Halloween

It's hard to believe this was Lincoln's third Halloween!

Last year we had the fun Elvis costume. This year, Halloween snuck up on us and although I had the best intentions of getting creative with his costume, I just went out and bought him a puppy costume. We just put Isadora in a cat bunting suit.

A big thank you to my brother who stayed at our house and passed out candy while we took the kids out. It took a couple houses for Lincoln to get the hang of the whole trick or treating thing. By the third house, he was climbing the stairs on his own and asking for candy. He kept saying "Dis one! Dis one!" as we went up to a new house.

We let Lincoln have a couple pieces of candy but didn't want to go overboard. Thankfully, he has already forgotten about the candy and hasn't asked for any since.

Halloween is a lot more fun now that we have kids, I have to admit. I love seeing all the little kids in their costumes (my personal fave was the little boy up the street who was dressed as the Dick Van Dye character from Mary Poppins. It was THE cutest costume!)  I am looking forward to next year when Lincoln will be much more excited. The downfall?  He probably won't forget about the bucket of candy we have hidden from
him.

We are doing it up big next year!

Issues

Oh, what a difference a baby makes!

I can say now what I didn't know then:  Lincoln was an easy baby. He slept 5 hours his first night home from the hospital. He was always right on track with his milestones. I can even admit I never knew what the big deal was with babies. He was that easy.

It's been a trying 5 weeks: not gonna lie!  Part of that is just Kirk and I forgetting what it's like to have a newborn and part of it is the three of us adjusting to life with a new baby. And part of it is Isadora. Poor little thing!

Poor Isa has acid reflux like something fierce. She's on Zantac to help with the reflux but it hasn't completely stopped her spitting up. It's much less, but it's not uncommon for us to have to change clothes after burping her or have to change her clothes. Sleeping at night was difficult for her pre-Zantac. I spent the nights the first 3-4 weeks in a recliner with her on my chest because she wouldn't lay down. We got a bed/rocking thing for her called a "Rock n Play" that seems to be helping.  She's sleeping really well at night now. Thank goodness!

Her biggest issue is pooping. The poor thing can't poop. She pushes so hard, her face is as red as a tomato and the only thing that comes out is a toot. The girl can clear a room. I took her to the doctor after a full week of no pooping. To be sure she didn't have any serious issues, our pediatrician ordered a barium enema.  Thankfully, she does not need surgery and is just constipated. We've had to give her suppositories to help move things through. Kirk and I have found ourselves celebrating her poops. Yes...this is our life!

And as if these issues weren't enough, because she was breech for so long, we have to take her to get a hip ultrasound next week. The pediatrician wants to be sure she doesn't have hip dysplasia.

Since she has had a few issues in her short life, I'm convinced she has my eye problems. She does occasionally have cross eyes, but that's still normal at this age.  My mom said my eyes were crossed almost all the time and hers aren't that much. Also, my eye doctor said because there is no true family history (besides my grandma's cousin), our kids are much less likely to inherit my eye issues.

Despite these few minor issues (let's be honest: they really are minor in the grand scheme of life!), Isadora is a really sweet baby.  Just today, she smiled at us and we are pretty sure it wasn't gas!  All things are temporary and before we know it, she'll be crawling and walking and talking.

We now know how fast it really does go!  

One Little Weed

Totally published this without her measurements!  SORRY!

I cannot believe how quickly Isadora is growing!

We had her 1 month appointment yesterday. She's growing like crazy!  I wasn't entirely surprised by this seeing as I am the one she is attached to day in and day out, but it is another reminder of how quickly time goes by with our little ones.

Her measurements were:
Weight: 9 pounds 10 ounces (45th percentile)
Height:  21.5 inches (48th percentile)
Head:  37.3 cm (40th percentile)

Isadora's measurements aren't that far off from Lincoln's, honestly.  She just seems so much bigger!

She's starting to develop somewhat of a routine now so I think her weight will level off a bit and we won't jump percentiles at our next visit. Then again, I could be wrong.
:)

Falling...

Yes, I know...it's been 3 weeks since I've updated!  2 kids is not an easy task. I can't believe I haven't even updated the blog with this little one's name!

Our newest addition is Isadora Marilyn.  Her name is a combination of all or grandmother's names.  My grandmas name were Doris Marie and Marian.  Kirk's grandma's names were Marie and Evelyn.  Had Lincoln been a girl, he would have been Isadora.  We had 2 other Italian names picked out so I was convinced Isadora would be born looking more like Kirk and less like me!

We haven't really settled on a nickname yet.  Everyone keeps asking.  Right now the front runner is Isa.  On the other hand, we named her Isadora because we like the name.  So who knows, maybe we'll always call her Isadora.

Having a baby around has been an adjustment.  I'm not sure if I had forgotten how much work a newborn is or if I had blocked it out.  My body has adjusted to less sleep.  I usually get a combined 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night.  Yesterday afternoon I told Kirk I was ready for another one.  By about 2:00 a.m. I told him he was crazy if he thought we'd ever do this baby thing again!  It goes without saying, though, we've fallen in love with Isadora.  She's so very sweet and I can't wait to watch her grow.

We are all doing well.  Kirk has been off work.  He goes back on Sunday.  It's going to be so hard for all of us.  It's made my life easier having him here to help during the nights and in the mornings.  Lincoln is going to day care 2 days a week.  I didn't want to completely take him off his schedule and he loves day care and hanging out with his friends.  Not to mention it allows him to let out all of his energy.

Lincoln seems to be coping well with sharing us.  We were really worried about how he'd react to having the baby around once he realized she wasn't going anywhere.  There are times when he wants our attention when we're holding the baby or when he doesn't think we hear him so he talks louder.  Both things drive us crazy, but we know it could be a lot worse.

Isadora had her pictures taken last week.  I can't wait to share the pictures with everyone!  I'll upload some pictures to the blog once I get the CD.  A big thank you to Photography by Sabreena for doing such a fantastic job!

I feel like we're taking less pictures of Isadora than we ever did of Lincoln...must be the 2nd child curse!  In our defense, our camera stinks.  Yes, I'm blaming our crummy camera on us not taking enough pictures.  We just got a new fancy, shmancy camera yesterday.  We're figuring out how to use it.  I can't wait to start taking lots of pictures.

Despite the busyness that is now our life, we have been able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.  This past weekend we went with my family to an apple orchard in Charlotte.  Being that the weather was so amazing, apparently EVERYONE in the greater Lansing area had the same idea. 

We had such a great time at the orchard!  Besides apples, there were a lot of things to do including feeding fish in a pond, pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, bounce houses, a cider mill, etc., etc., etc...so much to do!  The list goes on!!  We, of course, didn't have a chance to do everything, but we were able to feed the fishies:

We also picked a ton of apples!  A ton of them!  The orchard was large enough that you could take a train from one side of it to the other.  We weren't on the same schedule as the train and had to walk to the back of the orchard.  Which was perfectly fine because we were able to pick an even larger variety of apples.  Lincoln was a trooper and was a good little walker.

On our way home, we noticed one of the local fire stations was having an open house.  Lucky Lincoln!  He LOVES fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, (he calls them all boo-boo cars) or anything else with a siren.  There was also a helicopter (aka a chopper) there he was able to climb into.  If he could tell us, I'm pretty sure he'd tell us it was the perfect day!  Not only did he get to run wild with his cousins, he also saw fire trucks and the helicopter up close.  Lucky boy!

Hopefully with the new camera, I'll be taking more pictures.  Sorry it took so long to update!  Thanks for checking in with us!

Happy Birthday!

What an eventful day yesterday was for us!  Needless to say, right from the start, the day didn't go as planned...

We arrived at the hospital bright and early yesterday prepared for the c-section.  We had to be there at 8 for a 10:00 c.  I was so nervous!  I had hardly slept the night before.  They got me ready and prepped for surgey and did an ultrasound to be sure the baby was still breech.  I'll be darned if this crazy child wasn't head down!  I was at the doctor on Monday and she was (at least by feel, I didn't have an u/s) head down!  I never felt any giant moves, but I did feel what felt like her scaling the wall of my uterus one night.  Maybe that was when she moved?  We'll never know!

They gave us the option of going home or staying and being induced.  I was dialated to 2-3 and 50% effaced yesterday making me a good candidate for induction (or so I was told).  The idea of induction freaked me out.  I've heard stories about how painful it can be, how you go from 0-100 really quickly, and how many times people who are induced will have c-sections anyway. 

One of the reasons they encouraged me to get induced was because the baby was an "unstable lie" meaning she could have flipped at any point during the previous 4 days and she could easily turn breech again if we waited until I went into labor.  At some point, I think you have to put behind you what you hear and decide what is best for you and the situation at hand.  I was not willing to take the chance of going home, going into labor in a week, only to find out she's breech and end up with a c anyway. 

They started pitocin around 10:30ish.  They started out slowly and kept adding a little more every hour.  The doctor broke my water around 3:10ish (I know, all these -ish times) and told me that was when she would say was the beginning of labor.  My contractions immediately got stronger.  By about 3:50, or so, I was ready for an epidural.  It took the anestethiologist what felt like forevr to get there.  My OB nurse had to call her again because I was sure she she had forgotten about me.  By 4:30, the epidural was in place, but it still takes about 15-20 minutes for it to take effect.  I was in so much pain, I could hardly stand it.  I finally told the nurse I thought I had to push.  She checked me, and sure enough, the baby's head was literally RIGHT THERE!

The nurse made a mad dash for everyone to get into the room.  The doctor who broke my water was so certain I was not going to have the baby before her shift ended at 5, that she went home.  So, essentially, there was no doctor there from my office when I had the baby.  A senior resident delivered her and a doctor from another practice was there in place of my doctor.

I started pushing right away and literally, out popped the baby!  It took about 2.5 pushes and I can tell you it was officially THE WORST PAIN I HAVE EVER FELT!  Really, the pushing wasn't that painful, the contractions right before the baby was born hurt like no other pain I have ever felt.

It all happened so quickly, but it was just as miraculous the second time as the first.  Truly amazing.

Baby Schultz:

September 22, 2011
4:48 pm
6 lbs, 11oz
19 inches long

She really is living up to her nickname of Busy! 

After 24 hours, she's still doing really well.

Look at that dark hair!  She's a hairy little monster!  Can't wait to get to know this little bundle of joy even better! 

Kirk brought Lincoln up to the hospital this afternoon to meet the baby.  We weren't entirely sure what to expect from him.  He was a little hesitant at first, but warmed up to her by the time they left.

I can't wait for our two little kiddos to become the best of friends!

I will keep posting pictures and updating the blog as much as our new life with 2 little ones allows.  I know we're in for a whole new reality.  I just hope that reality allows me time to keep you all updated every now and then!

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.  We really appreciate everything!

September 22nd, 2011

Yes!  The c-section has been scheduled for next Thursday, September 22nd.  It's taken a few days, but I've come to grips with having the c-section and am feeling much comfortable about it all.  At this point I'm trying to avoid anything that may make go into labor!  I was at the grocery last night and all I could think about was walking too much and having the baby in the frozen food aisle!  The doctor last week told me they have had people come in with legs hanging out of them: I don't want to be one of those people!!

I've been concerned over the last week that people think I'm one of those annoying anti-Cesarean people.  I'm not!  I really enjoyed the whole labor process.  I wish I could find the words to describe it.  I don't consider anyone less of a mother who has had a c; that's just ridiculous.  I did a lot of research over the last week and found there are some people who actually think anyone who has had a c can't understand what it's like to be a mother.  Such crap.

Something interesting I've noticed over the last week is people's reactions when I tell them I'll be having a c.  Most of the time, if they've had children, the normal reaction is "awwww" followed by a sad face and "is there any chance she could flip?".  Kirk said he even noticed when he told someone at work and she said "awwww".  If it's someone who hasn't had children, they tell me "that's so close"!  I love that "glass half full" attitude!

I'm not going to lie: coming to terms with having a c has been hard for me.  I've been talking to a couple friends who have had c-sections and they've given me the lowdown so I know what to expect.  I feel like for everyone who tells me it was a piece of cake, there's someone else to tell me how horrible it was for them.  I know there will be a lot of pain and I know there are risks, but I don't have a choice.  I have to do this for our little girl.  (I will never understand how anyone can request a c.  Seems weird to me!)  I know how I feel matters and I understand that, but her safety is most important.  If that means having a c, then forget about me: let's do it!

I was at the doctor again today, and while the baby is still breech (in the exact same position as last week), she still hasn't settled.  Maybe there is hope after all!  I had kind of given up on trying to get her to flip seeing as I'm so pregnant and the baby is good size at this point, but I'm totally going to be back at it!  I have another appointment on Monday and we have to be at the hospital bright and early on Thursday.

Should the baby flip before my c (and after my doctor's appointment Monday), they will induce me (not my favorite idea either).  So, one way or the other, (unless I get her to flip before Monday) there will be a baby born next Thursday.

My last day of work is Wednesday.  Kirk was supposed to work through Thursday, but will now be giving up that shift.  I plan to take off through mid-December and Kirk will be off for 3 weeks.

Just wanted to give you all an update.  Thanks again for checking in.  If by some small miracle she does a flip, I'll let ya know!  :)

Updates

I can't believe Lincoln turned 2 a couple of weeks ago!  Oh my goodness, the time has flown.  Someone once told me the days go by slowly, but the years fly by.  I never realized how true this was until we had Lincoln.

With his 2 year birthday came his 2 Year Well Child Check.  I know you'll be surprised, but Lincoln is still small.

His measurements were:

Height: 33 3/4 inches (30th percentile)
Weight: 24 lbs 4 ounces (8th percentile)

The joke that he's long and lanky like his parents continues!  The Nurse Practitioner didn't have any concerns.  I don't think we'll have to go back for another year.  Crazy!!

In other news, my due date is less than 3 weeks away.  YIKES!  Now that I'm this far along, I'm making weekly visits to the doctor.  At my appointment last week, the baby still had not settled into my pelvis, so I was scheduled for an ultrasound before this week's appointment in order to check the baby's position.

I was sad to find out Busy is breech.  Not just a little breech, (for the record, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as "a little breech") but complete breech and I will most likely have to have a c-section.  I have nothing against c-sections, don't get me wrong, but I'm so bummed.  I loved labor.  Yes: loved it and this could be a.) because I have forgotten how horrible it is, or b:) I really did love it.  Love may be going a little far, but I really, truly enjoyed the whole labor process and had high hopes of going drug-free this time around.

The doctor I saw at my appointment was the doctor who delivered Lincoln.  Bless her heart when I started bawling and blubbering like an idiot about how upset I was and how badly I wanted to have the baby (can't believe I'm using this word even though it's what it is...) vaginally.  She felt terrible being the bearer of bad news and after talking to her about external version (the doctor manually turning the baby) Kirk and I have decided to go on with the c-section, unless I can turn her myself...

...which I am trying to do!!  It's a good thing Kirk had to work the night of my appointment because I was looking online and doing anything and everything the internet told me to do.  I was pretty much doing headstands in the living room.  Today I tried putting frozen veggies on the baby's head to try and get her to turn away from the cold.  Unfortunately, I don't think I'm having any luck yet.

The best thing about a c-section is that it's planned (don't have a date yet, but I'm thinking the 22nd or the 23rd) and we'll be able to get ourselves prepared and know what to expect as far as Lincoln's day goes.  I am, however, finding it so strange that we will know our baby's birth date before it happens.  So strange.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the baby is healthy.  If that means a c-section, then it's a c-section.  Truly, I'm second fiddle here...she's the boss!  I'm telling you, I've nicknamed her Busy for a reason.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning of her being a feisty, busy little thing.

We will continue to keep everyone updated and will most definitely be posting pictures when the baby is born!