9/26 - Eli and Aiden

Things have been going well lately although I've still been in pain. The picture above is Aiden wanting to play with grandma after dinner the other night. Aiden is getting to be pretty pudgy. It might just be because Eli is so small but even Aiden's diapers are starting to fit snugly. The picture below is grandma and Eli hanging out.

We got out the play mat that Aiden used everyday for the first 6-7 months of his life. He apparently remembers it. We got it out for Eli and Aiden ran over to it and started playing with it. He's looking at the lights in the picture above. The picture below was taken the other night. Eli is so small. He wears premie diapers and mostly premie clothes. He has some newborn sleepers that look huge on him. We had to do laundry today because he goes through clothes so much since he's been throwing up a lot lately.

Night time is a little rough right now. We aren't sure if he has days/nights mixed up or if the medication I take makes him drowsy during the day and awake at night. I stop taking the oxycodone at night since I'm not doing anything but that might be what is putting him to sleep all day and then he has energy to be awake at night.

The boys (Aiden and Eli) are starting to bond a little. Yesterday Aiden climbed up in the hammock with Brad and Eli. Earlier today, Aiden was interested in me changing Eli's clothes. Tonight, after dinner and a bath, we took picures of the boys in their diapers. It was too cute. The angle at which I took the pictures standing above them didn't help Aiden's figure at all!! You can see from the video that Aiden is starting to touch him and even touched Eli's belly. It was too cute. Aiden is not too sure if he can touch and play with Eli or not. He tries to give Eli his sippy cup of milk and to rock him when Eli is in his carrier. I think Aiden will make a great big brother.

Brad and I had tickets to Dover International Speedway for the Sprint race tomorrow. I can't go since I can't walk far and we would have to bring Eli (and buy a full-priced ticket ... $84) so Brad is going with a friend. It will be just grandma and I tomorrow from 6:30am to about 10:00pm. I'm sad I can't go!

9/24 - Eli update

Eli and I got to go home on Monday afternoon. It was good to get home but it was easy to see how hard it would be to take care of Aiden the way I want to. On Tuesday Brad went to the airport and my mom went back to FL and Brad's mom came into town. Eli and I stayed home. I have had horrible pain on my right side near my incision. It's not my incision, but I'm thinking it's a pulled or torn muscle. It hurts every time I need to use my right leg. I will be going to the dr tomorrow to get it looked at.
It's great to finally be home although I'm very limited in what I can do because of my side pain. Eli has been doing pretty good at night. He went to the dr yesterday at weighed in at 5 lbs, 8.5 oz!! He's already gaining weight back. He's a fast nurser and so much better than Aiden!! We are truly blessed so far.
I have a few more pictures to post and a cute video from tonight but I need to upload them still. Aiden is doing well. He'll be home with us tomorrow all day which should be fun although I'm very limited in taking care of him and not being able to pick him up.
The picture below was taken the night before my mom left. It's late and I'm tired and Eli is hungry.

The video below was taken in the hospital. I don't even remember what it's about but hopefully you'll enjoy it.

9/19 - First family photo

It was so great to see my little Aiden today although he is HUGE compared to Eli. Eli weighed in 5 lbs, 12 oz today so we'll see what his weight is tomorrow. I'm breastfeeding and hopefully he doesn't loose too much weight. Aiden wasn't sure what to think about Eli today.
As you can see from the picture above, Aiden was observing daddy and Eli. It cracks me up when Aiden stands with his hands behind his back just watching things. He was curious but didn't really know what to do since Eli makes noises and moves.
This is our first family photo. Too cute!!
Aiden wasn't too sure about us putting Eli in his lap. He was leaning back against my hand but wasn't trying to get Eli out of his lap either. I think Aiden will be a great big brother. Grandma has done a GREAT job taking care of Aiden at home while Brad and I are at the hospital. Brad went home tonight to see Aiden for a while and everyone will come back tomorrow after church and nap time.
If you are reading this and live in town and are bored on Sunday night, stop by the hospital. Brad leaves around 4:30 and is gone until about 8:30 to go home and spend some time with Aiden and my mom (she gets lonely too). I'm doing okay. The morphine from the spinal block started to wear off this afternoon so that was sad (and painful). Otherwise, I'm getting around pretty good (really good compared to the last c-section). I'm hoping to get out of here on Monday but haven't talked to my doctor today to confirm that.

9/18 - Meet Eli

So Eli was born today at 14:14 weighing in at 5 lbs, 15 ounces, and 17.5 inches long. He is doing well despite being 36 weeks and 4 days. I am also doing well although dealing with typical c-section issues. We will post more pictures later through the blog. We don't have access to Facebook here in the hospital so that is why the blog is getting all the attention. It is like living in the dark ages!

Amy is having a C-section!

Sorry loyal readers, no pictures with this post. Amy is drugged and awaiting her appointment with the knife. Unfortunately, someone is having an emergency and Amy got bumped in line and is now going to have to wait for another baby to be born in front of ours. She is doing fine as long as they keep the meds coming, otherwise she has that darn back labor that she is so prone to. I think we have seen our last pregnancy, she is a great mommy, but her body is not built for giving birth! Stay tuned, we will post pictures and update the blog when Eli is here and everyone is safe and healthy.

9/17 - Pregnancy Pictures

So these are pregnancy pictures from my 1st pregnancy (in black sports bra and white card) and the current pregnancy (blue sports bra, yellow cards). The number on the card is the week that I was in at the time.

My stomach felt much bigger early on since my muscles were already stretched out from having Aiden and it was a pretty short time between pregnancies. I gained the same amount of weight and was measuring the same across the stomach exactly the same until week 34. It was amazing. I felt so huge this pregnancy and it was crazy that I was to the pound the same weight as last pregnancy (at the 4 week check ups).

I went on bed rest at 32 weeks with my 1st pregnancy and 30 weeks with this pregnancy.

As you can see from the most recent picture, my belly is defying gravity right now. It's very uncomfortable because most of the time my belly is tight from having contractions. I stopped my contraction medicine this morning. I've had pretty consistent contractions for the past two night and have had to take extra drugs to stop them. It figures the night I decide to not take them anymore I don't have contractions like I've had. I'm so tired of taking drugs and still not feeling great. I really prefer not to have Eli over the weekend because it's harder for someone to take care of Aiden versus coming during the week, Aiden can still go to daycare. God is in control and I can just pray that if he is born over the weekend, people will be in place to help take care of Aiden. I went to work today for a bit and plan on going tomorrow for a 5 hour meeting!

9/15 - No more bed rest

I've been so excited to be off bed rest for the past two days that I haven't had time to update the blog. I got to go off bed rest yesterday and had a fun and eventful day. I took Aiden to the park and then to Target (my mom came too just in case). I love going to the park but Aiden wasn't really feeling the playground so he just walked around mostly. We came home and took a nap (I cleaned off and moved this new play table he just got) and then we played outside when he woke up and then went to the grocery store. I also put together the new double stroller which Aiden loves.
The picture above was taken on Sunday when we got home from church. Aiden looked so cute in these long overalls and polo shirt he got as a present. The only bad thing is that to change the diaper, the whole thing had to some off rather than the pants unsnapping at the bottom.
The picture above is the table that we got Aiden off of Craig's list for $15. Brad and I picked it up last night and I was hoping it would clean up a little better but I'm still glad we got it. It's perfect for the deck and he loves it. He can eat on it and make a mess, color on it (on accident of course), and play trucks. Today we went to Annapolis so my mom could get her infusion treatment. Brad and I went to mall for a bit and then to Babies R Us to get some diapers. We also got his infant to toddler rocker/seat (see picture below) which is pretty cool.
The video below is Aiden getting distracted by daddy coming home and going back to coloring. He's doing a pretty good job at coloring. He is starting to try and talk to us and his brain is absorbing so much everyday.

