Life and What We Make of It

Making an Effort

2011-04-25T22:15:00.001-04:00

I have not even looked at my blog in months. Before that I just could not find the time to post anything that I had planned. So, as of this moment I am going to make a more conscious effort to update this blog.

Life has been hectic, chaotic, and wonderful. We've been busy with homeschooling and life in general. Our newest adventure yet is going to begin soon. I'll be going back to school to start my path to becoming a CNM. It's going to be fun, challenging, and I'm looking forward to every minute of it. However, I shall go into that in more depth another night. I am currently beyond tired after a very long day, so I am turning in early.

My plans for upcoming posts are parenting (connection, playful, and mostly AP style) and what homeschooling means to us. One of them will be tomorrow...

Family Fun at Disney!

2010-06-06T20:16:00.001-04:00

Earlier this year we took advantage of buying the FL resident discount for a 4 Day Dream Pass. We decided that we would go to each of the Disney parks. We had been to Magic Kingdom before when S was 18 months, but we'd never been to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom. Even though the boys are young (and free until 3 yrs old) it was well worth it. S had the best time!

So let's start our adventure with our trip to Epcot in March. The picture above is Spaceship Earth. We went during the Flower and Garden Festival, which is held in the spring time, and I'd definitely recommend people go during that event because it was amazing to see all of the character sculpted topiaries. As you can guess I took many pictures of these beautiful creations as we wandered the park. That Lady and the Tramp topiary was in Italy. Obviously someone had a sense of humor because this next one made us laugh.

While we were there we wandered through each country, taking pictures and smelling the fantastic food. Epcot is known for its great food! It's not the most kid friendly park just because there is a lot of wandering through the different countries with less flashy fun stuff for kids than say Magic Kingdom. There are movie type rides that let you explore the different cultures, which is not that interesting for a 2 year old. When the boys are older I hope to take them back so they can experience and appreciate the performances and movies. It's still fun to do with kids, but they won't be as entertained throughout the day. If you want to go just adults, I imagine it would be fantastic... I'd have plenty of money available though because all the different foods available are very tempting!

Before you wander the countries there is a section that's more kid friendly. This was where S had the most fun. In particular he loved the Finding Nemo ride. After that ride you can spend some time in the building looking at the aquariums. I knew that would be S's favorite because he is obsessed with Sea World. His fascination with marine life is unbounded. He would have gone on that ride all day if we had let him. He also enjoyed the 3 Caballeros boat ride in Mexico, but not as much as Nemo.

Of course, we met multiple characters. The first ones we saw were Chip N' Dale. We even waited in line to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy. Z was asleep for all but the picture with Goofy, and S was real tired by that point too so he didn't even smile.

Overall, it was a good day. It was worth the experience, but I doubt I would do it again with young children. My next post will be about Magic Kingdom and will probably have more tips and tricks for dealing with 2 kids under 3 and still having some adult fun, but not until tomorrow seeing as Z has been asleep for quite some time now and I'd like to catch a little rest before he wakes up to nurse.Until then...

I'm a Blog Slacker, I Know!

2010-05-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

I have not been keeping up with this as much as I planned. You can't really blame me though (well, technically you can).

We live in Florida and the weather has been fabulous so we have not been spending as much time in the house, and if we are in the house we've been doing fun preschool activities. S is really interested in school, so I just decided to go ahead and home preschool him and he loves it! No need to send him somewhere and pay for someone else to teach him things when I can teach him myself and cater more to his desires. I love that he's like a sponge and wants to learn any and everything so we can do a variety of fun educational things. I have discovered that while he enjoys uninhibited play learning, he does far better with a little structure. Also, with the structure his behavior improves so he's not as much of a rambunctious little boy. I can get him to channel his energy on a specific task and he just gets enthralled in what he is doing. It's pretty fantastic to watch the little wheels turn in his head as he figures new things out. I love it!

