Crack Team Chronicles

Cutie Pie is 2 months old! Wow...I know I'm a little blurry brained but have the last 2 months been super fast for anyone else?

Cutie Pie is smiling like crazy especially at her sister who will do anything to get a smile out her. She was 10 pounds, 8 ounces at her 2 month check up putting her in the 46% for weight. She is in the 98% for height. Is it fair to be jealous of my two girls that constantly rank in as tall and skinny? She is sleeping one long run in the night giving us 4-6 hours of sleep and we appreciate that. She typically wakes up around 5am and after that feeding, she gets to sleep in bed with us. It is winter, it is cold, and all three of us LOVE the sweet snuggles we get in the morning. Cutie Pie is such a snuggler that she doesn't like for me to put her down at all during the day. Eep! I wind up carrying her in one of my various slings or carriers for bulks of most days. Massages welcome! She is very aware and loves to see her sister. She is figuring her hands out and reaching for toys. Most recently she has taken a fond interest in a tiny baby doll that Great-Grand Uncle Charlie and Great-Grand Aunt Betty sent for her. She will smile and try her hardest to pick the little baby up. It is precious! Of course big sister is right there with her doll to show her the ropes.

Here's her 2 month Owl pic (thanks Nana for the onesie which matches the nursery!):

When I was pregnant with Cutie Pie she very often had her hands in front of her face. I was having ultrasounds each week in the last 10 because of gestational diabetes so I was able to see her often but really I saw her hands in front of her face more than anything. Funny....she does the same thing even still:

Check out all her smiles:

Better late than never! Here is Cutie Pie's birth story! I've had the draft since the week of her birth but it's been hectic! Here goes:

She is here! Our cutie pie is here! Yay!!

Here's the birth story for our newest team member:

Sunday morning we were headed to church and in the car I just couldn't wrap my head around getting out of the car, walking into the building, and then having to get back out after the service. I was uncomfortable and so we decided to head home. Cupcake was not thrilled that after getting dressed and ready for church we basically did a car ride and came home. Once home however we let her indulge in a treat, watching Annie. She and I snuggled on the couch and while I didn't feel better, I didn't feel worse.

Monday was uncomfortable as well but I had a feeling the end was near. So, Cupcake and I had a fun morning at home playing games, coloring, doing a little preschool-home school activity and having a tea party. We planned to meet Daddy for a special lunch, her favorite. We picked up Chic-fil-a and met in a park nearby. The weather was fabulous and it was a really sweet family lunch on a lovely Texas-fall day. While I was increasing uncomfortable I also had a surge of "make this count." By dinner that night I was so uncomfortable I was confident that we were not making it to our scheduled induction Thursday. The hubs could sense it too so neither of us slept well.

Tuesday morning I woke up and was so uncomfortable that I didn't know if I could make it to my 2pm specialist appointment (final diabetes check). I called my OB and they asked for me to come see them at 1pm and keep my specialist appointment too. The hubs realized that I was in no condition to drive so we called in our dear friends who arranged a whole plan of how to get Cupcake through the day without us depending on how long we were gone. We got through the morning, packed the final things in our hospital bags, and even warned Cupcake that when she woke up from nap we may be at the hospital. She cried, I cried, but we knew it was best to prepare her. I put her down for nap and tried my hardest not to cry more. I knew deep down that it would be my last time to put her down for nap without a 2nd around. I could have rocked her for hours yet I also felt the clock ticking.

We headed to the Dr. leaving Kristin (thanks again, K!) to be with Cupcake during nap. Once at the OB they determined I was a 3 and with contractions far apart and a smile on my face they said I wasn't really in labor...just in pre-labor. They told us to go up for my 2:00 appointment and come back to sit on the monitor so they could double check my contractions. So we went upstairs to the diabetes doc. I still have a whole post on the journey of gestational diabetes but I have to say that I really enjoyed the Dr and his staff. After they did all of their checks the Hubs and I were feeling a bit defeated that we'd be heading back home and that we weren't in labor. So I asked if the Doc could think of any reason to move my induction up. He was awesome at encouraging me to remember my values and goals. I had always wanted things to be as natural as possible and a part of my struggle in the unveiling of all the complications was that I was facing a 2nd induction. He encouraged us to hang on until Thursday on the small chance we'd still go into labor naturally. While I was defeated, he was right and I appreciate a doctor who will keep you on the track you value even when you are ready to give up.

So, back down to the OB we went. We walked fast....on the final tip of the diabetes Doc. When the hubs opened the door for me to the office a very painful contraction hit like a ton of bricks. Whew! When it passed we signed back in and eventually were called back. When they opened the door to take us back another one hit...equally hard. I got on the monitor and they quickly noticed my contractions were 5 minutes apart in rising intensity. A quick check to see that I was now a 4 and they said I should plan on going to the hospital sometime that evening either now or in a few hours. At first the idea of coming home for a bit to get a few more hugs in with Cupcake was super appealing. However, my ever brilliant hubs ultimately said that since we had all our stuff and had said our good byes once we should just go to the hospital. So off we went.

5:00pm - we checked into the hospital. The nurse assigned to us told us as she lead us to our room that she'd only be there until 7pm so she'd basically get us signed in and then be passing us off. She doesn't know the Crack Team. We like action and adventure. She showed us the room gave me a gown and was off to check on her other patients. By the time she got back I was in even more pain and contractions were getting closer. She hooked me up to the monitor and started asking all the check in questions. She drew blood for the initial blood work and by then my pain level on a scale of 1-10 had gone from a 5 (check in) to an 8. She realized that I would want the epidural sooner than she had imagined so tried her hardest to hurry the process along. In the next hour the pain increased with each contraction and they were coming faster and faster.

At this point the men from the boys are separated. There are those Dads who would watch tv, play on the internet, or sit on the side of the bed and be there without really being there. Luckily there are no boys around here...just a MAN. A strong man who takes his role as coach VERY seriously. He rubbed my legs as I got the shakes. He held my hand when contractions came. He provided a focal point as each contraction peaked. He did the breathing exercises so I'd stay on track. As the contractions increased in intensity his coaching increased in encouragement and keeping me aware of what he was seeing on the monitor. He answered questions for me as the nurse was rushing through the process and ultimately he was the PERFECT coach. Perfect because on top of all these things, he coached me...in ONE HOUR...from a 4ish to a 7 dilation. While that was crazy painful...it is also a blessing to be over the hump and progressing at a super fast pace.

The anesthesiologist came in and got the epidural in fairly fast. GLORY! Seriously! Once the epidural hit I felt some relief. Thank goodness too because I was going to need to regain some energy for the final pushes. I was in no rush at that point....I was feeling good! But, we're the Crack Team...remember? Action. Adventure. Yes! The on-call Doctor came in around 8:15 to introduce herself. She was a great substitute for my own OB whom I love. She checked and I was a 10 but my water had not broken and the baby was still pretty high. So she broke my water to see if that would progress things. The hubs, a former Chemistry major, joked with her about her shoes saying he'd have never been allowed to wear those in lab. She laughed, talked chem shop with him, and then around 8:30 headed off to change her shoes.

The nurse and nurse in training (nothing like having extra people and a newbie to boot on hand while in labor) decided I should push through a few contractions to see if we could get the baby to drop down a little. After pushing through several contractions they were asking me to stop pushing. The baby had dropped faster than they expected (just like Cupcake's birth). The hubs could see her head of hair and the nurses were frantically calling the OB and infant catch nurse in. Action Adventure! The OB literally ran in (thank goodness she had put on the appropriate shoes) and threw on her coat in time to see Cutie Pie basically fall out and into her arms. The nurse was thankful everyone had made it in time, the trainee was emotional (guess the whole child birth thing is still new to the 20 yr old nurse in training!), the Dr. was amazed at how smooth the whole process was and the hubs and I were....TOTALLY IN LOVE!!!

Weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces, Cutie Pie was in my arms by 8:55. Talk about action and adventure!

While they were still cleaning up the OB asked if we wanted to see the placenta. Of course we couldn't resist! It was beautiful. It was a bloody, vein-y, balloon ball of beauty! Seriously! We loved getting to see the sack that moments prior was the life source of our baby girl. There were so many veins and the sack was so big. It was amazing to see and seriously made us marvel at The Creator. The human body is truly amazing.

Daddy and Cutie Pie were soon off to the nursery for a bath and the dreaded first heel stick. I was ordered to rest and eventually be moved to postpartum. I could barely relax! I was energized and charged on new baby love. After the craziest, hottest, most exhausting pregnancy I had the fastest and easiest delivery.

So, why is 11 an odd I can love?

Cupcake - born March 11
Cutie Pie - born October 11

While I normally am not a fan of odd numbers....11 is now doubly dear. We love you Cutie Pie. Welcome to the Crack Team. Your entrance to the world shows you were perfectly placed in our family. Get ready for a life of action and adventure.

The picture roll.
I'm hooked up and ready: