First outing with both kids

Our first *official* outing with both kids was a big success!  We actually took them both to Sam's Club briefly one day last week after we picked Frankie up from day care, and that turned into a huge disaster, but that was an impromptu stop so I am not counting it as our first official outing.  We took both of the kids to Northpark on Saturday to buy my awesome new computer and get a birthday present for Nana. It went great!  I distinctly remember our first trip to the mall with Frank, Frankie, and I, when we took him to see Santa Clause when he was probably a month old.  That trip was a DISASTER.  Frank and I got into a huge fight in the mall parking lot, and we almost turned around and left before we even went inside.  This time, we were much more laid back.  We managed to locate the elevators and find the perfect potty for Frankie--side note, Northpark has the best rest facilities EVER, who knew? We bought everything we intended to buy, enjoyed some pretzels, and had no tears or fights.  It was a miracle!  Let's hope every trip out is this easy.  I have taken Frankie to day care with Lily, but so far I have not attempted to take both kids out and about by myself.  I need a little more time to build up to that :)  We are leaving for Houston later this afternoon, so it will be Lily's first big road trip.  I really hope it goes well!

2 week stats

Today I took Lily to the doctor for her two-week check up.  Poor baby girl has a bit of a cold!  She is a little bit congested, and she had a very slight fever of 99.0.  Frankie has a cold right now, so we assume she caught it from him.  The doctor said that otherwise she looked great, but we need to keep an eye on the fever to make sure it does not go up above 100.5.  Otherwise, the appointment went great!  Liliana is back above her birth weight at 7 lbs 13 ounces.  She is at the 40th percentile for weight, 54th percentile for height, and 44th percentile for head size.  We are continuing to mostly breastfeed, but also supplement with formula when needed.  I am taking Fenugreek, pumping like crazy, and trying everything I can to get my milk supply up so that we do not need to supplement with formula, but, as long as she is happy and growing, I am happy.  We think she has a touch of acid reflux, as she is exhibiting some of the same behavior that Frankie had, but we are going to watch it for now before we start with medicine.

Sweet summertime

It is officially summertime around here, and that means it is HOT outside.  It is hard to take Liliana outside much since she is not able to wear sunscreen and she cannot yet regulate her body temperature.  But, we had a wonderful afternoon in our backyard yesterday watching Frankie and Frank run around playing in the sprinkler.  It is days like today that make me really want to expand our backyard porch so that we have more shade.  We have been talking about doing that for years, but we always find a reason to put it off....maybe next summer!  Frankie also started having splash days at school.  His day care has a splash park on site, which he loves.  Here are some pictures of Frankie enjoying summertime:

Everything happens for a reason

I am writing this post to say CONGRATULATIONS to my wonderful husband Frank on his new job!  Yesterday he accepted an offer for a great job at a wonderful company, and I could not be happier or more proud of him.  This job opportunity sounds perfect for him--he is moving up to management, making a significantly higher salary, and doing something that sounds challenging and fulfilling.  I hope that he loves it.  The best part is that he will not be working from home anymore (in fact, his office will be just a couple of blocks away from mine), and he will not have to travel.  These last four months have been stressful, but we could not be happier with the outcome.  Frank actually received three job offers last week, and he was able to pick the job that was best for him and our family.  Through this trying time, I have repeatedly told Frank to have faith that everything happens for a reason, and I truly believe that this new job is going to be exactly the fresh start that Frank has been looking for.  He has two more weeks home with us, and then he will embark on his new adventure! 

Liliana's newborn pictures!

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day!

 Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful fathers!  Frankie was very excited about "Daddy's Day," and he got to spend a lot of quality time with Frank yesterday.  I cooked a big breakfast for everyone in the morning, and then my family headed back to Houston.  They were all a HUGE help while they were here, especially with Frankie, and we will all miss them!  It was the first time in a long time that I got to see my Dad on Father's Day, and it was really nice to get to spend some good quality time with him. 

Frank took Frankie up to the club pool in the afternoon while I stayed at home with Liliana.  It was nice to have a few hours of relative peace and quiet, and it sounds like Frankie had a blast with his Daddy.  Frank is a wonderful father.  I truly admire and appreciate the special bond he has created with Frankie, and I am sure he will do the same with Lily.  We love you so much!

Adjustment period

 We have now been home for several days, and it has certainly been a period of adjustment!  I think the transition has honestly been hardest on Frankie.  The first few nights we were home, he woke up crying when he heard baby Lily cry.  Thankfully, we have figured out a better way to manage her crying so that he cannot hear it as much, and he has not woken up the last couple of nights.  One night he was having a really hard time going to sleep, and I went upstairs to comfort him. He practically begged me to lie up there with him and not go back downstairs, and I could not refuse.  I layed with him for about 15 minutes, and then I got up to go downstairs.  He ran to the gate and cried "Mommy come back!" and I broke down and cried.  I hate how hard all of this change is on him, and, as much as I appreciate all of the help from Nana and my family, I think it may help him when they leave so that he can get back to life as normal as possible.

At first, Lily was a very sleepy, easy, non-fussy baby.  On Thursday we went to her first doctor's appointment, and the doctor was concerned with how much weight she had lost since her birth weight (6 lbs 12 ounces vs 7 lbs 8 ounces).  I am breastfeeding her, and I also was a little concerned because she was hard to wake for feedings and sometimes seemed disinterested in eating.  However, she has a great latch and has been very easy to feed, so I thought she must be satisfied.  The doctor asked us to come back on Friday for a weight check to make sure that her weight was beginning to go up, and I swear Lily knew she was being tested and she completely changed her eating style that night, insisting on nursing practically non-stop from 4:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.  I finally broke down and gave her a small bottle of formula, because I simply did not have any milk left to give her!  She has been similarly insatiable since.  I told myself that I would not be too hard on myself with the breastfeeding, so I have been supplementing with formula whenever I think we absolutely need it, but I am still trying to always breastfeed as much as possible first so that I can build up my milk supply.  We went back to the doctor on Friday, and Lily had gained 4.5 ounces in one day!  The doctor (and I) were very pleased with this development--the non-stop nursing session worked. 

My Dad and brother came up on Friday to meet Liliana and help out.  My family has been a great help during the day, but at night, Mommy seems to be the only one who can calm Liliana down and get her to sleep.  This makes for a lot of (practically) sleepless nights for Mommy, but I know that this is temporary and I am remembering that it is amazing how little sleep I actually need to function. 

Even though she screams when she is hungry, Liliana is the sweetest little baby girl.  She is beautiful, very alert, and very strong.  She already holds her head up like she is much older.  I cannot wait to watch her grow up...and until she starts sleeping through the night :)

Here are a few pics from this week:

Liliana Mae is here!

Our sweet girl Liliana Mae was born on Monday, June 10th at 3:09 p.m.  She weighs 7 pounds, 8 ounces, is 20.25 inches long, and looks a lot like Frankie did as a newborn, except she has a full head of dark brown hair!  She is absolutely perfect, and we were able to come home from the hospital yesterday. 

Here is her the story of her birthday...

I had a contraction Monday morning that was different from the contractions I had been feeling for weeks because it really did not feel like tightening at all, but was a bit like a painful period cramp.  I told my Mom and Frank that "this contraction hurt a little bit," and something in my voice alerted my Mom that this was probably the real deal, so she noted the time (9:19 a.m.) and told us to get moving.  I took a shower, got ready, and packed my bag, while the contractions kept coming approximately every 6 minutes a part until 10:30 a.m.  We left for the hospital soon after that, arriving around 11:00 a.m.  All of the rooms were occupied or dirty, so we had to wait in the waiting area for about 45 minutes before getting a room.  This wait was torturous!  My contractions were getting more intense and coming closer together, approximately every 3-4 minutes.  We finally got into a room and the nurse checked me at about 12:00 p.m.  I was 6 cm dilated by this point, and she told us we were definitely not leaving.  She started moving in high gear and got me hooked up to an IV, called my doctor, and called the anesthesiologist.  I was in a lot of pain at this point, more so than I ever had with Frankie.  The anesthesiologist was doing a c-section, so it took him awhile to make it to my room.  In the meantime, Dr. Gray examined me around 1:30 and I was 8 cm dilated, and the baby's head was very low.  I was in a ton of pain at this point, and I really needed Frank to watch the monitors and help me get through the contractions.  The anesthesiologist finally got there and placed my epidural shortly before 2:00, and Dr. Gray broke my water.  Soon after I realized that the epidural did not work at all on my right side, and it did not work fully on my left side either.  The contractions were manageable, but I was still having to breath through them, which did not seem right.  They came back in to try to fix the problem, but for whatever reason, it still did not work.  Around 2:15 the nurse told me she would be back in 5-10 minutes to check on me, and 2:30 rolled around and I started to have some intense pain and pressure with the contractions.  By 2:40 I could not take it, and I called her in because I was in such pain.  She came back in at 2:45, checked me, and said I was 10 cm and ready to push.  My doctor was in another c-section, but she called her and she arrived shortly after that.  I am not sure how long I pushed, but it was around 5-10 minutes, and at 3:09 p.m. Liliana Mae was born!  I was in so much pain, but it was also empowering to be able to experience the pain of child birth.  I felt so proud and relieved when she popped out so quickly! 

Liliana's temperament when she came out was so different than Frankie's.  She cried briefly at first, and then she just looked around, completely alert, but content and not crying, for about 30 minutes!  She just chilled in my arms, which was really cool.  I remember Frankie screaming and screaming for those same first 30 minutes.  I was so happy that she came on her own terms and that I got to experience an unplanned labor and delivery.  My recovery has been great so far, and I feel much better at this point than I remember from last time.  We were able to come home from the hospital after just 24 hours because we both are perfectly healthy and have no complications.  We are so in love with our baby girl already!

Big Brother Frankie has been so excited about his little sister.  Nana and Auntie Allison brought him up to the hospital Monday night to meet Lily, and he was so excited to see her, kiss her, and "pet" her.  He cracked me up.  He talked to her a lot like he talks to Katy (our dog), telling her "good girl" and saying to me "Mommy, tell baby Lily to stop crying."  When we got home on Tuesday, he ran to the front door with a HUGE smile on his face.  He was very upset the first time he heard Lily really cry, and his big tears made Mommy cry too.  It is going to be a tough transition for all of us, I am sure, but he seems to have a really protective and loving attitude toward Lily already, so that is great.  We are very excited to start our journey as a family of four!

Here are some pictures from our time in the hospital and homecoming: