Our Garden

When we had our backyard done, they put in a small raised garden next to Kayla's bedroom. Originally, Kayla and I planted Cilantro, Basil, Spinach, Tomato, and Bell Peppers. They all grew really well except the Bell Peppers. Unfortunately, I had no energy to keep the garden going (I was pregnant at the time). So, we let the garden grow crazy. And, we didn't really use what we were growing. It grew out of control. Finally, we decided to pull everything out and start again. This time we decided to use some seeds and some seedlings. So Kayla, Daddy, and I worked a couple hours to till the garden and plant everything. Here is a picture of Kayla with the finished product. Check back later to see our garden grow.

My Little Ham

It took us a little while, but since Kayla doesn't really understand the concept of time we knew we could color eggs after Easter. Kayla had a great time even though she couldn't do much. She loved it so much, she wanted to keep the eggs for a little while. Finally I had to put my foot down and tell her we were going to throw them away. We took a couple pictures and then threw them away in the trash.

The second picture is Kayla's newest thing. She loves to pose. Whenever I ask for the camera she says, "Take a picture of me." Then she'll go through a couple different poses. When we tell her we're done she asks for more. She's such a ham. I wonder if Riley will be the same way? Or is it a girl thing?

Breastfeeding - Warning Boys may want to skip this entry

Breastfeeding is hard work! Don't be fooled, breastfeeding does not come easy to most. Many women don't produce enough milk. Many babies don't latch on correctly. Many women experience extreme nipple pain. Many women don't have the energy to keep up with their baby's needs.

With Kayla she did not latch on correctly. It was painful. I tried to pump, but I wasn't producing enough milk. So, after a couple weeks, i had to quit and give her formula. With Riley i thought it was going to be different. Riley wasn't latching on correctly, but I was able to put him on and then adjust him so the breastfeeding was working for about a week. Then, the pain started. It was similar to the pain I was feeling with Kayla. It was a burning that occurred whenever he sucked. I gave myself a two day break and went to see a lactation consultant. Of course, just as with Kayla he latched on fine with the lactation consultant. So, I went home and he was doing well. I just can't seem to get him to latch correctly on my left side. It is sooo frustrating! I want this to work so badly, but I may have to concede to breastfeeding a few days a week until my milk supply runs out.

Any suggestions?

Riley - 1.5 weeks old, Kayla - 3.5 years old

I've decided we waited just the right amount of time between kids. Kayla is so helpful and independent, it makes my life a whole lot easier. Of course, she has her bad days, and there are times where she doesn't want to help at all. But all-in-all, she has been a great big sister. She has such a good heart that even when she is doing something with Riley that we don't really approve of, her heart is in the right place. For example, she decided her baby was cold so she put her Cinderella baby in the swing with Riley. Although that is not the best place for him to be, she was very thoughtful. She always wants to give him kisses, cover him up, or help feed him. She doesn't seem to crave more attention than normal, she just craves someone to play with her. If we give her alone time with each of us, then she's happy later when we ask her to play by herself while we feed Riley. I would say the only downfall is Riley likes to held and there are times where that can be a problem depending on what Kayla wants to do at that particular time. On this Mother's Day, I am extremely thankful for the family that I have. I am a proud mama!

He's here!

Similarly to Kayla, I began the week prior dilated 2 cms. Dr. Wan suggested that if I was still preggers the next week he would induce me. So, a week goes by and I am still preggers. I had been having a ton of contractions, but nothing that resulted in real labor. So, I go into my appointment on Tuesday April 28th expecting to be induced. He checks me again and now I'm 3 cms dliated. He suggests inducing me on Wednesday. I agree, although I'm being induced at 6am! Yikes!

Mike, Kayla, and I have dinner at Macaroni Grill for our last dinner as a family of three. Mike and I drop Kayla at my mom's house and we head home. My bags are already packed, so I decide to check the bags and make sure I have everything. Then, I decide to relax and watch some TV. I knew I wouldn't get too much sleep from the anticipation of the day to come. Plus, I really wanted to eat something at midnight because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat anything for a while the next day. I stay up until about 12am and eat my leftovers from Mac Grill. Then I go to sleep and toss and turn until I finally fall asleep.

My alarm goes off around 4am. I take a shower then wake up Mike so he can get ready. We collect the bags and make our way to the hospital. At least being induced means Mike won't miss it, and I avoid the embarrassment of my water breaking in public. We arrive at the hospital at exactly 6am. They show us to the room and I get undressed for the event to begin. They hook me up to a bunch of machines and we wait for the doctor to stop by.

The doctor arrives around 7am and checks everything. He gives the ok to start the Petocyn (spelling?) and around 8am the nurse starts the meds. The contractions begin weak but often. The nurse comes in every 30 minutes and ups the petocyn until the contractions are coming every 2-3 minutes and they are pretty strong. At about 11am I decide I might as well get the epidural because I don't want to wait until the pain is unbearable before I ask for the drugs. After my epidural everything is peachy! I'm feeling gooood. My epidural with Kayla was not good and it wore off after only an hour. This epidural was fantastic. Except for the fact that I couldn't feel or move my legs. I also found that I couldn't get comfortable. In fact, I was really uncomfortable and couldn't find a position that made me happy.

After a couple of hours, the nurse checks me to find I'm about 5 cms dilated but his head is still pretty high. I still had plenty of time to wait. Around 3pm my doctor arrives and breaks my water. At that point i'm about 6 cms dilated. We wait for another hour and half before Mike and Gary decide to grab something to eat. By this time I am starving. It was a good thing I ate at midnight or else I would have been really hungry. While Mike and Gary are down at the cafeteria, I tell the nurse I'm feeling a lot of pressure and the need to push. She checks me and tells me that the head is right there. She better check to make sure Dr. Wan is on his way because it is time to push. Mike and Gary come back pretty quick because the type of food they wanted wasn't ready until 6pm. The nurse informs them its time to push and they both are glad the food wasn't ready. The nurses prep while we wait for Dr. Wan. My nurse asks if it is ok if some nursing students watch (I guess because one was male). I tell her this is child number two, I don't care of 5 male nurses want to watch how else are they going to learn?

And so the pushing begins. With Kayla I pushed for a good 30 minutes. With Riley, 4 pushes and he was out! It was the quickest delivery! Fantastic. A couple stitches due to tearing and it was all over. Riley was born at 5:41pm on Wednesday April 29, 2009.