Lilia Shay

We arrived at the hospital at 7:15 am.

 

I was measured at at one.

 

Still.

 

I wasn't too happy about this since I had been contracting pretty regularly all week.

 

The Pitocin drip was started around 8.

 

Along with Penicillin since I was Strep B positive.

 

Which burns really bad, if you wanted to know.

 

I felt like the antibiotic was worse than the contractions.

 

I stood and moved my hips around a lot to help with the progression of labor, but at 7 pm I was barely at a four.

 

I got my epidural before the contractions got bad.

 

I could still breathe through them, but I wanted to have a good, mostly painless experience since my last one wasn't all that wonderful.

 

I had my epidural about an hour when my doctor came and broke my water.

 

I went from a five to a ten in 40 minutes.

 

After pushing three times, she was out!

 

That is, after her cord was unwrapped twice from around her neck...

 

Lilia Shay Jensen

 

 

Born October 3, 2012 at 9:39 pm

 

Another redhead!

 

Well, at least she has red IN her hair...in fact, every day it looks darker...almost an auburn.

 

She shares her birthday with her cousin, Jordanne who turned 1 that day.

She weighed in at an even 6 pounds.

 

 

19 inches long.

 

I couldn't wait to hold her and couldn't keep my eyes off her as she was whisked away for her weighing.

 

Sadly, I didn't get to hold her long at first.

 

She had a lot of fluid in her lungs, her blood glucose was low, her temperature was low, and she was breathing way too fast.

 

So, I couldn't feed her for risk of her aspirating the food, but she needed the food because she needed her glucose level to rise.

 

It was quite complicated.

 

Therefore, she was taken with with her Daddy to the NICU while I cried.

 

I cried because, yet again, I wasn't able to hold one of my babies for very long.

 

I decided to focus on other things, like eating, while I waited to be transferred to the postpartum rooms.

 

 At this time, my parents, Rob, Wendy and Porter arrived to meet our sweet little one.

 

Sadly, four of them left after I was awkwardly transferred.

In the mean time, Lilia was getting poked and prodded.

 

Poor girl's veins were too tiny in her hands to have an IV.

 

So, they put one in her head.

 

Poor girl.

 

They gave her dextrose (glucose) to raise her sugars.

 

They pumped out even more fluid from her lungs, and her breathing went to a normal pace.

 

Then, Seth fed her some formula.

 

He came up shortly thereafter to check on me, arriving at about the time Mom, Dad, Rob, and Wendy left.

 

When some feeling came back in my legs, I wanted to see my girl.

 

So, I was wheeled down to the NICU while Seth and Porter waited in my room.

 

I didn't have the camera, but I got to hold my sweet Lilia's hand and sing to her a bit.

 

I started falling asleep, so I had the NICU nurse call my nurse down to get me.

 

I got to witness her bath before I was wheeled back up to my room.

 

She came up about a half our later at 2 am.

 

Porter stayed up and refused to leave until he got to meet his sister.

 

He was a bit loopy, but he was so excited!!

 

When Seth told him it was time to go home, Porter was confused as to why Lilia and I weren't coming back home also, and cried.

 

I thought it was sweet.

 

I didn't sleep much that night.

 

I held my angel for as long as I could.

 

That is, in between times when they would take her from me to prick her poor little heels and check her glucose levels.

 

They had to do so before every feeding, and she would have to "pass" three times in order for them to stop.

 

She passed two.

 

So, she had to be pricked three more times, and I needed to start supplementing along with breastfeeding.

 

She passed the next four.

 

Four, because they checked her levels after a feeding once.

She was NOT happy when the last one was done.

 

In fact, she threw a royal fit for a good hour.

 

After getting some sleep, Daddy and big brother returned.

 

 

Then, Grumpa and Gammie came with Mikki and her friend Michaela.

Grumpa loves his grand babies!

So does Gammie!

Mikki, uncomfortably, holding her tiny niece.

I was quite tired, but so happy to have my sweet girl here with me.

 

I love how she looks at me, and I love how Porter absolutely adores her.

 

He can't stay away, most of the time.

 

Later that night, Laura stopped by to meet our sweet girl!

