Water & more water

We have a lovely field across from us. It's very nice to look out over. Well, the past month or so the farmer has flooded/irrigated this field. Fine. Except as he does this, the water runs across the street & fills up our basement.

We have a sump pump put in by our builder. It never ran until June. Then it seemed to run all the time. Then we started getting some water along the north side of our house. Todd put another sump pump into a hole outside. Our problem seemed to be solved, as long as our pumps worked.

Last week the power shorted out for the basement pump & our basement had some standing water. Todd called a wet basement specialist & we are set up for yet another pump, this one will be higher quality with battery backup & other goodies. The company is also going to dig a trench of some sort in our foundation & our problem should be solved (it had better be!!!). I'm not looking forward to this next week, but at least it's next week, not now since I'm attempting to get things ready for Mitchell's blessing on Sunday.

This is our next door neighbor's driveway when the farmer flooded about 10 days ago. He does not want to landscape since part of his yard frequently gets flooded. He's talked to the farmer who told him this was not his problem, his family has been on this land for years & it's not his fault that our neighborhood floods. Our neighbor has also talked to the city about getting better storm drains, but has gotten nowhere with them.

The kids think the floods are great!
Today the farmer was flooding again. Our basement pump was working fine. The outside one had been working most of the morning, but must have stopped sometime around 10 or so. I'd been downstairs at 8 am & things were fine (a little damp in one spot, but nothing bad).

At noon I went down to get something & found this. At the bottom of our stairs there was about 1 1/2 inch deep standing water that was spreading throughout the basement.

The kids thought it was great fun to ride wiggle racers through the water. I was not too thrilled since we had a stack of boxes down there that were soaking up water.
I got a hold of Todd, who luckily was having a light work day, & was able to hurry home.

The wet basement guy was stopping by to get a check from me, so I showed him our new fun, just so he could make sure they get whatever they are doing next week right. He was able to get the outside pump working for me so the basement would stop filling up.

I got the kids up to a neighbor's house, as planned earlier. Then, instead of taking a nap like I really needed, I moved boxes. Nothing was too soaked yet, which was good.
This is where our outside pump drains, right down our front yard (also the lovely field across the street). Too bad we can't somehow collect the water to water the entire lawn, it's some good water!

Clothes, blah

You know you are in trouble when your maternity clothes are much more desirable to wear than the stuff you pull out of storage from prepregnancy. Not that anything prepregnancy fits yet, but I'm not all that anxious to get into those clothes!

Shopping anyone???

Mitchell pictures & "the story"

Todd & Mitchell shortly after he was born.
Julie, tired but happy to be done with the delivery!
Mitchell finally awake the evening of the 11th.
Dressed & ready to go home on the 13th.
Sarah & Mason could not hold Mitchell enough when we got home.

Mitchell got his name because I like the name Mitchell & why not give him a last name since Mason's got one. Jay is my dad's middle name & was my big brother's name, the last baby on my side of the family born in July (he was 2 months early & only lived 2 days, so I have not met him yet).

Mitchell's arrival story (sorry it's kind of long, but it's so I don't forget it!).

I had been having some contractions/cramping on Thursday & a little on Friday. Nothing to get excited about though.

Saturday morning the kids slept in for a change. Around 8 they all came in to get me up. I was not feeling too great, just kind of crampy. I carried Emma from my room into the kitchen & that just did not feel good.

Todd made us a big breakfast. I kept feeling crampy, not having real contractions, just feeling tight. I showered right after breakfast & told Todd he'd better too. I kept debating if I was in labor or not. Finally around 10 I called my sister Lori. She picked up the phone after one ring with "Is it time?" I answered, "I sure hope so!"

She, Megan, & Allie hurried over while I packed my bags & still debated if I really was in labor on not. I did not want to sit down, for fear that my contractions that were coming would stop.

Megan & Lori did not think I looked like I was about to go have a baby, but were hopeful for me.

I had two contractions on the 10 minute drive to the hospital, but they were not bad at all.

We arrived at the hospital shortly before 11 & I feared being sent home in false labor. At the labor & delivery desk they were very nice & did not give me the look of "you can't possibly be in real labor" (like I'd been given with Mason).

