Week One.. and we survived it!

Well it's officially Week 2.  And we're all still alive and, best of all, still smiling!  After a rough start (see last post), the week has been pretty calm and quiet.  We arrived home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon and began settling back into our normal routines.  Ella fits right in!

Gracie is absolutely in love with her sister!  She's 1 1/2 years old right now, and for those who don't know what that looks like, it's a constant swirl of movement and sound!  Gracie is constantly moving and talking.  She never stops.  Except to sleep.  Nap time is heaven!  So Gracie will be twirling, running, dancing, hopping, or sashaying around the living room and all of a sudden remember she has a baby sister in the house.  She runs over to wherever Ella may be, leans in and gives her a hug and a kiss and says "awww."  Or sometimes she'll come over, pet the top of Ella's head and say "there."  Whenever we're leaving a room or going somewhere out of the house Gracie will ask "Ella?" "Ella?" over and over until we assure her that Ella is coming too.  She even tries to help carry the car seat.  When Ella is in the car seat, Gracie will rock it and say "sing," and if nobody listens to her, she'll sing herself!  "Baaaay-beeee, baaaay-beeee."  Gracie is a fantastic big sister!

We've been out to dinner twice (really, who has time to cook?!) and Ella slept through both meals.  We even ventured out to church this morning.  Again, Ella slept through it!  She is really easy-going and a good baby, much like Gracie.  However, all of you will be happy to know that she does not sleep through the night like Gracie did.  We were really lucky with Gracie, and apparently nobody likes to see that happen twice! :)  Ella goes down for the night between 11 and 11:30, and sleeps until around 3 am.  Sometimes she goes right back to sleep and sleeps until 6 or 7, but more often than not, it takes me a good hour to get her back to bed.  Really, it's an hour of me going to bed, getting back up, going back to bed, getting back up.  I think it's important to put her back in bed, instead of playing or talking to her for that hour... even if it means I get up and down 15 times.  Although, I have to say... the almost falling asleep and then being woken back up is exhausting!  It would probably be easier if I just stayed awake and waited for her to be fully asleep.  But it's 3 am... and I'm tired! :)

We had Ella's first doctor's appointment on Friday, the "well baby" visit.  When she left the hospital last Monday, she had dropped her weight from 7lbs 11oz, to 7lbs 5oz.  On Friday she had gained all her weight back, and more.  Our little girl weighed 8lbs 1oz.  That was fantastic news to me, and I did a little celebration dance right there in the waiting room, because that means we can now demand feed.  I'm not a huge fan of waking sleeping babies... it seems counter-productive and sometimes downright silly to me.  I have never woken up either of my girls during the night, but I do wake them up during the day to make sure they get all their feeds.  Now that she's over her birth weight, we demand feed.  Which means I don't wake Ella up at all anymore... when she's hungry, she'll wake up and tell me!  It's fantastic to be able to stop watching the clock and calculate the day in 3 and 4 hour intervals!

Later this week, we'll be leaving for Newfoundland... a two-day drive each way.  I've been feeling much better since my little adventure after Ella was born, and I'm hoping to be able to keep the energy up for the trip.  There's nothing worse than being on "vacation" and feeling like crap.  And I still find that after doing too much during the day, I pay for it in the evening and into the next day.  When they said do nothing and rest, I think they meant it!  Thank goodness my girls are easy, and my hubby looks after me!  Stay tuned for our next adventure... the Newfoundland trip! :)

Meeting Miss Ella... the rest of the story!

Well she finally decided to join us... Ella Pearl made her grand entrance on Friday, July 20, 2012 at 9:21 p.m.  

It started out as a normal day.  Grampy and Nanny Fillmore had left Fredericton bright and early and were on their way to our house, just in case.  We decided to get up and spend the morning walking the mall, hoping to speed things up a little.  Our induction was scheduled for today, July 22, and I didn't have much hope that walking - or anything else for that matter - was going to get Ella moving.

I had been having contractions off and on for a few days, but nothing was regular, and they were pretty wimpy feeling.  Grampy and Nanny arrived at 11:00, and we went home and had some lunch.  My mom and I decided to go grocery shopping once Gracie was down for her afternoon nap, so we headed for Superstore and loaded up on food.  It was 1:30.  Once I was at Superstore, I realized that my irregular contractions were actually happening about every 10 minutes.  We finished shopping and once we were home, I realized that the contractions were actually about every 5 minutes.  I called the hospital, and they recommended I come in "shortly," which to me meant get some supper, finish packing and head on in.  By the time we got to the hospital, they were 3 minutes apart.  They slowed down once they put me on the monitor and they asked me to go for a walk.  By the time I got back from the walk, there was no more question that I was having a baby that night.  Danny I took bets, we both agreed it would probably be between 1 and 3 am, since it was only 7:30 now.  They took me to labour and delivery, and the contractions were one on top of the other.  I asked for my epidural and they started prepping me for that (bloodwork, iv, etc.).  Sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 (I lost track of time, due to the fact that I STILL didn't have my epidural) my water broke and it turned out that in an hour or so I had gone from 4 cms to fully dilated.

"Sorry," the nurse said, no epidural.  "This baby is coming now."  I disagreed... I could wait!  I wanted those drugs.  3 pushes later however, and Miss Ella Ford arrived.  It was 9:21 p.m.  We were a little shocked.  We never expected it to happen so quickly.  It was over just after we realized it was actually happening!  I'm not going to lie, I have some friends that always do labour "au natural" but I don't know why anybody would do it drug free on purpose... that freaking hurt! :)  But we made it and we were ready to settle in for a nice evening, just the three of us.  Except then the shit hit the fan, as the say...

It turned out that my nice easy delivery was about to turn into the most painful, horrible night I had ever experienced.  I had a major bleed.  It started out with the nurse saying she was "concerned" about the amount of bleeding, to the doctor being rushed back in.  I will save you the details, but the doctor did what was called an "evacuation" of the uterus... I knew it was going to hurt when three nurses came to hold me down and the doctor was apologizing before he even began.  They were hopeful that the evacuation would stop the bleeding.  It did not.  I was put on an iv medication, which also didn't work, then given a shot in the thigh.  That also didn't work.  The doctor was called back again, and it was decided to try one more drug before they took me in for surgery.  That drug made me so sick it was unbelievable!  The nurse had to stay right by my side, swapping ice cold face cloths, one after another after another.  After an hour, we realized that the drug was working, surgery would not be needed and at 4 a.m., I was given an all-clear.  The bleeding had officially stopped.

We were able to move over to the maternity ward around 10:00 the next morning, just in time for mom and dad to arrive with Gracie.  We hadn't had a chance to fill them in on what had transpired after our "Ella is here" phonecall the night before, but by then I had been up, put on some makeup, and felt a lot better than I expected!  Apparently before the make-up went on, I was sheet white, but a little bit of blush can go a long way for photos! :)

I had some visitors, Gracie fell in love with her baby sister, and I got to have a nap that afternoon.  I don't know if I felt "good," but compared to 12 hours earlier, I felt fantastic!  I actually got some sleep that night, and I was ready to head home on Sunday.  We're now back home and settled in... although I have been advised "rest only for the next few weeks."

And of course, in the end... it was all worth it.  Cause here she is... Ella Pearl!

Ella Pearl Ford - 12 hours old

See... just a little blush! :)

A letter to Gracie...

Dear Gracie,

I don't know if you know it, but things around here are changing!  Your little sister is due to arrive any moment, and once she gets here, there's no going back!  Then it'll be the four of us from here on out, and things might be a little difficult for you at first!

I want you to know that I'll never forget that you were my first little girl!  I still remember waiting for you to be born (you were pretty darn stubborn about coming out too!), how difficult things were after you finally got here, and how I didn't really mind since I finally had you!  You've been the light of our lives for the last year and a half, making us laugh everyday!  You don't know this, but almost every night when you're in bed, daddy and I talk about all the funny and cute things you did that day, that way neither one of us misses out on any of the awesome things you do.  Sometimes when I miss a funny moment, and dad tells me about it later, I can picture you exactly as he explains it, and I love it!

I'm not going to lie, sometimes you drive me absolutely bonkers!  You're starting to learn more words and sentences now, and some days all I hear is "mommy, mommy, mommy, mommmmmmy, mommmmy, MOMMY!!" and it makes me laugh and yell all the same time.  You are not exactly patient, and you cannot wait to tell me exactly what is on your mind, so sometimes when I'm in the middle of a conversation, and I make you wait, and you get really loud yelling "mommy," I can't help but laugh when I finally say "WHAT, Gracie?!?" and all you have to say is "fly," or "bird."  It must be so wonderful to be that young and have the most exciting things in your life at the moment be the fact that you just saw a bird!  But I wont complain about you needing to tell me, I hope you always share with me the most boring and exciting parts of your life, because at least it means you're still sharing with me!

You have a great big attitude.  I've mentioned it a few times, and it's already getting you in trouble!  You've already had your fair share of time-outs because of your attitude, and I know you're going to have tons more!  But I wouldn't change that for the world.  Every morning when we're playing in the living room, you see the scars on my knees and come over and kiss them and say "awww."  When I pick you up from daycare, and one of the other kids are crying, I always see you go over and give them a big hug and kiss.  You may have a huge attitude, but you also have a huge heart!  And I hope that never changes!

Tonight when I was putting you to bed, I got a little sad.  There's only going to be another day or two when you're my only baby, and the one-on-one time is going to be harder to come by.  But I know you and your sister are going to be best friends growing up, and I'll work very hard to make sure you know how much daddy and I still love you too!  I'm probably taking this harder than you ever will, because I know how excited you are to meet your little sister!  But just so you know... we will always love you and always be here for you... attitude and all!! :)

Love you!

Mommy

xox

A letter to Baby...

Dear Baby Girl:

I consider myself a pretty patient person... I run a Sunday School program with 80+ students (which also often means 160 parental opinions), I grew up as the youngest child (although I'm pretty sure now that I'm the favourite! hehe), and I work for lawyers - some of the most arrogant and egotistical people on the planet (not my bosses though, of course!!).  But I have to tell you, little girl, that my patience for your arrival has just about run out!!  You were supposed to get here a week ago!  And yet, you stay where you are!  Despite gentle coaxing, talking, singing, praying, and despite mommy's near-mental-breakdowns... you refuse to come out!

I get it... you've got a nice mixture of Ford and Fillmore in your blood.  I know how stubborn those bloodlines can be.  But REALLY?!?  Starting this early?  I also get that you probably want to grow up just like your big sister... and since she was late, you should be too!  Or maybe it's an early jealousy thing, and you want to hang on just one day longer than she did!

I've loved being pregnant with you.  You were easy on me... no sickness, no aches, no pains, no swelling (despite the 30+ degree weather the last week).  I've loved feeling you move around... and you getting all excited when Gracie comes up and talks into my belly button.  I've loved the hiccups, and even the kicks and jabs.  But enough is enough now... it's time to come and meet everybody!  Gracie is starting to think we're lying to her, since we've been saying for almost 3 weeks now "we're bringing your baby sister home soon."  I think now she just rolls her eyes and thinks "sure mommy, sure daddy, I've heard that one before!"

Each week when I go to the doctor, he says "any signs of labour?"  And I have to say, "no, none at all."  And he kind of laughs.  Not even he expected you to stay put so long.  "It's not that common to have to induce with second babies.  They usually come on their own."  And yet, we have appointments for this week to start the process of going in and getting you out ourselves!

The last few days I've been trying lots of the old wives' tales to get you moving.  I cannot bring myself to drink castor oil, but we've tried a lot!  We've spent a lot of time walking the mall, one end to the other, over and over again.  I don't know what else to do to encourage you!

