Pool Rules: Bring Your Towel

One of the things I was most excited about when we picked out our housing here in VA was the pool in the complex. Of course, I didn't know at the time that we'd have limited time to use it because we're headed to post in July and will be gone for much of the time between now and then.
Still, we invested in some pool towels at Costco and got the girls swim gear for the year so I was determined to make use of it as soon as it opened and we were home. So after driving home from the Poconos yesterday I dragged the girls out to the pool.

We had some hiccups on our first trip today but nothing that can't be overcome. The flotation device I have for Maggie is not approved for our pool so I had to carry her the whole time. This is when I discovered some major flaws in my swimsuit situation. Almost a wardrobe malfunction, yikes. Maggie was not super keen on the pool, I think on account of it being quite chilly out there. And then there were our towels. It seems you can't just put any swim towel on your four year old, even if she is quite tall for her age.

Right after I took this I turned around to take care of our stuff for leaving and when I turned back to Jo she had simply laid down on the ground. She couldn't walk on account of the towel length and she was too tired to stand anymore. Funny stuff to find her on the floor. 

Maggie express her jubilation at the situation. Mostly at being out of the pool methinks. There is a pool at the embassy in Riyadh so hopefully she gets closer to liking this water business either before we leave or shortly after we get there. 

Virginia Rules: Enjoy the Green

There's something so much easier about getting two small people dressed and out of the house when you have another adult with you.
We went to the park today, and not just any old park. This is a park Jo has been asking to go to every Sunday since we arrived. We drive past it on the way to church and it is often bustling with children. Sadly I've never gotten her out there, until today that is. I do believe that fun was had by all. Sadly the rain this week left the park flooded in areas and so it was difficult to navigate for both Maggie and I. Maggie on account of her relatively newly acquired walking and me on account of wearing completely the wrong shoes for the elements.
Still, I do believe Jo and Maggie enjoyed themselves.  Jo made friends with anyone else who was using the park and Maggie made several attempts on other people's food. Plus, pictures with your Auntie in a fake tree trunk, what more could you want?!

  

 

I must admit, the last picture was taken purely so I will have something green to look at in the coming months. I won't be seeing anything like that on the regular in Riyadh. A girl needs her green, at least this one does.

Baby Rules: Remember Your Birth Day

I don't know if I ever wrote down Jo's birth story (I really should do that, hers is so different from this one) but since it is Maggie's birthday I'm going to get hers down.

Disclaimer: It's a birth story folks. There's discussion of birth related medical situations. I had a baby and this story isn't really edited for the comfort of all. Proceed with caution if queasy.

Maggie was due May 20th. I had a midwife appointment that week and was dilated to a four; I'd had a few random contractions but nothing serious. The midwife group I was working with had four midwives. Three of the four I was more than happy to have catch my baby, the last one I didn't want anywhere near me. I'd had appointments with her early on and she always made me feel like she wasn't really sure what was going on. I'd ask her a question and she'd ask me for the answer. It was unnerving. All this to say that at my appointment I discovered the midwife I had been successfully avoiding was scheduled to be on call for the upcoming holiday weekend.  So, I really wanted this baby to come before Friday 11:59pm when the uncertain midwife started her on call weekend.
My midwife scheduled me for a non-stress after the weekend in case Maggie didn't show by then and she tried to suggest getting induced so I could avoid uncertain midwife. I was firmly against being induced but pretty nervous that this baby was going to wait for the weekend (like i knew she was mischief before she got here) so I agreed to  a 'gentle strip' that day and to come back the next day (Thursday) for a check and membrane strip.

So, Wednesday I was at a 4 and had a gentle strip. I then went for a walk up Provo canyon with my two neighbor friends and assorted children. I had some cramping, a couple of contractions later on that day but nothing more.

Thursday (40 weeks, 1 day) I came back and was still at a 4 and had another strip. Nothing. All day nothing.

