Play by play of Calvin's arrival ... "sumo baby" lived up to his name

A whopping 9 lb 13 oz and 21 inches long! Born Fri Oct 16th @ 8:48pm.

When I woke up Friday morning, I wasn't sure if these cramping pains were contractions, or just gas, lol! Around 9am, I thought I should maybe contact Nate at school and just give him a heads up, it could be today. I had been to my Dr the previous day and they said I was 3cm and 80% and that the baby looked like he was still big, and had gained 3 oz from last sono, so he was expected to be 9lb3oz at that time. Dr Apgar said, i'll give you a 50% chance you are still pregnant next week ... guess he was being a little conservative on his estimate :). I end up calling the clinic and they said to come in to get checked out. Dad stayed with the kids, I took everything with me "just in case", picked up Nate and headed to the clinic around 10:30am.

At the clinic they monitored contractions, which were definitely happening, and he said if I was 4cm that he would admit me - I was. Before I got admitted, we ran across the street to Smoothie King - I hadn't eaten anything and knew once we got to the hospital that all I would be able to have was ice chips and popsicles at best. (SO glad we did that!). We got checked in @ 12:45ish. I was Group Strep B positive, so they wanted to make sure I got 2 doses of antibiotics prior to baby coming. So they took it slow, and didn't try to help anything out until that was done. I got an epidural around 5:30, at 6pm they broke my water. 7:15pm I was 5cm. While we were waiting, Nate got on Skype with Dave & Janie (two of our closest friends in MN). It was hilarious to be talking to them while I am in labor. Then Dr Tran came in at 8pm and checked me (Dave & Janie still on the computer with Nate) and she says "your at 10!" So we got off the computer and got ready to push.

The complete amount of time I had to push was only about 20 mins, his head came down very fast, barely had to even push to get him there. But he had "Shoulder Dystocia", which meant both shoulders were pinned in my pelvis. His heart rate slowed and before I knew it there were 8 or 9 other people in the room and there were 3 nurses standing on chairs next to me, pressing their fists into my abdomen as

hard as they could to dislodge this little pork-chop and get him out. As soon as they did, they took him to the table and immediately began trying to get him
to breathe. It took about 4 minutes for him to finally cry - THE most wonderful sound I had heard in my life! After 30 mins of tests, I finally got to hold my new baby boy - he was so purple and puffy from coming down so quickly, but he was still perfect.

Sumo Baby Update

Went to my Dr appt today and the 2nd sonogram reveals the same exact things as the one we had a week and a half ago - BIG BOY! It was a different tech and her measurements were exactly the same as the last, so he is still off the charts and measuring about 9lb 3oz at this point. And he is DEFINITELY a boy as I saw today, lol! But everything looks perfect, no concerns or worries.

I am now 3cm dilated and 75% effaced - Dr Apgar said he'd give me a 50% chance that I am still pregnant this time next week. So we will see. I am totally not anxious about any of that, weight, arrival etc. It's in God's hands and I am grateful for this big healthy baby boy who is thriving in my tummy.

The nurse did say "i'd just put this one in the refrigerator when he's born" - meaning he's as big as a Thanksgiving turkey, so we should just save him. Last time he was "cooked", this time he's in the fridge, maybe next time he'll be on the table and ready to serve :).

Fall Blessings

Just a little testimony on how God TRULY does provide for the desires of our hearts.

I've been reading the local newspaper frequently over the last month and have seen a Harvest Festival advertised at Butler's Orchard - which is only like 10 mins from our house. It looked like so much fun and a great way to experience Maryland in the Fall - and maybe even a great

event to do with my dad while he was here visiting from CA. The thing was, it is only open on weekends, (Nate is usually studying and testing out on the weekends) and it would be $10 a ticket for ages 2 and over. So I pretty much scrapped that idea.

Sunday afternoon I got an email from Julie Purswell saying that someone from the church donated 8 tickets for any PC families wanting to go. There are 17 families in our class, so they were basically going to be distributed once she knew who was interested. I replied and said, if 3

tickest were available, we could swing $10 to go - PLUS they were open Monday for Columbus Day (they are usually closed Monday's which is our family day, so it has never been an option to go then) ... long story short, only 1 other family replied, so we got 4 tickets and all of us got to go and enjoy a very fall-ish day at Butler's Orchard, for free! Lord, you are SO good to us!

Potential Future Sumo Wrestler ...

Today Nate & Sophie and I went to my 3rd trimester ultra sound together. We were SO excited, and Sophie was especially excited to see pics of her new baby brother.

Baby boy @ 19 wks 3 days - who is now so big at 37 wks they couldn't even

get a face shot of him - the nurse said "yep, he's cooked" lol!

We got into the sonogram room and I hopped up on the table, expecting to see hands and feet and a cute squished face as we did 17 weeks prior... The technician measured his head and the next thing she came across was his belly. She measured it, and then measured it again. Checked her charts and measured him again. Nate asked if there was something concerning, and she said "well, see that 'OOR' right there? That means 'out of range' basically his stomach is measuring larger than 41 weeks." I looked at Nate and just laughed. She tried a couple more angles and still 'OOR'. His head was also so far down and pressed into my pelvis that she couldn't even get a picture of his face "Yup, he's cooked" is what she said.

So we walked into the exam room and waited to see Dr. Apgar. Jen his nurse came in to take vitals and told us that he is a big boy and as of now is measuring 9 lbs!! She said at this point in the pregnancy, you can give or take a pound with that estimation - I'm thinking, OK, so he's 8 lbs OR he's 10, HA! Dr Apgar said that they really don't have concerns, my glucose levels are exemplary and there is no possibility of gestational diabetes. So basically we're gonna let nature take it's course (well, God and HIS sovereignty is what WE are trusting in). I also found out I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced (thinned out) already.

This answers my questions in regards to the 6 additional stretch marks I have recently discovered and the fact that I am waking up at least once an hour, if not twice, at night to use the restroom - I have a mini-sumo wrestler pressed against my bladder!

(I'll be going in next Thurs and they are gonna do another ultra sound to check this guy out and see how he's doing then too, so I will keep everyone posted. CRAZY!)