Corban's Birth Story

Corban Dean Moore

January 29, 2013

9lb 7oz, 19.75in

I am so grateful God has blessed me with the opportunity to mother three boys. From conception I have known this birth would be different. After having planned 2 births that went awry and then a miscarriage I decided it must be God’s plan for my babies to be born in hospitals. For this reason, for the first time, I sought out a doctor instead of a midwife. When I was only about 7 weeks pregnant I began having cramps and feared losing this baby too. I had not yet found a doctor but called and made an appointment with the first doctor that could see me. I wasn’t sure that this would be my OB but I prayed that he would be compassionate toward my fears of losing another baby. God answered my prayers as only He could. Dr. Allerkamp was extremely compassionate and comforting. Within 24 hours we saw our baby and his precious beating heart on an ultrasound and were assured that Baby was developing perfectly. I was due February 5, 2013!

As the end of my pregnancy neared I began having lots of contractions. I had prayed hard that Corban would come early so that he would not get too big and scare the doctors. After my birth experience with Cameron I wanted to avoid any battles with doctors that I could. Dr. Allerkamp had thus far been open to and even encouraging of a natural birth but he was still a doctor so I was nervous. So when contractions became more regular and stronger I took notice. In the last few weeks of pregnancy, on three different occasions I timed contractions that were 5-7 minutes apart and seemingly “the real thing.” However each time they died out and the day went on. The last time that happened was Sunday afternoon on January 27. We went on to the church’s annual chili cook off where I tried to find some good spicy chili. The next morning I saw my chiropractor for my weekly visit. She did acupressure on me trying to bring the onset of labor. I went on home and went about my regular day. That night I woke up around 1:30 with contractions that felt somehow different than the other episodes. I tried sleeping but I was too excited. I woke Matt up around 2 with my tossing and turning. By 2:30 I sent my parents a text letting them know I was fairly certain this was labor. They left San Antonio by 3AM. Around 3:15 I sent Kelly Brock a text asking her to come over and stay with the boys while we went to the hospital.

Once we arrived I was put into a triage room where they checked to see my progress and our vitals. Corban and I were both doing great. Good blood pressure, good heart rate, etc. However I was only dilated to a 4. The nurse offered for me to walk the halls of the hospital to progress labor. Matt and I walked for about an hour, stopping to breathe through contractions when necessary. The discouraging part was that I was not progressing much. The need to stop and breathe through the contractions was becoming less frequent. My parents arrived from San Antonio and I began to stress about labor stopping. We went back to our triage room to be monitored again. We were still in good health but no progress had been made at all. The nurse offered that we could go home and return when things picked up but that without the use of drugs (which I did NOT want again) there was no need for me to stay in the hospital. So around 6:30 we left for home.

I was incredibly sad and anxious. I called grandparents in from San Antonio and a friend in the middle of the night. I wanted it to be for something!

Connor and Cameron had just woken up when we got home and didn't even seem to notice that we were coming home or that Kelly was there. We tried to take turns resting throughout the morning while entertaining the boys. My contractions never really stopped completely but they were 20 or even 30 minutes apart at times and not as intense as they were in the morning. I used all sorts of home remedies for getting labor going. Last of all was drinking Castor Oil. I tried it around noon I think. Around 1:30 I began having contractions again that were about 10 minutes apart. That lasted until somewhere between 3 and 4 o’clock. I wasn't completely paying attention. I was actually trying to even distract myself so that I wouldn't go crazy timing contractions. I even went to the hardware store with Matt to get some things for the bunk beds he was building. Sometime during that hour though the contractions became more intense and more like every 5 minutes. By 4:15 I was having very regular contractions that required my full focus and were 2-3 minutes apart. My mom was quite concerned that this baby would come very quickly when we decided he was ready and that we needed to be heading out the door. At 4:40 I sent a couple of texts telling people we were headed to the hospital, again. This time I was torn between these intense contractions and my fear that it would all come to a stop again.

