So long 2011, bring on 2012!

A Leap Year to boot!

2011 wasn't so bad, actually. I love the number 11, so maybe that has something to do with it. The year was really nice. My pregnancy was healthy and normal. My not-so-baby girl turned 3 years old. I gave birth to my baby boy, who is healthy and growing like a weed. Duane's job brought new challenges and opportunities, along with some much-needed extra money to pay off some of those hospital bills! My job, well, it is still there. I was promoted in May, then went on leave from August through most of October, then got to work short weeks when I came back, and now I am on vacation until 2012!

So my goals for 2012 are as follows (in no particular order):

1. Lose the baby weight. We're talking ALL the baby weight, going back to my pregnancy with Rachel. When I got pregnant with Gavin, I had just started to lose a couple more pounds, but I was basically 10 pounds heavier than when I got pregnant with Rachel. That 10 pounds, no matter what I did, would NOT come off. I exercised every day for a month, and 5 days a week for 4 weeks prior to that, and I didn't lose ONE pound. I was pretty tone, but not skinny. With this pregnancy, I only gained 30 pounds, and I have lost about 26 pounds of that. Given that I am still nursing, I am okay with this, and the Weight Watchers has helped a lot. But I need to combine that with exercise. Which brings us to #2.

2. Run a 5K. Now initially, this was "Run a half-Marathon" but I thought that might be a bit lofty for a goal. I don't have much time to exercise as it is, so training for a 5K might be more realistic, then I can start training for a 10K, and then we can bump it up from there. This will get me into exercising for a purpose other than to just lose weight. It isn't going to be easy, but it looks like there are lots of training programs out there to help me get started. And now that I know my bestest Kim Cotter is doing the same, it might help!

3. Spend more time with the family. This may seem crazy, given the first two goals, but I need to spend more time with my family. Before Gavin got here, I didn't get to spend much alone time with Rachel because I was working all the time. Now, I know I need to make time for her and Gavin, and ESPECIALLY my husband. We barely see each other when the kids aren't around, and I am instituting some sort of date night every week. Time without the kids. It is not easy to keep the fires alive with two kids and four jobs, but we have to find a way to do that.

4. Pay off as much debt as possible. Enter the aforementioned four jobs. I freelance, Duane works at the bowling alley (which we are trying to buy), and we also both have full-time jobs. With all of this, we should be able to pay off as much of our revolving debt as possible this year. I don't need to be rich, but I do want to be able to spend $100 on something without flinching. Or go out and buy a much-needed new car for our expanding family. My old girl has 230,000 miles on her, and if she makes it one more winter without major issues, I will be thankful. We're not poor, but living in debt is like carrying extra weight on your shoulders. You always think about it.

5. Be a better mom. It's hard sometimes, having two kids, two jobs, a husband, bills to pay, finances to balance, workouts to get in, housework to do, blogs to write... Sometimes (too often) I lose my patience. I want to be a more patient and loving mom. Not sweat the small stuff. Have FUN with my kids. I want them to be kids, not tiny adults. I need to focus on what is and isn't important and have more patience and understanding.

6. Be less judgmental. I am adopting the saying, "Walk a mile in his/her shoes..." because this year has shown me that I am not a perfect parent. I am not a perfect wife. I am not a perfect employee. I have been the parent with the screaming toddler and crying baby in the store. I have yelled at my toddler in public. I have made mistakes at work. I have judged others, and acted like I was perfect. And I am not. No one is. So I am really striving not to judge people, most especially when I don't know what they are going through. It is all part of being a better Christian.

7. Figure out what I want to do when I grow up. As much as I love my job, and I am good at it, it isn't where I will retire from. This year has taught me that, if nothing else. I can move around and adapt as the company changes, but in the long-term, I am not going to retire from The McGraw-Hill Companies. And that is okay. I am only 31 years old. That seems old, because I have two kids and I have worked there for almost 8 years, but in reality, it is just a decade of the four decades I will likely work before I retire. That is one-quarter of my career. So it is time to start thinking about what I want to do now that I am getting older. And it may involve going back to school, which I shudder about, because I have little time as it stands. But I need to figure it out sooner rather than later.

Blog FAIL

I have been neglecting my blog again, so forgive me. I knew going back to work would be tough, but going back to work with two kids and a second job has been even tougher. I deluded myself into believing I would have time to go to the gym every evening, but some nights it is all I can do to get home and make something for Rachel to eat before slipping into a mental coma.

So work has been...interesting...the last few weeks. Just as I return from maternity leave and re-embrace my project that was supposed to be done before I ever got back, rumors begin to swirl about layoffs and re-orgs, etc. It soon became apparent that last Wednesday was D-Day (rather than Pearl Harbor Day -- my company can sure pick 'em). And when the e-mail went out from the first unlucky person called to HR, everyone in the company knew it was on, and we sat and prayed that our phones wouldn't ring. I survived the day, but we lost one of the people on our close-knit team, and that was tough.

So when I got home Wednesday night, I had to do a lot of reflecting. Work defines a lot of our lives, because most of us spend a good 40+ hours at work every week. I met some of my best friends at work. I am good at what I do. But if I were to lose my job, would I lose my identity? Would my life come to an end?

As if in answer to this question, Gavin slept a whopping TEN hours that night. I awoke refreshed, sad, but able to face the day after with more clarity than usual. And luckily I had my normal Friday vacation day to recover as well.

And I have been enjoying my kids a lot lately. As frustrating as it can be, I love being around them. We have been doing way too much to describe it all here. We have has Gavin baptized, met with Santa Claus, had sleepovers at grandparents' celebrated Thanksgiving, and started new routines. Gavin is on baby food now, and seems to enjoy that. Rachel has started a behavior chart to give her a bigger incentive to, well, behave. :) And I am just generally looking forward to spending the holidays with my family. Rachel finally seems to grasp the concept of Santa. She wants lots of purple presents for Christmas this year.

So I guess things are pretty good. Work is settling a little bit. Life at home is starting to become more routine. I am still hoping for a repeat of that 10-7 night of sleep, but we'll get there...

Back to Reality...

Well, it has been 12 weeks since we brought Gavin home from the hospital. In late July, October seemed a lifetime away. And I have to say, I have really enjoyed my time off with the kids, with the exception of the complications I suffered and the extra surgery I had. But once that was behind me, I was able to get out and enjoy my time with them. And the bonus from the discomfort of that is that I got some vacation time back because I had to file a new short-term disability claim, so instead of going back to work with 1 day of vacation, I will have 11 days left when I return. While I considered extending my leave into November, I have always had it in my mind that I had to return on October 24th, so I arranged it with my boss that I would return for 1 full week of work, and then use my remaining vacation to work short weeks the rest of the year. Because of the holidays, it works perfectly, and I will even be able to take the week between Christmas and New Years off as well. So with the exception of this week and the week of November 7th, I will be taking every Friday off. And I have to say, that lessens to harsh feelings I was having about going back to work full-time.

Once that was settled, I focused on spending as much time as possible with my kids. Last Thursday, we went with my mom, sister, and nephews to Pigeon Roost Farms, which is a pumpkin patch and all-around Autumn playground. We didn't bring any pumpkins home (I am hoping we can get back there with Duane to do that), but Rachel had so much fun playing in the fun center with her cousins. It was a chilly day, perfect autumn weather, and I just had a blast watching her romp around.
Saturday Gavin and I went to my cousin's wedding, so Rachel had a sleepover at cousin Caden's. Judging by her crankiness when I picked her up on Sunday, she had fun. I enjoyed spending time with my family, and they were very helpful with Gavin so I even got to dance with my dad and brother.
Sunday, we attended Nolan's 1st birthday party! His mom did a Halloween theme (I don't know what she would have done if she had a kid that wasn't born around a holiday), so I made a pumpkin cake (actual pumpkin cake decorated like a pumpkin) and smash cake. Seriously, check out the video on Kim's blog. I have never seen a kid have that much fun with a smash cake.
Tuesday was my last real day of maternity leave with both kids, so I tried to get outside and spend some quality time with Rachel. I hadn't been able to do a lot of that, and I regret it, but we spent an hour outside blowing and chasing bubbles, playing in her car, and just generally running around.

Wednesday, Duane, Gavin, and I dropped Rachel off with the sitter and headed to Florida for Lori's wedding. I wish we could have taken Rachel with us, but I knew two kids would be a lot to handle for both of us, let alone the times when I had to do wedding things and couldn't be around to help. And because I am nursing Gavin, I didn't want to be away from him that long. So Rachel got to spend some days with Grandma and Hoppa, and we headed to Boca Raton.

The vacation was really fabulous, even though we didn't get to do much. Gavin could not have been better on the airplane. He fell asleep every time the engines kicked on. When we got there, we picked up our rental (a mini-van, much to Duane's chagrin) and drove up the coast from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Boca Raton. It was gorgeous. There were so many yachts and mansions lit up in the night. Duane was instantly in love. Apparently we arrived during a beautiful pocket of nice weather too. It was 70s and sunny every day! Not even humid!

Our hotel was situated right on the beach, and I splurged on the ocean view room with a balcony, so we spent every morning sitting on the balcony just staring out at the ocean. I drank my coffee, and Duane just stared. We left the door open and listened to the waves crashing on the beach as often as possible. This was the view from out balcony.
And the wedding was probably the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have ever seen. Lori was gorgeous. I hope she doesn't mind if I post this picture.She is beautiful under the worst conditions, but as a bride, she was simply stunning.

She and Mike were married at a private club, in front of a pool with a fountain. As she came down the staircase, Mike started to cry, and I almost lost it too. The night could only have been more perfect if Duane and Gavin had been able to be there, but Gavin was extremely fussy and Duane sacrificed his evening so that I could spend mine with my friends. Everything was amazing. I am so happy I could share the experience with them.

So amazing that we really didn't want to leave on Saturday when the time came. I had scheduled a late afternoon/early evening flight to give us time to putz around on Saturday, and putz we did. Duane tried to convince me to go get Rachel and bring her back...permanently. He is already job hunting down there.

