Welcoming Baby #3

I thought I'd take the time to just blog about my wonderful experience today, now that my little man is asleep.

At 7:49am this morning we welcomed our 3rd child, our baby boy:

Maile Hinckley Latu

He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz, and is measuring at 20.5 inches long. And we are just so excited and happy to finally have him here. I actually think I'm still in shock at everything.

The Birth Story:

I started having contractions at around 5:30am. I had just barely fallen asleep at about 2 am, and was awakened by the contractions. The first couple contractions I just laid in bed trying to figure out if it was the real deal or if it was a false alarm. When I felt the pain in my back, I knew it had to be the real deal. So right away I started to monitor my contractions. They were coming every 5 minutes. They weren't too bad, but then they started to come every 3-4 minutes and the intensity of them starting increasing.

At 6:40am I decided to call my husband who was at work to let him know that my contractions had started. He usually doesn't get home from work until about 7:30am so I figured I'd tell him, but I thought I'd be ok even if he came home at that time. Ten minutes later I started to really feel the contractions and I started to get that feeling like I needed to push. I quickly jumped in the shower, and just as I got out I heard the door open and my husband running up the stairs. It's a good thing he came home at the time he did because he knew that I was most likely ready to go (by how hard I was squeezing his hand, and my screaming and grunting lol). I just wasn't believing that it was possible to be "ready" because I had only been in labor for an hour and a half. The whole time I was contracting, I had been keeping a log on my iPad. I looked back and noticed that the last time I had recorded a contraction was at 7:17am. Right after that is when we left the house and headed over to the hospital.

As we were driving there I still kept having that strong urge to push. When we finally arrived at the hospital I checked in with them and they quickly got me in my room. They got me dressed in the hospital gown and got me on the bed then they checked my cervix and to my surprise they said I was fully dilated and I was ready to go. However, my water hadn't even broke yet and my midwife (or any of the midwives) were not there. They kept telling me to hold on and don't push, and in my mind I was like "really?!?" lol. Then they finally had a Dr. come in and I honestly felt like she was probably a newbie because she wasn't doing anything! And bless the nurse that helped me (I need to get her name) she held my hand and told me to listen to my body and if I needed to push, then go right ahead, that it was ok. I swear I wanted to just grab her and kiss her for saying those magical words to me.

Like I said I think the doctor was a newbie because she just stood there, she didn't break my water, and because I was given the "go" to push by the nurse, I just started to push that I broke my own water bag... Ahem.. And it sprayed everywhere lol! (TMI I know lol). I apologized to the doctor cause she had to wipe her face (just a little bit) but then 3 pushes later and he was out. :)

You have no idea how HAPPY I was to not have to deal with the pain of contractions anymore! Lol I'm just glad that my husband came home at the time he did because if he had come home at 7:30am, the time he usually comes home, I probably would've given birth at home or in the car.

This is by far the fastest labor and delivery that I've ever heard of! From start (contractions) to finish (birth) it was only a little over 2 hours! It's still all very crazy to me, but I'm very happy it's over and done with. And I'm especially happy I was able to go unmedicated once again.

All is going well with us right now, I'm just waiting for my kids to get here so they can meet their little brother "baby Hinckley"! :)

37 Weeks & Nesting

This week marks 37 weeks of this pregnancy... which means I'm officially full-term and all is good to go with this little guy if he decides to come. *hint hint* Please come soon! lol. Here's a few things going on with my pregnancy:

-Belly is getting bigger and heavier, or at least it feels that way.

-Good sleep is harder to get these days, especially with a 3 year old and 2 year old always wanting to sleep right up against me. So I'm constantly moving through out the night trying to find a comfortable spot for my belly and back. 

-Weight gain has picked up dramatically. As in I gained 4 pounds within a week (wth!) lol.  My midwife says she thinks it's all water weight especially with it being summer time and what not, and also that this baby is gaining 1/2 a pound a week. I hope she's right, though I haven't gained nearly as much weight as I did with the last two, I still wanted to keep the weight gain at a max of like 15 pounds this pregnancy. 

