things and she said everything is fine.  She said that 70% of women have the baby within 48 hours of her water breaking.  90% have it within 72 hours.  

Erin (this is Jarrett typing) is having contractions but they are still irregular and not very intense.  Sarah has not done any vaginal exams as that greatly increases the risk of infection.  Sarah and her nurse, Megan, are out for breakfast and we are having some breakfast hanging out with my mom, Jules, who arrived at 1 am last night after a tire blowout in East St. Louis.  Sarah will stay in the neighborhood until the baby arrives.  We love y'all and are incredibly grateful for your prayers.  As far as we can tell everything has gone really well.  Amen!

Baby Update!

I have started and stopped typing this post about 20 times now so here is my attempt to finish...

It all started Thursday morning... I woke up to quite a bit of spotting. I called my midwifes around 10 am and they said they were going to come out at 3:00 p.m. In the mean time I called my mother in law and she was on her way. I also made a big pot of spaghetti sauce and Jarrett came home from work and helped me clean like crazy!

When Sarah and Megan (midwifes) arrived, they checked me and I was already a 6 and having mild contractions.

I hung out on the exercise ball and went about our normal routine. Eden had her stethoscope out and was ready to help check my blood pressure and listen to the baby! Things were definitely moving in the "labor" direction. 

Around 6:00 we ate dinner together and chatted then I was instructed to try and rest for a while. I fell asleep at 7:30 and the midwives came up every 2 hours to check on the baby. At this point, I was still having contractions but nothing strong enough really put things over the edge.

Around 2:30 am they came up with a dose of castor oil (GROSSSS) to try and help things along... well, let me just say that I never want to drink that nasty stuff ever again. It makes your stomach feel so horrible.

By 6:00 am things were still the same - mild contractions - so I took a brisk walk to see if that would push things along. The midwives went for breakfast at a local diner so we could have some family time.

When they returned they checked me and I was dilated to a 7 but by 12:00 p.m. my contractions had stopped and I was feeling great... what in the world~! After a deliberation they decided they would pack it up and wait for me to call them once things started happening again. They left me with the doppler so I could monitor and listen to the baby's heartbeat .

Well, it is now Tuesday and I'm still with child and feeling wonderful! The Lord has definitely been teaching me patience as well as show me His humorous side! Needless to say I am 9 days away from my due date... but all the anticipation of an early labor because of the early dilation is leaving everyone puzzled. It is a mystery! 

I go see my midwife tomorrow and we will find out the latest! I will most definitely keep everyone posted and promise I won't take this long anymore! Lots of love and blessings to all. 

XOXO

Love, 

Erin

August...

August was filled with lots of fun events!! Aunt Beth and Hannah came for a visit for Hannah's birthday. We went to the Rascall Flatts / Taylor Swift concert and took them to a Cards / Cubs game at Wrigley. We all proudly wore our Cardinals gear which really made Grandpa mad :)  The concert was so much fun. I honestly have never seen so many people at one venue in my entire life. It was kind of overwhelming. I also have never seen so many intoxicated high schoolers. It was really sad and made me really thankful that I was kind of sheltered from parties during high school. We were starting to attempt to potty train Eden. She was doing really good at first and loved using her potty. Then she started going on the floor so that was enough of that!! I guess the adventures of 2 in diapers will bless this house! 

My brother Dean left for college which was really sad. I didn't think I would be that upset, but my emotions definitely got the best of me! I blame it on being pregnant!!  He's in Kalamazoo, MI at Western Michigan University so we've already made a couple of trips up there to visit, one of which my wallet was stolen. The person who got it tried using everything so we had to get new debit cards, new credit card, and a new checking account which was no fun. 

We also had an intern reunion in St. Louis which was a BLAST! A group of friends who did an internship at Houston's First Baptist Church in the summer of 2001 try and get together every year. It was a time of food, fun, and wonderful fellowship! We are already looking forward to next year. And on the last day of August, Jarrett took me to a Hillsong United concert which was AWESOME! They usually come once a year to Chicago and we try not to miss it. 

Here are some pics.

Go Cards!

Jarrett, Aunt Beth, Hannah, and I @ Rascall Flatts

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Eden on her favorite chair

Jarrett with his best friend Vernon, Titus, & Eden

Eden & Titus

The Girls

Love, 

Erin

July...

The second weekend of July we went to Grand Haven, Michigan which is a must visit for all you Midwesterners! It's such a cool little beach town. We did lots of boating and went to the beach the last night. We definitely didn't want to come home.

Before I post pics of the weekend in Grand Haven, these are some of my fav's from July!

Eden definitely LOVES her daddy!!

It was also a very exciting month for my favorite sister, Miciah. She passed her state board exams and is officially a R.N. We are so proud of her.  THEN... SHE GOT ENGAGED!! We are so happy for her and can't wait for all the pre-wedding fun!!

Miciah and her Fiance Tim

Fourth of July @ Uncle John's

Grandpa Marty, Ciah, and Tim @ Starved Rock

Eden LOVED the lake!!

Swimming with Daddy!

Passed out after a long day.

Family Photo

Baby News

So, I'm skipping July, August, & September and heading right to October for the latest post... sorry I've been so slack!

Anyway, I went to my midwife today for my 33 week check up and I wasn't expecting what I heard. She kept feeling for the baby's head around my belly button and could not feel it. I had been telling her that I've been experiencing some intense pelvic pressure, but I figured it was a combination of Braxton Hicks, a long day with Eden and doing mommy/wife stuff. 

She decided to do an internal exam and realized the reason she couldn't feel the baby's head was because it was RIGHT THERE... Needless to say my eyes started to well up with tears because I didn't want this poor baby to come so early and because I was a bit in shock.

Charity told me I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said if I were 38 weeks she would have told me I was going to have this baby tonight. 

She sent me to  UIC Medical Center to be assessed and make sure I wasn't in active labor. After a long day, I was sent home with strict orders of bed rest... at least for the next 9-10 days when the lungs would be at a point where they wouldn't need steroids. 

So, please be keeping the baby and me in your prayers. Pray for Eden that she would somehow be understanding and for Jarrett as he assumes Mr. Mom duties along with long days at work :) Poor baby! Any ideas on bed rest fun would be greatly appreciated!!

I will keep you posted. 

Love, 

Erin