Elaina Halcyon Blakey

She's here. We give thanks to God for his perfect timing, despite our efforts to get her to come a little early. God is so good.

12 hours old.

Elaina Halcyon Blakey was born on her due date, on Wednesday, February 1st, at home with the assistance of our wonderful midwife and her assistant, a nurse. After 5 hours of intense active back labor, she came into this world at 9:24 pm, weighing 7 lbs 14 oz, and 19 3/4 inches long.


Moments after she was born.

We are so thankful to have her in our arms, and we are all doing well. There will be more details and pictures soon.

Almost There

Tomorrow marks 39 weeks of this pregnancy. I can hardly believe we're almost done.

At my 37 week appointment two weeks ago, my midwife confirmed my suspicion that the baby had dropped. So I've been waking up every day since then, wondering if I might go into labor early. In fact, I've been dreaming about almost nightly, and have been thinking about it constantly. Lots of braxton hicks contractions, but no labor yet.

This pregnancy has been easier than the first, but has still presented its own difficulties and struggles. I haven't had the horrible back pain (or the mild spasming that accompanied it), but I have had some pretty severe sciatic and what must the femoral nerve pain. Last week, after doing laundry all day (which means I did stairs at least a dozen times), my sciatic nerve hurt so much I couldn't even walk. It was really frustrating! I felt like such a cripple. Thankfully, after an evening of sitting around, and night of sleep, I woke up functional, but still had some pain. Since the baby dropped two weeks ago, her head has been squishing those nerves against my pelvis. I am glad that I can still walk around, but I can feel the irritation building if I'm on my feet for very long. Which means I've been taking it easy, sitting whenever possible, especially for things like cooking. Sometimes when Baby repositions, and I'll get a good zing down one of the four nerves. If I happen to be standing when this happens, I wonder if my leg might give out. So far, so good.

I've woken up in the middle of the night with PSVT twice in the last month. Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia. The first time, it felt so awful I kinda lost it. It was 4 AM, and it woke me up, and just wouldn't stop. After trying my tricks without success (mammalian dive reflex and the valsalval maneuver), it seemed like it was just getting worse, and of course I started wondering if I was going to die, and how Baby was taking it. I think I had my first official little panic attack. I regained my composure, and after almost three hours of having my heart beat between 150 and 200 times a minute, it finally returned to it's normal rhythm. Two nights ago, I had another episode that lasted a couple of hours, and again, I just had to wait it out. There is some evidence that PSVT is more likely to occur during pregnancy (due to the increase in blood volume and how that effects the heart), so I've really been grateful that I haven't had to deal with it more often.

The morning sickness has been gone for a while now, although I've still been taking the Unisom at night since sleeping has become such a challenge. I did throw up a few days ago, but I had taken pills on an empty stomach, which I know not to do. I was fighting a cold last week, which upped my daily pill count to 22. I had to take a picture. At least they are all vitamins, minerals, and herbs.

The first three: Prenatal, magnesium and B complex. Been taking those the whole time. Recently I've been building up the number of the middle bunch: four Evening Primrose, Flaxseed, iron, six 5-W, and bromelain. Then the last six are two garlic, a zinc and three Cs, which I haven't been taking since I'm over the cold. I have to spread them out over the entire day to make them manageable.

The heartburn has been pretty constant for the last couple of months. Sleeping propped up on five pillows at night make sleeping possible, although I still have to take one or two Tums to make it manageable.

I have been so thankful how rare the migraines have been, now that I've cut MSG and free glutamates out of my diet. I had a good migraine a couple of weeks ago, and then a weird complex one a few days ago. I had gotten myself and Chloë all ready for an afternoon out of the house, and as soon as we got to the mall, the blurry vision hit. After a few minutes, I found a bench and called Bryan to come rescue me. I didn't want to stay at the mall, but it would have been impossible for me to drive. I am so grateful for such an understanding and helpful husband.

This little girl is really, really active. Even now, as I type, I look down and see my belly jumping around. It is so strange knowing that my baby girl is inside of me, moving all around, oblivious to the fact that her world will soon be very different. Soon, she will be able to stretch her legs all the way out if she wants to. I'm sure things are getting a little cramped in there.

Bryan and I finally decided on a name for our little girl. There were 4 or 5 names that we liked, and we finally agreed on the best one. Now we're just hoping that it will "fit" her when we meet her. We haven't told anyone either, despite a few good attempts to get us to spill the secret.

I have everything all ready for Baby's arrival. Tiny baby clothes fresh and clean and put away, waiting patiently. Our bedroom is ready to be transformed into Labor Central in a moment's notice; all of basic things gathered and ready.

Now, we wait.

Re-reading this, I hope I don't come across as complaining, discontent, or in any way ungrateful. This just happens to be the only journaling I do, so I'll include some of the hard stuff, but leave out the worst details, for your sake. Yes, some parts of pregnancy are less glamorous than others. Sometimes they are downright difficult and frustrating (thanks for that, Eve). But I am so thankful to have the privilege of growing another life inside of me. I know I am blessed to have two (relatively) healthy pregnancies so far. That said, I really can't wait to meet this little girl.

Mama and Chloë

Mama: 28 years old. Chloë: 19 months old. Baby Sister: 37 1/2 weeks gestation.

Bryan took a few quick photos on Sunday. It consisted of a three minute photo shoot, with Chloë running around, pausing for two seconds with me, and running off again. I'm impressed that we got a few good pictures.

I can't wait to wrap her up in this, chapter 2

I finished Baby Sister's blanket.


It's about the same size as the blanket I made for Chloë.

I can't wait. Less than three weeks until her due date.

Family Photos

It is amazing how difficult it is to get a photo of three people all looking their best. It certainly didn't happen for us this year. We were all dressed up for the Christmas Eve service, and thought we'd try to take a few pictures. Chloë had a little melt-down, so we tried again when we got home. Better, but we still didn't get a perfect shot. Oh well.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Take 1:

Nope.

Take 2:

Maybe with a flash?




And since I haven't taken any belly pictures in a while, here are a couple, at 34 1/2 weeks. Getting closer! (Looking just about the same size as 35 weeks with the first pregnancy.)

Baby in the Belly

Last night, Baby #2 went crazy. 32 weeks, 4 days, offcially. We managed to record a little bit of it, but this went on for about an hour, and without the aid of any caffeine or spicy food. My abdomen is actually sore this morning. Her thrashing woke me up out of a dead sleep last week, and last night I actually let out a couple of squawks of discomfort with her in utero karate moves. Neither of those things happened with my first pregnancy. #2 is a very active child, to say the least. Even more so than Baby #1, which makes me nervous, considering how active Chloë has always been. I think I might have a little hurricane child on my hands in a few months. Praise God.

Third Trimester

When I was pregnant with Chloë, I don't remember there being a specific day that I felt like the baby grew a couple of pounds. For some reason, the day I hit week 25 was like "oh, hello body, you must have a child in there." The tummy just felt very large, and I kept bumping it into things, and my lower back was achy in protest. Thus began the constant battle of trying the ease the constant back pain. I am so very thankful for my massage chair (basic as it may be, it does help a little), and for the back rubs (knot massages, really) that my sweet husband gives me.

Besides the back pain, I've really been doing great. I've had a couple of random bouts of morning sickness, and the occasional food aversion, but usually have a great appetite. Things like warm chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of milk always sound good, and I actually manage to resist most days. I'm slowly and steadily gaining weight, which is good. I've had very little of the restless legs, have been sleeping pretty well most nights (credit due to the Unisom I'm still taking, I'm sure), and my complexion never completely freaked out like it did with Chloë. Shoelaces are suddenly hard to get to, and it sure isn't easy to lean over the side of the crib if I have to lower a sleeping toddler down. I seem to get minor braxton-hicks contractions every day, especially if I am on my feet a lot. So I try to do everything in spurts, since it helps the back pain, too.

I actually had another complex migraine last night (numb on one side, can't talk, blind... fun stuff), but was pretty well recovered by this morning. After talking to a couple of fellow migraine-suffers, and putting the pieces together, I decided to really be proactive about avoiding MSG. Monosodium Glutamate, an additive to many savory foods, has been a known migraine trigger for ages. I always knew I risked getting a migraine if I ate at a Chinese restaurant (always famous for using lots of MSG), and it just recently occurred to me that small amounts of the stuff may be giving me migraines. So after lots of research, clearing out my cupboards, swearing off favorite comfort foods like Cheese-Its, I think I finally figured out a big piece of my migraine puzzle. I didn't realize how often I was actually ingesting MSG, and have been astounded to learn that ingredient labels can legally hide it under other names... like yeast extract, or hydrolyzed protein, or fancy words like sodium calcinate, or even "natural flavors." Because, after all, MSG is natural. Some people's bodies just respond to it like neuro-poison. I've seen a drastic improvment in the frequency of my headaches. In fact, besides the complex migraine I had last night, I haven't had any migraines since I cut out MSG three weeks ago... except for the couple of times I ate something that I later learned had a form of MSG. Very interesting.


Week 20


Week 21


Week 24


Week 26

And now I'm at week 27. The third trimester. Just under three months until my due date... until we get to meet our little girl! Yes, this pregnancy has gone much faster. We're planning on doing another home birth, in case anyone is curious. As hard as it was the first time (is anyone surprised that I said that?), I loved being at home, and the midwives and my husband were great, and my body eventually figured out what it was doing. Maybe the second time will be (just a tiny bit?) easier.

We're having a...

GIRL!

Chloë is going to have a sister.

And we're going to have two little girls!


(We went to the mall after the ultrasound, and oh, whaddaya know, I found myself picking out some cute dresses on clearance for my daughters for next summer. I am so very excited.)

I've been sick with some weird flu and cold bug this week, which landed me on the couch for a few days. Yuck. But I managed to make it up to Spokane yesterday and keep our ultrasound appointment for Baby #2. Bryan took the day off from work so he could come, and was a great chauffeur for my sick and tired self.

As soon as the ultrasound was up on the TV screen, Bryan pointed and told Chloë it was a baby. "Bay-bee! Bey-bee!" she kept repeating, and pointing to the screen. She did this periodically throughout the hour long appointment. We thought it was so sweet, but also curious, since there really wasn't anything on the screen that resembled any baby she'd seen. But she was obviously excited.

Everything looked perfect.


There she is. Our beautiful little girl. With brains, too.


She's got a fist against her nose.

We got to see her practicing her breathing, which was amazing to watch. Her little chest and abdomen moved in quick repetition for a few seconds. Breathing! My tiny baby that is the size of a banana, and doesn't even have air to breathe. We saw her yawn a couple of times. Big, open mouth, regular old yawn. She kept putting her hand up to her face and mouth. She wasn't actually sucking her thumb, but she really seemed to prefer a hand next to her face. Her little heart was galloping along in the 160s again. Perfect little heart with four chambers. And we saw her liver and kidneys... it's impossible not to be overwhelmed at the beauty and goodness of our Creator. There's a little person, living and growing inside of me!


Kind of a sideways shot of her lower arm and slightly closed hand.


Look at her perfect little foot!!!

The baby had her legs together and even crossed throughout the ultrasound until the very end. I kept praying that we would get a glimpse of the gender, since we (probably) won't be having any more ultrasounds. Bryan and I were so convinced that we were going to find out we were having a boy. This pregnancy has just been so different than the last, and surely there was a logical explanation for it. Besides, we both just had "that feeling," and all of our instincts were right with the first pregnancy.

