Happy Holidays!

It has been two months sand I can’t believe how much my little one has grown. She is doing so well and I feel incredibly blessed to watch her as she discovers her new world! 

From this:

 To this:

In just two months. Can you believe it?

 I know people always talk about how quickly the time flies and how fast they grow, but this girl is seriously growing like a weed. We just had her two month check-in on Saturday, and she has grown FIVE inches since she was born, putting her in the 98th percentile for height! Weird, since as my little sister was so kind to point out, Mike and I are clearly not in the 98th percentile. She is right on track development wise. She is smiling, noticing sounds, and has even found her hands. In fact, here is a little video of her doing just that...

She also got her first round of shots on Saturday. Holy Cranky baby. But she is fully recovered and back to her smiley self now. The only thing that the doctor was maybe a little bit concerned about is the fact that she hasn't really started cooing yet. She says it is most likely due to Mackenzie’s tongue-tie, which was clipped when she was a few days old but has healed a little too well so her tongue is still a bit restricted. It makes eating tricky for her but she is such a trooper and I am so proud of her. We took her back to the specialist who clipped her tongue last week, but he said that because of the scar tissue that has formed under her tongue, and because she is a little bit older now, he doesn't feel totally comfortable doing the procedure again and would like to do surgery instead. We are pretty hesitant to do surgery for a variety of reasons, so because we don’t need to decide right away, we are going to give it some time and hope for the best. Thoughts and prayers are obviously welcome!

Mike and I are crazy excited for Christmas this year. We are still using a little tree I bought when we were in college, and it is absolutely dwarfed by the presents surrounding it. The best part is that probably 95% of them are for Mackenzie! What is it about babies that make family members want to send presents? I remember counting how many presents under the tree were for me when I was younger, and then counting them again incase any new ones had appeared. While I am really excited to open my presents this year, I am even more excited to watch Mike open the surprises I have for him, and to read Mackenzie’s new books to her and show her how to play with her new toys. I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited for Christmas in a long time.

  

So from our little family to yours, here’s wishing you very Merry Christmas! 

The Birth Story of Mackenzie Lyn

I gave birth to our darling girl Monday, October 15th at 5:37pm via c-section. We knew we were going to have the surgery two weeks in advance, and you would think that would take a lot of the anticipation out of waiting for baby, but I’ll tell you what – the anticipation was incredible. Especially because the surgery was scheduled for the evening and we had all day Monday to be nervous about it.

We learned at our 36 week ultrasound that she was breech, and that because of her size it was likely she wouldn’t flip over (although there is always a chance). We had the option of doing an external version, trying to flip her around from the outside, but I had read that there is only about a 50% success rate with an external version, often they will flip back around, and that there is usually a reason why they are breech and flipping them can cause complications. I will admit that I was worried about having a c-section because I thought I would feel like I had taken the easy way out. Even though I would never think or say that to another woman who has given birth via c-section, I was afraid I would somehow feel inadequate because I never had to push. After Mackenzie was born I felt very secure in the knowledge that she was supposed to come by c-section. But more on that later…

At 3pm we checked into the hospital, they did an ultrasound to make sure she was still breech, and got Mike and I prepped for the OR.

Here is Mike doing his Oompa Loompa Dance.

 It turned out that one of the nurses who was prepping me used to live in our condo complex, so we chatted with her and that really helped keep my mind off of what was about to happen…

They got me all numbed up and “tested” to make sure I was numb before Mike was allowed in. I’m not sure what that means but I’m sure it was something pretty horrific and I’m glad I didn’t feel it. I had a drape up so I couldn’t see anything, but Mike peeked over and snapped a few pictures of the surgery. I have decided not to post any, because they are obviously pretty graphic, but I do have a pretty good shot of a foot coming out of my belly that is available upon request!

Here is our pumpkin getting cleaned off. It turns out she had one leg up by her head (frank breech) and one leg straight down (footling breech), and she also had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck once. My OB said she has done a lot of c-sections, and never seen one like this before. She laughed when she was putting information on Mackenzie's chart because she didn't know how to classify her position. This was how I knew we made the right decision with the c-section. Trying to flip her over could have done a lot more harm than good - and now she will be able to tell people that she was literally born doing the splits.

