Olivia Rose

Olivia Rose

8/7/2012

7lbs. 5 oz.

19 in.

 

On August 7, 2012, welcomed our 2nd child, Olivia Rose, to our family. I had a scheduled c-section at 2pm. I was 39 weeks pregnant.  We checked into the hospital at 11am, and I had my parents watch B for us. Around 12:30, they brought B to the hospital, since she was fighting a nap at home.

My parents, Michelle, and Kris all came to visit before the surgery.  At 2:00pm, they began the surgery.  They had Jeff wait in the room, while I was in the OR getting the epidural.  I wish he was there with me.  I started getting very emotional, because he wasn't in there with me.  Once he arrived, I began crying.  I can't really explain why.....I was scared, excited, anxious....a little bit of every emotion.  The anesthesiologist was great and calmed me down and got my mind off the surgery aspect.  It all happened very quickly.  I remember them pushing on me a lot, and then they asked Jeff to get his camera ready.....which wasn't quite ready....LOL!  At 2:32pm, I heard Olivia cry, and I knew everything was OK.  Once I actually got to see her sweet face, I fell in love, and began crying again.  I felt so thankful that she was healthy and everything went so well.

They allowed Jeff to take lots of pics and even allowed him to cut the umbilical cord, after the doctors did the initial cut.  The nurses even took some great pics for us.

We went back to our room with our new baby girl, and spent a little bit of time together.  I tried nursing her and she immediately latched on great!  That's my girl!  Soon after, I was ready to see our families.  My parents came in with Brynley, as well as my sisters and Nancy.  Brynley wasn't really sure what to think about Olivia.  She knew she was a baby, but didn't really understand much more.  We then got settled into our new room and we also saw Jennifer, Kris and Mike as well.  Later that evening, Jerry came to meet Olivia too. I was thankful Cassidy Ortleb was with Wendy, because she helped watch B a lot during the surgery. 

After all the visitors left, we rested and spent time with Olivia.  She received her 1st bath around 8:30pm, that evening.  Jeff got to take pics.  I remembered how good the hospital food was, but quickly remembered that I wasn't allowed solid food until the next day....BOO!  That evening, Jeff slept on the couch.  Most of the night, I held Olivia.  She actually slept  a lot.  That first night was tough though, because so many nurses are coming and going checking on you.  I didn't get much sleep at all.  The nurses were helpful and would always change Olivia's diaper for me, since I couldn't get out of bed/ move yet. 

The next morning, I was eager to order breakfast!   The Olympics were going on in London while we were in the hospital, so I was able to watch a lot of the footage while we were in the hospital.  I was pretty tired to so I did rest a lot this day.  Wendy came to visit us during her lunch break, and it was nice seeing her.  My day nurse on day 2, was AMAZING!  Her name was La.  She was so helpful and patient.  My pain level really started to set in on this day.  She asked if I was ready to have the epidural taken out, which also meant I could have my catheter taken out as well.  By having all of this taken out, I couldn't then walk around.  The sooner I was up and moving, the sooner I could get home. La helped me stand and everything that first time.  She was SOOO great!  Later that evening, she also helped me shower, which was so refreshing, but extremely painful. 

After the hospital's "nap" time (1-4pm), Kris brought Brynley up to the hospital.  My parents came to meet her and switch off, as they were watching her the next 2 days for us.  Brynley got to sit with mommy and see Olivia.  She still wasn't so sure about her.  It was great to see B; I really missed her.  Jeff took her down to a play area to spend some time with her.  That evening, Michelle and Will came to visit, as well as Jennifer and John.  Jeff went home for a couple hours that night to shower and rest.  This night was pretty tough on me.....Jeff slept all night and didn't ever really wake up, except one time to pick up Olivia for me.  It was still VERY hard to move around, so I just held Olivia all night and slept with her in my arms.  If I knew she needed a diaper change, I would wait until a nurse came in to help change her since I still couldn't get up with out a lot of help.

