It's taken to me to baby #3 to realize the only way to "finish" a baby book is to write that letter to your child which is on like the last pages in the baby books I've gotten for all 3 kids. I'm fairly good at keeping up with the baby books. I record all weights and heights when we visit the doctor. I'm only missing a few monthly pictures in Little Monster's book (just need to print them) and I'm currently starting on The Baby's book. I'm pretty bad about filling out the beginning where it asks what the price of gas is, what are top headlines, top fashions, top artists, top movies, etc. If I think of something important, I'll put it in there, but mostly I've left it blank. Those don't bother me too much being blank. The letter at the end has bothered me. With Tiny Dancer, I just didn't know what to write. But I think I've realized that maybe they put that part at the end because by the end of the baby book (about 5 or 6) your letter will mean a lot more at that point in your child's life.
When Tiny Dancer was first born, I thought about what I would write in that letter. Of course I couldn't wait to meet her. We were hoping she'd have some sort of red hair. I had hopes and wishes for her life. But now that Tiny Dancer is 4, the dreams that I have for her are more real and more relevant to the little person she is today.
I wrote her letter for her baby book about a month or 2 before The Baby was born. And I'll probably wait to write Little Monster's until she's 4. And The Baby's too.
Tiny Dancer: I hope you never lose the sparkle in your smile. And that the shyness you've recently developed doesn't last long and never becomes so bad you still aren't the outgoing little girl we love. I hope you always love to sing and dance, and you'll pursue your dreams regarding both. I hope you still want to be a doctor when you're in high school and you work hard to fulfill that goal. I hope your love for learning never diminishes. But that your love for doritos does. ;) Most of all, I hope you remember how much you mean to me and that I'll always be here for you no matter what happens.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
We've passed the one week mark for The Baby. I can't believe how fast time flies once the baby is here.
I mentioned before about The Baby's tongue tie and pointy ear. Well, last week we decided to fix the tongue and not worry about the ear.
I called our pedi's office on Wednesday to ask what we needed to do to move forward with clipping his tongue. I was starting to experience some pain while feeding him and he was still having issues staying latched for a long period of time (lots of starting and stopping). I wasn't sure if the 2 were linked, but I thought we may as well try it.
They called me back the next day, Thursday (our pedi was out of the office Wednesday) and said they could set me up with an ENT to get it clipped either that day or the next. I got the call back for my appointment about 20 minutes later. I was so nervous! And I still can't drive yet, so I had to scramble to find someone that could drive me to Alton Memorial.
Once we got there, the ENT saw us right away, saw the tongue tie and clipped it. The procedure took less than 30 seconds. He opened The Baby's mouth (he was sleeping on my lap), clamped the frenulum, The Baby screamed, the doctor grabbed his scissors and did 2 or 3 snips, The Baby screamed again and it was over. He had a little blood in his mouth we soaked up with some gauze, but by the time I got him back in his car seat, it had already stopped bleeding. And he fell back asleep by the time we got back to the van.
I fed him as soon as we got home and that day, and especially the next, I noticed a huge difference in his eating. He was staying latched longer and it wasn't hurting. The ENT did say it was a pretty tight tongue tie, so I'm really glad we made the decision to get it taken care of. It's never given him any other issues. So strange that they can just quickly cut it and that's it!
I've also handled being home with all 3 kids by myself pretty well I think. I had just 4 days last week, and I'll have 5 this week. I'm not doing much like cleaning or anything (I just started going down the stairs yesterday) since I'm trying to make sure I heal properly and without pain. Little Monster's c-section included a lot of pain and an infection 2 weeks postpartum. My goal is to not have that happen again!
The Baby goes back to the doctor December 3rd for his 1 month appointment. And Little Monster goes back January 7th for her 18 month appointment - I seriously cannot believe that girl is almost 18 months old! Christmas is going to be so much fun this year. :)
I mentioned before about The Baby's tongue tie and pointy ear. Well, last week we decided to fix the tongue and not worry about the ear.
I called our pedi's office on Wednesday to ask what we needed to do to move forward with clipping his tongue. I was starting to experience some pain while feeding him and he was still having issues staying latched for a long period of time (lots of starting and stopping). I wasn't sure if the 2 were linked, but I thought we may as well try it.
They called me back the next day, Thursday (our pedi was out of the office Wednesday) and said they could set me up with an ENT to get it clipped either that day or the next. I got the call back for my appointment about 20 minutes later. I was so nervous! And I still can't drive yet, so I had to scramble to find someone that could drive me to Alton Memorial.
Once we got there, the ENT saw us right away, saw the tongue tie and clipped it. The procedure took less than 30 seconds. He opened The Baby's mouth (he was sleeping on my lap), clamped the frenulum, The Baby screamed, the doctor grabbed his scissors and did 2 or 3 snips, The Baby screamed again and it was over. He had a little blood in his mouth we soaked up with some gauze, but by the time I got him back in his car seat, it had already stopped bleeding. And he fell back asleep by the time we got back to the van.
I fed him as soon as we got home and that day, and especially the next, I noticed a huge difference in his eating. He was staying latched longer and it wasn't hurting. The ENT did say it was a pretty tight tongue tie, so I'm really glad we made the decision to get it taken care of. It's never given him any other issues. So strange that they can just quickly cut it and that's it!
I've also handled being home with all 3 kids by myself pretty well I think. I had just 4 days last week, and I'll have 5 this week. I'm not doing much like cleaning or anything (I just started going down the stairs yesterday) since I'm trying to make sure I heal properly and without pain. Little Monster's c-section included a lot of pain and an infection 2 weeks postpartum. My goal is to not have that happen again!
The Baby goes back to the doctor December 3rd for his 1 month appointment. And Little Monster goes back January 7th for her 18 month appointment - I seriously cannot believe that girl is almost 18 months old! Christmas is going to be so much fun this year. :)
Monday, November 5, 2012
All About The Baby
Today was our first day home with The Baby. Dad goes back to work tomorrow. I don't know if he's more sad, or if I am. I'm also really nervous. C-sections are hard to recover from and I'm crabby, tired and in pain a lot.
In the hospital, one of the pediatric residents thought that The Baby sounded like he had a heart murmur. So, she had the attending come in and check him out. She said she heard an extra heart sound, but it could mean a few things. Most likely, it was just from the valve over the heart that closes once the baby's are born. Before they're born, it lets the blood bypass the lungs, then after they are born it closes up and allows the blood to pass in to the lungs. Sometimes, this just causes a louder sound which could make it seem like there was an extra sound. So, The Baby got a test the day we were to leave to check out his blood pressures. He passed, and everything was just fine. We got to leave on Sunday as usual.
Today, we took him for his first visit with our pediatrician, Dr. Hill. We took all 3 kids with us. It's quite the task getting us all loaded into the minivan quickly.
Dr. Hill checked him out and told us a few things: 1) She did NOT hear a heart murmur, so most likely it was just that valve making a loud sound. 2) He has a pointy ear. 3) He is slightly tongue-tied.
We were excited to hear he doesn't have a heart murmur.
I noticed his ear was pointy in the hospital, but didn't think much of it. She said it's purely cosmetic; there's no reason she thinks we should fix it, but if we want to fix it, the easiest way is to do so with putty and tape in the first 3 weeks of his life. After that, it becomes an expensive surgery. Originally, we said no, we didn't care, but now we are thinking about what The Baby will think of his ear when he's older and if he'll be mad we didn't do this very easy fix in the beginning. Something to think about...
The nurse at Barnes told us she thought he was a little tongue-tied and the attending agreed, though she felt if it wasn't affecting breastfeeding, then we shouldn't worry about clipping it. Dr. Hill also felt it was very slight, it wouldn't affect his speech and if it wasn't affecting breastfeeding, then it would be fine to ignore for now. However, I had started to notice slight pain when breastfeeding and since I'm paying more attention to it right now, it does kind of hurt. So, I'll be calling back about his tongue possibly getting clipped too. I want to nurse him for at least a year and if the tongue tie starts to get in the way at all, I'm okay with clipping it.
The Baby weighs 7 pounds and 1 ounce (just 3 ounces shy of his birth weight!) and he measures 21 inches (1 inch longer than his birth length). He's in the 25th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height and over 90th for his big ole head (which I still think looks tiny).
This baby is more amazing than I ever could have imagined. I'm already getting a little obsessed with him. He's perfect and absolutely adorable. His hair still cracks me up. He can't have a real bath yet, but his hair needs washed almost everyday, which I am so not used to from the girls, ha!
In the hospital, one of the pediatric residents thought that The Baby sounded like he had a heart murmur. So, she had the attending come in and check him out. She said she heard an extra heart sound, but it could mean a few things. Most likely, it was just from the valve over the heart that closes once the baby's are born. Before they're born, it lets the blood bypass the lungs, then after they are born it closes up and allows the blood to pass in to the lungs. Sometimes, this just causes a louder sound which could make it seem like there was an extra sound. So, The Baby got a test the day we were to leave to check out his blood pressures. He passed, and everything was just fine. We got to leave on Sunday as usual.
Today, we took him for his first visit with our pediatrician, Dr. Hill. We took all 3 kids with us. It's quite the task getting us all loaded into the minivan quickly.
Dr. Hill checked him out and told us a few things: 1) She did NOT hear a heart murmur, so most likely it was just that valve making a loud sound. 2) He has a pointy ear. 3) He is slightly tongue-tied.
We were excited to hear he doesn't have a heart murmur.
I noticed his ear was pointy in the hospital, but didn't think much of it. She said it's purely cosmetic; there's no reason she thinks we should fix it, but if we want to fix it, the easiest way is to do so with putty and tape in the first 3 weeks of his life. After that, it becomes an expensive surgery. Originally, we said no, we didn't care, but now we are thinking about what The Baby will think of his ear when he's older and if he'll be mad we didn't do this very easy fix in the beginning. Something to think about...
The nurse at Barnes told us she thought he was a little tongue-tied and the attending agreed, though she felt if it wasn't affecting breastfeeding, then we shouldn't worry about clipping it. Dr. Hill also felt it was very slight, it wouldn't affect his speech and if it wasn't affecting breastfeeding, then it would be fine to ignore for now. However, I had started to notice slight pain when breastfeeding and since I'm paying more attention to it right now, it does kind of hurt. So, I'll be calling back about his tongue possibly getting clipped too. I want to nurse him for at least a year and if the tongue tie starts to get in the way at all, I'm okay with clipping it.
The Baby weighs 7 pounds and 1 ounce (just 3 ounces shy of his birth weight!) and he measures 21 inches (1 inch longer than his birth length). He's in the 25th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height and over 90th for his big ole head (which I still think looks tiny).
This baby is more amazing than I ever could have imagined. I'm already getting a little obsessed with him. He's perfect and absolutely adorable. His hair still cracks me up. He can't have a real bath yet, but his hair needs washed almost everyday, which I am so not used to from the girls, ha!
Friday, November 2, 2012
He's Here!
The Baby is here!
I made it all the way to 39 weeks, even while experiencing contractions that totally felt like the real deal (and always went away an hour after starting) for almost 2 months.... 2 months of pre-pre-labor. Not the most comfortable thing to endure, but now that he's here, I really couldn't care less! :)
We went in yesterday morning at 9:15 to Barnes for my repeat c-section. Although calm, it's nerve racking once you are there. Lots of labs to give... lots of waiting around... lots of thinking too much into it.
I was taken back to my room about 9:30, changed into a gown and was introduced to my 2 nurses. One was a new nurse, learning the ropes. The other was a pregnant, very good nurse. They were both awesome... more than awesome. They helped keep my mind off things so much. My c-section was scheduled at 11:30, but I was told right away a few emergencies, one pretty bad, had bumped me back a bit, but they were hoping it wasn't too far past 11:30 that I'd get to go back.
The worst part of everything was the IV - I swear it always is! The new nurse tried, but blew my vein. It hurt, but hey, they have to learn somehow. The other nurse tried my other arm and got it right in, with just a pinch. Once that was started, they took some blood and hooked me up to some fluids.
My doctor popped her head in to let me know even though I was pushed back, I would be having a baby that afternoon. We also had to go over a potential allergy that I have to betadine and I had to get a new bracelet. After Tiny Dancer was born and I was home, I started getting a rash around the incision. A day later, it had spread from my thighs to my face and down my arms. It was awful - more than awful. Extremely painful and nothing I could do. It was gone within a week and I was told it was probably the PUPPS virus. When I had Little Monster, the day of my c-section, a rash started around my incision site. I let them know about what happened before and even though it spread around my belly, the meds they gave me helped the pain and it didn't spread anymore. It was gone by the time I went home. The only thing they could think of was a reaction to the betadine around my incision. So, no betadine this time in the hopes that will not happen again.
I met the anesthesiologist and some other doctors. They did a quick scan to check his head placement. Another emergency with some complications came up, so I was bumped again.
I was about to fall asleep for a nap when they came down to take me back at about 1:50pm. I walked down the hall and into the OR hall and right into the actual OR. It was freezing! They got me settled and went right to work on my anesthesia. This time, besides just a spinal block, I also got an epidural. Spinal blocks usually last around 2 hours, but since this was my 3rd c-section and I probably had a lot of scar tissue, plus I was getting a tubal ligation, they were afraid of the chance it might go past the 2 hours. The epidural was in place just to be sure. The guy that did it was also awesome. Pretty funny and very quick! They did make me take a medicine drink thing beforehand because of my acid reflux which was NOT funny - sick. I gag just thinking of it. It did help a lot though.
It felt like forever before my husband was back, but they had already started working. It took them quite a while to get to my uterus, but The Baby was born at 2:46pm! When I heard him cry, I cried, well without tears. By this point I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight the night before and my mouth was sooo dry and apparently so were my tear ducts.
Dad got to go over to look at him and then they weighed him and measured him and allowed him to cut the cord - a first for him! Then they wrapped him up and let Dad hold him the rest of the time.
I ended up having one slight complication during the procedure. My bladder was right next to my uterus and also has some scar tissue that had kind of moved from my uterus to my bladder. The doctor nicked my bladder while cutting open my uterus. They filled my bladder up to check it and although it held, the doctor said it looked a little raw so I got some sutures there too. So, I've got a catheter in for 48 hours after delivery (blah!). That took them some extra time, so we were in there for a while. They were able to do the tubal ligation (always a risk that too much scar tissue means they can't get to them) and we were able to see the parts they cut out after.
They were able to get The Baby to me, skin to skin, as soon as I was out of the OR and in my room. We were also able to feed him. It took him some time to latch, but once he did, he did pretty good.
My blood pressure is super low while my pulse is a little high, so I was having some nauseousness and dizziness, which made it difficult to sit up and hold The Baby. Dad really had to help me out with that part.
But, it's 2:00am and I'm having a hard time sleeping, though both of my guys (my guys - love it) are asleep besides me. Barnes has double rooms and the last time we were here, as long as you didn't have to share your husband could stay in the other bed. Well, they changed that this time so that you never have to share but you still get the other bed. Which is great because Dad stays with me the whole time I'm here. He is awesome at helping out and getting up whenever I need him.
I was able to get up and walk a few steps to a chair and hold and feed The Baby. I'm still on a liquid diet only, so besides apple juice and orange juice, I've just had some chicken broth. Needless to say, the food commercials are driving me crazy! I can't wait to eat!
The Baby is absolutely amazing. He's a very chill baby and he's been nursing great once we get him latched. They think he may have a tongue tie, so we'll have the pediatricians take a look at him tomorrow. He has a ton of brown hair. He was 7 pounds and 4.2 ounces and he measured 20 1/8 inch. He's got skinny little legs. He surprisingly does not look that much like his sisters - he definitely takes after Daddy!
Well, that's it, my last birth story as long as that tubal ligation works. Even though this delivery was not horrible, it just reminded me of why we made that decision. This was my 8th pregnancy and 3rd c-section; I think my uterus has been through enough. Just soaking up every bit of this newborn stage with my baby now. :)
I made it all the way to 39 weeks, even while experiencing contractions that totally felt like the real deal (and always went away an hour after starting) for almost 2 months.... 2 months of pre-pre-labor. Not the most comfortable thing to endure, but now that he's here, I really couldn't care less! :)
We went in yesterday morning at 9:15 to Barnes for my repeat c-section. Although calm, it's nerve racking once you are there. Lots of labs to give... lots of waiting around... lots of thinking too much into it.
I was taken back to my room about 9:30, changed into a gown and was introduced to my 2 nurses. One was a new nurse, learning the ropes. The other was a pregnant, very good nurse. They were both awesome... more than awesome. They helped keep my mind off things so much. My c-section was scheduled at 11:30, but I was told right away a few emergencies, one pretty bad, had bumped me back a bit, but they were hoping it wasn't too far past 11:30 that I'd get to go back.
The worst part of everything was the IV - I swear it always is! The new nurse tried, but blew my vein. It hurt, but hey, they have to learn somehow. The other nurse tried my other arm and got it right in, with just a pinch. Once that was started, they took some blood and hooked me up to some fluids.
My doctor popped her head in to let me know even though I was pushed back, I would be having a baby that afternoon. We also had to go over a potential allergy that I have to betadine and I had to get a new bracelet. After Tiny Dancer was born and I was home, I started getting a rash around the incision. A day later, it had spread from my thighs to my face and down my arms. It was awful - more than awful. Extremely painful and nothing I could do. It was gone within a week and I was told it was probably the PUPPS virus. When I had Little Monster, the day of my c-section, a rash started around my incision site. I let them know about what happened before and even though it spread around my belly, the meds they gave me helped the pain and it didn't spread anymore. It was gone by the time I went home. The only thing they could think of was a reaction to the betadine around my incision. So, no betadine this time in the hopes that will not happen again.
I met the anesthesiologist and some other doctors. They did a quick scan to check his head placement. Another emergency with some complications came up, so I was bumped again.
I was about to fall asleep for a nap when they came down to take me back at about 1:50pm. I walked down the hall and into the OR hall and right into the actual OR. It was freezing! They got me settled and went right to work on my anesthesia. This time, besides just a spinal block, I also got an epidural. Spinal blocks usually last around 2 hours, but since this was my 3rd c-section and I probably had a lot of scar tissue, plus I was getting a tubal ligation, they were afraid of the chance it might go past the 2 hours. The epidural was in place just to be sure. The guy that did it was also awesome. Pretty funny and very quick! They did make me take a medicine drink thing beforehand because of my acid reflux which was NOT funny - sick. I gag just thinking of it. It did help a lot though.
It felt like forever before my husband was back, but they had already started working. It took them quite a while to get to my uterus, but The Baby was born at 2:46pm! When I heard him cry, I cried, well without tears. By this point I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight the night before and my mouth was sooo dry and apparently so were my tear ducts.
Dad got to go over to look at him and then they weighed him and measured him and allowed him to cut the cord - a first for him! Then they wrapped him up and let Dad hold him the rest of the time.
I ended up having one slight complication during the procedure. My bladder was right next to my uterus and also has some scar tissue that had kind of moved from my uterus to my bladder. The doctor nicked my bladder while cutting open my uterus. They filled my bladder up to check it and although it held, the doctor said it looked a little raw so I got some sutures there too. So, I've got a catheter in for 48 hours after delivery (blah!). That took them some extra time, so we were in there for a while. They were able to do the tubal ligation (always a risk that too much scar tissue means they can't get to them) and we were able to see the parts they cut out after.
They were able to get The Baby to me, skin to skin, as soon as I was out of the OR and in my room. We were also able to feed him. It took him some time to latch, but once he did, he did pretty good.
My blood pressure is super low while my pulse is a little high, so I was having some nauseousness and dizziness, which made it difficult to sit up and hold The Baby. Dad really had to help me out with that part.
But, it's 2:00am and I'm having a hard time sleeping, though both of my guys (my guys - love it) are asleep besides me. Barnes has double rooms and the last time we were here, as long as you didn't have to share your husband could stay in the other bed. Well, they changed that this time so that you never have to share but you still get the other bed. Which is great because Dad stays with me the whole time I'm here. He is awesome at helping out and getting up whenever I need him.
I was able to get up and walk a few steps to a chair and hold and feed The Baby. I'm still on a liquid diet only, so besides apple juice and orange juice, I've just had some chicken broth. Needless to say, the food commercials are driving me crazy! I can't wait to eat!
The Baby is absolutely amazing. He's a very chill baby and he's been nursing great once we get him latched. They think he may have a tongue tie, so we'll have the pediatricians take a look at him tomorrow. He has a ton of brown hair. He was 7 pounds and 4.2 ounces and he measured 20 1/8 inch. He's got skinny little legs. He surprisingly does not look that much like his sisters - he definitely takes after Daddy!
Well, that's it, my last birth story as long as that tubal ligation works. Even though this delivery was not horrible, it just reminded me of why we made that decision. This was my 8th pregnancy and 3rd c-section; I think my uterus has been through enough. Just soaking up every bit of this newborn stage with my baby now. :)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Comparison of Pregnancies
Since I'm nearing the end, not only of this pregnancy, our 3rd, but also the end of pregnancies in general, I've been trying to think of how different and/or alike my pregnancies have been. Overall, being pregnant with a boy was different. Being pregnant this time was very different, although there are some similarities. I just wanted to get them down as I was thinking of them.
Pregnancy #1:
-Positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks 1 day.
-First time we heard the heartbeat was the first time we tried at 13 weeks.
-Random bleeding at 13 weeks.
-First ultrasound at 14 weeks. Others: 20 weeks and 3 ultrasounds after my water broke.
-First bout of morning sickness: 12 weeks. Little hints of nausea before, but full on morning sickness hit at 12-13 weeks.
-Nausea: Lasted from 12 weeks to 16 weeks just at night. At 16 weeks, the nausea started all day. It lasted until 34 weeks.
-Random pains: Achy back that I treated every day at work with a heating pad on low. I was also freezing all of the time, so the heating pad helped that too.
-Cravings: Steak & potatoes in the 1st trimester. Cheesy gordita crunches the whole time. Anything sweet like brownies or zebra cakes in the middle of the day. Orange juice. White grape juice.
-Weird cravings: 3rd trimester, raw hamburger meat always looked appealing.
-Aversions: Any type of raw meat in the 1st and 2nd trimester made me want to throw up. Hot foods usually made my nausea worse.
-Labor pains: Not a single one. No Braxton Hicks contractions, nothing.
-Labor started: Water broke at 33 weeks 4 days. Real labor started at 34 weeks exactly.
Pregnancy #2:
-Positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks 2 days.
-First time we heard the heartbeat (not on ultrasound, but on Doppler) was at 12 weeks.
-Ultrasounds: 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 9 weeks, 13 weeks, 20 weeks.
-Some slight spotting in the first trimester, 2 or 3 times.
-First bout of morning sickness: 6 weeks. Ended at 8 1/2 weeks.
-Nausea: After 9 weeks, nausea would only show up once in a while, depending on what was eaten.
-Random pains: Extreme hip pain. Probably caused from creating too much of a certain hormone that caused them to move around too much in the sockets. Which then caused horrible back and knee pain, to the point of painful walking.
-Cravings: Chili- chili cheese burritos, Steak n Shake chili, Wendy's chili, anything with chili! Mexican food. Orange juice. White grape juice. Anything sweet in the middle of the day.
-Aversions: Vegetables, especially green ones. Once, I was driving down the road and read green beans on a food stand sign and started gagging. The thought, sight, or smell of cooked green beans, broccoli, peas, etc. made me sick. Chinese food made me sick.
-Labor pains: Contractions at 31 weeks that would continue on throughout the entire pregnancy, even coming at 5 minutes apart several hours a week.
-Labor started: I thought it was starting the week before my scheduled c-section when I was dilated to a 2, but it never did and I made it to my c-section date of July 5th!
Pregnancy #3:
-Positive pregnancy test at 5 weeks.
-First time we heard the heartbeat: 10 1/2 weeks
-Ultrasounds: 13 weeks, elective at 16 weeks to find out what we were having, 20 weeks, elective at 28 weeks for 3D/4D ultrasound.
-No spotting or bleeding.
-First bout of morning sickness: 7 weeks and ended at 7 weeks.
-Nausea: Very rarely ever. Only toward the end with certain foods.
-Random pains: Back pain. Very very achy back. A lot of tail bone pressure towards the end. I also have a random bout of constant stuffy noses, sinus infections in the beginning, and asthma (I had to get an inhaler prescribed for me this time).
-Cravings: Mexican food. Homestyle cooking (like mashed potatoes, roasts, roasted chicken, etc.). Salads. Fruit. PB&J sandwiches. Chinese food.
-Aversions: Not many. Everything, if eaten in moderation, sounds good.
-Labor pains: At 34 weeks, started having consistent Braxton Hicks contractions. At 36 weeks, dilated to 1 with more consistent contractions. At 37 weeks, tail bone pressure from baby moving down. At 38 weeks, real contractions starting in back and moving around.
-Labor started: Well, it hasn't yet, but I'm ready any day, although I'm okay with waiting until our scheduled c-section on November 1st!
Pregnancy #1:
-Positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks 1 day.
-First time we heard the heartbeat was the first time we tried at 13 weeks.
-Random bleeding at 13 weeks.
-First ultrasound at 14 weeks. Others: 20 weeks and 3 ultrasounds after my water broke.
-First bout of morning sickness: 12 weeks. Little hints of nausea before, but full on morning sickness hit at 12-13 weeks.
