Birth Story

We got to the hospital around 8:20 pm and went to the L&D to register. I was in total denial. Mr. V kept taking pictures of me. I was not impressed. Wet hair, big belly, fat all around is not a good combo for pictures if you ask me.

 

After a pee test and some blood work, the doc checked me and I was at 1cm. I remember thinking to myself that I might just go to labor naturally without being induced. I was hoping it would be the case but it didn’t work out that way.

 

We waited until our room was prepped for us. We called our parents and checked in on Miss A. I changed and sat on the hospital bed as the nurse came in and told us the plan. My doc wanted to start the inducement process right away.

The plan was to help me to get dilated to 4cm overnight. They would insert a “balloon” and leave it there overnight to move things along. And so they did. That is when things got real! I snapped out of my dream state and realized we were having a baby the next day.

 

The balloon wasn’t painful but it was pretty uncomfortable. The nurses went in and out the whole night. I was able to get a few hours of sleep in between the check-ups. The nurses changed shifts, the hours went by, the pain increased, the IV went in, some pain medicine was giving, which didn’t really help.

By morning, I was at 3-4 cm. I remember thinking that it’ll be a very long day if my overnight progress was so little. My contractions were so strong I couldn’t tolerate them anymore. Every time a contraction started, I held on to the bed as tightly as I could and looked at the monitor by my side. I remember trying to distract myself from pain by looking around the room and concentration on something. I remember looking at my Kindle and seeing some random book name pop up. I remember looking at the clock thinking our little one would be born soon. I remember I gritted my teeth. I remember almost falling off the bed with each contraction. I remember Mr. V laying in the room and asking me how I was. I remember a nurse coming in and out. Apparently their system was down and she couldn’t see my monitor numbers from outside. She sat by my side for the next few hours talking to me about her life with two crazy toddlers. She sat by my side looking at the monitor – some numbers would get up and some down.

 

I asked for an epidural after about 2 hours of being in pain. I had to wait for an anesthesiologist for about 20-30 minutes. Those were the longest minutes ever. When the anesthesiologist (same guy as 4 years ago) came in, I knew exactly what to do and was ready for a magical drug. What a difference it makes. I finally got some rest and stayed on the right side of the bed.

 

The nurse continued to sit by side. She talked a lot and reminded me of my Italian friend. She had a great sense of humor. I was finally able to laugh at her jokes and concentrate on what she was saying. I know now that she was by my side because my little girl had the cord around her neck. Her heart rate would drop significantly with every contraction. I kind of guessed it by looking at the monitor but didn’t realize how important it was to have someone there in case something would happen. I am so grateful she was there! I am glad she took care of the whole situation without letting me know and stressing me out even more.

 

My doc finally made an appearance and I was close to 8cm. After another hour, I was ready to push. We made a few practice pushes and apparently I was a pro already. I didn’t feel anything but they called me a champ. That is the way I like it – No Pain!

 

The doctor came along with another nurse. Again, they didn’t tell me why but I guess they had to be ready just in case. I started pushing and at exactly 2:00pm my little baby was born. Mr. V confirmed she had a tight cord around her neck which the doctor cut right away. I, of course, saw nothing. I guess it is better that way. Baby Alina weighed 7lb 8oz and was 21 inch long (at the hospital, and then 19.5 inch at her first doc’s appointment, I guess someone messed up).

 

I got to hold the baby right away. What a feeling…it is definitely one of those awww moments. I looked at her and knew she is mine. I knew how to take care of her. I knew her cues. I stared at her for a long time and took in all of her features.

We tried BFing and it was OK. I wanted to give it a try and see where it would take us without having any expectations. She wrapped her tiny little fingers around one of mine and took my breath away.

 

Hospital stay to be continued…..

Due Date (10/21/13)

The due date came and the little one was still an inside baby. I always thought the second baby would be a few weeks or at least one week born before the due date. But babies have plans of their own.




I finished work on 10/15. The day before I planned to work from home. I dressed miss A and drove her to daycare only to find out it was closed :) I had to change my plans to make sure I could take care of miss A and finish my work related tasks. I worked half of the day while miss A colored, danced, watched TV, and tried to stay quite. The rest of the day we had fun and enjoyed being outside.




On my actual due date Mr. V and I went to my last doctor's appointment. I remember my doctor said "Ah, you've brought reinforcement. Time to make the plan". She still thought the baby was pretty big and that I had too much fluid. She mentioned that it would be a good idea to move on to inducement sooner rather than wait till the baby would make the appearance on her own. We talked about the possible dates and it was up to us to decide the date of the inducement.


Mr. V and I stepped out of the hospital and he kept telling me how we should do the inducement in the next few days. For some reason, I wanted to wait until she would come out on her own. I was all for waiting and going into labor naturally.




We agreed to at least call the hospital and get on the waiting list for the inducement. What do you know, the next day (Tuesday) I drove miss A to her school and was waiting for here there when Mr. V called and said we got a call from the hospital. He told me to hurry back home because the hospital could admit us that evening. I thought he was joking. It took me about 10 minutes to realize it was the truth. Miss A and I drove home and my parents were already there. I finished packing my bag, took a shower, kissed Miss A, and off we went.




