Thursday, July 30, 2015

one week

as of yesterday we have one week under our belts.
of course, the first week is probably the easiest one
since i didn't leave the hospital until friday.
ronnie was with me all weekend and half of monday.
(we had our newborn pics taken monday morning - can't wait to see them!)
monday night we had our usual family dinner so mom and dad cooked,
tuesday my parents took brette for the morning to hang out with
madeline and eden and i got caught up around the house.
plus i was able to make our first outing to the pediatrician.
that night shannon and her family stopped by and brought dinner.
finally on wednesday - exactly a week old - i was by myself with both girls.
luckily enough, my cousin brought us dinner and
i have to say, the stress of not worrying about food has been too nice.
i can't thank my friends and family enough for all the help.
i was stressing about being by myself these last couple days,
just because brette is extra needy and that makes things harder.
is reid wearing a dress?
then its brette's dress.
or brette's blanket.
or brette's pillow.
whatever reid has, brette wants.
is reid getting held?
then brette wants held.
i can't tell you how many times i've heard "hold me, mommy."
she even asked me to change her diaper because i was changing reid.
hello, you don't even have a diaper on!
she just needs some extra lovin' right now and
i'm trying my best to give it to her,
but i also know there will be tears and i'm just going
to have to listen to them and keep going.
but honestly, it hasn't been as hard as i thought.
lucky for me, reid sleeps like a true newborn.
all. the. time.
we put her down for the night about 11:00,
i nurse her at 3:00 and then again at 6:00.
brette wakes up at 7:00 and i get to spend a couple
hours just me and her.
i don't do chores or anything - which is unlike me,
but like i said, brette is desperate for some mamma time.
we snuggle, eat, get dressed and play until reid wakes up about 9:30.
i am relying a lot on cartoons and our playroom when i have to nurse.
i need about 30 minutes of down time where brette doesn't need me.
i'm sure i'll be nursing on-the-go by the end of this year,
but i'm also trying to get some relaxing one on one time with reid too.
its truly a balancing act.
i read that when you have a second baby your time is divided,
but your love is multiplied.
it couldn't be any truer.
 
so far i feel good about how things are going.
this morning i managed to get both girls, dressed, fed and out the door.
we went and visited my work and
even made it to the park for some playtime.
of course, we've had a few rough moments,
and don't ask how my hair looks,
but overall, i think we're gonna make it.
 




 




 

 
 


Monday, July 27, 2015

reid elizabeth


i was nervous.
like really, really nervous
because most everyone i talked to
had a bad experience when having
their second kid.
s o m e t h i n g made it more miserable than the first.
and i had myself convinced that if you have an easy pregnancy,
then labor would be bad.
you don't get lucky twice.
since this pregnancy was way easier than brette's,
i figured that meant my labor would be the bad part.
especially since they were inducing me early
and practically forcing my body to have this kid,
ready or not.

but
i'm here to tell you,
i was dead wrong.
it is possible to have an easy pregnancy
with an even easier delivery.
and i thank god for that.
let's go back...

on tuesday i spent the day with brette.
we met up with my mom and brian's girls
to do some shopping, go out for lunch and
play at the park.
it was nice.
after brette's nap, ronnie got home from work
and his sister came over to pick her up for the night.
ronnie and i the night to ourselves.
we packed up our stuff and
went out for dinner.
i loaded up on pasta since i didn't know
the next time i would get to eat.
we were at the hospital by 8:30 and checked-in.
they started me on cervidil by 9:30
and basically took my blood pressure all night long.
i didn't get much sleep, but i was ready to get started the next morning.
they started me on pitocin at 7:00 and by 8:30
i was asking for my epidural.
(yes, i only lasted an hour and a half of pain)
my ob came to visit before the anesthesiologist got to me
so she broke my water and that really made my contractions worsen.
luckily, the anesthesiologist showed up within the next 15 minutes and
we got started on my pain meds.
unfortunately, the epidural only took to one side,
so i couldn't feel anything on my right,
but i was still getting contractions on my left.
they had me roll on my side for the next 30 minutes to
help the medicine move over and it worked.
i was finally pain free.
we made brette a little "good morning" video
and sent it to sheri,
then i decided to take a nap.
at 11:30 my nurse came in to check me,
but i told her i didn't think anything had really happened yet,
because with brette i felt an enormous amount of pressure,
and i still felt nothing.
well i was wrong.
i was 10 cm dilated and reid was ready to make her entrance.
they paged my doctor,
a few more nurses and
got my room set up for delivery.
ronnie gladly stepped out of the way this time
and didn't even try to be close.
i told him i'd rather have pictures,
then a passed out husband.
he agreed.
they had me do a "trial" push when my next contraction started
and we were ready to go.
when my next contraction came,
so did reid.
and that was it.
easy.
painless.
fast.
 my little baby girl was here.
 
here she is yesterday,
4 days old and helping in the kitchen.

 






Friday, July 24, 2015

now announcing

when you're at the hospital you have lots of time,
but somehow it goes so fast and between the
check ups, nursing and trying to get a nap in,
i haven't really thought of breaking open my lap top
to share our wonderful news.
 
Reid Elizabeth
born july 22nd, 2015
12:01 pm
7 lbs.
20 1/4 inches
 
and she's pure perfection,
so of course we've taken a few (hundred) photos.
everyone says she looks like ronnie,
but she's a complete surprise to both of us.
she has much more dainty features, a bigger nose
an actual jawline and red hair!
she looks nothing like brette - - well, to me, anyway.
i can't wait to see how this one is going to change and grow.
what a doll.
we're all so in love with this little lady
and i think we've decided to keep her and take her home.
 
now the adventure begins.
 

 
 

 
 
 



 
 
 




 
 
 


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

it keeps going and going and going

i'm off having a baby
but i never got to post my newest
addition to this little photo journey
we've been going on for about 3 years now.
 
first picture is back in september of 2012
and the last one was taken over the weekend, july 2015.
can't wait to add another one with BOTH girls.
 
 
 



 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

baby watch

 
my last pregnancy photo.
ever.
wahoo!
 
its 6:30am and i can't sleep even though
i totally should be racking up some extra hours
while i still can.
especially since i'll be checking into the hospital today.
say whaaaa?
technically, i'm not due for another week
and my induction wasn't scheduled until next thursday,
but we had a slight change of plans.
 
i had a doctor appointment and ultrasound last thursday and
i was still measuring about 4 weeks off.
they wanted to measure the baby to make sure
she was doing just fine in there.
turns out, she was measuring off too.
her little head, arms and legs all measured about 37-38 weeks,
but her body/tummy was only measuring 35 weeks.
it concerned my doctor and made her think that the baby
wasn't getting the nutrients she needs.
she wanted to go ahead and induce me.
ahhhhhh!
she called labor and delivery to see if they could get me in,
while i was sent back to the ultrasound room
to do a biophysical on the baby.
that's where they check the baby's heart rate, breathing, movement, and cord flow.
we had to do this with brette too and she passed all
four tests within minutes, even though they give the baby 30 minutes.
well, this little one took her time.
it was a loooong ultrasound, especially trying to entertain
brette while laying there.
at 30 minutes she still hadn't passed all four tests,
but she did a few minutes later.
i didn't think that was a good sign,
but my doctor said it was close enough,
and since labor and delivery was already overbooked,
they decided to push my induction until after the weekend.
so here i sit,
on a tuesday morning with my bags packed,
waiting to check in tonight.
they're going to have me come in at 8:30 so
i can start taking cervidil through the night and
then we'll start the action induction wednesday morning.
hopefully, if all goes right in the world,
i should be holding my new precious baby girl
sometime tomorrow.
(the sooner, the better).
i'm asking for prayers and good thoughts for tomorrow.
lots of them.
i'm a little nervous about my next fews days,
but hopefully i'll be posting precious hospital photos soon.




Thursday, July 16, 2015

unhelpful

i have off so many days in a row during the week
that i could REALLY get a lot done around here...
if i weren't just days away from having a baby.
 
spray for weeds?  ronnie doesn't want me breathing that in.
mow the yard?  its kind of a bumpy ride and hurts my back.
paint the trim?
spray paint a light fixture?
paint our little kid's table?  sorry, no painting for me.
basically i'm stuck cleaning house,
doing laundry or running errands.
of course, these things are necessary,
but it kills me that i can't get all the other stuff done.
especially when we're so close to having this baby
and all i want in life is to get. shit. done. before she gets here.
 
oh well.
i need to let it go.
 
i DID manage to pack my bag, brette's bag, finish a few freezer meals
and make the sweetest little thank you's for the hospital,
which makes me feel a little bit more ready.
 

 
my bff also cut down one of her trees and saved me a stump
which is now currently living at my house.
my dad has agreed to make the stump side table his new project,
so i'm excited that its actually going to get done for the nursery.
 
and last weekend brette and i spent a couple days at my parent's
so ronnie and two of his friends could work on
finishing up more of the downstairs.
i'm happy to report that all of the baseboards and quarter round is up
and all of the walls have been primed.
 
 
i think the next step is spraying the trim and painting the walls.
if only that was a super fast and easy job,
but i know it will take time too.
 
in the meantime,
i'll play with brette and wait for this baby to make her arrival.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Tuesday, July 14, 2015

long hair, don't care

the heat index is 111 and
its nice to find ways to keep my hair up
and out of the way.
normally i'm a girl that LOVES to wear her hair down,
 so when my friend at work showed me
a girl she follows on instagram for hairstyles ideas,
 i decided to give it a whirl.
i started following her and i've tried a
few of her suggestions.
 
my two new favorites:
1 - dutch braiding the front of my hair.
(dutch braids are the same as regular braids except
you reverse the way you bring a piece to the center.
it really makes your braid bigger.)
 
 
2 - pull through braid
(this is really just a bunch of ponytails,
which makes is super easy AND fast.
i like it because it looks different than normal.)
 
 
instead of me trying to explain the methods,
i thought you might just like to see the video.
 
 
 
enjoy!
hope you get some good ideas.
 
 
 

Friday, July 10, 2015

daddy and brette

with me being HUGE
i've relied on ronnie a lot
to take over with brette when i literally
just want to lay there.
 
in fact, most of these pictures
i'm pretty sure i'm either on the couch
or in bed.
don't judge.
i'm freaking 9 months pregnant.
 
but aren't daddy - daughter moments the sweetest?!
 
please excuse ronnie's legs...
 but they were both in white t-shirts and undies.
 
 
 ronnie worked out of town
and brette was happy to see him get back home.
 
cuddles after her bday party.
and no, i don't think ronnie is that gray-headed.
maybe its the light?!
i don't know.  it freaks me out.
 
riding her horsey before bed.
again, sorry for ronnie's lack of clothes.
sheesh.
 
 
ronnie will have to keep this up
once the baby gets here because if anything,
i'll need more help
so i'm happy to see how much brette loves her daddy. 
 
 
 

Thursday, July 9, 2015

summer livin'

even though the weather hasn't really cooperated
this summer, brette and i have got our routine down.
mondays are with mimi and papa while i work.
tuesdays my mom watches brian's girls,
so we normally spend the morning with them.
wednesdays we do laundry and go grocery shopping.
thursday we clean and run any other errands i have.
friday i'm at work and she goes to a sitter.
and in some ways, i feel like MY summer is about to be over.
B and i are on the run a lot.
we go.
we do.
we see.
we rarely spend a whole day at home.
time seems slow when there's not a lot to do,
so i like to keep busy
and i think brette likes it too.
with a new baby on board, i'm probably
going to have to get a lot better at coming
up with fun things to do at home.
i recently bought a bubble machine,
sidewalk chalk, play doh, finger paint and a magna-doodle.
hopefully these things will entertain brette on
the days that i don't feel like loading up both
girls just to get out of the house.
if you have fun suggestions,
send them my way.
i'm going to need them.
 
here's a little look back into our summer...
lots of neighborhood walks.
 
hiding in my bathroom cabinets.
because, she's always had a thing for bathroom cabinets.
 
swimming with her cousins.
 
field trip days when my dad, my mom
and i all have off.
three on three is totally easy.

out to lunch after deanna rose.
 
running errands with one toy.
she chose conduit.
ronnie was proud.

royals game for the 4th

and more swimming with madeline and eden.
 
we've had fun.
and i've loved my last few months with just one kiddo.
i'm definitely going to miss that freedom.
i can pack B up and take her anywhere,
and i know we'll get back to that,
but for awhile,
i'm going to have to learn a new normal.