Weekend Recap!

Saturday was a busy day getting ready for the baptism/birthday party on Sunday. But the best part of the day was when the Kenyons arrived from Iowa! HOORAY! Cousins to play with!  We had a great visit, played outside, had dinner, fun times.  Daniel wasn’t too sure what to think of Abby. He was very interested in her eyes, though Meg did a great job turning his attention to Abby’s toes.  Really I think he was more concerned with why his Mommy was holding this other baby.

Sunday was busy, but wonderful. Abby’s baptism was beautiful. We chose this weekend to facilitate travel for the Kenyons (an extra day due to the holiday) but also because Chris’ church choir would be able to sing for Mass and Fr. Bob would be able to baptize Abby.  Everything went perfectly and it felt wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who care about Abby: family, friends, and church members.

Back at our house, Chris had everything perfectly planned. We had a yummy lunch and then delicious dessert. Katherine had birthday cupcakes as requested. They even had “Ks” on them – just like she wanted.  The weather cooperated and the kids were able to play outside. At the end of the day they were so worn out, they could barely keep their eyes open to listen to stories with PopPop or watch a little TV for some “down time.”

Monday morning started with Katherine’s birthday surprises! She RAN downstairs hoping she’d find something exciting. She did – a giraffe bean bag chair, a Little People set, and a very cool nightlight that creates stars/constellations on the ceiling. She was THRILLED!

Then, we met the Kenyons at the Milwaukee Zoo. That was awesome. Our family goes to the zoo frequently and the girls love it – but it’s familiar to them. Edward and Daniel hadn’t ever been to “our” zoo, so it was fun to see it from a new perspective. We went early to avoid the crowds and left before it got too busy –and before any of our crew got too hungry or crabby!

We went for lunch together before saying goodbye to the cousins and heading home for naps.  After a busy 3 days we ALL needed it!  It was so fun though – and the girls are already counting the days until we can play with ALL of our cousins in June.

Tuesday morning Katherine and Abby had doctor visits.  Abby weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces,  a gain of 2 pounds in 2 weeks. Obviously the pumping and bottle feeding works for her! Katherine weighed 29 pounds and just for fun we weighed Maggie – 37 pounds! Everyone was declared happy and healthy. We’ll go back in a month for Abby’s 2 month check up and shots.

Here’s a collection of pictures, I wish I had the patience to upload more – so many great shots of cute moments! You’ll get the idea! 

One month old. How did Abby get to be one month old already?  Time flies when you’re having fun – and when you have three children I guess!

So when we left off, all was going well, Everyone was happy and life was good.  That’s all still true. However, Abby’s doctor visit last week threw me for a loop.  She had only gained one ounce in over 2 weeks. It was a mystery – as it appeared she was eating well, wasn’t acting hungry, had good output, was not fussy, slept well – all the indicators of adequate breast feeding. (Including my own weight loss, the calories were certainly going SOMEWHERE!) Clearly something was not right, and after some investigation I discovered that she was not transferring milk. She looked like she was eating well, and seemed satisfied, but by checking her weight before and after breastfeeding, I found that she was barely getting anything.

That was upsetting. I mean, my career as a nurse has been helping other women learn to breast feed. I’ve been giving breast feeding advice for more than 10 years. I’ve fed 2 other children. How did I fail this time? And the milk is there! I can pump it out just fine – why won’t she take it directly from me? And how did I miss it for 2 weeks- and not see that she wasn’t getting anything? I felt HORRIBLE!

But at least we knew the problem and it was an easy fix. She’s more than willing to take a bottle, so we did that for 2 days and she gained 5 ounces. Over the last week she’s gained every day. She loves to eat, and because I’m giving her bottles (of my milk and formula) I can see exactly how much she’s getting. It was a hard few days, but things are much better now.

Really, I didn’t have time to dwell on the issue – things were busy here!  Maggie had

Kindergarten open house and Preschool Graduation this week. I might have been more excited by her Kindergarten than she was. Apparently not all schools look like  my elementary school. Her school is less than 10 years old and looks incredible. She loved meeting her teachers and seeing her classroom. She already knows 2 friends from her preschool – so she felt very comfortable. We also enjoyed a bus ride –honestly that’s why she is excited to go to “big kid school” she wants to ride the bus!

 

Graduation was adorable. She was so proud and the smile on her face lit up the room.  They sang many songs and each child got to walk across the stage and receive a diploma. Cheesy, yes- but really cute too! 

 

Katherine’s excitement for the week was having an early birthday party at  our babysitter’s house. She had to go for the day while we went to Kindergarten, so she celebrated her birthday while she was there. We made cookies to share and all the kids made her birthday cards. It was simple – but she loved it!  She’s looking forward to her birthday next week – all she asks for are balloons – I can handle that! I took this picture of her on the hottest day this week - she just cracks me up!

 

We’re gearing up for a busy weekend. Meg, John, and boys are coming to visit, Abby will be Baptized on Sunday, and we’ll also be celebrating Katherine’s birthday.  So, sometime next week I’m sure there will be stories and pictures to share. But, the way time flies – I’m not sure WHEN it might be!

Another 2 weeks have flown by. The weather has been nicer and it is finally feeling like SPRING!  The big girls are enjoying their time outside and feel that they should be able to go out and play whenever they want – no matter the time of day or temperature outside. (While it IS spring, often the mornings are quite chilly!)

I suppose each sister deserves her own update this week.  Let’s start with Katherine, the poor 

middle child!  She has been acting a bit like the middle child. She is having a hard time with my attention being on Abby so often. She gets frustrated when I can’t jump immediately to help her because I’m feeding Abby, or changing  a diaper. She likes to help me, but doesn’t like it if I can’t help her!  She is always excited when DADDY comes home, because then she KNOWS that she’ll be the center of attention for him. I am working hard to recognize her needs, and spend as much one on one time as I can with her, but I also know that she probably won’t be permanently scarred from this experience!

 One thing I have been doing is reading stories while I’m feeding Abby. It’s a good chance to read stories, and it makes her feel important –even though I’m also feeding Abby (2 birds, 1 stone, Multi-tasking!)  But really, what is even cuter than me reading to Katherine, is having Katherine tell ME the story. She has  a newer book from Gram that is a collection of stories (Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, etc)  She can tell most of the stories by looking at the pictures, but her interpretation is often a bit creative!

 My favorite is hearing her pretend to be the Witch in Hansel and Gretel. (using a Katherine voice) “Nibb-o, Nibb–o wike a mouse, who is nibb-wing at my cottage?” (Really, if you’ve just learned the vocabulary word “COTTAGE” why bother with rhyming Mouse and House as written?)

Maggie seems more grown up every day. This is her last week of preschool, and she will “Graduate” next Tuesday.  This Friday we’ll spend the morning at Kindergarten Open House,

preparing for next year. How did she get so old already?  She continues to surprise us with her reading ability. Chris and I were talking at dinner about a commercial for a news story that night. Maggie piped up with “The guy from the news isn’t going to be on the news anymore.”  We were both confused, and asked her what she meant.  “That guy from the news, he isn’t going to be on the news anymore, I read it in the newspaper today!”  Sure enough – there HAD been a blurb in the paper about a reporter who was leaving the TV station.  We knew she liked to read the weather page to check the forecast (and to note what time the sunrise/sunset would be) but we had no idea she was reading OTHER parts of the paper! I’m proud of her, but we’ve been keeping the paper out of her reach now – she doesn’t need to be THAT grown up yet!

 

She is LOVING the role of “BIG SISTER” not only is she a huge help with Abby, but she is even more mothering toward Katherine. Some days are better than others – she likes to get a bit bossy. And they certainly have their moments of squabbling.  But overall, it’s quite helpful to be able to ask her to run “errands.”

And what about Abigail?    I’m afraid to say it out loud, but she is still a GREAT baby!  Chris will tell you she sleeps all the time, but really she’s having more awake time as she gets “older.”

  When she’s awake she often has HUGE eyes as if she thinks if she opens them wide enough she’ll be able to process all the craziness around her!  

She’s eating all the time, and is still happy to go with the flow. She hasn’t complained yet about going to and from preschool, or needing to sit in the bouncy seat while we eat our dinner. And she’s still sleeping a nice 4 1/2 hour stretch at night – which is DELIGHTFUL! She cries during diaper changes, or if you wait an extra minute to start a feeding, but that’s about it.

 

So that leaves Mom and Dad. We’re surviving too! It is busy, but so much fun. I have more energy everyday, and it feels GREAT to be able to get back to “normal” activities. I took the girls to the library today and I think it lifted everyone’s mood to get out of the house and take a field trip!  Chris has just one month left of school and I know he’s excited to start the summer schedule – including more time to just be home enjoying the family!

This is a ridiculously long post, so I’ll stop now with just one more picture. Here’s Abby showing us all that sometimes – you just need to stop, relax, and take a power nap!

Yes, I know the point of  blog is to keep everything up to date, share information, especially about life altering events.  So it's taken me a week. Sorry about that! But anyone who reads this probably already knows that Abigail Elizabeth was born last week, April 21. She was 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long.

I have to say, it was strange to know exactly WHEN she was coming, and very hard to sleep for 2 nights before the  big event. But it was a great day. I was ready, things went sm

oothly, and the only "kink" in the flow of the day was having my spinal anesthesia done twice, as the first one didn't "take" as strongly or as quickly as it should have. (Luckily, they did a few test pokes before cutting, and we realized quickly I'd need more before the real fun could begin!)  But from then on everything was smooth sailing. Once my legs came back to life I was up walking in my room by 4pm, surprising most of the nurses. But really, if you had been in that bed for all that time, you'd be jumping at the chance to get out of bed too!

Maggie and Katherine were instantly in love with their sister. They  were anxious to hold her and were annoyed that the grandparents felt that they were entitled to a  few snuggles as well!  Poor Katherine was surprised to be scolded for poking Abby in the eyes, "I was just trying to open them!" She thought she was helping!  Both girls are still adjusting to HOW

 MUCH they can love the baby - even a week later. They need frequent reminders not to smother her with love and kisses, I guess it's a good problem to have!

We were discharged on Friday and happily came home on the first 80 degree day of the season. (Funny that it was SNOWING while Abby was being delivered!)  Maggie and Katherine were excited to show me that while I had been in the hospital, they had put the swing, the bouncy seat, and the play mat in the family room for Abby to play with. Maggie was especially concerned with "what will Abby want to do first?" Again, the concept of a newborn, who does nothing but eat and sleep, was lost on her. She was positive that Abby would choose her favorite toy once she

 got home.

Now that we're home we've been settling into new routines. Abby just goes along with whatever we're doing. She seems fine sleeping through whatever chaos the girls are causing. And she's been sleeping well at night too. (I KNOW I just jinxed myself with THAT!)  Maggie and Katherine are eager to help. Both will RUN to get supplies for a diaper change, and Maggie especially knows exactly what I'll need during feeding and is happy to help - almost to the point of being TOO helpful. I'm feeling great. I know I'm still supposed to be resting - and I am. And I've only had 2 trips out of the house in a week. But I feel better every day and more able to DO things- even simple things like playing games with the bigger girls - it's nice to be able to get up and down from the floor so I can play with them! It's been quite a week, and I can't believe how fast it's flying by!   Here is Abby at One Week old (oh, and 7 pounds 4 ounces now - which is actually an increase from her discharge weight - so she's doing very well!)

Wow, I guess I'm a slacker with this blog! It's been more than 2 weeks! OOPS!

Busy times around here though - we're now only 5 days from Baby's arrival and we've been busy getting ready. Add in Holy Week and Easter and Spring break - who has time for blog updates?

The girls loved everything about Easter. They even made it through a 2 hour Holy Thursday mass with minimal frustration.  It helped that they had trumpets and trombones to admire - not part of the usual music at Sunday Mass!  Obviously it was a crazy week for Chris - and we all breathed a sigh of relief that baby cooperated and didn't try to interrupt the busy week!

