Multiple Personalities & Disorder

It's been 3.5 months since this sweet little lady arrived... 

Don't worry... you didn't miss too much.  Just sleeping, eating, and a whole lotta poopin'.  Eh... there were a few coos, toy grabbin' and smilin' somewhere along the way, but she's now at the stage that I really love in the baby world.  You know, that point when you start seeing a little personality?  I once told Richard that newborns were boring and have no personality.  He thought that was the most horribly wonderful thing I could say about babies and likes to bring it up in reference to my love for our children.  I've always loved her, but she sure is more exciting now that she interacts with us.

This little man has enough personality to share with about 20 people...

His personality is showing up more and more each day.  He's going to be just as quirky as his daddy... One example: he runs, marches, and dances while moving ONLY his left arm at a right degree angle.  Pretty sure he learned that particular move from this video.

Our FIRST "child" is even more quirky than she used to be...

And even more dramatic.  Has anyone else ever met a dog who actually sighs and then goes to the closet when you move your feet in the bed because she thinks you're kicking her out?  or runs and hides when you ask if she wants to go outside?  Ridiculous.  But we love her!

I'm learning each day that my perfectionist personality is going to get the best of me if I'm not careful.  My words in a conversation with Richard the other night... "I wish I could be good at everything."  I don't mean that I wish I was a perfect person, but that I could have a clean/organized house and delicious dinner on the table every night, after spending the day doing creative spiritually, mentally, and physically stimulating activities with my kids.  I guess I'll just resign to having a messy house and mediocre meals if that means I get to do more of this each day. :)

Sedona's Birth Story

In the past few weeks, I'd been praying earnestly about the upcoming arrival of our little lady.  My main concerns and prayers were that (1) Richard be with me when I went into labor, (2) Reagan would be cared for as we went to the hospital, and (3) there would be no complications for myself or the baby during delivery.  God answered each of those petitions with a YES, YES, and YES!

Wednesday (May 9th), I went in for what I hoped would be my final doctor's appointment and found out I was already almost 3cm dilated.  During the day Wednesday, I had a few random contractions and mild cramping, but nothing out of the ordinary for my final week of pregnancy.  At Bible study Wednesday evening, I started having more regular contractions that seemed to be increasingly more painful... but still, I wasn't sure that this was labor.  I mentioned to Richard that I thought it might be good for him to stay home Thursday (May 10th) if my contractions kept up, just so we wouldn't have to worry about him getting back home from work before going to the hospital.  I also called my mom to tell her to get her things packed and be prepared for a call in the next day or so.

After getting home from Bible study, my contractions were coming closer together and becoming increasingly more painful... nothing unbearable, but I was beginning to think I might be heading to the hospital by the next morning (answer to prayer #1... Richard was with me).  We took a few quick photos with Reagan, thinking it might be his final night as a big brother, and got him into bed.  I sent a text to my mom and Gran, telling them I thought things might really be beginning, and Gran offered to drive on down to take care of Reagan in case we had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night (that way Mom and Dad could be at the hospital with me).  It was already 10pm and I hated the idea of her driving 2 hours for what might be a false alarm, but I also liked the idea of having her here just in case labor had truly started (answer to prayer #2... Reagan would be cared for).  After giving her the "okay" to head down, Richard and I got our things together and started timing the contractions.  They were coming every 4-5 minutes for almost an hour when Gran arrived a little after midnight. I called the doctor's office to ask if we should head to the hospital and we were told they'd let the hospital know we were on our way.

My contractions continued coming closer together and increasing in intensity as we headed to the hospital, but I was not uncomfortable yet.  In fact, I was talking and laughing through the contractions.  I started wondering if we'd jumped the gun, but was also wanting to make sure we had plenty of time for me to get my antibiotics before delivery since I'd tested positive for Group B Strep.  We got to triage, I was hooked up to monitors, and checked for progress.  I was still only at 3cm.  I was told they'd keep me there for 2 hours and then check on my progress.  Even with regular contractions, if I failed to progress after 2 hours, I would be sent home.  However, my doctor offered the option to go ahead and be admitted if I would permit them to give me Petocin to kick-start my labor.  Though I didn't have a written birth plan, it was my desire to start labor naturally, rather than having to be induced.  Induction was my backup plan for going well past my due date, for the safety of the baby, not for convenience.  However, after Richard and I talked, we decided that since the situation was already ideal (he was home when I went into labor, Gran was taking care of Reagan, and we were already at the hospital where I'd be able to get my antibiotics with time to spare before delivery), we'd just go ahead and agree to let them administer the Petocin.

Excited to know we'll soon be meeting our sweet girl!

I was admitted to Labor and Delivery around 3am and my antibiotics were started.  I called my parents shortly after that to let them know we were at the hospital, but there was no rush for them to make the 2 hour trip yet because the doctor wanted me to get two doses of antibiotics (which were administered 4 hours apart) before doing anything aggressive (like breaking my water).  Sometime before 5am, I was checked and told that I had failed to progress any further.  The Petocin was started and I requested my epidural because I wasn't able to rest at all during the contractions.  Richard snored on the couch through all of this, but I was thankful he was getting rest because neither of us had before coming to the hospital.

When I got my epidural, I started to feel the pain dull a bit, but it wasn't doing what I expected it to (remove the pain completely and leave limited to no pressure).  I mentioned this to the nurse and she had the anesthesiologist come back to give me a second dose sometime around 7am.  Sweet relief!  I could feel my legs and just enough pressure to know when a contraction was coming, unlike my epidural with Reagan which left me without ANY feeling from my waist down. 

Richard woke up at some point to ask if our friend Audrey was working in Labor and Delivery that day, and she was!  So we put in a request for her to be my nurse when the shift changed at 7am.  How comforting and exciting it was when she walked through that door and I knew she'd be there for the little lady's delivery!  (Plus, she offered me ice chips, which the other nurse said I wasn't allowed to have... and boy was I glad to see those ice chips since I hadn't had anything to drink for about 6 or 7 hours!)  After getting my ice chips, I tried to rest a bit.

Around 9am, the doctor arrived to check on my progress and break my water.  I was about 6cm at this point.  By 10:30, I was fully dilated and my parents arrived.  When I was told 15 minutes later that I could start pushing, I invited my parents to stay for the delivery.  Mom happily accepted the invitation, but Dad wasn't so sure he wanted to be there, stating, "There are some things a father shouldn't see."  Haha!  I pointed out that there was a rocking chair in a corner near my head (which he was already sitting in) where he could be in the room and see nothing... so he agreed to stay (and used his phone for both distraction and entertainment while waiting).

Pushing began around 10:45, with only Audrey as my official coach because the doctor was in surgery elsewhere.  Mom and Richard were great at encouraging me through the pushes, supporting my legs and helping with the oxygen mask between contractions.  The doctor arrived after a few good pushes and was pleased with my progress.  After about 45 minutes of pushing, Sedona Raelin (named for our honeymoon location, the amazingly beautiful Sedona, Arizona, and the combination of 2 family names: 5 family members who have the middle name Rae/Ray plus my Mom's middle name, Lynn, and Richard's mom's first name, Linda) arrived "sunny side up" at 11:24am, weighing 8 lbs., 4 oz., and measuring 21 inches long.  She passed all her tests with flying colors and we were all crying happily after her arrival.

What a blessing it was, after carrying a child for 9 months, to finally hold her in my arms!  We look forward to the many years ahead of us raising two sweet children who are gifts from God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighing In

Today marks 38 weeks and 2 days into my pregnancy with our little "Maybe".  I went in for my weekly appointment this morning, counting on everything being just as routine as the past week's.  I gave my urine sample to test for protein (negative), weighed in (same as last week's weight, which was a relief to me since I'd gained 2 lbs. at the last check up), and went in for my examination.  Little Maybe's heartbeat was a bit high at the beginning of the exam, but she was also pretty active.  After a few minutes, it slowed back down to the 140s, which was good.  She was still up pretty high, I was still only dilated about 1cm, but effacement had increased to 40-50%, so some progress had been made since the last appointment.  However, the doctor expressed some concern that my belly was only measuring at 37 weeks (like it did last week) and I that I hadn't gained any weight.  She wanted me to have an ultrasound to ensure that Maybe still had adequate amniotic fluid and was still growing as she should.

I left the office to get Richard and Reagan, so I'd have support if anything was wrong with the baby and/or I needed to go straight to the hospital from my appointment.  Having a perfectly normal pregnancy with Reagan, I didn't know what to think, so I prayed that everything was okay and called my Mom and Gran to fill them in on what was going on.  When we got back to the office, we waited a while to go back for the ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech let us know that she was checking 4 different things (measurement, fluid levels, fetal breathing, and something else) to ensure that the baby wasn't under stress.  Like an Apgar test in the moments after birth, each criterion could be scored as a 0, 1, or 2, with a perfect score being 8/8.  She told me if Maybe was scored as a 2/8, I'd be going immediately to the hospital, where if it was a 6/8, it would just be up to the doctor.  I was thrilled to hear that our little lady got an 8/8 on her exam!  She also weighed in at 8 lbs., 8 oz. and I have about 1.5 weeks left till my due date!  The doctor looked over the information and said I was good to go.  We'll just continue waiting around for our little butterball of a baby to make her debut!  Let's see if she can top her big brother's starting weight of 8 lbs., 13 oz.!

Questions, Questions, and I'm afraid to Answer!

Two questions I frequently get nowadays are, "How much longer?" and "Are you ready?"... these are to be expected as a pregnant woman's due date quickly approaches.  I don't mind the questions--it's the answers I dread giving.

As of today, I'm roughly 4 weeks away from my due date.  If our little "Maybe" decides to do what Reagan did, that means we have that plus 2 days till she'll be here.  I'd love for her to come on her actual due date, Mother's Day, for sentimental reasons (I was born on Father's Day).  However, I'm pulling for her remaining in-utero for another 9 months!

My feelings about this pregnancy/upcoming birth have been all over the place.  I remember being thrilled beyond belief when we first got the results back that I was expecting... and a few days later, crying because I was terrified and thought we'd made a mistake having kids so close together!  Now, I'm feeling those same things all over again.  While I'm excited that we're having another sweet baby (and a girl at that), I still have these lingering fears that I'm incapable of caring for a newborn and a toddler.

I remember being absolutely exhausted the first few weeks home with Reagan.  My family helped out the first week by rotating whoever came to stay with us, and then Richard went back to work in the middle of the second week.  Those early days on my own with Reagan weren't so bad because if I didn't get enough rest at night, I was able to rest during the day when he napped (and he napped A LOT).  This time, I'll be sleep deprived and in charge of entertaining/disciplining a busy toddler.  That's what I'm mostly worried about.  At least when Richard's home, we'll be able to divide and conquer. 

Looking on the positive side, though, Reagan has matured so much since my initial fears of having kids roughly 22 months apart set in.  He's become much more independent, obedient, can communicate his wishes even better (which helps us avoid a lot of unnecessary frustration), and is still really great at entertaining himself.  This last piece of goodness is what I'll be relying on a great deal at the beginning (until I get the hang of things).  I also think his love for babies will help us out.  The last few times we've been around babies, he's tried holding their hands, playing with their feet, tickling them, and (alas!) pick them up.  I think he's got a sweet, nurturing personality (something I found super attractive in his daddy, who loves kids) and this will also help us through those early months. 

Aside from all of this, I still have a pretty long to-do list.  One of those items has been on our list since we moved in almost 2 years ago--cleaning out the garage.  Richard and I have boxes sitting out there that haven't been unpacked since I moved into his apartment when we married almost 4 years ago!  Obviously, they're super important items we can't live without!  We've also got some cleaning, organizing, and decorating on the list. 

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated over the next few weeks and months.  Specifically, I am requesting prayers for 1) a continued healthy pregnancy, 2) a safe delivery of a healthy baby, 3) our strength as a couple as we go through some sleep deprived days with two kids, and 4) our parenting of these two precious children, that we do what is expected of us to raise faithful followers of Christ.

Also, any tips for those first few days of having two children would be awesome!

Vrrrroom Changes

A casual pose showing off his cool factor after his first night in a big boy bed.

Friday night was Reagan's first time in his new race car bed.  Richard got off from work early, and while Reagan napped, we brought the bed in from the garage to wipe it down in preparation for the big night ahead.  When Reagan woke up from his nap, we excitedly showed him the bed (which he'd seen in our garage over the past few weeks) where it sat in our entryway.  His reaction was FAR from what we expected.  He began crying, screaming, pulling at, and even hitting the bed.  He kept saying, "No, no, no.  Car, car, car."  He could not be calmed down.  I asked Richard to move the bed while I tried to help Reagan sort through his emotions... hard to do with a child who literally cannot be reasoned with.  Putting it in Reagan's room made matters far worse.

Going to the zoo for an hour helped calm him down and he returned to the house a bit more cheerful.  I showed him his bed again, offering to let him eat a cookie and watch "Herbie" on it.  That went great!  He was jumping up and down, repeatedly saying "car", and seemed thrilled about his new bed.  Then I started moving furniture around while he continued sitting on the bed.  Bad idea.  This started a new wave of erratic behavior.  Richard got him out of the room and distracted with a remote control car, but that only helped for a little while.  I came in and set up a few videos for him to watch on Youtube, and then came time for our first night of him sleeping in the bed.
 

We have a regular routine we go through at bedtime, and I think doing everything like usual, with only a different bed (but same mattress, sheets, stuffed animals, etc.), really helped us out.  Reagan was reaching for his car bed at the end of our nightly routine!  His first night was an amazing success!  Since then, he has spent 3 nights and 3 afternoons in his bed (and is currently adding another night onto that track record).  I've reminded him each time that he is to stay in his bed, and he has obeyed except for the beginning of his first nap.  However, having a two-way monitor fixed that quickly.  Just telling him to "get back in bed" over the microphone worked the two times he was out of bed that day.

I am amazed at how successful this change-over has been for us.  Since his crib is going to the new baby girl, I thought it was important for us to do the bed switch at this point so he can have time to adjust to one big change before another one arrives.  He has done splendidly.  We've been blessed with a wonderful first born.  Can't wait to see what's in store for us in the next 7 weeks!