Complete

Throughout this pregnancy I knew I would delivery early and the question was just how early I would be. At one point one of the OB nurses had me a bit freaked out thinking I wouldn't even make it to 36 weeks. I knew once I hit 36 that we would be okay--SkyWalker was born at exactly 36 weeks, Chewie was 36 and a few days. We never needed any NICU time and they were both healthy. The idea of going before 36 weeks was scary. So was the idea of going to 40 weeks. Once we made it past 36 I breathed a sigh of relief. Once we made it past 37 weeks it was even better--but also more nerve wracking thinking that I would go into labor at any minute.

I went to my 37 week checkup and described my symptoms (in the take your blood pressure & weight waiting room) to my former OB who confirmed I was in labor and then saw my current OB who did an internal exam... and discovered I was not even close to being dilated. Told me he'd see me the next week. I was shocked. I thought for sure I was in labor and I was upset that I didn't know my own body as well as I thought. I had even had Vader bring me to the doc just in case we had to be sent to the hospital. It was disappointing.

Then we went home. I laid on the couch while the kids made a giant mess. I felt worse and worse. By 5 pm I finally got the nerve to call my OB who kindly (but with obvious doubt) told me to go to the hospital and get checked out. He happened to be the OB on duty that night anyway. When we got to the hospital I was 2-3 cm dilated. I felt vindicated. I think had I been before 37 weeks they would have admitted me right away, but because I was actually considered "full term" they were more willing to wait. So they put me in a temporary room to see if I progressed. I did not. But because this was my fourth they decided to admit me anyway thinking that there was a very real possibility that I could go home and then not have enough time to get back to the hospital. I got a room and waited. And waited. We decided to get the epidural (back pain) since that always relaxed me enough to get fully dilated and to also break my water. I say we because I suggested it and the docs agreed. So that's what we did. Waited some more. I got to a 4-5 and then that was it. We all, docs included, thought the dilation would go so fast and it didn't. So they had to give me some pitocin. I made it to 7 and then noticed that I was feeling things. Now, the entire time I had the epidural I was able to pee in a bed pain. Which was unusual and should have been a clue that maybe it wasn't as high as I needed it, but I didn't have the back pain anymore so I wasn't complaining. Even as I started to feel the contractions my back remained okay. I was fully dilated pretty damn quick after that point and definitely feeling things I hadn't felt with any of my previous deliveries. But it was too late to get a refill on the epidural and I just wanted to be done. It was roughly 12 hours since we had first arrived at the hospital. It was 7 minutes from the time I was fully dilated to when I delivered. I'm not sure if I pushed all 7 minutes. I remember taking a brief break. My OB had to run in because I had started pushing without him and it was all over really quickly. I had DEFINITELY never felt that before. I was aware of everything. The pain was unbelievable. I didn't curse or cry but there was definite vocalization. I felt everything--his little nose as I pushed him out. The pain really was indescribable and wonderful. Amazing. In the end I'm glad it worked out that way. This was my last pregnancy, my last baby, and I was able to feel him come out.

There was no tearing, no stitches, no major trauma, no big swelling because the delivery had been so quick. The hardest part of the recovery was just from laying in the hospital bed for so long. Once my legs recovered--and my bowels decided to move--everything was okay. There was definite soreness but no major pain like in the past. My OB apologized to me after saying that he should have trusted me right away--always trust the Mama, he said--and that he was just amazed. That was nice.

18.5 inches long, 6 pounds 7 ounces at birth (my 2nd biggest baby). And while it seems the entire world has to keep saying how little he is, he is NOT considered low birth weight, and after having TWO babies in the 5 pound range, he looks pretty damn normal to me. His nickname here will be Lightrunner and those of you who know how to use google and know what his first name is can search for both and you'll know why. No real names or pictures so you'll have to accept my word that he is adorable and looks like his big brother.

We've all adjusted to our new little guy. Haze licks him any chance she gets, but otherwise has been her normal good self. I dreamt that Isaac was here to greet him and it was both incredibly realistic and yet obviously a dream because his skin was in great condition, he wasn't scratching or licking or barking. Waking up was both tremendously sad and not. It was like he was cured of all his ails and he came back to give his approval.

