Two Weeks

If the last two weeks are what life with two kids was really like, I'd be in heaven. Eric had two weeks of paid paternity leave and it's been wonderful having him around to lend a hand. An even kid-to-parent ratio really helps in those moments where both kids are crying. It's hard to meet two separate sets of needs at the same time! And I feel bad always making Scotty wait just because he's more capable of being patient. Don't want to push my luck too much by making him wait for everything because he really is a sweet kid...  it's also been great to have Eric around just to hang out! Every night feels like date night where we get to talk and play games after the kids are in bed. Of course we've been silly and stayed up until 1am every night instead of getting ahead on sleep, but it's just so nice to be together.


It also helps that Alyssa is a much more manageable baby than Scotty was (at least, so far!). Here is her two week update:

Height: 20.75 inches (apparently she stretched out an extra inch when she finally had room to move)
Weight: somewhere around 7-8 pounds. Is it bad that I never took her back to the pediatrician just to make sure she was over birth weight? I guess I'm a super relaxed parent but with the way this girl eats, well, input=output. She's getting plenty.
Nicknames: Lyssabear, Lizard Lady (she does weird tongue things), baby bird, chipmunk (she squeaks in her sleep)
Favorite activity: eating
Second favorite activity: trying to eat. She'll root for anything. If she's awake, she thinks she needs to be eating. Today's activity is teaching her to suck on a pacifier.
Third favorite activity: watching and listening to the Scotty Show. He's quite entertaining.
She also likes Nana's singing, Daddy's snoring, and interesting noises. She's not even phased by Timbre's crazy barking.
Funniest features: the hair on the back of her head has decided to stick straight up like Alfalfa. It's 2 inches long and curls backward like a peacock. Also, we laugh whenever she gets startled because she makes crazy faces, like this one:

Her umbilical cord finally fell off last night and she's starting to learn that night time is for sleeping. She usually does a 4 or 5 hour stretch at night, sometimes two. She doesn't spit up at all, which is very different from Scotty so it looks like she doesn't have the reflux problems that he did. Her only fussy time tends to be the early evening, where she thinks she needs to eat every hour and the constant snacking keeps her from really falling asleep. Here's hoping the pacifier helps mama get some dinner time rest!

P.S. I don't have many pictures of this sweet girl because my mom has been snapping photos like crazy on her VERY nice camera. Here's hoping I get a cd of those pictures soon so I can share them! (hint, hint...)

P.P.S. I'm not posting a picture of me because I look FABULOUS and it's almost not fair that I had a baby only two weeks ago. Hey, I deserve at least ONE break in this whole pregnancy deal, right?

Some traditions (apparently) can't be broken.

I've been posting about how different my two birth experiences were, and I was surprised by how different this pregnancy was from the first time around (overall, much worse, unfortunately!). Still, there are some traditions that apparently can't be broken.

My kids are 3 years and two days apart. After huffing and puffing my way around Provo very pregnant all summer with no air conditioning in our car and a small portable unit in our house, I swore I would never again have an August baby. Then I moved to AZ where the temperatures regularly hit 110 and July-August is a humid monsoon season and did it all over again. Next time (if there is a next time), I'm hoping for May.

And then there was this.

The day after coming home from the hospital with my newborn baby and lots of trauma and bloodloss, the city erected a power pole in our backyard. The power was off all morning at our house and I was forced to retreat to the public library with a three day old infant. I still owe a big thank you to our old neighbors, the Harmons, for letting me take a nap at their house while the cottage cooled back down!


This time there was no power pole, just the realization at 2am on Friday morning that our air conditioning was off. We're pretty sure it must have gone out sometime that evening but at 2am it was 85 degrees inside. Scotty slept through the night without stirring while Eric and I experimented with our evaporative cooler and turned all the ceiling fans on high. Once it was morning we packed the kids up and headed to my mom's house, where I spent the day in coolness while Eric waited for the repair guy. It's always an emergency when your AC breaks in AZ on a day with 109 degree temps, but it's especially difficult when you have a 6 day old infant and a recovering new mama.

I'm glad we got that tradition over with! Except we didn't, apparently. Just as we were headed to bed last night (and Eric was about to jump in the shower), the power went out. With clear skies and a full moon all we had to do was open the blinds to navigate our silent house. No AC is bad, but no fans and no AC is noticeably worse. According to the power company it only affected our square mile block. Fortunately both kids slept through it (after Scotty got upset that his night light had turned off) and after a cold shower the power kicked back on after an hour.

Any other adventures in store?

"I love Alyssa so much, mama!"

Our sweet little girl has the boys wrapped around her tiny finger. Scotty bursts into our room each morning and greets us with "I love Alyssa so much, mama!" He is always asking if he can hold her, kiss her, see her toes, and help change her diaper. This morning he brought a whole stack of books to read to her. Yes, he has his moments and there is a fair share of whining and resisting about everything else (he is 3, after all), but he LOVES being a big brother and tells everyone about his sister. For her part, she will stop crying to look at him or watch him play with toys. I told Eric she probably recognizes Scotty's voice more than his--after all, waist level at our house for the past year has been filled with constant, high volume Scotty chatter.

And then there is Eric. 

 I love seeing this smitten daddy look at his baby daughter!

Of course, dads are different than moms. For instance, Eric got Alyssa dressed today.

In his defense, I interfered with his "system." He first picked out the onesie. Because our house is nice and cool today with all the fans going, I suggested she might need some socks or something on her legs. He couldn't find any pink socks so he pulled out the back ones. And apparently the only pair of leggings or pants we have for her that aren't part of a coordinated outfit are purple and about 3 sizes too big. Oompa loompa circus leg bloomers.

I later swapped the pantaloons for a jean skirt and put a headband with a flower on just because it was still laying out. Much better :o)

Like mother, like daughter?

Ok, time for more pictures. I've yet to upload any pictures from my camera and I'm holding out because my mom has been taking amazing pictures all week. She's been posting tons to facebook so if you need more you can find them there. I'll be sure to post more here when I get the real files.

Overall we think she looks a lot like me! And she's beautiful :o) She has pointed little elf ears and a pointed chin, and a cute little nose that looks fairly similar to Scotty's. Smaller ears, though...

Her hair looks red in every picture but in real life it's the same darkish color that Scotty's started out as.

What do you think? Like mother, like daughter?

P.S. Thanks to my amazing Aunt Melanie for hand smocking this gorgeous dress! I can't get over how beautiful and delicate it is...

The Highpoints

Every day has its ups and downs, its surprises and its awkward moments. 
Here's the breakdown for Alyssa's arrival:


Most encouraging comment: this is a tie between two. First, my fortune cookie at dinner Friday night (as I beginning to go into labor, unbeknownst to all of us) said: "keep up the great work. You will be rewarded by the end of the month." I think I'll save that one. Second was the news that my hard work was paying off and I was at a 9. It was at that moment that I got a burst of confidence that I really could do this.

Most surprising moment: actually feeling the baby come out! You'd think I would have experienced this before but with Scotty they actually had to sit me up before I believed his head was out, as I couldn't feel a thing. As much as birth can be a beautiful thing, this is still an odd sensation. And a RELIEF.

Best comment: from my nurse to my skeptical ob: "don't be fooled by how calm she seems. she's having spectacular contractions!"

Hardest moment: being unprepared for an intense contraction--the reality for me is that labor is pain and sometimes more than your body can handle, which means it responds by going into shock for a second or two

Most awkward moment: Realizing that something was coming out and I couldn't stop it, which led to Eric catching something between my legs while I was standing over a hard tile floor with no nurses in the room (they were both off looking for doctors and came back with a somewhat overwhelmed looking resident!). It was only the amniotic sac but we had no way of knowing whether it had a baby in it or not! Eric gets bonus points for quick reflexes. I think he credits that to nerves of steel and video game reflexes.

Funniest request: "Eric, can you brush your teeth?" Suddenly, after hours of contractions and hard work, something about his middle of the night breath in my ear while supporting me during a contraction was too much. Fortunately mom had tic tacs in her purse :o) Sweet husband was not at all offended or annoyed by my request. He probably would have stood on his head if I told him it would help me.

Most useful tool: moving around a lot. I could handle a few contractions in just about any position as long as I didn't stay there too long. I think moving helped give me something concrete to focus on as well as make the pain change a little between muscle groups. At the end it felt so nice to walk around and let gravity do its thing.


"In your face!" moment: Seeing the ob who had told me at 5am that he was breaking my water in two hours walk into my room 10 minutes after I had delivered and be able to just smile up at him innocently. In the end I was glad my baby came to a wonderfully trained resident who trusted me and my nurses and let me do it my way. I know if my first ob had been on the other end of the delivery table I would have gotten commands I'm pretty sure I would have ignored and I know he would have cut me to just hurry the baby out.


Sweetest moment: holding my beautiful baby girl right after delivery. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that as with Scotty I knew something was wrong and felt horrible realizing that I didn't want to hold my baby. I told Eric to watch out for me and make sure it was what I wanted so I wouldn't feel like a bad mom for turning away my baby. He was very careful of my feelings and I realized that holding my sweet baby girl on my chest was the most amazing moment in the world. After months of waiting and working I felt like the three of us were literally in heaven for a few beautiful minutes.


Would I do it this way again? Ask me in a few months.




I'm pretty sure the answer will be convincingly yes.

That's the way.

I did it.

I carried and delivered a beautiful baby girl and I did it my way. I had a goal of my "ideal birth" and I can't believe that it really worked out just as I had hoped and planned. Except for maybe being awake all night...

After everything that happened having Scotty I thought it wouldn't be possible, but with determination, great support, lots of love and prayers and two fabulous nurses (and a few on the spot doctors!), we did it.

Alyssa Leanne Larsen

8/14/10, 8:04 am

7 lb, 7 oz

19.75"

Hair: indeterminate. Some parts are dark, some pieces are lighter, some parts seem reddish, and her eyebrows and lashes are very light. Definitely has some curl!

If you want the story, keep reading. Otherwise, more pictures to come soon! Nana is going crazy with the camera.

Interesting how things that have so much in common can be so different. This delivery was completely different from Scotty's from start to finish. After three and half weeks of low grade labor I had been making slow progress but was getting pretty tired of contractions every afternoon and all night long. Last week I was dilated 3 cm and feeling very optimistic about an early delivery. I had actually packed all the bags and owned a nursing bra (unlike last time). At my doctor's appointment Friday morning I was exactly the same, though the doctor assured me that my body looked ready for labor and it could still happen. She said we would talk about scheduling an induction next week. Despite the discouragement I had a full day and took Scotty to the children's museum on a culture pass. Little did I know as I was hunched over crawling through kid sized tunnels that a few hours later I would be in full blown labor!

Eric came home from work and could tell I was feeling discouraged. He decided to take me on a nice night out, get my mind off NOT having my baby. I picked chinese food and we ended up eating at Pei Wei. While enjoying my lo mein I had three very painful contractions but didn't think too much of them--I'd been having contractions every five minutes for hours every night for weeks. We walked down to Coldstone to redeem Scotty birthday ice cream and headed home. After we got home I realized that I was still having contractions and they were definitely stronger than normal. Eric called my mom to come over and sit on the couch (Scotty was asleep) so we could go for a walk and see if they kept going. We ended up taking a nice stroll all around the park. By the time we got home at 11pm I was pretty sure I was in labor but didn't know how quickly it would progress. My contractions had been about 5 minutes apart since 9pm and didn't seem to get closer but they all hurt! At midnight I send Eric to bed to get some rest while he could and I stayed up talking with my mom for awhile longer. At 1 am she convinced me to try to lay down and doze between contractions. I managed to feel peaceful at times but at 1:40 they were way too painful to handle lying down. I woke up a very dazed husband and told him it was time for Phase 2.

"Phase 2?" he says, looking at me with blurry eyes. "Yes, love. As in, I can no longer pace the floors of our house in the middle of the night. I need more options. It's time to go to the hospital."

We woke up a dazed little Scotty and my mom shuttled him over to spend the night with his Papa while we headed to the hospital downtown. We checked in a 2:30 and when they checked me at 3:15 they congratulated me on being 6 cm dilated! Things were going well, I was having strong contractions every 2-3 minutes but handling them well. Feeling pretty confident we talked about my plans for pain management and intervention. I made a special request for one of the rooms with a tub and waited a bit longer to get settled while the room was being cleaned. I owe a special prayer for that tender mercy! I never would have made it without the tub.

In the process of checking in, transfering, and getting settled my contractions backed off a bit but I was still having strong frequent contractions. Still, I was discouraged when they checked me at 5:30 (2 hours later) and I was still at a 6. I saw my ob doctor on call and wasn't very impressed with his attitude. I got the impression that he doubted I was in "true labor" and was going to be stuck at a 6 unless he intervened. Fortunately (and I never thought I would say "thank you" for this!) I test positive for group B strep and have to have two doses of antiobiotics before delivery. I still had two more hours before I was "cleared" to get my second dose, so the doctor was forced to give me two hours of grace before he could break my water or give me pitocin (2 things I really didn't want!). At this point I was feeling VERY tired and decided to get in the tub. Either my labor would keep going or pick up, or I would be able to rest a little and have the energy to keep going. My contractions definitely didn't stop in the tub but it was much easier to relax. I think they hurt as much as they had before, but I later realized they must have been much stronger. My nurse was great and made sure to work with my doctor to let me do things my way. She used wireless, waterproof monitors that I wore right into the tub and kept me from being tethered down. And she was so encouraging and complimentary! I really felt like she believed I could do it and was there to help me.

I got out of the tub after about 40 minutes as I coud tell I was getting pretty warm, and right before I got out I was hit by the mother of all contractions. I went from managing to suddenly light headed, vomiting, and uttering the infamous words: "I don't think I can do this!" Eric was extremely supportive and kept telling me I was making great progress and that I was almost there and that I was doing wonderfully. Sometimes I believed him but it was still very important to hear that :o)

Out of the tub I could tell my contractions had gotten much more intense and practically on top of each other. Transition is famous for all sorts of things and I think it lives up to its reputation. It's hard to keep going when you have 6 contractions in a row and each one leaves you wondering how on earth you can keep going. That said, it would take too much energy and will power to scream or cry, and I definitely could have sat still for an epidural at that point! They wanted to check me and I finally gave up waiting for a break to get more comfortable as it was clear there was no stopping. I said to myself "if I'm still at a 6 then I'm done. I'm getting the epidural and I'm getting some sleep!" At this point it was just before 7am and I had been up all night. Fortunately I was a definite 9, which gave me a glimmer of hope that I could hold out with this through one more hour. My "clear" time for delivery was 8am so I tried to stay optimistic and listen to the encouragement from my mom and Eric.

The last half hour wasn't what I would call pretty. I had to keep changing positions and needed all the hands on support I could get from people pushing on my back or holding me up or doing whatever seemed to provide any relief in the moment. The shifts changed and my nurse, Helen, decided to hang around to keep helping because I was so close. She also handpicked my delivery nurse, Dawn, who was an angel for me. They told me to tell them when I felt the urge to push as that would indicate that I was complete and/or the baby had descended. I felt pressure with each contraction but because I was so numb with Scotty I wasn't sure what "the urge to push" felt like. Imagine my surprise when suddenly something was there and it was coming out and I couldn't stop it! Eric had been holding me up and I yelled for him to catch it. His ninja reflexes (honed by hours of NCAA '09 this past week) got him to catch it quickly while we looked around in a panic for either of the nurses, who had stepped out to page my doctor. When they rushed back in, Eric handed the water sac to the nurse, and stepped back before it slipped out and broke on the floor. It felt so dramatic, like you see in the movies with a sudden gallon of water splashing on the floor!

