Cookies and Brownies and Sweets, OH MY!!!

In a previous post I mentioned that there weren't enough baked goods in this house. Holy cow, the baked goods came raining down on this house! That very evening, after I posted, I received chocolate chip cookies from my sister in law. A day or two later I found some delicious Fairytale Brownies on my doorstep.

My mother sent home half of her birthday cake with me. I received another sweet package in the mail from the local Urban Cookies. Well, a friend sent them. I don't really know the people at Urban Cookies. But I did enjoy their treats.

Do I feel bad about indulging in so many sweet things? Not really. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. My excuse is that I am nursing. I need some extra calories. I am smart enough to know that I don't need THAT many extra calories. But, I am still losing weight, so I will keep up the sweets.

Thank you to ALL of you who took care of me during my time of need. My sweet tooth is smiling.

Nine.

Nine years ago I got to marry my Prince Charming. I truly am so lucky to be loved by him.

Behold! The Sleepy Wrap!

This is my new "hands-free" best friend. With the help of the Sleepy Wrap I am now able to make breakfast for the boys, put B's lunch together, AND nurse the baby all at the same time. Multitasking at its finest.

I should also note that Prince Charming refers to it as the "Hippy Wrap."

The day she was born

On Monday, January 18th, I was awake at 3am. My alarm was set for 4:30am because I had to check in to OB Triage at 5:30am. But I just couldn't fall asleep. This is the day that my third child was born. This is the day that I finally got to meet her and hold her. This is the day where I got to be cut wide open so that I could do those things. I was nervous and excited - all at the same time. Having had two previous c-sections, I knew what I was in for. I wasn't looking forward to that. There was no gettin' off this roller coaster.

We rolled into OB Triage and were greeted by some friendly nurses who were expecting us. We were the only ones there. The wait in triage went by quickly. My mom, mother in law, sister, and friend all popped their heads in to wish us well. Don't I look awfully chipper considering it was still dark outside?

The surgery got started around 7:50am and I thought that it went too slow. Having to be cut open so that a baby can be pulled out isn't the best feeling in the world. Especially considering I had to be on my back and couldn't breathe very well. But, Prince Charming asked me to smile, so I did.

My awesome doc (left) and the resident were hard at work making sure that I had the best care.

The head anesthesiologist was kind enough to take pictures once she was pulled out. Prince Charming has a hard time with all of the blood.

Getting cleaned up and examined was not her favorite thing to do. Although, I have to admit that it was very comforting to hear her cry while I got put back together.

When proud Daddy finally showed her to me, all I could do was kiss her on the cheek. Either my arms were tethered to the operating table or they were just too heavy to move. I would have loved to have touched her. Prince Charming followed our new daughter to recovery while I remained to be sewn up. That part was just as uncomfortable as the first part. The anesthesiologist gave me something to help me "relax." He said, "It will be like falling asleep on your way to Disneyland and when you wake up, you are there!" Hook me up, I said.

During our two day stay at the hospital, we had several visitors - both family and friends. Unfortunately our boys couldn't visit us because hospital policy banned all children under 12 from the premises during flu and RSV season.

I received some beautiful flowers from my father. They really brought the room together.

I couldn't wait for the boys to meet their sister. B was very excited and wanted to hold her and look at her. E was a little more unsure. He wanted to see what she looked like, but didn't want to touch her. No worries.

Since we have been home, all of us have been adjusting to our new life as a family of five. This little girl has her nights and days mixed up and that has Prince Charming and I trying to remember what it is like to have a newborn in the house. My recovery is coming along. I keep myself constantly supplied with Motrin and Percocet and that helps. I was hit with incredible headaches and neck pain the first three days being home which I am thinking were a side effect of the spinal. They hurt worse than my incision and completely went away when I would lay down. Since we have been home, we have had to visit the pediatrician each day so that this little girl could have her bilirubin levels checked. She is a bit jaundiced, but so far the bilirubin has leveled off and it looks like she won't have to have her heel pricked tomorrow. Thank goodness! It was becoming an every day occurrence.

Prince Charming has taken a few weeks off so that he can be home with us and it has been awesome. I am still wondering how I am going to do some of these things by myself. It will be nice to heal and be able to drive again. That should make things easier.

Since coming home we have had a few visitors. So many friends have offered to bring over meals. I am truly blessed to have such amazing friends and family who want to take such good care of us. The only thing missing in this house is baked goods. We could certainly use more baked goods in this house.

A big change is on the horizon

Here we are, on the eve of adding another human being to this world (and our family) and I am feeling like there could be more of a buzz of excitement going on in this house.

I woke up this morning listening to happy children giggle as well as a happy husband who had jumped out of bed to care for those children while I continued to snooze. I listened to him take breakfast orders and kindly agree to run out to get some lox and bagels. As I laid there I thought about how this is our last day as a family of four and I looked forward to laying around the house playing games, working the crossword, playing the Wii, and whatever else we decided to do. I thought about how nice it was that I had the boys all organized for their stay at Amee and Papa's house and most of the preparations for tomorrow were complete. All I had to do all day was enjoy my boys and think about how exciting it will be to finally meet this little girl I have been carrying along with me for almost a year.

Mid morning the vibe in the house took a turn for the worse when Prince Charming and I started to talk about B's issues with school (always hard to talk about) and E decided that he needed to start hitting everyone. Then I tried to lighten my mood up with a little Beatles RockBand. Of course that just initiated new disagreements between the two young boys. So now my lovely day filled with all kinds of fun had morphed into a tiny hell where both of my children were yelling at me and my spouse looked like he was ready to hop in his car and drive away to check himself into the looney bin.

So instead of brimming with excitement over the impending birth of our daughter, I started to feel like having a baby tomorrow isn't the best thing I could be doing for this family right now. I am leaving for a few days while my oldest son is struggling with all kinds of pressure to perform in Kindergarten and #2 is this angry little boy who just wants to be close to me and get his arm tickles. I feel like I am leaving them at a time of great need only to return with an infant who will demand a lot more from me than these two boys are willing to part with. To say I am nervous about this adjustment is an understatement. Fortunately B is very excited to have a baby in this house and Prince Charming will be home for about two and a half weeks to help with the transition. Not to mention all of the family that will be more than happy to help.

I needed an attitude adjustment. When E and Prince Charming went down for their naps and B read quietly to himself, I had the opportunity to recharge. A full belly and a hot shower tend to help a bit. I really can't wait to meet this little person we have created. I am excited to have a girl in this house and glad that the boys will have a chance to grow up with a sister.

I have faith that everything will run smoothly as planned tomorrow and the transition from a four person family to a five person family will be seamless. I love my little family and I really wouldn't change a thing about us. We all have our moments and life certainly can hand out curve balls from time to time. But I have to remember I have a lot more good in my life than bad and little family melt downs are miniscule compared to all of the fun and joy we have together.

I am very much looking forward to introducing our daughter to the world tomorrow. But for now, I am going to enjoy these last kicks and turns in my belly.

Birdie Mobile

I am in love with this birdie mobile I put together for our daughter's room. Balancing it has been a pain, but I just love the look of it and I think she will too.

38 Weeks

So, I no longer believe that this kiddo will come before Monday, the 18th. I have made peace with the fact that the next 6 days will continue to provide me with incredibly swollen feet, major crotch pain (seriously, it feels like I have been kicked there), braxton hicks, and general uncomfortableness. I still love feeling this baby move around, even though there is limited space. I am getting excited to meet her. I wonder what she looks like. I wonder if she will weigh as much as her brothers. I wonder if having a newborn thrown into this mix will make me go bonkers. We will know soon. All in good time. Six days time.