adelaide maria sivyer

it has been six months since we welcomed our sweet daughter into the world.  to mark this day, i am resurrecting the blog and putting words to her arrival.

at the end of my pregnancy, adelaide was not my easiest baby to carry. for one thing, i had carried all of the boys in my 20's, but now, at 30 years old, i could feel my age.  i was achier and creakier than i had been with the boys. i had heart palpitations and shortness of breath. also, it was summer.  i have never carried a baby in the summertime and it was no joke!  florida's late summer inferno was taking its toll on me and the boys alike (mama's inability to stand the outside air meant that the four crazies had to spend a lot of time at home).  by the time september finally came, i was super ready for little miss to make her appearance. she was due on september 17th, but because the end of my pregnancy had been harder than others, i was optimistic that she would come earlier.

two weeks before her due date found me dilating without noticeable contractions (much like i had with #3 and #4) the plan was to go to the hospital once i reached 4cm dilated (as i had with jonah) and do a water-break induction so that my water would not break at home and leave me with a very fast, impromptu home birth. 8 days before her due date, i was 3cm dilated.  since it was a friday and it was likely that she would come over the weekend, my mom came to spend the night.  we spent the evening visiting over a glass of wine and went to be early so that i would be well rested in the morning.

the next morning, i called the hospital (where i already knew my amazing midwife, missy, was on call) and told them i wanted to come in to get checked because i was feeling weird (this was the plan that we had come up with the day before with missy).  my mom stayed at home with the boys and we went in. i was 4cm. the nurses were actually making fun of missy because i was not actually in labor. her response: just wait... she will be soon.

missy stripped me and sent us to walk the halls of the hospital (knowing that i have never walked myself into labor, but needing to follow protocol), so steve and i walked for an hour.  i actually started having some contractions, but not impressive ones. after our hour, we went back to triage to see if i had made any progress.  i actually had! only a little (now i was almost 5) but enough that missy was able to admit me for induction.

by the time i was in a room and paperwork was finished, it was 2:00.  i had decided a long time ago that i wanted the most peaceful, painless birth i could manage, so before they broke my water, i got an epidural! as it turns out, epidural medicine has come a long way since i last had one (back in 2009), and it was glorious!  for the next couple of hours, we laid back, watching the contractions on the monitor and just chatting and waiting.

after a while, we called kayla to relieve my mom and she came to sit with us.  it was so nice having her there.  at some point, the nurse suggested that addie was probably sunny side up (which explained why she was not coming down as fast as we had thought she would, and why my contractions seemed irregular).  at this point, it was just a matter of coercing her to turn over and then she would likely come quickly.  we tried rolling a few different ways over the next few hours, but she was being stubborn.  by 7:00, kayla had to leave, so we called the brookses to stay with the kids because we had decided that my mom would stay for the birth.  we got a new nurse (night shift!) and she sat me almost upright with my legs down and emptied my bladder.  that did it!  addie turned and within minutes, i was feeling the urge to push.

missy checked me and i was only 9 cm with baby still a bit high, but because i was wanting to push, she had me do a practice to see if i could get the baby the rest of the way. it only took a half push. missy and the nurses hurried to get everything in place and we were ready to have a baby!

i was so excited to finally get to meet baby girl!  thus far, the birth had been lovely and painless and i was looking forward to finally being finished. my mom helped hold my legs while steve prepared to catch the baby.  i believe the final push count was three.  between pushes, we joked and laughed (about what i don't remember anymore).  it was absolutely the most pleasant, peaceful birth we have had.  i am really proud of the two natural births, but i enjoyed this one in a really special way.

missy talked steve through the delivery, and once she was here, he gave her to me.  she was chubby (8 pounds 11 ounces) but other than that i really don't remember much after she finally came (six hours after my water was broken).  all i can really recall was feeling so excited to introduce her to her brothers!  rich and danielle woke them up (they had just all fallen asleep!) and brought them to see us.  it was an indescribably beautiful moment, watching those four boys behold their new sister after months of waiting and imagining and pure excitement.  they were instantly smitten and still are!

weeks later, a friend of ours (who gave birth the following week with missy) told me that missy and the nurses had been talking about the "lady who laughed her baby out last week." i laughed at the accuracy of that assessment. to her credit, adelaide has been and continues to be our sweetest, easiest, happiest baby to date.  she is all light and love and we adore her!

photo explosion :: vol. 16

{boy loves his coonskin cap}

{he finds creatures everywhere}

{talking to grandma on his plastic phone}

{he enjoys this, i swear he does!}

{so excited about the dead armadillo they found on the beach}

{trying out the "petecycle"}

{sometimes you just can't wait for mom to get you undressed}

{warrior ezra}

{a day at the zoo in the middle of a florida summer} 

{cliff jumping with dad}

{stair steps!}

{at the park with friends... those kids really do love to climb}

{ballet goodies}

{i love that they are such buddies}

{he would not let me cut the bangs}

{there is still just a bit of baby in him}

{hanging out with the jaguar}

{a glimpse into my never-lift-a-finger-again future?}

{we live in the most magical place}

{popsicles!}

{these two share a really special bond}

{every summer, my boys declare war on lubber grasshoppers}

{this boy can turn any trash into something he wants to keep forever}

{such a serious kids, this one}

{they sure do love the little one well}

{bathtub architecture}

{the tiger finally came really close!}

{this was the game for a week}

{first night reading harry potter!!}

{just eating peaches and holding hands}

{"look mom, a syrup monkey!"  yes, he really did say that!}

{we adopted a stray bunny who free-ranges the yard.  the boys have named her "cheddar bunny"}

{expelliarmus}

{they did this on their own}

first day of school 2015

{gabe: second grade}

{ezra: kindergarten}

{titus: pre-k}

south carolina

at the end of july, my sister came into the country for the first time since my dad's illness (a year and a half ago).  and the last time we saw her for fun was before she moved to taiwan (a trip to sea world three years ago).  it was so lovely to be all together for a while!

we spent the week hiking and playing in waterfalls and just being together.  as it turns out, i was more affected my jonah's fall than i realized, and was a bit of a mess every time we got anywhere near a remotely tricky ledge or slippery waterfall. those who know me well know that this is not like me at all.  thank goodness my family was so gracious with me in all of my mess, and despite my nervousness, we still had a great time.  we even got a quick visit from sarah grizzle, who lives only about three hours away.

in all of the fun, and in typical brittany fashion, the pictures that made it home with us are random.  there is not one of me or heather or sarah or my mom.  oh well!