not as funny maternity story

While we were walking the hall ways because we were waiting for a room to open up.  I was having a contraction while Adam was talking to his mom on the phone.  He decided that it would be fun to poke me in the stomach while I was having the contraction.  I told him not to touch me.  He, for some reason, didn't seem to understand why I told him that.  I consider my self pretty easy going, but poking a pregnant woman in the stomach who is in labor while having a contraction just isn't a good idea...no matter who the person is.

is it over yet?

I am really tired of being pregnant. I am still not feeling well most of the time but I can't think about it because there is so much other stuff to do during the day. Maybe thats why people say each pregnancy gets better, because you don't have time to know that it isn't better. I am now going to the Dr. weekly, or at least I would be if they hadn't screwed up my last 2 appointments. I have to call about the rest of the appointments I have already scheduled to make sure they have all of them. The Dr. checked me yesterday and I am 1 cm and 50% effaced. That doesn't sound like a lot to me right now. I always hope that when I go in to be checked the Dr. will say, "you are 5 and need to go to the hospital" but that never happens...too bad. I asked the Dr. to strip my membranes while I was there but she said she couldn't until the results of the test she took yesterday came back, bummer, I have to wait until next week for that one. I have been having a lot of contractions the past week or so. Sometimes every 10 min for a few hours at a time, but they don't seem to get much closer together and thus I can't go to the hospital. I have been throwing up in my sleep again recently, most recently last night. When that happens I have to go sleep on the couch in a semi upright position for a few hours so I don't wake up coughing and gagging. Yesterday on top of everything else I had a migraine. The screaming children were not helpful. But I made it though the day and, once again, didn't go into labor. I guess that's all for my complaining post, at least it doesn't last forever, although it seems like it...3 years is a long time. Time to go put Kate down for a nap, and maybe do some coloring with Aidan, who is singing in his room right now. I think he is trying for the ABC's.

Isaiah Cole Van Liew

We also had an ultrasound soon after we got back from vacation and found out we were having another boy.  His name will be Isaiah Cole after Isaiah chapter 6, which is my favorite passage of scripture.  When Isaiah is called by God and is made clean by being touched with a coal on the lips. 

done waiting...finally

Well, I guess I was wrong about Kate being early. But that's because we are done waiting for her to make her arrival, as everyone already knows. I am sitting at home on the couch, a soon to be rare moment that nothing is happening. Aidan and Kate are both napping, we have already eaten lunch, there is laundry washing, and Adam is playing racquetball with Chris. I am tired, Adam let me get a nap in this morning though, it was a nice couple of hours. So I am not too sure where to start, I am going to write about my experiences these past few days, I guess I'll just start at the beginning...yeah...So I went to the Dr. on Tuesday morning and I was the same as I had been for the last 3 weeks. Adam and I had talked about when we wanted to be induced by if nothing was happening. I asked the Dr. if we could go in Thursday night and she said she would have to check the scheduling of the other Dr. on call. She said that it might be hard to get in and made it sound like we wouldn't be able to do anything until next week. I told her I would take what I could get and they were going to call me later in the afternoon with a time for me to go in. They called a few hours later and told me the wanted me to go in the next morning at 6. I wasn't expecting that. So we tried to get some stuff done on Tuesday night and called the next morning and were left waiting for a bed. There was finally one open a couple of hours later. The next thing I knew we were in the room waiting again (it was busy for a while there). They started the IV with petocin and bring on the contractions. So last time I had he epidural right when they started the petocin , this time I waited a few hours before I got it. The contractions weren't quite what I expected them to be. I wasn't sure since I didn't feel much of anything last time. There was a lot of pressure during the contractions but it was decently bearable. I got the epidural again, this time was so much better than last time. I think that last time the Dr. gave me too much medication. I pretty much couldn't feel anything at all. This time was much better I think. I could still feel the contractions but not the pain from them, I could still feel the pressure of Kate pushing down and I could actually move my legs. I dilated fast, I was fully ready to go about 3:30 I think (they started the IV at 10:30). I felt like I needed to push, I pushed for 10 min or so and they wanted me to wait for her to come down some more on her own so I would stretch out some more and have less of a chance of tearing again (apparently my tear last time was really bad and they were concerned about it). So I had to wait for an hour and sit with my legs crossed in front of me; so much for gravity and the epidural. I had a really good nurse, she was talkative and informative; I liked her a lot. Finally it was time to push, the Dr. checked me out and found that Kate was facing her side instead of the back, I pushed once and she turned right around. It took 3 good contractions (3 pushes per contraction) for her to crown. Then the Dr. told me to stop pushing, I said I wasn't. Kate came out anyway: apparently she didn't want to be in there anymore. I didn't push any more and out she came. She was crying before she was even all the way out. It was more emotional for me this time; I almost cried. I think that this time around I will cherish things more because I know they will be gone quickly. She really is quite beautiful, I was glad to have the time in the hospital with her to get to know her a bit better. I decided to stay an extra night so I wouldn't have to deal with both kids so soon. It was nice, Kate and I just napped and relaxed yesterday morning at the hospital while Adam was at school. I really enjoyed my experience again, it was so much different than last time but just as special. More to come later, time for Kate to eat.

