the marvelous adventures of jules & john

Seeing Beatrice and Jovia together makes me realize just how short the newborn stage is. Beatrice isn’t even two, yet she can pour tiny cups of tea and draw circles and wrap her bear in a swaddle. 

In no time, Jovia will be sitting on her own and causing a ruckus with her big sis. Until then, I’m drinking up this time where her tiny hands wrap around my finger. I love her grunty sleep and the way she lets out little cries like she’s having a bad dream. I love how she curls into a ball on my chest. I love her gorgeous little mouth and the way her tongue sticks out when I touch her bottom lip. She is so very precious to me. 

The girls and I spend a lot of time lounging on the front porch. We bring out a blanket, chalk, books, bubbles, food, etc, and spend hours making chalk masterpieces and staring at the dogs that walk by. 

Our housing edition is still a construction zone and yesterday there were all sorts of little tractors out fixing the lawns. Beatrice was captivated by them and could have watched them all day. I felt really bad when she woke up from her nap asking for tractors, but they were all gone by that point. I should have let her postpone her nap a little longer…

The other day, John took Beatrice on an outing, and when she returned she had a brand new Lightning McQueen and Mater clutched firmly in her little hands. Her favorite place to play with these two cars is on the window ledge in our living room. She’ll be very serious about her play and then will suddenly flop over on the couch and start laughing. Such a nut.

Jovia had her first appointment with her pediatrician today. She’s the picture of health - we’ve been very lucky with our healthy kids, which is something I hope I never take for granted.

At one week…

Height: 19.5 inches - 45-50th Percentile

Weight: 7 pounds, 7 ounces - 45-50th Percentile

Head: 35.7 cm

She has hit her birth weight and then some! This is awesome for an exclusively breastfed baby. We’re only nursing every four-ish hours, which if you’ve breastfed an infant before, you know that that is a ridiculously long time to go between feeds. Since she’s gaining weight, we don’t need to change that time span, which is awesome for me. 

This kid continues to be a gem. She sleeps a lot, is a doll when she’s awake, and is a piece of cake to take care of. She’s ignites baby fever in everyone who comes near her, so if you’re feeling like children shouldn’t be in your near future, you should probably stay away.

Before Jovia was born we tried our best to prepare Beatrice for what’s to come. We read her books about sisters and babies, played with her dolls, and brought out Jovia’s swing, carseat, and play mat so Beatrice would be used to them. 

I think 22 months is an awkward age for a kid. Beatrice is still too young to understand why she was suddenly visiting me in the hospital and why there were so many people in our house. If she was younger I think she’d go through this whole experience pretty unfazed. If she was older, we’d be able to explain to her what was happening. 

After Jovia was born, Beatrice came into the delivery room and sat on my bed, pointing to Jovie’s feet, eyes, hat, etc. It was a precious moment for me to see these little girls meet for the first time and I’m secretly glad that Jovia’s fast arrival meant that our families missed the birth and I was able to have this solo time with my girls. Sorry mom. :)

During the rest of my hospital stay though, Beatrice didn’t want anything to do with me or Jovia. She would perch on her Papaw’s lap and would wave goodbye, hoping someone would get her out of there. At one point she even pushed John and I back into the hospital room and wanted my parents to take her home instead of us. Break my heart why don’t ya?

It’s been interesting coming home. Beatrice is a creature of habit and she likes things calm and quiet and just so. She’s been acting out - lots of fits and crying and clinging - but I think it’s due to our constant stream of house guests and not because of her new sister. Yesterday was the first day in a week that it was just our little family at home and she started out the day in a tantrum filled uproar, but by evening she was acting more like her normal self, and even decided to be friends with Jama again. When we were tucking her into bed, she said JoJo and when we asked her if she wanted to tell Jovia goodnight, she said yes and ran off to Jama’s room where she gave her new sister a proper goodnight. Precious. 

Beatrice calls Jovia JoJo. She holds her hand when Jovia is getting her diaper changed. When Jovie cries, Beatrice will say a mournful ‘uh oh’ and come sit by her. She brings her her pacifier and will cover her with a blanket. She is a sensitive little girl and that is going to make her an excellent big sister.

Here she is, our second little beauty!

Birthday: May 22nd, 2013 - 12:49 pm

Weight: 7 pounds, 6 ounces

Height: 20 inches

She looks just like Beatrice did, but that’s where the similarities end. Jovia came out calm and quiet and has stayed that way. She likes to be swaddled and held, but doesn’t protest if you put her down. She’s very quiet and mellow - we can’t believe our luck. All of the fears I had before she was born have disappeared. Everything about her has been insanely easy so far - the birth, nursing, the transition of going home… We’re rocking this two-kids-under-two business thanks to this laid back little lady.

Tonight I was scheduled to start the induction process. Knowing when you’re going to go to the hospital has its perks. I spent the day playing with Beatrice, cleaning like crazy, doing all of the laundry, and taking walks here and there to hurry this labor along. It was nice to leave the house calmly and knowing that I would be coming home again to fresh sheets and a clean house.

I got to the hospital at 6pm. They checked me in, made me put on a dang gown, failed at one IV and was successful with the next. I got checked and… oops, I was progressing just fine on my own and didn’t need to be there that night. 

I had two choices. I could stick around and start pitocin, which would result in a nice 3am-ish birth. Gross. Or I could go home and come back in the morning, start pitocin then, and have this little girl in the afternoon. 

We decided to go home, obviously. It is not a good plan to start your time with an infant by losing a night of sleep. 

I tried to get them to let me go home with my IV so I wouldn’t have to get a new one in the morning and I was ALMOST successful. Almost. Looks like I’ll be getting yet another IV in the morning. Boo.

My favorite thing about this little blog is the ability I have to look back on what happened when. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been telling people I had Beatrice 10 days late, but looking back on my old blog posts, I realized she was really 8 days overdue.

Today I had my 41 week appointment and it was a shocker. I was around 2 cm dilated and nearly entirely effaced - so good progress from last week. Then my doctor said, “I’d like to get you Cervidil on Tuesday and start Pitocin on Wednesday morning”.

WHAT. Like tomorrow Tuesday? TOMORROW?! SO SOON?

To which he replied that I’m a week overdue, it’s not exactly “soon”.

I asked him a million questions and he assured me that I’m in early labor already, I’ve made great progress since last week, and I might not even need the Cervidil tomorrow. He also said that with my last labor yes my water broke on it’s own, but they still had to induce my contractions with Pitocin, and this isn’t that different. Plus, now we know that Pitocin works well with me, so that’s not something we have to worry about.

I’m still not sure about this. I might freak out and cancel my appointment tomorrow. 

Yes, I know “the baby knows when it’s ready” and all of that. I also trust my doctor and know that he wouldn’t put me in danger. But by golly, I’m going to do everything in my power to start this labor before it’s started for me. 

At least now I’ll have my hospital bag ready and waiting… 

Here’s a post-due-date timeline for my girls:

Beatrice:

June 24^th, 2011 - DUE DATE: no dilation not effaced.

June 27^th – (+3 days) no dilation, 90% effaced. Induction date set at July 5^th.

June 28^th – induction date moved to Saturday, July 1^st.

July 1^st – (+7 days) go to the doctor. No changes. Induction date moved to Monday July 4^th.

July 2^nd – (+8 Days) 1:15am – WATER BREAK.

July 2^nd – 6:45pm – Beatrice is born.

Baby #2:

May 15^th, 2013 – DUE DATE: no dilation not effaced.

May 20^th - (+5 Days) 2cm dilated, nearly entirely effaced, induction date set for May 22nd.

We’ve been talking to Beatrice about her sister for months in an effort to get her prepared for what’s to come. We play dolls, practice being gentle, and point out babies whenever we see them. She has a baby sign, where she acts like she’s rocking a baby. I think she’s going to be very curious and helpful with her little sister. I can already hear B’s ‘uh oh’s’ in response to her sisters cries.

Our nursery is finally (somewhat) finished and it was fun to see Beatrice explore the room. She spent lots of time peering over the top of the cradle and crib - a habit that I don’t see changing once a baby is inside!

I couldn’t resist adding this one. This is a face we see all too often:

Big things are happening over here!

Beatrice sleeps in a toddler bed. Naps are a bit messy, since she likes to spend time trying on all of her shoes, reading her books, looking out the window, UNPLUGGING THINGS…  but as soon as one of us opens her door, she sprints back to her bed with a look of fear on her face. Haha. She is certainly not a defiant girl. Bedtime is a much quieter affair.

A few weeks ago Beatrice chewed a giant hole in her pacifier, but instead of just using one of her other 50 pacifiers, she kept carrying around that particular one. She started using it less and less, and now I don’t even think she needs it to fall asleep. It sits on the table beside her bed in case she wants it, but I think it’s safe to say that she is officially pacifier free. That was… easy.

We’re at a point where Beatrice only wants to wear panties and fights us when we put a diaper on her. BUT, she’s not thrilled about the potty and won’t tell us when she needs to go. BUT she is definitely holding her pee. So there you go. I don’t know what this means. I’m just going to say it – potty training at this age is a pain because you have to watch the clock and your child’s cues (Beatrice is a dancer, which turns into a meltdown, which confuses us if we missed the dancing part). I think we’ll just continue doing what we’re doing since she doesn’t want to wear diapers anyway and our wood floors are no big deal to clean. Plus her tiny panties are more economically friendly than disposable diapers and easier to wash than cloth diapers!

Right now Beatrice loves sidewalk chalk, running/hopping/skipping, wooden puzzles, her tea set, her bear, her baby, Winnie the Pooh, Finding Nemo, taking baths in our pool-sized bathtub, and books. She thinks it’s hilarious when she gives out bedtime kisses to us and all of her animal friends. She talks to her bear and then makes him talk back to her, and she sits him at her little table for tea parties.  Best Friends.

Welp, here I am, still pregnant. I went to the doctor today and there has been no change. She’s still floating high and he is confident that he’ll see me in his office on Monday at my 41 week appointment. 

This is fine with me. When I was in this situation with Beatrice, I was nervous and stressed because I did NOT want to be induced. This time I’m not worried about induction because I’m convinced that I’ll go into labor on my own just like I did with Beatrice. I just happen to carry my kids around for a bit longer than normal… no biggie. 

Plus, I have lots of plans for this weekend so it’d be nice if she stayed put until next week. (Everyone makes plans for the weekend following their due date right? haha).

Yesterday I woke up with NO PAIN. None. I got out of bed without any help/tears/swearing and it was amazing. Today – same thing! No pain! What is going on?! I don’t think I had realized how much pain I had been in, until I finally got a taste of what it’s like to feel normal. It’s been MONTHS since I had a pain-free day. I don’t know why I can suddenly walk again, but I am so happy that I can!

This pain-free amazingness has made me more eager to birth this baby. I think the constant stabbing in my hips was making me grouchy overall and pessimistic about having an infant again. I’m feeling much more positive now, and while I still have to experience the havoc that breastfeeding does to your body and childbirth to recover from, I WILL be feeling normal soon. I can’t wait.

I went to the doctor today. Our little girl is head down but really high. I’ve made no progress in the birth department and he claimed it’s going to be awhile before she arrives. I’m ok with that. We’re finally ready(ish) and I’m not uncomfortable, so she can stay in there for as long or as little as she likes.

You know… we had Beatrice 10 days late and left the hospital the day after Independence Day. If we have this little miss 10 days late, we’ll be leaving the hospital the day after Memorial Day. I’m sensing a trend. Expect a birth announcement on May 25^th!

Today Jama, Beatrice and I visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This is probably my favorite place in Indianapolis and I visit it frequently when the weather is nice. 

Beatrice was all business when she saw the fountain. Why so serious Miss B? 

Then she spotted a group of kids and the fountain was forgotten. We ended up following around one of the groups and Beatrice thought she was pretty big. This was her favorite exhibit:

When she’d had enough of walking around the museum, we spent some time drawing and playing with blocks:

Finally, we had a picnic lunch under these gorgeous trees (those are flower petals all over the ground. Beatrice loved them, even though you can’t tell by her serious expression. 

Since Beatrice has a nanny, she doesn’t get a lot of time with other kids her age and has little to no experience in a structured environment. I wanted to get her in some sort of activity that would expose her to these things and thought gymnastics would be something she’d really like. She has pretty swell coordination and loves flipping around.

She goes to InterActive Academy in Zionsville for 45 minutes, once a week. It’s a parent/child class for ages 16 months to 3 years. Jama takes her since her class is during the day, but they do offer evening and weekend classes too.

I watched her class for the first time yesterday and cried from laughing. WHY IS SHE SO CUTE?! And those pigtails just kill me. In the beginning of class everyone sits in a circle and does stretching exercises. Jama sat behind Beatrice instead of beside her, so Beatrice was focused on the instructor instead of looking to Jama for help. She did an awesome job following directions and mimicking the instructor’s movements. I was totally impressed and surprised. They then ran around in circles practicing their hops, skips and gallops. Bebe got a little rowdy at this point and lapped the other kids when they were going too slow.

After that they did an obstacle-type course that had a balance beam, spring board, handstand station, hopping and climbing exercises, and a somersault station. Since it was ‘Super Star Show Off’ day, each kid was supposed to go through the course with the instructor (instead of with their parent) while the other kids watched and cheered. Some of the kids refused and I had no idea what to expect from Beezer, but when the instructor called her name, she jumped right up and did it, no big deal. I was SO proud.

Then they did some balance beam exercises, which B is super good at… but also, her feet are super small so that probably helps. You should see her point her toes when she walks on the beam. It’s so funny.

Finally there was another obstacle course. This one had a long trampoline, which they would jump off of onto a mat. Then they would climb up a little cone and do their ta-da stance. Next was a springboard, followed by a backward somersault. Finally, there was a cylinder that Beatrice would roll over on her belly, and finish with a somersault. They do these activities on repeat and by the end Beatrice was so amped up that she was doing crazy hops and sprints between each station.

They don’t do the same thing at each class. Sometimes they do bar and ring exercises, or spend time just being wild in the foam pits or on the trampolines.

I was really impressed with both Beatrice and the class itself. I couldn’t believe how well Beatrice sat and listened to the directions, and how she was able to follow what the instructor told her to do. Plus, I was surprised at how well Beatrice could do each activity. It is crazy how coordinated she is for not even being two yet. Jama says she’s picked up both the mental and physical parts of the class really fast. Plus she LOVES it. I think Beatrice could stay there all day and not get bored.

We did it. We managed to move into our new house before our second daughter was born. High fives all around!

I’m 38 weeks right now. For the last month, our little girl has been sideways at each of her doctor’s appointments – and facing the same side each time either. My doctor was a bit concerned about her ability to move so much at this stage in the game, and has pounded it into my head that I MUST get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY when I go into labor. I’m glad he told me this because I was definitely planning on staying home for a while.

At today’s appointment she was head down, but very high and active and could easily move again. He said given her position, we probably still have awhile before she arrives. That is good. As much as I hate my achy hips right now, I’m not quite ready for the sleepless nights and breastfeeding.

I haven’t gained weight in over a month, which I think is weird but the doc says it is ok since my stomach continues to grow. My doctor told me I should teach a class on healthy weight gain during pregnancy. I laughed. Here are my guidelines for “healthy” weight gain:

• Step One: Get miserably sick in the first trimester. Only eat Arby’s.
• Step Two: Move twice in less than a month. Secretly lift boxes when no one is watching. Bonus points if your baby is due 2 weeks after your last move.
• Step Three: Teach your acrobatic toddler about hiding/chasing games. Play these games during all of her waking hours.  

Or maybe I should just stick to my day job and leave the weight gain advice to professionals…

I’m in the process of finishing up tasks at work and trying to get as ready for this baby as I can. I finally bought diapers for her – our lack of infant diapers was giving me nightmares. I’ve been sorting baby clothes and trying to find bottles/carseat/blankets/etc, and it feels good to finally know where all of this stuff is.

With Beatrice, my big fear was childbirth. This time, I’m not scared of it – even with a possible C-section in my future. I’m not looking forward to the birth process, but at least I know what to expect. This time though, my big fear is having a newborn. Beatrice broke us in hard and I CAN’T go another full year without sleeping. Everyone keeps saying that there is no way this child will be like Beatrice… but I just can’t imagine anything else. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the infant stage with Beezy and I think I handled it well, but I was also able to nap when she napped, and she was my only responsibility. This time my only nap option is if I can manage to get both girls to sleep at exactly the same time. IS THIS POSSIBLE? AM I GOING TO DIE? 

Our intention was to transfer Beatrice to a toddler bed on our first night in our new house. Of course, when that time actually came, we almost chickened out. No wonder Beatrice rules our world – we are weaklings. We decided to be tough(for once) and put B in her toddler bed… but also constructed the crib as a backup and hid it in her sister’s room so Beatrice didn’t know it was there.

Beatrice has a lot of ‘friends’ so we made sure each and every one of them was in her big girl bed. She had her water, pacifier, music machine, and nightlight, as well as a stack of books by her bed. She was extra tired from the day and we put her to bed extra late, thinking that she’d go right to sleep. Instead, she jumped on the bed as we tried to read her bedtime stories and pointed at all of the stars that her nightlight put on the wall. We tucked her in and left the room and at that moment I would have given anything to have a video monitor. She certainly didn’t go right to bed, and who knows WHAT she was doing. Whatever it was, it sure sounded fun. I was SURE I would find her asleep in the closet or something the next day.

In the middle of the night I checked on her and she was fast asleep in bed, curled around her nightlight. What a squirt.

The transition to a toddler bed has really been a breeze. She cries at nap time and sometimes tries to chase me from the room, but calms down shortly after. She’ll spend up to an HOUR reading books in her bed before actually going to sleep. Some people might see this as a problem; I see this as being awesome. I think it’s good for her to spend time alone – especially since the new baby is coming soon and I won’t be able to be at Beatrice’s beck and call all day. John and I are book obsessed so we’re thrilled that she loves books too. Plus, this tacks an extra hour onto the time she’s in her room for her nap which is definitely nice.

I think our timing was right. I tried to pump up the idea of being a big girl in her big girl bed, and I don’t think she really cared - probably because we treat her like a big girl in every aspect of her life, so she expects it.  Since we’re still in the process of moving and setting up house, Beatrice’s room is pretty barren, leaving her with nothing to play with (besides the books) and nothing to get hurt by. The only thing we really need to fix is that we need to move up her bedtime or something since she’s reading for so long in bed before going to sleep.

As always, my girl has surprised me and filled me with pride (although I’m not going to lie - most of that pride revolves around her love of books and not her ability to adapt to a new bed!).

Why we bought a toddler bed:

I really struggled with trying to figure out what kind of bed to move Beatrice into. I felt like toddler beds were a waste of money since she’ll only use it for a couple of years, and I didn’t want to convert our crib into a toddler bed for her, because we needed that crib for baby #2. However, I found her toddler bed for next to nothing on Craigslist and couldn’t pass it up.

I think Beatrice would have adapted easily to a twin or full sized bed as well, but going to a toddler bed was nice because the size of the bed and the the bedding was the same as when she was in her crib. I also like that it’s small enough that she can get in and out of it herself - I don’t know if she could have done that if we would have converted her crib to a toddler bed, and she thinks mattresses on the floor are the equivalent to trampolines. I like her little bed, she likes it, and I’m really glad we went this route. 

Beatrice is getting more and more rambunctious each day. I kind of think her gymnastics classes are to blame. She’s now trying to climb into her own high chair, flips over the edge of the couch, and scales the stairs while wearing my flip flops… it’s kind of stressful. Her toughness remains, and even when I think a spill might warrant a trip to the ER, she will let out a tiny whimper at most and go back to climbing/running/flopping.

She’s been eating a ton of food – probably to make up for all of the running she’s doing. She also chewed a hole in her favorite pacifier and instead of asking for a replacement, she’s just not using it as much. Is the end near? We shall see. In the meantime, she’s started talking a hundred times more since she doesn’t constantly have a plug in her mouth.

Beatrice has been playing HARD. We have to make an effort to calm her down before bed because she won’t wind down on her own. Last night when bedtime was near and Beezer’s energy was still going strong, John and I laid on the floor and invited her to come hang out with us. She ran over and flopped on top of John, and then nuzzled her way between us. She kept chattering up a storm with her non-words and looking back and forth between us and laughing. Seriously, does it get any cuter? We’d ask her questions and she’d say yes, yes, yes with a grin, and then would answer one by narrowing her eyes and kind of cocking her head to the side. She is so darn beautiful when she does that – and she instantly ages 10 years. When John yawned, she copied him, made her bear yawn, and then laughed when I did it too. Then we all had to yawn 20 more times.

When it was finally bedtime she burst into tears, but then agreed to come with us when she saw that fox, dog, bear, and bunny were also going to bed. Nothing like a few friends to keep you company in your crib…  

I was scared of all of the changes we were going to throw on her in such a short amount of time, but so far she seems to be thriving. I’m not so scared about how she’ll respond to the next move, the big girl bed, and the new sister anymore. She is a bright, clever, and happy little girl, and has proven to be resilient too – I know I’m biased, but she truly is an extraordinary child.

This is Beatrice every single morning. She’s sprawled out on her blue mat with two pillows, her milk, pacifier, hair bow, fox family, bunny, dog, and blanket. These are her supplies, and lord help us all if one of them is missing from the equation. In the morning when I get her out of her crib, she hands me each of her animals and her blanket and then expects me to pick her up. I’d like to see you manage to carry a toddler, a slew of stuffed animals, with an 8-month pregnant belly. No wonder my hips hurt.

She is a lover of routine. Her list of special supplies may be long, but her predictability is awesome.