Eden, the 6-Month Old!

6 Month Check-Up
Height: 26"
Weight: 16lbs 14oz
Head: 16 3/4"

compare to 4 months
compare to Addison 6 month

Half a Year with Eden
Once again, another month has passed by too quickly and my little Baby Punkin is already 6 months old. I remember from Addison, that the second half of the first year gets crazy. The first half, Eden was growing and growing and we were getting to know her. But the developments were spread out and more subtle.
Soon she will be eating baby food, sprouting teeth, crawling, walking, saying first words. That's all potentially to come in just the next six months.

Eating
I'm interested to see the changes in Eden's eating behavior once we begin feeding her solids. Right now, we are on a  pretty good routine of her eating 3 bottles, about 12oz each day while I'm at work. She still cluster feeds on Mommy throughout the evening, but she never really eats for a very long time - just very often! Honestly, I think she could get by with 2 feedings in the evening and maybe one over night. But she just wants to be on me the whole evening. Overnight she wakes up 2-3 times. Typically midnight, 2am and 5am are her feeding times.

Sleeping
One of our challenges with Eden is a sleep schedule. I tend to prefer to follow her lead, but she's pretty inconsistent and with Addison too it makes it harder to really hunker down and create a consistent routine. About the only consistency is Eden will eat around 5-6am and then sleep until at least 8am, sometimes after 9am. I've read articles suggesting that we wake her up at the same time every morning - but the way we look at it, if she wants to get some extra sleep and gives us (Tim) a little extra time to hop in the shower or eat breakfast - then so be it!
But really, we will need to buckle down soon with nap times and bedtimes. We have developed and stuck to a bedtime routine for Eden, the issue is when it can happen. Ideally it would coincide with Addison's bedtime routine, and we've tried that but she almost never falls asleep or stays asleep if she does drift off. Our best attempt is to do it around 10pm. That's somewhat of a hassle b/c we spend a minimum of 30min putting Addison to sleep at 8pm, so we don't want our entire night being spent putting our children to bed, but that may be the reality.
We've been on a pretty good streak of getting her to sleep in her crib or pack n play around 10pm and she sleeps there until her 1am feeding. At which point I usually fall asleep while nursing so then she ends up in bed with us. I take the blame for the co-sleeping part, but it's so hard when every moment of sleep is so precious, it's so much easier to tuck her in next to me after she's fallen asleep nursing and roll back over to sleep than to get up and walk down the hall to put her in her crib, or even just the few steps to the pack n play in the corner of the room. Eden is THE WORST at transitioning once she's asleep. I swear, there's only been like 3 times where we've successfully put her down in the crib or pack n play after she's fallen asleep where she actually STAYS asleep. Seriously - wakes up every time. And wakes up WIDE awake! 
Tim is getting pretty good at transitioning her. He'll pick her up off my lap and lay her into the crib. He gives her the paci and lays her on her side with his hand on her back and she holds onto his finger for a few minutes until she finally drifts back to sleep.
Funnily enough, as I type this it is 9:30pm. I nursed her at 8pm then Tim rocked her for awhile, but she was fussing. So I came in and nursed her at 8:45 for a good 20min. Attempted to put her down but she of course woke up, but thankfully did not cry. However, as soon as I came downstairs and turned on the monitor, she has fussed several times. We're crossing fingers that she will just stay asleep - the silence in between the fusses are getting longer and longer. Eeeeee!!!

What Eden Likes
Eden is actually a very simple baby. There's 99% of the time one thing she wants, one thing that will make her stop crying - Hold Her! Yup! It's that simple! 
And I swear, when she's crying, it's like she's saying, "Mom..Dad. It's really not that hard. Just hold me all the time and I won't cry! I don't know why you make it so difficult by trying to put me down?"
When Mommy is around, it's typically hold me/nurse me. When Daddy's in charge, it's hold me/walk me around! Typically we do oblige, but of course there are times when we gotta put a baby down so of course then we have issues. That's why she's such a doll when we have company - b/c people are more than happy to cuddle and hold her, so she's thrilled!

Eden goes into the Jumperoo every day, but it hasn't been the hit with her as it was with Addison. She doesn't jump all that much. She just sorta bounces and looks at the toys attached. She does however, very much like being in the Bumpo chair and that is our easiest place to put her. We introduced her to the high chair as well and she loves sitting there with her leg up, just chilling out while we all eat.

Eden is also a grabber! She will grab anything and everything near her. It's become quite difficult to read, look at our phones, play on the iPad while holding her b/c she will grab and swat at everything. Even while she is eating and can't even see what we are holding, her arm is going crazy swatting around.
One of her favorite "toys" is half full water bottles. She goes nuts with those things!
She's also recently become enamored with Colby Jack, much to his delight. She will grab fistfuls of his hair and likes to grab onto his ear. So far, Colby Jack has been just fine with this and stays cuddled up near her. It's very cute to see her excitement when Colby Jack comes into view!

Smiley!
Our little Eden is quite the smiler as well. It's pretty easy to get her to smile back or laugh just by making funny faces, singing songs she knows or - Daddy's favorite - eat her chin (kisses)! I love the sound of her laugh and, even though it hurts, I love how she gets so excited when we're holding her and she grabs our cheeks and squeezes with all her might and tries to eat our faces. It's those times when I want to squeeze her til she pops!!!

Eden, the 5-Month Old!

Wait...What?? FIVE months??????
Yes, that's right. Eden is five months old. That's like a super old baby now. 3 more babies in my group of friends have been born since her birth date. I don't know if it's because I'm on Addison's "calendar" of when she was born (in May) so she was a essentially a newborn all summer, so I'm replaying my "summer experience" with Addison when she was a newborn. I of course "know" Eden is 5 months old and don't hesitate on her age whenever someone asks me, but it's more a matter-of-fact response. Then, it'll hit me - wait, did I just say she's FIVE MONTHS old?! Unbelievable, my baby girl is growing in a flash. It may also be that this may be our last go at this. With Addison, I knew come hell or high water we would have a second baby someday. Eden, I can't say for sure, so I keep that in mind as she grows up and out of certain stages.
It's crazy when I start looking ahead to how soon she's gonna start doing more things.

