The Staff

I wish I had a picture and names of the entire staff that helped me while I stayed at the hospital.  I can't say enough about what a pleasant experience it was.  Sure, the discomfort of my abdomen being sliced open sort of sucked, but as far as being taken care of by others, I definitely was. 

My night nurse was the best!  She was so so so sweet.  She would leave me alone and let me rest if I needed that, or come in my room to help me with the slightest thing.  She would take Janie for a couple of hours if I requested some more sleep, then bring her back to me when it was time to nurse. There was another night nurse on shift that was great too.  She wasn't assigned to me but she would still come in and visit with me, encourage me when I slowly walked the halls, and made me feel like I was actually fun to be around, and not temporary cripple that I actually was.  I know all nurses are SUPPOSED to be kind and helpful, but mine really were.

Here is one of my nurses helping the girls listen to Janie's heartbeat.  She was very patient as the girls kept wanting to hear.

My doctor, Dr. Soheai.  She was great.  Some say she is overly cautious but I like overly cautious.  It is way better than being not cautious enough.  About half way through my pregnancy, I went to her with a long list of concerns.  Literally, a page long list of handwritten notes that I wanted to talk to her about.  I was ready to take my business else where if my questions weren't answered in a way that made me feel comfortable.  Of course, plenty of my concerns were due to my mad paranoia that I was experiencing at that time, but she really put my mind at ease. 

I am so glad that I stayed put.  I don't think I could have handpicked a better staff to have been a part of, and made my experience as good as it was.  From the receptionist at the front desk of my doctor visits, to the medical assistants that weighed me each time.  From the radiology technician that did my weekly ultrasounds that happens to be a close friend of ours from church, to the surgeon that assisted Dr. Soheai, who also happens to go to church with us (and is married to the radiology tech that I just mentioned). From the nurse anesthetist that was so careful and precise with my spinal block, to the O.R. techs that helped me relax before the operation.... I am so grateful. 

Living in such a small town and delivering in such a small hospital, there naturally were concerns.  However, having faith in the abilities of the professionals that took care of me proved to be the best decision this time around.

Date Night - Interrupted Already

February 11. 2012.

Our hospital has a nice little tradition for the new parents, providing a "Dinner for Two Date Night."

Corky and I got to choose from a special menu and were served dinner on a nicely decorated table.  Just as we were about to enjoy a nice (still hospital food) meal together, Janie started piping up.   

And so begins the trend already.  Taking turns holding the babe while the other hurry and scarfs down the food. Then trading so the other parent can eat. 

"Teach Me How to Dougie"

When I was about 4 months pregnant or so, and I was feeling Janie start to move, I would joke often with the older girls that she was doing a dance in there.  Corky heard the song "Teach Me How to Dougie" one day, and joked that she was in fact, doing the "dougie."  From that moment on, the baby that was in my belly (which we didn't know whether it was a boy or girl yet) was called Dougie.  Even after knowing full well, another daughter would be joining us, she was still "Dougie."

It is fitting since Corky has given Gracey and Emily each a boy nickname.

Gracey - Gary


Emily - Ernie

and now we have,

Janie - Dougie

Janie is nearly a month old, and to be honest, is rarely called by her given name.  For the most part, she is still called Dougie.

This picture is so fuzzy because, as you can only imagine, Corky, Gracey, and Emily started doing "The Dougie" while holding our own little Dougie.  I wish I had the picture from the other angle but I could only move so much (or not at all) in my hospital bed.

Don't know what I am talking about as I refer to "The Dougie"?  Watch this.  And forgive me if it is stuck in your head for the next 3 weeks!

Meeting their new sister

As expected, Gracey and Emily were so incredibly excited to be able to meet their new baby sister.  They came to the hospital around lunchtime and I could tell they had been trying to be patient all morning long. The image of them walking into my hospital room for the first time is burned in my brain in the happiest of ways.  Neither seemed nervous or afraid, and both did not hesitate when it was their turn to hold Janie.  Pictures speak much better than my words do in this case, so here are a bunch of pictures of those first precious moments.

This picture below might be my favorite of the day.  Gracey and Emily were in their own little world together and completely in awe of their new baby sis.

Before leaving the hospital that day, Gracey and Emily decorated the room with some hand drawn pictures for Janie.  They were sure to not forget her little crib.

February 10, 2012

The morning started out like any other....

Just kidding, mostly.

Like almost every other morning for the past 6 months or so, I have been awakened at about 3:45am, for no other reason than I had pregnancy insomnia.  I would be wide awake and annoyed.  This morning though, I had good reason to have too much going through my head to sleep.  My alarm was set to wake me up at 4:30am anyway, and since I had been up every hour since midnight, I decided that 3:45am would just be my final time.

Corky and I were set to be at the hospital at 5:30am, to prepare for an 8:00am c-section.  We had been anticipating this for a long time and were just way too excited to sleep I guess.

Since I was awake, I figured I would get a head start by putting on my compression stockings,  putting on one of my 3 rotating outfits, and even curling my hair.

Before we headed out the door, Corky gave me a wonderful blessing of comfort and strength then snapped one last picture, in bad lighting, of me being VERY pregnant.

Everything went very smooth at the hospital.  I was loving the nurses that admitted me and was sad that they would be getting off work before my surgery.  The mood was relaxed and comfortable as we joked and talked about everything from the baby, to exercising, to all the places we have lived.

Finally it was time to head downstairs to the operating room.  Before leaving though, the nurse brought in some nasty drink I had to take.  She warned me that it would be bad but I honestly wasn't anticipating just how bad.  It was so bitter and awful!  I wish I could remember the name of it.  It was SO BAD.  Awful. Awful. Awful!  The nurse anesthetist came and introduced herself, asked me some questions about my previous spinal block, then said she would meet me downstairs to get me all numbed up.  I was still pretty comfortable.

We got into the O.R. and they started working on my spinal block.  It took a long time to do because the CRNA wanted to take it real slow to get it just right since my spinal block caused a slight headache 5 years ago.  I really appreciated the caution and care that I was being shown.  I can't say enough about how nice everyone was.  Corky wasn't allowed in the room at that point and so all the assistants stepped up to be supportive and encouraging while I was having to be uncomfortably hunched over for as long as I was.  As soon as the spinal worked, I felt some serious electrical surges go down my right leg and I knew they got the right spot.  I kind of started freaking out.  Not in a scared way, more like "Oh my gosh, it worked!  Finally!  Good job!"  I asked them if they gave me some good medicine or if i was feeling pure adrenaline because I felt so incredibly good all of the sudden.  Turns out, it was just adrenaline. (I am a dork!)

So they lay me down, strap me in, and start prepping for the surgery.  As soon as I laid down, I immediately felt a little queasy.  I was able to give some warning about me feeling sick and they brought a pan over.  I turned my head and puked up that nasty, bitter stuff that I had to drink 20 minutes earlier.  They said that was normal, especially after receiving a spinal block.  The blood pressure tends to drop quickly, causing people to feel like that.  I just happened to barf because of it, but man, did I feel better after that.

I was good and numb and they brought Corky in.  I knew it wouldn't be long before our little girl would be here.   The mood was so good.  I was emotional, but so incredibly happy.  For about the millionth time during the pregnancy, my thoughts went to how I never thought I would be experiencing this again and how grateful I was.  Life was so good.  All of my anxieties that I was anticipating to have were gone and I felt my mind was very clear.  I truly believe that my mind being so clear was such a blessing.  You see, we were able to video tape Gracey and Emily being born and I love having those to look back on.  I feel that even though I had little to do with the actual delivery of my children, I can look back and really be a part of it.  A few months ago when I was informed that no video cameras were allowed in operating room of this hospital, or the Mercy Hospital Franchise whatsoever, I was really upset.  (read: sobbing at the doctor's office!)  I am so incredibly grateful for how aware I was of everything that was going on.

8:41am, we hear a baby crying and Corky tells me that she is here!  There were happy cheers from the O.R. techs and at first glance we knew that Janie was perfect.  Corky left my side to be with Janie at the baby station until he could bring her over to me and let me kiss on her before they had to leave the room and I could be put back together.

When they left and I became more aware of people tugging on my body, I realized how uncomfortable I became.  I felt like my doctors were pushing my insides up to my chest and it was very painful. Try to understand this.  I couldn't feel the pain of my organs all being exposed, but I felt the pressure of everything and it was hurting real bad.  The mood in the room tensed and I asked what going on.  My CRNA leaned down and said quietly that I was hemorrhaging more than anticipated and they were having a hard time getting my uterus to contract.  It seemed about a minute later that things started to relax a bit and I knew it was all under control.  That is when I asked for some medicine to help me take a nap while they finished up.  I started to feel really good again and I do remember telling everyone how nice they were....and that is when it all goes a little blurry.

When they were all finished up, I woke up, or at least became aware again.  The nurses and the doctors were joking with me that I was a fun patient.  I asked if I had slept and was told that I didn't do any sleeping, just a lot of talking.  They laughed they told me that Corky had warned them that when I get anesthesia, I become quite the talker.  Thankfully for all of them (and myself) I am a happy talker.

After spending some time in the recovery unit, I was finally able to go back up to my room where Corky and Janie were waiting for me.  Just like with our other 2 kids, Corky got to have some daddy/daughter time for a while before I was able to be with them.  I think he really has liked that part.  The nurses left us alone for a long time so we could spend some time alone with Janie.  I loved it. I loved everything about that day.

We were so happy to have Janie finally be with us.  Our years of trying, waiting, and hoping to add to our family, and the struggles and trials that came with it all, were forgotten in those moments.  We are so blessed!

Janie Joyce Whipple

Born at 8:41am

Weight: 7 lb. 11 oz.

Height: 21 inches

Danny - Biggest Loser Season 8 Winner

Last week my friend posted on her Facebook page that she was looking forward to listening to Danny Cahill, the winner of The Biggest Loser - Season 8, would be speaking at the high school that night.  I immediately text her for more details because I knew exactly who she was talking about.  Season 8 happens to be one of my favorite seasons!  It also had Abby, Shay, Rudy.

Turns out, he was speaking at the high school, which is less than a mile away from our home, it was open to the public, and children were welcome.

Corky got home just in time to for us to all go over together and we had a good time.  It was fun to see video clips of his season and fun to hear him address our tiny community.

It was exactly what I was expecting it to be.  He was motivating, funny, kind, and quite talented.  He played a few songs for us and had a little meet and greet after.  The event was put on by the hospital and health center here in town, just in time for this town's own "biggest loser" contest begins.  I asked Corky if I could sign up NOW because in the coming months, I have about 40+ pounds to lose.  I guess my kind of weight gain disqualifies me.

Danny noticed my mid section weight problem and we had a good laugh at how quickly I am guaranteed to lose about 12 pounds (baby + water).  He talked with the girls about their new siblings and was very personable.

It was fun to see how motivating it was for so many people there.  I hope in the next few months, the community's motivation will help me get back into my fitness routine.

Kansas Sunset

I used to think that amazing sunsets only happen in the desert.  I am happy to say that I was wrong.  They do not last nearly as long, but we definitely get beautiful sunsets here in "green country."

(Green Country is actually considered Northeast Oklahoma, but we are proudly bundled right into that since we are right on the border.)

She had a pokey belly button

When Emily was less than a year old, we noticed that her outie belly button was a little more "outie" than we thought maybe was normal.  At one of her doctor visits I brought it up and was told she had umbilical hernia.  I was assured that it didn't hurt her and that it would most likely go away by the time she was 5 years old.  If it didn't go away by that point, it probably wouldn't on it's own and that would be the point to look into getting it fixed up.

4 years later, we were still poking at her belly button for entertainment.  With all the medical expenses from last year that all four of us accumulated (seizure (Emily), broken finger (Gracey), esophageal ulcer (Morgan), and basal cell carcinoma removal...skin cancer (Corky), we definitely met our deductible.  Luckily, our deductible carries on for a couple of more weeks, so we decided to have Emily's belly button taken care.

The night before the surgery I snapped a few photos of her belly button.  I was feeling all emotional because my child would be having surgery (a minor one, I know) and that belly that we have been loving on for 5 years would be different the next day.  Thankfully Emily kept the mood very light by not taking a serious picture AT ALL!  This seems to be a recurring theme with Emily and pictures lately.  I loved all the pictures that I took.  It shows her goofiness in her personality and in her choice of outfits when given the freedom on a Sunday afternoon!

Before the surgery they gave her some motrin with versed.  It relaxed her and definitely made her a little silly.

I am so glad I had my iPhone with me so I could record her behavior.  I was laughing so hard that my mascara was running, and maybe the nurses thought Corky and I were mean by having such a good time with it all, but oh well.  We were cracking up!





The surgery went perfectly and I was able to go to the recovery section and be with Em while she started waking up.  As expected her tummy was pretty sore for the first couple of days, but nearly 2 weeks later and she feeling good!  Her incision is still healing, and she thinks that looks pretty creep, but it is definitely better.  Her tummy looks so grown up now, all nice and flat.

On a different note, but sort of the same, Gracey got an earache the night before Em's surgery.  I decided to keep her home and so that is why she was at the hospital with us.  At that point she only had an earache.  Just as we were leaving the hospital to take Emily home, she got herself a fever and was feeling pretty yucky.  I had two sickies to take care of.  We were all so exhausted!!!  At the end of the day though, I was glad that it all happened at once with the two of them being laid up together.  It would have been an even longer week if they had taken turns.

Too bad though that while we had to keep to our selves, the rest of the town enjoyed the most gorgeous weather.  That night I set up the camp chairs outside with some blankets, and the girls and I enjoyed the sunset and nice weather.

"I STILL HAVE 2 WEEKS LEFT!"

That is exactly what I said to the ultrasound technician when I was 37 weeks and 5 days along!  (I am now 39 weeks along!)

I drove to Wichita on January 26th to see the specialist and have another ultrasound.  They measured her to be 8 lbs. 1 oz.  I about choked on my own saliva!

I knew that she had a growth spurt at the beginning of my 3rd trimester, but I thought it had tapered off.

My doctor asked me the typical questions and told me all the things that they had checked me for that day had looked good.  His words were, "And obviously the in-utero growth is going well!"

This picture is of me that afternoon.  Thank goodness for self-timers.

At my ultrasound last week, we didn't measure her growth again since it was only a bio-physical appointment.  (checking breathing, movement, amniotic fluid)  I asked a technician that is also a good friend of ours if there was a margin of error with those ultra sound measurements.

Tech: "Oh yes, there is about a 15 oz. margin of error!"

Me: "Okay, then she is more like 7 lbs!"

Tech: "Or 9 lbs!"

Whoa!!  Way to make me feel better!

In all honesty, I don't think she will be a ginormous baby.  Of course I feel uncomfortable and certainly constricted, I just can't really fathom a human being inside of me being that big.  Maybe it is because I haven't had a baby in a long time, I don't know.  At the very most, my prediction is that she will be in the low 8 lbs.

We will see soon enough.

Warm Winter = Playing Outside

A few weeks ago we had an unusually gorgeous and warm day.  I woke up not feeling super good. You know, one of those "get in the shower than put pajamas back on" kind of days.  Thankfully as the day went on, my body started cooperating and Emily and I were itching to play outside.  But not just in our yard, I wanted to take the girls and Buster to Elk City to do a little hiking/walking.  

We picked Gracey up from school, ran home to let Gracey change her shoes, and went right up to the look-out.  It was about 70 degrees and Buster and the dogs were loving it.  I know I post pictures of Elk City all the time, but it is only 5 minutes from our house and so beautiful.  

After we were finished in the woods, the girls still wanted to hang out.  I found a bench, Gracey found a tree and a pole to climb, and Emily found my camera.  This last collage are all photos from Emily's perspective.  

This winter has been quite mild.  We have had one little snowfall, a few below freezing days with extremely high wind, but overall it hasn't been too bad.  Some people fear that it means we will be having snowstorms in May and June.  Want to know what worries me?  I worry that it means we are going to have a dreadfully hot and humid summer like we did last year.  Last year, I thought I was going to die.  Maybe because I was newly pregnant and exhausted, all while trying to fake it so nobody would suspect anything, but I swear I would walk outside and the humidity and heat would make me gag.  I love the swimming pools, I love the summer trips, but I am finding that extreme heat is just not my thing.  

How did this turn into a summer heat complaint? Sorry.  In the meantime, I am enjoying the nice and pleasant weather.  

The Princess and the Alligator

Last week or so, Emily was digging through all of her dress up costumes and previous Halloween clothes and asked to put on her alligator costume.  She wore it all day long, laughing at herself and in the mirror every time she walked past.  She even came with me to pick up Gracey from school wearing her costume.  

Gracey wanted to put her old Halloween costume on as well and they proceeded to play make believe.  I am so glad that phones have cameras these days because I am afraid I would have disrupted their playing if I would have had to get my regular camera out and get a snapshot.  

As you can see, they were playing "grocery store."  Emily was the seller and Gracey was the buyer.  Buster turned up and was just an observer.  They had some fun with this game for some time and the fact that they were in their costumes just makes me laugh!

After playing their games Emily informed me that alligators love big carrots, so that was her snack of choice!  

Em's 5th Bday Party

Just like for Gracey, I agreed that my girls could start having friend birthday parties when they turn 5.  I realize now how that might be tricky for Emily.  Her birthday, being right in the middle of Christmas break, makes it difficult for all of her friends to be there.  Knowing most of them are out of town, I convinced her that we could still pull it off.  We invited two of her best buddies, Josh and Bryson, to come over for a birthday party lunch.  It really felt like a glorified play-date for me, but the kids sure seemed to think it was a rockin' party!

The kids played Twister, opened some presents, and ate pizza and cupcakes!   They had a great time and I didn't have the stress of a million kids trampling through my house.  

I may start doing her birthday party before Christmas break or afterwards so she can have more of her friends join us, but I will worry about that a year from now!  

Emily is 5!

It's no joke, time really does fly.  It is hard to believe that Emily turned 5 years old yesterday.  Her birthday is not easily forgotten, as long as she has anything to do with it.  She has been looking forward to her birthday for months and months, like most kids do, and is pretty excited to say that she is 5 years old now.  Even though we didn't have any big plans or reasons to leave the house, she was thrilled to be able to wear our "Birthday Girl" ribbon all day long.

As we prepped for our little family birthday party the girls helped make and decorate some cupcakes, strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, at Emily's request!

The night concluded with pizza, cupcakes, candles, and presents!  It was especially memorable because Emily's hair caught on fire as she attempted to blow out her candles.  I should have known better, it even crossed my mind as she began blowing that perhaps I should hold her hair back.  But then who would do the video taping?  Priorities, you know.

Sure enough, it caught fire.  It only singed a little before Corky was able to put out the fire out, but it sure gave us a good jump....and then a laugh!

Corky bought Emily a little set of rings, toe rings, to be exact.  To understand a bit of where this gift idea came from, I will add that Emily sees a neurologist about every 6 months.  Each time she goes, her prize is to choose a ring from the prize box.  It is a obviously a cheap ring and it turns her finger green within a couple of days, but she wears it religiously.  In fact, she keeps the ring until her next appointment.  Corky found some toe rings that we are hoping won't turn her finger as green and will give her a little variety.  She loves them already!

(maybe next time I will wait for her to swallow her mouthful of cupcake before snapping a photo)

We love Emily so much.  She challenges our parenting skills everyday with her mood swings and little-sister-syndrome, yet validates our efforts with lots of loves, words of affection, and never-ending snuggles.

She has the most tender heart and spirit when it comes to animals and babies.  I will admit, I have been drawn to tears a few times as I watched her interact with not just our dog, but other people's animals.  In fact, she is hesitant to watch movies that involve animals because she is so sensitive and gets emotional when watching them.

She can mimic nearly any dance move that she sees, and man, she can really shake it.

She can sing along to any song on the radio, hitting each note with ease and claiming with every song that she knows and hears that "this is my favorite song ever!"