details

Anna's birth...for the books.

On Wednesday, 2 days before my due date, I saw my doctor and she stripped my membranes. I told her that my to-do list was as crossed off as it was going to get and I was ready to have this baby. Still, we scheduled a non-stress test and a c-section just in case mother nature didn't cooperate. I googled "how to induce labor naturally" and pushed on those pressure points. But I was not optimistic. Janet changed her plane ticket from Thursday to Sunday so she could be here closer to when the baby came.

Wednesday night was the much anticipated (at our house, anyway) Duke-UNC game. Ryan had been warned that watching this game came second to the birth of our child, should they coincide, but we were both happy to see the Blue Devils pull off a great win. Ryan had been sick with fever and chills and not sleeping well so after the game I told him to take an Ambien and get some rest. "What if you go into labor tonight, who will drive you to the hospital?" he said. "I really don't think I am going to go into labor tonight. Take the Ambien." "I don't think any of us know when you are going into labor." He didn't take it.

Around 11:30 I went up to bed. All day long I had been cramping more, but I thought it was probably from having my membranes stripped. A friend called and I asked her what contractions felt like, because these were a little different. "How far apart are they?" she asked. I had no idea. So I started timing (yeah, there's an app for that), and they were pretty consistently 10 min apart. I was pretty sure that this was labor, but not totally convinced and not sure how long it would be before we should go into the hospital. And then my water broke. I called Janet (at 1:50 AM) and told her to not change her ticket (too late). I woke up Ryan and called a friend who had graciously offered to stay with Ella when the time came. At this point my contractions were getting closer, 3-4 minutes apart. We grabbed the go bag and went to the hospital. I checked in and got my epidural fairly quickly. It was perfect--I could move all around but I didn't have any pain.

For the next 10 hours or so things were pretty calm. We mostly slept and waited. I was calm and happy. I had gone into labor on my own, I could hear the baby's heart beat continuously, and I wasn't having a c-section.

Around 11:00 am I began to have some pain, a "hot spot" as my nurse called it. I didn't want to mess with my perfect epidural, so I waited to see how bad it would get before I pushed the pain med button. But it was getting worse and spreading I redosed the epidural, waiting for relief. Nothing. The anesthesiologist came in and redosed me again. Still nothing. At this point I was dilated to a 10 and the contractions were really strong. The anesthesiologist came back (it had been about an hour by now) and checked my epidural. "Oh, I see what the problem is. Your catheter fell out. This only happens 1/500 times..." Given how far along I was he gave me a spinal. There went my perfect epidural. I had no pain, but I could not feel a thing and could not move. The doctor came in shortly after that and we started pushing. It was frustrating because I couldn't feel anything and had a hard time pushing. But 40 minutes later....we had our little Anna.

I am amazed at how much better I feel this time around. Night and day. Anna is a sweetheart and I am loving everything about her (except the nighttime wakenings--could do without those. Can't have it all.)

details to follow...

Baby Girl # 2

She came. She is wonderful. And I think her name is Anna. But the middle name eludes me.

Anna Elizabeth, Anna Elise or just Anna Packer. Which do you like best? Or any other suggestions? I am all
ears.

More details and pictures to follow, but here's a few they took in the hospital. Go to www.bellababyphotography.com. Password 0210annapacker. And tell me what to name her. That birth certificate paperwork is staring me down.

retraction

We have not settled on a name.

scheduled

Today I am 39 weeks and 5 days into this pregnancy. I saw my doctor today and I've progressed...to one and a half centimeter. Yahoo.

The plan is to walk a lot, drink raspberry leaf tea, work those pressure points and hope to have this baby via VBAC. But if the little one hasn't come by next Thursday at noon we are biting the bullet and doing a cesarean.

On the upside, I think we have a name picked out. Stay tuned.

the necklace

A few years ago I began coveting my friend's necklace. Her mother had given it to her as a graduation gift, and I somehow thought it was a custom design. I told her that if they ever made another batch I wanted in. "What are you talking about? She got it at Tiffany." Oh. Well, then. I mentioned it to Ryan and last year for Christmas he surprised me with said necklace.

I loved the necklace and wore it all the time. I felt like it was understated but classic and beautiful. Then one morning I couldn't find it. I was certain it would turn up and didn't think much of it. But after a few days of casual looking I began to panic. I checked everywhere I could think of. Nothing. I felt horrible not only that I had lost something I loved, but I had lost something Ryan had given me.

This Christmas I didn't feel like I could ask for any jewelry given my track record. But Ryan surprised me with a new necklace to replace my old one. He even gave me an upgrade.

On Monday I was brushing my teeth (at an odd angle to accommodate my big belly) and noticed something in the drain. I screwed the top off, and to my amazement found my necklace just sitting there!

(This picture is a recreation with another necklace. I didn't dare tempt fate with the original just for blogging purposes.)

How it managed to stay there for six months, unnoticed, is beyond me. I called Tiffany and turned my exchange into a return (I had decided I didn't need the upgrade, and luckily it hadn't shipped out yet.)

The necklace has a little tarnish on one end but really looks amazing considering where it has been. I am one lucky girl.

pregnant brain

Today I woke up a little late and was scrambling to feed myself and Ella and get to church on time. As I was getting ready I realized that there was something off with my vision. I tried washing my contacts out, but it didn't really help. I couldn't focus correctly and my right eye was blurry. As I was in church I tried to ignore it, but it became more and more bothersome. So I went home, took out my contacts and tried to sleep it off. But I started to worry. Could this be a mild stroke? HELLP syndrome? Normal pregnancy changes? I started testing my vision and realized that my right eye (the one I initially thought was blurry) was actually okay, but my left eye that was having difficulty. This was weird, and freaking me out a bit so I called my doctor. As I was working my way through the phone tree I touched my right eye...and found another contact lens. Oh my goodness. My 'stroke' was the result of putting in three contact lenses. One in my left eye and two in my right. I don't know how I did that (I did open a new pair today because the first ones I put in were scratchy). I was so glad I figured this out before calling my doctor and going to the hospital. Oh the pregnant brain.

{Of note, Ryan did ask me if I thought it was a problem with my contacts. No, I said definitively. I took them out and the problem was still there.}

relativity

Ella has an interesting way of ordering her world. She likes to understand and acknowledge connections. Lately she refers to people and things by how they relate to other people and things. Examples:

• In her mind, she has three friends. Avery, Lily and Uncle Aaron. But she will often reference them according to the time she remembers meeting them. Avery is "My friend before Lily," Lily is "My friend after Avery," or "The one after Uncle Aaron," and Uncle Aaron is "The one after Lily." Sometimes she will refer to them by their names, but usually not.

• She often refers to numbers as the one they are before or after. "I got up because the one after six was on my clock!" "Can we go when the big hand gets to the one before my favorite?"

• She really likes family relations. As in, "Ella, do you want to go visit Ma Sue?" "Your mommy?" or "Pa, do you want to go to dinner with me and my mommy and your wife?" or "Brett is coming over tonight." "You mean Ty's Daddy?"

funny, funny little girl

parenting books

{I did this post for my work blog, and thought I'd put it up here as well.}

During my "nesting" for this new baby, I came across some parenting books and thought it might be worthwhile to pass on a few of our favorites. This list is by no means inclusive, but it's a good place to start. Happy reading!

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth

Last week I had a rough time getting my 2 year old to stay in her own bed. After one long night, and a few tears, I remembered this great sleeping book. I broke it out and re-read the chapter on toddlers. I followed Dr. Weissbluth's advice, and the next night was worlds better. His program is simple and it works, but you do have to be okay with listening to your child cry initially. If that's not your style, Nighttime Parenting by Dr. William Sears is a good alternative.

Baby 411 by Denise Fields and Dr. Ari Brown

This is the book I give as gifts for baby showers. It's written by a Pediatrician and a mom, in a question and answer format. Things like, "How much should my baby be eating/sleeping/peeing/pooping at 4 months?" "How long are naps supposed to be?" or "I have chosen to feed my baby formula. What formula should I use?" It answers all those questions that you had at your well-child visit, but forgot to ask.

The Happiest Baby on The Block by Dr. Harvy Karp

If you have a colicky baby, this book is a lifesaver. Dr. Karp explains different ways to soothe your crying baby. The techniques don't work every single time, but it's nice to have something in your arsenal when you're all out of tricks.

Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock

This is Dr. Lash's go-to book for child care questions. It's an oldy but a goody.

Your Child's Health: The Parent's One-Stop Reference Guide to: Symptoms, Emergencies, Common Illnesses, Behavior Problems, and Healthy Development by Dr. Barton Schmitt

This is another of Dr. Lash's favorites. It is great for acute illnesses, "Do I really need to go to the Dr?" questions and behavioral issues.

Dr. Terry Brazelton has some great books on child development and behavioral issues (discipline, potty training, feeding, sleep, aggression, sibling rivalry, etc).

1,2,3...Magic by Thomas Phelan, PhD

This is a good discipline book for toddlers through school age children. It discusses how to effectively use time out. SOS--Help For Parents by Lynn Clark, PhD is another good one.

pwe-tending

Today at Old Navy Ella climbed up and said, "I'm just pwe-tending that I live here with them."

hot tip

If you buy Pampers diapers, Amazon is the way to go. Through their Subscribe and Save program you get 30% off. You sign up for a recurring order (I do monthly) and a week before it ships they send you an email reminding you of your order so you can change or cancel as you like. You can also have the order come early, but it takes a few days to get here after you order it.

I wasn't sure it was a great deal until last week when I ran out of diapers a few days early (one of the downsides) and went to Walmart to buy some more. I paid $26.50 for 92 diapers. When I came home I found the diapers on my front porch (drat! should have waited) and realized that for $28.10 I got 156. I also checked Sam's club and the 156 count there is $38.98. If you join the Amazon Mom club you get 2-day free shipping, too.

{yes, this girl is still in diapers. she tells us that when her baby comes she is going to start going in the toilet...}

a few random things

• When we were in Paris Taylor and Ryan discovered this remote controlled flying hovercraft (I am sure that is not a good description). Ryan recently got one for work and brought it home to test it out. Ella loves it. In case you can't understand Ella at the end, here's a transcript: "What's the matter helitopter? It says, 'I want to get up in the sky.'"

• Last week when I went to the OB I was measuring small and I had lost weight. She assured me that everything was probably fine, but we should do an ultrasound just to make sure. Between this visit and the ultrasound I had a dozen people (mostly patients) tell me "You're having that baby in February? You are so tiny!" I didn't take offense because I knew they meant well, but it made me cringe, just a bit, every time. The only safe words to say to a pregnant woman are "You look great," and don't take offense if she starts crying :) We had the ultrasound today and everything is indeed fine. Baby is growing well and right on track.
• I got this clock for Christmas. These pictures aren't great, but see if you can figure out what time it is. 10:40 or 11:40? 7:25 or 8:25? 11:20 or 12:20?

• The baby is not breech, so I'm going to try for a VBAC. I realized that while I've seen a lots of babies born I'm pretty clueless as to what labor really means. So I'm doing some reading. Anyone have a favorite book? I'm looking for something along the lines of "The practical girl's guide to labor and delivery." {I am having an epidural, as it is recommended for a VBAC.}
• Good Sunday night (ie, trying to make food from your cupboards without going to the store) meal: A knock off of Bajio's Green chicken chile. Loose directions: Marinate chicken breast in lime juice and southwest seasonings. Grill and shred. Meanwhile, saute onions and green chiles and garlic. Make a reduction out of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, cumin and some chili pepper. Add the reduction to the onion/green chile mixture and cook until caramelized. Add chicken and black beans to mixture. Serve over nachos, in tacos a salad or a quesadilla.

Book Club

I joined a neighborhood book club a few months ago. Normally I am opposed to book clubs. Not on moral grounds; it's just that I don't want to feel like I'm back in Mrs. Cunniff's AP Literature class dissecting characters and musing on plots. But I liked the people involved in this group so I gave it a whirl. And it was fun. So fun that this month I hosted it at my house. I was feeling domestic and put together a light dinner. Butternut Squash Soup, Crusty Loaf Bread, Lemony Arugula Salad and Pumpkin Cupcakes. Sounded like a good menu. And it was. But everything was a little off. Not enough that it was bad, but enough that you just wanted to tell people, "I know this is okay, but really, it can be so much better." No one likes the apologetic chef, so I tried to keep my mouth shut. But here, on my personal sounding board, I'm telling you how it could have been so much better.

Butternut Squash Soup

I didn't add the curry, and maybe I should have. But the real downfall was the consistency. It needed a little cream. It ended up a roasted vegetable puree. I did cook the onions a little longer, which was a good thing. Next time I may try her original recipe.

Crusty Loaf

It needs more salt. Probably double what the recipe calls for. I forget this about half of the time.

Lemony Arugula Salad

2 bunches arugula

3/4 c candied pecans

1 c grape tomatoes

2/3 c fresh parmesan

1 avocado

Dressing

zest of one lemon

1 T white wine vinegar

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 t dry mustard

2 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

My downfall here was that I used all of the dressing on the arugula was drenched. Dripping. I think 1/4 to 1/2 would have sufficed.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

These were delicious. I ate two.

At the last minute I fell victim to the "I am going to run out of food" mentality and added another soup. This was probably a bad idea because I was rushed and the other food suffered because of it. But here's the recipe anyway. It was easy and fast.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 1/2 cup water
31.5 oz spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cup half and half
4 1/2 oz pumpkin
2 chicken bullion cubes
garlic powder
paprika

chopped basil

P90X

Ryan's been doing P90X {also known as Jane Fonda for men} for the past 5 weeks. Tonight Ella decided to get in on the action.

You may recognize some of her moves from Daisy's quinceanera, where they do the Mambo.

new year, new header

I've been wanting a new header for a while now and my friend Karissa Winkle was sweet enough to design one for me. Karissa specializes in wedding invitations and is amazingly talented. She suggested a sub-header, and threw out "Embracing the Chaos" as an idea. That sentiment got me thinking. In theory, I love being the type of person who can roll with the punches and embrace the chaos that inevitably surrounds all of us. But it's just not me. While I don't think I am totally type-A, I'm always one to quell the chaos (or at least attempt to) rather than embrace it. I haven't been able to come up with a mantra I like better, so for now we are embracing the chaos. And perhaps I'll be better for it.

Anyway, thanks Karissa. You're a gem.