The first two weeks....

The first two weeks have been pretty amazing, I must say! Funny the things that you forget, though, about having a newborn in your house. Although I have to say that between each baby being different, as well as our circumstances, it's really hard to determine if life is just different, or if we truly have forgotten some of the best and most challenging moments of having a newborn.

Nursing...is going extremely well! I have been blessed again with a daughter who latches easily, and was a natural at nursing. I know so many friends who have experienced challenges with nursing and I feel so, so, so lucky that we haven't encountered any problems. Well, other than the fact that I produce enough milk for 3 kids, it seems, so poor Ruby has to take some breaths in between nursing otherwise the girl spits up everything she just ate cause mama's 'letdown' is fierce! But if that's the worst of my problems, I'll take it :)

Sleep....well, all things considered, I feel blessed. Ruby sleeps (for the most part) 2-3 hours, then nurses, then usually goes back to sleep fairly easily. There have been a few rough nights where she wants to nurse for what seems like 1-2 hours straight (yes, straight!) and other moments where she will nurse and then be wide awake and not want to return to sleep as easily. But for the most part, I'm up 3-4 times a night, and we're sleeping from 11pm-9ish am. So I consider that a B+ (and I know if she was on formula, she'd sleep even longer but this is the trade-off with breastfeeding).

We gave Ruby her first bath once her cord stump fell off (and yes, I saved it, much to my mother's displeasure! She calls it 'a scab'. Ha!), and just like Ginger, she didn't enjoy bathtime! Let's just say she didn't chill in her baby bath with a smile on her face :) Ginger grew to love her baths fairly quickly, which I'm hoping will be the case with Ruby. However, once she was in her jammies and was able to cuddle she was in heaven.

Ginger just LOVES her baby sister. She is very proud to tell others about 'baby Ruby', and is always very eager to let me know when she is crying, fussing, etc. Ginger usually shrieks and says "mama, baby Ruby, baby Ruby!" as if I don't notice that she's crying. It's pretty cute. She is VERY hands on, so we have to be watchful that she doesn't go overboard. The other day she took a blanket, thinking she was going to wipe some spit-up off of her lip, and practically smothered the poor girl in blanket! She does struggle a little bit with not getting 100% of the attention, usually by either having a little melt-down, or using her 'outside voice' when i ask her to speak softly. She continues to go to daycare 3-4 days a week, mostly for her benefit in terms of keeping her in routine and on schedule, but also to allow me to experience a similar bonding experience with Ruby that I had with Ginger. And it's working out fantastic, as I'm able to pick her up early from daycare but also have time to nap when Ruby naps, etc.

Ruby has had 2 rather difficult photoshoots at this point, and I've determined that she may have a strong-willed personality if her temperment at the shoots reflects her future. Both times, she was peaceful, nursed, and sleeping until she was placed in front of the camera. Then she woke, expressed her displeasure when posed, got the hiccups, wanted to cluster nurse, yep- she did it all. After the first session our photographer offered to reshoot the following week, which was sweet but after round 2 of the same behavior I think it's safe to say that we'll wait before taking her in for another studio session! Once we get into our new house, our friend Kymberli will be coming over for another photoshoot- hopefully when Ruby is in her own element she'll be more agreeable!

Speaking of which- yes, I said "new house"! We are so excited to be in escrow on a new house just a few miles away that can easily be considered our dream come true. It offers 4 bedrooms, plus a bonus playroom, family room, formal living room, dining room, breakfast nook, and jacuzzi tub in my master! (That was a must for me, as our current house has only one teeny tiny bathtub that I never, ever fit into) The house also has a pool (with diving board!), is on 1/2 acre, has 8 different fruit trees, an amazing rosh bush garden, and a full sized basketball court that will serve as the future pad for a 3-4 car garage at the back of the property for Paul. PLUS, and most most most importantly, the house is in a great neighborhood, which offers a fantastic elementary school for Ginger and Ruby to attend. We knew if we stayed in our current home, we would have been forced to place the girls into private school as the elementary school has mediocre (at best) test scores so this really is a dream for me. We close escrow on 1/7/2011 and hope to move into the new house sometime the following week. So exciting!

