Welcome Cousin Emerson!

My cousin Sean welcomed his second daughter, Emerson Patricia (big sis Reagan is 1.5), on Wednesday, March 11th (she shares a birthday with our Uncle Joe). The boys are exited for future play dates :) Congrats Sean and Kelly.

Erik Newborn Pictures

Erik John

Erik John was born on Tuesday morning - December 16th, 2014 (an all even date just like the three of us) at 8:53am. His arrival couldn't have been any quicker - except of course for the pain. I tried to hold out as long as possible to go to the hospital this time, and it might have been a little too long. I was having contractions all Monday evening and throughout the night, with the beginning of the worst ones starting around 4:30 in the morning. Until about 5:15am, I was still considering going to work, but then I decided I really couldn't take it anymore, so I fired up the lab top to put in for a sick day, jumped in the shower, dried my hair while sitting down screaming oh I don't know, every 5 minutes or so, ate my breakfast eggs while screaming oh I don't know, every 5 minutes or so, and jumped in the car while screaming oh I don't know, every 5 minutes or so. My screaming must have really scared Kyle. When we dropped him off by Mimi and Grandpa, he told them that "Mommy is sad." When we got to the hospital around 7:00 am, I had Chris park the car and we walked on over and up to labor and delivery. I was screaming, oh I don't know, pretty much the whole time at this point! Turns out I was already dilated to a 6 and ready for that epidural. It took longer than it did with Kyle to kick in, but I think that's because the pain was so much more intense this time around. By 8am, Dr. Lolly said I was ready to push. Unfortunately, the epidural had just set in by the time she made this decision, and as I finally was no longer feeling any pain, I was not much use in the push department. She had a c-section to perform and said she'd be back in 30 minutes, which she was. She had me start pushing again for round 2 around 8:40am, and like I mentioned above, out popped Erik John at 8:53. I pushed for about 3 rounds of contractions if that - quick! So far we've been calling him Erik, Erik John (after my brother's middle name and my dad's middle name), Little E, and Mr. Dimples. So excited that he has dimples! He was born 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.5 inches of cuteness, with strawberry blond hair like Kyle when he was born. Erik is so excited to nurse, and then he poops within 5 to 10 minutes of starting and immediately falls asleep. When this happens it's pretty much impossible to wake him up again. We love him :)

Peanut Butter: 39 Week Appointment

Peanut Butter was very active at my 39 week appointment last Thursday (12/11). His/her heartbeat was up to 160 ... I think that's the highest it's ever been recorded at. The head is down - way down - which is probably why I find myself going to the bathroom literally every half hour, or every time I stand up, whichever comes first. Other than that, there wasn't much to the appointment, as usual. I was only 0.5 cm dilated, but seeing as I had Kyle 3 days after I wasn't dilated at all, it really doesn't seem to mean all that much.

My due date is this Wednesday (12/17), but if the baby doesn't come by then I will have another ultrasound on Thursday (12/18).

Peanut Butter: 37 Week Appointment

Heartbeat: 142 bpm
Bump Size: Right on Track
Strep B Test Results: Negative

That's about all there is to report. My next appointment is tomorrow at 7 am.
I'll be 38 weeks on Wednesday.

Peanut Butter: 36 Week Appointment

At yesterday's 36 week doctor appointment ...

- Peanut Butter was measuring head down, but hadn't dropped yet ... still giving us some much needed time to get ready :)
- my bump size was right on track.
- Peanut Butter's heart rate was strong - 140s.
- I got the whooping cough shot which should transfer to Peanut Butter.
- They did a test to make sure there are no bacterias in me that would make it unsafe to delivery Peanut Butter. I should hear the results this week.
- A rash that showed up all over my thighs on Friday is just the result of dry stretchy skin. Since then I've been applying some dry skin lotion and the redness is going down.

I'll be 37 weeks on Wednesday. Technically full term.

Preparation for Baby

In an effort to prepare Kyle for baby, we took advantage of our low-key weekend and gave him a few opportunities to practice sleeping outside of his crib. Friday night went really well. He thought the mattress on the floor was "kinda like a fort" .. super cool in his eyes! He slept until 7 am without a problem. Nap time Saturday afternoon didn't work as well (although his naps in the crib over the past few weeks haven't exactly been stellar). He laid quietly for a while, but definitely did not fall asleep. Saturday night he had no problem falling asleep and staying on his mattress until about midnight. When I checked on his monitor around then, he was asleep, but definitely off the mattress. Chris had to go in and move him! After that we didn't hear a peep out of Kyle until 8:30 in the morning. We found Ky scrunched between the head of the bed and his bookshelf, perfectly cozy and content. Looks like this is going to take a lot more practice than we thought! But at least he's still sleeping through the night.

Peanut Butter: 34 weeks

Saturday, I had my 34 week appointment for Peanut Butter. It was pretty uneventful, but at this stage of the game, that's a very good thing. PB had a strong heart beat (150s) and his/her bump size appears to be right on track with the current growth charts.

Today marks 35 weeks .. About 5 weeks to go :) (yikes).

Thank You!! From Kyle and Peanut Butter

Sunday, Nana and Auntie Amy surprised Kyle with some cozy fall/winter outfits, including a nice warm jacket. Thank you :)

 

Then today after work, Auntie Robo and Mimi surprised me with a cute little "sprinkle" for Kyle and Peanut Butter. Kyle and Auntie baked cupcakes while I was at work. They were delicious (as anything with cream cheese on top is). Peanut Butter got a couple of cozy sleep sacks for those cold winter nights, along with some cozy booties and pjs. Kyle got a few Peter Pan and Big Brother books, as well as some cozy jammies. Then they both got cute, matching Santa outfits. Perfect for their first weeks together. Thank you so much :)

Big Brother Practice

Last week we bought Kyle his very own brother/sister doll. Every night we have the two of them do something simple together (i.e. read a book or watch an episode on the ipad). Kyle has to practice sharing and being gentle around the baby. After their activity is over, we help Kyle sing "Hush Little Baby" or "Deep in the Hundred Acre Woods" to the Baby as he gives the baby a kiss and helps tuck him/her into their bed on the rocking chair. In the morning, Kyle helps tuck the baby into his crib as he gets ready for his day. We tell him what a great big brother he is and hope that doing this regularly will help make things a little easier once his new baby brother/sister actually arrives.

A Shower for Peanut Butter

On October 3rd, the social committee at my work hosted a little baby shower for me before the workday began. We played a few simple games and enjoyed some cake from Marianno's. They surprised me with a cute navy blue, white, and gray outfit from Baby Gap. It's only the second new outfit I have for Peanut Butter. It's tininess helped remind us of what's to come :)

Saturday Morning at the Park!

This weekend, we started to have a little work done around the house. Handy Andy is back! And this time he's doing a little painting (front awnings, hallways, doors) and construction (converting the downstairs kitchen into a kids' playroom). In order to give him a little space and to get away from the fumes, we took Kyle on a bunch of little adventures. First we went to the elementary school park. Then we hit up our friends' block party in Edison Park. They had a bounce house and bounce water slide. Perfect for Kyle! Then we headed out to Carol Stream and attended a family baby shower for some Loyola friends. Paul and Erica are due with their first baby - a boy - this September. They also had a bounce house in addition to some yummy traditional Filipino food. After we got home, Kyle and I were pooped, but Chris's fun was far from over. He went out on the town (Jefferson/Edison Park) for Matt's bachelor party. Busy Saturday for the Alps!

Reagan Elizabeth

Last Sunday, Kyle finally got to meet his new cousin, Reagan. At 6 lbs, she's a tiny little thing. Very cute, and very easy to hold, especially compared to my little meatball ;)

Cousins, new and old ;)

Reagan Elizabeth Moran

While we were away at Lake Como, my cousin Sean welcomed a new baby girl into the world, 4 weeks early! Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Kyle can't wait to meet his new cousin!