The WHOLE Story

Here's a little more of the story...

As you all have read over the past couple of weeks I've been anxious to have this baby. I felt that, by my calculations ;), I should have had Tristan around the 15th. Unfortunately, Dr. Weary was on vacation. I kept hoping and hoping that Tristan would come on his own. He was getting bigger and bigger by the second, I just knew it. So, we scheduled the induction for the 25th.

At 7:30am Monday morning we went in. At about 8:30am Dr. Weary broke my water. I had a few hard contractions within that hour and then nothing. Finally, Dr. Weary suggested that we start Pitosin. They added that to my I.V. at about 12:30pm. During this time Ryan and Vance were trying their best not to be bored out of their minds. Vance took Ryan to breakfast and he ate a huge Big Bopper at Gunther Toody's, then they went to lunch at Subway. Again, not a whole lot happening so they started to increase the drip and I started to feel pretty uncomfortable. Since things were going much slower than my usual labors I opted for the epidural. It was fabulous!!! The anesthesiologist was great!!! I told him of my concerns that past epidurals turned out horrible, but I did have one that worked perfect and it made me itch. He seemed to know what I was talking about and gave me that same medication - I guess there are several types of epidurals - this all happened about 1:30pm.

Again, things progressed slowly and at about 4:30pm Dr. Weary called my nurse, Jenny and told her to get aggressive with the Pitosin. I didn't care, I could feel a thing. Dr. Weary wasn't on call that night and I knew he wanted to be there for the last Terry baby. Then, all of a sudden, I started feeling pressure. Every contraction felt like Tristan was finally moving down - I told the nurse she better get Dr. Weary. They got the room ready and I started to push.

Normally, pushing lasts about 5 minutes for me. This seemed like an eternity. The nurse was a great coach, but she made me work really hard. By the way, if you want to hear a really funny story about pushing ask me later as I don't want to write it here.

Anyway, after 11 minutes of pushing, Tristan came out face up. For some reason, this makes me think of a deck of cards, I've had so many different hands...I've delivered completely natural, with drugs, breach, sunny side up and I run the gamut of sizes from 5 lbs 15 oz. to 10 lbs. 11 oz. The only thing I haven't experienced is a c-section (and I'm grateful).

The first thing I said when Tristan was born was, "That's not a baby, that's a toddler." Corny, I know, but it's what was on my mind. Everyone in the room commented how big he was and when the nurse finally weighed him we were all in disbelief once again. Almost 11 lbs. and I didn't tear, even a little bit. God is good!

Delivering in the new hospital was great. It's an absolutely beautiful facility. I had mentioned in an earlier blog that they have this really neat security system where the mother wears a "hugs" bracelet and the baby wears a "kisses" bracelet and when the two meet a chime goes off. But, here's the coolest thing. When these bracelets are first put on right after delivery, a short lullaby plays over the intercom for the entire maternity floor. We were there for two and a half days and every time I heard that lullaby outside my room I knew another baby was born. It was precious.

I also want to say a huge thanks to Rick and Alisa Pierce. They took care of Rachie, Kael and Morgan for the time that I was in the hospital and even the day after. It was so nice to get the opportunity to acclimate to having a new family member without any stress. Also, thanks to Vance's parents for doing the same for the older boys. I know they had a blast watching cartoons on cable T.V. and having all of the other "Grandma Specials" they don't get at home.

I'm so glad Tristan is here. I'm enjoying every waking moment (literally) with him. He doesn't sleep much at night, but I don't mind. I got three hours of sleep last night and I actually feel pretty good. I spent the day trying to get caught up on house work and I feel like I've accomplished something. Already, my body is feeling a little bit back to normal. I even started some minor abdominal exercises today.

Tristan is the sweetest little boy and I can't wait for everyone to meet him. His brothers and sisters absolutely adore him and are always asking if they can hold him. So far, all my fears about the twins being jealous and how am I going to hold them all at the same time - haven't come true. Morgan and Kael do not try to get on my lap when I'm holding Tristan and they haven't tried laying on top of him or anything like that either. I feel extremely blessed.

I also feel a little sad. He's probably my last baby. The last one I'll carry or nurse or go through labor with. It's hard to move on to the next phase of our lives, but I know it's time. Glen and Ryan love having a big family and would love having even more brothers and sisters, but I also know they're ready for the things we can do as a family when everyone is old enough to do them. Like go to Hawaii or skiing...I'm also looking forward to see how each child grows and matures and all the things we will be able to do together as a family.

Well, I think that's about it. I know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of details, but I'm sure you didn't want to read a novel anyway. Enjoy the pictures.

HE'S HERE!!!!

Yesterday, at 5:10pm, Tristan Neil Terry arrived.  Mr. TNT weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs. and 11 oz.  That's right, folks!  Almost 11 pounds of baby.  Vance and I are still in shock.  Believe it or not - somehow - I pushed for only 11 minutes.  The nurse timed it.  

We've had a busy evening with lots of family to welcome Tristan into the world.  Of course, Vance was with me all day, but a little surprise was that Ryan (9) wanted to be with me, as well.  Despite being bored for most of the day I think he was glad he could be there to see the birth.  I was also glad that my doctor of 10 years was able to be there for the birth.  Out of 8 deliveries he's been there for three and I'm glad he delivered the biggest and most likely the last.

I have lots more to share and more pictures as well, but I'm on another computer and am not able to figure everything out.  I've never even used a Mac before.  So, I should be getting home tomorrow or the next day, depending on kidney stone surgery, and I'll make sure I update once again.

No baby, yet.

Still no baby. If nothing happens over this weekend, I will be induced 7:30 Monday morning. I can't wait to meet Tristan.

I've had some really incredible things happen over the last two days. I was out getting some last minute items in preparation for Tristan's arrival and received a call from our worship pastor's wife. She asked that if I hadn't delivered yet, would I consider giving my testimony about how my song "King of Kings" came about and then sing it at the Concert of Praise, which happened last night at our church. I was unsure at first. I haven't been feeling well and knowing that I could go into labor at any moment I didn't think I should commit. I talked it over with Vance and he really felt impressed that it was something I should do.

I went to a short practice (for me) on Thursday night. We rehearsed my song one time and then as I was walking out Dina (our worship pastor's wife) asked if she could pray for me. Of course, I said, "yes". Before I knew it there were six ladies praying and speaking words over me while massaging my feet and hands. This lasted for an hour and I was totally blessed. Our God is truly awesome and knows EXACTLY what we need and want - even if we don't.

Last night went very well. The band really played their best. The tech team had everything down just perfect. I never feel comfortable or capable of speaking in front of a large crowd, but I prayed that I would say the right thing and that it would impress upon the people there that God ALWAYS, ALWAYS does things in our lives that are unexpected, but just because his works don't meet our expectations doesn't mean we shouldn't be obedient.

It's like the story about the man and the flood and he asks God to save him and as he's sitting on his roof he has three opportunities to be saved, including a boat and an helicopter, but he refuses all of them. When he dies and gets to heaven he asks God, "Why didn't you save me?" And God says, "You dope. I sent three opportunities."

I may have told that story wrong, but you get the gist. I believe God wants to start a revival in our hearts and in our churches and we can't look to a president to fix all the problems that are happening around us. Only we can, through the power and the grace of God. This revival may not look like what we expect. When the phrase "expect the unexpected" was created, that person must have been talking about God.

All that said, I feel so extremely privileged that I was chosen to be the vessel for "King of Kings" and the vessel to convey (hopefully) a simple message last night.

My New Motto

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says... "Oh s***....she's awake!!"

Sorry for the "s" word, but that's what makes it good.

Pray for Eli Bremer if you're reading this between 8:30pm and 8:30am today and tomorrow (20/21). Go to his website and watch him compete right now www.elibremer.com.

Still no baby :)

It worked!

The entry before this was made from my laptop. So, hopefully, when the blessed event happens there will be an update right away for all to see.

come on

Problems

Well, it's been two days since I've posted. A lot has happened in the Terry household this week. To start with, my computer contracted a nasty virus and shut down. I'm in danger of losing all my data. My pictures from the last three years, my music and our business files. I have a friend (who I will forever be indebted to) who is trying to fix the problem.

Of course, I've never backed up anything so if I end up losing it all it will be my fault.

So, I just wanted to post real quick (I've got screaming twins and a crying baby going at the same time) and hopefully this labtop will work alright for the time being.

Well, it's been two days since I've posted. A lot has happened in the Terry household this week. To start with, my computer contracted a nasty virus and shut down. I'm in danger of losing all my data. My pictures from the last three years, my music and our business files. I have a friend (who I will forever be indebted to) who is trying to fix the problem.

Of course, I've never backed up anything so if I end up losing it all it will be my fault.

So, I just wanted to post real quick (I've got screaming twins and a crying baby going at the same time) and hopefully this labtop will work alright for the time being.

Well, I've missed two days of blogging. A lot has happened in the Terry household this week. For starters, I beleive my desktop contracted a nasty virus and

Preparations

The twins at about 3 months.

I'm testing my laptop today. It's been about a year since I've used it. I wanted to be able to take it to the hospital with me and share pictures while I'm there. I spent about and hour and a half on it - just cleaning out the cobwebs and doing updates, etc.

Yes, I'm still pregnant. I had a doctor's appointment again yesterday. Again, everything looks great. I'm at 3 cm - that's good. Unfortunately, the new hospital is so popular they cannot schedule any more inductions this week. So, unless I go into labor on my own (doubtful) I will be induced next Monday the 25th.

This is all good because it gives me time to get more things ready. Like this ancient laptop and other things around the house.

I'm going to insert an obscure picture just to make sure everything works. So, hopefully this post goes through, as well.

My Apology for Complaining

I've got to apologize for complaining. I guess we all have our moments. I'm feeling much more encouraged today. I'm an extremely task oriented person and when I don't have tasks, goals or purpose I find all sorts of things to complain about.

I read this last night and I had to put it here for my record.

I Timothy 2:1-3
1 Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God's mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them.
2 Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the lord.
3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth: That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring them together, by giving his life for all mankind.

The part that really got me going was "so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord." That's all I want to do! When I plan meals or school or housekeeping or visiting with friends or juggling finances - I want it all to be about godly living then when the day is done I want to spend the rest of my time "thinking much about the Lord."

After reading this I was motivated to get back to my journal and my lists. I feel more positive about the future even though we just got a notice from the state saying they wanted to audit us for last year's payroll (we've never been audited before - it's quite an unsettling feeling) and we've had to tear apart the wall downstairs because of the flooding and now our main drain has a crack and we just got an estimate for the septic system for over $11,000. All this made me feel as though God's blessing had lifted from us. But, today I called our tax guy and they said "We'll take care of the audit." Then, we received the go ahead on a large remodel where Vance will be able to work right next door and it should bring in some good funds. Even without those things happening I know that whatever we're going through God is our Jehovah Jireh!

Everyone I've talked to this week is going through some trial and I say "Yes, Lord". There is no growth, no getting closer to him unless we truly NEED him and cry out to him in all our struggles. Let us not depend on our own strength, but on the strength and abundant WISDOM of the Lord!

With God's help I can endure pain and I can wait for His timing. He has a perfect plan for Tristan Neil and I trust it.

Even More Birthdays!

Ugh! That's another understatement! I'm still pregnant. I can go on and on about how miserable I am, but I won't :) I'll just mention the few things like - this baby is HUGE, I'm swollen all over and I can't sleep. My left hand hurts immensely for some strange reason. I saw on the news last night the first person to deliver at the new hospital. They showed her in her hospital bed with baby then a nurse brought her a huge gift basket. I'm so bummed. It would have been great to have the gift basket, but mostly it would be great to have labor and delivery over right now. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow. I will ask him to take me out of my misery.


On a lighter side, we had a great party last night. It was so wonderful to celebrate Pop's 75th birthday. He got some fun and unusual presents and Valerie (Vance's sister) had the great idea of letting the kids ask him some questions about some of his favorite things when he was a kid. I really enjoyed this and Glen and Ryan did, as well. I felt like I didn't get to visit with everyone like I would have liked. I got home wondering where I was most of the night. But, it really was great seeing Amanda and Natalie and Gwen and Becky and all their families. It was a very good evening. Thank you, Valerie, for putting it together.


A very good friend of ours is here visiting. Tim is someone both Vance and I have known for over 20 years. It's so fun to have him here. Our lives are so different now, but it's almost like going back in time when you get to visit about our history together. Vance and Tim have a lot of history - I got to become friends with Tim because of Vance and he truly is one of my favorite people.


I hope you enjoy the pictures and the ramblings of a very weary lady.

More of the Same

Last night Vance and I went to tour the new hospital. It is very nice and state-of-the-art. It has all the latest and greatest in the medical world. The labor and delivery rooms are huge and very modern. Their safety system seems fool proof. The baby gets a hugs bracelet and momma gets a kisses bracelet and when the baby comes near you - like coming back from the nursery - the bracelets make a cute little sound that acknowledges that the two fit together. I thought that was pretty cute. Also, if baby gets too close to an exit door, the entire hospital locks down. That would be fun to try (no I wouldn't).

About two hours after delivery they switch you to a recovery room. This is different than the old hospital where we could labor, deliver and recover all in the same room for the entire stay. I stayed in one of these rooms for a month with the twins. I took a jacuzzi bath every morning. So, when I heard they would move me two hours after delivery, my first question was, "Do they have jacuzzi tubs?" How spoiled am I? The answer is, "yes"! They also have a spa for those who want to leave their rooms and go get pampered. How cool is that?

It's going to be rainy all day today (which I love) and my body is feeling the change in the barometer. So, hopefully I'll make it until 7 am tomorrow to enjoy the benefits of the new hospital. After the tour, I was very encouraged at how well put together they are. It was nothing like the doctor's offices. The hospital is definitely more prepared.

After the tour, Vance and I decided to go out to dinner. We went to a place called Salt Grass. It's a steak house and it was very good. It was probably our last special time together before Tristan arrives.

When we got home we had another birthday celebration with Vance's parents. The kids absolutely LOVE it when Grandma and Papa come over. They got some more presents (no toys - thank you Grandma). A couple of their favorites were the books. I think it's great how much our kiddos love books. Kael likes them the most. He even asks for them when we put him down in his bed. He's a little more particular than the rest of the children. He requires a bottle, a blankie and most recently he'll say "Book?". I usually give him one of those baby books that have the hard cardboard pages. I'm such a wuss.

I've included some pictures. I wouldn't normally include pictures of myself looking so horrible. I'm a bit swollen (understatement of the year), but the kids got so into the reading of "Polar Bear, Polar Bear..." that I had to share it and it will be another good "before" picture for memories.

Thanks Grandma and Papa for a wonderful evening.

Keep checking back as Tristan should arrive at any time :).

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays

This is a fun-filled month for the Terry family. There are so many birthdays. One that's a little sad is Michal Noel's. She would have be seven on August 1. Then there are the twins who were born on August 11. We had a little family celebration on Monday. Then Will was born on August 13 (today) he's 6. Then Grandpa's birthday is the 16th. We'll have a big 75th birthday bash on Saturday. Then, of course, I'm due to deliver at any time, this Saturday after the birthday bash would be perfect. I'd get to go to a party then, I'd be one of the first to deliver at the new hospital.

That's a total of five deliveries in August. Four summer pregnancies. And...I know most of you are thinking..."What are you guys doing in December?" It must be a romantic month :).

I was determined not to get any toys for the kids' birthdays. That takes some creativity for me. So, for the twins - I bought them a musical birthday card and a cute little chair to watch movies in. I think they like the cards the best. Morgan's played "You've Got A Friend In Me" from Toy Story. Kael's played "Wipe Out". My kids love those musical greeting cards. They walk around opening and closing them all day long.

For Will, I bought several giant coloring books and another Scene It game. It's one of the few games he can play with the older folks in the family and he really misses out when we play Scrabble or Apples to Apples. He was very excited to get this game.

Oh, the cake and ice cream. What a mess. I'll have to share those pictures some other time. We had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and, although I bought Neapolitan ice cream, guess which flavor everyone wanted. You guessed it! Chocolate! Yes, they were hyper, but they slept an hour longer the next morning. Woo hoo!!!

NEW SUBJECT

We've been having a great time watching the Olympic Games. I've really enjoyed the reporting for this one. They've talked about how China has been a terrific host. It makes me feel hopeful for this country. The opening ceremonies were unlike anything I've ever seen. The construction of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are amazing. All these things are examples of how China has welcomed the world and put their best foot forward. All of it has been inspirational for me.

