more pics of Zoe

Here are some more pics of baby Zoe. Hopefully these come across better than the others we've taken, which are a bit dark. We're all still doing well. Zoe continues to eat like a little piglet, though it is very hard to relax about her intake. I'm nursing and therefore don't know exactly how much she eats so I (like every other nursing mother) have to take my cues from her. This is a total switch from Rhys, whose every cc was written down (literally) for the first six months he was home so we could keep track of how much he was (or wasn't) eating. Zoe hasn't gained any weight, but she hasn't lost any either. We weighed her last night and she is the same weight she was the day before we were discharged. I know it takes a bit before babies gain back to their birth weight, and as I said I know she isn't hungry I just don't know exactly how much she's eating.

getting hungry

checking out my Daddy

sleeping through all Big Brother's noise

courtesy of Cody... I threw this in for fun

smitten

We are in love with our baby girl. If you are one of the lucky and experience "normal" pregnancies I can not adequately describe to you the feeling of living week to week, for 36 weeks, hoping your body will allow your baby to make it where Zoe did. But somehow we got our wished-for ending. She came out protesting, pink and healthy, and after a small problem of low blood sugar was able to come home with us like a regular newborn. Zoe is a new normal for us and despite the lack of sleep we're loving it.

Zoe loves to be swaddled. And eat - she is a little porker! She is sleeping extremely well right now, mostly in the Boppy lounger, waking every 2-4 hours to eat. She hated her first bath last night. She has quite a set of lungs for being so tiny. It is strange for me to say she's tiny when Rhys was 1lb 7oz at birth, but it's true. But then again, nearly everything with her is completely opposite from our experience with Rhys so far. The pedi checked her out before before discharge and was happy, so we'll bring her back in another week or so for a checkup.

According to my OB everything went well with my surgery and my uterus looked great. Very funny that he seemed to be patting himself on the back for a job well done with my prior classical incision. Seems odd now that I was able to ask him "how does my uterus look?" while lying on the OR table. The scar tissue is there and visible but looked as he hoped so he was able to do a regular c-section cut this time. Great news!

Rhys has been a little stinker the last few days. I think partly because Cody and I were gone for several days, but also because he has a new noise-maker that has invaded his house. He will smile at Zoe but doesn't want to get too close yet. He has been whining a lot more than normal and very little makes him happy. Ugh! He knows something is up so I guess my predictions that he will know no difference weren't accurate!

Zoe update

Little miss Zoe was released from the NICU yesterday morning. She only ended up needing the IV for a few hours and then was a "normal" baby Tuesday night while they monitored her (sans IV) to make sure all was really well. After lunch yesterday she was brought to our room and we had her all afternoon. Cody and I chose to send her back to the nursery last night so we could get some much needed sleep. And here she is with us again, bright and early this morning. She is such a cutie pie. But I'm not biased or anything. :) Zoe is eating like a champ. Cody and I really have no idea what to do with a newborn since Rhys was more than five month old when he came home and already had a host of quirks we were well aware of. She's a little bitty thing, but has quite a bit of chub on her for being less than 6 pounds. She really seems to love her paci as well and does quite a good job of keeping it in her mouth all on her own.

Recovery hasn't been too bad so far. As soon as I got up yesterday morning I started to feel the soreness set in. By yesterday afternoon I could barely get out of bed without wincing. Luckily the pain isn't severe and is easily controlled with meds. Though I have had some serious cramping that I do not remember from last time. Oddly enough the cramping is also making my shoulder hurt pretty badly, which my OB says is not uncommon.

Rhys came to visit us yesterday, though it was before Zoe was brought to our room so he hasn't met his little sister yet. While Rhys was here Cody brought him up to the NICU to say hello to all his old friends.

Hopefully we'll be discharged tomorrow and can get settled in at home. I am desperately wanting to sleep in my own bed and I know Cody is ready to get out of here too. We'll post more pics as soon as we can take some more good ones!

she's here!

Meet Zoe Elizabeth... Born at 1:12 p.m. this afternoon, weighing 5lb 13oz and measuring 17 1/4" long. Sorry for the delay in posting. We were late getting into the OR and then ended up being in recovery for several hours waiting on my room to be cleaned. But, I digress... :)


Immediately after delivery Zoe was assessed by the NICU team and was doing great, despite a few noises she was making when breathing. She came into recovery with us and was then taken to the nursery to get cleaned up and allow her to "transition". The glucose test revealed she had a low blood sugar so she was given a bit of formula and retested. Her levels came up but then went back down fairly quickly so she was wheeled into recovery to see us before heading to the NICU for a glucose IV. Once in the NICU it was noted her O2 saturation was great, but her breathing was a bit fast. They told us this was probably due to her method of delivery. Cody has been to see her several times today and as of late this afternoon her breathing is normal and her blood sugar is responding to their "treatment".


Even though I've gotten a fair amount of time with her today I am anxious for tomorrow morning when I will be able to get out of bed and go see her. So far I am feeling great. Much different from my last delivery. My legs are no longer numb and my incision is a bit tender but I haven't had much discomfort so far. We want to thank you all for your continued support and prayers. We will definitely keep updates posted as we find out more about Zoe tomorrow.

March for Babies update

As of today Team Rhys and Bentley has raised nearly $1,200 for March of Dimes! That is amazing!! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. And if you haven't gotten around to it yet there are still six weeks left to sign up to walk with us. All you need to do is click on the banner to the right of our blog and add your name. We'd love to have you all!

Just so you know, you are donating and walking for kids like this....

...who, without March of Dimes research, would not have the opportunity at a healthy life.

In Little Sister news, I had my final peri scan today. "Little" might not be an appropriate description if her weight estimate is correct. The peri is estimating little miss to weigh 6lbs 2oz. Wow! Of course that is plus/minus one pound. But even if she is weighing only 5lbs right now, she will be well over that by delivery next week. We are thrilled! As a side note, Little Sister was absolutely not cooperating today and gave the u/s tech a very hard time. Her face stayed buried against my side near my pelvic bone the entire time, while her legs remained crossed as though she was sitting on the ground. There was no amount of shaking and prodding that would convince her to move. I'm thinking that might be an indication of things to come. :)

t minus one week

Today was my last OB appointment. What?! I can't describe the feeling of getting this far and having a planned delivery! Instead of counting by weeks, we are now counting down by days! My cervix is still closed but Little Sister is very low (my OB could feel her when he checked my cervix). I'm having slightly increased contractions but they are still random and well within my threshold. Most of the time I think it is baby movement I'm feeling because I can feel her ball up on one side or the other while the rest of my uterus remains soft. I also can feel her punching down on my cervix at times and my inner thigh muscles are incredibly sore. Not sure if that is related, but I suppose it could be.

So, what does this mean? She's definitely coming out at 36 weeks! I have one last peri appointment later this week to get a pre-op scan and final weight/anatomy scan. We're really hoping Little Sister is at least 5 pounds, but given her prior estimated weight gain this shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully she wont need any time in the NICU, but if she does we are prepared. One of Rhys's "old" primary nurses is going to attend the delivery and I know she'll give her the VIP treatment if Little Sister needs any help.

Rhys has recently started having separation anxiety. What timing! Not only that, but his little attitude is really getting bad. Used to when he would fuss he was easily appeased - hand him a toy, switch his position, talk to him or make funny faces. That isn't really the case any more. He is acting like he knows what he wants and he'll keep whining until you figure it out. I think part of the problem is that his cognition is more advanced than his motor skills and he is getting really frustrated when he can't move like he'd like to. I've said it before, but I am really hoping this incredible frustration will make him so mad he pushes his limits.

it's almost March!

I have tried to remain positive through this whole pregnancy, but even still I have exceeded my initial hopes. While I of course wanted the best possible outcome, 28 weeks would have been acceptable. 30 weeks would have been great and 32 weeks would have been even better still. Truth be told I was mentally prepared for almost anything. Well, as mentally prepared as you can be for a premature birth.

At the beginning of this experience none of us were sure exactly what to expect, my OB included. Were we dealing with an incompetent cervix? Bentley's infection? Both? Neither? Something else entirely? All we had were ideas and assumptions so we treated the worst possible scenario. And now here we are, less than three weeks from the ultimate goal! I'm not sure my OB necessarily has any more answers today than he did 8 months ago, but we do know that despite random contractions and almost constant irritability my cervix is still holding up! Even if I were to start to efface now I could most likely hold on a while longer and probably even make it all the way to 36 weeks thanks to the cerclage. My next hope is that my uterus isn't completely destroyed from the classical c-section, contractions and two pregnancies. My OB will know more once he gets a look during the delivery.

Cody and I are feeling good about Little Sister's birth. Her healthy birth. And we're getting really excited she's almost here. She still has no name, so we're hoping for inspiration to strike once we lay eyes on her. As of now we also don't have a definite delivery date, but we do know it will be sometime during the third week of March.

I've gained 40 pounds and I only have about two pairs of pants I can wear comfortably (most of them are a little snug in the, ahem, rear). I don't have any stretch marks I can see on my stomach, but my rear and thighs are a different story entirely. Little Sister moves all the time and loves to poke me in my ribs. I go back to the perinatal doctor in two weeks for a final anatomy scan and Cody and I are really hoping she's been packing on the pounds!

As far as Rhys goes he is becoming quite the toddler. He is chattering all the time and has become a pro at vocalizing his displeasure. He is great at pitching fits and shaking his fists, but he'll melt your heart with his smiles and belly laugh. We're trying really hard to start teaching him that temper tantrums aren't the way to get what he wants, but he finds our attempts at verbal "discipline" really funny. He has recently discovered the joy of deliberately dropping things to watch us pick them up for him and gets really tickled with himself when we play his game. He received his last two Synagis shots this week, but is still due for his 18-month well baby visit and vaccines (eh, we've been busy!). Overall Rhys is doing great. We continually see improvements in his development, and his therapists are pleased with his progress even though we've still got a long way to go.

getting closer

Four weeks. Oh goodness. I was thinking to myself just this week that there really is another baby on the way. Ha!

Everything is still looking good with my cervix, and I'm beyond thankful for that. Every time my OB examines me I hold my breath waiting for him to tell me I'm starting to efface. I honestly think I've surpassed his expectations.

We still haven't nailed down a delivery date, but it's now looking like I will probably deliver around 36 weeks instead of trying to go closer to 37 weeks. My OB is still okay with letting me wait, though when I asked him his opinion he said his preference is to get her out. Even though we want Little Sister cooking as long as possible we also have to consider my health, so Cody and I have come to grips that she may need a little O2 or a very brief NICU stay. Babies born at 36 weeks have about a 10% chance of needing breathing assistance, but typically it is very minimal, very brief and the babies are usually fine to leave by the time Mom is discharged.

We're still hoping for our planned delivery, but are mentally prepared for her to come at any time. The good news is my OB doesn't have vacation plans for any time in the next month! While I love his partners, and they may even attend the delivery as they did last time, I'd prefer my OB to actually do the cutting.

Something new for Rhys today... he ate mashed potatoes! It was a bit of a fight for the first few bites, but after he actually tasted what he was eating he really seemed to like it. I had to use pea-sized bites as to not overwhelm his gag reflex, but I was so proud of the amount he ate.

reading rainbow

Rhys loves books. And magazines.

More specifically, he loves to turn pages. Except with magazines he likes to scrunch up and tear the pages.


Rhys's fine motor skills are improving considerably. I think there are times I don't give him enough credit and don't believe he can do certain things. And then he surprises me.

Rhys recently started vision therapy. It turns out it is more of an eye/hand coordination type therapy which is great for Rhys. He basically gets to play with cool new toys for 30 minutes once every other week. During his first session the therapist pulled out a peg board. Imagine my surprise when Rhys started grabbing the pegs and pulling them out without being prompted. This isn't something I'd have believed Rhys would think to do on his own. But he did it. So after his therapy I pulled out his wooden puzzle board. Again, he surprised me when he grabbed the tiny red pegs on top of the pieces and started yanking them out. And then yesterday, when Rhys was snacking at his high chair, he started playing with his sippy cup and the strap that attaches it to his chair (to keep him from chunking it every ten seconds). When he couldn't reach the cup he pulled the strap to bring the cup to him. Wow, when did this kid figure that out?? So in addition to being excited about this vision therapy for Rhys's benefit, I am also excited for my benefit so that I can get some new ideas!

If I haven't already mentioned it, Rhys is now on the charts for weight and height for his actual age. If you take another peek at the pictures above you can see his chubby little tummy hanging over his pants. We're excited about his continued good growth and are no longer worried about his weight. That isn't to say we aren't still working really hard to get him to eat a larger variety of foods, only that what he does eat is sufficient for him to gain weight and grow properly.

peri @ 31 weeks

Still here and still cooking! Everything was "perfecto" at Tuesday's OB appointment. I received my second steroid shot for the lungs, so hopefully it's doing its job. I will see my OB again next week for another cervix check. He initially said two weeks for the next visit, but I asked to come back next week because I tend to freak myself out imagining things when I go that long without getting checked.

Today I saw the peri for my 31 week visit. Little Sister's weight is estimated at a whopping 3lbs 13oz. That far exceeds my hopes for her to be at least three pounds at this point. Around 32 weeks gestation babies typically start gaining about a half pound per week so hopefully Little Sister will easily weigh between 5-6 pounds when she's born. In order to avoid automatic admission to the NICU we need her to be at least 35 weeks gestation and 5 pounds, so it looks like she is holding her own in the weight department at least. I am scheduled to see the peri again in four weeks, which would put me one week prior to my tentative delivery at 36 weeks.

My belly feels like it is growing by enormous amounts every day. And as Little Sister gets bigger she is starting to bump into things and lodge herself in uncomfortable positions. My hips/inner thighs are so sore (think of what it feels like after a particularly hard workout) that it hurts to get up out of a sitting position. But other than that everything seems okay. I am getting weird twinges here and there but I figured if anything was out of the ordinary one of the two doctors would have said something this week. Our nursery is coming together. The bedding is nearly finished and we have everything else we need, it all just needs to be put in the right spot. Hopefully we'll make some more progress on it this weekend.