We were wrong.

So there you have it. She's definitely a girl.

This is a long video, but here's your very first video of our beautiful second daughter. (At least check out a few seconds right after the 2 minute mark. You can see heart and then you hear it beating. And at 5:45 you can see her little chest contractions of her practicing her breathing. How amazing.)


Only 4 1/2 months, and we get to meet her! I am so excited.

17 weeks

We had our second ultrasound last Thursday, right at the 17 week mark. We were hoping the baby would be cooperative and we would have a little insight as to the gender of this child. But, he or she was extremely active (no big surprise there), and we didn't get a good look.


The best profile we got. Looks like a round forehead and strong jaw with lots of teeth.


Little alien face, straight on and sideways. You can see a little round tummy, and the black splotch inside is the heart.

The baby was measuring a few days ahead of schedule, which is wonderful news. Since I've been mostly healthy this pregnancy, I've been able to eat normal amounts of healthy food, and have even had the luxury of digesting it. Which means the baby is getting all the calories and nutrients he needs, and growing like a champion. He or she is about the size of a potato now, and getting stronger every day. I've been feeling tiny little baby movements for a few weeks now, but especially so this last week.


The heart was beating right along in the 160s.


Our baby has a spine!


And two tiny feet.

And so far, everything looks good. This wasn't the super thorough ultrasound that checks every detail of development, but it looks like the baby has all the right parts in all the right places. Praise be to God.

I've been having a few Braxton Hicks contractions for a few weeks now, and I had a weird little scare a week ago. I had what felt like a 3 or 4 hour long contraction, which was fairly painful. Drinking lots and lots of water didn't really help, and it was definitely worse if I was standing or walking. So I finally texted my midwife (ah the conveniences of modern technology), and tried a few things she recommended. Things eased up, and I kept my feet up as much as possible the next day. Within a couple of days things seem back to normal, even when I was walking around. We're very grateful we don't have to entertain the idea of bedrest.

Then this last Saturday, I woke up at 5 am throwing up. The first real morning sickness I've had in about eight weeks, which seems a little strange. And then I was really sick the rest of the day. I didn't keep anything down, and even the smallest sip of gatorade made me feel disgusting. By 8pm, I was really dehydrated. I'd lost about five pounds, and my pulse was 95. So I texted my midwife, and we discussed her coming over to start an IV. We decided to see how the night went, and praise God, I was able to keep some fluids down during the night. So I spent yesterday recovering, ate a few crackers, and only threw up a couple of times. Today I feel halfway normal, but still have a lousy appetite. I'm thankful I'm feeling better, and hoping it was just a weird fluke that will pass.

I was going to get a profile picture this weekend, but, well, that obviously didn't happen. We're hoping to have another ultrasound in a few weeks, and maybe we'll be able to tell if we need to focus on boy names or girl names.

Thanks again for all your prayers.

Second Trimester

They say that the second pregnancy goes by much faster than the first. It is true. I can hardly believe we're already a third of the way through this process. I know having a munchkin to chase around keeps the days moving quickly. But, not having a constant reminder that I'm pregnant helps some too. Unyielding nausea and frequent vomiting, for example, was kind of like having the clock ticking in my ear, making the time pass slowly. I am so grateful to have it so easy this second time around. Yes, I'm queasy every once and a while, but I can eat just about anything, and have even managed to gain a pound. God is so good.

I mentioned earlier that I've been taking a half a Unisom every night, and I think it helps a lot with the morning sickness. I forgot to take it one night last week, and had an unusually queasy day the next day, so we'll stick with it for now. That said, I definitely think there's a limit to how much nausea it can handle, and even if I wasn't taking it, I have the feeling I wouldn't be nearly as sick as I was with Chloë. This pregnancy is just so completely different. Which makes me very suspicious as to the gender of this baby. If I had to guess, I would guess that he's a boy. But we shall see. As my midwife pointed out, I'm not officially working for this pregnancy. True. Those were some tough 8 hour shifts of being on my feet and bearing quite the stress load. Physically, mentally and even emotionally, I am in a much more relaxed environment. Now, the hardest part of my week is when I drop a bowl full of smoothie on the floor and have pureed fruit and broken ceramic to clean up. No big deal in the grand scheme of things. Dying people, on the other hand, were a little heavier on the heart and mind.

