The Birth Story of Anna Elizabeth (Annabeth) Tidwell

Friday, May 4, 2012

2:37 a.m.

I awoke in pain. My immediate thought was “It’s time,” but the intense sensations felt more like gas than the contractions I had been feeling the past few weeks. It’s strange how even after having previously experienced labor, you really do forget the pain. So, instead of grabbing my watch and timing contractions, I searched the medicine cabinet for Tums and guzzled an A&W root beer. Of course, neither helped. Between trips to the toilet and attempts at sleep on the couch, I eventually came to the realization that I was actually in the early stages of labor.

5:30 a.m.

Daniel got up to get ready for a leadership conference he was heading to for the day although he was apprehensive about leaving me. I told him to go on because the contractions seemed to be slowing down and were still pretty erratic. However, I knew that with him gone all day, I would not be able to take care of the girls like I needed to, so I called my mom to tell her I was in labor and needed her to come. Fortunately, she and my dad were only about an hour away at their cabin.

 6:40 a.m.

Both girls are awake and Daniel is leaving. He asks yet again if he should stay home, but while I am apprehensive about him leaving, I really do not want him to miss his event. Plus, I figured with my parents coming and his conference only ten minutes away, if we needed to get to the hospital soon, I was confident we would have plenty of time to do so.

7:30 a.m.

Mom and Dad arrive. The girls are eating breakfast, and I am trying to pack my hospital bag. {Why hadn’t I done this already?} The contractions are picking up in speed and intensity, now coming about every 5-6 minutes. I take a long hot bath to relax, think, and pray. I then decide to call the midwife’s office, which I know is not yet open. After leaving a message with the answering service, Lauren, the midwife on-call at the hospital, calls and suggests I go on to the midwife’s office to be checked. Because the hospital is over 45 minutes away and I know we will be facing rush-hour traffic, I decide to call Daniel. 

8:15 a.m.

Daniel arrives home and finishes packing our things. We kiss the girls and head to the midwife’s office. Unfortunately, though, we are in the thick of traffic going into Nashville and Daniel misses our exit, so by the time we reach the midwife’s office, I am already contracting every 3 minutes and the intensity of the rushes is pretty strong. I decide we need to go on to the hospital. Daniel calls the midwife’s office to tell them our intentions so they can let Lauren know we’re on our way.

 9:35 a.m.

We arrive at Vanderbilt Medical Center (VMC). Fearful that I wouldn’t be able to walk from the parking garage to Labor & Delivery, Daniel drops me off at Patient Pick-up and goes to park the car. The next fifteen minutes feel like an eternity as I wait for him because the people surrounding me in the waiting area are talking rather loudly about me while I am sitting there, head bowed down, eyes closed, concentrating intently on the surging contractions. When one woman pipes up that she thinks my husband has abandoned me in labor, I know it’s time for me to leave. I walk gingerly to Patient Services to ask for a wheelchair to L & D when Daniel arrives. A staff member wheels me up to L & D, and I am admitted to my room.

 9:55 a.m.

My midwife Lauren and the nurses arrive, and I put on my gown and crawl into bed where I am hooked up to an electronic fetal monitor. In order to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean section) at VMC, you have to agree to continuous monitoring of the baby, which pretty much means you have to stay in your hospital room for the duration of labor and delivery. However, my contractions are growing so intense that I want nothing more than to lie on my side and relax. An anesthesiologist arrives to offer medications, which I refuse, and then a doctor comes to explain the possible consequences of having a VBAC, which I completely tune out. 

 

10:45 a.m.

Daniel and I are alone in the room when the contractions intensify to the point where I can’t concentrate anymore and begin losing control. I repeat Isaiah 43:2-3 to myself and silently pray. The pain is such that I tell Daniel that I can’t do it anymore, but he calmly reassures me that I’m in transition and that the baby will be here soon. He is so good at encouraging me and his words soothe my doubts and fears.

At just that moment, though, something feels like it’s falling inside me, and in the next instant, my water breaks. Suddenly, I am filled with an overwhelming urge to push and there are no medical professionals in our room—no midwife, no nurses, no one but Daniel and me. I start screaming, “Help! Help me!” Lauren hears me from the hallway and rushes into the room as Daniel alerts the nurses.

There is no relief from the surging contractions: they seem to only escalate and fall over and over again without a moment’s rest. I am lying on my side in the bed, and the nurses help me get into the right position to push. At this point, though, I am tired and ready for it all to be over. After pushing a few times, I shout, “Just pull her out! Just get her out of me!”  Pushing is not my favorite stage of labor as it is for many women. Fortunately, I only have to push for about fifteen minutes before Annabeth arrives with a head full of dark hair. Of course she is absolutely perfect! All I can do is cry, “Oh, my baby! I love you!” 

All in all, my labor from start to finish lasted approximately 8 hours. We are so proud of our sweet little Annabeth. She is dearly loved by her Mommy, Daddy, and two big sisters, Kate and Cora.

 Anna Elizabeth {Annabeth} Tidwell

7 lbs. 11 oz.

19 in. long

A Tidwell Family Update

 

So, it's been a while since I last posted on here. How about nine months? Man, how time flies!

During that time I have been pretty busy with two active little girls: Kate is now 3 1/2 and Cora is 18 months. Plus, I started a website called Growing in His Glory and have been doing some freelance writing for Stop Colon Cancer Now, a non-profit organization, both of which have fulfilled my need to write. Now, we are anticipating the arrival of our newest addition--a third little girl, who we plan to name Anna Elizabeth and call Annabeth.

Kate is in her second year at King's Kids, a Mother's Day Out program where she goes to "school" two days a week, giving Mommy a little break and providing her a place to socialize and have fun in her own space. She has made some sweet little friends there and truly adores her teachers. I feel so blessed by the experiences she has had at King's Kids.

Kate is a very smart little girl with a memory like an elephant. Daniel and I have to be careful what we say around her because she will not forget a word! She loves all things princess and when at home, she is always wearing her Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty glass slippers. Our Kate is a creature of habit like her Mama who is very disciplined and prefers routine. She adores her little sister, who she affectionately refers to as "my Cora" and is very sweet about helping Cora clean up and trying to cheer her up when she's sad. Kate knows how to write her name and her sissy's and is well on her way to being a reader: she loves books!

Cora is our tinkerer. This child will work for lengthy periods of time trying to figure out how things work. One day she spent 15 minutes trying to fasten a seat belt on Kate's tricycle. We think she has an engineering brain as she's analytical and intense at times; she is also very independent and prefers to play by herself, unlike Kate. Cora does have a bit of a temper and tends to be "a bull in a china shop," barreling her way through everything and leaving a demilitarized zone in her wake. She is, however, our loving child, who kisses and hugs on her baby dolls and is always wanting to snuggle.

Daniel and I have been very blessed with these two healthy, happy girls. We are learning daily how to guide and teach them in God's ways and in constant prayer for wisdom and direction.

Other family news...
We have put our house up for sale in hopes of selling and finding something just a little bigger for our growing family's needs. While we haven't had many lookers so far, we hope that once the market picks up a little, someone will find and love our little house and want to buy it. In the meantime, we are gearing up to move Cora into Kate's room, making Cora's room into a nursery for baby Annabeth.

My hope is that I will keep this blog current with pictures and thoughts surrounding our family.

Until next time, I invite you to follow me on Growing in His Glory.

Love,

Keri

Lovin' Life with Our Two Little Ladies

It's been over a month since my last post and quite a lot has been going on here!

Kate is growing like a weed. She's finally getting into coloring and drawing pictures, which is a blessing for mommy! :) Plus, she likes to sit and read her books to herself or to her baby sister. Poor thing gets frustrated when Cora won't sit still and listen.
Daniel and I are also very pleased in how well Kate has taken to potty training. She is doing very well using the potty all on her own and has only had a few minor accidents since we got rid of the diapers and exclusively started using big girl panties. While we are still working on waking up to go potty at night, we are so proud of Kate and her accomplishments!
Sweet little Cora has two teeth now. At almost 10 months, she is an avid coffee table surfer and is getting pretty good at standing up by herself although quite hesitant to take any steps on her own. It won't be long though! Kate was just about a year when she started walking, and Cora seems to be doing much like what big sister did in terms of development.
Cora is a smiler and loves catching the eye of any who will look her way. Not even 1 and already a charmer! Plus, her laughter is contagious. I have taken to calling her "Giggles"; it's just so cute!
We, or should I say Daniel, are doing some home repairs and improvements, trying to get our place fixed up to sell, hopefully, next spring. We love our little house, but the tight quarters make for some long days when we're stuck inside because of the weather or illness. It can feel a bit claustrophobic at times. Plus, we would like a better environment in which to raise our children.

Also, my mom, Cora, and I will be traveling to Atlanta next weekend (August 12-13) for the Women of Faith conference. I was blessed with this opportunity because of my website and received two free tickets to attend.

Finally, if you believe in the power of prayer, I have a few prayer requests please:

(1) My health. I will be having my thyroid removed September 14. Prayers for safety and a quick recovery would be a blessing.

