Tuesday was brutal. I went for Hayden's 2-week checkup at her pediatrician's office, full expecting her to be back to her birth weight. When the nurse put her on the scale and it said 7 lbs, 12 ozs (she was 8 lbs, 3 oz at birth), I just lost it. Even though she had gained weight from the previous week, it startled me to see that she was under 8 pounds, and I immediately starting thinking the worst. The nurse gave me a hug because she could see it was one of those cries that wasn't going to end anytime soon. About ten minutes later when Dr. B came in the room, I was still bawling. Thankfully she reassured me that since H was gaining an ounce a day, there wasn't any reason to change what I was doing. She said because of her jaundice a few days after birth, she just lost her weight quickly and was slowly making her way back. I was glad to hear I didn't have to start supplementing with formula, but my sleep-deprived, hormone-out-of-whack self couldn't stop feeling like I was failing my baby. It was the worst feeling ever, and it was embarrassing to be such an emotional wreck.
Needless to say, I'm pumping two out of three feedings for her, just to make sure she's gaining enough weight this next week. She's definitely not a great eater like my other two. She'll latch on for a minute or so, then pull off to look around. I think once she's back to her birth weight, I'm gonna go on a boob-only mission for a day or two and force this child to become a better eater.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Beater-Lickin' Valentine's
The rugrats helped me bake a cake this morning which will be used to make chocolate cake balls for dessert tonight. Doesn't Emerson's expression in the second picture just say it all? She's clearly chocolate drunk. Her words after her first lick? "Ooh, Mommy, I yuv this. It's choc-o-licious." On the menu tonight: chicken tetrazzini, stuffed mushrooms, salad, and cheese garlic biscuits. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Too bad I actually have to cook it now!
And here's what the youngest sibling has been doing most of the day, her first Valentine's Day. Isn't she so snuggly and cute?
Hope each of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Oh, I almost forgot... here are pictures of the completed wood floors! Now all we have to do is actually move in! Please begin praying for my sanity this weekend...
Friday, February 11, 2011
Future Office Project
When we finally start moving in (wood floors will be completely finished tomorrow morning!), I have all of these design ideas, decorating goals, and things I'd like to accomplish very quickly. However, given the current fact that (a) I have a week-old child, (b) I wouldn't ever call myself a very crafty person, and (c) there are also two other little people running around... it's little projects like these that will undoubtedly take a backseat. But how cool is this?? Taking a boring black filing cabinet (we have a 3-drawer beast almost exactly like the one featured) and giving it a cool facelift would be awesome. I'll put it on my to-do list... more than likely to be completed sometime around 2018.
http://californiacallahans.blogspot.com/2011/02/filing-cabinet-beautified.html
http://californiacallahans.blogspot.com/2011/02/filing-cabinet-beautified.html
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
1 Week Old
Lil' Miss H turned a week old yesterday. I think it's official... she's a keeper. I'm falling in love, and Daddy has to remind me to put her down occasionally. Big sister is also quite smitten and wants to hold her every single chance she gets. Here are the sisters in their monkey PJs.
Here are a few more pictures of the one-week-old's last few days:
And don't even THINK about messing with this guy. He chews lightning and poops thunder.
The first two days of this week have been a lot of work. On Monday Hayden had her first checkup at the pediatrician's office, so I dropped off E & J at GiGi and SueSue's house to take their naps. It turns out the little monkey was 8 ounces below her birth weight. It was such a shock to me because I've never had a baby who didn't immediately get HUGE from breastfeeding. She's definitely somewhat of a lazy eater, so Dr. B wanted me to increase my nursing to every two hours and check her the next day. She also was looking a little jaundiced, so we went to the lab to have her biliruben levels checked. We then left the office, drove clear across town to get the kiddos, and then clear across town the other direction to pick up Daddy from his office. We had dropped him off that morning because his car is fairly low to the ground and wouldn't have been able to get out of our neighborhood. Yesterday we went back to Dr. B's office for a weight re-check (this time toting all three children... yea for me), and she had gained a full ounce, so I think she's good to go. Her biliruben levels were a little elevated, but not enough to do any kind of photo therapy. Being at the dr's office with all three was so overwhelming to me. I texted the hubby and told him how crazy it was, and he reminded me to just breathe and know that I was loved and adored by him. Also a keeper, that one!!!