Friday (40 weeks, 2 days) my appointment was with the uncertain midwife. Gah. I probably should have just skipped it. But, it made me more certain that ever I didn't want her in the delivery room. Anyway, her strip was beyond less than gentle. I was fuming when I left. I'm actually still fuming about it a year later. <insert low grade expletive>

Anyway, we had no plans for the day so I decided to take Jo to the mall after lunch.  She loved the indoor park there and I wanted her to enjoy her last days as a solo kid. I remember having one contraction at the park but it was manageable.

I should add at this juncture that I was in labour with Jo for almost 26 hours. I'd heard that second labours go faster - sometimes cutting the time in half. So, 13 hours I figured.  Plenty of time to get everything situated and get to the hospital. Adam's Mom was going to come and get Jo - they're 30 minutes away so no big deal to wait for her once things got going. Adam worked a 12 minute bike ride away. The hospital was 11 blocks away. No concerns at all. Adam's Mom had actually called earlier to see if she should pick up Jo as she was passing through town and I'd turned her down. In hindsight, my Jo labour started at a 1 - I was barely dilated with her. Though in my defense, no one ever said to me "Laura, you are halfway done with this labour already bear that in mind when it starts" I mean, my midwife had told me to come in when it started but she didn't make it sound urgent or anything.

I was laying on my bed (air mattress in the living room - best pregnancy idea ever) reading to Jo when I got a call from the Census Bureau. I've been participating in an in-depth census program and this was a follow up call to make sure my last census interview had been satisfactory. Just as I was telling the census customer service center that everything was fine I had a contraction that was not messing around. It was so painful, sudden and intense that I had to get up off the bed and do some funky breathing in the ear of the rep. I got off that call and remember thinking "well, Adam will be here soon I better get the tracking app going, maybe we will have a baby after all today." Adam had left work at 5 and by the time he got home around 5:20 I think I had properly freaked Jo out. She had gone to get her doctors kit and was trying to give me a check up.

Adam arrived home and my biggest concern was Jo - I wasn't able to do anything but focus on my contractions so I really couldn't manage her and them. He offered to take her to get something to eat while we waited for his Mom to come and pick her up. So I sent them off to eat. (In hindsight I would not have done that again, timing contractions is something I'm not capable of during labour and so we had no idea what we were dealing with. If someone else had been there to time them maybe I or they would have figured out what we were dealing with sooner) While they were gone I was trying everything that had worked the last time to help with pain and nothing was even close. This time though, thankfully, I was at least able to sit down. I'm thanking my frequent chiropractor visits for that one - during my Jo labour I'd been unable to handle a contraction seated, it was the least helpful thing I'd tried and that's putting it lightly. I remember throwing up and texting my sister to tell her that. Add 'text' to the list of things I don't do well when in labour because I'm not sure I ever told her I was dealing with the real thing at this point. Adam's Mom arrived with cousin Emma and I sent them outside to wait for Jo and Adam. I was past being able to talk or think very well. I have no memory of  Jo heading out with them. Then Adam was home and started trying to get our stuff together to get to the hospital. I do remember telling him I didn't think I could do it this time - I might need an epidural. The pain was so much worse than I remembered that I was absolutely positive I couldn't make it through 13 hours of it. He said we could definitely do that and I told him I didn't want to pay for it. (Scottish cheapness) I also remember Adam checking my contraction timer app and we just had nothing to go on - not enough contractions or timing to make a pattern. Next I decided I need to go to the loo. So I headed for our tiny bathroom and decided to also try the tub - it had been wonderful last time. I got in and had the worst contraction yet and also the distinct need to push. I really thought I was going to die in the tub. What the what I thought? I've only been in labour for maybe 90 minutes at this point? Adam came back from doing something somewhere else and I told him "I think I need to push." To which he sagely responded "Well then get out of the tub, we are going to the hospital" and then I tried to talk him out of it. Because labour Laura verges on insanity. The hilarity of trying to get a labouring Laura dressed and off to the hospital is the type of thing you'd see in a movie and think 'doesn't happen in real life.'

Anyway, Adam finally got me in the car (sitting on a towel) and we headed to the hospital. I remember approaching the stop sign and thinking "he's going to stop! WHAT??? WHY???' and then one of the lights on the way to the hospital was red and I had a contraction while sitting there. Every time I stopped at that red light after that I had flashbacks. Sitting in a car strapped in by a seatbelt may be the worst way to have a contraction ever.

We pulled up to the hospital door and I remember looking at the clock in the car - 7:19pm. We walked into the women's unit and Adam gestured at me in response to the "can we help you?" query. Some double doors were opened, I made a beeline for a nurse standing next to the triage desk (I assume), grabbed her arm and said "I need to push." She tried to tell me not to push and to get me to a bed but I was no use to anyone - I grabbed hold of the wall and pushed. Which is when my water broke. People were shouting (it seemed to me)  "get her to a bed" someone else "get the bed to her!" The contraction ended, the bed was wheeled out into the hall and I was perfectly capable of climbing onto it between contractions. I was wheeled into triage, someone asking me "who's your doctor?" somebody else says "get Jennifer" and I say "Jennifer's my doctor." Handy that, my second favorite midwife is down the hall delivering someone else. Next thing I know, we are in triage and I'm saying "where's get my husband" and nurses are reassuring me he'll make it. In comes Adam - they'd had trouble finding my info despite me triple checking my registration in the weeks leading up - the old Sheridan Bliss vs Bliss problem. Not far behind him is the midwife - she puts on gloves, asks them to pull the curtain so I can't be seen from the hall (I hadn't even noticed) and tells me I can push on the next contraction. So I do. And when it ends I announce "That's all I can do" to which Jennifer says "No, you need to do more, she's halfway out." Well, in that case! They passed her to me and I told her "There you are! I've been waiting for you!"

Babies with lips. It's how we roll.

Two hours old staring at her first visitor

So Maggie arrived at 40 weeks 2 days (just like Jo) with 1.5 pushes, 2 hours 15 minutes of labour total. 11 minutes after arriving at the hospital. A pretty fun entrance to the world.

Maggie Rules: Don't Ride the Carousel

We headed down to the National Mall today with our visitor to picnic and check out the Carousel. I thought for sure the girls would love it, and 50% of them did.

Yep, Maggie hated the carousel. I had originally planned to sit on the bench seat they have on the carousel and hold her but I wanted to watch Jo too so I ended up choosing an animal for Maggie to sit on in range of the place Jo wanted to ride. Should have stuck with the bench idea. Maggie was perturbed by all the motions her animal was making - up and down as well as round and round? This is clearly outrageous! Sound the alarm! Grab your Mummies everyone!
I suppose the group shot should have clued me in - she already seems to be regarding that horse with some apprehension. Live and learn #parenting

Mother's Day Rule: Take More Pictures

It's been a goal of mine to get a picture of myself and my little people on Mother's day, however, both of them arrived at less than ideal times. Jo was 11 days before Mother's day 2012 and Maggie was 12 days after it in 2015. I've been a mother to my first new born one year, and hugely pregnant with the second another. This has made for some interesting or completely missing pictures. My collection is slightly spotty. <insert meta motherhood lesson> The bonus part of both girls arriving in May is that I have semi decent photos from that month if not from the day itself. 

Behold - my Mothers Day pictures so far

2012: Wet hair and 11 day old baby

Here's an example of the birthday thing working out for me. This is the Sunday before Mother's day that year  - Jo's birthday party 2013

2014, the outtakes this year are pretty hilarious.  I actually almost only put in the following picture from Jo's birthday - we both look much less ragged and you can see Jo's cast! Remember when Jo broke her leg? And I thought she was faking until she wouldn't put weight on it even when I offered her chocolate? #mum fail

2015: Here's the only picture I have of both of us that year around Mother's Day - unless you count the pictures of me with two babies, but on the actual day I only had one so this works.  We did a lot of snuggling in bed during my Maggie pregnancy...

And this might be my favorite of them all. I can't remember if I purposely had all us coordinating or not, but let's say I did and call this an even bigger win. 2016, you've done me proud