Crosby is Two Months Old!

Last week, my lil' bit celebrated his two month birthday. His stats changed a bit from last month-- currently, he's 13.8 pounds (90th percentile), and in the 75th percentile for height. His head circumference is now 50%. Quite different from his big brother, whose head has been in the 90th percentile since he was born! Crosby has finally decided that he can sleep through the night, and I feel confident in posting on here that we're firmly in that routine. Tonight is Crosby's first night in the nursery, instead of his cradle next to our bed. I will miss waking up next to him very much, but I think everyone sleeps better in their own room. Fingers crossed he makes the transition easily. Here's a peek at the only change to our nursery:

And my little man in his (too small) 3 month outfit, on his 2nd month birthday:

Little one is all smiles and coos for us now, and likes to "stand" up with help just like his brother did. He's winning over all of the teachers at Harris with his sweet smiles too, and is still Franklin's favorite toy. I am in the final countdown of maternity leave, and am trying to enjoy every second with my little guy while I can. Happy second month birthday baby boy, we love you!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 2nd Birthday, Franklin!

A few weeks ago, my first baby boy turned two! Hard to believe two years have passed since we welcomed Franklin into our lives, and he continues to add so much laughter and joy to our little family. He really is the sweetest boy we've ever seen, and gives hugs and kisses to everyone he meets. He's a great big brother too, and includes Crosby in on those awesome hugs and kisses every day. We've recently experienced a language explosion in our house, and although we still can't understand all that he's trying to say, his vocabulary has definitely expanded. Clearly now Frank and I will have to watch what we say around him, since he repeats everything. Here's a little glimpse into the small family party we had to celebrate the little man's second's birthday:

Happy birthday, buddy!

Happy one month, Crosby!

Better late than never... The absence of pictures and posts is due to the fact that I changed the password on my laptop and can't recall what I changed it to. I intend to remedy that shortly, but in the meantime,my new little man is keeping me quite busy. He doesn't sleep anywhere near the amount Franklin did, and has been rather fussy after feedings. We have started thickening feedings and giving him Zantac to help with reflux, and he seems to be doing better already. The reflux hasn't impacted his weight gain, big boy is up to 11.9 pounds and 22.5inches. That's 90th percentile for weight and 50-75th for height. He also has a large head,coming in at 15.5 inches and the 90th percentile there too. He is loved by his big brother beyond words, and Franklin gives him tons of kisses everyday. He is strong, and seems to love holding his head up and looking around. He has outgrown all of his newborn clothes and will probably be in 3-6 month shortly. He gets more blonde hair with each passing day and is the snugly, sweet baby I hoped he would be. We are enjoying each second of time together before I go back to work, because I know our time is short. Happy one month baby boy, we love you!

Crosby's Arrival

After receiving the news that Crosby would arrive on Thursday, the 22nd, I headed over to get a quick mani-pedi before I left the land of the living for awhile. The next day was a little strange, since we didn't have to arrive at the hospital until 1:45 PM for a 4:00 scheduled c-section. Frank headed to work for a few hours, and I just hung out and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, it was time to head to the hospital. Here's a pic of me on our way:

NOT! This is a picture of me we took in July. Yes, in July. And the only pregnant picture of myself that I took this time around. The day of Crosby's arrival I measured 43 weeks. Given his size, my belly was quite a bit bigger than it is in this picture. In any event, we arrived at the hospital and they started prepping me. Apparently, I was their 9th section that day -- and the 4:00 time is not a normally scheduled OR time. Luckily, my BP was fairly stable and they didn't think a mag drip was necessary. HUGE difference from last time -- I actually remember everything about the delivery (or most things). I remember that they took me back, and then it took Dr. Straughn a little while to make it to the OR -- like 15 minutes, so I just hung out on the table for what felt like an eternity. Things moved fairly quickly once she arrived though! Here's a pic of Frank and me before they started:

Dr. Straughn commented almost immediately that I had a ton of amniotic fluid (which led to the whole measuring big thing) and that he was so high in my pelvis that it was highly unlikely that a regular delivery would've been possible. And then, Crosby was here!

8 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches of pure perfection. A beautiful baby boy with blonde hair and stork bites in the same exact spot as Franklin! There are a few differences in my two babies, however -- Franklin shares his name and his body type with Frank. They have the same ears, fingers, legs, ankles and feet. Crosby and I share a name and body type, apparently. He has long, skinny legs, long fingers, actual ankles, and super long, thin feet. Franklin also left the hospital at around 6 pounds, and had not reached his birth weight at our first appointment a week later. Crosby, on the other hand, left the hospital at 8 lbs 2 ounces, and had gained an ounce at his first appointment a week later -- topping out at 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Yesterday, this big boy sported a 3-6 month outfit. His newborn diapers are basically too small, but since I have several packs of them we're still using them. He is also awake a LOT for a newborn, at least from what I remember from Franklin. Crosby will eat, and stay awake for an hour afterwards. There are periods of time where he's been awake for 2 hours or more. I used to have to hold Franklin upright and sing to him, bounce him around, etc. to get him to stay awake for 30 minute periods. Generally, it's nice that he's alert and we see his eyes and can interact with him during the day. At night though, that is not so much fun. Like last night, when he pretty much refused to sleep in stretches longer than 20-30 minutes, all night long. Bad for mommy, particularly when the little one has been such a champion sleeper since he came home from the hospital. I'm hoping it was a fluke and my little one returns to his schedule tonight.

We are so blessed, and are enjoying every second of time spent with our new little man. More posts to come!

The Best Laid Plans....

When you make a plan God laughs, right? At today's appointment, my first BP read was 132/90. After talking with Dr. Straugh, she said we'd take it a few more times and see where we were at. Second try: 140/100. So, we are delivering tomorrow at 4:00 PM, and have to be at the hospital at 1:45. Please keep us in your prayers, since I am still hopeful that I can avoid the mag sulfate drip and extended stay that plagued my delivery with Franklin due to blood pressure issues. On the one hand, I feel very ready to welcome Crosby. On the other hand, it sure would've been nice to finish out this week and weekend without the drama associated with a quick delivery. But alas, is not to be. We'll post updates soon!

Week 38

After today's appointment, I only have ONE doctor's appointment left before this baby arrives. Ever. Hallelujah. We've entered new ground in this pregnancy, as in "I have never been this pregnant before." I've reached full term stage, meaning Crosby is straight up freeloading from here on out. Oh, and measuring 43 weeks. You read that right - 43 weeks. My doc told me to take pictures of my belly today, because it's one of the largest bellies she's seen in awhile. This from a woman who sees patients who are pregnant with multiples. Essentially, it's like I am carrying twins. Not so much fun.

We discussed another ultrasound this morning, but it would only be to measure fluid. And unless I don't have ENOUGH fluid, there's nothing that she would do. So it was pointless, and I left after a very brief visit. Thankfully. My BP remains at a normal level (126/80) - up a tad but still fine. Friday is my last true workday in the office for this pregnancy, and then I'll be monitoring a case and working from home a few days next week.. .and then, lots of couch time and daytime TV. To say I'm looking forward to the extra rest would be an understatement.

11 days and counting...

My Silly Boy

A few thoughts on my first baby boy, who is clearly no longer a baby, and what he's been up to lately. We've moved to a new classroom at school, much to his dismay - he already misses his teachers very much, and we miss them too. But I'm sure things will get better, and he definitely loves the larger playground right outside his new room that he plays on every day. In connection with that playground, he has access to tricycles that they can ride. To ride the tricycles, he's required to have a helmet. I purchased a toddler helmet with Elmo on it a few weeks ago, but Frank asked me to send it back and promised to take Franklin to a bike shop in town to get a better helmet. They made the trip this weekend, and we discovered that our child, who has been plagued by a head circumference in the 90th percentile for the majority of his life, is still plagued by an extra-large head. My tiny toddler helmet would never have fit on this child's huge noggin', as he is currently sporting a helmet designed to fit children ages 7+. You read that right - 7+. As in, my 23 month old and a 7 year old have the same size head. He must need all that extra room for his super-smart brain, don't you think? Here's a peek:

And quite the silly little man he is. It took Frank forever to get these pictures, because every time Franklin realized the camera was about to take his picture he would spin around backward just in time for the flash to go off -- and then break out into a fit of giggles. Frank took him to the park after they made the trip for the helmet:

Favorite words right now include "No," "No, Daddy," "Mine," "Back," "Move." Clearly, we are in a stage. But a fun one... the in-between stage, where he's such a little boy, and such a baby at the same time. We're trying to squeeze in every second of our precious time as family of three before Crosby arrives in under 2 weeks (or a mere 12 days, thankfully). I should have a full report on my second baby boy following my doctor's appointment tomorrow morning.

