Conversations with my Toddler -Chapter 3

With a new baby, breast feeding and as we get closer to 3 years old , the things that come out of that cute little mouth are hilarious!

Shopping at Target
E: Mommy why are you buying so much?
Me: Because we need some things.
Ela: Well make sure you save your money for Ela

Just hanging out in the living room
Me: Please stop standing on the chair
Ela: IGNORES ME.
Me: Ela if we cant behave on the chair I am going to throw it in the trash.
Ela: I don't think it will fit mommy.

Doctor Visit 
Doctor: How have you been Elizabeth?
Ela: Good,I just pooped. My mom wiped me.

Ela pooped at the park in her underpants.
Tomasz: Ela why did you go poop in your panties?
Ela: Tata, why didn't you bring my potty.(Portable potty)

Leaving for work
Me: Are you going to miss me?
Ela: No, are you going to cry now.

Going to the bathroom
Ela: Mommy, I am a girl I don't have a tale, that means that I don't go pee pee out of my belly button.

Trying to get Ela to go to bed.
Me: Ela please go to sleep. <Her eyes are closed>
Ela: I am sleeping Mommy cant your see my eyes are closed.

Just chit chatting
Me: Ela who is your best friend.
Ela: Mackensie, Ask me who I love?
Me: Who do you love?
Ela: Mackensie too

Looking at herself in the mirror in her Halloween costume
Ela: Can you believe how beautiful I look?

Asking about Baby Julia
Me: When Baby Julia comes out you are going to stay with your Uncle while Mommy goes to the hospital
Ela: Are you sick?
Me: No, I will go to the hospital and Baby Julia will come home with me.
Ela: How is baby Julia going to come out?
Me: The doctor will take her out
Ela: How?
Me: I will tell you later
Ela: Ok, Do you know when?

After Julia is born
Ela: Mommy now you can pick me up because Julia came out
Me: Yes Ela in a few days
Ela: How come your belly is still big if Julia came out?

Meeting Baby Julia at the hospital
Ela to the Nurse: Do you know Baby Julia is going to eat from Mommy's boobies?

Finding Ela in the corner with her baby doll
Me: Ela what are you doing
Ela: I am feeding her Mommy
Me: Oh like I feed Julia?
Ela: Yes Mommy she bites my boobs to eat milk like Julia does.

Seeing Baby Julia getting her diaper changed
Ela: Ewww... Mommy whats that she has poop on her belly button(umbilical cord)

Julia crying
Ela: Mommy make her stop she scares me when she gets red. She looks like a monster.

2013- Year in Review

 Ela turns 2 years old- January 12, 2013
Happy Birthday Ela!-2

Ela's First Haircut- February 2013

Ela is going to be a big sister! Baby Baran Due December 2013
Baby Baran Part 2

Ela's first trip overseas/First Passport-London, England- April 2013

London 2013

Happy Easter 2013

Ela is Potty trained! - May 2013

Tomasz gets a new job!

 He is now based out of NYC which means we get to spend more time as a family!-June 2013

Ela's first hospital stay :( - June 2013
Ela in the Hospital

Is Baby Baran a Boy or a Girl? - Baby Baran is a GIRL! -July 2013

Julia Marie Baran

Happy Halloween! Our little princess! 

So much to be thankful for this year- Thanksgiving 2013

Welcome to the world JULIA MARIE BARAN! December 5th 2013
Julia's Birth Story

Ela is a BIG sister!

First Christmas as a Family of FOUR!

Julia's Birth Story

Our sweet Julia is here! I can not believe it. Tomorrow(Friday Dec 13th) would have been my due date.  We were blessed to meet her 8 days early, on December 5th. I did not write a birth story with Ela for two reasons. 1. I was completely overwhelmed being a new mom. 2. If I did it would have been pretty simple. High Blood Pressure, Induced three weeks early, Got epidural before contractions were strong, slept and pushed for 15 minutes. The experience bringing Julia into this world was completely different. I apologize in advance for the long post.

Julia Marie Baran

12/5/2013

6.12 pds 20.5 inches

9:58am

                                

********************************************************************************

Operation Julia eviction began when I was 37 weeks. I had been having podrominal labor for the two weeks prior and was sent to labor and delivery 3 times. I was dilated 1cm at 35 weeks and having regular painful contractions. The adage is true that you will KNOW when you are in labor. Julia was posterior(face down) for most of the last 10 weeks of pregnancy which meant lots of pain for Mommy. On the Monday before Thanksgiving I went into the hospital with contractions every 2 minutes. My cervix had softened completely and I dilated another centimeter. We though this was it. I wanted her to wait until that Wednesday when my Mom came into town so she could be with Ela. After walking  10 miles in two days nothing was progressing. My mom came Thanksgiving and we were all convinced Julia would be a little Turkey baby. NOPE! In fact I woke up Friday with no contractions or pain. At my sonogram the following Monday, it appears that Julia turned anterior(proper position for delivery) Boy does position make a difference! Although I was not in pain any longer, I felt defeated. I was more anxious than I should have been because I had basically been having false labor all month. I was ready! I also had anxiety over Tomasz not being home when I went into labor. I prepped myself(or thought I did) mentally that he might not be there if he happened to be on a layover in another city and I went into labor in the middle of the night. (Thank god this was not the case ). I was put  out of work on Monday. My Mom left on Tuesday just as disappointed as I was that she did not get to meet her newest granddaughter. 

Flash forward to Wednesday. Tomasz was off the next two days and I was praying to go into labor. I had a feeling I would not be that lucky as I had minimal contractions. We went to my sonogram appointment at noon and then walked around the city and got some lunch. The whole time I was having contractions, but I figured whats new. They would probably cease soon enough. We went home that night, picked up Ela and decided that we should put up our Christmas decorations since we might not get another chance. It was such a fun time with our family. We put up the tree, danced(through contractions) to Christmas music, ate dinner and just enjoyed our time as a family of three. I even posted this picture on Instagram, telling Julia we were ready for her to come now. 

We put Ela to bed and I decided that I was going to get some sleep. If I could sleep through contractions surely I was not in labor. I slept until 11pm until I was woken up. I labored by myself for a while because I was still not convinced it was the real thing. At 2am, I woke up Tomasz and we decided to head to the hospital. We called my friend, and dropped off Ela with her best friend Mackensie.  We tried to page the doctor unsuccessfully so off to the hospital we went....

The drive to the hospital was MISERABLE. I was contracting every three minutes and by the time I was in the car was starting to feel the urge to push. I was scared I was not going to make it in time to get an epidural. The Brooklyn Bridge was closed so we had to go around to the Manhattan Bridge(one of my other fears) to get to our hospital in Manhattan. I never realized how bad NYC potholes are until I was in too much pain! It was like a scene out of a movie; Tomasz speeding through the city, me screaming and squirming and finally pulling up to the hospital. Once in L&D I was examined and I was already 5cm dilated. I was immediately admitted, started on an IV, and we continued  to get in touch with my doctor. I was laboring quick and the nurses told me it would not be much longer. At this point, I did not care who delivered Julia, just please get her out! I had to fight for an epidural as the anestesiologist was with another patient. I was not as nice as I should have been but we had a small window to get one as the contractions were getting closer. I finally got one and it was smooth sailing from there. The epidural slowed my contractions down.(Apparently this is common) The decision was made to break my water to get things going again. We were going to try to find my doctor one more time because once my water was broken it was expected that I would deliver within the hour. My doctor finally came to the hospital at 8:30am and upon an exam my water had broken on its own. I was so excited that my body was doing the labor process on its own and since the contractions started strong again I did not need pictocin.

At 9:00am and  9cm we were anticipating I would be fully dilated within the next 15 min. The nurse was starting to prep the room when the heart monitor for Julia went off. The nurse called code and immediately I was put on oxygen and 4 doctors, including mine rushed in. Talk about being scared. They put a new electrode on Julia's head and were able to find her heartbeat. This was so extremely scary and I could not stop shaking. Who was I kidding? As much as I convinced myself that I would be ok if Tomasz was not there, I was lying to myself. He calmed me down and was there to be just as scared as I was. Julia had taken matters into her own hands and decided to come down the birth canal on her own falling off the heart monitor on my belly. She was determined to come into this world. After stabilizing Julia and I, we were ready to push. I literally pushed three times(Tomasz says two) for less than 6 minutes and we met Julia. All of my visions of a baby with a head full of dark hair were true! They  put her directly on my chest and she did not even cry. She was so much smaller than I imagined and just perfect!  My heart grew so much bigger than I even though possible.

Coming home we decided to have Julia wear the same thing as big sister Ela. Winter babies!

Julia coming home 12/6/13

Ela coming home 1/14/2011

All in all, it was a much different experience. Pregnancy amnesia has already set in and I don't remember most of the pain. Recovery has been very quick and I was released from the hospital after 24 hours as Julia was born so early in the day. Most importantly, this little lady is just as in love as we are. She has been such a great, sweet big sister and embraced Julia wonderfully. 

Talk about an heart exploding with love. Our family has been so blessed.

FunFact:  I started this blog to chronicle my pregnancy with Ela. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep blogging. Originally the blog was named Pickles and Ice Cream. When I started blogging after Ela's birth I spent weeks trying to come up with a new name. In the hospital on the wall of the Labor and Delivery is mural with a quote from Winnie the Pooh. I could not help but smile when I saw it as we were bringing Julia home..

37 Weeks- Full Term

Well I officially made it "Full Term" (according to the old standards at least). Bets on a Birthday?!

How far along? 37 Weeks
How many weeks left? 3
Total weight gain: 22 pounds up until I stopped walking... So grand total now is 26
Food Craving of the Week: Bagels and Cream Cheese(This never seems to go away)
Sleep: No way! Up every few hours using the restroom.
Best moment this week: Reading what Ela was thankful for at school.
Movement: Slowing down some.
Belly Button in or out?Out...Old News
What I miss: Going out for a drink with my Hubby
What I am looking forward to: Ela and Julia meeting; she is SO SO excited.
Weekly Wisdom: Relax
Milestones: Made it to full term.

Ela's thoughts on Baby Sister: Ela keeps telling everyone her sister is going to be out in "5 minutes". After getting out of the shower I go in and find Ela with her baby on her chest. I asked what she was doing. She said " my baby is biting my boobies to eat". CLASSIC!

At this point Ela was already born. I (we ) have spent the last two weeks making sure we kept sweet little Julia to stay put. After podrominal labor for about 3-4 week and a "false alarm" scare at 35 weeks, I found out that I was 1cm dilated . I guess I am that statistic that you read about that can walk around for weeks being dilated. I was not put on bed rest(I refused), but I stopped taking the subway to work, started driving, and literally sit at my desk all day at work. It worked! I really miss walking those 4-6 miles a day and gained 3 pounds quickly over the past 2 weeks. On Tuesday I experienced some severe and regular contractions. Tomasz and I thought it was time to head to the hospital. Its so funny that when I thought I was in labor, the first thing I did was clean the apartment, make a to do list for Ela, and laid out her clothes and lunches for the next few days. Its so funny how you go into nesting(panic) overdrive. Tomasz was getting really nervous and kept wanting to leave immediately, but I wanted to see if I could get them to stop. After three bathtubs, and 64 ounces of water they became less regular and I decided to follow up with my doctor's office the next day. I was sent home not any more dilated and told to return when the contractions became regular. Baby girl was given stress tests and I will now go every 5 days until she is born. (She failed the first two but I knew it was because she was sleeping--She never moves much during the day.)

On another note, I personally am thankful for so much, the biggest to be thankful for is  my growing family. Tomasz and I went to pick up Ela from school and it made my heart melt to see that she was already thankful for her baby sister on the "Thankful Tree".  (In addition to my fun shaped pancakes I make on Saturday mornings) I am also thankful for the sweet moments in life. I was cuddling with Tomasz before we got up to start our day(I hopped over the Snuggle pillow barrier) and as we were laying together Julia kept kicking him through my belly and he could feel it. Melt.My.Heart.

Fasten your masks before helping others...

I read an article a few weeks ago that really hit home. I am a member of our Church's facebook group and get regular emails. Often I don't really read through them, but this one caught my attention. It is also ironic that the premise of the article is based off of the airlines and that's a big part of our families life and which is also is the factor that makes this harder for me to do. The point of the articles is " Put your mask on before helping others". The articles compares this to being a parent; If you don't take care of yourself you become incapable of helping others.

The Article is titled: 'Parenting: What the Airlines can teach you

 As a parent, specifically a mother, we are so inclined to help our child first. I strive to make my daughter, and soon to be daughter happy, doing whatever it takes. Even being pregnant with my child sick  in the hospital for three days, I cuddled with Ela against the advisement of all the doctors and nurses as she was highly contagious. The love that you experience for your child, as well as the pain and joy that you feel is unexplainable until you become a mother.  I understand the article is not speaking directly to this effect, but more so about how as Mothers' we need to take a quick time out to ourselves, make sure we are eating and sleeping. Loving your little ones so much makes this seem like an impossible feat. If we are not 100%, how are we supposed to take care of the little ones that depend so much on us?

