A look back...

Getting a new nursery ready for Baby Abbigail has got me doing a lot of looking back at when we were doing the same thing for Arabella. Yesterday while she napped, I looked back through all her baby pictures...and was amazed at just how little she was when we brought her home! Here'a a look back at how Bella got here!

I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00a.m. to be induced- a week late, mind you. She was in no hurry to come out! At 5:30 a.m. a nurse called and said that due to an influx of laboring women during the night, there was no room at the inn! That was frustrating, it's no like you can just go back to sleep! Finally at 10 a.m. they called and said to come on, they were cleaning a room for us. We got there at 10:30, and the floor in my room was still wet from being mopped! Two nurses got me by the arms, put towels under their feet, and scooted me safely to my bed!
They started me on an IV of Potocin at about 11. When Dr. Box came to check me at about 12:30, he decided to break my water even though I wasn't dilated at all. So out comes this big blue crochet hook thing...kind of intimidating! It didn't really hurt though, just incomfortable and lots of pressure.
Once he broke my water I started feeling those contractions! They got steadily worse through the afternoon as I slowly -slowly- dilated. Kenneth was great, he didn't leave my side the whole day. He didn't even eat, because I couldn't. He watched every contraction on the monitor with me. And every time I had one he would say ,"Is that one hurting?" It's funny now, I know he was trying to be supportive, but finally I pointed at the monitor and said, "If that number goes over 70, it hurts, okay?!!" Seriously, it's not like any of them tickle!
I got my epidural at 4:45 p.m. It was a piece of cake! Actually it went so well, once they got me layed back down I was about to panic thinking "it didn't work!". Then Kenneth said, "Hey, you're having a big contraction!" and I was like, "I am?"
We pretty much just hung out in the room with my mom for the next several hours as I slowly progressed. Towards midnight I started feeling lots of pressure down really low, and when the nurse checked at midnight, I was fully dilated. She asked me if I wanted to try pushing and I said, "Sure!" It was surprising, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. I was ready to do it, and tired of laying in that bed!
So she whipped out the stirrups and taught me to push. I'll pass along this advice to anyone having a baby- yes, it's awkward and modesty must go out the window, but my labor nurse told me this- "Honey, the closer you can get your knees to your ears, the better it will go!"
We pushed several times until the baby's head was crowning. Kenneth got kind of fidgety, and finally asked her, "Are you going to get someone in here to help you deliver this baby?" She got a kick out of that! All that pushing did make me get nauseous, even though I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours at this point. So mom put a washcloth on my head and Kenneth held a bowl under my chin...I was gagging so hard my eyes were watering, and I remember being so afraid the nurses would think I was crying! I remember saying, "I'm not crying! I'm just gagging!" Like they've never seen a woman cry in labor, but anyway!
Once Bella's head was fully crowned, the labor nurse paged the rest of the team and here they all came, with a bassinet, oxygen, more nurses, and of course my hero, Dr Box! They got me a covered in drapes (which really makes it a little less awkward). I only pushed three or four times after Dr. Box got in the room, and suddenly there she was! Born at 12:51a.m.
I had always thought that when she was born, I would cry like a baby. But actually I had such a rush of adrenaline, and Kenneth and I were so busy watching them clean her up, I think we both just teared up a little. That, and I think Kenneth was a little freaked out that Dr. Box was sitting there sewing. Gotta love those 2nd degree episiotomies!
Anyway, they cleaned her up and let me hold her a minute, then Kenneth whisked her off to the nursery. The nurses brought us a couple of trays of food about 2:30a.m.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery. The epidural worked like a charm, the doctor and nurses were wonderful, and we had a beautiful little girl. The worst I can say about it is that it was a very long day.
And worth every minute!

Eat your heart out, Alpha moms!

We've all run in to them somewhere. Alpha moms. The women who have schedules, whose homes run like well-oiled machines, who dress their families in coordinating colors just to go out to eat. Women who iron, for crying out loud... We have one patient at our office who comes to mind. Whenever it's time to schedule an appointment for anyone in her family, out comes the planner. This thing is ginormous. It's the size of a five subject notebook, and she uses different color ink for different family members or activities. I honestly believe she cannot function without it.
Well, I have to admit, I'm a proud "Beta mom". My house is clean, but it is cluttered. There are toys scattered around the living room, regardless of how often I pick them up. The kitchen table always seems to have a stack of papers on it. We throw things in the dryer to get wrinkles out, and only iron in the direst of circumstances. I have been know to show up at church without wipes and have to bum a few from another (beta) mom. The laundry basket is always full of clean laundry that never quite makes it into the drawers. I've been know to vacuum the living room but not bother with the bedrooms 'cause we aren't in there much. There are usually clean dishes piled in the sink from my last effort at home cooking, 'cause I haven't gotten them put away yet.
Why confess such domestic sins? Because I've learned to live with myself! It used to drive me nuts that I wasn't organized within an inch of my life. But then I realized that in three years of marraige and two years of motherhood, none of us have ever gone hungry, or been without clean clothes (wrinkled a bit, maybe, but clean!).
Hey, I must not be doing too bad! Beta moms of the world, rejoice! :-)

A busy day during which I accomplished very little...

So, I had psyched myself up that today I was going to get lots of things done: doctor's visit, clean house, and most of all, get started on Abby's nursery.

Lets clarify that last one. The room that will be Abby's nursery currently holds a twin bed, book case, computer desk, my piano, a filing cabinet, and my ironing board. In the closet are all my Sunday dresses, my shoes, my sewing machine, and an assortment of purses, wrapping paper, etc. You get the picture. Before I can do anything, all this has to go, and today I was going to get a great start on it.

As they say, the best laid plans...

Here's what I actually got done:

Doctor's visit: everything was fine. My blood pressure was 102/65, which is freakishly low for some people but actually a tiny bit above my usual of 90/65! Baby's heart sounded good, and I've gained another 5lbs! Thank you, appetite!

Mild housework: I did sweep and mop the kitchen floor, dust, do a couple loads of laundry, and wash the dishes.

Next was Bella's nap time. This is when I can usually get the most done, and when I had intended to really go to town cleaning out Abbys room. Instead, Abby decided to suck all mommy's energy out of her, and I ended up having a nice nap on the couch instead!

After nap time I played outside with Bella for a few minutes, then mom came over and we all went out to eat, then stopped at the mall and Wally World.

We did manage to get the piano relocated. So technically I did start on the nursery. GO ME.

In an aside, let me just say that Bella is the best thing ever. She is jabbering every breath now, and can say pretty much whatever she wants. We have the silliest conversations you can imagine.

This morning I went for a Level II ultrasound of the new baby. Level II just means a more in depth ultrasound, they measure lots of things to make sure they are growing at the right rate, also check for birth defects such as club foot and things like that.

It was great getting to see Abby, she was wiggling around a little bit, then all of a sudden stuck her thumb in her mouth! It was so sweet, luckily the ultrasound tech got a picture!

The doctor said everything looked fine and she is just where she should be at this point in the pregnancy. I will have an appointment at the end of this month with Dr. Anand, a pediatric cardiologist. She will do a fetal echocardiogram and really inspect Abby's heart to make sure she did not inherit my heart defect. She did the same procedure when I was pregnant with Bella.

Anyway, we are moving right along! I am trying to get Bella ready to be a big sis, and ask her if she is going to help mommy take care of baby Abby- right now she says yes!