Blessed beyond words!

Stella has been so full of life lately! Clever as heck. I took her to see her first movie in a theater on Saturday. We saw Despicable Me 2 and it was really cute. She liked it a lot, I think the loudness overwhelmed her at first. Lisa watched Vivian while we were gone. That night when I was getting Stella ready for bed she said, “Thanks for everything Mommy!” It was so sweet. Lately she is big on kissing you if you have a spot that hurts. I told her I was not feeling good and she asked me where it hurt. I said everywhere. She kissed me about 3 times on my face and then said, “I’ll get the rest tomorrow.” It was so dang funny. When I told her she and I were going to go see the movie, just she and I, the first thing she asked was, “ Who’s going to protect Vivian?” 

Sunday Stella, Vivian and I walked to Panera for dinner. It was so beautiful outside and the weather was so perfect. Both girls behaved perfectly and it was just a really perfect time.  

 

It was so cute, one  day Stella was walking around the living room. She said, “Look at me Mommy, I’m walking backwards!” Then, “Do you think anybody has ever walked backwards before?” It was so funny and sweet, like she just came up with the concept of walking backwards. She is just getting so big and grown up. I am trying to embrace every moment. She is just so sweet and kind and I love her so much.

Vivian is starting to pull her self up! It’s crazy. She will be in her carseat and there are links hanging down. She reaches up, grabs them and pulls herself up. She is so strong. We are currently treating thrush. It’s tons of fun!! We’re using All Purpose Nipple Ointment and Gentian Violet. Vivian is very Violet!! J She is getting good at going to sleep on her own too. And laying in the pack in play flat as opposed to the rock n’ play. She is so adorable and happy and sweet!

Man, I am a blessed lady!

One Blessed Mama!

My big girl rolled over for the first time Saturday! She was laying on the floor and Stella was down there talking to her and playing with her princesses. And she went left and rolled completely over laying with her head held way up. She was 4 months old on Sunday and she is so sweet and precious! She weighed 14lbs 6 oz and was 24.5 inches long. She did so good getting her shots, this time she only had two compared to the 5 she got last time. She is a raspberry blowing fool and it’s so cute. We have raspberry blowing contests J. Video to follow. She is sleeping ok, obviously I would like to get some nice 5 hour blocks of sleep, but I don’t mind. She has been having a little sleep regression and maybe a cold the last few days. I think she’s feeling better now.

We all went to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum last weekend. Stella had a really good time. She is also doing great in swim lessons. She is very slowly getting more used to the idea of getting water in her face. She used to get a death grip on you in the water because she didn’t want you to let her go. And now she is comfortable swimming with her floaties on by herself. And she is getting her face/ears/hair in the water more. She really enjoys swimming and she and Pawpaw go during the week too. Stella is such a great big sister and such a sweetheart to everyone. I love her so!!

Amazing Vivi Girl

Vivian is growing so fast! I can't believe she is almost 4 months old. She is growing up so fast! She is so good with her hands now, she can grab stuff with both hands. I have been working super hard on getting her poos straightened out. She has been having mucus in them and they were greenish. Before that they were really thick like peanut butter and orangish. So, I have eliminated dairy (5/12) and soy and gluten (7/5). It has been so hard and I am not sure if the gluten has helped or not. I am sure she is teething now. Besides a ton of drool I can see two little teeth under the gums. She loves sitting up now, if you lay her flat on the bed she literally lifts her shoulders an inch off the ground. She just recently started blowing raspberries. It's so cute. She is such a smiley baby and she is so precious. I love her so so much. She rolled over from tummy to back a couple weeks ago and she is so close to rolling from back to tummy.
Here are some pics from fouth of July.

Love my Girlies

Just needed to talk about a couple of funny things Stella said this past week. She was talking to me one day and she said (with an excited gasp) "I found an idea!" Unfortunately my crappy brain can't remember what the idea was, but it was a good one.

Vivian has been a little rough when she nurses lately. She pinched me and I yelled OW! Stella was wagging her finger, as serious as can be said, "Did you hurt my Mudder?!?" It was very stern! It was all I could do not to laugh. It was so sweet. 

We were eating dinner on Sunday and I was nursing Vivian. I couldn't eat my own food because I was using both hands with her. I said something like, "I wish I could eat my food, I'm hungry." Stella was so sweet and offered to feed my food to me "like a baby". It really was so kind the way she offered. :) 

Vivian is getting so big. I need to get a weight check on her soon. She is getting really good at grabbing things and putting them in her mouth. I have eliminated dairy from my diet to try and help her tummy problems. It's been 6 weeks with no dairy. That's crazy! It's really difficult, but worth it. I noticed this weekend though that it didn't seem to be helping with her bowel movements. They still aren't how they should be. So, I have also eliminated soy now. I really think that is going to be the culprit. Her bowel movement yesterday seemed very normal. Hopefully this is the problem solver! 

She loves to Goo Goo up a storm, she is almost as chatty as her sister! Haha! I need to get a video of her talking soon. She is the most precious thing!! :)

Father's Day 2013

My Happy 3 Month Old

Mommy & Girlies

 

Crazy Smart Stella

Stella is so big and smart and makes her own choices. It's crazy that she used to be my little baby, crawling, learning to talk. Now she's learning to be misleading and lie. She is so hilarious though, and the temper tantrums are slowing down. One thing I have to say is she is an amazing big sister! I'm so proud and blown away at how sweet she is with Vivian. She really truly loves her. She has specifically said, "I love my Vivi!" And "I just love Vivian so much that's why I can't stop loving on her!" She sings to her and makes her laugh.

Sunday Jeff said Vivian is his friend to the end. Stella was a little miffed and said, "No, Daddy she is my girl baby." "You can ask Mommy, she can make you a little girl baby if your own." It was so funny.

Tonight Jeff was telling her she needs to shut her mind off when she's trying to go to bed. She said, "I did, but then I turned it back on again."

She is starting Swim lessons at the end of the month. Hopefully she loves that as much as gymnastic lessons. She still talks about her teacher from gymnastics and asks when she gets to go back.

Stella is one amazing child and I'm crazy blessed!

Wow - So Much To Say

I feel so awful that my baby girl is 12 weeks old and this is my very first blog post! How awful am I!?! She was born 3 days late and came so quick it was almost scary. She is so beautiful!! I love her so much and so does her big sister!! She has been a good baby, we had the same breastfeeding issues as I did with Stella. But with Vivian I kept up with nursing and she finally picked it up when she was about 3.5 weeks old. It was such an amazing feeling to know I tried so hard and I was really able to breastfeed her. She is a great nurser now. She is really filling out too, I need to go get her weight checked because I am sure she is 12 lbs! I am going to go back and post her birth story in March along with some pictures. Nicole, our doula, took some great pictures of her birth. Stella has been so sweet with her from the day they first met! She sings to her, talks to her, makes her laugh. She was made to be a big sister!

So many things have happened in the 12 weeks Vivian has been here. She is starting to control her hands and she loves to chew on them. She has always been good at holding her head up, and her favorite way to be held is up on your shoulder so she can see everything. She is always smiling these days and she has the most beautiful grin! She loves her mommy! She and Stella both stay at Grammie and PawPaws house while I'm at work.

Stella is definitely a 3 year old now!! She is having a lot more tantrums and is very sensitive. I am doing my best to keep my cool with a 2 month old and a 3 year old, it's hard. I love my girls so much. They are both so breathtaking. Stella says something hilarious every day. She loves to play outside, play with her toy cars and go to Target. Every time I take her to Target she gets a pretzel and an Icee. She can do so much on her own now, get dressed, go to the regular potty, go to bed on her own. She is so amazing. Yesterday we were   talking about why she should be quiet while the baby is sleeping (her biggest obstacle). I told her she hears with her ears and when Stella is loud she hears it an she wakes up. Then I would ask her, "What do you do with your Eyes, Nose, Teeth ect." She just had this look of joy on her face as she figured out the answers. A true twinkle in her eye. I wish I could capture that 3 year old magic moment.

We got to do so many fun things while I was on maternity leave. We had quite a few trips to the park. A trip to the zoo, lots of trips to the store!

I freaking love this girl!

Yesterday she had something in her mouth and I asked her what it was, she said Banana. I said no you haven't had any in a while. What is is? She said it's a booger. I said Honey I told you we don't eat boogers. She said, Maybe it just grew in my mouth and then I started chewing it.

We just went on a camping trip last weekend to Red River Gorge. It was quite the adventure to say the least. Even though there seemed to be a million meltdowns, I know Stella had a special time. That makes all the tantrums worth it. She said "Wowsers" at least 15 times. I've never heard her say that before, and she hasn't said it since. She loves the tent, roasting marshmallows, running around outside and seeing bugs butterflies and animals. We went to the KY Reptile Sanctuary and she got to hold a baby Alligator!!

Vivian Marie got baptized on May 19th 2013. Her Godparents are Erin and Adam. She was fussy/crying almost the whole service. When we went up to the font pastor blessed her and made the sign of the cross over her heart and she just busted out smiling at him. It was so touching. Then he held her up and carried her down the aisle to introduce her. 

I need to post about Aunt LuAnn, I have wanted to post about her before... It has been 4 months since she passed and there is a huge hole left behind. I miss her like crazy. Today I was thinking about when Stella and I were over at her house with Erin. It was around Christmas time, we went to Big Lots to get Christmas decorations. She bought Stella this little dog that lit up. At the house I was talking to them about baby names. At that time I was liking Sylvia and Vivian. Aunt LuAnn and Erin both loved the name Vivian. I can still see her standing across the table from me saying "Oh, I love the name Vivian!" I'm so heartbroken she didn't get to meet her. That they didn't get to meet each other. I'm not going to go on too much because this would be a million words long. I know she's still here with us.

I haven't covered everything, but I did my best. My life is so perfect with Jeff and my two girls. I love them so! I'm going to try to be better about posting from now on!! At least I've kept up with pictures.

I just have to say, this look totally captures how she feels about her sister. Proud, happy, loving!

Vivian Marie Westenhofer

I am going to type out my account of Vivian's birth and the doula's version will be at the end. I had been having fake labor for almost two weeks. I was a couple days past my due date and really ready to meet Baby V. I had heard at the chiropractor's office that Cleary Sage Oil can bring on contractions. I had bought some a couple weeks before just in case. So, after Stella had gone to bed, around 8:30 I got some and mixed a few drops with some olive oil and rubbed it on my belly. Then I took a bath and put a tiny bit in there. I had an off feeling all day, and around 10:30 I had a serious contraction. The first thing I thought was, "Holy crap, if they are all like this there is no way I'm making it 12 hours with no meds." My active labor with Stella was 12 hours. It was totally textbook as far as progression. That is what I was expecting this time also. After that first hard contraction they just kept coming, around 6 minutes apart but they weren't lasting very long. I was really unsure if it was time to go to the hospital. I called Nicole (my doula) and told her what was going on. I stayed on the phone through a few contractions, which were about 3 minutes apart now. I was on the birth ball and she told me to try and walk around to see if they would space out. So I stood up through one contraction and it was AWFUL! So much more painful than when I was on the ball. So, we decided it was time to go to the hospital. Jeff called his mom and asked  her to come stay with Stella. I went back to her room and tearfully gave her a kiss. Last one as my only baby. It was freezing outside and I was really cold. We got across the bridge and made it to the hospital. Of course, they made us stop and register. The nurse did get me a wheelchair though. He also asked us what the birth ball was for. I had at least 2 contrations while we signed in. It was getting really hard to breathe and get through them. Finally they wheeled me back to the lobby and then I had to wait forever for a nurse from L&D to come get me. They wheeled me up to my room, the same one I was in with Stella. When I got up there the nurse, Sarah, told me she needed a urine sample. I did feel pressure, but I couldn't for the life of me get any pee out. She said it was ok I could do it later. I put the stupid hospital gown on and sat on the bed so she could hook the monitor up. Once I got in the bed I realized how much worse my contractions were when I was in it. So horrible. As she was trying to get the monitor reading I said, "Can I change my mind about the hep-loc?" I was hurting so bad the last thing I wanted was to get stuck with a needle. She said no. Then she checked my cervix and said something about me being an 8/9 on one side and I could turn on my side to open it up. I was so uncomfortable on my back I immediately flipped to my right side. Sarah went to get the charge nurse to check me because I  guess she wasn't comfortable with her estimate. As the nurse was going to check me I started feeling a strong urge to push. She said I was complete with bulging waters. I went straight up on hands and knees. They tried to tell me not to push that Beth (my midwife) was coming. Yea right! So, I had one strong push and my waters just exploded everywhere. There was meconium in the water which really freaked me out. I don't know exactly how many but one or two pushes later Vivian Marie Westenhofer was born. At 1:40 am we were in the lobby and at 2:04 she was here. It was so insane. I was so much easier than Stella's labor, but the speed was a little traumatizing. She was perfect and beautiful. They bathed her in the room and I got to keep her with me for a long time before they did the bath and eyedrops and all that. It was so fast, but so wonderful! Oh, and I got my wish about the hep-lock! :)

