tank

So, both kids are sleeping and I want to rest too, but I'll take a quick minute to post an update. Sheldon is doing really well. He seems like he is calmer than Coranelle was at this point in her life, and we are really happy about that. When I took him in to the lactation consultant after my last post, he had gained 10 ounces! So, he turned things around and is doing awesome.
I took him in for his 2 week check-up today and he weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces. They are just supposed to re-gain their birth weight, so he is really chugging along. His uncle Josh is hoping he'll be a tank and really chunk up. I feel like all I do is feed him. He doesn't go as long between feedings at night as Coranelle did, so it's been much harder to force myself to get up. But, I am glad that my milk is helping him pack on the ounces.
He is successfully taking a bottle, which is awesome. I love having the freedom to be able to have someone else feed him, especially if visitors are over or it is time for a meal. It's lovely to not have to leave the room and nurse for half an hour. The pump is working great and I really enjoy being able to have a bottle on hand and monitor how much he's getting.
Coranelle continues to adjust remarkably well. She had a fever earlier this week and was a bit clingy, but has been nothing but sweet and helpful about Sheldon. She is always concerned when we go somewhere that Sheldon is coming along too. We are very proud of her.
My mom has come every morning this week and it has been awesome to spend time with her and have her help out. She's been tending my garden, folding clothes, helping to clean, and doing lots of entertaining of Coranelle while Sheldon eats. Coranelle loves it and it has been so nice for me to have company and an extra hand.
Ryan is back at work, but comes home anxious to hold his son and play with his daughter. He is such an awesome daddy and I wouldn't be able to do this without him. He is helping wake me at night and settle Sheldon back down when he isn't ready to sleep at 4am.
So, that's a quick update on things around here. We're really enjoying the new addition to our family!

Sheldon Christopher Mork

Coranelle's new bike from Sheldon! She's a rock star with it!




Proudly announcing the arrival of Sheldon Christopher Mork- born April 7th, 2011 at 10:34pm. He weighed 6 lbs 15 ounces, 19 3/4 inches long. He came out with a head of long, sandy blond hair. Healthy and strong! We are so happy and blessed.
So, life with two kiddos (even with the hubby home) is hectic. I will give a very brief synopsis of the labor and birth and add a few pictures, and add more details when time allows.

I was scheduled to be induced on Friday. But, Thursday morning I woke up with some bloody show (sorry if that's gross), but it was the first change in my 9 days of contractions. I went to burritos with Ryan anyhow and the contractions felt harder. I was hesitant to call in, because I didn't want to go to all the effort to go to the hospital and then be sent home. But, I called and they wanted me to come in to get a labor check. Ryan came home and we headed in and dropped Coranelle off with Heido. We arrived around 11:30 and I was 2-3 cm dilated but pumping out contractions every 2 minutes. So, my doctor came and checked me and they decided to admit because the contractions were so often. We did a lot of walking and the contractions got stronger and stronger. I labored on the ball and walking. At 5pm, I was still at 4cm, so my Dr. broke my water just before going out to her anniversary dinner. The water breaking was crazy intense and painful and I swear an entire swimming pool came out of me! We continued to walk and my mom had arrived. The contractions got really close and REALLY bad. I had about a 20 second break between and my back was so tight and painful that I couldn't breathe in between or relax. I tried to push through without the epidural, but I was still only 4 cm dilated and 50% effaced. So, after crying through contractions for a few hours with no progress, I got the epidural. They thought with the amount of contractions and the intensity, I should be at 8 cm. But, no, I was at 5. I broke down then and was so frustrated and tired. But, my mom and Ryan were a great support and calmed me down and I got to enjoy relaxing a bit as the meds kicked in. Some of the contractions were lasting up to 3 min and really affecting Sheldon's heartbeat. It kept dropping way low and that was scary. But, things calmed down after the epidural kicked in. They thought that they might need to put a device in utero to measure the strength of the contractions, since they didn't seem to be bringing Sheldon down. They thought they would have to do pitosin too. BUT, my dr. came back after her dinner at 10pm. We all expected her to say 6 cm. But, She checked me and just looked up and said, "You're complete- I have to go change into my scrubs! Please notify the nursery". What!? We were all shocked and so thankful. The little bit of rest must have been what Sheldon needed. So, Mom and Ryan braced themselves and I started to push. My epidural had worn off so I could feel the contractions and Sheldon coming, which I really liked. I pushed through about 4 contractions and there he was. In about 10 minutes! What a miracle! We just felt so blessed! Very little tearing or blood loss on my part, which was wonderful. He had swallowed some meconium, so they swept him away and cleaned it out and got him weighed. Then, I got to cuddle him and nurse him. He nursed for almost 2 hours and was doing awesome latching! By midnight, it was time to give him his bath. My epidural had worn off, so I got to get up and go see his first bath!
We were very well taken care of in the hospital and things just went smoother than I could have prayed for. Ryan was amazing! He was so strong during my contractions, so calming and comforting and helpful. He was my little servant grabbing me water, jello, and Popsicles. He took out my contacts, rubbed my back, and even ripped my bra off when I got uncomfortable and was frustrated that I couldn't remove it with all the tubes in my arm. My mom was very calm and kept everyone updated and took care of Ryan and myself. Meanwhile, Coranelle was happy and doing wonderfully with Grams and PopPops. We were so well taken care of.
We came home Saturday. We spent part of the afternoon sitting outside at Bruce and Heidi's working on lowering Sheldon's risk for jaundice. It was nice to be out of the hospital quickly and back with Coranelle. She was not a fan of seeing us in the hospital, thus we were ready to be back with her at home.
We arrived back to our house to see the most amazing homecoming imaginable. Josh and Claire had chalked welcome notes and pictures all over our driveway, front steps and garage floor. There were blue balloons announcing the arrival of a baby boy strung up in our yard. We came in to find a huge basket of goodies, snacks, drinks and treats. Sheldon got new hats and Coranelle a new movie. They also took inventory in our fridge and went grocery shopping for us. So, I just couldn't contain my tears of joyfulness and Coranelle was utterly confused as to why mommy was crying. Wow! We are so loved.
Since then, we have had so many wonderful visitors and so much great help!
But, I had to go back to the dr. on Sunday to get Sheldon weighed and his Billy Rubin number checked. That was quite the ordeal- but in short, his jaundice was fine, but he had lost 5 ounces in the day we were home. That meant he lost more than 10% of his birth weight. So, I nursed and weighed him in front of the lactation consultant. She discovered that Sheldon's latch wasn't super effective, even though my milk had really come in. So, I was put on a plan of pumping and supplementing. This was stressful and hard to hear, as I had my whole family waiting for me at home and had never even opened my breast pump. I had a good cry- as I was exhausted and so worried about my little guy losing weight. But, my family helped me open and clean and use my pump for the first time and calmed me down.
Now, the goal is to just get Sheldon to start gaining weight. Which means a lot of pumping for me and nursing round the clock. Yesterday, he was still at 6 pounds 2 ounces. So, he didn't lose anymore, but we have to keep having him weighed until he starts gaining. So, I'll be back at the lactation consultant's today. We've got to get him taking in more calories and wanting it! So, be praying for that- as it's hard to get much time in with Coranelle with all the dr. appointments and feedings.
She, on a quick side note, is doing awesome and loving hanging out with daddy and has done really well adjusting!
More later. I have to finish feeding my boy!

here it comes...

Coranelle was so anxious to wear her new green capris from her Auntie Amanda that she pulled them on over her other leggings.
Coloring with her new dry erase markers.


And the contractions have continued. That's really all this update needs to say, but I'll fill in the details. By my appointment last Friday, I'd had contractions for almost 2 days and I was really hoping that the Dr. would tell me that they had dilated me or were doing something to help bring Sheldon down and out. But, I was still only 1.5 cm dilated. Fortunately, my OBGYN got to feel two of the contractions in the 10 minutes she was with me. She monitored Sheldon's heartbeat for a whole contraction and they're not doing anything to harm him- so that was good to hear. But, I was still frustrated. My doctor could tell that having contractions every 5 minutes was wearing me out, so she offered the suggestion to induce me after 39 weeks if I continued having them all weekend and I wanted to do something about it. We discussed the fact that my contractions were the same with Coranelle- they were consistent and constant, but didn't DO anything to bring her down. She was just floating, as it seems Sheldon is too. In order to bring Coranelle into this world, I had to have my water broken and then had to have pitosin administered when nothing had happened after 11 hours of hard contractions. So, I suppose you could say I was induced with Coranelle too.

As the weekend progressed, the contractions continued and we tried to decide what we should do. I have been drinking Raspberry leaf tea multiple times a day (it's supposed to cause your uterus to contract). I have been walking, stair stepping, lunging, squating, eating spicy foods, "it", the whole list of things. I even contemplated Castor oil. Ideally, we'd like Sheldon to come on his own, but nothing seems to be changing the contractions. Meanwhile, they're really wearing me down. A few nights this weekend, they were coming every 2 minutes for over an hour, lasting more than a minute. They get more painful as the day goes on and my body gets tired. By 5pm or so, they are hurting my lower back and abdomen instead of just being hard, tight and uncomfortable. Last night, a few of them woke me up and I had to sit and breathe through them. They've continued that way today, being more painful. I am not sure if it's because they might actually be doing something, or because my body is exhausted. I went for a walk this evening and was in so much pain that I was afraid I might not make it home.

Keeping up with Coranelle has been rough this week and my patience is definitely suffering. I have been relatively calm about all of this until today, when I just broke down after my college friend and her baby girl left. Coranelle had been a terror for two hours- hitting, refusing to share, screaming, and having to be sent to her room twice. Then, she was crawling all over me, trying to stand on me. I know she can sense the change and that I am tired and not feeling well and it's just been hard to be calm and reassuring when it's literally hard to breathe.

But, to help me through all of this, we had some wonderful gifts this past week/ weekend. Ryan's parents, aunt and uncle and my mom came over this past Saturday to deep clean our house. While Coranelle and I played at the park with Grandpa Steve, my kitchen was scrubbed from top to bottom. I mean the cabinets, inside and out, the tops of the cabinets, the microwave vent, the fridge, everything. My bathrooms were cleaned, the windows, the floors, etc. Ryan even cut me some new shelves for my linen closet and his aunt reorganized everything beautifully. Seeing the linen closet was enough to make me tear up. So, our house looks amazing. While the ladies were cleaning, Ryan, his dad and uncle were working on some much needed house and electrical projects. I've been spoiled!

My sister, Amanda, sent us a whole care package for Sheldon and Coranelle. One of my friends from MOPs dropped by wonderful gifts for me, Sheldon and Coranelle. Since people have found out about my contractions, I've had non-stop e-mails, phone calls and texts from wonderful friends and family checking in on us. I have been so touched by everyone's willingness to help and everyone caring so much about our family.

So, there are the details. And, here's the bottom line. I had to decide by today if I wanted to schedule an induction by this Friday. Based on reading this post, I'm sure you can guess what I decided. I am scheduled to be induced at 6:30am this Friday, April 8th. I feel almost guilty revealing that information and wish everyone would think I just went into labor on my own on Friday, but I promised to be honest on my blog. I would LOVE for Sheldon to come on his own. But, when I take in to account how Coranelle arrived, I wonder if I would just wait through another week or so of contractions and have to be induced then. I cannot even imagine how tired I would be by then. So, if nothing happens on it's own, the process will be started for us this coming Friday morning. In the meantime, I'll try to rest and spend as much quality time with my family as possible. We're going to have a baby by this weekend! How crazy is that?! I think I need to spend some time wrapping my head around that. Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated as we embark on this new chapter of our lives. I know that the next few nights I will awaken thinking about nursing, Coranelle's adjustment, labor, the possibility of an epidural, having everything packed in our bags, Coranelle visiting at the hospital, the cost of delivery, what will Easter be like this year? What will next week be like? What will Sheldon look like? How long will labor be? And so on and so forth.

Okay, my head is getting away from me. I am going to be done with this post and watch Parenthood and try to ease these contractions. I hope you are all enjoying the spring!

38 weeks

Coranelle learning how to take care of her baby doll.
My own little baby doll.
A daddy, daughter date night.
Snow boots from Grams.
I asked her to smile. This is what we captured. It makes me nervous for her teenage years. Look at that sass!


2 weeks left- more or less. This waiting game is hard to play. I thought that with the second baby, I'd be a bit more patient, but I'm not. I just wish I knew when Sheldon would grace us with his presence. I am ready to meet him.
Last night, I had contractions from about 5pm-2am. But, they were more annoying than anything. I don't think they were doing anything. Most of them lasted about a minute, but they were 3-6 minutes apart and just sporadic. Since they didn't get more frequent or painful, I figure they are just braxton-hicks. I'm having them again today, but not bothering to time them because it's better to just stay busy and ignore them.
Last Friday, I was 1.5 cm dilated. I feel like that is kind of a tease, because that could mean progress or it could mean that I will be like that for another 3 weeks. I go back to the doctor tomorrow for another check. I found out that I am strep B positive again. I am a bit bummed about that because it means that they want me at the hospital 8 hours before Sheldon is delivered to be sure I get two, four hour rounds of antibiotics before he comes through the birthing canal. I was hoping to not be at the hospital for as long before delivery this time, but I guess I have no control over that.
Our bags are now packed and I am getting anxious to hold a newborn again and see what life has in store for us soon. Ryan and I are both wondering how many more nights we will be sleeping through the night. (Although, I couldn't actually say I am currently sleeping through the night). Last night, I kept waking up just drenched in sweat. And, I wasn't hot. Gross, I know. Hormones are crazy. Every time I woke up to pee, my brain would start going crazy. "What if I go into labor in the middle of the night... What do we do with Coranelle? Will this baby like to nurse? Will I make enough milk? How are we going to be sure he'll take a bottle? Will Coranelle still take naps once Sheldon arrives or will he keep her awake? When am I going to pump? Will I get the epidural again? How long will labor be? What will Coranelle think when she comes to visit at the hospital." And on and on my mind goes.
I need to work on being patient and calm. Meanwhile, as I type this post, I've had at least 3 contractions. So, we'll keep playing the waiting game. In the mean time, I'm trying to soak up all of my one one one time with Coranelle and Ryan. We're going to be a family of four soon!

picture update

Below are some pictures from the past few weeks- Enjoy!

Planting my spinach while Coranelle enjoyed the backyard.
She's big enough to climb and use her slide and she loves it!
She got to plant her own set of snap peas. She thought each of those little pink cups needed about 6 seeds, so we'll see how her pots end up doing.
Working on fostering a love of gardening at a young age.
Headed home from our Buena Vista babymoon with a mocha.
Sightseeing and taking long walks at 36 weeks.
My cute hubby!




The view from our B&B. What a great time away!

preparation update

Tomorrow, I hit 37 weeks, which means I will be full-term. How can that be possible? I don't think I have quite accepted it yet. I don't imagine I will be super early. On Friday at my appt., I had a cervix check (my favorite thing) and I am still closed. But, my Dr. said she could feel the little head right over the cervix, so he's in place. I never heard that with Coranelle as she was floating up in my ribs. The Dr. also says it looks like another small baby- 6 1/2 pounds or so. She watched Sheldon squirm around inside me and commented that it looked pretty painful- I admitted that it is. She also measured and couldn't get a very accurate reading because my ribs are so flared- also painful. Then, she asks me why I never complain to her. Well, what can be done? I have a small torso and there isn't much room.

I admitted to Ryan that I was a bit worried that I am not more excited for Sheldon's birth. I think remembering Coranelle's colic makes me nervous about the upcoming newborn stage. I am trying to figure out the logistics of breastfeeding, pumping, coordinating two kids' naps, getting chores done, feeding a family of four, and making sure each kid gets some quality attention and I feel overwhelmed. I promised Ryan that I would talk to the dr. this week about getting a name of someone I can talk to if I experience postpartum depression again. I know that this go around, I need to be more honest about how I am feeling and coping and be smart enough to ask for and receive help. To be entirely honest, I pray every day that Sheldon will be a calm baby that loves to eat. We'll see.

Meanwhile, today Coranelle and I packed our bags for when the time comes. She helped me pick out books, outfits, socks, and toys to put in her backpack. I think she has some idea about what is going to happen because of all the books we've been reading. When I ask here where she will be when I am having baby Sheldon, she says "Grams.. PopPops for a while". I talk to her about how she can come visit us in the hospital and meet her brother. We continued our preparations by going to Target and buying newborn diapers and a few extra bottles for Sheldon. Coranelle got to pick out stickers, books and coloring books from the dollar section that she can take with her when she stays with her grandparents. I have also purchased a breast pump, a new nursing tank top, a bottle warmer, and a used double stroller. Wow- how do you need so much stuff for the second baby?! I have received mountains of hand-me-down boy clothes and have been sorting through and getting Sheldon's drawers and closets organized and ready. His room is adorable and we love how it turned out. Now we just need the baby to complete it.

Until then, I am battling another cold. Wow. But, Coranelle seems almost totally over hers and two of her big molars have come through this past week. The pain of the molars coming through has made her play with her ears and occasionally tug at her hair again. Yikes! So, we are trying to stay on top of using the oragel and Tylenol to avoid any more hair pulling disasters. She is doing so much better when being dropped off places and has moved out of the "up" stage for now. She is also doing much better at playing on her own in the evenings when I am cooking. (I cheat now and then and turn on "Cars" and that helps immensely.) She seems to be getting anxious to meet this brother she keeps hearing about and sometimes squeezes my stomach and shouts "Sheldon... Out Out now". I think that she'll go through a phase after he arrives that she wants him to go back IN. But, she'll be a great big sister.

So, while we wait for Sheldon to come out, I'll try to stay as comfortable as possible. I have to admit that I am not loving being pregnant right now. Everything aches and I wake up 5 or 6 times a night to pee and then cannot go back to sleep! I cannot wait to sleep on my tummy again! And I cannot wait to wash dishes without having to lean over my big belly. Ohhhh, and I really cannot wait to have a margarita!

That's all of the update I've got for now. I hope you're all doing well! Stay tuned for some recent photos. I can't seem to get access to them on the new computer right now.

The calm before the storm

Imagine, waking up without an alarm and hearing the river rushing right outside the cracked screen door. Picture getting a cup of coffee with fresh cream and enjoying it quietly while taking in the views of the snow capped mountains. Those are the mornings I had on our babymoon this past weekend. We stayed at this great Bed and Breakfast in Buena Vista, located right on the Arkansas River. We got to sit and chat with the other guests at the B&B while eating delicious, hot breakfasts. For 6 meals, I didn't have to coerce anyone to eat while my own food got cold! We didn't have to plan our days around naps or what a toddler likes to do or be able to handle. Each morning, we went on 2 hour walks along the river and enjoyed the awesome weather. We got to hold hands and have long, uninterrupted conversations. We drove up to an old mining town and enjoyed driving just to drive. I got to finish a book! We went out to eat for salad and pizza and when they told us it was a 45 min wait, it wasn't a problem. We really really enjoyed our time away and our time as a couple. That's not to say I didn't think of Coranelle every few minutes and miss her tons. She's pretty addicting and such a huge part of my life, it's impossible not to miss the cute things she says and does when you're away. 2 days was long enough and I was craving a hug from her! My family is awesome and it was a fun chance to get away and a reminder of how much we love and cherish our daughter.

