Sebastian Mikhael is Finally Here!

Sebastian Mikhael was born on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 11:35am. He weighed 9lbs. and 9oz., and his length was 21 3/4 inches long. He is such a sweet baby, and I love him so much. His big brother, Cedric is still trying to come to terms to having this new person living in our house, but he is slowly starting to warm up to him. I'm still amazed that I have two little ones to love on all day. My struggles with getting pregnant for almost two years seems like a very distant memory. I'm so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and not end up with the struggles that so many women suffer from.

Anyway, here is my birth story. On Friday evening around 8 pm I was watching tv and I got up to go to the bathroom. When I stood up, I felt like I was leaking. I was pretty sure it wasn't pee, because I had no control over the situation. I called the Midwife, and she told me to wait it out for awhile. I wasn't having painful contractions just occasional pressure, and she knew that I wanted to give birth without pain meds. They would have put me on Pitocin, and she knew that would make it a lot harder to go without drugs. I went to sleep that night, and I woke up around 1:50am to go to the bathroom. I moved to get up, and my water broke. It's a good thing I decided to put a towel under me while I was sleeping...otherwise our bed would have been drenched. I told John, and he started making sure we had everything we needed to go to the hospital. I called the Midwife, and she agreed with me that it was a good time for me to come in. We had to wait for my parents to come over to our house to watch Cedric. They arrived around 2:15am. I wasn't too panicked, because I was having no pain only occasional pressure.

John and I headed off to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Downtown Denver. It's a good thing my body decides to go into labor during the time of the night when the roads are pretty empty. We got to the hospital around 3:30am, and we first went to Triage before they could admit me. When I was hooked up to the monitors, I was having pretty regular contractions, but I was having no pain. I was only having pressure. Baby's heartbeat sounds great, and it was positive that my water broke. They had to wait until a room opened up before checking me in. We finally got to our room around 4:30am. The Midwife didn't want to check me since the more they check after your water breaks the chances of infection goes up. They hooked me up to the monitors. The nurse told me I would probably have to go on Pitocin to help my contractions become more regular and stronger. John and I rested for awhile.

At 8am the Midwife checked me, and I was at 5cm. I was amazed that I was half way there without any pain. They started Pitocin around 9am, and we waited to see my contractions progress. I was definitely feeling it more, but the pain was still manageable. Around 10am, the Midwife checked me again, but I was only 6cm. I still had some bag of water to break. I was still feeling good although getting uncomfortable. I would say that around 10:30am, I was starting to get really uncomfortable, so I had my mom leave the room and to take Cedric with her. By 11am, I wasn't speaking much to anyone and I was questioning my decision to do this without pain meds. At 11:20am I was ready to push and before the Midwife could check me to see if I was complete I was instinctively pushing. I couldn't help it...my muscles automatically started pushing through the pain. Thankfully, I was complete. I only pushed for 15 minutes before Sebastian made his entrance into the world. It got scary at one point, because his head was out but the Midwife was having trouble with the rest of his body. I think his shoulders got stuck. They were calling for an extra pair of hands to help out and the nurse was pushing on my belly to get him out. They were also telling me to push harder. He came out, and I felt so much better. I've never screamed louder in my life...I'm not a person who gets like that. I had no idea that Sebastian was going to be such a big baby. I was thinking he was going to be in the 8 pound range not 9 pounds almost 10. I still can't believe I delivered a 9lb. 9oz. baby with no pain meds, and I was receiving Pitocin.

I had an external tear...no cervix tear this time. It doesn't feel good to have to sit through the placenta coming out and getting stitches in a very tender area. Of course, the pain doesn't compare to what I just went through. I just wanted everyone to stop messing with me, and I wanted to hold my baby.

Sebastian latched onto the breast with no troubles. I think it helps that I've been breastfeeding Cedric for so long that I feel completely comfortable with breastfeeding. Sebastian is continuing to do well with the breastfeeding, which is great. We got to go home Sunday afternoon, and I was so glad to leave. Cedric couldn't stay with us in the hospital, and I was really sad about that. I didn't want to leave him more than a night with my parents. I didn't want him to feel abandoned. Thankfully, Cedric did well, but I still wanted to be with my little guy. We went home about 2:30pm, and it was so nice to finally be a family of four.

