The Birth Story of Baby Ivy

After weeks and weeks of being dialated to a 3, 80% effaced, I thought I would never progress to having my baby. But eight days before my due date, on Friday July 1st at 3:00am, Ivy Quinn Mortimer was born. It's a story that needs to be written down, because it was quite the event! Here is my account of what happened:

At 2:45am on July 1st I woke up to go to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I had a bad cramping feeling. It was different than other contractions I've had in the past, this just felt like bad menstrual cramps. But it was something that was different, and kind of painful so I woke Dan up and told him what was happening. He groggily was waking up and as we were discussing whether or not to call Anna over, (she was our on-call lady to come stay with the kids) and I was looking up online what menstrual cramps at 39 weeks meant, the cramps starting getting worse. At this point they were about a minute apart, so I told Dan to call Anna and get dressed, we were going to the hospital. While Dan was getting dressed and calling Anna, I laid down on the bed. At this point, it all gets a little foggy. :) The contractions were coming one on top of the other and I had the urgent need to push. I started to panic and realized this was happening right away. Dan knelt down by the bed and looked me in the eyes. He told me we needed to get to the car and we would be in the driveway, ready to go by the time Anna was here. I knew if I stood up, the baby would come out, but that was a hard thing to rationally explain to Dan when I was screaming and trying not to push during the contractions. Dan kept saying, "Try not to push, we will get to the car between contractions". At this point, I looked at him and said "If you want me in that car, you are going to have to carry me there, and if we drive to the hospital, it will HAVE to be the AF hospital (which is just down the street), I will NOT make it Timpanogos hospital (which is where our insurance is through)." The contractions were coming and I was pushing, and I told Dan to call my parents. I knew for sure at that point that I was not going to make it and Dan would have to deliver this baby. I asked him to say a prayer. He said a quick prayer, and although I have no idea what he said, (I was screaming through another contraction) I instantly felt at peace. I knew everything was going to be ok, and I got the strength to let my body deliver this baby without fear. I told Dan I would try to get to get up, and as I rolled over from my side to my back, the baby's head came out. I still had my pajama shorts on and when Dan saw the bulge in my shorts, he was finally convinced we wouldn't make it to the hospital. :) He ripped off my shorts, and lo and behold, there was baby Ivy face up, with the cord wrapped tightly around her neck. At this point Eli, who had snuck into our bed in the middle of the night and miraculously slept through all of my screaming, woke up and with a huge grin on his face said "Baby Ivy is here!" Dan was worried and said "The cord is wrapped around her neck, what should I do?" to which I replied "Well, get it off". He worked quickly and somehow got the cord off, and the next contraction she was out into Dan's arms. I had an overwhelming sense of relief and calm at this point and just laid there exhausted and relieved. The hard part was over. He held her and pinched the cord and cleared her mouth with his finger so she could breathe. His phone rang at the moment, and he told Eli to grab the phone and hand it to mommy. Eli was a great little helper, and it actually turned out being a blessing that he was there. He handed me the phone, and it was Anna. She was here on our doorstep. I answered the phone and said, "We had the baby, call 911." Dan was trying to get Eli to open the door for Anna, but he was too excited and wanted to see the baby. By some miracle, Anna remembered the code to our garage and came into our room at that moment. She was on the phone with the paramedics and they were giving her step by step instructions, most of which Dan had already done. She grabbed a towel and Dan wrapped the baby in it, then Dan told her we had a suction bulb under the sink in our bathroom, so she grabbed that and Dan suctioned out Ivy's mouth and nose. My Mom and Dad and Janell came in at that point and looked around for something to tie the cord off with. They found a leather shoelace and Dan tied the cord off and put Ivy on my tummy. The paramedics, and cops were there a few minutes later. The paramedics had a kit for delivering babies, they quickly ripped it open, and got out a cord clamp and clamped the cord properly. The woman paramedic picked up the baby and checked her out to make sure she was ok. I had to walk to the ambulance stretcher, because they couldn't get it around the bend into my bedroom. As I stood up, I told the paramedics that we needed to deliver the placenta. So Dan told the guy paramedic to get the bag from the kit and hold it under me, I pushed with a contraction that was that. EW! Then I wrapped myself in Eli's blanket that was next to me, (which he was NOT happy about) and walked to the stretcher. Eli was outside my room with everyone and he saw Ivy wrapped up in a ducky hooded towel. After scolding me for getting his blankie messy he exclaimed "Baby Ivy's a ducky!" I'm so glad this was a happy moment for him instead of a traumatizing moment. And it is also a miracle that Isaac and Amelia slept through it all, Isaac is a sensitive child and it would have scarred him for life to see me like that. :) I got onto the stretcher, and they laid Ivy on my chest and wheeled us out to the ambulance. I remember being so relieved that she was here and safe through all of that madness. The ambulance ride over, while the paramedic put an IV in my arm, I just sat and looked at Ivy. She was wide awake, just staring at me, and I smiled the whole way to the hospital. From the moment I woke up to Ivy being born was 15 minutes.... and no time for an epidural, darn it!