Vivian Marie Westenhofer

March 21, 2013

2:04 a.m.

6 lbs. 14.7 oz.

20 inches

(3/20)
9:25 p.m. Carrie sent the following text to her doula, Nicole: “Have a weird feeling today. Back hurting a
lot, some contractions. I’m sure it’s all in my head again. But just in case it’s not, heads up.”
10:00 p.m. Carrie started having some regular contractions.
11:31 p.m. Another text to the doula: “I think this is real. They hurt quite a lot.”
(3/21)
12:00 a.m. Carrie’s contractions were 3 minutes apart, lasting 50-60 seconds each. She was having to
breathe deeply to get through them.
12:30 a.m. Carrie called Nicole. Nicole suggested they arrange childcare for Stella and head to the hospital.
1:20 a.m. Carrie and Jeff arrived at Clark Memorial Hospital and registered.
1:30 a.m. Nicole arrived and met Carrie and Jeff in the ER. They were waiting for a nurse from Labor &
Delivery to come escort them upstairs. Carrie’s contractions were close and strong. She was
having trouble keeping her face and shoulders relaxed but was doing a great job breathing
through the contractions.
1:40 a.m. They were taken to Labor & Delivery Room #5411. Carrie’s nurse was Sara and Beth was the
midwife on call for the night.
Carrie tried unsuccessfully to produce a urine sample for the nurse. She was very uncomfortable
on the toilet and her contractions were coming every few minutes. She said she felt like she
needed to go but couldn’t. Nicole told her she was probably feeling the baby’s head.
1:50 a.m. Carrie was hot and shaky. The nurse hooked her up to the fetal monitor to check on the baby.1:57 a.m. Nurse Sara checked Carrie’s cervix. She said Carrie was 7-8 cm dilated/90-100% effaced and the
baby was at a -1 station. She also said she could only feel cervix on the right side and a bulging
bag of water.
After the exam, Carrie turned onto her right side to try to get that last bit of cervix to open up.
2:00 a.m. Sara asked the charge nurse to recheck Carrie and make sure her assessment was correct.
Before the nurse could check, Carrie announced, “I need to push!”
The nurse said Carrie was completely dilated.
2:02 a.m. Carrie turned over onto her hands and knees and her water broke immediately. There was some
meconium present.
Carrie began pushing with the next contraction. The nurses encouraged her to try to wait for
Beth but there was no stopping her!
2:04 a.m. Carrie pushed her baby girl out into the world. Nurse Sara caught the baby, asked Carrie to turn
over and then handed Carrie her brand new daughter. She and Jeff were thrilled to meet their
new baby and a little stunned at how quickly she came.
2:05 a.m. Beth arrived.
Carrie said, “Holy crap, that was fast!”
2:10 a.m. The placenta was delivered.
2:40 a.m. Baby Vivian latched on for her very first feeding.
Carrie and Jeff admired their new baby for almost two hours before the newborn exam was
performed.
3:50 a.m. The nursery nurse came in to weigh, measure, examine and bathe Vivan in the room with Carrie
and Jeff looking on. She was absolutely perfect!
Vivian was born in the wee hours of the morning on the second day of spring. She was healthy and alert with
APGARs of 8 and 9. Carrie was so strong and focused throughout her labor and did an amazing job staying relaxed even though her labor was super fast and intense. Jeff was a loving and supportive labor partner and never left Carrie’s side. It was a beautiful and amazing birth.