No More Monkeys Jumping on The Bed!

Evelyn had her second trip to the ER on Tuesday night (the first trip was for croup last winter, if anyone is keeping score).  She was jumping on the bed and fell and hit the foot board.  She got a good cut on her brow bone, so we had to take her in.

She was in high spirits, jaunting off to the ER as her sisters were being put to bed.

Luckily, she didn't need any stitches, just glue.  Ed reports that the doctor put her in a restraining jacket to try to keep her hands clear as he applied the surgical glue, but, Evelyn being Mighty Evelyn still managed to give him the business (she said the glue burned.)

Day after she's a bit bruised but not much worse for the wear and we're already having to remind them, again, not to jump on the furniture. She just has to stay out of the sun and the shower for 4-5 days and hopefully there won't be a noticeable scar.  It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all.

Cecily Elizabeth

Our fourth daughter has arrived!  This is her story.

10 days before Cecily was born

I have been pregnant for 1,069 days.  Nearly 3 full years.  Over 152 weeks.  We are so lucky to have 4 healthy perfect babies.  This pregnancy was by far the easiest for me, physically. Although, unfortunately, having my gallbladder removed still didn't end up giving us a complication-free pregnancy.  As was the case with all my girls, I had some really terrible morning sickness for the first 3-4 months, but everything seemed to be trucking along just fine.  At the beginning of April (20 weeks) we went to the obstetrician for our routine anatomy scan.  We were delighted to discover we were having our fourth girl!  But, the next day we got a call that an abnormality had been found in the ultrasound and we were referred to the high risk specialists to figure out what it was.  

So, for the fourth time, we found our selves at the high risk clinic, full of questions and trepidation.  The abnormality was a 5cm chorioangioma--a tumor on the placenta--right where the umbilical cord attached.  For the next two months we went in every 7-10 days for another scan to make sure the baby wasn't developing hydrops.  The high risk specialist repeatedly emphasized the importance of carrying the pregnancy to 28 weeks to increase her chances.  It was an incredibly stressful and scary time for us.  Thankfully, we made it to 28 weeks without developing hydrops.  At that point, we only had to see the high risk specialists every 3 weeks to make sure that the tumor wasn't squeezing the cord, there was adequate blood flow and baby was gaining weight normally.  It often felt like every scan was a mix of good news and bad news, but, ultimately, she continued to grow well and the mass did not end up affecting her at all--praise God!  At 33 weeks, baby dropped down really low starting some preterm labor.  I spent a night at CDH and was administered steroid shots to help her lungs develop, as well as being told to be on bedrest through the whole month of July. 

The preterm labor was kept at bay and we were released from high risk care at 36 weeks, with instructions for weekly hour-long non-stress tests until delivery.

It really is labor!

After knowing the last two pregnancies would require a 37 week induction because of cholestasis, it was strange not knowing when this baby would arrive.  And by strange I am euphemistically referring to my growing insanity at wondering IF she would ever come out.  Those last 3 weeks of pregnancy drag by like intensely uncomfortable months and we were all so eager to meet this girl!
I had been experiencing frequent contractions for over a month, but never increasing in intensity and often just going away with rest and water.  On Tuesday August 6, while I was making dinner, Ed and I were talking about how Wednesday August 7 would be about the most inconvenient day for me to go into labor.  Of course, right at that moment, I started having painful contractions and some other signs of labor.  That night, the contractions became more intense and soon were easily timed at 3-5 minutes apart for several hours.  I started to think it was the real thing and I was wondering if I'd even be able to wait until the next morning to go in as the pains became more intense.  Then, after about 4 hours, it all just stopped.  Part of me was relieved to not worry about middle of the night child care or delivering on Wednesday when I knew it was slated to be a busy day for Ed, but another part of me was intensely frustrated to have gone through that pain for hours with no result and also made me doubt whether or not I would even recognize real labor--I was getting emotional.  Wednesday evening, the same thing happened, 4 hours of painful contractions, increasing in intensity and duration, and then nothing.  I was beyond frustrated.
But, Thursday August 8, the contractions were back in the morning.  And they kept getting closer together and stronger all day.  But I was also still able to walk around, do housework, and take care of the kids (although perhaps with a bit of a short fuse.)  By this point, I was convinced they would just go away again, like they had the previous 2 nights.  But, when we found out that our sitter's brother was getting married on Friday, we decided to go ahead and call my dad to come up Thursday just in case.  Thankfully, he was happy to help out and headed right up.
But, it's a bit of a drive from Indianapolis all the way up here, and I asked Ed to come home at 4:00 because I was feeling so crummy.  We decided it was time to stop by the hospital to get checked out, but I was fully expecting them to tell me it was too soon and to send me back home.
What a surprise to find out that I was already at 5 cm!!  It was definitely labor and I was quickly admitted to the hospital.  About an hour after I was admitted, my dad arrived at the house and took over making dinner for the girls and Ed headed over the the hospital to join me.  He arrived just as I was getting my epidural.
The labor progressed quickly, without too much pain.  I stalled for just over an hour at 8cm but was still feeling really good and barely noticing the contractions.
Then 9cm came.  And that was awful.  I closed my eyes and tried to tune out all the noises, I could feel everything and couldn't handle any more stimuli.  I was numb from about the bottom of my ribs to the top of my hips, but it wasn't enough anymore.
Ed was perfect, he knew me well enough to not pester me with chatter, to just sit and hold my hand and be there for me.  As things progressed, baby started having some alarming decelerations in her heart rate.  I knew she needed to be delivered, and the quicker the better.  But the little stinker decided to turn face up for delivery, just like Matilda.  Matilda took me 2 1/2 hours to push out, but the epidural actually WORKED with her.  Cecily was in distress, but was stuck.  I have never worked so hard in my life, but, with a vacuum assist she was delivered in under 15 minutes of pushing.  And yelling.  It was by far my loudest and most painful delivery.  I have never felt pain like that and I know Ed was scared.

