A father and a son through a mother's eyes

Twas the night before my due date

And all is fairly quiet in the house

'Cause I came 10 days early

And mostly, I'm quiet as a mouse!

Good night to all!  Love, Ethan

Hows Sarah?

Several of our friends have asked how Sarah is doing with the new baby... Well, she is just as sweet and gentle as ever. In many cases a picture really is worth a thousand words.

I yam what I yam!

Okay, is it me or does Ethan look a little like Popeye here? (Perhaps Churchill?) Just an observation...  In case you were wondering we here at the Ransdell house are HUGE fans of both Popeye and the former Prime Minister. (thanks for the pic Jim)

Tip-Toes!

Okay, had to throw in a shameless plug for all the Aggies out there! Gig’em! Note the extreme close-up of his toes... Wrinkly! Looks like he has Sasquatch feet.

The Ethan Channel

After a few very busy days we are home and settled in. Its nice to have some time to get to know each other. We’ve developed a loose pattern and schedule to our lives. Its called the Ethan channel, all Ethan 24/7! Ethan in the morning, at noon and night too, we’re loving it! He needs us all the time and as it turns out we need him too! We had a particularly fun and busy day today. Visited the pediatrician and he was none to happy about it. We also had some tummy time with a ride on the belly board! We are well and everyone is healthy but a little tired... but who has time for sleep when you have the Ethan channel! Sweet...

Big eyes!

Ethan had some time with his new Aunt, my Sister Tracey. Both were all eyes! Ethan seems a bit concerned... HA!

Friday night reflection from Kathryn

Ethan just left for his first Friday night slumber party in the nursery.  (Pictured at top is "us" taken tonight by my parents who are now in town to meet their grandson and help us.)  We are taking advantage of our extra, and final, night in the hospital by allowing the nursery staff to care for him while we sleep.  So here's what I want to talk about--this experience of natural childbirth.  Natural childbirth is not for everyone; but it was for me.

The past 9 months have been a dance of conversations as people discovered our choice for the birth of this baby--to use a midwife as our main medical caregiver and strive for natural childbirth.  I learned early on that the adjective "natural" to describe childbirth is defined by the person using the term.  For us it meant that we wanted the least medical intervention possible during the birthing process AND we wanted medical interventional available at moment's notice if needed.  That's what led us to Women's Health Alliance at Baylor Hospital and ultimately to our midwife, Lindsey Stephens. (Lindsey is pictured above holding Ethan about 5 hours after he was born.) 

Troy did an incredible job blogging our 24-hour labor experience and the blog is not complete without discussion of Lindsey and the two nurses who helped us, Becky and Jenni.  Our office visits with Lindsey instilled great confidence in her medical intelligence and insight.  Pregnancy care is an art and a science and she combined the two beautifully as we progressed through the months and then faced this past month of changing conditions.  

But at the birth, all 24 hours of it, Lindsey showed us the art of delivery.  She gave us the space to create the experience we wanted, and, like a master artist, she took the brush when needed and painted the strokes that helped me, Troy, and most importantly, Ethan, come to life in the crucible of childbirth.

There were some tense moments in the context of those 24 hours and Lindsey coached us and sympathized with us.  And there were some damn funny moments too.  I never expected to laugh myself silly with my midwife, my nurse and my husband when all 4 of us were amazed by the "river."

Lindsey is an amazing caregiver and she is fulfilling her calling that is grounded in science and guided by the Spirit.  As I said earlier, natural childbirth is not for everyone.  It takes a strong desire to want the outcome and it takes 9 months of mental, physical and spiritual preparation.  And, natural childbirth takes a medical professional like Lindsey who has the depth in her soul to bring two people like us through the night.  And, natural childbrith takes incredible nurses who don't have to be committed to my outcome, but still chose to be, and they also carried us through the night and into the light of the morning to welcome our beautiful baby.

I also want to thank all the people who hung on with us through the night, read Troy's posts, kept us in prayer, and left comments.  When the going was tough, Troy shared with me someone's words of encouragement.  Those words helped me to remember that there was a world outside the delivery room, and, this was 24 hours that would pass...eventually.  We never imagined how powerful a role this blog would play in the birth of our child.  Thank you.  

It's strange to think that we go home tomorrow.  Ethan will meet his dog--Sarah--and explore his "oriental" bedroom.  I feel so blessed by the support of my husband, Troy, who hung in there with me and has been AMAZING these past 3 days (and the months before).  We are a family and my heart could not be more full with the love of these two guys in my life. 

