I like her a LOT! (okay I LOVE her a LOT!)

NonaJane is 3 weeks old today! What?? Craziness, I know.

Sometimes I feel bad when I'm busy, so I replace myself with this monkey so Nona doesn't have to feel alone. Might this cause attachment issues??? I doubt it.

Yes, that is Jack heavily draping his arm across Nona's face. But he claims "I AM being NICE!"

 The only part of me that can believe NonaJane is already 3 weeks old is most likely my boobs (TMI??... probably so but I'm running the show here so I can say whatever the heck I want. I refrained from saying my nipples, BAM I just said it so deal with it.)  Anyhoo... after a few weeks of toughening up I think we've made it over that hill. My body is also finally recovering from some complications with my c-section.  Due to a hematoma, my incision re-opened.  It was emotionally draining and pretty stressful to walk around with a gaping hole in my abdomen.  They said they couldn't just "sew me up" as I so kindly asked them to do because it needed to heal from the inside out.  So instead we got to shove sterile gauze in there to fill the space and absorb any blood and fluid.  After 2 weeks of packing the wound and frequent doctor visits it looks like it is finally healing! hallelujah!!! Thanks to my mom, my neighbor, and my lovely husband who all got the joy of cleaning and packing my wound each day.  Jack Jack took particular interest in this, and sat and intently watched the process each day. He didn't seemed bothered by the blood, the hole, or any of it.  Maybe we have a Doctor on our hands??? The sweetest part is he would say "Mom, it bleeds just a LITTLE bit... but we fixed it!"   If only it could have been fixed that quickly :( On a side note, I worry about his thought process as to how babies are born.  He now thinks they "pop" out of your stomach and leave a gaping hole...

On to less gruesome details, how about a more delightful blog post??

Adam and Jack including Nona in play-time

Which apparently wore her out... she likes to sleep more than play at this point.

Jack thought baby Nona needed a boat to spice up her bath time.

Jack's interactions with Nona have been pretty entertaining up to this point.  He clearly loves her, and wants to engage with her.  Unfortunately he does not seem to understand what is "nice" and what could hurt Nona.  He reminds me of a puppy who doesn't know his size. He likes to lay on Nona, squeeze her, hug her, and is aggravated with us that we won't let him hold her without our help.  The other day I found him playing hide-n-seek with her.  He had hid her under a heavy blanket and was pretending to search around the house for her.  Later he put her skirt on over her head and teased "Who turned out the lights?"  Luckily she seems totally cool with his shenanigans. 
  Anyways, last weekend was memorial day, so we headed down to my parents lake house as usual.  We pulled our fancy pop-up camper down with us.  We hadn't had a chance to use it outside of our own driveway, and thought this seemed like a good opportunity. Adam and Jack seemed disappointed when I told them that Nona and I would rather sleep in the house.  I think Adam struggles with understanding or empathizing with me in regards to nursing a newborn.  It's a lot easier to be up during the night if you have access to water, tv, a bathroom, and an organized system of diapers, blankets, burp clothes, etc.  I REALLY am looking forward to camping in the camper with them... but thinking it will be more enjoyable when Nona is a BIT older.  So Adam, Jack, and the cousins got to camp out.  NonaJane and I got a lakehouse bedroom all to ourselves.

Movie night in the camper with Jack, Ethan and Henry

This really worked out best for everyone because Jack and the boys had a blast, and  NonaJane and I weren't waking everybody up all night long.

Jack and Adam out on the wave runner

I was banned from the lake. Bacteria infested water is contra-indicated when you have a large open wound.  But the water was quite warm for this early in the lake season. Adam, Jack and the rest of my family really got to enjoy the water.  (This is where you get to pity me again for not getting to swim or ride the wave runner. Wow, this blogging is a great way to whine!)

Michael, Adam, Luella, Mema, Keeper, Ethan, Papa, and Julie. Memorial day weekend 2012.