 

 

She even took a few pictures for us!

 

Here are two of my favorites:

 

That little bow on her hat was taped on by the NICU, and I think it's the cutest idea ever for little girls.

We sure love our little bundle.

 

 

After three days in the hospital, we were going home.

 

 

Our itty bitty sweetheart.

 

Welcome to the world, Lilia.

 

True Stories

I have nothing of picture-worth to post this week.

So, I'll just update on a few things that have been happening and have happened lately.

You can read it if you like, but just as a forewarning, some of it is venting...

True story #1: Insensitivity

Seth spoke in church a couple weeks ago, but wasn't able to give his whole talk (which was going to be awesome, by the way).

He was to speak last, and the two speakers ahead of him took too much time.

Speaker number one cried throughout most of her speaking time, so it was rather hard to even understand what she was saying while she spoke...which is fine, just cried too much.

Speaker number two spoke.so.slow.

He also didn't really keep on subject and ended up talking for 20 minutes after his wife had already talked for the same amount of time.

Normally, it wouldn't bother me, but I knew how great Seth's talk was, and I really wanted him to get to give the whole thing.

Seth was going to bring up the twins during his talk and share some personal, but very applicable information.

Since he didn't end up getting the time to do so, he ended up leaving the girls out of it.

I was a bit bummed.

Partially because I feel like members of our ward family should know information like that.

That is, until ward choir happened I felt that way.

Here's the info...

Apparently, I looked like I was in pain that day...because I was.

Lilia was laying on my nerve that was right by my left hip/pelvis area.

Not comfy.

It seemed as though everyone decided to either say something about it or make fun of me in some way by mimicking my movements that day.

Just in case you weren't aware, it's not a good idea to say or do anything like that to an uncomfortable 9-months pregnant woman you barely know.

It's a great way to make her feel extremely self-conscious...which she most likely is already feeling that way anyway.

An elderly woman in choir said to me after I told her I wasn't feeling too great that day, "well, at least you don't know what it's like having twins."

I was a little taken aback, but I just brushed it aside (as it hasn't been the first time something like this has been said to me by someone not knowing my history).
I, tentatively, decided to tell her Actually, I do know what it's like having twins, but they passed away about a year and a half ago.

"How far along were you?" was her follow up thought.

Not, "I'm sorry" like I usually get...

30 weeks I tell her.

"Well...you still don't know what it's like to be at the very end of a pregnancy with twins."

I was shocked.

I wanted to scream at her something along the lines of do you have any idea how much I wish I knew what that was like?

But, instead I just said, True.

And left it alone.

I guess there are just some people out there who think everything is a competition they have to win.

To top it off, today, this same lady kept mentioning the fact that things for her were so much harder than they are for me since she had twins and couldn't move at the end, and I'm moving just fine.

I don't know if she really heard me when I told her that information that previous Sunday, or if she's just trying to rub it in that she made it to the end of her twin pregnancy and I didn't, and, therefore, had to have had a much harder pregnancy than me when she has absolutely no idea, nor seems to care, what my pregnancies are like.

Most insensitive lady I've ever met award.

She's old and probably not even thinking about what she's saying or thinking about how it may effect me.

So, I just need to forgive her.

I may have to avoid her for a bit to be able to.

Good thing I'm going to be out for the count for a little while, I guess.

True story #2: Private

(No, I'm not making the blog private.)

We ate at A&W on Friday for our "date" night.

We are so classy.

Really, I just wanted the root beer.

Lilia loves her some root beer.

When we first arrived, Seth and Porter made an emergency run to the potty while I waited near the cashier.

The girl behind the counter asked me if I was having a boy or a girl.

Normal question, so I answered.

Then she asked how old Porter was.

Again, another normal question I have no problem answering to a stranger.

This next question, though, threw me off.

"So, are you done having kids after this one?"

Uh...

What?

No, really, I had to ask her to repeat it because I couldn't believe I was just asked that by someone I've never met.

When she did, I told her I didn't know.

Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, "ask me ANY question you like"?

Whatever happened to privacy?

Honestly, I don't even really know the answer to that question.

One baby at a time.

