Liam | In This Storm

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14 weeks of Elena & Liam gone wild!

Posted in Baby #3, Liam on May 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »

I just completed my 2nd week back at work. It’s been hard to leave Elena, but she is adjusting so well to daycare, and that makes it a lot easier. She sleeps well while there (something Liam never did as a baby) and seems content with her new surroundings. I wish she would eat more than 3 oz at a time, but that is still way better than Liam ever did away from me. It was a fight to get him to drink 1-2 ounces in a single day while at daycare! So while I’d prefer to be home with my little ones every day, I’m pleased with how things are going.

Elena:

Elena still has not mastered rolling, but she is getting so close! Her daycare teachers even commented on how close she gets to doing it. It’s a 4 month milestone, so we still have time, and I’m in no rush!
She is still such a happy girl, full of great big smiles for anyone who talks to her. I’m pretty sure I heard a laugh last week-end, too! I only heard it once, so I can’t be sure.
She has been smiling a lot at Liam lately. It usually makes him giggle.
She had a pediatric cardiologist appointment this week, and it went well! Her EKG was fine, and she weighed 11 lbs 10 oz and was 25.5″. They do think she still has SVT, but there is still time for her to outgrow it. If she hasn’t outgrown it by 18 months, then she will most likely have it the rest of her life. However, even if we think she has outgrown it by 18 months, we won’t know for sure whether she has until she is fully grown, as a lot of kids will go years without an episode and then have one.

Liam

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of Liam to add this time. He is not always very cooperative when the camera is out!

Liam has made life very interesting these past couple of weeks! The other morning I thought he was playing in the living room while I got ready for work. When Nathan went in there to get him dressed, he couldn’t find him. We looked all over for him, both inside and outside the house, and still couldn’t find him. Finally, I heard a giggle coming from the laundry room (which we had already searched), and so I went in there, and the dryer door popped open! He had crawled inside and shut the door!
He always wants to go outside. He gets quite angry when we can’t go out there with him.
If Elena is crying, he will point to her and say “uh oh baby!” And then he’ll usually grab her pacifier. He also likes to get in her face and say “Hi baby!”
He has started saying “oh” when we explain something to him (such as why he can’t do something), and he uses it in the right context. It’s so funny!

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11 weeks

Posted in Baby #3, Liam on April 15, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Here are the things that have been going on the past couple weeks!

Elena:

Elena is trying harder to grab at things. She has mastered the art of reaching out and touching things and batting at them, but still can’t quite maintain a grip on something she does manage to get.
Last night I laid her next to me on the couch, and she managed to scoot, on her back, quite a ways away from me! She was pushing off with her feet against the back of the couch and my legs. This girl has places to go!
She is trying very hard to roll from back to tummy. She can roll quite far on her side, but hasn’t made it all the way to her tummy yet.
She is turning into a squirmy monkey! She is still much calmer than Liam was (he kicked nonstop). But she moves all the time these days!
She loves to hang over our upper arm and observe her surroundings. She has also gotten really into the play mat. It’s the perfect opportunity to bat at dangling toys!
She has discovered her tongue, and likes to stick it out.
She has started chewing on things – she mostly chews on us!
She sleeps like a champ. She will sleep anywhere and is usually able to put herself to sleep.
She is growing! She can still wear 0-3 mos sizes, but she is now too long for some of her footed sleepers. I’ve put a couple 3-6 mos things on her, and they are big, but no bigger than putting 0-3 mos on a newborn. Some brands swallow her at that size though.
She is a happy, happy girl!

