Being considered "well endowed" on a normal day, my belly is not the only thing that becomes obnoxiously large while pregnant (or after when the milk comes in).
"I'm sorry, is this a bra? Or a helmet for twins?"
-Ryan
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Getting to know Harvey
Harvey at exactly 1 week old
At 1 week:
- is grunting ALL the time and therefore has earned himself the nicknames: "grunts/grunts mcgee"
- looks a lot like his sister did, just with thinner lips and blonder eyebrows & eyelashes
- has survived his big sister's pats and squeezes so far- I think she's going to make him tough, which is a good thing, right?
- weighs 8lbs 12.5oz (the nurse at his one week appointment said it usually takes about two weeks for babies to gain enough weight to put them back at their birth weight. It only took him one. Which means he's probably going to be a big boy. I guess that's what happens when you eat every hour.)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to Wendy's 3rd Birthday We Go...
So let me rewind a little and tell you about Wendy's Snow White Princess/Knight party. She has been talking about her "Snow White Party" since she was about 2 1/2 and realized what a birthday party was. (Until "Tangled" came out and Rapunzel became her new favorite princess. Sorry sweetheart, it was too late).
*black frame from ikea
*used black posterboard with swirly alphabet stickers from michaels to turn the frame into a magic mirror
I kept saying that I wouldn't go all out, that I was too pregnant and this party was going to be low key. I kept saying that as I made a wishing well, candied "poison" apples, a magic mirror, a costume station full of princess dresses for the girls, capes and swords for the boys, and a princess pinata. But once I started I couldn't stop. I kept getting these ideas and felt like I HAD to them. As I was up sewing capes by hand the night before I kept thinking, "Somebody make me stop!" Ryan kept teasing me, asking me what a party would look like if I DID "go all out." But all of the craziness paid off, the party turned out really cute.
*hand painted large deconstructed cardboard boxes and faux wisteria vine from michaels for the wishing well
I loved how giddy Wendy was the whole time. She's at an age where she'll say things like, "This is the BEST.DAY.EVERRRRRRR!" or "This is what I ALWAYS wanted!" and it's so gratifying to get that genuine happiness and appreciation in response to something I've done for her.
Wendy's Current Quirks:
- LOVES any and all movies/shows (t.v. shows) and "weedeo's" (youtube videos)
- Ever since Ryan's dance party, loves to sing "So I put my haaaaaaands up, singin my song, butterflies fly away... noddin' my head like 'yeah,' movin' my hips like 'yeah'."
- prefers to be told classic stories at bed time (3 little pigs, goldilocks, little red riding hood), but gets scared by the 3 bears so she picks a different, less scary animal each time. Last night I overheard her tell Ryan to tell her the story of "Goldilocks and the 3 Giraffes."
- probably because of her name, loves Peter Pan (Disney's version), "the other peter pan" (real people), and "the different peter pan" (return to neverland) and "the old peter pan" (the play with the old lady that plays peter pan).
- Every day wants to know what we're gonna do. She'll keep asking, "Then what are we gonna do?" until we get to something fun. She'll tell me over and over, "I wanna do something fun."
- Dress up queen. Will pick out dress ups for Ryan & I then refer to the 3 of us as our costume all day. i.e. "Mommy-Cinderella" or "Daddy-Snow White." (Once she went in her room to "get ready" for nap time and came out like this. She calls this her shaker girl costume- it was an outfit I wore in a tap dance recital as a kid).
- favorite word: Collage. She gathers random things from around the house and when I ask her what she's doing says, "I'm making a collage." I did't think she even knows what a collage is, so I asked her and she said, "It's when you make something." I guess she's partially right.
- Identifies colors by princess dresses. Anything yellow is a "belle -----," pink is a "Sleeping Beautry -----," green - Tiana, purple - Rapunzel, blue - Cinderella, etc.
- 33lbs - 75th percentile for weight; 37 1/4 inches - 50th percentile for height
- Phrases she says wrong, but it's cute so I don't correct her: toe-foot = barefoot; breast-fast= breakfast (makes sense for Harvey); chicken-play= chick fil-a (it is where you eat chicken and play); yo ho, yo ho, gently down the stream (i don't know why she mixes these songs up, but i love it); cimanin toast= cinnamon toast; mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, mary had a little lamb, merry christmas snow;
Monday, May 2, 2011
Introducing Baby Harvey
Born April 29, 2011
4:54pm
8lbs. 12oz.
20 inches long
Thursday, April 20th : At my doctors visit I learn I'm 3 cm dilated & Doctor H says he'd be surprised if I last a week and that I definitely won't make it to my due date (May 1st).
Thursday, April 28th : At my appointment a week later. Doctor is surprised that I made it this far, still only dialated to a 3 - 3.5. He tells me we'll induce on Sunday, my due date, at 8am. Sweet.
Friday, April 29th:
6:15am Ryan gets up to get ready for work & to be up with Wendy so I can get a little extra sleep
7:30am Ryan leaves for work which means I wake up and waddle to the couch to be up with Wendy
7:35am Okay, something feels a little different. Maybe my water broke. If it did, it's a VERY slow trickle. I tell myself it probably didn't.
8:30am I start to have contractions that get steadily more and more uncomfortable.
10:30am Okay, maybe my water DID break. I mention it to my mom on the phone. She says I should go and get checked, but I don't want to spend the whole day at the hospital just to be sent home. She talks me into going anyway. "Okay, I'll drop off Wendy in about an hour. Then I'll go." I tell her. "In an hour? What do you have to do?" The laundry. Vacuum. Go to the bank to deposit a check so I can pay the bills. Pay the bills. Finish packing a bag for me. Pack a bag for Wendy. Get Wendy's old infant carseat out of the garage (just in case this is the real deal). "Heather, I will do your laundry and vacuum and go get clothes for Wendy if she needs them. Just go," she tells me. Adrenaline kicks in and I do everything on my todo list anyway. I start to get a little anxious, my hands start to shake as I scramble to get everything done. Wendy senses my anxiety and says, "Mommy, you're scaring me." I stop what I'm doing and I just hold her for a while. I get choked up thinking this is our last moment together with her as my baby.
11:30am I leave my house with a bag for me, a bag for Wendy, and an empty infant carseat in the car. After a quick stop at the bank, I go to my aunt Ruth's house to drop Wendy off with my mom there. I tell my mom & Ruth I haven't texted Ryan yet because, knowing him, he'd be too excited and leave work and drive all the way home for nothing. (I wanted to make sure my water broke before I told him) They convince me I need to text him.
12:00pm I drive myself to the hospital.
In the car alone, I think to myself, "What if I do actually have him today? Won't this be a funny birth story."
12:15pm I arrive at hospital, go up to the 3rd floor. My nurse, Liz, shows me to my nice room in the the new maternity ward and gives me a pink gown to put on.
12:30pm Ryan, on his lunch break, finally calls me back and I tell him where I am. I can hear his voice get excited. I tell him not to leave work until I find out if my water broke.
12:35pm I get checked and find out I'm dilated to a 5.5 - 6, but the test to see if my water broke comes out negative. They check again a couple minutes later and the paper turns blue= my water HAS broken. I KNEW it.
12:40pm I call Ryan and tell him the good news. I tell him not to rush, go home, take a shower, pack himself a bag and come on over to the hospital. The nurse laughs at me because she thinks I should have told him to rush.
1:00pm A nurse comes in and tells me how incredibly busy they are in the maternity ward today. The anesthesiologist has been running around from room to room, c-section to c-section, and he's almost to my room. If I want an epidural, I should have it now. I think, "This is CRAZY! I haven't even been here an hour. Ryan isn't here yet. My contractions don't even really hurt yet." But I want an epidural and if I have to get it now, that's what I'll do.
1:30pm The anesthesiologist walks in. "How are we doin' in here?" He asks. "Great!" I say with a smile. "Great?" He checks a clipboard, "You ready for an epidural?" My nurse answers for me, "She's dilated to a 6, she's in a lot of pain, she's ready for an epidural," then she whispers to me, "Honey, you're in a lot of pain." She had my back.
1:35pm As I'm getting the epidural it hits me that nobody is here. Not Ryan, not my mom. I get a little worried that I'll be alone when the baby is born. I stop feeling proud and independent that I've come this far by myself and start to feel a little lonely.
2:00pm Ryan walks in the door. I instantly feel relieved. We laugh about how fast this is going compared to the 13 hours we spent in the hospital before Wendy was born and watch the Royal Wedding (it's the only thing on every channel on this Friday afternoon).
2:45pm They break my water (the tear in my sac is up high & they need to break it down low). Nurse Liz says that's the most water she's ever seen. Awesome! I knew this was just a bunch of water weight. And the more water weight I lose the more weight I lose.
3:30pm My mom shows up. I'm dilated to an 8 but the baby hasn't dropped enough.
4:00pm My mother-in-law shows up. I get turned on my left side to help the baby drop.
4:40pm The nurse comes in and says the doctor has a c-section at 5pm. We all assume she's telling me this to let me know the doctor is coming to my room after the c-section. "So the doctor is going to come in here and we're going to have this baby by 5pm." WHAT? That's in 15 minutes. I pushed for almost 2 hours with Wendy.
4:45pm The doctor comes in. I get turned from my left side to my back. The nurse says, "Hey Doctor, look at this. She hasn't even pushed once yet." I hear the doctor say, "Oh wow, the head is almost out already." WHAT?!
4:50pm During my pushing the doctor tells me to stop. The mood in the room changes. Every0ne gets really quiet and the doctor starts making fast, jerky movements and calling out orders for the nurses to hand her things. I don't even have time to get nervous before things are okay again. Apparently the cord was wrapped pretty tight around my baby boys neck and she had to cut it off.
4:54pm After pushing for less than 10 minutes, my son enters this world and gets placed on my tummy. I feel like I'm dreaming. Everything is wonderful.
Thursday, April 28th : At my appointment a week later. Doctor is surprised that I made it this far, still only dialated to a 3 - 3.5. He tells me we'll induce on Sunday, my due date, at 8am. Sweet.
Friday, April 29th:
6:15am Ryan gets up to get ready for work & to be up with Wendy so I can get a little extra sleep
7:30am Ryan leaves for work which means I wake up and waddle to the couch to be up with Wendy
7:35am Okay, something feels a little different. Maybe my water broke. If it did, it's a VERY slow trickle. I tell myself it probably didn't.
8:30am I start to have contractions that get steadily more and more uncomfortable.
10:30am Okay, maybe my water DID break. I mention it to my mom on the phone. She says I should go and get checked, but I don't want to spend the whole day at the hospital just to be sent home. She talks me into going anyway. "Okay, I'll drop off Wendy in about an hour. Then I'll go." I tell her. "In an hour? What do you have to do?" The laundry. Vacuum. Go to the bank to deposit a check so I can pay the bills. Pay the bills. Finish packing a bag for me. Pack a bag for Wendy. Get Wendy's old infant carseat out of the garage (just in case this is the real deal). "Heather, I will do your laundry and vacuum and go get clothes for Wendy if she needs them. Just go," she tells me. Adrenaline kicks in and I do everything on my todo list anyway. I start to get a little anxious, my hands start to shake as I scramble to get everything done. Wendy senses my anxiety and says, "Mommy, you're scaring me." I stop what I'm doing and I just hold her for a while. I get choked up thinking this is our last moment together with her as my baby.
11:30am I leave my house with a bag for me, a bag for Wendy, and an empty infant carseat in the car. After a quick stop at the bank, I go to my aunt Ruth's house to drop Wendy off with my mom there. I tell my mom & Ruth I haven't texted Ryan yet because, knowing him, he'd be too excited and leave work and drive all the way home for nothing. (I wanted to make sure my water broke before I told him) They convince me I need to text him.
12:00pm I drive myself to the hospital.
In the car alone, I think to myself, "What if I do actually have him today? Won't this be a funny birth story."
12:15pm I arrive at hospital, go up to the 3rd floor. My nurse, Liz, shows me to my nice room in the the new maternity ward and gives me a pink gown to put on.
12:30pm Ryan, on his lunch break, finally calls me back and I tell him where I am. I can hear his voice get excited. I tell him not to leave work until I find out if my water broke.
12:35pm I get checked and find out I'm dilated to a 5.5 - 6, but the test to see if my water broke comes out negative. They check again a couple minutes later and the paper turns blue= my water HAS broken. I KNEW it.
12:40pm I call Ryan and tell him the good news. I tell him not to rush, go home, take a shower, pack himself a bag and come on over to the hospital. The nurse laughs at me because she thinks I should have told him to rush.
1:00pm A nurse comes in and tells me how incredibly busy they are in the maternity ward today. The anesthesiologist has been running around from room to room, c-section to c-section, and he's almost to my room. If I want an epidural, I should have it now. I think, "This is CRAZY! I haven't even been here an hour. Ryan isn't here yet. My contractions don't even really hurt yet." But I want an epidural and if I have to get it now, that's what I'll do.
1:30pm The anesthesiologist walks in. "How are we doin' in here?" He asks. "Great!" I say with a smile. "Great?" He checks a clipboard, "You ready for an epidural?" My nurse answers for me, "She's dilated to a 6, she's in a lot of pain, she's ready for an epidural," then she whispers to me, "Honey, you're in a lot of pain." She had my back.
1:35pm As I'm getting the epidural it hits me that nobody is here. Not Ryan, not my mom. I get a little worried that I'll be alone when the baby is born. I stop feeling proud and independent that I've come this far by myself and start to feel a little lonely.
2:00pm Ryan walks in the door. I instantly feel relieved. We laugh about how fast this is going compared to the 13 hours we spent in the hospital before Wendy was born and watch the Royal Wedding (it's the only thing on every channel on this Friday afternoon).
2:45pm They break my water (the tear in my sac is up high & they need to break it down low). Nurse Liz says that's the most water she's ever seen. Awesome! I knew this was just a bunch of water weight. And the more water weight I lose the more weight I lose.
3:30pm My mom shows up. I'm dilated to an 8 but the baby hasn't dropped enough.
4:00pm My mother-in-law shows up. I get turned on my left side to help the baby drop.
4:40pm The nurse comes in and says the doctor has a c-section at 5pm. We all assume she's telling me this to let me know the doctor is coming to my room after the c-section. "So the doctor is going to come in here and we're going to have this baby by 5pm." WHAT? That's in 15 minutes. I pushed for almost 2 hours with Wendy.
4:45pm The doctor comes in. I get turned from my left side to my back. The nurse says, "Hey Doctor, look at this. She hasn't even pushed once yet." I hear the doctor say, "Oh wow, the head is almost out already." WHAT?!
4:50pm During my pushing the doctor tells me to stop. The mood in the room changes. Every0ne gets really quiet and the doctor starts making fast, jerky movements and calling out orders for the nurses to hand her things. I don't even have time to get nervous before things are okay again. Apparently the cord was wrapped pretty tight around my baby boys neck and she had to cut it off.
4:54pm After pushing for less than 10 minutes, my son enters this world and gets placed on my tummy. I feel like I'm dreaming. Everything is wonderful.
* This is my "I love epidurals" face.
asft
*i LOVE the genuine happiness on Ryan's face in this picture.
* proud parents.
Thank you to my aunt Ruth who took these priceless pictures so my mom could be there for me instead of trying to experience the birth of her grandchild from behind a camera. I love them.
Ruth, you (and your camera) are invited to the births of all my future children.
Ruth, you (and your camera) are invited to the births of all my future children.
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