Missing Sweden..

Time for another Sweden recap!

So the little American stroller we had bought to bring with us didn't last very long. We bought it because it was small (we knew we would be living on the 4th floor of an apartment building with no elevator) but it was more than just an umbrella stroller because it leaned pretty far back so he could still nap in it. 

I kept seeing these awesome prams everywhere and got it in my head that I just HAD to have one! Best money ever spent. When you spend 7 months with only riding in a car on 3 separate occasions and you spend your days walking and taking busses- you NEED a good stroller. Plus when we would travel places he would sleep in the bassinet part because he refused to sleep in bed with us. 

We found this one for a really good price- and Drew, with minimal help from me, had to get that huge box, which was also really heavy, on and off 2 different busses, across the street and up 4 flights of stairs.. 

 Bonus: that box provided hours and hours of entertainment for weeks afterwards

 Jasper loved sitting under there- he would have snacks, a 'baba' or read books under there. That is until we figured out we had a storage unit on the bottom floor of our apartment building and we no longer had to pull that monster up and down 4 flights a stairs multiple times a day. It was seriously a work out doing that

 So bundled up you can barely see that there is a toddler under there. We spent hours outside every single day, in 5-20 degree weather and never once heard a complaint out of Jasper. He loves the cold

 These next two pictures are some of my favorite pictures of all time

I love that walking country roads in the middle of winter were totally in the norm for us..oh how I miss it

I keep meaning to write baby T's birth story, and since I'm starting to forget some of the details, it's time to write it out! Some of the moments from that day are hard to relive, but at the same time I don't want to forget any of it. I can tell this is going to be long, so probably needs to be written and broken down into several posts so it doesn't get to long winded...

Late friday night and early Saturday morning I lay I kept waking up every 15-20 minutes with back pain/low pressure. I couldn't get comfortable and had to keep switching sides often. It was around 6:40 that it hit me that the back pressure was coming and going pretty regularly. I decided to download an iphone app to time the contractions. They were coming exactly every 10 minutes and lasting about 45 seconds. And they became increasingly painful every time. After the 3rd one I woke Drew up and told him I might be in labor. But I still didn't Really believe I was, because I don't go into labor. I get shoved into labor at 42 weeks (at least with Jasper.)

It was harder to time the contractions once we all got up- so I decided to go for a little walk by myself. I walked to the park, and decided to call the on call OB just to ask if this could possibly be labor and how far apart they should be before I called again. 

Sitting on the park bench about 7:45AM waiting for the OB to call me back

The OB called me back with in ten minutes (there are I think 7 doctors in my practice and I'd been seeing the same one the whole time who was scheduled to do my c section on Monday so I hadn't met the rest of them) and after I explained what was going on he said "Yep sounds like you are in labor and I don't want you laboring all day with out food or water (I had been told if I go into labor to make sure not to eat or drink since they don't want Anything in you during a c-section) so let's have you come in and get that c- section taken care of" 

That's when it got real. I really didn't think I was going to be having her till Monday, even with the now painful back labor contractions. On the walk back I called my friend who was going to be watching Jasper to let her know, and she left right then to come get Jasper since she lives 40 minutes away.

I got home, let the boys know what was going on, still in shock I think, and jumped in the shower. By the time I got out and my friend got here the contractions were every 3-4 minutes apart- in only an hour they had gone from 10 min. apart to 3-4! And now I couldn't talk through them. I just kept walking- that helped the pain. 

Waiting for M to come get J

I was almost thankful to be in so much pain when it was time for Jasper to leave, otherwise saying good bye to him would have been even harder. 

The 12 minute ride to the hospital (yes, I timed it) were agonizing. Sitting still during contractions were nearly impossible. Since I only know back labor I can't compare it to 'regular' labor, but the way I have described it is every contraction feels like someone taking a sledge hammer and slamming into my tailbone (for about a minute) than the pain goes completely away for about 3 minutes at this point before it happens again. I already have a constantly sore tailbone from cracking it Jr. year in high school, so maybe that makes it worse, but sitting on that table bone during that pain is nearly unbearable. 

We got to the hospital by 9:45 and I was in a laboring room with in 10 minutes. The next 30 minutes or so were spent having the anesthesiologist come in and explain what he would be doing and ask a bunch of questions, the OB came in to introduce himself and check on me (I was 5cm dilated at this point!) and the resident assisting came in as well. Everyone was amazing! Especially my nurse at this point. 

The worst part about this part were the contractions, about every 2 min. at this point, and the nurses trying to get my iv in. I have really sucky veins. One one arm I don't have a functioning one (to be able to stick an iv in) and in my left arm it's not a good one so after a few attempts they called the anaesthesiologist back in to see if he could put my iv in. He told me I should be flattered since it's not something he does very often. But in between contractions he was finally able to get it in. 

Apparently gripping the side of the bed during contractions

Okay I think that's long enough for now. I'll continue soon.

Testing..

Finally downloaded an app to blog from my phone so hopefully this works!!

Just a little update

Thank you for all the sweet congrats! We are feeling very blessed right now. 

We finally got home yesterday morning and it's been pretty crazy ever since! I feel like all I do is nurse and pump! But I know that will eventually change and things will get back to 'normal' or a new normal(!!) soon! 

She looks so teeny tiny in her car seat!!

She's here!

Baby decided she didn't want to wait till Monday morning's c-section and made her debut at 11:11 AM today, April 21st.

Tindra Helene Birgit (plus last name)

7 lbs 1 oz

19.5 inches long

Such a little peanut compared to how big her brother was! 

She's absolutely Perfect and we could not be more smitten. She was nursing within 45 minutes after the c-section! Such a champ. 

More later, time to try to walk around for the first time. 

Pre baby ritual

Reading. Apparently when I have days left before having a baby I go into crazy reading mode. I love to read. I always have and I'm sure always will. Most days I would much rather read a GOOD book than watch TV/movie. In fact, when I get a new book, chances are nothing will get done around the house until it's done. So it's a good thing I read quickly! 

Back to the ritual. A few days before Jasper was born, the new and final Harry Potter book came out. I wanted it BADLY but I didn't think I could justify spending $30 something on a book when I was saving every penny for having a baby at 21. Luckily I had like 4 friends who were quickly reading it and all offered that as soon as they were done it was all mine. It ended up being Drew's friend (who I worked with at the elementary school that summer) who was done first then it was all mine! It's a 700 something page book- and I read it in 3 days. I actually saved the last 50 pages or so do read at the hospital the night I went in to be induced (which led to the Harry Potter hallucination after the crazy med reaction I had.)

Obviously I didn't know it was a ritual then since it was my first babe. But then this time around I kept hearing about 50 Shades of Grey- and I've been so incredibly sore and tired that I don't want to do anything but lay in bed as soon as Jasper is in bed for the night, so with out knowing Anything about the book, I ordered the first one of the trilogy on my kindle Monday night. And ooooh boy was I sucked in. I stayed up till 2 AM reading (bad bad idea I know, but I've pretty much got insomnia at this point anyway)  and finished it the next day. So onto book 2. And then yesterday, started the final book of the trilogy. I read this one slower, taking more breaks because I didn't want it to be over. Sadly, today the trilogy came to an end for me. Sigh.

Now what am I going to do for the next three days? HA like I don't have plenty to do, laundry, scrub the house from top to bottom, finish packing my hospital bag, pack Jasper's bags for his sleepovers he will be having while we are in the hospital, figure out what we are doing with our dog while we are gone for 3-4 days, go grocery shopping so we actually have FOOD when we get home from the hospital..and the list goes on. So yes you see I have plenty to do, but all I really want to do is curl up in bed, or outside on the couch while Jasper plays out in the sun, and read a GOOD book and wait for this baby to make her appearance. 

 Sitting out in the sun, drinking ice water with frozen berries while reading a steamy novel- perfect afternoon while Jasper naps. 

 Ooh Mr Grey.... 

Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? Are you as obsessed with Mr. Christian Grey as I am? Let's discuss! 

6 days to go!

Till it's baby time! I'm in SHOCK. Besides the last couple of weeks this pregnancy has really flown by! I'm sure having a 4 year old who never stops moving has something to do with that :)

So here it is, the 38 week stats!

How far along: 38 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: watermelon, 19-22 inches and around 6.5-7 lbs. 

Total Weight Gain: 28 lbs, same as last week. I keep going down a pound or two than back up those same pounds. But I'm okay with this weight! Maybe I'll be up 30 lbs by baby time but I'm guessing not more than that. 

Maternity Clothes: maxi dresses, long skirts, capris, yoga pant capris- none of those maternity but shirts are getting super hard to fit.

Gender: Girl!    

Movement: She's a kicker. And her kicks and punches HURT sometimes! Jasper's never did- at least not that I remember! 

Sleep: HA. Not happening. I'm a walking zombie. For real. I keep doing stuff like putting ice cream in the fridge because my mind just isn't fully functioning on this little sleep. 

What I miss: Everything fitting. Being able to see my vajajay.

Cravings: Cheese/butter sandwiches and popsicles! Oh and SUPER hot chips and salsa! And I'm not usually a fan of hot food. 

Symptoms: Heart burn! I had it a few times beginning of this pregnancy- no fun at all. 

What I’m looking forward to:Holding my daughter. Jasper and her first meeting. I'm SO looking forward to that. I think it will be so so special. I get all teary eyed just thinking about it! 

And here's the bump- I keep thinking it can't get any bigger..and then it does. 

Jasper and his ladies. BFF's since they were just turning 2! 

We met up with our friends for one last playdate/lunch date before these babies arrive. My friend is due just 2 weeks after, so it will be a while before we get together with all the kiddo's! 

I picked this dress up at Forever 21 this weekend and thrilled it fits now and I'm sure will fit after as well for a while! Bonus? Nursing access! 

Thrifting WIN

Last week when Jasper was in preschool I had 30 min after running my errands so I decided to stop into the thrift store ( third time!! I'm starting to become a regular thrifter!) 

I'm pretty sure I hit the thrifting JACKPOT. Just LOOK at these toddler/little girl dresses? At first I put them back, I mean really my daughter isn't even born yet, looking at toddler/preschool age dresses is a tad premature. But then I found myself circling back and grabbed the dresses. They were too perfect to pass up! I've seen dresses in these condition sell on ebay and etsy for $20-$30 a piece and I bought 7 for like $35 so I couldn't not get them! I still don't know what I'm going to do with them, we move a lot so holding on to something for so long doesn't quite make sense but for now they are washed and in our possession! 

This looked fun!

I decided to link up with the Ultimate Blog Party! Looks like a great way to find some fun new blogs to read :) If you are joining me from the blog party, let me introduce myself and please comment doing the same so I can come check you out as well!

I'm Darlene, 25 year old stay at home mamma, to Jasper, wife to Drew and soon to be mamma to baby girl, due in just 2 weeks! 

I blog about my passions such as my family, the outdoors, fashion, organic cooking, traveling, Sweden, and pretty much anything else that pops in my head. 

This is the love of my life. He entered the world in August, 2007.

I may be just a tad bit biased but he is the funniest, most talkative, smartest kid Ever. It's true. 

I don't have any recent pictures of the husband or I'd post one- but the guy hates having his picture taken. But I promise he's real.

That's it for now- introduce yourself if you are new and go join the block hop if you haven't!

Happiness.

My little bits of happiness this week

 Little man and I had a slumber party last weekend. We kicked the pappa out and watched movies, told stories in the dark and snuggled all night long. Trying to drink in as much Jasper/Mamma time before things change in a big way. 

 Getting baby girl's closet organized brings a big smile to my face

 Jasper's Swedish buddy and her sister came over for a playdate and all three wore their matching sweaters from Sweden! 

 We surprised pappa with a picnic lunch and ate outside in the sun!

 My sweet sweet boy has started helping me get my shoes on, it's getting very difficult to bend over to put them on!

 Jasper sorting his Easter goodies 

 This baby arrived from Iowa on Monday. I have been LOVING driving around in my new car! 

 It RAINED yesterday for the first time since either September or October- and it was a real thunderstorm with tons of rain so we headed out to sit on our patio to watch the rain. So cozy. Jasper was loving it so much he asked if we could sleep outside. 

 Watching the rain. Which turned into hail. 

A good rainstorm makes me happy happy. Too bad they usually don't last more than 20-30 minutes here in CO and are very few and far between. 

Operation:Get baby OUT

I used to think people complaining once they were full time that they wanted baby out were kind of selfish. Like come on, you have been pregnant for 9 months, what's another couple of weeks, right? WRONG! These last few weeks are miserable this time around. I'm pretty much not sleeping at all- sure I doze on and off for 20/30 min at a time, but at night time I'm so stuffed up and congested I can't swallow or breathe unless sitting up straight- and me sleeping while sitting up just does Not happen. This congestion thing has been going on a few months now (apparently pregnancy related) and just has gotten so much worse over the last month. You should see the bags under my eyes! So yeah, this time around I'm more ready to have her out at 37.5 weeks than I was at 42 weeks with Jasper. Plus I was 42 weeks pregnant last time- I think it's only fair I get a couple of weeks shaved off this time around!

So operation:get baby out is officially under way. Last night we had super spicy asian cuisine, this morning I spent almost 4 hrs walking around the zoo. So PLEASE, if you have any natural ways to encourage her to come (ZERO interested in trying castor oil!) pretty please send them my way. Did anything work to get your baby out? I'm at about a 2CM dilated and have been at least since last Tuesday so she's making progress- just need to help her speed up that progress!

37 weeks 1 day!

How far along: 37 weeks 1 day. FULL TERM BABY

Size of Baby: watermelon, 19-22 inches and around 6.5 lbs. 

Total Weight Gain: 28 lbs. I don't think I've gained any in the last two weeks. 

Maternity Clothes: maxi dresses, long skirts, capris, yoga pant capris- none of those maternity but shirts are getting super hard to fit.

Gender: Girl. Last night I had my first dream about her! She  was here and  had super  long hair!       

Movement: She's still pretty active! Shes the most active at night when I try to go to sleep- hoping this doesn't mean she's going to be a night owl! 

Sleep: I attempt to sleep- completely sitting up because every night I have this ridiculous congestion. Like I can't even swallow! It's only at night and I pray that it stops as SOON as she gets here! I can nap decently during the day though so I'm extremely grateful Jasper still takes about a 2 hr nap because if I didn't have that hour and a half nap a day I don't know how I would make it through the day.

What I miss: Everything fitting. Being able to see my vajajay.

Cravings: Cheese/butter sandwiches and popsicles! Oh and SUPER hot chips and salsa! And I'm not usually a fan of hot food. 

Symptoms:PELVIC PAIN. Ouch.

What I’m looking forward to:Baby girl coming!! I'm seriously just ready to hold my daughter. Oh and I'm also looking forward to our brand new (to us!) car arriving tonight! We bought a 2010 Chevrolet HRR in Iowa, and my brother is currently driving it out here to us! I'm most excited about this car having an automatic car starter- woohooo! No more freezing in the car as we wait for it to warm up! Or boiling in the summer waiting for the air to cool us down. Yep pretty excited :)

  

Tomorrow I have my OB appointment and hopefully I'll find out we have made some PROGRESS! Last week at 36 I was 2CM dilated!! That's a huge deal for me because it took 42 weeks and ten hrs of induced labor before I was at a 2 last time around!!