I Learned This From My Mother

I have an awesome mother - how awesome I did not realize until this week when I had 7 kids to take care of at the same time. Now, she may have only had 6 children, and there was a little more space between us than between the group I've had lately, but still... my mom is amazing. I don't know how she survived it, or how we survived it for that matter. This little girl is the reason I've had 7 kids under my roof on and off since Wednesday. Her name is Felecia and she is the little sister of the whole bunch of big kids that have been staying with Steve and I. I have three wonderful friends up here in the frozen north, but of the three I spend the most time with Kimberlee - we go to church together, live closest out of the bunch, and I have a backyard that her boys often need to blow off some steam in. On Monday she had an emergency c-section and we added Felecia to the bunch of babies that come and play at our place. Except that Felecia, like her soon-to-be best friend Olivia, has been giving us a big scare and spending some time in the NICU. She's making major improvements, but there isn't a definite timetable for her to be home. So, until then we are on-again off-again parent stand-ins for the rest of her brothers and sisters. We are off this weekend after a long couple days of entertaining and comforting kids who were really missing their mom.

So here's my happy bunch (from left to right: Huron (2), Nia (11) Nikomi (11), Olivia, Rian (3 1/2), Abby, and Evelin (9). They've been really awesome and the big girls have been super helpful. And we've even learned how to take care of Evelin's insulin pump and manage her diabetes - I hope we NEVER have to do that for one of our own kids!In the middle of all the crazy I took Olivia in for her check-up and flu shot. She was a healthy 18 pounds (50th percentile) and was up to 26 1/2 inches (25th percentile). And she was super friendly and inquisitive, so we got the all clear, good job, looks like she's doing great from the doctor. He'd even forgotten she'd been in the NICU since she's done so well since coming home. We are certainly blessed beyond measure. She is going full bore on the army crawling and stealing of Abby's toys. It won't be long and she'll be crawling for real - she's already up on all fours, she just has to figure out how to make her limbs go. It's amazing how fast she's growing up. It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital.
Abby has been enjoying having some round the clock friends and her first slumber party. It was her first and last co-ed sleepover and all 3 toddlers did fine after some initial tears because the boys really, really missed their momma. The three of them really love each other, so I've had a fun week listening to them play together and enjoy the company of a kid from another family. Pretty soon they are going to think of each other as siblings instead of friends - Abby had already been calling them her brothers for a few weeks.

Abby's also doing good potty training, although she's had a few accidents with all the chaos and me forgetting to remind her to run in and use the potty. But she's back to staying dry all night, so I'm betting we will be done with the pull ups full time in the next few weeks. She sure is growing up fast.

Our FIRST Niece!

Congrats to Melissa, Glenn, and big brother Jack on our first niece, Emma Rae Hagberg! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet our newest, sweetest little girl. Abby and Olivia are going to have lots and lots of fun with her at Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Emma Rae born July 1, 2010. 7 pounds 10 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long (almost identical to Olivia)

Welcome Olivia Joy!

Well... our youngest child is apparently a very determined young lady (among other things). For some reason, we will probably never know exactly why, she decided on Tuesday afternoon that she wanted to get out of my belly. We worked pretty hard to keep her there - I was a great pincushion for quite a few hours trying to get contractions to stop - but it seemed like for every shot they gave me to slow labor down she got feistier and more determined to get out. Her punching and kicking and bucking was so extreme at times that they couldn't tell if or when I was having contractions.

Olivia was supposed to be born in Sault Ste. Marie so she could be a Yooper, but she apparently wanted to be a "Troll" like the rest of her family, so she decided to make her entrance early enough that our local hospital needed to send us somewhere that had a NICU available, just in case she needed it. I'm glad they did send us or she would have been sent after birth to Marquette and I would have been stuck in Sault Ste. Marie recovering without the ability to see her and most likely without having Steve around. As it is, she started out on the CPAP machine - all the hoses over her nose in the pictures - and with iv antibiotics and lots of monitors. This morning they switched her from the CPAP to an oxygen hood, which is a good step. Once her breathing stabilizes we will be starting feedings and if those go well and her tests keep coming back good we could be going home in the next few days. We are kind of anticipating being here 5 to 7 days, but with preemies, even big ones, you never know. They were able to take out her feeding tube this afternoon and Olivia and I had some quality one on one time, even though we cannot hold her yet. She was very alert and, like her big sister, was loving having her little feet and legs rubbed.
So here are the official stats, for the interested:
Olivia Joy Obreiter, 7 pounds 11 ounces, 19 inches long, born 3-10-2010 at 7:40 a.m. at Northern Michigan Hospital, Petosky, MI.

