Just A Daily Recap

Today was the first day since A's arrival, where I feel like we are hitting a good routine. Of course, tomorrow I could wake up and things could be falling apart; but for now I am enjoying the controlled chaos and content baby girls.

Yesterday was definitely not one of those days. We had to wake up early and get to the pediatrician's office by 8:30am. It took some effort, but we got there...and on time. Lorelai then preceded to scream and cry at every nurse that dared to pay her any sort of attention. She followed that by melting down at the sight of the doctor. The funny thing is, she loves doctors...in theory. She knows they help people/babies feel better, she picks them out happily in their white coats; yet this always-healthy kid hates conversing with her own friendly doctor. It's not like she has had any bad experience with him/them. She has only visited for check-ups. This kid is rarely sick. It made no sense.
That's Lorelai in a nutshell though. I must say "I don't understand what you want" at least two dozen times a day.
The visit was Adalaide's 2 week check up. She is doing great. She is "perfect" so said the doctor, and I can't disagree. ;) She is 1 ounce shy of meeting her birth weight and she has already grown half an inch taller/longer. This is good news after my struggles with mastitis so early on, but I am still nursing and happy to know she is doing so well.
15 minutes later, I shuffled out of the office with a infant in her carseat and a toddler throwing a tantrum. I know they must see all sorts of fussy kids all day long, but I still felt bad that LEL was starting off their day in such a loud and obnoxious manner.
Once in the car, Lorelai was a different kid. She was smiling and kicking her legs with joy, knowing we were done.
"Bye doctor!" she happily shouted to the building as we were driving off.

That cute, little stinker.

I did leave LEL with Grandma and Aunt Hannah while I took A to the hospital to get her 2nd PKU blood work done. After the fun at the pediatrician's, I did not want to repeat it at the hospital outpatient lab. Luckily, that process did not take as long as I feared and we were done with appointments and doctors by lunch.

I was able to sneak in a mini nap in the afternoon, but I was still dead tired by 11pm. Adalaide's schedule is somewhat predictable, and I know the earliest I can get to bed is around that time. She eats (some times in 2 parts) around 10pm, then there is the diaper change...usually more than one, then swaddling and getting her to sleep. I am then up again at 1am to feed again, and every 2-3 hours after that. Such is the nightlife with a newborn. She does not cry very much at all, which does help the process.
I have been telling her since she was 20 weeks along that she needed to be my "mellow kid." Maybe she listened. Still way too early to gauge her personality...but being more mellow only seems fair- especially if you were at the doctor's office with LEL. ;)

Anyway, this morning; much better. We have only had one fit thus far and we are in a much better mood after we saw the trash truck drive around our circle, dumping all the bins on the curb.

This weekend will be a busy one, so let's hope this good mood continues to grow through the holiday!


M.LEWIS

Bumps After Pregnancy

*Please excuse the grammar/spelling issues. I am tired. Thanks :)*

This week Addy will turn 2 weeks old, and I have yet to be alone with both my girls. Chris has graciously and selflessly taken the last 8 days off of work to help with the duties of toddler/newborn care and then to help with my recovery from mastitis.

I'm not going to lie, I am a little uneasy with the idea of taking care of LEL and A by myself again. Why? Well, mainly because I want my kids to be happy; and lately, LEL is not happy. I believe it is the combination of having a new member of the family that has a odd feeding schedule of every-two-hours/needs mom & mom's body to eat/cries, if she makes any noise at all/requires to be held all the time; and the sudden disappearance of her normal, happy schedule.

My goal is to try a reinstate her "normal" for her...at least some version of such, as soon as possible. This basically means getting her out of the house for a few hours (maybe now only a couple) every day to see some other faces other than Chris' and mine...this means grandma and Aunt Hannah for the most part. They live 5 minutes down the road, have tons of toys, and are aware (and tolerant) of all her quirks...and lately, her crankiness.

The only thing I need to do this week is 2 appointments on Wednesday morning. One at the pediatrician's office and one at the hospital for A's second PKU test. This means no pain medication so I can safely drive my kiddos and myself around. A few days ago this made me nervous. Now I know I can function just fine without them. Though, to be honest, I never felt handicapped by the meds, if anything, it's more my lack of sleep that will affect my driving skills. Other than that, we will take it one day at a time.

I do take comfort in the fact that even if LEL is having a horrible day, we can stay at home, she can scream her little pretty head off, and I know we won't be bothering anyone. I am so thankful we are out of the apartment with this time around!

Please think happy, content thoughts for my girls, especially Lorelai. I feel for her and her small, upside-down world. All I can do is keep offering her love, attention, and patience. Even through her fussiness and frustration, she still loves Adalaide. She pats her on the head, lovingly calls her baby-sister, and always wants her to have a paci available. These two will do just fine, I know this; in spite of all the bumps in the road lately, I know this. :)

M.LEWIS 

 

Adalaide's Arrival

Bright Dark and early in the morning, my alarm went off. It was time to get up, it was time to prepare for Adalaide's arrival. That's the thing with inductions- you can plan for them.
At 39 weeks, I was more than ready to finally meet my second little girl.

I was already packed for the most part, the carseat was installed, Lorelai's things were organized and ready to go, all we needed was to get moving. We dropped Lorelai off at my mom's, waited a bit to hear for the "all systems go" from Labor and Delivery and then we were out the door. I felt for my little sweets, she did not want both Chris and myself to leave, and I wish I could take her with us. I knew that would never work, so we distracted her enough to slip out with the promise to see her soon...along with her baby sister.

