Announcing...

Jeneva Grace Fetterly

born August 14, 2009 at 5:50 a.m.

weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz. and measuring 20.4 in. long

Preparing for the Big Day...

For me, Thursday was spent readying my house for my mom's arrival and preparing to check into the hospital the following morning for my scheduled c-section. I was able to wash all of the sheets in the house, wash and put away the laundry, pack my suitcase, clean my bathrooms, sweep the floors, and tidy the house. After making a taco dinner (isn't that what you are supposed to eat before you have a baby!) and finishing up packing and tidying, I headed to the airport with my sister to pick up our mom. She arrived a little before her 9:20 arrival time, so we were actually home before 10 o'clock! At around 10, I thought that I better eat a few crackers (4 Ritz crackers to be precise) since I was told to not eat anything after midnight (BIG MISTAKE!) We all got settled into bed a little before 11 p.m. I was a little unsure if I would be able to get to sleep since I was only 5 short hours from heading to the hospital!

Change of Plans...

Around 11:45 I woke up to realize that my water broke! That sort of put a kink in our plans! If I were only having contractions instead of my water breaking I would have just stuck it out until 4:30 a.m. when we were planning to leave for the hospital. But, after calling the hospital, I decided to go ahead and check in to the hospital so that they could monitor the baby. Shortly after my water "began" breaking (I say this because my water continued to gush out every few minutes for the next couple of hours), contractions began. So after checking into the hospital, I spent a few minutes in triage and was then moved to a "laboring" room.

Four Little Ritz Crackers...

While in triage I just "openly" admitted to eating 4 Ritz crackers (I wasn't even asked about that!). So because of those four little crackers, I had to "labor" until 5:00 a.m.! They really didn't want me to have anything in my stomach for 8 hours prior to the c-section. So, I had a completely sleepless night "laboring" when I knew very well that it was for no reason since I would be having a c-section. I knew there was no chance I would deliver the baby quickly since I was only dilated 1 centimeter. Because my doctor wasn't "on call" that night, I also knew that a different doctor would be performing the c-section, which made me a little sad...especially since the c-section was going to be performed just a couple hours prior to its scheduled time.

The Operating Room...

Around 5:15 a.m., everyone was FINALLY ready to do my c-section. The doctor had finished a delivery and the anesthesiologist had finished doing an epidermal. Once I got to the OR, the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block to numb me from the waist down. In addition to being so lightheaded and nauseous, my heart began racing which sort of scared everyone. My heart rate came back down and things continued. Jimmy was brought in and the doctor began scouting out how he wanted to cut me open! As with the delivery of all our babies, Jimmy was very lightheaded during the whole procedure. I think at one point he had more people making sure he was OK, than I had people watching me! I mean, he even got a cup of juice brought to him! At one point the anesthesiologist told Jimmy to sit down, remove his mask, and look down...unfortunately at about that point the doctor dropped my placenta on the floor which was not really what Jimmy needed to see! :)

Little Girl #3 Enters the World...

At 5:50, we heard little Jeneva Grace's first little cry. Comments about how big she was and how healthy she looked was pretty much all I can remember. I was so happy that the table where they cleaned her up and suctioned her excess mucous was right where I could watch everything. After allowing me to take a close look at her and give her a kiss, they swept her off to be weighed and measured. Jimmy went along with her while I hung out in the OR being put back together.

The Recovery Room...

After leaving the OR, I met Jimmy and Jeneva in the recovery room. We hung out there a while until our room was ready and they were able to monitor my vitals for a little while. I guess we were in the recovery room for at least an hour or so, because I know that I nursed Jeneva for about 45 minutes.

The Hospital Stay...

It was nice to finally get to our final room where we would be staying the remainder of our time in the hospital. Shortly after getting settled, my mom brought Jewel and Jane up to see us. The girls were SOOOO excited. Jane was so happy that NOW she was "a big sister just like Jewel!" They both were interested to see what color eyes Jeneva had. And they were both beaming as they were allowed to hold their new baby sister. I think that they even held Jeneva before Jimmy did. He graciously declined each time when someone would offer to let him hold her. He was just really lightheaded from the Operating Room experience, and I think he didn't want to pass out and drop her!

We spent 3 nights in the hospital (4 if you count the night waiting for the c-section), We checked out Monday morning. I was really pleased with the hospital staff. Most of them were great! With this hospital stay, I decided that I was going to be friends with any pain medicine that was offered to me. In the past I have been so overly concerned that any medicine I would take would affect the baby through my milk. However, this time I decided that is was important for me to recover as comfortably as possible. I was sad to get my last dose of IV drugs Sunday night, but I transistioned to oral medicine pretty well. Jeneva lost 10% of her body weight while in the hospital. She went from 8 lbs. 11 oz. to 8 lbs. 6 oz. to 8 lbs. even to 7 lbs. 12 oz. On Tuesday at the doctor's office she was back up to about 8 lbs.
Coming Home...

I have been doing pretty well at home so far. The worst thing, which I fully expected, has been the pain in nursing. It is, however, getting a "little" less painful. The saddest thing so far has been that Jewel has had a little cough over the last couple of days which has limited her closeness to Jeneva. We rigged a little mask for her to wear while she holds Jeneva. The day after we returned home (Tuesday), we brought Jeneva in for a checkup. Her bilirubin score went up a bit (but was still in the low risk category), but she also gained a few ounces (which was great since she had lost 15 ounces while in the hospital. Nursing is going well, except for her tongue positioning. The lactation consultant felt that her tongue was "borderline" of being a problem, but we are just working with it. I think that it has caused a little more pain on my part due to poor latching on, but I think she is still getting plenty of milk. She is my sleepiest little girl by far. I have to wake her up to eat...which is something that I have never had to do. It almost goes against all that I believe to actually "wake a sleeping baby!" :)

Welcome home, Jeneva Grace! The girls made cute signs to hold as they celebrating our arrival home from the hospital. They have been so excited for Jeneva to sit in her swing so that was pretty much Jeneva's first stop when she came home! :)

Napping with Nana...

Jewel with her mask. She was so happy to hold her new baby sister...but her new baby sister wasn't so sure about it! :)

One Week Old...

At one week we had Jeneva's weight checked again. She had only gained about 1/3 of an ounce so the past couple of days I have been nursing her at least every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours during the night. I think that she has probably gained a little weight as of today. Her stools have transitioned from greenish black to brownish yellow so I am pretty sure her bilirubin has come down. Monday I will get her weight checked again and as long as she has gained something I won't bring her back to get checked at the doctor until her next scheduled appointment.

Jimmy cut off a huge leaf from our backyard. We only had about a minute to try to take a pic before Jeneva decided she didn't like her new spot.

5 Days and Counting...

Well, today is my LAST SUNDAY being pregnant (at least with this pregnancy). Over the past couple of days I have been trying to talk to the girls about how things will go with my hospital stay and with Nana coming to stay with them for those few nights. I think they are excited and just about ready for the big day! If anything, Jane might have some teary days with changes, but I think her excitement will probably outweigh any fears she has about changes. Jewel has been practicing putting diapers on her baby and thinking about how else she will be taking care of the baby. She really wants to help with belly button! :) We have the house just about ready to welcome our new little girl...the pack-n-play, swing, and bassinet are all set up; clothes are all washed and ready; hospital bags are mostly packed, and the freezer is stocked full of meals and the cabinets are over-stuffed with food.
This morning on the way to church, Jimmy asked Jane what her favorite part was about staying in the hospital (when she had pneumonia a couple of months ago)...she said, "Walking to the movie cabinet and picking out a movie." Then Jimmy asked her what her least favorite thing was. She said, "Opening my mouth." Jimmy said, "To get your temperature taken or to take medicine?" She said, "No, when they were trying to give me air in my body." She laughs and continues, "But I already have air in my body!" Then we realized she was talking about the breathing treatments that they had given her the first couple of days. Jewel giggles and says, "Jane, those were just breathing TREATS!" (referring to breathing treatments). :)