Growin' Up, Growin' Out
As Eden grows, she is growing out of her baby items one by one. Last week I did the big re-organization of her drawers and closet. Since she was a month old, I had a box stashed in her room to throw any newborn clothes. But now, I've packed up any remaining newborn clothes as well as the 3-month size. Again, as mentioned above, as I pack up these baby clothes I wonder if I will ever see them again. Because even if we do go for #3 someday - it may be a boy where these little girl clothes will be gone from our lives. It's really quite a bittersweet thought.

Eden can now somewhat roll. It's not a lot and it's more of a gradual movement, with gravity on her side. In recent weeks we have been giving her more floor time, to make up for us maybe holding her a little too often this summer, delaying this type of development. While rolling is still somewhat of a struggle for her, she has made a lot of progress in sitting up. We give her a little support with our hand on her back or else the Boppy pillow around her hips. She typically bends forward and holds onto her feet - it doesn't look all that comfortable to me, but she doesn't seem to mind or complain. I think she enjoys  being upright and being able to look around from that vantage point and have easy access to grabbing onto her toys.
Which, brings me to my next Eden-ism...She is a GRABB-ER! Seriously, this girl grabs anything in site! Almost immediately upon picking her up, she grabs a fistful of my hair and shoves it in her mouth. PLACKH! She is also very skilled at taking off our glasses, hitting the iPad/iPod/phone while we are playing games to mess us up, and grabbing the book we are reading. So, as she becomes mobile - we will have to be very careful!

Sleeeeeep
Ok, I'll say it. Tim & I are sleep-deprived. But Eden isn't the only one to blame! Eden is typically capable of sleeping until 9am, but it's Addison who comes bouncing in our room around 6:30am inexplicably every morning. This is especially difficult b/c Eden is still on a 12am, 2-3am, 4-5am eater through the night. Then I'm at by 6 for work. So, yea. We are tired! 
During the day, Eden is not on a set schedule for naps yet.Typically, she sleeps in in the morning if Addison doesn't wake her up earlier. Then, if Tim goes out and about anywhere, she always sleeps in the car or in the stroller for walks. In the afternoon, Addison has "3pm quiet time" so at this time Tim puts Eden in the swing to get stuff done around the house and she does usually fall asleep for a little while.
Then, bedtime at night can range from 9pm -11pm. We're trying to get better at the scheduled routines, but it's tough b/c we could potentially be doing nothing but getting the girls ready for bed from 7:30-10:30pm...and then when is our 2minutes of relaxation? Yea....So, it gets hard! But we'll figure it out soon.

Eden in the World
Eden has the advantage...or disadvantage, depending on how ya look at it - of being the 2nd child and being out and about in the world much more than Addison was in the first 6 months of her life. Eden is really great out in the world. As mentioned early, when in the car seat in the car or stroller, she almost always falls asleep. We mixed it up at several of the neighborhood festivals and used our carrier instead and she seemed to really like being close to me and being walked around like that.
I'm sure Eden is pretty unaware of her surroundings, but I think the little bit she is noticing and being out in the fresh air is really good for her.

Summer is winding down here, but I'm looking forward to all the great fall activities to keep the entertainment level for the girls up. Eden will have her 6 month portraits in a few weeks and I think by the time I write my next blog entry, Eden will be very different as 6 months seems to be a time for lots of changes.

Til next time!!!

Eden, the 4-Month Old!

Eden's 4-Month Check-Up
Eden's Dr. appointment was towards the end of July to check her progress and get her second round of shots. First, her stats:
25" 75th percentile
15lbs 8oz 75-90th percentile
50-75 percentile head


Then she had her 3 follow-up shots in her leg. She cried a lot right away, but calmed down right away after Tim held her. He gave her a little bit of a bottle and she was just fine. Her next appointment is a 6-Month check-up in September!


So, Eden certainly is growing. She has almost doubled her weight since birth. Everything checked out just fine except that she needs more belly time. Tim & I are not in a good habit of putting her on the floor on her belly. We always default to the swing and bouncer when we need to put her down. But in recent weeks we have been much better giving her the belly time she needs. She has started rolling over onto her side, but that's a little bit behind where she should be, but I think she'll catch up in no time. Eden always tries to  sit up, reach for things and generally move around so I know she'll keep trying to roll over. What can be hard for us is keeping up on all the milestones. With Addison, everything was new so we were constantly looking and wondering about the next step and wondering when it will happen. With Eden, we know all the milestones, but get comfortable in the stage she's in that we're not pushing for the next step so much. It's not a bad thing per se, because of course she will get to these milestones on her own, but we certainly want to get into the habit of encouraging her development, so I'll need to take a little refresher course on when milestones will/should occur. I still read the weekly emails about baby's progress at her age from BabyCenter - yet not as scrupulously  as I probably did with Addison.


Eden's Songs
Just like with Addison, we have made up some songs for Eden. Really, it's taking current songs and changing the words to be for Eden. I'm writing this more for my own keepsake, but the songs we sing for Eden are:
"Angel of Mine" by Monica (the artist, not me - circa 1999), and it goes:
Eden O'Neill
You came into my life, sent from above
When I lost all hope, girl you showed me love
I'm checking for you girl you know you're right on time
Eden O'Neill


That song came to be shortly after she was born, which is odd b/c I haven't heard that song in years.
The next song, more recently is from the summer 2012 mega hit "Call Me Maybe" - you will probably hate me as this song will now be stuck in your head:
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy!
Your name is Eden -  you are my baby!
It's hard to look right at you baby
Your name is Eden - you are my baby
Before you came into my life I missed you so bad, I missed you so so bad!


