Deflation

Did you like how I used the term 'deflating' in my last blog? I learned that from this documentary on a family with quadruplets or sextuplets or some huge number of children born at once. Anyhow, the husband referred to his wife's body as "deflated" after having all those children. Of course, I would kill Jeff if he called my body that, no matter how many children I had at once! Jeff so kindly tells me that I look great, especially only two weeks after having a baby, which I deeply appreciate.

Yes, the end result is not good as far as a woman's body goes, but the child is totally worth all the stretch marks, extra weight, deflation, etc. Although I was able to get back down to my normal weight after having Maya, I was not able to get down to my normal size of clothing. Oh, how fun it is to mail a huge box of clothes to your sister-in-law who can now fit into your 'old' size of clothes better than you can or ever will.

My friend Jane, who looks awesome after having kids, wants to do a half marathon in December. I've decided to try to take her up on this crazy idea because we both have had children in the past few months and it is the only way we can lose those final lingering ten pounds.

I am now wearing my transition clothing. Call it what you will... fat clothes, early maternity clothes, or even your husband's clothes... it is not flattering but it is functional and roomy. I have a job interview next week and I'm hoping to look great by then... does anyone have any tips?

While on the operating table, I was betting my OB that this baby just HAD to be huge because my belly stuck out WAY more (see last post pic) than with Maya, even though I weighed exactly the same. He quickly informed me that my body probably just stretched out more since I'm now "older" and that my body probably didn't have as much elasticity as it used to. Wow, thanks for the pep talk, Doc.

Before and After

You didn't think I would put an after picture of me, did you? (notice the moving boxes in the background ;))
Yes, the huge pregnant lady is in the process of deflating. Reili Hana Kingsley was born August 14th at 11:24am by c-section. I bet the doc that she would be 8.5 lbs and he guessed 7 lbs and 11 oz. She was 7 lbs and 10 oz. It was a much less traumatic experience than the emergency c-section I had with Maya. We were so happy that she was finally here. She is healthy and doing well.
(to see pictures of Reili, click the link to the right under Baby pics...)

My late night partying has been curtailed.

Pre-Op Instructions for C-section:
"Do not smoke the night before surgery or the morning of surgery."
"The night before surgery, nothing to eat after 9:00 pm. However, you may drink non-alcoholic beverages until midnight."

Nesting and New Talents

With the first child, you go into this weird nesting mode before the baby is born. I made sure we had a 6 month supply of everything...from food to toilet paper. The baby (Maya) had diapers, wipes, baby powder, soap, and even teething medicine before she was born.

So, on the Saturday before our second baby is born, I decide I better find the stuff I will need for her when we get back from the hospital. Jeff bought some diapers, we had some wipes... what else do we need... hmmm... oh, burp cloths and some clothes. I washed those with the 'special' dye-free, fragrance-free, etc. laundry detergent and we were set. I guess that was my nesting phase for baby #2 (Reili).

I guess I'll pack my bag tonight... much different than last time when it was packed one month before I had Maya.

So, Maya is very interested in "Charlie and Lola". They are a very cute brother and sister pair that are from England. Charlie is a sweet older brother that is always patient and kind with his kid sister, Lola. There is a TV show based on these books that I love. Maya pronounces Charlie like Lola does, with the British accent, "Chah-lee".

We checked out some Charlie and Lola books from the library and I have included them in our storytime at bedtime. I decided to read it in the voices of Charlie and Lola, with accent included. I was so impressed with myself and my accent that I made sure to read it around Jeff so he'd be impressed with my mad skills. He once said, "You read that VERY well" and I felt so good inside. My new talent has been appreciated.

Like Father, Like Daughter

I told Maya she had pretty hair, so she countered the compliment.
Maya: "You have pretty hair, Mommy."
Me: "What color is Mommy's hair?"
Maya: "Black."
Me: "What color is Maya's hair?"
Maya: "Black."
Me: "No, Maya has brown hair...just like Daddy."
Maya: "I have brown poop. Daddy has brown poop."
-MK

Insomnia, pregnancy, and two year olds

You know, you can get a lot done at 2 a.m. No one is awake, no one is interrupting you, and you can even eat ice cream in peace. I have been trying to be productive at those odd hours when I'm awake. Something fun always wakes me up... like feeling like I need to pee (or potty as I call it these days), blow my nose (because I have the dreaded pregnancy sinusitis), or maybe reflux is setting in. I wake up nightly about the same time. Now that I have found this secret time when the house is quiet and I have time to myself, Maya has found a way to wake up at the same exact time because of one of her fears (see list). I think she just senses that I'm awake. So she comes in the living room and instead of going back to bed, she lays down on a bean bag so that she is near me. I have just started throwing a blanket on her and letting her sleep there rather than wrestle with her to go back to her room. I keep wondering what in the world will I do next week when I have a baby to take care of too? Maya is supposed to be sleeping all night. She's supposed to be potty trained. She's supposed to be... you know... all grown up by now, right? Jeff and I joke around with that phrase. He said something about her being "immature" and I said, "Yeah, she just needs to grow up." 2 1/2 yrs old.... she should be able to take care of herself, right?
The doc moved my c-section up to August 14th. When he said something about moving it up, Jeff looked at me like "I don't have an extra day to take off work!" and I looked at him like, "I want this huge thing out as soon as possible so you'd better not object to this or else..." After a couple of loving glances, I said to the doctor, "That would be great. We'll do it that day."
4 more days until things are back to "normal"....
-MK

The Beginning of the End

I thought that now would be a good time to start a blog. We just moved to Ohio, Maya can watch Curious George for an hour straight, I'm at home all day, and we are about to have another little girl. I keep thinking it is a good time, but isn't this just the calm before the storm? In my mind I wonder how in the world I will handle two kids. Maya has been such an 'easy' child... until she turned two. Jeff wants 3 or 4 kids and I can't imagine more than one. I guess that one is not an option at this point.... baby #2, Reili Hana, is due in exactly 8 days. I say exactly because we need to have her by c-section.

I remember reading somewhere that you can get a good idea of the weight of your child by averaging what the parents weighed at their birth. I was around 6.5 pounds and so was Jeff. Somehow, we produced an 8 lb. 3 oz. baby that was too big for me to deliver. So... maybe I gained twice as much weight as my mom did when she was pregnant, so what? 8 and 9 pound babies are the norm these days, right? 6 pound babies is SO '70s. Bigger and better is way of the new millenium...

Since we moved I have been all nostalgic about pretty much everything. I think the pregnancy hormones might have something to do with it. I signed up on facebook and myspace. I searched for every friend I had ever known and so far, I have found a lot of them. I read an email from a childhood friend, Harisha, and just cried. I had missed her and didn't even know it. Ok, so weird things make me cry right now.

Jeff has started a new job. He works for the government. He is still working like he did when he was a student. It is so funny because that's just not how government workers work. They get 30 days of PAID time off. They get 3 hrs a week for "work out" time. Yes, you can exercise while on the clock AND get paid. They get so many days off for almost every little holiday, plus the AF commander makes up days as "family holidays" and gives it to everyone to take off. Jeff feels guilty if he takes a whole hour for lunch.... we'll make a government worker out of him before he retires!

Maya is anxiously anticipating her little sister's arrival. We decided to celebrate Reili's actual birthday by making a cake. Maya is just as excited about having cake as she is about having a little sister.

My mom is coming in a few days. I am excited to see her and more excited that I will have some help around the house. I'm too big and uncomfortable to do much these days. Maya calls her "Baba" which is short for the Japanese word "Obaasan" which means grandmother.

8 days. I think I can make it. I just want my body back. I know I'm doing all this for a good cause....I think I can make it...
-MK