Her name is Myla Katherine Treiber, she was born on March 2, 2018 at 1:16 AM (ish). She weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 19.5 in long. Fun fact, Myla shares a birthday with Dr. Seuss. So that's fun.
Let me back up a bit. We found out we were expecting in June which was PERFECT timing to find out such exciting news because my mom happened to be visiting.
We had a "big brother" shirt for Blake that we had him wear while we Skyped with our other family members and everyone was thrilled once they realized what the shirt meant.
In October we had our very first gender reveal party. We gave our envelope with the information from the sonogram to a friend from our church community group and when we gathered for our monthly dinner they had black balloons filled with pink or blue confetti ready for us to pop. We let Selah do the honors of popping the balloon and I just can't even tell you the joy I felt watching that pink confetti falling down on us.
What I remember of this pregnancy is just being so, so, so TIRED! I was so dang tired all the live long day everyday, more so than any other pregnancy...maybe because I had three other young, busy children? But here are some pregnancy highlights:
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| We hosted Thanksgiving this year and I loved having a full house! |
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| We snuck in a babymoon in December while we were in Oregon visiting my mom and Jeff for Christmas. |
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| We hiked up a hill by a lighthouse on the Oregon coast. It was beautiful. |
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| This picture is so special to me. I remember thinking while taking this picture that this could very well be the last picture of just these three together. This was our last outing as a family of five. These kids had no idea what lay ahead of them as they welcomed a new sibling to the mix, they wouldn't understand the new dynamic at first, and it would be hard and take time to adjust, but eventually they would understand what a blessing Myla would be to our family. I had lots of emotions at the moment of this picture. I was excited, proud, anxious, thankful. Love these kids! |
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| I just thought we looked cute so I had Selah take a picture of us :) Look at that beard! |
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| My sweet friends from our community group knew I didn't want a baby shower, so they threw me a surprise BABY SPRINKLE!! I felt so loved by their thoughtfulness. We ate yummy crepes and opened gifts and talked about all things baby, it was perfect! |
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| Last holiday before baby! |
I told Daniel about the few contractions I thought I had once I got home but there wasn't really anything else happening that evening or night, so I was a little disappointed. But at 5am I was awoken from a deep slumber (HA! there is no such thing as deep slumber when you're 39 weeks pregnant), so really, I was awoken from a restless slumber with another strong contraction. Then 15 minutes later, another one. Then another one. So I quietly got out of bed and laid on the couch to keep track of timing while waiting for kids to start waking up for school. Eventually I crept my way back in bed with Daniel and whispered to him if he was ready to have a baby today. Eeeeeek! This part is always SO EXCITING!! There's so much anticipation during the early hours of labor. It's my favorite, but also, it's incredibly frustrating because things are so sporadic and slow and unpredictable. This time, in particular, there was some anxiety in the unknown because there were no family members available to help us with the other three while we were in labor. We had to rely completely on friends, in particular our amazing church community group. We seriously couldn't have done this without them!!! I sent them a group text around 7am and asked if anyone was available this afternoon if need be to watch the kids while we went to the hospital. My water broke with Blake and he came very quickly so that experience was in the back of my mind. I wanted to make sure we had a plan in place if my water were to break and we needed to head straight to the hospital, I did NOT want to have a baby at home, or in a car, nope, I needed to be in a hospital where I had all my other babies and where I felt comfortable. They all responded with excitement for us and confirmed their availability to help, gosh they are such great friends, and put me at complete ease.
