Whew!

So, Nicolás is officially one month old (as of yesterday), and once again it feels as if this postpartum time has just flown by. I'm certainly not 100% healed and it feels a bit slower this time around. That's probably because caring for Alex is just as exhausting as caring for Nicolás. We feel very blessed to have both of our sweet boys so I can't complain!

Nico has been a very nice addition to our family. Given his little problem with jaundice he was slow to gain weight at first but he's now 9 lbs 14 oz and is gaining at a very rapid pace according to his pediatrician so we are very excited about that.  We're still trying to get his feeding down because he seems to have a milk protein intolerance so I've been put on a dairy free diet to reduce gassiness.  When we supplement with formula, we have to use soy formula. So far it seems to be helping and time will tell if we have to make any other adjustments to help the little guy out.

I'm still adjusting to having two boys. Just this morning, my sanity was tested as I was trying to take a quick shower before Nico's one month check when Nico suddenly woke up hungry. Just then, Alex walked in holding his underwear telling me he had pooped and needed help getting cleaned up and putting his underwear back on. Somehow, I manage although I'm sure Nico is learning to be a much more patient baby than Alex had to be, and Alex is learning to be more patient and not to expect me to immediately respond to his every request. For those of you who don't know, Alex nailed down the pragmatic skill of requesting at a very early age. :-)

I'm still cautious about taking Nico and Alex out to the together because Alex is pretty difficult to manage by myself so we've still been holed up in our house all day til Daddy gets home. I'm hopeful that once I'm fully healed I'll be able to take both boys out and about so that Alex won't be completely bored out of his mind all day. 

In the meantime, Alex is talking up a storm and repeating everything he hears (a really dangerous thing if you're in a bad mood or say something naughty.) He has a habit of letting his imagination run wild and talks about seeing dragons and purple butterflies in the suburbs of San Antonio. I love that little guy and he can drive me crazy and have me cracking up all within the same minute. He's such a joy in my life. I never imagined being able to love two little boys so much!

I'm hopeful that soon we will once again know more than 2 1/2-3 hours of sleep at a time. We'll get there I'm sure. :-)

Complete

Nicolás has been home for a week and 2 days now, and we are having a great time adjusting to our newfound family dynamic. Grandma Mary left this morning so now the true test of Alex's adjustment begins. We've all had the luxury of having grandma to distract Alex when Nicolas requires attention from both Eddy and me (which isn't very often thank goodness). Alex fully understands that Mommy must take care of Nicolas but he is having some jealousy issues when Eddy is handling Nicolas. He is too funny! Overall, I'd say that he's adjusting very well and hopefully will continue to do so.

Nicolas came home from the hospital with jaundice but his bilirubin levels were never high enough to warrant phototherapy. Apparently, the jaundice has caused him to be very sleepy which has resulted in him not eating very vigorously. This has in turn has affected my milk supply. We had to rent a hospital grade pump so that I can pump as much as possible in addition to supplementing with formula because his weight gain has been very limited. We're hoping that he will be back to birth weight by his 2 week appt next Wednesday. I have hope because he is eating a lot more now that he is not having to feed for 30 minutes and only getting an ounce. I am very grateful for the lactation center for helping us...they are AMAZING!

Otherwise, this little guy is such a calm and sweet baby. He sleeps like a dream. Last night, he went 3 hours and then 4 1/2 hours between feeding sessions so I feel very rested. The Lord really knew what he was doing when he blessed us with Nicolas. We have a very spunky and vibrant 2 1/2 year old and now a calm, easy-going baby...I couldn't be happier.

Before having Nicolas, I kept telling Eddy that I wanted to try for at least one more, but at this point, I would be happy if we decided to just have 2. Having children is a huge task! It is emotionally fulfilling and exhausting at the same time. We'll see in a few years if we can handle another but as far as I'm concerned, I feel complete. A 3rd addition would just be sprinkles on the cupcake. :-) I love my boys!

We are home and managing :-)

So, Nicolas was born as scheduled on Tuesday, June 22nd at 8:54 a.m. and weighed in at 6 lbs, 14 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. He is certainly smaller than Alex was (8 lbs, 4 oz and 20.5 inches long) but he is just as beautiful and precious.  The whole labor experience was not as eventful as with Alex but it was certainly still as nerve-racking.  Something about knowingly going into a situation where pain is imminent can be a very scary thing. I couldn't sleep the night before and was worried to death about Alex, who developed a sinus infection from all of the dust as a result of having our carpet ripped out the previous Friday. He and Eddy were up all night as he had a coughing every 30 minutes or so. We had already taken him to the doctor so his meds were in place. Eddy was a nervous wreck though for our entire stay at the hospital.

We got to the hospital at 6 a.m. The surgery was relatively quick (30 minutes or so) and the nurses and nurse anesthetist were amazing! Apparently, my ob/gyn has a reputation for being tough so they certainly didn't want to let her down. They were all awesome about making sure that none of the meds contained the additive I'm allergic to. They were literally on the phone with the pharmacy for the entire 2 hours before my surgery. I am very grateful for the meds they were able to get for me because my pain at the hospital was very manageable. The entire hospital stay was a good one.  

We were released from the hospital on Thursday the 24th so we've spent 3 nights with our new little man so far. He is a dream baby. He gives me at least 2 hours between feedings at night and has given us a 3 to 4 hour stretch of sleep at night as long as he is in the bed next to me. Only people with children can understand the true awesomeness of that especially given that he falls asleep as soon as he is finished eating so my sleep is really easy to get back into.

Eddy's mom is still staying with us and we had planned on her helping me out with the baby while Eddy tended to Alex. What it's actually turned out to be is that she is helping Eddy with Alex as I tend to Nicolas. It's pretty hilarious because Alex is still higher maintenance than an infant. We're very fortunate that my recovery has been a lot more manageable than with Alex so I've been able to do more with the baby. Alex is absolutely sweet about me being with Nicolas but he tends to get very jealous if Eddy has to give him any attention. I can certainly see a divided house in our future. :-)

In the meantime, check out the pic of Alex's reaction to his new baby brother.

Almost there

Here I am at 5:30 a.m. blogging because I haven't been able to sleep since about 4 a.m. I've been having contractions which I'm not certain are Braxton Hicks or not. With my previous labor, my water broke before I went into actual hard labor so I had to be induced. I know what real contractions feel like since I was in labor for 21 hours but I've been told that contractions from induced labor are more painful than naturally occurring labor. For the past 2 weeks, I haven't had a good night's rest due to concerns that my water could break at any moment in the middle of the night...hard to imagine but subconsciously, I'm even a bigger OCD freak than when fully awake and conscious. :-)

I am in full nesting instinct mode which is also a big part of why I'm worried about being in labor and not knowing it. We had new flooring installed on Friday and I've been on a mission to wash everything and re-wash all of Alex and Nicolas' clothes and sheets (in addition to my usual 7 load regular weekend laundry.)  I still have about 6 or 7 loads left so I'm hoping Nicolas will hold out...I have hope!!!! :-)

Grandma Mary arrived safe and soundly on her birthday so if Nicolas did decide to come early, Alex would be in good hands and I wouldn't be freaking out. My poor baby, though, is having another coughing episode due to the floors being taken up and all of the allergens that must be lingering in the air. I have an appointment with the same allergist to follow up on my food allergies on Monday (nothing like waiting til the last minute, I know) so I'm hoping to get some answers and help for my little man before his baby brother makes his grand entrance. In the meantime, we are waking up at 2 a.m. like clockwork with coughing episodes in spite of all the regular treatments he is on.

With that, I will segway into wishing my husband a very Happy Father's Day. He epitomizes what being a loving and amazing father is all about. He is the one who tends to Alex at all hours of the night when he wakes up and is sick or is having his coughing episodes. He makes breakfast for Alex on a regular basis, even when he has to go to work. He is always around and willing to play with the little guy, even when he's tired. And one of his favorite things I'm sure, he's always willing to play xbox 360 at Alex's request. :-) You truly are an inspiration, my love, and I only hope that Alex (and Nicolas) will be as good of a daddy to their children as you are to them. I'm excited to see how you will impact the life of Nicolas. I'm sure it will be as great as the impact you've had on Alex.  I love you all with my entire heart! You are my world.

To my dad, Happy Father's Day. You have always been my rock and the one I go to for everything. You have been my father and my mother figure, and I am forever grateful for having a great man in my life. You are an amazing grandpa to Alex, and he and I love you more than anything.

To all other dads and daddies to be, Happy Father's Day and may you be continue to be blessed and celebrated for everything that you do.

Happy Birthday Tio Roly!

We had a sweet quiet dinner with Tio Roly, Tia Marissa, Grandpa, Daddy, and Mama tonight to celebrate Tio's 32nd birthday. Alex wanted to sing Happy Birthday to Tio all day and finally got to start singing it before he got too shy. :-)

Today I am 38 weeks, 2 days preggo, and I am still riding an emotional roller coaster. I have managed to keep my cranky pants in check, but I have been very nervous every time we leave the house that I might go into labor. I've been bad about carrying my hospital papers and bag with me so I guess I really need to start doing that. As a natural worrier, I have increasingly been worrying about Alex's transition to big brotherhood. He is not very attached to me in general, but he has started to become more attached since I've been at home with him.

Tonight, I had a breakdown because as we started taking out the baby items in preparation for Nicolás (pack n play, swing, bouncer, etc.,) Alex started trying to play with them (they use to be his so I don't blame the guy.) I started to explain to him that we are getting ready for his baby brother to come home (as I've been doing for the past months,) and he began to cry uncontrollably. He started to calm down when I had him sit next to me on the couch but he wasn't okay until Eddy sat on his other side and reassured him too.  Ugh, that has been my biggest worry this entire pregnancy: that Alex will have a hard time transitioning. At the end of the day, I know worrying won't accomplish anything but it still breaks my heart. I'm worried that my c-section recovery will keep me from giving Alex the attention and affection he needs from me. He is after all a man and needs constant reassurance despite not being an affectionate kid. He's also rough and is hitting a lot lately so I know we will need a lot of discipline and structure, which I know won't be easy with a newborn in the house and no sleep on behalf of mommy and daddy.

I just have to pray that all will go smoothly. At the end of the day, I am very excited to be meeting Nicolás soon, and we will all adjust in due time. In the meantime, I will enjoy every minute of my time with Alex.

Bad Sleep

Today I am 37 weeks, 5 days preggo and I continue to be grateful for the awesome family and friends I've been blessed with. I seem to be less cranky when Eddy is home, and that's probably because he's a superstar daddy and husband. Today, he made breakfast, cleaned the dishes and kitchen, took Alex outside to play, and he took Alex out with him to get the car inspected. Whew! It provided some major relief!

I have one more week and 2 days to enjoy Alex alone before we welcome our 2nd little man. :-) I am very excited and nervous. I'm hoping that it'll be a smoother ride and that he waits until the scheduled c-section to make his arrival. I have fears of my water breaking in public (AGAIN) and being away from home. My plan is to stay at home (or near home) as much as possible while Eddy is at work.  Otherwise, my hospital bag and copies of my ob-history will be traveling with me.

Sleep continues to evade me. I wake up at night every hour to pee and I'm finding my short term memory to be horrible (probably due to my lack of sleep.) I still have a lot of appointments and things to do before little man comes. Nicolás likes to throw a party it seems every night right as I'm going to bed. Let's hope that this is not an indication of his future sleeping habits. :-)

37 weeks, 1 day

Happy Wednesday everyone! I have officially finished my Clinical Fellowship Year and my first year as a speech/language pathologist with Northside ISD. :-) I couldn't feel more relieved that my journey that began 5 years ago this August is finally complete (once my CCCs and license come in the mail of course.)

Now, I am just awaiting the arrival of little Nicolás while trying to manage the ups and downs of dealing with Alex and his terrible 2's.  He is absolutely sweet and loving but he has certainly learned some not so fun behaviors (hitting, screaming, kicking,) and it is extremely hard trying to manage those behaviors being so pregnant and emotional.  Not to mention that the weather hasn't been conducive to allowing the amount of outside time he requires to expend his energy. Needless to say, we have had a lot of time outs and a few emotional breakdowns on both of our parts. We bought Alex a new playscape (a gift from his baby brother Nicolás) so we are hoping that the novelty will make the transition to big brother a smooth one. It should be installed next week.

My nesting instinct is in full force. With that, though, comes by typical OCD anxiety and nervousness that Nicolás will come early before we have time to do everything we have planned. Before Nicolás arrives, I am planning for the following:
1) install laminate floors in the remainder of the house-followed by re-washing all sheets and clothes (it's amazing how much dirt/dust 4 years will leave under your carpet and how it manages to settle on EVERYTHING in the house)
2)doctor appt for Alex with allergy and asthma specialist
3) buy remaining necessary baby items
4) allergist appt for mama
5) HR appt for mama's FMLA

I have accomplished a lot of random to-do items that I probably would not normally accomplish (i.e. organizing all of Alex's pictures into albums.) In the meantime, I will continue to try to accomplish as much as possible and will hopefully manage to keep my cranky pants in check. These hormones are raging and I'm hoping not to bite off too many heads before the little man comes. (WARNING: from now until 8 weeks following my surgery, I will not take responsibility for offending or insulting anyone.  If I look cranky, it's probably because I am. I have not slept well for the last 12 weeks, I pee every 10-15 minutes and no I'm not exaggerating, my back hurts, my toes hurt, my face, feet, and hands are all fat, and I get nauseated at the thought of pretty much everything. Consider yourself warned!) :-)

xoxo