Tate Update: 2 Weeks

Tate had his 2 week checkup today, and just like I thought...he's perfect!  They weighed him in at 7 pounds 11 ounces (that's right almost 1 pound gained in a week)  and measured him at 21 inches long (again...1.5 inches gained since birth)  I am bursting with pride that maybe only a mother can know...but Tate gained this weight with the help of no bottles!  Nursing is such an exhausting task during the first couple weeks, not knowing how much you're producing and if baby is getting enough to eat.  With Riley I pumped from day one, knowing how much he got...my goal was not to do that this time...and we did it!   Tate's jaundice is G-O-N-E!  No more blood work.  He does have a diaper rash, which I think I have found the cure for...I stopped using wipes, only water, cotton balls and toilet paper, also a little talc powder, works WAY better than normal baby powder.
Over all Tate went from being in the 16th percentile to being in the 50th percentile {however, in the Lafrenz household we strive to be the best, so we will keep working towards the 90th percentile) ...he has long monkey arms and legs (just like Riley did)  pretty sure he is going to be tall (duh!)  and he is such a good eater...I fear for our grocery bill in the future!   I am taking advantage of having a newborn in the house by practicing taking lots of pictures.   Although Tate is a great sleeper, he doesn't like to be fussed with, so it's been really good practice to try and get him in these poses.  Here he is lookin' fly in an aviator hat!

That's Why God Made Daddy's

Yesterday was my official due date which means we have had sweet baby Tate in ours arms for 11 days!  Tate is such a sweet baby...hardly ever cries...not even for diaper changes.  We can already see the differences between him and Riley.  We have found parenting is a lot easier the second time round!  One big difference between the boys is Riley wouldn't wake for feedings, I had to wake him.  Riley would sleep for 5 hours stretches.  Tate is like clock work, he will not go passed 3-4 hours and when he's hunger...FEED ME NOW!  A typical feeding schedule for Tate starts at 5am, so all you people snug in your beds at 2am and 5am...think of me feeding a newborn watching infomercials for P90X and sweat pant jeans!  Please believe me when I say...I am not at all complaining...it is a shock to the system to wake up to a crying baby and to try and stay awake to feed...but it's a very minor sacrifice to make for such a sweet little baby.

I think Ryan and I would both agree the hardest part about having a second child isn't the new baby...it's the toddler.  Finding a balance between snuggling your new baby and making sure the older child still feels loved.  Riley is really struggling with this new baby...and has been throwing a lot of fits lately.  Hopefully this phase will pass quickly.

Between the night feedings and the tantrums...there is Ryan.  I really hope all husbands are like this to their postpartum wives!  He cooks, cleans, attempts to stay awake during night feedings, takes charge of the toddler, lets me nap, and on top of it all he works.  Like my mom said "that's why God gave us Daddy's!"  When Ryan comes home from work he is in Daddy mode...no ESPN...no Cold Beer...no Going out with the Guys...he is a committed Dad and husband and I KNOW I could not do this with out him...so shout out to my homeboy Ry!  Thank you for your help!  And although I was the one in labor in delivery and the one nursing...your the man behind the curtain...filling in the cracks!

Tate Update: 1 Week

Initially I wanted to take Tate to a pediatrician...but when we went there last Friday...I was less than impressed. They took his weight 6 pounds 8 ounces, looked at his color: he is a little jaundice, and took his blood.   Not worth the drive to Des Moines for a wellness check up.  So I made another appointment for his 1 week with a family practice in town with a doctor I saw once while I was pregnant with a fever.  I really liked him and he seemed to care and take his time...I also noticed at the time that he had lots of kids stuff hanging on his walls. So I packed up Tate (Riley stayed home with my mom) and he now weighs 6 pounds 13 ounces...
Plus this doctor took his time to ask me questions to get to know me and Tate like how nursing was going, how Tate was sleeping, pooping & peeing, he went over cord care and all other safety. Tate is still jaundice and we had to get more blood taken.  We have a follow up next Wednesday 3/30.

Tate overall is a fantastic baby.  Once in a while he cries at diaper changes and baths, but only because he gets cold!  He eats well, I can't seem to get him on MY schedule...so for now I guess I will let my damn scheduling out the window and feed on demand (I never thought I would say that!)  But  have a goal to get him on a schedule by 4 weeks, because this child will sleep through the night by 8 weeks.  Tate is very laid back...it takes quite a bit to irritate him.  He loves to be swaddled and loves to snuggle.  He sleeps in a bassinet on my side of the bed and wakes me about every 4 hours at night, which means I get 2-3 hours stretches of sleep.

Riley has eventually taken to Tate.  At first he didn't like him...or he didn't like mommy holding him.  Riley would come near me or look at me when I held Tate.  But after some coaching Riley came around and now every morning asks "where baby Tate!?"  He doesn't like it when Tate cries...today I gave Tate a bath and Riley kept trying to pull me away from the bath tub to get Tate out...so we explained to Tate was just cold and put Riley in the tub with Tate...it's a work in progress.

Bear thinks that Tate is her baby...she reminds us of Nana from Peter Pan.  She whines or barks at me when I burp him, and nudges his bottom when he poops, I can no longer put the recliner down if I am holding Tate...it's just ridiculous.

Finally my wonderful hubby!  He is taking his role as daddy and husband this time to a whole other level.  Not that he wasn't a good dad when Riley was newborn...but I think this time he is much more confident with his role (that can be said for me too!)  He was fantastic during labor...letting me do "my thing"  and reminding me to stay strong and relax my shoulders.  He changed almost all the diapers in the hospital and insists on getting up with me for feedings...although I don't always wake him.  He even went to the store to by me pads!  Now that is love!

As for me...It's always rough the first couple weeks after birth.  There are points where I start to feel sorry for  myself, but I have to focus on the blessings at hand and that life will be normal again!  Nursing is going really well, no pumping this time, just straight on boob time.  My swelling and water weight is almost gone, making me 20 pounds lighter... 15 more pounds to pre-weight.  (I can home from the hospital weighing more from the IV fluids)   I was so swollen I had rolls on my ankles...gross!  My wedding ring almost fit and I can finally sit indian style and get in and out of bed with minimal pain.  I am not adjusting well to the sleep deprivation...I fall asleep nursing...but I have to say the sleep I get is HEAVEN>>>after not sleeping comfortably for the last 3 months falling asleep on my back is fantastic!

Tate Richard Lafrenz

Born March 16th @ 9:59 am 10 days early! Thank God!  I was miserable being pregnant and with the risk of shoulder diplaysia...it was a good thing he came early.
It all went down a little like this:

March 15th I had my 38 week appointment...my bp was high so they sent me to the triage at Mercy to have my bp monitored.  My blood pressure was sporadic (low when laying {127/80} and high when sitting {160/90} )  also I was having contractions about 5-7 minutes apart... So they admitted me into a delivery room.  Ryan was with me while gma deb watch the little monster.  They started me on oxytocin to speed things along.  Then we waited....waited....waited, for the doctor, who was suppose to break my water a couple hour after the oxytocin and for contractions to start.    Finally at 4am they jacked up my oxytocin and here came the painful contractions!  Then at 8 am the doctor ( a new one)  broke my water...Okay now came the painful contractions.  seconds after she broke my water the pain was unbearable...screw the IV pain killers...get me the epidural.  30 minutes had passed by the time the epidural had come...it was exhausting...excrutiating pain.  Ryan was right there telling me to "breath...don't tense up...breath...this is the absolute last contraction you will feel..."  yeah right Ry!  Finally the epidural!  But while sitting being prepped for the prick, my blood pressure drastically dropped.  I felt weak and faint.  Every contractions felt like it was going to literally kill me.  Ryan said my eyes rolled back in my head and I could barely sit on my own.  Finally I got hooked up to the epidural at 8:30 and got a dose of epinephrine and my blood pressure was back to normal.  Funny I got admitted for high blood pressure and then was struggling with low blood pressure.  Anyways, the pain from the contractions subsided, however I could feel my catheter and A LOT OF PRESSURE...I kept telling the nurses that I felt something "down there" but they kind of ignored me, because right after they broke my water I was only at 5 cm.  Slowly I was feeling painful contractions down below, the nurse checked and said " your at 8 cm!"...then the other nurse checked and said "no she's not she's only at 6 cm at best"  Apparently this is going to be a long process...so Ryan went to get some breakfast around 9:30am.  While he was the doctor came in to check me and she said "oh honey your at 9cm...lets see what happens when you push..."  My first reaction was...I don't remember how to do this!  So I pushed and the doc said...yep were having a baby!  My mom was in a panic and said "The dad is NOT HERE!!!!"  but in a flash Ryan came bolting through the door, only missing one push.  I could feel everything the head, then the shoulders and finally the little body.  It was painful but such a great experience, since I was completely numb for Riley.  It was only 4 contractions and several pushes and Baby Tate was on my chest and in our hearts forever!  The first thing I thought was...he looks just like Riley.  in fact we kept calling him Riley accidentally.  He even has the damn left dimple!  9:59 am 7 pounds 4 ounces....19.5 inches long....perfect!

A New Look!

Since we've moved to Indianola, we have been preparing for a baby and not preparing for the business to take off.  The first three months we lived in the new house I finished up milestone clients from Monticello, which kept me busy July-October...but since then it's been pretty quite around here.  Normally I would run a coupon or a special...but I couldn't because of the new baby.  And coupons/specials are all about timing (most people schedule 3-6 months in advance)...well now that I am "due" with the baby...I am also "due" for a special, so I have a newborn model casting call, which got filled in 5 hours, which is great!!!! So Ryan helped me come up with ideas for the studio to make it look "finished" and to make it easier to change backgrounds.  Today I got a chance to try some out with a newborn (not one of the models) a friend from high school who lives in the Des Moines area had a baby girl and asked if I would take her pictures, and because I am 38 weeks preggers, we didn't do a full session, but I did what I could and the new backgrounds were a HUGE help!  Here are some pictures from the session this afternoon...

*notice the beautiful floors Ryan made for me and the backdrops we painted...plus the trim for a finished look!  Thanks mom for the box, I couldn't wait to use it on Tate!

       one of the bows I made that matches a blanket Grandma Brown made us!

Preschool

We decided back in December that Riley would be ready for preschool by next fall.  So, we visited our church's preschool, we had a private tour and Riley really seemed to like all the toys...in fact he got them all out and lined them up...of coarse he did.  All I was thinking was, "please don't deny us because our son is rain man" But the teacher said those kinds of behaviors are really good signs of development...preschoolers like to bunch and organize...smallest to biggest...by colors...by animal.  She explained that preschool is about social development, and they would have several "stations" to play at each day, story time, music time, recess and so on.  Riley would be going 3 days a week from 12:30-3:00 pm, I think he will have a blast with the other children!

Puzzle Time

We know that our little boy is "quirky" to say the least...but this surprised even us!  Riley loves puzzles...who knew!?  When he was a babe he never liked the wooden puzzles or anything that required assistance from an adult.  But this Christmas uncle Jesse and aunt Jen got him a 16 pc. Mickey Mouse puzzle.  I honestly stashed it away towards the bottom of his arts and crafts basket thinking he would want nothing to do with it or he would open it and destroy and lose all the pieces.  Well, a couple of weeks ago he found the puzzle and wanted to play with it, so I put it together with him.  After a couple of days, he could put the puzzle together himself and eventually he could put it together in less than 5 minutes...so we got a more challenging puzzle.  We got him a 24 pc. Cars puzzle, he had that one figured out in a day...and since we were enjoying the peace and quite while he put the puzzles together we searched for yet another, more challenging one...this time toy story.  The pieces are smaller and there are several pieces that are the same color and textures, so it really takes some concentration on his part...but he does it. While he puts it together, he talks to himself saying things like "is that a match...nope!  try again!"  and if you are helping him and you get a piece in he says "oh! good job mommy!"  Once the puzzles are put together, he claps and then rips them apart to start over.

we had a potty break and forgot to put our pants back on...

37 weeks

Okay sooooo....
Last week (2/25/2011) we had a GSB test, a NST (non-stress test) BPP (biophysical profile) and a fetal acoustic stimulation...it was a a lot to take in.   The GSB test was routine, but the other 3 were done because Tate wasn't moving as much as he should.  the BPP was an ultra sound recording his breathing, size, fluid levels and heart beat...everything looked great, but he still wasn't moving.  So the acoustic stimulation was done...this looked like a microphone and they pressed against my belly and it vibrated and beeped loudly, it made him jump in my belly, but he didn't stay alert long.  So then on to the NST...I got hooked up to 2 monitors...one for me and one for Tate...they were looking for baby heart rate peaks.  A baby should have frequent active levels (high heart rate) and frequent calm levels (low heart rate)  he passed with flying colors...but I was having several contractions...which were probably Braxton Hicks.

This week (today 3/4/2011)  my blood pressure was once again high 136/90 and I gained 5 pounds (making a total of 33) Because of my passed delivery being a little difficult and my history with high BP, my doctor wants me to start considering a C-Section...(a long story behind why the doctor is just coming up with this now...which I can explain privately if anyone is thoroughly interested)  If for some reason Tate is as big or bigger than Riley she wants me to consider a scheduled c-section...if Tate seems to stay at a moderate weight she wants to induce no later than 39 weeks.  HOWEVER...the doctor is going to look over my medical records from St. Lukes and do another ultra sound before we make any decisions....so I am as confused as all you are!  I guess we just wait and see what happens in the next week.  Good news is I am negative for GSB...so no antibiotics during delivery!