Matthew's First Moments

Matthew Kenneth Steen IV - born November 16th, 2009 at 5:37 p.m. 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 20 3/4 inches. He surprised all of us in his timing and his size!

Baby Matthew is here! We thought for sure we'd be waiting a week after his due date to be induced and welcome him to our family, but this boy has good timing. I started contracting on a regular basis at church Sunday the 15th (his due date) during Sunday School. I didn't really say anything until we got home and when I started timing things, contractions were coming every 10 minutes. Around 6:30, I realized my water broke while I was sitting on the couch eating a yummy dinner - Cafe Rio Chicken Salad. I thought I felt something strange and when I got up to go upstairs, realized that indeed, water was flowing down my leg. Thank goodness I was home! I let my mom and Matt know and they both started frantically packing their bags so we could get to the hospital. I called Matt's sister, Aunt Mary (who lives nearby and works in Towson, Maryland as a labor and delivery nurse - she's been nursing in L&D for 17 years). We had been texting about the contractions and when I called to tell her that my water broke, she was at work and telling everyone she had to go! They all knew that she had been anticipating this event for months and agreed she would go as soon as things were under way. She planned on meeting us at the hospital, but after contacting Cheri Gard, my midwife, I decided to stay home for a few hours to let the contractions progress. Around 9:30 p.m., we decided to head into the hospital. My contractions were every 5-6 minutes by this point. Matt was speeding. I had to give him a hard time. We take Route 30 into Lancaster to get to the doctor and the speed limit is only 55 mph. He always gives me a hard time for going too fast. He was going 80-85 the whole time. He said it was different this time and I was just praying that we wouldn't get in a wreck :) Mary and mom followed behind us in Mary's car. Matt dropped me off and I headed to triage. Luckily, Matt brought in all the bags and I found my I.D. to give them and was happy he had his insurance card in his wallet, because for some reason, mine was not in my wallet. After checking me, I was only dilated to a 1! I was pretty frustrated by that, but at least something was happening. The last few weeks of going to the doctor and being told that nothing was progressing was getting a bit depressing. Since my water ruptured, I was stuck in the hospital until Matthew came. They gave me a sleeping pill and mom and Mary went back to our place to rest up for the coming day. It was a LONG night. How is anyone supposed to sleep through contractions? I would lay down and get up every time a contraction came. Finally at 4 a.m., I called the nurse to see if I could try something else. She brought in a birthing ball and I sat on that and leaned on the bed for a few hours. Matt was sleeping through all of this, I'm sure not well, but I was glad he was at least in the same room, albeit envious that he could sleep. At 6:30 a.m. the nurse started me on pitocin. Meanwhile Mom and Mary showed up all rested and ready for the day at 7:30. I sat in a rocker and tried to breathe through contractions until Cheri showed up to check me. She came soon after 8a.m. She actually didn't check me, but told me she would come back around lunch time and look. I decided to get an epidural, which I got around 8:30 a.m. Contractions were evey 2-3 minutes by then. Wow - all I have to say is that epidurals are truly a blessing from God. Immediately, I felt SO much better and able to relax.

At lunch time, I was at a dilated to a 5. The nurse kept upping the pitocin - until I was at a level 16 and was consistently still getting 5 contractions every 10 minutes. At 2:30, the nurse checked me and I was at a 9 - so close! They told me to let them know when I was feeling pressure down that way and they would call Cheri to come in. Around 4:15, I called the nurse, she checked and I was fully effaced, ready to go, at a 10. I have never been so thrilled to hear the number 10 in my life! Cheri came in around 5:15. We got into position and after pushing for 15 minutes, Matthew arrived! It was amazing! I never thought I would opt for the mirror, but I was curious to see and I think it probably helped me know where to push and be more aware of how things were progressing. I had an incredible amount of support in the room. Aunt Mary, Cheri, Susan - a nurse at Women's and Babies who Mary used to work with, the nurse assigned to me, Bethany, my mom, and Matt. I met Susan a couple of times over the last few months and she actually gave me a private tour of the hospital. She came in on her day off to help me out. I am so grateful to have had such wonderful people with me. Matt stood at my left shoulder with his head nuzzled into my shoulder/the bed. He has a hard time with blood, so I expected this. I did see him peek up a few times to look. My mom and Mary were in charge of taking pictures. Here are some of the photos they took:

