Cute for scrapbooks? I think so... thank you pinterest for the idea!
Showing posts with label Estella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Estella. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Okay, okay... this is a totally redundant post since I've already updated you all on the kids and their likes/loves. But I am working on scrapping a book for each year of their lives. And I'm trying to come up with these little photo milestones to stick in each book... here's what I've got:
Cute for scrapbooks? I think so... thank you pinterest for the idea!
Cute for scrapbooks? I think so... thank you pinterest for the idea!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Lets talk about STELLA! :)
I have absolutely stunk at blogging- and poor Stells is getting the shaft. Maeve practically has a saga written about her 4 years of life. Henry's got a good novel going... and Stella's got like, a page or two? eek... bad.
Anyways, I'm going to talk all things Stella today.
Stella is 5 months old (yesterday!) and the little Junebug is doing something new every day. It's so exciting because (obviously) you love seeing your children thrive, but at the same time, I want to time trap her! :)
Stella (compared to the other two) is kind of that middle of the road kid. She's not as cranky as Maeve was as a baby, but not as happy as Henry was. She fusses quite a bit- hates her carseat- but can be easily comforted. I think she just longs to be held all day :)
She is mighty strong. She's been strong since she was in my belly. I remember my sisters feeling the kicks and saying "she's going to be crazy!!!" I'd say "noooo... she's going to be my calm one!" haha :) nope.
She is pushing up on all 4's... almost sitting up, and she army crawls/rolls herself from one end of the room to the other.
She's fascinated with Maeve and Henry. They are the BEST "babysitters." If I set Stella in front of them, whatever they're doing, wherever we are, she'll sit and watch them.
She coos and smiles and is SO close to laughing.
She is a nursing piggy. I swear... I've been so afraid that this will be our last baby, that I've completely "babied" her... She sleeps next to me, and as she likes, throughout the night, she nurses. This is both good and bad. Good, because its the sweetest thing ever. Bad, because I'm afraid she'll be 5 and still wanting to nurse. And also bad because I desperately need some solid sleep.
Every afternoon I get STELLA TIME. Henry naps, Maeve is supposed to be doing quiet activities (alone), and I get to just lay with Stella. It only lasts maybe 30 minutes, but hey- its a sweet 30 minutes.
I started her on rice cereal the other day. She loves it. Naturally. My other kids hated it. In fact, I kind of had to skip the rice cereal and go straight to apples and bananas. Stella however, could eat a giant bowl of it and still want more. (on a side note, as I was feeding her the other day, Henry was standing there asking for "some...some." So I gave him a spoonfull and he literally gagged it all up... which led me thinking, "how really bad is this stuff?")
I was hoping with the start of rice cereal, she'd nurse less at night. That's a no-go. She's just a chow hound I guess ;)
I'm not sure of her exact weight and stats- I need to bring her in for shots soon, (she missed her 2 month set because she was sick). But I'm guessing she's around 14 lbs...
She's wearing size 2 diapers and fits perfectly in 3-6 month clothing. But I can tell in a few short weeks, she'll be busting out of them :(. She's pretty squatty... compared to my other kids- she's short and chubby. Maeve and Henry were long so their chub wasn't as intense. I literally have to lift rolls up on Stella's legs to clean her ;) haha!
Just this morning, Stella endured her first "real" injury. Henry was running through the living room, Stella was on her blanket, and she got kicked in the cheek. Yes. My 5 month old baby was kicked in the face. And to make it worse, Henry had his tennies on. She screamed and screamed and now has a little red "rug burn" looking spot on her cheek. I swear, if a feather would have fallen on Maeve I would have called 911- now its like, "Ryan! Henry just ran over Stella! Grab me a paci!" 3 kids later, and I've finally learned how to relax (a little ;)
She loves walking on the beach. Ryan normally sits with the older two, and I'll walk with Stells in the bjorn (shelling-duh ;) and it always seems to lull her to sleep. She is a beach baby for sure.
She also loves the water. I take baths with her- she's my first baby who's never been in a baby bath! haha :) By the 3rd, I realized its much quicker to bathe them in the sink or just get in with 'em! I think she's going to have a blast this summer, crawling all over the beach and splashing in the tide pools!:)
She is such a perfect fit into our family. Ryan and I had date night last night, and we were talking about our kids (typical)- I said, "Isn't it so strange how last year, our world was Maeve and Henry and in just a matter of months, its Maeve, Henry and Stella?" Life would be unimaginable without her (or any of my kids- obviously). It's just amazing how instantly that happens. One second its the two kids you have- the next minute, its the two kids and the baby, your heart grows bigger and life becomes "normal" with 3. Insane, I tell ya ;)
This has led us to believe that our family is not complete. And that's all I'll say about that!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our lovely little miss!!!!
Happy Saturday! :D
Anyways, I'm going to talk all things Stella today.
Stella is 5 months old (yesterday!) and the little Junebug is doing something new every day. It's so exciting because (obviously) you love seeing your children thrive, but at the same time, I want to time trap her! :)
Stella (compared to the other two) is kind of that middle of the road kid. She's not as cranky as Maeve was as a baby, but not as happy as Henry was. She fusses quite a bit- hates her carseat- but can be easily comforted. I think she just longs to be held all day :)
She is mighty strong. She's been strong since she was in my belly. I remember my sisters feeling the kicks and saying "she's going to be crazy!!!" I'd say "noooo... she's going to be my calm one!" haha :) nope.
She is pushing up on all 4's... almost sitting up, and she army crawls/rolls herself from one end of the room to the other.
She's fascinated with Maeve and Henry. They are the BEST "babysitters." If I set Stella in front of them, whatever they're doing, wherever we are, she'll sit and watch them.
She coos and smiles and is SO close to laughing.
She is a nursing piggy. I swear... I've been so afraid that this will be our last baby, that I've completely "babied" her... She sleeps next to me, and as she likes, throughout the night, she nurses. This is both good and bad. Good, because its the sweetest thing ever. Bad, because I'm afraid she'll be 5 and still wanting to nurse. And also bad because I desperately need some solid sleep.
Every afternoon I get STELLA TIME. Henry naps, Maeve is supposed to be doing quiet activities (alone), and I get to just lay with Stella. It only lasts maybe 30 minutes, but hey- its a sweet 30 minutes.
I started her on rice cereal the other day. She loves it. Naturally. My other kids hated it. In fact, I kind of had to skip the rice cereal and go straight to apples and bananas. Stella however, could eat a giant bowl of it and still want more. (on a side note, as I was feeding her the other day, Henry was standing there asking for "some...some." So I gave him a spoonfull and he literally gagged it all up... which led me thinking, "how really bad is this stuff?")
I was hoping with the start of rice cereal, she'd nurse less at night. That's a no-go. She's just a chow hound I guess ;)
I'm not sure of her exact weight and stats- I need to bring her in for shots soon, (she missed her 2 month set because she was sick). But I'm guessing she's around 14 lbs...
She's wearing size 2 diapers and fits perfectly in 3-6 month clothing. But I can tell in a few short weeks, she'll be busting out of them :(. She's pretty squatty... compared to my other kids- she's short and chubby. Maeve and Henry were long so their chub wasn't as intense. I literally have to lift rolls up on Stella's legs to clean her ;) haha!
Just this morning, Stella endured her first "real" injury. Henry was running through the living room, Stella was on her blanket, and she got kicked in the cheek. Yes. My 5 month old baby was kicked in the face. And to make it worse, Henry had his tennies on. She screamed and screamed and now has a little red "rug burn" looking spot on her cheek. I swear, if a feather would have fallen on Maeve I would have called 911- now its like, "Ryan! Henry just ran over Stella! Grab me a paci!" 3 kids later, and I've finally learned how to relax (a little ;)
She loves walking on the beach. Ryan normally sits with the older two, and I'll walk with Stells in the bjorn (shelling-duh ;) and it always seems to lull her to sleep. She is a beach baby for sure.
She also loves the water. I take baths with her- she's my first baby who's never been in a baby bath! haha :) By the 3rd, I realized its much quicker to bathe them in the sink or just get in with 'em! I think she's going to have a blast this summer, crawling all over the beach and splashing in the tide pools!:)
She is such a perfect fit into our family. Ryan and I had date night last night, and we were talking about our kids (typical)- I said, "Isn't it so strange how last year, our world was Maeve and Henry and in just a matter of months, its Maeve, Henry and Stella?" Life would be unimaginable without her (or any of my kids- obviously). It's just amazing how instantly that happens. One second its the two kids you have- the next minute, its the two kids and the baby, your heart grows bigger and life becomes "normal" with 3. Insane, I tell ya ;)
This has led us to believe that our family is not complete. And that's all I'll say about that!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our lovely little miss!!!!
Happy Saturday! :D
Thursday, December 15, 2011
40 days.
Yes, folks... it's been 40 days since I've blogged. You have no idea how hard I'm kicking myself.
At the same time, perhaps when I look back at this blog (which is why I blog in the first place- to log memories) I will account this time for being the busiest- most insanely, CRAZY time of my life. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have no wild stories or tattoos to show for it... just a big, giant headache and super heavy eyelids.
Where do I even start?
I think my last blog post, I was procrastinating- writing about Maeve's 4th birthday. Shame on me. For real.
Because its 2 months later, and sure enough, my memory is starting to fog out on a lot of the details. Okay- FOR REAL- FOR REAL- I am planning on blogging about Maeve's 4th birthday. And Henry's 2nd birthday... and a bazillion other things. But I feel like each of those events deserve their own post. So be patient with me... they're coming- I just want to take my time remembering and posting pictures.
In this awesome "40 day" post- I'm going to try and compile a list of the happenings/events that have gone on in the past (gulp) month... that way you can get really excited (I'm sure!) about all the awesome things that are coming up on the blog roll... and it will keep me accountable for blogging about said events.
I'll also give a little rundown on each family member... just because. (Because you all care? :)
First off, the list... the list of events that need to be blogged. That WILL be blogged. :)
Okay now... the cast of characters:
Ryan
Ryan is pretty much just amazing. He adapts to anything- anytime, anywhere. There have been so many changes, and he just picks up like its second nature. He likes his job- I wouldn't call it love- but he definitely likes it. He's not only husband of the year (in my book) he's also dad of the year. With all the insane health emergencies we've been having, he's been the rock that I need. 10 times out of 10 he's there when I need him. It may mean that he has to go into work earlier or work later, but he does it. He is still running every morning at the crack of dawn, and apparently its a lot more pleasant to run in 50 degree "chilly" morning weather rather than subzero, wet, snowy weather? His release is the beach. (as is mine) But after being in an office all day, he really, really loves getting out on the beach. Lets see.... his favorite food (or most commonly ordered/eaten food) is a fish taco with avocado... he's still in love with his Detroit teams, and he likes to say, "WE LIVE HERE!" whenever we drive over the The Bridge of Lions. :)
Ashley (mua)
I am 10 pounds away from returning to my pre-preggo weight. (YAY)... although my eating habits are absurd... (thank God for nursing!) You can usually find me at the local parks. There are 2 I really love to go to: Davenport Park and this awesome wooden park (very comparable to Loomis park in downtown Jackson). I've recently become a huge fan of Zaxbys (well mainly their iced tea- they have HOSPITAL ICE!) and I had my first Arnold Palmer (1/2 tea, 1/2 lemonade) at Chick-fil-A the other day. Photography down here has been awesome. I had to take a leap in October, and ask a family if I could photograph them... but its kind of all taken off from there. Thank goodness for social media outlets! There are still (many) times when I feel like an outsider- like when I scheduled a photo shoot for the beach at high tide... (we showed up and the waves were crashing into the storm wall... definitely not able to even step a toe on the beach). Or when I thought it would be brilliant to do some pictures on the bay front... beautiful- yes, windy as a tornado too. I've met a lot more people in the past couple of months thanks to photography and the studio. I am still missing my Michigan friends dearly, but I am so determined to make a life here. I probably say this 100000 times a day, but its the truth: "I love this town- I love this area. If I could transport my house and my friends down here, I'd be in heaven."
Maeve
Oh my Maemae. She is seriously the best big sister ever. I'm not sure where she got it from, because I was a very jealous big sister! I didn't like my parents giving attention to my siblings... she, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She's always telling me to "look at how cute Stella is" or telling Henry to say certain words, then turning to me and exclaiming "MOM! Henry said my name!" This kid is ALL about her sibs. It's the most wonderful thing to watch. Along with her great big sis traits, I have to also make a note that she is...
She's in love- LOVE- with my sisters. She thinks they're the most beautiful girls on the planet (and they are). She is still 100% girl... she loves make up- and has gotten many a make up kit taken away from her for putting make up on walls, carpet, etc. She loves dresses, talking on the phone (to nana or uncle Ty), singing, princesses, etc. She tells me crazy things all the time like, "Mom, I am a princess and so I do not play baseball, right?" Right Maeve... right :) She loves going to the park, chick-fil-a and Barnes and Noble. She sleeps in my t-shirts every night (to be like me & nana) and she's a total ocean chick. As soon as we "release" her on the beach, she's running through the surf. She's so beautiful. :)
Henry
My sweet mister man had his 2 year appointment. As a lot of you know, I've been a tad concerned with his lack of language skills. With much, MUCH relief, we were told that he is A-OK!:) He's definitely on the lower end of words and speaking, but he is sociable and still on track. At the moment he can say a hand full of phrases like, "Ohhh what's that?" or "Where'd it go?" and my favorite, "What's wrong?" He is the sweetest thing. Sooooo very sensitive. All I have to do is get down to his eye level and give him "the look." He's a blubbering mess after that, and all that comforts him is to be held and told that everything's fine. He loves both of his sissys sooooo much. And he's surprisingly very gentle with Stella. There are moments when I'm cringing as he's trying to give her a hug, but for the most part he's really good. He loves the beach and parks as well. He's not a huge fan of the waves- if the ocean is particularly rough, he's a little bit hesitant. But that's fine with me... I'd much rather him be hesitant than throwing himself in the water. He drinks 24/7. I have no comment on his bottle habits (yes, I did say bottle...eek!). He's obsessive with trains, cars- basically anything with wheels. He loves fruit snacks and beans (black and kidney beans) and French toast sticks. Currently, he is by FARRRRR the BEST sleeper in this house. He takes a solid 2 hour nap each and every day and goes to bed at 8 and sleeps till 7. AHHHHH-MAZING :)
Stella
My baby... that's not really a newborn baby anymore. For real- this chick is going to be crawling in no time. She rolls from one end of the living room to the other in a minute. She too, loves her brother and sister. They make her smile all day long. But I'm fairly sure I'm her favorite. Let's just say she's a big fan of nursing. I think I've gotten myself into a badddd situation with her- I've let her nurse throughout the night- and that's ALL she wants to do now. (heyyy... maybe that's why I've lost weight?) She sleeps next to me from about 1 AM-6 AM and nurses as she pleases the entire time. Insane, I know. But she could very well be my last baby... so I'm trying hard not to rush her through the baby stage. EVEN if that means zero sleep for us. We moved her crib into our room the other day because it was decided that I would not trust Maeve to sleep with her. Maeve would never, ever hurt her purposefully, but I could totally see her sticking a stuffed animal in the crib with her, or climbing in to sleep with her... both of which would be soooo dangerous. For the 3 hours Stella sleeps on her own, she normally sleeps in her swing... the doc recommended this when she was sick, and we quickly found that she sleeps the most soundly in her swing (versus the bassinet/crib). She's a porker. I'm not sure how much she weighs- but at her last appointment which was 3-4 weeks ago, she was 13 pounds. Really- she's growing WAY TOO FAST. She's cooing, smiling, and in love with her fingers and toes. She could very well be the most spoiled baby on the planet. When I was preggo with her I felt bad that she'd probably be in a swing for most of the day because I'd be too busy with the other kids to hold her. She made it known that swing life was not for her. She is either in my arms or in someone else's arms ALL THE TIME. She'll flip around on the floor for a bit, but she quickly gets upset and wants to be held... again. It's another one of those things, that I know she'll outgrow fast- so I'm definitely not complaining about holding her. Although it is VERY difficult trying to dress a 2 year old while holding a baby....
Okay... that should bring you up to date with the McKenney family.
I will blog more in depth about those bulleted "events" as time allows.
But... sighhhh... it did feel good to sit down and write for a bit. :)
Thanks for reading!
At the same time, perhaps when I look back at this blog (which is why I blog in the first place- to log memories) I will account this time for being the busiest- most insanely, CRAZY time of my life. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have no wild stories or tattoos to show for it... just a big, giant headache and super heavy eyelids.
Where do I even start?
I think my last blog post, I was procrastinating- writing about Maeve's 4th birthday. Shame on me. For real.
Because its 2 months later, and sure enough, my memory is starting to fog out on a lot of the details. Okay- FOR REAL- FOR REAL- I am planning on blogging about Maeve's 4th birthday. And Henry's 2nd birthday... and a bazillion other things. But I feel like each of those events deserve their own post. So be patient with me... they're coming- I just want to take my time remembering and posting pictures.
In this awesome "40 day" post- I'm going to try and compile a list of the happenings/events that have gone on in the past (gulp) month... that way you can get really excited (I'm sure!) about all the awesome things that are coming up on the blog roll... and it will keep me accountable for blogging about said events.
I'll also give a little rundown on each family member... just because. (Because you all care? :)
First off, the list... the list of events that need to be blogged. That WILL be blogged. :)
- Maeve's 4th birthday
- Halloween
- Stella's first bout with sickness
- Henry's 2nd birthday
- Thanksgiving
- my grandma
- the Christmas show
- my sand dollar luck...
- wisdom tooth extraction
Okay now... the cast of characters:
Ryan
Ryan is pretty much just amazing. He adapts to anything- anytime, anywhere. There have been so many changes, and he just picks up like its second nature. He likes his job- I wouldn't call it love- but he definitely likes it. He's not only husband of the year (in my book) he's also dad of the year. With all the insane health emergencies we've been having, he's been the rock that I need. 10 times out of 10 he's there when I need him. It may mean that he has to go into work earlier or work later, but he does it. He is still running every morning at the crack of dawn, and apparently its a lot more pleasant to run in 50 degree "chilly" morning weather rather than subzero, wet, snowy weather? His release is the beach. (as is mine) But after being in an office all day, he really, really loves getting out on the beach. Lets see.... his favorite food (or most commonly ordered/eaten food) is a fish taco with avocado... he's still in love with his Detroit teams, and he likes to say, "WE LIVE HERE!" whenever we drive over the The Bridge of Lions. :)
Ashley (mua)
I am 10 pounds away from returning to my pre-preggo weight. (YAY)... although my eating habits are absurd... (thank God for nursing!) You can usually find me at the local parks. There are 2 I really love to go to: Davenport Park and this awesome wooden park (very comparable to Loomis park in downtown Jackson). I've recently become a huge fan of Zaxbys (well mainly their iced tea- they have HOSPITAL ICE!) and I had my first Arnold Palmer (1/2 tea, 1/2 lemonade) at Chick-fil-A the other day. Photography down here has been awesome. I had to take a leap in October, and ask a family if I could photograph them... but its kind of all taken off from there. Thank goodness for social media outlets! There are still (many) times when I feel like an outsider- like when I scheduled a photo shoot for the beach at high tide... (we showed up and the waves were crashing into the storm wall... definitely not able to even step a toe on the beach). Or when I thought it would be brilliant to do some pictures on the bay front... beautiful- yes, windy as a tornado too. I've met a lot more people in the past couple of months thanks to photography and the studio. I am still missing my Michigan friends dearly, but I am so determined to make a life here. I probably say this 100000 times a day, but its the truth: "I love this town- I love this area. If I could transport my house and my friends down here, I'd be in heaven."
Maeve
Oh my Maemae. She is seriously the best big sister ever. I'm not sure where she got it from, because I was a very jealous big sister! I didn't like my parents giving attention to my siblings... she, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She's always telling me to "look at how cute Stella is" or telling Henry to say certain words, then turning to me and exclaiming "MOM! Henry said my name!" This kid is ALL about her sibs. It's the most wonderful thing to watch. Along with her great big sis traits, I have to also make a note that she is...
- stubborn
- a stinker
- dramatic
She's in love- LOVE- with my sisters. She thinks they're the most beautiful girls on the planet (and they are). She is still 100% girl... she loves make up- and has gotten many a make up kit taken away from her for putting make up on walls, carpet, etc. She loves dresses, talking on the phone (to nana or uncle Ty), singing, princesses, etc. She tells me crazy things all the time like, "Mom, I am a princess and so I do not play baseball, right?" Right Maeve... right :) She loves going to the park, chick-fil-a and Barnes and Noble. She sleeps in my t-shirts every night (to be like me & nana) and she's a total ocean chick. As soon as we "release" her on the beach, she's running through the surf. She's so beautiful. :)
Henry
My sweet mister man had his 2 year appointment. As a lot of you know, I've been a tad concerned with his lack of language skills. With much, MUCH relief, we were told that he is A-OK!:) He's definitely on the lower end of words and speaking, but he is sociable and still on track. At the moment he can say a hand full of phrases like, "Ohhh what's that?" or "Where'd it go?" and my favorite, "What's wrong?" He is the sweetest thing. Sooooo very sensitive. All I have to do is get down to his eye level and give him "the look." He's a blubbering mess after that, and all that comforts him is to be held and told that everything's fine. He loves both of his sissys sooooo much. And he's surprisingly very gentle with Stella. There are moments when I'm cringing as he's trying to give her a hug, but for the most part he's really good. He loves the beach and parks as well. He's not a huge fan of the waves- if the ocean is particularly rough, he's a little bit hesitant. But that's fine with me... I'd much rather him be hesitant than throwing himself in the water. He drinks 24/7. I have no comment on his bottle habits (yes, I did say bottle...eek!). He's obsessive with trains, cars- basically anything with wheels. He loves fruit snacks and beans (black and kidney beans) and French toast sticks. Currently, he is by FARRRRR the BEST sleeper in this house. He takes a solid 2 hour nap each and every day and goes to bed at 8 and sleeps till 7. AHHHHH-MAZING :)
Stella
My baby... that's not really a newborn baby anymore. For real- this chick is going to be crawling in no time. She rolls from one end of the living room to the other in a minute. She too, loves her brother and sister. They make her smile all day long. But I'm fairly sure I'm her favorite. Let's just say she's a big fan of nursing. I think I've gotten myself into a badddd situation with her- I've let her nurse throughout the night- and that's ALL she wants to do now. (heyyy... maybe that's why I've lost weight?) She sleeps next to me from about 1 AM-6 AM and nurses as she pleases the entire time. Insane, I know. But she could very well be my last baby... so I'm trying hard not to rush her through the baby stage. EVEN if that means zero sleep for us. We moved her crib into our room the other day because it was decided that I would not trust Maeve to sleep with her. Maeve would never, ever hurt her purposefully, but I could totally see her sticking a stuffed animal in the crib with her, or climbing in to sleep with her... both of which would be soooo dangerous. For the 3 hours Stella sleeps on her own, she normally sleeps in her swing... the doc recommended this when she was sick, and we quickly found that she sleeps the most soundly in her swing (versus the bassinet/crib). She's a porker. I'm not sure how much she weighs- but at her last appointment which was 3-4 weeks ago, she was 13 pounds. Really- she's growing WAY TOO FAST. She's cooing, smiling, and in love with her fingers and toes. She could very well be the most spoiled baby on the planet. When I was preggo with her I felt bad that she'd probably be in a swing for most of the day because I'd be too busy with the other kids to hold her. She made it known that swing life was not for her. She is either in my arms or in someone else's arms ALL THE TIME. She'll flip around on the floor for a bit, but she quickly gets upset and wants to be held... again. It's another one of those things, that I know she'll outgrow fast- so I'm definitely not complaining about holding her. Although it is VERY difficult trying to dress a 2 year old while holding a baby....
Okay... that should bring you up to date with the McKenney family.
I will blog more in depth about those bulleted "events" as time allows.
But... sighhhh... it did feel good to sit down and write for a bit. :)
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Stella's TWO Weeks... HOW???
Stella had her two week appointment today. In my past baby experiences, we've always gone to the pedi's a few days after leaving the hospital. The doc down here told us to just follow up with a two week appointment.
Technically she'll be two weeks on Saturday, but with the big storm coming (that's going to miss us...boo) the office wasn't scheduling appointments for Friday. So... we went today!
We met our new doctor- Doc. Cline- she is really nice. :)
Stella is doing great. She left the hospital weighing 7 lbs 6 oz. and weighed in at 8lbs. 9 oz today! Length wise, she's exactly the same- 19 inches. She has a slight umbilical hernia- which sounds bad but isn't at all. It just means her belly button is going to stick out a little bit. Henry's does the same thing... ;)
There are three things I love about the new pediatrician:
The only concern I had/have is the horrible flu that's invaded our home. Ryan, Maeve and Henry have all been running fevers and coughing up their lungs. Henry has been the only one to puke- I'm hoping he might have just eaten something bad? I've tried to keep Stella separated from the sickies, but really- you can only do so much. I haven't been letting the kids get in her face or touch her, but I do hold Maeve and Henry, tend to their sick needs and (after washing my hands) go back to Stella. Stells hasn't shown any signs of sickness, but I woke up with a stuffy head this morning. I'm worried I'll get whatever this bug is, and pass it on to Stella.
Overall, (minus the sickness) the past two weeks have been really good- sooooo much better than my post partum experiences with Maeve and Henry. Maybe, since she's the 3rd baby, I finally have the whole newborn/juggling kids thing down? ;)
PS- this is completely random and off topic- but I found a teeny, tiny dead frog on my living room floor today. I have to say, this is the only thing I cannot stand about Florida- creatures, creatures everywhere. YIIIICCCK.
Technically she'll be two weeks on Saturday, but with the big storm coming (that's going to miss us...boo) the office wasn't scheduling appointments for Friday. So... we went today!
We met our new doctor- Doc. Cline- she is really nice. :)
Stella is doing great. She left the hospital weighing 7 lbs 6 oz. and weighed in at 8lbs. 9 oz today! Length wise, she's exactly the same- 19 inches. She has a slight umbilical hernia- which sounds bad but isn't at all. It just means her belly button is going to stick out a little bit. Henry's does the same thing... ;)
There are three things I love about the new pediatrician:
- There are two waiting rooms- one for sick kids and one for well kids. What a genius idea... why doesn't every office have this??? It was awesome being in a room with "well" kids- versus sitting with my newborn next to a "sick" kid...
- There's a lactation consultant that you can request to talk to at any point. I had a few questions today about engorgement and over producing. She came right in and talked with me about block feeding. I'm anxious to see if this will solve the problem of my crazy milk supply.
- The office is on the island. It's surrounded by palm trees and you can smell the salt in the air. WAYYYYY cooler than an office in the city, right?
The only concern I had/have is the horrible flu that's invaded our home. Ryan, Maeve and Henry have all been running fevers and coughing up their lungs. Henry has been the only one to puke- I'm hoping he might have just eaten something bad? I've tried to keep Stella separated from the sickies, but really- you can only do so much. I haven't been letting the kids get in her face or touch her, but I do hold Maeve and Henry, tend to their sick needs and (after washing my hands) go back to Stella. Stells hasn't shown any signs of sickness, but I woke up with a stuffy head this morning. I'm worried I'll get whatever this bug is, and pass it on to Stella.
Overall, (minus the sickness) the past two weeks have been really good- sooooo much better than my post partum experiences with Maeve and Henry. Maybe, since she's the 3rd baby, I finally have the whole newborn/juggling kids thing down? ;)
PS- this is completely random and off topic- but I found a teeny, tiny dead frog on my living room floor today. I have to say, this is the only thing I cannot stand about Florida- creatures, creatures everywhere. YIIIICCCK.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Stella Stats & Facts
- she's a pooper. This chick poops a TON. I don't remember my other kids pooping so much...
- she's a fantastic nurser! VERY efficient and quick! Which is a good thing, since her 2 older sibs don't have much patience ;)
- I've been asked a few times about her name- why "Estella" and not just "Stella?" Estella was my great grandma's name- so her name on the birth certificate is "Estella" but we call her Stella.
- We also call her Stellabella, Stells and Sister Stella ;) I'm sure we'll come up with more nicknames as time goes on.
- She is completely unfazed by loud noises... another good thing, since Maeve and Henry are anything but quiet! ;)
- She's in newborn diapers and clothing. Both are a little big for her, but not too big to go out and get premie stuff.
- Her umbilical cord is still hanging on... I hate it :/ It makes me nervous- I hope it falls off soon...
- She hates photo shoots. I've tried a few times to get some nice pictures of her- she's awake in a flash, and usually pretty angry about being naked and in bright light.
- she's a trooper for sure- big sis Maeve loves to stretch her legs out, play "this little piggy" with her toes, brush her hair, etc.
- She's been a part of this family since day one, but it blows my mind how awesome she "fits." Does that make sense? It's like she's always been here...
- She's pretty much perfect! :)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Estella June... 8/13/2011
I have two kids eating breakfast and one in the swing... I should be good for about 5 minutes ;) I had such an awesome, amazing birth- I really want to share it! The problem is finding 30 minutes to sit down (alone) and type it out...
Thursday, August 11th, I had my appointment. The midwife checked me, and said I was 2 cm, 75% effaced. She didn't strip my membranes or anything- just set up an appointment for Tuesday, August 16th (my due date). I was gearing up for another weekend of being pregnant.
Shortly after my appointment, I started getting some contractions. They were probably 10 minutes apart, not very strong- not painful at all, just regular. As the day and night went on, they got a little stronger, but they were still 10 minutes apart (sometimes more).
Friday morning I woke up feeling strange. In fact, I posted on my facebook status that day "Feeling a little funny... I was up all night with contractions... Praying this is early labor!!"
I can't even really put a finger on what was so strange feeling- it just was. I didn't have an appetite at all and I was incredibly tired and grouchy. I was also suuuper thirsty- I think I drank 10 bottles of water that day, at least!
As the day progressed, my contractions got closer together- but still not close enough to call or do anything about them. Around 6 or so, they were consistently 5-6 minutes apart. I called the office and they said it sounded like early labor- I was told to wait until they were 5 minutes apart and painful. So what's a girl to do while waiting for labor to kick in? Why, go eat some spicy Mexican food, right?!? HA!!! Bad idea. BAD idea. That's all I'm saying about that.
Friday night (after Mexican), my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, so I called back and was told to go up to L&D to get checked. YAY!
My mom came over around 9 or 10... and Ryan and I headed up to L&D.
This is so, so, so silly- but I was really nervous about seeing the L&D for the first time. I am familiar with Foote's/Allegiance's L&D ward; I was hoping it would be just like that. I was already ticked it was on the 2nd floor instead of the 4th- like I said- SO DUMB... what can I say though? I'm a creature of habit... Thank goodness, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Flagler's L&D is absolutely beautiful. HUGE rooms with flat screens and refrigerators and of course, the rooms are overlooking the bay front- complete with a view of the lighthouse. Pretty nuts :)
Alright- back to the birth story... after I decided that I loved Flagler's L&D, I calmed down a little bit and settled in. They put me in a triage room first and as I was lying there with contractions, I was thinking "I've gotta be 4 centimeters at least. Who can have contractions for 2 days and not have any change?" The nurse (who's name I've forgotten, but was SO nice) checked me and said I was 2. WHAAA???? I was sooooo bummed! They monitored me for an hour or so, and concluded my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, but not strong enough. They sent me home to labor and told me to come back when I couldn't talk through a contraction.
As I was getting dressed, I had a good, strong contraction. On the walk back to the car, I had another one- and by the time we got home (20-25 minute drive) I'd had a handful of semi-painful contractions. We got home around midnight, sent my mom home and I geared up for a long night.
I managed to fall asleep for about 30 minutes but was woken up by a realllly strong contraction. I think it was about 1:30 am? Ryan was snoozing away and thus began the long night of labor!
I took about 20 showers (no joke), paced the hallway, facebooked, blogged, etc. It was around 4 AM that the contractions became super ouchy. I started timing them on the contraction timer gadget and was thrilled to find they were 4 minutes apart- almost on the dot! In between contractions, I was okay- but during the actual contraction I was having to breathe, stop whatever I was doing, focus on getting through it, etc. Around 5 AM, I texted my sister and said "tell mom to get up- get over here quick- this is definitely labor!" At 6 AM, I called my midwife and said "I'm in labor- for sure." She gave me the go ahead, and we started getting ready for our 2nd trip to L&D.
My mom and Emily got to our house around 6:30 and we were at the hospital by 7. They triaged me again, but this time, I was positive I had made change and I'd be admitted. And I was right ;) I was just about 4 cm and my contractions were good and strong. The nurse who checked me, said "Your water is going to break any second- its bulging- so just be prepared for that." YESSSS!!!
At 7:30, they moved me into one of the delivery rooms. Ryan and Emily were with me- Emily was the photographer/birth coach. ;)
The nurse asked if I was going to get an epidural- before she even ended the question I said, "YES!" She said it could take awhile for the anesth. to get up to me, so she'd put the order in right away. I'm a little bit blurry on the next couple of hours- but I think I got the epidural around 9:30 or so? The epi guy was great- SO fast and SO good. I felt instant relief.
Right after the epi went in (the anesthesiologist was still in the room) my water broke. I have never had my water break naturally- it was pretty cool!
The nurse came in to check and I was at a 6. I couldn't believe how fast this was going! With Maeve it took me like 15 hours to get to 6 cm. With Henry it took maybe 8 hours or so...
We were fixin' to have a baby before noon with the way this labor was going! :)
Around 11:30, the midwife came in and said she was going to give me a teeny tiny bump of pitocin to get me over the last little hump. The pit was plugged in for about 10 minutes and then was turned off again because it was making me contract too much. The nurse said "You've gotta be a full 10- are you feeling pressure to push yet?" I was hesitant to say I wanted to push because in the past, I've pushed for great lengths of time- I told myself this time around, I was going to wait until I couldn't not push- hopefully reducing my pushing time.
My midwife came in around noon and checked me and said "Umm your baby is right here mam! We're going to push." I hung out (feeling the urge to push- but not full out pushing- just pushing enough to where it was making me feel comfortable) for a few minutes while they set up the room. About 15 minutes later, I said "Okay I really feel like I need to push now."
The midwife said to go ahead- I pushed for about 3 seconds and she said "STOP! Let me put my gown on and get everyone here- you're having a baby NOW!"
In a flash, the room was filled and Anah (my midwife) said "Go ahead- give me a little push and your baby is going to be out." I pushed for about 10 seconds, and her head was out. One more little push and she was delivered. So... no joke- my total pushing time was maybe 2 minutes or something crazy like that. It was AWESOME.
Little Stella June was born at 12:20, with a full head of hair and the teeniest, little legs I'd ever seen! She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz, and was 19 inches long.
They put her on me right away, and I kept asking "Is she 9 lbs? Do you think she's 9 lbs?" Everyone laughed and said that she wasn't even 8.
The nurses took her and did all the baby stuff. I did end up with a super small tear that needed a few stitches- but its been nothing, compared to the "damage" done in the past!
There are about 200 things I could list off that I loved about Flagler hospital- and one of them, was the post- labor clean up! While Stella was getting weighed, measured, and bathed in the nursery, my nurses helped me take a shower in the bathroom. These showers were amazing- they were lined with soft benches and all sorts of different shower heads- it was like one of those fancy showers where you're hit with water from all angles- it felt amazing.
After the shower, they had me try and eat something. I wish I would have had Emily take a picture of the meal they sent me- it was too funny. I actually don't remember the main course, but I was cracking up about the drink and dessert; sweet tea & banana cake! : ) We are definitely in the south!
It seems like I was in the actual labor room for a lonnnng time before they moved me to the postpartum unit. I found out later that it was because Stells was having a hard time keeping up her body temp. so they had put her in a warmer for a bit.
The post partum experience was wonderful as well. These rooms were like hotel rooms- heck, we had a DVD player and mini kitchen! We joked about how we could've stayed there all week!
My favorite thing about the hospital stay was they let you go- meaning, there was nobody hounding me to do this or that. In my other labors, I have these nightmares about the lactation ladies coming by and torturing me to tears about breastfeeding this way and that.
I did see a lactation consultant a few times, but she'd come in and ask how it was going, I'd say "great!" And that was that. She didn't need to SEE my boobs or poke and prod. It was a very nice experience.
Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this birth as an 11. It was over the top wonderful. I can't think of a single thing I'd change or do differently. Everything- from Friday evening to our departure on Monday morning was 100 percent fabulous. I can't say enough about the staff- every single person was awesome and made me feel like home.
As for the actual labor and delivery, (and I have my midwives to thank for this one) it was beyond words. Thank GOD they didn't induce me and I was allowed to go on my own. Everything was so natural. It is amazing what your body will do, when its READY to do it. I think back to my induction with both other kids- how HARD those early contractions were and how awful the pushing was. Yes, of course, these "natural" contractions hurt (and yes, I did get an epidural around 5/6 cm) but the difference was, everything felt natural. It all felt like it was supposed to be happening; does that make sense? Especially with the pushing- it was unlike any experience I'd ever had before. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time! My body was just ready to do it! It was calm, serene- so tranquil in the room. No counting or breathing on command- it was just me, doing what nature intended our bodies to do.
IF there is a 4th (and that's a huge IF.. .Ryan's already made comments like "Wow I can't believe this is our last baby.") I would adamantly refuse an induction unless medically necessary.
I'm not sure this experience can ever be topped. It was seriously, the best ever.
Coming home, on the other hand, has been tough. I can't lie- its been really, really tough. I feel like I can't give enough attention to each kid. And yes, I do remember feeling this way after having Henry- but its compiled this time with having 3 kids to split time with.
Stella needs me pretty much every 2-3 hours, which puts me out of commission with the other kids for at least 30-45 minutes, while I nurse her. In between feedings, I'm scrambling to make sure everyone else (Maeve & Henry) are taken care of and as happy as can be.
Maeve loves Stella more than anything and is all over her ALL the time. This is both the sweetest and irritating thing ever. Sweetest, because there is nothing better than seeing your kids love each other. It's the best feeling in the world. Irritating, because she wants to hold her and poke her and give her pacis 24/7. I will have just finished feeding Stells, have her all swaddled, napping in her bassinet and look over to see Maeve trying to jam the paci in her mouth. Or Stella will be in her swing and I look over to see Maeve trying to pry her eyes open. It's just a little bit much, ya know? But at the same time, I want her to be involved with Stella- any ideas on how to not discourage her from being interested but not over the top/waking her up all the time?
Henry on the other hand, does not have a clue what to think. He does say "TELLA TELLA TELLA" and he'll point and poke at her, but other than that, he's pretty indifferent. And I wouldn't expect much more from an (almost) 2 year old.
Ryan has been home with us and will continue to be at home with us until next Monday! Stella picked a good time to come into this world. Ryan happens to be super slow at work and his supervisor said he could have the entire week off. :)
Emotionally, I've got the good ol' baby blues. It's not uncommon to find me crying while looking at Stella, thinking about how fast she's going to grow up. I've cried thinking about ridiculous things- like the first time she'll ride the bus, or not wanting to be around me when she's a teenager. For real- why are pregnancy hormones so CRAZY??? If the same thing hadn't happened with Maeve and Henry, I'd fear I was losing it completely. Thankfully, I usually get out of this funk within a week or so.
My goal for the next few days is to get out of the house as a whole family. At the moment, it feels impossible, but I know once I do it, I'll have a lot more confidence!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the thoughts and prayers throughout this entire journey.
I can't tell you the love I feel in my heart. I wake up each morning, thinking my life is too good to be true! We are so immensely blessed!!!
And... to end this post, is a list of "things" I don't ever, ever want to forget about the labor and delivery of Miss STELLA JUNE!
PS- I am DYING to take some pics of Stella! Hopefully we'll have some time in the next couple of days to set everything up and do some! I'll post soon!
Thursday, August 11th, I had my appointment. The midwife checked me, and said I was 2 cm, 75% effaced. She didn't strip my membranes or anything- just set up an appointment for Tuesday, August 16th (my due date). I was gearing up for another weekend of being pregnant.
Shortly after my appointment, I started getting some contractions. They were probably 10 minutes apart, not very strong- not painful at all, just regular. As the day and night went on, they got a little stronger, but they were still 10 minutes apart (sometimes more).
Friday morning I woke up feeling strange. In fact, I posted on my facebook status that day "Feeling a little funny... I was up all night with contractions... Praying this is early labor!!"
I can't even really put a finger on what was so strange feeling- it just was. I didn't have an appetite at all and I was incredibly tired and grouchy. I was also suuuper thirsty- I think I drank 10 bottles of water that day, at least!
As the day progressed, my contractions got closer together- but still not close enough to call or do anything about them. Around 6 or so, they were consistently 5-6 minutes apart. I called the office and they said it sounded like early labor- I was told to wait until they were 5 minutes apart and painful. So what's a girl to do while waiting for labor to kick in? Why, go eat some spicy Mexican food, right?!? HA!!! Bad idea. BAD idea. That's all I'm saying about that.
Friday night (after Mexican), my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, so I called back and was told to go up to L&D to get checked. YAY!
My mom came over around 9 or 10... and Ryan and I headed up to L&D.
This is so, so, so silly- but I was really nervous about seeing the L&D for the first time. I am familiar with Foote's/Allegiance's L&D ward; I was hoping it would be just like that. I was already ticked it was on the 2nd floor instead of the 4th- like I said- SO DUMB... what can I say though? I'm a creature of habit... Thank goodness, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Flagler's L&D is absolutely beautiful. HUGE rooms with flat screens and refrigerators and of course, the rooms are overlooking the bay front- complete with a view of the lighthouse. Pretty nuts :)
Alright- back to the birth story... after I decided that I loved Flagler's L&D, I calmed down a little bit and settled in. They put me in a triage room first and as I was lying there with contractions, I was thinking "I've gotta be 4 centimeters at least. Who can have contractions for 2 days and not have any change?" The nurse (who's name I've forgotten, but was SO nice) checked me and said I was 2. WHAAA???? I was sooooo bummed! They monitored me for an hour or so, and concluded my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, but not strong enough. They sent me home to labor and told me to come back when I couldn't talk through a contraction.
As I was getting dressed, I had a good, strong contraction. On the walk back to the car, I had another one- and by the time we got home (20-25 minute drive) I'd had a handful of semi-painful contractions. We got home around midnight, sent my mom home and I geared up for a long night.
I managed to fall asleep for about 30 minutes but was woken up by a realllly strong contraction. I think it was about 1:30 am? Ryan was snoozing away and thus began the long night of labor!
I took about 20 showers (no joke), paced the hallway, facebooked, blogged, etc. It was around 4 AM that the contractions became super ouchy. I started timing them on the contraction timer gadget and was thrilled to find they were 4 minutes apart- almost on the dot! In between contractions, I was okay- but during the actual contraction I was having to breathe, stop whatever I was doing, focus on getting through it, etc. Around 5 AM, I texted my sister and said "tell mom to get up- get over here quick- this is definitely labor!" At 6 AM, I called my midwife and said "I'm in labor- for sure." She gave me the go ahead, and we started getting ready for our 2nd trip to L&D.
My mom and Emily got to our house around 6:30 and we were at the hospital by 7. They triaged me again, but this time, I was positive I had made change and I'd be admitted. And I was right ;) I was just about 4 cm and my contractions were good and strong. The nurse who checked me, said "Your water is going to break any second- its bulging- so just be prepared for that." YESSSS!!!
At 7:30, they moved me into one of the delivery rooms. Ryan and Emily were with me- Emily was the photographer/birth coach. ;)
The nurse asked if I was going to get an epidural- before she even ended the question I said, "YES!" She said it could take awhile for the anesth. to get up to me, so she'd put the order in right away. I'm a little bit blurry on the next couple of hours- but I think I got the epidural around 9:30 or so? The epi guy was great- SO fast and SO good. I felt instant relief.
Right after the epi went in (the anesthesiologist was still in the room) my water broke. I have never had my water break naturally- it was pretty cool!
The nurse came in to check and I was at a 6. I couldn't believe how fast this was going! With Maeve it took me like 15 hours to get to 6 cm. With Henry it took maybe 8 hours or so...
We were fixin' to have a baby before noon with the way this labor was going! :)
Around 11:30, the midwife came in and said she was going to give me a teeny tiny bump of pitocin to get me over the last little hump. The pit was plugged in for about 10 minutes and then was turned off again because it was making me contract too much. The nurse said "You've gotta be a full 10- are you feeling pressure to push yet?" I was hesitant to say I wanted to push because in the past, I've pushed for great lengths of time- I told myself this time around, I was going to wait until I couldn't not push- hopefully reducing my pushing time.
My midwife came in around noon and checked me and said "Umm your baby is right here mam! We're going to push." I hung out (feeling the urge to push- but not full out pushing- just pushing enough to where it was making me feel comfortable) for a few minutes while they set up the room. About 15 minutes later, I said "Okay I really feel like I need to push now."
The midwife said to go ahead- I pushed for about 3 seconds and she said "STOP! Let me put my gown on and get everyone here- you're having a baby NOW!"
In a flash, the room was filled and Anah (my midwife) said "Go ahead- give me a little push and your baby is going to be out." I pushed for about 10 seconds, and her head was out. One more little push and she was delivered. So... no joke- my total pushing time was maybe 2 minutes or something crazy like that. It was AWESOME.
Little Stella June was born at 12:20, with a full head of hair and the teeniest, little legs I'd ever seen! She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz, and was 19 inches long.
The nurses took her and did all the baby stuff. I did end up with a super small tear that needed a few stitches- but its been nothing, compared to the "damage" done in the past!
There are about 200 things I could list off that I loved about Flagler hospital- and one of them, was the post- labor clean up! While Stella was getting weighed, measured, and bathed in the nursery, my nurses helped me take a shower in the bathroom. These showers were amazing- they were lined with soft benches and all sorts of different shower heads- it was like one of those fancy showers where you're hit with water from all angles- it felt amazing.
After the shower, they had me try and eat something. I wish I would have had Emily take a picture of the meal they sent me- it was too funny. I actually don't remember the main course, but I was cracking up about the drink and dessert; sweet tea & banana cake! : ) We are definitely in the south!
It seems like I was in the actual labor room for a lonnnng time before they moved me to the postpartum unit. I found out later that it was because Stells was having a hard time keeping up her body temp. so they had put her in a warmer for a bit.
The post partum experience was wonderful as well. These rooms were like hotel rooms- heck, we had a DVD player and mini kitchen! We joked about how we could've stayed there all week!
My favorite thing about the hospital stay was they let you go- meaning, there was nobody hounding me to do this or that. In my other labors, I have these nightmares about the lactation ladies coming by and torturing me to tears about breastfeeding this way and that.
I did see a lactation consultant a few times, but she'd come in and ask how it was going, I'd say "great!" And that was that. She didn't need to SEE my boobs or poke and prod. It was a very nice experience.
Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this birth as an 11. It was over the top wonderful. I can't think of a single thing I'd change or do differently. Everything- from Friday evening to our departure on Monday morning was 100 percent fabulous. I can't say enough about the staff- every single person was awesome and made me feel like home.
As for the actual labor and delivery, (and I have my midwives to thank for this one) it was beyond words. Thank GOD they didn't induce me and I was allowed to go on my own. Everything was so natural. It is amazing what your body will do, when its READY to do it. I think back to my induction with both other kids- how HARD those early contractions were and how awful the pushing was. Yes, of course, these "natural" contractions hurt (and yes, I did get an epidural around 5/6 cm) but the difference was, everything felt natural. It all felt like it was supposed to be happening; does that make sense? Especially with the pushing- it was unlike any experience I'd ever had before. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time! My body was just ready to do it! It was calm, serene- so tranquil in the room. No counting or breathing on command- it was just me, doing what nature intended our bodies to do.
IF there is a 4th (and that's a huge IF.. .Ryan's already made comments like "Wow I can't believe this is our last baby.") I would adamantly refuse an induction unless medically necessary.
I'm not sure this experience can ever be topped. It was seriously, the best ever.
Coming home, on the other hand, has been tough. I can't lie- its been really, really tough. I feel like I can't give enough attention to each kid. And yes, I do remember feeling this way after having Henry- but its compiled this time with having 3 kids to split time with.
Stella needs me pretty much every 2-3 hours, which puts me out of commission with the other kids for at least 30-45 minutes, while I nurse her. In between feedings, I'm scrambling to make sure everyone else (Maeve & Henry) are taken care of and as happy as can be.
Maeve loves Stella more than anything and is all over her ALL the time. This is both the sweetest and irritating thing ever. Sweetest, because there is nothing better than seeing your kids love each other. It's the best feeling in the world. Irritating, because she wants to hold her and poke her and give her pacis 24/7. I will have just finished feeding Stells, have her all swaddled, napping in her bassinet and look over to see Maeve trying to jam the paci in her mouth. Or Stella will be in her swing and I look over to see Maeve trying to pry her eyes open. It's just a little bit much, ya know? But at the same time, I want her to be involved with Stella- any ideas on how to not discourage her from being interested but not over the top/waking her up all the time?
Henry on the other hand, does not have a clue what to think. He does say "TELLA TELLA TELLA" and he'll point and poke at her, but other than that, he's pretty indifferent. And I wouldn't expect much more from an (almost) 2 year old.
Ryan has been home with us and will continue to be at home with us until next Monday! Stella picked a good time to come into this world. Ryan happens to be super slow at work and his supervisor said he could have the entire week off. :)
Emotionally, I've got the good ol' baby blues. It's not uncommon to find me crying while looking at Stella, thinking about how fast she's going to grow up. I've cried thinking about ridiculous things- like the first time she'll ride the bus, or not wanting to be around me when she's a teenager. For real- why are pregnancy hormones so CRAZY??? If the same thing hadn't happened with Maeve and Henry, I'd fear I was losing it completely. Thankfully, I usually get out of this funk within a week or so.
My goal for the next few days is to get out of the house as a whole family. At the moment, it feels impossible, but I know once I do it, I'll have a lot more confidence!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the thoughts and prayers throughout this entire journey.
I can't tell you the love I feel in my heart. I wake up each morning, thinking my life is too good to be true! We are so immensely blessed!!!
And... to end this post, is a list of "things" I don't ever, ever want to forget about the labor and delivery of Miss STELLA JUNE!
- My hearty plate of Mexican nachos the night I went into labor. I think they might have assisted with my contractions.
- Reading 3 issues of People magazine, front to back, while laboring in the shower overnight.
- My nurse, Linda. She's a saint. I'm sure of it.
- Telling my anesthesiologist, (who happened to be pretty good looking) "this was the best I've ever had!"
- Having my water break on its own, and asking if I had peed or if it was my water.
- When Maeve first saw Stella, she exclaimed "SHE'S JUST LIKE BABY JESUS!"
- Henry paging the nurse (with the "pull if you need help" thing above the bed)
- the awesome southern food- banana cake, sweet tea, grits, huge chocolate chip cookies
- all of the amazing visitors that drove from near and far to come and see us.
- My grandma and mom, hauling up giant balloons and a zillion pink outfits with tutus :)
- watching teen mom, while giving birth... I remember laughing because in the background, someone was arguing about their baby daddy ;) haaaah
- Maeve's doctor kit- My mom got Maeve a doctor kit to bring to the hospital- she introduced herself to every nurse that came in the room, as "Dr. Maeve." :)
- My post partum nurse, Angela- another saint. She snuck in pieces of extra banana cake for me.
- the smell of a newborn. Is there anything like it???
PS- I am DYING to take some pics of Stella! Hopefully we'll have some time in the next couple of days to set everything up and do some! I'll post soon!
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