Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Partied Out
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Monday, December 30, 2013
Some days I feel like I'm losing the parenting battles...and other days I'm winning :-) Ellie just came back from Trader Joe's with these hand picked flowers. She handed them to me and said..."You're my best Momma ever. I thought they would make you happy." I melt and am recharged enough to continue the parenting fight for a happy, healthy family...content sigh.
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Yummm...fingers
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
I'm Calling It...Eva's a Baby
I've noticed the last couple of days Eva looking and acting more like a baby than a newborn. Her face and body are full, round and easy to hold in a "sitting" position. Her head wobbles on occasion versus all the time. She's "talking" throughout the day. She's slept in 5-6hr chunks the last two nights.
So I'm calling it...after 8 weeks and 6 days, Eva is a baby! She's left her newborn sleepiness and is going to be filling our days practicing grasping, cooing and eventually rolling. Oh the fun we have ahead :) Merry Christmas to us.
So I'm calling it...after 8 weeks and 6 days, Eva is a baby! She's left her newborn sleepiness and is going to be filling our days practicing grasping, cooing and eventually rolling. Oh the fun we have ahead :) Merry Christmas to us.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Twins
Can you tell who is who? Need a hint? Uncle Don and Aunt Nancy haven't met Eva yet.
(Ellie's in the top picture and Eva's the bottom. Ellie is about a month older in the picture)
(Ellie's in the top picture and Eva's the bottom. Ellie is about a month older in the picture)
You lose
I don't remember if I written about Ellie's competitive streak or not. But it's becoming more and more evident that it's part of her programming. It started with things like "I'm the leader, you walk behind me." I thought it was part of her 2 year old independence. Until a recent trip to a kids store...
The store had placed a number of toys out for kids to play with while parents shopped. A little boy about the same age began to play with Ellie. They found a car track set and started racing little wooden cars. Each time the cars finished zooming down the track, Ellie loudly announced "You LOSE, I win!". Sigh. I applaud her zest for being good at things but come on...do you really need to win all the time?
This will be a very "interesting" trait to manage...
The store had placed a number of toys out for kids to play with while parents shopped. A little boy about the same age began to play with Ellie. They found a car track set and started racing little wooden cars. Each time the cars finished zooming down the track, Ellie loudly announced "You LOSE, I win!". Sigh. I applaud her zest for being good at things but come on...do you really need to win all the time?
This will be a very "interesting" trait to manage...
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
I See You
Video of Eva's new gear...holding her head and engaging the world :-)
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Eva's Week 6 plus Ellie Thoughts
I'm streamlining starting today :) Rather than doing posts for one or the other kid, I'm giving updates on both girls. After a month and half of sleepless (or little sleep) nights, I'm looking for all ways to make life easier!
Starting with Ellie. She has settled into the "new world order" of a house of four. When Eva came home, Braden and I divided child duty. It just made sense I focus the post-pregnancy/birth energy (ie no energy) I had on Eva and he take Ellie. But it soon caused a divided household. Ellie wouldn't let me do much of anything when it came to caring for her. But in recent weeks, I've started to feel better and as I engage her in her love languages, she has started to reciprocate with love and kindness in return. And we all seem to work better when both parents are able to care for both children.
Maybe all this cooperation and care has also had positive effects on sleep too. She has started to sleep through the night... again!!!! For the last year or so, she has been waking up at least once a night. The late night visits crescendo'd when we brought Eva home. (We were up to 3 -4 times a night) But after a cold slowed her down a couple weeks ago, she has slept through the night, every night since. It has been AWESOME. We are soooo excited. It makes such a difference for all of us.
The other amazing and wonderful change in Ellie's recent world has been all the self play. For the first time, Ellie has been using her imagination and creating whole worlds and playing by herself for long periods (20-30mins) of time. This is a very helpful skill as I learn to juggle two little people's needs. Plus it's just darn cute watching her creative and inventive imagination explore with play things.
As for Eva, yesterday was a BIG day. She got a new "gear". That's what B and I call milestone moments. From the minute she woke up, she just looked at us and everything around her differently. It was like she was "awake". She had such clarity and intent in her eyes and her movements. When she was held up over someone's shoulder, she carried her body like a baby...she stiffened her back so her head had full range of motion and her legs stuck straight out so she could be lifted higher on the shoulder (versus the baby ball of legs that allowed you to snuggle her into your chest). She also made more attempts to "talk" with coos and little sounds.
Sleep is also changing. She's not sleeping as long during naps and can be awaken easier. But times are starting to stretch out at night. Eva's slept anywhere from 3-6 hours (exceptional night) at her longest stretch this week. I figure if I can get through one REM cycle on a regular basis, that I'll be rocking the world.
Starting with Ellie. She has settled into the "new world order" of a house of four. When Eva came home, Braden and I divided child duty. It just made sense I focus the post-pregnancy/birth energy (ie no energy) I had on Eva and he take Ellie. But it soon caused a divided household. Ellie wouldn't let me do much of anything when it came to caring for her. But in recent weeks, I've started to feel better and as I engage her in her love languages, she has started to reciprocate with love and kindness in return. And we all seem to work better when both parents are able to care for both children.
Maybe all this cooperation and care has also had positive effects on sleep too. She has started to sleep through the night... again!!!! For the last year or so, she has been waking up at least once a night. The late night visits crescendo'd when we brought Eva home. (We were up to 3 -4 times a night) But after a cold slowed her down a couple weeks ago, she has slept through the night, every night since. It has been AWESOME. We are soooo excited. It makes such a difference for all of us.
The other amazing and wonderful change in Ellie's recent world has been all the self play. For the first time, Ellie has been using her imagination and creating whole worlds and playing by herself for long periods (20-30mins) of time. This is a very helpful skill as I learn to juggle two little people's needs. Plus it's just darn cute watching her creative and inventive imagination explore with play things.
As for Eva, yesterday was a BIG day. She got a new "gear". That's what B and I call milestone moments. From the minute she woke up, she just looked at us and everything around her differently. It was like she was "awake". She had such clarity and intent in her eyes and her movements. When she was held up over someone's shoulder, she carried her body like a baby...she stiffened her back so her head had full range of motion and her legs stuck straight out so she could be lifted higher on the shoulder (versus the baby ball of legs that allowed you to snuggle her into your chest). She also made more attempts to "talk" with coos and little sounds.
Her socialization also seemed to "turn on" with big, expressive smiles (compared to the sporadic, practice-like smiles we've been getting the last couple of weeks). Yesterday's smiles were almost a recognition of "Hey, I know you". They were the big, gummie grins I used to get from Ellie when she was happy to see us. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these!
Sleep is also changing. She's not sleeping as long during naps and can be awaken easier. But times are starting to stretch out at night. Eva's slept anywhere from 3-6 hours (exceptional night) at her longest stretch this week. I figure if I can get through one REM cycle on a regular basis, that I'll be rocking the world.
Also nice to report, I'm starting to return to my normal self! My body looks and feels almost pre-pregnancy. Nursing started to stabilize last week (ie I'm not letting down at all sorts of random times) which allows me to wear pre-pregnancy clothes. And because I feel more like myself, I'm happier and eating better. Which gives me more energy to be a better Mom. Life works in cycles, doesn't it?
PS. Just a quick shout out to the amazing family and friends that have been so helpful since Eva was born. People have made food, sent gifts, made visits, taken care of Ellie, held Eva, and showed a lot of love and care. We are very blessed and feel very grateful for every bit of it.
PS. Just a quick shout out to the amazing family and friends that have been so helpful since Eva was born. People have made food, sent gifts, made visits, taken care of Ellie, held Eva, and showed a lot of love and care. We are very blessed and feel very grateful for every bit of it.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Eva - Month 1!
Eva's been with our family for a month now! As time does, it flew by. So I thought I would do a quick recap of the month and add more pictures of our little person.
Week 0 - Organized chaos. We arrived home on a Tuesday and introduced Eva to her home. JD, Kim and Maddy visited our first night and brought enough food from Livonia Bakery to feed us for the next couple of lunches and dinners. Ellie was amazingly sweet and excited to have us and her sister home. Maybe a little too excited. She got up 3 or 4 times that first night. It must have been hard to have all of us together while she slept on the other side of the house.
Fortunately, Grandma Weitzel stayed with us the fist few days to help be an extra pair of hands. And then when she left, Gigi Robison came over to help. We are definitely smarter about accepting all help this time around. I don't think we have said "no" once...you offer and we accept :)
Week 1 - Braden was still off work and we were enjoying the family time. He spent lots of extra time with Ellie which she loved. They would go outside and build obstacle courses and just pal around.
We celebrated our first Halloween together. Ellie and Eva had matching blue princess costumes.
Week 2 - Braden heads back to work. Leaving our little bubble made me sad. Life is so good when you don't have to focus on anything else but each other. Our little vacation from reality was sweet and so appreciated.
By the end of the week, Eva had outgrown her "newborn" clothes. You could really start to see her change. The little chicken legs all newborns seem to be born with were getting little, countable fat rolls. Her little butt was starting to fill out and looking like it had some "meat" to it.
Week 3 - We started experiencing gassy tummy troubles this week. So we started focusing on anti-gas measures (burping, gripe water, gas drops). Poor little thing looked so uncomfortable. But by the end of the week, we seemed to be getting the hang of burping and more and more gas seemed to be expelled from her little bottom. It's tough being little when all systems are new and nothing seems to be fully functional just yet.
Mom and Dad Robison said that Eva would follow my voice, by turning her head and try to track me with her eyes, no matter where I was in a room.
Week 4 - Eva experienced her first cold. I was almost in tears at first. I tried so hard to keep her away from germs. I've been hesitant to go anywhere or do much of anything for fear of exposure to all the winter germs that are starting to float around. But fortunately she weathered the experience well. No fevers. Just congestion. We started Vitamin D supplements and propped her up in a swing for sleeping. By Friday's doctor appt, she was doing well.
On Thursday, we started to get our first smiles and coos. And she really started to seem to interact with us. Her hand movements have become more intentional with her little hands grabbing onto things she wants. She also is able to hold her head for decent amounts of time, which is making holding onto her so much easier.
We also confirmed our guesses...she'd grown like bamboo this first month with a visit to Dr Gordon on Friday. She jumped from the 20th percentiles to 70th percentiles in height and weight. Weight was 10lbs 4ozs, height 21.7ins and head circumference 14.5ins. She's now filling her 3 month clothes nicely and doesn't have much room left.
Lastly, her sleep habits have been GREATLY appreciated. From the beginning, she seemed to know her nights. She started sleeping somewhere between 8-10pm and then continues to sleep only waking for feedings. So although I'm not getting great sleep being the feeder and changer, I'm not pacing the house like a zombie trying to get her to sleep (knock on wood!).
Week 0 - Organized chaos. We arrived home on a Tuesday and introduced Eva to her home. JD, Kim and Maddy visited our first night and brought enough food from Livonia Bakery to feed us for the next couple of lunches and dinners. Ellie was amazingly sweet and excited to have us and her sister home. Maybe a little too excited. She got up 3 or 4 times that first night. It must have been hard to have all of us together while she slept on the other side of the house.
Fortunately, Grandma Weitzel stayed with us the fist few days to help be an extra pair of hands. And then when she left, Gigi Robison came over to help. We are definitely smarter about accepting all help this time around. I don't think we have said "no" once...you offer and we accept :)
Week 1 - Braden was still off work and we were enjoying the family time. He spent lots of extra time with Ellie which she loved. They would go outside and build obstacle courses and just pal around.
We celebrated our first Halloween together. Ellie and Eva had matching blue princess costumes.
Week 2 - Braden heads back to work. Leaving our little bubble made me sad. Life is so good when you don't have to focus on anything else but each other. Our little vacation from reality was sweet and so appreciated.
By the end of the week, Eva had outgrown her "newborn" clothes. You could really start to see her change. The little chicken legs all newborns seem to be born with were getting little, countable fat rolls. Her little butt was starting to fill out and looking like it had some "meat" to it.
Week 3 - We started experiencing gassy tummy troubles this week. So we started focusing on anti-gas measures (burping, gripe water, gas drops). Poor little thing looked so uncomfortable. But by the end of the week, we seemed to be getting the hang of burping and more and more gas seemed to be expelled from her little bottom. It's tough being little when all systems are new and nothing seems to be fully functional just yet.
Mom and Dad Robison said that Eva would follow my voice, by turning her head and try to track me with her eyes, no matter where I was in a room.
Week 4 - Eva experienced her first cold. I was almost in tears at first. I tried so hard to keep her away from germs. I've been hesitant to go anywhere or do much of anything for fear of exposure to all the winter germs that are starting to float around. But fortunately she weathered the experience well. No fevers. Just congestion. We started Vitamin D supplements and propped her up in a swing for sleeping. By Friday's doctor appt, she was doing well.
On Thursday, we started to get our first smiles and coos. And she really started to seem to interact with us. Her hand movements have become more intentional with her little hands grabbing onto things she wants. She also is able to hold her head for decent amounts of time, which is making holding onto her so much easier.
We also confirmed our guesses...she'd grown like bamboo this first month with a visit to Dr Gordon on Friday. She jumped from the 20th percentiles to 70th percentiles in height and weight. Weight was 10lbs 4ozs, height 21.7ins and head circumference 14.5ins. She's now filling her 3 month clothes nicely and doesn't have much room left.
Lastly, her sleep habits have been GREATLY appreciated. From the beginning, she seemed to know her nights. She started sleeping somewhere between 8-10pm and then continues to sleep only waking for feedings. So although I'm not getting great sleep being the feeder and changer, I'm not pacing the house like a zombie trying to get her to sleep (knock on wood!).
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Transitions and Ellie
Ellie's been a little challenging for me recently. Being fairly sleep deprived w/ all the over night feedings, all I want to do is be mellow. But that is the LAST thing an active 3 year old wants. So there have been many times when Ellie and I get into a power struggle. I ask her to do something (ie. "Me: please put your pants on", "Her: No, chase me") And I feel such frustration (and sadly anger sometimes) in those moments.
This was the recent note from Ellie's teacher and an timely reminder of all the really good parts of my active, sometimes frustrating 3 year old. It made me stop and think and realize that I need to figure out a better way of balancing the very different needs of Eva and Ellie.
Something that is very special about Ellie is how flexible she is with other children. Even though she has been an only child (up until three weeks ago), she shows so much love, empathy, and openness towards other children. She is always asking, "Can I play with you?" and "Do you want to play with me?" She seems to play almost any game with almost any child. Ellie has made some meaningful connections with the girls in our group, but she doesn't limit herself to a certain play scenario and/or children.We are working on problem-solving in our group pretty heavily right now, which is typical of this age. It's important to give as many choices as possible throughout the day so children can feel that they have control over themselves and their choices. At the same time, it's important to establish boundaries/guidelines with children so they know how far they can try to "push". :)Ellie is always so excited to be at school and her smiling never seems to end! I love that she feels so passionate about school and wants to come even when she's having a stay-at-home day (pictures and the Friendship Feast). :) She seems very proud to be a big sister and loves to talk about Eva!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Eva's Birth Story
It all started with a full moon on October 19th. I had a feeling Eva would come on the October full moon.
My very first non-stress test in the Birthing Center was delayed because the staff was so busy with a glut of deliveries. They swore all the births were tied to the September Full Moon. They hypothesize the gravitational pull of the moon breaks the amniotic sacks.
And with all my extra amniotic fluid, I thought I was an excellent candidate for the "full moon effect". Turns out that it was a Harvest/Hunter Full Moon and was big, orange and really beautiful. Braden wanted me to take a picture of it as we got onto the express way but the phone camera just didn't do it justice. So here's a picture from the internet but it looked just like this.
I'm getting ahead of myself. Rewinding a couple hours before, Braden was cooking dinner and just sharing that the Saturday had not gone at all like he thought. And then minutes later, I came back to him sharing a suspicion that my water had broken (I felt like I was slowly peeing). We just smiled because it was so fitting given the other strange occurrences of the pregnancy and his statement about nothing going as planned.
After dinner (we were too anxious to really eat but the food was already made), we called the midwife hotline and of course got Jen S (the midwife we always seem to get when something weird was going on). At first she said to keep an eye on it, but called back because Dr. D was on duty and wanted us to come in for a non-stress test (ahhh yes, more non-stress tests due to the umbilical cord defect).
So arrangements were made with Mom W to meet us at the hospital to take Ellie. (Fortunately Rose and Mike were running the Detroit Marathon the next morning so Grandma was going to be watching all the little ones anyhow. And Ellie was thrilled to be having a sleepover with her cousins.)
Once hooked up to the fetal monitors, contractions started and we were able to see that Eva was managing the contractions wonderfully. The nurses also confirmed water broke with some kind of test. So I was admitted and we knew it was game on. Eva was going to be arriving one way or another.
They wanted to know if we wanted to do anything to speed labor along. But we asked that we take the evening to rest and see where labor naturally went. Well that was a big, fat no where. But on the good side, we were well rested come morning!
Jo, the birth photographer left a Halloween party to join us for the evening. I was in the hospital bed, Braden had the couch and Jo was in the reclining chair. But in the morning we found out that she had come down with food poisoning overnight. With labor completely stopped and "water" no longer leaking, we sent her home to recover. (Poor thing didn't recover in time for the birth but she did make it up to us in the long run :) )
Although our room was an oasis of calmed excitement, the rest of the floor was off the hook. Full moon craziness reigned. We talked to Dr D at 8am and he had personally delivered five babies since 3am and was headed back in to deliver another one even though he was now technically off duty. We didn't meet our day shift nurse until 1pm because she had been in back to back deliveries (she had started at 7am).
But honestly, we didn't mind. It gave Braden and I plenty of time to settle in and "enjoy" some quiet time together. We went for walks around the floor. Took naps. Ate yummy room service foods. We were actually grateful that everyone was so busy and that we were hardly bothered.
Jen S was back on duty Sunday. After a very busy morning, she tracked us down and started to discuss options. Based on Dr D's recommendation, we decided to kick start labor again with pitocin. He felt that it was the best way to push Eva down the birth canal and ensure that the umbilical cord didn't prolapse if water did break.
But after 2-3 hours on pitocin, we were no farther than when we started. I was hardly feeling the contractions. So at 5pm, we were at the 24hr mark since the initial leak started and potentially facing more interventions (antibiotics, etc). We decided to "needle the amniotic sack" and break the water in more gentle way.
What a crazy, crazy feeling. Once the water was broken, it just gushed out and kept coming for what felt like a really long time. But it also signaled "game time" for us. They kept me on pitocin for another 30mins but the contractions were so intense that we quickly turned it off.
My body took over. The midwives and Braden were amazing. I was asking for an epidural (what felt like) soon after contractions took off. But they just kept kindly delaying my requests and suggesting other comfort measures. Rose arrived shortly and sweetly brought Braden a Smash burger (good for him, stinky for me :) )
Three hours later, at 8:39pm, Eva joined us at 7lbs 1oz and 19.75ins. We had the opportunity to just enjoy her for the first hour or so. Lynn R, the midwife I had been seeing at clinic actually delivered and was awesome at ensuring an intact bottom. And Elizabeth, the attending nurse, was a midwife in Nigeria and took great care of all of us through the rest of the night.
Jo came back the morning of our discharge and took pictures of our room and last minutes together before heading back into the "real world".
My very first non-stress test in the Birthing Center was delayed because the staff was so busy with a glut of deliveries. They swore all the births were tied to the September Full Moon. They hypothesize the gravitational pull of the moon breaks the amniotic sacks.
And with all my extra amniotic fluid, I thought I was an excellent candidate for the "full moon effect". Turns out that it was a Harvest/Hunter Full Moon and was big, orange and really beautiful. Braden wanted me to take a picture of it as we got onto the express way but the phone camera just didn't do it justice. So here's a picture from the internet but it looked just like this.
I'm getting ahead of myself. Rewinding a couple hours before, Braden was cooking dinner and just sharing that the Saturday had not gone at all like he thought. And then minutes later, I came back to him sharing a suspicion that my water had broken (I felt like I was slowly peeing). We just smiled because it was so fitting given the other strange occurrences of the pregnancy and his statement about nothing going as planned.
After dinner (we were too anxious to really eat but the food was already made), we called the midwife hotline and of course got Jen S (the midwife we always seem to get when something weird was going on). At first she said to keep an eye on it, but called back because Dr. D was on duty and wanted us to come in for a non-stress test (ahhh yes, more non-stress tests due to the umbilical cord defect).
So arrangements were made with Mom W to meet us at the hospital to take Ellie. (Fortunately Rose and Mike were running the Detroit Marathon the next morning so Grandma was going to be watching all the little ones anyhow. And Ellie was thrilled to be having a sleepover with her cousins.)
Once hooked up to the fetal monitors, contractions started and we were able to see that Eva was managing the contractions wonderfully. The nurses also confirmed water broke with some kind of test. So I was admitted and we knew it was game on. Eva was going to be arriving one way or another.
They wanted to know if we wanted to do anything to speed labor along. But we asked that we take the evening to rest and see where labor naturally went. Well that was a big, fat no where. But on the good side, we were well rested come morning!
Jo, the birth photographer left a Halloween party to join us for the evening. I was in the hospital bed, Braden had the couch and Jo was in the reclining chair. But in the morning we found out that she had come down with food poisoning overnight. With labor completely stopped and "water" no longer leaking, we sent her home to recover. (Poor thing didn't recover in time for the birth but she did make it up to us in the long run :) )
Although our room was an oasis of calmed excitement, the rest of the floor was off the hook. Full moon craziness reigned. We talked to Dr D at 8am and he had personally delivered five babies since 3am and was headed back in to deliver another one even though he was now technically off duty. We didn't meet our day shift nurse until 1pm because she had been in back to back deliveries (she had started at 7am).
But honestly, we didn't mind. It gave Braden and I plenty of time to settle in and "enjoy" some quiet time together. We went for walks around the floor. Took naps. Ate yummy room service foods. We were actually grateful that everyone was so busy and that we were hardly bothered.
Jen S was back on duty Sunday. After a very busy morning, she tracked us down and started to discuss options. Based on Dr D's recommendation, we decided to kick start labor again with pitocin. He felt that it was the best way to push Eva down the birth canal and ensure that the umbilical cord didn't prolapse if water did break.
But after 2-3 hours on pitocin, we were no farther than when we started. I was hardly feeling the contractions. So at 5pm, we were at the 24hr mark since the initial leak started and potentially facing more interventions (antibiotics, etc). We decided to "needle the amniotic sack" and break the water in more gentle way.
What a crazy, crazy feeling. Once the water was broken, it just gushed out and kept coming for what felt like a really long time. But it also signaled "game time" for us. They kept me on pitocin for another 30mins but the contractions were so intense that we quickly turned it off.
My body took over. The midwives and Braden were amazing. I was asking for an epidural (what felt like) soon after contractions took off. But they just kept kindly delaying my requests and suggesting other comfort measures. Rose arrived shortly and sweetly brought Braden a Smash burger (good for him, stinky for me :) )
Three hours later, at 8:39pm, Eva joined us at 7lbs 1oz and 19.75ins. We had the opportunity to just enjoy her for the first hour or so. Lynn R, the midwife I had been seeing at clinic actually delivered and was awesome at ensuring an intact bottom. And Elizabeth, the attending nurse, was a midwife in Nigeria and took great care of all of us through the rest of the night.
Jo came back the morning of our discharge and took pictures of our room and last minutes together before heading back into the "real world".
 |
| Memories of a non-stress test |
 |
| The one and only awesome Dr D |
 |
| Loved our cranberry juice!!! |
 |
| Headed home |
Victory! Potty Training 0 - Parents 1
I feel safe enough after almost a week in underwear to claim us victorious over potty training. As promised by her teachers, they have never sent a preschooler to kindergarten in diapers.
I have to say that I'm really happy and proud of us all for staying calm and patient with the process. You would've sworn just a few short months ago that Ellie would be in diapers the rest of her life given her aversion to the toilet. But here we are and how proud she makes herself when she uses the toilet.
Go team!!! Happy Sunday to us :)
I have to say that I'm really happy and proud of us all for staying calm and patient with the process. You would've sworn just a few short months ago that Ellie would be in diapers the rest of her life given her aversion to the toilet. But here we are and how proud she makes herself when she uses the toilet.
Go team!!! Happy Sunday to us :)
Friday, November 8, 2013
All's Cheeky
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Ellie's Personality
Ellie's loving preschool. She loves the teachers and the adventures and activities they plan. We get regular updates from her teacher. And here's the one we received this week. I know we're biased but it's nice to "see" Ellie from another adult's perspective.
"I can't tell you how much I enjoy having Ellie in group! She is such a caring, generous, loving little girl with a wonderful smile! She is always excited to come to CDC, and has the easiest drop-offs I've ever seen! :) She shows kindness toward other children, and offers to get them ice packs when they are hurt."
"I can't tell you how much I enjoy having Ellie in group! She is such a caring, generous, loving little girl with a wonderful smile! She is always excited to come to CDC, and has the easiest drop-offs I've ever seen! :) She shows kindness toward other children, and offers to get them ice packs when they are hurt."
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Eva's First Week
Oh what a week! Eva's been home now for a week. Every day has been different from the previous one. When we brought Eva home last Tuesday, she was pretty cranky and hungry! We ended up supplementing her with formula a couple times just to try to satisfy her little tummy until my milk came in.
Fortunately, that wasn't too much longer after that. By Wednesday, it was coming in and we started to turn the corner with her crankiness. By Friday, she was a happy camper and eating like crazy. Saturday was a growth spurt day and she was eating almost every hour.
Sleep has been great. She was in her newborn phase the first couple of days and would happily sleep hours at a time. A real blessing as we adjusted to her continuous and frequent newborn needs (8-12 feedings and diaper changes a day) So far, she has been sleeping thru the night (although we don't expect that to last as she becomes less and less a newborn). She wakes for feedings but then falls right back to sleep.
We went for her first checkup on Thursday. She'd lost half a pound but we weren't too worried since milk was newly available. Everything else checked out! She was 20ins, 6lbs 9ozs with a head circumference 13.25ins.
Here are some of our favorite pictures of the week. Eva is holding Ellie's hand in the first picture. We have been blessed with a very loving big sister. Ellie's given us a hard time but has been soooo wonderful towards Eva.
Fortunately, that wasn't too much longer after that. By Wednesday, it was coming in and we started to turn the corner with her crankiness. By Friday, she was a happy camper and eating like crazy. Saturday was a growth spurt day and she was eating almost every hour.
Sleep has been great. She was in her newborn phase the first couple of days and would happily sleep hours at a time. A real blessing as we adjusted to her continuous and frequent newborn needs (8-12 feedings and diaper changes a day) So far, she has been sleeping thru the night (although we don't expect that to last as she becomes less and less a newborn). She wakes for feedings but then falls right back to sleep.
We went for her first checkup on Thursday. She'd lost half a pound but we weren't too worried since milk was newly available. Everything else checked out! She was 20ins, 6lbs 9ozs with a head circumference 13.25ins.
Here are some of our favorite pictures of the week. Eva is holding Ellie's hand in the first picture. We have been blessed with a very loving big sister. Ellie's given us a hard time but has been soooo wonderful towards Eva.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Week 37 - Full Term!
We made it! Today we cross the full term finish line. Almost didn't make it given a string of crazy moments on Thursday. But with great relief, we're here!!
We were admitted to the hospital for overnight fetal monitoring Thursday evening after a set of strange circumstances unfolded (possible fetal heart rate issues, complications due to compromised liver functionality for me and concerns over umbilical cord blood flows). I wasn't thrilled. I was trying to be brave and calm about the whole thing but was just feeling really anxious. When the high risk dr. released us with good news Friday morning, I wanted to hug her!
Good news included great baby responses (aka placental health) to the small contractions they were monitoring over night. No specific indication of my liver being compromised at this point. And umbilical cord blood flow is spot on for this part of the pregnancy.
Although I wouldn't ask for it again, it was strangely nice to go thru the admittance process and get a "dry run" of sorts. (Being glass half full :) ) By process of elimination, we figured out where to put the saline hep lock, what is and isn't provided by the hospital, and even tried out some of the very nice "room service" menu.
I feel like Eva and I were given reprieve for a couple of days (tests continue on Tuesday). I really hope she gets to decide when she's ready. But with all the continued testing, there's always a possibility that the medical world decides for her. I'm trying to keep my zen about it all, realizing I am merely along for the ride no matter who decides. Thank God for massages, prayer, yoga, acupuncture and all the meditations I've been working on :)
We were admitted to the hospital for overnight fetal monitoring Thursday evening after a set of strange circumstances unfolded (possible fetal heart rate issues, complications due to compromised liver functionality for me and concerns over umbilical cord blood flows). I wasn't thrilled. I was trying to be brave and calm about the whole thing but was just feeling really anxious. When the high risk dr. released us with good news Friday morning, I wanted to hug her!
Good news included great baby responses (aka placental health) to the small contractions they were monitoring over night. No specific indication of my liver being compromised at this point. And umbilical cord blood flow is spot on for this part of the pregnancy.
Although I wouldn't ask for it again, it was strangely nice to go thru the admittance process and get a "dry run" of sorts. (Being glass half full :) ) By process of elimination, we figured out where to put the saline hep lock, what is and isn't provided by the hospital, and even tried out some of the very nice "room service" menu.
I feel like Eva and I were given reprieve for a couple of days (tests continue on Tuesday). I really hope she gets to decide when she's ready. But with all the continued testing, there's always a possibility that the medical world decides for her. I'm trying to keep my zen about it all, realizing I am merely along for the ride no matter who decides. Thank God for massages, prayer, yoga, acupuncture and all the meditations I've been working on :)
Monday, October 7, 2013
Napless in Ann Arbor
I love three! Ellie has been a joy recently. She's putting pieces of the world together faster than we can give them to her. And she's loving preschool. Her teacher Megan has been a wonderful source of all kinds of new activities and learning. So she's a happier person with all her new skills and abilities.
A recent causality of getting older though is her naps. One week she just stopped taking them. I thought they were going to get shorter and shorter until they just disappeared. But it's more like they just fell off a cliff. One day they were there and the next they weren't. Although I miss the afternoon breaks, the lack of afternoon sleep has resulted in earlier bedtimes. Take the good with the bad.
She's become a biking machine (on training wheels). Supposedly she went about 2 miles to and from a park with my brother this past Friday. She's really mastered steering and stopping. I think her tallness/size is super helpful because she can get good leverage on the pedals. We've already invested in equipment for next season so that we can all hopefully get out more as a family.
I've been meaning to write down some of the recent stories and funny things she's been saying. But of course I can't remember any of them at the moment. So I'll just post what I've got tonight and make a promise to myself to be better about getting them to "paper" over the next little while.
A recent causality of getting older though is her naps. One week she just stopped taking them. I thought they were going to get shorter and shorter until they just disappeared. But it's more like they just fell off a cliff. One day they were there and the next they weren't. Although I miss the afternoon breaks, the lack of afternoon sleep has resulted in earlier bedtimes. Take the good with the bad.
She's become a biking machine (on training wheels). Supposedly she went about 2 miles to and from a park with my brother this past Friday. She's really mastered steering and stopping. I think her tallness/size is super helpful because she can get good leverage on the pedals. We've already invested in equipment for next season so that we can all hopefully get out more as a family.
I've been meaning to write down some of the recent stories and funny things she's been saying. But of course I can't remember any of them at the moment. So I'll just post what I've got tonight and make a promise to myself to be better about getting them to "paper" over the next little while.
Week 36 - Last Month
Where did the last month go??? I can't believe my last post was as long ago as it was. I've thought often about posting but guess just haven't gotten to it.
Eva continues to grow. At the last ultrasound (Sept 24), she was guesstimated at over 5lbs. And the tech noted her long arm and leg bones and lots of hair. We were able to get a great 3D picture this time too.
She also seems to have developed daily cases of hiccups recently. And they are always later in the evening. Just interesting. Ellie seemed to have hiccups a lot through out the pregnancy.
And we're in week 4 of non stress tests. I'm actually not as frustrated by them as I thought I was going to be. I've gotten in a routine and have used the time to get to know the Birthing Center staff. I think it'll make my actual laboring time easier because I've spent so much time there leading up to Eva's arrival. Plus I think I'll be able to administer my own non stress test by the time these are done. I've gotten pretty good at reading all the charts and numbers.
Braden's been hard at work at Eva's room transformation and is almost done. It just needs one more coat of paint and then it'll be ready for filling. It feels like one more step closer to being ready for her arrival.
Speaking of her arrival, I've reached the end of the pregnancy. She running out of room and continues to contort my belly as she rolls around trying to shift here or there. (At today's doctor appointment, the circumference of my belly was 38cm) I'm also physically slowing down and crave sleep all the time. I also find myself spending a lot of time mentally preparing for our special day. And think to myself how grateful I might be if she decides to come early.
We also got back her maternity pictures. Here are just a few that make us smile.
Eva continues to grow. At the last ultrasound (Sept 24), she was guesstimated at over 5lbs. And the tech noted her long arm and leg bones and lots of hair. We were able to get a great 3D picture this time too.
She also seems to have developed daily cases of hiccups recently. And they are always later in the evening. Just interesting. Ellie seemed to have hiccups a lot through out the pregnancy.
And we're in week 4 of non stress tests. I'm actually not as frustrated by them as I thought I was going to be. I've gotten in a routine and have used the time to get to know the Birthing Center staff. I think it'll make my actual laboring time easier because I've spent so much time there leading up to Eva's arrival. Plus I think I'll be able to administer my own non stress test by the time these are done. I've gotten pretty good at reading all the charts and numbers.
Braden's been hard at work at Eva's room transformation and is almost done. It just needs one more coat of paint and then it'll be ready for filling. It feels like one more step closer to being ready for her arrival.
Speaking of her arrival, I've reached the end of the pregnancy. She running out of room and continues to contort my belly as she rolls around trying to shift here or there. (At today's doctor appointment, the circumference of my belly was 38cm) I'm also physically slowing down and crave sleep all the time. I also find myself spending a lot of time mentally preparing for our special day. And think to myself how grateful I might be if she decides to come early.
We also got back her maternity pictures. Here are just a few that make us smile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)