Sebastian is continuing to do well, although he has jaundice and he is receiving photolight therapy. Thankfully, he is receiving that in the comfort of our home, because his levels aren't high enough to need the high powered machines from the hospital. He is going to the bathroom more, so that helps bring the bilirubin levels down. It's a pain, because I just want to hold my baby. I'm so glad John is here to help me these first couple of weeks. :-)

Now the question is how did we come up with his name. We both liked the name Sebastian, and it was a name we both could agree on. Mikhael is more of a story. My brother Michael died from Brain Cancer on June 23, 2008. We spread his ashes on July 18, 2008. This is also the day I conceived, and I know this because I've been tracking my temperature and my temp spiked. When your temperature rises, it means ovulation has occured and if sperm is present you're chances of conception goes up. Anyway, I knew if I got pregnant again and if it was a boy, I wanted to use my brother's name for his middle name. I chose the different spelling, because Michael had his name spelled Mikhael in his e-mail address. It made it more special and unique to him to go with that spelling. Unfortunately, Sebastian will never get to meet his Uncle, but he will forever have a special bond to him because of his name.

Sebastian Mikhael is finally here, and I'm over the moon in love with him. I love my babies so much, and I'm completely in love with John with helping me bring these sweet babies into the world.

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Our Backyard

Last night I got up around 4am to use the bathroom, and I saw a cute, little critter roaming around our backyard. It was a fox! I woke John up, so he could see the fox, too. Our backyard has become a little wildlife experience. We see bunnies, hummingbirds, owls, and lots of other birds. We also get the neighbor's cats in our yard, too. That's the first time I saw a fox in our yard. We live in a neighborhood surrounded by fences and houses, so I was surprised to see such wildlife close up.

In other news, I'm still pregnant. I went to the Midwife on Friday, and she said my cervix is softening. Also that I was 2cm at the front of my cervix, but closer to the baby's head I was 1cm. The baby's head is still high, too. I haven't been feeling too much except for the occasional contraction. John, Cedric, and I are just waiting for our new addition to our family to make an appearance. Baby you can come at anytime...we are so ready, especially me. :)

Still Pregnant!

Okay baby, I know I'm only 39 weeks today, but I think it is time for you to make an appearance. I'm having trouble walking and your big brother Cedric wants me to hold him a lot. It's hard to hold him for long, because it adds to my Sciatic Nerve pain. I want to meet you....however some challenges are coming our way. There are some snow storms in the near future that can interfere, so I hope you can navigate through those days and come when the roads are clear and the sky is calm. We all love you and can't wait to meet you. Love, Mommy.

Questioning Myself

I woke up around 1:25am this morning with a lot of discomfort. I was feeling uncomfortable right before going to bed, but now I'm feeling more discomfort. I've been timing what I think are contractions, but I'm not entirely sure. You would think after having a baby I would know what contractions are, but it is so hard to tell. They just feel like pressure that keeps coming in waves. They haven't taken my breath away yet. John and Cedric are sleeping, and I don't want to wake them unless I really feel like this is it. Plus we had a lot of snow fall earlier and the roads are pretty icy. I would hate to have to drive all the way to the hospital for a false alarm. On the other hand Cedric came very quickly, and I don't want to have this baby at home....Ugh, I just don't know what to do.

I'm tired and I just want to go to sleep. I was also having discomfort last night, but it eventually went away. If history repeats itself, than I won't be in full labor tonight, but tomorrow I will go and that will be the birth of our second child. You see with Cedric, I woke up the two nights prior to his birth with discomfort. On the third night of this, I gave birth to him.

I'm excited to meet our new baby, but I don't want it to be tonight. I really want to avoid having my parents and John driving in this icy mess. The temps are suppose to be better later on this morning, and I want the roads to become clear before having to drive on them. Just hang-on a little bit longer Baby Boo #2. Please, just give it one more day.

Elmo Cuteness

38 Weeks Pregnant Today

This is me a week ago when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I'm ready for Baby Boo #2 to come. I can wait until April! I prefer that he is born in April, so he can have his own birthday month separate from Cedric. Each day I get more and more uncomfortable. I barely get much sleep anymore, and everything is getting on my last nerve. John doesn't always understand, because he is a man and he is not pregnant. Plus, I love Cedric dearly and I love the closeness of breastfeeding, but lately I can't stand it. It hurts too much and it is causing too much over stimulation. Hopefully, that feeling will change after I'm pregnant. I think the hormones are going haywire, and my uncomfortable body is causing me to go insane. The picture below is how I'm feeling right now.

Cedric's 2nd Birthday

Cedric turned 2 years old on March 19, 2009. I can't believe my baby is already 2. They grow up so fast...Cedric's next big milestone is becoming a big brother very soon. Cedric started off his birthday by going to one of his favorite places, My Gym. I take him there every week, and he was doing a make-up class that happened to fall on his actual birthday.

Later on, we took Cedric to the Downtown Aquarium for some birthday celebration. He loved looking at all the fish, and we ate dinner next to a giant fish tank. The food wasn't that great, but the experience made it all worth it. Here are some pictures from the aquarium below.

Cedric had a caricature picture done of him.

I loved the area where the tanks with the sharks were. I could have stayed there all day just watching all the different fish swim back and forth.

"Can I have one of these, please?"

"Fish!"

"Um, these fish are a lot bigger than Elmo's Dorothy!"

Me eating some bread in front of the fish tank...look at all of those fish. Cedric loved it.

Cedric giving his winning smile while he eats some dinner.

Cedric and I in front of some aquarium decor.

John and Cedric caught in a bubble.

A different perspective of John, Cedric, and me. Look at my very round belly.

Cedric wandering through the aquarium mesmerized by all the fish tanks that surrounded him.

On March 21st, we had a birthday party for Cedric with his friends and family there to celebrate with him. We had pizza and cake. It was an Elmo themed party with an Elmo cake that I made.

"I have cake!"

Cedric enjoying his birthday cake with his cousin, James in the background.


The Elmo cake I made.


Cedric with one of his girlfriends named Bella.


Pizza and chatting: (l to r) Grandma, Me, Johanna, Arthur, and Jackie


Cedric got his tricycle from his grandparents, and he loves it. Although, his little feet don't reach the pedals completely yet.

Baby Boo #2's Room

The furniture is bought and the murals are on the wall...Baby Boo #2's nursery is complete, well except for a couple of minor touches here and there. I think the walls need more decorations, but that will all come in good time. He also needs his name up on the wall and door, but his name is a secret until he is born. John, Cedric, and I along with Grandma and Grandpa are going to the Kid's Expo downtown today. Hopefully, we can find some cute stuff there that we can add to the room decor.

I'm excited that I have less than six weeks to go. Last time I went to the midwife, she told me the baby is laying in a transverse position, which means he is lying across my belly instead of being head down. The baby still has time to turn, but it makes me nervous because I do not want a C-Section. I need to be able to take care of two kids and major surgery puts a huge kink in that. I'm going to see the Chiropractor on Thursday...hopefully he can do an adjustment that will encourage the baby to go head down. I also have my next prenatal appointment on Friday, so they might due an ultrasound to see exactly how the baby is laying.

Pictures of the nursery are below. We found the furniture set at Babies R' Us...we liked it. We did shop around to see what else was out there, but that furniture was more pricey although it looked nice. I think this furniture not only looks nice but it was more reasonably priced. I call this theme, "Monkey by the Sea". More pictures will soon follow, especially if we have another ultrasound...I will post those pictures of the baby.