This is my favorite picture of her in recovery. The look on her face is priceless. To me, it looks like she is saying, “not cool, guys.” You can also tell from the picture that her tongue goes up a little bit on the sides. It’s hard to tell from this, but she is pretty significantly tongue-tied (I didn't even know that was a thing) and it has made it hard for her to nurse. We have an appointment on Tuesday to get her tongue clipped, which sounds really inhumane, but I’m assured that it is just like clipping toenails and will make eating a lot easier for her.

Holding her for the first time. She measured at a perfect 8 pounds, 7 ounces, 19 inches long.

Recovery went well, and we left the hospital Wednesday afternoon. We had one slight hiccup with my blood pressure that landed us in the ER for a few hours on Thursday. I’m taking beta blockers now and am lovingly referring to my feet as “Hulk feet” because they are crazy swollen, as are my calves and hands, but other than that things have been great. Grandma Dixie has been here helping a lot the past few days.

and we are pretty tired….

But I think we are getting the hang of this.

Ready for Baby!

As you can probably tell I’m going back and forth on how much I really want to keep up with this blog, but I’ve decided to at least keep the door open so that I can update friends and family on all things baby without having to annoy all of my Facebook friends.

We learned at our 36 week ultrasound that our baby is breech (and in the 87th percentile for size! Holy cow!) So we are likely looking forward to a c-section for the delivery. Today is Thursday, the surgery is scheduled for Monday, and I’m pretty sure I can still feel her hard noggin at the top of my belly so it’s looking like we are going to go through with it. I’ll be honest - I’m totally terrified and trying hard not to think about it. I’m especially worried about the recovery while trying to take care of a newborn. At the very least it is going to be a tough couple of weeks, but totally worth it! I’m really lucky to have such a good support system around me, especially now that my parents only live 30 minutes away.  

As of yesterday I am officially declaring our nursery finished, so I thought you all might enjoy some pictures. It has certainly been a labor of love. 

First is a picture of what the room looks like from the hallway – we went with yellow and green because it was gender neutral, although there are obviously hints of pink everywhere. I couldn't resist a few girly things. 

Here is a closeup of the mural, painted with love by my momma and I. It is inspired by a wall decal I found on etsy but didn't want to pay full price for. It took about 12 hours to paint because the paint we used needed 2 coats - 3 in some spots - but we had a really good time doing it. I also want to point out the giant teddy bear that was given to us by one of Mike’s coworkers. Thanks, Megan :)

Next up is the changing table, which is already pretty hectic and the baby isn’t even here yet, yikes! Notice we already have tons of diapers - because our friends are awesome and keep giving them to us - and also the owl shelves which are similar to the mural in that I found them on etsy but didn’t want to pay for them so I decided to make them myself.

Here is a better picture of the shelves, along with another wall decal that I did actually buy because my painting skills are not that fabulous. A good friend of mine helped me pick out and cut the wood (and by help I mean did it for me, thank you Ian!) The rest is a mix of decoupage and craft paint. They were really time-consuming but not at all hard to make, I had a lot of fun! The tricky part was hanging them, which was really frustrating and I will refrain from describing the process because it involves a lot of curse words.


I think it is pretty obvious that I am equally obsessed with etsy and with owls. I am aware that I may have gone overboard with the owls, but I’m going to go ahead and allow it. Owls have always brought me good luck and I’m hoping they will continue to do so!

So since the nursery is all finished, I am giving our baby girl permission to go ahead and come whenever she is ready. I know Monday is only 4 days away but the anticipation has been worse than waiting for Christmas as a kid. And as disappointed as I was to have a c-section at first, now I’m kind of worried she will decide to flip back around before Monday and then I will have to wait until I go into labor on my own, which could take weeks. I don’t think I can handle it. I guess I’m pretty much scared of every possible outcome, so I’m just hoping for the best. I hope you will all keep me in your thoughts for the next few days :)

5 month check-in!

Warning: Spoilers Below!

In all fairness this is really my 21.5 week check-in, but Mike and I were on vacation all last week so I decided to wait to give an update until today because we finally had our anatomy ultrasound!

For those who don’t know, this is the ultrasound where everything is checked, measured, and counted. We are very lucky and happy to report that so far as can be seen, everything looks perfectly normal and healthy. There are 10 finger and 10 toes, 4 chambers in the heart, normal blood flow in the umbilical chord, normal growth in the brain and spine, and so on and so on. 

After checking to make sure everything was healthy and beautiful, our technician asked if we wanted to know the sex and I think I blurted out “yes!” before she even finished the question. (Mike of course was a little more polite with a “yes, please!”) She asked if we had any guesses as to what it might be and we both answered that we have been feeling pretty strongly all along that it is a girl. The technician did a close up and confirmed that we were right. I will never forget the moment she said, 

“Congratulations, you are having a girl!” 

The ultrasound was an amazing experience; the baby did not like being poked at with the little wand and was very active the whole time. Even the technician was getting a kick out of it and kept chuckling when she pushed down a little and got swatted at. We got loads of pictures, and even a few short videos, so I thought I would share one of my favorites. Here for your viewing pleasure: our darling little girl sucking her thumb (or possibly pointer finger?)

 Enjoy!  

4 Months

I've been putting off taking/posting a belly picture because I guess I’m a little self-conscious and worried that instead of looking pregnant I just look a little chubby. I thought I would wait until I couldn’t fit into my jeans anymore but even though they technically still fit, I must be carrying a little bit low or something because they just push my belly up and really do make me look like I’m slowly getting chubbier. So today I decided to break down and buy some maternity pants, and now I’m wishing I would have just done it weeks ago!

Here it is, my first belly picture! I am just a few days shy of 17 weeks along:

Everything is going really well. I am over the morning sickness, although I still have a hard time eating anything that has a whole lot of flavor to it. Breads/cheeses/fruits/cereals are my best friends! I also sometimes sleep up to 10 hours a day and even after a slow day at work have a hard time keeping myself motivated in the evenings, but of course Mike has been great about picking up the slack. He even helps with the laundry which is kind of a big deal because it is easily his least favorite chore.

So that’s where we are now! Aside from being pregnant I am loving my new job and Guy and Gal Salon, and even though I started out a bit rusty after taking a year off from cutting hair (and about 2.5 years off from doing any kind of color!) I feel I am getting back into the swing of things and have even had a few repeat clients after only one month. I’m so glad I decided to go back to doing hair, even though it’s totally an impractical job for a pregnant lady! At least the thought of going to work every day doesn’t make me want to start pulling out my own hair. Never underestimate the importance of doing what you love.  

Thanks for listening and have a fantastic weekend!

My Pregnancy: The First 3 Months

As much as the last few weeks have seemed to drag by, I can’t believe I am already 1/3^rd of the way done with my pregnancy. It has been a bumpy road and if you had asked me a few weeks ago I would have told you that I was either going to wait a few years to have another one, or just adopt. Either way, the bottom line was, “I’m not doing this again!” But now that some of the morning sickness has started to subside, well, let’s just say we’ll see.

Around the first of March I had a dream that I was pregnant and it unnerved me to the point that I decided to take a pregnancy test as soon as I woke up. That turned out to be a bad idea because when I finally worked up the nerve to take a peek, I was greeted with the faintest little blue line I have ever seen. I went to work that day not knowing if I was or wasn’t, and was pretty much a basket case all day. I found a website where people had posted pictures of their pregnancy tests, and people could vote on whether they thought the test was positive. Finally I gave up and called Mike and told him to go out and buy a digital test, that way I could get a clear “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” I took the test the moment I got home.

At about 5 weeks I woke up and made a run for the bathroom, I felt terrible but I was still smiling even after throwing up. It felt like a rite of passage. Morning sickness varies for everyone, but I had no idea just how much or what I was in for! After a couple of days of throwing up morning, noon, and night…at work, in my car, and many other fun places, I went to Urgent Care and got some medicine for nausea. It helped a little bit but a few days later I must have been very dehydrated because I fainted on my morning run for the bathroom and that’s when I decided to see an OBGYN. (This also just so happened to be on Mike's Birthday. Leap Day. His 6th "real" birthday ever. But he was sweet enough to stay in and take care of me. I will be forever grateful!)

My doctor diagnosed me with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which basically just means that my morning sickness causes me to throw up a LOT. I had already lost 10 pounds in two weeks, but after talking to and reading stories about others who have had the same illness; I have realized that I could have had it a LOT worse. Luckily, I was diagnosed early and given a solution that has worked pretty well. I have gone from throwing up 6-10 times a day to once every few days, which still sounds terrible but has really been such a blessing!

This is my Zofran pump, which gives me a steady dose of nausea medication 24/7. It is attached to a tiny catheter in my stomach at an infusion site that I have to move every couple of days or it starts to get itchy/painful. It doesn’t really hurt much to put it in, but it is a mind trip! I would never make it as a diabetic.

It is a bit of a hassle, carting this thing around everywhere and always making sure I have enough batteries, refrigerated medicine, etc. I also have a nurse who calls me every morning for my “assessment” which just means I have to weigh in, test my urine for keytones to make sure I’m not dehydrated, tell her how much I’m eating/drinking, how my nausea level is on a scale from 1-10, and so on. If I do get too dehydrated I have to have a nurse come out to hook me up to an IV drip and that is a MAJOR pain to cart around, so I try my best to stay hydrated!

I have taken the last few weeks off from work, but am gearing up to go back next week. I was lucky enough to get to take a trip to California for my birthday, which fully awesome even with the nausea.

Flying a kite at the beach, cameo appearance by my pump!

It has been very relaxing and while I am a bit worried about going back to work, I am beyond ready to get out of this house! Through all of this I have learned a lot about myself, and just how much stress and worry I can handle. As much as I would like to complain about how horrible it has been (and it has been), I truly do realize that it could have been so much worse. I talked to one woman who had Hyperemesis years ago and her doctor didn’t know how to help her, so she lost so much weight and got so dehydrated that she had to be hospitalized. Other women experience symptoms all the way up until delivery, while mine seem to be slowly improving. I was also lucky to have a doctor who put me on the Zofran pump right away, because without it I would have surely spent the last 3 months on the floor of the bathroom.

I am looking forward to this Saturday, when I can officially wave bye-bye to my first trimester, and hope the next one will be a little more fun!

Our Exciting News!

Over the past few weeks I have had plenty of practice sharing this great news, but I still find that I have no idea where to start, so I think it is best to just jump right in: Mike and I are going to have a baby! Yep, in just a few months there will be a little Cucinotta learning to crawl in the very living room I sit as I type this.

Word cannot express the excitement I feel, although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t freaking out as well. I don't think anything can really prepare you to be a mommy, and I will be shocked when they actually let me take the little one home from the hospital. Luckily I have plenty of mommy friends to look up to, and the ones that I may have slipped my secret to a bit early have been quick to offer up all of the books and maternity clothes I could ever need. And of course I can't forget to mention that Mike has been amazing too. I've had some monstrous mood swings and he hasn't let me hurt his feelings or even laughed at my irrationality once! I'm very lucky to have so much support.

Mike and I went to our first OBGYN appointment this week where we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat and had the first ultrasound. Hearing the heartbeat was surreal and actually seeing the baby was indescribable. I’ll admit I was hoping for twins but I wasn’t disappointed at all to find that there was only one healthy baby in there instead of two. (I know, I’m crazy, I’ve just always wanted twins!).

So here is the very first picture of our little one, and just to give you an idea, I am about 11 weeks along (almost out of the first trimester, and it has been a doozy! but more on that later). I’m told everything looks as it should, but to me it just looks like I’m going to have some kind of baby bean! Best to let it cook a little longer, I think.

So there you have it. My due date is still a little uncertain, but he or she should be here for all of you to meet by the end of October. I know I can’t wait!