Overall, there are some crazy challenging moments where Paul and I have looked at one another with the "what did we get ourselves into" look, but otherwise baby Ruby has integrated pretty well into our little unit! I just cannot WAIT to continue watching Ruby grow up and start to recognize Ginger, play with her, immulate her, etc. But I'm learning to take each day at a time and enjoy these moments, and not try to rush past any phase in order to get to the next one. Especially now, having seen how Ginger's baby days just RUSHED past us, it seems, I'm really trying to honor Ruby by just enjoying the moments. It's been wonderful!

Meet Ruby Olivia...

Ruby's birth story...

you would think it could be explained in just a few words, it happened that fast. But there is more to the story and so, here it goes...

On the morning of Tuesday, December 14th, I dropped Ginger off at daycare at 9am and upon arriving back home, I knew that I was feeling a bit off. I had been attempting to accomplish something, big or small, on the days of maternity leave befor Ruby arrived, but on that day all I could do was lounge, relax, and watch some tv. That felt like work to me! Around 10:30am, I started getting some very, very dull pain that wouldnt even equate to pms cramps- just some tightening in my stomach. Throughout the day, I noticed that it was happening rather consistently, every 4-5 minutes. But it was so, so, so, barely noticable that I did not even assume these were actual contractions.

Paul arrived home around 4:30 and I let him know about how I was feeling. He asked if he thought we should do anything about it, I made mention that maybe we should just put our bags in the car, put the carseat in (yes, we lagged that long on installing the car seat!), and at least that way we have peace of mind. I honestly didn't thing anything was going to happen.

Paul had learned about a lane in Corona called "Gingerbread lane" where all of the homes were decorated with lights for Christmas. Ginger is fascinated with Christmas lights this year, so we decided to pick her up from daycare and drive over to check them out. The "mild cramps" were continuing every 4-5 minutes consistently, but again I was having trouble distinguishing if these were fake or real because with Ginger, I was induced and the pitocin contractions were strong- these were not.

While we drove around and saw the Christmas lights, Ginger was asking if we could get out and walk the lane as many other families were doing. I tried to get Paul to stop, but it was cold, and he knew I wasn't feeling great, and we were going to have to park on a side street and he asked that we just remain in the car and view the lights from there. I agreed but thankfully he knew to say this- I wonder if my water would have broken while walking!

We picked up Islands burgers takeout and drove home, enjoyed our evening, and put Ginger to sleep at about 8:30pm. Same as every night, with the exception of these consistent mild cramps (NOTE TO SELF AND OTHERS: contractions can be light, and still be real!)

I took a shower, and told Paul I still wasn't sure if these cramps were real or braxton hicks. I decided that I would go to sleep, and see what happens over the next day or two. I even called the hospital and they said the same thing- even recommended tylenol pm as it didn't sound like I was experiencing true contraction pain.

I fell asleep around 11:30pm, but was up by 1am and felt the first strong, what I thought to be "real" contraction. I have a contraction timer on my phone, so I started timing them and sure enough, they were happening every 2-4 minutes apart, and the pain finally felt "real". At 2:12am I woke Paul up and said we had to make our calls and go to the hospital.

I first called Shanna, by BFF, and she was at our house within 8 minutes flat to stay until my parents could get there. I called my folks, and my sister Julie, who all started the journey up to Riverside.

Paul drove us over to the hospital, and I knew it was real. The pains were strong, regular, and I couldn't speak while in the middle of a contraction. Thank goodness we live only 3 miles from Kaiser! Going up the elevator, I became a bit concerned because they were now coming every 1-2 minutes, and STRONG! PAINFUL! I thought "I'll bet I'm at 4-5 cm by now". HA!