Liam:

Liam has had a rough couple weeks. He has had a cold all month, and he was on an antibiotic for an ear infection. Well, that didn’t go over too well – he spit it out most of the time. He kept pulling on his ears and saying “owie”, and so I took him back to the doctor. As suspected, he did have an ear infection, but he also had pneumonia! I was not expecting that one, but we were glad we took him in. They put him on another antibiotic, and we managed to get him to take this one. He’s mostly better now, thank goodness. We do have to take him in on Friday to make sure his lungs are clear.
One of his new favorite things to do is hide from us. He hides when it’s time for a bath or diaper change, or sometimes for no reason other than to have fun! Some of his favorite places are underneath or behind baby gear.
He still loves pretending to drive our cars. If we go outside, he will stand by the car or SUV and beg for the keys. If he can’t get that, he will run out back to the shed and want in there. We have a slide in the back yard for him, and he does enjoy that, but he will only play on it for a few minutes before begging for the keys.
He is starting to get a little jealous of Elena if I am holding her. If I’m holding her, then he wants held. If I put her down to hold him, he doesn’t care anymore. I’m sure this is all part of the adjustment period for him. He still seems to really love her though. He’s just not so sure about the sharing me part.
His talking gets cuter all the time. The sentence of the week is “It’s a mess!” If something falls on the floor he will say “mess” and go get the broom. He’s quite the little neat freak! I’m sure his wife will appreciate that trait one day, assuming it continues. :)

I go back to work a week from today. I’m not looking forward to that at all. At all. *sigh*

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C-Section Birth

Posted in Baby #3, Liam, Madelyn's Story on April 8, 2013 | 3 Comments »

I’ve had several conversations since Elena’s arrival about the difference between a c-section and labor. I thought it worth doing a post. I won’t get too graphic, but anyone squeamish about birth may want to stop reading!

I need to start by saying that both of my labors were induced labors, and my c-section was unplanned, so I can only share from that perspective. My first induction was extremely difficult because, at 34 weeks, my body needed to be forced into labor mode. My second induction was at 39 weeks, and my body was ready. That one was much easier, but it was still a long process to get me into labor, leaving me exhausted at the end of it. My labor itself was only 4 hours, but I had not slept for almost 24 hours by the time Liam arrived. I ended up getting an epidural both times, but also labored naturally for a good amount of time in both cases. I can say natural labor was, without a doubt, the most intense pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Granted, I was on Pitocin, and that generally causes contractions to be stronger and closer together than without it.

Post-epidural, labor became easy, at least until time to push. I didn’t feel a thing pushing Madelyn, as my epidural was stronger than with Liam – in the short time between those two births the formula used in birth epidurals had been changed. My epidural with Liam allowed me to still feel my legs somewhat, and I was able to feel the pressure of pushing. Liam was also over twice as big as Madelyn (3 lbs 4 oz v. 8 lbs 7 oz). Pushing with Liam was not as intense as labor prior to my epidural, but the pressure was definitely painful. However, it was a different kind of pain than the strong contractions because I knew how close I was to meeting him, and that made it doable. It was even what I would describe as exhilarating.

My c-section birth was so different. I went to the hospital expecting to be sent home after an NST. I had a c-section instead, and she was here in no time at all. I was nervous about labor, but I was scared out of my mind about a c-section. It is a good thing it all happened so fast, because I didn’t have too much time to be afraid.

I love the pictures below, because they show so much of what I felt that night. Thanks again to Donna Harris
Photography for these amazing images (they make me want to become a birth photographer!).

The first image conveys my fear so well. I was afraid of the surgery, and afraid of why Elena’s heart was skyrocketing. The second shows nerves giving way to anticipation of her arrival. In the third, I am filled with joy, because she arrived. The fourth speaks for itself, as I see my baby on the outside for the first time.

The emotions are all the same, but faster with a c-section. And then the surgery itself is easy and painless. Then recovery happens.

Recovery from a traditional delivery is hard and causes soreness for a couple weeks. The c-section causes soreness too, but in a different location, making it difficult to get up from sitting to standing. And the sore, bruised-like feeling continues for many more weeks. I was also on pain medications for about a week with a c-section, but never had to take them after my other births. I also had one day of really bad pain after my c-section, even with painkillers. However that may have been magnified by a baby in the NICU and knowing Liam was mad at me for being gone.

I think that covers it from my experience. If I were planning another baby, I would go for a VBAC – my OB even said there was no reason I would need to have another c-section in the future. Having said that, a c-section was not nearly as bad as I had always imagined, and if I ever needed to do it again, I would not be as afraid. Of course, we’re not planning more children, so that’s all moot. However, if any of my friends ever need a c-section, hopefully I can help to reassure them.

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Elena 9 weeks & Liam 27 months & Easter

Posted in Baby #3, Liam on April 1, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

I am constantly thinking “I need to remember to make a note of x or y on the blog”. The problem is, by the time I get around to blogging, I forget most of it. And I’m even worse about picking up pen and baby book and noting things that way. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to do quick little bullet point updates about my children so I can at least remember the things I don’t want to forget.

Elena is such a happy, smiley baby. She is constantly smiling at Nathan, me, Liam, and her toys. I love when she smiles at Liam!
Liam showers Elena with kisses every single day. He tries to go straight for her mouth, but I try to prevent that right now, since he’s been sick. When he can’t get at her mouth, he goes for her head.
Elena is lifting and holding up her head very well, but she gets wobbly after a while.
Elena has become quite vocal the past couple weeks. We are hearing lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” out of her.
She loves to make eye contact with us, and her whole face lights up when she sees us.
Liam is going through a major language explosion. He’s been talking for a while, of course, but he is becoming easier and easier to understand, and is starting to speak more in sentences. For example, in the past I would say “Liam, what is that?” and he would say “duck! (or whatever the answer is)”. And now he will say “It’s a duck!” instead.
He likes to do fun things over and over. His great-grandma Shirley was here a week ago, and she would lift him high in the air, and every time she would put him back on the ground he would say “again!”.
He still likes Elmo, but he is branching out. His favorite show currently is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His favorite books are, by far, still his llama llama books. He also loves dinosaur books. Another favorite is “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”.

Yesterday was Easter, and we had such a great day! Liam was very excited about his Easter basket. His favorite items were his new sunglasses, his bubbles, and his new automobile puzzle. Naturally, Elena didn’t care about her basket, but she does enjoy looking at her new book and her bright pink elephant toy I got for her car seat. After church, we visited with some amazing friends, and Liam got to do an Easter egg hunt both at church and at the home of our friends. I was pleasantly surprised with how much he enjoyed looking for the eggs, and it made me want to hide eggs in our house for him to hunt! I look forward to next year already!

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1 month to 6 weeks

Posted in Baby #3, Liam on March 11, 2013 | 2 Comments »

It has been 11 days since Elena’s 1 month checkup, and I haven’t updated here! I try to document everything here so I can add it to the baby book later. Plus, I enjoy going back to read Liam’s updates, so I know I will thank myself down the road to continue with the updates. While I never want to get so focued on documenting that I fail to enjoy the experience, I also know my memory can only hold so many details. Creating a record will allow me to relive these days over and over in much more detail than I trust my mind to maintain.

At her one month checkup Elena was 10 pounds even and 22.9″. This puts her between the 50th and 75th percentiles for weight, and at the 100th percentile for height. She is one tall girl! It will be interesting to see if that continues.

She is smiling more and more, especially at Nathan. It seems I have to work a little harder for my smiles. I’m also pretty sure I have heard a few little giggles, but I’m not positive about that. I am sure it will be unmistakable soon enough. She is strong – during tummy time she can lift her head very well. When we are holding her upright, she moves her body all around and will manage to make her way from one of our shoulders to the other. She’s also starting to be more vocal. I’ve heard lots of vowel sounds, and the other day I heard the “g” sound for the first time. I remember Liam making that sound.

Liam still adores his baby sister. A couple nights ago she was crying, and he tried to give her his stuffed animal. He also likes to kiss her on the head. He does such a good job throwing diapers away for us and putting her clothes in the hamper to be washed.

I had my 6 week checkup last Friday, and got the all clear to lift Liam again. I actually started doing it about a week ahead of my checkup, even though I technically did not have permission to do that yet. It was worth it though, because it seems to have helped him cope with everything. He is not acting out nearly as much as he was during the first month. He’s still unpredictable at night – we never know how easy it is going to be to get him to sleep or how many times he will wake up in a given night.

And now it’s time for some pictures.

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The end of an era

Posted in Baby #3, Liam, pregnancy after loss, Updates on February 8, 2013 | 2 Comments »

We have decided. Our family is complete.

I know this is the right decision. And truly, I’m ready to enter the next phase of our lives, focusing on raising the beautiful children we have here on earth, as well as carrying on the memory of our daughter in heaven. Yet, as with any chapter’s end, it’s not easy to turn that final page.

The truth is, pregnancy isn’t easy for me on an emotional level. I spend so much time on edge, worrying about how sick I am or am not, wondering if the baby is moving enough or too much, among many other things. And we’ve had a NICU team in the room with us for every single birth. So we should probably stop while we’re ahead. I certainly wouldn’t take a chance on another unassisted pregnancy, and we simply couldn’t afford another procedure. Childcare is expensive as well. So we are done. And I can’t emphasize enough that our family is PERFECT. The children I have do not leave me wanting.

But letting go is hard.

Pregnancy and birth, while not always easy or uneventful for us, are beautiful, and I feel so very blessed to have been able to experience them the times that I have. They have been a huge part of my existence these past several years, and it’s hard to picture life without them. It’s hard to imagine that I will never again feel my baby moving inside of me. And any newly born baby I hold in the future will not be my own.

We have much to look forward to as a family. And I still have a newborn to hold and snuggle. But I know how fast this goes. I’m on maternity leave now, but in 10 more weeks I go back to work, and it will never be like this again. So I’m determined to cherish every single second.

As for pregnancy and birth, I will always look back on those times with fondness. And while it isn’t easy to say adieu, I am grateful that doing so is our choice. Some have that choice made for them, and I do not take this privilege lightly.

So the new plan is to live the lives we have built for ourselves. To raise our children with love. And to put every effort into enjoying every single day of the lives we have been given.

Time moves too quickly to do anything else.

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Liam’s First Haircut

Posted in Liam on January 16, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Liam had his first haircut on January 5, 2013, the morning before his birthday party. We took him to one of those places that specializes in cuts for children. He was able to sit in a truck and watch Elmo the entire time.

At first he was a little unsure.

But then he started having a great time!

He didn’t want it to end!

After several failed attempts, I finally got a picture of the finished product.

His hair is still curly, but so much easier to maintain now!

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This week-end, Liam will have another first, but of a much more sober nature. Yesterday, Liam’s Great-Grandpa John Mohr left this earth behind and went to his eternal home. Thoughts and prayers for the family will be appreciated as we attend the funeral and everyone says their last good-byes.

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Happy birthday to Liam

Posted in Liam on January 9, 2013 | 1 Comment »

This post is a bit late, but…

How in the world is my little man 2 years old? TWO!?!?!?

It seems only yesterday I was in the delivery room preparing for his arrival. And now, he is a full-blown toddler and his little sister will be here soon.

It’s amazing how much parenthood can change a person’s life. If I’m being honest, it definitely has its frustrating moments. But all of those are largely overshadowed by the sweet kisses, the snuggles, the smiles and giggles, and so much more love than I ever knew could exist.

He is testing boundaries, as any two-year-old does. And when I find myself at a loss for how to react or how to get him to understand what is acceptable and what is not, he’ll reach up and sweetly touch my face and bring me in for a kiss. Or he’ll lay his head on my shoulder for a few moments. Sometimes he even grabs my hand and wraps my arm tightly around himself.

He is becoming such a little boy, and I know I’ll be seeing more of that as this year passes. By the time he is three, I’m sure very little “baby” will remain in him. And it’s bittersweet, really. It makes me sad to realize how fast this is going. I know it will only feel like a blink of an eye before he’s starting Kindergarten, or I’m taking him in for his drivers’ test, or we’re sending him off to college. And I’m sure even then I’ll see glimpses of the baby boy who still would rather sleep snuggled against me than anywhere else.

But I’m also so excited for all of the fun and excitement ahead. We have so much lfie to experience together and many, many memories to make. And so rather than be sad about the passing time, or dread the inevitable separation in the future, my goal is to focus on the now. To cherish each day for the day that it is. And my number one wish for him right now is to create a childhood that he will one day look back upon with nothing but fondness.