For now, we are just planning next year's vacation. I got some great tips from the woman who did my hair for the wedding. So I hope we can spend several nights in Boca and a couple in Orlando visiting a giant mouse and his friends. Until then, we may have to buy Duane a CD of ocean waves, crashing on the beach, to get him to sleep well at night...

Two Months!

In ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was posting that Gavin was 2 weeks old, and in other ways, it feels like it has been 2 years. He has developed strong preferences, much like his sister had at his age. Duane says we let them do that -- and he might be right.

Although Gavin doesn't have the reflux problems Rachel had when she was an infant, he is very particular about how he sleeps and eats. Try as I might, he doesn't sleep well unless he is sleeping next to me or on his boppy. I have been trying to slowly break him of his boppy habit, but when I lay him to sleep on his back with nothing around him, he wakes within minutes. And I figure that him getting sleep is more important than whether or not he sleeps with his boppy. His neck muscles are strong enough to lift his head now, so I am not so worried about him suffocating, and I figure that eventually, he will be able to roll over and sleep however he wants. (I used to find Rachel like this in her crib!)
He has also definitely decided he doesn't care for formula when I am within smelling distance from him. I have attempted to give him formula at points recently when we have been out and about, and he will only take the liquid kind that comes in 2-ounce bottles. No powder for him! This only concerns me because we are heading to Florida next week for Lori's wedding, and we are taking Gavin because of the nursing, but if he is fussy about sleeping and/or eating with Duane while I am taking care of wedding obligations, it could cause issues.

In other sleeping developments, Gavin has been experiencing nightmares every few days. I can tell they are nightmares, because he will be in a deep sleep, and suddenly he begins to cry, with no wimpering or whining leading up to it. And when I lift him, he doesn't immediately wake up, as though he is stuck in the bad dream. It is so sad to see him experience that, because he is upset for several minutes after. I always wonder what babies dream about -- and apparently whatever he is dreaming about isn't good!

So other than the sleep situation, Gavin is doing well. We had his 2-month doctor appointment last Friday. He did really well. Unfortunately, at the 2-month appointment, he had to have 3 shots! He didn't care for those much. He was very fussy the rest of the day. But his measurements were all wonderful. He weighed in at a hefty 13 lbs 9 oz and was 24.5 inches long. That is 90th and 96th in percentiles, respectively. So I guess I am making enough milk!

I get lots of smiles and coos, and that is always nice to see. I am hoping that when Gavin starts daycare in a couple of weeks, he will settle into a routine, which should also help Duane settle in with him too. Soon after that, we should start solids, and I remember that helping Rachel sleep better and be a little less fussy about her eating. Here's hoping.
Until then, I am trying to enjoy my remaining time at home with the kids.

Where Did September Go??

I know it is cliche, but I honestly feel like I just brought Gavin home from the hospital, and it is already October -- the month when I have to go back to work. I still have 3 weeks of maternity leave remaining, but at this point with Rachel, I was back to work. Twelve weeks just seemed like an eternity when I was anticipating leaving work, and now I am already building up to the dread of going back. :( I always have lofty plans for what I will do while I am off work. This time, I accomplished more of those plans, but definitely not all of them.

So what did I do with my September? I trekked down to Kentucky/Cincinnati on Labor Day weekend to celebrate my friend Lori at a bridal shower and bachelorette party.

Then I rushed back to Columbus to celebrate my brother's-in-law graduation from college. The following weekend, I made my first wedding cake! I normally wouldn't commit to making a cake for such a momentous occasion, but it was for a friend, and the wedding was small enough that I decided I could handle the pressure.

I had a little bit of a health issue this month. It is too personal to detail here, but it was the result of complication from laboring with Gavin, and after repeated trips to the doctor, it was determined I would need surgery to correct the issue. Now let me say, I have gone through childbirth twice now, including the recovery from childbirth. And I was a BIG BABY about the build-up to this surgery. It was outpatient surgery, but the doctor couldn't really predict what it would do to me or how long it would wipe me out. And having two kids around, I was worried about how to care for them. The surgery also required anesthesia, and that meant no nursing Gavin for 24 hours. And as much as I fretted about nursing Gavin in the early weeks of his life, the boy has definitely grown to love the boob. So he wasn't exactly pleased when I came home from the hospital and he didn't get to nurse. I had to pump-and-dump, which stinks -- breastmilk is like GOLD! But the upside of the surgery is that I had a lot of support from family and friends through the whole thing. Duane's job took him out of town all week, but my in-laws came through big time. They took me to and from the hospital and helped a bunch with the kids. My mom came to spend the night with me the night of the surgery, and things went very well. Then my mom and my sister both came over the next day to make sure I was doing okay. I just realized again how lucky I am to have so much support.

I have also been trying to get out of the house more this month. A couple weeks ago, I took Rachel to sign up for her first library card! She didn't understand the library, but she has enjoyed looking at the books. I am planning to take her to storytime one day this week, if I feel up to getting out. Two Wednesdays ago, I took Rachel to see her first movie in a real movie theater. My in-laws came up to sit with Gavin, and Rachel and I went to see an early showing of The Lion King. She was hesitant to go in the theater, but once she sat down and started eating popcorn, she was sold on the experience. I have never seen a kid who loves popcorn like that (my mother would be so proud!). I think she even ate a piece off the floor.

Then two Fridays ago, Mom and I took both kids to the Zoo. It was a bleak and rainy day, but Rachel had been looking forward to the visit all week, so we decided to brave the weather conditions. I am glad we did -- she enjoyed seeing the elephants and other animals. But more than anything, she loves riding the carousel at the Zoo. I hope we can make a trip back up there before I go back to work. Also on the agenda is a trip to the pumpkin patch!

And the kid just has so much personality now. She has figured out how to use the camera on my phone -- here is one of her self-portraits and just another example of her personality:
Gavin has turned on the personality lately too. He has grown like a weed this month. I had to reschedule his 2-month doctors appointment because of my surgery, so I don't know how much he weighs or his stats, but he seems twice the size that he was when he came out. I slightly miss the tiny fingers, hands, feet, etc. But I love all the things that come with his getting a bit older -- like the smiles! He smiles at me ALL THE TIME now. And there is no question that he knows who I am. He is carrying on a love affair with one of the lamps in our family room -- cooing, smiling, laughing at it. Duane was holding him yesterday, and it astounds me how much he has grown to look like his daddy. A lot of the dark hair he had when he was born has fallen out or faded, so he doesn't have much more than Rachel had at this age.

My kids are so wonderful and yet so frustrating all at once. I have days where I want to pull out my hair and days where I can't imagine not being around them like this all the time. They love each other -- that is quite obvious. Rachel always wants her "Baby Gavin" (because she won't call him just Gavin) with her at all times. She is one of the few people he recognizes and he smiles at her too.

And now the weather has turned cold, my football is in full blast (though my Buckeyes are definitely having a down year), and I am looking forward to Halloween for the first time in a long time. I don't think Rachel understands it, so I need to record some of the cartoons about it so she can get the idea a bit better. And I have two weddings to attend in October, one which will require traveling to Florida!

I signed up for Weight Watchers Online the last week of August because I am sick of feeling frumpy. So far, without exercising at all, I have lost 3 pounds. Granted, that is with some health issues, and I intend to start a serious exercise routine tomorrow to try to trim another 7 pounds in the next 2 weeks. But I feel better about what I am eating now. I tend to go crazy with my eating in the first few weeks of nursing, because I am ALWAYS hungry, and I am up all hours of the night. So I got it in check now, and I have a personal goal of getting back to my pre-Gavin weight by Christmas. :)

Sigh...now I am back to my leave. I need to experience every day to the fullest! I have a haircut slated for this week. I was trying to grow it out, but it has become too much of a pain every day. I need something easy!

Week "Off"

Duane has been on vacation this week, and I must admit, it has been really nice to have him around. I think I have a pretty good handle on this two-kid thing, but I will freely admit to losing my patience a little more than usual with my overactive 3-year-old. She has a tendency to crave attention, and it can be hard when I am tending to Gavin and she is asking me to look at her run in circle for the 100th time in 5 minutes.

Having Duane around really helps with that, because he can wear her down by playing with her while I tend to Gavin. Then when Gavin goes down for his nap, I get a little bit of quality time with Rachel, and occasionally I can slip out to run errands with her while Duane stays at home to watch Gavin. It's also nice to have the adult company and to spend some nice quality time with my husband. We are so blessed that his job is going very well and they value him, but when he is home from work, he still isn't really "home from work." He is out of town 2 nights a week, and when he is home, he gets several calls at night and occasionally has to run into the Columbus plant. I am grateful for the added income his promotion brings, because it is allowing us to give our children nice things and to get ourselves in a better situation to where maybe we can get a house with some property down the road, but having him home (and somewhat relaxed) has been really refreshing.

Tuesday was my birthday, and Duane took Rachel to the store in the morning to let me "sleep in" (read: sleep until 8 a.m. rather than 6:45 a.m., which is the time at which Rachel's internal alarm has been set since Gavin's arrival). He also knows the key to my heart, because he returned with a Tim Horton's coffee, flowers, a cake, and a card.

Later in the day, when I was able to get ready and get Gavin situated, we went bowling at Gahanna Lanes, our favorite bowling alley. Rachel wasn't really interested in whether she knocked any pins down, but she really liked throwing the ball with all her strength and running back to watch it come up the return. And I bowled very well (ahem, using the bumper lanes).

After that we headed home for everyone's naps. I didn't take one, and I need to get back to doing that, but I didn't want to spend any of my birthday knocked out. I used the quiet around the house as an opportunity to tend to some things I have been meaning to do. And then my parents came by to watch the kids for us while Duane and I escaped to dinner. It was a really nice birthday, overall. Rachel has been doing so well with Gavin. Aside from some general frustration at having to wait a little longer to get what she wants when I am nursing him, she is very attentive. I feel like I have a side-seat mommy with me when she is home -- she does not like her little brother to cry, so she makes sure I know he is crying until he stops crying. She also runs to get me things I need when I ask her, watches almost every diaper change, and kisses his head several times a day. She is a delight to watch with him.

Wednesday, my friends Kim and Lawrene stopped over with their kids. We are all mommies of two now, so it is interesting to watch the interaction. Kim gave me this wonderful birthday gift:

Lawrene gave me a ton of boy clothes, and I let her go through the first bin of Rachel's clothes. It is pretty apparent that I spent way too much money on clothes for Rachel over the years. I have roughly 8 bins of clothes!

The rest of the week, we have tried to relax with each other at home. Duane has worked around the house, and I have had to convince him to take time for himself to relax. It will be sad when he goes back to work next week, because the company has been nice at home. I bought myself the book The Help today because I saw the movie with my mom and sister last Friday, and maybe it was just my hormones, but I LOOOOVED it. It was funny, sad, inspirational, and depressing all rolled into one big lump of emotion. So I figure I will read the book while I sit at home alone with Gavin.

Friday, I ventured out with both kids to have breakfast with my mom and sister. Rachel was very well-behaved, and Gavin slept almost the entire breakfast. But I will say, I had my first baby boy experience. Gavin pooped through his diaper...this I am used to. Rachel did it several times. However, when I went to change him, he began to pee. I quickly covered his little doodah with a wipe. After many seconds, I removed the wipe to continue cleaning the poop. He began to pee again. This pattern continued four times. I just laughed and shook my head. I finally got the little guy cleaned up, and then he spit up on himself. It was comical for me, but luckily I didn't have to go anywhere directly following the breakfast!

I also picked up Gavin's newborn pictures Friday. I love them! As you can see in my new header, Rachel was quite the character for the session as well. I wish I could post them all here, but here is one of my (many) favorites:

I also have a lot of cakes to make in the next couple of weeks, not the least of which is a wedding cake for a friend. It is a small wedding, and that is the ONLY reason I agreed to make the cake, because that is a LOT of pressure on me. I am already stressing about it.

And I can't believe it, but next Saturday kicks off the 2011 NCAA College Football season! I won't be in town for the first game, for good reason -- I am headed to Kentucky for my friend Lori's bridal shower and bachelorette party! I actually went to KY on Monday this week to plan and address the invitations with her friend Bethany. I am taking Gavin with me for the bridal shower and then my brother and his girlfriend will be babysitting for the bachelorette party.

Monday is my follow-up appointment with my OB/GYN. It is a little earlier than the typical 6-week follow-up, but I am hoping she gives me the go-ahead to resume exercise. I only gained 30 pounds with Gavin, which was my goal and a LOT better than the 42 pounds I gained with Rachel. However, I also hadn't lost the last 10 pounds of Rachel weight when I got pregnant again, and I still have about 12 pounds of Gavin weight on top of that. So all-in-all, I have about 25 pounds of weight that I would like to lose, and while I realize I just had a baby, my goal is to at least get close to my pre-Gavin weight by Lori's wedding in October. I have just about 7 weeks to do this. Then I would like to lose another 5-10 pounds by Christmas and be down to my pre-Rachel weight by the beginning of next summer. So not only am I eager to get back to exercising, I am probably going to join Weight Watchers as well. The problem with dieting and exercising too vigorously is that I have to take in extra calories and not burn too many calories while I am nursing Gavin, or my supply will dwindle. Gavin's nursing is another blog entry, but I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my nursing abilities until he is at least eating baby food around 4 months, so I have to balance my fitness goals with my mommy goals!

Stay tuned -- the next 2 weeks are going to be busy, but after that, I have about 6 more weeks of peaceful leave to enjoy before heading back to work. *Sigh* I never thought I could be a stay-at-home mom once I started liking my job, but now that I am home, I wonder...

Two Weeks and Going Strong!

Do you hear that? That's the sound of a 3-year-old and a 2-week-old napping at the same time! How often does that happen?
Gavin and I have been home for about 2 weeks now, and we have a quasi-routine established. This week, we added Big Sister Rachel to the mix. I plan on keeping Rachel home 3 weekdays and only sending her to the babysitter on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the duration of my maternity leave (with the occasional third day, when needed). Some people think I am crazy for this, but I really want to spend some time with Rachel AND Gavin.
So far, Rachel has been great with her little brother. She calls him "My Gavin," and she loves to kiss his head and watch me change his diapers. Yesterday, he started to cry as I was brushing my teeth, and she rushed over to him and told him it would be okay. She has accepted him quickly as part of her permanent lifestyle, and I couldn't be more thrilled!
And I have to say, Gavin is an exceptional baby! I don't know if it is because I know more about being a mommy to a newborn this time or if it is just a difference in temperament, but he is so much easier to care for than I remember Rachel being. It also has helped that my recovery has been so much easier this time around. With Rachel, I didn't feel human again until 3-4 weeks post partum. This recovery took roughly a week--though I can't say I am 100% back to normal, I have been able to get out of the house several times on my own, with very little trouble.
Gavin only cries when he is hungry. I can set him down for a while in his swing and he is content to explore the room with his eyes. He sleeps most of the day, and he naps at night, so we need to get him on the right schedule, but I can't complain about that. He isn't colicky, and as long as he gets his food, he is a happy little guy. He weighed 8lbs 1 oz at his 1-week check-up, and everything is healthy and normal, which is a relief after the NICU scare! He is nursing a lot more efficiently, but we still supplement with some formula, though I can tell he prefers breastmilk.
He is also fascinated with his sister, so I am excited to watch them grow up together.
The only hiccup in the arrangement has been that Rachel wants a LOT of attention, and I just don't have a lot of extra time to devote to her right now. I was working on some freelance when I went into labor, and I have been struggling to finish it up (it is now overdue) so that I can worry about nothing except my kids. And it is possible that Rachel ALWAYS demanded a lot of attention, and I just never noticed because I didn't have anywhere else to devote it. But now that I have a baby demanding prompt feedings when his belly rumbles, it is hard for me to watch Rachel spinning in circles, hopping around, or showing me what she is doing every minute of the day. And it doesn't help that Daddy is traveling on business more than he used to, so she doesn't have him around to roughhouse with her every night. Duane and I have both had some issues in the patience department. I am working very hard to overcome that demon, because she has been such a great little girl through everything, and I don't want to stimey her imagination and love.

It will be wonderful here in a couple weeks because Duane is taking a week of vacation time, and we can take some trips as a family to get Rachel out and about. I think we will visit the Zoo, and possibly make a date with Mommy, Daddy, and Rachel only. Although Rachel might not like that, because she constantly wants to know where her little brother is! But I want to make sure to give her some time alone with us, and I will enjoy being able to have some girl time like we used to.
So everything through these first two weeks is great! I am tired, and I have been catching a lot of Big Brother After Dark (Showtime Channel), but it has been so much smoother than I really expected. I had been so nervous for a while at the end of my pregnancy, wondering how things would be with this new little baby in our lives, but I feel really blessed!

The Birth Story of Gavin Duane

Back in November, when I learned I was pregnant with our second child and I tried to calculate my due date, I decided I wanted this baby to arrive on July 28th.

There were many reasons for this. First, I didn't want the baby to go past the due date of July 31st. Rachel was 4 days late, and it is just frustrating to be waiting around at the end of your pregnancy. Second, and most importantly, I thought the numbers would be perfect. Rachel's birthday is June 23rd, mine is August 23rd, and Duane's is April 28th. How perfect would it be to have a baby with July 28th as a birthday? We would all be perfectly linked together! Finally, my cousin/little brother Mark's birthday is July 28th, which would be just icing on the proverbial birthday cake.

So when I went to the doctor on July 25th, and she told me I was still only 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced, and we scheduled my induction for August 4th, I was discouraged. It isn't that I find anything wrong with being induced per se. I know a lot of people who have had to be induced, and everything turned out fine. But I know a lot of people who have had complications from being induced (e.g., longer labors, problems dilating, painful contractions, stress on the baby, emergency C sections, etc.), so I just really didn't want to be induced if I could help it. I was technically induced with Rachel, because I wasn't having contractions on my own when my water broke, so I knew everything would work out okay no matter how baby arrived. Still, I was hopeful...

So when my sister and mom invited me to join them at the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday, July 27th, I asked my boss if it would be okay for me to leave a little early. My boss is just awesome, and he agreed easily. I left work at 1:30, and I made it to the fair at 2 p.m. I spent about 5 hours walking around in the 90-degree heat with Rachel, my nephews, and my mom and sister. Rachel and I got home around 8 p.m. Duane was working late (luckily in Columbus as opposed to Indianapolis, where he usually spends Tuesday and Wednesday nights).

After I got Rachel to bed, I was laying on the couch, watching Big Brother on DVR. My abdomen was definitely sore from walking so much. Suddenly, I felt a bit of a trickle...

My first thought: "Oh man...did I just pee myself?" Then, I realized that I hadn't felt any urge to pee whatsoever. So as I debated about whether my water had broken and whether I should call the doctor, I was changing my pants, and the question was answered for me...because the small trickle turned into a much larger trickle, and it was pretty evident that baby was ready to come out!

At this point, it was about 10 p.m. I called Duane, but he didn't answer, so I sent him a text and then called my parents.

Around that time, I started having contractions. I had never had any contractions when my water broke with Rachel. Duane finally called back, and I told him what happened and he said he was on his way home. My contractions were about 10-15 minutes apart, lasting only about 20 seconds. When I got to the hospital, I was dilated to 3 cm. My contractions started coming much faster, but I was only feeling about 20 seconds of them. I asked that I be allowed to walk around to move things along, and in no time I was at 5 cm. Then, the baby's heart rate dropped. My contractions started coming 1 minute apart, right on top of one another. So no more walking, said the nurse. I decided it was a good time for an epidural.

The epidural with Rachel was easy and quick. So when it took several numbings and I started having pressure in my head, I was worried. I asked what was going on, and the anesthesiologist said there was a problem. Basically, he put the catheter in too far on the first attempt, which is called a wet tap. I began leaking cerebrospinal fluid, which caused the pressure in my head. He explained this leaking could cause severe headaches that would last 5-8 days, so I should monitor the headaches and he would check in on me the next day (Friday). He apologized profusely.

The pressure in my head moved to my neck and began causing severe spasms. I didn't know how I would be able to push when it was time. I couldn't feel any pain with the contractions anymore, but I could feel pressure. My contractions also slowed waaaaaaayyy down. So after 3 hours with virtually no progress, they started me on Pitocin to move things along.

I went from 6 cm to fully dilated in 90 minutes, and the nurse said she didn't think it would take much more than 1 push. The doctor peeked in and asked if she had time to change into scrubs and the nurse told her to hurry! Ten minutes after I started pushing, our baby was born, and I knew almost instantly that we had a son!

The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, and he was a little stunned and slow to become alert. But he got things moving and I heard him cry for about 5 minutes as they cleaned him up.

Gavin Duane was born at 10:38 a.m. on July 28th and weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long.

Because he was stunned in the beginning, Gavin's blood sugar was a little bit low, and they ended up taking him to the NICU overnight for a glucose IV. Until he could test consistently higher and feeding regularly, he would need to stay in the NICU. I went down to nurse him every 3 hours, but my neck spasms were still bad, so I had trouble making it down there once. I was terribly upset, but my nurses were amazing!!! Gavin's NICU nurse sat with me and kept me calm, and my nurse on Friday tracked down several doctors in an attempt to get me some relief for my neck pain.

Gavin returned from the NICU Friday afternoon, and we were discharged from the hospital on Saturday. The anesthesiologists couldn't figure out the neck spasms, but they didn't feel they were related to the botched epidural (despite the fact that they started right after).

I started having headaches Saturday, but they weren't terrible. But by the afternoon on Sunday, they were so bad that I couldn't see straight. So I called my doctor and she sent me to the ER at St. Anns. I was in extreme pain, and the ER doctor was not encouraging about the availability of an anesthesiologist to do a blood patch. However, in about a half-hour, the original anesthesiologist returned to do my blood patch, which clots the hole that is leaking fluid with blood. The headaches disappeared instantly, but I had to wait until the IV was done before I could leave. I was thankful that the anesthesiologist prioritize my case, because I was spent emotionally, I didn't want to be away from my little girl and my baby boy anymore!

I was sent home on bedrest for 1-2 days, which was rough with a newborn. But after a day, I was fully recovered.

The recovery since then has been smooth and easy compared to what it was with Rachel. Other than the low blood sugar and the wet tap problem, I have had no issues! Gavin is already up to 8 lbs and sleeping and eating well. I have been able to get out of the house a couple of times, and I am slowly learning to balance 2 kids. My mom helped all week, and Duane was even able to take some time off of work to help too. My back is still a bit sore, and I am not 100%, but I can't believe how quickly I am bouncing back this time.

So that is the long story of how we became a family of 4!!

Final Plans...Check!

Months ago, my sister and I began planning the birthday party to celebrate Rachel's third birthday and my nephew Owen's fifth birthday. Unfortunately, though their birthdays are June 23rd and 26th, respectively, the local parks were booked up. So we slipped 2 weekends into July (the 9th, to be exact) before we could get the party planned. I was a little wary of this, but it was the best we could do at the time, so I made a deal with baby to have him/her respect big sister and stay in until at least July 10th.

Normally we hold the celebration at Blacklick Woods, but this time we went for a park in Gahanna called Friendship Park. It turned out to be a really nice shelter, very close to the playground (maybe a little too close, considering the little ones had trouble focusing on anything BUT the playground), and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

And little brother/sister honored the deal and stayed put through the party.

This was my last set of plans before my due date. Everything else is loose and tentative, just in case this kiddo makes an early appearance.

Speaking of early appearances, it doesn't look like the kiddo will be making one. I am not 37 weeks (which is considered full term), but the doctor reports that I am still only about a fingertip dilated and not effaced at all. The baby's head is down and in position perfectly, but apparently my body is not giving up this pregnancy thing anytime soon.

I am not complaining too much. I remember the sleepless nights after having Rachel, and while I am none-too-eager to return to that level of zombie-hood, I am kind of done being pregnant for a while. I feel really large (despite everyone's comments about how small I still look for being so far along), and the pressure/pain in my pelvis is getting pretty old. Plus, I would really like to meet my new son/daughter!!

So for now I wait. I told my doctor I would like to let things go until August 4th or 5th before we talk induction, though I am hoping something happens before then. And chances are, it will, given Rachel's dramatic entrance into the world. I just might be one of those women who doesn't have contractions on her own -- I will wait around until my water breaks or whatever.

As for Rachel's party -- it couldn't have gone much better, with the one exception that the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake I made for her kept dismantling in the heat. It looked great while it lasted though!! And the kids had so much fun.

Next year we will have to see if we combine this little one's birthday with Rachel's!

Almost Full-Term

It occurs to me that I really haven't done justice to Baby #2 in my blog posts. I realized this last week when I got back from the doctor. I had been experiencing an unusual amount of discomfort (even pain) since going to the Zoo on Rachel's birthday, so the doctor did an internal exam a week earlier than normal. During the exam, she discovered that Baby's head is very low. She also determined that I was just shy of 1 cm dilated. So I went back to figure out (from blog posts) how far along I was at 35 weeks with Rachel. That made me realize that I haven't been nearly as descriptive about the pregnancy with Baby #2. So I will have to try to make up for that in the remaining however-many weeks I have left!
To start, I had my mini-shower for Baby #2 on June 25th! My friends Kim, Lawrene, and Jen (also my SIL) organized this for me and I can't thank them enough! I had such a good time and got some nice things I needed for Baby #2. I had started a registry for Baby #2 with various small things (and a couple bigger ones I intended to buy myself) that you have to re-purchase when you have a second child. My awesome family and friends were so generous that I really don't have much left to get! I even got enough gift cards to get the glider I want. With Rachel, I always used a rocking chair, which was okay, but I remember being very uncomfortable at certain points, and I thought it would be really nice to have a more comfortable chair for the late nights with Baby.

The shower was a lot of fun. It even included a game centered around the gender of the baby. Apparently most people think this baby is a boy. I still waiver back and forth, but my inclination is leaning toward boy. I don't have a reason really, other than the difference in how I am carrying this pregnancy. I have gained less weight (28 lbs so far as compared to 39 lbs by this point last pregnancy), and the majority of it is in my belly (36-week picture posted below). But I have talked to a few moms who had this happen with babies that ended up both being girls, so I guess this doesn't hold much weight (no pun intended).

So anyway, as I mentioned, I have been in some pain since June 23rd. The best way I can describe the feeling is that it feels like I imagine a guy would feel after getting kicked in the balls, after the initial sting has worn off. It just feels sore and achy, like I pulled a muscle. The doctor seemed to think the baby being so low contributed to this feeling, and chalked it up to normal discomfort.

I was still feeling this at my 36-week appointment on Tuesday, and the nurse practitioner mentioned that if I am in a lot of pain at 37 weeks, they can try to strip my membranes to induce an earlier labor. It isn't guaranteed to work, but she said it might help. I haven't had any contractions that were noticable, and I didn't progress past the <1 cm from week 35, but I don't know if I will ask for the membrane stripping or not. I am in no real rush to get Baby out -- I guess I just hoped to make some progress from week to week to encourage me that the pain I was feeling had some purpose. My main goal was to get past this Saturday (July 9th) because we are having Rachel & Owen's birthday party that day. Once I am past that, I have no plans to do much of anything, so if Baby makes an early debut, I am fine with it. I have work in a pretty stable situation...the only issue is in a promotion I am hoping to interview for something this month. That's a whole other story though.

I feel pretty good about where we stand with baby-readiness though. I washed the carseat cover and installed it in my car. I ordered the extra carseat base using some gift cards we got for cashing in rewards points. I washed the bottles, the cover for the swing, the crib mattress pad, and some smaller gender-neutral clothes we had from Rachel, and the nursery is fairly clean. I even pre-paid the majority of our hospital bill.

Tune in next week for the latest news on Baby #2. I hit full-term on Sunday!

Happy 3rd Birthday Rachel!!

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting around, waiting to have contractions so I could go to the hospital and meet my little girl. Maybe it feels so familiar because I am only 5 weeks away from my due date with the new baby. Three years ago, on June 22nd, at 11:45 p.m., my water broke and we went to the hospital knowing that we would soon get to meet our daughter Rachel. Almost exactly 13 hours later, we welcomed Rachel Louise Wood into the world.

I didn't know what to expect from having a baby. There were certainly a lot of people offering advice and wisdom. There were definitely sleepless nights. There was a big learning curve. But more than anything, there has been a LOT of laughter and a ton of love.
Rachel is such a joy to be around. Her smile lights up any room. And as she has grown up, her personality has developed into such a hoot! She has a great sense of humor, she is a social butterfly, she is intelligent, and she is sweet. I am not saying the kid is perfect (we have recently hit a phase where listening has become an issue), but she amazes me each day with how great she is.

For her 3rd birthday, we took the day off and went to the Zoo. We were lucky to have Duane come with us, and I could really tell that Rachel enjoyed it more when he was there to share experiences with. We saw monkeys, elephants, a tiger, some lions, and a various other animals. But I think the biggest hit of the day was when we let Rachel ride the carousel. She had been on one at Cedar Point last summer, but this time, she seemed to enjoy it even more.

We managed to escape the Zoo without getting rained on, and we headed home to enjoy the rest of our day. We got pizza for dinner and a Dairy Queen Reeses Blizzard Cake for dessert. Rachel enjoyed both, but I think she really just liked blowing out her candles. She asked for 4 candles, and when she blew them out the first time, she requested that we relight them and let her blow them out again, for good measure. (Hey, it was her birthday...)

And her birthday wasn't complete until her cousin and best friend Caden paid her a visit. I think that just topped off the whole day.

This morning, we went for her 3-year check-up (which for some reason required a urine sample), and she checked out remarkably. They really enjoy her at Dr. Dan's office. She is advanced in her speech and right on track developmentally. She is also advanced socially. She came in around 35th percentile for weight and 23rd percentile for height. Previously she had been in high percentiles for height, so I guess her genes caught up with her! Sorry kid!

Then we went for her 3-year pictures. She couldn't have been better. She was super excited -- I couldn't get her to stop running around, jumping and smiling. It seems like last time we were there she wouldn't smile at all!

I managed to limit myself in the picture selection, since I figure we will be getting more pictures done in about 6-7 weeks, but it is still amazing to see how much she has changed throughout these 3 years!