#3 is 3!

When I was about a week from my due date with #3 I had my bag for the hospital all packed. As I got ready for my 39th week doctor’s appointment I decided that if I brought my bag with me Dr. L would most likely send me home… “see you in a week”, but the theory went that if I left the bag at home, knowing it was Dr. L’s “on-call” day, she’d send me over the hospital to have him. So I left my bag. We dropped #1 off at preschool and Mr. Wiedz, #2 and I went off for my appointment.

Sure enough, “Go on over to the hospital, I be over and I’ll break your water after lunch”! We left the office, got on the phone, went to 7-11 for Mr. Wiedz to pick up some lunch, then got checked into the hospital. I can still remember the look of concern on #2’s face when the admitting people put me in a wheelchair to take me to the labor and delivery floor. Mr. Wiedz had arranged to take #2 to my best friend’s house who would also get #1 after school so after I was taken to my room he and #2 left and I started to get settled.

The next hours were filled with, for me, normal labor. Uncomfortableness, rocking in the rocking chair, walking the hallways, sitting in the bathtub, swaying, and hanging onto Mr. Wiedz.

Like the other times before Mr. Wiedz asked our audience to give us a moment. Later I realized this moment has always ended with me being in transition. When everyone came back to the room I was trying to get back into bed yelling that the baby was coming. The nurse said, no honey, not yet. I said oh yes he is. She said she’d check to see how far I was dilated. Laying oddly in bed she did check and exclaimed oh yes! And his head was born while she took her hand back. The nurse, remember didn’t believe it was time yet, stood there holding #3 in. At this moment the doctor opened the door to check how we were doing. The nurse said, “glad you’re here, could you pull in your cart”. Dr. L had barely enough time to put on her coat (in one picture her hand is still in the sleeve instead of a glove because there wasn’t time to put everything on) and #3 was here!

He was a little bruised from his fast entrance to the world and ran a little fever the evening after he was born (which made us have to stay in the hospital an extra night) but he was perfect. My smallest baby ever at 8 pounds 4 ounces.

When we did get to go home it was a strange transition to 3 kids. #1 and #2 greeted us with attention-seeking behavior the first night we were home by peeing on the bed (on purpose!) but we settled in.

At 3 weeks we were back in the hospital while #3 battled RSV. At the time I think I downplayed the seriousness as my own coping method. We were very fortunate that breathing treatments suggested by Dornbecker doctors were tried (our doctor tried to move us to Dornbecker twice from Corvallis but Dornbecker was too full and turned us away) and worked. That week was so long; the IV’s into small veins, the sweaty, sad cries because he hurt and didn’t feel good, not being able to nurse, the worry, the other kids being tended to but worried too because mom and dad weren’t home. After a week we were sent home with #3 breathing normally and no lasting issues.

#3 was a difficult baby for me. I think I was more in a funk than any other baby. And he is very much a mama’s boy so I felt chained to him and our house. At one point (7 or 8 months old) I even took him to the doctor thinking he had an ear infection because of how much he was crying and screaming. While the doctor did his examination #3 started his screaming. The doctor looked at me and asked if this was the kind of crying that brought us there…yep. He looked at me and just said, “he’s got you figured out mom!” Oh. Thanks.

Now here we are 3 years later. #3 is still screaming as his first method of communication. He’s very sweet though. Definitely the most cuddly of all the kids. We’re saying good-bye to the pacifiers today. #3 loves to clean and tidy things. Helps do almost any chore.

Our family is blessed because of #3.