Mallory wanted to pose with Max.
Jesse took his bike out and had the kids follow him out into the woods & field behind our house.
Max didn’t stay out there for very long. Jesse said he started coming home on his own. Guess there was too much mud for Max. Max does not like to get muddy.
Mallory’s turn.
She stayed out there a bit longer then Max but not by much.
A few months ago Jesse bought a dirt bike from one of his Dad’s buddy’s. His kids had outgrown it and Jesse thought our kids were ready for one. But I didn’t.
We kept it hidden for about three months. Jesse had to order training wheels for it and he had to figure out how to slow it down.
He also wanted the kids to ask for one. And they were not asking for one. So he started showing them youtube videos of kids riding dirt bikes. Trying to get them to ask for one. I’m not sure if they ever asked for one or Jesse couldn’t take it anymore and had to give it to them. Jesse has been off from work for three weeks (since we had Melanie) so he had some free time to spend with the kids on teaching them about how to ride safely. So it really was a good time to give it to them.
There they are all proud of their new real dirt bike.
I asked them to show me their mean tough dirt bike faces. This is what I got.
Rule #1 – Must wear pants and socks and shoes. They flew into the house and changed into their correct clothing. Mallory says “I’m going to wear my sparkly blue pants to ride motorcycle.”
I only took video of Mallory riding the bike for the first time – so I don’t have any pictures of her.
I did get some pictures of Max riding though.
He looks so tiny on the bike but he did great.
Then we took it over to Jesse’s parents house to let him ride in a bigger space.
He rode the bike until it got dark! Then they hooked up a light for him and he rode it more! Then it was time to get off and he cried when he had to get off! He absolutely loved the bike!! He was getting braver and braver with it. He was getting so brave that he took it over to Grandpa Dave’s shop without telling anyone that he was going over there. Jesse was watching him though so Jesse was able to hop in the RZR and follow him (without Max knowing) to see where he was going and make sure he was safe. Max made it all the way to Grandpa’s shop and turned around and came all the way back!
Mallory rode it too and she enjoys it!
I was looking back at Baby Mallory to see if Melanie looked like her and I came across the pictures of Mallory in Jesse’s motocross helmet and by his dirt bike… here she is riding her own dirt bike! Came full circle! We said she would be riding dirt bikes – just a pink one in a tutu. Little did we know that she would totally be that girl! She loves all things little girl… but she will get on that dirt bike and ride it… in her sparkly blue pants!
Max woke up the next morning and I think the first sentence out of his mouth was “Daddy can we go ride the dirt bike?”
I didn’t think they were ready for one… boy was I wrong! They love it and were very much ready!
These three kids were being doctors and they were coming after me.
Ellyn is way too grown up for that kid stuff now. She was pretty proud of her new baby cousin though!
Me and the boys!
Mallory and I. She was a doctor with fairy wings and fairy shoes!
It was a rough 45 minute ride home from the hospital by the looks of her. Hat over the eyes.
I still have not replaced my coffee pot at home – so every time I get the chance I stop for an iced coffee. I talked Jesse into hitting up Starbucks after leaving the hospital.
Baby Melanie & Starbucks… ready for the big kids to come home!
Big sister Mallory learning how to change diapers. While eating a string cheese. Eating and changing a diaper – she has this momma role down already!
Maxwell finally held her! He kind of fell in love from this moment. He wasn’t so sure about her before.
Little Momma with her baby Freckles.
We sent a picture to my Mom’s cell phone after Melanie was born and my Mom showed the kids. She said that Mallory just looked at her and was speechless. Max said she was cute. Then they put their heads together and looked at her together and Mallory said “Max that’s our baby sister.”
Later that night Mallory had to talk to me so I called them. She had to tell me that I forgot to pack her pajamas! Which was a huge crisis in her eyes! No pajamas! How do you sleep without pajamas! Especially when you have a love as strong as Mallory does about pajamas!
They came the next afternoon to see baby sister! Mallory wanted to hold her right away.
They brought my Grandma with. Grandma Great, we call her.
Ever since Grandma Great found out that I was pregnant with Melanie she has prayed every night for her and me. She would tell me over and over that she has prayed for this little one every night! It was so special! Then when she left the hospital she said, “Now what do I pray for at night?”
The kids each brought a bag of legos to play with, but they found it very entertaining to watch TV with my little remote.
First family photo.
Max would not hold her. This was as close as he would get to her.
Legos in one hand and that TV remote in the other.
Mallory had to hold her one more time before she left. She was aw struck by her baby sister.
This is as close to newborn babies that Grandpa Dave will get.
Thursday morning (July 26th) I had a routine doctor appointment with my mid-wife at 10am. I was really looking forward to it because the week before I was starting to dilate and they even thought I was going to have the baby in a few days… and I didn’t. So I really wanted to know if progress was happening or not.
At the appointment I had progressed and I was dilated a bit more. But just a bit. So she went ahead and stripped my membranes and hopefully within 24-48 hours I would have a baby.
I kind of had a feeling that I was going to have a baby within 48 hours so I felt like I needed to do something special with the kids before the baby came. So I took them to a McDonalds play land and we had breakfast and they played. They love McDonalds play lands – its their love language!
We ran a few errands and then we came home about 12:30. I fed the kids lunch. Decided that maybe I should do some laundry just in case this happened then I was all caught up. Then decided that if this really does happen I would like to come home to fresh clean floors. So I vacuumed every single floor in the house.
Packed the kids suitcase… because I was starting to get this feeling that this was going to happen sooner then I thought.
Now I’m exhausted! I sit on the couch and the kids want to read library books. Perfect! So we start reading and I’m getting some contractions. But they don’t feel strong yet. So I don’t know if it is the real deal or just from my doctor appointment. So I didn’t do much. I did send an email to my Mom (who was to take the kids) and to Jesse and just gave them a warning that I have some action going on but nothing serious yet.
Well about 15-20 minutes later – It was getting stronger and I was timing them about every 2 minutes. I decided that my Mom better start her way here. She has an hour drive. Then I sent another email to Jesse and told him that my Mom was coming – but he could stay at work for a bit. He emailed back and said he was leaving now and coming.
That was a long hour waiting for my Mom to come. The contractions got harder and harder very rapidly. They were also consistently 2 minutes apart. Very consistent!
Jesse started to get worried. We were sending texts to my Mom telling her to hurry up!! Little did we know she doesn’t get text messages when she is driving.
Jesse decided we need to leave NOW so he ran across the street to see if our neighbor could just sit with the kids for a few moments until my Mom came.
As Jesse ran across the street my Mom pulled up! I walked out of the house and said “Jesse just ran for back-up”. Her eyes got huge and she said “Oh! Okay!”. She grabbed the kids they went and sat on the side walk and waved as we left. I think I said good bye to the kids, but I don’t remember at all. It was a quick get in the truck and lets move!
Jesse had this feeling like we just did not have much time. He was doing 85mph down the highway with his flashers on! I kept telling him, I’m okay. I’m okay. He says, “Oh I don’t think so. I heard a story today and I’m not going to tell you it.” Oh wonderful!
We get to the hospital about 5:15 and Jesse runs in for a wheel chair and comes back out and says “I got the biggest one!” To which I totally laughed and said, Oh thank you! It was a huge wheel chair!!
In the hospital getting ready to sign in and there is a lady in front of me who is in labor as well!! I don’t know if anyone else would feel this, but I felt so embarrassed being in labor next to her. I don’t know why. It was just super strange and awkward for me. Apparently I’m just a private labor kind of person. Riding in the elevator together. Watching her get a contraction… and then I get one. Weird.
We get to our room and the nurse comments on the size of my wheel chair. They get me ready and I’m at 7cm and baby is super low. Now. I have only delivered my babies with an epidural. And I liked it. So I ask for one. They page the epidural man and proceed to get me ready for it.
Epidural man is busy and he is not coming. Meanwhile I am having the most intense contractions I have ever faced. I am not handling them well at all. I’m starting to get a little crazy. The baby would wiggle and kick me while I was having a contraction and I thought it was the most disgusting thing ever! Not only am I having a contraction I’m being kicked! An hour goes by and no sign of an epidural.
He finally arrives!! We decide to do a spinal block instead of an epidural because my mid-wife says I’m ready to go – we are just waiting on him. He agrees to do one. It is suppose to take way faster then an epidural. The downside is it just won’t last as long so if I have a few hours left – it could run out and then I’m out of luck. I take the risk and go for it.
Guess what! It didn’t work! It totally numbed my feet! Well great! Now I’m ticked! I’m a ticked pregnant lady in a labor! I’m not good! I’m not impressed! I start hollering “I can still feel these contractions! How come I can still feel them!” My mid-wife says, “You need to have a baby and they will stop.” To which I say, “Then let’s have a baby.” So she breaks my water and says I can push. I freak out. Yes. Literally. Jesse will even vouch for it. He never seen me like that before. I was scared. I had never done this before without an epidural. I have always been completely numb!
Well 6 minutes later we had a baby! 7:08pm
We named her Melanie Mae. Her temperature was low so we had to do the kangaroo hold for about an hour to bring her temperature back up.
She weighed in at 7.8 pounds and 19 inches long.
Getting her foot prints before her bath.
Snuggling daddy.
Snuggling mommy while daddy went to eat supper.
I then proceeded to beat myself up the rest of the night and could not sleep. I was so embarrassed by the way I handled this. I was so mad at myself. I was mad that I had made it all the way to the end with out pain meds… and I thought I could never do that. I didn’t know I was to the end – my mid-wife never told me! I probably would of just went ahead and forgot the epidural (an hour earlier) and had the baby naturally if I had known. But I didn’t know.
I talked to a different mid-wife the next morning and she brought my spirits back up. I am better with my Melanie Story now (as you can see I finally typed it up) and I know now that I can do it… for next time… in case there is a next time. ; )
My good friend, Trish, knows how to make quilts. She really wanted to make one with Mallory for the baby. Trish came and picked up Mallory and took her to a fabric place and let Mallory pick out all the fabric. Trish made the baby’s quilt but she had left over material so she brought her sewing machine over and her and Mallory sewed up a little quilt for Mallory’s dolls.
Mallory thought it was just too fun! She really got into it. The quilts turned out beautifully too! Mallory uses her little doll quilt all the time too!