They checked me and realized the baby had descended and was a +2 and ready to push. It was probably 7:30am so I was almost in the clear for delivery. Not that they could have stopped me from pushing if they'd tried! The ob shifts had changed, and in all irony the doctor on call was the doctor I had seen at my appointment the day before. The nurses paged her but she didn't respond so they contacted my previous ob on call. He had just started a c-section in the OR and couldn't come either! So I got a polish resident doctor (who actually had been a practicing doctor in Poland before training here in the US and had lots of experience) and another resident. He was wonderful in listening to what I wanted and the advice of my nurse about what was working and what was too painful. I pushed for about 30 minutes, nice and slowly, and only when I felt I needed to and how I needed to, and it was so different from the "hold your breath and count to 10" approach from last time. The longest I ever pushed was 2 seconds and the doctor was very patient and encouraging. My nurse Dawn was a life saver here. She kept reassuring me that my baby was doing great and there was no rush. She kept telling me to push how I felt I needed to and when I needed to and to just trust my body. She kept saying "that's the way" and it was so calming and encouraging to know that everything was going perfectly. I was definitely ready to get the baby out but I also could tell what my body could handle. They also hurried to get the second dose of antibiotic in so they didn't need to do any additional tests on her. In the end I had a short tear and a slightly bizarre abrasion but nothing like the trauma of last time!

And here's the best part. I didn't hemhorrage! My uterus kept contracting the way it was supposed to. I delivered the placenta (and a very short umbilical cord!) and my body just kept doing everything it was supposed to. I got to hold my baby right away, in all her gooey, smurf-colored glory. They didn't even weigh her for an hour, until after the doctors were done working on me. It was so nice to just have her gentle weight on my chest and her eyes wide open looking peacefully up at me. A little piece of heaven!

This is probably the longest birth story ever. I think I'm just still feeling fortunate that I actually remember everything about this one! I'll post soon about what I think are the important things for successful natural childbirth.

Scotty is Three! (well, almost)

Scotty will officially turn 3 on August 12, but I had two good reasons for celebrating early. First, I'm due the 17th and could have this baby any day now (hopefully soon!). Second, his best friend Melody is moving to San Diego on Saturday and this was the last chance to get the kids together.

We've decided to just roll with it and are now telling Scotty that he is 3. He only had a few requirements for his birthday party:

1. A Buzz Lightyear cake
2. Singing "Happy to you" to him over said cake
3. Papa Bri and Melody had to be at his party

Fortunately, I can check all three of the list and consider it a success. The weather even cooperated, despite threatening monsoons or 110 temps, we had a gorgeous sunny day that wasn't oppressively hot.

Happy Birthday, Scotty! I can't imagine life without you. I bet it would be quieter but not nearly as much fun.

Baby Shower

Thanks to my amazing friend Kira for throwing me a wonderful baby shower and documenting the whole thing since I forgot my camera, I now have pictures! I'm still in denial about her moving to San Diego in TWO STINKIN DAYS. She is planning to come back to offer some much needed labor support so hopefully I get enough warning of impending baby to allow for her drive time.

 I feel very fortunate to have made good friends over my years in AZ and they were well represented. I had a few lovely ladies from my new ward, most of our mom group from my parents ward (where we've lived off and on over the past few years), both of my moms, an old friend from high school, and even a BYU 201sty (way to represent, Adree!) It was wonderful to see everyone.

g

(guessing how big my belly was--and two people were within 1 cm! 

Props to Leanne and Jen for knowing me so well)

Girls clothes are ridiculously cute, I must say. Now that everything is sorted and the small stuff is pre-washed it's starting to seem very real.

I also have to give a major shout out to Kira for making these adorable curtains for the baby room. It was the final finishing touch and exactly what I could have wished for!

Don't forget, there is still time to get in your predictions for our upcoming arrival!

Place your bets!

The littlest Larsen is officially full term, so it's time to place your bets! Who knows, maybe there will even be a candy bar or something for the winner :o)

The categories are: birth date, time, weight/length, and hair color

and NO jinxing me by guessing that the baby is actually a boy or that I end up with massive amounts of drugs in my system!

Good luck :o)

P.S. For those of you who like to make reasoned assumptions based on the current facts, here they are. I am 38 weeks pregnant exactly, and in the past week I've progressed from 1 cm dilated to 2 (as of last Thursday). Scotty came 6 days early based on my figuring (13 days by the calendar) because my water broke due to a freak barometric pressure change. It's currently monsoon season here in AZ and we're having lots of freak barometric pressure changes... Scotty weighed 7 lb 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. I've gained the same amount of weight this pregnancy, despite all the throwing up, and everything measures exactly average. Happy guessing, and here's hoping this baby makes her appearance in days rather than weeks!