As I already mentioned, he got sick with the flu a few days before his birthday party that was scheduled on December 29. Thankfully, we were able to switch the party to January 5 without much difficulty.

The theme was Elmo, his favorite character, and he got a kick out of all of the decorations. I kept them low-key this year, as it is not easy to plan a party as pregnant as I currently am!

He especially loved his Elmo balloon.

And, of course, he enjoyed his chocolate cupcake!

Next we opened presents.

It was a great celebration and a wonderful day!

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Christmas 2012 & post-Christmas troubles

Posted in Liam on January 6, 2013 | 2 Comments »

When we decided to have children, we also decided that we wanted to be home every Christmas morning. However, this year, it just didn’t work out that way. We decided Liam is still too young for that to be an issue, and so we made ourselves flexible so we could spend time with family members we otherwise would not have gotten to see!

Rather than have one crazy, hectic Christmas week-end, we decided to open our Christmas presents at home on Saturday, December 15 after hanging our Christmas lights. Liam got so excited about the lights, and was a little helper.

Every night since, he comes home and wants them to be turned on, after which point he exclaims “lights!”. It’s fun to see him so excited, and I know next year will be even more sweet as he begins to more fully comprehend what Christmas means.

Liam’s big present from this year was an iPod Touch 4. Some may be rolling their eyes here. However, it really is the best present we could have gotten him. He is absolutely obsessed with our iPhones, and this keeps him from playing with those (and making repetitive calls to friends and family and who knows where else). We loaded it with several toddler-friendly apps, and it is the perfect thing to entertain him on the 40 minute drive to and from daycare each day. Screaming time has greatly diminished, and so I have no regrets about this purchase. He also received 4 new books and a pair of house shoes from us. He loves the books, especialy “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?”. He isn’t so sure about the house shoes, but maybe he will adjust to them! We also got him some bath paints, and so his new favorite bathtime pastime is painting our tub and himself!

On Saturday, December 22, we had Christmas with some of our grandparents and my parents in Evansville, IN. Liam had a lot of fun opening and playing with his new toys. He also got to visit with some distant cousins and spend time with family members who had either never seen him or not seen him in a year! Unfortuantely, on this day he was exposed to the flu and, as I’ll explain more later, he did catch it.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we spend time with Nathan’s family. Christmas Eve was with Nathan’s mom’s side of the family, and on Christmas Day we opened presents with his parents, and then with his grandparents on his dad’s side. Liam had a great time, and was spoiled beyond measure! We all were!

Now, I must back up to Christmas Day to begin the saga of our bad luck that followed after Christmas! First, on Christmas Eve, we woke up without hot water, and not much to be done about it since it was during the Christmas holiday. We had hoped to get the hot water fixed by Wednesday, but it didn’t happen. After having several friends and 2 plumbers assess the situation, we finally discovered the cause of the water not heating was due to a leak beneath our house. A friend of ours helped us fix it on Monday – so we were without regular hot water for 7 days!

On top of the hot water situation, Liam woke up the day after Christmas (Wednesday) with a fever. It was only a low grade fever, and after calling the pediatrician’s office, their recommendation was that we keep an eye on things and bring him in the next day if it got any higher. Well, it did, and they tested him for the influenza virus, and it was positive. He ran a fever until Saturday, December 29, which was supposed to be the day of his birthday party! So, we had to reschedule that for January 5. Thankfully he seems to be doing better now.

As if the lack of hot water and the flu virus weren’t enough to make for a bad week, Nathan’s grandpa was also admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, and there was some concern about whether he would recover. Thankfully, he seems to be doing better, but could use continued good thoughts and prayers.

I’m glad to be on the other side, or mostly on the other side, of all of that!

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December 2012 Family Portraits by Donna Harris Photography

Posted in Baby #3, Liam on January 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »

I’m slowly but surely getting caught up on my picture uploading! As promised several weeks ago, here are some highlights of our photography session with Donna Harris Photography. She does such amazing work – anyone looking for an awesome photogrpaher should check out her page!