Anastasia Elise
Miracle Baby,
25 week preemie
Tips for Buying & Making Preemie Clothes
Tips on Preemie Development (including links to great toys)
How to Help Parents of Preemies
Recommended Books About Preemies
ARCHIVE:
2005:
2006:
2007:
2008:
INTRODUCTION
Anastasia was born at 25 weeks gestation (15 weeks early) after I experienced PROM (Premature Rupture of the Membranes) at 20 weeks into the pregnancy. Anastasia weighed a mere 1 lb. 13 oz. That made her an extreme (or micro) preemie.
The doctors didn't expect her to live, and listed myriad of health problems (from cerebral palsy to blindness) she'd probably suffer if she did live. But after 133 days in the hospital, Anastasia came home. Today, she's a healthy and happy girl. She's our miracle baby!
At this website, you can read about her journey, get tips for feeding preemies and other babies with aversions, read expert advice on preemie development, see recommended books about premature infants, get tips on preemie clothing, and more. I'm also now blogging about my second pregnancy.
The Latest UPDATES
July 21, 2008
Last night, Miss A.'s forehead looked awful--huge, swollen, and purple. I stayed up with her until 12:30 am, then went to bed. Hubby checked in on Anastasia a couple of times in the wee hours, and then at 7:30 am, I awoke to the sound of Anastasia singing a made-up song at the top of her lungs.
She's just fine. And even though her forehead still looks painful, it looks better than it did last night. She's eating heartily and I'm busy telling her not to run around in the house any more.
July 20 (part II)
This evening as I was doing dishes, Miss A. came running out of her room with a toy in her hand, and I suddenly heard a very loud THUMP. There was a moment's pause, and I listened close...Then she started crying. She'd somehow run right into the wall--into the corner, I think. She didn't cry terribly long, but she has a large bump on her forehead that's already turning purple. It looks like it came very close to splitting open. She's been subdued this evening--mostly sitting in her daddy's lap while he put some ice on her bump. I gave her some Tylenol, which I thought might help with a headache.
We didn't put her in bed until just a few minutes ago--about an hour and a half later than usual. Apparently I'm supposed to wake her up every half hour for the first six hours after the injury, then two hours later, then every four hours...all to make sure the injury isn't worse than it appears. It's going to be a long night. And here I was just thinking I was all caught up on my rest. Ah well, mommyhood and sleep deprivation go hand in hand.
July 20, 2008
Yesterday we went to a local parade and fair. We'd told Anastasia ahead of time that we'd be going to the parade, and that there'd be horses and fire trucks. Her immediate reply was: "Can I drive the fire truck? Can I drive a dump truck?"
She was so excited, and once there she received even the simplest "floats" with glee. She was delighted to see Elmo in the parade (she has very little exposure to him, but we do watch Elmo's Potty Time), but mostly was the horses and trucks she liked the best.
At one point, she cried, "There's a donkey!" We were flabbergasted because in the middle of some horses, there was a mule. If you don't have a sense of perspective, a donkey does, indeed, look just like a mule.
We also met up with Mr. E. and his family at the parade. It's been a few weeks since he and Miss A. have seen each other, and he was eager to give Anastasia a hug. "Yep! He loves me," Anastasia said.
Later, in the park, we stopped and watched a marching band, and she studied them carefully, applauding after each number.
Also in the park, we saw Elmo again. Miss A. was eager to see him until she got close, and then she lost her nerve. She appears to have great remorse over not hugging him as some other children were doing; she keeps talking about how "Elmo was afraid of me" and how "Elmo wanted to hug me." Last night, she seemed really sad about it, so I used it as an opportunity to teach her a little about trusting her instincts about people. Not that I think the person in the Elmo costume was bad, but I don't think any child (or adult) should ever feel badly because their instincts tell them to stay away from someone. (An idea heavily discussed in Protecting the Gift, a book every parent must read.)
But other than this one incident, Anastasia had a terrific time, which is great because she was sooooo tired and grumpy the day before. In fact, she ripped the cover off one of my books--something she never does. A few hours later, as I was telling her daddy about it, Miss A. said, "Yes, some little person ripped the cover off Mommy's book!"