I was admitted to the hospital at 2:40am. The nurse was going to take us to one labor room, but as we walked there she noticed another room and mentioned 'oh, I didn't know that room was still available'...it happened to be the room that we delivered Ginger in! So we asked, could we have it? She agreed, which was kind of fun :)

I immediately asked for 2 things: the doctor, and drugs. I explained that I went fast with Ginger, once I started contracting. I just knew there was a window of time that we were working with...the nurse said she could check me, and found that I was already at 8 cm. 8 CENTIMETERS!!! I started freaking out, telling her I needed to get the epi NOW. She remained calm, said all she needed to do was get the IV in me for fluids, and that she would call the anesthesiologist. Oh great- the dreaded IV. I have had issues my entire life with IV insertions- not on my end, but my dang veins aren't on the top of my skin, so they have to fish around oftentimes. Which happened then as well. 20 minutes later, and after being poked and prodded (through 1-2 minute contractions at 8 cms, mind you) they finally get the IV in me. My mom and dad arrive at that point, and my dad later told me he heard me down the hallway, moaning and screaming from the contractions. My mom stayed in the room, my dad stepped just outside. My sister was still on her way from San Diego- she was going to be holding one leg for this delivery and I was hoping she would make it in time!(Turns out, she did not, and arrived about 15 minute after Ruby arrived :)

OK, back on story. At that point, the anesthesiologist comes in and tells me that there is no way that she can do an epidural at that point, I was already too close to delivering. PANIC sets in my mind, I start having a minor anxiety attack to Paul saying "I can't do this without drugs, these people are crazy. I am going to DIE!" Thankfully I have an AMAZING husband who calming assures me that I can do this, he believes in me, it's going to be ok. At that moment I was glad he thought so, but I was scared out of my mind.

The anesthesiologist did offer to try to get a spinal in, which she said is kind of like an epi and would be more immediate, one shot, but would only last 2 hours. I was in such pain at that moment that I probably would have agreed to crack cocaine if a doctor recommended it, so I said "let's go for it". She had to go through about 10 minutes of questions related to my medical history (which, isn't that in my computer file? WTH!?!?) And then says for me to turn on my side, she could inject me while I was laying sideways. I turn, mind you in such practically unbearable pain, and I feel her circling my back with the cleaning fluid to poke me. Paul later tells me that this gal was incredibly hesitant and nervous looking, probably because of my pressure and pain and anguish coming out of my mouth!

At that moment, my water breaks (which the nurse had told me earlier was the only thing actually holding this baby inside me, so we were trying to get the spinal in without breaking my water). Laying on my side, I knew at that moment that drugs were just not going to happen. I already felt the need to push, and I told her "get the doc NOW this baby is coming!" So the doctor comes in (not mine, but the one on call so I don't even know her name) and they roll me back over, and I literally tell her get ready because I have to push NOW. The nurse warned me earlier that the sensations I would experience without drugs would feel like really strong burns, but that if I pushed through it, that was the only way to relieve it. If I hesitated, it would just prolong everything.

Well, I felt the burn. And thank the Lord Jesus, I beared down and pushed once and Ruby's head was already out. The doctor says "give me one more good push and this baby will be delivered". So, I found a place inside me that I didn't know I had, pushed like I never had before, and Ruby slipped out, that fast. Two pushes- unbelievable! Ginger came out in 3 pushes, once we were there, so I had beaten my own record. Again, only by the grace of God and my dear husband was I able to get through this labor.

Ruby arrived at 3:35am 12/15/10 weighing in at 8 lbs, 13.1 oz., and was 21 inches long. Yes, that means that within 55 minutes of being admitted to the hospital, this child was delivered! She had swallowed some fluids and a tiny bit of meconium so they had to take her away to immedaitely clear out her throat, lungs, etc. But she was brought to Paul while they were finishing up with me (placenta/stiches for 1st degree tear). I saw Paul full of tears staring at our little girl, and I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on her! Finally, they were done and I was able to get her skin-to-skin. My beautiful baby girl, Ruby Olivia. She is absolute perfection, I must say. Healthy, full head of dark hair, and a strong resemblence to Ginger as a newborn.