This summer, Tim & I have begun watching "Mad Men" via Netflix. We are almost caught up through season 5 - so imagine how often we've been watching it! Yes, every night we watch one, sometimes 2 episodes of Don and the gang after Addison goes to bed. It's during this time that Eden wants only Mommy so I'm often stuck on the couch holding her anyway.  Funny thing is that it seemed like Eden started recognizing the theme song when the episode would start and she'd watch the screen. So, then of course Tim started singing, "Eden, Eden, Eden, Eden..." along to the tune. I swear, it calms her down if she is squirmy or crabby!


Call Me Maybe is my favorite one to sing to her b/c Eden's face instantly explodes into a big smile! Angel of Mine is a great memory too b/c I think it's because of that song that she learned her name, and of course Mad Men is the theme music to our summer!


Summer of Eden
We have been very active this summer, much more than Addison's first summer because, well, we have Addison to entertain! So Eden has reaped the benefits of being out and about in the world and she handles it very well.
Eden's 4th month has been very busy. It started with Mommy's Birthday/Father's Day weekend, then the following weekend we went up to Milwaukee to our friend's son's 1st birthday (Afton) - where Eden was passed around among our friends and was as happy as a clam. Then we had a birthday celebration for Grandma G which of course involved more baby burgling of Eden by friends and relatives.
Fourth of July was great fun this year with the girls. We didn't have big plans but took advantage of some free fireworks at Boomers Stadium in Schaumburg on the 3rd. It was ridiculously hot, but we got to sit in the stadium seats which was a lot of fun! We got there right when it opened aroun 6pm and the fireworks weren't going to start until 9:30 (after a showing of "Sandlot" on the jumbotron!) I really doubted Eden would be able to handle the fireworks so was prepared to take her to the back of the stadium to somewhat shield her from the noise. But, much to our surprise, not only did Eden not cry - but she also did not need any cuddling. During the whole fireworks, she just sat in her car seat and smiled at me! The huge booms did not even startle her and she was enjoying watching the fireworks. Rock star baby!!!!


Eden's Baptism

Eden was Baptized on July 8 at St Hubert's church in Hoffman Estates. Her Godparents are Tim's Uncle Mike and Aunt Mindy. Just like Addison, she wore my baptismal gown and she got the full dunk in the baptismal fountain! She again was a trooper and only let out a cry as she got dunked, but as soon as we held her in the towel, she was content again. She was awake for the entire ceremony but such a good little baby, even for all the countless family pictures we took! She fell asleep on the way to the dinner and slept the entire time in the car seat until she woke up right at the end, just in time for everyone to get in their Eden squeezes before the celebration was over. The meal was at Lou Malnati's pizzeria with just our immediate families and the Godparents. It was a nice, cozy day - much easier than Addison's when the invite list spread out to our friends and extended family at Grandma G's. So Eden didn't get as big of a party as Addison got, but I think for all it was more enjoyable and for Mommy & Daddy, much less stressful! Things ya learn the second time around ;)


Hungry Baby
Being almost 16lbs now, Eden has gotten that way of course through lots of eating! When I was on maternity leave,  she would nurse several times a day and then cluster feed from 8pm-12am every night and wake up to eat 3x through the night up until 7-8am. Obviously she was getting enough food from me since she grew and grew and grew.
Now that she is home with Tim, she has a bottle 3x a day. So she eats less often, but I think she is getting more per feeding than when she nurses. She typically eats 12oz while I'm at work and I can usually only pump about 10oz. I pump 3x a day and sometimes only 2 if I get caught up in meetings and can't squeeze the 15min break into my schedule at the right time. So in the past couple weeks, Tim has had to supplement 3-4oz of formula each day. This makes me feel incredibly guilty of course, even though I know I am doing my best. Whenever she has formula, I have the plan to then pump the difference. But that has become an impossible task since in the evening is when she cluster feeds and I typically plot out my morning routine to be out the door shortly after nursing  - which does not leave much time (or supply build-up) to pump. Even on the weekends, she is nursing every couple hours so there's just never an opportunity.
With Addison, she started having formula supplemented around 7mos and by 8mos she was pretty much on formula during the day and nursed in the morning and at night. By 10mos though, even at bedtime I just couldn't nurse her the amount she needed and I was heartbroken that my body just naturally weened her off and I couldn't make it to the 1 year mark. I am starting to feel that way now - that the end is near and since I went back to work 3mos earlier than I did with Addison, I fear the end of my supply will doom us. Both for financial reasons and just "mommy reasons" I really do not want that to happen, so I will continue to do my best pumping at work and then just being on demand during the night and weekend hours with her - as tiring and demanding as that can be on be at times since it doesn't allow me time for much else when I'm home. But that's ok - laundry can wait, I've got a baby to grow!

Eden, the 3-Month Old!

Eden's First "Life Change"
Midway through Eden's 3rd month, she had her first major life change - Mommy went back to work! I returned to work on the Tuesday after Memorial Day and the first few days Grandma Simon came down to watch the girls, as well as Grandma G and John for a day too. The following week her new normal began with Daddy being a stay-at-home dad. The transition was easy on Eden, the biggest change of course being going from breast to expressed milk in a bottle. She didn't eat much the first day, perhaps wondering what the heck was going on, but the next day and from then on she has taken from the bottle just fine.

"Night Time is Mommy Time!"
Nighttime is certainly Mommy-time. Eden greets me with a huge smile when I return home from work and immediately nurses. Then around 8pm when we start getting Addison ready for bed, Eden wants nothing but Mommy. She cluster feeds and dozes off to sleep on me on and off the entire evening. Tim is able to entertain her for a little bit if needed, but as soon as she begins to cry the only cure is Mommy. While this can be stressful and it's a lot of pressure if I want/need to get other things done around the house, at the end of the  day it's nice to have this strong bonding time with Eden. I think it's a great balance too with Tim being at home during the day, but when I come home, I can provide her the one thing he can't - so it keeps our relationship special. 
In the first few weeks of Tim being the SAHD, I did notice Eden's increased bonding with Tim. She likes me to hold her while she watches Tim. It's the best of her both worlds!

What's In a Name?
Tim and I had a much harder time choosing names, both boy and girl, for Baby Punkin. Not to say choosing Addison was a breeze, but since we were so happy and continue to LOVE the name Addison, the pressure was on to find another name that we'd love just as much. We dug deep to come up with a good list - pulling from everywhere. We came up with our initial list, then took a break for a several weeks, then added some more. And it was in that second round that Eden was added, along with a few others, to round out the list. It didn't click with either of us right away, but gradually the name Eden kept popping off the list to me, just like Addison did.
Where the name came from was back when I worked at Drum Corps International - my first job out of college, one of my coworkers had a sister named Eden. I never met this sister, but recall thinking that name was cool - sorta like a "hippie" name, very cute and innocent sounding. But that was in 2004, and the name never crossed my mind again - even when we were name searching for Addison.
What I liked about the name Eden, aside from the above mentioned traits, is that it would sound cute with Addison. Addison and Eden - Addie & Edie. Albeit confusing sometimes, we get tongue-tied saying Addison or Eden, I still like how they go together.
Eden officially means: "Paradise". Its origin is Hebrew and in 2011 was #198 on the baby names list.
Of course, it also references the Garden of Eden, so I loved the Biblical tie to this name. Another side reference to the name Eden is Phantom Regiment's 2011 production entitled "Juliet" (a Romeo & Juliet theme) featured a selection "East of Eden."
And the cherry on top - just recently we went to Milwaukee for a weekend visit with friends and had a picnic at Alcott Park, which is around the corner from where I grew up on Morgan Ave in Milwaukee. As we rounded the corner from my old house to where Alcott Park is located, I see a street sign saying "Eden Place"!! So, not only was this street behind my childhood home (where I lived until I was 8) but also the street my pre-school and kindergarten was on along with many other fond childhood memories from Alcott Park - but this was also the street where family friends of ours, the Yonts' lived in their time in Milwaukee when all of us were kids.
So, just like how Tim grew up off of Addison St. in Chicago, which was a "cherry on top" when picking that name, now we know that I grew up around the corner from Eden Place in Milwaukee!

Eden, the 2-Month Old!

2-Month Check-Up
Wow, Eden is 2-months old already! And oh, how she has grown! Here's her latest stats:
Height: 23 1/4" (75th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs. 2oz. (75th percentile)
Head: 15 1/2"


That is a weight gain of 2lbs in this past month and growth of 1.5". Eden checked out great and had her first shots. She cried a lot, but I was able to nurse her right away so that calmed her down. When Addison had her first shots, she slept the entire afternoon afterwards - I was hoping that for Eden, but instead, she was very fussy and wanted to be held most of the rest of the day. She did feel warm so I gave her a little Tylenol but she does not like that at all!
Her next appointment is in 2 months when she will receive a second round of shots.


Eating
Eden is a good eater. She eats fairly often - usually every couple hours and eats for about 20-30min. She does spit-up/vomit a lot but since she is gaining weight just fine, there is no concern...Just annoying/messy for Mommy!
I originally thought the cause of the projectile vomit was when I'd eat peanut butter, as that seemed to be an issue with Addison too. But I've given up peanut butter, and with Eden, these "belly emptying voms" occur at all times of the day so there's not one consistent food source I can chalk it up to. The only thing I can think is that she may be overeating. Like, when she eats for a very long time or has two feedings close together. So I'm trying to not "top her off" if she falls asleep during a feeding and try to delay feeding her again if her last feeding was less than 2 hrs ago. In this past week it has improved - so either she is growing out of it or it really is because of over-eating. Whatever, I'll take it - fingers crossed!
She has had to drink expressed milk from a bottle a few times when I've been out and she's done just fine, which is great as I will be returning to work in 2 weeks and she will need to eat from a bottle at least 3-4x while I am gone. We haven't had to use formula at all yet to know how she takes that. I am hoping we won't need to supplement with formula at all but I'm not sure how pumping at work will go, if I'll be able to provide enough for her. I've got some bottles frozen as back-up, though!


Sleeping
Eden's sleeping schedule is not entirely consistent yet, but she is getting a bit more on a schedule and we will need to establish a better routine once I go back to work in a couple weeks. For now, she's usually up til about 11pm. Her crabby time is from 9pm-11pm when there's not much we can do to get her to stop crying for long. She typically eats 2-3x between 8pm and midnight. If she eats closer to midnight then she doesn't eat again until 4am or so, but if her last feeding is earlier, then she tends to wake around 2am. She always wakes up around 5-6am to eat then sleeps solid for another few hours, til 9am at least. But in that time, Addison wakes up in the 7 o'clock hour so there's not much of an opportunity to sleep in :)
Eden used to take a long nap in the afternoon from the day she was born. That has dwindled and now she only naps for that stretch of time if we are out and about - which typically that is when I am out running errands.
So our goal is to establish a better nighttime routine around 9pm or so, after we get Addison to sleep and if she eats around 8 or so,that is good timing. To give her a bath every few nights, get her in her pj's, sit with her in the rocker with the music playing in the dark for a bit, and then lay her down. She still sleeps with us at night and we rarely ever are able to "put her down" to sleep. That would be a great improvement if we could get to where we lay her in the crib around 9pm to sleep until she wakes up for her next feeding.


Smiley
Eden sprouted her first smile around Week 5 and by Week 6 she was smiling on command. She is very smiley, often smiling all on her own but she is also very interactive and will smile back often to our smiling faces or if we say her name or sing to her. We've been able to get several pictures of her smile. It's a great reward to start getting to know her personality aside from just crying.


All in all, Eden is very easy-going especially around Addison who can be pretty loud and in her face. Usually, Eden just smiles and wiggles happily when Addison is bouncing around, singing and dancing in her face.


By the next entry,  I will already be back to work and Tim will be the primary caregiver of the girls, so he'll be the one to know the schedules and quirks better than me. I'm sad to be away from the girls for 9 hours a day, but it's a very easy transition to Tim staying home as there's nothing he needs "training" on. I've been keeping him posted on some tricks I've learned or things that don't work.
This has been a great maternity leave - I've done a lot with the girls but of course I feel like I didn't take full advantage of my time off as far as getting other projects done. But there's no comparison to simply spending time hanging out with Eden and Addison day in and day out.

1 Month Check-Up

April 19 (5 weeks old)
Eden's 1 month Doctor's appointment went very well. All this eating she's been doing has paid off so that makes it all worthwhile. Despite all her best efforts to keep the weight off (as in, she voms a lot!), Eden is gaining weight and growing, growing!


Weight: 10lbs. 2oz.
That is a weight gain of 2lbs. 4oz. since birth, and 2lbs. 10oz. since her first Doctor's appointment when she was 5 days old. This is great weight gain and puts her in the 75th percentile. To compare, Addison gained 1lb. 13oz. in her first month and weighed 8lbs. 13oz at her first appointment.


Height: 21 3/4"
At her first Doctor's appointment, they measured her as 19 1/4" even though the hospital measured her at 20". To stay consistent, we'll go by the pediatrician measurement to measure growth. So that is growth of over 2"! She is also in the 75th percentile for height. 


Head: 14 1/2"
Eden's head size measures in the 40th percentile.


Eden checked out great at the doctor. She goes again May 17 and will receive her first shots! 


Big Fat Baby!
It could be that with Eden being our second baby, we know how tiny little infants can be -but Eden just seems really big! She already feels heavy and sturdy and I can't believe just a month ago she was small enough to fit in my belly! It took longer with Addison, who, yes, was a whole pound smaller than Eden, but I remember her feeling so fragile and tiny in the first couple months. Again, perhaps we can chalk this up to being experienced this time around.


Man Vs. Food, Baby Edition (Baby Vs. Boob?)
Overall, Eden has been thriving and a pretty easy going baby. She gets crabby at night, but often times this is because she wants to cluster feed so at first we don't think she could be hungry since she just ate less than an hour ago, and try other methods of soothing her - but in the end, it's just Mommy she wants! 
It's hard now while I'm on leave since Tim wants to bond with her at night and that would work out nicely for me to get some things done around the house and be able to put Addison to bed (which end up usually being Tim's job). But once I go back to work, this cluster feeding and needing Mommy in the evening will be beneficial as I will be home to nurse her and bond with her since of course I will miss her! 

Often times she has a long stretch of sleep in the afternoons, which will be great when I'm back to work and Tim is home - to give him a break and have a longer stretch between feedings so she doesn't need as many bottles during the day. Hopefully she will keep this schedule up! Typically she eats every 2 hours so it can be pretty demanding. She has started sleeping for longer stretches at night. Last week, we even got one night of solid 6 hours! Typically the longest she goes is 4hrs. She eats around 11pm and I fall asleep after that, and then wakes at 1-2am then sometimes not again until 5-6am but many times wakes up again at 4am and then again at 6-7am. So some mornings I can be a zombie when  Addison comes bouncing in my room between 7-8am. This of course will be hard once I go back to work too as I will need to be up by 7am. Crossing fingers that Eden starts sleeping longer through the night in the next few weeks!


I will be going back to work after Memorial Day weekend, so I'm just enjoying my time with my girls now as the time flies by!

1st Doctor's Appointment

March 20 - One Week Appointment
Eden checked out great at her first appointment with the Pediatrician.
When she was born, she was 7lbs 14oz and 20" tall. She lost some weight of course while we were in the hospital and weighed in at 7lbs 8oz at the first doctor's appointment and they measured her height as 19 1/4".
This puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and between 50th-75th for height. Her head is 13 5/8" which is between the 25th-50th percentiles.


Eden's First Days
In the first week with Eden, she was more independent (if you can even describe an infant that way?) than Addison. In my time in the hospital with Addison I had to hold her most of the time, even for sleeping. Eden, I was able to put her in the bassinet to sleep, only getting her out to feed her. She was quite the night owl in the hospital and first nights at home. Her long stretch of sleeping was in the afternoon. This worked out well for visitors as it allowed everyone to hold her easily without any fussing or me having to take her away for a feeding.


Mini-Monica, Mini-Tim or Mini-Addison?
The moment Addison was born, Tim & I thought we were looking at Addison all over again. But even by later that night, we could see the differences. Her complexion was darker and Eden has stronger eyebrow features. In general, her expressions are more serious and she seems to study faces and items much more intensely than I recall Addison doing.
We still don't know what her eye color is, it changes several times through the day. There is a strong resemblance to Addison, despite some of the small differences. Her head shape seems a little less round like Tim's & Addie's, same with eye shape. Nose and mouth are hard to tell this early on. But even in the first few days, it was less of who she looked like - more that she just starting looking like her own little Eden self!

The Arrival of Eden Diane O'Neill

It's March!
The first weekend of March, we were ready for Baby Punkin's arrival. The closing on the sale of my company (and celebration) had occurred on Friday, 3/2 so it was good timing for a last day of work.
However, that weekend I did come down with a bad cold so I was hoping the cold would pass or the baby would wait a few days because going through labor with a bad cold did not sound fun. I spent most of the Saturday in bed and sleeping, since there's really no drugs a pregnant lady can take for a cold. I did have a few contractions on and off throughout the day, but at night while watching TV, they became more consistent. They were about 10min apart for almost 2 hours. After those 2hrs I was going to start actually tracking the time (writing it down)  - and then POOF! they were gone.
On Sunday, I was still feeling sick, but antsy so wanted to get out of the house and try and get this baby on the move. It was cold and windy, so we took Addison to Stratford Square Mall. Tim took her glow-in-the-dark mini-golfing and I walked around for a good hour or so. I experienced contractions here and there, nothing very painful and not at all consistent so I knew it wasn't the real deal.
That entire week at work, both Tim and I were constantly asked by coworkers, "you're still here?" or "No baby yet?" - so of course that just added to our own impatience. I approached each day at work as it could be my last - which lead to very boring days since I wasn't about to start any projects and I had worked ahead for the several weeks leading up to my due date, so I didn't have anything due either.
Yet, each day passed and there was no baby. Didn't really have any promising contractions to note and so we set our sites on the upcoming weekend.


Due Date is Here
Armed with the knowledge (myth) that 2nd babies tend to arrive early, Tim and I couldn't believe we had made it to the weekend before my due date and Baby Punkin was still not here. With Addison, I was 4 days early so that would by Sunday, March 10 for Baby Punkin. That entire weekend there was very little activity from Baby Punkin. I went for 3 walks that weekend, totally about 4 hours of walking. My body ached, but just from the activity, not signs of labor. It began to feel as though Baby Punkin was never going to come. On Sunday night, we sat in disbelief that we'd both be returning to work the next day - and I had the awful feeling that I would finish out that whole week at work! At work, I had March 12 (Monday) on my calendar as the first day of my maternity leave so I could plan my work load around that and provide coworkers with the estimate of when I'd probably be gone. So it was hard to be at work on that day. On Tuesday, March 13 - I started feeling mild contractions after lunch. I didn't pay much attention for the first hour, but around 2pm I started to keep track. By the end of the day, the contractions were only about 5-7min apart. They weren't too strong, but definitely tightening. I texted Tim to warn him and he mentioned it to Lorie when he picked up Addison - that we may be dropping her off in a couple hours before bedtime. I got home, ate dinner while having a few more contractions, but then by 7pm - they were gone. This false alarm made it even harder to be at work the next day on my  due date. I was honestly shocked that I was seeing "March 14" on the calendar without Baby Punkin already in my arms.
I began preparing myself for the possibility of needing to be induced. Even though I had made some progress at my 40-week check-up, I had false alarms before so didn't want to get my hopes up.


Fashionably Late?
The night of my due date, I fell asleep wishing that I'd wake up in pain. But, no dice. My alarm went off and I got ready for work just like any other day. Finally, on my way to work, I started feeling contractions. Without paying close attention, they seemed to be about 5-7 minutes apart again. But of course I'd been fooled before. I had some contractions through the morning, but it wasn't until around 11am when I was helping to set up our St. Patty's Day pot luck lunch that the contractions became more painful. I could still speak through them so no one was the wiser. After lunch - around 12:30 the contractions were more painful to the point where I was uncomfortable and I had to take deep breaths through them. I started timing the contractions around 1:30pm and they were 5 minutes apart, lasting about :30 seconds. It was 80 degrees that day so the office was very stuffy, adding to my discomfort. 
I was 90% sure these contractions were the real thing. They had been fairly consistent and getting stronger since 8:30am - so a good 5-6hrs at this point. At 2:30, as one final test, I went for a walk with a coworker. I continued to have the contractions about every 5 minutes during the walk but they were not as painful. But once we got back to the office a little after 3pm, the contractions were much stronger - to the point where I would have to stop what I was doing and breath.
At this point I decided to call it a day - even if this was just a false alarm. I textedtexted Tim that I was on my way - that was a little before 4pm so he was on his way too. The contractions became much stronger on the 20min drive home to the point where I was gripping the steering wheel and turning up the radio to distract myself.
I got home and took a nice shower and finished packing the hospital bag. At this point, I knew this was the real deal. While I was getting ready, I had to stop what I was doing every time a contraction hit and lean against the wall or hold on to something.
Tim got home at 5:15 and he quickly ate, changed and packed up Addison's bag. In this time, he was tracking my contractions which were now 2-3 minutes apart. We were waiting for Lorie to drop Addison off around 5:45 to tell her we were headed to the hospital. So when they got here we told Addison we were going to meet Baby Punkin and that she was gonna have a sleep over with her cousins! She was very excited and so were the kids. We gave her a hug and kiss and then grabbed our bags and headed to the hospital.


Power Hour
I didn't think that when we arrived at the hospital, that Baby Punkin would arrive just over an hour later! We were admitted just before 7pm and at that point I could still talk between contractions, though during them, I could not. I was examined right away and was at 6-7cm, which is how far along I was when we checked in with Addison. This time, I was doing much better at that point, most likely because I had only been in labor for about 11hrs vs. 30hrs+ with Addison.
The contractions were getting bad, but I wanted to hold off on getting an epidural, hoping I'd be able to go drug-free. Well, thankfully, it turned out that the anesthesiologist was heading into surgery, so it was a "now or never" situation to get the epidural, but it worked out perfectly! They still got me hooked up with an IV for fluids and the "just in case" there was an emergency and I'd need to receive drugs quickly. This was the worst part of labor because I am NOT a needle person and they had to stick me 2x in one wrist and once in the other before they could get it to work. That was agony! They tried to do it in between contractions but they were coming one after another at that point so it was just terrible!
Once that was done, the nurses left us alone for 20min or so. Tim was going in between holding my hand through contractions and getting the phone calls/texts out to our family letting them know Baby Punkin was on the way!
I started to feel a lot of pressure and felt like I was ready to push and told Tim to get a nurse to come check my progress - right then a nurse walked in anyway to check me. I was 9cm and right after the nurse checked me, my water broke. It was 8pm at this point and the doctor was not even in the room yet. 
The pain spiked and I felt the urge to push. I had to use all my might to breath through the contractions and not push since I still had that 1cm to go. A couple minutes later the doctor came in and began to prepare for delivery. He checked me and I was at 10cm, so it was Go Time!
The big difference this time, with not having an epidural, is that there was no controlled pushing. With Addison, the nurse would watch the monitor and I would feel pressure so they'd tell me to push 3 times, count to 10. Then I'd rest for 20-30 seconds and then I'd push again. This time, my body was doing the pushing on its own, I couldn't control it - just help the process along.  There was really no down time in between the pushing, and minutes later, after about 4 pushes at 8:14pm, Baby Punkin was here!


It IS a Girl!
We were both surprised that Baby Punkin turned out to be a girl! With Addison, I was surprised I was right that she was a girl, with Baby Punkin I was surprised I was wrong. But of course, none of that matters when we saw our new little girl for the first time.
While she was getting checked out on the exam table, she looked identical to Addison. Later that night in the Mother/Baby room, however, she only resembled Addison, yet already had her own look. Each day since we've been home with her she's looked less and less like Addison and just more and more her own pretty little Eden self :)

Worth the Wait
All that anxiety, depression and impatience brought on by waiting for Eden to arrive, washed away immediately. Looking back, to say she was only one day late is really nothing! I can already laugh at how much I had overreacted. Now we've been home with her for 10 days already and I can't believe it's been that long!
Infant care came back to us like riding a bike and we're already so used to being a family of four. Addison has adjusted wonderfully and is nothing but in love with her baby sister, and so are we!

Week #40 Check-Up

Week #40 (March 14)
Blood pressure: Normal
My progress: 3cm dilated and 70% effaced. Last week I was 2cm dilated and still 50% effaced (which I have been since Week 35!). 


At this appointment, I had an ultrasound to check to make sure Baby Punkin is still thriving in my womb and that there is still enough amniotic fluid. Everything checked out just fine and it was nice to see Baby Punkin again, although I'd much rather see him/her not on a video monitor but in my arms instead! Funny thing is the tech was trying to observe Baby Punkin's movements, but Baby Punkin was sleeping so the tech had to keep jabbing my belly to get him/her to move. Baby Punkin is so lazy! :)
After the ultrasound, I was hooked up for a non-stress test. This monitors Baby Punkin's heart rate and well as some mild contractions I was having. Again, Baby Punkin was sleeping, so I had to drink cold water and the nursed used a little buzzer on my belly to get Baby Punkin to move. Finally Baby Punkin had some activity so that we could pass the non-stress test, thankfully!


I have another follow-up appointment on Saturday to make sure Baby Punkin is still doing alright in there, and I am scheduled to be induced next Wednesday - March 21 @ 8am.


So while I am relieved to have made some progress, I'm still discouraged - feeling as though this baby will never come! The Dr. however, does think I won't make it through the weekend. But two weeks ago, when I got to 2cm and 50% effaced, the doctor I had for that visit said he thinks I would go on or before my due date.


Needless to say, I'm feeling a tad depressed over going this long. I truly did think Baby Punkin would be here no later than March 12. I can't believe I am seeing my due date of March 14 on the calendar today and I don't have a baby yet.
I think it's harder this time than with Silly Baby because at that time, I wasn't working so spent most of my time by myself. Now, I am working so everyday I get "you're still here?" or "no baby yet?" 5x before I even get to my desk in the morning, on top of all the inquiries from family and friends and of course my own impatience! Plus, there's the myth that 2nd+ babies come earlier, so especially since Addison was 4 days early, Baby Punkin seemed to be a no-brainer to arrive early.
I know Baby Punkin will be here no matter what in a week. But if I make it that long, s/he will arrive in a way I never pictured - I will be induced. Having an appointment and just walking into the hospital not even in labor to have my baby just isn't how I ever pictured it. And what if my body just doesn't progress? I've been progressing, but just so slowly for the last few weeks - I have the tremendous fear of this ending in a C-section,which would just break my heart. I know in the end all that matters is a healthy baby, but it's a special moment in our lives too and I want nothing more than to just go naturally.
A lot can happen in a week, so my fingers are crossed. But I do need to start mentally and emotionally preparing myself for being induced so that I can be at peace with it.


Well, my next post will either hopefully be the announcing of Baby Punkin's arrival or an update on my progress over the weekend.
Let's go Baby Punkin! The world is waiting to meet you!

Week #39 Check-Up

Week #39

Blood pressure: 120 over 78

My progress: 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Last week I was "1-2cm", and this was a different Dr. So who knows, maybe she was just throwing me a bone that I had some progress or her measurement is slightly different than last week's doctor. In any case, not much progress!

On Sunday we walked around the mall for awhile, and that evening I did have a good number of Braxton Hicks contractions, some fairly strong and lasted about 30-seconds, so I thought maybe on Monday or Tuesday I'd get the show on the road. But, instead, those two days I felt virtually no contractions! 
I've gone for two walks on the warm days this week over lunch and we even went out for Mexican food last night, but it just doesn't feel like anything's going to happen this week.


With that in mind - the only "plan" we can have is if I go a week past my due date (3/14) and need to be induced. I will have my 40-week check-up next Wednesday (my due date!). At that appointment they will measure Baby Punkin to determine birth size, in preparation to be induced on March 21, 41 weeks. Then, I will have a follow-up appointment on that Saturday to check that everything is still ok to wait until the March 21 inducing.


So, for all of  you wanting to ask me the burning question of when Baby Punkin is going to come - the only answer I can give you is by March 21!

 

Baby Punkin Hospital Information

Northwest Community Hospital
800 W. Central Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL
847.618.1000
SEE MAP (intersection)
SEE MAP (zoomed out)


Visitors: Where to Go
All visitors should park in the Visitor's Garage, located on Fernandez Drive, off Central Rd.
Enter the hospital through the East Entrance #4 and take the Women's Center Elevator to 4-South-Labor & Delivery or to 5th Floor-South-Mother Baby.


I am moved to the Mother Baby Unit about an hour after delivery, and will remain there for 2 days. The day of birth is considered Day 0, so, for instance, Addison was born on a Wednesday morning and I was in the hospital until Friday afternoon.


Other Visitor Information
-There are no set visiting hours in Labor & Delivery (accommodating for an overnight birth)
-General hours for Mother-Baby are 8am-8pm
-No children under 12 allowed (except Addison of course). 
Note: I believe my last hospital had this rule too, but my nieces/nephew were able to visit just fine. May depend on how busy it is at the time of the visit and the nurses' mood :) There is a nearby waiting room, but if you have children and don't want to risk having to take turns coming into visit, may be a safe bet to keep them at home.


This will be where we will finally meet Baby Punkin and spend our first days with him/her. Of course, if you don't make it to the hospital to meet Baby Punkin, you are welcome to visit us at home in the weeks to follow :)

Week #37 & #38 Check-Ups

The past two Mondays I have had my weekly appointments. Short appointments - but very important and exciting! They check my weight, blood pressure, height of fundus, Baby Punkin's heart rate and most importantly - internally, my progress!

Week #37

Weight: same as week before

Blood pressure: 120 over 80, as usual

Height of fundus they said was normal, so that means right around 36cm. 

Baby Punkin's heart rate was very strong, but the Dr. did not say what the rate was.

Internally, I made no progress from the week before when I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced.

The Dr. said the baby's head was not pushing down yet (engaged).

Week #38

Weight: up 3lbs (whoops! can I blame that I'm wearing heavy Doc Marten shoes today?)

Blood pressure: 120 over 78

Height of fundus: again, normal!

Baby Punkin's heart rate: 142. So this is back to where it's been most of the pregnancy, but a big difference from Week 36 when it measured at 160.

My progress: 1-2cm dilated and 50% effaced. So not much progress, just a little more dilated than last week. 

However, this week the Dr. noted that Baby Punkin's head is pressing down quite a bit, so that combined with some more Braxton Hick's contractions may get this party started! Doctor said that means I should go on or before my due date. But, as we all know, it's really up to Baby Punkin!

Everyday, Daddy & Mommy Punkin are more and more ready for Baby Punkin to arrive - and excited! Nursery is done, bag is almost packed and list written for all the things we can't pack 'til last minute. We've discussed several scenarios of how it will all go down when I go into labor. Names have finally been selected (but don't bother asking as the name will be unveiled as part of the big "IT'S A....." announcement when Baby Punkin is born!)

So, now....we wait!

 

Baby Punkin Baby Pool!

The polls have closed for the official Baby Punkin Baby Pool!
There are 37 entries -so the pot is $37 for the winner. ($37 will also go into Baby Punkin's college fund, so thank you all for helping us get that going!)


28 of 37 guesses picked Boy, whoa! So either by the power of influence, Baby Punkin will be a Boy - or those of you who picked Girl are looking pretty good in the betting pool :)


Winner will be chosen like this:
-Date (if no correct gender guess on date, it will go to height/weight tie breaker)
-Gender (if no correct date guess, closest date with correct gender wins)
-Weight (tie breaker #1)
-Height (tie breaker #2)


See below for the guesses! GOOD LUCK - and thanks for playing!


March 1
-Nick Mittermann
Boy
8lbs. 2oz.
21"
-Bianca Simon
Boy
5lbs.
12"
-Jenn Urso
Boy
7lbs. 11oz.
21 1/2"
-Addison O'Neill
Boy
9lbs. 0oz.
22"


March 3
-Katie Nelson
Girl
7lbs. 2oz.
21"


March 5
-Kirsten O'Neill
Boy
8lbs. 2oz.
21 1/2"


March 6
-Mike LeVar
Boy
7lbs. 6oz.
21"
-Michelle Humphreys
Boy
8lbs. 7oz.
20"


March 7
-Chris Robleski
Boy
7lbs. 7oz.
20"


March 8
-Grandma G
Girl
7lbs. 8oz.
21"


March 9
-Juan Martinez
Boy
8lbs. 8oz.
19"


March 10
-Chelsea Mittermann
Boy
7lbs. 5oz.
21"
-Michelle Humphreys
Boy
9lbs. 2oz.
22"
-Karyn Elliott
Boy
7lbs. 5oz.
21"
-Kelly Backes
Boy
7lbs. 8oz.
21"
-Auntie Lorie
Boy
7lbs. 4oz.
19 1/2"
-Grandma G
Boy
8lbs.
20"
-John Giacomino
Boy
8lbs. 2oz.
21"


March 11
-Kaia Tice
Girl
7lbs. 7oz.
20"
-Amanda Nelson
Boy
8lbs. 1oz.
21"


March 12
-Nick Giacomino
Boy
7lbs. 2oz.
19"
-Michelle Humphreys
Girl
8lbs. 6oz.
20"
-Bill Urso
Girl
7lbs. 2oz.
20 1/2"
-Mommy & Daddy Punkin
Boy
8lbs.
21"


March 14
-Mindy LeVar
Girl
8lbs.
20"
-Indiana Elliott
Girl
8lbs. 13oz.
21 1/2"
-Dave Humphreys
Boy
7lbs. 8oz.
20"
-Nicolas Simon
Boy
10lbs.
20"


March 16
-Bob Giacomino
Boy
8lbs. 4oz.
22"
-Afton Mittermann
Girl
7lbs. 2oz.
20 1/2"


March 17
-Ellen & Brad Ludwig
Boy
8lbs. 4oz.
21"
-Isabella Simon
Boy
7lbs.
19"
-Grandma Simon
Boy
7lbs. 14oz.
21"
-Uncle Pat
Girl
7lbs. 2oz.
20"
-Sarah Babbitt
Boy
7lbs. 9oz.
23"


March 18
-Ed LeVar
Boy
8lbs. 4oz.
22 1/2"


March 21
-Bill Elliott
Boy
8lbs.
22"