We've Made it This Far

We're a little over a week in and things are looking up. Here are a few successes:

Success #1: Our first outing as a family was to see my OB on V's one week birthday. I was apprehensive because of the breastfeeding thing, but we managed. She ate at home and we left. We hit an obstacle when we had to wait about an hour to actually see the doctor. Then he had to remove my staples and doctor me up. V stayed pretty calm due to the introduction of the pacifier. That thing was a miracle worker. I was hesitant, but gave it to her for our own sanity. Sometimes she just wants to be soothed. I tried nursing her before we left the office, but she wasn't having it. So, we held our breath and left.

Success #2: After the doctor visit we had to head over to the hospital to retrieve a jacket we'd left. They had a hard time locating it and the entire time my stress level is rising because I know V needs to eat. She's staying calm, but I'm slowly losing it. As we left there was a family bathroom so I stepped in there and got her latched on. I didn't want to nurse her in a bathroom so we kept walking and she nursed while we walked. So, not only did I successfully feed her in public, but I walked while doing it. I'm going pro soon.

Success #3: We ate out in public. Again, I nursed her while I ate. It was a struggle, but we managed. It can be done.

Success #4: She had her own doctor visit on Saturday to check her weight gain. She was 8lbs 6oz at birth, 7lbs 11oz when we left the hospital, 7lbs 9oz at her checkup last Tuesday and this Saturday she was at 7lbs 14oz. She's gaining like a champ. We go back next Saturday to see where she is. As long as she's gaining she's ok, but they'd like her to be back to her birth weight. She's eating very well so we shouldn't have a problem at least being close to that.

Success #5: A visit to Gran's. Tempers and patience have been running short around this house. We're all stuck in the house and Ollie's energy level has reached a new high. He needs to get out. So, we decided to take him to Gran's and throw him in the pool. We had dinner over there and then Ollie was entertained by Gran and Pappaw (thankfully) and then the boys went swimming. It was a pleasant and much needed break from the daily routine.

Success #6: Swaddling. V's been fussy at night leaving me to get very little sleep. I tried swaddling her in the beginning with a knit blanket that is very stretchy. She managed to get herself out of the swaddle about 5 seconds after I wrapped her up tight. I wrongly assumed she didn't like having her hands confined. My next sanity saver was to put her in her carseat at night. We did this with Ollie when he was little and it worked. It worked with her for a couple of nights, but soon that faded and she was again fussy. Well, two nights ago I decided to use these blankets that are quite large, thin and just a bit stretchy. WORKED PERFECTLY!!! So, thank you Dru Donald for these blankets. Run out and buy some for those grandgirls! They are Carter's for anyone else interested.

And success #7: She's still a girl!! When we announced the sex of this baby girl we put a pink onesie on Ollie's babydoll and took his picture. This morning I put a onesie on V and realized it was the same one I'd put on the babydoll. So, here's a second shot to say, "Yep, she's still a girl." She has the best big brother EVER!





So, we are slowly making our way into the world with this fourth member of our family and I'm beginning to be able to distinguish one day from the next. I actually got quite a bit of sleep last night and hope that continues. Of course, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...I'm going to use that to say that while we're having some good things going for us these past few days our microwave also went out. How are we supposed to eat without a microwave? :-) Home Depot will be here Thursday to install our new one.

Happy Birthday, Vivian...and happy other days, too.

 We welcomed Vivian Nicole on Thursday, June 14, 2012. I had a repeat scheduled c-section and everything went great. Vivian is perfect and had no complications. I had her Thursday morning and because my recovery was going so well they let me go home a day early!!! So we took her home on Saturday. Much more comfortable!

Some things have been going smoothly. The joys of babyhood...

1. Seeing Ollie interact with her. He's amazing. He always wants to hug her and kiss her and tells others to treat her gently. He's a great big brother!

