Tatem's birth story

Well, our precious baby girl is almost a week old, so I'd better write this down before I forget!

MONDAY
At our regular appointment, Tatem looked great, and we scheduled an induction for Thursday, September 1st.  Our baby girl would be born on my birthday!  My doctor was a little nervous about waiting, so she wanted us to come back on Tuesday.

TUESDAY
9:30 am
Mark's sister Megan and Landrie went with me to my early morning appointment because Mark only got to work 3 hours after Monday's appointment.  My doctor decided to do a sono, and promptly noticed that Tatem's amniotic fluid was very low (3) and her nurse walked Megan, Landrie and me across to the hospital to start the induction early!

10:30 am
After a few quick texts and a phone call to Mark, the nurse got me all hooked up.  As she drew blood and hooked up the IV, I totally fainted!  Ahh!  I think it all kind of hit me at once!  Landrie was running around the room, Megan was fanning me, and I was getting oxygen because Tatem's stats were going wild.  It was quite a start!

noon
Mark was there by then.  He raced home from work, repacked our bags and flew to the hospital.  They gave me a teeny-tiny pill to help me get ready for labor.  I was at a one and only partially effaced and softened.  About 1 minute later, contractions started!  They were every 2 minutes from that moment until Tatem's arrival.  WHEW!  I wasn't expecting that.

3:00 pm
My parents arrived from Houston.  I'm still not sure how they made it so fast!  My mom was teaching kindergarten and they made the 4 hour drive in record time!  I was still chatting, although uncomfortable.

8:15 pm
I couldn't take the pain anymore. :(  I was STILL at a one and contractions were still every 2 minutes.  The nurse gave me something in my IV that was supposed to take the edge off and make me a little loopy.  A LITTLE??  I would start giggling uncontrollably and at one point images from the 70's were swirling around in my head.  I remember thinking, this still hurts, but I sure don't care!  We sent my parents and my brother home after a bit so we all could rest.

WEDNESDAY
midnight
My sweet nurse came in and told me the anesthesiologist was next door and that I should really take advantage of that and get one now.  NOW?  I was STILL at a one, after 8 hours.  I was exhausted and had just gotten a fresh dose of loopy pain meds, and I happily agreed.  That epidural wasn't fun. :(  Then they started me on Pitocin to get the contractions really working!

an hour or two later
I was making progress at breakneck speed!  I could still feel the contractions, but the epidural took the edge off.  I was completely exhausted.  I needed toothpicks to prop my eyes open!  I remember telling my nurse, "I'm really not usually like this," with my closed eyes. :)  I was her only patient, so she was with me all the time, but I couldn't pick her out of a line up!  The belly monitor records Tatem's heart rate, which was 130s-140s.  My pulse is ridiculously low (47 even all through labor!) and when Tatem would move, it started picking up my heart rate.  That sent nurses running in every time!  The whole night is such a blur.

4:00 am
I think I was at a 7!  Mark called my parents to come back up.  They arrived and a few minutes later, the nurse said I was at a 10!

A little before 5:00 am
I started pushing!  It was so calm and peaceful.  In between contractions, I really wanted to take a nap.  :)  My eyes were still closed 90% of the time because I was SOOO tired.  Mark was right there and we were both surprised at how much it was not like tv. :)  He was so proud I didn't scream at all!  haha!  I remember him being so sweet the whole time and telling me things like, "That's exactly how you need to push...you're doing great...that's perfect!"  The next day my doctor was giving him a hard time.  She said that while he was telling me all those things, he was staring at the ceiling!  :)  He said he just went off what the doctor and nurse said. :)  What a sweetie!

5:23 am
Tatem Rose Long was born!  She was so precious and alert and cried right away!  They cleaned her all up and I got to feed her.  Then my parents and Megan came in to meet the newest member of the family.  I really don't remember much of that.  I'm sure she was with us quite awhile though!  I went to sleep shortly after!

6 lbs, 1 oz.

19 inches 

Look at that beautiful baby (and tired mamma)!

True love!

My parents were so happy to welcome grand baby #8!

Aunt Megan and Uncle Greg

10:00 am
I woke up and felt so much better!  I wondered what had happened to Tatem and what she had eaten since I slept so long!  They wheeled her back in just a minute later.  She'd been sleeping like an angel.  :)  We stayed in our delivery room for a really long time.  They had to open another wing of postpartem because they had a record number of babies born on Tatem's birthday!  Megan brought Landrie back up to the hospital to meet her baby sister.

Love at first sight!!

One of my sweet friends was reminiscing.  She said, "I remember getting phone calls from you, hoping you would tell me you were pregnant, then hoping it would be the one when you would tell me you got matched and now I'm waiting for the one to tell me that SHE'S HERE!"  What an amazing journey we've been on.  We are so completely overwhelmed with God's goodness and blessings on our family.  After all those years of waiting we are savoring every bit. :)

Sweet Tatem Rose

6 days old

She's already changed so much!!

