Three Appointments

Dearest Blessings~

Grace .... happy one week birthday for you!  I honestly can't believe it's already been a week since I left for the hospital to have you!  It seems like yesterday.  ;-)  Time is flying by me .... promise me, you and Joshua, that no matter how old you get, you won't get tired of me or leave me.  :-)  I love you two dearly .... children are such special gifts.  I know you all won't understand this until you're older and have children of your own.  Parenthood isn't for everyone, but your daddy and I are enjoying every second of it and wouldn't trade it for the world!  :-)  

What a busy day!  We all had appointments today, but in the long run it was better to have them all together in one day.  The rest of the week is appointment free so we can be together as a family and not have to worry about packing you all up and getting you off schedule for feedings and such.

Technically, I'm not suppose to drive still.  So, Mimi came over to help with the appointments.  First, we had Grace's weight check at the pediatrician.  You maintained your 7 pound weight from when we left the hospital (wednesday) to your new born check up on friday.  The good news is that you didn't lose weight after leaving the hospital.  Now, we need to be sure you're gaining weight!  Dr. Medero wanted you to gain at least an ounce a day through the weekend.  When I took you back to weigh you, I got nervous because if you didn't gain weight I might have to supplement you with formula.  But, your weight was 7 pounds 7 ounces!  You were back to your birth weight!  Woo hoo!  

Dr. Medero came into the room to look at you real fast.  Everything looked good.  She said you 'exceeded her expectations!' and asked if you were exclusively on breast milk.  I said yes and that you and I have been working hard at nursing.  She said we were doing a great job and your next appointment is on the 18th for your 2 week check up.  :-)  Also, you didn't poop all over the exam table like you did on friday .... you did, however, poop all over the changing table once we got home.  :-P

Oh, and Joshua, don't think you got out of a pediatrician visit .... while there I made your 18 month appointment for April.  ;-)  You and Mimi stayed in the waiting room and you apparently had a great time walking around and trying to talk to the other children. 

Joshua, you also rocked your physical therapy appointment!  You walked several times 16-17 steps  at a time independently!  And, you even stood by yourself for minutes (while occupied with a toy)!  Eliza was so impressed!  The next step is getting you to go from hands and knee crawling to standing on your own (without having you pull up on furniture).  She showed me the exercise to help you do that.  Once you're able to do that, you'll pretty much be done with physical therapy!  Not much longer!  You've had it for about a year now, and it's amazing to see how you've grown in these areas.  I'm so incredibly proud of you, little man!  

I had Grace in a papasan chair as you had your appointment.  You didn't even know she was sitting there until the end of the appointment!  Then, you pointed and tried to touch her.  Eliza said you two look like brother and sister.  ;-)  So, we'll continue to work on sitting to crawling to standing, continue our neck rotations, and keep practicing your walking.  You have another appointment in two weeks.

After your appointment, we went upstairs.  I nursed Grace as Mimi rocked Joshua and soon everyone was sleeping but me! 

You all didn't have a lot of time to nap though.  I had my appointment at 3:45pm to get these staples out.  :-)  Yippie!  My appointment didn't take long, and Dr. McKenzie came out to the waiting room to see Grace and Joshua.  I put a UNC hat on Grace's head since I knew he was a fan .... he was in Chapel Hill for the DOOK game this past weekend!  I have a follow up appointment in two weeks.  Oh, and my swelling is almost gone.  Whew!  It was just retained fluid, but I was still nervous since I didn't have swelling after Joshua .... just before!  :-P  Oh, they weighed me today and I'm now 'down' to 141.6 lbs.  Ha!  Can't wait to lose the rest of this fluid!  ;-)

Aunt Katie came by before daddy got home.  She took lots of pictures of you two and ate dinner with us.  Mimi left after dinner, and then Uncle Brennan came over.  Daddy and Uncle Brennan had a soccer game tonight.  I stayed here with you two.  Grace, you slept in your swing as I played with Joshua.  Joshua, you eventually curled up on me and fell asleep on my lap as I sat in the play area with you.  You both were still sleeping when daddy got home close to 10pm.  :-)  

Since my staples are out, and I'm better able to sleep on the bed .... Grace and I are moving back into the bedroom .... no more 'boys club' going on!  We'll see how this turns out.  :-)

Sleep tight!

I love you both dearly!

~Mommy

Precious Giggles

Dearest Blessings~

Boy, did it rain all day today!  At times it really came down hard!  Needless to say, we all stayed inside and relaxed.  We weren't going to take you two out in that weather.  

We had a pretty lazy morning.  We were all tired and I even dozed a little while rocking Grace after a nursing episode.  Daddy played with Joshua.  We ran some laundry and caught up on some chores.  I also noticed that my swelling has gone down.  I'm still monitoring my blood pressure just in case, but so far it's been pretty low.  

Grace, you and I did a lot of 'eskimo kisses' today .... I use to do them with your brother when he was a baby!  That's when you rub your noses together.  If I try that on Joshua now, he would just swipe my glasses.  :-P  But, I can do it to Grace and it's so cute!  

This afternoon we had some visitors.  Cousin Stephanie, Charlie, Gigi, Uncle James, and (Great) Aunt Beth came over.  Joshua had fun playing with Charlie, who's 15 months older.  You did try to hit him a few times, but you were just playing.  You do the same for Grace, so we're trying to teach you to be more gentle with her.  :-)  They all got to hold Grace and play with Joshua.  Joshua, you look so big compared to Grace!  

By late afternoon, people had left and Joshua took a nap.  We all went to the bonus room to rest.  At dinner, Joshua giggled at Grace and tried to play with her hair.  You tugged it a few times, so I had to make sure you weren't being too rough with her.  

Grace, this evening was your first official bath at home!  I gave you a sponge bath on the changing table.  Your umbilical cord seems to be healing nicely.  You cried during the bath, but I think it was just because you were cold.  Once you had a little outfit on, you were fine.  Your hair was so fluffy after your bath!  Joshua's hair would get really fluffy when he was a baby too!  It's so cute!  And, little Grace, you smell like a baby!  I love that smell!

I nursed Grace on the couch in the play room this evening and watched Joshua play all around.   Joshua, you were so cute and kept smiling at us as you played.   I talked to you as you played and daddy read a little.  Then he tickled you, little man, and you laughed and laughed your precious giggles!  I absolutely love your giggles!  Also, I put Joshua's hand in Grace's hand and it looked so big!  Ha! 

Tomorrow we all have a busy day .... all three of us have appointments.  Grace, you have a weight check at the pediatrician's office at 9am.  You were 7 pounds even on friday and Dr. Medero wants you to gain at least an ounce a day.  So, I'm hoping for a weight of 7 lbs 4 ozs to be safe.  Think we did it?  We've been working hard on our nursing.  

Joshua, tomorrow you have your physical therapy appointment with Eliza at 12:30pm.  I think she'll be impressed with the amount of walking and standing that you're doing now.  I know daddy and I are!  We are so proud of you!  :-)

And, lastly, I have an OB appointment at 3:45pm to finally get these staples out!  Woo hoo!  I'll feel much better without these!  ;-)

Sleep tight everyone!

I love you both so much!  

~Mommy

Regular Season Champions

Dearest Blessings~

Today was a lazy saturday!  We didn't even leave the house!  But, we all needed that!  This past week has been so busy for us.  We've had a lot of visitors and phone calls .... we needed a little bit of laziness to unwind.  ;-)

First off, Joshua .... you slept in your own bed until 3:30am.  That's OK, but not great!  We need to extend that for a few more hours!  ;-)  Especially since we have a newborn who wakes up around 2am-3am also.  :-P  You should already be sleeping through the night in the crib, but for some reason you still need someone there next to you.  We'll have to keep working on that.  Once my staples are out (monday) and I can fully lay down and get up by myself, Grace and I will be moving back into the bedroom.  So, you'd better behave .... it's about to get crowded in there!  

Grace and I, on the other hand, fell asleep around 1am and then woke up at 5am!  Woo hoo!  That was greatly appreciated!  We have another appointment with the pediatrician on monday to check your weight, so I'm trying to make sure we're doing our best at nursing.  So far, I think we've been doing well.  I had some bruising this past week since we didn't 'latch' on correctly at first.  But, everything has healed and it's getting easier to nurse now.  I'm proud of us.  :-)

Grace, you and I snuggled a lot today.  I tried to pass you on to daddy a lot after I would nurse you.  That way, you two could start bonding as well.  Then, I would get down and try to play with Joshua.  I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you right now .... I'm not suppose to lift anything 'heavy' .... and for once, little man, you're considered 'heavy' .... which is a good thing!  So, others have been picking you up.  If I change or feed you, we do it on the floor.  :-P  But, we still manage to play together!

We did have one person drop by our house.  One of David's coworkers from his previous job, Barbara, came over with gifts for you.  Joshua, you've met her before.  She gave Joshua a toy golf set (which is actually for older kids so we'll have to hang on to it for a while) and Grace a UNC outfit in pink.  ;-)  She got to hold Grace and play with Joshua.  

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing.  We did dress Joshua up in a UNC shirt for the last regular season UNC basketball game .... UNC vs Dook.  This time, we had the home court advantage and we beat them 81-67!!  Grace and I fell asleep at half time, but daddy recorded it for us.  ;-)  That means, UNC won the regular season championship!  Woo hoo!  The ACC tournament starts next weekend, so we'll see if we can win that as well!  :-)

Tomorrow is suppose to be a rainy day, so I'm sure we'll stay in again.  Oh, I've been taking my blood pressure and it's stayed down all day.  I still have feet and ankle swelling, but it hasn't increased or gotten worse.  I still think it's just retained fluid, but to be safe I haven't been taking the pain relievers since it could be a side effect. 

Sleep tight little angels!

I love you both very much!

~Mommy

Independent Walking

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

You two will never believe what I did today!  I locked myself in the bathroom by accident!  Ha!  Ok, ok, I'll get to that story later ....

First off, Grace .... you and I had a rough night!  It took you a while to fall asleep, but once you did, the cat kept me up all night.  If I got out of bed to nurse or change you, he would try to attack my feet from under the bed.  If I closed the bedroom door to keep him out, he would hit the door with his paws and meow very loudly!  Ugh!  What should we do with him tonight?  :-P

Oh, I didn't tell you .... Grace, you and I are sleeping in the front bedroom.  Your brother keeps noodling into our bed, and when he sleeps, he kicks around.  So, since I don't want to be kicked .... especially near the staples (I think I have 12 at the C section incision) .... I'm staying in the guest room and you're in a bassinet near me.  

We saw deer in our backyard this morning!  Joshua has seen them before, but this was Grace's first time seeing deer!  We saw at least four of them!  They were so pretty.  :-)

Joshua, guess what .... you're WALKING!  You're actually taking more and more steps independently and standing for longer.  You still mostly crawl places, but you're getting braver and want to walk more!  Daddy and I are so proud of you!  :-)  I tried to take a video of you walking, but of course, you stopped once I had the camera on.  Oh, and you like to walk with your hands and arms up in the air!  It's so cute!  ;-)

Grace, you had your first pediatrician appointment this morning.  Mimi came over to watch Joshua as daddy and I took you.  Dr. Medero saw you (she also sees your brother) and said everything was looking great!  She checked your lungs, heart, skin, eyes, ears, mouth .... you now weigh 7 lbs.  You were 7 lbs when you left the hospital (it's normal for babies to lose weight after birth), so you've maintained your weight since wednesday.  Now, Dr. Medero wants to make sure you're gaining weight, so we have another appointment on monday morning for a weight check.  I'm suppose to continue nursing you until then to see how well we're doing.  The lactation consultant was there today, so I got to see her and ask her questions.  It was perfect timing because you got hungry while there.  So, as I nursed you, she came in to see how we were doing and to help.  :-)  They actually weighed you after I nursed you and you had gained 1.1 ounces!  Woo hoo!  ;-)

Oh, I almost forgot .... when we stripped you down to get weighed, you immediately pooped and peed all over the exam table!  My oh my!  It took a while for daddy and I to clean you up.  :-P

Ok, so this evening daddy decided to change the door handles on some of the doors around the house.  They aren't broken, but we're trying to do little things around the house to improve it.  He also switched the toilet seat in the master bathroom.  So, anyway, I went downstairs to grab something, and without thinking, I went into the bathroom downstairs not noticing that the door handle was off.  :-P  After I used the restroom, I figured out that I couldn't get out of the bathroom!  It was locked and there was no handle!  Ahh!  I called to daddy upstairs (through the handle hole) and he came down to help get me out.  The first thing we both did was laugh at my situation!  But, then we realized that Grace was hungry, and both of you all were upstairs by yourselves!  Daddy popped the door open (it took a while) and then he put the handle on the door.  Ha!  :-P

This evening, we saw Aunt Katie after work.  She got to hold Grace for a while as we visited.  Then, daddy made some dinner and we relaxed in the bonus room.  

Tomorrow we'll probably relax all day!  Or, at least I hope so!  ;-)

Sleep tight little precious angels!

I love you both so much!  :-)

~Mommy

First Hair Clip

Dearest Miracles~

Hello little precious children!  Today was our first full day home together as a new family of four.  :-)  I have to say, in my opinion daddy and I did pretty well flying solo today.  

