Thursday, May 31, 2012
Nursery
I'm just now getting to posting pictures of Lu's nursery. Oh well, at least there is one accessory that wouldn't have been there a few weeks ago if I'd posted then.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Memorial Day Weekend
We had a great Memorial Day Weekend! Friday night we had our usual condo routine, which Z was thrilled about! This little girl seems to like the condo too.
Then Saturday, we took our little ones to the mall and had burgers at Riff Burger. Yum! The mall makes mama happy, especially when the kids were just as happy! Sunday, our friends, the Mukhtar's came over with their girls. Lu slept through most of the visit, so she doesn't yet realize that these girls are going to be her pals one day. It was great to see them, and then we went and met my parents at Pita Stop.
The timing for this holiday worked so well for us, because Nick got one more day off of work to hang out with us! We got up on Monday and went back to the condo to let Z have some pool time. He had a lot of fun, and we all took a nice nap when we got home.
That night we went to our ol' trusty Superior Grill. Once I covered the carrier and kept the air from blowing on her, Lu was fast asleep in the restaurant, another successful outing and a fabulous weekend!
Then Saturday, we took our little ones to the mall and had burgers at Riff Burger. Yum! The mall makes mama happy, especially when the kids were just as happy! Sunday, our friends, the Mukhtar's came over with their girls. Lu slept through most of the visit, so she doesn't yet realize that these girls are going to be her pals one day. It was great to see them, and then we went and met my parents at Pita Stop.
The timing for this holiday worked so well for us, because Nick got one more day off of work to hang out with us! We got up on Monday and went back to the condo to let Z have some pool time. He had a lot of fun, and we all took a nice nap when we got home.
That night we went to our ol' trusty Superior Grill. Once I covered the carrier and kept the air from blowing on her, Lu was fast asleep in the restaurant, another successful outing and a fabulous weekend!
Comparisons
I can't help but compare Lu to Z and how he was at this time, not to mention how they look! The very first thing I thought when she entered the world was how much she looked like him. But, so far, their demeanor and preferences couldn't be more different. Lu is relatively chill. She likes to sleep on her back, which judge me if you want to, but Z would only sleep on his stomach. He loved to be held and rocked, and sometimes she just wants to be put down. This has been the most surprising to us so far. Sometimes we just look at her sleeping on her back in the bassinet and look at each other, like "What?! Is this our child?"
She also seems to be a much more efficient eater. She usually nurses for about 30 minutes, where Z would go for an hour sometimes longer. I guess she's fallen into her second child role already!
So far, she does pretty well in the car too, and we have taken her to all kinds of places with relatively no objection from her. I think we've been out to eat about 5 times and we've even taken her to the mall! I can't tell you how many times we had to bail with Z, because he would scream his head off on outings. As long as she is warm, she is pretty content.
She is only 2 weeks old, so I'm sure this could and will change, but so far this little princess has been pretty low maintenance.
She also seems to be a much more efficient eater. She usually nurses for about 30 minutes, where Z would go for an hour sometimes longer. I guess she's fallen into her second child role already!
She is only 2 weeks old, so I'm sure this could and will change, but so far this little princess has been pretty low maintenance.
2 Weeks Old!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Hospital Stay
Our hospital stay was thankfully pretty uneventful. The Labor and Delivery room and nurses were really great! There was all this natural sunlight coming through these huge windows in the room and everyone was very sweet and attentive. My hospital has a brand new women's center, and I was pretty excited to take advantage of that. When I got transferred to my recovery room, I was a little less impressed. I think they have gotten too big too fast and didn't have enough people to cover all the patients. There were several times when we would ask for things and the nurse would act like she couldn't be bothered to help. I should be thankful that I didn't need much attention, and I'm sure there were probably other women there that needed more. I just had a wonderful experience with the nurses and facility for that matter with Z, so I guess I just expected the same or better this time.
We were strongly encouraged to room in with her, even at night. People, that was not so easy. Lu is a sweet baby, but she was a little less so in her first days. Looking back, it was great though, because we totally bonded, and sometimes it can be hard to bond when you are in the hospital and there are people coming in and out of your room taking the baby and checking your vitals all the time. Sleep was a little tricky, but we managed.
