What Smells?

I am grateful that quite a few of my closest (in heart, not necessarily distance) girlfriends had babies this fall/winter.  I call Jackie when I want advice on how to handle two kids close in age and call Erica to vent about how difficult these first weeks can be.  All of us had boys, so we exchange boy stories.  It's like college all over again.  Haha.

On one call to Erica she mentioned how horrible RJ's umbilical cord smelled.  I commented back that I didn't notice Braylen's smelling.  Her reply, "it is rotting human flesh after all".  I was totally turned off by this comment, but she's right.  After that call I smelled nothing BUT his flesh rotting.  It was Funk with a capital F!  We used rubbing alcohol on Evie's which kept down the stench I guess.  This time we let the air do its job.

Braylen gave us a Christmas present- his cord fell off!  11 days, not bad.  About 4 days of me wanting to yak at the odor.

I gave Braylen two sponge baths over those 11 days.  He had his first bath tonight as an umbilical free man!  He was unsure at first then calmly looked around.  We have him in the sink for now.  Bath time has been the only time I've noticed Evie acting a little strange.  She usually loves to be in the bath.  Now she stands and looks over at baby.  It's like she doesn't want him sharing her special time with us.

Peaceful little boy in his first bath!

Braylen's sister around 1 month old.  Talk about the same shot.
Do they look like siblings??

He's going to outgrow the Puj tub quickly!

Almost a White Christmas

I was a little consumed with other things the last few days (imagine that?!) that Christmas snuck up on me.  Luckily we had some afternoon snow on Christmas Eve to get me back into the spirit of the holiday.  Evie went down for a nap at 1 and woke up to a dusting of snow on the grass.  She was so excited to go outside and check it out.

My goal for Christmas Eve was to make it to the 6 PM service at church.  We started showers and packing diaper bags at 2 PM in preparation for our first major outing with both kids.  It was a Christmas miracle that we were out the door at 515 PM as planned!  The weather was crummy at this point with the snow changing to sleet.  There was no nursery at church, so Evie was with us.  Luckily we sat with our friends Amy, Tim, and TJ who were fine with our antsy child.  Evie behaved pretty well considering she is not used to sitting in church with us.  Braylen was not as happy to be in his covered car seat.  I hung in the "quiet room" with him for most of the service.  Oh well, I made it back into the service to sing "Silent Night" with LED candles. 

We had a snack of pretzels and milk under the tree in our PJs when we got back from church.  Daddy read Evie The Polar Express and tucked her into bed. 

We woke up Christmas morning, leisurely ate breakfast, opened a few gifts, and sat around in our PJs until nap time.  It was glorious.  Evie was thrilled with her kitchen and other gifts from us.  I'm glad we kept it simple this year since Grandmom arrived with a car full of presents for all of us. 

After her 3 hour nap (of course it was long the day we wanted to get over to Auntie Laura's...), we packed in the Audi (I'm glad I have thin hips to fit in between the carseats) and headed to the Hettinger's for Christmas dinner.

Auntie Laura is a great host and Uncle Sam makes a mean Prime Rib.  The table looked amazing and the meal was planned perfectly (except for the oil splatter in the oven that set off the smoke alarm for what felt like hours).  The cousins were overwhelmed with all the gifts and were eager to play with each other's toys.  It was chaotic and heart warming all at the same time. 

For just having a baby 11 days earlier, our holiday was fabulous.  We were able to get to church, spend time with our family, and I didn't have to do a darn thing for the meal! 

Christmas 2012

Settling In

We have officially been home a week and it took me a week to have time to sit down and give you an update!  This post might get cut short if someone beckons for me sooner than I expect.

So how are we??

Braylen is sleeping, eating, and growing!  He visited the pediatrician on Monday.  He weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz, which was his discharge weight.  It seemed like he bottomed out and was ready to beef up from this weight.  At his follow up appointment on Friday he weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz!  After having a baby with serious weight gain issues, I have anxiety about every weigh in for my children.  I'll take Braylen exceeding his birth weight in a week.  We won't go back until 1 month.  If we don't return to the pediatrician until then, I'll be shocked.  I think he already caught my cold... winter babies are rough!

Braylen likes to sleep a lot.  I have to wake him for most feeds.  We get up 3 times a night to tend to his needs.  I'm getting used to having a boy.  I think I made it a week without a pee incident.  Now they seem to happen two times a day.  Yesterday he wore the same outfit ALL day!  Hopefully his chicken legs will continue to bulk up and keep the diaper tighter around his legs minimizing side leakage. 

Winter babies might be tough for the fear of the flu, but it is so nice to snuggle up with him on these chilly days and nights!

Evie is adjusting quite well to her baby brother.  I'm pretty sure she didn't miss us at all while we were in the hospital.  She had G and Poppop wrapped around her finger.  G and Poppop stayed with us until Wednesday, giving most of their attention to Evie and preparing meals for the crew.  Evie's eyes lit up when she saw G and Poppop throughout the day.  She adores them.  Thank you G and Poppop for going beyond the call of grandparent duty for 6 days!

Once G and Poppop left, it was just the 4 of us.  Evie quickly re acclimated back to our rules (Grandparents always let some of those slip).  One of the main things we had to break was Evie wanting to be picked up and carried up/down the stairs.  After leaving her crying at the top of the stairs once or twice, she figured it out.  Now she doesn't even ask to be picked up.  Her behavior gets a little iffy in the evenings.  She is used to going out on more daily adventures than we are doing right now, so rightly so.  Christmas cannot get here fast enough; her kitchen will be a big distraction!

Evie asks to see "baby" and likes to pat his back.  She has taken a big interest in her babies and mimic ks what we do with Braylen.  She hasn't tried to breast feed... yet.  I haven't noticed any signs of jealous or anger towards him.  So far, so good!

Parker is on dog vacation until Christmas.  He has his nose in every one's business.  I am so thankful we have a crate trained dog.  He might be chillin' in there quite a bit the next few months until I can get some order in this house.  Overall he is starved for attention. 

I have healed very quickly and am feeling great post delivery.  Braylen is sucking away my stomach quickly.  I pulled out a few of my normal tops in hopes of wearing some "new" things very soon.  These first few weeks are draining and it's hard to find time to eat when I have two other mouths to feed.  I also dislike the nastiness of this time- night sweats, pee and poop all over the place, boob juice leaking, snot, spit up... ugh.  I shower every day, but average about 3 shirts at night.  Laundry is taking over the house!  My sugars have leveled out after being out of control at the hospital.  I am so thankful for our church community bringing meals with ample leftovers.  I am staying a float!

Jason worked on Tuesday and Wednesday and is off until Christmas.  2 adults with 2 kids is manageable.  I wish he didn't have to go back to work!  Jason is mainly in charge of Evie.  I was free to put Evie down to bed last night and she requested Daddy instead.   I'm thankful Jason had a set bedtime routine with Evie.  The two of them are best buds right now.  Jason helps out with Braylen's diaper changes and snuggles him at night when I want a break. 

Phew, I made it without an interruption!  Thanks for checking the blog.  I will post as often as my children allow me :)

Week 1 with Braylen

Labor and Delivery- part 2

** If you don't want to hear all about my uterus and other girl parts, stop reading and just check out the pictures at the bottom.  This is a record for me and all my girlfriends that want the details of the main event*

As you might recall, this was my second trip to L & D with Braylen.  He gave us a little scare at 24 weeks.  I had to laugh that I was so worried he would come early as I was going on my 24th hour of Pitocin with no dilation changes.  Always expect the unexpected

As I did with Evie, here are the details of Braylen's arrival.  We read back over Evie's as we were hanging out.  It was interesting the compare the two.  I like to have it documented in case I somehow decide I can go through another pregnancy as a diabetic!

We arrived at Howard County General Hospital at 8 am for induction.  We had a super nice nurse, Aimee, who got us settled in.  I told her my IV issues last time.  She was very sweet to give me a numbing agent as she tried over and over to get the IV in.  My veins like to roll.  I was anxious about getting it in and although I couldn't feel it, I got very close to passing out.  So we had to stop while my blood pressure tanked and they settled me back down.  My IV ended up being up higher up in my forearm.  Check.

I saw Dr. Means at 9:40 am.  I was only about 2-3 cm dilated.  She instructed me to stop "pit".  Her goal was  a 3:30/4 delivery.  I would not see her again except in the hallway.  Totally unimpressed with her.  24 hour shift and I saw her ONCE!

The Pitocin didn't give me painful contractions for a while.  My back pain was the biggest issue.  Braylen was most likely sunny side up (his face looking at my belly meaning the hardest part of his head was against my spine).  I tried all kinds of positions to alleviate my pain and hopefully get him to turn.  I sat on the birthing ball, stood/swayed at the bed with my head on pillows, rocked in the chair, lots of lower back massages by Jason, and slow dancing with Jason.  We played cards, watched a little TV, read, blogged, and watched the clock tick away.

By 6:15 PM I was up to 26 units of Pitocin with no dilation changes.  30 is the max for Pitocin.  The Pitocin was turned off at 6:15 PM to give my body a rest and allow me to do some walking, showering, and EAT!  I was very discouraged by the lack of progress after 8 hours of moderate to strong contractions.  I had to remind myself that we were forcing something to happen that shouldn't start until 40 weeks.   After a a long cry, face wash, food, and some laps around the unit, I felt a little more normal.  Too bad we were starting over again at 9 PM.

Back on Pitocin at 9 PM, back down to 2 units, increasing 2 units every 20 minutes.  By this time I was exhausted.  I gave up on trying to get Braylen to turn and rested in bed.  I lost the mucous plug around 10:30 pm giving me slight hope I would have him sometime this month.  The pain wasn't too bad, but the thought of contractions all night and no sleep sounded unhealthy.  I asked for some Nubain to take the edge off around 2 AM.

Wow!  The room started spinning and I felt totally out of it.  The only thing I could do was sleep!  I didn't sleep amazing- my heart was racing, Braylen was doing somersaults (I think he turned the right way! No back pain on Friday), and I was seriously paranoid I was dying.  I did not like the way I felt.  I woke up at 7:30 AM feeling light headed and ready to barf.  Pretty much what you feel like after a night of too much alcohol!

Dr. Sun was the OB working on Friday.  I saw her THREE times before noon!  Imagine that?!  Around 11 AM she said I was getting close to 4 cm and would break my water.  All along we were asking if breaking my water was a good way to get things moving.  Braylen's head wasn't far enough down to safely break my water for a long time.  If they break too soon, the cord could fall before the head settles in making a life threatening situation.  I told her I wanted to wait a little longer.  About 20 minutes later, I heard and felt a pop.  Water broke on its own around 11:30 pm.

At this point the contractions were coming very fast and strong.  After 26 hours, time for the epidural.  By 12:15 pm I was not feeling anything.  I was really numb this time.  Actually, too much for my comfort level. I was told I would feel pressure.  I felt nothing. I slept on and off.  Braylen's heart rate was dropping a little so they put me on oxygen.  I started to get uneasy.  I was shaking and crying.  Dr. Sun checked me around 2:30 pm and was shocked to see the head very, very low.  I had no idea Braylen was so close!  The epidural was way too strong!

Our nurse, Mimi, was awesome.  Dr. Sun needed to check on another patient and told Mimi to have me start pushing.  Mimi refused since she was pretty sure Braylen was coming out in 1 push.  She was right.  I pushed two times and he was out.  My whole lower body was a big marshmallow.  Luckily I had pushing experience and people telling me when to push or I would have not known what to do.

Longest induction ever and finally some silver lining on a long, long pregnancy!  And zero damage to my nether region!  Thanks Braylen!!

I got to hold him right away.  I also got some skin to skin time with him and tried nursing.  All my fears about delivering again at HCGH were for not.  Everything was so much better.  After 30 minutes with us, Braylen went to the nursery for heel sticks and other stuff.  No formula needed!

I loved our nurses (Aimee and Mimi).  I made Dr. sun's job super easy.  I liked her much better than Dr. means.  All in all, a great experience despite being there for 2 days.

I recovered amazingly fast this time.  I was up and walking by Saturday morning.  I didn't need any help from Jason in the bathroom this time :)  Again, finally something going right for me! 

We were discharged around 12:45 PM on Sunday!

Hospital Stay

It's a BOY!!!

Welcome to the world Braylen Thomas Hollencamp!

Born December 14, 2012 at 2:59 PM after two pushes!

6 lbs. 15 oz.  20 inches.

Thank you epidural for making this a super easy delivery.  I had no clue I was ready to push.  God hooked me up!

Why Braylen?

We have been holding this name since the 2010-2011 football season.  If Evie was a boy, this would have been the name.  We liked this name when we heard Braylon Edwards' name mentioned while watching football.  I don't even know his current team... actually, he doesn't have a team.  My bad, I guess my hint was not true!  I just like his name, with a slightly different spelling. 

Why Thomas?

Who doesn't have Thomas in their name in Jason's family??  First, Jason's middle name is Thomas.  Jason's mom's maiden name is Thomas.  Jason's dad's middle name is Thomas and prefers to be called Tom.  Ironically, Jason's sister married Matt Thomas.  We felt like it was the thing to do and it sounds good with Braylen. 

We will post pictures as soon as we can!

A Nice Even Number

I can see there are many people checking obsessively to read some news.  I wish I had better news this morning for you.  No baby yet.  I am not at 4 cm, which is the magic number to really hit active labor.  Things should move faster then.

After close to 24 hours of pitocin, I have to find some positives and humor to share with you.  At around 1:30 AM, I asked for Nubain to ease my discomfort.  The nurse said it would take the edge off and give a buzz like 1 glass of wine.  I instantly relived a 1:30 AM return from the bar/Wibs in my college days.  The room was spinning and I felt drunk as anything.   Wine buzz?  I was trashed!  I had a drunk sleep from about 2-7:30 am.  Jason got some rest too.

Dr. Sun is on today.  She will probably break my water next.

I am glad H2 will have a nice even number as his/her birthday.  12.14.12 feels better than 12.13.12 to me.  Back me up someone about this.  Jason thinks I am crazy.

I can't get out of bed yet.  I am really nauseous.  Oh childbirth, you challenge this mama.  Thank you for your words of encouragement.  I have lots of downtime to read your comments.

Evie is having a ball with G.  She enjoyed her sleepover with her cousins too.  I miss my little girl, but am relieved my family is keeping her so happy.  Parker and Evie are off to Lancaster today for a quick overnight at G and Poppop's house.  Everyone will be back tomorrow.  A shout out to Jess for bringing Jason lunch yesterday.

C'mon H2!

It's a .....

Really stubborn baby!

After 8 hours on pitocin, they turned it off.  The baby is not moving down.  I am having very sharp back pain due to the baby's head pressing against my spine.  I haven't dilated anymore.

Needless to say, I am an emotional wreck and am cursing all of you who told me 2nd deliveries were faster and easier.  It sounds like it's going to be a long night and hard delivery based on the baby's position.

Jason just left to get us dinner.  I am glad I can eat!  We'll relax for a little then go back on pitocin and try again in a few hours.

It looks like H2 wants to share Uncle Matt's birthday of Dec 14.

Totally bummed and frustrated.  Stop praying for a speedy delivery and start praying for my sanity.

Just Got Real!

Pitocin started at 9:50am after some issues with the IV.  I like to get close to passing out when they do it.  I tend to cause drama at the beginning making everyone think I am a big chicken.  But we're settled in.  I am close to 3cm.  Dr. Means put 3:30-4 as our goal : )

Our next update should be the big news!

Only Child.. Just About No More

Evie won't remember her life without H2, just like my sister doesn't remember a day without me.  That's the benefit of having children close in age.  I, on the other hand, am very emotional about my alone time with Evie coming to an end.  Evie is spending the night at Auntie Laura's house tonight completely unaware how much her life is going to change tomorrow- for the better!

I wish I would have more energy to have a special last day with her, but I am feeling lousy and barely can sit on the floor with her.  Here are some of our final hours as a family of 4!  (I'll be nice and include the pooch for a change)

Being silly with Daddy's hat last night



 



I asked Evie to say cheese this morning for the camera.  She walked over to the tree,
sat down, and smiled.  A-mazing

Eva and George joined us at the mall today for some labor inducing walking and playtime. 

I'm glad Evie likes the toothbrush- there are usually no crazy 4 or 5
years olds jumping on it

These two are so cute together.  Too bad George is only here temporarily.
Evie really liked him and Mommy enjoyed hanging out with his mommy.

Oh Evie.  It's been a wild journey with you.  I pray that you will realize we are giving you the best gift tomorrow, a sibling. 

And so begins our next journey...

Induction Update

All my stressing about "the end" has put a lot of strain on my body.  As a result, I've come down with a stress induced cold.  I started feeling lousy last night- stuffy nose, aches, headache.  I can barely make dinner let alone birth a child right now!  However, I'm so stressed about having a plan for Evie (Parker, eh, he'll survive) and updating people with answers (of which I don't have), that energy or not, we're going in tomorrow to put an end to this stressful pregnancy.

We did not go into the hospital tonight.  I was able to get cleared until the morning.  I might have made up a slight lie that I was definitely 2 cm.  Jason and I hope to get some sleep tonight before reporting to the hospital at 7:30 AM for induction.  Evie is at Auntie Laura's for the night with my mom coming tomorrow to take over Evie and Parker duty.

I'm having contractions, nothing regular.  At least if we have to bolt in the middle of the night, Evie is not here. 

Everything is worked out... I think.  Now it's time for this mama to relax and get her energy focused on birthing H2 tomorrow! 

Check in tomorrow and keep praying for a speedy delivery!

LAST Prenatal Appointment

Just when all the receptionists and nurses know me, I am finished my twice weekly appointments.   The sonographer and nurse have become by best buds!  They were slightly sad to see "one of the nice patients leaving" :)

I am slightly confused after my appointment as to "the plan".  I think that's what drives me nuts about pregnancy- no one really knows for sure. 

Here is what I do know:

I saw Dr. Means today and she is the doctor "on" on Thursday.  She said my cervix is very favorable for delivery- about 1.5-2 cm dilated, 60% effaced. She told me some exercise could put me into labor before Thursday.  Hard for me to believe because 2 cm doesn't sound favorable to me, but you bet I will be out walking tonight and all day tomorrow.  She claims she will "make Thursday as natural as she can". 

The bottom line is statistically the risk of still birth goes up after 39 weeks for babies with diabetic moms.  NOTHING in my testing indicates this risk.  Induction is totally my choice.  Dr. Means won't call the police if I don't show up on Thursday.  I'll be 39 weeks on Saturday.  It's all overwhelming and confusing to me.  I want to wait it out, but at the same time, is it really worth it to avoid pitocin? 

I will go in Wednesday night, see what that doctor says, and go from there.  We might be back home that night, we might stay.  Either way, Evie has a fun slumber party at Auntie Laura's on Wednesday night! 

For all those people that wonder how I can wait to find out the sex- wondering IF I will go into labor on my own and when is so much harder. 

It's the Holiday Season

With Thanksgiving falling early this year, it feels like an extra long holiday season.  We have already done a lot of holiday-ish stuff and the 2nd weekend in December isn't even over.  Expecting a baby in mid-December sure gets your rear in gear earlier!

We started the tradition of putting up the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving a few years ago.  This tradition will change with H2's birthday in the future though.  I like the idea of waiting until after his/her birthday to decorate for Christmas.  Anyhoo... the tree went up early this year.  Evie demands the "lights!" be on during her waking hours.  Both dog and toddler have been great about not bothering the tree thus far.  Daddy put the hooks on the ornaments, Evie walked them to Mommy, and Mommy put them on the tree.  The tree is still adult looking for another year... :)

Grandmom came to visit the first weekend in December.  On Friday night we drove through the Symphony of Lights at Merriweather.  I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.  Evie says "lights!" 43 times a day and said nothing the entire drive through the lights.  She looked mesmerized though. 

Saturday night we went to a local church that put on A Walk to Bethlehem.  You walk though the parking lot with a tour guide and make different stops.  At each stop you hear the main characters in the Christmas Story read Bible verses or tell you about their role.  It was a chilly night, but we were bundled up and prepared.  Evie made all the sound effects for the sheep.  After a walk, we sang carols.  We had to jet at this point due to bedtime.  A great, free event to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

On Sunday, the 3 of us went to the local fire station to look at the train display.  Another great, free activity!  (trying to give my MD friends some ideas...).  See the pictures for more details on our trip here.

Most of my shopping is finished and gifts wrapped.  I decided to send a card for New Years instead of Christmas to give you a nice picture of the whole fam! 

Holiday Spirit

T Minus 6 Days

H2 should make his/her appearance within the next week!  Here's the update (I need bullet points at this stage of the pregnancy...)

• I am one lousy centimeter dilated
• H2 is still head down
• I had labor inducing acupuncture on Thursday with 2nd and 3rd attempts on Monday and Wednesday
• My NST was fine today
• My induction is scheduled to begin Wednesday night.  Since I am not dilated very much, I will most likely go in at night (like with Evie) in hopes of progressing me along.  If things change, I will just go in Thursday morning.
• My next OB visit is on Tuesday.
• I am currently having a contraction and have been all afternoon.
• I have vague plans for Evie and Parker sitting
• I am aware I could have picked 12.12.12 and didn't.

So we should be holding H2 by this time next week.  Thursday sounds like the day unless we can get this moving faster (yes, we have heard of that labor inducing method you are thinking).  It's been a LONG pregnancy for me and I am ready for it to be over.  I would love to avoid induction, but it is reassuring to know that the end is in sight. 

Good Job, H2!

Today marks a good day for us-

1.  I am 37 weeks, which is considered FULL term!!!

2. H2 will definitely have a December birthday.  I was slightly concerned H2 would have the ugly (in my opinion) November birthstone.  I have a ring with Evie's stone, emerald, and figure I will have something with H2's at some point.  Pardon my materialistic comment. I really like the December birthstone.

