He is here!

Blake Owen Zimmermann made his appearance on August 21st at 1:53 pm. He is a big boy at 8pounds 5oz and 22 inches long!
Here is his birth story... it is long, and rather surprising.

We were scheduled for an induction on the 19th at 7am. I was told to call ahead, in case L&D was full. We got up and called L&D. They were busy, and instructed us to call back in a few hours. We continued this game from 6am-9pm. Finally they told us to come in at 11pm. We got our things together, had a snack, and headed to the hospital.

When we arrived at 11pm, I was checked in. I was given a room and found out I was not dilated at all. It was going to be a long induction (which we knew). At midnight, I was given medicine (Cervidil) to help get things ready. It was given for 12 hours. The next day at noon I was checked, and was only 1 cm. The doctor decided to go ahead and start the labor drugs (pictocin). This medicine makes your contractions really hard. The day doctor said I could get the epidural whenever I wanted it. I toughed it out until around 9pm that night. The doctor cam in and checked me, and I was still at 1-2cm! I was really hurting at this point, and my contractions were huge on the monitor. The night doctor refused to give me the epidural until I was at least 4 cm. She cranked up the pitocin, and offered IV drugs.

I had IV drugs with the twins, and they really didn't help me. They confused me, and made me panic. I swore I would never let them do that to me again. The doctor swore it was a different medicine, and I would not react like that. I was in so much pain, and so discouraged.... I let them give them to me. It was a big mistake. All night long I had the same reaction.

The next morning, the nurse checked me and said I was at 3 cm (I had been there for almost 24 hours). The morning doctor finally OKed the epidural, and it was set. My blood pressure dropped, and Blake's heart rate dropped shortly after. They broke my water then. The epidural really helped me to dilate. By 9:00 am, I was completely dilated. Blake was still super high though. I started pushing at 9:30. I pushed for about 3 hours. Blake was not dropping at all.

I was exhausted at this point (I had been at the hospital since 11pm Thursday and it was 12 pm sat). The doctors decided on a C-section. I was taken to the OR and given a spinal block. When I was given the spinal, it was too high. I could hardly breathe. Joseph was brought into the OR, and found me unable to talk. They finally started the C-section, and I was tilted to try to help my spinal block go toward my feet.

The doctor had a really hard time getting Blake out. Typically from the time they open the uterus until baby is out is 15-20 seconds. It took them 4 minutes to get Blake out. I was scared to death. The doctor was screaming at people and things were really tense for awhile. The second they got Blake out, I was given drugs to put me to sleep. I was bleeding heavily and I couldn't breathe.

Blake and Joseph were sent to the special care nursery while the doctors fixed me. Blake was born at 1:53, and I didn't get to recovery until 6pm. I had tearing from them scrambling to get him out. They also were worried about my bladder, and called a urologist in to make sure it was OK. I finally met Blake around 8pm on his birthday.

I lost a lot of blood, so I required two blood transfusions. All-in-all, I got pretty beat up. I wasn't allowed out of bed until Monday. Blake is perfect though. We are finally home, and I am trying to get back on my feet. Thank goodness Joseph is here to help.

Two More Days

Well, we have the official induction date. They will start the induction on the 19th, but expect to deliver him on the 20th. It looks like Blake will get to celebrate his birthday seven days before his daddy every year. Our summers are going to be busy! My birthday, our anniversary, Blake's birthday, and Joseph's birthday will all be between July and August! It looks like there will be a lot of cakes to eat next summer. :)

I went to our last non-stress test today, and Blake did wonderful. He has to move two times in twenty minutes to pass. He must get really excited when he hears his own heartbeat, because he always passes with flying colors. I swear he moves more in that room than he does all week. He is such a show-off.

Joseph and I celebrated our last weekend without a little man following us around. We went out to eat, and we went to the beach. It was a nice calm weekend. This week, I have been trying to get everything ready. Our house got a good clean so that I don't have to worry about it later. The bags are getting packed (I am not good at pre-packing).

All-in-all, I think we are as ready as we can be. Now if we can just get this whole painful having the baby part out of the way! We have two angels watching over us though, so I am sure everything will be OK. I have said from day one that Ethan and Jacob hand picked this baby from Heaven. We will finally get to meet their sibling that they chose. I am sure they did a wonderful job, and Blake will be perfect. Ethan and Jacob will be with us making sure their handpicked brother makes it here OK.

Next time I post, it will be with pictures of Blake. I am so excited to see what he looks like and meet him. Until then, I will leave you with pictures from our last beach trip without a baby. I am a little sad that we didn't think to get a picture of us together.

38 weeks pregnant at the beach

They like running around on the beach

Bailey was obsessed with the seaweed. He seems to be a sushi fan.

He is also obsessed with digging in the sand. We have no idea what he is looking for.

Playing in the water

One more week

I have been horrible about blogging lately. We have been having serious internet/computer issues though. When we moved, we had a hard time finding an internet provider for our area. Everyone said that they didn't cover our area. We finally got Embarq to set up internet. It was a horrible connection, and it took forever to do anything. We switched from Embarq to Time Warner, and our internet improved... but both of our computers decided to stop working. Our desktop got a horrible virus that lost everything. Our laptop decided that the mouse was over-rated. So we are limping along with our laptop while the desktop is in the shop. Then the laptop will get it's turn to get fixed. All of this means that blogging/internet use is difficult.

All is well in J-ville. We are doing really well. Joseph is starting to learn his job, and I am finally figuring out how to get around town without getting lost! I have the navigation skills of a rock, so this is a huge accomplishment. Bailey had his first appointment with his new vet today. They were not his Quantico buddies, but they will do.

Blake is still growing. I am 38 weeks today. If he comes today, he would be considered full term. Hopefully, he won't though. Joseph is gone training this week, so I have been alone with Bailey. Joseph is just a phone call away, but it would still be rather difficult to get him back here. He comes home tomorrow, so anytime after that is OK. I doubt it will happen anytime soon though. The doctor said that she doesn't expect anything.

If Blake doesn't come on his own, they will be inducing me next week. This is exciting and scary. Inductions are hard on babies and mommies. It will probably take a long time, and the chances of needing a C-section are pretty high. Unfortunately, my body is pretty done. My blood pressure has been rising, and my labs are not looking good. It is better at this point to induce, but it is definitely not the easiest way to have a baby. The good thing is that after all of the hours of inducing, we will finally get to meet Blake.

I am excited to finally have Blake here (no matter how he makes his appearance). This is something we have been working on since 2008. I knew this day would eventually come, but I was beginning to wonder when we would get here. It has been a long, hard road. We are finally nearing the end of it. Hopefully the last little bit will be the easiest part.

August Already?

How is it August already? Where did the month of July go? It feels like we just moved, and it has been almost a month. I find it amazing that when people ask when I am due, I can just say the 26th. Not too much longer. We are pretty busy until then, so hopefully the next few weeks will go by fast. We are very excited about meeting Blake.

I am also amazed that this month a year ago, I was admitted to Bethesda with Ethan and Jacob. I have been thinking about them often, as their birthday is slowly approaching. I want to do something for their birthday, but I am not sure what yet. I want to make sure that their birthday is never forgotten.

I am still amazed when I look at the pictures we have of them. They were so tiny, but such big fighters. When Ethan was in the NICU, it was amazing how strong he was. I still remember those days like they were yesterday. I remember right after we left Bethesda on September 15th, I was so scared I would forget. I was terrified that those short moments and memories I had with my babies would fade. I still remember it all, just like I did that day. I remember the fear, surprise, shock, love, and heartache of those 36 hours.

It is impossible to not what-if everything that happened last year. What if they had made it... we would have almost one year olds. We also wouldn't have Blake yet... he would still be in Arlington, VA in the freezer. How would life be for us? When we finally did transfer our last embryo (Blake), how would we do with three boys? There are so many questions that I wonder about.

