the birth of Elliott James

I finally finished Elliott's home birth video. It took me three weeks to go through all of the footage and pictures. It's long but I didn't want to leave anything out. Enjoy!

due

Today is my due date and instead of being in labor, I'm writing this as my sweet and cuddly 10 day old son sleeps in my lap. I wanted to do a quick pregnancy recap, mostly for my own memories, since this was most likely my last.

Elliott's pregnancy was a wonderful experience for me. I thought Oliver's pregnancy and labor were easy, but somehow Elliott's were even easier. I was able to walk my 3 miles every day and continue my regular yoga classes until the end. I only ended up gaining 12 1/2 pounds (but managed to produce  a 7lb 6 oz baby 10 days early), no matter how much food I ate. I'm sure this contributed to a lot of my comfort during the pregnancy, and it was sure nice to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight the day I gave birth! I was also able to nurse my toddler throughout the pregnancy, without any trouble. My labor with Elliott was about twice as fast and far less painful than with Oliver and I think they were both considered pretty easy as far as labor is concerned. I certainly don't have much to complain about.

I was thrilled to have my home birth the second time around. It was such a wonderful experience, and so much more relaxing than being at the hospital. I even managed to have a water birth of my dreams, even though it was in my bathtub instead of the more comfortable labor tub (there wasn't enough time for the labor tub to be delivered during my labor). I loved the fact that Nick got to help catch Elliott and place him on my chest, and that I could sit in the bathtub as long as I wanted to, without having to cut the cord, or have my baby whisked away for cleaning and measuring. In fact, Elliot didn't even have his measurements taken until a few hours after he was born, and they were done on our bed where we were all resting. I also love that he wasn't prodded or poked, or given any medication.

Both pregnancies were truly amazing experiences, and I'm blessed to have two strong and healthy little boys!

40 weeks with Elliott sleeping on my belly

December 7th, 2011

I decided to take the day off work this morning. I was convinced that there was no way that Adriane was going to make it through the weekend and I wanted a day to help clean up the house and organize some things before the event. Woke up at 5:30 so I could go to a 6:15 Yoga class. Got home about 7:45 and Adriane tells me I better start cleaning, I’m thinking jeez I just walked in the door, I’m taking the whole day off to help clean the house… I was a little slow on the uptake; Adriane was in labor, she’d been having mild contractions since shortly after I left that morning. At this point she’s not sure if it’s real labor or false labor, but as usual she is taking care of all the details and has downloaded a handy contraction timer app for her phone. We take care of all the normal morning stuff, eat get dressed, etc. Adriane calls the midwife, still not sure if it’s actual labor or false labor, midwife says call back if the contractions start coming closer together and lasting longer. Little while later and they seem to be trending closer together and lasting longer, but not consistently, still not sure if this is actual labor, but I convince Adriane to call the midwife, Jenn. Jenn comes over to check Adriane to see if she is progressing; it’s about 11:00 at this point. Jenn says 8cm. For those that don’t know, when giving birth your cervix dilates, it starts at 0cm and progresses to 10cm. We didn’t even know that labor had really started and Adriane was almost finished! She is definitely an overachiever. At this point we called everyone that was supposed to be coming over. Adriane’s friend Kaila, the photographer Sarah, and the second midwife Amanda. It was a full blown labor party (not the political kind). Adriane wanted to do a water birth so she climbed into the bath tub and proceeded to make phone calls, write emails, and text message people between her ever strengthening contractions. Did I mention she’s pretty amazing? She was in the tub for about an hour and a half without dilating further, the contractions were starting to get very intense at this point and she was quite eager to get things moving so she got out of the tub for a little while. That seemed to get things moving again, and she was back in the tub just a few minutes later. That slowed things down again so a little while later she’s standing up in the tub holding on to me for support, she is holding so tight that she nearly pulled me in to the tub with her. I have no idea how long any of this is taking, once the contractions started getting hard for her I lost all track of time. All I really know is that what seemed like the better part of a day, was only a couple of hours. At 2:45 pm Adriane gave one last giant push and out popped a perfect little baby boy. I helped catch him and lift him up for Adriane to hold. I was really surprised that new born babies aren’t slippery, they are all sticky. They waited 20 minutes for the umbilical cord stop pulsing, then Oliver helped me cut the cord while he was still on Adriane’s chest in the bathtub.

Things we know about the new baby:
His name is Elliott James Villanueva, he was born 7lbs 6 oz, 20 ¾ inches long at 2:45 pm on Dec 7th, 2011. We chose his middle name after Adriane's godfather, Jim Baer. He was exactly 10 days early. As far as we can tell he is a perfect little boy. He looks a lot like his big brother. He is a champion nurser. He currently has brown hair but so did Oliver when he came out, so we’ll see if it turns blonde. The rest is to be discovered.

Kaila did an amazing job of taking care of Oliver, she played with him fed him, cleaned up, and took video. There is no way we could have done it without her. Sarah took 600 pictures which Adriane is eager to look through. Jenn and Amanda were both great. Even Penny was pretty calm the whole day. It went as well as we could have possibly hoped. And it was amazing to have it all happen in the comforts of our own home.

38 weeks

Well, I made it to December 3rd! The day that I turn 38 weeks and the day of my photography class, which was awesome! Now that it's over, I can just wait for the little guy to arrive. Nick had a vision tonight that he would be here Friday, December 9th, but my sister and grandma thought he would be here by now, or at least very soon. We'll just have to wait and see.

Name guessing has become a big activity up here at family coffee. Since Oliver still pronounces his name as "Ah" he doesn't offer many clues. Jim and Cynthia have resorted to calling off names and seeing if Oliver will say "uh huh" to any of them. Last night Oliver apparently said yes to Applejacks or Tiddliwinks! A few clues: 3 syllables and it doesn't actually start with an A. It does start with a letter in the first half of the alphabet (through N). Good luck :)

I'm still feeling pretty normal, walking three miles a day and going to my weekly yoga class. We do have everything ready at the house now, including our first delivery of cloth diapers, so anytime he wants to arrive, we'll be ready!

nursing

Oliver decided it was time to start nursing his baby. He usually hands me his baby to nurse, but last night at dinner, and again today at lunch, he decided baby needed to nurse while we were eating. He even made sure that the baby switched sides. Today his shirt was interfering with the nursing, so he asked me to take it off. You can see he is quite proud of himself :)

37 weeks

I'm full-term today, which means my home birth is a go! Yay! I'm pretty sure baby is still a few weeks away, but it's nice to know that I don't have to worry about where I'm going to deliver. I'm treating myself to a pedicure this afternoon to celebrate (thanks to Groupon) since I have a feeling it will be a while before I can make it out of the house by myself again.

A few days ago my friend Jess and I attempted to take a few maternity/last belly shot pictures before our little ones arrive. We picked a cold and rainy day, so we rushed through them quickly, and Oliver spent most of the time inside. Here are some of my pictures:

36 weeks

36 weeks today! Seriously, where has the time gone? I'll be full term in a week, which is the earliest I can have my home birth (any earlier and I would end up at the hospital). My stomach looks humongous compared with two weeks ago, and the midwives are happy that my weight gain is up to 10 lbs. I've made a lot of progress on the home birth preparations. There was a long checklist of supplies that needed to be purchased, and I think we have everything now. I also ordered the labor tub and froze a batch of brownies for everyone to eat while I'm in labor. I just have a few more loads of laundry to make sure everything is super clean for the baby.

We have also figured out who will be present at the birth: Nick, of course, one of my midwives plus a backup midwife, my friend Kaila (in charge of video and Oliver) and Sarah (my photographer). I've been thinking a lot about whether to have Oliver present or not (Jim and Cynthia can always pick him up) and I think we're going to let him stay as long as he is comfortable. I have watched three home births (two water births) on YouTube with him, and he didn't seem bothered by them. He actually asked to see more after the first one. I think he has somewhat of an understanding about what will happen. I also know several other toddlers who were present at their sibling's birth and did just fine.

Here's my 36 week belly. I like the picture of Nick better, which I took while checking the camera settings. Love the new camera/lens and I'll post more about that later.

a song for brother

Here is some footage from last month that I forgot to post. Oliver sings a song for his brother, plus lots of blowing raspberries on my stomach. He is really excited to meet his brother!

Poulsbo, hats and 33 weeks!

We spent this gorgeous Saturday in Poulsbo, Wa, with Nick's aunt and uncle, Hans and Nancy. His cousin Jessica and her family also joined us for lunch. We couldn't have asked for a better fall day. As you can see from the pictures below, we all had a great time. Penny played ball for nearly the entire 4 1/2 hours we were there and would cool off in the water when she got too hot. Oliver thoroughly enjoyed driving the lawn mower "tractor" and can't wait to go back to drive it again.

Nancy is also responsible for making all the cute hats you have seen in my posts, including the recent elephant hat. She has been on a bit of a knitting high lately, and sent us home with at least twenty hats, mostly matching pairs for Oliver and his brother. Oliver was so excited and tried them all on when we got home. Now I'm responsible for taking good pictures of the boys with their hats so she can include the pictures with her patterns that she hopes to sell. The lion hat was quite popular today :)

On a final note, I am 33 weeks pregnant today. Time is just flying by these last few weeks. Oliver arrived at 39 weeks and 2 days, which is just a little over 6 weeks from today! I continue to be feeling great, and really don't feel pregnant much of the time. Except of course, when I bend down and my stomach gets in the way. I have a few back pains at night, but I'm hoping my chiropractor will remedy that this week. My weight gain has picked up a little, and I'm now up to about 9lbs. I feel the little guy moving all the time and he seems to be well planted in his head-down, back towards my right side position, as I feel most of the movement on my left. I probably say this every time I do a pregnancy update, but we really can't wait to meet him!

lion hat on the potty

Penny spent the day doing this

going for a ride on the "tractor"

my handsome guys

true love

the cutest lions you'll ever see

mid-air catch

33 week belly

and a few family shots

toad hat

a hint

For those of you wondering what we are going to name this new little guy (who could be here in just over 8 weeks!), here's a hint:

30 weeks

I'm 30 weeks pregnant today. It's crazy to think that my due date is just 10 weeks away, and that if he follows in his big brother's footsteps, he'll be here before that! I realized that I wore that same shirt as my last belly shot and the stripes really make my stomach look smaller than it is. I'll try to remember to wear something different next time. The pregnancy is still going great! I'm feeling pretty well and baby is measuring about 1 1/2 weeks ahead. Weight gain is slow and stead, I'm up to about 8 lbs now.

kissing brother

Oliver loves to shower his brother with kisses. It's soo cute to watch! He actually got mad at me yesterday for wearing maternity pants with a full panel because when he pulled up my shirt, there was still another layer covering his brother.
He gives kisses all the time, un-prompted, but as soon as we bring the video camera out these days, he stops what he is doing and is more interested in watching himself on the screen.

baby clothes

Today I went through all of Oliver's baby clothes from Newborn to 6 months to see what had stains, and what we'll need for the new baby. I was shocked at how little clothes we had for Oliver for the first three months of his life. I think we got by because we mostly stayed inside and he just wore blankets. I have a feeling the new little guy will be spending a lot more time outside early on, because it's hard to keep Oliver inside. It was also the perfect weather for sunning the stained clothes (and it won't be come December).

tiny clothes on the line

meanwhile, Nick worked on this

and Oliver did lots of this

It's a . . .

We had our gender ultrasound today at 19 weeks, 2 days. Baby is very healthy! If this one comes early like Oliver did, I should be just about halfway! Here are some of the pictures of the little one. 

 

profile

leg

can you tell?

We're thrilled!

and here's my belly

3 turns into 4 (plus Penny)

We've been a bit busier than usual for the past few months, and this is why: Oliver is going to be a big brother!

proud big brother!

Baby # 2 is due sometime around December 17th. The pregnancy has been going really well. I have hardly had any symptoms except that my allergies have been awful, just like they were when I was pregnant with Oliver. I bought a doppler of ebay and have enjoyed listening to the heartbeat at home for over a month now. That has been really nice since I don't really feel pregnant. I have also started to feel the baby move every once in a while, so that has been nice too.  I'm not the only one who enjoys playing with the doppler.

looking for his baby's heartbeat!

We had our first trimester ultrasound today and of course have some pictures. The technician was really nice and took the time to get good poses :) It was fun to see the baby squirm around in there. The little bean is very healthy and measuring just three days ahead of schedule. Here is the little bean at 12 1/2 weeks:

profile

foot and leg!

A new kind of diaper

Elimination Communication

On Saturday Nick, Oliver and I went to a class on Elimination Communication (EC). In EC, a caregiver simply offers the infant a potty whenever the baby exhibits signs that he or she needs to go to the bathroom, just as they feed the baby when he or she shows signs of hunger. Elimination signs may include squirming, fussing, passing gas, unexplained crying and a look of concentration. Once the potty is offered, communication with the caregiver is reinforced and the baby may start to purposely signal to the caregiver that they need to eliminate. As motor ability and independent behavior increases, the baby then takes over toileting. On average, EC babies are completely potty trained by 18 months. You can read more about EC at DiaperFreeBaby.org. And here are 75 benefits of EC.
Nick and I were intrigued with it and decided to give it a try. We began on Sunday and so far we've been successful in getting Oliver to eliminate in the potty at least 10 times a day. Right now we've mostly been using our bathroom sink, but I also ordered a tiny potty seat which should be arriving soon. We've already seen improvements, too. Oliver, who really isn't all that fussy, has been even less so, probably because his diaper is dry much more often. He also often smiles after using the "potty" and we've been using fewer diapers and wipes. We're learning to read his signs better and we also learned that babies don't like to eliminate while they're in carriers, so we've been using the moby for a good part of the day, and pottying him before and after he's in it.

39 Week, 2 Days!

October 8, 2009
Adriane came home from her weekly doctor's appointment at 11:30 am and was 1cm dilated. That was exciting news, finally progress.
Next thing we know it's 5:30 pm, Adriane starts having what she thinks are mild contractions, close together, about 8 minutes apart, lasting about 45 seconds.

9:00 The contractions have been occurring for a few hours. Roughly the same intensity and same time between contractions. We were both convinced it was false labor. We were so sure there was no way the baby was going to come early. I mean we had plans for all the things that needed to get done next week, so we went to bed. We called our doula and she said to call back in a couple of hours if the contractions hadn't stopped.

9:45 I'm asleep, Adriane definitely is not. Adriane thinks the contractions have started getting stronger, and lasting a bit longer but she's not sure. We still aren't convinced it's actual labor. Either way we decide we should try to get come rest. Easier for me than for her
10:30 Adriane is still having contractions, but still isn't sure if they are getting stronger. We call the doula back, she says to call her again in an hour or so.
October 9, 2009
12:00 am. The contractions are definitely getting stronger, and closer together. We call the doula, and she heads over.
12:30 the doula arrives. Adriane is definitely in labor and the contractions are getting very painful.
1:00 We call Kim-Marie Motada and Scott Marvin (the world's best real estate agents and dog breeders) they come over at 1:30 am and pick up Penny.
2:00 We pack up the car.
2:30 we head to the hospital
3:00 We arrive at the hospital and get checked in. Adriane is already 6 cm dilated! She spends the next 2 hours in the tub trying to cope with her now very intense contractions.
5:30 Adriane gets out of the tub, gets checked, and continues labor on the bed. She's now at 8-9 cm.
5:45 She starts pushing! It's the most intense thing I've ever experienced, I can only imagine what she was going through, especially since she managed to do it all natural. No drugs of any kind!
After 13 hours of labor at 6:43 a.m. the worlds most perfect baby boy is born:
Oliver Winston Villanueva
7 Lbs 11 oz
20 3/4" long

Baby Kicking

Here's a video that I forgot to upload a few weeks ago. I'm 37 weeks here, and I was finally able to catch the baby kicking on camera. Here's one big kick! Nick is reading "Robinson Crusoe" to him in the background while Penny sleeps.

Cloth Diapers

We got our first delivery of cloth diapers this week. It came along with a diaper pail and we were shocked at how big the bag was for just one week's worth of diapers! Since neither one of us has ever used cloth diapers, we decided to do a little practicing before baby arrives.

The delivery

The supplies: diaper, cover, and test subjectNext step: Nick is reading instructions again!

Folding the diaper

Placing test subject in the diaper

Finished! And he even checked to make sure the diaper wasn't sticking out of the cover to ensure leak proof coverage.