Please try to excuse the swollen McKell, I was SO swollen those last few months...

I am still on the ambulance gurney at this point. Thanks to the nurses who brought up taking some pictures, we would have totally spaced it. :)

This was the ducky towel Ivy was wrapped in, and her first photo.

The nurses got her on the table to check her out, but we needed a picture of the nice leather shoelace umbilical cord clamp. The hat she is wearing is the same one Amelia wore in the hospital. I happened to have it there with my baby stuff at home.

The kids came as soon as they were up and dressed. This is them meeting Ivy for the first time. (except Eli who assisted with the birth :) Man I look tired....

And each of them holding Ivy for the first time....

I had to put these ones of Eli and Ivy. Eli was so excited to meet his little sister for many months before she came. He still can't wipe the smile from his face, he adores her!

There will be more accounts of this story to come.....

Aunt Anna's Account:

The loud ringing of the phone startled me awake and I jumped to answer it as quickly as possible. Receiving a call at 2:45 in the morning is always startling. Caller identification showed that it was my younger brother, Dan, calling.
"Is it time?" I asked.
"We think so," he replied.
"I'll be right over," I responded and hung up.
My husband, Matt, asked, "Was that Dan?"
"Yep." I said as I jumped up and quickly dressed.
"Do you want me to come?" Matt asked.
" You can if you want, but I'll be fine."
Matt laid back down in bed and said, "I think I'll stay here. Please text me when you get there so I know you're safe."
"Sounds good." I kissed him goodbye and ran out the door to get in my car.
Dan's wife, McKell, was very pregnant with their fourth child. Only living three-and-a-half miles away, I had offered to go watch their other children if she went into labor in the middle of the night. Babies often seem to think that the best time to enter this world is in the wee hours of the morning, and this baby seemed to agree.
I drove as fast as I safely could, becoming quite annoyed at the amount of road construction between our homes. It was impeding my progress and I knew I needed to get there quickly. I pulled up to their house just before 3:00am and went to the front door. I tried the door, not wanting to wake the kids, but it was locked. I tried calling Dan's phone, but got no answer. Just then I heard a sound like a baby's cry, but thinking it couldn't be possible decided it must be a cat slinking around the neighborhood.
I tried Dan's phone one more time and this time McKell answered, "We had the baby! Call 9-1-1!"
Completely shocked, all I could respond with was a faint, "OK. I'll be right in!" Adrenaline immediately hit me and I began to panic and shake a little bit as I dialed 9-1-1. A million thoughts were running through my head, "Is the baby OK? Is McKell OK? How did that happen so fast? How do I get in the house? Why isn't my phone working? What do I do?" I suddenly remembered that I knew the code to open their garage door and turned to go there when the 9-1-1 operator answered the phone.
"9-1-1 what is your emergency?" she asked.
"My sister-in-law just had a baby at home!" I replied, my heart pounding wildly as I ran towards the garage.
"What is the address?"
I stopped, feeling panic rise as I realized I knew where they lived, but had no idea what their address was. I ran towards the mailbox and and was relieved to see their entire address on it. I read her the address and then turned and ran towards the garage. The operator asked me to repeat the address and I'm sure I looked foolish as I frantically ran back to the mailbox so I could repeat the address to her again. The operator began bombarding me with questions about the mother and baby.
"I'm not in the house! I don't know how they are!" I cried as I ran to the garage door and typed in the code. The door didn't move. "I can't open the garage! I'm too panicked. Hold on. Let me calm down for a second and try this again." I took a deep breath and pulled myself together before typing in the code again. It still didn't move. I tried it once more and it finally opened. I almost began crying in relief, "Oh! It opened! I'm running into the house now!" I told the operator.
I ran into their bedroom and found McKell lying on the bed with Dan standing near her knees and holding the umbilical in his hand. I noticed Eli at the end of the bed and he jumped into my arms. I tried to assess the situation so I could relay everything to the operator.
"Oh thank goodness you're here! I'm holding the cord and the baby is breathing. I need something to clamp the cord with." Dan said.
I put Eli down and McKell called him over to sit by her head. I was surprised by how calm they all were. I told the operator that the baby had already been born and was breathing and that Dan was holding the cord. She told me to get two dry, clean towels. I became a robot, tuning everything out except her voice. I listened to what she said and repeated it all so that Dan and McKell would know what was going on. I ran in the bathroom and grabbed two towels from under the counter. One of them had a hood on it, which was perfect because the operator told me to cover the baby's head, but not her face. I put the towel under the baby and wrapped her up to keep her warm, checking her body temperature as the operator directed me. Somehow I had the presence of mind to run out and unlock the front door so the EMT's would be able to get in the house. I then checked McKell's temperature and could see that she was not hemorrhaging, and thought, "There really isn't much blood. I'm really surprised." I worried that she might have torn, but luckily that wasn't the case.
We put Ivy up on McKell's stomach, careful not to tug on the cord, and McKell said, "She looks like Eli!"
Just as the operator directed me to find string to tie the umbilical cord with McKell's parents and sister ran into the room. Her dad took Eli into the living room and I told her mom to find some string. She and Janell ran out to find the string and I continued to repeat and follow the directions of the 9-1-1 operator. The ambulance had been dispatched and my heart rate was calming down as I could see that McKell and Ivy both seemed to be doing very well.
"I have yarn or a shoelace." LeAnn said, holding them both up.
"Shoelace. Let's use the shoelace." Dan replied, taking it from her. He followed the directions given by the operator to tie it firmly, but not to cut the umbilical cord, about six inches from the baby's belly button.
Just then I saw a stranger in uniform standing at the bedroom door and thought he was an EMT. "The ambulance is here," I told the operator. She confirmed that they were there and we ended the call. Only then did I realize that he was a police officer and not an EMT.
"Is everything under control?" He asked.
"Yes," Dan replied.
"I'll wait out here until the EMT's get here," the office said.
We all took a deep breath, knowing that help was close and I felt a wave of relief sweep over my body. I was again stunned by how calm McKell and Dan both were.
Suddenly the EMT's were there in the room and we all got out of the way so that they could take care of McKell and Ivy. I went into the living room with Randy and Eli while LeAnn and Janell helped clean up a little bit. The EMT's clamped and cut the cord, helped McKell deliver the placenta, and then loaded them into the ambulance. One of the EMT's carried Ivy out of the bedroom, still wrapped in the towel, and Eli said, "Baby Ivy's a ducky!" We all laughed because the hood on the towel was made to look like a duck head.
McKell's family followed the ambulance to the hospital and I stayed with the kids. I finally called Matt to let him know I had arrived safely and tell him what happened. He had been worried that it took me so long to contact him, but was shocked to learn what had happened. Eli and I were both too excited to sleep so we watched a movie and ate bananas. A few hours later I went to the hospital to see McKell and Ivy and was very relieved that they were both healthy and safe. That was definitely the most exciting night of my life!

Amelia turns 5

Amelia had been planning her 5th Birthday for months. She knew at Christmas time that she wanted a Hello Kitty party, with a Hello Kitty Pinata, and a Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty game, and of course, a Hello Kitty Cake... and her birthday is in May. Well come May, she still had all of those exact ideas in her head and more. She is very meticulous about these things, she should be a party planner when she grows up.... I would hire her. :) So I let her invite a few friends and cousins and we had a small, but fun Hello Kitty party. Since it was manageable, I sewed Hello Kitty's for all the kids with tutus and bows or bow ties. She had a great time.

Pinata made by my mom.

Ashlyn, Katelyn, Max, Isaac, Lily, Amelia, Brooklyn and Eli

Some things about Millie at age 5:

She is an amazing artist. The girl will color for hours, and she has become very particular about staying in the lines. She also draws very well, and has amazing attention to detail. And her handwriting is superb. She draws little curls at the end of all of her letters when she is trying to be fancy.

She is a great shopper. I will have a shopping buddy for life.

She lives in a musical 24/7. She is always singing or playing pretend with her little brother. She has one heck of an imagination, and can keep herself occupied for hours.

Along with playing pretend, her toys get very well used. She usually plays with her dollhouse, her ponies, barbies, polly pockets, stuffed animals, etc. all in one sitting, she finds a way to include them all... and sometimes she even picks them up without being asked!

She sits very nice when I do her hair. She doesn't even complain when I have to get the knots out.

She loves her friends and goes out to play with them at the park or at our houses all the time. She makes friends very easily.

She is a lovable girl and I am so thankful to have her in my life! I love you Amelia!

Easter 2011

This Easter I made Amelia's dress and the boy's matching pants, and I had 2 coupons at Kohl's for the boys shirts and ties which made them $5.40.....total. So I was pretty pleased with my amazing frugality this Easter. The kiddos were crazy about Easter egg hunts this year. I had to hide eggs around the house for them to find like 5-6 times the days proceeding Easter. We also took a little getaway up to Wolf Creek before Easter and flew kites, went to the Dinosaur Park, made Rice Krispie Eggs and just relaxed. It's always nice to spend time as a family. I did the Resurrection lesson with the symbolic items and scripture references in the easter eggs that I remember my mom doing for us growing up the night before Easter, and also gave them churchy books that they can take to church to help with reverence. The morning of Easter, Eli was the first to find his basket which was hidden behind the curtain in the living room. Next was Amelia, who found hers by the couch in the piano room, and Isaac finally found his behind the shower curtain in the front room. Eli got blocks, Amelia got a LaLaLoopsy and Isaac got Sea Monkeys. Luckily the Easter Bunny didn't bring too much candy this year, which is nice. :)

Eli turns 2

Eli's 2nd Birthday was all things Sesame. We took him to see "Elmo's Green Thumb", which was a live show with all the Sesame characters in costume. It was fun, he loved the music and seeing Elmo "big". Then we had family over for cake and presents. I had to make him a Cookie Monster cake, because I had one when I was 2 as well. I remember loving that cake! He got all sorts of books and toys and clothes, he was spoiled rotten!

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2010. We started the morning off with pumpkin pancakes, and ended the night with sopping wet, sugar crazed children. It ended up pouring rain all evening, but the kids still ended up with quite the haul of goodies.

As for the costumes, Isaac was the only one with a strong opinion this year. He really wanted to be Luke Skywalker. I thought, this might be the only year we can pull this off, so we better do it. Amelia was actually pretty stoked about the idea of being Princess Leia, and Eli couldn't care less, so Yoda he was! They looked really cute all together!

Isaac's 7th Birthday

For Isaac's 7th Birthday, he got to invite Uncle Joseph for a sleepover and a night at Trafalga in Lehi. They had pizza for dinner, played all of the games, did some mini golf, slick track, climbed the rock wall, played lazer tag, and the floating bumper boats. He wanted a Star Wars cake this year with light sabers on it. He had a great birthday.

Isaac at 7:

If Isaac could go outside and play with friends all day long, he would. He loves his friends and makes them easily.

He loves to ride his bike all over the place.

He loves all video games and is really good at them.

Isaac is learning to play the piano from his Aunt Sarah, and he is progressing very well.

He loves school and learning.

He is an excellent reader and likes to read his science books before bed. He loves learning new and interesting facts.

He is a very sensitive child and has a big heart, he doesn't like when others are sad or feeling bad.

All the ladies at school love Isaac, he has girls calling him for play dates all the time. (Hey, girls love a sensitive man) :)

He is an amazing big brother, he was the oldest in our family for a reason.

We love you Isaac!

Toula

We added a new puppy to our family for Father's Day. Dan and the kids wanted a dog, and I was hesitant. I would be the one home with it all day, house training, feeding, brushing, bathing. So I finally caved and said Dan could get a dog, but I got to pick it out! :) So after a ton of research, we decided the Coton de Tulear would be perfect for us, and she has been great! Plus, she is adorable! Look at that puppy dog face... so here is our Toula!

Easter in Vegas and Mom's Birthday!

This year we spent Easter in Las Vegas because it happened to fall on my Mom's 50th Birthday and we wanted to PAR-TAY! So we spent Easter morning in a condo but the Easter Bunny still managed to find us. (It took some letters and emails but he still found us!) The kids found their baskets quickly and we spent the day lounging, listening to Conference, playing games and eating candy. My dad got tickets to The Lion King, so my mom and him went to see that. We went shopping, and swimming, went to see the Lions, and had a grand 'ol time.