We came home to amazingly clean carpets as Ryan's dad, aunt and uncle steam cleaned our floors while we were gone. Our bookshelves were also dusted, our outlets scrubbed and the spring cleaning process was started! The house looks like a new house and it is so exciting to have someone help me nest! Coranelle did awesome with her grandparents and is now prepared for when we are in the hospital.

On the down side, Coranelle's cold seems to have returned this past weekend, after a 4 day break. She has had this cold on and off since mid Jan and I am really wishing she'd get better. Her cough will go away for a few days and then it will come raging back- keeping us awake and accompanied by the stuffy and snotty nose. Sometimes the cough is a barking cough, but she hasn't had much of a fever or been wheezing. Back in Jan, we ruled out croup by calling the ask-a-nurse, but I cannot believe we haven't kicked this. Who knows, maybe it was a succession of about 8 different colds? I do leave her with other kids at MOPS, the rec center and church. But, I don't feel like I can stop doing that as I want her to be accustomed to not having all of my attention, all of the time, when her brother comes along.

So, last night, she got really fussy and seemed really warm. Trying to take her temp with the under arm thermometer is like I've committed some hideous crime. She kicks and arches and screams like I'm killing her. Anyhow, I couldn't get a reading that way, so we got 101 in her ear. She was inconsolable at this point and I called the nurses. They told me that three days of fever and her complaints about her ear hurting after this long having a cold were reasons for concern. She refused to eat any dinner and it was scary to feel her so hot and see her so unhappy. I was up with a very warm child at 3 am and again at 4am and then didn't fall back asleep until 5:30ish (half an hour before we get up).

A bit exhausted, I made a dr. appointment today. It was a rough hour as Coranelle goes nuts when they try to weigh her and take her temperature. I thought it might get better as she got older and you could explain "why" they had to check her out. But, I think it got harder because she is stronger and I am really pregnant and trying to restrain her kicking, screaming and squirming is tough! Good news was that the dr. ruled out an ear infection, pneumonia, bronchitis and then after two tests- strep and the flu were ruled out. So, it seems as if the cold has turned into a sinus infection and my daughter is now on amoxicyllin (her first antibiotic ever!). I am so hoping that she feels better fast as it was sad to miss gymnastics and playdates today. I want her to be back to her energetic, playful self again. And, her refusal to eat ANYTHING is very worrisome. I want her to feel better! I cannot feel 100 percent when she isn't!

While I was taking Coranelle to the dr., Ryan had to take our computer to the Apple dr. due to an "accident" we had on Thursday before leaving. I was cooking Jambalaya for dinner and had the recipe up on the laptop while Coranelle was having her snack. I have been trying hard to stay hydrated and had a glass of water right next to the computer. I got up to add something to the pan and next thing I know, a little person had spilled a whole glass of water over our keyboard. Yikes! My fault for leaving that scenario, but disappointing. Ryan took the whole computer apart and we left it to dry out over the weekend, hoping it would come alive, but it didn't. The help at the Genius bar at the Apple store did not have a quick fix. Our hard drive is undamaged, but everything else is dead. So, we'll be looking into a new computer. Sigh... one of those unexpected things in your budget. I feel terrible for ruining the computer. Meanwhile, I am using Ryan's college laptop. It's one of those old computers that you click on an e-mail and leave for a few minutes to go do something while it loads. I got spoiled with our little Mac book. So, there's the long winded explanation for why I haven't uploaded any fun pictures from our trip and why I am slow with e-mail communication right now. Hopefully, we get the computer situation worked out before I'm needing to send out birth announcements and pictures!

Until then, keep Coranelle in your prayers. We want her healthy again! I hope the rest of you are doing well and are healthy and happy!