Pandemic Blog Post-

I've been home with my children more than ever, yet have found 0 time to blog. Maybe it's because of a stay-at-home order, or working full time from home with three kids, or trying to keep a house clean with a newborn, or trying to figure out homeschooling two boys and constantly feeding a third, and maybe it's because I"ve prioritized other things! You know reading as much as I can to make sure I am as informed about pandemic, race, white supremacy and privilege, parenting boys, etc. However, I LOVE reading these posts and know I will want to be able to look back on them.

This post will go normal by month and then an update on all 3 boys at the end. Suffice it to say it will have PLENTY of pictures and few words :)

February: All I remember is this month I kind of had normal maternity leave? I struggled with breastfeeding at the beginning, didn't sleep a ton, and had LOTS of support from Mark. And we took maternity photos with my co-worker and friend Heather Bender

March:
Here's where shit got real. We had one last hurrah of watching Dean's hockey season end. Walked Dean to the schoolbus for a week after he got the flu (yes he missed a week of school the week before Quarentine started).


I quickly learned to enjoy (or try to enjoy) maternity leave and homeschool. Did I overdo it at first!? Heck yes! Trying to overcompensate and make a bat-shit crazy world "normal". We had our first "social distance" visit with my parents (and then didn't leave the house again for at least 3 weeks). Went for one social distance hike.. but everything felt unsafe and unsure. Wiping down produce/bags/etc every time you got a grocery delivery (which was once every 2-3 weeks). Fear of grabbing the mail or packages. Backing away when people got too close on a walk. What a bizarre time. Reading the news 100x a day. Daily walks (Which have continued!) Bear hunts. Kids who BADLY needed hair cuts!

April: More of the same.. Would you believe that? Tried too hard at distance learning.

Too many zoom calls.

Lots of walks

My birthday and Easter

Sleeping newborn photos

Sleeping Benny photos

Social distance birthday fun

Lots of baking cooking (SO THATS why I haven't lost the maternity pounds ;) and home projects

Our first masks, First time going through a drivethrough and having dates with mommy

and of course.... a snow storm!

And cute baby photos

May: More of the same..... Plus the cabin..... oh ya and the cities started to burn down with riots and national guard

Our Rainbow Baby Birth Story

Now that Baby Gordie is a week old I guess it’s time we tell you how he got here!!

A week and a day ago Mark and I headed bright and early to Saint Francis hospital in preparation for an induction. He was a week overdue and for his safety we listened to doctors advice to induce. We started the same way Deans induction began, without medication and with a balloon catheter intended to open my cervix, which was comfortably closed at 1 cm.

After several hours and nothing happening our nurses suggested Cytotec a drug used to open the cervix. This started some minor contractions but several hours later was still 1 cm. Fast forward to 10 pm 2 more doses of Cytotec later I was finally MAYBE 2 cm.

The nurses knew my desire for a natural childbirth so upon starting Pitocin agreed to do it slowly so the contractions were manageable.

We tried to rest a bit that night, but the contractions were too strong to sleep through. The nurses tried to encourage me to move, do squats, etc to get baby to move. Finally at 4 AM they warmed up the tub (my favorite place to labor) and Mark and I had a long emotional chat about what to do next. We had been in labor almost 24 hours, still at maybe 2/3 cm. I was feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. The contractions weren’t unbearable but they were painful and I knew (after two previous natural births) the pain that was to come. We decided in the tub an epidural would be next step.

At 6 we got out of the tub, and 24 hours after we started, the doctor broke my water. She came in confirming still only 3 cm, and then giggled as she walked away when I suggested an epidural.

Then SHIT GOT Real. The first contraction after the water broke was so much more intense than any previous contractions. Mark knew immediately that things were different. I cried through the first several contractions it was all just soo intense and soo fast. I labored the way that I have with my others, but things moved so fast. Running from ball, to tub, to standing from contraction to contraction trying to survive.

I started at this point to feel pressure and our new nurse suggested checking me. Within an hour I had gone from 3 to 7 cm! A few more contractions (or relative... time is so odd in labor) she checked again but I asked to not be told. Mark later told me I was 9! I knew things were getting close though because they started to set up the room for a baby to come in.

Mark and the nurse were so supportive and guided me through the final contractions before I started to feel the urge to push. Once again I knew we were close which was the only thing getting me through the exhaustion emotionally and physically. Many people walked in (always a sign you are close) and they guided me through the quickest and most PAINFUL pushing phase of all my kids. As I put it “this is the most pain I’ve ever been in my whole life why isn’t he out yet?!?” The answer??? He came out with his hand beside his head. Painful for me and made him come out with a fractured collar bone :(

The relief I felt when he was placed on my chest was sooooo noticeable to all. He was finally out. The longest/shortest labor of mine was finally over. And this baby, the one who I was told at 5 weeks was a miscarriage. At 8 weeks a likely miscarriage. In the 2 trimester a strong candidate for a miscarriage. This baby who I had gotten pregnant with Just one month after a miscarriage was finally in my arms and so perfect. My last and final baby and boy. Gordie Robert Aronson was finally here. 8 pounds 2 oz. 19.5 inches 8:48am. Born 26 hours after our induction started. Came out fast in furious in the final hour and a half. And now it’s like he’s always been here.

The boys are over the moon. He eats like a champ and is sleeping as you’d expect a one week old to sleep. Can’t wait to see what adventures me and my 4 boys will go through together!