Saturday, September 10, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Avery's First Day of Preschool
Some ladies from church and I started up a preschool co-op. There are six of us, each with one child that is either 3 or 4. We are only doing preschool one day a week and then we're doing a playgroup on another day during the week. Each of us Moms are putting together a 3 week themed lesson as well as a 2 week themed lesson. And we'll rotate who teaches every 3 weeks at first and as the year comes to an end we'll rotate every two weeks.
I've been trying to get Avery excited for it. She is so shy around other kids when she's not with her big sister. She kept telling me she didn't want to go. She seemed excited about it today, but Derek said she didn't want to go in when he dropped her off today. Hopefully she'll be okay and make some new friends......and learn a lot! Unfortunately, we've slacked on the educational end of things with her. Now that Allie is in school I hope to be able to start up our own schedule for her here at home.
Anyway, here are her first day of school pics.
VIDEO of her little interview before they left for preschool
I've been trying to get Avery excited for it. She is so shy around other kids when she's not with her big sister. She kept telling me she didn't want to go. She seemed excited about it today, but Derek said she didn't want to go in when he dropped her off today. Hopefully she'll be okay and make some new friends......and learn a lot! Unfortunately, we've slacked on the educational end of things with her. Now that Allie is in school I hope to be able to start up our own schedule for her here at home.
Anyway, here are her first day of school pics.
VIDEO of her little interview before they left for preschool
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Blake ~ 1 Week
We had our first big outing today (besides a walk to the bus stop yesterday.....which, by the way, Allie was very excited to see her brother when she got off the bus and wanted to show him off). Blake had his one week check up. He's now at 6 lbs 10 oz. That's up one ounce since birth. He is now 19.25 inches in length....so he's grown a quarter of an inch. Everything looks great health wise! The little guy seems to sleep non stop. He's up a little more at night than during the day. We can't wait to get that switched around. His big sisters absolutely adore him. I think those feelings are mutual.
He also had his first sponge bath at home a few days ago.......
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Birthday Blessings
The fact that this was my 30th birthday didn't even phase me. Why?? I was blessed with the best gift ever: a baby boy!!! Spending the day with my four loves was the best gift I could ever ask for. Even though I was in a little pain it was still great. Of course we used my birthday coupons from various restaurants to help make the day as easy and relaxing as possible. Derek and the girls even brought me home a HUGE ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. A couple ladies from church also brought over some desserts!
This post can't be complete without pictures of my birthday blessing!!!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Blake's Arrival
SWITCHING DR'S AND CHANGE IN DATES
August was such a crazy month! I went to my 36 week Dr visit at Lackland and was told that I would need to find a new Dr because their clinic was closing on August 31st. As of then, my c-section was scheduled for 6 September. We knew that there was a possibility of this happening. We also know that they had to have known when they were going to be closing well before they told us! So that was the frustrating part. It didn't leave me very much time to find a new Dr. Luckily, I had looked into civilian Drs when I found out I was pregnant. I've never had much luck with military drs and wasn't sure I wanted to deal with them again. I guess that worked out in the end! :0) Because I had already looked into dr's I knew which clinic I wanted to go to that took our insurance. They were calling me 4 days later to get me in to be seen! My new Dr was Dr Kethireddy. And I was now referred to as "Huber" or "honey". She was very nice and we really liked her a lot. She worked with Derek's crazy schedule and was able to move my c-section to 1 September. She had to work us in because her time slots were already filled for that day. My blood pressure had been border line at my 2 prior visits in her office. (130's over 70's) On Monday, August 29th I got a call from the nurse, Kat, that they had an opening come up for surgery on the 30th and Dr Kethireddy wanted me to come in to have my BP checked and if it was high we would schedule for the next day. Well, I got this call at 3:00pm on Monday! I was at the bus stop to get Allie so after she got off the bus we hurried home to get the girls snacks and rushed to the office. My blood pressure was up! I don't know if it was because I was so caught off guard or what (145/90). Anyway, we were thrilled to be meeting our soon a few days early!!!
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS
As soon as we left the Dr's office I was making tons and tons of phone calls. First to Derek to let him know that we would be having our boy the next day. Then he had to get things set up for his paternity leave. This is new just this year with the military. Dads are now given up to 14 days of paternity leave!! It really is a miracle that Derek is able to use them with his current job. He was actually supposed to be gone on a trip the 30th and 31st but his boss told him there was no way he was going. Good thing!!
Next, was to my Mom. I wanted to let her know so she could spread the news and to make sure she hadn't bought a plane ticket because I know she was seriously thinking of coming for the 1st.
Then, I had to make phone calls to make arrangements for someone to take care of the girls. I had my Visiting teacher watch Avery most of the day. Our neighbor picked Allie up from the bus stop and then Avery was dropped off at their house shortly after. We're so thankful for their help!
SURGERY
We had to be at the hospital at 10:30am. Everything went pretty quickly since I had been in there just 2 days prior. (I thought my water was leaking.....not the case though) That was way too much time for me to think about the surgery and get all worked up about it! They finally wheeled me back at 12:20pm. One of the worst parts is getting the spinal! Once that was over it was pretty easy.....for me anyway. Although, when it came time to get baby Blake out they had to push REALLY HARD on my belly to get him out because I have so much scar tissue. That part hurt and I felt like I was going to throw up. I couldn't breathe at all while they were doing that! Then he was here and I didn't remember any pain that I ever had. I was shocked when they said he was 6 lbs 9 oz. I really thought we were going to have a 10 pounder this time around. We were already calling him Blake the Tank, but it's not really all that fitting now.
I guess I have a lot of scar tissue/adhesions on my bladder and they needed to check to make sure they didn't knick it. So they filled my bladder with a bottle of milk! As long as it emptied white then everything was good.....and that's just what happened. They were supposed to sew up some of my abdominal muscles. We're not sure if they did because we were so wrapped up in our new little guy. I'm pretty sure they did at least a little bit because from the time they told me that they were starting to stitch me up to the time they finished seemed a little long. Especially after finding out that they stapled my incision instead of stitching it!
RECOVERY
This has probably been my quickest, least painful recovery. I was up walking around, had my catheder and IV out, took a shower........all within 24 hours after surgery. I was surprised! I did almost pass out while in the shower. I was told to take the dressing off of my incision while I was in there. There were 2 really sticky strips and it was taking forever to get them off.......and didn't feel all that great. I finally just yanked the last little bit off because I could feel myself getting ready to go. I quickly sat down in the shower and put my face under the water and sat there until I felt good enough to get up.
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the first night. It seemed like every time I would start to get into the deep sleep I was been woken up by a nurse either to get my vitals or to feed Blake (that I didn't mind). The 2nd night I didn't get any sleep AT ALL! Blake was in the room all night and I was by myself in the hospital for the majority of the time. Derek had to be at home at night with the girls, had to work a little in the mornings to get a few things done, and had to pick Allie up from the bus stop by 3pm. So really the only time he was able to be there was late morning through lunch and then they would get back around 6:00 or 6:30 to spend an hour or two with us before heading home for the night. I guess that is what happens when you have a growing family!!
The nurses were impressed at how well I was doing. They had no problem releasing me that 2nd day. I was ready to get home so I could finally get some rest!!
VISITORS
When Derek brought the girls in that first day I could hear them coming down the hallway. They were quiet themselves....it was Avery's shoes that were so loud! The girls came in and had the biggest smiles on their faces. They were looking around everywhere for their brother. The nurses still had him back for his bath at that time. I think they were a little confused because my belly was still big and they thought he was still in there. :0) The look on their faces when Blake was brought into the room was priceless! They couldn't believe he was actually here. I don't think their smiles ever left their faces. They were so happy and proud to be big sisters.
Now when it was just Derek and Avery at the hospital it was a different story on how Avery behaved. I'm sure part of it was lack of sleep and lack of attention. She was constantly acting up, crying/screaming!! We are definitely going to have to watch her really closely around Blake. I think things will get better once she adjusts. She's actually been really good with him while we've been home -- so maybe it just had to deal with the hospital environment.
My friend, Tonya, also visited us while in the hospital.
BLAKE
Come to find out the cord was wrapped around Blake's neck. I don't know how long it was like that. But, because of that, they were monitoring his sugar levels. For the first few hours they were normal but after that they were quickly dropping. He was pricked SO many times. Poor guy!!! We really didn't want to supplement any formula this early for fear that he then wouldn't nurse. But, at this point, I had to give in. He needed the nourishment to get his sugar levels up and I didn't want him to be pricked anymore. They were finally up by the next day. He started nursing really well early in the morning the next day too. Such a good boy! We decided to have the little guy circumcised. That didn't actually happen until a few hours before we left for home. Derek was able to be there for it and he nearly passed out! We're not sure what his weight was when we left.....we need to get the scale out and weigh him. I'm sure he's got to be close to his birth weight because all he does is eat.......and sleep. He passed all of his other tests and had his HEP shot right before we left.
That was long and drawn out! I'm sure we'll be posting lots and lots of pics in the near future.
August was such a crazy month! I went to my 36 week Dr visit at Lackland and was told that I would need to find a new Dr because their clinic was closing on August 31st. As of then, my c-section was scheduled for 6 September. We knew that there was a possibility of this happening. We also know that they had to have known when they were going to be closing well before they told us! So that was the frustrating part. It didn't leave me very much time to find a new Dr. Luckily, I had looked into civilian Drs when I found out I was pregnant. I've never had much luck with military drs and wasn't sure I wanted to deal with them again. I guess that worked out in the end! :0) Because I had already looked into dr's I knew which clinic I wanted to go to that took our insurance. They were calling me 4 days later to get me in to be seen! My new Dr was Dr Kethireddy. And I was now referred to as "Huber" or "honey". She was very nice and we really liked her a lot. She worked with Derek's crazy schedule and was able to move my c-section to 1 September. She had to work us in because her time slots were already filled for that day. My blood pressure had been border line at my 2 prior visits in her office. (130's over 70's) On Monday, August 29th I got a call from the nurse, Kat, that they had an opening come up for surgery on the 30th and Dr Kethireddy wanted me to come in to have my BP checked and if it was high we would schedule for the next day. Well, I got this call at 3:00pm on Monday! I was at the bus stop to get Allie so after she got off the bus we hurried home to get the girls snacks and rushed to the office. My blood pressure was up! I don't know if it was because I was so caught off guard or what (145/90). Anyway, we were thrilled to be meeting our soon a few days early!!!
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS
As soon as we left the Dr's office I was making tons and tons of phone calls. First to Derek to let him know that we would be having our boy the next day. Then he had to get things set up for his paternity leave. This is new just this year with the military. Dads are now given up to 14 days of paternity leave!! It really is a miracle that Derek is able to use them with his current job. He was actually supposed to be gone on a trip the 30th and 31st but his boss told him there was no way he was going. Good thing!!
Next, was to my Mom. I wanted to let her know so she could spread the news and to make sure she hadn't bought a plane ticket because I know she was seriously thinking of coming for the 1st.
Then, I had to make phone calls to make arrangements for someone to take care of the girls. I had my Visiting teacher watch Avery most of the day. Our neighbor picked Allie up from the bus stop and then Avery was dropped off at their house shortly after. We're so thankful for their help!
SURGERY
We had to be at the hospital at 10:30am. Everything went pretty quickly since I had been in there just 2 days prior. (I thought my water was leaking.....not the case though) That was way too much time for me to think about the surgery and get all worked up about it! They finally wheeled me back at 12:20pm. One of the worst parts is getting the spinal! Once that was over it was pretty easy.....for me anyway. Although, when it came time to get baby Blake out they had to push REALLY HARD on my belly to get him out because I have so much scar tissue. That part hurt and I felt like I was going to throw up. I couldn't breathe at all while they were doing that! Then he was here and I didn't remember any pain that I ever had. I was shocked when they said he was 6 lbs 9 oz. I really thought we were going to have a 10 pounder this time around. We were already calling him Blake the Tank, but it's not really all that fitting now.
I guess I have a lot of scar tissue/adhesions on my bladder and they needed to check to make sure they didn't knick it. So they filled my bladder with a bottle of milk! As long as it emptied white then everything was good.....and that's just what happened. They were supposed to sew up some of my abdominal muscles. We're not sure if they did because we were so wrapped up in our new little guy. I'm pretty sure they did at least a little bit because from the time they told me that they were starting to stitch me up to the time they finished seemed a little long. Especially after finding out that they stapled my incision instead of stitching it!
RECOVERY
This has probably been my quickest, least painful recovery. I was up walking around, had my catheder and IV out, took a shower........all within 24 hours after surgery. I was surprised! I did almost pass out while in the shower. I was told to take the dressing off of my incision while I was in there. There were 2 really sticky strips and it was taking forever to get them off.......and didn't feel all that great. I finally just yanked the last little bit off because I could feel myself getting ready to go. I quickly sat down in the shower and put my face under the water and sat there until I felt good enough to get up.
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the first night. It seemed like every time I would start to get into the deep sleep I was been woken up by a nurse either to get my vitals or to feed Blake (that I didn't mind). The 2nd night I didn't get any sleep AT ALL! Blake was in the room all night and I was by myself in the hospital for the majority of the time. Derek had to be at home at night with the girls, had to work a little in the mornings to get a few things done, and had to pick Allie up from the bus stop by 3pm. So really the only time he was able to be there was late morning through lunch and then they would get back around 6:00 or 6:30 to spend an hour or two with us before heading home for the night. I guess that is what happens when you have a growing family!!
The nurses were impressed at how well I was doing. They had no problem releasing me that 2nd day. I was ready to get home so I could finally get some rest!!
VISITORS
When Derek brought the girls in that first day I could hear them coming down the hallway. They were quiet themselves....it was Avery's shoes that were so loud! The girls came in and had the biggest smiles on their faces. They were looking around everywhere for their brother. The nurses still had him back for his bath at that time. I think they were a little confused because my belly was still big and they thought he was still in there. :0) The look on their faces when Blake was brought into the room was priceless! They couldn't believe he was actually here. I don't think their smiles ever left their faces. They were so happy and proud to be big sisters.
Now when it was just Derek and Avery at the hospital it was a different story on how Avery behaved. I'm sure part of it was lack of sleep and lack of attention. She was constantly acting up, crying/screaming!! We are definitely going to have to watch her really closely around Blake. I think things will get better once she adjusts. She's actually been really good with him while we've been home -- so maybe it just had to deal with the hospital environment.
My friend, Tonya, also visited us while in the hospital.
BLAKE
Come to find out the cord was wrapped around Blake's neck. I don't know how long it was like that. But, because of that, they were monitoring his sugar levels. For the first few hours they were normal but after that they were quickly dropping. He was pricked SO many times. Poor guy!!! We really didn't want to supplement any formula this early for fear that he then wouldn't nurse. But, at this point, I had to give in. He needed the nourishment to get his sugar levels up and I didn't want him to be pricked anymore. They were finally up by the next day. He started nursing really well early in the morning the next day too. Such a good boy! We decided to have the little guy circumcised. That didn't actually happen until a few hours before we left for home. Derek was able to be there for it and he nearly passed out! We're not sure what his weight was when we left.....we need to get the scale out and weigh him. I'm sure he's got to be close to his birth weight because all he does is eat.......and sleep. He passed all of his other tests and had his HEP shot right before we left.
