Baby Pix!

Here are some pix!

Jesse and Tabitha, with Wyatt in Utero! Taken just before leaving for the hospital.

Checking Baby's heart rate...

In the tub.....

Just born!!

Daddy holds Wyatt for the first time! Note the vernix all over Daddy's shirt!

Daddy and Wyatt....
'Nother pic of Daddy and Wyatt...
Grandpa Dave and Wyatt (and Mommy and Tabitha)

Grandma Margo and Wyatt

Auntie Christine (who was my Doula!) and Wyatt

Cousin Jade and Wyatt

Awww-T00 Sweet!!

Grandma Julie, with Wyatt and proud big siblings Tabitha and Jesse


Trying out the bouncer seat!

Crashed in Daddy's arms!

Caught a baby smile!!

Half awake!!

There aren't too many pix of Mommy, b/c I wasn't dressed for most of them!!

We're getting family photos done on Thursday though!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed sharing them!

Wyatt's Birth Story

I'll share Wyatt's birth story here for those of you who want "all the details". However, there are details included that "may" make some squirm, so if you are one of these, you may want to skip this! : )

I woke up Tues morning, with fairly regular contractions. I said to my husband-"I think we may have our baby today! Not right away, but later!" We both got out of bed and got our chores done, had breakfast, and then the contractions stopped.My sister phoned-she had told me quite awhile ago to please, please, have a talk with that baby not to come on March 13 because she is training to be a doula, and also wants to volunteer for the Terra association (pregnant/parenting youth) as a doula for these young moms, and the orientation was that night. They only hold an orientation once every 6 months! So she anxiously asked how I was feeling. I told her not to worry, just more braxton hicks. I made Leroy a nice supper for work, PLUS squares (should've told me something! ) and sent him off to work, saying I must've been wrong, no baby today. Just after that, the contractions started up again. I tried laying down, walking around, having a bath-nothing would shake them! Still worried that they were going to quit again, but wanting everyone on standby in case, I called my sister. She said she's call me back in half an hour, and told me not to worry, but I felt so bad-looked like her evening was about to be a wash! Meanwhile I called my Mom and Leroy. When Sister called back, the contractions had settled into a pattern of about 8 min apart. She said not to worry, she had called the organizer who had agreed to do a private interview for her! and that she'd be on her way out right away-as soon as she got changed out of her evening clothes that she had just put on!! and again, said quit apologizing, she wouldn't miss baby's birth for the world. I still felt bad though, convinced the contractions would stop at any moment and everyone's evening would be awash for nothing!! Mom called and said she'd cancelled her Tues evening curling and when did I want her to take the kids. I was still in a bit of denial, so I said "after Sister gets here".
Sister arrived just before six and we started timing contractions. We went out for a walk with the kids, and I milked my cow again (Sister was in shock! She said "Here you are in labour, milking a cow!! WOW!!")
Leroy came home about 7:30, and Mom arrived about the same time to pick up the kids. By this time contractions were about 2-3 min apart, 60-80 seconds long. We got some really cute pictures of the kids and my big belly, and then, just as they were leaving, Tabitha tripped over a garden hose and smoked the corner of her eye on the electric eye of our garage door. My sister was right there, and was terrified to pick her up, afraid she'd poked her eye out!! Luckily, she was ok, and after a freezee and some ice for the eye, they went off with my Mom. I phoned the nursing station at Stony to let them know we were coming in, described my contractions and said I was making my husband and sister nervous. The nurse, Paula, said contractions lasting that long, at that distance apart should be doing some work, and yes, to come on in. We arrived, and they hooked me up to the efm for 20 min, which showed the contractions to be regular, but baby wasn't being all that reactive. His heart rate was fine though. Then she did an internal, which showed I was only at 1 cm-I had thought I wasn't dilated much, but was guessing at least 3 cm. Still, the nurse said go walk a little bit, and we'll check you again at 11 pm. So we went walking, and I shared my fears with Sister that I was wrong, that I wasn't really in labour, that I'd be sent home after the 11 pm check. She said, no, you're having this baby tonight, quit worrying so much. Then she told me about how she had laboured with her second for quite awhile, only to be sent home, and then come in again the next night and have her. I felt better though, and we walked, and walked. Leroy joined in and helped too. Also-shortly after we arrived, and I was hooked up to the efm, another mother, just down the hall, though not with the shared care program, gave birth to her baby. (the nurse told us she had had an epidural). Anyways, hearing those newborn cries made me more eager to hear those of my own little newborn, and to hold him/her!!
At the 11 pm check, I was between 3-4 cm, so the nurse said I was staying, and we continued walking. I ran into an old classmate who was nursing there now, and had a nice visit.
A new nurse (Marlene) came on shift, and she also was very nice and hoped the baby would be born on her shift!
I hadn't eaten much all day, and was loath to have anyone leave the hospital, I wanted them right there, so we did the best we could with the vending machine and patient snack cupboard. Hated the water (eww-chlorine!) so got by with apple and cranberry juice. My sister had all kinds of great "tricks" and put them to use! I had lots of lower back pain and it felt so good to have HARD counterpressure applied there (my Hubby was great at that!). After baby was born, my sister looked at my back and was horrified to see the bruising!! It is still a bit tender!!
At one point, during a contraction, I was leaning into Leroy and moaning, envisioning my body opening up for my baby, when the father of the other baby walked by and said "yup, been there three times now!" Leroy and Sister laughed and said this was our third time too!
We stopped and asked the nurse for something with good protein-oh how I wished I'd brought a chunk of cheese!-they came up with some yogurt, which I gratefully gobbled before the next contraction!
Finally, around 3 am, I was at 8 cm, and our nurse called the midwife in. I was hoping the midwife would break my water, I wanted to hurry up and have the baby already, I was worried if it went much longer I'd be out of strength. But when Maureen, the midwife came, she just suggested I might want to labour in the tub for a bit first. I had tried it earlier, and, while it felt good, it had slowed the contractions some, so I told her my fears. She waited a couple more contractions (during one, she asked my sister "is she always this calm??" my sister replied "yes! Doesn't it just make you crazy!?" After the contraction finished, I told her it was b/c I had such a great support team in my sister and husband!) Then Maureen gently brought up the subject of the tub again, and reassurred me, saying she didn't think at this point, the tub would slow my labour that much. So I got into the tub (a big oval, with a seat on one long side, handles on the other, though I chose to labour on hands and knees, like with Tabitha), insisting they keep the hot water coming! and a couple contractions later, my water broke on its own! Very different feeling-soo neat!! I then braced myself for a really pushy contraction, like with Jesse and Tabitha-but it never really did come. My husband made a teasing remark-don't remember what it was, but though it was meant to be funny, it wasn't really a teasable moment. However, I let go my grip on his forearm and growled "just wait a minute, I need to grab a little LOWER!" and made a mock grab for his jeans. Then another contraction hit, and I was back to tightly squeezing his arms, my head resting on a bath pad on the tub, and pressed tightly against his chest. My sister kept gently splashing water over my back and telling me I was doing a good job. I kept envisioning the baby coming down, opening up, and tried a few "test" pushes with the contractions. It worked!! The midwife later remarked that I just sort of "breathed" him out, and she was just amazed-no tearing, or even swelling! She said it didn't look like I'd just had a baby (though it still felt like it!!).
Once he was born, they handed him thru the water to me, and the nurse said "here she is!" (I'd asked they let me see for myself) Anyways, I thought "oh, Jesse is going to be sooo upset!" then I was moving the cord, and I shouted "No, its a BOY!!" I lifted him out of the water, he was kind of stiff, and breathing funny, which had both Leroy and I worried. I don't really know what happened next, I think Leroy took him, and they tried to get me out of the tub right away-I think the midwife must've been more concerned about my condition than she let on, that she didn't want me to stay in the tub for another minute. I just felt very very tired, and my bottom was soo sore! It took probably a good 15 min before I was able to birth the placenta on the bed, and I didn't feel like I could move a muscle! The midwife commented on how big the placenta was, and how looong the cord was (all my babies have had incredibly long cords! Luckily though, Wyatt didn't get tangled in his the way Jesse and Tabitha did!!) We took the placenta home. During my labour, I had said I thought this baby would be at least 7 lbs, my biggest baby!! It was funny how close I was!! When I got to really hold him and look him over, I thought just how much he looked like his brother and sister did at birth, just beautiful, with dark slate eyes and a head of dark, dark hair (and lots of it!!). Maureen marveled at the lack of moulding of his head-just perfectly round! And said I had “good childbearing hips!”
