Kaylee meets Chloe

Kaylee came to the hospital today to meet her brand new little sister. When she arrived, the nurse was taking Chloe to the nursery for a check-up, and Kaylee got to see her in the hallway briefly as they wheeled Chloe down the hall in her bassinet. Mom, Dad and Paul then headed to Waterloo Ice House for lunch, and left Kaylee with me. I was able to play with Kaylee and her baby doll FeBe, practicing putting on a diaper, etc. Then I asked Kaylee if she wanted to go see Baby Chloe again, and she said "yes", so we headed down to the nursery, and watched Chloe from the window. The nurse then brought Chloe back to our room, and Kaylee was formerly introduced to her little sister. I asked her if she wanted to hold the baby, and she nodded "yes", but then was a little timid when I tried to put the baby in her lap. We decided that it was best if mama hold the baby, and Kaylee just help mama. Kaylee was very, very good with Chloe, and wanted to put the pacifier in Chloe's little mouth over and over and over. She also helped me change a wet diaper by handing me wipes and helping with the velcro fasteners. (She pointed to the umbilical cord too and said "Ewww!"). After a while, she pointed to the bassinet, and said "all done", so I put Chloe back in her bed and Kaylee and I moved on to coloring for a while. Overall, it was a VERY positive experience. I was pleased. Everyone knows how nervous I was about the introductions, and how Kaylee would react!! But Kaylee continues to amaze me with her kind heart and gentle soul, and I now believe that she is going to be my little trooper, my little helper, my little hero. I was so proud of her today - it brought tears to my eyes! When Paul returned with my parents, Kaylee continued to prove why she is the BEST big sis, and showed her Pa how to put the pacifier in the baby's mouth again... here's a pic of her with Chloe.

Chloe passes her hearing test

Let's not forget about the Big Sister!

LONG Day, but FINALLY done... here's the summary.

It has been a long day. We got to the hospital a little after 8, and got the process going. I was 5cm when I arrived, without contractions. So, everyone (including my doc) thought it would be a short time until delivery once they started pitocin, and Paul predicted to be holding our little girl by 2. But, it didn't quite work out that way. I pushed without much success for a little while, then they decided to let me "labor down" for a while and let my contractions work their natural magic. I started pushing again after some wait, and pushed, and pushed with very slow success. After two hours of solid pushing with every contraction, my epidural was pretty much worn off, and I was exhausted, frustrated and emotional. Dr. Bushart decided that "enough was enough", and that he needed to get the baby out. He had to use forceps, and pull HARD to help the baby come out. Meanwhile, my epidural was practically gone, and I was in a LOT of pain. He pulled for a minute, and then said to the nurse that the baby was stuck - so he got a better grip and pulled again. It turned out that the baby was "sunny side up", which had been complicating things further, in addition to my "difficult anatomy" issues. Buzz was finally able to get her out, and everything was perfect after that. The baby is now sleeping peacefully, and is absolutely precious. I'm exhausted, but doing well. We really appreciate all the love and support, phone calls and emails, cookies and balloons!! We are very blessed to have such great family and friends, and can't wait for you to meet our new little one.
Love, Christy and Paul

Chloe is here!

Welcome to the world.

At Seton Hospital

Just checked in....babies heart rate is 132. Everyone is doing fine. They just broke Christy's water. She is almost dilated to 5cm. Still no contractions. Baby should be here soon.

Inducing tomorrow!!

Well, I guess tomorrow will be the big day. Despite my efforts to induce labor on my own, I'm still sitting here, waiting... and waiting...

My doctor ("Buzz") said that I am dilated to 4cm on Tuesday afternoon, but still no contractions. So, we will head to the hospital at 8am tomorrow morning to get a little help from the doc. I am getting more and more concerned that this L&D may go quickly, and I don't want to be too far from the hospital!!!

Stay tuned to our blog tomorrow - we will be updating our progress periodically throughout the day, so that our family and friends can stay informed as to the progress of welcoming our new baby girl!! We are very excited to see her, and introduce her to her big sis Kaylee!!

When?? When??

We are on the downhill slide into adding our second little girl to the family! While I am not "officially" due until March 4, we have decided (with our doctor's advice, of course) to induce on Feb. 26, one week earlier than the due date. Kaylee was exactly one week early as well. At my last doctor's appointment, "Buzz" (my doctor, Dr. Bushart) said I was dilated 2cm, 50% effaced, and the head was "locked into position"! Of course, these numbers mean nothing really - other than there is no turning back, and that I better not take a vacation now. So, it could be any minute now, or it might be another week - there is no scientific formula. My back issues from a few weeks ago have resolved, which is a nice change. I am feeling great for the most part, but am definitely feeling big and more and more uncomfortable. It is hard to get comfortable at night to sleep.

We would like to think that Kaylee is excited, but the reality is that she probably doesn't really understand the whole concept, or realize that her little world is about to be turned upside down. She definitely loves her baby dolls, and plays with them a lot. She knows where her baby sister is, and will lift up my shirt and point at my big, round belly. She has felt the baby move, and sometimes squeals when the baby gives her a big kick. But what does she really think about the big belly? Probably just that mama needs to go on a diet!!

When not playing with her assortment of baby dolls, Kaylee is usually focused on her box of books. Her language is increasing, and she loves to go through the books and label everything (or ask "what's that"). Her articulation is not great yet, but mama and dada understand her! You can tell she really, really wants to talk more, and trys to repeat any new words she hears. She has a lot of signs that she has learned at school, which is awesome, except that sometimes we don't know what all the signs are!! Her school teachers report that she is the only kiddo in her class (of 10 kids) that has not ever had to go to "time out", and they say she is also the most polite of all the "2ish" kids. She almost always says "please" and "thank you". Her manners also extend to being a great helper - she likes to help "clean up", and will put her dish (and the dog dishes) in the sink when she is finished (imagine our surprise the first time she put her plate in the sink! We had no idea that she even knew what a sink was!! We just overheard something "crash" in the kitchen sink, and turned around to realize she had figured it out on her own!!)

Anyway, she is a LOT of fun watching her grow - she keeps us entertained (and surprises us) all the time. I think initially it is going to be hard for her when we bring home her sister, but we are confident that she will "come around" quickly and be a GREAT big sis and a big helper for her mama...

When we head to the hospital, we are planning on taking our computer, and updating this blog regularly throughout the process... sending updates/pics of our progress! So, check back, and stay tuned!!