Sunny Daze

This is where I aim to be next weekend.  It will be our first beach trip of the year, and only our second trip to the beach with Olivia thus far.  How sad is that?  We live in Florida and rarely go to the beach.  Well, we are gonna go all out next weekend and get an umbrella, bring a cooler, and make a day out of it with the kids, and Tyler and Maria.  I'm really excited because my new bathing suit should be here by then.  I was going to touch up my hair next week since we are going to see The Postal Service on June 5th, but my mom is going to do my hair the day of the concert so that I can go swimming at the beach and bask in the sun and not have to worry about my hair fading since it won't be freshly dyed.  So excited!  I got a lovely jade green one piece with a bandeau top and just ordered myself a cute little swimsuit cover up dress. Hopefully we will get plenty of beachy days this summer.  I just wanna be a beach bum and not get a tan or have my hair fade.  Is that so much to ask?  Meh.  Anyway, I know my posts are usually random and scatterbrained, but at least I warned you of that in my About Me section.  You get what you pay for.  Which is nothing.  You get nothing. ;P

I Just Like Hanging Out With You, All The Tiiiime...

My phone started singing Taylor Swift and a local phone number that I didn't recognize popped up.  I hesitated, but then answered it and from the opposite side of the phone I heard a tiny little voice...

Me: Hello?

Tiny Voice: Umm hi! *sounds like he was running around and out of breath*

Me: ...Hello?

Tiny Voice: Hi... *long pause* Um, is Gavyn dere?

Me: Yeah, hang on a second...

That, my friends, was the sound of Gavyn's very first phone call from a friend from school!! Haha, at first I thought I was being pranked.  It was so cute and very random, I think they asked each other about 20 times what the other one was doing, and then the boy (Slater) started pressing buttons on his toys for Gavyn to hear and exclaimed that he was eating, "Mickey Dees!" Gavyn asked him if they were friends and the boy replied, "Yes, of course." And in the same spirit as the whole phone call, it ended as randomly as it started, with an, "Okay, bye!" and a concurrent "Bye!" from Gavyn.

And because Olivia was jealous that I took a silly picture of Gavyn...

Love.

Looking at pictures like these make my whole day brighter.

A first Easter and a first Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter!!
I hope that all of you had as great of a day as we did!

iFamily.

This is my lock screen on my iPhone.  Now every time I use my phone I smile.

An Eggcellent Easter.

Yesterday we made an attempt at decorating some Easter eggs, but armed with only seven eggs (one of which broke prior to me boiling it and one of which cracked when I dropped it post-boiling), we didn't get very far with our level of creativity.  I mean, it definitely wasn't a Halo Reach pumpkin status (show off, James)...  So today I'm going to pick up another kit on my way home from work and go for take two.  Tomorrow I'm having my mom + kids, Aunt Caryn + kids, and my cousin Tina + kids over for a huge Easter feast and Easter egg hunt to follow.  We're going to have the infamous dishes which I get made fun of on the regular by anyone who knows my family and their infinitely unique recipe titles.  "Broccoli dish" and "potato dish" alongside my mom's delicious glazed ham.  I bought about 150 eggs with candy and toys inside along with bubbles and sticky hands to keep the children happy.  There was talk of a beer hunt for the guys, and I think it'll be an all around good time, especially because I get out of work an hour early tomorrow which means I'll be home in time for everything but not early enough to have to cook :P

My bebes.

Olivia and I are most likely going to be on an instructional video that they distribute in hospitals throughout the country for new parents who need tips on how to care for their newborn.  They're going to be bringing the equipment to shoot at my house at the end of the month.  I'm excited to get a copy of it to show her one day. :)

 

Olivia will be eleven weeks tomorrow.  She's very curious about her surroundings and she's starting to smile more and more often.  She's beginning to be able to support her head better, so I think I'm going to give her a "big girl bath" tonight in her baby tub rather than using the sling.  Gavyn has now learned (and can recognize) the letters "A," "B," "C," "D," "E," "F," "O," "P," and "W."  He knows what sound "A" makes and can tell you two words that start with the letter "A" (alligator and apple).  He can't wait to turn five and, "go to school with his friends."  I'm proud of my little punkins. :)

Guess who's back?

