Monday, February 28, 2011

Mama did a bad, bad thing...

I splurged. Why is online shopping so damn easy!?!? I spent way too much money but got some cute new things coming my way. The 1st pair of shoes was already delivered and look even better in person than they did online. (Thanks to endless.com for their FREE overnight shipping and returns, seriously awesome!)


These bad boys are still set to show up tomorrow

and these I should have on Wednesday (victoriassecret.com).

Oops. Well, Mama may have done a bad, bad thing but at least her feet will be banging! :)


Sunday, February 27, 2011

Solid Achievement!

Charlie has turned into a pro at eating solids! We've even tried Puffs and she seems to like them. The first time she tried them she gagged and made the funniest faces but now she's eating them like a champ. And Kobe is also a fan since she seems to drop just as many as she eats. I have a feeling Kobe's new favorite place will soon be directly under Charlie's highchair. :)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Birthing Charlie: My Story

I thought it would be fun to write my complete birth story down so that in the future if Charlie ever wants to read it or if I just want to remember why I’m one and done I can read it. If you recall, Wade posted a short version of Charlie’s birth story the day after she was born. And although he did an excellent job, his side of the story is lacking in some of the details from my perspective. So if you’d like to hear from my point of view, read on, however I warn you it is long! (Also, keep in mind that I will not be sugar coating it and things may not be all that appealing but really, what about the birthing process is???)

It was July 22, 2010. One week before my due date. I was at my weekly appointment where the doctor did an internal exam to proclaim “nothing” was going on in there yet. Seemed Charlie Monkey was pretty damn comfy in my ute. She was still high up although she had dropped a bit from what I could tell b/c I was having to frequent the bathroom more often. I was huge. And uncomfortable. And not getting any sleep. Oh yeah, and did I mention, I was HUGE? Just take a look! (And this picture was taken at 40 weeks so I still had another week to go)
So since the doc said nothing was going on and we only had one more week until my due date she decided she would strip my membranes in hopes of getting things moving in the right direction. What exactly does stripping of the membranes entail, you ask? This isn’t pleasant, but basically she was wrist deep down there and did some kind of swishing around motion to break the amniotic sack from the wall in hopes that it would weaken it and bring on labor. (Also, please note I am NOT a doctor. I am nowhere near qualified for that. Some of this may not be 100% accurate when it comes to terms I use.) Anyway, the overall stripping didn’t really hurt so much as it was just uncomfortable. I pulled my big girl panties up and went on my way. Later that day it caused some awful cramps and a little bleeding but other than that, nothing. No labor being brought on by that feeble attempt.

Fast forward to July 29, 2010 (my due date). Doc examined me and again proclaimed “nada”. She stated that my cervix had thinned out a bit and I was “maybe” beginning to dilate but that the baby was nowhere near ready to come out. Comfy in there Charlie? I guess so! But I definitely wasn’t! I was ready to get this done with. The doctor said that they would only allow me to go 1 week past my due date because of something about “any longer than that and the chance of stillbirth raises dramatically, yada, yada, yada”. All I could hear was 1 week. Only 1 more week at the most! Yippee! So we scheduled an appointment in a couple days pending no labor by then.

If you know me, I am perpetually late. This drives Wade insane. I could say I am just trying to prepare him for what it will be like having to wait the rest of his life b/c he was having a daughter who it seems will be just like me. :) So our appointment on August 3 comes and of course Charlie is still not interested in making her appearance and we are forced to post a mandatory eviction notice for the next day, August 4, 2010. We are to report to labor and delivery that evening around 7:00 pm so that I could have Cervadil applied (this softens and “readies” your cervix) for 12 hours after which I would then be examined and if ready I would then be administered Pitocin by IV to bring on contractions and get labor induced. So we readied ourselves for a fun night in the hospital waiting. We watched Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ DVD’s and ‘The Big Lebowski’. Neither of which our nurse had heard of so we forced her to sit and watch some of them with us. She seemed to enjoy IASIP but I think she thought the Dude was dumb.

Thursday morning came and they decided they would break my water and then get the Pitocin flowing. Only problem was, the doctor was having one hell of a time breaking my water. They use what can only be described as a crotchet hook. I don’t knit, but I’ve seen these before and it’s exactly what it looks like! Anyway, doc was digging around down there (pleasant, I know) and could not for the life of her get my water to break. She then suggested using what is called a Foley Bulb. I had no clue what one of these was but the way she explained it was that it’s a tube w/ a balloon at the end that inflates and the pressure it exerts on the cervix is supposed to stimulate natural labor and it would hopefully cause my cervix to dilate a bit so that she would then be able to get my water to break. Dear Lord. It did not sound good.

So she’s attempting to insert this Foley Bulb when all of a sudden the nurse watching over the procedure states “I think you just broke her water”. To which the doctor exclaims “Oh, yes, I think I did.” Sad that the nurse had to point that out to the doctor but perfect for me! No Foley Bulb needed. Thank the baby jeebus b/c the nurse whispered to me right after all this that it is supposedly not a very pleasant experience. Phew! Crisis averted.

I should mention that pretty much this whole time Wade is over in his little corner of our huge room working on his laptop. I think he may have glanced over a few times and saw me grimace but other than that I’m not completely sure he had any clue what was going on. I just kept making him get me ice chips and little flavored ice cups (which we found out later that I wasn’t supposed to be eating! Oops! But I was starving!)

So water broken and Pitocin started, we were on our way! They begin the Pitocin drip at a very low level so that they can monitor how you and your baby adjust and handle the contractions it brings on so in the beginning I was fairly comfy in my bed watching TV. Well, comfy besides the IV I had in my wrist, the blood pressure cuff around my arm and the heart monitor belt strapped around my waist that I constantly had to readjust b/c it would not stay put. Yeah, all these things were a lot of fun when I had to get up to use the bathroom. I had to unhook the heart monitor and blood pressure cuff and then wheel the IV alongside me all while trying to keep my back side covered. Ah modesty. It soon left me b/c in the very near future I could care less who saw my girly bits let alone my back side!

A few hours in and they’ve upped the Pitocin drip to a higher level b/c the contractions weren’t coming on very strong still and Charlie was still handling things well. I could barely feel the contractions at this point and they didn’t last long so I was still fairly comfy. The nurse would come in every hour to check on me and see how the contractions were coming. Eventually they did a cervix check to see if anything had started happening and FINALLY declared me a ONE. Sad face.

Within the next 5 hours I progressed to a THREE and the nurse said if I wanted an epidural I could get one at anytime. The contractions were still bearable, although lasting longer, they felt like really bad period cramps. But who am I kidding? I knew coming into this I didn’t want to feel any more pain than necessary and you never know when the anesthesiologist is going to be called into surgery and the last thing I wanted was to start to get severe labor pains and not have that epi so we called for him to come as I sat on a labor ball bouncing away. (The nurse said the labor ball may help to get Charlie heading south.,. It didn’t.)

At about 2:00 pm I had officially been in labor for about six hours. The anesthesiologist came in and did his thing for the epidural. I know a lot of women say that this procedure is awful but either I had a rocking anesthesiologist or I have a high threshold for pain b/c really it wasn’t bad. They had me sit on the edge of the bed and lean over (as much as a fat pregnant lady can) and the sweetheart of a nurse held my hands and helped me to not move while he was poking my spine. Awesome. I could feel the cold liquid course through my spine which was weird and about 15 minutes later I couldn’t feel any of the contractions.

Fast forward to about 6:00 pm and I’m now at a FOUR. Yep. I made it another cm in 4 hours. And this was after upping my Pitocin drip several more times. I’m now at a very high level (I have no idea what) and the contraction machine is showing me having constant, strong contractions (although I don’t feel them which is awesome) and I’ve only progressed 1 damn cm. I’m also shaking from my waist up from the epi. I guess this is one of the lovely side effects it can give you. Most annoying feeling ever. It’s like the cold shakes b/c you can’t control it. I can’t feel my legs or feet but I swear that my feet are freezing off so the lovely nurse gives me these socks to wear which she has to put on for me b/c did I mention I can’t feel a damn thing?

8:00 rolls around and they declare maybe a 4 ½??? Then 10:00 and they say I’ve reached a FIVE. Sweet. I’m half way there and been in labor for 12 hours. Ridiculous. At this point I’m exhausted b/c even though I can’t feel the contractions I can’t sleep. I’m anxious, excited, shaking like a leaf from the epi, hooked up to so many things I can’t get comfortable and the nurse has to come in and flip me to my other side every hour since I can’t move myself. Oh I also have a catheter in at this point too since I can’t walk to the bathroom. Just another tube attached to me. Fun.

Sometime around 11:00 pm Charlie decides that she’s not liking the process and her heart rate starts dropping if I’m on my left side so they try to keep me on my right side. Then finally around midnight they do another check. I’m hoping to at least be at a SIX by now. But nooooo, still a FIVE. The nurse calls my doctor to explain the situation and gets the reply that I’d been dreading but now fully accepting since this whole process is getting old really fast. She is recommending a C-section due to failure to progress.

In all honesty I was so ready at this point to have this baby that I readily accepted this fate. Also, I had prepared myself early on in my pregnancy that I may need a C-section due to placenta previa. Although the placenta previa fixed itself so a C-section was no longer required for several weeks prior I had thought I’d have to have a C-section, so mentally I was prepared for this outcome.