I felt the ancestors gather round the night I gave birth.  I have felt the love of my friends and family in the days since.  And now I'm ready to take the next step living in the abundance of love that this little on has brought into our lives.  Good night. 

  

Sound Check!

Testing, Testing, 123! All clear... check! Little Ethan passed and received his first official certificate of completion; his hearing is 100%. He kinda looks like a little rocker! Or perhaps a sound check for the next Idol? Ethan has had a very busy day and is a bit tired. Circumcision went fine, he had several shots and a sound check. Not bad for less than 48 hours old. Kathryn is well also, still very tired through. She's now resting and we've opened the window blinds to let this beautiful blue sky into our room.

A New Pacy!

Ethan Ross has now discovered an entirely new level of nirvana. Satisfaction levels topped the charts this morning after the introduction of his first pacifier. Much cooing, sleep, and happiness ensued. This is all well and necessary as later today is the circumcision! Also notice that Ethan loves to kick out his legs. The boy has a serious kick reflex. Future runner? Kathryn is well but very tired. She's had about 4 hours of sleep in the past 32 hours. She's up and walking but a little sore. I'm quite tired too. It looks like we'll be discharged today in the afternoon sometime. Onward...

A few pictures & comments

We are just now getting ourselves back together. Ethan and Kathryn have rested and benefited from some well-deserved sleep and food. Ethan is a quiet content baby that loves to kick his long legs and inspect his new world with his dark brown eyes. We have received so many wonderful comments and words of encouragement from our friends and family. We are grateful that our child has so many fans cheering his entrance into this world.

God has given us a small gift!

The most amazing beautiful thing just happened! I would like to introduce to the world Ethan Ross Ransdell! My new son! He is perfectly healthy and Kathryn is healthy too… I’m at a loss for words… Ethan is 6lbs 15oz and a remarkable 21 inches long!... Born exactly at 7:15am. Natural birth... More later, I can hardly type.

A different feeling?

Kathryn just asked our Mid-wife to check her because she is feeling a different kind of contraction... she feels the need to "push". We'll see what the Mid-wife says.

New Direction

After many hours of serious labor and no change in dilated width beyond 5 cm. The decision has been made to introduce another drug to help make progress. Kathryn is dealing with contractions amazingly. Not a word… just heavy breathing! A few jokes now and then... Kathryn made the comparison that the labor room was just about the same size as our condo! Ohh Snap! On a different side note, they are getting our baby stuff ready (baby foot print sheet, etc.) Fun!

Heel Magic

Wise words from a comment posted today! Pressing the heel of your palm into the lower back works MAGIC! According to Kathryn this helps more than just about anything else. Amazing... Contractions lasting longer now! 

A New Chapter

Contractions have become intense pressures and smiles are a distant memory of happier times early today. It’s the middle of the night and lack of sleep is becoming an issue. Suggestions of dozing between contractions carry weight. Moments ago we were walking the halls and stopping occasionally for the random contraction. Kathryn’s analogy is that of running a marathon. We discussed the point in a long race when you are positive that you are approaching mile marker 20, only to realize mile 14 is just ahead. Bummer. Contractions are now sharply more intense but she’s dilated no further. Kathryn is dozing as I post this. Lights are low and the corridors are quiet. Our Mid-wife has suggested that progress needs to be made in the next hour or other drugs should be put on the table for discussion.

Ride those waves!

Well, after a brief nap we are awake again. We are pleased to announce larger contraction waves have begun… still smiles! Kathryn visions herself as riding a small single person rowboat in large ocean swells. Paddling up the wave and slowing herself down on the other side. Let the Pirate jokes begin! Also, much excitement that Kathryn is now a full five cm dilated, 10 cm being the magic number. High fives all around the room. (pain levels at 4.5 on 10 scale). 

Its a GUSHER!

As it turns out Kathryn’s water didn’t break earlier today! I can assure you that her water is NOW FULLY BROKEN! Our Mid-Wife and Nurse both said this was the single largest volume of fluid they have ever seen!  The entire time Kathryn was laughing hysterically and soon the entire room was rolling with laughter! We are good, the baby is good, the nurses are recovering and all is well at the moment. Onward!!!

Time... Its relative

Okay, I would like to make one quick point in response to a few questions. When you are scheduled to be induced our Dr told us it’s a much longer labor in the hospital than normal. This is because the time you would have spent at home in early labor now happens at the hospital so you can be “monitored” for safety. More safety is always better, until they tell you about how long it takes. The bottom line is this: We are expecting to be here for 24 hours… in labor. Kathryn was induced at 7:30 this morning and the Dr thinks we might expect the baby tomorrow morning. The response we are getting from the blog is amazing. A HUGE thanks to all Kathryn’s virtual labor coaches. I read all the responses to her and she smiles with great satisfaction!

I confess

Hello, My name is Kathryn and I'm an email-olic. In my most recent binge I "needed" to send out a bunch of emails while I was in labor with my first child... I'm slipping into a shame spiral!   All is well here. The baby has dropped even more and contractions now cross her entire belly. Still irregular in pain and frequency (pain at 2 on 10 scale). We are growing in our eagerness to see this baby!

Preggo Gourd

I just stepped out for a moment and wouldn’t you know it, I caught her blogging!!! Pay no attention to her previous post about husbands, she’s been huffing induction drugs and out of her belly gourd. Fear not parents, no neglect calls to Troy necessary. All care and attention have been towards Preggo, This guest host only steals away in those quick moments between contractions to blog our goings on. No news at this point. Although we did step outside and it seems an “Upper Level Low” is blowing in. Go figure...   

First hand account

This is from Kathryn -- Note to all the girls out there -- keeping a blog is a great way to keep your husband busy in these early times of labor.  Seriously, it's been fun hearing him compose his entries.  So, it's 2:20 pm and I'm about to get serious about resting before my 2:30 blood pressure check.  It's all about keeping the blood pressure low.  

Our friend and chaplain Alan Wright came by earlier and said a prayer with us.  And then I ran into my other preggo friend, Ryan, who is a resident here, while out on a walk about an hour ago.  Once I track down my friend who is in training for psychology, I will have a full deck--chaplain, doc, and psych!  Who can ask for anything more? 

Our midwife is doing a great job and it's been really positive having her be a part of this experience.

Okay...bye for now!

Update

News flash… Her water broke! That’s a great sign of progress. The baby's heart rate is good and Kathryn’s blood pressure is holding steady. The nurse asked and Kathryn rated her pain level at 2 of out 10, which is not bad at the moment. Contractions more of the same, irregular. Onward…

A quick stroll...

We just finished the first of what I’m sure will be many short walks around the L&D department. Contractions are about the same, minor and irregular. Kathryn seems to think things are changing as she’s feeling different. We received a visit from the Chaplain, which was very warm and kind. Kathryn was asked if she is in pain, she quipped, "I don't believe in pain." (A phrase that’s long been her marathon mantra. HA!) We await the visit and checkup from our Mid-wife. All is well!

Just a few...

Just a few minor contractions so far. “Infrequent and irregular”, so says the nurse. I suppose you know it’s a minor contraction when Kathryn opens her eyes and says with a big smile, “I just had a contraction”. We'll see how long that lasts. At least we know the induction starting to work. Okay, back to calmness and quite as we work on lowering the blood pressure. Cheers to all. Still waiting…

Working quietly

The induction medications have been administered! Kathryn was induced moments ago after a flurry of activity from the Mid-wife and nurse. The lights are now low and she is listening to the ipod. Every five minutes the blood pressure cuff inflates automatically but otherwise all is quiet. We now speak to each other in a whisper, the goal is calm and stillness. From here we are to wait about four hours in the hopes her body gets the signal and starts labor. If nothing has happened we might try another drug around noon. Thankfully its very quite out in the corridor. The nurses have just changed shifts and our new nurse smiles big and is kinda spunky. We like her already.

Labor day 1

Welcome thrill seekers! Today is Labor Day… as in “THE LABOR” day! Your special blogger host today will be the man behind the belly, T-Roy. We welcome you to our birthing experience and will post updates as often as we (I) can. We are all settled in and Kathryn is resting comfortably. We’ve not yet official induced yet. The induction drugs should begin in the next 30 minutes. Frozen fruit bars (check), Gatorade (check), favorite red pillow (check), labor bracelet (check), rose quartz from china (check)… All systems GO! Stay tuned for the next great adventures of Baby Ransdell and the Birth Saga!

