sofies birth

I cant believe she has been here ten days... We can not imagine our world without her in it!

Maternity/family shoot

Thanks to Rachel Marshman and her wonderful talent behind the camera we have these great memories of our pregnancy with Sofia and Averi just weeks before she officially became a big sister!Thank you Rachel!

week one

Sofia has been here one week!!! We can not believe it! She is a GREAT baby! She struggled with jaundice for the first week home which resulted in lots of time in a light box they sent to our house and several trips to the hospital to get labs drawn... today we went for her one week check up and got the good news that she was allowed to come out of the light box and was up to 7lbs in weight, she has already passed her birth weight (GO SOFIE GO!). She has taken to nursing so well, we have had zero problems! She is a sweet baby and we are tired yet enjoying having her in our family!
Averi is doing well too... she wants to touch and hold her "baby" and does not seem to be jealous. She has struggled a little more with fits and going to bed, but we figure it is all part of so many changes. After some extra stories and cuddles she went to bed very well tonight! She too is a joy!
Kevins parents just headed home a couple hours ago! We can not express how much we appreciate them... they took such good care of us this last week. Playing and caring for Averi, taking night shifts to watch Sofie in her light box, changing diaper after diaper, cleaning our house, cooking us meals, doing our laundry...the list goes on and on. We love them so and are incredibly blessed to have their help, we miss them already!
Right now Averi is sound asleep... and sofie is snuggled with her daddy in our bed watching TV... life is good!

Sofia Pearl Yates

Sofia Pearl is here and beautiful! Like I said in the previous post I had my membranes stripped Tuesday afternoon, we then went on a long walk. We got home that night, put Averi to bed and I still was not feeling much of anything! We were settled into bed watching TV when at about 830 I started to feel contractions, they were not very strong at first just noticeable but from the first one they came on every five minutes and lasted 45 seconds to a minute... we waited about an hour and a half and called our midwife to see what her thoughts were. Since this was our second baby and labor is typically quicker with your second she told us to go ahead and come in just in case.
We got to the hospital around 11pm, I was 3 cms at the office that afternoon and was now 4 cms. Since I was progressing and my contractions were consitant and getting more intense my midwife told us we were in labor and I was not going home without a baby (YAY!!!)! We spent the next couple of hours walking the halls trying to speed the process up. At 4am I was still 4cms so they broke my water. my contractions continued to be between 3-5 minutes but were getting to be very painful and harder to over come! At about 5 am they checked me again, I was about 5-6cms ... at this point I was exhausted and I think was entering transition, I began to doubt myself and told Kevin I was DONE I wanted the epidural.... God bless my husband, what a coach, as hard as it was he told me no! He knew it was not what I really wanted and that the end was in sight, he just had to push me the last few hours. I was in the jacuzzi tub and instead of breathing through the contractions I began to panic and was making it much harder on myself. Kevin asked my midwife Beth if she could come in, which she did.
I told her that I wanted the epidural and she said that she thought I had been in the bath to long and may be a little dehydrated so she wanted to give me some IV fluids (I hadnt had an IV in at this point), I told her and Kevin again that I wanted an epidural and she told me that it would take atleast an hour for the IV fluids to finish and I could not have an epidural until then (she was stalling big time!) the next hour and a half was intense. With Kevin and my midwife by my side I some how managed every contraction (3-5 minutes apart) this was the most pain I have EVER experienced! I would have a contraction, Kevin would count it out and my midwife and he would help me relax... relaxing was the key, my body just took over and somehow I made it the hour and a half it took the IV fluids to finish. I told my midwife I did not want to be checked until I had the epidural and she said it was not an option I had to be checked first.... God bless this women for pushing me, she also knew I did not really want the epidural and was doing everything she could to help push me to my goal!
She checked me, I was 8cms... and from no where a second wind came! When I heard 8 I thought once again that I could truly have Sofia with no drugs! Beth suggested we try another position so I walked from my bed to the tub, I had one normal contraction, then a contraction that I began to feel pressure with, the third I felt uncontrolable need to push... before I knew it they had me out of the tub and back in the bed... four pushes later and Sofia was here, I went from 8cms to holding my baby girl in 30 minutes!
The first thing I said when she was out was " I CAN NOT BELIEVE I DID IT" and I still can not! I could not have if it were not from Kevin he was up and awake and by my side through everything. He knew what to say and how to help, he was stubborn when he needed to be and helped me achieve probably the hardest goal I have ever set for myself. My midwife was also amazing, she stayed in our room for nearly 3 hours helping me work through my contractions and stearing me away from an epidural! God was also SO present through it all.... I kept saying through every contraction, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength... it was so true!
Sofia Pearl Yates is 6 pnds 15 oz, 20 inches long... born October 21st (exactly 18 months after her sister) at 756 am...she is beautiful and all is going well! I promise more pictures soon!

update

My check up went well. I am 3Cm's dilated, 80 percent effaced and my midwife stripped my membranes- which was pretty uncomfortable! We then went to Dicks sporting goods and the park for a long walk. I would have loved to walk more but I am feeling some intense pressure and having some sporadic cramping so I finally said I just wanted to go home and rest.
If the membrane stripping does not work and we have not had Sofie by Friday I have to go in for an ultrasound and a non stress test to check how Sofie is doing, they will also strip my membranes a second time. If Sofie is fine then I get to stay pregnant over the weekend and if she has not come by Tuesday I will go in for an induction Tuesday morning at 730am. We are praying it doesn't come to this but are also thrilled that one way or another we will meet our sweet girl in the next week...can't wait!


