Birth Story-Ruby Diane Hawkinson

Finally getting around to writing out her birth story, it reminds me a lot of Judah's.

  My due date was April 20th, and that day had come and gone. My mom was at our home from Iowa to help me after the birth, but her time with us was limited and I Really wanted Ruby to be born before my mom had to leave. I had tried castor oil twice earlier in the week with very little results so I had resigned myself to just wait. After a very emotional Sunday (1 day over due)  Joe suggested i try taking castor oil before bed in a Sonic shake. His theroy was Judah had come after i had taken castor oil at night in a shake so maybe girlie would follow suit. I had been following the midwives suggestions with the two previous attempts and putting it in my breakfast and then my lunch. Since I was in desperation mode and my mom was needing to leave in 3 days i sent him to Sonic at midnight.
  So we doctored it up and I finished it off and was asleep by 1 a.m. I woke up at 4a.m. with some cramping so I used the bathroom, laid back down and tried to sleep. I was have some contractions and just decided to go down stairs (at 4:20) and walk and see if that would help things get moving. I started timing contractions and praying thanking the Lord she was coming as I walked and used the bathroom a few times. The contractions were 4 minuted apart for about 1 minute, I had a very hard contraction that I had to stop and breath through so I decided to go wake up Joe. I woke him up at 4:50 a.m. and he called the Birth Center. I was having another contraction on my knees and braced on the ottoman in our room. Then I needed to go potty so I went to the bathroom followed by a concerned husband thinking I was having her in the toilet. I assured him I was not pushing her out and he went down stairs to tell my mom we were leaving and put some things in the car.
  While I was washing my hands I had a very hard pushing contraction at the sink and I knew she was coming. It was a flash back to Judah's birth. I stripped off my bottoms and pulled the bath mat up and stood in the tub waiting for Joe as I said to myself "okay okay okay". All he said when he came in was, "Oh honey." I responded tearfully with, "she's coming, we aren't getting there." So Joe ran, got a heater, plugged it in got a towel and a bulb syringe. He got back into the bathroom as I was having another pushing contraction, I grabbed him around the neck in a hug and my water broke. I reached down and felt her head starting to come Joe bent down and got ready to suction her and my mom walked into the bathroom (it seems kinda funny now "hey mom just having a baby"). Her head was out Joe suctioned her and I reminded him he needed to turn her (through my crying and moaning). I had two contractions after my water broke and then she was delivered safely into her daddies arms.
  After she was out Joe gave her to me, we did skin to skin and he filled up the tub with warm water and covered us both with a towel, then called the midwife to tell her the baby was already born-it was 5:01 a.m.. After he handed her to me I asked him if she was a girl :) he had kept saying through the pregnancy that it could be a boy so I wanted to make sure I called her by the right name :) It was a whirlwind labor and delivery. The midwife came delivered the palcenta, checked us both over-i needed one stitch and then we were good to go to bed. Also the older boys had been awakened by all of the commotion and had heard the delivery :) the funny thing is they kept telling they were not going to sleep after her due date because they knew they would hear her crying when she was born. So they did get to hear her cry when she was born!
Ruby was 8 lb 10oz and 21.5 inches long.
  We feel vey blessed to have had a safe labor and delivery and a healthy baby girl. I am very thankful for a very competent husband who is very calm under pressure and has delivered two of our children at home :) The midwife said if we have another baby we should go ahead and plan on a home birth :)

Happy 1st Birthday Judah Lee

Oh Judah Lee, we praise the Lord for you and the blessing 

you have brought to our family. From your fast and 

                           exciting birth (see earlier post) in the living room, to the 

                smiles and laughs you give us everyday.We are so thankful to the 

Lord for the wonderful gift that you are. We are looking forward to watching

you grow into the man the Lord has planned for you.

Happy Birthday my Sugar baby.

Painting the House

Okay here the paint colors I am debating painting the exterior of my home. My house is a bungalow style and is currently white it faces East and gets plenty of sun, and sits on the corner without any shade from trees. Also keep in mind I have a black roof, and a black porch and I am hoping for black shutters in the future. But, all of my trim will be white!
 So leave me a comment telling me your color choice and why or even a new color for me to debate :)
Thanks!