I just called my doctor because I've been having menstrual cramp feeling for the past few hours. I just took another dose of medication and am gonna see how it does. Eli could be born very soon. I am 36 weeks as of yesterday which is good but that would still be a premie baby. Keep us in your prayers. My mom is set to leave on Tuesday (a week from today) and Brad's mom will come in the same day.

9/10 - Dr appointment & update

Things are going pretty good. I'm still doing bed rest and my mom is still doing a lot around the house. Aiden is now 15 months and learning so fast. I'm going to try and get a video of him showing facial features and/or the animals he knows. My mom is going to head back to Florida next Saturday so she can rest up for a while.

The video above is Aiden being cute while eating his apple. He is such a ham when he sees the camera. Maybe he can start earning his keep by being a model :)
I had a doctor appointment today and I'm 50% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated. I need to hold on until Monday which is when I get off bed rest. My doctor would ideally like me to wait 3 more days so I'm 36.5 weeks but obviously I have no control in the matter. The picture above was from the other day. Aiden normally hates hats but he was wearing this one around as long as we had it turned backwards.

The picture above was taken tonight before bed time. Aiden was being goofy (as was daddy in the background). We can't take our eye off Aiden for a second which is challenging but keeps us on our toes. He's exploring everything and testing our (and his) limits. He's too cute and definitely keeps us smiling. The picture was taken just a few minutes of the picture above. He got very upset because he's not allowed to have my blanket. He has his own but was not too happy about that.

The video below was taken tonight. Aiden is getting much better at trying to feed himself. He's eating his dessert (applesauce) and loves to hold is spoon but usually only likes to use it occasionally. We are making a push again for Aiden to use his spoon more so that in a few months when Brad has to leave for 2 months, Aiden is a professional with the spoon and fork. We'll see if our plan works.

A pregnancy ticker

I thought this was pretty cool so I decided to post it. I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow and only have one day of bed rest left. I have a cute video I took yesterday to post but I want to try and take another video tomorrow of Aiden showing you the body parts he knows. He knows eye, nose, teeth, ears, and belly. We'll see what he actually demonstrates on the video but it's pretty cute. I'm going to bed soon but wanted to see if I could post this pregnancy time-line thing (thanks Casey).

9/5 - College Football day & Aiden's new room!!

Things have gone pretty well lately. Things are the same with me. Eli is still cooking and I have 9 days left on bed rest and then can start doing whatever I want!! Aiden has been having fun playing with grandma. It got a little cold here for a few days and it was too cold to have water in the pool so we drained the pool. Aiden had tons of fun playing in the pool with blankets though.
My cousin Chris and his wife Missy sent Aiden some clothes for his birthday. The onesie below says "Little Rage." Rage is Brad's call sign. Aiden has been learning things so fast lately that it's amazing and lots of fun.He's all moved in to his new room and he loves it. He loves to play in there and even sit in his crib and play. Brad did a great job putting the crib and dresser/changing table together. Aiden has learned almost all the animals in his room over the past few days. They are on his blanket on the floor, some of the wall hangings, and some decals on another wall. He's like a little sponge right now and it's so amazing to see how fast he's learning.
We did have to take Aiden to the doctor on Thursday because of diaper area problems. He is getting better and we are trying to let him run around naked more (that's why we play on the deck everyday). Brad had Friday off and he also has Monday off so Aiden is enjoying some extra daddy time. They were coloring the other night. It's great to see Brad be able to spend more time with Aiden.
This morning Brad took Aiden to the local playground and they played for over an hour. Aiden and Brad came home all sweaty and Aiden had a ton of fun. Brad sent me the picture below while they were there. This is a tube that they were playing in but Aiden decided to stop and take a sippy cup break.

We will be watching the Gators play later today. Aiden had on Gator clothes at the playground but got all dirty so those are done (and we only have one outfit that fits him) so now he's wearing a Gator bib.