Triumphant

This week I have taken Ryan and Lily to gymnastics and the store(a few times) alone. It went fairly well. I didn't know how I would handle both kids, but they have both been good when we go out.
I was really worried about gymnastics. I ordered a sling for things like this. With the sling I can have two free hands to spot Ryan in gymnastics. When I tried it on a few weeks ago it was very snug and Lily didn't like it. When it came time to use it for gymnastics it fit better(still not perfect, but it will do) and I tried using a travel pillow to support Lily(a little trick I read on the site where I ordered the sling). It worked out really well. Lily pretty much slept the whole time. Ryan was a little off. He mostly did what he was supposed to do, but when there was a lull in the action he would run circles around me and he kept going the wrong way on the circuit. I don't know if it was because of me having Lily or having a new teacher because I changed his class time. I think we might change back to his old teacher if we can. He really missed her and I think I like her style better. His current teacher is fine, but I really loved his first teacher.
The store has usually gone well. One time Lily was hungry because we went to the store after running another errand. She started crying, but I picked her up and she stopped. She fell asleep in my arms, so I thought I could make it home before feeding her. That was a mistake. She woke up crying about 1 minute into the 7 minute drive home. She cried a good bit of the way home, but there was no point in stopping because it would take as long for me to be able ton pull over and get in the back to feed her as it would to get home.
All in all I'm happy with how it all worked out. Now I am pretty sure I can handle things myself. I am really glad my mom was here 24 hours a day in the begining though!

Doctor called the Momma...

The doctor called this morning. She said Lily's spine is normal. Hopefully that will be our last medical test/issue for quite a while. Unfortunatly it does seem as though the whole family(with the possible exception of Jay) is comming down with a cold.

Spring Fever!

Look who is ready for baseball season to start! Go Os!!!

3 Weeks Post Pregnacy

**Warning- May be TMI(too much information), read at your own risk**

Overall I feel pretty good. The healing seems to be happening much faster this time. I don't feel any pain from the stitches and I haven't really felt it in over a week. I pretty much stopped taking Motrin after being home for 4 days. The cramping has stopped. My hips and butt are still huge. Speaking of my butt, it's still numb. I'm not sure why. At first I thought it was because I was subconsciously rounding it so I wouldn't be sitting directly on the stitches and because of the bar that is right under it in the hospital beds. Now I'm wondering if this is a permanent condition. Oh did I mention that even though it's numb if you touch it it hurts? It's kind of like when your foot is asleep and you touch it. It sucks.
Besides the numb, oversized butt and the squishy, big tummy I don't even feel like I gave birth 3 weeks ago. Now I wish I could fit in all my pre-pregnancy clothes. I thought I could fit at least most of them last week. Turns out it was just a fluke. I pulled a pair of pants out of my closet on a whim last week when I was getting ready for church. They fit! I was too excited to even care about the squishy mass protruding over the waistband. Later in the week I tried to fit in another pair of pants. No go. I tried a couple pairs and found some more that fit, but they definitely didn't all fit :-( Thinking back I realized that I was rushed Sunday and forgot to eat breakfast. Once I got home and ate I remember having to unbutton the pants. Just before dinner I even went and changed my pants because they were so uncomfortable. Alas, I thought I was almost back to normal, but I was not.
I'm so looking forward to my six week appointment. Not for the same reason as hubby is looking forward to it(well that too), but mostly so I can get the go ahead to exercise. Bet you never thought you'd hear those words from me! I just can't wait to get rid of this extra squish and my ginormous bottom/hips. It's harder to get the pants past my butt/hips than to button them- Gah!
Oh, and I'm loving having my little girl :-) It's been a tad stressful some days with the sleep deprivation, Jay's new job, the messy house, thinking of getting/ looking for a new house and knowing how much there is to do, but not being able to do 90% of it because there is not enough time in the day. So if you have e-mailed, sent a gift or called and left a message I have a list and I will get in touch with you in one way or another, but it may take quite a while. I'm sorry, I really am doing the best I can. If it makes you feel any better I still have not been able to call and make that 6 week appointment that I am so looking forward to! I really am doing well though, it's just that taking care of the kids takes up most of the day. I don't even have the time after the kids go to bed to do anything because Lily thinks that is the perfect time to cluster feed. I love that I get to spend so much time with my kids though, so it's all good.