We arrived at Metroplex Labor & Delivery again just before 5 pm  My parents took Connor & Cam to the Brock’s house and then came to be with us. This time they did not send me to triage but straight to a delivery room. I was having contractions about every 2 minutes and had to receive an IV with antibiotics to protect the baby from the slim chance he could catch the Group B Strep I was carrying. I had carefully typed up my birth plan, had Dr. Allerkamp sign off on it and put it in my file. It was fairly simple, just let me do things without intervention and as I feel led to do in the moment. An IV was not on my wish list because it limited my movement but it was necessary to protect my baby. I had taken a big stability/exercise ball with me which I thought I might sit on but instead I used it to put my arms and head on as I knelt on the bed. I was checked for progress as they monitored out vitals again. I was between a 7 and 8! I felt so much relief come over me to know that I was really going to have this baby tonight and not in another week or two. I had nurses in and out all during the time I labored asking me different questions and getting the room ready for birth. Around 6:30 the contractions were lasting at least a minute in length, some as long as 90 seconds and were very intense. The nurse called for Dr. Allerkamp who came in and checked me. I was the same, still around 8 cm  He was content to let me continue as is but I asked about breaking my water. I was hoping it would send me into the final stage and let me hold my baby. He agreed it was a good option. It took a few minutes to maneuver between contractions but around 6:40 he broke my water. I rolled back onto my hands and knees to continue laboring when out of nowhere the incredible urge to push was on me. My dad left the room, mom went to get the doctor who had just stepped out and I began to panic. I kept saying to Matt, “I can’t do this!” To which he replied, “you are doing this.” There was no going back. I pushed straight through 3 contractions and delivered Corban Dean Moore at 6:59 pm January 29. I was so panicked and exhausted and ready to be done that I pushed even when I wasn't contracting which caused some damage that I hadn't experienced before. Being on my hands and knees caused my body to use gravity and Corban came very quickly. Ten minutes from the time my water broke to the moment Dr. Allerkamp said, “Happy Birthday!” to be exact. It was the most intense 10 minutes I can remember!

 I heard a nurse say during delivery that he wasn't in the best position for birth, meaning he was slightly turned which can cause a more painful delivery. I think this is why I instinctively wanted to be on hands and knees. It was just what felt right. It allowed for the most space without my body being pressed into a bed, restricting the full space for him to deliver. I had considered lots of positions for delivery but because it all happened so fast that changing positions wasn't even an option in my mind. As a result of laboring and then delivering on my hands & knees my legs were incredibly tired and shaky over the next several hours.

My dad stood in the hall listening to the whole thing and then left shortly thereafter to go get the big brothers. Mom stayed with me and Matt in L&D while I recovered. Dad returned with the big boys and we all got to hug and hold and kiss on Corban for a while. It was so precious seeing my three boys together. Three brothers! What a treasured blessing for me and for them. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for my family.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

September?

Where did September go? I can't believe that I didn't post on here once in the last month! Sorry! I really have only 1 picture that I took in September too. How long can I blame things like this on pregnancy???
Well, here's our 1 picture. Special isn't it?

Speaking of pregnancy, we have decided on a name! Drumroll please....
Corban Dean Moore

Matt suggested Corbin but didn't know of any significance. I knew it meant something spiritual, I just wasn't sure what. After some research, we found Mark 7:11 which tells us that Corban means a gift to/for God. Perfect! Neither of the other boys names were chosen for any specific meaning, we just liked them. But this time we really felt led to this name and meaning. We chose to spell it with an a instead of an i which is how it's spelled in scripture. Dean is my mom's dad's middle name. We are so grateful for his presence and leadership of his family and felt compelled to give him a namesake.
So early next year (due date is 2/5) we will be adding Corban Dean to our family photos!

Water Park

Now we are entering August pictures. We recently discovered a small water park that's about 20 minutes from our house. We went on a friends recommendation and had a blast. The boys loved it!

Connor is quite a fish and would never get out of the water if he didn't have to. He is pretty fearless which I love. He was in a total state of bliss...

until just after this picture. He saw some big kids jumping from the middle divider,  off of this green slide. He decided to try it too. He couldn't jump quite as far and hit the outer edge and skinned up his knee pretty well. It bled for a long time and we had to file a report to get him cleaned up. He had to sit out and let it try to dry up enough to scab over before he could get back in. He was so pitiful. It finally began to heal enough that he got about 20 more minutes of swimming in before we had to go home.

Cameron on the other hand likes to play it safe. He truly enjoyed himself, it just looks different that Connor's fun. Just a side note, Cameron wears these glasses EVERY time he's outside. Without fail. He has earned the nickname Cool Shades.

Cam's favorite thing is to sit on the fountains.

If you look closely you can see that those are Connor's legs on the end of the slide.

He did muster the courage to conquer this toddler slide. He prefers it because nothing sprays you in the face while climbing or sliding.

Learning to Sew

I am working to add sewing to my list of abilities. I recently had two baby showers to attend. They were the first ones since I lost the baby in January. I was not looking forward to them at all, in spite of the fact that I am pregnant again. (16 weeks Monday) I remembered my friend Melissa saying that having a gift she was excited to give gave her the motivation she needed to start attending these things again. So I gave it a whirl. I have a lot of improving to do but it was a fun project.

The first was a playmat for my friend Mina. They aren't finding out the sex of the baby so I got this pretty neutral fabric. I attached 2 ribbon loops for toys. You can see one on the top right here.

The second gift was for Brenna. She was having a boy. I decided on a taggie toy and a burp cloth for her. The taggie rag has a thick plastic bag for that fun crinkle noise and ribbon loops around the edges. I also added a couple of buttons for fun. I sewed them on as firmly as humanly possible. Plus they are over-sized so on the off change they somehow managed to come off, baby would have a really difficult time choking on them. Saftey first!

Waco Zoo

Yes, we are alive and well. I know I've been MIA for a while now but our computer issues are still working themselves out. Here are some summer pictures for your viewing pleasure. 

In July we went to the Cameron Park Zoo for a family fun day. If you've never been, it's a great zoo! 

The boys checked out an alligator through an underground cave window.

And then outside from up above.

Cameron I inspected a sleeping ocelot. I had to hope that the glass was very thick.

My guys escaped the sun for a minute inside a teepee.

The orangutan is the crown jewel of the zoo. She is huge. We caught the very end of a presentation by a zoo keeper. She was doing tricks for treats here.

The boys paused for a minute on the statue.

See, Mommy was there!

More to come! I promise!

Connor's Nap Time Activities

My big boy is like my shadow lately...ALWAYS with me. So I decided to capitalize on his interest in what I'm doing and had him clean windows and mirrors. He got so excited about squirting the Windex.

Then, a few days later he was painting while Cameron was sleeping and he called me in to show me something. He had painted a C - his "special letter." He was so proud of himself.

Leaning on the Learning Curve

I have been trying to work with Connor on his letters and pre-writing skills for the last few months. So far we've covered A B C E F G M O R. I gather ideas from homeschool blogs (written by moms who are much more organized than I, and from what I can gather, don't sleep much.) Then while he has rest time I gather supplies from around the house and set up our lesson on the dining room table. He gets so excited and says things like "Mommy, can we pweeeease do a wesson (lesson) today?!" There are so many ways for me to improve our lessons and my time with him but as I titled todays post, I'm leaning on that curve. Hopefully I will improve with time but for now I will rejoice in the small successes.

For example, check out his improving scissor skills!

On this paper I drew three lines and had him cut along the lines. This was his first time using small children's scissors. The lines were zigzag, wavy and straight.

These are from today when I gave him a worksheet where he needed to cut out small pictures and glue them to the corresponding box.

I always have him trace the letter a few times. First with his index finger (90% of the time this is his right hand but occasionally he mixes it up with a lefty.) Then he gets to use a marker and today we added beans and made an F with them! Working on his dexterity & fine motor skills!

We always make a picture with our letter.

