Melody Smiling Her Way Through It All

Melody is getting over her double ear infection and horrible cough. She's still on oxygen, but I have an appointment on Monday to see if she can go off it. They did lower it from 1/4 Liter to 1/16 Liter. She is definitely being a good sport in all of this. My poor baby. I just want her to be better and healthy.

Melody is 3 Months Old!

Melody started off her 3 months with a bang. I went to the doctor today for Sebastian's well-baby check-up, and he wanted to check to see how Melody is doing. Her pulse was in the eighties, and he was concerned. She had a chest x-ray yesterday, but everything looked fine. No pneumonia or any other respiratory related issues. She goes back tomorrow to be checked again to see how she is doing. For now, she needs to be on oxygen. I'm so freaked out, and I want my baby to be alright. It doesn't help that I feel like complete crap. I have Bronchitis! Yuck!

Here's a picture of my sweet pea from our picture session from Saturday. We went to Kiddie Kandids for professional pictures, although we didn't get as many good pictures as I would have hoped. Get better soon, my sweet baby.

Sebastian Turns 2 Today!

Sebastian is 2 years old today. I feel like he was just born. He's such a talker, and it's so cute how he plays with his toys. He got some trains for his birthday, and a farm. He'll get more stuff on Saturday for his birthday party. We were going to go to the aquarium today, but Melody has been very sick. We'll wait until next week instead. We celebrating with grandma and grandpa with some pizza and cupcakes.

Melody's First Real Smile

Melody giving a true smile. She's been smiling on and off for a couple of weeks, but I was able to get her to smile for me on the camera. It's great to see her growing, and doing well despite being premature. Melody is 12 weeks today. I can't believe how quickly the time is going.

Cedric turns Four!

Four years ago on March 19th my first baby came into the world. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. My sweet boy is getting so big. Here he is with me when he was brand new. He still loves to snuggle with me, which I love. Happy Birthday, Cedric!

Cedric's latest stats: He's 38 3/4 inches(25th%) and 30 1/2 lbs.(10th%). He's forever my little guy.

Cedric celebrated with cupcakes the day before at his preschool.

Opening up his gifts.

Sebastian showing off one of Cedric's gifts.

Melody joining in the fun.

Cedric had his birthday party at his favorite place, My Gym.

Cedric and his friends that came to celebrate his big day.

Sebastian loved the zip line.

Cedric's birthday cake. It's a Caillou cake.

Cedric riding his new bike that he got on his birthday. He's riding it a week later.

Melody is 2 Months Old!

Melody is already two months old. I can't believe how quickly the time is going. Sebastian turned 23 months on the 11th, and Cedric will be 4 on the 19th. In a month, I will have a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a 3 month old. Crazy!

Melody's two month appointment will be on Tuesday, so I'll post her stats then.

Smiles!

Melody is starting to smile more and more. I haven't seen a social smile yet, but she definitely looks at me with recognition.

I can't believe March is almost here. Cedric turns 4 next month. Crazy!

Sebastian turns 2 years old in April. Here he is showing his shocked look. My babies are growing up so fast.

A Comparison of All Three

I decided to make a collage of my children when they were all around 5 weeks of age. Maybe it's just me, but Melody looks like a girl and Cedric & Sebastian look like boys.

Melody's Due Date!

Today's the day that Melody was suppose to be born. I know most babies aren't born on their due date, but Melody's sticks out to me because she was a preemie. She's doing well and her skin color is normal looking. She was orange for awhile there.

A part of me is sad that she didn't make it to at least February, because I missed out on special moments I didn't have with her. John wasn't in the room, we don't have video of her first bath, she wasn't laid on my chest after she was born, and I didn't get to breastfed her right away. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad she is here and finally healthy, but I can't change feeling a little sad. I know there are no guarantees, and bad things can happen to full term babies. It's just my last baby, and this wasn't a very easy pregnancy. Too many scares along the way. Thankfully, all is well, and my beautiful, baby girl loves to cuddle, and she's so sweet. I guess she was just too excited to meet us.

