He seems to really like the close-up!
~E
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Bum Shot
I had to try some new jeans on Bentley and it was warm out so I left his pants off. Next thing we knew there was a missing diaper...AND A FULL MOON!
~E
~E
Monday, May 28, 2012
Water Table!
Bentley enjoys the water table and we were fortunate enough that at the Cape this weekend the weather allowed for the kiddos to play in it. For him, it serves two purposes...1) fun and 2) A convenient thirst quencher.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.
Memorial Day Weekend pics to follow!
~E
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.
Memorial Day Weekend pics to follow!
~E
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Sandbox.
Bentley loves his new sandbox!
Step 1 = Fill his truck with sand...
Step 2 = Pour it all over himself...
Step 3 = Make sure he is covered head to toe in sand...
He'll be extra happy when he gets to take a "showa" later!
~E
Step 1 = Fill his truck with sand...
Step 2 = Pour it all over himself...
Step 3 = Make sure he is covered head to toe in sand...
He'll be extra happy when he gets to take a "showa" later!
~E
The Weight Challenge
OK so I realize maybe this is tacky or something but I figure by making it public and "reporting in" I will better be able to keep a handle on my post-baby weight loss. Let's start with a few "fun" facts...
1. I usually weigh about 128.
2. When pregnant with Bentley ~ between week #8 (133 pounds) and week #38 I gained a whopping 51 pounds (184 pounds @ final weigh-in).
3. Post-Bentley ~ I never got down past 164, a measly 20 pound loss.
4. When pregnant with Grace ~ between week #8 (164 pounds) and week #37 I gained 14 pounds (178 pounds @ final weigh in).
As much as I hate to credit the diabetes diet I do have to say that I've had far fewer cravings for junky stuff post-pregnancy than I did with Bentley. With him I was begging in the delivery room for fountain Coke. Not that I haven't treated myself over the last three weeks, I'm just not shoving my face full of turkey dinner for breakfast. About a week-and-a-half post-delivery I randomly weighed myself and found that I was already down to my pre-pregnancy weight...163!! Over the weekend I weighed myself and I was down to 156!!
SO, I still have a ways to go ~ about 25-30 pounds but I'm confident I can get close!
~E
1. I usually weigh about 128.
2. When pregnant with Bentley ~ between week #8 (133 pounds) and week #38 I gained a whopping 51 pounds (184 pounds @ final weigh-in).
3. Post-Bentley ~ I never got down past 164, a measly 20 pound loss.
4. When pregnant with Grace ~ between week #8 (164 pounds) and week #37 I gained 14 pounds (178 pounds @ final weigh in).
As much as I hate to credit the diabetes diet I do have to say that I've had far fewer cravings for junky stuff post-pregnancy than I did with Bentley. With him I was begging in the delivery room for fountain Coke. Not that I haven't treated myself over the last three weeks, I'm just not shoving my face full of turkey dinner for breakfast. About a week-and-a-half post-delivery I randomly weighed myself and found that I was already down to my pre-pregnancy weight...163!! Over the weekend I weighed myself and I was down to 156!!
SO, I still have a ways to go ~ about 25-30 pounds but I'm confident I can get close!
~E
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Grace's Birth
I spilled the beans with Bentley, so here's the lowdown...
For a good 2 weeks before Grace was born I started not feeling well. I was very crampy, exhausted, and getting sick on & off again. At my 36 week appointment I was 1 cm dilated and at 37 weeks I was 1 cm and 50% effaced (this is what I measured with Bentley at week 38). As the days went on I felt worse and worse and about a week+ before I ended up giving birth I started having contractions. Natually, I thought it would be any day...and over a week passed with anywhere from 2-4 hours of minor contractions. The last weekend in April @ week 38 I really felt horrible but I was still just WAITING.
Monday 4/20: Pretty crampy and neurotic around the house, picking every little thing up and making sure everything was in its place. I went to bed at 9PM and woke up at 10PM to what felt like I peed my pants a little. Yummy. I went to the bathroom and knew something was up so I called the Drs. office. The nurse called back and said to head into the hospital and they would check if my water had ruptured. I called Mum & Dad to come over and stay with Bentley and after a shower, we left at about 11PM for the hospital. In case you were worried I took the time to make the bed and fold a few things...
Tuesday 5/1: We got to the hospital just before midnight, went through registration, and headed back to ante-natal waiting. It wasn't much of a wait...at least it didn't feel like it...probably because unlike with Bentley I wasn't having raging contractions in the waiting area. After we got to our room the nurse did a test to confirm if my water broke and it came back negative; then the Dr. came in to repeat the test and do a different test and those both came back negative. Not convinced I didn't actually rupture my water, the OB on call wanted me to have an ultrasound to check my fluid levels. Downstairs to Emergency we go for an ultrasound with a really sketchy man-nurse. While waiting to head back up to Maternity I started balling because I knew I was being sent home. Back in our ante-natal room the nurse came in after about a half hour...she told us that we weren't going anywhere without a baby!! WAHOO!! The ultrasound showed that my fluid levels were at 2 when they should in fact be at 20. So this was a sign that for whatever reason - my water breaking or I don't know what else - my fluid levels were VERY low. They started me on IV fluids because sometimes that can help raise your levels. In the meantime the Dr. came in to tell us that we were being admitted to Labor & Delivery and they would start pitocin to augment labor. (They don't refer to it as "inducing" because my water had already broken ~ so it is actually "augmenting" in this case.) Before I knew it the wheelchair was there and the nice nurse Tracy came to bring us to our room.
We got into Labor & Delivery and I panicked! All of the sudden after 9 months going into that big room with the little baby warmer and bassinet...I had a momentary freak out. At about 6:30 I was hooked up to a low level of pitocin. The OB checked me and I was about 2 cm and 80% effaced. I started to get very crampy and by about 7:30 I was having full-blown contractions. Funny thing is that at this point even though they were getting worse and worse I could actually somewhat tolerate them ~ as opposed to with Bentley by the time my water broke I couldn't handle the horrible pain anymore because it had been SO long. Naturally, Chris fell asleep. I couldn't sleep because of the contractions. At about 10AM my nurse was going for a break and had the young, British, hot-ticket nurse from across the hall come watch me. She was hilarious and used to work in a plastic surgeons office...so she told us how she just got married in January and although she wants to have kids she wasn't ready yet BUT she had a scare last month and it was before she had a chance to get her Botox so she was freaking out - apparently Botox and pregnancy don't mix. I also learned a lot about Latisse - the stuff that grows your eyelashes. The on-call OB from my practice also works out of the spa I go to in Milford, she does some of their medical procedures. Awhile back I got a script for Latisse from her but couldn't use it while I was pregnant, so the big joke was that I had a prescription for my lash growing stuff in my wallet so that Chris could get it filled immediately after delivery...and it was from the same lady who was delivering our baby. Anyways...back to labor...I was in horrible pain but I felt like a wimp getting my epidural after only about 3 hours of real contractions since with Bentley it was 30 hours before I got it. By the time my nurse got back funny British nurse had put in the order for the epidural and the anesthesiologist was in our room. She and our regular nurse Brenda told me I was nuts for holding out on it any longer. It's about a 15 minute process - and the funny thing is I remember the needle prick hurting a little this time but with Bentley everything else hurt so bad I barely noticed. Chris stood behind me to watch ~ he did with Bentley, too ~ and the nurse asked him politely about 5 times to sit in the chair...of course he didn't want to so he teased her about it, while I am in contraction hell...and finally with her coaxing and my "strong urging" he at least leaned on the chair in case he went down for the count. Within about 20-25 minutes the epidural started working but just like with Bentley I had what is called a 'window' - where the medicine doesn't hit and you can feel everything still - in the same place where I had one with Bentley. After laying on that side for awhile it finally went away. I wasn't able to doze off so we were watching some terrible TV.
My nurse headed to lunch around noon because she figured by the time she came back we'd be ready for action. Boy was she right! She got back at 1PM and told me the Dr. was across the hall finishing a delivery and would come check me as soon as she was done. The Dr. rolled in at 1:20 to check me and said "Well I'm not leaving this room, that baby is right there!" WAHOOOO. It took a few for them to prep the bed, the baby warmer thingy, and get the Dr. all dressed up...and THREE pushes later Grace was OUT! Push, push, BABY! (If there was one of those "That was Easy" buttons there I would have banged the crap out of it!) It was literally about 1 minute of pushing. Grace Harper was born at 1:31 PM on Tuesday, May 1st (11 days early!). The first thing we noticed was that she looked EXACTLY like Bentley when he was born! Chris had his iPad and pulled up a picture of Bentley right after he was born to show the Dr. and nurses and even they couldn't believe it.
It was such a different experience than with Bentley and instead of bleeding out and almost ending up unconscious, I actually got to snuggle the newest little bundle and hold her for awhile while they cleaned her up. At my OB's request the nurses had the room prepped in case I did hemmorhage badly again and had even put in an extra IV line just in case. They had extra fluids & medicine to help with the bleeding waiting in case it was needed. I did bleed a little more than normal and due to what happened with Bentley my nurse was over cautious, which was GREAT. She gave me some extra pitocin...which I don't know the reason but they did it after Bentley's birth, too and it helps stop the bleeding, maybe by contracting your uterus or something...I don't know. She also gave me a shot in the leg to help with the bleeding as well. The only downside was that it made me nauseous, but in no time the bleeding was under control...and it wasn't bad to begin with anyways.
Her weight was 6.8 pounds ~ we took guesses before the nurse weighed her and at 6.7 I was the winning guess. Everyone in the room agreed that the winner got to keep the baby...so lucky me! She is 19 inches long.
Another plus of this experience is that we did not have that terrible incapable nurse so instead of waiting 8+ hours in Labor & Delivery we were moved to our post-partum room by 4PM. We had some company and then I had a couple of sleepless nights while the hubby snored away on his uncomfortable cot.
The pediatrician had to check Gracie and at her first check the lady freaked me out telling me 1) she had a little heart murmur but that it was very common in newborns and should go away, and 2) she has a dimple at the top of her bum crack that can signify spinal issues...and started asking me if anyone picked up on it during my ultrasounds or if it was mentioned before. So I was NERVOUS. Fortunately, the pedi that came in the next two days was much more reassuring. Her murmur was gone completely. The little dimple both he and her regular doctor said is nothing to worry about so that was a relief.
We headed home on Thursday 5/3. Grace's weight dropped to 6 lb 4 ounces but that is very common. She had her first pediatrician appointment on Friday 5/4 and their scale measured her at 6.7. On Sunday night I developed a fever so I had to go see the OB on Monday. I still have to take my pre-natal vitamin & iron, then head back for a 6 week follow up. Around the same time I will have another glucose test to make sure the gestational diabetes is gone.
SO...compared to about 38 hours of labor with Bentley this was a BREEZE!!! From the time my water broke to the time Grace was born it was about 15 and 1/2 hours; but from the time they started pitocin and I was actually having contractions to her birth was only 7 hours.
It's amazing how COMPLETELY DIFFERENT two pregnancies and two labors can be!!!
Now the question is...will there be a third???????????????
~E
For a good 2 weeks before Grace was born I started not feeling well. I was very crampy, exhausted, and getting sick on & off again. At my 36 week appointment I was 1 cm dilated and at 37 weeks I was 1 cm and 50% effaced (this is what I measured with Bentley at week 38). As the days went on I felt worse and worse and about a week+ before I ended up giving birth I started having contractions. Natually, I thought it would be any day...and over a week passed with anywhere from 2-4 hours of minor contractions. The last weekend in April @ week 38 I really felt horrible but I was still just WAITING.
Monday 4/20: Pretty crampy and neurotic around the house, picking every little thing up and making sure everything was in its place. I went to bed at 9PM and woke up at 10PM to what felt like I peed my pants a little. Yummy. I went to the bathroom and knew something was up so I called the Drs. office. The nurse called back and said to head into the hospital and they would check if my water had ruptured. I called Mum & Dad to come over and stay with Bentley and after a shower, we left at about 11PM for the hospital. In case you were worried I took the time to make the bed and fold a few things...
