The Last 2 Weeks

 We have been having a BLAST at the Farley residence over the last few weeks!  Now, just so no one gets the wrong impression, let me clarify a few things.  We are exhausted.  There have been some very overwhelmed moments.  Until recently I was convinced I would never walk regularly again. :)  BUT, we're finding a rhythm, and truly loving every second of it!

Here are some of the things that we (mostly Will!) has been up to!

Meeting Aunty Cindy!

Measuring up to cousin Blake...

Snuggling with NanaVon...

Getting dressed up and looking ridiculous..

Being very happy...

And not so happy. :)

Turning one week old...

Having our first bath....

Taking some fun pics...

Having a first Mother's Day celebration...

Snuggling with Uncle Matt...

Getting some "Sweet William" flowers....

Having a baby shower at the Middle School...

Meeting some of mom's teacher friends...

Sucking some snot... :)

Snuggling with Daddy...

Hanging with Mr. Sleep Sheep...

Getting gas relief from Grandma...

Sleeping with papa (great-grandpa!)...

Spending LOTS of time with mommy!

These last 2 weeks really have been amazing.  I already feel sad that I haven't taken more pictures...there are so many things to remember!  We've had lots of dinners brought over to us, accompanied by Will snuggles and great time with great friends.  We are so very thankful for this new adventure we're on!

Will's Story

I've been wanting to write Will's birth story down for the last 8 days, and I've finally made the unbelievably long and laborious trek from my beautiful new babe to the laptop keyboard.  This last week has been a blur...a joy...an emotional roller coaster...a beautiful blessing...filled with dirty diapers...so much fun!  I love being a mommy, and am smitten with William Christopher Farley.

Thursday, May 3rd

3:15 AM - I had been sleeping fitfully with a few contractions, but at 3:15 I woke up wide awake with a contraction that was suddenly much stronger.  I waited until the next one, then woke Chris up to "warn" him, and decided to go hang out in the kitchen to figure out if this was real labor.  I did the dishes, moved food from the fridge to the freezer, snapped some beans, and walked around, timing each contraction.  When I had to stop walking to breathe through the contraction (around 4:00 AM) I decided to wake Chris up.  

Funny Side Note: Chris thought that only a few minutes had passed between when I first woke him up and 4:00.  Since we had already made one unnecessary trip to the hospital, he was actually a little frustrated that I thought we should start packing up without giving the contractions more time to get stronger.  I then got frustrated with him because I was in quite a bit of pain and he was telling me he wanted to sleep some more...but we eventually got on the same page and he realized that yes, I actually was in labor and we needed to go!

5:00 AM - We got to the hospital, settled into a room, and continued having some pretty sweet contractions. :)  We called Maria Lovin (who was our doula and was totally awesome!) and Chris and I experimented with counter-pressure until she got to the hospital.  Chris' official job became to apply counter-pressure on my hips during the contractions because it felt SO much better when he did!  He was a total stud - I think he may have worked just as hard as I did!  

7:15 AM - Maria showed up and really helped focus me during the contractions.  Since Chris was behind me pushing on my hips, I didn't really have anyone to look at/focus on...having Maria there was SO nice!

8:15 AM - They decided to check me and found out I was already dilated to a 7!  Right after they checked me I decided to get in the tub...and WOW!  Unbelievable.  Awesome.  Is this a hospital or a hotel?!

9:30 AM - Checked again, and was at a 9.  The doctor asked if I wanted my water broken (I totally thought I would be the one to have their water break in a really embarrassing place, but no such luck!), so we went for it and things started heating up real fast!  About half an hour later I was at a 9 1/2 and they said those hilarious words "try not to push".  Sorry...but the urge comes, it's pretty hard not to push!  I did my best, and eventually they just said to go for it.  

I ended up pushing for about an hour and a half.  A disheartening moment was when the doctor came in about 30 minutes into pushing, checked me, and told the nurse to call him in about 3 hours to update him on the progress.  WHAT?!  I got determined then...Oh no sir, this baby's coming out!  He had to come back about 45 minutes later, and Will was out by 11:30! 

Here are Chris' texts updating family about the progress.  I'm not quite sure how he had time to text everyone so many times...I don't remember having a spare second during this whole process!

5:31 AM - "At the hospital, strong contractions!  Haven't checked dilation yet."

8:22 AM - "Dilated to 7.  We are doing pretty well!  Let's pray this baby into the world people!!"

9:32 AM - "To 9, pushing soon.  Doctor broke water."

10:55 AM - "Been pushing for about an hour.  Nicole is TIRED!"

11:42 AM - "Welcome William Christopher Farley to the world.  Will is here."

12:38 PM - "8 lbs. 3.5 oz"

1:17 PM - "Just had some food.  Happy Baby now.

1:58 PM - "Visitors are welcome."

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First family picture!  Try not to judge my appearance, I was recovering from a  pretty hard workout. :)

Will's first check-up...got a 9/10 on the Apgar Scale!  Atta boy. :)

Totally beautiful :)

This man is seriously the best dad ever!

First mommy/Will snuggle time.  We've had LOTS of these since then!

Grandpa Stellmaker was pretty happy to be holding his first grandson!

Mom was MADE to be a grandma. :)

3 generations of Farley boys

All the details

My beautiful boy. :)

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I was so glad to have had Will in the morning, as it gave us time to recover a little bit before people were done with work and ready to come meet him.  We got to have our first nursing session, he got cleaned up and checked over, and then we just had some snuggle time and I ate some food. :)  My parents and Chris' dad Tom came first (around 2:00), and the crowds showed up after work.  I didn't know if I'd want many visitors, but I ended up LOVING the activity!  It felt like a perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

Aunt Amy

Aunt Rachel

Uncle Bri Bri

"Aunty" Jen

"Aunties" Dani and Natalie

We somehow didn't get a picture of her that night, but NanaVon (Chris' mom Yvonne) got to meet Will his first night too!

We have such an amazing support system here, and were so thankful to have such great family and friends who were so excited to meet Will!

 

William Christopher Farley

More to come later on today's events, but we want to welcome WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER FARLEY to the world!

Weight - 8 pounds, 3 ounces

Length - 20 1/2 inches

Birth Time - 11:31 AM

Baby Status - Beautiful!!!

Daddy Status - Sore (from counter pressure pushing), but so happy!

Mommy Status - Sore (from baby pushing), but so happy!

Wait for it, wait for it...J/K!

What a night!

So, we were at our small group last night and I started noticing a pattern in the contractions I was having.  I've been having a LOT of contractions, but none of them have been painful.  My abdomen tightens to a ridiculously hard basketball, and occasionally I feel some achiness in my back but that's about it.  They've been happening consistently around 2-3 times an hour from the afternoon to evening since Friday.   However, last night was different!

I started counting at 7:30 PM, and by 8:30 PM was up to 6.  By 9:30 there had been 7 more and they were consistently 5-6 minutes apart.  Hmm....so, I called First Nurse.  Sidenote: that must be a hard job, because you could get calls about anything!  However, this nurse was NOT a pregnancy expert, as she said things like "I think you're supposed to come in when they're every 6 minutes part, but I'm not really sure."  and "I don't know if you should come in, what do you think?!"  My confidence was less than inspired!

After talking it through for a while, she decided that yes, we should come in.  Chris and I packed up the last little bits of our delivery bags, loaded everything into the car, and took off for Ames around 10:30 PM. 

We got there, they wheeled me up, stuck me in a room and checked me - still 2 centimeters (which is what I was last Thursday), which would lead us to believe that I was not in active labor.  However, when they hooked me up to the heartbeat and contraction monitors it showed that my contractions were extremely regular at about 4 minutes apart.  What was even stranger was that they increased in intensity once I laid down, which is opposite of what would happen if it was false labor.  The nurse declared me in the early stages of active labor and we settled in for the night. 

Around 1:30 AM I awoke to the sound of my sweet husband vomiting in the hospital bathroom. :(  He had complained of a stomach ache earlier, but we thought it was maybe just his nerves about going to the hospital...nope!  Either stomach flu or food poisoning, this kid was SICK!  He stuck it out until 4:00 AM when he threw up again, and then decided to go home and sleep it off/not expose me any more. 

I had been having regular contractions all night, but was able to sleep through them.  However, around 5:00 this morning everything just STOPPED.  Nothing again until 6:30 when I woke up, and after that they were really sporadic.  My doctor came in around 7:15 to check me again, and said that my cervix was really far back and I was not in active labor anymore.  So I ordered a sweet omelet from room service and my dad came to get me and bring me home!

