One word meme

I took this idea from Allie... thanks for giving me an idea for a post today! :)

YOU CAN ONLY TYPE ONE WORD! Not as easy as you might think. Now copy or forward,change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? MIA
2. Your significant other? working
3 Your hair? unwashed
4. Your mother? nutty
5. Your father? goofy
6. Your favorite thing? sleep
7. Your dream last night? huh?
8. Your favorite drink? wine
9. Your dream/goal? Skinnier
10. The room you're in? messy
11. Your hobby? yarn
12. Your fear? failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? richer
14. Where were you last night? Peet's
15. What you're not? patient
16. Muffins? Banana
17. One of your wish list items? Maid
18. Where you grew up? Here
19. The last thing you did? nurse
20. What are you wearing? comfies
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? none
23. Your computer? toddler
24. Your life? content
25. Your mood? overwhelmed
26. Missing someone? Samantha
27. Your car? dirty
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? Sephora
30. Your summer? ? Busy
31. Like someone? kiddos
32. Your favorite color? girly
33. When is the last time you laughed? daily
34. Last time you cried? recently

ADD ABCs

ADD ABCs
Originally uploaded by tjsmommabear

Travis racing through the ABC song, effectively missing half of them. Then, at my prompting he sang it again, managing to get most of them! :)

(I have a doozy of a headache... promise I don't usually sound as grouchy as I did on the video!)

Two weeks down!

I've been in a vortex... nursing Ashley, changing both kids' diapers, making food... trying to remember to eat enough myself, and drink enough water... occasionally even managing to make it out of the house, you know... adjusting. Trying my best to ignore the growing pile of laundry needing to be done... the toys strewn all over the living room... the magazines and general clutter needing to be dealt with. Nothing a well-placed hour couldn't handle. But, I don't have a well-placed hour. I have mere minutes between what the baby needs, and what the Boy wants... and I must manage to do things like... ummm...go pee, and other important stuff like eat breakfast. So I guess the house-stuff; it will get done, just not right now. i'm lucky if I can remember to run the dishwasher in the mornings(pre-loaded by Jeff late-night after dinner.)

So, yeah... doing well, yet still trying to get back into the swing of day-to-day household maintenance without going crazy in the process.

Update...

Baby Girl had her first pediatrician appointment Tuesday. She's 7 lbs, 10 1/2 oz. She was 7 lbs at birth, and only 6 lbs 12 oz when we were discharged from the hospital. So, that's almost a whole pound!! She's also grown 1/2 an inch in length, from 20 inches to 20.5 inches!

We also decided to switch to another doctor in the Pediatric group... even though Dr. B was my childhood doctor... he's nearing 80, and very set in his ways. The doc we're switching to came to the hospital and did Ashley's first exam. Dr. H is funny, and reminds me a bit of Andrew Weil. He mixes holistic remedies with traditional medicine. He told me to take Fish Oils (which I already do), and Acidopholus (which is always in our refrigerator), and Vitamin D3. Also, he's very pro-breastfeeding. He tells all of his patients to breastfeed 'til college! LOL! :) My kind of doctor! Dr. B seemed to think the benefits of breastfeeding wear off after a year, which CLEARLY isn't the case!

Also, Dr. H staggers the vax schedule, so the kids don't get so many at once. All in all, I feel like he's a better match...and nostalgia alone isn't a good enough reason to keep Dr. B as the kids' doctor.

Anyway,little Miss Ashley is thriving. She should be, considering she does almost nothing but nurse all day!

I'm starting to get used to this whole having 2 kids thing... and trying to keep everyone happy without going too crazy in the process.

I think I'm healing pretty well, although I am fairly sure I did something to my stitches the other day. Walking, sneezing, straining while going to the potty... something... I have an appointment Monday with my OB (his office had to reschedule me from yesterday due to a surprise delivery) so I will have him check and be sure everything is looking normal down there.

Travis is doing well with the transition... much better than we expected, actually.
Especially since we've been homebound for almost the last 2 weeks... the kid is holding up pretty well. We've watched a lot of Tivod shows lately, and he loves playing on the computer. Jeff set up this software for him called Peanut Butter which allows him to access his games, and websites without messing with the rest of our computer and settings. It definately rocks!

Well, my mom is coming in soon...which means I will be able to empty and reload the dishwasher. Wohoo! Also, need to go to Target for diapers (for both kiddos), Lansinoh for me), and wipes for Ashley. Oh, and a half-caf iced caramel macchiato with extra caramel sounds really good, too! :)

One week later...

1 Week Old! 4/13/08, originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

I promise to update with a real blog post soon... but I have not showered in 3 days, it is almost noon, and we are all still in our pajamas.

Travis is playing computer games, and I am just chilling with Ashley on the couch as she sleeps.

Also? My PSA for the day? Breastpads can be hazardous to your health. Or, at least your nipples. I removed one earlier that had cemented itself onto my left nipple. Oww! Um, like ripping off a band-aid or something. I think I took some skin off, cause, wow. Not too comfortable!

So I took the boob pads out for awhile, and let the flaps of my bra down inside my shirt so the "girls" could "air out" a bit. While I was editing this picture in PhotoShop I looked down, and realized I had started leaking milk everywhere. Lovely, no?

Like a rocket!

After being sent home Saturday afternoon (again) I went home thoroughly convinced I would remain pregnant and contracting through the weekend.

Every time I would doze off, I got jolted awake by painful contractions. I got up around 1:00am, and headed out to the living room, to see if I could catch some rest in the recliner. I finally slept for 2 hours.
At around 3:00am Sunday morning. I was having contractions still at 5-7 minutes, like for the last week... but everything was focused in my low back and low pelvis. I waited, and waited, but couldn't get back to sleep.

I showered at around 5am, then since I had 3 contractions in 14 minutes in the shower, I called the hospital, and told them I was coming in. I woke Jeff up to tell him we were going to the hospital. I started crying, because I was so tired of being in pain and told him I just wanted it to be over.

We bundled a still-sleeping Travis up in a blanket, and got him in the van.

We drove to the hospital, and it was still dark outside. We arrived at around 5:45am.

I was given an exam, and there was no change from the previous day. 2 cm, 50% effaced... I was soo mad. The nurse said for me to wait and be monitored for an hour, and if there was no change, I had to go home again. I was so frustrated. And really, really tired from lack of sleep.

I was having crazy strong contractions... and they were 3-4 minutes apart... but the monitor was NOT picking them up. The nurse actually had Jeff write down when they were happening, and she would hold my stomach and feel for them.

I kept having to get up to pee... and she checked me at about 6:45 am. I was a 3. Woohoo! I was really happy, because it meant my doctor was going to be able to break my water, and I could stay!

Jeff had taken Travis to change out of his pjs, and into regular clothes, because he was going to take him over to Great-Grandma's house as soon as we got word that I was being admitted.

I kept wanting to get out of bed when a contraction would hit. I got up, and held onto my bed rail - and then wanted to go pee. I had 2 contractions in the bathroom. Then, all of a sudden, I felt the need to bear down.

I was coming back into my room, when another contraction hit.

I told the nurse I felt like I had to go poop. LOL! She flipped out and tried to get me back into bed. But I got hit with another contraction right away. I told Jeff to take Travis out of the room. They were already headed in that direction.... it was right around 7am.

Then, calamity broke loose. I started losing control. The pain was SOOO bad, and I absolutely couldn't stop bearing down. The nurse got on the com and started yelling for hands, a labor cart, gloves... they were not ready for what happened!! I basically went from 3 centimeters to complete, and the baby was OUT in a TOTAL of less than 15 minutes. I had 6 nurses in my room, scrambling around... and I delivered Ashley at 7:14 am yesterday morning, with no drugs, no IV, nothing. Just a flying baby! Luckily, it was right at shift change,so there were plenty of helping hands!

They had to get her breathing well, with some suction and a bit of oxygen because she was so "wet" from being born so fast she swallowed some amniotic fluid. But, she's perfect and healthy!

My OB made it in time to stitch me up (I had a 2nd degree tear) and to deliver the placenta. The first thing he said when he walked through the door, with a smile and a look of utter shock on his face was "Wow, you only have two speeds, don't you?!"

I thought Jeff went out to the waiting room, but he had taken Travis to his Grandma's.... He thought he would make it back in time... and he had already called his mom to come down from the Bay Area. Imagine the surprise when I called his cell only to tell him the baby was already here!

She's a little tiny thing... at least compared to Travis when he was born. She weighed 7 pounds even, and was 20 inches long. He was 7 lbs 14 oz and 23 inches long, So she by comparison is little tiny.

We're home now, and doing well. We had a lot of visitors at the hospital - my mom, Jeff's mom & Bob, his Grandma, James & Michelle... and it was really nice seeing everyone.

There was crappy cell reception, and no wi-fi... so sorry for the late update! :)

Come Out, Come Out, Little Drama Queen!

Still no baby... not for lack of trying, I tell you. I have had contractions since late last night... and all morning. They started getting really uncomfortable and coming about 3-5 minutes apart for almost 2 hours this morning. I went into L&D after talking wiht my doctor.

They kept me for a long time... mostly because my doctor went in for some major emergency c-section surgery for a couple of hours. I was monitored, and checked... and although the contractions are still every 3-5 minutes, my cervix is thinned out a little tiny bit more, but not dilated anymore.

So, they won't do anything to induce me until I get to 3 cms. After that we can try breaking my water, and using a bit of Pitocin to try and make a regular productive pattern of things.

This is just SOOOO frustrating... and tiring. And, I am starting to feel disappointed in myself- which does no good, of course, but still... it's there.

So, at least I was able to get in a good nap today... we tried to walk a bit around Carmel, but I was really to uncomfortable to do much walking. I think the sleep did me better, anyway.

We'll wait some more... hoping for a marked change in duration, frequency, or for my water to just spontaneously break.

Thanks for all the positive vibes, and support... I know I will be able to hold my little princess in my arms really soon! :)

Throwing in the towel, for now...

Still here. Still contracting. Still nothing progressive. Dammit.

This is the longest I've been pregnant, since I was induced 4 days before my edd with Travis.

Wish me labor vibes for this weekend, please?! :)

Still Pregnant... dammit.

So, still here... no baby yet. Still 2 cms, 50% effaced. Still losing bits of icky pluggy stuff, and still having Prodromal Labor. My bp was 150/110 - but no protein in my urine, so good there. My doctor tried to strip my membranes, but apparently he couldn't reach them, due to the baby still being kind of high in my pelvis. He said 2nd kids don't usually engage until the end stage of labor.

Also, although he does feel for me - with having 48+ hours of Prodromal Labor, he said I "wouldn't be happy" with him if he induced me right now, because my cervix still isn't ready. I asked about using Evening Primrose Oil to help ripen my cervix... and he said it couldn't hurt, but also hasn't been proven to help, either. Ugh.

So, I walked around the mall with Travis for awhile, and then had a spicy lunch at Chipotle. Both also couldn't hurt, and may help... who knows?
So, I need to go back Monday, unless something happens before then. He said he highly doubts I will make it through the weekend. Here's to hoping.

Eww. Just Eww.

Warning... TMI ahead! Too much info! Turn away now!

Okay... still here?

Icky. I just lost part of my mucous plug. And it was every bit as gross as I though it would be, and so much more. I mean, I can't even say it without making a face. Mucous. Plug. GROSS!!! I didn't have the, um... pleasure of seeing it with Travis but this? Definitely ranks up there on the gross-out-o-meter. It was tinged with blood, too. Perhaps the 3 internal exams yesterday have contributed to this? I dunno.

So, let's get this show on the road!!!

April Fools!

Well, no baby yet.

Although, this afternoon, shortly before 4:00, I started having contractions. They were coming every 3 minutes, for nearly an hour. And then, boom! Out of nowhere, they were coming once every minute. So, I called my doctor, and he said to come into the birth center.

I called Jeff, a little before 5:00 and told him I needed him to come home. We decided not to call family just yet, just in case it turned out to not be the real deal. We went to the hospital, and they monitored me for a couple of hours. Lots of contractions/questions/and 3 cervical checks later? Still 2 cms, 50% effaced. Dammit. I was told I have an "irritable uterus" - heh. FYI - the technical term for "false labor" is prodromal labor.

So, I am back home... still having contractions, and my back is KILLING me! We went to Target and I got some of those Therma-Care back patch thingies, and I have one on now. It's helping a bit.

So, it could be tonight... it could be tomorrow... it could be... next freaking week. Ack!

This seriously bites!

Princess in the making....

So, we finally got around to doing some baby laundry last night. We washed a bunch of newborn/ 0-3 stuff last night. Also, some bedding, blankets, etc. I was making dinner, and Jeff went down to see if the stuff was dry.

It wasn't... cause the dryer was on low, but we didn't want anything to shrink too much. Anyway, he came back up from the laundry and said, "Everything's dry except for Ashley's stuff."

I said "Aww! Ashley's stuff... that sounds so cute!"

And he said with a smile "You know what else was cute? The dryer lint was completely pink!"

Yeah... I guess that is pretty damn cute! :)