Sound The Alarm!!!!

Where do I begin? Sigh.  I'll do my best to make this brief.  Mainly because I don't want to think about it anymore.  It started about a month ago.  My perinatalogist found this.... anomaly in the baby during the ultrasound. It's called umbilical vein varix.  Don't worry.  Apparently it's really rare.  So rare that my OB had never even heard of it.  No one at the hospital had heard of it.  I'd sure as heck haven't!  Basically, the umbilical vein in the baby's belly is dilated.  An aneurysm, if you will.   Sometimes this is associated with other negative findings, none of which our baby had.  Thank God.  But there it was.  The risk is this, it can clot.  If it clots, the baby won't be getting anything from me, including blood.  So if you haven't guessed already, there are times when this doesn't end well.  So, upon hearing this, I proceeded to stress out like never before.  It was all I could think about.  Did I do something to cause this?  Why isn't there any information on this on the internet!??  Is he kicking enough?   Is it because of my thyroid?  Is he going to be okay?

My mind was going nonstop.  My next appointment was 4 weeks later.  It was an eternity.  Luckily, this baby was an acrobat so kick counting was a cinch.  As long as he was kicking me, I was happy.  He's alive in there.  Meanwhile, I had to go to the hospital twice a week for NST and AFI tests.  On top of that, I had weekly appointments with my OB.  It was a lot of driving and waiting around.  Not fun, but necessary.  Anyway, fast forward to the next appointment with my perinatologist.  I wanted to ask him about what would happen if we got the baby out early.  I figure if the baby doesn't need his vein anymore, the risk is gone, right?  So let's make it happen!!!  Well, I didn't have to mention a thing.  He basically told me to head to hospital and induce that night!  Um.... say what?  I don't even have my hospital bag packed!!  And not to mention, we have no clean clothes for the baby!  OMG.  I called P immediately and told him to get ready.  My mom had to haul ass to our house so she could watch W.  We were sooooo not ready.

We get to hospital and start the induction right away.  Now I've always heard that the second baby is always easier.  Easier in labor, shorter in time, and less painful to push out.  Well...I guess I'll be the person to tell you otherwise.  I labored about the same amount of time.  And I pushed for almost the same amount of time.  But this kid has a much smaller head than W.  PHEW!   So, unlike the first time, I was able to push him out without any assistance.  Put the vacuum away, doc.  I got this.  And even though I was hungry this time around as well, I didn't throw up!  I made sure I ate a huge dinner before leaving for the hospital.





























Here he is.  Our beautiful baby, N.  He looks a lot like W.  I mean A LOT!  Even his mismatched ears are the same as W's!  Flat on the right, bent on the left.  LOL!!  During the whole pregnancy, P and I would wonder about how this guy would be able to steal our hearts when we were so in love with W already.  There's no way he could be as cute as W.  That's what we would keep saying.  I guess God decided to shut us up by making him look just like him.  Clever.  His head is definitely smaller and, therefore, much more proportionate.  He came into this world at 4:19pm, weighing 7 lbs. and 7 oz.  We missed the crazy 12-12-12 birthdate by one day, which is great because it was a mad house!  I eventually got transferred out of maternity into the new tower because they ran out of room.  I think it's so silly that so many people would purposely schedule C-sections and inductions just to have that birthday.  Here I am, just praying I give birth to a healthy living baby, inducing out of NECESSITY, while others get superstitious.  Makes me nuts.

Proud grandma.

How did W handle the new baby? Well, we prepped him as best we could before hand. And I think it helped. He would hug and kiss my belly, lean his head on it while saying, "baby inside." And seemed okay when he came to visit. But the real test would be when we bring the baby home, W's territory. He likes the baby enough. In fact, he kisses him a lot, leaving stamps of drool here and there. But I think he misses our attention, too. He's whinier and needier. Just a tad. There have been a couple of unexplained tantrums. I don't wanna say that it's not that bad, for fear that this will escalate. So I'll just keep my mouth shut for now.

At first, he was more interested in the iPhone than his new baby brother.  

The first of many kisses.  

Sunbathing because he's jaundiced. 

Sigh.  Big exhale of relief that our new baby boy is here, safe and so far, healthy.  He's adorable and sweet and more than I could've ever asked for.  If I could do anything for W, it would be to give him a friend for life. I was completely overwhelmed when I realized my dream of having a sibling had been realized through W.  For whatever reason, God has decided to give me this beautiful life and I hope I never take it for granted.  Mother of two boys.  Let the fun begin!!!

This photo is just for kicks.  My mom takes W out for walks everyday.  Little did I know she was putting MY winter accessories on my son.  I guess this is what my daughter would look like.