Eric's Birth Story

I am so incredibly happy that Eric has joined our family and it feels like he has been here forever already.  He is now four weeks old so I figured it was time to get his birth story out there.

Eric's story starts on Friday, May 27th, his due date.  I told Ryan, while we drove to dinner after dropping off Caleb for a sleepover, that I was in labor and that we would be going to the hospital after we ate.  Well fast forward 5 hours and we didn't have a baby.

I was disappointed, but understood that we had an induction date set for Friday, June 3rd and Eric would probably be stubborn like his brother and make us wait until that day before coming on his own.  We continued to "walk it out" all Memorial weekend.  We traveled down South all 3 days in hopes that today would be the day that we could just pop on over to the hospital.

Monday, Memorial Day, was no different.  We spent the morning at home and decided to go walk around the mall, again.  We met my mom and her husband there and we started toodling.  I went and got my toenails painted because they were a hot mess and I had high hopes that it would work some magic.  I was exhausted from walking so much so we left the mall and went to dinner.

Let's rewind to Monday morning when I woke up completely saturated.  Now my water didn't break until I was already admitted in the hospital with Caleb so I had no idea if I had just peed myself in the middle of the night, if it was sweat because we live in CA where we have no Spring and jump straight to Summer or if my water had in fact broken.  I went about my business, put a pad on to time the discharge and didn't say anything.

So during dinner I let it slip that I had woken up this way and everyone went into panic mode.  They made me call the hospital and after talking to the advice nurse it was determined that I needed to come in to get checked out.We sent Caleb home to my mom's house to go to bed and off to the hospital we went.

We got into Labor and Delivery and they started to run tests and monitoring me and baby.  I was not happy with the doctor that was examining me at all.  She kept saying "my story" sounded consistent and also told me that I wasn't dilated at all when just 3 days earlier I had already been at a 3.  After 2 hours of test, swabs and ultrasounds it was determined that there was a low amount of fluid around baby so they were going to induce me.  We called my best friend and mom and told them it was on.

I got into my delivery room around 9pm and we started the process.  I was terrified of being induced in all honesty.  I have heard horror stories about how painful Pitocin is and I didn't want to go through it like that.  I wanted him to come on his own.  Well by 10:40pm I was rocking and rolling and only had to have 2 doses of Pitocin (side note: apparently you start at a 2 and can go up by 2 every 30 minutes until you reach the max of 30).

I was doing great and breathing through all of my contractions.  All of a sudden around 12:15am I asked my mom to put lotion on my feet because they itched so bad!  She was massaging my feet for less then 5 minutes and my water broke! :)  The contractions intensified by a thousand and this baby was coming, and fast!  After my water broke I went to the bathroom to clean up and so they could switch out the bedding and I had ever desire to push while I was sitting on the toilet!  Talk about a scary thought, being that lady who delivers her baby on the toilet!  My nurse came and checked me and got me back in bed and ordered my epidural, it was now 12:30am.

While placing my epidural my contractions just kept getting more intense to the point that I couldn't take it.  I was not handling the pain well at all and then they lost Eric's heartbeat!  As if there already isn't enough to deal with emotionally at this moment, now I was listening to them discuss how they needed to hurry because baby didn't like this position and yada yada.  After just moments my epidural was in, Eric was fine and I was on my way to feeling great!

My epidural was placed at 1:06am and by 1:30am I was fully dilated and ready to deliver.  They called for the doctor and we waited.  We kept waiting and finally the doctor came in at 2:10am.  They set up and at 2:17am I started pushing.

After 2 pushes and 1 minute, Eric James Hughes was born and placed into my arms more perfect then we could have ever imagined!

Time: 2:18am
Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces
Length: 21 inches
Head: 13.5

Ignore the fact that I recorded his length incorrectly here.  Blame it on the lack of sleep :)

Baby Hughes #2 - 39 Weeks

How far along are you? 39 weeks!

How I'm feeling: I am definitely a bit disappointed that I am still pregnant, but I know that this little boy will come when he is ready.  Other then being ready to meet our little E, I have been sick since 36 weeks so that has been completely miserable.  I've gotten cough syrup with codeine, 3 inhalers and a z-pack.  I am finally feeling back to "healthy".