Grace, you had four, huge poopy diapers today .... which also included several outfit changes and changing table clean ups.  Oh, you can ask your brother Joshua .... since I'm your mother, I'll allowed to talk about anything .... including your poopy diapers.  ;-)  

We called your Great-Grandma and spoke to her briefly.  She can't wait to see everyone.  We still have Christmas gifts at her house because of the snow storm this year!  :-P  

I have some bruising around my staples now, but it's not as much as when I had Joshua.  I knew what to expect this time with the C section, so I tried to take it easier.  I have an appointment on monday to get the staples removed.  Yippie!  I've also noticed some swelling around my ankles and feet now.  They look like elephants.  If it continues, then I'll call the OB office to make sure things are ok.  But, I'm hoping it's just this retained fluid from the pregnancy.

Speaking of appointments, Grace, you have your first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Medero (she also sees Joshua) tomorrow morning.  Mimi will come to watch Joshua as daddy and I take Grace.  

Oh, Grace, you've been sneezing a few times the last couple of days.  Don't worry, you don't have a cold .... but your sneezes are so cute and precious!  I remember when your brother would have those little sneezes in the hospital.  

I brushed Grace's hair this morning and placed a little hair clip in there just for fun.  ;-)  I'm not that good with hair and 'girly' things, so you and I will have to practice as you get older.  

I also put you down for two little 'tummy times' today.  Both times you cleared your head from the right to the left!  Good job little lady!  :-)  You and I are also doing pretty well with nursing so far.  We'll see what the pediatrician says tomorrow, but I'm hoping we won't have to supplement you with anything.  Let's see if we can just keep nursing for as long as possible so you get healthy and strong!  :-)

Daddy had a soccer meeting this evening, so Grandpa Jim and Uncle Brennan came over to help.  The main thing I need help with is lifting Joshua.  I still can't lift you, little man, so other people have to help move you to the changing table or down the stairs (you can always crawl up the stairs if need be).  ;-)

We all visited in the bonus room until daddy got back.  Then, daddy and I got everyone ready for bed.  We'll see how you all sleep tonight.  Grace, you and I were up a lot!  :-P

I love you both dearly!

~Mommy

Discharged

Dearest Gifts from God~

Guess what happened today .... Grace and I got discharged from the hospital!  Woo hoo!  :-)

First off, I have to say congratulations to Joshua .... daddy said you slept all night in your own bed!  It's a miracle!  What are the chances of you sleeping two nights in a row?  :-P  Mimi gave you breakfast (yogurt, fruit medley, and puffs), but you apparently just wanted to play.  ;-)

The OB came by to see me early this morning.  Today, Dr. Rush was on call.  She said Grace was beautiful and couldn't believe how big she was compared to Joshua!  Remember, she was the one who caught the pre-eclampsia with Joshua and likely saved his life.  She said I was healing ok from the C section incision and was impressed that I was already up and moving around (albeit with the help of pain relievers!).  Generally, with a C section, women stay in the hospital for three nights.  However, if patients are doing well, they some times discharge them after two nights.  She knows I already have a child at home and was anxious, so she was comfortable with discharging me today if I wanted to go home.  :-)  Yippie!

We waited for the pediatrician to take a look at Grace to make sure she didn't need to stay.  She passed her tests and even passed her hearing test from the specialist.  So, I called daddy to let him know that we could go home today if we wanted.  He called Penny to watch Joshua and then he came over to pick us up.  

We had to play the waiting game at that point.  Our car seat had to pass inspection before we could leave, and the car seat guy was slow about getting to us.  :-P  In the meantime, daddy and I were getting hungry, so we split a sandwich that was sent to our room.  

I dressed you in a little Christmas outfit that you got from Gigi.  It's newborn size, so you won't be able to wear it for this coming Christmas .... so I figured we should use it now!  It's warm, so I know you liked it.  Joshua went home from the hospital in a little penguin outfit that Gigi got him .... but his was size preemie still!  

While we were waiting for the car seat inspection, daddy delivered cookies to the ICN nurses that Mimi had baked!  We wanted to give them something to thank them for everything they had done for Joshua 16 months ago!  They were so appreciative and remembered all of us.  They got to see Grace and were amazed and excited for us.  

Once we were cleared to go (we weren't worried about the car seat since it was the same one we used for Joshua .... which actually belongs to cousin Stephanie and Charlie!) we packed everything up and a nurse pushed me in a wheelchair to patient pick up.  I held Grace in my lap.  :-)  Daddy drove the car around and we officially started our new life together with the hospital behind us!  

Penny and Joshua were busy around the house making a little sign to welcome us home.  Penny even picked a few flowers from outside to decorate our table.  ;-)  Grace, you then got to meet Penny for the first time! 

Mimi came over later in the afternoon and helped me with you two while daddy filled my prescriptions.  It was so nice to see the two of you together!  I can't believe how precious our little family is!  

Grandpa Mike came over and met us for dinner.  He had been out of town this week, so it was his first time meeting Grace.  :-)  

Once we all got settled for the evening, we went upstairs and watched the UNC basketball game .... this was your first UNC game, Grace, and we won!  ;-)  Joshua will have to teach you all the cheers.  :-)

Since I still can't move around much with the stitches and staples, I stayed in the bonus room to sleep on the rocker.  Grace, you stayed in a bassinet next to me so that I could nurse you during the night.  Joshua, let's see how well you stay sleeping this evening.  :-P

I love you both so very much and am so happy to be home!  :-)

~Mommy

Nice To Meet You

Dearest Angels from God~

Today, precious angels, you two met each other for the first time!  Daddy kept his promise and brought Joshua to the hospital to see me and Grace.  :-)  He pushed Joshua in a stroller since he had fallen asleep in the car!  Grace, you were sleeping too in your bassinet!  So, for your first 'official' meeting, the two of you were sleeping!  Joshua .... meet Grace .... Grace .... meet Joshua .... both sound asleep!  I wonder if that will be the only time you two will sleep at the same time!  :-P

Joshua, you were a tad fussy today at the hospital and ate 10 ounces of formula while there!  I still don't think you understand what's about to rock your world!  ;-)

It was good to see the two of you together .... and it was a little 'surreal' at the same time!  It made it even more real to see Joshua 'walking' (daddy helped) around the hospital room (yes, you did wake up once you were taken from the stroller) as I nursed Grace.  Actually, at first I felt a sense of being scared .... oh no .... we're almost out numbered at this point!  But, that fear quickly faded and I then became excited and happy to move on with this phase in our lives.  

Joshua, you apparently woke up very talkative.  You sang for daddy and Mimi this morning.  Mimi gave you breakfast, but you turned your nose up at that oatmeal that daddy made.  :-P

Things went well in the hospital for Grace and I today.  The nurse took my catheter out really early in the morning and I had my IV out by 10:30am.  Woo hoo!  I was much more mobile at that point, though sore from the C section.  I passed my 'pee test' (no longer need help in the restroom) and was able to 'walk' around the room by myself by lunch time.  :-)

Gigi left in the morning after spending the whole night with me and Grace.  She went home to rest and catch up on some sleep (we didn't sleep a lot last night).  :-P

Mimi came at lunch time and watched Grace as I took a shower.  Joshua, daddy took you over to Gigi's house at that point, and you and Gigi watched 'Finding Nemo' with Uncle James (you apparently turned off the movie at some point and Gigi and Uncle James were impressed since they didn't know how you did it).  You took a 2 hour nap while at Gigi's and drank another 16 ounces of formula!  Whoa!  Oh, as you left the hospital Joshua, you saw a mom scrubbing in at the ICN (Intensive Care Nursery).  That's what daddy and I use to do for 8.5 weeks as you lived there! 

Grace, you had a lot of sneezes today and it was so cute!  You and I worked on nursing a lot today.  A lactation nurse came in to help us and gave us some tips.  She said you were a 'good sucker' and was impressed at how well you latch on!  She wants you to teach some of the other newborns how to nurse!  We're going to keep on trucking so that you get a lot of rich nutrients!  I'm so proud of us working together .... and we're spending a lot of time bonding while nursing!  Oh, we think your hair is auburn.  It's hard to tell.  In some light, it looks a little redish blonde.  Either way, it's gorgeous and I love it!  :-)

The pediatrician looked at you, Grace, today, and you passed all your tests.  Dr. McKenzie took off the bandage over my staples and things look well.  They just have me on some oral pain relievers at this point.

Once daddy came back from dropping off Joshua, Mimi left and we got to spend some time together as a family!  Our first time together with just the four of us!  It's amazing to think and say out loud .... our 'family of four!'  We are so blessed!  :-)

After dinner, Grandpa Jim came by and one of my coworkers, Amanda, stopped in as well.  She's also a dentist and has an 8 month old son of her own.  ;-)

This evening, Grace and I flew solo with no help!  Boy, this was a bonding time!  Daddy was at home to watch Joshua.  I was so nervous, but we did pretty well together!  I gave you, little Grace, so many kisses!  I also told you several times that I love you!  I told you stories about our family!  Ha!  

It took a while for you to fall asleep.  I had to rock you, nurse you twice, and walk with you.  Finally, you fell asleep around 10:40pm.  Then, I closed my eyes too.  ;-)  The nurse took you for a weight check and bath at midnight and then we were up nursing again by 12:30am.  :-P

Sleep tight!

I love you both!

~Mommy