Last night, Steve suggested that we check out a hobby shop in PA and since it would be really close to my sister's, go visit her family, too. So this morning, we packed the kids in the car, and took the scenic route up into PA. I didn't go in the hobby shop because I needed to feed Elektra, but we didn't spend long there. We continued up the scenic route through Lancaster City and got to my sister's around 11:30.
When we arrived, she suggested we go to where her kids get their hair cut to get DJ's hair cut. Why? Because it was very long, it was getting in his eyes, and we have no idea where north of Baltimore City there is a place that cuts kids hair.
That said, we love DJ's hair. It's a beautiful color, and it has these awesome curls. We're afraid that cutting off the curls would mean the end of the curls forever, so we've been procrastinating getting his hair cut.
But it's long and in his face. So we agreed to the appointment. The place was full of flat screen TVs and PS3's with which to entertain the kids. We were offered a Baby Einstein video to try and keep DJ occupied while he got his hair cut. The beautician use a spray bottle to wet down his hair and used scissors the entire time as we asked for her to keep the hair relatively long. She took about half an inch off all over his head, and a little more on his bangs.
DJ wasn't happy about having someone futsing with him. Worse was when Steve held his head still. Oh the boo boo face he gave us for that! I pulled out the fruit snacks and that kept him busy and happy which allowed for the beautician to finish quickly.
It turns out that the curls seemed to stay, getting a little curlier because some of the weight was taken off. DJ looks a little more "girlie" because of the cut, but his hair is definitely out of his face now! My sister sent me pics of the event, so I'll try to get them posted.
And even though I have some locks from when I first cut his bangs in the bathtub, we got far more locks at this haircut.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Jealousy!
Yep, we think we saw our first official "I'm jealous!" tantrum from DJ yesterday.
We were all in the kitchen. Steve was making something on the stove, I was feeding DJ dinner in his high chair, and Elektra was in the bouncy seat on the table next to us. Elektra started to fuss, so Steve came over to pick her up. He picked her up, and DJ watched him like a hawk. When Steve turned his back to him and walk away with Elektra, DJ started to bawl. So Steve put Elektra back down, took DJ out of the high chair, and picked him up. Crying nearly insta-stopped. Meanwhile, I picked up Elektra, and DJ didn't even blink at me. ::sigh:: I see where I rank. ;-)
We were all in the kitchen. Steve was making something on the stove, I was feeding DJ dinner in his high chair, and Elektra was in the bouncy seat on the table next to us. Elektra started to fuss, so Steve came over to pick her up. He picked her up, and DJ watched him like a hawk. When Steve turned his back to him and walk away with Elektra, DJ started to bawl. So Steve put Elektra back down, took DJ out of the high chair, and picked him up. Crying nearly insta-stopped. Meanwhile, I picked up Elektra, and DJ didn't even blink at me. ::sigh:: I see where I rank. ;-)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Pediatric Ophthalmologist
DJ went to see his pediatric ophthalmologist today. Without even dilating his eyes, she could tell that he wasn't crossing his eyes at all. I chose to have his eyes dilated anyway today so that she could check his refraction. Turns out that his farsightedness has been cut in half. Now he's only a +2.5, much more normal for a child of his age. Her comment was that his likelihood of needing glasses any time soon is nil. Yay! So she's asked to see him again in 2 years.
As for Elektra seeing her, since we aren't seeing any signs of a clogged tear duct, we don't anticipate her needing to see Dr. Collins unless we start to see signs of crossing.
Meanwhile, DJ walked all the way from the car to the doctor's office, holding my hand the ENTIRE way without wanting to pull away from me once. He did awesome in that sense! While his eyes were dilating, he wanted to wander the hallway, which he did happily. Apparently that wore him out because he wanted me to pick him up and he kept pointing to me where he wanted me to take him. Look out, here comes the Mommy Taxi! After we were done with the doctor's appointment, he walked all the way back out to the car, albeit slower than the walk in. He wasn't in his car seat 5 minutes when he fell asleep. He was pooped!
As for Elektra seeing her, since we aren't seeing any signs of a clogged tear duct, we don't anticipate her needing to see Dr. Collins unless we start to see signs of crossing.
Meanwhile, DJ walked all the way from the car to the doctor's office, holding my hand the ENTIRE way without wanting to pull away from me once. He did awesome in that sense! While his eyes were dilating, he wanted to wander the hallway, which he did happily. Apparently that wore him out because he wanted me to pick him up and he kept pointing to me where he wanted me to take him. Look out, here comes the Mommy Taxi! After we were done with the doctor's appointment, he walked all the way back out to the car, albeit slower than the walk in. He wasn't in his car seat 5 minutes when he fell asleep. He was pooped!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Our Little Snotnose update
DJ came down with a cold late last week and passed it on to the family. Over that weekend, he battled a pesky fever and was all in all quite the clingy (for Daddy) fuss. By Monday, the fever had broken for good, and he seemed much more himself, except for the river of snot running from his nose. Here we are, a week later, and his cough has broken up significantly but the snot remains. He's sneezing a lot less so he's kicking this cold out the door sure enough.
DJ, as all toddlers it seems, *hates* to have his nose wiped. You have to hide the tissue until the very last second when you snatch his nose in between your fingers and wipe else he'll turn his head away and/or run away from you to avoid it. The best case scenario for DJ to have his nose wiped is to wipe it on your shirt on his own terms. Oh yes, there is no fuss then!
Otherwise, DJ has been much more himself lately i.e. relatively happy, go-lucky. The meltdowns have been less frequent and last less time overall. The meltdowns we're seeing now are more in line with what we would expect of him as a toddler, so hopefully that means we've turned the corner with him regarding Elektra in his life (and ours for that matter).
This coming week will be fun for DJ... well, ok, not really. Tomorrow, he goes to see the pediatric ophthalmologist for his 6 month post-surgery check. At the same time, Dr. Collins will be looking to see if he's crossing his eyes (which I don't think he is) because he's more far sighted than the average toddler. Better to catch (and fix) something like that now than find it later!!
DJ will also be going for his 18 month check with the pediatrician on Thursday. I know, he's 19 months at this point, really, but the doctor couldn't see him when we took Elektra in for her 8 day appointment as he was squeezing her in that day. We'll be taking Elektra in, too, for her 1 month check. Yes, shots will be involved for both children, so I'm not going to this appointment alone. If Steve can't go, I'm recruiting my dad to help out with this one. Elektra will be fine; it's DJ that concerns me. In the past, he's done great with shots. But as he's gotten older, he's tolerated them less and less, so... yeah, this won't be pleasant. In fact, I remember his first shots at the pediatrician's office. When he started to bawl, it completely broke my heart; it felt like I was making him cry on purpose! But it's for your own good... that old cliche. Go figure.
Hmmm. Time for my flu shot, too. ::sigh:: At least I won't cry when it's administered. ;-)
DJ, as all toddlers it seems, *hates* to have his nose wiped. You have to hide the tissue until the very last second when you snatch his nose in between your fingers and wipe else he'll turn his head away and/or run away from you to avoid it. The best case scenario for DJ to have his nose wiped is to wipe it on your shirt on his own terms. Oh yes, there is no fuss then!
Otherwise, DJ has been much more himself lately i.e. relatively happy, go-lucky. The meltdowns have been less frequent and last less time overall. The meltdowns we're seeing now are more in line with what we would expect of him as a toddler, so hopefully that means we've turned the corner with him regarding Elektra in his life (and ours for that matter).
This coming week will be fun for DJ... well, ok, not really. Tomorrow, he goes to see the pediatric ophthalmologist for his 6 month post-surgery check. At the same time, Dr. Collins will be looking to see if he's crossing his eyes (which I don't think he is) because he's more far sighted than the average toddler. Better to catch (and fix) something like that now than find it later!!
DJ will also be going for his 18 month check with the pediatrician on Thursday. I know, he's 19 months at this point, really, but the doctor couldn't see him when we took Elektra in for her 8 day appointment as he was squeezing her in that day. We'll be taking Elektra in, too, for her 1 month check. Yes, shots will be involved for both children, so I'm not going to this appointment alone. If Steve can't go, I'm recruiting my dad to help out with this one. Elektra will be fine; it's DJ that concerns me. In the past, he's done great with shots. But as he's gotten older, he's tolerated them less and less, so... yeah, this won't be pleasant. In fact, I remember his first shots at the pediatrician's office. When he started to bawl, it completely broke my heart; it felt like I was making him cry on purpose! But it's for your own good... that old cliche. Go figure.
Hmmm. Time for my flu shot, too. ::sigh:: At least I won't cry when it's administered. ;-)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sharing
DJ has already learned to share. Well, I say that tongue and cheek, but he has shared his cold with Elektra. So at 3 weeks, Elektra has her first cold, light fever and all. DJ is coughing which Elektra isn't, but both are sniffling and sneezing. Break out the humidifiers and Tylenol (for DJ).
Steve's coming down with the cold now and how can I not get it being as sleep deprived as I am?? I haven't felt any symptoms yet, but I'm sure it'll hit me soon enough.
This has made for quite the crazy household. DJ has decided in the last few weeks that he's not interested in 2 naps a day anymore. This is really a disappointment for us as we could use the downtime but now that he's sick, HE could use the downtime.
Friday, we kept him home because he had a fever. He napped in the morning, but no afternoon nap and was in bed by 6:30pm.
He woke up his normal time on Saturday, still with a light fever, and took no naps. Oh that made for a rough day, especially for Steve, as DJ was very, very clingy with Steve. Despite the clinginess with Steve, I took DJ to the grocery store, for a car ride (to try and get him to nap... yeah that didn't work) and for a long stroller ride. Despite no nap, he was surprisingly easy going by the time dinner came, and was a really good when it came to going to bed.
Today, we heard DJ wake up at 7am, happily talking to himself. About 20 minutes later, when I went to go get him, I found him asleep again. He slept until after 9am. Clearly, that was his morning nap! By mid afternoon, DJ was quite clingy again, so I took him for a stroller ride down our street. About 20 yards from home, I found him asleep in the stroller, so I brought him inside and put him in his crib. He woke up in the transfer, but he's gone back to sleep since. He so needs the rest...
Of course every time I would take DJ to go do something, Elektra would wake up and want to be fed or held or something. She's been eating only about 2.5 ounces per feeding and sometimes, she's hungry 2 hours later and other times, she'll sleep the full 3 and I have to wake her up. Last night, despite the humidifier in our room, she was struggling to breathe, so I brought her into our bed and propped her up against our pillows to let her sinuses drain. That seemed to help her, and she settled down a little. I still didn't get more than 2 hours of sleep in one shot, but she didn't ask to eat again for 4 hours. She's actually been a lot easier today than she was yesterday, going right back to sleep after she eats instead of fussing for an hour or so then falling back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Steve and I are both happy for the peace and quiet. Steve's getting some rest on the couch while watching the football games, and I'm going to clean up DJ's toys and then lay down again myself.
::sigh:: Sharing colds. Of course it's the first thing we share as a family...
Steve's coming down with the cold now and how can I not get it being as sleep deprived as I am?? I haven't felt any symptoms yet, but I'm sure it'll hit me soon enough.
This has made for quite the crazy household. DJ has decided in the last few weeks that he's not interested in 2 naps a day anymore. This is really a disappointment for us as we could use the downtime but now that he's sick, HE could use the downtime.
Friday, we kept him home because he had a fever. He napped in the morning, but no afternoon nap and was in bed by 6:30pm.
He woke up his normal time on Saturday, still with a light fever, and took no naps. Oh that made for a rough day, especially for Steve, as DJ was very, very clingy with Steve. Despite the clinginess with Steve, I took DJ to the grocery store, for a car ride (to try and get him to nap... yeah that didn't work) and for a long stroller ride. Despite no nap, he was surprisingly easy going by the time dinner came, and was a really good when it came to going to bed.
Today, we heard DJ wake up at 7am, happily talking to himself. About 20 minutes later, when I went to go get him, I found him asleep again. He slept until after 9am. Clearly, that was his morning nap! By mid afternoon, DJ was quite clingy again, so I took him for a stroller ride down our street. About 20 yards from home, I found him asleep in the stroller, so I brought him inside and put him in his crib. He woke up in the transfer, but he's gone back to sleep since. He so needs the rest...
Of course every time I would take DJ to go do something, Elektra would wake up and want to be fed or held or something. She's been eating only about 2.5 ounces per feeding and sometimes, she's hungry 2 hours later and other times, she'll sleep the full 3 and I have to wake her up. Last night, despite the humidifier in our room, she was struggling to breathe, so I brought her into our bed and propped her up against our pillows to let her sinuses drain. That seemed to help her, and she settled down a little. I still didn't get more than 2 hours of sleep in one shot, but she didn't ask to eat again for 4 hours. She's actually been a lot easier today than she was yesterday, going right back to sleep after she eats instead of fussing for an hour or so then falling back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Steve and I are both happy for the peace and quiet. Steve's getting some rest on the couch while watching the football games, and I'm going to clean up DJ's toys and then lay down again myself.
::sigh:: Sharing colds. Of course it's the first thing we share as a family...
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Meltdown
Holy meltdowns, Batman!
Poor DJ. I think he's stressing and it's coming out in the form of explosive meltdowns. On Monday and Tuesday, he melted down when he didn't get to do what he wanted, and was completely inconsolable until we put him to bed. In fact, we had to put him to bed early. Last night, he was fine - despite no nap! - until bed, but at 10pm, woke up in complete meltdown mode. It took rocking him back to sleep for him to calm down. He woke up again at 1:45am (this was brief), but the 4:45am meltdown was outright screaming for at least 10 minutes. I know he's sick with a cold so he's not feeling so hot, but he did this at day care, too. He woke up out of nowhere in complete meltdown mode and was completely inconsolable.
Between all the stress of Elektra showing up into his life + growing into a full blown toddler, we're going to have to find a way to help him cope. Poor guy....
Poor DJ. I think he's stressing and it's coming out in the form of explosive meltdowns. On Monday and Tuesday, he melted down when he didn't get to do what he wanted, and was completely inconsolable until we put him to bed. In fact, we had to put him to bed early. Last night, he was fine - despite no nap! - until bed, but at 10pm, woke up in complete meltdown mode. It took rocking him back to sleep for him to calm down. He woke up again at 1:45am (this was brief), but the 4:45am meltdown was outright screaming for at least 10 minutes. I know he's sick with a cold so he's not feeling so hot, but he did this at day care, too. He woke up out of nowhere in complete meltdown mode and was completely inconsolable.
Between all the stress of Elektra showing up into his life + growing into a full blown toddler, we're going to have to find a way to help him cope. Poor guy....
Monday, October 06, 2008
It's Bottle Time
During Week 3 of DJ's life, my body couldn't take the lack of sleep anymore and I came down with a cold. This convinced Steve to go get a can of formula and start bottle feeding DJ until I had built up a supply of breastmilk that we could also bottle feed him. That couldn't have been a better move; DJ took to the bottle like a champ, wolfing down formula like it was going out of style. Lo and behold, he also started sleeping more than an hour at a time, too.
Here we are at Week 3 of Elektra's life and although I think I'm in better shape than I was with DJ, I have started bottle feeding Elektra. There's a learning curve to feeding for babies. It took a good number of days for her to figure out how to latch on to the breast, and so it's no surprise that it'll take her the equivalent number of days to learn how to take a bottle.
The upside to her taking a bottle is that now Steve (or anyone else) can feed her, too. The downside is that she doesn't fall asleep on the bottle so we have to take the time to help her fall asleep. This will cut into sleep time for me during the late night hours. Nevermind that I have to pump at every feeding. Today was teh first day I started this with her so my dilemma is: do I breast feed her during the late night hours or do I strictly bottle feed/pump instead?
There are other issues, too, like, what happens when she hits a growth spurt and I'm not making enough milk? Typically, if I were breastfeeding exclusively, she has a way of telling my body to make more. But if I'm pumping, my body won't get that message. Also, I have heard stories of babies not liking the bottles they were offered if they didn't transition to bottles until later. We have too much invested in these bottles to have her reject them!
So we'll see how this goes.
Currently, Elektra is a happy little girl sleeping on Daddy's chest, and Daddy is a happy man sleeping on the sofa. It's the way life should be. :-) Unfortunately for them, I'm going to have to wake up Elektra in about 25 minutes for her next feeding to stay on the 3 hour schedule... Sorry!!!
Here we are at Week 3 of Elektra's life and although I think I'm in better shape than I was with DJ, I have started bottle feeding Elektra. There's a learning curve to feeding for babies. It took a good number of days for her to figure out how to latch on to the breast, and so it's no surprise that it'll take her the equivalent number of days to learn how to take a bottle.
The upside to her taking a bottle is that now Steve (or anyone else) can feed her, too. The downside is that she doesn't fall asleep on the bottle so we have to take the time to help her fall asleep. This will cut into sleep time for me during the late night hours. Nevermind that I have to pump at every feeding. Today was teh first day I started this with her so my dilemma is: do I breast feed her during the late night hours or do I strictly bottle feed/pump instead?
There are other issues, too, like, what happens when she hits a growth spurt and I'm not making enough milk? Typically, if I were breastfeeding exclusively, she has a way of telling my body to make more. But if I'm pumping, my body won't get that message. Also, I have heard stories of babies not liking the bottles they were offered if they didn't transition to bottles until later. We have too much invested in these bottles to have her reject them!
So we'll see how this goes.
Currently, Elektra is a happy little girl sleeping on Daddy's chest, and Daddy is a happy man sleeping on the sofa. It's the way life should be. :-) Unfortunately for them, I'm going to have to wake up Elektra in about 25 minutes for her next feeding to stay on the 3 hour schedule... Sorry!!!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Elektra Update
Elektra went to see the pediatrician today for her 8 day checkup.
To recap: she was born 7 pounds, 15 ounces. When we left the hospital 2 days later, she had lost 5% of her birth weight, but we weren't told what that measurement was. So... if I've done the math correctly, when we left the hospital, Elektra was down to 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
Today, when we weighed her, she was 8 pounds 5 ounces. Wowzers, girlie! In what was effectively 6 days, she gained 12 ounces - 2 ounces a day!! I suppose that does explain the copious number of diapers we've seen, which has been at least 1, if not 2 per feeding. ;-)
The doctor was *very* pleased with this weight gain, and gave me the go-ahead to stretch night time feedings from the usual 3 hour interval to a 4 hour interval. YAY!! An extra hour of sleep for me!! He said to continue the 3 hour interval during the day to try and combat the day-night reversal newborns tend to go through.
It's 9:15pm right now, and she's hanging out on the couch, on her side - having put herself there as I laid her down on her back, wide awake, moving aorund and kicking and such. Good girl! We want you to sleep tonight!!
Anyway, the doctor found her to be healthy and thriving and all is good. She fussed at him when he looked at her ears, and he said, "Oh I know, such an invasive procedure." LOL
She had another blood test done, a repeat of what they did in the hospital, as a double check for a laundry list of things. They do this with all babies at least 8 days old. The assistant who usually takes care of DJ, Evonne, said, "Sorry, Elektra. This will be the first of many unpleasant experiences you'll have here." We laughed because she had told me at another appointment for DJ that one time, she called the name of a 10 year old boy to begin his appointment and at the mention of his name, he started bawling. Poor boy and poor her!
Her next appointment will be in 3 weeks for her 1 month appointment. DJ will be joining her for his 18 month appointment (though at that point, it'll be effectively his 19 month!). That should make for an interesting appointment....
To recap: she was born 7 pounds, 15 ounces. When we left the hospital 2 days later, she had lost 5% of her birth weight, but we weren't told what that measurement was. So... if I've done the math correctly, when we left the hospital, Elektra was down to 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
Today, when we weighed her, she was 8 pounds 5 ounces. Wowzers, girlie! In what was effectively 6 days, she gained 12 ounces - 2 ounces a day!! I suppose that does explain the copious number of diapers we've seen, which has been at least 1, if not 2 per feeding. ;-)
The doctor was *very* pleased with this weight gain, and gave me the go-ahead to stretch night time feedings from the usual 3 hour interval to a 4 hour interval. YAY!! An extra hour of sleep for me!! He said to continue the 3 hour interval during the day to try and combat the day-night reversal newborns tend to go through.
It's 9:15pm right now, and she's hanging out on the couch, on her side - having put herself there as I laid her down on her back, wide awake, moving aorund and kicking and such. Good girl! We want you to sleep tonight!!
Anyway, the doctor found her to be healthy and thriving and all is good. She fussed at him when he looked at her ears, and he said, "Oh I know, such an invasive procedure." LOL
She had another blood test done, a repeat of what they did in the hospital, as a double check for a laundry list of things. They do this with all babies at least 8 days old. The assistant who usually takes care of DJ, Evonne, said, "Sorry, Elektra. This will be the first of many unpleasant experiences you'll have here." We laughed because she had told me at another appointment for DJ that one time, she called the name of a 10 year old boy to begin his appointment and at the mention of his name, he started bawling. Poor boy and poor her!
Her next appointment will be in 3 weeks for her 1 month appointment. DJ will be joining her for his 18 month appointment (though at that point, it'll be effectively his 19 month!). That should make for an interesting appointment....
Parents of 2
Talk about a challenge, and the challenges haven't even started yet.
The evening I got home from the hospital, Steve picked up DJ from day care, came home, cooked dinner for us while I fed DJ dinner, and of course when it was time for us to eat, it was time for DJ to play. So Steve ate while I watched DJ, we put him to bed, then it was time to feed Elektra, then I got to eat. Or something like that. The point being, the life of being parents of 2 young children is going to take some coordination. And we're going to have to figure this out in a hurry.
For one, we have a full fledged toddler testing his limits. I think he's done the worst of his teething which was messing with his mood, but that's definitely not the reason he's being, well, a toddler.
The food wars: how picky is he eating? Right now, fairly. Boy do I miss the days of when he was just turning a year old and he'd eat anything we'd give him and then some.
The throwing wars: he wants to throw his cup every time he drinks from it. He always wants to throw food that he "doesn't want". Sometimes he's doing it for the attention (which we try to not give him when he throws stuff), and sometimes he's doing it because he really doesn't want it. He's been throwing "throw-able" (i.e. not always balls) toys, not necessarily AT anything or anyone, just in general because he can.
The couch wars: His want to be on the couch is fine, in general. But we get nervous when he's on the couch and the dogs are on it, too. Usually we boot DJ from the couch and let the dogs be in their spot, but occassionally we have to do the opposite. This is more for the dogs' safety than for DJ's.
Toss in the fact that he seems to be moving away from having 2 naps a day to 1, and so we're battling a tired toddler all day, despite a long nap in the afternoon.
When I say "we", I don't mean just Steve and me. I also mean Miss Eleanor. She has the brunt of his antics day to day. Yikes.
Couple aaaaaaall of that with the relative demands of a newborn and ta-da!!! It's quite the zoo here. Generally, Elektra is very low maintenance. Yes, she eats every 3 hours but otherwise, right now, she's sleeping between meals. She's willing to just hang out in the bouncy seat while the world moves around her, and basically give us our hands free to handle DJ. Really, like DJ, she's been wonderful so far. :-)
The evening I got home from the hospital, Steve picked up DJ from day care, came home, cooked dinner for us while I fed DJ dinner, and of course when it was time for us to eat, it was time for DJ to play. So Steve ate while I watched DJ, we put him to bed, then it was time to feed Elektra, then I got to eat. Or something like that. The point being, the life of being parents of 2 young children is going to take some coordination. And we're going to have to figure this out in a hurry.
For one, we have a full fledged toddler testing his limits. I think he's done the worst of his teething which was messing with his mood, but that's definitely not the reason he's being, well, a toddler.
The food wars: how picky is he eating? Right now, fairly. Boy do I miss the days of when he was just turning a year old and he'd eat anything we'd give him and then some.
The throwing wars: he wants to throw his cup every time he drinks from it. He always wants to throw food that he "doesn't want". Sometimes he's doing it for the attention (which we try to not give him when he throws stuff), and sometimes he's doing it because he really doesn't want it. He's been throwing "throw-able" (i.e. not always balls) toys, not necessarily AT anything or anyone, just in general because he can.
The couch wars: His want to be on the couch is fine, in general. But we get nervous when he's on the couch and the dogs are on it, too. Usually we boot DJ from the couch and let the dogs be in their spot, but occassionally we have to do the opposite. This is more for the dogs' safety than for DJ's.
Toss in the fact that he seems to be moving away from having 2 naps a day to 1, and so we're battling a tired toddler all day, despite a long nap in the afternoon.
When I say "we", I don't mean just Steve and me. I also mean Miss Eleanor. She has the brunt of his antics day to day. Yikes.
Couple aaaaaaall of that with the relative demands of a newborn and ta-da!!! It's quite the zoo here. Generally, Elektra is very low maintenance. Yes, she eats every 3 hours but otherwise, right now, she's sleeping between meals. She's willing to just hang out in the bouncy seat while the world moves around her, and basically give us our hands free to handle DJ. Really, like DJ, she's been wonderful so far. :-)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Stories from the last few days
As my sleep reserves are quickly depleted, I figure I should jot down some of the stories and thoughts that have come up over the last few days.
After Elektra was born, another anesthesiologist came in to take out my epidural. He introduced himself and said, "We specialize here; Dr. Dominguez puts in epidurals and I take them out." It was so dryly stated it was brilliant. Hilarious!
Elektra has been talking to her food source the last few feedings. Literally, while she's eating, she's been groaning almost the entire time. She's communing with the boob, I guess. :)
Elektra also likes to sleep with her arms up over her head. She likes the rest of her to be swaddled but like DJ, she wants her arms to be free! DJ didn't sleep with his arms over his head; he would instantly roll over onto his side - from Day 1. Now he's an any-which-way sleeper.
The pediatrician came to talk to us about Elektra's check up on Wednesday. We commented that she's breastfeeding better than DJ did. His comment was that "For the first 24 months, girls are smarter than boys". Steve said, "Some people would say it's longer than that." Dr. Boscia came back with, "I'm only guaranteeing the first 24 months." lol
It turns out we were destined to have a girl. The roses in our front bed - which are over 50 years old as transplated to this house from the previous owner's mom's garden - are all blooming pink flowers this week. We've had many different colors bloom the last few blooming seasons, but these are ALL pink. Amazing.
Oh, gotta go... a little someone is HUNGRY!!
After Elektra was born, another anesthesiologist came in to take out my epidural. He introduced himself and said, "We specialize here; Dr. Dominguez puts in epidurals and I take them out." It was so dryly stated it was brilliant. Hilarious!
Elektra has been talking to her food source the last few feedings. Literally, while she's eating, she's been groaning almost the entire time. She's communing with the boob, I guess. :)
Elektra also likes to sleep with her arms up over her head. She likes the rest of her to be swaddled but like DJ, she wants her arms to be free! DJ didn't sleep with his arms over his head; he would instantly roll over onto his side - from Day 1. Now he's an any-which-way sleeper.
The pediatrician came to talk to us about Elektra's check up on Wednesday. We commented that she's breastfeeding better than DJ did. His comment was that "For the first 24 months, girls are smarter than boys". Steve said, "Some people would say it's longer than that." Dr. Boscia came back with, "I'm only guaranteeing the first 24 months." lol
It turns out we were destined to have a girl. The roses in our front bed - which are over 50 years old as transplated to this house from the previous owner's mom's garden - are all blooming pink flowers this week. We've had many different colors bloom the last few blooming seasons, but these are ALL pink. Amazing.
Oh, gotta go... a little someone is HUNGRY!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
We welcome Elektra Lynn Salisbury!
6am did arrive sooner than later on Tuesday morning. We left the house with DJ and packed bags at 7, got to Eleanor's a little before 7:30, dropped off the soon-to-be big brother, and headed for the hospital. Knowing the end was near was wracking my nerves - gee, only bringing a new little creature into the world, but also comforting that I could finally start the process of healing my body and start to figure out how the family dynamic would work.
We checked in and were sitting in the waiting room to be taken back when my dad came to find us. It was nice to see him as it was a really nice distraction from what was immediately in my future. Only a few short minutes later, a nurse came to get me and down the hall we went to begin our journey of two kids in our life.
We had a gi-normous birthing room, apparently the VIP suite, according to Aunt Elaine, who dropped in to see us as well a couple hours after the induction process was started. I guess it's good to know certain people, though it's not like we asked for that room!! Heck, I didn't even know it existed.
The nurse was new to the OB team, having done heart work before, so she was learning all the procedures necessary for OB. But she was sweet as can be, very personable, and frankly, I didn't mind at all that she was "learning" on me. There was not a doubt in my mind that this induction would be routine. And even if it weren't, Dr. Hunter, from my OB's (high risk) practice, was the attending OB, so all bases were covered.
After the initial paperwork and medical history was covered, they started my IV. By 9am, Dr. Hunter came in, told me she wasn't staying up all night for me (wink) even though they work 24 hour shifts, gave me a pelvic exam (4cm dilated), and broke my water. Merconium in amniotic fluid, check. Just like with DJ. That means we'll need an attending pediatrician, too, when the baby is born. They started the pitocin, and then we got to wait.
By about 10:30am, I was starting to squirm with my contractions. They were 2 minutes apart, 1 minute long, and I really had to concentrate on breathing just to get through them. By 11, they asked if I wanted an epidrual (yes, please!), and Dr. Dominguez came in to do that.
Now Dr. Dominguez was just as hilarious as Dr. Hunter with comments such as "a vaginal delivery is a failed c-section!" and other such one liners. He was fantastic, though, administering the epidural itself. He talked me through absolutely everything I'd feel and what I shouldn't feel as he was doing it. By 11:30, he was done and I was starting to feel relief. I had another pelvic exam (5cm now), a catheter inserted, and now it was time to relax. I sent Steve to get himself some lunch since at this point, there was absolutely nothing he could do. Even moral support wouldn't be necessary as the contractions I was feeling were literally disappearing in intensity by the minute.
I took a nap sometime after noon-ish, after Steve got back from lunch, and at about 1:30, I woke up. The attending nurse, a different one from the morning because mine was in helping a delivery next door, looked at the fetal monitor and then looked at me and said, "Do you feel anything different?" "Well, no... I don't really feel anything, actually." She said that there was something about the readings on the monitor that made her think that maybe I was fully dilated now, so she went to go get Dr. Hunter for another exam.
Sure enough, not only was I ready, apparently, the baby was already crowning! Um, yikes?! Dr. Hunter told me that I was going to have this baby in a hurry. I thought she was teasing me from earlier but when she didn't waste any time getting into her scrubs, reality hit me over the head that she wasn't kidding. She said I really needed to push and push hard because she didn't like what she was seeing on the monitor, that when a contraction would hit, the baby's heart rate would drop. Else she would need to use forcepts. Eek, no forecepts! But I couldn't feel anything... the epidural, unlike with DJ, was still going strong. With DJ, I could actually feel when a contraction was coming and how I was pushing. This time, all I could do was what they told me and visualize what I was doing, hoping that it was the right thing. I started pushing at 1:50 and by 1:59pm, Elektra Lynn came out screaming.
Steve and I couldn't believe it. She is a girl. We were so convinced that she was a boy that we didn't know what to think besides, OMG. She's just beautiful. Our little girl weighed in at 7lbs, 15oz and 21 inches long... a whole pound lighter than DJ, but the same length. And boy does she have some long fingers, toes, and feet! She screamed at us for about half an hour (how dare you evict me from my nice warm home?!) but after that, she either slept or was checking out the world. Not a fuss from her.
My dad stopped by to see us on his way home from work which just so happened to coincide with Elektra's birth. So he got to see her first by complete chance. This actually worked out well later since then my mom and my sister could come and see Elektra after DJ went to bed since he was going to stay with them that night.
After I was stitched and cleaned and the room was cleaned, Steve and I got to hang out with our little girl for a while in the relative calm after the storm. We were waiting for my epidural to wear off, basically. At about 4:30, the nursery came to get her and my mother-in-law arrived 2 minutes too late to see her then. So she and Steve went out to dinner while I was moved to post partum to wait out the rest of my epidural.
That night, my mother-in-law, mother, and sister came to visit. DJ was with Papou. The rest of my stay was fairly uneventful, though Steve brought DJ to meet his little sister the next afternoon. He was wearing his Big Brother shirt that Eleanor gave him. So cute!
When he came in, DJ first found the balloon in the room to play with. I tried to pick him up to give him a hug (holy cow he's heavy!!!) but he pretty much pushed me away. The balloon was far more interesting, of course. LOL Steve picked up Elektra and I picked DJ up, and we showed her to DJ. He just stared. He didn't reach out for her, he didn't say anything, he just watched her. I took his hand and stroked Elektra with it and said, "nice baby. nice elektra. gentle baby." After about a minute, he was done. Time to go explore. Steve put Elektra back in the bassinet and then she started to fuss. DJ heard the fuss, and stopped what he was doing to listen. "Do you heard the baby crying, DJ?" I picked her up this time, brought her down to his level, and let him watch her fuss. This time, his attention was captivated a little longer, as this little thing actually DOES something. Again, his attention span didn't last THAT long, so Steve decided to limit the exposure and just take him home. Good idea, Daddy.
On Thursday, I got to come home. Elektra did great in the car, and she did great last night. Steve and I, on the other hand, had to figure out how to handle DJ and her and dinner all at the same time. Hmmmm. This will be a challenge, for sure, and it's a really good thing DJ has a relatively early bedtime else we'd be really up a creek. While I was putting DJ to bed, Elektra apparently had the enormous diaper we had been waiting for in the hospital. Well, we know she's good to go in that department now, too!
Elektra did great last night overall. She'd sleep a couple hours at a time after feeding, and that gave me some rest, too. I'm still totally exhausted, and my body just hurts overall, but all this shall pass. I'm waiting for my milk to come in, and that won't be long either. DJ saw his little sister this morning while he was still in his crib. He looked at me, pointed at Elektra and said, "Ba Ba!" Baby! That's right!! DJ's Baby! Eleanor and Sonny yesterday gave him a picture of Elektra to carry around, which he did, saying "Ba Ba" the whole time. Steve took DJ to day care (as I am not allowed to drive for 2-3 weeks), and I'm now home, alone with the dogs (who are re-fighting for alpha status because a new little one came home) and Baby Elektra.
It's almost time to feed her, so more later.
We checked in and were sitting in the waiting room to be taken back when my dad came to find us. It was nice to see him as it was a really nice distraction from what was immediately in my future. Only a few short minutes later, a nurse came to get me and down the hall we went to begin our journey of two kids in our life.
We had a gi-normous birthing room, apparently the VIP suite, according to Aunt Elaine, who dropped in to see us as well a couple hours after the induction process was started. I guess it's good to know certain people, though it's not like we asked for that room!! Heck, I didn't even know it existed.
The nurse was new to the OB team, having done heart work before, so she was learning all the procedures necessary for OB. But she was sweet as can be, very personable, and frankly, I didn't mind at all that she was "learning" on me. There was not a doubt in my mind that this induction would be routine. And even if it weren't, Dr. Hunter, from my OB's (high risk) practice, was the attending OB, so all bases were covered.
After the initial paperwork and medical history was covered, they started my IV. By 9am, Dr. Hunter came in, told me she wasn't staying up all night for me (wink) even though they work 24 hour shifts, gave me a pelvic exam (4cm dilated), and broke my water. Merconium in amniotic fluid, check. Just like with DJ. That means we'll need an attending pediatrician, too, when the baby is born. They started the pitocin, and then we got to wait.
By about 10:30am, I was starting to squirm with my contractions. They were 2 minutes apart, 1 minute long, and I really had to concentrate on breathing just to get through them. By 11, they asked if I wanted an epidrual (yes, please!), and Dr. Dominguez came in to do that.
Now Dr. Dominguez was just as hilarious as Dr. Hunter with comments such as "a vaginal delivery is a failed c-section!" and other such one liners. He was fantastic, though, administering the epidural itself. He talked me through absolutely everything I'd feel and what I shouldn't feel as he was doing it. By 11:30, he was done and I was starting to feel relief. I had another pelvic exam (5cm now), a catheter inserted, and now it was time to relax. I sent Steve to get himself some lunch since at this point, there was absolutely nothing he could do. Even moral support wouldn't be necessary as the contractions I was feeling were literally disappearing in intensity by the minute.
I took a nap sometime after noon-ish, after Steve got back from lunch, and at about 1:30, I woke up. The attending nurse, a different one from the morning because mine was in helping a delivery next door, looked at the fetal monitor and then looked at me and said, "Do you feel anything different?" "Well, no... I don't really feel anything, actually." She said that there was something about the readings on the monitor that made her think that maybe I was fully dilated now, so she went to go get Dr. Hunter for another exam.
Sure enough, not only was I ready, apparently, the baby was already crowning! Um, yikes?! Dr. Hunter told me that I was going to have this baby in a hurry. I thought she was teasing me from earlier but when she didn't waste any time getting into her scrubs, reality hit me over the head that she wasn't kidding. She said I really needed to push and push hard because she didn't like what she was seeing on the monitor, that when a contraction would hit, the baby's heart rate would drop. Else she would need to use forcepts. Eek, no forecepts! But I couldn't feel anything... the epidural, unlike with DJ, was still going strong. With DJ, I could actually feel when a contraction was coming and how I was pushing. This time, all I could do was what they told me and visualize what I was doing, hoping that it was the right thing. I started pushing at 1:50 and by 1:59pm, Elektra Lynn came out screaming.
Steve and I couldn't believe it. She is a girl. We were so convinced that she was a boy that we didn't know what to think besides, OMG. She's just beautiful. Our little girl weighed in at 7lbs, 15oz and 21 inches long... a whole pound lighter than DJ, but the same length. And boy does she have some long fingers, toes, and feet! She screamed at us for about half an hour (how dare you evict me from my nice warm home?!) but after that, she either slept or was checking out the world. Not a fuss from her.
My dad stopped by to see us on his way home from work which just so happened to coincide with Elektra's birth. So he got to see her first by complete chance. This actually worked out well later since then my mom and my sister could come and see Elektra after DJ went to bed since he was going to stay with them that night.
After I was stitched and cleaned and the room was cleaned, Steve and I got to hang out with our little girl for a while in the relative calm after the storm. We were waiting for my epidural to wear off, basically. At about 4:30, the nursery came to get her and my mother-in-law arrived 2 minutes too late to see her then. So she and Steve went out to dinner while I was moved to post partum to wait out the rest of my epidural.
That night, my mother-in-law, mother, and sister came to visit. DJ was with Papou. The rest of my stay was fairly uneventful, though Steve brought DJ to meet his little sister the next afternoon. He was wearing his Big Brother shirt that Eleanor gave him. So cute!
When he came in, DJ first found the balloon in the room to play with. I tried to pick him up to give him a hug (holy cow he's heavy!!!) but he pretty much pushed me away. The balloon was far more interesting, of course. LOL Steve picked up Elektra and I picked DJ up, and we showed her to DJ. He just stared. He didn't reach out for her, he didn't say anything, he just watched her. I took his hand and stroked Elektra with it and said, "nice baby. nice elektra. gentle baby." After about a minute, he was done. Time to go explore. Steve put Elektra back in the bassinet and then she started to fuss. DJ heard the fuss, and stopped what he was doing to listen. "Do you heard the baby crying, DJ?" I picked her up this time, brought her down to his level, and let him watch her fuss. This time, his attention was captivated a little longer, as this little thing actually DOES something. Again, his attention span didn't last THAT long, so Steve decided to limit the exposure and just take him home. Good idea, Daddy.
On Thursday, I got to come home. Elektra did great in the car, and she did great last night. Steve and I, on the other hand, had to figure out how to handle DJ and her and dinner all at the same time. Hmmmm. This will be a challenge, for sure, and it's a really good thing DJ has a relatively early bedtime else we'd be really up a creek. While I was putting DJ to bed, Elektra apparently had the enormous diaper we had been waiting for in the hospital. Well, we know she's good to go in that department now, too!
Elektra did great last night overall. She'd sleep a couple hours at a time after feeding, and that gave me some rest, too. I'm still totally exhausted, and my body just hurts overall, but all this shall pass. I'm waiting for my milk to come in, and that won't be long either. DJ saw his little sister this morning while he was still in his crib. He looked at me, pointed at Elektra and said, "Ba Ba!" Baby! That's right!! DJ's Baby! Eleanor and Sonny yesterday gave him a picture of Elektra to carry around, which he did, saying "Ba Ba" the whole time. Steve took DJ to day care (as I am not allowed to drive for 2-3 weeks), and I'm now home, alone with the dogs (who are re-fighting for alpha status because a new little one came home) and Baby Elektra.
It's almost time to feed her, so more later.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Baby Salisbury to arrive tomorrow
Tomorrow is the big day. Having it "scheduled" like this is actually a little unnerving. It was almost easier the first time, not knowing what is coming (in terms of post partum) and when since DJ was early. There were other nerves that I had at the time, but those were the first time parent nerves. Those are all gone. Now it's the second time nerves - how will DJ react? How will this change the family dynamic? etc.
Tonight, I started to get anxious. I guess it's because I have time to think. I have to remind myself to stay in the right now, and then the anxiety goes away. But I can't help it. ;-)
It's 9:30pm now, watching the Jets-Chargers Monday night game, and recording Heroes. Thinking about heading to bed, even if I don't fall asleep immediately. 6am will be here quite early tomorrow.
Little Baby Salisbury - we're going to meet you tomorrow whether you want to or not!
Tonight, I started to get anxious. I guess it's because I have time to think. I have to remind myself to stay in the right now, and then the anxiety goes away. But I can't help it. ;-)
It's 9:30pm now, watching the Jets-Chargers Monday night game, and recording Heroes. Thinking about heading to bed, even if I don't fall asleep immediately. 6am will be here quite early tomorrow.
Little Baby Salisbury - we're going to meet you tomorrow whether you want to or not!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Baby Status: downgraded
Thursday night, when I wrote my last post, I could have sworn that I was on my way to full on labor. I was feeling significant pressure every 10 minutes for 30 seconds a piece for hours. Figuring I was on my way to full on labor, I went to bed at 9:30pm to get some rest assuming I'd need the energy sooner rather than later. Steve came in to check on me a couple hours later and I was definitely still feeling that enormous pressure.
Sometime shortly after midnight, though, everything calmed down. I was grateful to be able to get comfortable and get some rest for the rest of the night. Then again, I've felt nothing like those Thursday night feelings since.
In fact, on Friday, I stayed home from work (sick day) thinking I was really close and as the day went on, I actually started to get concerned. The baby wasn't doing much wiggling or moving. I could still feel it move every once in awhile, but it's activity level was definitely less. In retrospect, I have to guess the baby was getting rest from all the activity from Thursday night.
Yesterday (Saturday), the baby was back to its wiggly self, and so my stress level about the baby's well being has significantly decreased. At the same time, though, it's clear this baby is perfectly content where it is and has no interest in coming out into the world for us to meet it.
So everyone hang tight. We'll be meeting this baby on Tuesday.
Sometime shortly after midnight, though, everything calmed down. I was grateful to be able to get comfortable and get some rest for the rest of the night. Then again, I've felt nothing like those Thursday night feelings since.
In fact, on Friday, I stayed home from work (sick day) thinking I was really close and as the day went on, I actually started to get concerned. The baby wasn't doing much wiggling or moving. I could still feel it move every once in awhile, but it's activity level was definitely less. In retrospect, I have to guess the baby was getting rest from all the activity from Thursday night.
Yesterday (Saturday), the baby was back to its wiggly self, and so my stress level about the baby's well being has significantly decreased. At the same time, though, it's clear this baby is perfectly content where it is and has no interest in coming out into the world for us to meet it.
So everyone hang tight. We'll be meeting this baby on Tuesday.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Baby Status: Upgraded!!
Upgrading Baby Watch status to Baby Warning.
Ok, so I was wrong about what I've been feeling. Apparently, what I've been feeling has helped dilate me, but they aren't contractions. I'm 3cm dilated already. With DJ, I was in relatively painless labor all day, then painful contractions hit me just after dinner time, and by the time they saw me in the triage room at the hospital at 1:30am, I was only 3cm dilated at that point. My comment at the time was, "That's IT?!" This time, it was, "REALLY?!"
But since I'm not in active labor, I'm home right now, waiting for active labor to start and/or my water to break. That could be in hours, that could be in days. Either way, I'll be induced on Tuesday if the baby doesn't come before then.
You'd think I'd be running around trying to get all the last minute things I want to get done, finished knowing that the end of the pregnancy journey is near, but no... i'm sitting on the couch like a lazy lump.
I'm taking a sick day tomorrow so I'm not going in to work. This makes me happy... today, all I really wanted to do was be home laying down, so hopefully I'll get to do that some tomorrow. It's only 9pm and I already want to go to bed. Maybe the baby is trying to tell me something, eh? Maybe something like, "Get some sleep, Mommy. You're going to need the energy sooner than you think!"
Ok, so I was wrong about what I've been feeling. Apparently, what I've been feeling has helped dilate me, but they aren't contractions. I'm 3cm dilated already. With DJ, I was in relatively painless labor all day, then painful contractions hit me just after dinner time, and by the time they saw me in the triage room at the hospital at 1:30am, I was only 3cm dilated at that point. My comment at the time was, "That's IT?!" This time, it was, "REALLY?!"
But since I'm not in active labor, I'm home right now, waiting for active labor to start and/or my water to break. That could be in hours, that could be in days. Either way, I'll be induced on Tuesday if the baby doesn't come before then.
You'd think I'd be running around trying to get all the last minute things I want to get done, finished knowing that the end of the pregnancy journey is near, but no... i'm sitting on the couch like a lazy lump.
I'm taking a sick day tomorrow so I'm not going in to work. This makes me happy... today, all I really wanted to do was be home laying down, so hopefully I'll get to do that some tomorrow. It's only 9pm and I already want to go to bed. Maybe the baby is trying to tell me something, eh? Maybe something like, "Get some sleep, Mommy. You're going to need the energy sooner than you think!"
Status: Baby Watch
We are still on Baby Watch status, though it would be nice if Dr. Khouzami upgrades that to Baby Warning during my weekly appointment with him today.
Clearly, our predictions for the baby's birthday (September 9th (steve) September 15th (me)) have long since come and gone. This baby seems to like Mommy's perverbial nest as it were. I haven't seen one sign of labor yet except for the settling down in the birth-ready position. That makes sitting in any position other than leaned back rather uncomfortable, for sure.
I asked Steve to come with me today to my appointment with Dr. Khouzami because now it's probably time to start talking post-prediction date options. How long do I wait before we consider inducing? How big is the baby and when does that factor into forcing me into having a c-section instead (which I really would rather avoid)? What's involved with both? I don't really want to make a decision - if I have to - without Steve's input. Besides, I'm not convinced I'm thinking all that clearly at this point anyway.
I also really want a massage. I want to ask the doctor first if I'm allowed before I schedule an appointment. My shoulders, lower back and legs could use the tension release!! A nap would also be a killer thing right about now, but going home and laying down just isn't an option for as much as it should be at this point! So I'm settling for having my feet propped up on the computer under my desk. ::sigh::
Speaking of work, at this point, I'm pretty much stagnant at work. They can't really give me anything to work on since we don't know when the baby is going to come. I have finished what I was assigned, though I'm going to reread what I wrote after I've finished writing this to see to proof read it. Honestly, there hasn't been enough time elapsed between when I wrote it and now to really proof read it well, but I may as well try.
I think that's news from here. Heh, that's not even really news.... ;-)
Clearly, our predictions for the baby's birthday (September 9th (steve) September 15th (me)) have long since come and gone. This baby seems to like Mommy's perverbial nest as it were. I haven't seen one sign of labor yet except for the settling down in the birth-ready position. That makes sitting in any position other than leaned back rather uncomfortable, for sure.
I asked Steve to come with me today to my appointment with Dr. Khouzami because now it's probably time to start talking post-prediction date options. How long do I wait before we consider inducing? How big is the baby and when does that factor into forcing me into having a c-section instead (which I really would rather avoid)? What's involved with both? I don't really want to make a decision - if I have to - without Steve's input. Besides, I'm not convinced I'm thinking all that clearly at this point anyway.
I also really want a massage. I want to ask the doctor first if I'm allowed before I schedule an appointment. My shoulders, lower back and legs could use the tension release!! A nap would also be a killer thing right about now, but going home and laying down just isn't an option for as much as it should be at this point! So I'm settling for having my feet propped up on the computer under my desk. ::sigh::
Speaking of work, at this point, I'm pretty much stagnant at work. They can't really give me anything to work on since we don't know when the baby is going to come. I have finished what I was assigned, though I'm going to reread what I wrote after I've finished writing this to see to proof read it. Honestly, there hasn't been enough time elapsed between when I wrote it and now to really proof read it well, but I may as well try.
I think that's news from here. Heh, that's not even really news.... ;-)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Steve is the happiest man on the planet
When Steve got home last night, DJ was still in the high chair, trying to rebuckle his high chair buckle. This is DJ's current favorite thing to do - buckle buckles. Upon walking in the door, Steve exclaims, "DJ!" DJ looks up at Steve and says, "Da Da."
Pause.
Steve starts dancing around the kitchen. I give DJ huge amounts of praise.
Just to confirm what we really heard, Steve said to DJ again, "DJ!" And to our delight, DJ looked up from his buckle at Steve and said, "Da Da."
This morning, we tried it again, this time while I was getting DJ into his outfit for the day. Happy Dance from Steve followed quickly thereafter. And apparently, DJ demonstrated this for Miss Eleanor, too.
"Da Da" is the happiest man on the planet. DJ just made his month. :-)
Pause.
Steve starts dancing around the kitchen. I give DJ huge amounts of praise.
Just to confirm what we really heard, Steve said to DJ again, "DJ!" And to our delight, DJ looked up from his buckle at Steve and said, "Da Da."
This morning, we tried it again, this time while I was getting DJ into his outfit for the day. Happy Dance from Steve followed quickly thereafter. And apparently, DJ demonstrated this for Miss Eleanor, too.
"Da Da" is the happiest man on the planet. DJ just made his month. :-)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Restless
I remember the week before DJ was born, DJ settled down into my pelvic bone nice and solidly. There was no mistaking the distinct feeling of pressure in a spot where there hadn't been pressure before. I remember people asking me all throughout my last two months if I was uncomfortable, and I could honestly say I wasn't, until that week. I couldn't get comfortable no matter what the position, laying down, sitting, propped up... it didn't matter. Getting out of and into chairs was a challenge. Walking down stairs would seemingly knock the baby's head against my pelvic bone, sending a ping of an uncomfortable sensation through my body with every step.
But what I don't remember is being restless.
I have reached the stage again where the baby has settled into my pelvic bone, and I'm most definitely uncomfortable in the same ways I was with DJ. But this time, I'm having very restless dreams when I settle down for the night to sleep. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I feel like I haven't slept a wink. I know I tossed and turned all night, and there was nothing relaxing about laying in bed except that the belly has been supported by my pillows and my muscles are less tired. And because I'm basically awake all night, I now feel how often the baby is moving around. The belly gets uncomfortably tight as the baby flips from side to side or tosses an elbow or knee at the walls of my uterus. I also feel every kick to my relatively full bladder, and those kicks usually make me wince.
I have read that restlessness is a "symptom" (i use this word loosely as it's not really a medically sanctioned - for lack of a better term - symptom) that labor will be starting soon. The problem is, I also wonder how much of it is really just my being ready to just start the process of no sleep and healing from the pregnancy.
Another supposed "symptom" of labor starting soon is nesting. I started nesting last weekend. I put all the laundry away, cleaned the kitchen, gave my mother-in-law all of the bed linens for the queen size bed set we gave her, etc. It helped me settle down my brain of my "list" of things to do. Still, the bathrooms need to be cleaned, the kitchen needs to be cleaned again, we need to pull out the bassinet (not that that has to be done before we go to the hospital), and we really should vacuum one more time. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make the basement disaster organize itself but if wishes were fishes, I'd never go hungry.
And, as part of the nesting process, I started to pack my bag for the hospital. I think that's the other sign that I think the baby is coming sooner than later. Nevermind that I'm a planner...
I have a gut feeling that the baby will be here in a week or less. My inital prediction was September 15th. So we'll see!
But what I don't remember is being restless.
I have reached the stage again where the baby has settled into my pelvic bone, and I'm most definitely uncomfortable in the same ways I was with DJ. But this time, I'm having very restless dreams when I settle down for the night to sleep. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I feel like I haven't slept a wink. I know I tossed and turned all night, and there was nothing relaxing about laying in bed except that the belly has been supported by my pillows and my muscles are less tired. And because I'm basically awake all night, I now feel how often the baby is moving around. The belly gets uncomfortably tight as the baby flips from side to side or tosses an elbow or knee at the walls of my uterus. I also feel every kick to my relatively full bladder, and those kicks usually make me wince.
I have read that restlessness is a "symptom" (i use this word loosely as it's not really a medically sanctioned - for lack of a better term - symptom) that labor will be starting soon. The problem is, I also wonder how much of it is really just my being ready to just start the process of no sleep and healing from the pregnancy.
Another supposed "symptom" of labor starting soon is nesting. I started nesting last weekend. I put all the laundry away, cleaned the kitchen, gave my mother-in-law all of the bed linens for the queen size bed set we gave her, etc. It helped me settle down my brain of my "list" of things to do. Still, the bathrooms need to be cleaned, the kitchen needs to be cleaned again, we need to pull out the bassinet (not that that has to be done before we go to the hospital), and we really should vacuum one more time. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make the basement disaster organize itself but if wishes were fishes, I'd never go hungry.
And, as part of the nesting process, I started to pack my bag for the hospital. I think that's the other sign that I think the baby is coming sooner than later. Nevermind that I'm a planner...
I have a gut feeling that the baby will be here in a week or less. My inital prediction was September 15th. So we'll see!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Ok, so it's been a month...
Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I was insta-swamped at work (typically when I blog) upon return from vacation, and it really hasn't slowed down until recently. I got my one project for the year into production (all my other projects were canceled or put on hold until next year), helped with one other project and wham-o, that's all she wrote. Anyway, have lots of updates....
DJ has done lots of things over the last few months, including saying his first few words. "Na na na" = banana. That has evolved over time to "Ana na na". We thought "awa" or "awer" = Flower was his first word, but everything lately has either been "ba ba" or "awa" (ceiling fans and lights are "awas" right now). He's also said "a play" = airplane though I haven't heard that again in a long time. It's interesting. He seems to say words once that sound REALLY close to the right word, and then we don't hear it again for forever. For example, he said "eh nor" for Eleanor, "ba ba" for baby, "abbi" for rabbit, etc. Now he has said "moooo" pretty consistently when you ask him what a cow says or show him a cow. And we think he's said "woof" when he hears/sees a dog.
Even if he can't say a lot of words, he knows a lot of what you're telling him. "Want to go bye byes?" and he goes right to the door. Asking him to blow a kiss will usually prompt him to put his hand to his mouth and actually send a kiss in your direction. "Where's (insert name of person... Mommy, Daddy, Eleanor, Sonny, Grace, Grandmom, Papou, etc)?" and he will look for the person. What really cracks us up is when the person isn't in the room, and he gives you a look of, "I don't know....". "Do you want (insert meal name)?" or "Are you hungry?" elicits an immediate run to his high chair. In fact, he'll go to his high chair if he wants something completely unprompted, too. He'll also give you his shoes if he wants to go bye byes or outside unprompted. And of course, there is always pointing as he will point to what he wants as well.
His coordination has clearly improved as well. He's almost running, and he's putting Duplos (legos) together with ease now. You only need to show him how to do something once or twice, and he remembers how to do it. He buckles his carseat, is starting to feed himself with a spoon (yes, it's a mess, but he's getting pretty good at it!), and is a master climber - if he's tall enough.
DJ has also been very sweet with the dogs. He's very gentle 99% of the time he interacts with them. He generally doesn't pay them much mind, but he's always entertained by them.
Speaking of being entertained, he will sit and watch - without as much as a wiggle - Steve fly his remote control planes and drive his remote control cars around. He'll point to the plane and "name" it as it flies by, too. Steve pulled out a Lego train today and DJ barely moved from my lap watching the train go around. He would talk to it and wanted to put stuff on the cars to have the train carry around the track. I have some pictures, so I'll see if I can post them soon (DJ is up from his nap, so I need to go get him momentarily).
DJ also still loves to open/close doors. He likes to put things in/out of boxes and other containers, and he still loves being outside. He claps when he's proud of himself for doing something, and waves bye bye when an electronic toy turns itself off and says "bye bye". Hilarious!
On another note, baby #2 is 3 weeks (or less?) away. I'm definitely ready to start the next phase (labor, delivery, post partum healing, lack of sleep, and eventually have my body back) to get through it already. But I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet for the seemingly enormous change of family dynamic that a second baby will bring.
This pregnancy really hasn't been any harder than DJ's pregnancy was, thankfully. My lower back gets sore fairly quickly, which I don't remember from DJ's pregnancy, and the doctor attributes that to it simply being my second pregnancy and my muscles and such are not as strong as in the first pregnancy. Laying down relieves that soreness so that's good. I'm also carrying the baby a little differently than DJ. This baby seems to be sitting a little lower in my abdomen which has allowed me to sit on the couch (instead of the glider chair) comfortably, even now. When I stand up, gravity pulling the baby down reminds my bladder that it's full. This actually is a real boon... I can sleep through the night still which I couldn't at this stage with DJ.
And this baby has been *feisty* in utero. Feisty!! The wiggles have been exactly that, wiggles, not kicks. DJ kicked, this one wiggles. So we'll see how feisty a personality this baby has! This baby has also gotten the hiccups a lot more often in this last month than over the whole course of the pregnancy. Wonder what's up with that!
So if I don't blog again any time soon, you know it's because I'm caring for a newborn! Can't wait to meet you, Little Wiggle Worm! ;-)
DJ has done lots of things over the last few months, including saying his first few words. "Na na na" = banana. That has evolved over time to "Ana na na". We thought "awa" or "awer" = Flower was his first word, but everything lately has either been "ba ba" or "awa" (ceiling fans and lights are "awas" right now). He's also said "a play" = airplane though I haven't heard that again in a long time. It's interesting. He seems to say words once that sound REALLY close to the right word, and then we don't hear it again for forever. For example, he said "eh nor" for Eleanor, "ba ba" for baby, "abbi" for rabbit, etc. Now he has said "moooo" pretty consistently when you ask him what a cow says or show him a cow. And we think he's said "woof" when he hears/sees a dog.
Even if he can't say a lot of words, he knows a lot of what you're telling him. "Want to go bye byes?" and he goes right to the door. Asking him to blow a kiss will usually prompt him to put his hand to his mouth and actually send a kiss in your direction. "Where's (insert name of person... Mommy, Daddy, Eleanor, Sonny, Grace, Grandmom, Papou, etc)?" and he will look for the person. What really cracks us up is when the person isn't in the room, and he gives you a look of, "I don't know....". "Do you want (insert meal name)?" or "Are you hungry?" elicits an immediate run to his high chair. In fact, he'll go to his high chair if he wants something completely unprompted, too. He'll also give you his shoes if he wants to go bye byes or outside unprompted. And of course, there is always pointing as he will point to what he wants as well.
His coordination has clearly improved as well. He's almost running, and he's putting Duplos (legos) together with ease now. You only need to show him how to do something once or twice, and he remembers how to do it. He buckles his carseat, is starting to feed himself with a spoon (yes, it's a mess, but he's getting pretty good at it!), and is a master climber - if he's tall enough.
DJ has also been very sweet with the dogs. He's very gentle 99% of the time he interacts with them. He generally doesn't pay them much mind, but he's always entertained by them.
Speaking of being entertained, he will sit and watch - without as much as a wiggle - Steve fly his remote control planes and drive his remote control cars around. He'll point to the plane and "name" it as it flies by, too. Steve pulled out a Lego train today and DJ barely moved from my lap watching the train go around. He would talk to it and wanted to put stuff on the cars to have the train carry around the track. I have some pictures, so I'll see if I can post them soon (DJ is up from his nap, so I need to go get him momentarily).
DJ also still loves to open/close doors. He likes to put things in/out of boxes and other containers, and he still loves being outside. He claps when he's proud of himself for doing something, and waves bye bye when an electronic toy turns itself off and says "bye bye". Hilarious!
On another note, baby #2 is 3 weeks (or less?) away. I'm definitely ready to start the next phase (labor, delivery, post partum healing, lack of sleep, and eventually have my body back) to get through it already. But I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet for the seemingly enormous change of family dynamic that a second baby will bring.
This pregnancy really hasn't been any harder than DJ's pregnancy was, thankfully. My lower back gets sore fairly quickly, which I don't remember from DJ's pregnancy, and the doctor attributes that to it simply being my second pregnancy and my muscles and such are not as strong as in the first pregnancy. Laying down relieves that soreness so that's good. I'm also carrying the baby a little differently than DJ. This baby seems to be sitting a little lower in my abdomen which has allowed me to sit on the couch (instead of the glider chair) comfortably, even now. When I stand up, gravity pulling the baby down reminds my bladder that it's full. This actually is a real boon... I can sleep through the night still which I couldn't at this stage with DJ.
And this baby has been *feisty* in utero. Feisty!! The wiggles have been exactly that, wiggles, not kicks. DJ kicked, this one wiggles. So we'll see how feisty a personality this baby has! This baby has also gotten the hiccups a lot more often in this last month than over the whole course of the pregnancy. Wonder what's up with that!
So if I don't blog again any time soon, you know it's because I'm caring for a newborn! Can't wait to meet you, Little Wiggle Worm! ;-)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Vacation 2008
Greetings from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina!
Steve, DJ and I are here with my family - my parents, my brother's family and my sister's family - enjoying the company and the change of scenary. It's been nice to be some place other than home, even though the vacation is not exactly restful. Chasing a very active toddler around in a house that is not exactly baby-proofed can be draining! DJ's had his share of bumps, bruises, and scratches this week despite our best efforts, and he is challenging his limits every moment that he can!!
We drove down Friday morning, and we got here in 8 hours, which was fantastic timing considering we're dealing with a 16 month old toddler and an 8 month preggo. And we didn't even break speed limits much - 10 over the limit, max. DJ did great; he took 2 hour and a half naps which helped our timing a lot. We took a couple of breaks to get him out of the car seat so he could walk around and get some energy out. Those were well timed with potty breaks and leg circulation stretches for Preggo.
Despite DJ being very active throughout vacation (and boy does it take effort to keep up with him), he has been an angel of a boy. He is obedient and despite the fact that he's teething (canines), he is a really happy boy. We've only had a couple of instances where sleep periods have been interrupted by poopy diapers, the construction guys next door, or teething and despite his lack of sleep, he's still generally not a huge fuss. In fact, he's a perfectly tolerable fuss. :-) He's adjusted to the new house with no issues, he sleeps in the pack-n-play great, and he eats really well. What more could we ask for? NOTHING!
DJ has had his first official beach and ocean experience, too. The first time , I took him out to the beach by myself. His aunts, uncles, godparents, and cousins were all out there, too, so it wasn't like I was being a daredevil or anything. DJ didn't fuss, not once, while we were out there. His cautious self came though, as he hung on to me very tightly for the vast majority of the time. He had no issues with the feeling of the sand under his feet and between his toes. In fact, he didn't even blink at that. But the ocean, now that was another issue. Again, he didn't fuss, but he wouldn't let go of me. He was tightly attached to my shirt as the waves would come up over his feet. He never left my side, in fact, but took in all the sights, sounds, and smells in stride. I picked up some wet sand and he pulled it out of my hand and played with it. He also got his first taste of salt water as a couple of the waves hit us pretty hard and splashed him in the face. He was smacking his lips tasting the salt.
I knew he was done with it all when he asked me to pick him up and he didn't "fish flop" or "surfboard" to get down. So we walked all the way back to the house with DJ holding my hand the whole way. He handled the non-steady surface of the sand with nary a thought, and was completely exhausted by the effort. He really did do fantastically.
Otherwise, DJ has been happily entertained by his cousins, and all of his attending and adoring aunts/uncles/godparents/grandparents. We've had to train the cousins that DJ is not a toy, and I think we're getting through to them... slowly. It's really neat to see DJ light up when he sees them, though, and that's really cool. He's warming up to my brother and his family since he's not seen them since December, and that makes me happy.
Steve and I aren't getting that much rest, but oh well. Dj is getting us up at 6am. Yikes. And I'm not sleeping because I'm 8 months pregnant (and boy did the belly grow in the last few days... ). It's nice to be here with family. We really missed it last year. I never would have been granted the time off with this week being so close to my return from maternity leave.... should remain a non-issue next year. But next year... how are we going to deal with 2???
Heck, we're not even sure how we're going to deal with 2 in 8 weeks..... ;-)
Steve, DJ and I are here with my family - my parents, my brother's family and my sister's family - enjoying the company and the change of scenary. It's been nice to be some place other than home, even though the vacation is not exactly restful. Chasing a very active toddler around in a house that is not exactly baby-proofed can be draining! DJ's had his share of bumps, bruises, and scratches this week despite our best efforts, and he is challenging his limits every moment that he can!!
We drove down Friday morning, and we got here in 8 hours, which was fantastic timing considering we're dealing with a 16 month old toddler and an 8 month preggo. And we didn't even break speed limits much - 10 over the limit, max. DJ did great; he took 2 hour and a half naps which helped our timing a lot. We took a couple of breaks to get him out of the car seat so he could walk around and get some energy out. Those were well timed with potty breaks and leg circulation stretches for Preggo.
Despite DJ being very active throughout vacation (and boy does it take effort to keep up with him), he has been an angel of a boy. He is obedient and despite the fact that he's teething (canines), he is a really happy boy. We've only had a couple of instances where sleep periods have been interrupted by poopy diapers, the construction guys next door, or teething and despite his lack of sleep, he's still generally not a huge fuss. In fact, he's a perfectly tolerable fuss. :-) He's adjusted to the new house with no issues, he sleeps in the pack-n-play great, and he eats really well. What more could we ask for? NOTHING!
DJ has had his first official beach and ocean experience, too. The first time , I took him out to the beach by myself. His aunts, uncles, godparents, and cousins were all out there, too, so it wasn't like I was being a daredevil or anything. DJ didn't fuss, not once, while we were out there. His cautious self came though, as he hung on to me very tightly for the vast majority of the time. He had no issues with the feeling of the sand under his feet and between his toes. In fact, he didn't even blink at that. But the ocean, now that was another issue. Again, he didn't fuss, but he wouldn't let go of me. He was tightly attached to my shirt as the waves would come up over his feet. He never left my side, in fact, but took in all the sights, sounds, and smells in stride. I picked up some wet sand and he pulled it out of my hand and played with it. He also got his first taste of salt water as a couple of the waves hit us pretty hard and splashed him in the face. He was smacking his lips tasting the salt.
I knew he was done with it all when he asked me to pick him up and he didn't "fish flop" or "surfboard" to get down. So we walked all the way back to the house with DJ holding my hand the whole way. He handled the non-steady surface of the sand with nary a thought, and was completely exhausted by the effort. He really did do fantastically.
Otherwise, DJ has been happily entertained by his cousins, and all of his attending and adoring aunts/uncles/godparents/grandparents. We've had to train the cousins that DJ is not a toy, and I think we're getting through to them... slowly. It's really neat to see DJ light up when he sees them, though, and that's really cool. He's warming up to my brother and his family since he's not seen them since December, and that makes me happy.
Steve and I aren't getting that much rest, but oh well. Dj is getting us up at 6am. Yikes. And I'm not sleeping because I'm 8 months pregnant (and boy did the belly grow in the last few days... ). It's nice to be here with family. We really missed it last year. I never would have been granted the time off with this week being so close to my return from maternity leave.... should remain a non-issue next year. But next year... how are we going to deal with 2???
Heck, we're not even sure how we're going to deal with 2 in 8 weeks..... ;-)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Kicker vs Wiggler
When DJ was in utero, he was known as "the soccer player". He even received a kids sized soccer ball as a baby shower gift.
This little baby inside me now is a wiggler. Steve is dubbing the baby "a gymnist". We both wonder what it is this baby is doing in there... backflips?!
I remember DJ being pretty active in the womb. This baby is, too. DJ was also an early bird; I'd wake up to a state of semi-consciousness in the morning, and so would DJ, kicking away. This baby is, too.
Looks like we're going to have two very active early birds for kids. :-)
This little baby inside me now is a wiggler. Steve is dubbing the baby "a gymnist". We both wonder what it is this baby is doing in there... backflips?!
I remember DJ being pretty active in the womb. This baby is, too. DJ was also an early bird; I'd wake up to a state of semi-consciousness in the morning, and so would DJ, kicking away. This baby is, too.
Looks like we're going to have two very active early birds for kids. :-)
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