Family Fun!

I'm attempting to be better about taking pictures of the girls.  I was pretty surprised to realize that I'd barely taken 5 pictures of Sophie since we brought her home...!  Luckily there were more on my phone and I/we finally figured out how to get them off of our archaic, not-so-smart phones.  This weekend, I've tried to bring my camera with me everywhere.  So, here are some of our weekend adventures!

At Grammy and Pop-Pop's swinging on the swing!

"Higher, Mommy, higher!"

Then Gabby came to visit (my parent's neighbor's daugher's daughter - say that three times fast)

Grammy and Sophie, instagraming 

Gabby thought it was funny she still fit in the "baby swing"

Sam stealing a sip from Mommy's cup.

My pretty Sam

Gabby in the hammock

It's playtime in the basement!

Sam is the Lady of the Rings!

Then, we set up the pool on the deck and caught some rays.  Sophie watching Sam splash.

Sam absolutely loves the water!

Putting the cups in might not have been Mommy's smartest idea...  She kept drinking the pool water, lol!

Then Mommy, who was not wearing a bathing suit, decided to hop in anyway!  Kisses for Mommy!

"Ahhhh!  Mommy's spraying me!!"  *giggles madly* 

Sophie needed a break from the fun and decided to lounge.  

Mommy squirting Daddy, muahahahaha!
Sam's tushy!

Shortly after this shot, Daddy got in too.  We had a blast until Sam pooped us out!!  It has been a fantastic weekend, I don't want it to end...!  

Sophie's Echo

Getting ready to head
to Winchester

Richard and I got up bright and early this morning to take Sophie in for her echocardiogram.  We were supposed to report to the Heart and Vascular Center at Winchester Medical at 7:30am for registration.  Her appointment was for 8:00.  Sophie was great getting up early and didn’t even wake up her sister!  Small victories, man!  Haha!

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect and was so full of nervous energy last night, I had a hard time falling asleep.  Though I knew it wasn’t going to be a “big deal” in the grander scope of things that are definitely a big deal… this still felt like a big deal to me.  I mean, all parents want their child to be the perfect picture of health, so it’s easy for a mole hill to feel like a mountain. 

Richard got a picture of the screen
 (the color shows the direction
of the blood flow) 

As the technician walked us back to the exam room, she explained that what Sophie was about to experience was basically an ultrasound of her chest.  I’m very, very familiar with ultrasounds since I’ve had quite a few in recent history, haha.  The trick was that we had to keep her very calm and as still as possible.  Sophie did great, all things considered.  We had to take a short break twice so that I could calm her down.  Otherwise, she took it like a champ. 

The tech focused on getting the pictures (over 50) and recordings that she needed, so she didn’t really get to explain to us what we were looking at.  Of course, she’s a tech, so she’s not really allowed/able to tell us much anyway.  What she did say…  “Try not to lose any sleep worrying” and that all of the bits and pieces of her heart were present and accounted for.  I’m assuming that’s a good thing, but it really wasn’t something I was worried about.  While I do take some comfort in knowing that we aren’t missing something, that hadn’t really crossed my mind.  I don’t feel like I know any more now than I did at 7:30 this morning. 

After we got home,
"So what the hell was that about, Mom?"

She also mentioned that the Pediatric Cardiologist at UVA would probably review Sophie’s images today.  We should hear something in the next couple of days.  

As the dust settles

I know.  It’s been ages since I’ve written my blog!  It’s been an insane several months and there’s a lot to catch you up on.  I’ll try to be brief… but who are we kidding!?  I’m a talker.  So, here we go!

April:  Richard’s mom moved down to her new retirement home in Florida at the tail end of the month.  We were all excited for her to start her new adventure and really sink her teeth into a retirement kind of life!  She enlisted some help from her sister’s boyfriend to help her drive down when we got news from my doctor that I could “go any time.”  He really didn’t want to travel and miss Sophie’s birth, if I did go early.  That same weekend that my MIL moved, Richard broke out the carpet cleaner and got busy cleaning the basement.  Our new sofa had arrived a week or so prior to her move and we were anxious to get it out! 

New furniture!
The epitome of comfort!

