Going Back in Time

It’s been 3 weeks since Kate was born and I’m beginning (albeit slowly) to recall what it’s like to have a newborn in the house.

While her older brother, Jack, can be challenging – anyone who has had to turn down his request for a “snaaaaack” or “sicle!” can testify – his schedule and sleeping patterns are so predictable.

Not so with a newborn. Kate is just beginning to adjust to her surroundings and while we know she’ll be alive-and-kicking from 8pm-11pm, she may also be fussy at completely random times of day. Kelly is handling this marvelously well, while I’m just trying to avoid making Kate cry.

We Survived!

I feared Wednesday this week. In a big way.

Mick's mom left to go back to England on Tuesday and Mick left around 7:00 am on Wednesday for a business trip to Chicago. I was on my own for the first time with two kids. And I was scared.

But summoning advice from friends -- including listening to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and thinking of Béla Károlyi's "You can do eeeeet!" -- I embraced Wednesday with a positive attitude (and a healthy dose of fear).

Somehow, the stars aligned, as we actually had a really good day. I was able to shower and get myself and the kids dressed and out of the house by 10:10 - just ten minutes later than I wanted. Both of them were fed; I can't remember if I had breakfast but I'm sure I had a cup of coffee. Here's Kate hanging out in her swing while Jack had breakfast and then all dressed and ready to go:


I took Jack to Jungle Java, an indoor playground space just a few miles from here. We'd never been there before but I've wanted to give it a try as Jack has SO much energy and loves to climb and run and jump. He looked a bit overwhelmed when we walked in so I had to give him a little pep talk to remind him that I wouldn't be able to climb through with him as I was going to have to sit with Kate. I had no idea if it would be worth the admission fee, but Jack was off and running and climbing as soon as I got his shoes off. The picture below shows how much fun he had.

I decided to be a nice mom and buy Jack a slightly overpriced lunch from Jungle Java and then we headed home for a nap. I was certain he'd take a fantastic nap. Bad news is that he only slept an hour and a half (normal nap for him is 2.5 hours). Good news is that he woke up in a really good mood. Kate was up the whole time Jack slept so that meant I got no nap. Sad. I was a bit nervous when I looked at the clock when Jack woke to see it was only 3:00; how in the world would I make it another 4.5 hours until bedtime???

The answer: Meijer... both to see the lobsters and to get some things for dinner. We left the house a bit before 4:00 and I braced myself for what could easily have been a horrendous trip to the store with two kids. I think Jack was about 5 weeks old before I ventured out to the grocery store with him for the first time. Again, Jack was excellent and Kate slept the entire time!

The only problem was that I forgot about the logistics of fitting groceries in the cart when I had a car seat in the big part and Jack in the front seat part. Luckily, Jack was okay holding a few items while I piled the rest on and around Kate's seat.

As we were ready to leave the store, I realized I had nothing for Jack for dinner. So, I did what any tired mom does: I suggested some fast-cooking, easy, unhealthy (yes, I admit it!) food. First I suggested his favorite: pasta. He said no. Then I pulled out the big guns and suggested a deli pizza. No again. "Well Jack, what do you want then?" Um, he wanted a rotisserie chicken. Seriously. Were there any though? Nope. So I asked how long it would take for more to be ready. Seven minutes. UGH! I just wanted to get out of there. But we waited because I wanted Jack to eat a good meal. And did he ever! Four helpings of chicken... so I guess I can't complain that he turned down pasta and pizza. Here's Jack enjoying the horsey ride at the end of our Meijer trip. It costs a penny so I can't turn it down!

Presumably not every day will go so well but it was nice that our first go at it turned out so nicely so at least I know it's possible!

Kate's First Weeks

It's hard to believe, but Kate was two weeks old on Tuesday. The adjustment period has gone well so far; much better than I anticipated it would. No doubt, that is due in large part to the grandparents who helped immensely in keeping me taken care of and keeping Jack entertained. My parents left on Sunday; my mom had been with us for 2 1/2 weeks (since Jack was in the hospital, which seems like a lifetime ago!). Mick's mom left Tuesday after visiting for just over two weeks. Jack was crushed to see everyone go and I don't blame him. He had a fantastic time with them and got LOTS of attention!

Kate continues with thrill us with her (generally) easy temperament. I kind of expected to have another baby like Jack because, while I know you shouldn't compare kids, he was all I had known. But while Jack was a very lively newborn - eating every two hours like clockwork, taking forever to fall asleep after nighttime feedings, struggling out of his swaddle and thrashing all over the bassinet - Kate is extremely placid. The first few nights home, I actually set my alarm every three hours to get up to feed her. She just seemed too lazy to me! She is a dream to get back to sleep at night (I don't really have to do anything - she just nurses and then sleeps), she only wakes once to eat (around 3:30 am), and she stays completely still in her bassinet - swaddle and everything!

Kate went for her two-week visit to the doctor on Tuesday and we found she's up to 8 lbs, 14 oz. That's a massive gain (19 oz since birth)! She's gaining at the same rate Jack did - double the average. And she's a quick eater, like her brother was, which makes things quite nice for me... especially as Jack likes to climb all over me to get to Kate and give her kisses when I'm nursing. She does have a bit of a fussy time in the evening and so it's been trial and error to figure out what she likes and what calms her (loud "shushing" in her ear coupled with holding her under her armpits n a bit of a sitting/slumped over position). Last night, Mick gave her her first bottle, which she hungrily gulped down around 10:30, allowing me to sleep on the couch. Today, I was able to pump 6 oz of milk in record time (for me): 9 minutes! Everything has to happen a bit more quickly these days so I can accommodate two kids' needs.



So far, knock wood, we haven't had any major behavioral issues with Jack. He's shown nothing but love & wonder toward Kate. As soon as he wakes, he wants to see her and he's constantly rubbing her head, stroking her cheek and saying things to me like "I love my baby sister! I made her happy!"

Photos from her first few weeks are in our photo album. Enjoy!

Meet Kate!

Baby Kate!

Our newest family member has arrived and we are adjusting fairly well to being a family of four!

Kate Clara Collins was born at 7:15 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 22. She weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz (3.5 kg) and was 22" long (55.9 cm). Both Mick and my mom were present for Kate's birth; my mom was able to cut the cord which she was thrilled about. (Mick had no interest in doing anything but whispering words of encouragement to me which was fine with me as his support helped tremendously!)

(Quick notes to address questions we've been asked: 1. Her name is simply Kate; it is not short for Katherine or anything else. 2. No, she is not named after Kate Middleton. Kate is the name we were planning to use back in 2008 if Jack had been a girl; it's just a name we both love. 3. Her middle name is in honor of my grandma, with whom I was very close.)

As Mick and I climbed into bed around 11 pm on Monday night, I told Mick we really needed to install the car seat in the car the next day. I was one day past my due date and, although we sort of all expected Kate to be born one week late via scheduled c-section (given Jack's birth, my OB was skeptical Kate would come on her own), I figured we should at least feign preparation. (First major difference between first and second child: Jack's car seat was installed about 5 weeks prior to his due date; Kate's wasn't installed until after she was born.) In any case, about an hour and a half after I made the car seat comment, my water broke. There was absolutely no mistaking what was going on, so I first woke up Mick and told him to get ready to leave, then I woke my mom and told her to do the same. Luckily we had both my mom staying with us (because of the fact that Jack had been in the hospital three days prior) and Mick's mom as well. I then had a leisurely shower, packed up my remaining stuff, and typed up a list of instructions for Julie so she'd know things like how much medicine to give Jack & how to work the TV. My contractions were still about 10 minutes apart so not technically close enough to go the hospital. However, the doctor on call said we needed to come in since my water had spontaneously ruptured. We arrived at the hospital around 2:30 am on Tuesday.

I was in labor for 19 hours before Kate arrived. I was committed to trying for a VBAC and really wanted to see if I could go epidural free. Luckily though, I remembered what a friend had recommended regarding my birth plan. She said I should simply indicate that I wanted to be conscious and have Mick present for this baby's birth. Given how sad I've always been about Jack's birth (since I had general anesthesia and Mick couldn't be in the OR with me), I let this dictate my plans. The doctor (who was young, but whom I loved!) told me that the benefit to having an epidural was that, if things suddenly got dicey with labor and I needed a c-section, I'd already be numb and would likely be able to avoid general anesthesia. That sealed it for me. 11 hours into labor, I decided I'd go for the epidural.

I have been a huge proponent of natural labor and I really did want to see if I could do it without any medical intervention. In the pauses between contractions, I was SURE I could keep going drug-free. But in the middle of each contraction, I really just wanted to die. The pain was intense. After getting the epidural, I looked at my mom and said "frankly, they should require that women get epidurals!" There's little question in my mind that the epidural is what allowed me the stamina I needed to push for as long as I did. I had about five pain-free hours during which I was able to store up my energy, rest a bit, and prepare for birth. Without harping too much more on how much I loved these drugs, here's a picture showing how I looked and felt 13 hours into labor:

Post epidural & feeling good!

Despite having a migraine (which I got as soon as the epidural was placed), being completely unable to take "deep cleansing breaths" through my nose (due to ongoing cold), and sounding as if I were hacking up a lung every time I coughed, I made it until 5 pm when the doctor told me I could start pushing.

Again - I won't go into graphic details but I will say the following: I pushed for 2 1/4 hours. It was hard. Very hard. Kate was born face-up which made pushing uncomfortable and difficult, to say the least. Every time the doctor left the room, I felt crushed. I knew when she left that it meant I was still a long way from delivery. While I didn't scream any (or many?) obscenities, I did repeatedly say that I couldn't keep going. Part of my brain was really annoyed at me for saying this because I knew that a) I could do it, b) I would do it, and c) there was really no other option, but I couldn't stop myself from begging for help!

Finally, sometime around 7 pm, the doctor came in and suited up and I knew that meant she was going to stay. I heard the nurse call for additional nursing and neonatal staff and that further gave me what I needed to endure those last 15 minutes.

I don't remember crying when Kate was born, but my mom said I did. I do remember that when I commanded (really, I did) Mick to look at the baby and tell me what we had, I was shocked when he said we had a girl. We were all convinced Jack would have a baby brother so it was almost unreal when I learned we had a daughter!

Kate checked out well and a few hours later, we were settling into our room for the night. I had an eventful time that night (with only three hours of sleep) as I ended up with chest pain that resulted in numerous breathing treatments and chest x-rays at 3:30 am (diagnosis was that my respiratory infection had been aggravated by the two hours of pushing), but luckily Kate was very placid and easygoing - and a good eater! So that made things much easier!

On Friday, three days post birth, Kate's weight had dropped only 2 oz so she was down to 7 lbs, 9 oz. We had to take her back to the doctor on Monday and she was up to 8 lbs then! Somehow, she gained 7 oz over the weekend. So we no longer worry about setting our alarm and waking her at night to feed her (which I did the first few nights we were home because she was soooo lazy!)

Jack meets Kate for the first time

Helping to hold his sister

Ready to go home!

Jack has been adjusting very well. He keeps telling us he loves Kate and he is incredibly gentle with her. He does like to play his drum (loudly) for her, but this doesn't seem to be a problem for Kate, probably because she heard it so much in utero.

I have posted pictures of Kate's first few days in our photo album on Snapfish if you'd like to have a look.

Jack's Hospital Stay

We've had a tumultuous few days, starting early on Wednesday morning when we ended up in the ER with Jack. We have known there will be a hospital stay in our near future, but we never thought it would be Jack as the patient!

Jack and I both came down with something resembling a cold on Saturday. I felt pretty horrible immediately but other than some congestion, Jack seemed generally okay. As the week progressed though, his appetite waned, his activity level (which is usually quite high even when he's sick) slowed substantially, and we battled a low-grade fever that neither Motrin nor Tylenol seemed to touch. On Monday & Tuesday, he began coughing so violently, it caused him to vomit.

Very early Wednesday morning, I heard him coughing again and it sounded as if he couldn't catch his breath. I went into his room to check on him and he seemed to be struggling a bit to breathe and his heart was racing. I called Mick and and we agreed that we needed to step up Jack's asthma treatment plan to the most serious level (he can't be tested for asthma until he's older but we treat him as if he has it during cold/flu season to try to avoid nasty respiratory infections that require steroid treatment). I also called the on-call nurse to see if we should take him to the ER. The nurse could hear him coughing in the background and said we absolutely needed to go. So, at 6:30 am, we arrived at the hospital with our sick little guy in tow.

Clutching Daddy in the ER

We ended up spending almost 12 hours in the ER, with Jack receiving breathing treatments every 15 minutes to try to get his cough under control. It was heartbreaking to watch him struggle. His coughs were so violent - he'd cough for at least a minute at a time with no relief and even his rest periods were brief. About seven or eight hours into our stay, the doctors started preparing us for the likelihood that Jack would have to spend the night. They said the fact that they couldn't get him to go four hours without a breathing treatment was alarming to them; in fact, since he couldn't even get to two hours without a treatment, they told us he'd have to be admitted to the ICU. He tried to get some rest in the ER but it was hard to do with the coughing fits.

Jack's favorite part of his stay; our ride from the ER to the pediatric unit (they wouldn't let me walk for fear I'd go into labor)

The doctors eventually ran some tests and took some cultures which helped them diagnose him as having RSV complicated by asthma symptoms. He stayed overnight on Wednesday, with Mick curled up on a tiny chair next to Jack's hospital bed (which looked like a cage) and me heading home to get some rest in case I went into labor (needless to say, it was impossible for me to sleep with my little one sick in the hospital).

First night in the hospital

I was relieved when I returned to the hospital early Thursday morning to find that Jack was acting MUCH happier... and was even trying to eat a meal. Even though he was in isolation (because RSV is so contagious), we were confident he'd be released on Thursday as he was acting SO much better. However, his pulse-oxygen level dipped into the 80s every time he lay down to sleep, so the doctors mandated he stay a second night.

Acting silly on Day 2

Practicing good exhales with a party toy, courtesy of our kind nurse

Mick and I were so worried I was going to go into labor - as my due date was just two days away - so we asked my mom to come down to Ann Arbor a week earlier than she'd planned. My big fear was that I'd end up having the baby (in a different hospital than Jack was in) and I'd have no one with me; I would have wanted Mick to stay with Jack.

Luckily, Jack ended up being released Friday afternoon... which made all of us very happy!

Morning 3 - At least Jack had a good night's rest!

We're outta here!

He's recovering now and the hardest part is just keeping him from running around too much (which is much easier said than done). Never have I been so happy that my babies seem to like to blow past my due date without so much as a hint that they're ready to be born; I would have been a nervous wreck had I delivered while Jack was in the hospital! Mick has come down with "the plague" so now all three of us have it; we are desperately hoping we'll be recovered in time for delivery day.

I put a bunch of pictures from Jack's hospital stay in our photo album.

Preparing for Baby

The last few weeks have seen lots of transitions as we prepare for the upcoming arrival of our little chickpea.

In early January, we transitioned Jack out of his crib and into a big-boy bed. It took a good ten days to complete the transition to the point where he went to bed without any problems, stayed in bed, and slept there all night long. I ended up creating a sticker chart for him where he received stickers and stamps every morning (or after every nap time) if he'd gone to bed easily and stayed in bed. I told him once he filled all 28 spaces on the chart, he would get a special present from us of his choosing. He chose a dinosaur AND a digger. Always one for negotiation, that kid...
The potty training hasn't really happened yet but I'm not really stressed about it. I figure it will happen when he's ready; I'm not going to push it. I did, however, buy Jack some underpants in the hopes it would spark him to want to start trying to go on the potty. While it failed to create any real action, it did inspire Jack to want to wear his undies over his clothing.
In mid-January, we ended up trading in our Jeep Liberty (which was getting too small already for a toddler and a 65 lb dog) for... yes... a mini van! Mick and I were both a bit reluctant to join mini-van nation, but the truth is that it was the most practical way for us to go given the need to accommodate two car seats, a big dog, and relatives who visit from England for long periods of time. Truth be told, I think we are both much happier with our decision to get the Town & Country than we thought we'd be...
We also did lots of work in the baby's room: painting (a soft green), John Lennon border paper, crib reassembly, etc. Jack was a huge help and enjoyed playing with his baby doll and testing out the bassinet, swing, and bouncy seat by practicing with his doll. He is so gentle with his doll and cares for it so lovingly that it makes me feel pretty comfortable about how he will act once our baby actually arrives.

During the first weekend in February, we were able to stay in our friends' condo up north at the Grand Traverse Resort as a bit of a final special weekend for Jack. My parents came up as well, allowing me & Mick to have dinner alone one evening as well as a very nice brunch at the resort. With Jack, we spent quite a bit of time at the indoor pool/water playground (which he loved!) as well as going on a horse-drawn sleigh ride and seeing a few reindeer (and even giving them apples!).


Then, the weekend before my due date, we took Jack to the hospital for a big sibling tour. He learned all about how the baby would be born, where I would stay in the hospital (he loved looking at the babies in the nursery), and how to gently hold and play with a baby. He was SO into wrapping, holding, and rocking the loaned baby doll that he had a really hard time leaving it when our tour was over. Mick and I kept reassuring him that soon we'd have our own real live baby, but it was little consolation to him. He was quite proud though of the "big brother" certificate and pin he received at the end of the class; we told him he'd be able to wear the pin when he visits me in the hospital, so he's very excited about that!

Now we just wait for the big day to arrive... my due date is Feb. 20 and I have a c-section scheduled for Feb. 28. My doctor and I have our fingers crossed that this baby decides to come on its own so I can avoid a c-section, but the likelihood is that this baby will do something similar to its brother and be well past its due date. Stay tuned!

(Pictures of all of our baby preparation activities are all posted to our group room on Snapfish.)

Winter Fun

I'm getting a bit behind again in the ol' blog posts so this will be brief but include lots of photos.

We've been busy preparing for baby (more on that in later blog) and, in the meantime, we are trying to spend lots of quality time with Jack.

A few weeks ago, I took him for our first visit to the Leslie Science and Nature Center (just a few miles from our home) for one of their toddler programs. The day we went, the focus was on trees so we got to make leaf rubbings with crayons, stack towers with pieces of tree trunks, look at tree rings with magnifying glasses, read stories about trees (Jack chose a children's version of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book which made me SO happy because she was, hands down, my favorite author as a kid!), decorate & eat tree cookies, and take a hike through the woods. The day we went we had a beautiful, fluffy snowfall - the kind with huge snowflakes - so it make the hike even more enjoyable. Every once in a while, the hike leader would tell the kids to stop and ask what they could hear (usually going for something like "a bird" or "the wind"). Jack enjoyed answering her question by saying things like "an airplane!" (which yes, he did hear) or, a bit more strange, "a dinosaur and a monkey and a lobster!"


When the program was done, Jack and I took a walk to the back of the nature center to see some of the resident owls & birds, particularly Jack's favorite, the bald eagle. (He saw this particular eagle at our neighborhood high school's homecoming game in October and hasn't stopped talking about it or asking to see it again... so this was a HUGE hit for him!)


We've had a bit of snow so have also been trying to figure out good indoor activities. These have included spending quite a bit of time doing artwork (notice the green and blue (washable) markers that have made their way to the sides of Jack's mouth) and baking. Jack LOVES helping us to cook and he's becoming a decent little sous chef. He and I spent an evening making cupcakes and this was certainly a highlight of the winter for Jack. He keeps asking me to do it again, but the problem with baking is that you then have yummy treats around that are just begging to be eaten!



All of these pictures (and more) have been loaded into our Snapfish photo albums, along with photos (overdue) from Christmas. The Christmas pictures include Papa (my dad) as Santa at our family party (Jack was a bit leery), cutting down & trimming our Christmas tree, opening presents on Christmas morning, and our time with Marcus & Deagan the week after Christmas. For Christmas, we hosted my family here in Ann Arbor: 11 people and 3 dogs in our house (and some pregnancy-related emotional meltdowns from me) over the course of three nights made things crazy, but fun! We also had lots of fun with Marcus and Deagan after the holidays and enjoyed quite a few activities including: making personal pizzas, creating a gingerbread house, going to Xtreme Bounce Zone (to bounce all the energy out of the kids!), making & devouring a birthday cake for Landon (who would have turned four on Dec 28), and having fun play time with cousins Braden & Addison. Let me know if you need a reminder on how to log into our group room to see the photos!