One Month Old (October 23)

BATHTIME

LEGOS WITH DADDY

 ITS TALLER THAN ME-ITS THIS TALL

 SLEEPY-HEADS

 SWINGING

Kaili is one month old. I am excited that he feels heavier and looks a little chubbier. He's still tiny though. The size of a newborn....7 lbs 7.4 oz as of our weight check today. Adrian was 7lbs 4 oz at birth. He doesn't sleep long without being held, rocked in his swing, vibrated in his bouncy seat, or moving in the car. He can tell he's not being held or near someone and even slept fine when placed next to his sleeping brother. But if I place him in his bassinet or crib, he's awake within 5-10 minutes. He uses his pacifier for short periods of time for self soothing. He is making bigger noises-coos, cries, screams, and I swear I heard him laughing in his sleep earlier. I think he has my ears, his eyes are still very dark. His hair seems a little lighter than Adrian's, maybe he has Barry's hair color. His baby acne is going away, but now cradle cap is showing up. He has periods of waking time where he stares at his surroundings in the mornings and evenings. I'm pumping still and stocking up for going back to work. I am still giving him one bottle a day at least for his vitamin drops since he doesn't like the taste alone.

I'm sad that 1/3 of my leave is over already though. I need to figure out what the childcare situation will be when I go back to work. I need to figure out what the benefits are if I stay to my 5 year mark since that's only a year and a half away. I need to get a new car. I need to consolidate credit card debt. I need to figure out buying this house. I need to see about getting my teacher licensure from the state for my certificate from CSU. I am feeling overwhelmed when I think about all of this.

Regarding childcare: I want Adrian and Kaili together most of the time. I want Adrian to be able to go somewhere where I can get assistance with transportation to and from preschool. I would love someone to come to my home since that is the kids' environment and I have more control over it but of course that could get really expensive.

MORE SLEEPY-HEADS

Funny Sayings or Mis-said Words

Ride the Alligator *Elevator
Beard *Beer *Soda is also Beard and usually just as off limits
Going to the Movie Gator or Movie Alligator *Theater

Adrian playing with his cars...'don't scratch my apple"..no idea

Week 2 to Week 4 Day to Day Stuff

10/1 142lbs from 157 :) Fitting in regular clothes again...at least some of them. 10/3 Newborn Screen, Dr. Appts for both boys. Daddy off work. Car dies while out at appts. Towed to dad's work. Figured out that the timing belt snapped. 10/5 PS work Day. Liza watches Kaili and Adrian loves having mom be parent teacher! Dad took off monday or else today would have been his assigned day. Then we head to mommy's work to visit, drop off time sheets, and add kaili to insurance policy. What a long day! 10/6 Liza's kiddo William comes over for a playdate with Adrian. They have lots of fun outside:) 10/7 Mom sells her car for $350. Goodbye dear car, a present from my parents for graduating high school and going to college...a surprise when I returned from NJ to work over the summer at the YMCA in Estes and live at home until I moved into the dorms at CSU. It was a good little car and I will miss it, and especially miss never having my own car payment :) 10/8 and 10/9 Weekend 10/10 Weight Check for Kaili: 6 lbz and 4.9 oz. He's gaining!!! Going to a mom's group at FUMC in the morning while the kiddos are in PS...915 to 1030am. 10/12 Wed. Kaili's Due Date! 10/13 Family Dinner :) Dad works late tonight though so we go on our own. Adrian misses his Grandma D and seeing his cousins and was asking for them this past week...so we decided to go to family dinner and for Adrian to go to see Grandma D on on of the days she has Cavyn and Nyco. Maybe we'll also do another sleepover at cousin Cavyn's. 10/14 Kaili is 3 Weeks Old 10/15 and 10/16 Weekend: Fitzler's Farm and BBQ at home 10/17. No mom's group today. Mom goes home during PS and takes a nice nap. 10/19 PS conferences today. Adrian is a good easy going kiddo. He does have a tendency to be negatively influenced by peer pressure...which is why it is good that he is in PS now and learning what is acceptable and what is not in a big peer setting. As we discussed, it's easier to mess up now and learn than in middle or high school when there are bigger stakes to negative peer influences and behaviors. He is slow to warm up in the mornings...takes after his mother. We head to Library Park afterwards, have lunch and play for 3 hours with Arie and Ollie, friends Adrian made last week on our Library trip. We planned to tentatively meet up again and they were there. Adrian was so excited. The mom is Amber and Oliver is 14 months and Arabelle is 4. Adrian had lots of fun, then we went to get new books and another Diego DVD for the week. Adrian has been watching way less TV lately...maybe his Diego DVD every other day or so. He has been asking less for the TV also. No matter though he always engages with his toys and enjoys playing with his friends Lexi, Julian, and Jacki when they are over here or when he goes to their house. He loves reading and it ranks as high as watching his dvd. He can be read to for hours. I'm thinking about taking him to storytime at the library. I also need to get a CD player so I can get books on CD....I lent mine to a friend and the CD part broke which is the main reason for buying it in the first place. 10/20 Family Dinner :) Daddy works late again tonight. 10/21: Is Kaili one month old today? Four weeks later? Or is he not one month old until the 23rd of the month? Today he showered with me in his new little bath seat. He did ok...I think he'd rather have a bath. Adrian Says: "I want to save my brother from the monsters. I'll hide with him in the tent, okay?" and "where I came from?"

Gaining Weight! Losing Weight!! Halloween Fun!!

Kaili is 6 lbs and 13.2 oz per our weight check on Monday 10-17. That means he's gained over an oz a day since last Monday!! He's been eating well. Still a slow eater though. We're giving a bottle or two a day since he gets more faster and doesn't tire out. I never did give "at least 8 supplemental bottles after pumping each day" we maybe had up to 5 per day at one point. One a day with his vitamin supplement will be good for now unless of course he starts losing weight or is away from mom for over 2 hours. Not so worried anymore. He's gaining and I'm losing. I've actually lost all the weight I gained and am back at pre-pregnancy weight as of Sunday (16th) putting me at 136lbs. I was about 10 lbs over what I normally like to be at (125) so I hope I keep losing. I can at least fit into my clothes again, for the most part. Kaili still wears premie outfits and diapers but is fitting in lots of newborn size outfits and diapers also!!! He's feeling more 'baby' sized these days. He has started to stare at his hands more, suck on his hands more and is taking his binky for longer when upset....aka not being held or nursed. All he does is eat, eat while sleeping, while awake, and between poopy diapers. He reacts to our voices and stops crying when Adrian sings to him :)He cries. Adrian never did so it's a new sound to get used to but sometimes I just can't get to him as quickly and so he cries. He stops when held, fed, talked or sung to...except when put in his carseat. He hates his carseat. He usually falls asleep when the car is moving though but sometimes has to cry himself to sleep. Having a second child is so much different than the first. Not everything is as urgent or unknown or surprising. It is just as enjoyable only in a different more relaxed way. Of course with Kaili being so early, I had other worries. I worried about him being early, gaining weight, not being ready to be born, being born by induction affecting him, etc...in the end, it's better he was born early due to the complications of not growing but what are the alternate affects. Kaili also didn't have a 'smell' like Adrian did. I actually just started noticing one this week which is comforting for some reason. I just remember always sniffing Adrian and kissing him, like some instinct for bonding. Of course this made me worry that I wouldn't bond as well to Kaili..I think we're doing okay though. He definitely stops crying every single time I hold him, whether or not I feed him. I like the Ergo carrier!!! He rests against my heart and falls right to sleep hearing my heartbeat. This is good for bonding also. We take walks, go shopping, and get stuff done around the house with it. We are borrowing a carseat and snap&go stroller where the carseat snaps directly into the stroller base!! Very handy for this infant stage. I cannot carry that carseat if gains any weight as it is heavy on it's own. Thanks to Rachel and Mike and Leo!! Adrian is doing great...no real jealousy issues. Of course he needs and gets attention and acts out when he's not getting what he needs but that's to be expected and he does not seem to associate it with not getting attention because of his brother. He constantly says 'Our baby is so cute' and tonight he said 'I really love my brother'! He always says "I want to see his face' and " I want to kiss his face" and "I want to hold him". He shows off his baby to his friends at preschool and checks out their babies...I guess 3 year olds tend to have baby siblings. Adrian has been intersted in 'family structures' and we have been talking about how each family member is related to each other in other ways than how they are related to Adrian. He finds this very interesting. He has been very interested in tractors, trains, and of course Halloween lately. On Saturday 15th we went to Fitzler's Corn Maze and only had time to do a few things: slide, barrel train and jumping pillow. We have tickets that are good until Halloween so we'll go back next weekend probably to do the corn maze, the monster, and more slides, maybe some pumpkin or corn cannons, and campfires. On the 22nd is the Zombie Crawl, Zombie Ball and during the day some Zombie children events which we'll take the Zombie Children to. We want to do the Treatsylvania trick or treating at Lee Martinez Farm and also the Tiny Tots Trick or Treating downtown on the 31st. We may also go trick or treating in the neighborhood. Halloween is Barry's favorite...as we speak he is perfecting his facial prosthetics for his zombie makeup. I haven't decided if I'm going out on the 22nd as a Zombie or not...since it'd be a late night.

RIDING THE BARREL TRAIN

3 Weeks Old

Kaili is 3 Weeks old Today! He feels a little chunkier too! He's sleeping 3-3.5 hours at a time once in awhile. He's eating between 1-3 oz at a time in a bottle. He nurses every 1 to 2 hours usually. His due date was 2 days ago on Wednesday the 12th. I will probably take him to another weight check on Monday after Mom's group at the church that Adrian attends preschool at. Some of the mom's get together for an hour or so on Monday mornings to chat and share ideas about parenting, life, etc. It's some nice adult time. Adrian is still doing great with him. He talks about all the things his little brother will do when he gets bigger. We've kept busy with playdates, friends over, preschool, library and park trips, and visits to daddy's work! We've made special outings to see construction sites also! Occasionally Adrian will be naughty and lick the baby, put his feet near the baby, try to take his blanket, but really just trying to get my attention. Considering the amount of time that I hold Kaili and feed him I'm surprised that he's not more jealous. I do spend one on one time with Adrian and include him in big boy activities, etc as usual. Not much is different for him. We are working on writing our name, getting dressed on our own, picking out clothes that match on days we don't have preschool, listening to mom on the first try, not interrupting, and continuing work on manners, letters, being kind to the animals, social skills with friends, not whining, accepting that no means no and mom always means what she says, and cleaning up our toys, home and self on an ongoing basis. All is going well. It is harder with 2 because it's busier. I can't imagine going back to work and it streses me to think about it. I have until December 20th. I love being off and being able to keep the house neat and clean, and being around to hear Adrian playing and learning and being able to take him to things that I otherwise would not be able to except on the weekends. I also like knowing what he eats, when he sleeps, what he does every minute of the day!

Oh and working on not drawing on our face...only happened once...but he also drew on his cousin Maddox's face...

New Baby Pictures

Week 1 Hectic Week

Wee Steps Appointment: Kaili lost more weight. Need to pump and feed him 1-2 oz at least 8x a day on top of regular feeds every 2 hrs. HaHa...who has this much time in a day. 9/27. Adrian sick with allergies or cold, asthma is flairing up. Had to go in to Dr. today. On liquid steroids, serious cough meds, and inhaler. Still making it to preschool though. Had to take to Dr. appt first day on own with kids. 9/27. Kaili will only take the Born Free Bottle. I have one glass bottle 9oz. Seems funny feeding him 1 oz out of htat big bottle. took first bottle 1.5 o at 7:30pm. 9/27. Took 6oz total 9/28 in 5 bottles. Getting better at taking the bottle. Also started the pacifier with him in the hospital. Didn't start early enough with Adrian and he never took it. 9/28 My rings fit me again. 9/29 I'm sick...allergies or sinus infection :( Down to 147lbs from 157. 9/30 Kaili has boogery eyes and nose :( Playdate for Adrian at Springfied park with Liza nd the boys. Weight check of Kaili gained 3 oz 5lbs 12 oz!!! Mom gets Massage today!!!

Labor and Delivery

Went to hospital around 3pm on 9/22. Checked in and Audra showed up. We ordered dinner from Obee's! Yummy Turkey and Swiss on Rye. Iced tea. Induced at 6pm with Cook Cervical Ripening Balloon. Slept from 11p to 1am. Balloons fell out on their own at around 1am. Was 4.5 cm dilated and 80%. At 4am was 6.5 cm and 80%. At around 4am nurses and doctors rushed in...the baby had moved and they had lost his heart beat on the monitor. I could feel him moving. They gave me a shot of Terbutaline to stop labor temoporarily and hooked up the IV and turned on all the lights. They found his heartbeat on the ultrasound. Labor started back up again in 20 minutes. They had picked up my heartbeat around 60-85bpm instead of his around 120-160bpm. Got in hot bath around 6am. I was eating the entire time to keep up energy. Jello, chicken broth, energy bar, apple juice, water, ice chips, more jello and crackers. I was starving the entire time. Contractions were 2-4 minutes apart entire labor. Did get harder because I was so tired. Horrible back pain because he was 'sunnyside up' where his head scraped my tailbone the whole time. I slept between contractions and they would come on suddenly and wake me up. No pain meds. Stuck at 9cm and 90% for four hours from 9-11:59am. Was pushing anyway. Finally got past it and he was born...a little blue but started crying right away. He scored 8 at 1min and 9 at 5min on Apgar Score. Born on 9/23 after 18 hours of labor at 11:59am. He was tiny: 5lbs 15oz. 19.5 in long. I got to hold him for awhile. I tore 1 degree and got a few stitches. Got pitocin to help contract uterus because I was so tired, and so were my muscles that I kept bleeding and getting blood clots. A local for the stiches and some IBU for the rest of the hospital stay. After stitches, got to hold and feed him right away. He figured out nursing right away. We ordered lunch, got dressed in new gown, and packed up and got wheeled to our Women's care room. Adrian had Grnadma and Grandpa sleep over at his house the night before. Julie brought Adrian by to meet his little brother around 3pm. He was so excited and just asked 'where's my baby?'. He held him and kissed him and showed him off to his cousins. He was very excited!!! So loving!!! Then he got to go to spend the night (his first sleepover) at Cavyn's house. You never get real sleep in the hospital...although I did try to sleep more than I did with Adrian. I was so excited with Adrian that I didn't want to sleep. I figured I better get some sleep though. We were awake for over 24 hours before we got any sleep so it was much needed. Barry stayed on the window cot and snored through a couple of nurses visits. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 prepared meals each day. We ordered our steak and lobster dinner for lunch on 9/24 as Barry was planning on going home with Adrian if Kaili and I didn't get to leave that day. We ended up going home around 8:30 on 9/24. Barry went with Adrian around 3pm to go celebrate with icecream and then they went home to clean up and organize for baby. We weren't quite expecting him home this soon although thankfully I kept worrying he would come early and had gotten his room pretty much set up...at last all the baby items unpacked, and the clothes washed and bought some diapers. Then they came to pick up mom and Kaili from the hospital. We made a quick stop at sunflower market and then went home.

Baby Comes Home Early

On Wed Sept 21, I went to my 37 week appt at Women's Clinic. I was still measuring 33 weeks. We decided to do an ultrasound to rule out restricted growth, low amniotic fluid, etc. after measuring 32 at 33 weeks, 33 at 34 weeks, 33 at 36 weeks, and still 33 at 37 weeks, we neeeded more information to make a decision. Barry had to leave the appt and take Adrian to preschool. It was also his first day as a parent teacher. I went to the ultrasound at 1130am and we found less than 3 cm of fluid, normal range is 10-25 but they don't worry until it's below 5cm. It was below and he was measuring at 34 weeks size. His vitals all looked good, and the blood flow through the ubilical cord looked good. We decided not to induce that day because he seemed ok but we decided that he should be induced Wed or Thursday since he was still doing well and could tolerate labor probably. THe worry with waiting was that he wouldrun out of reserves and not go through labor well if we waited which could end in a c-section. They ran a non-stress test where the moitor the heart beat and contractions for 20 minutes to make sure that the baby is acting normally. He was so they let me leave with the plan to go to PVH at 730am 9/22 Thursday. I still had to wrap up 3 weeks worth of work in (really no time since I was given a note to be done wiht work immedietely) 2 hours. I went to work, handed out my files to everyone who was appointed to cover my cases, said goodbye and left work at 430pm, earliest ever. I still have to modify my timesheets and figure out when I"m supposed to go back to work. It was going to be Jan 10 if i went on my due date but probably will be before Christmas now. After getting home and grieving a little overthis being the last night with my boy boy Adrian. We celebrated/mourned by getting a video from the video store adn watching it together: Heffalump Halloween-Winnie the Pooh, which he LOVES!