Friday, July 29, 2011

Your Three Words

12 months old

So I know this update is two days late, but I wanted to wait for your Drs. appointment, which was supposed to be yesterday, but got rescheduled for today.

So with no further ado, here are the stats:

Height: 28.5 in.- 31 percentile (you grew over an inch and a half!!!)
Weight: 22.9 lbs- 75 percentile (only gained a little over a pound and a half and you dropped considerably in percentile- must be evening out)
Head circumference: 17.5 in- 93 percentile!!!! (as Daddy says gotta have a big head for all those brains!)

You're not a big fan of the Dr. and that is something that hasn't changed. You have seen three different Drs. in this practice and you haven't liked any of them. Your Nana asked if it was because of the shots (which you had 4 of today!!!!) but the nurses administer them, and you love the nurses. Maybe it's the white coat?? That one is a head scratcher, little one!

So what have you been up to this month?

  • You are wearing mostly 12 month clothing, but we sometimes struggle with head and arms openings (now we know why, at least for the head). Still wearing size 3 diapers, but we might be moving up soon.
  • You are mostly eating Stage 3 baby food because you still only have 2 teeth, but the Dr. gave the all clear to try some more table food like peanut butter, chocolate (YUM!!!) and other mushy stuff. We are also going to transition you to whole milk, probably within the next week or so.
  • You are a crawling fool and you pull up on everything and LOVE cruising all around. When given the opportunity, you love to just cruise around in circles. You can walk forward when holding onto our hands and you have even stood on your own for a couple of seconds. The bets are starting for when you are going to start walking. My guess is probably in a month or so....Heaven help us!! LOL
  • Nothing makes you happier than being read to and you let us know that you want to be read to. You get into a little rut sometimes and want the same book read over and over and over again. I think the record is at 6 or 7 times right now.
  • We are still working on signs to communicate and you have fully masters the "all done" sign, which is very helpful. You also wave hello and bye-bye and some lucky people get two handed waves.
  • You are so vocal. You love talking, singing and reading to yourself. I have a feeling we will be hearing some "real" words soon.
  • You adore music. Whether it is being sung to or shaking your booty and dancing, I think you will be a big music lover, like Mommy and Daddy.
Pheww!! Quite a lot in one little month, sweet girl. As I said on your birthday, we are so blessed to have you in our lives and you truly make every day more magical. This has been an incredible year and I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the days to come!


Um who is this toddler and what have you done with my baby???

Oh Pheww, there she is!!!

So thrilled!

See what I said about the music? Already a virtuoso!


So we are off for more birthday celebration!

Hope you have a great weekend!



Join the fun and link up Your Three Words!



Thursday, July 28, 2011

Quick Hi- Guest post??

Hey there!

Just stopping in with a quick hi, because right now we are still in the midst of Maggie's birthday week and don't have a ton of time. We leave tomorrow for her 2nd and 3rd parties, so I am juggling laundry, packing, birthday decorations and a VERY silly one year old (wow first time I wrote that).

So, I know that this is pretty last minute but I was just wondering if anyone would want to guest post for me while I'm away from August 6-14. If you are interested please send me an email at sbereznay@gmail.com, letting me know what you would like to post about and I will contact you ASAP. Thanks!


Just another cute pic of the birthday girl.....



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Happy 1st Birthday Margaret Anne


365 days ago at 8:58am, you came into this world and immediately changed our lives forever! I never knew that my heart could stretch and grow so much to accommodate all the love that I have for silly little, amazing you.

You lift me up everyday and challenge me to be more patient, compassionate and kind, and in general a better person. This past year has been filled with so much laughter and love, and I feel constantly blessed that I was chosen to be your mommy.

Happy 1st Birthday, to our special girl. I hope you know how immensely you are treasured and loved.

Love,

Your Mommy and Daddy

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Guest Postin'

Hey there!

So we are heading out to Mag's 1st 1st birthday today and I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow or Tuesday with the deets.

But if you really, really miss me and need a fix, head over to Good times never seem sew good, where I am guest posting today.

Hope you're having a great Sunday!!!

Link

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Bib'expresso Review

So we are t-minus 4 days until the Magster's birthday and tomorrow we are having her 1st 1st birthday party. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how quickly she is growing up. There are many things that I will miss about Maggie's baby time, but one thing that I will surely not miss are the bottles. I was very upset that I did not have enough milk supply to nurse Maggie, and basically since day one, we have been a slave to the bottle.

Life would have been a lot easier with a Bib'expresso sooner. Making bottles in seconds? Yes please. And the perfect temperature? PLEASE!!!!

"The Bib'expresso's unique water flow mixes powdered formula quickly, reducing air bubbles and eliminating hot spots. Product comes with a compact, removable bottle and food warmer that can be used to heat food jars and prepared bottles of breast milk and formula. And, the bottle storage compartment located on the back of unit doubles as a microwavable bottle sterilizer, holding up to three 10 ounce (300 ml) bottles. With a self cleaning steam system, you save time and the Bib'expresso is sterilized for future use."My Thoughts:
I love the sleek design and overall it is a very attractive appliance. I did have a slight problem finding counter space since we don't have a lot of space in our small condo. Other than that I found this appliance very easy to use and super helpful. I think this would have been really helpful for those night feedings when we had a younger baby.

The one feature that is really helpful right now is the baby food warmer. It really warms the food up to the perfect temperature, much better than the microwave which normally heats the food unevenly. I also love the removable sterilizer and along with the rest of the appliance I found this very handy and easy to use.

The best thing about this appliance is that it has everything right there to help with feeding your baby. From the bottle, to the solids and even the sterilization, it is all right there. It will definitely speed up the feeding process for those families on the go!

While Béaba provided me with a Bib'expresso to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Béaba, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Birth Story

So we have less than two weeks till Mag's 1st birthday and of course, I'm reminiscing and feeling nostalgic, so how about I tell you little Magster's birth story? Seems like as good a time as any.....

Margaret Anne's Birth Story

I am not really sure what I expected. Well, I guess I expected pain...lots of it, duh! We had gone to the birthing classes and seen the women screaming and cursing, but I guess I was lacking expectations, because I just couldn't imagine being in that much pain. I couldn't imagine crying, grunting, ripping of my clothes, losing all inhibition and sanity, because the pain was that unbearable. In my life I have been fortunate to have never been touched by real physical pain. Maybe a couple of bumps and bruises here and there, but no broken limbs, no surgeries or any other medical intervention that would result in "real" pain. I knew that I wasn't prepared. And that terrified me to the core.

What if I just couldn't handle it? What if they told me that I just had to push and I would meet my child, and I didn't have it in me? What if I looked like a complete idiot because I was crying and screaming and they told me that these weren't the "real" contractions, and that I better brace myself for what was going to come? What if I passed out?

And then I'm not going to lie, I worried about the fact that some women don't make it through labor. Although in this day and age it is very rare, but some women do actually die. This worry was slight, but still present.

My largest source of anxiety was the health of my child. I just wanted a safe delivery, that in the end would place her in my arms without any complications. I had frequent nightmares of the final push and her being whisked away for whatever reason. I couldn't imagine coming home without my child, seeing the empty nursery and the overwhelming grief.

So you see I didn't have any expectations, just a lot of worries that cluttered my mind. For the most part I don't allow myself the happy fantasies because if anything, I hate having them crushed. True physical pain I had not experienced, but dreams dashed....well that's a whole 'nother story.

July 12th, 39 weeks:
What little patience I had was wearing thin. It was HOT! Super hot, one of the hottest summers on record...of course! I had taken my vacation to rest the week before my due date, but I was so uncomfortable. I couldn't sleep, I was super swollen and the heartburn was out of control.
I went to my weekly appointment and asked the midwife if there would be the chance of induction, soon. She said that I was 1cm dilated and 30% effaced, so at my next appointment, July 19th, my due date, we would check my progress and probably discuss induction for later that week. I called everyone to relay the good news, we joked about how great the date would be ("The 22nd??? Well you're born on the second, Brian was born in February, and Tami's (my sister) bday is the 22nd, so it's a good sign!) and relief washed over me. No more guessing, no more wondering, the date was practically set. Hello light, I see you at the end of this tunnel.

July 19th, 40 weeks:
My due date, D day. Not that "D" day that I had envisioned months before, where I went into labor, but instead the decision day where we would plan how to encourage this little one to join the outside. For this reason I was pretty psyched, and also I would be seeing the midwife that I had started out with. She was my original midwife, who initially confirmed the good news that I was pregnant and then because of scheduling issues, I practically hadn't seen until this day. I was pumped because I had really hoped that she would be the one to deliver Maggie and I thought this was a good sign. So she examined me and the news was the same as last week. Unfazed, I asked her about my original plan with the other midwife, to possibly induce later this week. "Sarah, I don't want to set you up for a C-Section (hahahahaha), you aren't progressed far enough to discuss induction. You have a beautiful pelvis (HAHAHAHAHA) for giving birth. We normally don't start talking about induction until you are 41 weeks."
I sputtered, ".......well we weren't talking about today, we had said maybe later this week.......".
"Well if you want to have another appointment this week we can see if you have progressed and assess the situation then. I just don't think it's a good idea now."
"Ok", I relented.
Do I have to tell you that I was crushed? Didn't think so. I sobbed all the way home.

July 22nd, 40 weeks 3 days;
Nope, not the day I was induced, just another crummy Dr's appointment. Another exam where I braced myself for the news that I still hadn't progressed and we would just have to wait to see.
"Well look at that, you're 2-3cm dilated and about 60% effaced. I told you that we should wait. Aren't you glad that we waited?? Now I still think we should give it the weekend. I think you will go this weekend, but we can schedule an induction for Monday, just in case, but you're going to go this weekend!" the midwife gushed.
"Schedule the induction." I barked.

July 26th, 41 weeks:
Yep, absolutely nothing happened over the weekend, still uber preggo. For all of my talk about wanting it to happen, the morning of the induction I decided that I wasn't really cut of for this and I just wasn't going to do it. Nope, this baby would just have to find some way to grow and flourish in my belly, because it just wasn't happening. Hubs enticed me out of the house with promises of Chinese food and afterwards I somehow ended up at the hospital.


The plan was for my midwife to administer Cervadil that evening, and then Pitocin the next morning and I would have a baby Tuesday afternoon or evening. Brian would stay with me for awhile that evening and then go home and rest up for the big show, the next day.
Around 5pm, I was examined and I was at 2cm, they Cervadiled me up and Brian left at 7.

8:30 pm:
I started feeling some pain. I shrugged it off. I had to go to the bathroom. I got up, unhooked my leads, went to the bathroom, nothing happened, hooked myself back up, got back in bed. More pain. Bathroom? Unhook, sit, nothing, hook back up, lay down. Ok, maybe I should stop shrugging now? My mom called. I told her I was having a little pain. As we talked it got worse. "I'm sure I'm just being a wimp." "Sarah, call the nurse, let them tell you that it is nothing."
Nurse: "What's going on?" "I'm feeling some pain. Maybe I'm just being a baby." "Oh well, sometimes the Cervadil can make you have some mild contractions. Let me take a look at the printout. Oh...well you are having some contractions." "ummm....my husband just left for the night and we live an hour away from the hospital, should I call him to come back?" "Oh no you should be good. But if you want we can give it an hour and then we will see where you are. Here do you want to try sitting on a birthing ball?" "Ok, I'll try it." BEST INVENTION EVER!!!!

5 minutes later...."Nurse?" She looks at the monitor, "Oh...wow how are you feeling?"
"..."
"Ok breathe, you're doing great." Finally, got my breath back, "Should I call my husband now?" "Let's check you" I get in the bed and laying down with the pain, I thought I would pass out. I held onto the bed rails with everything I had. "Ok....you're about 5-6 centimeters. Time to call your husband."
He doesn't answer. Second call, "Brian, I think you have to come back. I think this is it." "What's going on?" "I started having contractions and I'm 5-6 cm dilated." "I'm on my way."
Every contraction ripped through my body with monster truck force. I don't know why the birthing ball worked, but it did and I wouldn't get off the thing for a million bucks. Unfortunately I had to get in the bed to be examined and the pain seem to increase tenfold. Brian made it in little under an hour and we waited for the epidural.

I had known I wanted an epidural since day one. My choice. I do admire women who can go au naturel, I just know that I am not one of them. So when they offered, I jumped at it. Now we just had to wait for the man with the drugs.

11pm:
Finally he came and I think that was the hardest part up to that point. Trying to sit still and curve my back, was really difficult. Somehow I managed and the drugs kicked in. They broke my water and I was told to relax and sleep because they were going to let me "labor down" for awhile and check me over time for progress. Brian slept, uncomfortably on a pull out chair, but he slept. I on the other hand, started shaking...slightly convulsing, the minute the epidural kicked in and it didn't let up, so no sleep for me.

All through the night, they checked me. At one point I was 8cm. At one point I needed oxygen. At one point they didn't like the baby's heartbeat on the monitor (the monitor just needed to be adjusted on my tummy). At one point I felt the urge to push. They checked me again and I was 9cm and there was just a little bit of cervix left. The nurse thought that maybe I could just push through it. So we started to push. Brian held one leg, and I pushed. I couldn't really feel that much, but I pushed with all my might. The midwife joined us, she checked me, and told me to stop pushing. I still had a "lip" of cervix left and she didn't think it was a good idea to push. I should stop pushing for now and see if I progressed to the full 10cm before we did anything else.

But the urge did not die down. It got more and more intense. Time passed and finally I begged Brian to call the nurse back in. She checked me again. "The lip is still there and you are still at 9cm". I stayed at 9cm for the next couple of hours. The midwife checked again. The nurse checked again. "No progression. Also, you're pelvis ridge goes down instead of up (they said something like this, I don't remember the exact words, too much pain) and most babies can wiggle through, but she is getting stuck (might have something to do with her MASSIVE noggin). We may have to think about a c-section."

6am:
At this point what little relief the epidural had provided, had completely worn off. I FELT EVERYTHING. It was horrible. I wanted to push so bad, but the doctors and nurses wouldn't let me. Finally when everyone was out of the room, I grabbed Brian and begged him to tell them that I was ready for the c-section. Just as I said that, some monitors started going off and nurses and doctors rushed in saying that we had to get the baby out and do the c-section.

Brian went out and called everyone, while they administered more epidural. If I hadn't been in excruciating pain, it would have been funny, but their method for determining whether I was numb or not was using a plastic glove filled with cold water. Very high tech....LOL. It took quite a couple doses of the epidural before I couldn't feel the silly cold glove and once the epidural set in, the shakes set in again. Brian got suited up in his gear and we were off.

We made it to the OR and I had the nicest nurse at my head watching over me the whole time. Almost immediately when they laid me flat, I felt like I was suffocating and also my mouth was so dry, since I hadn't had anything to drink in over 8 hours. It was pretty stressful, but after a couple of minutes, they had her out and they lifted her over the curtain for me to see.

8:58 am:
I caught a glimpse of her and I worried because I couldn't hear her, but after a brief moment, she let out a high pitched wail, and it was honestly the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.



After that they whisked her off to the nursery and began stitching me up. At that point I began to feel a sharp pain in my shoulder and told the nurse. She explained that sometimes air bubbles can be released during surgery and travel through the body. The pain was almost as bad as the contractions from earlier.

When I was finally put back together, they took me to recovery and by that time I was in a lot of pain from the air bubble in my shoulder and the shakes from the epidural. I really couldn't take it all, so they knocked me out with some morphine. I didn't ask for it, but it really did help. I fell asleep for an hour and woke up feeling refreshed and energized. But above all, I was so excited to see my little girl. They took me to my new room and then they brought her in from the nursery.

What else can I say? From the moment they placed her in my arms, all the pain and anxiety melted away, and for lack of better words....it was magnificent.



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Rockin' the Baby

Well since it is silly pants Maggie's birthday month, how about a short stroll down memory lane, with a couple of the very first pics???


The first Mommy and Maggie pic, my fave!

Awww look how tiny the little munchkin is....

Finally on our way home...



Friday, July 8, 2011

Your Three Words

Baby-proofing the Crib (the house)

The time has come...now that have a rather mobile baby on our hands, we have to make sure that she can cruise around safely. I have a list of things that we have to get because the only thing that we have are socket protectors (note to self: baby-proofing stuff= great baby shower gift).

So that is our big plan for the weekend. Heading out sometime tomorrow to maybe Babies R' Us or Walmart and stocking up on the safety necessities. I would also like to squeeze in a picnic if the weather cooperates. We have this weekend and the next, and then we are busy, busy, busy again. Back to back birthday weekends, our big vacay in Brigantine and then a long weekend in OCMD. And then before you know it, the hubs is finished with camp and back to school. Man, this summer is going by quickly!

Heck before you know it, it will be Christmas time....LOL.

And now for your viewing pleasure....




Two tired sillypants!!!

Hope you are having a great Friday and that you have a great weekend!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Fourth of July Festivities

So Friday night we packed it all up and headed out. I volunteered to drive since the hubs has quite a commute everyday. We decided to stop for some dinner to hopefully wait out the traffic and by the time we got officially got on the road there was no traffic at all and it was smooth sailing. We made it to Brigantine in great time and spent the rest of the evening hanging out on the back porch with some cold beers and great laughs.

Mags was up the next morning at 5:30 (because of a poopy diaper), which was a little rough on Mommy and Daddy, who hadn't gone to bed until 12:30am. So after some Dunkin Donuts coffee recharging, we headed out to the beach. Mags had a great time in her little pool and really enjoyed standing with the assistance of Daddy and his chair (Standing= favorite new pastime). I actaully got to go in the water..A. because it was so nice and warm and B. because I had people to go in the water with (hubs does not do the ocean water). It was so nice and relaxing, just what I needed.


We had a delicious dinner and afterwards, we went to a little ice cream shop, Steak and Shake, for the first time. It was spectacular, and it had a very extensive menu, which of course means that we will have to visit it multiple times to try everything...oh the horror.

That night was a little rough for the Magster. We think that she is working on another tooth on the bottom, evidenced by the fact that she is constantly sucking on her bottom gum and exploring it with her tongue. Again, not a lot of sleep was had for any of us.

Sitting in her very own rocking chair!

Sunday we had a quiet day because the weather wasn't that great.

American Cutie

Second 4th outfit because of a little accident. But look...after the super icky diaper and a nap, we have a much happier photo subject!!!

We had a BBQ in the afternoon and the weather decided to clear up for that, thankfully. But then literally as we were finishing our last bites, the skies began to darken and the thunder began to roll. We left in a whirlwind and only hit a couple of patches of the storm on our way home. We also got to see a couple fireworks from the road, which was nice.

Yesterday, we relaxed and re-cooped, because although our weekend was fun, the lack of sleep was tough. But overall, a great time! No parades or fireworks for Mags this year, but next year that is most assuredly on the agenda.

How was your 4th? Hope you had a great one!

Friday, July 1, 2011

You Three Words

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

And here we are already at the unofficial half point of the summer...where, oh where has the time gone???
Also, today is the first day of July, which means we are officially in Maggie's birthday month...YAAAAAAAAY!!!!

So what's on the agenda?? We're heading down to the beach this weekend for the 4th. Then we have two weeks to get everything ready and then we have two weeks of back to back 1st birthday parties. I am so excited!

And for you viewing pleasure some pics from the park this past weekend...

My Loves

What are your plans for this weekend? Hope that you have a great one!

P.S: Phewww 5 posts in 5 days, I used to do this all the time, when I first started. It wasn't that bad...maybe I will try to post more in the future? What do you think???

P.P.S: On a much more serious note, I want to let my best friend, Breeyn, know that I am thinking about her and her brother all the time and I am praying for a speedy recovery for him and peace of mind for her. LOVE YOU!

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