- Appetite hasn't changed much either, I still don't have a lot of cravings or have the desire to eat a lot.  I probably eat one real meal a day and then some snacks.  However, I drink A LOT and have picked up on another habit again... chewing ice! Throughout the day I think I probably get up to a total of at least 4 big full cups of ice and a drink (my fave right now is strawberry lemonade)... and I'll sit and drink and chew on ice.  Sometimes I'd rather do that then eat an actual meal. 

- Last but not least... I'm in full on NESTING mode!!!

- - - - -

I've definitely been (and probably have been for a while) in the nesting stage.  I'm constantly cleaning and organizing my house trying to get everything ready before this baby comes.  It's probably been a week since I've taken my kids to the park (sad I know) but it's only because I keep wanting to clean and organize rather than go out. Today I pulled out the baskets with all of Baby Moe's old baby clothes to pull out all the newborn clothing for the baby.  And boy do we have a lot of clothing for him, so I'm pretty sure we won't need to buy anything more for him.  I've sorted everything out and am now washing all of the clothing, now where to put it, I have no idea, but I'm glad that's one thing I'm getting out of the way.

On Saturday I finally organized the kids room... It had been in such a mess for months (yes months) and I wanted to organize and clean it so that they would want to go in there more often, and hopefully sleep in there soon.  So I was only suppose to clean and organize it, and ended up painting the room too. lol.  Here's pics of the kids room:

The BEFORE

This is seriously how the room would look like for months... whenever I'd clean up their
clothes and toys they'd pull everything out of the drawers and throw it everywhere. 

After cleaning up everything off the floors (so we could actually see the floor) I then
moved all the drywall and stuff out of the room.  Yes, we used this room as storage too lol.

The AFTER

Here the room is painted and I was waiting for it to dry. 

Bed is back in place.. and we can see the floor! LOL!

Still organizing their closet...  

Miss Kesaia messing with the light switch...

Toys are in one area versus being everywhere.  The kids know that at
the end of the day they have to put their toys back in this spot.

I think I finished the kids room in like 4 hours from start to finish. I really don't advise painting a room while 37 weeks pregnant, because I paid for it later (body was in pain from all the getting up and down) but I'm glad that I was able to finish it for my kids.  They actually go in there more often and play with their toys, and they don't mess it up like how they use to before.  Now my next goal is to get them to sleep in there.  I want to find some toddler beds for them (because obviously that day bed is too big for them right now) and then get their favorite cartoon/characters in a bedding set for them. My little sister should be here this weekend also, so I'm gonna have her sleep in there with them as well to get them use to sleeping away from me. 

I've also (for the millionth time) reorganized our bedroom as well.  I've been trying to de-clutter everything and make room for the baby.  So I went through everything in our room, taking out all of the kids stuff and putting it in their room, and then moving things around to make it more spacious in our room.  Now that I'm content with our room, and the kids room I moved to the living room. lol. I told my husband that we needed to move the couches that are upstairs to the downstairs living room, and vice versa.  Obviously I won't be doing it, but it'll need to get done before this baby comes. 

I still have a TON of laundry to do, because I swear every piece of clothing we own needs to be washed lol, and so that's my goal for this week. I've already started washing all the baby's clothes, but I still have lots more to do. My poor kids are probably dying to go out and have some fun, but for now I have a lot to do... we'll probably go swimming on Friday when the hubs is off. :) 

Now back to nesting mode... :)

Just some pics of my little princess from this week ... She's always ready for the camera... lol

Here she is with me at my midwife appointment yesterday (6/19/12).
I always plan on going by myself but somehow always end up taking her with me. lol.

Fathers Day

There's a few in my life that I consider my "father". And then of course there is my actual father.

So I'll start with my grandpa (moms dad) Enele Ongoongotau.

