Introducing Aubrey Claire

Alright, so it's been a long hiatus, but I promise this post will be worth the read.

Aubrey Claire was born June 30 at 41 weeks. Yep. 41 weeks. I swear she was holding out for fireworks on her birthday. My doctor's office won't let anyone go past a week overdue. I went in the day before my overdue date and they schedule an induction for the day I was officially a week overdue. We went in at 7 am on Tuesday, we didn't see the doctor on call until 8 am. He checked me and informed me it would be by pitocin/artificial rupturing of membranes. Not what I had wanted to hear. They said there was a possibility I would be a good candidate for gel...apparently I was not. I REALLY did not want to go through a pitocin birth again. Alas. We got into a room and they started me on pit around 8:45. I started out 2 1/2 cm dilated. By 4 1/2, I was ready to try out the whirlpool, as I was having horrible, horrible back labor and it was also making my hips hurt horribly. Walking the halls had thus far not helped much. I was in the tub for about half an hour before it stopped helping me any. We went back to the room and I tried sitting on a birthing ball and having Matthew rub my back between contractions (I don't typically like to be touched during labor-- so this was something new to him) and that didn't help much either. I broke down and asked for Nubain. BIG mistake. All it did was make me drowsy and I couldn't stay on top of the contractions one iota. I started begging for the darned epidural. Although I didn't go into the birth with my mind closed towards getting one, I certainly had hoped to do better than I was. I don't remember how many centimeters I was dilated by now (Matthew says 5 1/2), but it was around 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon when the anesthesiologist got it in. I was "lucky" to experience what they call a window. My right side was not as numbed as my left side and I was feeling the contractions to some degree in my right hip. Sometime before 5, the doctor finally came in to check on me and to break my water. It had already gotten a high leak in it (and by this point I was already a little over 9 cm. dliated), so they broke it the rest of the way and before half an hour passed, I was fully dilated and ready to push. I was DREADING them turning the pit off, as this is when I lost it with Hope's birth completely (which resulted in me refusing to push for half hour, a 4th degree episiotomy, and pushing for 4 1/2 hours---to say I was scared silly was an understatement). They turned the epidural off and I started feeling everything immediately. I started crying and getting *really* close to losing it. My doctor had a student with him (she actually is the one who delivered Aubrey) and she started trying to ask me questions about other things to take my mind off of it so I could calm down, then Dr. N joined in, then my mom, then Matthew....well, the other thing when I'm in labor? Don't expect me to talk. I don't want to answer questions, I don't want to let you know how I'm doing periodically. Just leave me alone. So I just said "I don't. Want. To. Talk." Hehe. They all started talking amongst themselves instead and then told me when it was time for me to start pushing. Well, I very quickly got control of myself and had her out within 8 contractions. Matthew was rather impressed by that...that I was able to get control of myself and get her out so quickly. No episiotomy, but a little tearing that they needed to repair. She weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. and was 21 1/2" long. Her head measured 12 1/2". She's just a little bitty peanut. Her sister was 7 lbs. 4 oz., 19 1/4" long and her head was 13 1/2".

This is our first day home and at her time of discharge from the hospital, she weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. We almost didn't get to come home today. We WERE going to go home last night (and trust me, I was VERY disappointed when we weren't able to), but they decided to keep her because her bilirubin levels were higher than they wanted....but not high enough for them to put her under the lights (yeah, didn't make sense to us, either). This morning they retested her bilirubin levels and then decided to put her under the lights according to what the doctor said the night before. After less than an hour, the pediatrician came in, said she wasn't worried about her levels and that we could go home (but that if they had been at 10 last night she would've been worried--and she was sending us home with a biliblanket). We have to go in tomorrow morning to have her levels checked again.

Alright, alright. I'll shut it. Pictures!

Now off to visit with my parents, who are in from Texas, hold my precious girl, and, when Hope gets home from church, love on her a little, too.

T-minus...

5 weeks, give or take! I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow and I am SO READY for it to be over!!! My back & neck are in horrible shape, very tight. Chiropractor is helping. She's really low and it's making it difficult to walk. My NSTs are going well, though last week I was there much longer than I usually am, because I was registering some contractions. They kept me while debating whether to check my cervix or not, but eventually decided not to and that I was just experiencing an "irritable uterus". AFIs are also going well. The ultrasound tech said the lowest they want it at is a 5, I've measured at 15, 12 and 16, so definitely covered in that front! I have an OB appointment this Friday. I think after this appointment, I'll start seeing them once a week, but I'm not sure. We'll find out. Tomorrow is my next NST, so I'm curious how that will go. Right now I'm having to lean in a contorted position because she's got her butt up against my right bottom rib. Oh yes, and she's been head down for a couple weeks now.

This weekend my in-laws came over and helped us empty out our storage in the basement to pull out the dresser, glider & car seat. My husband and father in law put together the crib, as well. Today I put together several things together in her room. Put all her bedding in her bed, put some of her clothes in the dresser, and got the glider in the room. I still need to pull the cushions off, as well and wash them, then stick them outside in the sun to dry. The sun does a pretty good job removing stains and the glider has a few stains, so I'm hoping that'll do the trick. I also need to wet an area of the glider's ottoman and get that outside, too, as it has a stain. This weekend I'll be borrowing my mother in law's Cricut Expression so that I can cut large flowers for her wall. I've decided to try paper so that I can bend the petals a bit and make them 3D instead of using vinyl and having them flat. I also am letting Hope make her a butterfly like the one in her room. She's very excited about making something for her sister's room. Anyway, it's kind've plain looking right now since there's nothing on the walls, but I'm happy with how it looks thus far:


The little white basket on the left of the dresser holds her headbands and then the right is diapers, wipes & Balmex.


Hope wanted to take a picture of me, so here I am one day short of 35 weeks:


I still need to buy a lamp for this room, as well, for those late night visits once she is officially in the room at night (we are using a Travel Lite Pack & Play in our room before then). Anyway, so that's the room so far.

This week is Hope's preschool graduation and then over the weekend she'll be gone with my in-laws to my sister in law's med school graduation. We'll be kidless Friday through Sunday. Hope is very excited about that trip. Anyway, I'm going to go hop in the tub. This has become a nightly thing. It makes me feel better....at least until I get out again. LOL.

Bad, bad blogger am I.

Seriously.

Well, I'm 32 weeks, 4 days now. In a few days will be the point we found out that we lost Connor. I can make it through this week. My girl can make it through this week. :-) We've started non stress tests once a week, as well as amniotic fluid index tests once a week (they measure how much fluid is present--the less there is, the more likely something is going wrong). I also have started my every other week OB appointments, and am still visiting the chiropractor once a week. So, every two weeks, I'm in some doctor's office, having a test or at the hospital 7 times. I have a little over 7 weeks left, give or take, depending on if she decides to come early or late, so I got to thinking about everything that I still need to do to get ready for her arrival. May 13th they are coming to install our Pergo floors, so until then we can't do anything to the nursery (it would just be silly to do so since we'll have to empty it for the floors anyway). My wonderful MIL painted the nursery this past Thursday, so that's done at least. It's a really pretty pale purple. We also need to put the crib together, dig out the dresser, glider, bedside table, stuff like that & set up the nursery. Install the car seat, pack my hospital bag, put an "emergency" basket in the van (filled with extra diapers, a change of clothes for all three of us, extra sunscreen for Hope, an extra hat for Aubrey just in case I forget one, & nursing pads for me), and put together a diaper bag. I don't even know what goes IN a diaper bag anymore. LOL. As soon as Hope potty trained, the diaper bag went the way of the dinos.....that was back in 2007. Getting back into "baby swing" is sure going to be interesting! Anyway, there is no worry that these next 7 weeks aren't going to fly by--though it *seems* like it, looking at my schedule, I know that won't be the case. Week by week here's what's going on in my life:
33 weeks-Preschool, playgroup (2 events), NST, AFI, OB Appointment, chiropractor, Mother's Day Tea @ preschool, field trip, pick up pottery Hope & I painted last week, ballet

34 weeks-Mother's Day, preschool, playgroup (2 events), Mom's Night Out for playgroup, chiro, NST, AFI, SIL home for the weekend, Pergo floors installed, ballet

35 weeks- Preschool, playgroup (1 event), preschool graduation, NST, AFI, OB appt., chiro, Hope going to Des Moines with ILs for SILs med school graduation (so sad I can't go), ballet

36 weeks- Haircut, playgroup (2 events), NST AFI, chiro, ballet pictures, ballet

37 weeks- Playgroup (1 event), NST, AFI, OB appt, chiro, ballet

38 weeks- Playgroup (1 event), NST, AFI, chiro, Mom's Night Out for playgroup, Hope's Black Rehearsal, Dress Rehearsal & Ballet recital, OB appt (?)

39 weeks- Father's Day, NST, AFI, chiro, OB appt.

40 weeks- NST, AFI, chiro, OB appt.

Like I said---it's going to go fast. Holy cow.

Pop goes the Amy...

Hi. Yeah, I've not been around. Things have not been interesting at my house at all. LOL. Hope and I did nothing but sit around all weekend. I was bored out of my skull...so I would've blogged, but had nothing to blog about! Anyway, thought I'd share this little collage. Very, very interesting, I think. From left to right (click to make it bigger): last belly pic with Hope (2004--dunno how far along I was, but it was at the end), last belly pic with Connor (30 weeks, 5 days), current pregnancy with Aubrey (27 weeks)


Say it with me....ho. ly. cow. LOL

It's a beautiful day...

Today was a beautiful, beautiful day outside and we took full advantage of it. After school, Hope and I had to hop across the MD border so that I could pay a deposit at a local pottery place for playgroup. We went to Chick-Fil-A first (yum), then to the pottery place. At the pottery place, she ooed and ahhed over everything and was SO excited she was going to get to go there for playgroup. She ended up being disappointed when I told her it was going to be another 5 weeks before the event. She found lots she wanted to paint, though. LOL. The guy working there got a kick out of listening to her go on and on about everything they had. If I had the money, we would have painted something right then and there but we needed the rest of my cash for dinner tonight, so couldn't.

On the way over, I asked Hope if she wanted to play at the park, as well, and she told me no. She changed her mind, though, after we stopped and paid the deposit. We stopped at the park and she played for about half an hour. Pushing her on the swings, though, got some contractions started (they hurt so I'm not entirely convinced they are BH, but they always stop, so I'm not worried) so we left.

When we got home, Hope had quiet time for a bit and I rested, too. After that was over, we headed outside for her to play in the yard while I pruned back my garden. It's an absolute mess but I won't be doing anything much to it at all this year. I got rid of the dead stuff that I could, pruned back my butterfly bushes (so they wouldn't take over) and pulled out a couple of weeds that were already growing. I also cleared off the front porch (said goodbye to my no longer cute monkey welcome mat) and swept a bit. When I ended up needing a break I pushed Hope a few times on the swing then sat down to watch her play on the swingset. She's so funny. She has this obsession with pinecones. I haven't the faintest idea what started it, but she loves that we have two pine trees in our yard that supply her with pinecones throughout the year. Today she gathered about 30 of them and put them on the fort part of the swing set, telling me she was getting ready for her pinecone festival. At her festival, she said, there would be rides for Mommies and Daddies, but there wouldn't be any potties because people could just go outside. LOL. Where on earth does she get this stuff? She even roped our neighbor, who does some yard work for us, into picking pinecones. He was just walking by on the road and she called him over and before he knew it he was bringing pinecones over to the swingset. Hehe. She told me "Mr. M is my helper." We finally went in after about an hour and I ordere pizza for dinner (half ham, half mushroom). Matthew was golfing today and then had a meeting to go to, so it was just us girls.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention my unbelieveably awesome find this afternoon. On our way down, I noticed a new consigment shop, just over the border, so I made a mental note to stop in and see what they had. It hasn't officially opened yet, so the woman was still getting stuff together inside, but we were able to do a little shopping anyway. We got up to the second floor and there it was. The PERFECT canvas for Hope's bedroom. I didn't see a tag, so I said a quick prayer and checked the back of it...there was the tag!!! Woohoo! $9.28 SCORE! Hope was so excited about it & when I asked her at bedtime what her favorite part of the day was, she pointed at the canvas and told me "Buying my picture for my room." We've lived here for about a year and a half now and her walls are still pretty bare of anything nice. She has several paper posters (that she adamantly directed me NOT to remove for the canvas lol) and a picture of us riding a camel at the Maryland Zoo, but that's it. Anyway, so here it is (her bedroom is a fairy theme):

So I'd say it was a pretty productive day, wouldn't you? Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and cooler, so I've deemed it a laundry day and I'll hopefully get a few other house things done while I'm at it. Oh joy, right?

