Adjusting to life.....

Even though I know that I don't have to apologize for the long pause in my blogging, I am going to anyway! :) Sorry to have gone so many days without updating. Adjusting to life with two hasn't been all that tough, but finding time to sit at the computer, even to just quickly check my email, is quite a challenge these days. Hence no updates in a week! And that is also the reason that this blog will likely be on the shorter side. Both kiddos are sleeping at the moment and I have some computer (aka photoshop) work to catch up on, so I'll have to keep this brief(er).

Things are running pretty smoothly around here. Yesterday was my first day flying solo with both kids....my first official day as mommy to two on my own. Surprisingly, it was quite pleasant and easy going! We missed having Daddy around all day, but I think getting back into a old (or slightly revamped) Mommy & Luke routine did wonders for Luke! He really has been a handful the last 10 days! Like I said in my previous post, it's all very normal behavior, but challenging and frustrating nonetheless! Sometimes I've wondered out loud who stole my sweet, mild mannered child and replaced him with this moody, temperamental and often naughty two year old! But getting back into the normal routine helped A LOT! We had a very pleasant day yesterday, with only one or two timeouts and very few tantrums. Yay!

Overall, I'd have to say that this whole experience thus far has been, in every way, easier than I thought it would be and easier than it was with Luke. From the whole birth experience to breastfeeding... healing, sleeplessness, and also managing two....it's not quite as treacherous as I anticipated......SO FAR! :) I'm counting my blessings, but I'm also completely expecting a shift in the easiness of things when Ellie becomes more alert and sleeps less. Right now, she is a sleeper! I can hardly wake the child to eat even! Which, I might add, is my biggest frustration (aside from Luke's behavior) at the moment. She is such a sleepy baby that I have to work immensely hard to wake her to eat. Even to the point of using cool wash clothes on her little body to rouse her! Argh! It's terribly frustrating in the middle of the night when I can hardly keep my own eyes open to nurse and burp her! But we're managing and she is still gaining weight appropriately. We had her weighed at the lactation clinic yesterday and she was 7lbs 5 oz....a whole pound heavier than her lowest hospital weight! Good news to hear! I always worry about that part! You just never know just how much they are eating with breastfeeding.

Anyway, in keeping to my shorter post, I have to run, but I thought I would share some recent pictures, since those are always fun. Ty helped me do Ellie's newborn photo shoot for her birth announcements on Friday, so I have a few from the session I wanted to share. I can't share my most favorite ones with you just yet, since those will be on her announcement and I don't want to ruin the surprise :) , but I can share a few of the others. It took us 2 and a half hours to get the shoot done...but it was SOOOOOO much fun for me to do! Newbies are so easy to photograph...it was trying to get Luke to cooperate that was the toughest part...I really didn't get any great ones with the two of them together. Oh well! But here are a couple teasers.....







Isn't she sweet??!! I just love my kids! And my husband!! I'm so blessed!

On Sunday, we headed over to my parent's house for dinner. It was the first time the 'tousins', as Luke calls them, met Ellie. Here are some snapshots of them....


Grandma & Grandpa...proud grandparents that they are....


One of the very few shots of Luke holding his sis AND smiling...sorry it's blurry!


And a happy Aunt Jenn with her favorite (and only) niece and nephew!


Okay folks....that's it from me.....time to finish up some of the other newbie Ellie pictures so I can get those announcements out before she graduates high school! :) I totally feel like I skimmed over all the good stuff and fun details of our last week, but I guess that's just the way it goes for now....until I can blog more regularly. Adios for now!

Photos....finally!

I finally had some time to sit and put this little montage together for you all....enjoy and make sure your speakers are on...there is even music! :) For an update on life in the McLaughlin house, read today's earlier post! :) Night, friends!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The bodysnatchers have returned the goods....

.....at-least part of them, anyway! I have been enjoying the daily revelation of the return of my body! Each day, I have just a little more of myself back! I still have a LONG way to go to regain my former self (and loose my current poundage!) but that will come in time. No rushing there! But for now, I am enjoying the ability to bend (slouch even!), breathe without effort, roll over in bed and walk without a severe waddle! I'm still walking hunched over from the c-section, but I'm almost completely vertical again! My pain is getting better by the day....I had a few rough days between Sunday and today, with the pain being sometimes just a little too much to tolerate, but I can feel improvement all the time! I am on the road to recovery!

As for things around the house, my last post was obviously written when I was on severe 'baby high'! Re-reading it, I realized we were walking on Cloud 9. We still are happy and blessed, but the adrenaline is wearing off and we're coming down from the mountain-top, so to speak. Monday was a HARD day for us around the house. The 'tireds' had caught up with both Ty and I and Luke was having a really tough day too. His behavior is getting a little better each day since, but he is showing us that this new adjustment is hard for him. No matter what, each time we tell him no for anything, he throws himself to the floor in tears. And when we offer him choices (which we try to do ALL the time) he will pick one thing, then cry when we give that thing to him because he wants something else. A few times, we have tried to give him the other choice, but he will cry even then too! Argh! SOOOOOO frustrating. Nothing pleases him, really. And I know that all of this behavior is completely normal, but I think the fact that he is normally SUCH a good boy with a pleasant demeanor makes the times when he is 'stinky' even harder to handle. Sometimes I wonder who stole my sweet child away. I know it is just a season....and I know just how normal it is, but it's tough nonetheless.

I miss him a lot! My arms and time have been so consumed with Ellie....between breastfeeding, diaper changing and simple my own healing, that I have not been able to love on Luke as I always have. I miss our special time together. It makes me tear up as I type that. Sometimes it feels like our relationship has changed so much already. It makes me sad. I am trying to make a concerted effort to stop what I am doing to focus my attention solely on him and take the time to cuddle him extra long, read a story just to have him close, or make do whatever it takes to help him feel extra special, but its still hard. The bright side of all this is that I can see his relationship with Ty blossoming. They are getting the time together that Luke and I used to share. That is wonderful to see, but I'm envious of it as well. Change, change, change.

Speaking of Ty, he continues to be my hero! He is doing such a good job at keeping this household running while I am recovering. He's doing laundry, making meals, keeping the house tidy and keeping track of Luke! I'm pitching in where I can, and each day I can do just a little more, but it's slow going. His biggest heroism is with Luke. My sometimes easily irritated husband had morphed into a pillar of patience!!! Sometimes, he is considerably more patient and 'with it' than I am, and I am thankful for that!!! Keep the prayers for him comin'! With all of us to care for, he needs 'em!!

And lastly, but certainly not least is Miss Ellie! She is doing great! Part of our frustrations this week was trying to get her to the pediatrician for her first well-baby check yesterday. She was supposed to be seen on Monday, but we were unable to get an appointment for her, so we got one for yesterday (Tuesday) morning at 9:15. We scrambled to get there on time, and I was eager to see how her weight gain (or loss) was. Well....when we arrived, we were told that somehow, her appointment was scheduled for Aug. 31st instead of Aug. 21st and that there were no appointments even available yesterday to squeeze her into. I explained the situation to the receptionist..."She was supposed to be seen yesterday, according to our discharge orders. I just made the appt. yesterday morning...how could there be a mistake. I explained our situation to the appointment lady! She is a newborn and absolutely HAS to be seen today...if only for a weight check!" and the receptionist disappeared into the back to speak to our doctor. I waited at the counter, silently asking God to figure it all out because I was, at this point, near tears.
Dr. Zaft (our pediatrician) came out with more bad news. Apparently, my medical group recently changed their policy (recently meaning that it must've happened in the last 3 weeks, because I confirmed that Dr. Zaft could be our pedi. about 3 weeks ago and all was fine) and now, that particular office where Dr. Zaft is is no longer accepting new pediatric patients. I would have to see another doctor at another office. The tears began to flow at that point and Dr. Zaft reached for my hand, assuring me that Ellie could be seen that day in the Lactation clinic for a weight check and that they would figure out who and when I could get in to see a different doctor. I cried. Couldn't any of this be easy?! I did all my homework and thought I had it all figured out, and when it came down to it, I couldn't even get my newbie baby in to see her doctor at 5 days of age! Argh! I walked away from the desk, immediately called Laura Messmore (my lactation specialist friend and saving grace!!!). I told her the story and I discovered that the lactation clinic was closed on Tuesdays. Great! But being the angel that she is, she told us to come to the hospital (which was just across the street) and she would check Ellie's weight, billirubin levels (jaundice) and see how our breastfeeding was going. Oh, thank God for Laura!!!! She always comes to our rescue! We are so grateful for her!!!!

To make this long story short (or even longer I guess), we spent about an hour with Laura. She weighed Ellie before, during and after her feeding and we were all surprised to learn that she has already surpassed her birth weight! She is currently 7 lbs 1.5 oz, and she is breastfeeding and transferring milk so well that she took double the amount of milk that most babies her age take. The average is 1 oz. per feeding and Ellie took in two!! Way to go, Sweetie! Most babies also don't usually regain their birth weight until sometime around the second week of life, but by day 5, Ellie already had surpassed it! Yay!!!!! That news made me feel so calm and reassured! My milkers are working great!!! :) I won't have the constant struggle that I had for the ten months I breastfed Luke and I won't have to be on that stinkin' Reglan to keep my supply up! God has answered my many prayers in that department as well! Hallelujah!!!

So, all in all, the outcomes continue to be positive....despite a few bumps along the way.
We will continue to adjust to all these changes and life will seem much smoother in just a short time. I am still working on the photos for you.....it's tough to steal away to be on the computer at all, so the pics are slow in coming. The only reason I've even been able to blog right now is that Ty took Luke and Tess to the park and Ellie is napping in her swing between feedings. It's almost time to milk her again though, and I'd like to squeeze in a shower soon too, so I had better get going. Thanks for all your comments, prayers, phone calls and emails. I love feeling your presence through this time! For those of you who have not wanted to call for fear of bugging us, feel free to do so....I'd like to chat with you...it's okay to call! If I can't talk just then, I'll tell ya and I'll give you a call a little later on. But you're never bugging us! We feel blessed by your concern and love for us!

Okay...off for now. Hopefully I'll get some more pics for you today or tomorrow!

We are home!

Welcome to the world, Ellie Paige!!! I'm sure that by now, most of you have seen her little announcement email, but just because I love the picture so much, I'm going to post it again!



I still cannot believe that she is actually here! Even as I sit here typing and gazing down at her all bundled next to me! It's surreal! The last few days have been a whirlwind, but incredibly wonderful too! We didn't have internet access in the hospital, so we weren't able to update you all like I had hoped. Not that we had a ton of time or energy to do so, but the thought was nice! :) Actually, this whole c-section/ hospital experience, from beginning to end was really great....MUCH easier, pleasant and calm than before....in ALL aspects! The c-section itself went smoothly and uneventfully. We arrived at the hospital on time Thursday morning, but our room wasn't ready for a little while, so Ty and I waited in the waiting room. I was a bit irritated by that, since I just wanted to get things moving, but they apparently had an emergency c-section earlier that morning and my room still needed to be cleaned. Once we got in though, I felt calm and at ease. That is, until the anesthesiologist came in to do meet me just a few minutes prior to surgery. That's when the butterflies started fluttering around in my belly and I felt some waves of anxiety. But things moved rapidly from there, and before I knew it, I was hunched over in the OR, receiving my spinal block. Ty was brought into the room a few moments later (he was able to be present for that part of Luke's delivery, but hospital policy has changed since, so I had to go it alone this time.) Once the spinal took full effect and Ty was there beside me, it was a just a few moments until Dr. Hage began his work and Ellie was born. We had the awesome benefit of being able to photograph the entire surgery (no video....that isn't allowed) but Ty snapped many, many photos of her actual birth. It is AMAZING to see!!!! I looked back at them just a few minutes ago and we actually have one of her head emerging from my belly, while her body is still inside!! There are many others as equally awe-provoking and miraculous! And since I couldn't actually WATCH her birth, these pictures are the next best thing for me. And no....I don't mind seeing the blood. I think it's all awesome! (I won't share those online though, simply because I don't think you all are as inclined to see that sort of thing as I am!)

She began crying even before she was fully out of my belly and what a glorious sound that was! She has strong lungs, for sure....although she rarely has chosen to use them...she's a quiet, content baby so far! After her birth, she was whisked off to the nursery to be cleaned up and weighed and I met her again in recovery. The rest of Thursday was spent visiting with family and introducing them to Ellie. Luke has done great with her! He was a bit unsure about touching her that first day, but has since taken a liking to cradling her on his lap and stroking her head ever so gently. He asked multiple times a day to "hold my baby sister" and we willingly oblige. He loves her so much already! Just as we do!

Overall, things are going very smoothly for us. Our arrival home yesterday afternoon was a bit stressful, just because the transition was a little busy, but things have since taken on a nice, calm, easy routine. Ellie is sleeping incredibly well....I have to wake her to eat and we literally did not hear one peep out of her ALL night! I of-course, woke her every two hours or so to nurse and she cried when I had to change her little diaper, but other than that, we slept soundly in between! She is eating well today and seems to be taking well to nursing, although I am admittedly wishing she would eat MORE. My milk came in with full force yesterday and to be blunt, my chest looks like something off the cover of an x-rated video, if you know what I mean! LOL! For someone who is normally very 'small' I am well-endowed and painfully so right now! It's actually comical how they look right now! Ty and I had a good laugh about it last night when I made him take a few pictures just to log what they looked like. (Don't worry...I won't be sharing those either!) :)

As for my own healing, I'm doing well. Like I said before, this has all been much easier the second time around and the pain doesn't seem as intense, but I am still in considerable discomfort. The afternoons seem to be the worst. But I'm managing rather well...resting a lot and taking it easy. Ellie is making that easy for me to do, since she is so mellow! And Ty's been absolutely incredible through all this! He's been there, anticipating every need and helping me so much! Even the nurses in the hospital were amazed at how intuitive, caring and on top of things he was! I can't tell you enough how great he is! I am so, so lucky to have such a wonderful husband! And Anne-Marie, if you are reading, you are right....I am watching my rock of a husband turn to Daddy-mush as he loves on his new baby girl! :) It's precious and wonderful to watch! And I fall in love with him and my children more and more with each day!

So....although it's been a bit of a whirwind, the last four days have been great! We are adjusting well and just soaking in all the changes. We certainly feel immensely blessed to have this new baby girl! She is a gift from God!

I am off for now to feed this little one and to rest. I have a TON of pictures to share with you, but just have not had the chance to upload them all just yet. I think that I will probably put together a little photo album online or a slide show instead of posting just a few, so check back for that in a couple of days! Our thanks go out to all of you for faithfully praying for us and checking in to see how we are! We feel surrounded in your love and prayers! It is because of all those prayers that we are where we are today.....at home with a term, healthy baby girl...making a smooth, seamless transition from three to four! :)

In a very short 16 hours....

...I will be a mommy to two and will have finally met this precious child face to face, whom I have carried in my belly all these months. What an incredible, awe-provoking miracle! As I sit here typing, I still cannot fully comprehend that her time is here and that I will be gazing into her eyes in just half a day's time. I am so, so excited and filled with anticipation! I simply cannot wait to touch and hold her close to me!

Ty took Luke and I out to dinner last night to savor our second to last night as a threesome. And as we sat munching on our dinners, we chatted about what the next few days will bring. "I was laying in bed thinking the other night..." he began. "You don't seem nervous at all....you seem pretty calm. And if it were me, I think I'd be pretty nervous right about now...about having surgery and all." It was ironic for him to say that, since it's usually me who is the anxious one and he's my rock...calm, cool and collected. He still is calm, cool and collected, but it's ironic because so am I! The truth of the matter is though, that I AM calm. I have "a peace that transcends all understanding" as Phillipians 4:6-7 (my favorite bible verse) says. I think someone must be praying for me! I scarcely feel worried or nervous about the whole ordeal. I know what to expect...(which is a HUGE deal for me) and I pretty much know how things will go. And where I leave off in terms of my own inability to do something, I know that Ty is right there to help. I feel safe and in good hands....especially with my husband right by my side through it all. And c'mon....when compared to how things went with Luke's birth, this should be a breeze! :) I have nothing to fear....and that is a wonderful feeling!

I'd have to say that my biggest concern is for Luke. I just worry about his little heart and how he will handle these next few days. I know he will be in good care...my mom and dad will be staying here with him while we're in the hospital....so that is not a worry. But he is already showing some signs that all this is weighing on his little heart. I was roused from a dead sleep at 2am on Monday night/Tuesday morning to the sound of muffled sobs coming from his room. :( He was half asleep, but crying softly in bed. I went to him and held him, thinking he would fall back to sleep soon, but he tossed and turned in bed, crying softly on and off for another half hour or so. Finally, after returning to my own bed and then coming back again to his, I asked if he was scared or hurting (he is working on the last two top two-year-old molars) and he said his mouth hurt. I gave him some Motrin and several more hugs and kisses, and finally he drifted off to sleep, but something tells me it wasn't just his teeth. He's been unusually testy the last two mornings too....getting repeated time-outs even before breakfast is through, and our bedtime routine is laden with tears and needing extra kisses and hugs as well. Even yesterday, as I had to drop him off at my mom's while I went to the dermatologist, he clung to me in tears before I left and my mom said he cried awhile afterwards. That is unusual for him. He's sensing that change is a-comin'. He knows. And it's all very normal, I know. But it still makes my heart ache for him. We talk frequently about all that is to come...from the night before, to the day of and the days following "Ellie coming out of momma's belly". He has a grasp of what is going to happen that is beyond his little 2 and a half year old mind, in my opinion, and he understands more than I would expect him to. But that ability to grasp the information doesn't take away his anxiousness and uncertainty. :( Poor kiddo. I know that's just how it goes though...there really isn't much more I could be doing. And I know that he will be okay....I just hate to see him struggle so.

We gave him a little 'baby' of his own on Monday. Baby Ellie, he calls her. He's been great with her....taking the time to snuggle her gently and making sure she is covered with her little blanket when he lays her down. (I gave him one of the knitted teeny-tiny blankets that covered him when he was in the NICU to use as her blanket. It's crazy to think that he was that small once!) On Monday, the first day he received the doll, we were upstairs getting ready in the morning and when I turned around, I found that Luke had laid his Baby Ellie on Tess's dog bed and draped her tiny blanket over her. He was laying there on his side next to her, his little hand stroking her face and he was whispering something softly to her. :) Oooohhhh....if you could have seen it.....you're heart would've been in a puddle at your feet as mine was! So sweet! On the other hand, I also catch him yanking her around by her feet too, so he's still just a little boy! But a little boy with such a gentle, sweet spirit!!! :) LOL!

16 more hours. Phew! The thought just washed over me again. Can this really be? A scheduled, planned c-section???? Someone needs to pinch me! :) A 'planner's' paradise! Well.....in terms of being able to prepare....not in terms of the pain and recovery! :)

So are you wondering how our day will go?? Me too! :) LOL! Just kidding. Here is what I know so far about times and such....
4am....Wake up time! (Yes...I plan to shower, shave my legs, put on some makeup and be
generally ready, since who knows how long it will be until I get a good shower in!)
5:15am....Time to leave for the hospital
5:30am....Arrive at the hospital, check in, fill out any remaining paper work....get settled.
7:30am....The big moment! C-section time! My parents, and Ty's mom will be at the hospital
along with Luke waiting to meet this babe!

You know....it's kinda funny. Here I am, sitting here attempting to type out this 'schedule' and in reality, all I know is the above things. Time stops after 7:30! I know the surgery will take about an hour from start to finish and then I will be in recovery. Ty will be with Ellie until they bring her to me to nurse her there. As soon as I can have him, Luke will come to meet his sister, followed by our parents and then my sister, when she arrives a bit later. I would expect to be in recovery an hour or two max, then it's off to my room. And after that......who knows. Dr. Hage said to expect that I would most likely be discharged later in the day on the third day, which is Saturday. So, I'm hoping that will be the case. Our own bed will be a welcomed relief, I'm sure!

So that, my friends, is it. :) I still can't believe the time is here! My next posting probably won't be my own...I think Ty might just be a guest blogger and will do his best to keep you updated. I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to access the internet from the hospital, so check in and see if we've posted. But if you don't see anything new, it's because we can't log on from the 'spital! :) We're planning to send an email out to, with her stats and all, so if you don't see that either, you'll know why. We'll have to resort to the phone in that case. By the way, before I forget to mention it...thanks for all your votes! I've written them down to take with us to the 'spital and we'll see whose the closest! These little games are so much fun for me! Thanks for playing along! :)

I'll leave you with a few pictures from our final Luke-n-Mommy day. We headed to the park early this morning, before the day turned unbearably hot (it's supposed to be 105 again today!) for one last play date. We grabbed a doughnut on the way....a special treat for my boy! Then it was home for the rest of the morning, lunch and naps. (I'll be taking one of my own today....my eyes popped WIDE open at precisely 4:58 this morning....couldn't sleep any longer!) The afternoon might hold a few errands...we'll see. Once Ty gets home from work, we'll have our last dinner as a threesome here at home, bathe Luke and take him to Grandma's to tuck him into bed there before our big day tomorrow. Pray for his little heart, if you could....that this transition time goes well. And please pray for strength and endurance for both Ty and I. And of-course...health (and good breastfeeding) for our little Ellie Paige!

Enjoying a bite of his doughnut!

Snuggle-time

And last of all....my very final (and quickly taken) belly pics. No fancy shots this time around...




And that marks the end of Ellie in the Belly and the beginning of a whole new chapter! Okay friends....I'm signing off for now.....with a full heart that is eager with anticipation!