November Update

It's been a bit crazy for me the past month or so - I'm really looking forward to being around home for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

We had Preston's birthday get-together the last weekend in October, which also coincided with the trick-or-treating that our neighborhood does.  So, we did Italian beef sandwiches (from Mr. A's in Crystal Lake!) and cake, then Sarah and I took Nemo and The Fresh Beat Band (i.e. Elizabeth and Megan) out trick-or-treating.  Sarah and I froze our butts, but the kiddos had a great time.  Preston stayed in his Nemo costume for the next day-and-a-half... he refused to take it off.  It was actually pretty adorable.

My dog proceeded to eat all of Preston's candy the next day.  Used the tablecloth to pull the bag from the middle of the dining room table over to the edge where he could reach it.  Awesome.

Preston had his 3-year appointment the next week, and he is a picture of health!  He was 26.5 lbs and 37 inches tall - sailing along still in the 5th percentile! He was not happy about a couple of shots he had to get, "Dr. Meyer got my arms." :(  Poor baby.

Rose had her LAST appointment with the GI doctor!!  He said that whatever was going on with her has been cleared up, and they were thrilled at her weight gain.  When I asked how much longer we should be doing the amped-up feedings, he said that we can't do it forever, but to try and at least get her to the 50th percentile... at which Skip and I promptly burst out in laughter.  We told the doctor that she'll probably never get to the 50th percentile, since Preston's never even been close, so he laughed and told us to shoot for the 20th then. :)  As she starts to eat more food and get more balanced calories and fat that way, we should be able to cut back on the extra calories in her bottles.  Sounds like a good plan to us!  And with that, they said we don't have to go back, unless she starts having issues again. 

The month of November has been really busy, starting with a trip down to Crystal Lake and Chicago for me and the kids.  It was Skip's work weekend, so we headed down on Saturday to first go and see Shay and Tom's new house!  I was so happy to finally see where they are living, and all of the great projects they have been working on.  The house is definitely a work in progress, but it's already beautiful with what they've done so far, and I can't wait to see the rest of their efforts.  After we left the Cooper's, we went up to Woodstock to visit with all the Preston's.  Pat was in town, so we all got together to have soup up at Nancy and Jim's.  We stayed at Harrison's Saturday night, since my mom was SUPER sick - we wanted to give her space to recooperate, at least for one night.  We took it easy on Sunday, had dinner at Sarah and Andy's then did end up going back over to Mom and Dad's Sunday night to stay. 

On Monday, I left the kids in CL while I played commuter for the day and took the train (then a bus) to the University of Chicago for a meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.  Their meetings are open to the public, so I took the opportunity to attend.  It was REALLY interesting to hear the discussions from these experts who are the ones who eventually put legislation into place.  I also got to spend the day at the U of C, which was very cool (food trucks!).  I came back up to CL that night, exhausted, then drove myself down Tuesday for round 2.  The drive took me over 2 hours and then I had trouble finding a place to park, which was a pain because I ended up missing a good chunk of the first session that morning.  Nevertheless, the discussion was again really interesting, and I was glad to have gone.  After I left, I met Lindsay for lunch up in the loop, and then drove back up to Milwaukee.  Ironically, it took me less time to get all the way back up to MKE than it did to get down to Chicago from CL.  Needless to say I was pretty tired after all that traveling.  Skip met my mom in Lake Geneva to get the kids back.

I had a short 2 days at work, then we packed up and headed up to Boulder Junction with Mom and Dad.  It was nice and quiet and we had Evergreen all to ourselves, which was great.  Unfortunately, it rained basically the whole time we were up there, but we made the best of it and enjoyed fires in the fireplace and some shopping and meals in town.  The kids were great, and I think Scotch had the most fun of all, running around in the woods and chasing birds and the resident cat.  Skip didn't have any luck fishing, but he (and I) did have fun shooting things with the BB gun...

That brings us to this past weekend, which was the middle of an insane work stretch for Skip (Thursday - Monday nights 7p-7a, then Wednesday 15-23 at Sinai, then Thanksgiving night 23-07.  He works so hard, but it works so that he can have some good chunks of time off, too).  Preston, Rose and I drove down again to Chicago to see Lindsay, Kathryn and K's nephew Gavin.  We met Lindsay then took the water taxi (which Preston LOVED) to meet Kathryn and Gavin.  We walked to Navy Pier, where the boys really enjoyed playing at the Children's Museum, while us girls visited - and kept a close eye on the boys (only lost Preston once... which was 4 minutes of utter panic for Mommy...).  Rose was super chill on my back all day, and I applaud the Chicago Children's Museum for their dedicated quiet room where I was able to nurse her in peace and quiet (gotta love seeing the universal breastfeeding symbol on the wall!).  After we left the museum, we had intended to take the free Navy Pier trolley back to catch the water taxi, but let's just say the city was INSANE with thousands of extra people in town for the Magnificent Mile Festival of Lights.  We ended up walking to where were said goodbye to K and G, then walking some more through the hoardes of people to get to the river.  We were worried that the water taxi had stopped running, but we eventually caught it and got back to Lindsay's safe and sound.  Props and SUPER thanks to Lindsay for helping me with the kids all day!  The kids were troopers through the day, and Preston fell alseep as soon as we got into the car.  Unfortunately, Rose didn't... and even after a bottle was hysterical in the car.  So we drove back to CL instead of MKE, since I knew a 2 hour ride was NOT in the cards for that little girl (or me, to be honest). 

It ended up working out well, though, since my parents were slated to bring the kids to my concert on Sunday anyways.  So Mom took Rose to church in the morning while I went to the store with P, then I left the kids and came home to get ready.  Mom and Dad just brought the kids up with them when they came to the concert (Mary too).  The kids apparently were wonderful at the concert, and really enjoyed as much as they could of the music.  So glad that my little ones are following in the musical footsteps of me and their rocker daddy!  We got to say hello to Mary and Charlie, as well, who came up for the concert too!  We had a nice dinner at El Fuego, before saying adios to the 'rents. 

Aside from our time up north, Skip and I have been literally on opposite schedules this month (it's like we're switching off being with the kids and/or sleeping while the other is working).  I'm looking forward to spending some time together this next long weekend, and next week as well.  It's been crazy so it'll be good to be home! 

