Nolan's Story

It's crazy how quickly time has gone by since Nolan was born. Little man is almost two weeks old and I've been meaning to write about his arrival now since my post last week, but obviously other things have been keeping me from doing so. The most apparent reason is because I now have a newborn who requires my attention all of the time. But there are others too; like trying to catch up on the lack of sleep that I get during the night, washing the endless dirty bottles and pee-soiled laundry, attempting to keep the house somewhat orderly, and just getting used to two kids versus one. I know that it's still very early and I'll start learning new shortcuts and ways to make things easier as I go so I'm fine with knowing certain things will just have to wait until I can find the time.

Nolan's arrival was pretty easy thanks to my scheduled c-section. We checked into the hospital at 6pm and took care of all the admitting paperwork, then they hooked me up to all the monitors until we were ready to go to the OR. As I figured would happen, they were running a bit behind and my 8:30pm surgery time got pushed. Then when we were in the OR and I was getting prepped for my spinal block, there was an emergency that caused everyone to pause on me and tend to her. Yes I was bummed that I had to wait even longer but I also understood and actually felt sympathy for the mom; she was only 24 weeks along with twins. Once the dust settled and we were ready to roll with my surgery, everything happened quickly. My anesthesiologist was great - he had his iPad set to John Mayer on Pandora and told me to let him know as soon as I started to feel any sign of getting sick. I had gotten sick with Mallory so I told him that was one of my concerns going in. Sure enough, I had a moment when my blood pressure dropped low and he came to my rescue with some medicine. Other than that, the surgery went smoothly and Nolan was healthy as can be. In true boy fashion he peed as soon as he was out and then again on the table when they were cleaning him off, even managing to hit himself in the face.

The recovery area was probably the least enjoyable part, mainly because it took FOREVER. I seriously felt like the nurses that were tending to me were in no hurry whatsoever, and at times almost seemed a little unprepared with either supplies or the steps to take to get us up to our room. I was so tired and all I wanted was to be by ourselves with our new little boy. By the time we got wheeled upstairs and into my room it was 2:30am. The nurse that took over in my room was great and tried her hardest to make herself as sparse as possible so we could enjoy being on cloud nine with Nolan. And even though she told me I wasn't supposed to let him sleep with me in the bed, that's exactly where he was for the rest of the night. I just couldn't help myself. As tired as I was, all I wanted to do was stay awake and stare at him.

The rest of the hospital stay was pretty standard. I could have gone home on day two but I opted to stay an extra day. Checking out didn't go as quickly as we were hoping for so that was a bit frustrating though I know it was because Labor & Delivery had gotten inundated; one doctor told me there were 30 women in active labor with only 24 rooms available. Sucks to be those six who were told they'd have to wait. Once we were home from the hospital it was business as usual trying to get everything settled and back to normal. Mallory did and is doing well adjusting to being a big sister and no longer the only child. She definitely has her moments of jealousy and her attitude has regressed a little, but nothing that we didn't see coming. Nolan is fitting into our family very nicely and we can already tell he's a much more relaxed baby then Mal was - thank God. His demeanor is answered prayers for sure. We are elated for his arrival and are having fun getting used to this adorable little boy.

Father and son

Little peanut

Loves holding her brother

At the park

First trip to the doctor

Sleepy baby

Kisses

Welcome Baby Nolan!

I'll go into more detail later but wanted to get a few pictures up on the blog of our sweet new addition. Nolan James arrived via c-section on Tuesday, August 20 at 10:06pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces - the exact same weight Mallory was - and is 19 5/8 inches long. We are over the moon in love with this little man and can't wait to get him home.

Meeting each other for the first time

39 Weeks - Last Belly Update

My last Nolan-belly update before he arrives tomorrow night. I went and finished up my blood work this morning in preparation for my c-section. We check into the hospital tomorrow evening at 6pm with a delivery time around 8:30pm. Obviously I would have preferred an earlier time, but the doctor that's delivering me only works nights. I'm also thinking that having it scheduled later might mean I'll get good sleep considering right after babies are born is usually when they sleep the most; I remember that's how it was with Mallory at least.

Nothing new to report for this week's update other than that I am completely ready to go. Hospital bag is packed - with the exception of my make up bag that I'll throw in when I'm done with it. I finished deep cleaning the house yesterday so that should hold me over for a bit. All errands and shopping have been ran, though I feel like we could already take another trip to the grocery store. Seriously, how does the food disappear so quickly?

When I woke up this morning my hips and legs were pretty sore from the pressure of this big belly. Perfect timing that I had an appointment this afternoon for a massage on my legs/feet, arms/hands. It was a very relaxing 30 minutes that of course went by way too quickly. Massages are one of those things that are never long enough. My puffy feet are thanking me for making the appointment and now I'm just trying to relax with my feet up as much as I can.

Though we don't have Nolan arriving until late tomorrow, I know that the day will still go by quickly. We're getting together with family for a nice big brunch as it will be my last meal that I'm allowed to have until after my surgery. I think fasting for eight hours will be the toughest part to the day, especially since that includes water too. I'll definitely need to remind myself constantly not to eat or drink. I'll be taking my laptop with me to the hospital in hopes that I can post pictures and blog while I'm there, but I'm not totally sure if I'll have internet access yet so we'll have to see. No matter what though, I'll post pictures of our little boy as soon as I'm able, so stay tuned!

Last Weekend as a Family of Three

We had a fun weekend for our last time as a family of three, making the most of spoiling monster with as much attention as possible. Lots of outside playtime - even with the smoky, hot weather - because that's her favorite place to be and once Nolan arrives, we won't be able to get out and about as much at first. Taking Leo to the dog park, shopping and errands around town, bike rides through the neighborhood, ice cream treats, feeding the duckies, playing at the park in the sand, walks along the tree-lined bike trails, splashing at the water park with friends; we took full advantage of our time together. Jody and I even got to squeeze in one more date thanks to Nama and Poppa. An enjoyable weekend had by all.

Maternity Photos with Nolan

I received the photos back from our maternity session with Katie of Platinum Photography a little while ago though I've been a bit of a slacker when it comes to sharing them on the blog. And I figure I should probably do so before baby Nolan comes and I have little to no time to even think about my blog. So without further ado, here are just some - and by some I mean a lot - of my favorites:

38 Weeks

Okay, so I know I've said multiple times before that I'm in no hurry for baby Nolan to come - and I still don't want to go into labor early - but I am changing my mind in the sense that I just want August 20 to be here already. In the last few days my uncomfortableness and pain has only increased, along with some other unwanted developments, and it's making each day that I have to wait for Nolan's arrival much harder. Thankfully I only have one more week to go, though I feel like this last week is going to go slower than I'd like it to.

I had my last prenatal check up this morning and met the doctor that will be delivering me at the hospital next week. I really like her and was impressed with how personable she was; very informative and answered all my questions with full explanations. I didn't feel like she was rushed to get out of the room with me to move along about her day which I very much appreciated. She confirmed that I should in fact make it to next Tuesday without going into labor early as Nolan is still sitting quite high and I have no signs of dilation.

The latest and most annoying occurrence that has surfaced within the last week: insomnia. As if my body wasn't already tired enough from being pregnant. When it first started it seemed like I would only have to deal with it every other night. But lately it's been every single night. I'll usually fall asleep pretty easy but then only get a couple hours of sleep before I wake up, and then going back to sleep has proven to be unsuccessful. Most times I'll lie there hoping and wishing if I stay still long enough I'll just eventually fall back to sleep, but it has yet to work. And then of course because I'm awake I'll eventually become super hungry around 3am. Sometimes I can ignore it but most times it really starts to hurt, so I'll give in to a mini bagel as it's the perfect size to satisfy my hunger pains. And unfortunately I haven't been able to make up any sleep during Mallory's nap time because she's been refusing to take naps for longer than an hour. It's been an uphill battle in more ways than one when it comes to sleeping lately; a sign of what's to come I guess.

My every now and then swollen feet have pretty much become perma-puffy feet. I really dislike it, not just because they look terrible but also because it feels so weird and makes me itchy. At times I can actually feel the fluid jiggle when I walk and I want so badly to take a needle and poke my feet to get it out - if only it were that easy. I was able to get one more pedicure last Friday with my girlfriend Heather which I thoroughly enjoyed. And of course I had to get blue nail polish in honor of baby Nolan. I don't think he'll notice but it's the thought that counts.

I'm pretty sure that my belly is done growing. I've maintained a weight gain of 26 pounds for the past couple of weeks and have noticed recently that the number on the scale is starting to creep down. It's getting to be tight quarters in there for Nolan and when he stretches and moves it can be somewhat painful for me. Sometimes the way he pushes his shoulders against me makes me wonder if he's feeling too crowded and wants the heck out; I know I would. Only seven more days until we get to meet this baby boy!

Craving Cupcakes

I don't know who wanted cupcakes more, me or monster. She was dancing and singing from excitement the entire time we were inside the store waiting to pick out our cupcakes. We thoroughly enjoyed our little treat this afternoon, that's for sure.

Nolan's Room

It took me much longer to finish Nolan's room than it took me to finish Mallory's, but part of it was that I was just taking my sweet time and wasn't in as much of a rush. I think it's probably safe to say that with each kid you have, you tend to not be in as big of a hurry. Mainly because you already have your hands full taking care of the kid(s) you have, but also because you learn that things will typically fall into place regardless of the deadlines you might have set for yourself. It has been kind of nice not feeling as anxious with preparing for baby number two; I've been much more calm in general this time around.

It's also funny to think that you have to have their room done before they arrive when in reality they typically aren't even using the room until months after they're born. So while I say that I've "finished" his room, I really haven't. I will still continue to add trinkets and pictures along the way, and rearrange things as I start using the room to best fit my needs. However, the important items and theme have been established to pave the way for Nolan to move in and make it his own.

I am so happy with the way that his room has turned out; probably even more so than I was with Mallory's. Maybe because I took my time with it to make sure things were really what I wanted. Or maybe because there are more personal touches with his room that give me more pride in the job that was done. The entire bedding was made by hand by myself and my mom. I painted the tiles for his name and made the ribbon banner that hangs above his dresser. The colors and feel of the room are so peaceful to me; maybe Nolan will pick up on that too and be a calm baby...

Of course I couldn't have completed baby Nolan's room without the help of family. A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to the Griffith, Viveiros, Shirley, and Dakis families for going in on the expense of his furniture. Nolan is already spoiled and loved by you all and he is so lucky to call you family! I can't wait for you all to meet him!