We're home owners!

We closed on our first house Tuesday, March 22nd.

One week and one day after I gave birth to Julian.

Talk about a life-changing week! What can I say - when we do things, we do them BIG! This isn't the first time we've moved and had a baby in a short amount of time. Ironically, we moved into the condo and then I gave birth to Amelia exactly one week and one day later. Hmmmmmmmm...freaky!

Closing! [Be kind - I know I look puffy, but I just gave birth!]

Opening the door for the first time

Casual pose by the fireplace

** By the way - if anyone is looking for an AWESOME realtor, we definitely recommend ours! She was FANTASTIC! Let me know if you want her info.

Life with 2

We've been a family of 4 for almost 2 weeks now. It's been a little challenging, but definitely do-able. Most of the challenges were things we weren't expecting - all 4 of us sleeping in the same room at my parent's house, closing and moving into our first house with a newborn, Amelia loving Julian so much that she doesn't want him to sleep, etc.

We were "prepared" (OK, maybe expected is a better word) for sleepless nights. We thought we'd deal with some jealousy issues. We weren't sure how we would juggle 2 kids.

Honestly, we're dealing with the things we expected quite well. No, I'm not giving us enough credit - we're dealing with EVERYTHING quite well. Let's face it. We've been through a lot over the past (almost) 2 weeks. Having a baby, buying a house, moving - these are all stressful situations in and of themselves. Doing them at the same time = INSANE!!!

We have had so much help from my parents and from Alex's mom. Thank God for them. I'm still hormonal so I won't expand on how grateful we are to have their help...I'll be a sobbing mess!

Overall, life is good. I love my family of 4. We feel complete. Amelia is such a great big sister. Her first thought in the morning is of Julian. She always wants to see what he's doing (sleeping), and wants to share her toys with him. I keep telling her that Julian will be more fun in a few months.

For now, we are trying to get settled in every sense of the word.

Pictures of my cuties:

Visiting at the hospital

Touching the baby

She loved the bed!


Burping

Cuddles from Daddy

Snug as a bug in a rug

At home

The 1 and only time Julian laid in the Pack 'n' Play

Watching a movie

Snuggle

Playing outside

Bubbles!

Catching bubbles

This is Daddy "bouncing" Amelia - step away from the baby!

Squishy cuddly baby

Julian's Birth Story

I woke up around 2-ish in the morning on March 14th with back pain and contractions. I laid in bed, trying to figure out if I could time them. Without looking at a clock, they were about 2-3 minutes apart. I debated my options. I was sort of in denial that I could be in labor already. I was exactly 37 weeks. I got up and went to the bathroom and just felt yucky. My body was shaking and my teeth were chattering. I may have been in denial, but the facts were: 1) this was similar to how my labor with Amelia began, and 2) 2nd babies (they say) come faster and I did NOT want to have a baby at home...or in the car.

So I woke up Alex and told him it was time to head to the hospital. Then I woke up my mom so that she could keep an eye on Amelia. We got all our stuff together and headed out the door. Lo and behold, it was snowing! In March! And I had flip flops on! Regardless, off we went.

I was sent to triage in Labor & Delivery and they were monitoring my (petering out) contractions. They checked me and I was 1.5 cm dilated, at -3 station. Basically no change from my appointment the week before. I was relieved and we were ready to go home. The nurse checked me again and I was 3 cm dilated. Since I had progressed, I was being admitted.

Most of what happened was a lot of waiting. The contractions weren't that painful, so I tried to hold off on pain meds for as long as I could. Given my prior (horribly terrifying) experience with an epidural, I wasn't really sure I wanted another. I spoke to the nurses and decided to go ahead with one. It was such a better experience! I felt the difference immediately and knew I had made the right decision.

The consensus was that I would have the baby "by noon." I was progressing, but the baby just wasn't moving down. Noon came and went and no baby. I was really getting frustrated. I wasn't in pain, but my 2nd baby just wasn't coming as fast as everyone expected.

Starting at around 2, I felt intense pressure that literally made me want to climb the walls. I kept calling for the nurse to check me. One time I would be 9.5 cm, the next time I was at 10. I'd get ready to push, they'd check again and I was only 9.5 again. This went on for about an hour or so. Now my frustration was out of control. I was still in pressure hell. All I wanted to do was push. After 2 self-dosed extra pumps of epidural did not take the pain away, I was given a special dose into my line. I like to call this my "utopia" moment. I felt so much better!

Finally, I was complete and ready to push. I should point out that my baby still was high, so I was told I would have to work that much harder to push the baby out. Fine - game on!

OH.MY.GOSH. Pushing was the worst. With Amelia, I didn't feel anything while pushing except relief. This time, I felt like I was never going to have the baby. The baby did NOT want to come down. I was pushing for what felt like forever. My doctor and nurses kept assuring me that I was making progress but I really didn't believe them. I had reached a point of physical exhaustion and mental breakdown - I felt like I couldn't push any more. With the cheerleading from Alex (and my doctor and nurses), I kept at it.

Finally, at 4:38 pm, my baby was born! IT WAS A BOY!!! They put him on my chest and I had never felt so relieved in my life. He was perfect! 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long. We named him Julian Tadeusz.

Amazingly, I had no tearing. I was able to get up and walk around (and use the bathroom) shortly after delivering. I felt pretty darn good for just having a baby.

We're all doing well, and I think the adjustment for everyone is going better than expected.

Here are some pictures:

Just born

"Smiling"

With my tired Amelia

Proud big sister

Looking at baby Julian

So tired

Our family of 4

Introducing Julian Tadeusz!

It's a boy!!!

I was going to post Julian's birth story tonight, but I am just too tired. I'll post it tomorrow.

The important facts are that Julian Tadeusz was born at exactly 37 weeks (full term!). He weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. We can't believe that he weighs less than Amelia, but is 1 1/4 inches longer! He's precious and we are already so in love with him.

Amelia is not as in love with him yet. She did great with Grandma & Grandpa all day while we were in the hospital, but didn't do so well when she came to the hospital to visit. In all fairness, she was super tired since it was almost her bedtime. It'll be interesting when we take him home - we'll definitely have a big adjustment to make!

Big Day for me...

Today is a big day for me. I am 36w4d pregnant. It's not a milestone according to anyone else, but today I am the most pregnant I've ever been.

Amelia was born at 36w3d. You can read her birth story here. As much as I'd like to say that it hadn't been weighing heavy on my heart and mind throughout this pregnancy, it had been. Even though she was a late-term preemie, Amelia was still born premature. Even though she wasn't born with many of the complications that other preemies were, Amelia still had issues related to prematurity. We were extremely lucky with how it all turned out. Having had one premature baby, I was at increased risk of having another. I worried about not only making it to term, but also about just how early I might deliver this time.

Eventually I just came to peace with the idea that I COULD have another premature baby. It was, and still is for a few days, a real possibility. But every day I stay pregnant is a good day.

So today I am still pregnant. Monday marks the "full-term" point. I can't wait! I joked with Alex that this baby will probably end up being one we'll have to evict...wouldn't that just take the cake?!? Worry for 37 weeks about having a preemie, and have to induce at 41 weeks. I will gladly accept that.

I am not walking this year, but please donate to the March of Dimes through their March for Babies campaign. I can't think of a better cause to fight for - give babies a chance at life and help to end premature birth.

36 weeks!?!

Well, I'm 36 weeks pregnant. It seems like I *just* wrote my 35 week post...time is FLYING by.

I had my 36-week appointment this morning. Now I see Dr. K every Monday until I have a baby! This was actually an eventful appointment.

I'm measuring 37 weeks and the baby's heart rate was 157 - all good. I'm "a loose 1 cm" dilated, so we're calling it 1.5 cm. :) No effacement, but I'm soft. She couldn't tell if the head was down, so we did an ultrasound. SCORE! I hadn't had one of those since 19 weeks. It was great to see the baby again. Baby's head IS down. Dr. K said that it's UNLIKELY that the baby would flip out of position, but that it COULD happen. For now, baby is in position. :)

Overall it was a great appointment! She said everything looked great - that I looked like a "normal" 36-week pregnant woman. That's music to my ears! She acknowledged that I'm entering foreign territory now - I've never actually been too far past this point. It's hard for me to tell if what I'm feeling is normal. I know there are no guarantees, but it's really looking like I will have a full-term baby this time!

All I know is that I am not having a baby today...and that's a good thing!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is still the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes. The non-maternity clothes I fit into are the ones I wore pre-Weight Watchers.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: A lot of pushing and stomach distorting going on right now!

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep. I used to think that was great, but now I am so SORE when I wake up from sleeeping in the same position for so long that I think I'd rather get up every 1-2 hours to pee.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting. Oh and I can officially add putting on my own socks & shoes - this has now become Alex's job!

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling, pressure down low...I'm really starting to feel uncomfortable.

35 Weeks

I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Two pictures today, just for funsies. The first was taken Monday (actually at 35 weeks) at the end of the day, while Amelia was in the bath. I'm wearing a maternity shirt and maternity yoga pants. The second was taken this morning after my shower at 36w2d. I'm wearing the same maternity yoga pants, but a non-maternity tshirt. The shirt is stretched to the max! I just thought it was funny, and I had to capture the moment.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is still the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes. The non-maternity clothes I fit into are the ones I wore pre-Weight Watchers.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep. I used to think that was great, but now I am so SORE when I wake up from sleeeping in the same position for so long that I think I'd rather get up every 1-2 hours to pee.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling, pressure down low...I'm really starting to feel uncomfortable.