A New Experience: How Matthew Arrived

First baby: 3-month NICU stay
Mommy: 5-day hospital stay

Second baby: 1-week NICU stay
Mommy: 3-day hospital stay

Third baby: 2-day hospital stay ... in Mommy's room!
Mommy: 2-day hospital stay

We're headed in the right direction! : )

I just have to say how wonderful it was to have a cordless, take-out baby this time around!

It was, surprisingly, a thousand percent more restful having the baby in our room, rather than in the NICU down the hall. Yes, we were up a few times during the night for feedings of course, but I didn't have to mess with pumping and multiple daily visits to the NICU! That can definitely be a little draining while recovering from major surgery! : )

The c-section was planned this time, which was a really weird experience. Choosing your child's birth date is pretty interesting! At my last appointment, on Monday, my doctor explained that they hadn't even bothered to schedule my c-section since, from the way everything looked, I wasn't going to make in to 38 weeks. There was just no way. She was completely shocked that we made it that far! What a blessing!

So, on Monday the 23rd, we decided to go ahead and deliver the baby on Wednesday, the 25th, hoping to avoid me going into labor and requiring an emergency c-section versus a safer, planned one! My 35th week, I had four different bouts of contractions 2-4 minutes apart, but we were always able to slow them down. Once I got off of bedrest at 36-37 weeks, the contractions strangely seemed to stop ... despite a trip to the zoo, walks down our long muddy driveway, and just about every other non-bedrest activity. : )

Wednesday morning, we told Little Tait that later that day we were going to go "bye-bye" to see and hold the "baby in Mommy's tummy," who was going to come out! From that moment on, Little Tait was fixated on going "bye-bye." He didn't want to eat breakfast or do anything else; all he wanted to do was get dressed, get his shoes on, and go "bye-bye" to see the baby. :D

This was a much calmer experience than our previous two deliveries. We went in 2 hours before the surgery, perfectly prepared with our bags packed and everything arranged for us to be in the hospital for a few days. We signed paperwork and I got prepped for surgery. The c-section went well, even though I was pretty miserable through the last 15 minutes or so, and for the 20+ minutes in recovery. It was the weirdest thing: I got super antsy, felt like I desperately needed to stretch my legs (which were completely numb), and was honestly afraid I'd try to jump off of the operating table in spite of my best efforts to keep still. Thankfully, once I had a few ice chips, got to my room, and started nursing the baby, I felt a thousand percent better!

Tait's parents brought the boys and my sister (who's up visiting for a few weeks!) in to the hospital right before I went into surgery. The boys got to meet their new little brother within minutes of his birth, and got to see Mommy after surgery. It's always so comforting to get kisses and hugs from my little guys! : )

In the car on the way in to meet their little brother!

The next two days were spent snuggling Matthew and getting to know him (and dealing with the almost hourly interruptions seemingly inherent in any hospital stay). After just 48 hours, we were discharged! They very rarely discharge c-section moms in under 3-4 days, but for some reason they decided we were ready to go home! Maybe because my pain was under control so well with minimal pain medication (an Ibuprophen or two once or twice a day), and they knew we wanted to get home....

Whatever the reasoning was, it was good to get home!

We'd been living with Tait's family for the last 7 weeks while our driveway was undrivable due to the mud of breakup (spring thaw). Our driveway was finally passable by the time we were discharged however, and we were able to take baby Matthew back to his own little home!

It was so good to be home!

The Lord has been good to us! First, just after our marriage, He blessed us with an early baby and an extended NICU stay. Yes, it was a blessing! Those 3 months were a time of significant growth, and we were blessed beyond our expectations by the kindness and support of the body of Christ. Our experience inspired and motivated us to start the Little Tait Foundation for Preemie Aid, an organization founded to help families of preemies with their financial needs through Biblical means.

Next, just under 11 months later, the Lord blessed us again with a slightly early baby and short NICU stay. Miles has been such a blessing in our lives, and we are so thankful for him!

And then, the Lord blessed us again - this time with a full-term, healthy, take-home baby! What a blessing to have him with us from the beginning, and be able to take him home to his adoring big brothers so quickly!


(Just a note: For all of you who are wondering out there, we are huge proponents of natural-, midwife-, and home-births, and had planned to go that route from the beginning of our marriage. However, God had other plans, and it turns out the c-section route is what's required for us! Initially, it was disappointing (devastating even?), and very difficult to give up our dreams of natural childbirth. But God is good, and we have had to rest in His plan and welcome these little guys into the world in whatever manner is wisest!)

Announcing....

Matthew Maury Zimmerman

Born May 25, 2011 @ 4:19pm
Weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces
Measuring 18 inches long
37 weeks and 5 days


Chubby cheeks and a double chin!

