Introducing Lexie

I am enrolled in an English class and my assignment was to write a narrative essay. So, what better topic to write on than my kids? This essay I decided I would write about the birth of my daughter Alexandria Pearl Boring. Anyone that is good at proof reading is welcome to comment and give me feedback.

Thanks!

Introducing Lexie

            This was it. It was 6:30pm on 30 June 2008. I was taking my son, Derik, to my work so he could ride home with one of my co-worker friends, named Vanessa. The reason he was staying with Vanessa is because in a few short hours, he would become a big brother. My scheduled induction was supposed to start at 11:30pm, 5 hours away.

            As I looked into his big brown eyes, moisture started forming in my eyes and I had to blink rapidly to keep Derik from seeing me cry. “Good bye, Derik. I love you so very much! You be a good boy for Vanessa and Trevor. Don’t argue with Adriana. I will see you tomorrow. Okay?”

            “Okay Mom. I will be good. I’ll miss you” he replied as he hugged me back tightly.

            I helped Derik into Vanessa’s car, and watched as she drove away with my baby, who was not so much of a baby anymore at five years old. As the car became smaller in the distance, my thoughts turned to my scheduled list of “To Do’s” that I needed to complete in the next few hours.

·         Eat a big meal. (I was worried about getting hungry during labor.)

·         Take a short nape. (I didn’t often have a quite house all to myself, so I felt I should take advantage of the peace since I had no idea when the next would be that I would have a few hours to myself.

·         Check work email. (I had been on leave for two months and was not able to access my work email from home.)

·         Check in with my Mommy friends and let them know what was going on.

·         Eat again. (Can you tell I was very worried?)

·         Take a final belly picture.

With my To Do list made, I promptly sat at my desk and tried to wade through the hundreds of email in my Inbox.

Just as I was finishing my email chore, I received a phone call from the hospital.

“Hello?”

“Can I please speak to Jennifer Boring?”

“Speaking.”

“Ms. Boring, this is Summerlin Medical Center’s Maternity Ward.”

“Yes!” I said with hopefulness in my voice. I was hoping my induction was going to be moved forward.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we are very busy tonight and at the moment we have no open beds. It should only be a short delay, just a few hours. We will call you when we have an open bed.”

I sighed. “That’s fine. Thank you for calling.” I replied not even trying to hide my disappointment.

I logged into my mommy account so I could leave the update for my friends, and then slowly walked back to my car. I sent my boyfriend a text message to let him know about the schedule change.

“Rod. Induction postponed. Idk (I don’t know) what time I’m suppose to go to the hospital.”

“Ok. I’m going to head home to sleep. Let me know when you leave and I will head over.”

“Ok. I love you.”
“Love you too.”

Too depressed to eat, I drove home to watch a boring movie. I needed something to help me fall asleep. I was still wired and excited for the induction, but felt that I should try my best to get as much sleep as possible.

The next thing I knew, my phone was ringing. As I tried to clear my vision, I noticed two things simultaneously: It was 2am and the number calling was from the hospital. As my sleep deprived brain started working again, the voice on the other end of the call said, “You have 30 minutes to get here.”

I quickly put my shoes on and send Rodney a quick message that it was time to leave. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. My plan to eat just before going to the hospital was ruined since I only had a few minutes to get to the hospital, plus very few places were open at that time of the night, so I headed straight to the hospital.

When I arrived with my three bags, I was escorted to the maternity ward. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and started an I.V. line. Due to circumstances during my son’s birth, I was not able to have an epidural. This time I was determined to get my epidural. I requested that the nurse run the fluid lines quickly so when it was time, I could have the epidural inserted. I also advised the nurse that I was refusing staydol or any other medicines of similar content. My first experience with it was horrible and I did not want a repeat performance.

The nurse inserted the cervidile to soften my cervix. This medicine was supposed to be applied twelve hours before the actual induction started. My daughter was being induced ten days before her due date due to size worries, so the extra medicine was a must.

