I'm a little late on this update, but yes, Grace turned 4 years old. She is so amazing and wonderful and challenging and frustrating and beautiful and funny and smart and I can't imagine life without her.
So, what can I say about Grace?
Physically, she's a healthy little girl. We didn't have any trips to the doctor (or stitches!) this year, other than the normal check-ups and her speech therapy. At her 4 year old cleft clinic appointment, she passed all exams with flying colors and they made us an appointment for next December. Her 4 year old regular check-up did bring some tears with an unexpected shot, but otherwise she did that great too. I need to check how tall she is, but she was about average. However, she weighs 50 pounds and was in the 94th percentile for weight. Some of it is what she eats and portion sizes (I'm sure), but she also has a fairly muscular/athletic build and is just really solid. She's wearing a size 10 shoe and size 6 clothes.
Developmental
Grace has been fully potty trained for over a year. She can also take care of most of her personal hygeine. She can wash herself in the bath (we still have to do her hair). She can wash her hands by herself after using the restroom (if we could just get flushing down). She brushes her teeth by herself after we put on the toothpaste (she would do that herself, but uses too much). She can brush her hair, but we usually do that for her. She can completely dress and undress herself including shoes, coat, and recently gloves. Sometimes her fashion choices are questionable, but at this point I only require that we dress for the appropriate season.
Grace can recognize all shapes, letters, and numbers. She practices writing letters and can write her own name (first only) and Eric. Although she recognizes my name. She understands the concept of rhyming and is beginning to understand all the sounds the letters make. I think if we worked at it, she could start reading soon. Her coloring skills have made leaps and bounds and she now almost always colors within the lines.
Grace has an active imagination and I catch her pretending and talking with her dolls, ponies, or bath toys. Bedtime is usually between 8:30 and 9 p.m. We begin the process at 8:00, but bedtime depends on how much we play in the bath or how many stories we read. After her bath, she brushes her teeth, puts on her pj's, brushes her hair, and then we usually read 3 stories and go straight to bed. If there is a special situation (visiting a friends house, other family over, etc.) Grace is allowed to have a "pajama party" which means she can go back downstairs after her bath. She love it!
Socially
Grace is the smartest funniest kid I know. She cracks me up with the things she says. She also is a sponge for vocabulary and uses words that I feel are a bit above her age range. Some of my favorite quotes:
1) While describing a dream she had one night, "Grandpa built a contraption for the bit-bug."
2) While getting ready to read stories, "Wait a minute, I just have to get situated first."
3) When throwing fits, "I am very angry at you!" I would have expected "mad."
4) When working on an "object." "This is very difficult."
Sometimes her intelligence is especially hard to deal with. Discipline is a real issue with us. She constantly talks back. When we tell her not to do something, she will say, "but I was just..." or "no, I need to..." It is as if she feels her opinion is just as valid as ours and deserves to be heard. We are consistent that she gets a time-out every time she talks back, but often, she will continue to tell us how she feels even sitting in time out. Other times we make her mad and will get "I am very angry at you. I am going to my room to think about it." I keep telling myself that someday all this self-confidence and assertiveness will make her a stronger and self-sufficient woman, but it is hard at age 4.
Grace is extremely sweet and loving. Around Thanksgiving she often told me, "I am thankful for my family." She also says things like, "Lukey is the best baby in the whole world." "You are the best mommy in the whole world." "Zeus is the best puppy in the whole world." Etc. Even at her birthday party (and Christmas) she would open a gift and say, "I really wanted this" and hug the package. She also requests kisses and hugs by walking up to you and saying, "Kissy?" or "Huggy?" She requires hugs and kisses and being tucked in every night.
I know I've missed tons of the little tiny quirks, but that's the main gist of it. She's an incredible little girl and I'm so glad that we were blessed with her.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
We had a good one. Click the picture to go to Flickr and see the rest of the photos from Christmas morning (and Christmas Eve if you go backwards).
Hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas too.
Hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas too.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Crawl
Eric called me at work today to tell me that Luke crawled about 2 feet today. He said it was probably an accident, but a combination of getting his feet planted and subsequently his knees underneath him resulted in him being on all 4's for the first time. He seemed surprised, but decided to move a leg and arm and lunge forward and had his first forward motion.
I still haven't seen it yet, but I am guessing over the next 2 weeks or so he'll start to get the hang of this. I guess I need to go get a gate for the top of the stairs soon.
I still haven't seen it yet, but I am guessing over the next 2 weeks or so he'll start to get the hang of this. I guess I need to go get a gate for the top of the stairs soon.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Luke - 7 1/2 Month Update
So, I missed the 7-Month update and we're not quite 8 months yet, so I'll do a mid-month one. Grace's 4 year update next.
So, Luke is still completely awesome. As you can see in the picture, he's a little orange, which I've been told is from eating all those carrots, squash and sweet potatos! So here's Luke's milestones:
Physical
- Sitting - Luke is very good at sitting unsupported now. He got this down about a week after he turned 6 months. He will sit for long periods of time when playing and can ride in a grocery cart or sit in a restaurant high chair now. When he's had enough he just leans to the side and topples over.
- We did end up switching to a regular carseat which is nicer than carrying the infant carrier, but now we have to wrestle with a coat.
- He has grown more attached to his teddy and monkey, but really likes about anything soft.
- Luke's favorite game is to take off (and then chew on) his socks. He rarely has socks on in the house for that reason and I always have to put at least one sock back on after any time in the car.
- He will stand if you hold onto him, but doesn't seem to want to bounce or have any desire to pull or hold himself upright.
- Luke still loves playing on the floor and I think anytime will learn to crawl. He trys to army crawl and really stretches to get to things. He pivots and turns really well, just hasn't quite figured out forward motion. But oh he wants to. In fact he's just a bit more cranky because of it.
- His hand/eye coordination is very good. He reaches, picks things up, will transfer from hand to hand, objects if something is taken away, and can even pick up small items now.
- He loves games like peekaboo and loves to be tickled or "eaten."
- He still laughes alot and likes to babble and hear himself make the strangest noises.
- Lately we're getting some angry cries when we take away something or if we aren't fast enough with the food.
Eating
Moving on to food... Over the last 6 weeks we've progressed a lot.
- Nursing is coming to an end. I dropped another pumping session at work to once per day and then a week later dropped that one and just was nursing at night and in the morning. Then I started supplementing at night after nursing. Lately, I've dropped the evening nursing session and this week am starting to skip any morning nursing session if I'm not uncomfortable. I'm guessing we'll be done by the first of the year.
- Formula - Luke has no problems with formula and now has a part of a bottle in the morning after nursing or instead. Two during the day and one in the evening. Usually about 6 ounces at each feeding.
- Cereal - This weekend we started adding cereal after the morning bottle and sometimes if he's still hungry he gets some at lunch time with his fruit.
- Baby Food - We've moved to Stage 2 foods and he eats a fruit at lunch and a veggie or meat and a fruit at dinner.
- He also has started eating "puffs" as an appetizer while I am getting his meals ready and he waits in the highchair.
- We've let Luke try some table foods too. He ate a pancake a couple weeks ago and last weekend ate 1/2 a biscuit. He's also fed himself saltines.
- We've introduced the sippy cup, but he's not great at it yet, but he does try to hold his bottle, so we're getting there.
Sleeping
- Finally, we're sleeping all night. Funny, it corresponded with when I started supplementing with formula after his evening nursing session. I think he just wasn't quite full enough to last all night. He now goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps until I get him up between 7 and 7:30 on weekdays or around 8:30 on weekends.
- Napping. He normally naps about 30 minutes in the morning and 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon. However, on weekends, I can usually get the afternoon nap to last a bit longer.
That's all I can think of at the moment. He's such a sweet heart and everyone loves him. He's still incredibly social and smilely. Just want to eat him up sometimes :)
So, Luke is still completely awesome. As you can see in the picture, he's a little orange, which I've been told is from eating all those carrots, squash and sweet potatos! So here's Luke's milestones:
Physical
- Sitting - Luke is very good at sitting unsupported now. He got this down about a week after he turned 6 months. He will sit for long periods of time when playing and can ride in a grocery cart or sit in a restaurant high chair now. When he's had enough he just leans to the side and topples over.
- We did end up switching to a regular carseat which is nicer than carrying the infant carrier, but now we have to wrestle with a coat.
- He has grown more attached to his teddy and monkey, but really likes about anything soft.
- Luke's favorite game is to take off (and then chew on) his socks. He rarely has socks on in the house for that reason and I always have to put at least one sock back on after any time in the car.
- He will stand if you hold onto him, but doesn't seem to want to bounce or have any desire to pull or hold himself upright.
- Luke still loves playing on the floor and I think anytime will learn to crawl. He trys to army crawl and really stretches to get to things. He pivots and turns really well, just hasn't quite figured out forward motion. But oh he wants to. In fact he's just a bit more cranky because of it.
- His hand/eye coordination is very good. He reaches, picks things up, will transfer from hand to hand, objects if something is taken away, and can even pick up small items now.
- He loves games like peekaboo and loves to be tickled or "eaten."
- He still laughes alot and likes to babble and hear himself make the strangest noises.
- Lately we're getting some angry cries when we take away something or if we aren't fast enough with the food.
Eating
Moving on to food... Over the last 6 weeks we've progressed a lot.
- Nursing is coming to an end. I dropped another pumping session at work to once per day and then a week later dropped that one and just was nursing at night and in the morning. Then I started supplementing at night after nursing. Lately, I've dropped the evening nursing session and this week am starting to skip any morning nursing session if I'm not uncomfortable. I'm guessing we'll be done by the first of the year.
- Formula - Luke has no problems with formula and now has a part of a bottle in the morning after nursing or instead. Two during the day and one in the evening. Usually about 6 ounces at each feeding.
- Cereal - This weekend we started adding cereal after the morning bottle and sometimes if he's still hungry he gets some at lunch time with his fruit.
- Baby Food - We've moved to Stage 2 foods and he eats a fruit at lunch and a veggie or meat and a fruit at dinner.
- He also has started eating "puffs" as an appetizer while I am getting his meals ready and he waits in the highchair.
- We've let Luke try some table foods too. He ate a pancake a couple weeks ago and last weekend ate 1/2 a biscuit. He's also fed himself saltines.
- We've introduced the sippy cup, but he's not great at it yet, but he does try to hold his bottle, so we're getting there.
Sleeping
- Finally, we're sleeping all night. Funny, it corresponded with when I started supplementing with formula after his evening nursing session. I think he just wasn't quite full enough to last all night. He now goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps until I get him up between 7 and 7:30 on weekdays or around 8:30 on weekends.
- Napping. He normally naps about 30 minutes in the morning and 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon. However, on weekends, I can usually get the afternoon nap to last a bit longer.
That's all I can think of at the moment. He's such a sweet heart and everyone loves him. He's still incredibly social and smilely. Just want to eat him up sometimes :)
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Six Months Old
Luke is now 6 months old. He is such a sweet and happy baby. He smiles at virtually anyone that speaks to him or makes eye contact. He laughes often and he adores Grace. She is so good at making him laugh and he just loves to stare and watch whatever she is doing. Just this weekend, Grace was singing songs in the car and Luke just stared at her and smiled the whole way home from Indiana.
Today he had his six month checkup and weighed in at 21 pounds 8 ounces (97th percentile, yay, he's back on the chart). 27 inches long (just above 50th percentile).
Developmentally, he seems to have very good hand/eye coordination. He is very interested in grabbing objects and works to get to toys on the floor or anything within reach if he's sitting, etc. He doesn't quite sit unsupported yet. We're working on it, mostly because as soon as he can sit on his own (in the cart or a restaurant high chair) we'll ditch the baby carrier. He sometimes can sit for a few moments, but quickly falls to the side. He has great upper body strength and loves playing on his belly on the floor. As I said, he will roll, stretch and scoot to get to anything he sets his eyes on. He easily rolls both front to back and back to belly.
Luke doesn't really have a "comfort object." He is definately a thumb sucker and he does have a teddy bear and stuffed monkey that he loves to chew on and wrestle with, but he never seems to miss them if we don't have one with us. He does not use a pacifier at all.
Sleeping could be better. He's kind of hit or miss. He has on a few occassions slept for 12 hours, but he also has nights that he wakes every 3 hours. Most nights he wakes sometime between 1 and 3 a.m. We still aren't "sleep training" him, because he just eats and goes back to bed. He does sleep in his crib full time now. He goes down while's he's awake and when he wakes to feed, I bring him to my bed, but as soon as he's done (or the next time I wake up, usually no more than 30 minutes) I take him back to his crib. Hopefully, this will just continue to get better.
Eating. Luke dropped a bottle at Amy's, so he only has 2 bottles during the day now. He nurses in the morning and once after we get home (and any time he wakes over night). Currently, we're working towards giving him cereal mid-morning, starting next week we'll do fruits at lunch, and he's been eating a veggie & fruit at dinner for about 2 weeks now. Luke LOVES his baby food. Over the next three months we're to keep adding foods and should get to finger foods by our next appointment. Honestly, I'm not really sure how much longer the nursing will last. Pumping is getting very tiring. I don't get uncomfortable when I don't pump for several hours, so it's easy to "forget" during the day if I get busy or if I'm not in a convenient spot. I am barely making enough for the next days meals. However, on the weekends and when I'm with Luke, I still enjoy it. I guess I'll continue to play it by ear, but I won't be too disappointed if I need to supplement with formula when I'm not with him. I'd prefer not to buy it very often, however, because it is nice to have a free food source.
According to what to expect, we've hit the following milestones:
Should be able to....
- keep head level with body when pulled to sitting
- say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant combinations
Will probably be able to...
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
May possibly be able to...
- stand holding on to someone or something
- object if you try to take a toy away
- work to get a toy out of reach
- look for a dropped object
- rake a raisin and pick it up in fist
- turn in the direction of a voice
Today he had his six month checkup and weighed in at 21 pounds 8 ounces (97th percentile, yay, he's back on the chart). 27 inches long (just above 50th percentile).
Developmentally, he seems to have very good hand/eye coordination. He is very interested in grabbing objects and works to get to toys on the floor or anything within reach if he's sitting, etc. He doesn't quite sit unsupported yet. We're working on it, mostly because as soon as he can sit on his own (in the cart or a restaurant high chair) we'll ditch the baby carrier. He sometimes can sit for a few moments, but quickly falls to the side. He has great upper body strength and loves playing on his belly on the floor. As I said, he will roll, stretch and scoot to get to anything he sets his eyes on. He easily rolls both front to back and back to belly.
Luke doesn't really have a "comfort object." He is definately a thumb sucker and he does have a teddy bear and stuffed monkey that he loves to chew on and wrestle with, but he never seems to miss them if we don't have one with us. He does not use a pacifier at all.
Sleeping could be better. He's kind of hit or miss. He has on a few occassions slept for 12 hours, but he also has nights that he wakes every 3 hours. Most nights he wakes sometime between 1 and 3 a.m. We still aren't "sleep training" him, because he just eats and goes back to bed. He does sleep in his crib full time now. He goes down while's he's awake and when he wakes to feed, I bring him to my bed, but as soon as he's done (or the next time I wake up, usually no more than 30 minutes) I take him back to his crib. Hopefully, this will just continue to get better.
Eating. Luke dropped a bottle at Amy's, so he only has 2 bottles during the day now. He nurses in the morning and once after we get home (and any time he wakes over night). Currently, we're working towards giving him cereal mid-morning, starting next week we'll do fruits at lunch, and he's been eating a veggie & fruit at dinner for about 2 weeks now. Luke LOVES his baby food. Over the next three months we're to keep adding foods and should get to finger foods by our next appointment. Honestly, I'm not really sure how much longer the nursing will last. Pumping is getting very tiring. I don't get uncomfortable when I don't pump for several hours, so it's easy to "forget" during the day if I get busy or if I'm not in a convenient spot. I am barely making enough for the next days meals. However, on the weekends and when I'm with Luke, I still enjoy it. I guess I'll continue to play it by ear, but I won't be too disappointed if I need to supplement with formula when I'm not with him. I'd prefer not to buy it very often, however, because it is nice to have a free food source.
According to what to expect, we've hit the following milestones:
Should be able to....
- keep head level with body when pulled to sitting
- say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant combinations
Will probably be able to...
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
May possibly be able to...
- stand holding on to someone or something
- object if you try to take a toy away
- work to get a toy out of reach
- look for a dropped object
- rake a raisin and pick it up in fist
- turn in the direction of a voice
Monday, November 03, 2008
Grace & Luke - Halloween 2008
Just wanted to get a photo up from Halloween (click to go to Flickr and see the rest). Halloween was awesome this year as Grace was really into it. And while she loved getting candy, she remembered her manners and said "Trick or Treat" when she walked up to a house (rather than running up with her pail/bag open and waiting), and said "Thank you" to everyone who gave her a treat. Luke pretty much slept in the stroller.
I promise later this week to do a 6-month update on Luke (I missed his 5 month update, so can't miss this one). And if I can find some free time, I'd love to do a long rambling post on some of the events we've had going on since August or so. Wish I had more time to update here, but Grace is in the bath and I need to get her to bed before waking up Eric for his night job (more on that if I get around to a long post) and I need to update my budget and pay some bills tonight.
Luke's Dr. appointment is on Thursday, so I'll try to update Thursday night.
I promise later this week to do a 6-month update on Luke (I missed his 5 month update, so can't miss this one). And if I can find some free time, I'd love to do a long rambling post on some of the events we've had going on since August or so. Wish I had more time to update here, but Grace is in the bath and I need to get her to bed before waking up Eric for his night job (more on that if I get around to a long post) and I need to update my budget and pay some bills tonight.
Luke's Dr. appointment is on Thursday, so I'll try to update Thursday night.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Another Milestone
Just so I don't forget to put this one in the baby book... Luke figured out how to roll the other way today. He's been rolling from back to belly for a while now, but never figured out how to go from belly to back. I think he did it about a week ago, but I didn't actually see it.
This morning he was hanging out on the floor in my bedroom while I was getting ready for church and I saw it happen. He did it a couple more times today too.
Next milestone I'm hoping for is unsupported sitting. I've been working with him, but he still either immediately falls to the side or he leans too far forward and cries because it squishes his tummy. Today, I pulled the "Jumperoo" out of the basement and he seems to like it although he hasn't figured out how to actual jump yet. Hope to update later this week with an official 5 month update.
This morning he was hanging out on the floor in my bedroom while I was getting ready for church and I saw it happen. He did it a couple more times today too.
Next milestone I'm hoping for is unsupported sitting. I've been working with him, but he still either immediately falls to the side or he leans too far forward and cries because it squishes his tummy. Today, I pulled the "Jumperoo" out of the basement and he seems to like it although he hasn't figured out how to actual jump yet. Hope to update later this week with an official 5 month update.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Sleeping
So, I have been VERY busy the last month or two. Lots of traveling for personal and family events, work is busier than I ever remember it, and we're still operating on one income, so lots of stress. I have lots of good memories of the recent events and even pictures to download, but not really enough time to do it tonight.
What I do want to talk about is the fact that Luke is "almost" sleeping through the night. His path has been so much different than Grace's. I never did what the Dr. said and start giving him a bottle of water when he wakes up, but he still seems to be moving that way on his own. He has been going to bed in his crib on his own for a while now. Lately, I've been making an effort to put him back in his crib after he comes to my bed for a late night feeding. Often (98% of the time) I fall asleep while he's eating, but usually wake up about 45 minutes later then I get up and take him back to his bed.
He has now, however, slept through the night 2 1/2 times. Most other nights, he's still waking once around 10:30-11:30 (he goes to bed usually between 7 and 7:30) and then again around 3 a.m.
The first time was about 3 weeks ago. It was Sunday night, September 14th. I remember because it was the day we had a big power outage because of the tail end of Hurricane Ike (yes, I live in Ohio, but still was out of power for 3 days). Our power was out, so we went out to dinner and didn't get the kids to bed until about 9 p.m. I didn't have the baby monitor (it plugs in), so I left both Luke's door and my door open. I woke around 3 a.m. feeling very "full" and then woke on and off until I finally woke him up at 7:00 a.m.
That seemed to be a fluke, however, because nothing similar until Wednesday night last week (the 1/2 I was talking about above). Luke went to bed around 7, I went to be at 11:30. Luke woke at 12:30 a.m., so I brought him to bed with me to feed him. I must have been really tired, because I fell back asleep until 3:45 a.m. Then I woke up and took him back to his crib. He made a couple of noises (might have been able to put himself back to sleep) and I jumped up and grabbed him. I needed to move the nursing schedule a bit because I was traveling for a work meeting, so the 5 a.m. feeding time seemed better than our normal 7 a.m. start time.
Last night, however, was a real 100% success. Again, Luke in bed at 7. I stayed up later than I should have (1:00 a.m.) and as I was heading up to bed, Luke started making noises (his first of the evening). I went ahead and changed into my pjs, took out my contacts, etc. and by this time, the noises had stopped, so I decided to get into bed and wait. Next thing I know, it's 5:00 a.m. and I'm waking up to get Luke for the first time. I fed him and put him back in his crib and he let me sleep in until 8 a.m.! While 5 a.m. is still early for me, I think 10 hours counts as sleeping all night.
His process has been so different than Grace's. While she was sleeping 12 hours by this time, we had to do the CIO (Cry It Out) method to get her there. Luke is taking a bit longer, but I've never let him "cry" longer than 2 or 3 minutes over night. He just is more laid back anyway and it's not much work to get up with him overnight, since it only interrupts my sleep for a couple minutes at a time, so I'm ok with letting him get there on his own. I can say that since he does seem to be getting there. If he wasn't making progress towards eliminating the night wakings, I'd be fine with letting him cry a bit too. Momma needs her sleep, especially with as much time as I've been spending working.
Ok, more stuff to do tonight and it's already 10 (Grace isn't even in bed yet!)
What I do want to talk about is the fact that Luke is "almost" sleeping through the night. His path has been so much different than Grace's. I never did what the Dr. said and start giving him a bottle of water when he wakes up, but he still seems to be moving that way on his own. He has been going to bed in his crib on his own for a while now. Lately, I've been making an effort to put him back in his crib after he comes to my bed for a late night feeding. Often (98% of the time) I fall asleep while he's eating, but usually wake up about 45 minutes later then I get up and take him back to his bed.
He has now, however, slept through the night 2 1/2 times. Most other nights, he's still waking once around 10:30-11:30 (he goes to bed usually between 7 and 7:30) and then again around 3 a.m.
The first time was about 3 weeks ago. It was Sunday night, September 14th. I remember because it was the day we had a big power outage because of the tail end of Hurricane Ike (yes, I live in Ohio, but still was out of power for 3 days). Our power was out, so we went out to dinner and didn't get the kids to bed until about 9 p.m. I didn't have the baby monitor (it plugs in), so I left both Luke's door and my door open. I woke around 3 a.m. feeling very "full" and then woke on and off until I finally woke him up at 7:00 a.m.
That seemed to be a fluke, however, because nothing similar until Wednesday night last week (the 1/2 I was talking about above). Luke went to bed around 7, I went to be at 11:30. Luke woke at 12:30 a.m., so I brought him to bed with me to feed him. I must have been really tired, because I fell back asleep until 3:45 a.m. Then I woke up and took him back to his crib. He made a couple of noises (might have been able to put himself back to sleep) and I jumped up and grabbed him. I needed to move the nursing schedule a bit because I was traveling for a work meeting, so the 5 a.m. feeding time seemed better than our normal 7 a.m. start time.
Last night, however, was a real 100% success. Again, Luke in bed at 7. I stayed up later than I should have (1:00 a.m.) and as I was heading up to bed, Luke started making noises (his first of the evening). I went ahead and changed into my pjs, took out my contacts, etc. and by this time, the noises had stopped, so I decided to get into bed and wait. Next thing I know, it's 5:00 a.m. and I'm waking up to get Luke for the first time. I fed him and put him back in his crib and he let me sleep in until 8 a.m.! While 5 a.m. is still early for me, I think 10 hours counts as sleeping all night.
His process has been so different than Grace's. While she was sleeping 12 hours by this time, we had to do the CIO (Cry It Out) method to get her there. Luke is taking a bit longer, but I've never let him "cry" longer than 2 or 3 minutes over night. He just is more laid back anyway and it's not much work to get up with him overnight, since it only interrupts my sleep for a couple minutes at a time, so I'm ok with letting him get there on his own. I can say that since he does seem to be getting there. If he wasn't making progress towards eliminating the night wakings, I'd be fine with letting him cry a bit too. Momma needs her sleep, especially with as much time as I've been spending working.
Ok, more stuff to do tonight and it's already 10 (Grace isn't even in bed yet!)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
3 Years Ago
Three years ago today, I got a call that would change my life.
All things being said, I can't complain. Today, I am healthy (just waiting on Dr. L to confirm tomorrow at my check-up). I've moved on with my life. I even had another baby since that fateful day when I didn't know if it would ever happen.
My treatments are a distant memory and thinking back I just remember all the good things that have came out of it and how much I think I've improved as a human being. To be honest, most days cancer doesn't even enter my mind. And that's a good thing for me.
That being said, I hope I learned what I needed to from cancer. I'd rather not do it again.
Three years cancer free. Let's shoot for another sixty.
All things being said, I can't complain. Today, I am healthy (just waiting on Dr. L to confirm tomorrow at my check-up). I've moved on with my life. I even had another baby since that fateful day when I didn't know if it would ever happen.
My treatments are a distant memory and thinking back I just remember all the good things that have came out of it and how much I think I've improved as a human being. To be honest, most days cancer doesn't even enter my mind. And that's a good thing for me.
That being said, I hope I learned what I needed to from cancer. I'd rather not do it again.
Three years cancer free. Let's shoot for another sixty.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
4 Months
My little one is now 4 months old. Wow time flies even faster the second time around. Yesterday he had his doctor check-up and passed with flying colors. He was 26 inches long (75th percentile) and was a whopping 18 pounds 12 ounces (off the top of the growth chart). He got 5 vaccines (narrowed down to only 2 shots). He look startled after the first one and then screamed after the 2nd one and according to Amy was cranky the rest of the day, even after I dosed him with Tylenol.
Discussion with the doctor centered around eating and sleeping. I'm still breastfeeding(pumping at work), but I'm starting to feel like either my supply is dwindling during the work hours or I'm just not letting down as well with the pump. I'm thinking more the latter because I breastfeed exclusively on the weekends and Luke always seems satisfied. However, I'm barely making enough at work to cover the next day's bottles. Some times I only get 2 1/2 or 3 ounces at a pumping (luckily my first pump usually nets around 6 or 7, so I can cover the lower ones). I used to get about 18 ounces a day, now I barely crack 15. I asked about possibly supplementing with formula if my supply dips more. She kind of blew that off and said he's doing great and obviously gaining weight, so not to worry about supplementing. So for now, I'll keep plugging along and if I dip to 13 ounces or less at work, I'll call back to discuss again.
We also discussed nighttimes. Luke isn't sleeping so great and now that's he's bigger and moves alot at night, I'm not sleeping great when he's beside me. That means something has to change. Currently Luke goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m.(last feed at 6:30) I'm ok with this bedtime. Grace went to bed that early for well over her first year and he's definately getting cranky and tired by that time. Most nights (95% of the time) he wakes at 10:30 p.m. on the dot. I usually nurse him downstairs (watching TV) and then take him back upstairs and put him back in the crib when I go to bed between 11 and 11:30. Then he usually wakes around 12:30 p.m. and I go get him and put him in bed with me. I usually can use a pacifier and hold off nursing until he wakes again around 2:30 a.m. Then he usually wakes up between 4:30 and 5 and I nurse him again before we get up at 7. That's a lot of waking. Dr. H tells me that he no longer "needs" to eat overnight. I should still nurse him if he wakes up before I go to bed, but then I should try to get him to just sleep the rest of the night. If I can't pacify him and he acts hungry, I can give him a bottle of water. Over time, that should discourage him from waking just for water. Haven't tried it yet, so we shall see. I'm ready for him to start sleeping 12 hours like his sister used to.
Also, Dr. H said he doesn't need the calories, so no need to start cereal yet. Whoops, guess I didn't mention that we tried it out starting this weekend. I think we may skip that advice and start the cereal anyway. I'm hoping a fuller belly at night might encourage longer stretches of sleep. Tonight he actually did really well with the cereal and managed to keep most of it in his mouth instead of just spitting it back out. We'll see what happens to his sleep.
He's also doing cool stuff like rolling over constantly. Still only back to belly, but hoping the other way soon. He also has now been allowed to play in the exersaucer (see picture). He doesn't love it yet, but he's getting much more interested in the toys. Now when he sits in the bouncy seat, he always grabs the toys. He also has a stuffed bunny/chew toy that he loves to hold and knaw on. I feel like his hand/eye coordination is really good.
He's got a great tempermant and is very smiley. He smiles at anyone who will interact with him and this thrills Grace who gets tons of smiles. She doesn't even mind when he pulls her hair. She also has designated herself to be in charge of rolling Luke to his back every time he rolls to his belly (they did it about 4 times in a row tonight). She's not especially gentle with him, but he's tough and only complains if her hugs are too tight or if she tries holding him with her arm around his neck. She still adores him and is especially excited that we're starting "baby cereal" and will through massive fits if I don't let her help with the spoon.
From "What To Expect the The First Year" here are the milestones we've reached:
Should be Able to:
- On stomach, lift head up 90 degrees
- Laugh out loud (easy to do when you kiss his neck)
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face 180 degrees
Will probably be able to:
- Hold head steady when upright
- On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms
- Roll over (one way)
- Grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers
- Pay attention to a raisin or other very small object
- Reach for an object
- Squeal in delight
May possibly be able to:
- Turn in the direction of Mommy's voice
-
May even be able to:
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
Discussion with the doctor centered around eating and sleeping. I'm still breastfeeding(pumping at work), but I'm starting to feel like either my supply is dwindling during the work hours or I'm just not letting down as well with the pump. I'm thinking more the latter because I breastfeed exclusively on the weekends and Luke always seems satisfied. However, I'm barely making enough at work to cover the next day's bottles. Some times I only get 2 1/2 or 3 ounces at a pumping (luckily my first pump usually nets around 6 or 7, so I can cover the lower ones). I used to get about 18 ounces a day, now I barely crack 15. I asked about possibly supplementing with formula if my supply dips more. She kind of blew that off and said he's doing great and obviously gaining weight, so not to worry about supplementing. So for now, I'll keep plugging along and if I dip to 13 ounces or less at work, I'll call back to discuss again.
We also discussed nighttimes. Luke isn't sleeping so great and now that's he's bigger and moves alot at night, I'm not sleeping great when he's beside me. That means something has to change. Currently Luke goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m.(last feed at 6:30) I'm ok with this bedtime. Grace went to bed that early for well over her first year and he's definately getting cranky and tired by that time. Most nights (95% of the time) he wakes at 10:30 p.m. on the dot. I usually nurse him downstairs (watching TV) and then take him back upstairs and put him back in the crib when I go to bed between 11 and 11:30. Then he usually wakes around 12:30 p.m. and I go get him and put him in bed with me. I usually can use a pacifier and hold off nursing until he wakes again around 2:30 a.m. Then he usually wakes up between 4:30 and 5 and I nurse him again before we get up at 7. That's a lot of waking. Dr. H tells me that he no longer "needs" to eat overnight. I should still nurse him if he wakes up before I go to bed, but then I should try to get him to just sleep the rest of the night. If I can't pacify him and he acts hungry, I can give him a bottle of water. Over time, that should discourage him from waking just for water. Haven't tried it yet, so we shall see. I'm ready for him to start sleeping 12 hours like his sister used to.
Also, Dr. H said he doesn't need the calories, so no need to start cereal yet. Whoops, guess I didn't mention that we tried it out starting this weekend. I think we may skip that advice and start the cereal anyway. I'm hoping a fuller belly at night might encourage longer stretches of sleep. Tonight he actually did really well with the cereal and managed to keep most of it in his mouth instead of just spitting it back out. We'll see what happens to his sleep.
He's also doing cool stuff like rolling over constantly. Still only back to belly, but hoping the other way soon. He also has now been allowed to play in the exersaucer (see picture). He doesn't love it yet, but he's getting much more interested in the toys. Now when he sits in the bouncy seat, he always grabs the toys. He also has a stuffed bunny/chew toy that he loves to hold and knaw on. I feel like his hand/eye coordination is really good.
He's got a great tempermant and is very smiley. He smiles at anyone who will interact with him and this thrills Grace who gets tons of smiles. She doesn't even mind when he pulls her hair. She also has designated herself to be in charge of rolling Luke to his back every time he rolls to his belly (they did it about 4 times in a row tonight). She's not especially gentle with him, but he's tough and only complains if her hugs are too tight or if she tries holding him with her arm around his neck. She still adores him and is especially excited that we're starting "baby cereal" and will through massive fits if I don't let her help with the spoon.
From "What To Expect the The First Year" here are the milestones we've reached:
Should be Able to:
- On stomach, lift head up 90 degrees
- Laugh out loud (easy to do when you kiss his neck)
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face 180 degrees
Will probably be able to:
- Hold head steady when upright
- On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms
- Roll over (one way)
- Grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers
- Pay attention to a raisin or other very small object
- Reach for an object
- Squeal in delight
May possibly be able to:
- Turn in the direction of Mommy's voice
-
May even be able to:
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Milestones
Just a quick update. Two milestones have just occurred.
1. Yesterday Luke rolled over from back to belly for the first time. He is 3 1/2 months (15 weeks). I didn't actually see him do it. Eric and Grace were outside (playing on the swingset and grilling respectively). I had to throw a load of laundry in the dryer and left Luke on the living room floor. When I came back he was on his belly pushing up with his arms. Then he did it again this morning on my bedroom floor while I was doing my makeup in the bathroom. Soon, I'll catch him in action.
2. Today, I started my first postpartum period. Yuck. I was a bit disappointed. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding (and pumping), so I thought it would at least hold off until Luke started solids, but sadly, it has arrived. Good thing we have been faithful regarding birth control. Surprises like this are how people have 2 kids in under a year. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
On the job front, Eric is still looking. He had a good interview about 2 weeks ago that he's still waiting to hear on. Should know tomorrow, but when he talked to them on Tuesday they said he's still in consideration. Grace is home with Eric starting this week until he's employed again to save us some money. Also, Eric was denied unemployment (his discharge was considered "for cause"), so he's filed an appeal, but if that doesn't go through, he's going to have to find an evening/weekend job to help out with the funds. We've started tapping into savings, and it will go too fast if he has $0 coming in. Still praying good news tomorrow will mean we don't have to drain much from savings.
1. Yesterday Luke rolled over from back to belly for the first time. He is 3 1/2 months (15 weeks). I didn't actually see him do it. Eric and Grace were outside (playing on the swingset and grilling respectively). I had to throw a load of laundry in the dryer and left Luke on the living room floor. When I came back he was on his belly pushing up with his arms. Then he did it again this morning on my bedroom floor while I was doing my makeup in the bathroom. Soon, I'll catch him in action.
2. Today, I started my first postpartum period. Yuck. I was a bit disappointed. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding (and pumping), so I thought it would at least hold off until Luke started solids, but sadly, it has arrived. Good thing we have been faithful regarding birth control. Surprises like this are how people have 2 kids in under a year. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
On the job front, Eric is still looking. He had a good interview about 2 weeks ago that he's still waiting to hear on. Should know tomorrow, but when he talked to them on Tuesday they said he's still in consideration. Grace is home with Eric starting this week until he's employed again to save us some money. Also, Eric was denied unemployment (his discharge was considered "for cause"), so he's filed an appeal, but if that doesn't go through, he's going to have to find an evening/weekend job to help out with the funds. We've started tapping into savings, and it will go too fast if he has $0 coming in. Still praying good news tomorrow will mean we don't have to drain much from savings.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Brother & Sister
Luke laughed out loud today. Just once, but it was a real laugh.
I uploaded some pictures. Some random ones, plus some from our weekends with the families.
I really like this picture and I think Luke looks alot like my Dad in this one.
I've got tomorrow off work and am planning on a great weekend. Yay!
I uploaded some pictures. Some random ones, plus some from our weekends with the families.
I really like this picture and I think Luke looks alot like my Dad in this one.
I've got tomorrow off work and am planning on a great weekend. Yay!
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Three Months
I've got pictures to upload, but the camera's downstairs and I don't feel like going to get it. Maybe tomorrow.
Anyway, I wanted to give a three month update on Luke. CANNOT believe he's already three months old. He's so awesome.
From "What To Expect the The First Year" here are the milestones we've reached:
Should be Able to:
- On stomach, lift head up 45 degrees
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face past the midline
Will probably be able to:
- Laugh out Loud (he makes a noise with his huge open mouth smiles, but it's not really a true "laugh" or giggle
- On stomach, lift head up 90 degrees
- Bring both hands together (he can even shove them into his mouth)
- Smile spontaneously (today he gave me a cute smile when I asked if he pooped his pants. Little stinker.)
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face for 180 degrees
May possibly be able to:
- Hold head steady when upright
- On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms (just for a second at a time)
May even be able to:
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
- Reach for an object (he's started trying to bat at toys)
- Turn in the direction of a voice, particularly mommy's
- Say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant combination (he's very vocal compared to Grace at his age)
Everything is going so well with him. He's gotten into a good routine at Amy's and has more good days than bad. I wish he'd nap a little better for her. He usually takes 3 one-hour naps per day. We're still nursing and it's wonderful. Pumping at work can be a pain. Especially when I'm really busy or have meetings, but I do the best I can. We've got a decent stash in the freezer (about 10 bottles) so even if I miss one pumping at work (has happened twice), we've still got enough. Still no formula for him except for those couple ounce bottles when he was jaundiced.
I think he's really growing. Some of his 3-6 month clothes are getting tight. No official weigh-in, but I think he's between 16 and 17 pounds. He's lost a ton of his baby hair, so I can't wait to see it come back in. He's also very strong, today he actually did a mini-sit up. I was holding him in front of me with his feet at my belly and head in my hands elevated about 45 degrees. He managed to get into a sitting position without holding onto anything.
Sleeping still going ok. I need to get tough and put him back in his crib after he eats over night, but I have to admit, I enjoy cuddling with him. I do on occasion though, but he doesn't seem to sleep as well the second half of the night. Still thankful that I put him to bed awake in his crib. It usually takes him about 10 minutes to fall asleep. Sometimes he fusses and I go and help him with his pacifier or just stroke his face, but he rarely cries and never so much that I need to pick him up.
During his awake times, Luke's pretty happy too. He likes watching Grace (and she loves showing off for him), he really enjoys playing on the floor or couch if you are interacting with him close by. He doesn't have to be held constantly, but if you aren't holding him, he still wants to be close to the action and be able to see what you are doing. He smiles, coos, and laughs alot (as long as you are interacting with him). He likes watching moving things too like his crib mobile, the moving part on the baby swing, ceiling fans, etc. He also is intrigued by the mirror and loves his bathtime.
He's such a sweet boy and I'm a little sad that his newborn-ness is gone. I know he'll be running around after his big sister in the blink of an eye.
Anyway, I wanted to give a three month update on Luke. CANNOT believe he's already three months old. He's so awesome.
From "What To Expect the The First Year" here are the milestones we've reached:
Should be Able to:
- On stomach, lift head up 45 degrees
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face past the midline
Will probably be able to:
- Laugh out Loud (he makes a noise with his huge open mouth smiles, but it's not really a true "laugh" or giggle
- On stomach, lift head up 90 degrees
- Bring both hands together (he can even shove them into his mouth)
- Smile spontaneously (today he gave me a cute smile when I asked if he pooped his pants. Little stinker.)
- Follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face for 180 degrees
May possibly be able to:
- Hold head steady when upright
- On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms (just for a second at a time)
May even be able to:
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright
- Reach for an object (he's started trying to bat at toys)
- Turn in the direction of a voice, particularly mommy's
- Say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant combination (he's very vocal compared to Grace at his age)
Everything is going so well with him. He's gotten into a good routine at Amy's and has more good days than bad. I wish he'd nap a little better for her. He usually takes 3 one-hour naps per day. We're still nursing and it's wonderful. Pumping at work can be a pain. Especially when I'm really busy or have meetings, but I do the best I can. We've got a decent stash in the freezer (about 10 bottles) so even if I miss one pumping at work (has happened twice), we've still got enough. Still no formula for him except for those couple ounce bottles when he was jaundiced.
I think he's really growing. Some of his 3-6 month clothes are getting tight. No official weigh-in, but I think he's between 16 and 17 pounds. He's lost a ton of his baby hair, so I can't wait to see it come back in. He's also very strong, today he actually did a mini-sit up. I was holding him in front of me with his feet at my belly and head in my hands elevated about 45 degrees. He managed to get into a sitting position without holding onto anything.
Sleeping still going ok. I need to get tough and put him back in his crib after he eats over night, but I have to admit, I enjoy cuddling with him. I do on occasion though, but he doesn't seem to sleep as well the second half of the night. Still thankful that I put him to bed awake in his crib. It usually takes him about 10 minutes to fall asleep. Sometimes he fusses and I go and help him with his pacifier or just stroke his face, but he rarely cries and never so much that I need to pick him up.
During his awake times, Luke's pretty happy too. He likes watching Grace (and she loves showing off for him), he really enjoys playing on the floor or couch if you are interacting with him close by. He doesn't have to be held constantly, but if you aren't holding him, he still wants to be close to the action and be able to see what you are doing. He smiles, coos, and laughs alot (as long as you are interacting with him). He likes watching moving things too like his crib mobile, the moving part on the baby swing, ceiling fans, etc. He also is intrigued by the mirror and loves his bathtime.
He's such a sweet boy and I'm a little sad that his newborn-ness is gone. I know he'll be running around after his big sister in the blink of an eye.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Beginnings and Endings
I should be going to bed now, but this post keeps bumping around in my head, so I thought I'd jot a few things down.
We've had a very eventful couple of weeks. We've spent the last two weekends with Eric's family. Two weekends ago, his Dad and girlfriend came in town and we visited the Jazz and Rib Fest and Grace got to play in the hotel swimming pool. Then last weekend we spent a night with his Mom and day and night at his brothers. Again more pool time. Both were very pleasant and relaxing weekends. Luke was exceptionally well behaved on both occassions and Grace has a talent for winning over anyone with her sweetness.
As for the title of my post. This seems to be a time of transitions for us with some new beginnings and new endings. Most of the endings are negative, so I'll start there and end on a happier note.
Endings
1) Most impactful...Eric's job. On July 29th, Eric was officially let go. We kind of saw this coming as they did give him 3 months to try to turn the numbers around, but with today's economy he just couldn't sell enough 11% mortgages to get it done. While this is a negative in the short term (reduced cash flow doesn't fit well in our budget), we have been taking the right steps financially over the last year and a half that we can survive for a short period of time on our savings without making drastic measures or increasing the debt. Also, Eric's hated his job for years, so I think this is just the right push to get him into a better position that will make him happy. He's really throwing himself into it to. It's only been 1 week, but he already had his first interview today at a job he thinks he'd like and it seemed to go well.
2) On July 30th, Grace graduated from speech therapy! Yay! Not only does she now speak incredibly clearly, no more $30 a week co-pays! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the left over money in our flex-spending account. We budgeted for a whole year of speech. I'm thinking I may be getting new glasses and contacts. Maybe a pair of prescription sunglasses for Eric?
3) On a sad note, someone from church that I felt fairly close to passed away on Sunday. While I didn't play on the softball team this year (considering my maternity leave ended over 1/2 way through the season), I did play with him for several years. His wife brought us food when I was going through chemo and was the first person to ever babysit Grace (she came over when I was on maternity leave and had a dentist appointment). He was young (not sure, but less than 45) and had a heart attack at the Sunday softball game. He left behind his wife and two sons (ages ~10 and ~14). It was just so sudden and so tragic. They still haven't sent out notice of the funeral service, so I will have that to attend in the next few days.
Beginnings
Moving on to happier topics...
1) Luke is an awesome sleeper. He's now dropped to just one feeding between 7:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. He naps in his crib and on occasion will sleep in the crib all night (when I'm not to lazy to put him back in there after he eats). I'm calling this "beginning" to sleep through the night.
2) Grace will be beginning pre-school soon. In an effort to save money, we gave Amy our 2 week notice for Grace. Luke will still go to her, but until Eric starts working again, he'll stay home with Grace. He should still be able to keep up on the job search with her at home and Amy has agreed to watch her on occassion if Eric has an interview and just needs her for a couple of hours. Once Eric is employed again, we will be sending her back to her previous daycare center which is also a pre-school. I think she really misses the interaction with the other kids her age and will do awesome. She's going to Vacation Bible School this week and having the time of her life.
3) This one isn't mine, but one of my BFF's Danialle is pregnant. She's now had confirmation from the doctor that everything looks great, so we're allowed to start celebrating. She's due in March and has offered to let me be a part of the birth experience if I can get there in time. Of course I will try my hardest. You know how I love births! It's so awesome to watch her in each stage and how she cherishs each moment. I think I was like that with Grace, but sort of took Luke's pregnancy for granted. I love seeing hwo her mentality is already changing into the protective Mommy and I think she'll do great. Makes me reflect on my Mommy skills and realize I should think about them more often to be sure I'm doing the best job I can.
Ok, I really should go to bed, Luke will probably be ready to get up in about 2 hours and I don't usually sleep as well the 2nd half of the night.
We've had a very eventful couple of weeks. We've spent the last two weekends with Eric's family. Two weekends ago, his Dad and girlfriend came in town and we visited the Jazz and Rib Fest and Grace got to play in the hotel swimming pool. Then last weekend we spent a night with his Mom and day and night at his brothers. Again more pool time. Both were very pleasant and relaxing weekends. Luke was exceptionally well behaved on both occassions and Grace has a talent for winning over anyone with her sweetness.
As for the title of my post. This seems to be a time of transitions for us with some new beginnings and new endings. Most of the endings are negative, so I'll start there and end on a happier note.
Endings
1) Most impactful...Eric's job. On July 29th, Eric was officially let go. We kind of saw this coming as they did give him 3 months to try to turn the numbers around, but with today's economy he just couldn't sell enough 11% mortgages to get it done. While this is a negative in the short term (reduced cash flow doesn't fit well in our budget), we have been taking the right steps financially over the last year and a half that we can survive for a short period of time on our savings without making drastic measures or increasing the debt. Also, Eric's hated his job for years, so I think this is just the right push to get him into a better position that will make him happy. He's really throwing himself into it to. It's only been 1 week, but he already had his first interview today at a job he thinks he'd like and it seemed to go well.
2) On July 30th, Grace graduated from speech therapy! Yay! Not only does she now speak incredibly clearly, no more $30 a week co-pays! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the left over money in our flex-spending account. We budgeted for a whole year of speech. I'm thinking I may be getting new glasses and contacts. Maybe a pair of prescription sunglasses for Eric?
3) On a sad note, someone from church that I felt fairly close to passed away on Sunday. While I didn't play on the softball team this year (considering my maternity leave ended over 1/2 way through the season), I did play with him for several years. His wife brought us food when I was going through chemo and was the first person to ever babysit Grace (she came over when I was on maternity leave and had a dentist appointment). He was young (not sure, but less than 45) and had a heart attack at the Sunday softball game. He left behind his wife and two sons (ages ~10 and ~14). It was just so sudden and so tragic. They still haven't sent out notice of the funeral service, so I will have that to attend in the next few days.
Beginnings
Moving on to happier topics...
1) Luke is an awesome sleeper. He's now dropped to just one feeding between 7:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. He naps in his crib and on occasion will sleep in the crib all night (when I'm not to lazy to put him back in there after he eats). I'm calling this "beginning" to sleep through the night.
2) Grace will be beginning pre-school soon. In an effort to save money, we gave Amy our 2 week notice for Grace. Luke will still go to her, but until Eric starts working again, he'll stay home with Grace. He should still be able to keep up on the job search with her at home and Amy has agreed to watch her on occassion if Eric has an interview and just needs her for a couple of hours. Once Eric is employed again, we will be sending her back to her previous daycare center which is also a pre-school. I think she really misses the interaction with the other kids her age and will do awesome. She's going to Vacation Bible School this week and having the time of her life.
3) This one isn't mine, but one of my BFF's Danialle is pregnant. She's now had confirmation from the doctor that everything looks great, so we're allowed to start celebrating. She's due in March and has offered to let me be a part of the birth experience if I can get there in time. Of course I will try my hardest. You know how I love births! It's so awesome to watch her in each stage and how she cherishs each moment. I think I was like that with Grace, but sort of took Luke's pregnancy for granted. I love seeing hwo her mentality is already changing into the protective Mommy and I think she'll do great. Makes me reflect on my Mommy skills and realize I should think about them more often to be sure I'm doing the best job I can.
Ok, I really should go to bed, Luke will probably be ready to get up in about 2 hours and I don't usually sleep as well the 2nd half of the night.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
4 In a Row
I'm not trying to jinx us, but the last 4 nights in a row, I have put Luke in his bed awake and he has fallen asleep on his own (without crying). It's so awesome. This was our ultimate goal, but I expected several nights of crying like we had with Grace and I didn't expect to start the sleep training until he was at least 4 months old. I guess this boy may not need to be trained. He's still not going all night yet, but an early bedtime and going down awake is definately a start. The key has been the amazing swaddling blanket. I just bought it last weekend and it's really too small for him (his shoulders don't really sit below the top of the blanket so he gets his arms out easily), but I wrap him up and he settles down immediately.
Other amazing news. He took 3 naps in his crib this weekend. All lasting at least an hour, one was 2 hours. Two were put down while he was awake, but sleepy. So different than Grace.
The overnight thing is getting better too. For the last week or so, he has been stretching the feedings to about 4 hours overnight, meaning he wakes up around 10 or 11 (depending on when his last feeding was) and then again around 2 am and then makes it until 6. However last night, he ate at 10:30 p.m. and then slept until 4 a.m. (in his crib)! Too bad I didn't go to bed until 12:30 a.m. It was awesome and then he went back to sleep until we got up at 8 a.m. (in my bed) Although my boob was complaining. I was so engorged at 8 that I even had to pump a little after he finished his breakfast. So, I'm willing to take this slow, but I love that he's stretching this out on his own. It just feels so natural to let him get into his own routine. Although if he's still waking at night in another 2 or 3 months, we may have to help him out a little.
I just love this little guy.
Other amazing news. He took 3 naps in his crib this weekend. All lasting at least an hour, one was 2 hours. Two were put down while he was awake, but sleepy. So different than Grace.
The overnight thing is getting better too. For the last week or so, he has been stretching the feedings to about 4 hours overnight, meaning he wakes up around 10 or 11 (depending on when his last feeding was) and then again around 2 am and then makes it until 6. However last night, he ate at 10:30 p.m. and then slept until 4 a.m. (in his crib)! Too bad I didn't go to bed until 12:30 a.m. It was awesome and then he went back to sleep until we got up at 8 a.m. (in my bed) Although my boob was complaining. I was so engorged at 8 that I even had to pump a little after he finished his breakfast. So, I'm willing to take this slow, but I love that he's stretching this out on his own. It just feels so natural to let him get into his own routine. Although if he's still waking at night in another 2 or 3 months, we may have to help him out a little.
I just love this little guy.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thumb Sucker
Luke has found his hands and is very attached to his thumb. The nice thing is that if he loses his pacifier, he'll just search for his hand until he finds that thumb and then goes to town. It's kind of cute and convenient!
Things keep improving at Amy's for him as they get used to each other and he starts getting more of a routine. She's even getting him to nap in a crib thanks to her amazing swaddling skills. My skills aren't as great, so I bought a swaddling blanket with the velcro to try it. Works ok except he gets an arm out in about 30 seconds. He's just too long to get his feet in the pocket and his shoulders below the top of the blanket. Oh well, he seems to like it anyway.
He's been getting progressively better at night. He routinely has been falling asleep between 7 and 8 pm. Usually on the couch, but tonight I put him in his crib at 7:45 p.m. (awake) and after one fussy time and I checked on him (didn't pick him up) he fell asleep without even crying. We're at about 35 minutes later and he's still asleep. He's started spacing the evening/overnight feedings to 4 hours regularly and sometimes even 5. Not sure we're close to going all night yet, but hopefully not much longer.
Since he's asleep in the crib, I'm considering trying to keep him there all night. I've been bringing him to bed for his overnight feeding and then just keeping him there. I need to get him used to his crib because as of now, I anticipate that I will have an overnight trip away from him for at least one night in August, a whole weekend in September, and a work trip to Alabama in October. Eric needs to be able to get him to sleep in his bed.
Ok, Grace is in the bathtub and I gotta get her ready for bed. Goodnight!
Things keep improving at Amy's for him as they get used to each other and he starts getting more of a routine. She's even getting him to nap in a crib thanks to her amazing swaddling skills. My skills aren't as great, so I bought a swaddling blanket with the velcro to try it. Works ok except he gets an arm out in about 30 seconds. He's just too long to get his feet in the pocket and his shoulders below the top of the blanket. Oh well, he seems to like it anyway.
He's been getting progressively better at night. He routinely has been falling asleep between 7 and 8 pm. Usually on the couch, but tonight I put him in his crib at 7:45 p.m. (awake) and after one fussy time and I checked on him (didn't pick him up) he fell asleep without even crying. We're at about 35 minutes later and he's still asleep. He's started spacing the evening/overnight feedings to 4 hours regularly and sometimes even 5. Not sure we're close to going all night yet, but hopefully not much longer.
Since he's asleep in the crib, I'm considering trying to keep him there all night. I've been bringing him to bed for his overnight feeding and then just keeping him there. I need to get him used to his crib because as of now, I anticipate that I will have an overnight trip away from him for at least one night in August, a whole weekend in September, and a work trip to Alabama in October. Eric needs to be able to get him to sleep in his bed.
Ok, Grace is in the bathtub and I gotta get her ready for bed. Goodnight!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Back To Work
I went back to work on Thursday. I think it was a good idea to go back for 2 days before going back for a full week.
The work part was ok. I wasn't overly productive, but I did manage to go through and read the 775 e-mails that were waiting on me. I also had meetings with my manager and another coworker to get back in the loop on what's going on on my accounts. I started putting together my personal open items lists to help get me on track. I still need to get up to speed on my 5 new accounts that I inherited when another coworker left the firm July 1st. I found that I really have to pay attention to the time or I could easily forget to go pump. I'm attempting to pump during Luke's normal feeding times, so I can make his meals for the next day. Monday, I got 4 ounces each time, but Tuesday I got 6 ounces each time! I wonder if that means Luke's going through a growth spurt. I did really miss him though. It's different this time. I think I enjoyed my maternity leave more, so it was harder to go back this time. But, I'm back.
Luke had a rough two days at Amy's. I think they just need to get used to each other and hopefully Luke will start to adjust to a routine to give her a break. The first day, she had trouble getting him to stay awake for the whole bottle and said it took 25 to 30 minutes to feed him. Considering he only nurses for about 10 minutes (or less) and gets his whole meal in, I wondered if he needed a faster flow nipple. I sent the "slow flow" newborn nipples. She also thought he acted hungry alot, but she was trying to keep him to a 3 hour schedule as he'd been on at home. I think over all he was pretty fussy all day. Tuesday I changed the nipples and she said that worked much better. He was able to take the bottle in about 10 minutes and didn't fall asleep. However, she couldn't make him wait 3 hours for any of his feedings. I wonder if he was just hungry because I sent his 4 ounce bottles from Monday, but on Tuesday, I was producing 6 ounces. I decided next week to send an extra frozen bag of milk, so if he acts more hungry, she can just give him more. I also said that if he acts like he can't go 3 hours, just feed him. I find sometimes at home that we only do 2 1/2 if he's hungry. She also said his longest nap on Tuesday was about 45 minutes. I think he just has to get used to the new environment. Even at home if he's fussy, Eric has trouble soothing him, but if I take him, he calms immediately. I think a little more time with Amy should help him get settled and hopefully he'll be less fussy and the happy baby I have at home. (I REALLY hope so.)
So, Friday afternoon I picked up the kids and Amy seemed very cool. We discussed the challenges with Luke and she also mentioned that Grace has seemed a bit jealous and has been acting up to get attention. I mentioned that hopefully this is all just transition and soon things will be easier for everyone. She agreed and said Luke is just still so little that we shouldn't get too caught up on him sticking to a schedule. I said, "You're not going to quit on me are you." She just laughed and said, "Oh, no!" Then I got home and cleaned out the diaper bag and found a note from Amy telling us that as of Monday, she will need to raise our rates by $20 per child per week. I was a little hurt that she couldn't just talk to us about it, but I think she's a bit shy and was probably afraid that she wouldn't be as strong/forecful about it if we talked. In writing she could get her point across. Anyway, it's still a good deal, so I'm sure we'll pay it. It's still about $80 per week (total) cheaper than the daycare center. Although, Grace's rate is now only $15 less than the daycare center. I think we may consider moving her back in the fall, so she can get more of a pre-school curriculum rather than all the "free-play" she gets right now. She's the oldest at Amy's and they don't do much working on pre-school type things and with the little ones, she doesn't get to do craft-type projects because Amy's son still tries to eat crayons, etc. Now that the price difference is $15 per week, rather than $35 per week, it may be worth it. Also, the old daycare and Amy's house are pretty close together, so it wouldn't be that much more hassle to do separate drop-offs and pick-ups.
Our other Friday afternoon news was with Eric. Several of the high-level management team was in his office on Friday doing an audit. I talked to him throughout the day and he thought it was going well. But sometime between 4:30 and 7:30 when he got home, he found out that it's highly likely that he will be fired next week. His district manager will be in the office on Monday to review some of his books and see if his numbers have improved enough, but Eric says that he's 90% sure that they won't be good enough. He was given 3 months to turn around his branch's numbers, but with the current mortgage market, it's been really tough for him to get loans in and he just doesn't think it's going to be good. I'm actually not that upset. Eric's hated his job for years and I think this will be what is has to take for him to go out and figure out that he can have a job that he doesn't dread going to daily. We have enough in savings to keep afloat for probably 6 weeks (although the money was set aside for other things like my school and Christmas shopping), but starting today, we are cutting out all unnecessary spending. No more eating out or blowing money on other things that can wait. Also, cutting out any trips out of town with gas prices high. Hopefully, he'll find something else quickly and we won't have to use much of our savings.
Ok, Luke's ready for his mid-morning meal, so I gotta go!
The work part was ok. I wasn't overly productive, but I did manage to go through and read the 775 e-mails that were waiting on me. I also had meetings with my manager and another coworker to get back in the loop on what's going on on my accounts. I started putting together my personal open items lists to help get me on track. I still need to get up to speed on my 5 new accounts that I inherited when another coworker left the firm July 1st. I found that I really have to pay attention to the time or I could easily forget to go pump. I'm attempting to pump during Luke's normal feeding times, so I can make his meals for the next day. Monday, I got 4 ounces each time, but Tuesday I got 6 ounces each time! I wonder if that means Luke's going through a growth spurt. I did really miss him though. It's different this time. I think I enjoyed my maternity leave more, so it was harder to go back this time. But, I'm back.
Luke had a rough two days at Amy's. I think they just need to get used to each other and hopefully Luke will start to adjust to a routine to give her a break. The first day, she had trouble getting him to stay awake for the whole bottle and said it took 25 to 30 minutes to feed him. Considering he only nurses for about 10 minutes (or less) and gets his whole meal in, I wondered if he needed a faster flow nipple. I sent the "slow flow" newborn nipples. She also thought he acted hungry alot, but she was trying to keep him to a 3 hour schedule as he'd been on at home. I think over all he was pretty fussy all day. Tuesday I changed the nipples and she said that worked much better. He was able to take the bottle in about 10 minutes and didn't fall asleep. However, she couldn't make him wait 3 hours for any of his feedings. I wonder if he was just hungry because I sent his 4 ounce bottles from Monday, but on Tuesday, I was producing 6 ounces. I decided next week to send an extra frozen bag of milk, so if he acts more hungry, she can just give him more. I also said that if he acts like he can't go 3 hours, just feed him. I find sometimes at home that we only do 2 1/2 if he's hungry. She also said his longest nap on Tuesday was about 45 minutes. I think he just has to get used to the new environment. Even at home if he's fussy, Eric has trouble soothing him, but if I take him, he calms immediately. I think a little more time with Amy should help him get settled and hopefully he'll be less fussy and the happy baby I have at home. (I REALLY hope so.)
So, Friday afternoon I picked up the kids and Amy seemed very cool. We discussed the challenges with Luke and she also mentioned that Grace has seemed a bit jealous and has been acting up to get attention. I mentioned that hopefully this is all just transition and soon things will be easier for everyone. She agreed and said Luke is just still so little that we shouldn't get too caught up on him sticking to a schedule. I said, "You're not going to quit on me are you." She just laughed and said, "Oh, no!" Then I got home and cleaned out the diaper bag and found a note from Amy telling us that as of Monday, she will need to raise our rates by $20 per child per week. I was a little hurt that she couldn't just talk to us about it, but I think she's a bit shy and was probably afraid that she wouldn't be as strong/forecful about it if we talked. In writing she could get her point across. Anyway, it's still a good deal, so I'm sure we'll pay it. It's still about $80 per week (total) cheaper than the daycare center. Although, Grace's rate is now only $15 less than the daycare center. I think we may consider moving her back in the fall, so she can get more of a pre-school curriculum rather than all the "free-play" she gets right now. She's the oldest at Amy's and they don't do much working on pre-school type things and with the little ones, she doesn't get to do craft-type projects because Amy's son still tries to eat crayons, etc. Now that the price difference is $15 per week, rather than $35 per week, it may be worth it. Also, the old daycare and Amy's house are pretty close together, so it wouldn't be that much more hassle to do separate drop-offs and pick-ups.
Our other Friday afternoon news was with Eric. Several of the high-level management team was in his office on Friday doing an audit. I talked to him throughout the day and he thought it was going well. But sometime between 4:30 and 7:30 when he got home, he found out that it's highly likely that he will be fired next week. His district manager will be in the office on Monday to review some of his books and see if his numbers have improved enough, but Eric says that he's 90% sure that they won't be good enough. He was given 3 months to turn around his branch's numbers, but with the current mortgage market, it's been really tough for him to get loans in and he just doesn't think it's going to be good. I'm actually not that upset. Eric's hated his job for years and I think this will be what is has to take for him to go out and figure out that he can have a job that he doesn't dread going to daily. We have enough in savings to keep afloat for probably 6 weeks (although the money was set aside for other things like my school and Christmas shopping), but starting today, we are cutting out all unnecessary spending. No more eating out or blowing money on other things that can wait. Also, cutting out any trips out of town with gas prices high. Hopefully, he'll find something else quickly and we won't have to use much of our savings.
Ok, Luke's ready for his mid-morning meal, so I gotta go!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
2 Months Old
As of yesterday, we have been a family of four for 2 months. Relatively speaking, it's been a great two months. Still so much easier than those first two months with Grace. I think some of it is Luke's temperment, but even more important is how relaxed I am. I know that this stage will pass quickly and we'll survive and he's never going to be this small again.
At two months old, Luke can smile. Haven't had a real laugh yet, but I'm guessing that will be soon. He can hold his head upright pretty good without too much wobble. On his belly, he's started using his arms to get part of his chest off the ground and he can lift his head up all the way. He hasn't rolled yet, but he can get to his side from his back. And if I place him on his side, he can roll either back to his back or to his belly, so I'm guessing a real roll isn't too far away. He is very vocal and likes to coo and gurgle at us. I also can tell the difference between some of his crys. Grace just screamed for everything, but Luke's hungry cry is very different from his tired cry or his bored cry. He also seems to be gaining more control of his hands. He can't really aim yet, but he will grab onto shirts, hair or glasses if he gets close enough.
Eating is going well. Luke usually eats every three hours. Some days he reverts to 2 or 2 1/2 hours, but most of the time he goes three. When he does nurse, he's all business. He can get his whole meal in in about 7 minutes. At first I thought maybe he wasn't get enough, but once he pulls off he acts like he has trouble getting latched back on. If I force it and he does go back on, he usually will spit up all over me. So, now when he comes off, I just burp him and he's done. Unfortunately at night he's also still only going about 3 hours. We've had a couple of 4 or 5 hour stretches, but not on a regular basis. Although, I usually feed him around midnight, he wakes around 3 and then again at 6, so that's really only one night waking.
Sleeping is so so. He hasn't really fell into a predictable napping schedule yet. He does usually sleep around 9:30 or 10 am after a longish awake time of an hour or two, but I haven't been putting him in his crib or a bed, so I'm not sure how restful the sleep is. For example, he's napping now, but laying on a blanket on the couch beside me. He does take a 2 to 3 hour nap in the afternoon (around 1 pm), but I will lay down with him and get up after 1 1/2 or 2 hours, so I'm not sure how good this nap will be at the baby sitters. He also usually dozes a bit while I'm getting dinner ready (after his 6 pm feeding), but we have bath time sometime between 7 and 8 pm and then he usually falls asleep until his night time feeding around 9 or 10 pm. Then we head up for bed between 11 and 12 (sometimes I'll wake and feed him again before we go).
I discussed the overnight process with the doctor yesterday and she suggested I start trying to get him to sleep in his crib in his room, so I will be able to judge if he needs to nurse overnight and start working towards sleeping through the night. Grace stopped taking her overnight bottle around 2 months old, so I'm guessing he should be ready soon. He's much bigger than she was at this age. Up until now, I've been putting him in the cosleeper beside the bed when we go to bed. He usually wakes on the trip up the stairs, but will lay quietly until he falls back to sleep (while I play Tetris on my Gameboy and make sure the pacifier is in place until he's asleep). Then we both sleep until his 3 am feeding. At that point I put him in bed with me and nurse him while we both doze. I usually wake up around 4:30 am and realize we both fell asleep. He usually starts figeting (I kind of think it's because we sleep and don't get a good burp after the 3 am feeding) and I cuddle him and give him the pacifier until 6 when I feed him, wake up Eric, and get Grace ready for the babysitter.
Last night we tried the crib. I fed him at 10 p.m. and then took him up to the crib around 11 p.m. I had trouble sleeping in my room without him being an arms length away. Around 1:20 a.m. I heard him start moving and by 1:30 a.m. he let me know he wanted to eat (3 1/2 hours). I went to his room and fed him in the rocker. By 1:45 a.m. he had nursed, had a diaper change, burped, and fallen back to sleep. (That never happened with big sister). I returned him to the crib and headed back to my room. I slept better this time. However, at 4:15 a.m. he woke again. I got up and this time was really sleepy, so I took him back to my room and nursed him in bed. I stayed awake though and put him in the cosleeper when finished and he stayed there until he started fidgeting at 5:30 a.m. and I cuddled him in bed until 6:30 a.m. when I dragged myself out of bed to get the rest of the family ready for their day. Although I did go back to sleep until after the 7:30 a.m. nursing session.
Luke's doctors appointment went well. He's growing well (Ha!). He weighed in at 15 pounds 8 ounces which is off the top of the growth chart. I checked Grace's baby book and she weighed 15 pounds at her 4 month appointment. He was 23 inches long (50th percentile). I didn't think breastfeeding was so important to me, but I really feel proud that he's thriving and he is getting all of his meals from me. Cancer didn't take my life, it didn't take my ability to have a baby, and it didn't take away my ability to breastfeed (although I am lopsided). Luke also got 4 shots and an oral vaccine. He screamed, but stopped quickly and was asleep before we left the doctor.
Grace is still doing awesome with Luke. Sometimes she tries to take him away from me when she wants to hold him. Also, now that he smiles she is constantly in his face. It was very sweet yesterday when I told her that he had shots she wanted to make him feel better. She gave him her giraffe and said he could keep him "forever." She said she didn't need him anymore and that Luke could have him. That's a huge deal. She didn't take giraffe to Amy's today either, so this is progress.
Eric is warming up to Luke too. He's not much of an infant person, so at the beginning (especially because I was breastfeeding) he pretty much left me to take care of Luke and he did more with keeping Grace entertained and getting her ready for bed, etc. I am trying to get him to take Luke more now though because Luke is becoming a momma's boy and I need to know that Eric can soothe him too. I'm supposed to have an overnight trip for work in a few weeks and right now, I'm not sure that I could leave overnight.
As for me, I'm doing well. I had my postpartum checkup and all was well (except I have to wait until 12 weeks to get my IUD back). Breastfeeding is pleasant. I don't pump as much as I should be (to get my reserve supply), but it's nice to know that if I don't feel like pumping, I can still feed my baby today. I have pumped a full feeding twice (while someone else fed him a bottle of previously pumped milk) and I get betwen 4 1/2 and 5 ounces in 10 minutes. Otherwise, I get about 1 to 2 ounces if I pump after he's done eating. We did a trial day hanging out at the babysitters for the morning. I'm going to go back to work on Thursday this week. Hoping that pumping at work will go ok. I also think I may start following the weight watchers plan next week (adding points for breastfeeding). I'm hanging out at 5-7 pounds above pre-pregnancy weight. I'd like to lose about 10 pounds. Well, I'd love to lose 15 to 20, but I'm being realistic and I'd be happy at 10 pounds. To treat myself to going back to work, I went shopping last week and used some left over Christmas gift cards and spent about $50 of my own money. I bought a new pair of work pants (need to hem them), a skirt, a white cami, and 4 other tops, plus a new pair of black slingbacks. Grace flipped out that I didn't buy her any new clothes. She's such a girl.
That's enough for now. I should probably attempt to do something productive today.
At two months old, Luke can smile. Haven't had a real laugh yet, but I'm guessing that will be soon. He can hold his head upright pretty good without too much wobble. On his belly, he's started using his arms to get part of his chest off the ground and he can lift his head up all the way. He hasn't rolled yet, but he can get to his side from his back. And if I place him on his side, he can roll either back to his back or to his belly, so I'm guessing a real roll isn't too far away. He is very vocal and likes to coo and gurgle at us. I also can tell the difference between some of his crys. Grace just screamed for everything, but Luke's hungry cry is very different from his tired cry or his bored cry. He also seems to be gaining more control of his hands. He can't really aim yet, but he will grab onto shirts, hair or glasses if he gets close enough.
Eating is going well. Luke usually eats every three hours. Some days he reverts to 2 or 2 1/2 hours, but most of the time he goes three. When he does nurse, he's all business. He can get his whole meal in in about 7 minutes. At first I thought maybe he wasn't get enough, but once he pulls off he acts like he has trouble getting latched back on. If I force it and he does go back on, he usually will spit up all over me. So, now when he comes off, I just burp him and he's done. Unfortunately at night he's also still only going about 3 hours. We've had a couple of 4 or 5 hour stretches, but not on a regular basis. Although, I usually feed him around midnight, he wakes around 3 and then again at 6, so that's really only one night waking.
Sleeping is so so. He hasn't really fell into a predictable napping schedule yet. He does usually sleep around 9:30 or 10 am after a longish awake time of an hour or two, but I haven't been putting him in his crib or a bed, so I'm not sure how restful the sleep is. For example, he's napping now, but laying on a blanket on the couch beside me. He does take a 2 to 3 hour nap in the afternoon (around 1 pm), but I will lay down with him and get up after 1 1/2 or 2 hours, so I'm not sure how good this nap will be at the baby sitters. He also usually dozes a bit while I'm getting dinner ready (after his 6 pm feeding), but we have bath time sometime between 7 and 8 pm and then he usually falls asleep until his night time feeding around 9 or 10 pm. Then we head up for bed between 11 and 12 (sometimes I'll wake and feed him again before we go).
I discussed the overnight process with the doctor yesterday and she suggested I start trying to get him to sleep in his crib in his room, so I will be able to judge if he needs to nurse overnight and start working towards sleeping through the night. Grace stopped taking her overnight bottle around 2 months old, so I'm guessing he should be ready soon. He's much bigger than she was at this age. Up until now, I've been putting him in the cosleeper beside the bed when we go to bed. He usually wakes on the trip up the stairs, but will lay quietly until he falls back to sleep (while I play Tetris on my Gameboy and make sure the pacifier is in place until he's asleep). Then we both sleep until his 3 am feeding. At that point I put him in bed with me and nurse him while we both doze. I usually wake up around 4:30 am and realize we both fell asleep. He usually starts figeting (I kind of think it's because we sleep and don't get a good burp after the 3 am feeding) and I cuddle him and give him the pacifier until 6 when I feed him, wake up Eric, and get Grace ready for the babysitter.
Last night we tried the crib. I fed him at 10 p.m. and then took him up to the crib around 11 p.m. I had trouble sleeping in my room without him being an arms length away. Around 1:20 a.m. I heard him start moving and by 1:30 a.m. he let me know he wanted to eat (3 1/2 hours). I went to his room and fed him in the rocker. By 1:45 a.m. he had nursed, had a diaper change, burped, and fallen back to sleep. (That never happened with big sister). I returned him to the crib and headed back to my room. I slept better this time. However, at 4:15 a.m. he woke again. I got up and this time was really sleepy, so I took him back to my room and nursed him in bed. I stayed awake though and put him in the cosleeper when finished and he stayed there until he started fidgeting at 5:30 a.m. and I cuddled him in bed until 6:30 a.m. when I dragged myself out of bed to get the rest of the family ready for their day. Although I did go back to sleep until after the 7:30 a.m. nursing session.
Luke's doctors appointment went well. He's growing well (Ha!). He weighed in at 15 pounds 8 ounces which is off the top of the growth chart. I checked Grace's baby book and she weighed 15 pounds at her 4 month appointment. He was 23 inches long (50th percentile). I didn't think breastfeeding was so important to me, but I really feel proud that he's thriving and he is getting all of his meals from me. Cancer didn't take my life, it didn't take my ability to have a baby, and it didn't take away my ability to breastfeed (although I am lopsided). Luke also got 4 shots and an oral vaccine. He screamed, but stopped quickly and was asleep before we left the doctor.
Grace is still doing awesome with Luke. Sometimes she tries to take him away from me when she wants to hold him. Also, now that he smiles she is constantly in his face. It was very sweet yesterday when I told her that he had shots she wanted to make him feel better. She gave him her giraffe and said he could keep him "forever." She said she didn't need him anymore and that Luke could have him. That's a huge deal. She didn't take giraffe to Amy's today either, so this is progress.
Eric is warming up to Luke too. He's not much of an infant person, so at the beginning (especially because I was breastfeeding) he pretty much left me to take care of Luke and he did more with keeping Grace entertained and getting her ready for bed, etc. I am trying to get him to take Luke more now though because Luke is becoming a momma's boy and I need to know that Eric can soothe him too. I'm supposed to have an overnight trip for work in a few weeks and right now, I'm not sure that I could leave overnight.
As for me, I'm doing well. I had my postpartum checkup and all was well (except I have to wait until 12 weeks to get my IUD back). Breastfeeding is pleasant. I don't pump as much as I should be (to get my reserve supply), but it's nice to know that if I don't feel like pumping, I can still feed my baby today. I have pumped a full feeding twice (while someone else fed him a bottle of previously pumped milk) and I get betwen 4 1/2 and 5 ounces in 10 minutes. Otherwise, I get about 1 to 2 ounces if I pump after he's done eating. We did a trial day hanging out at the babysitters for the morning. I'm going to go back to work on Thursday this week. Hoping that pumping at work will go ok. I also think I may start following the weight watchers plan next week (adding points for breastfeeding). I'm hanging out at 5-7 pounds above pre-pregnancy weight. I'd like to lose about 10 pounds. Well, I'd love to lose 15 to 20, but I'm being realistic and I'd be happy at 10 pounds. To treat myself to going back to work, I went shopping last week and used some left over Christmas gift cards and spent about $50 of my own money. I bought a new pair of work pants (need to hem them), a skirt, a white cami, and 4 other tops, plus a new pair of black slingbacks. Grace flipped out that I didn't buy her any new clothes. She's such a girl.
That's enough for now. I should probably attempt to do something productive today.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Iowa Visit
I've been home for a week, but just getting around to updating about the trip. I've got lots of pictures in Flickr.
We took a trip to Iowa to visit my parents. Eric, Grace, Luke and I left on Thursday morning to fly out. Luke's first plane trip went reasonably well and we made it to Iowa in early afternoon. We went back to my parents house and then Thursday evening went to "Thursday Nights in Pella." Every Thursday in the summer, the community hosts some sort of gathering with booths/vendors, etc. This week was "Inflatables" so Grace had tons of fun jumping in the bouncy house, going down the giant slide etc. Check out the pictures.
I can't really remember what we did on Friday except for grocery shopping and Mom and I and the kids took a trip to the library to get some books for Grace for the week and I got three books which I finished before coming home. Eric spent lots of time fishing and caught lots of big ones (see pictures).
Saturday Eric and I went on a date alone! I pumped while I was there and had enough for a bottle, so Eric and I went to see "What Happens in Vegas" and then to dinner before heading home to find that both kids survived nicely.
Sunday we went to church, Eric did a lot of fishing. We let Grace have a special night. She took her bath and got her PJs on and then got to come downstairs and watch "Enchanted" before going to bed. She LOVED it.
Monday, Eric went home and the rest of us stayed. I can't remember anything else specifically that we did.
Tuesday, we went to the Pella Aquatic Center and went swimming. They had a really nice family/kid area that Grace could play in. They also had some really cool tube slides and an Adventure River. Grace loved the adventure river and I think went on it 6 times with various family members.
Wednesday, my brother had a ceremony to re-enlist in the Army, so we went to his reserve unit in Des Moines to see it. It was really cool and we got to hear lots of compliments about what great work he does. We then had a little detour to the mall and went to dinner.
I don't really remember any other details on Thursday or Friday, except Mom and I went to breakfast on Friday and Dad stayed home with both kiddos. He was a little nervous to have Luke on his own, but I fed him before we left and got home before the next feeding was due, so they did just fine.
Throughout the week Grace had tons of fun with the following activities. Many are captured in the pictures:
- Playing with the cat and dog.
- Picking flowers outside
- Grandpa bought her a motorized Jeep that she drove around the yard
- Riding on the 4-wheeler with Grandpa to see the cows
- Fishing in the pond
- Playing in the kiddie pool in the yard
- Play-doh with Grandma in the sunroom
- She had a picnic lunch with Grandpa one day
- Helping Grandma make cookies for church
Saturday I came home with the kids. It was tough to travel with two kids on my own, but we survived and got home around 9 p.m. I think Eric was glad to see us.
All in all it was a wonderful trip. I definately prefer visiting in the summer. Not nearly as many fun things to do in the winter months. We did have a scary moment the first night. Grace was sleeping in a room upstairs and we left the door open. We showed her where my parents bedroom was in case she needed them. For some reason Grace got up around midnight and was looking for someone (we think), but she wandered into the office instead of my parents bedroom. We think she wasn't used to doors being open, so she tried to open a door. There was a closet door off the hinges leaning against the wall in that room and it fell. Thankfully there was a bookshelf against the other wall and when the door fell it landed on the bookshelf and didn't fall all the way to the floor (or on Grace). It was a big heavy door so that could have been bad news.
Well, the pictures tell most of the story. It was such a good time.
Tomorrow Luke has his 2 month checkup and I hope to update on all his milestones.
We took a trip to Iowa to visit my parents. Eric, Grace, Luke and I left on Thursday morning to fly out. Luke's first plane trip went reasonably well and we made it to Iowa in early afternoon. We went back to my parents house and then Thursday evening went to "Thursday Nights in Pella." Every Thursday in the summer, the community hosts some sort of gathering with booths/vendors, etc. This week was "Inflatables" so Grace had tons of fun jumping in the bouncy house, going down the giant slide etc. Check out the pictures.
I can't really remember what we did on Friday except for grocery shopping and Mom and I and the kids took a trip to the library to get some books for Grace for the week and I got three books which I finished before coming home. Eric spent lots of time fishing and caught lots of big ones (see pictures).
Saturday Eric and I went on a date alone! I pumped while I was there and had enough for a bottle, so Eric and I went to see "What Happens in Vegas" and then to dinner before heading home to find that both kids survived nicely.
Sunday we went to church, Eric did a lot of fishing. We let Grace have a special night. She took her bath and got her PJs on and then got to come downstairs and watch "Enchanted" before going to bed. She LOVED it.
Monday, Eric went home and the rest of us stayed. I can't remember anything else specifically that we did.
Tuesday, we went to the Pella Aquatic Center and went swimming. They had a really nice family/kid area that Grace could play in. They also had some really cool tube slides and an Adventure River. Grace loved the adventure river and I think went on it 6 times with various family members.
Wednesday, my brother had a ceremony to re-enlist in the Army, so we went to his reserve unit in Des Moines to see it. It was really cool and we got to hear lots of compliments about what great work he does. We then had a little detour to the mall and went to dinner.
I don't really remember any other details on Thursday or Friday, except Mom and I went to breakfast on Friday and Dad stayed home with both kiddos. He was a little nervous to have Luke on his own, but I fed him before we left and got home before the next feeding was due, so they did just fine.
Throughout the week Grace had tons of fun with the following activities. Many are captured in the pictures:
- Playing with the cat and dog.
- Picking flowers outside
- Grandpa bought her a motorized Jeep that she drove around the yard
- Riding on the 4-wheeler with Grandpa to see the cows
- Fishing in the pond
- Playing in the kiddie pool in the yard
- Play-doh with Grandma in the sunroom
- She had a picnic lunch with Grandpa one day
- Helping Grandma make cookies for church
Saturday I came home with the kids. It was tough to travel with two kids on my own, but we survived and got home around 9 p.m. I think Eric was glad to see us.
All in all it was a wonderful trip. I definately prefer visiting in the summer. Not nearly as many fun things to do in the winter months. We did have a scary moment the first night. Grace was sleeping in a room upstairs and we left the door open. We showed her where my parents bedroom was in case she needed them. For some reason Grace got up around midnight and was looking for someone (we think), but she wandered into the office instead of my parents bedroom. We think she wasn't used to doors being open, so she tried to open a door. There was a closet door off the hinges leaning against the wall in that room and it fell. Thankfully there was a bookshelf against the other wall and when the door fell it landed on the bookshelf and didn't fall all the way to the floor (or on Grace). It was a big heavy door so that could have been bad news.
Well, the pictures tell most of the story. It was such a good time.
Tomorrow Luke has his 2 month checkup and I hope to update on all his milestones.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day
My heart melts. I am currently sitting next to my baby boy who is asleep on the couch with the final round of the US Open (golf) on TV. My husband is playing in the basement with Grace. I hear him doing his best "Baby Jaguar" voice while Grace is organizing an animal rescue (as Diego) from the animal rescue center. Now that's a father. Pretend playing in the basement with his daughter instead of watching golf during his Father's Day.
I hope the rest of the father's out there are enjoying their day, too.
I hope the rest of the father's out there are enjoying their day, too.
Monday, June 09, 2008
One Month Check Up
Luke had his 1 month checkup today. He weighed in at a healthy 12 pounds 12 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long. Still in the 95+ percentile for weight and about 75% for height. He also had his 2nd HepB vaccination and he did not enjoy that.
Otherwise we discussed with the doctor trying to work on spreading out his feeding schedule to every 3 hours during the day and working on 4 or more at night. Right now he's still closer to every 2 hours during the day unless he takes a long nap and only goes about 3 hours at night. We also discussed my plans for continuting breastfeeding and pumping when I go back to work. We'll discuss again at his 2 month appointment which is the week before I return to work. That gives me one more month to get us in a routine that will work for us after I go back. Personally, I hope that routine includes more sleeping at night as I'll lose my afternoon nap.
Luke also has a umbilical hernia. It's nothing really to worry about. His belly button just bulges outwards a little, especially when he cries. The doctor said the muscles in the abdomen just haven't closed together yet. It's likely to resolve itself over time.
Other than that not much to report. He looks good and is doing well for a one month old. I will work on getting pictures up soon. I'm sure we've taken some good ones over the last month...
Otherwise we discussed with the doctor trying to work on spreading out his feeding schedule to every 3 hours during the day and working on 4 or more at night. Right now he's still closer to every 2 hours during the day unless he takes a long nap and only goes about 3 hours at night. We also discussed my plans for continuting breastfeeding and pumping when I go back to work. We'll discuss again at his 2 month appointment which is the week before I return to work. That gives me one more month to get us in a routine that will work for us after I go back. Personally, I hope that routine includes more sleeping at night as I'll lose my afternoon nap.
Luke also has a umbilical hernia. It's nothing really to worry about. His belly button just bulges outwards a little, especially when he cries. The doctor said the muscles in the abdomen just haven't closed together yet. It's likely to resolve itself over time.
Other than that not much to report. He looks good and is doing well for a one month old. I will work on getting pictures up soon. I'm sure we've taken some good ones over the last month...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Crying?
So, any advice on what to do with a baby that cries when you aren't holding him? This even occurs at night. We have been sleeping most nights with Luke in bed with me as he wants to be held. When I put him down in the cosleeper, he wakes and fusses about every 5 to 10 minutes. When I put him in bed next to me we can sleep for about 3 hours (as long as I don't want to move or roll over).
During the day, he cries if I try to put him in the swing or bouncy seat when awake after just a couple of minutes (I can get about 1/2 way through a shower). If he falls asleep and I put him down he'll sleep for a short time, but not for a long time. He doesn't mind laying on a blanket on the floor (either on his back or belly), but again just for a few minutes at a time.
If I do put him in the swing or bouncy seat and he gets tired of it, he will scream bloody murder, but as soon as I pick him up, he completely stops crying. He just likes to be held. It's not such a big deal right now when I'm home, but I don't know what this will mean for Amy when I go back to work. She'll be watching Grace, a 2 year old, her 20 month old, and my baby. She can't very well hold Luke all day and I've got to get him to nap while laying in a pack'n'play or crib.
Any suggestions?
During the day, he cries if I try to put him in the swing or bouncy seat when awake after just a couple of minutes (I can get about 1/2 way through a shower). If he falls asleep and I put him down he'll sleep for a short time, but not for a long time. He doesn't mind laying on a blanket on the floor (either on his back or belly), but again just for a few minutes at a time.
If I do put him in the swing or bouncy seat and he gets tired of it, he will scream bloody murder, but as soon as I pick him up, he completely stops crying. He just likes to be held. It's not such a big deal right now when I'm home, but I don't know what this will mean for Amy when I go back to work. She'll be watching Grace, a 2 year old, her 20 month old, and my baby. She can't very well hold Luke all day and I've got to get him to nap while laying in a pack'n'play or crib.
Any suggestions?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
3 Weeks
I can't believe Luke is 3 weeks old already. I know I'm going to miss alot in this update.
