Three Weeks

Roman is three weeks old today. And what a rough three weeks it's been. The first two were fine, but this past week has been filled with terrible late night gas pains for Roman, no sleep for Mama or Dada, and a change in his sleeping where he wants to be held ALL THE TIME. No longer does he sleep in the swing, only on our chest or while being held. This has caused me a lot of stress and worry, as well as lots of tears. I just was so unprepared for things not to go well, as Sophie was so easy from day one. But day by day we are learning what he does and does not like. Based on other posts and reading up online, I've learned that certain foods may be the cause of his pain. So as of yesterday I've eliminated ALL dairy and chocolate from my diet, and last night was the first gas pain free night he's had. I really hope that this is the answer as it was just heartbreaking to hear him scream and cry in pain all night long, with little that we could do to relieve him. I was sure he was destined to be a colicky baby, but now I have new hope!

I've also tried putting him to nap on his tummy, a no no I know, but it's the only way he'll sleep. I'm sure to put him on not too soft bedding with no blankets or loose sheets, and I am confident he'll be fine. What a relief it is to have some time to do things without holding him all the time.

The nursing is going pretty well. Already I'm more successful than I was with Sophie as I knew what to expect with the pain and soreness this time around and really tried to push through it. I take Advil around the clock which really helps and little by little it's getting better. Still pain. Still sore. But it's all bearable and hopefully in the new couple of weeks it will get even better. I tried to nurse him at the playground yesterday which was a disaster for me as I was unprepared and found it very difficult to position him correctly as well as feel comfortable doing it out in the open. I think I'll need to get one of those nursing covers to make things easier for both of us. So for now I will time my outings better to where I know he will not need to nurse.

Roman has yet to have much of a personality as it's so early in his life, and we're just looking forward to getting to know him and what his demeanor will be like. Sophie is adjusting well and is enjoying the extra attention from David. I also have the nanny come in during the week to help out with her as I still can't lift her or take her out and about as I'd like. It's difficult for me not to spend the time I'd like to playing with and holding her, but I know that in a few weeks time that will happen again.

PhotoKuo

Eugene posted a series of beautiful photos he took at the hospital here. I'm so lucky to have such a talented friend. Thanks Eugene!

Roman Baldeosingh Rotstein

October 26, 2009 @ 12:58AM
8 lbs, 15 oz
20 1/2" long
Medium brown hair & blue eyes (for now?)


Welcome to our son Roman! I can't believe I've already given birth and am home with baby. What a whirlwind week!

Everything is going surprisingly well. I was disappointed with the C-Section but I always thought that's how it would end, but wanted to do my best trying. It all so happened so unbelievably fast. So fast that I was told by the Dr on call to go immediately to the hospital, which left us no time to have someone watch Sophie so I had to arrive there on my own. Luckily David's sister who was in Atlantic City made it here in record time and David was able to join me as I was still in the triage room.

