New Jeans

This week my mom came up to help me regain control of my house and my sanity! (Thanks Mom!). While she was here she was changing Bean's diaper and went to put his jeans back on him. As she was getting ready to button them up, he put his hand on hers and said "No No". My mom then realized that she could barely button his britches...they were too tight! Poor sweet little boy! I ran out today and bought the poor thing new jeans in the next bigger size. They fit him MUCH better!

THE Bag!

OUTSIDE OF THE BAG INSIDE OF THE BAG

Yippeee! My new diaper bag is in!! And I LOVE it! It is about the same size as my current diaper bag, maybe even slightly larger. I had a great time tonight cleaning out the old bag and stocking the new bag. It is especially interesting to think about the fact that I am currently carrying 2 different sizes of diapers. Soon it will be 2 sippy cups, 2 snack cups, 2 sets of diapers (wait...hopefully we will be down to 1 set of diapers before too long!). I am going to need a carry on suitcase if we keep having kids!!

Da Boys!

Bean is changing by the minute it seems! I find myself marveling at him and all of his new developments. Same thing goes for Bub. I am completely humbled by how miraculously the Lord is working in both of my sons. They are absolutely amazing. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about.

The Bean

• In the above picture Bean is saying "Please". Although he doesn't verbally say the word, this is the "please" expression that is made when we request/remind him to say that magic word. It melts us every time and Bean gets what he wants.


• Bean 's repertoire of animal noises grows daily. He is currently obsessed with being a lion. He has also learned how to hoot like an owl...we are still working on the traditional animals; cow, cat, pig, horse...but we sure do know exotic animals; elephant, lizard, lion, monkey.
  
• Puzzles. The Bean has learned how to do simple, large-pieced, wooden puzzles!


• And coloring...oh does he enjoy coloring! No more eating crayons (or at least not as frequently!)


• Up and Down and Up and Down...the stairs that is! He has mastered flying up and down the stairs-ooooh my goodness is he fast at it too!


• Anything and everything can be used as a hat. You name it and he has put it on his head as a hat; mixing bowls, socks, underwear, stuffed animals...and then he will parade around with said items on his head with a very proud expression.

The Bub

• Sweet Bub is growing like a weed! He weighed 6lb 2oz last Monday at the pediatrician's office and today he weighed in at 6lb 9oz! WOO! HOO! He is supposed to gain about 1oz a day...we are ahead of schedule! :-)


• Bub is starting to be awake a little bit more...not much more...he is now awake for 5-10 minutes after eating instead of falling asleep while eating.


• He also turned his head from one side to the other while laying on his tummy! Yippee for "tummy time".


• Did I mention that once Bub reaches 7lbs we can start letting him sleep 4-5 hours at night instead of waking him up every 3 hours!?!?! Come on 7lbs!!!!!


• Bub is still sooo sweet and calm. I never would have guessed that it was possible to have an easier child than the Bean. But, Bub is so laid back and easy going....it is WONDERFUL!

There you have it! That is what is going on with the boys. Hubs has been back to work for the last week or so and I have been winging it on my own! My mom is coming back up next week, but I survived all by myself last week! I spend my day feeding the kiddos, playing with Bean and sleeping while Bean naps. I am also VERY proud to say that tonight was the first night Hubs and I ordered out for dinner. I have actually managed to cook most nights (I do have some wonderful neighbors that have brought us some fantastic meals! THANK YOU!). I have also managed to get a shower every single day (this alone is quite an accomplishment!). Well Bub is ready to munch and I believe he might have just filled up his teeny tiny diaper! Goodnight all!!!

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 2

2:00am- We arrive at the new hospital and are admitted. Upon our arrival, I ask Hubs about the camera situation. He then tells me that our bestest friends in the whole wide world (seriously!) are on their way to the hospital with their digital camera for us. I feel so bad that they are up in the middle of the night driving a camera to us, but in the same breath I am sooo thankful that we will have pictures of our son being born!

2:30-4:00am- These next few hours are a little fuzzy for me. This is when I really REALLY started having lots of contractions that really REALLY hurt. After I was all hooked up to the monitors at the new hospital I began inquiring about pain medication. The nurse then tells me that I am not allowed to have any. WHAT!?!?!? I was shocked. She eventually tells me that I can have an epidural once I am 6cm. At this point I am only 4cm dilated. I made it to 6cm with Bean before I received my epidural but for whatever reason I was in MUCH more pain this time around than I was the first time. Poor sweet Hubs is trying everything he can to help me out. At the new hospital I was only allowed to have ice chips (at the old one I could actually drink water!). My poor mouth is sooo dry from huffing and puffing and panting and breathing...ice chips just weren't cutting it. I also was really really hot. I had Hubs get a wet washcloth and hold it on my face for me, then I could also drink the water out of it! Gross, I know, but I was desperate! Somewhere during this time I made it to 5cm...not 6cm yet! The pain became so intense I started throwing up. I tried explaining to the doctors and nurses that this baby was going to come soon and that I was in desperate need of my epidural (they were still trying to stop labor; therefore, no pain meds allowed). Ugh. I did manage to find a focal point (a small screw next to the bathroom door!) and breathe through contractions as much as possible. Also M & T showed up during this time with the camera!

4:30ish am- Around this time I was checked again and was FINALLY 6cm dilated!! Bring on the epidural! Hubs was told he had to leave the room (I was sooo ticked that he had to leave!!!) but I was far to anxious to have my epidural to fight too much. Hubs left and it was just my nurse, the nurse anesthetist and me. By now my contractions are giving me the sensation to push in order to relieve the pain. The nurse just tells me to hang on and not to push (yeah right!). So finally my epidural is all in place...Hubs is allowed back in...and I am still feeling the contractions. Now let's pause a minute here. Think back to a movie you have seen that has a labor & delivery scene in it. The woman is screaming her head off, sweating profusely and breathing like the Big Bad Wolf while words she would never dream of uttering are spewing out of her mouth....Yes, sad to say, that was me. My epidural was NOT working and I was absolutely out of control.

4:55am- The nurse checks me again and I am still 6cm dilated and my water breaks! Hubs immediately calls my mom (who is 45 minutes away at our house with Bean) and tells her to call a neighbor and head over to the hospital. The nurse panics and runs into the hall and literally screams for a doctor. By now I am pushing HARD with each contraction. They tell us that it will be another hour or 2 before I deliver because I'm still only 6ish cm. By now they are really telling me NOT to push. HA! Pushing was the only form of pain relief I had! So push I did!!

5:10am- The nurse checks me again and can tell that the baby is crowning. She immediately runs to the door and screams for a doctor. Within minutes nurses flood my room with delivery equipment and the doc. strolls in. I am really pushing now and feeling every bit of it. The doc comes over looks at me and says "He's crowning". Then turns and puts on 1 glove, turns back and says "There is his head".

5:19am- Turns away to put on the other glove and then when he turned back around my son was laying on the bed. My sweet little boy could not wait for anyone. He was ready to come out! And PRAISE THE LORD he was crying! He was whisked away to be checked over. I believe he scored an 8 on his APGAR. Finally they weighed him (they hadn't even brought in the scale yet!) and he was 5lb 11oz and was 17 3/4 inches long! Hubs was such a great advocate for me. He kept insisting that I get to hold him before he was taken to the NICU. They did let me hold him for a bit (his eyes were open!) and then Hubs held him then off he went.

Baby Bub spent about 9 hours in the Level 3 NICU. He did not require any breathing assistance. An IV was put in and he was given antibiotics and "food" through his IV. He was closely monitored for any breathing issues. After his brief stay in the Level 3 NICU he was transferred up to the Level 2 nursery (which was on the same floor as my post-partum room!). We spent a total of 6 days there while he was treated for being jaundice (2 rounds of photo therapy) and weaned off of his temperature controlled incubator. He also had to be able to eat from a bottle on his own. He was put on a feeding schedule that started with small feeds and gradually increased. He did great with it and he was discharged on Saturday January 12th. We finally were able to bring him home to meet his big brother!

After delivery I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom (which isn't supposed to happen if you have an epidural!) and received a grand total of 8 stitches! I was taken to my post-partum room then down to visit and hold Bub. My mom arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes after baby Bub arrived. She was able to go down and visit him but was not allowed to hold him because she had on nail polish! They were pretty picky about stuff in the NICU (as they should be!). Everyone had to scrub in up their elbows for 2 minutes before entering. Hubs and I were able to sleep on and off throughout the first day with lots of visits to Bub in between. My brother also showed up to meet his new nephew! I was discharged from the hospital after 48 hours. Thankfully the charge nurse let us squat in my room for a few extra days so we would not have to leave Bub. We did have to spend 1 night in a hotel before we brought him home.

And there you have it. The story of my sweet Baby Bub's arrival. We have been home for a little over a week and I would say things are going really well. I have weaned Bub off of his bottle addiction and have him nursing now :-) Thanks to my grandparents we have a baby scale to monitor his intake and weight gain. He is doing GREAT! Bean has been a great big brother too. He is very eager to share his toys (which he tosses into the cradle with Bub) and to share his Cheerios (which he tries to shove in Bub's mouth while I am holding him). The biggest challenge is that Bean does not understand why I am inaccessible while I am nursing Bub. This part of the day is quite frustrating for all of us, but we get through it! Bub is eating every 3 hours or so which is making for short sleeps at night and looong days. But I do think the transition from zero kids to 1 kid was FAR more challenging than the transition from 1 kid to 2 kids. I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that all of this "baby stuff" only lasts a matter of months. I can handle that :-)

So Many Wonderfuls

As you can tell, I am taking my sweet time in typing out Bub's birth story. It is a long one and there are lots o' details that I don't want to forget or leave out...sorry if it is lengthy, but that's just the way it goes!!

There are so many wonderful things going on in our home right now. Aside from Bub being here with us, instead of in the hospital, Bean is growing and changing by the minute! After being away from Bean for so long I have a new appreciation for him. He is such a big boy now!

Yesterday I was the proud recipient of Bean's first real smooch!!! He actually (finally!!!) puckered up those sweet little lips and planted a big, wet, boogery, smooch right on me! YIPPEE!! It was absolutely amazing and it made my day! Now I get kisses periodically throughout the day along with his big, open-armed hugs....being a mom is so great!

While we were away Bean learned how to say "hi" (we have been TRYING to get him to say this for quite some time...the kid can make a dozen or so animal noises but he couldn't say "hi"...hmmm) and my mom taught him how to go down the stairs on his tummy. Another thing we have been struggling with that apparently just needed a little reinforcing from the Grandma.

All in all Bean is handling Bub's arrival wonderfully. He checks on Bub regularly and is very curious about this new little being. He likes to touch his head and hold his hand. He also is very generous about sharing Cheerios with him. So far I have been able to convince Bean that it is a better idea to give the "O's" to Mommy instead of Bub.

Today was the first day that Bean became frustrated with me, in regards to Bub. I was nursing Bub and poor Bean wanted me to read a book to him. After a mega-meltdown, Bean left the nursery (where I was invisibly tied to the glider to nurse Bub) and headed down the hall to his room, where he spent the next 15 minutes sitting on his floor reading books to himself (sometimes out loud). It was absolutely precious...and heartbreaking. If Bean were just a bit older I think I might be able to explain this all to him. Oh well!!

We are looking forward to the long weekend with Daddy and with my parents!!! :-) YIPEE!!

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 1

Here's the scoop on Baby Bub's arrival. So sorry this is 2 weeks after the fact!!

Wednesday 1/2/08: I went to the doc for a routine Non-Stress Test. I was notified that it detected some contracting and I was monitored all day long. I was 1 cm dilated (which is "no big deal"). I was also given a preventative shot of Terbutaline with a prescription and sent home.

Friday 1/4/08: Went in for my follow up doc appointment and was still 1 cm dilated (and still was "no big deal"). I was sent home with these words from my doctor "I just wanted to check you out before the weekend. Things look fine and I'll see you next Wednesday". HA!

Saturday 1/5/08 6:00am: I wake up to Bean shouting "Mom, Mom, Mom". I roll over and ask Hubs if he would mind getting up with Bean today, I tell him I'm really tired and just want to snooze a bit more. Being the sweet man that he is, he says "No problem!" and hops out of bed to take care of Bean.

8:00am- I wake up because I am so uncomfortable. My hips hurt, my back hurts and I am just plain tired of laying down. I stumble downstairs to find Bean & Hubs. They are playing oh-so-nicely together. We sit around and watch Bean play for a bit and I even commented to Hubs "This will be such a nice weekend just the 3 of us." (We have had company or been gone for the last umpteen million weekends!).

9:00am- The Bean is ready for a nap and I gladly put him down in his bed and immediately go crawl back into mine. I even asked Hubs to join me for a quick morning nap, but he declined this offer (which he will later regret).

10:15am- Bean wakes up and I go get him. We head down to the basement to play with Da Da. All 3 of us sit around my computer and watch Bean play the alphabet game and watch "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" on UTube. I start to feel a little bit crampy around 10:45ish and pass Bean off to Hubs. We all head upstairs to play.

11:28am- I sit down to eat a bowl of Kix cereal (you know you have a toddler when...) and tell Hubs I think I'm having a contraction. I specifically asked him the time to the minute just so I can monitor any future contractions.

The monitoring begins and the contractions start coming every 5 minutes or so. They started off lasting only 10 seconds but rapidly they increased to lasting 30-45 seconds. I send Hubs & Bean off to Wal-Greens to fill my prescription for Terbutaline and I call the doctor that is on-call for my doc's office. He tells me to take the meds and wait an hour and if I'm still contracting to go to the ER.

12:10pm- Hubs returns with the meds and I take one. After 30 minutes nothing is changing (oh wait, I mean for the better...my contractions were getting stronger and closer together!). I called my mom and told her to get on the road. We sent Bean over to a neighbors, threw together a hospital bag (not THE hospital bag, mind you...we were under the impression things would be stopped and I was 100% convinced I would not be giving birth on this trip to the hospital).

1:00pm-We were admitted to Labor & Delivery. The nurses started giving me shots of Terbutaline every hour. They did this 4 times. This medicine did help slow the contractions and decreased their intensity. But they did not stop.

4:00pm- The nurses/doctor gave up on the Terbutaline and decided to start an IV of Magnesium Sulfate. My dosage started at 50 (not sure of what unit of measurement???). This did not make things better. I could feel the contractions more and they were definitely becoming more intense. I was "checked" and was 3cm dilated.

7:00pm- The dose on my drip was upped to 65. Still contracting...still getting more intense. I was told that we would have to stay in the hospital at least for the next 24 hours and maybe longer depending on how they could control the contractions. Their goal was to get me under 4 contractions in an hour.

11:oopm- I am still contracting...I am now dilated to 4cm and the doctor decided he needs to come in and see me.

1/6/08 12:00am- The doctor comes in and I am still 4cm. The decision is made to transfer us to a hospital that is about an hour away. The other hospital has a Level 3 NICU (the local hospital is only a Level 2). They decide to transfer me "in case" I deliver. I wasn't quite 34 weeks pregnant and it is pretty much standard policy to transfer anyone under the 34 week mark (I was 24 hours shy of it!!!!).

1:00-2:00am- I am in an ambulance for an hour. Bumping along and contracting the whole way. My Labor & Deliver nurse rode with me while Hubs followed in our car. While we are on our way my cell phone rings and it is another nurse from the local hospital...WE LEFT OUR CAMERA THERE!!!! My heart breaks and I tell her to call Hubs. Hubs makes a quick phone call and our dear DEAR friends get up in the middle of the night, drive over an hour to meet us at the new hospital and bring us their camera. I told Hubs at this point that we needed to have a camera there ASAP, I was convinced our son was arriving sooner than later and I did not want Hubs to turn around.

2:00am- We arrive at the new hospital and are admitted.

Baby Bub

Welcome to the world baby Bub!!

Baby "Bub" was born on January 6, 2008 at 5:19am. He weighed 5lb 110z and was 17 3/4 inches long!

This is the short and sweet story about Baby Bub right now...more details will follow with a much more descriptive story.

