Check this out!!! Sophia has decided to take a pacifier. She's taken in on multiple occasions over the past two days. I just gave her one and put her in her crib to sleep. It's amazing. I don't force it on her when she doesn't want it, but there are times when she clearly wants to suck on something to go to sleep. Those are the times when I sneak it in, and she actually likes it. I'm so glad she caught on to the benefits of the pacifier just in time for her first plane ride tomorrow. We're going to Buffalo...wish us luck!
I think that most people are familiar with the concept of toe cheese. You know that gross fuzz that sticks in between your toes? Well, Sophia has a slightly different version which occurs in her hands. Because she does not take a binky, she often tries to suck on her hands. Then, her hands get covered in fuzz which balls up into little stinky hand cheese deposits. It's really quite nasty. You often forget about these little details when you haven't been around babies for a while. That's why I though I would share it with you. Aren't you glad you know?
Last night was Relay for Life. It was a great time for all, and we raised a lot of money to help the American Cancer Society fight cancer. However, we had a bit of a life or death incident. The theme for our team this year was "lifesavers." There were Lifesaver candies all over the tent. Hailey had one early in the night that I broke into several small pieces, she had a second while she sat on the blanket with her Daddy, and the third she had while I was walking the track with Sophia. As Luke was telling her that she needed to sit down while eating candy, she tripped and the candy got stuck in her throat. By the time I got back, Luke calmly done some version of the Heimlich so that she was already puking and up came the Lifesaver. It was pretty scary, but she was fine and asking for popcorn immediately after. We learned an important lesson...no running with candy (or no candy period!!)
You can see our beautiful fountain in this shot. The color matches the trim on our house.
Sophia looks thrilled!
Since I was feeling like such a bad Mommy yesterday, I decided to redeem myself by making a picnic dinner for the family on our front lawn (we don't have a backyard). Hailey decided that she wanted to sit in Sophia's chair. Then, she wanted to sit in Sophia's chair with Sophia. Luke captured the whole thing from our upper porch. The colors in the foreground are our flower baskets. There are more on Flickr.
Luke tried unsuccessfully to give Sophia a bottle again last night. If I hadn't seen her shenanigans for myself, I would have never believed that there was a child who would not take a bottle. Yet, there she was flailing about, crying hysterically, and choking on my hard-pumped milk. It's a crazy scene. We finally gave up, and I breastfed her. You might say that she won. I like to think that we compromised - she got to keep her boob and I got to keep my eardrums. Fair enough.
Anyway, I think that her lack of bottle cooperation is having a serious psychological effect on me. At first it was funny, but as the end of my leave creeps closer, it's becoming much more of a dire situation. It seems that after these bottle incidents I immediately become very depressed, and I start to panic about going back to work. I know that it's a terrible thing to say, but I feel very trapped. I know that I should enjoy these moments with her because she will be babbling and running around like Hailey in no time. Yet, I just feel depressed and then I feel terrible about feeling depressed. Today was so bad that I actually called and extended my maternity leave by one week. Not that one week will make a difference, but I might as well take what I can get even if I don't get paid.
Tonight we will try a new type of bottle. Maybe that will make a difference, probably not. I'd welcome any words of encouragement.
Every morning Hailey wakes up chattering non-stop as if she must spew out all of the words she'd saved up while sleeping in the shortest amount of time possible. The best morning conversations are the ones where she tells you all about her dreams. The trick is that she never prefaces the dream stories with the phrase "last night I dreamed that..." Nope. She just starts talking as if the whole thing really happened. Sometimes she'll tell a story about a friend coming to visit or something that happened (or could have happened at school). It's really hard to decipher fact from fiction in the morning.
What I always know is fact is that Hailey must put on her "slippers" every morning. When I say slippers, you probably pictured pink fuzzy slippers (she has those too), but what she actually means are her black patent leather shoes that she imagines are Cinderella's glass slippers (maybe because they are shiny???). The shoes are an integral part of the morning routine which, when combined with the nightgown that she wore to bed, creates a magical dance outfit. It's a pretty strange routine, but it is what it is.
There are so many parts of parenting that are not fun - disciplining your children, cleaning up bodily fluids, changing diapers, folding mountains of laundry, etc. I think that one of the things that keeps Luke and I sane is just our sense of humor. No matter what, we always try to laugh at even the worst parenting situations. Sometimes we have to hold back our laughter until after the disciplining is done, but it's always there just under the surface. Our kids are really our biggest source of amusement. That's why this blog is so easy to write. Unfortunately, I can't think of anything funny right now so check back tomorrow. I'm sure that one of them will come up with something.
Our Relay for Life event supporting the American Cancer Society is taking place this Friday. It's an event that we take part in every year, not just because I work there, but also because we envision a cancer-free world for our children. You may have seen ACS's new commercials where we celebrate less cancer and more birthdays. What many people don't realize is that the organization actually helps to make that a reality on four fronts - helping people get well, stay well, find cures, and fight back. If you want to know more or to make a donation to my team, please click here.
Sophia is certainly a different animal than her sister. She came with her own set of rules and regulations, which she makes up on a daily basis. I thought that I would capture just a few for your amusement (or in case you are ever called upon to babysit...I'm looking at you grandparents!)
1. I will not take a binky. Does not matter the size or shape. Does not matter how hysterical I am. If it's not skin...I'm not in.
2. I will sleep, but only under the following conditions - in my swing, in a moving stroller (no stopping to rest, people), in a moving car (run red lights if you must), or on another human being. I will under no circumstances sleep in my co-sleeper, in my crib, in something that is not moving, or without another human being within nose-shot.
3. I poop a lot. How comfortable are you with baby poop? Because here's the funny thing...I tend to poop outside of my diaper. That "no leak" policy really just covers the liquid stuff. Poop is another story and you should be prepared for emergency bath session (for both of us).
4. I don't like to be cold. I don't like to be hot either. I like to be the temperature that I like to be. So, figure out what that is and try to just keep it that way indefinitely.
5. Sometimes, I just want to be left alone, and by "alone" I mean in quiet place where you are holding me nonstop for several hours, preferably while staying in constant motion. Were you trying to sit down? Well, I'm awake now so get moving.
6. Most noise doesn't bother me unless that noise is any type of plastic rustling...plastic bags, candy wrappers, plastic wrapping on anything. That noise will wake me from the deepest slumber and send me into hysterics. Consider me a "green" baby who requires a plastic free zone.
Well, those are just my latest and greatest rules. I'm sure I'll come up with some more tomorrow. I like to keep my parents on their toes, you know. Silly parents were thinking that they just about had me figured out...ha!
Why do all of your princesses wear dresses? It must be exhausting for them to wear dresses all the time and fulfill their many princess duties like being rescued by princes, throwing grand balls, and cavorting with mythical characters such as fairies, godmothers, dragons, etc. I would like to see just one princess who wears pants. This would also help me with a little problem I'm having with my daughter. If I have to hear her say (more like whine), "I can't wear those pants because I have to be a princess" one more time, I'm going to hold you personally responsible for the consequences which may or may not involve my head exploding, clothes flying out my daughter's third floor window, and/or a bonfire fueled by every princess item we have in this house...which is a lot. So, if you could see fit to create just one princess who looks a little more like me and a little less like Barbie, I would be much obliged.
Sincerely, Mother Concerned About the Princessification of our Daughters
I don't drink coffee. I like coffee, but I don't drink it out of the great fear that I will become addicted. I don't want to need caffeine. Here's the problem...the older I get and the more kids I have, the more I feel like I want, need, and frankly deserve a little caffeine every once in a while. So, the other day I bought some caffeinated soda ...gasp! Now, I can sip a little Cherry Coke Zero when I get sleepy after lunch. What is the world coming to??!?!?!? Yeah, I know that this is silly and I'm an adult so I should join the adult world and be a part of our caffeine nation. I think that I can hold off until I go back to work, but I'm not giving up my mid-afternoon soda.
So, I'm going to take a vote. Should I start drinking coffee every morning? (keep in mind that I'm not a morning person so this may ultimately help my marriage...no vote for Luke although he's aloud to comment)
Luke won a tv playing in a poker tournament at our local Mexican restaurant. He promptly returned the prize 42" tv so that he could upgrade to 50". Here's the 12 seconds update I recorded as he set it up.
This post should probably be called What You Can't Wear Anymore or maybe The 5 Things that You Can Wear or more appropriately Another Post Wear I Bitch About Something. Today, I'd like to bitch about my wardrobe or lack thereof. Since I had Sophia and swore off all maternity clothes, I have very little to wear. Every morning, I walk into a completely full closet and pull out one of about three outfits that fit me. "Oh you must be exaggerating," you say. Ha!!! Let me detail exactly what I have that "fits"
1 pair of jeans - they are actually too big, but I refuse to buy a smaller size because eventually, I'll fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans, right? Of course, by then they'll be out of style, but it's the principle of the thing.
1 long black skirt/1 long denim skirt - these have been my summer staple so far whenever I need to look respectable.
2 polo shirts - I picked these up at Target a few weeks ago when I literally couldn't fit into anything but a t-shirt. Unfortunately, I later learned that busty women (i.e. breastfeeding Moms) should not wear polo shirts because they make you look like you have a uni-boob. Great. Thanks for the advice!
2 casual type cotton shirts - These I bought recently and apparently the v-neck and scoop necklines are better for busty ladies so I guess I lucked out on picking 2 things that actually fit and look respectably good (supposedly).
3 pairs of workout shorts - I'm not proud of these or the white, pasty legs that stick out of them, but it's getting hot here so the world will have to suffer with this fashion nightmare.
Endless supply of t-shirts - This is pretty much what I wear every day. I have three types of t-shirts. I'll describe them in descending order from the ones I have the least of which is nice, clean, unstained, well-fitting t-shirts to ones that are either too big, too small, or too stained. This second bunch might still be worn in public, but I would have to justify that by remembering that I have a newborn. Finally, the ones that I have the most of are the too big, too stained, and too deteriorated kind (some that literally have holes in them). These shirts are saved for days when I'm mostly in the house, but let's face it I'm not above wearing them somewhere like the grocery store if I didn't feel like changing.
2 sweatsuits - yup, the kind your grandma wears. I'm not proud.
Ok. That is the full extent of the clothes in my closet that I can wear right now. I'm only about 13lbs above where I was pre-pregnancy, but I think that even if I lose the weight, I'm still not going to fit into stuff. You see things just aren't where they used to be. I've tried to go to the store to buy more clothes, but everything either looks weird with my new shape or is too expensive for what I'm hoping is a temporary size issue. I've actually started walking and exercising this week not because I think that I look that bad but because I'm tired of wearing the exact same 4 shirts, 2 skirts, and 1 pair of jeans over and over again.
Plus, let's face it, Sophia is going to be 6 weeks old on Friday, which means that I'm getting dangerously close to not being able to use the newborn excuse for my disheveled appearance anymore. I suppose that sometime in the next 2 weeks or so I'll have to start wearing makeup and combing my hair again. If I don't, I hope that someone has Stacy and Clinton (hosts of What Not to Wear) on speed dial because at that point they might be my only hope.
One of Hailey's favorite new words is "because." The way that she employs "because" in sentences is quite unique. Set aside the fact that she could use 4-8 "because's" in a sentence, thereby creating the longest run on in the history of man, and you are left with the use of "because" to create some very backward logic. Let me give you some of my favorite examples...
Here's a simple one that she used tonight...
"Josie's not feeling good because we have to take her to the doggy doctor."
Then, they can get a little more complex...
"I'm hungry because I need to eat macaroni and cheese because it makes me get taller because it comes in a bowl because we eat it for breakfast."
Her turns of phrase are so entertaining (although less entertaining when she's on her 6th because, and you've forgotten what the point of the sentence was to begin with). Being the daughter of an English teacher and a logic master, I can't help but rearrange the sentences and repeat them back to her every once in a while. Still, it's just so cute that I hate to force real logic on her too soon. For now, we can't translate the sentences because we have to sit back and enjoy them because Hailey is her own unique personality because she says the craziest things sometimes. It's actually quite hard to write in reverse logic...you should try it!!!
I swear that these pictures were taken in this order and within the span of about 3 minutes...maybe less. That's how fast her mood swung from happy smiley baby to upset baby and back again. The whole thing was pretty funny, and I was glad to have caught it on camera. She is getting much more interactive now in terms of actually responding to us beyond just demanding food all the time. Also, she's quite cute if I do say so myself.
Hailey and her friend Kellen had a little adventure at our garden last week. I put them in charge of distributing and burying the worms that I had ordered. They took care of a few other chores like watering and picking strawberries as well. Of course, the red that you see around their mouths is actually strawberry juice, and no, I don't always wash the strawberries first. People have been consuming organically grown, fresh veggies and fruits for millions of years. So, I say, let them eat dirt! Ok, I try to wipe them off as best I can, but their hand to mouth speed is sometimes faster than I can catch.
Anyway, I love having my girls up at the garden (it's still weird to say my girls), even though Hailey won't touch worms and gets a little weird about the dirt as well. It's good for them to see how their food is grown and to pick their own veggies. I know that Hailey's love of tomatoes comes from the fact that she can pick those cherry tomatoes and just pop them right in her mouth. We've expanded the garden this year, so I'm hoping that maybe some of the tomatoes will actually make it in my mouth too. I encourage everyone to try growing a cherry tomato plant or two even if you do it in a pot on a patio. It's rewarding, fun, and delicious!
Sophia is just a wonderful, happy baby (for the most part), but I have to say that I forgot how high maintenance infants are. Or, maybe it's just that Sophia herself is a little high maintenance. She is certainly more demanding than her sister was both in the fact that she doesn't take a binky and that she hates to be wet or cold or not in someone's arms. She also isn't a big fan of the bottle, but she'll take it eventually when the milk starts to choke her. Although I have a list a mile long of things that I want to accomplish while on maternity leave, it's hard to do much other than hold her, feed her, watch her, etc. Still, I must remind myself that the reason I'm on maternity leave is to hold her, feed her, watch her, etc. That should be enough, and when it's not, she reminds me to focus on what's really important - her!
Hailey: "Mommy, I want to ask you a question about Cato (a boy from her class). Cato said that he would come to my house this weekend and dance with me. First I'll put on my dress and then my slippers then Cato will come and he'll dance with me." (I don't know where the question went because she didn't ask me if Cato could come over. She just told me that he was coming over.)
Mom: "Did you ask Cato to come to your house or did he just offer?"
Hailey: "I asked him and he said that he would, but I didn't ask Marley. Cato is a cute boy, and he's a good listener."
Oh my...I guess this is starting already. I'm not ready for this silliness.
Luke left for Las Vegas early this morning. Usually when I'm a single Mom I like to plan something fun for Hailey to do. Today it was supposed to rain so I thought that I would take her to Leaping Lizards which is our local jumping house where they have a bunch of moonwalks. It's a great place for her to run around and where herself out. At about 2:00pm, I threw both girls in the car and took off for Leaping Lizards. By the time we got there, Hailey was asleep and Sophia was pooping in the backseat. Hmmm...moral Mommy dilemma. Do I wait for her to wake up and take her in or do I go back home? Easy decision = drive back home. Now, I'm driving home and thinking that maybe I could actually take a nap if I let Hailey sleep in the car. Once you've mentally committed to a nap, you almost have to take one. So, I pulled in the garage, silently removed everything from the car except for Hailey. Then, I grabbed Sophia and climbed into the downstairs bed for my nap. Not five minutes later I hear sobbing from the car, "I want to go to Leaping Lizards." Oh no...I've been caught!!!! "We drove all the way to Leaping Lizards, and it was closed," I said sheepishly. Then, "wanna watch a movie?" Ten minutes into the movie, and I'm passed out on the couch.
I hope that no one ever tells my children that I write this blog. This is the stuff that therapy sessions are made of. I mean I had to unrepress years worth of memories in order to make my parents crazy with stories of how they tortured me with powdered milk and double buckled shoes. My kids are just going to have to look online to gather millions of therapy dollars worth of bad Mommy stories. Isn't the internet grand???Sorry kiddos!
I can't even believe that it's been one month since little Sophia was born. I'd like to say that it seems like yesterday, but it doesn't. We've already been through so much. It's fun really getting to know her and love her. She's fabulous by the way. Her one month pictures are up on Flickr now.
If anyone ever tries to tell you that breastfeeding is the most wonderful experience in a woman's life, just look at them and say "Liar, liar boobs on fire." Because it is a lie, a lie that is perpetuated breastfeeding extremists and Mom's who are so far removed from the actual experience that they have the same rosy yet warped memory about breastfeeding as they probably have about childbirth. Let me be perfectly clear...breastfeeding is not fun!!!! Nope, it's hard work, especially at the beginning. Just to give you some context in case you've never breastfed before, you can simulate the breastfeeding experience by following these simple steps:
Go out to your garage, get the most coarse sandpaper you can find, take your shirt off and rub it on your nipples for 10-15 minutes. That's what breastfeeding feels like at the beginning.
Wear a bra 24 hours a day for 4-6 weeks. You have to protect those tender nipples and this is the only way. Now, don't you feel a little less than fresh?
Stuff two small watermelons (or heavy bocce balls) in your bra and try carrying them around all day long. Does your back ache yet?
Drop what you are doing every 2 hours so that you can sit perfectly still for 20-40 minutes. Don't move or you might as well throw a clothespin on your nipple because the baby has just bitten it off.
Throw away all of your cute tops that you used to wear because those won't fit you for a very very long time. Nope. It's time to invest in some XXL tops because that's all you can wear.
Every morning be sure that you put a nice swath of deodorant under each boob because now that they hang down to your knees, you really need to be sure that the area doesn't get as stinky as you might imagine knee length boobs getting underneath.
Finally, next time you are out in public or maybe at work, run into the restroom and splash some water on the front of your shirt to simulate the milk leakage that you get from time to time. As an extra bonus, you should get some sour milk and dump a little on your shoulder. That way you can smell spit up all day long.
If you think that I'm exaggerating, consider this...I was a C-cup before I had Hailey and Sophia. Right now, I'm an H-cup. FYI - They don't do the double D system anymore, they just keep counting up the letters. So, I'm five cup sizes bigger than I was before (and 2 underwear sizes, but let's not go there). Of course, in a few months this won't seem so bad. Sophia will be eating on some type of schedule, she'll be taking bottles some of the time, and I'll be used to my new XL wardrobe. Plus, I'll enjoy curling up each night to reconnect with her after a long day's absence. Still, right now those days seem like they are so far away, and I'm very tired. I think it's time to start her on a bottle before I lose my mind.
As bad as it sounds, I would never consider not breastfeeding. Shockingly, the advantages really do outweigh all of these disadvantages, I swear.
I have mastitis which is an infection of the breast tissue common to breastfeeding mothers. It basically means that I have a fever, chills, body aches, and am generally miserable.
This is what 56 Easter eggs looks like. I stuffed them all full of candy for our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. Hailey's Easter basket this year. You'll notice that there's no candy. What an evil Mommy.
You know how Mommy birds chew up food and spit it out for their babies? Isn't it just a little ironic that it's the exact opposite for human babies? Well, human toddlers I should say. I can't tell you the number of times and the wide variety of chewed food that Hailey has spit into my hands over the years. Just off the top of my head I know that I've recently held chewed banana, peanuts, apple skin, and various meat products. The latest thing is gum. Why in God's name Luke thinks it's a good idea to give a two-year-old gum is beyond me. Yet, there I was in the car today holding a chewed up piece of gum. Gross. Kids are gross. There's just no way around that very simple fact.
Being at home with two girls for even a few days over the past few weeks gives me an all new respect for stay-at-home Moms. I've always thought that being a stay-at-home Mom would be more difficult for me than being a working Mom. I've said repeatedly that working makes me a better Mom, and I truly believe that. I guess I never realized just how much harder staying at home was. I'm honestly getting the hang of it now. I've been able to take the girls on multiple outings all by myself. I've also learned to multitask with them so that I can feed Sophia and entertain Hailey at the same time. I've got a decent rhythm going. Still, it's exhausting. If stay-at-home Moms were fairies, they would be patience talent fairies (a rare talent, indeed). Yes, I've been watching a lot of the Tinkerbell movie, and you would get the reference if you live with a 2-year-old. Anyway, I wonder what my fairy talent would be? Disillusioned fairy? Impatience fairy? No...has to be Moo Cow Fairy.
Hailey has strep throat. Apparently, she's on the lower edge of the age at which you can get strep throat. This is no surprise since her mother had strep throat about 10 times a year when I was little. Ok...maybe it wasn't 10 times a year, but my Mother told me yesterday that when I was Hailey's age I pretty much had strep throat non-stop for an entire year. Great. Luke's comment was "Oh that would have been nice to know when I married you." Yeah, this marriage is a sham because I didn't disclose my minor illness history. Anyway, I hope that this isn't the beginning of a trend because she doesn't have any grandparents close enough to deal with this.
Sometimes when I hear Hailey's call for "Mommy" in the middle of the night, I wonder to myself "who is this mythical Mommy character that she wants?" Surely, she is not referring to me. She could not possibly expect me to get out of my warm bed to attend to her lost glow worm, dropped blanket, unquenchable thirst, etc. I heard the call again this morning around 5:00am. Keep in mind that I've had a chest cold for a few days now so I'm not sleeping or feeling well. Regardless, I went in to find Hailey searching for her glow worm, which I quickly found and returned.
My general rule is that I will go into her room one time to be sure that there isn't an emergency, but after that she's on her own. For some reason, I broke the rule this time. We proceeded to play the call Mommy game for about an hour. She was complaining that her stomach hurt, which if fairly typical when she's hungry or has to poop. After eliminating those two causes, I finally made Daddy go in. At that point, Daddy brought Hailey into our room to "sleep." What ensued were 2 hours of screaming almost hysterically about her stomach, ears, and neck hurting. While I considered the possibility that she was really sick, I thought that the more likely scenario was that she could not sleep and wanted some attention. She got attention, Tylenol, milk, a bagel, and three episodes of her favorite show.
By the time real morning came (8:00am), she seemed fine again. She didn't feel particularly warm as if she had a fever. She was smiley and talkative. I thought the earlier 2 hours were a fluke so I let her go to school. About 3 hours later, I got a call from school. Hailey has a fever and needs to go home. Argh! So now Hailey and I are home sick, AND I feel like a horrible mother for ignoring my child's symptoms. I AM that mother who people curse for sending their child to school sick. What a horrible, crappy, cold, yucky day. Thank goodness Sophia is fine, so far.
Of course, she likes the one that I like the least.
Well, she will take a binky, but only for a few minutes and only under very specific circumstances. Still, I'll take anything at this point. Her insatiable appetite is wearing me out.
I took lots more pictures this weekend. I'll try to get those posted up this week (in between feedings, of course).
Hailey came home from school with pink eye on Tuesday. Of course, she couldn't go to school on Wednesday or Thursday, which meant that I had both girls at home with me for two days. I have to say that it was a fairly eventful two days even though we didn't actually do much. Here's everything that we survived together...
2 Severe thunderstorms
1 Trip to the doctor
1 Sophia poop explosion in the middle of CVS
1 Sophia melt down in the middle of CVS
3 sets of eye drops every day
1 Bout of pink eye for Hailey
1 Bout of pink eye for Mama
1 Josie bite to Hailey's forehead (not severe)
2 Baths - one for Hailey/one for Sophia
1 Timeout
It doesn't sound like much, but this stay at home Mommy stuff is really hard. By the end of today, I was pretty desperate for Luke to come home. I think that it would have been better if the weather had been nicer today so that I could have taken the girls out somewhere. However, the rain was pretty bad, and I don't quite have the 2-kid-confidence yet to venture out under those conditions. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually.
Napping in bed...shhh...don't tell anyone that I let her sleep on her side!
Here's my hand for some size perspective.
Satisfied customer after the Mommy buffet
With the second one, you think that you should know what you're doing. Here are 10 things that we definitely forgot about between #1 and #2...10. How quickly you become exhausted9. The consistency of baby poop8. The unpredictability of baby poop7. How often they have to eat6. How precious they are when they're asleep5. How demanding they are when they're awake4. How much laundry is required to keep them in clean, dry clothes3. How quickly you become exhausted (wait, did I say that already? Too tired to read back to see)2. How difficult breastfeeding really is1. How sweet and cuddly they are
Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that I was trying to take a binky away from Hailey? Now, I'm desperately trying to get Sophia to accept a binky as a legitimate substitute for me. This kid wants to eat non-stop. Well, not necessarily eat, but at least suck on something. Oh and that something HAS to be me. Anything else is out of the question. I believe they call her a "grazer." It makes for a very tired Mommy Moo Cow. Here's the face that I get when I don't give it up quickly enough. I swear, this child is going to suck the life out of me. Just take the binky instead, just this once. Mooooo!
Note: If you have a weak stomach or are easily grossed out, stop reading now.
Luke, Sophia and I curled up on the couch this afternoon to watch movies. Luke was holding her when we heard massive rumblings in her nether regions. I explained to him that whoever was holding her when she did it had to be in charge of changing the diaper. When we thought she was done, he put her on the floor to change her. Apparently, we forgot the consistency of infant poop, which resembles chocolate pudding before it's congealed. Needless to say, we ended up with poop flowing out the back of the diaper, up her back, onto her clothes, onto the carpet, and everywhere else. In the midst of my laughter, Luke was running to the kitchen to get towels because we were totally unprepared for any of this and everything is now covered in uncongealed pudding. It was bad news, but everyone and everything has been cleaned up. So much for this parenting thing coming back to us!
Just took some new close-up pictures of Sophia. I feel like she looks totally different than she did just a few days ago. She's still eating like a piggy though! Click here to see the new photos.
When I tell people that we do natural childbirth with no epidural or drugs of any kind, I get some strange looks and lots of questions. To be honest, I never really have been able to articulate why in any concise or convincing way, but having just been through the experience one more time, I figured that I'd give it one more try.
The main and most important reason that we do natural (and I do mean "we" because it's a 3 person job) is that it's actually safer for Mommy and baby. There are countless studies out there that suggest that medical interventions, including epidurals, tend to lead to more complications, higher c-section rates, and longer recovery times. I'm pretty big on letting science and research guide my big decisions, and the science is pretty convincing on this one.
But science alone is not enough. I guess that the main reason why we do natural childbirth is because we can. Many women fear the pain of natural childbirth and are happy to relinquish control of what will be one of the most defining moments of their lives so that they can eliminate the pain. I don't want to make a decision out of fear, especially since there's no medical reason why I need to (and I realize that's not the case for everyone).
In order to really commit to natural childbirth, you have to believe a few important truths about yourself and the process:
1) Women have been giving birth naturally for millions of years. If they can do it, you can too.
2) There will be pain, but that pain is logical, manageable, and purposeful.
3) You must take control of the decisions about your labor and simultaneously relinquish some control to your support partners.
4) You can do it.
Having just had Sophia naturally, the one truth that was so abundantly clear to me this time was #2. I was very nervous about trying to do Sophia naturally because I honestly knew what was coming and had to more consciously choose the path of more pain. However, the whole process of birth is so logical. The contractions are painful, but they are rhythmic and predictable. I knew that each one was moving me closer to Sophia. Especially at the end when we were waiting for just that last centimeter so that we could push; every contraction was an exercise is letting go, relaxing, and inviting her to come into the world. Those are the most difficult and painful contractions, but you're so close at that point that it's easy to focus on the goal. Even the pushing is rhythmic, and if you listen, your body tells you when to push and when to rest. That makes it a lot easier to be efficient and keep yourself whole.
I guess all in all I have even greater respect and appreciation for the process after Sophia. I also have great appreciation for my Mom and Luke who traveled down the road with me. It's just a beautiful thing, and I'm so glad that we did it again.
Not that anyone cares, but I wanted to get these down for posterity's sake...
1) After insisting on midwives and seeing midwives for 9 months, I was not delivered by a midwife but by the on-call doctor for the practice. Lucky for me, she was fabulous. She was patient and supportive of everything we were trying to do. She didn't rush me when we pushed and let me make every decision on my own. All in all a fabulous experience.
2) Sophia had a huge knot in her cord when she came out. It was pretty amazing to see.
3) My veins suck for IVs. After the first nurse missed twice and my arm swelled up with a lemon size knot, I tried to refuse the IV. When the doctor insisted, I tried to dodge the IV Team lady that came. Eventually though I didn't have enough energy to fight off the IV lady so I had to be poked.
I think that I mentioned previously that I decided to start my maternity leave on Friday even though I hadn't had Sophia yet. I was very excited to just relax and run errands on Friday, and Mom and I headed out pretty early to run around. We stopped at a few stores and then went to Home Depot to pick up some flowers to plant later in the day. While at Home Depot, I started having mild contractions. I thought it was more fake contractions so I didn't worry, but headed home just in case. By noon, our contractions were about 9 minutes apart and still fairly mild. We progressed pretty well at home until we were about 4-5 minutes apart, which was of course, around 5pm. I couldn't believe that we went into labor during the day, that we had to drive to the hospital during rush hour on a Friday, or that this was finally happening after all of the waiting!
We got to the hospital and into a room by 6:30. I was 6-7 cm dilated when we got there, which was exactly the same as I was when I got to the hospital with Hailey. We progressed pretty quickly although it felt like an eternity. The doctors and nurses were very patient and supportive. Everyone kept telling us how great we were doing, which was extremely comforting. By the time I was 9cm, I was ready to push and getting a bit impatient. I let the doctor break my water and within minutes, I was pushing. 12 minutes of pushing later, Sophia was born.
She had a big head full of brown hair and a lot of fluid (because she came out so quick). I got to hold her right away until the respiratory therapist came and cleared out her lungs for a while. She wanted to eat almost immediately. She nursed twice in the first few hours. She was starving!! The good news is that she's a good eater and a good sleeper (so far at least). I've already started giving her a pacifier because I just can't keep up with her. However, she's been known to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time.
Unfortunately, the next morning Luke woke up with a horrible case of food poisoning. It was very sad for him to miss any of Sophia's first day, but he was violently ill and mostly just rested. Hailey and the grandparents came in the morning to spend some time with Sophia and take Luke home. Hailey just giggled and giggled when she met Sophia for the first time. Then, she wanted to sit with Sophia in the Boppy. The Boppy was the most popular "toy," not sure why.
Anyway, Sophia is a little eatin', sleepin' angel. Mommy is feeling really great (much better than with Hailey). Pushing for 12 minutes really did make a huge difference in terms of my overall health. We're home now and each of the grandparents has had a chance to hold her. I'm going to try to rest for the next few days. I have doctor's orders not to lift anything over 10lbs (including Hailey) and not to climb the stairs more than 3-4 times a day for several weeks...several weeks!!!
We've waited for 9 days past her due date for Sophia to come. She decides that we need to drive to the hospital at 5:00pm on a Friday in Atlanta. Really?!?!?! This one's gonna be trouble. I can tell already. Contractions are 4-6 minutes apart now. Probably going to the hospital soon.
Yesterday was the last day that was selected on the calendar. Just to keep you busy and because I'm bored out of my mind, let's play a new game. Guess Sophia's weight. I'll give you a clue...Hailey was 7lbs 6oz.
Now, in other news, I started maternity leave today. I'm 9 days past my due date and scheduled for an induction on Wednesday. So, the most that I lose out of my 11 weeks will be 3 days. Seemed like a small price to pay to sit on my couch and watch March Madness. The only bad part about this plan is that I have to keep myself occupied.
Just returned from the doctor where they checked my amniotic fluid levels to make sure that Sophia has a safe environment. It's a lovely environment; so I can continue the pregnancy until I'm rechecked again on Friday...yippee (I guess).
I was so disillusioned by the doctor's visit that I decided to stop to get beer on the way home (for myself not my parents, although they may need it too). Of course, the woman at the gas station just had to ask "when are you due?" It's hard to be polite at this point, but I put on my happiest Mommy face and said "I was due six days ago, that's why I'm buying beer. I may just have to drink her out." I think that she wasn't sure if I was kidding. On second thought, I'm not sure I was kidding. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Except Auntie Ann who said the 19th. Everyone else who guessed a birth date was wrong. That's really all I have to say today about the fact that I'm still pregnant and still at work.
Well, one other thing...maybe Sophia is waiting until St. Patrick's Day to grace us with her red-headed presence???? That would be great!
