Our July

Oliver is almost 4 weeks old and Penelope is almost 21 months now.  I would like to say that we are settling into a schedule by now, but I don't know if I can say that yet.  I have an idea of what I would like to happen in terms of a schedule, but that rarely happens.  Penelope's sleeping has been off.  She has been staying up too late and wanting to nap later.  So when I wake up at 9:30, I have to get her out of bed. Then she doesn't want to nap until after 1.... but we are working on that.  Oliver goes to sleep between 9pm and 12am.  But usually sleeps until 4 or 6 am.  Which I love.  He almost always wakes up between 7 and 8am.  By 9:30, one of us gets up.  Then he cluster feeds all morning, going in and out of sleep.  Usually he naps around noon or so and another nap in the evening.  That's just how it's been this week.  I feel like I can't remember anything before then.

Enjoying some of Grandma's birthday cake.

 

Forth of July!

 

She started swim lessons with Daddy 4 days a week.  Some days she is into it and other days, she wants to do her own thing.  It's very simple though.  The instructor will tell them to blow bubbles and that goes on for 5 minutes, then tells them to blow bubbles and kick their feet for another 5 minutes... It is for ages 6 months to 3 years.  I don't think I'll be signing her up next year.  She is very comfortable in the water, so she's not really getting anything out of it.  Plus, my parents have a pool so she can do the same thing at home.

 

Passed out after swim

 

Almost on a whim, we decided to go to a Cleveland Indian's game.  I wanted to sit as high up in the stadium as possible (we were in the last row!)  So Penelope wouldn't bother as many people and I could nurse Oliver without a bunch of people looking.  It was still pretty crowded because we were playing the Yankees and it was Derek Jeter's last game at Progressive Field.  I knew it was going to be risky since it was a night game.  Almost as soon as we took our seats, Penelope peed though her diaper onto Aunt Faith's lap.  She was in the diaper for the 3 hours, so we were kind of surprised.  I didn't have a change of pants, only a shirt.  So my mom took her to the bathroom to change her and had to put her shorts back on her.  She sat on top of a changing pad for the next hour while her shorts dried a little.  She was antsy the whole game.  Luckily, there was a walkway behind us, so she could get up and move around.  She started to have a lot of fun when the Tribe hit a home run and the fireworks went off.  She loved yelling and clapping and waving around her rally towel.  Oliver did very well and only got fussy once.  He slept most of the game. We changed his diaper on my sister's lap.  I didn't want to go down all those stairs just to change him.  After the game was over, I went to the bathroom, but decided to change Penelope's diaper in the car since there was no changing table, and it was very crowded.  While we leaving the stadium, she peed through her diaper again!  I have no idea why.  She has went longer between changes without a problem.  We finally got to the car and battled Cleveland traffic while both of the kids, thankfully, slept all the way home.

 

Trying to get the kids to sleep.

 

Penelope crawled on my back with I was doing yoga.

Asking for me to help her put her shoes on Brother.

 

 

In ten days, we take off for North Carolina!  I hate long car rides (it's 11 hours), so I wonder how this will go.  But the beach will be a lot of fun for Penelope (and me!)  It's a family vacation, so the kids will get to spend a lot of time with their aunts, uncle and cousins.  And Grandma and Grandpa. I will have to do a post just on that after we get back.  I can't wait!

 

 

Newborn must-haves

Even though my children are 20 months apart, it's still been over a year and a half since I had to care for a newborn.  Sometimes I feel like a first-time mom all over again.  So here are some products that I just cannot live without. 

Muslin swaddle blankets
These are great for swaddling and nursing.  I had a few of these with Penelope but didn't use them as much as I do now with Oliver.  These blankets are thin, stretchy and huge.  They typically measure 46"x46".  These are great for summer babies.  Oliver is a big baby and normal swaddling blankets don't work well, but he looks tiny being wrapped up in this.  And with the stretchy material, I can make it tight and snug.  Almost forgot to mention how soft they are!  To nurse, you can just tie together two opposite corners and have a great cover.  Aden + Anais is the most popular brand, but also the most expensive.  I have seven muslin blankets, with three different brands.  I haven't noticed a difference in any of them.  Find them here and here.

 

Fisher-Price Rock n' Play Sleeper
We have our Pack n' Play with the bassinette set up at the foot of our bed, but I have only used it once or twice.  Oliver sleeps better if he is not flat on his back.  He also "wakes" up many times in his sleep.  He will cry for a few seconds and go back to sleep, so it's nice to be able to have this right next to the bed so I don't have to get up for all those false alarms.  I can also just throw my arm over the side of the bed when I'm half asleep to rock him.  Penelope used hers until she was about six months old.  Find it here.

 

Lite-on-Shoulder Baby Sling

This was a gift from my aunt.  I never used a sling with Penelope and also didn't leave the house as much since I wasn't working and it was winter.  When we go somewhere, I almost always carry him in this.  I hate lugging around the infant car seat.  Oliver loves sleeping in it and it's light weight.  My favorite part about the sling, is that it is really wide and I can nurse him without being totally obvious about it.  The first time I nursed in public, I was walking around a hot air balloon festival.  It also made it possible for him to attend his first Cleveland Indians game!  (And walk all the way to the top of the stadium.) I haven't figured it out completely, but it can be used for bigger kids too. Find it here.

 

Avent Soothie Pacifier

I bought three different kinds of pacifiers for Oliver before he was born and he wants the one from the hospital.  I better buy some because he only has one!  I like these pacifiers because once he falls asleep, it falls out of his mouth.  He doesn't use a pacifier much, but it's still a must have for him!  Find it here.

Car mirror

I'm one of those moms who want to know what my kids are doing at all times.  Even if they are fine, I'm checking on them in the car every five minutes or so.  Is Oliver still sleeping?  Did Penelope throw her cup on the floor?  So if I can't see them, I'm going to go crazy.  Since his car seat is rear-facing, I can't look over my shoulder to see him, so a mirror is a priority for us! There are many different versions. I bought mine for $10, I believe.  Find one here.

Fisher-Price Cradle Swing

This swing is awesome!  We keep it in the living room and this is where Oliver naps during the day. The seat rotates so it can swing side to side or front to back.  It is removable so I can just use it as a bouncer. (Great space saver!) I mostly do this when we go outside.  I can watch Penelope run around the back yard while he naps on the deck. I like that it doesn't have a tray.  I feel like by the time he would be old enough to need or use the tray, he would have grown out of a swing. It's also more of a hassle to put him in and out with a tray. But like I said, this thing is awesome! I don't know what we would do without it!  Find it here!

 

 

That is my must-have list for Oliver, now that he is 3 weeks old.  I'm sure there are things that I'm forgetting.  What are some of your essential items? 

1 week old

 

This post is coming a tad bit late.  At least I got the picture done on time.  He is now 12 days old.  It's hard to find time to write a post nowadays.  Oliver is always wanting to eat.  I will feed him for an hour and he will take a small nap and wake up hungry.  At his one week mark, he was literally eating every hour and I was about to lose my mind.  I also felt bad for Penelope because I was literally attached to Oliver the whole time. 

At his 5 day check-up, he weighed 8 pounds and 12 ounces.  That puts him in the 70th percentile for weight.  He was also 22 inches long, putting him in the 97th percentile for length.  Those numbers are crazy to me since Penelope has always been in about the 60th for weight and 30th for height.  He has an anterior dimple.  We have to go to Akron Children's in a few weeks for a spine scan.  I'm not worried about it at all. 

Unfortunately,  Oliver is very gassy.  I give him gas drops, but I don't know how well they really work.  I feel bad for him because he gets very fussy because of it.    

I try not to leave the house very much.  But he is less than two weeks old, so I think that's a given.  We have taken him out 4 times so far.  I haven't mastered nursing him in any other place than my home, so that's probably why.  I would like to have a bottle for him if we have to go out in public.  Much easier and quicker. 

It really is amazing that after I gave birth, I suddenly didn't have to pee every 30 minutes, or eat every hour and I can walk again!  It's crazy how quick everything changes.  And I have lost about 25 pounds since he was born. 

Our vacation and 11 hour road trip begins in 24 days.  I'm hoping he will be able to handle that long drive.  I'm sure he will be sleeping for longer periods by then anyways. 

Now it's time to give the little man a bath :)

Oliver's birth story

On June 19, I went into my last check-up at the doctor's office.  But to my dismay, in the last 8 days, no real progress had been made.  I was still 50-70% effaced and 3-4 centimeters dilated.  I really thought he would have been born by now since Penelope was 4 days early and those numbers seem pretty favorable to me.  Since my due day was the next day, she suggested I schedule for an induction, just in case.  I certainly didn't want to go past 41 weeks.  (The office I go to has male and female doctors but I made all my appointments with female doctors and was just going to pray that a male doctor was not on call the day I went into labor.)  The doctor I saw said, "Well, since you have been seeing Dr. Chung, I'll have to call her and see when she was available for an induction."  I liked that part, because I knew I would have a female doctor then.  I was still upset though because I felt like Oliver was never coming and I didn't want to be induced.  I wanted to sit around and time my contractions and speed off to the hospital.  I didn't want to go into the hospital while not in labor, to have a baby.  I have heard inductions take a long time too.  So anyways, the induction was scheduled for Monday June 23 and 5 am.  That was only 4 days away.  Needless to say, I was not in a great mood after that.

After my appointment, Josh went over to his dad's house and then went to his mom's.  I didn't have anything to do, so I went to CVS with my mom and the laundry mat to wash comforters.  When I was at CVS two employees wanted to make small talk about the size of my belly.  One of them even said to my mom (in front of me), "Poor thing.  She looks miserable!"  Uh, thanks so much.  In the mean time, I have been having random cramps but attributed that to my exam from earlier. 

We get home and my mom cooks dinner.  The only people home are my mom and dad and me and Penelope.  At this point, I'm starting to wonder if I'm having contractions and the cramping isn't just from the exam.  So after dinner, I think near 6 pm, I start timing them.  They aren't very close together.  Every 7-10 minutes and between 20-40 seconds long.  It is suggested to wait to go to the hospital until they are 5 minutes apart and 1 minute long.  They weren't very strong either.  At 7 pm, I texted Josh and told him I was timing my contractions, but that they weren't very close together yet. 

The next few hours are uneventful.  I know Josh came home shortly after and made sure to stop and get an energy drink on the way home.  Penelope went to bed and Josh and I watched Orange is the New Black while I continued to time contractions.  They were never 1 minute long, but would be 4 minutes apart.  I decided to take a shower because I figured we were going to the hospital that night.  I asked my mom to straighten my hair for me so it would look good for pictures :)  Josh suggested that I try to get some sleep while he showered because we were probably going to have a long night ahead of us.  By this time, my contractions started to become painful.  After Josh got out of his shower, he insisted we try to go to sleep.  It was about 1 am now.  Sleeping didn't work.  Every few minutes, I was groaning in pain.  So about 10 minutes later, we decided it was time to go to the hospital.  The hospital is in another town and takes probably 30 minutes to get there.  Since it was early in the morning and Josh was speeding, we made it in 14 minutes.  He asked if I needed him to run some red lights, but I told him no. 

Once we got to the delivery room, it was 2 am and I was 6 centimeters dilated.  I asked for an epidural right away.  I didn't have one with Penelope and was happy with that.  This time around, I decided I wanted one to have a more enjoyable labor for both me and Josh.  The nurse also mentioned to me that Dr. Chung was on call that night!  I honestly couldn't believe it!  I was expecting one of the old male doctors that I have never met before.  So anyways, I got my epidural and she broke my water.  After that, Josh and I were in a much better mood.  I was goofy and Josh was relaxed.  He was also freezing. We were able to nap for short periods of time.  I would guess around 4 or 5 am, the nurse said that I was 10 centimeters and 100% effaced, but his head was still high.  She told me to let her know when I felt pressure to push.  I asked how I was supposed to feel pressure, when my epidural prevents me from feeling anything.  Around 630 or so, she turned my epidural down so I could feel the contractions.  His head was still high.  They told me that Dr. Chung was now off call and asked if I wanted her to stay or if the new doctor could deliver Oliver.  Of course it was a male doctor that I had never met, so I said I would like her to stay.  Close to 7, I was getting irritated that nothing had changed in hours and the nurse said I could try pushing and see if his head lowered.  With one push, he dropped significantly and they called the doctor in.  (Then I was kind of annoyed because I could have done that 2 hours ago.) 

With Penelope, I pushed for an hour and a half and it was awful, also without medication.  So this time, I was determined to get him out as quick as possible.  I started pushing at 7:35 and he was born at 7:56 am.  When they laid him on my chest, he grabbed my finger <3

I was astonished when they said he weighed 9 lbs, 2 ounces and was 21 & 3/4 inches long!  Penelope was 7 lbs, 2 ounces and 19 inches long.  And I gained 2 more pounds in my pregnancy with her.  Josh said, you should have seen your face when they told you his weight.  Hahaha. 

Josh's mom was in the waiting room.  She stopped by before work, but she had to leave before she could see him.  About two hours after he was born, my mom, dad and sister stopped by with Penelope. 

The night before we were supposed to be discharged, the nurses said Oliver's bilirubin levels were high and he might be jaundice.  We were hoping to leave the hospital by noon and at 2 pm, we were still waiting on test results.  His levels went up and he had to go under the lights.  They said he would be under the lights 24/7 and only come out to eat.  They discharged me and I was considered a "boarding mother."  I could come and go as a pleased, but would not be receiving care anymore.  Now it was more like a hotel.  I really missed Penelope so Josh and I left Oliver under the lights and went home to see her.  We stayed for a few hours and went back to the hospital.  His levels were still high, so we spent the night.  By the next afternoon, he went down from 15 to 12 and he had to be around 10 to be discharged.  We went back home around noon to have lunch and see Penelope.  I called the hospital at 5 to check on him.  Apparently, his levels were low and they took him out from under the lights at 1:30.  I wish they would have told me, because that meant I could finally hold and snuggle him.  He had to be out from under the lights for 5 hours, then retested to make sure he didn't rebound.  Around 7 or 8, we found out that he was ok and could be discharged!  We packed up that room as quick as we could and high tailed it out of there! 

His car ride home from the hospital

 

So there you have it, Oliver's birth story.  And of course, the first night home is always the hardest.  It's like he knows the nurses aren't around to help anymore.  I probably got around 4 hours of sleep that night.  He is 8 days old now and we are slowly falling into a groove.  Although, my mom's 2 week vacation ends in a few days.  Then we might be in trouble again ;)

Oliver's "nursery"

Well, since we are temporarily living with my parents, Oliver doesn't have his own room yet. (Penelope does)  He does have his own area at the foot of our bed.  (To the left is our "living room")

 

 

We hung up his curtains behind his dresser for a nice back drop.  Makes me feel like it's a little more complete.  I'll put pictures in the two white frames once he's here.

 

 

I think this set-up is pretty similar to what it would look like in his own room.  Except his "O" would be on his door, rather than hanging from the ceiling.  (That's my hospital bag on the ground, waiting to be finished)

 

I haven't decided which changing pad to use, the one on the dresser, or bassinette.  They are different heights, so I'll try them both and remove which ever I don't use.  My mom made him the blanket that's on his bassinette.  We will have our own place by the time he is big enough for his crib.

 

Top left dresser drawer.  I hope I can keep it organized.  I can't believe how tiny his newborn diapers are.  They are the size of my hand!

 



Top right drawer: Socks, booties, bibs and hats. 

 

In the other dresser drawers are 0-3 clothes, newborn clothes, swaddling blankets and the bottom two drawers are blankets/sheets and wipes that I have been stocking up on for months.

 

 

I will do another post about the kids' rooms months from now when we buy a house and they have their own space and I get to paint and decorate everything! 

39 weeks

 

 

39 weeks!  I can't believe that I could go into labor at any minute!  Penelope was born at 39 weeks and 3 days and with her, I was almost 3 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced when I had my membranes swept and she was born about 36 hours later.  Two days ago, I was 3 centimeters and 70% effaced and my membranes were swept.  No signs of labor yet!  I even did quite a bit of walking yesterday.  I'm determined to have him on an even numbered day.  Penelope's birthday is 10.18.12 and Oliver's will be 6.?.14.  I just like even numbers I guess.  Like it's good luck or something.  I really need to finish my hospital bag.  Like now!  I'm still nervous to have him. I know it's not going to be fun.  I just want it to be quick.  With Penelope, I had my first contraction at 3:30 am and she was born at 9:09 am. And I'm still back and forth about the epidural.  I'm just going to see how fast it goes when I'm at the hospital.  After my mom gets off work today, she will have 2 weeks off to help.  She will probably mostly be helping with Penelope and getting jealous when I hog Oliver.  :)

 

There is an 80% chance that this is going to be the last time I give birth (if you ask Josh, it's more like 100%).  So it's really bittersweet.  If we decide not to have anymore, I'm going to be really emotional knowing this will be my last newborn.  But we will see what happens in a few years.  I'm not making any permanent decisions now.

 

Everything for Penelope's Big Sister Kit finally arrived.  Like I mentioned before, most of the ideas I found for one, were geared towards older kids.  I had to hide the package from her when it came and put her down for her nap right away, so I could dig in.  Everything I ordered was from Amazon except for the shirt, that was Target.  My friend Manda got her the super awesome book that came with the medal/necklace in the front. 

 

 

 

My sister and I took Penelope to Kingwood Center yesterday.  It used to be someone's personal property.  I don't know the whole story, but now it's open to the public and mostly just gardens and flowers.  When we went, the mansion was closed.  They are having a wedding this weekend, so that's probably why.  Penelope had fun feeding the ducks and being able to run wild.  I did not have as much fun because my feet are swollen and walking around for a long time makes them sore.  But it's a great place to get pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How far along? 39 weeks!!!
Maternity clothes? Of course.  And a lot of the shirts are getting too small.  Living in sweats.
Best moment this week: My doctors appointment
Miss Anything?  excited for my first beer
Movement:  Yes, still kicking in there.
Food cravings: water water water
Sleep: I would say good for a pregnant woman
Anything making you queasy or sick: not lately
Have you started to show yet: I'm kinda hard to miss.
Gender: boyyyyy
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks, especially if I stand or walk around too much.
Belly Button in or out? Far out! Seriously thinking I'll have a permanent outie after all this.  
Wedding rings on or off? Gave Josh his band back and am wearing a ring I got out of a Diamond Candle
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, sometimes moody/emotional
Looking forward to: Meeting Oliver!  Getting labor and the actual birth over with. 

38 weeks

(lazy chalkboard week)

I really feel like he will be here soon.  Like, in a week.  Which is kind of weird to think about.  But I'm also getting tired of looking at his little clothes and bassinet and not having him here.  I talk about him like he's here.  I'll say, "He's sleeping right now.  He usually wakes up at around 10."  So I'm really ready for him to come.  I finally have everything ready.  I have all his supplies and everything is clean and set up. 

The only thing left really is to finish packing my hospital bag.  Josh keeps reminding me that if I forget something, he or my mom can run home and get it for me.  But it also is a 20-30 minute drive so I don't think they want to be making multiple trips a day.  Hopefully I will only be there for two days.  I'm only bringing a "coming home" outfit for Oliver and myself.  Not multiple outfits.  I know some people bring their own pillows and blankets and clothes and movies.  Maybe if it was for a week, but I can rough it for a few days.  After I had Penelope and was in the hospital, there were a lot of things I brought but didn't really use. Like my laptop, baby book and other forms of "entertainment."  But I was very thankful for snacks.  I wasn't a big fan of the food so I was always snacking on peanut butter m&ms.  I've seen tons of hospital bag checklists and they are ridiculous.  Like people are literally packing for a weekend getaway.  It's just more things to forget.  And then when you leave the hospital, you your husband has to make 3 trips to the car.  People go way overboard. You don't need all that stuff!  You should focus on your newborn.

I am in the process of making Penelope a big sister kit.  Everything I've seen on Pinterest or other sites are geared towards older kids.  I, of course, got her a big sister shirt.  My friend got her a big sister book that came with a medal for her to wear.  I ordered her a puzzle, sticker book and Magna Doodle.  These are to keep her busy in a boring hospital room.  She is so active, that she will be tearing up the room and whoever brings her to visit will have to be chasing her instead of seeing Oliver, IF I don't have anything to keep her busy.  The toys are supposed to arrive sometime next week.  I hope I get them in time!

My hips have been feeling a lot better and I'm not walking around with a cane anymore!  It was my bed.  And I'm surprised a bad mattress can leave me in pain for the entire day.  We splurged on a memory foam topper and it is really great.  It's still not easy getting up after I have been sitting or laying down for a few hours.  But I am not in pain for the whole day.  Wish we would have thought about this sooner. 

I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday.  I was 1 centimeter dilated, 75% effaced and Oliver's head was in a -2 station.  She said his head was pretty low and that I was "favorable" haha.  I'm hoping that means a smooth labor. My next appointment is on Wednesday and I'm excited to see how much things have progressed and also get my membranes stripped.  I did the same with Penelope and she was born less than 2 days later.  My doctor said they can induce me at 39 weeks if I just can't take it anymore.  But who wants to be induced?  No thanks, he will be here soon enough. 

Wonder if my next post will be a 39 week chalkboard or a beautiful newborn face :)

How far along? 38 weeks
Maternity clothes? That's all I wear besides dresses. And even some of my maternity clothes are getting too small
Best moment this week: My doctors appointment
Miss Anything?  red bull
Movement:  Yes, still kicking in there.
Food cravings: Wild Cherry Pepsi. Always.
Sleep: Finally good! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: not lately
Have you started to show yet: too much
Gender: boyyyyy
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks, especially if I stand or walk around too much.
Belly Button in or out? Far out! Seriously thinking I'll have a permanent outie after all this.  
Wedding rings on or off? Gave Josh his band back and am wearing a ring I got out of a Diamond Candle
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, sometimes moody/emotional
Looking forward to: Meeting Oliver and no longer being pregnant.