Yesterday we had my 2 week post op appt and Harper's 2 week well baby appointments. Pierce was tugging on his right ear all day yesterday so I called to see if his ped would look at his ears while we were there for Harper. He wasn't/isn't acting sick but he hasn't had any ear infections (**knock on wood**) yet and I wanted to be sure.
1st we had my post op. All is well!! I have already lost 17 pounds with 20 to go. I feel great--still have some pulling sensations here and there, but haven't taken any pain meds in over a week. My doc took the remaining steri-strips out and my incision looks amazing--teeny tiny just like from my c-section with P heart. You can't even tell she used staples. I go back in 4 weeks for my 6 week pp check.
Next we had Pierce's appt. His ears are perfect and clear!! She said maybe he has some teeth coming in and that's why he's been playing with his ears?? He weighs 25 pounds now!! He goes back at 2 years for his next well baby.
Finally we had Harper's appt. She is doing perfect!! Exam is normal and she's already reaching developmental milestones that aren't expected until 2 months!! She has grown so much since birth too!! Her cheeks are getting so adorably chubby!!
Her stats:
Height: 19 1/2 inches (up from 18 inches at birth)
Weight: 6 pounds 6 ounces (up from 5 pounds 10 ounces at birth)
Head: 13 1/2 inches (up from 13 inches at birth)
She goes back at 2 months for her next well baby.
We ALL had fantastic appts!!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Harper Annalise's Birth Story
We arrived at the hospital on Tuesday, February 12th in our usual manner of running fashionably late. Having inside information, we knew my OB would be slightly behind and we weren't worried. Once we got checked in and I changed, I was hooked up to an iv, contraction monitor, and baby's heart rate monitor. Baby looked wonderful!! I was even having contractions every 3-5 minutes on my own. Family members begin arriving with my mom bringing sweet P a lil' later. I remember feeling so sorry for him when he came into the room. He looked so confused but immediately felt comfort by sitting next to me, hand propped on my big pg belly, drinking his milk. Everyone was so generous and remembered our special lil' guy. He had many gifts to open and lots of pp to play with to keep him company.
Time went quickly at this point. My anesthesiologist came in (the same one who did my c-section with Pierce), my doctor came in, and we were ready. After our goodbyes, lots of P snuggles, and hugs, we walked to the operating room. The spinal wasn't painful at all, just a lil' weird feeling like an epidural. Unfortunately as it set in, I felt like I couldn't breathe (like a heavy weight was sitting on my chest) and extremely nauseas. Apparently this is very common as it affects your blood pressure. I threw up several times throughout the procedure, but fortunately felt comfy during the important parts. I was so thankful when Mark came into the room. He immediately grabbed my hand and offered his reassurance.
It seemed to take forever for my doctor to announce her gender after she was born. As soon as her head was out, she started talking about her gorgeous black hair and how much she looked just like her big brother. Mark and I kept staring at each other, just waiting. She was crying--we were crying. And then our doctor announced the words we had been waiting to hear for 10 months, "It's a Harper!" My anesthesiologist dropped the drape and my doctor held our daughter up so we could see her for the very 1st time. And you all were right, exactly right--I fell in love immediately!! Mark went with her to get cleaned up while I was being stitched up, but not before kissing me and telling me how much he loved me. They brought her back to me shortly thereafter. She does look like P--a lot like P--except for she has very dark hair. She has many of the same features as Pierce, but they are dainty and feminine. She even has the same gorgeous blue eyes. She was born at 10:41 am weighing 5 pounds 10 ounces, 18 inches long with a head circumference of 13 inches. We named her Harper (after Harper Lee the author of To Kill a Mockingbird) Annalise (Anna after Mark's mother's middle name). She's itty bitty, but she's perfect. She scored 9 and 9 on her Apgars.
Mark and Harper then went to the nursery while my doctor finished up. Mark announced the gender to our families in a very special way (he hadn't previously discussed with me how he planned to tell them). Everyone was waiting at the window in the nursery. Harper was wearing a very unassuming pink and blue striped hat. He walked up to the window, looked at P, tapped the glass, and said, "You have a sister!"
After being in recovery for a short while, they brought Harper to me to nurse. She latched on immediately. We had a very nice nurse who allowed Mark to bring Pierce in the recovery room to meet his sister for the 1st time. My mom brought him in, he looked at Harper, shook his head "no", and said "down" to go play. I knew it would take some time for him to warm up.
The rest of our hospital stay passed with lots of visitors. It was very special for us to be surrounded by family and loved ones. P visited often and was given a lot of special attention.
My recovery is going smoothly. The 1st day I spent mostly nauseas. However, after some medicine tweaking, I felt fine. I was up and walking around midnight the 1st day. It was painful and sore at 1st, but the more I walk the better I feel. I am literally on cloud 9. I mean honestly, what more could I ask for??!! I have an adoring husband who is an amazing, loving man and father. And God has blessed our lives with two beautiful, healthy babies--a prince and a princess!!
We came home late Thursday morning on Valentine's Day. Mark and P brought me 2 dozen red roses (my fave) and a dozen red roses for Harper. Between a few visitors , we got caught up on some much needed sleep that afternoon. We go for a weight check (b/c she's exclusively BF) on Monday. Harper is a nursing champ (she only lost 5 ounces in the hospital) and an excellent sleeper (I have to wake her to eat) already. I had most of my staples taken out on Friday. There were a few that weren't quite ready to take out yet, so Mark will take them out tomorrow. We went shopping yesterday afternoon for PINK--Harper is so tiny that even her newborn clothes don't fit--she needs preemie size clothing and diapers. We had a birthday party today to celebrate with Mark's family.
P is slowly warming up to his new sister. At 1st, he really didn't want anything to do with her. He largely ignored her. Wednesday though he started calling her by her name. "Hahpah or "Bapah". He smiles really big and claps when he says it--he knows it makes us happy. Thursday he started blowing her kisses, playing peek a boo with her, and even pointing out her body parts such as eyes (ever so gently), ears, nose, mouth, head, hands, feet, etc. When we leave the room and come back, he points to her bouncy seat and pats the inside of it for us to put her there. Once she's there, he says uh-oh and runs to turn it on for her. Yesterday, he started giving Harper her paci. He's already an amazing big brother looking out for his baby sister. And yes, he is big. He seems to have grown up so much physically and emotionally in just a few short days. I couldn't be more proud of my sweet P!!
My family cannot thank you enough for your prayers and well wishes. They truly mean the world to us!!
And here are pics of our sweet baby girl:
Time went quickly at this point. My anesthesiologist came in (the same one who did my c-section with Pierce), my doctor came in, and we were ready. After our goodbyes, lots of P snuggles, and hugs, we walked to the operating room. The spinal wasn't painful at all, just a lil' weird feeling like an epidural. Unfortunately as it set in, I felt like I couldn't breathe (like a heavy weight was sitting on my chest) and extremely nauseas. Apparently this is very common as it affects your blood pressure. I threw up several times throughout the procedure, but fortunately felt comfy during the important parts. I was so thankful when Mark came into the room. He immediately grabbed my hand and offered his reassurance.
It seemed to take forever for my doctor to announce her gender after she was born. As soon as her head was out, she started talking about her gorgeous black hair and how much she looked just like her big brother. Mark and I kept staring at each other, just waiting. She was crying--we were crying. And then our doctor announced the words we had been waiting to hear for 10 months, "It's a Harper!" My anesthesiologist dropped the drape and my doctor held our daughter up so we could see her for the very 1st time. And you all were right, exactly right--I fell in love immediately!! Mark went with her to get cleaned up while I was being stitched up, but not before kissing me and telling me how much he loved me. They brought her back to me shortly thereafter. She does look like P--a lot like P--except for she has very dark hair. She has many of the same features as Pierce, but they are dainty and feminine. She even has the same gorgeous blue eyes. She was born at 10:41 am weighing 5 pounds 10 ounces, 18 inches long with a head circumference of 13 inches. We named her Harper (after Harper Lee the author of To Kill a Mockingbird) Annalise (Anna after Mark's mother's middle name). She's itty bitty, but she's perfect. She scored 9 and 9 on her Apgars.
Mark and Harper then went to the nursery while my doctor finished up. Mark announced the gender to our families in a very special way (he hadn't previously discussed with me how he planned to tell them). Everyone was waiting at the window in the nursery. Harper was wearing a very unassuming pink and blue striped hat. He walked up to the window, looked at P, tapped the glass, and said, "You have a sister!"
After being in recovery for a short while, they brought Harper to me to nurse. She latched on immediately. We had a very nice nurse who allowed Mark to bring Pierce in the recovery room to meet his sister for the 1st time. My mom brought him in, he looked at Harper, shook his head "no", and said "down" to go play. I knew it would take some time for him to warm up.
The rest of our hospital stay passed with lots of visitors. It was very special for us to be surrounded by family and loved ones. P visited often and was given a lot of special attention.
My recovery is going smoothly. The 1st day I spent mostly nauseas. However, after some medicine tweaking, I felt fine. I was up and walking around midnight the 1st day. It was painful and sore at 1st, but the more I walk the better I feel. I am literally on cloud 9. I mean honestly, what more could I ask for??!! I have an adoring husband who is an amazing, loving man and father. And God has blessed our lives with two beautiful, healthy babies--a prince and a princess!!
We came home late Thursday morning on Valentine's Day. Mark and P brought me 2 dozen red roses (my fave) and a dozen red roses for Harper. Between a few visitors , we got caught up on some much needed sleep that afternoon. We go for a weight check (b/c she's exclusively BF) on Monday. Harper is a nursing champ (she only lost 5 ounces in the hospital) and an excellent sleeper (I have to wake her to eat) already. I had most of my staples taken out on Friday. There were a few that weren't quite ready to take out yet, so Mark will take them out tomorrow. We went shopping yesterday afternoon for PINK--Harper is so tiny that even her newborn clothes don't fit--she needs preemie size clothing and diapers. We had a birthday party today to celebrate with Mark's family.
P is slowly warming up to his new sister. At 1st, he really didn't want anything to do with her. He largely ignored her. Wednesday though he started calling her by her name. "Hahpah or "Bapah". He smiles really big and claps when he says it--he knows it makes us happy. Thursday he started blowing her kisses, playing peek a boo with her, and even pointing out her body parts such as eyes (ever so gently), ears, nose, mouth, head, hands, feet, etc. When we leave the room and come back, he points to her bouncy seat and pats the inside of it for us to put her there. Once she's there, he says uh-oh and runs to turn it on for her. Yesterday, he started giving Harper her paci. He's already an amazing big brother looking out for his baby sister. And yes, he is big. He seems to have grown up so much physically and emotionally in just a few short days. I couldn't be more proud of my sweet P!!
My family cannot thank you enough for your prayers and well wishes. They truly mean the world to us!!
And here are pics of our sweet baby girl:
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
38 week appt (my LAST appt)
All is well!! Appt went great!! Baby's heartrate was 150. I gained the 2 pounds I lost back plus 1/2 a pound, bringing my total weight gain to 36 pounds according to my doctor's scale and 37.5 pounds according to my scale. She wanted me to gain 35 pounds, so I was pretty close (I gained 31 with P). I started feeling strong pressure down low the night before last--it makes it difficult to walk without waddling. I don't remember feeling this way with P. She said the pressure is totally normal but could also be the start of early labor. I am still only 1 cm dilated though. She said if my contractions continue as often as they currently are (~every 10 minutes) and start getting stronger where I find myself having to breathe through them, I need to come in. Otherwise, we'll see her on Tuesday at 10 am. I have to go do my pre-op on Monday and we are supposed to arrive on Tuesday at 8:30 am. I started loosing some of my plug yesterday and have been spotting quite a bit. Not really sure what to make of all that............. Less than 5 days and sweet bean will be here!!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
P's big boy room, nursery, and new truck pics
Last weekend we finally finished P's big boy room. We got P all new bedding and wall decorations and baby is getting his gender neutral crib bedding and accessories. I was so happy and excited to go shopping for BLUE!! His room is decorated in a nautical theme. We had a lot of fun picking everything out. Here are some pics of the finished product:
From his doorway:
From the sink area in his bathroom:
From the opposite corner:
Close ups:
We finally finished sweet bean's nursery yesterday. It's a good thing b/c he or she will be here in no less than 9 days!! Here are the promised pics:
From the doorway:
From another angle:
Crib:
The rocking chair is downstairs in our bedroom (where baby will sleep in the beginning), but it's oak and has a cream pad. After baby is born, we'll put baby's name on the wall too!!
We bought a new car this past week also--a fully loaded 2008 Tahoe LTZ. DH is taking over my car, we're selling his car, and I'm driving the new one. We picked it up Friday. Here are a few pics:
Me, my main man, and our new car:
From driver side door:
Looking back from driver's door:
Instrument control panel:
P rode home with me from the dealership. Since his Boulevard is tethered in my car, I just installed his Scenera (our travel carseat) for the ride home. We have a carseat installation check on Wednesday for his Boulevard and baby's keyfit. Notice he's still RFing!!
And a bonus pic of my Sweet P sleeping in our new car on the way home from buying groceries yesterday morning (I still need to install his Boulevard--awaiting installation check from carseat tech):
From his doorway:
From the sink area in his bathroom:
From the opposite corner:
Close ups:
We finally finished sweet bean's nursery yesterday. It's a good thing b/c he or she will be here in no less than 9 days!! Here are the promised pics:
From the doorway:
From another angle:
Crib:
The rocking chair is downstairs in our bedroom (where baby will sleep in the beginning), but it's oak and has a cream pad. After baby is born, we'll put baby's name on the wall too!!
We bought a new car this past week also--a fully loaded 2008 Tahoe LTZ. DH is taking over my car, we're selling his car, and I'm driving the new one. We picked it up Friday. Here are a few pics:
Me, my main man, and our new car:
From driver side door:
Looking back from driver's door:
Instrument control panel:
P rode home with me from the dealership. Since his Boulevard is tethered in my car, I just installed his Scenera (our travel carseat) for the ride home. We have a carseat installation check on Wednesday for his Boulevard and baby's keyfit. Notice he's still RFing!!
And a bonus pic of my Sweet P sleeping in our new car on the way home from buying groceries yesterday morning (I still need to install his Boulevard--awaiting installation check from carseat tech):
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