Emilya - Week 2

2 Weeks... Man time flies when you are having fun!!! Luckily this past week didn't seem to zoom on by now that we are home. I can't say we are settled, because let's face it, how is anyone settled in the midst of a renovation? But the light at the end of the tunnel is here and I am happy to say the Reno is mostly done!! 

This past week I have been soaking up all the newborn snuggles I can, it also included my first day alone with 2 kids and it went pretty smoothly, as I mentioned in the previous post!

Eating: This girl was pretty much born to eat! She is still latching good and my milk supply is definetely in! I am happy to report pumping this time around is much more productive! I am pumping up to twice a day, depending on Emilya's sleep schedule. I started pumping in the middle of the night when I wake up, instead of waking Emilya, and I am able to pump a total of about 4-4.5 oz, something I was never able to do with Noah! We were finding when I fed Emilya after a long stretch, I would have more milk than she could handle and she would end up overfilling herself and spitting half of it up, so pumping was just an option that made sense. If she only does a 4 hour stretch I nurse her, but if she is still sleeping at 5/6 hour stretches, then I pump. This works out nicely and allows M and I to get more sleep, I get up and pump for 10 minutes and back to bed I go. M gets up with Emilya, changes her, gives her the bottle and back to sleep they go! M is pretty adamant that he wants to get up with Emilya in the middle of the night, which is a huge help and it gives them that one on one time that he misses throughout the day and most of the evening. She takes the bottle like a champ and takes about 3 ounces, sometimes needs that extra ounce to fall back to sleep. Depending on how long she has been sleeping, I will try to pump again when I get up at 7 AM.

Sleeping: This little lady enjoys her beauty sleep to say the least and you will not find me complaining about her sleep pattern one bit at this point! She is going to bed between 9:30/10:30 and depending on her day she will sleep a 4 hour stretch if she slept a lot in the day or she will sleep a 6/7 hour stretch. Either way we count our blessings! She is still in bed with us (in her Bummzie) but we are hoping to transition her to the bassinet this weekend. Emilya is quite the snoring machine though, it is crazy how loud she gets, but it is reassuring that she is breathing. She is awake for longer stretches in the day now as well, but I work really hard at getting the two kids to nap at the same time, so I can too!  So far it has been working great! 

Clothing: She is still wearing newborn diapers, that I am hoping to switch to size 1's soon because they are cheaper! But we will have to see how big they are on her! Outfits are size newborn, sleepers are 0-3 or 3 months, which she swims in! I have bought a few lots of girls clothes used and I can't wait to see her in some of the outfits, not to mention the outfits I have bought or received as gifts! 

I made her first top knot headband and can't wait to make some more with the fabric scraps I have!! I also purchased some headbands for her, but they are still a bit big, but we try to make them work:

Bathes: are still hit and miss, sometimes she screams through them and sometimes she enjoys them and relaxes. I think it depends on how long she has been awake and how hungry she is! I have been bathing her more often, as baths are usually M's thing, but just with the way timing has been working lately, and trying to get Noah to bed on time (which we have failed at more often than not), it just works out easier for me to bath her, as long as M gets the tub ready for me (damn lifting restriction). 

Skin and Hair: Her hair appears to be lightening up already. Her skin is still nice and clear. She still has what they call a "stork bite" above her right eye, but they say it will go away on its own. It just looks like a red mark. Noah had a small one on his eye lid. 

Weight: Emilya is up to 8lbs 7 oz at 2 weeks old, or at least that is what our scale says, we will find out how accurate it is at her next doctors appointment! 

What The Doctor Had To Say: Emilya doesn't see the doctor until she is one month old unless we have a concern. We bought a scale for here at home since they don't offer weekly weigh ins anymore, so we can keep track of her weight. I did have to go back to see the doctor for my blood pressure, but more on that below with my recovery. 

Nicknames: Emma, Em, Emy, Baby, Little Miss, Littlest Squish

Big Brother Update: Noah is still doing great! He likes to go in an say good morning to Emilya when she wakes up, wants to hold her, sings her songs while I change her or when she cries and Emilya seems to really love her brother too and stops fussing. Noah also gets lots of smiles out of her. Listening ears have been this weeks struggles, which I am not sure which is worse... No listening ears or tantrums, but luckily the tantrums have subsided for the most part! Noah is also Mr. Independent, which is a struggle all on its own, especially when it is things he actually needs help with. But overall with all the change going on in our lives right now with the new baby, the renovation, not having his play area, he is doing exceptionally well!! 

Fur Baby Update: Poor Gracie is getting the short end of the stick in the walking department, hopefully that will change after this coming weekend and the renovation is done. She is still pretty mopey from losing Lily. The cats are loving the baby and all the baby's things. Lux is loving the bouncer and bummzie, and Jazz likes the breast feeding pillow. 

Personality: Emilya is super laid back. You would think after going 7 hours without food she would be starving and angry, but she tolerates a diaper change and doesn't fuss for food instantly. She does not love her car seat. She loves her brother and when he sings to her. Emilya is a smiley baby like Noah was, and it instantly brings a smile to my face everytime I catch a glimpse of the gummy smile!! She is getting better with tolerating other people holding her and will now settle for Daddy. She is liking her mamaroo and bouncer now as well! 

My Recovery: Is going great!! I think all the rest I am able to get with napping and sleeping most of the night is a huge key to my success. I have tried hard not to lift Noah, but I have broken that rule a little bit when trying to get him up to bed. Overall I feel pretty good and I look forward to being able to drive, even though I won't be taking Noah out with me for a little while, as getting him in and out of the car is a trick. 

Weight-wise I have just under 15 pounds to go (which is similar to my last pregnancy at this point), but I will say I am impressed with how my body is bouncing back this time around and I am chalking that up to having an active pregnancy this time around! 

My blood pressure is borderline still, I ended up having to go back and see the doctor because of it and we decided to just watch it. She checked my home machine to make sure it was accurate as well and discussed starting on meds, but I did tell her if I could avoid the meds, I would prefer to do that, because I don't feel great on them. My readings at home are not that bad and seem to be improving, so she agreed that we could just watch it and reassess at Emilya's one month check up or if I find it going up at home. 

Emilya - 1 Week

And to think I thought time went fast the first time with a newborn, now it literally just zooms on by!!! But our first week has been nothing short of amazing!! 

Emilya was not a happy camper on her first day. She wasnt making any plans on being born anytime soon, so her exit was rather dramatic! I could hear her crying inside of me before they were able to get her out. She was wedged right up in my ribs and she came out crying and hungry!! She was born feisty and wanted to be heard. Once I made it into recovery I was able to hold her and it didn't take her long to latch on and breastfeed! She was born to eat haha. 

Weight: Coming home from the hospital, she was down to 7lbs 11oz

At one day shy of a week old, she was up to 8lbs.

Eating: Emilya had no problems latching and feeding right away. We were working on feeding every 2-3 hours in the hospital, but just before leaving we were already getting longer stretches. She is pretty much a binge eater. She will nurse both sides twice, sometimes 3x before snuggling in for a sleep. But it works, because then she started sleeping longer too. So far we haven't had to deal with spit up or reflux and she is pretty good about burping and will actually let me do this, not just Daddy like Noah would prefer. 

Sleeping: I will say what a difference there is having a full-term baby compared to a preemie. Emilya is a rockstar at sleeping. Her first few nights in the hospital were rough, she ended up sleeping with either M or I. She is a mamas girl and prefers to fall asleep on my chest and has been a stinker for falling asleep for M at all! She also prefers to nurse herself to sleep. Our first night home was our best night compared to the hospital, but in all honesty she has only gotten better! She is giving us 4-6 hours of sleep in a row. She sleeps in bed with us, but in the Bummzie pillow - seriously best pillow ever!!! We swaddle her up for sleeping. I have been nursing in bed at night just put her in the pillow when she falls asleep. She is awake for about 2 hours over night, but most of that is spent nursing. We were waking her after 4-5 hours before our doctors appointment, where we found out she was gaining weight like a champ and we could let her sleep. Now the only thing waking her up from her long stretches is a diaper blow out! 

Clothing: Is a tricky subject! Newborn is too short for the most part, we have a few sleepers that work in that size. For the first few days we were trying to use sleepers that had the fold over hands because her nails were soo long and they reccomended waiting to trim them. So we also had to pull out the little mitts! Newborn onesies and pants are good. 3 month sleepers are big, but we are making them work!! Little miss is just long and lanky! It's also crazy not having any hats that fit her because her head is soo much smaller than her brothers! Haha. I had a Vance hat made for her in newborn and it is also big! 

I will say having a girl to shop for, especially after having a boy is soo much fun!! I need to get ordering some headbands!! 

Diaper Changes: We are going through less diapers than we did with Noah, but I think maybe because of the way she eats and she isn't too bothered with dirty diapers, like Noah was! But we have had 3 diaper blow outs in the middle of the night, something else we never had with Noah! 

First Bath: Emilya had her first bath at the hospital and she was not a fan! She was also not a fan of her first bath at home!! Her second bath went a bit better, but it was also just a quick bath before her newborn photoshoot! 

Skin and Hair: Her hair is dark and quite long in the back - almost ponytail worthy. I guess you could say she is sporting a bit of a mullet! Her skin is pretty fair, especially when you compare her to her brother, Noah came out with a dark complexion and Emilya did not! 

What The Doctor Had To Say: Emilya was born weighing 8 lbs 3 oz and dropped to 7 lbs 11 oz before leaving the hospital. Almost a week later she was back up to 8 lbs! Emilya was born with a sacral dimple, which is closed from what we have been told. She did have an ultrasound to confirm this and we are awaiting the results. We will be doing her hearing test again in a few weeks, because she was too mucousy when they tried to do it. She passed the one ear and showed signals she could hear in the other, but not for the full length of the test to consider passing her. Other than that, Emilya has a clean bill of health! 

Nicknames: Emma, Em, Emy, Baby, Little Miss, Littlest Squish

Big Brother Update: Noah is doing great! He loves his little sister and watching him with her just melts my heart! He doesn't show any signs of jealousy yet and is not upset with her presence at all! Our biggest issue has been the tantrums coming back, but we have gone back to diverting the crisis before it starts and he is doing much better! The bigger transition will be when M goes back to work, but I'm not too concerned, as he is pretty independent. My biggest issue will be the not lifting him. 

Fur Baby Update: Gracie doesn't seemed phased by the new baby at all. She will growl when someone other than M and I go to pick her up, but wags her tail at the same time, so we aren't concerned. I recall her doing the same with Noah! She is just a bit protective. The cats are loving the baby. Binx just wants to sit by her at all times, which is really odd because she is our least social cat. Lux comes running when she is crying. 

Personality: We were sure with her entrance, that she was going to be super fiesty. She was not a happy camper in day 1, she liked where she was and was not impressed to be out of the womb. But she quickly settled after I fed her. Eating is her thing. She is super laid back like her brother was for the most part. She started off hating her bathes, but they aren't soo much of a scream show by the end of the first week! 

My Recovery: Is going great!! Waay better than last time! I actually feel like a human thanks to my blood pressure co-operating! The first few days I was really tender (obviously) but coming home was probably the best medicine - sleeping in my own bed as well made a huge difference. I've managed to find a way to sleep on my side, giving my back a bit of a break! I made it out of the house on a few brief trips to the grocery store and Costco to pick flooring and I was able to complete both tasks without feeling like crap after. 

I came home on just Tylenol and Advil, but after the first few days I am only taking Advil 3x a day to help with swelling more than pain. If I've done too much I will take a Tylenol, but it's often a good reminder to slow down, because I do not feel like I just had surgery! Especially with this Reno going on, I just want to clean!! I really look forward to driving again and not having to rely on M to get me places, but getting Noah in and out of the car will be a trick. Luckily the weather is supposed to get nice and we can get outside for walks at least! 

Coming home to another renovation has not been any fun at all. Luckily we aren't the ones doing most of the work, but M has ended up doing some of it, like knocking out the brick fireplace hearth and we decided to take out the old office and make one big space for a play area, craft space and office. But we will definitely enjoy having our basement back to use. I know a lot of people live with out finished basements, but when you have one and then you don't, you miss that seperate living space! 

Life as a mom of two, so far has been pretty great. Yes, my patience level needs some work at times when Noah is being a typical toddler, but that will come with time. It still feels crazy to say "kids". Having a little girl is a dream come true. We never expected to have a boy, so we were blessed and couldn't believe it when Noah came along and having a boy first was something I always thought would be soo cool to have the "older big brother". I would have been happy either way if it was a boy, but shopping for a little girl is just soo much fun!! 

Seeing our family grow has been the most beautiful, hard journey, but one that I couldn't be prouder of.  Knowing all we have gone through has brought us to this point in our lives makes it all worth it!! I couldn't be happier with the way life has shaped up and I promise myself and my kids to not take one moment foregranted! 

39 Weeks with Baby V2

How Far Along: 

39 Weeks - its baby week!!

Size Of Baby?

Maternity Clothes?

Yes, but if I'm not going out, you bet I'm in pj pants! 

Stretch Marks?

Nope! I find myself checking each morning! Grateful for being tall!

Gender?

We will find out in less than a week!!

Name?
Girl names are still on the fence, but boy names are set. I have 2 of each!

Sleep?

Not great. Taking advantage of naps while I can. Pee breaks are more often as well over night!

Cravings/Aversions?
Canned peaches, they are soo good! Oh and two bite brownies!

Movement?

Head is back up in my ribs and I have been feeling a lot of rolling. Kicks and punches feel harder, but not as often!

Weight Gain:

35 pounds! Same weight gain with Noah, but feeling much larger, but with less swelling!

Feeling?

Anxious to meet this little one! Heartburn is back, as baby has moved up again! Baby is still breach! Nose is running a lot more. But I feel good and I know I will miss being pregnant! It feels soo crazy to have made it to my C-section date at 39.5 weeks!

What I Miss?

Sleeping comfortably.

Items Bought for Baby:

I bought a sound machine for the nursery - used, but now we have one!

What the doctor had to say? 

We just have a few more days to make it!! Despite my blood pressure not being stable, he said if I could just take it easy for a few more days, we can make it!! No protein in my urine and baby sounded good, but confirmed to still be breach! Another reason tacked on for a C-section. Consent forms were signed!

Highlights: 

Making it this far and feeling pretty good for the most part!! I know I will miss this time with with just Noah and I and I will miss being pregnant!! Soaking up these last few days!! 

Our basement flooded 4 days before the baby will arrive. What a mess. Not at all what I wanted to deal with before baby!! 

Belly Button?

In, but part of it pops out when I laugh. Soo creepy! 

Bump Pic:

Photos taken on Baby Day!!

Looking Forward to: 

Meeting this baby!! Finding out the sex!! 

37 Weeks with Baby V2

How Far Along: 

37 Weeks - officially the furthest along I have ever made it pregnant!! Welcome uncharted territory!! 

Size Of Baby?

Maternity Clothes?

Yes, but if I'm not going out, you bet I'm in pj pants! 

Stretch Marks?

Nope, trying to remember to put oil on at least once a week or more now because I'm nervous they might come this time since I'm soo much bigger! 

Gender?

We will find out in 2 weeks!! 

Name?

We will share in 2 weeks! Our names are pretty much set, I did add in one more girl name that M is in love with, but I'm on the fence! 

Sleep?

Not great. Naps are when I have them though. Baby is still sitting super high, so it is hard to get comfortable at bedtime. Bathroom breaks are also at an all time high now as well!! 

Cravings/Aversions?

Two-bite brownies over and over please, oh and skim milk too! 

Movement?

Baby's movement is less crazy, a little slower, more like a baby now. Lots of rolling, hiccups and somersaults, but still breach!! 

Weight Gain:

31 pounds! Still under my total gain with Noah, yet soo much bigger!! 

Feeling?

So incredibly tired still, but feeling soo happy to have made it this far along!! Baby is still up in my ribs, but feeling a lot of pelvic pressure, likely from the excess fluid I'm carrying! I'm starting to get nervous about my csection!! 

What I Miss?

Sleeping comfortably.

Items Bought for Baby:

A new drying rack for bottles and pump parts! We went with the boon grass one because it's smaller than our old one! 

What the doctor had to say? 

Meds are controlling my blood pressure so far! We got our csection date, so we are anxiously awaiting that. Baby is still breach. I ended up waiting over an hour for thus appointment, caught a cold in the waiting room, so clearly I wasn't impressed. 

Highlights:

The to-do list is just about completed! I started packing our bags, we discussed our plan for Noah with Mikes parents, so that eases my mind. Just have my pump and parts to sterilize and finish packing my bags! I'd like to get the freezer cookie dough done too, but just haven't got around to it! 

To celebrate making this far, here is the big old bare belly!! Soo large!!

Belly Button?

In, but part of it pops out when I laugh. Soo creepy! 

Bump Pic:

Looking Forward to: 

Celebrating Easter with our families! 

This mini cold leaving our house! Our essential oils have really helped!! 

36 Weeks with Baby V2

How Far Along: 

36 Weeks 

Size Of Baby?

Maternity Clothes?

Yes, along with comfy clothes and pjs!! I am at the point where comfortable is best!!

Stretch Marks?

Nope, trying to remember to put oil on at least once a week or more now because I'm nervous they might come this time since I'm soo much bigger! 

Gender?

We will find out in April!! If you ask Noah, he insists and will argue that it is a girl! 

Name?

We will share in April, our names are pretty much set, I did add in one more girl name that M is in love with, but I'm on the fence! 

Sleep?

Not great. Naps are when I have them though. Reflux is at its worst when lying down and after meals. Baby is still sitting super high, so it is hard to get comfortable at bedtime. 

Cravings/Aversions?

Two-bite brownies over and over please, oh and skim milk too! 

Movement?

Baby is moving and grooving like crazy again. 

Weight Gain:

29 pounds! Turns out I hadn't gained any weight over the last 2 weeks and actually lost a pound! 

Feeling?

So incredibly tired, especially since being put on blood pressure meds. It's a good reminder to slow down, this I know and I am listening to my body, but it is frustrating as well when you just want to get stuff done, but no energy. I remember this feeling on the meds last time too. Reflux and nausea are still kicking around. 

What I Miss?

Sleeping comfortably.

Items Bought for Baby:

I bought a scale for the baby since our well baby clinic isn't offered anymore and I will miss weighing this baby every week! 

What the doctor had to say? 

Well my blood pressure decided to spike, so I ended up on meds. Baby is still breech, so we discussed what my delivery plan/options are and because my blood pressure has decided to go up, the baby is breech and I had a previous section, he thought it would be safest to go ahead with the planned c-section, which I agreed to as well. He wanted to wait an extra week before setting the date to see how my blood pressure was going to respond. So if I go into labor on my own, as long as baby isn't about to come out, I will have a csection regardless. Feels good to have a plan. 

Highlights:

The nursery is ready, for the most part, once we know if it's a boy or girl we can finalize the decor!

Getting our maternity pics back - love them all!!! 

Checking off more things off my to-do list! 

Belly Button?

In, but part of it pops out when I laugh. Soo creepy! 

Bump Pic:

Looking Forward to: 

Getting our planned c-section date! 

Making it further than my last pregnancy!! 

35 Weeks with Baby V2!!

32 Weeks with Baby V2

How Far Along: 

Size Of Baby?

Maternity Clothes?

Oh ya...

 Shirt (new) - Old Navy    Black Jeans - Gap

Yay for new shirts that are long enough! A lot of my shirts from my last pregnancy are not long enough now. I lucked out with buying a few new maternity shirts while in Florida. I also bough some non-maternity shirts that will work for now and post baby!! 

Stretch Marks?

Nope, trying to remember to put oil on at least once a week.

Gender?

We will find out in April!! 

Name?

We will share in April, our names are pretty much set, I did add in one more girl name that M is in love with, but I'm on the fence! 

Sleep?

Much better now that we are hone in our own bed, but I am just really tired! 

Cravings/Aversions?

Skim milk, water and rolo ice cream!! 

Movement?

Yes. I think I felt the baby doing crunches in my pelvis...

Weight Gain:

22 pounds! Wasn't as bad as I thought! 

Feeling?

Pretty good overall. Swelling is no longer an issue, so my rings are back on! Reflux has started :( I am also getting a dry mouth often. I'm tired despite sleeping well now that we are home, but getting up early I'm sure is to blame despite going to bed early!! 

What I Miss?

Warm weather!! 

Items Bought for Baby:

What the doctor had to say? 

Check up went well. I was in an out! Blood pressure is still borderline. He reccomended cutting my workouts down to just 3x a week to help with swelling. My bump is only measuring 1 week ahead now instead of 2 and weight gain was just a few pounds over the last month! I go back in two weeks and will have an ultrasound to check on growth and we will also be getting our c-section date!! I joked with the doctor how easy this pregnancy is compared to my last and he agreed. 

Highlights:

Coming home and getting back to our routine!! 

Belly Button?

In, but I will say it is getting shallower!

Bump Pic:

Nothing like a good old outtake from taking these photos... Lol

Looking Forward to: 

Working in the nursery!!!