Our Son is Here

Warning... this is a long post. It's more for us as a keepsake as we don't want to forget all the beautiful details. Thanks for your patience.



Praise be to our Lord. Little Matthew wasn't born by c-section as scheduled for Monday. He was born on Friday evening at 7:02pm naturally. He was 9lbs, 10oz.

As I shared on my last post to pray for my husband. Last Sunday as he was vacuuming and praising our Lord, the Lord called him into a fast until our baby would be born vaginally. I am grateful that when he fasts that he fasts on juice or I would have been REALLY worried for him. Anyways, the days kept passing through the week and each day we would wake up with me still pregnant. Matthew was praying for me and I was praying for him. My heart went out to him so much. He kept a cheerful and hopeful disposition about him. I love him so much. Only one day did he wake up feeling down and discouraged.

On Friday morning I woke to go to an appointment at labor and delivery to have a blood draw for my c-section for Monday. I had a few contractions on the way in but didn't think anything of it as I had been having them for 3+ months. When I arrived they prepped me up for an exam. I thought that was odd but figured it might be part of their procedure so I didn't question it. The nurse and I chatted away and after a while she found that I was there for a blood draw, not a check for progress on contractions. She shared that she may as well check me and she would try to examine me a little more aggressively to maybe stir things up and "get things going". Well, sure enough I started having some regularly timed contractions and they were slightly uncomfortable. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible to get some walking in to keep them going.

I called my husband and shared what was going on and that I felt I needed to take this opportunity to do some walking. He could tell that this was serious and was happy about it. I walked up hills and down hills around the hospital. I then needed a break so decided to drive to the store to pick up some juice for Matthew before heading home. The contractions continued in the store and when I went out to the car I felt I should walk some more before heading home. Matthew and I talked excitedly during that half hour or so walk. The contractions picked up so we decided it would be best to not come home just yet.

I then drove to the library as I had to use the restroom every 15 minutes or so (big baby pressing against my bladder during contractions makes things tough). I walked down to Jack in the Box to get some lunch but their computers were down. I then walked to Safeway on the other side of town to get a sandwich before returning to the car. The contractions kept coming and when I got to the store they were increasing a little more in intensity and were about 3 minutes apart. I was so excited, I was beaming in the store. At the checkout a lady ahead of me asked if I was having twins. I shared that I wasn't but that I was in early labor and was going to be heading back to the hospital. She was excited for me.

I called Matthew again and shared that I was going to go to the hospital to get checked and I would then call him. Sure enough when I was checked there had been some progress. That morning I had been 50% effaced and now I was 90% effaced. She shared that labor was not going to stop. I was still concerned that things might slow down and stop for me. I called Matthew again and he called our friend Lynn (who has 9 older kids) to come over to watch the girls. He had to drive over in his truck as I had the car.

While I waited, I walked up and down the halls for 20 minute intervals and would then have to be hooked back up for monitoring of me and baby for 20 minutes. By the time my husband arrived sometime after 3:00, the contractions were starting to hurt. I was having to concentrate on breathing and getting through them. He walked in while I was having a contraction and knew this was the real thing. He was so excited.

By 5:00 my contractions were becoming unbearable and were about 2 minutes apart. I was 6 or 7 cm dilated. I decided to have an epidural but knew from past births that they don't always take for some reason. The anesthesiologist gave it two tries but it still didn't take so I was on my own with no pain relief. I was then scared as to how I was going to get through this. I had fear of pushing out a 9 - 10 lb baby!

Around 6:45, doctor Kilgore checked me and I was 9 1/2 cm. He told me to push lightly during the next contraction and I went to 10 cm. They got me all ready to push and I asked my husband to say a prayer. He prayed that our son would leave the world he was in (my womb), to enter this world and that he would one day leave this world into the next world, the Kingdom of God.

Pushing was scary. It hurt not having an epidural and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I pushed with each contraction and the doctor encouraged me by sharing that the head was coming down. When he was coming close I couldn't believe he was going to fit out of me. It just felt impossible. He felt so big. I really didn't want to try but also wanted him out of me. They told me that his head would be out on the next push and they were right. They suctioned his mouth and nose before pulling him the rest of the way out. Then he shared his shoulder was coming out and then the next one. I was so glad because I was concerned that this would be where he'd be stuck. Then he was out of my body and I could see he was a healthy, big looking baby. I saw and touched him before they took him to the cart to care for him. I was so excited and started sharing how I was so glad to have a newborn again and how fun it was going to be. I realized how much I missed having a little baby again. They are so, so sweet!

And how/who is little Matthew? He reminds me of Elisabeth when she was a baby. He sleeps wonderfully... he sleeps many hours straight and doesn't stir much at all. His little cry is the sweetest little baby cry I've heard. It's very soft and not demanding. His cry sounds like a boy, it sounds different. He is a champ at eating. He doesn't startle easy and just seems so content. He also had Elisabeth's beauty. I can't capture it so much with a picture but he has beautiful facial features. His hair is almost charcoal black and there's so much hair! My husband has a lot of black hair on his side of the family. His is actually the lightest of them all. I think once little Matthew has a good bath it will go down a shade. Little Matthew has a wirey, long hair sticking out of his eyebrow just like his father and his eyebrows are identical to his fathers. His eyes are big like mine and Elisabeth's. I can't wait to see how beautiful he's going to be over the upcoming years. I love him so much already. He's such a blessing to me.

Scheduled C-Section

Last Friday I went to my appointment. We discussed some options such rupturing the membrane bag, but if the baby wouldn't drop before hand, it would pose the risk of death to our child as the cord could fall beneath and his head could compress it. Today we went to our appointment and he still hasn't dropped so we are not comfortable with having the bag ruptured. We now have a c-section scheduled for Monday evening. They will call to let us know when. We are hoping and praying that I will go into labor on my own before then.

The good news is our little boy was over 9 lbs last Friday. He's healthy and thriving and has lots and lots of hair according to the ultrasound.

I'll post another update before Monday. Please continue with your prayers. Pray for my husband - I'll share why later after the birth.

We're Getting Close...

Over the past 3 days I've lost the mucous plug to the cervix. Tonight I'm having some contractions. I'm hoping it's not just an irritated uterus but the real thing. The contractions aren't close enough to warrant going on in yet but maybe in a few hours. I'd really love to hold little Matthew tonight. November 6th sounds like a good date to me!

Hopeful About Tonight

This morning at 4:00 a.m. I had some "painful" contractions. If the pattern follows as last year, I should be in labor this evening/early morning and have the baby maybe tomorrow! I'm hoping this is the case. As long as it's after midnight.

The doctor said he doesn't believe I will make it to my next appointment next Friday. I'm 3 cm and have lost a few pounds. He shared that he sees that a lot right before labor starts. We'll see....

Come on little Matthew...

Two Days to Go Picture

Well, here's my last (hopefully last) pregnancy picture. Only two days to go... I'm hoping only 2 hours to go - before labor that is! I really don't want this little one to be born on October 31st. But, my husband who always has a positive outlook on things shared with me that if he were born on that day, it would replace it with something good for us!

Which Came First The Baby or the Bird???

Our first baby chick was just hatched a few minutes ago. He is so cute!!! But, I was hoping to be wrong and that it would have been little Matthew to hatch first. But, I do have hope! He could be born on the same day as the baby birds. The night is not over yet. I only have 4 days left until my due date. We are both so excited. We can't wait to see his little face and I can't wait to hold him to me. I'm hoping to have him before my appointment on Friday. Otherwise, I will update on Friday to share if there's any progress.

Still no baby...

We have seven days left and still no baby. Nothing progressed out of yesterday but I am content and he will be here soon. I'll update if there are any other changes.