Well, time did not stand still even though I felt like it should, it's so hard for me to concentrate on anything else, especially the mundane daily tasks, when all I want to do is focus on getting this baby out! So Daniel helped with getting kids up and fed and ready. He took Selah to school, then he took Blake with him to take Owen to his preschool. We debated whether I should be left at home alone or if I should go with but ultimately we decided it would be fine if I just stayed home and got everything completely ready to go. After running around the house getting all things ready (doesn't everyone clean bathrooms and vacuum while in labor?) I started to get really discouraged because I hadn't felt any more contractions, not ONE. I started to feel silly and was embarrassed that I had potentially gotten everyone's hopes up for nothing. When Daniel got back we decided to go for a walk to see if that would help, also, I could not just wait at home. Could. Not. We took Blake to the park next to Selah's school and Daniel stayed with Blake while I walked along this trail that loops around the school. I was walking while waiting for any signs of contractions. I actually had a few small ones and I wanted to shout out loud to anyone I passed by that, "I AM IN LABOR!!!! I'M HAVING A BABY!!!!" It's so hard to maintain composure when something as huge as having a baby is happening. But, thankfully, I did maintain composure so as not to freak out my new neighbors (did I mention we moved in July?! another story for another time). I got back to Daniel and Blake was ready to get home and eat lunch. We ate lunch and got Blake down for a nap, I laid on the couch for an attempted nap. Daniel left to pick up Owen which was quite disheartening because I had originally thought this baby might come before needing to pick kids up from school and so the idea of picking kids up without being able to tell them they had a new baby sister was a little disappointing.
Once both kids were picked up from school I just don't even remember what we did to try and pass the time. It was brutal I'm sure. I was having sporadic contractions though, so that was encouraging. Dinnertime rolled around and we heated up some leftover chicken enchiladas and ate, then Selah and I went on a walk. I remember that being a very sweet time with her as we talked about all things ranging from school to this baby coming soon. It was very grounding for me. By the time I got back contractions had really picked up and I was having them every 5 minutes or so and some were pretty intense. We decided to call up our friends and let them know they could head over anytime now. We probably could have waited at home quite a bit longer but I didn't want to call friends over at 2am so I figured getting everyone settled in the evening would be best for all. We were able to get our kids ready for bed and we were even able to sing them their songs and kiss them goodnight before our friend came over after work, another friend was going to come over with her four month old baby girl to relief our first friend and then they would tag team in the morning. I'm so grateful for amazing friends!
As Daniel and I drove to the hospital we just kept saying, "Can you believe we are doing this again? Can you believe we're having another baby? Here we go, life is about to change AGAIN, big time, are we ready? We have to be ready. Ok, let's do this." Something along those lines. We got to the hospital, found our way to labor and delivery, got into a triage room to determine whether I was indeed in labor. I was definitely having contractions at this point so I really didn't have any doubt in my mind I was in labor, but when I was checked by the nurse I was only at a 3 so she seemed hesitant to admit me. She called the doctor who was on call (not my doctor :( boo) and she told the nurse that since this was my 4th baby it was probably best to admit me and see what happens. Daniel and I were debating whether we were going to have a March 1st baby or a March 2nd baby, due to the nature of the day I was convinced we'd be having a March 2nd baby, and since we were settled in the hospital and our kids were in good hands at home, I was okay with riding this thing out for awhile, but Daniel was sure this baby was coming before midnight. We got into our L&D room, I got hooked up to all those wonderful machines that monitor my contractions, you'd think that with all our modern technology there would be an easier way to monitor a woman's contractions other than those darn straps that keep slipping off with that slippery goop they keep having to put on the discs, blah, I hate them. I told my nurse I was hoping to having this baby completely naturally (which would be a first for me) but I needed to ditch these monitors. She said that I could have them off for an hour or so then have to have them back on for another hour. That was better than nothing. Those hours I was monitor free were the BEST hours! The doctor came in pretty quickly wanting to break my water, but I was not ready for that step. I wanted to ride out this labor and let it progress on it's own for a bit and see where it led, I was kind of hoping my water would just break on its own. The doctor was not happy about this but hesitantly agreed and said she'd be back in two hours to check me again and see if I had made any progress. Daniel set up some music for me, I had originally thought I'd have some Ellie Holcomb playing but I ended up listening to the new Austin Stone worship album instead and couldn't get myself to switch it. I switched between laying in bed on my side listening to the music and breathing through contractions and standing at the counter browsing my phone and texting family and friends for prayers, rocking and breathing through contractions. Daniel had set up camp to get some rest on the other side of the room and I like to think he got a good two hours sleep before he was needed.
