Life with two

OK Readership, sorry for the delay in updates. And sorry that this post is picture-less - I can't seem to get it to work right now... A few days ago, I could have just as easily entitled this post "Craziness", as I truly felt that to be synonymous with "Life with two". Things have calmed down a bit here. I do find plenty of vacant time slots in my days, but they are usually not to be filled with anything of note, since Boo is staying in pre-surgery and it is really quite difficult to take them both anywhere. And that has nothing to do with the amount of stuff I have to lug around - it is because CeeCee is particular about her feedings occurring on demand and while Boo is not, we must keep on top of our every-three-hour feeding schedule or else pay for it by staying up with the feeding pump all hours of the night. So we are a bit tied down, and while at times I lament this fact, it is really nice to have down time to play with my babies and read and snuggle and occasionally get something done.

Really the craziness of it all is the rigid schedule we must keep with the feedings and diaper changes. Also, since CeeCee does not breastfeed (we will save that issue for another post - check back in a few days), I am pumping. Back to life as a cow - the life I lived for a year after Boo was born. I am really lucky/glad to have a good milk supply, so I really only need to pump every 6-8 hours or so. This is a huge blessing.

We have finally learned to trust CeeCee to known when and approximately how much she needs to eat. This has been an interesting adjustment for us. Boo has never told us much of anything by way of his survival needs. He doesn't care about food, diaper changes, or even teething. So we calculate out with our dietitian and cardiologist exactly how much of what "food" (infant formula still) he needs and when and give it to him, whether he likes it or not (he doesn't), on a regular schedule. She is so easy in comparison. Her crying for food is like an alarm clock I do not need to set, and that is wonderful. That being said, I do think she is a bit more demanding of time and attention than Boo, which is fine.

CeeCee is also a major snuggle bug. I am SO glad for this! I honestly have been praying to have a snuggly baby and here she is. Boo used to be a snuggler too, but after his second heart surgery he did not want anything to do with snuggling. (That was back when he was on a medication for several months that made him sick and all he did was cry, eat a little from a bottle, and spit up a TON.) We can't hardly blame him. He will sort of snuggle every now and then - more like tolerate being held... Oh well. CeeCee fills my every snuggly need, except spousal of course. ;)

As for Boo and CeeCee's relationship - it is interesting. At first, Boo completely ignored her very existence and went about his business as usual. For the most part, he still acts that way. But, a few times he has gotten himself to a standing position against the couch while I am feeding or snuggling CeeCee, just to see what is going on. He does not get upset about her or anything she does. He just seems curious. And he is afraid of her - as in, I could (but don't) hold her at arm's length and chase him with her because he totally scoots away super fast when she is placed near to him. This aspect of their interesting relationship is beginning to fade however. Boo also loves to bounce his ball and other toys off of her bouncy seat and infant carrier, causing her to bounce as well. Neither of them seem bothered by this, but I try to keep him from doing it whenever possible. Last night they took their first bath together - that was fun. They didn't seem to care that each other was sharing the tub. The best thing about their relationship is the following: Boo claps or yells (happily, but yelling nonetheless) in time to CeeCee's crying!

For anyone who doesn't know Boo, he LOVES rhythm. He claps or kicks or hits or does any number of other things in rhythm to music, books, rhymes, and now CeeCee's crying. For instance, she cries like this: ah-WA ah-WA ah-WA, and Boo goes like this: (a)-*clap* (a)-*clap* (a)-*clap*. Not sure if that is understandable... Well it is simply hilarious. I would ordinarily almost feel my blood pressure rise after a couple of those intense CeeCee cries, but Boo keeps me sane with his happy yells and his claps. (As a side note on Boo's musical ability, he has now added pitch to his list of musical talents. He "sings" - pitch and rhythm, no syllables - "Frere Jacque", "Blue Danube" and any number of other songs from his toys. Every now and again I even do hear him sing "Ba ba ba" to these tunes. He is truly a character - delayed in every other skill but advanced in music. Must be his mother's son...)

As far as CeeCee's development and habits - I don't really have anyone to compare her to, since Boo is his own man. She was born with the ability to hold her head up for several seconds at a time, and has only gotten better. She always cries when she needs something, and her cry is pretty strong. When she cried upon being born, I thought aloud: "Wow, she is louder than Boo already!" This is true. I do not use our baby monitor, even when she is alone upstairs, because I ALWAYS hear her. CeeCee is a good little sleeper. She has already gone from waking up 3 times a night to sleeping a full eight hours last night for the first time! If she had her way (which she sometimes has had on accident!), she would sleep on her tummy on my or S's chest. She is a good little sleeper for the most part in her bassinet/pack-and-play on her back, particularly when she has a nice binky to suck on that stays in her mouth! She also gave us her first smiles a couple of days ago and has been smiling intermittently ever since! I think she is ticklish on her neck and her cheeks, so sometimes I solicit these smiles... :) At her 2 week doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 7lbs 8oz (8oz more than her birthweight). She is 25 percentile for weight and 50-75 percentile for height. Weight vs. height is 5th percentile, although that will probably change with time. "Long and lean," the doctor said.

