Anna's birth story

The days leading to my due date, I had random cramping about once a day that felt like gas pains. Same kind I got with Eli only more random. On my due date, I went to my chiropractor in the morning and my sister, Holly, came into town that afternoon. We had decided prior to her arrival that if Anna had not arrived, we would go get a pedicure together so we left Eli home with grandma and headed off to the nail salon around 2pm. The pedicure was great and I felt great! No issues or signs that she would arrive on her due date!

After the pedicure, we went to pick up Chipotle for dinner...yum! While eating Chipotle at home, I started to feel a little queasy and just not hungry. This was around 5pm or so. At around 6pm, I started to feel what could have been contractions...or just indigestion since I couldn't eat my dinner...it was hard to say! They weren't strong or painful, just uncomfortable. They came about every 20 minutes or so, were short & not unbearable so I was unsure if it was true labor or not. I decided to call Eric at work to see how his night was going and to fill him in on the contractions but told him not to come home as they didn't seem bad enough to go to the hospital. Around 7:30ish, I decided to ask Eric to come home "just in case" since they were still occurring, yet still nothing too strong or consistent yet.

The contractions continued to get closer together, but were still not too painful, but I thought that this must at least be the start of labor, but with Eli, he took 12 hours to arrive once they became painful, so I wasn't in a hurry. I updated facebook often and thankfully, Holly and my mom were here to help entertain Eli, who had NO idea what was going on :)

Eric arrived home and I decided to finish packing my hospital bag and asked Eric to pack his. Eric also put Eli to bed and we watched "The Bachelorette" off and on in between packing and contractions. Also, Eli had developed a strange rash, so I was doing research online for that! I was pretty distracted nonetheless :)

Contractions continued to get closer together, a little more painful, but I could still talk through them, so I wasn't too concerned. Then around 10:30ish, I got one REALLY painful contraction and they were about 8 minutes apart, so I decided we should head into the hospital. Eric packed the car, we said our good-byes to my sister and mom and gave directions about Eli and headed out!! We even have a picture of Holly and I right before we left and I was smiling!

Upon arriving at the hospital ER (after hours so I had to go through ER), I waited about 10 minutes for someone to help us and while Eric parked and brought in our luggage. I still was unsure if we would be admitted, but I was wheeled up to the 3rd floor in a wheel chair just in case! I went to triage, did the whole work up, and was checked by the triage nurse....I was already 5 cm dilated!! I was admitted at 11:15pm and the contractions were coming pretty good by that point. We walked to our room, got all situated, my midwife was called, and I was asked if I wanted an epidural. I thought I would wait it out so I said no. The contractions then picked up really fast, one on top of the other, and I said I needed one. My midwife arrived, she talked about how unique it is to go into labor on my due date, and then the anesthesiologist arrived for my epidural.

The epidural took a little while due to my scoliosis, and he even commented that it was one of the harder ones he's done. But, it took and I immediately felt better! My midwife came back in, she checked me and I was 7 cm dilated. By now it was about 11:45pm. My midwife broke my water, thankfully it was clear and good. We chatted, I felt good, and wondered if Anna would arrive before midnight, but was pretty sure not :)

Then around midnight, I felt A LOT of pressure. I was checked and in 15 minutes I had gone from a 7 to a 10!! Anna was on her way! The room was set up for delivery and I began to push. The first pushes were hard to feel due to the epidural, but I eventually got better at them. I was able to feel her head crown and when her head came out, I was SO ready for the rest of her to arrive that I just kept pushing!! 26 minutes after starting to push, Anna arrived!! I immediately held her on my chest and she looked so much like Eli, except she obviously had girl "looks". I was so happy, felt great, and was NOT exhausted like I was with Eli. It was great!! After about 5 or so minutes, I was curious what she weighed so they weighed her....8 lbs. 8 oz. 21 in.!! Bigger than her brother!! Then they put on her hat & blankets and immediately brought her back to me to nurse. She nursed SO well and it felt amazing! I was so relieved that she knew what to do and there was no pain or latch issues....yay! She nursed off & on for a good hour, and no one rushed us at all. It was really nice & relaxed and I was so thankful for that. I was calm, awake, and elated. Then once she was done nursing, the nurses bathed and clothed her while I ate some food. We were wheeled over to post-partum around 3ish in the morning and we tried to sleep. I had a hard time sleeping and Anna slept okay, but we would try to nurse again around 4:30am, so it was hard to sleep for me....too much excitement I guess and just wanting to be with my little girl :)

Here's video of Anna right after her arrival. There aren't any "inappropriate" shots due to the bright light but you can see my midwife taking out the umbilical cord. Pretty awesome!!:



Anna's first nursing sessions shortly after delivery:



The hospital stay was great, I felt good, had little issue getting up and around, and Anna was awesome. We kinda "co-slept" as I would nurse her on the boppy pillow and just keep her there and fall asleep with her. I kinda cheated and when the nurse would come in I would say she was still nursing as they would not allow "co-sleeping" :) Eli met Anna the next day and it was too cute. He was so happy but kinda shy, too, and kept saying "Anna's here?".