To Be Continued...

Our Life Lately

Hello there, my blog. I’ve totally forgotten and abandoned about you. Good thing no one is really following it, otherwise at this speed I would have no readers at all.

There is a reason though why I’ve neglected you for so long. Life has been busy and by busy I am super, duper busy.

 

Let’s talk about my two girls J

Miss A – where do I start?

-          You are such a loving and caring young lady

-          You hold conversations like an older woman (or babushka as people in daycare call you)

-          You always ask where and what are we doing on the weekend

-          Lately, you’ve been asking about your birthday. You tell me who you want to invite, what cake to get and what food to order. So far, you liked Pump it Up (we’ve been there for another bday party) and you want to invite all of your girlfriends from daycare. You want to have a huge pink and purple cake with butterflies and rainbow. And apparently, the cake will not be enough since you asked me t get “pupcakes” (cupcakes) as well.

-          You’ve also asked when your sister will be born and why you cousin already has a baby brother and you don’t.

-          You love to dance!!! When we get home from daycare you usually change into a puffy dress or skirt and ask us to put some music on. Cutest thing ever! If we have someone over, then you’ll change outfits every 5 minutes to make sure people don’t leave without seeing your collection of dresses, tutus, and skirts.

-          You are still taking gymnastics classes and we recently enrolled you in a prep class for Kindergarten. They’ll be teaching Russian, Math, and English. The class will start in a few weeks and I’ll need to write an update on that.

-          I think most of the time you are a follower with your friends at daycare. There is an older girl, who is leaving this year, but she is very dominant and tells everyone what to do. And you and other little girl just follow what she says. I’ve noticed when she is not around, you are more of a leader and others try to follow you.

-          You performed at the “daycare graduation” for five kids that will be leaving to school this year. Only those kids should’ve been performing (singing and dancing) but you memorized all the songs and the teachers asked you to perform as well. Some parents were asking if/where A will go this year and I just replied she is staying for another year. She just likes to perform!

-          We try to go “swimming” to gma’s and gpa’s pool frequently. You are doing great with your puddle jumper but still afraid of water, especially if it gets into your eyes or on your face.

You are our sunshine and such a light in our life! You make us smile everyday but sometimes test our patience J You tell us you love us and give out kisses to us every day. What a great feeling and joy it is to be around you every day. I am very thankful to have you in my life.

I love you with all my heart and more!

 

Little One – we haven’t come up with a name yet. I’ll have to call you little one for now

-          You’ve been doing gymnastics or some other sport in there. I’ve been feeling all those rolls and turns you take

-          Daddy is finally used to the idea that he’ll have two daughters. Trust me he was shocked when he found out at the u/s that you are a GIRL but now he is totally cool.

-          Mommy is really excited to have two daughters. I hope you’ll have a special bond between the two of you. I hope you’ll be there for each other though out life and learn to lean and care for each other. I won’t lie; at first I thought we’ll have a boy. On the day of the big u/s I left confused at first. I got a little sad that I’ll never know or have a boy to raise but then I thought of all the positives of having two girls and the world became brighter! Like this was meant to be!

-          We went for another u/s on 08/16 because I’ve been having some pain on my upper right side and the doc wanted me to check it out. I am so glad we did. Your daddy was able to go with me. They couldn’t tell why I’ve been having pain (maybe your position and kicking or my ribs expanding to make room for you) but I was able to stare at you for 20 minutes. You were folded in half J Your legs were covering you face most of the time and the u/s tech was having a hard time. We got a few pictures to take home and your sister wanted to see them as well. They estimated you to be around 3lb 14oz, which is the 60 percentile. I’ve heard their estimates are not really accurate though.

-          I am feeling better in general, just get more tired towards the evening and the shortness of breath is really annoying

-          Yesterday, your sister felt you kick for the first time (she was just pretending before) and she started giggling J

 

It seems like time just flies by this time around but at the same time we still have about 2 more months. I can’t wait to meet you. I pray every day that you are healthy and that my body is doing everything to help you grow. I try to ignore the hard days with sickness, fatigue, shortness of breath, because at the end it won’t matter. The only thing matter to me is that you are healthy in there.

 

I love you with all of my expending heart, actually we are all already in love with you.

 

 

 

Too Many Updates

I realize it's been again a few months since my last blog entry. Where should I start???

February - found out we were expecting #2. Cautious, excited, scared. First appointment with the same doctor. First u/s to see the baby and hear the heart!

March - told our families. I started feeling nauseous. I would get sick during night, morning, but thankfully not at work. One time I had to stop the car and pull out a bag, that is how bad it was.
I gained way too many pounds since only the carbs made me fill good and full. I was starving every hour.

April - Went on a vacation to Mexico again but this time with different families. It was amazing! Miss A had a great time with her cousins. They swam, played, watched cartoons together. They went on stage to participate during the kid's program and danced every evening during the shows.
I wasn't really into going at first. After all, Mexico and pregnancy don't usually go together but I am glad we went. It was nice to get away, relax, and chill with my family.

May - I've started feeling a bit better and slowly started eating more healthier food. Salads started to look appealing to me (but only with butter lettuce). On May 31st we found out we were having another GIRL. I was shocked and thrilled. Mr. V was just shocked :) I'll write another post on this
Miss A had her performance at the Sunday school and did so great again. This little girl just like performing and being "on stage". She is officially on summer vacation but still attends daycare and gymnastics. We've started looking at school options. So far, we've had one tour and scheduled a few more for the end of summer/fall.

June - Feeling better yet again but gained way too many pounds. Every time the nurse weights me my eyes are about to pop. I swear there is something wrong with their weights. (I am in such denial).
My nephew was born on June 22nd, three weeks early. He is so tiny. I forgot what to do with such tiny little babies.

Miracle!!!

Oh wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long. I have a lot of catching up. The last 4 months have been eventful, scary, tiring, but exciting.

Cycle #4 was our lucky one!!! Yes, I am pregnant!!! I can finally shout, although there is no need since I am already showing a little bump. Back in February i started getting all of my regular PMS symptoms and got hopeless about seeing two pink lines on the test that cycle. I even told Mr. V that.
But being very inpatient and wishing for the best (plus having lots of those internet cheapies on hand), I peed on the test at 10 DPO (Fe. 7th), left it on the sink, and took my time in the shower. I kept opening the shower door and glancing at the test. It was like a de ja vu all over again. I noticed a very, very faint pink line. I picked up the test and started looking at it from all the angles. And just like the first time, I had to confirm with a digital. I went to the store in the morning, peed at two more tests at work, and saw a very pretty work Pregnant on it and a more vivid second pink line on the other. It happened in exactly the same order as with our miss A and I just couldnt' believe it.

Later in the evening, I pulled up the some onesie I used to tell Mr. V about our first child and wrote on the other side " Will you also be my Daddy?". He saw the onesie, smiled, and asked if it was for real. We hugged, kissed, and got distracted with our little girl.

I was in denial at first. After all, I tested so early. So, what does a girl do? I kept testing for a few more weeks and cheapies and random test I had left. It was surreal to go through the feelings and emotions again. I kept praying everyday to see those magical two lines get darker and darker with days.

As days turned into week, the first waves in nausea hit me and hadn't left me just yet. The first time i got sick around 6-7 weeks. This time I got sick even during the night. The feeling of being sick woke me up at night and I had to run to the bathroom. There were a few nights when I didn't even know what to do first - throw up or pee. Seriously, so not cool when you are holding your pee and every time I barfed I felt like I'll pee all over myself.

I am still feeling nauseous but now it is mostly in the morning when I brush my teeth or get ready for work. Now, I've been staying up till 11pm or 12am. This is huge comparing to previous weeks when I would fall asleep with miss A around 10pm.

We told the parents and families around 7-8 weeks and they all were very excited for us.

December Events

Let's continue with our events from last year.

School Performance - In the middle of December your Sunday school put together a little performance for the holiday. Let me just say, you shined and rocked the "stage". I was so proud of you. You weren't shy at all like you can be at first. You always had a great impression on your face and gesturing with your hands when you sang. Cutest thing ever. At one point, I was laughing so hard. You really looked like you enjoyed yourself on stage. One of the grandma's sitting next to me, asked if you were my kid and I said yes. Then she goes "I think you need to take her straight to Hollywood". I giggled but also thought the same thing.


Kid Gift Exchange - It is been a few years and sort of turned into a tradition by now. A group of our friends get together, have dinner, and then exchange gifts (just for the kids). This year, as the kids get older, it is more fun to see them socialize, play with each other, open and get excited about their gifts. Miss A was helping with getting the gifts under the tree and giving them to the kids.


New Year - We stayed at home to celebrate New Years. I think we actually stayed at home for the last few years. Mr. V's parents came over and my parents came over around midnight. They spent some time with my brother first at their house. Miss A decided to not go to sleep and stayed up till 12:05am. As we poured champagne into our glasses and began the countdown, miss A was counting with out. She got so excited that when midnight stroke and everyone was wishing each other Happy New Year, miss A totally didn't know what the hype was all about. She turned to me and asked "Mommy, where is the New Year". I explained that it is not something physical she can see or touch. She listened carefully, thought for a few seconds, and then said "Mom, I want to go to sleep". The next day she woke up and opened all of her gifts from Ded Moroz (Santa), parents, g-parents, and cousins.

Adding to Yesterday's Post

A few weeks ago I saw an ad on FB to enter a drawing for a cord blood banking. I did enter but totally forgot about it. At that point, I thought why not? We haven't done it with miss A maybe the second time around we would want to.

Fast forward to today... I am sitting at work and my phone rings. Rachael calls from Cord Blood banking to talk. I tell her it is not a good time. After all I have my boss sitting right next to me. Before she hangs up she says Congratulations! Ummm... I had to pause and think. What are you talking about lady? Do you know something I don't know?

It hit me only after I hung up. She thought the women who entered the drawing are already expecting, otherwise, what is the point of entering. I hope I wasn't the only woman who registered and not is not pregnant.

Anyways, after our short chat Rachael followed up with an email. Hey, Rachael, thanks for a laugh and hopefully you are right on time!