Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Three Years Old


With Violet's 3rd Birthday Coming in just a month and the birth of my 2nd daughter not far behind I reflect on the last 3 years. I can definitely say they have been the best 3 years of my life. Violet amazes me every single day. She also has logic in situations that beats me out all the time. I love every single smile she puts on my face.












The other day she told me "I love you so much Mama that I will not throw you to a pit of snakes or to the big bad wolf." It does not get much better than that.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Violet's Birth Story

Violet Kaitlyn
October 14, 2008
12:04pm
7 pounds 14 ounces
20¾ inches long
Born: 37 weeks and 4 days
Apgar scores: 8, 9

Background: My husband, Matt, got a great attorney position 2 hours from where we had been living in Orlando. Since I was in my last trimester I did not want to leave my OB office or change hospitals since Winnie Palmer is such a great hospital to deliver in (all 11 floors dedicated only to the birthing of babies). Matt moved on down to our new home and I stayed with my parents the last 2 months of my pregnancy. He came to Orlando to stay with me on weekends.

Monday October 13th I experienced mild cramps all day long. They were not painful and hardly noticeable. By nighttime they had subsided. That night I watched Halloween 2 with my parents (we had planned on watching them all by Halloween). When I went to bed around 11pm I started to experience the cramps again, just enough to be uncomfortable while lying down. I thought they might actually be contractions but by 1am they stopped and I went to sleep. At 4am Tuesday October 14th I woke up to go pee. I tried to go back to sleep but was extremely uncomfortable. About 15 minutes later I had to pee again. I tried again to go back to sleep but was unable to find any position that was comfortable. I began to have what I can only describe as cramps. They were keeping me from finding a comfortable position. I decided to turn on the TV because I knew I would not be able to go back to sleep. Not long after I had to pee yet again and the cramps were becoming slightly more uncomfortable. At 5am I called my husband because I was uncomfortable and I just wanted to talk to him. A few minutes later I heard a very loud noise outside my sliding glass door. My dog, Princess, heard it as well. I could tell Matt was tired so I hung up with him and used my cell phone to call my mother who was upstairs sleeping. I asked her to come down and sit with me since I was uncomfortable, unable to sleep and now slightly scared from the noise outside (after watching scary movies I tend to be jumpy). By 5:15am we got up to watch TV in the family room. Around 5:45am the pain started to get worse. I called Matt and he told me to go get a shower because these could be contractions and the shower could help. I took a shower and washed my hair but while I was in the shower the cramps started getting worse. I had an OB appointment at 10am so I was desperately trying to wait until the appointment to see if what I was feeling were contractions and to see if I had made any progress since last week when I was 3cm, 60% effaced and 0 station. Matt begged me to go in at 8:30am when the office opened instead of waiting. Then he told me I should go to the hospital to get checked out. I was scared of being sent home and told that this was not the real thing. At 6:30am the pain was so bad I could no longer sit or stand and the only way to alleviate the pain was tho keep walking and not sit still. I called Matt and told him I would go to the hospital. I spent a little time getting my things together and then my parents drove me to the hospital that is 15 minutes away. It was in the car that I knew these were actually contractions. My dad timed them and they were about 2 minutes apart.

At the hospital I checked into triage. By this time I was silently crying from the pain. I was lucky as there was only one family in the triage waiting room. I filled out a brief form (since I pre-registered) and under reason for visit I wrote: PAIN. I waited about 10 minutes all during which I could not sit or stand comfortably so I paced the waiting room. When I was called back my mom came with me and they checked me to see if anything was going on. I was 8cm. Within seconds I had 6 or so nurses in the small triage room hooking me up to monitors, stripping my clothes off and putting in an IV. I could not call my husband as there was no signal in the room. I was wheeled on a gurney to the 2nd floor, which is the labor and delivery floor. The triage nurse said I was by far the best patient she had ever seen that came in at 8cm. I enter my room around 7:30am. Asked if I want an epidural, I say yes (but in hindsight I realized I would have been fine without it). Immediately the anesthesiologist enters the room. I took the giant needle with little problem but when they stuck the catheter in and it touched my spine I jumped because it HURT! It felt like lightening running down my spine. Of course she had to reinsert it but she used more numbing meds and this time it hardly hurt at all. After it took affect the super nice nurse named, Casey checked me and I was still 8cm. At almost 9am Matt arrived after going through the worst traffic to get to me. I was so happy to see him. Not my OB but the more senior OB at the practice is already at the hospital for 2 other births so he would be my doctor. After one C-section and another quick birth he comes in to break my water. He checks me I am 9cm and he breaks my water. It is a massive flood of warm water. I sit for an hour to see what happens. When the hour is up I am checked and I am 10cm and ready to push. I was not a fan of the pressure and I had a hard time holding my breathe for the 10 second counts. I asked for a leather strap to bite down on but being the 21st century I used a rolled up hand towel instead. After 40 minutes of pushing with the nurse the doctor is called in to deliver. This is where I turn absolutely crazy. The pressure is too much for me and I start to flail my legs and grab hold of the bed with a death grip while saying I can’t do it. My husband describes it as I was a crazy person with my head spinning. I nearly kicked the doctor as the nurse and my husband hold my legs back. The doctor is casually putting on his gloves and tells me to do a preliminary push. After this I shut my eyes and push and I feel her head pop out and her shoulders slam against bone. I scream. At 12:04pm I feel the doctor grab her head twist and she just slides on out. Instantly the pain is gone. I lay there in disbelief as they place her on my stomach. I have no rips but I did have a giant bruise down there. Usually after 1 hour, mom and baby are transferred to one of the recovery floors. I had to wait 3 hours because of heavy bleeding. Nothing was wrong it was just more blood than normal so I had to stay on the labor and delivery floor until I was cleared. Overall as a first time mom I feel blessed to have had such an easy birth.

I get all mushy and happy when I think of her birth story.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Year in Review....We are so Ready for 2012

Started the year by cracking my dental bridge. Which meant paying for a new one (usually done every 10 years and it had been 11 so I was due). First bridge replacement broke which meant going through the entire removal and reinsertion process all over again. Complete with dental needles that feel like snake bites with venom coming out!

My daughter suffered a severe concussion by tripping on a ball at daycare. This meant an overnight stay in a children's hospital. My heart could hardly take it!

When she went in for her CT Scan they asked if I was pregnant. I laughed and said no. Then I said wait. I thought to myself that I was actually due with my period that very day but had not thought much of it. So I said I better wait outside and my dad went in with my daughter during her scan. She did great and it was super quick. He told me that she did not even move!

A few days later I decided to take a pregnancy test. Positive!!!!! Complete shocker for us both. Due date 10-27. Note: this is the best thing that has happened this year so far.

Leak found in our floor. Rip up very expensive laminate floor. Wait 12 weeks before insurance will let us put in the replacement flooring.

My husband's 11 year old truck stops going in reverse. For a month he drives and parks in a way so he does not have to go in reverse. We get him a new car through a lease 2 months before his firm starts paying for a car stipend.

I am deemed high risk for a hematoma in my uterus. Goes away by week 21. At week 24 found high fluid levels. Even higher risk and more peri appointments. I have had 2 echos on her heart (everything looks good) a long with at least 10 ultrasounds! I love to see her and to hear her heartbeat but I am tired of doctor appointments. They make me super anxious because I always fear the worse.

At 28 weeks I switched high risk doctors. First one had no bed side manor and was all doom and gloom. I now see an amazing group of maternal fetal specialists at a baby hospital 2 hours away. They said I am officially a normal pregnancy now but I they will let me see her just one more time to make me feel better.

The library I work at has been in complete construction mode for 6 weeks. It is officially done as of today. I can finally put everything in order so that it feels like a library. It is small but I do take pride in my work space!

Most current problems. This week we found termites in our custom cabinets that were put in 2 years ago. Next week the house must be tented for 3 days. We are currently eating odds and ends out of the fridge and cabinets since we will have to remove all food from the house.

Another upside is that I have won a lot of really amazing baby giveaways. This mama loves free stuff!

I do have multiple things to look forward to. Violet has a few birthday parties to attend. I have some baby showers to attend, including one for my best friend that I am co-hosting. Then my husband is in a wedding and my daughter will be one of the flower girls. Then the cherry on top is the birth of my 2nd daughter. I can't wait to meet her!

I think that is it. I am due in less than 8 weeks and I have done absolutely nothing except wash all of Violet's old baby clothes. As soon as the termite tenting is done then I am going into full nesting mode. Husband better watch out!