2 weeks old

It's flown by so fast but our little squirt s officially 2 weeks old as of Friday.

Grandma joined us in the madness that was trying to get the Duke to daycare, get Brookie fed/changed/arranged in her car seat, and get me showered/dressed and all of our crap into the car and off to doctors appointments on Friday. I really had no idea how difficult it was going to be trying to get 2 kids dressed/fed/out the door and packed into our feeling smaller by the minute car. I know it was the 1st time I had to do it without hubby but boy was it humbling... I hear it gets easier with practice, so I am going to give myself a break and go with the flow. We rushed to Miss Carrie's house ( I absolutely LOVE that woman!), hurried the Duke in the door where she ran distraction for me with a steaming bowl of oatmeal so I could snag my mandatory smooch and rush back out of the door to my 2 week post-op appointment. My doc says that my incision site looks like it's healing fine and that I should be able to workout(Hahahaha!! She's so funny!)right around 6 weeks, if I'd like. They also weighed me when we walked in and I was shocked to see 169lbs pop up on the scale. Yee Haw!!! All of the little shark's marathon breastfeeding sessions have been burning up the baby fat!

We stopped in at my work to say hi to the girls and let them see Brooklyn and it was really nice to be able to talk to them for a bit... I know I've only been out of work 2 weeks, but it already feels like months... Chatting with adults was nice! Anyway, then we headed over to the pediatrician's office for Brooklyn's 2 week check up and get this, not only has she returned to her birth weight, she's surpassed it!!


Birth Weight: 6 lbs. 1 oz. (18 in. long)
4 Days Old: 5 lbs. 9 oz. (18 in. long)
2 Weeks Old: 6 lbs. 5 oz. (19 in. long)

So proud of her for gaining weight so quick! Luke was the exact opposite... He had us pretty scared with a loss of almost a full pound following birth and a VERY slow gain that brought him back to his birth weight @ almost 3 weeks old, not 2 weeks like the pediatricians would rather see...


Hoping to take a few more pictures of Brookie, Luke and the family tomorrow during the big game! My hubby is a football FANATIC, so there was NO WAY that the Super Bowl was going to happen and go uncelebrated in this house! We are having some family and a few friends over tomorrow and the day promises to be one filled with my sweetheart screaming at the TV, and a dizzying amount of cheesy, salty goodness arranged across our dining table! Cheers to you!

That's my girl

True Love

I don't think you can really know true love until you gaze into the eyes of your baby and are amazed to see a little of you and a little of your husband starring back at you. I was so worried that there wouldn't be enough room in my already bursting heart to welcome another baby into, but boy was I wrong... She fits perfectly into my heart and our family and I already can't imagine life without her beautiful little face.




Here we go:

We got to the hospital on Friday the 16th right around 7:30am to get me checked in and ready for the ECV scheduled at 9:30am. I was ordered into one of those hideous paper napkin feeling robes, hooked up to a GIGANTIC IV, which hurt like a bitch I might add, and attached to all of the fetal monitors and told to rest as much as possible as they waited to get a full bag of fluid in me before they could begin. I've got a dozen tattoos so needles generally don't bother me, but the one, only slightly smaller than a straw, that they put into the back of my hand hurt and is still pretty gnarly looking after a week plus. Then I got to meet GOD, aka the anesthesiologist who introduced himself, cracked a few jokes and got me set for my epidural. Let me tell you, getting an epidural while NOT in active labor was pretty hairy feeling. It felt like he was threading that damn catheter half way up my spine! Anyway, once the drugs kicked in my doc came in and attempted the ECV. From the moment she grabbed Brooklyn's fully engaged into my pelvis booty, I pretty much knew it was C-section time and the emotions came pouring out. I was petrified, I felt like a failure, and now I was being wheeled into a room to have my child scooped out of me... My anesthesiologist was AMAZING and managed to make the entire (very speedy) delivery go by completely pressure and pain free. It was surreal hearing my anesthesiologist invite my husband to stand up and witness my daughter being pulled out, butt first, and watching his face, in complete amazement... I love my husband to death but that man is a whole new person in my eyes after witnessing her being born and coaching me through the whole thing... I'm so proud of him and so happy to be married to such an amazing husband and father....

I was surprised how quickly it all went from them wheeling me in, to hearing her piercing cries shake the walls of the surgery suite. And then I rolled my head to the side and saw this absolutely beautiful, perfect baby girl being rubbed clean in the bassinet by my head and all of my fears and apprehension and regret over not being able to deliver her vaginally all went away. Here she was, the tiny Little elf that had been dancing in ultrasounds for the last 9 months was finally here... I was taken to the recovery room where I proceeded to cry and shiver my way out of the anesthesia with my Mom for a while until they finally brought my Brooklyn to me. I pulled up my robe and nestled her into my chest and felt the biggest smile spread across my face... It was AMAZING... There aren't enough words to describe what I was feeling... I'm crying as I'm writing this but only from happy thoughts.

Jump to today:

Brooklyn slept almost 6 hours last night, she's breastfeeding like a champ and is the most mild mannered baby I've ever encountered. I thought my son was easy, this girl's got him beat by a mile... She only cries for gas bubbles and food, and is quiet and alert the remainder of the time, just staring up at me, with that gaze that only babies have... It's amazing... Being sore and unable to sit up straight for the first few days was rough, but I feel pretty darn good now other than pins and needles and numbness about 2 inches all the way around my incision. I'm also down to 170lbs!! Score!

We Are 4

Brooklyn Eve was born Friday Jan 16th, 2009 via C-section (ECV was unsuccessful.. Her bottom was fully engaged in my pelvis by the time we got to the hospital). She was 6 lb 1 oz. and 18 inches long... And absolutely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen... Be patient with me and I will post a full update as soon as I can. My milk came in today so I'm in dire need of an emptying by my little princess right now...


Luvs!!

Jan 16, 2009

Tomorrow, we will be a family of four.

I started today with tons of Braxton Hicks contractions while clearing my desk on my final day at work. Then, around 10ish I passed what looked to be a chunk of my mucus plug (YUM!). This added to the upset tummy for 3 days, dilating cervix, intense nesting, and dull lower backache that I've had for 2 days prompted my mother (Thanks Mom!) to call me and kick me in the ass to call my doc and get seen before the weekend hit us. I went into the doc and proceeded to be internally checked, find out I was now a little more dilated, and then chat with awesome doc about the very real possibility that I may not make it to Tues to do the version and induction. She agreed and decided that it was in everyones best interest to move up the procedure to tomorrow. So, we are headed to the Family Birth Center @ 7:30am to be checked in for our ECV followed by induction or C-section, if necessary. Crazy that I KNOW she's going to be born tomorrow... This must be what it feels like to have a scheduled C... I'm not sure if I like it this way because as soon as I hit the doorstep after my appt, all I could think about were a zillion things I needed to clean, fold, sort, sweep, and cook. The surprise factor is kinda nice as you don't really have a chance to try to kill yourself with chores right before the big day... We are off to bed, all 3 to cuddle in the Mommy and Daddy bed together as a threesome for the very last time... That sounds so sad... I am excited I promise, I'm just also a little sad that this is the last night of just us. Wish us luck...


Luvs!!

It's all scheduled, let's hope we make it there!!!

My doctor's office just called to set up the ECV and Induction on Tues... Check in @ 10:30am (8 hrs. of mandatory fasting before hand in case I need a C-section), start time of 12:30pm, hopefully followed by a successful turn to head down, induction and then Brooklyn's Birthday!!!! If the version is not successful, than I will be whisked into a surgery suite for an immediate C-section and Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

I'm on half days now until Thursday at work and am going to try to go home and take a nap every day for the rest of the week before I have to go pick up the Duke.The car seat is going in today so we will be 100% ready for our little girl to arrive at any moment...I can't believe she's almost here!!!!

Doc Appt Today

It has begun!!!


