Ah...silence. Kyleigh (my snoozer) is taking a nap between feedings, and Mackenzie finally crashed out after nearly 4 days of not napping. Life is currently "okay".
Adjustment to life with two children hasn't been bad at all. I can't really complain. I have an angel for a newborn who sleeps like crazy and only makes noise when she's hungry. Mackenzie has done quite well considering that she was an only child for almost four years.
However, there are moments when I feel like I'm going a bit crazy trying to keep up with regular, household tasks.
I have been thoroughly blessed to essentially not have to cook dinner for the past 3 weeks (and I still have another 2 weeks of meals being brought, plus a week in Indiana where I won't really have to cook there either). Yet the dishes still pile up.
We pick up the apartment every evening (toys, clothes, trash, etc.) And yet I feel like everytime I look around there is something else to be cleaned or sorted.
The computer desk is a wreck with random papers everywhere.
Our "storage area" needs overhauled - as does my pantry and our bedroom closet.
I've given up on Mackenzie's room for the time being...it's been a disaster zone since Brian's birthday party when there were 10 children playing in it...and it drives me nuts.
All these things, and more, were on my list of "things to accomplish before Kyleigh arrived". Didn't happen.
Brian and I are both beginning to feel the effects of broken sleep - I am not as overtly affected as Brian, then again I was already not sleeping well when I was prego. We're lethargic and just want to crash the moment both children are down for the evening...that simply means that things get put on the backburner.
I guess I write all this to say that the times during the day that I should be resting alongside my beautiful children are the times when I'm either on here (the computer) trying to sort out my life via e-mail, or cleaning like crazy because the dishes, or the dirty floors, or something else won't let me/my mind rest until it's accomplished.
I need a live-in maid...or just some better organization/motivation. What methods I utilize right now, just don't seem to be cutting it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Kyleigh's Arrival
To my blog (and it's readers),
I am sorry I haven't updated you since April and it is now July. In my defense, however, the past 3 months have been kinda crazy. I'm sure you understand. I'll TRY to do a better job at keeping you semi-updated...we'll see. I do have another midget to deal with now. :o)
~Erin
Alright...now it's time for the actual post. This is a moderate TMI (too much information) warning for those of you who don't want to know exactly how my labor and delivery went.
We were induced on June 28th - 4 days post my slated due date by the OBG's calculations (right on time by my calculations). The date was picked primarily because of the July 4th holiday and her delivery schedule. I didn't mind because I wanted to be done with the pregnancy.
We got to the hospital just before 6am. First thing was the IV placement - not fun. The nurse couldn't find a large enough or straight enough vein to suit her...this is not normal. I have great veins and phlebotomists love me. She poked around on my left wrist trying to get one..that hurt. Then she went for one on the back of my right hand. Also painful, but she successfuly found one. And thusly her shift was over. She was a sweetie, but I'll never let her poke me again if I can help it.
We had a "newbie" and one of the head nurses for most of the day 7am-3pm and they were great. (Shout out to Joy and Kara...like they'll ever read this.) We also had 2 medical students/residents check in on us. I don't mind being a guinea pig to help people learn. They were nice.
I feel like most of the day was just a waiting game. We were ready to go with the Pitocin drip by 7:30am, but didn't get that started until 8:30am becuase we were waiting for an MD to give the "okay" to start the drip. They were all busy. :oP
Pitocin drip kept progressing and I was at 4cm when they checked at noon. Dr. Wos said that at this stage they would break my bag of waters, but asked if I wanted the epidural first. I did want the epidural first...I still can remember waiting nearly an hour for the anesthesiologist when we had Mackenzie.
The anesthesiologist was busy in a C-section...so we waited an hour and a half for him. Epidural wasn't bad. Most people don't like to feel the "pain" or "pressure" that accompanies the spinal tap. I didn't mind. I knew it was worth the end results - less pain.
Once we were hooked up to the epidural, we had to wait another 45min to an hour for my OB to come break my water. She was in another delivery.
So by now it's 3pm...we've been in the room for 9 hours, on the Pitocin for over 6 hours, and I am tired. I watched Jeopardy and after it was over I took a 45 minute nap. :o)
It's impossible to get 100% comfortable when you're #1 pregnant, #2 in labor, and #3 hooked up to 5 different tubes/wires (fetal heartrate monitor, IV, contractions monitor, epidural, and blood pressure cuff). I found that lying down was what worked best, but I also realized that it wasn't helping anything progess. Once I sat more upright, I went from 5cm to 10cm in a little over an hour.
The epidural was nice...but it wasn't as effective as the one I had with Mackenzie. I could still feel a large portion of the contactions in my lower abdomen. I could 100% tell when I was in transitional labor because they "hurt" and I wanted to give up or demand to be checked for progress.
They checked me about 6:45pm and then everyone started to prep for delivery. I have no clue about time frame/reference after this point.
Four contractions with pushes and Kyleigh was here - 7:39pm.
We called her big sister shortly thereafter. Mackenzie came to meet Kyleigh around 9pm. She was super excited. Didn't know what to think about Mommy being attached to all the tubes/machines (a bit overwhelming for a 3 1/2 year old). She asked to see my stomach to make sure it wasn't broken. She was glad to see it was okay. :o)
We transferred to our post-partum room about 10pm. Kyleigh slept for a 4 hour stretch at one point that night. I made Brian wake up just one time. I was released to go home by 10am. Kyleigh took a bit longer to get released. They have a mandatory 24-hour bilirubin check and then we had to wait an hour and a half for the lab to come do the final blood draw on Kyleigh. We left Swedish at 9:30pm and got home at 10pm.
Not sure where to put this small detail, so I'll tack it on here at the end. They wouldn't let me eat :oP I was hungry and food commercials on the TV were not my friend...nor was the husband sitting next to me reading and eating peanut butter M&M's...I was able to eat once we got into our room and I was thankful.
I keep getting told that I am not "normal" with my labor/delivery/post-partum. I guess I'm just made to have babies. I love the fact that I feel I can easily walk around and be functional less than 2 hours post-partum. I also loved the strange looks I got from the hospital staff when they checked on me :o)
It's been a week since Kyleigh Faith arrived. We are overjoyed. She is an awesome sleeper, barely cries, and she eats well (I'm glad to be done with a clogged duct - I pray I don't get more in the near future).
We are blessed and we know it's only by God's grace that this is possible.
I am sorry I haven't updated you since April and it is now July. In my defense, however, the past 3 months have been kinda crazy. I'm sure you understand. I'll TRY to do a better job at keeping you semi-updated...we'll see. I do have another midget to deal with now. :o)
~Erin
Alright...now it's time for the actual post. This is a moderate TMI (too much information) warning for those of you who don't want to know exactly how my labor and delivery went.
We were induced on June 28th - 4 days post my slated due date by the OBG's calculations (right on time by my calculations). The date was picked primarily because of the July 4th holiday and her delivery schedule. I didn't mind because I wanted to be done with the pregnancy.
We got to the hospital just before 6am. First thing was the IV placement - not fun. The nurse couldn't find a large enough or straight enough vein to suit her...this is not normal. I have great veins and phlebotomists love me. She poked around on my left wrist trying to get one..that hurt. Then she went for one on the back of my right hand. Also painful, but she successfuly found one. And thusly her shift was over. She was a sweetie, but I'll never let her poke me again if I can help it.
We had a "newbie" and one of the head nurses for most of the day 7am-3pm and they were great. (Shout out to Joy and Kara...like they'll ever read this.) We also had 2 medical students/residents check in on us. I don't mind being a guinea pig to help people learn. They were nice.
I feel like most of the day was just a waiting game. We were ready to go with the Pitocin drip by 7:30am, but didn't get that started until 8:30am becuase we were waiting for an MD to give the "okay" to start the drip. They were all busy. :oP
Pitocin drip kept progressing and I was at 4cm when they checked at noon. Dr. Wos said that at this stage they would break my bag of waters, but asked if I wanted the epidural first. I did want the epidural first...I still can remember waiting nearly an hour for the anesthesiologist when we had Mackenzie.
The anesthesiologist was busy in a C-section...so we waited an hour and a half for him. Epidural wasn't bad. Most people don't like to feel the "pain" or "pressure" that accompanies the spinal tap. I didn't mind. I knew it was worth the end results - less pain.
Once we were hooked up to the epidural, we had to wait another 45min to an hour for my OB to come break my water. She was in another delivery.
So by now it's 3pm...we've been in the room for 9 hours, on the Pitocin for over 6 hours, and I am tired. I watched Jeopardy and after it was over I took a 45 minute nap. :o)
It's impossible to get 100% comfortable when you're #1 pregnant, #2 in labor, and #3 hooked up to 5 different tubes/wires (fetal heartrate monitor, IV, contractions monitor, epidural, and blood pressure cuff). I found that lying down was what worked best, but I also realized that it wasn't helping anything progess. Once I sat more upright, I went from 5cm to 10cm in a little over an hour.
The epidural was nice...but it wasn't as effective as the one I had with Mackenzie. I could still feel a large portion of the contactions in my lower abdomen. I could 100% tell when I was in transitional labor because they "hurt" and I wanted to give up or demand to be checked for progress.
They checked me about 6:45pm and then everyone started to prep for delivery. I have no clue about time frame/reference after this point.
Four contractions with pushes and Kyleigh was here - 7:39pm.
We called her big sister shortly thereafter. Mackenzie came to meet Kyleigh around 9pm. She was super excited. Didn't know what to think about Mommy being attached to all the tubes/machines (a bit overwhelming for a 3 1/2 year old). She asked to see my stomach to make sure it wasn't broken. She was glad to see it was okay. :o)
We transferred to our post-partum room about 10pm. Kyleigh slept for a 4 hour stretch at one point that night. I made Brian wake up just one time. I was released to go home by 10am. Kyleigh took a bit longer to get released. They have a mandatory 24-hour bilirubin check and then we had to wait an hour and a half for the lab to come do the final blood draw on Kyleigh. We left Swedish at 9:30pm and got home at 10pm.
Not sure where to put this small detail, so I'll tack it on here at the end. They wouldn't let me eat :oP I was hungry and food commercials on the TV were not my friend...nor was the husband sitting next to me reading and eating peanut butter M&M's...I was able to eat once we got into our room and I was thankful.
I keep getting told that I am not "normal" with my labor/delivery/post-partum. I guess I'm just made to have babies. I love the fact that I feel I can easily walk around and be functional less than 2 hours post-partum. I also loved the strange looks I got from the hospital staff when they checked on me :o)
It's been a week since Kyleigh Faith arrived. We are overjoyed. She is an awesome sleeper, barely cries, and she eats well (I'm glad to be done with a clogged duct - I pray I don't get more in the near future).
We are blessed and we know it's only by God's grace that this is possible.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Disney World - part 1 of my vacation recap
Alright, vacation was over and done a week ago. Last week we had no computer. Let's see how well I can remember and recount our vacation.
I will start by saying that Mackenzie travelled really, REALLY well in the car. Being stuck in a car for 12-13 hours one day made me worry, but we had plenty of activites and snacks with stops about every 3-4 hours. (Total time in the car for the entire trip, driving or just sitting was a total of over 45 hours - including short trips.)
I hate admitting this, but probably the best day of the trip was the day we went to Disney World. It was absolutely amazing to see the awe and wonder on Mackenzie's face...all day long. I missed the moment, but evidently her jaw just flat-out dropped when she saw "the castle" just across the lake when you enter the park before you board the monorail.
Right after we entered the Magic Kingdom, there was a stage show in front of the castle - we had a really good vantage point. Mackenzie immediately got to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Cindrella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle (and Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and the witch from Sleeping Beauty - but she doesn't know any of these characters). She was mezmerized.
Mackenzie rode on the Tomorrowland Speedway with both of her grandmas, the Mad Tea Party (a.k.a. spinning tea cups) with Brian and his parents, I rode the Dumbo ride with her and Cinderella's Golden Carousel. She had a blast playing at a big playground that was modeled after Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Woods.
I think one of the biggest thrills for Mackenzie was meeting and getting her picture taken with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. The professional picture of her with Goofy is hilarious because she's short and he's incredibly tall (I wonder how tall you have to be to wear the "Goofy costume").
We were smart and upgraded Mackenzie's ticket to a Park Hopper (Brian & I were fortunate enough to have tickets from when my family went 9 years ago). We were heading to the Animal Kingdom and saw the midday parade as we left. That was pretty cool. Then we saw the Animal Kindom's parade as we arrived there.
We didn't do too much at Animal Kingdom. Our main focus was the Safari where Mackenzie finally got to see a live elephant (they don't have one at the LP Zoo anymore). We also went and saw the "Festival of the Lion King" - a miniature version of the Broadway production. She loved it. That's all we did here.
We went to Hollywood Studios after Animal Kingdom and had dinner, walked through the "Journey into Narnia" (not that impressive), and then we girls went to the "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" while the guys rode the Rock'n'Rollercoaster. Mackenzie cried...she was tired and Ursula scared her. (Seriously, Disney, can you make a children's movie WITHOUT a super creepy evil villain?) We did some minor shopping and then it was time to go back to our condo.
Note: we did not go to Epcot...I didn't think a 3 1/2 year old would enjoy much it has to offer. But we did go to Downtown Disney's Boardwalk the night before we hit Disney World (It's FREE...parking is free, entry is free, and there's all sorts of shops, eateries, and street performers!) Mackenzie got to see the "golf ball" from a distance.
All in all, Disney World was a fun day. Mackenzie fell asleep clutching her Minnie Mouse toy within minutes of getting to the van. It was precious. I will enjoy these memories and I love to hear Mackenzie tell people about how she met Mickey & Minnie.
It's strange how a small child's joy can bring tears to your eyes.
I will start by saying that Mackenzie travelled really, REALLY well in the car. Being stuck in a car for 12-13 hours one day made me worry, but we had plenty of activites and snacks with stops about every 3-4 hours. (Total time in the car for the entire trip, driving or just sitting was a total of over 45 hours - including short trips.)
I hate admitting this, but probably the best day of the trip was the day we went to Disney World. It was absolutely amazing to see the awe and wonder on Mackenzie's face...all day long. I missed the moment, but evidently her jaw just flat-out dropped when she saw "the castle" just across the lake when you enter the park before you board the monorail.
