Aubree's First Doctor's Visit

We took Aubree in for her first check-up today. Dr. Davey said she looks great--healthy in all aspects. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. (21st percentile), 20 inches (she shrunk...50th percentile), and her head is at the 37th percentile. I looked back through old blog posts to see how she compared to Ayla but realized that since we were in the hospital for so long that we didn't need to bring Ayla in for a 1-week check-up so we don't have those stats. Dr. Davey said in the perfect world, Aubree would have gained a few more ounces back. She was 7 lbs. 7 oz. when she was born and dropped down to 6 lbs. 14 oz. when we left the hospital. He wants us to go back next Wednesday for a weight check to make sure things are on track. He seems pretty positive that she'll get back to her birth weight by then. I had to ask Dr. Davey if we need to wake up Aubree overnight to nurse. She is a sleeper! She'll eat around 10:00 p.m., give or take a half an hour and SLEEP. I've had to wake her up after a few hours to eat because the paranoid mommy in me starts to worry. And once I feed her, she goes back to sleep til morning. We're getting over four hours of sleep at a time before and after I wake her and she's only a week old! Dr. Davey said once she's back to her birth weight, we don't have to keep waking her if she wants to sleep. He said we hit the baby lottery. :) Of course, things could change quickly, but right now I appreciate the fact that I'm not a total zombie because I'm so sleep deprived. Ayla was NOT a good sleeper. She was up pretty much every hour as a newborn and it took her six months to sleep through the night. This is a welcomed change IF it keeps up. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Random pictures

My camera is overloaded with pictures right now so I'm just going to post a bunch of random ones just for the sake of getting them posted. Guard-dog Kody :) Ayla giving her doll a bath in the sink. Dean being a goofball--we think Aubree looks just like Dean...what do you think?

Getting kisses from cousin Makayla. Sisters... I love family pictures... Cuddling with Aunt Marla Helping Grandma make a salad for dinner.

Snoozing with Grandpa.

Nothin' like building a snowman at the end of March

I didn't think Ayla would have a chance to play in the snow this year. Each time we had snow on the ground, it was WAY too cold to be outside. She was thrilled when we bundled her up and Dean took her outside to build a snowman, make snow angels, and throw snowballs.

Aubree's Arrival

Warning, this post is extremely picture-heavy. Sit back and get comfy. As you know, from my previous post, Miss Aubree Elizabeth Peterson decided to arrive right on time on her due date, March 22nd. On Monday the 21st, I was feeling extra pressure and crampiness. Around 9 or so that morning, I lost my mucus plug. I got excited for a split second but knew that some women lose them WAY before labor starts so I didn't want to get my hopes up. My dad came over to pick up Ayla so she could spend the day with them and I could put my feet up and relax. I ran to Target to pick up some last minute things and came home and settled in on the couch and watched t.v. like a complete bum. I was having contractions here and there throughout the day but nothing at all regular that I could time. Around 5:00pm or so, I started having regular contractions every ten minutes. They stayed from seven to ten minutes apart for the next two hours. Dean came home and we ate dinner...I could tell they were getting closer together and were becoming more painful. Dr. Bishop said to go to the hospital if my water broke or if my contractions were two to five minutes apart and took my breath away. They didn't feel good, but I wasn't at the point where I felt like they were horrible. I hopped in the shower and gathered our stuff. At that point, they were three to five minutes apart. We figured it was time. We arrived at the hospital around 9:30pm. The nurse checked my cervix and I was at 4 cm. She sent us out of the room to walk for an hour. During that time, my contractions were enough to make me have to stop walking to wait til they passed. When we got back to the room, she checked me again and I was between 6 and 7 cm. Not long after, another doctor came in to break my water. Not a fan. It didn't hurt, but I heard it pop and for some reason, that grossed me out. The nurse said it was a good time to get an epidural if I wanted one. Yes, please. I really had to breathe through them and squeeze Dean's poor hand with each one. I got my epidural pretty early on with Ayla so I didn't feel the stronger contractions like I did this time. But like last time, I had what they called a "hot spot" where I could still feel everything. It was all along my left side. The nurse dimmed the lights and told us to try and get some rest while I waited for my cervix to get to 10 cm. It was in very little time that I all of a sudden felt an enormous amount of pressure and the contractions on my left side from the hot spot were horribly painful. I told Dean that we had to call the nurse. She checked me and I was at 10 cm already. I told her about the pain and she called the anethesiologist to come back up to bump up the epidural to knock out the hot spot. The nurse had me push several times while we waited for Dr. Bishop to arrive but everytime I did, Aubree's heart rate dropped. We ended up waiting to do anything more. Dr. Bishop got there around 3:00 a.m. I was able to push some more but eventually the bump in the epidural completely numbed me from the waist down. I couldn't feel a thing. My leg actually fell off the bed a couple times and I didn't even know it. So weird. So because I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't push hard enough. I heard a nurse say something about forceps and my heart just dropped. Dr. Bishop thankfully said no to those, but she said she was going to use a vacuum extractor if we were okay with it, otherwise I'd have to go in for a c-section. We went with the vacuum (which wasn't as horrible as I had imagined...it was just a little suction cup that attached to the baby's head and that was attached to a small hand-pump that Dr. Bishop controlled. I always pictured a Hoover.) After just a few more contractions with the help of the vacuum, Aubree was born at 3:48 a.m. The umbilical cord was around her neck and that's why her heart rate dropped so rapidly each time I pushed. Dr. Bishop didn't say anything to us beforehand but obviously knew what was wrong and knew we had to get her out. After she was all the way out, they plopped her on my belly. Exactly what I wanted. I was so thrilled to see her right away and so excited that I had a successful VBAC. Close call, but I did it. Dr. Bishop said that if we plan on another baby someday, he/she couldn't be any bigger than Aubree. Best. Doctor. Ever. I love her.Getting checked by Dr. Davey, her pediatrician Big Sister, Ayla, getting her first look at her new baby sister.

Happy mommy with my two girls!

First picture as a family of four!

Waiting for a surprise from Daddy (Silly Putty)

First bath

Ayla drew this for her baby sisterAyla "talking" on the phone. Funny, she saw the phone and asked what it was...we don't have a house phone so she's used to our cell phones. :) All buckled up and ready to go home. We're home!

Helping Daddy change Aubree's diaper.

I love this picture...Daddy with his girls. We woke up to this for our first morning at home...only in Nebraska.We've been home for a few days now and I think we're all adjusting well. There's always something to do with two kids in the house! Dean had to go to work today (he'll be off tomorrow and Wednesday) so this is my trial-run being on my own. So far we're doing great. Ayla has been such a good girl and is being very patient with me. She loves to help so that makes things easier on me. Dean has been making it a point to take just Ayla out for errands so they have some one-on-one time. He even took her out to play in the snow a couple days ago (pictures to come). She had a blast...I could hear her belly laughing out there. :) We want to make sure she still feels special.

Life couldn't be better. I am so lucky. Two happy, healthy daughters and a wonderful husband who does so much to help. I can't get enough of both Ayla and Aubree...I catch myself just staring at both of them in awe. Two beautiful little miracles. I've fallen in love all over again.