Baby May Be on the Way...

Today at my appointment it was found I've gone from 1.5 cm to nearly 3 cm dilation and 70% effacement. I have been having some of the hurting contractions this morning and now after the exam things should pick up in the next several hours or so. I'm guessing we'll have the baby here in the next day or two. I think by this evening after I do some walking we'll be on our way. I'll either post pictures and a birth story in a few days or give an update tomorrow. Lord be with us. Be with our children.

The neat thing about this morning is that I was going to deposit a check from a settlement regarding a car accident I was in in 2005. We received it yesterday. I was so excited after my appointment that I forgot to deposit the check. After making a stop and seeing the check in my purse, I turned around to go to the bank to deposit it. It just shows me how much value human life is over money and the priority of things. I think it was a neat thing to happen.

Which Will Hatch First - The Chicks or the Baby?

I am due in 10 days so I could actually have our baby any day now. Our next batch of incubating chicks are due in 7 days. Which will come first - the chick or the baby???

Matthew thinks we will have our baby first. I on the other hand think it will be after my due date in November. I don't have anything really going on yet. My weekly appointments are on Friday so if there is a change, I will have to post it.

A Day in the Life of the Geraci's

Due to a site I frequent where some wonderful women shared their lives in the course of a 24 hour day, I thought it would be fun to do this as well. So, here we are starting at 4:30 in the afternoon through about 4:30 the next day.

Here is Elisabeth playing in one of her favorite spots before dinner.
She likes to climb in and out of the playpen and watch me sew from here as well.

Here is Hannah playing under the kitchen table by daddy's feet.
She gets more bumps and bruises here and sometimes gets stuck.
Because I'm pregnant, poor daddy has to retrieve her most of the time.

Elisabeth and Hannah helping mommy empty the dishwasher.

Here is our pantry. I'm raising bread on one of the top shelves
and we're incubating eggs on the lower shelf. It's a multi-purpose pantry.

Is that really me?
I'm not that big looking - really! I'm 37 weeks pregnant here but the apron is hiding my little boy in there. I'm making rosemary chicken with some fresh rosemary from our herb garden.

Here's daddy vacuuming. He is a such a big help to me. He already does so much with helping around the house as he is retired. But, he really picks it up after I'm about 30 weeks pregnant and he's got a lot to do outside with our animals, the barn, etc...

Daddy playing with the girls. He chases them around this corner every night.

Here's my loaf of bread a rising!

Daddy on the Homesteading Today forum asking about chickens while the girls are
playing with pillows and blankets.

Time for dinner!

Daddy praying at the table. Hannah is just to my right - she's with us!

Daddy playing with the girls while I clean the dinner dishes.

Here's our kitchen all cleaned up!

And here's our loaf of bread. It was yummy!

Elisabeth settling down before bed.


Hannah is tired and ready for bed. She got in trouble from daddy again. She kept going after the cord to the blinds that we have up high over the couch. She sneaks up the back of the couch and stands to get to it.

Daddy brushing Elisabeth's teeth - or trying to! I give Hannah a bottle before bed each night while he takes care of Elisabeth... teeth and all.

Elisabeth tucked in her bed with her duck.

Mommy giving Hannah her bottle before bed - she is starting to want to get away from her bottle lately as she is on a cup most of the time. I believe this is the Lord's doing as I'll be nursing little Matthew here very soon.

The kids are down now - yeah! So, Matthew is transferring some things from one freezer to another. He bought a bigger freezer today to store some of the $10 barrel of bread we buy at a bread outlet place for our chickens. Cheap feed! And it's nice to have the freezer to store all the fruit we have. We have tons of frozen blackberries from picking them all Summer. Bags of nectarines too.

Here I am having my bowl of cereal (healthy Sugar Puffs) with my husband after the kids go down. We do this each night. Whew! What a relief. It's so nice to have it quiet.

Matthew reading the Bible while I read "Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single Income Family".

