Henry and Mommy

I love having a little boy. I love hugging his little barrel chest. It is such a blessing to watch him grow up . I wanted to share some intresting facts about Henry. When he went to the doctor for his four day check-up, he weighed 9 pounds, 11 ounces (his birth weight was 9 pounds, 3 ounces). He hadn't lost ANY weight in the hospital and had gained seven ounces! The doctor said that she had never seen a baby gain like this (in a good way!). I guess all that nursing in the hospital really helped him. When Henry went back to his two month check up he weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces. I love having a fat little baby boy and think that by 6 months, he will have almost caught up with his sister!

Old Movie of MM twirling...

thought this was too cute not to share. This was taken when MM was about 14 months old and had just figured out how to spin.

Having Henry, September 23

Please forgive the lack of posts! To make a long story short, we now have a new computer that makes posting soooooo much easier. I thought that I would backtrack a little and tell Henry's birth story. Four months ago I looked like this:



We were planning for a homebirth and everything was going well until the last couple weeks when I started having tremendous pain in my pelvic bone. When Henry would kick, it would really hurt and I would just lie in bed trying to relax through them. My due date came and went, and the pain continued. I went in for an ultrasound when I was a week overdue to make sure that the baby was okay when it was found that I had low fluid. This explained the huge pain I was having. Henry's head was right in my pelvic bone, almost grinding up against it, because there wasn't enough fluid to cushion it. This rocked our world because having low fluid disqualifies you from having a homebirth. We went in for a second opinion ultrasound and found that my fluid level had dropped even more; it was time to get induced. We deflated the pool that I was planning on giving birth in, and rushed around trying to get things ready for the hospital.



To make a long story short, the hospital I wanted to be induced at wouldn't take me and we ended up at Shands in Jacksonville, a totally ghetto hospital with terrible white walls. It was the most unattractive place to have a baby in. My midwife went with me to check in while Jason and Margaret Mary checked in at a hotel. It took FOREVER for the hospital to start the induction,. We checked in a 9, and they didn't hook me up to the pitocin till 3 am!!! I was having small small contractions and they kept on changing their plan of induction based on that. When the pain started getting intense, the anesthesia people came and gave me a GREAT epidural. I had wanted to go naturally, but pitocin changed all that! I was so happy with my epidural. With MM I couldn't feel my legs, it was terrible. But with this epidural, I could still move them. I was very happy. By now it was morning time and Jason and MM were at the hospital with me. Having the epidural gave me some great time with MM, like below, where we got to spend some quality time together.



As time progressed I could feel my body working hard and so I asked for some quiet time to relax. Within minutes I felt like pushing. I was so happy that my epidural allowed me to feel that, and to later, feel my son coming out of me. With less that 20 minutes of pushing, I pushed out my 9 pounds 3 ounces son. Jason announced it was a boy and we had some great nursing time. Below is our first family picture. :) MM loved Henry and gave him lots of kisses.






I was sad when he had to go to the nursery. One of the reasons why I wanted a homebirth was to keep him with me after the birth. When he came back from the nursery, he cried non stop for a day and a half. Nursing was the only thing that would calm him down and soothe him. Poor guy. We signed an AMA to go home early and I am so thankful we made that decision. As soon as we got home, Henry calmed down and turned into the chill, sweet baby that he is today.





I had been praying my whole pregnancy that God's will would be done with the birth of my child. I was praying that mostly because I was scared of the pain of childbirth, and was asking for the grace to surrender totally to the pain out of love and gratitude for our little blessing. It took on a whole new meaning when we had to go the hospital to be induced. When I was checking in at the hospital I wanted to cry. It was so ugly, I felt so awkward, I wanted to give birth in my house with my family nearby, not surrounded by nurses and docters I didn't know. While praying and wiping away tears, I found peace in God's will for me. I realized that he loves me sooo much and that this birth plan was the best gift that he could give me. Although it wasn't my plan, I know that his will for me is always good, and that fact brought sweet rest to my heart in the middle of hospital chaos.

Happy birthday Henry! What a joy your are in our life!

Margaret Mary and Papa

Margaret Mary and Jason have really bonded since Henry was born. It is so sweet to see them together cuddling and having fun. They go to Holy Mass each day together and MM loves praying with him at night time and for him during the day. Last night during family prayer, Jason was kneeling and MM went up to him and just wrapped her little arm around his waist and stayed there for a while. I love that MM loves her papa.

Baby Sling

To get MM used to the idea that I'm going to be slinging a new baby in a couple of weeks, we made a little sling for her baby. She LOVED IT!!! I put her baby in her sling and she started sweeping the kitchen (what I do with her in the sling!). Margaret Mary loves babies, esp loves the baby Jesus, whom she says good night to each night. I cant wait for her to meet the new baby and pray each night that they would truly love each other with a holy, self giving love like St. Benedict and St. Scholastica had!

On a side note, sorry all my pics are posting sideways. I can't figure out how to fix them. :(

Birthday Party

For MM's first birthday party, we met some friends at the Mission Grounds for a good ol' Easter egg hunt (Catholics celebrate Easter for 40 days!). Margaret Mary had fun chasing the big kids and playing with bubbles. I was so impressed with her cousins who looked out for her the whole time; making sure she didn't get too close to the water, holding her hand, etc. Very sweet.

The AC Unit

Unloading my camera, I couldn't resist but posting this video. It is a couple of months old, but really captures her at the 12 month age. So cute, so fun, but with a mind and a will of her own! At 15 months, she is still a little talker and says so many words! She says (or a shortened version of) ball, box, baby (her favorite), outside, dog, cat, horse, duck, woof, bird, hat, Jesus, Mary, moma, papa (her first word), apple, eye, no and shoes. It seems like she says a new word each day!

Margaret Mary's First Birthday!

Sorry this post is a little late, but Margaret Mary celebrated her first birthday May 12th, 2010. Jason had to work that night, so we celebrated in the morning with a nice birthday cake. Margaret Mary, as you can see, was not too happy about having her hands dirty with cake and soon the cake was all over her face as she tried to wipe her eyes (we were all still sleepy!). I think she liked the chocolate, but she defiantly prefers eating with utensils! Her favorite present? a birthday balloon. She carried it around with her everywhere, which was really helpful as I could tell where she was all day by just looking for the balloon moving about the room. :) What an amazing year it has been; Margaret Mary is more than we could have ever wished for!

My Little Girl

One of the perks of Jason's job is that when he has to go out of town, we often times get to come with him. It is so much fun exploring with our little family and watching Margaret Mary take everything in. Driving through Tallahasse, we stopped by some local gardens and let Margaret Mary "walk" around (keep in mind, these pics were taken a few days before she took her first steps). We discovered that Margaret Mary LOVES anything water: water fountains, streams, lakes, etc. She goes crazy, starts screaming and will throw a fit if she can't put her little hands in the water and play. I wonder if she will stay that way as she grows up. We are a little worried because she doesn't seem to have a healthy fear (by that I mean, ANY FEAR) of the water. During bath time, she sticks her face in the water and tries to blow bubbles. At the beach, she tries to pull you further and deeper into the water...

In the Garden with Margaret Mary

These pics are from a few weeks ago but I thought they turned out too cute not to post. MM loves spending time in the garden: squatting, looking at and picking flowers, pushing and collecting things in her wagon, playing in the dirt, eating the dirt, watching Papa work... Our garden is really blooming and is such a peaceful place to hang out. Thanks Jason for your vision, hard work and excellent ant killing skills. :)

MM with her Nose in a Book!

Click here to view these pictures larger

My daughter loves to look at books, esp in her car seat! She holds the books right up next to her face and laughs and talks to them; so cute!

