The nativity

I came home from an errand to find a curtain pinned in the entry way of my front door. While I had been away Rich and the kids had decided to act out the nativity.

As you can see Roxanne was Mary and Roscoe was Joseph.

As you may have guessed there was no room for them in the inn

but after they found room in the stable the wisemen came bringing gifts for the new born baby

They did a fantastic job

A Visit from Grandma Debbie and Pappa Johnt

My parents got to come and visit to be here for Rogans blessing right before Christmas. As soon as they got here we went and picked out a tree and let them help the kids decorate the tree.

Roscoe is concentrating very hard

My mom made us these awesome Santa beanie hats. She made for the kids last year and the rest of us this year. Roscoe seems to really like his.

I love this kid.

On sunday morning we had a mini christmas morning with my parents. They opened the presents for and from them and had so much fun. Roscoe got so excited opening his Toy Story figures and Roxy got real sassy in her new tutu

She also got the whole set of all the princess dolls.

oh, heres Rogan in his precious little santa beanie. It took us a while to get this shot, so please enjoy it!

He is wearing a diaper underneath, I swear. Sunday night the kids just enjoyed playing with their grandparents. The closet was Never Never Land and Roxy was wendy and Dad was John and Roscoe was Michael.

I am not sure how Rogan feels about his new cookie monster toy.

blessings

All of my children have been wonderful blessings in my life in their own way. Her they all are in their blessing outfits.

Rogan

Roscoe

Roxanne

Rogans Blessing Outfit

My Mom made Rogans blessing outfit. We did not get a picture that day, but took one later that week. It actually worked out pretty good because look at what a good mood e is in. She also makes them blankets to go with their outfits.

Thanksgiving

We stay home for thanksgiving every year. And it has started to be our tradition that the week of thanksgiving we think, Oh we should invite someone over. Just to realize it is too late to invite someone over since it is the week of thanksgiving and people already have plans. Oh well. This Thanksgiving we especially great for no reason at all. We did nothing. We watched the parade. We cooked dinner. We made hats that Richs Aunt Vicki sent the kids. We ate. I shopped. It was really great.

I do not think that I will ever get a great picture of all three. sigh...

At least Roscoe is a happy kid

Rogan

I just wanted to post some super cute pics of my new little man.

He is my one and only kid to have dimples. He has them on both cheeks but it is impossible to get a pic of both

Roscoe LOVES him

Rogan loves taking baths

Roxy LOVES changing his diapers

And she loves him

I LOVE their faces when they just wake up and are stretching

Rosoe's Birth Story

I am writing this almost three years after Roscoe was born so I am not sure how many details I will be able to remember or how accurate the rendition will be but here goes:

With Roscoe I was induced. At 38 weeks I was dialated to 5 and 80% effaced and still had not had one contraction. Plus, the Dr did an ultrasound that said he was going to be a big baby. So in the wee hours of the morning on February 21, 2008 Rich and I went to the hospital to have our second baby. It was funny, because a friend from church was being induced at the same time, by the same Dr.

The Dr came in and broke my water, but not much happened. I was only having a few contractions and they were not strong. So she came back to start the pitocin. I was a smart girl and asked for the Dr to order the epidural before she left and the contractions got bad. Smartest thing I ever did. The put in the epidural before things got painful, so I did not feel much of anything this delivery.

Like with Roxy, Roscoe's heart rate was not steady so the nurse actually put a tube in my cervix to put saline in my uterus to let Roscoe float to keep the pressure off of the umbilical cord. But his delivery was pretty uneventful. AND QUICK.

I got to the hospital at about 7 and when the nurse checked me at about 11:30 I was at a ten. It happened a little too quick for Rich because when they said that I was ready to push, he had to excuse his himself because he got light headed. It all happened to fast for him. When he came back he was good to go.

I pushed for about half an hour, but it was funny because I faked some of my pushes. I COULD NOT FEEL ANYTHING. When the I had contraction I could not feel one bit of it, so I never felt any need or desire to push. So when she told me to push, sometimes I would just make the face and not really push. At one point I asked for the mirror in the room. They had one of those mirrors that lets you watch the delivery. Let me tell you that was a mistake. Child birth is disgusting. I told the Dr that and to take the mirror away. She told me that it was not disgusting and it was beautiful. I told her she was wrong. When he finally came out, he was the only one of my babies that they put straight onto my chest and I got to hold when they were all squishy and gross. I remember being surprised that he smelled bad. No one had told me to expect that. It was a really special moment to have him skin to skin with me right away. He was 8 lbs even and 20 inches long and looked just like Rich and Roxy.

Final pregnancy shots

Since this is my last baby, I just wanted to document the final few pictures of me pregnant. I love the one above simply because of Roscoes face in it, its not so flattering of me.

Roscoe fell asleep on the way home from church. I almost never get to hold him when he is sleeping. It was a treat for me.

