6 Things From July

 1. The Fourth of July Blackwelder Madness
We spend so much time together as a family for the 4th and it's my favorite time of year!! The farm was in the Madeira parade this year and the kids got to join in on the float. Wesley and June also ran the kids' Madeira Mile for the first time!! They were some of the fastest kids of the group. The Souths joined us for all of our celebrations. We spent the night at Scott's and enjoyed a ton of candy from the Indian Hill parade! Friends joined us for swimming and bbq at the farm. We didn't make it to fireworks that night because Wesley got hit with some roman candle shrapnel (no one is really that surprised that Dennis was in charge of the fireworks)! 

2. A Mini Girl's Trip To Utah 
We (Tracey and Ralph) bought a building in Madeira that we might possibly be turning into a farm store. In celebration of that, we went to Utah! We weren't able to have everyone come in such short notice, but I got lucky because Jake was on his 2 weeks of bonding so I was able to go. We hit all the fun and yummy things in Utah: Ballerina Farm, Costa Vida, Zupas, Lola's in Midway, Bolt Ranch in Kamas, Hearth and Hill, Maxwell's in PC, PC Main Street, and more. Next year I'd really love to take our family to SLC for the temple open house.

3. Jake's 2 Week Bonding 
We're so lucky that Tri Health offers dads a 2 week bonding period to take (paidddd!) within the first six months of the baby's life. Jake was able to squeeze it in and his breaks always come at the perfect time. He and the kids knocked off soo many things from our summer bucket list. The kids are always curious when he's going to have an extended amount of time off again...

4. Brynn's 3rd Birthday 
Brynn turned 3 on the 10th and I can hardly believe it! She went from baby to big girl so quickly in the past few months (after a quick regression when Ralphie was born). She was excited to receive a fuzzy pink and purple journal, a fun wooden house from Lovevery, some really cute stuffed animals, books, a trip to King Arthur's court, and more. Brynn is a spark in our family! She's loud and crazy and we hope she never changes! 

5. Mimi Visited
My mom visited at the end of July and it was something the kids COULD. NOT. wait for! Highly anticipated mimi dates were the highlight of their summers. They spent individual dates with Mimi doing things only they wanted to do, and I know this is something that needs to happen more often with mom and dad! They also really enjoyed working on the fairy garden with her.

6. Lisette Visited
Lisette might've learned her lesson on never telling me she's bored ever again! She got to visit for a few days and it was the best. It was like having two moms here for a few days and we all really enjoyed it. She's pregnant and cute and we loved taking her to the little miami river at Nisbet park, 50W and Jeni's, swimming, Sharon Woods, and more. No way we were going to let her be bored!! 

Brynn's Birth Story

 I loved having a summer baby so much, we did it again! 

Expecting another little girl in the summer of 2023 was very exciting. It was a really hard pregnancy due to an umbilical hernia. This caused extra nausea and discomfort throughout the pregnancy, and ultimately, it knocked me out more than I anticipated! 

Aside from the hernia pain, I had a really enjoyable pregnancy with our little girl (Brynn). There was a 25 month age gap between Eden and Brynn, our largest gap yet! Once we hit Eden's second birthday, the countdown was on. I was still working in the flower field as much as I ever was, if not more, which I think helps to have a quick and *easy* labor.

My due date was 7/11/2023. I liked to joke about the date because I love 7/11 slurpees so much. The kids and I had a last hurrah of all the things before we welcomed baby: Downtown Cincinnati family day at Smale Park, the Fourth of July (walking a mile to the parade at exactly 39 weeks pregnant), pizza night, swimming, all of the things. 

I always assume, based on my history, that the baby will come at some point in the 39th week. We went to church on Sunday, July 9th, and it was a completely normal day! I felt good, we visited with Megan and Taylor after, and then we had a regular evening at the farm. I remember taking a ride on the gator to the farm and having a contraction that felt different (not a braxton hicks contraction). I took a little video of me and the kids on the gator because I had a feeling that it was coming. 

The rest of the evening was normal, walking around the farm with Eden and picking blueberries while the other kids played. We had a really delicious dinner! I was having contractions every 20-30 minutes, if I remember correctly.

We went home and went to bed and I figured they would wake me up at some point... And yes, they did. Around 3 AM, I got out of bed to track them and see how I could handle them. We were still living with Brent, so when we were finally ready to go, we just let him know that we were leaving (such a blessing to not have to move children or wait for someone to come to the house)! My contractions had gotten to every 5 minutes apart and were getting stronger. Jake couldn't find his car keys so he had to run to the farm to ask to borrow his mom's car so we could leave the van for the kids. I remember sitting on the couch with my legs crossed because I didn't want anything to happen while he was gone. I was really calm at this point, Brent was talking to me and telling me that it was exciting we were leaving to have the baby! 

We got in the car and called to let them know we were on the way around 4:30 or 5 in the morning. I wish I could remember how dilated and effaced I was when we walked in and went through triage, but I don't. I remember laying down in the bed when we got into our room and managing the contractions just OK, but things were getting intense. Another mom was using the laughing gas and I had decided I'd ask for an epidural when the nurse came back. I wasn't in the right mindset to have an unmedicated labor.

I also remember thinking how boring the morning was -- from intenese, drive fast! -- to relaxing on the bed and refusing to stand up. Right as the nurse came to our room (when I was going to tell her I'd like the epidural), she let me know that the laughing gas was available. Jake told me I should just try it for a few contractions and if I didn't love it, I'd ge the epidural.

 My friend and photographer Abby showed up during this time! I was so grateful for her coming and taking photos and videos for us.

I stood up when I got access to the laughing gas and very similarly to Eden's birth story, I felt her drop into place and started pushing pretty soon after that. They let me know that my doctor was in clinic and offered to have the midwife, Jenn Boyers, deliver me. I told them I'd actually prefer to have Jenn with me, so I felt pretty lucky! Jenn came to my side and even bent down as I was pushing standing up. I was more comfortable laying down after a few times feeling pushy while standing. In a few more intense contractions, she was here! A sweet, crying baby girl who nursed immediately and was so beautiful.

Being in the hospital room with a fresh newborn are the most magical, peaceful moments. Recovery for the both of us went well. When I was home the next day, I took her to the flower garden for just half an hour and cut some flowers. We rested, nursed, and enjoyed our time together before getting back into the craziness of having 4 kids.

Brynn Catherine Blackwelder

July 10, 2023 8 lbs 12 oz