Happy Two Weeks!

Tank is two weeks old today!  Already!  It’s funny how in one way it seems like he joined us only a couple of days ago, but in another way it’s already beginning to feel like he’s always been a part of us.

Overall, we’re both doing well.  We had jaundice issues once again (it’s a blood-type thing), but that’s under control.  Thankfully, we were able to treat him at home with a portable bililight blanket rather than have to go into the hospital like we did with Twinkle.  He’s slow to gain weight like he should, and I’m doing everything I can to build up my milk supply so that we can successfully breastfeed…we’ll see…

The other kids love him!  Hero, McAwesome, and Sweetheart Girl kind of know the ‘new baby drill’ by now, and they are very patient with not having me be able to do everything the same way as before.  They always want to hold him, and McAwesome has been known to say, “He’s eating again?!”

Minion 1 and Minion 2 don’t care to hold him so much.  They prefer to give him a kiss (as I remind them again not to push on Tank’s head!), and see if he’s awake or asleep.  I’m not sure what the fascination is with that, but apparently it’s their job to tell me if his eyes are open or not- even when I’m holding him, and I can see very well on my own!

Twinkle tells me when he’s eating (thanks, Twinkle), and brings Tank his blankets.  I guess since she is somewhat attached to her blanket, she wants to make sure Tank has his!  It’s very cute!

Everyday I feel better, and if we can get Tank’s feedings under control, I feel like we’ll soon be on our way to our new routine.

To tell the truth, the first couple of months are not my favorite part of child-rearing, but these newborn days fly by so quickly that I’m trying to savor every bit of it.  There’s just something about having a newborn in the house that brings out the best in all of us.  Not that we’re all smiles all the time, but the reminder that God has blessed us once again is hard to ignore!  And babies just smell sooo good!

Introducing!!

Tank!!

Tank made his entrance at 10:49 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, 2011!!  He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long!

My labor was (blessedly) very short.  I woke up Saturday morning with my usual, occasional contractions that had no rhyme nor reason to them.  The only thing different was that I had them first thing in the morning, whereas they usually came on midday or early evening.  Because I did notice that difference, I did pay attention to them, but sure enough, as the day progressed, they disappeared!

With church the next morning, I decided to head upstairs early, so a little after 8:30 I went into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich before going up.  As I opened the fridge door, my water broke!!  Contractions started within 20 minutes, we had a 45 minute drive to the hospital, and about 40 minutes later Tank came into this world!

Welcome Little One!

What’s Going On Here…

Well, we’re just in the waiting period for this baby now!  A couple weeks ago, I was having tons of contractions, and several times I thought they were the real thing (obviously, they weren’t!).  We were excited and felt like the birth was imminent!  But here we are, two weeks later, with no baby in our arms yet!

My due date is still not until next Monday, so it’s not like I feel like I’m overdue or that we should have had the baby by now.  It’s just that all signs were pointing towards a soon delivery!  Last week, all those signs pretty much went away!  I had only occasional contractions, and they were never worth paying attention to!

I am working with the midwives at Tucson’s Birth Center, and since I am a VBAC, I am on a bit of a time crunch.  I would be even if I were at an OB.  I only have so much time before I risk out and become a repeat c-section.  I suppose I could refuse and just wait for this baby to be born at home, but I’m not too keen on that idea!  I did find out that although the midwives can/will not induce with Pitocin, they can break my water and see if that works.  So if the time comes, I will definitely choose that over a c-section!  Of course, if we (mom and/or baby) get to a point where a c-section seems to be the best option, that’s what we’ll do.  I have done it before, and while I hated it, it wasn’t the end of the world!

Okay, enough about that.  Other news:

School is going well!  I think we’re on track in all subjects and ahead in a few.  So any time we take off shouldn’t throw us off too much!

Hero turned 9 years old a few weeks ago.  He has informed me that he feels different now that he’s 9, and he’s already excited to hit double digits next year!

Awesome McAwesome has turned into my little go-getter!  Nearly every day, he asks if he can start his schoolwork before I’m ready, and he often turns down his break time so that he can be finished early and have the rest of his day!  As an admitted procrastinator, I find this trait very admirable! 

Sweetheart Girl can never have enough to do.  Her schoolwork just isn’t enough for her, her chores get done, she asks to help me with stuff all the time, and still she often tells me she doesn’t know what to do!  Sweetheart Girl likes to keep busy!  She’s going to be soooooo much help when the baby is born!

The Minions are going through an independent/co-dependent stage with each other right now.  It’s heart-breaking to one if the other doesn’t want to play with him.  As mom, I find it slightly difficult to find a balance of encouraging the loner to play with his brother and telling the upset one that it’s okay to play by himself for a while!  Of course, they switch off in these rolls daily!

Twinkle’s vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds!  She often speaks in full sentences (baby ones), and we are surprised at times at how clear she is.  Even when we’re not sure exactly what she’s saying, she finds a way to make herself heard- which sometimes is not so pleasant!

My laptop charger died the other week, and my battery is dead.  So until I get a replacement charger, I’m stuck using the desktop.  It’s slightly inconvenient since most of my files and pictures are on my laptop!  But at least I haven’t lost them- they’re just inaccessible for the time being!

I may decide to give up Facebook soon, as the most recent round of changes are exactly the opposite features of what drew me to give FB a try in the first place!  I’m not saying they’re bad or that everyone should close their accounts, but I liked FB because it was so simple and unobtrusive!  The verdict is still out, though, but if I do give it up, I will try to be a better blogger so my family and friends can still keep up with us!

I guess that’s it!  Hopefully I will be presenting our newest addition very soon!