As I mentioned earlier, I went into labor Wednesday morning. Of course my mom and Nick were there for the birth itself, then my mom left while we got settled in our room and my dad came up from Sylacauga and picked up Z on his way. My brother came, and Nick then went and got his parents from the airport. So all of our family were there by Wednesday night. After Z got his present, Nick's parents took him to get "chicken n fries" and home to go to bed. We are so thankful they were there to take such good care of Z while we were in the hospital and after! We couldn't have done it without them! My dad hung out with us that night for a while, then there were three for the evening. The next day was very chill. We hung out with Lu, relaxed, and took a couple of walks around the hall (that was the main event). Nick's parents brought Z over again for a bit, and then, our dear friends the Gambino's came and brought us Taziki's. After a day and a half of hospital food, that was the most delicious gyro I had ever had! It was perfect and so good to talk with them about something other than babies!
We went home the next day around lunchtime, and we were so relieved to have gotten through the hospital stay and be taking our little girl home! There is something special about that time, but we were glad when it was over!
We were strongly encouraged to room in with her, even at night. People, that was not so easy. Lu is a sweet baby, but she was a little less so in her first days. Looking back, it was great though, because we totally bonded, and sometimes it can be hard to bond when you are in the hospital and there are people coming in and out of your room taking the baby and checking your vitals all the time. Sleep was a little tricky, but we managed.
As I mentioned earlier, I went into labor Wednesday morning. Of course my mom and Nick were there for the birth itself, then my mom left while we got settled in our room and my dad came up from Sylacauga and picked up Z on his way. My brother came, and Nick then went and got his parents from the airport. So all of our family were there by Wednesday night. After Z got his present, Nick's parents took him to get "chicken n fries" and home to go to bed. We are so thankful they were there to take such good care of Z while we were in the hospital and after! We couldn't have done it without them! My dad hung out with us that night for a while, then there were three for the evening. The next day was very chill. We hung out with Lu, relaxed, and took a couple of walks around the hall (that was the main event). Nick's parents brought Z over again for a bit, and then, our dear friends the Gambino's came and brought us Taziki's. After a day and a half of hospital food, that was the most delicious gyro I had ever had! It was perfect and so good to talk with them about something other than babies!
We went home the next day around lunchtime, and we were so relieved to have gotten through the hospital stay and be taking our little girl home! There is something special about that time, but we were glad when it was over!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Bath
Lu has one thing in common with Z, she really likes bath time. Especially when we wash her hair and rub her little head
Play Time!
After a particularly rough night, we decided we need a 'plan' for Lu's sleep. I know she's just a week old, but we always feel better if we have a plan. So, we have decided to give her some alert wake time during the day to try and train her to be sleepier at night. First up, playmat. Verdict: she already seems to like it!
I almost don't want to say this because it's so early and I know things can change, but so far, we haven't had to do as much soothing to keep Little Miss calm. She's been a pretty good eater and doesn't really cry much unless she is hungry. Her little voice is so sweet and soft. She's already a girly girl!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Lujayn's Birth Story
TMI Alert: There may be portions of this post that are not suitable for the those not wanting excruciating birth details including bodily fluids and or pain descriptions.
I love a good birth story, and I thought I better write this stuff down before it feels like ancient history (already kinda does). Z was 10 days early, so I was pretty sure she was going to be early too. I actually thought she would be earliER so all my preparations were based on that assumption. When that didn't happen, I started to think she could be on her own schedule. Anyway, as we all know, there is no knowing when your baby is going to come, he or she decides that. So, all was set for me to be induced on Monday, May 21, and I had changed my work schedule all around so that I could work through Wednesday the 16th, then have the rest of the week and weekend to ready myself and be at the hospital bright and early Monday morning. Then, Wednesday at 4 a.m. Miss Lu decided to impose her own plan.
I woke up to go to the bathroom (as I have been every night since this pregnancy began) and when I got back into the bed, I felt a little something watery. It was not a dramatic burst as I had with Z, but since I had just gone to the bathroom, I knew it was different. So, I went back to the bathroom to check it out and also found a little blood. At that point, I was convinced the process was starting but had no idea how it was going to progress from there. I had no more major water leaking and really no contractions, so I decided I was going to try and sleep a little more. Then, about 45 minutes or an hour later the contractions started and were about 10 or 15 minutes apart. Try sleeping through that. Not gonna happen. When I had Z, I never really had painful contractions until I was at the hospital on the pitocin, but it came back to me real quick and I knew exactly what they were.
Incidentally, when I got up the second time, Nick woke up and asked what was going on. He's been on labor alert for weeks now ever since I woke up in the middle of the night sick. I told him "I don't know, but I think the baby is coming today." He didn't get too excited, reminded me that women have false alarms all the time and to sleep and we'll see in the morning.