July 15, 2008
Anastasia is becoming more and more baby-centered. Here are some things she's said in the last few days:
* "Is baby brother coming out of your tummy now???" (I think she's becoming impatient!)
* While sitting in my lap: "Mommy, I falling off. Push me back!" (She didn't like my explanation that she was as far back as my tummy would let her be.)
* "Baby brother's mine best friend. When he's born, I give him lots of hugs."
July 13, 2008
Yesterday, the Bun was 25 weeks and 2 days along. The exact gestation when Anastasia was born. I don't want to make it sound like I thought about this incessantly, but I couldn't help but have it cross my mind several times.
By the time Miss A. was born, I'd been on home bed rest for about five weeks; I was admitted into the hospital for bed rest the day before I turned 25 weeks pregnant. I'd been having cramps or possibly contractions, but once I was in the hospital, they went away.
Many women on hospital bed rest complain that it's terribly dull, but that was not my experience. In fact, after a month of peaceful home bed rest, I found hospital bed rest far too stimulating. Not only did friends drop by for visits, but I saw my doctor every day, a physical therapist (assigned to help prevent muscle atrophy), the chaplain, and a myriad of nurses. They wore me out!
Then, at 25 weeks and 2 days, I started having cramps again. I swore I was in labor, but the nurses declared I was "too nice" to be in real labor. Still, a few hours later, there was no question the labor was real, and my doctor rushed to the hospital to deliver what I know he felt was a baby who would not live.
And now look; I have a beautiful, nearly-three daughter :)
And she now has a brother with a name: Zane Daniel. Zane means "God's precious gift" and Daniel is a family name.
Now hubby and I can say we have children from A to Z!
July 11, 2008
I just want to let everyone know that I had another urine test and blood pressure check this afternoon. There is no protein in my urine and my blood pressure is just fine :)
July 9, 2008
Yesterday morning, we awoke to a little off-key voice singing "Old MacDonald." Better than any alarm radio :)
Miss A. is getting to where she sings a lot of the day, as she's busy doing other things. She even invites me to sing along sometimes. A few days back, she asked me to sing "the Noah song." I said I didn't know a Noah song, would she sing it for me? She proceeded to make up a song about Noah and his rocking, big boat, that eventually turned into "Rock-a-Bye Noah."
This morning, I explained to Anastasia that she might not see her daddy much today. "Daddy's truck is broken and he needs to fix it." She said, "Yes. Hoss [one of her daddy's friends] is helping by bringing Daddy a battery for his truck." Anything that's broken just needs batteries, ya know :)
Anastasia's baby brother is kicking up a storm. This week, we'll hit the 25 week mark, and we have an all-too-good idea of what the bun will look like at that point. I'll be excited to see 25 weeks come and go.
I still have an appointment to have my urine and blood pressure checked this Friday, but I've checked my blood pressure several times and it's just like it always is...a little low. I don't think I really have to worry about preeclampsia.
July 5, 2008
I hope all of you in the U.S. had a wonderful Independence Day. We had a relaxing day with friends, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help remember that July the 4th is also the anniversary of my water breaking with Anastasia. The sound of firecrackers always makes me think of that horrible night.
Fortunately, however, there was no reoccurrence with Miss A.'s baby brother :) In fact, the most exciting thing that happened was I got tired of Anastasia begging to put on makeup while I did, so I handed her what I thought was a container of blush. But when I was done with my makeup, I realized she'd been smearing greasy lip color all over her face:
At the park. Miss A. climbed up these "big kid" steps all by herself for the first time. They're really steep for her little legs!
So proud to be on the big kid swings.
Smothering...er, loving on the cat.
July 3, 2008
Yesterday I had an OB appointment. The bun has a good heart rate and I'm measuring about two weeks ahead. (Probably just because I'm no skinny-minnie.) I've gained five pounds this month; that's fine, but I hope to not gain much more. I also had protein in my urine, which can indicate a problem with preeclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood pressure). However, my doctor isn't too worried since my blood pressure looks fine. It's been hot here and she said protein can end up in urine if you're dehydrated. Still, I have to go back next Friday and have them check my urine and blood pressure again.