The Easter Bunny brought puzzles, coloring books, chalk and bubbles. And of course, there were eggs to find.    He also left a note, responding to Maggie's note she left for the bunny to find. Maggie noticed right away that the Easter Bunny used the same wording/phrasing that Santa used in his note. Good thing she hasn't recognized handwriting yet.  Daddy is going to have to work on that before the next holiday!The first day of spring break we went back to the Mitchell Domes to enjoy free admission!  It's always refreshing to spend time surrounded by flowers and tropical climate - esp on a cold, grey day.  And it gave us a chance to get one more Mommy and Girls picture before #3 arrives!

And speaking on #3.....My doctor appointment this week was not quite as stellar as my previous appointments have been. I managed to make it farther with this pregnancy than with the other 2, however, my blood pressure was up and I was put on "restrictions" until I deliver on Tuesday.  Nothing major - I was advised to "be a princess" until Tuesday.  Luckily Chris is still on break - so he's able to do the hard stuff, and I'm trying my best to take it easy.  He took the girls to the zoo today to enjoy the 60 degree weather. I stayed home. He raked in the yard and hauled leaves this afternoon. I sat on a lawn chair and supervised. He's been a cleaning maniac for the last few days- making sure everything is perfect before baby arrives and who knows WHEN we'll have time for deep cleaning again.  I'm so lucky to have such an amazing husband!

And so there you are. We're going to relax through the weekend enjoying nicer weather and resting up! Surgery is scheduled for 0730 on Tuesday. We're all very excited to meet the newest Sepersky!

A collection of random thoughts and and events from the last week.  Not sure I can make them all flow logically. So just enjoy! 

Here we have Maggie and Katherine last week Thursday. I forced them outside after naps to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. I knew we were in for a cold, wet weekend. They loved riding bikes and taking their dolls for walks in their play strollers.  Luckily, their speed (needing to stop and check their babies frequently) matches my pregnant walking speed.  None of us will win any races anytime soon!

I was right about the weekend forecast. It was cold, grey, rainy and then SNOWY. We received almost 6 inches of snow. Most has melted already - but it confused Maggie once again - she is not willing to accept that although it is SPRING it can still be SNOWY and COLD! Someday she'll figure it out!

On Sunday, the girls and I opted out of church. I just couldn't handle the thought of driving through the mess of snowy un-plowed roads, to then climb over snowbanks with both girls just to get to Mass.  Instead, we stayed home being fairly lazy. However, Baby felt the need to cause some drama. For almost 4 hours on Sunday morning,  I could not get her to move.   I ate, drank, poked, rested, moved, ate more, drank more (even coffee) and poked some more.  she would NOT respond.  She had not moved at all since I had woken up that morning. The longer it lasted, the more worried I became. I eventually called Chris at church, and asked him to come home so I could go to the hospital to be checked.

(side note of history. Katherine's birth was unexpectedly dramatic when her heart rate dropped significantly. On delivery,  the Doctor found out that the reason was  a true knot in her cord - which was getting tighter and tighter.  Even the doctor was shaken by the thought that, if not for being monitored at the time, she might have tightened that knot completely and died.  This is what was racing through my mind the longer #3 wasn't moving.)

So, I went to the hospital, and they hooked me up to a monitor. It took an extra 45 seconds longer than usual to find the heart rate, but it was there. However, she really was NOT active for a long time. The nurses agreed that I did the right thing by coming in, because even  they were surprised that her heart rate, while present, was not accelerating and changing as much as normal for the first 20-30 minutes that I was there.   Eventually she perked up and actually since then, it has been near constant movements and kicks.  I was very glad to have those 2 hours in Labor and Delivery though - it definitely put my mind at ease! I had my 36 week check up yesterday and everything continues to go well. My blood pressure was slightly higher than it had been, but nothing to be concerned about. We're still on track for April 21!

Probably the most exciting event of the week though - for all of us - was the purchase of a REAL PIANO!  Chris and I have dreamed of owning a piano for the 10 years we've been married. Finally this house had the space; it was a matter of finding the right piano, the right time, and the right price. The stars aligned last week when we found this Kawai at a used piano sale. It has been lovingly cared for by Chris' piano tuner, and is in excellent condition.   

Coincidentally, Maggie essentially taught herself how to play "Twinkle Twinkle" on her mini electric keyboard last week. It was just the push we needed to agree that now was the perfect time to buy the piano - seeing that she is so interested in playing actual songs.  It took her about 10 minutes yesterday after the piano was delivered to transfer her knowledge to her "real piano."  

Chris wasn't home when it was delivered, due to parent/teacher conferences he didn't get home until about 8pm. So the girls were allowed to stay up late waiting for Daddy.  You can imagine the thrill of having Daddy come home and play fancy music (as well as a collection of familiar tunes.)  They danced wildly around the living room while he played and I think we all shared a night we'll remember for a long time!

A few other funny stories from the week.  On a grey, rainy day maybe 2 weeks ago, the girls were lamenting the lack of sunshine. I suggested that if they sang songs about the sun, the sun might hear them and come out.  Of course they started singing all the sunshine songs they could think of, and the next day I was proven right, the sun came out and they though it was magic! Yesterday, as we drove to the sitter, Maggie sighed dramatically from the backseat and announced, "Perhaps I should sing more songs about the sun, so he will come out again!" I chuckled at her vocabulary and said simply,"Perhaps, Maggie." She answered with, "yes, perhaps I will." And the songs began. Luckily - the sun is out today. Thank you Mr Sunshine!

Katherine's independence caused a funny moment last week. She ran through the kitchen to the bathroom saying to me "I'm going potty Mommy and I don't need ANY help!"  Of course, I know well enough that she would need SOME help. I gave her about 2 minutes and called, "How's it going Katherine?" she replied, "Um, Actually, Not so good!" I went in to find that she had been so excited to be independent, and the need had been so urgent, that she had neglected to take off her undies, and had halfway missed the toilet. I found her standing using the hand towel to try and clean up the mess she had made. It was so funny that I couldn't even be mad about the mess!

And I think that brings us up to speed.  I need to sit and do this more often so the stories are more current and logical.   Perhaps I'll work on that!

Another week has flown by! I think time speeds up as the arrival of the baby approaches.  I had my 35 week check today and everything appears to be great. My blood pressure was textbook perfect and there are no reasons for concern right now. This  is especially great since it was about this time in Katherine's pregnancy is when I had to stop working and "rest" for 3-4 weeks before she came.   I'd rather NOT have any restrictions! I'm happy to just keep my eyes on the prize - April 21!

Last week was Chris' Annual Spring Concert.  This year the theme was "Singing the ABCs" each class had a selection ofsongs starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Because he teaches at 2 elementary schools, we went to both of his concerts.  The girls LOVED every minute.  They knew a number of the songs ahead of time, and had a hard time not jumping up to sing with the kids.

The kindergartners in this picture are singing "Eenie Meenie -  Shake your Beanie" each had a beanie baby to shake as directed by the words of the song. It was great - they clearly loved it,

and even the special ed. kids could really "get into" the song. Of course, My girls loved  it, and have found a variety of beanies around our house to sing and shake with as well!  Another popular song with Katherine especially was "Gratitude Attitude"  However, when she sings it, the words get changed to "I've got a hat-itude, hat-itude" and then instead of "what are you grateful for" she sings "what are you sank-ful for."  The coordinating dance moves make it hysterical!  One of these days I'll figure out sharing  movies in the blog and share with you all!

One other story from the week. Driving home from school/sitter last week, Chris and the girls were watching the airplanes lining up in the sky waiting to land. Maggie announced "when I grow up I'm going to be a pilot!" Not wanting to be outdone, Katherine piped up, "When I grow up, I'm going to be an AIRPLANE!"  This led to  a discussion between the girls about how she couldn't actually be an airplane, but she could be a pilot too.  Katherine refused to

 take no for an answer, and is still insisting that she will be a plane, not a pilot when she grows up. Chris was laughing too hard to add anything to their conversation. In fact, I happened to call during that time and could not understand him - because he was laughing too hard!

I'll leave you with one more picture - taken after the concert last week. It might be the last family shot before #3 arrives. It also might be the only picture of a very pregnant Ann to be posted!