The Many Faces of Piper

We took some similar pictures of Morgan about this age (six weeks), so I thought I'd try to get some of Piper. She's showing more expression now. We think we've already had some real smiles too! Note, again we are using a damaged camera. The viewfinder is not the best way to frame a photo as you'll see that I've chopped off the top of her head in most of these photos. Oh well, I'll work on that. We've ordered a new camera using some reward points, but it will take a few weeks to get here (why? I don't know)...so help is on the way!

Hi guys. What's up?

Uh Oh! Here come's that silly sister again!

Arent' I cute?!

Another open mouth "smile"

Not a great photo, but you can see the top of her head!

Mommy and Daddy see a lot of this face...yes, I am bright red too.

Better

I am feeling better. Thank goodness. It was the medication I was on that caused the sudden anxiety increase and luckily it dissipated within a few days once I switched to a different one. I still have a lower level of stress and anxiety at times, but nowhere near the level of awfulness I was feeling. I still consider myself to have some post-partum depression, but we've got it under control now. Phew.

Thanks to everyone who left an encouraging comment or sent an email. It really helps to know my family and friends are pulling for me/us. I'm also so glad to know people are following our blog. It makes it that much more fun to add updates and pictures. I love reading others' blogs, so it's nice to know ours is read too.

Here's the latest...we think maybe Piper has some reflux going on. I went to my 6 week follow-up at the OB and took Piper with me. She had a full-on screaming attack when we got there. They were very patient and let me feed her and calm her down before my appointment. The Dr. mentioned that one of his daughters had what is called "silent" reflux, which does not manifest with lots of spitting up. I'd wondered about this before, but the nurse at our pediatrician's office kept telling me that if she didn't spit up, it wasn't reflux. So...we took Piper in to see the Dr. today and we started her on some Zantac. If it truly is reflux that is bothering her (besides the "colic" diagnosis), we should see a difference in her behavior within 3-4 days. I've wondered, is it bad for me to "want" my child to have a problem like reflux?! I guess its just because if she does, there is a treatment for it. If it really is just "colic" we still have 6-7 more weeks of dealing with it. We are at the 6 week mark which with all babies is the "fussy peak," so hopefully this is the worst of it and then we'll be on the downswing. Part of me hopes it is reflux, so we can have some relief sooner, but as with Morgan...if it is colic we will endure and come out the other side OK.

I've got some pictures to download from the camera. I'm so behind on this! Piper is getting so big already. I'll do my best to post some new ones of her and also Morgan's silliness soon.

Piper is One Month Old!

Piper is one month old today! Somehow it seems like it has flown by, but sometimes it seems to have really crawled along...I think that's what waking several times a night does to you. At least we know that this is the hardest part and soon we will all be sleeping longer and better.

I took these pictures this morning and she just looks HUGE to me! She has grown a lot in a short period of time. She looks smaller when you see Morgan next to her, but she's still a chunky monkey. I suspect she'll be like Morgan, always at the top of the percentile charts.

Check out those cheeks...and the crazy hair! You can't tell from these pics, but I think her eyes may stay blue.

Tried to get some pictures with big sis Morgan, but neither were very cooperative.

Big Sister Fun

Morgan is enjoying being a big sister to Piper. Every chance she gets she'll "help" rock Piper in her swing, car seat or give her lots of hugs and kisses. About once a day she goes into "bad girl" mode and hits Piper (mostly if I'm trying to feed her under a nursing cover) or she'll slap at Mama a little. She knows when she is in trouble because she puts herself in "time out." I think we might have to change our "time out" strategy, it doesn't work as well as we would like at this point.

We came home from a few of Piper's appointments today (all went well!) and kept her in her car seat because she was sleeping so nicely. Morgan rocked Piper...a little too vigorously, so I kept saying "be gentle." Then she was just so cute that I got out the camera. Here's what happened next...

Oh, Mama's got the camera on me!

