Busy Sunday

We have been up since around 7:00 this morning to get things going for church (and of COURSE, we were late yet again this week....) In our home ward we had a baptism confirmation and TWO baby blessings. Then as soon as Sacrament Meeting was over we went to see my cousin's baby blessed. The church building she had her baby blessed at was being remodeled, so we had Sacrament Meeting in the gym (which had NO air conditioning at ALL) and we were all dying from the heat! My poor baby was SO hot! He was wearing a onesie, a pollo-shirt onesie, sweater, pants and socks.....by the end of the meeting he was sleeping peacefully wearing only a shirt! Seriously, it was HOT!

Then we all went to have a picnic at a local park....where it was hot! (Have I mentioned my HATRED of heat? I would MUCH rather be too cold than too hot....you can ALWAYS put more things on, but you can't always take enough off!) After the park we sought refuge at my parents' house (which has central AIR.....*chorus of angels singing Hallelujas*) I'm feeling SO good right now!

My grandma and grandpa came over to my parents' house as well....Grandma looked better than she has the last few days, but the lady just doesn't have an appetite at all.

Here she is making goo-goo eyes at Jake.

Now all I really want to do is NAP! But sadly, if I do, I probably won't sleep very well tonight! *sigh*

Free-For-All-Friday is Back!

It's time for Free-for-all-Friday!!
If you want to ask me a question – and anything goes – here’s your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I’ll either answer honestly, or I’ll tell you that I won’t answer.

Answers

Deanna said...
Hooray! I usually don't ask question, but I like to see other's questions and your answers! you're always so clever...but today i'm going to ask a question - or two:

1. Who do you think is having the hardest time adjusting - you, cam, or your hubby?

2. What's your favorite quirk about your new little guy (I've already forgotten his name...it will come to me...or not)?

Deanna:

1. I think the one who's having the hardest time is Cam. I know that he's feeling left out of a LOT of things....he's craving more mama and daddy time that we just can't quite give him. He's been an only-lonely for 7 1/2 years, so adjusting is going to take some time....I just hope that I can help him understand that we still love him as much as we did before baby Jake came. Until then, I just try to make him feel loved and listened to!

2. The cutest thing that Jacob does is laugh. Yes, he does. But when he does it he does it in his sleep. His laugh is SO stinkin' adorable. He doesn't make ONE noise, but his whole head just jiggles with the laughter! I can't wait until he laughs on purpose! :D

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One Scrappy Gal said...
How does 4 oz of formula turn into 10 oz of spit up?

Scrappy:

(Um, you totally made Steve laugh hysterically at this one!)

I honestly don't know how it happens, but it's the same process that turns a little bit of milk into TONS of poop! (Jakey's diapers are starting to overflow now! How in the world did this happen!?)

She's Sick...

And I'm not quite sure how I feel yet.

My mom called me today in tears. Her mom's doctor's office had called her to tell her that they found an aggressive, fast-growing cancer in her mother. They're doing as many tests as they can, but the first concern was getting Grandma under control. (I guess she's been super sick for days...throwing up and just feeling miserable.)

They've found tumors in her lungs, liver and colon. To me, it sounds like the NF1 at work.

Grandma just turned 74 on Fathers' Day. I've already lost one Grandmother to cancer...I don't know if I can handle losing another the same way.

I Did Want This!! Really!!

I'm having such a hard time adjusting to my new life. Jake wants to be held ALL the TIME!! How can I get anything done when I've got a squishy attached to me? (So I don't get ANYTHING DONE!! Hence my jammie appearance at 1:00 in the afternoon!)

Cameron seemed to have been doing well, but the kid is regressing! He wants me to dress him, feed him, hold him, carry him....basically treat him like a baby! That just isn't gonna work when I've got an actual baby who needs me. We remind Cam that he's the BIG brother, and hope that works, but it doesn't always!

I get nervous around strangers now. Anyone who wants to see my baby is welcome....as long as I know you and invite you to see him. If I don't know you...I don't want you all up in my baby's face!! I can't tell you the number of times I've had to shoo away nosy neighbor girls wanting to be IN his face!! UGH!

I do love this life, but it's going to take some hard adjusting at first....I hope!

Fill In the Thought Bubble

1.

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Did You Know....

There are things that I'm slowly re-learning with this baby...for those of you who are as clueless as I was, allow me to share some of my new found knowledge.

