A Little Craft for a Little Boy

     Sam got me a sewing machine for my birthday last year, and I haven't used it a ton yet... But last week I just got an itch to sew! I looked around to see what fabric I had: some denim scraps from making shorts for myself a little while ago, and some flannel from a baby blanket I made for a friend. So my thought process went something like this: 

     Ok, great. A bunch of small scraps of fabric. What can I make with that? Oh! I know! Beanbags! They are going to be so cute, just like the ones my aunt made for my sister with each letter of her name on a beanbag! (Never mind that her name is "Eve," not "Nathaniel." That's a lot of beanbags, people.)

     It was another one of those situations where I had a grand idea in my head, but the finished product wasn't quite as amazing as I had hoped. Let's just say there is a reason the pictures are taken from far away! :)

     First I cut out letters, then zig-zag stitched the letters onto the denim, and stitched three of the sides together and left the top open. I decided that these beanbags needed to be water proof (or at least slobber proof) and made beanbags out of plastic sandwich bags that were just a little smaller than the fabric beanbags. Does that make sense? I should have taken pictures. Hmmm... Too late now. :)

    Anyway, I put those plastic beanbags inside the fabric ones, and stitched the tops closed. And now we have 10 beanbags floating around our house, usually seen being thrown through the air or sucked on.

I'm telling you, there really is a reason the picture is taken from far away. It's not an easy task to cut out and sew all those letters. Especially the "A's". Whew. But they're done! Yay!

A close-up of the front.

And the back. I love that animal fabric, I think it's adorable.

     When these were finished I set them out on the ground for Ellie and Nathan to play with, and Ellie started telling me what letters were on them. She's a smart little cookie! I'm glad they like them. I'm also glad that I could use what I had around the house to indulge my need to sew!

     And of course I'm going to have to include a few pictures of Mr. Man. Because he's cute, that's why.

This picture cracks me up. We were heading out the door, and I had to run and grab something out of our bedroom. I came back, and this is what I saw. Apparently little brothers make great canvases.

 Swimming in the backyard yesterday. He LOVED the water. I thought it would be too cold for him, but no way! He probably would have stayed in all day if I would have let him!

Speaking of Nathan, I can hear him waking up. Adios!

Love,

Nathaniel Reid Brubaker

Yes, I do realize that my baby will be 6 months old on Thursday. It's about time that I document his birth story!

I was induced with Ellie, and I really wanted to go into labor on my own this time. Not that I had anything but a wonderful experience with Ellie, but I just wanted to do it on my own this time, so that was the plan throughout most of my pregnancy. But as November 29, his due date, got closer, I started to get nervous. I was in school, and my teachers hadn't been very accommodating with making up clinical hours. (But that is a story for another day) So an induction was in the back of my mind, but I kept thinking, "there is never a convenient time to have a baby," so I continued to plan on going into labor on my own.

I was almost 39 weeks along when Sam and I went in for one of my check ups. The doctor asked me if I knew how to tell I was actually in labor, how long to wait at home before coming in, where to go once I got to the hospital, etc. He left the room for a minute, and Sam said that maybe we should schedule an induction for the day after Thanksgiving. When the doctor came back in we told him that was what we wanted to do, but we could always cancel it if I decided I didn't want to go that route.

I was still wishy-washy on the whole induction thing, but for some reason I felt like we needed to do it.

I was up most of the night before Thanksgiving with contractions, but nothing strong enough or close enough together to head into the hospital. The same with Thanksgiving day, and the night after Thanksgiving. When I called the Labor and Delivery Unit at 5:30 that morning to make sure they had room for me, they told me to head on over. So we did.

The nurse got me all hooked up to monitors and put my IV in, and the doctor came in and broke my water. I was excited! And I thought for sure this labor would be shorter than the last.

I was progressing slowly, but I wasn't worried because that happened last time, too. I got my epidural, and Sam and I watched the hospital-required videos. Baby's monitors had looked perfect all day.

Around 1pm, the monitors changed. It was scarier for me this time because I knew what the monitors meant! With each contraction, baby's heart rate dropped into the 50's. But he would quickly get back up into the normal range after each contraction, so it wasn't a huge worry.

At this point, I had reached a "tight 6" and hadn't really progressed. The baby was still at a -3 station, and didn't seem to be coming down any farther.

The nurses gave me oxygen, switched my position over and over, and the little guy still wouldn't come down.

This went on for 6 or 7 hours. I was still at a 6, and baby was still at a -3. The doctor came in, and said from the way the monitors looked and my lack of progression, he thought the baby was tangled up in the cord. He told me that because baby's heart rate was coming up quickly after contractions he was doing fine and could stand more labor if I wanted to go that route, but it sounded like I may need a c-section.

I cried while they got me prepped for the c-section. It was not the birth experience I had in mind. But my anesthesiologist was fantastic, my doctor was amazing, and it was going to be ok. I couldn't have done it without Sam. He talked to me and kept me calm throughout the surgery, even though the anesthesia made me shake and feel nauseous. When they saw the baby, the doctor told me he was wrapped up in the cord "like he was wearing a seat belt." The cord had been around his neck and wrapped around his little body.

Finally, at 9:22 pm, I heard my little boy cry. I was so happy he was healthy! They showed him to me, took him to the nursery to measure and bathe him, and then I got to hold him.

We named him Nathaniel Reid Brubaker - Nathaniel meaning "gift from God," and Reid so he could have the same middle name as his dad. He weighed 6 lb. 10 oz., and measured 21.5 inches (I think that was a mistake).

Holding my little boy for the first time.

Family picture, minus Ellie!

I look back now and think that it was inspiration that I was induced. I honestly don't think we would have had the same outcome if I had waited to go into labor on my own with this pregnancy. Nathan was really tangled up in the cord, and who knows if waiting a few days would have gotten him more tangled?

All I know is that I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows better than I do what is best for me and all of His children. And I am grateful for our little Nathaniel!