Weekend Photos

Max is 2.5 weeks old.

Morning playtime in the activity center.


Evie is testing how tight is too tight of a hand squeeze... li'l devil.


*yawn*


Burp!

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

We had D & C over with Duncan for an improvised hot dog/hamburger cook-out. Fortunately for us, D & C were willing to pick-up some of the many supplies we were missing to make this lunch happen... ah, such good people.
After lunch, some sprinkler fun. The dads also shot the kids with water blaster guns while they ran around the backyard like loonies. I think Evie's dad found this most stress relieving *ha!*
After the sprinkler, a quick change and time at the neighborhood elementary school playground.
All and all - a fun afternoon!

Double Trouble

Some friends of ours loaned us this stroller and I gotta say... its completely ridiculous. Did I even have to say that? Its rather obvious, no?
I was actually shocked Evie went along with this. I thought for sure she'd pitch a fit to get out or that, "Schwally has more room than me!" But, no. She went along with it all.
Thankfully Rob steered this behemoth or I'd probably split open from trying...
... its been a long & busy day today...

Max's First, Real Tub Bath

LPCWP - End of Year Program and Picnic

I couldn't attend due to Max being so little... so Rob attended and took lots of videos and photos for me to recapture the magic of it all. I am thrilled to say that Evie performed beautifully and actually did all the dances (a far cry from when she started pre-school)!

Evie performs the Chicken Dance flawlessly... polka lovers everywhere rejoice!






That school year is a wrap!

Holy milk production, Batman!

So, Max has been nursing exclusive on one boob at each feeding. This was OK by me for now but also making me slightly worried for when we are up to 4oz servings. Will I be walking around looking like a botched boob job? Hmmm, I talked to the Dr. about this yesterday and she encouraged me to get him back to switching sides if I could.
Boy, this is work.
Either Max will nurse for 5 minutes, I pop him off and he won't wake up at all to go to the other side...
OR
Max will nurse for 10 minutes on the one side and pop himself off never to wake up again for the other side.

Sheesh.

I nursed him a few hours ago on the left side and he stayed on for nearly 12 minutes. I actually felt relieved (for once!) on the one side. Two hours later and I'm feeling rather uncomfortable on the right side.
I decided to pump.
I know this is all too soon considering he is only 2 weeks (and lactation consultants say to wait 3 weeks) but I just had to see WHY this kid won't finish a meal anymore.

In 8 minutes I pumped 3oz from my right side. Holy. Crap! I actually could keep going but decided to stop so as not to encourage such a high production. That and... 3 oz!?. Whoa! He's only supposed to be taking in 2-3oz total at each feeding. No wonder I'm having such crazy issues.

Belly Button

"Hey! My baby brother's belly button scab fell off today!"


http://makes-3.blogspot.com/2007/07/belly-button.html

Two Week Old Check-Up

Two week old check-up, Max is actually 12 days old.

Birth weight: 8lbs 1 oz
Weight day before discharge: 7lbs 10oz
Weight one day after discharge (1 week check-up at 5 days old): 7lbs 12oz
Weight today (1 week later than last check-up at 12 days old): 8lbs 6oz!

Average weight gain is .5 to 1oz a day!
Max put on 10 oz in 7 days! Wow-whee!

Next check-up is in 2 weeks - the one month check-up.

Evie's First Field Day

Rob and I commented, when Holton Elementary held their field day just last week, that this was by far one of the most fun days of the entire school year. I think we were both enthusiastic for Evie to have her first field day. We asked her what they did but never got a straight answer... maybe she didn't quite get the same level of excitement out of it that we once did. Oh well, at least her competitive outfit looked fetching.
Her class was "red".

"Mommy, Do I Have School Today?"

First question Evie asks me after Max and I get up around 9:30AM (after having spent 5AM-6:40AM both up playing and nursing).
Me: "Um, no, Evie. Today is Saturday."
Evie: Cheering and falling back into my bed, "Yeah! I get to play with Schwally all day!"
Me: "Yes, yes, you can. I'm so happy you are excited to play with your brother!"
Evie: "Yeah! Um, mommy. I know. We could go have a pic-nic, go to the park and then watch a movie!"
Me: "That sounds like an awesome idea, Evie."

(Evie actually has a birthday party today so we may try to hatch her plan tomorrow).

After nursing Max this morning Evie asks, "Can I hold him? Put that pillow around me and I'll hold him, K?"

Max's First Tummy-Time

10 Days old.
No tears, no hissy-fits... even after 10 whole minutes. And he turns his head from side to side... multiple times (so its not just a fluke!).
Time to get this kid involved in sports.

Last night's feeding - Improvement?

