Cooper’s ear infection from last month never truly cleared up…being in daycare meant that while his immune system was fighting the ear infection, it was also beating off the plethora of nasty germs coming from the other filthy toddlers in Coop’s class. So we’re on a different type of antibiotic…one that may only add to the diarrhea he is already experiencing. And in the few days between Cooper’s 1-yr check-up on Monday, and when I brought him in Saturday morning, his bottom gumline has started to whiten and we are now suspecting some teeth soon! Which probably accounts for the diarrhea (cuz really, it’s only loose stools at his normal pooping times…yes, my kid’s regular poop schedule still means he goes 2-3 times a day). And the runny nose he had when I picked him up Friday evening. But needless to say, this poor child is a bit uncomfortable.

Last night we had a slight lapse between pain killers…where one wore off a little sooner than planned and the dose given at bedtime hadn’t yet kicked in. I put Cooper to bed at 7:45pm and he cried and cried and cried. When I went in his room, he wasn’t sitting or standing up in his crib, wanting to be picked up like he is when he’s just mad about going to bed. Instead, he was laying there on his belly just crying piteously.

I gave him some homeopathic earache drops (go in the mouth under the tongue) and rocked him for over a half-hour…the first fifteen minutes of it he cried nonstop. I just kept rocking him and singing to him until he finally calmed down…then rocked a little longer just to make sure he wouldn’t get bent out of shape if I set him down right away.

Thankfully he slept well…not thrashing around restlessly like he had been for the past several nights. And this morning? He got up in a great mood and resumed surfing…this time with a couple of granola bars.

And turns out Gavin had a fantastic time at Justin’s company party. He even came home with a little balloon animal. I was surprised that he had it since Justin (yes, Justin) is afraid of clowns, but I guess the balloon-animal guy wasn’t a clown, so Gavin was able to get this fun little guy (who also doubles as a wrist corsage):

I can hardly believe it’s been a year already. It’s certainly been a busy one…seemingly busier and harder than Gavin’s first year. Odd, since you’d think with your second child, everything would be a bit easier.

At my initial consultation when I was first pregnant, I asked the Nurse Practitioner since I had already had a very large baby with a considerable amount of damage to my undercarriage, and statistically subsequent babies are larger than the first, if it was possible for me to have an induction at 39 weeks. She replied that sure, they do it all the time for 2nd and 3rd pregnancies (which makes me thing at 4th pregnancies the kid just falls out on their own). So I felt reassured that I would not be crawling to my 41st week with this baby.

Again, I had a very easy pregnancy. In fact, it was easier than the last one because my blood pressure stayed low and only went up a little bit in the last couple weeks before Cooper’s birth. I did have issues with pre-term contractions that started about 6 weeks before, but my doctor put me on work restriction so that I would cause a pile-up on the highways I commute. So the last 5 weeks of my pregnancy I sat working from home, which did help keep the contractions down to a minimum (though were still getting some as often as once every two hours). I was lonely, a little bored, and had much easier access to food than if I was at the office.

So even though I ate a little bit better than my first pregnancy (well, except for that Chik-Fil-A addition I had: 12-piece chicken nugget meal with Fries, Cole-Slaw, and Extra-Large Sweet Tea), I started eating a more once I got home. By the time I weighed-in right before I had Cooper, I again, just as in my pregnancy with Gavin, gained 37lbs and my waist was 43 inches. However, since I didn’t have any water retention and swelling, all 37lbs were my own and not blamed on water.

I had my check-up at 38 weeks, and even though I was still having some contractions, I was only 2cm dilated, so I reminded the doctor about the promise made to me 8 months prior. On my way out, I got myself scheduled for Thursday, July 12th, just in case I didn’t progress on my own. I had my pre-induction appointment on Tuesday and was 2-3cm, so I was told I didn’t need to get the prostaglandin gel this time around. I quite relieved because I didn’t want as crabby as when I was going to the hospital to have Gavin.

Thursday morning we got up, called the hospital to make sure they could take us. We were cleared for entry, so I got up and took a shower, took some time to do my hair a little and put on some waterproof mascara, ate my contraband applesauce, got Gavin ready and made sure his overnight bag had everything and anything he could possibly want for his first night away from home without either Justin or me (he got to stay with his best friend, Ainsley). We drop him off at Dave and Kari’s house and he was upset about us leaving, so Kari got him to go help her wake up Ainsley. Turns out while we were at the hospital, he was having a good ol’ time playing with Ainsley and I think he even went to Chuck E. Cheese.

So we get to the hospital a little later than we were supposed to (like 35 minutes later), and as I’m walking up to the nurses station to check in, I realized I was very comfortable, non-chalant, and even chipper. Thought maybe it was because I knew what to expect, but then also realized I wasn’t in labor yet this time around, so I didn’t have that misery making me mean and nasty. We get into our room, laugh at how the baby fry-warmer is located in the closet (our other room we had down the hall 3 years before, had the fry-warmer in a corner), and I even posed for a couple pics, mostly because we didn’t think anyone would believe us when we told them I was in a calm and happy mood.

They got me hooked up to my 5 bazillion miligram IV bag of penicillan, since I flunked my GBS test, and I sat there getting sanitized for a good 3 hours. Afterwards, they ramped up my pitocin and I got my epidural, since the anesthesiologist was apparently doing nothing more than roaming the floor looking for a back to poke. Seriously, the nurses came in 6 times to ask if I wanted it yet…since I wasn’t in any pain, I didn’t feel the need. But when they mentioned that he might not be immediately available when I was ready for him (read: climbing the walls), and I was sure I was getting one (yes, please!), to maybe get it now. So I did. And let me tell you, since I wasn’t in blinding agony, I got to find out how much that epidural actually hurts! Well, not so much hurt as sting (don’t want to scare anyone away because OMG it is a godsend!). But it certainly did not tickle!

Once the epidural kicked in a little, they checked me and I was already 5cm dilated. I was thrilled, and also confused as to why my contractions weren’t getting very strong yet or why my water hadn’t broke by now. But my doctor came in a few minutes later with the monster crochet hook and broke it for me around 12:15pm. The nurses began coming in every half hour or so to check on, and usually raise, my pitocin. But I never felt too uncomfortable (yes, yes, I know I had a epidural, but you still feel a lot of pressure).

About 2pm, my contractions were actually starting to get uncomfortable a bit, and Cooper had moved again, and Justin and I had trouble finding him with the baby monitor…we had already rearranged the monitor on my belly a few times since my water broke because Cooper was moving around a bit more as my labor seemingly painlessly progressed. A different nurse than who was assigned came in to help us find Cooper’s heartbeat (my nurses were helping out with a delivery a couple doors down). She rolled me from one side, then the other (thankfully with my wonky epidural, I could actually use most of my left leg to help her heave my bulk around), and kept smearing more KY on my belly and moving the monitor around on it, pushing down a bit. She got a concerned look on her face, and put the oxygen mask on me, saying maybe by getting a bigger burst of oxygen into my body and bloodstream that it might help us locate his hearbeat easier since he seemed to have burrowed into my butt. She kept prodding and pushing and smearing and encouraging Large Calm Breathing on the mask.

I could feel her nervousness and I was starting to get anxious myself. I stole a glance at Justin behind me and he looked concerned, too. When she couldn’t locate Cooper’s heartbeat, she calmly said, “one minute, I’ll be right back.” I just nodded, not knowing if I needed to start panicking or if she was a newer Labor/Delivery nurse and needed more experienced help (our other assigned nurse was new to labor and delivery).

As she stepped out of our room, she hollared, “Claudia!” and I could hear the note of alarm in her voice and could hear her footsteps quicken before the door shut behind her. My heart started pounding wildly and I grabbed Justin’s hand as the tears and blubbering started. I’m not sure if I said anything coherant, but I remember making some sort of sound and being scared.to.death.

All these thoughts started racing through my head. I was terrified that something happened to Cooper, and was even more scared that if they did an emergency C-section that it might not happen in time.

Our nurses came in, and Claudia immediately checked me. She announced, “9, nearly 10cm! and bloody-show”. She instructed the other nurse to call my doctor. Claudia then looked at me, still seeing the panic on my face (I’m not sure if Justin still looked upset…I kind of had tunnel vision) and told us that the reason we couldn’t find his heart beat was because he had scootched so far down. My doctor then came in, verified Claudia’s assessment of my cervix, and sat with Justin and I, chatting amicably while the nurses scurried around getting everything ready.

My doctor looked at the clock and said, “we’re gonna have this baby in about 20 minutes…just want to give your cervix a little more time to make sure you’re a good solid 10 cm, then we’ll push.” Then she went on saying she remembered I was a “good pusher” and now that I knew what I was doing, she was fully expecting some championship pushing from me this time around. And since I was experienced, she offered to dial up my epidural and said that Claudia would help me know when to push in case I couldn’t feel the pressure, to which I agreed.

Just at 3pm, the doctor donned her haz-mat suit and we started pushing (after I reminded everyone that someone had to keep counting at all times while I was pushing, or else risk getting cussed-out). After about 5 pushes (with a brief pause in there while the doctor unwrapped Cooper’s double-wrapped umbilical cord), at 3:21pm, Cooper Josef was born. As my doctor was still suctioning out his mouth and getting his umbilical cord clamped and ready for Justin to cut it (so proud of you honey!), I was still sitting up in the stirrups, and elatedly announced to her (and half the hospital), “THAT was EASY!” And she replied, “I told you it would be! You are made to have babies!!” At which point Justin turned three shades of green and almost had to sit down.

Apparently I am made to have babies because while Cooper weighed less (8lbs 3 oz…11 oz less than Gavin), he was actually larger gestationally (he was born at 39 weeks and Gavin was born at 41 weeks). And Cooper’s head was larger than Gavin’s, yet I only required one stitch….not the many many stitches required after Gavin’s birth. And like most 2nd (or 3rd) births, the recovery period was much easier. Hell, on the day we came home, I realized that I not only needed to pick up my pain prescriptions, but some nursing pads and maxi pads. So instead of trying to explain to Justin which ones to choose, I just took the truck and shuffled off to Target all by my two-days-post-partum-self (left the Cooper at home with everyone there). Unfortunately, Cooper’s colic and my poor milk supply more than made up for the easy pregnancy and delivery. But I can hardly remember that aggravation now:

This post started as a rant about the fight Justin and I had. But I realized that wasn’t appropriate to air that kind of laundry…at least not while he still reads my blog and has comments emailed to him. Suffice it to say it wasn’t pretty, complete with ugly words, and hurt feelings, and for what I think was the first time in nearly 10 years together, I retreated by myself to cool down. Usually I’m the one chasing Justin around the house, shouting like some crazed harpy.

But not this time. I was mad, I was wounded, and didn’t want it to get uglier than we had already allowed it to get, especially since the kids were right there.

I sat in our room working on laundry, watching something stupid on TV so that I could let my brain wander and sort out what was said, and what I was going to say once the kids were in bed, trying to formulate the best passive-aggressive remark to get my point across.

I finished up the laundry, put it away, and started running the water for the kids’ bath. Justin brought them up and, with very few words exchanged, we went to work scrubbing and rinsing them. I pulled Cooper out and got him dried off and into his jammies. I heard Justin doing the same for Gavin. I sat in the rocking chair to give Cooper his nightly cup of milk and snuggle, heart still hurting from the argument two hours before.

Instead of fidgeting around like usual, Cooper looked at me with those big slate-colored eyes of his, crawled up to put his head on my shoulder and nuzzled in my neck. We rocked for a good ten minutes, then I stood up and swayed to the lullabye music playing with Cooper while he kept cuddling and patting me, and stroking my arms, shoulders, and playing with my hair with his chubby little hands.

