The morning after (in action)

Here's a video clip of Lizzy and I from this morning. She was hanging out like this for a good 30 minutes before she even peeped.  So far she's been great with very little crying

The morning after

  

Here's a couple photos from the morning after.  Lizzy and I were hanging out on "my bed" (the couch) and she was very content and alert .  She and mama are napping now :)

Our Little Girl's Arrival - The Birth Story

Yesterday, yes - right on my due date, I started having regular contractions a little before 8am. They were very mild and stayed that way for much of the day, but they also never stopped, no matter what I was doing, so I figured Baby was getting ready, and I'd better get ready too! I took AJ to the library because I had a book due that I had just finished after renewing for the max # of times (it was Big Box Swindle, and make me embarrassed to disclose the next stop on our outing...). Then we went to Target to get the few lingering items on my list of what to bring to the hospital! Some people might think, "You were having contractions and you went shopping!?" but really, it passed the time and got us out of the house.

Around 5:00, the contractions were getting closer together and a little stronger than they had been all day, so I called my Dr. She reassured me that I sounded like I was in early stages of labor but also told me that at the moment I didn't need to rush into the hospital. We decided that it would be good to have some dinner, call my parents to come in, and put AJ to bed before going in, so that was the plan...but things started to speed up over the next couple hours! By the time my dad drove us (quickly!) to Prentice, the contractions were so strong that I could no longer talk or walk during them.

In triage, I measured 4.5cm (that's out of 10, for those not into the childbirth thing yet) so that was encouraging. My plan was to have a natural childbirth this time around, so after I was admitted, Andy was my main support, literally and figuratively, as I got through each contraction. After a couple hrs, I had only progressed .5 cm and was feeling discouraged! But the nurse assured me we were doing great and that Dr. Gale had requested that a resident break my water for me. After that, it was game-time!

The contractions really intensified, almost immediately, and started to come much closer together! Whoa! It was a lot harder to find comfortable positions and those that had been working well - the birthing ball, "7th grade dancing" w/ Andy, etc. - wern't doing it for me anymore. Our nurse was on a break and I had Andy page her. When she didn't come right away, I sent him into the hall to get someone! I was not so calm at this point, but I learned that he was cool and collected when he asked someone to come in to help me. :) What a great husband!


So, they checked me again, and I was already at 9.5cm! No wonder I didn't want to sit on that ball anymore! It was time to push, said my body! So they paged my Dr. and she headed right over. When they had broken my bag of water earlier, I guess there was myconium (baby poop) in the fluid, so a team of nurses arrived to be there to assist the baby if it needed anything. Suddenly I found myself pushing the baby out amongst a room full of excited people cheering me on! And holy smokes, I pushed for dear life! I guess I was doing well, because one of the Pediatric nurses said, "wow! and you've hardly even pushed!". I thought she was saying I was not pushing enough and replied, "What do you mean!? I'm pushing my brains out!!" So Andy told me that she meant I was doing great for not having pushed very long! LOL

So after only 13 min of pushing (Andy, my stat-man, timed it), Elizabeth Marie was born at 1:54am on June 26th. She weighed in at 8 lb 14 oz, and measured 22 in long! What a big girl! She had inhaled a good bit of the amniotic fluid, so the ped team worked on her to get her to cray and cough it all up. Then she was brought over to me...oh my goodness, she is so precious! I remembered how amazing it was when I help AJ for the first time and this time was just as special. What little miracles babies are!! Andy also got to hold her and talk to her. I love watching those moments. After I was cleaned up and good to go, Elizabeth and I had some skin-to-skin time, and she started nursing right away. Dr. Gale, the nurses, Andy and I were all impressed with her quick learning!

All 3 of us got a little rest and then later in the morning were transferred to a postpartum room. Our first visitors were AJ and my mom. Of course my mom loved holding the baby and was so happy she was a girl. AJ was funny. He was wearing his "I'm a big brother" shirt and was very proud to announce that to me. He also told me, "Good job, Mama!" a few times, so I asked him what I did a good job on...he replied, "On the baby!". So cute! He really didn't care to spend much time checking her out unless we were coaxing him, but was very interested in climbing all over the room and touching everything! (Just what I thought would happen!) A little while after they left, my dad stopped by. He brought flowers and a balloon which brightened the room, and got to hold Elizabeth while she was awake for a few minutes. Our last visitor was my sister, who came this evening, bringing us a care package. She got to hold Elizabeth too, and also had the special privilege of changing the second poopy diaper. :)

So, now, as I sit in our hospital room nearing the end of our first day as a family of 4, I am counting my blessings. So much love, 2 healthy kids, a supportive family, and a wonderful marriage. For sure there will be many challenges and hard days ahead, but for now, I can bask in the peace and quiet of my sleeping husband and new baby for at least a few more minutes!

Our Little Gardener (plus Cheerios)

If any of you have been following my green blog, you know that we are in the process of growing a whole bunch of veggies out on our balcony. I wanted to get AJ involved as well, and so in addition to giving him his own little watering can and letting him help drown, I mean water, our plants, we decided to do some seed-study projects.

I bought a bunch of vegetable seeds, so I opened a few of the packages and let AJ pick some out. We talked about what types of seeds they are, and how vegetables that he likes can grow from them. He chose a beet seed, 2 green beans, and 2 peas. We folded up a long piece of toilet paper (we no longer buy paper towels, I know, how strange of us!) and he elped me tuck it into a zip top baggie (ok, I still buy these). Then we added his seeds and I let him squirt some water into the bag. We zipped it up and taped it to the window, and then checked it every couple of days...

Here are the seeds on day 1.  We also threw in some marigold seeds, but those went by the wayside...we do have some rogue marigolds growing outside in the windowboxes amongst my lettuces, so at least we did end up with a FEW flowers out there this year! Ha!

AJ  liked to poke at the seeds, so they all ended up working their way to the bottom of the bag. His friend, Raccoon, also liked checking out our experiment...that's Raccoon there in AJ hand.

Here are our seeds just over a week later. AJ thought it was cool that they were sprouting "wiggly" roots.  At this point, I wasn't sure if the peas were going to sprout...

but eventually they did!

Two of AJ's earlier potted plant experiences were flooded one time too many, so when one of the green bean sprouts started pushing on the zipper of our baggie, we headed outside to plant the beans and peas in those 2 pots (right and center).

Here is AJ trying to use my mommy-sized trowel.  I redirected him very quickly after taking this picture!  He really does like to help and be involved though. It's pretty cool!

Now, we go outside (almost) every day to water and inspect how all of his and our plants are doing. AJ's little sprouts are growing bigger every day, and the peas have sent out little tendrils and started climbing up our balcony's chicken wire.  I hope they will eventually make some pods for him to eat for dinner!

In a previous post, AJ planted some other seeds into a pot at a friend's place, and here is the update on that project.  The seeds have come up and are doing great!  

These, too, have attached themselves to our fencing and should make some flowers in a bit (if the sun would ever shine more than 2 days in a week!). I think he's going to be excited when that happens, since he even wants to save the dandelions that he picks at the parks and put them into a vase when we get home. :)

On a completely unrelated note, during this rainy past couple of weeks, we have had to come up with some more indoor activities. AJ's grandpa John gave him a cute book a while ago that has little spots to place Cheerios while you read the story. We hadn't played with that in a while, so we had a nice, long snack-time that day reading and eating the cereal.  I just thought it was cute how careful he was trying to be when placing the Oh's in their little spots...

The Big Boy Bed!!

AJ has now been sleeping up in his new room for just over a week, and so far it's going pretty well. Before he made the move upstairs, he was excited about the new space Daddy was building for him, and wanted to go up to investigate all the time. Andy actually had to buy him a toy tool set to keep AJ from stealing his real tools, since he was VERY interested in being like Andy and using them all...the pointier the better! The plastic flat-head screwdriver makes me feel much less worried about my walls, furniture, and child!

So the same weekend that Andy's dad was here for his b-day, Andy and I headed out to Ikea and bought AJ a new bed. It's a toddler bed, but mainly because the new sleeping loft is so small, it was just a better fit, and we figure will be big enough for at least a couple of years (and then we can move our future toddler up there if need be). AJ was so excited! But we had to put off the big move until the room was safe and mostly complete...and until the calendar was clear for a couple of nights of "normal"...meaning both of us home to be the united front in case there were any problems.

But, things went relatively well the first night. AJ did cry for a little while, but settled himself down after about 15 min, and then just talked to his animals like he used to in his crib. He ended up falling asleep later then usual and waking earlier than usual, but at least he slept through the night and stayed in the crib! Here he is on his first night in the new space/bed.



Since this first night, I've noticed that he seems to stay with his head at the top of the bed, but this shot was pretty cute. It's also a little harder some days to get him to stay in his bed on the first try for a nap, but nighttime seems easier. All in all, he has started to sleep a little later again in the mornings, waking around 6 or 6:30, and the naps are evening out. I'm so glad we got him to make the transition so smoothly at least a few weeks before the baby is to arrive. It's an exciting change for him as well as for us as a family. We're so proud of our little guy!

AJ-isms

AJ has been saying some funny stuff lately, so I figured I should start posting about it before I forget, as well as to share with you.

While riding along through a nearby neighborhood, AJ was pointing out all the stop signs. 

After a few moments he paused and asked, "Mama, where are GO signs?"

When I came around the corner the other morning wearing a sundress, AJ looked at me and smiled and said, "Mama, you look so handsome!"

He has started to name things. Sometimes they have names we'd consider normal, sometimes not. He named his toy front-loader's operator Bill, and the gray cat from his Lego set Ben. He named a picture of a bulldozer Pab, and a pipecleaner beetle we made Be-dot.

When we ask him what something tastes like, his usual answer is "Candy!". 

Yesterday we cut open a watermelon and he LOVED it. While eating he kept saying, "AJ likes watermelon! Watermelon is SOOO yummy!  Watermelon is cold and sweet!"

Lately we've been teaching him some German and he's soaking it up like a sponge. Whenever I'm preparing a meal and he's hungry, he runs to the table saying, "Zeit zu essen! Komm zum tisch! (Time to eat! Come to the table!)"  I need to teach him how to say Mommy's making dinner, it's almost time to eat...

We've been talking a lot about what animals eat. So yesterday while we were outside, we saw a squirrel bury a nut. I asked him what squirrels eat and he said, "Nuts and seeds".  Then he announced, "Cows eat grass and hay. AJ eats people food." I thought that was cute, but then later in the day someone asked him what his favorite thing to eat was and his answer was "people food!"

Pointed to Andy's belt tonight and said, "Daddy, take off your seatbelt."

I'm sure there are more of these little snippets, but that's it for now. Along the way I'll try to include some of them, since this is the stuff that I usually forget about after a week or so, but would love to always remember. And I'll definitely get him to sing some more songs on video soon too!

On the Road Again

This Spring, I have obviously not gotten back onto my bike (with or without AJ). Though I miss it a lot, being a pregnant bike rider, especially in the city, is just not smart/safe/sane.  My balance is off, I'm easily distracted, and honestly my belly is too big to accommodate AJ on the handlebars! LOL

So, I encouraged Andy to take AJ for a ride. They soon found out that the 3+ helmet that our 1 year old wore last summer could no longer squeeze onto his head. Good thing I was not going along for the ride, because AJ had to wear MY helmet, which actually just about fit him! (I have since gone shopping and found that our 2 year old is now wearing a 5+ helmet. I know, he's got a big head, people!) Here they are getting ready for their ride.

When they returned for their ride, Andy informed me that AJ has just about outgrown the bike seat. I think Andy could handle riding with him in it for the rest of the biking season, but by the end of the summer he might reach the weight limit. And that's beside the fact that he is now more active and inquisitive and Andy said AJ was trying to touch the brakes, etc. while they rode!  Good thing next year he will have a bike of his own and we can just pedal on the sidewalks to the nearby parks. At that point, the new baby will be big enough/old enough to ride in the bike seat. But for now, father and son bike rides seem to be the way to go. Maybe one day this summer when one of the grandmas are over for the day, I can get out on my bike on my own...I miss feeling the breeze on my skin while I glide along!

Grandpa John's Birthday

Toward the end of May, we celebrated Andy's dad's birthday here at our place. Andy's sister Melissa and her boyfriend Tom were in for the weekend to attend a friend's wedding, so the timing was perfect for us all to have a little birthday lunch. AJ was happy to see everyone!  John's friend, Renee had not seen AJ in quite a while, so it was nice for her to see what he's up to as well. We had a nice lunch, and then it was time for CAKE, or course! AJ has come to believe that a birthday party is cake day...he's pretty much right about that, I guess. Here are a couple pics:

The birthday boy during his song.

AJ helping Grandpa John blow out his candles.

Hangin' with Louis

OK, so maybe you've noticed that my posts come in spurts...in the last one, I was even caught up!  I posted the same day as we had our adventure!  But then, I kind of fell off the wagon. So now, coming your way, are a few more posts to update you on what we've all been up to!

Recently, the Art Institute opened its new Modern Wing. This much anticipated opening was widely attended since admission was free for the first week.  My mom (who is in the midst of applying to become a museum docent) got a sneak peek and told me that the new wing had a wonderful new kids area, and that AJ and I should check it out.  So, my friend Sam and I made plans to take AJ and her sons Louis and baby Axel downtown to see what there was to see!

We took the train downtown and AJ and Louis liked the ride.  Up elevators, onto a train, lots of people watching, then more elevators up the sidewalks of the Loop. What's not for a 2 year old to love?!  When we rolled up to the museum, the doors were about to open and there were lots of people bunched up waiting to get in. When we got inside, the space was flooded with natural light and I can only imagine how great all the modern art looked in that setting.  And I say "only imagine" because we headed straight for the kids area and never even got into the actual museum!

The kids area has a big playroom with art and architectural toys, puzzles, books and computer games. It is big and open and was a lot of fun...at least for the first few minutes. Then AJ started running around like a crazy kid, smashing other kids block towers, and generally ignoring my directions and requests.  Soooo, after having a time out in the corner, we had to leave the room and move on. We found the arts and crafts room, another great, open space with tons of natural light. The boys got to color, cut, paste, and use colored tape to make little square collages. These are some of Louis' favorite things to do, so he was in his glory and sat working intently for quite a while. AJ's attention span is a little shorter (and sometimes I have to remind myself that he's also 6 mo younger!) than Louis', so he was over the collage activities pretty quickly.  When he started trying to use the scissors to cut his shirt, I decided we had to go. 

(I have found that chasing after AJ and enforcing my behavioral expectations at this point in my pregnancy is really tough. He is no dummy and has totally caught on to this, so that makes it even more difficult sometimes. But overall, I still really enjoy taking AJ on outings and we both really like to get out of the house a few times a week whether its a museum, a park or a playdate with a friend. I just hope that I will be able to regain control at some point after the baby is born and I can move a little faster again!)

It was coming up on lunchtime, so we split from the AI and called Andy. We went up to his office space to say hello to some of his co-workers and take him with us to lunch. We had lunch at Louis' dad's place, Lunch Rolls, and it was good!  I swear I have had dreams about the bread pudding that Andy apparently ordered for AJ to have for dessert. Hahaha!  AJ never even got to taste it!

The next day, we met Sam, Louis and Axel again, this time at a great neighborhood lunch spot called Curio Cafe. The food is yummy, the service is friendly, and the best part is that they have tons of toys to keep the kids busy. There is a little table with small chairs around it, as well as bins of toys, and the children are not just tolerated, but encouraged to play with them! AJ and Louis had a great time playing with all of Curio's Thomas the Train toys. They were really much better behaved than the previous day at the museum, and I was much more relaxed hanging out there. Axel has not gotten much attention in this post, because he is such an easy baby!  He was maybe about 1 month old during these outings, and mostly slept and only woke to look around and then nurse and go back to sleep. He is certainly a cutie and Louis is doing great adjusting to the role of big brother. I hope AJ will follow his lead when he becomes the big brother at our house!