Kaitlyn's turn

Kaitlyn wanted to hold Dylan when she woke up this afternoon from her nap.

Cheesy smile.


She couldn't decide whether to cuddle with her blanket or Baby Brother... She is kinda cute when she is still sleepy :)

Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa

Grandpa had to leave last weekend, but my mom was able to stay for one more week and help out. It was much appreciated since it turns out that Hubby had to go back out of town. The girls love her (as do I) and it was nice to have a maid/cook/babysitter/errand runner around.


On the schedule for this week is daddy, taking half days at work to be home for lunches, naps, bed time, etc. Then, I have more family coming in, to which I am looking forward! I guess having a baby pays off sometimes :) Especially one as cute as my little burrito :) (He loves to be swaddled... which is complete different from his other 2 siblings)


And, here is just a cute picture of him cuddling with his daddy... Do they look alike?

How lovely to be a women....

Like me :)

Well, on the whole, this recovery has been much better than the first two. Perhaps it is because I knew what to expect. Maybe it is because I am not recovering from labor as well as major abdominal surgery... Whatever the reason, thank heavens for small miracles!

I can happily announce that I am walking at a snails pace instead of slower now. Amazing how having an incision so low makes for controlling the lower half of my body more difficult. Not difficult, per se, but painful-ish. This makes some normal things interesting. Things such as stepping into the shower, lifting my feet for washing or putting shoes or pants on, and walking. Thankfully, we are at 10 days post surgery and most definitely improved. I feel like I can safely take a shower... my feet may not be the cleanest, but at least I can do it by myself (until this point, Hubby {bless his husbandly soul} has been helping me). And, I put on my shoes all by myself :)

Also, the bruises are fading from the IVs. Lets just say that me and IVs don't get along. The bruise on the left they didn't even get in. The one on the right lasted less than 12 hours. They put it in at 1 am (when I was admitted) and had to take it out before the surgery the next morning at 9... It was red, hot and painful. They got one to last for 24 hours in my hand though. And the bruise at the top near the elbow pit on the right is from where they drew blood before I left.


Another interesting by-product of the surgery was having to have a catheter for a week. As far as I understand (which I admit my understanding is limited) is at some point (possibly traced back to my first c-section) my bladder had attached itself to my uterus. I remember after Kaitlyn they were a little worried about my bladder, but nothing really came of it. This time, they had to cut through a small portion of my bladder to get to my uterus because it had attached itself so high they couldn't just push it down. So, after Dylan was out, they removed it from my uterus, pushed it down to where it was supposed to be, and repaired the incision. I got to keep the catheter and bag for a week to make sure my bladder didn't stretch too far and heal properly. As another interesting by-product, I now have a bladder infection. Joy of Joys...

And, I am just gonna come out and say it... Having the stomach flu (and not the upper kind, the lower kind) while in the last month of pregnancy is the pits. But, the by-products of said stomach flu is another thing: Hemorrhoids (which I have thankfully never had before, and did not get until the week before I delivered). Yes, I said it out loud and admitted to getting them. Apparently pregnant women are susceptible to them anyways, but being sick is not helpful. And then, still being sick on top of having them was one of the most painful things (next to labor) I have ever done. Luckily, now that Dylan is out, things are healing nicely there too.

And the insomnia? Virtually gone! I can fall asleep most nights and early mornings again without much trouble.

And Dylan is the bestest third child in the world! He is so mellow. He sleeps most of the night in his cradle. And he gives me a stretch of 6 hours at night. He only eats every 3-4 hours. And the engorgement and nipple soreness lasted a blessedly short amount of time.

So, all in all, it has been a successful delivery :) Besides having a wonderful child, I also have a relatively decent recovery. And, although I hate to admit it, the whole scheduled thing was quite wonderfully convenient...

A few more pictures of Dylan

These have all been taken since we have been home. And, some of them even have his eyes open!

Chillin on the couch.


Some cool flowers we got (thanks!) from the Smith family, Uncle Donnie and Aunt Catherine, and some wonderful ladies at church.


Cuddling on mommy's chest.


Cuddling with eyes open.




I love that he is just hanging out with his hands crossed across his chest.


Cuddling on Daddy's chest. I have tons of pictures of Kari like this... Kaitlyn wasn't a big cuddler... Note the dog...


Look at how cute he is sleeping on his side with his hands under his chin!


I have a picture of Kari exactly like this... So cute :)


Speaking of... This is Kari...

Kari's turn

Well, if I do a blog on Kaitlyn, I guess I should do one for Kari too...

Kari loves to hold Dylan. Did I mention she loves to hold Dylan? And, I believe I have mentioned before she is a total ham for the camera. So, why not put them together?




And, this is a picture of Kari holding the picture book I made for the girls. It is a book of pictures of just the girls. We gave it to them after Dylan was born. Not as a bribe, but as a check that we will always remember what it was like when it was Just the Girls :)

Still at the hospital

No, thank goodness we are not still at the hospital. But, these pictures are from when we were still there...

