Welcome to the World Jelly Bean!

Baby Beck Finley Widener was born on Friday, August 28, 2015 at 8:56am. He weighed 9lbs 13oz and was 21.5 inches long. 

The last week of the pregnancy felt like the longest week ever! I started swelling in my feet and feeling a lot of pelvic pressure. My blood pressure continued to go up and down and my Braxton Hicks contractions got more intense and formed patterns that made me nervous he would arrive before our scheduled date. 

I had a cleaning lady come to the house on Wednesday and it was worth every penny! I was just too uncomfortable and large to be cleaning baseboards and ceiling fans and lugging around the vacuum cleaner. She did a great job (I only had to go behind her in a couple spots) and she even changed the bed sheets for me. Which is a bigger deal than you think because my belly pretty much prohibited me from leaning forward more than a foot. That night I also had a massage. It was amazing and I finally didn't feel sharp pains in my lower back for the first time in months. 

Thursday I took Charlee to the meet the teacher event at her new preschool. She was so excited to see her name on a chair, cubby, and coat hook. She played with her new classmates and really connected with her teacher quickly. It made me feel better about her starting classes two weeks late. I'm so excited for her to learn and make friends and to have some one-on-one time (and nap time) with Beck too. That afternoon my parents arrived and offered to babysit Charlee while I got a mani/pedi. It was really nice to have a couple hours to myself. We ordered pizza for dinner and everyone went to bed early that night. 

Eric and I woke up at 5am. I thought I would be exhausted but there was so much adrenaline running through me that it didn't matter. Eric got a little rest once I was hooked up for monitoring before his parents arrived. The surgery was scheduled for 8:15am, but it was pushed back a little because my doctor was stuck in traffic. Luckily it wasn't too long a wait and we were rolled back about 20 minutes later than expected. 

Going in for a scheduled c-section was so different than when I went in for Charlee. There was no rush. The anesthesiologist came by in advance to discuss the spinal instead of just talking to me in the OR and I even had the procedure on the Labor & Delivery floor instead of downstairs in an emergency OR. The spinal was a much better experience this time too. I told them how I had to be stuck 3 times with Charlee and so they tried a little higher than usual this time and it took right away. The surgery went well. It didn't take as long as I expected and the only surprise was how much I was shaking as they closed me up and in recovery (that didn't happen last time). They gave me Benadryl for the itching in advance but it didn't work as well as I thought and I was still very itchy. 

Beck came out a big boy! He cried right away and then they did his APGAR and got his measurements before bringing him over to me. With Charlee I was in a smaller OR and I could see the nurses doing those things, but I couldn't see this time. Eric was over there, so I tried to be patient. Eventually they brought my baby boy over to me and laid him by my face for about 5 minutes (I couldn't do skin to skin or nurse on the table because of my previous reaction to the spinal). Once it was time to close me up Eric and Beck were taken to the recovery room. 

After a few minutes the doctor got a phone call in the OR that Beck's blood sugar was really low and they wanted to give him formula since I wouldn't be taken to recovery for a while longer. I hesitated because I didn't want him to have formula at all, but finally decided to allow them to syrine feed him a little just to regulate his blood sugar levels. When I got back to recovery I was able to give skin to skin and nurse him. He latched on right away and nursed like a champ. He had some respiratory issues and they thought they would need to take him to the nursery but agreed to let us stay in recovery a little longer to try and get him breathing normal again. It got better and they took us to our room and said they would check him again in a bit. Luckily he kept breathing better and better and didn't have to be taken to the nursery. Then we found out his bilirubin levels were elevated and he may need light therapy. They kept checking him and doing blood work every 12 hours but he never needed light therapy, which was a huge relief to me! 

We stayed in the hospital until Monday afternoon. Charlee and my parents came to visit every day. Charlee loved meeting her baby brother and was beyond excited to hold him and kiss him. When we brought him home on Monday Charlee couldn't even wait until Eric got him in the door before she was trying to kiss him again! 

The first week home was less stressful than I expected thanks to my parents. My mom and Kirk did an awesome job taking care of Charlee and keeping her busy. I tried to give her extra attention when I could by playing games and reading to her in the recliner. I was very sore and extremely swollen, although not nearly as bad as I was after I had Charlee. We had two doctors appointments with Beck to check his bilirubin levels and the pediatrician was happy with his diaper output so he decided light therapy was not necessary. I had my sutres removed on Friday and the doctor seems happy with my recovery up to that point. The best part of Friday was that I gave Beck his first bath. He didn't mind the water until we started using soap. Then he cried until he was bundled back up in a towel. 

Saturday morning the photographer came to take Beck's newborn photos. I was so swollen that I couldn't fit into any of my clothes. I actually weighed more than I did before I had surgery because I was retaining so much fluid! Hopefully I don't look too gigantic in the photos! 

Sunday morning my parents left to return to Florida and that afternoon Eric's parents, George, Tasha, Kimber, and Case all came over to see the baby. Charlee and Kimber had fun playing and Beck slept through most of the visit. Charlee went home with Eric's parents for the week to give us some time to adjust to life with a newborn again. 

This week has been pretty relaxed. Beck still sleeps a lot, so I'm only tired from having to wake up every 2 hours to nurse him. Which is better than waking up every 45 minutes to pee like I did in the last few weeks of pregnancy. I did have to go in for an unexpected doctors appointment on Tuesday because I was suffering from a pretty intense headache for 2 days. The doctor prescribed me some more medicine and sent me on my way. Beck came down with a cold on Tuesday so Eric has been staying up most of the night with him and I am up during the day. But he is doing much better and is less congested and not coughing as much now. But I will admit, having a 10 day old come down with a cold is pretty scary! 

Beck had his 2 week checkup today. He weighs 10lbs 5 ounces, is 21.75 inches long, is the 85th percentile for height and weight, and surpassed our expectations for growth. I can't believe he is already 2 weeks old. Time is flying by. And I plan to enjoy every second that I can with my two beautiful babies. 

One More Week!!!

I can't believe it! I'm 38 weeks today and counting down the minutes until I get to welcome our jelly bean into the world. In 7 days I get to finally hold him in my arms. If he doesn't come sooner, that is. 

I haven't done much this week. I've been trying to take it easy and not push myself too hard. I worked on some of the decorations for Charlee's birthday party (I want everything except done before Beck arrives so I don't have to worry about it) and am almost done crocheting Beck's baby blanket. I tried cleaning the house, but I'm definitely not as able as I used to be. I think it's time to throw in the towel on that one. Good thing we have a housekeeper coming next week!

We got the rest of our maternity photos back and I love them. You can see my hair falling down and getting saturated with more and more sweat in each picture, but I still love them! I put the picture of Charlee kissing my belly in the nursery until we get our newborn photos back and developed. She was so excited to put it in the room. I think she's going to make a great big sister! 

I haven't been feeling my best this week. I've had a few of my episodes where I feel off and my BP elevates a little, but it always goes down. Since Wednesday I've been having terrible lower abdominal cramps and back pain, coupled with tummy troubles and increased Braxton Hicks. Wednesday night I was sent to Labor and Delivery to make sure I wasn't leaking amniotic fluid. My BP was pretty high when we arrived (144/99, the highest it's ever been) but it went down after a couple hours. I was contracting while there, but they stopped after 2 hours and we were discharged after 3 hours. I was told that I need to rest and should not lay on my back for the remainder of the pregnancy. Which is making my upper back sore from always being a little twisted. I miss feeling comfortable...

I had my last OB appointment today. I'm only 1cm dilated and my BP was totally normal this morning. There was a concern about my protein levels, so they are sending my sample to the lab for extra testing. With the cramping, back pain, tummy troubles, and BP issues, the doctor said I may be in pre labor and should go to the hospital for any little change. Don't be alarmed though, pre labor can last for weeks for some people. So let's hope this kid sticks around until next Friday because it would be much easier for everyone (except my back) that way! Especially since Eric is sick and it would be great if he could be in good health when our boy arrives! 

At this point the jelly bean is about 6.8 pounds and about 19.75 inches, or about the size of a leek. He is still developing lung function and packing on fat. I'm wondering if he will have as much hair as his sister. If the old wives tales about heartburn are true, he will. He's dropped a little and I feel like I can breath again. I'm still craving chocolate ice cream but that's about it. My other cravings have really subsided. I need to take another bump picture. I took my 38 week picture a couple days late because I've basically been hanging around in pjs. I'm all about finding comfort where I can nowadays. 

So Close And Yet So Far Away...

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks! Wow, that's so crazy to think about. I feel like time fast forwarded to now. But I'm also to the point where I'm too uncomfortable to really go anywhere or do anything, so now time is crawling. The next 15 days will probably feel like 100. 

We have had a busy couple of weeks. We finished the nursery and I absolutely love it! I wanted to get new bedding for the guest bed that's in the room, but now I just don't see the point when we will be moving at the end of the year. I think the nautical theme came together perfectly. I am so proud of all of the DIY work that Eric and I put in to it. I made the bedding, Eric made the shelves, we sanded down and painted the table, I used my own painting of the Ravenel bridge, and I even made some cute curtain ties out of rope. We just need some pictures for the picture frames. Hopefully the jelly bean loves it too!

We also finished our master bedroom except for the other night stand and a blanket ladder. Eric is going to work on those after Beck arrives. He doesn't want to get into any more projects before then. I'm just so glad it's basically done! Another DIY project that I'm pretty proud of. 

We had our maternity photo session when I was 35 weeks. We got a couple of teaser photos back and I am beyond excited to see the rest. The photographer said it would take a week or two so I have been frantically checking my email daily for the link. It's like torture. Charlee wasn't too cooperative for the session. She wanted to run around and refused to let Eric and I take pictures without her. The few times we did get to pose without her she would photobomb us within seconds. It was also extremely hot and ridiculously humid that evening. So the end result should be interesting!