MM and her Little Red Wagon

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Our First Glimpses of Baby Craig #2

Last week, Jason, Margaret Mary and I went in for my five month ultrasound. We were so excited as we had not seen our baby yet on ultrasound. (Because MM came after our battle with infertility, we had an ultrasound at 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 20 weeks, etc.) The experience was very disappointing. When the ultrasound tech called my name in the waiting room, she looked really nervous and seemed to be scolding the receptionist. She explained to us that kids under 10 aren't allowed to go back, and that no one on staff was allowed to watch our daughter; aka, Jason had to stay in the waiting room with Margaret Mary while I went back by myself. Jason and I were frustrated, but I went in by myself and had a very impersonal experience with the ultrasound technician. "Here is the kidney, check, here is the hand, check." There was no awing over my babies fingers or toes or sweet exchanges between Jason and I as we got the first glimpse of our baby. The ultrasound tech allowed Jason and Margaret Mary to come in the last five minutes of the ultrasound, but it wasn't the same. She gave us a disk of the images and sent us home.

When we got home, I popped in the disk to discover the HORRIBLE quality of the ultrasound photos. They are very grainy and there are NO good pics of the baby's profile (the classic ultrasound shot). We have GREAT shots of MM in my womb via ultrasound photos, so it makes the experience all the more frustrating!

Among all the frustration and chaos, one sweet thing did happen. Margaret Mary, when she came in with Jason, started waving to the image of our baby on the ultrasound monitor, and right as she did this, the baby lifted up his/her hand and "waved" back. Jason and I pray daily that our little babies will be good friends and so it was very sweet to see this little exchange between them. Margaret Mary has really taken to baby Alyssa (Eryn's baby) and loves to watch her, grab/scratch her hand, and help burb her (aka, hit her back). She found a babydoll the other day at a friends house and started hugging it and swaying back and forth; I thought by heart was going to burst out of my chest! Margaret Mary is going to be such a sweet and loving big sister!


(Baby waving to MM!)

Spaghetti and Carrots...

...make for a happy Margaret Mary, and one MESSY kitchen floor!

Just Another Day in Paradise...

Potato Chips

On one of our many trips to visit Eryn in the hospital after she had her baby, Margaret Mary found a bag of Tammy's (her Granny)potato chips in the corner of the room. We were so busy with Eryn that we didn't notice for a couple of minutes that she wasn't just playing with the bag, she was reaching her little hand inside and EATING ALL THE POTATO CHIPS out of it! We have been trying to steer her clear of unhealthy, salty foods, but now she is hooked; I can't say I blame her. Here she is, greasy hands and everything...

Making A Mess in The Kitchen-part 2

Margaret Mary has discovered the two bottom shelves of the pantry. While it does create a HUGE mess, I can't complain for it gives me a good 5-10 minutes of time to get stuff done in the kitchen before its back to chasing MM around the house. She really can get around...fast. Yesterday I was trying to unload the dishwasher and couldn't do it because she kept on crawling from our kitchen to her bedroom. I would pick her up and bring her back, only to repeat this process over and over. I hear this is just the beginning!

How we keep MM entertained when TRYING to eat out...

MM just wants to play!!! It is so hard to keep her entertained, and not reaching, trying to eat, crawling around, pulling things off the table. This little trick has been a life savor! It gives me a minute or two to down my food!

PLAYDATE

A few weeks ago we went to visit Renee (Jason's older sister)in Daytona. A bunch of her kids are getting baptized this Easter, and so Jason and I went down to be a part of the preparations. It was so great to see her and all her kids, and esp to see Margaret Mary loving on her cousins. She has major separation anxiety so Jason and I were shocked to see how she let her cousins hold her, play with her, etc. I LOVE that Margaret Mary has cousins her ago; I can't wait for them to grow up together! Check out the pic of Margaret Mary and Su-anna looking at Su-anna's shoes; MM is def a shoe girl!

A few stories for you...

My camera is full of pics and videos to post online, but until I find time to unload them I thought I'd share a few stories of things Margaret Mary is doing.

Margaret Mary still isn't a fan of her carseat. Things are definatly getting better but she still fusses a lot in it, esp when I'm driving and can't sit in the back seat to entertain her. Recently when I have come to her door to get her out of the carseat, she has started clapping for me. She has also started clapping for me when I get her out of her highchair when she is done eating, and when I start the bedtime routine when she seems sleepy. Its kinda like "Good job MOM, you figured out what I was trying to tell you!Yay for you!"

Today Margaret Mary started throwing a fit while I was holding her. She arched her back and threw her head back about to cry but then froze; she seemed facinated by the view of holding her head upside down. I try to ignore her little tantrums so I just kept walking around the house, doing what I was doing, and she just kept her her little head and back arched back, not crying at all, simply studying the house from this new viewpoint. Very funny.

We have really enjoyed co-sleeping with Margaret Mary the past couple of weeks. (I never thought I would co-sleep, but it happened out of survival when MM started waking up lots at night). When we wake up in the morning, I pretend to still be asleep, and she crawls over to my face, puts her face right in mine and says "ta, or ba," with a huge smile on her face. She will continue to do this until I open my eyes, much to her satisfaction, and tell her good morning. I love our little wake up routine.

More to come soon, thanks for your patience!

FYI- I am now 15 weeks pregnant! Being pregnant FLIES by with your second child... I'm doing well but seem to be more nausous in my second trimester then I was in my first. Oh well, it still has been a very easy pregnancy!

My little girl is growing up!

I am amazed at how fast Margaret Mary is growing up. I know that she technically isn't a toddler, but she is acting like one! Her little face looks so un-babylike now, she is always on the move and talks ALL the time. She is very busy, but VERY happy and laughs at almost everything. She loves standing in the pantry and pulling everything off the shelves, standing in front of the fridge and doing the same, waving at people, saying "papa" and "ball," and exploring. She is crawling now, cruising around on furniture and taking one or two steps when you hold her hands. I love her so much and am so sad at how fast she is growing up. It seems like it happened overnight!

* I don't know why the first pic is cropped weird. Click on the pic to see the rest of the picture.

Making a Mess in the Kitchen

Turkey Stealer

What can I say? She LOVES turkey!!! At least she tries to give it back...

Playing Around the House

So much fun! Her little personality is really starting to come out!

Getting to Know Eachother...

The relationship between Mac and Margaret Mary is becoming more and more intense! She LOVES him! She bounces up and down and makes meowing sounds when she sees him, and then tries to chase him all over the house doing her army crawl thing. Mac, on the other hand, likes Margaret Mary's toys but isn't so crazy about her. He has tried to scratch her a couple of times but she just laughs and keeps on going for him. When MM has gone to sleep at night, Mac chases her toys all over the house. Pretty funny...

Our Big News!

So, when I was late for my last period I felt like an idiot taking a pregnancy test. All the feelings of infertility came back as I watched the little stick to see what it would say. Jason and I weren't trying to get pregnant, but we weren't preventing it either (once you go through infertility, you never think of trying to prevent pregnancy again!). I felt so stupid looking at the stick and KNEW that it was going to say negative. I would then kick myself for jumping to conclusions, throw the stick in the trash and vow not to get my hopes up next time my period came late. I was completely shocked when the plus came up on the test, which means positive. It was like it wasn't for me. I was thinking "is this what it is like for normal people who get pregnant easily who never experience fertility problems?!?!" and "this is crazy, does it really say positive?!?!" Pregnancy is a completely normal thing, but I still think about it from an infertility standpoint, that it is a rare, miracle blessing. I called Jason and he what like "what?!?!;" he was so excited! He announced it to his office staff and then went out to smoke some celebratory cigars with them (he is a such a guy!). We can't believe that God has blessed us with a little baby so soon and are so thankful that we don't have to go through infertility again! I can't believe that God is so good! That he gives us the desires of our hearts when he doesn't have to. It would be perfectly just and good if God never blessed us with children, but he loves us so much that he fulfilled the desire in our hearts for kids. What a great God! So baby number 2 is due mid September and we are planning for a homebirth. Pray for our second little miracle baby! These pics are from the morning of the second pregnancy test (I wanted Jason to see it fresh). Margaret Mary doesnt know what she's in for!

Cutie Pa-tutie!

Playing with Margaret Mary is becoming so much fun. She is so interactive and tells you what she likes and doesn't like. Some of her favorite things to play with are tags, paper, wooden blocks, her animal toy from Granny and anything she can stand up on. I can't believe she is getting so big!