Yes, it’s true, we already think Beatrice is the cutest, most wonderful thing we’ve ever laid eyes on, but this photo of her in her Easter finery just confirms it:
Beatrice's first Easter 2010
More photos can be found here. The end.
We Might be Biased….
Written by kelly on April 7th, 2010One of our favorite things
Written by kelly on April 7th, 2010
Prior to Beatrice’s arrival, one of our friends recommended that we acquire an exercise ball. This was also recommended by our doula for me to sit on and help encourage little Bea to come on out! We weren’t really sure about it, but we made the investment. It was fun for me to sit on in the late days of pregnancy, but it has been even more valuable now that little Bea is here.
Beatrice has so far been a very pleasant, easy-going baby without too much in the way of demands, but yesterday she was wearing her cranky pants and no matter what I did, she kept them on and let me know she wasn’t happy! The cure? Sitting on the exercise ball, bouncing away and singing at the top of my lungs. We also read some Spurgeon, which seemed to quiet her for a long time. I’m not sure if this means she was interested in the material and therefore taking some time to ponder what I’d read to her or if she was bored. I’m hoping it’s the former rather than the latter.
The other big news from yesterday is that we went to the pediatrician for a weigh-in and Beatrice now weighs nine pounds on the nose! Praise the Lord for weight gain! Yeah!
Because it’s a crime not to include it, I’ll leave you with a photo of our little peach. Such a sweet little sleeper:
And this is your official update from the McPhersons….so far today we’ve been pretty productive! I took a shower, dried my hair, brushed my teeth, we went to Target and I’ve caught up on her baby book. I’m feeling very productive indeed!
Happy Belly Button Day!
Written by kelly on April 1st, 2010No fooling! Yesterday little Bea’s belly looked like this:
and this morning, it looks like this:
Our girl is growing up!
Beatrice’s Story Part Two: Birthday!
Written by kelly on March 31st, 2010We arrived at our 39 Week doctor appointment with no signs of labor coming soon, but a lightness of heart knowing how close we were to the due date and that our baby was okay at this point if he or she came anytime!
Dr. A. measured me and did a quick check wherein she determined that my cervix was still closed and then asked “So, how long do you think I’ll let you go before I induce labor?” My response was, “Um, April 1st?” She laughed at this. I thought two weeks was the longest I could imagine going past the due date. She informed us that we were now in safe territory for delivery and she was not willing to risk things with the hematoma any longer. She was going to induce labor! My heart was racing! She wanted us to go over to the hospital that night, but we’d just come from a non-stress test and knew that things were crazy at the birth center….so we were allowed to wait until March 14th for our induction.
We called our parents and other family members and friends to advise them of the induction schedule and those who were previously unaware were informed of the high-risk nature of our pregnancy. We asked them to pray for the baby’s birthday and health. We spent the weekend doing what we could to get labor going: long, long walks, sitting on an exercise ball, eating spicy foods, “spending time together”…you name it, we probably tried it. No result. This child was not going to come out until she was forced out.
Sunday, March 14th, we called the Childbirth Center as directed and were advised that they indeed had space for us. At 6pm, they officially began the induction.Our birthplan was to keep things as natural as possible so although I was being induced, we asked that we would not be offered pain medication. I was hooked up to two monitors, the same monitoring that occurred during the non-stress tests. The evening progressed rather uneventfully. We had a few visitors and “the last supper” and tried to rest.
We had dinner
I received the first dose of induction medication at 6pm and another dose at midnight. We tried to sleep during the night, but the bed was plasticy and I was HOT. I turned the heat way down in the room and thought it was still hot. When we awoke in the morning, I noticed that both Jonathan and Erin had the blankets wrapped all around them. I was clearly the only one who was hot-they were freezing!
At 7am, contractions were between four and five minutes apart and I was 1-2cm dilated. Dr. A. came in and broke my water, which was a weird, weird feeling. I ate my breakfast (yay!) and we were allowed to use a wireless monitor so we started walking the halls, squatting through contractions, praying and waiting excitedly for our little one to arrive!
Freedom!
Yep, I looked huge. I felt huge. I was huge.
Jonathan stayed with me the whole time.
Jonathan was a gem. He walked, squatted, supported, swayed and held me. He massaged me when I needed it. We were so thankful for our doula, Erin, who gave us great ideas on how to keep things moving and work through the pain.
Expert massage!
