Caitlin Elise

April 30th, 9:15am - 9 pounds, 21 inches

Jason, my mom & I arrived early Tuesday morning to prep for surgery. The c-section prep area was jam packed, so we lucked out and waited in a labor & delivery room. Both Caitlin and I were hooked up to monitors while we waited. Dr. S came by and we chatted about the procedure and instructions for the rest of the day. She commented that I'd get dinner that evening and I stopped her to ask beg for lunch. She seemed a bit skeptical, but I promised that I wouldn't eat if I felt sick. However, I was pretty certain that wouldn't be the case. I also knew that I'd be starving and broth wouldn't cut it! She agreed (thankfully) and we finished up the prep before I was walked back to the OR.

Since this was a repeat c/s for me, I pretty well knew what to expect. Once they put in the epidural, things started to get moving. I felt a little sick for a short time - apparently my heartbeat was really high and my blood pressure was low. They adjusted some medication and I started to feel better quickly. Jason was brought in and they got to work. Jason actually watched this time and to be honest, it was a little strange to me. I just felt it was odd that he could see something that I couldn't even feel.

According to Jason, Caitlin's head was pulled out and they had to work a bit to get the shoulders out. Which makes me wonder about how they managed to get Cooper out! Dr. S worked a bit and I could feel her helper shoving down on the top of my stomach and suddenly she was out & screaming bloody murder.

The nurses started cleaning her up while she kept screaming. She'd managed to suck down quite a bit of fluid during the process, so her crying was a great sound and helped her cough up the fluid.

I held her for a bit while they sewed me up, then Jason took her out to meet the family.

We met back up for a few hours in recovery before heading up to our room. Recovery was quite different from my experience with Cooper. After having him, there ended up being another couple in the room and that was it. It was quiet, I was encouraged to sleep and rest. This time every curtain was full of couples AND babies. There was no sleeping here!

I finally made it up to the room where we waited to meet her new family!

(P.S. I ordered lunch and could have kissed my doctor for allowing me to do so. I was starving!!)

1 Day

I'm scheduled tomorrow morning at 8:30 for my c/s. To say I'm ready would be an understatement. I'm beyond ready. Totally over being pregnant and ready to just get the show on the road.

Since it isn't my first rodeo and I know what to expect, the anticipation might be killing me. The post surgery feelings, swellings and night sweats are sort of stressing me out. Not knowing her personality and how it will compare to Cooper's leaves me wondering non-stop what she'll be like. Plus, the slight worry of how Cooper will react is there as well.

I wouldn't be me if I were not worried 75% of the time about something. The other 25% is when I'm sleeping. And that's stretching it!

This weekend we spent time with Cooper - letting him play in the sprinkler in the backyard, watch a movie and taking him to dinner. He also (inadvertently) got a special treat by sleeping in our room Saturday night. Only because it was storming outside!

Last, but not least, I wanted to finally share photos of her room.

We bought the changing table on Craigslist - then repainted it and added new hardware. I actually made the changing pad cover (plus another one). I'm thrilled I managed that on my own. I'll also add the second one was much easier to make than the first.

Once we found out Peanut Butter was going to be a girl, I decided that I wanted the bedding to be made by my mom. I searched for fabric options and settled on this line. The hardest part was deciding what would go where and narrowing choices down - I loved all of it!

I really love the way it turned out, though it is hard to see in the photo. I'm pretty sure I almost gave my mom a heart attack making it, but she did a great job and I am so thankful!

Bridget and I worked on the signs above the crib with her fancy Cricut. I love that thing and she did an awesome job. I just did the Mod Podge!

Finally, the letters were made with scraps of fabric from the bedding. Rachel & my mom worked on those one weekend. I really like how they turned out.

I still need drapes, but quit looking since I knew they wouldn't be in before she gets here.

And that's it. I've got one last doctors appointment today, pre-registration at the hospital and then dinner tonight with family before we head back to the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning.

A Baby Shower

Last month, my very generous friends hosted a baby shower in honor of Caitlin.

The food was fantastic - chicken bites and waffles, muffins, fruit, a fantastic cake and of course peanut butter eggs for Peanut Butter.

As we usually do, we spent most of the time catching up and talking before finally settling down to eat and then open gifts.

If you didn't notice, the bow holder matches the cake - and her room - perfectly. We received some awfully cute outfits, blankets and baskets full of necessities. Peanut Butter is sure to always leave home well dressed, with shoes, and smelling like a baby should.

I'm not sure what I did earlier in life to have been blessed with such a great group of friends, but I'm glad I did it. I owe them so much - not just for a wonderful shower, but for always being there.

Peanut Butter: 37 Weeks

Earlier this week we went for our final ultrasound. I picked Cooper up early from school and headed in to grab Jason before we had the fastest appointment every at the imaging center.

After the tech looked everything over, she brought Jason and Cooper back to the room. By that time, PB was moving all over the place and hard to capture on film. Funny enough, Cooper was moving all over the place and hardly standing still. I guess she's inherited one thing from him.

We did manage to get a few photos of her face. Jason and I both noticed the very chubby cheeks. I also feel like she will have the huge hands that Cooper had when he was born. By the way, he still has them!

The ultrasound estimated her weight to be about 8lbs and above the 90th percentile. Shocker, right? I'm guessing her final weight to be between 9lbs and 9.5lbs. Dr. S is thinking under 9 but I'm not buying it. I know she has probably delivered thousands of babies but I'm going to stick with my gut on this one. I do have to wonder just how big she would be if I had not been on a diet for the past few months. Holy cow!!

We're about 98% finished with her room. We've unpacked, sorted and rewashed clothes. A lot of clothes. I'm pretty sure if my washer and dryer survived the past two weeks, those two are here for the long haul. We did realize how few newborn size clothes we had. For some reason I was thinking we just didn't have many, however Kelly informed me that I gave all of Eileen's NB clothes back! It worked out, since Jason & I caved at Kohl's this past weekend and came home with 3 pairs of pajamas. And my mom and I couldn't decide on an outfit for her to wear home from the hospital, so we bought 4. I am pretty sure she won't go naked.

The next week will be spent doing some last minute organization things. I'd like to clean out Cooper's toys and either pack them away or donate them. We just have to figure out how to do that while he's not in the room! We also want to spend time doing stuff with him before his life changes. He plans to take me on a date one evening and I'd like to come up with something fun to do next weekend. Though anything that involves a lot of walking is out!

Peanut Butter: 33 Weeks

Poor PB. She doesn't get nearly as much recognition as Cooper did before he was born. Second child syndrome already.

So far, I'm managing the GD fairly well. I am much more worried about it than my doctor is. I've started taking a prescription to help manage the numbers, since my resting numbers were staying high. Dr. S has me only testing my blood sugar twice a day. I still watch what I eat and will throw in a third test if my lunch time numbers are a little crazy. Since I'm going to the OB every other week, I seem to relax and then panic the two days before my next appointment. Then I go in, she looks at my numbers, says we're doing great and I start all over again.

My belly is measuring right on track. I looked back to see how big Cooper was and it must not have been crazy at this point. I did see that at 34 weeks I measured 37 and at 39 (the day before delivery) I measured 45. So he packed on the pounds the last few weeks! The OB seems to think that since I'm on a diet, that won't happen and she'll be average size. Average for me - nothing like 6 or 7 pounds. More like 8. But really, I am not going to be shocked at ALL if she's closer to 9 or 10.

We finally finished painting her room! I love the color and can't wait to finish the trim so that I can start working on putting things together. We've started to paint the dresser, but life keeps getting in the way. Since I have no plans to start washing her laundry yet, I'm fine with that. Nana finished sewing the bedding and I really love it. It makes me really want to see it all in the room and together!

And finally, Jason and I committed to a name other than Peanut Butter. Naming her wasn't quite as easy as naming Cooper. We knew his name before when knew it was boy. For some reason, girls are harder to name. Jason wanted her middle name to be Catherine. We talked, read lists, wrote lists, threw the lists away and tried to come up with something that we liked as a first name. The catch was that we could never agree.

After more list reading, Jason suggested Caitlin instead. Caitlin is the Irish form of Catherine. I liked it, but I was hung up on one thing. I did not want her to be called Cate. Or, I'll say I do not want her called Cate. I'm sure it will happen one day and it won't be as big of a deal as I feel it is now. But for now, we've named her Caitlin. The whole name.

Her middle name will be Elise. We toyed around with Elizabeth as a first name, but decided against it since Elizabeth Catherine is really long. Elise is a variation of Elizabeth.

And for a small side note, it sort of works with how we chose Cooper's name. His name came from the tv show Las Vegas. There is a character on Game of Thrones, which we both love now, named Catelyn. So in a roundabout way, it works.

Phone Photos & Funny Stuff

These days, I'm never quite sure what is going to come out of Cooper's mouth. Sometimes that is a bit of fear and other times I think I may die laughing.  Here are a few things he's said recently.

Before vacation we talked about stopping for BBQ. His response:
No, there is only ONE BBQ place and I go there with Pops & Uncle Z.

After leaving Sea World, the shuttle driver asked about our day. Cooper told him that "We saw the Shampoo show!"

Coming home, we stopped at Buc-ee's. Cooper got really excited and said that we were going to Chuck E Cheese. When I told him that the beavers name is Buc-ee's, he replied "Mom, his whole name is Buc-ee's but I'll call him Chuck E Cheese.

During the Riverboat tour, a nice couple from Indianapolis sat next to us. They had 2 kids and the mom was really friendly toward Cooper. After finally warming up, and asking if she had games on her phone, the tour was over. We told them bye and Cooper looked at Jason and said "But I thought they were going to have lunch with us."

Last Friday was Go Texan Day and Cooper begged to take his rope to school. I told him that he could hurt his friends. He said "Mom, if I rope them I won't pull it tight."

One morning over breakfast I mentioned having a problem with something. Cooper slammed his hand down, leaned in and said "Mom, do you have a problem?"

We had a few really cold mornings.

The fabric came in for Peanut Butter's bedding.

 We were very blessed to have been given a TON of clothes from Eileen & Adalynn for PB to wear. I'm certain she has more clothes for the first 9 months than Cooper's ever had in 3 years. Especially if you add in the headbands & hairbows...I'm way out of my league here.

We started painting PB's room. The previous color was blue with lots and lots of butterflies, grass and even ants painted on the walls. Even the ceiling was blue.

No trip to the zoo is complete without a stop at the drums.

Cooper wanted to play Monster Trucks with Jason one night after school, so he lined all of his cars up before we left that morning.

Valentine cupcake mustache!

Vacation photos:

Peanut Butter: Third Trimester

Saturday I hit the third trimester. What does that mean? Not much really. I guess I'm in the "home stretch." I've sort of accepted that this baby will be here in less than 3 months. Sort of. I'm ready to not be pregnant, but I am not ready to deal with an outside baby. Not yet at least.

We've started working on her room. We finally painted the ceiling and primed the walls. No more blue walls, clouds and butterflies. And we're trying to pick a paint color, though Jason and I aren't agreeing. As soon as the two samples went on the wall I knew which one I wanted. Of course, he likes the other one. I'm making anyone who comes over in the next two weeks vote and we'll see what happens.

Cooper voted for Jason's color. Traitor.

I did find out last month that I failed my 1 hour glucose test. At the time, I laughed and was a bit annoyed. They called me on a Saturday so I knew right away what had happened. I hoped it was a fluke and went in for the 3 hour test.

It wasn't fluke. And that has just made me angry. Not that I have Gestational Diabetes. No, that is what it is. What has made me angry is that I'm Type A and this isn't a Type A disease. I met with the dietician, got my diet plan and started following it. However, that doesn't always seem to work. Even when I'm eating within or under the recommended amount, my numbers have been high. Not always - just after dinner and in the morning. Plus, the worst part is that I eat and have to wait 2 hours to see if it will be high or low.

In the meantime, I try to tell myself that a few days waiting this out isn't detrimental. But I also worry about all of the things that can happen. She might be bigger than Cooper, she may end up in the NICU, either of us could develop Type II diabetes later, etc. I'm probably stretching on all of this and causing more worry than I need at this point but I can't help it.