2. Cuddling with her even at 3am. She's such a good little snuggler.

3. Rubbing her satiny, soft skin.




4. Seeing her seeing me. She rarely opens her eyes these days and its a fantastic feeling when she gazes at me.

5. Imagining what our lives will be like going forward. Its hard to believe that someday we'll have two bodies running us ragged and filling our home with laughter.







Some things have not been going so smoothly. The downs of babyhood...

1. Breastfeeding isn't as easy as lactation consultants would like us all to think. I think they set us up for failure. They make you  think it should be simple and natural so when it isn't you feel like you're doing something wrong. I'm overcoming these feelings, but at 3am its hard to think positively when my baby won't latch on properly. HANDS...did you know babies have hands? The lactation consultants fail to tell you about these hands. I wake Vivian from sleep as soon as she starts stirring because I know she'll want to eat. By the time I get her clothes off of her and her diaper changed and ready to attach she's already chewing those hands and wailing when no milk appears. Then as I'm trying to get her latched on properly she's yelling at me and sticking those hands in her mouth. I don't have a third hand so it makes it difficult to get those darned things out of the way. And they have that rooting reflex that makes them turn their heads to the side. Well, if I had a nipple on my upper arm we'd be golden. Since I don't I have to deal with her turning her head to the side as I'm supposed to be aligning her tummy with mine and keeping her head facing me. She turns her head to the side and again tries to attach to my arm. When no milk comes flowing forth she wails and again, eats her hands.

2. Sleep. I don't feel sleepy most of the time, but I feel a tiredness that wears on my patience and my nerves. I know one day this will pass, but right now I'd like to get some solid sleep.

3. While Ollie is awesome with her he seems to have gotten louder and more rambunctious in the past few days. He runs non stop and won't stop yelling. He's just playing and having fun, but he's lacking some attention and seeing it directed somewhere else so he feels he needs to be loud and be seen most of the time. It makes it difficult, especially when recovering from major abdominal surgery to keep my cool with him. I'm a nervous wreck when he gets near me because I just know he's going to reopen my incision without the precision of a medical doctor and his tools. As I heal its less worrisome.

4. Healing is going great, but man its a pain. Literally and figuratively. I want to be back to my pre-pregnancy self and do the things I used to do now that I'm not carrying a child inside of me. However, I still can't stand up straight without some major effort. I know I'll get there, but today's not looking like that day.

5. Everyday goings. It's hard to get out of the house, not that we will be toting a newborn to Walmart, but a walk through the park would be nice. It makes it hard when breastfeeding isn't coming naturally, when pain is still a factor and when a newborn is so unpredictable at this point. We have doctors appointments to keep so that is another obstacle. We have to strategically plan things so we minimize meltdowns (mine included). It makes me very nervous.

So, my downs are a little more detailed than my joys, but don't be mistaken; I wouldn't do anything differently if I got a do-over.

Operation Fill the Freezer Complete (Almost)

Well, folks, tomorrow is the big day. By 9am we hope to have our little Vivian in our arms! Yay! So completely ready!

My mom came up a few days early to help me prepare some meals for the week following our homecoming. We've had a BUSY couple of days and now we're almost done. I think Mom may finish up for me while I'm in the hospital. She's the best! I got these recipes from a book called, tasteofhome freezer pleasers Cookbook. (Yes, the lowercase and running of words together is actually on the cover.) Great book with great pictures and EASY recipes.

First we cooked a ton of chicken. To be exact, twelve pounds of chicken breasts plus a whole chicken for broth making purposes. Here's a small sample when we got started.

Here's the menu:

Colorful Chicken Casserole. YUM. Trust me, we had some for lunch. Recipe here.

Chicken Enchiladas: YUM. I hope. Here's a picture, but I forgot to snap a picture of the ones we made. We also removed the jalapenos. Picture credit and recipe here.

Chicken and Bows: YUM. I sneaked a taste. Again, forgot to snap a shot. Photo credit and recipe here.