CeeCee and Boo have both been wonderful and have not shown any signs of maladjustment to this massive overhaul of our lives (at least for S and I!). We are so super glad to have them. They are special and sweet and our days pass, though sometimes boringly, with pleasure in our associations together. As I said in the beginning, the "craziness" that I thought equivalent to "life with two" is not so anymore. It is still tougher and more time consuming than life with one, but it is a doable and fun challenge. As Dickens wrote: "It is no small thing when they who are so fresh from God love us." Isn't that the truth!

Baby Cee Cee's arrival

Yesterday (July 28) Cee Cee arrived at 9:57 AM after a short 8 hrs of labor. She is 7 lbs and 20 inches long. She has no indications of any health problems. Several nurses and the pediactrician indicated that she is an unusually cute baby.

I Will Treasure These Moments (And Others Like Them) Always

Boo Update

For those who are interested, Boo has a carepage on the website carepages.com. I update this with his most recent health information. With his surgery coming up, I expect to keep the updates coming solely from his carepage and not on this blog. If you would like to follow on Boo's carepage, just let me know and I will send you a link or tell you how to get on it.

Pregnant and Lovin' it

I must say, I have had some difficulties in the past with both pregnancies, and maybe I am speaking too soon or jinxing it or something, but I truly am "pregnant and lovin' it". :)

This picture was taken on Sunday. I am now 36 weeks!

*OK, so I started writing this post on Saturday night, and on Sunday and Monday I had REALLY tough days... The title is back to being true, however, as yesterday and today I have been feeling great again. :)

When we were first married, S saw a book titled "Pregnant and Lovin' It" and joked that he was going to buy it for me. Then, when I was pregnant with Boo and having a hard time, he still said he was going to buy that book for me (GRRR....). Now that I AM pregnant and lovin' it, he STILL jokes that he is going to buy that book for me. I just have to learn to ignore these jokes... :) As a side note, he also always jokes about buying me a tote bag that says "Relief Society" on it and I told him I will NOT carry such a bag! But the joke persists.

When we first started telling people that I am pregnant and due in July, so many people thought I was "going to die" because of the heat, etc when I am nine months pregnant. Well, to those nay-sayers, I am now 9 months pregnant and yet alive, and in fact, I have very little discomfort to complain of! Yay! Don't get me wrong, the whole pregnancy has not been this way. I couldn't hardly walk down the street mid-second trimester, but for the last 6-8 weeks Boo and I have been walking 0.5-2 hours per day! I used to get really bad heartburn all the time, but now I just get it occasionally and Zantac makes it all go away. My back pain is no more than the usual discomfort I have in regular non-pregnant life. And I can still carry Boo around and up and down our stairs just fine (one of my big worries before we decided to have another baby). I must be getting SERIOUSLY blessed here, and believe me, I am enjoying it while I can!

We are SO super excited for little Cee-Cee to join us. (Except for Boo, who seems to be getting more attention-demanding... They will get used to each other eventually.) And we are also SO excited that everything points to her being totally healthy and full term (just one more week until that is certain!). Now if the nesting instinct could just kick in and make me put together her little room, that would be good... :)

Upcoming Surgery

Boo's surgery is finally scheduled! It will be on July 8th. I will be 37 weeks along then, so we are hoping and praying that, if it would work out best for all of us, our hospitalizations will not overlap and that Boo will have his surgery and subsequent recovery over and done with before the baby and I start ours! We think it will work out best this way, but Heavenly Father's plan is undoubtedly superior to ours, so we will defer to Him. :)

To be honest, I am feeling a lot better about the surgery now, having had some time to digest the initial shock of it all. (I wrote the last post about it the day after I heard the news...). Now, although I do still have my bouts of sadness/nervousness about the whole thing, I mainly either ignore the whole situation (easy to do when you've got: 1. a baby to take care of, who is totally acting like himself plus some, and 2. a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and now "Emma") or I feel gratitude for the following:

1. Boo was born at a time when he can have the surgery and it is not a new thing. Actually, we had one doctor tell us that if Boo was born 5 years earlier, he would not have survived with all of his difficulties, and being so small and all. That is seriously something to be grateful for, and I am.

2. We live in a country where these procedures are done regularly and where doctors and nurses are able to get appropriate training to save these fragile little lives.

3. We have good insurance and do not have financial stress on top of all this...

4. We have tons of people, both in the immediate vicinity as well as all over the country, who care about Boo, who pray for him, and who are there to support us and help us out.

5. Besides his heart (granted, that is an important body part...), Boo is much healthier and bigger, and his lungs have gotten better since his last surgery. We hope this means fewer complications than last time and a shorter recovery.

6. Boo is more communicative now than he ever was in the past, especially considering that his last hospitalization was a year ago. He still doesn't talk or sign, but he knows what we are saying and he responds well to us. We think this will help his anxiety this time around.

7. I know Heavenly Father is watching out for our family. He will not take Boo unless it is Boo's time, and that is comforting. And I know He will help us all through any difficulties that may pop up (for all we know, this could be a super simple thing... I will be extremely grateful to know that all the times I have been sad/nervous have been in vain! :)

Lest You Think...