Latest Stats...

PJ visited the dr. today...

At 4 months of age:
Weight - 18 pounds, 12 ounces
Length - 27 1/4 inches

What does this mean? Intersting you should ask!
His weight percentile is >97th
His length percentile is >97th

However, his "weight for length" percentile is 50th - 75th

So...he weighs more than 97% of 4 month olds and he is longer than 97% of 4 month olds, but when you consider his weight for how long he is - he isn't as "big" as you might suspect from his stats...or something like that.

Rolling...

PJ is officially a rolling-fool. While LJ first rolled from front to back, PJ first rolled from back to front. Anytime we put him down on his back, in short order, he flips to his tummy....where he is much more happy than LJ ever was.

Additionally, RJ and I have decided that PJ is a survivor - he is a very determined little boy. He is the type of baby you could plop down in the forest and he'd scootch to things and pull them into his mouth. So, provided he didn't ingest something poisonous and/or didn't choke - he'd live through the isolation. Not that we would plop a baby down in the forest and just leave or anything.

This is What Happens When...

You leave a box of band-aids within reach of a certain toddler who is supposed to be napping...

PJ's Baptism

Last Saturday, August 11th, PJ we celebrated PJ's baptism...and what a celebration it was. We enjoyed the company of many family members and a few friends as a grand total of 32 people were in attendance! His Godmother, KK and his Godfather, MJ did a wonderful job in helping us introduce PJ as the newest member of the Christian community.

Lunch at a local bar-b-que restaurant allowed for conversation and continued celebration...and, much to LJ's satisfaction there was cake - 3 kinds! Oh, and many people were kind enough to bring him presents. I think we are going to have to get a house...just for LJ - so we can store all of the gifts that people bring. He loves every one of them!

This past week, I've been back at work and the Js are finally having to confront the real schedule. It has been great to be able to be off of work for so long, but the time has come to go back...for good. So far, so good with the transition, but he real test will be in about a week when school starts and we add Jfer's new babysitting schedule to the mix. I think it'll work out perfectly and LJ will certainly be happy to have Jfer here (as she plays with him more than I do...maybe more than daddy does(?))!

This is Delicious!

LJ is cracking us up on a daily basis - the things he says and where he gets them (well, some of them we can tell where he get them) are beyond us, but they are funny to hear a 2-almost-3-year-old say.

At dinner the other night, he took a bite, closed his eyes and said, "ummm, this is delicious".

When we tell him what we are going to do (like, "put on yours shoes, go to the bank, and go get your cookie"), he sometimes says, "oh my - that will be so much fun".

Sometimes, things get more than one "so" - like if we tell him someone is coming to visit, that might get a "that will be so, so, so much fun".

He has one picture book of food and he always calls the butter - peanut butter. The other day, he said, "peanut butter, no actually - it is just butter" - hilarious...although that is what we've said to him...we've discovered that we say "actually" quite a bit...a lot, actually.

Aside from these funnies, LJ has an amazing sense of direction. I first noticed this LAST summer when we moved office buildings. I remember telling LJ that we were going to see daddy at work, which I'm sure was going to be so, so, so much fun. When we passed our original building, LJ screamed, "NOOOOOOO" and pointed at our old building. I tried to explain to him that daddy and mommy where in a new building, but he didn't really calm down until we saw daddy. Since then, he never ceases to amaze me with his keen observations. We almost always tell him where we are going and he'll tell us if we go a different way. When we turn on a street, he'll say - "this is how we go to get doughnuts" or "we are almost to the bank" or something like that. We stayed in a certain chain of hotel once this summer...when he saw that hotel here (I didn't even know we had one), he said "oh, there's our's new place" - and sure enough, it was the same chain. RJ explained that it wasn't ours, it was "a match" (which he is very into matching things and noticing matches) and he said "oh, is a match". I'm fairly certain I was not this observant at his age.

PJ rolled over (front to back) once over the weekend. He hasn't done it since, but in all honesty, we aren't that diligent with tummy time. I'm making more of an effort this week though. I wouldn't have thought this possible, but I think PJ is *more* laid back and *more* happy than LJ was...this kid smiles ALL THE TIME. In fact, he'll cry to get our attention, but as soon as we walk into his line of sight - he starts smiling and kicking his feet. He is a little Houdini though - we've had to invent Swaddle System 3 for him...more on that later, perhaps.

The New Rules

We instituted the "no eating before 2:30 am" rule and PJ has been quite cooperative. He's only woken before 2:30 2x in the past week and RJ has gotten him to go back to sleep easily. After eating sometime after 2:30, he's gone back to sleep until 6:xx - so, we're happy. LJ didn't sleep all the way through the night until he was 8 months old, so I have no delusions that PJ will be different.

LJ has been "back talking" lately. Saying, "no" when I tell him to do something or just arguing with me in general. I really think he is too young to understand fully what he is doing, but he sits in the naughty chair sometimes anyway. When I ask him why he's in the naughty chair, he says, "because I say no" - so...he does know not to say "no", but I'm not sure he gets when it is OK to say no (do you want a cookie? no. vs. pick up your puzzle. no.) and when it isn't. It is all a work in progress I suppose.

I so enjoyed discovering what 80s toy you are, that I'd now like to know if you are a Yankee or a Rebel...

Time to Obsess (and) Take a Quiz

You have the rare treat of 2 topics in 1 blog entry!

First, I guess I have finally hit the "time to obsess" so far as PJ's sleep habits are concerned. I say this as I have What to Expect the First Year, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, and Baby wise sitting in front of me. Let me start off by saying, things are really not all that bad. While PJ is not sleeping as well as LJ was at this point, I seem to have plenty of energy and I'm not walking around like a zombie. I'm not even tired enough to take a nap most days. However, even when I don't feel tired, if I lay down - I'm out in fewer than 5 minutes.

Here is a typical day for PJ:

Wake up and nurse between 6:00 and 7:00
Awake time for 45 minutes or so
Nap for about an hour
Nurse around 9:00 or 10:00
Awake time for about 45 minutes
Nap for 1-2 hours
Nurse around 11:30 or 12:30
Awake time for about an hour
Nap for 3-4 hours
Nurse around 4:00 or 5:00
Awake until next feeding - maybe a catnap
Nurse around 6:30 or 7:30
Awake time
Nurse and down for the night around 8:30
Nurse anytime between 12:30 and 3:30 and back to sleep

Sounds ok, right? Well, what I didn't tell you is that after his middle of the night nursing, he sleeps for an hour or so and then he wakes up. He'll invariably burp and have gas, so the only way I can continue to get any sleep is to go lay on the couch with him. He'll sleep, wake up with gas, sleep, wake up with gas, sleep...until it is 6:00ish when I'll go ahead and feed him and start the day. We are making progress - he no longer has a dirty diaper in the middle of the night! But, LJ was going all night by this point. I'm thinking that LONG afternoon nap might be the problem - since he's sleeping so long at that nap, he's missing a feeding. So, perhaps he hasn't banked enough calories to go all night long?! Of course, I'm probably not going to do anything about it because 1) I relish the 1:00 - 4:00 afternoon nap time...both PJ and LJ are napping at this time and 2) the situation isn't unpleasant enough for me to sustain any action I take.

Now, onto the fun part...What 80's Toy are You??? Take this quiz and post your results! I'll tell you what *I* got later.

Whew! July is BUSY!

July has been a very busy month so far, but I think it is all about to slow down. I finished up work the 1st week of July and now I'm off until mid-August. So, what have the Js been doing?

July 4th - we did stay up late enough to see the fireworks. It was raining and they started early, so RJ was still parking the car as LJ, PJ, and I were huddled under an overhang. Then, I heard the tell-tale whistle followed by a boom. LJ, PJ, and I ventured into the rain so we could see the burst of color in the sky. It wasn't raining too hard, but it was difficult to hold PJ AND hold LJ's ears because he didn't like the sound. We weren't that close, so the sound wasn't that bad. I wanted to tell him that this was nothing compared to the sound I endured as a child. The fireworks were the capstone of the local baseball farm team (mostly the Cubs) game - they were shot from behind the centerfield wall, so I couldn't have been sitting more than 500 yards away...and they were LOUD! But, I don't think LJ is old enough to appreciate how "bad" I had it compared to his complaints. As a side note, he's been getting into his car seat and telling me "it is too hot". Whatever. The car is parked under a carport and his seat is made of cloth. Try sitting on the vinyl seat of a car that has been sitting in 100 degree summer sun - then we can talk about "too hot".

The weekend following the 4th, we went to a play date with the mommies and kids from my message board and hung around that town for the whole weekend. We got to see some of "mommy's and daddy's friends" and had a great time. We stayed in a hotel and LJ got to swim in the pool and sleep in a "new" crib (the hotel's crib) - these things make him very happy.

And yesterday, we returned from visiting Mawmaw's house. It was a special treat as LJ got to play with his cousin J and go on a boat ride. This year, he liked the boat ride. Last year, he wasn't too thrilled.

Other than traveling, we've been enjoying going to the library and checking out books. Next week, we are going to attempt to go to the "kid's movie camp" at a local movie theater. They show movies for kids at 9:30 am and charge $1.00. There are only 2 movies I've decided LJ can see (after reading movie reviews and determining how much rude talk and insolent behavior is shown...) - this week is Curious George - I doubt LJ will sit still for 2 hours.

Trip to "Zoo Town"

This blog entry is dedicated to Auntie K...

The J's took their first overnight trip since PJ joined the clan...and it worked so well that we have 2 more planned. June 21st we loaded up all of the "stuff" that you have to take "just in case" when you have an infant. For example, we had to have the bouncy seat - just in case. You'll be glad to know we did not take the swing. We decided to leave a little after the start of nap-time in hopes that the kids would sleep in the car - ha ha ha. Once we were within about 20 minutes of our destination, they fell asleep, so not much of a nap that day. We checked into our hotel and decided it was worth the tip it would take to have the bellhop carry our luggage for us...yep, it was THAT kind of hotel (but I know how to get some discounts). Our room was a "suite" - actually, it was an all suite hotel - so there was a small living room and a bedroom (separate from the living room). This is what we needed - LJ slept in the living room, RJ and I slept in the bedroom and PJ slept in his car seat in the "bathroom" - it was the dressing area outside of the bathroom and was rather large, for those of you who care about these things.

We set everything up and decided to try for an early dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant - which was right by our hotel. Dinner went perfectly, LJ was in a good mood and PJ slept through it all. After dinner, we decided to take LJ for a swim in the hotel pool. Well, RJ and LJ swam while PJ and I sat on a lawn chair. LJ thought this was great fun (except when RJ made him go under water) and he decided we need a pool in our backyard (I agree). LJ kept calling the town "zoo town" and the hotel room "our's new place" and he liked our's new place very much. We all slept well that night - including PJ who only woke one time to eat.

The next morning, we ate breakfast and headed to the zoo. It was hot and it was humid and many of the animals were not around. It was kind of disappointing. We did see a rhino, a tiger, a giraffe, and some other animals, but LJ wasn't that interested. He really seemed most interested in pushing the stroller in which he had been riding until....we got to the "children's zoo" and then he was most interested in playing on the playground. This, of course, we can do at home, but I've learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Anything that can wear a child out physically, is a welcome thing. So, he played on the playground for a good bit and then we went to ride the carousel. LJ wasn't too interested in sitting on his "horse" (which was really a monkey) by himself, but RJ convinced him and once the ride started - he liked it a lot.

The morning at the zoo ended with the purchase of a "zoo plate", a zebra magnet, and a pressed penny and a ride on the "train" around the park that surrounds the zoo. This was probably the most fun - even though I started to get a headache from the gas motor fumes coming from the train's "engine". PJ napped in his sling the entire time as I fanned his face and tried to get some air circulating around him. There came a time when I started to wonder if he was suffering from hyperthermia, but he seems no worse for the trip to the zoo. We went back to the hotel to pack up our's new room and take one last dip in the pool before heading home. We got home around 3:00 (LJ fell asleep in the car around 2:30) and we put LJ in his crib and left PJ in his car seat to sleep.

Whenever we serve LJ some food on his zoo plate, he says, "oh, you gave me my zoo plate" and when we ask him what his favorite animal was, he says, "the zebra" - sometimes he says, "cheese", but we're not sure what that is about.

PJ's 2 Month Check-up

The stats are in...

At 2 Months (8 1/2 weeks):
Weight - 15 pounds 1.5 ounces
Length - 25 inches

For comparison purposes - at 2 months, LJ was 13 pounds 7.5 ounces ands 23.5 inches...and we all know how big he is at 2 years 7 months, so heaven help us. One day, these boys are going to be teenagers and they'll be eating us out of house and home (I think that's the saying). As it is, LJ doesn't really at all that much, but he's a milk-drinking fool.

PJ has started (3 nights in a row) to go from 8:30ish to 3:00ish at night before requesting more nourishment (knocking on wood here) and then waking again around 6:00. I can stave him off until 7 or 8 before eating (by laying with him on the couch or putting him in his swing), but since I started work today - I fed him and put him back to sleep after that. He wakes at 6:00 as he often makes a dirty diaper and for some reason, he wants company as he does this. Perhaps he knows that, if he has company, he'll get a fresh diaper and who wouldn't prefer to sleep in a fresh diaper?!

Tune in later this week for a recap of our first overnight trip - which included a trip to the zoo!

The Battle for the Crown (medal - actually)

A bakery/restaurant known for cookies had their Annual Cookie Eating Contest and we decided that LJ should compete. We wanted him to enter last year, but the timing of the contest did not fit our busy social calendar. We feared that last year was LJ's year to win as this year, he savors his savories more - and this is not a good strategy for an eating contest. I spent many days explaining that, if he ate one cookie, he'd get another and then another - so he should eat them really quickly. When we'd ask him how many cookies he could eat, he'd hold up his hand and say, "2", but we thought this might be OK for his "2 and under" bracket.

LJ's flight chowed down at 4:00, so we woke him from his nap and then headed out with the J'fy family in tow. LJ chose chocolate chip as his cookie of choice and milk for his drink. There were 6 competitors total, but only 1 of them looked like she might provide competition (as she, like LJ was clearly more toddler than baby) - all of this contingent on the whims of LJ's eating mood. It could go either way - he could really get into it, or he could altogether refuse to eat even one bite. I, being a legal guardian, sat next to him at the table and chose 3 cookies when the man with the tray came around. Then, the announcer said, "one bite out of a cookie equals a whole cookie". Hmmm...how to interpret this? The man with the tray asked if I was sure I didn't want anymore - so I took 2 more. Then I asked the counter assigned to us..."should I encourage him to eat a whole cookie - or just to take a bite and move on to the next?" She shrugged and said, "I don't know" - she did not offer to find out. I asked the man with the cookie tray if he was going to be close by so we could reload and he said he would. I was still unsure how to proceed. I didn't want to be "wasteful" or come across like a pushy stage mom, but I didn't want to be a chump either.

The announcer said, "go" and the competitors had 6 minutes to eat as many cookies as they could. I started by encouraging LJ to pick up a cookie and take a bite...which he did. Then I encouraged him to pick up another cookie and take a bite...which he did. He had soon taken 1 bite out of each of the 7 cookies on his tray and our counter had counted them all - and the other toddler-girl was up to 8. So, with the cheers from the J'fys and my competitive streak kicking in - I called for more cookies and got more involved. I was now handing a cookie to LJ, telling him to take a bite and put it down - over and over. He started to slow down a bit around 13, so I told him to drink some milk - which he did...he kind of started laughing, but quickly regained his focus as a true cookie eating champ would. The announcer kept announcing totals, but I couldn't tell who's totals they were, so each announcement pushed me into overdrive - handing LJ cookie after cookie. When all was said and done - the counter had counted 22 cookies from which LJ had taken a bite. Toddler-girl - 20. LJ was victorious!!! He is the Cookie King! For his efforts, he won a medal which proclaims that he is the Cookie King and with this medal, he can get 1 free cookie a day for a YEAR! Wow!

His victory was heavily celebrated with pictures, pats on the back, atta-boys, handshakes, and footage on the evening news. We got to bring the "one-bite missing" cookies home and it turns out he really took one bite out of 27 cookies. It also turns out that there is a Cookie Queen, so toddler-girl also won a medal. Knowing this, LJ could have coasted as he was the only boy competing...so, Cookie King was his the whole time. But, we all know he is the Cookie Champion.

RJ, Jfer, Bekah, and I decided to enter the "who can eat 4 cookies the quickest" contest since no one else had entered. By the time the contest started others had entered, so we were not assured the win we thought we had in the bag. Alas, none of us won, but when the winner shoved the last morsels in his mouth, Jfer and I had 1/2 a cookie left and RJ and Bekah each had a whole cookie left. These were large cookies and we all felt rather uncomfortable afterwards.

We have video of all of the above, so should you find yourself at our house - I suggest you ask to watch - it is all rather amusing. If you come to our house soon, you can have a cookie with 1 bite missing as you enjoy the footage.

Sleep, PJ, Sleep

On all accounts, PJ is another "easy baby". He isn't fussy for no apparent reason - so long as we stick to our routine, he isn't too fussy at all. He is smiling now - and cooing. This is fun and we often have nice "conversations" that must be pleasant as he smiles throughout. I think he is a "mama's boy" as I seem to be able to comfort him more quickly than anyone else. I suppose this is only fair as LJ was definitely (and still is) a "daddy's boy".

As you know, I have kept a nursing journal (which is nothing more than the date, the time of nursing, and how long said infant nursed on each side) for both LJ and PJ. This provides much information for me to analyze and I do analyze it frequently. At this point in LJ's life (and you can see this yourself if you look through the Dec 2004 archives of this blog), he was sleeping 5-7 hours straight at night. PJ sleeps 3 - 5. We are eagerly awaiting the 6, 7, or 8 hour stretches, but they don't seem to be coming.

Swaddle - check.
White noise - check.
Pacifier - not good at taking it.

I mean, not good at it at all. He'll suck on my finger and love it, but the pacifier - he keeps opening his mouth wide as if he's trying to show me that he's ready for a good latch. If I did present a milk-producing pacifier...he'd refuse it once the milk started flowing, so he isn't hungry...he's just showing me that I don't have to worry about nipple confusion because he wont' let himself be confused. We've even tried different types of pacifier...not working. This is probably for the best as I can only imagine the issues we'd have with LJ if he ever saw PJ with a pacifier.

All-in-all, PJ is a good sleeper, so we can't complain - I'm just saying...LJ was sleeping longer by this age.

The Eat-Tree 3000

Here is LJ's first invention - "The Eat-Tree 3000"






As you can see, he has attached the paddle from my mixer to his fork. He says the paddle looks like a tree. He sometimes watches a cartoon called "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!" and there is a character (Widget) who invents things...the name always ends with "3000".


This kid is going to be our meal ticket (to continue the theme) one day!

LJ and the Number 2

When LJ wants to tell you he has or wants 1 of something, he holds his finger up like this:

When LJ wants to tell you he has or wants 2 of something, he holds his fingers up like this:

and we laugh everytime!

LJ-isms

LJ talks - A LOT - and he says some pretty funny things sometimes. One of my favorites has to do with potty training. LJ is flat-out not interested...not only is he not interested, he just plain won't do it and we are not compelled to force him into it right now. On top of that, everything we read says that you don't want potty training to be a battle of wills. Add to that, everyone who has recently potty trained a child has told me not to sweat it - when they are ready - it'll happen really quickly. We are, however, trying some tactics. We've put a glass jar of M&Ms on the bathroom counter and told LJ that he can get candy by 1) sitting on his potty without his diaper (1 piece), 2) going pee-pee in the potty (2 pieces) or 3) going poo-poo in the potty (3 pieces). We figured LJ would at least want to sit on the potty ALL THE TIME. Nope...not interested. In fact, LJ tells us, "I not want candy". Whenever we change his diaper, we tell him, "if you'd have gone pee pee in the potty, you could have had 2 pieces of candy" - or whatever the situation dictates. Whenever we ask him why he doesn't want to go to the potty - he says, "be-cause, it makes me sad". ???? I have no idea what this means and he can't explain it, so I'm pretty sure it is just something he's heard me say (when he misbehaves sometimes, I tell him it makes me sad - depends on what he's done).

Whenever LJ does something that I don't want him to do and I ask him why he did it - his response is, "be-cause, I said no". ???? Once again, this is something he's heard me say, I'm sure...sounds like me anyway. I write "be-cause" because LJ separates it out like this and it sounds hilarious!

In other news, RJ and I were very busy this past week - with a professional conference we have been planning. 75 people came from all over the state and some from other states. This is 35 more people than came 2 years ago when we hosted this conference. It was successful, but tiring and we are glad it is over. Now, I can actually be on maternity leave - I have been working from home quite a bit as the conference required my attention. Luckily, Jfer was able to babysit both boys with no problems (although, I think she is sure she isn't interested in being the mother of 2 for a while) as LJ was supposed to go stay with Aunt M and Uncle B, but they had to cancel. He was disappointed, but got over it quickly as Jfer managed to play with him quite a bit and keep PJ content.

PJ is doing just great. He has a touch of baby acne right now, but is still as cute as ever. We are debating the pacifier again. He gets rather grunty in the late afternoon and night - and once he passes his gas, burps or other things of this nature, he'll settle a little. I let him suck on my finger sometimes and this seems to help him. So, we're trying to decide if we want to give him a pacifier. We'd like to restrict it to night/bedtime only as we think we'd have issues with LJ if he sees PJ with a pacifier...we'll let you know what we decide.

2 Week Stats

PJ had an appointment with the dr. this morning. He was a very good boy and didn't even get too upset with the heal prick for the PKU test. His stats: 11 lbs. 4.5 oz. and 22 inches long. So, he's eating well and growing just fine. We knew this as he's had the proper number of wet/dirty diapers a day - but, I can tell you that you stop counting these things and just "ballpark it" with the 2nd child. (Chrissy, I'm still keeping my nursing log, so I'm not totally relaxed with #2)

While we went to the dr., LJ went to the neighbor's for a play date. There is a 4-year-old girl who lives behind us and LJ loves to go play with her. I don't know that they "play" together too much, but she has a Dora doll house and this pleases LJ immensely. He still has to spend time in the naughty chair on a daily basis, but he seems to be adjusting to PJ just fine. I think his naughty chair time is a combination of his age + our cracking down on behavior and less a product of PJ.

LJ still naps from about 1:00 until 3:30 or so every day. PJ usually sleeps a bit (sometimes a long bit) during this time as well...so I'm able to get a few things done. Yesterday, I even fell asleep for a while myself.

All-in-all, we are doing great!

1 Week

Tomorrow will mark 1 week since PJ joined our family - for the most part it has been pretty darn good! He is a fairly easy baby so far - he nurses well (although he and I are working diligently on his latch...he doesn't want to open his mouth very wide and this is causing some problems), he isn't too fussy (except late in the afternoon, as was LJ at this age), after the second night home from the hospital, he started going back to sleep easily after nursing at night (knocking on wood). All-in-all, we're managing fine. RJ and I are on rotation at night. He is up with PJ, if he's fussy, until 3:00 am (I still have to get up to feed him though - but RJ sits with me and we hang out and watch TV) - and then I'm on duty if PJ is fussy from then on. This has worked well so far. We've all gotten out of the house a few times and it hasn't been overwhelming - I haven't tried it by myself yet. I have to say, if I had known then what I know now - having just LJ to take care of when he was an infant wouldn't have caused me so much anxiety!

LJ seems to like PJ quite a bit. When PJ cries, LJ says, "its ok, its ok" and he tries to share his toys with PJ. Sometimes, he'll lay a book on PJ's lap so that he can look at it. I think they'll enjoy playing together...one day! LJ likes to have PJ hold his hand and so far there haven't been any malicious actions toward the new addition. LJ's behavior - well...he's been in "boot camp" the last two days. He has to "mind mommy and daddy" or he goes to the naughty chair - on the first offense. He was going crazy - I'm sure PJ is an adjustment for him, but everyone who has come to visit has giving LJ a gift - and this has gone to his head! One day of boot camp made a noticeable difference, so we're hoping this is short-lived.

I'm doing well - as well as can be expected for someone who had a 10 pound baby! This time around, I'm not experiencing the 'baby blues' so much - I get emotional about 1x a day and it is usually when I'm having to put LJ in the naughty chair. I know he is likely misbehaving to get attention and that makes me feel badly for him, but I also know that, in the long run, he'll enjoy having a brother. I've been very happy that RJ has been home from work all week - he's been working from home a bit and he'll be going in for a couple of hours a day starting Thursday...but, I've really enjoyed having him home.

We are grateful to have such great family and friends...people have been so kind to wish us congratulations and tell us how adorable PJ is ;-) It was so nice that my nieces SJ and JJ came to stay with LJ while we were in the hospital - it is hard to imagine that they are so grown-up as to come to my aid when needed! SJ - LJ has loved his chocolate cake - you did a great job with it!

The Story of PJ's Birth

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - Happy Birthday PRJ!

I woke up around 7:00 am and got LJ out of bed and watching Curious George on tv. I wasn't feeling well - I'd had a sinus headache for the past 2 days and it was starting to get old. I was also having some contractions, but I'd been having them for an hour or two here and there the past couple of days. I just didn't feel good and I started to cry (this happens when I get sinus headaches - it is actually good because it gets the pressure out of my sinuses) - RJ suggested I stay home from work, but I thought I'd rather go and have the distraction. But, I piddled around waiting for the contractions to ease up and they never did. We timed them and they were 7-12 minutes apart, but they did not ease up (in fact, they got worse) with walking. Around 8:30, I called the Dr. to see if I could reschedule my 2:00 appointment that day for earlier. I got in at 9:00. So, we put the hospital bag in the car (just in case) and took LJ to the neighbor's house.

Dr. examined me - said I was 4 cm, but the head was right there, so she'd call the hospital - go there. I got checked in - had the best nurse EVER. The dr. said she'd come break my water at lunch time, if it hadn't broken on its own. I decided that I'd wait for the epidural until then, but instructed the nurse that, when she saw the dr. with the hook in her hand, the anesthesiologist better be on his way! At lunch time, I was at 5cm - dr. broke my water and I got my epidural after suffering through only 3 contractions after my water broke. 2 hours later, the dr. called and told the nurse to check me and hook up the Pitocin. The nurse checked me - I was fully dilated and ready to push. So - NO PITOCIN - YES!!!!! The nurse had me push once and then said - to stop, the dr. needed to be told to come now - I was 2 -3 pushes away. The dr. took 25 minutes to get there, so I just laid there ready to have this baby, but waiting for the dr. We were talking, and every time I'd laugh, the nurse would say - "don't laugh - it is making the head come out more" - she, of course, loved that I had such a good attitude throughout the delivery. ;-) The Dr. arrived; I pushed 2x and out came PJ. The 2nd push, the dr. told me to stop as the shoulder was coming out really quickly, but I tore anyway - you were expecting this with a 10lb baby, right?! The tear isn't too bad though. The dr. and nurse both said that PJ was a BIG baby, but - I guess we're so used to seeing LJ that an infant looks small to us. They were right - 10 lbs even. 21 1/4 inches. Brown hair - lots, but not as much as LJ had.

I think the delivery went as perfect as it could have for me...I went into labor on my own, I had no Pitocin, I got an epidural for what I think would have been the pain I have no interest in experiencing, it went rather quickly, and PJ is a healthy baby BOY (which I secretly wanted - now that LJ has a brother, I can be happy with a girl or boy next). I'm feeling fine - sore and tender, but fine.

We'll send a picture soon!

Still Waiting...

Over the weekend, it seemed that going to the hospital was imminent, but as we got to Sunday night, it seemed like just another end to the weekend/beginning of the work week.

We went to do yet one more batch of laundry at the Laundromat...still waiting for that part to come in. Estimates show it'll likely be here no later than Wednesday. This is good as the "fun" of going to the Laundromat has worn off.

I'm having contractions, but nothing regular and very few "painful" enough to fit the "real labor" category I've heard about. I can tell you this - getting to 3cm without Pitocin is 100% preferable over getting there "naturally". That Pitocin is wicked stuff and I'm glad not to be on it right now. Come Friday, with no active labor, they'll hook me up, but I'll also get my epidural, so I won't mind it so much (I suppose).

What is with all the girl predictions?!!?

The Dr. Says...

I am dilated to 3cm, but she couldn't feel the head down there (although she says the baby is head down), so...we scheduled an induction for next Friday should things not happen on their own between now and then. I'm to see her in the office on Wednesday, should things not happen on their own between now and then.

My joy of getting to 3cm is somewhat muted. The Dr. days I can have my epidural...just as soon as they get my IV in and get my lab work back (apparently, they won't take my chart's word for it that my blood type is what it is...they type it again to be certain - READ: they don't want to incur any liability by trusting a chart)...uhm - if things progress quickly, this could be a lot of time passing before I get my epidural. I'm not happy about the prospect of 1) not showing up to the hospital until I'm having contractions which are 5 minutes apart, 2) them having to do some stuff before I get my epidural and, therefore 3) getting to even more uncomfortable and painful parts of labor before that dude shows up with the sweet elixir of pain relief. But, what can I do about it? I suppose I could go the hospital now and REFUSE to leave, but somehow, I bet they've dealt with that kind of woman before.

LJ is doing well - he talks about the baby all the time, so I hope he really is ready to be a big brother. We are having a cake (with Dora decorations - thanks Aunt K) and LJ and the baby will exchange presents when we get home from the hospital...surely that will buy a few moments of love!

Ok - guesses as to weight (I'll tell you that the Dr. says, "this baby is not small"), length, gender...