Life changes quickly

So after my earlier post about waiting, I got a call at 5 pm saying my induction has been changed to TOMORROW! It's like the marathon date has been changed by one day. We are getting everything together and ready to go. Thanks for all the prayers from the blogworld and we will keep the blog updated as we are able.

Just waiting

Being told that you are going to be induced AND being placed on extreme bedrest is not the best combination for my "constitution." (I love this word "constitution" that my grandmother used to describe people's make-up.) I would rather be up doing something...cleaning, working, running errands, shopping...anything to get my mind off of how many days and hours are left until this starts. In some ways, knowing "when" this event will get kicked off is somewhat like having a marathon date. The days and hours leading up to a marathon are all a mental game as you taper your running and allow your body to rest before the event. You take those days and see yourself running, allow your body to imagine how good it will be to be in the run and to finish the run. It's mental preparation. I'm applying that same strategy to the birth. If this is my "taper down" time, then let's think forward to what this will be like. We expect the baby to be born on Friday. We will be posting updates to the blog as our hospital is "wireless."

It's almost time!

"The greatest work of art created first by god and then by man, is the creation of life.  The whole process is an amazing art in itself.  The fact that it takes two artists, man and woman, each bringing their own parts of a pallet to create a work of art that not only has a piece of both artists but is also a living, breathing, ever-changing, piece of art with an identity of it's own." -- Bethany Jane Andrews Hoey

This is the week.  After 38 weeks and one day, my body has said, "It's time to have this baby."  So my midwife and doctor will do some evaluation later today and then decide when and how I will have this baby this week.  And we're ready.  Clothes are washed.  Diapers unpacked.  Toys assembled.  Batteries installed.  Bags packed.  Thank you notes written....it will be an amazing experience.  How do you consider what life will be like when you are going through a change that is nothing like you've ever experienced up until this moment in life?  

We will keep you updated via the blog as best we can!

Year of the Rat

Baby Ransdell's days in the womb are numbered now that we have hit the magic 37 week mark. I hope he/she is as excited about this as me, my ankles and Troy are. The due date is April 27 but I'm predicting April 20 because it's the full moon and it's Passover.

Another new mommy in 2008 sent Baby Ransdell the cutest summer outfit. On the front is the Chinese symbol for Year of the Rat. On the back, is this description (above) of those born in the Year of the Rat. Can't wait to meet this person!

Google Ads

Once my blog passed the 10,000 "hits" mark, Troy suggested that we try Google Ads. I initially resisted because I'm more than 36 weeks pregnant and anything requiring extra effort is not on the plan these days AND I resisted because these randomly generated ads could pop-up just about anything and I would not want an innocent person to have to see an ad for "Stretchmark cream" or "New Body in 10 Days diet potion." But Troy persisted, so I told him that if he was willing to install it, then I would drop my resistance.
So GoogleAds, based on my blog content, "guesses" who might be reading my blog and then places ads they think those readers would want to see. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in myself....Apparently there is nothing about my blog except church because so far, all the ads are about churches. Where's the random ads? Am I not more diverse in my writings that all I talk about is church? Where's the information for yoga and ayurvedic? Where's the psychiatrist who wants to address my break-downs? Where's the ad for chocolate cake and cold milk? I need to diversify my life if all I generate is google ads about churches--and non-denominational churches that sound more like Frisco's old "saloons" (ex. Mustang Ranch in Forney, TX). And I apologize right now for any ad that pops-up with bad theology, especially end times and goofy stuff about how much Jesus loves you and if you've prayed "that prayer" lately.
So Google Ads is on a trial basis...enjoy!

It's April...so gamble everything for love

April has always been my favorite month. As a child, my birthday falling in April biased me. As a student, the ability to see the "light at the end of the tunnel" in April biased me. As a runner, the feel of a spring morning in April biased me. Now, as a mom-to-be, the possiblity of my child being born in April biases me towards this month.
So a big shout out to the month of April. Transitioning from winter to spring reminds me that the goodness in life is in the CHANGE...and so I give you one of my favorite Rumi poems as my April 1, No Fooling, gift to my blog readers....

“Half-Heartedness”
Gamble everything for love, if you are a true human
being.
If not, leave this gathering.

Half-heartedness does not
reach into majesty. You set out
to find God, but then you keep stopping
for long periods
at mean-spirited roadhouses.

Gamble everything
for love.