Little Monster

I would like to introduce you to my little monster. She didn't used to be a monster, but has evolved into a very large one in a relatively short amount of time. It is amazing to this change happen. One day we had a sweet little girl, who listened to what we said, rarely whined, loved both her mommy and daddy all the time, and was fairly independent and the next day we have a little girl who doesn't listen to a thing we say, fake cries and whines constantly, falls apart at just about everything, and only likes daddy and especially mommy on occasion. Needless to say it is a little frustrating and grating on one's nerves after a while. Since Jonah has been around, we have seen a definite digression- she no longer wants to use her fork and spoon, is no longer interested in the potty, decided that she want to suck on a binky, and always wants to be held. She constantly follows her daddy around with arms out saying, "hold you?" This is her way of saying, "hold me."

To celebrate this new monster, Cairo has received monster bedding for her new big girl bed. She loves the bedding and blends right in with all the monsters.








Grammy and Bapa were nice enough to whisk Cairo and Xander away for a day at Disneyland and gave Erik and I a much needed break from our new and improved (?) first born.

Here are the kids at the entrance to California Adventure Land.
A is for Alexander...

C is for Cairo...

Jonah's First Week

Today Jonah turns 1 week old. The week has passed by quickly and I am thankful for that. That means that I am one week into my recovery, we are one week into forming our new routine, and one week closer to going back home to Arcata.

Jonah has been amazing! So far he is a sweet, cuddly, and EASY baby... Cairo, well, not so much. I wouldn't say that Cairo is having trouble adjusting to Jonah; rather, she is having trouble adjusting to being a two year old (which she soon will be).


Here is a small glimpse at Jonah's first week of life.

Friday- Day 1: Jonah was born before eight in the morning. He didn't sound too happy to leave my nice warm belly, but it was time. He came out gurgling and crying and didn't stop. In fact, when Erik and the nurse took him into the other room to clean him up and check him out I could hear his cries loud and clear. By 11 am we were settled into our room in the hospital- what I keep mistakenly call my hotel room. Grandpa Lee, Ba-chan, Bapa, Grammy, Ta Ta, Xander, Uncle Paul, Cousin Carri, and, of course, Big Sister Cairo all came to visit throughout the day. Cairo got to meet her baby brother and finally see and, hopefully, understand what mommy meant when she said there was a baby in her tummy. Cairo was gentle with him and gave him kisses. We will just have to remind her to be gentle for a while. Jonah's pediatrician came in to check him out and said most everything looked good. Jonah did have a slight heart murmur, but it wasn't something that was all that uncommon in newborns and she said she would monitor it over the next few days to see if it went away.

That first night was a long night. Jonah was great, but it seemed that if Jonah didn't wake Erik and I up for a feeding then it was one nurse or another coming into take check up and take care of either Jonah or I every hour. Plus, Jonah wasn't quite ready to sleep alone and wanted to snuggle close to his mommy all night long. I was pretty exhausted by the next day. Not to mention, I was craving an In 'N Out burger and all I was getting was one meal after another of clear liquids!

Saturday- Day 2: This was probably the longest and hardest day of all. Erik and I were both completely exhausted from the night before. I was able to get out of bed and eat real food. I definitely had pain from my incision, but it wasn't horrible. It did, though, convince me that having two kids was plenty. As fabulous as it is to have children, I don't think that I want to go through the entire process again. Jonah spent the day eating, pooping, peeing, and sleeping. It's a hard life. The family came to visit again. Cairo found the hospital room a little too interesting and exciting to contain herself. With all the buttons to push, chairs to sit on, and various paraphernalia cluttering different surfaces of the room, Cairo became a bit to much to manage and didn't stay long. By mid afternoon Erik and I settled in for a much needed nap. Jonah, being the fabulous baby that he is, let his mommy and daddy take a two and a half hour nap- uninterrupted! That night was much better. We all went to sleep earlier and despite the interruptions during the night, we managed to squeeze in a full night's rest.


Sunday- Day 3: Erik, Jonah, and I were up and moving before eight in the morning. We didn't have much to do and there wasn't really any place we could go, so we rested and cuddled with Jonah. We all squeezed in some naps and Erik and I read magazines, browsed the internet, and watched videos on the computer. Erik was a little stir crazy, but he knew that I needed him close. He did manage a few walks out to the car and down to the cafeteria for food. Grammy, Bapa, and Cairo all came to visit that afternoon. Cairo came pushing her baby in its stroller. It was really cute to see her talking her baby doll, which is about the same size as Jonah, on a walk down the hall with me and Jonah. Cairo is such a little mommy and loves to imitate the things that we do with her, Xander, and, now, Jonah. Jonah, once again, was a fabulous baby. He got a much needed bath (he screams his head off whenever we get him naked to change his dipaer it give him a bath), lots of naps... and formula. My milk had not come in and my colostrum was gone. With Cairo, we tried really hard to just nurse and unknowingly were pretty much starving her for a few days. I wasn't about to let that happen again. Jonah was on the borderline of losing too much weight, the whites of his eyes were yellow and the jaundice was spreading downward. Erik and I happily supplemented with formula while I monitored my supply and Jonah, a pump, and I tried to help my milk come in.



Monday- Day 4: We were all up early again anxiously awaiting for our doctors to make their rounds, Jonah to get circumcised, and the nurse to give us our release papers. After three full days and nights in the same room Erik and I were both itching to get out of there early. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Jonah's heart murmur had quieted down since our pediatrician first checked him, but was still not gone. To be cautious she wanted to have a echo cardiogram done on him to make sure that all was well. She warned us that it night take a while for the cardiologist to get back to her with the results of the test, so we should be prepared to stay a few hours longer than we originally expected. Right after that, Jonah was rolled to the nursery for both the echo cardiogram and his circumcision and came back to us an hour later, eyes wide open and very calm. Poor baby. Jonah then fell asleep and refused to wake up for his next feeding, despite Erik, the nurse, and I all trying various ways to wake him up. So, with a baby who was completely out not needing out attention, Erik and I sat and waited and waited and waited and waited. Finally, at five we got the okay to leave. Jonah's heart looked fine and I was healing surprisingly fast. So, after a Hepatitis B shot for Jonah (not a good day for him) we packed up and headed for home. We were greeted by a very excited Big Sister and yummy Manacotti (compliments of mom).





Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday- Day 5, 6, & 7: These days were much the same. Jonah wakes up about 2 times in the night to eat and have his diaper changed. In fact, once he has a nice clean diaper, he immediately seems to fill it one more time. So with each nightly feeding we seem to change his diaper, feed him, he fills his diaper in the process of being fed, and we feed him again. I thought I was really smart last night so I decided to wait until after I fed him to change his diaper. Well, he wasn't fooled. A minute after his diaper was changed he went ahead and filled it again... Daddy got to change that one. Erik and I both do not get solid sleep, but we aren't super exhausted either. I haven't felt the need for a nap much during the day, though I did take an quick half hour nap each day.


During the day Erik and I each jump at the chance to take care of Jonah as opposed to our running, screaming, jumping, climbing, loud mouthed almost-two-year-old. Jonah is so chill. He only cries when he's hungry and when his diaper is being changed. He is quickly soothed, snuggles right in, and either looks around or just falls asleep. He hasn't had any fussy times and he it is easy to figure out what he wants. He sleeps great in his bed, though he would be just as happy falling asleep snuggled close to his mommy and daddy. On the other hand, Cairo is bouncing off the walls, getting into everything, and really testing the word "no." Needless to say, she has had a few more time outs over the past few weeks. I don't think that I have seen a kid take the time outs so seriously. If you put her in time out, she stays there. Of course, she cries and calls for us, but she doesn't move until we come and get her. Erik and I have been trying really hard to spend quality time with her and make sure that she feels included with Jonah. She is a BIG help and loves to do small chores with us or for us. She is great about bring burp clothes, running bottles to and from the kitchen, getting the diapers and wipes for diaper changes, and giving Jonah pat-pats. On Tuesday, Erik and Cairo spent good, quality time together at play group and running various errands together.







On Wednesday we took Jonah for a check up at the pediatrician. He was still losing weight, still yellow, and my milk was only just starting to trickle in. So, we upped the amount of formula he was getting. Other than that he looked great. On the way home from the pediatrician it began to rain and with that a nice thunderstorm followed. I love it when we get thunderstorms that actually last. This was was going, on and off, for four hours or so. Jonah got his first glimpse of rain and Cairo enjoyed running around saying "boom" just like the thunder did.



We have in no means established any time of routine, but Erik and I do a great job tag-teaming. It is nice to have such an amazing husband who is always right there pulling half the weight and even more when needed. He does a great job with the kids and taking care of me. Without having to discuss anything we easily switch off with Jonah and Cairo during the day, making sure that he other gets breaks, sleep, and cuddle time with the kids. Somehow, this second time around it almost seems easy. We are not sleep deprived, we are able to get things done, I am feeling great, and, aside from the chaos everyday in the Biggle household brings, all is smooth and (dare I say) calm.



Friday- Day 8: I have fabulous and amazing parents. Bringing a newborn home isn't always easy and Erik and I are lucky enough to have a set of live-in parents. The extra helping hands have really made this transition easy. Bapa spent a few mornings this week making breakfast for Cairo so that we could sleep an extra half hour or so, my mom stocked the fridge and cupboards with yummy food, has been doing all the dishes, and has made most of the dinners (excepts for the amazing, yummy meal the Mussers/Marshalls made for us last night!!!!), and took Cairo to Disneyland today so that Erik and I could have a quiet day with the baby. What saints they are!





Jonah continues to be consistently fabulous. I am just waiting for it to change. I know that this can't possibly last, but I hope that it does. He is still getting a formula supplement, but doesn't need very much and without a doubt is putting back on the weight. This first week has been great. Erik and I are completely in love with this new little guy. I can't wait to see him grow and hopefully become as fabulous as his dad is.

So now we head into week two- a week full of new adventures...

Jonah Skye Dedini is here!

On Friday morning at 7:53 am, Erik and I welcomed a bouncing, or better yet, kicking baby boy. We expected him to be large, but his size exceeded our expectations... and I think the expectations of the doctors in the OR.

Surgery started right on time. I had a fabulous anesthesiologist who was quick about giving me a painless spinal and was fun to chit chat with while I was being stitched back together. Once they cut open my uterus, I heard a definite gush (sorry for the details, but I want to remember this, too). I didn't remember hearing the same sound with when Cairo was born. I had a fountain of amniotic fluid come out... in fact, they needed to get extra buckets to get it all. Apparently, the fluid doesn't typically geyser upward like mine did. After some pushing and pulling they finally managed to pull him through my incision- my 8 pound 15.1 ounce baby boy. He got a few bruises on his face in the process, but other than that all was well. It was a welcome relief for me, even before the spinal wore off, to have all that weight lifted off my lungs.


For the first few hours of his life he was known as Baby Boy Dedini. After having a chance to look him over and try a few names on him, we decided that Jonah Skye fit him perfectly. The middle name was no real question and I had been leaning toward Jonah more and more in the last few weeks. Unfortunately for Jonah, a career in fishing might not be feasible... especially with superstitious fisherman who know all to clearly the story of Jonah and the Whale. I am okay with that. Fishing is a dangerous career.



Cairo meeting her baby brother for the first time.

The BIG DAY has come

The happy parents to be, wondering how crazy things will be the second time around...

Tomorrow is the big day! Baby #2 will finally be here. Luckily, this pregnancy has been much better than my first- no kidney stones to deal with, no bed rest, no problematic contractions. The only downside of this pregnancy is that I have been carrying around a much larger baby. As of two weeks ago, my ultrasound estimated his size to be about 7 lb 9 oz. My doctor is guessing that he may be around 8 1/2 pounds... this is just an estimation, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was right. I am a lot larger than last time and it is all baby. Many people have asked to see a picture of this large belly of mine, well here it is as of a few hours ago and in a few hours it will be mostly gone!



We have been doing all we can to prepare Cairo for his big change. She is excited to be a big sister, although I don't think that she knows what it entails. She definitely knows what a baby is and I think that she kind of gets the idea that there is a baby in my stomach. We've talked about her holding her brother and giving him kisses. At this point, she already loves to kiss and hug my belly and put her mouth up to it and say hi to "brother." I will be in the hospital for three nights, but Grammy and Ba-chan are here to keep Cairo entertained. I doubt that she will even notice I'm gone, she will be too busy being spoiled.

I can't say that I am looking forward to another surgery and another eight weeks of recovery, but I am glad that this final stretch of being pregnant is coming to an end. I can't wait to meet this little boy... this little boy who hasn't stopped moving and kicking me since December. (I thought they were supposed to slow down when they got bigger!) I am so happy with the one baby we already have, I can hardly imagine how Erik and I can make anything different. All I can hope for at this time is that he is healthy... and, by the amount of weight I gained, at least 15 pounds! :o)

The Dentist

Cairo went in yesterday to have her teeth cleaned. Cairo did an amazing job. The night before we practiced how she was going to open her mouth and talked about how her Dentist, Dr. Munoz (and Grammy's boss), was going to look for buggies. She was pretty excited going into it.

Cairo sat down on the chair, opened her mouth wide, and was, amazingly, able to get a full cleaning. Dr. Munoz got a good look at her teeth, scraped some plaque off, buffed and flossed her teeth. Cairo sat still the whole time and opened her mouth wide when asked. Her favorite part is a toss up between the fun sunglasses she wore, the vacuum that sucks out her spit, and the yummy cherry flavored gloves Dr. Munoz wore.

Getting her teeth looked at:


Dr. Munoz cleaning her teeth:


Teeth being flossed:


After the appointment Cairo got to pick some toys out of a treasure box, got stickers, and a goody bag of toothpaste, fun flossers, and a new Tigger toothbrush.

Life

Here are some pictures we've taken throughout this past month of life in general. Cairo and Xander spend a lot of time together and are starting to play with each other more and more. Due to the fact that Xander had caught up with Cairo in weight (Cairo still has several inches on him in height) they are pretty evenly matched wrestling partners. They roll over each other, try to sit on one another, take toys out of each other's hands, hug, kiss, and laugh and tickle each other (well, Cairo tickles Xander).

The Dogs

Cairo loves Sienna and Guinness. She is getting more and more comfortable crawling around with them. Cairo had dirty slimy hands from breakfast. We teased her and told her that Guinness had to lick her hands clean... well, she thought that was a great thought and the joke turned into reality. Once her hands were licked, she made sure to cuddle with both dogs. (FYI- Yes, she isn't wearing pants... we were also working on potty training)