Our first trip to MN

Everett had his 2 week check-up on Tuesday this week and confirmed what I had been thinking, he was a BIG boy! He weighed in at 9lbs 14.5 oz! He is gaining weight just fine and the doctor says he looks BEAUTIFUL. At this point he is sleeping pretty well already at night, getting up only 2x at night, and really only fusses for three things; hungry, dirty diaper, or tired. He is only somewhat interested in the pacifier and can fall asleep just fine without it which is nice. We are using the "Woombie" swaddling gizmo that my friend Mandy recommended and it works really well. He doesn't like it a whole lot when we first put him in it but once the lights are off and we lay him down he calms right down and zonks out. I kicked Jimbo out of the room and have him sleeping in our guest room because no one was getting any sleep in our house... Josh and Everett were waking up at different times and Jim and I were up for every one of them.

Hilo had his annual checkup this week too and he is packing on the pounds in his old age (4 this April). He weighed in at 65 pounds, 5 more than last year. Vet wasn't worried, just said besure to get him exercise and if we are concerned, we can back off on the quantity of food. Yah, right. That would mean we can't feed Josh... cause that is where Hilo gets all the "treats".

We went to MN to see my brother Jack play in the Senior game. It was a normal season hockey game however they had a special ceremony before hand to honor the seniors. I can't believe he is graduating this year... Crazy that at my high school graduation he was a kindergartner!!! Time flies... now I am married, two kids... OLD! :)

All is calm at the Westwood...

My mom and sister left on Friday morning, so now it was just our family of four left at the Westwood Resort... Jim and I have decided we would be really good at running a B&B... he would make an awesome breakfast and I am getting faster and faster at changing sheets and cleaning bathrooms. Ha ha! :)

We didn't do anything special Friday night, which was perfect. Saturday morning I had class for 3 hours... painful, so glad the rest of it is online. This was the longest I had been away so far from Everett and it was going to require a bottle feeding. Up until this point we had tried to give him a bottle without any luck. He is drowning with the Avent bottles Josh used and the Medela bottle isn't any better. Next up were the playtex nurser and the soothie bottle we had from Josh. I got home to find out that the Soothie bottle worked and he sucked down 3 ounces. THANK GOODNESS! He was still hungry so I nursed him and all was well. I am gathering quite the stock pile in the freezer, we are up to 10 frozen bags of 6 oz each!

That afternoon we ventured to the grocery store and then had our neighbors over that night. It was an early night but nice to have some friends visit. Sunday we had our first attempt at Church. I woke up at 7:15am to nurse Everett which takes about 45 minutes (includes burping/diaper change). I got in the shower at 8am. Usually it takes me 30 minutes to get ready... and I didn' t do anything more than usual, but had to stop to either tend to Josh or Everett a few times. We finally got everyone in the car at 9:22 am... We were going to be late for sure... I hate being late! We ended up having to sit in the very last pew in the back and unfortunately it is really hard to pay attention when you are that far back. The boys were very good though anyway.

We had breakfast at home and then all zonked out for a nice 2 hour nap. We woke up and went to Kim/Jerome/Emma's house for dinner and playtime. After dinner Emma asked if her and Josh could take a bath... and we said no, not tonight. About 10 minutes later Josh asked to go potty so Jim put him in there with a book and Josh kicked him out. Emma snuck in there later to give him a new book. All of a sudden we hear the toilet flush... and then the bathtub water running. Kim and I ran into the bathroom to find the two of them standing there with their pants/undies off and throwing in the bath toys. It was hilarious. And of course we couldn't say no at this point.

Week 1 Home...

This was the first week home with Everett and it was wonderful! :) Everett is sleeping great at night between feedings and is nursing every 3-4 hours. I get a solid 2 hours of sleep in between which is adding up to about 6 hours. Although it isn't my ideal 8-9 hours at night, I am loving it! He is holding his head up for a minute here and there and doesn't mind tummy time. He has been able to lift and turn his head to look at me but does eventually get mad and want to be picked up.

Joshua has been a fantastic big brother and it has been a lot of fun to watch him around Everett. He is very helpful when doing diaper changes and has even given up his favorite recliner/rocker in the family room to let Everett sit in it. During bath time Joshua is in charge of the sprayer but eventually he gives up because Everett is not too happy during bathtime.

My mom and sister arrived Sunday night and stayed through the week to help out. They did a lot of housework, cooking, and played with Josh. Each morning I would wake up with the boys and my sister would come down shortly after that. She would take over and send me back to bed... it was fanstastic! My mom and her spent hours putting together photo albums for Josh using the posts in my blog and the oodles of pictures we have on our computer. I am excited because I have been a serious slacker and haven't even started a baby book for Josh. I admit I was relying on the blog to eventually get me caught up on it, when I found time. But after talking to my mom about the photo books you can make online we looked into it and are going to see how it works out. I think it is worth a try and certainly faster than scrapbooking because I am SO anal! :)

We have made a few adventures throughout the week. Went to the mall to do some shopping, a few trips to the grocery store, and post office, and a trip to the doctors office. It is very important to know that it takes double the time to get out of the house with 2 kids! I have a feeling my hectic morning drop-offs will require me to get up around 5 am... will I ever find time to workout again?? I loved working out in the morning before work... I guess will just have to wait and see... :)

Lots of Help

We had a very short hospital stay since he was born late Tuesday night. Everything went well. I was poked for labs to monitor the pre-eclampsia and on magnesium sulfate until 24 hours after Everett was born (annoying IV's!). My blood pressure was dropping and blood work showed I was going the right direction. So we were released Thursday around noon. We had a few visitors at the hospital but overall just spent some time getting to know Everett. So far he was showing signs of being a pretty mellow baby, although it is still early!

Josh was enjoying his time with the grandparents, skating on the hockey rink in the back yard, and overall getting spoiled. He loved meeting Everett, "my baby sister" as he put it. We are working on getting him to say "Brother". He loved holding him and is a fantastic helper!

Jim's parents and g'ma Connie stayed at our house until Sunday to help out. They did a great job of keeping Joshua busy and entertained. I got lots of rest and Everett continued to do well. He is nursing about every 3 hours at the most. And he sleeps well between feedings at night which is also a plus!

I am doing much better this time around when compared to coming home with Josh. I definitely know that I had some post partum with Josh and am glad to know that is not the case right now with Everett, although I also know it could start up at anytime. I am convinced it is because I am such a planner and even though I thought I was prepared for Josh, I wasn't. I have definitely cried off and on for no reason, but it is definitely less this time around and I just plain old feel better. So crossing my fingers that it stays this way! :)

Everett James Kirkwood

He has FINALLY arrived! And he is PERFECT!

Everett James Kirkwood

January 12, 2010

at 10:17 pm

9lbs 2 oz

20.5 inches long

I had a doctor appointment at 3:30pm on 1/12. I didn't feel particularly different. Had the usual swollen ankles from being on my feet, tired just from being pregnant, and an annoying little headache above my right eye like the type you get when you have a sinus cold. I was very surprised then when the nurse who was taking my blood pressure said, you are going to have this baby tonight! WHAT? Apparently my blood pressure was 130/96. UGH! She said my doctor would not let me go home and was likely going to send me up this evening. I wasn't buying it.

Dr. came in and the first words are, do you have your bags with you? I said no but we could go home and get them. She said, Jim can go home, but you need to get upstairs immediately. She then went on to say how she believes I have pre-eclampsia. She also verified I was at 4cm, 80% effaced, and that the baby was so low she just can't believe I haven't had him/her yet!

So we went up to get checked in and made all the calls to family. Everyone was already on their way here since I was supposed to be induced on the 13th. We had our friends Kim/Jerome/Emma get Josh from school and watch him until Jim's parents arrived. Jim ran home to get our things while I got hooked up to all the monitors and drilled with questions about the upcoming delivery, seriously don't know how anyone can answer all of them when they are in full blown labor, and what is the point of the "birth plan" if they aren't going to read it?

After a mega dose of penecillin the doctor broke my water about 6:45pm. We walked the halls as much as we could to get contractions going, but they continued to do the same thing... although we got them down to 4 minutes apart when walking, as soon as we got back to the room they slowed back down. At this point my lab work had confirmed I did have pre-eclampsia and I was now stuck in bed and given magnesium sulfate which helps prevent seizures. I will admit that this is when I started to get a little concerned but overall was still feeling good.

Sometime around 9pm things started really moving although contractions were WEIRD. Have a ridiculous one for about 3 minutes and then nothing for 5-10. The nurse and doctor weren't sure what was going on, but everyone of the contractions was making things progress, so that is what mattered. Finally - it was time for Everett to be born. 5 minutes of pushing and we had a BIG beautiful baby boy on my chest! It was UNBELIEVABLE!

I had a lot of mixed emotions going into this and wasn't quite sure if I could possibly have that same overwhelmingly in love feeling that I had the moment I met Josh. But it happened. I cried, he cried, I cried more, then yelled - YOU ARE A HUGE BABY!

My doctor was equally shocked because apparently she was concerned he/she would be small. Some other interesting facts, the placenta was 6lbs! And the cord was very thick, hearty, and a perfect spiral. No wonder he didn't want to come out. He was eating like a king!

Big Boy Josh

So I have officially stopped working until this baby arrives. Which allowed me to spend some quality 1:1 time with my little man Josh. He has grown SO much in the last 2.5 years. It is crazy to look back on all the pictures and posts. (Which I have done numerous times in the last month thinking about this new little addition). So today we took it slow getting ready. We watched one extra cartoon before heading to daycare. After I got all my miscellaneous errands done, I went back to pick up Josh. We had a quick doctors appointment to get the flu booster and then we went for a "burger cheese, fries, and ice cream".

This is my weakness. When I am the one in charge of feeding him, I am very quick to give in and head to Tom's Drive-In... Josh loves it and it makes me feel like I ROCK... for a change. He is SUCH a DADDY's Boy. Yes. I am bribing my son. And I am perfectly okay with it. It is our thing. Although he asks where Dad is... I just say "work" and he lets it go.

So we sat down to enjoy or lunch and he was full of stories. He told me all about the jets and how they fly around. He reminded me of how he didn't cry with his shots and about the bandaid on his leg. With every bite he tells me how big he is growing and how he is just like "Jack". (My brother). I couldn't help but look at how much he's grown, we now have conversations, he no longer needs the booster seat or bib, sippy cup, or wetwipes. Although wetwipes still are nice for the dried ketchup on his face.

After literally 30 minutes of him munching, he has finished 80% of the cheeseburger, fries, and 50% of the shake. These are not kid size portions either. I was just watching in amazement. When he likes something, he goes to town. He finally says, "All done Mom".

So I decide to eat the few remaining stubs of french fries and as I put them in my mouth... Josh says loudly, "Ta-ta-ta-TODAY Junior!".

I busted out laughing so flippin hard! Apparently, it was time to go.

He overheard Jim and I saying this movie quote about a month ago and had mimicked it once. Apparently he understands the context too! AH!!!

It was a great way to spend a few hours just the two of us. And definitely memorable. I love that little kid more than anything! Can't wait to see him as a big brother!

Week 38 appointment

The waiting continues. This week my mom decided to stay a few days longer. I had to work, but it was nice to come home for lunch and just hang out. She got to experience first hand the waiting game. It goes a little something like this.

Good contraction. Wait 10 minutes. Good Contraction. Wait 10 minutes. Good Contraction.

This continues for up to 2 hours every day, since December 27th. The time between contractions varies from 15 minutes down to 6 minutes. When they get below 10 minutes I start to get excited and go collect our things. And every time they stop shortly after that. When they start I will walk around the house, try to clean something, or be active because I read and have been told that if they stop when you get up and move, they are false contractions. Well they continue each time like I said for up to 2 hours.

My appointment on Tuesday was interesting. I am definitely tired from lack of sleep these days. Usually sleep a solid 3 hours as soon as my head hits the pillow, then the remainder of the night is spent on trips to the bathroom and tossing and turning. So my emotions already running high from the hormones, are now on overdrive with the lack of sleep. So my doctor comes into the room and in her very upbeat voice asks "How are we doing?". I couldn't even muster a single word... I just started crying. Totally taking her and Jim by surprise! And there I sat crying and trying to explain that I am just "done". My doctor was extremely understanding and was able to list off all the reasons it is normal for me to be feeling this way. Showing progress in labor for my measurements, good contractions each day that get closer together, the false alarm on Sunday morning (trip to hospital thinking my water may have broke), fat ankles, swollen hands, and my lower back constantly throbbing. Yes I love being pregnant! ha ha!

After she confirmed that I was 3 cm dialated, 50-60% effaced, and -1 station... she said she believes the the nurse on Sunday was crazy for saying that I only dialated to a 1. She can only assume I was in the middle of a contraction when she checked. She listened to baby's heartbeat and said it was very strong at 140bpm. She believes baby may have turned, which could explain the change in lower back pain and wanted to be sure that the head was still engaged, so we literally ran to the ultrasound room to check. Baby's head was just very far down. Which is just fine... She ended by offering to schedule me to be induced on Wed Jan 13th if baby doesn't come on its own before that. She said baby was doing very well and is definitely ready. So we went ahead and booked it. YAY! I left still very pregnant, but breathing a little easier and some anxiety lifted. Of course, baby may come on its own before that, but I won't mind!

But the fun continues. On Wednesday at work I had contractions 7 minutes apart during a 1pm meeting. I got up and stood in the back of the room as they continued. They continued. After the meeting I walked out to the farthest production line with our co-op student and went up and down the line showing him where all the log settings were on the machine. Contractions continued. So I called Jim and said, be ready if I call and then ended with, this phone call will likely make them stop so that is why I gave a warning. Jim just laughed. By 3:30pm they were the same. So I decided to head home and see what would happen. At some point on the walk from my office or on the drive home they stopped. Awesome! So this has been the fun for the last 2 weeks.

I have heard from a few moms that they experienced this same thing and they immediately tell me how frustrating it is, which does make me feel SO much better. Sometimes I feel like I am going crazy! I know it will happen when it is supposed to, but it is just a little more stressful this time around since we have to figure out who can be responsible for Josh when it all happens. We have 3 different options that change as the days pass and are dependant on who is available, so we will be covered, we just need to take it one day at a time.

Waiting Continues

I was really looking forward to the next post announcing the arrival of baby #2, however that is not the case. This baby is loving the warmth of my belly and not wanting to come out! So for now I will just catch you up on the last couple weeks.

We had a relaxing week before New Years. Did a lot more organizing and cleaning after all our guests left from the holidays. We were toying with the idea of throwing our annual "family friendly" new years party thinking maybe that would entice baby... but decided not too. We took Josh swimming at the YMCA on New Years Eve day. I even got in the pool despite my suit not quite covering anymore. It felt AWESOME! My back cracked all the way up as soon as I got into the pool, which was something I wanted to happen for about 2 months now! I literally just sat there and stretched in the pool. Floating was so wonderful. After about 45 minutes Josh was done swimming. As soon as I got out of the pool the weight of baby made me realize exactly how full my bladder was... YIKES!

That night our friend Ryan stopped in with his girlfriend Nicole. We just hung out and caught up on life. It was very relaxing and uneventful! I was in bed by 11pm. New Year's Day my parents decided to make the trip out for the weekend, regardless if baby was born. Josh was SO excited for them to get here. He kept wanting to watch out the window, even though I knew it would be a few more hours until they arrived.

The weekend was full of lots of walking trips, which I had been doing since the last appointment. Since it has been so cold, this has meant daily trips to the mall. Hmm... And no, I am not leaving the purse in the car! Hurry up baby! The boys enjoyed their time out on the ice rink. Josh is very determined to skate but not use the chair like we all learned growing up. As soon as anyone takes that hockey stick out of his hand he starts crying and saying "Uncle Jack". ha ha! So Jim and my dad took turns bringing him around the rink. Eventually they were able to let go and he took a few steps on his own. Although he would freak out as soon as he realized it and fall. All in all it was a fantastic weekend and we really enjoyed our time.