Hmmm...Grandma took Hailey to the Jumping Bean today, and there was a birthday party that they weren't invited to. Obviously, that means that they had to come home and immediately make cupcakes. But not just any cupcakes...strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting (all pink) and sprinkles and princess wrappers...seriously! Grandma blames Papa Harry for the idea and noticed that there were not whiny attitudes today. Nope, just smiles, giggles, and sugar highs.
Just thought I'd post to say that we successfully went to my friend's traditional Indian wedding. It was beautiful and so worth holding on for another few days, but now it's over and it's time to have this baby. I tried to eat all of the spicy Indian food, but it hasn't worked so far. Keep your fingers crossed that we get some movement in the next day or so because I do not want to go to work on Monday and face all those disappointed faces.
The good news is that if I can just hold off one more night, I'll probably make it to my friend's traditional Indian wedding tomorrow. I've been wanting to go so badly because I have heard so much about all of the tradition and outfits etc. Just one more night.
Someone in our house (besides me) needs an attitude adjustment.Ever since last week when she was sick, Hailey has been a bit of a nightmare.She’s constantly whiney, sometimes bratty, and rarely her normal happy self.I really don’t know if it’s a result of being pampered when she was sick or of having Grandma and Papa Harry in town or of the thought of having a new baby soon.It’s probably some combination of all of the above.I guess it doesn’t matter the cause; it just matters that she’s making me a bit batty (couldn’t be that I have little patience already since Sophia is exercising her own stubborn streak).
PS: The only people still alive in the birth date guessing are
It's just an estimate, and apparently not a very accurate one either. I mean what are the chances that I'd be 2 for 2 with going later than my due date. Inaccurate due dates or stubborn children? You decide.
PS: Of the 20 of you who gave me a birth date guess, 14 of you have already lost. Only 6 still left in the running!
Every day now, I try to evaluate just how ready I am to have this baby on that particular day.Most days so far I’ve been able to come up with excuses for why Sophia should hold off a little longer.I’ve used all of the following:
Mom isn’t in town yet,
Hailey’s sick,
I didn’t sleep well the night before,
My bag isn’t packed,
Luke has an important meeting at work,
The weather is too nice to be inside a hospital,
I have half a carton of ice cream in the fridge that I need to eat first,
My friend is getting married next Saturday, etc.
Here’s the problem…I’m running out of excuses. In fact, all of the above have been remedied except the last two. I’m going to the doctor today.My due date is tomorrow.This baby is coming at some point in the very near future, and I’m getting a little nervous.Now that I’ve been through natural childbirth once, it’s a lot harder to be excited about it.So, I better start psyching myself up because it won’t be long now.
for every person who says something to the effect of "you're still here" at work today (sympathetic faces included), I would be a rich woman. Ok maybe not rich, but it probably would cover the trip to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream that I ate last night!
Hailey has what I think is another mystery fever. I'm not sure that's what it is yet because it hasn't been long enough to be sure, but she was sent home from school on Friday. Then, Friday night her fever spiked up really high over night. Now, we're able to control it with Tylenol, but it's ever present. The worst part about this situation is that she will not be allowed into the hospital to visit Sophia and I. They take every child's temperature before they're allowed in the rooms. That would just totally suck, and I might need to request an early discharge.
I went to the midwife yesterday, and I think I’m going to be pregnant for a long long time to come.Ok.She didn’t say that exactly, but I’m not progressing as I had hoped.In fact, I had hoped that I would have had Sophia by now.I know that it’s still a week until my due date, but a girl who can’t sleep, has chronic heartburn, and endures hourly rib kicks can dream, can’t she???
Sunday we had snow in beautiful Georgia.There was mass panic. Well, not panic really since most people who live in Atlanta are actually displaced Northerners anyway.Hailey was certainly entertained by it, although her evil parents would not take her to play in it.Still, it was lovely to watch out the window.
On Monday, although there was no snow and a weather forecast of 40 degrees and sunny, the Atlanta Public Schools decided to close all schools for the entire day, not just a few hours in the morning which would have been sufficient for melting any black ice.Hailey’s school closes with APS so she had no school either.Mommy decided that she would have to take the day off too.I really wasn’t too upset about it because Sunday night was particularly sleepless for me.In the morning, I was a little bit nervous about how I was going to entertain Hailey for a whole day when I was exhausted and hurting and cranky myself.
However, it turned out to be a fabulous day.We ran a few errands, bought Hailey new big girl cups to replace her sippy cups, went to a place with lots of moonwalks for jumping, took a two hour nap together, and had friends over for dinner.Hailey was a very good girl and Mommy ended up more rested than when she started the day, which is always a pleasant surprise. So, thank you APS for being so incompetent as to needlessly close schools for the day.It was just what the doctor ordered.
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