(2) Future schooling for the children. Daniel and I are contemplating homeschooling the girls. We would appreciate your prayers for God's will in this area. And, if He leads us to homeschool, I will need lots of prayers for patience. :)

(3) Our future home. As we prepare for a future move, I am praying for where the Lord wants us to live and raise our children.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

If you haven't already visited my website--Growing in His Glory--I would invite you to check it out. You can subscribe to receive an email from me every time I write a new post, or you can subscribe to follow me in a reader. See the right sidebar on the website.

Blessings to you and your families!!

Is it the Middle of June Already?

It's been a busy few weeks, and as I review the events to update our family blog, I am noticing that a lot has been going on in this house!

(1) "Mommy, let's do school!" Kate and I are on week 4 of school and both of us love it! She has learned four new memory verses, and we're working on phonics, counting to 20, and ways to serve others.

(2) Cora, the human garbage disposal. Our doll baby pulls up on everything and whatever she finds goes right into her little mouth. Still no teeth at 8 months, but she's a sweetie!



(3) Four nights of VBS at church. Everyone loved watching our girls' faces light up when the puppets came out to sing. And poor Kate actually cried when she couldn't go see the puppets on the night I was sick.

(4) A summer cold. Yes, last week I was sick with a fever and cold. We had to miss a play date that I had arranged as well as a night of VBS and a Bible study. No fun!

(5) Daddy slingin' ice at Bonnaroo and the rest of the family spending some QT with Gram Gram & Papa in Chattanooga.

(6) Digging deep into a new Bible study on motherhood and connecting daily with other moms on Facebook.

(7) A surprise retirement party for my Dad and the joys of children with microphones.


(8) Father's Day and our Daddy with his favorite little girls.



(9) Surgery plans.

(10) My new website. Please check it out and follow me or subscribe via email if you are interested. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Still, despite all our activities, we are moving at a slower, more summer-like pace and enjoying our "new" swing set, "new" pool, and growing garden.


HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Our Summer So Far: Or What's Going on in the Tidwell House

So, I haven't been posting much on here this week simply because I have been incredibly busy trying to set up and post to my new website. I hope you will go over and follow me by e-mail over there.

But here is a brief run-down of what has been percolating in the Tidwell household:

(1) Kate and I have started "school" for the summer, which we do while Cora naps in the mornings. You can see details of what we are doing here.

(2) Bless her little heart. Cora is finally starting to get some soft baby hair, and I just can't get enough of it. It's a light brown but we still have hopes of red hair.

(2) I started two new Bible studies: one for moms at a local church where we are studying Chip Ingram's Five Lies that Ruin Relationships (EXCELLENT!) and one online where we are reading Sally Clarkson's The Ministry of Motherhood (also top-notch!).

(3) Kate has started learning to "earn her keep" by washing dishes. However, I think the amount of water she wastes is actually costing her more than she's making. Still, she is learning... : )


(4) Our garden is growing by leaps and bounds with all of the hot weather and rain lately. Soon, we'll be eating like kings and queens, and I won't have to pay the exorbitant prices at Kroger for pathetic produce. YEA! Here you can see cucumbers, lettuce, and tomato and pepper plants. We are also growing squash, green onions, and several different herbs.



(5) Last week we visited a friend from church as part of our service project for the week, and Kate LOVED feeding her pygmy goats, which was a bit surprising because she's very fearful of
animals.

Truth be told, we aren't doing too much this summer. Aside from some gardening, "school" in the mornings, and Bible studies, we are taking a break for the next few months to just relax, get refreshed, and enjoy life. And you know, as much as I was dreading the end of Mother's Day Out, I am really glad it's over...at least for now...because we are getting into a nice routine and running at a much slower pace than we have in quite a while. And that is a relief for this Mama!

Menu Plan for the Week of May 29th

I love three-day weekends, especially when the weather is warm and we can start grilling! There's nothing like ribs and hamburgers on the grill.

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Sunday Quick Lunch: Spinach Enchiladas with refried beans (We were supposed to have these this past Thursday, but I had to go to Nashville and didn't get home in time to make them. I will let you know if they're worth making.)

Supper: Hamburgers with sweet potato fries and corn-on-the-cob

Monday: Baby back ribs with homemade BBQ sauce, potato salad, and baked beans

Tuesday: Sweet Italian chicken sausage on linguine with spaghetti sauce, salad, and breadsticks

Wednesday: Pintos and corn muffins (I cooked the beans last Wednesday, but we ended up going out for dinner instead. So, I will just pull them out of the freezer for an easy supper.)

Thursday: Carnitas soft tacos (using beef shoulder roast)

Friday: Pizza night!! (I have been making sourdough bread every Saturday for the past three weeks, so I think I will make up a batch of sourdough pizza dough for something different.)

Saturday: Leftovers (My parents are coming home this week, so we will probably go to Chattanooga to visit with them and celebrate my niece and nephew's birthdays.)

Growing in His Glory

Check out my new website HERE!