I always said that I really didn't want to go to the hospital too soon, that I would just wait it out until I knew FOR SURE!  But when it came down to it, I had no idea what to do!  My mom told me that when she had Amy she went to the hospital saying "I think I'm in labor, but I'm not sure..." and she was 4 centimeters dilated and had been in labor for hours.  So, we just went for it...and failed. :)  I'm really glad to have had the experience though.  Now I know now what to expect and have a MUCH better idea of when to go in now.  And, hopefully next time my husband won't come down with a violent illness and have to leave! 

The other good thing that came out of this is that we discovered that we have a genius son - he even knew to stop his labor until daddy could be there!

"Simple Gifts"

Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free

'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

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I so strongly desire simplicity to become an ingrained part of my life.  And I wonder, where does simplicity come from?  Is it simply contentment given by the Holy Spirit?  Is it a daily discipline that we must struggle toward?  What does a simple life really include?  Can it be physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, spiritual?  Is it even possible to be truly simple and be a part of this over-committed, complicated world?

Especially in light of all the "stuff" that inevitably comes with a baby (and not just physical stuff, but a whole new set of struggles to give up to the Lord), I am desiring more and more to become a truly content and simple person....to find True Freedom in all areas...to 'come down where I ought to be'...to find myself in the 'place just right'...and to find myself filled with love and delight at how good life is.

On this topic, a friend shared this post on facebook.  I think it's a great challenge!

What are ways that you keep your life simple?  

Unexpected Day

Today was an interesting day.

A little back story: yesterday I went to the doctor, and found out that I am 2 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced.  While I know people can stay at those numbers for quite a while, he seemed really positive about it, and thought I would have this baby fairly soon.  Which of course, got my mind WHIRLING!  I've been having tons and tons of braxton-hicks contractions (consistently anywhere from 3-6 an hour!), and last night had 3 "in the back" contractions.  Those events combined with the doctor's news made this event feel impending!

Naturally, I became very aware of what needed to be communicated in order for me to be leave school and have things be organized.  Now, I've taken care of absolutely everything that's "regular" - grades are entered, sub plans written, room cleaned, concert DVD's made and distributed, all supply orders made, portfolio done and turned in, etc. etc. etc.  If I was a regular classroom teacher, I would feel like I could walk out the door at any time and things would be great!  HOWEVER...

I'm a music teacher, and there are still three performances left this school year.  (side note: I've already had seven performances in the last 3 weeks...ahh!).  For anyone that's never put together a performance, let me assure you that there are a MILLION details that need to be figured out before a group can have a successful performance.  Add in the possibility that I would need to randomly leave and someone else would take over, and there are some serious things to think through and communicate!

And so - with yesterday's news/contractions, I just wanted things to be set in stone.  The only way that could happen is if we decide that Mrs. Farley WILL NOT be here.  And if that's set in stone, then these are the things that need to happen.

I had originally been led to believe that I couldn't leave school before I actually went into labor.  After yesterday's events though, I decided to check with the district and found out that I could.  Within a matter of 30 minutes, I called Chris, talked with the superintendent, and requested that today be my last day at school.

Let me just tell you - this was really difficult for me.  I'm realizing how much of an EXTREME people-pleaser I am, and as I hit the send button on my e-mail I was absolutely FILLED with dread that my administrators would think less of me for requesting to leave early, especially as there's no way they can really understand the performance-driven reasons behind my request.   Even now my heart is just a mess: I'm emotional, fearful, blah blah blah, on and on and on.  Lord, free my heart from this fear-of-man prison!

I think, though, that it's been approved and I am officially done at school.  Seriously a whirlwind.  In a matter of minutes, the "teacher" part of my identity ended and I became a stay-at-home mom indefinitely.  And while I'll still be communicating back and forth with subs for the next month about all these details, I am largely done with my physical responsibilities as a teacher.  Oh my!

I also think that this is going to be really good for me to have some time before this transition.  The last few weeks have been physically draining, and since I've been running on adrenaline for most of it, I haven't realize how tired I am.  I have a feeling that it's going to be really important for both Chris and I to let down a little bit and catch up on rest/sleep before we have to be "on" to such a mental/physical/emotional extreme during labor.

