Winter Cycle Friends 2009/2010 - Everyone Welcome!

[PA_FA]

Katie- DOH! I hate it when that happens. I hope the little emperor is letting you get more sleep and is taking good naps himself. XOXO

[angelaezra]

Ryann – Thank you so much for the congrats!

Katie – Thank you too! I did have a L & D nurse with me in the beginning of the induction but the problem was that the monitor wasn’t picking up all of the contractions so that is why they weren’t aware of how many I was actually having. The hospital that I am at actually has three different areas, one for induction, the L & D area, and post-op area. So I was on the floor where there are people who are on months of bed rest for a variety of reasons or they are there to be induced like me. To be honest, I would have preferred to be in just one room and the same nurse the entire time but I have to say that I had wonderful nurses who were caring and very supportive!!!

Yeah for the extra sleep time! It sounds like he is getting into a little routine now!

Jamila – Thank you for the congratulations! Now, I am just anxious to go home. But, I will do what is best for her.

GI – I hope Kayla had a better day today. Yes, you are right … I was so anxious to meet Gabriella and I was super excited when they sent us upstairs to be induced. I just wish my experience was a little better but you are right, at least she is healthy!

PA_FA – It certainly sounds like you are getting everything in order for your baby. I hope your mom is doing well and you aren’t too stressed out right now.

Franca – Thank you so much for the kind words; it really means a lot. I am so very happy that your detailed scan went well but of course I knew that it would.

Babyluv – thank you so much for the congrats and the advice from the book. I have heard that there are so many good books out there but I have been way too busy at work to read them but certainly intend to do some reading while I am on maternity leave. Which ones do you recommend?

Karen – thank you so much for the congratulations. How are you feeling?

Rio – Thank you too. How is the OHSS been; hopefully, it has started to subside and you can now enjoy your pregnancy.

Ronda – Thank you so much for thinking of me!

Sara – I just love your ticker! Thank you for rooting me on during my labor!

Stephanie – Thank you for all of the support … I hope Angelina and Ethan are doing well!

AFM – Well, it is day 2 for the family of three. We have had several visitors who have come to visit her and I am wiped out because during the day (in addition to the visitors) there are probably 15 plus hospital employees coming in and out of the room for various reasons. But, she did have a photo shoot today and I just love the pictures! She also passed her hearing test today, which is great!

I asked when can we go home and the OB physician said that she would let me go tomorrow if I am still doing well but now it is up to the pediatrician group. And, they said as long as she continues to have a good night they might release us tomorrow also, so we will see. I was a little disappointed because she lost a few ounces; she went from weighing 4lbs 12.5ounces to 4 lbs 8 ounces. But, she is drinking almost 20cc of Similac every 3 to 4 hours. I finally got up for the first time last night around 1am because I began to itch so bad from the epidural and I sat up for 2 hours. I have to get better about taking my pain medications so I can continue to move around. I think that is the worst thing patients do is not move around following surgery and the recovery is so much worse. Obviously, you don’t want to overdo it but some movement is good. I hope everyone has a great night and I will post as soon as i can.



*** I tried to post a picture of her. Please let me know if you can see it.

Angela

[Franca]

Angela she is a stunner a beauty
xxxxxxxx

[Arabsrcool]

Angela,

Gabriella is gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sorry your labor was so bad and you ended up with c-section, but at least all is well with both of you! Congrats on getting to meet your baby girl, I am so happy for you. You will now get the join the rest of the girls with "lack of sleep brain". Its hard, but well worth it.

Ronda

[karenthescorpio]

Angela- So is so pretty! Good job Momma! Now just rest up and get ready for mommie duty! xo
Karen

[katie99]

Angela - Oh honey, she is just gorgeous! You must be so proud mama! To only lose 4oz is great, they can lose up to 10% of their bodyweight so good job Gabriella! Are you feeling alright? I remember the first time getting up and moving around wasnt too easy, but you'll get through it fine and in a week will feel so much more like yourself. The really hard part will be when you go home (hopefully today) trying to rest and stay taking it easy - I sort of ignored that part and I think it made it take longer for me to feel better. Enjoy every moment with your brand new daughter! and hopefully the news was wrong about your area getting more snow - ugh. - xoxo

PA - I hope that your cold is finally going away - being ill when you're pregnant just feels like its ten times worse. How are you feeling? how is your nursery coming along? xoxo

Steph - How are you twin mama? are you buried in babies? Well kind of, but I mean are you catching break at all?