Just Because They are Cute

Here Ryan is trying to get Lily to grab his finger. You can almost see the facination in his eyes.

She didn't do it this time, so he holds her hand instead.

Now isn't that just cute?!

Pretty Spine

We did the ultrasound of Lily's spine yesterday. Lily pretty much slept the whole time which made it pretty easy. There was one point where I had to take her shirt off and she woke up. She didn't want to straighten out at first, but she settled back into the same position she was in before too long. EVERYONE there oo-ed and ah-ed over how beautiful she is :-) People don't seem to believe me when I tell them she was 8lbs 2oz at birth. They seem even more shocked when I offer that she is 9lbs 8oz now. I guess she looks smaller than she is.
Anyway, after all the pictures of each vertebrate were taken the tech rubbed her finger on Lily's birthmark(the one on the base of her spine that was the reason for the u/s) and said (as if she was talking to Lily) "It's just a mark." She also commented to the lady helping her several times about how beautiful Lily's spine is. I think that was her way of telling me that there is no problem without violating any liability rules. So I'm feeling optimistic.

Bye Grandma

Bye Grandma! We miss you already!

Thanks for taking care of all of us, mom. You're the best!

"2 Week" Check Up

I know Lily will be 3 weeks tomorrow, but her doctor was out of town, so she had her 2 week appointment today. She is a healthy 9 pounds 8 ounces. That is up over a pound from her birth weight of 8 pounds 2 ounces. She is 20 and 1/2 inches long. I'm pretty sure she didn't grow an entire inch. The hospital probably couldn't get her to stretch out all the way. If you look at Ryan's records he actually shrunk half an inch once;-) No signs of jaundice. She seems to be doing very well. The doctor noticed a birthmark at the base of her spine and wants to have an ultrasound done to rule out spinal dysraphism. I wish I could find some information on it in English, but it seems pretty scary. The doc says she isn't overly concerned and it's probably not that, but she wants to check to be sure. At least this test won't hurt like the bilirubin tests. I sure hope it's just a birthmark.

I need to stay out of stores(internet and real)

Is it wrong that I want this for Ryan just because it's so cute? It seems a little expensive for something he won't wear that often.

Ooooo...Ryan must have this!

Lily needs this entire collection! At least the shoes and one really cute outfit.

It's a Conspiracy!

My children are conspiring against me getting enough sleep! It used to be that Lily thought bed time was midnight and Ryan thought it was time to wake up at 6:45. That does not leave much time for mommy sleep(especially when I have to wake up for feedings and diaper changes every 3 hours). ugh! Last night I finally got Lily to go to sleep at 10:30. Unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to go to bed right away. I went up to get ready at 11 and was finally in bed at 11:30. Just when I was about to fall asleep Ryan woke up crying. Jay went in to try to get him back down. He wanted MOMMY! So I went in and asked him what was wrong. Apparently there was a big dog in his way(?) I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I know it scared him. He wanted to come in our bed. I compromised with him and sat in the rocking chair with him for a while. We talked about good things he could dream about and getting enough sleep to go to Sunday school(I realize it's Tuesday, but he goes to the same place for my Tuesday Bible study as he does for Sunday school). He loves Sunday school. He was excited to get in his bed for one more song then go to sleep so we could go to "Sunday school." He got down, took 1 step toward his bed and froze in his tracks. I think he saw a shadow move on his wall. He said in the most scared voice I've ever heard from him,"Is the dog away?!" I told him the dog was gone and it's okay, but he just started crying. Poor kid was scared to death. So he did get to come to mommy and daddy's bed after all. He did really well until Lily woke up to eat around 1:30. He sat up to peek over my shoulder at her. That was the end of it. From then on he was kicking, tossing, turning and flopping. Jay finally took him back to his room and got him to stay there. Then it was Lily's turn to keep me awake. I think it was gas pains. Needless to say I did not make it to Bible study this morning. ::sigh::

Woohoo!

I wore my regular clothes for the first time today! They were a bit tight and I had to change at dinner time because the button might have put someone's eye out if there was any more pressure on it, but I wore them most of the day and it felt good. I think I might need to get some new shirts for while I'm nursing...Jay thinks the ones I have are great ;-)

Ryan and Lily

Ryan is the cutest big brother I have ever seen. He loves Lily so much. The first day we brought Lily home she was fussing. Ryan wanted to know why she was crying. I told him she needed some love and he could help by rubbing her back if he wanted. He put his hand on her back, tilted his head and rubbed her back saying "It's okay Wiwy." When she cried louder he rubbed faster. Another time she was fussing and Ryan started jumping all around being silly. "Look at me, Wiwy, I'm jumping!" He was trying to make her laugh. Very sweet.
There was one night he had a hard time going to bed. Every time whatever adult would leave his room he would cry. After a while Jay emerged with no crying. He told Ryan he had to go take care of Lily because she was crying. Ryan said, "okay" and didn't make another peep.
Most days the first thing he wants to know when he wakes up in the morning or from his nap is "Where's Wiwy?" He often does a running commentary of what he is doing for her. "Look Wiwy, I'm climbing. This is my Huggy Bear. I wuv Huggy Bear and Bwankie! I wuv Wiwy." He also loves to touch her; her toes, her head, her fingers. He always asks first, "Can I touch Wiwy's toes?" Just adorable. Mostly he is gentle, but sometimes he needs reminders. Like today when he climbed up on the couch next to her and went to put is head up to hers he covered her face with his body. He really just wanted to cuddle her and he didn't realize what he was doing. Once I told him he moved right away into a better position so he could put his forehead on hers again. He also likes to hold her and tell her all sorts of things. When he was holding her yesterday he tilted his head down on top of hers. It was the most adorable moment! I tried to get it on video, but once Ryan saw the camera he just wanted to "see Ryan and Lily" on the little screen. The boy loves to see video of himself, but he doesn't stay in front of the camera long enough to get any video!
Of course there are times he wants mommy all by herself. Last night I brought Lily up to say good night to Ryan. He said good night to Lily and gave her a kiss and hug. He very sweetly asked, "Can grandma have Lily?" In other words he wanted me to give Lily to grandma so I could be there all by myself with him. He also got mad at me one day because he wanted to have mommy's milk and I told him he was a big boy so he drinks milk from a bottle(the jug) now. He didn't like that. He said, "No, I'm not big! I'm Wittw!" Overall, he has been very understanding about all of Lily's needs and has not complained much at all. In fact he is curious about what she needs.
He likes to know and look at everything about Lily. "What is Wiwy doing?" "Can I watch you change Wiwy's diaper?" "What is that?"(pointing to the umbilical cord stump) "Aw, wook at her wittw toes!" "Is Wiwy [insert emotion here]?" "Why is Wiwy crying?" "Is Wiwy okay?"
Ryan is a great big brother :-) Better than I could have hoped for.

Lily is Born (part 2)

**WARNING- do not read unless you really want to know what childbirth was like for me, gross parts and all**

One of the nurses that was waiting to get into Labor and delivery actually found a staff entrance that would open, so she let us in that way. The admissions lady brought me in and introduced me to the nurses as "the possible rupture." When I told the nurses there was no "possible" about it they asked "Is it a trickle or gushing?" I told them and they took me right to a room instead of taking me to triage to check. I also told her that I noticed a bit of brown tinge to the fluid the second time I checked. She told me that just means they would take extra precautions with the baby once it's born to try to suction the airway better. This means they wouldn't put her right on my chest, but take her over to the incubator thing and use a special suction device.
After a while the doctor came to check on me. I was 2 cm and 80% effaced. He wanted to induce, but I was reluctant. My contractions were almost painful, but still all over the place. After thinking about Ryan's delivery where my water broke at 7 AM one morning and I didn't deliver until 11 AM the next morning I decided if my contractions didn't pick up on their own I would get pitocin around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I didn't want to be exhausted after being up all night with contractions trying to deliver Sweet Pea. Things were not picking up, so at 2:30 I asked for pitocin (that was the next time I saw the nurse). She said she would talk to the doctor because he had to write the order. A little while after 3 she came in and said the doctor said go ahead and do it. Around 3:45 I was asking for an epidural. The nurse checked me and I was 3 cm 90% effaced, she said the doctor didn't like to give an epidural until 4 cm. I told her I was asking while I could still handle the contractions because 1) the doctor advised me to and 2) I wanted to give the anesthesiologist time to get there. Well he got there within 5 minutes and I had relief within 10. I believe you read that the epidural is my best friend. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. After the 7 o'clock shift change my new nurse came in to check on me. Her name was Lily. Did I mention that my first nurse was named Jen and the second was Erin(my best friend's name). Weird. Well, Lily (the nurse) had 2 patients and the other one went into active labor so another nurse took over. She was Trisha, no name correlation, but we figured out the reason we all (including Jay) looked familiar to each other was that she was my favorite nurse when I was in labor with Ryan! She had stayed in my room talking to me for a good bit of the night when I couldn't sleep. She was awesome. Her shift ended at 7 the morning Ryan was born. She said she wanted to stick around and see me through, but it didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon and she had to get home to her boys. I digress.
My mom brought the boys over to visit in the evening before bed for a short visit because it didn't look like anything was going to happen before they fell asleep. I started feeling some contractions just before they left around 8:30. Trisha came in to check on me and I told her I was feeling the contractions again. She asked where the pain was and I told her my back and low in my abdomen near my right hip. She asked when the last time they drained my bladder was. Well, now that I think about it not since this afternoon. She drained over 2 quarts, um, yah, that's a lot. Then she told me that might actually get things going because a full bladder can prevent the baby from descending. It also helped a whole lot with the contraction pains. It wasn't too long before they got intense again though. At 9 I called to ask to get my epidural turned up. The nurse asked where the pain was and if I was having the urge to push. The pain was in my back and lower abdomen. She said before we do that can I check you. She explained that being able to feel the contractions can really help you know when and how to push. I debated this for a few seconds as the contractions were really hurting at the time. When she checked I was ready. She said I could sit and wait for the baby to descend more and get the epidural if I wanted to, but that really helps more with first babies than second babies. She also said pushing can help with the pain. So I decided to go for it right then and just deal with the pain. So she called the doctor and got ready while I breathed through another contraction. I started pushing a bit after 9:10. After pushing during 2 contractions she was on the phone telling the doctor to hurry up. She reassured Jay that she could deliver the baby herself if he didn't get there in time. I pushed on the next contraction and then she asked me if I could breathe through the next one. I could feel the baby between my hips. By now the room is full of people including the pediatrician, but still no doctor. Trish told me I could push if I needed to, but to try not to. I ended up breathing through two more contractions(which was really hard). My doctor came in and went into the prep closet. I cheated on the last one that I was supposed to breathe through and pushed a little, just enough to relieve some of the pain. I knew the doctor was there and it wouldn't be long, so I didn't feel that bad about cheating. I actually felt the baby move down a little bit. Then I hear one of the nurses saying urgently, "Doctor K., She's crowning!" Then he came out and on the next push Lily's head was out(felt that too, but I knew what that felt like from last time-> weird). I didn't know this at the time, but her cord was around her neck. It was so tightly wrapped that the ob cut it before the rest of her was delivered. I must have been very oblivious at this point because apparently it sprayed blood right on my face and I didn't even notice. The next contraction started and one more push and there she was at 9:35 PM. Unfortunately, they rushed her right over to the bassinet and started working on her. I was really worried at the time because she didn't cry for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds in reality. Ryan practically came out crying and he was placed right on my chest. That was a moment that I treasured with Ryan and a moment I sorely missed with Lily. It seemed to take forever for them to get her ready and I longed to hold her so badly. I watched as they sucked her out and cleaned her off with the towels. Her head was facing me and I just stared at her face. She looked so much like her big brother. I said that to Jay while she was still with the pediatrician and the nurses. She was so beautiful. I wanted to hold her in my arms so badly.
During this time I barely noticed the doctor holding the umbilical cord waiting for me to deliver the placenta. Then he told me to push, so I did even though there was no contraction. I'm still not completely sure why, but then he started "massaging" my uterus. It hurt, a LOT. Then he asked the nurse to do it. It still hurt, but less. Then he did it again...OUCH! Then he told me I needed stitches, but that I was bleeding too much. Then he attacked my abdomen again. During all the hoopla that followed I heard him say I had a second degree tear(not as bad as the 3rd degree one of the first birth). I asked how many stitches and he said 8. They gave Lily to Jay because they were still working on me. So daddy got to be first to hold her. I hope that was as special for him as it was for me with Ryan. When they were done "massaging" my uterus I finally got to hold my Sweet Lily for the first time. She was wrapped in 3 blankets, so I didn't really get to feel her, but her head was mighty sweet and cute sticking out of the mass quantity of blankets. I actually forgot to feed her for the first few minutes because I just wanted to take her in since I had to wait so long to actually hold her.

Lily is One Week Old

It's hard to believe it has been a whole week! Lily's list of accomplishments at one week is fairly limited. She is a champion nurser, she sleeps well (and often) and fills diapers. The only problem is she needs to be held or in her swing to sleep or else she wakes up within about 5 minutes of being put down. Hopefully she will outgrow this and sleep in her bassinet soon. Lily likes to look at her doll baby and bunny when I change her or when she is just lying on the couch. Sometimes she even smiles at them...I know you are all thinking "it's not a real smile." That's okay.

General things about Lily include:

She is out of the woods for bilirubin.

She is very adorable and lovable.

Her cry is much less intense than her brother's was.

I LOVE having a little girl!

She squeaks and it is adorable.

She has Jay's feet and my ears.

She has long fingers that I'm sure will come in handy for playing the piano. I'm pretty sure daddy wants all his children to play piano.

Ryan loves his little sister and is so cute with her, but that deserves its own post.

Lily is Born (Part 1)

If you people want gory details I'll give them to you. Consider yourself warned...If you don't want to see words like placenta or think about tearing "down there" do not read on. There will be a nice post for those not interested in blood and yuckiness later.

I was lying in bed around 6:30 in the morning. Ryan had decided that he needed to be in my bed when he woke up about 15 minutes earlier. I felt fluid going down the top of my leg just as Jay returned from the shower. I said, "Hon, you're not going to work today." This is eerily reminiscent of my first pregnancy. Only last time there was a trickle when I stood up from using the potty(can you tell I have a toddler) and this time when I went to stand up there was a Tsunami. I seriously had to send Jay to get a towel just so I could walk to the bathroom and I still left a trail(I know...ew). At this point I started feeling faint and queasy. Jay went to call the doctor and they said come right in. I get there and go to registration where the lady keeps referring to me as "the possible rupture" to everyone. Lady, unless you have ever peed the Atlantic in one sitting and it keeps coming for the half an hour that it takes to get to the hospital there is no possible about it. [Yes, it only takes 5 minutes to get to the hospital from my house, but Jay needed to eat breakfast ;-) Plus I wanted to brush my teeth, take a shower and all that jazz that you do before you leave the house so you don't offend the general population with your stink.] While I'm registering the power goes out. Not very reassuring. It did come right back, but all the doors to labor and delivery were in lock down and security needed to come open them.

To be continued...

Been Busy

You'd think some people would appreciate what it's like to have a newborn and a toddler;-) Things have been busy around here. I've used up two whole mornings going to the hospital to get bilirubin tests for Lily. Poor baby :-( I've spent quite a lot of time with a baby in my arms this week. Lily is quite an eater. She is nursing lots and I've been trying to spend as much time with Ryan as possible. Plus Lily likes to sleep in my arms(maybe that's just me). I can do some pointing and clicking while holding her, but typing is kind of hard. So blogging has taken a backseat for a while.
As for Claire's request of a birth story...
I wasn't really planning on writing a "birth story" per se. Do people really want to know that kind of stuff? Maybe I'll hit a few highlights in a post soon. I have to go now because the Sweet Pea is waking up and I'm sure she will want to eat.

Welcome Lily Grace

Lily Grace

March 2, 2006

9:35 PM

8 lbs 2 oz

19 inches

We are loving having our little Sweet Pea with us.

It as been a flurry of activity since she was born. Between sleeping(what little of it there has been), visitors, hospital staff coming to ask questions for paperwork and feedings there has not been much time for anything else. Everyone is doing well though and we expect to go home tomorrow afternoon.

Don't get too excited...

no baby yet. The epidural is my best friend.

Show Time

My water broke. We are off to the hospital! Finally.

2 and 1/2?

Ryan was born August 30. That means he doesn't have a half-birthday :-( It would be February 30. Even his ticker is confused. Yesterday it said he was 2 years 5 months and 4 weeks old. Today he is 2 years 6 months and 1 day old. So when does he get to be 2 and a half? Well, I'm writing his 2 and 1/2 post today because it is a big enough milestone that it deserves a post.

Ryan is two and a half and every bit if two. He is fighting for independence and control- trying to figure out his way. He has definitely discovered that he has his own thoughts and the ability to do something other than what mommy and daddy say. It is a huge struggle some days. Some days I think if I hear one more minute of screaming my head is going to explode. Other days(or even the same day at a different time) I think how he couldn't be more of an angel. He is thoughtful, empathetic, sweet, generous, hilarious and incredibly smart. He can go from the sweetest, most well mannered 2 year old I've ever seen to a screaming, tantrum throwing toddler tornado in a millisecond. It's hard sometimes, but worth it when I get those giant hugs and "I wuv you, mommy!"s.

Ryan loves seeing his friends at Sunday school and he loves going to gymnastics. He loves songs and stories at bedtime. His favorite songs are a little off the beaten track, "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" by Debbie Reynolds, "High Hopes" by Frank Sinatra and "Swingin' on a Star" by Bing Crosby are among the favorites right now. His favorite stories include anything Thomas, "I'm a Big Brother Now" and "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go".

He is strong and coordinated, but will throw himself on the floor for a laugh. He is shy, but kind. He is adorable and fun, but mischievous. He builds tracks with bridges for his trains. Then he voices little conversations for them as they travel around the track until the inevitable "AAAAAAHHHHHH, PKKKKKKKKKKK. Oh no!" He builds puzzles and towers of legos then breaks them apart and throws them around. He'll talk your ear off sometimes and not say a word other times. He is a paradox...he is 2 and 1/2.

A little rambly and not quite put together, but that's about how I feel these days; I can't expect to have much more in a post.

I Can Not Believe it!

As Quincy(Little Einsteins) would say...I can NOT believe it! This child will not be born. She teases me with contractions all afternoon and all night just to stop in the morning with nothing to show for them.

So, this is what I know...She will be a March baby. Another thing I know is that I am not timing another contraction until I am doubled over in pain!