Tuesday 5/1: We got to the hospital just before midnight, went through registration, and headed back to ante-natal waiting. It wasn't much of a wait...at least it didn't feel like it...probably because unlike with Bentley I wasn't having raging contractions in the waiting area. After we got to our room the nurse did a test to confirm if my water broke and it came back negative; then the Dr. came in to repeat the test and do a different test and those both came back negative. Not convinced I didn't actually rupture my water, the OB on call wanted me to have an ultrasound to check my fluid levels. Downstairs to Emergency we go for an ultrasound with a really sketchy man-nurse. While waiting to head back up to Maternity I started balling because I knew I was being sent home. Back in our ante-natal room the nurse came in after about a half hour...she told us that we weren't going anywhere without a baby!! WAHOO!! The ultrasound showed that my fluid levels were at 2 when they should in fact be at 20. So this was a sign that for whatever reason - my water breaking or I don't know what else - my fluid levels were VERY low. They started me on IV fluids because sometimes that can help raise your levels. In the meantime the Dr. came in to tell us that we were being admitted to Labor & Delivery and they would start pitocin to augment labor. (They don't refer to it as "inducing" because my water had already broken ~ so it is actually "augmenting" in this case.) Before I knew it the wheelchair was there and the nice nurse Tracy came to bring us to our room.
We got into Labor & Delivery and I panicked! All of the sudden after 9 months going into that big room with the little baby warmer and bassinet...I had a momentary freak out. At about 6:30 I was hooked up to a low level of pitocin. The OB checked me and I was about 2 cm and 80% effaced. I started to get very crampy and by about 7:30 I was having full-blown contractions. Funny thing is that at this point even though they were getting worse and worse I could actually somewhat tolerate them ~ as opposed to with Bentley by the time my water broke I couldn't handle the horrible pain anymore because it had been SO long. Naturally, Chris fell asleep. I couldn't sleep because of the contractions. At about 10AM my nurse was going for a break and had the young, British, hot-ticket nurse from across the hall come watch me. She was hilarious and used to work in a plastic surgeons office...so she told us how she just got married in January and although she wants to have kids she wasn't ready yet BUT she had a scare last month and it was before she had a chance to get her Botox so she was freaking out - apparently Botox and pregnancy don't mix. I also learned a lot about Latisse - the stuff that grows your eyelashes. The on-call OB from my practice also works out of the spa I go to in Milford, she does some of their medical procedures. Awhile back I got a script for Latisse from her but couldn't use it while I was pregnant, so the big joke was that I had a prescription for my lash growing stuff in my wallet so that Chris could get it filled immediately after delivery...and it was from the same lady who was delivering our baby. Anyways...back to labor...I was in horrible pain but I felt like a wimp getting my epidural after only about 3 hours of real contractions since with Bentley it was 30 hours before I got it. By the time my nurse got back funny British nurse had put in the order for the epidural and the anesthesiologist was in our room. She and our regular nurse Brenda told me I was nuts for holding out on it any longer. It's about a 15 minute process - and the funny thing is I remember the needle prick hurting a little this time but with Bentley everything else hurt so bad I barely noticed. Chris stood behind me to watch ~ he did with Bentley, too ~ and the nurse asked him politely about 5 times to sit in the chair...of course he didn't want to so he teased her about it, while I am in contraction hell...and finally with her coaxing and my "strong urging" he at least leaned on the chair in case he went down for the count. Within about 20-25 minutes the epidural started working but just like with Bentley I had what is called a 'window' - where the medicine doesn't hit and you can feel everything still - in the same place where I had one with Bentley. After laying on that side for awhile it finally went away. I wasn't able to doze off so we were watching some terrible TV.
My nurse headed to lunch around noon because she figured by the time she came back we'd be ready for action. Boy was she right! She got back at 1PM and told me the Dr. was across the hall finishing a delivery and would come check me as soon as she was done. The Dr. rolled in at 1:20 to check me and said "Well I'm not leaving this room, that baby is right there!" WAHOOOO. It took a few for them to prep the bed, the baby warmer thingy, and get the Dr. all dressed up...and THREE pushes later Grace was OUT! Push, push, BABY! (If there was one of those "That was Easy" buttons there I would have banged the crap out of it!) It was literally about 1 minute of pushing. Grace Harper was born at 1:31 PM on Tuesday, May 1st (11 days early!). The first thing we noticed was that she looked EXACTLY like Bentley when he was born! Chris had his iPad and pulled up a picture of Bentley right after he was born to show the Dr. and nurses and even they couldn't believe it.
It was such a different experience than with Bentley and instead of bleeding out and almost ending up unconscious, I actually got to snuggle the newest little bundle and hold her for awhile while they cleaned her up. At my OB's request the nurses had the room prepped in case I did hemmorhage badly again and had even put in an extra IV line just in case. They had extra fluids & medicine to help with the bleeding waiting in case it was needed. I did bleed a little more than normal and due to what happened with Bentley my nurse was over cautious, which was GREAT. She gave me some extra pitocin...which I don't know the reason but they did it after Bentley's birth, too and it helps stop the bleeding, maybe by contracting your uterus or something...I don't know. She also gave me a shot in the leg to help with the bleeding as well. The only downside was that it made me nauseous, but in no time the bleeding was under control...and it wasn't bad to begin with anyways.
Her weight was 6.8 pounds ~ we took guesses before the nurse weighed her and at 6.7 I was the winning guess. Everyone in the room agreed that the winner got to keep the baby...so lucky me! She is 19 inches long.
Another plus of this experience is that we did not have that terrible incapable nurse so instead of waiting 8+ hours in Labor & Delivery we were moved to our post-partum room by 4PM. We had some company and then I had a couple of sleepless nights while the hubby snored away on his uncomfortable cot.
The pediatrician had to check Gracie and at her first check the lady freaked me out telling me 1) she had a little heart murmur but that it was very common in newborns and should go away, and 2) she has a dimple at the top of her bum crack that can signify spinal issues...and started asking me if anyone picked up on it during my ultrasounds or if it was mentioned before. So I was NERVOUS. Fortunately, the pedi that came in the next two days was much more reassuring. Her murmur was gone completely. The little dimple both he and her regular doctor said is nothing to worry about so that was a relief.
We headed home on Thursday 5/3. Grace's weight dropped to 6 lb 4 ounces but that is very common. She had her first pediatrician appointment on Friday 5/4 and their scale measured her at 6.7. On Sunday night I developed a fever so I had to go see the OB on Monday. I still have to take my pre-natal vitamin & iron, then head back for a 6 week follow up. Around the same time I will have another glucose test to make sure the gestational diabetes is gone.
SO...compared to about 38 hours of labor with Bentley this was a BREEZE!!! From the time my water broke to the time Grace was born it was about 15 and 1/2 hours; but from the time they started pitocin and I was actually having contractions to her birth was only 7 hours.
It's amazing how COMPLETELY DIFFERENT two pregnancies and two labors can be!!!
Now the question is...will there be a third???????????????
~E
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Relay for Life
As most of you know by now I used to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and since then my family has started a team to participate yearly in the Relay for Life in Natick/Framingham/Sherborn. It is such an important cause to us and always a big to-do. Although I did fundraise this year, I obviously couldn't walk but the hub and I took the kiddos to the field to visit ~ and for Gracie it was her first time meeting some of her Great Aunties!
Bentley "walked" (was carried by Grampy) the first lap with us, which is the lap for Survivors and their caregivers.
Survivors...Miss Jenny, Aunt Carol, Aunt Paulie...Mum is hiding somewhere with her purple shirt on, too...
Bentley walked a little with Grammy & Grampy...
Then we headed back to the tent...
Not that Bentley understands yet at all, but it was nice to have him there because it will be important down the road that he learns to give back, volunteer, and help others in need. I am happy to report that our team "Hot to Trot" was AGAIN the TOP fundraising team! As of the latest count we raised $13,609 (the next team behind us was around $7K). Two years ago we were around $11K and last year a whopping $18K. I would say $13K is certainly something to be proud of!! Also, the top three fundraisers for the entire event were on our team! In just the Natick/Framingham/Sherborn event alone we raised almost $135,000!! Hopefully next year I can actually participate in the walking!
~E
Bentley "walked" (was carried by Grampy) the first lap with us, which is the lap for Survivors and their caregivers.
Survivors...Miss Jenny, Aunt Carol, Aunt Paulie...Mum is hiding somewhere with her purple shirt on, too...
Bentley walked a little with Grammy & Grampy...
Then we headed back to the tent...
And it was our first real test-drive with the new stroller!
Not that Bentley understands yet at all, but it was nice to have him there because it will be important down the road that he learns to give back, volunteer, and help others in need. I am happy to report that our team "Hot to Trot" was AGAIN the TOP fundraising team! As of the latest count we raised $13,609 (the next team behind us was around $7K). Two years ago we were around $11K and last year a whopping $18K. I would say $13K is certainly something to be proud of!! Also, the top three fundraisers for the entire event were on our team! In just the Natick/Framingham/Sherborn event alone we raised almost $135,000!! Hopefully next year I can actually participate in the walking!
~E
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