I will openly admit that I struggle with this. My husband has been blessed with a job that is truly his passion; not many can say that. At times it was very hard on our family. With both companies that he has worked for, he had to go to an initial training for 6 weeks. In another state, and not being together for an extended period of time was HARD. The first time he was gone, I ended up in the hospital and the second time Ela. That's the law of averages right? Up until recently, when he changed companies, my husband was traveling 3-5 days a week.Add a working mom into the mix and we were a recipe for busy. The only way to do it was a regimented schedule. Switching jobs could not have come at a better time now expecting our second child. He is home most days now as he is based out of Laguardia airport, and usually goes to work in the morning and is home in the evening!(THANK GOODNESS). I almost feel like he has a "normal" job.Even when he is home, I still find it hard to steal "me time" and there is always something to be done. I have caught 3 colds during this pregnancy. A pregnant women, taking care of a sick toddler, while being sick myself is NO fun. I truly need to make it a priority to make sure that I am taking care of myself so I am able to not only to provide for my children, but also my husband. I often wonder if this is even possible, but then the reality hits that if I don't make this a priority then my children do not get me at my best. This has happened many times, a few of which I shared What does not kill you, makes you Stronger , and Speak up Mommy .

Reading this article is nothing new, but maybe something that I really needed to be reminded of. With our second little girl due any day, I am not sure if this will get any easier to achieve, but I will for sure be making it a priority.

35 Weeks-Bump Update

I thought my 34 week post would be one of my last as I would not have much new going on. Turns out the sweet little girls that Tomasz and I made like to keep us on our toes.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was on bed rest at this point with Ela. In exactly one week in my pregnancy with her(36 weeks) I was induced, went into labor and our life changed in the best way possible. Crazy to think about. I still don't think it has set in that we get to meet baby Julia in a few weeks(or days), so yesterday after a trip to the OBGYN I was very surprised.

I have been having contractions on and off for around the past three weeks,been slightly swollen and just not felt right. Nothing a little laying on my left, drinking gallons of water and my Snoogle pillow could not fix. At my last appointment, my doctor assured me that contractions were normal this late in the pregnancy, especially for second time moms and that I was experiencing podrominal labor. (Sidebar: How are you going to call labor "fake" but still have it hurt so bad?? I don't get it) Starting Monday night I started getting contractions really bad again. I did my whole routine of laying down and over hydrating, yada yada yada. Most times they would let up at night. On Wednesday night into Thursday, there was NOTHING I could do to make them stop. I got no sleep even after taking two warm baths and a Tylenol. I debated on calling my OB. Sounds silly not knowing if I was actually in real labor as I am a second time mom, but being induced the first time I had NO clue what real labor felt like. Everyone always said "You will know" so I just attributed it to no bed rest this go around, and my body prepping itself. By lunch the following day I was in so much pain; the contractions were not regular, but super painful. I finally gave in and called the OB and he had me come in. On the way to the office, I began to have them every few minutes as it was a good walk. I have been driving to work lately, but to find parking around Midtown  would have been crazy so I walked....BIG MISTAKE.

Sure enough, I was examined and I was already a centimeter dilated! HOLY COW! I was shocked. When I was induced with Ela at 36.5 weeks, I was not dilated at all and barely effaced. All this time I was expecting to hear it was just prodrominal labor again, and it actually looked like I was in the beginning of labor. I was sent to the hospital and monitored just in case it was more than early labor. When I laid in bed, the contractions slowed and since they had never been regular in the first place I was sent home.(Figured this was the case) I will follow up on Monday with my OB and get a sonogram to see how much our girl weighs. The Labor and Delivery nurses said if I stay off my feet and walk minimally, she will probably come in 2-3 weeks. (37 weeks) I can already tell that even walking a few blocks, the contractions start back up again. Its near impossible living in NYC and not being able to walk.

I really want to keep this little girl nice and safe until 36.5 weeks at minimum, but I wont lie, around 37 weeks, I will be taking a few walks!

35 Weeks....A little more swollen this week.

Any of you other moms have contractions the whole last month of your pregnancy?

34 Week Bump Update

Yes....Still pregnant over here. This pregnancy flew by.... 

Then I hit 30 weeks.I feel like I will forever be growing this little girl in my belly. 

