Today

Today I had the last of my scheduled doctor visits.  It feels like the end of an era!  As I was leaving the examination room, I almost felt sad not having anymore regular appointments with my doctor.  Change always makes me feel nostalgic.

Can you believe it's December 2nd already?  I can't.  Seems like it took forever for September to come, and now September, October, and November came and went already!  Yikes!

Friday Finds

Went to Lowes today. Two times.

Bought a washer and dryer.

Came home with a cactus.

The washer and dryer will be delivered later.

Monday Morning Musings - This last month

It's been an interesting month since my last post.  Some of it's been great and some has been not so great.  Nothing horrible has happened.  I've just had an interesting time adjusting to life as a mother.  Lots of mental and emotional turmoil.  I decided to talk to my doctor about it and we decided that I was probably suffering from Postpartum Depression and needed some medication.  It kind of surprised me because I wasn't feeling particularly sad or "depressed."  Just really, really extremely anxious about everything.  And that's just not me.  But after just about a week and a half on the medication, I started feeling much better and now I feel back to normal!  Hooray for modern medicine!

Now for the great parts.  Cadence started smiling!  She's such a smiley baby now!  It's so cute and is a sanity saver!

She's also starting to enjoy her play gym a bit more.  She makes all kinds of cute coos and grunts as she's playing.

And, unbelievably, she slept for SIX STRAIGHT HOURS one night this week!  I've been lucky if she did four and I got three.  I'm hoping for a few more sixers!

Thankful Thursday - Welcome Breaks

I'm grateful for people who will hold my crying baby and not just immediately give her back.  It's a welcome break and I love it!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Way Back When Wednesday - Ok, so it wasn't that long ago... Part II

Continued from last week's Way Back When...

It took them so long to stitch me back up.  Or at least it seemed like it took so long.  Time passed by slowly when half of my body was numb.  My two doctors chatted a bit while they worked, and I tried to chat with them as well, but I didn't have too much to say other than, "How many kids do you have Dr. Skinner," and "I think I'd like to do this again with my next kid!"

Then they wheeled me into the recovery room.  At this point all I could think about was the HORRIBLE taste in my mouth (having a baby hadn't really hit me yet).  I kept asking the nurse in the recovery room if I could take off the oxygen mask, but she didn't do much about it, until the nurse from the OR left.  Then she happily took it from me.  And she gave me some gum.  Wonderful gum!

I was in there for about an hour, pretty much alone.  I think I was the only patient in there so it was just me and the two nurses.  One sat right next to me and read a magazine.  Both were nice and easy to chat with.  

By the time they took me to my room, I was only able to wiggle my left foot and the toes on my right.  But it wasn't long before I was able to move everything.  But I didn't really want to.  It was an odd feeling getting feeling back.  I kind of expected it to be painful like when your feet fall asleep, but it wasn't like that at all.  It was just weird.

After a few minutes, they brought Cadence into our room.  What can I say about those first few minutes?  They were wonderful and scary all at the same time.  In one way, it felt like she wasn't my baby at all with the c-section and hour long wait in the recovery room.  In another way, I knew she was mine because she was my CLONE!!  I couldn't believe how much she looked like my newborn pictures.  There was no mistaking, she was my child!

The three of us only spent three days and two nights in the hospital.  I was lucky enough to have Derek be able to also sleep in the room with us.  And boy, did I need him!  Those two nights were really rough for me.  Seems like night time makes everything worse!  I was feeling anxious about EVERYTHING and had absolutely no idea what to do for her or how to do it!  I used my call button frequently.

I was so sure I'd keep Cadence with me day and night in the hospital.  I really didn't want to put her in the nursery.  I was really worried about her feeling sad or neglected.  But at about midnight on the second night, I was at my wit's end.  She was being so fussy and I was so frazzled.  I was bawling because my baby girl was crying and I couldn't do anything to help her!!  See the hormones?  I talked to a nurse and decided to put her in the nursery so I could get some much needed sleep (Sometimes I wish I had that option now!).  Best decision I made that night!

My recovery went pretty quickly.  I had bit of pain, but it was quite manageable with some drugs.  I was able to walk to and from the bathroom the first day, and by the second and third day I was confident enough to carry Cadence around with me.  Sitting up was a trick, but that's why hospital beds have those cool remotes right?

The morning of the third day, my doctors told me I could go home whenever I wanted to; Cadence and I were both doing just fine.  Of course, it took all day to get the needed paperwork together and for my doctor--who was now also Cadence's pediatrician--to sign her off.  But she finally came around 5:00 that evening.

It was so nice to get out of that hospital!  It was nice being waited on hand and foot, but the bed was uncomfortable and I really didn't miss getting my vitals checked twice a night!

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Parts About the First Month

As of last week, Cadence is one month old!  Time is weird.  Looking back, it's seemed to fly by so quickly, but getting through each day and night has seemed like it's taken so long.  Must be something about newborns.  Or maybe just children? 

My Favorite Things About Cadence's First Month

1. Finally getting to see what she looks like.  Derek and I discussed this for a long time.  We're pretty accurate so far.  She looks a lot like me but with blond hair and blue eyes.
   
   
2. Finally making a choice on feeding.  As I said before, looking back on time, it seems to fly.  This choice really only took me two weeks, but the stress of the two options made it seem like so much longer.  Now I'm completely happy and guilt free about the choice I made!
   
   
3. My Project 365.  I made a goal to complete a P365 of Cadence from day one.  It's taken some effort.  Most of the time, I'm so busy taking pictures is the furthest thing from my mind, but I'm so glad I'm doing it!  It's going to be so fun to go back and see how much she's changed.  Heck, it's already fun to go back and look through the pictures and it's only been one month!!
   
   
4. Seeing Cadence's unique personality come out.  Some parts of this are less fun than others.  She has quite a temper!  But when she's happy, she's happy!  And it's so much fun to play with her!
   
   
5. Willow's attitude towards Cadence.  Most of the time, Willow pretty much ignores her.  She seems to know she's there, but doesn't really care.  Even when Cadence is crying extremely loud.  Willow just kind of looks at us like, "Well, what are you going to do to stop this?"  But the other day, she got really brave while Cadence was in her bouncy seat on the floor.  Willow did the curious cat move and slapped her on the head with her (clawless) front paw.  Cadence didn't really like it that much...
   
   
6. The portability factor.  Cadence is still pretty portable.  So even though I'm feeling a little trapped these days, I don't feel too trapped.
   
   
7. Cute little clothes.  Cadence was pretty big when she was born, but not too big.  She still fits into the cute little girl clothes.  And with as much as she spits up, she's wears two sometimes three different outfits a day!
   
   
8. My boppy pillow.  This pillow has been one of the best baby items I've used!  Cadence has been pretty heavy as we hold her since day one so a support is necessary.  I'll tell you just how necessary it is.  It's pink stripped and Derek still asks for it! :)
   
   
9. Great help from family and friends.  Having a baby and becoming a mom has been a really hard transition for me.  It really stresses me out.  I'm sure it stresses every parent out, but it seems a little more extreme for me.  I've been really blessed to have great family and friends who are willing to go the extra mile to help me out.  One friend in particular really goes the extra mile.  Thank you so much Tanya!
   
   
10. Getting to hold and snuggle with Cadence.  There are times during the day I just like to sit and snuggle with my sleeping baby!  Even when I have a ton of other things to do.  She's just too cute!
    
    

Thankful Thursday - A hardworking man

This week I'm particularly grateful for my husband.  Derek is the greatest!  He works two jobs, one of which starts at 3:00 AM!  And he's always willing to help me out with Cadence when he's home.  He'll take her for an hour or two when he gets home from his early morning job so I can get a little more sleep, and he's always offering to do whatever's needed in the evenings after he gets home from his handyman job.   He really works around the clock!!  What a hard working man!

AND for the past week Derek's been extra nice by offering to stay up a little later at night so I can get some extra rest because I think I'm coming down with something (hopefully it's just a little cold).  This is a big deal because he really needs his sleep at night so he can get up early. 

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband!  And I'm so excited for the next job he'll be doing because he'll be able to do it from home in the garage.  That way if I get lonely for him, I can just step outside!




PS: And I can't forget my dad as well. He's been a lifesaver, too!  If he hears Cadence and I having a really rough time, he always takes a break from work to work his grandpa magic to get her to settle down.  He's also a hardworking man!  Not only does he have his full time computer job, he is also the primary caregiver for my disabled mom.