Roxannes Birth

I was due on July 5^th, which is actually the anniversary of when Rich and I met. I was getting pretty miserable and had been on maternity leave for about one week and was already bored out of my mind. Someone had old me that using yoga balls helped you to dialate so I was trying that. At my doctors appointment that Tuesday I was already dilated to two. I also took a prenatal aqua aerobics class having heard that someone went into labor right after class. My mom had called and said that her boss said it would be great if I had the baby that weekend so that she could be back on Monday. Rich’s mom was passing through town visiting Rich’s sister. I was ready to have this baby and so were the people around us. My water broke Friday night/Saturday morning at 1:30 and a dashed into the bathroom. It was really weird because I knew what was happening as soon as I woke up. I went back in to the bedroom and woke up Rich and we called the hospital. I wasn’t having any contractions so they said to wait two hours and then come in.

Well, with two hours to kill Rich cleaned up the mess in the bed and I did the dishes. Then I sat down to watch Nightmare on Elm Street V and eat brownies. Then the contractions came on. Holy cow they come on fast. They did not hurt very much at first and I was thinking that I would not need the epidural that I was hoping for. We left about ten minutes after the contractions started because as soon as they came, they were about three minutes apart. On the way to the hospital they kept getting stronger and closer.

We got checked in and got up to our room. The nurse who took us back to our room did not notice that the bed was on the highest level and I didn’t know so I climbed up and lay down. The next nurse who came in was amazed that I had climbed up into the bed on my own and apologized for the first nurse not noticing. I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to have this baby without the aid of drugs. My contractions were about a minute and half apart after an hour and lasting about 45 seconds. I had no time to recover and I did not know how to handle the pain.

My mom got to the hospital about an hour after I had the epidural and I was flying high. I was able to rest, get a little sleep, we watched Run Away Bride three times. Then the epidural started to wear off on my right side and this is where it starts to get bad.

I was having the worst pain on my right side but there was nothing that they could do. After about four hours there they came and checked and I was dilated to four. I was so ticked because I was to two four days before, why wasn’t I further? So the time is not going by very quickly at this point and I am hurting on my right side and then about two hours later I just get the feeling that I have to push this baby out. I buzz for a nurse and ask her to get the doctor to check me, I am certain that I am at 10 and ready to start pushing. I can’t fight this urge to push, it was the most overwhelming feeling that I have ever had in my life. So they finally get the doctor in there and sure enough, TIME TO PUSH. Now the whole time that I have been here they were having problems with the monitors staying on the right part of my stomach to monitor what they were supposed to. I gave a few cursory pushes and we were still having trouble getting the heartbeat. I can’t really remember why or when but at one point they put an internal monitor inside me on to Roxy’s head to monitor her heartbeat. This is when they found out that whenever I was pushing that Roxanne’s heartbeat would drop dangerously low. The cord was around her neck. For some reason my body produced too much placenta and gave this girl plenty of room to move around. They tried having me get on all fours and push, but with the epidural I could barely keep myself from toppling over, let alone stay up and push out a baby.

We tried a few different things for me to push and not put Roxanne in danger. The one position that we tried that seemed to work was my laying part way on my left side and having Rich hold up my right leg. Not the most flattering of positions. It was really hard because I was never really able to bear down. I could not use the stirrups as leverage. One leg was just lying next to me and the other was in Rich’s arms and he was not quite sure what to do. But her heart rate was doing great. After a while we tried the other side but her heart rate dropped again. So it was back on to the left for me.

Now this is where it gets pretty hazy. I know that they gave me an oxygen mask that I hated because it made my face all wet and I hate having a wet face. My mom said that I kept asking her what the dripping noise was. (It was the oxygen tank.) I was told that I pooped on the table a few times (YUCK). I felt like I was pushing forever, and after about an hour and half I asked the nurse how much longer that she thought it was going to take and she said about 20-25 minutes and I replied, “SHIT.’’ In front of my mother. Rich thinks this is the funniest part of the whole day.

So I do eventually get to the point where the real doctor comes in catch the baby. Problem is that I am done. I have been pushing for two hours and I am tired, soaking wet, exhausted and I am not pushing anymore. Then they tell me that Roxanne’s heartbeat has dropped again and is not coming back up. Then they finally let me use the stirrups and get in the good pushes because I have to get her out now. They decide that I need an episiotomy if I am to get this child out. I am pushing as hard as I know how and she is just stuck and not coming out. Her heart rate is not looking good. The doctor asks Rich to push the little red button behind me. There are three doctors in my room and one of them gets out the vacuum. I ask them to use it because I am exhausted and scared and I need help. They finally use it after a few more pushes. The NICU team comes in (that was the red button). The doctor gets Roxanne out halfway using the vacuum and stops so that she can cut the cord. The cord is stretched so tight that blood shoots across her mask as she cuts it. Once the cord is off of her neck the NICU team takes over and Roxanne is put on a table and bagged to help her breathe. I remember thinking that it was like a scene from ER and it scared me to the very core. After a minute or so they got her crying and she was fine.