I've picked up my old habit of rarely updating this, busy with life.  Actually, just after I started this post a little reminder went off in my phone to register for summer classes, but apparently I can't do so until tomorrow.  Olivia is now just shy of ten weeks old, she's starting to really smile (not just gassy smile) and she's still sleeping a lot, but when she's awake she is very alert.  Among her favorite things are her cherry blossom swing, a warm bottle, and a good cuddle.  Gavyn turned four a little less than two weeks before Olivia's birthday.  He now knows the ABC song and, so far, can recognize the letters "a," "o," and "w."  I've got this home(pre)schooling thing on lock.  He loves all things outdoors, superheroes, and anything that involves competition.

Currently James is in between jobs and I have recently gone back to work.  In fact, today is day two.  Day one consisted of me choking back tears all day and hiding my face quite a bit - wondering if it would ever get easier.  Day two has, thus far, been a little easier.  I think it's because James and I got up at 5 am and spent some time together over a bowl of cocoa puffs and a cup of coffee.  I didn't have to rush out the door, so I got to hold Olivia for awhile and wake up Gavyn before I left.  I think I'll stick to this routine because I haven't even had to take a five hour energy yet.  I guess breakfast is the most important meal.  Anyway, I'm still not sure how often I will update this (though I will try, I love being able to look back at posts and remember the little things that sometimes slip your mind)...  But, for the times that I take a hiatus, you can visit my Tumblr which I will hopefully remember to keep up with!  These will just be little glimpses into my world, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Time.

 My baby girl is one week old today.

Where to begin?

Well, I sit here writing to you with my little netbook on top of my lady bug boppy pillow and my little Livi-bug resting in her carseat next to me.  I didn't want to disturb James with my typing, and Olivia can sleep through just about anything at this point.  (In fact, most of the time I can't manage to keep her awake for more than 10-15 minutes at a time, and that's only when she's hungry!)  James had "first shift" tonight, as we call it...  Meaning he got the 2 AM feeding, so here I am writing at just past 6 AM since I was blessed with "second shift" tonight. So, where to begin?  Well, my pregnancy lasted for thirty-eight weeks exactly.  In comparison to my pregnancy with Gavyn, I have to say that this one was a breeze.  My main reasoning for this was that I suffered with morning (all day) sickness for the entire first trimester (and even a little into the second) with Gavyn.  It was miserable and I distinctly remember actually losing weight at the beginning of my pregnancy.  According to most "old wives' tales," girls are actually the ones who give you a lot of morning sickness - not so!  With Olivia, I did get sick a few times, but it was always in the morning and usually happened at work.  There were only a couple of times where James would have to pull over on the way to work because I felt sick, and I quickly realized that I could avoid that by eating something as soon as I woke up in the morning.  I did often feel nauseous in the first trimester, but I wouldn't always get sick from it.  My main complaint throughout my pregnancy was my back pain, as I had never experienced that with Gavyn.  But each pregnancy is different, just as each baby is different, and I enjoyed both of them, hard times and all.  There were times where I wished that the pregnancy was over, but I always tried to remind myself that one day soon I would miss it and wonder why I rushed it so much.  I've already felt that from time to time when I find myself touching my stomach and then remembering that she has joined us outside of the womb already!

At the end of my pregnancy with Olivia, I found myself even more inclined to try everything possible to try to speed things along and either get her out (once considered full-term) or take things to help ease labor later.  I walked (and walked), had sex, bounced and rolled on a birthing ball, drank red raspberry leaf tea, took evening primrose oil daily, ate spicy foods, stimulated my nipples (whilst bouncing on my ball), did jumping jacks, squatted, and I even tried castor oil as a last resort.  NOTHING WORKED.  When they tell you that baby won't come unless baby is ready, THEY MEAN IT.  So what worked?  What happened to bring on my five hour labor (more on that later)?  Well, it started with a doctor's visit.  I had originally scheduled my visit for our normal Friday appointment.  James and Gavyn never missed a single visit, and we always scheduled them for Friday's because I had that day off of work and James didn't work until night time.  I moved this particular appointment to Thursday, January 27th so that it would be on my 38th week exactly and I could have my membranes swept a day early, hoping to jumpstart labor and give everyone the four-day weekend they all had so desperately hoped for (I received numerous requests for a weekend baby, as if I had any control).  I got to the office, was called back, went straight to the bathroom for what I hoped would be my last urine sample, and walked to the nurse with a smirk on my face ready to have my vitals taken.  I had a conversation with her the week prior about sweeping membranes and she said that it worked for her sister, so I asked her how long it took for it to work during this visit with a smile on my face.  She said that her sister went into labor the night after.  She then escorted me to the exam room where James and Gavyn were already waiting.  Vivian, the midwife who delivered Gavyn, was to see me.  The sheet indicating that I needed to take my bottoms off to be checked was not on the exam table, so I helped myself to the drawer that I had seen them take it out of so many times before and sat waiting for her to come into the room.  We had our usual conversation and I reminded her that Dr. Armbruster promised to sweep my membranes during this visit and that he would induce me at 39 weeks if I hadn't already gone.  Vivian saw me at my 37 week appointment and said that she gave me a 50/50 chance of not needing my next appointment, as I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  She told me she was surprised to see me this week and checked me to find out that I was just under 4 cm and 60% effaced this time. Olivia was still fully engaged and seemed even lower this week.  She then asked me what every pregnant woman dreams her OB or midwife would ask them in that last slow, grueling 9th month...  "Do you want to have a baby today?"

I looked at her shocked, not knowing whether or not she was joking.  She said that she gave me a good sweep and since I was having contractions that day and was almost 4 cm, I could be admitted to the hospital.  We made plans to meet there at 1:30 pm.  James and I left with the biggest, goofiest smiles on our faces and started calling, texting, and Facebooking everyone immediately.  We were going to have a baby by the end of the day!  We went home, gathered all of our things, waited around a little, and had Tammy (James' mom) come over.  We (me, James, Gavyn, and Tammy) all headed to Five Guys for my last meal.  Why did I choose such a delicious but greasy meal right before I went into labor?  Well, I'm still not sure because Five Guys tastes a lot better going down than it does coming up.  Afterwards, Tammy took Gavyn with her to the house to wait for the call that we had been admitted so she could meet us at the hospital.  James and I ventured to the hospital, arriving about fifteen minutes fashionably late.  By this time, I felt very crampy but didn't have any noticeable contractions.  I was put into Labor & Delivery Room 1 and set up to be monitored.  Baby's heartbeat was strong and to my surprise, I was contracting every 2-3 minutes.  Vivian said that had we not planned this out, I would have been there anyways that day.  It was meant to happen.  So after some monitoring, I was admitted.  At about 2:30 PM, she broke my water.  This was a very different experience for me because my water had broken on its own with Gavyn.  The biggest frustration with my pregnancy with Olivia was not knowing what to expect and never knowing when contractions were the "real deal."  Well, my water was broken and at this point Vivian looked at me and said that we would have a baby sometime between now and 8:00 AM on January 28th.  So the waiting game began.

I laid in the bed for awhile and noticed that my contractions were getting a little stronger and closer together.  I decided to help them along and walked the hospital floors as I had done just the night before with James, Gavyn, and Carissa for an hour when I went in for false labor.  The night I went in for false labor we circled the lobby of the hospital countless times and walked and squatted up and down the stairs between the first and second floor after each lap.  Anyways, I walked for about 15 minutes with my posse (James, Gavyn, Carissa, Tammy, Tyler, my Mom, and Rachel) following me through the halls.  We then went back to the room and I bounced on a birthing ball that they wheeled in for a little while and then continued to wait.  Vivian came in and asked if I wanted my epidural.  I wasn't sure whether or not to take it because my contractions weren't very painful, but I didn't want to wait too long and risk the chance of not being able to get it (I've heard way too many horror stories).  She told me if I got the epidural and was started on Pitocin, it would make my labor shorter, so I agreed.  The epidural wasn't as bad as I remembered it being, and I teared up a little bit, but James told me that I took it like a champ and that he was proud of me.  After the epidural, they had to hook the IV that had been placed into my hand earlier up to Pitocin, fluids, and place a catheter.  At this point, I felt drowsy like I was ready for a nap and sort of like Frankenstein with so many cords connected to me.  Everyone watched the computer as my contractions grew stronger, closer together, and lasted longer.  We waited and waited some more, and at about 6:45 PM, Vivian checked me and realized that I was 5 1/2 cm.  I was making progress, yes!  This was beginning to feel like a breeze compared to my 19 hour labor with Gavyn.  At about 7:00 PM, she checked me again and I was 6 1/2 cm.  Holy crap...  1 cm in 15 minutes?  By this time, my mom had gone to pick up Brooke to bring her to the hospital.  I was progressing fast and she wasn't there yet.  I looked over to Tammy, startled, as I told her I felt the urge to push.  She told me that it was normal and I needed to hold it because I had to wait until I was 10 cm or it would be bad.  Well, the urge grew stronger with each contraction, so when Vivian came in I told her and at about 7:10 PM when she checked me she seemed startled, whispered that I was 9 cm, and she shouted, "EVERYONE OUT EXCEPT FOR FOUR!"  I've never seen a room clear so quickly.  The four in the room were James (obviously), my mom (who had JUST gotten there about 3 minutes before Olivia was born), Tammy, and Carissa.  I had asked the nurse before if I could have a fifth person and she said that if she was still working she would let me, it usually depended on the nurse and whether or not the midwife OK'd it.  Vivian told her it was OK, but the fifth person vanished with the rest of the crowd who had frantically evacuated!  I told everyone in the room to quickly text my little sister, Rachel, and tell her to get in here!  My mom and Tammy were at my hands, Carissa and James at my legs, and Rachel taking pictures and videotaping.  Three pushes (five minutes) later, Olivia was born.  I have officially beaten my 20 minute pushing record.  I warned Carissa and anyone else who watched the video, and I caution you (reader) - LABOR IS USUALLY NOT THIS EASY.  Do not expect a five hour labor (especially the first time!) and do NOT think you will only be pushing for five minutes.  According to everyone in the room, I made this look like a piece of cake.  James wept uncontrollably, kissed me several times, and continued to tell me how much he loved me and how proud of me he was basically for the next couple of days, haha.  Olivia Paige was born on January 27th, 2011 at 7:15 PM weighing 6 lbs, 11 oz and measuring 19 1/4 inches.  She is perfectly healthy in every way and we couldn't be any happier or more lucky.

Immediately after she was born, Carissa helped me clear the room of everyone who watched her be delivered, had Gavyn brought into the room, and the four of us bonded for about twenty minutes before we let everyone come in to see her.  This was one of my very specific requests that I asked Carissa to make sure happened, as I knew I'd get swept up into the moment and forget what I had originally wanted.  She pulled through for me and I'm so glad that we had that moment with just the four of us.  We stayed at the hospital for that night and the next.  Tammy took Gavyn home with her each night, and each night he got a little upset and didn't understand why we couldn't go home with Olivia.  I explained that she had to eat her dinner all gone before she could go home (the hospital requires you to stay 24 hours after the first feed to make sure everything is established), and that we would all be able to go home soon.  He has taken to her so well.  I was so worried that he might be jealous or not be interested in the baby, but I'm actually dealing with the opposite.  He wants to hold her all the time and gets upset if other people don't "share" her.  He constantly says how much he loves her and every time he holds her he has a big smile on his face and he starts rubbing, patting, and kissing her.  It's so adorable.  She has also stolen James' heart.  I've melted time and time again as I watch him hold her, baby talk to her, and feed her.  It's very special to me especially because he missed a lot with Gavyn, so it's been amazing seeing it all happen this time.  He's been very loving and thankful for me "giving Olivia to him."  I can't even describe the warm, fuzzy feelings I get spending time with my little family, bonding with them and watching them bond with eacother, and I'm so excited to spend the time off of work with all of them.

In the hospital, I was having difficulty breastfeeding.  Olivia would latch and then either just let it rest there and not do anything, or she would try to feed but then get frustrated and cry.  It wasn't until about 2 AM that the nurse said if she didn't take to my breast soon, her sugars might drop and we'd need to supplement that I decided to give her a bottle.  I walked into this with expectations to breastfeed, but I wasn't hellbent on it because I didn't with Gavyn and everything was fine.  However, I wanted to try this time for the experience and to pass along my antibodies and nutrients.  Both myself and Olivia were getting frustrated and she wasn't getting fed, so for the remainder of my stay in the hospital she was bottlefed.  When we came home, I continued to feed her with the bottle and it wasn't until yesterday when my breasts started to swell and ache that I decided I would start to pump, too.  At first, I only got less than 10 ml from both breasts, but I figured that it was better than nothing - especially because it's the colostrum which is the best thing for them since it contains most of the antibodies to pass along.  Later, I pumped again and got 30 ml.  I was so excited, since 30 ml is a whole ounce which is what she has been eating at each feeding.  Again, later I pumped and got 50 ml.  So needless to say, my milk supply is starting to build.  Well, I woke up at James' 2 AM feeding this morning and decided to give it a try - I tried breastfeeding her again.  She wasn't latching so I chalked it up to nipple confusion and let James feed her with the bottle he had already prepared.  This morning at my 6 AM feeding, I was going to grab some of the breastmilk I had expressed to feed her to heat up...  But my breasts had the sore, achy feeling so I decided to try again.  And I'm excited and proud to say that she took to it like a champ this morning!  She fed until she wasn't hungry and burped twice in between.  Yay!!!  I haven't decided where I'll go from here, I'm sure we will play it by ear and see how things go...  But I imagine it will be a combination of breastfeeding, expressing and bottlefeeding, and supplementing with formula. Anyways, I've been at this for about an hour and I'm ready to give my baby some love even though she looks mighty comfortable wrapped up in her carseat.  Gavyn will probably be waking up soon, so I'm gonna wrap this up!  I know it's veeery long, but I will thank myself later for this, and sorry if any of this has been TMI, but let's be honest - you could've stopped reading a long time ago...  So, bye bye for now!

