We have a "thing" in this family...
...we give each other kisses all over the face, and call it "kiss attack."
Porter does this to Lilia in the morning sometimes.
I don't think she minds.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Heavy Lego Artillery
No idea why we ever bought him fake guns.
They're not big enough for him, so he makes his own.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Since We've Been Home
Every moment with Lilia has been surreal.
It's hard to believe she is actually here!
She is such a sweetheart.
She is even quite mellow...
She isn't a fan of binkies (which is fine because she's so mellow), she loves breastfeeding so much that she does it for hours (because she can't seem to stay awake then thinks she's off when I wake her up), and she doesn't slowly build up her cries--she explodes with her great set of lungs.
If she's upset with you, even if it's only slight frustration, she will definitely let you know!
She loves her brother...
We love her toes...
...well, we love all of her.
Porter has been adjusting to Lilia being around pretty well!
He loves to help mommy...
(we supplement when Mommy isn't enough to "top her off")
Porter has had a bit of jealousy toward her because of the attention she needs, but he certainly adores having her around and has even referred to her as his sweetheart, buddy, and angel.
When he's holding her you constantly hear "hi sweetie".
Lilia doesn't mind just chillin' when she is alert and satisfied.
 |
I think Seth may be trying to influence her to game.
|
We are still unsure what her hair color really is.
It looks different in different lights.
It definitely has red in it, but we'll just have to see as it grows!
As of right now, we are soaking in every moment with this sweet little girl.
Lilia Shay
We arrived at the hospital at 7:15 am.
I was measured at at one.
Still.
I wasn't too happy about this since I had been contracting pretty regularly all week.
The Pitocin drip was started around 8.
Along with Penicillin since I was Strep B positive.
Which burns really bad, if you wanted to know.
I felt like the antibiotic was worse than the contractions.
I stood and moved my hips around a lot to help with the progression of labor, but at 7 pm I was barely at a four.
I got my epidural before the contractions got bad.
I could still breathe through them, but I wanted to have a good, mostly painless experience since my last one wasn't all that wonderful.
I had my epidural about an hour when my doctor came and broke my water.
I went from a five to a ten in 40 minutes.
After pushing three times, she was out!
That is, after her cord was unwrapped twice from around her neck...
Lilia Shay Jensen
Born October 3, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Another redhead!
Well, at least she has red IN her hair...in fact, every day it looks darker...almost an auburn.
She shares her birthday with her cousin, Jordanne who turned 1 that day.
She weighed in at an even 6 pounds.
19 inches long.
I couldn't wait to hold her and couldn't keep my eyes off her as she was whisked away for her weighing.
Sadly, I didn't get to hold her long at first.
She had a lot of fluid in her lungs, her blood glucose was low, her temperature was low, and she was breathing way too fast.
So, I couldn't feed her for risk of her aspirating the food, but she needed the food because she needed her glucose level to rise.
It was quite complicated.
Therefore, she was taken with with her Daddy to the NICU while I cried.
I cried because, yet again, I wasn't able to hold one of my babies for very long.
I decided to focus on other things, like eating, while I waited to be transferred to the postpartum rooms.
At this time, my parents, Rob, Wendy and Porter arrived to meet our sweet little one.
Sadly, four of them left after I was awkwardly transferred.
In the mean time, Lilia was getting poked and prodded.
Poor girl's veins were too tiny in her hands to have an IV.
So, they put one in her head.
 |
| Poor girl. |
They gave her dextrose (glucose) to raise her sugars.
They pumped out even more fluid from her lungs, and her breathing went to a normal pace.
Then, Seth fed her some formula.
He came up shortly thereafter to check on me, arriving at about the time Mom, Dad, Rob, and Wendy left.
When some feeling came back in my legs, I wanted to see my girl.
So, I was wheeled down to the NICU while Seth and Porter waited in my room.
I didn't have the camera, but I got to hold my sweet Lilia's hand and sing to her a bit.
I started falling asleep, so I had the NICU nurse call my nurse down to get me.
I got to witness her bath before I was wheeled back up to my room.
She came up about a half our later at 2 am.
Porter stayed up and refused to leave until he got to meet his sister.
He was a bit loopy, but he was so excited!!
When Seth told him it was time to go home, Porter was confused as to why Lilia and I weren't coming back home also, and cried.
I thought it was sweet.
I didn't sleep much that night.
I held my angel for as long as I could.
That is, in between times when they would take her from me to prick her poor little heels and check her glucose levels.
They had to do so before every feeding, and she would have to "pass" three times in order for them to stop.
She passed two.
So, she had to be pricked three more times, and I needed to start supplementing along with breastfeeding.
She passed the next four.
Four, because they checked her levels after a feeding once.
She was NOT happy when the last one was done.
In fact, she threw a royal fit for a good hour.
After getting some sleep, Daddy and big brother returned.
Then, Grumpa and Gammie came with Mikki and her friend Michaela.
 |
| Grumpa loves his grand babies! |
 |
| So does Gammie! |
 |
| Mikki, uncomfortably, holding her tiny niece. |
I was quite tired, but so happy to have my sweet girl here with me.
I love how she looks at me, and I love how Porter absolutely adores her.
He can't stay away, most of the time.
Later that night, Laura stopped by to meet our sweet girl!
She even took a few pictures for us!
Here are two of my favorites:
That little bow on her hat was taped on by the NICU, and I think it's the cutest idea ever for little girls.
We sure love our little bundle.
After three days in the hospital, we were going home.
Our itty bitty sweetheart.
Welcome to the world, Lilia.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
True Stories
I have nothing of picture-worth to post this week.
So, I'll just update on a few things that have been happening and have happened lately.
You can read it if you like, but just as a forewarning, some of it is venting...
True story #1: Insensitivity
Seth spoke in church a couple weeks ago, but wasn't able to give his whole talk (which was going to be awesome, by the way).
He was to speak last, and the two speakers ahead of him took too much time.
Speaker number one cried throughout most of her speaking time, so it was rather hard to even understand what she was saying while she spoke...which is fine, just cried too much.
Speaker number two spoke.so.slow.
He also didn't really keep on subject and ended up talking for 20 minutes after his wife had already talked for the same amount of time.
Normally, it wouldn't bother me, but I knew how great Seth's talk was, and I really wanted him to get to give the whole thing.
Seth was going to bring up the twins during his talk and share some personal, but very applicable information.
Since he didn't end up getting the time to do so, he ended up leaving the girls out of it.
I was a bit bummed.
Partially because I feel like members of our ward family should know information like that.
That is, until ward choir happened I felt that way.
Here's the info...
Apparently, I looked like I was in pain that day...because I was.
Lilia was laying on my nerve that was right by my left hip/pelvis area.
Not comfy.
It seemed as though everyone decided to either say something about it or make fun of me in some way by mimicking my movements that day.
Just in case you weren't aware, it's not a good idea to say or do anything like that to an uncomfortable 9-months pregnant woman you barely know.
It's a great way to make her feel extremely self-conscious...which she most likely is already feeling that way anyway.
An elderly woman in choir said to me after I told her I wasn't feeling too great that day, "well, at least you don't know what it's like having twins."
I was a little taken aback, but I just brushed it aside (as it hasn't been the first time something like this has been said to me by someone not knowing my history).
I, tentatively, decided to tell her Actually, I do know what it's like having twins, but they passed away about a year and a half ago.
"How far along were you?" was her follow up thought.
Not, "I'm sorry" like I usually get...
30 weeks I tell her.
"Well...you still don't know what it's like to be at the very end of a pregnancy with twins."
I was shocked.
I wanted to scream at her something along the lines of do you have any idea how much I wish I knew what that was like?
But, instead I just said, True.
And left it alone.
I guess there are just some people out there who think everything is a competition they have to win.
To top it off, today, this same lady kept mentioning the fact that things for her were so much harder than they are for me since she had twins and couldn't move at the end, and I'm moving just fine.
I don't know if she really heard me when I told her that information that previous Sunday, or if she's just trying to rub it in that she made it to the end of her twin pregnancy and I didn't, and, therefore, had to have had a much harder pregnancy than me when she has absolutely no idea, nor seems to care, what my pregnancies are like.
Most insensitive lady I've ever met award.
She's old and probably not even thinking about what she's saying or thinking about how it may effect me.
So, I just need to forgive her.
I may have to avoid her for a bit to be able to.
Good thing I'm going to be out for the count for a little while, I guess.
True story #2: Private
(No, I'm not making the blog private.)
We ate at A&W on Friday for our "date" night.
We are so classy.
Really, I just wanted the root beer.
Lilia loves her some root beer.
When we first arrived, Seth and Porter made an emergency run to the potty while I waited near the cashier.
The girl behind the counter asked me if I was having a boy or a girl.
Normal question, so I answered.
Then she asked how old Porter was.
Again, another normal question I have no problem answering to a stranger.
This next question, though, threw me off.
"So, are you done having kids after this one?"
Uh...
What?
No, really, I had to ask her to repeat it because I couldn't believe I was just asked that by someone I've never met.
When she did, I told her I didn't know.
Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, "ask me ANY question you like"?
Whatever happened to privacy?
Honestly, I don't even really know the answer to that question.
One baby at a time.
Let me have this baby, have a break from pregnancy for a while, and I'll decide that one in another few years when I'm not currently pregnant.
True story #3: The Mean Lady
We live in the middle floor of an apartment complex.
We have neighbors above, below, and behind us.
We've lived in many apartment complexes before, and even in the middle floor, but never have we had a problem like this.
I've reported my basement neighbor for harassment to my apartment manager.
She seems to think that I "let Porter run amok" just to spite her.
Porter is four.
He is active.
He runs around.
He's very normal.
She came up one day all out of breath and irate to "tell me off", when I had no idea she was bothered.
Side note: we had only lived here for about 2 weeks at this time.
She was so upset about us making noise that she wouldn't even let me get any words in to try to calm her down.
When I told her to be patient with us, she proceeded to tell me how to parent.
The conversation was over shortly after that due to the fact I was shooting darts out my eyes.
Plus, Seth was there and heard it all and was about to come over and yell at her.
I had stayed quite calm everywhere except in my eyes.
Although the conversation was over, the harassment started.
I started hearing banging coming from her apartment every time we made a noise all day long.
When I had guests over, when Porter was just walking to his room, and even when I accidentally dropped my hairdryer.
I started thinking she was following me around the home with a broom aimed at her ceiling.
When Seth accidentally knocked the cork board off the wall, and simultaneously knocked over a chair with her broom reaction less than a minute later, I had had enough.
That's when I reported her.
I've never had to do that in the 14 other places we have lived before.
I really didn't know what else to do, though.
Porter started referring to her as "the mean lady" who bangs at us (can thank Seth for that), and would tell me to somehow get the upstairs neighbors to stop making banging noises like our basement neighbor wants us to stop.
I would tell him we're not mean like "the mean lady", and loud noises from neighbors are normal.
But, I could tell he was confused because Seth and I would try to get him to be "softer" all the time.
I couldn't help but wonder what would happen after Lilia's birth.
Babies fall over.
All.the.time.
I didn't want her with her broom every one of those times.
So, what choice did I have?
I didn't want to pound back at her, because that wouldn't solve anything.
After reporting her, I didn't hear much of anything coming from the basement until last week.
But, because she banged her broom at us mid-day again, I didn't stop Porter from running around the house with his ball.
So, I guess this time, yes, I let him continue to make noise just to spite her.
If you want to live in an apartment complex, you have to deal with noise from neighbors!
We're not even bad neighbors!
We don't party until the late hours every weekend/night, we don't turn our sound system up to show off our awesome bass, and we are all in bed by 11.
Pretty sure that can be classified as boring.
Worst part about all this is, she has a kid.
She shouldn't even be having a problem with us.
True story #4: Ready or Not
I've been having contractions for the past few days pretty regularly.
Nothing "labor-worthy" as of yet, but I've had a couple times where I'm watching the clock.
I'm scheduled to be induced this week, but if she keeps this up, perhaps she'll come before the induction date.
If she does, we're still not ready in the apartment, but we're pretty close!
I'm hoping to get it all done before the day.
Even if I don't get it completely ready, she's coming!!
Couldn't be more excited!!
I've been pregnant, basically, for the past 18 months.
I'm beyond ready to be holding and caring for a baby on the outside!
I've been pregnant so long, I don't really remember what it's like to not be pregnant.
...Weird...
So, I'll just update on a few things that have been happening and have happened lately.
You can read it if you like, but just as a forewarning, some of it is venting...
True story #1: Insensitivity
Seth spoke in church a couple weeks ago, but wasn't able to give his whole talk (which was going to be awesome, by the way).
He was to speak last, and the two speakers ahead of him took too much time.
Speaker number one cried throughout most of her speaking time, so it was rather hard to even understand what she was saying while she spoke...which is fine, just cried too much.
Speaker number two spoke.so.slow.
He also didn't really keep on subject and ended up talking for 20 minutes after his wife had already talked for the same amount of time.
Normally, it wouldn't bother me, but I knew how great Seth's talk was, and I really wanted him to get to give the whole thing.
Seth was going to bring up the twins during his talk and share some personal, but very applicable information.
Since he didn't end up getting the time to do so, he ended up leaving the girls out of it.
I was a bit bummed.
Partially because I feel like members of our ward family should know information like that.
That is, until ward choir happened I felt that way.
Here's the info...
Apparently, I looked like I was in pain that day...because I was.
Lilia was laying on my nerve that was right by my left hip/pelvis area.
Not comfy.
It seemed as though everyone decided to either say something about it or make fun of me in some way by mimicking my movements that day.
Just in case you weren't aware, it's not a good idea to say or do anything like that to an uncomfortable 9-months pregnant woman you barely know.
It's a great way to make her feel extremely self-conscious...which she most likely is already feeling that way anyway.
An elderly woman in choir said to me after I told her I wasn't feeling too great that day, "well, at least you don't know what it's like having twins."
I was a little taken aback, but I just brushed it aside (as it hasn't been the first time something like this has been said to me by someone not knowing my history).
I, tentatively, decided to tell her Actually, I do know what it's like having twins, but they passed away about a year and a half ago.
"How far along were you?" was her follow up thought.
Not, "I'm sorry" like I usually get...
30 weeks I tell her.
"Well...you still don't know what it's like to be at the very end of a pregnancy with twins."
I was shocked.
I wanted to scream at her something along the lines of do you have any idea how much I wish I knew what that was like?
But, instead I just said, True.
And left it alone.
I guess there are just some people out there who think everything is a competition they have to win.
To top it off, today, this same lady kept mentioning the fact that things for her were so much harder than they are for me since she had twins and couldn't move at the end, and I'm moving just fine.
I don't know if she really heard me when I told her that information that previous Sunday, or if she's just trying to rub it in that she made it to the end of her twin pregnancy and I didn't, and, therefore, had to have had a much harder pregnancy than me when she has absolutely no idea, nor seems to care, what my pregnancies are like.
Most insensitive lady I've ever met award.
She's old and probably not even thinking about what she's saying or thinking about how it may effect me.
So, I just need to forgive her.
I may have to avoid her for a bit to be able to.
Good thing I'm going to be out for the count for a little while, I guess.
True story #2: Private
(No, I'm not making the blog private.)
We ate at A&W on Friday for our "date" night.
We are so classy.
Really, I just wanted the root beer.
Lilia loves her some root beer.
When we first arrived, Seth and Porter made an emergency run to the potty while I waited near the cashier.
The girl behind the counter asked me if I was having a boy or a girl.
Normal question, so I answered.
Then she asked how old Porter was.
Again, another normal question I have no problem answering to a stranger.
This next question, though, threw me off.
"So, are you done having kids after this one?"
Uh...
What?
No, really, I had to ask her to repeat it because I couldn't believe I was just asked that by someone I've never met.
When she did, I told her I didn't know.
Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, "ask me ANY question you like"?
Whatever happened to privacy?
Honestly, I don't even really know the answer to that question.
One baby at a time.
Let me have this baby, have a break from pregnancy for a while, and I'll decide that one in another few years when I'm not currently pregnant.
True story #3: The Mean Lady
We live in the middle floor of an apartment complex.
We have neighbors above, below, and behind us.
We've lived in many apartment complexes before, and even in the middle floor, but never have we had a problem like this.
I've reported my basement neighbor for harassment to my apartment manager.
She seems to think that I "let Porter run amok" just to spite her.
Porter is four.
He is active.
He runs around.
He's very normal.
She came up one day all out of breath and irate to "tell me off", when I had no idea she was bothered.
Side note: we had only lived here for about 2 weeks at this time.
She was so upset about us making noise that she wouldn't even let me get any words in to try to calm her down.
When I told her to be patient with us, she proceeded to tell me how to parent.
The conversation was over shortly after that due to the fact I was shooting darts out my eyes.
Plus, Seth was there and heard it all and was about to come over and yell at her.
I had stayed quite calm everywhere except in my eyes.
Although the conversation was over, the harassment started.
I started hearing banging coming from her apartment every time we made a noise all day long.
When I had guests over, when Porter was just walking to his room, and even when I accidentally dropped my hairdryer.
I started thinking she was following me around the home with a broom aimed at her ceiling.
When Seth accidentally knocked the cork board off the wall, and simultaneously knocked over a chair with her broom reaction less than a minute later, I had had enough.
That's when I reported her.
I've never had to do that in the 14 other places we have lived before.
I really didn't know what else to do, though.
Porter started referring to her as "the mean lady" who bangs at us (can thank Seth for that), and would tell me to somehow get the upstairs neighbors to stop making banging noises like our basement neighbor wants us to stop.
I would tell him we're not mean like "the mean lady", and loud noises from neighbors are normal.
But, I could tell he was confused because Seth and I would try to get him to be "softer" all the time.
I couldn't help but wonder what would happen after Lilia's birth.
Babies fall over.
All.the.time.
I didn't want her with her broom every one of those times.
So, what choice did I have?
I didn't want to pound back at her, because that wouldn't solve anything.
After reporting her, I didn't hear much of anything coming from the basement until last week.
But, because she banged her broom at us mid-day again, I didn't stop Porter from running around the house with his ball.
So, I guess this time, yes, I let him continue to make noise just to spite her.
If you want to live in an apartment complex, you have to deal with noise from neighbors!
We're not even bad neighbors!
We don't party until the late hours every weekend/night, we don't turn our sound system up to show off our awesome bass, and we are all in bed by 11.
Pretty sure that can be classified as boring.
Worst part about all this is, she has a kid.
She shouldn't even be having a problem with us.
True story #4: Ready or Not
I've been having contractions for the past few days pretty regularly.
Nothing "labor-worthy" as of yet, but I've had a couple times where I'm watching the clock.
I'm scheduled to be induced this week, but if she keeps this up, perhaps she'll come before the induction date.
If she does, we're still not ready in the apartment, but we're pretty close!
I'm hoping to get it all done before the day.
Even if I don't get it completely ready, she's coming!!
Couldn't be more excited!!
I've been pregnant, basically, for the past 18 months.
I'm beyond ready to be holding and caring for a baby on the outside!
I've been pregnant so long, I don't really remember what it's like to not be pregnant.
...Weird...
Sunday, September 23, 2012
36 Weeks
At my last doctor's appointment, I made a choice--
One week or two?
The process of deciding before that day freaked me out a little.
Okay, a lot.
After calming down realizing freaking out wasn't going to make my decision for me, I chose to leave my decision up to how far I'm progressing because I want to make sure Lilia will be ready to come.
When I was checked at my appointment, I was told that I'm barely progressing--one centimeter.
Yeah, you read that right.
I've got a long way to go.
Two weeks is the decision.
I want to give her a bit more time to get ready.
(And, trust me, she has been workin'.)
That means, this picture...
...will be my last of this pregnancy.
I will be induced, and we will welcome this beautiful angel into the world!
I couldn't be more excited!
Feeling very blessed.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Family, Gratitude, Water, & Lots of Walking
We met up downtown with the Howes this weekend to tour and just be together!
Our first stop was the Church History Museum on West Temple.
We got to meet the last official Son of the Mormon Pioneers...
...he gladly played music while the kids (not Porter, though) danced.
It was so cute to watch.
We also got to look at and read about how things were back then.
I was impressed at how much we take for granted in life today.
It made me feel more grateful for what we have.
 |
| A gorgeous hand-made blessing dress |
Porter and the kids...including some of the "big" ones...enjoyed the kid area.
I made sure to look at the artwork on display.
Our second stop was the Conference Center.
I've been before, many times, but I've never gotten to go up to the roof.
So, that's where we went!
Our sweet guide kept worrying about the kids around the water...
...she would keep ushering them away as she was afraid they would fall in.
But, that didn't stop them from going toward it.
In fact, once we were done there, we just took them to more water!
Water at the reflecting pool by the temple and water at the fountains at City Creek Mall.
Porter's shirt was wet on the way home, much to his dismay, and I was quite ready to put my feet up after all that walking around.
Signs of a good time!
Wrapped Up
I wrapped up Porter's penguin, Baby, in a baby burrito...
...so he could hold him like a baby.
Stay cute and sweet, my little man.
Showered
In about a span of 2 weeks, my wonderful family and friends put on a baby shower for me!
It was so great to see everyone who came!!
And, so great that they were able to come on such short notice!
Love you all!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
33 Weeks 6 Days
At my 34 week appointment, I didn't get any new news, but I did get to see my pretty girl.
Porter was with me, and commented during the ultrasound that he saw "bubbles"!
I guess that cord does look like bubbles :)
See you in about 2 to 4 weeks, little one!
Preschool
Porter and I will be going through the Preschool experience together.
And, so far, he loves it!
Besides, this way, he can do "a lesson" without having to have his hair brushed.
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