You know what has also been great? The commercials! Usually, when you watch events like the World Series or the Super Bowl, you have to turn off the TV when the commercials come on. They're definitely rated PG-13 or worse. I don't know about you, but I'm loving the VISA commercials narrated by Morgan Freeman. I could do without the McDonald's commercials, but at least they're wholesome. I've always loved Coca-Cola commercials, especially the roller skating one. It reminds me of roller skating in Venice Beach when I was very young. I think I could just leave it on channel 5 for the next few weeks. Lots of good stuff!!! It's good to see the boys into it, as well. Maybe they'll be Olympic champions one day.

YET ANOTHER NEW SUBJECT

I wanted to share a bit of a baby update. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks great. It was my first appointment at the new hospital. I didn't actually get to see the hospital, but the chaos that surrounded the doctor's offices did not instill confidence. While I was hooked up to all the machines for the stress test I could hear the nurse's frustration in trying to find things, where to put things and even being locked out of doors. So, pray that if I do go into labor this Saturday, the hospital staff will have a little bit better handle on things. "Where is the epidural cart?" :)

I didn't get to see my regular doctor so, when the substitute doctor was measuring my belly he asked, "How big was your biggest baby?" I said 8lbs. 11 oz. Then he asked, "What do you think about this one?" I said that I thought he was probably around 8lbs. by now. Then he said, "Yep. I'm thinking he's pretty big." I've heard from several sources that your baby gains the most weight in the last month. At the tune of 1 pound per week. I'm praying I don't have a 9 lb. baby. I'd rather him gain this weight on the outside rather than on the inside. Again, I feel so privileged to carry a child, but we're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Tristan Neil.

Eli Bremer

I wanted to let you all know about a good friend of ours who will be competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. His name is Eli Bremer and he's a pentathlete.

The pentathlon consists of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian jumping and running all in one day. I can't imagine the stamina that must take.

We know Eli and his wife Cami and his parents Duncan and Michelle (Duncan ran for congress a little over a year ago) through church. Also, Eli has flipped several homes and Vance has done most of the remodeling for him. In fact, in an earlier post I showed pictures of one of Eli's homes.

We're so excited to see Eli compete and know that he will be a missionary in China, as well. On the Fourth of July we were watching a PBS special at the White House and Eli was presented as one of the Olypians - Vance and I almost lept off the couch :).

Eli won the gold medal in his event at the Pan Am Games in 2007! To learn more about Eli and how you can support him - especially through prayer - please check out his blog, which is syndicated by Lenovo, USA Today, and NBCOlympics.com - http://www.elibremer.com/.

MSC Worship on iTunes

This is very exciting! Our church has now produced three albums and the latest two are now featured on iTunes! Just go to your iTunes page and type in "Mountain Springs Worship". You will see both albums and Pastor Steve's pod casts. You can subscribe for free. His latest series on Romans 12 is meaty stuff!

Listen to the samples - my little contributions are on King of Kings, Come Thou Fount and Crown Him With Many Crowns. Please make a comment if you feel led. Then let me know what you think.

Summer Swimming

This year we only had Rachie and Will take swim lessons. This is Will's third year and Rachie's first. Will has done so well. He's diving, swimming freestyle, backstroke and he loves stream lining under water.

I was also real encouraged by Rachie's progress this year. The first couple of days of swim lessons she would not put her face in the water and would cry every time someone splashed her. By the last swim lesson she was diving for pennies. She picked up three. The rest of her class picked up several more, but I was so proud of the steps she made.

Miss Rose (as we call her) is the owner of the pool and celebrated her 80th birthday a couple of weeks ago. She is Rachie's instructor. All of my kids have a great fondness for her. And..for her birthday, they brought a delicious cake and ice cream for all the kids who were at the pool that day.

Kael and Morgan were tentative the first week, too. But, now they love the water and I have to watch them closely because they like to go beyond their limits.

There are a few pictures in the slide show with Kael and Morgan crying. The story behind that is the bottle of ice water - when Kael had it, Morgan screamed and when Morgan had it, Kael screamed. The pictures are in this progression.

Today, I'm actually missing being at the pool. Being there every day for the last two weeks has made me extremely behind on house work and computer work. Even when we got home from the pool I wasn't able to do anything because we all took a two hour nap and then it was time to cook dinner. I did nothing else. But, I miss it because it feels like the summer is over. I think we'll be able to make a couple of trips this week and next. In a sense, it was good to be forced to just hang out by the pool and leave school work and house work behind. As long as I can walk (which is increasingly difficult) we'll try to hang on to the summer as long as possible.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures.