Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Remmy's first week at home

The first week home flew by.  It makes me sad that they are only so little for so long.  My recovery has been great.  I was able to take a nap every day with my mom (and Mike) being here and the engorgement is finally starting to go down.

Remmy is a good eater and sleeper.  She gets up once a night and has done one 4 1/2 hour stretch and one 6 hour stretch.  I hope she keeps it up!  She is so calm and sweet - she must know she's the 3rd child.

Jake has surprisingly done better adjusting than Brooklyn.  He is really sweet with her - will come and give her a kiss on the head and then is on his way.  Brooklyn does fine with her, but has been more whiny and clingy.  It is getting better each day and I feel like she's getting back to her normal self.






Since I was in the hospital on Jake's birthday, we celebrated the day I got home.  My mom bought cupcakes and he opened his presents that night.





My mom gave Jake this Little Tikes car...he loves it.  Brooklyn has her bike to ride and he now has this.  John and I gave him a tool bench with accessories, a semi truck with cars inside it, and some action figures.  



I had my mom give Remmy a bottle when she was just a few days old and give her one every few days since.  I wanted her to take a bottle just like Brooklyn and Jake did.  It makes it so much easier sometimes going places when they will take a bottle.



Remmy is in the pack n' play in John and I's room

My friend Mandy and I had planned a small birthday party for Jake and her daughter Reese.  I knew I wouldn't be doing anything big with having a baby, so this worked out perfect.  We had pizza and cupcakes at the park and invited a few friends.  It was hot (as you can tell by the kids faces in the pictures).  John and I took Brooklyn and Jake and left my mom at home with Remmy (who was just 4 days old).

Lexi, Reese, and Brooklyn

sweaty and red faced




Mike flew in on Thursday.  My kids love him and always get so excited when he visits.  It was so fun having him and my mom here to help and keep me company.  Mike was a good sport about doing all our daily activities and entertaining the kids.





My friend Alison took some newborn pictures of Remmy for me.  I don't have them back yet, but snapped a few with my phone while she was taking her pictures.



Mike and I took the older kids swimming (well Mike took them swimming and I sat on the side and watched).  It will be nice when I can get in the pool again because it is hot!



My friend Khyra had her little girl Shae just 4 days after I had Remmy.  I went and saw her once she got home from the hospital.  We compared the girls and Remmy was a giant next to her already :) 

This was so sweet.  Jake woke up one day from his nap and cuddled with Mike for a good half hour after.  He never does this.  


Mike left yesterday and my mom leaves Saturday.  I love having visitors and will miss them both so much.  I'm anxious to see how real life with 3 kids goes.  I started working again last week - wanted to do it while I still had help here and can get caught up and adjusted.  I hope I can keep it up because the extra money sure is helpful! 

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

hospital stay

Even though I was frustrated at the hospital with certain things, like how slow my labor went, overall I can't complain.  It is a smaller hospital, so they don't let you send your baby to the nursery during the night.  I was a little worried about this because with my other babies that's what I did so I could sleep.  But thankfully Remmy was a gem and slept a lot so I was able to as well.
 
I loved looking over at her sweet face in the bassinet 


She has much lighter hair than Brooklyn and Jake did.  I hope she stays blonde.  It also looks like she has blue eyes...but I know it's too early to tell.  It would be fun to have a brown hair/brown eyed girl and a blonde hair/blue eyed girl.

My mom flew in on Sunday.  John and the kids picked her up and then he dropped her and Brooklyn off at the hospital.  Brooklyn did much better this time seeing me and Remmy.  My mom held the baby while I was able to have some time with just Brooklyn.


John eventually came with Jake and since it was his birthday, brought the present Grandma Mortensen had sent him for his birthday.  I felt bad that we didn't do anything on his actual birthday, but luckily he didn't know the difference.







I love her double chin :)  John thinks she has relief society arms too.

All packed up and ready to go home!  I went home Monday morning.  John started clinic that morning and wasn't able to get out of orientation, so I had my friend Alison pick us up.  We only live 2 minutes from the hospital.

I was excited to go home and get back to normal life with Brooklyn and Jake.  I think they were ready to have their mom home!  But I also loved having that alone, quiet time with Remmy.  It was different being away from family and having a baby...not as many visitors, but some of my friends came (Mandy, Kayla, Kandas, Janet, and Alison) which was so nice to have their company.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Remmy Mae

Remmy Mae was born on Saturday, May 31st at 2:56 pm.  She was 8 pounds 20 inches.  She is the best little baby and we love her so much.

The birth story - I had a doctor appointment on Wednesday and was only at a 1.  My induction date was set for June 11th, which was only 1 day before my due date (this was because it fell on a Saturday and because the hospital was full the days before that).  I left so frustrated because I knew she was already big (both Brooklyn and Jake were 8 pounds) and I didn't want her to be 10 pounds.  I felt like I was near the end, but 2 more weeks sounded so far away.  I scheduled my next doctors appointment for the following Wednesday.

Friday morning I woke up at 5 and was having contractions that were 20 minutes apart.  They felt like the contractions I had with Jake when I went in to labor, but those were 5 minutes apart.  We had planned on going to the Science Museum with some friends...so I got ready anyway.  The contractions stayed about 20 minutes apart all day.  Around 8 that night my friend Mandy and I went to party city to get some things for Jake and Reese's upcoming birthday party at the park.  She dropped me off around 9 and a few minutes after I got home the contractions started coming about every 5-6 minutes apart.  I always hate knowing what to do and when to go to the hospital.  I waited a couple hours and finally called Mandy to come back and sleep on our couch.  John and I got to the hospital around 11:30 and they put me in triage.  I was at a 3, having consistent contractions every 5 minutes.  They told me to walk the halls for an hour and if I made progress, they would admit me (this hospital was great but also very frustrating.  They have very strict rules - you have to be 39 weeks or at a 4/5 to be admitted).  John and I walked around for 40 minutes.  I didn't want to be dealing with the contractions anymore so I asked if they'd check me again.  I was at a 4 and admitted!  I text Mandy and let her know we'd be staying.

hanging out in triage

They got me a room and I asked for the epidural.  They said they had to wait for my lab results to come back before they could.  So finally around 3:30 the anesthesiologist came in.  Once I was nice and comfortable they said the on call doctor (my doctor didn't deliver me because it was over the weekend) would be in in the morning to break my water.  They wouldn't give me any pitocin because I wasn't 39 weeks. 



I waited....and waited.....and waited.  I didn't sleep all night because I was so anxious/excited and thought for sure she'd be born early in the morning.  The nurse came in around 8 the next morning and I was still at a 5. I wasn't making any progress on my own and they still wouldn't give me any pitocin.  This went on all morning...I slowly got to a 6, then a 7.  Finally around 1:30 the doctor, who I still hadn't seen, told them to give me some pitocin.  The nurse kept telling me the doctor would be in soon to break my water.  I finally saw him around 2 and he said he'd be back soon to break my water.  But they he got called to the OR.  During that time I felt my water break on its own.  I called the nurse and she checked me but didn't think it really had.  I told her I felt something and she checked again and sure enough it had.  There wasn't very much fluid - they thought most of it was behind the baby.  I was at a 10 and ready to go.  We waited another 20 minutes before the doctor came back in.  I pushed twice and she was out - no episiotomy, just a couple stitches.

They put a towel on my stomach and then put her on it.  She stopped crying once I started talking to her - so sweet.  John cut the cord...I held her for a few minutes and then they weighed and measured her. 



They gave her back to me once they were done.  She was so calm and eventually opened her eyes and just looked at John and I.



John gets emotional when his girls are born.  I got emotional when Jake was born.  I couldn't cry...I was so happy and excited to have her in my arms.




Everyone left the room and it was just John and I and Remmy the first hour of her life.  We held her and talked to her.  I eventually nursed her for the first time and she did great - latched right on.  We sent pictures and stats to family and close friends.  It was the perfect hour.


John went to the nursery and watched them bathe her while they moved me to my room.  They don't let the dads bathe their babies at this hospital, just watch.  John took video of it so I could see it too.



fresh and clean from her bath - with a funny looking bow they made out of a hat

Mandy, who also had my kids all day (she is a saint!), brought the kids to the hospital around dinner time.  They were both so tired, neither napped that day, and I think unsure of what I was doing in the hospital bed, with an IV.  Jake wanted nothing to do with anyone.  Brooklyn wanted to hold Remmy but wouldn't come close to me.  She finally sat at the end of the bed.





Mandy took a quick family picture and then I had John take the kids home.  They were done and nothing could console them.  I felt bad that John had to take them home alone, but was very grateful to be staying in the quiet hospital alone with my new girl :) 




We named her Remmy Mae, not after anyone, but just because we liked it.  John and I have a hard time agreeing on names and usually still don't have a name even after they are born.  When I was about 30 weeks pregnant John mentioned the name Remmy and at first I wasn't too sure about it.  It grew on me though and now I love it.  I picked Mae for the middle name - I wanted something short and sweet.  She already fits perfectly in our family and I couldn't ask for a more calm, sweet little girl.