I stopped doing Bear-y pictures of Abram at 18 months because he was getting so squirmy, but he wanted in on the action when I took Lydia's picture at One Week and One Day. He's a little stinker and wouldn't sit still at all...can't believe he'll be two in a month!
"Hey, Bear-y!"
"We haven't done this in a while!"
"Ok, I'm done...I've found a new way to get off this chair."
The "Bear-y" pics begin again! We took a picture of Abram at a week and a day old, so I thought I'd do the same for Lydia. She also had pictures taken by Donna this same evening and I'll post some of those once she's done editing and posts them to facebook.
So far, Lydia has been a VERY pleasant baby. She's only had a few nights where she's cried and not wanted to fall back asleep after a feeding. She has long periods of wake time during the day too...sometimes I wonder if they're too long! When she does cry, its usually REALLY loud but only for a short amount of time. We did finally pop in a paci, a bit sooner than planned, but it does help her settle down. She's eating (usually just one side) every 3 hours, and filling her diapers regularly. She'd gained 2 oz by her first appointment, so she's doing well!
Here's the link to Abram's "Week and a Day" post, that also has pictures of Curtis and I when we were newborns. It's so fun to compare! There are definitely similarities between Lydia and Abram and certain facial expressions she makes really remind us of him. Abram had more hair and she has more cheek! haha
On Saturday, December 8th, I went to bed around midnight. Curtis, Abram and I had made a long trip to Home Depot/Lowe's that morning and then had been cleaning like crazy all afternoon and I was so tired. I had been cramping some, but nothing with any regularity. I woke up at 2:00 AM with regular contractions and by 2:40 I had some "show" and I could tell the contractions were close enough that I woke Curtis up to start getting ready to go. I took a shower and ate some "breakfast", preparing myself for another long labor. We called our neighbor to come stay with Abram and we left for the hospital.
We got there close to 4:00 AM and got checked in. When they checked me, I was 2-3 cm. They didn't have portable monitors (broken), so I was confined to bed...which ended up being the place I wanted to be. This labor was WAY different. It came on hard and really fast! I don't remember how many centimeters I was at different times, but I do remember my water breaking somewhere around 6:00 and then I was 9 centimeters (last time I stalled at 7 and went no further) and still no epidural! I had wanted to get an epidural this time in case of an emergency c-section. We were waiting on labs to come back and Dr. Borden (who was on-call) didn't think I was going to be able to get the epidural, but the anesthesiologist went ahead and came in and did it before I started pushing. Thank goodness! I was really struggling with dealing with the pain, which is weird since it lasted so much longer last time, but I think it just caught me off guard!
I pushed for about an hour to an hour and half (again, time was irrelevant). They got me a mirror to see everything, once the baby was staying down low. I remember feeling when the head came through and then they were laying a baby on my belly and saying "It's a girl!" Curtis and I were so surprised! We had assumed we'd have another boy, so this was great! Now we have one of each! They let me hold Lydia for a little while, but since there had been some meconium present when my water broke, they took her to do some really good suctioning and get her crying. Dr. Borden had to do an episiotomy and then I tore really badly (4th degree) so she took a while stitching me up, then they gave Lydia back to me and we had about an hour or so to bond and nurse before they took her to the nursery to scrub her up and me and Curtis to a regular room.
Lydia Rose Cunningham
December 9, 2012
7:50 AM
8 lbs 4 oz
20" long
After a few hours, family started arriving (this time they couldn't get her fast enough!) and my parents brought Abram to meet his sister! My sister got there at about the same time and so did Curtis' parents. Curtis' Aunt Krista and sister Kimberly (and boyfriend Erick) arrived later that night and visited for a little bit. Mom and Dad and Leslie stayed at the house and took care of Abram during the rest of our stay at the hospital and came and visited each day. The 3 days there at the hospital are now just a blur of visitors, pain meds, icepacks, sitz baths, meals, and feedings!
We came home with Lydia on Tuesday after lunch. Mom stayed with us the rest of the week and was such a big help with Abram and dishes/laundry/meals. Curtis' work let him take off this second week too (SO thankful for that!) and then he's off over the holidays, so I get to ease into taking care of two at a time. Recovery from this VBAC (with a tear) is painful but SOOOO much faster and easier than from the C-section. I'm so thankful I'm able to be up and around, I can pick up Abram, I can drive, I can climb stairs, I can SIT UP on my own...the list goes on and on! I prayed that I'd be able to have a VBAC and that the baby would come early enough for us to go home for Christmas...and God answered those prayers a hundred times over!
38 weeks and feeling it! I really do feel like I have a bowling ball strapped to the front of me. I wake up about every 2-3 hours to use the bathroom at night and the baby's head is low, which is good, but very uncomfortable. There was no change between my 37 and 38 week Dr. appointments. I remain a "fingertip" dilated and 50% effaced. Abram came at 38 weeks 6 days, so roughly a week early. I've been having mild contractions every once in a while, but usually not painful (just feels tight) and nothing regular.