My birth experience with Anna was so much more relaxed than Eli's...and fast!! I was thankful to not be in labor overnight and to feel rested and with energy to deliver her. Looking back I probably didn't need the epidural since it was only really used for 45 minutes!! But, it was nice to be pain free for those 45 minutes I guess (well, not during the pushing part!!).

So, there it is. Pretty fast, nothing fancy, and thankfully nothing complicated! Now we have our sweet Anna and our family of 4!!

Anna's 1 month!

Hard to believe, but Anna is now 1 month old! Very exciting to say the least :) Before we "talk" Anna, here is a picture of daddy on Father's Day with his kiddos:

And of course, silly big brother, Eli, taking a self portrait:

Eli posing for a picture:

I'd say Eli is doing fairly well considering this first month. It's frustrating the weather is SO hot lately as we don't spend as much time outside as we'd like, but we do some. Thankfully, Anna pretty much passes out outside in the heat, so the time we do spend outdoors, she sleeps through most of it in her carrier/wrap. Eli LOVES his sister & the biggest issues actually come from him wanting to pretty much smother her in love & affection & us having to set limits for him. We've seen more acting out around these times which I'm sure is due to him feeling left out or being corrected too much on how he interacts with her. He's doing better, though, with his affection, & slowly beginning to understand she is small & fragile. I remind him that some day soon she will be much more fun to play with :)

As for what we've done this week, Anna & I attended breastfeeding group on Monday & Miss Anna weighed 10 lbs. 1.8 oz. so she's gaining weight just great! Tuesday we attended music class which went well & I decided that since my mom was with me, we would run to Sam's Club for TWO items. We made it through okay, until we were leaving & Anna became frantically hungry. I nursed her in the car while Eli sat in the back & grandma unloaded the cart into the car. It was SO hot, so we were all sweating & my patience was wearing thin. I put Anna in her carseat, got Eli in his, which took forever it seemed as Anna then began crying as though she was going to throw up so I got her out again to nurse. She calmed down & as I put her back in her seat, I noticed that Eli's car seat was unbuckled from the car. I tried to buckle it back up with no luck & I just lost it! I knew Anna would start crying again if we didn't get going, I thought I would have to take out Eli's car seat & reinstall it since it was locked & couldn't retract for some slack to rebuckle, & it was too DARN HOT!! Thankfully, though, I tried again from the other side & it buckled & Anna fell asleep. Phew! These are the moments I do NOT enjoy with 2 kiddos. I know, there are only more to come!!

Okay, on to Anna pictures. Below is Miss Anna on her changing table which she is almost always happy on, just like her brother did at her age!:

Throughout the day Anna is either in a wrap/carrier asleep, nursing, getting a new diaper, or hanging out in her vibrate chair or swing. She just this week started to enjoy the the chair & swing for longer time periods so that is helpful for mommy!:

Smiles anyone??:

Below are Anna's 1 month pictures. What is too cute is you'll see Eli's 1 month pictures & golly do they look alike!! Too fun!:

"Who is this striped guy?":

"I love this guy over here!!":

Sinking backwards:

Smiles again!:

Brother Eli at 1 month:

Anna's 1 month doctor appointment is Monday so I'll try to do a quick post about how that went. I'm interested to see how long she is as she seems to reach the full length of even her 3 month sleepers!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Forgotten pictures & Anna's 3rd week

While looking through pictures, I noticed that I somehow skipped a whole download of pictures from Anna's 1st into 2nd weeks. Some are too cute not to post, so these first pictures are about 2 weeks old now...amazing!!

When Aunt Sarah & Aunt Stephanie came down to meet Anna & visit Eli, they gave him a remote control monster truck!! Needless to say he LOVES it!!:

Introducing Anna to our sweet neighbors Peggy & Ed:

Eli is a super fast runner....see?:

Eric's work threw us a shower for Miss Anna which was scheduled for a few days after she was born. It was rescheduled to her 2nd week, which was very nice of them! Here's some pictures from the afternoon:

Eli in front of the wonderful gifts we received:

Our family of 4:

On the way home:

Anna hanging outside I believe after a bath....I don't remember why she has no clothes on, really, oh well:

Big brother & little sis:

Me & my 2 kiddos....

Our perfect little gift:

Eli & daddy coloring in Eli's color magic book...awesome for when I need him to be preoccupied but know he can't mark on anything :):

Some Eli & mommy time...hard to come by these days...I'm trying to do better by incorporating more one-on-one time with Eli. We do several activities a day together now while Anna is in her carrier/wrap or laying in her crib snoozing. It's been SO hot here that in the afternoons it is hard to go outside without it involving some sort of water activity. Then I worry about it being too hot for Anna (100 + heat index...yikes!) so usually our afternoons are inside. Without this one-on-one time, our afternoons become very long & Eli acts out more from boredom & also from feeling left out. Who can blame him?:

Now on to this last week. Anna is growing & growing & is really quite long!! Last Monday she weighed 9 lbs. 8 oz. so she's gained a pound since birth & 1 1/2 lbs. since discharge! We'll see what she weighs on Monday at group! Anna is smiling randomly & almost always rolls from her back to her side when laid down. She prefers side sleeping anyway, so that's just how she ends up whether I put her that way or not!! She sleeps a lot still, but is awake more & more every day. I was looking back at Eli's posts around this age & Anna does like he did & will sleep a long stretch in the evening & then begin 2-3 hour stretches, & then another longer one in the morning. But, I wrote for Eli that he just cat napped & seemed tired a lot during the day. Anna does the same, but the difference is I try harder to help her go back to sleep instead of just trying to entertain her & keep her happy. I can tell if she is wanting to sleep & she'll fuss to nurse & if it is overstimulating to her, it takes her longer to get back to sleep after a feeding. But, she eventually does, & therefore sleeps more, & is less fussy. I also am wearing her in wraps/carriers which I didn't do much with Eli, so that helps. Overall I am just more relaxed with her, so I'm not worried about nursing her too much or holding her too much as I know these are key to attachment parenting. With Eli I was still investigating my parenting style & was so unsure about a lot of things. Now we co-sleep with no issue, I stopped keeping track of her feedings (not looking at the clock, in other words) at around 2 1/2 weeks, & just am overall better at following her cues. What a difference!

I'm still on a quest to find the "perfect" carrier/sling/wrap for Anna & I. It seems that each one I've tried has some sort of downfall. So, I guess just rotating the use of the ones I have will work. So far, though, the Baby Bjorn is winning due to it's structure & the ability to have her legs out. It's also super easy to use. The wrap is fine but it loses it's structure due to gravity quickly & she doesn't love her legs being bunched up for too long. But, I still put her in it about once a day and she lasts anywhere from 20-30 minutes in it before she wakes up & she starts screaming. She does the same in Baby Bjorn so I know the screaming is more due to waking up in a "confined" position or space & voicing her opinion of it :) I also have a sling which I'm having a hard time figuring out how to get her in it & not having her scrunched up so tight that she is uncomfortable....& so am I! She just may be a Baby Bjorn baby from the beginning, which is fine with me!!

Anna in the Baby Bjorn:

Sweet Anna wearing a cute tank onesie her Aunt Sarah & Aunt Stephanie got her:

Cuddles with Grandma Bidney. Grandma has helped out numerous evenings over the last weeks by holding Anna while I put Eli to bed. It's a hard job for a grandma!! :):

Anna in one of the wraps. Normally she is more upright against my chest but in this hold she is more at an angle. Don't worry, I am constantly looking at her & can feel her breathing on my chest:

Actually enjoying her swing for a good 10 minutes!:

We've ventured out a little more this last week, too! I braved going to CVS with both kiddos with success!! Now granted Anna slept the whole time, but Eli did awesome & loves the double stroller...that makes it worth the money for sure!! We also went to a park, attended a water park (with daddy's help :), & attended a birthday at a splash park all on my own!! I'm sure each week will get better & better as far as how brave I am :) I still fear going out in public & Anna being fussy, wanting to nurse, exploding in her diaper all while Eli is wanting to run around & refusing to listen to me. That, my friends, is my worse nightmare. I want to avoid that scenario like the plague, so wish me luck!!

Tomorrow is Father's Day & I wanted to say what an awesome daddy Eric is to his children. It's so great to know he is a co-parent, and not just a daddy who brings home the money & has little interaction with his children. Eric does more than the average daddy & has had little reservation about trying out the parenting techniques I have asked him to take part in. Doing so makes my life easier & allows us to truly have equal parenting roles. Of course we both have complaints about each other & how we do things, but everyday I am so thankful that Eric is my hubby & the father of my children. What a gift for our children to grow up with a father who is so present in their lives. Family comes first for both of us & we can only pray what we are doing now & in the future encourages Eli & Anna to be happy, healthy, honest, loving, empathetic, open-minded people. Happy Father's Day, Eric!!

Anna's 2nd week....and of course brother Eli!

To start off the post, Eli has some news to share!:

Yes, our big boy is initiating his own potty training & is excited about it!!

This post I will post some about Eli, some about Anna, & some cute pics of the two of them together! Enjoy!

We set up our sprinkler in the back yard for Mr. Man & he loved it! We hope to get a fun attachment for future summer water time:

I didn't post this before, but the day before Anna was born, Eli came down with a strange rash. It came & went for about a week, & then with the help of a steroid & benedryl, it vanished!! Not sure if we'll ever really know what caused it, but thankfully it is gone!:

Eli LOVES to swim. Grandma & Grandpa Clarkson have a pool so on Memorial Day, Eli had a blast!!:

Anna will be 3 weeks on Tuesday!! She is growing like crazy & out of newborn, on to 0-3, & some 0-3 are too short for her! Not sure how long she is now, but definitely more than 21 inches as she was at birth. Oh, and the pediatrician's scale was wrong at her 1 week...she did NOT gain 1.5 lbs. since discharge. I weighed her again at lactation group at the hospital using a hospital scale & on Monday she weighed 9 lbs. 2.4 oz. So, she is gaining well, just not 1.5 lbs. in 5 days :) Anna is having more awake time these days & while she still sleeps A LOT, she is awake for a good 30 minutes or so several times a day. She does have some gas issues & can be particular during these wake times...as if to say, "what do I do now??"! Recently discovered she likes to face outward and look around & loves to be outside. Often during wake times she'll decide she doesn't want to be awake anymore & will fuss until she goes back to sleep. Silly girl.

Anna sleeps in my room, but we like to use her crib for some naps & to look at her mobile & toys. Here are some pictures of her doing just that:

She likes to look at these little guys due to their patterns & colors. She even reaches out & knocks them over!:

Anna is a side sleeper. She'll sleep on her back, but almost always rolls herself over to her side. Found out yesterday she also likes her tummy, which yes, is a no no, but for naps (usually just one of the naps) when I check on her constantly it is okay. She slept yesterday on her tummy for about 2 hours straight!! Usually she'll wake or fuss a little during naps, but yesterday she was out the entire time!! Eli hated his tummy so this is good if she keeps it up for her future tummy time!!:

Changing table is a favorite place...just like it was for Eli!:

My friend Cheryl finished the paper wreath she made as a gift to Anna. Isn't it gorgeous??:

Anna trying out her swing...not a favorite yet:

Now for Anna & Eli. Eli is doing better with Miss Anna. He loves to hold her & gets excited when he does & all the noises, faces, & occasional smiles she makes. He likes to say "She (smiled, looked, etc.) at me!" He has to be reminded often to be gentle, but has really done well with this. This was our first week home alone from 12-9pm (when Eric works) so we've have a couple of challenges. The first being mommy trying to figure out Anna's needs/preferences & also continuing to meet Eli's! Anna likes to be held (of course) & doesn't always enjoy being laid down. Other times she'll sleep through anything & I can wear her, lay her in her crib, swing, vibrate chair, etc. But of course, some days this week she has chosen to NOT want to be set down or in her wrap during times that I need her to such as when I need to make lunch, give Eli a bath, etc. So, one handed tasks have been completed by me numerous times this week. The 2nd challenge is bed time. A couple of nights have gone great & Anna has agreed to nap in her crib while I put Eli down for bed. Other nights, she says "Uh uh, I don't think so mama!! I am doing bedtime with Eli, too!". So, I've had to hold/nurse her while I sing to Eli & hold his hand in his bed. Oh the life of mothering two!! Overall it's been good, though, even though I will admit I've had a few tears shed over feeling guilty towards one or the other & how I can't split myself in half!! Time will make all better, though, & we are happy with our family of four :)

Here are some pictures of our 2 kiddos:

One day this week we did a picnic outside in our back yard. Since Anna pretty much passes out when outside, I try to put her in my wrap & head out when it's not too hot. Eli enjoyed the picnic & so did Anna:

Here is Anna in her wrap. She is hit or miss as to whether she likes the wrap or not. She will go in okay, fall asleep, & often wakes up screaming, as if she doesn't like the fabric or doesn't know where she is or something. Trying to wear her in it 1-2 times a day to get her more accustomed. Also considering a sling & eventually our Baby Bjorn. It's so much easier to hold her in one of these so I can actually make lunch, give Eli a bath, clean up, etc. Sometimes she can be set down okay, other times she won't have it, so with 2 kiddos, a carrier of some kind is essential!!:


My next blogging goal is Anna's birth story. I keep written journals for both Eli & Anna & have documented their birth stories there, but never blogged Eli's. I hope to blog Anna's soon, but at least I know I have it documented in her journal. But, some of you may be interested in reading it, so hopefully I can get to it!! I think my blogging will primarily occur on the weekends when Eric is home...much easier.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend & thanks for checking in!!