Moms Homemade Chicken Dressing: YUM. Trust me, I've eaten a lot of this stuff AND had some at lunch with our Colorful Chicken Casserole. No picture of this either and you aren't getting the recipe because Mom's instructions were to "add a few finger fulls of this" and "I'll know how much cornmeal when I see it in the bowl." So, that's not that helpful. :-) Think Thanksgiving Day and you'll understand its goodness.

Mom's also gonna make some breakfast burritos while I'm bed ridden. Can't wait to try those!

Finally, after all that cooking and with the expectation of more cooking we had to make a Walmart run. So, I decided to make a stop at the local Pretty Nails where I got my toes did. My feet were killing me and were quite ignored for 9 months so I decided a pre-hospital stay pedicure was in order. Fantastic idea!!!

Farewell to these fat feet!

And in farewell to you all I will post some cute pictures next week of little Baby V!

I Have to Pee; Let Me Clear a Space in the Fridge First...

Yes, you read that correctly. Those words came out of my mouth this very morning.

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from another OB in my OB's practice who had reviewed my chart and decided I should come in today to pick up a 24-hour urine sample kit. Fun stuff. So, I go in and get the bright orange jug and am told to use it each time I go to the bathroom for the next 24 hours oh, and keep it cold. Great. So now, not only do I have to collect my pee, but I get to store it next to the orange juice.

On my health, my doctor and I had a long discussion about how he doesn't see there's any problem other than gestational hypertension and doesn't suspect pre-eclampsia. He understands I'm delivering via C-section on Thursday and he is "covering his tail." So, I think I'm fine and this is all for show. No one wants to be the one who gets the blame if something is missed.

If something does come of this test then she may come as early as ..... WEDNESDAY. Wow, a whole day early. I'm annoyed in case you can't tell.

Have a great Monday!!!

Where've I Been? You Ask...

So, this blog was started with the intent of saving the world. Not really, but seriously I wanted to log hours as a volunteer and blog about it so others may feel inspired to do the same. Long story short, but it seems there is already a wealth of volunteers out there and it also seems they aren't looking for more. Without going into much detail, I don't have the energy at this time to pursue volunteering when I have to be the one "begging" to help. I thought my volunteerism would be welcomed with open arms...not the case. So, I'll focus on my little family for now, especially since #2 will be here any day now. I still want to blog so I'll just blog about my everyday life. Boring, yes, but fun for me. Ha.


To start I am 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant today with Vivian Nicole! Yay, a girl! We expect her arrival any day now, but most likely on June 14 because we have a c-section already scheduled. Things have been eventful, but not damaging. For example, I've visited a cardiologist, had pneumonia twice and spent an afternoon in the ER which resulted in an order from my OB that I can no longer go for airplane rides and have been recently monitoring my blood pressure. After hundreds of dollars spent it is determined I'm normal and tired, I'm fine.

We're getting things ready at turtle speed for Vivian's arrival. Baby #2 sure brings a different attitude than #1. Things are spread out all over the house, but thanks to a "sprinkle" my mom and niece put together for me, as well as the generosity of a few friends, we do have 4-6 packs of newborn diapers in the house. Problem is....she's supposed to be born an 8 pounder or more.

I'm getting excited to meet her and hold her. I hear she has a head of hair so I packed some bows for the hospital. I feel her wiggle around a lot more than Ollie did when I carried him so it's a different experience and slightly more rewarding since I can feel the fruits of my labor. Ollie was just a rock under my rib. In his defense the poor guy didn't have a lot of fluid to swim around in and we just didn't know. Baby V is checked once per week so we know she's doing well!

We don't have a nursery for her as our 3rd bedroom is in the basement. Not going there. So, until we add on to our house she'll live in our room. I think that's why I feel so discombobulated, because her stuff isn't all together where I can see it. When I had Ollie his nursery was ready months before his arrival and I could walk in the closet and see everything that was there. Now I'm just winging it.

3 more days!