Oops

I guess this would be a good lesson as to why you don't leave your detergent on top of your washer when it needs to be releveled after becoming unbalanced one day.

Catie's Preschool Thanksgiving "Program"

Today Catie's preschool class had their little "program" at the end of their class. It was sooo cute. If you remember, last year I was confused on the date regarding Jenna's and I missed it. (And felt like the worst mom ever at the time.) Well, this year I was bound and determined to NOT miss it. Seriously, I thought about it and went over how I would need to time everything just so I would not miss it all week. Needless to say we did not miss it.

I got some cute pictures, although I would have preferred to record it, it was so cute. Unfortunately our camcorder is still not working properly and we just do not have the time to devote to figuring out which switch is flipped to the wrong setting to fix it. Yes I am sure it would be THAT simple.

Anyway, we got there a little early and then all the little ones came marching into the chapel and I saw Catie looking around for me, and when she saw me she flashed her sweet grin at me and waved. She was adorable. She kept waving at me as they were singing their songs, and when she wasn't waving, she did a great job. I was so proud. I didn't time everything as perfectly as I thought I might have. Matthew was sleeping but became very irritated with me during their performance and I had to step out a couple of times, so I didn't get to see all of it. But they did a great job and it made my day to watch all those little kids boogie-ing around like little turkeys and singing songs with little hand gestures.

This was when she was first on the little stage and she was so excited and waving like crazy.

Matthew at 2 weeks!

Today Matthew is 2 weeks old. They have been a fantastic two weeks so far. I am really enjoying him and I know everybody else in our little family is too. We are all just in love with him. I think he may grow up to be a very spoiled little boy. :)

He loves to snuggle, especially with Daddy. I think it's because Daddy is so warm, and Daddy is more fun than Mommy is. He eats well, poops and pees like a champ, and sleeps fairly well at night. Brian and I both used to be dead set against cosleeping, but once we came home, we realized that if I was going to get any amount of sleep and nurse, then he was just going to have to sleep with us for awhile. The first part of the night starts out great, but then when he wakes up to eat around 1 or 2 a.m., we both wake up drenched in sweat. The kid is a furnace, just like his Daddy. Afterwards, it's kind of hard to get him to settle down next to me, but I've had a bit of luck swaddling him and laying him in the pack and play at the end of our bed.

He is the sweetest boy, very laid back for the most part, and I love it when I'm holding him and he just studies my face with such concentration. I am always smiling at him and I can't wait for the day when he will smile back at me.

Somebody's ears must have been burning, he's calling for me. So I'll leave you with this. I stole it from my friend Kim and filled it out 2 days ago!

1. When you go to Walmart, what one thing do you get every single time, besides a funky-wheeled squeaking cart full of frustration? Mousse, tortilla chips, and milk

2. What is something that people are currently “into” that you just don’t get or appreciate? Twilight. (Kim, I'll have to leave your answer because I DON'T get all the hype!)

3. What is something that really hoists your sail that other people might feel “ho-hum” about? Arrested Development. I'm still bitter it was cancelled.

4. Favorite song to sing in the shower or car at work with your favorite coworkers? I don't really sing all that much, but sometimes I'll sing a Wiggles song that I changed the words for to Catie; sometimes we'll sing the tune from Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

5. A really great salad must have this ingredient: Spinach, red onion, cucumber, feta cheese, toasted almonds, crispy bacon pieces and grilled chicken in a balsamic vinagrette.

6. What advice in a nutshell would you give to new bloggers? Be careful what you write on a public blog.

7. What was the alternate name that your parents almost named you? Do you wish they had chosen it instead of the one they gave you? I don't think they had an alternate girls name. If I were a boy, I would have been Marcus. Bleh.

8. What in your life are you waiting for? Nothing. I have everything I want. Oh, well, actually, a package from my mom should arrive tomorrow. ;-)

9. You get a package in the mail. What is it, and who is it from? A baby gift from my mom or BFF.

10. Today–what song represents you? Blessed by Martina McBride

11. What is one thing that blogging has taught you about yourself? How much I have changed over the past 5 years of my life. For the better.

12. How are you going to (or how did you) choose the clothes you’re wearing today? Well I had to take Jenna to school this morning and I was tired of wearing sweats. But I'm afraid of wearing regular jeans because of my c-section incision, so I wore a comfy pair of maternity jeans and a sweater. When I got home I was freezing so I put my fleece sweats on.

13. What do they say about you in general or specifically how you’re feeling today? I'm tired and cold and I want to be comfortable.

Ha! I knew it wasn't true

Monday we took Matty to the pediatrician for a check up and when they measured him, he was 21.5". The hospital only measured him at 20". I KNEW there was no way he was shorter than Catie was. I also knew he did not grow an inch and a half in 6 days. Catie was mismeasured in the hospital too, she ended up being about an inch longer than the hospital said. So, even though the hospitals measurements are "official", he was actually 8lb 12oz and 21.5" at birth.

His eye crusties from his infection are finally gone, as is the baby acne (well, mostly). Yay!

Matthew's Birth Story!

(Okay, I know this was already on Facebook, but I wanted it here for myself)

On Tuesday 10/27/09, I had a doctor's appointment for a non-stress test since I was due the next day. I went in at 10:15 and they got me hooked up to the monitors and they noticed I was having lots of regular contractions, about 3 minutes apart. I had been having contractions for weeks and weeks at that point and didn't really think anything about them, mainly because I had been having them for so long and I knew the baby was still really high in my pelvis.

I sat there and was monitored for about 30 minutes or so. They had to keep taking my blood pressure because it was very high, probably since I was in labor, although I really didn't feel bad. My OB came in and checked me and said I was dilating, I was in labor and I needed to go out walking. She checked my resting blood pressure once more and it was 150/100. She said, forget it, you're not going walking, you're going to the Birth Center.

I was in absolute denial at this point. I could not believe that not only was I actually (finally) in labor, I was being sent to the hospital right then and there. I had forgotten to pack my tooth brush in my bag!

Anyway, I went over to the Birth Center, which was directly across the street from my doctor's office. They got me all settled in around 12:30 or so. I started noticing my contractions were a lot more painful and noticeable, but I still felt ok. Brian got there from work around 1 or 1:30, I want to say, and at 4:30 my water broke. We thought at that point, things would really start happening, because that should have brough the baby down, but it didn't.

I labored until about 8:30 p.m. when I finally decided to get an epidural. I kept thinking he was going to come any minute, but he still would not descend into my pelvis. I had been having contractions every 90 seconds for about 7 hours and I was tired. So I got the epidural and my blood pressure dropped significantly. I don't remember the numbers but it was low, and the baby did not like that. They brought it back up but I felt horrible afterwards. Tired, couldn't breathe, too numb, etc.

Hanging up from asking for my epidural

The OB on call had been checking me for progress all evening and although I kept dilating and effacing, the baby still would not move into the birth canal. My labor was pretty aggressive on it's own and should have brought the baby down. Around 9 p.m., he said he really didn't think it was going to happen and that I might need a c-section. He checked me again at 10:00 and the baby was still so high he could barely feel his head. He said he would check me again at 11:00 but it was likely that the baby would not descend into my pelvis and I would probably need a c-section. I was really in shock, I kept thinking "This is my second baby, piece of cake!"

At 11:00, he checked me, nothing had changed and my dilation had stopped and not changed for the past 2 hours. At this point, I was exhausted and I just knew that I wasn't going to be able to have Matthew naturally. My intuition kept telling me that I was going to have to have the c-section but I just tried to blow it off.

Brian and I had already discussed it and we decided if things were still the same when he checked me at 11:00 that we would go ahead with the surgery. So that's what we did. I didn't want to, I still hesitated when it was time to make the call, but deep down I knew it was for the best.

All dressed up
Heading into the OR - inwardly I was terrified.

As I lay on the table in the OR, they tried to find Matthew's heartbeat with their monitors and it took a long time. When they finally did, it was very low. Around 60 BPM and the nurse told another to get the doctor NOW. If I wasn't freaked out before (I was), I was then. My c-section had become an emergency at this point. The doctor came in and got started. I heard him say "scalpel" and the next thing I heard was Matthew crying. It was a beautiful sound, and I just started to sob uncontrollably. I was so scared, I had no idea what was going on and if he was ok or not.

But he was fine, he came out really PO'ed and was screaming at the top of his lungs, which made me happy. He peed all over the doctor, the nurses and the floor as they took him to clean him up. He scored 9 and 9 on his APGAR tests and weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. As the OB was delivering him, he discovered that Matthew's cord was wrapped around his ankle. They said he probably jerked his foot and restricted the oxygen flow through the umbilical cord, which was what caused his heart rate to drop like that.





As for why he got stuck, they also think it was the cord that was keeping him hung up. He wasn't too big to fit through my pelvis, so something was stopping him. It was either that, or the fact that he was sitting sideways, with his face to my left side. His shoulders might have stopped him. I don't know, but he's here, he's perfect and we are in love!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Today I had parent/teacher conferences for both girls. Not for anything special, it's just that time of the year. I wasn't really expecting anything...bad or out of the ordinary, but Jenna had some behavioral issues last year (like tantrums, etc.) and I was really curious to see if they were continuing.

First was Jenna. They give you a piece of paper that they have filled out - "Things we look for by October" - and let you read it and address anything on it that might be of concern to you. This is what Jenna's said:

Is your child comfortable coming into class without parents? Yes (Well, yeah, she could care less if I'm there)

Is your child understanding the routine of the class? Yes

Are they comfortable participating during circle times and can they listen for a short period of time? (i.e. while teachers read a book or demonstrate a task?) Yes, with a few reminders (This did not surprise me, lol)

During exploration time do they feel comfortable joining other children in play activities, make their own activity choices and solve simple problems? Yes, though at times she thinks the others don't want to play with her* (Jenna is super sensitive and has come home to me at times telling me that so and so said they didn't like her, but then they are buddies the next day. I was glad to be able to address this.)

Can they follow simple one and two step instructions? Yes

What your child likes to do in class: Everything. She is enthusiastic and is willing to try most everything.

Who do they play with? *The other children enjoy her company and want to be with her. Her immediate friends are... (and they went on to list about 8 names with an ellipsis at the end as if to say "and so on")

What are your child's strengths in class: Her outgoing nature makes her easy for others to play with. She is an enthusiastic learner and self starter.

Other comments: What a joy to have in class.

Normally Catie would have had hers on a different day (the day her class is scheduled for) but since they are both in school, they did both girls today so I wouldn't have to make 2 extra trips back to the school. Hers was not quite as in-depth, but she still got a great review too.

Out of "Great", "Good", or "Improving", Catie got all "Greats" in: sharing, turn taking, interactive play, listening to friends, using our nice words, listening at circle time, following directions, help clean up, and self help.

Teacher comments: "She is a sweet girl. She plays nicely with a few children - Sadie and Lilly mostly. She is always respectful and polite."

Can I just say how proud I am of my girls? After we left the conference, I re-read the sheets of paper they gave me and I actually started to cry because I was so proud. (And I'm REEEEEEEEEALLY hormonal and emotional. But whatever.) I was so happy to hear that Jenna's tantrums were a thing of the past and that she is so well liked by everyone. And I was so relieved to hear that Catie actually did play with some of the other children. At first, everytime I'd go to pick her up, she would be playing alone and I would feel so sad, like, "Oh, my poor baby doesn't have any friends!" even though I know she is the observer and Jenna is the do-er. And I'm so happy happy HAPPY to hear that they are both well mannered and polite!

I LOVE these girls!