I am sure that our angels are watching over their little brother already. When we were doing our frozen transfer, I often said that Ethan and Jacob were in Heaven picking out their sibling. How many parents get their children hand picked by angels? I am sure that Ethan and Jacob did a wonderful job picking out their little brother. They have been making sure that he is healthy and full term. I know they will be watching over us when Blake makes his big appearance.

So, 24 days until Blake's due date. I can't wait to meet this little man who insists on rolling around all night and keeping me awake. Joseph can't wait to meet the little man who kicks every time he touches my belly. Not much longer!

33

Only 33 more days, and we will be at Blake's due date. Holy crap, where did time go? It is exciting to get this far. What a blessing to be almost full term. Even though it is hot, and I am really uncomfortable... I am so glad for every day that Blake is able to stay inside. I can thank Ethan and Jacob for my outlook on this. Their early birth taught me never to be the woman begging for an early induction. We are blessed to have made it this far and possibly have a healthy, chubby baby.

This week was my last progesterone injection! That was the highlight of my week. I have been getting them since week 15 (I am now 35 weeks). Before I was getting them, I was getting shots for IVF/FET. I am sick of shots! Those weekly shots did their job though. Here we are, without any preterm labor. I had gotten good at giving them to myself while Joseph was at TBS. I am sure all of my paramedic buddies are shocked at that. I am the biggest baby ever, and here I am giving myself a shot in the bum!

We also did our labor and delivery tour this week. It was pretty short, as all the rooms were full of laboring women. They didn't get to show us any of the rooms. Hopefully, it won't be as busy when Blake comes. We did get a checklist of what to bring and expect. I have started packing our bag. I get non-stress tests twice a week, and the nurse said it was common to be admitted for induction after one. She advised us to have a bag ready for Joseph to grab, just in case that happens to me. We will see. Blake has been doing really well on all of his, so it isn't an issue right now. His room is almost complete. I need to do some more work in his closet, and Joseph has to hang pictures. It will be done soon though.

Our house is still coming together. Our spare room remains a disaster area. My goal is to have it put together before the middle of August. We will see. It could be worse I guess. The rest of the house is in working order, so when we have people over the spare room door will be shut!

All-in-all, we are doing pretty well in Jacksonville. Joseph has to go out in the field for a week in the middle of August, but he will be close... so if anything happens with Blake, he can be home soon. Hopefully, it won't be a problem and Blake will be a good baby until his daddy comes home.

I leave you with pictures of Bailey's first trip to the beach. He was pretty interested in the water.

More House Pictures

Spare bathroom

Master Bath

We are home

We made it! Our new house is getting put together, and we are calling Jacksonville home for the next few years. Everything with the home buying process went really well. We paid for the smoothness of buying our house though, because turning on utilities has been a nightmare. It seems like every single time we went to change something over... there was some sort of problem. Thankfully, it is all set up now.

Blake is doing well. I am being seen on base here, and I really like it so far. I am going 2-3 times a week for appointments, so they are watching us pretty closely. I love that the base is closer than Bethesda was. It is so nice to leave home 20-30 minutes before my appointment, instead of hours before.

Joseph has started working at his new unit. He likes it so far. He did find out that he will be deploying with the MEU next summer. So it looks like another boat ride for Mr. Joseph. He is thrilled (note my sarcasm). The alternative was a year long deployment to Afghanistan though, so we will take the six months. We are also very happy that he will be around for most of Blake's first year.

We are still unpacking our house. It is starting to come together, although our spare room is still a disaster. Overall, I am very happy here... a lot happier than I thought I would be. Hopefully it stays that way!

I leave you with pictures of Blake's room. It still is not completely done, but getting there. I got a new camera for my birthday, and I am still figuring it out. I took pictures of the house, Bailey, and Joseph with it today.

Blake's dresser

His changing table

My grandmother got him this. I think it is just too cute.