10 Days and Counting...

We are down to only 10 days until we meet our third little girl. This past week, Jewel and Jane made a countdown chain chart thing to keep track of how many days we have left. They practically made it all by themselves. Jane cut the white strips of paper, and Jewel cut the red strips. Then Jewel made the chain from the strips of paper alternating each color...that way they will always know whose turn it is to cut off a link! :)

I don't know if I can express how ready I am to not be pregnant any longer. It seems like my skin is stretched to its limits, and it is soooo hard to get comfortable. Based upon previous weights of my babies, I assume I have close to an 8 pound baby stuffed inside me at this very moment! In my limited energy I have been trying to get things a bit more organized around here and also get things ready for the baby. Today as I was making my to do list for next week, I penciled in that I would back my bags the night before my c-section...however it hit me that it is possible that I might now make it that long since it is only one week early! I guess I will try to pack my bag as soon as I hit 38 weeks...maybe that will be a little safer.

This past weekend my wonderful hubby encouraged me to pick up some nursing bras AND clothing. I have never really had nursing tops or nursing pajamas so I am excited to see how that will make a little easier!

As of this past week, getting out has been REALLY a challenge. Getting out for church on Wednesday evening and on Sundays is about all I can handle. I guess this week I will also have to get to the doctor somehow as well! It seems like as long as I stay home and just do the basic cleaning and cooking, I feel pretty well....anything more than that makes me feel like I am going into labor! So I guess, in a way, I have sort of put myself on "bed-rest" these last few days just so that I will make it to my scheduled C-section! I am not sure if it is what typical bed-rest would look like, but as my friend Michael called it..."entering my period of confinement." (I think that is how she put it!)

So, although I totally realize the pain and sleeplessness will be 10 times greater AFTER I have the baby, I am so ready to not be pregnant any longer and get on with the process of recovering! I am sure I will blog (somehow) right after the baby is born....so stay tuned! :)

20 Days and Counting!

In only 20 short--well, realistically, probably long--days, we will be meeting the newest member of our family. I have DEFINTELY been feeling that the end is approaching. My body is beginning to shut down a bit. In addition to the previously mentioned pregnancy discomforts, I have had contractions several times, discomfort from heavy pelvic pressure, uncomfortable baby kicks and jabs, and greater fatigue. There seems to be no room left inside my body! In fact, I don't think that I have gained any weight in the past 3 weeks or so. My poor bladder is now about the size of a pea!
I am so glad that I have a freezer full of meals. I guess now I will just sit back these last 2 to 3 weeks of pregnacy and first few weeks of recovering from c-section surgery and caring for an infant and rest as much as possible. My biggest challenge by far is going to the grocery store. The last couple of trips I have been blessed to have Jimmy stay home with the girls and Jenna come along to push the grocery cart. Not having 70 to 80 pounds (kids plus groceries) to push down each aisle makes grocery shopping do-able!
I have my last 2 doctor's appointments scheduled, c-section date set, and my mother's airline ticket booked. Now all I need to do is to NOT go into labor!

Arkansas Visitors :)

This past Friday, a co-worker and buddy of Jimmy's from Conway came for a visit. Brad and Jimmy were both math coaches in the Conway Public School District. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with the Etters family!

I am putting this next picture up to show my CRAZY pregnant belly! I guess this would mark the beginning of the 9th month! Four more weeks and we will get to meet our new little girl! :)

This picture was taken at Mission San Luis. It was pretty hot so we didn't stay too long.

30 Days and Counting!

In only 30 days from today we will get to meet our new little bundle of joy. I have actually been more excited to meet this baby than even my previous two little girls. I think that is because now I see what a joy each child is and how different their personalities can be. I am excited to see what sort of personality this little girl will have and who she will look like! I know that I may be living in a fairyland in a way, but I think this baby might actually be the easiest for me to adjust to for a few reasons: I have cared for and nursed 2 infants already, my two little girls can be big helpers and are BOTH completely potty trained, and my girls no longer need me to carry them around (which is what I had to do with Jewel since she wasn't even 2 when Jane was born). I realize that I will do much more household managing now caring for and TEACHING my two big girls and caring for a newborn, but I think this past summer has been preparing me for it. The girls have learned how to do chores pretty well, and I have been experimenting with teaching them some preschool things together. I still realize that it is going to be very difficult to juggle all of my responsibilities while introducing two new things to our lives, namely a new baby and regular homeschooling.

As far as how my body is doing at this stage in the pregnancy...I have been doing a little better than I expected, I think. I was thinking that the last two months were the hardest, but I made it through the 8th month pretty well...I had some swelling, regular heartburn, and a limited amount of energy...but other than that I have had very little discomfort. However, even in the last couple of days I have been feeling a little more pelvic pressure (or heaviness) that requires me to sit or lay down periodically. The heartburn and swelling continue but are manageable. There have been times that I have been uncomfortable, have had difficulty breathing and experienced lightheadedness when the baby is positioned a certain way.

At home, I can tell that I am in the "survival" month now. But, thankfully, my family is helpful to pick up the slack for me and are OK with not-so-spectacular meals.

Sunday Morning

These pictures were actually from last Sunday morning...but my life is running about a week behind schedule these days...so you are just now getting them THIS Sunday! :) Last week we started going to the second service again for a while so we actually had time to take a couple pictures before leaving for church! :) The dresses the girls are wearing are two of my favorites.



Here are some more belly pictures, for those of you who enjoy gauking at my growing belly! ;) I guess this marks 30 weeks or around 7 1/2 months.

Here is Daddy with his girls!

Lack of posts...

Sorry for me lack of posts lately. I have been really busy! This past Thursday my younger sister Jenna arrived from Idaho to live with us for the summer. I have spent the last couple of days trying to get her settled and begin looking for a job. She will be living with us until the end of August (when the baby comes) and will, Lord willing, be able to secure a roommate here in town by then. It has been a fun last couple days. She is a joy to have around and has been helpful to me.

There is really not much to update concerning my pregnancy. I think that I have gained 4 pounds per month the last 2 months, which is normal, I guess. I am now beginning to go every two weeks to the doctor instead of once per month. That sort of helps me feel like the end is near! I am hoping to pick a C-section date at my next visit. This will be something new for me since I have always waited to "go into labor." In God's kind providence, my mother has arrived the very day I went into labor on both of my previous pregnancies. Swelling has begun. My ankles, feet, and hands seem to swell, even early during the day if I am on my feet much. I now have to get up at least a couple times per night to go to the bathroom. I always say that this is preparing me to get up with an infant. All in all, I feel pretty good during this 7th month of pregnancy. I still can tire easily, and sometimes I get out of breath pretty quickly. We are trying to walk every evening as a family which has helped to keep me moving. I hope to continue this over the next couple months, if I am able to do so. For those of you who like pictures, here are two pictures of me. The first is at about 4 months. The second is around 6 and a half months. I will try to think to take a picture sometime this month or next month (for those of you who regularly ask me for "belly" picture updates)!

BREAKING NEWS!

OK, I know that I said that I was going to finish posting our St. Augustine pictures before posting anything new, but....I thought I would make an exception!

We had our doctor's appt today and found out what we will be having! I have to say that I was a little surprised, but we are all really excited! :)

Fetterly #3 will be a.... GIRL!

Check out our new "ticker" countdown!

If you scroll to the bottom of our blog, you will find this ticker that will be counting down the days until #3 joins our family!

Big News Around Here...

Well, I still have laundry to finish folding and only half of my Christmas stuff is packed away...but I thought that I would go ahead and share a bit of excitement with you all. We are expecting baby #3! :)...which is why I am still not finished with laundry and my Christmas stuff is not put away yet! I have been soooo tired and pretty queasy for the first several hours of the day. My two major food aversions are coffee and sweets (the smell of, the sight of, or even the thought of them!)

It looks like the baby will come some time at the end of August. We are all very excited...especially the girls!