Sibling introductions

Elsa adores her little brother.  Of course she has known all along that we were having a little boy named Robin Hood, but thankfully she has accepted the name Oliver without any issue.  She made a darling card for him, and tells everyone "My baby brother Oliver knows who I am because he likes to hold my finger."

Nora was pretty excited about seeing the baby in the enclosed bed, and tried hard to get her hands on him to play and pat the baby like she does with her "Anna" doll at home.  Unfortunately I don't think that Oliver would enjoy being lugged around the house in the manner to which Anna is accustomed!



Oliver Michael Dunham - our little Elf King

Decision Day came Sunday, March 25th.  The nurses saw several longer-than-acceptable heart rate decelerations early in the morning, so they called my doctor and the perinatologist who who came over and quickly did an unscheduled ultrasound to check on the baby.  With the index they use, normal fluid levels should average around a 15.  They sent me to the hospital when the index level dropped to a 6, and it had continued to decrease slightly each time they checked.  This time she found that the fluid had dropped further to just above a 3.  They had been trying to keep the baby growing inside of me for as long as healthily possible, but now the fluids were definately too low and the risk of damage to the placenta and cord were too high.  It was time for us to meet our baby!

Then we had to decide on how to have the baby - induced natural labor or C-section.  Most of you who know me well know that I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE A C-SECTION.  My doctor is wonderful - she was so patient through all of our questions and would have still let us done whatever method we wanted.  It soon became clear to us though that the best choice for the baby, in our situation, was a C-section.  My first two labors were relatively long though very simple and uncomplicated, and we didn't know how my body would respond to being induced.  Every time there's a contraction the baby essentially has to hold its breath as the the blood vessels and everything tightens around it.  Considering that we has already been seeing some heart rate decelerations before any contractions had started and the "padding" fluid around the baby was so minimal, there was serious concern that the baby would not be able to sustain the pressure of natural labor and we would have to do an emergency C-section anyway. 

So, after weighing the options and risks, and praying fervently for God to help me overcome my great pride in having only natural, unmedicated births and my fear of being awake while having a major surgical procedure, Joel and I decided that we would have the baby via C-section.  I was filled with such a comforting peace after we had made our decision, and I knew we had made the right choice.

It was a most difficult but incredible experience.  I will spare you all the details, but that I was amazed that from the time we made the decision it took less than an hour before I could hear our son crying on the other side of the blue screen across my chest.  Though I didn't get to actually see him or hold him for another 7 hours as I recovered and he was "tucked" in at the NICU, I cried with him to hear his lungs working and the ohhs and aahhs of Joel, the doctors and nurses as they told me he was pink, with good muscle tone, and ever so cute.  My doctor confirmed that there was hardly any fluid around him, but that the placenta and cord were still very healthy.  It was so great to have feel a confirmation that he was delivered at just the right time - he stayed inside as long as he could but came out before any damage had occured.

Joel held my hand the whole time and stayed with me until I was calm and resting back in my room, and then he went to Oliver's bedside to hear the doctor's report for him.  I was so blessed with such a wonderful team of doctors and nurses for the procedure.  Besides Joel, the only other man in the operating room was the anesthesiologist, and he had such a sweet and gentle spirit that really helped me get through it (I almost fainted, but my doctor and nurse held me up and kept me still for him to finish the spinal).

He is finally here! 

Oliver Michael Dunham, March 25th, 4 lbs. 11 oz.

His name comes from the olive tree.  In the Bible the olive branch symbolizes peace, and "Michael" means "who is of God?"  For us his name means "Peace that is of God," because that is what we have been learning about for the last several months. 

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I thought I knew about God's peace, but I realize now that I was previously lacking that "peace that passes understanding." We praise God that he has used, and is still using, this trial in our lives to draw us closer to him as we mature and learn about true hope and perserverance. 



The name Oliver can also mean "Elf King" or "Elf Army," which will go very nicely with the Fariy Princess and Pixie that we already have at home!

Hospital hostage

On Tueday, March 21st I went in for my regular, twice weekly ultrasound at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic for the perinatalogists to check the Little One's growth and fluid.  Unfortunately the fluid levels had dropped and I was told to check into the hospital in two hours!  I had planned a morning out to do errands!  My friend was watching the girls for me and I needed to get groceries!  No!  Our baby wasn't supposed to be here for another five and a half weeks! 

Well, since the baby's health was more important than my grocery trip I checked into the Rogue Valley Medical Center for continuous monitoring of the Little One's heart rate and a plan for another ultrasound in the morning.  And with the most beautiful and timely bunch of my favorite roses that my husband has ever given me.  They stayed fresh and gorgeous the whole time I was in the hospital. 

