Sure do love me some pink! Check out Little Miss with my new computer! Yes, it's totally pink! You know that her favorite color is going to be black . . .
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Smiles
About a week and a half ago, Little Miss, as I like to call her (or Little Miss Thing) started smiling. Real smiles! I remember that Eddie was an early smiler too and look at him now - he doesn't stop! Edith is smiling more and more every day and I love it when they start. It makes up for all the fussing and screaming that they do those first few weeks! I have tried to capture it on camera, which is hard to do. Here are some better attempts:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Help
As you can see, I somehow have a little bit of time this weekend to catch up on my blog. Maybe it's because we are adjusting to having two kids or maybe it's because I am not sleeping when I should.
Anyhow - I wanted to write about how we got through these first four weeks with Edith. We certainly didn't do it all by ourselves. We are so fortunate and blessed to have wonderful family and friends and I wanted to take a minute to thank them for everything that they have done for us this first month!
To start, my parents have been nothing short of amazing! They not only came my birthday weekend, before Edith was born, but they were also here to take care of Eddie and Sammy while we were in the hospital. It was a relief to know that Eddie was in good hands and there was little to no interruption to his daily schedule. They also brought him to and from the hospital, which was so great. I really missed him a lot while I was there - more than I ever realized I would. Then my parents came back and stayed with us for a week when Uncas first went back to work. I loved having them here. They entertained Eddie a lot, taking him out to different places each afternoon. In the morning my mom would even take care of both kids, so I could get an extra hour of sleep. Then Friday my mom and I ventured out to MOA with the two kids. My dad also helped out by checking out the local bakery and keeping us stocked with many tasty treats. He also helped entertain Eddie. And my mom even helped out with some cleaning and cooked all the meals. And my dad and Uncas were able to get out one night and go to a Twins game. I was sad to see them leave.
The following week, my mother-in-law came to stay with us for a week. She also was great taking care of Eddie. They played together a lot, took a field trip to IKEA and we all went to the local indoor park one day. Grandma N. was also a great cuddler with Edith and often held her while she was sleeping, so I could catch up on my sleep or spend some one on one time with Eddie. She also helped big time with cleaning up after meals and helped prepare them as well. It was a very warm week here, especially so since she is from up north and she even had to sit through a power outage one night. We were sad to see her go as well on Friday.
Then last week I had my first solo week with the kids. I was very nervous, but overall I think it was a success. I joined a MOMS Club in the spring, so that week, starting Sunday night, we received meals every other night from a mom. It was a huge help not having to worry about making dinner. I also went to a play group on Monday at a mom's house who is two blocks away. It was so close, the kids and I were about to walk there. And then on Wednesday our dear friend Ella came over in the afternoon to help out. We ended up talking for most of the afternoon, but she held Edith pretty much the whole time, so I could eat lunch (and she brought me lunch!) and have some time with Eddie. Then on Friday my neighbor across the street took Eddie for a few hours, which was also a huge help. I was able to get some quiet time since Edith mostly slept. There were some tough times last week trying to balance both kids, but we made it through! I couldn't have done it with out the help!
I wish had taken more pictures - especially with Eddie with his grandmas and grandpa, but sadly I really didn't capture any. I think I was too busy attending to a newborn! But trust me when I say that the whole family benefited from all the help we had! Thank you to everyone!!!!
Anyhow - I wanted to write about how we got through these first four weeks with Edith. We certainly didn't do it all by ourselves. We are so fortunate and blessed to have wonderful family and friends and I wanted to take a minute to thank them for everything that they have done for us this first month!
To start, my parents have been nothing short of amazing! They not only came my birthday weekend, before Edith was born, but they were also here to take care of Eddie and Sammy while we were in the hospital. It was a relief to know that Eddie was in good hands and there was little to no interruption to his daily schedule. They also brought him to and from the hospital, which was so great. I really missed him a lot while I was there - more than I ever realized I would. Then my parents came back and stayed with us for a week when Uncas first went back to work. I loved having them here. They entertained Eddie a lot, taking him out to different places each afternoon. In the morning my mom would even take care of both kids, so I could get an extra hour of sleep. Then Friday my mom and I ventured out to MOA with the two kids. My dad also helped out by checking out the local bakery and keeping us stocked with many tasty treats. He also helped entertain Eddie. And my mom even helped out with some cleaning and cooked all the meals. And my dad and Uncas were able to get out one night and go to a Twins game. I was sad to see them leave.
The following week, my mother-in-law came to stay with us for a week. She also was great taking care of Eddie. They played together a lot, took a field trip to IKEA and we all went to the local indoor park one day. Grandma N. was also a great cuddler with Edith and often held her while she was sleeping, so I could catch up on my sleep or spend some one on one time with Eddie. She also helped big time with cleaning up after meals and helped prepare them as well. It was a very warm week here, especially so since she is from up north and she even had to sit through a power outage one night. We were sad to see her go as well on Friday.
Then last week I had my first solo week with the kids. I was very nervous, but overall I think it was a success. I joined a MOMS Club in the spring, so that week, starting Sunday night, we received meals every other night from a mom. It was a huge help not having to worry about making dinner. I also went to a play group on Monday at a mom's house who is two blocks away. It was so close, the kids and I were about to walk there. And then on Wednesday our dear friend Ella came over in the afternoon to help out. We ended up talking for most of the afternoon, but she held Edith pretty much the whole time, so I could eat lunch (and she brought me lunch!) and have some time with Eddie. Then on Friday my neighbor across the street took Eddie for a few hours, which was also a huge help. I was able to get some quiet time since Edith mostly slept. There were some tough times last week trying to balance both kids, but we made it through! I couldn't have done it with out the help!
I wish had taken more pictures - especially with Eddie with his grandmas and grandpa, but sadly I really didn't capture any. I think I was too busy attending to a newborn! But trust me when I say that the whole family benefited from all the help we had! Thank you to everyone!!!!
Indoor Park
As this summer wears on, it continues to be hot, hot, hot! Normally I love the warmer weather, but this summer makes it hard with two kids to go outside and do anything. I have been resorting to taking walks with the kids and dog first thing in the morning. This weekend we decided that it would be fun to play at the indoor park by our house. We picked the perfect time to go. I think many people are on vacation or at the cabin this week. It wasn't busy at all! And they recently re-did the toddler play area. We were there just a week and a half ago and it's totally different and way better now! Here are a few pictures from Saturday:
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Edith - One Month
My baby girl is one month old already! It's been the fastest and longest month at the same time. I didn't know it would be possible. It's amazing how much she has changed already and I know it's only the beginning. Here are some highlights:
Eating - I am nursing Edith and for the most part it's been going really well. This week we have had some challenges, but overall, I think it's much easier than with Eddie. And so far she doesn't really spit up. I hope it stays that way. She has also taken a bottle a few times from Uncas, so that is a relief and means I can get a break every once in a while.
Sleep - I think this is going to be a tough one with her. She likes to fight sleep and Edith's awake periods are longer than Eddie's were (are). Edith also loves to be held while sleeping and really doesn't like the bassinet at all. It's a different one than we used with Eddie, so I don't know if the mattress is uncomfortable or if she just wants to be held. She isn't awake a lot at night, but she likes being held, so Uncas and I have/are spending much of the night on the recliner in the living room with her. I know it won't be forever, so we are just trying to make the best of it. I am grateful that she isn't screaming all night long like her Mama did when she was Edith's age! Another difference is that we are not swaddling her. We do use a sleep sack at night with her. We started out trying to swaddle, but it wasn't working too well the first night we had her home and she often likes to have her hands and arms by her head. Another major factor has been the heat. It's too hot to swaddle!
Edith loves the water as much as her brother. We haven't given her many baths at this point, but she doesn't cry when she is in the water, so that is really nice.
This week she started smiling in response to me. It's only been a few times, but I know it's not gas! I love when babies start responding to you, because then it makes all the sleepless nights worth it!
We tried giving her a 0-3 month pacifier, but she really wasn't taking it. Finally on a whim, I decided to try one of Eddie's. We just started him with a 6+ month pacifier at 2 weeks (I honestly didn't know that there was a difference) and sure enough, Edith likes the bigger pacifier as well!
We're trying to settle into a new normal here with Edith in our family. Eddie's been adjusting to his new sister and likes to say "shh, shh" when she cries. He likes to give her kisses and will often look for "baby".
Like I did with Eddie, I am planning on taking her picture each month next to the whale. We'll see if she does better sitting still as she gets older :-)
Eating - I am nursing Edith and for the most part it's been going really well. This week we have had some challenges, but overall, I think it's much easier than with Eddie. And so far she doesn't really spit up. I hope it stays that way. She has also taken a bottle a few times from Uncas, so that is a relief and means I can get a break every once in a while.
Sleep - I think this is going to be a tough one with her. She likes to fight sleep and Edith's awake periods are longer than Eddie's were (are). Edith also loves to be held while sleeping and really doesn't like the bassinet at all. It's a different one than we used with Eddie, so I don't know if the mattress is uncomfortable or if she just wants to be held. She isn't awake a lot at night, but she likes being held, so Uncas and I have/are spending much of the night on the recliner in the living room with her. I know it won't be forever, so we are just trying to make the best of it. I am grateful that she isn't screaming all night long like her Mama did when she was Edith's age! Another difference is that we are not swaddling her. We do use a sleep sack at night with her. We started out trying to swaddle, but it wasn't working too well the first night we had her home and she often likes to have her hands and arms by her head. Another major factor has been the heat. It's too hot to swaddle!
Edith loves the water as much as her brother. We haven't given her many baths at this point, but she doesn't cry when she is in the water, so that is really nice.
This week she started smiling in response to me. It's only been a few times, but I know it's not gas! I love when babies start responding to you, because then it makes all the sleepless nights worth it!
We tried giving her a 0-3 month pacifier, but she really wasn't taking it. Finally on a whim, I decided to try one of Eddie's. We just started him with a 6+ month pacifier at 2 weeks (I honestly didn't know that there was a difference) and sure enough, Edith likes the bigger pacifier as well!
We're trying to settle into a new normal here with Edith in our family. Eddie's been adjusting to his new sister and likes to say "shh, shh" when she cries. He likes to give her kisses and will often look for "baby".
Like I did with Eddie, I am planning on taking her picture each month next to the whale. We'll see if she does better sitting still as she gets older :-)
 |
| One Month! |
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| Checking out her crazy brother |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Birth Story for Edith
I have been wanting to write down Edith's birth story, but finding the time is quite challenging. I am noticing the difference when you have two kids versus one - even with a lot of help right now. I am either holding/feeding Edith, trying to rest or trying to spend time with Eddie. Overall things have been going pretty well as we adjust to having a newborn again.
Now on to the birth story. I ended up not going into labor on my own, so I was induced on Thursday morning. It felt very strange driving to the hospital and NOT being in labor. I didn't quite know what to do with myself. We got checked in and shown to our room and I literally was like - now what?! Fortunately we had a really great nurse and I really liked the midwife who was on duty. I had seen her earlier in the week for my check-up, so that made me feel at ease. I was started with Pitocin around 8 am and I started having contractions, but they weren't super close together and they weren't painful at all. They kept increasing the amount of Pitocin and while the contractions were closer together, they weren't to the point that I really had to concentrate on breathing through them. I was making some progress, but for the most part, I felt bored during the day. Around 3:30 the midwife broke my water. That helped to keep the contractions more regular, but they were still continuing to increase the Pitocin. I was able to take a little nap after that, which was nice.
I knew with this labor that I wanted to get an epidural. I wanted to wait until I was further dilated, so I was waiting for another check from the midwife before I would agree to get the epidural. One of the nurses convinced me to just get started with it. I am glad that I didn't wait, because the midwife was busy delivering another baby. I had a bad experience with my epidural with Eddie, so I was pretty nervous. Plus, I was much more with it this time around, since I wasn't in super active labor. The anesthesiologist that I had was great this time. He was very business-like, but he understood my concern from last time and I think he was extra careful. Right after I got the epidural, the midwife came and checked me. By that point I was dilated to a 7. She told me to rest and she would come back in an hour or two. I didn't really feel like sleeping, so Uncas and I just talked. About 2 hours later - around 9:10 pm, I suddenly felt a lot of pressure during a contraction. We paged the nurse and when she came, the next contraction I had, I felt even more pressure. The nurse paged the midwife, so she could check me. The nurse was convinced that I would have the baby by 9:40. Knowing how long I had to push with Eddie (4 hours), I wasn't convinced at all. When the midwife checked me was only at an 8, but after a few practice pushes, I was dilated to a full 10.
At this point I should mention that the midwife could not believe how much the baby was moving around. She said in her 10 years of practicing, she had never seen a baby so active in labor. This continued up until the point the baby was born! I wasn't kidding when I talked about how painful it was for me when the baby was moving around inside of me. I actually started the real pushing around 9:45 and by 10:09, little Edith was born! She came out screaming (and screaming and screaming!) Everyone was saying how big she was, but compared to Eddie, I didn't think she looked that big. I was totally surprised by how much she ended up weighing! I do not know how she could have fit inside of me! I really didn't think I looked much bigger (if at all) than when I was pregnant with Eddie who was over a pound smaller!
After she was born, I had her on my chest for a while. I remember when Eddie was born, I was so exhausted, I actually had them take him away to get weighed and measured, but with Edith, I just wanted to hold and kiss her and look at her. Right away Uncas and I called our parents to share the good news.
Shortly after the delivery, I ended up having a hemorrhage. They were able to stop it quickly, but I got pretty sick and as a result, had to remain hooked up to an IV overnight to make sure I remained stable. They closely had to monitor my Hemoglobin over the next day and by Saturday morning we determined that it was in my best interest to have a blood transfusion. I wasn't super excited about this, but I knew it would be for the best in my recovery. It was a good decision because I felt so much better by the next day.