And most recently I've added printable worksheets like this one and the seasons one above. He was instructed to circle the healthy foods and put an X on the unhealthy ones. He got them all correct but had trouble with the X's. He forgets to pick up his marker for the second line.

Overall, I am really pleased with his progress and mine. More than emphasizing his knowledge of letters and their sounds I want to focus on skills that will help him be a better student in the future. Things like developing fine motor skills and a love for reading are much higher on my list than being able to recite the US Presidents or state capitals.

Buzz & Woody

We inherited some new clothes from our friend and among them were these AWESOME Toy Story pajamas! My boys are so smitten with the Toy Story movies and Cameron particularly loves Buzz Lightyear. Buzz is among the top used words in his developing vocabulary. When in Wal-Mart or any other store, if we walk by anything with these characters on it, Cameron is pointing and shouting "Buzz! Buzz!" until you take notice and acknowledge that Buzz Lightyear is within sight. We don't own these movies though, we do have them on our DVR. About once a week the boys get to watch one of them and I am so grateful for such sweet little movies that my boys can enjoy. Connor is very sensitive to intense music or characters and both Toy Story 1 & 2 are just totally free of anything tense or frightening. So there's my Disney Pixar endorsement.

Oh, the other funny thing about these pj's is that they are sizes 5 & 6. Cameron (21 months) wears a 2T and a few 3T items. Connor wears 3T-4T. Now, in my experience pajamas run small but a 5 & 6?! The only thing particularly big is the pants on Cam; they are rolled up a couple of times.

This is them checking each other out in their new duds.

This is the best shot I got of them both looking at the camera.

Check out this sweet brotherly hug!

That quickly turned into a wrestling match.

February in Pictures

Just to round out the end of the month, here are some pictures I didn't get around to writing about.

We played a lot of Legos. Hats were often required.

Curious George required a time out. Not sure why. I didn't put him there. Cameron did.

We enjoyed beautiful spring weather (in February!) at the city park with friends!

I apologize for cutting Cameron's head off. When you have a slow camera you just point & shoot and hope for the best. Sometimes you win, sometimes you chop off your baby's head.

Since Ryan & Colin moved, Reagan moved back to Cove and stepped right in as Connor's new buddy. They play beautifully together which has been a great answer to prayer - especially since they live across the street!

I told Connor & Reagan to pose. She was happy to oblige. This was the best I got of him.

I saw this idea for mess free finger painting and decided to give it a try. The results were less than desired. I had it all set up for when the boys got up from their naps and they both were just a ball of emotions over it. They wanted the tape off of the table; they wanted the paper out from under the bags; they wanted the paint to move more easily; the list goes on. In truth, I really did need to add more paint but I don't think we'll be trying this again any time soon.


I am trying to do a weekly letter lesson with Connor (and Cameron if he's interested.) This week was "M." We started with looking at the letter and tracing it with our finger, then with crayons. Next we cut out a big M and a Moon and glued them to a piece of paper with an "M" themed verse. As an afterthought we added a googly-eyed monkey sticker. I regret the verse I chose because it was far too long for Connor to remember. We then sorted Money (coins) and wrote a letter to our "adopted" World Vision daughter, Mapenzi. We also made a picture for her and will Mail it on Monday.

Turn on the Water Works

Okay, this really shouldn't make you cry. These silly boys of mine have had some fun playing in the water this week. On Sunday we did a Sink or Float Experiment. I filled a plastic tub with water and gave the boys a variety of items to put in. Before they could drop their item they had to guess if it would sink or float. I gave them things like plastic army men, coins, balls, potatoes, etc. They had a blast.

Next, today we "fished" for letters and numbers. I made make-shift fishing poles with woodenspoons and magnets and the boys fished out magnetic letters and numbers from my bathtub.Again, it was a big hit! I had Connor tell me the letters he was picking up and he probably gotabout half of them right!

Now I want to clarify that I did not come up with this idea on my own. I only wish I were so creative. I found it on Pinterest.