Week 37 and Fall...

As of this weekend, I'm officially more pregnant than I ever have been. Kinda funny, eh? I'm thrilled that this pregnancy has been a tad bit easier than my first, and thrilled at the prospect that I won't have BP issues this time. Today, my BP was 120/70, perfect and lower than the past few weeks. That's huge. I'm thankful. And speaking of huge, I am also huge. My belly measures a whopping 42 weeks at this point, meaning Crosby is a big boy and I apparently have a good amount of fluid around him still. It's looking more and more like we'll make it to our scheduled date, 9/26 at Noon. I have a week and a half left in the office after today, and then I'll work from home the last few days. And then I plan to rest, get a massage, mani/pedi, etc. and just relax before I turn our lovely little family of three into a family of four. Here's a peek at a few 4D pics of Crosby from last Friday:

Cute baby, huh? He's going to be a chubby little one. Let's hope the next few weeks go by quickly!

In other news, God decided that I'd had enough heat for one pregnancy and ushered a cold front in behind the tropical storm that ran through here last weekend. It's been in the 60s - unheard of for early September -- for the past few days, and looks as though the highs will only reach the mid 70s for the remainder of this week. Pure bliss to a near-term pregnant lady, I must admit. And in other news, today was a big day -- after my doc appointment this morning, I headed to the starbucks to treat myself. Lo and behold, Fall has arrived in the form of a pumpkin spice latte. One half-caf version later and I'm a pretty happy pregnant lady.

18 days and counting....

Week 36

Today was not supposed to be a doctor visit for me, but after a few concerns that I might be leaking amniotic fluid my doc asked that I come in and get checked. Turns out everything is just fine (I am thankful, I could use another week to prepare) and we had an ultrasound for the first time since our anatomy scan at 20 weeks. Despite having between 20 and 35 contractions (some very painful) a day, I am not progressing. I am, however, measuring 39 weeks. Which makes for a very tired mommy. Crosby is measuring At 6 lbs 14 oz, and 37 weeks. I think he looks just like Franklin. We'll know in a few short weeks. I am slowing down tremendously. Between rough contractions most of the night last night and a total inability to get comfortable, I didn't sleep much. Hoping to make up for it over the long weekend.

In other news, congrats to our friends Jim and Hilary on the birth of their baby boy today! Frank and I hope Crosby makes his appearance very soon. Happy Friday!

EVICTION NOTICE - Round 2

Dear Fielden Crosby Long,

I am issuing you a 30 day notice for EVICTION. You will have 30 days from today in which you may either gather your belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, you will be physically removed from the property.

You are being evicted due to breach of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made! Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

Therefore, in the event that you do not comply with this notice within 30 days from this day, it will result in your immediate and forceful removal at my discretion.

Sincerely,
Your Mother

35 Weeks

Back from my uber-fast appointment with my OB this morning, with good news to report. This was the week I started having issues with Franklin, and luckily I seem to have avoided those for the moment. My BP was 120/82 (up a mere 2 points from last time) and I only gained 2 pounds. Hooray for me! Crosby is measuring about 2 weeks ahead, same as last time, and at this point weighs over 5 pounds (if not more). They will call to officially schedule the C-section sometime in the next week, so if I make it all the way to the end this time looks as though September 26 will be the day. I'd be ok he if decided to come a wee bit earlier than that, but if it means avoiding the mag drip and complications from last time I'll happily accept making it to 39 weeks.

The light at the end of the tunnel is rapidly approaching... thankfully!

Monday, Monday....

Remember this post from back in September 2009? Flash forward one year and eleven months almost to the day, and you have today. Last night I made my go-to "someone just had a baby" meal for one of the guys I work with (who is bringing his new son home from the hospital today), consisting of chicken pot pie, salad, and dessert. This time around, I am not sick and not swollen, and actually made the chicken pot pie myself instead of purchasing it from Super Suppers (which is now, sadly, closed). I pop in to work at my usual time (can you tell I'm proud of myself that I'm in week 35 and am working normal hours still? I'm very proud) carrying a lovely paper bag with the whole meal inside. I manage to make it all the way into the building this time without spilling anything, and prep the bag with co-worker's name and baking instructions on it. Bag is successfully placed into the office fridge to wait on him to take it home with him tonight.

