I'm Exhausted

I feel fatigued today. It took two hours to get Reade down to bed last night and I haven't really bounced back. It isn't that he is up crying, but he has a definite digestive routine he has to go through before conking out for the night. First, he has to clear out every system in his body. Next, he has to get the biggest case of hiccups he has ever had. Then, I have to change his diaper so he is dry as a bone. Lastly, he will feed like he has never eaten before and either pass out completely or wait for a burp and then need this whole process repeated. Unfortunately, I had to go through this whole process twice before he succumbed to the sleep Gods.

I should be a nicer person now that I had a two hour nap in the middle of the day.

We went to the nursery today and picked up some flowers. It is a block away so Blake rode in the stroller and Reade passed out in the Beco baby carrier. Carrying a tiny baby around is so much easier than a 20 something pound toddler. The Beco carrier makes me feel so much safer than the sling carriers I had with Blake.

Here is what a toddler does while his mommy vacuums and his father is on the computer:


The table does kind of resemble the chalk board! I love this table more than anything since a simple, damp paper towel is all it took to clean this up. I guess Blake explained to Andrew that the small squiggle at the bottom left is Reade. I kind of thought that was adorable. Now that I am looking at it, there are four distinct shapes. Maybe this is Blake's first attempt at a family portrait. Oh my God, my son is a genius. Why the heck did I clean that off?

Well there it is, our family portrait. Thank you Blake.

Improvement

We bought a blood pressure cuff yesterday and I am happy with it's first reading:


Someone loves to sleep during the day:


A two minute video of Reade attempting to wake up:

We visited the OB today and I have good news to report. Between the nurse practitioner and Dr. Rydfors we learned that the high blood pressure is probably directly linked to the pregnancy because I don't have a history of high blood pressure. My reflexes were still a bit brisk so they are having me continue the blood pressure medicine for the next four and a half weeks until we reassess at the six week, postpartum check up. He said my headaches and blurry spots should get better in those four weeks (I hope, I hope). The nurse practitioner got out her breastfeeding reference book so we could see if there were any major problems with the meds transferring into my breast milk. The book said there have not been any studies on the long term effects of this medication, but that the low doses in the breast milk are fine for infants. That is enough for me to ignore the issue and keep plodding on.

The OB didn't give an answer as to why this might have happened because there doesn't seem to be any solid explanation at this point. He said it was a bit uncommon in a second pregnancy. This lead me to ask if I could go on to have more children. He replied yes, but I would probably have to take it really easy at the end of the pregnancy. That was better news than I had expected. I also got the okay to function at full speed (okay, new baby speed). That is even better news because I can now start cloth diapers with Reade and not get in trouble for adding more loads of laundry into our daily routine. I am off to research blood pressure cuffs because my OB would like me to have one at home to monitor myself in case my numbers start creeping up. I always find it funny when people recommend buying certain items like this at Costco because I never would have looked there first.

Now, if only my baby would wake up during the day so we could go out and run errands. Too bad Costco isn't open at 2:25am!

Brothers

Then (Blake):


And now (Reade):


Reade was yawning in this picture right before he started screaming. I figured a yawning baby is better than a tomato face.

I felt better today and I look forward to meeting with my OB tomorrow. Also, my friend thought I had stopped breastfeeding due to the medication, but I haven't. I figure the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the negatives of the medication. I will go over it with my OB just to make sure though.

More Meds

My midwife stopped by last night to lay eyes on me and check my blood pressure. Unfortunately, it was high again. She called my OB and he phoned in a prescription to lower my blood pressure. It looks like postpartum preeclampsia is here to stay for a bit. I have an appointment with my OB on Monday to discuss this whole situation in detail. I hope I can take the meds, lower my blood pressure, and then go about my business as usual. This is really starting to drive me crazy.

Sorry Reade, but this does transfer into my breast milk. I promise I will always provide you with health insurance to keep you healthy after this drug laden pregnancy/labor/early stage:


Things like your adorable toes make me happy in tough times:


We are in this together and I will try to make it easy for you:

On Our Own Again

Ellen and David left this morning so we are on our own again. A family of four fending for ourselves. I have been having constant headaches so my midwife gave me strict instructions to chill out and sleep when baby sleeps. She said there is such thing as postpartum preeclampsia so I am trying to help my body heal. This means I have to give up control regarding laundry, housework, and lifting/tending to Blake.

I am pleased to introduce to you the man of the year. Andrew has been so great and is completely stepping up to the plate. He worries about me feeling better, but I constantly worry he isn't getting enough rest also. He assures me he is just fine and doesn't mind doing any of the housework/kid stuff. I love this man. Here he is, father of two:


Andrew and Blake are always busy doing some manly task. Here they are tuning up their bikes:


Right now, Andrew is in the cul-de-sac while Blake picks snails off of bushes with the boys next door. We just went for a short neighborhood walk so I could get some fresh air. Life is good. Now, if only I could get rid of these headaches.

Life Here

Everyone said the first day home from the hospital would be the hardest, but I would have say these past few days have been kind of hard for me. Ninety percent of the cells in my body have been redirected to tend to Reade's needs and I can't help but feel like I am neglecting Blake. The newness will merge into a daily routine soon, but man does life change the second baby is brought home. I am remembering to let my worries float through my brain and out my ears or mouth in deep breaths. All I really have to do is picture us four months from now when Reade will be hanging out on a park blanket while Blake romps around park structures. Okay, now for some snapshots:

Baby bliss:


I go through blankets left and right:


Hello engorgement:


We were able to catch up on an episode of Lost:


Cozies in waiting:


Here is Blake holding Reade for the first time: