She's here!

Joy Linnea Rozwadowski was born Saturday, September 23, 2006 at 9:44 in the morning. She is exactly 7 lbs., 18 1/4 inches long, and positively perfect.

My labor began just 2 hours after my mother arrived for a weekend visit, and everything continued to go smoothly from there. At 3 a.m., the drive from Culpeper to Reston was no problem at all, and my favorite doctor (who had also delivered Cole) happened to be the one on-call.

Labor was much easier this time, and I'm amazed by how good I feel. I think I have more energy now than I did at any point during the pregnancy...but I also know that I'll need every ounce. :-)

I'll share more of the labor story once I find a free moment...haha.

Joy had her first pediatrician visit on Tuesday, 9/26, and she did very well. She only lost 7 oz., and I'll bring her back tomorrow for a weight check. She was VERY fussy the first night home, and I breathed a sigh of relief when my milk came in after her dr. check-up. Unfortunately, for reasons only Joy knows, she still had a fussy second night home. BUT, she has been sleeping very well since then.

Much like with Cole's trips to the doctor, we brought home the plague from the pediatrician's office and the whole household is now sick with head colds and sore throats. No matter what precautions I try to take, we always get sick after a check-up. My mom had stayed with us for the entire week and as a thank-you we shared our germs with her too. Before she left yesterday, she made a trip to CVS with Tony to stock our house and her car with tissues, cough drops, Sudafed, and new cool mist humidifier. She even found lollipop style cough drops for Cole.

last week

On Tuesday, Cole and I attended storytime at the local library for the first time. Cole has always enjoyed books, and I thought it would give him some practice sitting still with a group of children. He was visibly nervous at first and he sat on my lap in the chair closest to the door. The librarian started with some dopey Raffi song, which did nothing to soothe Cole's jitters. She then invited the kids to sit on the floor close to her, and about half the kids did, but Cole chose to cling to my neck.

One little boy stood out as the troublemaker in the group, and thankfully his mom removed him pretty quickly. He stole the librarian's props and even ripped a horse puppet off her arm and later took away her book. He was a real treat, but at least he left quickly before he inspired others to follow along.

After 2 stories about apples, the librarian set up a simple craft of construction paper trees and pom-pom apples with glue for the kids to decorate. Cole leapt from my lap to take his place on the floor and it was clearly his favorite part of storytime. Once I take a picture of his creation, I'll add it to this post.

As for me, I had a check-up on Thursday, and I'm still at 2 cm, but the Bean has dropped down. I don't look any different though because there just isn't enough space in my torso for it to be noticeable. I'm battling swollen feet again, but I'm otherwise fine. It could be any day now, and since I'm on borrowed time, everything has more urgency. I've been working harder and planning ahead as much as I can.

After my doctor appointment we went to the party store to pick up supplies for Cole's birthday next month. Since his big day is only 2 weeks after my due date, and the nearest party store is an hour away, I'm trying to do what I can now. Cole's chosen a Spongebob theme and he was excited to pick out his invitations, plates and decorations. Today I ordered the rest of the decorations and goodie bag stuffers from Oriental Trading Company. I want his birthday to be an extra big celebration for him since he'll be adjusting to life as a big brother.

On Friday, we had a playdate at the park with a mom Tony had met and her 2 girls. Her oldest is the same age as Cole and they had a blast together. She's a sweet girl and they played pretend games and followed each other all over the playground. Her other daughter is 3 months, and Cole played with her in her stroller too. It was so sweet to watch. He tickled her and played with her toes, and he jiggled her mobile for her to make her smile. I think he's ready for his new role.

Making progress

Quick update: I'm currently at 37 weeks, 2 cm dilated, and 70% effaced. This is new for me because I didn't dilate at all with Cole until I was in active labor. I'm trying not to get too excited because I've heard the stories of women walking around at 3+ for weeks, but it is progress. I finished packing our bags this weekend.

Back in July during a week of 100 degree temperatures, a friend asked if I had reached the uncomfortable stage. I replied that I thought that I had. Now I realize there's a second uncomfortable stage...one where I make other people uncomfortable. 2 weekends ago, we went out for lunch and then to the grocery store. Upon entering the store, a clerk offering soup samples greeted me with "Whoa!", and then ran over to ask me when I was due and what I was having. He was nice about and wished me luck, but it was more attention than I would have liked. People openly stared while we shopped and in case you think I'm paranoid, Tony noticed it too. While looking for a check-out line, a young mom with a 3-6 month old in a car seat carrier, announced loudly, "I didn't stick out that bad when I was pregnant." Yeah, thanks for sharing.

I don't know if people are afraid I'm going to go into labor within seconds or where the fear comes from, but there's no reason for the rudeness.

ta-da!

I had started the duckie blanket on Father's Day weekend and I just finished it a few weeks ago. I feel like I'm a slow knitter, but looking back I can see that I have picked up some speed. I'm probably still on the pokey side, but I've improved a lot.

I first learned to knit when I was pregnant with Cole. My grandmother had found some old needles that belonged to my great aunt, and I knew once the Bean arrived, I would have little time to take lessons. I was right too. I've learned lots of new skills since Cole's arrival, but nothing that is offered in a formal class.

I haven't stopped knitting since, and I've made countless scarves and baby blankets in the last few years. I'm proud of how they have all turned out, and I've even created 1 original pattern. BUT I haven't progressed beyond 1 color or a basic rectangle shape. For Bean 2, I decided to challenge myself and try a pattern that required a couple new skills.

In hindsight, the duckie pattern was a lot more advanced than I had realized. The number of stitches per row was a lot higher than I am used to because the yarn is fine and the needles required are thin. Switching colors was less difficult than I thought, but once I got to the ducks, I was working with over a dozen bobbins of yarn at one time and it was very slow going. The pattern is well planned because the ducks were at the end. If they had been at the beginning, I would have given up!

Overall, I'm really happy with how the blanket turned out, but I don't think it will enjoy everyday use like my other baby blankets....so I'll just have to make one of my standard-issue blankets too.

sweet, but not too sweet

It's 2 weeks later, and I still have one lingering bruise from the 3-hour glucose test. The good news is that I passed the test just fine, and my doctor's office was nice enough to track me down on my cell phone the night before I left town for a long weekend. I was so relieved and grateful to know that I wouldn't have to add more restrictions to my diet and have the added worries of gestational diabetes.

The test was no fun at all. After fasting for 12 hours and no water for 4 hours, my veins ran dry for the fourth and final blood draw. The tech tapped 2 different veins and after a lot of wiggling and poking she came up empty. I swear I heard my vein sputter in exhaustion. I offered the vein in the top of my left hand which has been used before and while it sounds gross, it was completely painless and worked out much better. I wish she would've tried my hand sooner because my right arm was sore and badly bruised after the failed attempts. I'm not a queasy person and after she was done I had to lie down for a few minutes.

I brought my knitting with me. I'm working on my most ambitious knitting project ever for Miss Bean. It's a striped blanket that will have ducks at the top border. It's my first time working with more than one color and the yarn is an unforgiving, mercerized cotton. The yarn arrived in those long twists and when I tried to make a ball from it for the first time, I made an enormous tangle of knots that took a few hours to fix. I felt like I was in over my head before I even picked up my needles! BUT, the blanket is actually coming along very well and my stitches are smooth and even. I've been impressing myself with how good it looks! I'm still working on the stripes (I could finish 1 and a half stripes between blood draws.), but my confidence is growing and I'm getting psyched to tackle the ducks.

I'm just too sweet

I'm at the seven month mark now and in the last trimester...the home stretch. I failed the 1-hour glucose test last week which was a complete surprise since my sugar has been checked 3 times already with no problems at all. I don't have any history of sugar trouble either.

I had seen my primary care doctor a month ago because of dizziness and bloodwork was ordered then. My sugar was fine, but I was mildly anemic for a pregnant woman. There's a different scale for pregnant women according to trimester you are in. For a non-pregnant person my numbers would be much more worrisome. When the nurse called with the results she told me to take an extra iron supplement, but she wasn't sure if that was in addition to taking my prenatal vitamin again. I had stopped the vitamin because it was making me sick. I decided to try to take the vitamin again instead of the mega-iron. I tried taking it at every possible time of day, with and without food and it still made me miserable. I gave up again and decided to increase the iron in my diet through my food choices instead.

The dizziness has improved, but I don't really know why. It was bad for a while because it could come on very suddenly and my hearing would go and then I'd begin to black out. It happened 4 times total, and I hope that it's behind me now.

On Wednesday I'll be at the lab all morning for the 3-hour glucose test which is really 4 hours long. Oh joy! I had been telling Tony I wish I could have an afternoon to myself, but this isn't what I had in mind.

Bean is moving a lot sometimes and then is quiet for hours and hours. I don't remember Cole's movement being as erratic. Yesterday we went to Babies R Us and bought a new mini pack-n-play to use as a bassinet in our room. It's nice because it is portable and folds up. I feel like we're starting to prepare a bit more, and I'm looking forward to putting our trips behind us and focusing on getting ready.

big boy bed

We spent the holiday weekend here in VA so we could all get some rest and spend some time together...away from working together. One of the things I've been wanting to do is to get Cole's big boy bed so we could slowly move him out of his crib before Bean 2 arrives. Cole is a very sweet and mellow boy and I think he's going to be a great big brother, but I still am concerned with making the transition as easy for him as I can.