We didn't do any "belly shots" with Donna this time....partly because she's a busy lady now, working full time at the hospital and doing photo shoots on the weekend....but MOSTLY because my belly's not so pretty this time. The stretch marks that popped up in the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Abram have blazed forth in full glory for most of this pregnancy. I had Curtis take one "artsy" shot and I'm kind of hoping this is the last set of pictures for this pregnancy! I'm ready to see the baby instead!
We went to the Ace Hardware in Scottsburg again to get our Christmas Tree. They always give us a little bit of a discount and we got a small Frasier Fir. Those are my favorite since they have nice sturdy branches and softer needles. Abram liked going in between the trees they had hanging from the rafters.
On the way there, Abram made this noise, which cracked us up, which made him keep doing it! It sounds like a laughing sheep! haha
We let the tree settle for a day and then put the lights and ornaments on it the next night. Dad was the "hooker" this time and Abram brought me ornaments to hang.
He did a pretty good job, didn't drop too many. He has pulled a few ornaments off, especially the fake candy canes, but hasn't broken anything.
Tree all decorated! We put all the reindeer stuffed animals under the tree in hopes he'd play with those and leave ornaments alone.
I much prefer taking pictures of the tree without a flash, the lights glow so pretty!
I thought the block on the fan blade was going to be a singular event, but Abram managed to toss the penguin up there perfectly as well! Must be easier than I thought!
Ah, Gypsy! Still willing to take almost anything Abram dishes out!
Finally, in the last several weeks, Abram has realized the "power" of spoken language. Words have been forming at a very rapid rate! When we were at grandparents for Thanksgiving, my mom started a comprehensive list of his vocabulary. Not all of them are pronounced correctly of course, and I know we've missed a few, but here is what we came up with.
Dad Bird Grandpa Momma (mom)
See Fish Moo Car
Bubble Got it done tea
Excuse me bite please toe cracker
down star choo choo spoon
Moon dog kitty book
chip no ball/ba-ball (refers to football or basketball) sock
hi gypsy hobo Tyson chocolate
blue shoe blow cookie
movie elbow cheesecircle meow
bokbok Wy-wy (wyatt) Lincoln nite nite
beep poop bye-bye drop
all gone not done eye tongue
Football Nemo Baby teeth
56 words....and i know there were more we didn't think of...and more are being added every day! It really is amazing. I'm now hearing "MOM!" quite regularly and when I say "yes?" he just smiles, like, "ah, that's how I get your attention!"
I had heated water to make tea and thought I'd make a cup of hot chocolate too. Abram seemed to be familiar with the drink...Grandpa? He's a good little eater really, has his moments where he's finicky or doesn't want to eat something he's loved before, but overall, he's eating all food groups, so can't complain!
Grandpa (Bapaw!) reading "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub", one of our favorite library books due to the illustrations by Don Wood! At bedtime Abram asks for "one book?" while holding up his index finger. He really loves to be read to and will sit through fairly complex stories if he likes the subject matter!
Lookin' pretty snug in his hat and vest. Grandpa took him over to shoot basketball at the neighbors house. Abram, of course, found a stick.
We turned Abram's car seat around. It was getting increasingly frustrating for him (and us) to try to communicate on trips...and he's just tall. Short car rides he does very well, although he fusses if the sun gets in his eyes, and frequently will ask for a "cracka". He can still be a nightmare when we drive to Grandparents house (3 hr drive). I was reduced to tears on the way home for Thanksgiving because of the incessant "whiny cry". We utilized snacks and my parents portable DVD player on the way back and that was VERY helpful!
This month he branched out from Veggietales "Penniless Princess" and now favors "Finding Nemo". He also loves the Pixar short films and any other veggietale movies. He even stayed interested in "The Sound of Music" for quite a while the other day! I'm trying not to get in the habit of "plugging him in" every day, but it sure is handy for when I'm trying to fix supper and need to keep him occupied! He loves to play with blocks and his marble tower, and of course ANY ball he can get his hands on. He's also showing a growing interest in coloring and always wants me to draw a star for him...definitely his favorite shape! He recently tried to draw several stars of his own, christening our living room wall with the ball point pen he found in my prayer journal. Fortunately, we plan to paint soon!
He managed to throw the block up at just the right spot to where it caught on the fan blade! I did not condone the action, but I was impressed enough to take a picture.
Mega block tower that we built together
This was the tail end of a phone answering session where every toy in the box was treated to "'H'wo? Bye" and then discarded. Now he'll walk around with a toy phone and have more of a conversation in between! haha
For the last several months I've babysat for our neighbors. Abram loves when they come over and play, although "sharing" can be a real issue most days. Abram can see their house from his bedroom window, so now before nap he waves out the window and says "nite, Inca (Lincoln), nite Wy-wy (Wyatt)". So sweet:-)
Here are the 3 amigos all squished in one chair ready to watch VEGGIETALES!
Snuggling with Mom and taking pictures, one of his favorite things to do!
Just look at that ornery smile, not to mention the shiner!