Aside from that Z has been a cling-on lately. And God forbid I attempt to sit at the computer for more than 5 minutes! He is most definitely teething and handles it almost the complete opposite of S. S had a much higher pain tolerance, well I guess he still has a very high pain tolerance. Z, no so much! This teething business bothers him greatly! Lately he has only wanted me and has not wanted to be put down. I feel extra bad on the days where he is so bothered that he doesn't even want me to hold him. Of course, I still do because if I put him down he screams more. Those days are definitely a lose lose situation for all involved. Those are the days I feel bad for the husband who is trying to sleep before work. I have no idea how he sleeps through the noise!

With all of this I have definitely not been thinking of blogging, and I've barely been keeping up with twitter, which you'd assume would be easier, but there are so many people I find interesting that I can't seem to keep up with it all! How do some of you do it?!

I'll be updating again soon (I think), about our recent trips to Epcot and Magic Kingdom, and at some point at the end of May I'll make another update about Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios during a Star Wars Weekend. There will be pictures and tips that I have found very helpful, especially going with two children under 3.

So until then, happy blogging to you!

Playroom!

2010-04-17T11:12:00.000-04:00

So we've recently been creating a playroom for the boys. We have a small house so we decided to do a partial conversion of the garage. I wanted to create an inviting creative play area for them. S is a budding artist (his new fascination is painting) so I really wanted a room that would help spark his already big imagination. This is what the garage looked like when we first moved in... it was gross!

The garage was eventually full of boxes, pet items, and basically lots of junk. Sorting through everything and getting rid of unnecessary items was the biggest task, but we did it! We primed and painted it and then I started to decorate it! There was still quite a bit of stuff that needed a new home though... as you can see.

Of course, once that was accomplished I needed to mop the floor to prepare for the new rugs! Z helped...

The final decorative items came in the mail, along with the rugs, on Friday. Then I was able to get everything set up! I moved toys and creative play items into the room in preparation for the big unveiling!

Here is the final product! Needless to say, the boys love it! Well, S does and I'm sure Z will when he gets bigger. One of S's favorite parts is the chalkboard wall decals!

I'll end this post with a picture of the boys playing. Z loves to watch everything S does!

Beach Days!

2010-04-10T20:34:00.000-04:00

This past week has been quite busy! We've been converting the garage into a play room, I made a couple big dinners for a friend who recently had her second child, and had tons of cleaning to get done. Despite all of that we managed to have some fun by going to the beach for a day! It was Z's first trip to a beach, aside from when he was in the womb.

The trip was initially just going to be the boys and I, plus my mother. Then my mother invited my grandmother. I love that woman to pieces, but she can be a real downer most of the time. The inevitable happened with her bringing down the fun until she left early, but we still managed to have a fantastic time!

S became a sand monster. I kid you not, he was covered. I think the massive amounts of sun block I put on him made the sand stick to him like glue! There was a giant hole that someone had created that S felt needed his attention. He was jumping in and out of it, rolling around in it, and just, in general, having a good time in the sand. He built some sand castles and a sand turtle, complete with sea shells to make up the turtle shell. It was very cute. He refused to go in the water though. That was something new since he used to love going in the ocean. Instead we just filled pails of water and dumped them on each other. He really enjoyed collecting sea shells this time around. He took a couple walks with Grandma and Great Grandma to find lots of shells while I sat with the sleepy little Z man.

I think Z enjoyed himself too. It was his first time at the beach. We had the blanket and towel laid out, a basket for him to nap in, the big umbrella to block the sun, and toys for him to play with too. He even took a nap. I didn't expect him to actually nap while we were there but he did! It was amazing! He had on his little iplay swim outfit too. Super cute!

Of course both boys caught the attention of the people all around us. Z was smiling at random people from the blanket and S hardly noticed anyone else because he was so busy playing. He even found a hidden treasure... It's the second time he has found a toy car buried in the sand. This time, though, he lost it before we left.

Of course while we were there I forgot to take care of myself. That's right... I forgot to put sunblock on. I don't turn red when I burn, just end up looking dark, but I could definitely feel the burn. Not too pleasant! I'll have to take mental note to remember myself too! Overall, the trip was great! For the past few days S has asked me if we can go to the beach to eat lunch again and play in the sand. It's hard to say no to him when he is being so sweet. If we lived closer to the beach we'd be there more often. Some day he'll understand, I hope!