I am 2cm dilated and 25-50% effaced, so nature is definitely doing her thing...Unfortunately, Miss Brookie isn't and is now officially out of the room she would need to flip herself on her own. Though I think it was never in the cards for her as she was WAY too comfortable with her head shoved in my ribs!! As of 2 hours ago, she has her head planted firmly between my ribs, dead center, her bum is sitting just above my right hip, and her long lovely legs are shoving on the nerves in my left hip and leg... She did manage to un-pike herself, but she is still considered breech.

So, if I go into labor on my own here in the next week than it's emergency C-section time as they won't be able attempt to flip her due to the muscle contractions.... I'm ok with that, but just in case, we also tentatively scheduled a ECV followed by immediate induction for next Tues the 20th (38 weeks) @ noon, if I manage to stay pregnant that long... So basically I'm going to be a mommy in the next 8 days, no matter what!

Oh yeah, I'm also having intermittent contractions and have been, off and on, since Friday...



If I were a bettin' woman, I'd think that I might not make it to my last day of work on Thursday!

The belly in all it's glory @ 37 weeks...

Here be the belly as of tonight while giving Capt Duke his scrub down... I wish she would just turn already... I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off for the last few days but they started radiating down the front of my thighs today, so that's something new... I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow morning so I'm hoping she'll do an internal and see if these things are getting me anywhere and what we are going to do about her Royal Breechness... Hopefully by the time I leave the office tomorrow I'll have a plan of attack whether she turns on her own or not and what to do if and when I go into labor on my own... I just want a little peace of mind.... I'll update tomorrow... Enjoy all of the new pictures!!!

The belly cast!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the belly cast that my mom and sis helped me do on Jan 4th... I got really lightheaded while it was being applied and drying so there aren't many "in the process" shots...

Brooklyn's Room (only 1 thing left to do...)

More pics of Brooklyn's room (so close to being done it's killin' me!)...

Baby Shower at work today...

The girls at work are throwing me a babyshower here at work in about 20 minutes... Nice little break from the usual swing of things on a Friday! I'll update to let ya'll know how it went...

:)

I really needed this...

Next time you make a wish, Erica, wish for what is, because really and truly, things don't get much better than this.

There is a purpose, a plan, and a reason for all things. What doesn't make sense, will make sense. You are exactly where you should be; your challenges are what they should be; your rewards are what they should be; and the best is yet to come. Time has served you well. Love is in the air. And you're looking mighty good in the light that now surrounds you.

A toast to life... to you... to us...


** This is what was waiting in my inbox at work this morning... So needed this... One of the girls that I used to work with convinced us to all sign up to receive these inspiring, empowering emails every morning and honestly, I usually ignore and delete them due to lack of time... It actually is very fitting for today and put a smile on my face as soon as I read it... No point to dwell on the negative.... My daughter is perfectly healthy and happy and will be here soon. End of story! I will worry if and when I need to, but until then, I'm just happy at how easy this pregnancy has been and how blessed our life is... Have a good one all :)

Headed home for a little rest...

I'm squirreling out of work early to head home and get a little nap in before I have to pick up the Duke from daycare... My ankles are crazy swollen and I can barely keep my eyes open... See ya manana...

Frustrated and Bummed...

So, I've been doing inversions at my house for the last 2 days (basically spending as much time as possible with my ass 20"+ above my head) and I'm pretty bummed that they don't seem to be doing a damn thing. Can you blame me for wanting an instantaneous result? I want her to flip SO badly... I never pictured myself as having to have a C-section and I sure as hell don't want to start now! It would be one thing if I was staring down a repeat of a truly crappy, intense labor, but Lukey Duke's birth was, dare I say it, a breeze!

Please, to all out there who had 30+ hour labors, I'm not bragging and I don't want to piss anyone off, I'm just saying that his labor was so easy, that I was more worried this time of not being able to make it to the hospital in time while in labor! Every woman in my family has had super speedy, generally easy labor so I was obviously psyching myself up for a repeat of last time... Now, I'm staring in the face of major surgery that is probably going to knock me on my ass for a week or two and make it absolutely impossible for me to be of any use at all, as well as a scar, the possibility of complications, an increased hospital stay, and all of the other lovely things that come along with a C-section.

