Week 6

WOW!!!! Let me just say I am glad last week ended finally. We spend 3 out of 5 days in either Urgent Care or the ER. No bueno!!!!

On Tuesday I took the boys to Vons because my grocery store is closing down...sad...Everything went well considering I didn't know where anything was until we were leaving and in the parking lot. long story short Andrew fell out of the shopping cart strapped into his car seat. The car seat rolled into the middle of the street and I paniced. I couldn't even bring myself to go check on him until an older lady said "Maam don't you want to see how th ebaby is?" I slowly picked him up unstrapped him and carried him to the truck. The older lady helped me with my shopping cart, Aiden and the car seat. She asked if we were OK I said I think so and she went on her way. I very methodically packed everything up drove hom put groceries away and fed Andrew. Then the boys and I headed to Urgent Care. We spent over 4 hours waiting to see a doctor. The doctor said Andrew was fine and wasn't too worried because he physically didn't make contact with the ground. He told me if he vomited in the next 48hours to bring him back.
Wednesday everything went as planned. The boys were great and Andrew seemed fine. He slept and ate normally and so i thought we were in the clear. On Thursday morning Andrew vomitted 3 times. I packed up the boys immediately and back to Urgent Care we went. We waited a few hours and got to see the doctor. The doctor told me Andrew had a virus and to go home. when I saw the discharge papers and realized Andrew was examined by a doctor I hadn't heard very good things about Dr. Bous I was hesitate. When we got home I fed aiden lunch and Andrew ate. I was about to put Aiden down for a nap with Andrew pedi called and said they weren't happy with the Urgent Care notes and wanted us to go to ER for a second opinion. i called Jimmy an dhe came home. Lucky for us Grandpa Mando took Aiden for the afternoon. Which was amazing because Brookd and Brian were going ot be there too!!!! We spent over 4 hours in the ER just to be sent home and told that Andrew was fine!!!
So finally I was able to rest and relax about Andrew an dhis fall. Little did I know we were headed for more trouble on Friday.
Dropped Aiden off at preschool at 11:30 on Friday and left him at 11:36. i was super excited because I was going to pick up Andrew's 1 month pictures. At 11:43 Miss Stephanie calls telling me Aiden fell and cut his chin. She thought he might need stitches. I was overwhelmed. After calling Jimmy, Andrew and I headed back to preschool to pick up Aiden and the 3 of us went straight to Urgent Care. Jimmy met us there a few hours later and we all patiently waiting over 4 hours to see a doctor. Aiden got his first 2 stitches on Friday, February 11th!!!!
Crazy week huh????

Week 5

I know I promised to update this Blog every Monday for Andrew's first year, but I have been debating how honest I was going to be. I have decided that the purpose of this blog is to help those I love adding a 2nd baby to the mix have somewhere to go to see if what they are experiencing is the same as someone else. So here it goes....

First things first...Andrew is doing great I think he is weighing 9 1/2lbs and 22 inches long. he is finally able to wear his 3month clothes and I have to admit I get upset when he doesn't ahve a blanket that matches his clothes. hahaha...Imagine me with a little girl. He is waking up 1 to 2 times a night to feed and most of the time goes right back to sleep. He still sleeps most of the day but we doe seem to get about 3 hours of "alertness" every morning. Aiden and I enjoy that time with Andrew.

Aiden has had it rough this week. he has been pushing, biting and hitting at school and not listening very well at home. He even poked Andrew in the eye this week. We worked uot a system with his teachers and implemented a Good Boy Aiden reward system at home to help reward good behavior. Every day Aiden doesn't go to time he gets a sticker and 10 stickers is a trip to Disneyland. He gets a sticker taken away everytime he bites, hits or pushes. It really seems to be working and I am happy to say that by Thursday I had my old Aiden back.

We took Andrew's 1 month pictures this week and some big brother little brother pictures at JCP. I can't wait to share them with family and friends. They turned out great and the boys behaved magnificantly!!!!!

Early in the week I know I told Barb that I couldn't do this...that I didn't think I could give 2 kids 100%. I told her while crying that I felt horrible and really thought I was in over my head. I struggled because I felt alone and like a failure. I felt like Andrew wasn't getting what Aiden had and that Aiden wasn't getting what he needed from me. I thought that because things had to change that things were not good enough for my kids. I readjusted myself and my routine...we became hermits for a few days and locked everyone out except the 4 of us...until I could get a grasp on things. I adjusted our schedule too...I now make sure that Aiden and i get a lone time every day while Andrew sleeps and we do something fun...like build blocks, play playdough, throw a ball or jus go for a walk. During this time I explain to Aiden that it is Mommy and Aiden time and it is just us until Andrew wakes up. Even if it's only 15minutes Aiden seems to really get what he needs from me. I also decided instead of having the boys nap at the same time I try to have Andrew up at least an hour before Aiden's nap is over so that him and I can have some alone time. It helps me feel like I am truely bonding with Andrew and it isn't taking away time from me and Aiden. I'm not perfect...I am not even the best mom in the world, but I want to be close to perfect in the eyes of my boys and I want to be the best mom in their world. This is truely my dream...Staying home and raising 2 beautiful boys while being married to an amazing man and having one of the best families and amazing group of friends to support us. I am taking our journey one day at a time and I am not going to live in the past anymore....what happened yesterday isn't going to effect my today.
AND YES I CAN DO THIS...I CAN BE A MOM TO 2 KIDS AND I CAN GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY NEED. I DO NOT WISH TO GO BACK ONLY FORWARD.

Week 4

Well Andrew is staying awake more and more during the day and sleeping pretty good at night. Still only waking up twice a night to feed. He seems to be going back to bed quicker now than before. I think i caught him laughing at me the other day and he is smiling a little bit. He seems to stop crying when he sees Aiden and when someone is holding him and I start talking his little head starts to look around for me. He is definately a momma's boy...but I think we thought the same thing when Aiden was little. He is still wearing newborn clothes but I don't think that will last very much longer...I think he is weighing 10lbs!!!!!
Aiden has shown his first signs of not so good big brother behavior. I have been shocked at some of the things he has started doing and I must admit a little embarrassed. He bit one of his good friends, Jake, last night very hard!!!! I was shocked and when I asked him why he did it he said he was trying to get his attention. There was an imprint on Jakes arm with all of Aiden's teeth. Jimmy and I are tightening our reigns on our little 2 year old and timeout has become one of Aiden's least favorite sitting spots.
Once again Barb and Mando have come through for us by providing us with at least one dinner a week. It is great having such awesome support from family and friends. Barb and Mando are having some plumbing issues so Barb has been using our shower every other day....It has been awesome to have her here for a little bit to help out with Aiden. I owe her a LOT!!!!!
Jimmy and i seem to be adjusting OK...although i must admit somedays i really want to sit down and cry...I don't really know why and I am not exactly sure how to get past it but we are working through it. I love my boys!!!!
2more weeks and I am going to start working on my weight loss goals....I am hoping if I can get my confidence back the crying will cease!!!!

Week 3

Well I must have spoken too soon....Andrew has changes his routine on us...hahaha. Actually I think we are having the same problem we did when Aiden was little...we can't seem to keep Andrew up past 7pm. Which is fine at night but this means he is up at 5am!!!!!! I have tried letting him be cranky until closer to 8 but that doesn't work b/c by 7pm I have had enough cranky Andrew time...hahaha.

Maybe when I need to do is put Andrew to bed at 7 and then at 10 wake up (because I go to bed at 9) and feed Andrew then maybe he will sleep until 3am then I can feed him again and he will sleep til at least 6!!!! I don't know...Any mommy suggestions?????

All in all we had a good week. Andrew had lots of firsts this week again...we had our first playdate with Jake and Char at Red HIll Park, went on Andrew's first trip to the Train Park, used the double stroller for the first time and spent an entire day at the park on Saturday watching soccer games...OK so maybe it was only 4 hours but according to the pain in my breasts and the redness in my cheeks it was ALL DAY!!!! Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for helping me take care of both my little men. Without them I would have gone insane!!!!

Andrew is getting big so fast I even think he is bigger than Curious George this week. Believe it or not I am still enjoying this mommy stuff and I am not as tired as I probably should be. I'm trying really hard to document just a much with Andrew as I did with Aiden because I want both my kids to know how special they are.

Guess what Aiden has started to do this week...oh yeah I know some of you are gonna laugh but the Mr...has found..you guessed it...the DIRT PILE daddy made especially for the boys and their Hot Wheels. Aiden likes to be the "gardener" and use his rake and shovel to dig the dirt and throw it EVERYWHERE!!!! YOu should have seen the bath tub this morning...hahaha

I also wanted to note that my best friends little sister (so in case you diddn't know that makes her kind of my little sister too) had a little boy this week too...Welcome to the world Kasen Eli!!!!!

Week 2

What a GREAT week. Even if it started off rough. Aiden had a double ear infection and was having some sort of allergic reaction that caused hives to break out all over his body. Luckily we got it all under control by Wednesday.

Grandma Geri and Grandpa Bob arrived this week to visit with us all. And we got a lot of time in with them. What a joy it was to see Grandpa Bob play with Aiden and Grandma Geri love on Baby Andrew.

Andrew had quite a few first this week too. His first trip to LJ's, first bottle feed, first trip to the park and we even had him out walking in his stroller for the first time. I also started pumping this week and found that it has helped increase my milk supply and decrease the amount of time a feeding takes. Andrew seems to be getting enough milk in 15-20 minutes instead of an hour!!!!

Andrew has slept from 7ish to midnight'ish for the past 4 nights and mommy is super excited about it. He seems to pretty much be on a schedule already. He is usually awake from 7am to 10ish and then pretty much sleeps all day and wakes up around 4 and stays up til bedtime at 7pm. It makes for a diffucult dinner time...but it is great to have him alert when Jimmy is home. At night he wakes up around midnight and about 3am. Otherwise he sleeps pretty soundly.

Aiden is doing great as a big brother. He has helped with a few diaper changes and earns a quarter everytime he takes the diaper to the trash. He is falling into our new routine pretty easily. This next week I want to work on getting both boys outside a little more. I feel bad that Aiden has been couped up so much. Now with the weather changing we are going to make more park trips and more time for walks.

Daddy seems to be adjusting well to both boys and is getting as much time as he can with both of them. Mommy is doing OK too....between laundry, dishes, getting someone dressed, taking care of someone bathroom needs or feeding somebody (or preparing a new meal) I need to remember to find some time for me. Somehow I feel like I get to take a shower more often than i did when Aiden was little. I think it is because I figure that babies cry and they will be OK for 15 minutes while I take a shower. hahaha.




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Week 1

This week was pretty uneventful with the new baby. Luckily that is probably because I spent an extra day in the hospital because pedi likes to keep babies for 48hrs instead of 24. Then we came home to a swarm of wonderful visitors everyday. It was nice for Aiden to have other people to play with while mommy and daddy got used to having a newborn in the house again.

There are not enough words in my heart or vocabulary to thank Barbara and Mando for everything they did for us during the delivers...heck and still continue to do. Special thanks to Liz for the super yummy lasagna that has fed us almost all week for at least one meal a day!!! Big thanks to Addy and GG for the newborn size clothes that we so desperately needed. Special spot in my heart for my parents for finding the means to get my grandparents from Texas out here to meet the newest member of our family.

Everyday I realize how lucky we are to have family and friends that support and love us the way you guys do. THANKS A TON!!!

So night one and two at home with Andrew were not very much fun. But a quick trip to the Pedi's office on Friday for his 1-week checkup reminded me how to help him differiniate between day and night and the rest of the week sleep went well!!!!!

Aiden seems to absoulutely love his baby brother. Although he is asking if Baby Brody is in my tummy still. Poor kid I guess the name change has confused a lot of people.

The day we became a Family of 4

January 3, 2011

We decided to be induced for this labor because Aiden's labor was so quick. I was getting more and more concerned everyday what I was going to do wtih Aiden if we went into labor and my doctor suggested relieving some of the stress by inducing labor. So on Monday, January 3rd at 4:30am we headed to San Antonio Community Hospital to have our 2nd child.

Grandpa Mando stayed at the house and took care of Aiden for us. Barbara, Jimmy and I packed up the truck and headed to L&D. When we got there they checked us in and got things started...well not really started. They had has fill out more paperwork and then at 6:15am they started the Pitocin Drip. Every 30 minutes they came in to check if I was having contractions and to everyone demise I was not. The nurse told us it could take 12 to 36hours to have the baby. I about crapped my pants...36hours without Aiden seemed like a very long time. Heck Grandpa Mando probably was wondering what the heck he signed up for!!!!

Jimmy, Barbara and I laughed and giggled and acted silly for about 5 1/2 hours. Grandpa called and asked Barbara if she wanted to hav elunch with him and Aiden and we thought it was a GREAT idea. That way Aiden got to play with Grandpa and Grandma and Barb got something to eat. Right before the boys arrived at the hospital the contractions began to pick up and about 12:15pm while Grandma was in the restroom Jimmy and I heard a pop, watched my belly jump and the babies hear rate race to over 200 beats per minute. I looked at jimmy and said I needed to use the restroom. When he helped me up we realized my water had broke. The nurse came in and cleaned up the bed but she didn't seem to care about the floor.

When I got back in bed the nurse checked me and said I was at 3 1/2 cm dialated and asked if I wanted any pain meds. I told her sure but not yet. She said OK let me know when. Jimmy told Barb it was going to be a while and Grandma left for lunch with Aiden and Grandpa. Barb told me to not have the baby without her and I said don't go to the play structure. Jimmy told her it would be a while and to take her time.

I don't remember much about the next few hours except that they gave me a narcotic called Staydol and it knocked me out. But I could still feel the pain of the contractions. As soon as the nurse administered the drug I started hallucinating and was sent into a green room with a green plastic picnic table. During my contractions Jimmy would show up on the other side of the table and hold my hand and my legs would open and close with the contractions on top of the table. When I wasn't having a contraction the name Andrew would float across the table.

After a while they woke me up and I signed a piece of paper saying it was OK to administer a epidural. They gave me the epidural but never administered the medicine. By tthe time I laid back down I told the nurse I had to push she checked me and said I was at a 9 1/2. She left the room to call Dr. Alwan.

By this time I am asking for Grandma because I know she wanted to be there for the delivery and I knew the baby was coming quickly. Jimmy left the room to tel his brother to get his mom ASAP and while he was in the hallway I called for him. I told him I was pushing. He lifted the sheet and saw the babies head come out and go back in. He figured he had at least a minute to get the nurse. He ran into the hallway say his mom and the nurse on opposites sides of the hall. Got his mom first and she barely made it to the delivery of her 4th grandchild. Jimmy got the nurse and told her he saw head. They ran to the room and the nurse barely had time to glove up before the 4th push delivered a beautifully healthy baby boy.

After the delivery I looked at Jimmy and told him his name was Andrew not Brody and Jimmy said OK. Our baby Andrew Craig Ballesteros was born at 3:04pm, weight 7lbs 8oz and was 20 inches long.