Thursday, July 21, 2011

What We've Been Up To...

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here. We all took Irelyn to her first pediatrician visit, which wasn't fun because the boys were bored. My friend, Claire, and doula for Irelyn's birth came by to visit us. Many people have come by to drop dinner off for us. Something we greatly appreciate, especially Paul because he has been the one taking care of all of us. I'm sure having one less meal to prepare has made him happy. My midwife and her birth assistant also came by for their follow up visits. We, also, took the boys to the Spray Park. They really loved it, but the best part was that it was FREE.
Today, I had a trial run at taking care of all three babies by myself. I told Paul to take a well deserved day off because he has taken such good care of us. He ended up going to see the new Harry Potter movie, he walked around the mall and went to Panera for lunch. He came back a new man. Wish me luck when Paul goes back to work on Monday. I will be a full-time Mommy of THREE!!!

*Irelyn's first time in her car seat.*
*Our first time as a family
of five in our mini-van.*
*At the doctor's office*


*Finally got a picture of Beckett
holding her, and he loved it.*


*I tried to get all three of them....*
*....but that didn't go so well.*
*Claire holding Irelyn.
I love this picture of her!*

Pictures from the Spray Park...





*Payson is getting more brave.*
*In the tree house, next
to the Spray Park.*
*Our first picture as a
family of FIVE!*
*This is how we roll now...
two strollers!*

So In Love...

Every chance I get, I am dressing up Irelyn for a photo shoot. It is so much fun. I love how easy it is to take pictures of newborns. All they need to do is sleep and it makes the most beautiful picture. Plus, Irelyn makes the funniest faces when she is awake and they make for great pictures too. Please enjoy my favorite pictures from my three photo shoots, so far...

Photo Shoot #1





Photo Shoot #2





Photo Shoot #3







Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Meeting "Baby Sister"...

"Baby Sister" is what Payson has decided to call Irelyn. He seemed a little confused when he first met her, because he kept saying "Baby Beckett" (Beckett was still asleep). We are sure now that he has totally grasped the concept that the baby is Irelyn and she is no longer in Mommy's tummy. When Beckett saw Irelyn for the first time, he didn't really care. He was too excited to see Mommy. But later that day when the boys got to visit me again (I was resting in our guest room downstairs), they both loved Irelyn and wanted to give her kisses. Payson is especially fond of her and constantly asks, "Hold it, Baby sister?".
So, I guess you can say that everything seems to be going pretty good. Paul is making it a point to take the boys out somewhere each day and is a one man show, taking care of all of us. We have been extremely lucky to have friends drop of meals for us too.
Enjoy pictures from our first couple of days as a party of five...

*So excited to see Mommy and Irelyn.*

*Kisses, kisses and more kisses.*




*Proud Daddy.*
*Finally a picture of me with
my three babies.*
*Taking a nap in the moses basket.*



*From this morning...too cute!*

Irelyn's Birth...


Where do I start?.... Well, on Thursday, July 7th, I had an appointment with my midwife, and she checked me to see if I was dilating. We were excited to find out that I was already dilated to 4cm! She told me that I could try taking castor oil to try and get things started, so on Saturday afternoon that's what I did. I took the first dose around 2:30pm, and it didn't have any affect on me. So around 6:00pm, I took another dose in hopes of getting my contractions going. By 6:30-6:45, I started getting contractions that were 3-4 minutes apart. We happened to be out at our friends house to celebrate their little boy turning one, so we decided to head home to put the boys to bed. By the time we got home, the castor oil finally kicked in, so I called my midwife to let her know what was going on. After we put the boys to bed, my contractions continued coming 3-4 minutes apart and started to slowly increase in intensity.

At 10:00pm, I called my midwife again to let her know that this was "it" and she should start heading my way. The birth assistant and my doula friend, Claire, we also called, and they were on their way too. They both arrived by 11:00pm, and by then, I was needing to concentrate and breathe through my contractions that were coming every 2-3 minutes. We all just hung out in my living room, watching the Hangover and Saturday Night Live. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. At midnight, when my midwife finally arrived she checked me, and I was dilated to 7cm. I was so relieved that I was making good progress. Very soon after that, I started getting the chills during my contractions and having a small urge to push. Everyone could tell by the signs I was giving that I was getting close. Around 12:45am they suggested I head downstairs because they knew my goal was too give birth in the water.

Once we got down there, Paul finished filling the tub, and I got in. The urge to push became stronger and stronger. After checking me a few times, my midwife discovered that my bag of water was bulging, so she suggested we break it to help the baby come down more. Before I decided what I wanted to do, my bag of water broke during the next contraction. After that, everything seemed to happen very fast. While sitting on my knees and holding on to the edge of the tub, I continued to push and felt every inch of her head and body come out of me. It was painful and amazing all at the same time. Once she was out, I scooped her up from the water, doubled checked that she was a girl, and held her in my arms to keep her warm. I couldn't have imagined everything going more perfectly if I tried.
Please enjoy some pictures from her birth, and I hope none of them gross you out.

*Pushing in the tub.*
*Getting examined my my midwife.*
*Just after pulling her out of the water.*


*Daddy, taking a closer look.*
*We did it!!!*
*We couldn't believe how much she looks like Payson.*
*Paul cutting her cord.*
*Daddy holding her for the first time.*
*The picture we sent out to announce that she was here.*
*My midwife doing the newborn examine.*
*Irelyn getting weighed.*
*Our baby girl.*

Irelyn Ann Wendorff
July 10th, 2011
at 1:48am
8lbs.5oz.
20.5 inches