May:  After several days of intensive cleaning, we were finally able to bring out our new couch and set up the basement as the playroom mecca!  We polished up Sophie’s room and got her clothes all ready for her arrival.  We also had my dad’s help finishing up the half-wall we built between the kitchen and living room upstairs.  It’s function as a baby gate is PERFECT and I’m sooooo glad we put it up.  It’s temporary and will come out once the girls are old enough to handle being in the kitchen without killing themselves.  Haha!

Sophie's room all finished

As the days ticked by, faster than lightening, my favorite doctor met with me to discuss induction.  She felt that Sophie was able and ready to join the world and suggested we be induced on May 13^th.  She would be working labor and delivery that day.  I jumped all over that, since I was extremely uncomfortable and ready for this to happen.  Plus, I was thrilled with her being the one to deliver my baby. 

 

Freedom to walk around!  Yay!

On the 13^th, Richard and I packed up our things and Mom and Dad came over to stay with Sam.  Heather, who was just back from her trip to Vegas would come relieve Mom and hang with Dad.  Mom and Diana would join Richard and I in L&D later that morning.  Dr. E. went over our induction choices (an opportunity I didn’t get with Sam) and chose to try Cytotec.  She thought that it might be a shorter labor than Pitocin (which we’d used last time) and also said that it brought on a more natural labor.  I got my first dose at 10am.  To keep a long story short, it was a VERY long day, but my memory of that day is fabulous!  It was easily the better of my two birth stories.  Once I had my last dose of Cytotec, I was able to get up and walk around.  I was even allowed to shower.  My contractions were far more bearable than those I had with Sam.  And, when it came time to push, I pushed four or five times and Sophie was out in less than five minutes!  Crazy, right!  I did tear again and her placenta did not come cleanly away (which involved some techniques I won’t discuss here, haha), but all in all it was a GREAT experience. 

SOPHIE!!  8lbs, 21"

Sophie was born at 2:51am on May 14^th.  I got about two hours of sleep that night.  Maybe three hours the following night.  The rest of those first couple of weeks are a total blur.  Days blended together.  Sophie wasn’t sleeping well through the night and once Richard went back to work, I was on my own during the day.  I wasn’t able to nap with Sophie, because I still had Sam.  And for some reason, Sophie just wasn’t interested in sleeping during Sam’s nap time.  Go figure!  Haha!

Wine barrel cake I made
for Heather's birthday!

June:  This was the hardest month.  It was very full and busy preparing for my best friend’s wedding and my sister’s 30^th birthday!  Great things, yes; but, it kept me very busy.  I had an event every weekend.  During the week, during nap time, I worked on projects for each event.  Thankfully, a dear friend of mine was able to come hang out with the girls each Friday of the month!  It was a HUGE help and kept me sane. 

We also had Sophie’s first big checkup.  As my pediatrician lingered on Sophie’s chest with the stethoscope, the little voices in my head started saying, “He’s spending a lot of time on her chest… is there something wrong?”  Apparently, there is a vein that bypasses the lungs when the baby’s still attached to mom.  When the baby is born, this vein closes – quickly.  Usually, it’s closed within the first 72 hours after birth. 

Sophie’s did not. 

Sophie, first week

It’s called patent ductus arteriosus.  For those who don’t click on my link, it causes oxygen-poor blood to mix with oxygen-rich blood, thus causing the heart to work harder than it otherwise would need to and can increase blood pressure in the lungs.  Sometimes this will still close on its own over time, other times it needs to be fixed by other means – options range from drug therapy to surgery. 

At the time of this first appointment, he suggested waiting until her two month checkup to check the status and we’d decide from there.

So intermixed with all these functions, I was grappling with what this meant for my child and my family.  I had a lot of guilt for not spending enough quality time with Sophie, too.  I did – don’t get me wrong.  I love on my babies every chance I get.  And I absolutely wanted to be a part of all the things that were going on, too!!  I’m sure you can imagine the mixed emotions.  After doing some research, I felt a lot better about where we were at.  Sophie’s gaining weight like a champ, so I decided to let my worry go.  There was nothing I could do about it until July.  What’s the phrase?  “Let go and let God.”  My religious views aside, this is exactly what I did. 

July:  Another very busy month!  And it brings us current.  My dearest friend Stacey got married on the 20^th and we were very busy getting ready for her special day.  I had a great time working with my fellow bridesmaids and getting to spend some quality time with Stacey, too. 

Heather, Mom, Stacey, me, and Diana - Stacey's wedding!

On Tuesday, following her wedding, we had Sophie’s two month checkup.  As I waited on tenterhooks in the lobby, I wondered if my little one had healed up on her own or if we were looking at additional testing.  Dr. S. had told us that if he still heard the echo/murmur/vein, then he’d order an echocardiogram.  This would provide us a more detailed picture of what’s going on and let us know if it’s something to worry about (something that needs fixed) or if it’s something that she can just live her life with without any problems.  I won’t lie.  I totally held my breath as he checked her chest.  Again, he lingered.  But this time he could be straining to hear for a slight sound…. Right?  Nope.  Echo’s still there.  Let’s get her an echocardiogram to see what we’re dealing with.  Okay.

Photo by Karen

So, the plus side is that she’s still gaining weight like a champ.  There’s no failure to thrive issues here.  However, she does still choke at least a few times a week.  And since we moved her into her crib (we have an AngelSafe monitor that alarms when she’s not breathing) the alarm has gone off twice.  She will periodically just randomly stop breathing for a couple to several seconds before catching her breath again.  This used to be a BIG problem when nursing, because she’d dose off while eating, stop breathing, and then suck back air/milk at the same time.  She does get overheated and sweaty very easily.  She also breathes heavily when eating or exerting herself.  So, I wasn’t surprised that this problem still exists. 

What I want to know is if it’s something that we need to fix and when can we fix it and how can we fix it and

Damn it... will my baby be okay!?

Soapy today, as I write

I know that she will.  As I said it’s not really a super serious thing.  But still, no parent wants to hear these things.  No parent wants to see their little one not operating at 100%.  To me, this is serious.  This is my child.  My baby.  My brand new, sweet as a button, baby. 

Well, the test has been ordered and we’re going to report to the Heart and Vascular Center on Monday morning.  The results are being sent to UVA for analysis and our pediatrician will call us when the results arrive.  I have no idea what to think or how to feel.  It just is what it is.  All I can do is wait and see.  In the meantime, I’m snuggling her as much as I can. 

I’ll update on Monday, with how the test went.  I also want to update about Sam’s progress!  The kid is growing like a weed!!  I really hope to carve out time to get back into blogging regularly, as it’s such a great outlet for me.  But at the very least, I promise to keep everyone updated on my Soapy Bubbles and her upcoming tests.      

And now, some more pictures!  Since there's not a single one above of my darling Sam-a-lam!  Can't have that, now, can we!?  (They are in no particular order, since Blogger keeps shifting them about.  Grrr...)

The happy grandparents!

Sam's chomping on a peanut butter and jelly square.
My big girl takes big bites now!

Sam's first birthday

Sam's cake smashing outfit

"Oh yeah, I'm cool!"

Sam meeting Sophie

Play time!!

Bubbles is home!!

Proud Pop-Pop!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar cake/cup cakes I made for Sam's first birthday.

Nesting is for the birds!

I find that I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed lately.  Every time I sit down for a minute to relax, I think of about fifty other things that I “need” to do.  I’m trying to learn to embrace the cold, hard truth about having small children:  Your house will never truly be clean; your laundry will never be completely done; the kitchen will never be void of dirty dishes, ever again.  At least that seems to be the case in this house… 

Sadly, I’m not one of those people who handles that kind of thing very well.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a crazy neat-freak.  But I do like order to my chaos and I really hate a dirty kitchen.  I don’t vacuum every day (though I probably should with the rate Sam finds little bits of things).  I certainly don’t dust daily (or even weekly, *gasp*).  I’m pretty bad about letting dishes pile up on the weekends, but that’s mostly because we keep jamming them full of other household errands and things.  So, see!  I’m not totally psycho about it.

Needless to say, I’m at the tail end of my pregnancy now and I’m pretty sure I’m dealing with a nasty case of nesting.  My body is not very cooperative with my motivation, though.  I want to scrub things and organize.  Not only does my body not want to work with me (Braxton Hicks, cramps, exhaustion, big belly, etc), but the things I DO clean don’t STAY neat.  I used to be able to clean and the house stayed nice and fresh for at least a week or two.  These days, when I clean, I’m lucky if I get two or three DAYS of freshness!  I just can’t keep up that pace right now… 

People keep telling me to just let it go.  But I just can’t seem to do so.  I just feel this anxious, half-panicked feeling that the house isn’t clean enough.  I have this overwhelming desire to Clorox E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.  At the same time, when I go into a room to tackle my desires, I just feel exhausted and defeated – like it’s too much for me to conquer.  I sulk back to the living room and straighten up Sam’s toys and tell myself that “I’ve got time” and “it’s not so bad”.  Each day that goes by in this vein leaves me feeling more and more anxious to get it all done. 

• Wash windows.
• Scrub baseboards.
• Launder curtains.
• Wipe down walls.
• Organize cabinets.
• Dust ceiling fans. 
• Change light bulbs.
• Check smoke detectors.

My list grows and grows with each passing day. 

If this is nesting, then it’s HORRIBLE!!  Why give me such motivation with a body that moves like molasses in January and is about as coordinated as my one year old?? 

I have 32 days until my technical due date.  They’ve already mentioned the likelihood of induction again (in the 39^th week) if Sophie doesn’t come on her own.  So I’m planning on more like 20 days – just to be on the safe side.  My mother-in-law closed on her house in Florida yesterday and will be moving out of our basement this coming weekend!  So subtract another three days for all the moving to take place and I’m down to 17 days.  Seventeen days to get all I want accomplished completed…!?  Seventeen days with work primarily being conducted during nap time... which is usually only about two hours...  That gives me, like, 34 hours of productivity time...!  That's not even a full work week!  

Anyone have a paper bag they can hand me…  I think I might hyperventilate. 

I have to come to grips that some things just aren’t going to get finished.  I have no idea how I’m going to prioritize my list (FYI: the above list is not the REAL list, just a sample of some of the things going through my poor brain).  I’m sure most of it seems ridiculous and over-the-top, but right now I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between normal cleaning and the stuff that might be over-the-top.  It all feels very important to me. 

Well, I’m certainly not getting anything done sitting her typing.  I think I’ll start with laundry today and see how far I get before Sam wakes up… 

Wish me luck!  :o)      

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jani!

A few weeks ago, my Aunt Jani had a very special birthday.  The families snuck around behind her back and planned a little surprise for her.  So on the 23^rd of March, we packed up and drove up to Delaware to surprise my Aunt for her birthday!  Yay! 

With 'cousin/aunt' Jodi

It had been several months since Sam saw her ‘cousin’ Brayden and we had not yet gotten to meet our newest family member, Brooklyn.  I was really excited to see how Sam would react to other children, since at this juncture she doesn’t have much interaction with other kids.  She was fascinated with Brayden!!  She watched him like a hawk and followed him around some. 

Baby Brookly!  So sweet!

Brooklyn was a DOLL!!  It was so nice holding an itty bitty one again.  It makes me excited for our upcoming addition! 

With 'cousin/uncle' Bryan

Sam fell head-over-heels for her ‘cousin/uncle’ Bryan. 

She was a peach!  Very well behaved and charming to everyone.  We stayed overnight and Sam did wake up in the middle of the night.  She wasn’t interested in going back in the pack-n-play, so she got to sleep with Mommy.  That’s only the second time that I’ve brought her to bed with me.  Of course, Sam slept like a rock after that and Mommy didn’t do much more than doze.  I really don’t know how parents do that co-sleeping thing…  I don’t mind on occasion; I like watching her sleep, but that’s not something I could do all the time. 

Anyway, we had a great time and it was so wonderful to see everyone!!  I can’t wait for our next visit!!  

My Mom and her sister, the Birthday Girl, Aunt Jani!

High Fives with her new best friend

Uncle B got icing on her nose!  

Helping Aunt Heather with some social networking