Coming home and being home

We left the hospital around noon on Wednesday. Addilyn has been smitten with her brother and can't get enough of him. When she and Scott would come to the hospital, she immediately ran up to the secretary desk and would say "Sticker", requesting her big sister stickers.

she was too excited to sit still

being our baby

Last night before putting Addilyn to sleep, she was holding Levi. He was getting hungry and rooting around to eat. So Addilyn had her face by his and he kept trying to latch onto her nose. Addi thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Of course Levi was hungry and probably wasn't thinking that, but it was too cute watching them. She is such a good sister. 

Loving on Levi

Last night Addilyn got not just a bubble bath, but a super bubble bath. As you can see, she had a blast. Scott has been wearing her out during the day. He's been spending time outside doing yard work and things around the house that have been on his honey-do list. She has been a big helper with all of his chores. It's been a good distraction for her from her incoming molars...yuck. But as soon as she's inside, it's back to smooching her brother. I'm going to be so bummed when Scott goes back to work tomorrow. Ugh. They need paternity leave.

Levi got his first bath last night too. He didn't make a single noise. He just laid back and enjoyed the water. He did squeal when he was getting dried off. As soon as he was dressed he of course passed out.

Levi's Birth Story

Reader’s Digest Version:

Checked into the hospital at 3am. Received an epidural about 6:30am. Water broke 10:45am. Delivered Levi at 1:51pm. He is perfect.

And now for the detailed, you may blush when you read, story:

There were many things about this pregnancy that were different than Addilyn’s. Which led to a very different delivery as well. The biggest difference was how I carried Levi- that affected everything. My lack of heartburn and increased amount of pelvic pain from him being so low were the biggest “side effects”. I’ve also had way more Braxton hicks contractions. Which now leads me into the actual story of how Levi made his debut….

All last week I had been up just about every single night for several hours with contractions. Sometimes I would fall asleep normally and wake up at 2am with consistent timed contractions for a couple of hours. Or it’d be flip and I wouldn’t go to sleep until the contractions ended around 2am. I was exhausted. I wasn’t getting any sleep leading up to the real thing and it was bothering me! Thursday morning was one of those where I woke up at 2am and didn’t fall back asleep. I had a Dr apt conveniently at 7:30 that morning. My contractions were happening they just weren’t as I call “different”. They hadn’t really felt like the kind you get when you’re in active labor. Scott was already planning on coming to that apt and was going to take me back home before he left for work. It was really convenient. At the apt my doctor measured me between a 4-5 and after I got dressed he came back into the room and said he called the hospital to tell them I was coming in that day. Scott and I did not really believe it was happening because my contractions were not becoming anything. But, we did what he said….we dropped Addilyn off at our friend’s house and we killed about 4 hours before going in. Long story short, we were sent home after about 2 hours. I don’t blame them. I should have trusted what I was feeling that we didn’t need to go in. Also, because that meant we took up one of Scott’s days of work that could have been spent with a baby. Bummer.

What we thought was my last meal...biscuits and gravy

Friday morning I lost my mucus plug. “They” say it can still take up to a week to go into labor after loosing it. I spotted a little but nothing out of the ordinary or should I say eventful. 

Saturday morning we went to Old Salem and spent a few hours there walking around doing their free day activities. We got home and from about 3pm on I was having bloody show. “They” say I should go into labor within 24-48 hours of having bloody show. By this point I’m starting to hate them… That night I actually slept fairly decent compared to the last several nights. Still not very restful, but I don’t remember waking up for contractions. 

At Old Salem

Sunday was church of course. I was dreading it because I was thinking I was going to be especially uncomfortable with sitting for all that time. It actually wasn’t too bad. While at church I peed 4 times. I wouldn’t think much of it except it was as though I was drinking gallons for how much I was going. I took my normal nap afterwards, but it was cut short because Addilyn didn’t take a very long one at all.

