last week before Liv

This picture doesn't show it very well but my belly was very large by the end.  Mattie tried to sit on my lap but just wasn't fitting.  She finally said "Mom, maybe we should sit on the bed, this isn't very comfortable."

Jillian had a spirit week at school and she was supposed to wear a different color each day so she made a list to remind her.  I'm so glad she shares my love of dress-up days.

Mattie had my phone one morning and took 40 pictures chronicling the whole process of us getting out the door.  When I found them later I thought it was hilarious (this one is our reflection in the car.)

On Friday we went to Jilly's Fall Festival at school.  Both girls had their faces painted but not all face painters were equal- Jilly's looked so much better than Mattie's.  There were lots of fun games and it was so fun to see Jillian at school.

On Saturday we went to Weber's Cider Mill and Farm, our favorite place to visit in the fall.  We had fun doing all the farm activities and having apple cider slushes and donuts.  That night we decided to buy a new tv.  We'd been talking about it for a while and suddenly it seemed like the perfect thing to do the night before having a baby, haha.  It was a great last day before our lives changed.

Olivia Lynn

Olivia Lynn Martinez

born Sunday, October 9th, 2016 at 6:05pm

7lb 8oz and 19 inches

At my 39 week appointment my doctor said, "let's do this, let's get this baby here this weekend."  I was kind of shocked he'd offer to induce me early so I said I'd go home and talk to Bryan and call back.  We debated and debated for the next 24 hours. I had never been interested in being induced before, but with my history of having a baby quick this would take out any worry about getting the girls taken care of, Bryan getting home from work in potentially bad traffic, and making it to the hospital in time.  Also, we'd be able to plan for my mom to already be here with the girls.  I really wasn't that miserable, but still it was tempting to not be pregnant anymore.  In the end I decided to go for it and we planned the induction for Sunday morning.  

I was super nervous to be induced, I thought it was terrifying to walk in there knowing what was about to happen.  Plus, knowing it was coming left me so much more time to worry as opposed to going into labor and having the adrenaline just push me through.  I was kind of a wreck the last couple days and I didn't tell anyone I was being induced til late Saturday night because I kept thinking I might chicken out. 

On Sunday morning we left for the hospital at 8:30.  It took a while for them to bring us back to a room and then getting my IV set up was a disaster.  It took three tries, one of which she totally missed my vein and fluid was pumping into the tissue which made my arm nearly double in size and was super painful.  But, at noon they finally started pitocin and we settled in for what we were hoping  would be a quick wait.  We read, watched an episode of Designated Survivor, and I took a nap while waiting for the contractions.  It was kind of funny that all our friends were at church and noticed we weren't there- we got lots of texts including a video from the whole Junior Primary!  Finally around 3pm I started having regular contractions a few minutes apart but they weren't too bad and I wasn't progressing very fast.  I was a little discouraged because I'd been hoping so much that it would be a quick delivery, I really hated just waiting around at the hospital.

At 5pm my doctor came in to break my water and things picked up a lot after that.  I hadn't needed an epidural up to this point and I was still hoping that things would move quickly so I didn't ask for one.  My nurse said she'd wait to check me "til I was screaming" and left the room.  The problem is I don't scream, in fact, I'm pretty much silent when I'm in labor.  About 30 minutes later the contractions were getting a lot stronger and I called her back in.  She said I was still only dilated to a 4 (so disappointing!) but she could feel the baby was so close, and then she left the room again.  Contractions were very very painful at this point, I was squeezing Bryan's hand and crying and kept praying I'd be able to make it.  Ten minutes after the nurse left I suddenly felt the urge to push.  I pushed the call button but before the nurse made it back in I had another really bad contraction and couldn't stop from pushing.  When the nurse ran in and grabbed a pair of gloves Bryan said "uh, there's a baby there" because Livvy was halfway out.  So in the end it was the quick delivery I had been hoping for.  And, for those counting, this is my second baby that was born without a doctor in sight.  Three cheers for good nurses.