From what I recall, around 11am, I’d gotten to 3cm dilated. Not fast enough for the comfort of the doctor, they gave me an i.v. drip of pitocin. I was happy that the pitocin, which seemed so scary, wasn’t that bad. The contractions kept coming and I got more and more hopeful that we would be able to hold our baby soon! When I was checked around 2pm, I was 4cm dilated. Still progress! At 7pm, still 4cm. I got into the jacuzzi tub in hopes that it would help to relax things and open everything. After 45 minutes in the tub, I was checked again and had not progressed! While I was in the tub, Dr. A. called and spoke with Jonathan, explaining that she thought we should try an epidural, not for pain management, but to help relax everything. Since it had been so long and we’d not had much progress, we decided to go for it. Oh epidural. This was where things got tough. The epidural was administered at about a quarter to eight. At the same time, the pitocin drip was increased again. The epidural did numb my feet and parts of my legs, but NOT my abdominal area! The pitocin was making the contractions come fast and furious and there didn’t seem to be much space between them. Since I had the epidural, I wasn’t able to move around through the contractions. I was stuck in the bed and just trying to cope with breathing. The anesthesiologist was in a C-section, so he was unable to come adjust the epidural. I was given nubain, which numbed pretty much everything from the shoulders down. I was checked again around this time and at 9cm! Yay! Unfortunately, baby Beatrice had her little hand next to her head and it was keeping her from getting “down the shoot” so they tried moving me into various positions to get her to move down. After awhile, I was checked again and at 8cm….BOO! Further, the contractions were not coming closer together, they were getting more irregular and little Beatrice’s heartrate was getting funky too. Oh boy. At this point, we were advised by our doctor that a cesarean delivery was likely in our future. Since our doctor is not someone who generally offers medication or surgery as a first choice, we knew we were in last chance territory. My parents came in to say good-bye, we were given a few minutes alone to pray together and then we were rolled into the O.R.
Ready to go!
The procedure was very quick! Little Beatrice came out screaming in protest and we were SO HAPPY to hear her cry! After months of waiting, hoping and praying, our daughter arrived into our arms safely! Praise the Lord! We were able to see the placenta and were amazed at how she was able to survive. Our baby’s life is clearly a miracle! At 8lbs, 12oz, she was definitely not without adequate nutrition while she was in the womb. God’s hand is on this baby and we are rejoicing!
We have been home for two weeks now and honestly, recovery from the cesarean has been much easier than I expected. It hurt, but it wasn’t terrible and we came home with a living, beautiful, healthy baby whose little personality is being exposed to us more and more everyday. She’s a sweet, cuddly little one who doesn’t fuss much unless she’d like some more food or is having her diaper changed, but hey, I hate being hungry or cold so she’s not unreasonable.
In short, we are in love. In love with each other and in love with this little girl.
For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. ~ Psalm 63:7-8
Beatrice’s Story Part One: Risky Business
Written by kelly on March 29th, 2010
K & B
Miraculous. Perfect. Evidence of God’s hand at work in our lives….this is Beatrice’s story.
In July, we first found out about little baby Beatrice’s presence in our life. After our first doctor’s appointment in August, we told our family members. We waited until the second trimester to spread the news to everyone. This was tough because we were SO EXCITED that we would have a new member of the family to add to the adventure of life!
On October 10th, I felt little Beatrice move for the first time and each subsequent kick brought heaps of joy!
We had our 20 week ultrasound November 2nd and from what we could tell everything looked great! November 3rd, minutes after I wrote this post, I received a phone call from the doctor’s office asking us to come in because the doctor wanted to review our ultrasound with us. I didn’t think much of this at first because the office was really busy the day of our ultrasound and the receptionist, who told us to leave the day before, is a bit of a space cadet. Our meeting with the doctor was not good. Baby McPherson was in the 21st percentile for size, which wasn’t terrible, her organs all looked good, but then she showed us the images indicating a problem with our little baby. There was a hematoma on the placenta at the umbilical cord site. This could put a clot in the umbilical cord and cut off the flow from the placenta. At any time, our child’s life could be lost. The worst part was that I had not fallen or experienced any other trauma. This hematoma was an anomaly.We were now considered “high risk” and would have additional ultrasounds to monitor the baby and the placenta. Even at this point, God’s had was at work! My parents were present at the ultrasound the day before, but did not join us for the follow up appointment with the doctor. We were able to prevent them months of worry. Our doctor acknowledged that modern medicine only takes us so far and that each life is a miracle. She could monitor everything, but ultimately, this one was up to God.
No, we did not cry in the office. Yes, I broke down in the car on the way back to work.
The following weeks were nerve wracking. I spent my time trying to think of some reason or explanation of this, something I’d done that caused the hematoma, something I could blame. I blamed myself. I cried out to God. I just plain cried.
I spoke with a select group of friends and requested prayer for the health of our baby. I can’t think of another time in my life I’ve prayed about my health. Jonathan was planning to spend early December on a two week mission trip to South Africa. We knew God had called him to this and I knew there wasn’t anything he could do to change things, so he went. Jonathan shared the news with his mission trip team and they joined us in praying. Before he left on the trip, the elders at church prayed over us and for us.
