We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent in at home with just the four of us, but it was perfect. It was Veronica's first Christmas and she was starting to feel better - which for mommy and daddy was the greatest Christmas gift ever. We spent the day at home, honoring Jesus's birthday and eating yummy food I had prepared. Oh yeah... and Bianca got to play with all her new toys. She was so spoiled that morning. Christmas this year was a blast for her (and for Derek and me - we loved seeing her so excited).
Bianca's line, "OH My! Oh My Gosh!" Here's clip of it:
bianca age, vivi age
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
1 month
Veronica Sue is now 1 month old. My... how time passes. It wasn't the smoothest first month. She battled a cold, has had terrible colic/reflux, clogged milk ducts and infections- but I think we are finally on the mend!
Despite all the physical issues poor little "Vivi" has had, she certainly has been the sweetest little baby you could imagine. She really does go with the flow of things. She has the sweetest little face. Even when I shove that suction bulb down her nose time and time again, she never cries. Just looks at me so sweetly and afterwards I swear she thinks, 'Thank you, Momma.' Now she is hanging in her Baby Bjorn (thank you, Dr. Rigby) just staring at me with the cutest little face.
Bianca has realized Vivi is staying. We've had some challenging days. A little throwing of objects, a little yelling of frustrations.... but she loves her little sissy. When Veronica cries she says, "Where's the paci?" and tries to shove it in her mouth. So funny. She also asks if sissy is coming anytime we say we are going somewhere. "Yes, Bianca, sissy is coming." She always tells her good night and gives her kisses.
Here's our baby at 1 month:
It's hard to tell in these pics, but her hair is growing in wild like Bianca's. It sticks up all over in the back.
As for the 1-month stats:
Weight 10 pounds, 6 ounces
Head 37cm
Height 21 1/4 inches
Veronica Sue was named after her Nana, Susan. So far her height/length is like her Nana's - shorty! Many people ask us why we chose Veronica. Truth is, Derek picked the name. He loved the sound of it. Veronica is also the patron saint of photographers because Veronica is the name of the woman who had the courage to step out of the crowd and wipe Jesus's face when he was forced to carry his cross. We hope our little one has the bravery and pride to stand up for what she believes in.
Despite all the physical issues poor little "Vivi" has had, she certainly has been the sweetest little baby you could imagine. She really does go with the flow of things. She has the sweetest little face. Even when I shove that suction bulb down her nose time and time again, she never cries. Just looks at me so sweetly and afterwards I swear she thinks, 'Thank you, Momma.' Now she is hanging in her Baby Bjorn (thank you, Dr. Rigby) just staring at me with the cutest little face.
Bianca has realized Vivi is staying. We've had some challenging days. A little throwing of objects, a little yelling of frustrations.... but she loves her little sissy. When Veronica cries she says, "Where's the paci?" and tries to shove it in her mouth. So funny. She also asks if sissy is coming anytime we say we are going somewhere. "Yes, Bianca, sissy is coming." She always tells her good night and gives her kisses.
Here's our baby at 1 month:
It's hard to tell in these pics, but her hair is growing in wild like Bianca's. It sticks up all over in the back.
As for the 1-month stats:
Weight 10 pounds, 6 ounces
Head 37cm
Height 21 1/4 inches
Veronica Sue was named after her Nana, Susan. So far her height/length is like her Nana's - shorty! Many people ask us why we chose Veronica. Truth is, Derek picked the name. He loved the sound of it. Veronica is also the patron saint of photographers because Veronica is the name of the woman who had the courage to step out of the crowd and wipe Jesus's face when he was forced to carry his cross. We hope our little one has the bravery and pride to stand up for what she believes in.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Bianca & Family of 3 Pics
Before Veronica was born and before Bianca turned 2, we had pictures taken. I was impressed by Katie Bower Photography and booked her way back in September. Here's a few photos to show you what came of it:
Have a great week!!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
December Happenings
Been behind in my blogging lately. Not because I have 2 kids... well, kinda... but mostly because my little baby has been sick. Yes, Miss Veronica has spent 2 outta 3 weeks of her little life under the weather. Trips to the doctor, threats of hospital admission, round the clock suctioning... the list goes on and on. But fear not - she is on the mend! Our lives of waking up every 20 minutes to suction her little nose is stretching to hours between suctions. She is doing better and taking her medicine twice a day to get better. And all this illness has had NO effect on her weight gain - she's almost 10 pounds already!