Christmas 2010

We had an awesome Christmas this year, I couldn't have asked for much more.

This year I actually made it a point to take pictures of our families with EVERYONE in it (not one person missing because they had to take the picture, and then I later creepily Photoshop their face in, haha).

 

James wanted to take a picture to print and frame as a gift to our families.  I love it, double pregnancy chin and all. :)

Our Christmas Eve feast, a 20 pounder.

I finally got some pictures where Mike & Tammy weren't hiding from the camera.

And finally, the family pictures. :)

Just a few quick things...

1. Remember Me is actually a really good movie, despite its horrible, horrible ratings.  Yes, the ending was sad.  No, it wouldn't have been as memorable if it was any different.

2. We found out that we have to move in September.  Our landlords are either foreclosing or selling the house, as our rental agent said, "they are not holding onto it for another year" but wouldn't get into specifics.  So I was really upset yesterday since we had already decided that it was a better idea to stay in our house for another year.  It would've been less of a burden financially and it wouldn't have been as stressful.  I can't be of much help with the cleaning, the painting, or the moving because I'm pregnant...  So most of it falls back on James.  He, however, was the comforting one hugging me and reassuring me that everything is going to be okay, we'd find a bigger and nicer house for the same price, and he'd have his family and friends help out with all of the stuff that I can't do.  So, yes, I would've preferred to avoid this whole thing if possible, but it's out of our control, so I'm trying to look at the positive.  They have a lot of really nice houses in our price range (which probably won't be available in a couple of months when we're ready, but it gives me hope).  We're looking for a 3/2/2 preferably with a Florida room or at least a screened patio, and a big kitchen and nice bathrooms.  Oh, if our back and front yard weren't infested with spiders this time because of the woods in our backyard, that would be wonderful, too.  I have found that I've been avoiding entering and exiting the house through the front door lately at all costs, and literally leave to check the mail through the garage.

3. I thought my morning sickness had subsided, but I was WRONG.  At this point, my work day has just begun and I can't wait to go home and take a nap and then watch a movie with my boys.  Two more weeks until my second trimester and hopefully it'll be smooth sailing.  I'm ten weeks today and the baby is the size of a (non-shriveled) prune, measuring in at an inch and a half!

Update

-Had a girl's day with Carissa, Michele, and the kiddies.  We swam in the pool all day, munched on some hot dogs and a delicious salami and cheese platter that I got for half off at Publix, and played some Wii.  It was a lot of fun, and Gavyn looooves swimming and playing with kids his age...  And dogs.

-Cut about seven inches of my hair off.  Might even be adding a few more to that.

-Excited to go to Arigato's with Gavyn and James once our credit card debt is paid off.  Won't be long now!

-That is all!

Perky Bear Pancakes

What is it about Perkin's Perky Bear Pancakes that make you want to spontaneously make a trip to Disney?

 

Well, it was worth it.

A Family Get Together.

This is just a tiny portion of my huge family.

Some of my family came in from Chicago yesterday for ONE day. They own a house in Cape Coral, so they spend the majority of their time in Florida there. So in order for my Mom + kids and my Aunt Caryn + kids to see my Aunt Cathy + kids, we all had to pile into my house. I then proceeded to give them a delightful tour of the house. We ordered five ginormous pizzas from Pizza Hut which ended up coming to us as 10 small pizzas because they didn't have large boxes. Needless to say, we'll be eating pizza leftovers for a few days. While all of the girls sat at the dining room table and caught up, all of the guys (and Brooke) engaged in playing Rockband. I think my favorite part of the whole Rockband experience was when Tyler, my four-year-old brother, sang That's What You Get by Paramore. He knew every word. Needless to say, it was a great night. I love family get togethers.

Problem: I'm sure you've all ran into this problem at one point or another. You want a big group photo... But who will take the picture? You're not somewhere where there's a large crowd of people where you can just grab a random person and ask them to take a photo for you. In fact, you're in your house with none other than the people you actually want in the picture. Solution: Have two people take the same picture and then ask me to Photoshop it.

Our Family.

I love our family, that is all.