Charles Guerin Kyle came into the world via a schedule C-Section at 8:58am on May 4, 2010.
He weighed 9 lbs 15 ozs.
He is 22 inches tall.
He got a 9 on his apgar scores.
He is beautiful and healthy.
I am home from the hospital. Zoe is back from her cousins house. We have only had one little meltdown. And things are really going well….
He is such a good baby! I can’t tell if the Zerker was just more work or whether we are just more relaxed. I was breastfeeding at first, but I have to admit that we decided not to now. He stopped latching well and my main goal is to have the least amount of stress possible. This allows for both Nadie and myself to take care of him equally. He is eating well and taking the bottle fine. He likes to chill in the swing and sleeps well in the evening between feedings…..so far, so good…..now to enjoy maternity leave with these crazy beautiful people….
Oh and Happy Mother’s Day to all you mums out there!
Dear Charlie,
This time and closeness with you has been amazing. It has gone by so quickly. You are my surprise love – the one that said hey since you seem to be having so much fun down there do you mind if I join you?
And every time you move inside of me is amazing…there are no words….you seem bigger and harder to carry around than your sister was – it is my hope that it means you are thriving and happy inside my womb.
In less than a month you will be out and unattached to me. I will miss your movements inside of me – but I will be so happy to hear your cries and see your smiles and watch you grow.
Your sister doesn’t understand that you are coming, but I know once you are here she will become your best friend, and even show you how to make friends with Mittens and Gus and Starbuck. Don’t listen to her about Grace – that cat will never like anyone – not even your momma!
Z will give you examples of how to be an awesome little kid – but you will have your own awesomeness too….you can show her a thing or two!
Get here soon so we can all snuggle together…..
Love- Momma
After a lot of discernment Nadie and I have made a few decisions. At this point I am going to only take one class this fall. I am turning down the AI that was offered to me. I am continuing to work full-time while doing this.
Even just adding this one class will be a big deal, I know.
The wonderful thing is that I think all of this is doable. I have been walking around scared of what would happen this fall – worried that I would take on too much and then fail.
Now I think – this is not so bad – this is awesome!
And the coolest thing is that they still are offering a scholarship! So just taking one class will mean that most of my tuition is covered. That is awesome! I thought the tuition assistance was tied to the Assistant Instructorship they offered – but nope! Yay!
So now I can focus on a little man that I will meet soon!
I have been picking up little clothes here and there. I got a huge tub of clothes from my brother and SIL that will help heaps! Today I picked up the stroller and when the rain dies down I am going to have Nadie get the box out of the car so I can put it together.
I got little Chuckie some bottles. At least I know enough to know that he needs slow nipples at first! I remember learning that nipples had speeds with Zoe. I still think they should make onesies that say ‘I like fast nipples’ on them.
I don’t think we will Breastfeeding this time. I mean, at first we will try, but I will supplement from the beginning. This time it will probably be even more necessary because I am having a c-section and may not experience any labor at all – so none of those hormones that help tell the body to make milk.
Another decision that we made is to NOT consider selling our house. My brother had called last weekend and told us they are going to sell their house. They live in the house that I grew up in on the property that has been in our family for generations. Nadie was all for putting our house up for sale and moving there. I was excited too, but I had some reservations.
First, well – I am having a baby in four weeks – not the best time to get a house ready for sale and move.
Second, we live in a neighborhood that has been greatly affected by the housing decline – foreclosures, etc – and we probably would not be able to sell it for what we need to and we wouldn’t make any profit on the house.
Three, the house we would buy is an hour and a half commute one-way away from the majority of jobs that Nadie is looking at….and I can’t imagine him driving three hours every day and being happy in the long run.
The thing is that the house and the property are beautiful. It would be a gift to live there and raise our children. Still, it isn’t really what has been in our five year plan for a while, so I am hesitant to change all of our plans at the drop of a hat. As Nadie said, sometimes those opportunities weren’t in your plan because you didn’t see them. I agree with that….to me the biggest issue is – I am 35 weeks pregnant! I can’t move! AcccckkkH! Plus I would hate to buy a house and then be unhappy because of the commute and be stuck there.