Bianca is really doing great with her Big Sister duties. She loves her little sissy and gives her kisses all the time (insert reason why Baby #2 is sick). Miss B has also shown us her musical side lately. When I picked her up from the Mommy's Morning Out program the other day, I heard her singing the most beautiful song I've ever heard: Happy Birthday Jesus. My eyes welled up with tears as she sang. What a wonderful song to hear your child belting out loud. She is also a Jingle Bell fan. Turn your volume up, folks..... Introducing Miss Bianca Dee:
We've been taking advantage of the 75 degree weather all week, too. You can't catch us inside too much.
And we've been enjoying holiday sweets:
Then there was Santa. I took Bianca to my work last week to see Santa. She didn't want to go near him. So, we sat and ate breakfast and watched the other kids go sit on Santa's lap. I told Bianca, "If you want to get presents, you have to tell Santa what you want for Christmas." She yelled, "BICYCLE!" I said, "No, Bianca, you have to sit on his LAP and tell him." She climbed off my lap, took my hand and pulled me over to Santa. I put her up on his lap. She totally avoided eye contact. Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she whispered, "Bicycle." Then she got right off. It was hilarious. That bicycle better be there Christmas morning.
Bianca is really doing great with her Big Sister duties. She loves her little sissy and gives her kisses all the time (insert reason why Baby #2 is sick). Miss B has also shown us her musical side lately. When I picked her up from the Mommy's Morning Out program the other day, I heard her singing the most beautiful song I've ever heard: Happy Birthday Jesus. My eyes welled up with tears as she sang. What a wonderful song to hear your child belting out loud. She is also a Jingle Bell fan. Turn your volume up, folks..... Introducing Miss Bianca Dee:
We've been taking advantage of the 75 degree weather all week, too. You can't catch us inside too much.
And we've been enjoying holiday sweets:
Then there was Santa. I took Bianca to my work last week to see Santa. She didn't want to go near him. So, we sat and ate breakfast and watched the other kids go sit on Santa's lap. I told Bianca, "If you want to get presents, you have to tell Santa what you want for Christmas." She yelled, "BICYCLE!" I said, "No, Bianca, you have to sit on his LAP and tell him." She climbed off my lap, took my hand and pulled me over to Santa. I put her up on his lap. She totally avoided eye contact. Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she whispered, "Bicycle." Then she got right off. It was hilarious. That bicycle better be there Christmas morning.
We have a daddy that has fallen in love all over again.
Watching Derek with his girls makes me love him more and more. He is an absolute perfect "Girls' Dad" and I fall for him all over again when I see him with Bianca and Veronica.
Stay tuned... I'm on a roll with blogging. Gonna get you up to speed by the end of the weekend!
Friday, December 9, 2011
1st week
It's crazy how time goes so fast when your babies are little. To just take 10 minutes to sit down and blog feels like spending eternity away from my girls. But... I certainly want to keep family up to date on things going on in our crazy, hectic, but wonderful lives.
Veronica came home from the hospital the day before Thanksgiving. And what a day to give thanks! We were fortunate enough to have neighbors (thanks Katie and Erik!) share with us some turkey. Derek was ever-so-grateful. We went on our first family walk that day.
Poor Bianca thought she was going to get to go see sissy be poked and prodded by the doctor and she would escape it all.... but Bianca had an ear infection that needed to be assessed after her 10 days of antibiotics. She was healthy as a horse, too!
Oh... the dreaded first bath.....
Veronica came home from the hospital the day before Thanksgiving. And what a day to give thanks! We were fortunate enough to have neighbors (thanks Katie and Erik!) share with us some turkey. Derek was ever-so-grateful. We went on our first family walk that day.
