Dear Tavin: 2.5 years!

Dear Tavin,

I can't believe how fast time is flying!  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital wondering "what the heck did we get ourselves in to?"

But here we are!  Every day is a new journey with you.  You are learning new words, testing our patience and limits, and making us laugh.

You are growing in to a little man.  Saying "bless you" when someone sneezes, "excuse me" when you fart/burp, and "please" and "thank you" regularly.

You have been a great big brother to Olivia.  Asking "ma holda baby?" often and getting burp rags and other things for her.

You have obsessions with anything trucks, heavy equipment/tractors, slides (you still say "wee"), balls, and cameras.   And of course, you are all boy, picking up frogs and other bugs.

You are starting to say names of everyone in the family.  So cute to watch you recognize and put names to faces.

You and Daisy still have a love/hate relationship.  Often times I will find you two snuggled up on the couch only to hear a few seconds later "Daisy bite me".  And you enjoy taking "adie jane" for walks.

Although it seems you are so grown up, you have a long way to go which I am completely ok with. You still have little interest in the "potty" and you have yet to perfect dressing yourself.

Thank you for picking me as your Mama.  I can't imagine my life without you!

Love,

Mama

Dear Olivia: Month 1

Dear Olivia!

We've made it through your first month!  You were much easier than Tavin.  Maybe it's because we knew what we were doing or maybe because you're more laid back.  But for whatever reason, I welcomed the relaxed state!

The first week was mostly nurse visits and doctor appointments.  At your first nurse visit, you were gaining weight like a champ and you're bilirubin levels were within normal range (they tested because you were Coombs positive).  At the doctor appointment, you got a gold star!  Gained even more weight and everything looked great!

This was day #3 and Shaun went up to get Grandma and so it was my first challenge with you and Tavin.  It went quite well thanks to Pooh on TV.

Your first "meeting" with Grandma E.

The second week we did your newborn photos.  They went okay.  You did not want to cooperate by falling asleep and Tavin was tired and cranky.  We made do and got some great shots.

Mother's Day was just another day, but I did manage to sneak in a picture with you and Tavin, even after a major spit-up and a toddler meltdown.

You also had another weight check the second week and you were above your birth weight!  The nurse was so surprised she had me take you off the scale and set you back on because she didn't think it was right!

You absolutely hate your tummy time!  I feel bad that we don't get you on the floor more, but we are working on it.

The third and fourth week, I went back to work part time (gasp!)!!!  You came with of course.  Surprisingly, we actually made it to work on time most days (8 am).

The third weekend, we had company--Aunt Angie, Uncle Tim and Grandma and Grandpa came to visit.

The fourth weekend, we made your first trek out to Grandma and Grandpas.   You did great and took everything in stride.

You also got to meet up with your cousins

And Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mike

Your sleep habits are so much different than Tavin as well.  You LOVE your sleep.  The first couple of weeks you were waking a couple times a night.  I'd feed you last at 10 and then you would be up to eat between 2-3 and then again between 4-5.  After I knew you were back above your birth weight, I let you sleep until you wanted.  Some nights you would skip the 2-3 feeding and make it to 4-5.  It was great in a way but not so great since I still had to get up and pump to release the pressure!

Tavin mostly loves you.  He gets jealous when I have to feed you.  But, he is a great helper and will help get me items or let Sadie in or out while I'm nursing you.  He makes sure to wake you up in the morning, "wake baby wake!"   He also wants to know if you have "poopies" or if you need to burp.

The obligatory dog pose with Sadie

Compared to Tavin's:

Time for your monthly photos!

I can't believe how fast the month flew by!  You are such a blessing to us!

Love,
Mama

Baby #2 is HERE!!!

At my 39 week appointment, the Dr said I was 2 cm dilated which was significant progress from the week before.  The few days after the appointment involved contracts, lots of low back pain, and the loss of my mucus plug.  But at the end of each work day, the contractions had stopped, the low back pain dissipated, and nothing more followed after the mucus plug.

So after work on Friday, we went out for Chinese hoping the salt would coax baby out.  As our middle of the night on call person was gone, my parents were set to arrive later that evening.

Early Saturday morning, around 3:30 a.m. I woke up with some pretty intense contractions.  These contractions were different than what I had felt earlier in the week.  These were lower in my pelvis.  I stayed in bed until about 4:30 when they started to become really uncomfortable lying down.  When I got up, I started timing them and they were pretty consistent.  Then after about an hour they died down.  In effort to keep them going, Shaun and I took Sadie for a walk.  It did not help much.  I was down to a few sporadic contractions.

So we had breakfast with Tavin and my parents.  Then my mom and I went to a garage sale.  I had a few contractions while out and about and they were starting to get more intense.  When we got home, I did some laundry and played outside with Tavin.  During some of the contractions, Tavin was quite concerned as to why I was doubled over, but Shaun reassured him that "mom was thinking."

At around 11 a.m. I had some bloody show.  The contractions were still inconsistent, anywhere from 5-10 to 15-20 minutes apart.  I went and talked to Shaun and told him it was time to go in.  We decided to wait until after lunch.  Unfortunately, the lunch my mom was making wasn't going to be ready until almost 1 p.m.  My mom rushed some of the lunch to get done and I was eating around Noon.  The contractions continued to get stronger.

By the time we left the house, it was closer to 12:45.  I had a few contractions in the car (=hell) and the walk to the hospital (due to construction) felt like an eternity.  After getting checked in and changed into the hospital gown, the nurse checked me.  She said I was 5 cm and pretty stretchy.  She commented that my doctor would likely break my water to speed up the birthing.

When my doctor arrived and checked me, I was 7 cm.  She broke my water and the contractions intensified and were coming right on top of each other.  While I was breathing through the contractions, they were trying to get the saline lock/IV put in.  Yeah that was not fun either!

About a half hour after the doctor broke my water, I was ready to push!!  Baby descended quickly and after about 15 minutes of pushing (compared to 2 hours with Tavin), baby was born!!!

And it's a GIRL!!!!

It only took 4 hours to decide on her name.  We screened all the names (Vivian, Isabella, Addison, and Olivia) through Tavin and after we told him all of them, he shouted "Livie".  So Olivia it was!

Our first picture as a family of 4!

Olivia Jean was born on May 3 at 2:42 p.m.  Weighing 7 lb 6.9 oz and 20 inches long!