In many ways this labor was way easier than with Eddie. It was half as long, I wasn't in very much pain, and I pushed way less time. However, the time I was pushing, seemed way more intense - maybe because I was much more coherent. Of course Edith was also a lot bigger than Eddie, so that could explain things too. The recovery this time around, with the exception of my low iron (due to blood loss), has been way easier. I am once again amazed at how quickly the body bounces back after childbirth. Another thing that I have noticed is how much more laid back I am this time around. Nursing has been way less challenging, although I think Edith is a better nurser than Eddie ever was. I have also lost all of my weight gain from this pregnancy. It's probably not shocking since at my heaviest, I only gained about 22 lbs (I lost weight the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy). And given how big Edith was and how much fluid I had in me, there probably wasn't a lot extra.
Things have been going well this first week. Uncas had off all last week, which was great. This week my parents are in town to help and the following week my mother-in-law is coming. Eddie has been wonderful with Edith. But he has been acting up towards everyone else. The other morning I discovered that he was cutting molars! Poor little guys is probably in a lot of pain, which might be part of the issue.
And with that, I need to end this post because Little Miss Thing needs to eat!
Now on to the birth story. I ended up not going into labor on my own, so I was induced on Thursday morning. It felt very strange driving to the hospital and NOT being in labor. I didn't quite know what to do with myself. We got checked in and shown to our room and I literally was like - now what?! Fortunately we had a really great nurse and I really liked the midwife who was on duty. I had seen her earlier in the week for my check-up, so that made me feel at ease. I was started with Pitocin around 8 am and I started having contractions, but they weren't super close together and they weren't painful at all. They kept increasing the amount of Pitocin and while the contractions were closer together, they weren't to the point that I really had to concentrate on breathing through them. I was making some progress, but for the most part, I felt bored during the day. Around 3:30 the midwife broke my water. That helped to keep the contractions more regular, but they were still continuing to increase the Pitocin. I was able to take a little nap after that, which was nice.
At this point I should mention that the midwife could not believe how much the baby was moving around. She said in her 10 years of practicing, she had never seen a baby so active in labor. This continued up until the point the baby was born! I wasn't kidding when I talked about how painful it was for me when the baby was moving around inside of me. I actually started the real pushing around 9:45 and by 10:09, little Edith was born! She came out screaming (and screaming and screaming!) Everyone was saying how big she was, but compared to Eddie, I didn't think she looked that big. I was totally surprised by how much she ended up weighing! I do not know how she could have fit inside of me! I really didn't think I looked much bigger (if at all) than when I was pregnant with Eddie who was over a pound smaller!
After she was born, I had her on my chest for a while. I remember when Eddie was born, I was so exhausted, I actually had them take him away to get weighed and measured, but with Edith, I just wanted to hold and kiss her and look at her. Right away Uncas and I called our parents to share the good news.
Shortly after the delivery, I ended up having a hemorrhage. They were able to stop it quickly, but I got pretty sick and as a result, had to remain hooked up to an IV overnight to make sure I remained stable. They closely had to monitor my Hemoglobin over the next day and by Saturday morning we determined that it was in my best interest to have a blood transfusion. I wasn't super excited about this, but I knew it would be for the best in my recovery. It was a good decision because I felt so much better by the next day.
In many ways this labor was way easier than with Eddie. It was half as long, I wasn't in very much pain, and I pushed way less time. However, the time I was pushing, seemed way more intense - maybe because I was much more coherent. Of course Edith was also a lot bigger than Eddie, so that could explain things too. The recovery this time around, with the exception of my low iron (due to blood loss), has been way easier. I am once again amazed at how quickly the body bounces back after childbirth. Another thing that I have noticed is how much more laid back I am this time around. Nursing has been way less challenging, although I think Edith is a better nurser than Eddie ever was. I have also lost all of my weight gain from this pregnancy. It's probably not shocking since at my heaviest, I only gained about 22 lbs (I lost weight the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy). And given how big Edith was and how much fluid I had in me, there probably wasn't a lot extra.
Things have been going well this first week. Uncas had off all last week, which was great. This week my parents are in town to help and the following week my mother-in-law is coming. Eddie has been wonderful with Edith. But he has been acting up towards everyone else. The other morning I discovered that he was cutting molars! Poor little guys is probably in a lot of pain, which might be part of the issue.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Welcome Edith Ann!
On Thursday night at 10:09 pm, we welcomed into our family Edith Ann! She came out moving and shaking and screaming! She wanted the world to know that she was here! She tipped the scale at 9 lbs. 10 oz and measured 22 inches. We are completely in love and enchanted with this sweet little girl. Eddie has been a wonderful big brother so far. He likes to point out her ears, nose, feet and fingers. He also likes to give her kisses. I plan on updating soon with Edith's birth story, but for now - here are a couple of pictures.
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