It's A Girl!!!!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 I had an early appointment with my doctor's office where I found out the baby had gone from a transverse position to full on breech. I saw the midwife that day, and I told her that I was having some contractions but they weren't consistent. She didn't want to check me, because she didn't want to cause my bleeding to come back. She said I was behaving like I wasn't in labor, so she wasn't concerned.

Fast forward to later on that evening. My husband and I took the boys out to dinner, and I would feel the contractions coming more often. At 6:30, we were home, so I started timing the contractions. They were coming every 4 minutes and lasting about a minute. I let my body go through 6 just to make sure the contractions continued on this pattern. They had me come into labor and delivery. John and I waiting for my parents to come over to watch the boys. We left at 8pm, and got to the hospital about 8:30pm. They brought me up to L&D, and hooked me up to the monitors. The nurse had questions to ask me, and John and I were joking around with the nurse. They still hadn't checked me yet to see if I was dilated. One of the doctors on call could observe my contractions remotely via his phone. He didn't think I was in active labor and he was going to have me be sent home with some Ambien, but he asked the nurse to check me just in case.

The nurse checked me and needed to get the opinion of another nurse, because she wasn't sure. Both experienced nurses couldn't tell if I was dilated or if my cervix was just softening. I think the breech position was throwing them off. They decided to consult with the doctor on the floor. She checked me, and she said I was 9cm dilated and my water was bulging. My contractions were getting more and more intense, especially after they were checking me. My body started pushing....I couldn't stop it. My water exploding on the table. They kept telling me to stop pushing, and I told them just knock me out. They were rushing me to the OR for an emergency c-section. Right before we went in the OR, my body started pushing again, and I felt the baby's foot come out. I told them something was happening. John was back in the L&D room putting on scrubs. In the OR, the doctor had a hold of the baby's leg, and the nurses were pushing my legs back, and they were telling me to push hard. I pushed as hard I could, and I felt the doctor turning the baby to guide the baby through my pelvis. The baby came out with one big push. It was that doctor's first vaginal breech delivery. With all the excitement, nobody told me what I had. I asked, and they said it's a girl. John walked in a minute later, and thought I had a c-section. The surgeon said, "I'm not that fast!".

Melody Evangeline was born on January 12, 2011 at 9:53pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz., and she was 18 inches. She was a great size for being born 5 weeks/1 day early. She still needed to go to the NICU. John went with her, and I had to get stitches for a 2nd degree tear. Melody's leg was bruised from being born breech, but she was breathing on her own. She did have to go on the CPAP machine for a day, because she was grunting. She's also under the bilirubin lights for jaundice, and she was given an IV for extra fluid. They also gave her antibiotics for a few days in case she had an infection. Precautionary...thankfully her cultures were negative for an infection. It looks like she will only be having to be here for a week, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

John and I had our first date January 12, 2002. Who knew that nine years later I would be married to him and giving birth to our third child. Life is crazy!

I had a dream that I blogged about that everything in it seemed to be a premonition to this moment: http://babyboo2005.blogspot.com/2010/10/last-night-i-had-strangest-dream.html

Baby Boo #3 at 30 Weeks/6 Days

I'm 32 weeks today, but last week I saw another 3d/4d image of my sweet baby. I'm so happy to have met this goal. My next goal is to get to January, and eventually get through January.

Sebastian is 20 Months today!

Sebastian is 20 months today, I'm 30 weeks/2 days pregnant, and Cedric is getting better with potty training. I'm still on bed rest, but I can sit at the computer and go for drives. That keeps me sane. I'm so happy that I have 10 more weeks to go. I can't believe it has already been 6 weeks, since all this craziness has begun. I have an ultrasound and a prenatal appointment on Wednesday, Dec. 15th. I should learn more of what my body is doing. Hopefully, my cervix is still closed and long. I also hope my fluids are still good, and the baby is growing nicely. Now if I can just get this baby to go head down then all will be good.

