Sleeping.

The title of this post should really indicate the LACK of sleeping that has been going on.

Since transitioning Brayden into his toddler bed, he has been pretty good. Until now.

The last 3 days, Brayden has basically refused to nap. He gets into bed and immediately starts whining and crying that he doesn't want to take a nap. I explain to him that he has to nap, like he does EVERY day, and that we would go do something fun when he woke up. Well, that usually works on those days where he is struggling a little bit but that is definitely not working any more!

I leave the room and shut the door and Brayden starts with the full-blown crying tantrum. He gets out of his bed and goes to his door. He cries at the door and calls out for me and then knocks on his door (it's still closed). I have tried everything...putting him back in his bed, reading him a story, scratching his back, just sitting in his glider while he fake sleeps, etc. Nothing would make him actually go to sleep.

This was our attempt at napping on the couch...clearly unsuccessful!

Finally yesterday after 30 minutes of crying, he decided to just play with the toys in his room. I wouldn't let him leave his room in hopes that he would eventually get tired and get into bed to sleep. After another hour or so of playing with his toys, he opened the door and was talking to me from his doorway. I was eating my lunch and he asked me if I was done with my food...I told him no and then I didn't hear from him for a while. I got out of the chair to check on him and this is what I saw...

He fell asleep in the hallway...on the hardwood floor...with no blanket. He is crazy! I knew he was tired and this just showed me that he does still need a nap. He slept like that for over an hour!

Today I decided to put him down later than usual (12:30) thinking that maybe he just isn't ready for a nap at that time anymore. Today I put him in bed around 1:45 after reading two books to calm down, and he was asleep by 2. He did still call out for me and he threw all his pacis and blanket out of his bed. I went in just once to give him his things back and then that was it. He actually fell asleep on his own...in a bed. Woo hoo!! 

I am hoping that with the new schedule of going down later, he will continue taking good naps. 

Madison at 1 Month!

Madison is already 1 month old!! At the same time it feels like this month has just flow AND taken forever! There have been many ups and downs already but I can't imagine our family without her.

Here are some things to know about this little girl of mine:

-She doesn't take a pacifier...literally spits it right out and gags. Crazy girl!

-She has just started taking real naps. Generally she would only nap if she was on my chest but I have put her in her crib on her belly (GASP!!) and she has slept great during her naps the last two days. I check on her constantly and she is able to turn her head so I don't worry too much about it. I still put her on her back at night so don't freak out!

-She doesn't like to be put down...like ever! She cries unless she is being held. I have gotten about 5 minutes at the most of her being awake and playing on her mat or being in her bouncer. She really likes to be held!

-She smiles after she is done eating. It's basically the cutest thing I have ever seen!

-She sleeps pretty good at night and goes about 3 hours between feedings.

-At night, she will only eat on one side and then she is too sleepy to eat on the other side. I have tried everything...cold wipe, tickling her legs and face and chest, changing her diaper after the first side. Nothing...she just wants to go back to sleep.

-She pretty much hates the car. Cries for our first 10 minutes of the ride and then gives up and goes to sleep. The last couple of days she has been better so maybe she is getting used to it!

-The doc heard clicking in her hip at her first doctor appointment after birth so we had to go back for another check-up. He still heard the clicking so we had to take her for a sonogram on her hip. The results just came back today and her hips look normal! YAY!! We were worried for a little but we are very happy about the good news!

This little girl is definitely different than her brother as a newborn! I really can't wait until she starts showing her personality. It has been a rough first month but I think we are adjusting and hopefully things get a little easier soon.

Wordless Wednesday!

As you may have read earlier this week, Brayden can now climb out of his crib! I caught video of him doing it yesterday after his nap! (Please ignore my annoying voice in the background!)

We will be putting up a toddler rail for him this weekend and we are crossing our fingers that he still sleeps in his bed.

Transitions

Brayden has been so great with the transition of bringing home a new baby! I am seriously so impressed with him. It amazes me how great he has been with Madison. He is so concerned when she is crying, offers her pacis, shows her his toys, and laughs hysterically when she sneezes. It is adorable!

Of course we have had a few rough days where Brayden is very whiney and doesn't want anything but Mommy but I just make sure to give him some special attention, make it outside to the park to play and then everything seems okay. This has been a much easier transition than I was anticipating!!

We are now making another transition...into a TODDLER BED!!

Yep, Brayden finally figured out how to climb out of his crib. This of course happened on the one morning I wasn't at home to witness it! Hubby was dead asleep in our room when he hears "Daddy, have you seen Mommy?" Hubs looks up and there is Brayden, standing in the doorway! Hubs asked him how he got out of his bed and he proudly stated that he climbed out and then again asked "Daddy, have you seen Mommy?" as if climbing out of his crib was totally normal!

So today we are headed out to purchase a toddler bed rail (since his crib didn't come with one) and we will hopefully be making another smooth transition.

He went into our bedroom, put on Daddy's sandals and walked into the living room to show us! He was so proud of himself!

He was talking to Madison on the monitor telling her is was okay because she was crying!! He is so dang sweet with her!

Morning cartoons on Mommy and Daddy's bed!

Birth Story!!

I am finally back on the blogging scene! It's been a long 4 weeks without blogging but it was much needed. And...I am back today with Madison's birth story. So let's get to it!

Hubby was working graveyard shift so it was just me and Brayden at home. I got him in bed and then was just relaxing on the couching watching reruns of Friends when I had the itch to clean the kitchen (at 10:15 pm!). I got up and cleaned the whole thing. Did the dishes, scrubbed the counters, scrubbed the stove, etc. It was definitely my last burst of energy.

At 3:15 am I woke up to pain in my back. This wasn't unusual since I had back pain my whole pregnancy, especially when trying to sleep. I ignored the pain and went back to sleep.

4:15- Woke up to even more pain and decided to pay attention. I turned on my light and the tv. I immediately noticed that it wasn't just back pain anymore. It felt like contractions. I got out my phone to start timing them. The first two contractions were about 10 minutes apart. The next contraction came just 7 minutes after that and then down to 6 minutes and then to 5.5 minutes.

4:32- Called my mom (and started crying of course) to tell her that I was definitely having contractions and it was time to go to the hospital. I started getting the rest of my hospital bag packed. I had a list of last-minute things to pack taped up on my door. Things like my pillow, my phone and charger, etc.

4:45- My mom was on her way over and called my sister (who lives in San Francisco) to tell her to get on a plane. My sister immediately got up and started checking flights. There was a 7 am flight or a 10 am flight. I told her to take the 7:00 flight!

5:20- Since my hubby was working, I tried calling his cell phone to let him know that he needed to meet me at the hospital. He didn't answer. I called again. No answer. I finally decided to look up the number to the jail where he works and I called the front desk. I told the clerk that I was in labor and she needed to tell my husband to call me. I got a call from him just a few minutes later and told him it was time.

5:47- I had finally finished packing up all my last minute things (while breathing through contractions) and we left for the hospital. Luckily, the hospital is about 3 minutes away from my house so it didn't take us long. We arrived at the hospital and got checked in. I got the last labor room they had available!! They were so busy that night!

I got hooked up to the monitors and get checked...I am dilated 3 cm but having contractions every 5-6 minutes. (My doctor had told me to go to the hospital when I was having them between 5-7 minutes apart since she thought my labor would be fast and she didn't want me to miss getting an epidural.)

I wasn't very good at keeping track of the time so it all blends together a little bit at this point.

My sister made it to the hospital at 9:25!

They called my doctor to let her know I was in active labor. When they checked me again, I was dilated about 6 and they called to get my epidural going. Once I got my epidural, my doctor broke my water and things progressed quickly. I started feeling pressure pretty soon after I got the epidural but didn't feel the need to push yet so I didn't say anything. After a while, the pressure was more intense so I told the nurse about it. She checked me and sure enough, I was fully dilated and ready to push.

They got the room set up and let my doctor know (who was in a meeting of course!) and my nurse had me push a couple of times. My doctor made it in and it was serious go-time!! After pushing for just 6 minutes, we had a healthy baby girl!

9:58 am- Madison was born!! It was such a fast delivery and I am so very thankful for that! She was immediately put on my chest and then whisked away to get weighed and measured. Healthy baby weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long.

Later that afternoon, we got transferred into a regular room and when Brayden woke up from his nap, my dad brought him to the hospital to meet Madison.

The next day, we went home at about 1:00 in the afternoon! It was whirlwind of a couple of days and it has been crazy ever since!

Big Brother Shirt and Gift!!

In hopes of making Brayden excited when his little sister arrives, I made him a Big Brother shirt to wear to the hospital. I was originally planning on just purchasing a shirt but apparently I am WAY too cheap for that. All the cute shirts I liked were in the $25 price range. I am just not willing to spend that kind of money on a shirt he will only wear one time! 

So my solution was to make one. I made a trip to Target and purchased a plain white shirt for $5 and then headed to the craft aisle to see how I could add the "Big Brother" part. I was thinking puffy paints but the only puffy paints they had were glittery...ugh! 

My next best option was fabric markers. At only $5 for the markers, I guess I couldn't really complain. I was a little nervous to write on the new shirt because there wasn't any room for error. Well I guess I could buy another shirt but that would sort of defeat the purpose of me being cheap. I sketched out my design on paper and practiced making the G because that isn't an easy letter for me to do in bubble letters. 

Overall, I am pretty happy with the way it turned out! I used blue and orange because it will match the plaid shorts I have for him to wear.

You'll also notice the basket of stuff. This is a gift to Brayden from Madison. She bought him all of his favorite things...Teddy Grams, Apple Strawberry squeezies, a book, a monster water bottle, a play dinosaur and a Toy Story play camera (not pictured). 

I am hoping this will help to ease the tension during our time at the hospital. I know it will be weird for Brayden to be in the hospital and for Mommy to be resting in bed. I think this will make Brayden excited for his little sister (at least for the day) and I hope he takes lots of really great "pictures" with his camera.

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks!

It's kind of frightening that this COULD be my last bumpdate post. My doctor thinks I will have Madison between 38 & 39 weeks...which is THIS week! Yikes! We will just have to wait and see if she is right. I go back to my doctor tomorrow to check my fluid and to see if I am dilated any more.

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: +20 pounds total

-Gender: GIRL! Madison Kay.

-Nursery: We finally ordered a glider yesterday so now we are just waiting for it to arrive. I really hope it gets here before Madison but we will see!

-Movement: She is starting to slow down a little bit but she still twists her booty all over the place and makes my stomach completely crooked.

-Clothing: Maternity dresses and skirts lately to keep cool. Some regular tanks still fit over my bump (like in the picture above!).

-Cravings: Fruit. Since it's been so hot, nothing warm to eat sounds good. Just nice, cold fruit!

-Overall Feeling: Mostly tired but I do get bursts of energy and clean around the house. I just cleaned my ceiling fans the other day and that felt great! Now I just need to make sure I vacuum, clean the bathrooms and then wet swiffer the floors. Then I will feel good about Madison coming this week! Oh and I am also completely emotional! I rocked Brayden to sleep for his nap the other day because we were really struggling and when I looked down and he was actually asleep on my chest, it totally brought me to tears! It has been over a year since he has fallen asleep on me while being rocked. It was a really sweet moment until I went to put him in his crib and he started crying. I immediately remembered why I don't rock him to sleep anymore. It was a sweet moment though! 

-Fears: No fears this week really. I do have a small feeling of sadness that Brayden will no longer be my only child. I am very excited to be bringing another child into the world but Brayden has been my only concern for the last two years. He is my whole world and now I am going to have to share that world with a little girl. I am overjoyed and a little sad at the same time. Brayden has been a little extra attached lately so I think he knows something is coming. I hope we can all adjust quickly and make this new journey an amazing one!

Relaxing on Maddie while drinking his morning milk!

The boy loves his bubble baths!!