Alexa Update

I still don't have much computer time these days, but we're all feeling very rested & doing very well. Alexa is an amazing baby. She sleeps a ton and has figured out nursing perfectly. Ava has been adjusting really well. I want to sit down & write out my birth story soon, but I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to that. Our doulas came by last night to check in & gave me their version of the birth story, which was just beautiful. I may put some of that up here.

My memories of the birth are just perfect. I remember the pain, but mostly I remember how beautiful it all was. I know that sounds corny, but it honestly went so well. I'm still so proud that I was able to deliver with no pain medication of any kind.

We're still checking Alexa's bili rubin (I have no idea how that is spelled & I'm far too tired to try looking it up) levels. She's still not jaundice, but they levels have been going up instead of down. Today is the first sunny day we've had in a week, so we haven't been able to keep her in the sun. She's eating great, my milk came in on Saturday & she's getting everything out just fine, so her levels should be going down. They wanted us to skip the lab work today & check again tomorrow afternoon. We're just hoping they've dropped down by then so we can be done with that.

My mom is getting in on Friday. I'm so looking forward to that. We've had lots of visitors so far. I think it's finally slowed down a bit today though. We haven't been all that great at taking pictures, but here's a few from the first day home:

Alexa Mari

Born Thursday 2/19/09

12:56 PM

7 lbs 9 ozs

20.5 inches

We just got home from the hospital this afternoon, so I'll post more about the birth later. All went well & we're both very healthy.

It Worked!

I did manage to get through the rest of my to do list yesterday. I baked two apple pies. Seriously, I haven't done so much housework combined over the past two months as I did yesterday. My mom said it was my burst of energy/nesting that happens right before the baby comes.

She was right. My water just broke. Major gush. I'm going to wait a bit because I'd rather contractions start before I head to the hospital. I don't want them to give me pitocin to speed things along. I'd like to think this labor will be faster than it was with Ava, but so far this baby has had a mind of her own & hasn't followed any of the normal "rules!"

I don't own a laptop that works well, so I won't be giving any updates from the hospital. I'll get on here when we first get home though, promise!

Nesting?

Still no baby. Due date is only 5 days away. I honestly never thought I'd make it this far. Who knows, this baby may be late.

Today, however, I am totally, totally nesting. I started my day with a walk to the grocery store with Ava. Then for some reason, I just got motivated to get cleaning/nesting. Here's what I've done so far today:

• Put together dinner in the slow cooker so that we will have a nice dinner all ready
• Vacuumed the entire downstairs
• Cleaned up Ava's toys in the living room (although, it's probably all torn up again by now!)
• Steam cleaned the carpet in the foyer
• Cleaned the kitchen
• Ran the dishwasher
• Washed a load of kitchen towels

I decided to sit for a minute, but I hope to accomplish the following after lunch:

• Mop the dining room & laundry room
• Clean the bathroom
• Vacuum the entire upstairs
• Clean Ava's room
• Bake an apple pie so that we can use up all the apples that the neighbor keeps giving us

Even if I don't get to the second half of my list, I'm still pretty proud of everything I've done so far. I haven't done this much cleaning in weeks, let alone one morning.

On the baby front, I'm loving all the suggestions people are giving me to try to get labor going. I seriously think I should write a book! My mom called me this morning to tell me that her co-workers say that I should jump rope, then go scrub the floors on my hands & knees. I just have to laugh at it all. We have already tried so many things that I've just decided to let it go & this little one will come when she's good & ready.

Could It Get Any Worse?

We've obviously had a frustrating weekend here. Both of us keep getting faked out by these contractions, thinking it's finally coming, then nothing. Needless to say, I've been an emotional wreck all weekend & Edward's patience with everything is getting less & less. Don't get me wrong, he's been wonderful, but there is only so much both of us can take.

Today I was actually have a pretty good day. I got dressed somewhat nicely, managed to make us a nice lunch, get some laundry done, etc. Edward even agreed to let me have some much needed "Lizzie" time & go get a much needed pedicure (seriously, it's been awhile!). He told me to take the Altima. I just had a feeling that something would happen since I've been driving not so great lately.

Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't even back out of the driveway. I ran smack into the fire hydrant that's next to our driveway. The front driver's side is all smashed in. I don't even know how I did that much damage. Seriously, it was the absolute last thing I needed.

Edward won't let me go get my pedicure now because he doesn't think I can drive safely. I seriously hope this baby comes tonight then cause I can't stand the thought of not driving all week. It just won't happen! I'm so desperate for pretty toes that I even let Edward paint my toes. HUGE mistake. I had the nail polish remover out before they were even dry, he had done such an awful job.

I am upset that I did something so stupid, but honestly, I'm almost beyond caring right now. My mom also reminded me today that although the official due date from my ultrasound at 6 weeks is Feb 22nd, the ultrasounds I had at 20 weeks both measured Feb 16th, which means I'm due today. Since I never had a period since having Ava (I was nursing), the ultrasounds are all we have to go by on a due date.

Part of me is wondering if this baby isn't coming because we still don't have a name picked out for her. We went through one of the baby name books again last night & still came up with nothing. We do have a few names on our list, but none of them feel 100% right. We're kind of just hoping something comes to us when we see her.

Speaking of her, my mom is wondering if it is a boy after all because as she put it "only a boy would do this to his mother!" The ultrasounds really weren't all that convincing, but we've been planning for a girl so that would certainly throw things for a loop! Guess we'll just have to wait & see!

Still Pregnant

I am so tired. I have been having contractions pretty regularly since Thursday evening. We even had my SIL come out & spend the night on Thursday because they were so regular that we thought it might happen that night. Fast forward 3 days, & everything is still the same. They tapered off at one point on Friday, but came back again pretty strong yesterday. By last night, they were even stronger & coming every 3 minutes. I decided to try to get some sleep & slept all night, only to wake up this morning to pretty much nothing. Not really even feeling contractions anymore. Seriously, it's this big tease.

I'm officially at 39 weeks right now, so I understand that I shouldn't be frustrated since I'm not even to my due date yet. But how can I not be when I've been having what I think are real contractions?! I haven't rushed off to the hospital because I know that none of them have been strong enough to mean that delivery is really soon, but it's still frustrating to me. Plus, I feel foolish when I keep calling my mom, my doula, and our babysitters to tell them that maybe it's really happening this time.

This is so, so different from Ava's delivery where my water broke one morning & then contractions started & then I was in labor. Do I have to do this off and on contraction thing for another week? Or even two? I know the baby will come when she's ready, but why does it have to happen this way?!!

Is This It?

I've been having what I think are contractions all night. But I'm not really sure. Since I'm not sure, then I think they must not be contractions. Since my water broke first with Ava, I honestly am not sure how to know if these are contractions. I've been trying to time them, but they aren't really consistent. Also another sign that they aren't real, right?

The other thing is that I went with my friends yesterday to this pizza place with a preggo pizza, that they say induces labor. I had 4 slices in the hopes it would work. It seems to have done something. But it makes me wonder if it's just indigestion from a pizza that was loaded with all sorts of meat!

Some have been pretty strong, but others not so much, which is what has been making it difficult to time them. None of them really hurt, but I remember when I was in the hospital with Ava it was a few hours of contractions before they started hurting. I just wish my water would break like it did with Ava. Cause then you know it's time!

Since I've been feeling them all night long, even if they aren't every so many minutes, I'm still taking it pretty seriously & laying low today. I'm getting my hospital bag completely packed after I shower this morning, just in case. I'm not planning on going anywhere today either. A good friend of mine has offered to watch Ava for a few hours today to give me some alone time, but I think we're just going to hang out here. Then, if this turns out to be anything, I'll be able to call her if I need really do need her!

The plan when I go into labor has always been for my BIL & his wife to take Ava. Nicole is in grad school, so if it happens during the day, Eliot, who works from home, was planning on coming over here & watching Ava while somewhat working. I also have the friend mentioned above & one other friend who are willing to help out with Ava. Good thing, because now my BIL is heading to the East Coast tonight with my FIL to take him to see his dying brother. We had to book last minute flights for them because we found out he only has 72 hours to live. They've never been close, but FIL wants to see his brother & we don't blame him. The unfortunate thing is that it was almost $1000 for their 2 tickets. Obviously FIL can't fly on his own. Plus the rental car & hotel, looks like we have to shell out another $600-700 this month for FIL. It really does suck to be a caregiver to an elderly person! Sorry if that sounded insensitive, but I've just had it.

Alright, off to take my shower & see how things progress.

Just Waiting

My MIL was able to change her flight. What a relief! She changed it to come a week later, so she'll get in the morning that my mom leaves (but my mom doesn't leave until 10pm that night). So we won't have them both sleeping here at the same time & they will have one day to visit with each other. My mom thinks that is more than enough.

I'm still sitting here hoping this baby comes at anytime. I was really hoping that this baby would come as early or earlier than Ava, but now that's come & gone & I'm starting to wonder if I'll actually make it to my due date. I hope not! It's awful wondering every day if today will be the day. I never did this with Ava since I totally did not expect her to come as early as she did. Any veteran mom's have advice on getting through this?!

So Ready

Everytime I call my mom, the first thing she says is "are you in labor yet?!" I keep forgetting that everyone is just as eager as me for this little one's arrival. Yesterday I remembered something and said uh-oh out loud and Edward freaked out cause he thought my water broke.

No baby yet, obviously, but I've been feeling a bit odd since going to bed last night. I'm sure it's nothing because there aren't really any contractions, no broken water, just feeling a bit different. I think we'll stick close to home today just in case. I never made it this far with Ava. I'm in the 38th week now. Ava came on the first day of my 38th week.

The situation with my MIL has gotten better, but it's not really resolved. She has offered to stay in a hotel while my mom is here to give us some time together. She said she was just trying to help & didn't mean to cause a problem. Well then, think before you do things! Anyhow, she's going to go to AAA today to see if they might be able to change her flight, but it's highly doubtful. I'm glad she saved $20 by booking from Tues to Tues, but now we're going to end up paying $200 or more to put her in a hotel. She does seem to understand how I feel about spending time with my mom now that we've told her. I don't think it even crossed her mind before.

Don't get me wrong, we appreciate her help & certainly want her to spend time with her grandchildren (although she really doesn't show much interest in that whenever we visit them, but whatever). It's just that she didn't time it well & if she really wants to help by staying for a week, she wouldn't do it when I already have my mom here to help, you know.

Anyhow, Edward did actually end up stepping up on this one. All that has been done since last week is because he's been calling her to sort it all out. I'm very proud of him for taking my side for once! Because as one commenter put it, I've really sacrificed a lot for his family this year. I am pulling the selfish card on this one!

Hopefully all is straightened out on that end. Now we just need to pick a name for this baby & for her to actually come out! I'm ready.

Why Can't She Just Be Normal?

So my MIL is seriously in need of some lessons on how to be socially normal. Sure, she's from Japan, but she's been here for 50 years, you'd think she'd know how to do normal things by now.


A week or so ago she called to tell us that she wanted to come help with the baby for about a week. She wanted to come around when my mom comes so that they might overlap their visit by a day or two so that they can see each other. My mom was agreeable to that. She just wanted to make sure that I get as much help as I need.

The original plan was that MIL would come up from Sunday to Friday or Saturday. So my mom booked her flight here getting in on Friday the 27th in the morning & leaving on Tuesday the 3rd of March in the evening. She sent her itinerary to both me & my MIL.

Two days later my MIL emails us to say that she went to AAA & booked a flight (she doesn't really know how to use the internet for anything other than email) & she found a cheaper flight by leaving on Tuesday instead of Sunday. So she booked from Tuesday to Tuesday, leaving me absolutely not a single moment alone with my mom. Plus, since her horrible husband isn't coming, she wants to stay with us. We have a small 3 bedroom, 1 bath house. We were already going to put my mom in with Ava. Where are we going to put my MIL?! She said she's fine on the sofa.

My mom isn't too thrilled about it either because she wants her own "grandma" time since she only sees us 2-3 times a year, tops. She didn't mind sharing for 1 day, but the entire time she's here?! It's also just so uncomfortable & ackward whenever MIL is around. Plus, I really have no sympathy for her. When she was here in July for my BIL's wedding, she chose not to come by the house to say goodbye on her last day here because "Chuck (her horrible husband) doesn't like kids."

If you're on my facebook, you already know a lot of this. I've been getting lots of responses on this topic on there! Everyone seems to think I need to tell her to rebook her flight for a different time. My husband, however, just doesn't get what the issue is. I think he should be the one to call her & say, that just doesn't work for us. We don't have room for both of you & quite frankly, Liz wants time with her mom without anyone else around. I don't think I should have to be the one to do that. But I know he won't do it.

I just don't know what to do because I'm depressed now at the thought of all of this. How am I going to feel right after the baby is born & I have the baby blues? It's going to feel even worse. Maybe I should just be straight forward & tell her how I feel. Am I overreacting? I just don't think a normal person would even consider infringing on a mother's visit with her daughter like that!

Doula

I've had a few questions about having a doula at our birth, so I thought I'd explain a little further here. I'm certainly no expert & if there is anyone out there reading who knows more on the subject than me, feel free to correct me. I'm just going to explain why I want a doula & how it's going to work for us.

Ava's birth went very well, but was very long. Since I have no family here at all, it was just me & Edward. That's all we really wanted in the birthing room, but as wonderful as Edward was, he was more clueless than me about the labor process. I read the books, I thought I was prepared. But nothing could prepare me for how much pain it was. I never took any birthing classes & I just didn't end up prepared to deal properly with the pain. After 7 hours of labor, I found out I was only 3 cm dilated. That was when I decided to get the epidural. I never regretted it because it was the right decision for me at the time, but I've always thought that if I had someone to help me through it, I might have made a different decision.

When I got pregnant this time, I started thinking about that again. The epidural itself was wonderful (if you've had one, you know what I mean!), but I also remember feeling so tired afterwords. I couldn't walk around for awhile because my legs were too weak & they gave a catheter. I just don't want that feeling of helplessness after the baby is born this time around.

Edward & I discussed hiring a doula, which is a pretty common thing here in the Bay Area if you want a drug free birth. I started looking into it when one of the mom's in my mom's group mentioned that she had a friend who was in training & willing to offer her services for free because she needed one more birth in order to get her certification. At the time, I thought doula services around here were about $400-800, a great deal! I've since found out that they are more like $1000, so an even better deal!

We met with our doula a few months ago & knew right away that she was great. She's not at all new-agey, but she feels like we do that birth is a very natural thing & that too many women have regrets about their delivery. She wasn't pushy at all & we both felt very comfortable with her.

The one problem is that she's moving to the Midwest on Feb 27th. So this baby can't be late! However, she has a friend who also in training who needs more births. So we met with her & she is going to be our back up. The back up doula is actually going to attend either way. So I may have two doulas at my birth! The best part? The back up doula is a massage therapist so I'm looking at getting massages throughout labor if I want. Fabulous!

We met with both of them again last week & I've actually been very, very excited about the birth ever since. I know it'll still be painful, but I'm looking forward to having someone there to remind me how to breathe, and the different poses I've learned in yoga to help me through. I know that I can do this drug free.

I'm definitely eager for this baby to be born! I'm at 37.5 weeks, so this baby can come anytime! Of course, since I want her to come early, I'm sure she'll end up coming late. It's just the nature of things, right? When we went to bed last night, Edward was convinced that this baby was coming either today or tomorrow. Now I've got it in my head that my water could break at anytime. It probably won't, but I can't help but wonder!

Officially a Minivan Driving Momma

Last weekend Edward sold his Nissan Xterra, which he's had since before he met me. It was a very "manly" vehicle that he rarely drove, prefering his good ol' Toyota pickup. It was an '02 that he sold with only 27K miles on it. The main problem with is was that it was stick, which being the girly girl that I am, I can't drive.

Once that was sold, he suddenly decided that a minivan was a necessity, preferably before the baby comes. So all last week we went to dealerships, did research on Kelly Blue Book, talked to my dad a million times (he owns a used car business in NY) and felt that we knew what we wanted by the time the weekend came around.

Despite the fact that we've always been a Nissan family, we decided to go with the Chevy Uplander. Being a GM, it has the 5 year/100k mile powertrain warranty. So we got an '08 for the same price as an '03 Nissan, Toyota or Honda, with a warranty. It's fully loaded. I didn't even want the DVD player because I don't want my kids to get in the habit of watching movies in the car. We're limiting that to long trips or desperate times! I love the power sliding doors & just the overall convenience of a van.

Seriously, I've been ready to be a minivan driving mom since I was 12 years old. Lovin it!