The doc also set up my glucose test (for pregnancy-related diabetes) for the end of the month. Although this is routine, I never had the test when I was pregnant with Anastasia because I never got that far along. My friends tell me it's no fun to drink the doctor-prescribed 10 oz. of sugar, then have your blood drawn.
I also talked to my doctor about possibly having my old OB, who delivered Anastasia but is no longer a practicing OB (just an GYN), assist with my C-section. She said that was certainly possible, since both doctors are in the same practice. Hubby and I think that would be really neat, since my old doctor was so supportive of our decision not to abort Anastasia (and my other doctors were not).
Speaking of Miss A., remember when I discovered her with blood all over her face and hands? I later discovered how it happened. Earlier, she'd been playing in my office and found a metal ruler; I'd told her to put it back because "it could really hurt you and give you an owie." I thought she had obeyed, but I later found the ruler - with blood all over it - thrown over the child gate into another room. I think she realized Mommy was right, but didn't want to admit it :)
She is getting sneakier that way. A few days ago, she was watching one of her Brainy Baby DVDs while I worked on my laptop (not a common thing in our house). My battery ran out, and I only had five more minutes of work left, so I hauled the computer into my office and plugged it in, thinking Miss A. was occupied and would be fine. Well, just as I was finishing up, I heard Anastasia sobbing. When I asked her why, she said she was crying because her movie was over. This didn't sound right to me, and sure enough, I looked down and saw that her hands were completely covered in marker ink. Then I discovered her little activity table was also completely covered in marker ink.
Apparently, when I left the room she saw the opportunity to be naughty, then regretted it, knowing she was going to be in trouble...hence the crying. It wasn't too big a deal. The markers were washable. But she still got a stern lecture as I made her clean the table all by herself.
Yesterday I took Anastasia to the park. Unfortunately, it's the first time we've gone this year, because I've been hesitant to walk the several miles there while I'm pregnant. (We are a one vehicle family and I don't drive. This time, a friend took us.) Miss A. really could have cared less about the playground equipment. She wouldn't even go on her favorite - the swings - until she'd gone up to every child in the park, said hello ("Hello, boy! Hello, girl! Hello, baby!") and given them a hug. She's really turned into something of a social butterfly around children.
She also took her first tumble after being hit by a child in a swing. It was Miss A.'s fault. She kept walking too close to the swings, despite my warnings. Fortunately, the child in the swing was just a baby and wasn't being swung very hard. Still, Miss A. did a face plant. But she's a tough little thing. She got right up without assistance and said to the gradeschool-aged boy swinging the baby, "Sorry, boy!"
June 29, 2008
Yesterday, as Anastasia was reciting the names of the people she loves, she added "baby brother." Later, she asked me to draw a picture of her daddy. Then she wanted me to add myself. Then she wanted herself added. Finally, she said, "Where's baby brother?" So I added him, too. :)
Today, we took a look around the toy store. We hadn't been there in eons, and wanted to get some ideas for Miss A.'s third birthday. As usual, Anastasia was well behaved in her umbrella stroller. At one point, she said, "I love this, Mommy!" I thought she meant a particular toy, so I asked, "What do you love, honey?" She looked all around the store and held out her arms: "This!" she said.
In response to my worries about Miss A. not getting enough calcium from milk products, my mom-in-law reminded me I could make yogurt popsicles. Oh yeah! I'd even bought a popsicle mold a while back. Since I had some calcium-enriched orange juice in the fridge, I tried that first. Anastasia ate about six on Saturday. Yes, they are messy and some of each ended up on the ground, but still! I'm going to try yogurt popsicles next. I could even make them out of pudding or Pediasure. Plus, I introduced Anastasia to ice cream cones, and she loves those, too.
The only trouble with these things is they are too messy to eat anywhere but outdoors, so when cooler weather comes upon us, hopefully Anastasia will be a more cooperative eater and drinker. If only they made apple juice fortified with calcium, our worries would be over!
June 26, 2008
FIRST: Bun and I are at week 23! Yahooooooo!