I'm clearly feeling very proud of myself, and am remembering what a MESS I was while pregnant with Franklin, all clumsy, and unable to control my movements, and swollen up like a stuck pig/ staypuff marshmellow woman, etc., and am thinking how awesome I am at pregnancy the second time around. Go me.

2.5 seconds later I'd managed to spill an ENTIRE cup of coffee ALL. OVER. MY. DESK. Coffee has dripped all over settlement checks, paperwork, caselaw, loan files, my laptop, blackberry, and onto the floor below... I ran back to the kitchen to grab papertowels, etc. to control the mess, and while I am cleaning up the ick that is an entire cup of milky-way latte flavored coffee I manage to spill HALF A CAN OF MOUNTAIN DEW ONTO MY DESK AS WELL. So now I'm cleaning up milky way latte /mountain dew sticky ick from a pile of paperwork that REALLY didn't need to have milky way latte/ mountain dew sticky ick on it. Oh Monday, you are so totally NOT my favorite day.

Pregnancy FAIL.

Franklin and "Woawuh"

Franklin calls Lola this past weekend....

Where's Lola? from Frank Long on Vimeo.

Week 34

This week is a big week for Crosby, as hitting the 34 week milestone means that (in the event something goes awry in the next three weeks) he is considered "pre-term" instead of premature and would likely have no permanent issues if he was born early. With Franklin, week 34 meant that I was no longer required to take brethine to stop contractions and avoided the nasty side-effects related to taking that drug as a result. This time, while I've had lots of braxton hicks contractions, they generally go away and aren't nearly as regular or intense as those with Franklin. I am extremely happy that I've made it this far without any serious complications (fingers crossed that continues!) and am holding my breath for the next three weeks or so, until Crosby is term. This week, baby boy #2 is the size of an average cantaloupe, weighing in at 4.75 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. I suspect Crosby may be on the larger side, and is probably at least 5 pounds by now.

Last time: awful swelling that never went away, never-ending weight gain despite eating healthy (probably due to all of the gatorade and water I was drinking to try and control heartburn and contractions), and heartburn so bad I couldn't lie down at night. Frank had retreated to sleeping in the nursery. I woke up multiple times a night, when I could sleep, and generally felt pretty miserable. These last 3 1/2 weeks with Franklin were pure agony, from the pregnancy-related carpal tunnel (due to swelling) to my inability to wear shoes. It was downright mean.

This time: I LOST a pound last week. That's right. Shocker there. I also have avoided heartburn altogether thanks to a single tiny pill taken at night before bed by the name "prevacid." What on earth was I thinking last time not taking that?? I also sleep pretty well thanks to another helpful medicinal assistant known as Unisom. 1/2 a unsisom + pregnant lady = decent sleep. Sanctioned by my doc, they actually prescribe unisom + B12 to women in their first trimster as an anti-nausea aid, and I am quite thankful for it at this point. Bonus: I can wear shoes! Bonus #2: I am still within the recommended weight gain with the end in sight! I really must do things better the second time around, seriously.

While my end goal with this pregnancy is the same (healthy baby!) I am really, really hoping to avoid delivering with a mag drip and a pre-birth stay in the hospital the night before he arrives. I think after a 6 day stay in the hospital, BP issues, and uncontrollable swelling I'm due the birth I planned all along: Clean hair, freshly manicured nails and toes and the ability to remember most of the day (that mag drip is bad, lemme tell ya).

So here's to the beginning of the end of this miraculous journey called pregnancy...

Franklin and Crosby

A little update on both of my boys.... Franklin is quite the ladies man these days. On two mornings over the past week, he's met a little friend from school and held her hand all the way into their classroom. In other news, my child is a total ham. He gets funnier by the minute and Frank and I are thoroughly entertained. These days, when he isn't asking you for food (which is a lot of the time) he's alternating between giving you kisses (yes, with the actual kissing sound) and throwing a WWE-style elbow on you mid-bodyslam. He also enjoys heading face-first off of our upholstered ottoman and singing along with The Wiggles on Sprout. Favorite words include: Mine, Mama (!), Dada, Back, and Baad (often while pointing at one of the dogs). A new game he's currently playing: Hide my snack trap underneath everything from a pillow to mommy's shirt and hold my hands up while I make the sounds to "Where Did it Go?" (although he doesn't actually say, "Where did it go?"). And then say "There!" When he "finds" it. Like I said- total ham. Wonder who he gets that from.

In other news, Crosby is on-track and not hurting his mommy nearly as much as his older brother did. At my appointment yesterday, I was up a mere 2 pounds (right on track) and my BP is 118/80 - so still well within normal ranges. I also have not had hardly any swelling, and none compared to what it was with Franklin -- despite having accomplished quite a bit over the last weekend. While Frank was at the lake, Franklin and I hung out inside (mostly) to avoid the overwhelming heat, and only ventured out to head to Lowe's for a few items and Old Navy for fall clothes for my little man. I also washed the crib bedding, cradle bedding, swing cover, bouncy seat cover, car seat cover, some baby clothing, all of our own laundry and hand-stitched red ball-fringe to new navy panels that we put on the windows in Franklin's big boy room. Once Frank returned on Sunday, we hung drapes, re-assembled baby items, and worked on putting the nursery back together too. I felt productive for the first time in awhile. This weekend I've got another big list planned... Closet clean-outs, drawer liners, baby clothes washing, bottle sterilizing, etc. are all on the menu. Nesting, maybe? By this time with Franklin, I was already having serious swelling issues and had most of this done. I'm looking forward to feeling a tad more prepared for Crosby's arrival, although it's looking more like he may be a "term" baby instead of an early arrival like his brother. One similarity they both share -- measuring big. I'm still 2 weeks ahead, measuring in at 34 weeks. Reading back on my postings with Franklin, at 34 weeks I measured 39 weeks (YIKES). So not quite as big, but who knows where we'll be in 2 weeks time.

Promise that once a few more things are completed in Franklin's big boy room and in the nursery I'll post pics of the finished product (before and after-style). We're in the home stretch! 6 weeks (at the most!) and counting down....

Four Years...

Outside my office window today it's a nasty, ugly, hot summer day... Four years ago, however, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Still hot, yes, but a perfect day otherwise. Here's to four years and two babies, dear! Perhaps we can revisit our honeymoon destination next year to celebrate? A little reminder of how great it was....

Fast Forward to Fall: My Current Faves

I am rapidly (and I MEAN IT) beginning to wish this pregnancy will end quickly... We are a mere 5 weeks from when Franklin made his arrival, and while I hope that I avoid the complications that led to his early debut (so far, so good - fingers crossed!) I am also remembering how terrible I am at being this pregnant. New this week: Terrible pain in my lower back and belly button. As in, whenever something brushes across my belly button it's a pain so sharp I feel like I am going to vomit. Not kidding. Not so easy to avoid when you are carrying a near 30 lb toddler (and just bending over to pick things up on the floor). I have also caught my poor child's cold he's been battling for nearly 3 weeks now, not as bad as him (I am not coughing every breath - yet) but apparently I am snoring like a trucker and my throat feels pretty bad.

In any event, I will spare you the ramblings of a pregnant woman in her third trimester (as long as those of you who insist on giving me pity looks and apologizing every time you see me - seriously, STOP IT. I HAVE 7 MORE WEEKS TO GO), and tell you how I'm currently surviving: By enjoying the fall fashion preview and thinking about how skinny I will be (in about 4 months - wishful thinking maybe?). My current faves:

**Images from JCrew, Ann Talor, and Zara.

Baby Update

Not much to report on our end, we made it through a busy weekend and today I had another appointment with my doc to check on Crosby's progress. Stats:

Weight Gain: lost a pound! This is clearly the first time this has ever happened to me. I'm hoping that I don't have much more weight gain in this pregnancy.

BP: 114/78. Up a little from 2 weeks ago, but still good.

Measuring: 32 weeks (2 weeks ahead of my actual date). Doc thinks baby is big. I think it's just the way I'm proportioned, but understand that it means that I'm carrying a lot out in front and my back is paying for it.

This week, Crosby is around the size of a head of cabbage (if he isn't measuring ahead), and weighs around 3 pounds.

If he is actually measuring 2 weeks ahead, we're closer to 4 pounds, and the size of a large jicama:

I'm guessing he's somewhere in between, at around 3 1/2 pounds. This weekend we transition Franklin into his new room/playroom. I'll post the before and afters... wish us luck!