At around 10pm the doctor came back in and checked me. I hadn't progressed as much as she had hoped so she was asking the nurse for the water breaking tool, whatever it's called, without even consulting me about it. I can't say this was my favorite doctor, she was not very patient and understanding with me and I really didn't want to rush this thing. I was nervous because I knew things picked up really quickly after that water broke and since I didn't want an epidural I was so so scared for things to pick up, I had a good thing going and was able to find a way to manage these contractions how they were, I wasn't ready for the next level. So as she's still checking me we're having this debate and she's not being very kind so I finally woke up Daniel and asked him to help me make this decision. The nurse was trying to be helpful and was a little more understanding than the doctor but ultimately they told me that if I didn't break my water and make progress they would have to send me back home and I did NOT want that to happen, so I decided to go ahead and let her break my water. Well, it was as I anticipated, after that labor progressed pretty quickly. Those contractions were no joke. Since Daniel was up and helping me now it made such a HUGE difference, I honestly didn't think he would be able to help much but just by him touching my back or arm or head it took away so much of the intense pain, it was crazy how that small touch and some encouraging words could help so much. The nurse suggested I sit on one of the birthing balls but it didn't help me at all and seemed to actually make the pain worse. I tried all kinds of different things, but the thing I found to be most helpful was standing with me legs apart and doing a figure eight motion with my hips. Sometimes I would put my hands on the edge of the bed and just beat it or I would bend and do a squat and rock back and forth or side to side. Daniel by my side was the best form of relief. I know he hated feeling helpless but he was so encouraging and helpful! The nurse was in about every hour to either put the monitor back on (YUCK!) or take them off (YEEEEESSSSS!) and it was getting close to when she was due to come back in, I told Daniel that when she came back and checked me that if I was under an 8 I was going to get an epidural because there was no way I could keep doing this, I was tired and in SO MUCH PAIN. She came back in and check me and I was at exactly an 8, so I didn't know what to do because I wasn't UNDER an 8, but also it took me a little over an hour to go from a 6 to an 8 and I could not imagine doing this for another hour to get to a 10. I told her I was debating getting an epidural, actually I was really thinking that, yes, I needed an epidural like now. She said they could give me some pain meds through my IV but I would have to stay in bed or she could give the anesthesiologist a call. I could not make up my ever-loving mind, so the nurse left and said she'd fill out the paperwork for an epidural in case that's what I decided but she said that if I felt any pressure while she was gone to call right away and not push until she got there. So I was debating with Daniel about what to do, sitting in bed with an IV only dulling the pain sounded miserable so I ruled that out so I needed to decide if I wanted to finish this thing or get an epidural and I was so close to choosing an epidural when I told Daniel I was going to use the restroom real quick. While I was sitting there I felt this very slight urge to push but I figured it was because I was sitting on a toilet. I told Daniel about it but decided it was nothing but then right away another urge to push came and it was a STRONG urge, so I told Daniel to call the nurse. This part was kind of funny to me because Daniel is always so composed but once I said that he was taken off guard and he was stumbling about, tripping over the bed/monitor cords and trying to find the button to push and find the right words to say to the nurse, it was kind of awesome and made me laugh a bit which was good. The nurse came in and got me to lay on my back (harder than it sounds) and told me not to push but I told her I could not help it my body was pushing whether I wanted it to or not, she checked me and I was indeed at a 10 and in a matter of seconds all these people are in the room and one of the nurses is telling the doctor she needs to RUN because this baby is coming fast! And she did, I went from an 8 to pushing her out in a matter of 15-20 minutes. I think I pushed like three times and out that baby girl came. I remember people telling me that there is this huge relief while you're pushing and once the baby finally comes out but I have to tell you that those people are liars. I felt very little relief and even though I wasn't having the pain of contractions there was a different type of pain and I just didn't experience much of this relief people speak of but I was so thankful Myla was finally here in my arms and I could see her and kiss her. Those moments right after having a baby when they put her on your chest and the doctor is doing her thing with cleaning and stitching, everything the doctor and nurses are doing just fades into the background and all I can concentrate on is the weight of this new life on my chest. It's a moment that goes by far too quickly but it's the best moment. After months of pregnancy and hours of labor, that new baby is finally here and it's quite a surreal moment.
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| That is the look of one tired mama. Overjoyed also. |
We had to wait a good bit before a recovery room opened up for us. But we eventually got settled in a room and since it was a Saturday Daniel was able to go back home and pick up the kids so they could come to the hospital and meet their new baby sister!