The Dr. Cho was at another hospital finishing up another C-section and said she could be w/ us in 30 minutes. Wade’s face lit up. He was so excited knowing that we were going to meet our little girl in a short while. I on the other hand was a little nervous about my upcoming major abdominal surgery. Wade got to put on scrubs and looked like a handsome doctor. We joked about what his name would be if he were on Grey’s Anatomy. I can’t remember what we came up w/…

The anesthesiologist comes in to upgrade me to the first class pain free meds. This made my shaking even worse and I was numb all the way up to my armpits. Sweet. They began rolling me to the OR around 1:15 am. This baby is now another day late. :) They get me settled into the OR and pull a blue tarp up in front of my face so that I can’t see my innards being pulled out and Wade takes a seat by my head and holds my hand for a bit. Dr. Cho explains they are ready to go and Wade stands and starts taking picture after gory picture. I felt no pain although I did feel some tugging going on down there. It’s a very odd sensation and hard to describe.

At 1:38 am on August 6, 2010 Charlize Ann was born. As they pulled her out Wade looked down to me and said ‘she’s beautiful’ and I couldn’t wait to see her. Dr. Cho held her up over the tarp for a few seconds right away so that I could get a chance to see my new baby girl. I’m not really sure what I was expecting to see but I guess I was expecting something beautiful since that was what Wade said. Instead I saw a 7 pound 13 ounce little girl completely covered in blood and mucousy goo and right when Dr. Cho held her up for me to see, this long string of bloody snotty stuff came shooting out of her nose. I remember being totally grossed out as they whisked her away to clean her off and get her vitals. Wade made me expect something beautiful but that was not what I was saw b/c that gooey stuff was definitely NOT beautiful. Ew.

Once they got her cleaned off they held her right next to my face and I finally got a good look at Charlie. And Wade was right. She was beautiful once I could see something other than bloody goo. Immediately at hearing my voice she stopped crying and struggling and just stared at me. It was the most amazing moment in my life.
They took her off to get her warmed up and finish cleaning her and Wade went with them so he could “cut” the cord (it was actually already cut since I had a C-section but they cut it long so that he could still have the chance to cut it) while I had to stay in the OR to get sewn back up. Longest 30 minutes of my life! I just wanted to hold her!

When I finally got to hold her and get a good look at her I realize:
1. She has a cone head even though she was delivered via C-section. Dr. Cho explained this was due to her being stuck in my pelvis for the 16 hours of labor.
2. She had a lot of hair but none on the top of her head! She has a receding Danny DeVito hair style! We joke that us watching It’s Always Sunny during labor is to blame. (See above picture: cone head and receding hairline very obvious!) :)
3. She is perfect. And 6 months later she still is.

The End.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

What's new?

We've got a sitter! Charlie is now sitting up on her own! She still topples over from time to time so you've got to be nearby so you can catch her if she starts to fall back so she doesn't bang her head on the floor but she's gotten really good at it!
She still hates tummy time.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Currently lusting over...

So this isn’t technically like my past ‘weekly want-it’s’ posts, but a few items I’m lusting over currently but really have no use for unfortunately:

BCBGMAXAZRIA dark ink printed jersey faux wrap dress – I could actually wear this to work…

Sue Wong platinum ostrich feather beaded strapless dress – who knew ostrich feathers could look so chic!

L.A.M.B. Platform D'Orsay – LOVE! But they don’t have them in my size!

BCBGMAXAZRIA Urban Rock Square Satchel – Now that I’m a mom I need large purses but I just got a new Coach purse for Xmas, so no new purses for me for a while.

Charles Jourdan Diva Platform Sandal – These are unique and sexy!

Our tax return is on it’s way… Hmmm… :)

xoxo~

Monday, February 14, 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

At 6 months...


Charlie is changing so fast! At 6 months she is now gobbling down solids (which are more like mushes) like a pro. So far she loves pears, bananas, apples, peaches, sweet potatoes and carrots. She was not a fan of peas (as I mentioned before). I'm going to go pick up some new flavors for her tomorrow. It's so fun to try new foods with her. She makes the funniest faces when she tastes something new and then she starts opening her mouth up like a little bird. It's so cute but it also makes me realize she's definitely growing up fast and quickly turning into a little person of her own w/ her own ideas and tastes.

She still LOVES her bouncy chair and goes to town bouncing in it. She also has started cuddling w/ a little blanket or snuggly bear when she naps. It's adorable.
The other morning when Wade woke her up she pulled her feet up into the air and began rolling to her side, feet in the air, and farted the whole way over. Hilarious. I can't help but laugh at her when she farts (which is a lot) and I have a feeling we're going to have a little tooter on our hands for quite sometime since it gets a reaction out of me.

She is SOOOO close to sitting on her own. She'll sit by herself for 5 seconds before toppling over so I like to surround her with pillows and let her go at it. She'll fall to her side and then get the biggest grin on her face when she plops on the pillows. She's getting quite the personality and is finding more and more things humorous.



Wade and I have a Valentine's Day date planned for this Saturday and we have a sitter lined up for Charlie. We're going to Chino Latino for drinks and dinner. It'll be nice to get out for a bit and have some adult time together.


Sunday, February 6, 2011

Half A Year!

I can't believe she's 6 months old!


Happy half a year Charlie Monkey! You're getting so big, so fast!