You have to check out these pictures. Rick and Danyel invited us over for dinner on Friday night and the kids had the best time. It was a gymnastics extravaganza -- her little girl, Ryan, is also totally hooked and Rick made a bar for her to do flips on. Holy cow! It was such a hit!! The kids couldn't get enough of that thing!
Oh, and most importantly, thanks to Auntie Danyel, Andrew slept like a champ Friday night. I got a little over three hours of uninterrupted rest and slept like a rock myself. When he finally woke up to eat, and I looked at the clock, I was so dumbfounded I thought I was seeing things! So thanks to our dear friends! Andrew is already wondering when he gets to hang out with Auntie Danyel again! LOL!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Not fair...
Not to sound like a total whiner or overly dramatic, but man... could anymore medical conditions infect this house? First Caleb came down with the flu right after Andrew came home from the hospital, then Matt got it again last week, then on Saturday morning Katherine started medication for strep throat, and now me... I've got mastitis, and I've got to tell you, it's killing me! I literally want to hit the ceiling every time Andrew needs to eat. It's so bad that it's brought tears to my eyes.... UUUUGH! Not fun. I've got a fever, the chills, I ache all over and am exhausted to boot. It's just terrible.
Today while I was driving the car, every little bump I hit made me want to scream, and ANY temperature change literally made me ill. Not sure what I was thinking, but I let it go WAY to long. I assumed the fever and chills were due to the flu, and the pain, was just that... random pain. I didn't give it a ton of thought, but today it got so bad that I had to call the doctor. Sure enough... mastitis. Great. Like I have time to be sick, or not be 100 percent on top of my game.... LOL!!
So I'm on drugs now, and they assured me that within 36 hours I should feel remarkably better. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed!
Today Michelle and I took Caden and Caleb to Jumpin' Jacks which is one of those inflatable jumping places, and the boys had an absolute blast. It was great -- we were the only ones there, so the boys had the total run of the place. On the way out, Caleb grabbed my hand and said, "Thank you for taking me here today Mommy. I had such a fun time. I yyyyyyove you." Talk about melting my heart! I could just eat him up.... he's so stinkin' sweet!
Speaking of sweet....
On Friday afternoon I got a call from Katherine's school. It was one of her teachers and she wanted to know if it was a good time to talk and if I had a few minutes. My heart skipped a beat. Why on earth would the school be calling me at home, during school hours, and with conferences right around the corner???? A million different scenarios started running through my mind....
She started by telling me that her youngest child was starting high school this year and she had been teaching for almost 20 years now. She then went on to tell me that in all her years of experience, Katherine was one of the sweetest, most respectful, funny, thoughtful kids she's ever taught. She said that not only was Katherine way ahead of the curve academically, but excelling socially as well. She makes friends easily, listens to the teachers, always tries to do her best, was respectful of other's feelings, and tries to include everyone. Then she told me what I've known for about 5.5 years now -- she takes a while to warm up to strangers. Shocking I know! She said that Katherine was an absolutely amazing child and we have every reason to be incredibly proud of her. She then told me tons of funny stories about Katherine and the stuff she does and says in school. We ended up talking for about 15 minutes and at the end of the conversation she wanted to know if she could come and watch Katherine at the Olympics! I had to laugh! Evidently Katherine was trying to teach the class how to do cartwheels and roundoffs during center time!
I'm sure every mom thinks that they have the most amazing, charming, funny, sweet child on the planet, but when someone calls you out of the blue to tell you that, it's a great feeling!
Today while I was driving the car, every little bump I hit made me want to scream, and ANY temperature change literally made me ill. Not sure what I was thinking, but I let it go WAY to long. I assumed the fever and chills were due to the flu, and the pain, was just that... random pain. I didn't give it a ton of thought, but today it got so bad that I had to call the doctor. Sure enough... mastitis. Great. Like I have time to be sick, or not be 100 percent on top of my game.... LOL!!
So I'm on drugs now, and they assured me that within 36 hours I should feel remarkably better. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed!
Today Michelle and I took Caden and Caleb to Jumpin' Jacks which is one of those inflatable jumping places, and the boys had an absolute blast. It was great -- we were the only ones there, so the boys had the total run of the place. On the way out, Caleb grabbed my hand and said, "Thank you for taking me here today Mommy. I had such a fun time. I yyyyyyove you." Talk about melting my heart! I could just eat him up.... he's so stinkin' sweet!
Speaking of sweet....
On Friday afternoon I got a call from Katherine's school. It was one of her teachers and she wanted to know if it was a good time to talk and if I had a few minutes. My heart skipped a beat. Why on earth would the school be calling me at home, during school hours, and with conferences right around the corner???? A million different scenarios started running through my mind....
She started by telling me that her youngest child was starting high school this year and she had been teaching for almost 20 years now. She then went on to tell me that in all her years of experience, Katherine was one of the sweetest, most respectful, funny, thoughtful kids she's ever taught. She said that not only was Katherine way ahead of the curve academically, but excelling socially as well. She makes friends easily, listens to the teachers, always tries to do her best, was respectful of other's feelings, and tries to include everyone. Then she told me what I've known for about 5.5 years now -- she takes a while to warm up to strangers. Shocking I know! She said that Katherine was an absolutely amazing child and we have every reason to be incredibly proud of her. She then told me tons of funny stories about Katherine and the stuff she does and says in school. We ended up talking for about 15 minutes and at the end of the conversation she wanted to know if she could come and watch Katherine at the Olympics! I had to laugh! Evidently Katherine was trying to teach the class how to do cartwheels and roundoffs during center time!
I'm sure every mom thinks that they have the most amazing, charming, funny, sweet child on the planet, but when someone calls you out of the blue to tell you that, it's a great feeling!
Friday, October 17, 2008
My baby boy...
Right before I we left the hospital, I took these pictures of Andrew. He was still in his little hospital shirt and ID bracelets. He was sleeping so peacefully, and as sweet as could be. Oh, how I love to snuggle with him. He's so cuddly and warm -- perfect in every way, and absolutely precious.
All dressed and ready to head home! We had planned to leave the hospital hours before, but right as we were leaving, Andrew spit up some bright green stuff, which was about the color of his car seat, so the pediatrician wanted us to stay for a few more hours just so Andrew could be watched and they could make sure everything was OK. Thankfully it was, and we got home around 7:30 or so.
All dressed and ready to head home! We had planned to leave the hospital hours before, but right as we were leaving, Andrew spit up some bright green stuff, which was about the color of his car seat, so the pediatrician wanted us to stay for a few more hours just so Andrew could be watched and they could make sure everything was OK. Thankfully it was, and we got home around 7:30 or so.
Here are Katherine and Caleb with their new little brother shortly after we arrived home.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A few more
Matt's parents came down Friday night to meet Andrew. They went to watch Katherine's gymnastics class at Chow's and then made the trip to the hospital when it was done.
Pictures!!
At long last... here are a few pictures of Andrew. I knew it had to be bad when my sister in law called and read me the riot act and demanded to see pictures of her new little nephew. So I promised that I'd post some yesterday. BUT, Matt ended up getting the flu and spent a good 24 hours locked in the basement, and I had all three kids to myself with 2 hours of sleep the first night, and less than that amount last night. So, I'm spent. Absolutely exhausted... It's so bad that Katherine calls Andrew "octurnal" (nocturnal). He just doesn't sleep at night, and since I'm playing with Caleb all day, there's no time for me to rest.
So, here's a few pictures, and I'll post some more as soon as I get some sleep.
Matt cutting Andrew's cord and the neonatal team giving Andrew oxygen and cleaning out his little lungs.
Caleb meeting Andrew for the first time. He's doing remarkably well adjusting to his new little brother and not getting my full attention anymore. Actually, it couldn't be going more smoothly in my wildest dreams. He's so gentle with Andrew -- holding his little hand, kissing the top of his head, and singing to him whenever he starts to cry. It absolutely melts my heart.... He's an amazing big brother, and I'm so thankful that he's adjusting to this new chapter of his life so well.
Katherine and I with Andrew. He was about 1.5 or 2 hours old in this picture, and Danyel and Andrea had just brought the kids down to meet their new little brother. 
Here's the new big sister! This was taken the next afternoon after the kids had a chance to go home, relax and get some sleep. Katherine LOVES holding Andrew, and will take him every chance she gets!
More pictures soon! I promise! I just need to get through this sleep deprived fog that I've been living under for the past few days.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Welcome to the world!!!
He's here, and he's beautiful beyond words. I'm soooo love! It's amazing how instantly you fall head over heels in love with someone you just laid your eyes on. All week I've been pinching myself, trying to grasp how truly blessed I am....
Since I'm exhausted, here's the quick version of his birth....
Remember that I had my doctor appointment at 11 that morning??? I dropped Caleb off at my mom's house around 10, and then took off for my appointment. I was in so much pain, that I called Matt and told him that he'd have to leave work at noon regardless of what the doctor said. There was just no way I was physically able to take care of Caleb that day.
When I got to the doctor, I was dilated to a 3 and in active labor. Woo-Hoo!! So I called two of my neighbors (Andrea and Danyel) and asked for a couple of favors. My mom was going to drop Caleb off at Andrea's house around 2 and them she'd keep Katherine when the bus dropped her off around 3:30. Danyel was going to take Katherine to gymnastics (which she had NO interest in going to that night). Depending on when the little guy was born, they'd drive my car and bring the kiddos down to the hospital.
Matt met me at home and we took off for the hospital. We arrived downtown around 12:30 and I was admitted into a room (and out of triage) around 1:00. As soon as I got to the room, my L&D nurse started an IV (which was horrible). She missed my vein the first time, and had to "dig" around in my arm trying to hit it. Finally she blew the vein and I still have a lovely bruise to show for it. I about wanted to hit her over the head!! She got the IV set the second time in my other hand, so we were in business!! The doctor came in and broke my water, and within 30 minutes I had my epidural! So life was good!!
I picked up the phone, and chatted it up with tons of different people. Matt got a bite to eat, and we relaxed. I was on the phone with a different neighbor of mine around 5:30, and all of sudden, realized that the little guy was coming and NOW....
Bobbi, my nurse, made a comment on how high the baby still was, and said that she thought he was a big one... Exactly what I didn't want to hear when I was about ready to start pushing! Regardless, I had to ask her how big she thought he was. WRONG move!! She guessed him at 8 pounds 12 ounces. OMG, I nearly had a heart attack. Literally, the fear of God was in me, and I was afraid to push....
I was fully dilated, and only had to push for 10 - 15 minutes. It was a super easy delivery and our little guy was born at 5:56 pm. Here's the details...
Andrew Patrick
7 pounds 6 ounces
19 3/4 inches long
He's absolutely beautiful and I promise to upload pictures soon.
However, since Andrew was a meconium baby, I wasn't able to hold him for the first hour after he was born. He was on oxygen and the neonatal team worked on cleaning out his lungs. It just broke my heart. As you can imagine, I was in tears and when I found out that a resident was taking the lead, I nearly jumped out of my skin. My poor baby was having a very hard time breathing, and someone I didn't feel was qualified was working on him during this fragile time... Let's just say that a few choice words escaped my lips..... Everything turned out fine, and he's strong and healthy.
Danyel and Andrea brought the kids down at 7:30. I am beyond thankful to have such wonderful neighbors and friends. It was such a relief not to have to worry about Katherine and Caleb and trust that they were in good hands!
Danyel told me that Katherine was so excited to meet her little brother and she was absolutely glowing and full of smiles the whole way down there. Oh, how I wish I could have seen her face on the way to the hospital when she was anticipating what it would be like to hold her new little brother.
So far, both Katherine and Caleb have been beyond wonderful with Andrew. They love to hold him, cuddle with him, mother him, and "play" with him. I was worried that Caleb would be jealous, but so far, he's been nothing but loving and protective of his new little brother. He constantly wants to teach him all about cars, trucks, diggers, and the list goes on and on.... Katherine begs to cuddle with and hold Andrew as soon as she gets up in the morning and as soon as she walks in the door at night. She's such a good big sister, and I'm thankful beyond words that neither one of them is jealous!
Breastfeeding.... now I know this is a sensitive subject, and it's not my intention to ignite a firestorm, so please remember that this is my blog and my opinion. Either way, I'm not judging, I just do what I feel is right for me and my kids. With that being said, I do breastfeed my kids. However, I forgot how incredibly painful it was in the beginning and seriously wanted to quit on Sunday. I was miserable... sore, huge, you know... it was horrible. Andrew was having a hard time nursing and I was getting frustrated. So frustrated that I snapped at Katherine over a pair of shoes in the closet. Shameful, I know.... But, I was moody and wanted more than anything for the pain to go away. I was about ready to quit. In fact, I must have thought about quitting enough that I talked to several people about it and told them that it just wasn't working this time. I spent way too much time pumping, crying though the pain, and in sheer disbelief at how hard it was this time. Finally after a few days, things got better, and we're finally in a groove. The pain is, for the most part, gone. Thankfully!
Andrew just started to cry, so I need to run, but promise to post tomorrow and get some pics out here soon!
Since I'm exhausted, here's the quick version of his birth....
Remember that I had my doctor appointment at 11 that morning??? I dropped Caleb off at my mom's house around 10, and then took off for my appointment. I was in so much pain, that I called Matt and told him that he'd have to leave work at noon regardless of what the doctor said. There was just no way I was physically able to take care of Caleb that day.
When I got to the doctor, I was dilated to a 3 and in active labor. Woo-Hoo!! So I called two of my neighbors (Andrea and Danyel) and asked for a couple of favors. My mom was going to drop Caleb off at Andrea's house around 2 and them she'd keep Katherine when the bus dropped her off around 3:30. Danyel was going to take Katherine to gymnastics (which she had NO interest in going to that night). Depending on when the little guy was born, they'd drive my car and bring the kiddos down to the hospital.
Matt met me at home and we took off for the hospital. We arrived downtown around 12:30 and I was admitted into a room (and out of triage) around 1:00. As soon as I got to the room, my L&D nurse started an IV (which was horrible). She missed my vein the first time, and had to "dig" around in my arm trying to hit it. Finally she blew the vein and I still have a lovely bruise to show for it. I about wanted to hit her over the head!! She got the IV set the second time in my other hand, so we were in business!! The doctor came in and broke my water, and within 30 minutes I had my epidural! So life was good!!
I picked up the phone, and chatted it up with tons of different people. Matt got a bite to eat, and we relaxed. I was on the phone with a different neighbor of mine around 5:30, and all of sudden, realized that the little guy was coming and NOW....
Bobbi, my nurse, made a comment on how high the baby still was, and said that she thought he was a big one... Exactly what I didn't want to hear when I was about ready to start pushing! Regardless, I had to ask her how big she thought he was. WRONG move!! She guessed him at 8 pounds 12 ounces. OMG, I nearly had a heart attack. Literally, the fear of God was in me, and I was afraid to push....
I was fully dilated, and only had to push for 10 - 15 minutes. It was a super easy delivery and our little guy was born at 5:56 pm. Here's the details...
Andrew Patrick
7 pounds 6 ounces
19 3/4 inches long
He's absolutely beautiful and I promise to upload pictures soon.
However, since Andrew was a meconium baby, I wasn't able to hold him for the first hour after he was born. He was on oxygen and the neonatal team worked on cleaning out his lungs. It just broke my heart. As you can imagine, I was in tears and when I found out that a resident was taking the lead, I nearly jumped out of my skin. My poor baby was having a very hard time breathing, and someone I didn't feel was qualified was working on him during this fragile time... Let's just say that a few choice words escaped my lips..... Everything turned out fine, and he's strong and healthy.
Danyel and Andrea brought the kids down at 7:30. I am beyond thankful to have such wonderful neighbors and friends. It was such a relief not to have to worry about Katherine and Caleb and trust that they were in good hands!
Danyel told me that Katherine was so excited to meet her little brother and she was absolutely glowing and full of smiles the whole way down there. Oh, how I wish I could have seen her face on the way to the hospital when she was anticipating what it would be like to hold her new little brother.
So far, both Katherine and Caleb have been beyond wonderful with Andrew. They love to hold him, cuddle with him, mother him, and "play" with him. I was worried that Caleb would be jealous, but so far, he's been nothing but loving and protective of his new little brother. He constantly wants to teach him all about cars, trucks, diggers, and the list goes on and on.... Katherine begs to cuddle with and hold Andrew as soon as she gets up in the morning and as soon as she walks in the door at night. She's such a good big sister, and I'm thankful beyond words that neither one of them is jealous!
Breastfeeding.... now I know this is a sensitive subject, and it's not my intention to ignite a firestorm, so please remember that this is my blog and my opinion. Either way, I'm not judging, I just do what I feel is right for me and my kids. With that being said, I do breastfeed my kids. However, I forgot how incredibly painful it was in the beginning and seriously wanted to quit on Sunday. I was miserable... sore, huge, you know... it was horrible. Andrew was having a hard time nursing and I was getting frustrated. So frustrated that I snapped at Katherine over a pair of shoes in the closet. Shameful, I know.... But, I was moody and wanted more than anything for the pain to go away. I was about ready to quit. In fact, I must have thought about quitting enough that I talked to several people about it and told them that it just wasn't working this time. I spent way too much time pumping, crying though the pain, and in sheer disbelief at how hard it was this time. Finally after a few days, things got better, and we're finally in a groove. The pain is, for the most part, gone. Thankfully!
Andrew just started to cry, so I need to run, but promise to post tomorrow and get some pics out here soon!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Good Morning....
.... and Happy 6th birthday to my niece, Morgan! Will she share a birthday with our new little guy??? I'm guessing so....
I haven't slept a wink all night, and today I'm just tired. All day yesterday the contractions kept coming, but not regular enough to call the doctor or make the trip to the hospital. When I went to bed last night they were about 15 minutes apart, so I called to alert my mom to be ready to come over.
Well.... the contractions stayed about 15 minutes apart all night --- just regular and painful enough that I never got any sleep. So today I'm pretty tired, but at least I have an appointment with my OB at 11. With all the contractions that I've had over the past 24 hours, I'd be SHOCKED if there wasn't progress! All this pain has to be worth something!!
I'll try to update after my appointment and let you all know how it's going. Keep your fingers crossed that the end is in sight!
OMG... the pain is getting out of control! I'm ready to get this started!
I haven't slept a wink all night, and today I'm just tired. All day yesterday the contractions kept coming, but not regular enough to call the doctor or make the trip to the hospital. When I went to bed last night they were about 15 minutes apart, so I called to alert my mom to be ready to come over.
Well.... the contractions stayed about 15 minutes apart all night --- just regular and painful enough that I never got any sleep. So today I'm pretty tired, but at least I have an appointment with my OB at 11. With all the contractions that I've had over the past 24 hours, I'd be SHOCKED if there wasn't progress! All this pain has to be worth something!!
I'll try to update after my appointment and let you all know how it's going. Keep your fingers crossed that the end is in sight!
OMG... the pain is getting out of control! I'm ready to get this started!
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