His Story

The day before I went into labor.

Wow! I can't believe that our little guy is 1 year old! The past 8 months have gone by so fast for me. I'm not going to lie, the first few months were brutal. He was definitely a different baby than we got used to with Nora. So, the months, nights, and days seemed to drag from October to February. But here is HIS birth story. It wasn't nearly as dramatic or traumatic as Nora's, thankfully. But he definitely came on his own time, despite my scheduled c-section.

I was scheduled to have a c-section on Monday, October 22nd. It seemed so odd to call the hospital to set that date up. I almost felt as if I was robbing him of his grand entrance to the world, giving him no choice in the matter, and just forcing him to come out despite how comfortable he was. I however, was quite uncomfortable. I think I became uncomfortable, oh around 5 months.

My last doctor appointment was Tuesday, October 16th, which was also my last day of work. I remember telling my doctor that I doubted I was going to make it to my scheduled c-section. He was going to NY that weekend and I remember being so concerned that he wouldn't be at the c-section if I were to go into labor sooner. I was feeling so much pressure and was positive that this little guy wasn't go to stay in much longer. I also remember being so excited that I would have the next 5 days off until Beckham's arrival to spend quality time with Nora and to hopefully relax. Boy was I wrong!

That night I went to my Bible study and had some Braxtin Hicks and was still quite uncomfortable but isn't that happening for every pregnant woman the closer they get to their due date? I didn't think much of it.

I went to bed that night and woke up at 12:30 a.m. for my nightly bathroom break. As I crawled back in bed I had a pretty intense Braxtin Hicks/Contraction. I fell asleep and woke up to another one and noticed that it was exactly 7 minutes from the first one. I still didn't think anything of it and thought it was random and that they wouldn't be consistent. I fell back asleep again and the same thing happened, only this time 5 minutes had passed. They continued every 5 minutes until about 2:00 a.m. Kevin and I kept questioning whether we should go in or not. I definitely didn't want any false alarms. But my body has proven to me that I physically can't push a baby out, and I didn't want to be at the house if things were closer than we thought. Around 3:30 we finally called our family and I texted my doctor asking if I should head to the hospital or not. No word from my doctor, but my family and Kevin's family were on their way up and a good friend was coming over to stay with Nora until family arrived. As we were leaving for the hospital, the contractions were every 2-3 minutes. This was no joke. He was definitely on his way.

We got to the hospital. This time, Kevin was more than prepared and had things packed and ready to go. Phew! We checked in and I was 4 cm. and 90% effaced. Wow! All I wanted was 5 days with Nora till he arrived. I remember being so emotional over this. As well as being nervous for the c-section and delivery. Nora's birth was 2 1/2 years prior and it was still very, very fresh in my mind. All I knew when it came to babies and deliveries, was trauma, and I feared that happening again.

They called my doctor and couldn't get a hold of him. He finally called my phone at 5 a.m. and said that he was on his way, if I was willing to wait. Of course! He checked in with the nurse to make sure all was safe to have me wait until he got to Salem from Portland. They called off the surgery and we were waiting for no more than 10 minutes when the head nurse came in and said he wouldn't be making it after all. I was like "Excuse me, I just spoke with him on my phone and he said that he is on his way." Well, he was, but then there was a big semi-truck with fish in it that got in an accident on I5 and traffic was backed up for 4 hours. I was definitely not going to wait 4 more hours. So, the doctor on duty that morning delivered Beckham. He arrived at 6:29 a.m., healthy as could be. My doctor still drove down and showed up in the recovery room and hung out with us for a couple of hours. I think he was just as thrilled to see that we had a safe, healthy delivery.

Meeting him for the first time.

One of the first pics of Beckham.

Those first 24 hours with Beckham were so precious. I remember being pregnant with him and feeling kind of "bleh" about having a boy. He has captured my heart in a way I can't describe. We are all so obsessed with him and his goofy personality.

My favorite pic! Holding him-only a few hours old.

Another favorite! Nora holding, kissing and meeting him for the first time.

First family of 4 pic.

He loves:

• to bite.
• to roll around on the couch and dive face first into the pillows.
• his dad.
• Nora.
• his binky.
• to splash in the toilet when I am not looking.
• to give kisses with his mouth wide open, slobber and all.
• to crawl around and make us giggle by shaking his head from side to side.
• to nurse.
• to go down the slide and play outside.
• to give hugs when someone is crying or seems sad.

Happy Birthday Beckham! I thought we laughed a lot already, and then you came along and added so much more laughter to our home. We all love you so much Buj! (Nora's nickname for him that has stuck. Think French when pronouncing the "j").You are such a happy, smiley little boy that has captured all our hearts. xoxo

Good morning Birthday Boy! Waking up and seeing all the balloons and streamers hanging from his door.

Quite intrigued and uncertain about everyone singing to him.

Diving in to the cupcake.

Blessed

I can't believe that Nora is 17 months old and I am just now writing a blog post about how blessed I am to have the parents I have. This last week I started back to work. I am still job sharing again, but the first week with kiddos we both work. So...my parents kept Nora for the whole week. It is definitely hard not having her around. We miss her so much, but it made it easier for me to leave every day and not have to say "goodbye." Plus she absolutely adores her Noni and Papa. Tonight was her first night back home and she fell asleep saying their names over and over. I don't know who is more obsessed...my parents with Nora, or Nora with my parents. It truly melts my heart and I am so grateful they have this relationship with each other already. She adores them! And they take pretty good care of her too!

Here are some pics from when my mom and I took Nora to the zoo and also from today when I picked her up in Eugene.  

My favorite!

GO DUCKS!

The Party!

We had such a fun day on Nora's first birthday. I think there were around 30 adults and 12 kiddos. It was chaos but so much fun! She even ate some of her cupcake!

We started the morning off with presents and time with just the 3 of us. She enjoyed opening her gifts but of course didn't care one bit about them once they were opened.

 

At 2:00 the party began. She was obsessed with this carrot.

Cousin Olive.

Jonah Quarles.

Mesmerized by everyone singing to her. I really thought she was going to cry.

Opted to eat the celery and carrots instead of the delicious cupcake.

Finally eating the cupcake.

She actually enjoyed it but then wanted to feed it to me, my mom and Kevin.

And...back to the carrot.

Good friends Kari and Wyatt Timmerman. Wyatt and Nora are just 1 day apart.

Emerson Quarles driving the little ones around. 

 
I truly can't believe she is 1! It was such a fun day and I'm so glad we had a big celebration. We felt so blessed by our friends and family who came to celebrate with us.

Her Story, One Year Later

April 8, 2011

This pic was taken 2 days before my water broke.

A year ago tonight my water broke.
A year ago tonight I was waiting for my husband to pack his bag to go to the hospital.
A year ago tonight we drove to the hospital with huge grins on our faces anticipating the birth of our little girl.
A year ago tonight I knew my life would be forever changed.
A year ago tonight I would have never imagined the events that were about to unfold.

Her Story:

It was a Thursday. All day at work I was having intense Braxtin Hicks/Contractions/Whatever you want to call them. Things. Were. Happening. My due date was still 2 weeks away. If you know me, you know that through the entire pregnancy I kept saying Nora would be 2 weeks late. I just knew I would have her at the end of April, early May. Boy was I wrong.

I taught all day not really paying attention to how far apart the contractions actually were, so when I got home that afternoon I decided to time them. Thank you I Phone for the Contractulator App. I was surprised to see that they were exactly 7 minutes apart, lasting about 45 seconds. This went on for a couple of hours. By 5:30 pm. everything stopped. I had asked Kevin to come home earlier in the day instead of going to the gym to workout because I just had a "feeling." So when everything stopped, I thought I was just misreading my body and what was occurring.

I crawled into bed at 10:00 p.m. and at 10:11 p.m. I had a pretty intense contraction. I had another at 10:22 p.m. and that's when it all happened. I remember telling Kevin I think my water broke. He felt the bed, nothing was wet and the next thing I know I am running to the bathroom as fast as a 187 pound pregnant woman can run. Yes, 187 pounds. I am not ashamed. It's so nice of them to weigh you at the hospital before you have a baby. My water had definitely broken. Wow.

We were so excited! I remember calling as many people as we could to let them know we were on our way to the hospital. Kevin still had not packed. Big surprise. I was calling my sub, making a snack, deep breathing, calling the doctor, grabbing the bags, deep breathing, checking on Zeus, grabbing the camera, deep breathing, deep breathing, deep breathing. Really Kevin?

We finally got to the hospital about an hour later. I was dilated to a 3. I remember everyone saying it was going to be a while before she would actually arrive. I remember thinking the same thing. She had a different plan. Unlike her dad, she wasn't slow. By 1:00 a.m. I was dilated to a 6 and by 6:30 a.m. I was at a 10 and ready to push. Everyone joked that I was going to have her and be able to go into work that day. Real funny!

And so the pushing began. And continued. And kept on going. And soon it was 10:45 am. and no Nora. I have never worked so hard in my life. I had a huge cheering section. Kevin, my mom and dad, my mother in law, my dear friend Aimee, my sister on the phone in NY. Ask them. I have never worked harder. We exhausted every resource and finally I kicked my doctor (love you Frederick!) and said take her C-section. I have never seen so many people respond so quickly.

By 11:28 a.m. Nora was out and that's when we entered into our worst nightmare.

I have told Kevin numerous times I remember everything during the surgery. He begs to differ, saying that I was in and out of sleep the entire time. I guess that's what happens when you labor for 24 hours and push for 4. I remember reminding my doctor to save my placenta (that's a separate story), I remember holding my labor and delivery nurse's hand (apparently she wasn't even there), I remember asking if Nora was crying yet. I remember hearing 3 distinct baby cries (apparently they were more like 3 whimpers). I remember them showing her to me. That was the last thing I remember. They showed her to me and then she was gone.

The next thing I know, I am in the recovery room, with my nurse, my doctor and the neonatologist. I remember waking up, wondering where my baby was, where my family was. The unfamiliar face, the neonatologist, began to ramble off a slew of information. I didn't understand or remember anything except for four things. These four things are forever engraved in my memory surrounding Nora's birth. Four things no parent wants to hear.

1. Your daughter is very sick.
2. She has a 40-50% chance of survival.
3. She will probably need to stay in the NICU for 2-3 weeks.
4. You can see her but I want you to know she will have a lot of bruising and swelling.

I remember thinking that he had the wrong patient. This was not happening to us, to our daughter. Nora was fine. She was never under any stress during labor. Surely he has the wrong patient. I remember turning to my doctor and holding his arm, crying and saying "I can't do this!" My doctor and I had been through a lot. Kevin and I had had 2 miscarriages prior to Nora and he was such a huge support for us. He then translated what the neonatologist said, which gave me some hope.

The first time I got to see Nora. Born April 9, 2010 @11:28 a.m.

Nora was born with a Subgaleal Hematoma. It is a bruise/bleeding that occurred between her skull and the skin on her head. About 50% of the blood in her body traveled to this bruise and it wasn't clotting. She had to have a blood transfusion immediately after her birth. She slept on a little water pillow and would whimper every time her head was lightly touched. It was more than Kevin and I could bare at times. There are so many other details about what she went through, what the NICU provided for her, as well as all the prayers and support that were given from close family, friends and complete strangers.

The first time I got to hold Nora.

We weren't able to hold her until she was 3 days old, which was just heart-wrenching. It was so difficult to go down to the NICU and see her crying or in pain and not be able to comfort her in my arms. Once we were able to hold her, I truly believe that was when the healing began for all of us.

They expected her to be in the NICU for at least 3 weeks. We left as a family of 3 when she was 6 days old. She was a rock star and truly defied all odds. She really is our little Miracle.

Finally leaving the hospital. 

As I reflect on Nora's birth, so much comes to mind. Some days I remember every detail like it was just yesterday. Other days it seems like it really was a year ago. One thing that I am always reminded of is the miracle that we truly witnessed.

With the trauma surrounding Nora's birth, I have had moments of anxiety and fear. I have truly loved this first year of motherhood, but I was not expecting to have these feelings when I thought of being a mom. Seeing how we almost lost her, I have even more of a desire to protect her from everything, which is obviously impossible, and I think that's where my fear stems from. I have learned to rely on God more than ever. This past year, I have clung to this verse: Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God." I have "be still" engraved on a necklace, framed in my bedroom and maybe one day tattooed to my body. :)

Obviously her story has a happy ending. She is a thriving, healthy one year old. The complications at birth have in no way affected her development and who she is today. Nora is a fighter. She is determined. Nora is smart, funny, tender and loving. I couldn't imagine loving anything or anyone more than how I love her. It truly makes my insides want to burst.

Happy Birthday Nora! You are deeply loved by all! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life loving you and watching you grow into your own person.

Nora Faye Broderick-Kartye (aka Nora Belle)

She's crawling!

The cutest little crawler around! She definitely is our daughter, doing things on her own time. She has been going to Physical Therapy for a couple months now to help her move more and her hard work has paid off. She crawls about 5 feet and stops and entertains herself, and then crawls a little more. I love it!

Lately...

Lately things have been so busy, I have been so tired and there have been way too many of my favorite TV shows to catch up on to Blog. Sorry! I'm sure we have been missed greatly! :) Here is what the Broderick-Kartye family has been up to lately.

Christmas...wow, it's been that long since I've blogged?! Sheesh!



Not a fan of Santa!



Went swinging for the first time.



Helped Kevin paint our bedroom for my Christmas present. A baby chewing on caulk, probably not the best idea. I was at work of course when all of this went on.



Nora and I flew to New York to visit my sister and my bro-in-law. Props to Ryan for flying us out to go to the Joshua Radin concert. I still can't believe I flew across the country by myself with a 10 month old. She was amazing! I still can't believe Ryan gave me that special gift to spend time with my best friend/sister. I still can't believe we got to see Joshua Radin....again! I still can't believe Nora woke up twice every night (which hasn't happened since she was 1 month old).







On the subway. Nobody talks on New York subways...that is until Nora arrived. :)





Rocking our Joshua Radin shirts, CDs and tickets.



We dedicated Nora at our church. It was such a special day!







I hope you enjoyed what we have been doing lately!

Playing Catch Up

I have been told by my sister that I need to "catch up" on my blogging. It's true. So...here are a few pics of our little Nora. Halloween, Thanksgiving, cutting down our Christmas tree, spending time with family, 7 month old picture, etc. We have been busy!