Yesterday Max seemed satisfied after nursing on just one boob at each feeding. When it happened early in the day (morning-time) I thought maybe it was a fluke or he was distracted. He managed to sleep for 3.5hrs after it, too!
This nursing on just one side managed to happen at every feeding all through-out the day. Odd... but not concerning.
Last night at 6:30PM he ate and then again at 9:00PM... each on just one side. I was so nervous this meant he was fasting for his night-time cluster feeding. I mentally prepared for the worst. I crashed around 9:45PM and so did Rob. We were ready should the feeding frenzy begin... we got this.
I woke-up at 11PM and nursed on the opposite side. Changed a diaper... kid was OUT. I snuck back under the covers.
I woke-up at 2AM and nursed on the other side. Changed a diaper... again, kid is out (this is awesome... I'm liking this. Less work from me and we're all getting sleep!).
I woke-up at 4:30AM and nursed on the opposite side again... OK, Max is now awake. We get up at 5AM (ok, this kinda sucks but I'll take it over cluster-feeding any day). We'll play and then both sleep in a bit more while Evie and dad watch cartoons.

So what will today be like?

I did find this which makes me feel better:
...some lactation specialists are now recommending just nursing on one breast per feeding and switching breasts from one feed to the next. This allows the baby to get more of the hind-milk, which is fattier. (At the beginning of a feeding, the milk has less fat than at the end of the feeding.)
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/breastfeed/breastfeed_often.html#

But... will I be lop-sided when he's up to 4 oz?!.
?Babies are so weird.

Cluster Feeding

More like Cluster F*ck.

Last night was cluster feeding Hell. I mean HELL.

It takes him 45 minutes to nurse and, of course, you gotta change 'em in between each side (well, I do, at least. This kid poops and pees a lot more lately!).

So, he ate at 7:30PM and was down just shy of 8:30PM. I did a few things around the house and was in bed by 8:45PM... asleep by 9PM. I had to go to bed this early since he had us up the night before. He was WIDE AWAKE at like 2AM... Rob ended up taking him to the other room to "play" with him so we were both exhausted last night.

At 9:30PM he wakes up crying. I was tired I was like, "Wha? Who was that? Where am I???" I picked him up and nursed till 10:15PM or so and put him back down. Rob came to bed around that time.

At 11:00PM he was up again! I thought, you have GOT to be kidding me! We just did this! I picked him up to nurse and Rob was no where to be found. I think Max's crying woke-up Evie cause she apparently was calling for me to go potty. Rob had to walk her sleepy self into the bathroom (he said he thought she was sleep walking since she went to go potty but stood at the sink pretending to wash her hands *giggle*, poor thing!).

We got back into bed around 11:45PM and I thought "This is it now." He started talking/coo'ing and moving. This kid was UP! UGH! We fought it off till Rob got up with him around 12:20AM. He brought him in the living room where he squawked like a parrot off/on again until 1AM. I finally went out there, too... I couldn't sleep listening to all that. I looked at Rob and told him I was just shy of busting out the Similac... this was crazy! I mean, it had been like 45minutes since the last feeding and he was acting hungry at 12:30AM. Rob put him off till 1AM with a pacifier... Max fought and fought... he was so fatigued... we all were..

I grabbed Max from Rob and headed back to our room where we nursed again until 1:45AM or so. He drifted in and out the whole time and never even finished on the one side. I thought, "OK, this is IT. No more! The wells are DRY!"
I put him down and he did the whole frantic rooting motion while fussing. Aw, HELL NO, kid! I about shoved the pacifier down his throat... I was so spent. I rubbed his back and burped him a few more times. I think I even got Rob involved at this point (its all a blur)... in any case... by 2:15AM he was silenced.

We all collapsed.

Fortunately, he only woke-up one more time at 4AM and then was up for the day at 7:30AM.
Ugh, I forgot about this part... the cluster frenzy... its the pits!

Oh! He's crying again, off to nurse!

Evie Questions/Comments Regarding Max

3rd Day Home with Max. He's 7 days old.

Evie races home from school to "pet Max's head" and runs to see when he poops or eats.
She likes to watch it all. Which, makes for interesting conversation too:

"Why is he on your boob? He drinks milk from your BOOB? Yuck! I don't want him on MY boob!"

"I wanna see his poop!"

"Ew, he has poop on his belly (pointing to his umbilical cord)."

One Week Old Today!

Phew, not a long time and yet it feels like months have passed since I was in the hospital.
No routine yet but last night was great. We were in bed by 9:40PM and woke-up about 3 times before getting up at 7:30AM for our morning feeding. Not bad/doable. I'm just glad we had no weird cluster feedings or "party in our bassinet!" time last night like the first 2 nights at home.

First Sponge Bath

7 Days old.
First sponge bath... went pretty well!

Evie watches her baby brother's first bath and finds most of daddy's struggles funny.


Baby comb-over.

1st Full Day Home: Day 5 "Of Life"

Highlights:

* Last night we were home by 6PM due to an extreme late check-out. The OB checked on me late (by 2PM). But it was the pediatrician that was the real hold-up. She called the wrong back-up or forget entirely (I forget the excuse) and some strange old dude 2 weeks shy of retirement came at 5PM. Ugh. I wish I had more time to expand on what a jerk this guy was...

* Davis dropped off Evie by 6PM. We were almost completely settled after a 30 minute flurry around the house... unpacking, setting up the pack-n-play in our room, setting up a temporary diaper station in our bathroom, getting my nursing & poop/pee chart set-up to fill-out all night, etc.
When Evie arrived, she marched right over to Schwally and rubbed his head. I breathed a sigh of relief.

* Rob looked up every local pharmacy for my meds... all closed at 6PM on a Sunday - great. He found a Walgreens we never attend and packed up Evie to hit the road for both my meds and the grocery store. Evie wasn't happy about it (she wanted to stay with me) but we managed to get her into the car. They were gone 6:30-7:30PM. I nursed at this time and was later able to "hang" with Evie during a bedtime show. Rob put her down by 8:15PM. I was in bed by 8:20PM.... phew!

* Rob picked-up the boy to nuzzle him after changing his diaper and putting on a super cute snap-up footie-jammie outfit. This started off a chain reaction that involved Max having a complete, inconsolable breakdown. I finally got up out of bed realizing Rob was in way over his head. He was in Max's room with the door closed trying his damnedest but... I had to jump in.
I ended up nursing again at 9:00PM. We talked about how I'd get up for the next feeding at 12AM. I finish up and go back to bed at 9:30PM.
Rob holds Max and he goes off again like a siren shortly after I lay my head down. I wake-up and nurse AGAIN at 10PM. I nurse till 10:30PM and we talk about how Rob should crash, too... and I'd get up again at 1AM.
We both crawl into bed... and now its 11PM. At 11:20PM, Max sounds his siren AGAIN! What is this? Rob picks him up and tries his best to sooth him to no avail. I take deep breathes and get up to nurse... AGAIN. What else can one do? Max barely stays on for very long and is really just pacifying... so I put him back down. We change him to realize he needed changing and that the footie-jammies Rob chose were NOT the best choice for nighttime. Too many damned snaps for dim light and fumbling fingers.
I take Max out of this tight velcro-wrap number we tried to put him in (a swaddler)... and wrap him up the good 'ole fashioned way - in a receiving blanket. I put him on his side and out he goes....

* I wake-up at 2:30AM (3hrs later) and get set-up for Max to wake. He doesn't. I question waking him. I don't. I close my eyes.
I wake-up again at 3:30AM... I pick-up Max and he stirs pretty quickly. The 4 hour break in between nursing was great!
I change him and put him back down... I let Rob sleep. He's been a busy, amazing dad the last few days, too.

* I wake-up at 7AM and slowly rub Rob's back so he can wake-up gently. I warn him that Evie, the tornado, will be in here any minute and I'd rather be the one to wake him up softly... I think he appreciates this.
I grab Max to feed him and boom! Here's Evie! :-)
Evie and Rob share breakfast while Max & I do, too.

* I change Max after his morning feeding to find a poo that must have happened at some point between the most recent feeding and now. I wipe off his butt and... (you might want to censor the kids at this part), he projectile poopies on me. As soon as the wipe hit his butt it was like poking at someone's cheeks full of water... out it squirts all over me, the receiving blanket, his jammies, the diaper... even our comforter on the bed falls victim. The bed is maybe 2 feet from the pack-n-play, such distance! Sheesh! I yell, "Uh, Rob? I need a little help here please!" (I had only walked over with 1 wipe in hand... Rob comes over with just 1 more wipe in hand. I laugh at him). Squirt! He poos AGAIN and now its a real mess! Then, and I am NOT LYING, he fountain pees up over his own shoulder and all over the place. Everything's soaked.
Thankfully we both found all this completely entertaining and laughed at knowing he probably won't be going again for awhile.
Rob looks at me and says, "Well, everything works!"

* Evie gets off to school and I nurse again around 9AM so that I can go back to bed. I nap for 45 minutes. Sadly, I also have to get up by 11AM to take Max to his first pediatrician visit at 1:30PM. Such. Crap. I wanted this first full day to myself and in this bed. Rob wakes me and I shower & do my make-up in record time... its funny how quickly a woman can do things when she really has to. I also eat half my Subway sandwich from yesterday and get a few things organized before the next nursing.
I pick-up Max by 12PM and we nurse. We pick out a cute doggie outfit, dress him up, fold laundry and grab our things to head out the door at 1PM.