Whatever the factors (all of you praying for me, perhaps?), I am so grateful for how easy this pregnancy has been.

I've wondered for a couple of weeks now if those tiny little movements I was feeling were Baby squirming and kickboxing and dancing. And a few days ago, I felt some unmistakable little Baby flutters. So much like those first flutters I felt with Chloë. According to the experts, our Baby is about five inches long and the size of a peach, has starting growing hair, and can now squint, grimace, and frown. He can practice "inhaling" the amniotic fluid he's swimming around it, and if he's interested, suck his thumb. I am constantly amazed when I slow down for a moment and consider the miracle happening inside of me. Sometimes I want to shout "Hey everybody! I'm growing a PERSON!"

So here we are in the Second Trimester, at week 14.





This last picture was three weeks ago at week 11, just for comparison. Baby is growing!

Praise God that all is going so well. Now we just have to come up with some name options.

Baby #2

We had our first ultrasound last week, and got to see our tiny little baby. The baby measured exactly 8 weeks along (due February 1st!), which means we're 9 weeks and 2 days today.

Our beautiful little child, about the size and shape of a teddy gram.


The amazing tiny heart was galloping along at 165 bmp. The flickering lines on the left part of the picture are the sound waves of the heart beat. What an amazing little miracle.


The sideways heart is the yolk sac, and the baby is at a good profile with little arm and leg nubs sticking out. We were so happy to see our tiny little child strong and healthy.

I had a really rough day on Monday, with a full forced migraine that I'd been trying to avoid all weekend. Combined with some wicked morning sickness, I was pretty miserable all day. I am so thankful that we have such wonderful family that can help take care of Chloë when I'm bed ridden with pain. After Bryan got home from work, he spent his birthday evening taking care of her. I was a bit concerned with my hydration since I hadn't kept anything down the whole day, but my pulse was good, so I tried not to worry. I woke up feeling semi-human the next day, and have slowly been recovering, and feeling surprisingly well.

I started my old trick of taking a half of a Unisom at night (one of the very few medications approved safe for pregnancy), and it helps me get a good night sleep. The best part is that it really takes the edge off the morning sickness. I feel so much better than I did at this point with my first pregnancy. Still somewhat nauseated, but not constantly throwing up. So thank you all for your prayers. Keep them up. God is good.

New Year's Resolution Complete

Not to loose weight, or become more productive, or to be more skilled, or more accomplished or to be a better wife and mother. All wonderful things. But not my resolution for the year.

We had a few friends over on New Year's Eve. It was four married couples, including ourselves. One friend was pregnant, and I knew the remaining three of us ladies were looking forward to starting or growing our families. So I proposed a toast at midnight: To having babies or getting pregnant!

And so, almost three weeks ago, on May 31st, I realized I had accomplished my one and only New Year's Resolution.


We were thrilled. And excited. And a little bit nervous. I lost weight in the first trimester with Chloë because of the severe morning sickness. So the day I found out I was pregnant, I started eating as much as I possibly could. It was fun. That lasted for a week. Then the nausea kicked in, and morning sickness has returned. But I know that means that Baby #2 is growing. I'm still semi-functional, but we covet your prayers for a good and relatively easy pregnancy, and for a strong and healthy baby.

It has been a joy sharing our exciting news with our family and closest friends. I had a white onsie and some old puff paint, so I made a fun shirt for Chloë. This is how we told our families.




I will be seven weeks along tomorrow. Baby #2 is due to arrive on February 3rd, 2012.