Moving With a Baby

I had every intention to update our blog at least a couple times each week for the sake of Grandma Phelps, but I have not been so good at it. The girl who once checked her email seventy-five times a day (not an exaggeration) now sometimes doesn't touch a computer for days at a time. I have, however, watched more M*A*S*H than I care to admit because that is something I can do during feedings, which sometimes come as often as every hour.

We have now been in our new apartment for two weeks. Aside from a plumbing issue when we first moved in and the fact that we STILL don't have our Internet service transferred, things have gone relatively smoothly. We are still unpacking, a feat that takes much longer with a new baby than I realized. However, it does help that I'm starting to get the hang of Netty's sleeping pattern, and that helps a great deal. Maybe we'll be all moved in by this time in 2014...

Netty has been a real trooper as I try to figure out this whole "mommy thing." I am getting much more efficient at bathing her, and I'm becoming a pro at breastfeeding in the backseat of the car. I've also discovered that she doesn't like to sleep in the dark. She won't sleep in her bed unless I turn a lamp on. Netty has learned just how long to suck during feedings until my milk lets down, and then she detaches her mouth from me and lets the milk run in--and, incidentally, all over her face as well. She also roots and screams while I get positioned for feedings, and then as soon as I'm ready for her to latch on, she starts sucking on her fingers or feigns sleeping. I didn't know a three-week-old baby could be a tease.

Our First Week

Netty came home from the hospital on Friday. Jon had classes throughout the day, so he stopped by to visit us before we went home, but my mom ended up taking us home. It was nice to finally be home from the hospital. During the first night, the nurses came in every twenty minutes to check Netty's temperature because it was a little low. The next night they didn't come in quite so much, but it was still annoying.

Once home, I slept most of the day and night, getting up to feed Netty and not much more. I am so grateful that my mom was here to take care of the cooking and cleaning and to stay up with Netty. I definitely needed the sleep. She left on Tuesday, and I must say that I am missing her more than I've ever missed her before.

On Monday we had a doctor appointment. She was 6 pounds, 1 ounce, almost back at her birth weight. She is in the 7th percentile for weight and 52nd percentile for height (she definitely gets that boost in height from the Phelps side). After her appointment, she had her heal pricked at the hospital. I know she was miserable, but I'm pretty sure it was harder on me than on her. Luckily, her jaundice has pretty much cleared up, so we don't have to go through that again.

Now that HoneyGram is gone, Netty and I spend a lot of time hanging out while Jon is at school. I didn't take a lot of pictures while HoneyGram was here, so now I have to adjust to taking all the pictures. We're settling in to a chaotic routine that's not so routine. Netty will sleep for several hours in a row if I'm holding her, but only in ten-minute increments when I put her in bed. She eats really well, though, and is fairly content when she is awake. She is definitely a sweetheart.

Look Out for Mr. Stork

Look Out For Mr. Stork

Look out for Mr. Stork
That persevering chap
He'll come along and drop
A bundle in your lap
You may be poor or rich
It doesn't matter which
Millionaires, they get theirs
Like the butcher and the baker
So look out for Mr. Stork
And let me tell you, friend
Don't try to get away
He'll find you in the end
He'll spot you out in China or he'll fly to County Cork
So you better look out for Mr. Stork

Look out for Mr. Stork
He's got you on his list
And when he comes around
It's useless to resist
Remember those quintuplets and the woman in the shoe
Maybe he's got his eye on you

 

Induction time was 7:30, but I needed an antibiotic that had to be in my system for four hours. They checked for dilation (I was at a 5), broke my water, and gave me the antibiotic, but they didn't start pitocin until around 11:00. They cranked it two notches every half hour, and after about an hour or two, the contractions started moving in. By around 4:45 I was wanting to push, but the doctor wasn't there yet. About that point I decided I wanted an epidural, but I was too late. I was already at 9 1/2 cm, and the contractions were on top of one another. At 5:00 I started pushing, and at 5:15 p.m., Netty Kay Phelps made her appearance at 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and 19 inches long.

 

Netty was awake for about the first two hours after she was born. She latched on right away (though future attempts at nursing have not come so easily as the first), and has been relatively calm. Even her screams are soft. I have loved just staring at her, watching her breathing and talking to her as she bats her dark eyes at me.

  

I was very grateful that they bathed Netty and let me shower before moving us to our new room with clean sheets. The bed is much more comfortable. Cousin Nicole was Netty's first visitor, and she was welcomed with open arms when she came in with pizza, courtesy of Uncle Brent. :)

Delivering a baby is anything but easy, but in less than 12 hours it's already worth it. So, "Look out for Mr. Stork, that persevering chap. He'll come along and drop a bundle in you lap!"

Week Thirty-Nine's Baby Bump

I know I don't look very happy in this picture, but I was trying. I've been so uncomfortable. But tomorrow that will come to an end. My doctor is inducing me first thing in the morning. Not a moment too soon, that's for sure. Emotions are high; I cried three times watching Dumbo the other night, and once again during a particular MASH episode involving the delivery of a baby.

My mom came into town today to help out for the first little bit. I'm so glad she will be here not only for Netty's birth, but to help me figure things out. While she made dinner I made a lemon cake, and then later tonight Mom made the frosting. Happy early birthday to Netty!

Week Thirty-Eight's Baby Bump

I finally gave up on putting off reading Pride and Prejudice. I've been wanting to read it but decided to wait and read it aloud to Netty (not that she'll find much enjoyment in it, but it would be good exposure to classic literature). But I decided that since she's being uncooperative, I'm going to be uncooperative, and I started it without her.

On Sunday, Jon stuck in Disney's Robin Hood, one of our favorites. Netty knows the music well, and she started kicking when it came on. I said, "Netty, if you'd just get here already, you'd be able to watch it with us." For that I got a strong kick in the ribs, and she spent the rest of the movie still and pouting.

HoneyGram (my mom) said she's losing her patience with Netty because she can't just keep putting her life on hold. So I had a talk with Netty and said, "It's very rude to keep people waiting like this. HoneyGram can't wait around for you. You need to cooperate and just come so that she can get back to her life." With that, Netty rolled over and probably went back to sleep.

A Graduate of B.S.

After seven years (yes, I know I should be a doctor by now), I am finally a BYU-Idaho graduate. At least I think I am. The degrees are conferred by President Clark according to the Commencement program, and my name was not in it. Instead, one girl's name was in it twice, and mine was not in there at all. My name would have been in its own section since I was the only one graduating with a Bachelor of Science in English Education Composite. And even more irritating is that I happen to know that the girl whose name was in my place didn't complete her student teaching and didn't graduate. At first I didn't care. Then I was mildly annoyed. Then I was really frustrated. Now, several days later, I am back to mildly annoyed. I'm pretty sure that in the next day or two I won't care anymore.

I am pretty sure that graduation cap and gown was designed by either a complete idiot or a jerk who believed women shouldn't graduate. There is no possible way to look cute in a cap and gown. The man who handed me my gown took one look at my belly and upped the size. Then I had the ever-so-annoying experience of trying to keep my cap on my head. Finally I called Stephanie, and she came to the rescue with a hair clip to keep it secured.

The "graduation candidates," as they are called, are contained in a 10-court gym and told to stand in line. I was reminded of my elementary school days when we were told to stay in line and after about a minute, everyone has scattered and mixed. It was incredibly uncomfortable for me to stand in one spot. I only survived by rocking back and forth.

I had contractions all through graduation, and they got progressively harder, but they stopped around 10:00 when we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

Elder Ballard was the Commencement speaker. One of the things that I loved so much about his talk was how hopeful he was about the future. He said that although times are tough right now, we will begin to see things turn for the better. Of course this doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared for more hard times, but we need to turn our fears about the future into faith. We have been blessed to go to such a wonderful university where we have been taught by the Spirit, and with such an education we can do great things.

By the time we got to Convocation, I was ready to be done with the night. However, it did feel so good to walk across the stage in the Manwaring Center Grand Ballroom and receive my diploma.....cover. I think it's silly that we go through the formality of receiving a folder that doesn't even have a diploma in it. The professor handing out the diploma covers was Brother Bennion, my Shakespeare teacher. The last time he saw me, only a couple semesters ago, I was engaged, and now I have a balloon in my belly and a waddle in my step.

My parents can now say that they have successfully graduated all five of their children with Bachelor's degrees. It is truly amazing that although neither of them graduated from college, every one of their children has, and two of them so far are currently attending graduate school. My graduation from college, in many ways, is a greater reflection of their dedication to education and to their children.

I am also so proud of Jon. Over the last three semesters he has stayed beside me, sometimes pushing, sometimes pulling, and sometimes picking me up and carrying me. He has been a real trooper through my anxiety attacks, morning sickness, and mood swings. The stress has been unbearable at times, and I surely would not have gotten through the last stretch of my college education without him. I love you Jonny!

Week Thirty-Seven's Baby Bump

I've made it to term, and I am SOOO ready to be done!

Week Thirty-Six's Baby Bump

The last week has been a whirlwind. We finished packing up all of our belongings from my parents' house and--with the much needed help of Dad Phelps, Josh, Sam, and Marianne--moved to a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown St. Anthony. The first few days were very emotional for me because I had had a lot of contractions and a nurse at Madison Hospital told me to stay in bed for a couple days. We didn't have TV or Internet, so we completely missed General Conference, and I felt like I couldn't move. I thought I would enjoy "having" to stay in bed, but I was miserable. Every time Jon came in the room I'd break out into tears. I'm sure that did wonders for his self esteem. :) On Monday I had my first doctor's appointment with Dr. Meredith in Rexburg (before moving to Utah I had only seen a nurse practitioner), and he said the baby is over six pounds and should be good to go anytime. He assured me not to be afraid of contractions because although I'm still considered "preterm," the baby is big enough and developed enough to make her entrance.

Jon has been a real trouper through all of this. He has set up the majority of the apartment on his own. He won't let me lift anything, and in the last couple days, any moving or lifting of items more than a few pounds has been somewhat painful for me anyway. So I have been finding other ways of occupying my time. We made lemonade the other day and then decided to make cherry limeade ice cubes. I spent several minutes pouring the juice into ice trays and even absorbing some of the juice when it came up a little too high in the tray so that each ice cube would look perfect. Initially the ice cubes in the lemonade looked really fun, but after the ice cubes mostly melted into the juice, it looked more like blood and it lost it's appeal. But there you go. These are the kinds of things you do when you have a time bomb in your stomach and are trying to keep busy.

Even though we won't be in this apartment very long, we decided to hang pictures to make it feel a bit more like home. The apartment is coming together now, and I feel like this has been my biggest contribution to making it "ours."

Week Thirty-Five's Baby Bump

With so many free days, I have felt incredibly relaxed. It's been a nice change from the constant stress I was feeling before. We have had a slight change of plans in out moving arrangements. Our manager told us we could move in as early as March 31st, so with the help of Josh and Jeremy (Jon's brothers), we are moving to St. Anthony on Saturday instead of Monday. We have a lot of work to do before then, but I think it will be fine. I'm looking forward to getting there and having a little more space. However, I'm really looking forward to our final move a week or two later when I'll then be able to set up our home and get ready for Netty's arrival.

Yesterday Jon and I visited Andra, one of my former roommates and dear friends. She gave birth to a baby boy, Parker, about two weeks ago. He is such a little sweetheart. I was in heaven holding a new baby. It makes me all the more excited for Netty to come. I'm pretty sure Netty has developed her first crush. She starts jumping around every time I talk about him. When I held him, she kicked nonstop. I said, "Uh-oh, Daddy, we have a little flirt on our hands. You're going to have to keep an eye on her."

Last week, Jon's sister Alyssa gave birth to Bryce, her third child. I am so grateful that Netty has a cousin her age. She just needs a girl cousin closer to her age. Alyssa is the only sibling on Jon's side who can have children, so Jessica? Sarah? Any takers? ;)

Week Thirty-Four's Baby Bump

And I am so happy to say that after seven years, I am finally going to graduate! Today's exit interview went very well, and I have officially been given a "pass" for my student teaching!