Just born

But then she was here!  And that moment is indescribably beautiful.  She had her cord all wrapped around her arm and body, that was causing the heart rate decelerations.  But she had arrived and she was safe and gorgeous and healthy and perfect and, just like the first three times, we were instantly in love.  I held her and Ed cut the cord before she was taken away to be weighed and measured.  She was born at 9:13PM on August 8, 2013 (just about 4 hours after I was admitted to the hospital.)  She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long with a 35cm head circumference.  She was loud!  She yelled for nearly the first 2 hours of her life, before she got tired, took a good nap and has been pretty easy to please since.  

After her first bath--look at all that fluffy hair!

Her head full of downy soft fluffy black hair is so pretty and will make it easy to tell her newborn pictures apart from her sisters.  She's a good eater, only lost 9 ounces at the hospital, and is getting stronger and more alert every day.  And oh goodness does this baby love to snuggle and be held!

The day after she was born (about 14 hours old) the Bella Baby photographer came to do her portraits.  She is such a beautiful baby and this is always one of my favorite parts of the hospital stay because I so cherish these images and know how difficult it is to find the energy and time to set up quality shoots at home while she's still a newborn.

She posed with us and with the white blanket I knit for her while on bedrest in July.  I'm so glad I learned to do that.  Knitting for a baby I am carrying is so satisfying and calming and I feel like the texture is really beautiful in the pictures and love that my baby has something special, made with love, just for her.

Daddy, of course, was smitten from the start!  He spent the first night with us and came back to visit on Friday.  The hospital gave us a pair of special desserts--deep dish apple pie and chocolate cake to share to celebrate her birth.  And Ed made sure to pick up some champagne to toast with when we got home!

We named her Cecily Elizabeth.  I'd had the name Cecily in my head from very early on in the pregnancy.  Matilda actually picked her middle name.  Once we found out baby was a girl, Matilda and Evelyn were eager to suggest names.  While Evelyn's suggestions frequently changed and included such gems as "Keena" "Snack" and "Fork" Matilda consistently suggested Elizabeth.  She was so infatuated with the name and it paired beautifully with Cecily so we gave her the honor of helping name her youngest sister.  When Ed went home and told her the name, she was so excited!  She was shouting, "I knew it! I knew it!" and, indeed, she did know that it was very special that she was able to pick out that name; I hope it's something they'll bond over as they grow up!  Evelyn was still not sure.  She thought perhaps "Flower" would be a better name than Cecily, but once we actually introduced them, she's fully embraced Cecily Elizabeth and I often overhear Matilda and Evelyn talking about baby's name.

I prefer not to have visitors at the hospital, I'm so often woken up or "pestered" by a nurse or insurance administrator or, this time, even the hospital chef coming by with a survey, that I'd rather take the rest of my short time there to sleep, nurse and just get used to my baby (We were discharged 37 hours after she was born!) But, it's our tradition to have the older sisters come along to pick me up when it's time to come home so they will be the first to meet the baby.  The car was SO full with 4 carseats!  And the girls were so excited to meet their baby sister.  They remarked on her tiny size and her dark hair and how soft her hair and skin were and unanimously declared that she was very pretty and the best baby ever.

It was a treat to introduce her to my dad when we got home, this is by far the youngest he's met any of our girls, I think the others were all at least a month old.  And I'm so grateful for his help and willingness to come up with virtually no notice.  The girls had a great time and were very well cared for while I was away.

Since we've been home, Ed has been busy--he still has to meet the demands of school, check in at work and attend meetings every so often and has been taking the big girls out to burn off some energy and give Cecily and I some quiet time to rest.

Adelaide runs to Cecily's crib first thing every morning looking for baby and says "baby" clear as day.  She's also surprisingly gentle when she touches or holds baby, but can be predictably rough and wild when she's not paying attention to where baby is, so we have to watch out for that.
Evelyn can't get enough of our new baby, every time she gurgles or whines Evelyn wants to look and see what she's up to and asks to hold her dozens of times a day.  While she holds her she always asks the same questions "Why is her __ so tiny?" (because she's little) "Is she looking at me?" (yes) "Why is she smiling at me?" (because she loves you) "Oh! I love her, too!"
Matilda likes to sing her lullabies.  She's been surprised about the spit up and the umbilical stump (which fell off 2 nights ago, already! Just 8 days old!) and she's eager for baby to be ready to play with toys and likes to talk to her about all the things she can teach her to do when she's older.  She's also been a super star helper, brining me clean diapers, rocking the cradle and throwing away soiled diapers for me without a single complaint.

It feels wonderful to have Cecily at home with the family.  We are so blessed and so grateful!

Matilda is 5!

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Matilda was born at 5:58PM on Friday July 4, 2008.  I labored at home for about 14 hours before checking into the hospital for the last 10.  She was face up and I had to push for 2 hours, but every second was unquestionably worth it once I saw her squishy little self.  I was instantly in love.  She was a great baby.  Had a little trouble with dairy and with establishing nursing but nursed exclusively for 7 months and didn't take any formula until she was 9 months old.  She rolled and sat early, and started talking at 9 months old.  I delighted in her every milestone.  Actually, I did my best to just drink her in completely.  I was barely able to sleep the first week--not because she didn't, but because I couldn't stop looking at her!  She made me a mommy and has taught me new things about what that means every day for the last five years.

One

When Matilda turned one, she was in her short-lived chubby phase, not yet walking and content to sit with you and her toys and talk and talk and talk. She had the biggest smiles and cutest cherubic little laugh and loved watermelon more than any other food. She had trouble digesting milk so I carefully made her a dairy free strawberry cake with dairy free frosting, which she steadfastly refused to even try and, instead, smeared it on Daddy. This was her only birthday as an only child, Evelyn was born 3 1/2 months later.

Two

 When Matilda turned 2, she was a big sister to 8 month old Evelyn, who she adored! She was obsessed with flowers and singing, just starting to get interested in princesses and loved to paint. She was also able to finally have dairy and couldn't wait to dive into the chocolate frosting on her birthday cake!

Three

Matilda requested a pink princess cake for her 3rd birthday, so I decorated it with pink roses and gold sparkles. At 3 years old she suddenly seemed like such a big kid! Going to preschool, watching movies, completely wrapped up in pretend play, helping out with her little sister and eagerly awaiting Adelaide's arrival a few months later!

Four

As sweet as the newborn days were, and as exciting as it has been to see her reach all the milestones and make new discoveries over the last 5 years, I think 4 years old might be my favorite age so far! She's so clever and helpful and imaginative. We're able to sit and have conversations now and she remembers everything. She makes up songs, dances, and plays and I love to watch her performances. She is making friends and social connections, practicing her manners, increasing stamina and so much fun to do "girly" things with. She is a superlative big sister and can't wait for the newest little sister to arrive so she can help. I'm so so lucky to have this girl in my life.

And now, my baby is 5.  Once she fell asleep last night, we decorated the dining room with red white and blue, wrapped her presents and put some balloons and a new birthday outfit in her bedroom to surprise her when she woke up.  We didn't get a chance to wake her up with "Happy Birthday" this year--she was already too excited, standing at the side of my bed telling me it's her birthday and all about the balloons as the sun was just coming up.

We kept things simple this year, I'm on bedrest for the next 4 weeks, so I couldn't do a fancy cake and things like that.  But, I did make her exactly what she wanted for lunch--watermelon on a stick, chips and star shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson came over for lunch and cake and presents.  We surprised her with a strawberry ice cream cake decorated as a flag with glittery star sprinkles.  She has loved everything.  She has said "thank you" a million times today--before she even opened a single present.  She's appreciated every little detail and it has been such a joy to celebrate her!  We'll have a nice dinner and more presents and cake tonight with Grandma and Grandpa Greene, and next week she'll have more visitors.  She keeps telling me about all the big kid stuff she can do now that she is 5.  It's adorable.

Happy birthday, Matilda!  I hope it really is the best one yet! (until next year!)

Baby #4 25 weeks

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We had another ultrasound yesterday to check baby's growth.  She's doing great!  1lb 12oz is the estimate, putting her in the 45th-50th percentile for gestational age.
She is by FAR my wiggliest baby.  The nurse often has to chase her around my belly with the doppler just to try to catch her heart rate.  Matilda and Evelyn have felt her move now from the outside.  Matilda loves it, Evelyn thinks that both the kicking and the ultrasounds are "kinda creepy" but is very much looking forward to the day that baby "pops out!"

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18 Months

Adelaide had her 18 month check up yesterday.  She is 26lbs and 32.5 inches.  She barely cried after getting her shots and I am relieved to know those are the last boosters until she starts kindergarten!

Her vocabulary is developing, but she is still a baby of few words.  She definitely can get her point across though, and with 4 people jumping to guess what she needs before she verbalizes it, she doesn't have much use for conversation just yet.  She can say mama, daddy, juice, cookie, Caillou, Peppa, hat, no, bye bye, ni-nite, shhhh, shoes, and yum.

She loves to climb and can frequently be found somewhere she shouldn't be--on the counter, the table, half way up the trellis, etc.

She enjoys riding toys from her rocking horse to the Dora tricycle; but her favorite is having Evelyn push her around in her cozy coupe.

Speaking of Evelyn, she and Adelaide have really bonded since Adelaide started walking.  Daily they can be found doing puzzles, building towers, playing Little People, wrestling, playing dress up, coloring, snacking or just running through the house holding hands and squealing.  Evelyn looks out for her and Adelaide obviously looks up to Evelyn.

She's learning to color with crayons and doesn't always eat them anymore.

She knows how to use a fork and a spoon.  She will eat a variety of dried and fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals.  She hates eggs and most meat but loves hot dogs and will occasionally eat fish.  She's getting a little pickier though.

She typically sleeps well at night but can be difficult about her nap sometimes.

All her teeth except her 2 year molars have come in.

She is really strong and dexterous.

She HATES being left out of things the big kids can do.  But she does love to snuggle and give kisses and be rocked like a baby.

After her shower, the hair on the back of her head forms adorable curls.  The rest of the time it's a bit of a tangled mess.

She likes to make funny faces that are absolutely adorable, and is starting to "cheese" for the camera.

Family Tree

It is amazing how much can change in 8 short years.  While organizing our digital photos, I realized we have visited the same spot and taken nearly the same picture with the same funky tree 3 times at three very different stages in our lives.  This tree is in Colonial Williamsburg.  The first picture was taken in December 2004, right after Ed returned from New Zealand and right before we got engaged.  The second was a visit to the 'burg with baby Matilda in the spring of 2009 while I was just a few months pregnant with Evelyn.  The third was this past Christmas and New Year with Matilda, Evelyn AND Adelaide, while I was just a few weeks pregnant with our fourth girl!  It's wonderful how much our family has grown, and pretty impressive that hollow tree appears to still be growing as well!

December, 2004

 April, 2009

December 2012 

Gustafson GIRLS!

Our ultrasound showed a healthy, strong, wiggly baby GIRL growing well!  So excited to add a fourth sister to the crew!

Ensley Sage

Our BEAUTIFUL pixie of a first niece was born on February 24th at 11:16am.   Ensley Sage was named in honor of Kim's grandmother, Evelyn, and Eric (and Ed's) grandmother, Shirley, using the initials for the tribute.  She is a healthy, tiny little girl born at 4lbs14oz and 19 inches tall!

The whole family is doing well.  It sounds like Ensley is a great eater, gaining weight quickly and mom and dad are doing a great job!  She is also exceptionally alert!  Kim and Eric were kind enough to make time for Ensley to Skype with the girls over the weekend and I was so impressed with how awake (and darling!) little Ensley is!  We can't wait to get out there to meet her!

A Lovely Tribute

We don't spend enough time here talking about how wonderful Ed's aunt Mona is.  She really has always been so generous and loving and warm to us.  She never forgets an occasion to check on or send a sweet gift to the girls, and she's always so positive and an absolute delight to spend time with.  She knows so many interesting people and has done so many interesting things.  Combining that with her sunny attitude and easy laugh and you're guaranteed a good time!

She has served the Senate for 34 years and is retiring this week.  She was feted in style last night at the United States Capitol and all three of her senators were, of course, in attendance.  We wish we had been, too!

Her current Senator, Mr. Corker, delivered this touching tribute to Mona and her service on the Senate floor last night.  It was aired on C-SPAN and I wanted to share it with everyone because I know every glowing word he said was true!  If you click the "more info" link at the top right of the video, it will link you to C-SPAN where there is a transcript.

Congratulations on your retirement, Mona!  Thank you for your service and best of luck in your next adventure!

Photo Album Updates

The site that used to host our family albums has closed, we have moved all our albums to Shutterfly.  The picture at the top right will direct you to the family albums, but it is password protected, if you would like access to the family albums to see the pictures we don't share here or order your own prints, please email me and I will get you in.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What we did in December Part II

The girls made these hand-print Santa's for Daddy for Christmas.  They decorated a "treasure box" and filled it with pictures from 2012, daddy's favorite candy and these keepsakes.  He loved it.

They couldn't fit on Santa's sleigh, so they had to fly out the next day--Grandma and Grandpa surprised the girls by visiting the 26th-30th.

We took the girls to Winter Lights exhibit at the Elizabethan Gardens to bring thank you notes to Santa.  Matilda signed her own note and Evelyn gave Santa a shell she carefully chose from her collection to say thank you for all the lovely gifts he sent.

The Winter Lights exhibit was great!  Tons and tons and tons of light displays all throughout the gardens, a fire for roasting marshmallows, cheery Christmas music playing, temperate weather and hot chocolate!  We really loved it!

The girls exploring the exhibits.  I'm tickled that they call Christmas lights "Fairy Lights."  They're so British sometimes.

We did make sure to walk the beach and look for shells often, especially since it was right outside our door!

While we were driving from Chapel Hill to the Outer Banks, Evelyn started announcing that she NEEDED to get her feet in the ocean.  So, we let her, as soon as we got to the house, before we even unpacked the car, we shuffle them all out to the beach.  Baby was unsure about walking in the sand, but determined, also, determined to eat everything on the beach so she didn't get to stay in that sand for long.  Evelyn tried out the water and quickly discovered it was COLD!  We made Matilda try it.  She was scared, but did eventually get her feet wet. Once.  She prefers hot tubbing.

At the beginning and end of the trip there were lots and lots of shells to collect.  The big girls each had a bucket and filled them with nearly every beach walk.

We bid the beach adieu on the 30th and headed to Williamsburg for New Year's Eve.  We ate at the pubs, visited the sights, and did a fair amount of walking and shopping.

The baby was quite satisfied with the colonial fare.  This is her demolishing her 3rd applesauce.

I can't find it right now, but I have a picture somewhere of Ed standing in this tree (alone) in December 2004, before we were engaged.  How things have changed in 8 years!

Matilda and Evelyn weren't nearly as interested in the colonial dinner fare, so, one night after a full day of walking and a later than usual dinner, we did bribe them with ice cream for supper in exchange for good behavior.

Adelaide was content to continue sucking down little pewter cups of apple sauce.

The girls loved our rainy day.  They got to carry an umbrella and jump in every muddy puddle on D.O.G. Street.

We visited another of Daddy's schools--William and Mary.

And we visited President Jefferson again.  We first introduced these two nearly 4 years ago and Matilda was SO scared.  She's not frightened anymore!

Neither was Evelyn.

In fact, they were rather curious.

Daddy gave a stern lecture at the Presbyterian meeting house.

 And, according to the girls, the highlight of the Williamsburg trip was visiting all the farm animals.  No day was complete without visiting a horse or sheep.  These wooly guys lived right by our little house.