Now I'll run down the hallway and "roll over"...maybe Mama will come and tickle me

OK, she's still got the camera. I'll run towards her and smile real big!!

Such a little goof!!! We love our big girl!

It is a miracle!

The Miracle Blanket, that is. We decided to put it into action last night. We had used it with Morgan starting fairly early and it helped her sleep better and longer. It swaddles them up good and tight with their arms by their sides. Then they don't wake themselves with their spontaneous arm movements and they feel all warm, cozy and somewhat like they felt in the womb.

Piper had a rough time last eveing. She's really come into a fussy phase and has a hard time transitioning from awake to sleeping. As you saw in the previous post, we've put the swaddle, Jr. and the swing unto use...but night-time is another story. I want her to get the idea that once she's in the miracle blanket, it's time for a long sleep, so it will only be used at night and she will sleep in her bassinet. Prior to this (for various reasons) she had been sleeping on me in bed...but this was never a long-term plan. She also started waking up more often, so it wasn't working anyway. She's also a sweaty little bugger too.

As I was saying, she was having a fussy time last night. We went to our church small group and she basically cried the whole time, when she wasn't eating. We wondered when we got home whether we'd be able to get her to go to sleep. Finally at about 11 pm she seemed close nodding off. We wrapped her up in the miracle blanket and put her in the bassinet. Within ten minutes she was asleep!

Here's the kicker, she didn't fully wake up until 5 am!! That's 6 hours!! She started making some small "hungry sounds" around 3 am...so I didn't sleep from then on since I was convinced she was waking up any minute. She didn't truly make her hungry cries until just before 5 am. Lucky David had earplugs in so he slept fine! Overall this was a great night though. We'll see if it continues...as it might have been a fluke, but we know the potential is there. Good job Piper!!

Back to Basics

It was time to pull out the "swaddle jr." again. We call it the "jr." because the "big gun" swaddle is the Miracle Blanket which is due to go into use again soon. The "jr." is great for naps during the day while the MB is for night-time use. Piper just couldn't get herself to sleep yesterday in the morning, so we used the swaddle, swing and binky to triple-team her into submission. A nice nap ensued and we all got some rest. It was a bonus that it was Morgan's regular naptime too!

Bouncy Balls and Football

How do these things work together?! Yesterday David multi-tasked by calming a fussy baby AND watching a lot of football! He also had to give Morgan a turn or two on the ball too. At times it was the only thing that would calm Piper down. She just couldn't decide what she wanted, to eat, to hang out, to sleep. It was a mystery to all of us.

Go Daddy Go!

Finally giving up the fight

Coming out of the fog

I think I'm seeing some light through the newborn fog. We've been sleep deprived and adjusting to two babies in the house, but that is to be expected. We've had wonderful help from family, Grandma and Grandpa B left last Thursday and Gramma and Grampa A arrived on Saturday. We don't know what we'd do without them. Here are a few shots from the last 5 days or so.

I'm soooo big!!

Piper's first "sponge" bath

Snoozing with Daddy (wasn't this Morgan just yesterday?)

Morgan LOVES her baby sister!

Piper's Birth Story...

...is coming. I'm having trouble copying and pasting from a word document. Any advice? I really don't want to have to retype the whole thing. In the meantime here are a few pics from right after Piper's birth and in the hospital. I will have more once I can download them from my Dad's camera.

I got to hold her right away all blue and wiggling. This is after they were able to clean her off a bit and put on a hat. Don't I look lovely, running mascara and all?!

She was so red and splotchy! They did say she won the "chubby cheek" award for the day.

She rolls on her side like this on the changing table too. Must be comfy.

With Daddy

As soon as I put this outfit on her she just conked out asleep. It was like, "finally Mom, I was cold!"

And then there were four

Piper Rylee is here! She was born at 3:57 pm on Thursday, August 27th, the day before her due date. She weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long.

After one night in the hospital we arrived home this afternoon around 4 pm. I will post some pictures as soon as I can do some downloading. I will also be putting together a more detailed "birth story" in the next few days. Everything went so well, I still can't believe it. There is only so much you can do to "plan" a birth and we were so fortunate to have most everything go very smoothly this time around.

Big Sister Morgan is curious about the new "visitor" in her home. I think she doesn't yet realize that she is staying...in fact I've had my moments that I've felt the same way. So, we embark on the quest to be a family of four now. Thanks for joining us on the journey!

39 Week Dr. Appointment

I feel like I just posted about my last appointment. Last week went fast!

All is still looking good. Possibly a bit more "progress," 1-2 cm dilated, 60% effaced. I met with the other OB in the practice today. He's a good guy, I wouldn't mind if he is on-call when I go into labor. He also said my uterus was somewhat "irritable." I've heard of this before, but more in the context of earlier in a pregnancy when there's some concern that there might be preterm labor. In my case it is good because it means that the uterus is getting ready to do it's job. Cool. I'm definitely having more "tightening" going on all over, nothing painful though. That must be what he's talking about.

Countdown about 5 more days until my doula is back from vacation. Then I'm good to go. I have two more Dr. appointments set up in advance, my 40 week appointment next Thursday and (ack!) a 41 week appointment for the following Thursday. I don't even want to hear the word "induction," so please say prayers that we don't make it that far. Work with me body, work with me! :-)

38 Week Dr. Appointment

Fairly uneventful. All looks good. "Progress" is about the same as last week, maybe slightly more dilated than 1 cm, but definitely not 2 cm yet. Effacement is the same about 50-60%. I was actually relieved when I heard this. My doula is going on vacation as of today and there are still some other small projects that need to be done. I don't think it's going to happen for a bit. Good thing I'm not miserable or overly uncomfortable. I was at this point with Morgan, so I think somehow I "willed" my body to let her be born early. This time I can wait until I'm due.

Grandma and Grandpa B are arriving this afternoon! They will be here as help and reinforcements with Morgan when we need to go have this baby. In the meantime I get a nice break from cooking, chores, etc. What a luxury! I'm sure going to enjoy it while I can.

37 Week Dr. Appointment

On Thursday morning I had my 37 week appointment. Even with Morgan in tow it went well. I was wondering if my blood pressure would be up since I was concerned she would have a meltdown while I was being examined, but she was a trooper. I think it helped that the Dr. was super sweet to her when he came in, so she thought he must be an OK guy. Last time she got a little upset when he was checking the baby's position by palpitating my belly. I think she thought he was hurting me. I also came armed with snacks this time, so she might have been a little distracted too.

We have some "progress!" I am 60% effaced (shortening of cervix) and 1 cm dilated. Now those additional aches and a little more "waddling" make sense. This really means nothing on timing though. I can stay at the same place for weeks and not progress, or things could happen quickly. I'm torn on this though. I've basically told my body that it needs to wait until I'm at least 39 weeks 4 days. That's when my doula is back from vacation. We'll have a backup plan for when she's gone, but of course I'd rather it be her that someone I don't know. We'll see if my body obliges. The Dr. said he expected to see me at my appt. next week, but after that...who knows?! Morgan was born at 38 weeks 3 days and I was "ready." Since I'm feeling physically better this time around I think I will be fine if I make it to my due date or later.

32 Week Dr. Appointment

I can't believe it's already 32 weeks and my last appointment was at 28 weeks. It's funny, some days seem like they're going slowly, but most of the time it seems like this pregnancy is going really fast.

My appointment went well today. I was most excited to hear that this baby Biscuit is currently head down and the Dr. thinks she'll stay that way. Yay! We did schedule a "growth" ultrasound in two weeks. We asked for this mostly because our "anatomy" ultrasound was done very early at 16 weeks and we want another confirmation on gender as well as to be sure everything still looks OK. I also want to see how big she is and especially how big her head is. Morgan has a BIG head and I think most of you know what happened there. Ouch!

So, for the next month I have appointments every two weeks, at 34 weeks and 36 weeks...then from there I will have appointments every week until I go into labor. I think the time is going to pass really quickly.