I felt selfish and horrible praying for myself and our baby in such a way. I prayed through tears, asking God that He use this situation for His glory regardless of the outcome. That He would draw us close, even if it meant we did not come home from the hospital with a warm baby in our arms. There were days when I just couldn’t pray. In those days I was even more thankful than ever for Jonathan. He prayed the prayers that I could not pray. He held me and cried out to God on behalf of our family.
So we had extra ultrasounds and non-stress tests and every hour I counted kicks. If you had asked me at any time how many kicks I’d felt in the last hour, I could tell you. I was vigilant. I was on alert. I was so very tired, but I was thankful for each morning that I was awakened by little Beatrice bouncing around inside me.
One of the key verses in our devotion book around this time was Isaiah 33:6: “And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.” in this passage, the ”He” refers to Jesus Christ. We clung to Jesus for stability. I wrote this verse on a note card that is still taped near our kitchen sink as a reminder.
Part two is coming soon….
What’s in a name?
Written by kelly on March 24th, 2010Beatrice Annakaisa McPherson took her first breath Monday, March 15, 2010 at 11:28pm. Prior to her arrival, we did not know if she was a boy or a girl so we’d picked two names (yep, you’ll have to wait until we have a boy to find out that name).
Upon announcing her arrival, we’ve had responses that vary from saying that they love the name, think it’s old-fashioned and wonder how to pronounce her middle name. Hopefully, this helps to clarify things.
Yes, Beatrice is old-fashioned. She is named after my Grandma Beatrice who was a lovely woman. A nurse by trade and lifestyle, she lived with joy and loved recklessly. Beatrice means “bringer of joy” and we know one cannot bring something one does not have. It is our hope that our little Bea is filled with the joy of the Lord and shares that joy in all aspects of her life.
Annakaisa is of Finnish origin. My maternal grandfather was from Finland. It is pronounced ah – nah – KIE – sah and means “pure and holy” or “pure grace” and well, we just liked the name.
If you’re keeping track, her initials are B.A.M. This is also intentional. They are the same as her Grandma McPherson.
And yes, she has nicknames: Bea, little Bea, Baby Bea, Peach, Gentle Giant, Piranha, this list changes frequently!
Welcome to the world, Beatrice!
Written by jonathan on March 21st, 2010We’re delighted to announce that Champ has made her appearance! On Monday night, this beautiful little girl took her first breath and changed our lives forever:
Beatrice McPherson
Born March 15, 2010
8 lbs, 12 oz.
21″ long
She’s perfect and a blessing from the Lord. Here are a few more pictures!
39 Weeks!
Written by kelly on March 11th, 2010Dear Champ,
You have made it to 39 weeks! I’m so happy for you and excited to meet you! This week, you are the size of a small watermelon, but I cannot imagine a watermelon inside me. Watermelons are round and smooth (and delicious) and you are full of movement and joy! It’s incredible to feel your little feet or your knees or sweet little bottom pressed up against me. I can’t wait for you to come out here so we can see you and hold you and smell your sweet baby smell.
Here are the official 39 week photos:
Also, I might look like the above photo, but I feel like this:
So you can come out anytime! As we know from Ecclesiastes (or the Byrds) “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” We are learning to be patient as we await your arrival because we know the Lord has picked the perfect day for your birthday.
And here is a photo of you and your Dad from this morning. You LOVE it when he talks to you, reads you stories or plays games with you and I just know you’ll be great friends (and if you’re a girl, you’ll have him wrapped around your finger).
This week has been a little different for us. No more going to work during the day and getting things done. Instead, we’ve met friends for lunch, cleaned up the house a little, organized the guestroom for your Grandma McPherson’s arrival, read some books and generally rested. It’s going to be weird for me to not go to work again in the near future, but I’m oh so excited to spend my days with you; we’ll have adventures, explore God’s creation and I am honored to be part of each day to watch you grow and learn!
Happy 39 weeks sweet baby Champ! We can’t wait to meet you!
Love,
Your Mom
38 weeks!
Written by jonathan on March 7th, 2010
Here’s Kelly and Champ at 38 weeks! Champ seems to be having a great time in there and so far shows no signs of wanting to come out any time soon. We’ve also started flip-flopping on whether we think Champ is a boy or a girl and giving the child pep talks to encourage him or her to come visit us in the great wide world outside.
Champ’s new trick!
Written by kelly on March 3rd, 2010We’re already convinced our child is above average for looks and intelligence, but lately the child has been doing some pretty incredible stuff! A few weeks ago, he or she would hook his foot under my rib and then push off and slam into my hip. It was hilarious and made me think that perhaps Champ is practicing swimming. (No, this did not hurt, but it did tickle!)
Champ has started following my hand across my belly with little kicks this week. It’s so cute! Jonathan tried it last night and had the same result!
Champ, we CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU! Please come out soon, but not today. Today, there’s work to be done at work.
Happy Wednesday!