Introducing Baby June!

Juniper Belle Williams

Born November 14th 2013

at 7:32pm

8lbs 5oz

19 1/2 inches long

Tuesday, 11-12-13: I REALLY wanted to have my baby girl on such an awesome date. I mean, how cool would it be to be born on 11-12-13!? (And not to mention an easy date to remember). I was super active that day, I tried to WILL her out of me. Ryan even googled ways to induce labor. Even as I went to bed at 10pm, I thought, "Okay, two hours. It could still happen." I woke up a little sad the next morning, but what can you do? I was told that the hospitals were packed with people getting induced that day anyway, so maybe I wouldn't have gotten as good of treatment if it had been on that awesome day.

Thursday, 11-14-13
7:30am: Ryan tells me he's planning on going to the temple for a 12 o'clock session that day. Being 39 1/2 weeks pregnant I tell him he should probably bring his cell phone in with him on silent (totally not acceptable) just in case the baby decides to come that day. He isn't comfortable with that so he decides to cancel his appointment (good choice hun). 
8:00am: I drop Wendy off at school, kiss her goodbye and tell her the good news that she gets to go to her friend Amelia's house after school. She squeals with excitement and skips onto the playground (she LOVES going to Amelia's house and, bless her mom's heart, she was taking Wendy every Thursday for a playdate toward the end of my big, uncomfortable pregnancy).
8:30am: I get to my prenatal appointment a little early after going straight from dropping Wendy off at school. I listen to music and put on my make up in the parking lot. 
8:45am: During my appointment I learn that I'm almost 3cm dilated and 80% effaced! (At my last weeks appointment I was 2cm dilated and I'm happy I'm progressing a little). I confide in the doctor that I'm nervous I won't know when to go to the hospital if I have to count contractions because with my first two children my water broke and I didn't have any real labor until I was already admitted into the hospital. Also, I haven't even had any real/painful contractions yet, just a lot of fake contractions- braxton hicks- where my whole stomach tightened up but it didn't really hurt. Then the doctor says something profound, "A contraction is a contraction whether it hurts or not." I honestly hadn't thought of that before. He also tells me that I'm far enough along that I don't even need to count/time contractions. He tells me if they're consistent just to go to the hospital (even if I feel no pain).
9:45am: I get home from my appointment and I decide to time my painless contractions anyway, just for fun, because they happen all the time. 
10 - 11am: I time my contractions while getting little things done around the house. Wendy is at school, but Ryan and Harvey are home and we're having a nice, quiet morning together. I take note of my contractions while I play with Harvey and pack overnight bags for me and my soon-to-be three children. I'm packing just to be prepared, not because I think I'll need them that day, but I start to notice that the times I'm writing down are pretty close to each other. Every 7 to 4 minutes I jot down the time and length.
11:30am: My contractions start to last a long time. I don't know when one ends and the next one begins (especially when I'm standing or walking around, so I don't stop walking around). And they're getting a little uncomfortable. I also think my water MIGHT have broken. So I call the doctor and he tells me to head over to the hospital.
12pm: Ryan and I drop Harvey off at his grandparents house and head to the hospital. We park and as we're walking in I chuckle to myself at the realization that Ryan was supposed to be walking into the temple at that exact time, where I would have no way of reaching him. I also notice how HOT and sunny it is that day in the middle of November. For some reason I always pictured myself delivering my babies in the middle of a rainy night and it doesn't feel right. (side note: this is probably because I watched the movie "Saturday's Warrior" one too many times as a kid. Another side note: none of my children were born in the middle of the night OR during a rainy thunderstorm). 
1pm: Laying in the hospital bed in a backless gown, hooked up to the fetal heart rate and contraction monitors, I am told that my water did not break and that I'm only dilated to a 3 1/2. I also notice that my contractions are slowing down and getting softer the longer I'm laying still in the bed. Ryan was across the street getting himself lunch and they tell me if things keep slowing down they might send me home. At this point I REALLY don't want to get sent home because we already (pre-maturely) called Wendy and told her where we were and listened to her excited squeals. My mom also (pre-maturely) blasted it on facebook.- we were all just a little too excited. I really don't want to disappoint all those people. I call Ryan on the verge of tears and tell him it might not happen today.
1:30pm: I decide to focus on willing the pain to come. Ryan wants to watch t.v. but I tell him I can't be distracted. I need to focus on having more/harder contractions and don't tell me that's not how it works because it will work! I also keep shifting in the bed (which isn't easy when you're HUGE and hooked up to twenty belts and wires) but every time I move I have a contraction. I think I can be sneaky and just switch the side I'm laying on every 1 - 3 minutes to force a contraction and trick the nurses when they get the contraction reading into thinking I'm having them naturally, but shifting around moves all the belts and wires and I come un-hooked a couple times so they have to keep coming in and hooking me back up (they probably hated my guts). They asked me once or twice to remain still if I could.
2:00pm: Nurses come in and out, checking me and looking at the contraction print out. I progress to a 4, but no one can be sure if I'll get to stay or not. Also, Ryan tells my nurse she looks familiar and we discover he went to school with her children. (The man knows everyone, I swear). He starts to flirt (or as he calls it, "bro down") with the nurse in hopes it will increase our chances of getting to stay.
2:30pm: The contractions are getting a little stronger and more consistent and I welcome the pain. I rejoice in the pain. It literally makes me happy because it means they might not send me home.
3:00pm: I'm told that the doctor on staff says I get to stay and have this baby! I'm SO relieved, but can't shake this anxious feeling like they still might send me home. I tell Ryan he can turn the t.v. on now if he wants because I no longer have to focus on bringing contractions or tricking the nurses.We channel surf through different daytime television shows like Ellen and Law & Order and the news while my contractions get harder and painful. I don't feel like Law & Order SVU sets the happy mood I want to bring my child into so I watch a channel that is playing I Love Lucy reruns back to back. That will work.
4:00pm: I'm having to breath through my contractions that are getting worse. The ceiling has indentations in the form of giant leaves and I focus on the leaves to get through the pain (I'm pretty sure they were put there for that exact purpose). I imagine myself lying under a large tree with the giant leaves moving in a breeze and it gets me through. As soon as the next nurse steps one foot into my room I tell her I'm READY for an epidural. 
4:15pm: Giant needle to the back and instant relief. Thank you modern medicine. 
5:00pm: My mom shows up with some fast food for Ryan (she knows the way to his heart) and emotional support for me. She gets SO excited and her giddiness is contagious. 
6:00pm: My aunt Ruth shows up with her camera (bless her heart, I love the photos she takes).
6:30pm: I'm dilated to an 8 1/2. 
7:00pm: I start to get uncomfortable. The monitors around my stomach feel way too tight, giving me the feeling that I can't breath and making me a little nauseous. The numbness starts to wear off on my left side, even though I'm leaning to the left and the nurse says the side you're laying on usually is the more numb one. My right side is completely numb, I can't even move my right leg, but I have full control of my left leg and my contractions start to hurt on the left side. I plead with the nurse to give my epidural a boost but she refuses me, saying that we're just about ready to push (that's what I'm afraid of).
7:15pm: I'm hurting. I'm breathing through the contractions but I can handle it. The doctor comes in and he's amazing. He makes me feel calm. He even makes me feel modest the way he keeps me mostly covered and I like the comfort of not being so exposed. My mother-in-law walks in with perfect timing, just as I'm about to start pushing.
7:20pm: I start to push. Although I know the epidural is making it bearable, I can feel the pain. The doctor's soothing voice and calming reassurance that I'm doing a good job help me. I push for what seems like a long time. I can feel my body telling me when to push and when to rest - a sensation I've never had before since I was COMPLETELY numb for the birth of my first two children.
7:30pm: The doctor and nurses are telling me to take breaks, but I can FEEL that I need to push. I tell them so and they tell me to go ahead. It really starts to hurt, and with my eyes closed I can't help but sob in anguish.
7:32pm: First the head, and then the shoulders. The sound of the suction, then a cry and my precious little girl is placed on my chest. She is so beautiful and tiny. Along with TONS of black hair, I see Harvey's mouth and Wendy's eyes and I immediately recognize her as one of my own. I'm in love for the fourth time.

Wonderful photos by Ruthy Lou who is officially invited to the births of all my children because she does such a superb job of capturing some of the most important and beautiful moments of my life. Thank you Ruth. These pictures are priceless to me.

36 weeks

36 weeks and making my kids put my shoes on for me ;)

32 weeks

Pregnancy #3 fun facts: NESTING (unnecessary home projects that were NECESSARY before bringing another person into it)

• paint basically the entire house except for the kids' rooms & kitchen
• new living room rug (thank you ikea for the cheap rug that I love and that everyone &their mom has, but I don't even care)
• new couch (our old couch is DONEZO in every way)
• sell a bunch of stuff on craigslist 
• have a garage sale
• re-organize the patio 
• figure out how to squeeze this baby into Wendy's room (where do I put a crib in that tiny room?!?)
• decide whether to cram 3 kids in the back seat of the honda CRV or buy a minivan (we figured out how to cram)

28 Weeks

Pregnancy #3 fun facts: NAMES

• Juniper - "June" for short (also love the J names Jane & Jill, but June is my fave)
• Charlottte - "Charlie" or "Lottie" for short (after my dad, Charles)
• Penelope - "Poppy" for short
• Betsy - (after my mom, Elizabeth)
• Wendy's choice - Suzy or Sally (every last one of her dolls AND our pet bunny have one of these names. THAT'S how much she loves them).

*this little girl is SO excited for a sister. that means she's gonna help me out a lot, right?

24 Weeks

 

*these two cuties wanted in on the photos. How can I say no to those faces?

Pregnancy #3 fun facts: CRAVINGS

• Jamba Juice - I send Ryan to Jamba Juice almost every night. The employees there know his wife is pregnant and joke about getting to see him every night for the next 9 months.
• plain bagels with plain cream cheese, has to be toasted
• trader joe's "fruit frenzy bar" popsicles
• sprite with lots of ice
• in the first few weeks of my pregnancy, before I even knew I was pregnant, I had the SAME thing for lunch EVERY DAY: turkey sandwich on toasted multi-grain wheat bread (the yummy stuff my mom gets from costco) with an egg, avocado, sliced tillamook cheddar cheese, salt & pepper, and a thin layer of homemade hidden valley buttermilk ranch dressing. It was only AFTER that that I learned pregnant women shouldn't eat deli meats. Does everyone know this?! How did I just discover this on my third pregnancy? I really hope I didn't hurt my children with all the deli meat nitrates. I had no idea. 

20 Weeks

 

*Ryan says he's gaining sympathy weight for me so we can be in this together. What a sweetheart :)

Pregnancy #3 fun facts:

• Prospective Due Date: November 22nd 2013 (my 1st baby not in April - including my husband)
• I don't get "morning sickness," I get night sickness (which means I rarely eat dinner)
• My boss's wife, and therefore my boss, accidentally found out I was pregnant through a picture I was tagged in on facebook (horrible!!)
• I'll be happy with a boy OR a girl, but Wendy really wants a sister and it would be fun to watch her face light up if it IS a girl
• We've tried to tell Harvey, "There's a baby in mommy's tummy," but we don't think he completely grasps the concept. He'll look at my belly and say, "No... it's a basketball." OR "No... it's just poop." (I think he's trying to be funny with that one). When people ask him what we're gonna name our baby, he looks at them kinda funny and says, "Harvey." As if to say, "I am the baby in this family, idiot." I think the bigger my belly gets, the more he'll grasp what's really going on. Hopefully.

It's a....

For convenience sake I've gone to all my doctors appointments alone during pregnancy number 3 (accept for the first ultrasound which Ryan came to, but still, SO different from pregnancy number 1). It's just easier to schedule my appointments super early in the morning and go before Ryan leaves for work so he can stay home with Harvey. 

As I headed to my 21 week ultrasound appointment, I fully intended to find out the sex of our third child by myself, then maybe tell Ryan in a fun way. My heart was pumping with excitement when I laid back on the table. The ultrasound technician asked me if I'd like to know the sex and I told her I did. She asked if I wanted to know right then and there or if I wanted her to right it down and seal it in an envelope so I could open it with my family. "Oh... just tell me. I don't want to wait." I told her. But as I laid back and watched the screen while she took measurements of my baby's little head, arms, legs and heart I thought, "What am I doing? I need to make this special." So I told her, on second thought, maybe I would like her to put it in an envelope. 

On my way home from the appointment I decide to take the envelope to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Brea and tell the waitress to bring us a banana split with pink strawberry ice cream if it's a girl and a combo of chocolate and vanilla ice cream if it's a boy (because I don't think there is a blue ice cream flavor other than the bubble gum ice cream that I've only ever seen at Grandma's Ice Cream Shop on Main Street in Seal Beach). To be honest, Ryan and I both kinda hate Farrell's,  too crowded, WAY too loud, the wait is too long and the food isn't that great. But I know they're really good at making an occasion feel important and exciting. I also feel it would be fun to let the kids be a part of it. 

So, that evening we go to Farrells and wait in famous line outside that is there every waking hour (it's kinda genius- they make everyone waiting for a table wait in a standing only line outside on the corner of a busy intersection. It makes the place look bumpin, and nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.) It was a nice night so we told the hostess we'd sit outside. It turned out to be perfect because the noise and crowds aren't so crazy out there either. 

When we told the waitress what we were doing, she was so giddy for us. She thanked us for letting her be a part of something so intimate and special. She asked us what we wanted/thought it was. Ryan and I both felt it was a boy in the earlier stages of the pregnancy, then switched to feeling like it was a girl. With the first two, I just knew. I don't know how but I did. Not true with this one. We explained that we'd be happy either way, but Wendy really wanted a sister so it would be fun if it was a girl. (I was a little worried she'd be bummed if it was a boy because she wanted a sister SO bad. I told her it might be a boy and asked her how she would feel, she said "I would still love the baby if it was a boy. Baby Zeke and baby Gray are boys and I love them... but I still really really really want a sister.")

Our waitress was great! My heart started pumping faster and harder waiting for her to come back. Then I saw a group of waitresses making their way through the crowded restaurant. I strained to see what color the ice cream was, but she had covered the ice cream with whipped cream so we had to take a bite to find out - such a good idea. None of the waitresses had ever done this before so they all wanted to see. They wanted to sing us a song, but didn't have one memorized for this kind of occasion. They put a candle on top and lit it and sang an impromptu song, I think it was the first one they could think of with the word "baby" in it. "Ooooh, baby I love your ways, every day-ay-eee-ay..." they sang and snapped in unison. Wendy and I took a bite together. PINK!! I screamed. Ryan said, "I knew it!" Wendy grinned from ear to ear. Harvey said, "Hey! I want some!" It was so much better than being told by a stranger while I laid there alone. I was elated that Wendy could have the little sister she wanted so badly and suddenly it felt as if I'd always known it was a girl. 

*just look at that little face! can't you feel how excited she was? not to mention the outfit channeling her inner desire of "please let it be pink!"

Pregnancy #3: BOY or GIRL?

This was the first pregnancy that Ryan was not able to be with me at the ultrasound to find out the sex of our child. Baby #3 is still special and exciting and deserves more than an anticlimactic moment by myself with the ultrasound technician. SO, to make the reveal special and include the kids, I had the technician turn the screen away from me, print the sonogram picture revealing the sex & seal it in an envelope for our family to open together. 

We took the envelope to Farrell's and gave it to our waitress. We told her to bring us a banana split with all strawberry ice cream if it was a girl, and chocolate & vanilla ice cream if it was a boy. Our hearts were pumping as we waited for her to return. She came back with a large group of waitresses who were so cute and giddy for us, telling us they'd never been a part of something like this before. She had covered the ice cream with whipped cream so we had to take a bite to see what it was, she also put a candle in it - nice touches, she deserves a raise. They wanted to sing us a song, but didn't have one for the occasion, so they sang, "Oooooh, BABY I love your ways..." Wendy blew out the candle and took the first bite...

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It came back PINK! Wendy squealed & Ryan said, "I knew it!" We are all very excited. Except for Harvey, who was just excited for some ice cream and has no idea what's going on.

We're having a baby! ...AGAIN!!

On our anniversary trip to Portland, I started thinking I might be pregnant. The food there was amazing, and I was having a hard time enjoying it in the way I'm usually able to enjoy food (a blessing and a curse). So on our way to hike the beautiful Forest Park, I told Ryan we should stop at a Walgreen's we saw to pick up some water bottles and trail mix. While he was getting snacks I snuck and grabbed a pregnancy test. I ran to the bathroom, heart pumping, and took the test. .  .  .

Pregnant. 

I simultaneously thought, "I KNEW IT!" and "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" 

I kept it to myself for a while, waiting for a more special time/place to tell Ryan. We drove to Forest Park and got majorly lost in the mountains. This park is 30 miles wide and the trail we were looking for was not where our GPS took us. I didn't mind though. The mountains were beautiful, and at one point it started snowing! (Being from Southern California, it felt magical to be in the middle of the silent forest with snow drifting around us). I almost told Ryan at that point, but unlike me, he wasn't enjoying the surroundings so much as he was frustrated that we were lost = not a good time.

We finally found our trail and started hiking. We felt like we were in the movie "Fern Gully," or in a movie from the Twilight saga, it was so beautiful and enchanting. When we got pretty deep into the hike, we stopped at a great spot and I pulled the test out. I always love watching Ryan's face light up the way it does when I tell him he's going to be a daddy... again. It was perfect.

*I mean... gorgeous, right?!

We told our families a couple weeks later. I baked some sugar cookies and spelled it out for them in sugary goodness. We told Wendy RIGHT before we told everyone else. We thought she should be the first to know. You can see by the muscles in her neck how excited she is! (I love that). I know she is going to be so much help with this baby. (I wanted Harvey to be involved in this picture/announcement too, but he had no self control with the cookies and no idea what was going on).

pregnancy #3 fun facts: NAMES

• my vote if it's a girl - june ...but it's taken and ryan says no
• my vote if it's a boy - oliver ...totally taken, not a chance
• wendy's vote if it's a girl - sally or suzie (ALL of her dolls, stuffed animals, pets, etc. are named sally)
• ryan's vote if it's a boy - lars after his dad larry or carlos after my dad charles (but with a mexican twist, cuz we're part mexican)
• ryan's vote if it's a girl - sally or suzie or betty or betsy