I promise that we will protect you, and love you... we just need to meet you first!  There's no reason to be scared.  It's quite awesome out here in the real world.  You'll have more room to stretch and move, and there are all sorts of things to play with and entertain you!  You have a big sister who is very excited to meet you, a daddy who will love to snuggle and hug you, and a mommy who has more to offer than just a room in her belly!!

I'll make you a deal... if you arrive on your own soon, I'll stop poking at my belly and screaming "get out!"  I'll stop yelling expletives at my crotch in complete and utter frustration.  I'll even completely forget  how your first impression on this world has been total stubbornness (like your daddy).  I'll just be wholly and utterly in love with you!

See you soon my lovely little girl!

Love,

Mommy

xox

My little women... stubborn, and tough!

Well, here we are... 5 days post-due date, and I'm still hanging on!  No signs of labour, no signs of the end.  The good news is, by this time next week, this child will be born... it just remains to be seen if it's of her own free will!  I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning and we'll discuss our "options" at that point.  Really, what options are there?  Get her out!!!

The little girl I already have has been doing a lot of growing and adjusting the last couple of weeks too.  She has decided after 1 1/2 years of independence that maybe she is a little bit needy and sooky too.  It's perfect timing, isn't it? haha  The good news for me, is that she is still mostly a daddy's girl... so as long as he's around, hopefully I wont have to do too much juggling with a newborn and a toddler in my arms. 

Gracie is also starting to speak in full sentences.  Not complete sentences... but full ones.  Instead of just yelling "bye" now, she says "bye bye daddy," or "bye bye mommy daddy."  Last week we were out and about and she fell and scraped her knee on the pavement.  Daddy was right there to pick her up and kiss it better, and for the next 3 days, every time I got her out of bed in the morning and she saw her scrape, this is what she said to me... "Mommy!  Boo-boo, daddy, up, *muwah*"  That may not sound like a full sentence to you, but since I knew the background story, I could piece it together.  "Did you fall and get a boo-boo?"  "Yes."  "And did daddy pick you up?"  "Yes!"  "And did he kiss it better?" "Yes!"  And we repeated this story every morning until something new caught her attention.

Yesterday we had our first "major" accident involving Gracie and the stairs.  It was a beautiful morning and we wanted to go outside and play before it got too hot and mommy started melting.  So gathered up some bubbles, an outdoor toy, and some water bottles and headed down the stairs to the front door.  Gracie had her doll and her water glass in her hand, so I asked her to wait at the top of the stairs.  Charlie, our lovely doggy, also wanted to go outside and play, and couldn't contain her excitement.  The thing about Charlie is that she's a lovely dog, but she has no "put my family first" loyalty like many dogs.  She would run us over in a second if it meant getting where she wanted quicker.  And that's exactly what happened yesterday.  Charlie wanted outdoors, and although she knows she's not allowed down the stairs without being invited first, that didn't stop her from spinning in circles at the top and running from the kitchen to a screaming halt at the top step.  So poor Gracie, who was patiently waiting her turn  to come down the stairs, got plowed into by the overly-eager dog.  Since Gracie had her hands full, and since was standing at the top, she fell, literally, face first down the stairs. 

I saw her hit her head on the first step, and then bounce her face off the next 4 steps (sliding now on her belly) until I was able to catch her about half way down.  It's funny how fast things happen.  She was up in my arms and Danny was beside me before she barely started crying, but cry she did!  I did the exact thing you're not supposed to do when dealing with a potential head/back injury... I scooped her up in my arms and started bouncing/rocking her.  She cried (okay, screamed) for a few minutes, and we just held her while she did.  Then we asked her if she was okay, she said yes, and we made her wiggle all her fingers and toes, and blink her eyes, and make sure everything was working fine.  We looked her over and couldn't find too much wrong, and then her nose started bleeding.  We dealt with that, and she was still ready to go outside, so away we went.  It wasn't until 20 minutes later that we started to see the bumps and bruises come out.  2 across her forehead, one beneath her eye, a bruise on her nose, and a couple on her elbow.  All-in-all though, she handled it like a champ!  She went outside and blew bubbles, helped her daddy fix the car, picked up rocks, and then came in and had a bath.

You can't see the bruises really well in this picture... she wouldn't stay still long enough to take a picture.  They are much more purple in person, except for her nose, which is bright red and purple all along the nostril. 

Gracie's war wounds from her first real fall!

So this is the end... right?

Well, this is it... 40 weeks!  Today marks the end of my pregnancy.  At least, according to all those books and magazines and websites.  I'm 40 weeks now, 10 months, it's time to be finished!  Except that somebody forgot to mention it to this baby of mine!  Gracie didn't get the memo either.  She was due on the 11th as well (of January, mind you), and didn't make her entrance until the 22nd.  So there is a good possibility that Baby Ford #2 will decide to hibernate until then as well.  At least I know that it absolutely wont be any later than that!

I'm usually pretty laid back about things.  And since I feel so great when I'm pregnant, I really couldn't care when she decides to come.  I'm loving it... except for the looming deadline ahead of us.  We're supposed to be in Newfoundland on the 4th of August.  That's 3 weeks from Saturday.  It takes two days to drive there, and requires two different ferry rides.  So the longer Baby decides to wait, the closer we get to that date.  I'm not worried about the baby making the trip... Baby will sleep.  Baby will be fine.  Momma, however, will probably cry.  A lot.  If history repeats itself, I'm kind of an emotional wreck after having a baby.  I expect that most mothers are, but since no one else has really admitted that to me, I'll say it's just me! :)  And travelling 2 weeks post-partum is not on my list of "fun things to do this summer."  

After Gracie, I had unbelievable issues breastfeeding... not fun to sort out or deal with in a car, I can assure you!  In fact, 3 months after having Gracie, the nurses and lactation consultant were all asking me why I was still sticking with it (that's right, 3 months later, still having issues!).  I told them it was because I was naive enough to believe them when they kept saying to me "in 2 weeks, you wont even remember this, everything will be going so smoothly."  2 weeks turned into 4 weeks, turned into 8 weeks, turned into 12 weeks.  It was insane!  And struggling with breastfeeding, the "most natural thing in the world" makes me one hell of a blubber baby! :)  However, this will not happen this time... I have been assured, and I am naive enough, again, to believe everybody!  

On top of the regular breastfeeding issues, I also developed a wicked thrush infection - which took 8 weeks, 3 different prescriptions, 2 OTC natural remedies, and finally some weird herbs I ordered off the internet to get rid of - and a uterine infection, which landed me in the Emergency Room for 6+ hours hooked up to an antibiotic drip.

So... needless to say, although this pregnancy has been fantastic, I am quite nervous about the after-pregnancy stuff, and more particular, about being away from the comfort of my home.  But the vacation is actually for Danny's dad's wedding, and we need to be there... and I want to be there!  Danny and I have already discussed some alternatives... including him going alone with just Gracie.  But it's not just us who have been waiting so long to meet this little girl, so we're doing everything we can to make sure I can go to too!

Here's hoping that Baby Ford #2 gets the hint and starts the process all on her own in the next couple of days.  Otherwise, she will be receiving a formal notice to evict, and we'll go in and get her out ourselves!  :)  The sooner she comes, the more time I have to adjust and re-balance (hormonally) myself before our big trip to Fogo Island.

Whenever she decides to come though, I know everybody is dying to meet her, and I'm sure I'll be met with more support than I could ever expect.. and maybe a box of tissue, or two! :)

Gettin 'er done...

The last couple of weeks has been a half-hearted attempt at completing my to-do list before baby makes her arrival.  I had a 4-page list of things to get done... I made it through about a page and a half before I gave up!  I really wanted to get the kitchen cleaned from top to bottom, and I was able to accomplish that.  The rest of it can get finished whenever we get around to it!


