K is 1 month old today!

I know I'm repetitive, but it really is amazing how fast time passes when you have children. Time has NEVER gone by this fast for me and I just want to drink in every moment with both the girls. I LOVE being a Stay at Home Mom and know these days won't last forever (eventually we'll have money...and a house...etc...) Being at home with the girls is worth everything to me. I hear "I wish I could stay home, but there's no way we could afford it" a lot. To most people I want to say, "You can!" It means making choices, not sacrifices, but choices about the way you live your life. It means being stressed out about money sometimes and close to broke all the time, but it is worth everything. The daily moments I have with the girls are priceless to me. I didn't have easy pregnancy's with either of them and I am greatful every second of every day to have them here with me.

1 Month info for K:

• She has hit the 8lb mark (on our scale at home)
• Still wearing newborn sized diapers (although she wears a 1 at night so I don't have to change her as often :)
• Her newborn clothing is fitting perfect.
• She smiled at her sister today!

Not much has changed in the past week so I thought I would write about the beginning of my pregnancy.

We found out I was pregnant with K pretty much right away. I had some weird cravings one night in late November and said to David, "Wouldn't it be funny if I was pregnant?" The next morning I took a home pregnancy test (well 3 HPT's...I like to be sure) and they all came back positive. I called Daddy P at work and told him and we were both thrilled. We pretty much told everyone right away. I know there are different schools of thought about when to tell people, and we go with what works for us, which is telling everyone right away....we just can't contain our excitement! I called Dr. Love right away and was able to go in the next week! At my first appt Dr. Love did an ultrasound, but didn't see anything...he said it was probably too early and told me to come back in a week for another ultrasound. We went back 1 week later and had another ultrasound. Dr. Love still wasn't seeing what he should be seeing. By this time I was going nuts. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on with my body. I was feeling nausiated and throwing up, and had several positive pregnancy tests, my beta numbers were going up, etc...my body thought it was pregnant. Dr. Love thought it might be a blighted ovum and had us come back for 1 more ultrasound--2 days before Christmas. We prayed and prayed and prayed. My mother came with us for the ultrasound--we all thought it was going to be an upsetting one and wanted someone to stay with G in the waiting room. I was crying before it even started, but we were in for a very good Christmas surprise--K's heartbeat came right up. We could see her little body (very little body as I was probably only about 6-8 weeks along at this point). Hence part of her name, Faith. I truly believe our Faith gave us our little girl. So many people were praying for us and for her. She was meant to be. Many people asked me if I regretted telling people before the 12 week mark after we went through the period of not knowing what the outcome of the pregnancy was going to be. We didn't. In fact I was comforted by so many more people than I ever would have been if I hadn't told anyone. So many people told me their stories and lifted our family up in prayer, it was amazing.

K's name is very meaningful to us. Before we knew if she was going to be a boy or a girl we decided the baby would be named after my father and grandfather or after my grandmother. When we found out she was a girl we decided on _______ _____ _____. It's a long name, but meaningful because it combines my Grandparent's names.

Sisters

I find G in K's bassinet like this several times a day. If K is sleeping and the door to our room is open and I take my eyes off of G for a minute she goes to her sister. She's very gentle and it is rare that K cries. It is so sweet. G loves her sister so much and K loves to watch her sister. I hope they always stay this close. The other day while we were having lunch with Grampy something happened and G took K's hand and held it. I wish I could have snapshots of little moments like that...I don't ever want to forget those little things that make me smile so much :) Some of my favorite moments happen while both the girls are nursing. They just stare at one another, or G rubs K's head. I'd like to have pictures of them together nursing, but it's hard to have discreet pictures taken while nursing 2! We're having family pictures taken in a few weeks and I can't wait. April, from April Ingram Photography, is coming to our house to take them, and I'm so excited to see the results. It will be interesting trying to get good shots of 2 babies, 1 dog and 2 exhausted parents, but April is very experienced having 3 kids herself and I know she'll take incredible pictures.