What can I say about this man, he has been everything to me and my siblings. He has always been the Priesthood in our family, and he's always filled in those spots that my dad lacked in. Even till this day, though I'm married and moved away from home, he always makes sure that I'm ok. When we first moved into this house he and my grandma came over and watched the kids while we moved everything. Then before he left he made sure that all was in order, that we had electricity and water running.

When my kids were babies, he was always carrying them and walking them around. He would even wake up and feed them if they were awake so that I could sleep in.  When I had my miscarriage he was so worried about me, and even now that I'm pregnant again he tells me I need to take at least a 2 year break after this one because of how I had a miscarriage.

My grandpa is my hero and I can't imagine my life without him. He's such a hard worker.  He also still goes to his farm everyday and works hard all day to provide food that we all enjoy.  And though he's retired he still volunteers at PCC and works at the temple often, and he never misses his opportunity to do so.  Just the other week I had asked him to fly with my little sister up here to Utah, and he said he couldn't because he had to work at PCC the next day, and also at the temple before that. lol.  He's such a faithful man, and I love his great example he sets for all of us.  

- - - - -

Then there's my own father Talanoa Manu-Olevao.

It's funny because growing up a lot of people didn't even know I had a dad. My dad was different, he kept to himself and wasn't very social. Though our relationship is a little rocky right now, I do appreciate the fact that he gave me life, however I think my dad was one of those guys who shouldn't have gotten married at a young age. I do have to say though that I really was daddy's little girl growing up.  He would always sneak me an extra $5 whenever we had allowance, and I was always the one wanting to eat with him.  Which is one of the tongan superstitions... Eating your dad's leftovers gives you white hairs.. and boy do I have a lot of white hair lol.  He really is a loving and kind person.. and I know he loves us kids but he just has a lot of things to deal with personally.

- - - - -

Then there's the love of my life... My husband and father to my kids Fatafehi Fakanaanaa Latu.

He is everything that I wish I had for a father. He is patient, loving, kind, and so tender with our kids. There are times that I feel like he should be the stay at home parent and I should be the one working cause my kids LOVE when he's home. Lol. He always tells our kids that he loves them and I know without a doubt that our kids will know it as they grow.

For fathers day we took him to his favorite restaurant... Texas Roadhouse! He at first said we didn't need to go there, and that he would just eat chicken at home, but then we convinced him otherwise lol. He's just that type of person though, not wanting anything special or expecting anything. I'm very appreciative of my husband and all that he does for our family.  I couldn't have asked for a better father to my kids, and a better husband and eternal companion.

I hope all the fathers out there has a wonderful Daddy's day! And also to the mothers who are daddy's as well! 😊

Seven Peaks: Utah Pass of all Passes

For the first time this summer we purchased the Utah Pass of all Passes to Seven Peaks. We were lucky to only have to buy 2 passes (for Fehi and I) and we got them for $25 each, and the kids are free.

The first time we used them was last week when I took the kids and went with my sister in law and her family. After telling Fehi how much fun the kids had, we decided that on his day off we'd take them again. And since he's been off yesterday (Tuesday) and today.. We took the kids both days and they of course had a blast!

I've been loving it cause it relaxes my belly and helps relieve the stress on my back so yay for that... But I think it triggers those Braxton hicks a little more... especially at night after swimming all day. But it's ok, it's worth it lol.

I was really glad to have gone today just because it got my mind off of all the maternity leave stress (last post). I'm definitely planning on utilizing our passes more before this baby comes.

Oh and I totally suck at taking pics while we were there... So I don't have much to show lol.