I hate the thought that the property might go out of our family again, but I can’t do it this time……
Because I am up at 2:52 am, I am going to post this.
I am actually in a positive, mood, but I am extremely reflective. Obsessing over strollers, although probably inconsequential and somewhat materialistic, at least passes the time and keeps me from obsessing over whether Nadie will get the last job he interviewed for, or whether everything will go well at C’s birth and 30 years from now Nadie and I will be paying for Z’s wedding while C toasts her magnificence. See – strollers can be helpful.
I have my 33/34 week appt friday. I will see a different doctor than usual, but thats fine because I have seen all of them in this practice. I am going to ask about PPD and perhaps taking an anti-anxiety or anti-depressant after C is born. At least I want to be prepared for what my options are.
It isn’t because I think I will get so depressed that I can’t handle it. I just know that last year our transition with Z was hard, and we made it through fine, and I went to therapy when I needed to. The thing is that I have enough experience to understand when my emotions affecting my actions. I can pull myself out, and I have always relied on therapy in the past. But since I have this grandiose, albeit probably crazy, plan to start school in the fall I don’t see a lot of time slots for therapy sessions in the future. And to be honest, if I could take a little medicine that actually helped cause me NOT to have the feelings rather than just getting through them, then I think I am interested this time.
Nadie just came in to see what I was doing. He can’t sleep either. He can’t blame C! He will probably blame me. I think we are going to grab little Z and snuggle with her while she tries to sleep peacefully and enjoy our singleton in the wee hours.
Good night, y’all!
I am one of those people who obsesses over some item until a decision has made.
Since December I have been contemplating what to do with the whole double stroller issue.
Since Z will still be fairly young, we will need a way to easily transport her and C at the same time. Also, C will be using Z’s Chicco carseat (because I am not going to buy a whole new seat!).
The first problem is that Chicco does not make a tandem or even double stroller that fits with the KeyFit 30.
Second is that there are only three strollers that actually will work with the Keyfit. I don’t know about you guys, but we used the Universal stroller to cart around the bucket for the entire year when Z used the car seat. We carted her into and out of stores and doctors offices, etc. And she isn’t ready to be walking around unassisted. We will need to keep her contained! She would totally be running wild if she could….
Since the Peg Perego Duette is over $700 – that is out of the question.
There are two Kolcraft strollers that could work.
The Universal Express Rider has less bells and whistles, but is $100 bucks less and folds up easier….I think I will try that first…
I went to the Big Baby Store to check out this other Kolcraft. I don’t like that the seats are so small and you have to take the seats off to fold it up – which seems like a pain….still it has more cup holders and the kids can face each other….I don’t know how much that matters. I think it looks cooler, but I think I will wait and try out the simpler one first….
So that is my obsession and my plan – oh know which stroller! Oh my! Hey – it is better than worrying about jobs and unemployment and all that crap.
I sort of feel bad for C, because he really is sort of like ‘the prince of whatever’s left’…(You know – Mary Engelbreit – Princess of Quite A Lot and the Prince of Whatever’s Left – That is totally Z and C….
So since he isn’t getting a brand new carseat – I decided to check out replacement covers…
I found someone on Etsy to make C one, and here are the fabrics that will be used:
Whimsy Criss Cross
And it will be sort of like this:
I also had the lady make a blanket that matched the cover. I think this is princely enough for the kid. Now just to see what double stroller we end up with.
So that is what I do at 3 in the morning when I can’t sleep – pick out fabrics and color schemes that will go with either stroller….
Lori says that ‘Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one.’
Here is mine for this week….
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This weekend’s gospel was that of the Prodigal son. I cantored at the Saturday mass. The hymns that were chosen were very pretty. I kept thinking about how there was an Indigo Girls song that would have been perfect….it is called ‘You and Me of the 10,000 Wars’. A line from it says ‘Still you held your arms open, for the prodigal daughter, I see my eyes in your eyes through my eyes, still waters….’
So on the way home from the store with the Zerker I put the song on because I really wanted to hear it. It has always reminded me of my that time in my life when I felt so out of place at home – felt like I had no home – and how we all seem to go through that as we grow up and move on.
I sang to my heart’s content – and the Zerker crooned with me – with her own style of lala baba lala…babble….and I looked into her eyes through the rear view mirror and I knew it was a perfect moment. I think I understood the actions of the father in the story of the Prodigal son for the first time.
Friday I got an email from the university I applied to….I got accepted to Grad School. I will be starting a Masters in Human Computer Iteraction and Design.
I am completely excited about it. It sort of feels like this culmination of all my years at the same company…like I was spending this time so I could be prepared for this next amazing experience.
I have worked at the same software company for 9 years this June. I am only 32. That is a long time at one place. I am planning on staying working there while I go to school. At this point with Nadie being out of work it isn’t really an option to go to school full-time.
I know many may think I am insane, attempting this beginning when my second child is 3 months old and my first is not even two.
I know there will be sacrifices.
I ask not for judgement. I think we each have our own path. I think valuing education and making sacrifices for our family will set an example for my children. I know it is not the same as having a SAHM – but I am not a SAHM. I am working full-time now and will continue to be full-time into many things. My goal is not to take the time away from the kids. My goal is to better use the other time that I have. I don’t want to watch as much tv. I will post less on facebook. I will be more involved in all that we do. All of my life I have excelled more when I was more involved. I need to be more involved in things. Plus – I will never achieve my goal of becoming a PHd and maybe professor without starting school again.
In my application I had to write a personal statement. While I won’t bore you with the boring details of the various positions I have had during my career so far, I would like to post a portion of what I said….
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A watershed event sets a new course. I experienced one of these events last year when I became a mother. Prior to that I had been going along without much direction but to do my best at my job, cherish my family, and try to be a good person. The birth of my daughter caused me to really step back and assess my goals in life. She reminded me that every day is important, and that there is no time to waste. The creation of life and watching hers unfold each day reminded me that I too am unfolding, and I am a force of creation. All things are possible if I just choose to take part.
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Another interesting turn of events is that I not only got accepted, but was offered a partial financial support. This financial support would require 10 hours of work throughout the week. It would also mean that I would probably have to take at least 2 classes next fall. My plan before was to take just one. I think I need to talk to the department before I accept it. I also need to talk to my boss. Perhaps we can work out a flex plan for my work schedule to accommodate – at least try it for a few months to see if it works. Also, with Nadie being out of work, I can’t really plan on not working full-time because we need the money to keep our house going, so I may not be able to accept it. I hope that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be considered for future support.
In other news, I started a new blog. I plan on posting more technology and data visualization related projects at technowonderful…I will still post here. I am just segmenting out work/school related items from this personal/family related stuff.
I hope all is well around the interwebs with you.
Here is your moment of Zen…..
Now I hear the little stinker waking up from her nap. Time for lunch and a walk to the playground!
Yesterday Nadie and the Zerker and I went to SMWC for brunch…it was a little valentine treat.
The Zerker zombie-walked through the halls of Providence Center. She was so good the entire day, from church in the morning to the car ride back home. Ever since we switched to the forward facing car seat her time in the car is greatly improved. Thank heavens!
She is such a good little kid. It almost makes me worry that Charlie will be a bit of a handful!
Love to all….
PS Click on the picture for a funny treat…I couldn’t get it to animate in the post itself!
I know the rest of America is over-joyed that the Saints won the Super Bowl. (like a football game will make all those hurricane victims lives so much better)
Personally – this is how we feel about the Super Bowl at our house….
Oh – losing to the Saints is better than loosing to the Patriots…but that is like saying losing your pinkie is better than losing your thumb…I don’t want to lose ANY APPENDAGES and we never want to lose a SUPER BOWL!!!!
Ok, off to throw my own little pity party and be depressed for the off season…..
I think we are going to grab little Z and snuggle with her while she tries to sleep peacefully and enjoy our singleton in the wee hours.
