Today was one of those days that you wake up and walk out the door loving life. The sun was shining and there was a warm breeze and a beautiful blue sky. I went back to Yoga this morning after a short absence because my gigantic pregnant belly was totally messing up my Warrior two pose.
Chris actually was the one suggesting maybe it was time to go back when he came home from work and found me trying to figure out how to sell Jack on ebay.
Can you believe selling humans is completely against their "terms of use" contract?!?!
So to Yoga I went.
Namaste
Then I came home to both kids taking unusually long naps
(I thanked the Yoga gods for that)
And since it was such a nice day we decided to go to the
Yorktown Carnival.
We've been every year since Jack was born but this year he was able to go on some of the rides
(with Chris or I of course)
Jack holding on for dear life on the (Death defying) Carousel.
Here's Ms. Emma worried sick while her brother got tossed around by the plastic stationary horse...doesn't she look so concerned?
Chris and Jack fishing for a prize (He won a stuffed Nemo).
and while they "played till they won" I spoke to the man running the game and I found out that you only need a minimum of 4 teeth to work at a Carnival!
Spinning. Tea. Cups = Worst. Ride. Ever.
Even Jack got dizzy in the first 15 seconds and
wanted to get off.
So it was back on the train again (this was the 2nd time we rode this because of Jacks train obsession)
But unfortunately the ride wasn't as up to code as we all hoped and it derailed on the second turn on the track. Which then prompted a mother to hop the gate and yank her child off this death trap yelling that she wants her tickets back - I guess it was to go on another "death trap", not to sure though.
But just as the day started it ended on a good note and all my children are safe and sound and will probably never ride the train at the Carnival for the rest of their lives.
Jack finally agreed (was forced) to take a picture with his sister. Jack has just recently acknowledged Emmas existence. I'm thinking he figured out that she's not going back to where she came from.
I may have taken about 27 photos in a row just in case it never happens again. [Side Note: Miss Emma, lets have our first mother-daughter talk and discuss "Muffin Top" :)]
While this once in a lifetime photo opt was happing Jack (completely unprovoked I swear) said very clearly
"Emma my best friend".
This started the water works from me, my mom and I think I saw my dad's eye tear up, then it was a mad dash for the video camera. Needless to say the moment vanished and we never caught it on video.
Emma Grace is 2 months old! We had her two month appointment this morning and she's 13.4lbs (95th percentile) and 23 1/2" long. She's my little Chunkster (only time is her life that being called a Chunkster is acceptable by the way) She's also proving to be a little bit more of a needier baby then Jack was. She needs constant movement if she is isn't sleeping and sleeping is something that she doesn't do easily.
But when she smiles and 3 chins come out of no where it's all worth it!
I'm still personally holding my breath on her hair color, everyone thinks it's red and my fingers are crossed. And her eyes are still blue. I swear if I don't end up with at least one blue eyed kid I'm trading my husband in for another blue eyed man.
Actually all I really want is enough hair to put bow in - and until that day comes I'll continue to stockpile bows like it's the end of the girly universe.
So....I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute because well this is my blog and I should start using in that way from time to time. So if 1 of the 4 people who read this blog doesn't want to hear about it then stop reading now because I'm going into full boobie mode.
We've made it 2 months fully breastfeeding, and even though the breast milk police may come after me I'm going to scream it....BREASTFEEDING IS HARD!
(phew there I said it)
It's not at all the "natural" experience I was hoping for. I don't know if I was just delusional and thought that after the bad experience I had with Jack that the boobie gods would bless me with an easier experience. No, it's been road block after road block. But we're both fighters and we're going to fight for it.
So a note to the woman that breastfeeds standing on her head while doing the dishes singing kum-bi-ya, this may come as 2nd nature to you but this is real life and to me and my baby this is going to be an uphill battle. But breastfeeding is a decision I know I'll feel good about one day.
And a note to the woman that finds it to be the most difficult thing they've ever done in their life - you are normal and don't be afraid to talk about how unnatural it is for you - it was the furthest thing from "natural" for me and Emma but that's what's going to make us stronger and we'll get through this...together.
Wait, he's two? our little man turned 2? I met my little baby boy 2 years ago?!?! How did time fly by me like that.
He became a kid, I don't know exactly what day that happened but when I wasn't looking Jack became a kid!
I saw my guy playing at his baseball themed Gymboree birthday party with his little friends and I couldn't be prouder of him.
He loved the parachute and found himself wrapped up in it.
Chris and I made a baseball cake and 40 baseball cupcakes the night before Jack's party after we put him to sleep and in between feeding, rocking and changing our newborn daughter's diapers, we managed to stay a team and make sure that we didn't royally screw up our sons 2nd birthday treats. Why didn't I order a cake from a bakery to make our lives easier you ask? I don't know... oh well, we learn from our mistakes.
I also learned that even if we take 17 pictures in a row of the 4 of us, we will never get one where everyone is even slightly looking at the camera all at the same time. But at least we're all standing next to each other.
Jack "blowing" out his candle (by blowing I mean keeping him far away from the cake so he doesn't blow snot all over it, while Chris blows it out)
And the celebration continued the next day at my parents house. A talented friend of the family make Jack a Lightening McQueen cake.
Jack enjoyed all the sweets and treats and took advantage that it was his birthday and I wasn't trying to stick an apple or brocolli down his throat instead.
On April 27th 2010 one of the loves of my life was born...He keeps me on my toes and has taught me so much about myself since he's been born. He's an smart and amazing little boy and I know he's going to turn into an amazing man one day but until then I'm going make sure he keeps calling me "mama" and I keep calling him my "little buddy."
And since I've never published it, here is Jacks birth story I wrote 2 years ago....
4-27-10
Jack Dylan Lynch's Birthday
Born 8lbs 4oz at 1:41am
I was induced at 7am on 4-26-10. I was 39 weeks pregnant and Jack was measuring big. The doctor asked me the week before at my appointment if I wanted to be induced and I knew the little boy growing inside of me was ready to join the world. So there I was at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount. Kisco bright and early eager to meet our little boy.
The doctor thought he would arrive around 7pm since sometimes being induced could take a while. Needless to say most of the day I really didn't feel any pain and I wasn't progressing like the doctor thought I would. So at around 5:30pm the doctor upped the pitocin and tried to get this delivery moving along a little faster. I really started to feel the contractions then. Earlier in the day I asked the doctor how long should I wait to get the epidural? He wanted me to wait as long as I could because the epidural could slow the progress so i was able to wait until 7cm but it hurt, it hurt a lot. I had Chris, my mother, my father, Lauren, Mary and Steph in the room with me which really helped - they were all really supportive and kept me focused. But the time came when I needed the medicine. I got the epidural at 8pm - after that it was a lot better. I was able to fall asleep for a little while and relax. But our plan of having him on 4-26-10 was not going to happen - he had his own plan. At 11:40pm I felt the need to push so the doctor checked me and said that I was ready to have the baby. I was really excited soon we were going to meet our little boy! I pushed and pushed and pushed, Chris was so great at coaching me the whole time - reassuring me that I was doing great. After 2 hours and 2 minutes of pushing he was born at 1:41am on April 27th 2010. It was the best moment of my life to see that little face. During the baby classes we took the weeks before the nurse told us that some babies don't cry when they're born - and that was our little baby - when he was born all he did was stare into my eyes talking it all in...completely stunned but healthy - we had to shake him up a little to start him crying but once he did it was the most beautiful sound in the world. So alert and ready to start his life. Before he was born we didn't know what his name was going to be, we had two picked out but we wanted to wait to meet him before giving him his name and the second I looked into his little face I knew that he was Jack Dylan. After Chris and I had a little time to meet him we invited the whole family into the room. When everyone met him they all were in tears. He was beautiful and amazing and I was the luckiest woman in the world.
Before you were conceived I wanted you...
Before you were born I loved you...
Before you were a minute old I would die for you...
This is the story of our little girl's first decision.....
I woke up at 4am like I've been doing for the last 12 weeks or so and had my normal routine of using the bathroom and then knowing that I wasn't going to fall back asleep I went downstairs to have a small snack and to watch some t.v. While having my bowl of cereal and watching "The Nanny" I felt a dull pain in my lower back. I looked at the clock just for an idea of the time, it was 4:48. Then a couple of minutes later I felt the same dull pain in my back. This made me really pay attention and start to time them, it was 9 minutes later. So I got up and walked around a little knowing that this was a "different" type of ache. At my 40 week appt. I was already 5cm dilated and my doctor told me once I know it's labor don't "dilly dally" just get to the hospital. Since I was 40w 3d my rule was 5 contractions in a row and I start to alert people. After 5 contractions I woke Chris up and said It's time. He thought I was waking him for work and after I reminded him I'm 9 months pregnant and no, this wasn't a gentle wake up call, he got up. I called Lauren and she called my doctor and told me to head to the hospital Dr. Werbin would be there. Did i mention I was scheduled to be induced the next day....yea, Emma had other plans.
We got Jack in the car and headed over to my Aunts house. On our way there I had a couple of painful contractions and just wanted to get out of the car. We dropped Jack off and started our drive to the hospital. That drive was horrible! Sitting in the car and being in labor made my contractions so much worse, all I wanted to do was get out of the car and walk around.
We arrived at the hospital at 6:41 and walked up to labor and delivery, I calmly told the nurses I think I'm in labor and they looked at me and smiled like "yeah okay" I was a lot calmer then I thought I'd be. I went into my room and they told me to put on the gown, I put it on and immediately knew that I was NOT going to be wearing that, when the nurse asked me why I said, look at all that fabric and it was so hot in that room. So they were fine with me only wearing underwear and a sports bra. When Dr. Werbin examined me the first time I was already at 7cm - great start!!!
I had planned since the beginning of my pregnancy I didn't want pain medication and I prepared myself as best I could for this labor. Chris was going to be my support as well as my sister. Both of them knew the reasons why I wanted to do this and they were going to be there to remind me during the hard times.
And WOW was there hard times. The only way I can describe how I got through this pain was I danced. I danced Emma out of me. I didn't want to lay down I didn't want too many people touching me besides for the pressure Chris would put on my lower back during contractions. All I did was sway back and forth and moved my hips and feet and I don't think I stopped moving until it was time to push. At times I would look at Chris with eyes that said "I can't do this" (Later Chris told me, I never actually said those words though) and he would say to me very calmly "You can do anything for a day" Then I remember a couple minutes later looking at him with tears in my eyes and he said "You can do anything for another hour" and I looked at the clock and it was 9:31am. I didn't really believe I'd only be in labor for another hour but the nurse turned to me and said "Yeah honey, your going to have this baby before breakfast service is over"
When Dr. Werbin checked me the second time I was 9cm and then only minutes later I felt like I had to push. When she checked me the final time I was 10cm and ready push. Some things I read said that pushing was the best part, but I disagree - pushing was so much harder then I thought it'd ever be. I asked for a mirror and told Dr. Werbin I wanted to see her being born, since I didn't see Jack because my eyes were closed. I pushed and pushed and pushed....and pushed, you get the picture. And after only 19 minutes of pushing I opened my eyes and watched my baby girl being born. And just like that the pain went away and I had Emma in my arms. I looked at Chris and he had tears in his eyes. We were looking at our perfect baby girl. I made sure she had ten fingers and ten toes.
We did it together, me and my baby girl
Looking into Daddy's soul
Jack meeting his baby sister for the first time
Now, I always get the same questions from people when I tell them I went without pain medicine. The first question is "Did it hurt?" Um YEAH, they invented a special medicine that you take in order to take away the pain of childbirth...they did that for a reason. And the second is "Why did you do it?" And I have two answers....My first answer is simple - I wanted to see if I could do it. My second answer is a little bit deeper. Since I was having a little girl one day she may have children of her own and when she's pregnant I want her to know that woman are powerful, we can be headstrong and sensitive all at the same time, we can do ANYTHING we put our minds to and I could giver her advice first hand of what childbirth feels like.
This was the most empowering thing I've ever done and I wouldn't have changed a thing.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose" - Dr. Seuss
We started our Easter Sunday celebration this year with a Stacey Court Easter Egg Hunt. It was Jack's first Easter Egg Hunt and he found some good loot. A little candy, some stickers and Easter Eggs of course.
After a couple of times helping him find the eggs hidden all around our neighborhood he started to get the hang of it!
We spent a nice day at my mom and dad's house and Jack got some great "Prizes" from the Easter Bunny that included some books, a soccer ball, some Thomas the Train swag and of course a chocolate bunny.
Now on to the "GET OUT" part of my post. Easter Sunday marked my due date. Although it was was great day, the day came and went without a dramatic water breaking scene at dinner....which I think everyone was waiting for. Oh well, this little girl has other plans. We will meet her soon, she can't hide in there forever!!