I never could have went for a walk on the third day after having Bianca.... but #2 seems to have a much shorter recovery time. Maybe it's cause you are forced to start moving. The first one looks at you and you just feel the urge to get going...
For those of you who didn't know... Thanksgiving was also the end of an era.... my 20s. I turned 30 on this day. Derek surprised me with a cake that had two big candles - "30" on it. Perfect. At least I now can say I had all my babies before I was 30! (that's right, I'm done. I am also 2 weeks post-partum as I write this.)
We had Veronica's first doctor check up on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. She got a "perfect" grade and the doctor was amazed at the fact she was PASSED her original birth weight. She left the hospital weighing 7lbs even on Wednesday and by Friday my super-milk had her weighing 7lbs, 7oz.
Poor Bianca thought she was going to get to go see sissy be poked and prodded by the doctor and she would escape it all.... but Bianca had an ear infection that needed to be assessed after her 10 days of antibiotics. She was healthy as a horse, too!
Bianca is doing pretty good with "sissy". She calls her Sissy cause Veronica is just a mouthful for a two-year-old. I've found myself calling V a list of things: Snicklefritz, Vera, Roxie, and others. We'll see with time what sticks. For now, she's just precious and we love her as "Veronica."
WHICH ONE IS V AND WHICH ONE IS B???
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Veronica Sue
Veronica Sue was born on November 21st, 2011 at 10:57am. It was the most beautiful birth you can imagine. When I say "beautiful birth" people laugh, but it really was a glorious time. I'm going to try to capture that day in words so I never forget the details; although, I'm quite sure my letters piled into words will never be able to fully transpose what happened.
At my OB appointment that Friday, the doctor checked me and said I really had been progressing pretty well and "wouldn't be surprised if he saw me at the hospital over the weekend." I started getting excited. But he reminded me he was not God and he could not tell me for sure when I would have the baby. He did say that on Monday morning he would like to see me at 8am and probably induce labor because my contractions were getting more frequent, I was dilated, and the risk of me not making it to the hospital was rising.
(back track.... for those of you who didn't know - my labor with Bianca was about 4 hours and even though I was induced due to high blood pressure, the doctor was unable to make it in time for the birth of Bianca. Yes, 2 nurses delivered Bianca. His office was about 5 miles from the hospital, but Bianca still came too fast.)
All weekend my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent, but nothing too unbearable. On Sunday morning, I was sure I was going to have this baby. During church I had 2-3 really strong contractions that took my breathe away and made me actually have to step out. Derek and I had a couple hours to ourselves to go shopping while Mom watched Bianca. Later that day, Mom and I went on a walk, but still..... no consistent contractions. Painful, yes. But these were only coming every 10 minutes or so. I guess I was going to make it to Monday morning after all.
Monday morning at 2am the contractions started strong again. I was unable to sleep. I took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital. I was going to meet our baby today. We were going to find out if it was a little girl or a little boy. The excitement was so tense!
Derek and I packed up and said goodbye to my mom. She was staying home to watch Bianca. Bianca was still asleep when we left. At a stoplight I started having a contraction and Derek got upset about my insisting to drive. Probably right! I stopped at Dunkin Donuts so we could get the nursing staff donuts and coffee. Being a nurse myself.... I know how to win their hearts. I wanted to start off on the right foot as a patient!
We got to L & D and was shuffled into a room. It was a different one than where Bianca was born. We settled in and waited. The dayshift nurse came in. I knew who we would have as a nurse because my doctor had called and requested who he wanted caring for me. So nice! She was very experienced and very "just-so". I knew why my doctor preferred her right away.
After what seemed like forever, the doctor came.
Dr. Siegel was very cheery and informative. He said he was a bit surprised I made it through the weekend. He was going to check me and break my water. When he checked me, he said, "My, you've been up to something this weekend. You're a 6 and fully effaced. This is not going to take long at all. You are in labor already. Matter of fact, if you plan to have an epidural, lets make sure they are ready."
The anesthesiologist had already been by. Reason being? I told my nurse about my first labor being so fast. She was proactive and called them to come before my OB even got there. I love organized people.
My water was broke at 8:45am. Dr. Siegel was "a bit embarrassed" when he was reminded he missed the last birth. He said that was not going to happen again. Well, it shouldn't... his office was now across the street from the hospital. He could run over in 30 seconds! He wished me luck and said he'd be calling very soon for an update.
Things started progressing very fast. The contractions were steady every 2 minutes. Steady and strong. I had the perfect epidural.... I could feel each contraction, still move my legs, and had control over my body. Derek and I could talk, make phone calls, laughed. It was great. The lights in the room were dimmed and it was a very sweet time together. But this baby was coming fast.
The nurse came in to check on me. She hadn't checked me since the doctor broke my water. I told her she might want to check me now because I was feeling pressure. No urge to push yet, but intense pressure and pain. She got her glove on and lifted up the sheets. She could "check" me with her eyes because she could see our baby's head. This is what she said, "OH YEAH! We're there. Put your legs like this...." She grabbed the phone on the wall, dialed my doctor's cell phone, and said, "Dr. Siegel, NOW. RIGHT NOW!" She didn't want for an answer but hung up the phone and ran around like crazy getting things ready. Nurses and techs started going in and out of the room, preparing for the delivery. One nurse said, "You don't mess around, do you?!" It was funny. Then my body started doing the constant "shakes" and I knew the baby was ready.
Our doctor was there within minutes and we began to push.
We were bringing our little baby into this world. About to be parents again. It is just so surreal.
After just a couple of pushes, the baby was almost out. Dr. Siegel said, "Liz, do you want to get him?" Did I want to get him? Yes! He guided my hands to our little baby and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you drop. I think it's a boy by the look of the head!" Boy, girl.... it didn't matter. I held the head and shoulders as I made one last push and then pulled the wet and slippery body onto my chest. I was the first person to ever hold our baby girl. I think about 4 people shouted "It's a girl!" I was numb. Paralyzed. She was so helpless, but so alert! She looked up at me and stared. Barely cried. I held her and kissed her and was just baffled at this little person. Derek cried. I was laughing and shocked. I had another baby girl!
They took her over for a quick evaluation. Derek went. It was just Dr. Siegel and me. I looked at him and I had one question to ask.....
What many of you don't know is that we were told this baby had markers for Down's Syndrome. While in particular this (one) marker was concerning and did raise our chances, we were told our chances were still slim. So at my 20 week ultrasound, I saw 2 perinatologists, was told there was an abnormality with our baby's heart, and was told the possibility of Down's was slim, but raised. Really - it was "nothing" to worry about. Mostly "benign" things. But as a nurse and a mother, the thought went through my head every single day. We declined all testing for Downs - including the blood tests at 1st trimester and the amnio they offered to give me at my 20-week ultrasound. What difference would it have made? We had conceived a baby through God's grace and would love it no matter what happened. But the last 20 weeks had not been easy having this in the back of my mind.
So on that morning when everyone else was looking in between our little baby's new legs to see the gender, I was looking somewhere else. I was looking at those eyes, that nose, the ears. Nothing else mattered. I just wanted a healthy baby.
"Dr. Siegel?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"How did she look? You know we had that marker. I mean, do you think she looked...."
At that moment he stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eyes and said, "Liz, she is perfect. I can usually tell right away. I didn't see it at all."
He knew exactly what I was talking about. At that moment, I cried. Wept. That was the first time I cried that morning.
Veronica Sue weighed 7lb 6oz. She was 18 1/4 inch. She is beautiful. She is everything. She is perfect.
more details and pics to come.... I'm too busy loving my newbie and soaking up her noises before she gets any bigger. this blog will just have to wait.
At my OB appointment that Friday, the doctor checked me and said I really had been progressing pretty well and "wouldn't be surprised if he saw me at the hospital over the weekend." I started getting excited. But he reminded me he was not God and he could not tell me for sure when I would have the baby. He did say that on Monday morning he would like to see me at 8am and probably induce labor because my contractions were getting more frequent, I was dilated, and the risk of me not making it to the hospital was rising.