May 23, 2 days before he was born
37 weeks and 3 days along!


At the hospital a few hours before he was born by scheduled C-section
(due to a medical history I won't go into right now :D)


A few minutes before going into surgery!


A few minutes old!


Holding him for the first time,
while still on the operating table!

Meet the Brothers

First loving kisses


New big brother Miles (20 months) holding his baby!


He loves giving him kisses. : )




Sitting on the windowsill in Mommy's hospital room,
eating crackers and watching the helicopters take off and land outside the window. : )


A tiny baby burrito <3

Full-Term!!!

For the first time in our three pregnancies, as of today (Friday), we've made it to the point the doctors consider to be full-term:

37 weeks!!!

Praise the Lord!

After 6 weeks on bedrest and a few bouts with regular close contractions, we've made it! Talk about excitement! It's so wonderful to head into labor with the reasonable confidence that, for the first time, our little guy won't be needing a NICU stay!

I'm enjoying the ability to actually "nest" this time around; our first pregnancy, Little Tait came early enough that I wasn't even thinking about nesting yet. With Miles, I was on bedrest and wasn't allowed to do any of those essential nesting activities like cleaning and laundry and such.

We've been staying with Tait's family for the past 6 weeks while I've been on bedrest, and while our driveway was undrivable, but we're hoping to be able to move back home within the next week - maybe before the baby comes! (We tested our driveway out yesterday and ... well, it wasn't quite ready. Two stuck trucks, some deep ruts, a tow strap, and lots of mud later ... yes, it definitely wasn't ready. :D)

My younger sister, Shannon, is up visiting from down South, and we've enjoyed showing her our house for the first time! We're working on cleaning it in preparation for the baby's arrival and our move back home (this involves a 1/2-mile walk down our muddy driveway just to reach our cozy little home)!

I'll have to say that I'm finally ready to have this little guy. It's not because I'm tired of being pregnant; it's just that we've been expecting him to arrive any day for the last 3+ weeks, and I'm just ready to meet him. : ) I'm expecting our next blog post to be an exciting announcement ... the exciting announcement!

With the gorgeous flowers my hubby gave me for Mother's Day - about 35 1/2 weeks along!

Taken about a week ago, at 36 weeks along!

Pictures: 27 Weeks Along ... 3 Weeks Late

Of course, now that I've finally gotten the chance to post these pictures from 27 weeks along with our 3rd little blessing ... they're 3 weeks late. : )

27 weeks is when our first little guy came, so I was curious how "big" I would be at that point this time around! I think I was a little smaller tummy-wise with our first, but actually a few pounds heavier than I am now. : )

Many thanks to my sister-in-law Esther for running out our front door and snapping these pictures for me on my camera! I did a little very quick editing, but she could have made them look much better with her super cool camera and mad editing skilz. : )

Me with my handsome oldest little guy!

We've made it past 30 weeks now!!! Because of the amount of mild contractions I'm having when I'm active, my doctor does want me to put myself on semi-bedrest like I did with Miles. In theory, that means no cooking, cleaning, laundry or shopping, and naps whenever possible. In practice, it means simplifying meals, streamlining and minimizing cleaning, sitting down while folding clothes, shopping very quickly without the boys or giving Tait a grocery list when he goes to town, and lying down on the couch for short periods of time if I start noticing too many contractions. Let's just say that any form of bedrest with a few little guys can be kind of difficult. :D

We'll be moving in with Tait's family soon for the next few weeks while our half-mile driveway is undrivable during breakup. Normally, we would just say here and walk in and out in the mud, but I'm definitely not supposed to be that active! It's hard to believe that we might not make it back into our home before the baby comes in just 6-7 weeks!

It will be nice to have help so close, but those will definitely be some busy weeks! One of Tait's sisters is due with her first baby in just 3 weeks, his other sister is getting married in just 5 weeks, and I'm due in just about 7! Life keeps moving!

We are so blessed with healthy rambunctious little guys, a comparatively smooth pregnancy so far, and helpful family and friends close by!

On This Day in Our First Pregnancy...

...Little Tait was born!

27 weeks and 1 day today!!!

It adds a whole new dimension to this pregnancy, being able to visualize exactly what this little guy is like at this point - approximately 2 1/2 pounds, 14 inches long, fully formed with transparent skin, able to cry, able to survive, able to grow up, able to bring immeasurable joy to his parents! He looks something like this ...

