Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to ME!!

Last night, Juliet slept for SEVEN hours straight. From 10:00-5:00!!!! I won't be expecting that kind of night again anytime soon. But, I'd like to thank my thoughtful daughter for the best Christmas present EVER!!

And what's a post without a pic? Thanks to Jayme on the photoboard for help editing this one!

Juliet AKA "Jane Fonda"

I love this little velour sweat suit and was really enjoying myself when I added the little headband the other day. Chris dubbed Juliet "Jane Fonda", which made it even more perfect when I imported the pictures from the camera and saw this last one.

She starts out looking pretty innocent.


You could take aerobics instructions from her, right?



Not so fast- Jane Fonda can get MEAN!

Snowman Arts and Crafts Project

I haven't been brave enough before to attempt a true project like this with Aidric, but with the weather so cold, we need some diversions inside. (Yes, 30 degrees is COLD!)

So, I found a recipe for play-doh that would harden in the oven and we made the play-doh first (using flour, salt, vegetable oil and water) and then formed balls to make a snowman. Well, I formed the balls- Aidric smashed the balls until I finally had to move over to the counter to finish them. What a mess we made! Good thing daddy was working away from home that day!!




We waited until the following day to paint the masterpiece. And I guess all of the times that I've said, "We only paint on paper" actually sunk in, b/c he didn't love painting on the snowman and kept asking for "pay-puh".





As for Miss Jules- you can see she was VERY excited to witness this project.


A few more of her to show you the cute outfit she was wearing that day. (Thanks Aunt Sarah!)

Very Important Reminder!!!!

Tomorrow is the last day to vote for this adorable picture!!! Please vote if you haven't already and send this link to all of your friends!! (Juliet is #2- I know those twins are adorable, but focus on #2 =)

click here to vote!!

In the event that you need further proof that Miss Juliet should be the winner of this contest, check out our slide show of images from Mollie. They are AMAZING!!!!! How will I even choose which one to get on a canvas if we win???? (It's a problem I'm willing to deal with - GO VOTE!!!)

click here for slideshow


This is the picture you're voting for: (#2)


=

Yep, it's cold and flu season...

and RSV season of course. Aidric and Juliet had "well baby" visits today- Juliet's 2 week check-up and Aidric's 18 month. Except that there is really nothing well about either of them right now!

Aidric likely has RSV, but his pedi opted not to actually test for it, since it won't change anything treatment wise. There is really no actual treatment for RSV- just for the symptoms. He's been coughing a lot and wheezing. He had a breathing treatment at his appointment this morning (which he HATED and during which all of my child life skills went right out the window while we held him down and shoved the tube in front of him to just get it over with) and his oxygen levels did improve from 94 to 97. We need to watch him overnight and potentially bring him back in tomorrow for another treatment or rent the equipment to do some treatments at home.

RSV for Aidric is not fun, but it could be really bad if Juliet catches it. It's one of the top causes of hospitalization for infants. So, our goal is to keep Aidric as far away from her as possible- much easier said than done since he loves to "pet" her and kiss on her!

As for the little chunker...she is up to 8 lbs and 3 oz!!!! Holy Cow!! This is sooo different from Aidric, who didn't hit 8 lbs. until he was around 6 weeks old! She's 50th% for both her height and weight, but it just seems sooo big to me! Her newborn diapers have gotten a little snug and we've made the switch to size 1's. What a milestone. Sadly, at 2 weeks, she does already have her first cold. She slept ok for the first half of the night last night, but I had to hold her on my chest, upright, from about 5 am to 7 this morning b/c she was so stuffed up.

Did I mention I'm sick too? It really is fun times here!! Chris already had it, so at least we have on healthy family member.

But, despite the sickness, I leave you with a few cute pics.



These are from this weekend- Aidric was in the backpack "helping" daddy with the leaf blower and I went out and snapped a few shots. About 20 minutes later, I looked out the window and saw Aidric's little head just dangling around- OUT COLD. So, Chris brought him in and he immediately went to the window, 1/2 asleep and just kept saying "Dad-dy, dad-dy" over and over again. So sweet!
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Pretty in purple..

Well, mommy's favorite color for Juliet may be pink, but the other day I put her in this purple outfit and she just looked so pretty! Her eyes are blue right now and the purple made them really stand out. (wish that showed up better in the pictures!)

Ooooh, PLEASE go vote for us!!

Check out our photographer's blog and vote for Juliet's picture in her give away contest!! (She's #2)

click here to vote!!

This is the picture you're voting for: (#2)

WOW!!!

I am blown away by how much I LOVE our newborn pictures of Juilet. This is a link to our sneak peek- I will post the slide show when it's ready!!
photographyinbloom

So, do you think they look alike?

I don't think Aidric and Juliet look alike at all, but as I was editing this photo of her, I remembered that I had one very similar of Aidric. What do you think? Similarities??

The big brother?? Or the baby boy??

Aidric hasn't used a pacifier since he was four months old. And now that I think about it, none of his little friends have one either, so he hasn't even been around one in a long time.

So, the other day, when he went in the other room and didn't make a peep, I wondered what he was doing, but didn't go in to check on him. My mom came down the stairs and I heard her say, "What do you have in your mouth?" and totally panicked that in my neglectful parenting he had gotten a hold of something dangerous.

Completely cracked me up when I saw this instead:

Taking after her big bro...

Anyone remember this?
Seems like Juliet is already trying to copy her big brother. She's taking a slightly different route though. Since Aidric was already in the NICU, they just put him under the phototherapy lights. With Juliet, they used a bili blanket that could be used right in my room. We had to rotate it from her front to her back every 3-4 hours. You can see the light glowing from under the swaddle. She's only slightly jaundiced, but b/c our blood types are incompatible, we learned she is COOMBS positive and that puts her at higher risk of her bilirubin levels skyrocketing to a dangerous level.



Her levels continued to rise, but she was discharged with orders to go home on a bili bed for at least 24 hours. Here she is on the bed at home.


This is probably the only picture of her thus far where I think she looks anything like Aidric.



We got her levels checked again yesterday. Once again, they went up, but that was expected. Their levels do rise as they get older. So, although they went up, she went from "high risk" to "intermediate high risk". That does mean two more days on the bed though! I hate it b/c we can't cuddle her and hold her and love on her- she has to be in the bed AT ALL TIMES. Technically, I am supposed to somehow figure out how to breastfeed her in the bed. Even the nurse admitted that was extreme and that she has yet to encounter a mom who has managed that. So, I do get some snuggle time every few hours while I feed her. Poor Chris just gets to admire her from afar. I can't wait until tomorrow when we'll hopefully get to do away with the bili bed!!!

Finally!

Blogger is working and I can upload some photos! I just can't even explain how different this birth and hospital experience has been from Aidric's. From the minute labor started (with Aidric, at 3 am while Chris was out of town at 34 weeks....and with Juliet, a planned induction in the hospital with Chris by my side at 39 weeks) to the actual delivery, to spending time with Juliet in my hospital room versus visiting Aidric in the NICU when they would let me....wow- what a difference!!!

I have to say, this experience has been heavenly compared to the first one! I love having her in the bassinet next to my bed and looking at her whenever I want to discover something new. I remember with Aidric, I would get my computer out to look at the pictures I had taken of him earlier in the day, just to remember what he looked like. I feel so lucky that I've already memorized Juliet's chubby little features =) I feel like I already "know" her better than I got to know him at this stage.

For example, she's a sleeper!! I have had to wake her up to get her to eat since yesterday afternoon. It takes forever to get her awake, and then once she eats she spends maybe another 30 minutes with her eyes open before going back to sleep. Believe me, I am NOT complaining- I view this as a good thing!

She also loves to have her hands up by her face. We should have predicted that considering every ultrasound showed her with her hands right up there.

And this is just a random observation, but can I just say that I LOVE her little baby mohawk? She actually has hair that starts on the sides of her head and naturally "swoops" over to the middle to make this mohawk! (You can see it best in the picture of her with my mom.) I can't wait to get some bows in it before it all falls out!

I'll stop rambling now- enjoy the pics. And don't be deceived by the sweet pictures of Aidric kissing Juliet. The truth is, he is not currently a big fan. He didn't mind her so much when grandma was holding her, but the size of the lower lip that came out when mommy held her was SO sad. It even quivered a little while his eyes filled up with tears. And he wanted nothing to do with sitting on daddy's lap if that meant sharing it with his little sister.

We are most likely going to be discharged today and I'm hoping he changes his mind about her sooner rather than later! We're giving him a Christmas present early to help ease the transition. Grandma and daddy are putting his "kitchen" together during nap right now, so hopefully he'll have fun with that distraction and not quite notice the huge disruption in his life!

Juliet Alexandra Zohlen arrived at 12:29 pm

She's here!!!!

7 lbs. 8 oz.
19.5 inches

Chris is already calling her Jules. She has a VERY healthy set of lungs but is cuddling with daddy quietly right now. Pics later!!

labor update!

as of 10:20, Dr. Grogono checked me and I am 100% effaced and 6 cm dilated!! Wow!!! She thinks we may be ready to push around noon or so. And if you're wondering how I am typing during this, that is due to a beautiful thing called EPIDURAL. I got it around 9:00 and life is good =)

18 months!!

Thought I'd be productive during early labor here =)

How fun that Aidric and his little sister will be exactly 18 months apart? He was born on May 31 and she (hopefully) will arrive today on December 1. The last few weeks with the little man have been some of the most challenging thus far, but also some of the most fun ever. His personality is just exploding. I love making these lists to remember the little details of his life and personality. I meant to start working on this list, but I kept forgetting to write them down. But, here are some of the fun ones Chris and I just came up with:

1. the EXPLOSION in his vocabulary over the last few weeks- he'll use words I had no idea he knew
2. how happy he is to play with anything that beeps
3. the way he plays in his crib when he first wakes up- sometimes for up to 1/2 an hour- then stands up and yells Mommy until I go get him
4. the way he gets SO excited, holds up his pointer fingers on both hands and yells "DO!" when i ask if he wants his vitamins. I'm not sure why he yells two, b/c he actually gets three of them. but two is definitely his favorite number......
5. speaking of 2, when he stacks his blocks, he counts as he puts them on, "two, two, two"- not sure what happened to one, three and every other number....
6. he is such a little flirt on the playground- the other day, he kept running up to this little girl, making her laugh and then running away, all the while making sure she was still looking at him
7. when chris and i are laughing about something, he joins in with this gigantic fake laugh that then cracks us up even more and the cycle continues
8. the enthusiasm he shows for some of his favorite objects, such as planes, slides, and puppies. he points with both arms and yells, "PAIN!!" or "SIDE!!" or, in a lower voice, "PUP-PY!"
9. how he still loves to read. i hope that gets to always remain on my "favorite things" list b/c i love snuggling and reading with him
10. the way he responds with "huv who" when we say "love you"
11. how his version of puckering up for a kiss includes an open mouth and lots of slobber
12. his HUGE little lip that he sticks out when he is sad or pouting
13. how he knows when he needs a diaper change, looks at us and says "poop" with a slightly pained look on his face, then goes to the changing area and lays down
14. the way he leans to one side when he farts- and then laughs afterwards
15. his little voice calling "alp" when he needs help with something. (such as in the first two pictures here when he got himself stuck on the kitchen chairs- I was cooking and hear his little "ALP!" and turn around see this. of course, instead of helping, i grabbed the camera first)
16. the way he doesn't just say no when he disagrees with something. he says, "no..no...no..no, no" while shaking his head vigorously. he wants you to know he means it.
17. how much he loves to play in the front seat of our cars. he has honestly spent over 45 minutes at a time, steering and pushing buttons
18. his endless desire to know "wha di?", which is Aidric for "What's this?" I try to give him good answers, but sometimes, like when we're in the car, I resort to "button". "that's another button" "also a button" rather than explain what each button does =)





Another wild hair day

We're at the hospital!!

It's 8:15 now and we checked in at 6:45. Things are moving so much faster than I would have expected. My nurse started the pitocin right at 7:40, after she checked me. I was 80% effaced and 3 cm dilated- baby is at -1 station. (Kind of weird to hear that, b/c at my appointment last week, I was 90% effaced, 2 cm dilated and baby at 0 station). I know it's somewhat subjective, but you don't expect to move backwards!

So, having never been induced I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I asked a lot of friends yesterday though about their experiences and based on that, I assumed it would be a few hours on the pitocin before my water broke on its own or my doctor broke it. Wrong! Dr. Grogono came in about 5 minutes after the pitocin was started and broke my water! Crazy.

I'm starting to feel contractions now, but more crmapiness than horrible pain. Dr. Grogono is predicting a birth around 2:00/3:00. My nurse, Amy, was guessing more like noon. I am hoping the nurse is right =)

Out and About

The quality of these pictures are really bad, b/c they were all taken with my phone.

This was about two weeks ago- Aidric was just having one of those days and I was EXHAUSTED trying to keep him happy. Conveniently, I was also craving ice cream, so when he woke up from his nap, we went to Dairy Queen. I brought him a bowl and spoon and we shared a blizzard- he loved it!






A little "Rock Band" at Best Buy last weekend:




On the way to Ikea yesterday:

cute, but gross

I had a little fun with some hair product yesterday- to my surprise, it stayed like this ALL day.

Then, Chris and AJ had a little fun with the "let's show each other what we're eating" game.

Good times all around....

Ow-Die!!

That is Aidric for "outside", his absolute FAVORITE place to be. Here are a few pics from the weekend...

Having fun raking...


And all of a sudden, raking wasn't fun anymore. We have no idea why. It just wasn't.


Fun in the leaves with daddy...




This little monster was pushing my legs, pulling on my hand and generally being difficult while I was trying to put the bedding on his little sister's crib. So,I put him in the crib, and this is what we got- he cuddled right up and didn't want to get out!