At this point last time in my pregnancy with Ela, I was on bed rest due to Preclampsia. Snow Baby-BedRest  As I was put on bed rest 6 weeks before my due date I never got to experience working while massively pregnant, being fatigued,  and with a toddler. My blood pressure has risen over the past few days from 100/63 to 127/75, but still not a cause for worry yet.  Since all is good for now, we just wait for Julia! I have been having extreme contractions, so much so that I thought I was going into labor last Sunday. They were not regular and after laying down and 3 bottles of water they stopped. A quick check up with the doctor and I am having Podorimal Labor( Painful Braxton Hicks). I guess it is good that my body is getting lots of practice, which should make for a quick labor.

Any bets on a due date?

How far along? 34 Weeks
How many weeks left? 6 weeks... 12/13/13 Due Date.
Total weight gain: 21 pounds
Food Craving of the Week: Pickles(Claussen only) CANDY!!
Sleep: If Ela could sleep maybe I could too. We have both been up.
Best moment this week: Trick or Treating with Ela
Movement: Yes, lots of rolling around but not as many kicks. I even rested my hand on my belly because I did not feel her move and I could feel her heartbeat(so cool)
Belly Button in or out?Out...Old News
What I miss: Pumpkin Beer
What I am looking forward to: Ela and Julia meeting; bending over(the little things in life)
Weekly Wisdom: Rest
Milestones: 34 weeks an accomplishment in itself.

Ela's thoughts on Baby Sister: Mommy, when is Julia coming out? Me: Soon, you are going to stay with your uncle and Mommy will go to the hospital. Ela: Is Julia sick? Me: No, Mommy goes to the hospital so the doctor can take the baby out. Ela: How? Me: I'll tell you later. Ela: OK When? LOL! SO many questions.

A couple snapshots from Halloween. 

My Perfect Little Girl!

What does a mother do best? Brag about their child(ren) of course. I am pretty good at that myself. I wish I was better about using a real camera. Instead I have over 1,000 pictures on my IPhone of my beautiful girl. At work, with friends,via  text messages to our parents, I brag to everyone! I follow many blogs, most of which are "Mom" blogs. Everyone brags about their kids! Often we hear about what an angel a kid is or how perfect they are. I began to think, my child is perfect in her own spunky way. Now that she talks, she has opened  my husband and my eyes to a whole new world. Not only does she create havoc, but she usually tells on herself afterwards. Sometimes in the midst of the craziness we just look at each other and laugh. Thank god for that instant second of sanity, and then back to the tornado of Ela. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE IT! I am so grateful that we have such an energetic girl that is full of life, and not afraid to experiment. Thinking about how passionate she  is about life at an early age, I began to reminisce of the two almost three years of terrorizing love that she has shown us. 

This just sums up our girl..... OH boy are we in
for trouble. 

Yes...she bit me. And yes she was 2. And yes
she did it on purpose because she was mad.

Mommy, I eat Ice Cream.

Mommy hurry up. I put too many
paper towels in toilet. I cant see poop anymore.

Can you say cheese? NO Mommy!

Take that...Next time think twice about making me nap!

You turned around the DVD collection? Dont worry
I can still reach it.

Turn your back for 5 seconds Mom....and I will learn
how to hop in the tub all by myself. Clothes included.

If you want me to go to school...this is what I
am wearing. Rainboots and PJ's are SO in right now.

This is how most days end. She just crashes.
Nothing graceful about it!
(Actually this was jet lag in London)

I just needed a spoon...and some milk...maybe
a screwdriver too.

Baby needed lotion too...RIGHT?

You didn't bring the crayons over fast enough.

Try and take my babies!

"Ela Did" - No more words needed.
(Thanks for the crayons Grandma)

Nap time strikes again. Diapers out of the crib storage,
and please note the total chomping down of the crib rail.

Nap time again. Do we see a theme here?
The big girl bed transition came quickly.
19 months.

Ready for potty training?

Looking back through the pictures they still make me laugh...These are even just the times I was able to snap a quick shot. There are MANY more. Some days are just plain hard with her mischief, but at the end I ALWAYS get a good laugh. The best part of it all is that she is so innocent and does not even know wrong. I hope that she only continues to grow up to be a inquisitive girl, that is not afraid of taking risks, going against the grain, and asking for forgiveness later. I know that sentence will come back to bite me in the butt later on in life, however as an adult these are great qualities to have and I am proud of my perfectly spunky girl!

 In case you did not catch it...The majority of these photos were during nap time or protesting before bed. Yes Tomasz and I are ALWAYS tired, this child is a rare breed that does not require sleep to function.