If someone would have told me that I would deliver Ruby without any epidural, and that quickly, I would have literally laughed out loud. I am just NOT the type of person to give it a go without pain management. But I made it, and did it, and in all actuality, it wasn't as bad as I would have thought it to be. Maybe I say this because it is over, or more realistically I think because it was so fast, that I was able to get through it. If I had labored for hours, maybe it would have been different. Who knows. I DO know that my body MUST be set up specifically to birth children, because both times I've had it pretty easy compared to all of the horrible, long, enduring laboring processes you see on tv and from stories from friends. Nonetheless, we will be holding off at least a few years, if not more, before we decide if baby #3 is in the picture. Until then, we're happy with our new little family of 4 :)

Meeting Santa- the extended cut...

Most of my friends and family have seen the couple of pics I posted on Facebook from Ginger's visit with Santa, but I thought it'd be smart to post the extended cut here on my blog, as we literally couldn't stop laughing so much that Paul and I were crying tears at times, regarding watching our daughter anticipate, talk about, then finally meet with Santa.

It being a rainy day today, our options were limited as the two top choices I had to visit Santa were outdoor venues. So we decided to stick with the local mall here in Riverside, which turned out to be a great decision for the picture, but a bit of a nightmare for the wait! We thought it could go one of two ways- either everyone would stay home and do Santa next weekend because it was raining, or everyone would show up at the mall (indoors) since it was raining. Well, the 2nd scenario occured.

So, it was a bit of a challenge to keep a near-2 year old occupied for over an hour. Yes, it was actually closer to 2 hours total, but luckily Paul and I have some tricks up our sleeves now and only had to worry for about the last 30 minutes. Until then, he and I took turns with Ginger in the stroller walking around the mall and visiting stores while the other stood in line. But after we were locked into the final lane to Santa, we decided to let Ginger get some of her wiggles out after having spent near an hour in the stroller.

Ginger was able to watch the other children meet Santa in the final lane, which built her excitement (but also created a bit of anxiety for Paul and I, as about every other child was crying, screaming, etc. and we really had NO clue how she would behave once in Santa's presence). Towards the end of the lane there were some funhouse style mirrors that thankfully kept our wiggle worm occupied for a few minutes as well. Then we were finally two kids away from Santa, and Paul was pulling out ALL of the stops to keep Ginger distracted, entertained, etc. Me being 12 days shy of 40 weeks pregnant, it was all I could do to sing a few songs with her and occasionally bend down to entertain on her level- but Paul had to do most of the heavy lifting with the entertainment.

So, there we were, 2 kids away. And wouldn't you know it, they had to let Santa have a break so they could change out the printer roll of paper, and I think just give him a 5 minute breather. Oh no!! We were really, really, pushing the envelope with Ginger in testing her patience, and she was acting like a complete goofball which made us crack up, but also we wondered if at any minute her stir-crazy would turn to meltdown.

Thankfully, Santa returned, the next set of children went quickly (however Ginger did run up to Santa right in the middle of their picture, when Paul turned his head for a second and in my current state, I can't run very quickly!), but then it was our turn. And of course, Ginger acted like a pro. She practically wanted to jump into his lap when invited. They played together for a few moments with a little reindeer stuffed animal, and she told him her name, and that she wanted 'new cards'. When asked earlier in the day, she said very clearly that she wanted 'paint, play-doh, and purses'. But with Santa, she talked about new cards, which we believe she is referring to her flash cards that she loves, of which Woody chewed 2of them- very dissapointing for a near 2 year old.

So, Santa asks Ginger to smile at the camera, and they take 3 shots, of which we purchased 2. It was all over within a few minutes but the all-time best moment of the night was when we returned to our car, and pulled out of the parking lot (Paul and I exHAUSTED beyond belief) Ginger says "Mom, Dad, dat was fun". It made it ALL worth it!

Here are a few pics that documented our time- I cannot BELIEVE that next year we'll have a 1 year old and almost 3 year old. Amazing!!

The budding artist...