Coming Home (part 4)

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Coming home was something we really looked forward to after having Gracie. The hospital bed was just not cutting it and niether was the food. I was released to come home on July 3rd, 2007 (Chuck and I"s 3rd anniversary). They wheeled me up and took me down to my car. I sat in the back with Gracie of course. Grandma went ahead of us and took pictures as we pulled into the driveway. Their was a banner our front that said "welcome baby" and Amy and Erin had decorated the inside of our house with "it's a gir" decor and baby stuff. It was cool. We showed Gracie her room and introduced her to Millie and Hazel, which up until this time, had a good time sleeping in her crib and the playyard. Papa Weiss and Grandma Vicky and Uncle Frog (we call him the Godfrogger since he is also Gracie's godfather) came to visit. It was a tiring day recooperating and entertaining. Of course Gracie slept not a wink that night so we were up! Let's hope that the twins sleep on the same schedule or I will be getting no sleep! So with glee, we welcomed home Baby Gracie!

Meeting and Greeting (part 3)

Meeting your child for the first time is a time like no other. It is something that you will treausre forever and no one can rob you of that. We knew Gracie was going to be a girl so we spent months trying to picture in our heads what she would look like. Would she have brown eyes like us? Would she have red hair like Chuck? Who would she look most like? It's a fun guessing game to play. The minute that little baby is placed in your arms, you suddenly move down on that list of importance and your baby instantly becomes number 1. You can't help but think about what you just went through to get her here and you marvel at the wonder that you created this precious little being. You can't stop staring at her because she is the most important thing that you have ever done. You never want to put her down because you just met her and can't bear to be without her. That is how I felt the minute Gracie Lynn was placed in my arms that July morning nearly 2 years ago. Here are some of the first pictures and pictures of her first visitos.

Labor and Delivery (part 2)

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Again, Gracie's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching and I wanted to share with you my amazing journey with my baby girl with you. Being pregnant again, it's nice to have something to compare it with. And before I embark further in this pregnancy, I will share with you the magic of my first. As stated in the previous post, I made it 41 weeks until they decided to induce me. So here I am, it's June 30th, 2007 and I have just been admitted to St. Joe's. They interviewed me asking me all kinds of health questions while Chuck went home to get the bags. I then called everyone I knew basically to tell them I was finally having this baby! At about 1 pm, the doc came in and inserted something called Cervidal. Really it was like some sticker tampon thing because there was a string hanging out. He said it would soften my cervix. So then Chuck came and my friend Dana happened to be there visiting her friend's baby so we walked around the maternity ward. I could already start to feel some contractions but they were all in my back. I would go back and they would hook me up to the fetal monitor. I ordered some food and watched a little tv. Went for some more walks. Dad and Amy came and we sat around and talked. Finally around dinner time, the contractions really started to get painful. They were all in my back. I would sit on the birthing ball and lean over the bed and whenever I had contraction, I would have Chuck push with all his might on my back. It hurt pretty bad. It was like menstral cramps times 100! I was slowly dialating however. About 9, I was in pain and I just kept watching the number on the monitor (the number that is for the contractions) get higher and higher. They gave me something that I can't remember the name of and told me it would help. Did it? Nope. It made me feel drunk and that is what I told them. I felt so dizzy and sleepy. I would literally sleep for a few minutes and then wake up for the contraction. Then sleep again, wake up in pain. Finally, they told me I could get an epidural. Thank goodness! So first some lady comes in and tries to give it to me. I explained to them that my spine is not straight, I have scoliosis. So she went and got the real dude who is supposed to give these things. So once again, he attempted. Finally, at the 3rd attempt, of having this huge needle jabbed in my back, it was so much better! I was surprised that so far, I had not shed one tear of pain! Finally then, they started pitocin to speed things up. I was finally able to get some sleep around midnight. Around 2, they checked me and I was almost fully dialated, so Chuck called mom to come back. She was going to be there when I had Gracie. Then at 5 am, the nurse said I was a ten and could start pushing. I was like, "Lady, I am still so freaking tired and I don't want to yet." So I guess about 7 was when I started pushing. They told me to push like I was taking a poo so I did. I was instructed to push for 10 seconds, 4 times in a row during a contraction. Chuck started counting for me which I immediately told him to stop! It was annoying at the time. Chuck had one leg and mom had the other. Pushing was what I did. At 7:30, I asked the nurse if she could see the baby yet. Shortly after that, Chucks cell phone rang and he actually left my side to answer it. It was Amy and my dad waiting anxiously in the waiting room. She must have asked "what's going on?" Because he said "Uh, were still pushing." I started yelling "thell them we will call them when we are done!" Then about 8, I asked "how much longer of this?" Dr. Egan came in and said I would probably push for another 45 minutes. OMG I was so tired and sweaty and gross. I kept asking, "can't you just grab her out yet?" Then this team of nurses came in and started chanting "push her out, push her out, way out!" Are you kidding me? Finally at 8:55 that sunny July 1st morning, Gracie decided to come out! Wow! That was great! She was here! They put her on my stomach and even though she was covered in gook, I touched her and said "it's about time baby girl." Then they whisked her away and the doc had to push on my stomach to get the placenta out. Finally I was like "Um, yeah, I have to go to the bathroom." He said "No, that's your placenta coming out." That felt great too to get out! Finally, done. I was exhausted and it took the doc half and hour to sew me up as I had tore pretty bad. Gracie weighed in at 8 pounds and 20 1/2 inches long. Finally I was a mommy! It was the greatest experience!

Due Date Come and Gone...... (part 1)

So as Gracie's 2nd birthday is fastly approaching, I though I would share some of the memories of being pregnant with her and the wonderful memories we have made over the past 2 years. Each day I hope to post a piece of the Gracie journey with you. I had a easy and great pregnancy with Miss Gracie except for one thing....I went WAY over my due date. As I was sitting around yesterday thinking, "hmmm, June 23rd, (which was yesterday), was my due date with Gracie." Did it happen that day? Nope! I remember feeling very HUGE. Well, I did gain 60 pounds afterall. June 23rd, 2007 was a Saturday. The week before I had scheduled a doctor's appointment for that Monday, the 25th, you know, just in case I hadn't gone into labor yet. Well, sure enough Chuck and I show up that Monday morning with no baby. I was thinking ok, well they'll induce me or something. So they gave me a non-stress test. I had to lay there for half an hour and push this button everytime I felt the baby move. It was ok but I was like, "C'mon people." He checked to see if I was dialated. Was I? Nope. Not even to a 1. So he sent me home and said "Come back on Wednesday. We'll induce you." So I went home and cried because in case
some of you don't remember, I was also told that I was a "big one" and that I would be giving birth to this 10 pound baby who I affectionately called "sasquatch." So Wednesday came and we went back. Same thing. Hooked up to the machine. No dialation. "See you Friday" said doc. Went back Friday. Same thing. Hooled up to the machine. No dialation. They said for sure they would induce me on Monday as I was a week overdue now. They did say to go to the hospital on Saturday for another test. So I get there and they are like "why are you here?" I started crying because I tod him how overly cooked I was, there was no dialation, I had to keep being hooked up to the machines, they keep saying they will induce me but don't and so on. The nurse was like "oh." Then she left. I was like wtf? Finally my doctor, Dr. Egan, came around the corner and said "are you miserable?' I nodded. He said "would you like to be admitted?" I nodded again. But the minute I said that I got really nervous. Because now I had already told my friends, yeah, I'll go walk in the Relay for Life, and yeah, I'll go see Everclear at the Taste of Joliet. I thought for sure this baby wouldn't come until Monday. So I was led to my birthing suite and put on gown. I started calling people just to let them know where we were. I remember calling my mom and saying "uh, this is it. I'm here." Chuck was sent home to get my bag, which had been packed for months, and they interviewed me about my health history. So that is the story of how I finally got admitted to be induced even though I had a stubborn cervix that did not want to dialate! Stay tuned for how the induction went tomorrow!

Swimming Lessons!

Swimming lessons started today! I enrolled Gracie in a parent-infant swim class at the Ottawa Street Pool. This is the very same pool that I lifeguarded and taught swim lessons for many summers. We took the class last summer but I knew Gracie would enjoy it much more this year. It was pretty crowded too! We always starte in the kiddie pool and sing songs like the "wheels on the bus" and we take watering cans and water different parts of our bodies. We also practice floating and kicking. Gracie had a ball! Then about halfway through, you move to the big pool and play "humpty dumpty" where the you pull your child off the wall when Humpty falls down. We also play "london bridges" with noodles and get free swim time. Gracie loved that too. Although she is still not fond of being dunk or having water in her face, she was less clingy than she was last year. She was laughing and talking and having a grand old time. When we had to leave, she didn't want too and was trying to drag me back to the pool. We told her we would be back tomorrow. And tomorrow will also be fun because we are going to the beach! Don't worry, we'll load up on the sunscreen.

Happy Father's Day!

You’re the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold.

You're daddy's little girl, to have and hold.

A precious gem is what you are;

You're mommy's bright and shining star.

You’re the spirit of Christmas, the star on our tree.

You’re the Easter Bunny to Mommy and me.

You’re sugar, you're spice, and you're everything nice

And You’re Daddy’s Little Girl

You’re a treasure I cherish, all sparkling and bright.

You were touched by Holy and beautiful light;

Like the angels who sing, a heavenly thing

And you’re Daddy’s Little Girl

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Gracie has always and will always be daddy's little girl. (If there's another little girl in mommy's tummy, she will have some competition.) From the time daddy leaves in the morning and Gracie watches him from the window til he comes at night and Gracie runs and hugs him shouting "dad, dad!" Unfortunately, daddy has to spend the day working so we will be going to surprise him with some gifts. Gracie got him a Cubs shirt that says "daddy" and the back with the number 1. The twins got him a shirt that says "real men make twins." I think he will like it. Gracie also picked out on her own, a book called "Daddy and Me." She LOVES books and always wants daddy to read to her. So Happy Father's Day! We love you!

Ready or Not, I'm Halfway There!

Yikes! 18 weeks already! Seems like yesterday I just found out I was pregnant! Basically this marks the halfway point through my multiple pregnancy. For single babies, average length is 40 weeks. For twins, the average is 37-38 weeks. So far everything has gone good. Sort of had a bumpy start but everything seems ok now. I am starting to feel movement although no powerful kicks coming through just yet. I feel like I am getting bigger by the day. Gracie can hardly fit in my lap anymore and I have to have her sit to the side of my belly. I'm worried that some of my maternity clothes, which I am fully in already as you can tell, won't fit me in a few more months. So as far as what I am going to wear to work this fall, hopefully my boss won't mind if I come in sweats. Maternity clothes are so expensive! I am hoping to be able to work as long as I can without having to go on any kind of bedrest. We just have so much to do that it is exhausting and stressful to think about. First, we have to make room. I would like to move but I'm not sure if that is going to happen. We need to buy somethings, car seats, strollers, playyards, clothes, etc. We have our name list going with ten girls and boys names. I will share those with you later. I can find out what we are having in 2 weeks if I want to. Part of me wants to know but part of me doesn't. I like the idea of surprise since this was a surprise pregnancy afterall. Also though, if I find out, it's not like I can really plan anyways besides buy clothes since it looks like the babies will be bunking with us until we move out of this box so there really is no need to find out. I can't decorate a baby room anyways. So yes, this surely has been an emotional rollar coaster for me. Everyone says everything will work out but I am not so sure yet. Only time well tell I guess. Let's hope it does soon or Chuck will for sure divorce me! Anyways, just trying to keep my two little sweet potatoes healthy and happy because I will be meeting them before I know it!

Bouncy Beauty!

Since plans changed today from the zoo, because of the weather, we decided to take Miss Gracie to the bouncy house! We have been there a couple of times before and she LOVES it! We lucked out because hardly anybody was there so she was not getting trampled by the bigger kids. For those of you who don't know what the bouncy house is, its this place that has gigantic blow-up bouncy things basically. Most have slides that you climb up to get down, tunnels, balls, obstacles courses, all kinds of fun! Gracie knew where she wanted to go. Each time we have gone, she gets braver and braver. Today she was going down the big slides all by her big girl self! She needed a little help from Daddy of course climbing up to the top though. She even was brave enough to go crawling through the tunnels all by herself! I tried to take pictures but since I am preggo and thought it would not be too wise to for me to go bouncing around, the netting made it hard for me to get good pictures. Anyways, it was fun to watch her jump around, fall, adn then laugh at herself. I am excited because starting in July, they are having toddler time here. From 12-2 on Thursdays, it is bouncing time for kids 5 and under only. I'm glad because I have been there when it has been crowded and I want to yell at some of the bigger kids that run around and trample my little girl. Yes, I am one of those parents! I tell them to be careful while their moms, if they are even watching, shoot me a dirty look. Oh well, just looking out for my bouncing beauty!

We're From the Country (Well Daddy is...)

While at my garage sale the other day, (we won't discuss that) my husband decided it was also time to sell his mullet wig. Chuck has always had this weird obsession with them. He's always talking about growing another one. That's just gross! I have his senior high school photo and what is her wearing? uh-huh! So after wearing this wig for a Halloween or two, he decided it was time to part with it. But before he did, he had to try it on Gracie. Surprisingly, she kept it on long enough so I could snap some pictures. I swear it reminds me of that movie "Joe Dirt." She looks like she could be "baby dirt." Anyways, to make a long story short, the wig went, which is more that I can say for some brand-name clothing I had there. In fact, Chuck ended up giving it to a group of Mexican guys who were so amused by it and also buying all of our beer mugs. And that reminds me of Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite."

