13 November 2009

4 weeks old!


Our sweet little princess wearing a flower and blanket made by Mamie!

Verity in her beautiful blanket I bought on Etsy

Mama and baby Verity - yes I made an effort to shower and do my makeup and hair

Daddy, Mama and baby Verity
First picture with big brother Maddox!
Mamie, Papa, Maddox and Verity!

Well, I survived another birth. Having a planned c-section had its pros and cons, I need to write the birth story in a separate post, but just wanted to write about the last few weeks before I forget anything! I am really behind on blog posts, but the last few weeks have flown by in a blur.

We came home from the hospital on Thursday, Nov 5th, a day earlier than I needed to. But, I really wanted to get home as being in the hospital is not much fun. They had a restriction on visitors under 18 too, so Maddox was unable to come to the hospital to meet his sister and I missed him! We had pictures taken at the hospital with Bella Baby again - that's where some of the pics in this post are from. We dressed her up good as I brought lots of "props" with me this time and was prepared for the photos so I could get some with all of us in them. I am sad I couldn't have Maddox in any of the photos as he wasn't allowed in the hospital. :-( Oh well, I am trying to get some here at home, but it's not easy!

Here are some of the other highlights of the past 4 weeks (I can't believe it's been FOUR weeks already!!).

Big brother Maddox

Maddox met his sister when we came home Thursday - he was just finishing up lunch. He took a look at her and then just went on with his business. He was indifferent I guess, or didn't know what or who she was. He has slowly warmed up to her though. He'll come over and look at her and point at her, or grab her hand. He tries to bounce the bouncy seat when she is in there, because that is what we do to him when he sits in it. He did hit her in the head with both hands one day - it happened so fast, we couldn't prevent it. He looked scared when Rudy said "NO!". But other than that, everything is fine. He is just too young to really understand that she is his sister at this point. He is otherwise acting normal, just a rambunctious toddler running around the house with boundless energy. He is keeping my mom very busy! He is slowly warming up to his sister and giving her kisses and holding out his arms like he wants to hold her (he really doesn't, he just pretends to). Just this morning I was changing Verity's diaper and Maddox came over and kissed her on the head, then on the mouth, then kissed her 3 more times, hee hee. He is a very lovable boy!

Eating

Verity is eating pretty good. She did lose a little over 10% of her weight by the time we went to the Pediatrician's office on Sat. But, my milk came in on Thursday (the day we got home) so I thought that she would have gained some back by then, but she didn't. So, I got to worry for another week and a half about her eating enough. I was trying to get her to eat every 2 hours and sometimes it was hard, she was very sleepy. And, she would only eat about 10 minutes on one side at a feeding. We went back for a weight check on Monday, Nov 9th and she had gained a couple ounces and was 7lbs, 3 oz, so was on the right track, thank goodness! At her 2 week appt she should have been back at birth weight (7lbs, 15 oz), and was close at 7 lbs, 13oz. So, we came back for one more weight check at 3 weeks and she was tipping the scales at 8lbs, 13 oz! Wow! She has also grown about an inch in length! So, she is doing fine now and we don't go back to the doctor until 2 months old. I am relieved that she is thriving now.

Sleeping

Verity has slowly stretched out a little between night feedings, but I am still feeding her 3 times overnight every 2-3 hours and it is pretty tiring. Some nights are better than others, last night was not. She will sleep in the cosleeper for 3 hour stretches sometimes, but other nights she wakes up within 15-30 minutes of being put down. Then, I have to nurse her back to sleep in bed with me and more often than not, we fall asleep that way. I don't sleep as good with her next to me, it is a little scary. But, she is safe and I will do what I have to so we both sleep. But, I would rather she slept in the cosleeper all night. I am slowly training her to do it and some nights she does most of the night. I really hope she starts sleeping longer stretches at night by 2 months like Maddox did, but I should probably prepare myself for that not happening. All in all, I am getting less sleep than I did with Maddox because I have to get up with him in the morning. Luckily Rudy has been doing the first hour or two with him so I can sleep more, but this morning Rudy had to go downtown so I was up by 7am to take care of him. It is pretty hard to adjust to taking care of two kids at the same time, the house is a disaster!!

Problems

Verity has a bad case of baby acne right now, the poor little thing. So, I am not taking any pictures right now, awww. I feel so bad for her, she is such a cute baby and the acne is all over her face and in her hair and on her ears. I pray it goes away very soon!

Mommy has mastitis, it is no fun. I went to bed this past Friday with a sore boob and woke up the next morning with a bad headache and felt achy all over like the flu. I was in denial for a little while, but Rudy took my temperature and it was about 100 so I called the doc and got some antibiotics. My boob was also red and splotchy on one side. It didn't hurt to nurse, and I continued to do so and was better by yesterday.

Today I am home alone for the VERY FIRST TIME with two kids! You are probably wondering how the heck I am writing this post. Well, I started it 3 weeks ago and am trying to finish it while nursing the baby (ooh, she just pooed! hee hee). Maddox is in his crib "napping". This is another problem we are having, Maddox has pretty much stopped taking his morning nap. It STINKS! We are not ready for this to happen so still put him to bed, but he mostly just rolls around and plays and talks to himself the whole time he is up there. So, he is "resting" but not really napping. He does still take an afternoon nap, usually at least 2 hours, sometimes longer, so that is good. Back to the topic of being home alone. It is hard! It seems like one kid is always crying when you are trying to tend to the other, how do you choose between them? There is alot of guilt wrapped up in having a second child I have to say. I feel like I have betrayed Maddox, my first born, now he isn't the only baby who gets all my attention. I have to spread myself around. I really don't know why people have 3, 4 and more children, the more you have, the less time each one gets with you! I am not being judgmental, it is just not for me. I feel guilty that I have two and have to work and still find time for myself and my husband, and oh yea, the dog too. We are definitely done having kids now, it is really perfect for us to have these two, one of each, what I always dreamed of! Technically, Rudy now has 4 children, so he is definitely done! Speaking of which, after years of trying to get pregnant, we are now trying to decide how NOT to get pregnant, hee hee. I have to go back on some time of birth control soon, we can't take any chances. How ironic. Well, that's it for now, I will post more stories soon!


03 November 2009

Welcome Verity Claire!




Today I received the best birthday present ever, our new daughter! Please welcome Verity Claire Benco! Born this morning at 7:58am via cesarean section. She is 7 lbs, 15 oz and 20.5 inches long. She has a full head of hair and has been eating nonstop since she was born. We are both doing fine and resting comfortably. Thank you God for our miracle daughter, we are so blessed and ecstatic! Happy Birthday to me and Verity!