...just, minus all of the cords, wires, sensors, goofy goggles, tape, diaper, and IV's. Instead, thankfully this little guy is snuggled safely inside of Mommy right now, right where he should be! : )

And this is what little preemies look like at 2 years old, helping Mommy make peanut butter honey cookies when they should be in bed, but instead get up with a messy diaper and are just too cute for Mommy to resist.... ;D

(Yes, that cookie in the front row is missing part of itself. Apparently a whole sheet of cookie dough within easy reach is too much for 2-year-old little boys to resist.) ;D

It is so exciting to make it past this point in this pregnancy for me! It means that we will not have an exact - or worse - repeat of our first pregnancy and delivery. Every week - every day! - this little one gets stronger and stronger, better able to survive outside of Mommy!

We are now 2 weeks past the point when we started having issues with pregnancy #2 and had to go on semi-bedrest. Everything looks good, and our hope is growing stronger and stronger for a full-term baby this time around, by God's grace!

I'll upload a tummy picture tomorrow (we don't do bare tummies here, so don't worry ;D)! Today was strictly a day for housecleaning and preparation for a restful Sabbath tomorrow (and, of course, any random things Tait needed help with throughout the day)! So yeah ... you don't want to see a picture today. ;P

A Sign of Weakness?

"As a mother it is so easy for me to get bent out of shape and irritated over dealing with strife that I become the product of what I’m trying to avoid in my children. It doesn’t do much good to fly off the handle because my child is not being flexible…or snap as I try to teach them gentleness…now there’s a moment of truth."

-Kelly, in her article entitled
"What Can a Mother do About Sibling Strife,"

on her very encouraging and practical blog Generation Cedar

Is it a sign of weakness for me to post this quote, and admit that it was very timely?

Yes, I think it is. But I'll be the first one to admit that I've been very weak in this area recently! With all of the stress of a busy schedule and trying to get things organized before possible bedrest, I'm afraid I haven't had a lot of patience left for the boys. And on top of all that, Miles got croup. Little Tait has a cold, and is having trouble sleeping at night. They've both been tired and grumpy (probably taking their cues from a tired and grumpy mommy). I've got a weird cough - either the beginnings of a cold, or the result of breathing in too much dust during the organizing process. And of course, pregnancy hormones probably aren't helping me out too much either.

On top of all that, I feel like I live in a pigsty. Okay, so I'm grossly exaggerating here. : ) But I do so hate disorganization! We've had everything strewn all over the living room during this organizing process, and I've put off cleaning and dusting until I can actually walk across the room without feeling like I'm navigating a maze, and until the floor is somewhat visible. It's hiding somewhere under all of the boxes and bins at the moment.

With all that said, yesterday was a very productive day (thanks to my sweet mother-in-law watching the boys for the afternoon!), and I finally feel like we're on our way to digging ourselves out of the piles - piles of outgrown baby clothes, books that have no bookshelf, and lots and lots of real estate and household papers. Progress is always nice. : )

My husband had a heart-to-heart with me yesterday about my attitude, and how it affects the boys. I used to pride myself on keeping my voice completely controlled when dealing with misbehavior. Oops! What's that verse ... something about pride going before a fall? Well, the pride phase lasted a few months before the fall phase took over, gradually but completely.

The above quote really drove home the fact that I have to be the example for the little guys. Getting upset, losing control of my voice, and losing my patience, will not teach Little Tait to keep control over his anger and frustration when Miles takes his toy. Nor will it teach Miles to get a hold of himself (i.e. no screaming) when Mommy or Daddy tell him no.

This has been good for me to think through! Thank you Kelly, for your wise and timely words!

And now, I'm off to finish labeling and sorting the bins before their transport to the storage area downstairs, clean out the cabinet for the installation of our double wall oven (yay!), make ice cream to take along to dinner at a friend's house tonight, work on some nasty stained clothes, change the sheets, work on the laundry, help hubby clean up our storage area, file papers....

Or at least, I'm off to make some progress on that long list, while the boys are napping at Tait's parents' house. (Thank the Lord for godly, helpful, understanding, nearby parents-in-law!)

Today Was Little Tait's Due Date!

Yes, our first little guy was due on February 4, 2 years ago (9 months and 1 day after our wedding :D). But of course, he came a little earlier than that. It's hard to believe that we spent the entire time from November 6 (just 6 months and 3 days after our wedding) until a few days from now in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with him that year!

I'm reminded every February 4 just how long that time in the hospital was, and just how thankful we were to be nearing the time when we could bring him home!

November 6, the day he was born

February 6, 2 days after his due date, the day we brought him home!

Just about two years later, sampling Mommy's

ginger molasses cookie dough

The website for the Little Tait Foundation for Preemie Aid will be coming soon! Visit the LTFPA on facebook, and be sure to "like" the page! An anonymous donor is donating $1 for every "like" until the end of the month, up to $500! (You can also "like" the LTFPA facebook page on the right sidebar of this blog!)

Blessings to all of you from the Zimmerman Family!

More Blue!!!

My mom (on the phone after our ultrasound): "Well, what is it?"
Me: "It's #3!"
Mom: "Yes, I know it's #3. But what is it?"
Me: "Well, it's not just the third child; it's the third something else too!"

Yes, we are so excited to announce that it looks like our third little one - due June 10 - is another boy! We look forward with anticipation to seeing what God's plans are for our three little men, and can only imagine what they can accomplish, by God's grace, for His glory! Our prayer is that our three growing young men would, throughout their lifetimes, make a resounding impact on our culture for Christ's kingdom!

Thankfully, everything looked picture perfect on the ultrasound, and the placenta is in a convenient location for our necessary C-section. (The concern is that the placenta would park itself right over the old C-section scars, which greatly increases the risk for complications.)

Our doctor gave me hope, saying that many women with a history of bedrest can completely avoid it in future pregnancies by taking it easy, slowing down, and taking a nap when possible. Yay! My projects are coming along slowly, but they are coming along. Today is Organize the Kitchen Day, and Tait's mom is keeping the boys for me so that I can just focus on getting these things done! Just 2 more weeks until I hope to kick back and relax ... as much as is possible, at least, with two monkeyish toddlers running around. :D

Of course the fact that our new little one is a boy means that I can't use all of the adorable pink fabric I was looking at, but it also means that all of the clothes are automatically bought, organized, washed, and ready! It definitely simplifies things a bit. : )

This little one is 20 weeks along now, about 7 inches long, weighing right about 10 ounces. He can grasp things, suck and swallow, and hear us when we talk to him. (Little Tait's caught on to this last achievement of his littlest brother, and was talking loudly into my tummy this morning.) I'm feeling much better - little to no nausea and a little more energy!

(As far as our dishwasher goes, Sears forgot to tell us that it needed to be picked up at the warehouse. By the time we got to the Sears store, the warehouse was already closed. So ... Tait's picking it up in Anchorage today! There are still a few parts that we need before we can get it installed, but we are getting closer!)

I was disappointed about the dishwasher, but overcome with excitement and anticipation for our new

2010 Recap and Looking Forward to 2011

2010 was a busy year for us! We finished the first stage of our house (more or less) and moved in! Tait's sister got married, and we enjoyed some great fellowship around the time of the wedding with lots of wonderful friends from near and far! We discovered that our third little blessing is on the way, and celebrated 1st and 2nd birthdays for the little guys! Tait and his dad made lots of progress in revolutionizing, streamlining, and increasing production in the family business of IEC Realty. We made progress on our many visions, and formulated more visions for the future!

Little Tait helping Daddy build our house in May

Our little house (the first of many stages) this past Fall

The little guys being adorable and snuggly after naptime a few months ago

A quick snapshot of the whole family a week before Christmas

16 weeks along, around Christmas

The Taits with their snowman tonight (notice the toy hammer in Little Tait's hand?)

After over a month of single-digit and negative temperatures, it finally warmed up to freezing - warm enough to build a snowman! : )

We're loving our very blessed life up here in Alaska, and looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us in 2011!

A few plans include...

adding the 2nd story of our home,

welcoming a new little guy or girl into our family,

visiting family down in SC,

and watching the little guys continue to

grow, explore, and learn!

The Myth of Overpopulation

We're praying for children. Lots of children. Actually, we would consider ourselves abundantly blessed whether we end our childbearing years with two or twenty, but it is our desire to welcome any children the Lord sends our way.

Some people consider this to be criminally irresponsible at worst, or just plain crazy at best. One of the reasons they give is the supposed problem with overpopulation....

Many thanks to Kim, over at Life in a Shoe, for sharing this video! She - and her ten children - really don't fall for the myth of overpopulation! : )

(Kim, I really didn't steal your post title; I thought it up on my own, and then realized that you'd used the same one. :D)

Another great resource on overpopulation:

Coming May, 2011!

We were excited to be able to give Miles such an exciting birthday present this year! On his birthday, October 1, we discovered that we have a new little blessing - a future best friend for Little Tait and Miles - due some time in May!

We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us again!

I'm feeling well - no nausea this time around, which is a welcome change! (My hopes are high that it might indicate a pink baby. ;D) I'm definitely more tired than usual, and am battling some crankiness (sorry Tait and little guys!), but of course it's all worth it! Comparatively easy pregnancies are definitely something to be thankful for!

Haha, I just realized that just because I'm not sick constantly during pregnancy doesn't mean that my pregnancies are "easy"! Honestly, I'd rather battle severe nausea than premature labor!

Please be praying with us that I'm able to take it easy as much as possible, that we don't have to deal with any bedrest, and that this little one arrives much closer to his or her due date than the boys (who were born at 27 and 35 weeks respectively).

Thank you for your prayers!