Less than Two Months to Go

Cedric on Valentine's Day letting everyone know what a Ladies Man he is. He is so cute, and he is growing up way too fast. His birthday is a little over a month away, and he's turning two. Cedric loves to sing and dance. His favorite show is Elmo's World...he loves that Elmo, but he still loves his mommy and daddy. :)

A picture of Cedric and I over the holidays. Cedric admiring how big mommy's belly is getting. Of course, it is a lot bigger now.

Baby Boo #2 at 20 weeks gestation. I'm now 32 and a half weeks pregnant. Only 53 more days to go until our new, sweet baby boo is here.

Michael's Birthday

A Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle Autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush.
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there;
I did not die.

Today is January 30, 2009...Michael's birthday. He would have been 39 years old today, but unfortunately he died from brain cancer on June 23, 2008.

He has missed Barack Obama winning the election and being inaugurated into the White House on Jan. 20th. A historic event because Barack is the first elected black man into the White house. Other things have happened since his death, but the most significant one to me is he will miss the upcoming birth of his new nephew who is due to make an appearance on April 10, 2009.

I know Michael will be there in spirit, but it's not the same. Death never gets easier, and I don't know when the pain ever really goes away. Happy Birthday Michael...I wish you were here to celebrate with us.

Baby Boo #2 Countdown Ticker

Christmas 2008

Cedric celebrated his second Christmas on Thursday, December 25th with his mommy and daddy. He was very excited to get a train set...he likes to play with a similar set at Barnes and Noble. His set is made by Imaginarium, but the other set is Thomas the Train. Imaginarium was less expensive and nicer than the Thomas the Train set. Although, we like the trains better from Thomas. He is so cute, and it keeps him busy for a while. He also got a small basketball hoop(we haven't opened it yet), a monkey that teaches about tying your shoe and such, clothes, ornaments, books, extra trains that were Thomas the Trains, a teddy bear named Thorton, and a turtle nightlight that shows the star constellations on the ceiling. He also got some money from his Grandparents in NY and a Babies R' Us gift card from his Uncle Mike and Aunt Carolann in NY. He still hasn't received anything yet from his Aunt Pammy or from his Aunt Susan & Uncle Al.


I got John Lego Mindstorms(HE LOVES IT!), two more Gorillaz dolls, a Bender decoration, some Nintendo vinyl characters(Mario & Luigi), a board game called The New Taboo, candy, a bear reading to two baby bears, a few ornaments, pictures I had done of Cedric and I at Kiddie Kandids, and I think that is it.


John bought me my very own iMac computer(I LOVE IT!), a Domo doll(he's cute), candy, Animal Crossing for the Wii, Lego Batman, Twilight the book, a JK Rowling book that was referenced in Harry Potter but not part of the series, an ornament, and I think that is it.


At around 1:30pm, we went over to my parent's house to celebrate Christmas with them. Cedric got an Elmo Live(which he loves), clothes, more Thomas Trains(although neither one works for the set he has...oh well), Mr. Potato Head family pack(we haven't opened it yet), college money, books, and some other odds and ends. His Uncle Kevin was the other Thomas the Train person who gave Cedric a train that didn't work for his set although he received that gift yesterday. Cedric's Uncle Kevin wasn't in attendance for Christmas festivities on Christmas day. He was celebrating Christmas in Breckenridge with his new wife who his from Russia. The whole thing is another story that I'll talk about another day in one of my blogs.

The next day, Friday...John, Cedric, and I went out to buy gifts with our Christmas money. I bought Sims 2 for my new iMac computer, John bought a topcoat(actually it's just a nice, warm coat for those cold winter days), and Cedric bought some more Thomas the Trains. All in all we had a very, nice Christmas, but I perfer the John, Cedric, and me part more than the lack of ethusiam family events. Plus, I think I'm going to tell my brothers to stop buying presents for me and just buy them for Cedric and his new brother. Apparently, my siblings have no idea what I like and the kind of person I am.

John, Cedric, and I continued our shopping on Saturday with more Thomas the Trains for Cedric, nursing bras and containers for me, and a container for John's Lego Mindstorm pieces. John also bought a couple of cd's yesterday and I think he is going to spend the rest on a pair of new jeans.