Rose Update at 6 months

6 months!  How this time flies by, as always!  But it's been an absolute blessing with this little girl.  I never imagined such a sweet addition to our family.  We had her 6-month appointment yesterday, and here are her stats:
Weight: 12 lbs 14 oz  = 3rd percentile!
Length: 24.5 inches = 6th percentile!
Head circumference: 16.7 inches = 50th percentile! (This girl has a big bean!)

We are so happy that she's consistently on the charts now, and her growth has continued well.  The doctor was very happy, and doesn't need to see her back until 9 months.  We have another follow-up appointment with the GI dr. at the beginning of November, during which I have expectations that they will say she's okay, and only maybe needs periodic follow-up or checking of her liver enzymes and such.  Whatever the heck was going on with her seems to have subsided (or at least is being controlled through her feedings), so we're happy and crossing our fingers for now!

We started giving her some fruits and veggies, of which squash and pumpkin are her favorites.  She's not a huge fan of carrots.  We'll be making a big batch of various things this weekend, so we'll have a variety to keep introducing.  She loves to eat, which is great because she'll fit in well with this family's food habits!

She's sitting up well by herself for short periods of time, getting better each day.  She babbles like crazy - more than Preston ever did - so it's neat to see how her personality is coming through, and is so different from her brother.  I think she's going to be even more of a spit fire than him...

She's just such a sweetie, our real tiny joy.  Love her. :)

Yikes, two months?!

Oops!  Looks like I've totally forgotten (read: been avoiding) my blog for, like, two months.  I suppose that means I should get back to it and update some on our lives!

I have a Rose-centered post coming up, in honor of her 6-month "birthday," so I will leave all Rose updates to that.  But she is doing well!

Since it was August when I last updated, I will look at my calendar to assist me in what the heck we've been doing...  Let's start with me, once again serving as a small group facilitator for the Medical Ethics and Palliative Medicine course at MCW.  I was asked to serve as a facilitator last year, and apparently I did an okay job because they asked me back again this year.  My group (9 2nd-year med students) is a good one, and I've really enjoyed it.  Because the other facilitators have not been able to attend each session, I've found that I am also able to keep the group going all on my own sometimes, which makes me very proud.  I never wanted to be a teacher - and I still don't - but this is pretty close, and it makes me happy that I can actually do it!  The class comes to a close next week, with the students participating in the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination).  They must pretend to be the doctor delivering bad news to a patient (us).  It is really interesting to see how these young students are prepared for something like this, or how much they need more practice! 

Okay... upon examining the calendar, that brings us already to the end of September, in terms of things going on.  It looks as if we've been pretty boring, but I swear between Skip's two jobs, his band, my band and keeping up with the ongoing projects in our house, we've been busy.  Managing our time and learning how to function on little sleep (both of us, for different reasons) has been really hard.  For a little while there, I was having a harder time with it than Skip was, and was honestly feeling pretty down in the dumps.  Nothing terrible, but really nothing was making me particularly excited.  I was able to see a few friends here and there, but was still often just so exhausted that all I wanted to do was veg and sleep.  Trying to figure out a reason - besides adjusting to new 2-kid parenthood - was futile.  So I just trudged on.  I'm not going to lie, it has been tough.  I love LOVE my children and my husband, but I've read that post-partum depression often hits working mothers a little later than those that may have more time at home.  I can attest to that.  I realized that I was only away from work for a total of 8 full weeks, and then back a couple days a week after that.  And this is back to a job that I enjoy, but have a hard time staying focused with.  Not to mention pumping... oh pumping.  Some people say it's a wonderful time to be able to think about your baby while you're away from them, yadda yadda yadda... Well, yes, I agree with that, to a certain extent.  However, it's also been a time for me to see that I'm not producing enough milk to completely sustain my little girl, and that's been so hard.  I know formula is something that she has needed to supplement her calorie intake, but it hadn't been something to fully support her until I started back at work.  That makes it really hard for me not to resent my job, when I know it's being away from Rose that tanked my milk supply.  I went through the same thing with Preston, but with Rose it's been harder for some reason.  Maybe because I know that this may be the last time I get to do this, so wanting to stretch it out and be as successful as possible is in the back of my mind.  Who knows.  Overall, in terms of my mental health, going back to work has been both a blessing and a curse.  I've liked that I get time away to be an "adult" and interact on a professional level, but I've hated the fact that I miss my babies growing up SO fast.  Managing those emotions has been really tough, but it's getting better. 

It helped that we've had some time to spend away from home, one trip of which was out to California to visit the "other" Mannings.  We were glad to finally have a chance to get out there to see Tom, Erin, Sawyer and new "Baaaaby NOVA!" (as Presotn says).  Flying with two little ones was certainly an adventure, but we handled it okay (not going to lie, though - we had a couple of alcoholic drinks on the plane ride home!).  Once we got out there we were able to visit Davis (including the wonderful farmer's market), Napa Valley, and San Francisco.  The weather was gorgeous, too.  Sawyer and Preston had some interesting "dynamics" here and there, but we know that boys will be boys, and both are still getting used to having another little person in their lives to contend with.  All in all, we had a nice time, and are looking forward to being able to get out for another visit - now that we know how to travel and what to expect with two little ones!

As a sort of wind-down from the vacation, we took an impromptu camping trip up to Kettle Moraine State Park on Friday night.  I always camped as a kid, and have since done some on my trips "down south," so I had the bug.  We packed up the car and headed up there, only to arrive in the pitch black, with no available firewood.  So Skip dropped me and the kids off - in the dark, in the forest, in the cold... while he went to find the very-necessary wood.  I'm not going to lie, that was about the most desperate I've ever felt as a parent, that hour that I was alone with them.  99% of the time Rose is super chill, but of course she picks this time to scream the ENTIRE time that Skip was gone.  I was at my wits end, because I didn't want to wake up the other people in the campground, or lose Preston (thankfully he had his light-up shoes on, so I could see him flashing wherever he was).  Needless to say I was pretty damn relieved when Skip got back!  We had a great dinner cooked on the fire, then stayed up pretty late eating marshmallows and unwinding with some delicious New Glarus beers.  It was a short night, since Preston was up with the sun, but we will definitely do it again soon (and remember to zip the entire tent, so the Evil Red Dog doesn't get out into the wilderness in the middle of the night!).

So that's about it in a nutshell for the past 2 months.  More to come on Rose in the next week or so, as she turns 6-months (good Lord), and has her 6-mo Dr. appointment next week.  I'm hoping this little girlie has cleared the 12-lb mark!

On the charts!

The 1st percentile, that is!  Our little Rose is still little, but she's at least made it onto the growth charts!  The doctor was very happy today at her appointment, with her weighing 10 lbs 5 oz, and all of her liver enzyme levels going down.  He has run just about every test imaginable on her blood, urine and poop (TMI, sorry...), and everything has come back fine.  So he doesn't want to see us back for 2 months, which will be great.  Nothing personal against the doctor - because he is a very nice, laid back little Polish man - but it'll be nice not to have to go to the hospital for at least a little while.  Let's just cross our fingers that there are no ER visits for any of us in the meantime!

Rose otherwise is still as wonderful as ever.  She is so happy and content, literally ALL the time.  She cries when she's hungry and tired, and that's really just about it.  She's figured out how to roll herself over and scoot her little leggies when she's on her back... so our world has become one of babyproofing again!  All she wants to do is follow her brother, which I have no doubts she will be doing sooner than we think.

Preston is wonderful as well, and sort of growing out of some of that sassiness that reared it's ugly head a few months back.  He's talking like crazy and learning new things every day.  It just amazes me how fast such a tiny little brain (albeit inside a ginormous noggin) can absorb all that information.  He is so smart, I can't wait to see what the next years bring us!  Oh, and potty training is coming along...

I had a regular checkup a couple of weeks ago, too, just to make sure all my systems were good.  I got a completely clean bill of health, and am getting back into the swing of things with my workouts.  It feels great to be able to make myself a priority, even if it's only once or twice a week.

We've got some fun things coming up soon, with a visit from the Hanson family next weekend, and then Stephanie's 29th birthday celebration on the 25th.  We'll be saving some time and money after that for a little while, in anticipation of our first trip as a family out to see Tom, Erin, Sawyer and neice-to-be at the end of September.

Time flies when you're having fun!

This summer has flown by so far like none other!  I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that we're still getting used to being a family of 4, but also not to mention that we're getting used to new living situations (meaning with the house), everything with Rose medically, and a couple of really busy weekends.

In Rose's little world, we had another appointment at the GI clinic yesterday.  Turns out my little peanut is getting less peanutty, as she now weighs 9 lbs 1 oz - a 26% weight gain from 3 weeks ago!  Woohoo!  Apparently the fortified breastmilk, high-calorie formula recipe and olive oil are working!  Also, most of the tests that came back were all negative for any type of liver or pancreas condition, so that is awesome.  Some things were still out of sorts with the lab results, though, so the doctor ordered more bloodwork.  It's become sort of a fishing expedition at this point, which is a little frustrating, but if it means really nailing down whatever is going on with her, then we're all for it.  But for now, she's a sweet as ever.  I looked over at her the other day and she was sucking on her toe, so her hand-eye (and hand-foot) coordination is obviously right on track!  We also had her sitting in the Bumbo for a few minutes last night, which she loved.  Looking around watching the little blonde Tazmanian Devil that is Preston is something she likes :).

Preston is great.  He's pretty much your typical 2-and-a-half year-old... albeit maybe on the high end of the energy spectrum.  We joked when we were up north last week that we should just put a padded full-body life jacket/suit on him, tie him out, and just let him run.  He's a total nut, and he just goes and goes and goes... then he totally crashes.  The boy still loves his sleep (gets that from his Daddy).  We've kind of started potty-training him, and we've learned he does best just running around without any pants on at all - which is kind of hilarious since really the only big thing on his body is his... well... you get the picture.  He learned once that peeing on the carpet is not an acceptable thing to do in our house!  Skip and I are definitely not pushing it, even though we know we might have to sooner rather than later. I just don't want to force him if he's not ready, but I think he's just about there.

We got a little vacation up north for my cousin Jen's wedding last weekend.  We stayed at Evergreen, and thanks to the wedding activities that didn't usually take place until late into the day, we still got to have our relaxing time at the lake.  The wedding itself was beautiful - very woodsy, yet still classy.  Jen and Neil are a great pair and we look forward to getting to know Neil in the years to come. (Sidenote: UncleMichaelEckel took some wonderful pictures of the wedding, since the official photogs [a.k.a. Hefty and Lefty, as we decided to call them...] basically sat on their asses the whole time.  I fully recommend my baby brother's photography services if anyone needs them!)

We've made getting the kids room the main priority for the house now.  Since we put Rose's crib together, we've realized that new little room needs to be kept organized so that it doesn't feel so cramped - which means finishing the closet more than anything.  I also can't wait just to do some personalization in there for the babes.

I'm officially back at work full-time now, which is okay.  I fortunately have been awarded a promotion and raise, so that makes it a hell of a lot easier justifying being back.  Skip and I decided it would be best on our lives and schedules if he went back to doing primarily 3rd shifts.  It's just been too hard for us to stay on the same track when he's jumping all over with his hours.  We're hoping that'll bring some stability to our summer from this point forward.

That's it for now, hasta luego...

Rose update, 6/18

Getting an EKG - so cooperative!

Completely pooped on the exam table :(



We had our second visit to the GI clinic today, and were able to get some results from all the tests last week.  Basically, all the extra tests/procedures came back negative for the liver conditions the GI doc was looking for (Alagille's Syndrome & Hemochromatosis).  So that was great.  We had more bloodwork done, and it came back showing that her liver enzyme levels were down, but still not within normal limits.  The doctor ordered additional bloodwork this time around, as well as ordered us to collect a stool sample to bring in... I bet you've never tried to collect a stool sample from a 10-week-old.  *TMI Warning* We can't scrape it directly off the inside of a disposable diaper, so we can either put her diaper on inside out, or put a piece of plastic wrap lining the diaper and collect it from there.  Woohoo!  I tried the inside out diaper, and she peed right out of it in about 5 minutes.  So I tried to finagle a couple of cloth diapers out of some burp cloth/diapers that we have.  That didn't last long.  So now I'm waiting for her to poop into the plastic wrap in her diaper...  Hopefully this next round of tests will give us some good answers.

Unfortunately, she had not gained much weight since her last GI appointment, which is extremely frustrating.  On Friday at the Cardiologist she weighed over 8 lbs, so I was so happy (I was also happy because they didn't have to sedate her and do an Echo, thank god).  But she's back down under 8 again.  I told the dr. and nutritionist that she didn't get quite as much extra formula this weekend, and we're sure that's why she didn't gain the weight.  So now we have to be extremely compliant with giving her milk fortified with formula, or extra formula after she nurses.  Also, we will be giving her a teaspoon of vegetable oil throughout the course of the day, for extra fat and calories.  Funny thing is that we can do olive oil, so I like to think that we're already giving her a good palate.  Never too early. :)

I'm finally having a hard time dealing with this all - at first it was okay and we weren't stressed about it, but it caught up to me.  It's just something we're dealing with and that we all have to get used to.

We also had Rose's baptism on Sunday which was very nice.  It was great to visit with the family afterwards back at our house, and have such wonderful godparents for Rose - Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jim!

So for now, that's what's up with my tiny girl!

So happy!

Hanging out on the porch with Mommy.

Rose Update

So, I got a call back from the nurse.  Most of Rose's tests came back normal (Lipase, Thyroid, CBC, Electrolytes, regular Iron, a couple others), but a couple did not.  Her Liver Function tests showed elevated ALT and AST.  Normal levels are 3-45 and 23-65, respectively; Rose's levels were 165 and 135.  Also, her Ferritin level (stored Iron, different from the other iron level... I'm still researching that one...) was elevated to 487, 62-250 is normal.  Because of these results, we were referred to the GI clinic at Children's to get some more answers. 

We had her appointment at the Children's on Friday.  Following that visit, no definitive answers yet. The GI doc doesn't seem to think it's hemochromatosis (something Rose's pediatrician thought it might be), but he does think there is definitely something going on. He reassured us, however, that though her levels were high for iron and liver enzymes, they weren't through the roof, so it's not as bad as we might have anticipated. But like I said, no answers yet. He ordered basically every test in the book for the next two weeks to rule things out and hopefully get some more symptoms or results to narrow down what it might be. Here's what he ordered:


> More labs - we got the blood drawn Friday, so that's done.

> Spine xray - done Friday, too. Apparently there is a liver condition that presents with odd-shaped vertebrae, so that's what this was for.

> Cardiologist then possibly an Echocardiogram - Some liver conditions have heart symptoms.  Scheduled for this coming Friday.

> Eye exam - Some liver condition has a weird eye issue where a ring of gold will show around the cornea? Who knows.  Waiting to hear back from the clinic to schedule this...

> Liver ultrasound. Makes the most sense why they would order this one.  Scheduled for Thursday.

So we go back to the GI doc on the 18th for results. A nutrionist talked to us and gave a very specific recipe for fortifying the breast milk with formula to get a specific calorie count, as opposed to just giving her an ounce with each feeding. Otherwise, we're basically just doing what we're doing, and aren't supposed to change anything until we hear otherwise. However, a huge bonus was that she gained 5 ounces since Tuesday, so obviously the supplementing is working! The doctor was optimistic particularly about that, because it means her body can overcome whatever is going on, just needs to have enough calories coming in.
 
We're definitely ready for answers, but in the meantime I really do have the happiest little girl to enjoy!

Here we go again...

So, two and a half years ago, I was dealing with a baby whose growth was way lower than average, and we were worried something was wrong.  Welp, it's happening again.  And this time, it's a little more worrisome.  Resources say that breastfed babies should just about double their weight by the time they are 3-4 months old, and that they should gain about 4-5 ounces per week.  That would mean that since Rose came home from the hospital a little under 7 pounds, that she should have gained at least 3 or 4 pounds by now.  Or not.  At her 8 week appointment today, she weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces :(.  The doctor didn't beat around the bush this time, and full out said she was concerned.  However, she's close to 22 inches long, and her head is in the 25% for her age, so the doctor said if something systemic was wrong with her growth, that it would affect ALL of her growth, not just her weight.  Also, everything else with her is perfectly on track (babbling, cooing, eye contact/tracking, head control), so the doctor is still optimistic. 

I, however, was upset in the appointment (first time I ever cried in a doctor's office...), because it's my milk that's not making her gain weight.  And it's surprising because Rose is a serious champ with nursing.  We all joked with Preston that I produced skim milk... apparently with Rose it's super skim.  The doctor wants us to give Rose an ounce of formula at each feeding, after she's done nursing, so that she gets some guaranteed calories into her system.  Also, she had blood drawn at her appointment to run tests to rule out anything else that might be going on.  I have to tell you, it was a rough couple of hours!  I had Preston in his stroller so he was contained while I handled Rose... Well, he can stand up while buckled into the umbrella stroller, so he would stand and drag the thing behind him trying to move around (in any other setting, it would've been comical).  Then, he dropped a little toy car that he had with him, and the phlebotomist almost tripped over it.  Then, Rose (of course) was screaming hysterically as her blood was being drawn, and Preston was "sympathy crying" and holding his ears.  I couldn't manage Preston because I was holding Rose and trying to keep her from squirming.  It was pretty traumatic for all of us.

I count my blessings that being tiny is the only "issue" my children have (so far...), but it still is tough when there isn't much that I can do about it, all the while having people ask me "do they get enough to eat?" "were they preemies?" "oh, you should just do formula."  I'm just crossing my fingers that there really isn't something more going on with my little girl.

In other news, I'm back at work part-time through June.  It sort of sucks, but at the same time I was ready to get out of the house and into a better routine.  Me and the kids were kind of playing each day by ear, and not really on a schedule, and I've realized we're not at our bests when that is the case.  Preston and I get crabby at each other (he's just as stubborn as I am.  I swear it's like looking into a mirror when I see those eyebrows go all furrowed...).  I love my children to death, but I give serious props to full-time stay-at-home parents, as I have found out I'm not good at it.  Part-time sure.  Which is why I think June is going to work out really well - a good balance for all of us.

