One Week Old - Izzie B

Today Izzie B is exactly one week old and today was her due date.  It's been a crazy week and I won't pretend like it was a walk in the park.  We weren't expecting to have her until mid-week, so Andy had planned on working Monday and Tuesday.  He was able to work out a deal to work at home, but on Wednesday had to go into the office for a full day.  That day was of course the day Brady decided to have a bunch of meltdowns.  I heard more screaming and crying from him that day than the last six months combined.  Thursday was supposed to be Andy's official first day "on vacation," and by 8AM work was calling him saying they needed him to do work.  He was sitting on his work computer, Izzie was crying, Brady was trying to get his attention, and honestly, I was crying too because I was just completely frustrated with the situation.  Thankfully, yesterday was completely work free.  He works from home Monday, then is "on vacation" Tuesday through Friday this coming week.

Brady has been great with Izzie.  He wants to be involved in every diaper change, lets us know when she's upset, and kisses her head.  While Andy was on the phone doing work and she was screaming for a diaper change, Brady got all of the diaper stuff ready and then came over to me and physically tried to take her from me to change her (I was having some issues, so not able to move around a lot and was pretty reliant on Andy for diaper changes).  His tantrums have been about him wanting us to do something for him when we are physically unable to, like when I'm nursing, etc.  My mom has been here to help out and would offer to do the things he wanted, but he would scream that he wanted mommy.  He's such a daddy's boy that hearing him scream for me broke my heart and I was almost in tears myself.

She's an amazing sleeper and eater.  She had a really rough first night home (which Brady did too when he was first home) and there was a lot of screaming because she didn't want to be in her bed.  The only thing that made her happy was being in the bed with us.  We know it's a controversial topic and something we've only done a handful of times with Brady.  I have a large pregnancy pillow that surrounds me on both sides, so I've been nursing her on my side and then propping my arm on the pillow, so she's above me and I can't move with the pillow around me anyway.  She's a very still sleeper and only gets up once or twice a night to eat.  I've been in a lot of pain and even moving from side to side in bed has been excruciating.  It's gotten a lot better in the past two days, so last night I was able to get up after her feeding and put her in the pack n play.  She slept for two hours on her own in the pack n play! It's definitely progress.

She hardly ever cries and if she does its for a reason.  The biggest reason for crying is having her clothes or diaper changed.  She HATES to be naked, which Andy says he can live with ;)  We were at the doctor's office and he was examining her in her diaper and we told him she hates to be naked.  He covered her up with a blanket and she calmed down immediately.  Like most babies, she doesn't like to have a dirty diaper and some times we change her diaper and as soon as her clothes are back on, she needs changed again.  She's been keeping us on our toes.

When it comes to eating, she's a champ.  She latched right after birth in the hospital.  You don't get breastmilk for a few days after birth, so they aren't really getting anything, but them latching and attempting to nurse helps bring the supply in.  Brady would latch for five seconds, realize he wasn't getting anything, then pull away.  I had to pump to help increase my supply, and we ended up giving him a bottle of formula every other feeding, alternating with breastfeeding.  Izzie didn't get a bottle for a few days and we give it to her when she's had a full breastfeeding, but still seems hungry.  She's had maybe 6-7 bottles in the last week.

We've been at the doctors a few times this week.  Babies often lose 10% of their birth weight in the hospital.  Izzie was down to 7lbs 8oz (she was born at 7lbs 14oz) when we left the hospital, which was very close to 10% lost.  We had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday when she was three days old and she was down to 7lbs 6oz.  She also had a touch of jaundice, so we were sent to the hospital lab to get her bilirubin levels checked.  Above normal is 21 and she was at a 12.1.  We went back on Thursday for a weight check and to reevaluate the jaundice.  She was back up to 7lbs 8oz (still not at birth weight) and they decided she needed to have the levels rechecked again.  It was at a 13, so not serious enough to take any other measures than keep feeding her so she can expel the bilirubin.  Breastfed babies can have low levels of jaundice for months after birth.  We were concerned going in that day because her umbilical cord stump was looking like it was coming off early and we were noticing some puss underneath.  We covered it with a bandaid so the onesie wouldn't rub it off before we got to the doctor.  It was hanging by a thread when we got there and the doctor snipped the thread with sterile surgical scissors and said to let it heal naturally.  Most babies lose the stump weeks after birth (Brady was three weeks old when he lost his).

My sleeping babies.  We know Izzie looks more like Andy and Brady looks more like me, but we're trying to see if they look alike at all.  We're excited to see what color her eyes will be and if they'll look alike when she fills out a bit.

I said earlier that Brady has been great with Izzie and you can see how happy he is to be holding his sister.  Andy had so many nicknames for Brady and was worried he wouldn't come up with one for Izzie.  The one he has for her right now is Sissy B.

Hanging with little sister in his bed.

Yesterday, my friend Dunny came into town to visit for the weekend.  She will be one of Izzie's godmothers when she's baptized in the spring or summer.  Brady was so excited for her to come that he didn't go down for a nap until 3:30PM (he normally goes down around 1:30PM).  There was so much going on that he didn't end up in bed until 11PM (he normally goes down around 9:30PM).  We had him in the nursery so Dunny could have his bed and that must have disrupted his routine enough that he got up three times during the night (thankfully my mom is on Brady duty at night/morning).  He was up for the day before 7AM (he's usually up between 8AM and 9AM).  By 8AM we could hear him having meltdowns downstairs.  He was already exhausted by 10AM but refused to take an early nap.

Today, we were expecting Andy's dad and older brother, Chris, for a day visit.  They were expected to arrive at noon and we figured Brady would be even more of a terror by then.  Fortunately, he was happy to see his Pap, so he was good for a few more hours.  By the time they left at 3PM, he was definitely ready for bed.  It was very nice to have them come all this way (a 4.5 hour drive) for a quick visit.  They brought food for our fridge and gifts of clothes for Izzie B.  Buks sent with them a monogrammed sterling silver Noah's arc piggy bank, with her birth date engraved as well.  We are blessed to have such a generous family.

Pap and Uncle Chris with Izzie B.

Uncle Chris with Izzie B.  He held her for over an hour while she slept.

Uncle Chris with both his niece and nephew.

Three generations of Traps, with Izzie B being the only girl.

Our first official family portrait as a family of four.

I decided to do a few comparison shots of when Nana and Pap met their grandkids.  I thought that even though three years have gone by, neither of them have changed much.

Welcome Isabella Betsy (Izzie B)!!!

We are pleased to welcome Isabella Betsy Trapuzzano to our family!  Most of you know we were scheduled to be induced on March 6, but somehow here we are with a two day old!  We are just as shocked as all of you probably were that she decided to come on her own.  This is her story ;)

We were all set to meet our daughter on March 6.  We were getting things together in our house and only had the bare minimum left to do with a week to go.  I had been to the doctor on Tuesday and had made only the slightest of changes from 1cm dilated to 1-2cm dilated.  Both I and the doctor were confident I would make it to induction, especially since Brady was a week late and still needed to be induced.  The next day, I started to have some signs that labor might happen in the next few days (I won't go into too much details for those who are very squeamish).  My mom had had a similar situation with my brother, Alex (the only one who wasn't induced), and she went into labor that night.  I was very nervous, because my parents were scheduled to drive in on Friday night.  Everyone said to lay low and relax just in case.  I spent the next few days in the house, doing laundry, and snuggling with Brady.

Friday night we had plans for Andy to drop off some painting supplies at the Reese's house, and they had offered to watch Brady so we could have a final date night before Izzie came.  We had made dinner reservations at Bahama Breeze for 7PM and were excited to have some alone time.  We got there and had to wait a bit as it was Friday night and the place was packed.  We got seated about 15 minutes later and I needed to use the restroom (not shocking since I was 9 months pregnant).  I was used to the normal discharge, but noticed my underwear had a little more wetness than normal.  I didn't think anything of it and went back to order my food.  We were eating our appetizer and I started to feel some more moisture, so I went back to the bathroom and saw that I had even more wetness.  I waited until I felt another small trickle of moisture before telling Andy I thought I might be leaking fluid (code for water breaking more slowly than one big gush).  He asked if we should just get the check and leave.  I figured that if it was, I wouldn't be eating for a long time, so I wanted to finish my dinner. 

By the time we left to get Brady, it was pretty apparent that we'd be going to the hospital even if it was just to get checked out.  I had called and they said to come in.  We headed back to our house, where luck would have it, my parents had just arrived.  I got out of the car and my pants were also wet.  We spent the next half an hour running around packing a few bags and getting the car seat installed (both things we'd had on the list to do this weekend).  By the time we got in the car at 9:30PM on Friday night, I was starting to feel mild cramping.  I pretty much knew that we weren't coming home without a baby.

We got to the hospital by 10PM and the got me into my room right away.  They took all my info and tested the fluid I was leaking which turned out to be amniotic fluid.  I was admitted at that point, and other than having a doctor check me (now at a 2-3cm dilated), they told me that they'd leave me alone unless I needed something.  The big joke was that we thought we'd be coming in to have her in the morning after a full night's rest.  Brady was induced during the middle of the night and Andy still remembers not getting any sleep.  I guess babies have their own plans.

I was having contractions on my own and by 3AM asked for my epidural.  With Brady, I was induced, so the contractions were much more intense and closer together, so I was able to hold out much longer.  Andy was shocked when I asked for it, as we were watching movies and I hadn't said anything.  They gave it to me right away and we decided to sleep for a bit.  I woke up at 5AM wanting to change which side I was lying on, and realized my legs were dead.  This didn't surprise me because they had been like that with Brady.  Andy came over to help turn me, but when he couldn't even lift them, we knew it was a little too much medicine.  They came in and turned it off completely and would turn it back on at a lower dose when I started to get some feeling back.  I didn't feel anything until 8AM.  They called in the nurse anesthetist and he turned it back on.  It didn't seem to be doing anything so they gave it a booster shot and that did the trick.  I was numb enough not to feel any pain, but could move my legs.

They checked me at 9AM and I was still a 2-3cm dilated and not having consistent contractions, so they were ready to start the Pitocin (drug used to intensify or start contractions).  By 11AM I was only at 4cm and they were saying the Pitocin had actually made the contractions farther apart instead of closer, so they would be turning it up gradually until it got where it needed to go.  They told me they'd only check me every few hours because my water had already broken and they didn't want to introduce any unneeded bacteria.  Since I was a second-time mom, they told me if I felt anything was happening to let them know and they would of course check me early.

At 1PM it was time to be checked again and I was only at 4-5cm.  I was starting to get a little worried because they don't like women to labor more than 24 hours after their waters have broken as the risk of infection increases.  I asked what the plan was and they said they would continue to increase the Pitocin and I still wasn't having consistently strong and spaced contractions, so they wouldn't worry unless I was having strong contractions and no dilating.  They also reassured me that it was a good sign that I'd already had a baby the natural way and they were reluctant to perform a c-section at any point (unless absolutely necessary) due to my bleeding disorder.  We had been texting my parents throughout the day and at this point felt like we wouldn't be seeing them until Sunday because even if we did have the baby on Saturday, it was likely to be late.

Around 2PM I started feeling some pressure, so I called the nurses to check me.  I was already at 9cm!  They scrambled out to call the doctor who lives 15 minutes from the hospital.  25 min later, I was buzzing them again because I knew it was time to have a baby.  Just as I hit the buzzer, the door opened and the doctor and all the nurses came rushing in.  In four contractions and ten minutes of pushing, Izzie B was born!  It was such a different experience and feeling than when Brady was born.  They put her right on my chest instead of taking her away.  They encouraged me to breastfeed while she was against my skin and they'd clean her and weigh her later.

Because of my bleeding disorder, they were prepared ahead of time to hang an IV of a medicine to replace the factor that I'm missing which helps people clot.  They did that and a few other measures to make sure that I didn't have any extreme hemorrhaging like I did after Brady was born.  Things went much better than we could have hoped for and things were under control quite quickly.  I was hardly paying attention as I was overjoyed at the little girl laying on my chest. 

Almost immediately after birth on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 2:54PM.  The doctor could tell while I was pushing that she had her daddy and grandma's strawberry blonde hair and we were both so happy, especially since her middle name is for Andy's mom.  If you can't tell, I'm crying because I was just so relieved and happy to have her in our lives after thinking about her for so long.

Izzie was very feisty and refused to turn her head to look at Andy for a picture.  She did however lift her head right up and has continued to do so every since.  She's very strong.

After an hour of her being on my chest, they took her to the other end of the room to bathe her, measure her, and weigh her.

Getting her bath and not at all happy about it.

30 minutes before she was born, Andy and I decided to take guesses on how much she'd weigh.  She was born a week shy of her due date and a whole two weeks earlier than Brady (born at 8lbs 5oz), so I guessed she'd weigh 7lbs 8oz.  Andy guessed 7lbs 3oz.  We played with Price is Right rules, so the closest without going over.  I won as she weighed in at 7lbs 14oz.

She measured at 21 inches, only a half inch shy of where her big brother was at birth.

Daddy getting to hold her for the first time after she was all clean.  So different from last time, where he got to hold Brady long before I did.

Holding my baby girl.

All dressed and warm in her pj's.

Snuggle time.

Amazingly, I was up and showered before my parents brought Brady to visit around 6PM, only 3 hours after delivery.  I was still bedridden with Brady almost 24 hours later.

Brady's reaction to his baby sister.  He brought her "puppy blankie."

My kids ;)

Nana with her first granddaughter.

The first night went really well.  Izzie continued to latch (although there was no milk yet) and slept in four hour stretches, only waking once to spit up some mucous and get her diaper changed.

My parents brought Brady back on Sunday morning before my dad headed back to Pittsburgh.  My mom plans to stay several weeks to help out with adjusting to life with two kids.

Brady getting ready to give his baby sister a kiss goodbye.

Around 4PM my doctor came in to check on me and said as long as Izzie passed her newborn tests (which she did), we could leave whenever we wanted.  We talked about it and decided to go home that night because we'd probably sleep better at home and be a lot more comfortable.  So only 27 hours after delivery, we walked through the garage door to surprise my mom and Brady who were very happy we were all home and healthy.  Now begins our life with two kids.

P.S. - It took us a while to place who Izzie B looked like in those first few hours.  Initially we couldn't tell, but at some point during the evening I looked at her and almost saw an exact image of Andy's newborn pic from the hospital when he was born.  Her having red hair didn't automatically mean she'd look like him (as many people assume he looks like his mom because they have the same hair, when in truth his older brother looks like their mom).  There are times when I look at her in a certain way and see Brady too, so we are excited to see how she grows and changes.

Third Trimester - Izzie B

For those of you who haven't been on Facebook in the last 24 hours, Izzie B decided she couldn't wait for induction this Wednesday and decided she wanted to be born yesterday! A post with her birth story and pictures of her will be coming in the next few days as we settle in.  The most important thing is that both mom and baby are healthy and hope to be home Monday.  Since she wasn't supposed to come until Wednesday, I hadn't planned on writing about the third trimester until Tuesday with a final 39 week belly shot.  Now that she's here, I have no choice but to do without a most recent belly pic and will talk about the third trimester now, before moving on to her birth story.

The third trimester can be the longest trimester as it starts as 27 weeks and if you go overdue, you can make it to 42 weeks.  But on the other hand it can be the shortest if you have your baby early.  Most find it to be the most uncomfortable trimester with the added aches and pains that come with carrying an ever growing heavier baby.  During this trimester the baby puts on the most weight, growing from the size of a cauliflower (16.5 inches head to toe and 2.5lbs) to the size of a watermelon (ranging from 18-22 inches head to toe and between 6-9lbs) at birth.  Towards the last few months, babies are gaining on average half a pound per week. Most women grow the most impatient in the final trimester as they're so ready to meet their babies!

I can say that the third trimester has been fairly easy for me this pregnancy.  I had a much smaller belly than I did with Brady and Izzie never had the chance to drop, so she wasn't constantly in my pelvis.  I had little to no trouble sleeping at night (with the occasional bathroom run) and no back pain.  The third trimester also brought around several personal triumphs on my part.  The biggest one has been when it comes to weight gain.  I ended this pregnancy up only 32.5lbs, when I gained a total of 52lbs with Brady.  I'm thrilled things were much more under control this time and that I'll be able to get to pre-pregnancy weight so much sooner than with Brady (which took a full 16 months).  Another triumph, which is related to the lower weight gain is that a pair of maternity pajama pants that I had bought around 30 weeks with Brady that never fit, I was able to wear to the end this pregnancy and I still had tons of room in them.  I was able to keep my wedding bands on much longer this time.  With Brady, all of my rings were too tight by 29 weeks and it took a full nine months after he was born to get them back on.  I always felt like people would think I was an unwed mother when I'd take him out.  This time my wedding band lasted until 35 weeks, my engagement ring made it to 37 weeks, and my "place holder" engagement ring (the one Andy proposed with while we waited for mine to come in) made it all the way to delivery.  You're not supposed to wear any jewelry to the hospital in case you need emergency surgery, so I didn't even realize I still had the ring on when we got there.  The final triumph was that I walked away with ZERO new stretch marks!  I still have plenty from my teen years of being overweight and from Brady's pregnancy, but adding no new ones, is amazing.

28 weeks (right before Christmas)

32 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

The reason there are pics for 32, 34, and 36 weeks (instead of just doing every four weeks like before) is because I can only fit three per page in Izzie's scrapbook and each page covers a trimester.  In her scrapbook, I had intended to have 28, 34, and 39 weeks, but that won't work now.  I took the 32 and 36 because those are when you start a new month of pregnancy.  Above is the progression (from left to right) of 28 weeks, 32 weeks, and 36 weeks.  There is some growth you can see, but I was still so small at the end that I would get dirty looks when parking in expectant mother spots.

 

I've really enjoyed comparing the belly pics around the same gestational age between Brady and Izzie.  It's amazing how different they were, but I do have to take into account that they are different genders and I gained 20lbs more with Brady.  Above is Brady at 33 weeks (on the left) and Izzie B at 34 weeks (on the right).  It's crazy how much bigger I was with Brady.  I still wonder where I was hiding Izzie.

This one is both kids at 36 weeks (Brady on the left and Izzie on the right).  You can see the first signs of stretch marks with Brady and then with Izzie you can see those (and the ones that developed in the five weeks after that before he was born) faded.

The final compilation of all the belly pics that were taken over the entire pregnancy.  I can't believe it's over, but I couldn't be more overjoyed with my new baby girl.

Brady the Gymnast

Brady has been rambunctious since day 1 and we're always looking for activities where he can burn off some of that energy.  He went to Gymboree classes from 3-23 months and that was all about developing gross motor skills.  We had tried a gymnastics class when he was about 18 months, but he was still at the point where following directions wasn't his strong suit and I decided it was best if we waited a while before trying again.  After we got home from Germany, I was itching to get him back into activities.  He was getting to the upper age limit at Gymboree, so I decided gymnastics was worth a second try.  I signed him up for an 8 week class, meeting once a week for 45 minutes each session.

The first week was really rough.  He saw all of the equipment and other kids and wanted to go wild.  It was so stressful, I was starting to regret signing him up at all.  The second class went better, but then the third was just like the first again.  By the fourth class, he was listening again, but I had to be very clear that if he started to act out, I would take him out of the room until he was ready to listen again.  There were still a few times when we'd have to sit down and wait a few minutes before resuming the exercises again.

He was in a class with two and three year olds and they were doing all the things that gymnast do.  They did a stretching section at the beginning, then we did 15 minutes at different areas.  Sometimes it was floor work, beam, bars, and even vault (not with a real vault, but with a spring board onto a foam pad).  He was eager to do headstands and could easily hold up his body weight.  He was amazingly good at bars and could get his body all the way over.

His age level required parent participation and it was very physically taxing on me, especially being pregnant.  There were many times where I needed to sit down for fear of passing out in the warm gym.  He was doing very well by the end of the first session, so I decided to sign him up for the second fall session that would take us all the way to Christmas.  Andy had taken off the day before Christmas break, so he was able to come with us to Brady's last class.  At the last class of the session, it's ribbon day, and they get to do some fun things in addition to their normal circuit.

Climbing up the rock wall (not a normal activity).  He was eager and quick to get to the top.  Some kids were too scared to even try.

Over the top to slide down the other side.

He is holding himself on the bar, while walking up the wall, then he gets his feet over so he does a complete flip over the bar.

Holding himself up on the parallel bars.

One of the special activities was getting to play in the foam pit.  This is where gymnasts practice dismounts and vaults before trying to land them on a harder surface.

Since it was ribbon week, the kids got to walk up to the podium at the end, get their stickers and ribbons for completing the class.

He was a little too excited about the candy cane to look at the camera with his ribbon.  He really loved the classes and every now and then will start saying "nastics" and doing some of his moves.  Just the other day, he said to me, "Mommy go in the car, drive to nastics." He hasn't been to a class in over two months and still thinks about it.  This center doesn't do child only classes until 4 years old, but I know there's a center in Farmington Hills (where we used to live in MI) that does them at 3, so I might sign him up there in the fall.