* Doctor stats: He now weighs 7lbs 12oz. This is great considering he was 7lbs 10oz just 2 days ago... which is ALSO good cause he weighed 8lbs 1oz at birth. He didn't drop too much weight and is already gaining - all good news! He's a champ!
No shots and we must return in 1 more week.
Max fusses a little but is easily comforted by dad at the doctor's office - warms my heart. We decide to throw him in the car and nurse at home. Max looks out the window on the ride home and is content. This is all so different from when we had Evie... I recall her being less "go-with-the-flow" then what this little guy has demonstrated so far.
We are home by 2:30PM.
I feed Max and we change an explosive diaper... and I get pee'd on again.
I set up everything for dinner and organize just a few things.
I get into bed by 3:30PM for a nap and am up by 4:45PM when Rob needs to go pick-up Evie from school.
I feed Max quick before Evie gets home..

* Evie comes home from school wanting to see Max and turns to me, unprompted, "Mommy, I love him so much. And I love YOU!" I fight back tears... I'm doing cartwheels internally.
I put Max in his bouncy seat (Evie helps me move it, buckle him in and rubs his head).
Evie and I play a few rounds of "Go Fish!" while Rob makes dinner.
Fast forward through a great dinner (no arguments and Evie ate everything! We prepared a meal all by ourselves with a newbie in the house! What an amazing successful day this is!).
Rob plays with Evie while I clean-up the kitchen.
Rob bathes Evie while I feed Max.
Evie pulls up next to me on the couch for a show while Rob naps in a chair.

* I let Rob continue to nap and put Max back in his bouncey seat. I brush Evie's teeth and read her two books... two activities I have not down in many days. She actually wanted Rob (which makes me feel good that she likes daddy doing these activities with her) but doesn't put up too much of a fight when I tell her it will be me putting her to sleep while daddy rests.
Two books later, a kiss good-night and out go the lights.

So where am I now? I ate some amazing chocolate desert my mom made for me while she & my dad were here watching Evie. I changed into my jammies, washed off my face and decided to post this blog while I had the free time...
Next I'm going to wake-up Max for a feeding by 9:30PM and go straight to bed.
I remember bedtime being such a downer when we had Evie. Its hard going to sleep so early and to change your life so much to accommodate this small baby who wakes you up from a deep slumber all night. I must admit, so far, I do not hold it against him like I did with Evie ... but it is also only 5 days in. Maybe that resentment builds over time... I hope not. Things are moving at such a smooth pace that I am crossing my fingers on both hands that this continues like this. Crossing them... REAL TIGHTLY, in fact.

Check-Out Day

Well, today's check-out day.
Rob and Evie left last night around 8PM (her bedtime) and she was in bed by 8:30PM. Sad to report she was also up just after 6AM... but Rob says she did crash again in bed with him... so they should be fairly rested (that makes two of us... well, including Max... three of us).

The night nurse, Robyn - I have had her the last 2 nights in a row - informs me that Max's "awake hour" has been 3:30AM. She added a "good luck!" to that news. Whoo-boy. First thing first today... I need to ask the pediatrician how to resolve this. I want to see him awake and playful... but I also don't want to encourage this hour. Sheesh.

Amy, a daytime nurse/helper of sorts, informs me that I am in the "Antepartum" wing of the hospital. I actually knew this. It's posted on the bulletin board facing my bed but I had no idea what it meant. Turns out that this is the wing where women stay on bed-rest before baby or where they come if baby is in the NICU (emergencies, premies and something is wrong with the baby). I suddenly felt like instant shit at this news realizing that all I have is stress of the unknown ahead of me (like will I be able to manage a baby and a pre-schooler this summer)... basically just life-balancing issues. The women around me faced much more stressful lives just ahead. This news also made me feel better realizing I was damned lucky to have a very healthy baby. Having a kid really straightens out priorities in a way you can't imagine until after your baby is born. Yes, the responsibility increases tenfold but God... how damned lucky you are to be able to have those responsibilities.

I said good-bye to Robyn around 5:45AM last night after a feeding. She gave me a hug. She was great. Sarcastic, dry, Southern-accent and very open about telling you like it is. I needed all of that. She kept telling me how great a baby Max was and that he was so very even tempered. She mentioned this to me many times... so I think there must be alot of truth to it and not just that she's telling me what I want to hear.

Breakfast was delivered at 7:20AM. They woke me up after my 1 hr & 15 minute snooze. Ugh.

