Maris Birth Story
The start of YOU! November 2015, sometime in that month was your conception. Mommy really wanted a third baby and so did your TT, Tara, and so we had a dream of having our third babies together. I was thinking we would try to start trying for a third baby in the spring of 2016 because I thought a winter baby would be a good time of year with all the other family birthdays. I had taken a pregnancy test in early November because my cycle had gone a little long, but it was negative, and I wasn't surprised because my cycle hadn't evened out yet from having Odin and finishing nursing. I taught a rigorous HIIT class on thanksgiving morning and really noticed I was more out of breath than normal. I had kind of noticed that in earlier classes too, but I wasn't sleeping very good also (having insomnia) so I thought that's why my workouts felt fatigued. So many red flags looking back! A few days after thanksgiving I took another test still assuming it to be negative, and to my total shock, it was positive! I was in total shock because we weren't "trying". I was also wanting to wait until Tara and George were ready, and I knew they definitely were not. So I was of course THRILLED to be pregnant and experience yet another precious baby, but I was sad that Tara wouldn't be pregnant with me. Your dad was shocked and thrilled just like me. I put a cute poem about being a family of five on a nice piece of paper and had it on the counter when he got home from work. We quickly estimated due date and began talking so excited about how life was changing again and how our family was growing!
I told Tara a few days later when we were out mall walking. She was floored too! She immediately said "well, I will tell George we just have to start trying RIGHT now!"
(They did end up trying in Dec and got pregnant in Jan and told me on our annual trip to Arizona, where I was so shocked I almost fainted. I was SO over the moon that George decided it was an okay time to start trying! We have my reaction on video, it's priceless!)
We decided it would be fun to tell my mom and Ted as a Christmas gift, so that was a Looooong month of keeping such a secret. We gave them a "grandparent survival kit" with another super sweet poem.
It's so crazy to think back now before we knew you, that you were a girl, your amazing disposition, angelic nature, and adorable face with pretty blue eyes, would be our next baby to have and to hold, and love fiercely for the rest of your life. At that time we had no idea what you would be like, and it's so neat to write about you now. You have truly been a dream baby.
Pregnancy was great, minor tailbone issues as usual but nothing else major. I was very active continuing to teach 3 classes a week and exercise 5/6 days every week diligently. I also completed a goal of 10,000 daily steps since about 15 weeks pregnant, and made it every day except one (I was sick.)
Fast forward 9 months and daddy had been gone a couple nights in rifle for his inventory. You were due August 5, and inventory fell on August 4. He got home after dinner that night (a Thursday) and was SO exhausted from hardly any sleep. I woke up about 1:30 that morning with some cramping but thought I had to go #2😄 I think I did a little bit but when I went back to bed I noticed the cramping was coming in waves. So I woke up your daddy, who kind of just laid there and didn't believe me I don't think, plus he had only been asleep a few hours. I felt bad😌I texted my mom and sister and called my mom as well, who kept asking me "are you sure this is it?" I was pretty sure at this point because they were coming in waves and I definitely had to pause when they came. George and Gretta happened to be sleeping at Grammys that night, so Uncle George came over with Tara, to stay with Léonie and Odin. We left for the hospital with Tara following us, and Grammy woke George and Gretta up and brought them over to our house and George took over watching all the kids the rest of the morning. Grammy got to the hospital shortly after we checked in. I was at 5-6 cm when the on call dr checked me and when Tiffany arrived maybe 20 min later I was at an 8. I labored mostly in the bed and did try getting on all fours and a couple other positions but mostly wanted to stay on my left side. Tiffany my midwife, broke my water and things definitely started getting worse, per expected! I was fighting pushing through the contractions because it is painful! My midwife seemed to be getting frustrated and suggested, or pretty much told me, we were going to go to the toilet and try laboring there. I reaaallllly didn't want to even move, but they all helped me get there. My contractions stopped at that point for some reason and I was just resting on daddy's shoulder and my midwife mentioned Pitocin if the contractions didn't pick up. I remember thinking there would be no way that I would let them give me that! My midwife asked the nurse for a heat pack to put on my breasts because that can stimulate the uterus again. It totally worked and out of nowhere I had a huge contraction come, and pushed you out in one push!! It was CRAZY! I remember moaning so loud and I felt like an animal! I was really weak and overwhelmed so daddy had to take you at first so I could calm down! Tee tee yelled "it's definitely a girl!"
They pretty quickly moved me over to the bed where you landed safe and cozy in my arms.💗💗💗You were so tiny! I could tell you were probably smaller than Leonie and Odin and you were, weighing 6 lb 9oz. You had no hair, and were just so beautiful. We still hadn't chose your name at that point but we were pretty sure it would be Maris. You latched on to nurse really well and ate for about an hour. Those moments in my life are my most cherished. You were another angel that fell into our lives that morning, we were so overjoyed and blessed, and no words will ever describe our love for you and how elated we were to have you in our arms. You had low blood sugar for about 24 hours which required you to keep getting poked to check levels, which was so very sad. Thankfully you snapped out of that and your levels normalized and we got to take you home on that Saturday, August 6th. You were born on August 5th, at 3:31am, right on your due date, and a day before Gretta's birthday!
You have been a total dream. Your disposition is calm, sweet, and cuddly. You constantly kick your legs and can't keep socks on because of it. You smile and kick your legs whenever I approach you, it's so adorable. You rarely cry except when certain people hold you. In fact we think you are a little scared of uncle George's beard😌 Even when you are so so tired, you rarely fuss. You just put on a happy face and make adorable squawking noises and high pitched coos. We started calling you the squawking parrot! You often take 2-3 hour afternoon naps and you wake 2-3 times at night (5 months old).
We just took you to Arizona for the first time and you didn't cry one time on the drive down! We couldn't believe it. You slept almost the whole way between stops and were a total dream on the drive there.
Maris, you have been nothing but joy added to this family. I love your cute naked body and your pretty blue eyes. I love your soft angel white skin and your peach fuzz head. I love your baby hands. I love everything about you. For you I prayed, and God answered in the most incredible way. It's extremely hard for me to accept that you are my last baby, but you have been nothing short of a dream. You have completed our little 5 person family and life is so much better with you added to our family. I will love you forever and right now, I will hold you as much as I POSSIBLY can. I will savor those middle of the night feedings, and kiss your body up and down every chance I get. I promise to take the best care of you I know how, and I promise to keep learning how to be the best mommy I can to YOU. So far being your mommy has been such a true delight. I know you will have challenges in the future, but God will equip me to hopefully handle them the best I can for you. I can't wait to see what you will become, my sweet sweet baby girl. You are sleeping right now, and I miss you so much. I always look forward to the moment you wake and I get to hold you in my arms. Leonie thinks of you as her living doll and she absolutely adores you. She is constantly in your face and always talks about when you will get to really play with her. Odin loves you too, he wasn't AS interested in you simply due to his age, but he has really warmed up to you and loves to lay by you in your bouncer. Daddy is totally smitten with you and says you are the baby that will make it hard to see you not a baby anymore. He loves you so very much.
I may have already typed this but this is a blog post that I keep adding on to. You are SUCH a happy baby! You are rarely fussy even when you are tired. Your sweet nature is just so endearing and I absolutely love to be around you and hold you and play with you. I just hold you in my arms this tiny baby that you are, and I feel in such awe that you are MINE! You are MY baby! You came from ME! A perfect gift from above. God gave ME, YOU. And I just still can't get over that. I love you so very very much!!!!
I may have already typed this but this is a blog post that I keep adding on to. You are SUCH a happy baby! You are rarely fussy even when you are tired. Your sweet nature is just so endearing and I absolutely love to be around you and hold you and play with you. I just hold you in my arms this tiny baby that you are, and I feel in such awe that you are MINE! You are MY baby! You came from ME! A perfect gift from above. God gave ME, YOU. And I just still can't get over that. I love you so very very much!!!!
