I
can't
wait
to
give
birth!!
I'm very ready to be done being pregnant and to hold the baby now. Thanks.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sibling Preview class at Bergan Mercy Hospital
Okay, well, this is earlier than "labor" or after we have the baby, but...
Jocelyn and I went to the Sibling Preview class at the hospital yesterday. She was so excited, she was running, skipping, and dancing along. She listened very well to the "nice teacher", and even made a friend: a little girl named Emily that must've been about 8, and had one little sister and then I believe a brother on the way. In the class, she watched a video with other kids being interviewed about their siblings and their growing families, as well as what "not" to do and what to-do with new babies. (It was a short video.) Then they sat in a circle and each received a baby doll, a blanket, and an empty bottle. The teacher went through different things that the baby might be crying for, pretending her baby was crying and asking the kids what she should try next. They learned how to swaddle the baby (Jocelyn just held hers, watched, and rocked it), how to properly pick up and hold the baby, what to feed a baby, how to give the baby a bottle, and ways to comfort the baby if the baby just wants love and attention.
Before we went anywhere as a group (a smart order, I think), the kids all got t-shirts that said something about the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club! Which was exciting to Jocelyn. Then we went on a tour of the maternity ward, showing the kids the rooms where the mommies will be having the new brother/sister in the family, and went upstairs to the recovery floor ("postnatal" I believe), where they will get to visit the babies and mommies for the first time. They got to see two new babies that were being checked and watched in the nursery by a nurse, too. Then each kid got to color a fabric bib with fabric markers. Jocelyn made a dinosaur that had stretch marks and was eating a banana. So lovely and flattering. She got a certificate to say she is "ready to be a big sister!" And then we came home.
She had a fun time, and I don't think she really wanted to leave. It was a great experience, and I know that, the way Jocelyn is, I will see the brain benefits from her more in the next few days than I have yet so far. However, she DID sleep with her American Girl Bitty Baby last night instead of Raggedy Ann ("Raggelly"), and brought the baby into my bed this morning when she came to wake me up, and was NOT carrying her by her toes as per usual; rather, she carried her by the neck, shoulder, but still an improvement. I'm excited to see how she is as a big sister when the time actually comes.
That's pretty much all for now. I will be having an ultrasound on Tuesday, which is also the day I'm officially "full term" at 37 weeks, just to check and make certain the same issues I had with Jocelyn aren't showing up again with this baby. The OB said I am measuring fine, but with a second baby that she didn't deliver, there is no reason not to double-check and be certain, which I like. This way, too, we'll get a second chance to glimpse the sex organs! And we might be able to be more sure of the sex! :)
Jocelyn and I went to the Sibling Preview class at the hospital yesterday. She was so excited, she was running, skipping, and dancing along. She listened very well to the "nice teacher", and even made a friend: a little girl named Emily that must've been about 8, and had one little sister and then I believe a brother on the way. In the class, she watched a video with other kids being interviewed about their siblings and their growing families, as well as what "not" to do and what to-do with new babies. (It was a short video.) Then they sat in a circle and each received a baby doll, a blanket, and an empty bottle. The teacher went through different things that the baby might be crying for, pretending her baby was crying and asking the kids what she should try next. They learned how to swaddle the baby (Jocelyn just held hers, watched, and rocked it), how to properly pick up and hold the baby, what to feed a baby, how to give the baby a bottle, and ways to comfort the baby if the baby just wants love and attention.
Before we went anywhere as a group (a smart order, I think), the kids all got t-shirts that said something about the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club! Which was exciting to Jocelyn. Then we went on a tour of the maternity ward, showing the kids the rooms where the mommies will be having the new brother/sister in the family, and went upstairs to the recovery floor ("postnatal" I believe), where they will get to visit the babies and mommies for the first time. They got to see two new babies that were being checked and watched in the nursery by a nurse, too. Then each kid got to color a fabric bib with fabric markers. Jocelyn made a dinosaur that had stretch marks and was eating a banana. So lovely and flattering. She got a certificate to say she is "ready to be a big sister!" And then we came home.
She had a fun time, and I don't think she really wanted to leave. It was a great experience, and I know that, the way Jocelyn is, I will see the brain benefits from her more in the next few days than I have yet so far. However, she DID sleep with her American Girl Bitty Baby last night instead of Raggedy Ann ("Raggelly"), and brought the baby into my bed this morning when she came to wake me up, and was NOT carrying her by her toes as per usual; rather, she carried her by the neck, shoulder, but still an improvement. I'm excited to see how she is as a big sister when the time actually comes.
That's pretty much all for now. I will be having an ultrasound on Tuesday, which is also the day I'm officially "full term" at 37 weeks, just to check and make certain the same issues I had with Jocelyn aren't showing up again with this baby. The OB said I am measuring fine, but with a second baby that she didn't deliver, there is no reason not to double-check and be certain, which I like. This way, too, we'll get a second chance to glimpse the sex organs! And we might be able to be more sure of the sex! :)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Getting Ready: Baby Makes Four
So, we are anxiously awaiting Baby's arrival in the family. Jocelyn seems to be acting a little distressed by the entire thing; she is cranky and easy to lose her cool. However, it could also be from two other reasons: (1) she had strep and then today had some diarrhea, so she could just be feeling icky but not telling us when we ask, and (2) Mama has been acting a little bit on the "hot headed" side lately, and it could be rubbing off. I really don't mean to! But I can't really help the hormones. I think I do a pretty good job of keeping them at bay, at least most of the time, but I know that I am a lot more testy and have a much higher fuse. Who knows? We'll find out how the family dynamics will work when the baby comes, and there's nothing we can do but wait. However, I did enroll Jocelyn into a "class" at Bergan (where I will most likely deliver) for Siblings, and it gives them a tour of the Maternity Ward and tells them about their roll as big brother/sister, as well as helps them to create a present for the baby. It's only 90 minutes long, and it was free, so... awesome! Thanks Bergan Mercy!
We looked into a house up the street that is also for rent, and it advertised 3 bedrooms instead of our 2. Like ours, it has a back yard with a chain-link fence, and a finished basement, which is great in these tiny houses over here. Unlike ours, it cost almost twice what we pay. BUZZ... WRONG! Not even close to a price we would pay, even for the convenience of an extra bedroom. But it was worth a shot.
I'm still not swelling much, nowhere near what I was with Jocelyn at the end, and I've still only gained a net of 9 pounds, which is great. I have to watch my intake of junky foods to keep it down and keep off the "water" weight, but I think we'll do alright this time as far as the toxemia/blood pressure is concerned.
We just have to get the house set up for baby... it's not ready. I'm working as hard as I can, which never seems to be hard enough before I get tired, have errands to run, have a daughter to take care of (and play with!), have daily house stuff to do (like feeding people! or laundry!), or just plain can't do it anymore. What we can do, we will, and what we can't... will just have to be good enough!
That's all from the growing Limes for right now... probably the next post will be when it looks like there's some movement on the "labor" front, or when we've actually had the baby.
We looked into a house up the street that is also for rent, and it advertised 3 bedrooms instead of our 2. Like ours, it has a back yard with a chain-link fence, and a finished basement, which is great in these tiny houses over here. Unlike ours, it cost almost twice what we pay. BUZZ... WRONG! Not even close to a price we would pay, even for the convenience of an extra bedroom. But it was worth a shot.
I'm still not swelling much, nowhere near what I was with Jocelyn at the end, and I've still only gained a net of 9 pounds, which is great. I have to watch my intake of junky foods to keep it down and keep off the "water" weight, but I think we'll do alright this time as far as the toxemia/blood pressure is concerned.
We just have to get the house set up for baby... it's not ready. I'm working as hard as I can, which never seems to be hard enough before I get tired, have errands to run, have a daughter to take care of (and play with!), have daily house stuff to do (like feeding people! or laundry!), or just plain can't do it anymore. What we can do, we will, and what we can't... will just have to be good enough!
That's all from the growing Limes for right now... probably the next post will be when it looks like there's some movement on the "labor" front, or when we've actually had the baby.
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