Bright Lights

We knew that there was a pretty good chance Charlie would end up struggling with jaundice, just like Carter did... and we were right.  Luckily, diagnostic and treatment tools have improved so much over the last 5 years, that Charlie's return visit to the hospital only lasted 1 night.  Charlie tolerated the isolation of the bili-light bassinet really well.  It is important to keep them under the lights as much as possible, so I was only able to hold/feed him for 20 minutes every 3 hours.  It was a long night, since he really wanted to eat twice that often, but he got through it like a champ.  I was so happy to be released early the next morning with a clean bill of health for our little baby.  We have been back to the doctor for another check, and he is still perfect - and not yellow anymore!  

Splish-Splash! Charlie's Birth Story

Fair warning - this is Charlie's birth story... so, if you aren't interested in knowing some of the finer details of my labor, feel free to skip this!
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Contractions started early Sunday morning at about 4am.  Lucky pregnant mom that I am, I have had Braxton-Hicks contractions since week 13, so I am definitely used to annoying cramps in my uterus.  These were clearly more than just the regular BH contractions though.  Nothing too painful, just uncomfortable... but definitely different.  I got my handy-dandy, contraction-timing iphone app going, and realized that even though the contractions were "real" and really annoying, they were still very inconsistent.  Sometimes 7-8 minutes apart... then 15-20... no good pattern, which meant there was nothing much for us to do.  Instead, we decided to spend the morning at the Farmer's market and then Chris and I headed into Portland for one last date night.  I was certain that baby was on his way, and I wanted to make sure I had a gigantic milkshake, before dairy was forcibly removed from my diet for the next 12ish months.   Let me tell you - there is nothing like a cinnamon/dark chocolate milkshake to put you into a food coma, only to be broken by actual labor.

I had a really hard time sleeping... contractions started crossing the line from annoying to irritating to downright painful.  Luckily, they were still spaced pretty poorly, so I occasionally got 20-30 minutes of sleep between them.  At 4am, my body decided that it was time to put the show on the road - contractions were 6 minutes apart, and consistent enough that I knew we'd better get going - we still had 30 minutes to drive to the hospital!  I called our doula and midwives, woke Chris's mom to tell her we were leaving, and headed out the door... knowing life was about to change quickly!

When we arrived at the hospital, the main entrance was closed, the place was under crazy construction, and we ended up walking in circles for 15 minutes trying to find a way into the hospital.  Not fun when you have to stop moving every couple of minutes because of those darn contractions!  By the time we finally found our way inside, I was at 4-5cm and contractions were starting to speed up.  They got me into a room quickly, and I walked and contracted, walked and contracted.  While I was working on the contractions, the nurses set up the big ol' kiddie birthing pool.  Within the next hour and a half, I had progressed to 7cm, so we decided it was time to switch locations and hop into the water.  The warmth of the water was like heaven compared to a cold hospital bed.  It really did make a huge difference in my ability to manage the increasingly difficult contractions.

I labored in the pool for awhile - maybe an hour - before I knew that Charlie really wanted to be born.  Thanks to the shift change timing, we had double the nurses and two midwives on hand for the birth.  Even though I was pretty focused on the whole pushing portion, I was pretty amazed when I heard the midwives and our doula exclaiming that Charlie was being born completely encased in his amniotic sac - my water never broke during labor. Our midwife said she had only seen this happen in 2 out of 600 births that she has attended.  He was born completely quiet and only started to make a tiny bit of noise once they handed him to me in the water.  It was such a peaceful way to be born, I think he just wanted to sleep through it all!

I always thought I had a very easy birth with Carter, but Charlie's birth was unbelievably perfect.  It was quick (3.5 hours at the hospital), peaceful, and truly the ideal experience for me.  If I were ever to have another baby (which is not in our plans - sorry!), I would have another water birth... no question about it!
 

Our Newest Sweet Boy - Charlie James Erickson

We are so happy to announce that our little miracle has come into this world!

Monday, July 25th, 2011

8:20 am

7lbs 15oz

19 3/4 inches 

We are so blessed to have a second son, and the perfect completion of our family.

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I'll be writing up Charlie's birth story soon, so check back or skip the next entry, depending on how few/many details you want!

Dinner with the Zellers

When we lived in Anthem, I made some terrific friends.  Janelle and I first met just a couple of months before I had Carter, right after she had her second baby.  It is hard to believe that we've been friends for more than 5 years now - time really flies!  She is an incredible mother, wife, friend, sister, and much more to those around her.  I really am blessed to be friends with her.

You can imagine how happy I was when I found out that her family's summer road trip had her coming through Portland.  Her beautiful family stopped by for dinner last night, and our kiddos had the best time playing together (although I do need to remember to retrieve the styrofoam rockets from the neighbor's yard...).  I was hoping to have a baby to show off during her visit, but little Charlie has been staying put, so my big belly had to do!

