Annelise Marie
Born at 4:38 am
9 lbs 5 oz
20 inches
With love,
Matt, Kristine, and big sister Violet
Birth story to come
9.23.2013
9.22.2013
Care for Tea?
Violet is turning into such a girlie girl. We have regular tea parties around here, she dressed up as a princess for "career day" at school, and girlfriend has more purses and bags than we can keep up with! Now if only she'd let me do something with her hair (not that I have any skills). Here's a glimpse of last week's pre-church tea time event, brought to you by a new pair of green rain boots!
9.21.2013
We Made It
In 48 hours, there will be another Little Loughman! That is such a crazy thought. And I have to admit, as much as I didn't want a scheduled c-section, a huge part of me is relieved that the end is in sight. I swear, this week tried its hardest to put me into labor!
We had the carpets cleaned Tuesday. The house cleaners came Wednesday. Both required pre-cleaning and moving furniture and generally turning the house upside down. Wednesday was also an early release school day and we had professional development at a different school the second half of the day. I left there, raced to a doctor's appointment, and raced home for small group. Violet also ran a fever that evening, required an emergency call to Grandma to come cover for us at home on Thursday. (Thank goodness Violet seems better after taking a day off.) Thursday I ran around after school picking up a birthday present for a party V went to on Friday and buying cupcakes for my kiddos for our class birthday party for the new baby. Yesterday was my last day with the kids, a crazy thought in and of itself. My sweet room moms came in the afternoon for our little party - we had cupcakes and opened a few gifts and I read the advice the students wrote: "What should Mrs. Loughman do to take care of Baby?" My favorite pointers included going to the doctor to get the baby out (on it!), changing poopoo diapers, and teaching the baby to walk. Following dismissal I was at school another three hours, trying to wrap everything up and get ready for my long-term sub. By 6 p.m. I figured, it's as ready as it's going to get, she's just going to have to jump in and figure the rest out herself. And I was out of there!
This weekend we're puttering around, returning a few unneeded baby items, testing out the video monitor, finishing up laundry, storing things away in the attic, just trying to tie up loose ends. A nap and a pedicure are on my personal to-do list. It is very strange to think we're about to become a family of four.
We had the carpets cleaned Tuesday. The house cleaners came Wednesday. Both required pre-cleaning and moving furniture and generally turning the house upside down. Wednesday was also an early release school day and we had professional development at a different school the second half of the day. I left there, raced to a doctor's appointment, and raced home for small group. Violet also ran a fever that evening, required an emergency call to Grandma to come cover for us at home on Thursday. (Thank goodness Violet seems better after taking a day off.) Thursday I ran around after school picking up a birthday present for a party V went to on Friday and buying cupcakes for my kiddos for our class birthday party for the new baby. Yesterday was my last day with the kids, a crazy thought in and of itself. My sweet room moms came in the afternoon for our little party - we had cupcakes and opened a few gifts and I read the advice the students wrote: "What should Mrs. Loughman do to take care of Baby?" My favorite pointers included going to the doctor to get the baby out (on it!), changing poopoo diapers, and teaching the baby to walk. Following dismissal I was at school another three hours, trying to wrap everything up and get ready for my long-term sub. By 6 p.m. I figured, it's as ready as it's going to get, she's just going to have to jump in and figure the rest out herself. And I was out of there!
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| Diaper motorcycle from one of my cafeteria ladies! |
9.12.2013
Picking a Date
You know what's surreal? Having the power to pick your child's birth date.
This morning I called Dr. K and scheduled our c-section. At yesterday's appointment this child still hadn't flipped and wasn't looking likely to. The doctor initially offered next Friday, exactly 39 weeks, but my substitute can't start until the following Monday. (Only a teacher would ever have that train of thought.)
So next Monday, September 23, it is. We'll wake up, load our bags, make the 10 minute commute to the hospital, gown up and be given our baby. So bizarre.
The number one question I'm getting these days is whether Violet was the same way. Um, no. With Violet, I apparently didn't realize how lucky I was. No swelling, wore my rings into the delivery room, water broke at home with my first contraction, easy breezy. What a different experience this has been, and continues to be. (Although I've gotten so many supportive comments from friends - thank you!)
I'm also continuously surprised at the idea that we're having a baby. I know, a little late for that realization, right? But I've been so focused on the pregnancy, how enormous I'm getting, how my students will deal with my absence, how uncomfortable I am, how Violet will adjust to our new family dynamic, that I keep forgetting that at the end of this road I'll actually end up with a tiny little baby girl. My head knows that life will change forever, the rest of me just keeps nodding uh-huh and continuing on its distracted way.