Here are a few more pictures of the one-week-old's last few days:
And don't even THINK about messing with this guy. He chews lightning and poops thunder.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Settling In
Baby Hane, as her brother affectionately calls her, has been such a joy these last few days at home. I had a little bit of anxiety about the chaos that I assumed would commence the minute we walked through the door with a third child. It's been really manageable, but it's probably due in part (or in whole) to the fact that Daddy is here. I'm forcing myself to believe that tomorrow, when he's back at work, our children will continue to be just as good as they've been since she was born. However, if the following picture is any indicator, I might be in for it. I seriously turned my back on him for 30 seconds while he and Emerson were painting.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Blizzard Baby's Arrival!
I have to admit I stole the title of this blog from many of my sweet friends who replied to my text that Hayden was born. So many of you called her a blizzard baby, or snow baby, or (my personal fave) Hayden "The Blizzard" Van Valkenburg. So here's how it all went down.
Literally as I was posting my last blog at my in-laws' house on Monday night, I was starting to experience some contractions. I didn't blog about it because I figured that would jinx my mojo just in case I truly was going into labor. At about 10:45, my contractions were 6 minutes apart while sitting and 2-4 minutes apart while standing or walking around. I wanted to wait a while longer before heading to the hospital, but by then the sleet was coming down pretty hard and Jason wanted to head that way. We got to the hospital, they checked me, and I was only dilated to a 3. I suddenly panicked that they were going to send us home, but the nurse said if I progressed for the next hour, they would go ahead and admit me. An hour later, I was at a 5, and I was officially admitted and allowed to walk. For the next 45 minutes, Jason and I walked the halls of the labor and delivery wing, me in my hospital gown and him carrying the full-size birthing ball. Sitting down rather than standing up during contractions was the best way for me to manage the pain, so with each contraction he would put the ball on the floor, and I would sit and get through it with my breathing, focusing, and vocal techniques. I really did feel like a pro this time around, like I was truly in the zone.
During the next check, I was at a 7, and the nurse called my midwife Kim. Let me just say that I love, love, love my midwife, but never so much as that night. She was not on call, but she got out of bed at 2 a.m. in the miserable weather with the forecasters advising against even getting on the roads. She said she didn't want to miss delivering our third baby. She's the bomb. Anyway, I progressed to a 9 in no time, and she asked if I wanted her to break my water. I said yes, she did, and as she was walking out the door to go to the nurse's station, the urge to push hit me so hard, I started freaking out. I yelled, "I need to push NOW!" She and the nurses came running in with their tables and delivery garb, and I could see the suppressed panic in their faces. At that point Hayden was crowning, and with the first push, her head came out, and the next push got the rest of her out. It all happened to stinkin' fast, I was totally in shock. I looked over at Jason and said, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe she's here! And I can't believe I never have to go through that again." The relief I felt at that moment was overwhelming, and her warm little body on my chest and Daddy's sweet kisses on my forehead were as close to perfect as anything I've ever experienced. I was just trying to savor every single second as I was keenly aware that I was going through it all for the last time. It was truly amazing.
So since that moment (3:56 a.m. on February 1st, to be exact), we've been at the hospital, just the three of us in our little room. I missed having visitors and, as Daddy would say, 'gettin' my sanguine on,' but it was also nice just to be cozy with my husband and my daughter. The hospital was a ghost town with a large majority of the staff forced to stay there because of the roads. There was no room service available and we couldn't leave to go get food, so we ate cafeteria sandwiches and vending machine food like it was going out of style. Taking Hayden out in her little push cart and walking the halls became something to look forward to. At one point, I went downstairs by myself and walked outside just to feel the air and see the snow, and when I turned around, the front doors wouldn't open. It was so cold, I thought I was going to freeze to death in a matter of seconds and pried the doors open with my hands. It was scary!
We made our way back to the in-laws' house a couple of hours ago, and Emerson and Jax have been so sweet with their little sister. If Hayden has been kissed once, she's been kissed 29 times. Jax has no concept of being gentle, so we have to watch him like a hawk so he doesn't poke her in the eye or lay on her. Emerson is fascinated with her little fingers and toes and has already held her. When she was going potty before taking her nap, she played through the whole scenario of what it's going to be like to show her off to her preschool friends for the first time. So cute.
I can't believe I have three children! Ahhh!!! What a fun ride this is going to be. I'm so thankful that Jason's dad called and invited us to stay with them, I'm thankful that we didn't have to deal with the snow coming down on the way to the hospital, I'm thankful that Hayden is healthy (8 lbs, 3 ozs, 19.25 inches long), I'm thankful that I had the best labor coach to get me through it and that he still loves me despite seeing ALL OF THAT, and I'm thankful for getting to be a mommy to a beautiful litttle girl, the final piece of our newly completed family.
Here are pictures of our last few days!
Sister kisses
Literally as I was posting my last blog at my in-laws' house on Monday night, I was starting to experience some contractions. I didn't blog about it because I figured that would jinx my mojo just in case I truly was going into labor. At about 10:45, my contractions were 6 minutes apart while sitting and 2-4 minutes apart while standing or walking around. I wanted to wait a while longer before heading to the hospital, but by then the sleet was coming down pretty hard and Jason wanted to head that way. We got to the hospital, they checked me, and I was only dilated to a 3. I suddenly panicked that they were going to send us home, but the nurse said if I progressed for the next hour, they would go ahead and admit me. An hour later, I was at a 5, and I was officially admitted and allowed to walk. For the next 45 minutes, Jason and I walked the halls of the labor and delivery wing, me in my hospital gown and him carrying the full-size birthing ball. Sitting down rather than standing up during contractions was the best way for me to manage the pain, so with each contraction he would put the ball on the floor, and I would sit and get through it with my breathing, focusing, and vocal techniques. I really did feel like a pro this time around, like I was truly in the zone.
During the next check, I was at a 7, and the nurse called my midwife Kim. Let me just say that I love, love, love my midwife, but never so much as that night. She was not on call, but she got out of bed at 2 a.m. in the miserable weather with the forecasters advising against even getting on the roads. She said she didn't want to miss delivering our third baby. She's the bomb. Anyway, I progressed to a 9 in no time, and she asked if I wanted her to break my water. I said yes, she did, and as she was walking out the door to go to the nurse's station, the urge to push hit me so hard, I started freaking out. I yelled, "I need to push NOW!" She and the nurses came running in with their tables and delivery garb, and I could see the suppressed panic in their faces. At that point Hayden was crowning, and with the first push, her head came out, and the next push got the rest of her out. It all happened to stinkin' fast, I was totally in shock. I looked over at Jason and said, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe she's here! And I can't believe I never have to go through that again." The relief I felt at that moment was overwhelming, and her warm little body on my chest and Daddy's sweet kisses on my forehead were as close to perfect as anything I've ever experienced. I was just trying to savor every single second as I was keenly aware that I was going through it all for the last time. It was truly amazing.
So since that moment (3:56 a.m. on February 1st, to be exact), we've been at the hospital, just the three of us in our little room. I missed having visitors and, as Daddy would say, 'gettin' my sanguine on,' but it was also nice just to be cozy with my husband and my daughter. The hospital was a ghost town with a large majority of the staff forced to stay there because of the roads. There was no room service available and we couldn't leave to go get food, so we ate cafeteria sandwiches and vending machine food like it was going out of style. Taking Hayden out in her little push cart and walking the halls became something to look forward to. At one point, I went downstairs by myself and walked outside just to feel the air and see the snow, and when I turned around, the front doors wouldn't open. It was so cold, I thought I was going to freeze to death in a matter of seconds and pried the doors open with my hands. It was scary!
We made our way back to the in-laws' house a couple of hours ago, and Emerson and Jax have been so sweet with their little sister. If Hayden has been kissed once, she's been kissed 29 times. Jax has no concept of being gentle, so we have to watch him like a hawk so he doesn't poke her in the eye or lay on her. Emerson is fascinated with her little fingers and toes and has already held her. When she was going potty before taking her nap, she played through the whole scenario of what it's going to be like to show her off to her preschool friends for the first time. So cute.
I can't believe I have three children! Ahhh!!! What a fun ride this is going to be. I'm so thankful that Jason's dad called and invited us to stay with them, I'm thankful that we didn't have to deal with the snow coming down on the way to the hospital, I'm thankful that Hayden is healthy (8 lbs, 3 ozs, 19.25 inches long), I'm thankful that I had the best labor coach to get me through it and that he still loves me despite seeing ALL OF THAT, and I'm thankful for getting to be a mommy to a beautiful litttle girl, the final piece of our newly completed family.
Here are pictures of our last few days!
Thrilled to finally be dilated to a 7!
She's here!
Daddy's proud of his newest girl.
Hayden sandwich
A few hours old.
Daddy's lavish sleeping quarters!
Pretty in pink
Getting to know her mommy
She looks just like Jax to me in this picture. Also a little like Mike Ditka.
And this picture looks identical to Emerson's birth announcement picture. So I think the verdict is still out on whom she looks most like.
The little Snow Bunny is ready to get in the car!
They couldn't stop smiling today!
Hayden and Pa-Pa Van Valkenburg
Sister kisses
One of his few 'gentle' times.
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