With that said, off to bed I go!

A Big Decision Made...

So, the decision is made - I'm OFFICIALLY staying home after this year!

This has been a much more difficult decision than I thought.  Before I taught I always thought I'd stay home.  THEN, I started teaching and loved it so much, I thought I'd for sure teach until kid #2 or 3.  THEN, I got pregnant and learned about the logistics of having a kid (breastfeeding, schedules, what time he'd go to sleep) and started feeling really overwhelmed about doing both.  THEN, I started learning how much I love my baby and would get totally emotional every time I thought about going to school and leaving him with someone else all day.

When the primary reason I wanted to keep teaching was so we could rock it out on money for another year, I realized that my priorities were TOTALLY messed up.  So, Chris and I took a good long look at the budget, got a little creative, and decided that we could financially manage it if I stayed home next year.  Decision made....right?!

I then started thinking about how sweet it would be if the school would be willing to let me work part-time.  The job would split up really easily, and it would really be the best of both worlds!  So, I asked...and they said no.

And SO - I am staying home!  I've turned in my letter of resignation, sent out an e-mail to the teachers, told most of my classes.  I'm currently finishing up my professional portfolio and working to get my final grades done and printed...then it's just end-of-the-year activities and I'm out of the working world for a while!

At first I felt really nervous (and sometimes still do).  Having a kid has felt SO permanent (oh wait...because IT IS!!!), and I tend to gravitate toward change.  However, as soon as we made the decision to have me stay home, I started dreaming about this next stage in life, and have gotten SO excited.  While I know taking care of kids is basically a full-time job, I know I'll also be able to take care of our family better.  Cooking, food planning, helping Chris and I maintain life (working out, quiet times), being intentional with relationships, getting more involved at church, deciding how we want to live life and then have the capacity/time/resources to make it happen.  I'm also so excited to have a slower pace of life.  While I thrive on the excitement and "push", I know there are some serious lessons I need to learn that CAN'T be learned as I'm rushing from one activity to another.  I need to learn contentment in all things - the art of being still - the ability to see beauty in the ordinary - how to persevere through the mundane. 

I was also really nervous to tell people at school - but it has been AMAZING.  I'm quite a bit younger than most of the other teachers, and so hadn't realized that almost all of the female teachers stayed home with their kids at some point or another.  And every one that I've talked to has affirmed our decision and said they wouldn't trade that time for anything.  I even had a mom who didn't stay at home tell me that if she could, she would go back and stay home in a heartbeat.  

The other thing that has affirmed this decision has been the kid's responses.  They've been sad and said that they'll miss me - but it has largely lasted about 3 minutes until they start asking about their next teacher.  And I realized - elementary is SO different than high school!  When I left Webster City I cried for weeks and weeks....and so did the kids!  It was fairly traumatic, and I still have really strong relationships with some of those kids that I "left".  But it won't be like that with this job - they'll love the next teacher and give me the same big hugs when they see me around town!  That has made it clear that this is the right decision for us.

So there you go!  I'm sure I'll have lots more to process as I make the transition, but for now I'm just pumped. :)

Baby Blanket Bonanza!

There's a part of me that thinks I could really get into sewing (although I realize it's probably the wishful, delusional part!).  Maybe when I have fewer urgent things in my life?  Anyway, a couple of months ago I learned that sewing with your mom and sister is definitely a blast....especially when you're making adorable baby bedding for your first baby boy!

This was SUCH a process.  Amy found this pattern on pinterest, and I immediately fell in love with it.   Amy decided to be a studly sister and met me in Des Moines to help pick out the fabric...and 6 fabric stores later, we had what we needed!  I actually had a moment of panic as I looked at all the crazy fabrics right next to each other - "Will this look ridiculous?!"  I shouldn't have worried, 'cause it turned out AWESOME!

Start with a pattern...

And add some fun fabrics...

Start piecing together!

Starting to see what it will look like....

Pretty mama sewing the strips...

Pretty sister making a fitted sheet!

"Elasticizing" the fitted sheet...

And bring on the backing!

I can't tell if she's happy or exhausted?!

Fitted sheet looks good to me!

Chris trying out the new camera lense...

The finished product!

While there are still a few finishing touches that need to be put on the nursery, this was definitely the first step to getting it all decorated and feeling baby-ready!  And I personally like ours way better than the original.  :)  Thanks mom and Amy, you guys are the best!

Foster Care

I realize that I never really shared or processed about our foster care experience...oh boy!

There were so many contributing factors that made that time pretty stressful.  First, I was in the "extreme exhaustion" phase of early pregnancy.  You know, the stage where no one knows yet and you have to pretend like everything's great, but really you could sleep all day every day and still be too tired to carry on a coherent conversation?!  Yep, that one.  I was also in the beginning stages of my short and sweet nausea weeks, which just made for a less tolerant Nicole in general.

Second, I had just found out that I had a large ovarian cyst as a result of my pregnancy.  At that point it was pretty painful and they were talking about the possibility of doing a surgery, which did NOT put my overloaded new-mama mind at ease!  It's all turned out to be a big nothing, but at the time it was a definite addition to this stress mess.

Then, add in the fact that it was the beginning of the school year and both Chris and I were working full-time.  It shouldn't have been a surprise to me (seeing as I KNEW we were both going to be working full-time!), but it was definitely not easy adding 3 girls to our lives and starting off a school year well.

Throw in 3 emotionally charged girls who had just been ripped away from everything they knew, and you wind up with a crazy situation for a while.  It was much more difficult than I expected!

Don't get me wrong - we both LOVED the girls.  Oh my word, they were so sweet...totally stole our hearts.  However, there were 3 of them, and we had never been parents before!  We were suddenly having 3 hungry, picky bellies to feed 3x a day...suddenly changing diapers and sheets from bed wettings...suddenly learning what 2T and 3T sizes mean...it was a dive in the deep end my friends!

I distinctly remember one Saturday where Chris had gone to an Iowa football game with his dad and I had been alone with the girls all day.  He walked in the door, and I walked into the bedroom...and didn't come out the rest of the night because I couldn't stop crying.  The next morning at church I promptly broke down to two of my good friends...poor girls didn't know what was coming!

And then...just like that...after stealing our hearts and our sleep and our sanity...they were gone.

We decided not to take any potentially long-term cases until after the pregnancy/debt payoff, so have just been doing respite care on weekends since then.  But wow...it really threw me!  I really struggled with lies from Satan about being weak and inadequate (which is also, the absolute Truth!  Without the power of the Holy Spirit, I AM weak and inadequate!  But, I didn't rest in His power the way I know he has purposed us to).  It also showed me (yet again!) how idealistic I can be.  We will be much more ready for "the crazy" next time it comes, and are praying that God will make it very clear to us when that should be. :)

Chris: Birthday & 12 Days of Christmas!

"REAL" POST DATE - 1/15/2012 :)

Chris' birthday is December 21st, so it's always tricky to figure out a way to make his birthday special and separate from Christmas, ESPECIALLY when Christmas is celebrated early!  He got two celebrations this year: one during the Farley family Christmas weekend (separate from Christmas of course!), and one on the morning of his birthday with my family.  He turned 29 this year - you know that what means?!?!  BIG SHINDIG NEXT YEAR!!!

FARLEY CELEBRATION

LOVE YOU BIRTHDAY BOY!

His fun presents. :)

Birthdays at Mike and Lianne's...

Mmm Mmm Good!

Big Lungs...

STELLMAKER CELEBRATION

TRANSITION: This is his birthday morning, Chris is pretending to be wide awake bright and early (I think it was round 6:30)

Amy is NOT looking so wide awake as Chris gets a happy birthday song!

29!  I love this tradition...thanks for making b-days so special mama!

Loving my hubby!

This year was a little different because while I had to finish up my last two days of school, the rest of the family head out to Las Vegas - ON CHRIS' BIRTHDAY!  So, I had to say goodbye to him for two days on the morning of his birthday celebration, and then we didn't get to have a birthday date or anything!  That was sad, but in the end it turned out just fine. :)  Love you babe!

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12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

This was a REALLY fun idea that I got from Rachel (thanks dear!).  It made the season feel like it lasted longer, and Chris definitely looked forward to getting his daily present.  I think there was only one day that I forgot to give it to him, and ended up having to give him two presents the next day.  This is definitely going to become a yearly tradition!