I got Wyatt latched on without much ado at all, and the midwife smiled admiringly at him and said it looked like he could be on there for a year-he was just such a little pro!!! he made the sweetest little contented sighing sounds as he nursed, brought a smile to all of our faces!!
I called my Dad on the cell phone, I knew he'd be up at 5 anyways. He was pretty thrilled!
Then, later, Wyatt was on the hideaway murphy bed beside Leroy, and they measured Wyatt (20 1/8" long-Shorter than Jesse, longer than Tabitha!) and then gave him vit K shot, which made Wyatt cry, and Leroy look soo sympathtic/upset-the midwife was impressed with Daddy's attentiveness.
Then, after bringing me a cheese sandwich, everyone left us alone-Daddy and Wyatt cuddled on the murphy bed, and me on the hospital bed-I was too tired to move a muscle. But I woke up at 7:30 and went to call my Mom, who said she'd been waiting to hear. She'd expected him to have been born much sooner!! Then I dialled my Grandma and Grandpa Bailey, and found out they'd be coming in later that day to the hospital anyways, which they did, just as we were getting ready to leave. My Grandma was so thrilled to get to hold him!!
Oh, and earlier in the am the nurse who brought in my breakfast introduced herself as Marie and said she'd been at my daughter's birth!! It was the same lady who'd been working on getting recertified when Tabitha was born, and had attended Tabitha's birth as one of the required "experiences". She had decided not to continue midwifery for awhile after all, to put her family first. Still-it was soo nice to see her again, and visit!! Leroy and I deliberated on a middle name for Wyatt for quite awhile before leaving the hospital (we left w/o filling in Tabitha's middle name, and what a nightmare!!) We had originally decided on Wyatt Luke, but I asked Leroy if he didn't maybe want one of his names as part of his baby's. With Jesse he hadn't, saying he'd never really liked his names (though I really like Leroy-I think partially b/c I'm so madly in love with him!). But he kind of considered it and liked the idea this time, but took forever to decide-we thought the cadence of Wyatt Leroy wasn't quite right, but we both liked Leroy better than Erwin, which is Leroy's paternal Grandpa's name, and Leroy's middle name). We've had a really great response to it, and are soo pleased we chose it after all, even though it skips our pattern of biblical names.
We met Mom at our house (she'd got there first!) and both kids gave Wyatt a warm welcome. Mom had primed Jesse to say "Wyatt" and it sounds sooo cute!! Jesse also said “my boy, MY boy!”. Tabitha "held" him and kissed him and said "nice!" and Jesse wanted him to go for rides on Jesse's toy tractor already!! Mom held him for a second and we got some pictures (her too, to take with her for the weekend!) and then she had to go.
I am soo in love with little Wyatt-more than I ever could've imagined. With each baby, I just want to spend more, and more time, just holding them, nursing them, drinking them in-I wish I could just-keep this time forever!! So he really hasn't left my arms much yet, even though I do have a wonderful new "maya wrap" style sling I sewed, plus a brand new ergo baby carrier! His features are slightly different than Jesse and Tabitha's-where they were very thin, and refined, he is broader, bigger hands, chubbier legs, a bit of wave to his dark, dark hair-just ALL BOY!!
And he's got all of us wrapped around those strong little fingers!! So far he is SOOO laid back-no fussing at all, just lots of nursing and sleeping, making little faces of all sorts!!
Its so funny how I had jokingly said he'd arrive on March 14 and then he DID!! So we've got Jesse on Mon, April 14, Tabitha on Tues, Jan 4, and Wyatt on Wed, March 14th!!

It's a BOY!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Wyatt Leroy Ulmer on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 4:05 am. He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz (bigger than Jesse at birth by nearly a pound, and bigger than Tabitha at birth by nearly half a pound!) and measuring 20 1/8" long (right in between Jesse who measured 21" and Tabitha who was 19.5"long).
Big brother Jesse (who insisted all along that we were having a boy!) couldn't be more proud, and big sister Tabitha loves to kiss and help hold him! No jealousy here so far!!