Pumping with Julia

This is another back dated post of course.
The funny part is that not much has changed in terms of Julia's interest.
I haven't pumped all summer while I am home until now (I have 3 more weeks at home) & yet when she heard me mention "pumping" she immediately asked "what does the pump say?"
waddaomp or something like that

She doesn't remember me pumping for her as I stopped at her 1 year birthday 2 1/2 years ago.
However, Julia has been fascinated since late January when I started pumping to boost/maintain my supply & store some milk for when I returned to work. She wants to touch everything naturally & I explained that I need her to respect the pumping area & bottles, etc & not touch any of it for cleanliness reasons & to keep Jacqueline healthy. Amazingly she's been really good about it.

Then of course there have been the comments:
"When I'm older, I'm going to pump milk for my baby."

Sometimes she says she's not going to breastfeed, only pump, but then she was feeding her baby doll the other day & talking to me about also feeding her stuffed bear, Sawyer too.
She also loves to say we'll go to La Leche League meetings (she LOVES to go with me) together when she's older & pregnant with a baby in her belly.

YES, I definitely will go to LLL meetings with Julia when she's MUCH older & has a baby to feed. I need to get a photo of her feeding "Pretty Girl" (that's the name of the doll!) or Sawyer the next time. Usually I'm feeding Jacqueline when she's feeding her babies. I'll remind Jai to capture this moment before it's too late!

Funny Quotes

New Girl - there are too many! Season 1 is hilarious! Best new show!
Parks & Recreation - "Not as beautiful as my sister, but you know the law."
The Office - "The only premature baby in the room is the baby THIS baby ate!"
Also called "Little Kevin"
Downton Abbey - I love the Dowager played by the great Maggie Smith, favorite line at end of season 2 in response to Mary's rude fiance who said something about leaving ... "do you promise?" Impeccable timing!

Joyful Julia

Joyful Julia, a photo by bmitd67 on Flickr.

Julia wears her emotions on her sleeve. Here she truly enjoys a winter afternoon on her tricycle.

I wont say genius but...

Julia is already on the academic fast track. Today she was moved from the older 2's/younger 3's to the 3's classroom at her Parent's Day Out program.

She is now on the fast track to a life of ridicule and difficulty finding boys to date...

She also gets her first taste of life at Wellesley... her class is all girls, giving her plenty of time to "just say no" to the all women's experience.

Mealbaby.com

Subject: Meal Help

OK, Friends & Family –

This is new to me so I apologize if there are any glitches.

I think it’s supposed to be pretty simple.

I’m sending this to many people so thanks for any help with anything!

Cannot hurt, right? All the books say to ask for help!

If you cannot help, no worries! : )

Feel free to forward to anyone else too.

THANKS!

Meal Registry Invitation Link
http://mealbaby.com/viewregistry/11048975

This link allows your registry to be made public.  Anyone who clicks on this link will be asked to login or create an account and will be able to view your registry.

BTW - if you want to keep in touch QUICKLY, email Jai at bmitd67@gmail.com or text him at this number (773-372-1262) (text only, no calling he said).

Love, Tara, Jai & big sister Julia

Jacqueline's Birth Story

Well you know Jai has written a few posts about the labor & contractions, but I haven't yet (it's July now). I don't know why - busy probably constantly feeding a baby. I know I wrote Julia's story much sooner, but I also have 2 children now so everything is slightly harder to complete sometimes. I kind of wish I had because  it's harder to remember, but really you don't need all the gritty details.

From Jai's posts you see that the process was a bit longer, but some of that is ignorance. I didn't realize I was in labor, having contractions as early as I did with Julia; this time I knew what was happening. I also felt like it happened really quickly with Julia & I was at work for many of those hours & I didn't want to be at a school if I progressed super quick. That however was not the case & I wonder if being more aware made me less relaxed & prolonged the labor/contractions process. Who knows & with everything related to having another child, you realize they are different so therefore labor & delivery was also. Thank goodness delivery was different! I had a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesearan).

Finally on day 2 (Wednesday afternoon) without getting much sleep for 2 previous nights, 2 nights my mom spent the night in our guest room, 2 trips to midwife to be informed I was 2 cm (Tues, Claire) & 5cm (Wed, Linda) & soon I would have a baby, not sure about who would be watching Julia as it depended on day & time, I was done. I decided that this baby was getting out of my body somehow that day/night. Like I was going to get more rest with a newborn! However, at least I wouldn't be having contractions.

Here's the timeline:
4pm I called midwife, said we're headed to hospital
We put Johnders in back yard, called Kris to ask/tell her to pick him up after school
4:30pm We dropped off Julia at Anne Marie & Kevin's house for her "slumber party"
5:00pm We arrived at Vanderbilt Hospital, admitted to L&D floor (contractions are more intense)
5:30pm Midwife (Lauren) checked me & I'm 6.5 cm (contractions are intense)
6:00pm Called my mom & asked when she's getting here, soon she arrived
7:30pm Midwife (Claire) checked me & I'm 7.5 cm (contractions are really intense)
I tell her to break my water, I'm done with this slow progress & I know it will bring me completely to 10.
7:45pm Break water
8:00pm I say "I need to push!"
8:43pm Jacqueline Suzanne arrives!! 
HALLELUJAH!


Details
Oxygen was involved - I couldn't regulate my breathing with pushing & baby's heart rate was fluctuating.
They kept saying "I see hair" but I couldn't understand why no baby was out!
Vacuum was involved - again concerned about baby's heart rate.
Some major tearing so some repair work that seemed to take forever.
Recovery nothing like with C-section thankfully.
Oh, also had to have "nitrous oxate" as the adrenaline kicked in & I was shaking majorly.
Good stuff, really helped calm me down.

Jai got to hold Jacqueline almost immediately & he cut the umbilical cord.
Bonnie got to hold her after Jai.
So much better than the surgery route!

I joke that if Julia had been born vaginally, I doubt Jacqueline would exist.
It is amazing to push your baby out of your body, but it is majorly intense.
You cannot understand until you do it & I'm glad I did.
Definitely no more Jai & Tara babies coming out of Tara's body.

: )

Jacqueline Suzanne

Jacqueline Suzanne, a photo by bmitd67 on Flickr.

Born 1/11/12
8:43pm
5lbs 14oz, 18.5" long

The waiting is the hardest part

Tara is laboring but we can't get to the breaking point.

Contractions are hovering around every 10min. They are getting more intense but not more frequent. If something doesn't give this will be the 3rd night of labor.

I have to say for all of Tara's low tolerance for discomfort (Its too cold, its too hot, etc) she is a monster at handling these contractions. Her focus and concentration are awe inspiring.

Boomerang Contractions

We got down to 8min apart but they slowly went back up to 20min apart and now they are back around 8. Damn you mother nature! Finish what you start please.

Baby coming, baby coming

Tara's been having contractions at a rate of 1 every 9min. We're aiming for 6 or 7 min for an hour before we go to the hospital.

So we might be having another middle of the night, rainy day baby.

We're all followers, aren't we.

Yesterday Beyoncé (Ingrid Jackson) and Jigga had a baby. Big up to them on the birth of their baby girl.

Today Tara says she feels weird, not labor necessarily but weird none-the-less. Is it time? I'm sure if Beyoncé hadn't had her baby Tara would feel fine, right? Riiiight.

37 & 38 week vist

I go to the midwife every week now so I decided to combine the blog post for 37 & 38 weeks, mainly because I hadn't written anything for last week yet! : ) Also not much has happened or changed in a week!

On Dec. 27 my appointment was with Soheyl who is our primary midwife this pregnancy & last one with Julia. It was wonderful to see her, especially as I hadn't seen her in MONTHS! 1 reason is that my appointments were more spread out this pregnancy, every 5-6 weeks instead of once a month. Another reason is the schedule, which days she works with when I scheduled my appointments. Also there are a few new midwives in the past 3 years & they really want you to meet them all if possible before you deliver as you never know who will be on call at your time. Amazingly Soheyl was on call when my water broke & we went to hospital last time, she'd just started her shift too so she saw us through the whole process though relatively short since I'd been in labor all day the day before!

Soheyl was excited to see Julia & Jai since they came with me today. She hadn't seen Julia since my 6 week follow-up visit in January 2009. Julia looks quite different now! : )

Nothing major to discuss, blood pressure is good as usual, lost 2 pounds which is not unusual at this point in pregnancy (despite holiday eating!), talked about heartburn of course, the bane of my existence currently. Baby's heartbeat was higher than usual. We talked about VBAC plan some, actually I asked what would happen if someone decided to have a C-section again. Would they still be able to be a patient of midwifery practice? She said that if you changed your mind as you got closer to delivery, then you could stay with practice, but if you decided from beginning, then they would refer you to an OB. Different circumstances, makes sense; not applicable for us since I'm not choosing surgery. If everything is attempted during L&D & VBAC is not possible, then OK, but I'm not going to start out choosing a C-section.

Today's appointment was with Lauren whom I'd met earlier in my pregnancy. She's new since Julia's birth, very nice, seems young, but competent. Today I got there early & they weren't busy so didn't have to wait long, good since Jai & Julia were with me again this week. Again nothing major to discuss, blood pressure is good as usual, same weight as last week (woo hoo!), baby's heartbeat was lower than usual.

We talked about heartburn again of course - it's SO uncomfortable. I really have more compassion for habitual sufferers - I don't know how they deal with it. I considered getting some Tums last week, but when I looked at the ingredients (red dye 5, yellow dye 24, etc.), I couldn't do it. That's disgusting! The papaya enzyme pills will have to be it for the next 2-3 weeks. Hopefully the baby will settle into my pelvis soon. I already go to the bathroom a lot now anyway. I don't think Julia dropped - probably why she flipped to breech position at last minute. Last week & today the baby was head down, last week face down, today sideways. Lauren estimated baby is about 6 pounds now, so if I go to 40 weeks, baby probably will be 7+. It seems like this baby is bigger, but who knows!

Stay head down, baby! Until next week - week 39!!! I'm finally in the due month - so very exciting!

Lauren suggested taking it 1 day at a time which is smart; it could be 17 days or less or more. I cannot really make plans for anything or if I do, know that it could change if the baby decides it is his or her time to emerge.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! : )

A girl & her harmonica

One of our friends from church, actually my co-worker's husband, gave me a harmonica the other day - for Julia I assumed! : ) We're not into gifts for Christmas anymore & we'd done some of her birthday gifts over the last few weeks (from Uncles Mike & Chad, from Grandma Bonnie, from us). Also she'd gotten her Christmas/birthday gifts from Angel & Dawn last weekend plus the NEW bed so I didn't want to make a big deal about another present. I had a small stocking from gift from A&D so I put the harmonica in it, 1 to hide it from sight, 2 to be able to present the "gift" on Christmas. When I gave it Julia, she was so excited & curious. Jai showed her how to use it, basic instructions, then she played it for hours (it seems like it!). However, it wasn't annoying, it's adorable! Julia is actually quite good. Then today she picks it up again & starts playing some more. It's hilarious yet it sounds really good! She has my beauty & Jai's musical ear. Well, I played the flute in school band for 7 years so I contributed some talent, too. : )

A big girl bed arrives in time for Christmas

It was delivered this morning! So exciting! I think I'm more excited than anyone. I don't know why, but it seems so great! Julia has a twin sized bed with mattress, foundation, 2 sheets, 2 pillows & a comforter. : )

We ordered it 3 weeks ago from Nature's Greenlife (http://www.naturesgreenlife.com/) after some deliberation, looking on the Internet, & eventually met with Debby at the store/studio to see some of the merchandise. Then there was more deliberation/changes as we originally selected a full size organic cotton mattress as we have a full frame. However, we decided the nursery is too small a space for that & we will have 2 children so twin beds make more sense. Since we're spending a bit of money for this purchase, really important investment, we wanted it to be right. We changed to a twin sized organic wool mattress/foundation which is better for dust mites & allergies.  It also meant it took more time as it was being custom built & coming from Canada.

We weren't sure if we'd get it before Christmas & we really wanted it sooner than later anyway so Julia could get used to it with plenty of time before baby arrives. Luckily Debby liked us a lot & checked in with the company frequently & got it expedited through customs (I didn't think about that!) to be here today. Also her husband helped bring it to us AND inside the house & upstairs to the room AND helped Jai (and Julia too) set it up. Apparently he doesn't usually do that. How nice! They are really nice & I've already referred 2 friends to their website, 1 with a baby on the way, 1 with a 3 year old to get a big bed.

After we changed bed sizes, we had the dilemma of finding a new frame. Initially I was disappointed as that meant MORE money, but thankfully Jai is quite savvy in the world of Freecycle & Craig's List.  He posted a request on Freecycle & almost before I could blink, someone responded with info that they had TWO matching wood frames (what we wanted). The person had been about to take them to Salvation Army. She sent photos & they looked awesome! We said we wanted them & arranged the pick up/delivery. Then she said she'd bring them to us & she didn't even live close to us, I think Jai said Antioch. Amazing! I guess she was motivated to get them out of her garage. : ) Now we have a second frame for the second kid, to use in 2 years. Woo hoo!

We made the bed with her new jersey knit organic cotton sheets (so soft!), a fitted sheet AND a flat sheet. So grown up! Also finally used the Dora comforter I bought at a consignment sale in November. Julia loves Dora & Boots! She actually has had the pillow since late November when we placed the order (Debby gave us a "free" wool pillow). The wool is good for resistance against dust mites as well as good for hot sleepers which Julia (and Jai) is. I got a 2nd wool pillow from Gaiam (having a great sale!), mainly for us to use when we're in the bed, reading at bedtime.

Oh, I wish we'd done this MONTHS ago! It's been so uncomfortable on the floor, especially as I got bigger & bigger. I don't have bedtime duty until Sunday, but it will be so NICE to sit on that bed & read with Julia. We took a few photos to capture the moment as Julia got ready for bed this evening. FUN!!! : )

36 week visit

Today was a day filled with lots of pregnancy related activities. My friend, Jessie, & I are due 3 weeks apart & since it is Winter Break, we decided to get together for some pregnancy time.

First we went to the La Leche League meeting in East Nashville that meets on the third Wednesday mornings which usually we cannot attend, but this one was perfect timing. It was great to see some familiar faces, women who were very helpful & supportive when Julia was small & we were struggling to get breastfeeding to work. I really enjoyed listening & sharing experiences & feeling so comfortable & confident about this next adventure in parenting a baby. Jai had a dentist appointment & regular play date wasn't happening because Sam was sick so I had Julia with me. Actually I'm glad she was there to be around the babies & see breastfeeding. I'm sure she's going to be so curious when her baby is eating. She already talks about feeding the baby & we explain that won't happen for awhile. Julia played well on the rug with the plethora of toys & books available; she insisted that I come with her which I did awkwardly. : ) There was another mom & young baby on the floor too; the baby was 6 months old. Julia kept saying "No" to him & "He's taking my toys" which is not what he was doing. Mostly he was smiling & giggling at her, saying hello in his way. I anticipate some interesting struggles with possessiveness for belongings & parents.

We dropped off Julia at home for her lunch & nap with Jai home now. Then we headed to the West End area & grabbed some lunch & talked about our various pregnancy ailments. I will be SO grateful to not have this vicious heartburn/indigestion. It's awful! I feel like it's worse than last time & definitely lasted longer! Jessie fortunately hasn't had any issues with HB. We talked about the different kind of stomach acid that exists for us as we're different blood types. Interestingly I don't have issues when I'm not pregnant. Lunch was yummy, this place called Taiziki's, I'd never been there. I had a lamb gyro with rice & tomato/cucumber/feta salad. Hmmm!

After lunch we headed to A Mother's Place which is at Centennial Women's Hospital. We really were stretched for time & should have gone after our midwife appointments. I naively thought we'd be able to manage, but traffic was crazy at this time of day. We were late, but it was OK. Anyway, AMP is a lactation support center that includes a shop to purchase items related to breastfeeding. I went there a few times when Julia was 2-3 months old to get assistance with her weight gain issues & increasing my milk supply. The staff is wonderful, same woman who helped me is still there, so passionate & supportive of making breastfeeding work. It was great to see her. We got measured to find out what size nursing bra we need. We tried on a few styles & purchased some. I only got 1 as I have a few at home & since I'm smaller in general, the consultant reminded me that I'll get much bigger once my milk comes in postpartum. I remember that!! : )

Then to West End Women's Health Center for midwife appointment. I gained a few pounds in 4 weeks, but I've eaten more sweets & junk in last 2 weeks. UGH! The season of eating! I asked the midwife about cutting the cord after it stops pulsing - I got an explanation of the 2 minutes rule. Not sure I completely understand. I also asked about placenta encapsulate (supposed to help with postpartum depression). I heard about these 2 items at LLL meeting so I'm curious to find out more information. Thank goodness for the Internet.

My blood pressure was low again so excellent. Baby's heartbeat was much higher. This gender stuff is confusing! Who knows until she or he is born. Julia continues to refer to having a baby brother. Everyone says I'm carrying like it's a boy. However, we shall see when the time arrives.

Now I will go every week until delivery & I had already made all of my appointments (surprise, surprise!) so until next week.

The roof, the roof is on ... New Roof is ON!

After many months of waiting, first because of the hot summer, then roofers' busy schedule, it was inclement weather whenever it seemed to be our time, that seemed to delay us getting a new roof. However, finally it happened & it's so pretty. It came with quite a price tag (thank goodness for an equity line), but it looks beautiful. Jai picked out the slates as that is one thing I didn't care about nor have the energy. He did a great job - sometimes he's really good at the aesthetics stuff. He's been called a metro sexual (not sure if that term is used anymore) a few times.

Jai says we shouldn't need another roof until the kids are in college or maybe out of college. That will be nice! The next project will be to paint the water stains caused by the old roof (this has been years actually). However, that will be for later in 2012 or 2013 as we'll be busy with the baby.

Julia's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated with a family dinner with Grandma Bonnie & Poppy. Then we ate her traditional applesauce cake made by mom, & ice cream, Julia's new favorite (quick 2nd is Popsicles, but I need to make more). Also she opened a few presents which she really enjoyed this year!

What a great kid Julia is! Thanks for 3 wonderful years of fun & laughter! Looking forward to many more!

Phone call for daddy

Julia, what else are you doing today? I repeated the question.

I'm going to take a nap. Julia finally answered.

That's a good thing, taking a nap. I said.

Thank you, daddy.

Sleep well, Julia.

Thank you, daddy. She rushed over my words.

That's a pleasant phone call.

Thanksgiving Fun & Blessings

It was so nice to have the day off with both Jai & Julia, us all home together, no work, no school, no plans in the morning. I'd done holiday cooking preparation already - our contribution was ice cream. I made a few different kinds during the weekend. We had a leisurely day of homemade pancakes. Julia took her nap, then we headed to my mom's for appetizers, soup, then dinner. Lots of yummy food, different people had made. It's a fun tradition that my mom started a few years ago so she doesn't have prepare tons of dishes. Thankful for family & friends!

32 week visit

I wish I could remember what I was going to write about this visit to see midwife.
I didn't gain any weight from the past 5 weeks which is a miracle. Thank goodness!
I talked with the midwife about next visit which is for the Group B strep test - I forget what it does, something that is important to know if you have before delivery because of treatment so baby doesn't get the virus. I wonder if it's an issue for baby delivered by C-section, but I didn't plan for that last time & this time the goal is a VBAC. I didn't have the virus last pregnancy thankfully. My blood pressure is excellent even with the weight gain this pregnancy. Baby's heartbeat is low which people say means it is a boy. All is good!
Another 4 weeks to 36 weeks & then I'll go EVERY week until the end. How time has passed quickly though I will not be sad to say goodbye to the heartburn.

Childbirth classes

UGH! Once again I have an old post with only the title to remind me of what I might have wanted to write.
Well, here goes with trying to remember from a month ago! : )

We took a child birth class series at General Hospital on 4 Monday evenings in November (we missed 1 class because of family illnesses). Even though we plan to have the baby at Vanderbilt Hospital as that is where the midwifery center delivers babies, the class was free (not the case at Vandy) & Jai was born at General so it was neat to have some connection there.

Though we have had a child it was a great experience. We knew a lot of information already from reading & of course, Julia's birth. However, we learned some, clarified some, reminded of lots; it was a good refresher kind of course. We also received a beautiful knitted blanket to add to our collection of lovely hand made works of art & love.

Grilled Cheeserie

YUMMY! The food truck was at the West Nashville Farmer's Market yesterday & we hadn't eaten there in FOREVER. So glad we ventured out so far! We got lots of great green veggies, some meat, goat cheese of course, finally found some APPLES & the raw food. Then we snacked on a grilled cheese sandwich, tater tots (Jai & Julia shared) & the special dessert of vanilla bean/pumpkin pudding. It was a beautiful day to be outside, sunny, slightly windy, gorgeous weather.

Raw Food

I'm not really a fan. I like meats, eggs & cheese too much to be a vegetarian, much less a vegan. We try to buy/eat less meat to decrease our carbon footprint & definitely buy local products whenever possible. However, we still cook our food.  Today I got some amazing food from The Raw Warrior at the West Nashville Farmer's Market. I've actually sampled some of their wares when we'd stop by their table at the East Nashville Farmer's Market. It never tasted that great, not bad, just not good enough for me to purchase it.  Today was another story. It was spinach almond hummus & cilantro lime flax seed crackers. The garlic & spices also must be a big part of the overall taste sensation. Whatever it is the snacks are yummy!

Colds are Cruel during Pregnancy

That's all I want to say. It's not right!

Imagination Peaking

Julia has been very verbal from the moment she became verbal. Her vocabulary and grammar is pretty amazing; picking up on the things we say, filling in gaps and so on. Recently she's gone off the rails with imaginary language. Sometimes Julia will talk for 20 minutes straight in her own imaginary language. Its a verbal vomit. She starts talking about something and then it transforms into this gibberish.It sounds like she is pronouncing sets of jumbled letters yet it sounds like words. Its mind-boggling to hear, especially her extended monologues.

Side note. One of my fav radio shows just did a very interesting show on language development

Then comes the imaginary play, this is obvious stuff. She mimics what she sees. She feeds and reads to her "friends". She plays games and she tells them stories. In that spectrum is drawing where she puts a dot on a page and says she's drawing a tree or a smiley face. Today it finally took that twist we all dread to hear...

Julia, why did you drop the book? I asked.
Daddy I didn't do it, Bunny did. She answered.

Great! She now has accomplices.

Also...

Julia quote of the day: Do you want your penis in your mail? (I can put this is context if you wish but it stands on its own)