Let me have this baby, have a break from pregnancy for a while, and I'll decide that one in another few years when I'm not currently pregnant.

True story #3: The Mean Lady

We live in the middle floor of an apartment complex.

We have neighbors above, below, and behind us.

We've lived in many apartment complexes before, and even in the middle floor, but never have we had a problem like this.

I've reported my basement neighbor for harassment to my apartment manager.

She seems to think that I "let Porter run amok" just to spite her.

Porter is four.

He is active.

He runs around.

He's very normal.

She came up one day all out of breath and irate to "tell me off", when I had no idea she was bothered.

Side note: we had only lived here for about 2 weeks at this time.

She was so upset about us making noise that she wouldn't even let me get any words in to try to calm her down.

When I told her to be patient with us, she proceeded to tell me how to parent.

The conversation was over shortly after that due to the fact I was shooting darts out my eyes.

Plus, Seth was there and heard it all and was about to come over and yell at her.

I had stayed quite calm everywhere except in my eyes.

Although the conversation was over, the harassment started.

I started hearing banging coming from her apartment every time we made a noise all day long.

When I had guests over, when Porter was just walking to his room, and even when I accidentally dropped my hairdryer.

I started thinking she was following me around the home with a broom aimed at her ceiling.

When Seth accidentally knocked the cork board off the wall, and simultaneously knocked over a chair with her broom reaction less than a minute later, I had had enough.

That's when I reported her.

I've never had to do that in the 14 other places we have lived before.

I really didn't know what else to do, though.

Porter started referring to her as "the mean lady" who bangs at us (can thank Seth for that), and would tell me to somehow get the upstairs neighbors to stop making banging noises like our basement neighbor wants us to stop.

I would tell him we're not mean like "the mean lady", and loud noises from neighbors are normal.

But, I could tell he was confused because Seth and I would try to get him to be "softer" all the time.

I couldn't help but wonder what would happen after Lilia's birth.

Babies fall over.

All.the.time.

I didn't want her with her broom every one of those times.

So, what choice did I have?

I didn't want to pound back at her, because that wouldn't solve anything.

After reporting her, I didn't hear much of anything coming from the basement until last week.

But, because she banged her broom at us mid-day again, I didn't stop Porter from running around the house with his ball.

So, I guess this time, yes, I let him continue to make noise just to spite her.

If you want to live in an apartment complex, you have to deal with noise from neighbors!

We're not even bad neighbors!

We don't party until the late hours every weekend/night, we don't turn our sound system up to show off our awesome bass, and we are all in bed by 11.

Pretty sure that can be classified as boring.

Worst part about all this is, she has a kid.

She shouldn't even be having a problem with us.

True story #4: Ready or Not

I've been having contractions for the past few days pretty regularly.

Nothing "labor-worthy" as of yet, but I've had a couple times where I'm watching the clock.

I'm scheduled to be induced this week, but if she keeps this up, perhaps she'll come before the induction date.

If she does, we're still not ready in the apartment, but we're pretty close!

I'm hoping to get it all done before the day.

Even if I don't get it completely ready, she's coming!!

Couldn't be more excited!!

I've been pregnant, basically, for the past 18 months.

I'm beyond ready to be holding and caring for a baby on the outside!

I've been pregnant so long, I don't really remember what it's like to not be pregnant.

...Weird...

36 Weeks

At my last doctor's appointment, I made a choice--

 

One week or two?

 

The process of deciding before that day freaked me out a little.

 

Okay, a lot.

 

After calming down realizing freaking out wasn't going to make my decision for me, I chose to leave my decision up to how far I'm progressing because I want to make sure Lilia will be ready to come.

 

When I was checked at my appointment, I was told that I'm barely progressing--one centimeter.

 

Yeah, you read that right.

 

I've got a long way to go.

 

Two weeks is the decision.

 

I want to give her a bit more time to get ready.

 

(And, trust me, she has been workin'.)

 

That means, this picture...

 

 

...will be my last of this pregnancy.

 

I will be induced, and we will welcome this beautiful angel into the world!

 

I couldn't be more excited!

 

Feeling very blessed.