What About Me?!

2010-03-29T20:33:00.000-04:00

Since I've talked about the rest of the family, I may as well introduce my husband (referred to as N in previous posts) and myself, right?

A little about N:

N spent most of his childhood in the tiny town of Zumbrota, MN. Following in his sister's footsteps, he decided to go to college in WI, Northland College to be precise. He graduated with his BA in Biology with a minor in History (it's a passion of his).

N is 6' 4" and thin, definitely underweight for his height, but it's not for a lack of eating (I would know since I cook for him!). He works two basic level jobs that have nothing to do with his degree just because the economy is horrible and we need an income to pay bills. In his free time he reads, sits on his computer, or plays video games... yeah, he's a sarcastic nerdy gamer. It's part of his charm, that and his ability to carry on an intellectual conversation while still being able to be down to earth and have fun.

As for me... I was born and raised in MA, all over the place. The place I lived the longest and consider my hometown would be Watertown, MA. MUCH bigger than Zumbrota! I also decided to go to college in WI. Guess where I picked?! That's right, good ole Northland College. I graduated with my BA in Biology as well, with a minor in Psychology. All things psychological are my guilty pleasure! I do tend to analyze everything, without always meaning to or trying. I am also a nerdy gamer, with no time to game. I used to enjoy my video game time, mostly RPGs and playing D&D with friends. I did make time this year to read Under the Dome by Stephen King! He is one of my favorite authors!

I am now a SAHM and most of my free time is spent on the computer. I started working when I was 14, so it was definitely a big transition for me to go from full time student with a job to being a stay at home mom. At this point I have done nothing with my degree. It's pretty depressing to think about how much money was spent on it and it's just a piece of paper on my bookshelf. At an undecided time in the future, I'll be returning to school to get a second degree, this time it'll be my BSN for me to become an RN. I'd eventually love to become a CNM, or LM, but I'll be happy being an RN for a while. Oh and if you couldn't tell by the pictures, I am 5'2" and very petite. I'll touch on the issues I have with being my size in a post later.

How N and I Met:

We met our freshman year of college. We had a lot of the same classes and we worked together in the school cafeteria, specifically in the dish room. As much as some people hated that job, including us at times, it was still a lot of fun if you were working a shift with the right people. So we became friends pretty quickly. Having similar interests helps too.

Apparently N saw me before I ever saw him. His dad actually pointed me out in the first few days of being on campus before leaving on our Outdoor Orientation trips (OO trips). I guess his dad spotted me running around like a crazy person on "The Mall" (the field in front of the campus center) with my OO group and he said to N "There's the girl for you." Call that fate, destiny, or dumb luck... I just think it's funny. My guess is that we were playing one of those ice breaker games, and since I was apparently running around a circle of people I'm going to assume it was "Duck, Duck, Grey Duck." (It'll always really be Duck, Duck, Goose to me but that's besides the point.)

During freshman year we both started dating people. In fact, we both ended up in 2 year relationships. We didn't see each other much sophomore year, mostly because I had moved off campus and my work- study hadn't been renewed that year. The school had run out of funds for it. I would randomly go to N's dorm room to ask for help for Chemistry, but that was very minimal, mostly because I didn't like his girlfriend. I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual since I hardly interacted with her and yet she always seemed to be looking down on me. Not sure if she thought I was annoying, or disliked the way N looked at and interacted with me, or both. Either way it made me not like her very much. Anyway, our respective relationships ended, mine first at the end of sophomore year and his at the beginning of the summer when he realized she had cheated on him a few times.