Collectible

Boulder Creek

Saturn Gray

Tea Time

here is the porch (the roof is NOW black :)

Dairy Free Menu

I have been going dairy-free these days since we figured out Judah has a sensitivity to dairy. So, here is my dairy free menu this week:

Monday-Chicken Noodle Soup, french bread & salad
Tuesday- leftovers (food from the weekend)
Wednesday-5 ingredient soup, tortilla chips
Thursday- datenight!! pizza & corndogs 4 the boys
Friday-Chicken pad thai & oriental salad
Saturday-hamburgers, chips & baked beans
Sunday-Fellowship dinner-Manitoba Soup, salad & brownies (all dairy free!)

but my baby is worth all this dairy-free

Owl nursery

owl crib set

cute owl made by Rachel E.

bassinet

Finally at 5 weeks I put the nursery together for Judah Lee. Big brother Gideon decided to move to a big boy bed and is doing Great, so we went ahead and set everything up in the nursery. I fell in love with owls during this pregnancy so Judah's nursery theme is owl, and I love the blue chevron touches as well. So it is all ready for my sweet boy, but for now Judah will stay in his bassinet in our room close to mom :)

Surviving Four

wide eyes

'That's how I roll onesie'-Love you Shelby!

my silly "puppy"

such good big brothers

Grandma and Aunt Leah left but we are surviving :)
I am enjoying 4 boys-Judah is eating well and doing 4-6 hour stretches at night :)
Ben & Ash start school next week and Gideon is working on moving to a toddler bed.
Enjoying God's blessings.

Birth Story of Judah Lee Hawkinson

A lot of peole have heard it-Judah's crazy birth story already but I decided I should write it down, so here we go.
Thursday night I sent Joe to run a few errands, one of which was castor oil and " something yummy to put it in." My mom was planning on coming to stay with me for a week starting on Friday. I had 2 reasons for wanting this boy to be born before she came besides the fact that I was 40 weeks.
; #1. I wanted just a little time with him as a family and #2. My pubic bone separated in labor with Gideon and I could not walk, roll over in bed or put clothes on without assistance so I wanted to utilize the time my mom had in case I was immobilized again after this delivery.
Joe came home with a Jamocha shake and we doctored it up and I had finished it and was in by around 9:30 p.m. I woke up around 11 to use the bathroom :) and walk from the kitchen to the front door timing contractions. They went away at midnight so I laid down and slept until 1:40 a.m. Then I got back up and used the bathroom a few times and went back to walking and timing contractions. They were harder and closer together but not hard enough to stop me in my tracks, I kept walking through them.
Finally around 2:15 a.m. I had 3 three hard contractions that I had to stop moving and breath through. My contractions were 1 minute apart and not sure how long they were. I decided to go wake Joe up after I used the bathroom once more. But after a hard contraction in the bathroom I waited for the next one and it didn't come, so I waited 5 min with no contraction and decided to lay down and see if I could sleep some more ( I thought maybe they were slowing down or stopping).
I laid down and and had a very hard contraction and woke Joe up in the middle of it at 2:50 a.m. He immediately got up and dressed & called the Birth Center. I told him my contractions were a minute apart to which he answered " What?! Why didn't you wake me up?" I got up and went back to walking from the kitchen to the front door while Joe was on hold with the call center for 5 min and trying to get all the bags. Joe talked to the midwife and said we were coming then went upstairs to tell out friend Loyal Olsen we were going and he could take the boys to his sister's house in the morning and get the car seat. While he was upstairs I knew I was going to have another hard contraction so I was on my hands and knees with my arms on the ottoman and had a Very hard contraction so hard, I could have pushed. So I started crawling toward the bathroom to get off the carpet because in the back of my mind I thought "maybe this is transition." I had another contraction on my hands and knees and DID push this time. Joe met me at the bottom of the steps and I told him I had just pushed, and Joe said, "No, no no no no, we have to go to the Birth Center." Then he said," babe your shorts are wet, we have to go." I asked " Are they even there?" because we live blocks away from the Birth Center and I knew we would beat the midwife there and have a baby in the parking lot or the car.
So I stood up and we walked 3 steps and I had another contraction and I told Joe "I'm pushing!" then Judah's head and shoulders were out, and almost immediately I had another one and he was all the way out. Joe was able to catch Judah in my shorts :) and I sat right down, and Joe took my shorts off Judah and handed him to me :) he was crying and breathing perfectly at 3:07 a.m.
After I was holding Judah Joe yelled "LOYAL! Get down here!" And Loyal came down and Joe asked him to go get towels (and Joe covered me right up) and help move some furniture so I could lean against something- I was sitting on the living room floor between the loveseat and side table. Joe went and got the nasal syringe and sucked Judah out and turned on the heater. Then he called the midwife and told them he was here. Joe tied off the cord with a twistie tie and the midwives arrived 20 minutes later and delivered the placenta and moved me onto the couch to do all the necessary checks & stitches.
So Judah Lee Hawkinson was born July 15, 2011 at 3:07 a.m. in our living room, delivered by his parents :) weighing 9 lbs 3 oz and 22 1/4 inches long.
We are all doing great, Judah is a great eater and is such a sweet baby-all his big brothers love him lots and lots.
And just a fyi: the midwife said the carpet Could be cleaned but Joe decided he didn't Want it cleaned so, the carpet was thrown away and I have been promised a new one :)