Big Sister Abby is spending a few days with Grammy Mary and is LOVING it and playing with the puppies. She hasn't seen Olivia yet, although she did stop by the hospital last night and visited Mommy before she left for Grammy's house. We didn't want Abby's first impression of her little sister to be one with tubes and hoses and scary noises involved. Hopefully they will be meeting very soon.

Making Progress

Abby and Steve helped me finish moving furniture and putting away baby clothes and things today, so we should be all ready to bring Baby Sister home when she arrives. We even set out the baby diapers and wipes. Abby enjoys helping, kind of... she really enjoys trying to test out Baby Sister's things. She tried to put on some size 3 to 6 month pants the other day. I'm sure you can imagine how well that worked. And based on the sinus pressure and congestion I'm getting (again) I'm hoping Abby will be helping with Baby Sister sooner rather than later so that I can take some real medication and get over this bug faster.

Abby has really gotten into playing with her little people and doll house in the last week. She sets them all up, makes them dance, eat, and do other things that little people like doing. It's fun to watch her imagination working. The only downside is that she often wants Steve or I to "play too" but she doesn't want us to do any more than sit on the floor next to her. For Steve that is one thing, but for me sitting on the floor right now causes my legs to fall asleep within about 2 minutes. And then there is always the challenge of getting back up off the floor. But Abby is too cute to not play with her, so we do it anyway.

Our Girl - 34 Weeks

Only 35 days until C-Section day! Hooray!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-34-weeks_1123.bc)

Abby and I are having one of those crazy, forgetful kind of days. Luckily I've remembered to take Abby and bring her back on all the errands we had to run. Now is just our regularly scheduled Wednesday clean up before our bible study meets here tonight. I need to get some serious mopping done on this floor, but I have a feeling that is going to have to wait until a day when Steve is around to help out with that.

Abby's feeling pretty good today. I'm pretty sure she woke up about 1 hour before she decided to grace me with her presence this morning. I finally went upstairs to see why she wasn't up yet and she was in her room playing with her doll house. Apparently she isn't a big breakfast eater... must be she gets that from her dad.

Our Girl - 33 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-33-weeks_1122.bc)

We had another check-up today. Everything was good and growing on schedule. There have apparently been a ton of really sick people around town lately and the doctor had admitted three kids around Abby's age to the hospital, so we are hoping to avoid whatever it is that is making the rounds.

Abby and I have almost survived our first day of our little stretch with Steve. He made it safely to Chicago around 3 this afternoon and Abby and I have been missing him already. Abby is all off schedule, didn't take a nap at all today, and is still going strong at 8:40 p.m. I'm hoping that means she will sleep in for me, since there won't be any alarms going off in my room tomorrow morning. Although she seems to have a knack for waking me up early. This morning Abby woke me up at 5:30 a.m. to tell me "Abby is tired." It's one of those things where you don't know whether to laugh or be upset that you have to crawl out of bed at 5:30 to go put her back into her own bed and turn her Veggie Tales c.d. back on. She didn't even want cuddled or anything, she just wanted to tell me she was tired. What a girl...

And... to keep today even more interesting, Abby wore a skirt under a dress today. And I had to take her out in public with her skirt on under her dress. Luckily they were both denim and the skirt didn't peek out too much. Unluckily, she got food on the dress (which was on the outside) and had a diaper leak on the skirt and tights, so I get to do double the laundry for today. Oh well... at least she has a little bit of spunk and independence.

Here Kitty, Kitty...

It was cupcake day at Abby's play group and she got to bring two mini-cakes home for her afternoon snack. Her afternoon snack ended up being 5 p.m. after she took a three hour nap. And the best part is that I didn't have to lay down with her or stay in her room. I just took her up, popped in her c.d. and left. I love it when that happens.

I finished a kitten bonnet for Baby Sister today. I had to do a little improvising to get the chin strap the way I wanted it. And I had to do a lot of learning, since I hadn't knitted anything besides basic dishcloths. I can now say I'm a fairly decent beginner at knitting.

Our Girl - 32 Weeks

How your baby's growing:By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Apparently I've been doing a lot of laying on the couch (and with good reason), since Abby seems to have decided it looked like a fun thing to try. I've been having some major joint pain, mostly in my right hip and jaw. According to the web it's probably caused by the hormone relaxin, which helps loosen joints to aid in delivery. Unfortunately, I don't really need those joints to be loosened for a c-section and there seems to be an imbalance in the levels, because my joints never hurt like this when I was expecting Abby.