One thing I really wanted to get done was a little project I saw on Pinterest... the website that makes me think I can be super talented and crafty, but really I just spend hours imaging things I can do, without getting anything done!  Except... this time!  I really wanted to get a menu and cleaning board done.  And today, I accomplished it! :)  Yay, my first-ever Pinterest project!  I feel semi-talented and crafty! :)

Menu Board

Cleaning "Chart"

The board itself I got at Staples... it's a magnetic white board on one side, and a cork board on the other side.  The calendar I already had, so I was able to free up some space on my refrigerator door (I'm sure I'll need the room for all the art projects I've pinned for Gracie to make! haha).  The menu board I made this afternoon, and I'm currently in the middle of writing down our favourite dinner items.  


The cleaning "chart" was kind of an invention to help me remember to do all those crappy things I don't like to do.  Daily cleaning is a given... do the dishes, sweep the floors, put away your crap.  But the weekly, and especially monthly, chores always seem to get put off.  So now, I can have "wash windows" and "clean bathroom" written on my weekly popsicle sticks, and "clean inside of dishwasher" and "vacuum of fans" on my monthly popsicle sticks.  I'll move them over to the "completed" cup once they're finished and... ta-da!!!  My house will always be clean.  Hahahaha!!  That's the plan, anyway!  I think it turned out pretty well, so as long as we can stay on top of things, I'm hoping this will keep us a bit more organized!


Tomorrow Gracie is at the sitter, and I'm hoping to finally finish up the new baby's room.  It's been nearly-finished for two weeks now, but needs a good scrubbing.  Once that's finished, my plan is to sit back and wait.  Patiently.  Because of course at my last doctor's appointment, he laughed and said "I'll see you next week, don't worry. Ha. Ha. Ha."  Apparently this baby is going to be as stubborn as Miss Gracie was, and need some coaxing to get her out.  Because apparently my body is terribly proficient at keeping babies in, and effacement does not happen on its own.  I'll let you look that word up, so I can leave other, more descriptive, words out of this blog! :)  It was the exact problem I had with Gracie, I just assumed Baby #2 would be a little more cooperative.  I should have known, since she stayed breech up until 37 1/2 weeks! :)  Well, if she does decide to come late, at least I have Pinterest to keep me occupied...

So much attitude... such a tiny little word!

Well last week was a major one in terms of speech development for Gracie.  Sure, she learned to pronounce the ends of words she's been saying for months (book instead of bit, Nancy instead Nana, dog instead of dod, etc.) but that isn't the development I'm talking about!  Gracie learned to say "no."  It was quite innocent at first... the dog was barking, and I said "No, Charlie, don't bark."  Gracie followed it up with, "no nooo, no noooo."  I thought it was adorable!  She even shook her head and pointed her finger at the dog and everything!  When dad came home from work, I had to show her off, so I said "Gracie, what do we say to Charlie when she barks?"  And sure enough, "no nooo, no nooo."  We both giggled and ooed and awed.  It was so cute!

Fast forward three days, and Gracie has learned that "no" isn't just for the dog.  It's also for when mom says "come here please" or dad says "time to pick up your toys, Gracie."  Except it's not a cute little "no nooo" anymore!  It's "NOOOOOOOO!!!"  Well, I have to admit... I don't like it one little bit!  Our little obedient child is learning how to express herself, and to make sure we know when she doesn't want to do something! Sure, it's healthy for them to be independent and all that crap... but "no" is my new least favourite word!  I think dad hates it even more.  Heh, heh, heh.  Wait another few months when the terrible twos begin!  I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot more of that two-letter word!  We've already had to establish a time-out area, and I have a feeling that, if this girl is anything like me, she'll be spending a bit of time in the time-out spot, thinking about her attitude! :)  

In the meantime, we'll just try to stay focused on all the good new words and sounds she says every day! Because there are many, and it's quite exciting to hear! :)