Baby #2 time!

Finally!  I was starting to think this baby was never going to come!  But on the evening of Thursday, May 15, I began to think differently...

I started feeling some pains and thought maybe this is it...but I'd had that same thought several times before.  

Dave began getting Lucy ready for bed - he was getting her in the tub as I was laying down to try to relax...and as I was laying still, I heard / felt a little click and thought maybe my water had broken...?  If so, it wasn't much but by then, I was having steady pains - coming every 9 minutes - so I decided to call my doctor.

Unfortunately, Dr. Lea was not on call that night...the doctor on call happened to be Dr. Loftus - the one doctor in the practice who I'd never met before...but she was quite nice on the phone and told me to go ahead and get to the hospital.

We called in Lucy's partner - Grandma - and headed to St. Elizabeth.  It was nearly 11pm when we arrived at the hospital and I was only 4cm dilated when they checked me in triage.  By the time I got to my room, though (just a few minutes later), I was 8cm!  We thought we'd be meeting our baby very soon but then the nurse said they'd check me again in two hours to see if I'd gotten to 10cm. 

Meanwhile, I got my epidural...hallelujah!  It was amazing!  I was (obviously) in a lot of pain up to that point and the act of getting the epidural was horrific (just getting into the correct position when I didn't really feel like I could move) but afterward, it was pure bliss!

The pain and discomfort went away almost immediately...and Dave said I got very talkative (though soon I got super sleepy).  I was completely numb and felt zero pressure - with Lucy, I felt pressure with every contraction...it didn't necessarily hurt but I could tell when I was having a contraction because of the pressure.  This time, the nurse would say, "You just had a big contraction...did you feel anything?" and I'd honestly say no...it was amazing!  My right side was particularly numb...I could not even move my leg...I had to pick it up and move it to where I wanted it!

After two hours, I'd dilated just a bit more and they were going to check again in another couple of hours.  At that point, I went to sleep...
By then, I'd met Dr. Loftus...and I loved her!  Dave really liked her, too.  They called her back in when it was time for me to push...besides waiting for me to get to 10cm, they were also waiting for me to get enough feeling back to detect the contractions.  I'm sorry, but I am happy to say that never happened!  By watching the monitors, they were able to tell me when to push and within 20-25 minutes, this little (huge!) guy was welcomed into this world!
He weighed 9 pounds, 5.4 ounces and was 22 inches long at birth.  I'd predicted about an 8 and a half pounder and was pretty shocked when they read out his weight.



It was love at first sight for his proud parents!
Max David Meyers



Our family of four!

Big sister was so proud and excited to meet her new brother.  For months, Lucy had been telling everyone the baby was a boy - she'd even convinced me - but for the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy, she changed her tune and said she was getting a sister.  When Grandma told her she had a baby brother, Lucy actually got mad and pouted - " No!  I wanted a sister!"  But by the time she got to the hospital, there was no more sister talk.
She was shy at first (there were several other visitors at the time and she was overwhelmed)  but warmed up enough to give him a kiss on the head and tickle his feet a bit. 
The next day she came back and got to ring the button announcing her baby brother...and she even held him!

Soon it was time to head home to begin family of four life.

So far, so great!

Big sister shared these toys with little brother!

Max and Lisa, Lucy's baby, both bundled and snuggling together!

Max had jaundice and had to have several heel pricks and doctor appointments in his first week of life but he's been doing great!


First outing in our new double stroller!

The latest

They had "Muffins with Mom" at Lucy's school on Friday - just two days before my due date.  I have been fixated on this date throughout most of my pregnancy, really hoping I'd be able to attend.  It wasn't a huge deal...when we got there, there was a basket of individually wrapped muffins in a basket by the door along with a pitcher of orange juice for us to help ourselves.  It was from 7:30 until 9am and there was only one other mom there at the same time as me and we just sat at the tiny table with our kids while other kids who'd already eaten were running around the room behind us. 

Yet it was a huge deal to my girl...and therefore, to me.  She thought it was pretty special that I stayed to eat with her and she wondered if I'd be staying for the whole day.  She was a happy little muffin-face!  I was so grateful to baby #2 for letting me do that!

And I had told Dave that if I was still pregnant the next day, I wanted to go get another pedicure with the gift certificate the Easter Bunny brought me to my parents house...and baby let me do that, too!  I had also gotten one a couple of weeks before with the gift certificate Terry and Troy got me for Christmas - after Dr. Willett scared me into thinking the baby was coming weeks ago!



The girls at Mother's Day brunch

 

Happy Mother's Day!



I thought maybe by Mother's Day this year, I'd have two kids...but still only one - this crazy little lady!  She actually prefers to wear her sunglasses upside down...



My little artist made me this at school! 
She and daddy also made me a card, got me some flowers, and got me a salon gift certificate! 
I had a very happy Mother's Day



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So yes, the baby let me go to Muffins with Mom and let me get a pedi...but enough is enough!
There have been several "false alarms" which are just not funny.  Yesterday I actually started to leave work because I was having pain and pressure and thought for sure the kid was coming.  I tied up loose ends, cleaned my desk, and shut my computer down.  I had plans to meet a friend for lunch and I decided to proceed with that plan as I started to feel a bit better...and by the time lunch was over, I felt completely regular again so I went back to work.  I felt similar on Mother's Day as well as the Sunday before...

But I am feeling pretty good for the most part and don't mind the baby waiting until it's good and ready...though giving me these confusing signals is messing with my head!  I am starting to freak out a little and am nervous about how it will go when it's the "real thing" - if that ever happens!

Last night Lucy and I took a long walk and I thought (hoped!) maybe that would help.
On March 23, 2011 I had my last prenatal appointment before welcoming Lucygirl to our family.
At that point, I was only 1-2 cm dilated and one day away from my due date.  That night, Dave and I took a long walk around our neighborhood.  The next day, labor started and I had Lucy on March 25 at 3:40am.
I'd hoped maybe the walk was what encouraged her so my girl and I set out last night to try to encourage her sibling...and we enjoyed a treat Daddy brought home for us - I had a chocolate shake and Lucy had a scoop of ice cream with sprinkles...when it was nearly gone, she drank the rest of the melty ice cream and announced, "I have a beard!"

This afternoon,I had another appointment...was it my last prenatal appointment before this baby comes?  My gosh, I hope so!
I was already 3 cm dilated last week and today he said I was maybe 3 to 4.  He stretched out my cervix a bit and is hopeful that I'll have this baby within the next few days. 
I really don't want to be induced as long as the baby and I are still healthy but Dr. Lea doesn't want me to go much more than a week past my due date...since I didn't want to schedule an induction, he had me schedule a non-stress test for Monday morning.  At that point, he and I will discuss further but he said he'd like to schedule an induction for the end of next week if I'm still pregnant...

Weekly update

We had a nice but busy weekend.  On Saturday Lucy and Dave went to daddy's school "to do some exercises" while mama napped and ran errands but then it was time to head to Brady's birthday party.

Lucy had so much fun running around outside and sword fighting anyone who dared to accept her challenge!

Sunday was a non-stop day...we had our friend Talia's 2nd birthday party.  It had been way too long since we'd seen the Casessas and it was fun watching Lucy warm back up to them and watch her start to remember their house...she used to spend a LOT of time at babysitter Tammy's in her first two years of life and we're excited that baby #2 will also be spending a lot of time there once daddy's back to school.

The girl had time for a quick bath after the party but then it was time to move onto the next - Grandpa Meyers' birthday party!
Again, we got to spend a lot of time outside and again, our girl was loving life.  And she loves spending time with her cousins Alli and Baby P.

There was a frog in the garden by the patio and Alli named it "Bull."  All three girls had a great time torturing poor Bull...and daring one another to kiss it to see if it would turn into a prince!  For the record, neither Alli nor Lucy could gather up the courage to kiss the thing (thank goodness!) and though they tried, they couldn't even talk Aunt Nikki into giving it a try...

When I took this pic, I said, "Smile, girls!" and once they did, Lucy told Alli: "You smile like a boy!"  I asked what the heck that even meant and both of them cracked up...

By the time we got home that night, it was time to settle down and get to bed...and I started feeling kinda weird, but more on that later...

More playing outside this week.  There's another mom with a black Rav4 who fetches her kid around the same time as me from Lucy's school.  When we walk out and I ask Lucy which car is mine, she has repeatedly said, "The dirty one!"  Ouch.  So I put my kid to work on Monday and made her wash my dirty car.  She was right - when I dumped the bucket out later, the water was black! 

Last night we got to play outside some more - we played in the sandbox and with the water table.  She was sooooo excited to get the water table out but then she started asking if we could get the pool out.  I told her, "It's still Spring...we have to wait until Summer for the pool" and she asked if it would be Summer tomorrow...

I don't think I ever touched on this on the blog...we gave up the B (pacifier) when Lucy turned 3.  Dave talked to her a lot about it in the weeks leading up to her birthday and she'd often bring it up herself.  We were scared and sad but stuck with the plan as we'd discussed.  When the time came, I asked Lucy if we should save her Bs for the new baby and she said NO!  She preferred just throwing them away (which I didn't really do but she has never seen them again).  Bedtime was slightly rough for a couple of days but she never actually asked for the B - we just knew if it was there, she'd have gone to sleep sooner.  She seemed to know and understand and accept the "no more B now that you're 3" thing.  A month and a half later and it's basically been a non-issue.  One time in the car she asked, "Did you bring my B?" out of the blue but when I laughed and said no, there was nothing else said. 

She's also basically potty-trained.  She's had just a couple of accidents - and the most recent one was almost immediately after answering "no!" to "Do you have to go potty?" which is incredibly frustrating - but she's been doing great overall.  She even keeps her undies on for nap at school.  Now I'm just wondering how long she'll wear a pull-up to bed.  There is no consistency there...she always wants a drink before bed but some mornings she wakes up with a dry pull-up and some mornings it's wet...

For the past 4 weeks of "dance" class, there has been ZERO dancing for Lucy.  We haven't been sure what the deal was - nothing seemed to bring it on and nothing (aka bribery) was able to cure it.  It was SO frustrating!  And her level of non-participation ranged from sitting / standing on her spot the whole time, not dancing, with a grouchy expression to sitting / standing in a corner.  It was insane!  She'd act excited before dance class and often sang the songs and did the dances at home but once at the studio...nothing!  Last week she would not even start the night on her spot.  She sat on the bench next to me, ignoring her teachers and classmates...Finally, her teacher came and scooped her up - and Lucy did NOT put up a fight.  For the rest of the class, the two teachers took turns maneuvering a Lucy puppet...so Lucy herself did not dance, but her body did the movements with the teachers' help.  Weird kid.  A few times I caught her smiling but she wiped the smile off quickly each time...she was loving the extra attention but couldn't let anyone know...
Tonight, though?  She freaking danced!  To every song!  Kids are so dang tricky!

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So last Sunday was a busy day, like I mentioned.  I woke up that morning feeling super sleepy - as if I hadn't slept all night (but I had...though I do wake up every hour to pee...).  I was up for a couple of hours and couldn't fight the fatigue anymore and luckily my sweet family let me go back to sleep for about 2 hours.  But then it was party time.

Still nothing ever sounds good so I struggle with what to eat but lately I have been fairly hungry.  Maybe the baby has moved down enough to give me some stomach space but I feel like I can actually eat and I feel hungry.  So when we had pizza for dinner, I had a few slices - even though the baby has warned me again and again NOT to EVER eat pizza.  I was hungry and it tasted good!  By the time we got home at about 8pm, I wasn't feeling right but I was pretty sure I needed a chocolate shake...Dave, my hero, went to fetch one for me.

I had a lot of cramping and pressure down low and I felt like I couldn't stand up straight.  While my shake waited for me in the freezer, I went up with Lucy and layed with her and she told me, "Mom, I'm ready to be a big sister."  Wow...I thought she must know what she's talking about...maybe baby is coming tonight??

I came back down and retrieved my shake and told Dave, "I'm not sure about how I'm feeling right now..." which freaked him out...He said, "You need to throw that shake away and go to bed and get some sleep while you still can!" and I cracked up and said, "Good one!"  Who would throw a chocolate shake away??  He was afraid it wasn't going to sit well and would upset my stomach - he doesn't understand when I tell him it actually helps!  After I finished it, I went to bed - still unable to stand up straight - and was actually able to fall asleep.  I kept waking up every hour to pee and finally at about 12:30, the pizza escaped (and maybe this is TMI but I could tell that it was just the pizza being rejected...the shake stayed put!) and I slept even better...and obviously no baby...so I don't know for sure what was going on - pizza punishment?  Too busy a day? 

Back to the doctor today:
Just like last week, I am 3 cm dilated.
I asked Dr. Lea how big he thinks the baby is because last time I asked him the same question about Lucy and he said / guessed 7.5 pounds and she came out soon after at 7.6 pounds!  Today he said, "Probably...12 or 13 pounds..."  Good one...NOT!  But then he gave a serious answer and predicted the baby would be born at about 8 pounds.
I made my next appointment for next Wednesday at 4:20 but he doesn't expect to see me and if he does, may want to discuss induction because he doesn't like having patients go beyond a week past their due date.
I have a feeling the baby will come this weekend or early next week and my official vote is for Monday...stay tuned!

Lucy lately

Mostly, she's a cutie and a sweetie and we can't get enough of her...but our cute sweetie has also been a little moody lately!  She has taken to yelling "No!" to us frequently and she thinks (knows?) she's the boss of us. 

I think things are already changing a lot for this little lady (mommy keeps getting bigger and bigger, baby stuff keeps appearing in the house, her car seat got moved over in both cars and a new baby car seat base was installed in each, we ask her frequently about gender and names, etc.) but her world is seriously about to be rocked.  I'm also feeling so tired and worn out lately and I am not giving her as much as she was used to getting from me (time- and attention- and adventure-wise).  I am so happy / lucky / grateful / aware that Lucy has a daddy who can do everything mommy can do (except maybe fix hair!) - and can do many things better than mommy can do! - but it is track season, after all, so we've had a lot of girls nights and if I'm tired and she's moody...eek...

But last night she told a lie.  It made me pretty sad...she's still just a baby!  We were playing in the basement and she went upstairs...a moment later, she called down to me and I could hear her chomping on Sweet Tarts (there were some sitting on the counter and she'd pulled her stool over there earlier to help make dinner so it was quick, easy access).  I asked her what she was doing up there..."Are you eating candy?"
And she said no. 
No giggles, no being silly.  She just lied.
I walked up and asked again and got the same answer so I asked her to open her mouth.  I gasped and said, "You lied!"  I knew she was eating candy but when I saw it and it was confirmed and she kept lying, I must say, I was a little heartbroken...
I told her lying was not good and that she can't lie to mommy and daddy...and her little lip quivered and she started to cry...and I told her to go to her room.
When I went up to talk to her about it, it was pouring down rain and she was looking out the window...talk about heartbreaking!  My tiny little girl, sad and crying, sitting on her bed and looking out a rain-soaked window...
We talked about it a little bit and she seemed like maybe she understood...?  It's so hard to know what to let her get away with and what not to and how to handle each situation...but I didn't yell and we talked about it and she said she understood and that she was sorry and then I totally dropped it and we went back to having fun...

"But I'm soooo CUTE!"

We went to Wal-Mart last week to look for something particular for the baby and to pick up some prints and she found this hat, put it on and would not take it off.  It has My Little Ponys on it.  She looked ridiculous yet cute at the same time and she really seemed to like it so I coughed up the six bucks to buy it for her...and she hasn't touched it since...

The baby insisted we go to DQ one day and Lucy got an M&M Blizzard.  At one point she dropped her spoon on the ground and Dave jumped up right away to get her a new one but she could not wait!

Super Luce! 
Super cute in her shirt from Uncle Jason

Last weekend we went to the big WGRR-sponsored yard sale at Coney Island.  Lucy was such a good girl!  She had her baby and her baby's blanky and her candy bracelet to keep her company as she took in the sights.  Turns out Oldies listeners are a bunch of junk hoarders so the sale part was a bit of a bust but it was something to do and got us outside which is always a favorite Lucy activity.  After, we went to B's baseball game and then to GranJan and Grandpa's house for a grill-out with them and her uncles and Auntie Ema and Luke and Jessica...great day!

We've gotten to play outside a lot lately...woohoo!  We even got to eat our dinner outside last night before the rain came. 

Looking cute this morning in her Barbie outfit she got for her birthday from Grandma and Troy:

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Baby #2 update:
My doctor is back from Alaska!  Hooray!  Baby, you are now permitted to make your move!  Particularly tomorrow, Monday or next Thursday, as those are the days Dr. Lea is on call!
As of my appointment today, I am now 3 centimeters dilated and still 50% effaced...could be any day now but I guess it could still be weeks away...stay tuned!