I've also decided that I'm placing blame on Cooper. Technically there is no blame - other than a broken placenta that can't process things correctly. But since one of the items that can cause GD in a later pregnancy is having a large baby in a previous pregnancy, it sounds like a good idea to me. Also, he did name her Peanut Butter months ago and right now that's about all I can eat.

The positive things have been that I haven't had acid reflux the way I did with Cooper. I get it every once in a while, but for the most part I'm doing well. I also haven't been as swollen as I was with Cooper. By this time my legs were beginning to swell and I could no longer wear jewelry. I'm still wearing my rings with no issues, so that's a plus. Also, I sleep pretty well. If you don't could waking up once to go to the bathroom.

We still don't have a name. Cooper told me he just wants to call her Peanut Butter.

Peanut Butter - 24 weeks

Monday I had my glucose test and 24 week appointment. So far, I haven't heard from the doctors office so I'm crossing my fingers that I passed the test. I plan on dieting later this year and would rather not start now.

As for the appointment, we're right on track. Surprisingly, my belly is measuring a week behind - at 23 weeks. Dr. S said they usually don't measure this year, but she had a student with her who needed the practice. At this point, it isn't much to worry about - though I am beginning to wonder if this baby might be smaller than Cooper. If I had my pick, I'd go for anything under 10lbs so that I can pick her up after the surgery.

We discussed setting the date for the c/s. I'm pretty well set on the 30th, however I need to wait on the hospital to confirm. I wanted the 29th, but since she can't schedule before 1 pm on a Monday, we went with Tuesday.

Before I headed out, I begged for a solution for the non-stop heartburn. I left with a prescription for Nexium, hoping that it would help as it did last time. Unfortunately, it isn't covered by my insurance so the $243 price tag left me empty handed. I'll keep trying OTC meds to see if I can find a solution. I really don't understand how it is possible to wake up in the morning, after sleeping 7ish hours, with heartburn. But it happens.

I finally settled on fabric for PB's bedding. One shipment arrived today and the rest will come in Monday. I think finally having it in my hands has motivated me a bit. I love the colors and can't wait to see the finished project. I keep thinking we have so much time between now and April 30th, but when I look at my calendar I realize the weekends are filling up quite fast. The good news is, I work better under pressure! We've sorted through all of Cooper's old clothes and passed on some to Kelly. That same friend was gracious enough to  pass on some of Eileen's clothes. The upcoming long weekend will be spent sorting through everything from Eileen and Adalynn (PB has more clothes than Jason and I do combined at this point) and storing anything over 9-months. Maybe at that point we'll be ready to paint.

We're not set on a name a this point. Anytime I ask Cooper for input, he insists that she HAS a name and can't quite understand why Peanut Butter won't work for long term usage. Most days he loves her a lot. He'll randomly walk up and kiss my belly or will tell me we need to buy something for her at the store. We have seen a few moments of...jealousy. Earlier this week Jason and I were looking at the bedding fabric. Cooper asked what we were doing and I explained that we needed to pick out bedding for PB's crib. He pushed it away and said "No bed." But for the most part, he's doing really well. I don't think we'll have too many issues until he has to share his Nana.

It could get really ugly.

It's a...

Last week we had our "big ultrasound" appointment. We decided ahead of time to take Cooper to the appointment. I wasn't sure if he'd get it, but I knew it would be the only time I'd be able to share that with a sibling. The three of us headed into the Med Center and waited. And waited. And waited.

I'll use that to comment that I am glad this will be my last pregnancy. The wait times this go round have been atrocious and I reached my annoyance limit last week. My 10:30 appointment at the imaging center finally happened around 11:40 and I finally got out about 12:15. Meaning I was also about 45 minutes behind for the actual appointment to see the doctor. Which isn't terrible unless you have a 3 year old tagging along.

I finally headed back and the tech took lots of measurements, making sure everything looked good. Finally she went to the lobby to grab the boys.

Cooper was very concerned as to where my clothes were, first. Then he started watching the screen to see baby Peanut Butter. Finally we saw what we came to see - a girl. I was shocked, Jason was a little less shocked and Cooper seemed to have known all along.

The doctor came in & took a look for himself at PB and confirmed that everything looks healthy. We tried for a few of the 3D photos, but I think she was done by that time and wouldn't cooperate.