40 weeks!!

Well, I started this post the night before we were unexpectedly induced... so I'll finish it now and add all the post-baby comments in pink!

40 weeks!!!

After all those she's-coming-early scares, I am SO thrilled to have made it this far!!

Belly update: At Monday's appointment, my belly grew a bit!  I am officially measuring at 35 weeks. :)  I'm sure going to miss this bump! 

What's Baby Long up to?: She is fully cooked and just busy gaining weight!  We had another non-stress test on Monday and one today too.  My doctor ended up doing a sonogram instead of the non-stress test and my amniotic fluid was very low (3), so she sent me straight over to the hospital!  She's active and happy in there!  Because my belly is measuring small, and because Tatem has been measuring on the smallish side with sonograms, my doctor wants Tatem OUT.  :)  Judging from her wild movement in there, Tatem agrees!

Best part of this week: has been watching my belly move and imagining that a REAL baby will be in my arms in a few days! or hours!!

I'm looking forward to: I'm going to MISS:
-Walking by the mirror or looking down and seeing this precious, big belly.  I'm that girl, the one who has always wanted to be pregnant, and these 9 months have been such a dream come true.  

-Eating whatever I want because I have stretchy shorts on. :)  Remember the episode of Friends when Joey wears maternity pants to Thanksgiving dinner?  Love it!
-Grabbing Mark's hand and putting it on my belly so he can feel his baby girl roll around.  The other night I actually was looking at my belly and trying to watch her move...then I realized that she was in the bassinet!
-This sweet mommy/daughter time with just one baby girl.

40 weeks!  

Mark was so sweet and didn't show me this picture when he took it.  I'm pretty sure every drop from that IV went straight to my face!  

After a bad night's sleep Monday night, I slept late on Tuesday morning and had to scramble to make it to my doctor appointment.  I never got a chance to do my final belly shot!  I spent my due date starting the induction, and Wednesday morning, Tatem was born! 

Thanks for going on this wild journey of waiting for baby #2 with us.  It didn't look anything like what we expected (remember, I expected NO belly at all!) but we are thrilled with God's plans for our family.  We cannot wait to meet Tatem Rose later this week!!  


We've been non-stop for the past week, and I have LOTS to post about!  I'm feeding Tatem and posting at the same time right now. :)  I don't want to forget these precious first few days, so I know I better write it all down now!  

Since we all love a picture of a tiny new baby, here's one of Landrie checking out her baby sister when she was 1 day old!

39 week update!

39 weeks

Belly update: At Tuesday's appointment, my belly didn't grow again, but I really feel like Tatem is still growing!  I can sometimes feel her up by my ribs now, depending on how she's positioned in there.  

What's Baby Long up to?: We had a sonogram (the doctor did a biophysical profile) and a non-stress test on Tatem on Tuesday.  They look at lots of different things that can be indicators of a baby's health, and  she's absolutely perfectly healthy!  My guess is that she's around 7 pounds this week, but we'll soon find out...

Cravings:  Lots o' sweets!

Best part of this week: Was a visit from my sweet friend, Megan!  We had a great time and even worked on a little project.  Here's a tiny sneak peak!

The cuteness is nearly overwhelming. :)

I'm looking forward to: Tatem's arrival next week and spending time with my family when she makes her grand entrance!

39 weeks!

Will the last spot be a belly or a baby??  :)

It's so hard not to be able to travel to see my grandma right now.  (She's about a 7 hour drive away.)  I am so thankful for all of your prayers for her and for us.  We feel each one of them!  God has given us such peace about everything.  She's spent the last week surrounded by her family and talking with her family on the phone, and that's what she loves the most. :)

38 week update!

38 weeks
***We are NOT getting induced tonight or tomorrow!!***

Belly update: At today's appointment, my belly measured 34 weeks.  It grew!

What's Baby Long up to?: We had a sonogram a few hours ago with the specialist again and got great news!  Tatem is HEALTHY and active, and she gained more weight!  She measured to be 6 lbs., 7 oz!  She's gone from the 7th to the 19th to the 24th% in the past 2.5 weeks.  We were SO thankful to hear this answer to prayers!  

Cravings:  I've still been eating lots of protein, but I added in lots of Fun Dip too.  Seems to be a good combo! :)

Best part of this week: Was hearing the specialist say, "There is no longer a medical need to induce you before 40 weeks!"  We had all of our bags packed and in the car, Landrie and I had matching pink toes, and Mark had cleared his work calendar.  We were almost certain that we would go to the hospital tonight and be induced in the morning.   Our prayer was for wisdom to know what to do and that the choice would be very clear.  It doesn't get much more clear than that!  I was never a fan of being induced, but obviously want to do what's best for Tatem.  Now I get to go into labor on my own, and Tatem gets to "cook" a bit longer!   (Would she cook better out here?  It's way hotter than 98.6!!) :)

I'm looking forward to: Telling Mark, "It's time!"