I was taken to a triage room to be checked. I told the nurse I'd had a baby in an ambulance & maybe was being over cautious. Luckily, I was at a 5 & was staying for sure, yeah! I still did not feel like I really was in labor though.

I got an epidural a little after noon. I've never had an epidural this early in labor, meaning before I was in terrible pain. It was not too hard to be all hunched over & still. The poor nurse anesthetist was a bit nervous when he learned my husband is an anesthesiologist. He did great though. Having dead weights for legs is quite the feeling.

My doctor came in to break my water around 12:30 or so. I was at a 6 & feeling great. Todd & I thought we'd be there for a while.

My sister Lynda was texting me random messages & I was having contractions about every 4 minutes. Around 1 I had a big contraction & Mitchell's heart rate dropped, so my nurse came running into my room. I was complete & ready to push, I did not feel like it at all, it was so weird (even with an epidural I usually know when I need to push).

So, she paged my doctor, they got all set up, then we waited for a contraction. I pushed a few times, Mitchell's head popped out, pushed again & the rest of him came, whew, what a great feeling! He was born at 1:18pm.

Mitchell weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces & was 19 1/2 inches long.

Around 1:30, Lynda texted me again telling me to call her on her cell after I had my baby. Little did she know I already had!

We called home a little before 2 & surprised everyone that Mitchell had arrived so quickly. We finally told everyone his name too (we'd kept it a secret because we were not totally decided on it & it's fun to at least have something to surprise with since we knew we were having a boy).

20 months & 2 days

Emma with Mitchell shortly after we brought him home yesterday. Emma was 20 months old yesterday, Mitchell, 2 days. We are in for some fun!

So far Emma likes the baby, she's pointing to him saying "baby". Hope it lasts!

We have a baby!

I delivered our new little guy today at 1:18pm. This was my best delivery by far! We are naming him Mitchell Jay Call (I think!). I'll
post more details later.

Emma the stinker

Emma is turning out to be one of those toddlers that I've heard friends speak of, but never had.

She's seen Mason slide a stool to the counter, climb up & get a cup for a drink. She's decided she's big enough to do that too. She slides a stool across the kitchen, climbs up, opens the cupboard (that's the scary part to me) & then stands there & says "dink" until I come pull the desired (she's very picky) cup out for her.

She's figured out how to climb into then out of her highchair. Luckily it has not tipped over, yet.

At the park she's decided the little kid playground is too small. She likes the twisty slide on the big section that is REALLY HIGH (unusually high for a playground I think).

And today, was the kicker for my little stinker.

I'd put her down for a very needed nap. I got a few things done, then sat down to relax (what's that???). I was not sitting for more than a minute & Mason & Sarah started fighting up in the playroom, near Emma's room. I knew I was doomed. I heard Emma shortly after, but ignored her, hoping she'd still go to sleep. A while later Sarah needed something from her room (she shares with Emma). She snuck in & came out telling me it smelled horrible in there. I checked it out, whew. Emma had thrown everything out of her crib (a good thing for a change) & was standing there in just her shirt with potty running down her legs & a grossly full diaper next to her in her bed. Gross, gross, gross. I've never had a diaper remover & really did not have a desire to have one.

If this little stinker does not put me into labor, then I guess I'll just have to wait to be induced next week. I have tried to persuade Todd to bring home some pitocin, just to get me started....

prepartum depression

Yesterday I just did not want to get out of bed. I told Todd I have prepartum depression, otherwise known as I-feel-like-I'm-never-going-to-partum-depression. I really don't enjoy the end of pregnancy (who does?).

I know I've got an induction date for next week, but I was really hoping not to make it. I've been doing everything I can think of to speed things along. The night of the 4th I thought would be it, I had random (but very painful) contractions until 2am, then woke up very disappointed at 5am. False alarms are really cruel.

Last night I sealed & polished my granite countertops. I figured that having my kitchen a mess (everything from the counters on the kitchen table) & having Todd working overnight would really be a reason to start labor. No luck.

Today I invited neighbor kids over to play in our backyard pools. I drug the pools out, filled them up, emptied them, put them away. Now I'm just tired (too bad, today would have been a great birthdate 7-8-9).

So, I guess I'll just hang in there & hope for a good tomorrow!