Now I'm off to get angry at the news, while I watch Wisconsin fail.  Again.

6 weeks!

6 weeks ago I was getting ready to go into the hospital to be induced -  I seriously cannot believe how fast time has flown by with Rose!!  She is SUCH a little sweetheart, and I am tempted to say even more laid-back than her brother was at this age.  She cries of course, but really it's only when she's hungry, poopy (or worse when wet...), or just a little crabby.  But she is really easily soothed just by talking to her or cuddling her.  Right now she is laying on the couch next to me, just cooing and wiggling away.  I never thought I would be the mom of a little girl.  I always thought I'd have boys, so when Rose came out a was a little surprised (even though everyone else thought she would be a girl!).  But I have realized that I am so blessed and lucky to have this little one as my daughter.  Wow, still getting used to saying "daughter!"

On other fronts (not that there are many...), we got to celebrate the wedding of Shay and Tom last weekend.  It was a beautiful ceremony and reception, and we were honored to share in the weekend with them.  Kind of funny where the conversation goes all weekend when you have 2 lactating bridesmaids, but we had fun with it.  It's pretty darn special that I've gotten to share in so many incredible milestones over the years (20+!) with the Cunningham girls.  Wouldn't change it for the world.

Skip has been really enjoying his new job at Elmbrook.  He's also still working at Sinai, so he's been quite busy, but since I've been home I get a lot of time with the kids before I go back to work.  It's nice on the days he's off, though, because they're usually during the week and we get to spend some quality family time during the middle of the week - something I'm not used to since I work M-F.  It's nice.

Preston is still my little goofy guy, albeit with a small streak of stinker in him these days... He loves his little sister, but is also testing his limits.  9 times out of 10 he's still a really good little kid - it's that 1 out of 10 that is trying.  Part of me is glad that he's like that, though, so that it keeps me on my toes and I have to learn to stay one step ahead of him.  Not only is he learning new things every day, but he's teaching ME new things, too! 

She's here :)

I write this with a little girl snuggling on my shoulder - best feeling in the world!

Here's the birth story:

Just like her mommy (in terms of time management...), Rose Ellen decided she would need to be forced out instead of coming on her own.  All week and by the end of Thursday afternoon, I had been feeling pretty consistent contractions - some pretty strong - but they would always subside.  I kept thinking to myself, "I better go to bed early tonight so that I can get some rest before the baby comes tonight,"... then I'd wake up the next morning, nothing.  I didn't go to work after Monday, because the contractions were pretty distracting.  So Thursday rolled around, and I had already been scheduled the week before by my doctor to be induced that night.  I definitely didn't think I'd be showing up "scheduled" to have a baby - I had really wanted to go natural, but I knew this baby needed to come out, and at the rate she was going, God only knows when she would've come out (Wednesday night I put Preston down for bed, and cried the whole time, since I knew that would be the last time I put him down as my only baby.  He was really sweet and hugged me the whole time..). 

Skip's mom came to the house to watch Preston, so we said goodbye and headed to the hospital.  By 7pm they had started the cytotec to "ripen" things... I seriously was feeling like some sort of produce whenever they said that.  The nurses said a lot of people don't feel anything, and just sleep until they start pitocin.  Oh guess what, I was in the percentage where the cytotec started super strong contractions.  At first they were tolerable, and I was working through them, but they got to the point where I was sure I had to be significantly dilated because they were so painful (They felt like the contractions I had with Preston when I was ~7-8 cm).  So they checked me: 1.5.  Awesome.  Another dose of cytotec coming up.

At that point, I was finding it hard to breathe through things, so the nurse gave me a couple of doses of fentanyl over the course of a couple hours.  That was able to take the edge off the contractions, and allow me to relax better between them, but it was wearing off.  The nurse thought again that I for sure must be dilated... only 2cm this time.  I was starting to feel pretty deflated by that point, because I really didn't want to get an epidural, and for sure not that early (I had been really hesitant about even getting the IV meds, but the pain overrode that...).   I just couldn't work through the contractions, though, and they were only 2 mins apart, so I was getting no rest.  I gave in.  Epidural please.

Turns out the epidural allowed me to breathe and relax a bit - thank god.  That was at about 3:30 am.  They started pitocin at ~4:15, since my own contractions weren't doing anything productive.  Well... turns out that was all Rose needed to get moving.  At 5:25, I all of a sudden felt a TON of pressure and couldn't find the baby on the monitors... I was just about to call the nurse when she came in on her own.  She checked me and I was already 9.5, and the baby's head was right there!  Went from 3 to 9.5 in an hour!  I frantically got Skip to call my mom, since she and Sarah were waiting for the call to come over from the hotel.  It took them about 20 mins to get there - not bad (they said they made all but one light on Bluemound :))!

The doctor (who was very surprised I went so fast) broke my water, and then 3 pushes later, out she came!  What an uneventful, easy delivery after the pain of the labor! She came out with her eyes wide open, pink and perfect.  The doctors and nurses couldn't have been happier about how easy the delivery went - and I knew I was very blessed and lucky that there were no complications.  Rose also took to nursing right away, which was such a difference from Preston who really took a little while to catch on.

We stayed at the hospital until Sunday morning, which allowed (forced) me to rest and stay off my feet, which was fine.  Not to mention the help at night was good for the first two nights.  Skip was back and forth with and without Preston, and we were grateful for the help from Nana that first night, but then also Grandma (i.e. Nom-na) and Papa Eckel.

Since then, we have been settling in well at home.  Rose is on a fairly strict 3-hour nursing schedule, then sleeps up to 5 hours at night already.  I'm not going to comment on anything with that, lest I jinx myself with how well she's been doing!

Her brother, well, it's been an adjustment for him.  Preston is so sweet with Rose, and really wants to help and hug and kiss her.  He's not a big fan of Mommy or Daddy, though, which has been tough.  He's been acting out a lot more, but we are trying as hard as we can to find a balance between consistent correction, but also giving him some slack considering the circumstances.  We know it's just a phase... and we're making sure he gets time with each of us away from Rose, and we're making sure he knows he's still our baby, too.

For now, that's the update, more to come later!

Thoughts at 41 weeks

Never thought I'd be writing this one!  I seriously thought that by this point, we'd have a ~1-week old baby that we were getting ready to celebrate Easter with.  I had plans to go out and get matching outfits for Preston and the baby if it was a boy, or a cute little dress if it was a girl.  Alas, I doubt that at this rate I will even be home before Good Friday!  It's funny, though, because I was born on Good Friday and came home on Easter Sunday, so it would be pretty neat if this one does the same. :)

I've been home from work since Tuesday, after my latest dr. appointment Monday afternoon.  Dr. Lasser stripped my membranes (TMI), but wasn't too hopeful that it would get things really going.  Which it really hasn't.  I've had strong contractions here and there, but as soon as I think they are going to get more measurable, they die off.  Darn.  So in the meantime, I've been trying to clean up my house or just take it easy, and have actually finished 2 books in 2 weeks (The 1st two Hunger Games books - I highly recommend them!). 

We have been sleeping upstairs for about 2 weeks, and it's been nice.  There is definitely a lot to finish up there, but having the space now downstairs has allowed us to get things in place down there.  The guest room is actually a guest room now (albeit Skip's dresser is still down there... he doesn't want to move it until we can refinish it...), but there is a sleepable mattress in that room.  I got to put the new yellow quilt and shams on it, too, which have been waiting for seriously 6 months since I bought them.  I was mildly excited about that one. :)

The back bedroom is now officially a playroom, and all of Preston's toys are back there.  It's nice to have them out of the livingroom, since it's not big enough to have toys in plus people.  I admit that I'm sure that room is going to become somewhat of a "dump spot" for stuff, but my thought is that it's contained at least.  I have every intention of that space extending out into the porch when the weather gets nicer, too. 

I've been really anxious, more and moreso each day I go over my due date.  People have wondered if my dates were off, but I know for sure when I got PG, so the dates are spot on.  My mom says this is my "Ellen" - just doing things on his/her own time.   I haven't been stressing too much about the health of myself or the baby, except that I'm nervous as all hell if I have to get induced tomorrow night.  The doctor doesn't want me to go past 41 weeks, although he also doesn't want to have to induce, either.  I will go to see him tomorrow morning for him to try and "get things moving" again, and then wait until the evening for things to happen on their own.  If not, I will be going to the Maternal Fetal Care Center/L&D to get induced... Please pray that if that does happen, that all goes smoothly.  There is statistical evidence that induced labor/delivery has increased chances of ending in emergency c-section, and that's not something I want, obviously.  I'm hoping this little one decides it will come tonight without any interventions. 

38 weeks

Yup, today's 38 weeks!  How fast this time has flown by.  Nothing really new to report, except that everything pregnancy-related is going well.  Weight and blood pressure on track, baby growing (not going to be too big - thank God!), but still a little "cockeyed" inside.  The doctor wants it to rearrange itself a little better before coming out, so let's cross our fingers that it settles into the right place as it drops!  My appointment on Monday was in strobe lights... I had to take a sick little boy with me since he wasn't at the babysitter, and of course he found the light switches in the exam room.  My dr. told me I'm going to have my hands full with a newborn and smart 2 1/2 year-old.  I'm beginning to think the same thing!

I had the second two installments of my EMT refresher this past weekend (have to do it every two years), and thankfully I passed.  After not running a call for a good 3 years, I really do need the "refreshing," so part of me enjoys it.  It helped that my class was very friendly and my teacher was the best, but it did stink having to drive the 30 mile/35 min trip out to Stone Bank FD 4 times.  I put a few miles on my car in those two weekends!

The house is the house.  The floor is completely done, and most of the trim is in.  We've been patching and re-sanding the little nail holes on the trim, and will touch up the paint on it this weekend.  Furniture will FINALLY be going up.  I've been sleeping up there anyways for the past week, which has been awesome.  I can't wait to get everything settled both downstairs and upstairs, so we will be ready for Bean to make his/her grand entrance.  The time is ticking...

We've been able to be outside a bunch this week, since the weather has been so ridiculously beautiful.  Here are a few pics of Preston enjoying his time outside.  The blue ones are what I will call "Adventures of Trying to Catch a Picture of a Two-Year-Old At a Park.  i.e. Impossible!"


Such a little boy, playing in the dirt.



So muddy, but so fun!

On his way down the slide!



Hi Mommy!

No time for pictures.

Loves the swing!

Apparently too sunny to look at the camera.

Good to see that swing chains still pinch fingers.  I thought that was only the case when I was a kid...

Weekend Update.

In the year 2000.... In the year 2000!! (Delta Chi Sing 2002 anyone?)

Anyways... It was a good weekend.  It really was.  I'm just clouded by major pregnancy hormones these days, so sometimes I lose track of rationality.

Friday I was able to get off work a little bit early, so we took advantage of Lent and had dinner at St. Paul Fish and the Milwaukee Public Market.  Despite the crazy snow, we had a really nice evening out, and totally overspent at the candy vendor at the MPM.  Mmm...saltwater taffy....mmmm.

Saturday morning Preston and I went down to CL with Sarah, Steph and Owen for a little baby "sprinkle" Sarison was throwing for me.  It was such a nice thing for her to do, and I really appreciated getting some time to catch up with the ladies of my family and a few close friends.  We (and I) got some neat gifts, and the baby is now set to sleep with a brand new bassinet.  Preston went with my dad and Andy and the little girls to get lunch while the shower was going on, and then came back and we hung at Harrisons for a little while before riding back up to Milwaukee with Mom and Dad.  We stopped at the hotel so Mom and Dad could check in, then went on a wild goose chase for dinner.  We ended up at Friday's at Miller Park, which was fine.  After that, we swung over into Riverwest to drop the camera off for Skip, who was headlining Riverwest Follies with his band Astral/Subastral.  He was very excited to have the opportunity to play for a good crowd, and apparently the show went pretty well.  Mom and Dad dropped P and I at home, and we basically just went to bed.

Sunday, we all got up and sprung into action.  By 10am, Andy, Jim, Nancy, Megan and Mom and Dad were at our house, ready to work.  They had all volunteered to come up and really get some stuff done upstairs, which Skip and I welcomed.  Andy and Jim really got cracking on getting the rest of the floor laid, while Skip worked on the electrical stuff - Nancy cleaned my ceiling fans, one of my "to dos" before the baby comes, and Mom cleaned the upstairs bathroom. Sarah, Michael and Elizabeth showed up by noon, so Dad/Nancy/MCE took PCM/MLH/EGH to the Children's Museum, while Mom and Sarah kept on with all types of cleaning.  After a few hours and a Menards run, I was having a really hard time having everybody in the house, even though I appreciated the help more than I could ever say.  It was just overwhelming and frustrating to not be able to do some things, and not get some of my priorities done. I just want my house back!  I ended up absolutely melting down, and hid down in my basement for like a half hour... Not one of my best moments.

I finally crept back upstairs, and worked a little bit before we all ordered Mekong takeout for dinner.  We devoured the food, just in time for the kiddos to all reach their limits - Preston especially.  He and Megan and EGH play really well together, but after a whole day, "go away" was the coined term of the day between Megan and Preston.  Mostly Megan (rightfully) telling Preston to leave her alone.  All the kids got in their jammies, then Michael took the Harrisons home while Mom and Dad went back to the hotel.  Preston went to bed about 20 mins after they left, and Skip and I sat up and talked for a little while before we both passed out.

As far as the house goes, however, there was a TON of progress made up there.  Andy and Jim finished the floor, which looks great (and we appreciate their tolerance for continuing the herringbone pattern Skip and I decided to do in the bedrooms...).  Skip was able to hook up all the rest of the electrical stuff, and then he and Andy got a ton of trim and moulding done.  Mom and Sarah really got the upstairs bathroom cleaned out (it was horrible!), and Sarah got the downstairs one as well.  Like I said, Nancy appeased my crazy nesting and cleaned all 5 ceiling fans in our house.  Sarah and Michael cleaned off our bed upstairs and got it completely "sleepable" again, and my GOD did I forget how comfortable that bed is.  The rest of the upstairs may not be quite finished, but hell, I'm finally up off the mattress on the floor downstairs, so I can't complain.  I've been rationalized down by everyone enough now to realize that all the rest of the things to get done can be done one thing at a time, and that the few important things left will get there by the time Bean comes.  I can't promise I won't have any more crazy pregnancy-induced meltdowns, but at least now I have a comfortable bed to escape to!

Plus, I have a full hour pregnancy massage tonight, so I will at least be loose. :)

Guess when Bean will arrive!
www.expectnet.com
Game name: beanmanning

34 weeks and a successful ethnic food weekend

Hello.  At the request of a few friends, I thought I would post a little update (since I haven't written anything in like 3 weeks... oops!)

Anyways, I got to Week 34 this past Thursday.  Holy crap has this pregnancy flown by!  Everything really is great, though.  I had my appointment with the doctor this morning, and he says I'm measuring right on track, and the baby is head down - just where we want it to be!  Let's hope now that it doesn't pull an Owen Ziemer and shove its butt down there between now and the end of March...  My blood pressure and weight gain were "perfect" according to the doctor, which was something I always like to hear.  It just reiterates to me that the healthy feelings I've had aren't just in my head!  The only issues I've been having have been some pretty nasty back and hip pain, made worse by the fact that I sit ALL DAY LONG for work.  I have to make a serious conscious effort to get up and move and stretch throughout the day (something, in fact, I should probably get going on right now... instead of sitting on my tush writing blog posts!).  I've found that a combination of consistent yoga and swimming really help the pain, but finding the time to go do that stuff has been a lot harder with this pregnancy - thanks to the two-year-old in residence at my house!  I managed to have Andy adjust me this weekend, which was awesome, and I have an appointment to go see his old boss this evening, too.  So that should help!

Notice the little post-it on my computer...

As far as the weekend, Preston and I headed down to Crystal Lake on Saturday morning, then piled into the van with my mom, my dad, UncleMichaelEckel and the 3 blondies to have lunch in Chinatown (a fun new word for Preston and Megan, by the way...).  We got down there just in time to avoid a wait at Triple Crown (or maybe it's Original Triple Crown... there are two different places).  We were so proud of the kiddos and how they loved things like shrimp balls, shu mai, bean paste cakes and a bunch of other things.  Preston was particularly enamored by the tanks of gigantic fish and crabs, which actually was the eventual demise in our dining experience.  The only thing he wanted to do was look at "all those fish!" so we didn't last too long at the restaurant, once Two-year-old Meltdown Mode was in full force x 2.  We headed over to one of the grocery stores to get some Asian staples, and that was thoroughly overwhelming and crowded enough for all of us.  Got some good stuff, though.

We came back to CL, and stopped quick at Joseph's for a few more things (which included a Polish juice/nectar I've found and P loves, and carnitas, guacamole and salsa for dinner), before heading up to McHenry to Andy's office.  Getting adjusted was the primary purpose for us going down to IL, so I got that done.  Wow did it help!  We then headed home, while the rest of my fam went to dinner.

Preston and I got home and woke up Skip (he had worked Friday night), then had those delicious carnitas for dinner.  We vegged the rest of the night.  On Sunday, we got up after sleeping in a little, and Skip started working upstairs while P, Stinky Evil Red Dog and I took a trip to Target (stupid store was out of size 4 diapers last time I was there.  How does that happen?).  After Target, since I hadn't managed to get everything I needed from the previous day's trip to Chinatown, we went up to Viet Hoa for a few more Asian staples.  After getting super under-charged... we came home, had lunch, then I put P down while I worked upstairs with Skip for a couple of hours.  We really managed to crank out a lot of work on the subfloor.  We finished upstairs then came down and made some really tasty fried spring rolls with all of the goodies from the Asian stores.  It was pretty funny, though, because Preston insisted on trying the sauce (he LOVES sauce - any kind) we were eating, but we were hesitant since Skip had added about a tablespoon of garlic chili paste to it.  Well, he was insistent, so we let him try it.  After a couple seconds of going "Ah! Blech! Blech!" he says, "Mmm, good!  More?"  Needless to say we have no worries that this kid is going to be just as much of a foodie as we are!  Although I felt pretty bad at how red his little mouth and nose were after all that sauce!  He didn't seem to mind, though. :)  We had a nice evening after dinner, and that was about it!

This week I work, Skip works 3 nights, and then I have Part 1 of my EMT refresher on Saturday and Sunday (8-4:30 both days... yuck).  Preston gets to have a sleepover with Nana and PopPop Manning this weekend while Skip cranks out some serious work upstairs.  We're hoping to maybe see Harrisons for a little while this weekend, too.

Getting there!

"Getting there" on two fronts:

First, the baby.  I will be 32 weeks on Thursday, which means approximately 8 weeks to go!  We're very excited, and everything has been progressing so well to this point.  This baby seems to be a heck of a lot more active than Preston was, but maybe that's just because I'm more in tune to it.  Who knows!  I have been measuring right on track through all of my appointments, and I've been able to stay really active.  I've slowed down just a little at the gym, and am now sticking mostly to swimming, walking, weights and stretching.  Oh, and I've been trying to get to yoga at least once a week to keep loose.  We will be ready for this little kiddo whenever he/she decides to make his/her entrance!

Second, the house.  We are really on a role this week, and have gotten all the priming done - so now the walls are ready for paint.  Bryan and Tamara finished up the drywall a couple weeks ago, so we've been really buckling down to get things ready by the time the baby comes.  If we keep going at the rate we are, we'll be up there in a couple of weeks.  Skip really has been working very hard to get things done - and I've been trying my best!  Pictures to come...

We had an interesting week last week.  Wesley, the son of our great friends Munch and Alicia was having heart surgery again (his last was about 3 years ago).  There were some repairs that needed to be done on his valve, and they were hoping things would stay best-case scenario.  Well, after surgery on Tuesday and a great progress in recovery, Wesley was able to go home on Sunday.  We are all so glad that everything turned out okay, and we keep praying for him every day!

Because they were in and out of the hospital, our house served as a base for their showers and some overnight stays, as well as a "hotel" for their 12-week-old puppy Wayne.  Wayne has a little bit of Vizsla in him (plus he's really still a baby), so it was an adventure having him around!  He did well, though, and we got into a groove by the middle of the week remembering how to housetrain a puppy - it's been a while!  Wayne got along okay (at the end of the week) with Scotch, but we were careful with him and Preston together.  Wayne took down Preston pretty hard one evening, but Preston got him back by trying to ride him... It was sort of funny. 

Also last week, Elizabeth had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids taken out.  We found out that the regression she has been having since November was likely attributed to the immense fluid buildup in her ears - thus essentially causing her to be deaf.  The pediatric otolaryngologist said that the tubes would be able to allow the fluid to drain, since her eustachian tubes were not doing their job (likely due to lower muscle tone from Elizabeth's Down syndrome).  Her surgery went well, and she's had her good days since then.  She's also had some frustrating days, but we all know she is basically re-learning a bunch of behaviors that she had lost over the past 3 months... so it's going to take time.  There most likely will be some more and different doctor appointments in the next few months, but we're praying that she gets back to her old self and is able to speak and interact like she used to.  We love her so much! 

January zoo trip

Preston and I went to the zoo today - in January, and were able to eat outside!  We were bundled, but not so bundled that we couldn't still be completely comfortable.  The animals were all really active, which was great.  He had fun chasing the peacocks (which roam free, and freak ME out), looking at "all those fish!" and watching the elephants who were really active.  He was NOT a fan of the dark in the bat area, and almost wouldn't go in, but was okay if I carried him.  I think we were there for over 2 hours, which is a record for us!  We have a zoo pass from Mom and Dad, which is really nice, since if there's a meltdown or a day when the animals aren't doing much, we haven't wasted a whole day and a whole lot of money. 

He, unsurprisingly, fell asleep in the car on the way home, and slept for few hours at home.  I made some delicious home-made applesauce and Omaha Steaks hot dogs for dinner, which went over like a dream with the little guy (I haven't had a hot dog in a while - trying to stay away for the most part - so these ones were a nice treat!).  After dinner, Preston helped me "neen up!" (clean up) some of the Christmas stuff, along with organizing my maternity clothes, which I now am almost exclusively in.  :/

Now we're just hanging out, then off to bed!  Here's a video from dinner tonight.  This is a very typical dinner with this little crazy man! (I realized after watching this that at the beginning, he's saying he doesn't like "dinosaurs," not diaper.  We have a dinosaur pop-up book that makes dino noises - he's not really a fan yet...)

Dreams for the New Year

I've managed to avoid any particularly disturbing dreams this pregnancy, thankfully.  Of course my dreams are always weird and vivid, but this last one was really bothersome.  On the night of the 30th, first off, I had a really terrible dream about Preston, but I can't share it - just too weird.  Hopefully it never comes back...

In the second dream, I was driving somewhere in a city where there were a bunch of overpasses, like in downtown Chicago or Milwaukee.  I ended up getting stopped for speeding, almost directly under one of the overpasses.  As the cop is writing my ticket, I look up and notice a semi is sliding sideways towards the edge of the bridge, and comes falling off the side.  Everyone is yelling at everyone else to get out of the way, but of course it lands on some people.  The cop lets me go, so I go running over to help people.  As I'm doing that, I realize I'm telling others to "forget that one, that one, and this one," knowing full well they will never make it (it was pretty gruesome).  So I start running towards another person, ready to cover them up with a blanket I had found, when I realized the semi had crashed onto a cart full of mannequin pieces and faces.  So not only were there real bodies lying around, but also fake ones - and fake faces.  Really disturbing. I found one girl who was lying on a couch under the bridge, and asked her if she was okay.  She was alright, so I said I'm come back and check on her.  When I came back a few minutes later, I realize it's a girl I know from Milwaukee, and hadn't realized it the first time.  She was okay, and I hugged her telling her I was glad.  That was basically the end of it.

So last night, I had a weird one that I'm beginning to forget, but it had something to do with airplanes (as my dreams often do), and how I ended up falling out of one.  I asked the guy I was falling with if we were going to die, and he said no, just tuck and roll when you hit the ground.  So I did, and I was fine...

Then all of a sudden I'm climbing a narrow staircase in a house like ours (I've been climbing a lot of stairs in dreams lately), except the stairs kept going like 30 stories.  Each floor was a little apartment just like what our upstairs will hopefully soon look like... so I know where THAT dream was coming from!