Fairwell to a great month

Time flies when you are having fun! The transition to a mother of two has gone very well. I have a great support system with my hubby and friends, which makes it that much easier. Adam had the first week off and because of some restructuring of his team, he had a couple of extra days on top of that. Our friends have been a huge help as well, bringing us meals each night for the first couple of weeks. That allowed us to spend more time with Mason and Taylor and I didn't have to worry about going to the grocery store.

Last weekend, Adam & I took Mason & Taylor to the mall. Mason needs some summer clothes. The weather is getting warmer, and his short sleeved shirts are a little too short for his long torso. I'm thankful that at least he is still wearing a 2T in his shorts and pants and will most likely remain in them throughout the summer. So all I needed to find were shirts and shoes. I don't know if I am just way too picky, but I didn't find anything I liked. The logos on the shirts were either to childish, or nothing caught my eye. I was so disappointed.

Shoe buying didn't go well either. Mason wears an 8 and I have learned that you don't let the boy try on shoes, unless you plan on buying the pair you put on his feet. Otherwise, I have a crying, screaming boy on my hands. He loves shoes just like his mommy. I wanted to buy sandals or crocs, but again I didn't see any that I liked. At least our trip to the mall allowed me to get out of the house and get a little exercise.

Saturday evening, our church hosted Married Life Live, for the Young Married Adults. Originally, Adam & I didn't plan on attending, because we thought we would either still be pregnant or have a brand new baby that would be only a few days old. Taylor's early arrival allowed us to go. Mason went to the nursery and we brought Taylor with us. The event was catered and we dined on yummy lasagna, tri-tip, chicken, rolls, salad, cupcakes, cookies, and rice krispie treats. It was nice to be among adults for an evening. We won a gift certificate to dinner and two tickets to a movie. Our church does a great job at teaching and planning events for the Young Married Adults. It made for a nice weekend.

Yesterday, Adam & I decided to buy a play kitchen for Mason. Every time we go to his friends house, you will find him playing with their play kitchen. Toysrus had a sale and it happened to be the kitchen we were looking for. Adam insisted on putting it together last night and didn't finish until 1am. Mason was so surprised this morning and spent the entire day playing in his kitchen and bringing me food to try. If he is smart, he will learn to cook, so that he can cook for his wife one day.

Our little girl is two weeks old today. It is still hard to believe that it has already been two weeks, since her arrival. She is still wearing all newborn clothes and they are still very big on her. I haven't taken her into the doctor for a weigh in, but I'm guess she is a little shy of 8lbs. The girl loves to eat and I'm happy to say that breastfeeding is going very well. I was worried about this, because I had a hard time with Mason and got Mastitis and couldn't push through it. I'm not sure if it's because this is my second child and I know more now, but whatever it is, I'm glad that it's going smoothly.

She eats and sleeps in 3 hours intervals. My body has adjusted to her schedule, although it doesn't make it easier for the 3am feeding. Luckily, both Mason and Taylor take their afternoon naps at the same time, which allows me to get a couple hours of sleep. I look forward to the day when she sleeps longer, so that I can sleep longer.

My body is getting back to normal as well. I gained 30lbs with this pregnancy and have lost 20 of those pounds so far. I look forward to my evening walks and eventually getting the clear for working out. Summer is right around the corner and I plan on spending my days outside and possibly in our friends pool.

1st Week Pictures

Sleeping on Mommy
Madison holding Taylor for the first time

Luke holding Taylor. She was really sleepy and is yawning nice and big in the picture.

Luke giving her a hug.

Marissa cuddling with Taylor

Stretching out her skinny little legs

Sleeping beauty

Showing off her her muscles

Her first bath

Getting all cleaned up

Sleep

I'm not going to get my hopes up, but Taylor slept for 5 hours straight last night! I fed her last around 11:30pm and didn't wake up until 5am this morning. It was amazing what 5 hours of continuous sleep will do for a gal. I was able to go back to sleep and get another 2.5 hours of sleep after that. I feel rested and refreshed this morning.

1 week old

It's hard to believe that one week ago, we were at the hospital welcoming our baby girl into this world. Our lives have been turned upside down for the better and I couldn't imagine a day without her. It's been a whirlwind of a week, even if it has mostly included feeding her, changing her, and watching her sleep.



We arrived home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and immediately went down for a nap. I didn't get much sleep in the hospital, with all the excitement of having a baby and the contractions. Mason woke up from his nap and was anxious to see his little sister. He still wasn't sure what to think of everything. He went along with his normal routine and would walk over to her every once in awhile and then go about playing again.



All of our friends have been so great at helping out and bringing us dinner all week long. That night, as we sat down to eat, Taylor started to cry. I didn't know how Mason would react, but my heart melted as I witnessed the sweetest thing. His lip started to stick out and tears began streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't bare to see his sister cry. It was so sweet and so sad at the same time. It breaks his little heart to see his sister upset. I shouldn't be to surprised, because he is such a loving little boy and has a huge heart.



The first night, I was so exhausted and all I wanted to do was get some sleep. She has been a very good eater and sleeper from the start, but already is particular. The girl loves to be swaddled, like most babies, only she knows how to get her little arms loose. If she isn't swaddled, she will still sleep, as long as it is on you. I have heard about Miracle Blankets for awhile and was curious as to what made it different from the other Swaddle Me Blankets. After checking it out on their website, I was hooked. I knew immediately that it would be perfect for Taylor. After looking up to see if they sold any in our city, there happened to be one boutique here in Bakersfield that carries them. However, when we went to JM's on Friday, they didn't have any and weren't sure when they would be getting the next shipment in. I was disappointed, but at least I could still order one online. It should be here tomorrow.



She also will not feed unless she has a clean diaper on and has been burped beforehand. With Mason, we would feed on one side, burp, change his diaper, and then feed on the other side. With Taylor, she prefers a diaper change, burp, feed on one side, burp, and feed on the other. Occasionally, we have had to change her diaper again between feedings, because she will have a blow out. Oh, how I forgot about those days.



Friday morning, we had her 2 day checkup bright and early. That meant getting everyone in the house ready, fed, and out the door by 9am. It was a bit of a challenge, but we made it. Dr. Shah was very pleased with how well Taylor was doing. She weighed 6lbs 13oz, which confirmed that she definitely is a good eater. He did mention she is a little tongue tied, but it hasn't been hurting me at all and since she is eating well, he wasn't concerned. After her appointment we ran some errands. It was nice to get out of the house, but it wasn't long before I was tired and needed to go home to relax.



Saturday, we celebrated Adam's 29th birthday. Unfortunately, we couldn't do too much because of the weeks events. Our friends came over and brought Jake's for dinner and then we just hung out. I felt bad, because neither of us really got to do too much this year for our birthdays, but it has all been worth it. It's going to be crazy with all the birthdays our family has in March, but if anything it makes it a very exciting month.



Monday was our last day home with Adam. It has been so nice having him home with us. We were both spoiled to have him home everyday for the first 6 months of Mason's life, since he worked from home. It's going to be very different this time around. I'm a little nervous about being home alone with a toddler and a newborn, but I know I can do it. I keep reminding myself that if my friend Rachel can do it with twins that are Mason's age and a newborn, then I can do it too.



My recovery is faster this time around and I'm not complaining. I'm able to do a lot more, and I'm not sure if that is because I have a 20 month old to chase around or if it's because I knew what to expect this time. The only thing that caught me off guard were the contractions of the uterus after you have the baby. No one told me that it gets worse each time you have a child. Someone could have warned a sister. The first few days, I was in a lot of pain, but now I'm off of my pain medicines and can enjoy feeding my daughter without having horrendous cramps.



Mason is adjusting really well with all of the changes. He loves his little sister and gives her kisses and then starts laughing. It's so cute! Anytime she is in the swing, he tries to push it and doesn't really understand what gentle means. But he knows now, that he can only play with the swing, when she isn't in it. The real test will be when he has to share his Mommy this week.

First few days

Leaving the hospital

In the bassinett sleeping

Napping on Daddy. I love that blonde hair.

Trying out her sing for the first time

It looks like she is upset, but she is actually yawning.

On the way to the doctor for her 2 day checkup
She is "Berry" Sweet

Blue Steele from Zoolander

Mason watching Elmo

My little boy

Pictures of Taylor's Birthday

Checked into the hospital and waiting for Taylor's arrival.

Adam said he had to wear Baylor shirts, since he wore Baylor shirts when Mason was born. It was only fitting.

Mama holding Taylor for the first time.

Taylor Reese Kaye

Skin to skin with my baby girl

Taylor had a good grasp of my finger

She has long skinny fingers


Getting cleaned up
Taylor & Daddy bonding
Footprints


Daddy's little girl

Right after her bath

He's hooked already

Mason arrived and he wanted to lay on Mommy's lap right away

Our family of four!

Taylor's arrival 3.17.09

Monday evening, Adam & I decided to take Mason to Toys R Us to pick out a toy. We wanted him to have something special, since he was going to become a big brother. I was in search of a steering wheel that made car noises, but there was no such luck. It wasn't that long ago that I had purchased something similar to that for my nephews. Surely I thought they would have what we were looking for, but after searching the entire store, we decided to find something different.

Mason adores Elmo and we knew that anything associated with Elmo would be great. I was a little nervous walking down the aisle of Elmo toys, because I thought Mason would want everything. Instead, he singled in on a little guitar that plays some tunes and Elmo sings songs. It was perfect. All he wanted to do was hold the guitar the entire ride home.

We weren't home for long, when my contractions started. I had been having a lot of contractions over the last month or so, but these were different. I didn't want to get my hopes up, in case it was false labor, so I just noted the time in my head and went along with our evening. We fed Mason dinner and as Adam was getting ready for his basketball game, I told him he might be getting a call to come home in the middle of the game. I didn't want him to not attend the game, besides the game was right down the street and less than 2 minutes away. I assured him I would call if I thought it was necessary for him to come home. Our plan was to eat dinner after he got home from his game.

While Adam was at the game, Mason was sound asleep, and all I could think about was having to wake him up and not really being able to say bye before leaving for the hospital. The gathering of the bags began as the contractions continued to come. At this point, they were about 5 minutes apart going on about two hours.

I finally decided to call the hospital and let them make the call whether or not I should come in. The charge nurse was extremely nice and suggested that we go ahead and leave for the hospital. I immediately called Adam and went to wake up Mason. The poor guy was so tired and fell back asleep on the floor in our bedroom. Luckily, we had packed a couple nights before and didn't really need to do too much, except load everything and everyone in the car and go.

Our friends Marissa & Ray were kind enough to watch Mason for us, since none of our family could make it out for the arrival. Mason adores their family and we knew it wouldn't be a hard transition for him. This is also the very first night Mason has ever spent the night away from Adam & I.

As we arrived at the hospital, we checked in and were sent to a room to monitor my contractions. At this point, it's about 9:30pm. I was hooked up to the monitors and answered numerous questions. The nurse told me that she expected me to be another centimeter dilated within the hour. Although my contractions were still five minutes apart, I only dilated half a centimeter in that hour. She called Dr. H who asked if I wanted to speed things along in the morning, should my cervix not dilate any further during that time. I was completely fine with that, especially since I didn't want a long drawn out labor.

My contractions remained 5 minutes apart all night long and but still no change with my cervix. I thought labor was supposed to be faster the second time around. At 6am, they started the pitocin and things began to progress. I wasn't allowed to get my epidural until I had dilated at least another centimeter. I was only 4 cm dilated. I didn't really feel like I needed the epidural at this point, but I was more worried that if I didn't get it soon, then it would be too late to get one.

Around 11:30am, they checked me and I was 5cm dilated and I could finally get the epidural. I was ready for it at this point. My contractions were about 2 minutes apart and I was getting uncomfortable. After the epidural, I felt great, just like my labor with Mason. However, I did have a couple incidents of throwing up. I was allowed to drink ice water or juice and after drinking a few sips of apple juice, I was sick to my stomach. I didn't have anything in my system except water and juice, so at least that was good. I couldn't feel much of anything after the epidural. My water hadn't broken yet, and every doctor is different. I knew that once it did, it wouldn't be long. My friend Marissa arrived and brought Adam lunch. I knew he had to be starving considering neither of us had eaten anything since the day before. Marissa kindly stayed with us as we waited for Taylor's arrival.

Dr. H came in around 1pm and broke my water and at 2:20pm I was fully dilated and ready to push. I pushed about 5 sets of 3 pushes for 20 minutes. Marissa was ready with the camera to take pictures as soon as she arrived. Adam held my hand and my leg, so that I could push. With the epidural, I couldn't even feel my legs, let alone lift them. At 2:40pm, Taylor Reese Kaye made her appearance.

The nurses immediately placed her on my chest and wiped her off for the following 10 minutes. Just like with Mason, there is nothing like holding your child for the first time. It's love at first sight. She was so tiny and immediately I noticed her blonde hair. The nurse took her to warming bed and weighed her and measured her. She was 7lbs 4oz and 19.75 inches long.

The difference with the hospital here compared to Memorial City in Houston, was that Taylor was with me at all times. She never went to the nursery and if anything needed to be done or checked, they came to us. I was able to feed her right away and spend some one on one time with her and Adam before the visitors arrived.

Ray brought Mason up to see us about 5pm. We could hear Mason talking in the hallway and I nearly began to cry when he entered the room. I had missed him so much and couldn't wait to see my little boy. He was so excited to see Adam & I and climbed right up on the bed and lay on me for a bit. We brought Taylor over to him and he kissed her sweet head and then decided that it was time to play. The room we were staying in was huge and there was a lot to explore for a 20 month old. He was interested in everything, and would occasionally walk over to where Taylor was and check her out. It wasn't until we came home that he really took an interest in his little sister.

Later that evening, Selena and her daughter Abigail, came to visit. Abigail and Mason are the same age and Selena is expecting a little boy in July. Afterwards, Katie visited us and brought us dinner. Hospitals always serve dinner so early and to be honest, I didn't want hospital food at that moment. I was thankful for a good meal and even more thankful for all of our wonderful friends. It made not having our family with us, so much easier. In all honestly, they are our family here in Bakersfield.

The next morning, our pediatrician, Dr. Shah, came to check on Taylor and he said we could leave later that morning. By 11am, we were in the car and on our way to pick up Mason. I just wanted all of my family together. It was hard being away from him, even if it was just for two days. We ate lunch with Ray & Marissa and then headed home for naps. We spent our first day home relaxing and enjoying every minute as a family of four.

38 weeks 3 days

What was I thinking when I made my doctor's appointment at 8:45am this morning? Surely I had forgotten how much of a task it is getting myself and Mason ready in the morning, especially when you wake up 15 minutes late. I rushed to get ready before I even attempted to get Mason out of his crib and dressed. He has been going thru a stage where he hates getting his diaper changed. If we don't have something to entertain him, then you are in for a battle. This morning I made sure to have one of his baseballs on the changing table waiting for him, but he didn't want it. I improvised with the Arbonne Diaper Rash cream, and luckily it worked. I was able to change his diaper and put his pants and shoes on in no time. I was hoping to hit CFA for breakfast before my appointment, but no such luck. I like to be about 15 minutes early anywhere I go and I was cutting it close.

Dr. H examined me and I am now 3cm dilated and almost completely effaced (he said 80%). He then decided to stretch me and strip my membranes. Not very comfortable! I was then told it will most likely be sooner than later and he would be surprised if I made it to my induction date on Friday. So, again we wait.

Our Family of Three

I had been looking forward to this past weekend for a very long time. It was the first weekend since November that we didn't have anything planned. It is also our last weekend as a family of three. It was somewhat bittersweet, but it was so nice to hang with my boys. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Saturday morning and then we decided to venture out to the mall. The walking would do me some good and I was in search for some new PJ's for Mason. I'm kind of picky when it comes to PJ's and I didn't find anything that I liked. Mason has plenty, but it's starting to get warmer and he is growing, so that makes for some snug PJ bottoms.

That evening, we decided to have our "Last Meal." Adam and I did this when we were pregnant with Mason and it consisted of a date night. This time it was a family date night. We went out to dinner at Tahoe Joes and then walked around the Market Place Circle. I knew this would be the last time we would be out to eat as a family of three and I made sure to soak in every minute of it. Mason was on his best behavior and enjoyed himself. In the middle of this fun little shopping center, they have a huge water fountain. Mason loved running around it over and over again. Every time the water shot into the air, his faced expressed nothing but pure joy. He was having a blast.

Sunday morning, I got up and went to church while Adam stayed home and played with Mason. We have been keeping Mason away from the church nursery for a couple weeks now, so Adam was nice to let me go to Sunday School, since it will be awhile before I will be able to go again. The rest of the weekend, we laid low and watched college basketball. It was so nice to relax and not have to do anything.

Roller Coaster

I'm only writing this so I remember every aspect of this pregnancy. The last couple of days have been hard on me. I'm to the point where I can't really play with Mason on the level he wants me to. I usually get on the ground and chase him around, build things with him, lift him up to slam dunk on his basketball goal, or take him to the park. I still can sit and play, but not for long periods of time, because I get uncomfortable or just bending over makes my heartburn ten times worse. Mason still has a good time playing, but it's definitely not as fun sitting on the sidelines watching him have a good time and not being able to participate. He is such a good sport.

On top of that, my pregnancy hormones have hit an all time high since I found out I was pregnant. I was watching Mason run around the living room and he turned around to look at me. He gave me a great big smile, when he realized I was looking at him, and I smiled back. At that moment, I began to cry. It was a tender moment and it caught me off guard.

Anything and everything brings me to tears at that drop of the hat. I have been an emotional roller coaster and I'm not used to it. I'm an emotional person, but not this extreme. It's starting to hit me that my time alone with Mason, just the two of us, is coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled and look forward to Taylor's arrival, but I'm going to miss the one-on-one time with my son. He made me a mom and that has been the best gift I could have asked for.
See what I mean, super emotional!

Doctor Appointment Update

Yesterday, I went back for my check up. I had an ultrasound before seeing my doctor and I was thrilled to see Taylor moving around on the big screen one last time. Mason went with me again, and he got a kick out of watching his little sister on the Big Screen TV in the ultrasound room. Her measurements show that she is weighing 6lbs. 9oz. She is going to be so much smaller than Mason. At this time, Mason was already over 8lbs. Not that I'm complaining about pushing out a smaller baby this time. So far, she is following in her mommy's footsteps.

Dr. H examined me and informed me that I'm still the same as last week, but that she is more engaged. He made sure to let me know that he will be out of town this weekend for business, but his wife shares the practice with him and she would be available to deliver if necessary. I'm hoping Taylor doesn't come this weekend, because our friends who are watching Mason for us, are taking their family to Disneyland this weekend for Madison's birthday.

We went ahead and scheduled an induction date for March 20th in the late afternoon to early evening. I won't have an exact time until that day. Everyone is still hopeful that she will arrive before then. I'm still having pretty strong contractions and feel like she could fall out at any minute. Btw, did I mention that Adam's birthday is March 21st and there is a possibility she could arrive on his birthday. To be quite honest, I'm hoping she doesn't. I always felt bad for friends that had to share their birthday with other family members. But if she does arrive, I guess it will be a nice birthday present for him. Adam would love it.

Pictures from Sunday

Here are the pictures from our day of fun yesterday.

Mason running all around the park.

Going down one of the slides.

He loves to swing!

Yelling down at Mommy, to make sure I was watching him.

This is the slide that had pee at the bottom. Note to self, check all slides before letting your son slide down them.

Pushing his bubble lawn mower around the yard.

Playing with some of his balls.

That afternoon, Mason got one my old laptop and gave his "Cheesey Smile" face.

I love him!