I nursed again at 8:15AM and then sent Max away to see the pediatrician and to shower. The pediatrician never showed so I went ahead and put on my make-up. Here it is now 10:45AM and still no pediatrician. I asked for Max back. Its amazing how lonely you are after you are no longer pregnant. I'm looking at him squirm in his clear bin... watching his little chest go up and down. I'm half tempted to wake him for my own selfishness and half tempted to leave him so as "not to spoil him". Gow I hate this inexact science.

The OB from my practice could be around any half hour to check on me and then discharge me.
Rob is bringing Evie over to Duncan's house to play while we get ourselves out of here and situated. He'll be bringing lunch and it may be the last time we have a conversation... ever. Strangely enough, this hospital visit has been like a vacation filled with little-to-no-chatter, no arguments, no tantrums and a bed that sits me up & lays me down. That's really where the vacation analogy ends... but it has been very peaceful here (interruptions and all).

I'm ready to try navigating my stationary bed again. I'm even more anxious for an uninterrupted afternoon nap.
My incision still burns like hell but I'm OK with this. Its ether getting better or I can tolerate it more... who knows.
I started cutting out the percocet around 11PM last night... I don't want Max to be a zonked out baby. So far, its manageable. I can't shake this feeling that it won't be once I get home to the demands of Evie... but I must stop and shake off these feelings. Starting off today thinking like this is NOT helpful.

I've already called/spoken to Rob 3 times since getting up this AM. Again, so lonely. Just the thought of talking to him and seeing him again soon makes my eyes well up with tears... ugh, HORMONES (*shaking fist at the heavens*).

Oh! Did I hear a peep? I better go pick him up. I feel like testing out that "spoiling the baby" theory. I need a hug right now.

Last Night in the "Hostipal" (as Evie says it)

I have many things to go back and post/talk about ... whenever THAT freetime presents itself.
In the meanwhile, I had to post on tonight.
My final night in the hospital.
Rob and Evie came over at 6:30PM just after nursing... which was great timing so I could focus all my time on Evie while Rob held Max.
They just left at 8PM.
I find myself looking out the window... a stormy, rainy night and start crying.
I've been overjoyed, elated, and absolutely in love these last 4 days and now The Blues are kicking in.
The Blues are the absolute pits.
I just want to curl up in a ball and cry... which, I did do a little bit with the birth of Evie after getting home.
But today, I realized just how much work lies ahead and how absolutely scared I am.
I hope I can do this.
I hope WE can do this.
I asked Rob to be my rock the next few days 'cause I warned him this would happen. I'm prepared. I'm ultimately OK.
This isn't an outcry. Its seriously just The Blues brought on by stress of the unknown. God how post-pregnancy makes a woman go hormonally crazy afterward!

I'm looking forward to the next sunny day.
Max is whimpering. Time to nurse. This is, thankfully, the best medicine ...'cause he is an absolute charm to nurse. We are already in synch. I hope he stays this easy-going once we get back home cause he really is an amazing baby boy.

*sigh*, we can do this...

Birth Day

I want to get this all down before I forget... but I also have a whole new set of responsibilities so this post might be a little messy or scattered...

My C-Section was scheduled for 10AM, which means, be at the hospital at 8AM.
I had a 9AM (1 hr) appt the morning before which included paperwork and blood work so the day of the surgery included a lot less activity than what we had last time.

8AM - Rob drops me off and I waddle on up to the 3rd floor (yes, I used an elevator, *wink*).
I'm greeted by Mariana in the LD hallway after gaining access through the security doors. She's a late 40's woman who's pretty open, accommodating and a little sweaty. She leads me to my pre-op room and informs me it will also be my post-op/recovery room (which, it later turns out they switched rooms on me and I will end up in a different post-op room).
I am handed a gown (no nurse fronts but snap-sleeves instead). This gown is a marked improvement over the one I was given last time I was here with Evie. The nurse handed me a gown in which she ripped off duct-tape keeping the boob flaps closed (the tape caused the front to be rough in texture, not to mention that is was also unappealing in every way).
I pee, strip and get dressed... well, considering the gown had no ties at all... I am draped.
I waddle back to the bed and am given an IV on the side of my left wrist (last time was on top of my hand). Ick, I hate IV's.
We complete some paperwork and get the belts on me and baby... I watch the computer monitor as it displays each contraction I am having. Funny, I feel absolutely nothing. I later feel a few sharp pains and watch them register but overall... nothing. I begin to question if I should have been a stronger person and even attempted a V-Bac after she tells me I am having contractions every 2-6 minutes. She later adds that I must have a high pain tolerance.
Oh well, no going back now.
Mariana concludes, "It looks like today's the day!" So, either labor I would have chosen... his birthday was probably always meant to be today. This makes me feel good.

We are left in this pre-op room for 45 minutes while we wait for my surgery time. Last time was a rush-rush of epidurals, catheters, IV's, blood work, belts and paperwork. I remember the IV drip being cranked up to full drip cause we were running behind. This time.... lights are dimmed and we watch Sports Center. I let Rob make me laugh one last time before I know it'll be remarkably painful post-op. Its really a great time and time passes by surprisingly fast.

9:45AM and Jake comes in. I had met him the day before and he told me that he's "the one who pushes the baby out." I later find out he's also the one who helps hold me steady while get a spinal block, preps the area, and even sutures me up afterward. He sold himself short. He performs most of the work!

Jake and Mariana discuss when I am to start heading down. I start getting nervous. I have been having thoughts of never seeing this baby... of dying in surgery... of something going horribly wrong with me. I try to shake these thoughts free while thinking of the dream I awoke to just this morning... both of my grandmothers were standing in the kitchen wishing me luck and telling me they couldn't wait to meet the baby. They are, in reality, both deceased (my dad's mom passed after I showed her my first sonogram of Evie and my mom's mom passed just a year ago... Evie got to tell her "I love you great-grandma" just hours before she died). Both grandmas looked younger than when I had last seen them... vibrant and happy. I popped awake from this dream. I never have dreams like this. I'm also NOT the religious-type to say "angels were watching over me"... but... I knew they were and it was both intimidating and wonderful.

Its creeping closer to 10AM and I am told to start walking to the OR. Rob will stay behind and put on his paper gown... I will walk in to receive my spinal block, I kiss him good-bye. Wow, this is really happening.

I walk into the OR. Last time I was wheeled in and they shifted me from one table to the other. They started the procedure instantly and I never got my bearings on the room at all.
This time, Jake has a live Sade album playing jazz while I am told to hop my bare ass up on the operating table. I sit perpendicular on the skinny table and lean forward. Jake holds my arms very tight (steady) and I feel my back get wiped with antiseptic and then ...the needle. No where near as thick as an epidural needle (which is also taped to your entire back and remains in your back the whole time), this needle goes in and floods your back with a warm fluid sensation. I am reminded of Natalie describing this to me... both comforting to know what's going on but also scary. She had also told me details about how fast it worked and how they tilt the table to control where it flows in your body...
I feel that my left side goes numb faster then the right and I mention this while thinking of Natalie's story... the table tilts and my right leg goes dead. I feel everything just below my boobs go totally dead. Now my arms are cool and tingling and I begin panic thinking my heart's going to go next. I mentioned this and the anesthesiologist says its all normal. Jake excitedly holds up calipers telling me he's been pinching the hell out of my skin without me sensing it at all... great. Funny man.
The anesthesiologist wipes my nose with an alcohol soaked gauze pad to show me how I can sense cold there... then on my arm... and then on my stomach (where I feel nothing). I tell him I am not concerned about hot and cold but rather the slicing open sensation.

The blue curtain goes up and they begin. I look up at the OR lights and can see a warped fly-lens image of my belly going red, I turn away sickened. They bring in Rob and he takes my hand. Moments later... I hear the doctor asking Jake to push down harder (this kid has a big head) and out he comes. I hear a suction and then... "WAH!"
Tears stream out of my eyes and the anesthesiologist dabs my eyes so I can see them hold up a slimy bouncing baby boy. I can't believe its been 4 years since I did this last. Its all so familiar once again.

Rob walks over as they clean him up. I listening to the gurgling sounds as they finish up with me.
I think overall, we were in the OR for 45minutes. It felt like 5minutes.

A few photos later and they wheel baby out in his incubator/bassinet. Rob leaves and goes to the post-op room with Max while they clean up my incision, slid me to a table with wheels and I out I go.

The post-op room is much bigger (and nicer than the per-op room!). It has a warming station and small sink.
Max is weighed and measured.
This time, I get to be there for all of this! Last time they let me nurse Evie but then whisked her away for nearly 4 hrs while they cleaned her up. Now everything is so much more soothing and coordinated. I get to nurse Max soon after he is sink bathed off to my right (he settles down when they massage his head with shampoo and a light brush). Its a lot less cumbersome this time and I feel much more in control. They leave Max with us in this room for almost 2+ hours. My parents leave to go pick-up Evie from school while Rob and I enjoy Ginger Ale and raspberry sorbet cups. It was... in a word... fantastic.

By early afternoon we are pushed on over to our final destination, room 319 in the Antepartum wing.
I must admit, I was disappointed when I saw this room. It was on our hospital tour back when we were pregnant with Evie. This is where the spill-over patents go. The rooms are a lot more out-of-date and the bed for dad is this really old flip-out recliner (the Postpartum Ward features a window seat that is the bed for dad... we were there with Evie).
The nurse that leads us into this room really doesn't care what we think and is rather dismissive when we ask why we are put over here if there is rom over in Postpartum.
On reflection, this ward is SO MUCH BETTER. The care over here has been class-act. I have one nurse for complete 12hr shift and I've gotten to know them all on a very personal basis. I am so glad we were over here (and a a little bit more thankful after I find out this is the area normally reserved for bed-rest patients and people with preemies).

The afternoon is filled with another visit by my parents... this time with big sister Evie. Evie marched on in boldly and headed straight for me. She played up the camera for pictures as the new big sister and after my be 7 full minutes, she was rather over it all. Disheartening, yes. Typical for a kid her age, most likely.

I'm allowed to eat dinner... which is great because I am hungry. Turkey with gravy, the driest stuffing on earth (it remains untouched on my plate when they take the tray), green beans, milk, juice, and honestly, a great tasting cheescake that I share with Rob.

Sensation begins to return to my toes and legs by late afternoon. I have to stay in bed with this inflating/deflating leg balloons that they make patients wear now. I also have to leave them on for a full 24 hrs! I listen to the buzz of the machine inflating and deflating every 5 minutes (and even all through the night). It gets old... quickly.

My night nurse takes over by 8PM. I'm kept on the IV drip for more fluids and pain relievers (some form of morphine) throughout the day but am removed with just the IV left in my hand that night. Sometime in the late evening my night nurse Janet removes the catheter and I get to walk/pee for the first time. It goes pretty well. I think the heavy drugs helped greatly.
I have some trepidation and am overtly cautious but... Janet, my night nurse the first two nights, is really great and understanding. She waits outside the bathroom door while I tinkle... pause... tinkle... pause... tinkle... will this pattern end? Its obvious I'm hesitant to "let loose" given my recent incision and she waits patiently.
I clean-up and get some new "seemless panties" (whoo-boy, if you've had a kid you know what I am talking about. Thankfully, this year's model is a vast improvement over the set from 4 years ago. They aren't mesh so your maxi-pad doesn't stick to your pants! Score! I am already scheming how I will leave this place with an extra 4-5 pair since I wore them for so long after having Evie...)

I hobble back to bed and my incision burns. Its amazing, I remember this being painful with Evie but this incision will continue to burn for much longer than it did with Evie. I will also leave this hospital looking much more pregnant than I did with Evie. I'm find this both slightly disappointing/ disheartening and also not troublesome feeling much more secure with my body & the relationship with my husband... I'm secure in knowing I look good for where I am at this point in the game and my husband is so encouraging about my body who could anyone feel deflated for looking so "unflattering" after having a baby?

The night continues with every 3 hour nursings. They are rough (painful) and Max has a tight suck. I wince with each feeding but am also confident that this is going better than it was with Evie.

By 7:30AM I am up with "breakfast!" being served. Wet scrambled eggs, 2 limp strips of bacon, an english muffin... untoasted, a generic container of corn flakes (I won't touch this), orange juice in a pull-top cup and coffee. I dive bomb on the coffee but end up inhaling basically everything on the plate. Hospital food is fantastic when you are nursing and hungry. ;-)

Conclusion:
So... there's 3 more nights ahead (yes, I ended up staying all 4 days... I should be covered but we'll see if I get a bill from the insurance company. The doctors and nurses were all supportive of my desire to stay on and to be totally honest... I was in more pin this time around but probably could have sucked it up and gone home on day 3).
I'll have to just remember some of the hospital stay in my memory cause now that I am home and writing this all after-the-fact... I now am short on time! Besides, this was just the birth story and there will be many more stories to be told in the days... weeks... months ahead. What an exciting time and another exciting adventure...

And Another Baby Makes Four: Introducing Max

Born (via C-section) at 10:22AM, Wednesday May 11, 2011.
8lbs. 1oz. and 19" long.
Max Robert Ullman

"...soon you'll have 2 babies!"

I sat on the couch this morning with Evie as she watched cartoons.
Rob showered.
Evie's been really into making baby sounds (she has for a long time before her future brother was even on the table... or in the womb). Lately its escalated (understandable).
She slid over on the couch and saddled up on me... squealing/whimpering... smiling.
Evie laid down and used my belly as a pillow.
She rolled over and looked up at me and said, unprompted, "You'll have 2 babies soon! I'm gonna be a baby and Schwally's gonna be a baby!"
"Yup, that's right!" I replied.

Mother's Day

Or, as Evie says, "Happy Mudder's Day!"

Last Saturday Spent as 'Family of Three'

Also known as, "The Day Before Mother's Day"

Today we got up early, thanks for that Evie...
I was roused from a deep slumber at 6:30AM after a having spent fit full early morning hours thinking, tossing, fidgeting and basically being too pregnant to sleep well at all.

By 9:30AM the whole family was fed, showered and dressed. We began our day with... Errands, yee-haw! Bath and Bodyworks followed by Free Comic Book Day followed by Target followed by Panara (for bagels to have at home)... then it was off for lunch at "Chick-La-Vey" (what Evie calls "Chick-Fil-A").





After lunch we hit Kangaroo Jac's to pick-up Evie's birthday invitations (I'm trying to get a head start on her birthday plans given the fact that her baby brother will be 7.5weeks old when her birthday gets here and I really don't want her to get slighted...). We go to Lowe's to buy some planters --- drats, they are out of what I want! We stop into Trader Joe's for a certain pretzel I am currently fixated on and what I want for the stay in the hospital (we get Lala's Mother's Day gift, too!). Stop to see the shelter dogs on display next door... and we agree to a quick 45 minutes at the Children's Museum... all in the hopes Evie will go home to CRASH AND BURN so that we may all relish in a good nap....
Evie takes her first picture on our camera- not bad! We are seated as king & queen in the castle at the Children's Museum.

Crash and burn? She didn't. We didn't. Well, Rob did at the end of the hour we tried to get her to have as "rest time" in her room. I ended up pulling Evie into our bed to watch a show while he rested on the couch.
I'm suddenly very aware of how long this summer will be with both Evie and a newborn in the house... it makes me both nervous and stressed-out just imagining it all.

The late afternoon is spent with me taking a quick tour of the grocery store (thinking I have energy to make lasagna. Long story short - I didn't. Rob grilled fish). Rob and Evie snuck out to get me a bouquet of flowers and they let me rest for a while before dinner.

*Sigh*, today was wonderful... and so very tiring. Nothing wears this kid out anymore. We just end up killing ourselves even trying. I just hope we find a good balance soon... I don't know HOW stay-at-home moms with kids not in any school do this everyday. AMAZING.

New baby = New camera

In other "nesting" crazies... I felt the urgency to buy a new camera with the pending arrival of the second born.
I researched Canons since our current Canon ELPH is FANTASTIC (we bought it when Evie was 6 months old and I immediately regretted not having it sooner!). Our previous camera captured 7.1MegaPixels and this new one, a Canon ELPH 300HS, captures 12.1MegaPixels. The features are endless (fish-eye lens anyone?) and it captures HD video (better than our FlipVideo we used to capture Evie's first moments).
Anyways, we've had fun trying to learn about it as fast as one can before a new baby gets here. Fortunately, it's similar to our old one and we are rather versed in such technology.
My current subject matter doesn't mind posing, either.

Chesterfield Berry Farm - Strawberry Picking!

Last year was so much fun, I couldn't wait for a repeat this year:
Chesterfield Berry Farm - Strawberry Picking!

This year we invited Charlie to go with us (and his mom and dad, Brian and Dawn) along with Lillian & Sullivan (with their mom and dad, Nikki & Carter... not to mention baby sister, Eleanor!). Believe it or not we all got out of our houses ON TIME and we all ended up arriving within a matter of minutes of one another. We were all parked in close proximity and got the show on the road... right away!

We decided to take our time to get to the strawberry fields (I learned from last year that waiting to get the berries at the end works well so you don't have to carry them around with you). We visited the "Bouncy Castle"... we saw bunnies, goats, chickens, and cows... some went for a tractor-pulled train ride... and one of us caught the pig races (that would be me!).

Eventually the clamor for strawberry picking took over and we lined up for the hay ride on over. Sullivan started to have a small meltdown as we got underway (Nikki and Eleanor had to stay behind and wait for us)... but he quickly rhythmically moaned himself into a state of calm and seemed to enjoy it!

I took no less then 300 photos of each and every single moment (of course!) while we managed to pick just over $31 worth of berries (my God, really??? I think it was just over 15lbs when it was weighed, gulp!).

The kids ate their weight in berries and everyone was very content... and yet still hungry for real food. We all stayed for a hot dog or BBQ sandwich. The kids had a giggly lunchtime together followed by some play time in a Corn Pit on the farm ( a hollowed silo filled with corn feed for the kids to romp in. It was hilarious.. Evie loved to thrust her arms deep into the corn or fell over trying to walk in it. She made "corn angels" and threw some up over her head. All. Great. Fun.