The Story of Calvin

First of all, I apologize for the photo quality....these are all uploaded from my phone. But, I cannot complain because it is super cool that I can blog from my phone so I will take what I can get!

Of my three perfect boys, Calvin is the one that we...anticipated. Athan was getting ready to start school, I was finished with college, had my career underway and the timing seemed right. Besides, I had decided that since I started having children at age 19, I wanted to be done by age 30 and I knew I wanted more so, what were we waiting for?

With in 2 weeks of "trying" to get pregnant, I was! I could not believe that after 4 &1/2 years of birth control, I was able to conceive like it was nothing! I truly know that I am blessed! I had decided to re check a pregnancy test that I had taken (and was negative) two days previously and low and behold...a faint positive line! So I preceded to take test after test until the line was dark enough that I couldn't deny it. First to know? HAYLEY! about an hour later, Colt :)

Due to some weird, sharp pains I was having, I went in for an ultrasound. I believed I was about 9 weeks or so. There was no fetus on the scan. The jerky ultrasound tech told me that I had not made a baby and to go home a wait to have a miscarriage. I went home, cried in the driveway to myself a little then went inside to tell Colt. I called my mom and my sisters and cried a little more. Then I decided to do what I always do when I want answers: research. My research kept leading me to stories of women who were told the same thing only to find a fetus on a later scan. ahhhh! I was driving myself insane. I quickly got off the Internet and called my doctor. She told me to keep taking my vitamins and that I would have a repeat ultrasound in a week to "confirm diagnosis". What a week I had! But... when the week was over and I heard that lub-dup at a rate of 140, I could quit holding my breath. There he was my little Calvin. Almost saying "I'm here mommy! Don't cry any more!"

From there, things moved on like a normal pregnancy. For me however...a little more paranoid.

When we went for the ultrasound, I was actually surprised. (I KNEW with both Damen and Athan before it was confirmed) ANOTHER BOY! Damen was mad at the technologist because he wanted a sister. He said he was just going to pretend that he was having a sister anyway! Present at the ultrasound: Colt, Hayley, Chelsea, Damen and Athan.

At 25 weeks, I had the bright idea to wear 5 inch wedges. I tripped. I caught myself but, pulled something and started having painful contractions. My doctor told me that I probably suffered a small tear in my placenta from the uterine wall and the slow bleeding was causing the contractions. A week later, on my birthday, I had to have my labor stopped with a shot called turbutaline. Terrible stuff! While in the hospital, I noticed my blood pressure was awfully low and decided to keep an eye on it at home.

Four weeks later, my blood pressure changed. I wasn't low anymore. Doctor placed me on bed rest. I had no other symptoms, just the high blood pressure. For four weeks I was a model patient. At home I stayed down! Only cheating when I thought I was going to go crazy if I had to sit another minute. I got rides to the hospital twice a week for all my tests. I took all my medications, checked my blood pressure frequently ( it was always high). I got the most painful 2 shots in my rear that I have ever had! (steroids to develop Baby's lungs in case he needed to be born early.) Memorial Day weekend, I was naughty! I was up Friday night to Hayley and Dugan's post-wedding open house. Saturday I cooked breakfast for the boys, I let Colt sleep in and snuck around doing laundry. Sunday I went to Mom and Dad's for lunch and played Apples to Apples with the family.....Sunday evening I got one heck of a belly ache! After 4 hours of the pain, I asked Colt "when did you want me to tell you that epigastric pain is something that I am suppose to have checked out?" he said "four hours ago!". I was positive that the hospital would do the usual thing, blood work, ultrasound, tell me to stay off my feet and send me home. Not the case. My blood work revealed I was suffering from a condition called HELLP syndrome. A deadly condition to pregnant women in which the only cure is delivery of the baby. Payson hospital has no NICU therefore cannot deliver a baby earlier than 36 weeks gestation. I was 35 weeks, 3 days and would certainly die of organ failure if I waited 4 days. So...after getting stuck 9 times to start an IV, they started Magnesium and, I got to ride in the helicopter. NOT FUN! I am scared of heights and wobbly helicopters so I would not ever like to do that again. I arrived @ St. Joesph's Hospital at about 4am. The nurses in the High risk OB department started pitocin as soon as I got there. I told one nurse that I expected to have a baby by 3pm going on how quickly I delivered my other two. She just smiled.

Pitocin to intensify contractions+Magnesium sulfate to relax muscles= the most intense pain I have EVER experienced. Worse than a kidney infection! Colt was great. We were not 100% on a name. We agreed on Maximus but I felt bad that my preemie would always be small, with a name like Maximus, just seemed cruel. I had previously ran the name Calvin by Colt and he didn't like it, at all. I loved it and tried to convince him of it repeatedly. He always shot it down. While he squeezed my hand during my most intense pain, he said "If you really want to, we can name him Calvin." Sweet man.

At exactly 6pm, Colt almost missed it, came Calvin. He was so tiny I wanted to hold him so bad but only was able to give a quick snuggle before he was taken to be checked out. He was breathing fine, he was crying great. He was just a little cold. 4lbs, 6oz. 17 1/4 inches long.

I finally got to hold him in recovery. Oh and, the way I look in that picture is not to be discussed. I had a rough day. That night Calvin had to stay in the nursery to keep his temperature up. The thermostat on my floor was broken so my room was probably about 60 degrees. I had to stay in my room because I had to stay on the Magnesium drip for 24 hours after he was delivered. Colt stayed with me on a little cot.

The next day I demanded to be moved to another room so that my baby could visit me. My wish was granted but Calvin could not leave the nursery because he had to get a tan:) he needed the billirubin lights for 12 hours. I was able to go see him once that night. I had bad lab work and was grounded to my room until my platelets increased.

Day #3 I was doing better but silly little Calvin didn't want to eat. He wanted to sleep! So he and to get a feeding tube. Therefore was not allowed to leave the nursery. The condition in which the tube could be removed were that he not need to use it for 24 hours. In order not to use the tube he had to drink about an ounce of milk every 3 hours without spitting it up. That meant for me pumping every three hours and getting the milk to the nursery in time for his feedings so that the nurses did not give him formula ( that he liked to spit up) and then since I seemed to be the only one with enough patience, I sat in the nursery with him and fed him and burped him. At 2am he gave about 6 little sneezes and out came the tube. He didn't need it anyway!

Together at last! The next day I was able to be moved onto the regular post partum floor. I swung by the nursery on my way to my new room to inform the pediatrician that I would be sleeping in the same room as my baby and I would be taking him home the next day. He told me that Calvin could be released from the nursery but that he could not go home Friday if his weight fell below 4 lbs.

Friday He was 4lbs exactly! We were both discharged. As a family of 5, we headed home.

Damen and Athan were beside themselves with excitement! As you can see on Damen's face he had forgotten that he wanted a sister!

Calvin was such a peanut! So skinny and delicate. His skin was like an old man, saggy.

But he grew too quickly!

Calvin is by far, my sweetest baby. Just smiles and loving stares. He has warmed the heart of each member of our family. I cannot imagine my life without him.

He has now tripled in size. A 4 months old, he weighs 12lbs 5oz. He loves to sleep on his face or with a blanket covering his face. He loves his Daddy and his brothers but especially his Mommy! His forehead is ticklish and his favorite place is his changing table.

Priceless. There are no words to describe the love that fills my heart as I kiss each one of these boys goodnight.