THE NEXT DAY

Breakfast - I'm enjoying a piece of toast from the bread I made the night before and we were blessed with a huge amount of cranberries from a friend who owns a cranberry bog. So, I'm enjoying fresh cranberry juice as well.


Elisabeth helping Hannah finish her breakfast.

Daddy leading the chickens out to eat.

Elisabeth watching daddy feed the chickens.

Oh look what our neighbor's cows did to our gate! But, our cow Betsy has torn down some of their fences, etc... So today as I'm writing this Matthew and our neighbor Mike are out helping each other repair "damages".


Hannah and I are going to run off to Walmart and the health food store to buy some bread flour in bulk. I need to buy another bread pan so I can make some friends who are coming over today some fresh bread to take home.

Hannah and I are back and the girls are eating lunch while daddy is canning fresh cranberries. See our cooler on the table filled with fresh cranberries? I bought a good bread pan, some stackable cooling racks and some cute, yellow fabric for .99/yard. I think I will make some cheerful aprons to sell when we start selling our eggs this Spring. At the health food store I found some malt that I bought. I would love to try it in pizza crust. I think it will make a tasty crust.

Here's some of our cranberries. He's already used up a few gallons over the past couple of days. They really blessed us!

Here's Matthew canning the cranberries. They are to die for!

The end to a really good day. My friends, Shirley and Jane came over and brought us a big bag of brand new, baby boy clothes. They are so sweet! We sent them home with some homemade bread, canned cranberries and some of our other canned goods. It is fun to bless one another!

A Gift from God

I first need to thank my God for the breath of life that He gives that all creatures may have the breath of life. I also thank my patient wife who continued to support me even when I had a real bad time trying to raise some beef cattle. She continued to support me and is one-hundred percent with me in this great adventure. Here are our first eggs before going into the incubator, there is also another dozen that was included. They are so pretty and good tasting but we saved these ones for the incubator.


Here are the eggs in the incubator day eighteen. They are in the kitchen pantry (My wife is so special). We are so nervous if one will even hatch, we can't get over the idea that there are little chickens in those eggs.


We were in the kitchen on day twenty and we both heard a little chirp and neither one of us said anything because we just did not think that it was a chick. Tanya (my wife) then asked me if I heard a chirp and I said yes. We both waited and we heard it again. We were so excited. That night the first chick hatched and the next day (day 21) they just started to hatch. I went to check on the chicks and saw one ready to hatch so I took this picture and was just amazed by how the chicks peck their way around the shell and out of it.


This is the same little chick a little later, little guy is really at work. He just keeps pushing away. No free lunch here just hard work for such a little guy.


One more successful hatch. They are chirping the whole time and we are just amazed at the work of God. A chick does come out of the egg. It's one thing to know, it's another to experience.


Wait a minute where did that little guy go? He just hatched thirty seconds ago. Already walking and falling all over the place. Well time for him to dry off. It's hatching day and moving day.


Our first chick. We will forget most of the chicks that are hatched but we won't forget this one. The first one. What a cutie! Black with white tip wings. The drying bucket is right below the incubator in the pantry closet. A nice warm ninety-six Fahrenheit. A little food and water with a sprinkle of sugar in the water. Home sweet home, lots of room I can hear him now, "Where is everyone".


What a crowd, things are getting a little packed in the new home but everyone is cozy and quiet. It's still mid-day and we are thinking room should not be a problem.


Well time to rethink things over, (day 2) the house is getting a little crowed. It's time to move again!


Much better into the mini coop we go. I constructed this out of pallets that the cranberry factory throws away. Just for safety we have two lights; a two-fifty (I.R) and a one-hundred.



An above picture of the chicks (all twenty-three) the two waters, feeder and one of the lights. Will be adding a trough feeder next week.


We're so happy in our new home, look at us how vibrant we are. We're so fortunate to be here for the rest of our days instead of some factory.