ADORABLE

Nona continues to be super calm, generally content, and super sweet.I'm thinking I might be spoiled if both my kids turn out easy tempered.   It seems she is starting to recognize me, or at least my voice and smell.  She cuddles with me, smiles a lot in her sleep, makes funny goat noises, and sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. (She also poops a lot. Did I mention that???)

How come Daddy looks so tired all the time?

NonaJane really enjoyed her Papa

 I find I am growing a bit more fond of NonaJane each and every day :)

  I LOVE her.

A very special day indeed

May 16th is a special day to me.

 For one, it's my Mom's birthday!

May 16th 2007.  Me, my Mom and little Ethan at 19 months.

 May 16th 2007 also happens to be the anniversary of Adam and I's first date! 

Adam and I, May 2007

 5 years ago on May 16th my family and I were preparing a surprise birthday party for my Mom's 52nd birthday. The number 52 happens to be my Mom's FAVORITE number. She always uses it in her motherly sayings such as "I have told you 52 MILLION times to clean your room!" or "I've got 52 MILLION things to do!" Since she fancies the number 52 so much, it seemed like a good year to really celebrate her birthday right. 

That same afternoon, 5 years ago,  Adam called me and asked if I wanted to go play tennis. (I initially missed his call as I was in the grocery store with my mom.  When I got his message I reacted as a little school girl and called him back IMMEDIATELY.) I could NOT pass up the opportunity to spend time with him! But don't worry, the surprise birthday party went on without a hitch that evening, and she loved it! Just look at her face!!!

Mom's surprised face for the evening party

Me, my Dad, and Mom in May of 2007.  This picture was taken after my graduation ceremony from Occupational Therapy School. I was currently living with my parents.

Anyhoo, Adam picked me up that afternoon in his Mustang (super cool don't you know?!) and we headed to the tennis courts.  It was the best date ever, a game of tennis followed by cold stone ice cream.  It was the start of our lives together. Not a day went by after the 16th of May 2007 that we did not see each other.  He was immediately "my person" ( Yes I stole that saying from Grey's Anatomy... so shoot me).  Adam was amazing, he still is amazing. I could not be more thankful for him, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he makes my life better in every way.

Adam and I on a camping trip, August of 2007

So this May 16th 2012, we got together again to celebrate my Mom's 57th birthday.  5 years later, and what a change.  It's hard to believe Adam and I have been married over 4 years, have TWO children, and are happy as clams. Mema and Papa now have 7 grandchildren and the 8th one on the way (Mark and Katie are expecting a boy in August). And little Ethan is already 6 1/2 years old!

Mema's 57th birthday party. At our house

Aunt Julie and Uncle Michael with NonaJane

The kids playing... notice daredevil Luella halfway up the ladder

Daddy and NonaJane

Nona staring down her toy

The best BIG brother ever.  He wants to hold, kiss, and hug Baby NonaJane.  This morning he said, "I love you Baby Nona" and gave her a big kiss. Best moment ever :)

I love MAY 16th, it's a very special day indeed.

  A day to remember the blessings in my life, a day to remind me of the memories made, and the memories to come.

It's a GIRL!!!!

NonaJane was born at 38 weeks and 4 days, so this was our last belly picture :)

Our sweet baby girl 

 NonaJane Susanne Schwatken 

was born on May 10th 2012 at 12:58 A.M.  She weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces, was 18 1/4 inch long, with a head circumference of 13.4 inches. This post is my journal of her birth story, a way for me to preserve the details and memories.  It may seem long or a bit too detailed for others, but I know I will cherish it... as will Adam, Jack and NonaJane.

Our first picture as a family of 4

NonaJane

On Saturday May 5th Adam, Jack, and I spent the day perusing garage sales and making our big "fancy" camper purchase (see post on fancy camper for details). Throughout the afternoon and into the evening I noticed my Braxton Hicks contractions becoming more and more regular. I kept teasing Adam that I was going to go into labor. At 12AM I woke up realizing the contractions were still happening. (Adam and Jack were out camping in the driveway). After 2 hours of no sleep I convinced myself I needed to go to the hospital. I called and woke my Mom and Dad at 2 AM, who then drove across town to sit with Jack. I proceeded to ruin Adam and Jack's camper party and off to the hospital we went. After being monitored at the hospital for 2 hours they decided my contractions, though regular, were NOT labor contractions and sent me home. So at 5:30 AM we made it home in time to get a short nap before Jack awoke to start our new day. I felt like a big loser, it was lovely.

Hanging out on Mema's blanket

The Braxton Hicks contractions continued thru Sunday (but I knew to ignore them), and then on Monday morning I noticed some (excuse the grossness of my next comment) bloody show.  How EXCITING! This happened at work, and luckily I work with all women. So when I bounded out of the bathroom to share my fantastic news, I think everyone appreciated it!  So now I was convinced that labor would start any moment.  I did have a few twinges of pain, some back ache, some hip aches, etc.  Tuesday I called into work, I was having more contractions and really didn't want to get too far from home. Sure enough on Tuesday night we sent Jack to Mema and Papa's house and off to the hospital we went.  Again they monitored me for two hours before determining that despite my regular contractions... that I still was not in full fledged labor.  At this point I was humiliated and frustrated. I told Adam we weren't going back till the baby's head was sticking out! (which I did not follow thru with.)  We headed home for bed with some medication to relax my uterus and help me sleep. It worked great, for about 2 hours.  At 2 AM I was woken with the first contraction that hurt.  They continued every 10 minutes until 7 am when I said, "forget it! We are going back to the hospital. This HAS to be labor."  We arrived close to 8 am and found I was dilated to a whopping 1 cm.  They again monitored me for two hours before sending me home in shame (at least that's how I felt about it.)  We spent the afternoon at my Mom and Dad's diligently timing my contractions. They were consistently 4-5 minutes apart for 3 hours, and were definitely making it onto the pain scale.  We headed to my 3:20 doctors appointment.  She checked my cervix and sure enough I was finally dilated to a 3. She admitted me to the labor and delivery unit, and I was IN LABOR!! woohooo

Time with Daddy

First Bath, with big brother Jack Jack helping out in the background

My amazing sister in-law Julie, my mother, and Adam were by my side.  From 4:00pm to 10:00pm I labored with their support, and was managing it all pretty well.  I was calm, breathing thru the contractions, and mentally preparing for our baby's birth.  At 9:30 I started to get very uncomfortable, as the contractions were now longer than the rests.  We called the doctor in to check my progress, and we were ALL thinking for sure I would be at least a 7.  After a quick check, the Doctor calmly stated I was  "nearly a 5".  All hell broke loose as I totally LOST it.  I was no longer in control of my emotions, which means I also lost control of the pain and the contractions.  It was a horrible feeling of loss, feeling like I was failing, and could no longer do it.  I opted to get an epidural, to at least allow myself the ability to regain some form of control.  The anesthesiologist, though quite nice, seemed to move at a snails pace.  I highly refrained from screaming at him. Especially as he made me sit at the edge of the bed, hunched over through multiple contractions.  Once the epidural was in, the doctor came back to talk to me about our options.  The babies head had still not dropped, or engaged into my pelvis.  They could barely reach the baby's head when checking my cervix, which meant there was no pressure pushing down on the cervix to help it dilate. SO... I could
A) Keep laboring, potentially for quite some time, and hope the head would lower into my pelvis. But the risk of an emergency c-section, forceps, or suction would increase with time.
OR
B) Have a c-section.

Jack adores her already :)

After about 10 minutes of discussion, we opted for the c-section as it seemed like the least risky route for the baby and me.

The c-section seemed to take forever, as they had to work hard to get thru the scar tissue of my last c-section.  Thru out the entire procedure I laid on the table with uncontrollable shaking from my chest up (they say this is common, but it had me truly freaked out).  No matter what I tried to do, I could not control the shaking.

They finally pulled and tugged our baby right out of my abdomen, lifted the baby up over the curtain... and I saw for myself that our baby was a baby GIRL. 

A GIRL!

 Tears began, shock, excitement, and the start of a new life.

Welcome to our family NonaJane.  We love you so much already. 

Grandma Sue

Aunt Nicole

Aunt Julie and Mema who were wonderful and never left my side thru the whole ordeal :)

Uncle Michael, Aunt Julie, Henry, Ethan and Luella

Your very handsome and proud Daddy and Big Brother

Papa

For those who may be wondering, Nona was my father's mother's name.  Jane comes from Adam's father's mother's name (MaryJane). Susanne is after his mother, Susan, and his sister (Nicole Susanne).  We do tend to call her "Nona" for short.

Our very own FANCY camper

.

Ron and Sue. The Fancy campers who we aspire to be :)

Adam's parents have a beautiful 5th wheel and one of our favorite summer activities is going camping with them. Normally we put up a tent on their site, and then mooch off them the entire weekend :)  It's GREAT.  They have air conditioning, couches, a TV, refrigerator, microwave, bathtub, toilet, etc.  FANCY camping for those of you who are not fortunate enough to have in-laws with cool campers. However, unfortunately (for a frugal camper like myself) we have decided that the mooching has probably gone on long enough. (sad face) Especially now that this summer we will have TWO kids plus all our clutter to cram into their site.  SO... we decided a "fancy" pop up (strong on the sarcasm with the word "fancy") was exactly what we needed. This would allow us to reserve a camp site next to theirs, and keep our crap to our own camper!  Sue oughta be relieved!!!

Adam and I on our first camping trip with Ron and Sue in 2007 the weekend after we got engaged.

That is one HAPPY camper :)

Poor baby having to nap in the tent... not FANCY

Thus Adam took up his favorite hobby of stalking Craigslist's ads for a few weeks now. He was growing a bit weary when the 6th pop up camper that he was interested in sold before we could even get out to take a look.  He started to go a bit crazy threatening that he was going to purchase one site unseen, YIPES, or he was going to go without me and purchase it- double YIPES.  I did my best to keep him calm "there will be more campers posted honey... the right one will come along... it'll ALL work out etc."  But the fear was building... Adam was reaching the breaking point (because as you know once Adam decides he wants/needs something, he really wants and needs it NOW).

Adam and Jack heading out to camp. In our very own driveway. 

Then out of the blue up pops an ad for a pop up in Ottawa that needs some "minor cosmetic work," and it was CHEAP.  The scary kinda cheap where the old phrase "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is" theory comes to play.  But nevertheless we called their number (twice) and texted them (for good measure).  Once he heard back we immediately jumped in the car and headed out.  When we arrived there was already another couple looking at the camper. I was imagining all the ugly things that could happen with this scenario.  LONG story short, the people had about 20 responses to their ad in less than an hour... but we were the lucky ducks who BOUGHT it.  It was cheap enough that we figure whatever money we put into it to fix it, we will most definitely still come out ahead.  Or if we feel like bailing we can throw it back on Craigslist and likely rid ourselves of it within the hour.

No photo editing has been done, but things may appear larger and cleaner in this picture than in person...but yes that IS a sink and a stove top we have in there! Plus two queen size pop out beds.

 So we hauled our new hunk of junk home (Adam doesn't like me calling it that, but I mean it in an endearing way. I'm actually pretty excited about it!)  We popped it up in the driveway and one VERY excited 2 year old, and one very excited grown man went camping in the driveway.  Too cute :) I have a feeling this pop-up will definitely be a good source of some "memories in the making."  So far it's got a mile long list of "minor cosmetic repairs" but all in all it WORKS and it has air conditioning which is by far the most critical element if you want to camp like fancy people. 

This very pregnant mama opted out for her own bed which smells of clean linen.

Adam and I would be glad to edumacate all those who are interested on ways to be fancy when out camping... like peeing in the portable toilet (i.e. bucket) that came with our new fancy camper. Jealous now???