It's also hard to believe that one week from today will be my last day in the classroom until January. I'm planning a little "good-bye for now" party with the kids, with "baby" mini cupcakes. You know, gotta leave them with some happy thoughts of me before I disappear! I get nervous at the thought of giving them into someone else's hands, but what to do.
Well, I supposed the count down has officially started! Here's to surviving the next 10 days!
This morning I called Dr. K and scheduled our c-section. At yesterday's appointment this child still hadn't flipped and wasn't looking likely to. The doctor initially offered next Friday, exactly 39 weeks, but my substitute can't start until the following Monday. (Only a teacher would ever have that train of thought.)
So next Monday, September 23, it is. We'll wake up, load our bags, make the 10 minute commute to the hospital, gown up and be given our baby. So bizarre.
The number one question I'm getting these days is whether Violet was the same way. Um, no. With Violet, I apparently didn't realize how lucky I was. No swelling, wore my rings into the delivery room, water broke at home with my first contraction, easy breezy. What a different experience this has been, and continues to be. (Although I've gotten so many supportive comments from friends - thank you!)
I'm also continuously surprised at the idea that we're having a baby. I know, a little late for that realization, right? But I've been so focused on the pregnancy, how enormous I'm getting, how my students will deal with my absence, how uncomfortable I am, how Violet will adjust to our new family dynamic, that I keep forgetting that at the end of this road I'll actually end up with a tiny little baby girl. My head knows that life will change forever, the rest of me just keeps nodding uh-huh and continuing on its distracted way.
It's also hard to believe that one week from today will be my last day in the classroom until January. I'm planning a little "good-bye for now" party with the kids, with "baby" mini cupcakes. You know, gotta leave them with some happy thoughts of me before I disappear! I get nervous at the thought of giving them into someone else's hands, but what to do.
Well, I supposed the count down has officially started! Here's to surviving the next 10 days!
9.08.2013
Head's (Still) Up
Well, if you haven't heard by now, Friday's procedure did not result in any flippy floppys for this baby. Apparently she's already too big healthy and stubborn determined for any sneaky moves like that.
Here's how the day went down. We checked into the hospital, went up to Labor and Delivery, I got into my gown and laid down on the bed, got hooked up to the monitors and heard little lady's heartbeat, got an IV hook-up in place, signed a bunch of consent forms, had blood drawn, and then we waited.
Sound familiar? Eerily familiar. Both Matt and I contemplated just going ahead and having this baby... I mean, we were pretty much halfway there at that point! The room was so quiet, the lights were dim, it was nice.
Of course, then Dr. K rolled in, greased up my belly, and things were not quite so peaceful anymore. Let me tell you, we all tried our best to convince this child to flip. The doctor broke a sweat, I was gritting my teeth so hard I'm surprised they didn't break, but at the end of the day, we had to call it. We barely got her to make a quarter turn. So after a bit more monitoring (and some juice and crackers from the very sympathetic nurses who knew I was starving), we headed home.
The entire experience has put me way over this pregnancy. I'm ready. I'm done. It doesn't help that I'm still dealing with the worst case of crud. I haven't been able to breath through my nose in two days. My voice sounds like I've developed a two-pack-a-day smoking habit. I haven't slept decently in weeks. Instead of craving chocolate, I'm craving mucinex.
Not that giving birth will make things magically improve, of course. And the unknowns of a c-section have me a little freaked out as well. I'm concerned about the recovery. I'm not excited about the idea of major surgery. Even though I know it's 99.9 percent likely that I'll end up with a c-section, the unknowns are still causing some serious anxiety. And I'm not just talking the unknowns of the procedure itself. I'm talking the big stuff. How will Violet deal with not only a new baby in the house, but a mommy who is not quite herself? How will my students adapt to the substitute? How will the sub keep up with my kids and report cards and conferences and my file cabinets? (Did I mention our first field trip is scheduled on my due date? Awesome timing.)
Deep breath. (Rather, attempted deep breath through my 87 percent stuffed up nostrils.)
Here's how the day went down. We checked into the hospital, went up to Labor and Delivery, I got into my gown and laid down on the bed, got hooked up to the monitors and heard little lady's heartbeat, got an IV hook-up in place, signed a bunch of consent forms, had blood drawn, and then we waited.
Sound familiar? Eerily familiar. Both Matt and I contemplated just going ahead and having this baby... I mean, we were pretty much halfway there at that point! The room was so quiet, the lights were dim, it was nice.
Of course, then Dr. K rolled in, greased up my belly, and things were not quite so peaceful anymore. Let me tell you, we all tried our best to convince this child to flip. The doctor broke a sweat, I was gritting my teeth so hard I'm surprised they didn't break, but at the end of the day, we had to call it. We barely got her to make a quarter turn. So after a bit more monitoring (and some juice and crackers from the very sympathetic nurses who knew I was starving), we headed home.
The entire experience has put me way over this pregnancy. I'm ready. I'm done. It doesn't help that I'm still dealing with the worst case of crud. I haven't been able to breath through my nose in two days. My voice sounds like I've developed a two-pack-a-day smoking habit. I haven't slept decently in weeks. Instead of craving chocolate, I'm craving mucinex.
Not that giving birth will make things magically improve, of course. And the unknowns of a c-section have me a little freaked out as well. I'm concerned about the recovery. I'm not excited about the idea of major surgery. Even though I know it's 99.9 percent likely that I'll end up with a c-section, the unknowns are still causing some serious anxiety. And I'm not just talking the unknowns of the procedure itself. I'm talking the big stuff. How will Violet deal with not only a new baby in the house, but a mommy who is not quite herself? How will my students adapt to the substitute? How will the sub keep up with my kids and report cards and conferences and my file cabinets? (Did I mention our first field trip is scheduled on my due date? Awesome timing.)
Deep breath. (Rather, attempted deep breath through my 87 percent stuffed up nostrils.)
9.04.2013
When I Grow Up...
Violet's homework assignment this weekend was to draw a picture completing the sentence "When I grow up I want to be..." The first time I asked her, she responded right away with "a mommy!" Here is her take:
I especially liked the spaghetti coming out of her mouth and the baby in the tummy. Today she was giving me a list of all the things she can teach the baby when she is born. The list included: drinking from a bottle, drawing, and picking her nose.
Glad we'll have our bases covered.
I especially liked the spaghetti coming out of her mouth and the baby in the tummy. Today she was giving me a list of all the things she can teach the baby when she is born. The list included: drinking from a bottle, drawing, and picking her nose.
Glad we'll have our bases covered.
9.03.2013
17 Days
17 school days. That was all it took for my generous first graders to pass along their germs. I am officially sick. Ugh. It started as a tickle in the throat Saturday night. It progressed to a full blown sore throat by Sunday. And today, my voice was shot by lunchtime. Lovely. There's nothing more difficult than trying to communicate to a room full of children when you have no voice.
Unless it's trying to communicate to your own child when you have no voice. Poor Violet. Things have been awfully quiet around here since I picked her up this afternoon. It's sounded a bit like this: "Mommy... mommy... mommy... MOMMY...!" Me, trying to get eye contact so I can show her I'm listening. She rambles on about whatever, while I nod enthusiastically. Repeat.
Tomorrow should be a real joy.
Normally I'd be heavily medicating right now with a self prescribed cocktail of mucinex and sudafed with a little claritin thrown in for good measure. Pregnancy has whittled my list of medications down to cough drops, hot tea with lemon and honey, and tylenol when I feel desperate. None of which are clearing my head or bringing my voice back.
What happens if you have a baby when you're sick? You try not to breath on the kid? You're magically cured because your body recognizes you have way bigger priorities?
And speaking of counting the days, here's the latest rundown for those of you keeping score at home.
3: days until the attempted flip
16: days until the full moon
24: days until I'm officially due
Unless it's trying to communicate to your own child when you have no voice. Poor Violet. Things have been awfully quiet around here since I picked her up this afternoon. It's sounded a bit like this: "Mommy... mommy... mommy... MOMMY...!" Me, trying to get eye contact so I can show her I'm listening. She rambles on about whatever, while I nod enthusiastically. Repeat.
Tomorrow should be a real joy.
Normally I'd be heavily medicating right now with a self prescribed cocktail of mucinex and sudafed with a little claritin thrown in for good measure. Pregnancy has whittled my list of medications down to cough drops, hot tea with lemon and honey, and tylenol when I feel desperate. None of which are clearing my head or bringing my voice back.
What happens if you have a baby when you're sick? You try not to breath on the kid? You're magically cured because your body recognizes you have way bigger priorities?
And speaking of counting the days, here's the latest rundown for those of you keeping score at home.
3: days until the attempted flip
16: days until the full moon
24: days until I'm officially due
 |
| Lest you think the only thing my students are generous with are their germs, exhibit a: a new backpack for V from one of my sweet girls. Violet has not put it down since I gave it to her. |
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