36 Weeks & Braxton Hicks

35 Weeks Pregnant.. Belly Bump

So tomorrow I'm officially 36 weeks pregnant! I still can't believe that I'm ALMOST there, but I'm very very excited. At my last appointment (last Tuesday) my midwife measured my belly, and confirmed that baby's head down and feels about 6 lbs right now to her. I also gained 2 pounds, making it a total of 9 pounds this pregnancy. I had talked with my midwife about my weight gain not really sure if it was something to be concerned about or not. I mean I know technically (according to US/palagni standards) I'm obese lol but I've never gained such little weight. My last two pregnancies I would gain somewhere between 20-30 pounds, but she assured me that I was ok and because I actually am "obese" (no she didnt say that to me lol) I'm not suppose to gain as much and am on track for my pregnancy as far as weight gain. So yay for that, I guess (except the obese part lol).

This pregnancy has treated me very well, and I'm glad I've still been able to have the energy and stamina to keep up with my kids and work. Last week Friday I finally went over to seven peaks (salt lake city) to take my kids. The waterpark is across the street from my in-laws house, yet I've never been there. So Friday I met up with my sister in law and her little family and we had a blast. My kids LOVED it! This was their first time going to an actual waterpark so I was glad to be able to take them. Fehi had to work (boo) but he made sure to stress the importance of keeping his kids safe lol. He was so worried about them, about us, and the fact that Im pregnant and taking our kids to the waterpark. He asked me to buy them floaties for their arms and other stuff as well. I thought it was so cute how he was concerned, and it's understandable lol so I did what he asked and got them floaties for their arms and swim shoes so they wouldn't slip or fall on anything, and then when we got there I put life jackets on them as well, so I was pretty confident that they would be ok. We had TONS of fun and my belly and back was loving the water as well. :)

We stayed there for like 5 hours and afterwards we picked up Fehi from work. I was so tired and had to sleep for work the next morning and so I tried to sleep but couldn't. Around 1 in the morning I started getting those bloody Braxton hicks contractions (lol) and they lasted until 6 in the morning! They weren't super painful or anything, but more so irritating because I knew I had to get some kind of rest before getting up at 330am to get ready for work at 430am. By 230am I was even more irritated and even more tired because they didn't go away. Those Braxton hicks contractions were coming what seemed like every 4-5 minutes and they were starting to hurt my back. So around 230am Fehi told me I should call in sick to work and so I decided to do that. And I'm glad I did because I didnt get any kind of sleep and I would'nt have been able to function at work.

So finally at 6am I knocked out and I didn't feel anything else the rest of the day. Then at night (last night) they started to come back again. I was hoping they'd die down, and they did (thank goodness) and I was able to get a good maybe 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep (thanks to my hubby). So this morning at work I was ok, but I'm still 36 weeks pregnant and right now with summer travel it's getting pretty busy. For the last 2 weeks they have been putting me at Kiosk Assist, which works out for me because I'm not lifting as much bags, but since numbers have been big and they need more help at baggage drop, they've been sticking me there this week. And baggage drop is a killer (pregnant or not) because your tagging and lifting bags nonstop. I've been debating on leaving on my maternity leave early and I would always say that I'd just work until I give birth, but I decided to just talk to my midwife and ask for a note to excuse me from work. I talked to my Redcoat about it as well and she was cool about it and said I needed to take care of myself and baby first and that Delta will always be there. She said its gonna be busy with summer travel picking up and that they have to have more people at baggage drop because of it. And though they probably would rather I not be a baggage drop, they can't help it because they need the people there... And I totally understand that, and don't mind it. But it does take a toll on my body, especially when I don't get good rest. And last night was actually considered good rest lol.

So I'm pretty happy with the decision to go on my leave early. I just hope that my midwife agrees. I think it'll be good as well to be able to have one on one time with two little ones before the baby comes and takes most of my attention away from them. And it'll be nice to NOT have to wake up at 3 in the morning, and also not get weird looks when the passenger sees a pregnant women lifting their 50 pound bags lol. So wish me luck! :)

Pictures from this week:

Kids keeping me busy while getting an oil change

Little miss cheesy smile! lol

Moe showing me his toy and kesaia pretending to eat with her spoon lol

Playing with the water beach ball again

Love it when daddy is off from work = Family time!

Knocked out after having fun with daddy

She was out too! lol