We're Still Here!

My computer is still out of commission :-( I stole Paul's for a hot second tonight. I feel so shameful of my lack of updates and picture posting lately.... Quite honestly it's only because my laptop has been on the fritz for the last month or so.

Well just when we thought we were free of the doctor's and hospital for a little while, everyone got sick this week. Thankfully my fever and the abdominal/side pain is gone but everyone came down with colds/upper respiratory infections this week -- even little Joshua! I feel so bad! But with Jake getting sick and Paul and I getting a little bit of a cold as well, I guess it was inevitable, no matter how much we all washed our hands. But Joshua didn't get it too badly and he is little enough (and can't defend himself or squirm) that I can get the saline spray up his nose and suction out the boogers without much problem. We had to keep a close eye on his temperature because anything over 100.5 in a baby as little as him and he has to go to the doctor's but the highest his temp went was just 99.8. Now poor Jakey on the other hand spiked a 103 degree fever on Wednesday and he still had a fever this morning so I took him to the doctor's to get his ears and throat checked. He just has a virus but he had some fluid in his ear that could turn into an ear infection so we're armed with antibiotics for the weekend just in case (nice pediatrician!!). But we're all on the mend now and hopefully we will all be healthy for a while after this!

Joshua went in for his two week check-up last week. He was a hardy 9 pounds already! He is 60th percentile for his weight and 80th for his length. He's long like his big bro but heavier! Jake is still only in the 40th percentile for his weight (26 1/2 pounds). It will be fun to see how much they look alike and if they are built similar as they both get bigger. Joshua has outgrown his newborn size clothes and is already starting to fill out the size 0-3 month stuff. Some of it is still a little big but some of it fits him pretty darn well! He is in size 1 diaper now but I am thinking of trying on a size 2 to see if that goes around his pudgy belly a little better!

I am surviving with Paul being back at work. Individually, either of the boys is a piece of cake but you put the two of them together and it can be a little tough at times to juggle both of their needs. I literally spend a whole 12 hours feeding, changing diapers, laundry, cleaning up messes, and maybe taking a nap if I am lucky! Getting out the house with the two of them (by myself) is daunting, and in my opinion, impossible right now but I know it will get easier. I was super overwhelmed at first when Jake was born and by the time he was 3 months old, I didn't even think twice about being able to take him places and do things with him so I will get to that point soon enough with the two little guys.

Lots more little anecdotes and pictures to share but in my world of prioritization, Joshua is asking for something that only I can give him, I need to pay bills, and I want to look for a swim class for Jakey and I to do together so alas, the blog will have to wait until next week when my laptop is up and running!

The Boys

Some of our favorite shots of the boys from our photo session are below. Took quite a few shots to get a good one of the two together, but we managed to get it done! Of course Joshua was super cooperative and just slept the whole time!

(PS -- I am super disappointed in my lack of posts lately but my laptop is causing a lot of problems and I need to take it in to get fixed. Not to mention that it's been kind of hard to find time to do anything! But I did manage to survive this past Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with Paul being back at work.)

How Fast a Week Goes....

Time has been flying by! Every time I want to sit down to update the blog, something else always comes up :-) And this is with Paul at home helping me.... he is going back to work tomorrow (sob!). Time is going to go by even faster when it's just me at home with the boys!

So couple of updates...

Last Friday we took the boys to get their portraits done. Joshua was just 1 week and 1 day old. We got some adorable shots though! One of my favs of the two boys together is above. I will post the rest of them soon.

Last weekend we went to Longwood Univerity (my alma mater), which was a blast because I haven't been there in 7 years and I have been dying to show it to Paul. For the most part everything was as I remebered it, but they have done a lot of great things to beautify the school/campus. The rest of Farmville remains largely unchanged :-) Pictures from that trip coming soon as well.

On Monday we took the boys to the National Zoo. It was Jake's first trip... I think this was a good age to take him. He seemed to really get a kick out of seeing the animals. Especially the big ones likes the lions, tigers, elephants, and monkeys. He got his very own (and first) lunch bag which he just looked so gosh darn adorable (and old!) carrying on his arm. I am such a sucker for him growing up into a little boy!

And then there was the very hectic beginning of this week which ended with my in the ER at Inova Fairfax Hospital... So the background is that when Joshua was 5 days old, I developed a 100-101 degree fever. No other symptoms though so I just watched it and figured it would go away. When I still had it after a couple of days, I called my doctor and he had me come in for an exam. They couldn't find anything wrong and chalked it up to maybe just being an elevated temperature from my milk coming in (breast feeding) or a minor infection from the c-section surgery. He sent me home with antibiotics and said to call if the fever doesn't go away. I took the antibiotics for a couple of days and on Sunday night, I developed a horrible stabbing pain in my right side all the way up to my shoulder. It was better the next morning so we continued with our plans to take Jake and Josh to the National Zoo. About halfway into the trip, I started to feel horrible and we had to leave early. My fever was up at 101 again and the pain was unbearable. I don't cry or wimper very often but this pain was worse than the c-section pain. I called the doctor again and of course they wanted me to come in. Since it was after hours, I had to go to the urgent care center in Falls Church (fun drive from Haymarket).... we dropped Jake off at Paul's parents and took Joshua with us so I could feed him. I arrived at 7:30pm and wasn't seen until about 9pm. They took x-rays, did bloodwork, and put in an IV. The doctor thought that my gall bladder was inflamed and wanted to send me to the ER for a CT scan to confirm. At about midnight, we arrived at the ER. I wasn't taken back to a bed until about 2am. Around that time, Paul and Joshua left since we were just going to be waiting at that point and because of the CT scan, I wasn't going to be able to breastfeed for 48 hours anyway. (Paul and Josh waited in the car at the urgent care center and the ER except for the one time at each place when Paul brought Joshua in for me to feed him. Didn't want him to be around all those sick people.) I was really upset and Joshua leaving since I hadn't been away from him yet and was equally upset about not being able to breastfeed him for 2 days. After sobbing for a bit, they gave me some morphine and I dozed in and out until about 5:30am when they finally took me back for the CT scan. They pumped me with iodine to do a scan with contrast and the iodine in my system is why I couldn't feed Joshua for 48 hours. (Did I mention the 30 oz. of super sweet, syrupy lemonade like stuff that I had to drink before the CT scan too? Yuck.) The CT scan was pretty quick and they checked from my chest all the way down to my pelvis looking for infections, circulation, gall stones, blood clots, tumors, etc. Around 6:30am, the doctor came in and said that everything from the scan was clean and they couldn't find anything that was wrong.... Which was a relief because the talk about blood clots in my lungs (can happen after surgery) was scary but at the same time, I almost wanted them to find something (minor) so we could fix it and move on... The doctor discharged me and Paul and I made it back home around 9:30am. Neither of us had slept for 24 hours so we spent most of Tuesday just snoozing and trying to catch up on some rest. Luckily Joshua is very cooperative about sleep and just slept with us while Jake played at his grandma and grandpa's house! The fever has continued off and on since then. It seems to be fine in the morning but then by late afternoon, it will be up around 100 degrees again. After the experience earlier this week, I really don't want to go back to the doctor's again. The pain in my right side is nearly gone except for some pain in my shoulder still. I am pretty much at the point of chalking that up to a pinched nerve. But the fever is worrisome. I very rarely ever get fevers and when I do, they usually last a maximum of 24 hours. For now I am just continuing to take the antibiotics and monitor my temperature. I'll have to go back into the doctor's next week if the fever is still hanging around. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

More pictures and updates coming soon!

Joshua Pictures!

Slideshow below of pictures of Joshua's birthday and the first few days after. Little guy is doing great! Eating and sleeping like a champ!

Joshua Daniel Gunning

Welcome to the world baby boy! Joshua Daniel Gunning was born at 10:07am on Thursday, May 7th. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 20.5 inches. He has dark, steely blue eyes, dark fuzzy hair, and big fat chubby cheeks!

Everything went incredibly smoothly on Thursday -- on time, no complications, and we now have a very healthy and hardy baby boy! This was a great experience as Joshua was able to stay in the room with me the whole time so Paul and I were able to get acquanited with him in privacy (versus in the NICU with Jacob). Joshua took to nursing right away; he latched on right after he was born. For the first day and a half, all he really wanted to do was sleep but shortly after that he quickly figured out that he wanted to eat every 2-3 hours and he knows how to ask for it! Actually the only time he ever cries is when he is ready to eat. He is sleeping like a champ so far. At least for us because he is sleeping in 3 hour stretches which is a blessing! He seems very laid back, sweet, and happy. He even smiled at me for the first time yesterday! (Okay we all know it was gas or pee, but it was still very cute.)

Jake came to visit Joshua in the hospital on Friday afternoon. It was a very sweet moment that I'll never forget. He walked in the room carrying a stuffed penguin and balloon for his little brother and as soon as Paul sat down in the chair with him, Jacob went right up to him and gave him a hug and kiss. He's such a good natured little man. He immediately wanted to hold him to say hi. After that, Jake was more concerned about eating food off my tray :-) (Just as I suspected would happen!)

We came home (mom and baby!!) late on Saturday afternoon and we've just been getting used to everything since. The days seem to fly by even though we haven't done a whole heck of a lot! Jake is very affectionate with his baby brother. He gives him lots of hugs and kisses and pats him on the head. Of course he always wants to pick him up, carry him, and swing him really high in the baby swing but we're working on that :-) I've been pretty sore for the last couple of days and it's been hard to get around (to be expected) but today I am starting to feel a little better. Nothing that 600mg of ibuprofen doesn't help at least! I still feel like someone punched me about 25 times in my abdomen but the soreness is a little easier to deal with than sharp, shooting pain.

Paul is staying home with me for at least the next two weeks. (I still need quite a bit of help with Jake for the time being. He's too heavy for me to lift!) We're planning a couple of day trips to enjoy our time together as a family of four. I hope the time goes by nice and slow so we can savor every moment... We don't usually get to spend this much time together!

Many more pictures and updates to come....!!

The Latest

Anyone else ready for this pregnancy to be over with yet? Ha ha, well bare with me... We're almost done!

I am one of those people who truly loves being pregnant. I actually like the part where you get super round and gain lots of weight! I was so excited to be pregnant a second time and go through all of the joys and excitement of it again. Definitely no regrets and I totally see myself doing it a third time (don't worry, not any time too soon), but I think it's time for Joshua Daniel Gunning to come the heck on out! We're very excited to meet him and see what he looks like. This pregnancy has obviously been kind of tough between being pretty sick and down and out in the beginning and then being on bed rest for 14 weeks (3 1/2 months!) but we're very lucky that we didn't have any serious complications or scares. And of course, what a blessing for this little guy to make it to full term and alleviate a lot of the fears and anxiety about having a preemie again. The less time spent in the hospital, the better!

I won't lie and say that I am not worried and nervous and anxious though. Yes, it makes it a little easier to know what to expect the second time. You sort of feel like a "pro" but it doesn't take away my two very real worries -- (1) I just want to know that Joshua is healthy and okay and (2) I so desperately want the transition to go as smoothly as possible for Jakey. No matter how emotionally prepared I try to make myself, it doesn't take away the guilt that I still somehow manage to feel about Jake being upset about us "replacing him". (If only he knew how far away from the truth that really was....). I also don't think I will ever be able to be prepared for the profound emotions that will take over when Jake comes to the hospital to see me and his new little brother for the first time. Let's just say that I am sure I won't have dry eyes. But I know Jake and I will always share a special bond since he is my first and that will always be something that he and I have together. He's a little trooper. He'll probably give his little brother a smack on the head and then be on his merry way looking for food :-)

You might wonder if I have thought about how it's possible to love a second child as much as the first.... Because let's be honest, there is nothing in this world that is as strong as the love you feel for your first baby. I still to this day cannot imagine loving anyone or anything more than Jake. It just feels impossible. But I know that I will love this new little guy just as much and for different reasons and the four of us will just feel right together as a family.

As for the latest on the medical stuff.... I had another check up today (I should have my own special parking spot) and I am still only about 1 cm dilated but my doctor said that my cervix has definitely started to thin out and the baby's head is pretty low so labor could definitely start on its own before Thursday. But of course, there is no way to know for sure so it's still just the "wait and see" game. But given that it seems he will wait until he is forced to come out, the events for Thursday are as follows:
7:30am -- check in to hospital
9:30am -- c-section scheduled (with Dr. Martin, the lady that Paul just so happened to sell a car to last week.... had to throw in that anecdote. They are like best friends now!)
10am -- Joshua should be born around this time if everything is on schedule
10:30am -- Joshua and I go to PACU for recovery
11:30am -- moved to our own room
I assume that we should be allowed to go home on Sunday morning if everything goes well and according to plan.

And a side note about Jakey.... the poor little man is pretty sick :-( He came down with a 102/103 fever yesterday. You can just tell he does not feel good at all. His cheeks are all flushed and he has those glassy eyes and is all cuddly and clingy and sleepy. We took him to the doctor first thing this morning and he has tonsilitis -- the viral kind, not the bacterial kind. So it's basically like strep throat but antibiotics won't get rid of it. We just have to let it run its course, which is about 5-7 days. He should be okay to go back to day care once the fever has been gone for 24 hours but we're just taking one day at a time. He will be home with Paul and I tomorrow so some extra R&R and TLC might be just what he needs!

Our Fun Spring Weekend

Last weekend, Jake and I had a great time enjoying the nice (hot) weather! On Saturday we went to Ya-Ya's house (my parents) and ate a push-pop outside (big mess but so yummy!) and then went to go visit Uncle Nick's new house (which is awesome!). On Sunday morning we did the March for Babies walk in Leesburg with Nate, Kate, Aaron, and Jenn. It was a 5 mile walk in support of the March of Dimes and premature birth advocacy. We cheated a bit on the path but still ended up walking about 3 1/2 miles. (Thought that would help induce labor but no such luck.) Then on Sunday afternoon, I took Jake to one of the neighborhood playgrounds so he could go down the slide to his heart's content. We were both exhausted from all the activity and hot weather but it sure was a blast!
Pictures below....!

False Labor!

38 weeks, 5 days today.
Should I share the weight gain.... hmmm, why not..... FIFTY POUNDS! Whew, that is going to be a lot to work off! My disclaimer is that I think about 10 pounds of it is fluid retention from my legs and feet which are like three times their normal size. At my last check-up on Thursday, I was 1 cm. dilated and 70% effaced. That doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot because some women can be like that for a week or more without going into labor but at least a teensy bit of progress has been made!

Last night at around 11pm, I started having painful contractions that were about 8-9 minutes apart. I thought for sure that it was time and told Paul that he could keep sleeping but to be prepared for me to wake him up. The contractions weren't unbearable but they were definitely feeling like real labor pains. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster.... I started to get upset thinking about leaving Jake for a couple of days and worrying about his adjustment to his new little brother. But then part of me was excited and ready to do this. I also didn't want to go all the way to Fair Oaks hospital in the middle of the night if I wasn't 100% sure plus they tell you to wait until the contractions are about 5 minutes apart so I sat and waited to see if they would get stronger and closer together. At around 1:30am they started to subside and I finally fell asleep. (Well sleep was on and off... I kept waking up every hour or so.) Today I have had some painful contractions but nothing regular or progressing. Looks like I might just deal with false labor for three more days. This little man sure is giving us a run for our money!

PS -- Paul and Jake and I did a huge Wegman's grocery shopping today to stock up before the baby comes. Can I just tell you how many people either stared at me (or my belly) or actually came up to me and asked me when I was due? Very funny looks. When I said, "this week", they all said "yah that's what I would have guessed.... good luck!". Yes, I know none of my clothes really fit so well anymore. Even Paul's don't fit so great. I am making due the best I can!