Oh yeah, and I currently am playing Russian roulette with going into labor on my own, you know, like you're supposed too!! If I happen to go into labor on my own, which I would think is a pretty good possibility since Lukey Duke was almost 4 weeks early AKA the equivalent of Brooklyn already being almost a week old, and she hasn't flipped, I'm facing an emergency C-section....

I'm sorry about the ranting, I'm just really tired, really bummed out and generally pretty dishartened by the entire thing. This is not what I had pictured/planned and it really sucks...

Officially adjusting due date back to Feb 2nd, 2009...

Just a heads up that per my doc and Brooklyn now being breech, we are reverting back to the original due date of Feb 2nd to set date for C-section, ECV, or induction purposes...

My life is never dull

I really wasn't expecting much other than the typical heartbeat and tummy check at my doctor's appointment today, but got a surprise when my doc came in pulling the ultrasound machine behind her. She said that she just wanted to see for herself and check my amniotic fluid levels so I was more than happy to be able to get another peak at my lovely little bean. She put the transducer on my tummy and looked up at me kinda puzzled and asked if Capt. Duke had been breech... I told her no and she said," well, this one sure is," and showed me that the reason I've been so uncomfortable and unable to breathe is because Little Miss Brooklyn is frank breech, basically, her butt is settled into my pelvis, her head up under my ribs, and her feet piked up in front of her face... Never dull huh?!

This means that we are hoping and praying that she will flip herself head down soon so that I can deliver her vaginally. If she doesn't flip on her own by 39 weeks from my original due date of Feb 2nd (around daddy's birthday Jan 27thish) we will schedule an External Cephalic Version (manually turning her from the outside, OUCH!!) with induction following that same day. Worst case scenario is that I go into labor on my own in the next 2 weeks, Brooklyn hasn't turned and is still breech, and I have to have an emergency C-section. I really, really don't want to have a C-section, but I will do whatever it takes to get this lovely girl out happy and healthy. Other than that, everything else looks perfect and super healthy.

I will post pictures of my belly cast that we did this weekend as soon as I can get them uploaded...

Sleepless

It's 7am on a Sunday and I've already been awake for close to 3 hours... I don't know what's up with me today but I'm so restless that I gave up on trying to go back to sleep around 5 and went to play on the computer. I've been sitting here in our sun room for a few hours and am actually watching the sun rise, or at least begin to, right now. Lately, I can't quite my brain and everything is screaming to get done NOW. I'm going to wash the car seat cover and get that thing installed in the car today, my mom and sis are going to be here in a few hours to slather me in plaster to make my belly cast, and I finished the big mural/art piece that I've been working on for Brooklyn's room for a few weeks... Everything is washed and hung/folded, so all we are waiting on now is for her to make her big entrance... I hope it's sooner than later...

Happy Belated New Year!

New Year's Eve was quite boring this year as we were all in bed (daddy, Capt. Duke and I) by 9pm and totally asleep by 10pm. Sleep is becoming more and more elusive for me as each day passes and I get larger, and more uncomfortable. It's funny to think that this is actually the first time that I've managed to be 36+ weeks pregnant! Lukey Duke was born at exactly 36 weeks so I was kinda spoiled in that I never had to deal with the thoughts that maybe this will never end, or that maybe she'll stay past her due date. I really hope that she decides to evict herself sometime soon. I know that she is fully developed and perfectly healthy and I really don't want to have her get TOO big. Maybe it's time to start thinking about some of those tried and true natural induction methods, though the thought of chugging Castor oil makes me want to throw up right now.... We'll see where we can get this weekend... My next doctor's appointment is on Monday so we'll see if we can get my cervix to start working it's way toward the finish line... I'll keep you posted...


Luvs!