As I thought, I'm starting to have a little more overall discomfort. This is the same as what happened with Morgan. I'm moving just a little more slowly, especially while carrying my 26 lb toddler around. Sleeping is getting more challenging with a bit of increased congestion and the return of some rib pain. I'm still able to keep up with my yoga classes and working out at the gym though. I'm confident I'm going to be stronger this time come delivery. That keeps me motivated to not be a couch potato. I am also very grateful that I am able to take advantage of Morgan's nap times for a nap of my own. This feels like such a luxury. I keep telling myself, enjoy it now...the sleepless nights are right around the corner! I can't wait to meet this baby though. It will make it all worth it.

28 week OB appointment and thoughts

Yesterday I had my 28 week appointment with the OB. Yay for the 3rd Trimester! I'm still feeling better than I expected. I have occasional aches and pains and overall fatigue, but nothing too bad. I don't think I got really uncomfortable with Morgan until about 32 weeks...so we'll see what happens when we get there this time around.

The appointment went fine. As I mentioned in my last appointment post at 24 weeks, I did do my glucose test this time. As soon as I got there they gave me the "orange soda" to drink. I had 5 minutes to drink it (i.e. force it down)...it really wasn't that bad. It was cold and they gave me a straw, so I just sucked it down as quickly as I could. Then I met with the Dr. He said everything looked good. Heart rate was at 150, my blood pressure was 120 over something...good too. I'm measuring right where he said I should be.

This was interesting...we had a short discussion about what can be done to try to make sure this one is not "sunny side up" at delivery, like Morgan was. Of course, we only have so much control, but there are a few things we can do if she ends up in that position. One definite thing is that I'm definitely going to push for less meds and/or intervention early on in labor. With Morgan I really felt pressured by the nurses into getting an epidural very early ("no need to be a hero")...I think I was only 2 cm dilated. Overall the nurses are amazing there...they really support you and encourage you, but this is one area I will push back on. As much as I don't like the idea of the pain, there are things that need to be determined before I request any medication. The problem with getting an epidural early is that you are really fairly immobile in the bed. You can turn on either side, but that's about it. If the baby ends up being face up again, I would have limited ability to move my body around to help her to turn. If I can wait longer I can move into better positions (hands and knees, walking, etc.) to facilitate this.

This may be shocking to some readers, but ideally I'd love to be able to get through it without any pain meds, pitocin, etc. I know the epidural helped in some ways, but I had such awful back labor and pain in my hips because of Morgan's position. To my surprise this persisted even with the epidural. They kept "topping me off" with other meds, but I just ended up not being able to feel my legs at all. What a mess.

The worst part was that I was so drugged up that I could barely function after Morgan was here. It was bizarre. I was exhausted, but the adrenaline was also pumping, so I really was not able to rest. Then, of course I had the terrible 4th degree tear/episiotomy, so I was stuck in the bed longer than usual. I couldn't help care for Morgan like I wanted to and we got a terrible start on nursing. I just want it to be different this time. I don't expect a perfect experience this time, but odds are it will be better in many ways because my body has done it before.

As for actually having a natural childbirth, I'm not sure what I'm going to be able to handle. So you know, I haven't taken any prep classes for natural childbirth. I've done quite a bit of reading and I know several people who have done great with only that. I'm not going in completely decided on this, I have to have an open mind depending on circumstances. To be able to do it naturally the labor with have to progress well, meaning labor starts on it's own (no pitocin). Last time my water broke and nothing happened. So, you can see that there are a lot of things we can't control. I was glad that the Dr. was into discussing options. I could tell he didn't want to have to put me through that again and he will do all he can to avoid it. We like him!

There is still time to research and prepare for all this. I'm definitely better informed this time and have the experience of Morgan's birth...good and bad. We're getting more and more excited as the time gets closer and it is coming up fast. Now this baby just needs a name...hmmm. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.

The Biscuit's 24 Week Appt

"The Biscuit" continues to do well. We had our 24 week appointment today and it went...as usual. Really, at this point there is not much to get excited about with appointments. Here's how it goes: Pee in a cup (checked out OK), get weighed (apparently "on track"), blood pressure (100 over something...that was good), Nurse Practitioner comes in, baby's heart rate (150), measure height of uterus (on track too)...then questions.

One funny thing about the heart rate is that the Biscuit was on the move. We kept hearing it, then it would disappear so the NP would have to chase it around my belly. Apparently she was lying sideways when she finally got it long enough to get the heart rate. In the last week she has been moving around a ton. Or she's just big enough now that I'm feeling it a lot more. In fact, last night we were falling asleep and all of a sudden she did some kind of somersault. It was this big "swish" and a "plop." I remember Morgan doing that and it is the strangest feeling. This is the point in the pregnancy where there is still lots of room for the baby to move around, so I should expect there to be lots of flops in the next 6 or so weeks. After that baby gets more confined, so not so many big movements. At that point you hope she settles head down because there might not be room to flip after that.

My next appointment is at 28 weeks and at that one I will have my 1-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test. This is the test where they determine if you have Gestational Diabetes. GD can cause all sorts of problems including growing an extra large baby. I'd like to avoid that. For the test, you show up and right away they give you a sugary soda drink. The one I had with Morgan was sort of like an orange soda, but not as tasty. They keep it really cold because it's more pleasant going down that way. I remember just closing my eyes and chugging to get it over with. After this lovely experience I'll have my regular appointment with the Dr., then at exactly one hour from when I finished the "soda" I'll have some blood taken. They'll let me know in a few days if there are any issues, otherwise, as with Morgan all was fine and they didn't call me. With this test you want to "pass" the first time because if you don't you have to come back and do a 3-Hour test. I think you only have to drink the "soda" once, but you have to have blood drawn every hour for 3 hours. Ugh. If you pass that you're OK, if not...you're on to the GD diet. I'm thinking I'll be fine though.

There's the update. Sorry not so many posts this week. Where did the time go?!

A Mish Mash

So sorry I haven't been posting lately. I can't believe it's already Thursday! We've been getting over colds and (as of this morning) catching new ones. Can't seem to get much of a break from the runny noses and sneezes. At least this one doesn't seem to be as bad as that virus was. Let's hope it stays that way.

Grandma and Grandpa B are coming for a visit tomorrow. I've been telling Morgan all
week...not that she really "gets" it yet. I'm hoping to avoid a separation anxiety meltdown, but if it happens, she'll get over it pretty quickly. She should be really happy to have more people to read her books to her. We read her books over and over again each day as she'll bring them to me one after another. Unfortunately I'm reluctant to buy too many new ones now as she's still in "destructo" mode with them. Little pointy parts of all 4 of her first molars have poked through. Possibly she will give her books (and other toys) a break from the chewing soon.

We heard the "Biscuit's" heartbeat again yesterday. It was 160 bpm. That's right where Morgan's heartbeat was all along. There is an Old Wives Tale that a heartbeat in that range is a girl, which was true with Morgan, but that's why it's an Old Wives Tale...it not necessarily true. We may know more at the end of next week when I have an ultrasound.

That's about it for now. We'll try to take some pictures this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. It's a combo of raining and snowing outside now...yuck. Here comes the book monster. Gotta go!

Official

Yes, it is official. Morgan is going to be a Big Sister! If all goes well, late August will bring us a new family member. I am 14 weeks along today and feeling pretty good. I've been tired and somewhat sick along the way, but nothing too terrible.

We debated for a long time whether Morgan would be an "only" or whether we would try for another. There are pros and cons for either side. I think what finally won the argument is that Morgan is so much fun, how can we not have another? It's nice that she'll have a sibling to grow up with too.

We'll keep you up to date on the latest. I guess "Morgan Territory" may need a new name, huh? It's not all about Morgan anymore (but don't tell her that yet).