And I began crying. This little baby, not quite a year old, seemed to know I was hurting and took care of me the best way he knew how. God only knows how Cooper knew (actually, I think He had a lot to do with Cooper’s response to me). But I cried quietly, feeling the pain melt away, trying to not sob or sniff loudly lest I break the spell of my baby comforting his mother.

I can’t actually get him to dance while standing. Which is fine because I can barely get Gavin to dance anymore. So here’s Cooper dancing in sheer contentment as he eats pizza:

Cooper came home yesterday with a low-grade fever. He seemed alright, if a little fussy. His cold seemed to have taken a turn for the worse because he was coughing more, his nose was running more, and he had goop coming from his eyes. Not pretty.

Around 3am-ish, he got up crying and was sitting up in his crib when I walked in, so I knew he was gonna be up a while. Thankfully he calmed down right away, though he did not go back to sleep quickly. I rocked him for about a half hour and wrapped him up tight in one of his blankets to keep him warm since he still seemed to have the fever (too tired to fight him to check his temp…he was warm but not blazing enough to cause alarm). In the morning I heard him talking in his bed, Justin gave him his cup of milk and told me while I was still half asleep that Cooper had lost of poop in his eye. What? I asked Justin alarmed, “he had poop in his eye?” Now it was Justin’s turn to look alarmed, then corrected my groggy hearing, “no, he had GOOP in his eyes”. Not much better, but at least goop is less smelly than poop. I mean, I remember reading horror stories of people’s children figuring out how to take off their diapers and playing in their poop. That alone makes me consider using duct tape on diapers.

So I get up and get ready for work. I get Cooper and he feels warm still. Take his temp and it’s 100 degrees. Not high, but at 8am, it could really only go up. Argh! I call and leave a message for my boss and jump in the car to run up to the office to pick up my laptop (cuz dude! if daycare had called me when they took his temp yesterday, I would’ve brought it home. Yoiu know, so that Cooper wouldn’t be sick). While in the car I call the pediatrician to get an appointment, wondering if this is going to be another one of those visits where they proclaim it a mere cold, stamp his butt with “fine, grade A Baby”, and take my co-pay. But I figure better safe than sorry since I’m suffering from a sinus infection (brought on by a cold) and hey, since I failed with the laptop, I’d better try my other “insurance”.

When I’m about 25 miles into my 30 mile trip to work, my check engine light goes on. NO EFFING WAY!!! Yeah, I try to keep it clean, but folks, I got ticked. Thankfully it seemed to be running alright, no weird noises, no chugging or rough-running, no smoke, and no visible demons flying out of the engine compartment. I call Justin all mad and annoyed but continue on to work. I get there, greet my officemates, grab my laptop, and head back to the pediatrician’s office.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to wait very long, which was nice (and what sucked me into going there in the first place!). Coop’s temp was down to about 99 (but I had him lightly dressed and the AC on full blast), and his lungs were clear. However, his left ear is infected, his right one has a lot of fluid behind it, and he’s got a ton o’ mucous running down his throat (hey, sounds like my diagnosis on Tuesday!). Cooper only cried when she was checking his ears…and understandable since they probably hurt.

Off we went to The Best Target in the World with Rx in hand. Considering how tired and miserable he was probably feeling, Cooper was good while we walked around waiting for his antibiotics. Twenty minutes later we were home. I stuffed some lunch and strawberry gunk antibiotics in him, and layed him down for his nap.

So I got some work stuff done and I searched for “dang car” with little luck. Justin’s on his way home early so that I can bring my car to the shop to figure out it’s main malfunction. Or to see if it just missed the shop, because it’s been a good 8 or 9 weeks since the last time it was there!!! Wish me luck. Or wish me a newish car. Or wish me a good tornado to pick that bad-boy up and rid me of it.

In other news, don’t forget that the fundraiser and silent auction end at 11:59pm tomorrow (Friday)…so go put in your bids or email me your jewelry orders! And thanks to all of you who have helped out so far…I appreciate it so much.