Well since my last post, yes, we had a baby girl, almost 6 weeks ago. :) Baby Adeline Maureen arrived on Saturday, August 20th at 6:05pm weighing in at 7lbs and 20 1/2 inches long. She was a very healthy, happy little baby.
To sum up the second half of the pregnancy, it was a hot, humid summer but I had great help from my mom, mother-in-law, cousins and aunts to entertain Luke when I was feeling tired and lazy and just couldn't chase the little guy.
Besides getting all ready for the baby (mentally and physically cleaning everything), we have had a major loss in our family. My grandpa, Jim O'Brien passed away on August 6th. He had a lung infection and surgery in April, and since then, we took each day as a blessing. He took care of himself and was able to work up until the last three weeks or so. After learning he was not a good candidate for heart surgery to fix his heart valve, he spent his last few weeks at Boutwells and received great care there. We were able to bring him his favorite meals and spend LOTS of quality time with him. I was able to see him everyday and up until the very end, he was very aware of everything and everyone. We miss him terribly each day but since he lived such a full and humorous life, we are able to laugh about his stories often. I guess it just goes to show the circle of life because two weeks after he died and one week after his funeral, baby Adeline arrived. I prayed each day that he would be able to meet her but I am at peace with his passing. My Grandma LOVES holding Adeline and seeing her newest great-grandchild.
I had no complications with the pregnancy and managed to work up until the very end, unlike with Luke where I was put on bed rest because of preeclampsia. I worked on Friday night and joked with my co-workers that my plan was to go home, shower, get a good nights rest and then have the baby on Saturday because that was my last shift. Sure enough, my stomach started to feel "different" at the end of my shift. I finished my jobs at Club Tara, went home, showered and packed up my bags, not knowing what was going to happen in the next few days. My mother-in-law watched Luke that night since Jamie was in Iowa and I forewarned her about the unknown that was taking place. At 3am on Saturday morning, I woke up to contractions but managed to get through the night. My mom and I went into the hospital in the morning but I was sent home because the contractions were not increasing while they were monitoring me. UGH So, my mom and I did what we do best, and we went to Joseph's for breakfast. During breakfast, the contractions definitely were getting more intense but I wanted to make sure Luke got a good nap in, so I took him home and tried to rest myself. While Luke blissfully slept, I couldn't sleep more than every few minutes and at about 2pm, I went back to the hospital. Sure enough, I had dilated to 5cm and the contractions were moving along. FINALLY. I asked if I was going to be sent home again and the nurse said no, so I ordered the epidural. :) With no sleep during the night and having contractions since then, I was pooped and wasn't about to waste time. A few hours later, the doctor came in I said Jamie wasn't going to be here until at least 8pm because he was in Iowa and she said there was no way he was going to be here in time, so I rested for just a little bit. Then realized, this is stupid and asked to get the party started. Once the doctor came in, Adeline arrived four minutes later! It was a great delivery and it was so amazing to hold her on my chest.
So fast forward....
Now, she is almost 6 weeks old and she is a GREAT little baby. We had a little scare with dislocated hips, but after an ultrasound, it was determined that they were just fine. We will still monitor them but she does not need to wear a brace or have surgery. Whew!
Luke is an awesome big brother, especially for only being 21 months old! He brings her the pacifier or blanket if she's crying and gives her sweet kisses on her forehead. I actually think he thinks she is another dog in the house, but makes a lot more noise, but whatever the case, he's great with her. In fact, I had to run upstairs real quick the other day and to distract him, I gave him a cookie. I wasn't out of the room for more than 15 seconds, and when I came back down, Luke was happily riding his rocking horse and Adeline was still sleeping in her basinet. As I went to check on her, I noticed she had crumbs and a chocolate chip on her lips and chin. I guess Luke likes sharing with his sister! I certainly couldn't scold him for sharing!
This fall has been so busy. Jamie has been traveling a ton! After a month, I counted the number of days he was actually in town (not necessarily at home, but still working) and it was only 12 days. Ugh, I guess that makes sense since it felt like I was a single mom. He has had a great season of lumberjack shows and is currently in Kentucky with two more shows in the south in a the coming weeks. I figure, if I made it this far without him around, I can manage a few more weeks. Then when he's done traveling, it will be SO nice to have him home and help me out with the kiddos. Adeline is a good sleeper, and actually slept from 11:30pm-7am this morning! I don't expect that again anytime soon, but it's good to know she can sleep that long. The hard part is though getting up when Luke wakes up in the morning instead of sleeping in some after getting up a couple times during the night. Jamie is great getting up with Luke in the morning when he's home and I look forward to those days again soon :)
I guess that sums up our lives to date without getting into too much detail. I'm busy chasing kids and Jamie is still traveling. I will try to make time to post again and not wait 6 months for the next posting.