I spent the entire summer and part of the fall of my Junior year single (1st time since middle school). It was really freeing because I was able to do what I wanted with who I wanted without fear of upsetting someone. I rented my own apartment that year, which was fantastic! Junior year was definitely one of my most social years. I was on campus a lot, involved in a lot of organizations, internships with a veterinarian and with the local humane officer, and spending time with people I hadn't had a chance to in a while. It just so happened that most people I wanted to spend time with were living in the same dorm wing. N and I got back to being friends again, and officially started dating in October, the 11th, National Coming Out Day to be specific. Things were great. He spent nights at my apartment and the rest of our time was spent in classes, at work, or in the dorm or campus center during the day. We worked a lot (we'd both jumped up to being Student Managers in the cafeteria), almost every lunch and dinner shift. We were pretty much always busy.

That following summer I stayed in WI with friends instead of driving back to MA and N went home to MN to work with his uncle. He visited most weekends. I went to visit him a couple weekends as well. The very first weekend in July (the 1st) I got a surprise when I visited. N showed me around town since it was nice out, and we walked to the Covered Bridge Park and had a picnic lunch. He proposed to me while we sat in a grove of trees. He was shaking so much as he pulled the ring box out of his pocket that I couldn't help but smile. He had that look showing his fear of me saying no, but of course I said yes. The relief on his face was immediate. The whole thing would have been much more enjoyable if Aunt Flo hadn't made her appearance while we were sitting in the park. Perfect timing! Of course his mother knew it was going to happen (not Aunt Flo, but the proposal). As soon as we walked back into the house she had that questioning look on her face until she looked at my hand and saw the ring. She gave me the biggest hug. It was nice. While I was there we also made a trip to his uncle's house while most of his family was there to tell them the news. It was official, they had accepted me as part of the family.

Senior year we hit a rough patch part way through the first semester. It was mostly us getting used to living together (we were renting with another couple of friends), worrying about where we were going to live after graduation, etc. It all worked itself out, though getting pregnant with S the following semester was an unexpected curve ball. We were excited nevertheless and told everyone. My dad nearly had a heart attack, though he told me after the fact that I had caught him while he was grocery shopping and that was the last thing he expected me to tell him.

We decided to test out living in MA after graduation since N didn't want to move to Zumbrota. It worked for the summer, and we both found simple jobs pretty quick. After a while my dad's drinking started to bother me so we packed up and made the long drive in a U-Haul to FL to stay with my mom. I don't recommend that drive to anyone pregnant in their third trimester! We stayed with my mom and her boyfriend for a month, until one of my grandfather's properties became available. We rented there for a year. We had our courthouse wedding when S was 7 months old (May 27th). We bought our own place that following November and we've been living here now for almost 2 years. We were able to afford a nice beach wedding ceremony with family and friends when S was 18 months (April 23rd) and I was in my first trimester with Z.

That pretty much brings us up to speed, with more info in the births of the boys and the pet info. It's been crazy but fun and I wouldn't change a thing!

The Pets in My Life (Part 2: The Dogs-- Diddy)

2010-03-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

Diddy:

When S was about 4 months old we decided to take a trip to Kohls and the neighboring shops in Viera. There happened to be a Petland there... I know I know, puppy mill dogs. We decided to go in to look at the dogs on the wall because S really loves animals. There were tons of dogs in those tiny cages on the wall. I hate that the animals are housed like that. They even had a Great Dane puppy in one of the larger cages. I'd like to know what happens to those kind of pups when they get too big for those cages (actually I'd rather not know because it would probably really eat at me). Anyway, they had some birds and ferrets and fish too. We kept coming back to the dog wall, how could you not? N has always liked small dogs, and there just so happened to be a small dog there that caught his eye. I agreed to look at it. He decided it was worth the money to buy it. I went along with it. So my first and only spontaneous dog buy ended up being Diddy. I had never bought a dog from a pet store before and I don't intend to again. I'd much rather adopt one from the shelter. N agrees on that, but for whatever reason this little dog got to him. N named Diddy after Diddy Kong. You know, the monkey from the Donkey Kong Country video game for Super Nintendo.

Diddy is a tri colored Chihuahua. He was super adorable as a puppy. As an adult he is a barker. Not as yappy as some small dogs, but he'll bark at any noise that seems like it is coming towards the house and at people coming in the house. He's our alarm. Diddy and S are only a couple months apart in age, both will be 3 by the end of this year.

Diddy thinks he is the king of the castle. I've never had a dog that was harder to train, and I've had dogs my whole life. Ginger let him be the alpha dog, which has only fed his little dog ego. Sometimes he forgets that he isn't alpha over N and I. He loves the boys and will play to a certain extent, but we have to be more cautious with him around S because he does have that snippy side to him. He's never acted on it, but he will let you know when he's had enough, as opposed to Ginger who just takes it all in only to retaliate with an overdose of dog kisses.

Diddy is the lazy dog, who would be content just sitting on someone's lap getting fat from eating too much food. As far as weight goes he is the opposite of Ginger. If he gets more than his regular feeding you can see his waistline increase. He's a glutton. He actually got his head stuck in an empty Cheez It box yesterday all for the sake of a crumb. If he has access to a trash can he will investigate to find food.

Despite his little flaws, most of the time he's a complete love and a big (little) part of our family.

The pictures included are from when he was a puppy to more recent times.

The Pets in My Life (Part 2: The Dogs-- Ginger)

2010-03-27T15:21:00.000-04:00

After finishing college, N and I made our big move from Wisconsin to Florida. Once we were here and settled we decided that we wanted to add a dog to our growing family (I was pregnant with S at the time).

Ginger:

Ginger is our mutt! We've heard everything from boxer/lab mix, to pit mix, to Black Mouth Curr mix. We decided that she doesn't look "pit" enough so we pretend that possibility isn't there. The vet said Boxer/ lab mix and that is what we told our home owners insurance company which helps us avoid the "bully breed" rule. Whatever she is, she's a love! If that rule wasn't in place we might have adopted a pit from the shelter if one fit our family (I grew up with a pit mix and loved her to pieces!).

She is very thin, on the verge of underweight. She's been that way since we adopted her, so I don't know if there is anything to be done to help her gain weight. She's very active, and her muscles are definitely toned and very noticeable as she runs in the yard. I'm guessing she just has a very high metabolism since she's always been deemed healthy by the vet. (I've always been considered underweight as well so I understand about high metabolisms, but I just don't like the idea that someone might think we starve her or something horrible like that-- I always get asked if I eat enough.) When we were renting, we actually had someone call animal control on us saying that we had an abused, emaciated dog. Of course when the animal control officer showed up and saw her he apologized for wasting our time because she was obviously a happy healthy dog, not emaciated and not abused. Since we've moved and own our house now we haven't had that issue again, but I can't help but think that someone else will see her and think the same thing just because she is thin.

We adopted her from the local shelter. She was roughly 9 months at the time. They called her Gracie, but she never responded to that name. We went through a day or so of testing her reaction to different names, and when we said Ginger she responded instantly. She chose us and her name! Anyway, we got to the shelter and wandered down "Adoption Row" surveying all the poor pups. There were a few that caught our eye, but she begged us to play with her. You could see it in her eyes that she knew we were the ones. We took her out to the play yard and let her run around, did some leash walking, and got to know her a bit. She knew she had a family even when we brought her back to her kennel. We filled out the necessary paperwork and they agreed to let us foster her right away. She still needed to be spayed so we'd have to bring her back in to get that done the following week. They told us she was a stray that someone brought in and was sick (had a cough), and that she was on medicine because she had been throwing up. We brought her home and she never once coughed, but she did throw up twice. No food or anything, just that stomach acidy throw up. We gave her the medicine as directed, but I soon realized that she wasn't sick and the medicine was pointless. On the third day of her being in our house she threw up part of a screen (either a window screen or one from the bottom of a door). After that the vomiting ended. Her body was just trying to expel that screen since it couldn't digest it. She was so much happier after that! My guess is she chewed her way out of her previous owner's house, became a stray, and then got caught and brought to the shelter.

We've never experienced that chewing issue so whatever situation she was in before was probably not the best if she wanted to get out that bad. She does have a stray mentality at times, so she needs to always be on a leash or in our fenced yard if outside, and if the front door is open we make sure she has no way to get to it. We learned quickly after she snuck past my grandfather one day and went on a run by herself. She came back to our front yard just in time for some horrible teenagers in a car to goad her into chasing their car down the road away from the house and towards the main road. Needless to say I shouted some choice words down the street after those punks, as I chased after her with leash in hand, pushing S in the stroller. Yeah... people were looking at me like I was insane since I had been wandering the neighborhood looking for her.

She is a great dog, protector of the family, and loves the boys to pieces. When we brought S home, she would sleep under his swing or right by his crib. She always made sure to let me know if he was crying (as if I didn't already hear him). Now that S is older, they play in the yard all the time. They chase each other and it is adorable. We all know she's fast, so when it's her turn to chase S she trots behind him letting him think he's outrunning her. Then when he turns to chase her she takes off showing her true speed. It's comical to watch. I can't believe she'll be 4 this year!

The pictures included are one from the day we brought her home (the top), and some more recent ones.

The Pets in My Life (Part 1: The Cats)

2010-03-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

I figure that I might as well dedicate an entry or two to introducing our furbabies since I'll end up talking about them later on too. So, let's begin with the cats...

Teke:

Teke is our brown and gray tabby. He is striped on top and spotted on his belly. I adopted him from the vet that I interned at during college of my sophomore and junior years. He was 4 months old at the time. I fostered him and his brother (an all black kitten) after they were brought in to the vet office. Their mother had been hit by a car at the end of someone's driveway and these two kittens were just sitting there by her body waiting. I found a home for Teke's brother and kept him for myself. He's been my big man ever since. He's about 14lbs! He is now about to turn 5! I couldn't imagine not having him as part of the family. Here are a couple pictures of him, one as a kitten and a current one.

Aisha:

Aisha is our black and white cat. We adopted her from the vet a year after we got Teke. She was also 4 months old at the time. Her stray pregnant mother was brought to the vet and gave birth to three female kittens. The mother and one kitten were adopted out pretty quickly, leaving an all black kitten and Aisha. The other kitten was very hyper and all over the place, but Aisha came right over to us and curled up in the hand of my boyfriend (now husband). She picked us. As a result of being away from her mother so quickly she suckled a lot as a kitten. Anything that would get near her mouth. It reminds me now of how a baby roots for their mother for nursing. She's our petite princess, now almost 4 years old... and she'll still suckle if you let her! Here are a couple pictures of her... one of her as a kitten and another of her now on S's bed.

So those are our cats in a nutshell. They have their quirks, but we love them!

The Births of My Boys! (Part 2)

2010-03-21T12:33:00.000-04:00

For this pregnancy I decided to get my prenatal care from a midwife. The difference in quality of care was amazing to me. I don't think I'll ever go back to having an OB unless I become high risk. There had been no known reason for my preterm birth with S, and Z definitely proved to all those with doubts that I am able to carry a full term baby, despite being a very petite woman.

My Amazing Homebirth of Z:

I was 40 weeks 6 days when Z decided to make his appearance. Monday we had a nice day with my in-laws with no imminent signs of labor. My husband (we'll call him N from now on) drove his parents back to the hotel just after 7pm and I got S into bed. N decided to start his leave so he would be home that night. I was very glad he was! I went to bed early, around 9pm, but I couldn't get comfortable at all. N got some sleep while I tried to get comfortable. I ended up taking a few bathroom breaks from 2- 2:30am, and just after 2:30am my water broke while I was in the bathroom. I officially felt the pop and gush that I never got to experience with S's birth.

I called my midwife at about 2:40am to let her know my water had broken, so she told me to time any contractions I was having and call her back. N ended up calling her back within a few minutes because I started having very intense contractions as soon as I hung up with her. I went from zero pain to unbelievable pain in seconds and ended up on all fours on the kitchen floor for a couple contractions, which is where N found me. We timed 1 1/2 contractions which were 2 minutes long and 1-2 minutes apart. While N called my midwife I made my way to the bathroom. She told him to run a bath for me to ease the pain since we had no time to fill the birth tub and she could hear me over the phone. I got in the tub immediately even though it wasn't filled yet. My midwife called the two others in the midwife team so that they could make their way to the house in hopes that one of them would get to us before the baby was born. We called my midwife back and had her on speaker phone while she sped to our house. In the time it took for the bath to fill up I went from saying "I don't want to go unassisted." to "I can feel the head!" My body did all the work. The only conscious pushing I did was to push his body out. Z was born at 3:14am in the water with my husband's help. He had a good set of lungs. His face was purplish in color to start, but when I held him to my chest and rubbed a little with a towel he pinked right up. Then my midwife asked what he was, and I said "It's a boy!" The funny thing is that I knew he was a boy as he was coming out, so it didn't even dawn on me to check until she asked me.

N grabbed some dry towels for us and prepped the bed with the liner and some chux pads so we could move in there to lay down. The umbilical cord was a bit short so we took it slow getting to the bed and it took a little maneuvering to get into a comfortable position with Z. Once in bed we sat until my midwife's assistant showed up first (about 15 minutes after the birth). A few minutes later my midwife arrived, followed by the second midwife. After a little while we delivered the placenta and N was able to cut the cord and hold Z while I took a shower. My body didn't fully register what had happened until I got out of the shower. That's when my legs got a little shaky so they helped me back into bed.

Z nursed like a pro right from the start, which was great. They did the newborn exam after I was out of the shower and resting on the bed eating a snack and drinking some juice. They gave him a little oxygen to dry up any fluid in his lungs since he was born so quick and then we got to really relax. Z was 7lbs 10oz and 22 inches long. The midwives cleaned up, made sure we were settled, and left around 6am so N and I got some sleep. It was so fantastic to sleep in my own bed right away!

S woke up at 8am and met his new little brother.

My labor had been just over half an hour, and I felt amazing! I didn't tear and was able to move around right after the birth. Recovery was much faster for Z's birth and the whole birth experience was much more enjoyable.

Z met his pediatrician the next day and she said he looked great!

Z is now a happy, healthy, 4 month old and I'm showing no signs of my milk drying up, which is very exciting for me!

N and I plan on having one more child at some point in the future, so when the time comes we'll see what excitement will come with that birth.

The Births of My Boys! (Part 1)

2010-03-21T11:18:00.001-04:00

These are two of the most memorable times in my life so I feel the need to share them!

A Preemie Arrives:

It was a Friday morning when I went into labor. I was only at 34 weeks 5 days gestation, a first time mom and extremely nervous about having my baby early. I woke up at 8am, experienced my "bloody show" and started to feel crampy right away. I laid on my left side with my feet up and drank a ton of water in the hopes that this was false labor and nothing more. By about 2:30pm we realized that it was time to go to the hospital. I was still only slightly crampy, but the feeling hadn't let up all day.

We got to the hospital and they brought me up to the labor & delivery triage to test me for preterm labor, put me on some monitors, and have an ultrasound done. The test came back positive, the monitors said I was having contractions (though they didn't hurt and I wasn't dilated), and the ultrasound showed a healthy baby with fully developed lungs measuring right on track for his gestational age. They decided to put me in an observation room for the night just in case I didn't actually go into full labor. My husband and mother went to the cafeteria to get me some food since I hadn't eaten since lunch, and I just watched some TV, occasionally checking the monitor that showed contractions jumping off the chart. That only confirmed to me that I do indeed have a high pain tolerance. As I ate my salad the on call doctor came in to introduce himself. This was about 7pm. He said that if I did start to dilate that they wouldn't stop labor because I am far enough along and the baby's lungs were well developed. He decided to check me to see how I was doing, and the result was that I had just begun to dilate. They transferred me to a labor & delivery room.

I hadn't intended on getting the epidural, especially since I was dealing with the discomfort without a problem. The problem was that I was nervous and about to be a first time mom weeks before I had expected. My nervousness overrode my resolve to go med free, especially when they pulled the "well your baby is coming early and it might help get him out faster and help regulate your contractions better" card. I realized after the fact that had been a lot of crap.

