Seersucker Baby Quilt

This is Baby Joel Frankie's (that's what my niece calls him) baby quilt. I hand quilted this in my hospital room. I'd never done that before, but it wasn't very hard and didn't take very long. My doctors and nurses were all curious about it when they'd come in my room. I was going to hand sew the binding, but the little stinker was born before I had the chance. I guess I still could have, but my sewing machine was too tempting. Anyway, I'm really happy with it!



You probably can't tell from the pictures, but all the strips of this log cabin style quilt are seersucker. I got the idea from good ol' Martha Stewart. I love the texture of the seersucker, and I think it will be fun for our little guy to lay and roll around on.

Update:

Time for an update too. He's doing so marvelous! We couldn't be happier. Well, that's not true. I'd be happier if he was home! We know he can't be, though, so we're grateful he's in such good hands.

He got his IV removed today, and I know from my 4 weeks in the hospital and the bruises on both arms that that is a very good thing. He has less and less cords attached to him all the time. The doctor said he's now entering the boring time, which is good. All he does is sleep and eat (through his feeding tube still).

My favorite thing is to hold him skin to skin. They place him tummy side down on my chest, and we cuddle. It's so yummy! Today he was funny- he kept trying to push up on his forearms so he could look at me. He's pretty darn strong for such a tiny thing!

I just love him so much and can't wait until he's ready to come home! Leaving a baby at the hospital is not fun. I told Joel that when I came home and went back into the regular swing of things it almost feels like my hospital stay and giving birth didn't even happen. And every time I visit and say goodbye for the day I'm leaving part of my heart with him. I function a lot better when my heart is in one piece.

Update

Update:

He is now breathing completely on his own! I'm thrilled about that.

He is done with the lights

He's gradually eating more everyday. He gets my milk through a feeding tube (the orange one in his nose).

To keep us realistic, they told us to plan on him being in the NICU until his due date (Aug 26th), but I'm hopeful that if he keeps doing as well as he is he'll be able to come home the end of July.

I changed his diaper last night for the first time, and that was interesting! He's so skinny! And there's not enough bum for his skin to cover so it's all wrinkly. Plus, those premie diapers are still a little big. I could see, though, that his bruised bottom is looking better.

He's so precious and sweet I can hardly stand it. I love holding him and watching all the funny faces he makes. So far he seems to be a very calm baby, which is why when I hold him I quickly get sleepy too.

Here are some better pictures of his cute face. I think he is all Orton, especially his Grandpa Orton, which is a great person to look like!







Notice the comparison of him with our hands. I have small hands but next to him they look humongous!



I'll probably be going home today, which is a little weird. I haven't been home in 4 weeks. I'm anxious to get there, but it's going to be hard to leave our little guy. We'll miss him every minute we're home without him, but we'll try to get to the hospital as often as we can.

Joel Franklin Orton

We had a big surprise Thursday night! Our little guy decided he wanted to get here. Joel Franklin was born at 9:03 and weighed 3 lbs. 2 oz and is 15 inches long. He's super duper tiny but such a cutie! He made quite the entrance in this world. Here's the story. It's very detailed for my history's sake.

Thursday day I felt absolutely fine. In fact, Joel and the kids spend the morning and part of the afternoon with me at the hospital, and I felt completely fine. They left because they had to pack for a one nighter camping trip with my parents down in Spanish Fork canyon. So, I went about my day as usual (a nap, reading, cross-stitching, T.V.).

Around 6:00 I started to feel uncomfortable but not in pain. I just thought I'd been in one position for too long. But as I ate my dinner it got worse (but I did not let it stop me from eating my chocolate cake!). I got in the shower hoping that would help. It did while I was in the shower but it didn't get rid of it. Finally around 8:00ish I called my nurse.



She started monitoring me, and it seemed like the contractions, which were ALL in my back (ouch!), got worse each time. She called my doctor. He talked to me on the phone and asked if this was it, and I said with tears, "I think so." He sent Labor and Delivery over to check me. I think this was around 8:15 and my contractions were starting to hurt worse and were getting much closer together. I was at a 4, so they quickly started wheeling me to where they'd prep me for my C-Section. I had to have a C-Section because the little guy was breech.

At this point it was very obvious I was having a baby. Remember how I said Joel went camping? I tried to call him, but he had no reception. I tried calling anyone in my family, but no one answered their phones, so I was getting very panicky and very upset and very scared that I'd be doing this alone. Adding those feelings to my already increasingly painful contractions made the pain much worse. I did get a hold of my sister-in-law Robin and she sent her husband to find Joel and she started heading up this way. So sweet! Thanks Robin!



By the time they got me to triage where they started quickly (not quick enough for me!) prepping me for surgery, I was in so much pain, and in just a few minutes I felt pressure starting, like I needed to push. I told the nurses this but they told me to not push, which was so hard. I was starting to have contractions within what seemed like seconds apart, and I was having a hard time working through them calmly, given the fact that I had no mental prep for a delivery like this and Joel was not there to support me. In short, I was terrified. At one point my hands went numb because I was breathing so hard and so fast. The nurses kept telling me I needed to calm down, which was so hard to do! I don't think they realized how ready I was to have this baby. I always wondered how I'd react to a labor pains this strong. Would I scream, moan, or breathe through it? Well, there was a whole lot of yelling. Later, after it was all over, my throat was a little sore.

Meanwhile in all this fun pain, they're poking me and doing all sorts of things to get me ready for surgery. I just kept thinking why they weren't moving faster and stopping my pain. My awesome nurse from anti-partum tracked down some Elders to give me a blessing. I've never been so irreverent during a blessing! I think God understood, though.



The pressure to push kept getting stronger, and finally they checked me again and realized I was ready to go. That's when I was finally ready to go to the C-Section room. I was so happy to see my Doctor's face, and as soon as I did I told him I couldn't not push. He just looked at me reassuringly and patted my leg, which was actually very comforting. He's a very calm man, and I needed that at that moment.



They finally got my epidural or spinal block going (I don't know which they ended up doing), but it still just seemed like everything was taking SO long! And during all this I was still thinking somehow I was still going to have a C-Section. I had to, my baby was breech! But I knew if that medicine didn't kick in soon I couldn't not push any longer, which added to my terror because babies are not supposed to come out that way!

Epidural/spinal block done, they got me on my back, and then I heard the most blessed word in the world, "PUSH!" If ever there was a word gift wrapped on topped with a bow it was that one. I gave one big push and he was out. First came a bum, then popped out his legs and then the rest. His head did get stuck for a second but not long. They whisked him away, of course, before I could look at him, but my doctor said he looked good. I can barely recall seeing in my peripheral a little purple, bloody thing. The whole process, from when I knew I was in labor until I had him was about 2 hours. So fast!



I've heard of the relief that comes as soon as that baby is out, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. My pain was completely gone, and they assured me my baby was looking good, so I was very good. The nurses said, "Well, you go your V-BAC!" My doctor could not have been more pleased with how that rapid, scary birth went. He told me I must have had guardian angels with me, and I think he was right.


After all this was done, we still hadn't tracked down Joel. So, the nurses called the Rangers and gave the info they needed to find him, somewhere in Spanish Fork canyon. They finally did. Joel saw the Sheriff pull up and had a feeling why he was there. He told him his wife was in labor, but then shortly after that he got new info and told Joel that he had a son. Joel sped back to Ogden pretty quick. Those of you who know him can guess how fast he drove home.

You can imagine how he feels about not being here, but honestly, even if he'd been home he might not have made it because when I started calling him it was 45 min. to an hour before I delivered. By the time he got kids taken care of and got down here, who knows if he'd made it. It was a relief to see him when he did make, but part of me is a little glad he didn't see me like I was. He would not have liked it one bit!



The whole thing feels like a dream. I still can't believe I did all that. Of course, I know I didn't do it by myself. I know I had a lot of unseen help. Three things happened that night I never in a million years thought I'd experience. 1) I delivered naturally 2) I delivered a breech baby 3) I did it without my husband by my side. I cannot describe how terrified I was at the thought of all three of those things. It was the most traumatic thing I've ever gone through, and I hope I will never have to do it again! I do feel a little foolish at how I handled it, though. I was pretty vocal and probably scared other laboring mothers half to death. I even apologized to the nurses afterward. I'm kind of embarrassed.



I got a nasty fever soon after the delivery (I've been fighting fevers ever since, which is why I'm still here at the hospital), but once that was gone they took me in to see my little guy. He was so small and helpless. I just stared and stared at him with tears in my eyes. I was glad to have him here but sad that he had to be in the NICU. But since that first night, he's doing awesome! Pretty much breathing on his own and handling my milk really well, and I've held him a bunch of times, which is the best thing in the world! We love him so much! I could stare at him all day, especially his little mouth. I'm in love with all the little faces he makes.

As scary as that night was for me, I have so much to be thankful for. My brother-in-law dropped everything to go find Joel, my sister-in-law started heading up this way to be with me, my awesome nurse Amanda stayed with me knowing I was alone and pushed on my back with each contraction, my brother came up (after I left him a message that scared him to death), it was a miraculously smooth delivery, my tiny baby is strong, my family and friends are so willing to help, and in addition to many other little things, I've learned so much and am going to be a stronger, better person.

There's a quote from an old T.V. show episode that I've thought a lot about. In the episode a woman delivered a breech baby, and the nurse choked out the words, "He came in the world backwards, but he landed on his feet."



P.S.
We're not sure if we want him to go by Joel or Franklin/Frankie. We love both names but aren't sure we want the confusion of two Joels. We'll decide soon.

The Lanyard (Day 25)

My doctor recommended I read this poem by Billy Collins. It is very sweet, and I'm glad he shared it with me. Now I'm sharing it with you.


The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Happy Anniversary (Day 23)

Today marks 8 years of marriage for Joel and me. Never thought we'd be celebrating it in a hospital, but we did and it turned out to be very fun.

Joel's boss, Jen, is one of the nicest, most giving people we know. She went to Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorite restaurants, and bought McDonald's for the kids and brought us all dinner. She also came bearing gifts for all of us- flowers and things to do for me, a Father's Day shirt for Joel, and bubbles for the kids. She took them outside to the pond to eat their food and play with their bubbles so Joel and I could have a private dinner in my room.

The food was so incredibly good, but mostly it was so nice to have a date with Joel. We talked about all the things that happened this year of our marriage, and it's been a good year. We talked about what would happen this next year, and naturally, our baby on the way is the thing we're most looking forward to. In addition to that, I think this next year will bring a lot of changes to our family. Can't wait to see what they are, even though some of them might be hard.

After our dinner date, this kids came back to my room and we just hung out for a while. One thing I've missed since being here is not being able to put my kids to bed, which is funny because when I was home I didn't always love doing that. But tonight I wanted to do some of the things I've missed. We had prayers together, and I read some stories to the kids and then sang their bedtime songs that I sang every night at home. One of Clara's songs is "Away in a Manger," and she always sings it with me. It was so nice to hear her sweet voice singing that song with me again. It warmed my heart to sit on my bed with both my kids cuddled next to me. It gave my heart just what it needed.

Right as they were about to go home, Clara opened the door and the bottom of it bumped her big toe hard enough that her toe started bleeding. She was so sad and while Joel comforted her I found a nurse to fetch some band-aids. As soon as Joel got the band-aid on her toe, she said in a sad little voice, "That's so much better." It was so sad but so cute, and Joel and I both had to cover the smiles on our faces. Thank heaven for band-aids.

Once Clara was better, Joel gave me a big kiss goodbye and took the kids home. It was a very a nice night with my wonderful husband and beautiful kids.

Father's Day and Noah Knows All (Day 22)

I once had high hopes of making egg rolls for Joel for Father's Day. Egg rolls are on his favorite top 5 foods list, and I don't make them from scratch very often. I knew they would be a big hit.

Well, that didn't happen. I wish there was something I could to thank him for being an amazing Dad and husband. He's always been awesome, but he's really stepped up to the plate these last few weeks. It hasn't been a piece of cake, but he hasn't complained. He tries to spend every free minute here with me and is doing a good job doing the things I always did. Today he braided Clara's hair. He said they fell out almost immediately, but who cares? I'm super impressed that A) he was willing to try it and B) he could do it at all. I had no idea he even knew how to braid. Go figure.

I'm so happy that I married him. I'm a better person because of him, and I love him so much and so do our kids. Happy Father's Day Joel!

****************************************************************

I keep forgetting to share this story about Noah. I didn't actually witness it. My mom and dad shared it with me, and I thought it was so funny. It just had to be recorded (hopefully it right).

My mom and dad took Noah to church the first Sunday I was at the hospital, and I my dad was talking to someone, explaining why they had their grandkids. I guess my dad told the man I was having a boy, and my dad asked Noah if he knew how I found out it was a boy.

Noah said, "If it's a blue cake it's a boy. If it's a pink cake it's a girl."

Some of you may have seen my post a while back where I announced what we're having. To tell my kids, I made a blue jello poke cake.

So, maybe Noah thought the doctor gave me the cake? I don't know what he thought, but it was sure cute and funny! My dad sure got a kick out of that, and so did I when they told me the story.

Day 21

With all this free time, I have discovered a few fun sewing blogs and websites and other fun things that I wanted to share. I know I won't have time for most of these projects for a while, but I can still get excited. And maybe some of you will be inspired by these sites as well and create something from them. If you do, you must share with me!

Today I found this website: Elle Apparel. She has some cute and unique designs and lots of free tutorials (even better, right?). I think my favorite is this Pinwheel Skirt. I will have definitely have to try that one.

Today I also discovered this website with links to free sewing tutorials in just about everything you can think of. It's called All Free Sewing. I have a feeling this site will come in handy.

I'm just realizing that pretty much all the sites I'm sharing I found today. I guess it's been a productive hour in the good ol' Internet.

The next is an etsy store that sells vintage sheets and pillowcases and dish towels. It's called Garden Laundry. I'm learning from all these creative bloggers that you don't have to sew using fabric that came from a bolt. The sheets they have at Garden Laundry would make the cutest clothes! Or quilts or whatever! And I'm pretty sure it would cost less $$. I'm super excited about this find.

I'd love to have a charm necklace with my kids' names or initials. The website The Vintage Pearl has some really cute, simple, sweet things. Maybe I'll ask for one for my birthday. Hopefully by then we'll know what to name Baby #3.


I'm sure there are a plethora of blogs out there that will inspire me, and I'm sure I'll discover them all while I'm here. I'll let you know if I find any more good ones.


P.S. Did you notice how many days I've been here? Twenty one makes an even 3 weeks! It really has gone faster than I thought. Let's hope the same goes for the next 4.