This morning, I asked Miss A. if she wanted to wear princess panties or a diaper. Without hesitation she said, "Princess panties!" So I said, "Okay, that means you need to use the potty today." Her instant reply was: "No, I can't wear panties. Diapers!"
So today she wore diapers all day. Her stress level (and mine) was much lower. A few times she told me she needed to use the potty, but mostly she made no note of it. So I guess we'll hold off for a few weeks, then try again.
One thing I've read that might work is to create a deadline. One writer said she bought a potty chair and panties for her nearly three year old, but her daughter protested. So she said, "Oh not now. When you're three," the writer told her. This happened pretty regularly. And suddenly, when the girl turned three, she just started using the potty. Presto! That's something that might work with Miss A.
I also have to admit that Anastasia is no longer drinking Pediasure. It became such a battle every evening to get her to drink it. All she really wanted to do was play with her daddy...and who can blame her? So now our evenings are much more peaceful. I do worry that she's not getting any milk though. Kids her age are supposed to get about 16 oz. of milk, cheese, yogurt, or ice cream every day. I think she comes close to that on most days, but still...
Today, after Anastasia's nap, I suddenly realized we were having a real conversation. Not just a few sentences, mind you, but a longish conversation. She has always (since she was an infant) loved to stare into the trees she can see from her bedroom window, and today as I held her and rocked her after her nap, she said, "Look at the baby leaves on the daddy tree." I agreed they were pretty. Then she mentioned that there were animals in the trees. Yep, I said, what kind of animals? She began naming some, and I added on others, and we were silly with some. Then she told me what her favorite animal was (bears), and asked what mine was. It was just so...grown up!
I also love to hear her "read" to herself. The other day, I was working in my office and she was sitting beside me, looking at an older-kid's book about Jonah and the big fish. Oh how I wish I'd had a video camera handy! In her version (which, of course, she was narrating out loud) Moses starred, and he made Noah some yummy cookies.
Today, my hives were suddenly worse. They really weren't bothering me, but I got large splotches of them on my arms. Surely it's not a coincidence that today in my area there was an extremely high pollen count.
And I was feeling pretty good about my new job and how Anastasia was handling it. I was working on my computer, and she was playing around me happily. "Hey! This might actually work!" I was thinking. Then I looked over at her, and I thought she had lipstick all over her face. When I asked her what it was, she said, "Oh, just spots." I asked her to come over to me, and as she did, I realized her face was bloody. And so were both her hands. As I took her to the bathroom to clean her up, I asked what happened. She didn't seem to know. It turned out all the blood was from a small cut on one finger. I still don't know how it happened...but Miss A. was delighted to wear a Band-Aid!
June 25, 2008
We continue to have no success using the potty. I won't say we haven't made progress, though, because Miss A. does tell me (about one or two seconds before she goes) that she needs to. She didn't start out that way.
Sometimes I think she's just being stubborn. For example, we were watching her Potty Power DVD (which she's been watching for a while, and really enjoys), but once in a while, when the host would say something like, "Now you can use the potty, too!" Miss A. would shake her head and say, "No I can't!" On the other hand, she'd ask to watch the DVD again.
So maybe she just doesn't have the mechanics down yet. And probably she's feeling cautious. She is a cautious girl.
I am reminded that in all physical areas of development, Anastasia has her own time table. Nobody could rush her when it came to sitting up. Or crawling. Or walking. And certainly not talking. So I shouldn't be surprised that she doesn't want to "rush into" potty training, either.
Tired of cleaning up messes, this afternoon I put a Pull Up over her panties. She was just as eager to change after she urinated, but I didn't have a big mess on the floor to clean up. I may continue this way...Although when I changed her panties and tried to put a Pull Up on her again, she was defiant: "No!"
Later I told her (not threateningly, just matter-of-factly) that if she continued to make messes in her panties, we'd switch her back to diapers. "No!" she said, "I won't wear diapers!"
So we'll see how it goes.
I've been meaning to report to you on the Bun, too. He sure is one active fellow. I read recently that at 23 weeks (which I'll be tomorrow), you might feel the baby moving once or twice a day. I feel this little guy moving a lot more than that! In fact, several times he's kept me awake at night while he plays soccer. But I'm not complaining! An active baby is a healthy baby.
I also read recently that by this time most women have gained 15 pounds. I'm nowhere near that, so I feel a little proud :) Still, I am beginning to waddle...
June 24, 2008
THE TALLY:
Accidents so far - 12 urine, 1 (very runny) BM
Successes so far - 0
At first, Miss A. was downright obstinate. On Monday morning, I explained all about using the potty: Tell Mommy before you go and Mommy will help you to the potty; go pee or poop in the potty; if you go in the potty, you get a special sticker to put on your potty chart and an M & M.
Her reaction: "No!"
Then she had her first accident...and didn't like it. Gradually, she became more willing, and after she peed her pants said: "I need to go potty, Mommy."
But so far, she hasn't managed to tell me this more than two seconds before she actually goes.
I think I started this at a bad time. (Is there ever a good time?) Anastasia is grumpy and tired. And so am I. Unexpectedly, I'm starting a new, difficult job writing web content. All I really want to do is go to bed and sleep until the job becomes easy and Miss A. knows how to use the potty perfectly. Oh and did I mention that all day yesterday our sewer system was plugged up, making flushing and washing impossible???
Hold on.........Ok, I'm back. We need to update the tally to 2 BMs. (At least this one didn't end up partially on the carpet. )
Okay, looking on the positive side:
SpotShot is a God-send. (Thanks, Becky, for recommending it!)
Gerber Training Pants are wonderful. (I should have more than three pairs!) They are cotton, but have a padded crotch, which allows Anastasia to feel wet, but keeps a lot of the liquid in her pants.
Our sewer system is back up and running again.
I have a child, and she happens to need potty training. (Hey, we moms of extreme preemies don't take these things for granted!)
June 22, 2008
So in preparation for tomorrow, I've been washing new little princess panties. (There's not a lot of choice out there; it was either Disney princesses or Disney cars.) Anastasia is intrigued and keeps asking what I'm doing with the "baby panties." (I think she assumes they are for a baby because I've been washing a lot of baby clothes and giving them away.) I explained the panties are for her, and she can start wearing them tomorrow. She seems excited.
Then Miss A. spotted the bag of Pull-Ups.
Miss A.: "Mommy, what's this?"
Me: "Those are also big girl panties for you to wear at night. Tomorrow we're going to start using the potty every time, and not go in diapers any more."
A moment later, Miss A. carted the Pull-Ups over to a baby gate and flung them over into a room that she almost never goes into.
Me: "What are you doing?"
Miss A. (frowning): "I threw them away!" (Then, suddenly feeling guilty:) "It was naughty."
Ha! This whole potty training thing is going to be interesting...
June 20, 2008
Although I'm not the least bit worried about Anastasia's development, I thought I'd take a peek at a developmental chart and see how she shored up. I used the 30-36 month chart (Anastasia is 34 months) in The Everything Toddler Book.
Says the names of pictures in a book when asked (if talking) - Absolutely!
Names six body parts (if talking) - Absolutely yes!
Describes what two objects are used for - And then some!
Makes three- to four-word sentences (if talking) - Uh...definately!
Speaks so that others understand him most of the time (if talking)- Oh yes!
Says fifty words (if talking) - Far more!
Understands most of what is said to him - Oh yes!
Follow a two-step command - Yep!
Reasons through problems himself - Most of the time, yes
Counts to two - Yes; counts to 8 consistently well
Indentifies four colors - And then some...She knows all her colors
Copies a straight line - Not quite, but she's getting there. I think mostly she doesn't care to copy my straight lines :)
Copies a circle - Yep!
Confines coloring to paper - Yep!
Balances on one foot (two seconds) - Yep!
Stacks eight blocks - I have no idea since Anastasia doesn't like to play with blocks
Says "please" and "thank you" when prompted - Yes, when not prompted!
Takes turns (with guidance) - Yes, mostly without guidance
Asserts rights with peers - Yep!
Knows not to bully other children - Yep!
Contributes to joint activies and discussions - Yep!
Negotiates and compromises - Yep!
Asks for information - Oh definately!
Plays with other children - Yep! She no longer plays side by side other kids; she actually plays with them.