Cedric is continuing to do well with potty training. He's a late bloomer! He goes pee without much problems, but sometimes he needs to be reminded. Of course, poop is another story. We're still working on that one. Once he gets that down then he will graduate to underwear instead of having to wear pull-ups.

Sebastian is 20 months today. He's doing well at day care, and he seems to be coming out of his shell more and more. He definitely likes to talk their ears off there. He sometimes still gets sad when daddy drops him off, but he likes his teachers so that helps. I can't believe in a couple of months we'll become a family of five, and I'll have three little faces to adore and kiss upon. Also in two weeks, it will be Christmas, and I'm looking forward to Cedric, Sebastian, and John seeing their presents.

It's that season, again!

Cedric and Sebastian playing by the Christmas tree. We still need to do a family picture.

I'm also only a couple days away from being 30 weeks along. I'm happy to be very close to the 30 week marker. Now if I can just keep the weeks going, so I'm full term or close to it.

Stuck in the hospital and feeling bored.

If this baby is a girl, this is one name possibility. Melody is the definite first name, but John still needs more convincing on the middle name. I really like it. I like the meaning of Evangeline, and I like the song from Princess and the Frog. I think he will go for it. By the way, Evangeline means messenger of good news, and Melody means song. I definitely love music, and I could use some good news.

I didn't make a boy one, because John and I are absolutely stumped for a boy's name. I don't even know where to start. I guess if this is a third boy, it might just be seeing him first before deciding.

Sebastian is 19 Months Old & I'm 26 Weeks Today!

Sebastian is 19 months today! He is getting so big! Sebastian started going to daycare on Monday for a few months while mommy needs to be on bed rest, and daddy needs to keep working. It's sad that he has to go to daycare, but he seems to be adjusting. It will be good for him to have the extra attention that he wouldn't get enough of at home due to the current circumstances. His teachers are amazed at how much he talks, and they think he's cute. It's the cheeks! :-)

Cedric and Sebastian are enjoying the first snowfall of the season. They like looking at the snow. Cedric was a little disappointed that it wasn't enough snow to build a snowman. All in good time my little guy.

I'm 26 weeks today, and I'm feeling much better that this baby is going to go the rest of the pregnancy. I have a doctor's appointment this Wednesday, the 17th, so I'll have a better idea what it going on with the placenta. I haven't had any bleeding or spotting since I left the hospital, and I'm feeling very good about that. I still take the medicine to keep the contractions away, and I'm at bed rest at home. It's not total strict bed rest. I can go on drives as a passenger, and I can eat with the family. I really just need to take it easy and not lift anything over 10 lbs. Sorry babies! I'm looking forward to seeing this baby again on an ultrasound this coming Wednesday, and hoping to have better news about what is going on inside. Keep hanging in there, baby!

25 Weeks Today

Bleeding is getting so much better. I pretty much have nothing to speak of, so it's nice to see this going in the right direction. I have a 3d/4d image of the baby that looks so cool. I definitely see a resemblance to Cedric & Sebastian. I think this baby has Cedric sized cheeks, though. I've been told that if I continue to have no big bleeds, than I can go home on Sunday. I really hope I can. I miss being around my family. I still need to be on bed rest, but at least it will be in the comfort of my own home.

Something John and I thought we would never do, we have no choice to do now. Sebastian will be going to a daycare for the time being, since John needs to keep working. It's too hard to work and managed two children at the same time. Cedric does preschool in the afternoon Tuesday through Friday, so that will keep him busy. It's sad that my baby will be going to daycare, but he needs attention. Right now, I can't give that to him, because of my situation. It will be fine, and it's only temporary. He might actually enjoy being around other kids his own age all day.

I'm continuing to keep my eye on the prize, and each day the baby stays inside is a victory. :-)

Scary Times!

This pregnancy has definitely become stressful and scary. On Wednesday, the 27th I started experiencing some bleeding after going three weeks with no spotting. They had me go to labor and delivery, so they could monitor the baby and do an ultrasound. They couldn't see where the bleeding was coming from, I was having no contractions, and my cervix was closed. The doctor recommended having a steroid shot and staying through the night for monitoring, but John and I felt that was too much. The midwife was okay with us leaving and not getting the shot, since everything looked okay.

Fast forward to Friday, the 29th, and a whole different story occurs. John, Sebastian, Cedric, and I went to Cedric's preschool for his Halloween party. As soon as I started getting out of the car, I could feel myself bleeding. When I went to the bathroom, I had already soaked the panyliner I was wearing. I called the midwife, and they told me to go to labor and delivery again. This time on the ultrasound they could see where the bleeding was coming from. I had a tear in my placenta, and the doctor told me that this pregnancy could bevin serious jeopardy. I started crying upon hearing this. I was to stay on hospital bed rest for 48 hours, and receive the steroid shot. They gave me one that Friday, and they give me another one 24 hours later. It's precautionary in case the baby does come early, it will have a better chance of survival if it gets that head start maturity on it's lungs. Bleeding slowly improved, and by Sunday, the 31st I was only spotting mostly brown color.

John and I went home around noon, and I was instructed to be on strict bed rest at home. I was bummed I didn't get to see the boys going door to door for trick or treating, but I at least got to see them in their costumes as they were leaving. I stayed in the bed and watched television. John and the boys gor back close to 8pm, and we were all going to sit in bed and watch "How to Train Your Dragon". I moved a little bit, and I could feel the blood coming out again. Went to the bathroom, and I wanted to cry. I needed to go back to the hospital. No ultrasound this time, but lots of monitoring. Started having contractions coming every two minutes. They gave me medicine to stop that, and so far they have stopped completely.

My current prognosis is to be in the hospital on bed rest for at least 7 days. Most likely a little longer than that. The doctor wants me to have no spotting even brown for 7 days straight before releasing me to bed rest at home. It sucks, but if we can avoid the baby going to the NICU, that would be most ideal. I'm scared at the financial cost of all of this, since health insurance in this country sucks.

Anyway, stay in there baby! I want to hold you when you're born, and I want you to come home with us right away. Only 3 more months to go, so please hang in there.

Latest Ultrasound Picture

Yesterday was kind of a scary day. After three weeks of having no spotting, I thought I was in the clear. Yesterday after I went to the bathroom there was blood. Not a lot but enough to have me concerned. I called the midwife, and they told me to go to Labor and Delivery to be monitored and possible receive a steroid shot for the baby's lungs. That wasn't what I was expecting to hear. I went to the hospital, and my mom followed since I was going to need to have someone pick Cedric up from preschool. I also called John to let him know what was going on, and he met me at the hospital. They monitored the baby, and did an ultrasound. Everything looked fine with me and the baby, and I wasn't have contractions. They don't know what was causing the bleeding. Hang in there, baby. You still have 16 weeks to go. This pregnancy has been stressful. I just want a healthy baby to hold, and that everything works out to be okay.

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream.....

Last night I had a dream that the baby was a girl. I was holding a little baby that looked like Cedric when he was a baby, but the baby was wearing a pink hat. I called her Melody, which will be her name if it's a her. I remember calling John on the phone to tell him we had a girl, and he responded like he already knew. I'm not sure why he wasn't with me. I had a feeling in the dream that the baby was early, but not too early. In the dream the nurse told me the baby weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz., which would be very nice since Sebastian was 3 lbs. more than that. The dream felt so real, and I remember falling instantly in love with the baby I saw in my dreams. I'm hoping it's true that it's a girl, but I would of course be happy if it's a boy, too.

Sebastian turned 18 months on the 11th

Sebastian turned 18 months on Monday, the 11th. He is getting so big. His vocabulary has exploded, and he is constantly talking. He loves to say, airplane, hi, bye, and many, many more. He has officially weaned as well. The last time he had breast milk was on Monday, September 27th. He was pretty much down to only nursing once or twice during the day. I was amazed at how quickly it was to wean him. Cedric took a lot longer. Sebastian has his 18 month appointment on the 25th, so I'll know what his stats are then.