Abby and I went out for a lunch date with her friends Autumn and Little Abby. She had a great time at play land and finally went high enough to get down the slide (she had some major mommy assistance). We've been working very hard on breaking Abby of her recent habit of not listening to mom and dad. Today it took 3 tries to get her into her bed for nap time. She's also been asserting herself with Maize, which can be funny but also probably isn't too safe. Yesterday she was dragging Maize around by the collar (see pictorial evidence). Luckily we picked a very gentle dog, because I think any other dog would have taken a bite or two at Abby for all the abuse. It may make bringing home Baby Sister an exciting adventure. I'm really hoping that Abby will decide to be a helper/protector instead of a boss/aggressor.

And.... only 49 days until the scheduled c-section. Let's hope for a few days less :-)

22 Months Young

Apparently hats are hilarious! Especially when being worn backwards.

Abby has been keeping busy today - she visited her friend Ella, took payroll to the crisis pregnancy center with me, had lunch with her dad, and told all her dolls "I love you anyway." I guess she's read Olivia a few times since Olivia's mommy always says "I love you anyway" when she puts Olivia to bed. It's amazing the things our little sponge soaks up and remembers.

We've been watching a bit of the olympics, since there isn't a lot on t.v. in the evening that is Abby appropriate. Last night she enjoyed watching the "dancers" (ice skaters) doing "supers" (lifts) and the luge, which she called sledding. She is still convinced that the olympics is one giant pow-wow, so whenever they come on she gets excited to see the pow-wow again. She sure keeps us laughing.

Unlike Abby, who was a kicker/puncher, Baby Sister seems to be a flipper and roller. This is way more uncomfortable than the kicking/punching variety of babies. I've been struggling to sleep at night with all the flipping going on. It's been resulting in lots of uncomfortable bulges that are hard to sleep on. But it does make for easy identification of the baby in my belly for Abby, so she at least has the advantage of knowing some littler person is in there trying to get out.

Our Girl - 31 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-31-weeks_1120.bc)

We had our checkup this week. Baby's heartbeat was 144 beats per minute. Abby was excited to listen to her baby "sing." We also got a tentative c-section date (the surgeon just has to okay it) for April 7th. If we can make it that long.

It's Puppy Time

Abby is having a great time visiting her grandmas and grandpas, but I think she is most concerned with the 5 wiggly bulldog puppies at Grandma and Grandpa Hodges house. She is pretty impressed with those guys and has been sneaking in to pet and hold them as often as possible. She even has all of their names down pretty well.

Abby spent almost all day yesterday with Grandpa Roy and she had a great time. She even made it an entire day without watching Beauty and the Beast - this is a big step for us. And Grandpa Roy survived watching all 4 of the Obreiter grandkids at once by himself for a few hours before reinforcements in the form of Great Grandma Joy and Great Aunt Jessie arrived. I am so thankful that we have wonderful family who don't mind having an extra little person around.

Abby cracked me up yesterday watching Aunt Emily play basketball. She was pretty good about staying in the bleachers and actually watching part of the game. But... she was most impressed with the automatic flushing toilets in the bathroom. Apparently she's never seen one of those in Sault Ste. Marie before. She was also pretty impressed with Grandpa Scott's popcorn.

We are just about 2 months away from having Baby Sister (who still needs a name, by the way). I will be glad to be over some of the "joys" of pregnancy, like the 7 charlie horses I had during the night last night. Or the fact that the seat belt in the very back seat of mom and dad's car only fit around me if I pulled it all the way out (which then causes it to tighten and lock, so that I was strapped in tighter than Abby ever is). Or my all time favorite, being so big that my pants don't go up high enough to beat gravity and keep falling down and practically off. I'd rather have the crying baby, the sleepless nights, and the surgical recovery than any of those annoying pregnancy issues...

Our Girl - 30 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-30-weeks_1119.bc)

Our Girl - 29 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-29-weeks_1118.bc)

Baby Sister is still really active - I thought I might get ripped in half last night with all the activities she was preforming. I hope this isn't a sign that she will have major day/night mix ups when she is born.

Too Many Socks

There are 89 (yes... I'm sure) pairs of baby socks in Baby Sister's drawer. A lot of them are size 6 to 12 months, but that is still way more socks than any little girl probably needs. I guess you can say we solved the problem of the disappearing socks.