Right after we entered the Magic Kingdom, there was a stage show in front of the castle - we had a really good vantage point. Mackenzie immediately got to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Cindrella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle (and Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and the witch from Sleeping Beauty - but she doesn't know any of these characters). She was mezmerized.
Mackenzie rode on the Tomorrowland Speedway with both of her grandmas, the Mad Tea Party (a.k.a. spinning tea cups) with Brian and his parents, I rode the Dumbo ride with her and Cinderella's Golden Carousel. She had a blast playing at a big playground that was modeled after Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Woods.
I think one of the biggest thrills for Mackenzie was meeting and getting her picture taken with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. The professional picture of her with Goofy is hilarious because she's short and he's incredibly tall (I wonder how tall you have to be to wear the "Goofy costume").
We were smart and upgraded Mackenzie's ticket to a Park Hopper (Brian & I were fortunate enough to have tickets from when my family went 9 years ago). We were heading to the Animal Kingdom and saw the midday parade as we left. That was pretty cool. Then we saw the Animal Kindom's parade as we arrived there.
We didn't do too much at Animal Kingdom. Our main focus was the Safari where Mackenzie finally got to see a live elephant (they don't have one at the LP Zoo anymore). We also went and saw the "Festival of the Lion King" - a miniature version of the Broadway production. She loved it. That's all we did here.
We went to Hollywood Studios after Animal Kingdom and had dinner, walked through the "Journey into Narnia" (not that impressive), and then we girls went to the "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" while the guys rode the Rock'n'Rollercoaster. Mackenzie cried...she was tired and Ursula scared her. (Seriously, Disney, can you make a children's movie WITHOUT a super creepy evil villain?) We did some minor shopping and then it was time to go back to our condo.
Note: we did not go to Epcot...I didn't think a 3 1/2 year old would enjoy much it has to offer. But we did go to Downtown Disney's Boardwalk the night before we hit Disney World (It's FREE...parking is free, entry is free, and there's all sorts of shops, eateries, and street performers!) Mackenzie got to see the "golf ball" from a distance.
All in all, Disney World was a fun day. Mackenzie fell asleep clutching her Minnie Mouse toy within minutes of getting to the van. It was precious. I will enjoy these memories and I love to hear Mackenzie tell people about how she met Mickey & Minnie.
It's strange how a small child's joy can bring tears to your eyes.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I admit it...
...I stink at keeping this blog updated.
Life has been nothing short of chaos over the past two weeks, and I'm beginning to wonder something. Did I make Mackenzie a Vacation Countdown Calendar...or did I really make it for myself? Since she barely pays attention to it, I will assume that I made it for myself and Brian (as he's counting the days until vacation as well).
I need a break..and not from a KitKat bar. (However, that sounds really good about now.)
I'm super excited to go on vacation for several reasons:
1. It's VACATION!
2. I need to get out of the city
3. both sets of parents are going on this trip. Kaching! Built-in childcare.
4. I need sunshine and warmth (you've been doing a better job, Chicago, but it's still not good enough).
There are a few things I dread about the trip...not the least of which is the long hours in the car or the fact that we are indeed visiting the "house of mouse" to appease and entertain the small child. (I think she's more excited about riding rides than seeing Mickey & Minnie and the princesses.)
Nevertheless, I will suffer the car ride and the "house of mouse" for my sanity's sake. I have never felt quite so worn down and burnt-out in quite a while. I think this second pregnancy has severely taken it's toll..and I still have 3 1/2 months to go.
Vacation...get here, and get here soon before I have a complete mental breakdown
Life has been nothing short of chaos over the past two weeks, and I'm beginning to wonder something. Did I make Mackenzie a Vacation Countdown Calendar...or did I really make it for myself? Since she barely pays attention to it, I will assume that I made it for myself and Brian (as he's counting the days until vacation as well).
I need a break..and not from a KitKat bar. (However, that sounds really good about now.)
I'm super excited to go on vacation for several reasons:
1. It's VACATION!
2. I need to get out of the city
3. both sets of parents are going on this trip. Kaching! Built-in childcare.
4. I need sunshine and warmth (you've been doing a better job, Chicago, but it's still not good enough).
There are a few things I dread about the trip...not the least of which is the long hours in the car or the fact that we are indeed visiting the "house of mouse" to appease and entertain the small child. (I think she's more excited about riding rides than seeing Mickey & Minnie and the princesses.)
Nevertheless, I will suffer the car ride and the "house of mouse" for my sanity's sake. I have never felt quite so worn down and burnt-out in quite a while. I think this second pregnancy has severely taken it's toll..and I still have 3 1/2 months to go.
Vacation...get here, and get here soon before I have a complete mental breakdown
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