First of all, I have to say this new motherhood thing is easier the 2nd time around. I think a big part of it is that I'm not nearly as nervous about things and know that for the most part, I can't screw things up too bad. Eric and I also have decided that at least the first few weeks are "survival mode", so we're not getting worked up about setting routines or anything like that yet. I'm also, amazingly, not documenting everything. I am not keeping track of what's in each diaper, how often they are changed, all the feedings, number of hours slept, etc. I try to keep in mind a general idea of the last time he ate, just so I know when he cries if it's likely he's hungry. Anyway, it's either our attitudes, he's an easier baby, or some other factor, but I'm much happier this time. By happier, I mean no hints of post-partum depression. I've only cried 2 or 3 times since we've been home. Compared to every day for the first 6 weeks with Grace.
When we checked out of the hospital, Luke's discharge weight was 9 pounds 15 ounces. We were told that he needed to be at his discharge weight at the 5-7 day weight check and back to birth weight at 2 weeks. We did a weight check appointment at 6 days and he had lost weight and was down to 9 pounds 12 ounces. Also at that appointment the doctor thought he looked a little jaundiced, so she took some blood to see if we needed to do anything regarding treatment. We got a call that afternoon that his bilirubin levels were high, so they had a "Wallaby" blanket delivered that we had to have Luke hooked up to until his weight recheck on Thursday (about 36 hours). Having him hooked up to the blanket was a real challenge because while we could hold and feed him, the blanket had to stay plugged in at all times, so we were pretty much confined to the swing and rocking chair and then at night, I plugged him in next to the bed and cosleeper. Luckily on Thursday when they rechecked him, he was better, so we got to keep him off of it for good. Regarding the weight issue, we supplemented with formula after a couple of feedings (just 1 or 2 ounces) for a couple days and at the recheck 2 days later, Luke gained 9 ounces and was back up to 10 pounds 5 ounces, so all was good.
Regarding feeding. We have pretty much been exclusively breastfeeding. Luke was a natural and latched on in the delivery room. On the 2nd day, I had a lactation consultant come visit and she recommended that I keep trying him on both breasts and that I get a pump to try to get the right side stimulated. Luke wasn't really interested in the right side as the nipple is much flatter and just not as "ready" for feeding. They brought me a pump that evening and after a feeding, I hooked up and pumped for about 10 minutes. The left side gave us some more colustrum, but the right side didn't produce a drop. That 10 minutes with the pump brought back so many negative memories from my experience with Grace, so a couple hours later after our next feeding when it was time to pump, I just said "no." I decided I can deal with one breast only and I'm not going to torture myself with pumping again. I'd rather use formula. Except for those couple of days when we've supplemented after a feeding, I've been exclusively breastfeeding on the left side. At our 2 week appointment Luke had regained his birthweight and he seems content after each feeding and eats every 2 to 3 hours, so I think we're doing just fine. I can give him all the credit though, because it's been relatively easy. I haven't had cracked or bleeding nipples, he immediately latches on and doesn't ususually fall asleep while eating. He gets a full meal in about 10 to 15 minutes and we've even fed in public. I think not being stressed about how to feed him helped. I wasn't against formula, but since breastfeeding is working and mostly enjoyable, I'm going with it. I especially like that I don't have to actually "get up" over night. I just prop myself up with pillows in bed, get him out of the cosleeper and when he's done I try to put him back and go back to sleep. No bottles to prepare or warm up, just need me and him. I'm not sure how I'll handle things when we go back to work. I just bought a manual pump that I'm going to try out next week after feedings. I didn't really want to pay a bunch of money for a electric double pump for work, but if possible, it would be nice to pump at work, so he can still have breastmilk during the day at Amy's. The other option would be to give him formula during the day, so I don't have to pump, but I'm concerned that would negatively effect my supply for the other feedings, so I'll have to see. I may have to pay for a better pump, but I'm going to give it a try for 2 weeks at home before we go to Iowa to visit.
Sleeping is interesting. Not sure why, but I am not nearly as exhausted as I remember being with Grace. We've been trying to have Luke sleep in a cosleeper that I borrowed from Samara. It's nice to have him so close at night when he needs to eat. Especially since he fusses and grunts a bit before he cries, so most of the time I can get him started eating before he is actually crying. Although lately, he refuses to sleep unless he's being held or next to me, so I've been sleeping while holding him or laying next to him in bed. I am not giving up on the cosleeper yet, but again, this is survival time. We can undo any of these bad habits later. On a brighter note, we're starting to get longer stretches at night. He was only going 2 to 3 hours even at night, but this week we've had a couple stretches closer to 4 hours and he will do 3 hours easier. We even had one night that went from 11 p.m. to 3:50 a.m., so that one was great. Hopefully, a bigger baby will start sleeping though the night sooner, but I feel pretty good overall, so I'm not going to complain much.
I'm still not sure what to do with him when he's awake. He will sit in the swing or bouncy seat while awake for 10 minutes or so, but other than that he likes to be held alot. He's getting used to the sling, because I can't just hold him all day. He'll also lay on my lap while I'm typing (what we're doing right now). He does like tummy time too, so we'll get on the floor on a blanket. I'm ready for him to start interacting more and can't wait until we get the awake smiles. Grace will like that too. She likes to make silly faces at him and gets sad when he doesn't laugh or smile at her. We keep telling her he's still too little, but I think it'll be good for her when he can respond.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm pretty sure there's a diaper to change, so I should go take care of that and get a snack before I go pick up Grace.
First of all, I have to say this new motherhood thing is easier the 2nd time around. I think a big part of it is that I'm not nearly as nervous about things and know that for the most part, I can't screw things up too bad. Eric and I also have decided that at least the first few weeks are "survival mode", so we're not getting worked up about setting routines or anything like that yet. I'm also, amazingly, not documenting everything. I am not keeping track of what's in each diaper, how often they are changed, all the feedings, number of hours slept, etc. I try to keep in mind a general idea of the last time he ate, just so I know when he cries if it's likely he's hungry. Anyway, it's either our attitudes, he's an easier baby, or some other factor, but I'm much happier this time. By happier, I mean no hints of post-partum depression. I've only cried 2 or 3 times since we've been home. Compared to every day for the first 6 weeks with Grace.
When we checked out of the hospital, Luke's discharge weight was 9 pounds 15 ounces. We were told that he needed to be at his discharge weight at the 5-7 day weight check and back to birth weight at 2 weeks. We did a weight check appointment at 6 days and he had lost weight and was down to 9 pounds 12 ounces. Also at that appointment the doctor thought he looked a little jaundiced, so she took some blood to see if we needed to do anything regarding treatment. We got a call that afternoon that his bilirubin levels were high, so they had a "Wallaby" blanket delivered that we had to have Luke hooked up to until his weight recheck on Thursday (about 36 hours). Having him hooked up to the blanket was a real challenge because while we could hold and feed him, the blanket had to stay plugged in at all times, so we were pretty much confined to the swing and rocking chair and then at night, I plugged him in next to the bed and cosleeper. Luckily on Thursday when they rechecked him, he was better, so we got to keep him off of it for good. Regarding the weight issue, we supplemented with formula after a couple of feedings (just 1 or 2 ounces) for a couple days and at the recheck 2 days later, Luke gained 9 ounces and was back up to 10 pounds 5 ounces, so all was good.
Regarding feeding. We have pretty much been exclusively breastfeeding. Luke was a natural and latched on in the delivery room. On the 2nd day, I had a lactation consultant come visit and she recommended that I keep trying him on both breasts and that I get a pump to try to get the right side stimulated. Luke wasn't really interested in the right side as the nipple is much flatter and just not as "ready" for feeding. They brought me a pump that evening and after a feeding, I hooked up and pumped for about 10 minutes. The left side gave us some more colustrum, but the right side didn't produce a drop. That 10 minutes with the pump brought back so many negative memories from my experience with Grace, so a couple hours later after our next feeding when it was time to pump, I just said "no." I decided I can deal with one breast only and I'm not going to torture myself with pumping again. I'd rather use formula. Except for those couple of days when we've supplemented after a feeding, I've been exclusively breastfeeding on the left side. At our 2 week appointment Luke had regained his birthweight and he seems content after each feeding and eats every 2 to 3 hours, so I think we're doing just fine. I can give him all the credit though, because it's been relatively easy. I haven't had cracked or bleeding nipples, he immediately latches on and doesn't ususually fall asleep while eating. He gets a full meal in about 10 to 15 minutes and we've even fed in public. I think not being stressed about how to feed him helped. I wasn't against formula, but since breastfeeding is working and mostly enjoyable, I'm going with it. I especially like that I don't have to actually "get up" over night. I just prop myself up with pillows in bed, get him out of the cosleeper and when he's done I try to put him back and go back to sleep. No bottles to prepare or warm up, just need me and him. I'm not sure how I'll handle things when we go back to work. I just bought a manual pump that I'm going to try out next week after feedings. I didn't really want to pay a bunch of money for a electric double pump for work, but if possible, it would be nice to pump at work, so he can still have breastmilk during the day at Amy's. The other option would be to give him formula during the day, so I don't have to pump, but I'm concerned that would negatively effect my supply for the other feedings, so I'll have to see. I may have to pay for a better pump, but I'm going to give it a try for 2 weeks at home before we go to Iowa to visit.
Sleeping is interesting. Not sure why, but I am not nearly as exhausted as I remember being with Grace. We've been trying to have Luke sleep in a cosleeper that I borrowed from Samara. It's nice to have him so close at night when he needs to eat. Especially since he fusses and grunts a bit before he cries, so most of the time I can get him started eating before he is actually crying. Although lately, he refuses to sleep unless he's being held or next to me, so I've been sleeping while holding him or laying next to him in bed. I am not giving up on the cosleeper yet, but again, this is survival time. We can undo any of these bad habits later. On a brighter note, we're starting to get longer stretches at night. He was only going 2 to 3 hours even at night, but this week we've had a couple stretches closer to 4 hours and he will do 3 hours easier. We even had one night that went from 11 p.m. to 3:50 a.m., so that one was great. Hopefully, a bigger baby will start sleeping though the night sooner, but I feel pretty good overall, so I'm not going to complain much.
I'm still not sure what to do with him when he's awake. He will sit in the swing or bouncy seat while awake for 10 minutes or so, but other than that he likes to be held alot. He's getting used to the sling, because I can't just hold him all day. He'll also lay on my lap while I'm typing (what we're doing right now). He does like tummy time too, so we'll get on the floor on a blanket. I'm ready for him to start interacting more and can't wait until we get the awake smiles. Grace will like that too. She likes to make silly faces at him and gets sad when he doesn't laugh or smile at her. We keep telling her he's still too little, but I think it'll be good for her when he can respond.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm pretty sure there's a diaper to change, so I should go take care of that and get a snack before I go pick up Grace.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Luke's Birth Story
Details are already getting fuzzy, so I thought I should try to get this in writing. Here is the story on how Luke made his way into the world.
Our induction was scheduled for 6:00 a.m. That is really early though, so of course I slept about 10 minutes longer than I should have, so we were running late. Grace heard everyone showering, so she was also up by 5:30 a.m. and ready to start her day with Nana. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat, so I made a bagel with cream cheese for the road. Eric had to stop for coffee, but we still made good time and got up to Labor and Delivery at about 6:10 a.m. We were taken to our room and the nurse took down all my history, took some blood, started my IV and checked me to see where we were starting. Still no change from the previous appointment (about 2 cm and 60-70% effaced).
They went ahead and started my Pitocin around 7 a.m. and were waiting on a resident or my doctor to come in to break my water. Contractions started up, but were managable. We had lots of discussion about how long labor would take. My Mom and Eric both thought it would be late evening around 8 or 9 p.m. My guess was 3:10 p.m. Samara had guessed the day before and said 1:55 p.m. The nurse seemed to think we'd be done by the time her shift ended at 3 p.m. Finally, around 8 a.m. they tracked down a resident to break my water. It was different than having it break on it's own. Grace's was more of a trickle where this time it seemed like tons more any time I moved.
Samara came in around 8:30 a.m. to join the party. I didn't write down all the times and such, but I know my contractions got stronger after my water broke and I moved to the rocking chair so I wouldn't be confined to the bed. I knew once I got my epidural that I'd have to get back in bed. I got checked after an hour or so and was at 3 cm. The nurse started asking if I was ready for my epidural. I felt like a wuss. The contractions were strong, but managable, but I knew eventually I'd want the epidural and I didn't want to "need" it and have to wait a long time, so I agreed to go ahead and get it. With Grace I was at 6 cm before I got it, so I felt like I was wimping out a bit, but I knew I'd get it eventually, so whatever.
I know I got checked 2 more times and was at 4 cm both times. That made me a bit sad, because the 2nd time was still around noon and I started thinking it was going to take a really long time. The good news was that with my epidural they could dial up the Pitocin and I really couldn't feel it. Over the next 2 hours or so, things got more interesting. When they checked me, they had a really hard time telling how far I was dialated. The best explanation the nurse could give me was that his head was coming down at a slight angle so the cervix was dialting uniformly. At one point she said she'd call me 6 cm, but it was more like a face of a clock. Where the 8 o'clock to 12 o'clock was covered, but the rest was completely open. At this point I was really starting to feel a lot of pressure, but again, I was only fully dialated on part of the cervix.
Also, fairly early on, my nurse said that in anticipation of a possible complicated delivery, my doctor was requesting that no one be in the room with me other than Eric. The nurse was going to see if she could let Mom and Samara stand back near the doorway, so if things got hairy they could just exit without getting in the way, but it was going to be the doctors decision.
Finally, as it started nearing 3:00 p.m. (probably between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m.), my nurse decided to let me have a trial push to see if I could push past the rest of the cervix and get to fully dialated. It worked and she immediately had me stop, so she could call the doctor over. Dr. B arrived in minutes and got set up. She confirmed that she wanted only Eric in the room, as she was going to have an extra resident doctor, an extra nurse, plus the Special Care nursery nurses in the room, just in case. They also got a stool ready to help them get up onto my bed if they needed to push from above and showed Eric where to stand if they needed to move him.
Mom and Samara exited the room at 3:00 p.m. and it was time to get started. I wasn't feeling any pain, but I did feel extreme pressure with every contraction. I started pushing and within 2 or maybe 3 contractions, we were ready to deliver his head. (Funny story, at this point, I was still getting kicks from little Luke.) Dr. B said that as soon as his head came out, she would check the cord, suction as needed, but have me go ahead and continue to push to see if we could just ease the shoulders on out before they had a chance to turn. So the next push came. I closed my eyes and pushed. His head delivered and then I heard Dr. B tell the nurse to hit the call button. I still had my eyes closed but suddenly the room seemed to fill with even more people. Dr. B was giving orders to people and I had to listen carefully about when to push and when not to as they had to manouver to get my little man out. A big male doctor had come in and was doing the pushing from above. Dr. B apparently reached in (don't ask me how that happened, my eyes were closed), she turned his shoulder and pulled him out.
I felt him come out and opened my eyes to see Dr. B catch him and go down to the floor. Apparently he was very slippery and she didn't want to drop him. They immediately handed him over to the Special Care nursery unit to see if he had movement in both arms or a broken clavical. I didn't get to see him or hold him first and Eric didn't get to cut the cord. At that point things slowed down a little. His birth was announced at 3:18 p.m. (quite a busy 18 minutes). He quickly showed movement in both arms and no broken bones, although his forehead was pretty banged up. I also only needed 1 stitch to fix me up.
I asked Dr. B if we had another shoulder issue and she laughed and said, "Oh yeah, that was the 2nd worst one I've ever had to deliver." Looking around the room, our estimate was 4 doctors and at least 6 nurses in attendence for the birth. Once he was being checked, I heard someone say, that doesn't look like a 9 pound baby. Our main nurse went to go get Mom and Samara from the waiting room. Once they were all back, we weighed in and saw the result, 10 pounds, 8 ounces. I just laughed. I guess I shouldn't have been worried about delivering a little 7 pound baby because we went 2 1/2 weeks early.
Once I finally got to hold him, Luke immediately started rooting, so we did our first breastfeeding session in the delivery room. He latched on immediately and hasn't really detached since (joke).
So, that's the birth story. A lot has happened this week and I want to give more thoughts on his personality, but I have a feeling he's going to need fed soon. More to come later!
Our induction was scheduled for 6:00 a.m. That is really early though, so of course I slept about 10 minutes longer than I should have, so we were running late. Grace heard everyone showering, so she was also up by 5:30 a.m. and ready to start her day with Nana. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat, so I made a bagel with cream cheese for the road. Eric had to stop for coffee, but we still made good time and got up to Labor and Delivery at about 6:10 a.m. We were taken to our room and the nurse took down all my history, took some blood, started my IV and checked me to see where we were starting. Still no change from the previous appointment (about 2 cm and 60-70% effaced).
They went ahead and started my Pitocin around 7 a.m. and were waiting on a resident or my doctor to come in to break my water. Contractions started up, but were managable. We had lots of discussion about how long labor would take. My Mom and Eric both thought it would be late evening around 8 or 9 p.m. My guess was 3:10 p.m. Samara had guessed the day before and said 1:55 p.m. The nurse seemed to think we'd be done by the time her shift ended at 3 p.m. Finally, around 8 a.m. they tracked down a resident to break my water. It was different than having it break on it's own. Grace's was more of a trickle where this time it seemed like tons more any time I moved.
Samara came in around 8:30 a.m. to join the party. I didn't write down all the times and such, but I know my contractions got stronger after my water broke and I moved to the rocking chair so I wouldn't be confined to the bed. I knew once I got my epidural that I'd have to get back in bed. I got checked after an hour or so and was at 3 cm. The nurse started asking if I was ready for my epidural. I felt like a wuss. The contractions were strong, but managable, but I knew eventually I'd want the epidural and I didn't want to "need" it and have to wait a long time, so I agreed to go ahead and get it. With Grace I was at 6 cm before I got it, so I felt like I was wimping out a bit, but I knew I'd get it eventually, so whatever.
I know I got checked 2 more times and was at 4 cm both times. That made me a bit sad, because the 2nd time was still around noon and I started thinking it was going to take a really long time. The good news was that with my epidural they could dial up the Pitocin and I really couldn't feel it. Over the next 2 hours or so, things got more interesting. When they checked me, they had a really hard time telling how far I was dialated. The best explanation the nurse could give me was that his head was coming down at a slight angle so the cervix was dialting uniformly. At one point she said she'd call me 6 cm, but it was more like a face of a clock. Where the 8 o'clock to 12 o'clock was covered, but the rest was completely open. At this point I was really starting to feel a lot of pressure, but again, I was only fully dialated on part of the cervix.
Also, fairly early on, my nurse said that in anticipation of a possible complicated delivery, my doctor was requesting that no one be in the room with me other than Eric. The nurse was going to see if she could let Mom and Samara stand back near the doorway, so if things got hairy they could just exit without getting in the way, but it was going to be the doctors decision.
Finally, as it started nearing 3:00 p.m. (probably between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m.), my nurse decided to let me have a trial push to see if I could push past the rest of the cervix and get to fully dialated. It worked and she immediately had me stop, so she could call the doctor over. Dr. B arrived in minutes and got set up. She confirmed that she wanted only Eric in the room, as she was going to have an extra resident doctor, an extra nurse, plus the Special Care nursery nurses in the room, just in case. They also got a stool ready to help them get up onto my bed if they needed to push from above and showed Eric where to stand if they needed to move him.
Mom and Samara exited the room at 3:00 p.m. and it was time to get started. I wasn't feeling any pain, but I did feel extreme pressure with every contraction. I started pushing and within 2 or maybe 3 contractions, we were ready to deliver his head. (Funny story, at this point, I was still getting kicks from little Luke.) Dr. B said that as soon as his head came out, she would check the cord, suction as needed, but have me go ahead and continue to push to see if we could just ease the shoulders on out before they had a chance to turn. So the next push came. I closed my eyes and pushed. His head delivered and then I heard Dr. B tell the nurse to hit the call button. I still had my eyes closed but suddenly the room seemed to fill with even more people. Dr. B was giving orders to people and I had to listen carefully about when to push and when not to as they had to manouver to get my little man out. A big male doctor had come in and was doing the pushing from above. Dr. B apparently reached in (don't ask me how that happened, my eyes were closed), she turned his shoulder and pulled him out.
I felt him come out and opened my eyes to see Dr. B catch him and go down to the floor. Apparently he was very slippery and she didn't want to drop him. They immediately handed him over to the Special Care nursery unit to see if he had movement in both arms or a broken clavical. I didn't get to see him or hold him first and Eric didn't get to cut the cord. At that point things slowed down a little. His birth was announced at 3:18 p.m. (quite a busy 18 minutes). He quickly showed movement in both arms and no broken bones, although his forehead was pretty banged up. I also only needed 1 stitch to fix me up.
I asked Dr. B if we had another shoulder issue and she laughed and said, "Oh yeah, that was the 2nd worst one I've ever had to deliver." Looking around the room, our estimate was 4 doctors and at least 6 nurses in attendence for the birth. Once he was being checked, I heard someone say, that doesn't look like a 9 pound baby. Our main nurse went to go get Mom and Samara from the waiting room. Once they were all back, we weighed in and saw the result, 10 pounds, 8 ounces. I just laughed. I guess I shouldn't have been worried about delivering a little 7 pound baby because we went 2 1/2 weeks early.
Once I finally got to hold him, Luke immediately started rooting, so we did our first breastfeeding session in the delivery room. He latched on immediately and hasn't really detached since (joke).
So, that's the birth story. A lot has happened this week and I want to give more thoughts on his personality, but I have a feeling he's going to need fed soon. More to come later!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Luke Is Here
Sorry it took a while to get updated, but you know how it is coming home from the hospital and everything. I'm not sure I have time for the complete birthstory right now. I think I'll work on that one next week when most of the visitors are gone.
Short story, I went to get induced as planned on Wednesday. I did get an epidural. He was born at 3:18 p.m. on Wednesday. We were surprised that he exceeded weight estimates and weighed in at a very healthy 10 pounds 8 ounces. Yeah, he was big. He was 22 inches long. I have a feeling we would have had a c-section if the doctor would have thought for a moment he was going to be that large.
It was another difficult delivery. My doctor was prepared for the worst, however, and although we had another case of shoulder dystosia (according to the doctor, the 2nd worst she'd ever had to deliver), he made it out safely and is in perfect condtion. Amazingly though, even though he was so big, I only pushed for about 15 minutes and I think he was stuck for less than 2 minutes. I only had 1 stitch and now 3 days postpartum am much less sore than I remember being with Grace.
We are working on breastfeeding and he latches on like a champ. We'll do a weight check on Monday to be sure he's getting enough, but he seems like he's doing good and he's interested about every 2 hours and seems content when he comes off, so that's good. He's also very calm. He gives plenty of cues when he starts fussing that we usually can get him hooked up with his next meal before he's actually "crying." Although, he despises diaper changes.
Pretty sure my milk is in as there is now a noticable difference in the breast size between the right and left. I think I'll have to get fitted for a special bra with some stuffing to look a little more even.
Again, I'll have to work on a post on the actual labor and delivery because it was a whirlwind and especially the delivery was a bit crazy and not exactly what I planned, (example, they wouldn't let my Mom or Samara stay in the room when I was ready to start pushing). He's gorgeous and looks just like his sister. I'm already in love.
Short story, I went to get induced as planned on Wednesday. I did get an epidural. He was born at 3:18 p.m. on Wednesday. We were surprised that he exceeded weight estimates and weighed in at a very healthy 10 pounds 8 ounces. Yeah, he was big. He was 22 inches long. I have a feeling we would have had a c-section if the doctor would have thought for a moment he was going to be that large.
It was another difficult delivery. My doctor was prepared for the worst, however, and although we had another case of shoulder dystosia (according to the doctor, the 2nd worst she'd ever had to deliver), he made it out safely and is in perfect condtion. Amazingly though, even though he was so big, I only pushed for about 15 minutes and I think he was stuck for less than 2 minutes. I only had 1 stitch and now 3 days postpartum am much less sore than I remember being with Grace.
We are working on breastfeeding and he latches on like a champ. We'll do a weight check on Monday to be sure he's getting enough, but he seems like he's doing good and he's interested about every 2 hours and seems content when he comes off, so that's good. He's also very calm. He gives plenty of cues when he starts fussing that we usually can get him hooked up with his next meal before he's actually "crying." Although, he despises diaper changes.
Pretty sure my milk is in as there is now a noticable difference in the breast size between the right and left. I think I'll have to get fitted for a special bra with some stuffing to look a little more even.
Again, I'll have to work on a post on the actual labor and delivery because it was a whirlwind and especially the delivery was a bit crazy and not exactly what I planned, (example, they wouldn't let my Mom or Samara stay in the room when I was ready to start pushing). He's gorgeous and looks just like his sister. I'm already in love.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
37 Weeks & Amnio
Last Friday I had my 37 week doctor check up. No surprises. According to them, I didn't gain weight over the week and a half, so my final doctor check-up weight-gain is 28 pounds. Although, my personal scale shows about 32 pounds. Heartrate was good in the high 140's. Blood pressure normal. No real cervical change from last time. Still at 2cm and this time she said about 60% effaced. She said that I was "inducable" meaning that they would expect my cervix to continue changing with Pitocin. They confirmed a 6 a.m. induction time for Wednesday, May 7th and said they'll break my water and start my Pitocin. Although she warned me that she had just recently had to postpone an induction because the lungs weren't ready. If Luke wasn't ready, she said we'd move the induction to the following week. That bummed me out a little because I really had my heart set on getting this done soon.
The weekend was nice with Mom here and we made it to Samara's birthday dinner and Ava's birthday party. We also got about 10 days to 2 weeks worth of groceries, so we don't have to try to venture out next weekend.
I worked Monday and a half day today. Yesterday kind of stunk because I had my Mom take my car to the dealership for an oil change and to get my air conditioning fixed (I already had purchased the part, so no charge). However, they seemed to feel my car was in desperate need of some maintenance if I plan to keep it for any period of time. I managed to get out of there for just over $500 and a promise to buy 4 new tires in the next couple of weeks (whenever that stimulus check shows up!).
We also had a showing Friday, Monday, and today, so that was a little stressful figuring out how to get Mom out of the house and this weekend we set up the pack-n-play downstairs for a diaper changing/napping station and got the swing out of the basement, so the house is definately more cluttered.
Today my amnio was scheduled for 1 p.m. Mom and Eric came with me. I got the same ultrasound tech as last time and she spent a good 45 minutes looking at the baby again and took more measurements for size. She said his head "isn't too big", however, his belly measurement is off the chart, meaning over the 42 week gestation. She also said his femur measurement was on the big side, but again, not too alarming. This time, her weight estimate has us at 9 pounds 1 ounce, so looks like he slowed down the growth a bit. I'm still skeptical that he's that big already, but I guess we'll see. After she finished and got us some more 3D pictures of his face, the doctor and nurse came in to do the amnio. The doctor said it would feel about like a blood draw. I think he lied. It hurt. Not the worst pain I ever had, but for a couple hours afterwards it was still really sore and achy. Once they got the fluid, they had me rest and monitored the baby for about 45 minutes to an hour. They told me they'd call with the results and took down my cell phone number. We were waiting in the lobby on the elevator and someone came out and said they wanted to see me again. We went back in and they said the results came back. His lungs are mature!
So, the induction is on for tomorrow morning. I'm really excited, although it just kind of hit me that this is our last night with just Grace. I don't expect anyone will update my blog while I'm gone, but I should be home on Friday (barring any complications) and I'll at least get a picture downloaded and the basic stats. Can't believe it's finally here.
The weekend was nice with Mom here and we made it to Samara's birthday dinner and Ava's birthday party. We also got about 10 days to 2 weeks worth of groceries, so we don't have to try to venture out next weekend.
I worked Monday and a half day today. Yesterday kind of stunk because I had my Mom take my car to the dealership for an oil change and to get my air conditioning fixed (I already had purchased the part, so no charge). However, they seemed to feel my car was in desperate need of some maintenance if I plan to keep it for any period of time. I managed to get out of there for just over $500 and a promise to buy 4 new tires in the next couple of weeks (whenever that stimulus check shows up!).
We also had a showing Friday, Monday, and today, so that was a little stressful figuring out how to get Mom out of the house and this weekend we set up the pack-n-play downstairs for a diaper changing/napping station and got the swing out of the basement, so the house is definately more cluttered.
Today my amnio was scheduled for 1 p.m. Mom and Eric came with me. I got the same ultrasound tech as last time and she spent a good 45 minutes looking at the baby again and took more measurements for size. She said his head "isn't too big", however, his belly measurement is off the chart, meaning over the 42 week gestation. She also said his femur measurement was on the big side, but again, not too alarming. This time, her weight estimate has us at 9 pounds 1 ounce, so looks like he slowed down the growth a bit. I'm still skeptical that he's that big already, but I guess we'll see. After she finished and got us some more 3D pictures of his face, the doctor and nurse came in to do the amnio. The doctor said it would feel about like a blood draw. I think he lied. It hurt. Not the worst pain I ever had, but for a couple hours afterwards it was still really sore and achy. Once they got the fluid, they had me rest and monitored the baby for about 45 minutes to an hour. They told me they'd call with the results and took down my cell phone number. We were waiting in the lobby on the elevator and someone came out and said they wanted to see me again. We went back in and they said the results came back. His lungs are mature!
So, the induction is on for tomorrow morning. I'm really excited, although it just kind of hit me that this is our last night with just Grace. I don't expect anyone will update my blog while I'm gone, but I should be home on Friday (barring any complications) and I'll at least get a picture downloaded and the basic stats. Can't believe it's finally here.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
More Updates
So, yesterday we did another trial run to the Labor and Delivery department. I was very crampy/tightening etc. on Monday evening. I didn't really time anything, but I did check the clock on the last couple and it was in the 5 minute range, so I decided to just go to bed. I figured if it were the real thing, I'd wake up before I delivered. Overnight was fine (except for 4 trips to the bathroom to pee), but Tuesday I still felt really crampy/contractiony all morning. Once I got settled in at work, I decided to time them starting around 8:50. I spoke to a couple coworkers because they were strong enough that when I'd get one at my desk, I would just close my eyes, rub my belly and breathe slowly until it eased up. If I happened to be talking to someone, I'd have to stop in the middle of the sentence until the worst past. I promised to track things for an hour or so before calling the doctor. They seemed to be about 4-7 minutes apart, with a few coming in around 9 or 10 minutes. I agreed to call the doctor and when I told them I'd had 11 between 9:30 and 10:30, they told me to go to L&D. Everyone at work got all worked up and two girls drove me to my house to drop off my car and grab my hospital bags and then to the hospital. While I was at the house, I kept having them and really had some trouble focusing on what I needed to add to my bag. Eric called again and I told him I was done at home and on my way, so he agreed to finish up at work and meet us there. I checked in, literally had a contraction while they were hooking me up to the monitors and then...the contractions stopped. It was the weirdest thing. I think I was there for about 2 1/2 hours and had maybe 4 contractions total. They also did an internal exam and I was still 2 cm. So with no cervical change and no contractions to speak of, they sent me home. I felt really silly, but the upside is that my Mom didn't miss the birth again.
That leads to the next topic. Because of all this false alarm stuff, etc. and the fact that both me and my Mom would really like her to be present, today she decided to change her flight for the second time and will now be arriving tomorrow night instead of Monday night. That means only 1 more day to stay out of labor, although we do have weekend plans with both Samara's birthday dinner and Ava's 3rd birthday party. Considering Samara is also supposed to be at the birth, it might be better to wait until next week. Like I have any choice in the matter. Anyway, assuming nothing crazy happens tonight or tomorrow morning, my Mom should be her for Luke's birth.
Speaking of...If we make it to the induction, it is scheduled for 6 a.m. on Wednesday. I meant to call the doctors office today to see if I had a time scheduled, but kept getting busy doing other stuff. Late afternoon, I got a call from the hospital pre-registration to see if they could pre-register me for my induction. I asked if they knew when it was scheduled and they shared the time with me. I'm not 100% sure of the procedure, but I do have my 37 week appointment on Friday and assume I'll get all the details then.
So, my countdown, is 1 week until induction, we can practically call it 6 days now. I also have only 3 1/2 work days left. This week has been going quickly, so I assume it will be the weekend before we know it and with only Monday and part of Tuesday to work, it'll be time very soon. I really can't wait.
That leads to the next topic. Because of all this false alarm stuff, etc. and the fact that both me and my Mom would really like her to be present, today she decided to change her flight for the second time and will now be arriving tomorrow night instead of Monday night. That means only 1 more day to stay out of labor, although we do have weekend plans with both Samara's birthday dinner and Ava's 3rd birthday party. Considering Samara is also supposed to be at the birth, it might be better to wait until next week. Like I have any choice in the matter. Anyway, assuming nothing crazy happens tonight or tomorrow morning, my Mom should be her for Luke's birth.
Speaking of...If we make it to the induction, it is scheduled for 6 a.m. on Wednesday. I meant to call the doctors office today to see if I had a time scheduled, but kept getting busy doing other stuff. Late afternoon, I got a call from the hospital pre-registration to see if they could pre-register me for my induction. I asked if they knew when it was scheduled and they shared the time with me. I'm not 100% sure of the procedure, but I do have my 37 week appointment on Friday and assume I'll get all the details then.
So, my countdown, is 1 week until induction, we can practically call it 6 days now. I also have only 3 1/2 work days left. This week has been going quickly, so I assume it will be the weekend before we know it and with only Monday and part of Tuesday to work, it'll be time very soon. I really can't wait.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Expiration Date
On Sunday when I did my grocery shopping I bought milk that expires after my induction date. Today I looked at the 10 day weather forecast online and can see it's supposed to rain on the day Luke is born. Suddenly it really feels like this is happening soon.
Nothing yet except, I'm really almost ready now. Just need to finish up those thank you notes from my work baby shower. Grace is in the bathtub, so I better go finish that up. Nine days and counting.
Nothing yet except, I'm really almost ready now. Just need to finish up those thank you notes from my work baby shower. Grace is in the bathtub, so I better go finish that up. Nine days and counting.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The New Plan
So, after much anticipation, I had my "36 week" appointment today and was able to discuss my ultrasound results (although she hadn't reviewed them) and our alternatives and plans for delivery. I must say I am very happy with my doctor because she took all the time we needed to discuss and even though this was a fairly routine appointment, she didn't make us feel rushed at all.
She really does not want me delivering a huge baby. She discussed how as an OB she can handle switching to c-sections for things like fetal distress or failure to progress, etc., but one of the scariest things is a severe shoulder dystocia. If the baby is half way out and gets stuck, it's pretty hard to do a c-section. She said in that case that have to get the head back in and take him the other way (OUCH!). Although, Graces labor and even first part of delivery was fairly easy, they don't want to chance that I have a 10 pound baby.
She can't do anything at the moment because I'm just shy of 36 weeks and you aren't considered full term until 37 weeks. Also, she isn't allowed to do an "elective" induction earlier than 39 weeks without proving lung development. So the options are:
1) Once I complete 37 weeks (3/3) she could order an amnio to check on the lung development. If they are developed, we would be cleared to induce. Some possible complications of an amnio are rupture of membranes or beginning labor. Neither of these are major concerns because that is what we are working towards anyway. She also told me at this time they wouldn't try to stop labor anyway.
2) We pick a cut-off date (closer to 39 weeks) and if I don't spontaneously go into labor by that date, we would do a c-section. A c-section could still be required anyway (the longer we wait). If she sees signs during labor that things are stalling or slowing, it may be a sign that he is too big and they might still decide to do the c-section. Again, more likely the longer we wait.
I would prefer not to have a c-section. They won't induce me if his lungs aren't ready, so I don't see any real risk in pushing the delivery up, so we decided for now to go with Option 1. We also told her that our most important objective is a safe and healthy baby, so while I prefer not to be cut open, if at any point she recommends that as a better option, we'll go with the flow. No arguments from us.
I got a call this afternoon telling me that they are scheduling the amnio on Tuesday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m . If the lungs are good (test results only take about an hour), we would induce on Wednesday, May 7th (37weeks, 4 days). That is two weeks from today. They can't officially schedule at the hospital until 1 week prior, so they'll do that next week and I should know by the time I have my 37 week appointment next week.
After this entire discussion, she decides she should probably check me and I have my internal exam. I am currently 2 cm dialated and 70% effaced. So, nature is getting the process started. Maybe I won't make it two more weeks. Just to give you an idea, at 36 weeks with Grace I was 1 cm and 60% effaced. I also made it 3 more days after my doctor's appointment that I was 3 cm and 90% effaced with Grace, so that doesn't mean I'm necessarily going into labor in the very near future.
I stayed late at work tonight on got the big project done that has been hanging over my head. I really think if I didn't go back, the world wouldn't end. Sure I've still got stuff to do, but I'm not stressing.
Probably stupid to even mention it, but I've been extremely uncomfortable all evening and am just resting and timing my contractions now. Someone at work got me all paranoid by mentioning "loose stools" as a sign of labor. I've been having issues for a couple days now. Oh well, I'll be done in two weeks or less. We'll just see what happens.
She really does not want me delivering a huge baby. She discussed how as an OB she can handle switching to c-sections for things like fetal distress or failure to progress, etc., but one of the scariest things is a severe shoulder dystocia. If the baby is half way out and gets stuck, it's pretty hard to do a c-section. She said in that case that have to get the head back in and take him the other way (OUCH!). Although, Graces labor and even first part of delivery was fairly easy, they don't want to chance that I have a 10 pound baby.
She can't do anything at the moment because I'm just shy of 36 weeks and you aren't considered full term until 37 weeks. Also, she isn't allowed to do an "elective" induction earlier than 39 weeks without proving lung development. So the options are:
1) Once I complete 37 weeks (3/3) she could order an amnio to check on the lung development. If they are developed, we would be cleared to induce. Some possible complications of an amnio are rupture of membranes or beginning labor. Neither of these are major concerns because that is what we are working towards anyway. She also told me at this time they wouldn't try to stop labor anyway.
2) We pick a cut-off date (closer to 39 weeks) and if I don't spontaneously go into labor by that date, we would do a c-section. A c-section could still be required anyway (the longer we wait). If she sees signs during labor that things are stalling or slowing, it may be a sign that he is too big and they might still decide to do the c-section. Again, more likely the longer we wait.
I would prefer not to have a c-section. They won't induce me if his lungs aren't ready, so I don't see any real risk in pushing the delivery up, so we decided for now to go with Option 1. We also told her that our most important objective is a safe and healthy baby, so while I prefer not to be cut open, if at any point she recommends that as a better option, we'll go with the flow. No arguments from us.
I got a call this afternoon telling me that they are scheduling the amnio on Tuesday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m . If the lungs are good (test results only take about an hour), we would induce on Wednesday, May 7th (37weeks, 4 days). That is two weeks from today. They can't officially schedule at the hospital until 1 week prior, so they'll do that next week and I should know by the time I have my 37 week appointment next week.
After this entire discussion, she decides she should probably check me and I have my internal exam. I am currently 2 cm dialated and 70% effaced. So, nature is getting the process started. Maybe I won't make it two more weeks. Just to give you an idea, at 36 weeks with Grace I was 1 cm and 60% effaced. I also made it 3 more days after my doctor's appointment that I was 3 cm and 90% effaced with Grace, so that doesn't mean I'm necessarily going into labor in the very near future.
I stayed late at work tonight on got the big project done that has been hanging over my head. I really think if I didn't go back, the world wouldn't end. Sure I've still got stuff to do, but I'm not stressing.
Probably stupid to even mention it, but I've been extremely uncomfortable all evening and am just resting and timing my contractions now. Someone at work got me all paranoid by mentioning "loose stools" as a sign of labor. I've been having issues for a couple days now. Oh well, I'll be done in two weeks or less. We'll just see what happens.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ultrasound Appointment
First of all, this picture is a 3D picture that we unexpectedly got at today's "36 week" ultrasound. I love going to the "high risk" place because they take so much time with you and the pictures are awesome. We also have a really good 2D face shot if you look at my flickr pics.
So, I will see my doctor at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss the results, but the tech was able to tell us an estimate on size based on a measurement of the femur, belly, and two head measurements. Currently, according to measurements, Luke is weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces! Wow! Granted, she did say there could be up to 1 1/2 pound variance meaning he's likey somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds at the moment. Her guess was right around 8 pounds. He was showing signs of plumpness including the pudgy cheeks, "back fat" and a fat roll behind the knee on his pudgy thighs.
Keeping in mind that babies at this stage gain about 1/2 pound per week, we could still add 1 1/2 to 2 pounds going 3 1/2 more weeks. For a baby weighing between 8 1/2 (on the small side) to 10 1/2 pounds.
We don't know what the doctor is going to suggest, but I wouldn't be surprised if we consider an amnio for lung maturity and move the induction up another week. Or of course, if he's that big, he may come on his own in the next week or two.
I'll update after Wednesday's appointment.
So, I will see my doctor at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss the results, but the tech was able to tell us an estimate on size based on a measurement of the femur, belly, and two head measurements. Currently, according to measurements, Luke is weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces! Wow! Granted, she did say there could be up to 1 1/2 pound variance meaning he's likey somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds at the moment. Her guess was right around 8 pounds. He was showing signs of plumpness including the pudgy cheeks, "back fat" and a fat roll behind the knee on his pudgy thighs.
Keeping in mind that babies at this stage gain about 1/2 pound per week, we could still add 1 1/2 to 2 pounds going 3 1/2 more weeks. For a baby weighing between 8 1/2 (on the small side) to 10 1/2 pounds.
We don't know what the doctor is going to suggest, but I wouldn't be surprised if we consider an amnio for lung maturity and move the induction up another week. Or of course, if he's that big, he may come on his own in the next week or two.
I'll update after Wednesday's appointment.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
34 Weeks (Posted One Week Late)
Sorry to subject you to the belly, but it seemed like it would get some attention, because, seriously, it's hard to miss.
I guess it's only been 2 or 3 weeks since my last baby update, but it feels like a lot has happened and I hope to have some more stuff to post about next week, so I wanted to get this one out there.
First of all, I'm still having "contractions" fairly regularly. I'm just trying to keep off my feet at home and not do anything overly strenuous. I'm only timing them if I feel like they are happening a lot or are painful, but I'm pretty sure none of it's actual "labor" so we haven't went back to the hospital.
I had a 34 week doctor appointment last Friday (a week ago). She mentioned my trip to L&D, but didn't really suggest I change anything, she just said he may just not want to stay in there the whole time. I gained 3 pounds in that two weeks. Currently up to 26 pounds. I don't know how some women stop gaining the last month, that's when I seem to put it all on. She measured me and said I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead, so at 34 weeks, my belly measured 36 weeks. She also gave me a Rx for a 36 week ultrasound to check the size again. We've already had to reschedule it, but as of now, I go on Monday for the ultrasound and will see the doctor again on Wednesday. I did ask her about induction (are there certain days she does it, when can we expect, etc.). She said we'd likely do it either May 14, 15, or 16, unless we get unexpected news at the ultrasound and look like we're going to have an extremely large baby in which we may discuss pushing that another week sooner, but there would be additional concerns to that too.
Now that I have an "end date" I feel like I can really start to finalize plans. Mom has a flight scheduled to arrive the afternoon of 5/14 and with everyone else coming in, my first choice would be to do it on Friday, 5/16, so that's what I am going to request when we get to that point. Regardless, I told work that unless he decides to come sooner, May 14 will be my last day of work.
I'm feeling more calm about getting stuff completed. Work is starting to pull together. I've been staying late 1-2 nights a week and have been marking more off of my list than I've been putting on. I only have one major project that would cause problems if I didn't finish before I leave. I have more open items too, but everything else, I think someone else could pick up fairly easily. I did bring the big project home this weekend and I may work on it Sunday night after Grace goes to bed to at least get me started. Hopefully, I can finish it next week.
My stuff to do at home has all been started, but not finished. Tonight I am going to start packing my hospital bags. I have a list, but need to start putting things into the bags, so I can see if there's anything I need to buy. I have the "call list" about 75% done. I have all the people written down, I just need to decide when they should be called in the process and who should call them and then need to tell anyone that I've assigned to spread the word. I also need to finalize my announcement list and get to Danialle and Chadd (they are designing and sending my inviitations as a gift). I keep a list of addresses in a Word doc that can be printed on mailing labels, so I just need to look through my list from Christmas and update it for the baby. Today, I got my bottles (that we never got to use with Grace) back from Samara. I'm washing them tonight and will have them all in the cabinet by tomorrow. I plan on getting an extra key to hide this weekend and then the only major thing will be installing the car seat bases.
Last night, I read through the final month or so of my pregnancy with Grace (on my blog) and it definately seems like I feel farther along than I did with her. Some examples:
- At 34 weeks I mentioned Grace running out of room and making my belly change shape and that if I pushed on her feet when she poked them out, I could feel her butt move on the other side. Luke's been making my belly change shape for weeks and I've been able to pick out body parts, including shoulders, butt, feet, and hands for weeks too.
- At 35 weeks, I mention waddling and starting to feel increased "pressure" below. Luke is just so much lower, that I've been feeling the pressure for weeks too. I mention getting full faster. Not so much this time, I think he just sits lower, so my stomach still has room for a full meal. Also, I said my belly button was still technically "in." Mine actually popped this time. Probably about 3 or 4 weeks ago.
- At 36 weeks I had gained 28 pounds. Since I was 26 pounds at 34 weeks, looks like I might catch up with the Grace weight gain after all. At my 36 week appointment with Grace I was 1cm dialated and 60% effaced. My "36 week" appointment this time is on Wednesday, I'm really curious with all the contraction activity if I've started dialiting yet. We know at 32 weeks (3 weeks ago) I had not started.
- Also around 36 weeks I posted about feeling really "blah" and "icky" and sounds like completely uncomfortable. I feel like that about 50% of the time right now. I will have a good day and then the next day, I can't get comfortable sitting, standing, or anything and I get grouchy and just want to bite the head off of the next person that tells me there's no way that I have 5 weeks left. Usually that happens like this: Stranger: When are you due? Me: May 24th, 5 more weeks! Stranger: "Oh" (with an I feel so bad for you look), "I don't think so!", "Are you sure there's only one?", etc.
-
So, anyway, if we use 5/16 as my expected induction date, in just 4 weeks I should be a Mom again. I only have 3 complete weeks of work left. I still wouldn't be shocked if I go into labor before the 16th, but at least I have an end date and I think this week will go very quickly. Tomorrow, Grace and I are going to a co-worker's daughter's 1st birthday party after church. Monday, I have a morning meeting/conference call and my ultrasound at 3 pm. Wednesday, I have my 36 week appointment at 8:30 a.m. and then at 2:45 p.m. I have an appointment with Dr. L to do a quick cancer checkup (had the breast ultrasound last week and all looked good). Next Saturday, Grace has a "Sibling Class" at the hospital and I'll be 36 weeks pregnant.
Still hoping this last month flies by. As I'll now be having weekly doctor appointments with internal's, I'll try to update weekly. I really like being able to look back for details.
I guess it's only been 2 or 3 weeks since my last baby update, but it feels like a lot has happened and I hope to have some more stuff to post about next week, so I wanted to get this one out there.
First of all, I'm still having "contractions" fairly regularly. I'm just trying to keep off my feet at home and not do anything overly strenuous. I'm only timing them if I feel like they are happening a lot or are painful, but I'm pretty sure none of it's actual "labor" so we haven't went back to the hospital.
I had a 34 week doctor appointment last Friday (a week ago). She mentioned my trip to L&D, but didn't really suggest I change anything, she just said he may just not want to stay in there the whole time. I gained 3 pounds in that two weeks. Currently up to 26 pounds. I don't know how some women stop gaining the last month, that's when I seem to put it all on. She measured me and said I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead, so at 34 weeks, my belly measured 36 weeks. She also gave me a Rx for a 36 week ultrasound to check the size again. We've already had to reschedule it, but as of now, I go on Monday for the ultrasound and will see the doctor again on Wednesday. I did ask her about induction (are there certain days she does it, when can we expect, etc.). She said we'd likely do it either May 14, 15, or 16, unless we get unexpected news at the ultrasound and look like we're going to have an extremely large baby in which we may discuss pushing that another week sooner, but there would be additional concerns to that too.
Now that I have an "end date" I feel like I can really start to finalize plans. Mom has a flight scheduled to arrive the afternoon of 5/14 and with everyone else coming in, my first choice would be to do it on Friday, 5/16, so that's what I am going to request when we get to that point. Regardless, I told work that unless he decides to come sooner, May 14 will be my last day of work.
I'm feeling more calm about getting stuff completed. Work is starting to pull together. I've been staying late 1-2 nights a week and have been marking more off of my list than I've been putting on. I only have one major project that would cause problems if I didn't finish before I leave. I have more open items too, but everything else, I think someone else could pick up fairly easily. I did bring the big project home this weekend and I may work on it Sunday night after Grace goes to bed to at least get me started. Hopefully, I can finish it next week.
My stuff to do at home has all been started, but not finished. Tonight I am going to start packing my hospital bags. I have a list, but need to start putting things into the bags, so I can see if there's anything I need to buy. I have the "call list" about 75% done. I have all the people written down, I just need to decide when they should be called in the process and who should call them and then need to tell anyone that I've assigned to spread the word. I also need to finalize my announcement list and get to Danialle and Chadd (they are designing and sending my inviitations as a gift). I keep a list of addresses in a Word doc that can be printed on mailing labels, so I just need to look through my list from Christmas and update it for the baby. Today, I got my bottles (that we never got to use with Grace) back from Samara. I'm washing them tonight and will have them all in the cabinet by tomorrow. I plan on getting an extra key to hide this weekend and then the only major thing will be installing the car seat bases.
Last night, I read through the final month or so of my pregnancy with Grace (on my blog) and it definately seems like I feel farther along than I did with her. Some examples:
- At 34 weeks I mentioned Grace running out of room and making my belly change shape and that if I pushed on her feet when she poked them out, I could feel her butt move on the other side. Luke's been making my belly change shape for weeks and I've been able to pick out body parts, including shoulders, butt, feet, and hands for weeks too.
- At 35 weeks, I mention waddling and starting to feel increased "pressure" below. Luke is just so much lower, that I've been feeling the pressure for weeks too. I mention getting full faster. Not so much this time, I think he just sits lower, so my stomach still has room for a full meal. Also, I said my belly button was still technically "in." Mine actually popped this time. Probably about 3 or 4 weeks ago.
- At 36 weeks I had gained 28 pounds. Since I was 26 pounds at 34 weeks, looks like I might catch up with the Grace weight gain after all. At my 36 week appointment with Grace I was 1cm dialated and 60% effaced. My "36 week" appointment this time is on Wednesday, I'm really curious with all the contraction activity if I've started dialiting yet. We know at 32 weeks (3 weeks ago) I had not started.
- Also around 36 weeks I posted about feeling really "blah" and "icky" and sounds like completely uncomfortable. I feel like that about 50% of the time right now. I will have a good day and then the next day, I can't get comfortable sitting, standing, or anything and I get grouchy and just want to bite the head off of the next person that tells me there's no way that I have 5 weeks left. Usually that happens like this: Stranger: When are you due? Me: May 24th, 5 more weeks! Stranger: "Oh" (with an I feel so bad for you look), "I don't think so!", "Are you sure there's only one?", etc.
-
So, anyway, if we use 5/16 as my expected induction date, in just 4 weeks I should be a Mom again. I only have 3 complete weeks of work left. I still wouldn't be shocked if I go into labor before the 16th, but at least I have an end date and I think this week will go very quickly. Tomorrow, Grace and I are going to a co-worker's daughter's 1st birthday party after church. Monday, I have a morning meeting/conference call and my ultrasound at 3 pm. Wednesday, I have my 36 week appointment at 8:30 a.m. and then at 2:45 p.m. I have an appointment with Dr. L to do a quick cancer checkup (had the breast ultrasound last week and all looked good). Next Saturday, Grace has a "Sibling Class" at the hospital and I'll be 36 weeks pregnant.
Still hoping this last month flies by. As I'll now be having weekly doctor appointments with internal's, I'll try to update weekly. I really like being able to look back for details.
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