Day Two at the Hospital with Chloe

Well, day two of our hospital experience turned out to be a very busy one.  Neil and I decided that we were not going to stay an extra day, so it was full of checkout procedures, packing up, and newborn photos.

We were also blessed with a visit from our great friends, Heather and Kacey!

Kacey enjoyed holding Chloe all on her own!

All cozy in Heather's arms.

I wanted to get a good look at my little angel and took all of her clothes off. 

I examined her cute little fingers, her round belly, her narrow feet, and cute little toes. 

She looks so long here, but she is just twenty inches.

Getting ready to go home...just taking some photos while we waited for the 24 hour mark.  

Chloe had to get some testing done at that point, before we could be released.

Such a sweet little face.

Spending some time with Daddy.

Finally, all ready to go!  She looks so small in her carseat. 

 I just love the little hat that the hospital gave her. 

Our Sweet Little Chloe is Here

Well, we checked into the hospital on October 13th anxious about the arrival of our little girl, Chloe.  Little did we know that we would be holding our sweet little angel in our arms by 2:15.  Chloe weighed in at 7 lbs, 1.4 oz and was 20 in. long. 

It all began as we got checked into the maternity ward...I was to be there at 7:30, but I was a little late!  Yeah, I know, I didn't even have Paige with me and I still couldn't manage to be on time!  However, it was because of a slight mistake I made by trying to check in at the registration desk (which was SUPER slow) when all I needed to do was go up to Labor and Delivery!  Oops!

Well, we got checked in and met our nurse, Chelsea Smith!  She had a whole list of questions for me (some of those really are ridiculous) and then got my IV in and going with the pitocin.  Oh, I really didn't want this!  However, I did want to me my baby girl and it seemed she wasn't coming on her own. I just hoped the evil contractions that would be intensified with the 'pit' were a little less brutal than the ones I had with Paige (no coupling please!).

After several hours on the pit, I wasn't making much progress and I told my nurse, Chelsea, that I did the same thing with Paige until the doctor broke my water.  After which, I progressed very quickly and had Paige three hours later.  So, Chelsea told Dr. Dodson this and she said she would be over at noon to break my water.Dr. Dodson came in and broke my water and then...hello active labor!  Talk about going from slightly irritating contractions to 'the most pain you could imagine.' 

Shortly after breaking my water, Paige and the family arrived to visit me.  I was in a lot of pain and asked them not to stay long.  I had a couple pretty strong contractions with her in the room, but I didn't want her to know I was in pain, so I tried to fight my way through them with a smile!  It was so hard...we even took a photo! I was really sad that Paige's eyes were closed, but I just couldn't take another one...this was the last photo of our family of three. :)

After Paige left, I asked for my epidural and they said it wouldn't be long.  I think I got it around 1:00 or so, and I was so happy when I felt those contractions start to dull.  It wasn't long before I was pain free, but then I began to feel sort of nauseous.  I asked the anesthesiologist about it and he said that it happens sometimes and it is usually an indicator that your body is progressing fast.  He then told Chelsea that she better hurry up and get everything ready just in case!

Well, I don't remember what time it was, but I know that Chelsea went to eat her lunch and wasn't gone long (maybe 20 minutes) when I called to tell her that I was feeling a lot of pressure.  I felt bad that I called her back in so soon, but I did try to wait so she could finish her lunch (she was chewing her last bite when she came in) :)  Chelsea checked me and then said, "You are ready to have this baby!"  I said, "Really?" and she said, "Yes, I am going to go call Dr. Dodson."  Then I asked, "But don't I have to push a little before she comes?" and Chelsea said, "No, the baby is ready!" 

I am pretty sure that Dr. Dodson ran over to my hospital room, because she was there in like 5 mins. or something like that!  I said, "Wow, you are fast!" and Dr. Dodson said, "Well, when Chelsea tells be to run, I know she is serious!"  At this point, I am just laying in the bed in total disbelief that 3 hours ago nothing was happening and now my baby girl is about to emerge into the world at any minute, show her beautiful face, and change our lives forever. 

Well, the pushing commenced and it didn't take long.  If you have never had a baby, a laboring mother pushes three times during a contraction.  I only had to push through two contractions and then we met Chloe.  I did have the help of a mirror during the second contraction and I think it really helped a lot.

Delivery of a baby is not easy, but this one was a piece of cake compared to the first one, and so worth the reward!  

Meeting Chloe...our very first photo together!

She has healthy lungs!

Getting her umbilical cord taken care of by Dr. Dodson.

Getting weighed...she is just the perfect size!

I think she looks so beautiful in this photo!

Cute feet with some long toes!

So happy and BLESSED to have another baby girl!



Daddy, putting on Chloe's first t-shirt.



Big sister, Paige, meeting Chloe!

The three girls of the family!

Our first photo of our amazing family of four!

Getting examined my Dr. Emslander...

just a little over four hours old. :)

Showing her off to the family!

All swaddled up!

 Here is the cake that Paige and Grandma Loethen made for Chloe's birthday.  Paige came up with this idea all by herself...she is so sweet and thoughtful! (Plus, she really loves making cakes!)

 Opening up her big sister gift from Mommy, Daddy, and Chloe!

Our Newest Addition Arrives Tomorrow!

Well, Miss Chloe has not decided to enter the world of her own accord, so we are checking into the hospital for induction tomorrow!  We are to be there at 7:30 to get this show on the road and meet our daughter...SO EXCITED!

40 Weeks

Well, today is my due date...but I don't think Chloe is ready to come out yet.  It seems she is pretty content being all warm and cozy in my belly.  However, I am still hoping to go into labor on my own without the help of that 'wonderful' pitocin.  Here is my 40 week belly shot!

First Day of Dance Class

Today was Paige's first experience in dance class. She is taking a creative movement class at Dancer's Alley in Jefferson City for three year olds. She has been so excited about starting this class and has asked me every day, "Is dance class after this nap, Mommy?" (Paige's reference of time is based on when she sleeps. She calls all 'sleep times' nap and relates when things are going to happen around them.)


So, a couple of weeks ago we went shopping for all of her dance essentials: black leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet shoes. Paige had so much fun picking them out and trying them on. She literally danced around the dressing room in front of each mirror when she tried on the leotard with the skirt. I had to laugh out loud because it was so funny and cute. (The plain leotard did not have the same 'wow factor' for her, so of course, we got the one with the skirt!)

Here is Paige all ready for class in her dancing 'gear!'

So, on the way to dance class Paige was super excited about what she was going to learn and then asked me about being by herself. (She totally loved being in swim class by herself, so I hadn't really worried about her being sad about this. However, she was!) She asked me if it was okay that she was a little scared to be by herself. I told her it was okay but that I would be right outside watching through the one-way mirror, so she could be brave! I then reminded her how fun it would be.

When we got to dance class she was super excited to be there and see her good friend Kacey. She put on her pretend crown and pink high-heel shoes and followed the teacher into the dance studio. Everything was going well for about the first 10 minutes and then Paige just burst into tears and said she missed her mommy.

Oh no! I didn't know what to do...they really don't want you to go into the studio because they want the kiddos to focus on the teacher at all times. So, I waited to see how the teacher would handle this. Miss Clara had Paige sit by her and she kind of calmed down. Then, (this was the sweetest thing) Paige leaned over to her good friend Kacey and asked her to give her a hug! (Whenever Paige is sad, she always wants me to give her a hug.)

This worked for a few minutes until she started to cry again. The teacher asked her if she'd like to go give her mommy a big hug and she said yes. I went to the door and hugged her for a couple minutes and tried to convince her to return to class. She did go back, but I stayed at the door for most of the class. Paige cried about 3-4 more times and came back to give me a hug each time. About the last 10 minutes of class, she was able to make it without coming over and I returned to the one-way mirror to observe.

Afterwards, Paige said she had a lot of fun and wanted to do dance class again. She even went back to tell Miss Clara thank-you! We'll see how it goes next week...crossing my fingers for progress! :)

Wonderful Conversation

It is so true that kids can say the most amazing things. Sometimes clever, sometimes sweet, and sometimes just plain shocking. Unfortunately, our memories cannot hold onto all of these words uttered by our little ones.

I always have the best intentions of writing down what Paige says and then I find that too much time has gone by, so I can't remember exactly what it was that she said. This time, however, I have made it to my laptop...

A couple of days ago, Paige woke up from her nap and came downstairs to find me napping on the couch. She woke me with one of her sweet kisses, amazing hugs, and that beautiful, "hi, Mommy" that she always says when she wakes up. As I started to get up, Paige said, "Let's just lay here and talk." Very surprised by this statement, I said, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?" She replied, "Just about how much I love you because you do so much stuff with me."

Of course I gave her a really big hug...talk about melting a mommy's heart! I love being a mom!!

Good-bye Diapers!

A couple of weeks ago Paige decided that she did not want to wear diapers to bed anymore. I was a little nervous about this because we tried this during nap-time quite a few months ago. She did really well with it for awhile but then she kept having accidents, and I am sure you can guess how much fun I had cleaning that up (sheets and all), forgetting not to mention, that it would ruin her nap!!

However, Paige was certain that she could sleep without having an accident (and she had been waking up with dry diapers in the morning on most days), so we tried it again. Well, she didn't have an accident the first night but she must have been very worried about it because she woke up to go to the bathroom two times (yep, I was up too!). (I have come to realize that as a parent, there is always some reason that you are not getting sleep...and if you are a parent getting sleep, enjoy it because it won't last long!) :)

So here we are a couple of weeks into this new milestone of Paige's and I am so proud of her. She hasn't had a single accident in her bed! She does usually wake up to go to the bathroom once, but some nights we are blessed with uninterrupted sleep! We are so proud of our big girl and we are stoked that we don't have to deal with diapers for a few months (until our little one arrives)! :)

3 Year Well Check

Paige had her yearly doctor visit today with Dr. Herrbold. She loves going to see the doctor, so she was very excited about this trip. She got to get her bloodpressure taken for the first time with the cuff, so that was an interesting experience. (She may also have gotten it done when she was a few months old at Children's Mercy, when she was having her heart murmur checked out, but I can't remember for sure.) Another new experience for Paige was that she got to put on this 'gown' while we waited for Dr. Herrbold. However, it was very paper-like and uncomfortable, and she only kept it on long enough for me to take this picture...can you tell that she is dying to take it off?! So, overall we got a good report from Dr. Herrbold. Paige is still very much on the petite side but she is growing. (Surely, that bout with the virus in Florida had some effect on her weight on the scale today...darn that sickness!) Anyway, Paige weighed in at 24.5 lbs and was 36.25 inches tall. With those measurements, she is still below the growth curve for her weight (just barely) and she is in the 25th percentile for height.

Easter

Will's Baptism and Confirmation

Paige's Uncle Will was confirmed and baptised into the Catholic faith today, so we went to the Easter service at St. George to support him. Abby was Will's sponsor. After church we had a celebration dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Loethen's house, and Paige enjoyed hanging out with her cousin Macy!

Easter Playdate at Macey's House

We were invited to Laurie and Macey's house for an Easter playdate. The Maschler family was there too which was really great because we were so happy to spend some time with the twins!

The playdate was a lot of fun! Laurie planned a really awesome Easter egg hunt for the girls. Each of them got to find a certain number of eggs and a special large egg that had her name on it.

Getting ready to start the hunt...the anticipation is building!

Paige found the egg with her name on it! Here are the girls opening their eggs to see what treasures are inside! Paige with her bunny ears and chicken!
Peeking in at one of the twins as the Maschler's were preparing to leave. Right after this, Paige proceeded to rock the car seat and sing rock-a-bye-baby. It was super cute!

Coloring Easter Eggs

Paige had a blast coloring Easter eggs today. We decorated two different ways: traditional dying and tie-dying with paint. To tie dye with paint, we just drop colored paint into bags and rub it all over the egg. Paige really liked to do this, but the eggs didn't come out as pretty as the traditionally dyed ones.

Here is Paige with all the essentials and ready to get started! Dropping in an egg!
Look at this pretty pink one!

Tie-dying an orange one!

Our finished products...aren't they pretty? Paige was really proud of her work!