First (well, I guess technically second) bath at the hospital. Notice he loves it :)


Grandpa got a great shot of his dimples.


The kids hanging out in the hospital bed.


Me... Looking totally glam and happy at the hospital, right?!?!


Not the best picture, but... another view of him.


And, it looks like no more pictures for today. He has grown tired of them :)

Life still goes on...

I know, I know... You want pictures of Dylan. Well, guess what?!?! Life goes on... And guess what else? Kaitlyn has possibly started potty training :) We kinda lucked out and seemed to catch a break the other day when she (I am pretty sure) accidentally went on the little potty. Like I said, it seemed to work out though. She spent a large majority of the day going back and forth from sitting on the potty to playing and back, but, at least now she gets the idea. And what can I say? Every mother needs a few pictures of their child on the pot, right?!?!

Cheesy grin at Daddy.


Pushing :)


Cheesy grin at the camera.


And, can't beat a video, am I right?

Our New Arrival

Well, this is the before.... :)



So, we were admitted to the hospital Sunday night at midnight. I sent the hubby home to get one more good night of rest and stayed in the hospital (luckily free from monitors, etc) for one night.

Mommy on Monday morning... ready to go :)


The next morning, we got all ready to go into surgery at 9, but the dr was held up and had to reschedule. We ended up being pushed back to almost 1:30, but since we had already prepped early that morning, we were ready when the doc walked onto the floor. I got a spinal, everyone scrubbed up, and voila... within about 10 minutes, we have a baby!!! :)



Dylan Michael Smith
Born March 16, 2009 at 2:01pm
8 lbs 3 oz (yes, Kaitlyn was only 8 lbs 3.6 oz a full 2 gestational weeks later)
20.5 inches long.

Mommy and Dylan are doing fine and should be checking out of the hospital tomorrow! So, here are some pictures...

Its not the best picture, but this is Dylan's first exposure to the real world. I think it is a cool picture with the lighting, etc :)


Kari's introduction


Kaitlyn's introduction


The bestest Daddy in the world :)


Kaitlyn giving him a kiss (which she has decided she must do all the time)




Big girls holding baby Dylan all by themselves :)



Grandpa

Done and Done

I went to the doctor this morning, and everything seems to be fine. True, because I have been sick this week I have lost almost 5 lbs, but, all I can say is: that is the luck of the draw (poor kid, probably won't be in the running for biggest sibling now... Sorry Baby Brother). We asked a while ago (and I do mean a while ago) if we could select a specific date for his birthday. Remember, I am not fond of picking his birthday, but I figured if I was going to have to anyway, I might as well kinda go with the trend. Since both the girls were born the day before a holiday (July 3 and Dec 31) we figured we would go with the trend. We actually got kinda lucky in that St. Patrick's Day fell right into our window, and that the dr was willing to do a c-section on Monday (when he normally does them on Thursdays). So, today was my last prenatal visit. The surgery is set for Monday (yep, this Monday) around 9 in the morning. He said they usually admit at midnight the night before. I was going to ask if I could come in later, but after he explained himself it made alot of sense. If I don't go in at midnight, then I would need to be at the hospital around 5. No later than 6. I would be rushing to shower, etc, plus, getting up before 5 isn't my strong suit at this point (unless I have been up all night... :$ ) And, since I mentioned the insomnia, he said I could ask for some sleep aid while I was in the hospital the night before. Well, that practically sold me. :) So, while I still have a few things I would like to get done, I am running out of steam and with Hubby sick (I know, when it rains it pours, right?!?), they just might not get done. But, at least there is an end in sight. It is on the calendar and we are gonna just push forward :) I will update when I get the chance. Hubby doesn't like the blog too much, so you will just have to wait until I get out of the hospital. :)

Here's to Sunday night!!! Now, I think I am going to try to take a nap...

Poor Me :)

I have blogged before about Kari being sick. Then, almost a week later, exactly, Kaitlyn got sick. Then, almost a week exactly after that, I got sick... Not exactly the way I wanted to spend my last productive week before baby brother is born. (Lets see how many times I can say exactly in this blog ;) Luckily, I have managed to either do what I absolutely had to do in the intervals of feeling semi decent, put off the less important stuff until I hopefully will feel better this weekend, or get over it. Sorry mom and dad... the dusting may not get done before you get here. I am getting very excited that we have less then 4 days left. The clothes are washed (not put in the dresser yet, but that is coming tomorrow), the bedding and car seat are clean. If I could sleep better, I would be perfectly ready. As it stands, I am mostly ready and feeling like even if I wasn't, it doesn't matter. Sometimes it is nice to have a deadline :)

Book Review

As I have mentioned before, I have had trouble sleeping, which translates to plenty of time to read. So I have read through my favorite authors series twice (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon), read through the Twilight books 3 times, plus The Host (also by Stephenie Meyer), P.S. I Love You, plus a few more I think. I have in the last week sped through the Travelling Pants series. (what can I say, it appears most of the books I am reading are for teens...) I am more than halfway through the 4th and final book in the series. Although the writing style is interesting, at times it is annoying... during the course of a chapter she flashes for about 1-2 pages to each of the 4 characters. I applaud how the author tackles some of the more difficult topics such as divorced parents getting remarried, depression, death, teen sex and the consequences. However, that being said, and maybe this is just because I am totally naive, I don't particularly like the way she tackles teen sex. Like, every teen is bound to do it, and it will happen, so just wait. I dunno. That wasn't quite how I saw it, but... But, it might bug me even more because these books are specifically marketed to young girls about young girls... Not my favorite. I have Hunger Games on request at the library, and I figured I might as well read The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe (also waiting for me at the library when I return these). But, I am totally open to suggestions, so, if you have any, feel free to leave them. K, all done :)

Belly rubbing

Hubby was observing me the other day playing with my belly... Baby pushes, I push back. I rub/stroke, he responds. You know, that kinda thing. Hubby watched for a minute and said jokingly something about worrying about me going through withdrawals after the baby is born. And, I replied totally seriously, "I always do." I told him I always feel lonely after the baby is born (to which he replied that if I could feel lonely with 3 children screaming I had another thing coming). But, it isn't like that. It is just something I would guess someone who hasn't been pregnant before (be they male or female) wouldn't know. This little "thing" inside me is more than that... It is a person, he has a personality, and he has been keeping me company, through the bad times, sad times, sick times, happy times, sleepy times, fabulous times, etc. When he is born, I am alone again... I can't stroke my belly and get a response. I don't get to feel someone kicking when I can't sleep. I don't get kicked when I am going to the bathroom, or taking a shower. When you have had someone (who he truly is "someone" to me) with you 24/7 for several months, I think you are bound to go through some kind of change. Not to say I miss being pregnant, per se... Just, the constant companionship of someone always being there... And, hey, lets face it. Right now, he doesn't judge me, or ask to be fed, or need a diaper change, or cry, right?!?! :)

Shower Scene....

No, not that kind :) One of my friends at church asked to throw me a shower, and it was lovely! Here are a few pictures of the shower and me in all my huge 37 week pregnant glory. Thanks Melissa!!!

The cute cake :)


Opening presents. Yes, I am wearing a pregnancy t-shirt. I am so big most of my other pregnancy clothes don't fit anymore... So sad :/


Don't I look happy?!?!

Kari sleeping

We have been having some fun with Kari and her naps lately. I think she still needs them, even though she seems to think she doesn't. I will admit she is awesome (since she now shares a room with Kaitlyn) at playing mostly quietly. Kaitlyn still gets in a nap and Kari plays. However, if I can get her to hold still for a matter of seconds, she will fall asleep like that {snaps fingers}. So, the other day, I moved her to my bed hoping that sans toys, books, distractions, etc, she would fall asleep. She did find Kaitlyn's bay-bee, but... Just as I suspected... :)

Calendar by Color

I mentioned earlier that Kari and I made a paper chain count down for when baby brother comes. We picked 4 different colors and she picked the order they would be stapled. The first thing she wants to do in the morning is tear the loop, and it is great. :) We have used it also to mark other things... Like when daddy will have more time to play, when Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit, etc... What I love is that she tells these days by colors. Daddy will play with us on the first blue loop. Grandma and Grandpa come on the red loop. Baby brother comes on the second blue loop. So, before she went to bed tonight, she asked what we were doing on the yellow loop tomorrow... Cute kid :)

As I get closer and closer to my due date, and get more raggedy and worn out, I realize there is alot left that I want to do with only a few days left to do it. Today we officially scheduled the c-section at the hospital. Yesterday, I got all crafty and made a paper chain count down calendar with Kari, so she could see we were getting closer to baby brother. She seems very excited and has everything planned out. Down to the phone call :) That should be a good thing :) I know she will love baby brother. I only hope she continues to love him when she realizes we can't send him back... We also ordered baby furniture for him.

This is the bed


And this is the dresser/changing table

Now I just have to wash all his clothes and put them away inside it.

I suppose it is a bit late to be getting nervous now. And I am not nervous so much for the actual surgery as that it will be different than what I expect it to be. Silly, I know. Plus, what am I supposed to do with 3 kids?!?!? I already feel like I neglect and ignore the 2 I have at times... I don't really suppose that will get better with more.

And, after all this, I have to seriously think about "if" there will be a next one. I originally thought I wanted 4 kids. And when I was pregnant with the girls (which was a heck of a lot easier) I am not so much sure it would be an issue. However, this little boy is kicking my trash. The pregnancy insomnia is awful, and the resulting grumpiness, I can only imagine, is worse. Plus, the lack of desire to do anything, I would guess is not helpful :)

Oh well... That is my rant for the day. It is a whole lotta nothin' so, take from it what you can! The End.

Pocket Pictures

Just a few quick shots... Kaitlyn has found her pockets. When she is standing still, she puts her hands in... So cute...



And, of course, Kari couldn't resist a great photo opp.