Dear Lou,

There is some pressure on you, the (never say never but certainly) last baby. It’s hard to explain, but you are sort of “every baby,” in that you represent love and growth and, well, motherhood in a way. At 15 months, you are a love. You 

- are busy and constantly on the go.

- are full of smiles and very friendly. “Hi!” “Hi!” “Hi!” You like to go up to the pandemic zoom meetings until you see your face, smile big, and yell, “HI!!!!”

- are not a cuddly sort of baby but you would prefer to hold hands and nurse all night, every night. I’m tired. Maren and Mags were very cuddly; Annie was not. You are more like her in that regard except you never discovered your thumb or pacifier. It’s hard to explain, because you adore being held. 

- have become a toddler. Babies must grow up, but I can still be sad about it. Your run for the street and the ocean. You like to go on stroller rides and bike rides.

- talk just a little. “Mama” then a grunt and a point. We all know what you mean.

- love being outside, digging in the dirt, playing in the water, or swinging on the spider web.

Really blonde hair, really brown eye, really tan legs:

Love swinging:

Biking! (Hole-y Harper teeth!)

Easter 1:

Easter 2:

Dear Annie,

We could not ask for a better oldest sibling than you. You embrace the role. Like your mother, you love babies. You rarely complain and possess a naturally sunny disposition. You are bright and kind, and you work hard at dance and school. You love baking and you are a mess doing it. I’m so glad you are in our family. 

Pandemic times:

For pandemic art (you love ballet and pointe):

Crazy hair day at dance:

Easter: 

You are absolutely lovely. I adore you!

Love, Mom

Day 17

Remains much quieter than normal in the ER. The rare report we see says 10 cases in the hospital currently, with 12 PUI.

Already tired of wearing a mask constantly.

Unsettled. The calm before the storm?

Really enjoying homeschool and having my kids home all the time. Maren likes to make jokes in her google classroom when signing in for attendance. She has done, “is Maren here? Check again!” Yesterday, she typed, “This is Maren smells like updog in here!” Luckily Mrs. Zettler responded, “what’s up dog? 😊”

Mags has had the hardest time. She has been crying and upset l, which is unusual for her. 

The above ground pool has been a winner. Meghan the neighbor heard splashing from next door and texted, “did you get an above ground pool?!?! I want one.”

Dear Mare,

Dear Mare,

At nine (9?!?), you are awesome. You are funny, loud, and smart. You were an awesome basketball player this year, a fabulous knitter, and you know how to make people feel loved. You have a humongous heart and are deeply in tune with others’ emotions. You FEEL. You take charge of your homeschool and pretty much everything else in your life. Your CCD teacher told me, “wow, Maren is a great kid. You can just tell she really has it together.” And, while that made us laugh, it has always been true. 

For homeschool art:

I told you that you were like a rainbow during the pandemic when you came out like This:

Easter:

Always on roller blades:

My fellow water girl and swimmer:

Love this picture AND you!

Love you so much,

Mom

Dear Mags,

At four (and a half), you

- are the sweetest, nicest, cuddliest little girl.

- are a maniac on your bike. You learned how to ride about a month ago and now you fly! You put your left hand on the handle and your right hand on the bar inside the handle. You stand, you bounce, you put your feet on the middle bars. 

- have been ROCKING speech therapy but definitely can’t say your “R’s”.

- loved school with Ms Marcella this year and are having a hard time with quarantine. And you’re right. It’s hard and confusing.

- sleep like a rock, are considering oysters for your birthday dinner, and crack us up.

- are just so pleasant. You are funny and just nice to be around.

- are SO LOVED by your family. We just love you so much.

I had to go to Publix and I carried you like a baby.

Baking bread in your pandemic headband;

Easter pose (you love to pose):

So fast!

You are a most loved sister and daughter:

Spring Break posing:

Backyard 💕 

So loved by your sisters. You are easy to love!!

I love you so much, Mags!

Love, 

Mom

Spring Break/COVID day 0

We had the nicest spring break with my parents. We stayed along the Rainbow River, paddle boarded and kayaked, swam with the manatees, played games, and had daily happy hour (happy time per Mags). 

One night out and the lighting and background was lovely

.

Look at the way that baby is looking at her Mama.

Don’t worry about Mags - she’s just practicing her “lip smile”

Maren and me!

I just downloaded the blogger app on my phone. It is such an interesting time that I wanted to write a few notes about it.

We came home from Spring Break on Wednesday, 3/10/20. I went to clinicals on Thursday and we planned an afternoon at the beach with friends on Friday. While at the beach, they started talking about social distancing, and, by 4pm, schools were closed for what they said would be one additional week.

Louise Christine Prevatt: A Birth Story

Louise Christine Prevatt
February 4, 2019
5:37 pm
9 lb 10 oz
22 inches

The short: two pushes, no pain meds, big sisters cut the cord!

I suppose your birth story begins in fall 2017, when we decided to try for a fourth baby. In the process, I got diagnosed with my ASD and had OHS. It is a story for another day that I owe to myself to write. Although we were frustrated that I didn't get pregnant before fall 2017, I thankfully did not have to wait through a pregnancy with an unrepaired heart. Life is funny.

After surgery, I had some complications but was doing so well five months post. I went for my TEE and "graduation" visit to cardiology. Dr. Garas assured me it would be my healthiest pregnancy if I got pregnant, and this 38 year old woman must have gotten pregnant the same day! Who knew I was so fertile? (re-reading this is cracking me up - like Dr. Garas was your dad! Don't worry - Dad is your dad!) It was a hard pregnancy. My heart did not cooperate and I ended up with recurrent pericarditis on low-dose steroids. I felt badly that I had not fully recovered before getting pregnant, but you were the fourth child I always wanted.

Despite the pain and general exhaustion, all my ultrasounds, NSTs, and BP readings were looking great. That is, until about 38-39 weeks, when my BP started rising and I had protein in my urine. They decided that it was time for delivery. There was some question as to your due date. I was given dates from 1/30-2/9. Personally, I thought it was closer to 1/30. I guess that's why they call it a guess date! I went to the hospital for monitoring on February 1, but my BP went down and my urine looked great so they let me go home. I had to come back for an induction on Sunday night, February 3.

I reluctantly showed up after Grammie and Pops came to get the other girls. They started my IV and Carol, my midwife, inserted the Cook catheter. My cervix was apparently extremely posterior. It was a ridiculously painful, long procedure. I definitely got the impression that three attempts was not the norm. After the world's longest insertion, I started contracting almost immediately and the catheter fell out about an hour. That meant I was about 4 cm dilated - progress! Unfortunately, I didn't maintain the contractions and decided to try to sleep on the advice of my doula, Kelly.

I actual rested off and on throughout the night. Women who are nine months pregnant don't sleep much anyway. In the morning, they started pitocin and the contractions started too - slowly. Kelly was with another mom (same hospital), so I was with a fill-in doula. I rocked on the birth ball and walked the halls. At some point (maybe around 3?), they broke my water, and things got intense quickly. Chris called my Mom, who brought Annie and Maren to the hospital. My ideal birth plan included Annie and Maren. Well, my ideal birth plan would have involved having you at home, but that unfortunately was not an option. Chris did not want the sisters there because he said it was too scary, gross, and potentially traumatizing. This compromise worked out perfectly.

Annie and Maren (and Kelly!) kept me calm because I did not want them to see me panic. Chris said it was my best delivery, and Annie said she's heard me make more noise after stubbing my toe. I felt you come down quickly, and then it was time to push. Midwife Kim helped guide you into this world. Two very big pushes and there you were. Absolutely beautiful and completely perfect.

There is no feeling in the world like meeting your baby. It is the purest love, a miracle on earth. I knew you and loved you before I met you. And then you were here.

It was a beautiful, peaceful, best-case scenario birth. It was complicated by the following: high blood pressure, magnesium, preeclampsia, echo, EKG, and cardiology consult. Everything checked out perfectly, thankfully. When we finally made it home on Friday, it was blissful freedom!

Apologies for the movies that are really live photos. I'm certain it's fixable, but oh well! It takes too much time to upload images anyway.

You were both supposed to cut the cord, but Maren went first and cut right through it!

The former science teacher showing you the placenta. Maren said, "I want to be a doula someday."

 Bliss. I'm pretty sure heaven is just holding a newborn on your chest all the time.

 I wanted a rock star doula and Kelly was awesome. I thought she was a little expensive. Chris said, "I would have paid double."

 Mags was the sweetest, proudest big sister ever. Every time you cried, she would go over and pat you and say, "It's ok, Lou, we are here. We are here Lou."

 The best feeling in the world: meeting you.

 Maren said, "no Annie, you already have one. This one is mine."

 I loved this bathing suit so much. This was New Year's Day, two days after a road trip to ski in NC, during which I put on 15 pounds, swelled like crazy, and swore I got pre-eclampsia. All the weight was off three days after this picture.

 It was beyond fun being pregnant with Erika. Constant texting. Two old (double meaning) pregnant friends.

 This may have been on the way to the hospital. I felt huge.

 Perfection.

 Twins

 Eagerly waiting for you to arrive.

 in the zone between contractions.

 nervous.