Update on Zeke and life in general....

The first week after my labors I always have a rush of adrenalin.  I want to jump back into regular life, and its really hard for me to just sit when everything around me is carrying on as usual.  I know I will be behind on the "to do's" of keeping my home.  I want to play with my boys like usual.  So this time around, delivering a week before Christmas, I think my adrenalin was in over-drive with things I wanted to do before Christmas.  Then there's visitors.  Then there's after-Christmas clean up.  Then there's the emotional let down after Christmas.  Oh... and the emotional let down after birth??  Yeah, that too.  So about now, when Zeke is about to be two weeks old,- I've crashed.  Physically exhausted, emotionally exhausted, mentally exhausted, and spiritually dry.  Ugh.  Also, Zeke isn't gaining weight.  My milk is all messed up this time around... possibly due to stress and exhaustion.  We're trying to figure it out because I love nursing my babies, and I really don't want to have to supplement with formula.  

As far as life with four....  I don't really know yet.  I haven't been alone with them all for very long periods of time.  Although, I think this will be the hardest adjustment we've had.  The older two fight and the younger two are babies who need their mama.  AND we're all cooped up inside for at least the next three months.  Hopefully it will all sort out, and I'll be fully rested, recovered and ready to do a great job with each boy by the time Jonny goes back to work.  Thank God Jonny has a few weeks off!  And thank God we'll be starting the new year by doing NOTHING but being home with our boys. 

Oh, by the way, Zeke was given a full name on Christmas.  Jonah Zeke Oelkers.  :)  Although life is in transition right now, I can say that we all love little Zekers to pieces!!!

Baby Sweetness

Pictures of our little Zeke

Here are some pictures and video since our newest family member, Zeke, was born.  

Zeke's Birth Story

It's crazy that it was only 19mos ago that I was typing out Siah's birth story, and here I am again, typing out yet another miraculous story of how God blessed us with another son.

Saturday night was very relaxing for Jonny and I.  We spent the later part of our evening on the couch listening to Pastor Rob's message from the previous week.  (We missed because I was in Portland having a girls getaway before Baby was born, and Jonny was home with the boys).  As we laid on the couch, Jonny gave me a foot and calf massage, and I was having random contractions but thought nothing of it since I had been experiencing them off and on all week.  I went to bed about 10:15pm- still having very mild contractions.  Jonny came into bed about 10:45pm, and I woke up feeling the contractions again.  I told Jonny I thought maybe they were stronger than what I had been feeling the past week.  I also told him my back and hips hurt.  I was in and out of sleep for a half hour until I felt a small surge of something drip out of me.  I jumped up and went to the bathroom to confirm that my water had definitely broke.  Jonny leaped into action and helped me figure out how to sit with this leakage, if you will.  :)  Then he called the midwife to tell her what was going on.  

Jonny went back to bed about 11:45pm because we knew we had a long night ahead of us, and then he'd have to be up with the boys first thing in the morning.  I started keeping record of my contractions- how far apart and how long they were lasting.  I also made a few phone calls, folded some laundry and watched T.V.  At 1:15am I asked Jonny to come sit with me in the living room as I rocked on my exercise ball.  The contractions were getting more tough, and I needed some encouragement.  I also called the midwife and told her maybe it would be a good time for them to come over.  Jonny continued to doze off and on in the recliner; it was just nice to have him there if I had a particularly bad contraction.

At about 2am, the two midwives, Rachel & Meredeth, showed up.  My contractions were hard, but tolerable.  I just took them one at a time, breathing slow, deep breaths.  About 3am, I threw up.  Ick!  We moved to the bedroom, where my contractions picked up and really got painful.  However, I felt like I still had quite a bit of time and that the contractions weren't to the worst yet.  

At 3:50am, Rachel checked me, and I was about 6 or 7cm.  Bummer!  I was hoping to be further than that.  Now it seemed like it would still be a few hours longer, and I so wanted to be done.  Right after this, I had about 3 HARD HARD HARD contractions.  Then, miracle of miracle, I felt like I could push.  Three intense pushes later, Baby Zeke came out with a soft, quiet cry at 4:13am.  Then came my favorite part- when my brand new baby is placed on my chest.  LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

The whole home birth experience was very peaceful and relaxing.  I'm a bit of a homebody anyway, so of course I loved not having to stay at the hospital.  More than that, though, the transition was so smooth!  I got to hold my baby boy for a whole hour without anyone messing with him.  There was no mess; everything was cleaned up before I saw anything.  Then after I got out of the bathroom, my bed was all made!  I climbed in and they tucked me into my own cozy bed with my new baby!  Jonny, of course, was already out.  :)  

I think one of the best parts of the experience was the timing of the boys sleeping and waking up to a new brother.  The midwives left about 7am, just after Eli woke up.  Eli came in bright eyed and grinning ear to ear.  He was instantly in love with another little brother.  Jonny brought Siah in at 7am, also with a big smile stretched across his chubby face.  He kept giggling, "Baby!  Baby!" while touching the top of Zeke's head.  Siah seems to think Zeke is his own baby toy.  Next, at 7:30am Noah ran into our room and pounced on our bed.  Unlike his brothers, Noah was much more serious- no smiles.   Like a doctor, he wanted to inspect Zeke's body.  After an inspection and brief time holding his new baby brother, Noah was ready to watch Mickey Mouse and drink his chocolate milk. 

It was perfect.  God is good.  Praise Him for another beautiful gift!!!

Here are some pictures... a lot of red eye, but we'll take some better ones in the next few days and post more...

37 weeks!

38 weeks!

Just born!

7lbs14oz

sleepy baby boy

Big brother Eli!

Big brother Noah!

Big brother Siah!

CHEESE!  (I just love Siah's cheese face.)

Thinking over everything....

AND DADDY!

Labor?

My head is spinning right now, and I can't sleep.  I'm pretty sure this is happening.  Contractions started about 9:30 last night but were, and are, still very, very mild but they keep coming.  I went to bed at about 11 and woke up feeling them at 1:30am.  This doesn't seem like good timing.  Jonny has three more days before break, the Honda broke down in Marion at 9:30 last night on his way home from YL (AFTER we already made it home in the van), my mom wasn't planning to come until the 27th, I hate calling people in the middle of the night, my phone isn't even working completely right, the house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be, Jonny is totally out of it and not speaking in normal human sentences, Siah does not do well away from me, Noah only poops (he's a morning pooper) for one other person besides us and I'm not sure if she can watch him, of the two midwives who are supposed to deliver Baby- one of them unexpectedly left town for a week, I don't think Jonny is prepared for last minute plans for a sub, I don't want to wake my mom yet, Becky isn't here, I've never done a home birth before and am a little nervous, I always sit on a birthing ball for the last really hard part but our exercise ball is flat and missing its clip.... ahhh

I so badly want everything to fall perfectly into place.  If this is anything like the timing of the last two, who were born about 9 hours after the mild contractions started, he should be born around 6 or 7am.  If that is the case, that might actually be perfect because the boys all went to bed very late last night and probably won't wake up until about 8am.  However, that means things are going to need to drastically speed up in the next few hours and that doesn't seem likely.  Is this even real labor?  Ahh!!!!

I need You, Jesus.

Philippians Chapter 2

Okay, okay... I know its Dec. 6th and not Dec. 1st.  Sadly, I failed at having Ch. 2 memorized by the 1st.  I've memorized about half of it.  Its really, really good and I want to finish what I started!  I just keep getting caught up in the "To Do's" in my life- guilty of being a Martha instead of a Mary.  Anyway, here's the chapter:  

Philippians 2  

"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 

Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.

Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me." 

 On another note, Noah is 3 1/2 today!  Its funny to think that I'm about to have Baby #4 now when I was originally thinking of having #3 around the time Noah was this age.  Ha!  But I'll be the first to admit that God's ways are always better than my own.  I'm getting excited to see what this new little one will be like!  And I'm so thankful for the three He's already entrusted into my care.