Life with Two Sweet Girls

And what a week it has been! This past week I was supposed to a) finish out a nice Spring Break with Audrey b) get all the last minute baby and school stuff done and c) work a couple days before going in for my induction. Instead I have a one week old baby girl! WOW.

Where to start...my hospital stay was amazing. Family came to visit us later in the afternoon on Thursday. Chris stayed with me overnight even though we sent Abby to the nursery. They kept her from 11:30-6:00 am...it was awesome to get a full night's rest. I began pumping that morning. Chris went home to take care of things and then brought Audrey back for some family time, just the four of us.










Chris took her back home in time for her nap. We figured it would be nice for he and Audrey to get home and settled before Abby and I came home. He got a bunch of things done around the house and I relaxed with Abby at the hospital. I had more visitors that evening and again I sent Abby to the nursery overnight. This time they kept her from about 10:30 until much later the next morning. Chris came with Audrey to take us home on Saturday. I got the TDAP shot (for prevention of Whooping Cough) and we were discharged!








Saturday was our first day home. It was a gorgeous day and even though I was excited to get home, I was a little sad about leaving the hospital. It was a little too real, seeing two little girls in our back seat. Once we were home Chris fed Abigail and I fed Audrey before putting her down for a nap. Abby pretty much stayed on a 2 hour feeding schedule. We'd give her colostrum first, then formula. The first night was rough because I kept her in the living room while I tried to sleep on the couch. She had spit up a lot over the past couple days and I had been advised to keep her upright as much as possible. So she went back and forth between the bouncer and the swing...but between pumping and feeding I didn't get much sleep!

The past few days and nights have been much better. Our wonderful friends sent us their co-sleeper and I started using it on night 2. What a difference! Just sleeping in my own bed, even for short periods of time felt amazing. Abby will go about 3 hours between feedings and I'm pumping every 2-3 hours...milk is fully in and I have a nice stockpile in the fridge already.

She is VERY sleepy during the day. I keep her in the living room where it’s bright and noisy but she sleeps through it all! It does make caring for Audrey easier (and getting things done around the house, and pumping every 2 hours, etc.) I’m already looking forward to the day she is sleep trained like her big sister ☺



First trip to the doctor 5/3/11 (weighed 7lb 5 oz and got her Hep B shot)

Audrey gets more and more interested in her each day. We usually have to prod her to come see the baby or give the baby a kiss. She’s her usual happy self and has been so good! Still sticking to her routine and just as fun as always. She seems so big to us now! She helps me out a lot during the day. I ask her to get me things or put things away. I try to involve her as much as possible in whatever I’m doing. So far, so good!





This time around definitely seems easier. We’re just taking it one day at a time and every day has been good. I feel fine, not overly exhausted (and so far no baby blues!) Chris does so much…he comes home from work and cooks wonderful dinners, cleans up, and is completely hands-on with both girls. That goes a long way!

I love being home and lucky for me summer is right around the corner!

Birth Story Part IV (Final!)

The BIG Moment!

Finally Dr K arrived and my bed was set up. He took a look at me and said he could see a bit of the baby’s head! He told me that he or she has dark hair and had Chris take a look. He told me to push the next time I had a contraction…but I hadn’t been feeling any contractions! So Sandra told me when I started to have one, and I pushed about twice through it. Everyone was so great cheering me on but Chris was awesome! I mostly focused on his voice. He was just so encouraging and he himself sounded SO in awe and SO excited!

We waited and then another contraction came…I gave two very hard pushes and the baby was out! I can’t even describe the feelings I was having…all the waiting and speculating were finally over! I anxiously looked at the baby’s lower parts (but I couldn’t help notice the dark, dark hair!!) Immediately I saw…”It’s a girl!” we all said together. It was such an incredible moment…we had another daughter! Abigail Mae born at 9:35 am weighing only 7 lbs and 11 oz. She was making very little noise and all I could do was revel in the fact that we had ANOTHER GIRL! Best surprise EVER ☺


Chris finally brought her to me...he was immediately in love with her!

I was shocked to see a tiny, dark haired, not-swollen baby!


Chris started snapping pictures and going back and forth between Abby and me. The nurses were doing their thing, checking her out and tapping her all over trying to get her to cry more. She received an 8 and then a 9 on Apgars because she was so quiet. They gave her to me and I just stared at her…she was incredibly tiny and so cute! She latched on right away and nursed for nearly 45 minutes.



My mom had been at the hospital since 5 am and now more family had arrived; my SIL and niece, and then my IL’s with Audrey. I could not wait to see her! Chris brought her in first. She was so happy to see me but a little taken aback by the tiny baby I was nursing. After a few minutes everyone else came in to meet our sweet girl. I was still nursing so they didn’t get to hold her…she was taken to the nursery and I was ordered to eat ☺


Our first picture as a family of four...Audrey didn't know what was going on, lol.

My mom stuck around and got to see Abby get her first bath. Meanwhile I had pancakes and bacon- but I must’ve eaten too fast because I immediately felt sick and was very close to losing it all. I rested for a bit and the nurse who came to transport me came in. My epidural had been so strong that I could not put any weight on my left leg, I could barely even feel it. So I spent a little more time in L&D. Chris left to take care of the dogs, shower, and rest a bit.

Once I was able to get up (I was still super wobbly) the nurse helped me wash up and roll me to the Mother & Baby unit. I got settled into room 3108 and got some rest. I felt so peaceful and relaxed. I drifted off to sleep thinking about our sweet new daughter and Audrey Cate. How very lucky we were!

Birth Story Part III

Let’s Do This!

2:25 am- We got to the hospital and walked up to L&D where we checked into a triage room. The nurse who helped deliver Audrey walked in! Betty got all of my health history and Dana (the midwife who I'd spoken to earlier on the phone) did the internal. By now it was about 3 am and I was a “stretchy” 3 cm dilated and the baby was down. I found that hard to believe because I still felt her up sooo high! Contractions were pretty uncomfortable now and I kept leaking water.


Waiting in triage for “Number Two!”

4:00 am- We got checked into room 3075, and met our nurse. IV was inserted and someone came to draw my blood for the lab. I was still having contractions and even though they were still minutes apart they were VERY intense. I had to really breathe through each one. As time went by they got worse and I was nearly crying through the last few. I had to wait until I’d gone through 2 bags of fluid and for my blood work to come back before the anesthesiologist would come (ETA: 30 MINS.)

4:30 am- Dr. Wood was awesome! A totally goofy doctor who seriously had a joke for everything. I sat up and faced the nurse who helped hold me as I curved my back. The epi went in and took mostly to the left side. I rolled over on my right to get the meds flowing. It was so weird to feel contractions on one side and not the other! After about 15 minutes my left was completely numb but I could still feel and move my right leg and foot. Dr. Wood gave me a stronger medicine and that did the trick! Within minutes everything was numb and my entire lower body felt like lead. My catheter was inserted and I was so ready for rest!


Feeling good!

5:50 am- Epi is in full effect, I was 4 cm and could.not.sleep! Chris and I tried to get some rest but we were just too excited! I’d almost doze off, then I’d be wide awake again.

My dr was supposed to be in that morning at 8:00 (I was supposed to have a regular appt with him at 10 right next door!) They called and told him I was in labor and he wanted to know if I could wait for him. Of course, I said! I was in no hurry…I was feeling great and really hoping to get some sleep (I never did, lol.) Dr. K called around 8:30 to say he was stuck in traffic. Meanwhile I got a new nurse, Sandra…she was so amazing! I just loved her. I was checked and told the baby was RIGHT THERE. Dana said if I opened my legs the baby would probably slide right out! I felt her getting lower and lower every few minutes and it did feel like she was going to slide out on her own!

I ran over the names in my head...Abigail Mae and Benjamin Scott. Soon we'd know which one we were about to meet. We were so thrilled the big moment was finally here...

Birth Story Part II

To Grandmother’s house we go!

As we drove to Grandma’s I started watching the clock. My contractions were a bit more intense and about 8-10 minutes apart. The drive down Rt 2 is long enough…and then we hit roadwork! A paving crew had the road blocked off. Chris pulled around the truck and we rolled down our window. The guy explained that we had to wait for the truck to turn around. We explained that we were having a baby! “Oh my goodness!” He had the most surprised look on his face! We only waited a few minutes (thank GOD I wasn’t in hard labor!) and then we were on our way again.




We got to Grandma’s and Audrey (who was pretty much awake at this point) immediately asked for pancakes, lol. Luckily she went right to sleep when we laid her down. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to hold her and kiss her and tell her how much I loved her…and that even though we were leaving to go have the baby she’d always be my very special girl. But time was ticking and so I settled for a very shortened version of goodbye.

We made a stop by 7-11 for Chris…he needed coffee and antacids. As I waited in the car, another car parked beside me and the man who got out must’ve looked at me before heading inside. He saw Chris at the counter and said, “Congratulations!” Chris told him that we were actually on our way to have the baby. The cashier said, “Well, honey, you’re not moving fast enough!” And we were on our way again…

Birth Story Part I

Did my water REALLY just break?
Wednesday 4/27/11

I usually go to bed shortly after Audrey but I couldn’t fall asleep. Chris came to bed and we talked for awhile about the baby and how excited we were. Eventually around 11:00 I decided to get up for awhile. I sat at the computer and worked on my sub plans when I suddenly felt a small gush. I waddled to the bathroom, mortified. No friggin way had my water broke…did I pee myself? I was so hoping I had just peed myself.

I called Chris into the bathroom. He’d only been asleep for an hour so he was pretty out of it. He said that since I wasn’t having contractions, it probably wasn’t my water. I wasn’t so sure, but I changed and went back to lesson planning. Then it happened again a few minutes later! I called my SIL in a panic. She convinced me to call my OB citing that if in fact my water did break, the baby needs to be born within 12-24 hours. Damn it!

I woke up Chris again and told him I thought my water really did break and that I was calling the doctor. He was still pretty tired and said, “Ok, well, I’ll be waiting for the good news!” Okaaaay, lol. I called the answering service and Dana the midwife called right back. She said I definitely needed to come in. Instead of waking Chris up right away I decided to get everything packed. I ran around like mad putting last minute things in my suitcase, packing Audrey’s overnight bag, and tidying up. That’s when the contractions started…not painful and I didn’t bother timing them.

I finally woke up Chris. He still wasn’t convinced! “We don’t have to go just yet! Why don’t you come to bed for a bit.” UGH! I put his hand on my rock hard belly and said, “I’m having contractions…we need to go!” He shot right up and that’s when it seemed to hit him. He showered while I called my MIL to tell her it was time. My contractions started to get more intense but not too bad. I honestly felt like we had plenty of time. And I was still in shock that this was happening already. I thought I had another week! We put the bags in the car, grabbed Audrey and headed off to my MIL’s house.

It's a GIRL!!

Abigail Mae was born Thursday, April 28th at 9:35 am. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 19 in long. She is beautiful, healthy and sweet. I'll be posting the birth story soon...we are all doing well and tonight is our first night home together as a family of four. We are very, very blessed!

Water has broken....I think!

So, I'm about to wake up Chris for the 3rd time tonight...Around 11:30 I felt a small gush and I swear I thought I peed myself. I woke up Chris but he assured me that since I'm not having contractions that my water didn't break. BabyCenter.com says differently! I waited awhile and wouldn't you know, a slow and steady leak...I woke him up again (after calling my SIL to FREAK OUT!) and told him I was calling the OB line. "Ok, just let me know...I'll be waiting for the good news!" And back to sleep he went, lol. They want me to come in...I just finished packing my bag, Audrey's bag and tidying up. I'm in shock and denial but at the same time SO FREAKING EXCITED!

We may have a baby tomorrow :)

Spring Break: Day 3....CMoR!

What a great day we had- just girls! Sarah and Bella came over this morning and we set off for the children's museum. The girls had so much fun...they played at the water table (and got soaked!), they liked the castle and pirate ship, and they rode the safari train. Audrey wasn't a huge fan of the train but at least she tried! They also painted beautiful pictures.








I was starting to feel a little weak and winded towards the end (low blood sugar) so we went to lunch at Longhorns. Lunch with two 2-year olds is very interesting! The girls were great (minus the random "Chicken Butt" they'd yell across the table at each other, LOL.) They were sooo funny in the car. Audrey would say some silly word and Bella would crack up. They were so entertaining :)

When we got home we took a nap and then Audrey helped me put together the new baby swing. She was an awesome helper! She kept all the screws together, brought me tools and was great company.





A week from tonight I *hopefully* go in for my induction. So hard to believe the end is near. I see my dr again tomorrow, possibly for the last time. I'm torn about whether to have him strip my membranes...I don't want to go into labor anytime soon, but if I do go in for an induction I'd like to be more dilated than 1-2! I'll probably chicken out and just wait. Anything can happen between now and May 4th :)

Spring Break: Days 1 and 2

Monday was great- my only plans were to get a few things knocked off the to-do list and spend time with Miss Audrey. I'm definitely to the point where I can only be on my feet for so long before I need a break! I set up Audrey's art easel from Uncle Craig and she absolutely loves it...I just need to stock up on dry erase markers and chalk.




After her nap we had lunch and went for a bike ride...it was so warm and I was so tired, just from walking up the street! I needed a nap when we came back...instead we played in the baby's nursery (at her request.) She likes to play music on the play table and when I start singing along she immediately shuts it off- I pretend to be shocked and she cracks up. It's too funny!!


Today was busy! We met my family for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then went to my OB appt. I was a little nervous about taking her along but she was amazing! First we did the BPP and the baby still looks great. Then I did another NST...I had to lay there for about 20 minutes and Audrey was perfectly content sitting in her stroller and playing with the ipod.

After the dr did the internal he informed me that I'm still 1-2 cm dilated, same as last week. He offered to strip my membranes, which I immediately declined. I still remember how torturous it was with Audrey and I'm just not ready to move things along just yet. I started losing my MP yesterday but other than that I feel good, just huge :)

He also informed me that my induction date is not "set in stone." I'll have to call the afternoon of the 4th to see if L&D can take me...so much for planning! I really don't want to take Wednesday off if I don't have to; on the other hand, I should probably quit while I'm ahead. Having the last few days off has made a big difference...I'm definitely not as sore and I'm feeling less anxious about everything. I'll be glad to wrap up Monday and Tuesday.

Tomorrow we're going to the children's museum in Richmond with Aunt Sarah and cousin Bella. We are so excited! She had so much fun when we went last summer, but I think she'll get a lot more out of it this time. I have another appt on Thursday and I'm being treated to a pedi by my awesome SIL :) I'm hoping Friday will be a nice, relaxing day at home with my sweet girl.

Easter Weekend

It was a great weekend...made even better knowing that I didn't have to go to work this week!

Audrey didn't have dance on Saturday, so we took our time getting ready to go grocery shopping. When we got back home we both took long naps and after lunch we headed outside with dad to finally ride her tricycle outdoors!


Earlier in the week we went to Target and she picked out her helmet. She loves it!




Dad does fun things like pop wheelies :)



Easter Sunday was very memorable. Audrey found her Easter basket waiting for her on the front porch. Just like Momma, she wanted to open her chocolate bunny immediately :)




We went to Grandma & Grandpa's house where we had a big breakfast and egg hunt




After a nap we decorated eggs with cousin Bella



After dinner Aunt Sarah played with the bubble wand...the girls ran around and wore themselves out!




Audrey was exhausted when we got home; she had a quick dinner, milk and watched some TV. I'm extremely thankful that this is Spring Break...I plan on resting and nesting :)

Boy or Girl?

One of the most fun things about not knowing the baby's sex is hearing other people's guesses. I keep going back and forth between boy and girl.

I'd love to have another girl so that Audrey can have a sister who she will hopefully bond with and stay close to as they grow older.

I'd love to have a boy so that Chris can have a little buddy and I can keep Audrey as my one and only special little girl.

Soon enough we'll know just who Baby Burns is...either way I'm hoping for a healthy baby!

What do you think Baby Burns will be?

What will Baby Burns be?
	A boy
	A girl
pollcode.com free polls

Mother of the Year

Just the other day I was thinking about how explicit songs on the radio are...you can't really listen to a radio station for 10 minutes without the mention of sex in a song. I know this is nothing new, but now that I'm a parent it stands out much more. I've mostly thought about my kids at school and how much they listen to, but now apparently I have to worry about my own kid! Imagine my surprise when she started singing this the other day, "Nah nah nah nah, come on, come on, come on...I like it, like it!"