Last weekend we went to visit Eric's family. I was beyond uncomfortable from the 2 hour drive. We went for a surprise party for his father and had a great time. However it was very hot and my back was extremely sore from sitting in a camp chair for several hours. I was more than ready for bed that night! Charlee was up until almost 11 after running around with Kip and Kimber and I admired her energy.  The next day I kept putting off leaving because I didn't want to get back in the car. So we had lunch at Wawa's and then finally left around supper time. It was another long day and night for Charlee and it but it was worth it. 

I have another doctors appointment tomorrow and I can't wait to hear the jelly bean again. I wish I could see him again before I deliver. Twice the entire pregnancy and no ultrasounds since 19 weeks is hard! But he will be here soon. I'm trying to "take it easy" per the doctors orders. I'm still having my episodes where I feel weird (like I drank too much and am dizzy, but the room isn't actually spinning), my body feels heavy, I feel lightheaded, and my blood pressure goes up slightly. I've basically been told to relax and monitor my BP. If it goes above 140 systolic (which it hasn't gone over 133) or 100 diastolic (it's gotten close a few times), I have to go in to the hospital for monitoring. I'm really hoping to avoid that! I just need to hang on for 15 more days!

The jelly bean is about 5.75lbs and 18.75 inches (about the size of a Crenshaw melon). He's mostly focusing on gaining fat and practicing his breathing technique. I am craving chocolate ice cream, strawberries, tomato soup (regardless of how much heartburn it gives me), and yesterday I had a ridiculously strong craving for pretzels and cheese from Buffalo Wild Wings (and my amazing husband surprised me with them when he came home from work). 

I Think I "Spoke" Too Soon...

About the drama ending last week: I was wrong. So, so, very wrong. 

Thursday morning I decided to do something fun with Charlee since she had been so good hanging out at the car dealership and the house. So I took her to Monkey Joe's. We spent 4 hours there and she had a blast! She makes friends so easily and is totally fearless climbing around in the bounce houses. Except for the baby house with the inflatable animals in it. She's terrified of that one for some reason. We played some games in the arcade and had a slice of pizza for lunch (which Charlee ate without using her hands). Eventually I decided it was time to head home for naps. 

On the way home my car, the new one that we just bought on Monday, broke down. It just shut off and I threw it into neutral so I could roll to the side of the road. I was broken down on the overpass that connects 526 to 26, it didn't have a breakdown lane, and people were flying by me going 60-70mph. I was terrified! I couldn't even get the windows down the first 3 times I tried and there was a heat index of 102 that day. I called Eric and he rushed to get us while calling the dealership for a tow. 

It didn't take him long to get to us, maybe 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. We quickly got Charlee into the car seat in his Jeep and cooled off in the AC. Eventually a city truck came that had a rubber bumper and they pushed my car off the overpass and into some grass while we waited for the tow truck. Luckily the issue with my car was an easy fix and totally normal for modern vehicles. We just had to wait for a part to come in, so it's still sitting at the dealership. That's definitely something I never want to go through again! 

We didn't pick up the loaner vehicle until Saturday, so Friday was spent trapped at home. I decided sterilize baby bottles and pacifiers and to clear out the boxes of Charlee's hand me downs that were in Beck's closet. Saturday we picked up a loaner car and then Charlee and I ran some errands. I spent most of the weekend making burp cloths, a changing pad for the diaper bag, and a cute activity folder for Charlee's coloring books and crayons at the hospital. 

Sunday Charlee was sick. Monday I woke up sick. Normally I would just sleep and feel better in a day or two. But this hit me hard because I'm already at the point where I can't breath, get comfortable, have to pee every 20 minutes, and therefore can't sleep. I was supposed to have my 34 week appointment on Tuesday, but had to reschedule because I'm sick. So my 34 week appointment will be when I'm 35 weeks! We should have had the nursery done by now, but I still have to paint the shelves and nightstand but I haven't been well enough. Hopefully later today or tomorrow I can finish them up. And hopefully I can get my car back before the end of the week!

I have also packed the diaper bag, started packing my hospital bag, made the list of important information for my mom when she comes to help with Charlee, and started writing my birth plan. I don't know why I'm even bothering to write a birth plan because it probably won't go exactly how I want, but I feel like it's something I should do. 

At this point we are exactly 30 days from our surgery date!  The jelly bean is approximately 4.75lbs and 17.75 inches (about the size of a cantaloupe). His little boy parts have descended and his lungs are developing. He is also adding some crazy pelvic pressure to mommy's list of woes! I am still craving chocolate ice cream, tomato sandwiches, and my craving for the scent of rubber that I had most of my first pregnancy has returned. I don't want to eat it, just, like, go stand in a tire store for the day.