I don’t really remember what happens right after that but I know that they tried to hand Roxanne to me and I did not want her. I never cried from joy and I wasn’t emotional. I think that I was scared because of everything that had just happened. Maybe it was because the doctor was still stitching me up. Maybe I was in shock, I don’t know. It was not until the next day when we got home and we were alone that I was able to really FEEL it all. We laid Roxanne down and Rich and I went and laid down in bed and I just started bawling. I cried for about ten minutes. Tears of fear, joy, apprehension, everything. We had been preparing for this baby for the past nine months, but nothing prepares you for the overwhelming emotions that go along with the babies.

Rogan's Birth

I like to get the birth stories down before baby amnesia sets in and I can't remember a thing. So here is the story. I woke up on 10/20/2010 (love the date) and needed to go to the bathroom. While I was sitting doing my business I felt Rogan jerk really hard and I remember thinking, "wow, I can't believe that did not break my water." So I finish up and start to go back to bed and what do you know, my water breaks. I go back to the toilet and and sit there and drip for a while, then grab a towel and head back to bed to let Rich know the news.

I wake him up and tell him that my water broke and you know what he says to me, "Are we still going to work?" Really sensitive right? We think about what to do. I am not having any contractions yet so I don't see the need to go to the hospital quite yet. We decide to go ahead and go in since with Roxy my water broke and I did not have any contractions for about an hour, but once they started they went straight to a minute apart.

We let Rich's mom know we are going to the hospital, we both put in for subs for work and off we go. We get there about 1:30 and get a room. The contractions still have not been too strong and the monitor is not picking them up to well anyways. The monitor is also not getting Rogans heart rate since he is moving around too much. The nurse is in all the time rearranging the monitor. Not much is happening, but I am dialating like a champ. Rich decides to try and catch some sleep before the big show starts.

While Rich is sleeping the real contractions start and they HURT and are coming FAST. I immediately ask for the epidural and the nurse calls for the anesthesiologist and starts the fluids so that when he gets there he can put it in right away. The contractions are really killing me and some how Rich still sleeps through all the noise. The nurse notices that Rogan's heart rate is slowing during the contractions, but also that the monitor is having a hard time picking him up. They decide to put a monitor on his head so that they can get an accurate reading at all times.

Rich finally wakes up right before the anesthesiologist gets there and is really surprised by how much has happened since he fell asleep. The Dr asks Rich to leave before they enter the epidural. At some point we now have 4 nurses in the room and they are all very concerned about Rogan's HR. It is getting very slow during all the contractions. They begin having me roll over during every contraction to see find a position that Rogan likes. He does not like anything. His heart rate is getting for slow and nothing is working to keep it up. They give me a shot to stop my contractions and it DOES NOTHING. Contractions are still a minute apart. The nurses are sounding very worried. They give me another shot and still the contractions keep coming.

I am still feeling contractions since the epidural has not fully kicked in and they are rolling me over and I am not very aware of anything but the pain. Finally, the epidural starts to kick in and I open my eyes to see my lead nurse in surgery scrubs and I then realize how big the problem is with Rogan's heart. Rich still has not come back in the room from when they put in the epidural. This is when I ask them to please go and find my husband. When he comes back in, they hand him scrubs and tell him to prepare for a c-section.

At some point my Dr finally arrives and assesses the situation. She sees the babies HR and how strong the contractions are and that the Rogan is still pretty high. She is worried about the baby, but since I am already to ten and ready to deliver wants to see if I can just get the baby out really fast. She lets me try pushing for a few contractions and this kid is going no where, but his heart rate is still scary and she decides that we are going in for a c-section.

I can't really remember much between then and the surgical room. I remember just thinking, "holy crap, is this really happening?" Then I really remember when I think that they are cutting me open and Rich is still not in there and asking them to go and get him. I was worried that if he saw something he would faint. Rich gets to come in finally and he comes over to me and in minutes we hear Rogan crying.

When I had the other two, I never had that moment when you are so glad that the baby is there and you are so emotional that you just cry. With the others that moment happened once we were home. With Rogan I broke down. Between losing a pregnancy right before him and then having to have an emergency c-section, it was too much when I heard him cry. It was such a relief to know he was out and healthy.

Rich went over to see him, and once the nurses had cleaned him they brought him over to show me before they took him away. I did not get to hold him till almost 2 hours later. But he was here.

Rogan Clarence Hamm, 19 inches, 6 lbs 10 oz.

Halloween

Our tradition has been to go to my friend, Babbi's, neighborhood for trick or treating. The community has started a tradition of meeting in one location and having a parade for all the kids, and then proceding into trick or treating. It is really fun and the kids of course love it. They are both in the front row if you are looking for them.

Little Rogan is a very precious little bat. Isn't he tiny!!!

Roxy is one of the fairys from Tinker Bell, Rosetta. And after working our way through two other costumes, Roscoe was Thor.