Here I am forty weeks and three days pregnant! Hopeful this will be the last picture with her on the inside!

pray today is the day!!!!

I have an appointment with my midwife at 2:50, kevin is going with me and our sweet friend Ashley is keeping Averi. We are having my membranes stripped and then picking up Averi and going to the mall for a LOOOOONNNNGGGG walk... we are hopeful this will induce labor! I am 3 days past my due date, and besides being tired I can't complain, I feel suprisingly good... we just know if Sofie doesnt come SOON on her own we are going to be induced. I've accepted this may be the route we are supposed to take and although I was hopeful of going into labor on my own I am trusting Gods hand in Sofies arrival!
Anyways, please pray tonight is the night, that the stripping of membranes will go well and that with the walking labor will begin in the next forty eight hours or so... and that if it doesn't we will be okay with whatever other options we are presented with and will trust God to guide us in our decision making!

WE ARE EXCITED AND ANXIOUS TO MEET YOU BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!! WE PRAISE GOD FOR YOU!

Averi speaks

some cute videos of Averi talking!

40 weeks

Well my due date has come and nearly gone with no signs of miss Sofia making her appearance! I walked yesterday, and even moved around some furniture with my sweet friends help, and then went to the mall with my oh so handsome husband and baby girl to try and get labor going today... all resulting in not one single contraction- just some pressure! I must admit I am a little discouraged, (the fact that we even petted a dog named Sofie today didn't help!) not discouraged because I thought Sofie would come before her due date, I have spent the last forty weeks preparing myself for the fact that October 17th may come and go with no baby, and it has. Discouraged because I have a picture in my head of what I wanted this delivery to be.
With Averi I went into labor and delivery very blindly, my delivery with her was NOT bad, my doctor was VERY kind but I decided firmly very shortly after her arrival that I did not want to be induced again and I did not want to have another epidural (mine wore off with Averi, it was my worse nightmare, I would rather experience every contraction and every pain and know how to handle them then go from having no pain to the most intense pain of my life and literally panicking!) that is why I switched practices, because I knew using a midwife would give me a better chance of acheiving my goal of going natural! I feel like I have done everything I can, I worked hard to gain minimal weight and walked constantly during this pregnancy to stay healthy so that there would be no objection to me not being induced.We took 12 weeks of bradley classes to teach both Kevin and I all about labor and delivery and going all natural! I have walked almost daily the last month in order to encourage my cervix to thin and dialate which it has, yet nothing has seemed to encourage labor!
I go to see my midwife tuesday afternoon if Sofie has not arrived, Kevin is going with me, she is going to strip my membranes at this appointment so hopefully that will encourage my body to do its job... we will also begin the discussion of an induction. My midwife said she could let me go two weeks past my due date before she would encourage an induction (as long as Sofie is healthy and my placenta looks fine)but it was totaly my choice if I want to stay pregnant that long... the truth is I don't want to be pregnant that much longer, two weeks in pregnancy world is more like two years! But if the membrane stripping doesn't work then we are undecided of what to do, I am afraid I will feel in some ways disapointed if I opt for an induction (I still plan to go without an epidrual) but I have also spent the last four nights up because I am too uncomfortable to sleep, I am moody and grouchy and very emotional (God bless Kevin for loving me enough to put up with all my moods!) I seriously do not know if I can continue to feel this exhausted for two weeks, and maybe even then still face an induction.
Please Pray for both Kevin and I. He is taking Averi to church by himself tomorrow so I can sleep and then we are spending the rest of the day walking to hopefully encourage labor! If we do not have Sofia by tuesday though we will have to make some decisions that I dont want to make. I want so badly for my body to go into labor on its own with no interventions- pray this is the case, if it is not though pray we will trust Gods soveriegn hand in Sofias birth no matter what that may mean!

Oh and on a very happy note!!! Look at this ADORABLE swing I got yesterday for 20 bucks... I love when I get a great bargain!

Holding Flara

the Veitzs got to hold their tiny baby for the 1st time... continue to uplift them in prayers, Flara still has so much to overcome!!!! I can only imagine the joy they felt in holding this tiny baby girl for the first time after watching her in her bed for weeks!!!click here to see their post!!!

this weekend???

