Thursday, March 31, 2011

Oh boy..





Loki in his car seat


Jeanne in her car seat, she was so very small...

I still cant get over how alert and aware he is compared to Jeanne at this age.  Amazing!  Jeanne didn't really open her eyes for almost a week or two, Loki was wide eyed and pissed immediately.





While hubbers is home, things are easily manageable..... although I cant figure out how it will all work next week.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Good news


One of the issues Loki had in the NICU was his billirubin levels (ability to excrete waste from the blood and body),  We agreed to bring Loki to the Drs the next day (Sunday) to have his levels checked again.  It turns out we've been to the doctors everyday to get them checked and here's the low down.

 Saturday: weight written wrong, so we don't really know, billi = 10
Sunday: weight 5 pounds 13 ounces, billi = 12
Monday: weight 5 pounds 14 ounces billi = 15.5
Tuesday: weight 5 pounds 15 ounces, billi = 14

The good news is that he is gaining right on track, 1 ounce per day, and his billi levels have peaked, so he doesn't have to go back to the Drs until his normal 1 month visit!

Yea!









 The above picture is really blurry, but we tried to get all our hands together.  Guess who kept moving...  Jeanne...

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Loki is home!

Loki was able to come home Saturday March 26th.  We were so, so happy to bring him and meet his sister.  I'll try to update more now that both my babes are under one roof, here is a little snippet!



Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Good news!

Loki is doing better, he is no longer under the oxy hood and is only getting oxy from a nasal tube. This means we can hold him and I can try nursing. Great news! Momma really needed to hold her son, an I'm sure daddy can't wait to come back to hold him too'

Staying in NICU

Loki will have to stay in the NICU unit for at least 48 hours. He is breathing very rapidly and his chest x-ray shows either excess amniotic fluid or a possible pnemonia. He is being treated with antibiotics and is under an oxygen hood. I am unable to nurse hIm until his breathing returns to normal. I have only held him for two minutes of his life. I am separated from my daughter and my son.

Monday, March 21, 2011

NICU

Loki born 8:56 pm, no pain meds for mom (regretted that at the time). 5 pounds 14 ounces. Fluid in lungs, generally ok, needs nicu for mOnitoring. Dad is with him, mom to visit soon. Jeanne home with granmommy, but missing mum and dad.


Welcome Loki Sage, let me hold you soon son!

Still pregnant

Well, after almost 24 Hours of contractions, I am 3cm dilated, but that hasn't changed. Mom took the last flight out if Boston, and I spent the night in the hospital on morphine to sleep through the contractions. As of this morning I am still at 3cm, so I am going home.


There is no way of knowing if I will go into real labor within hours, days or weeks.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Please stand by:

Contractions are now at 30-60 secs and 430 min apart.  Mom is heading to the airport, Jeanne is in the bath and I am calling the midwife.

each are 45 sec long, and 4 min 30 seconds apart

8:27pm  going to hospital, she may send me home, but were going to get checked anyway

Please stand by:

That's what my body is telling me, so I'm telling you too.

I was woken last night at 12:30am with contractions (about 2-3 an hour).  Could no longer sleep through them after 330, then they were every 10 minutes apart.  I haven't been able to sleep or nap through them at all, so the midwife is calling in a prescription for me.

So far the contractions are needing my focus, but aren't anything excruciating, I just can't be bothered with anything else, you know, like a husband or a toddler.  Hubbers is doing his best to be active and calm and take care of Jeanne.  He did say something sweet to me though.  "One way or the other, you will see your son soon."

I hope this doesn't drag.  I'm not sure I can take 2-3 days of slow dragging contractions.

Friday, March 18, 2011

I have been awake since 3:50 this morning, 3:49 to be exact.  Jeanne slept wonderfully through the night, and woke at 4:15, drank er milk and went back to sleep easily.  I did not.

I stretched, I tossed and  turned, I listened to music, nothing.  I got my last glass of water at 530, and tried again.  Hubbers alarm went off at 6:00, and I think I was dreaming, so I must have dozed a bit.  But the alarm is on my side of the bed, so I had to wake to turn it off, and hubbers is still in bed.

The birds are super loud, maybe they will wake him up.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Weird night

Jeanne woke often last night, and when she did it was filled with prodigious screaming.  The first time she woke, she asked for 'ILK!"  But we normally don't give milk until at least 4am, unless she's not eaten anything that day (but that day was a great food day, so I said no).  This did not go over well.

She then screamed "ILK", then "BABY" (which means she wants to be cradled like a baby), so I sat down and held her like a baby, then she screamed "ILK".  I said "It's not milk time Jeanne", she responded with a loud "BOPPY!" (you know, the breast feeding pillow, which she just loves right now).   So I laid her against the boppy, so she screamed "BABY".  You get the picture.  Hubbers came in and asked if there was anything he could do, and I told him the above.  He held her (she was still screaming bloody murder), and she yelled "BOPPY!" again, so hubbers grabbed the boppy and thumped it against her back.  She stopped screaming and crying immediately.    He sat there with Jeanne cuddling into his shoulder and holding the boppy against her back.  I covered my mouth and began hysterically laughing.  The little monster wanted the boppy to TOUCH her.  What is that about?!

It was really too funny.  She let me take her back a little while later and put her back down to sleep, but she woke again 90 minutes later thirsty, so she got some water.  She woke again at 420am and got her milk, and back to bed.  She woke again at 530, and I was painfully dragging at this point.  It is hard for me to get back to sleep after she wakes, so even on the good nights when she goes right back to sleep, I often lie awake for an hour or more in bed trying to get back to sleep (which does not happen if Loki wakes and kicks the crap out of me), so all the night waking last night really took its toll.  I went into her room, changed her diaper and pants AGAIN, and put her on the futon and lied with her.  I rememebr hearing the alarm go off at 6am, but when I next opened my eyes it was light in the room (not a good sign). We quickly woke daddy to tell him he was late to work as it was 8:15am!

What a night!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Verdict is good!

1) It's still a boy!  I was worried we would have to find a new name if the outer turned out to be an innie.
2) Babe is head down!
3) My fluid levels are well within normal range, so all is well!
4) They were able to give us an 'idea' of the size of our babe, +/- 8 ounces.  He said Loki is approximately 5 pounds 13 ounces (you can do the math).  Jeanne was born at 37 weeks 5 pounds 6 ounces, so if Loki was born at the same time, he 'should' already be bigger.

The above is all really good news.  Now I just need my body to work with me and let me sleep at night.

~Big Kiss!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Last ultra sound tomorrow

Tomorrow the whole family will be going to our last ultra sound to make sure babe#2 is a) head down and b) has lots of amniotic fluid (neither of which Jeanne had).  If all goes well, I am on track for a VBAC.

I've just hit 36 weeks, and only in the last few days have I started to feel exhausted and whalish.  My joints in my pelvis and knees are seemingly stretched to their limit, and it is impossible to change positions in bed.  BUT, that all comes with the territory.

The day after my side of the family left, I had regular contractions for over an hour.  They were Braxston-Hicks, or 'practice' contractions, as I felt nothing but a tightening in my belly.  Regardless, they made sitting uncomfortable, but also made hubbers and I feel like we need to get our buts in gear (or at least me....).

I've moved all the newborn clothes to the top of the dresser so I don't have to bend over while holding da babe, and they go through clothes so much in the early days.  I put all the infant toys in one box and started packing my hospital bag (just need to put hubbers clothes in there...)

*sigh*

Almost there... but until then... for your viewing pleasure:

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Baby #2 Shower: March 5th 2011

Handknit hat and sweater from Aunt Laurie
Patriots gear from MeMaw and PaPaw
Handmade quilt for Loki made by MeMaw
Jeanne making sure the quilt is soft enough for a nap for her little brother
Double Stroller being test driven by Jeanne, thank you MeMaw and Papaw
Jeanne still snuggling in the quilt with her baby (baby doll got her own little quilt too!)
Crystal, Peggy, Barbabra, and Jeanne March 5th 2011    

Thank you to everyone who was able to find time in their busy schedules to come to our home and celebrate our soon to be baby boy.  It was so great to see everyone, and most of all watch Jeanne interact with you.  Despite all the flight delays, all went well and Jeanne had a super blast!

I will have more photos coming, but I want to thank you all here too. 

Thank you Eileen and James for the fantastic books for both Loki and Jeanne, she already loves her dinosaur book, and those tie dyed clothes are too cute!  I can't wait for it to warm just a but more for Jeanne to wear.

Laurie, thank you so much for the gorgeous hand knits for Loki, it does NOT look like you haven't picked up the needles in 24 years, since your own pregnancy), they are the first items I have put into my hospital bag and I can't wait to bring Loki home in their soft luxuriousness. 

Mr.B and Peggy, thank you so much for the double stroller, it will sure come in handy when we need to get the babes around.  Jeanne just loves baby quilt and her table!

A big thanks to Eleen, James, Mom and Laurie for the baby swing too, I know it will get a lot of use, and Jeanne is already a master of 'the buttons', she will help me rock the baby to sleep, I am sure!

I'll add more info soon!