still waiting

We are still waiting for Kate to come. She was due yesterday, I really thought that she would be early. I went to the Dr. again this morning, she seems surprised that Kate is so low and continues to move down and I haven't gone into labor. I am still 3 cm dilated, just waiting now. I really don't want to be induced again, not that it was a bad experience but I am not so sick this time and would like to wait. Unfortunately this isn't a really good time of year to be waiting. Adam has finals to give next week and is doing things for DVHS graduation. He has an interview tomorrow, and not to mention all of the graduations that we really want to go to for our kids from church. I am also taking a wedding on the 3rd of June and would like to at least be able to walk around well for that. Then the next week my cousins will be in town and we are off to HS camp at the end of the week. So, the sooner the better for Kate as of now. I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever...maybe that's just cause I have been for the past 2 years...I know God's timing is perfect, but its hard. I have started throwing up in my sleep again this past week. The other night I threw up and didn't really even fully wake up until I was already sitting up coughing and Adam was patting me on the back asking if I was OK. I think it's kind of scary that I was still mostly sleeping and could have not sat up or started coughing, God is a good protector. So I guess we are just waiting to see when they can get me into the hospital to induce me. Any time now Kate...

kate's room

This picture was taken in Kate's room without a flash so you could see the sun shining through the newly hung curtains which Amy and Francy made together. It was pretty cool to see the beautiful (girly) colors of the curtains in Kate's own room that we are prepping for her arrival. You can see the crib where Kate will be sleeping, but we'll be moving it away from the window, and we will be getting a darker shade to go on the window behind the curtains. We're not going as "girly" as we could, so we chose colors that we still "feminine," but not terribly disconcerting for a man to take care of his little girl in the room, either. Thank the Lord for little girls. It is still hard for me to think about it. It is going to be so different to have a girl after having Aidan. He's a punk and not very cuddly (heh heh). Will she be cuddly? Will I melt in the palm of her hand? Be putty in her hands? Be too strict? Too soft? Too unsure? Too arrogant? Too manly (that's funny)? We're watching Father of the Bride II right now, and they just got to the part where the ladies are giving birth. Brings back some memories, and it's helping me to look even more forward to my daughter's arrival. Kate: Coming Soon.

a first for amy

Well, Adam finally showed me how to sign in under my name that he made me... so maybe I will start posting some things now. I can't really think of anything to post right now so I guess I will say what I did today. I took care of Aidan. That's all...ok not really. I had to go and take a glucose blood test at the lab today for my pregnancy. It takes an hour so I took Aidan over to my moms while I was gone. My arm still hurts, the lady that took my blood moved the needle around a lot, but at least it wasn't the creepy guy who hits on me. We have the old cat that we are "fostering" for Grandpa Ken. She is pretty pathetic, she kind of bounces when she walks because she can't really walk. But she is pretty nice and doesn't seem to care where she is at, except maybe at night when she sits at the door and makes sad attempts to meow. Whatever.

fourth anniversary

Amy and I have now been married for a glorious four years. How lucky am I? Go ahead, tell me. Amy's gorgeous, she's able to stay home and take care of Aidan, Aidan's now 9 months old and loves to clap, Kate is maturing in the womb and will make her debut in another 5 1/2 months: life is good. Some fun to talk about regarding the day Amy and I spent together. We've made it a tradition to head up to Flagstaff for our anniversary, ever since our second anniversary. (We honeymooned there, just so you know.) We hit Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, then headed out of town up the 17. There was a winter storm warning in effect until noon, according to the 511 service that I called. As we found out on our way up the hill, it was snowing very heavily within 30 miles of Flagstaff even at 2:00 pm. It was snowing so hard that the visibility was down to under half a mile at best. We got ourselves behind an SUV from Oregon and followed them all the way up the hill. They obviously knew how to drive in those conditions, and not many others did, as we passed many Arizona plates on the way up. As we would change lanes, the ice that was building up where no tires had been traveling made it to where we seemed to slide a little. The Lord kept us safe the whole way up, and it was a fun drive, praise Him. I truly enjoyed myself on that drive. Before the snow and the bad weather, just as we were coming down the large mountain that leads to Camp Verde, I was caught by DPS driving 76 in a 65 mph area. The road sign changed to 75 just tens of yards away from where the officer was camping out to catch speeders. I did get pulled over. We pulled off the road in Camp Verde (which we were going to anyway because it was time for lunch). The officer was the nicest man in a uniform that I've ever met. He told me how fast I was going, asked me where we were headed (I told him "Flagstaff, for our anniversary"), and he told me that he wouldn't ruin our anniversary by giving me a ticket. I wasn't afraid at all, and I didn't even have anxiety, and he just let us off. I couldn't believe it. We then went to the A&W/KFC, ate lunch, then headed back up the hill to follow the Oregon SUV. We made it up to the Barnes & Noble (as we do each time that we go) in order to get our regular journal purchase. We got a lot of board books (which were on major sale) for Aidan, and even got a stuffed animal dragon, too. We got some other books, too, like Eragon and a guide to poker (since I'm starting up a regular game, hopefully). I also got to buy a couple journals for me to take sermon notes in. My parents gave us money for our anniversary, so we used that for the purchase. We then went around NAU's campus and took some pictures of the winter weather on the trees and overall campus. It was gorgeous up there. We had a nice time up there in Flagstaff, even though we didn't go up past Flagstaff to take pictures in the aspens which we normally take (because of the weather and safety). We headed back down the hill earlier than any other year, but it was a good idea. The roads didn't get any better with the weather continuing to snow and rain, depending on the elevation. Again, the conditions made it hard to see, and the Arizona plates really didn't know what to do with the snowy conditions, but we were still able to enjoy the road home. It was solid rain or snow the whole way down the mountain: almost 150 miles worth of solid clouds without a break. We got back into town, we to Cucina Tagliani, ordered to go, went to Walmart, went back to pick up the food, headed home, and enjoyed our dinner while watching the Suns battle the Mavericks for a little while. We had left Aidan with the Ogles (my parents-in-law) for the day, very generous of them, and so we went to pick him up when we finished with dinner. The Ogles told us that Aidan was good and slept all of his normal naps. That was great to hear. We told him about what I've told you, and then we headed home. That was our fourth anniversary.

lubbock

Whelp, we leave for Lubbock, TX, at four a.m. tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to our time there, but the travel will be a new challenge with a pregnant wife (with our first daughter, Kate) and an almost-9-month-old son, Aidan. The Ogles (Mike & Francy, Amy's parents) will also be going with us, or, better said, we'll be going with them. They rented a nice Crystler Caravan with Stow-n-go storage that we'll be taking to Tejas. Four adults (one pregnant) and one child will be heading out about three hours before the sun rises here. Good thing Mike will be driving. This should be a good trip: spending time with family, enjoying Christmas together, giving and receiving presents; what's there not to like?! We'll be gone a total of 6 days (two traveling, and four firmly planted in wind-strikken Lubbock). Oh, boy, will it be freezing there! We're looking at temperatures in the teens! Time to where two jackets and self-heating long-johns. Okay, I'm not going to go that overboard, but I would like to keep my wife and son warm and unfrost-bitten. We'll see how it goes. This side of the family consists of Amy's mom's side, the Falbos (also including the Sides). It's been a couple years since I've been out there, and I'm looking forward to seeing the family, and welcoming the newest member out there, baby Luke, Amy's newest cousin who's months younger than our son. Pretty cool how that worked out. Good times a-comin'. Merry Christmas!

Kate's first pics

Say hello to Kate!

#2

If you don't know, I've been referring to the blesséd baby that Amy carries right now as #2. For your benefit, and to my great pleasure, I am getting to announce to you the gender of our second child: SHE'S A GIRL! WOOHOO! I thought it, Amy thought it, my dad thought it, my aunt Cyndi thought it, and Bethany just really didn't have a feeling either way. Katelyn Anaya Van Liew (Kate) is due to escape that birth canal on May 14th, 2007, 13 1/2 months after Vaughn Aidan Van Liew III was born. Aidan is a big brother just as I was to a younger sister. What exciting times. The only negative I can think of...we'll have to pay for the wedding! On a teacher's salary? The Lord does incredible things, let me tell you (which I stole from Melissa Hundley, who says that all the time - just go ahead and tell me, Melissa; I'm listening). What a great little (but all too soon larger) blessing to have a baby girl. We are very much looking forward to it. Amy is already thinking about what to paint in the nursery; the thought is pink and brown at this point ("brown goes with anything"). I'll be putting up on here some pictures from the ultrasound soon.

festivus

It is now officially Festivus Break. And Festivus will continue until Aidan is able to pin me for a three-count. Should be years of fun! Okay, just messin' around. If you didn't get it, that is a cite from Seinfeld, a much beloved show for Amy and me. This will be Aidan's first Christmas, though, and we are looking forward to it. Christmas (not Festivus) Break really did begin today, as I finished up my grades, got my room prepared for the spring semester, and shut off the lights. 'Twas a great feeling, when all through the schoolhouse, not a student was whining, not even a louse. Mua-ha-ha, and a bottle of eggnog - the non-alcoholic sort, of course: I mean, Amy's pregnant, four cryin' out loud! Man, I just feel punny right now. Guess it's the eggnog. Again, just kidding. Gotta love getting two weeks off for Christmas (in Lubbock, TX, for us) and New Year's (which we'll be spending at the du Mée's, reference post "du Mée" for more info on them). Merry Christmas!

pregnancy

Amy is pregnant with #2 and so went in for her second checkup this morning. I wasn't able to go in today; I had to teach. Amy got to hear our second child's heartbeat today. I wish I could have been there. The doc told Amy that she lost 5 lbs since the last weigh in. She was not excited about that. Amy needs to eat more and drink some shakes that we have. Amy's just not felt like eating. She'll need to get over that one. Amy is such a joy to me. I am extremely blessed to call her my wife.