I had a check up today... Sofie is low, my cervix is thin and I am two and a half centimeters dilated. My midwife was pleased. We discussed her stripping my membranes but since stripping your membranes can often cause your water to break early on in labor (or actually make your water break and put you into labor) verses later on in labor, which can make your labor more restrictive and more intense I decided to wait another week to have that done, per her suggestion! My midwife and I agree that we want to intervene as little as possible with this delivery and that includes getting it started!
My midwife was very encouraging and said she didn't think I would make it to an appointment next week and that Sofie would be here before the weekend is over. We will see... I am trying my hardest to not get my hopes up and just live under the assumption I will see her for another check up next week, but who knows... these babies have a mind of their own I guess and she will come out when she is good and ready! More then anything we are praying for a healthy baby girl!
If we make it to next week we will definitely have my membranes stripped since I will be past my due date and we will probably have to start talking about an induction... please pray it does not come to this, I really, really, really want to go into labor on my own and be able to labor at home for as long as possible so an induction (as it is not the end of the world) would not be ideal! We are trusting God with his timing and hand in Sofies birth and are being taught a great amount of patience as we await her arrival!

Sofia Pearl...we love you already and know you are so worth this LONG wait!!!! We can not wait to hold you you precious girl!

slumber party!

My nephew is in from Florida, my sister had surgery so he is spending a couple weeks with my parents while she recovers, we had a blast keeping him last night for a cousin sleep over!!! Averi and Corbin are 16 months apart but they were instant buddies! They played on Averis baby bike and car, pushed strollers all over our condo, had a tea party (sorry sis I know he is a boy!!!), colored, and finally we settled down to a Barney movie and chocolate milk before bed! What fun we had, we wish we could spend more nights like this with such a sweet boy!

39 weeks

Well Averi was born at 38 weeks so this is the most pregnant I've ever been, 39 weeks!!!! I am very ready to meet this girl!

Sofias best friend!

We went this morning and met miss Addison... Sofie was kicking the whole time I held her, she must have known I was holding her soon to be best friend! What a gorgeous baby girl!

New pictures of beautiful Flara

click here for an update on Flara and to see new pictures of this tiny miracle

Addison Christin Kazee

My dear friend Laura had her baby girl this morning, Addie was born at 1:55am and weighed 7lbs 9oz and is 20 inches long! We have not had the privilege of seeing her yet but hope to first thing in the morning! Laura did GREAT and had a natural birth that included two hours of pushing, WAY TO GO LAURA!!!!
I have to admit I was beyond jealous yesterday when Laura called to tell me her water had broken and she was on her way to the hospital. I spent most of my evening sulking in the fact that Laura and I had shared a due date yet her baby was coming and mine was not! After a lousy evening filled with a self pity party though God reminded me he has selected the day for Sofias birth just like he selected the day for Addies and I am to REJOICE in this sweet girls arrival! And practice patience as we await Sofies! After talking to Laura on the phone for a while this morning I felt nothing but pure joy for them, Sofie will be here soon, maybe not as soon as I want but soon enough and I need to focus on enjoying the one baby I already have before our world is turned upside down with another!

WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU KAZEE FAMILY!!!! ADDISON IS SO BLESSED TO CALL YOU HER PARENTS!

On sunday Kevin suprised me with a pedicure!!! It is amazing how unattractive you feel at 38 weeks pregnant and equally amazing how simply having nice looking feet can make you feel like you actually look alright...thank you Kevin, the girl time and pampering was much needed!



... in other news, I had yet another check up today! I am finally 2cms dialated, which is still not much but atleast I am continuing to progress in the right direction! Sofie was much lower then last week and is still head down, she said she wouldn't say she is technically "dropped" but is definately lower, my cervix is thin- so basically my body is ready whenever miss Sofie is to give birth! I am excited and anxious to meet this little one, but trying my hardest to be patient and trust in the Lord- he already knows when her birthday will be!

Averi and Sofies nursery!

I have spent much of this pregnancy slowly setting up one room for both of our sweet girls! I am proud to say it is finally ready! Sofie will be sleeping in her cradle in our room for a while as we are not ready to move Averi into a twin bed but at least it is ready when we are!


The girls beds... I painted the twin size beds headboard, my mom made the curtains and the cribs bedding, I painted the names over their beds with black and added pink polka dots, the wall hanging between their names says "wish upon a star" and over the crib there is a wall print that says "such a big miracle in such a little girl" this is in white so I can not get a picture because of my cameras flash!




this is the Sofie and Averis dressers, my dad actually built the black one. the pictures over the black one are a picture of Averi a picture of averi and my pregnant belly with Sofie inside and the third will eventually be a picture of Sofie! Over the changing table are four paintings i made, one says "averi" one says "sofia" one says "for this child I prayed" and one says "before I formed you in your mothers womb I set you apart"




This is Averi sitting on her "big girl bed" she isn't sleeping in it yet but very much enjoys reading her bed time stories in it!

here we are 38 weeks and counting... I can not wait to meet this girl!

Found Averis holloween costume for EIGHT bucks today at once upon a child... I would say she is probably the CUTEST pirate I have ever seen...




.... I will post more pictures of our little pirate very soon!

dancing

Av has the best dance moves I have ever seen.... we caught these moves with my cell phone a few weeks ago... she never fails to make me laugh!

Flara updates

Please continue to keep this "feisty" yet very little girl in your prayers as well as her mommy, daddy and sister! click here for updates