Baby Bub arrived last Sunday (Jan. 6th) and was 6 weeks premature. We had to deliver our baby boy at a hospital outside of the town we live is more specialized in premature babies. Caleb was born breathing and crying!!! HOORAY! He was immediately checked over and after we each held him briefly, he was whisked away to the Level 3 NICU. He did not require any oxygen (PRAISE THE LORD!)!!! An IV was put into his head and he immediately started recieving nourishment and antibiotics through that. After about 6 hours he was transfered to the Level 2 nursery (which is a step in the right direction). He has been there ever since. We have been battling his bilirubin levels (he is a wee bit jaundice) and we have been working with him on learning how to suck, swallow and breathe when eating by mouth. He is improving with his feedings every day but they still can be a struggle. Today we expected him to come home, but unfortunately his bili levels were too high. He was placed back under the lights and is being monitored. We are really REALLY hoping to bring our new boy home tomorrow.

Hubs and I made a quick trip home this evening to see Bean. I had not been out of the hospital since last Saturday morning (another tale to tell!). It felt sooo good to hold my little boy (who is GIGANTIC compared to my Bub!!).

This time, all really IS well here! I will give you more details when I am not so exhausted and when I am home to stay...we are heading back to the hospital in an hour to be with Bub tonight.

All Is Well

I had my follow up appointment today and no change is good change :-) Things are the same as they were 48 hours ago, minus any contractions. She said things look great. We are back on our normal doctor schedule now (once next week, then again in 2 weeks, then weekly!). Baby Bub is kicking and moving and growing :-) Now all I "get" to do is lay around and let him be!!

Nuh-est-ing

After yesterday's events, my nesting instinct is in FULL swing! Bub's room has been ready for about a week or so. We painted, hung a wallpaper border, moved the crib & changing table in there and we even hung some decorations on the walls! Yesterday morning I started washing Bean's old clothes for Bub. Today I sat in my rocking chair and folded baby clothes and blankies....oh it was fun! It was so sweet to sit and remember each outfit on Bean and to marvel at how tiny the socks are and how tiny the onesies are...amazing! I finished that this evening and then I picked out Bub's outfits for coming home and for picture taking at the hospital. (The same friend that took Bean's pic's this fall will come to the hospital and take Bub's pictures!). This weekend Hubs and I are going to start putting things in a suitcase for the hospital. I already have my big list made, but now we are going to actually start gathering items from around the house and packing them!

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon...I will let y'all know how it goes!!!

Interesting Day...

This morning I had a Non-Stress Test (NST) for Bub. They basically hook me up to 2 monitors, one to watch any "uterine activity" a.k.a. contractions and Bub's heartbeat. This was my second week of having one, and I will continue to have them weekly for the rest of the pregnancy. Soooo I take Bean with me to this appointment (that should last no longer than 30 minutes). We bundle up, drive to the doc's office, load Bean into the stroller and head in. We get all hooked up and listen to Bub thump away for 20 minutes while Bean watches a show on our portable DVD player (yes, I am that Mom who brought the DVD player along for a stinkin' doctor's appointment!). But in my defense, it was approaching nap time AND Bean is not nearly as enthralled with baby Bub's heartbeat as I am! Sooo the NST goes well, the nurse says we can leave and that she'll run it by the doc, but "it all looks good". So we head home. Bean screams the entire way (it is WAAAY past nap time). Half way home the doc's office calls and the nurse says, "I am so sorry to do this to you, but we need to you to come back in. You are having contractions and we need to check you out". Mmmm-kay....so I call Hubs who rushes home from work to be with Bean while I head back out to the doc's office. Upon being checked out we discover that I am 1.5 cm dilated! *This was at about 11am!* Sooo they sent me over to out-patient labor & delivery to monitor the contractions and Bub's heartbeat. I get all set up and they monitor me and monitor me and MONITOR ME (for HOURS!!!). During this span there is little to no "uterine activity"...which leads me and the nurses to believe that things have ceased. Around 1ish I was given a shot to stop any activity that is or was going on, and I was told that my doc will be by to check on me again and then I can head home. GREAT! I snoozed for a bit while I waited for my doc and before I knew it, it was 3pm! So I ring for a nurse and ask about the doc...well she got tied up and will be over "soon". She ends up arriving around 4:30. Checks me out, things are still the same (1.5cm dilated). So I am put on "not-really-bed rest". Which means that I have to take it super-duper easy, but my doc understands the demands of a 16 month old and is being realistic. I have to go back and see her again Friday to see how things are going. So that is where we are right now. I am 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant with Bub. I delivered Bean at 35 weeks 4 days. Hang on Bub!!! Just a few more weeks!!