Get out the popcorn!

Flipping through the channels tonight, I came across The Karate Kid, Part 2 (on the Gospel Music Channel of all places--really I don't see the connection, but it did make me laugh). Took me back a little bit to the movies we watched when I was younger. We were a big Disney family, so many of the movies I watched were Disney (which is why absolutely no one--up here in PA anyway--will play Disney's Scene It with me...really, why have the game if no one will play), but there were lots that were not. There are also several movies that stick out in my mind that I can't for the life of me remember what they were called. One particular one was a movie I ALWAYS picked out when we got movies at Budget Chopper (how's that for way back when Golden Triangle people) that had a purple penguin on the cover. I also used to rent one specific Rainbow Brite movie, but it wasn't the Star Stealer movie, perhaps it was just several of the TV episodes that were on tape? Anyway, here are some of the other movies I loved growing up (I tried to keep the Disney to a minimum, but, really, how could I not mention a few).

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

I recently caught this movie on the TV and it still kept my attention. I still loved it.

Secret Garden

I will confess that I brought this movie with me when I moved to PA. I'm not entirely sure my mom meant me to, but I did. LOL.

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier

Yes, another Disney, but seriously, classic. Loved the bear wrestling scene.

The Neverending Story

I didn't know a single person growing up that HADN'T seen this movie....and then I met my husband. After we got married I, of course, had to introduce him to the brilliance...and he WASN'T IMPRESSED! Blasphemy. Then again, this is the man who thinks Ace Ventura is classic and should win awards. *roll eyes* (And no, I don't want to hear about the virtues and brilliance of Ace Ventura or Jim Carey. You won't convince me. Really.)

Rigoletto

I still sing along to the music from this movie. I will confess I didn't know it was based on an opera until I was an adult. I always cried at the end. I have a feeling I'll probably end up humming this music tomorrow afternoon, if not this evening. (For the record, this is another movie I brought to PA with me from home...and another I'm not entirely sure I was supposed to lol....sorry Mom!)

The Karate Kid

Ok, so this goes along with Part 2, so maybe a bit of a cop out, but really. Loved this movie. No, I can't resist....wax on, wax off.....

Disney's The Little Mermaid

I can specifically remember watching this at different points in my life. Classic, though, is what my mom told me just yesterday I used to sing when I watched it around Hope's age...."Pregnant women, sick of swimmin', ready to stand." *snort* Actually, I would prefer to swim at this point, younger self...since it would make me feel lighter and all.

What were your favorites growing up?

Kiss him, he's Irish.

Matthew left for work this morning telling me to kiss him 'cause he's Irish. LOL. well I guess since it's the truth.

This morning I got up to get ready for playgroup. I had to run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Matthew was going to go grocery shopping for me last night, but on his way he got a flat tire, so that got derailed. I got that done, then came home and started getting stuff done for the playdate itself. I mopped, made pudding, vacuumed downstairs and got the table set up for craft. I am positively exhausted. At one point I sat down and I could hardly breathe. I still have 14 weeks to go! I can't start that yet! Anyway, playgroup went well. I think all the kids had a good time (though it got really crazy at times) and the moms had a good time chatting. Here's Hope painting her shamrock:

She kept telling me this morning "Happy Secret Patty's Day!" Hehe. Silly girl.

Yesterday we had a lot of fun at the birthday party. Here are some pictures:

With one of my best friends, S (birthday boy's mom). She's due with a girl on May 12 and I'm due with a girl on June 23. Her son is five months older than Hope.

With Chuck E.

Riding her favorite ride (a rollercoaster simulation ride)

We take two pictures w/ the sketch machine when we go. One silly and one nice one. Here's the nice one:

I'll tell you one thing....best part about having playgroup here at the house? Once I finish tidying up, I'm done with housework for the day. So, since I'm exhausted, that helps!!!