No matter where I take Cooper, one question friends and strangers always are asking is, "How is he sleeping?". I'm honest, I laugh at this question. Cooper likes to sleep like all babies do, but he just doesn't sleep for very long, or at predictable times. When he is finally asleep I rush around like a crazy lady tending to my older neglected children, frantically trying to wash laundry, dishes, and cook dinners, and then also find time to shower and make myself feel good. Not easy to do!
To answer this loaded question though, Cooper has been sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night which has been nice. I've been averaging 5-6 hours of sleep a night, which is less than I like, but I'm still functioning without the assistance of caffeine, so it works. I'm actually usually calm and cool with whatever happens at home being short of sleep, but the dragon lady does show up from time to time.
The biggest frustration with Cooper's sleeping is that it's not easy to predict when he will sleep. Some days he eats and goes right back to sleep and I can get up with my big boys, shower, and even eat breakfast. Other days (like today for example) I'm nursing, burping, rocking, changing, and soothing Cooper until he falls asleep from exhaustion, then I rush to get as much done in the time I have before he's up again. While Colten and Carson haven't said anything to me, I'm sure they're frustrated with Mommy always rushing off to care for a baby instead of them. I'm just thankful that they are both so independent that they can for the most part eat breakfast, get dressed, and watch cartoons by themselves with minimal intervention from me.
How is Cooper different from the others as far as sleeping? Well, he's different in that he is mellower than either Colten or Carson were, and doesn't seem to have the gas/reflux pains that I so vividly remember Carson having. Cooper's problem is that he REALLY likes his Mommy. He doesn't like being set down, not in a bouncy seat or even the swing that Carson loved. He wants to be with me, preferably nursing, but just being held is enough to send him to dreamland. Then I get to try to put him down in the cradle and pray that he somehow stays asleep. He does take the pacifier at times and that helps, but it is not a regular thing. The greatest thing to put Cooper to sleep is my Baby K'Tan carrier. I found out about it from my friend Jenny and it is the best for when I need to get things done and Cooper isn't wanting to be anywhere but with me.
I'm sure this sleep thing will only get better with time so I'm not too worried. In fact, right now Cooper's sleeping in his swing for the first time. I put him in it so I could quickly put Carson down for a nap and when I came back, he was snoozing! He's been there for the last two hours so I've been able to get things done around the house!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Only one life left
Our cat Wendel, (don't ask about the name, it's a LONG story!), had been missing since before Cooper was born. He's been gone for more than a week before and shown up at home, but this time we had a bad feeling about his disappearance. After three weeks of being gone, Tony and I had assumed he had been coyote or bobcat bait. Friday afternoon the boys were playing outside while I was nursing Cooper and Carson came running inside claiming to have heard a cat in the trees. I went outside thinking the boys had heard something else, and what did I find? Wendel was about 50 feet up in a tree. He was meowing and tried to move when he heard me, but couldn't get down the tree. After a quick call to Tony, he got his friend Tom to come out to the house and rescue the cat. Tom works for the telephone company so he used his spiked shoes to climb up the tree, put the cat in a duffel bag, and lower him to the ground.
You might wonder what shape this cat was in. It wasn't pretty. I took him to the vet yesterday and he had lost several pounds, but he checked out as healthy and has no major injuries. He did have a bit of a limp due to some strained tendons, but those should work themselves out in a few days.
At first we thought that Bandit the racoon might have chased Wendel up the tree. We think it may have been something else that chased him up the tree after today though. Today my mother-in-law saw a young bobcat walking up the driveway and brought in our dogs. Next thing she knew, our other cat, Bob, was streaking across the yard with the bobcat behind him. Maybe Wendel nearly missed becoming bobcat bait.
We are just happy to have both cats home and healthy.
You might wonder what shape this cat was in. It wasn't pretty. I took him to the vet yesterday and he had lost several pounds, but he checked out as healthy and has no major injuries. He did have a bit of a limp due to some strained tendons, but those should work themselves out in a few days.
At first we thought that Bandit the racoon might have chased Wendel up the tree. We think it may have been something else that chased him up the tree after today though. Today my mother-in-law saw a young bobcat walking up the driveway and brought in our dogs. Next thing she knew, our other cat, Bob, was streaking across the yard with the bobcat behind him. Maybe Wendel nearly missed becoming bobcat bait.
We are just happy to have both cats home and healthy.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Two weeks old
Cooper Alan, you are two weeks old today. It is amazing how fast the time goes by. You've grown so be in just 2 weeks. You are now 21 1/2 inches long and weigh in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. Your eyesight is alreay improving and you will turn your head to look at someone new. Your big brothers adore you and are great helpers with you; fetching diapers, giving you your binky, and talking to you to keep you happy. Everyone likes to ask how you are sleeping, and you sleep, but never when Mommy wants you to. You are starting to get into some kind of routine and will often sleep 3 hours in a stretch at night. I think I'm doing surprisingly well for being sleep deprived and not having any caffeine to stay awake. For the most part you are an easy going baby. You go everywhere the family goes and let just about anyone hold you. I'm still your favorite person though; I've got the food. I am constantly amazed at how strong you are. You can already pick your head up and turn it to the other side when you are on your tummy. I try to take time each day to just look at you. I marvel at the miracle you are, how perfect you are, and how fast you are growing.
How far along: Two Weeks post-partum
Weight gain (or loss): -13 pounds from when I went to the hospital
Cravings: Milk, chocolate still, ice cream!
Good moments: Every time you look at me with your milky little smile, watching you sleep and your facial expressions changing, watching you nurse and your love of food, just about everytime you're not screaming, which isn't often. Oh, and being able to sleep on my stomach again, not that I sleep that much though.
What I miss: Feeling you kick me from inside, trying to play "what's that body part?" I also miss having clothes that look good on me. All my 3rd trimester clothes hang on my body, while my normal clothes are still too tight. Many of my shirts are either too loose in the belly area and obviously maternity clothes, or too tight in the bust and gut and show my not-so-flattering belly. I'm going to have to do some digging to find my "fat" clothes.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Bye Bye Bandit the Racoon!
For those of you who were unaware, our family has been fostering a baby racoon for the past two months. She has been getting progressively more and more difficult to control and aggressive. Bandit has been destroying my flowers, getting into everything in the garage, sneaking into the house and in general, being a royal pain for the family to deal with. Don't get me wrong, she's cute and all that, but cute doesn't compare with interrupting daily life. Bandit pushed things too far this Wednesday. Jenny was here hanging out with her kids and Bandit played with Patrick too roughly. She also got into Jenny's van and into all the snacks making a big mess. She even tried getting into our jeep that night. Tony and I decided it was time to take Bandit back to the wild. Yesterday Tony took her on a quad ride to the thousand acres of forest land back behind our development. Tony knew of a beaver pond back there away from other roads or houses to take her. She was fine when he released her, and Tony saw lots of other racoon prints around the pond so we are hoping she will make lots of friends there. The boys are bummed, but understand. And today, for the first time since getting her, we were able to have the screen door open and eat on our patio.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
How it all came to be
For those of you interested in the details of how Cooper was born, here they all are.
Tony and I found out we were scheduled to be induced Wednesday morning. We were supposed to be at the hospital by 6 am, but we were running behind. I got admitted to maternity by 7 am. My nurse had a nursing student shadowing her that day so I got to be a teaching tool for someone. It took a while to get my IV in, it took three tries and I have some nasty bruises from the first two attempts. Once the IV was in pitocin (contraction medicine) was started. My doctor showed up a little before 9 to break my water. THAT was painful and definitely NOT fun. Things were progressing so I got my epidural pain relief around 11 and was 80% effaced and almost 5 cm dilated. I started getting some sharp pains shooting from my hip down my left leg around 12:30 and asked the anesthesiologist what he could do to help. After consulting with the nurses and my doc, he decided that Cooper was pushing up against a nerve in my pelvis and that was causing the pain. I got a little extra added to the epidural to try to help. As my contractions continued to get stronger, so did the shooting pain. By 2 I was having a difficult time not being very vocal (screaming) through the pain. Because it was caused by a nerve in my pelvis, there was nothing that could be done to stop the pain other than to get the baby to move off the nerve. By then I had progressed to an almost 10 cm and was 100% effaced. My nurses got my doctor and I was encouraged to start pushing through the pain. That was really the hardest thing I had to do! I think everyone in maternity knew how miserable I was. Even the poor anesthesiologist waited outside and felt bad he couldn't help. I'm sure I almost broke a few bones in Tony's and my nurse's hands trying to push Cooper out. It didn't take long to figure out he was facing sideways- towards my hip and that his fat face had caused all my pain. Once he was born at 2:42, all the pain went away. Altogether, my labor only took almost 8 hours. It wasn't the greatest labor, but I only had one small tear to give me any lasting pain.
Cooper was born with one loop of his umbilical cord around his neck. It was loose, so it wasn't a big worry, but it scared Tony. Cooper also popped out and immediately proceeded to poop and pee all over me. His APGAR scores were 8 and 9 (out of 10) so he was really healthy. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. I find it interesting that none of my pregnancies seem to follow the "normal assumptions". Each of my consecutive pregnancies has been longer than the prior one, instead of shorter like normal. Each of my babies has weighed less than the prior one instead of more like normal.
My mother-in-law brought the boys to the hospital to visit us and Colten was really excited to see Cooper and me. Carson seemed to think that I was sick and wasn't coming home. He wasn't as impressed by Cooper. Tony headed home to spend time with the boys and help out with them and I spent the night with Cooper. Cooper spent most of the night nursing and snuggling with me. It was nice to be so close to him, but I am exhausted from lack of sleep. He passed all of his newborn screenings and fell asleep just in time for Tony to come back to hold him so I could eat breakfast. Cooper and I were given a clean bill of health, though Cooper is a little jaundiced, so we all headed home around 10 a.m.
We've spent most of the day nursing and sleeping. It was so sunny I took Cooper, stripped him down, and "baked" him in some sunshine to help his jaundice. Things are going well and I've been able to finally eat and get a shower. I'm feeling pretty good and just a little sore around my stitches. Though I had 1/2 hour of misery giving birth, I've been so happy with my doctor and the hospital. I'm even happier to be home.
I still look about 6 months pregnant, and am only down 8 pounds from what I went into labor weighing. My feet are so bloated I can barely fit into my flip-flops and I'm a little sore, but I have the greatest gift: a beautiful baby boy to care for.
Tony and I found out we were scheduled to be induced Wednesday morning. We were supposed to be at the hospital by 6 am, but we were running behind. I got admitted to maternity by 7 am. My nurse had a nursing student shadowing her that day so I got to be a teaching tool for someone. It took a while to get my IV in, it took three tries and I have some nasty bruises from the first two attempts. Once the IV was in pitocin (contraction medicine) was started. My doctor showed up a little before 9 to break my water. THAT was painful and definitely NOT fun. Things were progressing so I got my epidural pain relief around 11 and was 80% effaced and almost 5 cm dilated. I started getting some sharp pains shooting from my hip down my left leg around 12:30 and asked the anesthesiologist what he could do to help. After consulting with the nurses and my doc, he decided that Cooper was pushing up against a nerve in my pelvis and that was causing the pain. I got a little extra added to the epidural to try to help. As my contractions continued to get stronger, so did the shooting pain. By 2 I was having a difficult time not being very vocal (screaming) through the pain. Because it was caused by a nerve in my pelvis, there was nothing that could be done to stop the pain other than to get the baby to move off the nerve. By then I had progressed to an almost 10 cm and was 100% effaced. My nurses got my doctor and I was encouraged to start pushing through the pain. That was really the hardest thing I had to do! I think everyone in maternity knew how miserable I was. Even the poor anesthesiologist waited outside and felt bad he couldn't help. I'm sure I almost broke a few bones in Tony's and my nurse's hands trying to push Cooper out. It didn't take long to figure out he was facing sideways- towards my hip and that his fat face had caused all my pain. Once he was born at 2:42, all the pain went away. Altogether, my labor only took almost 8 hours. It wasn't the greatest labor, but I only had one small tear to give me any lasting pain.
Cooper was born with one loop of his umbilical cord around his neck. It was loose, so it wasn't a big worry, but it scared Tony. Cooper also popped out and immediately proceeded to poop and pee all over me. His APGAR scores were 8 and 9 (out of 10) so he was really healthy. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. I find it interesting that none of my pregnancies seem to follow the "normal assumptions". Each of my consecutive pregnancies has been longer than the prior one, instead of shorter like normal. Each of my babies has weighed less than the prior one instead of more like normal.
My mother-in-law brought the boys to the hospital to visit us and Colten was really excited to see Cooper and me. Carson seemed to think that I was sick and wasn't coming home. He wasn't as impressed by Cooper. Tony headed home to spend time with the boys and help out with them and I spent the night with Cooper. Cooper spent most of the night nursing and snuggling with me. It was nice to be so close to him, but I am exhausted from lack of sleep. He passed all of his newborn screenings and fell asleep just in time for Tony to come back to hold him so I could eat breakfast. Cooper and I were given a clean bill of health, though Cooper is a little jaundiced, so we all headed home around 10 a.m.
We've spent most of the day nursing and sleeping. It was so sunny I took Cooper, stripped him down, and "baked" him in some sunshine to help his jaundice. Things are going well and I've been able to finally eat and get a shower. I'm feeling pretty good and just a little sore around my stitches. Though I had 1/2 hour of misery giving birth, I've been so happy with my doctor and the hospital. I'm even happier to be home.
I still look about 6 months pregnant, and am only down 8 pounds from what I went into labor weighing. My feet are so bloated I can barely fit into my flip-flops and I'm a little sore, but I have the greatest gift: a beautiful baby boy to care for.
Cooper's Birthday!
Here is me the day before I was induced; 8/3/2010.To make it easier to read (and for me to type one handed) I'll just add captions to these pictures and then write up the details of the last 48 hours when I'm not holding a baby in one arm.
He weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 20 inches long. He's the lightest of all my boys.
His lungs work fine and he was unimpressed with his bath.
After being held all night by me, Tony got Cooper to sleep alone so I could eat breakfast.
Daddy time!
All my boys together!
Cooper's first car ride.
He's just waking up.
Monday, August 2, 2010
My plan vs. God's plan
Those of you who know me well (like anyone who reads this doesn't know me), you know I am not a patient person. I'm a type A personality planner. This makes me a great teacher and family scheduler. I can coordinate and often have several things going on at once.
Nothing is more frustrating to me than not having a plan. I like knowing what my day could and should look like, much less my weeks and months ahead. One thing this entire last year has taught me: God has a plan and you can't make it yours. I've struggled to grasp this concept since I became a Christian 10 years ago. I've always believed that you can control lots (most) of what happens in your life. One thing I've had to learn you can't plan though is babies.
I got pregnant unexpectedly two years ago when Carson was barely a year old. I remember I spent most of that summer off feeling really sick and being mad at God for messing up MY plan. Just when I was starting to accept that I was pregnant and was getting excited for a new baby, I found out she died.
After being one of the most fertile people on earth, I experienced 6 months of unexplained infertility. I was desperately trying all the supplements and prayer I knew to become pregnant after Taylor died. It was this time last year, I was talking with a friend about my frustrations and she told me I needed to let it all go and give in to God's plan. Sounds easy right? NOT! I spent two months just trying to let it all go. Instead of praying each day to be pregnant, I had to learn to pray to learn to trust God and that his plan would work for me. Lo, and behold, once I REALLY started believing in what I was praying for, I got pregnant. People often think I planned this pregnancy for the summer being a teacher, but this pregnancy was the most unplanned pregnancy. I'd given up and assumed I was somehow infertile and was going to pursue further testing/ treatment after the holidays were over. Well, God's plan became my plan.
Fast forward nine months. I've never had a pregnancy go this long before. Being the planner I am, I planned my summer up until my due date, leaving some flexibility in case I had this baby early, but not late! I never thought I would be sitting here almost a week overdue with no more signs of labor starting than a week ago. For the last 5 days I've had to again re-arrange my thoughts and prayers. Instead of praying for labor (or my water breaking) I've been praying that God's got it all planned out and he will give me a healthy baby. Giving up my plans has been so very difficult. I don't give up anything very easy, and giving in to God is humbling. My husband would testify that life at our house is crazy right now and I'm at the center of most of the chaos. I figure if I can just give in to God's plan and give all my worries and labor stress to him, I will sleep better at night and just maybe go into labor soon. With there being no signs of labor starting, I do keep hoping for my water to break so at least I'll be heading in the right direction soon.
Nothing is more frustrating to me than not having a plan. I like knowing what my day could and should look like, much less my weeks and months ahead. One thing this entire last year has taught me: God has a plan and you can't make it yours. I've struggled to grasp this concept since I became a Christian 10 years ago. I've always believed that you can control lots (most) of what happens in your life. One thing I've had to learn you can't plan though is babies.
I got pregnant unexpectedly two years ago when Carson was barely a year old. I remember I spent most of that summer off feeling really sick and being mad at God for messing up MY plan. Just when I was starting to accept that I was pregnant and was getting excited for a new baby, I found out she died.
After being one of the most fertile people on earth, I experienced 6 months of unexplained infertility. I was desperately trying all the supplements and prayer I knew to become pregnant after Taylor died. It was this time last year, I was talking with a friend about my frustrations and she told me I needed to let it all go and give in to God's plan. Sounds easy right? NOT! I spent two months just trying to let it all go. Instead of praying each day to be pregnant, I had to learn to pray to learn to trust God and that his plan would work for me. Lo, and behold, once I REALLY started believing in what I was praying for, I got pregnant. People often think I planned this pregnancy for the summer being a teacher, but this pregnancy was the most unplanned pregnancy. I'd given up and assumed I was somehow infertile and was going to pursue further testing/ treatment after the holidays were over. Well, God's plan became my plan.
Fast forward nine months. I've never had a pregnancy go this long before. Being the planner I am, I planned my summer up until my due date, leaving some flexibility in case I had this baby early, but not late! I never thought I would be sitting here almost a week overdue with no more signs of labor starting than a week ago. For the last 5 days I've had to again re-arrange my thoughts and prayers. Instead of praying for labor (or my water breaking) I've been praying that God's got it all planned out and he will give me a healthy baby. Giving up my plans has been so very difficult. I don't give up anything very easy, and giving in to God is humbling. My husband would testify that life at our house is crazy right now and I'm at the center of most of the chaos. I figure if I can just give in to God's plan and give all my worries and labor stress to him, I will sleep better at night and just maybe go into labor soon. With there being no signs of labor starting, I do keep hoping for my water to break so at least I'll be heading in the right direction soon.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tick...Tick...Tick...Tick..
.... that's the sound of my biological clock ticking down. I only wish the clock would tell me how much time is left until I have this baby. I am officially overdue with this baby and have also lost all composure and compassion. It is August 1st. I'm supposed to be holding a baby now, not waiting for labor to start. I'm starting to go crazy with waiting.
I am tired, averaging only 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Why? I get contractions most nights. Not that they are serious enough for me to get excited and wake up Tony, but they are painful enough to wake me out of a dead sleep. I'm VERY uncomfortable. This baby has dropped and usually sits right on my bladder which contributes to 10-12 trips to the toilet a day. The veins in my legs are bothering me again so I'm back to stuffing myself into support stockings every morning to keep me more comfortable.
I've grown tired of people everywhere giving me a shocked look when they see me. Tony and I went to dinner the other night and the waitress saw me walk in and really loudly said, "Whoa!". The cashier at the grocery store asked when I was due, and when I told her last week she was all, "Oh, you poor thing!". I'm so tired of explaining that I'm past my due date and then dealing with the advice from everyone about what to do to start labor! Believe me people, I've tried it all. Only two things I've not done; Castor oil and black/blue cohosh. I won't do either of those because of problems caused during labors.
The loving and caring wife and mother I am has been replaced by a hormonal, fire-breathing dragon. It takes only a phone call or silly comment to push me to tears and over the edge. My husband has been great about not being judgemental and just letting me cry everything out.
SO...... when am I going to have this baby? I'm hoping that 7 days would be enough time for Cooper to help me dilate and efface more than just 1 cm and 50%. I was supposed to be induced this last Thursday, the 29th; my due date. At my appt. Tuesday though, my doctor was concerned that if I were induced, I wouldn't progress and would wind up with a C-section. Not what I wanted to hear. So my next appointment is this Tuesday, and if things are hopefully improved from last week, she plans to induce on Wednesday.
I am frustrated. I was patient up until my due date, then the craziness started. If you'd asked me if I'd go overdue with this baby, I would have said never! My parents are flying out to Alabama this next week even, and will likely be missing Cooper's birth. I'm bummed of course because my mom has been there when Colten and Carson were born. Knowing my mom isn't going to be here has certainly contributed to the crying jags.
Even with all this complaining (yeah, I know I'm a whiner), I do need to be thankful. This baby is still very healthy. He's squirmy enough still that I can be reassured that he is still doing well in there and being overdue isn't affecting him. I also do know some women that were due the same week as me and had their babies early, really early, and they have had health problems. I'm very eager to meet my little guy, but I'd like him healthy when I do.
I am tired, averaging only 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Why? I get contractions most nights. Not that they are serious enough for me to get excited and wake up Tony, but they are painful enough to wake me out of a dead sleep. I'm VERY uncomfortable. This baby has dropped and usually sits right on my bladder which contributes to 10-12 trips to the toilet a day. The veins in my legs are bothering me again so I'm back to stuffing myself into support stockings every morning to keep me more comfortable.
I've grown tired of people everywhere giving me a shocked look when they see me. Tony and I went to dinner the other night and the waitress saw me walk in and really loudly said, "Whoa!". The cashier at the grocery store asked when I was due, and when I told her last week she was all, "Oh, you poor thing!". I'm so tired of explaining that I'm past my due date and then dealing with the advice from everyone about what to do to start labor! Believe me people, I've tried it all. Only two things I've not done; Castor oil and black/blue cohosh. I won't do either of those because of problems caused during labors.
The loving and caring wife and mother I am has been replaced by a hormonal, fire-breathing dragon. It takes only a phone call or silly comment to push me to tears and over the edge. My husband has been great about not being judgemental and just letting me cry everything out.
SO...... when am I going to have this baby? I'm hoping that 7 days would be enough time for Cooper to help me dilate and efface more than just 1 cm and 50%. I was supposed to be induced this last Thursday, the 29th; my due date. At my appt. Tuesday though, my doctor was concerned that if I were induced, I wouldn't progress and would wind up with a C-section. Not what I wanted to hear. So my next appointment is this Tuesday, and if things are hopefully improved from last week, she plans to induce on Wednesday.
I am frustrated. I was patient up until my due date, then the craziness started. If you'd asked me if I'd go overdue with this baby, I would have said never! My parents are flying out to Alabama this next week even, and will likely be missing Cooper's birth. I'm bummed of course because my mom has been there when Colten and Carson were born. Knowing my mom isn't going to be here has certainly contributed to the crying jags.
Even with all this complaining (yeah, I know I'm a whiner), I do need to be thankful. This baby is still very healthy. He's squirmy enough still that I can be reassured that he is still doing well in there and being overdue isn't affecting him. I also do know some women that were due the same week as me and had their babies early, really early, and they have had health problems. I'm very eager to meet my little guy, but I'd like him healthy when I do.
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