Introducing Baby #2 Lorelai Ann

This was a really difficult pregnancy.

First Tri 1-13 weeks:

• Morning Sickness Galore
• Food Aversions
• Extreme Fatigue (With an toddler, this was the worst)
• Weight Loss

Second Tri 14-26 weeks:

• Energy returned
• Belly started getting bigger
• Still Losing weight
• Ultrasound at 20 weeks
• We wanted to find out the gender on the birthday, but changed our minds at the last minute!
• Found out it was a girl!
• Lots of ultrasounds to confirm growth was on schedule due to weight loss in me.

Third Tri 27-39 weeks:

• Lots of falls
• Lots of ultrasounds
• Lots of doc visits
• Lots of Chiropractor visits
• Braxton Hicks (Never Experienced with Ryker)
• Lots of position flipping. (Breech, Transverse, Cephalic (Head down))
• Labor Started at 37 weeks 4 days
• Stopped Labor due to position change after 2 cm dilation.
• Miserably large! 
• Low-lying baby.
• No Sleep
• Humongous appetite
• Finally gained weight (Total of 14 lbs)

At the 39 week appointment, mom went with me and Ryker came too. I had been feeling horrible. Dizzy, light headed, Tunnel vision.  They took my blood pressure and for the first time it was extremely high. It read 170/110. So they rushed me right from the appointment to the hospital. Once hooked up to the monitor, my blood pressure was checked every 15 minutes. It went back down once I was settled. My hopes for a VBAC (Vaginal after Cesarean) were very low because Lorelai couldn't make up her mind what way was more comfortable. We scheduled the C-section for 6:00PM due to me eating breakfast before my appointment. 

I chose to deliver at Fitz-Gibbon Hospital in Marshall, MO. Amazing care was given to me the whole day! I got to ask all kinds of questions, I got to meet my docs, nurses, and surgery attendants. I felt very prepared for the whole thing. I still felt the despair of having yet another C-Section. My Doc apologized and talked me through it. All I cared for anymore was having my baby in my arms! 

The Cesarean went great. Once they got the spinal block in, and laid me down, they did an ultrasound for position. Lorelai was Cephalic at the start. With all the tugging and pulling on my belly she flipped to Breech. Once she was born, they got her APGAR scores and immediately put her on my chest while they completed the surgery. Due to the spinal block, I felt like I was suffocating having a giant baby on my chest. She had a slight grown and some breathing troubles. Not enough to be concerned with. Once she was skin to skin with me, her breathing slowed, became more steady, and the grown subsided. I asked her to be removed from my chest so that I could breath. Once they were ready to send me back to the labor room, I got to have Lorelai all to myself for the trip from the Operating Room back to my room. 

Once in the room, I immediately started to nurse her. Due to the amount of amniotic fluid she swallowed on the way out, she was not hungry. I just held her skin to skin until she let me know she was ready to eat. I had a large supply of colostrum and so my beautiful baby would eat and sleep for 4-5 hours. I still tried in between feedings to dreamfeed, but it was unsuccessful. They did all her tests and the Vit K shot while on my belly. 

She slept on my chest all night and into the next morning. I was up and walking 12 hours after surgery and had a shower and even did my makeup. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days and got to go home. Lorelai measured 8 lbs 9 oz and was 20.5 inches long. 

So here she is! At  3.5 months...

Easter and 2-Years Old

This year was Ryker's first Easter that he really cared about the egg hunt or the candy. The lessons about Christ kind of went over his head, but we tried!

The Easter bunny brought this cutie a sandbox. Now he will hopefully dig in the sandbox and will no longer did Sadie's holes even deeper.

Ryker also celebrated his 2nd birthday! He is so cute and fun!

Things Ryker is into:

• Thomas and Friends
• Super Why "Green"
• Games
• Blocks
• Tractors
• Destruction
• Banshee Screaming
• Tissues
• Anything mom is doing
• Loving on his Baby Sister Bump.

Ryker's new phrases:

• "Trac-ca" --tractor
• "no"--said with a hand motion.
• "joo"--Juice
• "milk"--Accompanied with Sign Language
• "Daddy's ____"--Anything Daddy has touched
• "Tiss-ue"--Tissue
• "Gane"--Game accompanied with sign for game.

He also says lots of two word sentences, and is working on using his words to explain what he wants.

For his birthday, he got a Thomas the Train cake, new pajamas (he wears 3T), Thomas socks, Thomas Pillow Pet, new clothes from grandparents, and a Thomas and Friends motorized engine from Aunt Shannon and family. Spoiled....YES!!

Family Update- Almost 2

Hey folks!

Its been quite a while since I have been able to post. There have been quite a few changes in our life and many new experiences! In October, Ryker got to come to nursery for the first time. I have been Nursery Leader for a year and a half, so if I thought I would get a break from parenting, I was mistaken! Ha Ha. He is turning two at the end of the month and he has become quite the independent stinker.

My parents have each been having their own problems to deal with, so at the end of October, Ryker and I made and impromptu field trip, cross-country, in a car. We drove from Sedalia to Ogden in less than two days. We made great time and Ryker did wonderfully!

While in Utah, I discovered I was pregnant! Baby #2 is currently on HER way to making her presence. Just over three months left. We were also able to attend my little sister's baptism. She was beautiful and the spirit of a baptism is so special! I hope she will remember how she felt as she made the decision to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We were also able to be in Utah when my beautiful cousin returned from her mission in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was so fun to catch up with her! Ryker was born while she was out, so it was also the first time she was able to meet him in person.

After a month away, Justin was dying to see us again and we were pretty excited to see him! So we drove back home.

My sister and her husband just had their first baby! He was born April 7, and he is adorable! We won't be able to meet him in person until after our little baby is born in July.

I am also starting a new job. I will be working as a breastfeeding peer counselor at the WIC office. It will be about 4 hours a week. After nursing Ryker for 20 months, I have lots of experience and knowledge to pass on. I'm excited to get other mom's excited about breastfeeding.




Not so fun news...

In September we decided to increase our household by one. We got a Puggle from the animal shelter, he is almost 3 and fully-grown. We fell in love with him very quickly! However, 10 days after we brought him home we discovered that he had a skittish problem and was not very good with kids. He bit Ryker on the face. It was very tough to make the decision we did. We chose to keep him. With lots of work and teaching Ryker how to approach him and letting Jasper know how to react to Ryker, we were incident free for a long time. Six months later, Saturday night, Ryker was on my lap and Jasper was sitting on the other couch.  Ryker got up to get a toy from across the room and Jasper lunged. The most traumatic experience for me was witnessing this whole thing happen. All I can figure is Jasper was jealous of Ryker. For him to attack without having been touch or looked at was very startling for me. I grabbed Ryker and ran into the bathroom. Justin removed Jasper from the home and we are never looking back.

After filing a report with Animal Control and speaking with the animal shelter, we have decided that he will live with Justin's aunt. He is wonderful with adults, but she has been warned that he needs to be kept away from children. Hopefully she will heed our warnings and there will be no further incidents.

We were given two options. First, he would spend the rest of his life at the shelter because he can not be adopted again. I am too soft-hearted to allow him to live a life like that. Second, he could live with a family member or friend and all responsibility would be removed from our hands. Justin's Aunt is happy with the decision. However, if I have to see him again, I may break down.

It has been a very emotional weekend, not from pregnancy hormones, but because every-time I close my eyes the nightmares start and I see Jasper attacking Ryker over and over.