38weeks!

2 more spots for 2 more weeks!

Guess what?  Van Reet Photography has a special for all of you here in the DFW area!  Mention that I sent you, and you'll get $20 off your session!   And just because I love them, here are a few more shots of my loves loving on Tatem. :)

Maternity Photo Shoot!

During our church's spring bible study, I had a precious little secret!  We had the shock of our lives, and after 5 years of infertility, we were pregnant!  A sweet new friend Bobbi was in my small group, and since the study was about "wilderness times" of our lives, of course my table got to hear about our years of infertility.  I was bursting to tell them the end of the story, and finally, at the end of the study, I did. :)  I think Bobbi's gift was our first one for little Tatem...she is a talented photographer and gave us the gift of a maternity shoot!

I think this one is my favorite.  The other night Mark said, "Do you realize that they are going to be best friends??"

Bobbi has two little girls too, so she knew just how to convince Landrie to play along. :)

Every picture was taken after Landrie's bedtime.  It was 103 degrees at 8pm.  All of her mornings were booked, and we thought we were going to deliver in just a few days, so we braved the heat.  I came armed with a frozen slurpee. :)  

We are SO thankful for this tiny miracle, and we want to shout about God's faithfulness from a mountaintop!  Since we live in an oh-so-flat part of Texas, this blog will have to do!

Our cup is full and overflowing.  Oh, how I love these 3!  

I am still in awe of God's plan for us.  Really?!  Landrie and another baby?  I know so many of our sweet friends are still in the waiting time, for husbands, babies, jobs... you name it.  We are praying for you!

There are even more on Bobbi's blog.  Click here to check them out!  She's got a back to school special AND a maternity/newborn photo shoot special running right now too.  You need to go check out her beautiful pictures!  :)

Thank you, Bobbi, for such a precious gift!  We love them!

PS- I can't believe that this time next week Tatem Rose will be in my arms!

37 weeks preggo!!

37 weeks

(I'm starting weekly updates now, because we are SO close!)

Belly update: At today's appointment, my belly measured 33 weeks.  It grew a tiny bit!  

What's Baby Long up to?: We had another non-stress test today, and Tatem Rose is healthy and strong!  On Thursday, at the specialist, she measured 5 lbs., 10 oz.  We have another sonogram next week to measure her growth again!

Cravings:  The specialist said to eat lots of PROTEIN, which is not normal for me, but I've been trying to eat some twice a day!  Grow, Tatem, grow!

Best part of these 2 weeks: Was finding out that Tatem does NOT have Intrauterine Growth Restriction, and watching the miracle of her growing a POUND in two days!

I've also been BUSY getting everything done before the BIG day!  I made these shirts and bows for our girls after drooling over them in Etsy.  This shop has adorable ones!

Here's a close up of their flowers for their hair. I used this easy tutorial, and I love how they turned out!

I'm looking forward to: Well, today my doctor said we may go ahead and induce at 38 weeks, which is next Tuesday!  We have another appointment with our doctor and for a sonogram with the specialist, and depending on how little Tatem looks, they might send us to the hospital to get the induction started.  Everyday we are getting more and more things crossed off our pre-baby to do lists!

37 weeks!

 The end of this belly chart is not quite as exciting as I thought it would be!  I've been doing my part and have gained over 20 pounds, but since Tatem's head is already at a -1 station, she's just hiding in there!  :)

We thought it might be a good idea to have a few pictures of me pregnant and wearing something other than a tank top!  My friend Bobbi did a maternity photo shoot with us last weekend and I can't WAIT to see them!   She's going to post them sometime this week.  Will you find them here before me??  I don't think so. :)

Baby Shower!

Last Sunday, my sweet friends from church threw a beautiful shower for Tatem and me!

Jenna, Jenny, me, Tracy, Amy, Kimi, Shari, Amber and Renee did a FABULOUS job hostessing the shower for us.  Lindsay and Bethany aren't in this picture, but they did too! I love you girls!

Look at all that yummy food!  I love that they also had a dessert table for this sweets-loving girl!

My niece Adelynn, Kimi, Amber and Summer

Wendy, Amy and Amber

As with any party, the kitchen is the place to be! 

Bethany and me

I think this was one of the first things I opened.  How can you not love a precious baby on a box of diapers?!

Tatem's Aunt Christy, Aunt Beth, Aunt Megan and GranJan 

Beth and Megan are checking out the adorable bag Megan made for Tatem!

Tatem is going to look so-so cute in this!!