(back track.... for those of you who didn't know - my labor with Bianca was about 4 hours and even though I was induced due to high blood pressure, the doctor was unable to make it in time for the birth of Bianca. Yes, 2 nurses delivered Bianca. His office was about 5 miles from the hospital, but Bianca still came too fast.)
All weekend my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent, but nothing too unbearable. On Sunday morning, I was sure I was going to have this baby. During church I had 2-3 really strong contractions that took my breathe away and made me actually have to step out. Derek and I had a couple hours to ourselves to go shopping while Mom watched Bianca. Later that day, Mom and I went on a walk, but still..... no consistent contractions. Painful, yes. But these were only coming every 10 minutes or so. I guess I was going to make it to Monday morning after all.
Monday morning at 2am the contractions started strong again. I was unable to sleep. I took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital. I was going to meet our baby today. We were going to find out if it was a little girl or a little boy. The excitement was so tense!
Derek and I packed up and said goodbye to my mom. She was staying home to watch Bianca. Bianca was still asleep when we left. At a stoplight I started having a contraction and Derek got upset about my insisting to drive. Probably right! I stopped at Dunkin Donuts so we could get the nursing staff donuts and coffee. Being a nurse myself.... I know how to win their hearts. I wanted to start off on the right foot as a patient!
We got to L & D and was shuffled into a room. It was a different one than where Bianca was born. We settled in and waited. The dayshift nurse came in. I knew who we would have as a nurse because my doctor had called and requested who he wanted caring for me. So nice! She was very experienced and very "just-so". I knew why my doctor preferred her right away.
After what seemed like forever, the doctor came.
Dr. Siegel was very cheery and informative. He said he was a bit surprised I made it through the weekend. He was going to check me and break my water. When he checked me, he said, "My, you've been up to something this weekend. You're a 6 and fully effaced. This is not going to take long at all. You are in labor already. Matter of fact, if you plan to have an epidural, lets make sure they are ready."
The anesthesiologist had already been by. Reason being? I told my nurse about my first labor being so fast. She was proactive and called them to come before my OB even got there. I love organized people.
My water was broke at 8:45am. Dr. Siegel was "a bit embarrassed" when he was reminded he missed the last birth. He said that was not going to happen again. Well, it shouldn't... his office was now across the street from the hospital. He could run over in 30 seconds! He wished me luck and said he'd be calling very soon for an update.
Things started progressing very fast. The contractions were steady every 2 minutes. Steady and strong. I had the perfect epidural.... I could feel each contraction, still move my legs, and had control over my body. Derek and I could talk, make phone calls, laughed. It was great. The lights in the room were dimmed and it was a very sweet time together. But this baby was coming fast.
The nurse came in to check on me. She hadn't checked me since the doctor broke my water. I told her she might want to check me now because I was feeling pressure. No urge to push yet, but intense pressure and pain. She got her glove on and lifted up the sheets. She could "check" me with her eyes because she could see our baby's head. This is what she said, "OH YEAH! We're there. Put your legs like this...." She grabbed the phone on the wall, dialed my doctor's cell phone, and said, "Dr. Siegel, NOW. RIGHT NOW!" She didn't want for an answer but hung up the phone and ran around like crazy getting things ready. Nurses and techs started going in and out of the room, preparing for the delivery. One nurse said, "You don't mess around, do you?!" It was funny. Then my body started doing the constant "shakes" and I knew the baby was ready.
Our doctor was there within minutes and we began to push.
We were bringing our little baby into this world. About to be parents again. It is just so surreal.
After just a couple of pushes, the baby was almost out. Dr. Siegel said, "Liz, do you want to get him?" Did I want to get him? Yes! He guided my hands to our little baby and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you drop. I think it's a boy by the look of the head!" Boy, girl.... it didn't matter. I held the head and shoulders as I made one last push and then pulled the wet and slippery body onto my chest. I was the first person to ever hold our baby girl. I think about 4 people shouted "It's a girl!" I was numb. Paralyzed. She was so helpless, but so alert! She looked up at me and stared. Barely cried. I held her and kissed her and was just baffled at this little person. Derek cried. I was laughing and shocked. I had another baby girl!
They took her over for a quick evaluation. Derek went. It was just Dr. Siegel and me. I looked at him and I had one question to ask.....
What many of you don't know is that we were told this baby had markers for Down's Syndrome. While in particular this (one) marker was concerning and did raise our chances, we were told our chances were still slim. So at my 20 week ultrasound, I saw 2 perinatologists, was told there was an abnormality with our baby's heart, and was told the possibility of Down's was slim, but raised. Really - it was "nothing" to worry about. Mostly "benign" things. But as a nurse and a mother, the thought went through my head every single day. We declined all testing for Downs - including the blood tests at 1st trimester and the amnio they offered to give me at my 20-week ultrasound. What difference would it have made? We had conceived a baby through God's grace and would love it no matter what happened. But the last 20 weeks had not been easy having this in the back of my mind.
So on that morning when everyone else was looking in between our little baby's new legs to see the gender, I was looking somewhere else. I was looking at those eyes, that nose, the ears. Nothing else mattered. I just wanted a healthy baby.
"Dr. Siegel?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"How did she look? You know we had that marker. I mean, do you think she looked...."
At that moment he stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eyes and said, "Liz, she is perfect. I can usually tell right away. I didn't see it at all."
He knew exactly what I was talking about. At that moment, I cried. Wept. That was the first time I cried that morning.
Veronica Sue weighed 7lb 6oz. She was 18 1/4 inch. She is beautiful. She is everything. She is perfect.
more details and pics to come.... I'm too busy loving my newbie and soaking up her noises before she gets any bigger. this blog will just have to wait.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
waiting.....
Still no baby! I've had a lot of supportive emails, phone calls, texts, etc asking about if baby has arrived. No:( Baby is on it's own delivery time - which is apparently no time soon. I'm starting for the first time to think "boy"... it's acting so much like it's father (taking it's time, moving slowly and contemplating the perfect moment to make a debut, no rush:) Bianca was in a rush to get here and couldn't wait to make her debut. This one is slow and content. Derek's poor mom was induced when she was pregnant with him and the labor took 24 hours. Pray that is not the case!
While I'm just barely 1 week away from due date, we are treasuring the time we have with just Bianca. However, poor girl's been sick lately. She has a bilateral ear infection and yesterday was vomiting several times throughout the day. Poor thing! It was so scary for her to throw up - she didn't know what was happening. We ended up having to throw out her foam flip couch, mopped the floors several times, and hosed down her booster seat. The laundry never ends and she's keeping us busy to the end. She has been needier than ever, but that's ok - cause she's needing extra snuggle time with her momma.
Ok, I hate my feet. Multiple reasons why - but nurses' feet are never cute. However, I think today I have to post a pic. Not cause they are swollen (which - I don't think they are half as bad as last time), but because of my toe nails. I went and got a pedicure and decided to go with what I was "feeling." since I didn't know boy or girl, I had to do a combo.
sorry it's dark/fuzzy/glare/terrible shot. i blame iphone. or maybe i blame photoshop. or maybe just laziness. yeah, probably the laziness.
While I'm just barely 1 week away from due date, we are treasuring the time we have with just Bianca. However, poor girl's been sick lately. She has a bilateral ear infection and yesterday was vomiting several times throughout the day. Poor thing! It was so scary for her to throw up - she didn't know what was happening. We ended up having to throw out her foam flip couch, mopped the floors several times, and hosed down her booster seat. The laundry never ends and she's keeping us busy to the end. She has been needier than ever, but that's ok - cause she's needing extra snuggle time with her momma.
Ok, I hate my feet. Multiple reasons why - but nurses' feet are never cute. However, I think today I have to post a pic. Not cause they are swollen (which - I don't think they are half as bad as last time), but because of my toe nails. I went and got a pedicure and decided to go with what I was "feeling." since I didn't know boy or girl, I had to do a combo.
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