Uses the potty - Not at all consistently, but more on that in a moment
Eats with minimal assistance - Oh yes!
Dress himself - Not really. She's more likely to undress herself. I have no doubt she could dress herself (in easy to put on clothes) but she's still saying "Mommy do it."
Fixes a bowl of cereal - We don't eat cereal, but she could definately do this, although it would be messy :)
I'd say she's doing excellent!
I have decided, mostly due to the bragging my friend Tanya has done about potty training her 34 month olds (grin) that I really must stop putting off the whole potty training thing. (At the very least, as the price of everything goes up, up, and up, it will be great to stop by diapers.) So I bought some cute panties, a big bag of M & Ms (for rewards), some carpet cleaner, and some Pull Ups (for night time) and will plunge into the task Monday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Miss A. seems to really be getting the whole baby brother thing. The other day, as she rode her Thomas the Engine, she talked about how baby brother would soon ride it, too. On the other hand, when I ask her where baby brother is, she sometimes says he's in her tummy. And the other day she said, "Where mine bike? Oh, it's in mine tummy." (I guess if a baby brother can be in a tummy, a bike can be, too!)
I did finally find a decent picture book about adding a baby to the family. Unfortunately, it's out of print - but fortunately it's easy to find, anyway. It's Our New Baby by Roger Priddy. In simple terms, it explains that a baby is in Mommy's tummy, that it takes a while for it to come out, that Mommy goes to the hospital and has the baby, and what it's like to have the baby at home. Everything is presented in a positive fashion, which is sadly difficult to find in children's books these days. It's a little on the young side for Anastasia, but she still likes it, and it has helped her to understand what the process will be like.
P.S. Tomorrow, hubby and I are celebrating our 7th anniversary. A friend (Mr. E's mommy) will watch Miss A. a good portion of the day while hubby and I go on a much needed date. Ahhhh I can't wait!
June 19, 2008
Repeat until you've gone through three sets of clothes...
June 17, 2008
Anastasia has become a lipstick thief:
She's also become very insistent on dressing in a way that pleases her. Fortunately, she has a pretty good sense of style:
June 12, 2008
Anastasia has been contrary, grumpy, and whiny for a while now. I think she's just exhausted from growing, but it's really starting to wear me down. Yesterday, as I was preparing dinner and she was whining in the background, I was feeling pretty grumpy myself. And when I dropped our glass pepper shaker on my toe, I let out a loud noise.
Suddenly, Anastasia's whining stopped and she came into the kitchen.
Miss A: "Are you okay? Are you okay?"
Me: "Yes, I just dropped something on my toe and it hurt."
Miss A: "Let me kiss your toe."
And she did. Thinking this was awfully sweet, I squatted down to her level and she threw her arms around me and patted my back.
Miss A: "You're okay, you're okay."
She was exactly imitating what I do when she has a minor boo-boo. I was humbled. And my attitude for the rest of the day sure improved!
***
I'm 21 weeks along today, and so excited to be past the dreaded 20 week mark with all its bad memories. Last night, as I read the 21 week gestation chapter in my favorite pregnancy book (Great Expectations, which I highly recommend; it's soooooo much better than the old standby What To Expect When You're Expecting), I realized the text was suddenly unfamiliar. I'd forgotten that when my water broke, I stopped reading my pregnancy book. The doctors made it so clear there was "no hope," I just couldn't bear to read it any longer.
June 9, 2008
Today, when I saw my OB, I told her that from here on out, it was all new territory for me. By this time, when I was carrying Anastasia, I was on bedrest, and my OB appointments were all about whether amniotic fluid was building up (it wasn't) and if I had developed an infection (I never did). "Here's to all new experiences!" my doctor said.
The bun is very active, and his heartbeat is great. I'd gained only two pounds since my last appointment, and my blood pressure was fine. I had another BV test, and it was negative. I mentioned to my doc that I'd been having periodic sharp, shooting pain near my armpit, above my breast. She said it almost certainly was because of hormones (preparing to make milk), but that it was a good idea to check for lumps periodically. (Something I'm bad about doing.)
I took this belly pic on the 5th.
We also discussed C-sections.