Well, I didn't, but I did manage to stay in bed until about 6, when I decided I was going to prep myself like I was going to the prom. I remembered with Z wishing I had clipped my toenails, shaved, had a fresh shower, etc. So, I didn't waste a minute. When I got out of the shower, I was halfway across the floor and realized I was bleeding, more evidence that today would have to be the day. We were getting all of our stuff together and Nick was thinking we'd take Z to school and go into the office for a few hours then see what happens (I was thinking I wasn't going anywhere bleeding and having contractions every 10 to 15 minutes). I called the on-call doctor and she said to go ahead and come into the office to let them check everything first. So, we decided to pack up, get Z ready for school and head over to the doctor. Nick then realized that nobody was going to the office that day.
Another side note: I had told Nick to have his parents come in on Wednesday the 16th weeks ago. I just thought that would probably be a good day with how I felt the pregnancy was progressing at that time. Also, my mom startingbugging begging me on Monday to please have the baby Wednesday and that it would be sooo good for her. Haha. She was the first person I called when I realized it was happening and she totally freaked. She even said I could have called her at 4 a.m. that she would have had 2 more hours of joy if I had!
Okay, back to the story. So, we got some pictures including this one mid-contraction, taken by Faris who was on baby watch, but also our resident photographer.
And we headed to Z's school attempting to be normal even though I was clearly in labor. I was just having to pause every little bit to get through contractions.
When we got to the doctor's office, she checked me and said I was definitely ready and was already 80% and 3cm! She sent us straight to L&D and finally Nick was convinced this really was it!
I was admitted by 9:30, called my mom to come, and nurse started my IV and paperwork. We started the pit (which I didn't even think I would be getting, but oh well) at around 10:30 or so, and the contractions started getting real. I was kinda excited that The View was on and my spirits were high despite the pain.
They checked me again around 12 and I was a 5 borderline 6 and 90 or 95%, so they said it was epidural time, woohoo! Last time the epidural changed my whole demeanor, but truthfully I was already in good spirits, so the epidural was just icing on the baby cake. The epidural was very different this time too. It definitely worked but I could still feel some tightness every so often. At around 1, I was feeling some major pressure way low. I told my nurse that, and she said the baby was just dropping. Yeah, girl she's dropping right out of there is what I wanted to say. The other nurse came in and said well let's just check her again, because they weren't supposed to officially check me for another 30 minutes. The she's just dropping nurse checked first and was really confused. She reported that I was probably about a 7, but clearly wasn't sure what was going on. Then the other nurse checked and her eyes got really really big and she said (what I knew) that I was 10 and 100% and the baby was about +1. She also informed the other nurse that she was feeling the baby's head. Now, we were ready to push (duh, people).
I had a little pump for an epidural bolus and went back and forth about pushing it, then we ended up doing it, and I was still feeling some, but the nurse assured me that I wouldn't be pushing long, so I decided to proceed. I actually liked being able to feel the baby as she was coming out and felt immediate relief when she was delivered. It was like I let out a huge breath that I had been holding for about 6 months!
I started pushing around 1:15 and Nick guessed the baby would be here by 1:30, which we all thought was ambitious but she did arrive at 1:38. I had a couple of prep pushes then I could feel her coming at which point the nurse literally held her in while we waited on the doctor. I had always heard that you get that urge to push, but I never understood it until that point. It was really neat.
All in all, it was a very low-key experience and quite different than it was with Z. I'm in love with this baby girl and so thankful that she arrived safely!
I love a good birth story, and I thought I better write this stuff down before it feels like ancient history (already kinda does). Z was 10 days early, so I was pretty sure she was going to be early too. I actually thought she would be earliER so all my preparations were based on that assumption. When that didn't happen, I started to think she could be on her own schedule. Anyway, as we all know, there is no knowing when your baby is going to come, he or she decides that. So, all was set for me to be induced on Monday, May 21, and I had changed my work schedule all around so that I could work through Wednesday the 16th, then have the rest of the week and weekend to ready myself and be at the hospital bright and early Monday morning. Then, Wednesday at 4 a.m. Miss Lu decided to impose her own plan.
I woke up to go to the bathroom (as I have been every night since this pregnancy began) and when I got back into the bed, I felt a little something watery. It was not a dramatic burst as I had with Z, but since I had just gone to the bathroom, I knew it was different. So, I went back to the bathroom to check it out and also found a little blood. At that point, I was convinced the process was starting but had no idea how it was going to progress from there. I had no more major water leaking and really no contractions, so I decided I was going to try and sleep a little more. Then, about 45 minutes or an hour later the contractions started and were about 10 or 15 minutes apart. Try sleeping through that. Not gonna happen. When I had Z, I never really had painful contractions until I was at the hospital on the pitocin, but it came back to me real quick and I knew exactly what they were.
Incidentally, when I got up the second time, Nick woke up and asked what was going on. He's been on labor alert for weeks now ever since I woke up in the middle of the night sick. I told him "I don't know, but I think the baby is coming today." He didn't get too excited, reminded me that women have false alarms all the time and to sleep and we'll see in the morning.
Well, I didn't, but I did manage to stay in bed until about 6, when I decided I was going to prep myself like I was going to the prom. I remembered with Z wishing I had clipped my toenails, shaved, had a fresh shower, etc. So, I didn't waste a minute. When I got out of the shower, I was halfway across the floor and realized I was bleeding, more evidence that today would have to be the day. We were getting all of our stuff together and Nick was thinking we'd take Z to school and go into the office for a few hours then see what happens (I was thinking I wasn't going anywhere bleeding and having contractions every 10 to 15 minutes). I called the on-call doctor and she said to go ahead and come into the office to let them check everything first. So, we decided to pack up, get Z ready for school and head over to the doctor. Nick then realized that nobody was going to the office that day.
Another side note: I had told Nick to have his parents come in on Wednesday the 16th weeks ago. I just thought that would probably be a good day with how I felt the pregnancy was progressing at that time. Also, my mom starting
Okay, back to the story. So, we got some pictures including this one mid-contraction, taken by Faris who was on baby watch, but also our resident photographer.
And we headed to Z's school attempting to be normal even though I was clearly in labor. I was just having to pause every little bit to get through contractions.
When we got to the doctor's office, she checked me and said I was definitely ready and was already 80% and 3cm! She sent us straight to L&D and finally Nick was convinced this really was it!
I was admitted by 9:30, called my mom to come, and nurse started my IV and paperwork. We started the pit (which I didn't even think I would be getting, but oh well) at around 10:30 or so, and the contractions started getting real. I was kinda excited that The View was on and my spirits were high despite the pain.
Mom arrived, latte in hand and dressed for the occasion
They checked me again around 12 and I was a 5 borderline 6 and 90 or 95%, so they said it was epidural time, woohoo! Last time the epidural changed my whole demeanor, but truthfully I was already in good spirits, so the epidural was just icing on the baby cake. The epidural was very different this time too. It definitely worked but I could still feel some tightness every so often. At around 1, I was feeling some major pressure way low. I told my nurse that, and she said the baby was just dropping. Yeah, girl she's dropping right out of there is what I wanted to say. The other nurse came in and said well let's just check her again, because they weren't supposed to officially check me for another 30 minutes. The she's just dropping nurse checked first and was really confused. She reported that I was probably about a 7, but clearly wasn't sure what was going on. Then the other nurse checked and her eyes got really really big and she said (what I knew) that I was 10 and 100% and the baby was about +1. She also informed the other nurse that she was feeling the baby's head. Now, we were ready to push (duh, people).
I had a little pump for an epidural bolus and went back and forth about pushing it, then we ended up doing it, and I was still feeling some, but the nurse assured me that I wouldn't be pushing long, so I decided to proceed. I actually liked being able to feel the baby as she was coming out and felt immediate relief when she was delivered. It was like I let out a huge breath that I had been holding for about 6 months!
I started pushing around 1:15 and Nick guessed the baby would be here by 1:30, which we all thought was ambitious but she did arrive at 1:38. I had a couple of prep pushes then I could feel her coming at which point the nurse literally held her in while we waited on the doctor. I had always heard that you get that urge to push, but I never understood it until that point. It was really neat.
My dad got Z on his way over. He was more interested in his fruit snacks than his baby sister. Also, he got a battery powered Percy that pulls the other trains from his "baby sister" (really it was from Nana and Tata)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Family Pictures
Through all the craziness, I tried really hard to get some pictures of our little growing family. Here's the best we got.
Last picture as a family of 3!
Big brother checking baby out
Smiles and a wink
Happy to be going home!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Not Starting at the Beginning
I'm really not sure where I can start or how much time and energy I have at the moment, but I'm going to try with what I have and we'll see what happens. Lujayn is doing very well, thank God, and so am I. Many aspects of my labor and recovery experience were much easier this time (good news for you second time pregos out there) and some a little harder, but I will get into that later. Where we are now is Lu is glowing both from the jaundice and the bili-blanket she is wearing (really it's wearing her) at this moment. Her bilirubin was a little elevated on our discharge day, so a home health nurse met us at home when we arrived with a bili-bed, a little platform that's lit with a special light that allows the baby to break up the bilirubin and get rid of it quicker that she's supposed to lay on. That's great in theory, in theory...
