I thought I should write about how it's going at our house now that we are living in the land of two kids. Generally, daily life is going better than I had imagined. I had myself prepared for a more difficult time than has been the reality. Bennett is adjusting to Vivian's presence. He spends a lot of time pointing, waving, and yelling gibberish at her. He must kiss her 20 times every day. He also tries to rock her much to hard in the bouncy chair and removes her socks constantly. He has only tried to push her away from me once. There are moments of obvious jealousy. Sometimes, he tries to get me to go with him while I'm feeding Vivian. Other times, his mood just deteriorates and meltdowns follow. But, he's two as well, so it's difficult to attribute where these fits come from.
It would make our lives much easier if Bennett could communicate more clearly. He barely says any understandable words at all, instead making his needs known by shaking his head and pointing. We had his two year appointment last week and his pediatrician wants to do a speech eval just to be on the safe side. So I'm working on getting that set up in the next couple of weeks. Bennett's two year stats were: 30 lbs 8 oz and 34 1/4 inches. Both are in the 75th percentile. It's amazing to imagine him being completely off the charts and now almost at the top!
Vivian is doing very well. She hasn't had any formula and is a very efficient nurser. I was worried about her in the beginning because she eats for very short periods of time. Like 5-8 minutes a feeding and then she's done for 1-3 hours during the day. I kept hearing that babies nurse for 20-30 minutes. She's been gaining weight nicely (11 lbs. 8 oz. today), but a mom still worries. I went to see the lactation consultant last week and we did a feed and weigh session. Vivian nursed from one side for five minutes and the other side for two. She took in 5 1/2 oz in that time. So I don't worry anymore...I just consider her a champion eater! Our nights have been getting easier. She sleeps 4-6 hours the first stretch and 2-3 the second. I definitely can't complain about that.
Vivian is a really sweet baby. Her demeanor is mostly calm. She rarely cries for more than a couple of seconds and is easy to calm. She loves to look at Mom and Dad and has begun smiling in the past week. Today she was talking up a storm. It might be cliche, but she is really a joyful addition to our family. She does hate the car seat and lets you know it for the first few minutes.
Bernie has to work on Christmas. We are going to do our celebration on Christmas Eve with some of my mom friends, their spouses, and kids. We are doing a potluck and I am looking forward to it. They have really become like my family here in Longmont.
The in-laws are coming through on their way to Phoenix at the end of the month. Then we are heading to Phoenix on Jan 15th for a 10 day vacation. It sounds like Bernie's entire family will be there. My mom is coming as well, so it should be a wild time. Hopefully, we can squeeze in a round of golf. I've been having withdrawals lately.
Hope everyone has a great holiday.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Vivian's Ordeal
Vivian's birth was mellow, but her first week of life was scary. Maybe even more scary than Bennett's, it's difficult to say in hindsight.
We left the hospital Saturday and had a couple of non-eventful days with lots of help from family at home. Vivian seemed to be doing well. When I nursed her on Saturday and Sunday, I would have my hand behind her head. I kept feeling a set of bumps and told myself that I would look at them when we were done. And I kept forgetting. I did remember to show them to the doctor on Monday and that's where the fun began. There was a cluster of fluid filled blister-looking things on the back of her head (I would say there were 5-7 of them). They varied in size from the size of a crayon tip to as big as a dime. Her doctor looked/felt at them for some time and then left the room for even longer. When he came back, he very seriously told us that she needed to admitted to the hospital right away because the blisters could possibly be a herpes infection. I of course started crying almost immediately. It was unbelievable what another one of my babies was going to have to spend time in the hospital.
We went across the street and began the process of admission. I began to realize how serious the situation was when Vivian's doctor explained the myriad of tests he was going to run and that she would need to stay at least a week. She had to be on IV antiviral drugs and fluids the entire time. So yeah, our 4 day old baby had an IV in her hand. Poor baby girl. Give breastfeeding a try with that thing in the way. She had cultures done to her eyes, nose, mouth, as well as the actual blisters. She had blood drawn for a culture and to check her liver function. The worst was the spinal tap. We weren't in the room for any of these tests...I'm not sure if I would have ever been able to get the images out of my head. When a newborn has herpes, it can quickly affect the entire system, which was why so many tests needed to be ran. It was important to see how far the infection has gone. Most of the tests were supposed to come back within a couple of days, but the most important one (the culture of the actual blisters) would take a week. That test would definitively say whether it was herpes or not while all the others would just let us know how far things had spread if they had.
On top of all of this, Vivian was significantly jaundiced, so she had to be under the lights the whole time she was there. She stayed on the pediatric floor and not the NICU. I got to stay with her the entire time and didn't leave the room for more than a moment to fill my water cup.
Some of the test results came back Tuesday. They showed her liver function to be normal and the cultures of her ears, eyes, etc. were fine. On Wednesday, her doctor let us know that the blood culture was negative and that Vivian actually had herpes antibodies floating around in her blood (likely from me since I get cold sores). This was a good thing. The most important thing was that she was not acting at all sick. Babies with herpes apparently become very ill. After discussing Vivian's situation with specialists at Children's Hospital, her doctor surprised us by letting us go home Wednesday as all signs pointed to no herpes infection. We would know Monday for certain when the cultures came back. The doctor was confident there was really nothing wrong.
We took Vivian home and nervously watched her until the next week rolled around. She was fine. She never acted sick (except for the little cold she caught from all of us). She ate well and gained weight. Monday and Tuesday passed with no word. On Wednesday I called her doctor and received some annoying (read infuriating) news. Somehow the culture of the blisters had never been sent. Later we found out that the nurse on the floor had accidentally forgotten to enter the order for it to be sent out. Woops. Now we will never know for 100% certain that it wasn't herpes. But if it was, Vivian would be very ill or dead by now, so we are as close to 100% sure as possible.
I feel guilty for how Bennett must have felt during this whole ordeal. He had his grandma's and his papa, but he must have felt like we abandoned him twice in one week.
I did not know exactly how serious a herpes infection in a newborn could be. I avoided any internet doctoring until after Vivian came home. Google it yourself if interested...it is really scary. These kinds of infections have serious consequences from mental retardation to death, often regardless of treatment. So, it made sense that Vivian's doctor would treat if there was even a remote possibility of a herpes infection. But Jesus, can our babies catch a break??
We left the hospital Saturday and had a couple of non-eventful days with lots of help from family at home. Vivian seemed to be doing well. When I nursed her on Saturday and Sunday, I would have my hand behind her head. I kept feeling a set of bumps and told myself that I would look at them when we were done. And I kept forgetting. I did remember to show them to the doctor on Monday and that's where the fun began. There was a cluster of fluid filled blister-looking things on the back of her head (I would say there were 5-7 of them). They varied in size from the size of a crayon tip to as big as a dime. Her doctor looked/felt at them for some time and then left the room for even longer. When he came back, he very seriously told us that she needed to admitted to the hospital right away because the blisters could possibly be a herpes infection. I of course started crying almost immediately. It was unbelievable what another one of my babies was going to have to spend time in the hospital.
We went across the street and began the process of admission. I began to realize how serious the situation was when Vivian's doctor explained the myriad of tests he was going to run and that she would need to stay at least a week. She had to be on IV antiviral drugs and fluids the entire time. So yeah, our 4 day old baby had an IV in her hand. Poor baby girl. Give breastfeeding a try with that thing in the way. She had cultures done to her eyes, nose, mouth, as well as the actual blisters. She had blood drawn for a culture and to check her liver function. The worst was the spinal tap. We weren't in the room for any of these tests...I'm not sure if I would have ever been able to get the images out of my head. When a newborn has herpes, it can quickly affect the entire system, which was why so many tests needed to be ran. It was important to see how far the infection has gone. Most of the tests were supposed to come back within a couple of days, but the most important one (the culture of the actual blisters) would take a week. That test would definitively say whether it was herpes or not while all the others would just let us know how far things had spread if they had.
On top of all of this, Vivian was significantly jaundiced, so she had to be under the lights the whole time she was there. She stayed on the pediatric floor and not the NICU. I got to stay with her the entire time and didn't leave the room for more than a moment to fill my water cup.
Some of the test results came back Tuesday. They showed her liver function to be normal and the cultures of her ears, eyes, etc. were fine. On Wednesday, her doctor let us know that the blood culture was negative and that Vivian actually had herpes antibodies floating around in her blood (likely from me since I get cold sores). This was a good thing. The most important thing was that she was not acting at all sick. Babies with herpes apparently become very ill. After discussing Vivian's situation with specialists at Children's Hospital, her doctor surprised us by letting us go home Wednesday as all signs pointed to no herpes infection. We would know Monday for certain when the cultures came back. The doctor was confident there was really nothing wrong.
We took Vivian home and nervously watched her until the next week rolled around. She was fine. She never acted sick (except for the little cold she caught from all of us). She ate well and gained weight. Monday and Tuesday passed with no word. On Wednesday I called her doctor and received some annoying (read infuriating) news. Somehow the culture of the blisters had never been sent. Later we found out that the nurse on the floor had accidentally forgotten to enter the order for it to be sent out. Woops. Now we will never know for 100% certain that it wasn't herpes. But if it was, Vivian would be very ill or dead by now, so we are as close to 100% sure as possible.
I feel guilty for how Bennett must have felt during this whole ordeal. He had his grandma's and his papa, but he must have felt like we abandoned him twice in one week.
I did not know exactly how serious a herpes infection in a newborn could be. I avoided any internet doctoring until after Vivian came home. Google it yourself if interested...it is really scary. These kinds of infections have serious consequences from mental retardation to death, often regardless of treatment. So, it made sense that Vivian's doctor would treat if there was even a remote possibility of a herpes infection. But Jesus, can our babies catch a break??
Friday, November 19, 2010
Vivian's Birth Story
Vivian’s birth story is mellow compared to her brother’s. I was hoping to go into labor naturally, and since I was dilated to 4+ since 37 weeks or so it seemed like a realistic goal. I also knew that if anything was looking like it might go a little weird, I would go for an induction. At my 38 week appointment my BP’s were trending a bit higher and my doctor wanted to see me five days later rather than seven. I ended up in Labor and Delivery that Friday due to some sudden swelling and a BP of 156/87 on a grocery store BP machine. Although it was not that high in L&D, my numbers remained in the 135/80 range which is significantly higher than my baseline 110/60. I had a feeling my doctor would be talking induction at my Monday appointment. My BP’s remained at the higher level and he did recommend that we call it quits before things possibly got scary again. The last thing anyone wanted was for me or Vivian to get sick when we were already in such a great place. So we agreed on an induction Thursday October 28th. Bernie and I decided to try to get me into active labor before then with no success. Hot hot wings and a drive up in high elevation did not work for me.
We went into the hospital at a little after 8 am on the 28th after a short delay. I was group strep B positive so the first thing they did was run antibiotics for four hours in preparation for the induction. Bernie and I sat around, relaxed as much as possible, and waited. We actually had all of our bags packed this time so we had many things to do to keep ourselves entertained. I had my own music to listen to! I had the best nurse during that day. Her name was Char and she was probably 60 years old. She had many years of experience and had probably worked at that hospital longer than I have been alive. It was awesome to have someone who had so many hints and insights into the whole process. When I first came in and told her that I hoped to go through labor without the epidural, she was totally on board and tried to help me get through it. When I changed my mind later, she was just as understanding and supportive.
My doctor finally came in to break my water at 12:45pm. Within thirty minutes my contractions were coming quickly and feeling very intense. I had a pitocin induction with Bennett and did not need it with Vivian (so so so happy about that). The quality of the contractions were very different for me. With Bennett, they felt like knives stabbing over and over again. This time they felt like enormous and painful pressure in my pelvis. I think I basically went into transition almost right away. There was really no build-up since I was already so far dilated. The contractions felt like they never really stopped. By 2pm, I was 6 cm and asked for the epidural. I got that within 30 minutes and things of course eased up after that. In fact, I thought the epidural had slowed the labor because the contractions did not seem to register as very intense on the monitor. When the nurse checked me just after 3pm, I was prepared to hear that I hadn’t made any progress and would need pitocin. I was amazed to hear that I was already at 9cm. We were likely complete by 4pm. My nurse suggested that since we had the epidural, we just let the contractions naturally start the pushing process. So that’s what we did until 5:15 when I started pushing.
The epidural was just as good as the one I had with Bennett. I could feel pressure when I had a contraction and so knew when to push. I could lift and feel my legs still but had no very little to no pain. It did take what seemed like forever but was actually 1.5 hours. My doctor, predictably, did not come in until the very last moment. I think I only pushed twice and she as out. The strangest thing happened near the end. Vivian was actually moving around while I pushed. You could see her kick. It’s hard to describe, but she was definitely living up to the “lively” meaning of her name. She came out yelling and didn’t stop for about two hours after she was born. 7 lbs. 10 oz. and inches...born at 39 weeks 1 day. She weighted over twice as much as Bennett and was 4 inches longer.
This birth experience was obviously so different for everyone involved. It helped resolve some of the lingering feelings I have had since Bennett was born. I didn’t feel cheated, sick, and scared for my baby’s life. I felt educated and much more in control. I felt like my body wasn’t a total failure. And I got to hold my baby after birth, and nurse her, and keep her in the room with us. It was awesome. That’s really the only word that fits.
I never had any protein on my urine dipsticks, no upper right quadrant pain, and officially no preeclampsia. If some of BP readings were correct, I had gestational hypertension at the end. I don’t think there will be an official diagnosis in my medical records.
With all of that said, the answer to the ever-popular “will you have more” question is an unequivocal no. This pregnancy was nerve-racking in a way that I could never fully describe. I lived most of my days in a perpetual state of anxiety that I don’t think I could deal with again. Bernie was wonderful throughout, but I’m sure all of that fear and anxiety wasn’t easy on him (or Bennett for that matter). So we will be happy for what we have and move on to the next stage of our lives...watching our children grow up.
Things have been eventful since we brought Vivian home, but that's a post of another day. And I don't know when that day will be since things a little crazy around here with two kids. I will try to get another post up before Bernie goes back to work next Wednesday night.
We went into the hospital at a little after 8 am on the 28th after a short delay. I was group strep B positive so the first thing they did was run antibiotics for four hours in preparation for the induction. Bernie and I sat around, relaxed as much as possible, and waited. We actually had all of our bags packed this time so we had many things to do to keep ourselves entertained. I had my own music to listen to! I had the best nurse during that day. Her name was Char and she was probably 60 years old. She had many years of experience and had probably worked at that hospital longer than I have been alive. It was awesome to have someone who had so many hints and insights into the whole process. When I first came in and told her that I hoped to go through labor without the epidural, she was totally on board and tried to help me get through it. When I changed my mind later, she was just as understanding and supportive.
My doctor finally came in to break my water at 12:45pm. Within thirty minutes my contractions were coming quickly and feeling very intense. I had a pitocin induction with Bennett and did not need it with Vivian (so so so happy about that). The quality of the contractions were very different for me. With Bennett, they felt like knives stabbing over and over again. This time they felt like enormous and painful pressure in my pelvis. I think I basically went into transition almost right away. There was really no build-up since I was already so far dilated. The contractions felt like they never really stopped. By 2pm, I was 6 cm and asked for the epidural. I got that within 30 minutes and things of course eased up after that. In fact, I thought the epidural had slowed the labor because the contractions did not seem to register as very intense on the monitor. When the nurse checked me just after 3pm, I was prepared to hear that I hadn’t made any progress and would need pitocin. I was amazed to hear that I was already at 9cm. We were likely complete by 4pm. My nurse suggested that since we had the epidural, we just let the contractions naturally start the pushing process. So that’s what we did until 5:15 when I started pushing.
The epidural was just as good as the one I had with Bennett. I could feel pressure when I had a contraction and so knew when to push. I could lift and feel my legs still but had no very little to no pain. It did take what seemed like forever but was actually 1.5 hours. My doctor, predictably, did not come in until the very last moment. I think I only pushed twice and she as out. The strangest thing happened near the end. Vivian was actually moving around while I pushed. You could see her kick. It’s hard to describe, but she was definitely living up to the “lively” meaning of her name. She came out yelling and didn’t stop for about two hours after she was born. 7 lbs. 10 oz. and inches...born at 39 weeks 1 day. She weighted over twice as much as Bennett and was 4 inches longer.
This birth experience was obviously so different for everyone involved. It helped resolve some of the lingering feelings I have had since Bennett was born. I didn’t feel cheated, sick, and scared for my baby’s life. I felt educated and much more in control. I felt like my body wasn’t a total failure. And I got to hold my baby after birth, and nurse her, and keep her in the room with us. It was awesome. That’s really the only word that fits.
I never had any protein on my urine dipsticks, no upper right quadrant pain, and officially no preeclampsia. If some of BP readings were correct, I had gestational hypertension at the end. I don’t think there will be an official diagnosis in my medical records.
With all of that said, the answer to the ever-popular “will you have more” question is an unequivocal no. This pregnancy was nerve-racking in a way that I could never fully describe. I lived most of my days in a perpetual state of anxiety that I don’t think I could deal with again. Bernie was wonderful throughout, but I’m sure all of that fear and anxiety wasn’t easy on him (or Bennett for that matter). So we will be happy for what we have and move on to the next stage of our lives...watching our children grow up.
Things have been eventful since we brought Vivian home, but that's a post of another day. And I don't know when that day will be since things a little crazy around here with two kids. I will try to get another post up before Bernie goes back to work next Wednesday night.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tomorrow we will have a baby
Or maybe it will be Friday depending on how things go. I haven't been able to update the past few days because my computer's graphics card was broken and we had to send it away to be fixed. Apple was very accommodating and fixed it for free even though we were eight days out of our three year warranty. I would have been pissed if they didn't fix it.
Anyway, back to the important things. A baby. Tomorrow. That is such a weird concept to grasp. I was really hoping to wait for things to start up on their own, but my blood pressure is not cooperating. It's not that bad at this point, but these things can turn really bad and I don't want to go through being so sick again. Last Wednesday it was 92 on the bottom. Then on my birthday night we went to labor and delivery because I suddenly swelled up like crazy (likely the salty food I ate) and my BP was 156/87 on the grocery store machine. While I was in L&D, my bottom numbers were in the mid to high 80's and top numbers in the 130's. A diagnosis of pregnancy-induced hypertension is made with two BP's of over 140 or 90 taken at least six hours apart. So, I'm not officially there, but my doctor advised us not to take any chances and we definitely agree. Preeclampsia is not the word at the moment because all of my urine dips are clear as were my labs on Saturday. As of Monday, I am 4 1/2 cm and 80% effaced, so hopefully all that will have to be done is breaking my water. Think non-pitocin related thoughts for us!
Oh, and my group strep B was positive, so I will have to deal with the antibiotics. Woo.
I am so happy to be at this point. And very nervous about tomorrow. We will be updating Facebook with the news. She's estimated at 8 lbs!
Anyway, back to the important things. A baby. Tomorrow. That is such a weird concept to grasp. I was really hoping to wait for things to start up on their own, but my blood pressure is not cooperating. It's not that bad at this point, but these things can turn really bad and I don't want to go through being so sick again. Last Wednesday it was 92 on the bottom. Then on my birthday night we went to labor and delivery because I suddenly swelled up like crazy (likely the salty food I ate) and my BP was 156/87 on the grocery store machine. While I was in L&D, my bottom numbers were in the mid to high 80's and top numbers in the 130's. A diagnosis of pregnancy-induced hypertension is made with two BP's of over 140 or 90 taken at least six hours apart. So, I'm not officially there, but my doctor advised us not to take any chances and we definitely agree. Preeclampsia is not the word at the moment because all of my urine dips are clear as were my labs on Saturday. As of Monday, I am 4 1/2 cm and 80% effaced, so hopefully all that will have to be done is breaking my water. Think non-pitocin related thoughts for us!
Oh, and my group strep B was positive, so I will have to deal with the antibiotics. Woo.
I am so happy to be at this point. And very nervous about tomorrow. We will be updating Facebook with the news. She's estimated at 8 lbs!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
38 Weeks!
Our 38 week appointment was this morning. 4 cm dilated and 70% effaced. My OB said it was amazing that I could walk around like that. I have episodes of "could this be it" on a daily basis before the contractions stop again. It seems that he expects me to go into real labor soon, but had me make an appointment for Monday just in case. I'm sure he will talk induction at that point. I am really hoping to avoid any induction. We'll see how I'm feeling Monday though. It would be nice to make it to Friday since that's when Bernie's mom is flying in.
I'm feeling ready and a tad bit impatient. My bp was a little high (122/92) on fist check which is always worrying to me. It came down to 130/80 on a second check and my OB was fine with that.
I have been cleaning/organizing like crazy and have most of the items on my list checked off. Bernie is off for four days after today and has one more set of shifts before he starts his official baby-leave. Of course, he will start it sooner if Vivian decides to make her appearance before then.
I find that I don't have anything else to say at the moment. Hope everyone is well and maybe we will be introducing Vivian in the next post!
I'm feeling ready and a tad bit impatient. My bp was a little high (122/92) on fist check which is always worrying to me. It came down to 130/80 on a second check and my OB was fine with that.
I have been cleaning/organizing like crazy and have most of the items on my list checked off. Bernie is off for four days after today and has one more set of shifts before he starts his official baby-leave. Of course, he will start it sooner if Vivian decides to make her appearance before then.
I find that I don't have anything else to say at the moment. Hope everyone is well and maybe we will be introducing Vivian in the next post!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
36 weeks!
That was yesterday, so technically we are past that mark. I had two doctor's appointments this week. On Tuesday I saw my specialist for the final ultrasound. Vivian is a big girl! She is tipping the scales at 6 lbs 3 oz already and everything looked great. Dr. even called me a normal pregnant person. The birth discussion with my OB was yesterday. We discussed all the exciting possible delivery scenarios as expected. I left feeling reassured, 3 cm dilated, and 50% effaced. Anyone want to take a guess on the birth date??? It might keep me a bit more occupied during this final countdown to keep track of the guesses.
Now I just need to get to work on the birth plan. Full term coming up next Wednesday!
There was a trip to L&D last week due to some higher BP readings at the grocery store. They kept me an hour and all was fine. Normal BP and no protein in my urine. My BP's were nice and low at both doctor's appointments this week.
I have started getting some meals together for after the birth. OK, so I made one 5+ lb turkey meatloaf that is frozen into three meals. But I have plans for more! Hopefully a very large pan of lasagna will get made this weekend. Any other ideas for easily frozen meals? The mom's group I am a member of is also going to help out with five meals after Vivian arrives. It's really awesome to be part of a group that is so willing to help out other families.
I am in the process of helping to plan a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia for 2011 in Denver. I have made an amazing number of connections to area PE survivors and we have big plans. It will be the first walk in Colorado, so definitely a learning process. We are in the process of finding a location and sponsors. If anyone around here has any advice for me or would like to walk with us, please let me know!
Bernie is up at the lake today getting one last fishing trip in. He tells me he caught 6 or so. If anyone wants them, I will secretly give them to you so they don't take up space in my freezer. I'm sure pheasant will be coming down when Big Bernie comes. Yuck. Seriously, I will leave our door unlocked if anyone wants to come and steal it.
Just kidding Bernie. I can't wait to try some pheasant stew, or pheasant fajitas, or maybe a little breaded and fried pheasant.
Cute things Bennett has done recently:
He's finally blowing bubbles in the bath water. We have been showing him this at the pool for some time, including during swim lessons. He loves to blow the bubbles first and then drink as much of the bath water as possible.
He smells "stinky socks." He'll pick up socks, give them a little sniff, and pretend that they smell bad.
He says "mmmm" when he sees us eating something. He usually doesn't want any, but instead enthusiastically agrees that it must be good.
He refuses the park sometimes. I'm not sure if this is cute, but it is totally Bennett. There have been two instances in the past two weeks where we pull up and he simply refuses to go. I guess we are asserting our right to make decisions!
Sorry if this post is scattered...that's basically how my mind is working right now.
Now I just need to get to work on the birth plan. Full term coming up next Wednesday!
There was a trip to L&D last week due to some higher BP readings at the grocery store. They kept me an hour and all was fine. Normal BP and no protein in my urine. My BP's were nice and low at both doctor's appointments this week.
I have started getting some meals together for after the birth. OK, so I made one 5+ lb turkey meatloaf that is frozen into three meals. But I have plans for more! Hopefully a very large pan of lasagna will get made this weekend. Any other ideas for easily frozen meals? The mom's group I am a member of is also going to help out with five meals after Vivian arrives. It's really awesome to be part of a group that is so willing to help out other families.
I am in the process of helping to plan a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia for 2011 in Denver. I have made an amazing number of connections to area PE survivors and we have big plans. It will be the first walk in Colorado, so definitely a learning process. We are in the process of finding a location and sponsors. If anyone around here has any advice for me or would like to walk with us, please let me know!
Bernie is up at the lake today getting one last fishing trip in. He tells me he caught 6 or so. If anyone wants them, I will secretly give them to you so they don't take up space in my freezer. I'm sure pheasant will be coming down when Big Bernie comes. Yuck. Seriously, I will leave our door unlocked if anyone wants to come and steal it.
Just kidding Bernie. I can't wait to try some pheasant stew, or pheasant fajitas, or maybe a little breaded and fried pheasant.
Cute things Bennett has done recently:
He's finally blowing bubbles in the bath water. We have been showing him this at the pool for some time, including during swim lessons. He loves to blow the bubbles first and then drink as much of the bath water as possible.
He smells "stinky socks." He'll pick up socks, give them a little sniff, and pretend that they smell bad.
He says "mmmm" when he sees us eating something. He usually doesn't want any, but instead enthusiastically agrees that it must be good.
He refuses the park sometimes. I'm not sure if this is cute, but it is totally Bennett. There have been two instances in the past two weeks where we pull up and he simply refuses to go. I guess we are asserting our right to make decisions!
Sorry if this post is scattered...that's basically how my mind is working right now.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Less than 40 days!
We are under the 40 day mark until Vivian's due date. I'm feeling good about at least 35 weeks at this point. Last Monday I had an OB check and was already 1 1/2-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. My doctor wasn't too concerned and told me that early dilation can be common in second pregnancies. They won't stop labor after 34 weeks anyway, so we'll just have to wait and see what Vivian has planned. I have tons of Braxton Hicks contractions but they don't seem to be progressing much at this point. I am holding out for full-term dang it!
I can see how this last month drags for a lot of women. There are so many things I want to get done, but I'm so anxious to meet her as well. At least my body is being more cooperative at this point. She has settled into a center head-down position so my hip is feeling mostly normal. I have some swelling in my calves. It's nothing anyone else would notice, but if I press a finger into my skin, a dent stays there for 30 seconds or more. It's a bit strange. Sleeping more than an hour or two at a time has become an issue, but I just assume that's my body preparing me for what is to come. No real complaints at this point.
My mom left today after a five day visit. It was mostly uneventful. Bennett really seems to love her. He calls her his "ga" which is very cute. We spent a lot of time in Boulder at the farmer's market while she fawned over the variety of organic/natural products available. We took Bennett to the pool and the Sunflower Farm. For extra fun, he decided to poop in the pool, which was lovely to say the least.
So, we will keep chugging along. Sorry to be so boring...my brain isn't working well at the moment.
I can see how this last month drags for a lot of women. There are so many things I want to get done, but I'm so anxious to meet her as well. At least my body is being more cooperative at this point. She has settled into a center head-down position so my hip is feeling mostly normal. I have some swelling in my calves. It's nothing anyone else would notice, but if I press a finger into my skin, a dent stays there for 30 seconds or more. It's a bit strange. Sleeping more than an hour or two at a time has become an issue, but I just assume that's my body preparing me for what is to come. No real complaints at this point.
My mom left today after a five day visit. It was mostly uneventful. Bennett really seems to love her. He calls her his "ga" which is very cute. We spent a lot of time in Boulder at the farmer's market while she fawned over the variety of organic/natural products available. We took Bennett to the pool and the Sunflower Farm. For extra fun, he decided to poop in the pool, which was lovely to say the least.
So, we will keep chugging along. Sorry to be so boring...my brain isn't working well at the moment.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September
Fall is upon us again. It's my favorite time of the year. Right now the daytime temps are still a bit warm for me (mid 80's), but in just a few short weeks the perfect weather will arrive. And the light will look like fall and all will be well.
Our garden veggies are mostly ready. We did OK this year. Only one tomato plant survived out of three, but really one is enough for our needs. We'll have lots of carrots, red/green/yellow peppers, and about 10 onions. We pulled our broccoli and brussels sprout plants because they were overtaken by bugs. We learned more and will hopefully have better luck next year.
My mom's ticket finally went through so she will be coming on September 21st and leaving on the 26th. She is excited to see Bennett but already complaining about the stress of traveling, leaving her house, job, etc. I hope she can have some fun when she gets here. I'll at least take her to the Boulder Farmer's market. She should enjoy that along with lunch at one of their organic/all natural eateries. She should move there, it's her kind of place food-wise.
I don't know if I have complained here about Bennett's picky eating habits. He can be very difficult when it comes to eating a variety of food and trying new things. But things have been slowly improving. He actually fed himself a whole cup of applesauce today with a spoon. Success on multiple levels! He usually ignores utensils and won't eat things the consistency of applesauce. He is also eating most meat (as long as there is BBQ sauce or ketchup) and is back to eating a wide variety of fruit. I'm hoping we can graduate to eating some kind of pasta soon, because seriously, what kid doesn't eat spaghetti and mac n cheese? I'm not holding out for veggies any time soon.
He absolutely wore me out at the park today by insisting on walking 1/4 of a mile one direction. That was all fine until he refused to walk back and screamed the entire way while I carried him. Me carrying Bennett right now is difficult. I think we will avoid that park in the future.
My hip is feeling better most days. I think she moved her little head elsewhere and I am noticing the relief. The PT and time in the pool help as well. I wish I could spend the rest of the pregnancy walking in the pool. I had an OB appointment on Wednesday where my BP was 132/72. This was a higher office reading for me so he ran blood work. All is clear at the moment. My liver is not going to explode imminently anyway. I have noticed that my BP is higher (about the same as the MD office) in the grocery stores most of the time now. So I will keep a close eye on that.
I have been getting my nesting things slowly accomplished. Bennett has someone to come and watch him if Vivian comes before Bernie's mom comes on October 22nd (thanks Michaela!). I got his box of stuff ready with some new books, puzzles, his blanket, clothes, snacks, etc. so she will be ready to go. My bag for the hospital is about half packed and I am very slowly getting the cleaning and organizing done. I am going to try and wait until the end of September to wash and organize all of her clothes, but we'll see if I can be patient.
Our very last growth scan is the first week in October. We are on every two week visits to the OB right now which will go weekly also in October's first week. It feels like we are getting closer!
I think we will check out the Sunflower Farm on one of Bernie's off days this week. It sounds like fun:
http://www.sunflowerfarminfo.com/kids_farmfest.htm
Our garden veggies are mostly ready. We did OK this year. Only one tomato plant survived out of three, but really one is enough for our needs. We'll have lots of carrots, red/green/yellow peppers, and about 10 onions. We pulled our broccoli and brussels sprout plants because they were overtaken by bugs. We learned more and will hopefully have better luck next year.
My mom's ticket finally went through so she will be coming on September 21st and leaving on the 26th. She is excited to see Bennett but already complaining about the stress of traveling, leaving her house, job, etc. I hope she can have some fun when she gets here. I'll at least take her to the Boulder Farmer's market. She should enjoy that along with lunch at one of their organic/all natural eateries. She should move there, it's her kind of place food-wise.
I don't know if I have complained here about Bennett's picky eating habits. He can be very difficult when it comes to eating a variety of food and trying new things. But things have been slowly improving. He actually fed himself a whole cup of applesauce today with a spoon. Success on multiple levels! He usually ignores utensils and won't eat things the consistency of applesauce. He is also eating most meat (as long as there is BBQ sauce or ketchup) and is back to eating a wide variety of fruit. I'm hoping we can graduate to eating some kind of pasta soon, because seriously, what kid doesn't eat spaghetti and mac n cheese? I'm not holding out for veggies any time soon.
He absolutely wore me out at the park today by insisting on walking 1/4 of a mile one direction. That was all fine until he refused to walk back and screamed the entire way while I carried him. Me carrying Bennett right now is difficult. I think we will avoid that park in the future.
My hip is feeling better most days. I think she moved her little head elsewhere and I am noticing the relief. The PT and time in the pool help as well. I wish I could spend the rest of the pregnancy walking in the pool. I had an OB appointment on Wednesday where my BP was 132/72. This was a higher office reading for me so he ran blood work. All is clear at the moment. My liver is not going to explode imminently anyway. I have noticed that my BP is higher (about the same as the MD office) in the grocery stores most of the time now. So I will keep a close eye on that.
I have been getting my nesting things slowly accomplished. Bennett has someone to come and watch him if Vivian comes before Bernie's mom comes on October 22nd (thanks Michaela!). I got his box of stuff ready with some new books, puzzles, his blanket, clothes, snacks, etc. so she will be ready to go. My bag for the hospital is about half packed and I am very slowly getting the cleaning and organizing done. I am going to try and wait until the end of September to wash and organize all of her clothes, but we'll see if I can be patient.
Our very last growth scan is the first week in October. We are on every two week visits to the OB right now which will go weekly also in October's first week. It feels like we are getting closer!
I think we will check out the Sunflower Farm on one of Bernie's off days this week. It sounds like fun:
http://www.sunflowerfarminfo.com/kids_farmfest.htm
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Fat Baby
Vivian now weighs the same as Bennett did when he was delivered at 31 weeks 2 days...3 lbs. 7 oz. I wasn't expecting her to be that big yet, so the news was comforting. Everything measures right on. Our milestone day is Friday. That has been the big goal for me this pregnancy. On Saturday I will officially be more pregnant than I have ever been. My anxiety levels have been falling as we are approaching that day. I'm excited to experience the next 6 weeks (at least).
However, I am feeling the pain. About a week ago I started having low back and hip pain. It shoots down my left side and sometimes leaves my unable to put weight on my left leg or walk. I'm sure I look funny scooting around on my rear end. I'm 99% sure that it is sciatic pain from Vivian's head being firmly entrenched in the bottom left of my uterus, digging into my hip. It was so low that the tech had trouble getting a head measurement. I am hoping she will move sometime very very soon. I am doing PT and might try a support belt. It has also been helping today to gently prod where I know her head is. She seems to float up for a bit before settling back down in my hip. I'm only 31 weeks...they still flip around at this point don't they? It's crazy difficult to keep up with Bennett, normal chores, and all the nesting I want to do with the pain.
My gestational diabetes screen came back borderline. My OB gave me the choice of doing the 3 hour test or not and I of course I did it. I wouldn't have been able to stand thinking it was a possibility. The 3 hour test came back just fine so I don't have to worry about it anymore. The original one was probably a bit high because I eat too much cereal in the morning.
We have been officially guestless for a week now. It's strange. Bennett took a day or two to adjust to not having Ava around. He misses all of her kisses.
My mom might be coming down later in the month. We have a voucher for a free flight after being bumped last spring. I don't think we will get to use it, so I offered it to her. The process is a bit more complex than I had hoped. We actually have to go down to the airport and have the voucher transferred to her name and then send it to her in the mail. And the reservation has to be made 14 days in advance. So I'm not sure how it will all work out because she doesn't want to come too close to when Vivian is due because she is going to be coming right back down. So we will see. It would be nice to have the help with Bennett so hopefully we can figure something out.