Sunday night I didn’t go to sleep. I couldn’t get comfortable. There was a spot in my lower left back that was really causing me issues. I was having contractions but nothing unusual about them. It wasn’t until I had 2 contractions that were different at 1am that I really started to time them. This time, they were different. I woke Scott up at 1:45 to tell him “I think I’m really in labor this time”. He of course asked if I was sure and I told him they were the different kind. Definitely more painful and 4 minutes apart. I said he could lie there for another 10 minutes but he needed to get up and get ready to go. We dropped Addilyn off at our friend’s house at about 2:30 am.

Once at the hospital they put me in a triage room where they assess whether they are going to keep you or not. We were in there for what seemed like forever. I finally got Scott to step out and ask for a nurse to come in to get things going. All I could think about was getting into a bathtub to labor in. He came back with some water saying that the other 2 women who were in the triage as well were on their way to get c-sections so all the nurses were with them. Grrr. After another 10 minutes I told Scott that the pressure I was feeling was making it almost like I wanted to push….hehehe…that got the nurses in there. I measured at a 5, the checked me in, and I went into our labor/delivery room. I had to be monitored for 20 more minutes before they’d let me off of them. I got into the shower around 5am. Scott stood on the other side with the hand held sprayer and just went up and down my back. It was a really nice distraction. While in the shower I realized that I was already physically exhausted. I was having back labor- again. And because I went all natural with Addilyn with back labor, I could have many many more hours to go. At that point, I knew I needed an epidural. After an hour in the shower I had to get monitored again.

I told Scott before the nurse came back to monitor me about the contemplation and decision I was preparing to make. I said the deciding factor will be how far I’ve progressed. The nurse measured me at a 7, but his head was stationed at a -1. This is just a gauge of where his head is in the birth canal. It meant he had to go from -1, 0, 1, to 2 to be heading out. I asked for the epidural.

Even the anesthesiologist was impressed with how relaxed I seemed. She was surprised I was actually going to get one. They had to do it twice. The first time wasn’t going in properly because my back was too tight- aka the spaces between my spinal cord were small. It was later explained this is really a good thing, it meant I had a strong back. Once the epidural was administered I was feeling really good. Scott could relax and I could relax. I didn’t fall asleep because I felt like I was getting a second wind. My mind was ready. My body was getting a break for the first time in over a week. I felt great.

Dialated to a 9! Feeling good!

The part that took so long to progress was because I had just a little bit of cervix left. When at a 9, the Dr wanted to see what it would be like if I pushed once or twice, maybe get passed the cervix and be “complete” aka fully dilated to a 10. I pushed, and peed everywhere. (I say this laughing because it truly was funny). The doctor wasn’t even convinced that I had actually broken my water. So he poked around and decided that I in fact broke my own water, but 95% of what came out was pee!

He told me at that point that since I was so close to getting ready to push to not push the hand-held drug administer thing that gives you more of the epidural. I really didn’t push it much until I started feeling the contractions in my back again (like 3 times). So I stopped, but the nurse and Scott convinced me to cheat and push it one more time after about 30 minutes. They didn’t have to tell me twice to do it. I took a nap for about 30-45 minutes at that point.

I woke up and told Scott I was ready to push. He stood up and asked if I was sure, and are you going to have him right now? I told him I wasn’t going to move (I was on my side) until the Dr and nurse were back in. He quickly got them, they all came right back in. My Dr checked me and said I was complete and we could start going. They were all aware that it only took 20 minutes to push Addilyn out; so at least the nurse was ready to have a quick delivery. The Dr stepped out until he was called in. Scott and the nurse each held my knees to do some pushes until we needed the Dr. After 2 pushes I saw the nurses eyes get HUGE and she said to stop and ran out and told the doctor he was coming. He quickly came in and tried to get dressed and was giving me instructions as to how it needed to go down. I started pushing and could feel Levi just about to come out when he said to STOP. He wasn’t ready!!! I held him there what seemed like an eternity and finally was able to continue. Mind you, during this “hold” the dr said, “This is the time where we make you sign a contract saying you’ll have 5 more kids”. It was funny and I sort of not really laughed because I was in pain!

From the time the Dr checked me at a 10 and said I was ready to start pushing to the time Levi was here was 12 minutes. This was including the stalling, waiting for the Dr, and pushing within 2 contractions. Once Levi was out, they gave him an APGAR rating of 8/9. He is perfect. We had plenty of time skin to skin and he has been nursing wonderfully. He is a sleeper right now, which I know can change. But in the mean time I’m happy with that. Scott picked up Addilyn to bring for about an hour. She was in heaven. She absolutely loves her brother. All she did was kiss and hug and hold him. He took her back to the Shafer’s house and stayed the night here with me at the hospital.

8.5 pounds 20.5 inches

Moments after he was born

ready to move rooms

I am so glad I did the epidural this time. It was well worth it. In the end my active labor was about 13 hours. I am so grateful my L/D with Addilyn was without any pain medication because it helped me gauge this labor to know that I was not going to last. I came into labor already being sleep deprived and worn out from all of my contractions from the past week. My body was done!

Levi Scott Smith

Levi Scott Smith

May 13, 2013

1:51pm

8 pounds 5 ounces

20.5 inches

Addilyn Ranne Smith

Since we will be adding a sibling soon, I thought it would be best if I wrote a few things about Addilyn. I know I write about her all the time, but that's going to change and this is mostly for me and any grandparent. :)

Addilyn at 2 years old.

Sleeping- we have been SO lucky with her sleep. She's in bed averaging 7pm and gets up about 7am. One of the great things about her is that she can stay up late with us (like 9 or so) if we are out and won't cause any problems. She keeps her tiredness to herself. If she's not tired and in bed, we will listen to her sing or talk or laugh to herself until she does fall asleep. Her naps are about the same thing. Recently she changed her naps from 1-3ish to 2-4ish. I'm still trying to adjust with snacks when she wakes up vs dinner since it's so much closer to that time.

summer 2012

Putting her to bed- I am a firm believer in routine and sticking to your guns during the hard times. Especially since we have had the results we have. So long as you read a book, say a prayer, and sing a song, she will go to sleep. More often then not she gets a bath before this too, but she can manage going to bed without it in her routine. I will hold her with her head on my shoulder next to her crib and sing and then place her down with her babies that she requests. On occasion she wants to be cradled...what 2 y/o wants that???!!! She is so sweet. The same order minus the prayer applies before her nap time.

Fall 2011

Special naps- During naptime, if she doesn't go right to sleep, I've heard her jumping in her bed laughing hysterically. One time she didn't sleep the entire time and I couldn't figure out why until I went to get her after the 2 hours. She was as happy as can be because she figured out how to get to her blanket stash that sits near her crib. Her crib was filled with them. That same nap time also had the library book bag leaning against the crib and she figured out how to get almost all of the books through the slats of the crib. So her crib not only was covered in a gazillion blankets, but all of her new books to keep her entertained. 

Winter 2012/13

Eating- Addilyn, you love to eat. Just recently you started to give us a little bit of a tough time. Really because you're eating so slow and we need to go....So we started doing the whole "choochoo" into your mouth. And ever since then, I've caught you doing it to yourself when you are eating on your own. Love it. Addilyn loves dairy- milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, you name it. She only likes straight water if it's from my water bottle. To get her to have water in hers I have to sprinkle a little bit of powdered Gatorade in it. Oh- and also sometimes to get you to eat something, we will "feed" your baby first. And then feed it to you. Works like a charm.

Spring 2013

Play time- Addilyn LOVES going on walks. She also loves going to parks- particularly if there are slides involved. She is for the most part completely unafraid of slides. In the last 6 weeks she's been able to climb up the ladder at the playground near our house that we walk to. And she loves to swing. Since we have swings on our tree house, she can sit in a non-baby swing and has yet to have an accident. But believe me, I am a nervous wreck when she's on it. She is also really awesome playing with other kids. Friends who've had her over and her nursery leaders all say she is a sweetheart and is really easy to watch. (thank goodness)

Winter 2012/13

Indoor playtime- Loves: coloring, reading books (with our without me), singing, pushing her stroller, playing with blocks, putting shoes on, talking on her cell phones (anything can pass as a phone including a piece of paper), carrying her purse, playing mom. Okay- I'll pause on that one. She is so incredibly maternal I have no idea where she gets it from. She loves her babies (aka stuffed animals) and will do everything a mom would do. She feeds them, diapers them (from wiping, to applying vaseline, to trying to put a diaper on), rocks them and says "shhh shh", puts them in any make-shift bed she creates, puts blankets on them, tells me they are sleeping, reads to them....you get the picture. One of my favorite things she does aside from playing mommy is when she is gathering things into her stroller, has a purse on her shoulder, and is talking on a phone. She will walk around like that- I don't know where she picked up on that :)

Talking- Only in the last few months has her vocabulary exploded. I was aware this would happen about this age because of books I've read and such. But wow, nothing prepares you or shocks you for what this sweet girl will suddenly say. Just yesterday in the car we were about to get out and she started pointing to the ceiling and saying "push". I couldn't figure it out until I realized that the button that we push to open her door is up on the ceiling where she was pointing. (our van has automatic opening/closing doors which is my most favorite feature) Things like that you don't realize she's making connections with words and the things around her. I bought the Richard Scary's Biggest Word Book from the Goodwill last week and we point at things and she names them. Or I'll say where is ___ and she will point to it. I'm learning so much from her about what she is picking up on. Thank goodness we have clean language at home because I could only imagine the things she would say.... It's funny when she says the slang/things I say like "ahhh man!" or Scott just taught her "What!!! Woah".

Spring 2013

Other quirks- She's super interested in everything you are doing. Addilyn can be extremely independent. Recently she's started shaking people's hands at church. She loves LOVES animals. Specifically dogs and cats. She's also really good at how to approach them (hand out so they can sniff etc). She knows just about all the animal sounds and will gladly demonstrate them. Addilyn loves trains, airplanes, trucks, and cars. She can spot an airplane in the sky better than I can. She's not afraid of the Dr's. (like at her check up they did her blood pressure. The nursed asked if she could see her arm muscles and Addi quickly lifted her arm and was happy to have the cuff on her. Probably because at my dr apt's we practice playing with them in the waiting room) She LOVES her daddy. She gets up on the kitchen table to look out the window when he leaves and waves and screams "BYE!!!" and blows kisses to him when he goes to work. If she gets an owie, she comes up to you, points to it and says "Owie" and expects you to kiss it. Immediately she goes back to playing as if nothing happened. She really is a tough cookie.

I could go on and on...and on about Addilyn. The last 2 years has been such a learning experience for us. We still are trying to figure out this whole parenting thing. But she really makes it easy on us. I'm hoping her brother is just as kind to us! (and I hope I'm not jinxing us by saying that)

A little Dash

FINALLY Scott was able to get tickets for the Winston-Salem Dash from work. They have a box suite and randomly if you hear about it, you can get tickets. Last time he went was with a customer and they got food and everything. I was so stinking jealous. Then he called me about 2 hours before game time saying we could get some...but they didn't feed us. Lame. But still, they were really great tickets and Addilyn had a blast! She loved everything about it. She cheered and clapped and was really involved.

Boxes!

Addilyn had her 2 year check up today. She weighs 28.5lbs and is in the 60-some-odd-% (I can't remember). Addilyn is super tall, at 36" or 3' which puts her in the 96% for her age.

My sweet girl is 2

A few hours old

1 year old

2 years old

 (I was really proud of my heart shaped pancake.) Addilyn woke up this morning singing. I love listening to her in the monitor when she's happy and just hanging out in her crib. She is such a love.

Addilyn wore this button all day that Grandpa and Nana Jadwin sent her. She loved opening her presents and was wired this morning. It really was probably from the pancakes.

We went swimming this morning at the Y. I was hoping it'd be more enjoyable for me. But then I remembered from the last time when I was pregnant with Addilyn that in the water I got really bad heartburn. It was really nice to relieve physical pressures, but that brought everything floating up causing well, heartburn. Addilyn had a blast though. She's a little water baby. We got a kick board and she was kicking and everything. Scott taught her how to blow bubbles in the bath tub quite some time ago and she was doing it in the pool. We sure are proud of her!