We've Graduated...

from lactation school!!! I had an appointment today with my lacation consultant, and it appears that most of our issues have resolved. Abby Kate weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz. (a hefty 12 oz. above last week's weight), giving us the all clear to nurse how I love nursing best - on demand! No more watching the clock every 3 hours; no more pumping; no more having to offer bottles (unless it's more convenient for ME!!) Oh, and the best part is that I can let Abby Kate sleep up to 6 hours at night - boy it was painful to set alarms to wake her up so we could stay "on schedule."

I'll take her back in a week to make sure she doesn't lose weight under this new "system," but at least for now, I'm nursing like a normal mom of a newborn. I guess that means I've lost my excuse for constant help :)

Christa is still doing great and is still loving her little sister. She wants to see her all the time. Yesterday, Abby Kate was in her swing, and she started crying. Cline and I were both busy at that moment, so we didn't rush to get her. Christa went over to the swing and gently rocked it until Abby Kate stopped crying. It was truly sweet and helpful!

Gotta run - I think my little one is demanding a nursing session right now :)

The Good, The Bad, and The Baby

The Good: Christa is handling the recent changes in our family with style and loves, loves, loves her little sister! In fact, I seem to be more traumatized by our recent lack of time together than she is.
The Bad: I miss taking care of my big girl myself.
The Baby... doesn't seem to mind the eye-poking, cheek pinching, and rolling around on big sister's lap so far.

The Good: My lactation consultant told me to eat a high fat diet, drink no water - only caloric beverages, and eat lots of carbs. That fits in well with my normal diet.
The Bad: This advice does NOT mesh with my "I don't have time to eat right now quick weight-loss plan."
The Baby... eats constantly.

The Good: My lactation consultant told me to go to the local baby boutique and buy an expensive breast pump. I took that as permission to look around at some cutsie, fun things too.
The Bad: My husband is addicted to Dave Ramsey, so, being the respectful, obedient wife that I am, I did not make any fun purchases.
The Baby... is devastated and probably emotionally traumatized at not having the silky pink blankie I thought about buying.

The Good: I've seemed to manage a daily shower since the baby was born.
The Bad: I hear you can't "stock up" on showers, so I'm expecting a pretty smelly week around here when Cline goes back to work.
The Baby... could use a daily bath herself, but until she learns how to nurse, that's a low priority.

The Good: There are some adorable birth announcements available.
The Bad: They are really expensive if you plan to send out more than, say, five.
The Baby... doesn't know or care what her announcements look like, but that didn't stop me from breaking the Dave Ramsey rules and ordering the cute, folding cards with the printed pictures. I'm hoping I spelled everything correctly...

The Good: I have lots of clothes left over from Christa's newborn days.
The Bad: It's a lot colder here this time of year than it was in Augusta, so the sleeveless outfits just aren't cutting it.
The Baby... has been living in onesies and swaddlers as a result of the lack of clothes and lack of places around here to purchase cute baby clothes.

Well, I'm off to pump and get my 3 hours of sleep in! We're doing great around here, and the feeding thing is actually getting a little better. Have a great day!!

The Last Week in Four Words...

Nurse. Bottle-feed. Pump. Repeat.

We're doing great, but having some nursing difficulties that are extremely time-consuming to try and correct. I'll post a longer update as soon as my baby learns how to nurse properly and my body remembers how to actually produce milk.

They Called Me "Rachel" (A Delivery Story)

Me and Abby Kate the night before we went to the hospital!

Alright, I'm going to tell the whole story of my delivery (more for me than for you, so if you want to just skip to the pictures at the bottom, feel free :)

We actually scheduled an elective induction on Sept. 1 (1 week early). I searched and searched for a "medical" reason to do it, but our only rationale was that Christa's induction went so perfectly (and we believe saved me a C-section), that we really wanted a repeat experience of that wonderful day.

I checked into our hospital at 6 am, per my instructions, having no idea what to expect in a new hospital with a new doctor in a new town. I decided about a month ago that I liked this new doctor as much as the great one I had in Augusta, so I resisted the urge to freak out right before the delivery, and chose to believe that I was going to have another painless experience :) I got settled into my room, and nurses were there immediately to get things going. They asked me several times if I wanted an epidural, and I cheerfully replied each time, "yes, please, as soon as possible... in fact, right now would be good," thinking I was making a funny (half serious) joke. Well, this comment must have offended them or something, because 4 different nurses made it a point 3 different times each to tell me how it was going to hurt this time.... a lot. Great - just what a nervous mother-to-be wants to hear!

I tried to shrug it off, still wondering who my nurse would be for the day and hoping she would be a calming source of comfort for me if I did start to hurt. Another nurse came in to place my IV, and although I usually have no problem with needles, this particular IV hurt worse than when I was dehydrated and they had to stick me 5 times to get the thing in. I began thinking things were not off to a good start. As I looked out the window to get some perspective, my eyes fell upon a moldy air conditioning unit - an unsettling contrast to my garden view in Augusta.
After a mild breakdown, now convinced I was going to be split wide open and feel every bit of it, Cline had us pray for a moment. Shortly thereafter, our nurse, Laurie walked in, as cheerful and friendly as could be. She assured me that she would have the paperwork for the epidural ready whenever I needed it - what a relief!

The Pitocin began, and we waited around for some excitement. Much like with Christa, I began having regular contractions according to the monitor, but was unable to feel very many of them. The doctor came into check me a while later, and informed us that I hadn't progressed much. No surprise, really. I didn't progress much with Christa until they broke my water, which was not possible to do this time around, until I progressed on my own a bit more. Several more hours passed, and the nurse came in occasionally to increase the Pitocin. She left each time, saying "I'm leaving now; you're boring me." I truly appreciated the joke!

As the day went on, we had several visitors to pass the time. At this particular hospital they play a little nursery song each time a baby is born. I swear that little song played 12 times that day! I enjoyed it the first few times, but as the day went on with no baby in sight for me, I started to get a little bitter.

Around 5, the doctor came in and said we needed to turn off the Pitocin altogether, and resume in the morning. He said I could eat a bite and walk around for a couple of hours, and then the night nurse would begin Cytotec therapy to ripen my cervix overnight in hopes that the Pitocin would be more effective the next day. So we sent the family home, and made our peace with the fact that our baby would not be born that day. Our day nurse came in one last time, and informed me that I was the only laboring mother left who'd shown up that day - all the other mothers had had their babies, and I wasn't even close. She asked if I'd seen the episode of Friends - the one where Rachel is in labor and not progressing, and she has to share a room with other laboring mothers. Mother after mother passes through the room and goes on to delivery while Rachel sits there doing absolutely nothing. It's a great episode. Anyway, Laurie said I was "Rachel" that day, which I also appreciated, being the Friends fanatic that I am.

After dinner, a shower, and a quick walk around the hospital, I returned to my room. The night nurse, Amy, came in, and was as kind and calming as could be. She checked me, and immediately said, "girl, you are a 3." (I'd been a 1 all day, so this was impressive.) I hardly believed her, but got excited anyway. She did the first round of the Cytotec therapy, and I prepared for a night as uneventful as the day was.

The delivery song went off a couple of more times. I finally said to the nurse, "the next time that goes off, it had better be for me - it's my turn now." A few hours later, Amy said I'd progressed to a 4. She said the doctor could break my water if I wanted, as long as I didn't mind having the baby in the middle of the night. (Um, yes, please)! The doctor was there a few minutes later, and I had a painless water-breaking experience (yay)! A few minutes after that, another doctor was there to place my painless epidural (double yay)! I knew things were going to be just fine after that.

I got a few hours of sleep, and before I knew it, it was time to push. Three easy pushes later (a very nice contrast from the hour of pushing with Christa) Abby Kate was here! I think she decided to come when she did because she wanted to wait an extra year to start school! (The cutoff for kindergarten is Sept. 1, which we aimed for and missed by 5 hours and 12 minutes :) The recovery has been amazing as well - I haven't needed any pain medicine, and am getting around just fine (another nice contrast to the 6 week recovery with Christa).

So, I am pleased to report that I still don't know what a real contraction feels like. I sure wish I liked being pregnant more, because I absolutely love the delivery/hospital process. Life just doesn't get any better than being a new mom with lots of people around to take care of you! And being "Rachel" turned out to be great - I have a beautiful, perfect baby girl, who I know is the reason you're here, so here she is:

Proud big sister! She adores Abby Kate and wakes up every morning asking for her. She screamed when she had to leave after meeting her, despite promises of carousels and playgrounds. It was soooooo sweet. When Abby Kate sneezed a few times, Christa said, "bless you, baby" then asked for more "bless you" while making the sign for more. Too cute!

Our first picture as a family of four!

Christa had to help bring the baby inside when we arrived home.

Our little angel.

The baby's crying now, so I have to go. More pictures to come soon!

Christa's First Day of "School"

... OK, not so much "school" per se, but rather a mother's morning out program. They do educational things there, though, as well as music and movement classes, and Christa is loving it. (I'm ignoring the couple of times she's said "that way" and pointed the other direction when I turned onto the street her school is on :) Anyway, here are some pictures from that day.

Welcome Abby Kate!!!!

Hey guys! I just wanted to let everyone know that little Abby Kate arrived on Wednesday morning at 5:12 am. It was quite an exciting process that I can't wait to write about soon! She weighed 8 lbs, 11.9 oz. (sooooooo glad she was a week early :) and was 19 inches long. She's beautiful and perfect, and big sister adores her! (Cute stories about that soon, too)!

We got home from the hospital today, and I'm on a bit of a post-pregnancy high. I feel better than I have in 9 months, and am sleeping better, too, believe it or not. I am getting around great - it's soooooooo much easier the second time around. I don't know if all this will last, but I'm enjoying it for the moment, for sure!

I know everyone is anxious to see pictures, and I will be sure to make that a top priority in the next day or two. I have to find time to filter the hundreds we've taken so I can download them, first, and right now, I'm going to enjoy a few minutes snuggling with my husband and new baby while we wait for Christa to get back from her dinner and theater night with grandma "La-la."

Have a great day! Love to all!

Dear....

.... heartburn, nausea, swollen feet, fatigue, achy muscles, veins sticking out of places you shouldn't be, pain, various digestive problems, round the clock thirst, weight gain, and stretch marks that are trying to appear during my last week (you will not win - not this late in the game),

I have put up with each of you off and on for nine looooonnnnnngggggg months. I have to say, I'm going to miss you..... BIG FAT NOT! I can not wait to get rid of all of you! You have made my life very difficult , and have stolen much of the joy I should have been feeling during this pregnancy. You will not steal my joy of having this baby, though, and thanks to all of you, I'm already used to being awake and exhausted all night. So having a screaming newborn around the clock will at least give me some company!

You are not welcome back during my next pregnancy (which, thanks to you, may be a while)! Go away and stay away. Good riddance. You almost beat me, multiple times, but I can see the end of you in sight - and I feel pure joy about that!

Sweet baby, YOU, I can not wait to see, and I want you around for a very, very long time. I love you! Please come soon :)

Guys, enjoy some new (old) pictures and have a GREAT day!

Christa playing with her cousins at Daddy's birthday party (back in July). She sure does love Maggie Beth and Charlie!

The Children's Discovery Museum - she loves Curious George.

Stone Mountain - not the greatest picture, but the best we could get. Christa loved the cable cars and asked for them for days afterward.