Matt and me before the big push!
Mary updating family on facebook. Baby Matthew getting his first look at mom.
The Delivery Team: Left: Cheri, the midwife; Susan, Grandma Shipley. Right: Aunt Mary, Bethany, Robyn's L&D Nurse, Matt
Proud Aunt Mary with Matthew. We've been waiting for him for a long time!
Me after the workout! Looking tired, but so happy to have Matthew here with us.
MKS III with MKSIV
Susan swaddling Matthew.
Our first visitors (besides mom and Mary) - Jessica and Cody. He was excited to meet the baby and anticipating being a big brother in May!
Matt helping Cody hold Matthew - and me thinking how fun this will be when we have our next little miracle.

Guess the Baby's Measurements, Win a Prize!

The days of Robyn's travail are almost over. In fact, according to the scientific countdown clock on the blog, the baby should be born today! While that probably won't happen, it should be anyday now (we're hoping). Robyn is ready to have Baby Maffew evicted, but he is a stubborn hold over tenant to say the least. I thought it would be fun to have a contest, inspired by our discovery this week of Andes Creme de Menthe cookies. Whoever is closest to correctly guessing Baby Maffew's weight and length will win a box of these highly desirable cookies, shipping paid. Trust me, these cookies are awesome. The rules are simple:



* There shall be two prizes given: one (1) box for the person who correctly guesses the weight, and one (1) box for the person who correctly guesses the length. Should the same person guess both measurements correctly, that person shall win both prizes.



* In accordance with time tested game protocol established by The Price is Right, should a person be closest, but go over the official measurements, that person shall be disqualified, and the next person who is closest without going over shall be the winner.



* All entries must be registered in the comments section of this post and must be received before the arrival time of the baby.



* The official arrival hour and minute shall be that time established by the hospital staff.



* Amending entries is allowed, but only the last entry received before the birth of the baby will count.



*All readers, casual, loyal, or by happenstance are eligible for the contest.



* In contrast to other contests, family members of the Steens are eligible to compete, especially the parents of Baby Maffew.



* All measurements should be in pounds/ounces (if ounces are part of the guess) and inches. The length measurement should be rounded to the nearest whole inch. Entries given in grams or centimetres or some other Socialist scale will be immediately deleted and disqualified.

* In the event of a tie, the names of the person(s) with the winning guesse(s) shall be drawn at random. The person whose name is drawn shall be the winner.



Good luck to all participants.

A few pictures of my pregnant belly

Many of you have been asking and I've been avoiding it. I mean, who really wants to take pictures of themselves at this stage of pregnancy let alone share them with other people? I am now 37 weeks and every week for the last few months, I have thought, is it possible for this belly to get any bigger? The answer is yes.

35 weeks prego.

In the car after seeing the doctor at 36 weeks. Yes, this is the same sweater I'm wearing in both pictures, different colors. One thing I will not miss about pregnancy - the limited wardrobe. I can't wait to be able to wear real people clothes again!

Kirtland

Shortly after I came home from my trip out west, Matt had a hearing in Cleveland, Ohio. I wasn't sure if I was up to getting back in the car for another 6 hour ride there and 6 hours back after 1 day, but I haven't been to Kirtland before and I really wanted to be with Matt, so I decided to go. Matt's mom, Grace came with us as well. It was well worth the trip.

The Kirtland Temple

The front of the temple. The doors were actually green at the time of construction.

Matt in front of the fireplace in the School of the Prophets - upstairs above the Newel K. Whitney store. Joseph Smith lived in this building for a time and received 20 revelations here including The Word of Wisdom. This revelation came after Emma and Joseph became concerned about the tobacco smoke filling the room during meetings. It is said that when Joseph told the brethren of this revelation that they all threw their pipes and tobacco in this fireplace.

The John Johnson Home where Joseph and Emma were staying when he was taken out in the middle of the night by a mob and tarred and feathered.

Dear U.S. Airways

Last week I flew for the first time in over a month. I had come to almost miss air travel a little. Then I was abruptly reminded why I should never be so foolish. You may remember my last "angry letter," to Delta. I never sent that one because I was admittedly overreacting and just having a bad day. This one, however, will be sent! So with apologies to my Uncle Bobby, who at the time of his retirement was the second longest tenured employee with US Air, here's my latest angry letter . . .

Dear U.S. Airways-

I am a very frequent flier, though not always with your airline. [Give yourself some cred by adding that you're no novice traveler!] This year alone I have flown more than 300,000 miles all over the country for work. Over the course of my travels I have gleaned a little knowledge about airline policies. And though I have more than once experienced delays or other aggravation as a result of those policies, I respect them as reasonable. [Add credence to your argument by letting them know you're a reasonable person!] I understand that those policies are in place for a good purpose that at times must transcend my personal needs and comfort.

This past week, however, I had an experience with your airline that defies justification. It was Wednesday, October 21st. I was flying from Philadelphia to Columbus, Ohio. I was coming from downtown Philadelphia after a court hearing that had run late. After battling traffic and waiting in one of the longest security lines I had ever seen [full of Frenchies and other foreigners!], I had to rush to catch the shuttle bus to another terminal. After exiting the shuttle bus, I ran at a full sprint to my gate to find the door closed. I have enough experience traveling to know what that means. It's too late to board the plane. I didn't even bother entreating the gate supervisor, Anthony XXXXX, [a man whose English I strained to interpret], to let me board, because I know those policies are hard and fast.

As I was resigning myself to the fact that I had missed my flight and would have to take a later one, on top of driving almost 2 hours afterward, I looked out the window and saw the flight attendant beckon to me. He asked if I was supposed to be on that flight. I motioned that I was. He waved me in! [Time to get a little dramatic, though I'll probably leave this out in the real draft]. I was saved! I would be able to board my plane after all because of the consideration of a flight attendant who was going above and beyond his call of duty. I told the gate supervisor what happened. "No," he replied. "You're not getting on this plane." I told him the flight attendant was waving me on. "The door is closed, we have to have this door closed 10 minutes before takeoff." This I already knew, but the plane still had 10 minutes or so before takeoff. Couldn't the rules be bended a little in the cause of customer service? I asked him again, pleading, never indulging in using a tone or raising my voice. His reply: "you had plenty of time to get here." I was taken aback. He rebuked me with the cold terseness of a grizzled schoolmarm. What was most offensive was his assumption that my lateness was my own doing. How did he know that? As I explained, I did not have plenty of time. Shocked at his rudeness, I walked over to the window again, this time to find the pilot motioning at me. He was waving me on board! Again I entreated Mr. XXXXX, but to no avail. Not only did he refuse me, he did so rudely and dismissively. At length, the pilot himself deplaned and walked down the jetway and asked Mr. XXXXX if he could not let me on the plane! "We still have 5 minutes before we're supposed to push," said the pilot. Mr. XXXXX said no and asked him to step into the jetway for a chat. As he disappeared behind the door, the pilot apologized, telling me he had done all he could. After Mr. XXXXX's departure, the young ladies working at the gate even apologized to me for his behavior.

And that's the subject of my letter. I commend the flight attendant and pilot for doing all they could. They could've done nothing and been justified since they were following industry policy. But out of human compassion and a committment to the passenger they tried to do the right thing. But I'm left to wonder, what harm would've transpired if the gate supervisor had opened the door and let me on the plane? Would he have had to do some extra paper work? Would he have had to swallow his pride and let someone on the plane whom he assumed had been careless in not giving himself time to catch his flight? One thing is certain, if he had let me on the flight, a passenger would have been exceedingly grateful at his compassion and would be left singing the praises of U.S. Air for their understanding instead of vowing never to frequent them again.

I am the first to admit that Mr. XXXXX was in the right. I know the policies and he followed them dutifully. But what harm would've occurred if he had flouted those rules for the sake of excellent customer satisfaction? Would any lives had been endangered? Would U.S. Air have been held to task by the FAA? Mr. XXXXX's commitment was to the letter of the law, not to the spirit of customer service. That was made abundantly clear by his actions and rude demeanor. Truthfully, I don't think I'd be writing this letter but for Mr. XXXXX's rude behavior at the gate. Even though I strongly disagree that my boarding the plane would have caused any problems, if Mr. XXXXX had explained it in a courteous way, I would have come to terms with it, even though I would have disagreed. I hope this episode is instructive on how not to treat your customers. Customer service is becoming a lost art in this country throughout all industries. Hopefully you can apply these lessons to future passengers. Unfortunately, it won't be with me. [Always end with a zinger!]

Yours truly,

Matt Steen

AACA Car Meet in Hershey

I heard that there was a big car show in Hershey, PA this week. In fact it's one of the biggest held in the country. Those of you who know Matt, know his love for old cars - especially "muscle" cars from the 70's. He is still mourning the loss of his 1973 Pontiac Grandville (pictured at the top of our blog) which we traded in for a 2009 VW Tiguan. So, I figured he would be excited about going to a car show and suggested we go Saturday. I was surprised how much I enjoyed looking at the antique cars and admiring the details of each car. Cars of the past just do not compare to cars today. I can't imagine going to a show 50 years from now to see cars manufactured today. Older cars have a distinct smell to them and reminded me of the old Grandville. I really enjoyed watching Matt get excited about different cars. I managed to take a few pictures of a some of the cars he liked.

Dodge Charger (I think)
Ford Mustang
Chevelle (I think)
Another Mustang
This is a "house" car from the 1920's. I had never seen anything like it. They had it all decorated in period style inside.

This was Matt's favorite car at the show. It's a Cadillac. He just loves long cars. His dream car is a Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. We saw one while we were there, but it was driving out, so we missed our photo op.

Let the coupon shopping begin!

My sister, Heather, has inspired me to start couponing (is that a word?). She is the ultimate bargain shopper. Since we have moved from two salaries to one, things have been tighter. Especially since preparing for MKSIV who will be joining our family next month. I figured it is high time I start figuring out how to use coupons to my advantage and shop the sales. Matt is all for it as long as I don't buy things that we would not normally use "just because I have a coupon." So, I have been frequenting "Pinching Your Pennies" over the last week and Heather was able to find me two blogs local to PA that list deals at the grocery stores close to us. I actually got a heads up this week on a Friends and Family 20% coupon for Babies R Us through the PPYP blog and was able to get a crib that would have normally been out of our price range. I had spent an inordinate amount of time searching for cribs online previous to this and had my eye on this one, wishing it were a bit less expensive. Very exciting!

Tonight, Matt and I headed over to Weis grocery store. We've actually been there just once or twice since we moved here. We didn't even have the savers card yet, so I sent Matt to the service desk to sign up for one while I commenced shopping. I am so proud to share that we saved 45% on our shopping trip between coupons and "Weis Club Savings." So instead of spending $101.31, we spent $57.31. It certainly paid off to plan a trip and look for the deals.

I signed up for the newspaper this week too so that I can start getting Sunday coupons. So far, I've just been printing coupons from coupons.com. I am so excited to be saving money. Thanks Heather for all your help in getting me started!