The anesthesiologist came in, I signed the paper he brought, assumed the position and he put that long needle in my back. Any feeling I had in the lower half of my body was gone. I couldn't feel anything and I hated it! I never had to adjust the dosage because that first injection didn't wear off until hours after the birth. I laid in the hospital bed on my back, blood pressure cuff on my arm, IV in my arm, unable to feel anything about the birth. I tried to sleep. Unfortunately for me whenever I'd get to sleep the blood pressure cuff would check my BP (which is always low) and then a nurse would come in and wake me up. It was quite annoying. They checked me randomly during the time I was there, informing me of my progress that I couldn't feel. I just felt very disconnected from the whole process. At 2:30am on Saturday, when I was 34 weeks 6 days pregnant, the nurse came in (I was fast alseep), woke me up, checked me, and then berated me for not letting her know I was at a 10... I didn't even react to her. Thinking back on it it's pretty ridiculous that she did that because how would I know I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push? I couldn't feel anything!

So the time had come. A slew of nurses, NICU staff, and the doctor all came in. They got me into the pushing position and 2 pushes later (2:43am) my son was born. They whisked him off to the warming bed so the NICU people could look him over, he was screaming his head off as soon as they laid him on that table. My husband gave me a kiss and then didn't know what to do. He was torn between staying by me or going to the baby. I told him to go since I couldn't. The placenta came next and that hurt because the doctor rushed it by pushing my abdomen. I apparently tore, only needing a few stitches. Labor from start of dilation to finish had been about 7 hours.

Before they took our new baby to the NICU they brought him to me so I could see him. The nurse briefly laid him on my chest and he instantly stopped crying and looked at me. Then he was gone. My husband went with them to the NICU. I got congratulations from people in the room and then they all left me, except my mother. She sat with me until my husband came back.

Two hours went by and I still couldn't feel both legs. My left leg had most feeling back, but my right was still numb and thus I couldn't support myself. Two nurses helped me to the bathroom. Then they moved me to my recovery room. Another 2 hours went by. It was torture not being able to see my son for so long. Breakfast was brought in to me. After I ate I attempted to get up myself. I was wobbly, but my right leg was strong enough to support me. After a quick trip to the bathroom I told my husband to help me get to the NICU so I could see our son. We got there, he showed me how to scrub in and which Isolette incubator our little man was in. He was so little. 4lbs 15oz and 18.5 inches long. He was the biggest baby in the NICU! He never needed any oxygen. All he needed to master was regulating his body temperature and feeding.

I'll call him S from now on. S was in the hospital for 6 days. It was the hardest 6 days of my life and way more stressful than finals in college! I hated having to leave him every day and only being able to visit at certain times. Saturday and Sunday he was tube fed with minor attempts at bottle feeding my pumped breastmilk. He wasn't strong enough to actually nurse because it took away more energy than he had. The rest of his stay he was bottle fed with a few attempts at the breast. He was in the main NICU room until Monday morning. Monday and Tuesday he was moved into the intermediate room with one other baby. He no longer needed the Isolette, just a warming bed. Wednesday I was allowed to room in and have him with me all day and over night. He did great! He ate the 40ccs that they wanted him to each feeding, had plenty of diapers, and kept his body temp right where it should be. On Thursday by 4pm the NICU doctor came in and discharged S. It was amazing! We were finally able to bring him home!

From then on S was great. He gained weight well (though still on the lower half of the growth charts since he started out small to begin with). It took 2 months before he could latch on though, so I exclusively pumped for those 2 months. That messed with my supply though and by the time he was 4 months my body wasn't making as much as he needed. My freezer supply lasted until he was 5 months and then we switched to formula. He never had any delays and was quick to crawl and walk.

He is now a happy, healthy, eager to learn, 2.5 year old.

The Beginning...

2010-03-14T13:19:00.000-04:00

This is the first official post to my new blog. I'll be talking about a wide array of things, some of which include: child rearing, vacation ideas and tips, cooking/ baking, craft ideas, business ventures, pet ownership, and much more! So please check back for future posts!