At the hospital, I was in bed answering questions, getting an IV, and preparing my mind for the impending labor. Pitocin in, water broken, and we were on our way by 10:30am. The contractions came on stronger and stronger as the minutes/hours passed by. I received an epidural at some point (I lost track of time), and I was looking forward to the relief. It was not a fun process. I knew it wouldn't be, I had one with Lorelai, I should have gotten over it...but I still dreaded the whole procedure. I flinched, a few times; something you do not want to do while a needle is being placed in your spine. Somehow I was still enough to get it done and I waited for the sweet numbness.

It came.

It went.

My first suspicion that something was not working as well as I wanted was when I felt some discomfort (TMI alert) around my catheter. Within half an hour, the discomfort turned into pain. I called the nurse and she checked everything...it was okay, but I was still in pain. She said it was probably the baby settling down further and to press my handy-dandy pain meds booter button. I did that already...I did it again.
"Call me when you feel a lot of pressure." she told me, and stepped out.

17 seconds later I sent Chris out to stop her and bring her back.

The catheter pain was now intense pressure/pain in my groin. She checked my progress. 9 cm dilated. She told me to try pushing and she sent someone to call my OB. "You don't have to rush, but she's starting to push."

HA. I heard that and I knew she couldn't be more wrong.

That epidural? Completely unhelpful. I felt as if a large, heavy bowling ball was trying to escape my body. I was not happy. If I was going to feel labor as if I had no epidural, I might as well not have had one.

I pushed only once more before the same woman got back on the phone with my OB. "Um, yeah, she's going to need to hurry." Waiting for my doctor to show up while literally holding in a human-being was the longest, most painful experience of my life. My OB flew through the door and immediately started to gown up. I believe I pushed another 2-3 rounds. Every event felt in high definition...episiotomy and all. I remember my Dr. asking me during labor "Your epidural isn't working is it? You seem to be feeling all this."

Um. Yep. Exactly.

After a weird pop of relief, my second daughter was born...and my body relaxed in achieving its goal. She was placed on my chest screaming and I had never felt so happy not to be in pain in my life. I looked at her and thought "My pain was probably only a fraction of what she just went through...but we did it, together.

I watched as Adalaide was being wiped clean over by the baby bed and her dad. I watched as I felt my doctor stitch me up. Sigh. Not how I wanted it to go, but it was the way it went. It was over. 39 weeks, and my baby was here. Adalaide Olivia; 8lbs 0oz, 21 inches long...and oh-so perfect.

Lewis. Family of 4 ♥

M.LEWIS

Reasons to LOVE Wednesday

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Adalaide's Birthday.

Yep. 5 days until my induction! I am excited and anxious. The day is creeping closer, but I still have some "still pregnant" time to bank first. I am looking forward to so many things about A's arrival and subsequently, the end of my second pregnancy.

• Fitting into more clothes.
• My stomach has been measuring about 2-3 weeks bigger than it should for months. At almost 39 weeks, my stomach is measuring over 40 weeks. My maternity pants are limited to 3 pair, and my shirts are dwindling down as well...mainly in the short-sleeved department. And pajamas? Ha.
• Eating without restrictions
• Marinara sauce is not something I usually think about, but pregnancy does not mix well with it. It was the same with Lorelai. I eat marinara sauce and heartburn fierce and unrelenting arrives in a matter of minutes. Recently, carbonated drinks are also bad...along with: black pepper, sugar?!, spices or seasoning of most varieties, and drinks heavy with acidity. So...basically...my diet. I do eat some of these things anyway. I have to eat and I want to eat things I like!
• No heartburn
• I know, "didn't you just say that?" Well, not really. While certain foods bring on the burn, other things do as well. Laying on my right side is certain to spark that lovely feeling, along with bending over to pick up something. Tums have been a staple in my house for months and months.
• Bye-bye body aches
• It doesn't stop at backaches (though those are pretty consistent and intense), I also have aches in my ribcage. I cannot lean forward hardly at all. There is no room left to maneuver. I have a little baby butt and feet pressing up into my ribcage most of the day. Laying down helps, but then I invite the heartburn for sure...and laziness. I hate feeling lazy. Not that I have a lot of opportunity for that due to my Lorelai. ;) 
• Caffeine
• It's not just the feeling of being more alert, it's also what makes coffee, coffee. Decaf coffee just doesn't taste the same, it tastes...muted. I have cheated a bit on and off with "real" coffee, but it is only with a few sips...not much at all. It will also open doors with soda options, but I didn't mind the decaf options with those...they were just hard to find. 
• Feeling like myself
• All these things by themselves are annoying, but together, they make you feel more than a little off. I am now swollen, my joints are loose, my feet hurt if I stand too long, I am hot/sweaty all the time, my lips are always chapped, I can't tie shoes or carry a load of laundry. I just feel handicapped. 
• The most important of all:::HAVING A BABY
• I look at the tiny diapers in the drawer, wash the small onesies, dig out the bottles from the pantry...and all I can think is: how surreal that she will be here in less than a week. I remember LEL that small, and yet, I don't. Seems so long ago. In a way, I am looking forward to A's arrival more than Lorelai's simply because I know what the heck to expect. I was never scared with LEL, but I was anxious about labor, unsure about nursing, concerned about every developmental milestone, etc...this time, I feel more confident, more in control. I guess that is normal with baby #2. I also look forward to coming home to a house and not apartment. It feels more comforting, more secure. I also am excited for Lorelai. She loves babies and playmates. I see this as the beginning of enriching her life in a way only a sibling (a sister, really) can. I think she will be as in love with her as we will...as we already are. :)

 And the countdown continues!

M.LEWIS