The next couple hours were very chaotic.  Olivia was a healthy little girl with a strong pair of lungs.  For the first two hours of her life she was either nursing (which she was a champ at from the beginning) or crying.  We thought about having my mom bring the girls to visit before bedtime but I was just too exhausted (and starving! I hadn't eaten all day!) so we facetimed with them, but even that was tough because Olivia screamed most of the time.  They had stopped delivering food for the night but my nurse went down to the cafeteria to get some dinner for me.  While there she ran into my doctor and he actually bought the meal for me!  I finally ate a gross cheeseburger that tasted delicious to me and Olivia settled down and we moved into our postpartum room around 8pm.  My favorite thing about having an unmedicated birth is how great I feel afterwards- a little sore but I can immediately get up and move around and feel so much more like a real person.

Despite her angry entrance, Livvy was a peaceful baby the rest of the time.  And, unlike our hospital in California, this hospital would take her between feedings during the night so we could get some rest and you better believe we took advantage of that.  On Monday my mom brought the girls to meet their new sister.  Jilly and Mattie were SO excited and it was really fun to have our family all together finally.  Jillian loved being at the hospital so much that she came back later in the afternoon with my sister and then stayed a bit longer by herself then Bryan took her home at dinnertime.

We came home on Tuesday; I was so ready to get back to my own bed and home to my girls.  It was fun to put Olivia in the same outfit both of the girls wore home from the hospital, and so nice to all be under one roof.

End of September

Mornings with Mattie-

Mattie runs down the sidewalk following the bus as long as she can every morning then tells me with a frown "I miss my sister!"  But she's also definitely enjoying our one-on-one time and having free reign over all the toys and dress-up.  Also, she's gotten pretty smart and often says "Mom, let's cuddle on the couch and watch a movie"- an offer I can't resist these days.

Kindergarten Girl-
We're still struggling with lots of meltdowns but it's fun to see how much Jillian is learning and growing.  I've started occasionally picking her up from school because the bus takes SO long to get to our house.  One day Mattie fell asleep in the car so Jilly and I went through the McDonald's drive-thru to get a treat then still had time to play a game at home before Mattie woke up.  Jilly and I both loved the time together so, so much.  Jillian has started drawing pictures for me in the morning while she waits for me to wake up.  I love the one she drew of the baby and me- it seems appropriate that we're both crying

Mother of Five-

Some friends of ours went out of town for a couple days so we watched their kids.  It was quite a houseful but the kids were all so sweet and helpful.  The perler beads were a big hit with everyone, and I felt especially proud that I got all the kids up, fed, dressed, and to two different schools on time.

Baby Sprinkle-

My friend Janice threw a perfect Harry Potter themed Sprinkle for me.  We made these cute wands and ate yummy treats.  It was so fun to have a girls' night.

BYU vs. WVU

For a long time we've been looking forward to BYU coming out east to play WVU.  When I realized I'd be 37 weeks pregnant at the game I was a little worried but we couldn't miss a chance to see the Cougars.  The game was at Fedex Field, where the Redskins play, so it was only an hour away from us and it ended up being so much fun.  The weather was perfect, some wonderful friends agreed to watch the girls for us, and we had fun being with my family.  There were some bleacher seats lower than us but we were pretty much on the front row which meant I didn't have to stand up very often which I greatly appreciated.  And, we got to see a few touchdowns up close and personal.  Sadly, it was a loss for the Cougars but still a great day.

Primary Program

Our primary program was the day after the game so my parents and Ty spent the night (and Jenn who had been in New Jersey for a work trip and came down to spend the rest of the weekend with us.)  Katie, Neal, and Joe also came up for church.  The program went well, Jillian did a great job, and I was relieved to have it done since it was my last big responsibility before the baby.  The best part of that Sunday was that everyone came home from church a bit early but we had some responsibilities to stay for.  When we got home my mom had our entire lunch out and ready to go- it was the best way ever to come home from church.  We had a fun afternoon with everyone.

Possibly our last picture as a family of four?!

Jenn's Visit

We were lucky to have Jenn for an extra day after everyone else left.  On Monday we went to Miss Shirley's Cafe for brunch.  I'd heard a lot about it but hadn't made it there and it was excellent.  Then we took Jenn to the aquarium.  As we were leaving Mattie suddenly said she wanted a picture in the shark's teeth.  We've been to the aquarium many times in the past year and never ever stopped at the shark but this was our first time coming without Jillian and so finally Mattie could take a picture without Jilly being scared, haha!

Since Jenn left the rest of the week has been a blur.  I caught a nasty cold and it really wiped me out.  Mattie has watched WAY more tv than usual and we've been getting by on the bare minimum.  But I'm feeling much better and grateful that I was sick now rather than in a couple weeks when I have a newborn to take care of.  We're all excited to move on to October!!

tuesday ten

1. Kindergarten is honestly kind of rough.  Jilly does love it and has made new friends and is always excited to ride the bus and tell me about her day.  But, I just miss her so much and she's told me a few times "I wish I could stay home and be with you and Mattie all day."  Heartbreaker.  Also, she is SO exhausted and an emotional wreck.  She ends up in a puddle of tears all the time over the silliest things.  It's been exhausting but it has to get better sometime right?

2. Also, she's grown up so much in just a couple weeks.  Jillian loves to wear her shorts to school and almost always wants her hair in a ponytail.  And, she requested some real tennis shoes so we bought these for her.  I seriously don't recognize this girl anymore!

3.  Mattie still misses Jill but is getting used to our days without her.  She loves to dress up and play with all her "friends" and doesn't mind having all my attention at all (let's just hope she doesn't get too used to it!)

4. We went to Bryan's company party on Saturday and in Maryland a company party= crab feast!  There was lots of crab and other delicious food and so many fun activities for the girls.  It was so fun I almost didn't notice how hot and humid and miserable the day was.

5. The girls LOVED the bounce house at the party and ran through it over and over and over.  I wasn't sure Mattie could do it all by herself so Bryan went with her the first time and I was cracking up at how similar their slide poses were.

6. We came home from the party with some extra crab so it wasn't hard to convince Katie and Neal to come eat and watch the BYU vs. Utah game with us.  The game was a disappointment, but the excellent company made up for it.

7. Mattie's nursery teachers are the sweetest couple and she adores them (which is kind of a big deal because Mattie can be pretty picky.)  We are so, so sad that they are moving back to the Philippines this week- we'll miss Brother Lim and Sister Lim so much!

8. It finally cooled off Sunday and I felt like a new person as we went on a walk at the Oregon Ridge Nature Trail.  Never have I looked forward to fall as much as I have this year.

9. Baltimore County is so funny, we have days off of school ALL the time (and you won't hear me complaining at all!)  Monday was a Muslim holiday and Jilly chose to go to the mall for lunch, the play place, and a visit to the Disney store.  We loved having her home for a day!

10. Bryan can always convince the girls to watch biking videos with him if it involves cuddling and staying up past bedtime.  

Seven on Sunday

1. The girls went to an awesome birthday party last Saturday.  Jasmine came and the favorite topic of conversation among all the little girls ever since has been what princess will come to their party.  Here's hoping for a little bit of memory loss.

2. It is very rare for both girls to fall asleep on the couch so it was quite a treat when we all took a nap together last Sunday.  The girls will miss being able to use their baby sister as a pillow!

3. Kindergarten has been quite the adjustment.  Mattie misses Jillian more than I thought she would; she'll often ask me in the middle of the day "Can we go pick up my sister now?"  Jilly always seems happy and excited to go to school; she loves riding on the bus and she's made a new friend named Delaney.  But she's also SO exhausted and emotional, we've had many meltdowns this week.  I hate that she's gone for so long (9-4 every day!) but I must admit, it's pretty easy breezy to just have Mattie around during the day.

4. On Wednesday Bryan called me at 4:30 and asked if I thought I could find a babysitter for that night because he had free Orioles tickets from work.  Miraculously, I did- there was a girl in our ward who hadn't left for college yet and was available.  It was hard to leave Jilly on a school night during the first week of school but so fun to go to the game with Bryan.  The seats were really great and it was a fun and rare mid-week date.

5. We finally went camping this summer!  Our ward campout was Friday night and we had a wonderful time.  The girls ran around with their friends and got super dirty, we roasted hot dogs and made s'mores, and after the girls crashed in the tent Bryan and I stayed up late playing games with friends (and got in trouble for being too rowdy!)  Camping while pregnant wasn't too terrible, Bryan took care of everything.  He bought a new air mattress for me and I was cracking up at my bed (queen size air mattress) next to his little camping pad.  I hardly slept at all but it was worth it; Mattie said "this was the best day ever to go camping!"

6. Bryan made crepes tonight and they were really, really delicious.  New Sunday night tradition perhaps?

7. We heard that this huge sunflower field is in bloom so we headed over this afternoon.  It was magnificent and made me feel that maybe fall is on its way here.