2 weeks old . . . having amnesia:)

Molly was 2 weeks old on Tuesday . . . I can't believe it! Here are a couple of updates:


1. I took her in for an optional weight check on Tuesday. Dr. had said since she wasn't jaundice and this wasn't my first, I only needed to come in at a month unless I had concerns. I wasn't really concerned, but more curious of her weight gain. She was born at 7 lbs 6 oz and lost only 2 oz in the first 3 days. When we weighed her on Tuesday, she was 8 lbs even. She gained 12 ounces in 11 days!


It probably wasn't a good idea to take her in period . . . when I got to the doctor's office, there were signs everywhere warning of the flu and several people in the waiting room had masks on. Scary! But, we were there less than 5 minutes and I didn't touch anything:)


2. I'm having quite a bit of amnesia about what things were like when Bailey was a newborn . . . . when she started sleeping longer, how much/often she ate, how long it took for my belly to go down. Probably a good thing since all I'll do is worry anyway. Molly's giving me 3, 3-hour stretches of sleep at night most nights. Last night wasn't so good, but I was having a hard time getting her to take a full feed - she was so sleepy, but woke up more often. I still think I managed 6-7 hours of sleep, though, and I can at least function on that.



Here's a more recent picture. Need to take more today. It's hard to remember with everything going on.

Bailey has had the hardest time adjusting of all of us. She's not "queen of the castle" anymore. I've felt quite a bit of guilt about this, but am working through those emotions. We try to do at least one thing each day that revolves around Bailey (the park, playing outside, etc) and that seems to help a lot. Here's a picture of daddy and Bailey making their first ever batch of monster cookies - she loved it!

Well, Molly is waking up and is hungry so I better go. Hope to write more soon.

If anyone is interested in getting together for a morning outing, I'm up for it. It gets a little lonely being in the house most of the day and the weather is going to stink this weekend!

Cammy

Molly is here - not exactly as planned!!!

Most of you know this already, but baby Molly is here!

Stats and Picture . . .

Born Tuesday, September 22nd (10 days early) at 1:59 pm

Weight - 7 lbs, 6 oz (1 oz smaller than Bailey).

Length - 19 inches (1/2 inch shorter than Bailey).

We're doing great! Trying to adjust to having a newborn again. I think God really "helps" you forget some of the "difficult" and "bad" stuff - a kind of grace for new parents.

Details . . . If you are interested, here are some details of my labor and delivery (no inappropriate details - I promise!)

Last Monday was a crazy busy day - Bailey and I did our normal grocery errands, the entire computer system went down at Dillons while we we there, and I had pretty much constant Braxton-Hicks contractions all day long. Really, nothing too out of the ordinary, though.

That night, I went to bed early and Joey came up about midnight (it was the first night of season premiere week after all . . ) I told him that I'd had a couple Braxton-Hicks contractions strong enough to wake me up. No big deal, right?

Around 3:30, I woke up with my first real contraction. Didn't feel like they did with Bailey - she was born face up, so I felt most contractions in my back. These felt much different! I told Joey these were the real thing, but I had plenty of time.

Got up, paid the bills due by the first of the month (I know - I'm a little neurotic) and addressed the Thank You cards from my shower two days earlier. Contractions were still 15 minutes apart, so I decided to go into work for about an hour to take care of a few things. Joey's dad came to watch Bailey for an hour so he could take me to work (just in case). Got my work done, came home, and rested. Contractions were still 10-12 minutes apart. About 11:30, my dear friend Caressa came over to check on me (she noticed both cars were in the driveway and knew something might be up). Contractions were 8-10 minutes, but I could still walk and talk through them. She agreed that I should wait a little longer to go in

Then, noon - contractions became 5 minutes apart and very intense. I told Joey we needed to get some things together and go. We got in the car at 12:30 and arrived at the birthcare center at 12:55 - darn Kellogg construction! They checked me in right away and the charge nurse took me back to check me. At 1:05 I was 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced. She made about 20 phone calls (OB, anesthesiologist, etc), then checked me again around 1:15 - I was 10 cm complete! We had to wait about 10 minutes for the epidural because he was next door and by the time he got there, I really felt like I needed to push. My OB said I would have to hold the baby in for 20-25 minutes while the epidural took effect. Wasn't at all physically or emotionally prepared for this, but decided to go without! Started pushing about 1:40 and Molly was born less than 20 minutes later.

I won't lie - it hurt! But, she is here safe and beautiful. The best part is that the hospital recovery was so much easier than with Bailey (I had an epidural and had to push for a couple of hours since she was face up). I was able to get up on my own within the hour, nurse right away, etc.

So, she's here - all natural! Didn't know I had it in me. Will write more soon. She's a week old today. Time flies, even in early days.

Cammy

Update and Pictures

Don't have a lot of time . . . but here is a quick update:  

38 weeks today . . . had a Dr. Appointment on Tuesday, already 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced

.  She's coming soon!  

Joey and I are geeks!  We create an Excel spreadsheet for everything.  Our latest spreadsheet listed (in order of priority) everything we wanted to get done around the house before baby comes.  We're about 80% done.  Tonight we hired a friend of Joey's to aerate and verticut the backyard - granted, it's cheating a little, but we can cross that off the list.  We're getting there.

Here are some pictures of the nursery.  I have some polka dots to put in the window well, but haven't found the motivation yet to do it.  Thanks Brandi for keeping me honest.  I know I promised them earlier in the week.  I won't list my excuses for not getting it done.  Just didn't do it.

The North Wall . . . 

The West Wall . . . 

The South Wall . . . look close to see baby's name:)

The East Wall . . . 

The bedding set that inspired the room . .. 

Our Funny Trip to the Doctor for a Flu Shot

My daughter cracks me up.

A little background . . . my OB is pretty insistent that we all get the seasonal flu shot since we'll have a newborn soon and the flu seems to be hitting much earlier than usual this year. Joey and I will partake in the free flu shots from the school district, but they won't give them to children under 18.

So . . . I called last week to arrange for Bailey to have the flu mist this morning. After she got up, I told her that we were going to see Dr. Tana. She said "OK - my ear hurts." The last time we went to the doctor was several months ago due to an ear ache. Being the "creative" mother that I am, I said to try to prepare her . . . "When we get to the doctor, they are going to give you some medicine in your nose to make your ear feel better. I need to you to be very brave." She took it "hook, line, and sinker."

When we got to the office, she knew exactly where the exam rooms were, but told the nurse she needed to see how big she was first. The nurse (Julie) was really sweet and let Bailey get on the scale to take her weight. Then, Bailey led us all to the exam room.

She wanted to sit on the exam table all by herself and didn't even flinch when they gave her the flu mist. I was very proud. She got down from the table and said "Thank you Julie, my ear feels much better."

(I had to explain to Julie why she said that). We both cracked up. I think I'm going to be in trouble the next time Bailey has an ear ache - she'll be expecting medicine up her nose again!

What a funny way to start the day!

Nursery Pictures Coming Tonight

I know I said a few days . . . so, it's been 2 weeks. But, the nursery is done. I'm charging the camera while I'm at work today so I can post pictures tonight.

Stay tuned . . .

It is finished!

The swing set is officially done! It has already had cousins and neighbors on it! Here are some pictures of the assembly and Bailey playing. It's been a perfect week to spend more time outdoors.

The nursery is next! It's about 95% done. If I could just get Joey to hang those last two shelves:) I hope to post pictures in the next couple of days.

Only one more month until my due date! Found out on Monday that I'm already dilated to 2 cm as the baby is head down - yeah!

Have a great week!

Cammy

Bad, Bad Blogger

Ok - So I've been a bad, bad blogger. Too much going on, I guess. I don't remember being this tired and overwhelmed when pregnant with Bailey. Maybe, it's because I'm still working, trying to keep up with an active, onery 2-year old, and prepare for our new arrival . . . who knows?

Anyway, here are some updates:

1. Joey bought his little girl her very first set of golf clubs. Shocking, I know. But these aren't the plastic golf clubs you see most young children playing with in their backyards. These are real golf clubs designed for a 2-year old (or someone 36-44 inches tall). The set consists of a driver, an iron, and a putter. They really are hilarious and Bailey likes to go "hit golf balls" with daddy at Rolling Hills. Anyway, Joey's mom thought it would be a good idea to get Bailey's pictures taken with the golf clubs for daddy at Penney's. So we make an appointment and go. When we get there, it is incredible - they have a kid's size golf cart at the photo studio to use in the pictures too. Bailey was quite a character during the photo shoot. Here is a collage I made of the pictures. I know a couple of them are a little "cheesy," but I love them - that's my Bailey! I'll be posting individual pictures on our flickr site too: www.flickr.com/photos/babytodd. Check them out!

2. We've been working our tails off on the new nursery. Many of you know that last winter Joey and I completely finished off another room in our basement - we then moved the office down to the new room so the 3rd bedroom upstairs could be used for a nursery. I found a great bedding set online in the bright spring colors - lime green, orange, and yellow. We're getting close. I'll post pictures soon. Designing a nursery brings out what there is of my creative side. It's been a lot of fun. Daddy even taped off the entire floor of the room so Bailey could "help" paint. What an experience! It was all going well until Bailey decided to use the orange paint like blush. I caught her brushing it right on her cheekbones like mommy's makeup.

3. We took the plunge last week and bought Bailey a swingset for the backyard. We've been looking/thinking about it since Bailey's second birthday in December. Who knew there where so many options and price points for an outdoor swing set. Joey and I were both a little overwhelmed and very indecisive about the whole thing. Here's a picture what it should look like when it's done. We could pay someone to put it together, but Joey really wants to build the swingset himself for his little girl. Should be delivered from Tulsa later this week and setup in a couple more weeks. We'll have a party when it's up. The play deck can hold up to 1000 lbs, so parents can play too. This was really important to us when picking out a set. I'm especially excited about the tire swing under the play deck and the fact that the company (Creative Playthings) was started nearly 60 years ago by two elementary teachers so there are all kinds of safety features. Bailey is especially excited about the BIG slide and telescope (not shown).

4. We're getting geared up for fall. I'm planning to do MAPS again at church and Bailey will be starting "school" on Friday, September 11th. OK - it's really called Kids Day Inn and it's only one day a week, but it should be fun and good for her to interact with more kids her age. It's funny . . . we have to go to "meet the teacher" day and even buy "school supplies."

5. On Friday, I'll be 35 weeks - can you believe it? Starting to get a little uncomfortable and my lovely pregnancy-induced insomnia has set in, but overall I feel wonderful. It's been so helpful that I've been able to keep up with walking 4-5 days a week. It really does make a difference. She'll be here before we know it.

6. And finally, we've picked a name. I'm not telling, but Bailey is. If you really want to know, you'll have to call and ask her. She'll tell you clear as day. 2-year olds can't keep secrets very well.

Hope you are doing well! I promise I'll do a better job updating this site in the next few weeks. Once the nursery is done and swingset is up, things should slow down a bit at the Todd household before life changes forever again.

Cammy