-Nausea: Lasted from 12 weeks to 16 weeks just at night. At 16 weeks, the nausea started all day. It lasted until 34 weeks.
-Random pains: Achy back that I treated every day at work with a heating pad on low. I was also freezing all of the time, so the heating pad helped that too.
-Cravings: Steak & potatoes in the 1st trimester. Cheesy gordita crunches the whole time. Anything sweet like brownies or zebra cakes in the middle of the day. Orange juice. White grape juice.
-Weird cravings: 3rd trimester, raw hamburger meat always looked appealing.
-Aversions: Any type of raw meat in the 1st and 2nd trimester made me want to throw up. Hot foods usually made my nausea worse.
-Labor pains: Not a single one. No Braxton Hicks contractions, nothing.
-Labor started: Water broke at 33 weeks 4 days. Real labor started at 34 weeks exactly.
Pregnancy #2:
-Positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks 2 days.
-First time we heard the heartbeat (not on ultrasound, but on Doppler) was at 12 weeks.
-Ultrasounds: 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 9 weeks, 13 weeks, 20 weeks.
-Some slight spotting in the first trimester, 2 or 3 times.
-First bout of morning sickness: 6 weeks. Ended at 8 1/2 weeks.
-Nausea: After 9 weeks, nausea would only show up once in a while, depending on what was eaten.
-Random pains: Extreme hip pain. Probably caused from creating too much of a certain hormone that caused them to move around too much in the sockets. Which then caused horrible back and knee pain, to the point of painful walking.
-Cravings: Chili- chili cheese burritos, Steak n Shake chili, Wendy's chili, anything with chili! Mexican food. Orange juice. White grape juice. Anything sweet in the middle of the day.
-Aversions: Vegetables, especially green ones. Once, I was driving down the road and read green beans on a food stand sign and started gagging. The thought, sight, or smell of cooked green beans, broccoli, peas, etc. made me sick. Chinese food made me sick.
-Labor pains: Contractions at 31 weeks that would continue on throughout the entire pregnancy, even coming at 5 minutes apart several hours a week.
-Labor started: I thought it was starting the week before my scheduled c-section when I was dilated to a 2, but it never did and I made it to my c-section date of July 5th!
Pregnancy #3:
-Positive pregnancy test at 5 weeks.
-First time we heard the heartbeat: 10 1/2 weeks
-Ultrasounds: 13 weeks, elective at 16 weeks to find out what we were having, 20 weeks, elective at 28 weeks for 3D/4D ultrasound.
-No spotting or bleeding.
-First bout of morning sickness: 7 weeks and ended at 7 weeks.
-Nausea: Very rarely ever. Only toward the end with certain foods.
-Random pains: Back pain. Very very achy back. A lot of tail bone pressure towards the end. I also have a random bout of constant stuffy noses, sinus infections in the beginning, and asthma (I had to get an inhaler prescribed for me this time).
-Cravings: Mexican food. Homestyle cooking (like mashed potatoes, roasts, roasted chicken, etc.). Salads. Fruit. PB&J sandwiches. Chinese food.
-Aversions: Not many. Everything, if eaten in moderation, sounds good.
-Labor pains: At 34 weeks, started having consistent Braxton Hicks contractions. At 36 weeks, dilated to 1 with more consistent contractions. At 37 weeks, tail bone pressure from baby moving down. At 38 weeks, real contractions starting in back and moving around.
-Labor started: Well, it hasn't yet, but I'm ready any day, although I'm okay with waiting until our scheduled c-section on November 1st!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Last Pregnancy (I hope)
I've been pretty excited for the fact that this is our last pregnancy. I've clarified to several people - I'm not saying by any means our family is done growing (be it an animal adding to our family or maybe another baby or child in the distant future), but I am so done having children. Pregnancy is rough on me and it makes me happy to think this is the last time I'll be sleeping for months on the couch. The last time I'll be barely able to walk due to sore hips/back (I hope!). The last c-section I'll have to go through. And in a few years, hopefully we'll be back to sleeping through the night! :)
But I also am sad it's my last pregnancy. It's the last time I'll feel a baby move inside me. The last time I'll get to hold one of my babies for the first time (best feeling ever!). The last time we'll nervously bring our baby to our house for the first time. The last time we'll do a first bath. So, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat sad that this is my last pregnancy.
Only 7 weeks or less left.... I schedule my actual c-section sometime between my 34-36 week appointments. I'm definitely getting nervous, anxious, excited.... and a little sad. Can't wait to meet this baby boy!
But I also am sad it's my last pregnancy. It's the last time I'll feel a baby move inside me. The last time I'll get to hold one of my babies for the first time (best feeling ever!). The last time we'll nervously bring our baby to our house for the first time. The last time we'll do a first bath. So, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat sad that this is my last pregnancy.
Only 7 weeks or less left.... I schedule my actual c-section sometime between my 34-36 week appointments. I'm definitely getting nervous, anxious, excited.... and a little sad. Can't wait to meet this baby boy!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Tiny Dancer's Last Year of Preschool
Tiny Dancer just started her last year of preschool this week! I cannot believe that next year she will be heading off to kindergarten! The girl cannot wait. Seriously, she was begging me to let it be her birthday again so she could be 5. I tried explaining it to her - hopefully she got it.
1) I can't do that. 2) I don't wanna!!
I'm enjoying my last year of her only being away from me for 2 1/2 hours. :)
This year, she is actually riding the bus to and from school. The first day, I was a nervous wreck, but she got on all smiles and came off practically glowing. She told me they played a game and she won. So I asked her to explain the game to me and she said, "They said who can keep their back against the seat the best and I won!"
I'm not surprised - that's my little rule follower! She takes her bus riding experience very seriously. :)
I wish I could share a picture of her getting on or off the bus, but they take preschoolers riding it very seriously, so I'm trying to juggle keys, cell phone and my ID to show them... no room or time to take a picture!
1) I can't do that. 2) I don't wanna!!
I'm enjoying my last year of her only being away from me for 2 1/2 hours. :)
This year, she is actually riding the bus to and from school. The first day, I was a nervous wreck, but she got on all smiles and came off practically glowing. She told me they played a game and she won. So I asked her to explain the game to me and she said, "They said who can keep their back against the seat the best and I won!"
I'm not surprised - that's my little rule follower! She takes her bus riding experience very seriously. :)
I wish I could share a picture of her getting on or off the bus, but they take preschoolers riding it very seriously, so I'm trying to juggle keys, cell phone and my ID to show them... no room or time to take a picture!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Update on the Girls
Tiny Dancer:
Tiny Dancer is loving being 4, although she really wishes she could just jump forward to being 5 and going to kindergarten. The only thing that she's worried about regarding turning 5 and kindergarten is the shots she has to get. I hear about it on a weekly basis.
She even has her 5 year old (and 6 year old) birthday parties planned. According to Tiny Dancer, she will be having some sort of pink birthday party at the bounce house, a shared party with Little Monster (I suggested this and she loved it - probably my last year before she starts getting her "own" friends for parties). And then when she turns 6, she'll have a horseback riding party with horses. She's pretty detail oriented, even at 4. We'll see if these are the parties she decides to stick with. She's a lot like me, so I really wouldn't doubt it if she does.
Tiny Dancer is getting ready to start her second year of Pre-K. She has a new teacher this year, Mrs. Walker. We meet her on Monday and she starts either Thursday or Friday of next week. This year though, I'm hoping to get her on the bus schedule. I have to - otherwise, once The Baby gets here and I'm also babysitting L, there is no way I can take her and pick her up every day. So, we're hoping the bus situation works out... the pick-up/drop-off can't be very far from our house either - enough where I can walk halfway and she can walk the rest, while I watch.
She's also getting ready to start her 2nd year of ballet and tap. She loved it last year and honestly, she was really good for a 3 year old! I'm excited to see how much she grows in this over the next coming year. I really hope the Poms class they've talked about adding comes to fruition because she wants to do some sort of cheer and the cost and fact that it would be immediately after ballet/tap would be AWESOME for us. Plus, she would love it!
Little Monster:
Little Monster is hitting her terrible-1 stage. Yeah, I never knew of such a stage, but my guess is because she's trying to catch up to her sister, she's going through it early. I hope this means it's done earlier too. Yikes.
She's a really great baby for the most part, but she just throws some awful tantrums and is going through a biting stage - which is not fun! I hope we move through that part rather quickly!
She took her first official step last night, with prompting and help from Daddy. She likes potentially walking, but she doesn't like balancing/standing by herself. She isn't very good at it. She'll walk all around the couches and the living room/kitchen with her walking toy, but not stand on her own. I feel like her ankles are really flimsy, and I can't really explain that except to say if you saw it, you'd understand. I think she has a hard time holding herself up. If she isn't walking by 14 months, which is just in a few short weeks, I'm going to take her back to the pediatrician to have her checked out and see if there is anything else we can do or need to do. I know some babies don't walk for a while, but I'd think by now she'd at least be balancing by herself.
She's also not talking as much as big sis did at this age, but I'm okay with that. :) She mimics us a lot, but it just sounds like gibberish. She does try to say "sissy/Avery", "bird", "dog/pup", "cat" and some other things. She also signs for "please", "more", "ball", "thank you" and "eat" (only sometimes on the last 2).
Tiny Dancer is loving being 4, although she really wishes she could just jump forward to being 5 and going to kindergarten. The only thing that she's worried about regarding turning 5 and kindergarten is the shots she has to get. I hear about it on a weekly basis.
She even has her 5 year old (and 6 year old) birthday parties planned. According to Tiny Dancer, she will be having some sort of pink birthday party at the bounce house, a shared party with Little Monster (I suggested this and she loved it - probably my last year before she starts getting her "own" friends for parties). And then when she turns 6, she'll have a horseback riding party with horses. She's pretty detail oriented, even at 4. We'll see if these are the parties she decides to stick with. She's a lot like me, so I really wouldn't doubt it if she does.
Tiny Dancer is getting ready to start her second year of Pre-K. She has a new teacher this year, Mrs. Walker. We meet her on Monday and she starts either Thursday or Friday of next week. This year though, I'm hoping to get her on the bus schedule. I have to - otherwise, once The Baby gets here and I'm also babysitting L, there is no way I can take her and pick her up every day. So, we're hoping the bus situation works out... the pick-up/drop-off can't be very far from our house either - enough where I can walk halfway and she can walk the rest, while I watch.
She's also getting ready to start her 2nd year of ballet and tap. She loved it last year and honestly, she was really good for a 3 year old! I'm excited to see how much she grows in this over the next coming year. I really hope the Poms class they've talked about adding comes to fruition because she wants to do some sort of cheer and the cost and fact that it would be immediately after ballet/tap would be AWESOME for us. Plus, she would love it!
Little Monster:
Little Monster is hitting her terrible-1 stage. Yeah, I never knew of such a stage, but my guess is because she's trying to catch up to her sister, she's going through it early. I hope this means it's done earlier too. Yikes.
She's a really great baby for the most part, but she just throws some awful tantrums and is going through a biting stage - which is not fun! I hope we move through that part rather quickly!
She took her first official step last night, with prompting and help from Daddy. She likes potentially walking, but she doesn't like balancing/standing by herself. She isn't very good at it. She'll walk all around the couches and the living room/kitchen with her walking toy, but not stand on her own. I feel like her ankles are really flimsy, and I can't really explain that except to say if you saw it, you'd understand. I think she has a hard time holding herself up. If she isn't walking by 14 months, which is just in a few short weeks, I'm going to take her back to the pediatrician to have her checked out and see if there is anything else we can do or need to do. I know some babies don't walk for a while, but I'd think by now she'd at least be balancing by herself.
She's also not talking as much as big sis did at this age, but I'm okay with that. :) She mimics us a lot, but it just sounds like gibberish. She does try to say "sissy/Avery", "bird", "dog/pup", "cat" and some other things. She also signs for "please", "more", "ball", "thank you" and "eat" (only sometimes on the last 2).
Birth
When I was younger, and super tiny and skinny, I had these abnormally large hips. Everyone always told me, "Oh, you'll appreciate those hips when you start having kids. They're great for childbirth!" - which is pretty creepy to say to a teenager, thinking back on it.
But I always thought that was a good thing - because I definitely wanted to have babies and I wanted them naturally!
Well, my body I guess just got the hips part right because my cracked-out uterus wasn't so right and ultimately is leading me to my 3rd c-section in a little over 2 months. 2 months!?! I can't believe it either. So, all those years of not finding pants long enough and wide enough in the hips, while also small enough in the thighs and butt was for nothing.
Also, I need to apologize to my uterus for the cutting remarks. She did keep Tiny Dancer in there long enough to have a healthy birth. And she did great with Little Monster. Still going strong with The Baby. (But you were a little cracked-out... I mean, come on, a septum?! It's like really rare...)
I'm starting to get nervous about the third (and final - like really!) c-section that will be occurring in a few months. It is totally major surgery, and even though my last 2 went great, something can always happen. I try to keep a positive attitude, but something about those ORs just really scare me.
I don't have a natural birth to compare to, but I bet it's a lot more exciting than a c-section. However, I'm perfectly content with the fact that I will only ever experience c-section births. It's pretty simple (barring any complications) and it's just the way my children and I are to have the healthiest births for us. I'd advise you to avoid them if you can though... the scar is just hideous!
2 months and 2 weeks to go! Hoping I make it all the way to the end... I'm not ready for another baby any earlier!
But I always thought that was a good thing - because I definitely wanted to have babies and I wanted them naturally!
Well, my body I guess just got the hips part right because my cracked-out uterus wasn't so right and ultimately is leading me to my 3rd c-section in a little over 2 months. 2 months!?! I can't believe it either. So, all those years of not finding pants long enough and wide enough in the hips, while also small enough in the thighs and butt was for nothing.
Also, I need to apologize to my uterus for the cutting remarks. She did keep Tiny Dancer in there long enough to have a healthy birth. And she did great with Little Monster. Still going strong with The Baby. (But you were a little cracked-out... I mean, come on, a septum?! It's like really rare...)
I'm starting to get nervous about the third (and final - like really!) c-section that will be occurring in a few months. It is totally major surgery, and even though my last 2 went great, something can always happen. I try to keep a positive attitude, but something about those ORs just really scare me.
I don't have a natural birth to compare to, but I bet it's a lot more exciting than a c-section. However, I'm perfectly content with the fact that I will only ever experience c-section births. It's pretty simple (barring any complications) and it's just the way my children and I are to have the healthiest births for us. I'd advise you to avoid them if you can though... the scar is just hideous!
2 months and 2 weeks to go! Hoping I make it all the way to the end... I'm not ready for another baby any earlier!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Moving into egg-free life...
I think I already posted about my yummy blueberry/lemon egg-free muffins I made. I made another batch the other day. They were good, but not quite as good as the first batch. Still perfecting my baking skills.
Today I made some homemade granola. 1) Because someone posted the link to the recipe online and I had almost all of the ingredients on hand and 2) it's an egg-free breakfast! We have been eating a lot of yogurt and fruit lately since we can't do the egg thing. But I love granola in yogurt, so I was really excited to pick up some vanilla yogurt and blueberries during my last shopping trip in anticipation of the homemade granola.... and boy was it good!
Here is the link to the granola recipe if you are interested: And here is the link to the blog I got that link from (because I don't know what's the etiquette on giving credit in the blog-world):
For lunch, I attempted a mayo-free tuna salad. I craved tuna a lot with Little Monster and had my one can a week every week during the end of my pregnancy. This time, I'm not craving it as much, but every once in a while it just sounds good. I scoured the internet in finding ideas, but other than a lot of ideas, I couldn't find "the" recipe. So I just decided to make my own.
I did 2 cans of tuna, drained. Some lemon juice. Some Italian dressing. Some dillweed. Some paprika (very little, I like a little kick). Some chives. Some onion salt. Some avocado, which wasn't very ripe and probably would have tasted better if it had been a little softer. I think I'm going to try this one more and use a really ripe avocado, blended with some honey. I saw that idea online and though, ugh, honey? Too sweet. But my tuna salad ended up being a little too bitter and could really use a hint of sweetness. I added a little honey mustard to the bread, but it wasn't enough sweetness to help.
I liked it enough to have a sandwich and the rest of Tiny Dancer's sandwich. She didn't like it, but that's not surprising and she didn't fight me when I told her she had to take 4 bites. Little Monster loved the teeny bit I gave her (mostly avocado) until I think she got a bitter part and then she was done.
Lately I've been craving eggs for breakfast, so the past 2 weeks I have had fried eggs after Little Monster eats. No issue with her getting a hold of anything. I make sure to clean up very well after cooking with eggs. We don't really know what exactly or how much exactly will set off a reaction. My goal is to have NO reactions for a whole year. Our pedi said that's very uncommon because they usually do get a hold of it.
So far, so good though. I made pasta the other night with Wacky Mac (tri-color rotini) with a homemade garlic mushroom sauce and Little Monster ate it right up. Actually, we all did - it was great! I also found out Pillsbury's crescent rolls are egg-free, so we had a cheeseburger pie a few weeks ago that went over fairly well also. Seems like we're doing good and moving into the right direction. So thankful she isn't allergic to dairy! And so thankful that Chill Out just opened up in Alton! With a baby allergic to eggs (no ice cream) and a husband that's lactose intolerant (no dairy at all), it's nice to have a frozen yogurt place nearby that also serves sorbet so we all can enjoy a tasty frozen treat. Their sorbets are amazing and what I prefer anyway, so everyone loves it!
Today I made some homemade granola. 1) Because someone posted the link to the recipe online and I had almost all of the ingredients on hand and 2) it's an egg-free breakfast! We have been eating a lot of yogurt and fruit lately since we can't do the egg thing. But I love granola in yogurt, so I was really excited to pick up some vanilla yogurt and blueberries during my last shopping trip in anticipation of the homemade granola.... and boy was it good!
Here is the link to the granola recipe if you are interested: And here is the link to the blog I got that link from (because I don't know what's the etiquette on giving credit in the blog-world):
For lunch, I attempted a mayo-free tuna salad. I craved tuna a lot with Little Monster and had my one can a week every week during the end of my pregnancy. This time, I'm not craving it as much, but every once in a while it just sounds good. I scoured the internet in finding ideas, but other than a lot of ideas, I couldn't find "the" recipe. So I just decided to make my own.
I did 2 cans of tuna, drained. Some lemon juice. Some Italian dressing. Some dillweed. Some paprika (very little, I like a little kick). Some chives. Some onion salt. Some avocado, which wasn't very ripe and probably would have tasted better if it had been a little softer. I think I'm going to try this one more and use a really ripe avocado, blended with some honey. I saw that idea online and though, ugh, honey? Too sweet. But my tuna salad ended up being a little too bitter and could really use a hint of sweetness. I added a little honey mustard to the bread, but it wasn't enough sweetness to help.
I liked it enough to have a sandwich and the rest of Tiny Dancer's sandwich. She didn't like it, but that's not surprising and she didn't fight me when I told her she had to take 4 bites. Little Monster loved the teeny bit I gave her (mostly avocado) until I think she got a bitter part and then she was done.
Lately I've been craving eggs for breakfast, so the past 2 weeks I have had fried eggs after Little Monster eats. No issue with her getting a hold of anything. I make sure to clean up very well after cooking with eggs. We don't really know what exactly or how much exactly will set off a reaction. My goal is to have NO reactions for a whole year. Our pedi said that's very uncommon because they usually do get a hold of it.
So far, so good though. I made pasta the other night with Wacky Mac (tri-color rotini) with a homemade garlic mushroom sauce and Little Monster ate it right up. Actually, we all did - it was great! I also found out Pillsbury's crescent rolls are egg-free, so we had a cheeseburger pie a few weeks ago that went over fairly well also. Seems like we're doing good and moving into the right direction. So thankful she isn't allergic to dairy! And so thankful that Chill Out just opened up in Alton! With a baby allergic to eggs (no ice cream) and a husband that's lactose intolerant (no dairy at all), it's nice to have a frozen yogurt place nearby that also serves sorbet so we all can enjoy a tasty frozen treat. Their sorbets are amazing and what I prefer anyway, so everyone loves it!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
New Treats
I love to cook. I love trying new things. But I'm definitely of the easier and faster is better variety. I will spend time slicing vegetables and thanks to my crockpot I do in fact create my own chicken stock once in a while. I also just buy the canned chicken stock. It's fine.
But I hate baking! I don't have the patience to measure out perfect ingredients (for baking, it has to be just about right) and I don't have to patience to check the over 150 times to make sure my stuff is done without being overdone.
Enter egg allergy. I'd much rather pay $6 for a box of mini muffins than make my own. However, Little Monster can't have muffins. And I'm refusing to let egg-ridden foods just be eaten (and probably dropped) around my house and find their way into my allergy-full child. So, I attempted to make my own egg-free muffins yesterday!
They were SUPER easy. It was zest from 2 lemons, 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt mixed together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, I combined 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk (if you add soy milk, you can make this a vegan muffin), 1/3 cup of oil, and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Once you mix it well enough for the sugar to dissolve, you combine the wet and dry ingredients together, mixing until just combined. I folded in some frozen blueberries and using my pampered chef medium size scoop, I put them in some muffin tins and 22 minutes later at 375 degrees, out of the oven came some awesome egg-free muffins - that Little Monster devoured! Dad said they were just okay, but he's a sweets-loving fool, so the fact that he even ate a part of a muffin was encouraging. Tiny Dancer and I loved them too and my picky sister even liked them!
While my sister was over, she whipped up some rice krispy treats for us, because Little Monster loves them and can have them. I'll probably have to keep these handy for any birthday parties we go to. She can't have regular cake or ice cream, so we'll have to keep our own treats ready for her so she's not missing entirely out on everything fun.
Now that I just posted about these muffins, I'm taking a break to go enjoy one! :)
But I hate baking! I don't have the patience to measure out perfect ingredients (for baking, it has to be just about right) and I don't have to patience to check the over 150 times to make sure my stuff is done without being overdone.
Enter egg allergy. I'd much rather pay $6 for a box of mini muffins than make my own. However, Little Monster can't have muffins. And I'm refusing to let egg-ridden foods just be eaten (and probably dropped) around my house and find their way into my allergy-full child. So, I attempted to make my own egg-free muffins yesterday!
They were SUPER easy. It was zest from 2 lemons, 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt mixed together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, I combined 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk (if you add soy milk, you can make this a vegan muffin), 1/3 cup of oil, and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Once you mix it well enough for the sugar to dissolve, you combine the wet and dry ingredients together, mixing until just combined. I folded in some frozen blueberries and using my pampered chef medium size scoop, I put them in some muffin tins and 22 minutes later at 375 degrees, out of the oven came some awesome egg-free muffins - that Little Monster devoured! Dad said they were just okay, but he's a sweets-loving fool, so the fact that he even ate a part of a muffin was encouraging. Tiny Dancer and I loved them too and my picky sister even liked them!
While my sister was over, she whipped up some rice krispy treats for us, because Little Monster loves them and can have them. I'll probably have to keep these handy for any birthday parties we go to. She can't have regular cake or ice cream, so we'll have to keep our own treats ready for her so she's not missing entirely out on everything fun.
Now that I just posted about these muffins, I'm taking a break to go enjoy one! :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Egg-Free Eating
I've decided that the whole family is going to convert to egg-free living, in general. I still buy a carton of eggs. Tiny Dancer loves scrambled eggs for breakfast, and so does Dad. But I refuse to make things for the family and use a replacer for only Little Monster (example: she can't have mayo. So I don't want to make tuna or chicken salad for the family and then make a separate batch just for her that we have to mark or remember is safe for her.). However, some things I'm okay with, like if we all have salad and some of us use ranch, while others use Italian (this happens a lot anyway).
So, I figured for the most part, we'll just switch to all egg-free products, which typically turns in to vegan products. There aren't a lot of basic egg-free products, but there are a lot of vegan products we can buy. Like vegan mayo, which I plan to find and use for family chicken/tuna salads.
I did a little shopping today and picked up some ingredients to make my own granola bars, egg-free blueberry muffins, and egg-free noodles for chicken and noodles, spaghetti, etc. Most pastas are egg-free, but the issue is that they're processed in the same area as egg containing products, making it off limits to us. The Wacky Mac brand has some spirals and shaped pasta that are completely egg-free. That combined with making my own should give us enough egg-free pasta to enjoy spaghetti and meatballs or whatever we wish! I'm most excited about the muffins and the chicken and noodles. Hopefully, I figure out what I'm doing and everything turns out exactly perfect. :)
So, I figured for the most part, we'll just switch to all egg-free products, which typically turns in to vegan products. There aren't a lot of basic egg-free products, but there are a lot of vegan products we can buy. Like vegan mayo, which I plan to find and use for family chicken/tuna salads.
I did a little shopping today and picked up some ingredients to make my own granola bars, egg-free blueberry muffins, and egg-free noodles for chicken and noodles, spaghetti, etc. Most pastas are egg-free, but the issue is that they're processed in the same area as egg containing products, making it off limits to us. The Wacky Mac brand has some spirals and shaped pasta that are completely egg-free. That combined with making my own should give us enough egg-free pasta to enjoy spaghetti and meatballs or whatever we wish! I'm most excited about the muffins and the chicken and noodles. Hopefully, I figure out what I'm doing and everything turns out exactly perfect. :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
4 year and 1 year check-ups
I was so excited to be able to finally schedule the girls' yearly doctor's appointments together as opposed to a week or two apart... until I realized that I would be going alone and probably dealing with 2 recently vaccinated children on my own. Yikes. Little Monster is usually not a problem - if it's 1 she doesn't mind too much. More and she'll cry but usually only a minute.