That was long and drawn out! I'm sure we'll be posting lots and lots of pics in the near future.
Blake Emerson
Blake Emerson Huber
Born August 30, 2011 @ 1:15 pm. 6 lb 9 oz, 19 inches long.
Just pictures for now. Stay tuned for the story........
Born August 30, 2011 @ 1:15 pm. 6 lb 9 oz, 19 inches long.
Just pictures for now. Stay tuned for the story........
Going Home
My Handsome Guys
Monday, August 29, 2011
Long Week
Just a quick update on us.......
The first week of school proved to be a stressful one for me. The long days were taking it's toll on little Allie. She was trying so hard to keep up with it all, but was fighting the exhaustion. This led to some major tantrums, me to lose my patience and some major stress. I could tell she was super tired this morning so I don't know that this week is going to be much better......especially with such a big change coming at the end of the week! Thanks to facebook I was able to receive some great advice and tons of positive feedback that things will get better over time. She just needs time to adjust and get used to these super long days. I'm hopeful that this will happen.
We had a false alarm this weekend. While out shopping Saturday I felt a sudden small gush of "water" (enough to soak through my pants). My water broke when I was pregnant with Allie and it was nothing near as much as it was then, but I thought maybe I have a small tear or baby's head is blocking anymore from coming out. I, of course, started freaking out and headed back to the car, to save myself from further embarrassment, while Derek finished the shopping. We decided we'd try to get some rest in our own beds and decide what to do the next morning. I didn't really have anymore leakage through the night......just damp. TMI, I know. Anyway, I finally broke down and called the Dr's office. I got someone in the message center who then paged the nurse on call. She finally called me back and I explained everything to her. She said it didn't sound like my water broke but to go into the hospital to be checked out......just in case. So, I did. Turns out this little guy is just sitting right on top of my bladder and decided to empty it himself!! I really had no idea that was what it was especially since I had just went to the bathroom about 10 minutes prior to this happening. In hindsight though, I do feel like I have to go to the bathroom constantly and this explains that feeling!
Now a picture and video........
The first week of school proved to be a stressful one for me. The long days were taking it's toll on little Allie. She was trying so hard to keep up with it all, but was fighting the exhaustion. This led to some major tantrums, me to lose my patience and some major stress. I could tell she was super tired this morning so I don't know that this week is going to be much better......especially with such a big change coming at the end of the week! Thanks to facebook I was able to receive some great advice and tons of positive feedback that things will get better over time. She just needs time to adjust and get used to these super long days. I'm hopeful that this will happen.
We had a false alarm this weekend. While out shopping Saturday I felt a sudden small gush of "water" (enough to soak through my pants). My water broke when I was pregnant with Allie and it was nothing near as much as it was then, but I thought maybe I have a small tear or baby's head is blocking anymore from coming out. I, of course, started freaking out and headed back to the car, to save myself from further embarrassment, while Derek finished the shopping. We decided we'd try to get some rest in our own beds and decide what to do the next morning. I didn't really have anymore leakage through the night......just damp. TMI, I know. Anyway, I finally broke down and called the Dr's office. I got someone in the message center who then paged the nurse on call. She finally called me back and I explained everything to her. She said it didn't sound like my water broke but to go into the hospital to be checked out......just in case. So, I did. Turns out this little guy is just sitting right on top of my bladder and decided to empty it himself!! I really had no idea that was what it was especially since I had just went to the bathroom about 10 minutes prior to this happening. In hindsight though, I do feel like I have to go to the bathroom constantly and this explains that feeling!
Now a picture and video........
Avery getting ready to go swimming with her friend Noelle.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
3 & 5 Year Check Ups and an EARTHQUAKE
The girls had their 3 year and 5 year check ups yesterday after school. Allie went first and she was such a good girl. She seemed so big and grown up answering the doctor's questions and doing everything she was asked. Everything looks good and she's a healthy little girl!
Avery went next. I think the doctor and I had both hoped that Avery would be okay with everything with Allie going first. Wrong! It didn't help that Allie told her that she would probably be getting shots. So she was terrified of the that the whole time. From what the doctor was able to examine Avery looks healthy too! We talked about her bloody noses and I guess it's pretty common here with it being so dry, so she's not worried about it. She suggested rubbing a little bit of vasoline in her nose before bed and if she still gets them after that then it could be allergy related. And.....she did end up getting one shot. She has to get 4 next year though!
Derek just emailed me......he's in Virginia and felt his first ever EARTHQUAKE. It was a 5.9, he's about 80 miles from the epicenter though and is okay. Crazy though! I've never felt one before.
Avery went next. I think the doctor and I had both hoped that Avery would be okay with everything with Allie going first. Wrong! It didn't help that Allie told her that she would probably be getting shots. So she was terrified of the that the whole time. From what the doctor was able to examine Avery looks healthy too! We talked about her bloody noses and I guess it's pretty common here with it being so dry, so she's not worried about it. She suggested rubbing a little bit of vasoline in her nose before bed and if she still gets them after that then it could be allergy related. And.....she did end up getting one shot. She has to get 4 next year though!
Derek just emailed me......he's in Virginia and felt his first ever EARTHQUAKE. It was a 5.9, he's about 80 miles from the epicenter though and is okay. Crazy though! I've never felt one before.
1st Day of Kindergarten
Allie was so excited about school last night that she couldn't go to sleep. We put her in bed at 7:30 and she was still wide awake at 9:30!! I figured it would be tough to get her up and going this morning but as soon as I said, "Good morning, it's the first day of school," she sat right up, smiled, and climbed out of bed.
I fixed her breakfast. Toast w/ jelly, her choice. She barely ate any of it. Again, I think due to excitement.
She pretty much only owns sandals......she's not a big fan of wearing tennis shoes. She says they hurt her feet?? But, she has PE 3 days a week so she's going to have to get used to it.
Showing off her new backpack
finally at school!
Avery had a hard time saying good bye to Allie. They gave each other the biggest hug before we left the school. Avery didn't want to let go! I had to ask for a hug. Those two really are best friends. Avery whined the whole walk to the car as we were leaving.....and continued whining on the car ride home. Once we got inside I gave her some candy for keeping her diaper dry through the night. Not even five minutes later she was asking, "Mom, Us get Allie now?!?" So sweet. She kept asking that over and over and I kept telling her not for a while. So then she asked if I could get baby brother out! I suppose it will take a while for her to get used to just her and I. She may not even get used to that before her brother is here. Hopefully that will help her with this transition a little bit better.
This clumsy girl fell and hit her head. Never a dull moment
Avery was so excited when I told her it was time to pick up Allie. She was a little confused when we didn't get in the car and took off walking. I had to explain that she was riding the bus home. We left about 10 minutes before the bus was scheduled to come just because i wanted to make sure we were there when she was dropped off. Of course the bus was about 10 minutes late so we were there 20 minutes early and waiting in the scorching sun. She (and I) were getting quite impatient.
But she finally arrived!!!!
Avery was so excited when I told her it was time to pick up Allie. She was a little confused when we didn't get in the car and took off walking. I had to explain that she was riding the bus home. We left about 10 minutes before the bus was scheduled to come just because i wanted to make sure we were there when she was dropped off. Of course the bus was about 10 minutes late so we were there 20 minutes early and waiting in the scorching sun. She (and I) were getting quite impatient.
But she finally arrived!!!!
Here are some pics from the weekend:
shopping at Kohls. I had to take a break. They just got done telling me that they were going to be best friends forever and they wanted their picture taken. :)
Avery playing with her new Bakery for her Calico Critters. Thanks Uncle Buddy & Aunt Kim!
at Emma's birthday party
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