The rest of the jedi are very happy to have him home and if there was ever any doubt as to how many kids we should have it has been totally eradicated. It might be hard, we might not have as much money, my kids might not be perfectly behaved because I'm too busy taking care of a younger sibling, but we are *complete*.

In the zone

This is what I have been waiting for. 

Nine months, or, well, less, of vomiting and back aches and insecurities and vulnerability and no energy and it's all good because it leads me to this. I had a baby less than a week ago. I've packed up all my maternity clothes and put them back on the top shelf of the closet. Sure, I could use a girdle. I am awake and up before my children and dogs and husband and enjoying the private me time that I've needed the last 9 months but had no energy for. All I needed to do was have the baby. It's amazing how quickly I've settled into the old routine--feed baby, get up, pump, drink tea, go online, feed baby. I could barely drag myself out of bed before. And now that I have a newborn, my 3rd, and I'm up every couple of hours at night I find myself with energy and motivation that I forgot existed. Mostly motivation. I won't lie, I'm wicked ass tired by the time dinner time comes and I fell asleep watching Kung Fu Panda last night, but I am motivated in ways I haven't been in a long time. 

Last night the baby, who is in serious need of a nickname for this blog, fed at 12:30 and then not again until 5:10. I don't really want to go over 4 hours at night this soon but she's been pretty good about waking up at night to feed so I figured she knew best. And I did feed her just about every hour before we went to bed. She weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. When she came home on Thursday she was 5 pounds, 8 ounces (which was funny because SkyWalker was 5 pounds, 7 ounces when he was born). By Friday she dropped another 3 ounces. I've been waking her and feeding her every 2 hours during the day and at yesterday's weight check she was 5 lbs, 10 oz. I think I'm going to do every 2 hours until she gets to 6 pounds and then we'll get onto the 3-hour routine that I love so much. 

When you first change a low-birthweight baby's diaper you think there's no way you can do this without breaking a bone. It's almost too frightening to attempt. But this is not my first low-birthweight baby and not my smallest either so I was able to skip over that this time and see the benefits. I had SkyWalker first (obviously) so I've always felt that boys are easier to change than girls--sure there's more chance of getting shot with some errant urine, but there are fewer nooks and crannies for the explosive mustard poop to hide in. When I had the Princess it was ridiculous. I declared that girls are ridiculously hard to change. I hereby modify that to say that girls with chunky legs and fat rolls (i.e. normal ones) are hard. The low-birthweight baby girl is wicked easy. She does not have any fat anywhere in her nether regions. There's no poking around looking for the stray poop. 

She's doing well. I'm doing well. The older jedi are doing remarkably well with her. The dogs are behaving. Vader is home for another week or so. It's all good. And with that I am going to attempt a shower before the 7 am wake up call.

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Divine intervention

You know I've been ready for this baby for weeks if not months now. I had Vader put the infant car seat in last weekend. Everything was done. On Tuesday Vader miraculously fixed our garage door opener so we could have the van in the garage again. My BF, Shinesalot, and her son came for a visit on Tuesday and to spend the night. And although it was only going to be one night I was grateful for any time I could see her. We had a great time all day Tuesday and because SkyWalker was so comfortable with them so was the Princess. She acted like she had known my BF her entire life too. I looked forward to playing more on Wednesday before I had to take them to the train station.

And then my water broke.

Well, not quite then. Sometime shortly before 2 a.m. (why is it always in the wee hours of the morning when that happens?), I felt and heard a "pop." This is significant because at Sunday's Mom's Book Club at my house one of the moms talked about hearing and feeling a pop when her water broke. And I laughed because my water had never broken and I would rather have it done naturally than have it done by the doctor. So when I heard this pop, I said "Oh crap. No." Because on Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning really, I was only 36 1/2 weeks. I went to the bathroom and everything was fine so I thought "I'm so suggestive. It was probably just gas." I went back to bed. And then felt something shoot out of me and thought "that's weird". I went to the bathroom and saw that I was a bit wet and then that I was A LOT wet and said "Oh crap." By the time it actually all started coming out it was 2 a.m. 

On the ONE day of the year that my BF was sleeping in my house. 

Do you understand the significance of this?

My husband and I left for the hospital knowing that our sleeping children were in good hands in their own home. We had to go to a different hospital which sucked donkey ass but that's another blog post. Labor and delivery was rather uneventful and 6 hours later we had our new baby girl.* Born on Wednesday, June 3 at 8:01 a.m., she was just 2 days shy of 37 weeks, which I believe is considered full term. Not ideal, but full term. Don't tell that to the people at the hospital though who apparently enjoy saying the phrase "gestational age" a lot. Anyway, the absolute best part is that my BF was able to come to the hospital and hold my new baby girl and be a part of this for me again. And that could only be explained by divine intervention. 

*No, you're not getting pictures. That involves walking down the stairs and I'm not doing that yet. 

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Baby on the brain

The last week has just flown by. I feel like I close my eyes at night and days have passed by when I open them again. In reality it's just a mere few hours since I have to either pee or I wake myself up when I roll over onto my back. It is almost impossible for me to stay asleep on my side. The belly just moves the rest of me whether I want it to or not. 

The QTE has been going well. SkyWalker is getting used to it and even if he claims he doesn't need it, he is not fighting me on it. He plays with his toys in his room and as of yet he has not made any "destructive" messes--like pulling all the clothes out of the dresser or the sheets off his bed. The messes he makes are small and contained and clearly the result of him playing with his toys. And he's using his imagination a lot more. An added bonus is that he's watching TV a lot less since he would always want to watch something when the Princess was napping. The rest of the house is actually staying organized and clean. Okay, not necessarily clean, but straightened up. And even more important, I'm feeling more relaxed as the afternoon/evening goes on. I can handle the nonsense without feeling like I'm going to explode. I managed to turn his whining into laughing this evening and that was with only an hour of QT because we had a special visitor (one of my old library teens who has just graduated college and is this mature young woman now and just amazing). 

I got a lead on a mother's helper/babysitter from the BF and I finally called today. I had been hoping that my neighbor's kid was coming home from college but alas she did not. I scheduled a preliminary visit in a couple of weeks (next week is really busy) when I will need it most. 

I am 36 weeks today. When I was 36 weeks pregnant with SkyWalker I delivered him. ;-) When I was 36 weeks pregnant with the Princess I was on work bed rest and SkyWalker was in daycare so I was able to stay off my feet (and blog a lot--look at May 2007. It's funny.) I do not think bed rest is an option when I'm already home and I have 2 children who need things. I am quickly getting to the point when I will have to stop doing laundry because it's just too hard to bend. Emptying the dishwasher is a pain in the neck. Or back really. Next Thursday is my last night at work, which is good because I will probably start falling asleep driving home! 

Oh, driving! Yeah. This weekend we're doing the big car seat switcheroo. The booster seat is already in the back row of the van. SkyWalker's car seat has to come out. The Princess's car seat has to go where SkyWalker's is (behind the driver) and the infant car seat will go where the Princess's car seat is (behind the front passenger). I've been dreading moving SkyWalker all the way to the back and wanted to wait until we were close because I know how he is with routine and change and he likes to hold his sister's hand when we drive and yadda yadda yadda. Guess who told me on Wednesday that he wanted to sit in the booster seat? Just randomly said it. And sat there, buckled himself in (with a little help), unbuckled himself at the appropriate time, and smiled the entire way. I cannot believe that it worked out so well. When things are "his" idea it's so much easier. It was perfect timing. The Princess seems to be adjusting to not having him next to her. I think she will like it better when she is in the other spot because then she'll be able to look back at him (right now he is behind her). And I'm sure she will be distracted when the new baby comes and she won't be too lonely. She's going to be a pain in the neck getting in the car--she already is. If I'm too slow she'll jump up front, sit in my seat and say "I'm driving!" and refuse to come out. Once we move her she's going to have more time to get away. But once the new baby comes it will be easier for me to drag her out than it is now with my big fat womb. 

For the past 3 days I have had 64 ounces of water each day. Some friends made a pact to do "something" for 30 days in order to make it a habit. All sorts of different things. And since I really need the water now and will need it when I'm breastfeeding and am horrible about actually drinking enough, I chose to go with drinking water. I'm actually not peeing any more than I was before, which is kind of funny, and the BH contractions are not any less painful or frequent so I don't feel as bad for not having "enough" water before. At this point I think I'm going to be having these contractions no matter what I do and I just have to wait until this baby comes out. 

And here's a funny thought. I realized this morning that it was just LAST July that I stopped breastfeeding. And here I am about to start again. Yeah, I think we're going to have a bit more time between #3 and #4... 

And I officially have baby on the brain since I cannot type a paragraph without alluding in some way to the impending arrival of the latest jedi. It'll be over soon. I swear. 

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Baby product recommendations

This was supposed to be an e-mail for a particular person, but then I decided the whole world (yes, the whole world reads my blog) could benefit from my vast knowledge and expertise. 

When I was pregnant the first time I knew very little and did NO research when I went to register for my baby bath (no traditional shower for me. We had boys and booze). I therefore made A LOT of mistakes and wound up replacing things on my own later. I am sure that there are some people who are going to disagree with me, but I'm going to just say it anyway. For the most part Evenflo sucks. There, I said it. I hate my Evenflo stroller, Evenflo swing, Evenflo high chair, Evenflo breast pump, Evenflo pack n play. I LOVE my Graco Duo Glider stroller (I can't speak for the single ones out there) and the Graco pack n play I have is MUCH sturdier than the Evenflo I bought my MIL. I have found that Graco is much more reliable than the Evenflo products, but not everything I have is Graco. So, here are my specific recommendations:

1. Swing-- My best friend gave me her Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing when she moved to Texas. It is SO much nicer than my traditional Evenflo. It goes side to side as well as front and back and is really good for newborn infants as well as the older infant. I can't wait to use it from day 1 this time!

2. High Chair--I had such a hard time cleaning my old Evenflo. Food would get into the tiny crevices and it was just such a pain in the neck. Years later I finally bought the Fisher Price Space-Saver High Chair which fits right onto a regular chair and is so much easier to clean. It also converts to a booster seat. I'm not using it as one because I knew I'd need it as a high chair again. Instead I'm using the Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster seat (I'm starting to see a pattern that I swear I did not realize before!). I actually have two of these--one for the Princess at home and one I keep in my car for when we are out. Interesting side note--after the Princess started sitting in the booster seat and SkyWalker moved out of it we had a little back and forth over whether or not he needed one. I decided to buy a cheap one that would just give him a little extra height but not be as fancy as the one we have. Guess what? Buy cheap, and you get cheap. Very quickly we (I) decided he didn't need it at all and it is now sitting under our craft table where the baby dolls use it or it's used as a quick stool to see out the window. 

3. Car seats--I originally had the Evenflo infant car seat (part of travel stroller system) for SkyWalker. When I was pregnant with the Princess Consumer Report had that controversial car seat issue and the Evenflo did not do so well. I think the report was later retracted, but I had already been thinking of getting a different infant car seat. I knew I had to get the double stroller and was strongly thinking of the Graco Duo Glider and I don't think the evenflo seat would have fit in that. So I just got the whole travel system that came with the Graco Snugride infant car seat. Although I never had any real problems with the evenflo infant seat, the Graco did seem a bit nicer. 

I lucked out with the convertible car seat. I did no research and just picked out the Cosco Alpha Omega. When it was time for the Princess I did a TON of research and picked out... the Cosco Alpha Omega 3-in-1. I think there's an updated version now. It converts to a booster seat as well. 

For those wondering why you would have an infant seat AND a convertible seat (because those can also be placed backwards for infants), here's why: when your infant falls asleep in the car it is a MILLION times easier to pick up the removable infant seat from the base and put it into your travel stroller or bring it inside the house and the baby STAYS ASLEEP. Once you move to that convertible you have to take the baby out of the seat increasing the odds of it waking up. I don't care if you only use the infant seat for a few months because you have a big baby (I got 6-7 months out of it) it is WORTH it. 

A couple of months ago I was thinking about booster seats but SkyWalker is not 40 pounds yet. You've got to be 4 years and 40 pounds for most of the seats. A friend let me know about the ones with the backs-- 3 years and 30 pounds--and my problem was solved! I bought the Graco Turbo booster. It also converts to a backless booster for when your child weighs enough. So when SkyWalker is 10 he should be in it. I don't have him in it yet because the 5 point harness car seat is still the safest for him, and when he's in the booster he'll be in the BACK of the van. It's already in the car and he knows this, but we're not moving him until we need to (for those of you who know my van--SkyWalker will be in the back in the 3rd row all by himself, the Princess will move her car seat into his current position right behind the driver's seat, and #3 will be in the spot where she is now, behind the passenger seat and next to the automatic sliding door.)

4. Breastpump-- you CANNOT GO CHEAP. If you think you are going to breastfeed and will need to pump you need to get the best. And guess what? I still used my pump when I was working part time. I had the evilflo and used it for a couple of weeks when I realized that cheap is cheap. I bought the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. It was so much nicer and easier and more comfortable. And reliable. And I got better results. There might be an updated one now. I am hoping that this time around I can get away without pumping at work (it's only 1 night a week!) but I still plan on pumping every morning so I will definitely get my money's worth out of it. Remember when the Princess was born?

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I would even say that if you're not sure you'll breastfeed but you're going to try to get this pump anyway. You can always return it or sell it if it's not used. Keep it in the box and if breastfeeding is going well the first few days, open it up!

5. Bottles--I tried a few different bottles and for breastfeeding moms I really like the Avent ones. I don't know anything about formula feeding but I think there are different bottles that are best for that. The ones that really cut down on gas and whatnot. With breastfeeders the shape of the nipple is really important. And I would strongly recommend that you stay with the newborn nipple no matter how old your child is if you want to keep breastfeeding. Once you go to the older nipples with faster flows babies start to prefer that and it's hard for moms to keep up!

6. Monitors--we have a 2 story (actually 3 if you count the basement/office) house so we need good monitors. The Graco ones we had at first had too much static. I bought the Sony Baby Call Monitors and we still use them. As with all electronics there is occasional static or interference but much less with the Sony than we had with the Graco ones. We've been pretty happy with them. I don't use the monitor to hear my baby breathing. I turn it down low at night and actually keep it in the bathroom off of our room rather than my nightstand. We use them to hear crying we wouldn't normally hear or when I go outside with SkyWalker. If you have a one floor house and your baby's room is right next door, you may not even need a monitor. I just bought the Summer Video Monitor since #3 will be sharing a room with the climbing Princess. I don't think anyone actually *needs* a video monitor. I don't intend on staring at my infant sleeping... but with two in the room I really want to know if that cry in the middle of the night that I would ordinarily ignore is because of the Princess climbing in the crib or throwing things into it. I don't normally run up the stairs at the first cry... but if I can see that the Princess is screwing around... then I'll be running up the stairs. I will be honest, I have it set up now and it is WICKED cool being able to see if she is actually in her bed or if she's messing around in her room. I don't need to see the whites of her eyes but it's nice seeing her position. Particularly with the attic door right there. 

7. Co-Sleeper-- I LOVE the Arms Reach Sleigh Bed co-sleeper. I love it because I'm a breastfeeding mom who needs to feed every 2 or 3 hours for the first few weeks. I love it because it is attached to my bed but the baby is not IN my bed. There's a separation so there's no fear of rolling over or hurting the baby. And I particularly love the sleigh bed style because it is so crib like and I think it helps in the natural progression to the crib. You can also use it as a bassinet when you have the 4th side attached (instead of open and next to your bed). It's more expensive than I think the regular bassinets that most people have are but I just love it. I'm not even sure what brand my crib is... my mother bought it and we picked it out at the store together and it's just fine. I don't feel very strongly about cribs. I just trusted my mother. 

8. Bouncy seats--I don't have an actual bouncy seat. As in, it doesn't bounce. I have the Fisher Price Infant-to-toddler rocker (2 of them). It vibrates and that was GREAT for SkyWalker. It helped break up his gas. Right now both of them are in the living room as rockers and the Princess still likes to go and sit in one. She turns on the vibrations by herself and chills out for a minute or two. SkyWalker also likes to sit in it but usually when the two of them are pretending they are trains and they sit in front of one another and move them along the floor. I really hope that I can use one for the baby and not have to buy a third!

9. Walker-- I had a walker. SkyWalker was never big enough for it and I got rid of it. I am glad. Walkers are dangerous. I would go with a stationary exersaucer for keeping the baby occupied and then the Playskool Walk n Ride for helping the baby to walk. 

I'd love to hear what other moms would recommend as well! I know a couple of soon to be first-time moms who would benefit from all the info they can get.

Added 7:57 pm

I KNEW there was something I was forgetting!

10. Bumpers--The first time around I got the traditional bumper that matched the baby blanket (that wasn't used until well after a year old when the bumpers were off). I hated them. They got in the way of the drop side crib rail--I definitely need that rail because I am 5 feet 1 when I stretch--they were a pain when I changed the sheets. And SkyWalker would sleep with his little head shmushed against it. I didn't use them at all for the Princess. That was fine while she was swaddled (with a swaddle me blanket. Velcro is so much easier than trying to secure a regular blanket!) but once she wasn't she would get her legs and arms caught. This time around I have the new (to me) mesh bumpers.  They keep baby's limbs in the crib while allowing the baby to breathe through the mesh. I am also hoping that it will provide a little visual barrier so the baby is not staring at the Princess when he/she should be sleeping! It comes in two sections, one for the main part and one for the drop side rail. So much easier than the original one I had. And instead of a million little ties all over it has velcro at the edge. I loves it!

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Oh yes! Rumors!

SkyWalker is starting this rumor:

He has said more than once now that my sister was talking to herself about her wedding and a BABY. Hmmm.... He also suggested that my brother have a wedding and then a baby too. I told him that he already had a wedding. He seemed to think the wedding and baby happened simultaneously. My sister is getting married in 2 months... let's see...

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Ihadababyit'sagirl

Remember that commercial? For long distance I think, only it was Bob and the baby was a boy. Anyway, I shall spare you the gruesome details but confirm that I did indeed have a baby girl just 5 days ago. She, now known as "The Princess" in this vox, was born at 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday. 7 pounds, 4 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. When I went to the OB Tuesday morning (11:30 am) they confirmed what I had thought on Monday--that I was indeed in labor. I was already 4 cm dilated, 80% effaced whatever the hell that means and according to the doc who very Ungently checked my cervix, my membranes were "bulging". Alrighty then...

Long story short, around 3:30ish they ruptured my bulging membranes (and holy crap I did not realize what that meant. I would much much rather have my water break on its own than go through that again...), and I made it to 6 cm dilated before I got the epidural. I had asked for it at 5 cm because once again the pain went all to my back. And I'm sorry but I can't deal with back pain. So I called uncle, and had to wait because the lady in the room next to me had some kind of problems with her epidural. When it finally came the anesthesiologist kept saying what a strong back I had. It took us only 5 minutes. That was at 5:06 p.m. At 5:14 p.m. I was fully (10 cm) dilated. And after a few quick pushes out she came. I managed to do it without any tearing or episiotomy--and then they put her on me, cord attached, icky all over her and I didn't realize that the placenta was still coming out. And they didn't tell me. So instead of pushing I was trying to figure out how to politely say "Can you clean this baby now?". Oh, and there was the crying and being grateful for a healthy baby and a girl and all that. So I was distracted. And the damn placenta tore me! How could a placenta do that?? See, I knew my placenta still hated me. So my poor girlie bits are still sore and I still had to get stitches and it's a bitch.

She is doing very well, came out ready to eat, and is doing her favorite thing right now--sleeping. She sleeps a lot, unfortunately not so much at 3 am. But we're getting there. SkyWalker is doing WONDERFUL with her and loves her and pronounces her name right and wants to hug his "baby sister" all the time.

They are both waking from their naps right now. Aside from the normal tiredness and the uncomfortableness of stitches and not being able to poop easily, things are going swimmingly. Vader is being a huge help, as he should be, and I'm sure I'll be back on my feet in no time. :-)

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