Christmas has come and gone, and I'm so looking forward to 2009. We will have a new president, a new baby, hopefully everyone stays healthy(I don't want to lose someone close to me in 2009), and the economy improves. We will be started the new year off with a visit from two of our NY friends, Chris and Theresa...that should be fun. I wish a Happy 2009 to everyone! :)

Jingle Bell Rock

I was having fun with our new game for the Nintendo Wii called Wii Music. I had John, Cedric, Baby Boo, and I do an a capella quartet to Jingle Bell Rock. I think it came out pretty well, and we all look cute.

It Has Been a Long Time!

It has been a long time, since I've written a blog. Let's see what is new. Cedric is growing by leaps and bounds. He is singing his ABC's, and he is counted to at least 12. He is saying mommy a lot these days. It is very cute to hear him finally refer to me as something. We are also going to have another boy. We are still working on the name, but we are getting closer to a decision. However, whatever we decide, we've decided to wait until the baby is born before we tell anybody what his name is going to be. We need to keep a little element of surprise. Plus, I don't want to deal with the comments when people don't like the name.


It's Thanksgiving today, and it is the first big holiday without my brother. It feels a little weird not having him there. Cedric and the new baby growing inside me helps me get through it.


Our task for this weekend is to take a traditional family picture in front of the Christmas Tree and to make Christmas cards for our friends and family. I'll write more later...getting ready to go stuff my face my turkey delights. :)

A Must See

Here is a video that tells it how it is. Makes a lot of excellent points.

Cedric's Recent Weight/Height Check

Cedric went to the doctor on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 to have a weight/height check done. It was actually a nurse visit, but whatever. He weighs 18lbs. and 14oz. and he is 30 and 3/4 inches tall. He is doing better with his weight gain, he has gained a pound since his last visit in July, and he has gone up a 1/4 of an inch as well. He's just a little guy who likes to create his own curve. It's obvious genetics is playing a role, but I'm not concerned. I know he will grow to a normal height, if not taller, but he will do it at his own pace.

Barack Obama & Joe Biden 2008

I'm looking at the future and I like what I see.

New Jib Jab Video

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Cedric is in this video...you can see his sweet, innocent face at the end. :)

Dog & Butterfly

Michael was cremated today...his body has turn to dust. My mom and I witnessed the cremation, you don't see anything. His body was in an open cardboard box, and we both said one more goodbye. I also gave him a letter with my poem on it and a brief message. Then they pushed him into a giant looking oven and once his body is there, they closed the door. The whole process is weird but basically after four hours all that is left is a skeleton. When they touch the skeleton, it turns to ash. We didn't stay that long, just about a half hour.

We also order his plaque to put on his plot of land. It has his name, dates of birth & death, and a nice message. It also had an image of a butterfly, and just like the butterfly, Michael is now free.

There I was with the old man
Stranded again so off I'd ran
A young world crashing around me
No possibilities of getting what I need
He looked at me and smiled
Said "No, no, no, no, no child.

See the dog and butterfly. Up in the
Air he like to fly." Dog and butterfly
Below she had to try. She roll back down
To the warm soft ground laughing
She don't know why, she don't know why
Dog and butterfly

Well I stumbled upon your secret place
Safe in the trees you had tears on your face
Wrestling with your desires frozen strangers
Stealing your fires. The message hit my mind
Only words that I could find

See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
Laughing to the sky, up to the sky
Dog and butterfly

We're getting older the world's getting colder
For the life of me I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin' making us give in
Hearts rolling in taken back on the tide
We're balanced together ocean upon the sky

Another night in this strange town
Moonlight holding me light as down
Voice of confusion inside of me
Just begging to go back where I'm free
Feels like I'm through
Then the old man's words are true

See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft
Ground with a little tear in her eye
She had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly
yeah
Up in the air, he liked to fly
The dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She rolled back down to the warm soft ground
Laughing she don’t know why
But she had to try she had to try
Dog and butterfly
By Heart