3 months old and baptized!

I am really behind on my blogging and I am sorry. Verity Claire has turned 3 months and has had quite a time! She's holding up her head really good, laughing and smiling all the time. She has even grabbed her feet a few times and grabs onto things like my hair and her rattle, blankets and stuffed animals. She is a very social baby, LOVES it when I talk or sing to her. She also seems to really like the TV, hee hee. Like Mama, like daughter. She is still a very sweet baby and so very easy. She isn't quite sleeping through the night yet, but that is ok. She wakes me up around 2 or 3am and again at 5 or 6am. But, she sleeps pretty good in her cosleeper in her swaddle blanket. She has been sick pretty much since we went back to day care unfortunately. She is congested and is having a hard time breathing when she eats. We saw the doctor just today and she is ok. Her big brother is another story, he is pretty darn sick with a fever and double ear infections. Poor little guy. I hope Verity doesn't catch it!

We also had Verity baptized last weekend on Valentine's Day. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Shannon flew up with baby Eva for the event and to be her Godparents. Uncle Beau and Tiffany are also her Godparents, but couldn't make the trip right now. It was a nice weekend spending time with cousin Eva and just hanging out. Verity looked like a baby princess in her beautiful dress I had custom made on Etsy. I just love Etsy!

Back to work!

I have been back to work now for a week and it hasn't been so great. Verity didn't eat much at daycare last week, she started out totally refusing the bottle. This is partly our fault for not giving her the bottle much in the days leading up to my first day back. However, we did try to give her one, she just wouldn't take it! She has drunk from the bottle in the last couple months a few times, so I wasn't that worried. Boy, was I wrong! She spent her entire first day at day care not eating, crying and sleeping. Poor baby... Mama had to leave work early - although I still didn't get there until 4:30pm. She was one hungry girl! She didn't drink much on Tuesday either, just a little bit here and there that dripped in her mouth. She wouldn't latch on and suck on the bottle. I worked at home and picked her up early again. On Wednesday, Verity and Maddox are home so Rudy had to take over working with her and the bottle while I pumped at home all day. By lunchtime he had succeeded in getting her to latch on and suck! Thank GOD! Daddy is a GENIUS! He is such a good Daddy. She drank a little more that day and Thursday, but still not nearly enough, I think like 5 - 7 oz. On Friday she finally started to warm up to Carrie and drank 11 oz.

I was still really worried and called the pediatrician's office and they told me to just stop giving her boob cold turkey until she was taking the bottle consistently. I was NOT happy about this, it was a very harrowing week for Mama and Dada and then I had to pump all weekend? ARGH! I ended up pumping in the morning and feeding her in the afternoon on Sat. She was taking the bottle pretty good by then so wanted to see how she would do on Sunday morning. Again, Sunday she took the bottle, even from me, so thought she had it. Monday she only drank 5 oz though, I was still very worried. She seems to be warming up to Carrie though- I think this has been a combination of missing Mama, not wanting to drink from a bottle and being in a strange place with a stranger. Poor little butterfly - I feel so guilty taking her to daycare and going to work, it is breaking my heart. Tuesday she did better and drank 11 oz again, so I feel better. I want her to drink at least 12 oz, I think that will be good. Maddox drank 16 oz while I was at work though, maybe she will work her way up to that.

All in all, it's been pretty stressful going back to work. I am working at home every Wednesday to be there and breastfeed and take a break from pumping in the middle of the week. Pumping is not that much fun. But, JPMorgan Chase has a mother's room for women to pump in, so that is awesome! It is not as nice as the mom's room at Orbitz, but it is still a nice room with two private places to pump, a sink, fridge and a place to store your things. There are quite a few women using the room too, so that is a positive thing!

Today, Verity is officially 3 months old! I can't believe how time has flown by. I will have a separate post about her and hopefully some new pics soon. I need to take some photos though, don't have any new ones yet.

Sleeping through the night!!!

Two nights in a row, my perfect little princess has slept through the night. YAY for Verity and YAY for Mama! She slept last night from 10pm to 5am, and the night before from 9pm to 6am. WOW!!! I hope this continues...! She is also holding her head up really good at tummy time, almost 90 degrees! I have to get a pic of that soon. My baby is growing up too fast! On another note, this is my last week of maternity leave and I am kind of in denial. I am very sad and can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Sniff sniff. Verity and Maddox will be going to Daycare 4 days a week and spending Wednesdays at home with Dada!! I am lucky that I will be able to work at home on Wednesdays too so I can see them at lunchtime and breastfeed Verity rather than pumping. Pumping is not so fun! It will be an adjustment, but we will cope.

Verity Claire - 2 month checkup

Baby Verity is two months old! We went to the doc with big brother Maddox and here are her stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile)

Height: 23 in (75th percentile)

Head: 15 in

She gained almost 3 pounds in the last month, unbelievable!

Verity is doing wonderfully. She is sleeping about 6 hour stretches at night and has taken a really good afternoon nap for the last few days. She is all smiles and gets really excited when you talk to her and it almost seems like she is trying to laugh. She is a really easy baby. Rudy remarked yesterday that he thinks she is easier than Maddox! I think they are the same. She hardly every cries, only when she is hungry or wants to be picked up. She is really spoiled, but you wouldn't know it. She lays in her bouncy seat and is content to watch Maddox play. She is really a joy and I couldn't be luckier!

Here are some recent pics I took:

Posing like a supermodel

I finally captured her long and curly eyelashes!
A sweet, smirky smile
Tummy time!
Chubby baby - poor thing has the same double chin as Maddox
Pretty princess flower baby - another flower from Mamie

Maddox Berlin - 18 month checkup

My baby is a not a baby anymore. Sniff. He is such a big boy!! We had his 18 month checkup last week on Wednesday along with Verity. We coordinated their appointments into one, wahoo!

Here are Maddie's stats:

Weight: 27 lbs 1 oz (50th percentile)

Height: 32 in (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19 1/4 in

He gained a pound and 1/4, that's it! I thought for sure he would have gained too much because he eats quite a bit!

Maddox had his last round of vaccines until Kindergarten! He also had a booster swine flu shot. Yes, that's the H1N1. I heard there was a marketing blitz to rename it to H1N1 to protect the pork industry. Did you ever wonder why everyone started calling it H1N1? But I digress.

Maddox is a monster. He screams at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way, he loves to hit and even sometimes tries to bite, awesome! I know he sounds like a monster, but really he is a normal toddler on his way to the terrible twos. I do feel like I am failing as a parent though when he does these things. We just have to try our best to teach him the proper ways to act. Ignoring the screaming, teaching him that hands are for hugging, not hitting, hitting hurts! That sort of thing. He is really not that bad, he is also the cutest, smartest and most lovable little boy. Although, he is a particularly lovable with his father. Maddox and Rudy are really close, it is really cute, although I am getting a tiny complex. Verity is attached to me like glue though, (as Rudy says), so I don't feel too bad.

I try to pay special attention to Maddox whenever I can by playing with him, eating with him and putting him to bed. We also started a new class this past Saturday called "Music and Me"! I am SO EXCITED about this. I have been dying to take this class for a while now and they are finally offering it on Saturday at our church. It is a great class and Miss Michelle is very popular with the kids. It is so annoying how all the classes offered for Mommies are on Tuesdays at 9am. Aren't there any other working moms out here in the burbs, sheesh!?! Well, this class is pretty full actually, and there were a few Dads in there too. Rudy and I will probably take turns so he can do the class with Maddox every once in a while. Maddox was a little bewildered by it, he stood in the room frozen for a while when we first got there just looking at everyone else. Then, when class started he just stared and sat on my lap, or demanded that I hold him. I got a LOT of hugs and snuggling during class, it was excellent! The second part of class he kind of stood around watching, but across the room from me, I guess he warmed up. He used some of the props - the shakers and drums and wooden circles were favorites. And when it was time to leave, he didn't want to. Refused to put his coat on - yelled and ran away. I had to drag him out of there! When I tried to buckle him in the car seat, he bucked like a little bronco and cried. Very loudly. It was so much fun!! I had to give him some time and then wrestle him in there. I was a little embarrassed, but hopefully anyone around understands how toddlers can be! I can't wait for next week! His daycare mama and her daughter Sadie are in the class too, so that is nice, he gets some extra time hanging with his girl Sadie. Here are some recent pics:

My baby boy in dire need of a haircut.

Wearing Mommy's Ugg boots, hilarious!
"Changing" Verity's diaper. He opened it and looked inside, so funny...

Christmas babies

Christmas came and went. It was fun to spend with my babies but a little sad too. I don't get to spend the holidays with my family (parents and brothers and their families) so I am a little sad around this time. We were also fighting with Jackson right before Christmas, so that makes it hard to have fun and enjoy. Very tired of that scene. However, here are some highlights of the time we spend together. My babies and husband are the best thing that have ever happened to me and I love them so much! Verity is smiling so much and starting to "talk" to us - ok she coos a little, but it is so wonderful to hear her sweet little voice. Her face has cleared up finally, however she has very dry skin the poor little butterfly so I am lubing her up with lots of goop. She is sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night, whoohoo!! Maddox had fun opening presents, although he really couldn't open them himself. He was most interested in Jackson's 154 piece tool set. We got him his own tool puzzle and he conquered it in no time. We didn't buy that much for the kids, our house is already loaded with toys and they don't need that much clothes right now. It is too much to absorb all the gifts other people buy so hey, saves us some money! Maddox's favorite word right now is "hot!". It sounds more like "hos!". All food is hot. Candles and lamps are hot too. He is so smart! He amazes me every day with the things he knows or remembers. He picked up is Go dog go! book today and opened it to the page that has all the dogs in cars and started saying "car, car, car, car..."! I was flabbergasted! I read him that book days ago and pointed to all the cars and said "car, car, car, car...". So cute! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Family posing by the Christmas tree, minus Jackson

I'm in heaven with my babiesPretty princess Christmas baby
Verity has the curliest eyelashes!
Mamie sent Verity her very special Christmas ornament! She also bought her her christmas ball dress, so comfy and sweet!
Almost a smile!
She loved her new book!
Maddox fooling around with these lights, really he just wanted to unplug them and plug them back in, repeat.
His new favorite pastime, screaming!
Snuggling up to Dada
First time in the snow getting pulled in a sled, it was cooooooold! BRRRR!

6 weeks old and all smiles...

My little baby girl started smiling!! She has given us a little grin a few times, but the day before yesterday, she started smiling much bigger in response to our smiley faces! She is really filling out and is growing out of her newborn clothes finally. I still feel like she is so small, but her little thighs are getting chubby as is her face. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, she is 6 weeks old already! Time is flying by, my mat leave is half over :-(. I see the doc next week and can then hopefully start exercising, I have a lot of work to do to fit back into my clothes.

Maddox is becoming a little daredevil menace. He can climb all over everything and is like a little energizer bunny. He is also pretty willfull at times, he whines and screams if he doesn't get what he wants. We are trying to ignore that behavior, but it's hard! He is still a good little eater though. He will eat pretty much anything we give him. Except, now he MUST have a utensil in his hand most times to get him to eat. He has small silverware that is plastic and metal, the metal is not such a good idea. He bangs them on the table and our cherry table has quite a few dents in it now, oops! He can maneuver pretty good with a fork or a spoon now, but needs help scooping up the food sometimes. He is jabbering a lot, but not saying any new words lately. His favorite word right now is "guck". It means truck and dirty diaper and garbage, hee hee. Not sure why he thinks it has these multiple meanings. He started out saying it when pointing at trucks and maybe he is confused because Rudy says "ick" when he goes near the garbage or dirty diapers and so he thinks it is the same? Not sure, but we think it is pretty funny and have probably reinforced it too much and say it too now, oops. He still says "dis" a lot when pointing at things, as if to say "what's this?". He probably says a lot of words and we just can't understand him. He is still a very lovable little boy, loves to gives kisses and hugs and will kiss anyone once he warms up to them a little. He even kisses his sister, so cute.

Being at home alone with two kids is pretty hard. I have the family room fenced in - so I basically spend my day in a cage. However, it is not completely safe in this cage because it includes the furniture and Maddox climbs up on the couch and chaise now and likes to walk around. Time for a new configuration!

Sleeping...

The nightly sleeping has gotten better the last two nights, knock on wood that it will stay that way! Verity only woke me up twice to eat - once around 1:30am after going to sleep around 10pm, and then again at 5:30am. Woohoo!! This is better than every hour or two, I am actually getting to sleep for longer stretches again which is wonderful. Although, I don't really feel like it, it is going to take some time to catch up on my sleep.

I also wanted to mention that she actually ROLLED OVER already!! It happened on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I am sure it was a fluke, she was doing tummy time on the couch on the edge of the cushion and lifted her head, then her leg and next thing I knew, she had rolled closer to me! Such a smart and strong little baby!

Well, I am working on getting my announcements done and have to get back to working on that since I am having a rare moment where both kids are napping at the same time!

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!

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!

15 month update

Our little man

Dada had to have this Jimi Hendrix shirt, so stylin'!
Posing with prego mama
Silly face!

I am way behind on my blogging! Maddox had his 15 month checkup 3 weeks ago, hehe. Here are the stats:

Height: 30 3/4 inches (50% percentile)

Weight: 25 3/4 lbs (50-75% percentile)

Head circumference: 19 inches

He is just an average boy, but is growing at an even rate!

He got some vaccine boosters and a flu shot. They weren't going to do the flu shot as they were short on them, but since I am pregnant and about to give birth, they gave in and gave it to him. He was not too happy about the shots, really cried hard, but recovered quickly. I think he will remember that next time we go to the doctor unfortunately. Not much else to report other than he is on track for language - he has a few words that he says which is normal. He says "da da", "bus" and "car". He LOVES buses, cars and trucks and is always pointing them out and saying "Bus", which actually sounds like "Dus". He thinks most everything on the road or in the air is a bus though. But, he recently started say "car" or "ga". He is trying! He probably says a lot of other words too, but we just don't understand as his pronunciation is not very good yet. He also says "dis", which we think means "what's this?" because he is constantly pointing and things and saying "dis?". He has not really said "mama" at all, sometimes he says an m sound which sounds like ma ma maaaa but I don't think he knows that I am Mama. :-( One of these days!

I really feel like Maddox is growing up so fast! He looks more like a little boy now, not a baby. He is still very baby like, but also very grown up. He can run around the house, cackling like a little monster chasing the dog around. His little cackle is hilarious, I hope to catch it on video soon. He loves playing with the dog, thinks she is so funny. He can wave bye bye, give lots of kisses and points at everything. He is getting a little wild at the dinner table, he bangs his plate and sippy cup on the table when he is done or wants attention. He also doesn't always want to start eating right away, he has to do it on his own terms. Or, I have to sneak something in his mouth and then he will eat when he realizes, hey, this is good! He is still a really good eater, eats almost anything. Loves vegetables, fruit and meat, but especially loves bread and pasta of course. He always wants what is on our plate, even though we give him exactly what we are eating 99% of the time. He has started eating bigger chunks of things like bananas or string cheese. He can bite off pieces and eat them and prefers to do this because it is more like a big boy.

He loves to play - his favorite toy is a ride on bulldozer that he zips around the house on, bumping into everything and the dog. He likes to play with non-toys too - kitchen utensils and tupperware, empty boxes, bags/packages of food like granola bars, anything crinkly. He loves the mason jar screw on lids and puts them on his arms like bracelets, so funny. He also loves buckles - he is constantly buckling his tripp trapp chair buckle, then yells for someone to unbuckle it so he can rebuckle it. He also will sit on the floor for quite some time playing with the buckles on my backpack. He still wears our shoes around the house or just likes to carry them around. He likes to just carry things around and put them in other places too. We find things in the garbage, or in his bag he takes to daycare, or in the cabinets and drawers.

He can only say a few words, but it seems like he understands everything we say. The other day I asked him where his motorcycle was - we got him this little motorcycle toy to play with. He bends over and points under the chair. I looked under there, and there it was! I was shocked he even knew where it was! We can ask him to get things like his coat or shoes and he will run over to them if they are nearby. He seems to understand things like "be gentle" or "don't touch", although mostly ignores the "don't touch" requests. He is so fricking cute though, it is hard to be serious when asking him not to do things. I am just amazed at how smart he is and how much he has grown in such a short time on this earth!

He still sleeps through the night pretty much like clockwork. Goes to bed around 8 or 8:30 and goes down awake with his monkey and blanket. We usually cover him with 2 blankets and if we only put one on him, he points to the other one and does his "eh eh" thing. He says "eh eh" a lot and we are trying to break that habit. Ha ha, probably won't be broken anytime soon! He has taken to doing a lot of screaming lately too. He is LOUD! He does it when he is bored and wants attention or to get out of his high chair or car seat. We have tried ignoring that one, or saying please stop, but that hasn't worked yet. We turned his car seat around to face forward finally - wanted to give him some time alone like that rather than doing it right after the baby arrived. He likes being able to see out all the windows now and is pointing at all the cars and trucks and buses. We are afraid he is trying to give up one of his naps, we really don't want him to yet. But, he is inconsistently napping in the morning now - sometimes will play in his crib forever and won't go to sleep. Sometimes he conveniently poops his pants after we put him down, and he will not go to sleep with poop in his pants. If we change him quick enough, he will go to sleep afterwards. But, a lot lately he is not napping at all, then takes a long afternoon nap, or no nap at all which makes him very crabby. The last couple days he has taken a really long later morning nap and no afternoon nap. Not sure how to handle this development yet. He still naps at day care at his normal times, albeit short naps and sometimes the morning nap is nonexistent. He has also starting sleeping a little later in the morning, which is our fault. We just let him sleep in until 7 sometimes, or if he wakes at 5:30 or so, we wait until he goes back to sleep.

He has 11 teeth now - 4 on the top in front and 4 on the bottom in front and 3 molars coming in on the sides. He has been waking up in the night sometimes and we think it is the teeth coming in. Although, he seems to have a little cold coming on right now - excellent, just in time for the baby!

We have a lot of exciting things happening in the next week! Maddox is oblivious of course, but we are interested in seeing how he handles his new sister's arrival. Mamie (grandma) arrives on Saturday for three weeks, we are all going to be vampires for Halloween and do some trick or treating, then Tuesday is the big day!

A quick update on me. I have been dilated to 1 cm at my last three appointments, yahoo! I think I will make it to my scheduled day, but who knows. I am very uncomfortable and not sleeping very well right now. I have been having some sharp pains every once in a while where my incision is, kind of worries me but the doc didn't think it was a problem. It is just stretching the skin there and I think it is ligament pain personally - when I move or bend the wrong way, I get sharp pains in the front and sides of my belly. Oh joy! My belly is just getting too big! I am having an H1N1 vaccination tomorrow finally - had to pull some strings to get it before the baby arrived, but felt it was important. It is a little nervewracking to give birth to a newborn in a hospital in the middle of a nasty flu season. I have my last doc appt on Thursday with the doc who is delivering me.

I will post an update after the baby comes as soon as I can!

C-Section Scheduled

I have officially scheduled the birth of my baby girl. It is strange to say that, but also nice to know when it will happen and to plan for it (and count down the days, hours, minutes...). Of course, things don't always go as planned, but I am scheduled 5 days before my official due date, so I doubt very much that I will go into labor ahead of time.

So, we are scheduled for November 3rd at 7:30am! That also happens to be my birthday, so Happy Birthday to me! I had a choice between the 3rd and the 4th and figured, why not have the same birthdays? If they are one day apart, we would still celebrate at the same time anyway, so I might as well bless (curse) my daughter with my birthday. I think it's kind of cool. I hope she doesn't mind!

Coming to the decision about doing a c-section was a little harder than picking the due date. I considered doing a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). However, there are some risks involved and my doctors thought that I had a low chance of it actually happening that way because of how it went last time. I never dilated past 8cm. They don't know if that is because the cord was around Maddie's neck, or if I just don't have room for a baby to come through my pelvis, or a combination of factors. My doctor said he is an aggressive vbac-er and still was leaning towards the c-section. If I go with the c-section, the risks to the baby are minimal and are higher for me. If I go with a vbac, the risks to the baby are higher. I don't want to risk anything with the baby so feel more comfortable with the c-section. Also, last time, we went through an entire night of Maddie having heart decelerations and my blood pressure dropping very low, and I definitely do not want to go through that again. If I did go the vbac route, I can't be induced. Which means no pitocin and I would have to progress through labor naturally which could take a long time, then end up with a c-section anyway. I don't want to be utterly exhausted when I finally have this baby. I was so tired and worn out by the time Maddox was born, I could barely keep my eyes open in recovery to hold him the first time and breastfeed him, it was not fun. I also feel that I don't remember as much as I wish I did. I am hoping I will be much more alert and involved this time and will have the strength to recover more quickly.

Getting a c-section is major surgery and not much like giving birth the old fashioned way. But, I am determined to make it as wonderful an experience and closer to the regular way as I can. I have asked the doctor to make sure that I get some time with my baby after she is born. Last time, I only saw him for a few minutes and they sent Rudy to recovery. I want to spend the whole time in there with Rudy and my baby, not alone! I also want to see her right as she is being born. So, they will let me watch the c-section - as much as I want! Yikes! My doc said he has put up a mirror before to allow the mom to see it all. I don't think I want to do THAT, but I am going to have them lower the curtain so I can see more of what is going on. I want to see them pulling the baby out and watch her cry for the first time, etc. I missed it all last time, I only heard. I probably won't be able to watch the entire surgery or anything, although Rudy did watch the whole thing last time, ick! I am a little squeamish when it comes to myself and blood and all that, but I think I can handle a little bit of it to see my baby! We'll see how I feel that day I suppose.

I am in the home stretch, but am full on miserable. My back hurts every day now and the nerve pain in the front is back. It is exacerbated by the baby liking to hang out on the right side with her feet up in my ribs right where the nerve pain is. I am sore all over and some days can't walk too good. I also have heartburn which I didn't have last time. But, I am taking it one day at a time. Only 21 more days, 3 weeks of work, 3 more weekends to get ready, won't be long now. I can't wait!

Labor day fun

Maddox loves his new snowsuit!

Riding a tractor on the apple farm!

Maddox loves to wear our shoes around, so funny!

Sizing up his cousin Eva...

The two little cuties tolerating each other...

We had some visitors from Texas this past weekend. My brother, Aaron, his wife Shannon and Maddie's cousin Evangeline stopped for 2 nights on their way back home from a road trip to Michigan. They were visiting family in Michigan and came through Chicago on their way back to Texas. It was a great visit and Maddox got to play and get to know Eva. She is almost 4 months older than Maddox, but they still had fun playing. She loved to hug and kiss him, although he wasn't that into it. He will kiss and hug his Mama and Dada all day long, but he is not ready for hugging and kissing others apparently! We hit the Last Fling in Naperville - just went to the family funland where they played outdoors for a while. I was having major back pain on Sat, so didn't last long out and about. It was a short, but fun visit and we hope to see them again soon!

On Sunday we went shopping and got Maddox some fall/winter clothes and also found him a new snowsuit! We couldn't resist trying it on when we got home, he looks so funny waddling around in it. The snowsuit is from Hanna Anderssen and was on sale, can't beat that! We also found a fleece bunting/snowsuit thing for the baby too there, but have to go back to get it as we noticed it on our way out. Since they gave me a coupon for my next purchase, that's what I'll be buying! Maddox got a few pairs of pants, shirts and socks from the Gap. We are pretty set on pants for winter, but he could use some more shirts, sweaters, a sweatshirt and pajamas. He also will need some snow boots so he can play outside this winter! Shopping for kids clothes is fun, but can get expensive. I think I am going to have too much fun shopping for our baby girl, although I am sure I will spend more money. Boys clothes are easy, buy some pants and tops and then mix and match. Girls have outfits and dresses and hair bows and tights, etc. etc.

On Labor day we went to an Apple Orchard out west, didn't pick any apples, but ate lots of apple cider donuts and drank apple cider! Maddox got to horse around on the baby tractors, he seemed to like it! It was a pretty nice, relaxing weekend, but too short!

Other random things going on - Maddox got another haircut. We went a lot shorter this time because his hair was growing so fast. Left it long in the front, but added lots of layers and cut it short on the sides and back. It looks pretty cute, but it's so straight it just hangs down straight. I have to put gel in it to style it all cool, but haven't bothered to try that out yet. Looks like I am going to have to add haircuts to the budget for this guy!

I have 8 weeks to go... Seems short, but so long. I am ready to be done. Being pregnant is hard work! I am definitely feeling a LOT better in terms of my back than last time, but I still have bad days where my back is killing me at the end of the day. I also have other aches and pains, mostly in my hips and groin area - lots of pressure. I get up from my chair at work sometimes and can hardly walk, I basically look like and old crippled woman hobbling around. Oh well, it's worth it! I am working on scheduling my c-section and will update more about that later.