Once all of the medical stuff was finished, the nurses left and I was alone. I still hadn’t heard back from Rodney, but I wasn’t too worried. I figured he was probably asleep, and once asleep he was almost impossible to wake up. Since I had several hours awaiting me of being alone, I figured this was the best time to catch up on the show “Birth Stories” on the Discovery Health Channel.

Around 4am the contractions had become quite painful so I decided that it was time to try walking the hospital halls. I had heard that this was a great way to manage the pain, so I figured it was worth a shot. Another reason I wanted to get out of the bed is because my behind was really sore from the bed. The bed was uneven right where my bottom sat, and it was very uncomfortable.

As I walked, I had to stop every 20-30 feet and lean up against the wall, as the contractions would hit and the pain would radiate down into my legs. The pain was so bad, that after just fifteen minutes, I had decided I had had enough. For me, walking was not a good option.

I continued laboring in my bed until around 7am. I decided it was time for the nurse to check me and see if I had progressed far enough along for my epidural. “It had been 4 hours so it had to be time, right?” was the thought that went through m y head as I buzzed the nurses’ station.

“Hello!” a nasal responded.

“Yes. I am really hurting now and I was wondering if someone could please come check me.”

“Well,” an exasperated voice replied. “You are going to have to wait! Your nurse is in the middle of a c-section and it is shift change. No one can get in there right now!”

“Yes, I understand about shift change. I just wanted to let you know that I needed assistance when you could get here.”

“Fine! But it will probably be 20-30 minutes before anyone can come.”

“Thank you.”

True to her word, a new nurse arrived about 30 minutes later. I was very happy to hear a sweet voice instead of the nasal voice I had talked to on the intercom system. She checked my cervix and unfortunately, I had only progressed to 1-2 centimeters. This was not very happy news for me since my doctor wanted me to be dilated to 3-5 centimeters before I could have my epidural.

My nurse suggested I take pain medicine, and I advised her of my “no staydol” policy. She then informed me of a different drug that could possibly work. I decided to give it a try and she quickly injected me with a medicine called Dialoted.

As the pain medicine worked its way through my system, the scene from “Look who’s talking” flashed through my head. I felt exactly as Kristie Alley did in the movie… I was very happy and very pain free. The next thing I knew, I was waking up again. I had slept for about four hours. I looked at my cell phone and saw that I had a missed call from Rodney so I called him.

“Hey, I’m headed over now. I should be there in about an hour.”

“Ok. Hurry. I miss you.”

“Miss you too. I’ll be there soon.”

My medicine was working pretty well, so I decided to relax and watch some more television. About an hour later, the most handsome man I had ever seen walked into the labor room and kissed me. He settled into the only chair in the room, and immediately I felt that everything would be ok. We talked, we watched TV, we laughed and we just enjoyed each other’s company, while our daughter worked on making her debut.

4pm came and the nurse checked me again, and I was still only dilated to 1-2 centimeters. I was really starting to get depressed since my son’s labor only lasted for 5 ½ hours from start to finish. The nurses were given the go-ahead to start the pitocine. The thought process was that hopefully NOW I would start dilating like I was supposed to.

At 6pm my medicine started wearing off, and the contractions were becoming stronger and stronger again. Rodney checked my monitor during one such contraction and replied, “Oh, why are you huffing and puffing so much. The contractions are only at a 6.” As the contraction subsided, I just laughed, because I knew he had absolutely no idea how bad these contractions were. The nurse came in and checked me again, and I was still at a 1-2 centimeters. She was given permission by my doctor to break my water.

At 7pm the contractions were very close and very hard. I asked Rodney to go get the nurse. She checked me again, and I had progressed to 6 centimeters. I was really happy because I could now have my epidural. The nurse called for the anesthologist. He was busy, but said he would be in my room as soon as he could. It took him until 7:30 pm to get to me. He had me sit on the edge of my bed and I had to hunch my back so he could insert the epidural needle and get the epidural inserted. This procedure is very dangerous because one slip and I would be paralyzed. At this point in the labor, I was very much okay with this information. As the epidural was being inserted, Rodney decided he needed to step out for a bit, but said he would be back in the room in a few minutes.

Once the epidural was completely inserted, the nurse helped me back into my bed. I started feeling like I was having cramps in my left butt cheek. I told the nurse this, and she checked me again. I had progressed to 8 centimeters! I sent Rodney a text that said, “It is 8pm, I’m at 8.”

Rodney rushed back to the room very confused. “What do you mean you are at 8?”

“Just that. I am now at 8 centimeters.”

“Holy cow. This is it!”

The nurses called the doctor and he told me to go ahead and start pushing. Dr. Bart arrived at 8:30, and quickly dressed for my upcoming delivery. I asked for a mirror so I could see my daughter as she arrived in this world. My wonderful nurse quickly brought a mirror in for me and angled it so I could see what was going on. It was very slow going since my contractions were still about 2 minutes apart. I would push as hard and for as long as I could.

Between contractions, I felt that it was kind of an awkward time. I was completely exposed for the world to see and nothing was going on, so to lighten the mood, I asked my doctor, “So, how was your day?”

He never really answered me, but Rodney replied, “This is the weirdest conversation I have ever heard.” Go figure.

At 8:45pm, the nasal voiced nurse from the morning walked in looking for excitement, and stood in front of my mirror. I was very annoyed, but by this point I was so focused on pushing and usually had my eyes shut anyway, that I did not say anything.

At 9:08pm on 1 July 2008, my beautiful daughter, Alexandria Pearl Boring (Lexie), entered the world weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long. She was a beautiful baby with a head full of black hair that I knew would eventually be full of curls. Three years have passed since she was born and she is still my beautiful princess.

Picky Eaters - What's your take?

This morning, in my sleep deprived state, I was checking out my twitter feed, and came across an article about picky eaters written by Joyce Slaton. It made me think. I have 1 picky eater, and 1 not so picky eater. As I read the article and reflected on the information provided, I'm torn. I would love to think that the reason my 2 year old daughter is a picky eater is because of genetics (I was also a picky eater), or that it's a passing phase, or some other health reason, but I have to say, I actually think it is my fault that she has become a picky eater.

Here's my thoughts. My son was a little picky when he was younger. Basically he did not like red meat. He would rather have chicken instead of beef, but he would eat everything else if beef was served, like in tacos. He'd eat the tortilla cheese, tomato, and sometimes lettuce. I just kept offering him beef as I made it, and eventually he found that he liked it. We didn't go out to eat much when he was younger, so he never really tasted soda, french fries, or anything like that. As he got older, we started eating fast food a lot more... Enter kid #2.

Now my daughter on the other hand, she loves noodles, tomatoes, and fruit. If I serve anything else, she refuses to eat it. BUT she will scarf down all the junk she can find, and having a 7 year old in school,and having to have stuff for lunches and after school snacks for the poor "starving" child, means we have a lot of junk in the house. (And yes, I actually am working on making his snacks and lunches healthier, that just takes time and energy, and being a single mom, I don't have much of either.) Because it is so much easier to just go grab McDonalds, Sonic, or whatever, than spending 30 minutes + cooking, we have eaten fast food a lot. A lot more than I would like to admit. Where my son had never tasted soda, let alone drank caffinated soda, my daughter knows exactly what Dr. Pepper tastes like, and will often steal my soda from me. When my son had no idea what hot pockets were, my daughter now routinely asks for them.... You get the picture. My home is not the same home that it was when my son was younger, and unfortunately I really feel that my daughter is suffering from it.

So with all that being said, Is it my fault that she is turing into a picky eater or is it genetics? I'll let you decide. And trust me, I don't think anyone could say anything that I don't already know, or feel badly about.

What to do when they just won't potty train!

I'm sure there are many out there that are facing the potty training challenge, well let me just say, I am most definitely right there with ya! My 2 year old, has enjoyed sitting on her potty for quite some time, probably almost a year. We have had a few successful bathroom trips, but mostly, she is just refusing to actually do her business on the toilet. instead, she will tell me right after she's gone, that she's "poopy", or she will just take off her diaper. When she starts the sequence of shedding her diaper, it's almost impossible to keep one on her after that, no matter how long after she's gone. So what to do? Beats me! I'm highly stuck! She is now getting to an age where she is actually understanding what I'm telling her, so maybe we are actually close. It's just incidents like the one that just happened, where she's refusing to keep a diaper on her butt, and she chooses to do her business on the floor instead, that gets me frustrated! Do I try the potty training boot camp? Or do I just wait until she actually recognizes the signals before going? Like I said, we've got the AFTER "I go potty" down perfectly, just not the before.

Any and all suggestions are highly welcomed.

Update on Sleep Issues

Just when I was at the brink of despair, a miracle happened. My 2-year-old daughter actually slept all night in her bed! I was completely and utterly amazed when I woke up a few days ago, and lo and behold, I was completely alone! It so surprised me, that I immediately got up and went to check on my kids, since it was a very rare occurrence for this to happen. I first went to check on my son, he was sound asleep in his bed, covers tucked under his chin. Then I went to check on my daughter, and I almost flipped a wig. I kid you not. I looked in her room, and with her bed against the wall that the door is on, I did not see her in her bed. I took 2 steps into the room, and sighed a sigh of relief, there she was, fast asleep on her bed, next to the wall. Her covers were laying beside her, she was sleeping on her stomach in the "stink bug" position. It was in this moment, that I realized, yes, this too shall pass. So for anyone else who is dealing with that horrible, irritating, mind-numbing sleep deprivation that comes from having small children, just remember, "this too shall pass", because it will. I am proof of it.

I thought it was suppose to get better!!!

Ever since I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I have been chatting on the MSN message boards, specifically, the pregnancy board. There I have heard (read) all about various sleep issues. Newborns that were confused, toddlers that have reverted, and very sleepy momma's asking for help (myself included) to figure out what to do.

Now, don't get me wrong, my daughter hasn't always had sleep issues. She was a WONDERFUL sleeper for about the first 16 months of her life. I'd put her in her bed, she'd cuddle under her blanket, and be asleep within minutes. And then we moved. The house we were renting was next door to some inconsiderate people that felt it was ok for dogs to bark all night, so guess what? They did. Unfortunately my daughter's bedroom was right next to the dogs, so for whatever reason at 11pm EVERY NIGHT last december, those dang dogs started barking waking her up.

Now I am a parent that values sleep...immensely. My personal philosophy has always been, put baby to bed in their bed and if baby wakes up, bring baby to my bed, since said baby sleeps better in my bed. This was not a problem in anyway, because my daughter very seldom woke up during the night. But thanks to those !@#@#%#^$$#%@#$@ dogs she got into a habit of waking up each night, at the same time each night. Now I can't blame her for waking up, it wasn't her fault, but it still has made things very tough on momma.

Well, bring on my first bright idea. Yes, that's right, transition to the toddler bed, because, maybe she just needs more space. *sigh* no such luck. That has actually made everything a lot worse. So now, each night, it's a fight to get her to stay in her bed. She will cry for hours (if I don't give in) because she wants to sleep with me. If I do happen to get her to actually go to sleep in her own bed, she will wake up and join me in my bed, which has been taking years off my life, being awaken from a dead sleep by a small body climbing over my face. Not fun. So right now, it's 3:40 am, and I'm still awake working on this blog, and she has awaken, and refuses to go back to sleep, even though she is completely exhausted. She wants to sleep next to mom, and will not take "No" for an answer. I really thought it was suppose to get better as they got older. Maybe my son just spoiled me rotten by being a good sleeper, or maybe I did something right with him, that I've missed doing with her. Maybe she just spoiled me rotten by being a great sleeper until the dogs messed things up. I have no idea, but one thing I do know, I really want...no make that NEED for her to get back to her good sleeping schedule.