Showered

In about a span of 2 weeks, my wonderful family and friends put on a baby shower for me! 

 

 

It was so great to see everyone who came!!

 

And, so great that they were able to come on such short notice!

 

Love you all!

33 Weeks 6 Days

At my 34 week appointment, I didn't get any new news, but I did get to see my pretty girl.

 

Porter was with me, and commented during the ultrasound that he saw "bubbles"!

 

 

I guess that cord does look like bubbles :)

See you in about 2 to 4 weeks, little one!

 

32 Weeks

 

Apparently, I don't know what to do with my hands.

 

Things are still progressing well!

 

Which is great.

 

What could be even greater:

 

At my last appointment, I was told that I may be induced at 37 weeks!

 

This is because of my not-so-perfect pregnancy history.

 

It all depends on that awesome cervix of mine when the times comes, though.

 

Therefore, I have about four to six weeks left!

 

I know...

 

WHAT?!

 

That went fast.

 

Our apartment and our list of items to get before baby comes are so not ready for that small window of time.

 

But we are so excited!!!

Third Switch

I switched doctors.

Again.

For the third time this pregnancy.

This time, I'm sticking around.

I just didn't like driving 20 minutes to go to the doctor where I would wait for a few hours before even being seen, and then end up spending basically all day there.

That's how it was at the University Hospital.

Reminded me too much of how it was with the twins.

So, I changed my doctor to a doctor who is only a couple blocks north of me.

And, I've loved it.

Longest appointment?

One hour.

*angels singing*

Just so happens my new doctor is a redhead.

Perhaps that helps?

Nah.

But, I got to have another peek at my beauty.

28 weeks 5 days

Okay, maybe that picture is creepy, but she's still gorgeous.

28 Weeks

Coming right along!

Lilia's kicks are getting stronger, I'm sleeping less (didn't know it was possible), and, yes, I'm trying not to freak out as I near 30 weeks (how far I was when Jilinda & Alayna passed).

This baby girl is in the third trimester!!

Kinda can't believe it.

That is, I can't believe it until I stand up, count how many bathroom runs I've made in the last hour, or try to curb my nesting appetite.

Loving every minute!

24 Weeks

At this last appointment, my new doctor found what all my other doctors weren't able to find--the reason I got my blood clots when I was on birth control and pregnant with Porter.

In other words, why I have to take the blood-thinner shots when I'm at a higher risk for clotting, like when I'm pregnant.

I have something called "factor 2 gene mutation".

It's really not anything new as far as information goes, just puts a label on it for the doctors.

Yay, I guess.

Turns out that four percent of people have it, but the majority of them never even know.

I don't know if you knew this next part, but redheads usually are major bleeders.

Not clotters.

So, yet again, I'm a walking anomaly.

Or in this case, a mutant.

Too bad not a mutant like this:

source

In other news, everything is going great with Lilia!

According to the doctor, this will be a normal and "boring" pregnancy.

Maybe boring for him...

But, a bit of normal is definitely good.

24 weeks

20 Weeks

Say hello to our sweet baby...

...GIRL!!!!

Porter was hoping for a boy, but didn't seem to mind at all that he was going to get another baby sister!

He also wanted to get in on my belly shot...so here's two for ya :)

And, the name we have picked for our little sweetheart is:

Lilia Shay

Lilia is after my Gammie Hill (great-grandmother on my mom's side) whose name is Lillis.

*Well, technically it was her middle name, but she went by it just like my Gammie went by her middle name as well.*

We picked Lilia because I seem to have an obsession with 3 syllables and ending in -a names and it's one that both Seth and I liked (which is actually quite a difficulty).

Plus we liked the meaning.

In Latin, like Lillis, it means "lilies".

In Hebrew, it means "what belongs to me belongs to God" which I think is quite fitting as it is one of the lessons I've re-learned this last year for sure.

And, Shay is Seth's mother's maiden name!

We are THRILLED!

Hill AFB Air Show + Ordeal

**This is a longer post, but trust me, you're gonna want to read the whole thing.**

The day started out great!

It looked gorgeous, it was warm, and there were just a few clouds in the sky.

