Photo Shoot

Our friend Lisa came over tonight and took some terrific photos of the girls. The photo shoot was primarily for Elsie who, as the second child, has naturally not gotten as many photos taken of her.

We're trying to remedy that. Here is just a sample of what she took for us. There are quite a few more on Facebook. Blogger takes so long to upload photos, so I only put on three. I'll try to include more later.

Thankfully both girls were very sweet and cooperative.

Our sweet butterfly!

Adventurous Abigail!

Sisterly Love!

We got some great photos of the two of them together. We need more things on our walls so I forsee and very large picture of the two of them hanging in our living room very soon!

We are so blessed!

Advice for the Weary?!

I'm going to try to make this short because I think Abigail is awake (but shouldn't be!).

She has yet another cold. I'm so thankful that it's relatively mild and her colds don't usually turn into more serious things like infections, etc.

However, all of her most recent colds result in the nastiest constant cough! It will be the end of me (I'm exaggerating, of course).

At 1:30 am, I got up to feed the baby. At 2 am, I was still awake and heard Abigail coughing over the monitor. I got up to help her. Here are the rememdies I tried:

- Vicks on the feet. This helps some but doesn't stop the cough.
- Homeopathic cough medicine (because you can't give the real stuff). I normally wouldn't be tempted to give her drugs but the poor thing can't sleep.
- Humidifier in her room. Because of her frequent colds, I almost always have one running.
- Honey. This does help soothe her throat at first but doesn't stop the coughing after a few minutes.
- Drink in bed. I let her keep a sippy cup of water in bed. It was gone when I went down at 2 am so I got her more.

I'm not going to turn on the lights and put her in the steamy shower at night. She's too young to lean over a bowl of steam. Eucalytus oil is good but it is so strong and I'm not sure how to use it at night with her.

She was up then from 2 am (her cough was better but not gone) until 3:30 am and I heard her the entire time. She was coughing and talking. Then I got up with Elsie at 5 am and heard Abigail coughing between 5:30 am and 6:30 am.

So, if you have even the slightest suggestion for me, as to how to calm Abigail's almost contast coughing, I'm all ears! I will try about anything.

Yes, she's up and she really should be sleeping after a night like that and after a 45 minute nap yesterday yet I hear the poor thing hacking away.

Her daddy has no idea that Abigail will be his responsibility at night for the next two nights (yeah weekend!!!!!). I have got to get some sleep!

5 years

I cannot believe that it was five years ago that my sister suggested that I start a blog. I certainly have enjoyed the ride!

I wish that my site looked better. It's so plain and not eye-catching in the least bit. My web designer is a bit busy most of the time however.

I do love having the archives! I love being able to look back and have a record of our lives. It comes in handy sometimes!

Okay, I'd better save my husband from the kids. He's trying to work.

Noses

My poor girl. She was wild and crazy last night. I tried to get her to calm down by letting her watch a little TV before bed. She was climbing on all the furniture and running around. I sat on the floor to change Elsie's diaper and the next thing I heard was a big thud. Abigail had fallen off the arm of our chair and onto the hardwood floor.

At first she seemed fine and then I looked at her face. . .

I have no idea how she skinned her nose and lip with that fall. She must have hit her face on the floor. Ouch! The main problem today is that she's getting a cold and her nose has been running (buckets!) all day and so I have to keep wiping that sore nose. I'm trying to just blot it and get her to let me suck it out with the aspirator as much as possible.

My poor sweetie.

She's been asleep almost 2 1/2 hours so hopefully that will really help fight the cold. (and helps mama's sanity!)

Fun with the Girls

We're having a fun day here in the Schechter house. Abigail has moved herself (not our doing) to a new routine since I've been home with her. She stays up later in the evening. If we put her bed, she just sits and talks to herself in her crib. And then she's been sleeping in until after 8 am every day. This morning she didn't get up until 9 am! Makes for a very quick morning. She's also just passed the 2.5 hour mark for her nap. I'm pretty sure she'll get up soon.

Last night Abigail found my high-heeled boots and wanted to wear them. She almost bit the dust several times but didn't do too bad! :)


This picture is from a few days ago. Abigail lovin' on her sister. She loves to hold her! :)

I let Abigail pick her own clothes for the day and this is what she picked. (sorry you have to look at our mess. It's living room cleaning day because I have voice lessons tomorrow).

She then proceeded to want to wear my apron. I think I have worn it once, while pregnant, to keep stuff off my belly while cooking. She loved wearing it around. I need to find her an apron of her own! :)

I was going to try to bundle everyone up this afternoon and play outside today but it just started raining snow pellets . . . . um . . . . or snowing rain pellets. I'm not sure which. We'll be staying inside.

I can't wait for spring and summer! Of course my spring fever is spurred on by the fact I spent most of nap time looking at seed catalogs for my garden. It will be so much fun to play outside with my girls!

Have a great day!

Rest for the Weary!

Thanks for all the encouragement on my last post. I will check out those books and resources. I really just get frustrated when there is an overabundance of disobedience or clingyness (but who doesn't). I don't mind the day-to-day stuff because I know it is what God is asking me to do for this time in my life. It sure does make me appreciate my own mom.

There are times that I wish my husband would notice the made bed or perfectly clean kitchen but then there are other times that I'm glad he doesn't notice the disgusting bathroom or unmopped floors - so I don't mind the not-noticing! :)

I was looking back through the blog to when Abigail was Elsie's age to see how she was sleeping by that point because . . . I'm really not getting much sleep! My sweet Elsie can make it 3 or 4 hours in the first stretch at night but then it's usually every two.

Last night was no exception. We went to bed late because Elsie and I were at a women's Bible study. I got her to bed at 10 pm. She slept until 2 am but then was awake at 3:45 am, 6:16 am, and now finally up at 8 am. I feel like I didn't sleep at all!

Abigail has been starting to sleep in lately. She will at least go until 8 am and sometimes 8:30 am or later. I am SO thankful because sometimes it allows me to catch up a little bit!

I'm really not sure why Elsie doesn't sleep better. She is a pretty good self-soother. We let her fall asleep on her own all the time. She is sleeping alone in her crib all night. I'm beginning to wonder if I have a low milk supply and she's just needing to feed that much to get her calories! I'm going to try to really drink a lot today and perhaps pump once to increase things. I'm so tempted to pump a bottle and have Andrew take one feeding but if it is my milk supply that would only serve to make things worse.

We'll see.

I just feel like she should be sleeping better already (almost 11 weeks old).

Despite getting up so often with her, I am completely head-over-heels in love with that sweet girl. I don't feel frustrated by getting up so much (like I thought I would). It's just more of a contemplation as to when I will be getting more sleep!

Quote . . .

I read this quote today:

You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."

~Charles Spurgeon


and I needed to hear that after our morning (which has only been going for two hours). Abigail seems to be needing more attention than ever these days. I also thought my house would be much cleaner after I was a stay-at-home mom. I am so blessed that I have a husband who doesn't care . . . and who thinks I'm doing a great job!

Elsie's Birth Story

I have been meaning to write this before I forgot any of it. May be too late for that! We'll see how this goes.


At 2:30 am on November 8, 2009 I woke to find that I was having some uncomfortable cramping. It wasn't unbearable so I decided to try to stay still as long as possible and just relax. I was able to relax enough to actually sleep in between the contractions, which only came every 30 minutes or so. I did wake up and look at the clock every time I felt them, just to be sure of the timing. Part of my reasoning to stay in bed was that my previous experience told me that if I moved about, it would only serve to speed up the labor. Usually that is the goal but Andrew and I had talked the week before about how nice it would be to have this baby during the day time so I wanted to try to wait as long as possible before waking Andrew up. These were definitely manageable on my own, so I just rested.


At 7:00 am, I was uncomfortable to get up and get into the bathtub. By this point the contractions were still light enough for me to move about on my own. I got out after a brief time and woke Andrew up to tell him that I might be in labor (he didn't believe me at first).


He got Abigail up and fed her breakfast and got her dressed. He then called his dad, who was at church (I think), to see if they could take Abigail. By this point I was laboring some downstairs. Abigail would get concerned when the contractions came and I wouldn't (couldn't) respond to her.


Around 9 am (again, I think) Andrew took Abigail over to his parents house. When I was having a contraction, the thought that kept going through my mind was "we need to get to the hospital . . . now!" and then when they would let up I would think "I wonder if I'm really actually in labor". Ha! So funny!


Andrew got home and started seriously timing contractions which were every 5 or 6 minutes apart. This wasn't serious so we labored at home for a while. The real telling thing was that they were getting much more intense than they had during the early morning hours.


After calling the birth center and midwives, we decided to head to Dayton to the birth center around 10 am. We also found out over the phone that they were all full. I wasn't really nervous about this since I would still have my midwife and Andrew with me, if I had to go to a regular L&D room.


The car ride was pretty uncomfortable. Andrew was trying to be gentle and drive carefully, so much so, that at one point he got honked at by some guy. It wasn't very nice! :) I think I had 6 or 7 contraction in the car.


We got to the hospital/birth center and parked in the garage. I decided to walk in with Andrew instead of being dropped off so that the walking could encourage labor and dilation. A nice lady (looked like a nurse) stopped us on the way in to ask if I was okay. I told her that I was in labor but that's why I was here! :) She said that I should have gotten a wheel chair to be more comfortable. I didn't really feel like explaining that I wanted to walk so I just said that it was okay and continued on inside.


(This was a prime example of how most of the public is uneducated about what activities truly help a mother in labor (walking, movement, focus, relaxation) and what activities slow down labor (laying in bed - especially on the back).


We got to the birth center and they were still in the process of getting the rooms cleared out and ready for me and another lady in labor. We were told that we could either go to triage (I'm not even sure what that means) in the regular L&D ward or labor in the waiting room of the birth center. We chose the birth center to be closer to the midwives and natural birth supportive nurses. I could tell the baby wasn't coming in the immediate future.



I know it sounds like laboring in the waiting room would be unpleasant. If this had been my first baby, I'm sure I would have been much more uptight about it. However, I knew what to expect and what I needed to do to get through each contraction. I labored in the waiting room, the L&D bathroom (just the general bathroom), and hallway for several hours, just taking it one contraction at a time and relaxing through those. Andrew was a big support and I leaned on him during most contractions which really helped me to relax.



During this labor I felt dizzy and weak after each contraction, which I didn't remember feeling with my first, so I liked to have Andrew close by. I never did pass out or anything. I just had that feeling quite often. The midwife told me later that this feeling is quite normal during an un-medicated birth.


Around 1:00 pm, I was able to get into a room. The nurse had a difficult time getting an IV in my hand. She eventually had a regular L&D nurse to do it. I had to have a hep locked IV because I tested positive for Group B Strep (again).



I got into the labor tub as soon as it was offered to me. It felt good, although I could have used hotter water (as always). After laboring in there for a bit, things started to get serious and I didn't even feel like responding to people in between contractions. The nurse picked up on this change of attitude (a very good sign that transition is happening) and called the midwife to check me. I was fully dilated!



I couldn't believe it. With Abigail my labor stalled out between 8 and 10 and took hours. With Elsie I went from an 8 to 10 in a matter of minutes. When the midwife told me that I was at an 8 and they started to get things prepared, I kept thinking that they didn't know it was still going to take hours. However, I was wrong.



Pretty quickly after that I felt the urge to push. This isn't just an urge to push, it is a feeling that can't be stopped. There is no way I could have stopped myself from pushing. The pain was very intense by this point so I had to really focus to make myself stop pushing in between contractions (because I wanted the baby out). I was able to rest between contractions this time. I wasn't with Abigail and just kept pushing even when there wasn't a contraction.



I guess at some point I said "I can't do this anymore" and "get her out" but I don't really remember that. I have heard that most women having a natural birth go through that breaking point where they just give up. It is usually soon after that the baby is born! :)



I was still in the tub at this point so the midwife and nurse began prepping for a water birth. It wasn't necessarily my plan going in to have a water birth but I'm so glad I was able to do so. Andrew sat on the edge of the tub and I leaned back against him for the pushing part.


The exit part of the birth is by far the most painful, at least in my experience. I had a "ring of fire" experience that definitely hit a 10 on the pain scale. I was making quite a bit of noise at this point, more growling (I'll explain more later) and could feel my throat getting scratched. It is so weird what you notice in moments like these. I could reach down and feel her head and then all of a sudden the head was out.



With Abigail, I pushed her out in one single motion. By that I mean her head came out and the rest of her slipped out too. With Elsie, I pushed her head out and then the midwife said, you need to push her shoulders out. It took two contractions (I think) to get her shoulders out and then she was laid up on my chest. Her head came out at 2:53 and so that's when the recorded her birth time as.



My first thought was what a big baby she was. I was a little astonished that I had just had a baby (see . . . weird thoughts). She got cleaned up a little while still in the tub and Andrew cut the cord after we allowed all of the blood to flow from the cord into Elsie (it was white and not pulsing anymore). The nurse took her away to get cleaned and checked. Andrew went with Elsie even though she was still in our room.


The midwife and nurse helped me out of the tub and I talked to the bed so I could deliver the placenta. I had much more significant pain (cramping mainly) after Elsie's birth than Abigail's so I didn't want to push the placenta out but it wasn't that bad. The midwife explained to me that the after pains are usually worse with 2nd births (and so on). I had a hard time concentrating on Elsie for a few minutes because of the pain. It eventually subsided with a little help from my friend, Motrin.



I had a 2nd degree tear with my birth with Abigail (who was 7 lbs 14 oz) and no tearing to speak of with my birth with Elsie (who was 9 lbs 2 oz). I contribute a lot of this to the fact that I knew what I was doing. I waited to push until I felt the urge (with Elsie) and that allowed my body to be prepared for the birth. I sort of forced Abigail out because I had been in labor so long.

Elsie was a great nurser from the very start. She started nursing just minutes after being cleaned up and getting to me on the bed (probably 15 minutes after the birth - maybe sooner). She didn't sleep very well the first night (and is still not a great sleeper) until I laid her on the bed beside me. I guess she just needed to be near her mama.

In the hospital, I also had an experience that I didn't have with Abigail. We ordered supper at the normal time and I ate every bite. I was ravenous. Then I woke up in the night (2 am maybe?) and was STARVING. It felt like an emergency. So Andrew got up and found the employee cafeteria and brought me food. I actually ate a plain hamburger (no condiments) in its entirety. If you know me, you know that's not my favorite food, so I was so hungry.

I then woke up and ate a huge breakfast. I guess my 9lb 2 oz baby was eating a lot from me and so I needed to eat a lot too. This evened out eventually. Our first few weeks home were challenging. They weren't challenging because of Elsie (because she's a terrific baby) but because Abigail was seriously ill right at first and then I got a breast infection (not mastitis) a few weeks later. Thankfully we came through it just fine with the support of our wonderful family!

This was a wonderful experience and felt so incredibly easy compared to my birth with Abigail. Almost makes me want to do it again (but then they turn into toddlers - ah!). :)

I do want to address one more thing that is difficult to explain unless you were there. My primary method of getting through each pain and the birth was to moan or make noise during each contraction. To write about it now and talk about it when I'm not in labor feels and sounds incredibly weird to me (probably as weird as it sounds to you). However, when you're in pain like that it is the most natural thing in the world! This pain technique is partly why I don't want to be around anyone but Andrew (and medical staff) during the birth.

I was tempted to video this birth (I'm probably WAY to modest to actually video the birthing part - but just have the camera in the room) because it would be nice to have that way to remember but we didn't. I'll have to have Andrew read this and see if he remembers anything differently than I do. I don't always remember clearly when in labor. :)

Questions and comments are welcome!

I haven't blogged

I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a week. I guess having two young kids is catching up with me . . . oh . . . and I'm lazy. I've been watching lots of TV this week . . . we'll just leave it at that! :)

My house is currently a wreck so I've got to step up my game this week. It's amazing how fast it can get messy, just after I clean it!

I started teaching voice lessons again this week. I currently only have one student but hope to get just a few more. I originally wanted to make this more of a part-time job but I'm enjoying being home with the girls so much that I don't want to give too much of that time up. Andrew recently got a promotion (and raise) and his company just got a large project (hopefully this will mean the return of regular bonuses) and so we're not in quite such a desperate position for me to bring in some income that we were before. Hallelujah!

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll get my act together and actually write posts that I edit. . . and think about . . . and put pictures with.

Still working on Elsie's birth story.

Have a great week!

Box fun!

I'm working on Elsie's birth story. It's taking me a while! So to tide you over here is another fun video of Abigail. My mom asked if she ever played in the box and the answer is definitely "yes!".

Enjoy!

Thursday

On Thursday it snowed a lot! I decided it would be a great day to just stay at home.

Abigail played happily and decided to wear her "Big Sister" shirt.

Elsie decided to be her "good baby" self and sleep most of the afternoon. It allowed me to get lots done. I made a full meal for all 3 meals so I had a lot of cleaning up to do. (This is how I get so much done in the kitchen and still interact with my baby - except when she's sleeping).

For supper I made creamy vegetable soup (yum), Pioneer Woman's onion straws (double yum - see picture below), and apple crisp (also yum). Abigail ate a ton of apples as I was peeling them for the crisp.

And Andrew arrived home about 2:00 pm so he wouldn't get stuck downtown.

What a wonderful and cozy day!

Abigail Reading

I hope you enjoy this video of Abigail reading to herself. Last night while I read her a bedtime story, she started "reading" along with me. It was like she just couldn't help herself . . . she had to talk! :) Oh boy!

Abigail talk!

I suppose I can start writing these since Abigail is talking more and more each day. She's not speaking in complete sentences (yet) but getting close.

She is just a little sponge, soaking up everything she hears! We are being very careful what we say and what we watch because we don't know what she'll pick up on.

For example, yesterday I happened to turn on the Price is Right while nursing Elsie. One of the "prizes" was a package of Milky Ways. The announcer just said it once and Abigail was then prancing around the room saying "Milky Way".

She also has been saying "dot com" over and over again. I guess she hears it enough on commercials on TV (although we don't watch that much TV) and through what her dad does that she has picked up on it. I'm sure she has no idea what it means.

Also, she has discovered the joy of reading her kids Bible. She can say "Bible" and yesterday, during her reading chatter, I heard her saying the words "Jesus" and "God" while reading the Bible. When you ask her who is in the Bible she says "Jesus". I can't believe she picked that up!

She is also learning many new food names. She now asks for "Oatmeal" (Sounds like Ohmall), "broccoli" (bahkey), "cookies" (don't freak out - they are really organic fig bars), etc. I can't even remember them all.

She also says "Oh my goodness" all the time and in very appropriate ways!

I'll try to post videos later today. I just wanted to get these written before I forget about them!

Book

I'm currently reading "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan for a womens Bible study that I'm in. I'm only in chapter 2 but it is life changing.

Go get the book if you're tired of yourself (like I am!).

I'll have to post a review once we're done with the study.

Time at home!

I have been meaning to write this post for a while. It has been formulating and stewing in my brain for a while so I guess it is best that I write it down.

Today is actually my second offical day of being a stay-at-home mom. If I was going to return to work, I would have done so on Monday. So, I guess I have felt like the first 8 weeks were "maternity leave" and an adjustment period.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you just felt right? Like what you were doing was where you were supposed to be? That your heart was all in one piece and not divided? Well, that is how I feel.

I'm not saying that there aren't moments, hours, days, (weeks?) that are challenging, especially with two kids so young.

However, I finally feel connected to my kids, not so out-of-touch with my husband, and like my home is finally settled (or more so).

I'm not sure that any of this makes sense so I guess I'll just end with the fact that I am enjoying being at home even more than I thought I would. I am especially looking forward to warmer weather (brr!) so the girls and I can do some outdoor activities.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to just be a mom and wife at this time!!

This week!

Before saying anything else, I want to clarify that we decided to put forth more effort (especially Andrew) and try to keep our dog. He got to sleep in the guest room last night and was fine. No barking or destroying anything. I got him a few things to chew on and a few treats. Hopefully as the girls get a little older and easier to manage, I'll be able to work with Dewey on a few of his bad habits. Also, when it's warmer I'm looking forward to walks with him and the girls. I'm hoping most of his issues are just a reaction to becoming 3rd in line for our attention and that he'll get used to Elsie soon (she's such a good baby it seems ridiculous that she could be causing him any strife!).

Today I was able to go shopping ALL BY MYSELF. I went to the outlet mall close to our house and got lots of clothes for Abigail and a pair of shoes for myself. It was fabulous!! I was only gone a little over an hour but it was very relaxing and nice. I had a few things to exchange so it was nice to get that done before the deadline and by myself! (I also showered by myself today - Halelujah!).

This week looks to be nice and quiet for me and the girls. I was thinking of signing Abigail up for story time at our library but it is going to be so cold that I think I will wait. I hate to HAVE to get out in the cold if it isn't absolutely necessary. Perhaps we'll get together with some friends in the area.

Andrew is teaching another class at Indiana Wesleyan University so this means that on Tuesdays (for 5 weeks) I'll be alone with the girls all day (he won't come home before his class). They won't get to see their daddy on Tuesdays. :( I may have to figure something out to save my sanity on those days like visiting people or doing a bit of shopping. We could Skype my parents a few times that day so I could talk to some adults. :) His class starts this Tuesday.

Have I mentioned that it's cold here?! It's hard to get out with two little girls, but especially hard when it's so cold. I can't wait till spring and summer when it won't take me 15 or 20 minutes to get everyone bundled up to go outside.

Anyway, if I don't get out on Tuesdays, it won't kill me (I keep telling myself that).

I'm starting to think about and plan Abigail's 2nd birthday party (it won't be extravagant or anything like that). Can you believe that our little miss will be 2-years old in a month?! Wow!

Here is a recent video of her. (Her cold is slowly improving. I'm so thankful that it stayed relatively minor. She never acted like she felt bad the whole time!). I have some habits that we really need to start doing with her (giving her cod oil once a day is one). Hopefully we can stay healthy for her birthday!

New Year 2010

I love the New Year. I believe I love the feeling of it more than any other holiday. I love a fresh start, new organization, and the high left over from Christmas.

Having said that, I'm not sure that I have ever really remembered any resolution longer than the month of January. So, this year I set up reminders in Outlook to pop up on the first of every month.

Here is a list of some of my goals for 2010:

1) My friend Lisa gave me a calendar with one Bible verse every day. I am going to try to read the selected verse every day of the year. I read my Bible but not as consistently as I'd like. It's only one verse, will take less than a minute, so hopefully I can stick with this.

2) Exercise 2x a week. I wanted to put 3x a week but I'm trying to be realistic. If I was really being realistic, I'd probably put 1x a week. Hopefully I will be able to treat each new month as a start over and really try to stick with this one. I want to be in better shape and do this for my health.

3) Spend more quality time with my family - especially my kids. I spend time with them - oh yes I do. However, listening to Abigail play in the living room or kitchen while I unload the dishwasher, clean the counters, fold laundry, etc, is not exaclty quality. So in my daily schedule/plan (yes I have one and stick with it most days), I am setting aside time to really spend with her. Elsie's time will probably be in the evenings after Abigail is in bed and Abigail's time will be during Elsie's morning nap.

Abigail is catching onto things so quickly these days so I want to be sure that I'm doing all I can to help her learn.

4) Work through Bill Gothard's character qualities with myself and my kids. My kids are young, I know this, but hopefully by hearing these from a young age they will be able to really stick with them. Of course, their mommy really needs to work on these too. I mean - REALLY needs to work on them!

5) Lose 20 pounds. I'm reading through Thin Within and we'll see where it takes me. Perhaps this goal should be more of a "being happy with myself" goal but we'll leave it for now.

That's all for now!

Sleep!

Stats from last night:

3 x: Woke up to Dog Barking
2x: Woke up to Abigail crying in her crib (lost her paci's I discovered this morning).
2x: Woke up to Elsie needing to be fed.
2x: Woke up to my husband 1st coming to bed, then getting out of bed because he couldn't sleep (at 1:30 am). (Mad at the dog).
1x: Got up with the dog.

= a very tired mommy! I'm trying so hard not to be cranky this morning.

All this is after going to bed at 11:00 pm and getting up at 6:30 am with Elsie. I woke up all those times in between there!!

I have NO problems sleeping, ever. If I do, I can just make myself lay still and rest. I really wish the rest of my family would let me sleep or at least stay in bed!!

P.S. Andrew threatened to send Dewey to the pound last night so pray for us. I don't want to get rid of him at all but he is tearing up the woodwork in our house (I'd keep him anyway) and my husband HATES him. We need a solution . . . fast!!