It's that 4 year old that always worries me. She's so dramatic and everything is so over the top with her. I prepared her a week ago by telling her we were going to visit the doctor... and lil sis would for sure be getting shots and Tiny Dancer may get shots. She's fussed at me a bit all the way up until today, when she started crying in the bathtub because I told her to get out and she realized why she had to get out.
Always dramatic that one. Never a dull moment.
But we went and Little Monster had to get 4 shots and we got the option on Tiny Dancer's shots: 3 this year, 3 next year or dividing them up. She is so excited about starting kindergarten next year I decided to postpone all 3 of them so that we could really hype it up with "well, you have to get your shots to start kindergarten." I'm thinking that could work.
Poor Little Monster almost broke my heart, but she only cried for a minute and was back to her normal self.
Stats on the girls:
Tiny Dancer is 32 pounds and 39 1/2 inches. She's in the 15-25th percentile for weight and the 25-50th percentile for height. She's petite for weight, but average for height. Just a skinny little thing. :)
Little Monster is 18 pounds and 9 ounces and 29 1/2 inches. She's in the 10-25th percentile for weight and the 25-50th percentile for height, which is where she's been for her past 3 visits. We also discussed her egg allergy. Her pediatrician said her levels were so high that she would anticipate if she ever gets a large dose of egg, it would result in anaphylactic shock. :( In fact, if she weren't too young for jewelry (which causes its own set of hazards), she'd like her to wear a medical bracelet. So, if her levels don't start to decrease by next year, that may be something we deal with. They're pretty high, which is scary! We have to be really careful at restaurants. At home, I'm extra-cautious. Eggs are prepared and everything is washed and scrubbed down immediately. Leftover egg goes in the garbage disposal, to keep it from falling out of the trash. Her pedi also said most kids will accidentally ingest egg (or whatever their allergen is), so to be prepared. We're already carrying her epi-pen, benadryl and food allergy plan around with us wherever we go, so we are prepared in that way. Not sure how I feel about my child not being able to breathe, or having to administer the epi pen.
Other than that pesky egg situation, my girls are very healthy, albeit small. Doctor said, "see Little Monster again in 3 months and The Baby in 4!" Can't believe that will get here so soon! :)
It's that 4 year old that always worries me. She's so dramatic and everything is so over the top with her. I prepared her a week ago by telling her we were going to visit the doctor... and lil sis would for sure be getting shots and Tiny Dancer may get shots. She's fussed at me a bit all the way up until today, when she started crying in the bathtub because I told her to get out and she realized why she had to get out.
Always dramatic that one. Never a dull moment.
But we went and Little Monster had to get 4 shots and we got the option on Tiny Dancer's shots: 3 this year, 3 next year or dividing them up. She is so excited about starting kindergarten next year I decided to postpone all 3 of them so that we could really hype it up with "well, you have to get your shots to start kindergarten." I'm thinking that could work.
Poor Little Monster almost broke my heart, but she only cried for a minute and was back to her normal self.
Stats on the girls:
Tiny Dancer is 32 pounds and 39 1/2 inches. She's in the 15-25th percentile for weight and the 25-50th percentile for height. She's petite for weight, but average for height. Just a skinny little thing. :)
Little Monster is 18 pounds and 9 ounces and 29 1/2 inches. She's in the 10-25th percentile for weight and the 25-50th percentile for height, which is where she's been for her past 3 visits. We also discussed her egg allergy. Her pediatrician said her levels were so high that she would anticipate if she ever gets a large dose of egg, it would result in anaphylactic shock. :( In fact, if she weren't too young for jewelry (which causes its own set of hazards), she'd like her to wear a medical bracelet. So, if her levels don't start to decrease by next year, that may be something we deal with. They're pretty high, which is scary! We have to be really careful at restaurants. At home, I'm extra-cautious. Eggs are prepared and everything is washed and scrubbed down immediately. Leftover egg goes in the garbage disposal, to keep it from falling out of the trash. Her pedi also said most kids will accidentally ingest egg (or whatever their allergen is), so to be prepared. We're already carrying her epi-pen, benadryl and food allergy plan around with us wherever we go, so we are prepared in that way. Not sure how I feel about my child not being able to breathe, or having to administer the epi pen.
Other than that pesky egg situation, my girls are very healthy, albeit small. Doctor said, "see Little Monster again in 3 months and The Baby in 4!" Can't believe that will get here so soon! :)
Monday, June 25, 2012
20 Week Anatomy Scan... and other things
So, this week started out very busy for the Naylor family! Avery started her swimming lessons today, Andrew started his new job today and I had my 20 week ultrasound. Andrew left about 6:30am this morning and even though I tried to go back to sleep, I ended up just laying in bed until the girls got up about about 7:00 or so. My sister Donea decided to come with me to my ultrasound so I wouldn't be alone and to watch Hadley, who was also going with us. And I dropped Avery off at my sister Desiree's around 8:00am for her to take her to swimming lessons.
Well, my anatomy scan went great! Carter looks amazing and was moving all around, though he was trying to sleep and kept hiding his face and laying on his belly. But we got confirmation he is still a boy - which is good news! Not that I wouldn't be excited for another girl, but I'm pretty set on this little one being our baby boy Carter now. I'll have one more ultrasound in August or September, an elective 3D ultrasound so Andrew can see him again. Plus, it's our last baby, so we want to do something special.
Avery's swim lessons went great, even though she refused to put her face under water. She was going out there without a floatie and trying to swim herself. Can't wait to take her myself tomorrow!
And Andrew's job went as well as a new job can go. :) He takes such great care of our family. Plus, his song he recorded and wrote himself is on iTunes for purchase now! It was a good day for our family...
And to add a bit about little miss Hadley, well, the girl ate amazingly today. Half of a cheese quesadilla and cheerios for lunch and mac & cheese, applesauce and string cheese for dinner. She already eats way more than her picky, non-eating sister!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Breastfeeding... and Parenting
Breastfeeding is such a controversial topic, so I'm not trying to get in a fight with anyone by posting this specific post.
I'll preface this post with how I feel about it. Parenting is a science, and the exact same formula will not work for every parent and every family. Sometimes, I feel like I"m just winging it. You do something one way, it doesn't work for you or your child, so you change it up. Unless you are hurting your children, there's no right or wrong way to parent.
I had some lofty ideas of what parenting would be like when I was in college and even when I was pregnant. Most of things are much different now.
Here is what's important for parenting: if there are 2 of you, make sure you are on the same page (ish). I say ish because as long as you are close in your ideas, you can probably work it out. But co-parenting is hardest when each parent is doing their own very different thing.
Okay, back to breastfeeding. It wasn't until I took a health and growth class in college that I realized how awesome breastfeeding might be. It is not always the right choice for every family. It is not always the right choice for every kid. And it sometimes doesn't even work out for some. But I learned enough in that class to realize, Hey, maybe I do want to try breastfeeding my kids.
I won't go in to how awesome breast milk is specifically. Most of us have heard it. If you haven't, google it.
So, when I was pregnant with Avery, I figured I'd give it a whirl. I bought a few books. Set up a little nursing station in her bedroom (rocker, ottoman, receiving blankets/burp cloths, pump, cd player with soothing music, lamp, book case for miscellaneous reading about breastfeeding of course). My goal was 6 months, then I'd reevaluate then. I always swore I wouldn't breastfeed past one year.
But Avery was born 6 weeks early. And any breastfeeding book will tell you: don't give the baby pacifiers! don't give the baby a bottle! don't supplement with formula! (This is what I gathered from those books anyway.) But my baby in the NICU was given a pacifier right away to evaluate her suck/breathe/swallow action. If she could do that, then she could try to eat. She did it. I started pumping right away, but my body had a hard time realizing what just happened, with the baby coming early. And I was quite alright with them trying to feed her. She got a bottle of formula right away (gasp, I know). And she did great eating. And she gained weight. And she kept her body temperature up. And she was home within 7 days of her birth.
It was worth it. I pumped and when I had milk, we'd feed her that with a bottle. And when I was at the hospital, I would try to breastfeed her. Because her mouth was so tiny, she couldn't latch properly. So we used nipple shields, which I never got her to give up. I breastfed her, along with formula supplementation, for 4 months. 4 months on nipple shields! Once I went back to work, the nipple shield issue plus pumping tanked my supply. So, I quit feeding her myself, because that's what worked for our family. She got frustrated that breastfeeding took too long. I got frustrated that she was so frustrated. And my nerves were shot. And even though I felt a little guilt in quitting... I also felt good for giving it a shot. It was really hard.
So, when I got pregnant with Hadley, I decided I was going to try it again. With a full-term baby. And Hadley got it right away. Even with a c-section, she was breastfeeding within 1 1/2 hours of birth, when she was still alert and figuring out what the heck was going on. She latched right on. It was perfect. She ate every 3 hours and she latched every time. Her latch was shallow, but I had researched and researched latches, since we never had one with Avery, and I knew what to do to correct it. And believe it or not, youtube videos were a big help. If you don't mind watching a complete stranger breastfeed, check them out. Huge help.
I won't lie and say our breastfeeding relationship was the easiest thing ever though, because at about 2 weeks, her latch still wasn't corrected even though she was gaining weight very quickly and eating every 3 hours quite a bit. Incorrect latches HURT. I would dread when she would need to eat and cry, but I knew if I kept it up, we'd get past it. And we did! And after that, our breastfeeding relationship has been the easiest thing EVER. Way easier than buying and preparing formula each time. Granted, I didn't go back to work, so I can't say whether that would have made a difference, but since I'm home, that's what works. She's starting to wean herself now that we introduced milk and she's eating more table foods.
Breastfeeding during teething is also awesome. Did you know breast milk will change based on what's going on with the baby? Yeah, and it's a natural comforter and pain reliever. So, when we hit teething with Avery, our 100% formula-fed baby, it was awful. Lots of crying, restlessness, fits, pain, etc. With very little sleep. And fevers. And drooling.
With Hadley, she just takes shorter naps during the day and she may wake up at night for a feeding. No fevers. Not much crying and fussing. And she rarely acts like she's in pain. Could be the baby. Could be breastfeeding. :)
If you want to breastfeed, you really have to want to. It's work. It's not easy. But it's worth it. Even if you only breastfeed for a week. (Seriously, I learned that in my health & growth class.) But if it's just not something you want to do, I won't think I'm better than you (at least not when it comes to what you're feeding your child.... kidding... maybe). ;) It is a personal choice. But I am telling you there are some major benefits of breastfeeding for your child, and for you. Breastfeeding has allowed me to drop all of my pre-pregnancy weight each time within about 3 weeks. Oh, yeah. Gotta love it. And I definitely plan on doing it again with Carter. And if it doesn't work, I'll know I tried my hardest and move on. Because that's part of parenting too. Moving on and going with the flow. Children will definitely teach you all about that. :)
I'll preface this post with how I feel about it. Parenting is a science, and the exact same formula will not work for every parent and every family. Sometimes, I feel like I"m just winging it. You do something one way, it doesn't work for you or your child, so you change it up. Unless you are hurting your children, there's no right or wrong way to parent.
I had some lofty ideas of what parenting would be like when I was in college and even when I was pregnant. Most of things are much different now.
Here is what's important for parenting: if there are 2 of you, make sure you are on the same page (ish). I say ish because as long as you are close in your ideas, you can probably work it out. But co-parenting is hardest when each parent is doing their own very different thing.
Okay, back to breastfeeding. It wasn't until I took a health and growth class in college that I realized how awesome breastfeeding might be. It is not always the right choice for every family. It is not always the right choice for every kid. And it sometimes doesn't even work out for some. But I learned enough in that class to realize, Hey, maybe I do want to try breastfeeding my kids.
I won't go in to how awesome breast milk is specifically. Most of us have heard it. If you haven't, google it.
So, when I was pregnant with Avery, I figured I'd give it a whirl. I bought a few books. Set up a little nursing station in her bedroom (rocker, ottoman, receiving blankets/burp cloths, pump, cd player with soothing music, lamp, book case for miscellaneous reading about breastfeeding of course). My goal was 6 months, then I'd reevaluate then. I always swore I wouldn't breastfeed past one year.
But Avery was born 6 weeks early. And any breastfeeding book will tell you: don't give the baby pacifiers! don't give the baby a bottle! don't supplement with formula! (This is what I gathered from those books anyway.) But my baby in the NICU was given a pacifier right away to evaluate her suck/breathe/swallow action. If she could do that, then she could try to eat. She did it. I started pumping right away, but my body had a hard time realizing what just happened, with the baby coming early. And I was quite alright with them trying to feed her. She got a bottle of formula right away (gasp, I know). And she did great eating. And she gained weight. And she kept her body temperature up. And she was home within 7 days of her birth.