Babyluv - Thanks for the advice. I feel sort of clueless sometimes so I love all baby advice. I ordered the book you told me about, and 2 more, jeez I hope it wont all be conflicting advice, but i need all the help I can get. How are things going for you? It sounds like you're all together and on your way to having Amelia & Juliette on schedules already - I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of how you're getting alot more sleep than me, and I've just got one. Great job mama. How are Alex & Scarlett doing? They must be loving the big brother / big sister routine! - xoxo

Karen - hey, its almost time for your u/s! You must be so excited - I cant wait to hear how it goes! How are you feeling? - xoxo

AFM - I'm tired but hanging in there. I hate to sound like the Grinch, but wow, Christmas just isnt in the schedule this year (at least not the new version, you know where all females drive themselves crazy trying to create the tree, the house decorations, the cooking, and all that running around - hmmpphh - I'm so not into it this year, but I cant wait til Ryan is big enough to understand it and have that excitement that starts in what? august?) So far today is a good day sleeping / feeding wise - hope it stays that way - but uh oh, guess whos tired of the bouncy chair already? I swear he has a 15 minute time limit for this thing - gotta go - much love to you all - xoxo

[katie99]

Where is everyone??
i'm about to give up trying to get pics of Ryan smiling, giggling, or doing the frownie face - he seems to see me with the camera stops whatever he's doing and wont continue again until I've shut the camera off, but as soon as I put the thing down - he goes right back to cute city - aaarrrggghh. I may have to lay in wait and ambush him... hee hee

[angelaezra]

Franca – Thank you so much! I just sit there and stare at her because I can’t believe she is really here.

Ronda – Thank you so much … yes the lack of sleep has only just begun!

Karen – Thank you too!

Katie – We are very anxious to go now! We are pretty much taking total care of her now anyways. We just want the comforts of our own home!

AFM – Well, we had our first sleepless night last night. We decided to keep her in our room all night last night and she couldn’t sleep because she was getting used to her formula and had diarrhea all night. She is on a high calorie formula because she is so small but it is too rich for her stomach and she couldn’t tolerate it. She would only sleep when we held her. So we were going to ask the pediatrician to change formulas but miraculously she started doing much better today. My SIL works for Ross (Abbott) in the formula department and she said sometimes it takes the babies a little longer to get used to it. So we are still here for another night and will probably go home tomorrow. I surely hope so because this hospital food is horrible!!!!

Angela

[jamila20]

Angela Gabriella is just so beautiful, I hope they will find the right formula for her so she can gain some weight. I am happy for you and take it easy, I know how hard is to recover from a surgery.

[babyluv3]

Angela she is just gorgeous!!! Oh I want to just scoop her up! I am so sorry she is having tummy trouble. I hope it settles soon. I'm surprised they were going to let you go home after two days with a c section. I was ready to leave after three days, but glad we had the extra day since I needed the rest (the girls went to the nursery every night so we could sleep). As far as books go, I highly recommend Babywise. As I told Katie, not everyone likes the scheduling approach, but I really need that structure with so many kids in my house. It's not easy to start, and you have to be ok with letting your baby cry (which after four kids is not a problem for me!), but in the end it's great. I also recommend any of the birth-five years reference books. They are a great tool.

Kaite - HA!! I am FAR from having it together my friend! Trust me, scheduling is slow going and it sucks to hear the girls cry in their cribs, but they are getting better and better. I think I can let them cry more because I have two other children and I know they will be just fine. That and I know my limits. If I don't close the door and walk away, take a shower, whatever, I'll go crazy. I think the mommy guilt is the one thing you can't prepare for. Learn to get over it quickly (HA...we'll deal with it forever). You are a fantastic mommy and Ryan will be just fine if you let him cry for a bit. Like I said, YOU are his mom and you need to go with your gut on what you think is best. Everyone's approach to parenting is different and each child needs to be parented differently.

Alex and Scarlett are doing great. My parents just moved into the house they are renting which has been good. Our family can start getting used to the new normal, but mom is still over everyday helping out. win win!

[rayofsunshine]

Angela-Gabriella is precious!!! I hope the tummy issues correct so she can get those chubby baby cheeks. How are you?

Katie-Ryan is the dancing frog, "Hello my baby, hello my darling..."remember that Looney Tunes frog that danced and sang when no one was around then stopped when someone showed up? So funny that he can sense the camera I hope he cooperates soon so we can ooohhhh and aahhh over his cuteness!

Babyluv-You hit the nail on the head with mother's guilt. I take a shower when I need a moment to let the babies cry-when they are putting themselves to sleep. It is easier after you go through it with your first child, but it is always there! Are the girls right at 3 hours still? How many oz. are they taking at a time?

I hope everyone is doing well! I'm thinking of you all We took the kids to get pics. taken-that was an experience! We had to take 5 million pictures to get everyone to cooperate. My DH and I were the worst-not so photogenic The babies did go 4 1/2 hours between feedings due to all the excitement. I can't wait to see how tonight goes-YIKES! I'm attempting to post some of the pics-hope it works!

Take care

[Stephanieford78]

Ok, going to attempt this. It's been a minute, but I'll do my best on personals.

Sara - Gorgeous pictures! In the one pic it looks like Jack just had the binky taken out. lol I have a couple of Angelina like that. She is the crabby one out of the two, yet she smiles so much more. Funny how she is like that.

Babyluv - Glad everything is great. I read your schedule thing and it sounds good except for the night thing. I don't think I am brave enough to do that quite yet. Ethan maybe, but Angelina spits up so much that I am scared she might choke on it or be in a sloppy wet puddle of it. The snacking is letting up, I think it was just a growth spurt.

Angela - Congratulations! She is just adorable! How are you feeling now that she finally made it to you? Still surreal? Even through the crying fits and the nervous, "I don't know what to do." it's still a miracle and we can spend every waking moment staring at their little faces.

Katie - No worries, I am always Grinch-ish. lol I am not religious as everyone knows, but I do usually have Christmas at home and celebrate all the other federal holidays since I teach my kids they can believe in anything they want... plus it's a good excuse to get together. lol Anyway, as much as I try to make it all come together, it normally ends up half assed. Alex doesn't believe in Santa and the twins are too young to know anything so it's basically just a day to eat and look at the pretty tree. I decorate the tree Victorian style, it's so me that way and I much prefer the bows over the stars and angel stuff. So how is everyone doing? Is Ryan sleeping any better through the night? How are things going being basically a single mom while Chris is away? Is he going through any baby withdrawals being away so much?

Karen - How are you feeling? Can't wait to hear how the u/s goes! Think you might get a doppler to start using at home? I took some pics, I think you will like what the twins are wearing in them.

Gi - How are you, Jason and Kayla?

AFM - Well, snacking has let up well so I assume it was a growth thing. They are getting bigger and bigger. They haven't quite passed the 4oz mark though. However, they do eat more right before bed. More like 6-7 oz, not sure how that works, but they just won't eat more than 4 during the day. I know it isn't recommended, till more around 3 months, but we started putting a little cereal in their bottles at night hoping that it will help them sleep and Angelina to stop spitting up so much. I put one formula scoop of cereal in a 4oz bottle. It seems to help with the sleeping part. They have been sleeping 6-8 hours a night now! Now, to get them to 8hrs usually takes me putting a binky in their mouth. They go right back to sleep, therefore so do I!! lol I won't argue with them if they want to sleep a little longer. Angelina is still taking the Zantac but it really isn't helping much. It helps the spit ups not be as big, but she still spits up often. I have tried everything I can to help her with the medication and the cereal and I don't know what else to do. She still cries like she is in pain and it's heartbreaking. They have their 2 month appt on the 20th. We will see what they say this time. They are both smiling more and more but the cranky little woman is still dishing out more smiles than her brother. lol It's so adorable. I have a few pictures that I took after the Christmas party we just had to go to for Andrew's work. It was lame!! Too many people crammed into a little room so it was hot as hell and the food sucked ass! They had a santa there (dude from the company) and the set up for it sucked as well. There is no tree or decor in the photo, but desks. I will have to find someone to photoshop it or get their picture taken with a different santa for the memory book. So anyway, here are some pictures. I cut Andrew out of them since he looked cranky. Didn't want his cranky face ruining the cute pictures of the babies.

[karenthescorpio]

Steph- OMG! They look so cute in their Christmas suits!!!! I kove the pic with Santa! Thanks for sharing the pics in their outfits! Xoxoxo
Ultrasound on Sunday instead of Monday so DH can go with me! So excited to see HB! Xo

[Stephanieford78]

Karen - Yeah the pic with santa would have been nicer IF they would have put the tree behind him. Instead the background is desks, chairs and a small garbage can. lol That's so awesome that your RE office is open on the weekends like that so DH can go! My RE is only open on the weekends IF a transfer lands on a weekend. Just two more days!!

[PA_FA]

Angela- Gabriella is so beautiful! I can't believe how much hair she has! I hope you are home now and able to get some yummy, non-hospital food.

Sara- I LOVE their outfits! Too cute! I guess I should start thinking about photographers too. Have you done their birth announcements? I hope all is going well for you my KS friend. UGH I miss it there. I wish I could move back.

Stephanie- I love their holiday outfits. So cute. Sorry Andrew was cranky. That's no fun to have a sour puss in pictures. I would have cut him out too. HEE HEE. I love that you have a Victorian tree. I used to have one when I lived alone. It was all pink and white/cream ornaments. DH likes things more traditional so now our tree is white, silver and red. If I could only find the energy to decorate this year. LOL

AFM- I had my OB apt yesterday. I am now going to be going there every 2 weeks until 36w. I gained 1lb in the last month. I was a little surprised because I swear I ate like 5 days of Thanksgiving food, including the ENTIRE sweet potato casserole loaded with marshmellows...oh and the entire pecan pie. Oh and half a batch of brownies this week. LOL Strange. Oh well, I am still down 3lbs from my start point. The Dr is very happy because she said the baby is healthy and I have lost weight so I am healthier. She said that my 1hr glucose test was normal. I figured since I never heard from them. I figured if I needed to do the 3hr test they would have called asap.
We almost have the closet finished in the nursery. The crib will be delivered on Tuesday. I am soooooo excited! I ordered a decal to put behind the crib. It's a huge tree with owls and butterflies. As soon as I get that all done I will try to post a pic. I still have no curtains or glider. The glider was ordered 6w ago. It should be here in the next 2-6w. UGH...

SO baby monitors. Does anyone have a video monitor? Any suggestions as to which video monitor to buy?
Have a great weekend ladies. XOXO