Abby got her first Polly Pocket set today - a Beauty and the Beast one. We had to get something Belle that Abby could take with her after taking the dvd to church on Sunday resulted in a little meltdown over the church not having a dvd player or t.v. for Abby's personal use. So now, instead of traveling with her favorite dvd, we are traveling with a tiny Belle and a tiny Beast doll. The things we do to make life with a toddler less trying...

We are still no closer to finalizing Baby Sister's name. Steve asked me if I'd picked out her name yet, and I told him I wasn't picking one because I didn't want to give her a name he hated. He said the same thing. So we are still at an impasse on naming this little lady. And with just over 10 weeks left, it may be coming down to the wire.

Our Girl - 28 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-28-weeks_1117.bc)

Just for fun yesterday I measured around my belly. It was 45 inches. Wow... that is big. At this point in my pregnancy for Abby I was 44 1/4 inches, so I'm not that much bigger than before, but a whole lot more uncomfortable.

Baby Sister's Afghan

The finished product - just need to tie up the loose ends

Edge detail

Center detail

Our Girl - 27 Weeks (and a day)

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

From (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-27-weeks_1116.bc)

Our Girl - 26 Weeks

If a full night's rest has become elusive, welcome to the (sleepless) world of pregnancy insomnia. Between heartburn and leg cramps, bathroom runs and that big beach ball beneath your nightie, it's no wonder your body's having trouble calming down and drifting off. But there are lots of tactics to try that should help keep you in bed (and asleep!) instead of pacing the floor; these include daytime exercise, a daily dose of fresh air, and limiting fluids before you hit the hay. What's up with your baby? She now weighs a full two pounds and measures nine-plus inches. And this week, her eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. Of course, there's not much to see in there, but if your baby spots a bright light (or hears a loud noise) near your belly, you may notice an increase in fetal activity. (Hey, I'm in here, Mommy!)

from (http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-26.aspx)

We had a check-up today. Baby's heart rate was 138 and she was moving all around. Everything is right on track according to the doctor. We had the re-test for the glucose challenge test, so hopefully that will come back normal and the gestational diabetes will be a thing of my past :-)

Abby had a really fun afternoon playing with her best friends Autumn and Maddie. She didn't even cry when I dropped her off at Autumn's house and left. She is really growing up fast!

Our Girl - 25 Weeks

Your Baby

By the time you reach pregnancy week 25 your baby probably weighs in at more than 1.5 pounds and may be almost 13.6 inches or longer! Most babies' length and weight tend to vary from this point on in your pregnancy week by week. Keep in mind that while some babies are born a mere 6 pounds, others weigh in closer to 10 pounds! Most babies average about 7-8 pounds at birth.

Changes In Your Growing Baby

Your baby is working diligently on putting on weight during pregnancy week 25 and as you continue your pregnancy week to week. About the time you approach 25 weeks pregnant your baby's spine starts to mature and blood vessels form in the lungs. If you were to peak inside at your baby you would also find her nostrils developing by pregnancy week 25. By the end of 25 weeks pregnant they will even open!

from (http://www.pregnancy-weekbyweek.com/pregnancy-week-25.htm)

Tired Tuesday

We hope you don't get a case of the post-Christmas grumps, but if you do this may help you get out of the slump. Abby has been enjoying her Christmas gifts almost non-stop since we returned home. And after purchasing some new rubbermaid storage totes, Steve and I have been appreciating them too. Last night we had some good times with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. Abby is certainly creative when it comes to making them up.

Abby got quite a bit of kitchen supplies and fake food for her play kitchen over Christmas and she has been cooking us some wonderful pretend creations (and boy are we glad they are pretend, because in real life some would be majorly disgusting). Last night we had some tomato coffee (she is really into cooking up tomatoes) and some cookies. She has also been feeding a lot of her creations to her dolls and Maize. It is fun to watch her imagination at work.

I have reached the stage in pregnancy that we shall fondly call sausage foot time. The car ride to and from Hastings left me with toes that felt much larger than they should and with distinct imprints from my socks, leaving a nice sausage like bulge where they ended. So I am back into the compression tights, not something I would have minded skipping this time around - oh well...

Last night Abby entertained herself (and apparently her sister too) by shining a flashlight directly onto my belly. She enjoyed the red glow that your skin makes when the light is directly on your skin. Abby's sister enjoyed punching out the light that Abby created. I'm pretty sure baby O. is going to come out swinging, so Abby had better beware!