Trouble with a Capital "T"

Clara, the baby, is 8 months old and she is bad news!  She was a perfect little angel.  She slept through the night at 2 months old, and I mean 12 hours straight, not this 6 hours a night crap, she never cried unless she was overly tired or hungry and she was always happy.  Then she hit about 6 months old.  They told me the second one develops faster than the first one, they told me that girls develop faster than boys.  The result of this, is Clara being about 3 months ahead of schedule in EVERYTHING.  She has been crawling since 6 months old and is close to walking.  She has said "mama", "dada" and I swear I hear her say "kitty" a few time.  She waves and is almost clapping her hands.  She gets into everything, puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and climbs on everything.  JJ was never like this.  It is scary and so amazing to watch all at the same time.

So, yesterday was like any other day.  I came home from work and playing with the kids.  JJ decided he wanted a drink so I went into the kitchen to get him one.  When I returned I looked around.  Where's the baby?  She's not under the chair eating a month old Cheerio or in a corner somewhere chewing on a chord (like normal)... I then realized that I forgot to put the safety gate up at the bottom of the stairs.  My heart skips a beat.  I look up and she has proceeded to climb the 15 stairs to the top.  She was standing, holding on with one hand to the closed gate and smiling at me.  I have never run up the stairs so fast in my life.  I grabbed her and held her tight.  She was fine, of course,  but you can't help thinking of what COULD have happened.  I will never forget the safety gate at the bottom of the stairs again.  If she doesn't give me a heart attack before her 13th birthday, it will be a miracle.

But, my little maniac CLIMBED THE STAIRS!  You can't ignore that feat!  So proud!   Like I said, amazing and scary all at the same time.

Predictions Revealed!

I know it's been a while but things have been a little bit crazy around here since the baby was born.  We are now officially a family of 4.  It's been pretty exciting.  Over the next few posts I'll recap the last 10 months or so.  So, first let's take a look back at our predictions post from last August.  You can see read it here:  Predictions.  This is how it really went:

The baby measured smaller, not in a bad way, throughout my pregnancy.  JJ was born at 8lbs7oz, this baby was in the 7lb range, which was awesome.  Both my husband and I were scared to death of another "natural" childbirth.  Please, there is nothing "natural" about it.  The smaller the better, as long as the baby is healthy, of course!  So, the pregnancy was going great!  An ultrasound showed her being breech at one point, but later she flipped and everything was ok.  No problem!

She was due on Thanksgiving but we had a scheduled induction for November 25th, the day after.  My kids seem to love camping out in my womb, so, of course, this one had to be forced out as well.  I enjoyed my Thanksgiving dinner at my mother-in-law's house and the next morning we went into the city to have the baby.  My parents got a hotel room and met us at the hospital.  I was put in a delivery room and hooked up to all the proper monitors and IVs.  John and I were nervous, but with such  beautiful view of the Hudson, could we really complain?  I lived in the city for 9 years and NEVER had a view like this!   We watched bad movies on Comedy Central and waited.  Soon, a nurse came in and said she was going to do a routine ultrasound.  Great, I'd love to see the baby one more time before she is misshapened from being squeezed through a painfully small vortex.  She puts the wand up to my stomach.  Silence.  What's going on?  More silence.  Then, "Did you know that the baby is breech?".   Um, no.  Great.  "I'll send you Doctor in to discuss your options."  Ok, here we go.   Enter Doctor L.  "Soooo, the baby seems to be breach!  I'll give you two options.  We can physically try to turn the baby.  This would involve giving you a spinal to numb the pain.  I'm not going to lie to you, this is still going to hurt, but then you can go on to have her naturally!  OR, we can do a c-section.".  The second option was said with much less enthusiasm.  "I'll leave you two to discuss".  So, lets see, we can either turn the baby which will be extremely painful and then go on to push the baby out naturally which will be hell on earth (believe me, I know), or we can have her surgically removed while I am under enough anesthesia to numb an elephant.  I think we'll take option #2.  Dr. L came back and we could see the disappointment in her eyes.  She loved being a high risk doctor way too much!

The surgery was set for 2:00PM. I was prepped, prodded, stuck with needles and not long after, sliced open like a Thanksgiving turkey.  Clara was brought into this world at 2:34PM on November 25th, 6lbs10oz, 19 inches long.   All I could feel was a little pressure and tugging.  The procedure was easy.  The hospital stay was another story, that I will save for another day.

My beautiful baby was a little piece of perfection.  The love that John and I felt for her was unmatched, well, except for our love for JJ, of course!  My husband will never be the same.  Long story short, no matter how much you plan, there will always be a surprise around the corner.

An E-Mail to a Friend

*edited to protect privacy*

Hey,

This is our last baby as well. Every once in a while John mentions having three. Around here, there is no way we will be able to afford to give three what I feel they need and what I want for them. I want to send them to private school and take them to see some of the amazing places that we've seen! Plus, I feel like with three, one always gets left behind somehow. I think I've decided that the best way to do it is either have two so you have control or have seven, so they are all always friends and never need any of those hooligans to hang out with at school! We are opting for the "two" route!

When I'm on maternity leave, I plan to take a swimming class with JJ once a week so he has some one on one time. Things are really going to change for him and no matter how we try to prepare him now, he has no clue what's about to happen! He actually adapts really well and is pretty independent, but I still feel the tiniest bit of guilt.

I also worry that this next kid is going to be the odd man out. Everyone loves JJ so much, and he's just so cool. I'm worried that she is going to get left out because everyone just wants to be around JJ. So, I'm already rooting for the underdog. I feel like JJ got all the great personality traits from our families. What if this one gets all the bad ones that are left over? What if she is a bad sleeper and a bad eater and a tantrum thrower all rolled into one? Who knows. I've sortof gotten over this now, though. I am about 10.5 weeks out and I can't wait to meet her, bad attitude and all!

This summer has been great! We went to the Outer Banks in the beginning of the summer, then JJ and I were in Louisiana for a few days for my cousin's shower in July. That was fun. I went home a 4th of July and Labor Day, which is probably my last trip until January now. We have gone into the city a number of times, which has been fun. John and I spent a night and went on a dinner cruise for our anniversary. It was my first night away from JJ, and it was much needed. I have been exhausted! My mom got us a Bronx Zoo pass, and we've used it a few times. It includes the aquarium and all the city zoos. I'd love to go one more time before it gets too cold.

We got a double stroller since we use ours A LOT! We have a Phil and Ted's Explorer. We have yet to try it with two kids, though. It should be interesting.

JJ is amazing. He speaks about 10-15 words and makes all kinds of animal noises and imitates us all the time. He's happy and fun and, god, we got lucky! He's climbing stairs now, with adult supervision of course, and he's a constant ball of energy! He's become quite the dancer. We can't keep up! I really don't think he ever sits, unless it's to eat or sleep! Naps have been a struggle lately, but otherwise, he's really good.

We have been doing all kinds of work on the house. John has been adding on an entryway/mud room all summer which has been the project of a lifetime! There are pics on FB. JJ Is getting the bear room which is still a work in progress, but once that is done, we are going to try to start transitioning him before the baby comes, so it's not too much of a blow! All of these projects seem to be never ending! My goal was to have them done by end of 2nd tri, not so much. Oh, well. We're getting there. I use the term "we're" loosely. John is really doing all the work. I'm just managing! I know I drive him crazy, poor guy! He's doing an amazing job!

So, me... I'm still feeling great! There is life after kidney problems! I thought I was feeling something one day about 2 months ago, they took and ultrasound of my kidney and everything looks perfect and of course, what I was feeling promptly went away the day before my appointment to get it checked. Oh, well. I'm not as big as I thought I would be at this point and apparently not as big as everyone else I know wants me to be! I'm getting a lot of backlash from people with second children or who are pregnant with their second. I guess it's just how I'm built. I have been eating a lot more this time, though. I'll have a decent amount to lose when all of this is over.

So, I've had two different ultrasound techs tell me that this baby is, in fact a girl. Let's hope so because since the second confirmation, I have bought more pink than I know what to do with! She's measuring average and John is getting used to the idea of having a girl around! The poor kid is going to be locked in her room until she's 18!

My maternity leave is starting Oct 28th. It's about a month early, but this is my last kid and I'm taking as much time as I can. I'm excited to have a month of one on one time with JJ and I'm assuming that things will be a bit more difficult by then anyway, when I'm large and in charge. I'm trying to talk work into letting me come in three 10 hour days a week. This is called "flex time", although no one has ever done it in my department before. I would still be considered a full time employee and I would keep my benefits and vacation time, I would just get paid for 10 hours less. We can't afford for me to be part time, but we can afford this. I would be home so much more with the babies but still have my job, which, no matter how much I complain, I love. I presented the idea to my boss and he hasn't said no, he just has to figure out how to fill the other two days. Keep your fingers crossed.

What kind of car did you get? I've been pretty happy with my Escape. We'll see how it does with two babies!

Anyway, we need to make a plan! I think we are going to have a "Sip and See" the last weekend of January so people can meet the baby- I would love it if you could come. I figure no one has anything to do then anyway! We still plan, as of now, to go to the Bahamas at the end of February. John is actually going to come this time so it should be really fun. How did it work with all of you in Florida? Was it hard with both kids? I really don't want to miss this trip! Otherwise, we have no plans until April 1st, when I am scheduled to go back to work.

I miss you! It sounds like life is really good right now!

Love to all,

Ginna

For Better or For Worse

As of August 11, 2011, my husband and I have been married for 4 years. I'm not going to pretend that it's been easy but I can honestly say that I have never been happier.

We dated for 3 years before we became engaged and then a year later, got married. We are both very stubborn and set in our ways, making life interesting to say the least. It's hard always being right and my poor husband always being wrong, not to mention being delusional enough to actually think that HE is right even part of the time. You see where our problems stem.

Between these brief moments of strife, we really do love each other. My husband is an amazing man. He works hard to support us. He does laundry, sometimes cooks dinner, cares for the baby a few days a week when he's not at work and tried hard to make life pretty close to perfect for us. I love him for his loyalty and his steadfastness. He was there for me throughout my complicated pregnancies. I admire his love for our son. He worships the ground he walks on. I am lucky to have such an amazing man in my life.

A Son's Love

JJ has never been clingy, apart from when we have food that he's interested in. Is this case, he stands at your feet like a puppy, whimpering until you give him something. I could imagine that this is a sign of love for me, but, in fact, it's a sign that he just loves food.

In the last month or so, JJ has figured out that I am a pretty important person in his life. He now cries and holds on to me with all of his might when I leave him at the baby-sitter's. This only happens once or twice a week. He knows I'm leaving from the get go. He sits on my lap, wraps his little arms around me and cries. It kills me every time. I know that when I leave and he get the chance to settle down, he has a great time there, playing with Katie and the other kids, but that initial separation is enough for me to call up my office and tell them that I will not be able to make it that day. I love and hate it all at once. I don't want to leave him and I feel terrible, but I love that he misses and needs me (finally!).

In a few years he will have friends of his own and will not want to be around me as much, and I will be the one clinging to him, crying as he walks out the door.

15 Months, Where Does the Time Go?

My son is 15 months old today. It's amazing how quickly time flies. He is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, not to say that he's not exhausting and frustrating., because he is. JJ has somehow gotten the best of both of us. He's happy all the time and loves being around people. He's a bit of a show off and a total comedian. He makes my day worth waking up to.

Predictions

Since my last pregnancy was a disaster from beginning to end and this one has, thus far, been a complete dream, I have decided to make my predictions for baby #2 concerning this delivery.

This is what is going to happen:

I am going to go into labor naturally on November 26th around 8AM. I will labor at home for the appropriate amount of time and then head to the hospital where I will labor there for 3 hours. I will not need meds because I will be able to handle the contractions. I will then push for 30 minutes after which our baby will glide into the world easily and naturally. The baby will be perfectly healthy, scoring high on her APGAR. She will weigh 7lbs 4oz and be 18 inches long. The baby will be born at 3:07PM.

Obviously this is wishful thinking, but really what's the point of getting worked us about something you can't control, so I choose to be optimistic. We'll see how much of this actually pans out.