In other baby news, I think Charlie is *finally* gearing up for his arrival.  My guess is that we'll be at the hospital within the next 24 hours.  Think happy thoughts for us!
   

Visit from Aunt Natalie and Cousin Jack

We were so lucky to have a last-minute visit from Natalie and Jack Smith this week.  Yay!  Even though I have been waddling like a penguin and needed an afternoon nap everyday, we still had lots of fun together.  We all ventured into Portland to try out a cute little amusement park that I have been wanting to take Carter to, and didn't realize until we got there that I couldn't ride ANYTHING!  Thankfully, Aunt Natalie took the boys on all of the rides, while I babysat the backpack and the camera.

Carter and Jack especially loved this gigantic slide - it was about 30 feet high!

The little-kid Roller Coaster was another fave, but Carter had his eye on the big-kid rides and can't wait to go back with Dad to go on all of those!

We visited 3 or 4 parks while they were here. How cute are they on the tire swing?!

Carter and Jack were so unbelievably sweet to each other - most of the time.  Lots of hugs, kisses, play-wrestling, and chasing each other around.  It was precious to watch.  Jack is just turning 3 at the end of this month, and it was really cool to see how Carter finally is treating him like a peer, instead of the "baby".  

Bacon Pancakes!

I have been mildly addicted to the website, Pinterest, this summer.  It is a bulletin-board-type system that lets you share your favorite blogs/websites/recipes/photos with your online friends, as well as just catalog and save them for yourself.  A couple weeks back, I ran across the delicious idea for BACON Pancakes.  Oh, yes... totally calling my name!  I finally got around to making them this week, and just made them again this morning.  Hey, I'm pregnant (still!)... I have an excuse!

Sound delicious to you, too?  Well, read on...

First, I took the easy way out - who wants to stand over the stove and fry up bacon in the summer? Not me!  I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked, nitrate-free bacon.  It takes just about 1 minute to crisp up in the microwave and tastes great.  I used 4 slices and broke each one in half after cooking.

I found a seriously delicious, locally-made pancake mix.  Yeah, I know pancake mix isn't the hardest thing to make, but I was going for simplicity here.

Once these two parts are made, you are *almost* ready!

Heat up your pan to medium heat, then add some oil.  Once it gets hot, lay down a few half-slices of bacon.

Now, pour a little pancake batter on top of each bacon slice.  You are getting excited already, aren't you?  Be patient - don't flip them yet!

Once the pancake batter has little bubbles all over, it will be ready to flip.  Don't do it early or the pancakes will fall apart into a big, ol' batter-y mess.  

After both sides are pretty and brown, put them on a plate with some fruit... or more bacon... and serve with maple syrup.  Yum! Yum! Yum!

 

No Longer an "Only"

Let's be honest - I've made the majority of this pregnancy about me.  How excited I am... how nervous I am... how helpful it would be to me for Charlie to stay put one more week.  Yeah, I'm the mom, but obviously this baby is going to change things - big time - for our entire family.  It finally hit me tonight.  Carter has been our "only" for 5 years now.  He has been the focus of our lives, and he has never known it to be any different.  Now, suddenly, he is going to be an "older".  While there are so many amazing things about being a big sibling, I know it must take some huge adjustments, too.  How will he feel, having this tiny creature around?  How will he adjust when our focus is diverted from him?  I know how hard it is for him to just share me when I'm on the phone with a friend... it is hard to imagine the song and dance he'll do to get my attention when I'm changing a diaper or nursing Charlie.  I am so hopeful that he will adjust beautifully... but let's be honest - he is 5, and he has had a lot of practice getting all of our attention.  We'll have to make sure and show him patience, as we adjust to this new world of TWO little boys.

Ready or Not...

I have been in serious nesting mode for the past few days.  My floors are sparkling, my baseboards are scrubbed, and have organized everything in (and out of) sight.  Not only am I probably driving my husband crazy... but it is incredibly unlike me to be this way.  Nesting is such a strange feeling!

I had my 36-week check-up today, and it looks like little Charlie is probably going to be an early arrival, like his brother.  Of course, it is all just speculation and it is entirely possible that I could remain pregnant for 4+ more weeks, but things are looking pretty good.  I'm already 70% effaced, 2 cm dilated, and the baby is at -2 station.  The midwife told me that she'd prefer for him to stay in and "cook" for another week, but that they wouldn't stop labor if it started sooner than that.  I would definitely like to keep him baking for a little longer, for many reasons.  First of all, Chris is traveling to Idaho next week.  Not exactly convenient if I happen to go into labor!  Second, I have lots and lots of preparing still to do: must prep diapers, finish up odds and ends in the nursery, etc... And third (though clearly the most important reason), I just want to make sure Charlie is as healthy as can be.  I know that his timing will be perfect, whatever it is!