Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Apple Country
Every year we've been married we have gone apple picking in Oak Glen. Even though we have a newborn and a toddler, we decided to venture out and keep the tradition. I think we may have been a little ambitious and bit off more than we could chew, but we picked apples and made it home all in one piece.
L&D 2.0
I planned on doing Hypnobirthing again with this delivery until my sciatic nerves got pinched somehow in the last 5 weeks of pregnancy. This pain was pretty intense for me, limiting my mobility (not an ideal situation for caretakers of toddlers) and making every step an agonizing experience. I finally started seeing a chiropractor and finally got some relief the week before I was due. By then, I was so worn down from constant pain, I wasn't sure I could mentally/physically make it through a natural birth. I was really on the fence about getting an epidural. At my 38 week appointment, one of the OBs (oh, the joys of an HMO) said I was favorable for an induction and would be happy to schedule it anytime after 39 weeks. I considered it for a few days, but I just feel like labors go more smoothly if your body and baby are ready. (I like my babies fully cooked, thank you!) So I declined. Another OB at my 39 week appointment suggested induction as well or at the very least stripping my membranes. Am I crazy or are pregnancies no longer 40 weeks? I declined again. My next appointment was with "my" OB and I'm 3 days late at this point. We do an NST and baby looks great. Oh, and BTW I'm walking around at 5cm! No big deal. She recommends an induction as well. Even though we discussed and I agreed to be induced on her next on call day (I really wanted this Dr to deliver my baby,) I was feeling steamrolled into an induction.
Luckily, I never made it to the induction date. I woke up that night at 12:45am with contractions. I timed 3 of them (8-10 min apart) before calling my mom to come watch my toddler. Since my last labor progressed so rapidly, I was told to come in immediately...no waiting for me.
We hopped into the van and headed to the hospital. My L&D nurse was fantastic! She listened to me when I said my labor had gone too quickly for an epidural to work the last time and I really wanted to try one this time around. She said she would check me and then decide how to proceed with my care. I was at 6cm, so she called the anesthesiologist right away. In walks Dr. McDreamy, the anesthesiologist. Unfortunately he didn't use enough Lidocaine, so getting the epidural wasn't so great of an experience, but once it was in place I was completely numb. I couldn't move my legs and didn't feel a single contraction from that point on. I didn't love the feeling of being out of control of my body, but the pain control was kind of heavenly.
Around 7am, I felt like the baby was ready! There weren't any nurses available so my OB and Luke set up for the delivery. My OB said Luke was hired! After 3 pushes, my beautiful baby girl arrived at 7:55am. She was 7lbs 9oz; 20.5" long. Right away, I could tell she was a calm and sweet baby. We fell in love again! I wasn't sure how I would feel about having another baby, but she has made our family feel so much more complete! Her sweet demeanor has made having 2 babies close together a manageable and joyful thing!
Luckily, I never made it to the induction date. I woke up that night at 12:45am with contractions. I timed 3 of them (8-10 min apart) before calling my mom to come watch my toddler. Since my last labor progressed so rapidly, I was told to come in immediately...no waiting for me.
We hopped into the van and headed to the hospital. My L&D nurse was fantastic! She listened to me when I said my labor had gone too quickly for an epidural to work the last time and I really wanted to try one this time around. She said she would check me and then decide how to proceed with my care. I was at 6cm, so she called the anesthesiologist right away. In walks Dr. McDreamy, the anesthesiologist. Unfortunately he didn't use enough Lidocaine, so getting the epidural wasn't so great of an experience, but once it was in place I was completely numb. I couldn't move my legs and didn't feel a single contraction from that point on. I didn't love the feeling of being out of control of my body, but the pain control was kind of heavenly.
Around 7am, I felt like the baby was ready! There weren't any nurses available so my OB and Luke set up for the delivery. My OB said Luke was hired! After 3 pushes, my beautiful baby girl arrived at 7:55am. She was 7lbs 9oz; 20.5" long. Right away, I could tell she was a calm and sweet baby. We fell in love again! I wasn't sure how I would feel about having another baby, but she has made our family feel so much more complete! Her sweet demeanor has made having 2 babies close together a manageable and joyful thing!
Friday, August 8, 2014
Pregnancy #2
I feel kind of bad that I haven't been as good of a historian as I was with my first pregnancy. It is kind of fun to go back and read about all the details about Fiona growing in my belly, but I will admit it is much harder finding some time and peace with an active toddler running about. Since I'm 36 weeks, I thought I would just do 1 giant overview of the whole pregnancy, so baby #2 doesn't feel left out.
Finding out:
I still hadn't returned to my usual cycles since Fiona's birth, but it had seemed like a long time. I took a pregnancy test. Negative. Hmmm..... I kept waiting. Still nothing a week later. I took another test. Positive! We were elated! Somewhat surprised at the quickness another baby was being sent our way, but elated just the same!
Sickness & cravings:
Morning sickness was a much more mild and brief experience with this pregnancy than my first. Hallelujah! I craved spicy foods during this time (crazy, right?) I would pack up Fiona and we would go to Topper's Pizza for their "quick lunch." A trip to the salad bar and a pizza with jalapenos and pineapple. Delicious. Or a spicy chicken sandwich from McDonald's (which sounds totally gross to me now.) My only real complaint with this pregnancy has been complete exhaustion throughout the whole thing. I guess being anemic and chasing a one year old around will do that. I still haven't gotten that nesting energy! But I will take that over everything I experienced with Fiona any day! Another difference is that I've been pretty adverse to red meat, whereas with my first pregnancy I could not get enough steak!!
I haven't had an ultrasound since 17 weeks, where we found out that this baby is a GIRL! Luke was right. I was wrong. I thought it would be a boy since it was such a different pregnancy. I'm excited. I think girls are the best! We made another pink cake for the gender reveal!
Unfortunately we have not come up with a name for this baby yet. We refer to her lovingly as Chummly....or just Chum. Who knows? Maybe it will stick. :)
Now I'm working up the energy to do all the laundry and haul the baby stuff out again. Luke is convinced that this baby will come early. I don't want to have any opinions because I'm impatient enough as it is. I am trying to spend as much time as I can spoiling Fiona and taking her on fun outings because I think we'll be home bound for a while. Plus this is our last month of just being Mom and Fi. I've really enjoyed our time together, but I know this new little babe will just add to the joy! (and subtract from the sleep!)
Finding out:
I still hadn't returned to my usual cycles since Fiona's birth, but it had seemed like a long time. I took a pregnancy test. Negative. Hmmm..... I kept waiting. Still nothing a week later. I took another test. Positive! We were elated! Somewhat surprised at the quickness another baby was being sent our way, but elated just the same!
Sickness & cravings:
Morning sickness was a much more mild and brief experience with this pregnancy than my first. Hallelujah! I craved spicy foods during this time (crazy, right?) I would pack up Fiona and we would go to Topper's Pizza for their "quick lunch." A trip to the salad bar and a pizza with jalapenos and pineapple. Delicious. Or a spicy chicken sandwich from McDonald's (which sounds totally gross to me now.) My only real complaint with this pregnancy has been complete exhaustion throughout the whole thing. I guess being anemic and chasing a one year old around will do that. I still haven't gotten that nesting energy! But I will take that over everything I experienced with Fiona any day! Another difference is that I've been pretty adverse to red meat, whereas with my first pregnancy I could not get enough steak!!
I haven't had an ultrasound since 17 weeks, where we found out that this baby is a GIRL! Luke was right. I was wrong. I thought it would be a boy since it was such a different pregnancy. I'm excited. I think girls are the best! We made another pink cake for the gender reveal!
Unfortunately we have not come up with a name for this baby yet. We refer to her lovingly as Chummly....or just Chum. Who knows? Maybe it will stick. :)
Now I'm working up the energy to do all the laundry and haul the baby stuff out again. Luke is convinced that this baby will come early. I don't want to have any opinions because I'm impatient enough as it is. I am trying to spend as much time as I can spoiling Fiona and taking her on fun outings because I think we'll be home bound for a while. Plus this is our last month of just being Mom and Fi. I've really enjoyed our time together, but I know this new little babe will just add to the joy! (and subtract from the sleep!)
Monday, May 19, 2014
My baby is one!
I've been a terrible blogger. Actually, since being pregnant I've been pretty much terrible at a lot of things like housekeeping and being social. Just doing the bare minimum these days and soaking up all the time I can with my sweet baby! Maybe one day I will have energy again....but until then, just a quick post with some baby stats so I can remember them in the future!
At one, my baby weighs 26 lbs 15oz and is 30.5 inches tall. She has 2 teeth and is cutting about 4 more at the moment. Just days before her 1st birthday, she took her first unassisted steps, so we aren't far from walking!
She can say "mama" and is capable of saying "dada," but she chooses not to. She also does her own version of "woof woof" when asked what sound a dog makes. She does know and use a lot of signs (some of them we just made up ourselves, but we understand each other!) She can ask for milk, water, food, to be "all done" and to get down.
She LOVES books!! In fact, we had a story time themed birthday party. We read several books a day and some times we read the same book 4 times in a row. She will pick out a book and shove it in your face (hint! hint! read to me!) Every night we read some books, sing some songs and go to sleep.
She has gotten incredibly sweet and affectionate. She gives kisses and snuggles and waves. My favorite time of the day is when we share a popsicle. (Crazy pregnancy craving...I can't get enough of them!) So I ask her, "Do you want a popsicle?" Then she gets a big smile on her face. We go to the freezer, pick one out and go sit in our armchair. She sits on my lap and we share. I don't know why, but she really hams it up. She gives me hugs, kisses and snuggles and just is a complete doll during these few minutes. I want to remember it forever!
She loves to wave to everything and everyone! She waves at people in the grocery store. She even waves goodbye to the diapers we send down the diaper genie. She's hilarious and we are really enjoying this time together! I feel super blessed every day to have such a sweet and smart little girl!
At one, my baby weighs 26 lbs 15oz and is 30.5 inches tall. She has 2 teeth and is cutting about 4 more at the moment. Just days before her 1st birthday, she took her first unassisted steps, so we aren't far from walking!
She can say "mama" and is capable of saying "dada," but she chooses not to. She also does her own version of "woof woof" when asked what sound a dog makes. She does know and use a lot of signs (some of them we just made up ourselves, but we understand each other!) She can ask for milk, water, food, to be "all done" and to get down.
She LOVES books!! In fact, we had a story time themed birthday party. We read several books a day and some times we read the same book 4 times in a row. She will pick out a book and shove it in your face (hint! hint! read to me!) Every night we read some books, sing some songs and go to sleep.
She has gotten incredibly sweet and affectionate. She gives kisses and snuggles and waves. My favorite time of the day is when we share a popsicle. (Crazy pregnancy craving...I can't get enough of them!) So I ask her, "Do you want a popsicle?" Then she gets a big smile on her face. We go to the freezer, pick one out and go sit in our armchair. She sits on my lap and we share. I don't know why, but she really hams it up. She gives me hugs, kisses and snuggles and just is a complete doll during these few minutes. I want to remember it forever!
She loves to wave to everything and everyone! She waves at people in the grocery store. She even waves goodbye to the diapers we send down the diaper genie. She's hilarious and we are really enjoying this time together! I feel super blessed every day to have such a sweet and smart little girl!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Working
So a few weeks ago, I'd finally scheduled an interview at a non-profit doing functional assessments as an RN out in the valley. So I arranged for a sitter, put on a suit and did the interview. I thought it went well and as I was driving home I thought, "Hey! I'm childless and in a suit....I should drop off my resume at another place." So I did. And they hired me on the spot. Its a home health agency. (I was also offered the non-profit job, but decided to do home health because it uses my clinical skills.)
The schedule has been very unpredictable and last minute because I'm training with other RNs on their schedule and the agency calls me last minute to fill in. So I feel like I'm constantly scrambling to find a sitter, driving to and from, working for a couple hours and insert more driving. By the time that's all done, my day is shot. I've also decided to keep my other job doing health screenings and flu shots. So I'm feeling a little crazy and stressed these days. 2014 will be the year of survival.
Anyways, its great to have a "real" nursing job and I'm learning a lot.
The schedule has been very unpredictable and last minute because I'm training with other RNs on their schedule and the agency calls me last minute to fill in. So I feel like I'm constantly scrambling to find a sitter, driving to and from, working for a couple hours and insert more driving. By the time that's all done, my day is shot. I've also decided to keep my other job doing health screenings and flu shots. So I'm feeling a little crazy and stressed these days. 2014 will be the year of survival.
Anyways, its great to have a "real" nursing job and I'm learning a lot.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
6 Months
So my baby turned 6 months old! When did that happen?!
Stats:
-21 lbs 7 oz
-27.5" long
-Wears 12 month clothes
She sits up on her own pretty well, but has ZERO interest in crawling. She likes to "stand up" with help. I wonder if she will skip crawling altogether and just get up and walk one day. She is a great eater! She readily accepts any food I give her! She loves songs! Especially "The Wheels on the Bus." She loves to go for walks. She loves our Baby n' Me class we go to every week. She is very alert, observant and curious. She wants to be a big girl. She drinks from a straw like a champ. She says "Mamamamamamama-mom-mamamamamama" all day and night. She also growls on a regular basis. Yes, a full blown orc growl. Its very unladylike and makes everyone laugh.
She is such a beautiful and happy baby, which is a good thing since she no longer sleeps through the night. I love bath time because she's such a chubby rollie pollie! She inherited her dad's beautiful blue eyes. We are constantly bombarded everywhere we go by old lady admirers who tell us to "enjoy these years" and strangers who touch babies.
Love my beautiful, snuggly, sweet baby girl!
Stats:
-21 lbs 7 oz
-27.5" long
-Wears 12 month clothes
She sits up on her own pretty well, but has ZERO interest in crawling. She likes to "stand up" with help. I wonder if she will skip crawling altogether and just get up and walk one day. She is a great eater! She readily accepts any food I give her! She loves songs! Especially "The Wheels on the Bus." She loves to go for walks. She loves our Baby n' Me class we go to every week. She is very alert, observant and curious. She wants to be a big girl. She drinks from a straw like a champ. She says "Mamamamamamama-mom-mamamamamama" all day and night. She also growls on a regular basis. Yes, a full blown orc growl. Its very unladylike and makes everyone laugh.
She is such a beautiful and happy baby, which is a good thing since she no longer sleeps through the night. I love bath time because she's such a chubby rollie pollie! She inherited her dad's beautiful blue eyes. We are constantly bombarded everywhere we go by old lady admirers who tell us to "enjoy these years" and strangers who touch babies.
Love my beautiful, snuggly, sweet baby girl!
Monday, November 18, 2013
A "quick" errand
Let me set the scene. Baby and I have just been out with friends and an adventure to the Farmer's Market. On my way home, I think I'll just stop at the grocery store for 3 quick things before dinner and baby's next feeding. I actually had the thought that it would be quick, easy and painless. (Sometimes I still forget that babies can complicate the easiest of tasks.)
On the way to the store, baby fell asleep. I wanted to make sure she got a good nap, so I sat in the grocery store parking lot for a while, thus already eliminating the quickness of the errand. Once she was awake, I thought, "Great! I can still just run in with the baby and my wallet and be back home before she needs her bottle." Except, as I'm pulling her out of her car seat, I'm realizing she has a poopy diaper. Now I am committed into bringing my ginormous diaper bag into the store. We find the changing table and fix our issue, but then, baby needs her bottle. Well, I cannot bottle feed a baby AND push a cart, so I have to go back out to the car and retrieve the stroller so she can recline and feed herself. At this point, I've decided I might as well do some more serious grocery shopping to make these efforts worthwhile. So I'm shopping in a handheld basket and pushing my stroller. Halfway through the trip, baby decides she needs to be held. Immediately and no other distractions will suffice. Ok, so swap baby out of stroller and groceries into stroller.
Then, enter checkout line. Swap baby back into stroller and groceries onto belt. Swipe card, start arranging groceries back into stroller. "Oh wait, your card didn't swipe right." (Why do they always wait to tell you after your put your wallet away?) Make it back to the car and load everyone up, just to drive home and unload again. Man, just telling this story is making me tired.
Anyways, I just want to get it through my stubborn brain to never expect things to go according to my quick, easy plans or else I will get taught a lesson!
On the way to the store, baby fell asleep. I wanted to make sure she got a good nap, so I sat in the grocery store parking lot for a while, thus already eliminating the quickness of the errand. Once she was awake, I thought, "Great! I can still just run in with the baby and my wallet and be back home before she needs her bottle." Except, as I'm pulling her out of her car seat, I'm realizing she has a poopy diaper. Now I am committed into bringing my ginormous diaper bag into the store. We find the changing table and fix our issue, but then, baby needs her bottle. Well, I cannot bottle feed a baby AND push a cart, so I have to go back out to the car and retrieve the stroller so she can recline and feed herself. At this point, I've decided I might as well do some more serious grocery shopping to make these efforts worthwhile. So I'm shopping in a handheld basket and pushing my stroller. Halfway through the trip, baby decides she needs to be held. Immediately and no other distractions will suffice. Ok, so swap baby out of stroller and groceries into stroller.
Then, enter checkout line. Swap baby back into stroller and groceries onto belt. Swipe card, start arranging groceries back into stroller. "Oh wait, your card didn't swipe right." (Why do they always wait to tell you after your put your wallet away?) Make it back to the car and load everyone up, just to drive home and unload again. Man, just telling this story is making me tired.
Anyways, I just want to get it through my stubborn brain to never expect things to go according to my quick, easy plans or else I will get taught a lesson!
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