I woke up at 8:30, water broke 9am, but I was unsure if it did or not. Maybe I was just in denial? We went to get bagels with Sophie and I quickly realized that it was in fact my water breaking so I called the Dr around 11am, after a quick trip to the playground with Sophie of course! It was just such a beautiful day, and it took me by surprise and I thought I really wanted to enjoy one last morning with just our little family of 3. I showered and finally went to hospital at noon, alone, and immediately as I arrived the contractions started fast and furious at 2-3 minutes apart, then 2, then 1-2! The all happened within 2 hours of being in the triage room. I began to stress out as David still wasn't there and I was so scared and lonely. But luckily he arrived just as I was about to be transferred to the delivery room. The pain was RIDICULOUSLY painful and intense, and as soon as they got me out of the triage room and into my delivery room I got the epidural. No, I BEGGED for it. Luckily the anesthesiologist was right there and ready and I screamed and cried through the last couple of contractions as she did it, thinking to myself over and over "this is the last contraction I will EVER feel". I really don't know how people do natural birth. They were 1 minute apart at that point and I just could not take it, I was going out of my mind. So finally the epidural took effect and then all was well and I could relax. It was impossible to watch the Yankee game or sleep or do anything other than wonder what was going to happen next. A few hours later my Dr ended up giving me Pitocin little by little to see if my contractions would strengthen, as I was 4cm and 100% effaced, but baby was still VERY high at -4! After several hours I never dilated past 4 cm and baby never came down, even with much strong contractions. I could have remained and tried if I really wanted to but I knew deep down that in the end this baby would not descend. He was still at a -4! So at almost midnight, as the Yankees won the penant and their entry into the World Series, they prepped the room for surgery. I was a little nervous but really just wanted to get it over with and see baby. The C-Section this time around took an entire TWO HOURS from beginning to end, twice the normal amount of time as I had a lot of scar tissue. It was horribly long and uncomfortable and scary. The shaking and uncomfortable position you're in, combined with the fact that you can feel or see much of anything is really horrible, but in the end all is well. At 12:58AM they finally pulled him out and we heard a series of really loud cries that sounded to me like a cat screeching! The announcement of a big baby boy was made and about 10 minutes later we finally laid eyes on our Roman.

Roman is doing well. The first night home did not go well as he does not like to sleep in a bassinet or anything that isn't moving, and we couldn't find the plug to the swing! So lots of rocking and shaking of the bassinet then eventually David just manually pushed him in the swing until he finally slept for about 3 hours. The breastfeeding is painful but I was definitely more prepared this time and so far it is working out. We went to the Dr today and he gained back 7 oz which is great as he had lost 10 oz in the first 3 days. I am supplementing with a small amount of formula after feedings but hopefully by next week I won't have to do this anymore.

Thankfully David is home for two weeks as it would be impossible for me to do this and juggle Sophie without his help. Basically he takes care of Sophie and I take care of Roman. I feel bad that I can't play with her so much or hold her, and she is definitely feeling the distance as well. But hopefully in a month or so I'll be back to my old self and able to do more with her. Of course I'm feeling guilty but I can only do so much with healing from the surgery and taking care of a newborn.

I feel 100% better than I did when I had Sophie. No depression. No surprises as I knew what to expect this time around. Boy it is so much easier after you've had a baby already. I wonder what I was so stressed out about the first time but luckily that is in the past. It's so nice to feel happy feelings and enjoy the baby rather than be distraught over it all!

2 1/2

Sophie is now 2 1/2 as of October 13th. I was hoping for #2 to be born on that day as well, but alas, I am still playing the waiting game.

It seems that her tantrums have kicked it up a notch as of this week. Some say she "knows" the baby is coming and she is acting out. I say she is just simply 2 1/2 years old. Several times a day, if not more, she'll flip out over something small and have a full out tantrum, screaming, crying, throwing toys or whatever she's frustrated with. Luckily she rarely exhibits this behavior outside, but it does happen from time to time. I really, really need to get her in some type of daily class as I know she is bored at home. But we're still trying to figure things out with money and time management for when the baby comes.

It's VERY difficult to work from home and take care of her at the same time, so Tuesday's and Wednesday's when I'm home have become increasingly stressful for me. Luckily she still takes a 2 1/2 hour nap everyday so it's during that time that I try to get the most work done. On Wednesday's we go to music class for 45 minutes in the morning which she, and I, really enjoy. She really gets into it, dancing around and playing the different instruments they hand out. It's such a joy to see her having so much fun, and I just wish the class was longer!

For discipline we try the time out route. I can't say it's really working though. I do exactly as Super Nanny instructs, warn them if they repeat bad behavior they will get a time out, she almost always repeats, and I then put her in the naughty chair for 2 1/2-3 minutes. Problem is she doesn't really seem to mind! She usually sits there, not crying, not fussing, just sits there and sometimes calls my name (I try to keep busy in the kitchen and not make eye contact) or yells. This morning I had to put her in back to back time outs, and it was the first time she actually cried. Still, she continues to repeat the behavior day after day, and it doesn't seem she's really learning anything from the time outs. I'm not sure if it's because she's too young? I just know it's VERY frustrating as I have a very limited fuse lately being 9 months pregnant with backaches and big belly and all that. And I always think "how will I do this with a newborn added to the mix?" I know the next year or two are going to be VERY trying on my patience.

Here are some recent pics of her. The last one is a "plane" David made for her by cutting wings and holes for her legs in a cardboard box.

Nervous

My due date is less than 4 weeks away and I'm starting to get really nervous. Everything is set up, washed, stored and ready. But now that there isn't anything else to do to prepare, I have too much time to worry about the actual baby! In all the rush to get things ready, and with being busy with Sophie and work, I've forgotten about the scariness of labor. We had a talk with the Dr on Friday and she told us all the things we need to know about labor this time around. With a VBAC as a possibility there will be a lot more monitoring this time around, which means they want me at the hospital much earlier than last time. Not what I wanted to hear. I am also Group Strep B positive (again) so I will also need to come earlier in order to get antibiotics. Ugh. I so don't want to rush over to the hospital early as I much prefer to labor at home as long as possible, but we'll see what happens. When contractions are 5 minutes apart for an hour I'm to call then head over. Last time around I stayed home with 5 min contractions for a whopping 16 hours! The whole thing seems a little scarier to me this time around as I'm worried about Sophie and who will be watching her. We have loose plans and it all is really dependent on when it happens. Our nanny can definitely be here to watch her as can David's parents, but it'll take them about an hour or two to get here. And if his parents are here, then they'll miss the birth at the hospital! I just hope we don't have to run to the hospital in the middle of the night. I'm also nervous about staying in the hospital by myself as this time I won't be getting a private room so David won't be staying with me. Well, I could get a private room, if I wanted to pay $750 a night! These hospitals here are really outrageous.

If I don't go into labor by November 4th then there will be a C-section planned for that day. I will be unable to be induced so there would be no other choice. I highly doubt the baby will come that late though.

This coming Friday I will have an ultrasound to estimate the weight of the baby. I feel like this one will be even bigger than Sophie was (9.1) so that's scary too! I have this feeling I will end up getting a C-section in the end, but I will do my best. The end result of a healthy baby and Mommy is what really matters in the end.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Whew. Summer is over. At least in my mind it is. And 'tis Fall. The season of change. Every year Fall has me itching for some changes in my life, whether it be home, or job. Of course this time around will be quite a change for the entire family-a new baby. I'm 34 weeks now and time is really flying. We have been super busy with getting things ready. Luckily all our baby stuff was stored in David's parents' basement so with one trip out with a rental car we were able to bring everything we needed back. We also were lucky enough to score a (free!) crib courtesy of our temple garage sale. Of course we'll make a small donation for it, but essentially it's free. Sophie isn't ready to leave her crib just yet, as she seems content and never climbs out, so I see no reason to rock that boat. I will be tired enough with a newborn and see no reason to add in a possible waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-wandering-around-toddler to the mix! So for now she'll stay in hers, and baby will have his/her own.

We painted the room last weekend a light yellowish-beige. At first I was unsure but now I think it's a great color. I've been super busy ordering things online-diapers, Fall clothes for Sophie and new baby, as well as creating a list of other things I need to buy (and soon!) for baby. Hopefully I'll be able to launder all the clothes and car seat/stroller fabrics this weekend sometime. I have this feeling that I will deliver early. Not sure what sparked it, but I've felt this way all through the pregnancy, and something keeps urging me not to put these things off. So for a constant procrastinator I think I'm doing really well. Go Simone!

We're also thinking about signing Sophie up for a pre-school soon. I'm very nervous about how I will handle being at home with the two of them. Sophie is quite a handful now and becomes bored at home very easily, especially since I don't have much time to play with her the two days a week I work from home. It's become increasingly more difficult to juggle the two, and often I end up doing the majority of my work during her 2-3 hour naps and later at night. She definitely needs more stimulation in her life so we're thinking of staring her off in a 2 half day a week class and possibly moving her to a 5 day a week morning preschool in January. The thought is so crazy-our baby girl going to school! But I believe she will truly flourish so it's definitely what needs to be done.

Being pregnant the second time around is truly exhausting when you are working full time and running after a two year old. It really is non-stop. The only time I get to relax is for about an hour or two at night after she goes to sleep. And often I try to do some work or clean things up around the apartment that time so then the only rest I get is when I sleep.

Every single person that I know or don't know has told me I'm having a boy. EVERYONE. Because of this I am convinced I am and have even bought newborn clothes that lean more towards blue than neutral. If it is a girl then I'm sure they'll work for her too.

I still can't believe that in less than 6 weeks we'll have another child. We've gotten so set in our routine that I am very nervous about the shakeup to come. From everyone I know the transition of one to two is pure chaos. Just remembering how long it took to either try and nurse or pump for Sophie, I can't imagine how I'll handle that and tend to Sophie's needs too with #2. It's definitely going to be a juggling act and take some getting used to. I'm so glad David will be home the first two weeks to help out, and hopefully I'll get some type of routine down to where I can manage it all.

I plan to try for a VBAC this time around, and my Dr is on board as well. I actually chose the practice based on their pro-VBAC views and I really hope it pays off. I really would like the experience of a natural birth, as well as having less of a recovery period. The thought of not being able to pick up Sophie for 6 weeks after also scares me as I feel bad enough worrying about her feeling left out when the baby arrives. But there are no promises or definite birth plans, so we will hope for the best and do what we can but of course also whatever is safest for me and baby is what will ultimately be the outcome.

Block Island

I know it's been awhile since I posted. Here are some pics from our annual trip to Block Island. I have to say it was the least enjoyable time out there of all our past trips, if there is such a thing. With the ridiculous heat and humidity (90%) all week, virtually NO breeze, and being pregnant I was just really uncomfortable for a majority of the trip. It was highly unusual as normally we are so chilly in the evenings out there that we need sweatshirts and blankets to keep warm while sitting on the deck after the sun goes down! I think it just really threw me for a loop and others were feeling it too. But of course we did have a great time, with daily trips to the beach late in the day, wonderful homemade dinners in our dining room, and just special time hanging out with our friends, it's always a fantastic time.

Sophie enjoyed the beach immensely and since we've been back has asked to go to the beach on a daily basis. But I must admit I'm a tad bit happy not to have to apply sunblock constantly anymore!

Here are some photos. Mainly of Sophie of course!




The most memorable part of the trip for me was this 7am dip in the ocean with Kelly. There was a very thick fog that covered the island and everything just looked amazing and surreal. The high tide was rolling in and Sophie had a great time playing the the little pools of water that were created as a result.



As Sophie would wake with the sunrise around 6am every morning, we had to get her out of the house immediately as to not awaken the other guests who were still sleeping. One of the days we took her to the airport diner and she enjoyed this ENORMOUS pancake!

Sipping some evening juice on the side deck of the house.

Sunset from our lawn. Unfortunately with the high humidty and haze, we never got to see the sun actually go down past the horizon, nor a really memorable afterglow afterwards. Still, always a beautiful sight.




Enjoying a chocolate ice cream cone that melted WAY too fast in the sun!

Early morning trip to see the Southeast lighthouse.

Trinidad & Tobago

Well we're back from T & T. What a trip! My biggest concern was whether or not David would actually join us on this trip, with his fear of flying keeping us wondering up until the very end. But with the help of some Xanax and behavior therapy he did it! Trinidad was a great beginning to our trip, and we were all very comfortable at our cousin Andy's townhouse. The first couple of days were filled with a fabulous morning spent at Maracas Beach with AMAZING bake and shark sandwiches, the wedding rehearsal and dinner, and then the big event on Saturday with the wedding of our cousin Tricia and her hubby John. Sophie was selected to be one of the flower girls which was nice. She looked so cute in her dress, like a little angel. But as I expected, she didn't do too well walking down the aisle. In fact, she didn't walk at all! Instead there was lots of screaming and crying with me carrying her down. But it really didn't matter because everything else went perfectly and the bride was so gorgeous she took everyone's breath away!

The following day everyone took a ferry ride to Tobago where we spent 5 days relaxing under the (HOT!) sun. We ended up staying at a beautiful luxury hotel right on the ocean with an amazing pool and view. It was really, really hot which proved to be a challenge for both me and Sophie. It really is hard being pregnant in the Summer as they say! But with many dips in the pool and breaks in the cool hotel room, we managed. Sophie did pretty well sleeping in the pack n play the hotel provided for her, even though it was too small and she was all squished in there! It took her a day or two to get used to it though. Her eating was another issue. She really wasn't interested in the buffet breakfast they provided daily at all. Only drinking some orange juice and a bite of muffin. Most days she had only some milk, oj, raisins, bread roll and some chips for the entire day! She definitely lost weight as towards the end of the trip I could see her little ribs sticking out a bit. But other than that she still had boundless energy-enough to keep her up late almost every night-once until midnight! I wish we had access to a pool here at home as she really enjoyed swimming. We got her some floaties and she was able to swim without assistance for the first time. Boy did she look proud! I definitely want to get her some swimming lessons within the next year so that next Summer she can hopefully swim all by herself. She sure loves the water, just like her Mama : )

It was wonderful spending time with family, although I do wish we could have spent more time with our cousins than we did. But with so much family there it was hard to see enough of everyone.

We're in

Moved in to our wonderful new apartment on June 8th. It was a whirlwind move as we didn't have the confirmation from the landlord to move in until 9am that morning! We had figured over the previous weekend that it was not a go so we didn't pack up the remaining 25% of our things. But once we got the call, we made a quick decision to go ahead and do it. So we called the movers and they said they could be there in a half hour! Chaos ensued as we packed up stuff like crazy-throwing dishes in boxes, pulling curtains off the wall, and throwing shoes in boxes. The one thing that worked out perfectly was Sophie decided to sleep in that morning until 10am! Normally she is up around 7 and needs to nap around 11 or 12, so this was perfect as she could most likely skip her nap that day, which was fine with us as the crib would be moved and she'd have nowhere to sleep!

The movers were from Oz, who were recommended by a friend, and who I will highly recommend as well. They were super fast, and the foreman was really knowledgeable and really helped us out with our last minute packing. What was estimated to be a 6 1/2 hour move turned into 8 1/2 hours, but it was well worth it to be in the new place so quickly.

We are SO happy here. It's almost double the space. With amenities galore. What seem like luxuries to us are probably pretty standard to most, but New Yorkers go without a lot here. We now have a real separate kitchen, a dishwasher, an elevator in the building and a laundry in the basement! These are all things I've never had (except when growing up in Miami of course) so it's really made my life SO much easier. And the new neighborhood, which is only 3 blocks from the last, is so quiet and peaceful. No more trucks going by, no more crackheads hanging out downstairs on our block making a ruckus. Now the only noises we hear are the occasional practicing by an opera singer somewhere across the way and a trumpet player in the evenings, both who are really good and pleasing to listen to, and not overly loud. Other than that we hear no one else in the building. It's so odd because there are tons of families with children, but the halls are always so quiet.

Sophie is slowly adjusting. She occasionally wakes up at night asking for "more blanket" which is her way of wanting us to come in, put a blanket on her to make her feel more secure. She also wakes up in the morning and after her nap crying as I still think she is surprised to wake up in her new room. And her room is HUGE. Almost too big. Her crib looks lost in there but hopefully soon we'll find the time to decorate it nice and make it feel more homey. Eventually we'd like both children to share this room and use the 3rd small bedroom for something else, maybe an office or something. But for now it's all hers. We still have some unpacking to do, mainly clothes as we need a closet system built in the master closet as the old tenant took their closet shelves/bars with them and it's pretty much an empty room.

I've only tackled painting the living room, which was a nightmare. I've wasted time and money on a few paint choices that didn't work out, but finally decided on a light green that will do, for now. David loves it but I'm still not sold. But I'm happy it's done and can live with it for some time, if not permanently.

Big move, big belly

We're finally moving! This apartment is pretty much EVERYTHING that was on my wish list. It's on the Upper West Side, only 3 blocks from where we currently live. 3 bedroom, 1 bath pre-war place in an ELEVATOR building with a DISHWASHER and a LAUNDRY in the building! These are all things we've never had the luxury of enjoying while living in NYC. It truly is a dream come true. It will be a bit of a stretch to afford it, but with some cutbacks (cut out 2nd cell phone, reduced Netflix, reduced cable, etc) we can make it work. It's amazing what we go without that so many people take for granted. Mainly, space. But this new place is somewhere between 900-1,000 sq feet. A far cry from the 550 sq feet we have now. And I was lucky enough to find it very quickly as it was only the 2nd place we viewed. I had nightmares of spending hours and hours on Craigslist searching for the right place, viewing hundreds of apartments only to be dissapointed time after time. Luckily we didn't have to go through any of that.

Our lease starts June 15 but the super gave us the OK to move in earlier. Already I've met another Mom in the building who has a set of 2 1/2 year old twins and an older daughter. She was so welcoming as was another tenant I met a few minutes later. This place really seems perfect for us as I've always wanted Sophie to have friends in the building. She is now at the age where she is trying to play with other kids at the park. It makes me sad that she really hasn't had any playdates or friends yet. I can't wait to watch her interact with other kids her age.

Luckily I started packing SUPER early. Something that is pretty uncharacteristic of me. We are about 75% done so this weekend we will complete the remaining boxes. I'm nervous about Sophie settling in but I'm sure she'll be fine. We've already taken her over to the new place several times and told her it's our new house. But she keeps insisting her room is the baby's room! Her room is so enormous compared to her current one (currently 9x10 compared to 11x17!) so I really want to make it feel homey for her and not too empty or lonely.

Unfortunately with all our energies placed on this move and Sophie, my pregnancy has taken a back seat! But I am 19.5 weeks now and am really getting bigger by the day. Pants that fit me last week (with the help of a Bellla Band) are now getting too snug and uncomfortable to wear. But man, that Bella Band is the BEST as far as extending your current wardrobe by a couple of months. I decided to get an amniocentisis this time around, only because of my age. While my numbers from the nuchal scan and sequential screen were great, we still wanted the reassurance that everything was ok. While it was a horrible experience for me to get it, only because I was petrified of complications, we got the results back a week and a half later and everything is fine. This week will be the 20 week anatomy scan which is always exciting as you get to see the baby in great detail and usually leave with quite a nice photo of the little one : )

It still hasn't really hit me that we'll have another little on come end of October. Just so much going on. Can't wait to get settled in and get Sophie comfortable. Then I can concentrate more on the next change coming our way.

#2 due 10/28/09

Surprise I am pregnant again! 15 weeks today and everything is going well. It was a bit of a surprise and a little earlier than expected for us, but still in the overall plan. I am VERY nervous about handling two children as I hear from many that one is a breeze and more than one complete chaos. We will see come late October/early November. The whole thing seems kind of surreal and not yet real as it's hard to concentrate on being pregnant when chasing after a two year old, dealing with changes at work, planning a big trip to Trinidad in July (and trying to convince my Husband that yes he CAN handle the planeride) and planning a move in two months! I think once we move and are settled then I can concentrate more on baby #2. We will not find out the gender of this one either so it'll be a complete surprise for all!