Half Birthday-Nine months

I cannot believe we have almost made it to Virtie's half birthday...months with baby number two just fly on by...I don't think I counted her age in weeks since month one. I didn't obsess about milestones, until she wasn't doing the things she was supposed to be doing (rolling over, but she finally did at 5 months and 3 weeks!) I am so proud of my kids though.

This week was Spring Break...Conrad said that I don't really have a Spring Break, because my life is like a Spring Break, but Micah was out of his camp this week and I could really feel it. I think it helps a great deal to have him participate in something where he can be active. As he says, he has so much energy and he can give us his energy too. He has moments where he is the sweetest little guy ever...and then moments that he wants to break every rule we have (and we don't have too many)! For a few months he was lovely most of the time, but for some reason lately he is challenging me at every turn. I tell him something and it is like he thinks of everything he can to do the opposite, or to go around doing what I just told him to do. I've been thinking of doing what I did in my classroom, and giving him a clipchart where it keeps track of how he is each day. If he ends up at the top of the chart, then he gets a sticker. Five stickers equals a "surprise!" I am all about positive reenforcement, and it really worked in my classroom. (3 months later and we haven't done the clipchart...but we should!)

Speaking of classroom, I teach online for a company called VIPKID.
https://t.vipkid.com.cn/activity/popup?refereeId=11666577&refersourceid=a01
It has been an experience, and I have mostly enjoyed teaching the cute little Chinese children. I am teaching the beginning levels, and it has been fun! To answer some questions: No, I don't need to know Chinese. I use TPR (Total Physical Response) to get students to understand what I am saying. I am not speaking in full sentences right away, I am speaking very little and getting them to repeat after me in order to understand the English language. They see a slideshow that we both are able to write on, and it makes communicating pretty simple. Just as in the actual classroom though, you must expect the unexpected! You can make anywhere from $14-22 an hour, and each lesson is 25 minutes.  I think it is a nice thing to do while I am out of the physical classroom.

Virtie Rose is in the process of getting two more teeth (she already has two!) She has been having a hard time while they have been coming in, but only woke up once last night so I was very grateful. At the very beginning she was sleeping extremely well at night, then it moved to waking up 2-3 times a night consistently. She has been averaging two at this point though. I remember Micah woke up a lot to get his pacifier, but I am her pacifier, so that has been the difficult thing. Also, she hasn't taken the bottle so I am unable to leave her for very long.

It is almost Easter and we are looking forward to it. Micah enjoyed decorating eggs and will really enjoy looking for Easter Eggs. I am looking forward to watching him. I am thankful for my family and friends this Easter season, and especially thankful for Jesus who have everything so that we may live.
-------------------------------------------------Virtie is 9 months-------------------------------------------------

After reading the above post, that I never published...it turns out a lot of things are the same, while a
 lot of things are different. What I wanted to talk about today was the fact that I said I haven't paid attention to milestones (above). Once she hit the nine month mark, and as I was starting to plan her first birthday, I started to think about what she was doing and what she was not doing. It turns out because I was just trying to get through each day, and probably focusing a little more on my vocal one (Micah Moo), I was failing to put Virtie Rose on her tummy enough. I carried her everywhere...to the zoo, aquarium, Hoot's, the mall, Target, you name it...I was wearing her in my Ergo carrier ALL OF THE TIME. Yes, she had tummy time, but very inconsistently. Now at nine months she isn't crawling. In addition, she isn't babbling as much as she should. I decided to call a company called P, B & J. They are early interventionists and developmental specialists. Virtie Rose qualifies for the help, so they are going to come up with a schedule along with me and we are going to work extra to get her to where she needs to be. Everyone tells me that I shouldn't feel guilt, but I FEEL SO MUCH GUILT that I haven't paid enough attention to her development. Now that I have been doing some of the exercises that the lady who evaluated her showed me, I have seen progress already! She said that with her becoming more mobile, she will become more vocal as well...and I see it in just a few days! Where she wasn't consistently rolling over, she is now. I know there are plenty of kids who aren't hitting their milestones, but it freaks me out. I am hoping that since I am getting help early, by the time she is two, there won't be a noticeable difference. I've been praying and I know that although I want to be in control, it isn't in my hands.
What she is doing is clapping, waving hi & bye, and she is just the happiest little thing! She loves watching and studying people she doesn't see very often (or at all). Virtie Rose absolutely loves her brother and will make SO MANY noises to try and get his attention. When I am holding her, and not paying attention she turns her head and reaches her neck as far as she can so she can look me in the eyes. She started scooting instead of crawling, which is another reason I wanted to get someone to come in to give her exercises to do so that she doesn't skip crawling all together. She can stand up on her own if she holds onto something for a few seconds at a time. She is starting to learn to sign, and sometimes she will sign "dog" and "more".  She is on her way to having six teeth now
We want our kids to be the best they can be, and sometimes we let our brains play tricks on us. We think we aren't doing what we need to be doing because our kids "aren't where they need to be." As many of my friends and family have told me, they all learn and develop at their own pace.

Micah has still been having a difficult time, and one of my friends and I think it is because Virtie Rose still isn't very mobile. We think once I don't have to carry her everywhere, Micah will have a better time. He wants me to hold him often when I am in the middle of stuff. I have to pray for patience because I feel like he is challenging me at every step. Maybe he is doing it to get some kind of attention, but I feel like I've done a good job giving him attention...maybe not? He is still a precious boy, and such a great big brother. He absolutely adores his sister, and loves to sit down and play with her. Of course, he gets a little carried away from time to time. He can sing the A, B, C's and can identify nearly every capital letter. He can identify numbers one through five, but can almost count to 20. He LOVES to dance, especially to music with a good beat! He thinks he can dance better than me (he wishes, haha ;) ) Micah is also developing quite the sense of humor, and jokes around a lot. He loves to play with the "big boys" at Bounce 'n Boogie. He still LOVES Batman and all of the other superheroes! He will start pre-school in August!

Finally, I am sleep training Virtie Rose now. The first night was brutal until 10:40 p.m., and then she slept until 6:30 a.m. The second night she woke up at 4:30 a.m., fussed for 30 minutes and went back to sleep until 7! We sleep trained Micah at six months, so I felt like it was time!

I worry about this or that, but I know that I am doing the best I can and I know that no matter what, my kids will be okay because their mama and dada love them SO VERY MUCH. A lot of times I don't think I am a good enough mom, and maybe that is because my kids still nap and I have a lot of time on my hands to think! Maybe I just need to get more mentally tough, like Conrad says. ;)

Looking at these photos, and reflecting in the quiet of our house, I realize that my worries now will be nothing a year from now and I know how incredibly blessed we are with our spirited toddler, and our joyful baby girl.

Almost-Three Toddler's Struggle with Baby

 My son struggled to share time with Virtie Rose. What am I talking about? He still struggles. Every day. I am just grateful that it isn't as bad as it was in the beginning.
What did I do to with Micah before Virtie came? EVERYTHING. When I say that Micah is a little ahead with communication, I am not lying. He was ready to be potty trained well before his second birthday. He and I can have "grown up" conversations together. So before Virtie Rose came, I would talk to him constantly about what to expect. I would talk to him about why my belly was so big. I would explain to him over and over that I had to go to the hospital to get the baby. He understood when I said the baby would always need me because it wouldn't be able to walk or talk. I talked about changing the baby's diaper. I talked about everything. He understood what I was saying, but DIDN'T understand what that meant for him and how his life would change.
I planned to have him receive a bike and helmet when Virtie Rose came home. We said that it was a gift from her (I read that this is what you were supposed to do). He was so curious about his sister. He didn't really understand that she was a permanent part of our life just yet. Micah started acting out almost immediately. Just doing anything he could do get a response. He had A LOT of attention still from everyone because Virtie Rose was an amazing baby, and my parents were in town. It didn't matter though. The baby was still in the back of his mind whether she was sleeping or not. He threw things, he was angry, and he was very very sad. It was so hard for me to witness. It broke my heart, as I knew that the wonderful relationship I formed with him was changing into something different. I didn't know what to do to fix it. I tried to include him, I tried to be stern, I tried to be extra loving and accepting...but it all improved in God's time.
At the time he was still going to his camp once a week for four hours. He was even acting withdrawn there. I was really depressed for the first week or two after Virtie was born, but then it got better. He has never been a mean brother. He has always been a very loving brother. He was just mad at me, therefore he acted out because of me and towards me. Three months later, he still acts out. He wants me to go with him to potty every time I am holding her. We battle because I tell him I am not going to pull down his pants for him anymore. There were a few times that he peed and/or pooped in his pants and I was very worried that it was going to be consistent, but it wasn't because he doesn't like the feeling of being wet or having poop in his pants (Thank God)!
Now I like explaining it like a roller coaster. Some days we have ups, while some days we have drastic butterflies-in-your-stomach, downs. I am very thankful that he is still himself, and that his personality didn't change. I know that he will be better for it.
Micah is a great big brother! He kisses her, wants to hold her, and wants to SHHHHHH her to sleep (One of the 5 S's). Of course, I am so love with my two kids and so grateful to have them, despite the struggles!

It's a GIRL! My birth story...

As you can see, I was horrible with documenting this pregnancy. I didn't feel too well, and was tired for the most part. For weeks before we had the baby, I could have sworn I would go into labor early. In fact, we even missed my brother and sister-in-law's vow renewal 10 days before my due date because I didn't want to go out of town. That day, I thought I was going into labor because I was having consistent contractions.
I visited triage two times before I went into actual labor.
It was stressful not knowing the baby's gender too, because I couldn't set up the nursery with specific colors, and I didn't have clothes if we were having a girl. All of that ended up worth it when it was all said and done though.
Two days after my due date, Dr. Drescher, Conrad and I set an appointment to be induced for the very next morning at 6am. I was very impatient at this point and ready to be comfortable again. I was feeling extra tired and nauseated for a couple of days before this. I was having Braxton Hicks for weeks prior to this, and some were strong, while others still felt weak. However, the morning before my induction they were starting to get painful. At 3am I sent a text to both my mom and Conrad, who were both in the other rooms of our house (Micah was sick, so Conrad was laying with him in his room). I said that something was probably going on, finally.  The contractions were only four minutes apart, but getting stronger and more painful.
We got to triage at 3:45 or so, but I wasn't in actual labor. I was only 3cm, and about 70% effaced. They said they would admit me though since I was going to get induced anyway. The nurse put me on penicillin right away for Group B Strep. The contractions kept coming though and they were getting unbearable, but we were stuck in triage because it was a already a busy morning. The nurse didn't think I would progress quickly, so we told her about my first labor and delivery and how I didn't even have time for an epidural. She decided to check me again and I was a 4-5, and she was surprised.

We (My mom, Conrad, & I) were finally admitted to a regular room around this time. It was around seven, and the staff was going home and we were told we would be getting a new nurse. Our first nurse broke the bad news that I wouldn't probably have time for an epidural because there were two scheduled C-Sections at 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., and by that time it was already seven. So we all gave up hope that I would get pain relief, when 10 minutes later in walks a nurse anesthetist. Her shift was over, but the person who was relieving her was late so she said she had time if I wanted one. We had already resigned ourselves to the fact that I would have to be in pain for at least a few more hours, but when she gave me the option I realized I would like to have an epidural. The pain was getting worse, and my contractions were three minutes long with little to no time between them. If I tried to hold off on the decision, I definitely wouldn't have made it. I had them check to see how far I was before making a final decision, and I was 7 cm dilated. I went for it!
The nurse asked Conrad and my mom to leave the room while she administered the epidural. I guess some people pass out or make remarks about the needle that don't help the person who is getting it. The experience was pretty darn uncomfortable, but VERY worth it. After that I slowly stopped feeling any pain at all. Not only that, I felt pretty loopy...and I liked it! I was as happy as can be, but anxious about feeling the crowning. They said I would feel pressure when I was ready to push, and once I felt it, I needed to let them know. Well, I didn't feel anything! When my doctor arrived to check on me she asked if I wanted her to break my water (it was "bulging")...I said, "Yes." I didn't feel anything at all when she did that. Then she asked if I was ready to push...and I said, "Well, yes, but I don't feel anything!" She said I was ready, maybe not completely effaced, but ready. So I pushed, and she saw the baby's head and said, "Okay, stop. You are ready to have a baby! Get the nurses!"
Everyone came in rather quickly, and there I was patiently waiting, knowing any second I would meet our precious little one.
Then in walked my Dad. He should have arrived an hour prior, but decided to stop at Denny's to get himself some breakfast before watching the baby be born...and not a minute too soon!
Our doctor told me to push and guided me through the rest of it. It only took three pushes to get HER out. During the pushing stages, the doctor talked to Conrad about what exactly was happening as if the whole thing was in slow motion, which he found interesting.
Finally, I can say we have a healthy baby GIRL on our hands! Conrad was supposed to announce, but didn't want to get it wrong...we all saw that she was a girl right away so there was no announcement necessary. We were very emotional, and couldn't believe our luck!
Micah couldn't meet her until we got home the very next day. He was sick with croup, so we wanted him to wear a face mask when he met her...that lasted about two seconds! We were so very excited for them to meet, and a little nervous as well. My next posts will be about the months following her birth! :)