If the fluid levels continued to drop then there would be no protection for the baby, placenta, and umbilical cord and thus a greater risk to the baby if anything was damaged.  At the hospital the nurses promptly put me on "bed rest," got an IV started (after two tries! I HATE needles!!!  and I think needles hate me too!) to put a total of three liters of fluid into my system, and told me to drink as much water as I could to try to increase the fluid level as much as possible.  Unfortunately the fluid level was mostly up to the baby's urine output, so it made sense that with only one functioning kidney, our Little One was having trouble producing enough. 

The girls handled my sudden departure fairly well.  We had just told Elsa that the new baby may be "sick," so she understood why the doctors needed to be careful and watch the baby closely at the hospital.  Even so it was very good when they came to visit the next day.  Elsa got to help the nurses monitor the baby's heart rate and they both thought my bed was absolutely exciting with all the buttons.  My bed was like a carnival ride!

Over the next few days we kept monitoring the baby's heart rate, watching for "d-cells," or decelerations, the perinatologists came about every other day to check the fluid levels via ultrasound.  The baby's heart rate was mostly strong and stable, but the fluids kept dropping each time they checked so we kept waiting and I kept resting (or trying to!), drinking tons of water, and ordering whatever I wanted from the hospital menu.

These days were so very strange to me.  I had never been admitted to the hospital before except when I was in labor, and then we were busy the whole time until we went home the next day!  At first the prospect of day after day in bed in the hospital with nothing wrong with me was very challenging, but I began to count my gifts again and realized that this was an incredible, unexpected blessing.  God knew just what I needed before the baby came:  a forced time of rest, with my husband at my side, with no dishes to cook or clean, no toys to pick up, no laundry to fold, and all with complete confidence that my girls were being cared for.  Plus, this is what I could "do" for my baby.  I couldn't really do anything to help my Little One's condition, but I could rest and work with the doctors and nurses to be prepared.

I will be forever thankful for the friends that changed their daily plans to care for our children at our home, and for the sweet spirited nurses who took turns caring for me.   God sent some of the most perfect women to watch over me during these days.  They encouraged me, told me their own stories of challenging but blessed childbirths and caring for special children, and patiently answered all my many, many questions.  Also my mother was able to get a last minute plane ticket to come and help us.  She arrived late Thursday night, and we were all so happy to have her join us. 

We also had several visits from dear friends during our days of waiting and they were so encouraging to us.  As the reality of the situation for our baby continued to sink in for me as the days passed I definitely found myself emotionally struggling through all the possibilities, but it was amazing how God kept providing just the perfect, strengthening and affirming scriptures, visitors, and phone calls. 

On Saturday my family took me out for my first ever wheel chair ride!  I got to watch the girls play on the hospital playground, and we all had a wonderful time in the brisk early spring morning. 

Happy moments

I'm not sure what character she is...

but she does love to dance! 

 Nora got a hold of her sister's crayon holder and was rather proud of herself for filling it up!



1000 Thanksgivings

I am not easily shaken by "self-help" or devotional books, but I read one last year that shook me hard to the core.  Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts shed a bright, searing spotlight on my heart's natural state of ingratitude and pride, and challenged me to practice thanksgiving daily and always.

So I took her challenge to actually write down 1000 gifts that my loving, Creator, Father God has already given me.  Gifts that were big and small, hidden and in plain sight, happy and "difficult."

#997 Cat shadow thru the window shade.

#998 Nora's yummy "mm-mmms" for food

#999 Crayons, colors clutched in little hands.

#1000 The first spring crocus, deep purple to remind me in Lent.

It took me a year, and it has made such a difference in me that I started a new notebook this year with

#1001:  No more Portland trips, at least for now!  Peace while waiting for our little one. 

#1002 A morning habit of reading our Bibles and drinking tea together

#1003 Elsa's bouquet of Lenten Roses for our windowsill.



Hummingbird nest

A brave little hummingbird tried to establish her nest on a limb on our Doug-fir tree that directly overhangs our front walkway.  She courageously persisted for several weeks, but finally all of our ins and outs going to and from the house and an energetic outdoor kitty finally convinced her to abandon her beautiful and carefully crafted home.

IT'S SNOWING!

I'm sure my college roommates remember my excitement at seeing my first "real" snow fall.  I don't think the snow that fell on our house in mid-Feburary would count as more that a "heavy dusting," but the girls were excited and begged to go out and play, and Elsa insisted she be fully clothed in snow pants and snow boots for the occasion.

Nora's first taste of snow:

Elsa was particularly proud that she was able to scoop up most of the snow in the front yard and it fit into three buckets!  (Her favorite is on the right, she loves the color blue right now.)