Avery's 2 Week Check-Up

Monday Avery had her 2 week well baby check-up.  All is well and she is growing!  Last Monday we went in for a weight check and she weighed 8.8 pounds...she was down to 8.5 when we left the hospital from her birthweight of 9.1 pounds.  One week later she was all the way up to 9.2 pounds...10 ounces in one week!  Dr. Russell said that she is on the same track as her big sister, but Avery is not as long as Lily was so we'll see.  Will this one have my genes?  I hope not...I pray that my girls are long and lean like their dad and not short and tubby like their mom.  Avery does have some "chunk" to her.  She has chubby cheeks, thighs, and upper arms.  She is changing more and more everyday and she is having more "awake" periods.  I still think she looks like Jason, but time will tell.  I see a lot of him through her eyes.  Avery is doing well with eating.  She eats about every 2 hours during the day or a little more and then every 3 hours at night.  She always goes right back to sleep after nursing in the night...which is nice for mom!  She does have a blocked tear duct which she has had since birth.  Her left eye gets "goopy" with green ick, but the Dr. said there is really nothing to do for it.  It doesn't bother baby as much as it bothers mom and dad.  We are to keep it clean with a warm washcloth and it will fix itself with time. 

Avery's 2 Week Stats:

Weight~9 pounds 2 ounces (72nd percentile)

Length~20 3/4 inches (68th percentile...sorry kiddo, but your big sister had you beat at birth in this category)

Head~14 1/2 inches (69th percentile)

Amazing Grace

This morning in church we were singing "Amazing Grace."  Jason looked down at me (yes, down...remember he is over a foot taller than me :)), and said our Avery Grace.  He is absolutely right...our Avery Grace is our Amazing Grace...both of our daughters are.  I thought it was so cute and so true.  Our girls are so lucky to have a daddy like they do.  He loves them so very much.

Happy Halloween to all!

Binkey Thief!

We have a binkey thief in the house and her name is Lily Rose!  This little turkey never took a binkey when she was a baby...I couldn't force one on her but now she can't keep them out of her mouth!  She steals them from her baby sister and I find them all over the place.  Avery will be quietly sleeping with her bink in and Lily will snatch it from her.  I gave her one of Avery's binkies and designated it just for Lily hoping that would help, but it hasn't.  She knows which one is "her's", but she still wants all of Avery's too.  I now have a toddler who looks like she is 4 walking around with a bink in her mouth!

Welcomed With Love...

Avery Grace Kneifl

October 17th, 2010

9:11pm

9 pounds 1.2 ounces

20 inches

I'm a little behind on this post, but things are a bit busier with two! 

I went to work on Saturday night which was my last scheduled shift before starting my maternity leave.  I had an "office" night in which I did some audits and some other paperwork.  It was nice to not have to be on the floor that night.  I had some contractions during the night, but nothing new or really any different that what I had been having.  I left a little early because I had everything done that I could have done in the office and nobody on the floor needed any help.  I would normally leave at 7:30am and I left at 6:10am.  I was walking to the parking garage and I felt the first little "trickle".  I thought to myself..."holy crap, was that it?!"  I knew I couldn't have peed myself because I had just gone to the bathroom.  The whole ride home I waited for something else to come...nothing.  I went to the bathroom when I got home and...nothing.  I got ready for bed and laid down right around 7:00am.  At 7:05am my water had officially broken...by officially I mean a big ole sheet soaking GUSH!  We were going to have a baby!

We hurried to get Lily packed up to go to my parent's house and also to get a bag packed for the baby and for Jason.  Our house was a complete mess because it was the day we had planned on getting everything done...we weren't expecting a baby until Tuesday. 

 When we got to the hospital I was 3cm.  I walked for about an hour to try to get things moving along, but I wasn't even having any good contractions.  After the walking I was still 3cm so it was decided to start some Pitocin...I hate Pitocin.  Because I was attempting a VBAC I had to have an internal monitor placed to measure the strength of my contractions.  I did pretty good until 3:30 and I couldn't stand it anymore and I opted for an epidural.  I am so thankful that it worked this time!  I sat at 5cm all day and we decided that if I wasn't complete by 10:00pm we would go for a C-section.  At 8:15 I was still 5cm and at 8:30 I went to 7cm.  Avery was still high, face up and turned.   After 14 hours I called it quits knowing she wasn't coming out on her own.  A C-section it would be. 

At 9:11pm we welcomed our second daughter into this world and into our hearts.  It was so nice being awake this time and getting to hear her cry right away and being able to see her right away and kiss her chubby little cheeks!  I almost didn't believe Jason when he looked at me and said "Its a GIRL!"  I think most people had their money on a boy...including me.  Jason says he could always see himself with two girls...I said "do you know we now have two weddings to pay for and two teenage girls to deal with!"

Lily was the first person to hear of her sister's arrival.  Because it was later at night she didn't get to meet her baby sister until the next day.  The look on Lily's face was worth a million dollars when she first saw Avery.  She loves her baby sister so much...a little too much most of the time.  It melts my heart every time I hear Lily say, "Aveweeee".  I am so happy that Lily has a sister and that the two of them will grow up together and hopefully be the best of friends.

At times I think Avery looks like Lily, but they really don't look much a like.  It is hard to tell at this stage.  I look back at pictures of Lily and I can find some where they look EXACTLY alike.  Avery is one week old today and as already changed so much.  I think she may look like her daddy.  They have the same shape of eyes.  She has dark, almost black hair...time will tell who she looks like.

God has given me the two of life's greatest blessings.  I love my daughters more than anything in this world.  Jason and I are lucky to be their parents.

Family of 4

Kisses from big sister Lily

Daddy and his girls

She was 2 ounces "smaller" than Lily, but look at those CHEEKS!

Snug as a bug in a rug...with a bink

Sleeping beauty

A visit to the Pediatrician

Lily has had a runny nose/cold for almost 2 weeks now.  Just yesterday she started in with a nasty cough.  She sounds like a freight train when she sleeps and the poor thing can hardly breathe at night.  I have been thinking all along she may have some seasonal allergies and that now the cough is just from some post nasal drainage.  She coughs all night long though and can't sleep.  Last night I made a trip to Hy-Vee just before midnight and found that there is nothing you can give a 2 year old for a cough.  Everything is for 4-6 years and older.  When I got home she was in bed with Jason and was still coughing horribly.  She was coughing so hard and couldn't stop that she then threw up EVERYWHERE!  Poor Jason took the brunt of it since he was holding her.  It was in the sheets, the comforter, pillows, her jammies, all over Jason, the floor and some in the toilet.  I think it scared her because she started to cry.  I grabbed her up and put her in the shower with me hoping that the hot humid steam would help some.  Must have because she slept the rest of the night in her own bed...after watching Elmo with mommy on the couch until 1:00am. 

She woke up again this morning coughing and crying and couldn't stop and could hardly breathe, so I called her pediatrician.  Her Dr. was out of the office, but we got in right away with another Dr.  Lily did so good.  She answered all of his questions by herself and she let him listen to her lungs, look in her ears and in her mouth without a fuss.  Her lungs sounded fine, throat looked good, and ears looked good.  Dr. thinks it may just be allergies (just what mom said) or maybe a sinus infection starting.  He called her in a prescription for a safe antihistamine/decongestant for a 2 year old.  I picked it up and attempted to give Lily her first dose...lets just say she may have gotten a 1/4 of what she should have!  She spit it out right away and said, "UCKY!"  I'm just hoping that she is feeling better by Tuesday so she can be the first one to meet her baby brother/sister.  We are thankful for no fevers and that she has really been a healthy kid for the past 2 years! 

For the record...she weighed exactly 29 pounds today...still growing!

The Pumpkin Patch

 Pony ride with daddy

 Riding the trike with daddy

 Family Pic

 Riding the train

 Bouncing away

 Milking the cow

 Giant rocking chair

 Going into the mine

Going on a pony ride with Boppa

Lily will go to Vala's Pumpkin Patch on Friday with her daycare, but mom and dad HAD to be the first ones to take her there!  We went last night with my mom, dad, sister, Brian, Maddie and Presley.  It was a crisp, cool, perfect night for the pumpkin patch.  Lily went last year, but she was too little to really enjoy anything.  This year was a different story!  She went on two pony rides, a train ride, bouncy playground, ate some junk food, and saw and pet lots of animals.  She loved it!  She has had a cold for the past week now and I'm not sure if it is just allergies, but I hope she gets over it soon...like before the baby comes on Tuesday.  I may keep her home from daycare this week to see if that helps, but then she would miss out on a second trip to the pumpkin patch...we'll see.  We are all enjoying the cooler fall weather and the beautiful changing leaves.  I am glad to have fall babies and that I get the next 3 months off to enjoy this weather and the holidays with my family!

38 Weeks and a Birthdate

I had my 38 week visit yesterday and I left in tears.  Everything is fine with the baby and myself, but we had to schedule a date for a C-section.  With my gestational diabetes my Dr. says it is not safe to go past my due date and that she won't let me.  She goes out of town on October 20th which means I have until October 19th to have this baby on my own and do a VBAC which is what I was really hoping for.  We went ahead and scheduled a C-section for 7:30am on Tuesday October 19th since she leaves and won't be back until after my due date.  I understand the risks and want to do whatever is best for the baby, but I'm not giving up hope that he/she will still come on his/her own!  Please cross your fingers and pray for us these next 11 days!  I am dilated one centimeter, but no other progress.  Lily and I took a long walk at the lake yesterday and I have been looking into other natural ways to induce labor!

37 Weeks and Full Term!

Sorry for the self picture, but Jason wasn't home.

Baby Kneifl 37 Weeks 3D

Today marks 37 weeks pregnant which is considered full term!  It seemed like it took forever with Lily to get to this point, but with this one the entire pregnancy has flown by.  I had my ultrasound and appointment with Dr. Norton yesterday.  Baby was super active on the ultrasound and the tech was laughing saying he/she was naughty.  I said...oh no...I can't have another one of those!  Baby was yawning big huge yawns, sticking his/her tongue out and playing with his/her hands.   Baby's head is a little larger than average at this point and is estimated to weigh 7 pounds 7 ounces right now.  In three weeks, or at my due date, baby should weigh right at 9 pounds.  I told her that I had a bigger than 9 pound baby the first time and she laughed and said "you're truckin down the same path!"  Dr. Norton said that right now they like to see baby at the 50th percentile mark and ours is at the 60th...so bigger than average.  None of this surprised me.  She said that I could still attempt a VBAC and that is the plan.  She said that as long as I know that things are up in the air and that I am okay with that then she is okay with that too.  However, with the gestational diabetes she won't let me go past my due date.  I am due on the 22nd...she is out of town from the 20th-24th.  I didn't ask and she didn't say then if that meant I would have to have it on my own by the 19th before having to schedule a C-section???  I'll have to get more specific next week and ask her that.  So, basically I have 2.5-3 weeks to go into labor on my own, and if I don't I will have a repeat C-section.  My labor with Lily was 24 hours long, pushed for 2 and then ended up with a C-section...something I want to avoid this time around.  Dr. Norton said that at anytime during labor (if I go on my own) that I could throw the towel in and say "I'm done."  Meaning...if I am not progressing and the hours are passing by that I can say "let's have a C-section."  That is my call.  I guess I thought I would have more answers after this appointment, but that is okay with me.  Nobody ever knows when a baby will arrive...right!  Baby's enter this world on their own time...when they are good and ready too, and that is why I don't want to schedule the birth of my baby.  He/she knows when they are supposed to be here.  However, if it comes down to safety I will not compromise anything.

Baby's heartbeat was 133 on ultrasound and 163 by doppler. 

An update on my other "baby"...LILY.  She is acting every bit of a 2 year old these days.  She throws fits and gets mad if she doesn't get her own way.  She thinks everything is "MINE!"  She can't say Lily so she calls herself Dilly.  Everything is Dilly's!  She continues to like "school."  This morning she wouldn't even eat breakfast...she couldn't wait to get out the door and in the car to go to "cool."  She had a rough night last night and I'm not sure why.  She has been waking up in the middle of the night crying, and it is the kind of crying like she is scared.  She may be having nightmares, but I'm not sure.  I do know that is very hard to sleep with 3 people in our bed at this point though, so Jason got kicked out and sent to the basement last night.  Sorry Jason!  Last night she only wanted "MOMMY!"  This was a huge surprise because it is usually the other way around.  She never wants me.  It is always her daddy that she asks for.  She yells at me and tells me to go all the time.  It made me cry the other night, but what do you do?  I sometimes feel like she resents me in a way because I can't get down on the floor and play with her right now like I used to do and daddy can.  Daddy can pick her up and be silly with her all the time, and mommy is just a lump.  So, even though I was sad that she was crying and had such a rough night it made my heart smile that she wanted her mommy.  :)

Dear Baby K,

Dear Baby K,

We have made it 36 weeks together!  Just a few more to go until we get to meet you and see your sweet little face.  I sometimes write your big sister letters on here so I figured its about time I write you one.  Mommy finally started to do some stuff in your nursery yesterday to help get ready for your arrival.  Your big sister, Lily, helped too.  She knows that you are coming and I think you are very lucky to have a big sister like her.  I do have to warn you...be careful...she can be a little rough sometimes but it is all out of the goodness of her little heart.  She loves "baby" so much already and she can't wait to meet you!  Mommy and Daddy are guessing that you might be a little boy, but we can't be for sure.  We are all anxiously waiting your arrival!  We love you so much already and we haven't even met you.  We can't wait!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister Lily

Baby Update

Well, I did not get the answers I was hoping to get today because my ultrasound was cancelled to due a family emergency in the office.  I did have my regularly scheduled appointment with my doctor and I did get some questions answered.  The big question is how big this baby is and if it is reasonable or not for me to try to do a VBAC.  I am measuring ahead of my due date which could be an indication of a big baby and by feeling the baby Dr. Norton said, "Sorry, but I don't think this one is any smaller than your first one."  The only sure way to tell though is by ultrasound.  It is rescheduled for next Thursday.  Baby's heartbeat was 153 and all else is going well.  I did meet with the Diabetes educator and Dietician yesterday and I got my glucometer and new diet plan.  I have been following the plan pretty strictly for a week now and I think it has paid off.  I lost one pound since last week and all of my blood sugars have been in range.  I just feel hungrier than I used to, and I'm not a fan of poking my finger 4 times a day, but keeping a close eye on them is what is best for the baby and that is all that matters.  I did get out of having to do biweekly non-stress tests because my blood sugars have been controlled.  If they get out of range then I will have to go in twice a week to do a non-stress test to make sure all is well with baby.

I did talk to my Dr. about MY plan.  My plan is to go up until my due date without scheduling a C-section (once again if baby is a reasonable size).  If I go into labor on my own by my due date then I will try a VBAC.  If I do not have the baby by its due date we will schedule a C-Section the beginning of the next week...most likely October 26th because she does not do them on Mondays.  There were no signs of labor happening anytime soon today...not dilated or effaced at all. 

More to come after next week's appointment and ultrasound!