Due Date and The Girls

Today is K's actual due date. It's been weird thinking about how I could and technically should still be pregnant with her the past few weeks. We never thought I would go past 38 weeks so the last 2 weeks she's been here haven't been as weird. She is doing great and growing fast. I'm trying to decide if we need to buy more newborn diapers or just put her into size 1's. She's not quite 8lbs yet and newborns go to 10lbs, but we've got 2 boxes full of size 1's. We'll see.

We've had a super weekend and I'm sad for it to be ending. I love having Daddy P home with us. We went to the park yesterday and G played and played. She loves to swing, climb the rockwall, slide and just run around. There were several other families there but it wasn't too crowded and most of the kids there were right around G's age. She had a ball watching them and doing some parallel play with them. G got a purse yesterday. She picked it out herself. It's so cute and perfect for the fall: it's a small blue quilted purse with the Auburn logo on the front of it! I don't know if I want to get G to into Auburn though, it's much too far away for her to go to college to! I'm thinking of a local college for her. That way she can live at home :) I'm sure that's what she'll want to do too....

Must go feed K.

3 Weeks Old

K is now 3 weeks old! It feels like I was pregnant and blinked and now she is here. (Actually it feels like I was just pregnant with G, blinked and now she is almost 1 1/2 and I have K here too) I am getting used to daily life as a Mom of 2 girls. It's been going pretty good, though yesterday was rough. Both the girls wanted to nurse ALL day long. Now I love nursing, but nursing 2 for hours at a time is exhausting. They were both irritable yesterday too--I think G's teeth were bothering her and K was very gassey. Five o'clock couldn't come soon enough, and sure enough as soon as Daddy P got home G was as happy as could be and K was sleeping! (Mommy however was NOT in a good mood) Daddy P took over and gave me a much needed break and after a quick "Mommy Time" trip to Kroger I was in a much better mood.

3 Week Stats:

• Not sure how much she weighs, but K is filling out.
• Her left extra finger fell (with help from Daddy) off the day before she turned 3 weeks.
• She is wearing newborn diapers and newborn sized clothing. Newborn clothing is actually fitting her. (((Note to self: If we have any more children I will buy newborn sized clothing and diapers...my children use them...I will not listen when people tell me "You never need newborn clothes/diapers)))
• She is no longer waking up every 2 hours to eat (most nights) She usually gets up at 2 and at 5 to eat.
• She is a very early riser and likes to nurse from 5am to 7ish on and off....G usually wakes up at 7:30 so I try to sneak in some Zzzs while I'm feeding K.
• She had her 2nd bath this week and after getting a sponge (washcloth) bath she jumped in the tub with Mommy & G. She LOVED being in the tub.
• She hates paci's. G does not understand this and tries to give (shove) a paci in her mouth whenever she can.

Life is passing very quickly these days and we're just trying to absorb every moment and be happy in them. Easy to say now, not so much on days like yesterday :) I am thankful for my girls and my husband every day though. After such a trying day yesterday I crept into bed with G and snuggled her for a bit while she slept. One of the best feelings in the world.

Temper Tantrums...

G has been having a lot of temper tantrums (fall out on the floor, kicking & crying types)the past few days. Several a day. Only at our house, or if we're with her at Grammy & Grampy's house. It's making me nervous because tomorrow it will be just me and the girls and Cody. Up until now I've either had Daddy P home with me or my Mom home with me. I think there will probably be a lot of crying...maybe from all 3 of us girls, maybe from Cody too! Thankfully Grampy is a phone call away. Most people tell me the tantrums last anywhere from 6 weeks-3 months. I'm sure we'll have some good days and some not so good days. Little Einstein's on Comcast On Demand is going to be a life saver and that makes me feel guilty. I always said (BEFORE I had kids) that I would NEVER use the TV to entertain. Having 2 children under 2 makes this a necessity though. I've come to the conclusion that if Playhouse Disney will make G happy and give me some time to do something with only 1 girl attached then it can't be that bad.

As much as I'm complaining right now, I feel blessed every day. I look at my family and am in awe at how much I love them and how happy I am. Right now I feel like I have the perfect life. There are actually times when both the girls are sleeping that I wish I could wake them up just to play with them. I have such a wonderful husband who helps me in every way possible, 2 daughters who are healthy, parents who help us whenever we need them too, and friends who will come by at a moment's notice to help us. Wow, just thinking about all we have makes me appreciate it that much more.

Tandem Nursing

We got pregnant with Mary Faith when Gracie was 8 months old and still nursing for nutritional needs. I nursed her exclusively until she was 6 months old (no water, no other food) and she always loved it. Initially I planned to nurse her for the first year and then I would see. As I did more reading and became more skilled at nursing I decided to let Gracie self wean. I had no desire to wean Gracie on my terms and as a stay at home mom had no reason to wean her. As my pregnancy progressed so did Gracie's nursing. Some months she nursed more, some months she nursed less, but she showed no interest in weaning. As the last few weeks of my pregnancy closed in Gracie started nursing more and more. It was more for comfort than for milk--I didn't have much if any milk, she was probably getting small amounts of colostrum--and that was ok with me. I've loved nursing Gracie since she was born, and still love it. It provides a closeness and a comfort that is special to the two of us. Now that Mary Faith is here she needs that special closeness more than ever.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I thought you couldn't get pregnant while nursing...weren't you nursing Gracie when you got pregnant with Mary Faith?
You can get pregnant while nursing :) If you have questions I'll be happy to send you an email with information about pregnancy & nursing.

Do you nurse both the girls at the same time?
Sometimes, it just depends on how we are all feeling. If I am nursing Mary Faith and Gracie is upset or jealous she will nurse at times.

Will you make enough milk?
Yes. Nursing works on a supply/demand setting :) The more demand the more supply!

Do you get tired of nursing, are you nursing all the time?
I love nursing, but there are moments when I would like to have a little space to myself and when I feel like that I take some time to myself. I really do love nursing, which makes it easy for me to tandem nurse. I love looking down and seeing Gracie with her hand on Mary Faith's head while I'm nursing both of them at the same time. Right now even I wasn't tandem nursing it would feel like I'm nursing all the time because I feed Mary Faith every 2 hours around the clock. Sometimes during the day she will go for 3 hours, and then I try to relax and have some computer time.

Are you the only one who tandem nurses?
No :) I know several people who tandem nurse. They are great support sources!

Here is a link where you can find information about tandem nursing:
http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/resources/tandem-faq.pdf

Feel free to ask me any questions about Tandem nursing that you would like! This is what works for our family and we support what works for your family :)

2 Weeks Old!!!

Dear K-

Today you are 2 weeks old! This is around the time we thought you would be coming. I was induced at 38 weeks with your sister G and that was what we planned with you, but my body had other plans for you! I look at you often and think that you could still be inside of me, WOW, that is amazing. I miss the movements that only you and I were aware of, but am happy to have you out here to share with Daddy, G, Cody and everyone else.

Here is what you are up to:

• You weighed 7lbs 3oz when you were 12 days old! You are growing fast! (Maybe because you love to eat so much!)
• You still eat every 2 hours at night, but I don't have to wake you up--you wake up every 2 hours on the dot to eat at night.
• You still have your days and nights mixed up--you would sleep all day without eating if I let you!
• You love to watch your sister and she loves to entertain you!
• You won't take a bottle anymore. This doesn't bother me--no more pumping, which I don't especially love.
• You are wearing newborn sized diapers now.
• Your right extra finger fell off today. I called Daddy right away to tell him. We were at Grammy & Grampy's house when I noticed it was missing. (It was in your little mitten)
• You don't like paci's very much, but don't cry very often at all--only when you are hungry.
• You are allergic to wipes--just like your sister was. Thankfully she grew out of it at about 1 year, until then it's only washcloths for you!

Birth Story

I'm tired right now (more like chronically exhausted), but I want to get K'sbirth story up before I start to forget it. I've still got G's birth story (the 1 paragraph I got through) saved on the computer to finish one day.

We'd been seeing the high risk dr and my regular OB (aka Dr. Love) 1x per week for the past several weeks and had gone to 2x per week the week before K was born. On July 21st I was scheduled for my regular high risk appt and my regular apt with Dr. Love. I had been on bedrest since Friday, July 17th and was anxious for my apts because the bedrest was wearing on me emotionally. I'd been feeling really horrible due to my blood pressure and having to be in bed or on the couch all day made me feel even worse.

We got to the high risk dr and had my regular ultrasound and talked with the dr about my bp and how bad I'd been feeling. At that point he decided it was time for K to come, because of my blood pressure and because my amniotic fluid level was going down (had been low the previous visit as well)! We had packed a suitcase that morning before we left, just to be on the safe side, so we were prepared, but still surprised. While at the high risk dr I was hooked up to a monitor for about 30 minutes to review K's heartbeat. After that the high risk Dr told us to get lunch and then go to our apt with Dr. Love. We left his office and headed to the Mall for some lunch and some last alone time with G and then headed to Dr. Love's office. He did a basic exam and then told us to head over to the hospital where they were expecting us! Before going to the hospital I wanted to get a pedicure (silly to be focused on my toes at this point, but it was super importnat to me), so I went to a place that some of the girls at Dr. Love's office recommended and enjoyed a pedi! I think I made the man who did the pedicure nervous because he asked me when the baby was coming and I told him we were heading to the hospital next!

We got to the hosptial (just as G had fallen asleep--so I walked into the hospital very pregnant, pusing a sleeping baby in a stroller) and were immediatly take to a Labor, Delivery, & Recovery room (the very same room I gave birth to G in). I had planned on taking a shower and relaxing a bit when we got there, but they were ready to go! I got into my hospital gown, they started an iv, giving me fluids and antibiotics (since I was only 36 weeks I hadn't had the Group B strep test done yet) and started my induction! It all happened so fast. We got to the hospital around 3 and by 4 I was hooked up to all the monitors, had an iv and had been given the cervadil to get things going. Mom and Dad came to pick up G and Drew, Camila and Brandon came by shortly afterwards. The entire gang, including Daddy P, went to dinner at Cracker Barrell while I rested and then Mom & Dad & G returned home. It was bittersweet when Daddy P got back--we were alone for an entire night for the first time since being in that room the night before G was born. G was very happy to leave the hospital--she wouldn't come to me, even to nurse, and was scared by all the wires. Daddy P and I relaxed and he got his bed, aka hard hosptial chair, ready and by 11pm I was out cold. I actually slept all night courtesy of ambian, but David was cold and awoken many times by the nurse checking K and I.

At 6am the next morning pitocin was started. I didn't start feeling contractions until around 9, and had an injection of pain medicine, which made me very crazy for a while--poor Daddy P, and didn't do anything for the contractions. I asked for my epidural around 10 and the epidural lady started it around 10:30am. Epidural lady felt it necessary to use the least amount of medicine needed, which I did not appreciate until AFTER K was born, and which upset me until I went to sleep around 11:30. I woke up at 1:30pm, the nurse checked me and said it was time! She went and called Dr. Love, who magically appeared and it was time to have a baby. David and I were still both waking up, and I was really thinking it was going to be another loooong labor, but boy was I surprised! I pushed through 4 contractions and suddenly Dr. Love told me to stop, and her head was out! K was born at 1: 56pm at 36 weeks and 3 days gestation and was healthy as a horse! (Though if she hadn't been healthy they were well prepared--as I was pushing more and more people were coming in and as Dr. Love put it, I didn't know we were selling tickets to the birth, LOL) I had no stitches or tears and was up and walking an hour afterwards (thank you mean epidural lady, though I didn't appreciate the small amount of medicine you gave me in the beginning I did afterwards)

We had to spend an extra night in the hospital due to our old friend Bili Ruben, but were happily discharged Saturday July 25 and spent our first night at home as a family of 5 (yes, 5--we include Cody in our family) 1 week ago today!

1 Week Old

Today K is 1 week old!!! Wow! Time has flown by.

1 Week Stats/Info:

• You weigh 6lbs 10 oz
• Today is the first day you are not being stuck to test your bili
  levels! YAY!!!
• You wear a Preemie sized diaper
• You have your days and nights mixed up!
• You have to eat every 2 hours
• Newborn clothes are HUGE on you, and all the summer clothes we have for you haven't been worn yet...you have to wear warm clothing all the time!
• Daddy has given you several bottles and you don't seem to mind taking them, in fact you drank 3oz from one this morning (in one sitting)
• You are sleeping in a bassinette in Mommy & Daddy's room.
• You like to go the bathroom as soon as we take your diaper off!
• You are spending more and more time with your eyes open.
• Your umbillical cord stump fell off today (7-29-09)!!!

Birth Story to come soon...(as soon as I have time, which may be today, or may next week, month or year, LOL)

G

The first few posts on this blog have to do with the arrival of K...now it's time to focus on the new BIG SISTER, G!

G is falling into her role of big sister. I think she misses the days of just Mommy and G (and Cody :), but each day I see some improvements in her attitude and behavior. She really hasn't had a problem with K--just Mommy and Daddy. She's had a few meltdowns, but luckily can escape to Grammy & Grampy's when ever she wants. G had never been away from me for more than 6 hours (and that was only 1x) and had never spent the night away from us until K's arrival so Daddy P and I were worried about how she would do when we were in the hospital. We shouldn't have worried! G had a blast at Grammy & Grampy's and our only worry when we got home is that G wouldn't want to come back. She helped Grammy cook, helped Grampy take care of the flowers and the dogs and spent many hours snuggling with Maggie, or as she says, "Aggie".

Up until the minute K was born one of my biggest fears was would I love K as much as I love G. It just didn't seem possible. I spent many hours of my pregnancy just staring at G wondering how I could love anyone as much as my first born girl. G and I spent every day together, cuddling, running errands, going to Kindermusic, Waterbabies, playdates and more. There was no one else to think about. If we wanted to stay in our jammies all day or go meet Daddy for lunch we could. Things will change, they already have, but to my great relief I loved K just as much as G from the moment she was born. It also amazes me to see how much G loves K. K has been jaundiced and has required multiple heel sticks to test her bili levels. G hates to see her in pain or crying and comes to find her Daddy or I when K is upset. She also loves to help us take care of K--she will bring me a diaper, put the old one in the trash, find a paci for K, and many more things.

Overall we've had some stressful moments, but G seems to be adjusting well. I'm sneeking alone time in with her whenever I can and she especially loves that (I do too--I crawed into bed with her this morning at 6 and we slept snuggled up until 9!)

:)

K has arrived!!!

K

36 Weeks 3 Days

July 22, 2009

1:56pm

6lbs 14oz

20 1/4 Inches Long

She arrived almost exactly on Mommy's birthday (July 22, 1978, 1:32pm)

Photos to come...

For a full album of photos go to...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97092&id=570719715&l=a9ac667867

K's Fun Facts:

Fun Facts

--08/05/2009---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K's extra finger on her right hand fell off today! Dr. Yap had tied it off at her first Dr's appt. Now we're just waiting for the one on the left to fall off. On her 2 week birthday!

--08/02/2009------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K, 's eye color is Blue (for the time being) G's eyes changed to brown around 6 months.

--08/01/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K's first bath was on: 08/01/2009
comments:
She hated her first bath and screamed the entire time! We didn't put her in the tub, Mommy just used a washcloth and soaped her up and rinsed her off.


--07/29/2009------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K's umbilical cord stump fell off today! It came off on Mommy's stomach while I was nursing her! 07/29/2009

--07/05/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K, was named after Mommy P's maternal grandfather, K, and maternal grandmother, M.

--07/03/2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

K kicked G in the face several times while I was nursing her tonight. G looked at my stomach with a very funny face.

-03/20/2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We found out we're having a girl today! Almost exactly on G's birthday! Our ultrasound was from 2-3:10 and G was born at 3:32pm. What a special day!!! 03/20/2009

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K's Growth Chart

08/07/2009
Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz.
Height: in.

--08/03/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weight: 7 lbs. 3 oz.
Height: in.

--07/30/2009-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Height: in.
comments:
Back up to your birth weight, YAY!!!


--07/28/2009-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 10 oz.
Height: in.

--07/27/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Height: in.

--07/22/2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Height: 20.25 in.
comments:
Happy Birthday K!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16 Months Old!!!

July 20, 2009

Dear G,

Today you are 16 Months old! Wow, it doesn't seem possible for you to have been in our lives for 16 months already, but on the other hand it feels like you've been in our lives forever and I can't imagine life without you in it. You are amazing and Daddy and I love you more each day. Sometimes I just stare at you and wonder how it is possible to love someone as much as I love you.

You change from day to day, but here are the most recent things going on in your life...

• You can now say "Momma" "Daddy" "Cody", "Maggie", "Yes", "No", "Cheese", "Shoe", "Doggie", "Sister" and many other words! They are coming every day now!
• You understand everything we say...Mommy and Daddy have to be careful of what we say around you!
• You wear a size 3 Diaper
• You drink from a regular cup.
• You eat using a fork or spoon.
• You won't eat at a table without praying first!
• You love Cheetos!
• You can blow kisses.
• You are a BIG sister!
• You spent your first night away from Mommy & Daddy this month! You stayed with Grammy & Grampy for 4 nights in a row while Mommy & Daddy were at the hospital.
• You love to wear bracelets!
• You pick your own clothes out.
• You can take your diaper off by yourself, and have done it 3 times without people knowing! 1x while Mommy was snoozing on the couch--you took it off, pooped on the floor and threw your diaper in the trash can--all without Mommy knowing, and 2x at Grammy & Grampy's house!
• You love to help cook!
• You are still nursing and we both love it more than ever! It's our special time together :)

Dear G

Today you are 15 Months old...WOW! Time has flown since you've been born and I love you more today than yesterday. I spend a lot of days/time just looking at you and wondering how it is possible to love someone this much and wonder if it will be possible to love anyone else as much as I love you. You amaze me each and every day. I truly cannot put into words how much Daddy and I love you and are amazed by everything you do/are.

You are walking, running and climbing on everything.

You have 3 teeth with many more ready to pop through.

You are still nursing and love it more than ever (so do I :)

You can sign more, all done, and where

You can nod yes/no, say Yes, say Mama, Daddy, doggie, Cody, Maggie, woof, choo choo,

You give kisses when asked to Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, Grampy, Cody & Maggie. You've also give one to Pop, Memaw, Uncle Drew and cousin Brandon.

You've started to give kisses without being asked to Mommy, Daddy & Cody. (Cody was the first "person" you gave a kiss to without being prompted.)

You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

You can color with crayons, or pens, but Mommy & Daddy prefer crayons!

You love to help Mommy and Daddy do things. You help load/unload the dishwasher, wash/fold clothes, work outside (water flowers, etc..), clean up, and walk Cody, and many other things!

You have been going to Waterbabies for 3 months in a row and love it! (Especially now that Mommy is teaching it!)

You are now sleeping in your own room, in your own bed. You started doing this during your 14th month. May 12th was the first night you EVER slept in a room away from Mommy & Daddy (including when you were in the hospital)You went from sleeping in a bassinet for 6 months next to Mommy & Daddy's bed, to sleeping in Mommy & Daddy's bed for 5-6 months, to sleeping in a toddler bed next to Mommy & Daddy's bed to sleeping in your own double bed, in your own room! Each transisition was MUCH harder on Mommy & Daddy than on you.

Cody sleeps with you every night.

You have been refusing to drink milk since we first tried it when you turned 1!

You love to eat strawberries and grapes. Up until last week stawberries were your favorite, but now grapes are.

You can point to head, eyes, ears, nose, teeth & mouth.

You wear a size 3 diaper.

You weigh 19lbs 10oz, are 30 inches tall and have a head circumfernce of 45 1/2 cm. You are in the 50th percentile for height and head circumference and the 1st % for weight!

You LOVE to be outside and cry and throw a temper tantrum when it is time to come in.

Your favorite part of week days is when Daddy comes home and you get to run outside and greet him. He always puts you in your swing and you love it!!!

You are going to be a BIG sister in less than 7 weeks!!!