November

Topaz

Citrine

 

December

Tanzanite

Zircon

Turquoise

My appointment on Friday was good.  H2 passed the NST with flying colors again.  The "push is to make it to 39 weeks".  I want to make it through next weekend then I am ready.  All labor inducing tricks will begin next Sunday and H2 will arrive much later via 24 hours on induced labor.  Let's hope H2 is a little more receptive to acupuncture treatments than Evie.  He did flip from our moxa sticks....  There is hope we can get this going on our own!

Operation Flip Baby a Success?

As of today at 1:35 pm, H2 is head down!  Not too excited though... This bugger has moved a lot over the last few weeks.  But at least we can skip moxa tonight.

Really tired of my appointments- the more they see me, the more they find wrong.  Hoping next week is the last week of this nonsense.

For some added dinner conversation- here are two hints of our names.  Girl- I taught someone with this name.  Boy- a current NFL player.  That should narrow it down from thousands to hundreds of options : )

18 Months

Evie is a year and a half! 

Evie is a tiny little thing as you know

Weight:  20 lbs, 2 oz
Height:  30.75 inches

IF I wanted to turn her car seat around, I finally could, but she will stay rear facing until she is at least 2... or 7.  Thanks Rachel for being a model mother of car safety :)

I have really enjoyed the last year of Evie's life.  I think 6 months-now has been so much fun.  Her communication skills have improved so much over the last month.  It's so much easier to know what she wants now that she will nod her head for "yes" and say "doh" for "no".  Jason and I counted at least thirty words we recognize at this point.  She is very interested in language and will repeat most words we say to her.  This means we really need to watch our words!

Everyone keeps asking me if Evie knows about H2.  I doubt it.  She may notice there isn't as much room on my lap for her and I look similar to a hippo, but I don't think she has any clue she is about to have a baby brother or sister.  She thinks my belly button is really neat.  That was pretty much the only reason we got this adorable picture :)

As you can tell by her slow weight gain, feeding continues to be her weakness.  Some days she will eat her normal amount (much less than average toddler I'm sure) and others she will eat nothing more than goldfish.  As I learned from her KKI days listening to the kids in the feeding program- give them options when they eat.  I'm getting over healthy only foods at this point and will be happy if she eats anything (no candy or juice for now).  Her favorite foods are blueberries, grilled cheese, goldfish, and fruit strips. 

A noticeable change this month is her ability to point to things I ask her to find.  I've been asking her to point out certain animals or objects on each page in her books.  She is able to identify some of her favorite things (elephant, birds, flowers, bubbles).  When her G and Poppop were visiting, we asked her to find "G", "Poppop", etc.  She carefully looks around the room and points to the correct person.  She is also getting better at pointing to the correct family member in her photo book. 

Evie also inherited her mommy's puzzle wizard skills.  She is able to complete both Melissa & Doug animal puzzles (approx 8 animals) on her own.  I'm sure all toddlers do this kind of stuff, but she seems to smart to me! 

Her favorite toys this month were her push toys.  She maneuvers them around our furniture very well and likes to chase Parker around the dining room.  Good, wears both of them out and it doesn't require any fur pulling! 

Standing on chairs is another new thing thanks to her mommy.  She is fussy around dinner making time, so I let her stand on a chair and watch me cook.  She likes to play with the knobs on the toaster oven (it's unplugged) and cook along with me.   I cannot wait to give her the kitchen for Christmas!!  I have created a little bit of a chair monster though... she wants to be up on all the chairs now.  She is able to climb on her glider in her room and will read books for a while alone.  It's the kitchen and dining room chairs that make me nervous.  She is vertically challenged, though, and wants to see what we are doing!!

That's a little glimpse of Evie at this precious age.  This is likely to be my last monthly milestone post on Evie until 2 years.  You will definitely hear enough about Evie in other types of posts :)

18 Months

Operation Flip Baby

If you google breech, you will find all kinds of crazy things women have done to get babies to flip (kind of like all those things you will all suggest to me how to start labor that I will ignore).  I do not care to lay with my head on the floor, feet in the air for 15 minutes.  I can barely get up from laying horizontal without feeling light headed.  The one method mentioned over and over again is getting to a licensed acupuncturist to use moxibustion.

According to the literature given to me, "Moxibustion is a way of stimulatingng acupuncture points with heat, which encourage the fetus to turn.  The technique employs a lighted moxa stick held near the point BL-67 on the little toe"

My acupuncturist, Jen, often uses moxa on certain points during my treatment sessions.  She used the sticks this time for 15 minutes on my little toes.  Since I was with her, she then put in needles at the point on my little toes.  Jason has to repeat the moxa stick part twice a day, if possible, for 10-15 minutes each time.  We are obviously not putting in needles.

So here we are!

Not only are the moxa sticks smoking, so is Jason's crotch.  LOL

Anyone that has done acupuncture knows moxa gets into your clothes and follows you around all day.  It creates a lot of smoke, so we are outside in these frigid temps burning my little toes.  It's quite comical!  Our neighbors probably think we are smoking pot outside. 

We are suppose to stop when I think the baby has moved.  Riiiiiiight.  H2 moves all the time.  I can't tell the difference between a punch, kick, or 180 flip.  By the low pain I had in church this morning, I think H2 is still breech.  We will know for sure on Tuesday at my next sonogram. 

Until then, we will be smokin' up on the back deck.

Oh H2, the things we do for you already...

36 Weeks Cooked

I am one week away from being full term!  We are hoping H2 can hang on for at least another week to make it to that milestone.

H2 at 32 weeks



H2 at 36 weeks

Evie girl at 36 weeks

 I had a mixture of good and bad news this week at my appointments:

Good- I tested negative for Group B Strep!  I tested positive last time and had a HORRIBLE time with the penicillin they administered throughout delivery.  Jason was probably even more elated than me that he doesn't have to relive my screaming as my veins BURNED and I screamed in agony.  I really think that was one of the worst parts of Evie's delivery.  Phew!

Bad- At my sonogram on Monday, my amniotic fluid was a little high.  This is the second time it measured on the high side of normal.  I think it was about 20 cm.  Dr. Means requested I have another sonogram on Friday to check the level again.  Unfortunately, it is up to 25 cm.  That officially puts me in the high fluid range, which starts at 25 cm.  The medical term is polyhydramnios.  I looked it up on Baby Center to get the right spelling and read about it.  Bad move.  The doctors are not concerned and are chalking it up to being diabetic.  Diabetics can have higher fluid levels.  The rest of the stuff I read was scary, so don't read it.  I'm going to ignore everything else it said about it.  There is nothing I can do about it and no need to induce or anything crazy like that.  They will keep an eye on it.

Good- H2 scored perfectly on the NST and sonogram.  H2 is practicing breathing, showing proper movement, and has a strong heartbeat with accelerations and decelerations.  H2 passed the NST on Friday after 5 minutes- they give babies at least 20 minutes to show their stuff. 

The sonographer commented about the amount of hair H2 has already. 
H2 is looking at you with his spikey hair (far left)

Bad- H2 decided from Monday to Friday that he wanted to do flips in all the extra fluid.  As of Friday at 12:15 PM, H2 is breech.  Yes, isn't that a breech!  I am so disappointed.  At 36 weeks babies usually are in final position.  However, with my fluid on the higher side, there is always a chance he will return to head down. 

Good- I've been seeing a licensed acupuncturist for 2 years to help me when crisis arises.  I already had an appointment with Jen today, so we started Operation Flip Baby.  I will post pictures in the daylight tomorrow of Jason's new task :)  In the meantime... PLEASE do not send me your suggestions on how so and so got their baby to flip.  I am sticking with my acupuncturist's plan and leaving the rest up to God.  Maybe H2 wants to be delivered via C-Section and God is giving me some time to come to terms with that reality. 

We're getting close!  Jason made 10 trips up and down from the attic today getting the infant car seat out and other things for H2 at the same time as putting away some of Evie's babier toys.  She is a year and half after all and ready for the big girl stuff!!  More about Evie turning 18 months in another post. 

So Thankful

I know I said we weren't traveling until 2013, but we made an exception.  I had a few hours of regret on Wednesday as I had what I thought were regular contractions for 2 hours.  Luckily we got through our 48 hour visit to Lancaster without having to rush home to the hospital!  We are officially home until H2 arrives!

As I get older I understand the phrase "there's no place like home for the holidays" more and more.  There is really nothing better than going to my childhood home surrounded by my loving family to celebrate Thanksgiving. (And to have my mom do the cooking and cleaning...)  Even though it was just "us" plus Nana, the house fills up quickly with 3 kids and a dawg running around.

I am beyond thankful for my family this year.  Each one of them has helped me in their own special way whether that was helping out with Evie, crying with me over difficult news, give me insulin shots in my butt, supporting me financially, ironing our clothes, a kind hand written note at the perfect time, or picking up cookie butter from Trader Joe's.

Evie and I joined an already "dog-vacationing" Parker in Lancaster on Wednesday afternoon.  Daddy arrived a few hours later.  Evie had a chance to be the big cheese for a day with her grandparents and all the toys.  Auntie Laura and company joined the fun on Thursday afternoon.  Nana witnessed the craziness of the next generation of Stefany's.

Evie adores her G and Poppop. She calls both of them by name and reaches her arms up to be snuggled by them.  She likes to be in Poppop's arms when the clocks bong or coo coo.  She enjoyed watching G cook.  It's so endearing to see her interact with her grandparents.

Evie loves her cousins as well.  She is closer to a Cole sounding name than Hannah.  She likes playing with them when she is in control.  She doesn't like it when Cole (aka silent destroyer) takes the toy she wants or makes a mess of the toys.  I am so proud of her good manners in saying "thank you" (sometimes accompanied with a head nod) when her cousins share a toy with her.  The house on the patio and the basement full of toys were huge hits.  We had many laughs watching three unique personalities play.

On my drive back I heard my first bit of holiday music.  It's going to be a great season this year!  I love how the holidays take on a new form with kids. 

Thanksgiving 2012

35 Baby!

When I wrote this post at 24 weeks, I never thought I would still be pregnant at this point.  Thank you H2 for staying comfy in my belly up to this point.

My testing has been going well.  No reason for concern.  I am having quite a few contractions today.  It seems one day I have a lot of stomach tightening (contractions), then nothing for five days.  The good news is my parents are coming down tonight if something major happens.  The bad news is Jason and my dad are going to the Eagles/Redskins game tomorrow.   That's when it will happen, right Jackie Hege?  :)

We are traveling to Lancaster for Thanksgiving.  Our trip will be short lived since I have to be back on Friday morning for testing.  As much as I want to cancel and stay in Lancaster, I have a feeling H2 is coming sooner than later, so I want to stay on top of things... and be close to my doctors.

Induction will happen as early as 38 weeks. I am hoping sometime around Dec 12... my original due date.  Earlier, of course, if H2 is having any issues.  I'm pretty sure this time next month, we will be holding H2 with bags under our eyes.  AHH!  Are we really starting all over again?!  Evie is busy, but so easy compared to a newborn.  Lord be with us. 

We will keep you posted via the blog.  I have most of the same people on my text list from Evie.  If you want to be on it, let me know! 

Fun, Free Friday

The days of Evie and Mommy outings are limited.  We are probably about 1 month away from H2's arrival, which means this Mama is slowing down and will be home bound for a few weeks.  I feel like I am finally finding my stride as a stay at home mom.  I've met just enough mom friends with little friends for Evie to keep me fulfilled.  We had some kind of playdate every day this week and Evie had two napovers.  I'm so thankful God put some wonderful women in my life.  I've been longing for some new pals since my Maryland girlfriends keep moving!

Since Aubrey asked, ringworm has not made an appearance yet.  Poor Cole Bug has been running a high fever since Monday (gymnastics day).  George and Evie seem to be ok besides running noses.  What kid doesn't have a runny nose all fall and winter? 

We culminated our busy week with a trip to the Maryland Science Center.  My neighbor invited us along with her two girls, her sister, and her nephew.  Thanks to Melanie's connection at the Science Center, we paid $0 for our outing.  Kids are free under 3 (take note, Please Touch Me Museum) and adults are some expense price for the 2 hours we would be there.  Thank you Pete for your hook up of passes and allowing us to park in the back lot!!

The majority of the museum is not appropriate toddlers, but luckily there is a gated Kids Room for kiddos 0-8.  AND all the school trip kids can't go in there.  It was a perfect place for our little group to play. 

The water table was still a tad high for our vertically challenged tot, however, Evie played there for a good chunk of time.

So serious all the time.  I promise you she liked it

C'mon short arms, you can do it!

This was the smallest one there.  Daddy texted she looks like Gumby

Watching the bubbles in the fish tank was fascinating.  I saw a camera in the tank, but wasn't sure where it was projecting.  When we went into the submarine a few minutes later , a mom commented she saw us on the TV in there.  I hope I wasn't picking my nose!  I will know for next time... and here is your warning MD folks!

"Bubbles" is a word in her vocabulary

The Lego's kept her attention for a few minutes.

And this thing was pretty cool

They also had a 0-24 month area with a "waterbed" area.  Even though she transversed over all the mats at the gym, she was unsure of this one.   This area had a big chair for feeding babies and other toys for crawlers.  A good area for when H2 is with us.

After our typical 40 minutes of play, we had a snack on our way to eat our bagged lunch.

Overlooking the Inner Harbor while snacking

I love getting out during the week with Evie to avoid weekend crowds.  But that also means we run into field trips.  The museum was filled with elementary aged kids.  Luckily we found a few tables away from the lunch room to have our lunch.

Free is a great way to experience a new adventure with a toddler.  Hooray for nice neighbors! 

Gymnastics

On this beautiful Veterans Day, I chose to take Evie to the open gymnastic time in Laurel instead of playing outside for what will probably turn out to be the last warm day of the year.  Oh well.  I made plans to meet our new playmate there, so we were indoors this morning.

The Fairland Sports and Aquatic Complex in Laurel is quite impressive.  Auntie Laura clued us in to the open gymnastic time for walkers- 5 years old.  Not only is it a great activity for $5, but I also found the Curling Club!  I can start preparing for the next Winter Olympics!

Evie had a great time running, throwing, and climbing.  

A little wobble on the dismount.  That's a minor deduction

A long trampoline, which was just an elevated running surface to Evie.


Uncle Sam and Cole showed up as well, which was good since Evie and George both have pregnant mommies! Uncle Sam maned the center for infectious diseases foam pit for us.

Throwing the foam squares was a super fun activity



Thinking about it... not that brave yet

Evie just sucked her thumb while in the pit.  I'm waiting for ring worm to show up

 Evie lasted about 45 minutes of the hour allotted time for the little tikes.  She just motored through the gym with no issues walking/running on all types of mats.  I thought the floor exercise mat was neat.  I almost starting doing back flips. 

Evie's ending pose on her floor exercise

It was definitely worth the 30 minute trip to Laurel.  We will go back again!

Since they don't know how to jump yet, I told them to dance-
that means bend your knees and shake your rump. 

Birth Annoucement: To send or not to send?

As we approach the holiday season, it's time to think about our Christmas photo card.  I asked Jason if we want to make our Christmas card a birth announcement too or send two large shipments out. 

Then I got thinking.

First, I will NOT combine H2's birth announcement with our Christmas card.  Already I would be failing as a mother by combining the two.  I have been listening to gripes from people with December birthdays as well as storing away good ideas of how to make H2's birthday special in the shadow of the largest gift giving holiday of the year.  I made up my mind on that decision.

Second, is a birth announcement a thing of the past??  By the time I get the announcement out (which I remind you of our speediness with Evie's) everyone will either see H2 on the blog or Facebook or know by email or text about him/her.  I will make one for us at least because I like having that token in H2's baby book. 

So weigh in, does anyone even want one?  Should I just save the money and take away your joy of opening something other than bills or junk mail?  OR do I go into blog/Facebook/text/email silence for a week and make some of you wait by your rusty, bent mailboxes to find out if H2 is a girl or boy?  THAT would be lots of fun. 

Hmmm....

Facebook vs Blog

Ok people, I said I wouldn't do it anymore, but I'm annoyed.

Why does no one comment on my blog?? 

I post a picture of Evie from Halloween on my FB page and I have 20+ likes and 10 comments. 

What would make you comment more on my blog?  Do you need me to take off the messy words you need to type in?  Is something wrong with your ability to leave comments?  I don't know if things aren't working until someone tells me.  You can rely on other forms of communication to tell me, like that old school thing called email or text messaging. 

Keep in mind that this blog means much more to me than Facebook.  Someday Evie and H2 will look over my blog and see all of your lack of comments.  I want them to see how much everyone loved her costume.  You can also like pictures in my albums! 

Please stalk AND COMMENT!

In other frustrations- I don't know what is up with the poll.  I took it off because it kept resetting. 

Boo!

Not only is Evie imitating us when we say "boo" when playing with her, it is also fitting for the going-ons of our house of recent.

Thursday before Sandy arrived, we were "booed" by our neighbors.  Our neighborhood plays this game every year- you ring the doorbell and run leaving behind a bag of treats and instructions to "boo" more neighbors.  We are pretty sure we know who left behind a bag of goodies so we could eat the food without worry.  The instructions said to "boo" two other houses within 24 hours.  We quickly made one bag for Evie's friend Emily up the street.  We decided one friend was enough.  I don't know when the rules changed to TWO houses. 

For the past three nights lights have been turning on unexpectedly in our house.  At first Jason and I thought we were just forgetting to turn them off, but when both of us are in bed and the overhead light turns on, that's creepy.  The main source of this ghost-like phenomena is the ceiling fan in our bedroom.  When we go upstairs at night, it is on.  When Jason was showering this morning and I was sleeping, it turned on.  We are going to change bulbs and batteries in the remote in hopes that will solve the problem.  I'm starting to wonder if we are being visited because we only sent one "boo bag"....

The biggest BOO event was Halloween!  Jason carved our pumpkins again this year.  My idea, his art work. 

Do you get it?  The kids in our neighborhood were trying to figure out what it spelled.  I like that Jason gave me the biggest pumpkin.  He said "it had the biggest surface area for "M", plus let's be real, you run this household"  Darn right.

Jason, under Evie's supervision, carved her pumpkin before going out for trick or treat. 

Grandmom gave us a duck costume for Evie months ago.  We never tried it on until 5:56 PM on Halloween.  It fit just ducky and Evie looked so stinkin' cute.  She kept her hood up the entire night too. 

Evie had a blast trick or treating this year.  She walked up to lit houses with her bag, picked out candy (next year we need to practice what kind of candy is good vs lousy for her parents), put her treat in her bag, sometimes said "thank you", then always waved and said "bye bye".  She melted my heart with her manners.  Ms. Pati gave the best treat- goldfish bags!  We had her go back 3 times. 

Evie took a 3 hour nap that afternoon, so we allowed her stay out until 7:45 PM waddling around our complex.  The cold didn't seem to bother her.  I think she loved all the attention from the big kids.  The night was pretty much perfect for her first real experience with trick or treat.

More pictures in the album.

Halloween 2012

Testing Day #1

Twice a week testing begins this week for H2.  A sonogram was scheduled for Tuesday morning, but clearly that is not happening with Hurricane Sandy making landfall this evening.  I got a call from the OB office this morning asking me if I could make it in this morning, "like now", for my sonogram and appointment since they will be closed tomorrow.

So at 9 o'clock I put on my rain boots and yellow slicker, left Evie with Jason ("working" from home today), and made my trek to Columbia.  Traveling was fine at this point- it was like traveling in a rain storm without tons of bad drivers traffic.

I clearly told the sonographer that I didn't want to know the sex and she actually told me to turn away at certain points.  I guess H2 has to meet certain criteria at these sonograms.  Fluid was good and he was very active.  Unfortunately he was not practicing breathing during the sonogram.  So he scored 6/8. 

Other points of interest- H2 is transverse with his head on my lower left side.  This would explain all the kicking I feel on my right side.  He weighs 4 lbs, 5 oz, which puts him in the 50-75 percentile.  Seriously?!  The percentiles begin already?!?!!!  I don't trust sonograms for size, but I'll take average size.  Hopefully H2 will make the final turn and be head down soon.  That's why I go for acupuncture- they know how to work this kind of magic! 

Dr. Holzy wasn't super concerned about the lack of breathing since it is still early and they only watch for 15 minutes.  But she put me on the monitors anyway.  It sounded like all the high risk pregnant moms were in this morning doing the NST.  I got hooked up and luckily H2 passed so I was able to go home!

We all know I want another girl, but I think this is a boy.  I did not see anything on the sonogram today, however, H2's heartbeat was consistently pumping in the 120s.  I don't believe in wives tales, but this is way lower than Evie's.  Also, white male lungs develop slowly.  Just saying... I think we have a Jason Jr. coming!  See, look at me, this is way we don't find out the sex.  I read into everything.  Surprise us again, H2.  Prove all those crazy wives tales false!!

The lights are flickering, so I better post. Leave me some comments so I have something to read when I rejoin the internet world someday :)

32 Weeks

Under 2 months until we learn whether H2 is a boy or girl!!  Speaking of boy and girl- suddenly our poll is showing 0 votes.  Are you seeing the same thing?  I'm not sure what happened.  Take a look at H2 vs Evie at 32 weeks and vote again!

H2- 32 weeks

Evie- 32 weeks

So far I have gained 20 pounds.  I am keeping my sugars well managed, but the OBs are still putting fear in my heart the more times they say how "bad things happen to babies of diabetic mothers".  That helps me sleep soundly at night!  I tell myself that I am not the average diabetic and none of those bad things will happen to H2. 

H2 is head down at this point and "a good size".  I am having contractions on and off based on how much water I drink and how much lifting I do.  No signs of preterm labor as of Friday at 2:53 PM :)

Hurricane Sandy and Lord willing, I begin twice a week testing next week- one day for sonogram/regular appointment and the other for NST (non stress test).  I am already anxious about how I will manage all these appointments on top of acupuncture, endocrinologist, and having some kind of fun activities for Evie and me.  I don't want H2 super early, but I think about 6 weeks of 2x/week appointment will be enough for all of us.

But Evie reminds me it is all worth it!  Besides being obsessed with my belly button (this month's phase), I'm pretty sure she has no idea what is happening. 

I hope I am able to give 36 week pictures and pregnancy updates.  Keep praying that H2 stays comfy in my belly for another month!