It was worth it. I pumped and when I had milk, we'd feed her that with a bottle. And when I was at the hospital, I would try to breastfeed her. Because her mouth was so tiny, she couldn't latch properly. So we used nipple shields, which I never got her to give up. I breastfed her, along with formula supplementation, for 4 months. 4 months on nipple shields! Once I went back to work, the nipple shield issue plus pumping tanked my supply. So, I quit feeding her myself, because that's what worked for our family. She got frustrated that breastfeeding took too long. I got frustrated that she was so frustrated. And my nerves were shot. And even though I felt a little guilt in quitting... I also felt good for giving it a shot. It was really hard.
So, when I got pregnant with Hadley, I decided I was going to try it again. With a full-term baby. And Hadley got it right away. Even with a c-section, she was breastfeeding within 1 1/2 hours of birth, when she was still alert and figuring out what the heck was going on. She latched right on. It was perfect. She ate every 3 hours and she latched every time. Her latch was shallow, but I had researched and researched latches, since we never had one with Avery, and I knew what to do to correct it. And believe it or not, youtube videos were a big help. If you don't mind watching a complete stranger breastfeed, check them out. Huge help.
I won't lie and say our breastfeeding relationship was the easiest thing ever though, because at about 2 weeks, her latch still wasn't corrected even though she was gaining weight very quickly and eating every 3 hours quite a bit. Incorrect latches HURT. I would dread when she would need to eat and cry, but I knew if I kept it up, we'd get past it. And we did! And after that, our breastfeeding relationship has been the easiest thing EVER. Way easier than buying and preparing formula each time. Granted, I didn't go back to work, so I can't say whether that would have made a difference, but since I'm home, that's what works. She's starting to wean herself now that we introduced milk and she's eating more table foods.
Breastfeeding during teething is also awesome. Did you know breast milk will change based on what's going on with the baby? Yeah, and it's a natural comforter and pain reliever. So, when we hit teething with Avery, our 100% formula-fed baby, it was awful. Lots of crying, restlessness, fits, pain, etc. With very little sleep. And fevers. And drooling.
With Hadley, she just takes shorter naps during the day and she may wake up at night for a feeding. No fevers. Not much crying and fussing. And she rarely acts like she's in pain. Could be the baby. Could be breastfeeding. :)
If you want to breastfeed, you really have to want to. It's work. It's not easy. But it's worth it. Even if you only breastfeed for a week. (Seriously, I learned that in my health & growth class.) But if it's just not something you want to do, I won't think I'm better than you (at least not when it comes to what you're feeding your child.... kidding... maybe). ;) It is a personal choice. But I am telling you there are some major benefits of breastfeeding for your child, and for you. Breastfeeding has allowed me to drop all of my pre-pregnancy weight each time within about 3 weeks. Oh, yeah. Gotta love it. And I definitely plan on doing it again with Carter. And if it doesn't work, I'll know I tried my hardest and move on. Because that's part of parenting too. Moving on and going with the flow. Children will definitely teach you all about that. :)
Eating Without Eggs
We've found out that so far, having Hadley eat egg-free isn't that difficult. She is just now making that transition from jarred baby foods and pureed baby food to more table top foods, so she's typically eating something different from the rest of us, or she's just eating a portion of what we are eating. Because of my pregnancy, we do tend to eat out more often, so it is hard knowing if egg is in something. Typically fruits and vegetables are okay, but bread is always a tricky one... typical breads we eat at home do not contain eggs, so a grilled cheese at home is fine, but when we're out, we aren't sure if the restaurant's homemade bread is or is not made with eggs. So, we just have to pack a lot more of our own stuff to ensure she's eating egg-free.
However, once Hadley is eating more of what we are all eating, we will have to be VERY careful. This means, when we go to birthday parties, Hadley can't eat the cakes or ice cream there. She can't have muffins or banana bread. She can't eat the same snacks that Avery eats occasionally. So, starting now, we have to start limiting all of the family's egg intake. The only thing I won't limit is Avery's intake of actual eggs. She loves scrambled eggs and since they are good for her, we won't limit that. Those days, Hadley will just have to have a different breakfast. I found some egg-free waffles and Pinterest and Google are useful for other egg-free recipes.
However, once Hadley is eating more of what we are all eating, we will have to be VERY careful. This means, when we go to birthday parties, Hadley can't eat the cakes or ice cream there. She can't have muffins or banana bread. She can't eat the same snacks that Avery eats occasionally. So, starting now, we have to start limiting all of the family's egg intake. The only thing I won't limit is Avery's intake of actual eggs. She loves scrambled eggs and since they are good for her, we won't limit that. Those days, Hadley will just have to have a different breakfast. I found some egg-free waffles and Pinterest and Google are useful for other egg-free recipes.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Oh, Allergies
So, we may be adding a whole new twist to this blog. We found out today that Hadley is very allergic to eggs. Which means she can't have anything with eggs - even things she's had in the past without a reaction because she could end up having one if she develops more allergens. We pretty much have to tote my little allergy bag around I prepared when we thought she might have an allergy: her allergy plan, Benadryl, Epi pen in a cute little bag of course. And I have to read the labels on EVERYTHING. I was surprised to learn that some pasta doesn't contain egg and some bread doesn't contain egg. I also found a brand of waffles that are dairy and egg free. And I found an alternative to adding eggs to cakes, which we'll be trying this weekend in anticipation of her upcoming birthday (hello, what's a birthday party without a cake to eat for the birthday girl?!). I found some lasagna and ravioli that is egg-free, which she had tonight - and loved! So even though it's going to be tricky at times, I have a feeling I'll fall right into the routine and it won't be an issue.
On the other hand, my husband is lactose intolerant. Within the past year or so, we've noticed some unpleasant symptoms when he would eat a lot of dairy. Particular brands bothered him more, but eventually just one glass of milk would make him sick. I started buying Lactaid, which helped, but over the past few months, the lactose intolerance has only gotten worse. And if you know Andrew, you know that he loves ice cream and cereal. And if you know me, you know I love cheese and sour cream and will gladly add it to any meal I make. So, we've switched Andrew to soy milk. I found some lactose-free ice cream we'll try this weekend. And he's cut out a lot of cheese, sour cream and any other miscellaneous dairy items. So, I also have to work on cutting dairy out of the stuff I cook for dinner. The good thing about this allergy is it just makes him sick, as opposed to Hadley's allergy which could cause her to go into anaphylactic shock.
Which means, this mama is going to have to change the things we eat and the way we cook. We have to really follow food labels and be conscious of what we are using. Which, let's face it, isn't really a bad thing to do anyway. We should be more conscious of what we're putting into our bodies. So, this blog may turn in to a place where I post recipes or tips and tricks of dealing with allergies. "The Sweetness of Eating Dairy and Egg-Free" has a nice ring to it, no??
On the other hand, my husband is lactose intolerant. Within the past year or so, we've noticed some unpleasant symptoms when he would eat a lot of dairy. Particular brands bothered him more, but eventually just one glass of milk would make him sick. I started buying Lactaid, which helped, but over the past few months, the lactose intolerance has only gotten worse. And if you know Andrew, you know that he loves ice cream and cereal. And if you know me, you know I love cheese and sour cream and will gladly add it to any meal I make. So, we've switched Andrew to soy milk. I found some lactose-free ice cream we'll try this weekend. And he's cut out a lot of cheese, sour cream and any other miscellaneous dairy items. So, I also have to work on cutting dairy out of the stuff I cook for dinner. The good thing about this allergy is it just makes him sick, as opposed to Hadley's allergy which could cause her to go into anaphylactic shock.
Which means, this mama is going to have to change the things we eat and the way we cook. We have to really follow food labels and be conscious of what we are using. Which, let's face it, isn't really a bad thing to do anyway. We should be more conscious of what we're putting into our bodies. So, this blog may turn in to a place where I post recipes or tips and tricks of dealing with allergies. "The Sweetness of Eating Dairy and Egg-Free" has a nice ring to it, no??
Carter
IT'S A BOY!!!
My busy week last week combined with the craziness of a very sick daughter this week had me procrastinating on this post. But we found out last Tuesday that we will in fact need to be changing the name of this blog. ;) And actually, on another note for another post, this blog may be going in an entirely different direction, or at least adding to the original idea of just posting stuff about the girls.
So, we went for our elective ultrasound at The Ultrasound Zone in Glen Carbon last Tuesday morning. My sister went right before me. We saw each other in passing, but did not share the sexes of the babies. Just that we did in fact find out. :)
On a side note, I would recommend The Ultrasound Zone to ANYONE pregnant or that may have another baby in the future. Andrew has always been against 3D/4D ultrasounds (the cost and the creepiness are his reasons). But we agreed to this one since it was just to find out the sex of our baby at the same time as my sister. And it was really fun finding out a month earlier than we normally would through the doctor's office.
So, we went in and it was a huge room, she turned down the lights and started right in on looking at the baby: face, movements and finally sex. They had those rock lullaby songs playing and it was SO cool to see our baby moving all around on the big screen. When she kept looking to see what the baby was, Andrew and I both thought we saw something very different, but she kept saying the cord was in the way for a good shot (the baby was cuddling the cord. I have a cute picture of it.). But then she said it: "You're having a boy!" Andrew was so excited! As was I, though I had a feeling it was a boy the whole time.
So, we gathered our pictures and were off to the party place to get some blue balloons for our reveal party that night. And the gathering with our families was so much fun. When we ripped open the bags holding the balloons, I was so shocked my sister was having a boy too! I thought with our luck we'd maybe get just one boy. But I am more than excited that our baby boys will be growing up together so close in age. They're gonna be the best of friends. I cannot wait!! :)
Carter Michael Naylor, I am so in love with you already! Can't wait to meet you in November (October's okay too).
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Baby #3
I've been putting this post off because... well, when it comes to pregnancies I'm a pessimist. I hate being that way. I try to stay positive. I try to think really good thoughts. But five miscarriages will do that to ya I guess.
I'm 16 weeks today. We find out the sex of our baby on Tuesday. I still get nervous about myriad of things pregnancy-related, but for the most part I'm past the pessimistic first trimester.
So, for my blogging purposes, let's go back to the day I found out I was pregnant... or maybe the week before.
See, I knew my sister and brother in law were trying to have a baby. I wanted them to have a baby. And we most definitely did NOT want a baby. So we were really using birth control, I swear. And my husband just lost his job. We were trying NOT to get pregnant!
So, women understand when you go on a vacation and there could be an unexpected (or more so unwanted) visitor, you prepare by packing a thousand extra things for your trip. As did I when we were going to Branson and Oklahoma City to visit family. The whole week, I was waiting for it and thinking oh man, this is nice, I hope I go the whole vacation like this! But a week passed. And when we got back home and I was unpacking all of the extra items... I realized I was freaking myself out about another unexpected visitor. Since I had an extra pregnancy test lying around, I figured well, I'll just take it, see I'm not pregnant, relax and be on my way. Andrew was downstairs, the girls were playing and I was unpacking. Brushing my teeth, I glanced at the test... and about choked because I gasped in a ton of foamy toothpaste (sick!). PREGNANT. (I love digital tests.) I think I stared at that test for about 5 minutes, thousands of thoughts racing through my head. We don't have jobs. My sister had just told us she was pregnant. I'm pretty sure we were due close to each other. Why did this happen?! HOW did this happen?! When Andrew came upstairs, I shoved the test in his face and said, "Look. Just look at this." He smiled. I wanted to punch him. I burst into tears. I was more upset that I was upset. Hello, FIVE losses?! Remember those? Why are we upset about a baby? (Which, by the way, is pretty much what Andrew said to me. And he was right.)
After a few days of feeling like I was walking around in a fog, the shock wore off and started to get excited. Which was the same time I started to get nervous. And think horrible thoughts. I was SO scared. So scared that I'd get excited and happy about the baby to just lose it.
Andrew found the heartbeat on our home doppler right at 10 weeks. Then we didn't hear the heartbeat for another 3, which didn't help my nervous out. At my first appointment at Barnes, at 13 weeks, I saw the baby for a few seconds, enough to reassure me for a bit. Then Andrew and I finally found the heartbeat again on our Doppler, a few times. And I think I'm starting to feel some movement. Which doesn't matter how often or how many times I've felt that, it always makes me happy and smile.
So, yeah, that was how we found out about our unexpected baby #3. Which I have no doubt in my mind was not an accident, but purposeful. A baby with special things ahead of his/her life.
(Speaking of his or her, I really could see myself with 3 girls. But I also really want a boy. I feel like I have a feeling it's a boy, but that could just be wishful thinking. Tuesday, come fast.)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
My easy-going babies
When I think back to Avery as a baby, I always say she was such a good baby. We struggled with two things: breastfeeding and sleeping. Both things I swear were caused by her prematurity. Which wasn't her fault. That was my awesome uterus's fault. I bet you loved reading uterus. Anyway. She was born early and she was tiny. Well, she was big, really for a 34 weeker at 5 pounds and 5 ounces. But she was tiny compared to full term babies. And she had a tiny mouth. Which caused some latch issues. Once we kicked breastfeeding at 4 months (something I beat myself up over, but was relieved once it was done), she ate like a champ. Seriously, like at 6 months she was taking 14 ounces every 6 hours during the day. It was cuh-razy. I had to make 2 bottles every time. Just look at this face:
Those chubby arm rolls were to die for.
And as for sleep, she started sleeping through the night in her crib and then at around 7 months, she just stopped sleeping in there period. She slept if we held her. Which is when we started co-sleeping. Believe me, that was the last thing I wanted to do. But we were out of options and we both worked and we both enjoy our sleep. So into our bed she went. Technically I attribute that to when she was airlifted to Children's and had a 3 night stay in a mini jail cell. If she even saw her crib after that, she threw a fit. So, yeah, it took us, ohhh about a year to get her back to sleeping in her own bed full time (she would fall asleep with us, then we'd move her to her bed until early in the morning, when she'd come back).
So, when we had Hadley, we realized what an actual laid back baby is like. Hadley ate amazingly (and still is). Hadley sleeps amazingly (she will roll over and go right to sleep most of the time... or cry for a few seconds then roll over and go to sleep). Hadley laughs all of the time. I don't lie:
Seriously so cute.
So, I get it, we've been super blessed in the baby department. Avery is a temperamental 3 year old, but I think we've done a pretty good job with her. And Hadley is so great.... except I realized these past few weeks that she's totally going to be my troublemaker. She's laid back... but quite the stinker. She gets in to everything. EVERYTHING! She just pulled some gallons of nursery water around the kitchen today. She's got insanely super strength. And when we say no, she laughs. Totally just laughs right at me. Which I'm not used to (Avery cried at the word no). And when we smack her hand or take something away from her (oops, just admitted we smack her!), she will throw a fit and just go after it again. It's pretty funny, but she knows when we laugh so I'm having to really control it. I didn't realize a 9 month old knew how to throw such temper tantrums. I am PRAYING that this difficult infant/toddler stage will mean and easy 2-3 year old (it went the other way for us, so why not??). I'm nervous about having 2 strong-willed teenage daughters in my house. I've just about got one (and only "just about" because she's 3... she's as strong-willed as they come).
So since I've complained about my 2 gorgeous girls, here's a picture of the lovely ladies that rule my life:
Seriously gorgeous. 2 laid-back babies that have turned into their mother. Poor Andrew.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Our Summer Bucket List
A list I'm compiling of things I want to do with the girls this summer...
- Six Flags
- Purina Farms
- STL Zoo
- The Magic House
- Picnic in Forest Park
- Camping in a tent
- Lunch at Crown Candy Kitchen
- Lunch at Fitz's Root Beer
- Grant's Farm
- Science Center
- Teach Avery to swim (with the assistance of swimming lessons)
- City Museum
- Cards game (or 2 or 3)
- Missouri Botanical Gardens
- Watch fireworks
- Watch an outdoor movie
- Have a water gun/ water balloon fight
- Have 2 awesome birthday parties!
- Start a book series with Avery (is she too old for Ramona Quimby??)
That's all I've come up with so far... I'm hoping to add to it and do it all! I'm so ready for this summer!
- Six Flags
- Purina Farms
- STL Zoo
- The Magic House
- Picnic in Forest Park
- Camping in a tent
- Lunch at Crown Candy Kitchen
- Lunch at Fitz's Root Beer
- Grant's Farm
- Science Center
- Teach Avery to swim (with the assistance of swimming lessons)
- City Museum
- Cards game (or 2 or 3)
- Missouri Botanical Gardens
- Watch fireworks
- Watch an outdoor movie
- Have a water gun/ water balloon fight
- Have 2 awesome birthday parties!
- Start a book series with Avery (is she too old for Ramona Quimby??)
That's all I've come up with so far... I'm hoping to add to it and do it all! I'm so ready for this summer!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
April Already??
Well, another month has passed and I didn't update this blog nearly as much as I wanted to. So, here's my April post.
The girls are doing great. We are gearing up for lots of stuff this summer. We still have our Magic House membership through August and we should be getting our zoo membership soon to take advantage of a lot this year and Andrew won a Six Flags season pass, so maybe Avery and I will be getting one as well for another fun thing to do... and with all of these passes, we'll need to be saving up for gas money just to get there, ha!
Avery just finished up soccer tots and is all signed up for t-ball, which starts in May some time. I'm interested to see how she does with it. Softball was definitely my sport so I'd be lying if I said I didn't care if she liked it or not. I am really hoping she loves it! She did tell me she wants to do cheerleading next spring. I have never cheered a day in my life, I guess it's time to get ready for this girly girl. Her ballet and tap recitals are June 2nd - she is going to be so cute! The costumes are adorable and the dances and songs are perfect. We'll also be doing swimming lessons this summer, probably starting in June. So happy Avery knows one of the instructors... I'm anxious for her to learn to swim. She really loves swimming and she always wants to go without any floating device, so it will be better when she actually knows what to do in the water. I want her to learn water safety as well, which is also important since my parents have a pool and we'll be there practically every day this summer. :-D
The allergens are super high this year and Hadley is suffering big time, as am I. I cannot kick this stuff and I feel like my asthma is back - asthma I haven't dealt with since junior high! I'm making an appointment to see about an inhaler - it's that bad! Hopefully I can get rid of this junk soon. I am really disliking how horrible I am feeling during the day and how hard it is to breathe.
Hadley, besides suffering from allergies, is still not officially crawling, though her army crawl and scoot will get her anywhere she wants to go. And she can go from lying down to sitting up now on her own. And she says mama a lot more now! (Though dada is still her favorite - word and person!)
I can't wait for summer, but I'm hoping the allergies aren't so bad. We have lots of friends that will be home with their kids this summer and we're taking advantage of that and doing all sorts of fun things for the girls! I just hope Hadley enjoys it all too - she's gotta be going with us! :)
The girls are doing great. We are gearing up for lots of stuff this summer. We still have our Magic House membership through August and we should be getting our zoo membership soon to take advantage of a lot this year and Andrew won a Six Flags season pass, so maybe Avery and I will be getting one as well for another fun thing to do... and with all of these passes, we'll need to be saving up for gas money just to get there, ha!
Avery just finished up soccer tots and is all signed up for t-ball, which starts in May some time. I'm interested to see how she does with it. Softball was definitely my sport so I'd be lying if I said I didn't care if she liked it or not. I am really hoping she loves it! She did tell me she wants to do cheerleading next spring. I have never cheered a day in my life, I guess it's time to get ready for this girly girl. Her ballet and tap recitals are June 2nd - she is going to be so cute! The costumes are adorable and the dances and songs are perfect. We'll also be doing swimming lessons this summer, probably starting in June. So happy Avery knows one of the instructors... I'm anxious for her to learn to swim. She really loves swimming and she always wants to go without any floating device, so it will be better when she actually knows what to do in the water. I want her to learn water safety as well, which is also important since my parents have a pool and we'll be there practically every day this summer. :-D
The allergens are super high this year and Hadley is suffering big time, as am I. I cannot kick this stuff and I feel like my asthma is back - asthma I haven't dealt with since junior high! I'm making an appointment to see about an inhaler - it's that bad! Hopefully I can get rid of this junk soon. I am really disliking how horrible I am feeling during the day and how hard it is to breathe.
Hadley, besides suffering from allergies, is still not officially crawling, though her army crawl and scoot will get her anywhere she wants to go. And she can go from lying down to sitting up now on her own. And she says mama a lot more now! (Though dada is still her favorite - word and person!)
I can't wait for summer, but I'm hoping the allergies aren't so bad. We have lots of friends that will be home with their kids this summer and we're taking advantage of that and doing all sorts of fun things for the girls! I just hope Hadley enjoys it all too - she's gotta be going with us! :)
Monday, March 12, 2012
Update!
It's been over a month since I updated this. Not much has changed - Andrew is still without a job. We are still enjoying family time together during the days. And we went on a little trip about a week ago; Hadley's first trip to Branson and 3rd trip to Oklahoma City!
We went in to Branson (just 2 days after the tornado went through; we definitely saw some severe damage). Andrew's parents' rented a house for all of us to visit. Dez and Joel, Dan and Nikki and Addy and Zoey, and me and Andrew and Avery and Hadley. It was such a blast spending time with the whole Naylor family! Added bonus in having my best friend/sister as a sister-in-law, because I got to spend time with her too! We did Old Time Photos, went out to lunch at the Hard Luck Diner, did a lot of shopping and hung out with the family, playing games and playing with the kids.
After the weekend was over, Andrew and I took the girls in to Oklahoma City for a few days spending with his brother and nieces. My sister-in-law had work, so I was left alone with the boys! We had a fun time, and most importantly, Avery got to spend some quality time with her best friend and cousin Addy. Those two girls absolutely love each other. It was difficult when it was time to leave. Avery was extremely upset, probably because she knows it will be a few months or so before we see Addy again.
Hadley is now 8 months old. Even though she said 'mama' first, she's only said it that once and now it's 'dada' all the time. When we come in and say, "Hi, Hadley!" She says "heee, dada!" Avery's first real world was hi, so I think it's cute they both like to say that back to us. She also started waving a few weeks ago. It's not a very coordinated wave, but if we wave first or tell her to say hi to somebody, she will get her little arm and wrist going. It's probably the cutest thing in the world, not going to lie.
She weights about 16 lbs now is about 28 inches long. She's slowing down and probably going to end up like a little shrimp like her sister. My 2 tiny redheads. We were sick again a few weeks ago, but both girls are FINALLY feeling better. They had some pretty wicked colds.
With tomorrow's warm weather, I'm hoping to plan a little picnic at the park and surprise Avery when we pick her up from school! I hope she lasts; she's having a hard time adjusting to the time change. Today she slept in until 9:30 and then we had an appointment where she had to get her finger pricked and she was hysterical after that (nap time usually). She cried for over an hour... poor dramatic little thing. She passed out in the car on the way home (just down the street).
Hadley seems to have adjusted fine - she just does what she wants whenever anyway, little stinker.
On a side note, the Disney store outlet proved to be an awesome place this past weekend: I got Avery 2 pairs of shoes for less than $20 combined and Hadley's Halloween costume for this year for $8! (Baby Rapunzel, how freaking cute?!)
We went in to Branson (just 2 days after the tornado went through; we definitely saw some severe damage). Andrew's parents' rented a house for all of us to visit. Dez and Joel, Dan and Nikki and Addy and Zoey, and me and Andrew and Avery and Hadley. It was such a blast spending time with the whole Naylor family! Added bonus in having my best friend/sister as a sister-in-law, because I got to spend time with her too! We did Old Time Photos, went out to lunch at the Hard Luck Diner, did a lot of shopping and hung out with the family, playing games and playing with the kids.
After the weekend was over, Andrew and I took the girls in to Oklahoma City for a few days spending with his brother and nieces. My sister-in-law had work, so I was left alone with the boys! We had a fun time, and most importantly, Avery got to spend some quality time with her best friend and cousin Addy. Those two girls absolutely love each other. It was difficult when it was time to leave. Avery was extremely upset, probably because she knows it will be a few months or so before we see Addy again.
Hadley is now 8 months old. Even though she said 'mama' first, she's only said it that once and now it's 'dada' all the time. When we come in and say, "Hi, Hadley!" She says "heee, dada!" Avery's first real world was hi, so I think it's cute they both like to say that back to us. She also started waving a few weeks ago. It's not a very coordinated wave, but if we wave first or tell her to say hi to somebody, she will get her little arm and wrist going. It's probably the cutest thing in the world, not going to lie.
She weights about 16 lbs now is about 28 inches long. She's slowing down and probably going to end up like a little shrimp like her sister. My 2 tiny redheads. We were sick again a few weeks ago, but both girls are FINALLY feeling better. They had some pretty wicked colds.
With tomorrow's warm weather, I'm hoping to plan a little picnic at the park and surprise Avery when we pick her up from school! I hope she lasts; she's having a hard time adjusting to the time change. Today she slept in until 9:30 and then we had an appointment where she had to get her finger pricked and she was hysterical after that (nap time usually). She cried for over an hour... poor dramatic little thing. She passed out in the car on the way home (just down the street).
Hadley seems to have adjusted fine - she just does what she wants whenever anyway, little stinker.
On a side note, the Disney store outlet proved to be an awesome place this past weekend: I got Avery 2 pairs of shoes for less than $20 combined and Hadley's Halloween costume for this year for $8! (Baby Rapunzel, how freaking cute?!)
Friday, February 3, 2012
Fun Stuff
Well, I don't think 2 people without jobs could be any happier than Andrew and I are. Don't get me wrong, financially we took a big hit, but when we decided I'd be staying home, we buckled down. We almost never eat out anymore; the occasional fast food dollar menu purchases do occur, but for the most part I've been buying fresh, making tons of stuff homemade, stretching my grocery bill, consuming leftovers and saving money! I've tried to coupon and it was a waste of my time and efforts. What I can do is purchase wisely and use what I have. We've been doing great at not letting food expire (happened all the time before) and using what we have. I can buy a whole little chicken for about $6 and pull 3 meals, plus leftovers, from it. I've been buying ground pork instead of ground beef for certain recipes and we buy the store brand on almost everything! Anyway, I didn't mean to make this post about shopping and groceries (how boring), but about the fact that we've been doing pretty good. Andrew and I are both actively looking for work at this time. But in the meantime, we are finding some really awesome cheap or free things to do around our area. Just because we don't have a lot of money doesn't mean we have to be bored!
We take full advantage of our Netflix ($7/month) subscription. We have family movie nights very often. We also have been checking out the free movie of the month at a local church theater. Tonight, we're taking everybody (this means Hadley) to see Dolphin Tale. $1 popcorn and sodas, plus a free movie, can't beat it! Last summer, Andrew got us a Magic House membership. At the end of this month, we'll be checking out Dr. Seuss's birthday party there and in April we're going to check out the Easter activities they have - can't wait for the egg roll. And if this wonderful weather continues to stick around, I feel some zoo and science center visits coming on. Maybe a picnic in Forest Park, followed by a chocolate malt at Crown Candy? Mmmm, this girl is ready for summer!
I'm constantly on the internet, trying to find out what we can do around here or in St. Louis for free or cheap that would be great for the kids. That Magic House membership was an awesome idea - I sense a Christmas present idea for next year. We've went several times already and it's Avery's favorite place to go. And thank goodness my parents have a pool for this summer - I can't wait to relax in the waters and get Avery some professional swimming lessons.
We still pay a very small fee monthly for her ballet and tap lessons. It's so cheap I know we can come up with the money from somewhere. And she loves it. We have a recital coming up the first weekend in June. I cannot wait to see the little kids - they crack me up! Avery is very serious about it and genuinely enjoys ballet and tap.
I hope we can keep finding cheap and free things for the kids to do - I want her to experience so much, and Hadley is almost at the age where she's going to start really noticing things. :)
We take full advantage of our Netflix ($7/month) subscription. We have family movie nights very often. We also have been checking out the free movie of the month at a local church theater. Tonight, we're taking everybody (this means Hadley) to see Dolphin Tale. $1 popcorn and sodas, plus a free movie, can't beat it! Last summer, Andrew got us a Magic House membership. At the end of this month, we'll be checking out Dr. Seuss's birthday party there and in April we're going to check out the Easter activities they have - can't wait for the egg roll. And if this wonderful weather continues to stick around, I feel some zoo and science center visits coming on. Maybe a picnic in Forest Park, followed by a chocolate malt at Crown Candy? Mmmm, this girl is ready for summer!
I'm constantly on the internet, trying to find out what we can do around here or in St. Louis for free or cheap that would be great for the kids. That Magic House membership was an awesome idea - I sense a Christmas present idea for next year. We've went several times already and it's Avery's favorite place to go. And thank goodness my parents have a pool for this summer - I can't wait to relax in the waters and get Avery some professional swimming lessons.
We still pay a very small fee monthly for her ballet and tap lessons. It's so cheap I know we can come up with the money from somewhere. And she loves it. We have a recital coming up the first weekend in June. I cannot wait to see the little kids - they crack me up! Avery is very serious about it and genuinely enjoys ballet and tap.
I hope we can keep finding cheap and free things for the kids to do - I want her to experience so much, and Hadley is almost at the age where she's going to start really noticing things. :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
6 month check-up
Let's pretend the date says somewhere right around January 9th, since that was the date of Hadley's 6 month check-up. ;)
Hadley weights 15lb2oz (25th percentile), which is quite a bit down from last month's 50th percentile range. In fact, she only gained a few ounces between her 4 month and 6 month check-ups. I was very surprised when I saw this, as she was a little heavier in December when she went after being sick. However, between her cold and the stomach flu, the doctor said it was to be expected, especially when babies at 6 months start being more active and steadying out on their weight. Another surprising fact: Avery weight 15lb11oz at her 6 month appointment - that's so crazy to me!
She was also 26 1/2 inches (75th percentile), so she's going to be tall (tall and skinny like Daddy?). She's in 6-9 month clothes and slowly getting too long for her 6 month clothes and heading into 9 month. She's also fitting really well into her 6-12 month clothes.
And as I write this, the girl is rolling all over the floor. She will just go and go and go until she crashes from wearing herself out. She's also trying to figure out a scoot - she ducks her head and gets her legs going. I doubt it will be too long before she's moving around that way too.
As for solids, she's on a good schedule with that. She loves the Mum-Mum biscuit things (she's definitely teething), apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, prunes and apple juice (which she gets daily due to still being a little constipated; things definitely move with that stuff!). She doesn't like carrots and her cereal plain. However, mix both with apples and she's good to go! Next on our list of stuff to try: squash, pears, mangos and peas!
Hadley weights 15lb2oz (25th percentile), which is quite a bit down from last month's 50th percentile range. In fact, she only gained a few ounces between her 4 month and 6 month check-ups. I was very surprised when I saw this, as she was a little heavier in December when she went after being sick. However, between her cold and the stomach flu, the doctor said it was to be expected, especially when babies at 6 months start being more active and steadying out on their weight. Another surprising fact: Avery weight 15lb11oz at her 6 month appointment - that's so crazy to me!
She was also 26 1/2 inches (75th percentile), so she's going to be tall (tall and skinny like Daddy?). She's in 6-9 month clothes and slowly getting too long for her 6 month clothes and heading into 9 month. She's also fitting really well into her 6-12 month clothes.
And as I write this, the girl is rolling all over the floor. She will just go and go and go until she crashes from wearing herself out. She's also trying to figure out a scoot - she ducks her head and gets her legs going. I doubt it will be too long before she's moving around that way too.
As for solids, she's on a good schedule with that. She loves the Mum-Mum biscuit things (she's definitely teething), apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, prunes and apple juice (which she gets daily due to still being a little constipated; things definitely move with that stuff!). She doesn't like carrots and her cereal plain. However, mix both with apples and she's good to go! Next on our list of stuff to try: squash, pears, mangos and peas!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
6 months!
Hadley is 6 months - I cannot believe that 2011 is over and that already a half of a year has passed since Hadley's birth. Last year was a great year for us, what with Hadley finally joining our family. It took 2 years to get that adorable little bundle into our house, and I couldn't love her more than I do. She's awesome.
But we are starting to have some issues... constipation and teething have left her wanting to be held and bounced non-stop - even in sleep. :( That's hard for us... Andrew and I are 2 people that love our sleep. Thankfully, he really does help me out, so I can still get some rest in between the crying jags. I hope this is a stage that passes quickly. She's starting to actually throw fits, so I hope she isn't getting too spoiled. (Actually, I don't even care if she is... I love spoiling babies.)
Tomorrow we go to the doctor for her 6 month check up, which is exciting to see how much she's grown, but it's also sad because that means 6 month shots. She hasn't really had too much of a reaction to them, so I hope that rings true tomorrow as well.
I know the next 6 months are going to go by really fast too, so I've already started planning Hadley's first birthday (as well as Avery's fourth). I can't wait! I love planning parties. :)
But we are starting to have some issues... constipation and teething have left her wanting to be held and bounced non-stop - even in sleep. :( That's hard for us... Andrew and I are 2 people that love our sleep. Thankfully, he really does help me out, so I can still get some rest in between the crying jags. I hope this is a stage that passes quickly. She's starting to actually throw fits, so I hope she isn't getting too spoiled. (Actually, I don't even care if she is... I love spoiling babies.)
Tomorrow we go to the doctor for her 6 month check up, which is exciting to see how much she's grown, but it's also sad because that means 6 month shots. She hasn't really had too much of a reaction to them, so I hope that rings true tomorrow as well.
I know the next 6 months are going to go by really fast too, so I've already started planning Hadley's first birthday (as well as Avery's fourth). I can't wait! I love planning parties. :)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Christmas 2011
Wow, what an exciting and full Christmas holiday we had! Daddy was on vacation, so it was nice to have him home with us... unfortunately, we all ended up sick (thankfully in between Christmas and New Year's).
Christmas Eve we went to our church's Christmas Eve service (I enjoyed it by teaching the preschoolers - what an awesome bunch of kids showed up that night!) and then we finally got to see Andrew's brother, sister-in-law and our nieces, Addy and Zoey. Avery was super excited Addy showed up in her class that night - they would not stop hugging and kissing each other.
When we got home, we spent a little time with his family, but we also gave our gifts to the girls: new sets of pjs for each girl, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom books for Hadley and Llama Llama books for Avery, as well as an ornament each (Belle for Avery, Baby's First Christmas for Hadley). Avery surprisingly understood she needed to go right to sleep and bedtime was fairly easy. She sad goodbye for the year to Horton our Elf (who left her presents and some books before he left).
The next morning, I woke up about 7:30 am (I am usually the first up). Neither Avery or Andrew wanted to get up to open presents, but since my family was coming at 9:00 am, they finally consented.
Avery was SO excited for all she got from Santa! And Hadley really liked the presents she got too. She tore right in to the wrapping paper! :)
We had breakfast with my family and then opened more presents. Avery got way too much - you can tell when she's tired of opening them.
After that, we headed to Andrew's parents' for the rest of the night - where we also received way too many gifts! Our families are so good to us, and to our girls.
Monday night/Tuesday morning I ended up with the stomach flu. A few days later, both girls woke up puking. And Andrew suffered from an ear infection. It was a week of laying around the house! Thankfully, we were good to go by New Year's and spent the New Year with some family and some of our great friends.
Avery's favorite gifts:
Pink CD player with microphone
Play kitchen
Ariel salon
Baby Alive doll
Disney princess "Barbie" dolls
Portable DVD player
Cinderella Cat (thanks to some Build-A-Bear giftcards)
Cinderella alarm clock
Books - the girl can't get enough
Hadley's favorite gifts:
Violet
VTech jungle toy
Crawl ball
Ball popper
(At least, I think so - these are the ones that have captured her attention the most)
So thankful for the time we got to spend with family this past week and a half. We are both very close to our families and we enjoy spending time with them, and I know Avery absolutely loves it; especially the time she got to spend with her cousin, Addy.
Christmas Eve we went to our church's Christmas Eve service (I enjoyed it by teaching the preschoolers - what an awesome bunch of kids showed up that night!) and then we finally got to see Andrew's brother, sister-in-law and our nieces, Addy and Zoey. Avery was super excited Addy showed up in her class that night - they would not stop hugging and kissing each other.
When we got home, we spent a little time with his family, but we also gave our gifts to the girls: new sets of pjs for each girl, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom books for Hadley and Llama Llama books for Avery, as well as an ornament each (Belle for Avery, Baby's First Christmas for Hadley). Avery surprisingly understood she needed to go right to sleep and bedtime was fairly easy. She sad goodbye for the year to Horton our Elf (who left her presents and some books before he left).
The next morning, I woke up about 7:30 am (I am usually the first up). Neither Avery or Andrew wanted to get up to open presents, but since my family was coming at 9:00 am, they finally consented.
Avery was SO excited for all she got from Santa! And Hadley really liked the presents she got too. She tore right in to the wrapping paper! :)
We had breakfast with my family and then opened more presents. Avery got way too much - you can tell when she's tired of opening them.
After that, we headed to Andrew's parents' for the rest of the night - where we also received way too many gifts! Our families are so good to us, and to our girls.
Monday night/Tuesday morning I ended up with the stomach flu. A few days later, both girls woke up puking. And Andrew suffered from an ear infection. It was a week of laying around the house! Thankfully, we were good to go by New Year's and spent the New Year with some family and some of our great friends.
Avery's favorite gifts:
Pink CD player with microphone
Play kitchen
Ariel salon
Baby Alive doll
Disney princess "Barbie" dolls
Portable DVD player
Cinderella Cat (thanks to some Build-A-Bear giftcards)
Cinderella alarm clock
Books - the girl can't get enough
Hadley's favorite gifts:
Violet
VTech jungle toy
Crawl ball
Ball popper
(At least, I think so - these are the ones that have captured her attention the most)
So thankful for the time we got to spend with family this past week and a half. We are both very close to our families and we enjoy spending time with them, and I know Avery absolutely loves it; especially the time she got to spend with her cousin, Addy.
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