New Baby Stuff

I thought I had pretty much all I needed for baby #2. And I do. But here are a couple things that I need for her, that with G, I didn't need so much. And also, a couple "how did I live without this?" things.

A nursing cover. My sister-in-laws friend was a designer for Balboa Baby when I was pregnant with Garrett and she got me a sling and a nursing cover. Garrett hated the sling, and I haven't tried it with Addie yet. I also didn't need the cover for Garrett either, but I use it now and it's awesome. It's just about like any other nursing cover (I actually have two, a friend from church made me a cute one when Garrett was born.) But the things I love about the Balboa Baby cover are the strap adjuster. It's easy to adjust and it holds really well. The little pocket on the front, perfect for a burp cloth or bra pads, or a cell phone, or what ever. And the little pleats around the bottom. It stays closer to my body better, and also creates a nice little tent or bubble area for Addie to hang out under, and I'm hoping that it'll be harder for her to lift it up once she starts grabbing at things. I don't know if you can see all those things in the picture or not, but this is the one I have, and I love the fabric too. It's soft and cute.Medela Lanolin Cream. I don't remember what I used when I was pumping for Garrett, but it wasn't this, and I wish it would have been.A good pump. I rented a big heavy hospital grade pump for Garrett, and every time I pumped I felt like a cow in a barn hooked up to a milker machine. I hated every second of it. I'm not pumping a lot this time, mostly just if Addie has a sleepy feeding I'll pump a little after. But I love my new pump. It's light weight and easy to use/clean, and has a built-in lithium battery so I can pump in the car on road trips. It also came with a cut bag, a changing pad, and a little milk cooler. It's a Hygeia EnJoye.Born Free bottles. I don't know why I love them but I just do. Addie hasn't had many bottles, but if I pump, Paul feeds her the milk because he liked feeding Garrett and he misses it.Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets. They are breathable, but warm and cozy, and they stay swaddled really well. I had one of them for Garrett, Addie has 8. They are kinda pricey. I paid 60 bucks for a 4 pack at a specialty store before I learned that Target now carries them. They are a couple inches smaller, but a 4 pack is only 40 bucks. I bought a pack from Target too, the smaller size works fine. They're still really big, they are not like the worthless 30 X 40 inch ones that only work until your baby hits 8 pounds.Nap Nanny Chill. This is my all time favorite purchase of the century. I know, right? Addie naps in this, sleeps in it at night, hangs out in it when she's awake, and Garrett even climbs in it when it's not occupied, and he loves it too. It looks so comfortable. I told Paul before Addie was born that I thought this would be a good idea to have, but I didn't know the price. When my mom got to town we headed to Babies R Us to check it out. I thought it would be 50 bucks or so. It's was $130 (!!). I went back and forth and decided to get it with the 20% off coupon, then I learned that you can't use the coupon on this item, so we left. Then 2 days later I went back. My mom helped out and we bought it. It's awesome and worth every penny! I wish I'd bought it when Garrett was born, and even now I sometimes wish I had two! Last night Addie slept for 5 hours straight in it! (I know, that's too long for a newborn to not eat, but I didn't wake up when I usually do, so I hurried and woke her and fed her.) But I have to admit, the 5 hour stretch was nice. I give all the credit to the Nap Nanny. (And a really good swaddle.)
I'm still debating about a baby carrier. We have a little cheap-o one that I feel like the baby isn't secure in. Paul put Garrett in it a couple weeks ago, and it really is secure, it just looks flimsy and I don't like it. We also have the Balboa Baby sling, but I don't think I'm a huge sling fan. And I have a Moby Wrap. I really like it, but I haven't mastered loading a baby in it when I alone. I've heard Ergo's are the best. Are they? Do you have one? Or do you have something else that you love?

I'm thankful (I guess) ;)

I had a rough Thanksgiving. I think it was mostly rough for me because it was rough for both of my kids. I had also spent 2 weeks looking at thanksgiving as the almost end of my mom's visit to California. And the thought of taking care of both kids all day was a little too much for me to handle. I also missed my brothers and their wives who weren't here, and my aunt and uncle who were hosting in Utah this year. I was homesick and tired and had 2 tired, fussy kids all day. I didn't eat hardly anything, and I was just happy to see it end.

In the middle of the night that night when I was feeding Addison, I started to feel bad that my attitude ruined my day, and probably rubbed off on Paul and the kids. So I sat in bed holding my baby and thought about all I'm thankful for, and it's a lot.

I also let my mind wander a bit to this idea that I wish God would have had. Paul never hears me and Addie up at night, she's not loud and we have a good, quiet feeding routine. I sometimes get jealous as he sleeps peacefully. I had this awesome idea that dad's should grow boobs when the baby is born, and they should last for one year. That way the mom's body would not be in charge of EVERY DANG THING (boo hoo), and when a dead beat guy knocks up some girl and then denies it and disappears, 9 months later he'll grow boobs! There will be no way to hide it. I'm a genius.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'm even pretty grateful for these big dang feeders.

I'm thankful for Garrett. He's becoming such a big boy. He's so smart. He's so happy. And he's so patient. I've had several people lately remind me to really enjoy this time because it goes by so fast. I realize how true that really is as each day goes by.

I'm thankful for Paul. Even though we've been at each other all day today. He's taking the rest of his paternity leave this week now that my mom is gone. I'm constantly reminding him as he claps for no reason, sings, bangs dishes, and rough houses with Garrett, that there's a baby sleeping. Today we reminisced (I made him) about the time he broke up with me before we were even dating. I was laughing about it and I think I was driving him crazy. By the end we were both laughing. He's my best friend, and it's so awesome to have that in a spouse.

I'm thankful for supportive family. Both sides are so in love with our kids and it's awesome. My mom keeps me grounded and always knows what I need to hear. She's also the practical gift giver. She's probably bought 2000 diapers in the past year and a half. And both kids come home in a new outfit just about every time they're with Grandma White.

I'm thankful for Addison. She's a good one. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks, and I have already (almost) forgotten how life was without her.

I'm thankful for Paul's job. And also Paul's dedication to his job. And even though I give him a hard time about knowing someone everywhere we go, and about being involved in so many organizations in the community, I grateful that he's so good at interacting with people and that people really like him. Last week at the Lion's club they announced Addie's birth. They then did the tradition of passing a hat to collect money to help us with baby expenses. The man in charge who gave Paul the money said he's never seen that much money given for a new baby. I know it's because Paul is such a people person, and the Lions really love him.

I'm thankful for the Lion's Club. :)

I'm thankful for technology. It's pretty amazing that I can send pictures to my mom in just seconds of what Garrett is up to. That's pretty awesome.

I'm thankful for good people. (In this case I'm referring to the Mormons.) We became friends with a Mormon couple here in California. (Maybe someday I'll write a post about how that all came about.) But they're good people. Tonight was the start of a week of dinners coming in from members of the Mormon church, most of whom we've never met.

I'm thankful for showers.

I'm thankful for naps.

I'm thankful for good friends.

I'm thankful for nice weather.

I'm thankful to finally see leaves changing colors!

I'm thankful for the holiday season.

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

the first 10 days

Addison has been with us for 10 days. So far it hasn't been too tough at all. But Grammy Greenhalgh has been Garrett's pretty much full-time caretaker/playmate for the past 10 days, as well as our housekeeper and chef, and that has made a world of difference. But family all left today. And I forgot that it's Paul's on call weekend and he has to be in the office all day today. So I'm on my own with two kids.

But here's a little update on how it's been so far.

We only stayed in the hospital one night. I thought for sure we'd stay two. But after the first 24 hours, Addie and I were both doing fine, I missed Garrett, and I didn't see the point in staying 24 more just to have a nurse come check my temperature every couple hours. So we left.

Night one at home was exhausting. Addie was up most of it and so was I. But that's normal I guess. When we left the hospital Addie was slightly Jaundiced so the doc told us to check in with our Ped the next day. I scheduled the appointment with a new Ped that I wanted to meet. I took Garrett too, because he'd had a night time cough for a few nights that I wanted to make sure wasn't serious. Garrett is fine. And Addie was down from 7 lbs. 9 oz. to 6 lbs. 14 oz. but no Jaundice. I really liked the new pediatrician. He's in the same office as our old one. And as I was scheduling the follow up, I saw Dr. N (old ped). I did the awkward half look down/turn sideways move, and when I finished I quickly exited another way. I should have just talked to him, but I didn't have it in me. I felt like I was cheating on him.

We went back 6 days later just for a weight check for Addie. She was up to 7 lbs. 14 oz. A pound in 6 days!

So that's when I stopped wondering if she was getting enough from me. Nursing is going well. It's still tough, but a totally different and much better experience than with Garrett. She latched on within minutes of being born, and did not let go. So much so in the first 10 hours, that she did some damage early on to me, so I've been feeding with a shield til I heal. But the girl has an awesome latch and we're on a great schedule.

She eats every 3 hours, and sleeps a lot between feedings. If she has a sleepy feeding I pump for a few minutes after, but so far, that's been about once a day. I got a clogged milk duct again, in the exact same place as with Garrett. I fed and pumped often the first couple days to get that to clear out and avoid infection, and its gone now. I'm not one to stick to a real ridged schedule. If baby is hungry I'll feed her, if she's tired, she can sleep. But so far, I'm living life in 3 hour blocks and it's working.

She's a good baby. She sleeps really well at night. 3 of the past 4 nights I've had to wake her twice each night to eat between midnight and 8AM. She eats, burps, and falls right back to sleep until I wake her for the next feeding. Paul never even hears us. I feel spoiled, and although it's really nice, I'm not planning on it lasting, but I'm enjoying it for now.

I didn't think it was possible to have a baby that cried less that Garrett did as a new born, but it happened. She's not a crier. She fusses a little during the day when it's close to meal time. She fusses sometimes after feedings if we're not getting a burp fast enough, she sometimes hates diaper changes, and sometimes she gets the hiccups that bother her. Other than that she's a content little angel.

Both kids had a rough Thanksgiving. We spent too much time away from home. Garrett missed his first nap, and Addie didn't sleep much all day. We had a couple interrupted feedings and Garrett wouldn't eat lunch. They both hated life for a couple hours, (and so did I). But we got home and got back on track, and we've decided we're not having long stretches away from home for the next few weeks.

Garrett is doing ok. He's seemed sad a few times. Paul and I took him on a date a few days ago. We did a little shopping, went to lunch, then did a little more shopping and let him pick a new toy. That made him happy. I'm realizing he really needs time alone with us. It'll probably be either Paul OR I taking him out alone, but I think that time is going to be important for him to feel loved and not forgotten. He's curled up and just cried a few times since she's been born and it makes me so sad. For the most part he's ok with his sis. He usually smiles, laughs, and points at her. He pats her head. Sometimes too hard, but he's learning "be soft" really well. Quite often, he wants what she has. The kid has never taken a pacifier in his life, but because Addie has one, he has to have one, and he usually wants hers. He's tried to drag a blanket out from under her several times. In his defense, it's his blanket, but it's so cozy and perfect for her. So Grammy G went and bought him a new one. Although we've had our little challenges with him, I somehow love him even more since Addie was born. He's so awesome.

Well, that's all I got for now. I figured I better post this before I get too far into being on my own, because I might feel totally different in a week or two... I'll let ya know.

Also, here's a few pictures. They were taken at the hospital by a photographer that does pics of all the newborns. I for sure would have not bought them, but my father in law stopped by to bring me lunch right as the pictures were happening, and of course he bought the whole package for us. She was 18 hours old in these shots. I kind of think she's darling and perfect.

Addison's Birth Story

I wanted my labor with Addie to be about 100% opposite from Garrett's. It didn't go that way. It was all too familiar, but at least I was confident that eventually this baby would be out of me. With Garrett, I was starting to wonder...

Early Monday morning, November 14th, I started having contractions. They started at 3:00AM, and thanks to my contraction timer app, I knew exactly how far apart, and how long they were. They were almost to the second every time, 5min. 47sec. apart, give or take a second or two. They lasted between 45 and 55 seconds. I timed them til a little after 6:00AM. (I woke Paul around 5 to warn him.) I got up around 6:15 because I was hungry. I ate a bagel and watched a little DVR . Contractions were still coming, but I'd stopped timing. Around 7:30 I took a bath. I was in there for 45 minutes and only had 3 contractions during that time. Garrett woke up when I got out and my mom took care of him so I could nap. I slept til noon and only had very sporadic contractions during that time. By the time I was up and around they had stopped. We went and played at the park, went shopping in Pasadena, then went to watch Monday night football at the in-laws. I'd have a contraction or two here and there, but nothing to get excited about. I had a massage that night, and about 30 minutes after, contractions started again. 5-7 minutes apart for 3 hours. Then nothing. On Tuesday morning at 3:00AM they started again. Every 5 minutes til 6:00. I was bleeding a bit, so I called my doctor. She told me to head in to L and D. We got there around 7:00AM. By then, they were 10 minutes apart. I was monitored for about 3 hours and there was no rhyme or reason to my contractions, but I went from 2 to 4CM's . I was SO happy to NOT hear 3 CM (!!!!!). I was stuck at three for hours, even days with Garrett. But by the time I heard 4, my contractions were 15-20 minutes apart. The nurse came in to tell me she just needed to monitor the baby for a few minutes longer and then I could go home. I responded so quickly I think she was caught off guard.

Me: "I don't wanna go home!"
Her:"You want to?"
Me: "No, I DON'T want to."
Her: Oh, umm...
Me: "I have a son at home, and I've been up for 2 nights, and I'm tired, and I can't be like this around my boy, and I need to have this baby today." (There may have been even more rambling and a few tears in there too.)
Her: "Oh, ok... Well, 4 cm is active labor, so I can let your doctor know you're here and see what we can do.
Me: Ok, thank you.

I knew staying meant pitocin, because I wasn't even having contractions, but I had fatigue flashbacks of my one night of false labor and 2 nights of real labor with Garrett, and I just couldn't do it.

My doc let me stay, and I was taken to my own room. She came in to see me. There were 3 nurses in the room at the time. The first thing my doc said was, "Ok, so you're ready to have this baby... What are you hoping for to make that happen?" A nurse chimed in before I could answer and said, "She wants the baby out. She needs some vagina-mite." My doc looked shocked, but Paul and I started laughing so hard that it got her laughing too.

Anyway, I started on the pit. I hate pitocin. I was on it for 4 and a half hours, with strength increases every 30 minutes. I only progressed *almost* 2 cm. (so, 1). I was struggling and discouraged. My doc said she wanted to break my water so I had an epidural right before that, and then she broke my water. In just over an hour I was at an 8. But still -2 station.

This is where the scary part for me began. Addie's heart rate was dropping during each contraction.

(Side note: Paul knows the L and D supervisor. Our funeral home takes all the infant death cases from this hospital and takes care of them at no cost to the family. So Paul and his Dad have met with her a few times. She told Paul to for sure let her know when we were there. She'd been in once already to see me and she was great.)

Anyway, she was watching my monitors in her office, and when she saw the drop she came right in. Within about a minute there were 5 nurses in my room. All seeming a little stressed and all working on something different. They moved me from my back to my left side, then to my right. They put me on oxygen and one nurse really worked with me on breathing. They put an internal fetal monitor (IFM) on Addie, and another nurse started pumping fluids back in me to create a cushion for Addie and hopefully get her heart rate up. They decided to check me again, hoping that all the flopping from side to side helped. It did. 9CM and +2 station. The heart rate had gotten a little better, but not good enough. (I had a friend here with almost the exact same story at this same hospital, and she had a c-section. I just knew that was coming next.) I was breathing deep on the oxygen, had my eyes closed, praying hard, and saying, "come on baby girl, come on baby girl." My nurse said, "ok, we need to get that baby out, you need to push." She called the doc who came right in with a resident doctor and another nurse. I hated how full the room was. It was a huge room. But laying there helpless watching 8 different people rushing and working and watching my monitors was a little overload for me. The IFM fell off Addie so they had to put another one on and by then I was complete and ready to push. I pushed through 3 contractions and nothing at all. Garrett was out by that point in pushing, and I reminded myself that it wasn't going to be the same and I needed to take it one at a time. But the look on my doctors face made me think this baby isn't dropping and her heart rate is. The next contraction came and I pu-ushed. She was coming down. Paul said afterwards, that on that push he thought my face was going to explode. But he saw the IFM slowly coming out, so he knew she was coming out too. On that push I felt like I finally remembered how to push. The first 3 I really felt like I had no idea how to. It was weird. The next push her head was out and the cord was double wrapped around her neck. My doctor clamped and cut, I pushed again, and she was out.

Then the next scary part began. As soon as I saw her I unsnapped my sleeves and pulled the gown down expecting to have my baby on my chest, skin to skin. But at the exact moment that I totally exposed myself, 3 men, all medic-like, and suited up with a bunch of equipment rushed in the room. A nurse took the baby from the doc and put her under a heat lamp. All the medics and several nurses surrounded her. I looked at Paul who was by my side and said, "go be with her!" My doc then told me that there was meconium staining that must have happened during pushing because my water was clear when she broke it, so it was after that. She said everything was fine but they needed to check her lungs and suction her. I got one stitch while they were working on Addie. It seemed like hours, but in less than 10 minutes the room had pretty much cleared, my baby was in my arms, and I was nursing her.

It was heaven. Paul and I spent the next couple of hours alone with Addie before her bath and heading to postpartum. And just like that, we had a daughter.

2.0 is here.

Addison Lee White
Born: 11.15.11 @ 4:54 PM
Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz.
Length: 19.75 in.

We are so happy that our little girl is here. She's healthy and beautiful and so loved already by everyone...even Garrett...most of the time... (The transition to two, and Garrett's "thoughts" on being a big brother coming soon.)

I'm hoping to get birth announcements out eventually, like maybe by Christmas, or maybe along with our Christmas cards, if we get around to Christmas cards. But here's how Addie got her name in case I don't get around to it.

Addison is named after her Great Great Great Great Grandfather, on Paul's side, Addison White. Her middle name, Lee, is after her Great Uncle, on my side, Randy Lee Greenhalgh. We feel like it's girly enough, considering she named after two men.

With Garrett, I was set on the first name, and Paul picked the middle. With Addison, Paul was set on the first name, and I picked the middle. We like the balance, and we think the two go well together.

Stay tuned for the birth story, the first couple of days, and transitioning to being parents of two. Coming soon, hopefully...

11.11.11

This post has nothing to do with the date really, but its a cool date so I used it. Oh, and it's Paul's birthday!

We had breakfast this morning with all of Paul's co-workers and family. Then me, my mom and G went on a walk. We got some yummy produce at the farmer's market and then we happened to walk by the library where they were having a huge used book sale. All the children's books were 25 cents! We must have bought 40 or 50. Sweet!

Paul is out golfing right now with his new fancy schmany putter that his dad bought him. My mom and I bought him a smoker, (he REALLY wants to get into smoking meat). After Garrett's nap we're gonna head out for smoker supplies, even though we have no clue what he needs.

My mom's working on some sewing projects, I'm blogging, tonight we're all going to dinner for Paul's birthday.

...can you tell it's 'waiting for baby time'??

Surprisingly, I've had no feelings of "I'm done being pregnant." I'm kind of glad. I think part of it is that it's cool here now and being hot makes me want to not be pregnant. And the main thing I think is that I've had weekly massages since I was 14 weeks, and I've been going to the chiropractor regularly as well. I feel really good. I'm not comfortable by any means, but I'm not miserable. The only reason I feel I've entered the constantly wondering time is just because my mom is already here. But we're staying busy and we're having fun having nothing we have to do, so it's ok. I went to the doc yesterday and everything is fine. I lost a pound this week which kind of surprised me but the doc said it was ok.

Here's a couple things I've done to stay busy, all thanks to the new ultimate time-sucker, Pinterest. I'm not going to link to where I found the ideas like pinterest asks me to, but here are my boards if you want to find them yourself.

I have these old hat boxes that I've almost gotten rid of several times. They had ugly patterns on them and a lot of the color had faded. Then I saw some just like mine painted just like this. So I did it. Quick and easy and a totally new look. Love them.I organized my cleaning supplies with a shoe rack on our water heater closet door. I've had nightmares about Garrett drinking cleaning supplies, and now I don't have to worry until he can open a door. Plus I love seeing what I have. When its stacked under the sink I can never find what I need.Remember these TOMS I painted? I've only worn them a time or two and the toes had already gotten dirty. And I didn't ever LOVE them. So I did this with strips of fabric and a little no-sew fabric glue. They turned out better than I thought they would!So that's what is going on here. Just enjoying my boys, being creative, and loving the cool weather, having my mom here.