The 3rd day, the pain was starting to subside a little.  Lesley came to visit this day.  She was so sweet and brought the girls each a blanket.  My parents also came to bring Brynley to visit us. Later that evening, all the Rosenfelds came to visit.  Mike took the kids to "Build-A-Bear", and the kids picked out a monkey for Olivia.  They named her Mr. Cuddles.  They are so sweet!  That evening, Jeff left again late that evening, and actually just stayed at home for the night.  I figured he wasn't really needed to help me, since I was depending on the nurses a lot to help, plus, I was able to move a little bit better on my own.  He was very uncomfortable, plus I wanted him to check on the house and Sadie.  I asked the baby's nurse, if Olivia could stay in the nursery for one 3 hour period so I could get some solid sleep.  It actually ended up being a 4 hour stretch of sleep....which was so nice!

On our 4th day (Friday), we knew we were able to leave this day around 11:00am.  We just had to wait and see all of the doctors to be released.  We got home around noon, and my parents brought Brynley to meet us at our house.  They also brought us food!  It was hard getting B down for a nap.  We eventually got all settled in and started to get into a routine.  Olivia actually slept fairly well the first two nights- more than 3 hour stretches.  Soon after the first 2 nights, she began getting up every 3 hours.

The next day, Saturday, we had lots of visitors.  My entire family and Jennifer and John came to visit.  It was fun seeing everyone and they brought food!  I was still in lots of pain, and it was very hard for me to take it easy.  Even after 5 days when my meds ran out, I called the Dr for more meds.  A week later, I was ready to drive again and get out of the house.  That first week home, my mom came to stay with me to help with Brynley and the baby.  She came on Tuesday-Thursday.  She was very helpful!

The first month with Olivia was pretty tough, since we also have a  20 month old toddler.  Jeff spent most of the first week or two on the couch so he could try to get a good night's sleep, since he had to work.  I also began taking Brynley to daycare that 3rd week, 2x a week, to give her some time with her friends, and so I can stay sane!  Jeff has been very helpful with Brynley, giving her lots more attention, since I'm more occupied with Olivia.... especially with nursing.  It's been tough on Brynley, since there is someone new who it taking up a lot of my attention.  She is a bit jealous, especially when I nurse and I can't give her my full attention.  B has tried to hit Olivia a few times out of frustration, and has hit me a few times too. We have been trying to teach B to be gentle with her sister, and I'm sure in no time, they'll be great friends!!
 With all of these sleepless nights, and exhausting days with two kids under two.....I wouldn't change any of it!  We love our girls!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer 2012

Summer 2012 with the Reeves Family

(June- August)

 

Brynley has been keeping us on our toes this summer.  Since I teach school, I have the wonderful opportunity to stay at home with our little pumpkin.  This is my first summer, to NOT teach any camps or summer school.  I am looking forward to spending quality time with B before the baby comes.  I am trying to keep her on a schedule everyday to provide some structure like she is at daycare.  She has become more independent, however, she still loves for me to be right near her when she plays.  If we aren't near her, she has started to grab our hands and will drag us to her requested destination.....usually on the floor, which is never comfortable being 8-9 months pregnant!  

 

 

Brynley- Our Big Girl

We moved Brynley to her "Big Girl room" this summer. We actually started the transition on June 11th.  We also decided to go ahead and use this tranistion time to stop the rocking before bedtime as well as her one bottle in the evening.  She LOVES her night-time bottle, so I have worried that this would be hard on her and us!  I just packed away all the bottles and she hasn't really thought much different.  She just doesn't drink as much milk anymore, which will probably will help with her weight- 97th%. :) 

 

 

Overall, the transition went GREAT!  The first night she cried for about an hour, and has decreased every night.  She never even tries to get out of bed at night time.  Naps.....well that has been a bit more challenging, but it has actually gotten better as the summer has gone on.  At nap time, I just lay her in bed and walk away.  She never even cries.  She likes to play in there for sometimes up to an hour at nap time.  She LOVES her big girl room!  She likes to spend a lot of time in there.  I added book shelves, and she has really enjoyed those and reads much more.  On June 18th, she woke up with her 1st black eye.  She must have done it at some point during the night.  I felt like such a bad mommy, but I guess it's going to happen.  I am going to try to add bumpers to her rails to prevent it from occuring again.  Poor baby.....
 

We have started to have B brush her teeth more regularly and we have her do it at the sink, like a big girl.  She loves it!  She also loves to tell us to do it with her.  She perfers to suck the water off the toothbrush, so teaching her to actually brush her teeth is a slow process. I always brush them for her at the end.  For now, I am just glad she enjoys the event.

 

We have continued to go to The Little Gym this summer.  B loves it and I think she has learned a lot.  Her balance is much better and I like that she can be around so many other kids her age.  She tends to roam around much more than other kids, because she perfers to explore. We moved her up to the next class- The Beasts, once she turned 19 months old.  I think this level class is much better for her.  Once the baby comes, we will take a break from activities, but we definitely plan to get her back into something in the Winter.

B at The Little Gym

We have spent a lot of time at Mama and Papa Easler's pool this summer.  B loves the water!  She has no fear and loves to jump in.  This worries me quite a but as I have to be right near her at all times.  Hopefully she learn how to swim independently by next summer.  My parents bought her a water table, which we just keep there, and she LOVES to play with that a lot.

I took B to Safari Kids and met Quisha and her girls too. 
Brynley had a "ball"!! 

 Ally's 9th birthday party

 

Every week, I have tried to do something fun with Brynley everyday.  We started going to the Library 1-2x a week towards the end of June.  She loves going to the library!  We also go to Mama and Papa Easler's to swim 1-2x a week as well.  My parents even converted the bottom twin bunk bed to a toddler bed (added a rail guard) for Brynley to use for naps and sleep overs.  I have also taken Brynley to eat lunch with daddy, to Safari Kids with my co-worker, swimming at my friend's pool (Kristi Beaty) two times, and to Petsmart and Petco to see dogs and other animals.  My parents took her to Pump it Up one day as well.  We also went to the park a few times this summer, but it's been SOOOO hot outside, so I try to avoid that, unless it's early in the morning.

We also did some fun activties with Daddy this summer.  During 4th of July weekend, Jeff took off a few days, so we took Brynley to the Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall.  The weekend before we had Olivia (August 4th), we took Brynley to the Circus.  She loved it!!

The Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall

 

 

 

 Riding the Carousel at Grapevine Mills Mall

Brynley LOVED the Circus!

 

 Michelle, my mom and I took Ally to Sweet and Sassy for her birthday!

My Pregnancy

I am in my thrid trimester now and still feeling pretty good; just very tired.  I think that is mainly due to chasing around a toddler.  B has no idea I am even pregnant, which is evident from her climbing all over me and even kicking my tummy when she is getting her diaper changed, which she despises.  I passed my glucose test again this pregnancy....yea!  We have officially decided on a name for our baby girl.....Olivia Rose.  We agreed on it while we were on our way to Florida.  We have kept B's old room as is for Baby Olivia.  All we had to do, was change out the letters over the crib. 

Overall, I still do not have any food aversions, nor cravings.  I do tend to lean towards carbs, and I am trying to enjoy all the foods that I otherwise think twice about when not pregnant.  This is probably resulting in my weight gain this pregnancy.  At 31 weeks, I was already at the delivery weight with B of 25 lbs total.  At 39 weeks, I had gained a total of 35 lbs....ouch!!  I still haven't actually "worked out" with this pregnancy.  I wasn't allowed to work out the first 20 weeks, due to the internal bleeding, and I have become very used to the idea of not working out....unfortunately. 

I love that I am able to share this pregnancy with my sister-in-law, Jennifer. We are so excited for her!  We found out mid- July, that Jennifer and John are expecting a baby BOY!!  We are so excited for them!

Jennifer and John's Gender Reveal Party

It's a BOY!!

 

My co-workers from Shepton threw me a wonderful baby shower at the start of the summer.  It was so great to see the whole gang back together again.  In mid- July, my ADTS friends threw me a small shower too, which was also a Hot Mamma's Party.  Also, in mid- July, my wonderful sisters and mother threw me a wonderful shower with my closest friends and family.  I feel so very blessed.  We recieved lots of diapers, wipes and books for Olivia.

Shepton Friends Shower

Family & Friend Shower 

 

 

Brynley's Personality

She is at a VERY fun age now, but also a very sassy age.  Her absolute favorite word is, "NO!"  She has also started to test us to see how we will respond to her actions.  She has occasionally hit other kids and even hits us to see what we will do.  I always try to redirect her and ask her to use "nice hands".  It's a slow process and doesn't seem to stop it much.  I have also reluctantly started "time outs" with Brynley.  It has worked very well so far, so I plan to continue to use them.  I usually only use them when she hits or does soemthing like throw her food after many times being told not to do so. Overall, I am loving her at this age.  It seems she learns more and more EVERYDAY!  I am probably biased, but I think she is very smart for her age.

 

 

 

 
"SIT DOWN!!"

 

 

B's favorite words

Her vocabulary has really begun to expand.  It's really quite amazing and I feel like her speech is pretty good for her age, but I don't really have anyone to compare her to.  Some of her new favorite words are:

No
airplane (especially when we are at Mama & Papa Easler's pool)
Sit down
Papa (she loves all of her Papas, and has recently started calling Jeff Papa too, instead of Dad-dy, like she used to do)
All Done
Up
Down
Nana (banana)
Apple
Aqua- water
Baby
Hat
Help
Phone
Oh No
Doggie
Elephant
Cat
Moo- (cow)
Diapey (diaper- she loves pretending with her baby dolls, which I hope is good practice for when baby Olivia comes!)
Trash
Snack (especially when we are in the car)
Say Si- (Sadie)
Family member names: Wowo, Shell, Ally, Will, and Yohn (John).  We are still owrking on Jenn, Michael and Mikey
LOVE YOU! (I taught her this one the end of July, and it melts my heart when she says it back to me)
 
She also knows the following animal sounds, which she learned towards then end of August:
moo, meow, woof woof, naay, ribit, etc.
 
Her comprehension is pretty amazing too.  When I ask her to do something, she completely understands.  Such a smart girl! Since she loves books so much now, I think that has really helped her vocabulary too.  When I ask where something is located in a book, she can easily point to it. Such a smart girl!!  This summer, I have been really trying to work with her on her words, especially using her manners- "please", "thank you", etc.  We have also been really practicing animals and their sounds, which she loves.....especially "nay!" (horse)

 

Brynley's Stats

20 months

30 lbs.

Spring 2012

Spring  2012 with the Reeves Family

 (March- May)

This spring, we have been blessed with great weather.  We have had a  very mild winter, and very breezy spring thus far. 

The month of March was very bittersweet.....full of ups and downs.  We also revealed the gender of our baby to our families.  We had a gender reveal party at my parent's home and cooked out & swam. 

It's a GIRL....again! 

YEA!  I am so excited we are having another girl.  Brynley is going to be a great big sister. 

 

On a sad note, March was a rather tough month for our families. In early March, Jeff found out that his dad has stage 4 lung cancer. We pray that he get better, but it has been really tough on Jeff. Also, this month, my Uncle Charles passed away on Monday, March 19th. He died at 3:30 in the afternoon in his home. He amazed us with his strength and will to live, as he battled pancreatic cancer for 5 years. We all drove down for the funeral on Friday. On our way down, we got a call saying that our grandfather had a bad fall and they thought he had pneumonia. We were all so worried, and felt helpless since we were out of town. After we got to Houston, we all met our relatives at Charles and Patti's house. My grandfather was progressively getting worse and it was suggested that my mom come home. The Peters family also went back to Dallas, while the Rosenfelds and us stayed in Houston for the funeral. We came home immediately after the funeral and went straight to the hospital. On Monday night, my grandfather passed away to be with my uncle and grandmother. It was such a tough couple of weeks, but I know they are in a better place. We miss them very much.

The day of my grandfather's funeral, we held the "celebration of his life" at my mom's home. So many family members and friends came. In fact, many people even swam in our parent's pool for the 1st time! I even let Brynley get in the hot tub for a little bit. After a lot of people left, some of the kids were still swimming. William jumped in the pool while we weren't looking.....thankfully, Michelle saw him just before he went under. She jumped in, with her dress on, and saved her little boy. It scared us all to death. We are so thankful he is Ok. 

Once the weather got nice, I started taking Brynley outside nearly everyday, because she LOVES being outdoors. She really loves playing at the park, going on walks in her new wagon, or just chilling on the back patio at our house.

In April, we really started to enjoy the weather. It was still a little too cold for the pool, but luckily, my parents heat their pool for us! YEA! We began this month with Easter at the Easler home. Brynley got to enjoy her first, REAL egg hunt. She actually did really well and picked up quite a few eggs. Next Easter, I'm sure she will do even better! We also enjoyed swimming at my parents pool nearly every weekend. I just love their back yard....it is so relaxing! This month, we also started Brynley at the Little Gym. She is doing fairly well, but definitely enjoys exploring more than group activities. We also celebrated Jeff's bday this month, and I had Brynley's teacher have her create some art for Jeff for his bday. 

In May, we continued to enjoy my parent's pool most weekends.  Mid May, Jeff and I went to Ft. Lauderdale for Tony & Laura's wedding.  We were gone about a week.  My parents watched B part of the time, and Jeff's parents watched her the other half.  We had such a wonderful time.  I was pregnant, so I couldn't drink, but still enjoyed being around our friends.   

 

Going on a walk to the park

 Easter 2012

 Brynley's 1st Easter Egg hunt.  She did so well!

 Brynley and Will in the small pool

 Brynley's 1st class at The Little Gym.  She loves it!

 Stacking jello cups

 Brynley walking into daycare with her backpack, like a BIG girl! 

 Brynley's 1st piece of artwork, she made at daycare, for her Daddy's bday!

 Brynley playing with her kitchen

 She loves sitting in her new chair....and espcially loves being outside!

 Brynley loves sitting at her new chair and table. 

 Brynley has discovered chips and queso, and LOVES it.  We also found that sitting her in a booth, works so much better at restaurants.

 Katie, me, and Laura in Ft. Lauderdale

 Me and Jeff at Tony & Laura's wedding

 The Groomsmen for Tony & Laura's wedding

 Beautiful views in Ft. Lauderdale

 Chillin at the pool!

Brynley is at a very fun stage right now.  She is becoming so independent, and loves babbling and playing games.  She especially loves playing with her kitchen Santa brought her for Christmas. She likes to pretend she is cooking and gives us bites of her food.  It's so cute!  She also loves sitting in her chair outside, or sitting at her table and drawing or playing.  Even though she has become more independent, she is also still very clingy to us....especially mommy.  If we aren't playing on the ground right next to her, then she will grab your hand and she will lead you to where she wants you to sit/ play.  Pretty cute!

She is babbling a lot more these days.  Some of the new words she has said this spring:

No....(oh dear!...she has this one down REALLY well)

Mine

Uh Oh

Bubbles (Bub-bum)

Daddy

Mamma

Papa

Wowo

Wawa (water)

Aqua (water)

Baba (bottle)

Bye Bye

Hi

Sit (sit down)

She is such a smart girl!  Since she has become much more independent, I have been trying to teach her to do things to help me out, since I am pregnant and much more exhausted.  Walking into daycare with her backpack on, walking out of daycare, throwing away her diapers in the diaper trash can, putting her dirty clothes in the hamper, helping put away her clean clothes (still working on this one), cleaning up her toys, and throwing away trash.  She also seems to understand me pretty well too.  When I ask her is she is ready to eat, she goes straight to her high chair (if she is ready and hungry).  I will also ask her if she wants to go outside, she goes stright to the door....which she loves to do!  Or, I will ask her to throw away trash and knows exactly where to take it, but wants me to come with her. :)