• Breast tissue extends to your back and underneath your armpits. Yeah, sore boobies are here! :P (Sometimes I just wish Jakers would drink just a little bit more!)
• Babies poop....A LOT!! I swear, I get one poopy diaper changed and there's another waiting.
• Big brothers can be helpful, sometimes TOO helpful. Cameron is always asking if he can hold his brother, I'd LOVE to let him, but most of the time when he asks when I'm being used as a human binkie!
• Sleep is a luxury. Get it while you can! (Why didn't my body allow me this luxury when I was still pregnant?!)
• Breastfeeding is wonderful....if the baby cooperates! Mr. Jakey loves to latch on and then pull off again. Super frustrating when my boobs are full and in desperate need of draining.
• I know they say babies don't smile, they "have gas," but gosh darn it....those sleeping smiles are just TOO dang cute!
• People who see your new baby will play a game I like to refer to as "Who's body parts are whose?" Most people will look at Jake and say, "Oh, my goodness, he looks just like his mama!" But we got quite the shock on Fathers' Day when one of my cousins looked at him and said, "I see STEVE!" So far, Jake has his daddy's chin, dimples, curved ears, and pretty, long eyelashes. The rest of him?? Well, the general consensus still says me.
• Socks are NOT made for baby feet. Seriously, why won't they just stay on?
• People who saw you over and over during your pregnancy will comment on how GREAT you look post-pregnancy....leaving you to wonder how seriously crappy you looked while carrying this child!

Sleep deprivation is here, but I'm still completely in love with my boys. (Yes, ALL three of them!) My family constantly competes over who gets to hold the baby, and I'm surviving....

Jacob's Birth Story

I apologize for not posting this story earlier, like I said, I've been super tired and just plain wiped out with this little boy.

Last Friday (June 6th) Steve and I dropped Cam off with Grandma and headed to the hospital for our scheduled c-section. We were supposed to be there at 7:30, but we were there at 7:00! (I couldn't really sleep that night...I woke up all excited and anxious at 3:00!) As soon as we had left our house to go to the hospital I started having regular contractions. I remember thinking, "If we hadn't already planned on having Jacob today, then I'm PRETTY sure we would have had to have him today anyway!"

After checking in at the labor and delivery desk (which over the last month I had become VERY familiar with) and laughing with some of the familiar nurses (one who had helped me with my last Non-Stress Test the night before....) I went into the room, dressed and waited with Steve. I was SO exhausted after my long night, that I kinda snoozed here and there. It felt pretty good. After a while, the nurse came in and told us that we were going to be pushed back. There was a "ruptured breech baby" ahead of us. That's fine, I thought, I'm going to try and sleep anyway!

Then after another hour she came back and said that we weren't sure how long it would be until we were taken back because another person had come in, and they were premature, and all preemies are delivered in the ORs so that the babies can be whisked away to the NICU.

We filled out paper after paper...put our thumbprints on the birth certificate....and watched morning television.

Soon enough the anesthesiologists came, prepped me on the anesthesia, and started my IV drip (that is supposed to be given a half hour before surgery.) We were getting ready. I drank the nasty stomach acid stabilizer and waddled to the surgery room.

Once we got to the room, they made Steve sit on the garbage can outside and told him that they'd bring him in as soon as I was ready. The poor guy was SO nervous!

They took me back and started giving me the spinal. It was THEN that I realized, "HEY!! I'm having a baby today!!" (Yeah, not necessarily the BRIGHTEST crayon in the box!)

After the spinal (which BURNED like none other...) things went pretty fast. I didn't feel a lot (thank goodness) but I could "feel" the pushing, pulling, tugging....soon enough, I heard the doctor say, "You look like a boy face." Then they pushed on my ribs (I SWEAR, he was WAY up there!) and they showed him to me. He was absolutely perfect!

They put him through the window to the NICU for him to get cleaned up and weighed. Steve and I just kept staring at one another, I couldn't stop the tears or the smile!

Soon enough Jacob was sitting contentedly in his daddy's arms...and we were commenting on how he really favors MY side of the family (Cameron is ALL his daddy's boy....Jacob is all his MAMA'S boy!) After a while the doctor told me through the blue curtain that there was a cyst on my ovary and she'd try to save it, but couldn't promise anything. I started to worry, but knew that I was in good hands.

The doctor removed half of my ovary and said that the cyst was a dermoid cyst. It isn't necessarily linked to PCOS, but is something that can happen to any woman. What happens is the ovary decides that it needs to make a human being (yeah, no ovulation or anything, just spontaneous human production) and it makes this cyst. They can contain bones, teeth or hair. Usually they're benign, but since there's no symptoms, by the time they're found often they're HUGE and require the whole ovary to be removed. My cyst wasn't huge, but it was about the size of a chicken's egg. It had hair in it, but it didn't seem to be a problem (we found out that it was completely benign, and just some random thing that sometimes happens!)

The doctors put me back together and I went to the recovery room where I saw a couple who used to be in our ward, they'd had THEIR baby an hour before. I asked them how big their baby was and laughed, "Ha ha!! We won!" Jacob was 8 pounds 13 ounces....their baby was 8 pounds 12 ounces! ;) (He was 22 inches long as well...see, I TOLD you he was in my ribs!)

The day went quickly, but everything turned out well. I stayed in the hospital until Monday and was FINALLY allowed to come home with my baby! (The one thing I'd DREAMED of since I had to leave Cam in the hospital when HE was a newborn!)

Since then things have been going well. I had a scare earlier this week when my incision started bleeding, but the doctor assured me that it was because of all of the old scar tissue. Jacob had his circumcision (crying the WHOLE time.) There's lots of sleepless nights, but I'm SO grateful for this beautiful little boy in my life! Who would have thought after all those years of struggling that I'd be blessed with this wonderful experience!

Here's Jacob

I'm not QUITE up to my normal movement and endurance, so I hope these pictures will suffice until I can tell the WHOLE story! (Just know, that this baby is THE most beautiful baby I've ever seen!!)

My Son Cracks Me Up!!

Cameron: "Mama, when you're done checking your email, you've gotta feel my tires!"

Me: "Why?"

Cameron: "Because!! They're PUMPED up!!"

*giggle!*

That's EXACTLY why I should feel his tires!! ;)

Other things overheard from the boy today:

Cameron: "Aren't you just SO happy for me?!"

Grandma: "Why?"

Cameron: "Because, Jacob's coming tomorrow!"

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Cameron: "I'm good at Mario Kart....I go off the edge!"

Well....

So the computer is acting up....AGAIN! GAH!! Yeah, Steve tried to install the actual anti-spyware software he bought at the store, and POOF!! Our start up tool bar disappeared. Then today, he tried to just TURN the dang thing on, and black screen! I'm ready to be DONE with the stupid thing!! I just know that my friends all live in it! :(

So I've got a little over 24 hours until baby #2 comes, and I'm freaking out!! Don't get me wrong, I'm THRILLED to be having another child, but there are some anxieties that I'm facing. I love having Jacob where he is, he's SO easy to take care of while he's inside of me, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to handle TWO kids! I'm also waking myself up after my 5th or 6th nightly potty break. (Usually around 4:00 in the morning) and I can't fall asleep. I end up staying awake until 7:00ish, and it's driving me nuts! I'm SO tired, and I know this is my last full week of uninterrupted sleep! WHY!? I'll wake up and think, "Hey, I should remember to pack such-and-such...." Then I start to think of all of the other chores and things I have to do to prepare my house for this little boy. Then I just get myself all worked up and just can't sleep! So not fun!

Cameron is also going to the Learning Center and doing amazing!! He loves it and I know he needs it. We've also set up transportation for him, since I won't be able to drive him around for at LEAST 2 weeks after the c-section. He loves it, but I'm getting frustrated with the transportation people. They're great, don't get me wrong, but they're confused. I hope things are better now!!

I've been having insane dreams as well. I dreamed that I'd had baby #2 and he looked identical to Cameron, and I had a hard time telling them apart! (Yes, in my dream there was STILL an 8 year age difference, but that didn't matter!) So crazy!! I also dreamed that my mom, dad, grandpa, and Cameron crashed their way into the operating room. I'm so anxious about everything that these insane dreams aren't helping!

My sister and husband decided to come up for a summer break. (I'm SO excited!) She's got such a cute little bump! (Compared to my monsterous belly!!)

And we've cut off Cam's hair again. It was nearly to "hair-pulling length," and I know I won't be up to buzzing it when Jacob is here (at least for a while) so I cut it tonight. We left it long on the sides and back to make him look a little more like my grandpa!! (Yeah, cheap entertainment!)

Friday's the day I have the baby. I will let you know the details when I can, but we don't have access to the computer, so it may be a while....don't give up....you WILL know! :)