Many of you have wondered why I "automatically plan" to have a C-section the second time around. Others have strongly suggested I have a VBAC (vaginal birth after a C-section). While I'd discussed this topic with the OB who delivered Anastasia (who is no longer delivering babies, or he'd still be my doc) and a perintologist (high risk pregnancy doc), I hadn't directly discussed this with my current OB. I did that today. Here's the scoop:
When a woman goes full term (or close to it) and has a C-section, the doctors cut into a very low section of her uterus, where the tissue heals readily and quickly. If, during another pregnancy, she has a VBAC, the risk of her uterus rupturing while in labor is about 1 in 100. When a woman has a C-section very early (as I did, at 25 weeks gestation), they cannot cut into the low section of the uterus,. (Remember, the uterus is much smaller at this stage.) Instead, doctors cut into a higher section, which doesn't heal as well. Therefore, the risks involved in having a VBAC is higher.
This is why we're going for a planned C-section. There is some small part of me that would like to give birth the old fashioned way, but that longing is much, much smaller than my desire to have a healthy delivery.
So, while we were discussing C-sections, my doctor decided to schedule mine. October 17th is the day! Woo-hoo!
In the meantime, Miss A. is getting alarmingly big. I can't believe she'll soon be three! Here are some cute things she's been saying:
Every once in a while I like to ask her what she wants for her birthday, because her answers are so fun. This weekend when I asked, she paused and then said: "Christmas!" (That morning, she wanted to wear a shirt - found in the back of her drawer - that had snowmen on it, and she walked around asking for a Christmas tree.)
To her father: "Daddy, I can read your mind. You want to read to me."
Daddy: "If you could do anything in the world, what would you do, Anastasia?" Miss A.: "Read books!"
Me: "Mr. E's mommy is nice; she likes you." Miss A.: "No, Mommy! Daddy likes me!"
June 4, 2008
Tomorrow the bun will officially be half baked; I'll be 20 weeks pregnant! On one hand, it's amazing to us that I'm already halfway through. On the other hand, I find myself thinking a lot about how my water broke at 20 weeks with Anastasia. Believe me, I try not to think about it, but it's tough to keep those thoughts from entering my mind.
Both hubby and I have some somewhat arbitrary numbers in our heads. After 20 weeks, we'll breathe a sigh of relief. And again after 25. Again after 28. Again after 30. Each of these are milestones for premature babies. And even though 30 weeks is still too early to be born, I think we'll relax a lot after the bun reaches that mark.
The good news is the bun is very active inside me, and I feel good. My hives haven't entirely gone away, but they aren't troublesome. I haven't had to take any more medication for them.
Miss A. is beginning to take the idea of a baby brother more to heart. For example, a few days ago, I was cleaning up some infant toys my sis-in-law gave us, and Anastasia was enthusiastically "helping" me. At first, she thought the toys were her own, so I said, "No, honey. These toys are your baby brother's. But you can play with them, too. He won't mind." Thereafter, whenever she picked up one of the toys, she said, "Baby brother never mind."
Already, I'm saying things like, "You will share your toys with your baby brother, and he will share his toys with you." Let the brainwashing begin!
Miss A. was especially enamored of the crib toys. She knew what they were instantly, grabbed them, and said as she ran off to her bedroom, "I put this on mine bed now!"
For a while, I thought - just maybe - Anastasia was outgrowing her Miralax (for constipation). She went several days with a miniscule dose (I alter it according to her needs) and had three BMs a day. That's a record. I was ready to stop giving her Miralax when she got badly constipated. All is well again, but she's back on a higher dose of Miralax.
I think she might be going through a growth spurt, too. For several days, we put her to bed at 7pm and she didn't wake up until 10am. That's unheard of! For Miss A., sleeping in means getting up no later than 8am. She was also taking two hour naps.
Then, a few days ago, when I got her up in the morning, she said, first thing: "Maybe I turn into a butterfly, like a caterpillar in it's cocoon." I think she meant that she'd been "cocooned" in her blanket. She blows me away.
"Miracles are a retelling in small letters
of the very same story
which is written across the whole world in letters
too large for some of us to see."
C. S. Lewis
This website and all its contents are (c) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced.