Jane's Nursery

As promised, here is Jane's section of the nursery.  Some day I will take more pictures of the rest of the nursery...but it wasn't as clean as one would hope...hehe.  

Letting Go

I don't like to think of myself as a perfectionist, but when Nolan was first born it was a personality trait that did more harm than good.  

When Jane was born I would chant to myself, "just let it go. This is just a season.". Today, is a letting go kind of day.  Jane is cuddlier than normal, and possibly on a growth spurt, making it harder than normal to put her down in her bed. 

So, we had cereal for breakfast AND lunch, we snacked (this is normally a no no here), and have been watching a lot of tv  (something I hope to reduce by a lot).  But look how cuddled up to me she is!  You can bet she won't snuggle like that at 16!

The Cuties

Just look at these sweeties!

Baby Jane is home

Jane at the Hospital.

So, crazy story.  I go into my 39 week check up and end up having a baby four hours later!  Fastest, scariest, Thursday of my life.

For the majority of my pregnancy Jane has had the heartbeat of a race horse.  Really strong and consistent, until last Thursday; suddenly it was "irregularly irregular" and it scared the crap out of my doctor, the nurses, and of course Steve and I (anything that scares your doctor, even if you don't know why it is terrible is terrible).

I was sent to labor and delivery to be induced at around 12pm ish.  At one point I was told to layover on my left side and then was given oxygen because Jane's irregular heartbeat had gotten worse.  Through tears and my oxygen mask, I asked Steve if he was scared; he said, "no.".  He lied but I needed it.

My doctor came in to inform me that I had to get an epidural. The reason? "just incase we have to do an emergency c-section."  OMG!

Luckily, Jane was wasting no time on labor. By 3:30pm I was pushing, and at 3:53pm baby Jane was born. She was born at 6lbs 14oz and was 18.5in.

Baby Jane is now, a picture of health.  The heart irregularlity was thought to have been caused by a pinch in her ambilical cord, and is no where to be found.  I am doing great and have been enjoying my new life with Jane.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for both of us! We love you!

Baby Jane at one week and 3 days old.  Look at the checks!

Soo Nervous and Excited

38 Weeks

I would have to say that being pregnant for the second time is mentally (and in my case physically) harder than the first.  For one I thought I knew everything and then BAM it is nothing like my first!  Clothes don't fit the same, baby is carried differently, and I have a sneaking suspicion that she has hair because my heartburn is enough to write home about.   I've also experienced a ton more Braxton Hicks with this pregnancy than I ever did with N.  And they are not woosie BH either, OMG! They hurt; plus they make me think I'm going into labor every other day (talk about emotional roller coaster!).  I could go on but really why? Baby J is healthy by all signs, Nolan is healthy, can count to 10 and sings a reasonable rendition of the ABC's (although you can't make out all the letters and sometimes "O" finds it's way after "Z").  AND I'm only 7 more days till my due date.  So, Plus, PLUS, PLUS!

Love this pic of N making pizza pitas with me.

I feel ready.   My house is set up and clean; we have food, laundry is done, I'm packed for the hospital, and even my car is clean.  To say I'm excited would be an understatement but there is a competing emotion of nervousness in my heart.  I REMEMBER how painful it was with Nolan.  Even though I really REALLY want to hold my little girl I'm struck with the fear of how painful it is going to be.

Tonight my nervous/ excited heart gets some steroids because tomorrow I'm going into the doctor for my 39th week check up and she is going to do a natural procedure that could, and has been known to, start labor (I'll save you the name because I just think it's sounds gross).   I could be the mother of two by Saturday if not sooner!  But "what if"? What if it doesn't work? I'll be going to church on Sunday with the mantra, "She's easier to take care of this way." as I laugh off my disappointment and try and look at the bright side.  What if it works? I'll be very very uncomfortable for the rest of the day tomorrow and possibly in labor.   Well, I guess the pain has got to happen, so better sooner than later.  Please, pray for me!
    

Seeing Pregnant Woman & Weddings

Nolan almost 3 years ago

Is it just me or does it seem like this is a year for babies?  Off the top of my head I can think of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...9 woman who are either going to have a child this year or already have had one (one of them is my OB)! That is just crazy!!  I haven't even counted the number of bloggers that have had or are going to have babies. 

Maybe, it's that awareness that you get when you are going through something.  Like if you just purchase a new car suddenly all you see on the roads are your same make and model of car.  Or maybe I'm just going crazy, we've got lots of options here people! :)

Another common theme this year, at least for our family, has been weddings.  In the last 4-5 months Three out of 6 of Steve's and my single siblings have gotten married.  And one of the remaining single (not married) siblings graduated!  Can you say, "CRAZY SPRING and SUMMER!!!"

But that is okay because that is all behind us now.  Now, I just have two more weeks before baby J is born, and I've tried to cut down on going out (I'm not really good at keeping that plan but we will see).  I really want to just enjoy my family, something that has been nearly impossible due to the seasons craziness (enjoyable craziness mind you).  Wow, just two more weeks and our family grows by 25%! I'll have to take some pics of baby's little space, but in the mean time here are some pics of the excitement of the season. Enjoy.

Jessy and Levi

Heather and Jonathan (Steve in a bow tie...hehe love it!)

Steve and the other grooms men pretending to lose Andrew's and Beth's rings.

Poison Ivy and Mental Preparedness

PJ our ball obsessed mut.  He gets out stress by chasing a neon green ball.

Kinda funny title I know but both of which are things that I have been thinking about lately.  One. Nolan has caught his first ever Poison Ivy rash.  He takes after Steve in so many ways but I was really hoping that this was not going to be one of them.  Luckily, spotting the blisters I put them under band-aids (I thought that they were really bad bug bites....never had a poison ivy reaction before), and when Steve came home he quickly identified what they really were.  We have been treating the rash for the majority of last week and now it seems to have healed up.  A relief for us and N.   I'm thinking by the end of this N may not be as excited about band-aids as he once was.

Other than the everyday (and rash battles), we have been getting back to life as it once was.  The last wedding for the family has now passed and baby season is about to start, and I am starting to see that "down time" is what you make it not necessarily a pedicure or "me time" although those are nice.  I was calling a friend at a relatively early time in the morning and found that she was already up and running errands.  When I asked "why?" she said that it helps her "mental health to be able to get out and get things done before nap time."  Even though, I don't plan on waking up early to go grocery shopping anytime soon, it did ask the question, "What am I doing for my mental health?"

I don't know if you are like me in which some days you feel like you can take on the world and others...taking on the kitchen is just BLAH.   So, what if you could tip the balance on World domination days from BLAH days?  What if you could examine your day to days going on and see the pitfalls of a bad day compared to the ups of a good one?   This is what I've seen so far...

• Looking back I noticed that my take on the "good" days normally start off with simple goals, like laundry day or at least one or two tasks that if accomplished I feel that the day is not wasted.  Oh, and getting those tasks done before dinner time feels the best! Then I can just cook, clean a little and enjoy the fruits of labor.  
• "me time" this can be anywhere from exercise to devotion time. It is just a time that I don't have to think about the worries of someone else's life.   Plus, I am not a touchy person (ask anyone who knows me), but having kids it doesn't matter.  A fall needs a hug or a bad dream needs a snuggle; so, it is just nice to sometimes step away from being needed (for only 30min to an hour) and just breath.   Think about the emotions you've been feeling all day or what your hopes are; sometimes you will come back thinking that whatever was "so, important" really is very childish, and then sometimes you come back just knowing how to express what you are feeling to the person who really should know. 
• Sleep and rest.  Being 7 months prego has made this element of mental health much harder to achieve, and I can only guess how it, or lack there of, will effect me when Baby J is born.
• Unplugging myself.  Sometimes a book is better than a blog, and watching my son play games is better than watching Dinosaur Train or even Mythbusters.  It is like being awake and in the moment without it being a chore.  We talk or my mind has time to dream before the next idea pops into it. 

I know there are probably more things than that, that comprise a good mental health regiment.  Plus, just like each person has different love languages I'm sure that each person also has a different way of feeling mentally ready for life.  What are somethings that you have found through the years to help you better enjoy your day to day life?