Chaos Chronicle

Since our wee baby girl arrived on August 3rd, life has been nothing short of incredibly hectic. I need to document it here, in no frilly fashion, before I forget it along with the many other things (like where I put her blanket) that vanish before I realize. There is not a single doubt in my mind that this post will be long, but it needs to exist for our personal remembrance more than anything else.

August 3: a supposed 6 weeks early (I believe we were actually further along than my due date suggested), our 5 lb 11 oz, 19", baby bundle arrives. Being she is so early, she is an automatic admit to the Level II nursery. We are already familiar and comfortable (as much as one can be in this situation) with this scenario being Bubba found himself here in his first days of life as well. Other than a bit of a respiratory diagnosis - albeit one without need of any help - she looks pretty good. However, there are many milestones she'll need to pass before she is released. There is no telling how long she will be in, how long we'll be without our complete family at home, but we know she is in great hands.

August 5: I am released from the hospital but given a room for boarding being the wee one is still a patient. However, I decide later that night not to take advantage of this room, for a variety of reasons, so I go home after spending time with our babe and taking part in a couple of feedings.

August 6 - 8: Each day revolves around hospital visits. I would go to spend 3 feedings with her, each spanning 3 hours apart. We are able to cuddle and bond amongst the beeping monitors and nurses. To pass the time in-between, which only ends up being about 2 hours, I pump, eat, talk, shop, etc. Always running.

August 9: After a few days of a pain shooting up my back, leading to tightening of my chest and back, in turn lowering my pulse to the low 40's and raising my blood pressure, I find myself in the emergency room (first time ever!). An EKG and CT scan were done immediately to rule out the upfront life threatening issues. Throughout the next 6 hours more tests are completed and it is decided that I am to be admitted to the cardiac unit. Scary. More tests. More pokes. More tears. I tell everyone I talk to that my baby is going home the following day and I plan to be doing the same... so figure this out! That night, I developed the worst headache of my lifetime. Keep in mind I have regular migraines so I'm already familiar with horrible headaches and this is much worse. All of my heart tests come back looking good, which only confirms my own suspicions that this is related to the epidural. The epidural in which the doc took two swipes before getting it right, then managed to numb one of my legs beyond any one's belief, including nurses who see this done all of the time. Every doc I suggested this to bocked at my idea, but in the end the anesthesiology department was involved. That was as much of an admittance ever received.

August 10: I am discharged from the Cardiology unit mid-afternoon, with blood pressure meds and pain killers. By 3 we are on our way to pick up Bubba with baby girl in tow. Good day.

August 11: MIL comes over to help organize baby girl's room... it is a complete catastrophe due to the early arrival and chaos of the previous days. This takes most of the day. I'm exhausted. I've yet to relax much less take a nap like I think new mamas should.

August 12: First follow-up appointment for baby girl. All looks good. She's gaining weight (which is almost all that is checked). Somehow this quick follow-up appointment ends up chewing up a good portion of my day.

August 13: Friday... need I say more? BigCat ends up home due to rain so it's another day of getting stuff done on top of preemie caring. Note: preemie caring is indeed different than regular newborn caring. More rules, more feedings (whether she is wanting them or not), etc. The OB home nurse also visits and does the many things I feel our life has encompassed as of lately (blood pressure checks, questionnaires, temperatures, etc).

August 14 - 15: We are prepping for Bubba's 3rd birthday party. The families are coming out Monday night to celebrate. Shopping, cleaning, wrapping, etc. He isn't sleeping well so BigCat spends much of his nights with Bubba.

August 16: Carpet installation in the downstairs bedroom is completed 5 minutes after I need it to be... Baby girl hasn't pooped since Friday morning, so they suggest she comes in and create an opening for her appointment before the doc technically starts her day. This whole debacle ends up taking 3 hours, leaving me with little time to finish prep for Bubba's party. In the mean time we receive a call from Bubba's daycare provider that he is complaining of his throat hurting. Nothing else seems to be going on (and we're not sure if it's for attention, a common act since baby girl arrived) so she keeps him. I shower only after the first guests arrive.

August 17: Bubba is continuing at daycare for these first weeks... it's best for everyone involved. In an attempt to drop him off, he bawls like never before saying only "I want to go home". So, he gets just that. He remains in relatively good spirits but nonetheless adds quite the dimension to being home with baby. That night, a couple of hours after he goes to bed, as we're heading there ourselves, I check on him and find blood spots all over his pillow, from his mouth. We take peeks inside the sleeping, and now crabby, boy's mouth and don't see much besides a blood clot. Let the insane worrying begin. BigCat spends another night sleeping with Bubba and I spend the night hardly sleeping.

August 18: Bubba has his 3 year check-up (thank goodness after the previous night!). All looks well... except that he has Hand, Food and Mouth Disease! What??? Get home from the doc and have a message from my daycare provider that another case was reported just a of couple hours ago. Nothing we can do about it and he seems to be doing relatively well in comparison. I am in complete amazement at how much a doctor's appointment can impact a day... almost the entire day! Getting 2 children ready and out the door, picking up prescriptions, etc. and it's suddenly mid-afternoon. Yikes. I don't know how mamas with more kiddos do it!!

August 19: This is the day I've been waiting for. One in which I can just snuggle with my baby and do nothing else... well, almost nothing. I don't mind those other little things throughout the day, as long as I get some bonding time in with my baby girl. This is long overdue and honestly, I feel a bit robbed by this fact. For her first week of life, she was in the hospital where I had very little time with her. And the second week was filled with complete chaos. I have no clue what it's like to have a baby and get to go home and bond, cuddle, rest, enjoy. So, forgive me, but I am taking some days to do this now. I need to do it before I share her with more people. I need to do it for her sake (keeping her environment somewhat womb-like a little longer). I need to do it before my body repays me for the lack of rest. I need to do it just because I do.

Time is a Tickin'

I didn't expect to find myself here this evening. I was checking in on a couple fellow bloggers (although I can hardly consider myself one any longer) and somewhere along the line found myself inspired.

Baby deuce is almost here! Technically I am 34 weeks and 1 day today, however, I had an ultrasound early last week that puts me at 36 weeks and 2 days. At this point, they do not change the due date and there's still really no saying when she'll be here, but my gut feeling (along with some outright signs) is telling me it's going to be earlier than the predicted 9/11. I have been having contractions since last Friday, and fairly regular ones at that. Thankfully, at this point anyway, they are not labor inducing but just uncomfortable and annoying. I'm hoping it's a sign that she's getting ready, but I'm not hoping for an appearance any earlier than she's ready.

We just continue to take advantage of the little bit of time we do have. Over the months I have felt incredibly stressed in efforts of home and baby prep. As I write, BigCat is downstairs painting the soon-to-be spare bedroom. It has been a relatively slow-going project, at least in my impatient-she-could-be-here-anytime frame of mind, but it looks great. Next up is trim, carpet (ordered but a week or so out yet) and doors. Then we'll finally be able to move all the spare bedroom stuff back in, making way for a nice lil' play area downstairs.

So, life is good... a few pics to prove it (well, from Bubba's point of view anyway).

Cleaning Up & Out

BigCat is working hard to get the downstairs bedroom finished so that everything from the spare bedroom upstairs can be moved on down. Then Bubba, and all his belongings, will be moved into the former spare bedroom (which has been a play room for the last handful of months - yikes, he probably doesn't want to lose that!) and baby girl will be moving into Bubba's current room. Why so many moves? Well, the "baby" room is by far the smallest so it only makes sense, specially since Bubba and his toys require a greater space these days.

Anyway, point being, I'm hard at work to empty (and hopefully get rid of some of) the contents of the former spare bedroom closet. The issue at hand... I have a box full of all of the cards I have received in my 30 years... what do I do with these?? I don't think I can continue to keep them all as I would have way too many by the end. I have even started a box for BigCat, mostly against his will, but those will be easier to weed out and toss. Does anyone have any fun ideas of what to do with these? I'm definitely going to get rid of some of them, maybe just keeping the ones with special personal messages? I don't know... I'm at a loss. I feel like I'll be getting rid of a part of me, but I don't know that keeping them around is the best answer. The house just isn't big enough!

Low Larsen's is Right

It has been an interesting couple of weeks, leaving me with plenty to write about but not a lot of time to write it.

The first part of last week found the three of us sicker than we have ever been before, at least in these respects. For Bubba, at the ripe ol' age of 2, this isn't saying much, but it is saying a lot for BigCat and myself. To keep the images to a minimum, let's just say we weren't able to keep anything in, and BigCat and I were insanely thankful for 2 bathrooms that first night. Bubba started it off over the weekend, and by Sunday night the two of us followed suit, leaving us to the couch for a good portion of the week. This extremely contagious virus is now out of our house, but it sure was a miserable addition while it lasted.

This week has proven to be quite the challenge, as something switched in Bubba and he's suddenly a different kid. Terrible twos? Maybe, but it seems like more. He's incredibly angry. Whatever this is tends to be worse with mom and dad, but the "symptoms" are beginning to show at daycare as well... which is huge because this is where he's his happiest. He's screaming, kicking, throwing, squeezing my limbs with all his might, and incredibly defiant. It is definitely wearing on us quickly. We continue to remain consistent with our consequences and are praying hard that this ends quickly. I hardly recognize him as my son and would really like my happy lil' guy back. He's had a lot of changes lately, some rather large, and I can't help but think this has something to do with it.

So, there's the Larsen Lowdown. I hope the next post finds us in higher places!!

Baby Bingo

If you haven't already heard, check out the ticker above... We're having a baby girl! I couldn't be happier, and BigCat is darn pleased as well. Good job Daddy!

Another mother told me not very long ago that she considers one child of each gender a baby bingo, and it has stuck with me since then. I truly feel like I've won. In either case, I'm quite sure we were done, and we certainly would've been content, but this just feels so very right. And getting rid of the baby stuff once she's done with it will be much easier because of this bingo!

We feel very blessed and can hardly wait to meet her. Although, I will gladly take the time until then as there is more than plenty to be done before she makes her appearance!



And here's her first unofficial appearance...

Weekend of the Free

A fun and free (in the responsibility sense, not so much financially) weekend indeed! Bubba went up to Gramma R and Papa Jim's for the weekend leaving BigCat and me to our own devices. Friday night we went to BigCat's aunt's 50th birthday party... and let me just say, she still knows how to party! Good food (especially delightful for yours truly), beverages and a DJ to boot! I was surprised, and impressed, with myself when I made it til about midnight!

Saturday, BigCat and I made our way to our first Target Field Twins game. BigBro was generous with his season ticket pack and gave us a set for Christmas last year. What fun to go cash that one in! We took the train down - also a first for both - but that wasn't nearly as impressive as the field itself. We really enjoyed the new experience, seeing the players close-up and watching the Twins play in the sunshine!


Not a bad view of Morneau.


A broader glimpse of Target Field.


My baseball boyfriend... Cuddy. Yep, BigCat is aware.

Proud Momma

Bubba went to his back-up daycare today, a place he hasn't been in probably close to a year. At the ripe age of two and a half, it's pretty safe to say this is basically a new experience for the tyke. When I dropped him off this morning, he was such a big boy as he watched me leave. There was a slight bit of hesitation, maybe even sadness, but no fits, no crying, just "bye momma"... which impressed the couple women there. When I went to pick him up, she stated that he was so easy, was down for whatever, played well, etc. And to top it off, she thought he was super funny. Apparently his looks weren't the only thing he got from daddy dearest. I can only hope tomorrow goes as well, or close to it, as sometimes the whole warm-up period is a bit deceiving. But, for today, I was one proud momma.