Life with 2 kids...

Milo is one month old.  And I know moms say this all the time, but really where does the time go??



1. Pause the Clock-

 I remember not being able to wait until Siege grew into the next phase.
                    "Just make it until 2 months and it will get easier."
                    "Chris, when do you think he'll start laughing?"
                    "When do you think I'll be able to sleep longer than 3 hours in a row?"
With Milo, I literally started tearing up at the thought of having to put him in size 1 diapers.
                    "Chris, he'll never be in newborn size again..."
And every day that passes makes me want to cling to his 'sleep all day', snuggly, 'can't hold my head up' phase of life.  There is something about a brand new baby that makes everyone's heart melt.  Sometimes at night I'll just stare at him in amazement, because he's so tiny.

2.  Super Mommy-

When Siege turned 1 month old, Chris and I looked at each other with amazement.  We were so proud we managed to keep him alive an entire month!  We worried over everything.  If he made even the slightest peep I'd rush over to pick him up.  When Milo cries I think, "Kid, is that the best you got?"
With Siege I remember asking my mom to watch him so that I could take a shower.  As if Siege was going to run out the back door of the house or something.  This time around I feel so much more confident about everything.  I don't have to second guess myself every time he cries.  I already know the differences between his 'I'm hungry' 'I'm gassy,' and his 'My brother just picked me up and dropped me' cries.

3.  Super Daddy-

Chris is super duper Dad.  Chris was pretty much afraid to touch Siege.  He didn't even really change his diaper until he was about 4 months old.  I mostly did everything for Siege because I felt like I was more efficient at it (and yes, everyone told me not to do that).  With Milo, I don't really have a choice.  There are two kids and there's two of us- and we make a damn good team.  Chris and Siege have had some really great father-son time and everyday he tells Milo all about how he's going to be a daddy's boy.

4.  Super Siege-

I am shocked at how well Siege has adjusted to life with Milo.  It seems like he already can't remember the days where it was just him and me.  He constantly wants to help by giving him his binky or grabbing me the burp cloth.  He always lets me know when Milo's crying.  A friend of mine came over to visit.  She held Milo (who was hungry and ready to eat) and Milo started crying.  Siege freaked out.  He was genuinely concerned that she might steal our baby.  "Mama, Ah-wo (Siege's name for Milo), Mama, Ah-wo!!!" And Siege didn't stop crying until I took Milo from her.  Siege loves taking baths with Ah-wo too.  And yes, he has even picked up and dropped his brother already.

So overall, we are loving life with two kiddos.  We certainly don't get as much sleep, and grocery shopping is quite the ordeal, but it has brought us all closer together.

Milo's Birth Story

On the morning of September 17, two days before my scheduled induction, I  started having what I thought were contractions. I told Chris before he left for work, "Babe- today could be the day!"   To which he responded, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...you've said that the last two weeks!"
In all honesty, I had been saying that the last two weeks. I had contractions on and off for weeks! By 12:30 pm I started timing my contractions on my phone app. I called Chris and he was pretty insistent on having me go to the hospital. At this point I still wasn't sure it was the real thing because I wasn't in any pain. I called my mom & mother in law to give them a heads up & get my baby sitters for siege in place. They both came strait home from work.  By 2pm I was convinced I wasn't really in labor, my mom was convinced I was. She finally talked me in to calling my doctors office to see what he would suggest. The nurse said to go to the hospital if 

A. You are in intense pain (which I wasn't)
B. My contractions were consistently 4-5 min apart (mine weren't)
C. Your water breaks (definite no)
D. You have more than 6 contractions in an hour 

So, I decided to count how many contractions I had from 2:30-3:30. I had 7. We headed to the hospital- knowing that if I got sent home, I could at least say that the doctor told me to come.  I always envisioned myself getting driven to the hospital and  sitting in the passenger seat doing my deep breathing exercises (like they always do in the movies). I did NONE of that. I felt way too comfortable to be going to the hospital to have a baby.  I even made my mom leave all of our bags in the car. 

It was 4:00 pm when I got there. The nurses looked at me with doubtful eyes. They were pretty sure I wasn't staying based on my completely normal demeanor. I checked into triage and the nurse hooked me up to the monitors. All of a sudden, the contractions started to get a little more intense. She checked me and was shocked to find out I was dilated to 5 CM. 

I immediately got on the phone and told Chris to get to the hospital. They wheeled me into the delivery room and got all my paperwork going.  

I knew the pain was getting more intense because I had to stop giving them information and began breathing through my contractions. 
The next thing I knew my water broke. I started to panic because I knew this baby was coming fast. At 5:30pm Chris arrived. I got my epidural shortly after.  By 6:20 the entire push team was set up and ready and my Ob Gyn came strolling in.  

At 6:39 pm we heard our little miracle cry. It was the most beautiful sound.
They immediately  whisked Milo off to the nursery and began to run their tests.  I cried. For two long hours I waited and prayed that I'd be bringing my healthy baby to post partum with me.

The nurse came in to move me from the delivery room to post partum and I was devastated. I hadn't even really been able to see Milo yet. She decided she'd skip protocol and make a pit stop at the nursery so that I could see him.

As I wheeled in, the results from the scan came back and the nurses were getting instructions from my pediatrician.

He was perfect.

The tests came back completely clear and he was coming back to the room with me. We were discharged 2 days later.

This pregnancy has changed me.  I will never forget the spiritual journey I've experienced these past 9 months.  I will never underestimate the power of prayer and I will forever be grateful to God for allowing me to be the mother of our little miracle, Milo Christopher.