She spent a good hour with us literally from the second we walked in the door saying that the baby would have to be on this bed at all times unless she is being fed. And guys, let me tell you, this is not a baby you can feed and lay down and not expect to hear from her about 2.5 seconds later. It was a lot to take in, so hormonal over here got a little emotional. Don't worry, I pulled it together (eventually) and we managed (thanks to my very proactive father and husband) to get the glowing pad that travels with her so we don't have to fight with that stupid bed anymore.
Her levels are already down a little bit (they were mostly worried they were going to go up more), and her weight was really good. She was 6'5" at birth, 5'13" the next night, and this morning she was back up to 6'2" yay!
Here's our little baby radiating light, literally.
So far today, she is like a different baby, calm, satisfied, and settled. I think she sensed my anxiety over the stupid light bed and she was reflecting it or it could be that my milk came in last night because our feedings are going a lot better too. All in all things are looking up. Oh, she also had her first bath, and while she didn't love it at first, once we started going on that hair, she was in heaven!
This pic reminds me of this one of Z (also a little jaundice baby). Here we go with the comparisons.
Well, that's all for now.
She spent a good hour with us literally from the second we walked in the door saying that the baby would have to be on this bed at all times unless she is being fed. And guys, let me tell you, this is not a baby you can feed and lay down and not expect to hear from her about 2.5 seconds later. It was a lot to take in, so hormonal over here got a little emotional. Don't worry, I pulled it together (eventually) and we managed (thanks to my very proactive father and husband) to get the glowing pad that travels with her so we don't have to fight with that stupid bed anymore.
Her levels are already down a little bit (they were mostly worried they were going to go up more), and her weight was really good. She was 6'5" at birth, 5'13" the next night, and this morning she was back up to 6'2" yay!
Here's our little baby radiating light, literally.
So far today, she is like a different baby, calm, satisfied, and settled. I think she sensed my anxiety over the stupid light bed and she was reflecting it or it could be that my milk came in last night because our feedings are going a lot better too. All in all things are looking up. Oh, she also had her first bath, and while she didn't love it at first, once we started going on that hair, she was in heaven!
This pic reminds me of this one of Z (also a little jaundice baby). Here we go with the comparisons.
Well, that's all for now.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Baby!
Baby Day
It's here! We are heading to L&D now per doctor's orders! God-willing Lu will be here today some time! Please keep us all in your prayers!
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, May 14, 2012
Still Here
I am now 10 days out from my due date and no baby. I don’t even feel like she wants to come out. She (and I) seems pretty content. I had my 38 week check on Friday and the baby is still high and I’m a little more dilated (1.5 cm), but still about 60% effaced. We went ahead and scheduled an induction for Monday, May 21, which works great for exactly one person, me. I say that because my parents will be out of town Monday-Wednesday and my in-laws, who will be in town, will have been here for several days waiting. I am already here at work today when I had planned not to be. So, that’s the plan. I hope she’ll be ready by then. It’s only a few days from her due date, and I’m kinda looking forward to having a set date that I can plan around, but part of me is anxious about pushing her to get here when she may not be ready.
My theory is that I am not desperate enough. When I was pregnant with Z, I had a total breakdown the morning before what ended up being his birthday. I mean, full on, I’m ready for this baby to be here, I’m getting tired of being pregnant breakdown. I do NOT feel that way at all this time. I feel like I could do this for another month or so. I’m sure it’s because I know what’s coming, labor, recovery, sleepless nights, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to meet this sweet baby, and I pray every day that she will be healthy and arrive safely, I just know that once she’s in the world, that’s it, there’s no going back.
So, that’s where we are, content happy in the belly, 3 weeks, no change.
We did some work this weekend on the nursery (pictures coming). We also got and installed our video monitor. Y’all, this thing is amazing! We got an extra camera for Z’s room, and I could not stop watching him. We knew he didn’t go right to sleep when we put him down at night and for naps, but were never really sure what he was doing until now. We watched him get books out and turn pages, pretend to read, sing, and what I thought was the funniest, he kept sticking his leg in and out of the covers as he finally settled in for his nap. I can NOT wait to spy on Lu like every day of her little life! How did we ever function without this thing?!
We enjoyed lots of downtime and celebrated Mother’s Day at Carrabba’s on Saturday night. I have been having a blast with my new camera lens too, and I think I got it just in time.
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