Bethany made this gorgeous board for Tatem's room that matches her bedding.  I love it!

I loved the precious cookie favors that Renee made!!  Landrie later figured out where my stash of cookies was and kept bringing them to me, nodding her head and saying, 'nack??  Why, yes, Landrie, I'd LOVE to share a snack with you. :)

Many of us remembered 2 years ago when Brianna went into labor with Landrie DURING my baby shower! We are thankful that didn't happen again, although I think those Braxton Hicks were about 5 minutes apart through the whole thing!  

We are so, so thankful for our sweet church family!!  We are so overwhelmed by the blessing of your friendships!

More Good News!

After yesterday's amazing news, we got even more good news when we went back to our regular OB/GYN!  On Tuesday she told us she would induce me "Tuesday at the latest."  After seeing that Tatem gained a POUND in 2 days and was in perfect health, she changed the plan!

Now we have a NEW induction date of Saturday, August 27th!  We'll be a few days shy of our original due date, but she still wants to induce us because Tatem is considered "small for dates" at the 20th%.  Our doctor will be flying in from Hawaii at 5am that Saturday.  She said she doesn't want to miss Tatem's delivery!

Thank you all for your prayers and sweet words of encouragement!  Isn't God amazing??

What a MIRACLE!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for praying for us and for sweet little Tatem Rose!  Today we had an appointment with a perinatologist (a specialist for high risk pregnancies) and had a very in depth sonogram.

They checked and re-checked every part of Tatem because when a baby quits growing in utero, it can be a sign that something is wrong.  She is in perfect health!

  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalm 139:14

They took a TON of measurements of all her little parts.  2 DAYS ago, these measurements said she was 4lbs, 11 oz.  Since that put her below the 10th%, my doctor wanted to induce labor and was worried that something might be wrong with her.  TODAY?  She GAINED A POUND!  Yes, in just 48 hours, she gained a pound!  (Normal would be 1 ounce a day.)  That puts her at the 20th%, which is much better!

Isn't she beautiful?  Tatem's going to have no need for collagen injections in those lips! :)

So, let's recap.

1.  Tuesday Tatem was measured to be dangerously small.  My doctor said we needed to induce, and something might be wrong with her in addition to her small size.

2.  You all prayed for her like crazy!

3.  Today, she was 5 lbs, 10 oz. 

There's no way to tell how much of the weight gain is due to better equipment or measurements.  The specialist said sonos are accurate within 20%.  We are MUCH more comfortable with a 4.5-6.5 lb. baby than a 3.5-5.5 lb. baby!  

Tomorrow we'll go back to our regular OB/GYN.  She may keep the induction date for Tuesday (most likely) or she may let us go a bit longer.  I told my mom to keep the tags on those preemie clothes she bought. :)

36 weeks, a name and a delivery date!

 36 weeks= 9 months!!

Belly update: Well, the belly didn't grow at all this week again. :(  I'm now measuring at 32 weeks, or 4 weeks behind.  Even more concerning is that our sweet baby girl hardly showed any growth on the sonogram during the past 2 weeks.  :(  She was in the 50th% at 18 weeks, 22nd% 2 weeks ago, and this morning she had dropped to the 7th.  So, folks, according to the doctor, this will be my last belly update!

What's Baby Long up to?: The GOOD news is that we've had several non-stress tests and our doctor says she acts very healthy and strong!  She says Baby Long is HAPPY.  :)  This morning her head was still low, and she had both feet and both hands by her face.  What a flexible little one!  Also, our favorite sono tech was doing it, and she noticed that Baby Girl has HAIR.  Perfect for all the cute bows she got this weekend. :) From all this wiggling she's doing, I'd say she's pretty excited about the news that she's joining us out here soon!  The websites say she's about 6.5 lbs and 20 inches, but this petite baby only seems to weigh 4 lbs. 11 oz.  

Cravings:  New baby smell!  It won't be long...

Best part of these 2 weeks: Was also the scariest.  We found out this morning that they are going to induce me on Tuesday, if not earlier!   This time next week we should be holding a precious baby girl...and she FINALLY has a name!!

Tatem Rose Long 

will be here soon, and yes, she already has a few things monogrammed with her precious name on them.  Thanks, Aunt Beth!!

I'm looking forward to: This is going to be a whirlwind 7 days of trying to get all the last minute prep done before we head to the hospital.  I'm excited to hold a perfect, healthy tiny Tatem Rose in my arms!!!

36 weeks!

I think I'm not going to wear the green tank top anymore this week.  Maybe that's what's stunting her growth!  haha!

Will you please pray for Tatem with us?  

These are the 3 main things we are praying for this week:

1.  That Tatem will GROW this week!

2.  She's "sunny-side up" right now, and labor is much easier if she flips to face my back.

3.  That my body will start to get ready for labor on it's own.