So Many Dresses, So Little Time!

So my problem today is which dress???? Gracie's 2nd birthday is rapidly approaching and so today I figured I better find some dresses for her to wear to her 2-year pictures. Of course it's not like she had none already hanging in her closet but I wanted something more than casual to make her look extra special. Kohl's always has great little girl dresses at very awesome prices. I actually have not been there since Christmas so we took a trip there today. I managed to find these 4 dresses quickly because we had some shopping issues today. In case you don't remember, I am not supposed to be carrying Gracie around. Although I have since there is no way around it at times, I figured we should be able to handle a quick shopping trip. Of course, the little mommy that she is, had to bring in baby and baby's blanket which meant she did NOT want to hold my hand in the parking lot. I had to hold her by her upper arm so it looked like I was dragging the poor girl in. Once inside, I let go because she is pretty good about staying by my side. As I was looking at the dresses, Gracie had decided to take off her shoes. By the time I looked, she was barefoot so we had to find her shoes and I told her to put them back on. Then I went back to the dress shopping only to find her trying to crawl underneath a rack. Her butt was in the air in the air and she stunk! Some little kid walked by and said "it smells like poo-poo." Yuck! So you know, because this was supposed to be a quick trip, I didn't have a diaper handy. So I knew I needed to hurry up. I wanted to also quickly stop by the maternity section and check out some shorts and capris for me, as I am growing rather large. By the time we got there, Gracie had placed her baby on the floor and was walking around with the blanket over head shouting "mom, mom." Ok, I knew we needed to leave at that point. Of course there was a line and Gracie decided to play ghost one more time at the cashiers. So needless to say, I just bought a bunch of dresses to choose from. We went to Grandma's and tried them on. Which one is your pick?

17 Weeks and Counting...

So here is the size of the babies as of today! 17 weeks sure has gone fast. I have started feeling some movement. I should because afterall, I already look like I am 6 months pregnant! This is getting a little scary for me. I still sometimes have a hard time grasping the fact that I will be having two. I caught a "baby story" on TLC the other day and the lady was having twins. I sobbed so hard and loud (you can ask Chuck) because I don't know if I am happy or scared about this. We are anything from ready for these little dudes yet. We have managed to get a car big enough to hold us all but our house? Not so much. There's a million things that need to be done and I don't even know where to start. I could go on and on and on.....like I do in my head every freaking minute but I won' t bore you with that. All's I can say is wish me luck because this has been an interesting journey so far and I'm sure it's bound to get even more interesting........2 babies? OMG! I will be responsible for 3 children? That scares the bajesus out of me!

A Counting Cutie

Today, on Friday, June 12, 2009, my daughter, Gracie, counted to 10! It was so exciting to see and hear! Gracie is obsessed with books. I mean, that's all we do, read, read, read. You think I would be excited since I am afterall, a teacher and have my Master's in reading, but seriously, that's all we do. We read the same books over and over and over again. There is no shortage of children's books in our house either. For one, for my baby shower, everyone brought a book. Also, I have some books from when I was little and I always order Gracie cheap books through the boor orders at school, even get some free by doing a little scamming! I also go to Barnes and Noble because I get a teacher discount. There are a ton of numer books out there and here are some that we own and read frequently. Anyways, one of Gracie's current favorites is this numbers book that I got at the Target dollar spot. I couldn't even find a picture of it online. For weeks we have been practicing counting. She has been saying "1, 2, 3, go" and lately has been able to count to 7 with the book. Well yesterday I noticed she was saying "8: This evening, Chuck was reading the book with her and she said all the numbers 1-10! My child is a genius! I am so pround of her! Now we need to do some work with the ABC's. Good job Gracie Girl! Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you!

No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks

Yes, yes, thankfully teachers only work 9 months out of the year! Every year we have a "last day of school" party. This year was no exception. Sunshine gives some money towards meat and booze and we grill out, bring dishes to pass and drink up! We always have it at Patti's house because she has the most fabulous yard which holds the awesome kareoke stage! I have to say that I am pretty good at it and usually perform like a rockstar. One year we even formed a band called "milk" after all the white rappers that have names that have to do with white stuff (vanilla ice, snow, etc.) This year however, not planning the pregnancy thing too well, I was not able to partake in some of the activities. Because of that, I was not able to perform like I otherwise normally would. It was fun to be on the other side though and actually laugh at people and not have them laughing at me. I ate and drank my kitty cocktails and ate some smores. Like I said,most people would say we have an easy job. Let me tell you that it is anything but that! If you had to deal with the same 25-30 kids eveyday, for 180 days, for 6 1/2 hours a day......most would not survive! You always get the few "special" ones that make you really look forward to this day!




Anyways, this was also sort of a sad party because my very good friend, Dana is moving to Ohio. We have had some wonderful years working together with her. She immediately became my BFF when I discovered she kept Airheads and Rice Krispie treats in her classroom. Something about being at school always makes you hungry. She gave me many good laughs I will always remember too like locking herself in the bathroom, writing to Shel Silverstein even though he died years ago, and telling many countless stories that only she could tell that would make you want to pee your pants! I wrote her a little poem called "there's no place like 3rd grade" so she can remember our supercool team! It worked well with the picture from when we all dressed up like the wizard of oz. So as I say "hello" to summer, I am also saying "goodbye" to my girl Dana! I love you dude and I will miss you!

Great Garage Sale Finds!

Now that it's finally summer, thank goodness, I have had more time on my hands. And more time on my hands means more garage sales to hit. Since I have two more on the way and things may get tight, why not check out some garage sales and see what 's out there? Well my babysitter had a garage sale the other day and as soon as we got there, there was a playhouse sitting on her driveway. Gracie immediately made a beeline for it and went in and started playing. I checked out the price and for $35 I called my mom and told her to come pick it up with her big van. These cute little playhouses can cost a pretty penny as I have checked out the prices before. Sure it's faded but who cares? A new one will fade too! Gracie just loves it and could care less that it's used. It even came complete with a mini kitchen and windows with shutters! Also for a steal, my mom found an adorable desk perfect for storing coloring books, crayons, and a great place for Gracie to work on her masterpieces. Guess how much that baby was? $5! I have to say that I am jealous because of course these things remain at her house as we have no room or a yard, but that' s a different story. Gracie climbs into the seat and it has an open-top lid where she knows to keep her coloring books and she will sit and color. You gotta love garage sales. And speaking of that, I am having my very first one this weekend! Yep, me the girl who keeps everything, is selling stuff! We have been cleaning this house like you wouldn't believe trying to get it show-ready. I won't tell you some of the stuff that I found but I will tell you that I found a movie stub ticket to "She's all that." Yeah......anyways, wish me luck and some money on my new adventure this weekend! Anything left over is going to goodwill!

The Great Debate

Gracie's 2nd birthday is coming up in a few short weeks. (Yes, I know, I want to cry too). Well it sort of snuck up on me this year. Last year I went all out for her first birthday, plus it was her golden birthday. I knew this birthday would be much smaller. I just wanted to invite all her little buddies over for a swimming party. I couldn't find any cute invitations online that weren't going to cost me a fortune so I opted to take her to the party store and let her pick. I am one of those moms that do let my child watch some tv. In fact, she knows quite a few characters and can work the remote and dvd player. Anyways, Chuck and I took her to the store the other day because I knew I needed to get the invites in the mail. Gracie ran right to Dora and held up the plates with Dora on them and keep chanting "Dora". OK. First of all, we don't watch Dora. Ever! We are Disney channel people usually. So we looked around some more and I found Nemo or Little Mermaid because afterall, we were having a pool party! Gracie ran around and grabbed more things too-Mickey, Pooh, Star Wars? But she kept running back to Dora. I really did not want to get her. I held up Nemo, Little Mermaid, and Dora and guess what she picked? Yup. Miss Dora. So Chuck made me buy the supplies to have a Dora party.

Well, as you know, I was not happy with the Dora selection. So a couple days later, Gracie and I went back to the party store ourselves. This time she ran up to Spongebob and actually said his name. Again. Don't know how she knows who Spongebob is. Sesame Street happened to be next to Dora, who she also went to again. I convinced her to go with Sesame Street then and here's why: she knows all the characters names and can say them, she counts like the Count "1, ah ah ah, 2 ah, ah, etc.", she is obsessed with Elmo, we have many Elmo movies and even Elmo live doll, and she watches the show and it hold her attention. So that is how we came to have a Sesame Street party. I had a Sesame Street party when I was little too. My mom made me ceramic figures of the characters. They lasted through the tornado and I still have them. I hope to pass them on to Gracie for her birthday too! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!