The first photo is a side facial shot, second one is what looks like another long leg (if she's like Cooper) and the bottom are her feet. Cooper's been pleased with the result, though part of me wishes I could have seen what he would say if it was a boy. I'm not sure he'd be sad about it - so maybe he's indifferent all together. He has looked at the photos several times and took two up to his room to keep.

I'll admit it took almost all day for the shock to wear off. I always thought I'd just have boys. Dirty, smelly, snotty, rough boys. I'm not a pink hairbow & tutu kind of girl, but I do.not.like.dirt. So, I always assumed I would just have to live with the dirt and enjoy the fact that boys are good walking out of the house in a shirt & shorts that don't match and may have yesterdays ketchup on the front. I've learned to love it so far! Girly things...that's a whole new ballgame. A pink one.

Now that I'm past the shock, I find myself looking forward to things like tea parties. Taking her & Adalynn to the Nutcraker when they're older. Playing with all of the other girls being born lately and being fast friends. Like their moms.

Peanut Butter

I realized this weekend that information about K2, or Peanut Butter as Cooper has named him, has been lacking. I really don't have much to say, I guess. Already the second child syndrome? Maybe. It could also be the fact that there just isn't much to share.

I felt a little off for a month & I was exhausted, but that has gone away. I tend to overdo it a bit, especially these past few weeks prepping for Cooper's birthday party and the holidays. But that's about it. My feet are already swelling. They don't look swollen, but I had issues with shoes this weekend. I really thought I'd have a few more months before that crap happened. Funny thing, I feel smaller than I did with Cooper. I can't pinpoint why, and I have so few photos from before that I can't really compare.

A few weeks ago I started feeling "flutters." That's always fun, but for Cooper's sake I can't wait until he can feel them. And really...that's all I have to report. I feel like most of my focus is on making sure Cooper adjusts well. We talk about the new baby quite often and for now, he's in love. He loves to kiss my belly and give hugs to the new baby.

We talk most about names though. Since we don't know the sex (yet) we haven't really thought much about it. But I like to hear what Cooper is going to say, since you really never know what will come out of his mouth. A few weeks ago we were sitting on our bed talking about names. We started with a few real possibilities and then moved to silly names. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Mickey, Goofy, Peanut (the horse), and so on. The three of us were cracking up as he shot down everything except Cooper & Adalynn. Then suddenly, he sat up and exclaimed that he knew what we could name the baby. Peanut Butter!

After I composed myself, I asked if he meant Peanut Butter & Jelly, to which he quickly replied "no, no Jelly. Just Peanut Butter." I agreed, but also reminded him that once the baby comes out we have to have a real name.

Now, when we say our prayers at night, he God blesses Peanut Butter along with the rest of the family. I'm pretty sure this baby will be called Peanut Butter for a very, very long time.

Cooper's Big News

His shirt reads: Only Child - Expires 5/4/13

Yep, that's right. Cooper's going to be a big brother! We finally told Cooper last week and I'm not quite sure he knew what to think. We told him, asked a few questions, and he asked if he could watch TV. Slowly over the last week he's started to talk more about it.

I've tried telling him he can't jump on me or kick me (playing around) because of the baby. Now it isn't a big deal, but in 4 months...it might be. He'll quickly stop what he's going, pat my stomach and say "Sorry baby!"

I also ask him daily if he thinks the baby is a boy or girl. It changes every few days, but it is pretty funny to hear. Earlier this week I asked if he would share his toys with the new baby. He said "No, the new baby will have her own toys." When I asked what he thought about the baby maybe being a boy he said that would make him sad.

One evening he didn't want to go home after school. I told him we needed to cook dinner because I was hungry. I said the baby is hungry too. Later that night Cooper wanted a snack and said I needed to feed the baby. I asked what the baby would want and he said "Ummmm....pizza!"

As for me, I'm doing well. Finally getting to the point where I don't feel like crawling in bed at 8pm every night. And although I didn't feel great for about a month, I never really felt sick. And the best part is that my reflux hasn't started yet! I had terrible reflux with Cooper so I'm expecting it to show up at any point, but for now I'll be happy without it.