We woke up early to catch the train from Midvale station where we met up with family.

Porter loved the train and would give a play-by-play of what he saw out the window.

Wendy, Logan, Robbie, Donnie, Zoe, Seth, Mason

Brinda & Shad on the right

 Then we caught the new Frontrunner at SL Central...

This one was an 80 mph ride, and didn't feel like it at all!

Then we took a shuttle from the Frontrunner to Hill Air Force Base to see the air show!

This was the entrance...

Pretty awesome.

Porter was scared to go in, though, so Seth carried him through.

After finding a place to sit, we went umbrella shopping since we didn't come prepared for rain and it was sprinkling a bit.

Then the show started.

 The boys loved it!

Porter would get very excited about each plane!

All of the air-o-batics (I think they called it that) were amazing!

Then, it started getting colder.

I saw my breath, and began regretting wearing flip flops and capris, but was glad I brought a sweater.

We heard from the announcer, "the air show will be put on hold due to the weather...we would like you to stay...there will be two hangers open for you to stay dry, or you can go under the wings of some of the aircraft"

Then, almost right after he said that, the torrential rain and wind started.

Tents even started to come apart and blow away a bit.

It was sheer panic from the crowd...and from Porter.

Seth, Porter, Donnie, and I went to go find Wendy and Robbie as they were out getting lunch at one of the vendors.

I was very happy I bought that umbrella at this time, but it wasn't enough to keep the wind and rain out, and it wasn't big enough for all three of us.

Shad, Brinda, and their family left with friends to the parking lot as we decided to go into the medical tent to thaw and get a better view since we were blinded out there.

We were informed we couldn't stay there because it was for people who were sick...not cold.

We had lost Donnie in the commotion, but as I was calling Wendy to see where she was, I happened to spot her, Donnie and Robbie under their large umbrella!

We then made a run for it to catch them.

Porter crying in tow.

When we did catch them, we were all relieved to have found each other again as we started to head for the hangers.

Wendy donated her umbrella she bought with me to Seth and Porter, but it started breaking and wasn't much shelter.

Seth was happy to have it.

We made it to the hangers, but they were completely packed.

So, we kept walking in the freezing rain and wind to get back to the shuttle.

When we saw the line to the shuttle, I think my heart skipped a beat.

It was a least a quarter of a mile long.

Or, it felt like it was that long, anyway.

We thought taking the trax and the shuttle was a smart choice the night before and that morning, but not so much at that moment.

We stood in line for about an hour before getting on the shuttle.

Soaked through, shivering and numb, we found seats.

There was so much traffic on the way out of the base that it took about an hour to get to the Frontrunner station.

This was okay with me because it gave me a chance to thaw out and a chance for Porter to calm down.

Robbie and Donnie fell asleep basically standing up on the bus, and Wendy and I commented on how glad we were that baby Jordanne and little Kaysha weren't there to experience this.

Once at the station, the rain had stopped, but the wind was still blowing.

I felt like it was almost rude to get out of the warm bus and wait in the cold again while we were still soaking wet.

Twenty minutes later, the train came, and we started our journey back.

Out the window, we saw one of the Thunderbirds fly by.

They started the show again.

We didn't care.

When we switched trains at Central again, I was limping.

I had blisters from my wet flip flops that I couldn't feel while numb.

We joined happy, dry, unaware people on that train back home, and got some interesting looks.

"You can check off 'miserable experience in Salt Lake', now," Wendy stated while smiling.

Well, it started out fun, I said, laughing.

We left them to continue to their stop, and were very happy to see our Subaru.

Once in the car, Seth blasted the heater.

I didn't want to get out because the heat felt so great, but was glad when we got back home.

And even more glad that I have a washer and a dryer instead of a community one like I've had for the past four years.

Seth and Porter enjoyed the hot tub while I changed into warm clothes.

I would've hopped in that hot tub with them, but knew it wouldn't be a good thing to do while pregnant.

I don't think I completely thawed out until the next day.

So, lesson learned: even if it looks like it will be a nice day, it's always a good idea to come prepared for any sort of weather if you're going to be outside on a Spring day in northern Utah.