The Story of Ava....longest post ever

Hello all! I'm a little behind posting this, but you understand..........It's been a week now since this wonderful experience.

Wednesday night, June 18th I went just about crazy trying to decide whether or not to let Dr. Woodford induce me or not the next morning. He was going to be going out of town for the weekend and I KNEW I was gonna have my baby before then or when he'd be gone, so I cried about it, had anxiety about it, debated, etc. and decided to let him induce me. If I chickened out the next morning, that was okay too.

John's parents came in town about 7:00 p.m. that night. They came to pick Bonnie up around 9:00 that evening to spend the night. John and I went on a short walk while I freaked out about being induced. We came in; I called John's cousin Jennifer and talked to her about it and had just said a few minutes prior, " I don't want to have to make that decision about whether or not to be induced. I shouldn't have to decide that....I want Dr. Woodford to deliver my baby and I know if he doesn't induce me in the morning, I'll have to let a doctor I've never seen deliver the baby. I just want to go into labor on my own. God knows me and knows I have trouble making the smallest of decisions. I can't decide this....." I promise you a few minutes later while Jen was still on the phone, my water broke at 10:30 p.m. while I was sitting in the chair and a half! :) We went ahead and went to the hospital to make sure it was amniotic fluid that I had lost, and they checked and came back in and said, "Yep....you're not going anywhere!"

I kept staying at 6-7 cm. dilated for FOREVER!!!! They gave me multiple rounds of Pitocin to try to get my contractions regular and finally, I progressed a little. They had to sit me up to try to get the baby's head to come down b/c she was trying to go back up! That made the epidural medicine run mainly to the nerves in my toes and legs. I started feeling contractions and they were so hard and came every 30 seconds. The epidural guy had to come back in there and give me a mega dose of the stuff to get me through the rest of the delivery. I was thinking, 'There's no way I should have to breathe through these contractions when I've already had the epidural'. It took some of the pain away so that was good, but it was not the total bliss like I had with Bonnie. Then the power at the hospital went out and was out for a couple of hours and they had to run on the generator. So, there was a little back light in the room. Dr. Woodford came in to check me and said I was FINALLY there. A nurse came in with the cart of equipment for the birth and said, "Well, I guess we will just have to get some candles and romantic music for this..." They had a flashlight that they were gonna have to hold up to me for Dr. Woodford to use. John said it looked like a regular flashlight that used D batteries and was not very big. Dr. Woodford stood in front of me and the lights mysteriously and miraculously just powered on like 2 huge spotlights. Dr. Woodford asked me, "Do you have some connections up there or something?" I was like WOW! Thank you God! I only had about 3 rounds of pushing lasting 10 minutes at the most! After 13 hours of labor, my little angel was born at 11:18 a.m. on Thursday, June 19th 2008. Dr. Woodford was so wrong when he said it would go faster and easier being already dilated so much before labor began! It was SO worth it! The little 'boy' I just KNEW I was having turned out to be a beautiful 6 lb. 12 ounce, 20 inch long little girl with black fuzz on her head, the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen, and the most beautiful and perfect little body. She favors Bonnie but doesn't look exactly like her. She looked exactly like me when she came out. SCARY! She didn't have a name for a day, but I expected that would happen! It was either Hensley Grace, Morgan Hensley, Ava Hensley, or Claire Hensley. John won't do double names so Hensley Grace was out. I liked Ava and Claire but wasn't sure Claire was her first name. Mom suggested, "You could name her Ava Claire" I thought that was so cute, classic, and fit her appropriately. John was so tired from being up all night that he said he didn't want to make a decision until tomorrow, so I understood. A sleep deprived couple + major decision does not equal anything positive! :) The next morning, we decided on Ava Claire Thompson. Ava means "like a bird" or it's a derivative of Eve meaning "breath or life" Its Persian meaning is "voice and sound". Claire means "clear, bright, brilliant" Bonnie Elizabeth means "Beautiful; God's promise or consectrated to God" I love name meanings and names that sound classic and I think we have 2 winners that fit our girls perfectly.

Speaking of Bonnie...........she came into the labor and delivery remove as I was recovering and said very proudly, "I'm a big sister now! :)" She was extatic! She looked at Ava and said, "AWE....how cute!" Then after John unwrapped Ava for Bonnie to look at her, Bonnie pointed and said, "She's got one boob.....two boobs!" Oh my...are we in for something! Everybody laughed and of course we got it on video. The odd thing is that she has not made a huge deal out of me breastfeeding Ava. I thought she'd giggle or ask a lot of questions but she hasn't. I had told her when I was still pregnant that when the baby got here, Mommy's body would make special milk just for the baby to drink and that it couldn't have any food or anything else to eat or drink beside Mommy's milk until it got older. She understood as much as she was capable of doing. I'm sure the questions are just around the corner though!

Things have been going very well here with exception to being busy and tired. My physical recovery has been much better and less painful than when I had Bonnie. Ava is a dream baby who only sleeps and eats. I have trouble waking her to nurse which is hard sometimes. She went on a 4 1/2 hour stretch the other night b/c I didn't hear my alarm to wake her up to eat. That is SUCH a blessing. She might go longer but she's not supposed to go over 4 hours at the most without nursing. Bonnie has had some trouble transitioning. She loves Ava but she's really competing for attention and she gets bent out of shape over nothing, cries more often then usual, and is a whole lot louder than I remember her being before and my nerves can't handle it right now. I'm trying to spend as much individual time with her as I can, but it's hard. I missed Bonnie terribly while I was in the hospital and there have been times at home when I have wanted her to go away to visit someone else for a while. My nerves were really shot the first few days we were at home. I cried every day for the first 4 days of being home, but that has stopped now and I'm doing better. I love my little girls and am so glad Bonnie got a sister. We are truly blessed! I'll post more pictures soon.....gotta go now; Ava just had a major bootie explosion on me! Those of you nursing moms understand!

I am 4-5 Cm !

I'm 4-5 centimeters dilated! YEAH! Dr. Woodford said he could induce me in the morning if I wanted and that it would be easy to induce me b/c I'm so far along, but I really want things to happen naturally. However, he is going out of town on Friday for the weekend and Dr. Allen would have to deliver---I've met him one time,(at church) but have never seen him as my doctor, so that makes me a little nervous. I know he is a really nice man, but I don't know about his philosophies or whatever....I really think I'll have the baby today or tomorrow so it may not even be an issue at all anyway. I just feel comfortable with Dr. Woodford and know how he works so.......I don't know. He just said to come in when my contractions are 5-7 minutes apart, so that's what I'll do unless I decide to do the induction tomorrow morning. I'll keep y'all posted.........Oh, Dr. Woodford said my labor would probably go quicker and easier since I've progressed this far. That's always great news if that's the case! :)

Anticipation and the Waiting Game

Thanks everyone for your baby name inputs. We may have it narrowed down now. I hope that when we see this precious little angel we will automatically know for sure what its name is. I told John yesterday that we were gonna have this baby today or tomorrow and he said, "You don't know that for sure." Well, he's right but my body is definately getting ready and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be today or tomorrow. It is also a full moon today---supposedly more people go into labor and the crazies come into the emergency room on the full moon---. I go to the doctor at 9:40 this morning so if you don't hear back from me later on today, I may be in the hospital. I had halfway painful/uncomfortable contractions in the night that woke me up and they were exactly 10-11 minutes apart. That lasted from 3:41 until 5:15 or so and then I finally went back to sleep. It started again at 6 something this morning......pretty much: I didn't sleep hardly at all last night. I've decided I'm not gonna sleep until this baby comes (not by my own choice--I guess the baby has decided that for me). I just can't for some reason. So, we'll see what Dr. Woodford says this morning. Maybe I'm dilated to 4 or 5 already on my own before the real labor pains kick in. How awesome would that be!

John's parents were not gonna get to be here until the 25th at the earliest, but they're scared they're gonna miss it so they're flying in at 5:15 today in Huntsville. John's going to pick them up supposedly, but I really don't want him to go anywhere. If I call somebody around that time, answer your phone b/c I may need you to take me to the hospital! :)HA! Just kidding! He's probably gonna get somebody else to pick them up. Anyways, I'm getting really excited and trying not to be impatient. I can't wait to see my little baby! I'll let y'all know what Dr. Woodford says.........

Gotta have a baby's name ASAP!

Okay, so I just have this feeling that it's just gonna be just a few days before baby Thompson arrives. We MUST have a baby name narrowed down. I like having a unique name but one that's not so weird that it's made fun of or anything. I liked being the only Scarlett in the whole school. Bonnie's name is classic but not common......I like that. Anyways, John has trouble venturing outside the box, but he's trying. I just don't want our child to be the 9th person in its class with the same name like our generation of Courtney, Jennifer, Christy, David, Matt, etc.........love the names but you get the picture. I went to school with about 6-7 Courtneys! :) We also want a name that will sound appropriate for a baby, teenager, and grown up. John doesn't particularly like last names for first names, but it really just depends on the last name. We've looked into family names and definitely want to use the Hensley somewhere in there, so that helps some. The initials can't spell any cuss words or rhyme with any. John's Memaw that I'm so close to-----her maiden name was Tucker---NOT an option! John said they'd call him Mother Tucker! How wreched! Also, having taught preschool for 7 years really narrows down the list of names you'd NEVER name your kid! (I know---the list of possibilities is narrowing by the millisecond) John's full name is John Hensley Thompson. Mine is Scarlett Dawn (Wilkins) Thompson. Bonnie is Bonnie Elizabeth Thompson.

Here are the possibilities:

Boys: Jude Hensley (John has completely vetoed that one--he says it sounds
like "Jew" and is too hard to say.....whatever...Jude is
biblical and means "praise" or "thanks" LOVE IT but I'm trying
to grieve over that one!)
Ryan Hensley (Strong possibility...I just don't want the southern version of
the pronounciation)
Cade Hensley (John said last night he's leaning towards this one, but would
people say, "Kate"?)
Rhett Hensley (always loved that name--John says too much Gone with the
Wind, although that's not why I love it)
Samuel Hensley
Jacob Ryan or Jacob Hensley (Jacob is the #1 name though)
William Hensley (call him Will) (lots of Williams or derivatives in his family)
Ray Hensley (one of John's grandad's was Billy Ray)
Ethan Hensley (becoming pretty common)

Girls: Hensley Grace (Hensley for a first name for a girl?)
Kate Hensley
Morgan Grace (John's grandmother's maiden name is Morgan)
Ava Hensley (pretty common name now although I don't know of any Avas)
Claire Hensley
Caroline?
Eden Grace (I love it, but John doesn't)


HELP! What do y'all think? I need some other opinions. Please don't worry about hurting my feelings but any suggestions would help tremendously! :) Oh my goodness.....I'm afraid this baby's not gonna ever have a name! My mom works for the state at the Medicaid office and said there's someone on file somewhere that she ran across with the name "Nameless" I kid you not! Now, THAT is an option! :) AHHHHH!!!!

Insomnia Moment, Baby Update, and Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Not so moody anymore........I guess I just needed a cry! :) I am posting this at 4 in the morning though! The week I have the most going on and need the most rest is the time when my insomnia hits again. God has been preparing me for those sleepless nights coming up soon and I guess that's okay if it's really possible to 'prepare' yourself for that! :)

I went to the doctor Wedesday and I'm 2-3 cm dilated and 60-70% effaced. Dr. Woodford said it could be tomorrow or 2 weeks from now. No rush but I really am getting that feeling like I did with Bonnie that it's gonna be pretty soon--like no longer than a week from now. I just have to sing in a wedding Saturday and after that, any day will be fine. Please pray that I don't go into labor at the wedding. How funny or not so funny should I say that would be! The baby has dropped even lower now......I am definately waddling. It really feels like it's gonna fall out. Every few days Bonnie looks at me and asks, "Your baby's coming out now?" She's getting excited and she talks to the baby a lot and shows it the stuff that's gonna be it's. (Man I can't wait until I can stop saying "it" Is that even the way you write the posessive?) She points to stuff and says, "You see that, baby? That's your sock monkey and that one is mine." Man I love her! :) She's hilarious!

Oh, speaking of my hilarious, sweet, precious little angel, Bonnie told her first flat-out lie yesterday. I was hoping she'd wait another year or two to do that but oh well. We made 7 stepping stones for John for Father's Day yesterday---I know--crazy idea but they turned out so cute! John's Memaw helped and she took Bonnie inside afterwards and gave her a bath. When John came home from work, I was exhausted and decided to take a hot 'coozie' bath (as Bonnie calls it). Bonnie came in there shortly after she realized the water was running and took her clothes off and I told her that I was gonna take a bath by myself for once. I said, "You have already taken a bath. Didn't Memaw give you a bath already?" She looked at me dead in the face and said plainly, "No, Memaw did NOT give me a bath." I just looked at her with that disappointed mom look and said, "Bonnie......tell me the truth (as if she actually can comprehend that word at her age).....did Memaw give you a bath today?" She replied, "No, she did NOT give me a bath today." I thought for sure if I asked her again and again and worded it differently each time that she would understand. Oh, she understood....she was just flat out lying. I told her that she told me a lie. She said, "I told you alive?" "No, Bonnie, a LIE." "Alive?" etc. etc. I went on to tell her that she told her mommy a lie, that Memaw DID give her a bath today and that she told me that Memaw did NOT when she really did. I told her that it makes God sad when we tell lies and that we cannot do that. We have to tell the truth. Then I asked her again, "Now, did Memaw give you a bath?" She said, "Yeah, she gived me a bath." I praised her for telling me the truth and as soon as she did she stuck her little leg all the way over into the tub and proceeded to get in as if that was her reward! She said, "Now I can get in now?" She has gotten really good at raising the pitch of her voice in a long, drawn out fashion at the end of a question when she wants something. As if saying it that way will make her get what she wants! Evidently that is true! I just thought forget it....just let her take another one. She did get playdough in her hair after the first bath anyways. For those of you who have kids: Isn't 2 1/2 too young to start lying? Maybe not. I have to say the whole situation made me have to keep myself from laughing b/c as she kept lying she'd cock her little head over to the side and give me this look--can't explain it--almost like she thought I'd believe her or something.......Why did we think our parents were dumb until we got older? The trend still goes on...........