Total weight gain:  I have gained 18 pounds.  I am really proud of myself for keeping the weight under control this pregnancy, although as I have said before, it is probably just because I have been chasing Caleb around and haven't had time to gain weight.  Baby E is healthy though so that is all that really matters.

How big is baby? Baby is size of a pumpkin today!  I definitely feel like there is a pumpkin inside of my belly too!  Baby E should be weighing about 7.23 pounds and be 19.9 inches tall.  However, at my 38 week appointment my doctor predicted that he is almost a pound smaller then Caleb probably.  He is a tiny boy as far as she can tell.

Maternity clothes: Always yes.

Sleep:  Sleeping is still impossible and with being sick it has only gotten worse.  I am still loving my pregnancy pillow but cannot wait to be able to lay on my stomach again, although if I can nurse this time around I realize that will still be a ways off.

Best moment this week: We have everything ready for Baby E's arrival.  All items have been purchased and cleaned.  We won't be panicking about not having something (okay, I will no matter what, but we really are good)

Movement: Baby E is a mover and a groover.  He is head down but he loves his booty bumps up in my ribs.  I am going to miss feeling him inside my belly.

Food cravings: Soda and grapes!

Food aversions: Meats have started taking a back burner for me.  I have no real desire to eat any kind of meat.

Belly button in or out:  We are definitely flat in the belly button department.  Caleb is completely fascinated by it.  Depending on where Baby E lays it could be out a little as well, but I don't have a constant "turkey's done" button.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that we are still having a healthy pregnancy.  I am thankful that this babe moves around enough every day to let me know that he is happy and healthy in there.

What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to meeting our little boy.  Hopefully while you are reading this he is making his way into the world?  Wishful thinking I'm sure.  :)

What's In My Hospital Bag - Round 2

So after searching through past posts I couldn't find where I ever told you what I took to the hospital last time.  And that sucks because I would have loved to remember what we took that we didn't need and what I wished we would have taken.

But after much procrastination I finally packed our bag on Sunday night.

Bag:
I was gifted a new diaper bag, which is actually the exact same one that we already have but in a different color.  I absolutely love it and after almost 2 years, we could use a new one :)

JJ Cole Stachel

For Mom:
I packed very minimally for our trip.  Our hospital provides everything you need while there and although I truly hope to have a better birthing experience this time around, there is no gaurantee.  With that being said, I am bringing a nursing tank, nursing sleep bra, two pairs of fuzzy socks, a pair of flip flops, maternity leggings for going home and a loose fitting shirt also for going home.

For Dad:
Oh my husband.  He is hilarious!  I asked him what he wanted me to pack for him and he said, "just a pair of socks."  What?!?  But okay!  I took it upon myself to also pack a pair of underwear because why would you change your socks and not your undies?  LOL!

For Baby:
Like I said above, our hospital provides everything we will need while we are there so all we are bringing for baby boy is his coming home outfit.  I bought this outfit right after we found out he was a boy and just knew that he would wear it home.  I can't wait to see our little moose :)

Carter's Newborn

In addition to the clothes for each of us we are bringing toothbrushes, travel toothpaste, Simple facewipes, my favorite lotion, some hair ties, chapstick and our nursing pillow.  While the hospital will provide plenty of pillows for us to use for nursing, there is nothing quite as nice as the nursing pillow when you think about it.  I will need to throw in my hairbrush the day of also.

I am also thinking that I might throw in mascara just in case I get a wild hair up my butt and want to put some sort of makeup on.  I am hoping that this delivery goes much different then Caleb's and that would mean I don't feel like death while in the hospital for almost 4 days.

I hope we have everything we need, and if not, then someone will be running to Walmart or Target - both are right across the street from the hospital :)

Is there anything I am forgetting for my second delivery?  Let me know what you couldn't do without in your hospital bag!

Baby Hughes #2 - 37 Weeks

So it has been 7 weeks since my last bumpdate and I am incredibly sad about that.  I am actually really sad about how much this pregnancy has not been documented, but due to the craziness that has been our lives this entire past 9 months, I am giving myself a break and not being too hard on myself.

At 37 weeks I am once again sick :(  This is the third time this pregnancy, which if you have been sick just once while being pregnant you can imagine how annoying and frustrating it is for a third time of illness to strike!  I am getting some prescriptions today that will hopefully help me feel better for the rest of this pregnancy.

Overall, this pregnancy has been a whirlwind.  It was definitely not as breezy as Caleb's was, but maybe that is just a little friendly reminder from upstairs that this is our last pregnancy and doesn't want me to enjoy it too much? LOL.  But overall, I still love being pregnant and feeling this little boy move inside of my belly.  I will be so sad when it is all over, but I can't wait for him to join our family!

I have gained a total of 19 pounds this pregnancy and I am really proud of myself.  I blame thank my lovely toddler for this mostly because without having to chase him around 24/7 I probably would have gained double what I gained while pregnant with him (33 pounds)!  I think the fact that I have been sick 3 times, was so nauseous for the first 4 months and alone with Caleb for probably 2 solid months out of this pregnancy were also big factors.  We have 3 (better not be more then) weeks left with this babe in my belly and I am hoping to not gain more than 6 more pounds before he is born.  I have high hopes that since I didn't gain as much weight this time it will be easier to drop the weight this time also.  I will still have that lovely toddler of mine to chase around, so hopefully he helps mommy lose those extra lbs!

I am officially on Maternity Leave.  I started Monday this week and while it was completely weird in the beginning, I am so glad I am taking this time.  I took Mat Leave with Caleb at the same time, but it was just me and Hank so I got bored a lot more easier.  This time I get to enjoy these times with Caleb while it is just me and him left before his brother joins us.

I can't believe that he could be here any day now!  As much as I want to meet him, I am happy keeping him in there for a little bit longer, since this is our last baby.

I should also probably start packing a hospital bag huh?  And install the car seat?  Oh second pregnancy problems! :)

Baby Hughes #2 - 30 Week Bumpdate

How far along are you? 30 Weeks!  We only have a maximum of 10 weeks left as a family of 3!  That is absolutely crazy to think about!

How I'm feeling: I am definitely not feeling as great as I was at this point with Caleb.  This pregnancy has been more difficult on my body, but overall, we are both healthy and happy and that is all that matters to us.

Total weight gain:  I have gained 12 pounds this pregnancy so far.  I haven't been trying to watch what I am gaining as much this go around as I was with Caleb, but I think chasing after a very active 18-month old toddler has helped keep some of the poundage off.  Also, this little babe still makes me nauseous 90% of the time so eating isn't as appetizing as well.

How big is baby? Baby is size of a cucumber today!  He is between 15 - 17 inches long and weighs approximately 3 pounds right now.

Maternity clothes: I think this is a silly question.  Obviously I'm in maternity clothes still, have been since week, what? 11? ha!

Sleep:  Sleeping is probably the thing that has changed the most between my pregnancies.  I am in so much pain by the time I get to lay down at night from running around all day that sleep is hard to get.  I can only sleep on my sides this time and my back is constantly on fire.  Rolling from one side to the other is also nearly impossible.

Best moment this week: I went and bought the fabric for his nursery bedding!  We are having it made ourselves since I couldn't find anything I loved for his room that wasn't $1000!  I can't wait to start getting his nursery put together!

Movement: Baby E is definitely starting to move around a lot more these days but he is still a huge tumbler!  He moves his bums from the top of my ribs to my pelvis multiple times a day.  He also only resides on my right side.  Some days I wish he would move to the left to give my right side a mini break.

Food cravings: Soda and fruit.  All day, everyday please!

Food aversions: I don't have any aversions still, there are just more times then not that I don't have an appetite.

Belly button in or out:  We are definitely getting flat in the belly button department.  Caleb is completely fascinated by it.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that we are still having a healthy pregnancy.  I am thankful that this babe moves around enough every day to let me know that he is happy and healthy in there.

What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to putting together Baby E's nursery.  We have yet to move anything out of the room that is currently our guest room.  We need to take everything out of there, paint the walls and decorate.  We only have 10 weeks! EEEEKKK!

Baby Hughes #2 - 24 Week Bumpdate

How far along are you? 24 Weeks.  I can't believe it has been 8 weeks since my last bumpdate!

How I'm feeling: I feeling okay.  I love being pregnant, but this second pregnancy is definitely taking a toll on my back and tailbone more so then Caleb's.

Total weight gain:  I have gained 6 pounds so far this pregnancy.  Up until 20 weeks I hadn't gained any weight, but obviously baby boy is now wanting to pack on some pounds.  My doctor wants me to keep about a 1 pound per week gain at this point.

How big is baby? Baby is size of a cantaloupe today!  

Maternity clothes: Oh yes!  And I am ready for the weather to start getting warmer because I have very few items to wear with this big ol' belly during the cold.

Sleep:  Sleep is getting more difficult.  Baby E lays super low at night and is not liking me on my tummy anymore.  I am trying to sleep on my side mostly but still find myself being woken up out of no where and I assume it is him telling me to change positions :)

Best moment this week: We had an appointment on Tuesday and got to hear his heartbeat again.  He is tumbling up a storm constantly and I love feeling him move around.

Movement: This little boy is not a kicker or a jabber at all like his brother.  This little boy is a tumbler!  All he does is somersaults over and over again.  He is starting to become more active during the day, but he does the majority of his commotion at night when I lay down.  He must know it is bedtime and is trying to get all good and snuggled up. :)

Food cravings: Soda still, but I am trying to be really good about this.  Fruit, give me all the fruit!

Food aversions: I don't really dislike anything more then usual at this point.

Belly button in or out:  Still in but getting more shallow by the day.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that this baby is still growing big and strong.  I am thankful for a supportive husband who continues to be my rock through the tough emotional moments.

What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to seeing our little guy again tomorrow.  We are going back for another anatomy scan to get some more pictures done and as long as I get to see my little boy moving around, I could care less. :)

Is She A Girl? Is He A Boy?

So we find out what Baby Hughes #2 is in a couple of days and I thought it would be fun to try and predict what he/she is beforehand.  We did this for Caleb as well and you can check that post out here.

1.  How low can you go?

High = Girl     Low = Boy

I think this baby is riding high again, so GIRL

2.  Body Clues.

Getting Ugly = Girl   Soaking it all in = Boy

I think this pregnancy isn't doing me any favors, so GIRL

3.  Gold Ring On A String.  

Back and Forth = Girl   Circle = Boy

Round and round we go baby, so BOY

4.  Baby's Heart Rate.  

Above 140 = Girl   Below 140 = Boy

Always high, so GIRL

5.  Sweet or Salty?  

Sweet = Girl   Salty = Boy

I am loving salt with this pregnancy, so BOY

6.  Chinese Calendar

GIRL

7.  Mayan Calendar

BOY

8.  Hubby's Extra Padding?  

Gaining Weight = Girl   Staying the Same = Boy

Hubby is looking the same to me, which I am just fine with, so BOY

9.  Sicker than a Dog?  

Sick = Girl   Swell = Boy

I was so sick in the beginning, never got sick, but felt terrible, so GIRL

10.  Acne?  

Acne = Girl   Clear = Boy

My face got terrible right after I found out I was pregnant, so GIRL

11. Side You Most Rest On?  

Right = Girl   Left = Boy

I am loving my right side this time around, so GIRL

12. Cold Feet?

Same = Girl   Colder = Boy

As if I could get any colder?  It is possible, so BOY

13.  Headaches

No = Girl   Yes = Boy

I am dying w/o caffeine, so BOY

14.  Urine Color

Dull = Girl   Bright = Boy

It has gotten duller.  Is that a word?  If so, GIRL

15.  Graceful or Clumsy?

Graceful = Girl   Clumsy = Boy

I definitely lost some grace this go around, so BOY

*********************

Total:

BOY: 7

GIRL: 8

With Caleb's go at this it was correct with having 11 tales say Boy.  Could this mean that a little Princess is brewing in my belly?  What do you think?  Boy?  Girl?  Stick around to find out shortly!

What's Different This Time

So this pregnancy has kind of thrown us for a loop thus far.  It is completely different then my pregnancy with Caleb.

Here are a few differences I've noticed:

1. I was so nauseous!  Like literally couldn't eat multiple meals a day for multiple days.  I ended up losing weight in my first trimester which I never thought would be possible.  Luckily that has passed and my eating is back to "normal".
2. Cravings.  Cravings started right away just like with Caleb, but this time all I want is soda.  It is horrible.  I love soda.  I want soda 24/7.  Being pregnant makes that a little difficult so I am still trying to get a handle on this.
3. Bump status!  I started showing right away.  With Caleb I didn't start really showing until 16 week.  See below my examples.  They say this is normal because your body already knows what to do, but it was a little annoying, especially since I didn't want to announce until 12 weeks.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   
   
4. Hair growth.  With Caleb my hair grew fast!  Like lightening speed.  With this pregnancy I see more hair loss then growth this far.  I'm hoping this will change very soon because I have always had fast growing hair.
5. Dreams.  With my first pregnancy I had very vivid dreams and very often.  This time around I cannot recall most of my dreams and have had no inclination as to what gender this baby is.  I had a dream that Caleb was a boy very early on and it turned out correct.  Am I a psychic? HA!
6. Hormones.  I don't really think I was that hormonal with Caleb until the end but this time around it is a whole new ballgame.  I cry at least twice a week right now and my patience is being tried constantly.  I have melt downs more often and my poor household looks at me like I am nuts!
7. Movement.  This little babe was moving and grooving long before his/her big brother.  I think this has a lot to do with the fact that my placenta landed in the front with Caleb so he had to be bigger and stronger before I felt his kicks and jabs.  Also I think this time around I know what I am waiting for.  I started feeling this little one around 9 weeks, although I know that was just the fluid moving and not any actual jabs.  Ryan has been lucky enough to feel some movement already and we can't wait until they get more pronounced.

Did you notice a lot of differences between your pregnancies?  

Is this all "normal"?  

Let me know. :)

How We Found Out About Baby Hughes #2!

I sometimes still can't believe that this is actually happening.  It is so amazing and we are so blessed.

Let's here the story of how this all happened, shall we?  And I don't mean the nitty gritty, I'm pretty sure we all know about the birds and the bees.

Ryan and I had known since right after we had Caleb that we wanted our children closer in age then we both are with our siblings.  We knew that we wanted them to be about 2 years apart in age and that meant that we had and idea of when we would want to start trying again for another.

As the summer came closer I was getting anxious.  I had many fears that we might not be able to get pregnant as "easily" as we did with Caleb.  We were so lucky to get pregnant with Caleb after only 2 months of trying.  I kept telling Ryan that we needed to start trying on this month because it could take longer, he kept telling me everything would be fine and we would stick to our original plan.

So another month went by and the summer was drawing to a close.  I scheduled my doctor's appointment and we were ready to start trying to expand our family.  Right away I thought I was pregnant.  Silly I know, but we both had the feeling.  We took a test, that we had lying around the house still from when I got pregnant with Caleb, on September 1st, it was negative.  I tried not to be sad.  We had barely been trying, it would happen, I had to just keep reminding myself that.

We had Caleb's first birthday party and another week went by.  Ryan was out of town and I was spending the night at my mom's house with Caleb and I decided that since I was "late" I would take another test.  Friday, September 11th, another negative.  Now I was upset at myself because I had gone to the store earlier that day and spent money on pregnancy tests.  Those suckers are expensive!  But besides that I was a little sad that it wasn't positive and that it meant that I would have to have another period (I am not meant for those horrible things folks!)

A few more days went by, I was getting really moody and achy.  Ryan told me to take another test.  By this time I was 8 days "late".  I had the last test from the pack I had bought last week and if it was negative we were going to just wait until we were more certain to buy any more.  I went to the bathroom and before I knew it it said YES+!!!  I couldn't believe it!  Just 5 days earlier the test said no and now we had a positive test!  We were on our way to Baby Hughes #2 and being a family of 4!!  

So after doing calculations I figured out that I had gotten pregnant just 3 weeks after we started trying!  I can't believe how blessed and lucky we are.  We can't wait to meet this little baby and let him/her know how much she was wanted and how they complete our family!

Stayed tuned for how we told people :)

Baby Hughes #2 - 16 Week Bumpdate

How far along are you? 16 Weeks

How I'm feeling: I feel great.  Finally able to eat somewhat normal again, although meat doesn't really ever sound good.  Overall I feel great.

Total weight gain:  I went to the doctor's office yesterday and I am still not at my pre-pregnancy weight but it is coming back.  Overall I have lost 4 pounds and gained back 3.  I'm super proud of myself.

How big is baby? Baby is size of an avocado today.  Baby now is forming taste buds, growing hair and can hear our voices.  Baby is about 4.6 inches long and weighs less than 4 ounces.

Maternity clothes: Still yes.  I hate having to wear dress clothes Monday thru Thursday but it makes me appreciate Fridays and my weekends that much more because I have some really comfortable maternity jeans! :)

Sleep:  Sleep is great.  I am still sleeping on my tummy.  Hoping this continues.  I was able to sleep on my tummy until 37 weeks with Caleb so here is to hoping this little babe treats me the same in the sleep department :)

Best moment this week: We had an appointment yesterday and this little babe was just tumbling all over the place during the heartbeat scan.  There is a strong, healthy heartbeat and we are right on schedule.

Movement: This week has been a major game changer in the movement department.  I feel big tumbles (which I know aren't big at all) and I've felt a few tiny kicks here and there.  Ryan was even lucky enough to feel a tiny jab on Sunday night which made us both ecstatic.

Food cravings: Still carbs, sandwiches, soda and fruit

Food aversions: Meats are difficult to eat at times but other then that I am fine.

Belly button in or out:  In.  But it is definitely flattening already.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that this little babe is still growing big and strong.

What I'm looking forward to: I am excited to find out the gender.  We find out on January 9th and we couldn't be more excited.  We both think it is another boy, but we will see :)

Baby Hughes #2 - 15 Week Bumpdate

How far along are you? 15 Weeks

How I'm feeling: I feel huge, but they say that happens with the second child.  But other then that I feel great.  I absolutely love being pregnant!

Total weight gain:  I don't go to the doctors for another week, but from my at-home-scale I am up 3 pounds.

How big is baby? Baby is size of an apple this week. 

Maternity clothes: Yes, oh yes!

Sleep:  Sleep is my best friend just like it was with Caleb at this point.  I am always ready for bed at night and never want to wake up in the morning.  We are enjoying this cold nights at home all together by the fire.

Best moment this week: I know Caleb doesn't know what he is doing and it is most likely just because he is fascinated with belly buttons right now, but he has started looking for my belly and giving it kisses.  He also "high-fives" my belly a lot, but we won't count those moments. :)

Movement: Nothing definitive yet, but definitely little flutters here and there.

Food cravings: Pasta all the time!

Food aversions: The smell of alcohol is really getting to me lately but hopefully that will pass.

Belly button in or out:  In.  But it is definitely flattening already.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that we are having a healthy pregnancy.  I am thankful for a supportive husband and son who don't get mad when I am having a hormonal moment.

What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to finding out the gender.  We hopefully find out just after my birthday :)

Operation Pre Baby Body

Hi there!

So we are officially 4 weeks post partum and feeling great!

I have decided that it is time to get my butt in gear ::slowly of course:: and start getting back into shape.

Now when I say "getting back into shape" I guess I should really just be saying get into shape. I wasn't in the best shape pre-baby but I wasn't the worst either. I had some extra fluff here and there but overall I was fine. I'm not a twig but not a rollie police either.

During pregnancy I was really concerned with gaining weight. I have never been super impressed with my body and the idea of gaining weight had a little effect on me mentally. I stressed about weight gain at each doctor's visit and that they would tell me I had gained too much weight.  In the last month of pregnancy I decided that my baby and I were both healthy and that was all that mattered. I stopped worrying about weight gain and in the end gained a total of 33 pounds.  This is only 3 over what my doctor wanted so overall I was thrilled.

Now that our precious little boy is here and Mama is healing well I have decided to start getting in motion.  Me and the babes will be walking everyday that the weather permits us. I also will be using my Jillian Michaels DVDs and let her yell at me and I will yell back - well only loud enough to not wake the sleeping prince of course. I also have a Danskin Pilates box set that I bought on Groupon a couple of years ago and have never used. I can't wait to start using these helpful tools.

I also will be tracking my walks with MapMyRun. I love this app.  I used it everyday during my maternity leave before baby came and loved seeing how it tracks your workouts. It tells you distance, speed, average, mapping and how many calories you burned. I also love it because you can link it to you MyFitnessPal app. This is a wonderful app that tracks your calorie intake per day as well as your water intake and workouts. I am a person who needs structure and reinforcement. These apps keep me focused and disciplined. Although they are just apps, they will let me know when I am doing a good job and a poor job.

I can't wait to start meal planning for us again. Meal planning is good for us on multiple levels. It keeps our bank account happy by us not eating out as much and it is healthier. We can control the sodium and fat levels in every meal if we stay home and make them ourselves. I need to look up some tasty recipes and get some variety going for the hubs. If you have any good ones, please send them our way :)

I want to lose all of my baby weight and possibly an additional 10 pounds over the next couple of months. Ideally I would like to be 10 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant by the first of the year, my birthday :) I know that it will take a lot of hard work and discipline but I am motivated. I don't want my husband to forget who he married ;)

Wish me luck!!

The Afterbirth Story - The Sh*t They Don't Tell You About

So today's post might be a bit graphic for some.  If you don't like detailed information about afterbirth stuff, then you might want to just skip over today's post.

So Caleb's birth was a breeze!  I would have babies everyday if the birth was as easy as his every time.  I had ripped internally during delivery, but it was minor and only a first degree tear.  The point at which I don't want to have multiple children came from the afterbirth!

Once Caleb was born we waited for the after birth to occur.  I laid there waiting while the doctor did her thing.  Caleb was getting his measurements done and checked out so I wasn't worried about not getting to hold him at that point.  Ryan was with him and I laid there waiting.  No one was instructing me to do anything.  I thought I would be instructed to push the placenta out?  I thought that was what had to happen next?

Well it was.  And it wasn't happening.  Like at all - for far longer than it should normally take.

After laying there for 50 minutes and still no placenta they decided that they would have to try to manually extract it.  If the couldn't get it out that way, I would have to go into the OR for a DNC.  I laid there, unable to hold my son still, and the doctor started to go in.  I could feel everything.  My epidural had been turned off after delivery to help me get sensation back.  Normally this is fine because the afterbirth only takes an average of 30 minutes.  Mine, obviously, took longer.

They had to call anesthesiology back in to give me more medication.  After 30 minutes of waiting for that to kick in the doctor went in once again.  Still unable to hold Caleb I started getting super frustrated.  I started crying, not out of pain, but out of frustration.

Why was this happening to me?  I had a great labor and delivery and now I was having problems??  I couldn't even hold my son yet.  This was some bullshit!

I asked why this was happening to me.  My doctor informed me that it was just part of my birthing story.  My placenta did not detach from the uterine wall like it was supposed to.  Of course this would happen to me.  I had a great pregnancy, labor and delivery, but all the rare, random things that happen to pregnant women, happened to me.

Once the placenta was stripped from my body I finally got to hold Caleb.  I was overjoyed but pissed at the same time.  Have you seen the placenta?  It is so tiny!  I was expecting something the size of another baby to come out.  I remember telling everyone, "That's it?  It looks like a flank steak!"  LOL

While holding Caleb they started stitching me up.  This is the additional frustrating part of afterbirth. I had already been stitched up once.  They stitched me up right after delivery while they waited for the placenta.  Apparently this is normal procedure but when you have to have a manual extraction it is kind of pointless.  When the doctor went inside she ripped out all of the stitches that she had already placed.

I lay there getting stitched up once again.  After about 30 minutes of them trying to stitch me back up they decided that it wasn't going to stick how they wanted it to.  They asked me if they could put a catheter back in and also packing to absorb the bleeding that was occurring.  I said sure and looking back I wouldn't change it, but it was super painful.

I was relying on a squirt bottle every time I go to the bathroom and lots of pads for the past 3 weeks.  I have stopped bleeding but wiping still terrified me.  My pain has gotten a lot better but I am still complaining about pain daily.  I am hoping to get back into walking next week.  We shall see.  Wish me luck.

I had a great medical team and am truly grateful for all they did for me and my baby.  I pray that if we have more littles that their births go as well as Caleb's did and that their afterbirths go 10 times better than his did.

Caleb's Newborn Photos

We had Caleb's newborn photos taken when he was 8 days old.  My friend, Lisa, from high school opened her own photography business and is amazing with newborns and children photography in general.  

As soon as we found out we were pregnant I couldn't wait to get an appointment with her.  I contacted her and she put us in her calendar.  Of course, Caleb was late and as soon as we knew he wouldn't be here until a week later I contacted her again to let her know.  She assured me that she would still be available to take his photos and already plans for most newborns to be past their due date.

I was so excited.  As soon as we got home I messaged her with the exciting news and she got back to me right away.  I contacted her on Sunday and we had an appointment for that Friday morning.

We showed up and Caleb was not necessarily cooperating.  He was wide awake.  My newborn, my baby who does nothing but sleep, was wide awake for almost the entire 3 hour session.

Lisa was amazing though and worked through all of his stubbornness to fall asleep and stay asleep.  If you are anywhere near the Roseville area, contact her for your newborn photos.  We couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

I have posted a few of my favorites below..although we were given 20 shots in both B&W and color so choosing just a few favorites was difficult.

Two Week Must Haves

So I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but I have a two week old.

I'm some what sad about this... that's normal, right?

Anyways.  I thought I would share with you the items that we couldn't have lived without these past two weeks.

1. Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper

We currently have Caleb in our room with us.  We did not want to do co-sleeping but wanted him in our room for at least the first few weeks.  We went with this sleeper and couldn't be happier with it.  It has a nice vibration that lets our little feel soothed as well as rocking legs that I can access with my arm from our bed. 

2. Summer Infant Newborn to Toddler Bath Center
This bath tub is seriously the greatest!  We, of course, had no idea what we were doing so this two piece tub was perfect.  It has the infant insert for the kitchen sink, which we used until his umbilical cord came off, and then the bigger tub for when he is bigger.  We now are bathing him in the bigger tub with the infant insert inside of that so that he is sitting in the warm water and doesn't get as upset. It has made bath time much more enjoyable for him!

3. Tommee Tippee Bottles
So we started Caleb on bottles the first night we got home.  I know that everyone has different opinions, but I couldn't risk him not liking bottles because I will be going back to work sooner than later, despite my need to stay home with him desire to not work again.  Anyways!  Back to the bottles.  We love these bottles.  I love that you can switch out the nipples with his age instead of needing to buy all new bottles.  Also, they have a one-way air valve built in that helps ensure baby doesn't swallow air instead of milk.

4. Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddles
We are believers!  Everyone says these are the best and we agree.  They are baby and parental approved in our house.  We are not good at swaddling, and by not good I really mean terrible at it, but we still wrap him up in these the best we can and he stays so snuggly and happy at night.  I love how light they are for our hot California weather, but also warm enough to keep him comfortable at night while we try to transition into Fall.  We have 4 and I keep thinking about when I can go get more because I feel as though we need at least 4 more.  LOL.
5. Boppy Nursing Pillow
I am nursing Caleb all freaking day long about every 3 hours currently and although an 8 pound baby doesn't sound like much, when he is nursing I swear he weighs about 700 pounds in my arms.  This pillow has been my life saver!  I lug this little guy with us from the living room to my room all day long.  We have a cute jungle cover for it and it is very useful even while I'm not nursing.  The hubs has been known to use it while he holds the babes to support his arms because our baby is all dead weight whenever the pillow comes out.

6. Baby Mittens
Oh man!  Caleb was born with some claws on him!!  And did you know that you can't cut their fingernails right away?  You have to just file them for a couple of weeks??  Who knew?!?  ::insert another point in which we should have read more books or taken more classes::  So Baby Mittens are a must in our house!  This little boy must have mittens on while he is sleeping.  His nails grow so fast and I can't keep up with filing them down.  I love how most of the newborn onesies have them built in but his sleepers don't and we use the individual ones then.

There are many more items that we use and love, but these are definitely the top six that we couldn't live without.

What are your go-to items with a newborn?