Um, yeah...S&M by Rhianna. It's on the radio all the time and sooo catchy. I should've known it was a matter of time before she started singing part of it. At least it wasn't any of the really bad parts.

Does this mean I have to start listening to Kids Bop? Because that makes me want to shoot myself in.the.face.

I MADE IT!

Today was our last day of school before Spring Break :) Good thing, too, because my body is definitely telling me it's almost time. My ribs ache, I have awful cramps in different areas of my lower body and there are times where it feels like the baby is scratching my cervix...like, trying to scratch its way out...it's quite an alarming feeling!

But I haven't dropped and according to Dr K I'm only 1 cm dilated. I had a great appt yesterday...BPP was great and they did a NST which was also good. I'm up to 40 units of insulin before bed and 10 with breakfast. I dropped off my 24 hr urine sample and they took about 6 gallons of blood. They're checking for something with my kidneys...I wish I could give more details but at this point I'm so sick of doctors and needles and complications, I just don't want to bother. I have to go back twice next week for BPPs and OB visits...and the week after that is induction time! I must say, the closer we get the more excited I get...a little less anxious, a little more excited. I'm hoping to have a restful break with sweet Audrey Cate and then Baby Burns can make his or her appearance anytime after that!

Peri Appointment

I left school early and made a quick stop by Panera before meeting Chris at the doctor (I needed my mac and cheese fix!) After filling out a bunch of forms we had a quick sonogram (2d, nothing spectacular) and the tech took a bunch of measurements. I told her right away we didn't want to know the sex and she was great about not saying anything...but then she looked for herself!! She asked if our first child was a girl or boy. When we told her it was a girl she said, "Oh, good." WHAT?!? What does that MEAN?? We were laughing about it after she left the room b/c we were totally analyzing her comment. "Good" as in it's a boy and we'll now have one of each? Or "good" as in we already have girl stuff? Who knows (well, she knows, but at least we don't!) She asked us what our predictions were as far as weight- we were guessing in the higher 7 lb range. Turns out the baby weighs 6 lbs 15 oz. And her margin of error is just a few ounces, so I think we're looking at a normal sized baby!

After she left the doctor came in and looked over the measurements. He confirmed that everything looked great and then had us meet with him in the conference room. That's when I started to worry...on TV they always give bad news back in the doctor's office. He just wanted to go over my sugar levels and he was concerned that they are still high in the mornings and after breakfast. He thinks I may have had diabetes before becoming pregnant and wants some tests done (FRICK!) So after our appt I ended up going to my OB's office and picking up a 24 hour urine collection container...OMFG that things is huge, bright orange and I was mortified to be carrying it out of the office! I have to collect my urine tonight and tomorrow, then have blood drawn tomorrow afternoon when I go for my regular OB appt. He definitely wants me delivering between 39-40 weeks and he wants the BPP done twice a week instead of once. He prescribed a different kind of insulin (in addition to the insulin I'm already taking) that I now need to take with my breakfast...that's 2 shots a day now...UGH! Bright side- in exactly 2 weeks from today we'll be heading in for the induction. WOW!

It's been a rough evening though...I'm having major pulls in my groin area and my butt, back, and thighs are cramping up when I walk. I haven't dropped but I sure am uncomfortable! I just need to make it through these next two days of school...as much as I'm looking forward to Spring Break, it also means saying good bye to my kids which I'm so dreading. I'm secretly hoping that I do in fact make it to our induction date and maybe if I'm feeling well enough I can go back to work for those 2 days after break...only time will tell!

Post Summary: Diabetes sucks. Baby is awesome. I am *almost* ready for this to be over.

Early Easter Egg Hunt

Easter isn't until next Sunday, but I figured there wasn't any harm in letting Audrey do an egg hunt a little early. Plus it was gorgeous outside today! On Easter we're going over to Grandma's house to dye eggs and have an egg hunt with cousin Bella...now THAT will be fun!

Before she took her nap I brought out the bunny basket and the eggs. She played with them for a bit and eventually lost interest. When she was napping I filled the eggs with her favorite candy (M&Ms!) and put them in the grass. When she woke up I showed her the empty bunny basket..."Oh no! Where did the eggs go?!" I asked her. I pointed outside to where I had laid one egg on the porch. She quickly caught on and it took her all but 2 minutes to find the eggs once we were out in the grass.

When we got back to the porch we opened each egg and she ate all of the M&Ms. Success!


Ready to go!









This time next year we'll have two kids looking for eggs on our front lawn!

37 weeks and what a difference!

I had another BP and Dr appointment this week. I weighed in at 151 and b/p is good. More importantly, Baby Burns looks good! The tech estimated him/her to be 7lbs 4 0z. I was shocked! That seems big already. On Wednesday we have the level 2 fetal scan at the perinatologist. We should get a much better estimate of the baby's size then.

I've definitely slowed down a lot this week. I have a sharp pain that runs down my lower right back, into my butt and leg. And- how's this for weird- really sharp pains in my pelvic floor...it's the oddest feeling and very uncomfortable. Braxton Hicks are becoming more frequent, lasting longer and feel more uncomfortable. With all of this I'm still hoping and praying this baby stays put until May. I would really like to spend next week with my students and finish preparing for my sub; I really, really want to enjoy Spring Break as a family of 3 for the last time.

It's so different from being pregnant with Audrey...I could not wait for her to arrive. This time I'm so anxious and nervous and I feel so bad about that! I'm so excited to meet our sweet new child but my anxiety feels like it's overshadowing the excitement. Chris doesn't feel that way at all, so it's nice to have someone around here who feels ready :) He keeps assuring me that Audrey will be so excited and happy to have the baby here...I can only hope!

It never occurred to me that the baby could come early...but with as uncomfortable as I've been this week I'm going to finish packing my hospital bag tonight. In the event that I do get induced, turns out I'll be going in on the afternooon of May 4th. They'll give me cervidil to soften my cervix and that stays in for 12 hours. I was told by a nurse friend of mine that it can make you crampy but with the help of ambien and fentanyl I can get a good night's sleep. The next morning the cervidil comes out and pitocin is started. So we're looking at a May 5th due date :)

My in-laws are keeping Audrey and they are so great...my MIL said they'd bring her to the hospital as much as I wanted. There are no restrictions with visitors so I'm hoping they can spend some time the night I go in and then of course the next day when the baby is born!

As far as the sex, I honestly have no feeling one way or the other. Since I'm carrying differently it makes me think boy. But then again I didn't have morning sickness and everything else has been the same as when I was pregnant with Audrey. I haven't even had baby dreams! I'm just content in not knowing until the big day. The moment Audrey was born was so incredible and one of the best memories I have; I'm so very excited to do it again!


The face of a very excited soon-to-be Big Sister!

36 weeks

I had a super wonderful 1 hour massage on Friday night (thank you Christopher!!) The therapist worked mostly on my back, neck, shoulders, and feet. It was heavenly! I felt so relaxed that I started to worry about going into labor right there on the table :)

I felt great as we walked around the zoo yesterday. I hardly felt 36 weeks pregnant. Then I came home and cleaned the floors- big mistake! My back started aching so bad and although I took a long hot bath last night I woke up with the same pain this morning which resonated down my backside. Not so great when you have to go grocery shopping with a 2 year old, drop off the dog for a grooming appointment and pick up a baby mattress from the store! I started 30 units of insulin last night and when I tested my blood sugar this morning it was 78...wooo hooo!

I've been sleeping well and have no issues other than the back pain. I'm definitely moving a little slower but all in all I'm feeling wonderful! Today I set up the crib and cleaned out the remaining clutter in the nursery. I washed the infant car seat and unpacked the Stokke bassinet seat. Next weekend I think we'll install the car seat bases and set up the Pack and Play. I want to order a new swing (the Snug a Bunny) and consign our old one. I have to get new nipples for our Dr Brown's bottles and new pump parts. And I'm hoping to order a co-sleeper. Still so much to do, and that's just at home! At school I'll be busy with report cards and parent conferences...not to mention getting things ready for my sub.

I have another BP and dr appt on Thursday. Hopefully things are still looking great. I need every bit of the next 3 weeks!