We had shopped for beds once before and Cole was completely disinterested. On Sunday however, he was one motivated little shopper. It probably helped that IKEA was not very crowded. He climbed in all the display beds, loaded with pillows and blankets. He would lay down, give a little wiggle and announce "not too bad." He was cracking himself up.

We bought a nice plain, but very mod, frame, and a good, but not too hard mattress. We had brought 2 cars and managed to squeeze it all in our durable 4 door Saturn. Tony couldn't see out the back, but it fit!

We put the bed together yesterday and Cole was very excited. I pulled out the cool robot sheets I had purchased with a giftcard from Pottery Barn Kids last winter. Cole helped me make his bed and then climbed right in.

We had bought rails at Babies R Us but they won't work with the bed frame. The beauty of IKEA is that the bed is very low to the ground and there is a little ledge along the sides of the mattress, like a little warning that you are too close to the edge. I hoped that with Cole being a little older than most kids who transition to a toddler bed that maybe he wouldn't need the rails.

I had expected that Cole would still want to sleep in his crib for awhile. He's always liked it and has never even tried to get out, so I thought we would let him get used to the idea for awhile before we expected him to sleep in his bed. To my surprise, he took a nap in his bed yesterday (with Tony at the beginning), and then wanted to sleep in it again last night! He slept the whole night without falling out or getting up or anything. In the morning when he woke up, he came into our room and announced "Hi Mommy Daddy." Tony thinks he looks smaller when he's in his new bed, but to me he got a lot bigger this weekend.

it's true what they say

Sadly, I'll admit that so far Bean 2 is not getting the attention that Cole received, and the poor kid isn't even born yet! Maybe I should say instead that I haven't reacted to this pregnancy with the same level of fanfare, but my life is much fuller than it was 3 years ago...even if my blog is much emptier...

While pregnant with Cole I was very apprehensive because I had a miscarriage not long before. It wasn't until around 16 weeks when I began my prenatal yoga class that I accepted that not only was I pregnant, but I was really going to have a baby. From that point on, I felt safe, like I could start to plan and nest and celebrate without fear of fate mocking me again. This time, it didn't sink in until a day or so after my 20 week ultrasound.

The ultrasound was the Friday before Mother's Day. It was like a new experience to us again because I had it 2 weeks earlier than I did with Cole, so the baby was less squished and easier to see. Cole had been a mess of arms and legs, but Bean 2 was lounging as if in a hammock. We were able to see the heart clearly, and even the baby's stomach, bladder and kidneys. We counted all the fingers and toes and when we viewed a hand we got a thumbs up sign from the baby. Even the technician laughed.

BUT when it came to learning Bean's gender, the baby's legs were crossed. I had to get up and walk around, use the restroom, and then the tech was "bopping" my belly with the wand to try to encourage the Bean to move. We finally had some luck at the very end of the scan and it looks like we're having a girl October 1st.

My friend Annie joined us partway through the ultrasound and it was fun to share it all with her. Annie had been next door for her own OB appointment, and she stopped by to see if we needed help with Cole. Cole was very good during the exam and entertained us with the alphabet song more than once. Annie was impressed to see that Cole knew to look at the monitor above us to watch the baby.

It still took a few days for it all to sink in, but I feel like I'm really pregnant now...and not just a fat lady. After my doctor appointments for Cole, I used to stop at the store and buy one small baby item and put it away for later. I bought my first gift for this baby after the ultrasound, a pink and brown crib sheet.

thank you easter bunny

We had a nice Easter weekend. Calvin and Molly visited on Saturday and we gave them a tour of Culpeper with lunch at It's About Thyme. It's a wonderful little European style cafe with fresh breads. Cole liked the fresh lemonade, and ate the peanut butter sandwich we brought for him.

Sunday, Bobby and Danielle came down to see us. We colored eggs--real and the Peeps variety. Bobby complained that he didn't want to do it, and then colored 4 eggs and a Peep. Cole loved his Easter basket. This was his first year with a basket, and I had a gift basket lady in town make it for me. It was mostly art supplies like stickers and color pencils, with a few treats. Cole ran around the basket pointing everything out while I opened it. He even shouted "Thank you Easter Bunny!" with genuine glee.

Cole's vocabulary is amazing now. He tells us whole stories about what he had for lunch or who the Wonder Pets saved. Wonder Pets is his new favorite show, and he reminds us of that daily. "Favorite" is a favorite word too. He'll pick up a toy and yell, "my favorite!" or drink chocolate milk and say "my favorite." He's very generous in that way.

bean 2

Cole accompanied me to my 12 week check-up on Tuesday. I've been busy with meetings and cooped up in my office a lot lately and Cole has been saying "Miss Mommy". We had a long car ride to the doctor and we went to grocery store afterwards to prepare for Tony's birthday party the next day. Cole was very excited to pick out a cake and candles, and when we got home we wrapped presents. Cole was so worked up that he greeted Tony with "Happy Birthday" when he came home from work. He was terribly disappointed when we told him he had to wait one more day to open presents and eat cake. It was a nice afternoon and a chance to play together which we both needed very badly. I've missed Coley too.

There's good news to share about Bean. We had a scare when the doctor couldn't find Bean's heartbeat with the doppler, but we got another peek with the ultrasound machine instead. I think this is the 5th ultrasound I've had, but I've lost count. The placenta has implanted in front of the Bean and made it impossible to hear the tiny heartbeat, but the doctor was able to see the heartbeat and we also saw the Bean moving. I know it's too early, but I would swear I've felt fluttering from time to time.

Cole sat on the exam table with me and he's seen enough ultrasounds now that even he knows that it's a picture of a baby.

I've lost weight since my last appointment for a grand total gain of 3 lbs in 3 months. BUT, I'm already wearing some maternity pants because the potbelly is already there. I must have lost weight some place else, but I don't know where. Maybe my brain has lost a pound and a half.

make fries

It's been so long since my last post that it's hard to figure out where to begin. Cole is an explosion of growth and activity. His jeans that required 3 cuffs in December, no longer need cuffs at all. His vocabulary includes whole sentences and his imagination and expressions are growing just as quickly. Last week while eating a snack of raisin toast with cream cheese, he grabbed a toy dinosaur and pretended it was eating his toast too. He smiled and said, "Dinosaur likes raisin toast too!". That was his longest sentence to date.

My mom and grandmother visited last week and they were amazed by how much more Cole is talking. They had seen him a little over a month ago. I had to do some translating for them, but after a day they were fairly fluent in Colese too. Today Cole started saying "Come on Mommy" a lot in a whiny, pushy voice. He learned that one after a long day with Tony yesterday. Tony has a habit of saying "Come on Cole" when he's completely exasperated. He didn't realize how much he says it until our little parrot started to repeat it.

Cole's favorite game right now is "Make Fries" which translates to Playdoh time. The source of that nickname is Cole's favorite Playdoh tool. I spend a good part of my day proposing alternatives to Make Fries because I'm tired of the game after about 4 months straight of Playdoh. The trouble is Cole doesn't really make anything, instead he wants me or Tony to make things for him and it lasts for at least an hour at a time, oh and he wants to play 2 or 3 times a day. Today I succeeded in distracting him with a couple rounds of Memory, one successful game of Candyland, and few new books. We still had Playdoh time but it wasn't until 6:30 p.m.

We started potty training and after some initial success, we had to back off. Cole started trying to not poop at all in order to avoid the potty, so we've put the process on hold for a little while. I'm trying to get started again, but it takes a lot of discipline on my part too. Also with the frequent hour long car trips, I know traveling is going to become more complicated and I'm not looking forward to that part of things. We'll just take it day by day.

Cole's eating a little better, but lately he's been on a hopeless sweets kick. He knows how to open the pantry door and it's tempting to throw out all the sweets just to avoid the tantrums and temptation. Some of Cole's favorite words are "em-ems" for M&Ms and he can also say "chocolate." We still supplement with some jarred baby food just to sneak meat and veggies into his diet. The only meat he will eat is chicken nuggets and even that is rare. His best meal is still breakfast as long as it's cereal, waffles or pancakes. He won't go near eggs, no matter how I cook them.

He still loves music and dancing and will bob his head to any kind of beat. Tonight we had on American Idol and he clapped and said "good job" at the end of a performance. He could easily replace Paula at the judges table. Cole makes up one word songs all the time by chanting whatever pops into his head. During a recent car trip he serenaded me with "truck, truck, truck, truck, tree, tree, tree, ooooo, bus, bus, bus, bus, look plane, plane, plane..."

Cole has been with me for my recent doctor appointments, and he has been really well behaved at the office. I was worried when I had to put him in my lap during a blood draw. He was scared at first but he just cuddled up to me and watched. When it was over he asked "Mommy, boo boo?". I told him yes, but it was just a small one and I was fine. He gave the band-aid a kiss. When Tony came home he told him, "Mommy, boo, boo. It's fine." with a too-serious for a two-year-old expression. He held my hand during my long ultrasound because he needed comforting, but it was nice for me too. I'm excited about sharing this experience with Cole and seeing it through his eyes.