Our booth for the Preeclampsia Foundation was successful in some ways and a bit of a failure in others. I made some really great connections to a group of ladies who have dealt with the same trauma I have. We are fired up to get together and plan future events for the PF. On the other hand, it seems that we were duped. I was told that then event would draw 15,000-20,000 attendees. I think 2,000 was pushing it. It was disappointing to say the least that didn't get the word out more. But there will be other events and now we are connected.
However, I am feeling the pain. About a week ago I started having low back and hip pain. It shoots down my left side and sometimes leaves my unable to put weight on my left leg or walk. I'm sure I look funny scooting around on my rear end. I'm 99% sure that it is sciatic pain from Vivian's head being firmly entrenched in the bottom left of my uterus, digging into my hip. It was so low that the tech had trouble getting a head measurement. I am hoping she will move sometime very very soon. I am doing PT and might try a support belt. It has also been helping today to gently prod where I know her head is. She seems to float up for a bit before settling back down in my hip. I'm only 31 weeks...they still flip around at this point don't they? It's crazy difficult to keep up with Bennett, normal chores, and all the nesting I want to do with the pain.
My gestational diabetes screen came back borderline. My OB gave me the choice of doing the 3 hour test or not and I of course I did it. I wouldn't have been able to stand thinking it was a possibility. The 3 hour test came back just fine so I don't have to worry about it anymore. The original one was probably a bit high because I eat too much cereal in the morning.
We have been officially guestless for a week now. It's strange. Bennett took a day or two to adjust to not having Ava around. He misses all of her kisses.
My mom might be coming down later in the month. We have a voucher for a free flight after being bumped last spring. I don't think we will get to use it, so I offered it to her. The process is a bit more complex than I had hoped. We actually have to go down to the airport and have the voucher transferred to her name and then send it to her in the mail. And the reservation has to be made 14 days in advance. So I'm not sure how it will all work out because she doesn't want to come too close to when Vivian is due because she is going to be coming right back down. So we will see. It would be nice to have the help with Bennett so hopefully we can figure something out.
Our booth for the Preeclampsia Foundation was successful in some ways and a bit of a failure in others. I made some really great connections to a group of ladies who have dealt with the same trauma I have. We are fired up to get together and plan future events for the PF. On the other hand, it seems that we were duped. I was told that then event would draw 15,000-20,000 attendees. I think 2,000 was pushing it. It was disappointing to say the least that didn't get the word out more. But there will be other events and now we are connected.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
We are reaching the end of our stream of guests. I had lots of fun with my cousins and aunts. The baseball game was an especially good time even though I had to refrain from drinking the beer that looked so good. I hope the Fagg ladies can make it back down sometime...three days is not nearly enough to see all there is to see.
Bernie's parents were here for about four days. They drove from North Dakota but didn't feel like they could stay long because big Bernie has a huge vegetable garden he can't leave for long this time of year. We took a little tour of Golden. The boys went to the Coors brewery, Jackie went to a quilt museum she had been wanting to see, and Bennett and I played at the park. We also did our fair share of shopping which is normal for Jackie and I.
The Ritchie's are in the midst of their stay right now. We went to the splash park for a bit yesterday, but the hundred degree heat made our stay short. Today Kristen had a job interview. Phil and I took the kids to huge park in Denver and we ate some Boston Market. The kiddos are having the most fun just playing around in the backyard I think. Bennett is showing a bit more aggression than I am used to seeing in him. He will walk up to Ava and try to pinch or shove her. He also pulls my hair and pinches me when he's mad Hopefully we can solve this before it becomes more of an issue.
Tomorrow Kristen and I are spoiling ourselves with pedicures and massages. We've also got plans for Boulder and Ft. Collins at some point. Busy time!
And lastly, I am trying to get ready for the baby expo next week. I think it is all going to come together soon. I'm very excited about it.
We hit 29 weeks yesterday! I am optimistic about making it to September 3rd which is the same gestation Bennett was born at. Beyond that will just be awesome bonus time in my eyes.
Bernie's parents were here for about four days. They drove from North Dakota but didn't feel like they could stay long because big Bernie has a huge vegetable garden he can't leave for long this time of year. We took a little tour of Golden. The boys went to the Coors brewery, Jackie went to a quilt museum she had been wanting to see, and Bennett and I played at the park. We also did our fair share of shopping which is normal for Jackie and I.
The Ritchie's are in the midst of their stay right now. We went to the splash park for a bit yesterday, but the hundred degree heat made our stay short. Today Kristen had a job interview. Phil and I took the kids to huge park in Denver and we ate some Boston Market. The kiddos are having the most fun just playing around in the backyard I think. Bennett is showing a bit more aggression than I am used to seeing in him. He will walk up to Ava and try to pinch or shove her. He also pulls my hair and pinches me when he's mad Hopefully we can solve this before it becomes more of an issue.
Tomorrow Kristen and I are spoiling ourselves with pedicures and massages. We've also got plans for Boulder and Ft. Collins at some point. Busy time!
And lastly, I am trying to get ready for the baby expo next week. I think it is all going to come together soon. I'm very excited about it.
We hit 29 weeks yesterday! I am optimistic about making it to September 3rd which is the same gestation Bennett was born at. Beyond that will just be awesome bonus time in my eyes.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
They're coming!
The people, they are coming. And I am getting very excited. The Fagg ladies will be here on Tuesday to start the madness. We don't have any big plans except a baseball game. I'm sure we will eat and gab like we normally do.
August is going to be a busy month all around. It makes me happy because the time will pass by quickly. I really really want to get through August without any pregnancy-related drama. September 3rd will be the same point this time around that I delivered Bennett last time. That's the medium-term goal at the moment. My short-term goal is 28 weeks and at least 2 lbs. Stats for survival and disability start to improve drastically at that point. We have another growth scan on Tuesday. Think fat baby and normal-sized head thoughts for us!
I am having the same back pain as I did with Bennett. Not the HELLP pain, but the pain around my left bra strap. It makes me so crazy some days. My doctor thinks it is a pinched nerve and I tend to agree because in actually radiates numbness all around to my ribcage sometimes. I have invested in a body pillow which helps at night. A little bit of pre-natal yoga helps me relax a bit as well. And my mood is so variable from moment to moment. I feel terrible for Bernie some days because I can be a real drag. Ok, that's enough pregnancy complaining for one day. Unless Bernie wants to chime with some complaints of his own of course.
Bennett started his swimming lessons this week. We go twice for a half an hour each time. They are really affordable lessons offered by the city. He's obviously not old enough for extremely structured teaching, but they are fun. Bernie has been able to come the past two times so it's a family effort. We mostly sing and play which is perfect for a 20 month old.
I can't think of anything else very exciting. I will update Tuesday after our growth scan.
August is going to be a busy month all around. It makes me happy because the time will pass by quickly. I really really want to get through August without any pregnancy-related drama. September 3rd will be the same point this time around that I delivered Bennett last time. That's the medium-term goal at the moment. My short-term goal is 28 weeks and at least 2 lbs. Stats for survival and disability start to improve drastically at that point. We have another growth scan on Tuesday. Think fat baby and normal-sized head thoughts for us!
I am having the same back pain as I did with Bennett. Not the HELLP pain, but the pain around my left bra strap. It makes me so crazy some days. My doctor thinks it is a pinched nerve and I tend to agree because in actually radiates numbness all around to my ribcage sometimes. I have invested in a body pillow which helps at night. A little bit of pre-natal yoga helps me relax a bit as well. And my mood is so variable from moment to moment. I feel terrible for Bernie some days because I can be a real drag. Ok, that's enough pregnancy complaining for one day. Unless Bernie wants to chime with some complaints of his own of course.
Bennett started his swimming lessons this week. We go twice for a half an hour each time. They are really affordable lessons offered by the city. He's obviously not old enough for extremely structured teaching, but they are fun. Bernie has been able to come the past two times so it's a family effort. We mostly sing and play which is perfect for a 20 month old.
I can't think of anything else very exciting. I will update Tuesday after our growth scan.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A Name, Sleep, and Summer
Today is our anniversary. We have been married for four years which seems a bit crazy. Our lives have changed enormously over that time, all for the better. I love you Bernie!
We got a babysitter last night to go out for dinner and after-dinner drinks and dessert. We decided to come back between the two events to put Bennett to bed since we figured our sitter would be unable to calm him down. Poor Bennett was very sad when we left and was difficult to comfort for the 1.5 hours we were gone. When he heard the garage door open when we came home he had a total meltdown. Big crocodile tears break Mom's heart. We cuddled with him, read a couple of books, and put him down for bed before going back out. We had a nice time out together and Bennett did not wake up to find us gone again.
To continue on the tangent of sleep, Bennett has been a champion lately. He goes to sleep at around 8:30 and I usually have to wake him up at 9am. Then he naps for 1.5-3 hours in the afternoon. I know it won't last long so I am enjoying it for the moment. He must be having a growth spurt or something. I'm sure we are in for early wake-ups again soon.
While we were out last night, we finally decided on a name. Baby girl will be Vivian Patricia. Her name means "full of life" and "vibrant" which is exactly how I feel about her. And of course Patricia is after my grandma, which was going to be her middle name no matter what.
I am finally getting to put in some volunteer time with the Preeclampsia Foundation. There is a baby expo coming up in Denver at the end of August and I am coordinating a PF booth for it. I have a few volunteers already and am hoping to start the grant process soon. It will be a great end to a very exciting month around here. The Fagg's are here the first week, Bernie's parents have decided to come the second week, and Kristen and co. will be here the third week. I should probably take advantage of some serious relaxation time before all the madness begins.
We are in the midst of some very hot days around here. Most of them are 90+ and show no signs of letting up any time soon. It's often too hot for me to go out after 10am or so. I'm glad Bernie has been taking Bennett running again lately so he has some time outside and in the park. When he goes out with me, it's to somewhere with good air conditioning!
We got a babysitter last night to go out for dinner and after-dinner drinks and dessert. We decided to come back between the two events to put Bennett to bed since we figured our sitter would be unable to calm him down. Poor Bennett was very sad when we left and was difficult to comfort for the 1.5 hours we were gone. When he heard the garage door open when we came home he had a total meltdown. Big crocodile tears break Mom's heart. We cuddled with him, read a couple of books, and put him down for bed before going back out. We had a nice time out together and Bennett did not wake up to find us gone again.
To continue on the tangent of sleep, Bennett has been a champion lately. He goes to sleep at around 8:30 and I usually have to wake him up at 9am. Then he naps for 1.5-3 hours in the afternoon. I know it won't last long so I am enjoying it for the moment. He must be having a growth spurt or something. I'm sure we are in for early wake-ups again soon.
While we were out last night, we finally decided on a name. Baby girl will be Vivian Patricia. Her name means "full of life" and "vibrant" which is exactly how I feel about her. And of course Patricia is after my grandma, which was going to be her middle name no matter what.
I am finally getting to put in some volunteer time with the Preeclampsia Foundation. There is a baby expo coming up in Denver at the end of August and I am coordinating a PF booth for it. I have a few volunteers already and am hoping to start the grant process soon. It will be a great end to a very exciting month around here. The Fagg's are here the first week, Bernie's parents have decided to come the second week, and Kristen and co. will be here the third week. I should probably take advantage of some serious relaxation time before all the madness begins.
We are in the midst of some very hot days around here. Most of them are 90+ and show no signs of letting up any time soon. It's often too hot for me to go out after 10am or so. I'm glad Bernie has been taking Bennett running again lately so he has some time outside and in the park. When he goes out with me, it's to somewhere with good air conditioning!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Home Sweet Home
We got back from our vacation a couple of days ago. It was fun and also long. I was ready to get back home by the end. We spent 8 days in each state along with the drives. On the way to Great Falls, things went pretty well. But then Bennett got a cold and as a result the drive to North Dakota was rough on everyone. Poor boy ran a fever of 104+ the day before we left. The trip home was not bad, but I am ready to be done traveling for awhile. I will be happy if we stay in the area for some time to come. The DVD player was the key to some peace on the drives. Bennett loves his Gabba Gabba.
Bennett loved being with he grandparents and reveled in the attention. Grandma Ladawna gives him the run of the house and says no to very very little. We spent time with my family and of course all of my friends while in Great Falls. Seeing Sara and Mel's kids was a definite highlight. I can't believe how much all of us have grown up. I got to spend extra time with Amy and her family up in Seeley Lake where they have a cabin. My aunt Kathy watched Bennett while I spend 6 heavenly hours in Missoula. Oh how I miss that place. I keep telling Bernie that if a job opens up there, we must apply. North Dakota was also a good time. It was 100 degrees a couple of days, which is a bit much for me. Bennett went to the zoo and Bernie and I got to go on a really fun pontoon ride on the Missouri with some of Bernie's longtime friends. The only way it could have been better is if I was able to have more than a couple of sips of beer. The 4th of July was a noisy affair in Mandan. They allow basically all fireworks to be fired off within the city limits and Bismarck does not. So everyone comes over and shoots them off for most of the night. Luckily we had a good noise maker for Bennett. I don't know why, but fireworks do not interest me at all. If fact, I don't really like them. Party pooper.
My dad is how one would expect. We have been talking about a possible move to the former Downtowner for about a year now. It's a subsidized apartment building in Great Falls that serves meals. It's not an assisted living, but at least there would be people around and have food available. He was interested until I asked to take him on a tour. Then he told me he had changed his mind. His new plan is to travel around to all of the different relatives homes (his dad, me, his siblings) and stay for a couple of months before moving on. This from the man who couldn't deal with changing grocery shopping time from morning to afternoon. If that was too much a change in routine, I'm not sure how he will deal with that much constant change. And what about everyone else? My dad in the house with two young children? Blah. It wouldn't work anyway because you have to climb stairs to do anything here (maybe I did that subconsciously). I didn't have the guts to tell him at the time, but I wouldn't be able to stand having him in my house long-term. Piles of bibles everywhere.
He's probably a year or less away from a wheelchair, so reality is just around the corner
Our 23 week growth scan was the day after we got home. Baby girl weighed in at 1 lb. 3 oz. Her abdomen, arm, and leg were measuring right on, but her head was measuring 2 weeks behind (in the 2nd percentile). My MFM wasn't worried and thought it might be the position she was in. Or it might be that she just has a small head. Or it might be an ultrasound error and next time everything will be normal. I can't help but worry though. So now it's over three weeks until the next ultrasound. We are discussing names but haven't come up with anything yet.
Bernie's mom was planning to come down if and when Bernie goes on a fire this summer. Sometimes he goes out for 2 weeks at a time and I would want/need the help. But it doesn't look good for fires any time soon. I think she's going to come down this month anyway. She is bringing some fun outdoor toys for Bennett including the Flintstones car he liked. Visitors galore!
Bennett loved being with he grandparents and reveled in the attention. Grandma Ladawna gives him the run of the house and says no to very very little. We spent time with my family and of course all of my friends while in Great Falls. Seeing Sara and Mel's kids was a definite highlight. I can't believe how much all of us have grown up. I got to spend extra time with Amy and her family up in Seeley Lake where they have a cabin. My aunt Kathy watched Bennett while I spend 6 heavenly hours in Missoula. Oh how I miss that place. I keep telling Bernie that if a job opens up there, we must apply. North Dakota was also a good time. It was 100 degrees a couple of days, which is a bit much for me. Bennett went to the zoo and Bernie and I got to go on a really fun pontoon ride on the Missouri with some of Bernie's longtime friends. The only way it could have been better is if I was able to have more than a couple of sips of beer. The 4th of July was a noisy affair in Mandan. They allow basically all fireworks to be fired off within the city limits and Bismarck does not. So everyone comes over and shoots them off for most of the night. Luckily we had a good noise maker for Bennett. I don't know why, but fireworks do not interest me at all. If fact, I don't really like them. Party pooper.
My dad is how one would expect. We have been talking about a possible move to the former Downtowner for about a year now. It's a subsidized apartment building in Great Falls that serves meals. It's not an assisted living, but at least there would be people around and have food available. He was interested until I asked to take him on a tour. Then he told me he had changed his mind. His new plan is to travel around to all of the different relatives homes (his dad, me, his siblings) and stay for a couple of months before moving on. This from the man who couldn't deal with changing grocery shopping time from morning to afternoon. If that was too much a change in routine, I'm not sure how he will deal with that much constant change. And what about everyone else? My dad in the house with two young children? Blah. It wouldn't work anyway because you have to climb stairs to do anything here (maybe I did that subconsciously). I didn't have the guts to tell him at the time, but I wouldn't be able to stand having him in my house long-term. Piles of bibles everywhere.
He's probably a year or less away from a wheelchair, so reality is just around the corner
Our 23 week growth scan was the day after we got home. Baby girl weighed in at 1 lb. 3 oz. Her abdomen, arm, and leg were measuring right on, but her head was measuring 2 weeks behind (in the 2nd percentile). My MFM wasn't worried and thought it might be the position she was in. Or it might be that she just has a small head. Or it might be an ultrasound error and next time everything will be normal. I can't help but worry though. So now it's over three weeks until the next ultrasound. We are discussing names but haven't come up with anything yet.
Bernie's mom was planning to come down if and when Bernie goes on a fire this summer. Sometimes he goes out for 2 weeks at a time and I would want/need the help. But it doesn't look good for fires any time soon. I think she's going to come down this month anyway. She is bringing some fun outdoor toys for Bennett including the Flintstones car he liked. Visitors galore!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
We only have two more days left until our big triangle vacation. We are spending an extra few days in Great Falls to take a little side trip to Seeley Lake and Missoula. My aunt and her family (including my cousin Amy) have a cabin in Seeley where they basically live now. It's been years since I have been up there. And how I miss Missoula! I can't wait to just check out the town again for a day. It will be a busy trip as it usually is...many people to see in both places. I am nervous about how Bennett is going to do on the trip. We got a DVD player so there would be something else to entertain him in the car seat. I don't love sticking him in front of the TV, but 11-12 hours is a long time to be in the car.
Yo Gabba Gabba is coming to town in November. I will either be with a newborn or extremely pregnant, so I don't think I will be able to go. But I really want Bennett to go. I will have to continue to try and convince Bernie to take him. Kristen made it seem like a good show. And Bennett should be at about the right age to enjoy it.
Speaking of Kristen, she, Phil, and Ava are visiting in August. I can't wait! Visitors are my favorite. I will have to start putting together a list of things to do. Summer in Colorado is very nice and there are endless activities, so many that we haven't even started to do them all. I think breweries/wineries will have to be on the list.
Bernie and I are in the midst of discussing names. It was easy with Bennett because we already knew what we would name a boy before we even got married. Girl names are much more difficult. I have a long list of names I like and I'm not sure if Bernie likes any of them. I am still waiting on him for his list...
We hit 20 weeks tomorrow. It's hard to believe we are already halfway to a 40 week due date. I would be ecstatic to get within four weeks of that. There are big milestones to get through first. Four more weeks to "viability," 28 weeks for a 2 lb baby, 31 weeks when Bennett was born, 34 weeks for decent lung maturity, etc. I just need to breathe and take every day by itself. My anxiety level is high and affects my mood. Sometimes I wake up in a panic in the middle of the night. But there are no symptoms yet and I am trying to stay positive. We will have another ultrasound the first week in July, which will hopefully it will be reassuring.
I got a bit of stress relief last night. I had a mom's night out with some of my mom friends here. We went to dinner and a movie and had a lot of fun. It was nice to get out with a group of women without our children for an evening.
Yo Gabba Gabba is coming to town in November. I will either be with a newborn or extremely pregnant, so I don't think I will be able to go. But I really want Bennett to go. I will have to continue to try and convince Bernie to take him. Kristen made it seem like a good show. And Bennett should be at about the right age to enjoy it.
Speaking of Kristen, she, Phil, and Ava are visiting in August. I can't wait! Visitors are my favorite. I will have to start putting together a list of things to do. Summer in Colorado is very nice and there are endless activities, so many that we haven't even started to do them all. I think breweries/wineries will have to be on the list.
Bernie and I are in the midst of discussing names. It was easy with Bennett because we already knew what we would name a boy before we even got married. Girl names are much more difficult. I have a long list of names I like and I'm not sure if Bernie likes any of them. I am still waiting on him for his list...
We hit 20 weeks tomorrow. It's hard to believe we are already halfway to a 40 week due date. I would be ecstatic to get within four weeks of that. There are big milestones to get through first. Four more weeks to "viability," 28 weeks for a 2 lb baby, 31 weeks when Bennett was born, 34 weeks for decent lung maturity, etc. I just need to breathe and take every day by itself. My anxiety level is high and affects my mood. Sometimes I wake up in a panic in the middle of the night. But there are no symptoms yet and I am trying to stay positive. We will have another ultrasound the first week in July, which will hopefully it will be reassuring.
I got a bit of stress relief last night. I had a mom's night out with some of my mom friends here. We went to dinner and a movie and had a lot of fun. It was nice to get out with a group of women without our children for an evening.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Three Updates!
It's been awhile since I did three personal updates in one month. No guarantees that it will ever happen again, but there is never anything too exciting going on around here.
The weather has finally been breaking 80 degrees consistently in the past week. We have had a few water adventures so far. First, we took Bennett on his first boat ride while Bernie was fishing. He hated the life jacket of course. It was quite bulky and probably would have pissed me off as well. He also wasn't too happy with the confined space, but really enjoyed the live well. That is a well on the boat where you keep the fish until you are someplace to clean them. There were no fish that day but Bennett got to splash the water all over. We also got him a water table and there is a small pool from last year. He played with the water table, but the dog seemed to like the pool a bit more. She laid in the cold water while Bennett watched and laughed.
There are a few parks in Longmont that have outdoor water features. They are some kind of fountain usually that kids can run around it, sort of like a giant sprinkler. He absolutely loved that, so I'm sure we will return many times. I think we will try one of the outdoor pools this Tuesday. There are pictures documenting all of our water fun on Flickr.
Our summer vacation is rapidly approaching. In less than three weeks we will brave the drive to Great Falls, stay for a week, drive to North Dakota, stay for another week, and then drive home again. We haven't done this since Bennett was less than a year old, so it will be interesting to see how he does. We recently turned his car seat to forward facing, so that should help. At least he can look at something other than the back seat.
Bennett's 18 month appointment was this past week. Weight: 25 lbs 14 oz. Height: 32 inches. He's right in the 50th percentile for both. He was not a fan of the doctor or nurse and screamed every time they came in the room.
It seems we have finally fully transitioned to one nap. It has been a long transition (3 months or more). I think what finally helped was the black out curtains. It's like nighttime in that room all day long. Bennett would usually get up between 6 and 6:30. Post-black out curtains he usually sleeps until between 8 and 9. Naps are 1.5-2.5 hours. This new schedule as freed up quite a bit of time that we can be out doing play dates, etc. Then a new baby will come and we'll start all over!
The ultrasound is in 5 days. The longest 5 days of my life. I will be sure to update Friday after the appointment.
The weather has finally been breaking 80 degrees consistently in the past week. We have had a few water adventures so far. First, we took Bennett on his first boat ride while Bernie was fishing. He hated the life jacket of course. It was quite bulky and probably would have pissed me off as well. He also wasn't too happy with the confined space, but really enjoyed the live well. That is a well on the boat where you keep the fish until you are someplace to clean them. There were no fish that day but Bennett got to splash the water all over. We also got him a water table and there is a small pool from last year. He played with the water table, but the dog seemed to like the pool a bit more. She laid in the cold water while Bennett watched and laughed.
There are a few parks in Longmont that have outdoor water features. They are some kind of fountain usually that kids can run around it, sort of like a giant sprinkler. He absolutely loved that, so I'm sure we will return many times. I think we will try one of the outdoor pools this Tuesday. There are pictures documenting all of our water fun on Flickr.
Our summer vacation is rapidly approaching. In less than three weeks we will brave the drive to Great Falls, stay for a week, drive to North Dakota, stay for another week, and then drive home again. We haven't done this since Bennett was less than a year old, so it will be interesting to see how he does. We recently turned his car seat to forward facing, so that should help. At least he can look at something other than the back seat.
Bennett's 18 month appointment was this past week. Weight: 25 lbs 14 oz. Height: 32 inches. He's right in the 50th percentile for both. He was not a fan of the doctor or nurse and screamed every time they came in the room.
It seems we have finally fully transitioned to one nap. It has been a long transition (3 months or more). I think what finally helped was the black out curtains. It's like nighttime in that room all day long. Bennett would usually get up between 6 and 6:30. Post-black out curtains he usually sleeps until between 8 and 9. Naps are 1.5-2.5 hours. This new schedule as freed up quite a bit of time that we can be out doing play dates, etc. Then a new baby will come and we'll start all over!
The ultrasound is in 5 days. The longest 5 days of my life. I will be sure to update Friday after the appointment.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
I got most of my planting done between yesterday and today. I cut back the flowers even more this year due to the toddler living in our house. He loves to scoop up the dirt and throw it on the ground. So I am only going to attempt one pot on the ground, a few hanging up, one on the back patio table, as well as the normal flower bed. I planted flowers in the bed the first year we were here, most of which were supposed to die. Well, I must have picked myself some mutant flowers because they are alive year-round and multiply every spring. They almost take up the entire bed now. They make me happy because they are so low maintenance. No dead-heading and they bloom all summer...my kind of flower. For veggies we planted 3 tomato plants, four bell peppers, one banana pepper, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, and onions. I actually read the instructions this year and plated everything with the correct amount of space. Hopefully I won't have a repeat of last year when a good portion of our veggies didn't do well and I had heads of lettuce that were five feet tall. I will try to get some pictures up. Sorry about the boring gardening talk, but it is definitely a significant activity for us around here.
Heather came through last week. We ate lots of good food, talked, and laughed. Having guests is always one of my favorite things. Hopefully she and Garrett can stop back by sometime and stay for a bit. And yes, Heather, we did figure out that you went out the back gate. I was wide awake the entire time you were getting ready and didn't hear you open that gate! That's crazy since it's right outside our bedroom window. I'm glad the dog is sleeping outside now in case someone scary tries to open it. Sorry I didn't come down to help you!
Two more weeks until our big ultrasound. It still seems like forever, but hopefully the nicer weather we are having now with make time go by a bit faster. Baby is moving now. I can feel it most days. I also feel much bigger this time around. I guess what they say about showing faster the second time around is true. I've been wearing maternity clothes for 4 weeks now! Again, hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. We have yet to take any belly photos. I'll get Bernie on it this afternoon.
Bennett is almost 18 months old now. He is trying to communicate more, although actual words can be difficult to decipher. His new thing is to do the "I don't know" pose with the raised shoulders and palms in the air. He does it every time he hears a sound he doesn't know or when we ask him a question. Oh, and we can't forget about his new favorite activity. He like to sit on my lap, snuggle, and watch Days of our Lives (very child-appropriate, I know). My grandma would be so proud!
Heather came through last week. We ate lots of good food, talked, and laughed. Having guests is always one of my favorite things. Hopefully she and Garrett can stop back by sometime and stay for a bit. And yes, Heather, we did figure out that you went out the back gate. I was wide awake the entire time you were getting ready and didn't hear you open that gate! That's crazy since it's right outside our bedroom window. I'm glad the dog is sleeping outside now in case someone scary tries to open it. Sorry I didn't come down to help you!
Two more weeks until our big ultrasound. It still seems like forever, but hopefully the nicer weather we are having now with make time go by a bit faster. Baby is moving now. I can feel it most days. I also feel much bigger this time around. I guess what they say about showing faster the second time around is true. I've been wearing maternity clothes for 4 weeks now! Again, hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. We have yet to take any belly photos. I'll get Bernie on it this afternoon.
Bennett is almost 18 months old now. He is trying to communicate more, although actual words can be difficult to decipher. His new thing is to do the "I don't know" pose with the raised shoulders and palms in the air. He does it every time he hears a sound he doesn't know or when we ask him a question. Oh, and we can't forget about his new favorite activity. He like to sit on my lap, snuggle, and watch Days of our Lives (very child-appropriate, I know). My grandma would be so proud!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The waiting game
I don't know what it is about this pregnancy, but I am OBSESSED with the gender. I really wanted to know with Bennett, but I don't remember being nearly as impatient as I am this time. We don't find out until June 4th, which still seems years away. I have spent my time over at the In-gender forums learning all about the "nub theory" and how to predict gender from the 12 week ultrasound. It's very interesting if anyone wants in checking it out. I'm trying not to get too invested in their guesses, but it's fun nonetheless. Boy or girl would be fine with us for different reasons. I think we will only have two, so both genders would be good. But I'm sure Bennett would rather have a brother. I just want to know damn it!
Heather is coming this week and had decided to stay two nights. Now we at least get to go out and do something while she is here instead of just eat and sleep. Some shopping on Pearl Street in Boulder might be in order.
I was going to get my veggies and flowers in this coming week, but Bernie predicts snow for us. Boo on that. We went to the Farmer's market and I bought a couple of plants anyway. I have to remember not to eat before we go next weekend so I can stuff myself full of yummy potstickers and other assorted goodies.
No news yet on the job Bernie applied for, but that's no surprise. I would expect we would hear if he has an interview or not this coming week. But this is the government we are talking about so who knows. I think he applied for the job hear in early April and we didn't find out he got it until the end of June.
The March of Dimes went well. Thanks again to everyone who donated! The weather was certainly shitty, but so very worth it.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's I know and love out there. I hope you all have a beautiful day.
Heather is coming this week and had decided to stay two nights. Now we at least get to go out and do something while she is here instead of just eat and sleep. Some shopping on Pearl Street in Boulder might be in order.
I was going to get my veggies and flowers in this coming week, but Bernie predicts snow for us. Boo on that. We went to the Farmer's market and I bought a couple of plants anyway. I have to remember not to eat before we go next weekend so I can stuff myself full of yummy potstickers and other assorted goodies.
No news yet on the job Bernie applied for, but that's no surprise. I would expect we would hear if he has an interview or not this coming week. But this is the government we are talking about so who knows. I think he applied for the job hear in early April and we didn't find out he got it until the end of June.
The March of Dimes went well. Thanks again to everyone who donated! The weather was certainly shitty, but so very worth it.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's I know and love out there. I hope you all have a beautiful day.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wills and the reason we do them
Bernie and I finally took care of some very important documentation in our lives this evening. We attended a two hour class and in the process completed living wills, medical/financial POA's, and a real live will. So now we can apparently die in peace knowing that our affairs will be in order. It was pretty hypocritical that as an instructor of a gerontology course I harped on my students to get it done and I still hadn't. But it is done now and it feels good.
So, to the reasons we do these things. We have Bennett and things should be in order for him. He needs a guardian and trust. But he won't be the only one. This is a morbid sort of segway into the big announcement that most of you already know. Another baby is on the way, due November 3rd. We were aiming for about two years between them and that's about as close as you could get. It's a very exciting time but nerve-racking at the same time. We are hoping full-term this time. That's the long-term goal anyway. I think 32 weeks will be the first big milestone for me. I am seeing my OB here in Longmont for regular appointments and a specialist practice in Denver every four weeks for ultrasounds to check growth. PE and related placental issues can often be caught by keeping track of the growth. They will also likely check blood flow to the placenta as the pregnancy progresses.
We have already had three ultrasounds and I am 12 weeks today. The first was very early because I was spotting. The second was a viability scan. Yesterday I had the first trimester screen for Down Syndrome etc. Baby looked good, moving around, and perfectly normal neck fluid. The next one will be at 18 weeks when we do the big anatomy scan. We will be very familiar with this baby by the time he/she is born. I am taking baby aspirin every day and fish oil twice a day in addition to the regular prenatal vitamins. The ASA and fish oil may help delay PE in some cases.
I have mostly been feeling well. I had similar morning sickness that I did with Bennett for a couple of weeks. Now I just get the normal tiredness. Hopefully everything continues nice and normally.
Here are the latest ultrasound pics.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Green
I'm finally starting to see it all around me. The grass and leaves are both showing the sure signs of spring. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have flowers in my garden that have been alive for an entire year. Violas and Johnny Jump-ups can apparently stand very cold weather and snow. We have been getting the yard in order for the past week. Bernie is putting new trim around the front and I planted a few onions. We are planning to plant the rest of the veggies the first or second weekend in may. We are thinking tomatoes, broccoli, and green peppers. Corn was a dismal failure last year and squash takes up a ton of room. I'm not sure I want to deal with the huge plants even though squash muffins/bread is sounding pretty good to me right now. I'm going to take it easy with the flowers this year. Hanging baskets will likely be the extent of it because I just don't have the energy to keep up with too many of them. And Bennett will just pull them out of the ground or out of pots on the ground anyway.
Bennett's sleep has regulated again for the moment (knocks on wood). He is back to simply laying down and going to sleep without any fuss. He doesn't even seem to want to rock with me in the chair in the moment. I don't think he can get comfortable. And he's been sleeping through the night for multiple days now which feels awesome when I wake up in the morning. I keep wondering when he is going to transition to one nap. He is almost 17 months old, so I expect it soon.
We went to the park/lunch with a few of our mommy friends and their little ones. It's always fun to get out and about with other people we have something in common with. All the babies are between 11 and 17 months, so it is more parallel play than playing with each other. Someday soon that will change to taking toys from each other.
Bernie is applying for a job in Bismarck ND, where he is from. We are not really anxious to move at the moment like we were when he was bidding out in Great Falls. But we would really like to be near family and Bernie needs to get off of shift work eventually. So this job would accomplish both goals although the chances of him getting it are very slim. Our list of potential places is quite limited and includes Bismarck, Great Falls, and Phoenix. Maybe Missoula and Flagstaff, but we would have to discuss them more. So the location restriction combined with non-shift work positions really limit the jobs to apply for. We could be applying for many years and by that time may decide we don't want to move anyway!
Congrats to Eric and Lora Wingenbach (Bernie's friend from high school). They had their little boy this morning. We can't wait to meet baby Liam James.
Bennett's sleep has regulated again for the moment (knocks on wood). He is back to simply laying down and going to sleep without any fuss. He doesn't even seem to want to rock with me in the chair in the moment. I don't think he can get comfortable. And he's been sleeping through the night for multiple days now which feels awesome when I wake up in the morning. I keep wondering when he is going to transition to one nap. He is almost 17 months old, so I expect it soon.
We went to the park/lunch with a few of our mommy friends and their little ones. It's always fun to get out and about with other people we have something in common with. All the babies are between 11 and 17 months, so it is more parallel play than playing with each other. Someday soon that will change to taking toys from each other.
Bernie is applying for a job in Bismarck ND, where he is from. We are not really anxious to move at the moment like we were when he was bidding out in Great Falls. But we would really like to be near family and Bernie needs to get off of shift work eventually. So this job would accomplish both goals although the chances of him getting it are very slim. Our list of potential places is quite limited and includes Bismarck, Great Falls, and Phoenix. Maybe Missoula and Flagstaff, but we would have to discuss them more. So the location restriction combined with non-shift work positions really limit the jobs to apply for. We could be applying for many years and by that time may decide we don't want to move anyway!
Congrats to Eric and Lora Wingenbach (Bernie's friend from high school). They had their little boy this morning. We can't wait to meet baby Liam James.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Month!
I know, I'm a total slacker. My energy levels have been low lately and updating this blog unfortunately falls off the list.
Bennett and I spend the last week in Great Falls which was not the most enjoyable trip I have ever taken. My mother was of course crazy busy and rarely around. I guess I should have expected that since my Grandmother is out of town. Bernie was in Boise and I left the structure Bennett is used to at our house. He would not sleep in the pack and play that Mel nicely let us borrow and so he slept with me the entire time. It was nice cuddling with him, but I'm not used to such inturrupted sleep. He was all over the place kicking me in the head on the hour it seemed. Now we're having a hard time getting him back in the crib at home. Lesson learned.
We did have some fun, lest the world think I do nothing but complain. I got to spend time with Amy, Melanie, Gwendolyn, Heather, and Marlena. Gwendolyn is such a cute and happy baby. She smiled every time I looked at her. Bennett has too many choices in the world. I also got to eat all of the food I miss in Great Falls.
Heather is going to stop by and spend a night or two with us on her way down to Texas. We will definitely make a stop at the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins for some fresh Fat Tire.
My dad's talking about moving into Park Manor before the end of the year as he doesn't think he can do another winter alone in the house. I hope he is serious about the move because it is becoming a need. He had to put his dog down recently because he couldn't take care of him anymore (and he was very old). So now he is really alone in the house. I plan to take him for a tour in June when we are there. And maybe get an application filled out...but that might be a bit optimistic.
We are all sick around here at the moment with a head cold. Let's hope to have those cleared up soon. It was 80 degrees already today and I hate to miss a nice day because I don't feel well.
Bennett and I spend the last week in Great Falls which was not the most enjoyable trip I have ever taken. My mother was of course crazy busy and rarely around. I guess I should have expected that since my Grandmother is out of town. Bernie was in Boise and I left the structure Bennett is used to at our house. He would not sleep in the pack and play that Mel nicely let us borrow and so he slept with me the entire time. It was nice cuddling with him, but I'm not used to such inturrupted sleep. He was all over the place kicking me in the head on the hour it seemed. Now we're having a hard time getting him back in the crib at home. Lesson learned.
We did have some fun, lest the world think I do nothing but complain. I got to spend time with Amy, Melanie, Gwendolyn, Heather, and Marlena. Gwendolyn is such a cute and happy baby. She smiled every time I looked at her. Bennett has too many choices in the world. I also got to eat all of the food I miss in Great Falls.
Heather is going to stop by and spend a night or two with us on her way down to Texas. We will definitely make a stop at the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins for some fresh Fat Tire.
My dad's talking about moving into Park Manor before the end of the year as he doesn't think he can do another winter alone in the house. I hope he is serious about the move because it is becoming a need. He had to put his dog down recently because he couldn't take care of him anymore (and he was very old). So now he is really alone in the house. I plan to take him for a tour in June when we are there. And maybe get an application filled out...but that might be a bit optimistic.
We are all sick around here at the moment with a head cold. Let's hope to have those cleared up soon. It was 80 degrees already today and I hate to miss a nice day because I don't feel well.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Potty Training
That should probably be in quotes because I don't think much training will be going on for some time. But, we are trying to get the potty introduced with Bennett. My feeling is the earlier he is familiar with it, the better. One of the mom's in the Meetup group I am in has a son that is a month younger than Bennett. They have consistently been putting him on the toilet since he was 7 months old and he has no problem going on it. She told me that they were really committed one day last week and put him on every 90 minutes. His diaper was dry all day.
I am not that into it at this point. I just want to get him used to the idea. He is already obsessed with the regular toilet. I got him his own a couple of weeks ago and have had him sit on it before baths. No pushing. I just set him down and he gets off when he wants (with lots of praise when he sits of course). He has been playing with it constantly and sitting on it for longer periods of time. Today I got him up from his nap and put him straight on it and voila! There was pee...a very exciting development.
Ok, I suppose that is enough potty talk for one day. Happy Sunday.
I am not that into it at this point. I just want to get him used to the idea. He is already obsessed with the regular toilet. I got him his own a couple of weeks ago and have had him sit on it before baths. No pushing. I just set him down and he gets off when he wants (with lots of praise when he sits of course). He has been playing with it constantly and sitting on it for longer periods of time. Today I got him up from his nap and put him straight on it and voila! There was pee...a very exciting development.
Ok, I suppose that is enough potty talk for one day. Happy Sunday.
Friday, February 26, 2010
There are flowers coming up in my garden
And that excites me very much. In reality there have been flowers somehow surviving out there for an entire year but now the lilies are coming up. It's a sure sign of spring. Hopefully I plan the veggies a little better this year. Last year there was too much planted in the plot and we had lettuce heads that were over 5 feet tall.
Mr. Bennett has been a very busy bee lately. He's walking all over the place and getting into trouble at every turn. Last night he ran straight for the TV and fell face first into the glass shelf on the entertainment center. He hit his head harder than he ever has before. There was a bleeding gash and it swelled up badly. Bernie was at work so I decided to take him to the immediate care. There was nothing wrong, but I don't think I would have slept wondering if he had a concussion or something. I'm sure it was the first of many many injuries. Mommy is just not ready for all of that.
Bernie is going to Boise at the end of March. I decided I didn't want to hang out alone for the week so I am taking Bennett up to Great Falls for a visit. I'm sort of looking forward to it. My mom is going to be very busy working and I don't want to be stranded at her house so I am in the process of trying to find a car to borrow. I hope to get more excited as the trip approaches.
I got my money back for the bootleg Beatles box set. The company never game me my money back but Amazon did. So consider this an official recommendation to do business with them. They treated me well and did the right thing.
Thank you goes out to Kristen and her sister Jaren for their contributions to the March for Dimes. Your generosity is amazing and very much appreciated.
Mr. Bennett has been a very busy bee lately. He's walking all over the place and getting into trouble at every turn. Last night he ran straight for the TV and fell face first into the glass shelf on the entertainment center. He hit his head harder than he ever has before. There was a bleeding gash and it swelled up badly. Bernie was at work so I decided to take him to the immediate care. There was nothing wrong, but I don't think I would have slept wondering if he had a concussion or something. I'm sure it was the first of many many injuries. Mommy is just not ready for all of that.
Bernie is going to Boise at the end of March. I decided I didn't want to hang out alone for the week so I am taking Bennett up to Great Falls for a visit. I'm sort of looking forward to it. My mom is going to be very busy working and I don't want to be stranded at her house so I am in the process of trying to find a car to borrow. I hope to get more excited as the trip approaches.
I got my money back for the bootleg Beatles box set. The company never game me my money back but Amazon did. So consider this an official recommendation to do business with them. They treated me well and did the right thing.
Thank you goes out to Kristen and her sister Jaren for their contributions to the March for Dimes. Your generosity is amazing and very much appreciated.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Myles
Myles was the first preemie I "met" after we brought Bennett home. For the first month or so after he was born, I couldn't face any information about PE or preemies. It was so hard. But then I found Myles and his family and I started to realize how lucky we had been. Myles was born at 26 weeks due to preeclampsia. He lived for over three weeks. His parents faced many reproductive challenges including IVF and multiple misscarriages. They finally decided to pursue surrogacy and recently became parents to two beautiful twin boys, Liam and Silas. They were also preemies, born at about 34 weeks I believe. They are doing well and got to come home on Friday. Now Myles has two little brothers to watch over.
His story is included in a video on the sidebar. Make sure you have some tissues handy.
http://www.myjourneytomylesandbeyond.blogspot.com/
His story is included in a video on the sidebar. Make sure you have some tissues handy.
http://www.myjourneytomylesandbeyond.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Courage after a loss
Many of the families I follow have lost a baby. Some of them try again while others do not. What they all have in common is the fear of going through it again, especially if they have had preeclampsia. The risks includes the mother as well as the baby. Jamie is a woman who is facing the risks again. She and her husband lost their baby boy Vincent at 22 weeks due to preeclampsia. They decided to try again and are currently 30 weeks pregnant with a second little boy. Jamie has been fighting the beginning symptoms of PE as well as gestational diabetes for a number of weeks now. She was again admitted to the hospital last night with likely PE. The doctors are hoping they can hold out a few more weeks, but must carefully balance Jamie's health as well as the baby's. Please send her some good vibes.
http://definingme-ramblingsofaneurotic.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow will be the final post on the subject of premature birth. You should check it out because you will meet the bravest family I have ever seen. Their story is the fist one I came across after Bennett and I return again and again to silently cheer them on.
http://definingme-ramblingsofaneurotic.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow will be the final post on the subject of premature birth. You should check it out because you will meet the bravest family I have ever seen. Their story is the fist one I came across after Bennett and I return again and again to silently cheer them on.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Another Perspective
Preemies, especially micro-preemies present ethical issues to parents as well as the medical community. Babies born before 23 weeks have virtually zero chance of survival and those born between 23-26 weeks have low survival rates. Disability rates for all preemies is higher, but very high with babies born so early. There are questions surrounding too much intervention and the pain which these babies go through in order to survive. Some people are also concerned about the cost of these medically complicated babies. If Bennett's hospital stay (relatively uncomplicated) of 32 days cost almost $400,000, imagine the cost for a much smaller baby who needs many medical interventions and stays 100 days or more. It is uncomfortable to think of these issues, they cause dissonance in my own brain. I'm not sure where I stand on resuscitation before a certain number of weeks. Where do you draw the line? How much do these babies suffer? What would I do if faced with that situation? The answers are unclear for me.
The Preemie Experiment was created to educate the world about the long-term effects of prematurity. The posts are written by a woman who has two preemies (25 weeker and 34 weeker). She tackles these complicated ethical issues, although answers are difficult to come by. The comments on some of the posts are quite heated. I uncomfortably visit this site to learn from this experienced community and clarify my own values.
http://thepreemieexperiment.blogspot.com/
The Preemie Experiment was created to educate the world about the long-term effects of prematurity. The posts are written by a woman who has two preemies (25 weeker and 34 weeker). She tackles these complicated ethical issues, although answers are difficult to come by. The comments on some of the posts are quite heated. I uncomfortably visit this site to learn from this experienced community and clarify my own values.
http://thepreemieexperiment.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Loss
There are a number of blogs that I am following right now that feature brave families who have lost a baby after a premature birth. That all of these families lost their babies as a result of preeclampsia just shows my biased point of view. Premature births happen for many reasons and often the reason cannot be pinned down. A woman goes into labor early, it can't be stopped, and a preemie is born.
Ashley and her husband Chris had their son Nolan very early, 26 weeks I believe (forgive me Ashley, if I am wrong) due to preeclampsia. He fought a brave battle, but ultimately lost. If you have the time, check out his video on her sidebar and meet little Nolan.
http://rubybaby09.blogspot.com/
Ashley and her husband Chris had their son Nolan very early, 26 weeks I believe (forgive me Ashley, if I am wrong) due to preeclampsia. He fought a brave battle, but ultimately lost. If you have the time, check out his video on her sidebar and meet little Nolan.
http://rubybaby09.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Featured Preemie
To coincide with our plan to walk the March of Dimes this year, I decided to post a daily feature for the next few days. One of the activities that occupies my time is following blogs of families with preemies. I came across most of these through my involvement with the Preeclampsia Foundation. Just in case you have never known someone who has experienced a premature birth, these blogs might give you a bit more insight and empathy into the world of these special families.
Fair warning: not all of these blogs are "happy endings." Premature babies don't always survive and those that do often have significant disabilities.
Today's blog is definitely about survival and meeting the challenges that come along with having not one, but two micro-preemies (usually defined as born before 29 weeks gestation and weighing less than 3 lbs, although the definition varies). Eden and Holland are miraculous. Meet them and their amazing family here:
http://micropreemietwins.blogspot.com/
Fair warning: not all of these blogs are "happy endings." Premature babies don't always survive and those that do often have significant disabilities.
Today's blog is definitely about survival and meeting the challenges that come along with having not one, but two micro-preemies (usually defined as born before 29 weeks gestation and weighing less than 3 lbs, although the definition varies). Eden and Holland are miraculous. Meet them and their amazing family here:
http://micropreemietwins.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
March of Dimes
We have decided to walk for the March of Dimes. The reasons are surely obvious, but just in case someone missed it, Bennett was born at 31 weeks. I never even considered the possibility of a preemie until it happened to us. Spending 32 days in the NICU watching those tiny babies struggle was a life-changing experience. We were the lucky ones and I will never forget that. The March of Dimes supports families who face pre-term birth as well as the babies themselves.
So, if you have it in your budget (because I know you all have it in your hearts), please consider donating through the widget on my sidebar.
So, if you have it in your budget (because I know you all have it in your hearts), please consider donating through the widget on my sidebar.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Stuff and stuff
First off, my exciting news for the day. I recently filled out an application to be a volunteer with the Preeclampsia Foundation. I got a mass email requesting people to edit stories, web content, etc and replied that I would love to help. Instead, they asked me if I wanted a larger role. I am now the baby fair coordinator for the region (CO, WY, ND, SD, MT, NB, and two Canadian provinces). The position is totally volunteer and involves working with PE survivors in those regions to get Foundation booths at local baby fairs to raise awareness. I may be able to run some myself in this area. I am so excited about this. I haven't volunteered since Eula died and this is the perfect opportunity to contribute to an organization that has done so much for me.
I don't know if I mentioned that I ordered the new Beatles box set. I got it from a third-party seller on Amazon for a really good price. The shipping was a mess and it was over a month before it arrived. I finally got it when we arrived home from Phoenix and started putting burning the songs onto my computer yesterday. I was suspicious of it from when I first took the plastic off and started taking the CD's out. It just seemed strange. Then I got to The White Album and discovered that there was only one CD (supposed to be a double). I got to looking closer and there were some CD's with unreadable track listings and even some typos (eg: Yellow Submarine was spelled "yillow"). I've been had with a bootleg copy of the box set. But it looks like either the company or Amazon will be refunding my money, but what a waste of time and energy. I'm going to take my 33% off coupon and buy it at Border's instead.
Bennett is in some sort of nap transition period. His morning nap was getting shorter and shorter, so we decided to try one nap yesterday. He only slept for an hour and a half but generally seemed fine with that. But then he woke up early this morning and was definitely ready to go down by 10am. I just put him down again because bedtime is too far away for such an early nap. So, we will take it day-by-day for now and see how it goes. I have a feeling it will be one nap one day and two the next for a bit.
I forgot to mention that my cousin Russell died before we went to Phoenix. He had had drug problems since he was a teenager and died of a methadone overdose. He left behind an 11 year old son. Sounds eerily like Marlena's ex Tad. I didn't make it to the funeral, but my mom did. That was the reason she ended up not being able to make it to Phoenix. It is such a terrible tragedy.
I don't know if I mentioned that I ordered the new Beatles box set. I got it from a third-party seller on Amazon for a really good price. The shipping was a mess and it was over a month before it arrived. I finally got it when we arrived home from Phoenix and started putting burning the songs onto my computer yesterday. I was suspicious of it from when I first took the plastic off and started taking the CD's out. It just seemed strange. Then I got to The White Album and discovered that there was only one CD (supposed to be a double). I got to looking closer and there were some CD's with unreadable track listings and even some typos (eg: Yellow Submarine was spelled "yillow"). I've been had with a bootleg copy of the box set. But it looks like either the company or Amazon will be refunding my money, but what a waste of time and energy. I'm going to take my 33% off coupon and buy it at Border's instead.
Bennett is in some sort of nap transition period. His morning nap was getting shorter and shorter, so we decided to try one nap yesterday. He only slept for an hour and a half but generally seemed fine with that. But then he woke up early this morning and was definitely ready to go down by 10am. I just put him down again because bedtime is too far away for such an early nap. So, we will take it day-by-day for now and see how it goes. I have a feeling it will be one nap one day and two the next for a bit.
I forgot to mention that my cousin Russell died before we went to Phoenix. He had had drug problems since he was a teenager and died of a methadone overdose. He left behind an 11 year old son. Sounds eerily like Marlena's ex Tad. I didn't make it to the funeral, but my mom did. That was the reason she ended up not being able to make it to Phoenix. It is such a terrible tragedy.
Monday, January 25, 2010
I'm slow with the updates
Our trip to Phoenix was a mixed bag. The weather was nice and warm the first couple of days and we were even able to get a game of golf in. That made me happy. I haven't played since before Bennett was born. Needless to say, there were little white balls flying in every direction but the one I was aiming for. We got to spend a lot of time with the in-laws, etc. It's always fun to watch Bennett with his cousins. The first thing Grant did was throw a ball full blast at Bennett's head. It took him a couple of days for him to warm back up after that.
Unfortunately the fun did not last. Last Sunday, Bennett started throwing up and didn't stop for three hours of so. It was the most pitiful sight I've ever seen, his pale little body just passed out and puking every once in awhile. He got better Sunday night and then I started Monday morning. I spent the entire day in my sister-in-law's basement in general misery. Bernie got his turn Tuesday and we came home Wednesday. Oh what fun! And it rained those days. It never rains in Phoenix. I guess we just weren't meant to have the greatest trip. Hopefully it will go better when we get back.
Bennett is finally hands-and-knees crawling. He took his sweet time with the army crawl and has finally realized that it is easier to stand up when he is already on his knees. He can also go up and down stairs whenever he feels like it. I think February will be his walking month.
Bernie's poor little heart is broken. His Vikings let him down in epic fashion yesterday. I still even feel a little sick about it. We had a party to celebrate the game. It was a full house and a good time until the end of the game. We'll see if Bernie can pull himself together and have some enthusiasm for next year.
No big trips on the horizon, although there will no doubt be a marathon Great Falls/Bismarck trip early this summer. Bernie is going to Boise in March for a week for his annual fire-weather training. I don't like the idea of hanging out here with Bennett alone, so I will likely either go see my mother or go back to Phoenix. The problem with going to Great Falls is that my mother is incredibly busy since my grandma is out of town for the winter. I would likely be without her as well for the week and would have to rent a car. So we will see. It isn't very much fun to hang out with a toddler in a place he is unfamiliar sans support.
I'm ready for winter to be over. Ready for the flowers and slightly warmer weather. It's just cool enough most days that walks are not great for Bennett. The past two winters had warmer spells and I guess I got a little bit spoiled. The spring is so beautiful here. I can't wait.
Unfortunately the fun did not last. Last Sunday, Bennett started throwing up and didn't stop for three hours of so. It was the most pitiful sight I've ever seen, his pale little body just passed out and puking every once in awhile. He got better Sunday night and then I started Monday morning. I spent the entire day in my sister-in-law's basement in general misery. Bernie got his turn Tuesday and we came home Wednesday. Oh what fun! And it rained those days. It never rains in Phoenix. I guess we just weren't meant to have the greatest trip. Hopefully it will go better when we get back.
Bennett is finally hands-and-knees crawling. He took his sweet time with the army crawl and has finally realized that it is easier to stand up when he is already on his knees. He can also go up and down stairs whenever he feels like it. I think February will be his walking month.
Bernie's poor little heart is broken. His Vikings let him down in epic fashion yesterday. I still even feel a little sick about it. We had a party to celebrate the game. It was a full house and a good time until the end of the game. We'll see if Bernie can pull himself together and have some enthusiasm for next year.
No big trips on the horizon, although there will no doubt be a marathon Great Falls/Bismarck trip early this summer. Bernie is going to Boise in March for a week for his annual fire-weather training. I don't like the idea of hanging out here with Bennett alone, so I will likely either go see my mother or go back to Phoenix. The problem with going to Great Falls is that my mother is incredibly busy since my grandma is out of town for the winter. I would likely be without her as well for the week and would have to rent a car. So we will see. It isn't very much fun to hang out with a toddler in a place he is unfamiliar sans support.
I'm ready for winter to be over. Ready for the flowers and slightly warmer weather. It's just cool enough most days that walks are not great for Bennett. The past two winters had warmer spells and I guess I got a little bit spoiled. The spring is so beautiful here. I can't wait.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
We are getting very close to Phoenix. My mom had considerable trouble getting her plane tickets through Allegiant. First she was coming, then she wasn't and was never going to deal with them again, and now she has her tickets and will be arriving the same day we are. We are all going to stay with Bernie's parents which is about 15 minutes from the sister-in-law and family. I'm excited to get in a game of golf and of course do some shopping. Bernie is looking forward to seafood on his birthday. I'm going to get Bennett a couple of new toys/books for the plane. Hopefully those and a few snacks will keep him occupied for a couple of hours.
The boy loves books. He spends a good amount of his day just flipping through them and babbling. There are four of them that he likes to have read to him. It's amazing how long his attention span is when we read them. He can sit for a good 20 minutes at least.
I had my first private viola lesson last Friday. I wasn't nervous, more excited. It felt really great to have it out again with goals in mind. It's so difficult to motivate for practice when I don't have any direction or goals. I thought that one of two things would happen. Either he would think that I was crazy and there was no chance of making the symphony or I would be able to do it. It was the latter. He actually told me that he was excited because I am his most advanced student (he teaches mostly middle and high school kids). I'm getting to work right away on the Bach cello suites. I've always wanted to get them right.
I've wanted to be part of a book club for some time but haven't tracked one down that felt right. Instead, I talked with the lady who runs the mom's group and offered to host a regular one at my house. The first one is in mid-February. All kind of excitement around here.
Bennett has started to say a couple of recognizable words in the past couple of days. His favorite is duck. The bathtub spout has a duck that covers it. When he gets in for his bath, he stands at it and screeches duck a few times with a big smile on his face. It's very cute. He is also saying something resembling ball. Today he started using his walker to actually walk across the room. It's seems to be something new every day. I have a feeling he and Grant will be quite the duo in Arizona.
Bernie has to travel to Greeley all week to teach a fire weather class. I don't miss that drive as a regular part of my schedule at all. Have fun honey!
I ordered myself the new Beatles box set with some of my Christmas money. I'm not so patiently awaiting it so I can get my Itunes back in order. I already got my new set of measuring cups (got the stainless steel ones...let's see those numbers try to rub off now!) and the Mario wii game. Bernie and I are playing cooperatively and it is a bit addicting.
The boy loves books. He spends a good amount of his day just flipping through them and babbling. There are four of them that he likes to have read to him. It's amazing how long his attention span is when we read them. He can sit for a good 20 minutes at least.
I had my first private viola lesson last Friday. I wasn't nervous, more excited. It felt really great to have it out again with goals in mind. It's so difficult to motivate for practice when I don't have any direction or goals. I thought that one of two things would happen. Either he would think that I was crazy and there was no chance of making the symphony or I would be able to do it. It was the latter. He actually told me that he was excited because I am his most advanced student (he teaches mostly middle and high school kids). I'm getting to work right away on the Bach cello suites. I've always wanted to get them right.
I've wanted to be part of a book club for some time but haven't tracked one down that felt right. Instead, I talked with the lady who runs the mom's group and offered to host a regular one at my house. The first one is in mid-February. All kind of excitement around here.
Bennett has started to say a couple of recognizable words in the past couple of days. His favorite is duck. The bathtub spout has a duck that covers it. When he gets in for his bath, he stands at it and screeches duck a few times with a big smile on his face. It's very cute. He is also saying something resembling ball. Today he started using his walker to actually walk across the room. It's seems to be something new every day. I have a feeling he and Grant will be quite the duo in Arizona.
Bernie has to travel to Greeley all week to teach a fire weather class. I don't miss that drive as a regular part of my schedule at all. Have fun honey!
I ordered myself the new Beatles box set with some of my Christmas money. I'm not so patiently awaiting it so I can get my Itunes back in order. I already got my new set of measuring cups (got the stainless steel ones...let's see those numbers try to rub off now!) and the Mario wii game. Bernie and I are playing cooperatively and it is a bit addicting.
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