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| Look at this awesome group of people! |
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| Their shirts say "Worlds Best Sister" and "World Best Brother" and it's true. |
The kids didn't stay long, it was a small space and they were quickly getting restless. So Daniel brought them back home, but he came back to the hospital to stay with me one more night. Normally I enjoy the time at the hospital because it's just Daniel and I (and the new baby of course!), meals are taken care of, I don't have to clean up after anyone, and it's mostly quiet and calm. But this hospital experience was much different and much less enjoyable, so as soon as all the necessary tests and whatnot were taken care of and Myla and I were both cleared to go home, we did.
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| Welcome home party! |
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| Not a fan of that first bath. |
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| pure sweetness |
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| exhaustion |
Her siblings had to adjust also, some days were better than others.
We also welcomed visitors into our new normal. Grandma Jan and Auntie Malinda and cousin Garrett came for a visit. Uncle Marc, Auntie Britni, and cousin Ella came up for a day visit as well.
My mom was FINALLY able to come after three weeks and grandpa Jeff joined shortly after so that we could all celebrate Easter together.
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| This is a pretty accurate account of Easter 2018. We got everyone up, fed (can we just take a moment to acknowledge this simple three lettered word actually requires a ton of planning and work and pain and mess with a three week old, so please, don't skim past this seemingly insignificant verb, thank you), dressed (also a feat with kids with opinions on clothes with buttons). We get in the car and get stuck in a LONG line of cars all waiting to get into the parking lot. We park, we get kids checked into their classrooms, and get seats but one or two songs into worship Myla was getting upset, so I took her to our van and fed her, changed her, and snuggled with her. At some point I may have headed back in to the lobby for a bit to wait for service to be over, but this Easter was basically spent in a van with a cranky infant. I remember in this moment feeling frustrated and sad and lonely and overwhelmed at being the only person who was supposed to know how to soothe this baby and feeling like I was failing so miserably. This season was HARD y'all. But I also remember telling myself to enjoy this too. And that it would be important not to forget this moment. To soak in her sweet little face and sounds and smells, because I knew this was so temporary. It can feel like it'll last forever, but it really doesn't, it's fleeting. I acknowledged the hard feelings while reminding myself there was much to be thankful for and appreciate right in the mist of all the difficult. |
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| I purposefully wanted to capture the hard and the sweet. The wailing baby who I was having the hardest time consoling and the snuggly baby resting peacefully on my chest. Both are important to remember. |
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| Oh the depths of love a mother feels for her babies |
the boys while I went to take a nap with Myla...ya'll, I napped for a solid three hours, best nap of my life!! Once Daniel and Selah came back we gave them a quick tour of Austin before they had to head back home.
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| This picture makes me smile. I am so proud of this couple. They survived a tough season and continued to love each other well during it. They need a high five. And a vacation. |
They were the last of our visitors for a while and we settled into our new life. We watched a lot of Parks and Recreation. We ate a lot of jellybeans (a neighbor bought us a Costco sized jar). We did a lot of tag teaming so we could eat and shower and brush our teeth. We did a lot of singing and praying and giving everyone in the house a ton of grace. And somehow this wee little lady grew.
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| Gosh, they are just the cutest bunch |
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| This picture could not be more perfect. Myla's crying while Selah smiles at her sweetly and Owen and Blake look on in loving concern. |
Time marched on and she turned ONE!
And, somehow, we now have a TWO year old! Myla is feisty and fearless and keeps her brothers in check. She's silly and spunky and smart. She loves to sing Jesus Loves Me, God is So Good, Baby Shark, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She loves to dance to GoNoodle videos and Jesus Only worship songs. She loves to eat carrots and "coocoocumbers" and tomatoes, grapes and oranges, and sour cream. She loves to read all kinds of books, she doesn't have a favorite for long but currently her favorites are the little books from Chick-Fil-A kid's meals. She loves carrying around her squishy "zizards" and snuggling with her blankey, more specifically the tag on her blankey. She wants to do whatever her big siblings are doing, like jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes, coloring, playing in the rain OR she likes to destroy whatever her big siblings are doing, like board games, puzzles, Legos, any craft or creation.
Basically, she rules our house and she knows it.
We wouldn't want it any other way, it's hard to imagine life
without you in it Myla Mae, we LOVE YOU!!!
