Ethan's Arrival

Ethan Jacob VanScoy was born on November 8, 2012 at 10:13PM at Bellevue Hospital in Niskayuna NY.  He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 20 inches long.  I went into labor around 2 in the afternoon (right after working my last day before Maternity leave began)  - I took a nap and woke up with contractions - Brian came home at 5:30 with Evie and the contractions were 5 min apart but I didn't want to believe I was really in labor so I waited - took a shower, got Evie cleaned up and ready for bed and then Brian decided to have his Mom pick Evie up for the night.  Evie left at 7:30 and we decided to go to the hospital because the contractions were 3 min apart.  When we arrived I was 5/6 centimeters and started getting set up for an epidural - by the time that was administered an hour later I was 9 centimeters and it didn't really work on the contractions, which were overwhelmingly painful!  Luckily, the epidural did numb my pelvis so I did not feel Ethan actually being born.  We pushed for 15 minutes and Ethan entered the world.  It went so quick that when we arrived the Goonies had just started - when it was over the Goonies was still on! 
We spent two nights in the hospital and came home Saturday morning.  The hospital wasn't too bad but I had to send Brian home the first night because he had a cold and wouldn't stop coughing and then I got a room mate the second night and the room was way too small for both of us.  Ethan roomed in with me and only left to get checked by the Dr and for 2 hours on the second night so my roommate and I could get some sleep. 
Ethan is doing great breastfeeding - this is a much different experience then with Evie!  He eats every 3 hours - once in a while cluster feeding at night or in the morning.  He is sleeping great because he is full and content and when he is not sleeping, eating or pooping - he just lays in he bassinet or in the bouncy chair watching the world go by.  I can't believe what a difference he is from Evie.  He does have a terrible diaper rash on his bum - we are using triple AF paste but if anyone has any other remedies please let me know - he poops so much that his bum is just raw. 
I am doing well - a few PPD issues - I can't sleep without medicine so there is no napping for me but I am able to sleep with the aide of Ambien at night in between feedings.  I think I am just overwhelmed with being the one and only person able to feed this little monster - I hope this tapers off as we get more comfortable with our roles. 

When will Ethan Arrive?

So, the bets have been placed and everyone's input has been heard- When will Ethan Arrive - No one seems to agree- surprise, surprise!  Waiting for a baby to be born happens to be a very hard thing to endure, the anticipation and excitement is overwhelming while the fear is suffocating.  I was very fortunate with Evie - she showed up a week early, I went on maternity leave on a Friday- went into labor during the weeknd and delivered her on Monday night (easy, peasy)!  Tomorrow I am 39 weeks pregnant with Ethan and I went to the Doctor's this morning, I am 2 centimeters dilated, I have been having braxton hicks contractions for a month now (regular and irregular) - I had an ultrasound and my fluid is good, Ethan is healthy and weighing in around 7.3 pounds.
I will be starting my maternity leave on Friday - I called in sick today and will work 6 hours a day Tuesday, Wed and Thursday.  I found it to be more difficult to keep up this pregnancy - Evie has a lot of energy and wears me out.  She also does not sleep by herself all night long - she will fall asleep around 8 and sleep in her bed until 2 and then call for Brian and I (we take turns so one of us gets a good night rest). 
So, only time will tell when Ethan will arrive but I am fairly sure it will be before Sunday:)

28 Weeks = 3 Trimester

Yeah - we have entered our 28th week of pregnancy, which means I am in the 3rd and final trimester of this pregnancy.  Everything is going really good - our little monster is healthy and moving around like a fish.  I feel him moving constantly and he is so strong - it actually hurts sometimes but I love every movement - it is as if he is proving to me that everything is good in there.
I have gained 15 pounds and seem to be all belly -I constantly getting comments on how huge my belly has gotten and I have to agree- I am already outgrowing clothes that fit me at the end of Evie's pregnancy.
We have finally picked a name out - Ethan Jacob VanScoy!!  So excited to have a name for this little boy - I am sick of calling him "the baby" or "it" or "the little boy".

"Rex Jr" at 20 weeks

 Our Baby Boy's penis:)

 His Feet

 His lips as if he is blowing us a kiss!!

It seems as if he is looking at us in this pic!

We are so excited to share our little boy - this is def going to be a new adventure compared to Evie.  I am very nervouse about dealing with a penis but other than that I am pretty confident that this will go much easier than Evie's birth because I know what to expect.  I have decided to nickname him "Rex Jr" because I feel a disconnect due to a lack of name.  We always knew what Evie would be called and I even picked out a girl's name (Addison Grace) but we can't settle on a boy's name.  Any suggestions?  This pregnancy is going so fast and so well- his movements are a bit more lazier than evie but when he gets going I actually get a little naseous. 

Now, I need some help on a serious problem that most of you will understand - 2 year old temper tantrums!!  Evie has been awful for the last couple of days and has actually had hour long temper tantrums- throwing herself on the floor and screaming and crying until bed time.  I dont know how much more I can take.  We attempted to ignore her the first night and then spoke gently to her the following night - nothing worked.  Any suggestions as to how you guys handle this crap would be awesome. 

"Rex Jr" at 11 Weeks

Above our pics from our 11 week ultrasound that I forgot to share because I wasn't ready to announce our little bundle of joy at the time:) 

It's a BOY!!

Our second little monster is a boy!  We went for the ultrasound today, which was awesome and found that the baby is healthy and growing right on target for the due date of November 13th.  We went and picked out a couple of outfits to get geared up for the arrival of a boy.  Overall my pregnancy is going well with an occasional moment of overwhelming pelvic pain because I was so out of shape when I got pregnant.  The baby is kicking up a storm in there, which is still amazing - I  forgot how great it was to feel a baby moving.  I have only gained 6 pounds since my 7th week of pregnancy - Brian and I both think the scale is broken - I feel like I have gained 20 pounds and my belly is really big for 20 weeks! 

I will post pics of our beautiful baby boy in the next update:)

Boy or Girl (part 2)

In two weeks I will go in for my 20 week ultrasound and I am beyond excited.  I can't wait to see this little alien again, to hear it's heartbeat and confirm that he/she is still present.  Of course, the little monster is squirming around in there so everyday I know my visitor has not left but it will be nice to have it confirmed by the Drs.  I am also very excited to find out the sex - I don't care what it is - I just want to start planning.  We all know how neurotic I am so this will help ease that a bit.  A girl would be nice because I already have all the stuff and I love  having a girl already!  A boy would be nice because it would be a whole new adventure, I would have a miniature Brian, which would be awesome and Evie would have a little brother to beat on:)  The pregnancy is going well other than a lot of pelvis pain - any suggestions on how to ease that?  I actually have trouble walking or getting up from a chair and I am not that big yet.  I really should have exercised more in between pregnancys!  The family is recouping from the loss of Remi but things are getting back to normal slowly.  Evie is sleeping in her big girl bed and only occasionaly needs Brian or I to lay with her, which is pretty awesome - maybe we will catch up on sleep before this next baby arrives.  We are getting some house projects done - painting the garage and cleaning up the yard.  We have a lot more to do but we are thinking of selling next year so I don't want to put too much more effort or money into our first home. 
Evie has been amazingly cute lately.  She doesn't say a lot of sentences but she has a lot of words and I am always amazed when I hear a new one.  Yesterday morning we were walking into daycare and she was hopping - I asked her what she was doing - "Jump Momma"!  I didn't even know she knew how to jump - never the less say it!  We are working on her walking in public instead of us carrying her - I am too tired to lug a 30 pound kid around and soon will be too fat.  She is enjoying her summer - playing with her friends, Alex and Dylan, or visiting with Grandparents.  She loves to play in the pool we bought and it gives us time to sit and relax while we watch her.  I had an inch trimmed off the back of her hair - can't believe it grew that quick and it is still past her shoulders.  She is now exclusively in 3T clothes even though her 2nd B-day is two weeks away.  My baby is growing up too fast and I feel like I am missing huge portions of it but I try to cherish every moment I do get to spend with my precious angel.

Remi!

The ups and downs of life!

I have hit my 17th week of pregnancy and all is great with the baby.  The little monster started moving this week and I forgot how much I love this stage!  The stress is starting to ease and I am not constantly worrying with every ache and pain.  Evie is doing great - she is learning so much and has the cutest/funniest personality.  She is so cuddly and lovable with me and I enjoy every second we spend together (except for the temper tantrums, which are rare but awful)!
On a sad note, Remi, our beloved cat has been diagnosed with a very complex and rare disease.  There is nothing we can do for our first baby so Brian and I will be taking him to the vet this afternoon for the last time.  I am so utterly sad and lost over this - he is only 7 years old- way too young to leave us!  We noticed in Jan that he was drinking and urinating too much so we took him the the vet - they ran all sorts of test and he came back healthy.  He has acted normal and healthy until Saturday when he wasn't able to hold his head up for more than a second.  We rushed him to the emergency vet where we were told he has low potassium, which is shutting down his muscles.  They gave him supplements and he stayed there until Monday morning. I picked him up and took him to our regular vet and they did an ultrasound and he has enlarged pituitary gland and adrenal glands - there is nothing we can do for him.  We brought him home - hoping he could enjoy his last days but he has refused to eat and drink and is not able to get up and function so we have made a very hard decision to ease his pain.  I keep questioning our decision but I really think this is for the best- I cant handle the stress of the situation and Remi deserves to have a dignified, painless death.  He has been a great cat for Brian and I and he will be greatly missed!!!

It has been a very long time since I have written in this blog – I am wondering how many people will actually read this post. I wanted to share a little secret that I have hidden for 15 weeks – yup, I am pregnant again. I was very fearful to share this news – that I would say it out loud and then the baby would disappear but I finally feel comfortable admitting it plus my tummy is growing at a considerable rate so it is pretty hard to hide. The beginning of this pregnancy was rough – I found out a week before my period was due and went to the Dr right away, which was a smart move. I had blood tests done and found that my progesterone was low but my pregnancy hormones were increasing at a normal rate. The Dr. immediately put me on a progesterone hormone, which I had to take until I hit 13 weeks – as a side note, which maybe a bit too much information, it was a vaginal suppository! Supper Icky!!!

I have had two ultrasound – the seven week one showed a heartbeat and healthy fetus, the 11 week one showed a tiny, perfect baby with a wonderful heartbeat. This pregnancy has been the hardest due the fear of a miscarriage and the progesterone amped up the symptoms so that I was nauseous all the time, my boobs hurt to the point that I didn’t want to take my bra off because their natural movement killed me, and I was extremely tired. I am thrilled to be out of the first trimester and on my way to having a second healthy baby.

I should mention that this is the absolute last baby Brian and I will be having – he is going in to get fixed once this little one has joined us:)

I had my 15 week check up yesterday - I have gained 2 pounds, was able to hear an amazing heartbeat and had all my worries put to ease by the Dr.  In 5 weeks we will see our little one and find out the sex - I am so excited!!

Dance Party!!

Evie has decided that her greatest passion in life is to dance!!! Every time music comes on Evie’s little knees bend, her butt sticks out, her arms swing about and the most spastic dancing bursts forth. I love watching her attempt to keep beat or her desire to make the toy horse dance with her. Brian and I have gotten in the habit of turning on music every free moment we have and turn our boring evening or uneventful morning into a hysterical dance party.

Fun Filled Holiday update

Wow – the Holidays literally flew by but they were the best I have ever had!!! Evie made the holiday season magical and amazing – I really couldn’t have asked for anything more. We spent Thanksgiving with Brian’s family – had the traditional Turkey dinner, which Evie loved and gobbled right up. We then went to my Mother’s that weekend to have another Turkey dinner and once again Evie loved the food and we all ate way too much! The festivities then continued the following weekend in Cooperstown were we went to see the festival of lights at the museum. It was absolutely beautiful- there were candles and lights for miles around and everything was covered in a light layer of snow. There was complimentary Wassail (a wonderful, warm, spiced drink) and bonfires to warm up on and a carousal, which Evie and I rode – she kind of liked it until she saw her daddy and wanted to be with him. There were horse drawn sleigh rides but we opted to skip that due to the stroller and trying to herd three children onto it (Brian’s mother, sister, brother-in-law and two nephews came with us). We decided this would become a new holiday tradition and I can only hope Evie runs up and down the streets exclaiming “Wow” and “AHHHHH” for years to come. We then had a weekend to get the holiday decorations up – Evie attempted to help and our tree was redecorated several times over the following weeks. After the decorations were up, Evie and I would look at them and I would tell her where all the ornaments came from and the story of my village. She would listen intently with an occasional “wow” or “Oooohhhh” thrown in. She loved turning on the lights every night – she would watch with wonder as we magically turned on the lights. Our first Christmas celebration was on the 18^th at my Mother’s house with my step siblings. Evie received the cutest outfits from Aunt Kelli, a wonderful Christmas book from Christy and a couple of presents from Oma & Opa. We ate way too much ham and chocolate torte and I wanted to fall asleep after one glass of wine. Christmas Eve started with my brother, mother and stepdad dropping by for a quick visit and then off to Brian’s uncle house to eat a wonderful meal and more visiting. Evie decided to stay up to 10:00 so Santa didn’t arrive until late but He delivered a wonderful toddler table (set up with a tea set) and several bags of presents. Evie slept in to 7:00 and we all laid in bed together, wondering what Santa brought with lots of cuddles and giggles. I went down first and warmed up some chocolate milk for Evie and put out some snacks and made tea and coffee for Brian and myself. We then brought Evie down with all the lights off except for the x-mas lights and she thought it was so wonderful- she didn’t notice the table at first but did make a bee-line to the presents. She was amazing all morning – she opened all of her own presents and spent a couple minutes playing with each one.  Brian's mother, brother and sister-in-law came over for brunch and brought Evie a princess tent (the size of our living room, which we will have lots of fun with this spring and summer outside) and a crown!  My Dad, step mom and brother showed up for dinner around one- Evie was napping so the adults got to sit and relax and spend some time talking before more present opening- a shopping cart, lots of loud toys and chuck the truck.  She loves the shopping cart - she pushes it from one end of the house to the other - while screaming "WEEEE"!!   We had a great dinner of pot roast and mac & cheese and Libbys famous pumpkin roll for desert.  On Monday we celebrated our last x-mas with Brian's family - up at his Mom's house.  We planned it so we wouldnt exchange gifts - we would just enjoy a really good dinner with our family - prime rib and wonderful conversation made a wonderful end to the festivities. 
The holidays are over and the decorations are put away but I will remember this year as one of the best ever!!!!