Abigail Jean

She's here! Abigail Jean Buckland was born on Friday night, June 6, 2008 at 11:01 PM. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 6 oz, and measured 19.5 inches long. She's totally beautiful and perfect in every way. And we are all so very happy to have her in our family.

Now her original due date was June 11. So she is 5 days early. A first for a Buckland child. All my other labors were overdue. I've never been a big fan of induction, and thankfully have never had to be induced. However, this being my fourth pregnancy, taking care of three small children, and my last labor experience, were all factors in helping Ren and I come to a brave new decision.

I allowed myself to be induced with Abigail. *gasp*

I didn't really plan on this until the very end. As I was growing more and more exhausted, and as we approached the due date with hastening speed, I was getting more and more nervous about what we would actually do once I went into labor. Isabel and Josephine were present for Oliver's birth, but that wasn't by design. That was by necessity since we barely made it to the hospital. They handled it well, and they were very sweet to have with us in the delivery room. My son, on the other hand, no dice. I knew one thing for certain. I DID NOT want my 18 month old bundle of energy in the delivery room with me. I kept thinking we needed to come up with a better plan.

I kept telling Ren that if I went to my next appointment and the midwives told me I was 4 cm dilated (a common occurrence in all my pregnancies), that I would probably go ahead and check myself into the hospital and let them induce me. I had my weekly check-up on Friday morning with the midwives, and sure enough, she said I was a good 3-4 cm. Meaning: This baby could literally come and any time and when it does hold on to your hats! So, I went back home, got my bags packed, kissed the kiddos goodbye (my mom was already with them), ate some lunch, and waited for Ren to meet me at the house. We left for the hospital at about 2:45 PM. It was so calm and civilized. A far cry from my last labor!

We made it to the hospital. Checked in. Got settled. My sister Sharla arrived. And my midwife started me on a VERY slow Pitocin drip at 6:45 PM. And when I say slow, I mean that in a range of 0-40 cc, she only got me up to 4 cc. Very slow, very controlled. And the way to go, in my case. I've always heard horror stories about Pitocin, that they cause horrendous contractions, that the pain is unmanageable without an epidural, etc. My midwife told us this is usually because the doctor jacks it up too high, too soon. I started having very regular contractions after just an hour of being on 2 cc of Pitocin. I noticed no difference in Pitocin contractions vs. the regular non-induced contractions from my previous labors. They felt the same to me.

I got to 6 cm after about two hours with just the Pitocin. Then she broke my water about 9:00. Labor picked up and started to intensify. Still, everything felt so calm, controlled, and smooth compared to my last labor, that all I kept thinking was--INDUCTION ROCKS!!! Granted, there are numerous factors involved. It depends on the pregnancy, the one performing the induction, how far along you are, etc. And I know it should never be entered into lightly. And in our case it wasn't. It couldn't have gone any smoother. Abigail Jean was born a couple hours after the midwife broke my water. All without an epidural. No stitches needed. Momma and baby both very happy.

We got home Sunday afternoon, and have had a nice time to relax and transition to being at home. Ren has been home with us for two days, so that's been wonderful. I will be sad when he has to go back to work, but somebody's got to earn some money around here! Thankfully, we are surrounded by a lot of loving family and friends, so we feel like we have a good support system already in place.

So far, she's doing great. Nursing and sleeping really well. The other kids are smitten with her. Especially her sisters. They adore her. To them, she's a living baby doll. Even Oliver likes her, which is surprising to me. He wants to hug her and touch her a lot. He's already a great big brother.

God is good.

Summer Days=Fun Days

I've really been enjoying my time with my kids already this summer. Funny, considering that summer hasn't even technically started yet. I may be singing a different tune come August. But for now, we've been hanging out and taking advantage of the beautiful, warm weather. Going to parks, libraries, and swimming pools. We've been so busy this past year, that I haven't really had time to just enjoy my kids. But now that I am unemployed, and Isabel's out of school, our schedule has really cleared up. Being unemployed kind of rocks.

For some reason, taking them places used to feel like such a chore. But compared to our hectic schedule this past year, lately it's been feeling like a walk in the park. Literally, like a walk in the park...since that's what we did yesterday. I've gotten so used to getting them ready and out the door every morning, that now I feel like I'm on vacation. I truly needed this break. Today, we spent all the glorious morning/day with our dear friend, Amy, and her amazing pool. We all had a blast.

Not sure at this point what life with Baby #4 is going to add to our fun equation. Hopefully, we'll still be able to get out and have as much fun as we've been having together. Lately, more now than ever before, I've been realizing how special these kids o' mine are, and how quickly they are going to grow up. And one day, too soon I'm afraid, I'll be wishing they were little again. I am realizing, more and more, how precious this time is that I have with them.

I like my kids.

Less than two weeks to go...

Well, I met with the midwives today, and every thing's looking like it's supposed to. I am now 38 weeks and 2 days. That means we have a little less than 2 weeks to go. If she's on time. If she wants to hang out in utero the way Josephine did, than I still have a month left of pregnancy. I sincerely pray that is not the case.

This has by far been the hardest pregnancy I've had. I guess that's what happens when you carry 4 full-term babies back to back in 6 years. It takes its toll out on you. And the old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be. And let's face reality here people, I'm not getting any younger. When I first started this journey called motherhood I was 24, fresh faced and about to graduate from college, and in the best shape of my life as a recently retired aerobics instructor. Needless to say, the fact that I haven't done a single grapevine in those 6 years, coupled with taking care of 3 little ones, while carrying another little one, has made this pregnancy the most taxing. I'm tired all the time. I'm even convinced that I may have somehow acquired pregnancy-induced narcolepsy. I can no longer stay awake even for my favorite shows. I've never heard of this disorder before, and I've never known anyone else to have it. So I may be the first. But I think it's for real...

I've never been a fan of the pregnancy aspect of child bearing. Give me labor and delivery once a month for 9 months, but do NOT give me 270 days of back pain, cramping, nausea, muscle spasms, heartburn, weight gain, and all the other unspeakable aspects of pregnancy. I guess it has something to do with the way I'm wired. I'd choose sprints--impulse, intensity, sudden bursts of energy--over marathons--steady, paced, in it for the long haul--any day of the week.

To the menfolk--if you get squeamish with pregnancy details, then stop reading here. But most of you are dads, so you're probably familiar with all the terminology. However, for all of you who DO care--i.e., my lady friends--as of today, I am 2 cm dilated, and 70% effaced. The baby is low (meaning she's dropped and ready to go and in the blast off position), and every thing is on course. So hopefully we'll have our little girl within the next two weeks!

I Haven't Laughed This Hard In A Really Long Time

Holly is sweet and simple. Like a lady baker.
I would not be surprised to find out that she had worked in a bakery before coming here. She has that kind of warmth. I'm pretty sure she's baked on a professional level.--Michael Scott, "The Office"

More power to 'em

I find this little clip strangely comforting to me in my current condition. Yet, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I should feel better about my present circumstances, or if I should feel bad for all the complaining I've been doing. Either way, I'm glad it's not me.

The real question I have is...How is this woman's body still functioning properly? Seriously.

For the Love of Money

We've implemented Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. here at the Buckland house this week for our two oldest daughters, Isabel, 5, and Josephine, 3. I am so proud of them, because they've really latched on to the system really quickly. Every morning, Isabel & Jo get up and make their beds, feeds the cats, and are helping out a lot more around the house in general. It's great! I thought it was going to be like pulling teeth with them. But as they are working, they have some toys in mind that they're saving up to buy. So that's been a motivating factor for them.

This morning, as I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, I heard two little voices singing in unison as they were making their beds, "Money, money, money, money--MONAAAY!" Whatever works, I guess! I just hope we're not creating miniature Ebenezer Scrooges.

Back by Popular Pancake Demand...

Ren often complains to me that no one comments on his posts. I then told him that my post about pancakes has received 17 comments. So did my public school post, but most of those were made by Erin and me! Anyways, back to my point. I told Ren that if he wanted to boost his blog numbers, post about food. I mean, who doesn't like food? You really can't go wrong.

I had some requests for the Buckland Homemade Buttermilk Pancake Recipe. It's really from my favorite Southern Living cookbook. Here it is:

Dry Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar

Wet Ingredients
2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/4 c. vegetable oil

I use my beloved cast iron skillet every time. I start heating it up on medium-low heat even before I start the recipe. Mix the dry ingredients together. Then mix the wet ingredients together. Then pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. I use my stand-up mixer. Mix all together until just incorporated. If you over mix, you won't have very fluffy pancakes. Dump about 1/4 c to 1/3 c for each pancake into the pan. Flip, butter scandalously, serve hot with lots o' maple syrup.

You know you want some.