Jacob's 5-Day Pediatrician Visit

Last week, we took Jacob to our new pediatrician (sssh, the old one doesn't know yet) for a standard new-baby check-up. They weighed him and checked for jaundice. He did NOT have any visible signs of jaundice, so no testing was needed, and his weight was 9lb 6oz, already 1oz above his birthweight! If I recall, this was exactly the same with Lily. She was up to 8lb 8oz, 1oz above her birth weight, at her 4 or 5 day visit.

So chubby little buddy is doing good! The pediatrician had a student in training with him, and he was explaining how most babies drop 10% of their body weight after birth and gain it back within about 10 days, and then when he looked at Jacob's stats, he was a little surprised. "Well, this is pretty quick!" So apparently we're doing SOMEthing right.

All On My Own

Today is the first day I'm officially home alone with my babies. Yes, I can still call Lily a baby if I want. I am her Mama, that's my prerogative.

So far? So good.

I spent a good hour with Lily before Jacob woke up, then we spent the morning downstairs eating and playing and feeding and getting ready for more naps. I put Lily to bed and then Jacob fell asleep in my arms. What? Are they really BOTH asleep?

Shower time! (Cue MC Hammer music)

Now chubby little buddy sounds like he's waking up, probably due to the reemergence of my post-shower keyboard clicking. But it was a wonderful time alone while it lasted ;)

Chubby Little Buddy

I am so in love with our new little buddy.



He's adorable. He makes little squeaks and coos when he's hungry - if we don't get to him in time, the crying starts. Such a poor little cry! So different than his sister's demanding wails. Funny how she never sounded so loud as after Jacob came home.

When Lily came along, we had no idea how to love a baby. We didn't know what all her little noises meant. We didn't know how long it would take until she could interact with us. Even though she had been inside me for 9+ months, I still had no idea who she WAS when they placed her on my chest. Sure, I loved her in a protecting, nurturing way, but it took me a good month (and much "What's wrong with me?" guilt) before I truly fell in love with her.

This time, I fell in love immediately. It had nothing to do with Jacob being a different baby. It was just that I already knew how. Here we have another little baby for us to cuddle and care for. We know what the little noises mean. We know how to feed him (with some reminders) and how to change him and how to stay calm while he wails if we can't get to him immediately.

I keep imagining him as a toddler...a miniature Ryan running around with sandy hair and mischief in his eyes and a sweet grin on his face. We know what it's like to see a baby grow into a toddler, so it's easier to imagine his transformation.

It's amazing how different it feels the second time around. Sure, I'm sleep-deprived and moving slow and oh-my-gosh they weren't kidding about how much worse the post-partum cramping would be during nursing the 2nd time around. But look what we have in return? A chubby little buddy...

Buddies

Ryan and his little buddy Lily are downstairs playing right now. Nothing warms my heart like hearing Lily's giggles when Daddy's being silly. This morning, the two of them went on a Dunkin' Donuts run to get breakfast for everyone, while Jacob snacked at home. Too bad he can only have second-hand D&D for a while...poor thing doesn't know what he's missing! When Lily and Ryan got home, I saw the cute little striped jacket he put on her over her footed PJs, and I couldn't stop grinning. He sure takes care of his little Lily.

It's a Boy!

Introducing Jacob Ryan. A whopping 9lb 5oz and 21.5" long. Born 2:12 a.m. Sunday morning, 5/18/08. MUCH shorter labor = MUCH happier Mama. More details to come!

Maybe Sorta Kinda?

I'm wondering if I'm in labor. Not quite sure, but possibly.

We had such a great day today. It would be nice to end the day with a baby.

We had such a great WEEK, actually. We had a second last hurrah Tuesday night courtesy of my mom, who stayed here with Lily while we saw "Iron Man" at the movies. The week before, we had our first last hurrah at Red Lobster. This extra time without a new baby has certainly been valued.

Last night, I said to Ryan, "Why are we in such a rush? Why does it matter that the baby's late? I have no PUPPPS. I can wait. Besides, labor hurts. What's another few days?"

Tonight, we went out for Thai food with our friends Brian and Pam (and their 5 1/2 mo-old daughter Jillian). Great food, great company...and I went even though I was conscious of a difference in my normal nightly contractions.

Nothing stands in the way of a girl and her Thai food. ;)

Mama's Little Helper

Official Uterus Update - 5 Days Late

I don't think this post is too detailed, but if you're unfamiliar or uncomfortable with birth and all it entails, then, well...

Just returned from my first post-date checkup. Had an NST (same as when I fell in the backyard) and an internal exam. The NST was pretty much the same as last time - "Nice cooperative baby - lots of contractions."

But the internal was very...revealing. I am FOUR centimeters dialated and 50% effaced. All without being in labor! How funny. Last time, I was three cm dialated the week before I went into labor with Lily, so this report does not necessarily mean anything's going to happen SOON. All it means is that when it happens, it might happen quickly.

Tina said from what it felt like, there wasn't much keeping the baby in there - that if my water broke, I should come in right away because that baby was on its way out. You don't hear that from a midwife every day ;) It was reassuring, though.

The good thing about being this far along without actually being in labor yet is that I've basically skipped half of the dialation phase - "prodromal" labor, I believe it's called. The part of labor that typically putters along before things get really intense. The bad part about being this far along is that I've skipped the puttering along! Meaning, once labor starts, it's going to be unmistakable and pretty intense.

Kinda like with Lily ;) Sure that labor took a day and a half, but only because she was posterior. It stalled and went backwards as much as it went forwards, but it was always intense and never felt like "puttering". Plus, I'd rather have a labor that was hard and quick than long and drawn out and building up forever. At least that's what I think beforehand.

I guess it kind of relates to how you prefer to remove a Band-aid...I say, just tear it off and be done with it!

How I'm Feeling - 1 Day Late

I was really hoping today would be THE DAY. Yesterday, the whole family celebrated my Oma's 80th birthday party, and it meant so much to her that I could be there (she told me so many times...it melted my heart each time). I reminded her that even if I wasn't there, Lily a.k.a. the center of attention at EVERY family gathering would still be there (with my parents), but she remained firm in her happiness that I was there, as well. And that was so wonderful.



Here's a photo of me and Ryan in Oma and Opa's backyard yesterday, on my due date.

But now the party's over. Literally. There is nothing holding me back from having this baby. Except now that it's evening, I'd rather go to bed and hope it waits until morning. I think I'm going to feel that way every day until the baby comes...hoping that labor starts after a good night's sleep. After Exhaustion-fest '06 with Lily's birth, sleep is my top priority.

So Tina is on-call the next two days, then again on Thursday and Friday. Allison was on this weekend and will be on again Wednesday. I have an NST scheduled for Thursday, and if there's STILL no baby by then, we'll schedule a 2nd NST and also an ultrasound to check the baby's movements, size, and level of amniotic fluid. This pattern will continue every 3 days or so until the baby is born. I'm not sure why my first NST is 5 days after my due date, instead of the normal 3, but I guess it doesn't really matter so long as I still feel the baby moving around regularly.

Which I CERTAINLY do. S/he is beating me up tonight, that's for sure. I think the baby is as eager as I am now. But we're still feeling good and relaxed and able to hold on as long as we need to. All I know for sure is I will have this baby sometime within the next 13 days. Craziness.

I had an appointment with Allison Wednesday. She said everything looked fine, that this baby will probably be as big as Lily - if not bigger (woohoo...), that I weighed 171 (total weight gain: 31 lbs - I think I'll stop counting now), and that even if Tina was on call when I went into labor, Allison would still come assist us if I wanted to give birth in the tub. That's how eager Allison is to use those new hospital tubs! And she's eager to help Tina get some more "tubbing" experience.

I told her that was a wonderful offer, and if I ended up using the tub while in labor, then I'd be glad to see her. I think it would be fun to try - certainly a great experience - but you never know how you're going to feel when it's actually happening, so I'm careful not to make her any promises or get her hopes up too high.

But I must admit: her enthusiasm is contagious ;)

Thankful

I'm thankful for every day that goes by without a sign of PUPPPs.

I'm thankful every morning when I wake up, having had another full night's sleep.

I'm thankful for no pain in my left ribs, which was ever-present last pregnancy.

I'm thankful for Ryan's overwhelming love for his little Lily.

I'm thankful for no strong, persistent headache or other signs of pre-eclampsia.

I'm thankful that this pregnancy was as uneventful and easy as the last.

I'm thankful for every swift kick in the belly, b/c that means the baby is alive and well.

Have a Nice Trip, See You Next Fall

I made an unexpected trip to see Tina and Allison today. I fell flat on my face in the backyard, tripping in this little ditch in the middle of the yard (great place for it, huh?) where the sump pump empties out of the basement. It was like falling in slow motion, and when it was over, I couldn't believe I was lying flat on the ground, my face nearly in the grass.

It was amazing how much the baby cushioned my fall (poor baby!) because I hardly felt a thing. When I got up, I was most worried about my ankle having twisted in the ditch, and then I realized, "Oh, shoot! I just fell on the BABY!" Sure there's lots of cushioning in there, but still - not the most comforting realization.

I sat on the back steps and wondered what I should do. I felt fine, but had this nagging feeling that maybe I should call my OB anyway, just to make sure. Perhaps there's some huge issue with falling on your belly that I don't know about. The wonderful receptionist, Cybill, took my message and told me she'd talk to Tina or Allison about what to do when either one of them was done with her current appointments.

I immediately remembered a dream my mom called and told me about a couple weeks ago. She dreamt that Lily had fallen in that same ditch and broken her foot, and told me that we should move it just to make sure that didn't happen. I told her we always intended to move it - it just hadn't happened yet. She wasn't laughing when I called her and told her her dream had come true, only I was the one who fell and not Lily.

I called Ryan next. He was understandably concerned and told me to keep him updated. He also told me to make sure I watch out for that ditch. Thanks, babe. I told him the ditch is not staying there and we WILL be figuring out a place to move it to. No one makes a convincing argument like a pregnant woman who has just fallen on her baby.

All through these three phone calls, Lily was going back and forth between the site of my fall and the back steps, bringing me one cube of ice at a time that had fallen onto the ground out of my water cup when I fell. Boy, she can sure keep herself busy!

After confirming that I had indeed fallen on my belly, Cybill told me that Tina wanted me to come in just to make sure everything was OK. I wasn't sure what this visit would entail, but I got in the car and headed right over there, secretly hoping get another view of the baby via ultrasound. No such luck. Allison hooked me up to the fetal monitor and gave me a 1/2 hour non-stress test. (I had two or three of these last pregnancy when I was 8 days late.)

I was certain Lily would fuss through the whole test. She's a busy little girl and I'm sure being strapped into her umbrella stroller for 1/2 an hour was not on her to-do list for today. When Allison brought me in some juice (I love Allison), Lily's big mouth opened wide and Allison had herself a good laugh before offering to get a juice for Lily as well. I've never given Lily a juice box before - just never had the occasion - and was curious to see what she'd do with it. She was a little leary of taking it from Allison and putting the straw in her mouth, which was unexpected, so we set it aside and left her to herself while the test continued.

Amazingly, after the 1/2 hour was over, she was still content in her seat, looking at her book about kitties, happily sucking away on her pacifier. I couldn't believe it! The first thing I did after being unstrapped was give her the juice box. She was so excited to not only hold this thing all by herself - that's a big issue for her lately, having to hold everything herself - but to also have so much sweet, undiluted apple juice at once. She's usually so happy with just water, that her normal treat is water spiked with just a little juice. This was her reward for being such a patient little girl.

I could use many wonderful adjectives to describe Lily, but "patient" is nowhere on the list...

Allison looked at the printout and said the baby's heartbeat was absolutely fine, and then commented that I had had a lot of contractions. I definitely noticed one, but beyond that, I guess they weren't strong enough to get my nose out of my magazine. I told her that a mess of contractions was nothing new for me, this pregnancy or last, and she commented on how good that was...all the practice my uterus is getting again.

That was pretty much it. Hopefully, no new fall-related symptoms will arise. I'm told to be on the lookout for bleeding, lack of baby movement, or hard contractions. Will do.

Used Crib Bedding

Happy girl.



Showing how to smile.



"Please - no more pictures!"