The Story of L

Our little girl, Lily Isabelle Maldoff, was born nearly 2 weeks early on Saturday June 23rd 2012 at 4:05am.
She weighed 8lbs, 3oz and measured 20" long.

The day started out like any other day, but ended up being one of the best days of my life.

My doctor's appointment earlier in the week had given me a clue that I might be having the baby very soon.  At 2.5cm dilated and 75% effaced, she told me to go ahead and get that bag packed!  Since the fam lives so far away, I started calling all my neighbors and friends and scheduling times they could come over and watch Henry if I went into labor.  That was really what worried me most.  The unpredictability of it and who would be watching Henry. 

Of course I called my mama and we debated back and forth if she should go ahead and get on a plane.  We decided against it, since Henry was a week late....maybe this one would be late too. 

WRONG!

The Friday I went into labor I felt particularly tired and worn out.  I decided a glass of wine...or maybe a glass and a half was needed and deserved this late in the game.  I then promptly passed out on the couch at about 8pm.  Lovely. Keeping it classy my friends.

After I awoke from my drunken stupor, for whatever reason, I thought packing my bag might be a good idea.  You know, since I was about to have a baby at some point.
After that, I thought a shower sounded nice.

And this is when it starts to get interesting.  When Marc scared the baby out of me.

Let me set the scene.  I'm in the shower and Marc is at his vanity, like shaving or something. 
We're keeping things light and romantic as always by discussing the Jerry Sandusky trial.  You know, real pillow talk. 

So while we're talking, I think he's standing over at the vanity.  I'm washing my hair, so my eyes are closed.  I open my eyes and he's standing right beside the shower!  I screamed like a maniac!  Every horror movie seems to have an awful shower scene where you open your eyes and there's a killer right outside waiting for you.  What in the world was he thinking, creeping up on me like that? 
And then I couldn't stop laughing.   Scared to death and then non-stop laughter.  I'm no stranger to hormonal mood swings.

Shortly after the freakout, my water breaks as we're settling into bed around midnight.  I called the doctor and she told us to go ahead and get moving even though I hadn't had any contractions yet.  Right after I got off the phone with her, contractions started.  And boy, did they start.
We called our friends Brian and Amy to come over and spend the night with Henry and we didn't even wait till they pulled in the driveway. 

When we called them, they were 10 min apart.  When we left, they were 7 min apart.  By the time we got to the hospital, they were 5 min apart.  I called my mom, my dad, and my brother on the way to the hospital but nobody was picking up their phone.  It was so bizarre because they usually always pick up.  The roads were empty, the hospital was deserted.  I remember thinking that it felt like me and Marc were the only two people in the world, driving into the dark night about to welcome our little girl into the world. 

I was 4cm when we arrived, so they were able to go ahead and get the epidural cranking.  Except you have to wait till you get 2 iv bags of fluid in you before you can get it.  Boy, did that take forever!  I kept asking Marc, "How's my bag?  How's my bag?!"  Because it hurt so much worse than with Henry.

And I soon knew why.  The epidural was in a whopping 10 minutes and I felt this EXTREME contraction.  I remember actually saying, "Whoa" like in slow motion and asking the nurse to see what was going on.  Basically....it was already time to push.  10 minutes of drugs.  That's it!  So, I consider that I did most of the work natural.

And then she was here!  My girl.  And we were overwhelmed.  How could it be?  The girl that I had wished for, hoped for, prayed for.  My future best friend, shopping partner, and confidante.  All my wildest dreams had come true. 
Having a baby is truly a miracle.  I will never forget that day and the absolute pure joy of ushering our sweet Lily Belle into the world.  My life changed in an instant, for the better, forever.

First pic of me and my girl

3 minutes old

3 months old

 

 

 

 

Love, Lyndsey

Almost 3

I know I said in my last post that I would write about L's birth story next.

But first I must vent about H being almost three. As in THE Terrible Three's.

He's killing me y'all. I swear he is Jekyll and Hyde. His mood swings could rival those of any teenager. I'm not sure what happened to the boy that thought I hung the moon and agreed with everything I said. He comes back every once in a while to tease me with a hug and then follows it up with a "No mama!!!" and a fart noise to top it off.

Aw, hell no.

I've tried time outs, spankings, taking toys away, really limiting the juice (thinking it could be too much sugar) and then I realized.......he is almost 3. This is how he's supposed to be right? Some things work some of the time. There's no real logic to it.

I think before this I thought my child was perfect. I'll go ahead and admit it.
Now, oh man, that is coming back to bite me in the arse. Sometimes I get so angry at his behavior it takes all I can to just take a deep breath and reign myself back in.

I'm trying to take a more humorous approach and that seems to be working.
And letting him do more things by himself. Because now he ONLY wants to do things by himself.

I taught him how to fill up his water cup from the fridge tap to encourage water drinking instead of so much juice.
Me- "Henry, can you go get me some water?"
H- "Ok mommy!!"
Marc- "Henry, watch out. Don't step on your truck."
H- "Daddy, I'm going to get some water. That's how it is."

We made cookies together the other day since he loves to help in the kitchen so much.
I had left the chair by the island the night before not thinking.
When Henry wakes up in the morning, he either comes to our bed or will usually go down in his playroom and play trucks. Usually being the key word.
I come downstairs to the kitchen island and the surrounding wood floor covered in baking soda. He had filled up the two kitchen stones and sprinkled a bunch more around for good measure.
In my sleep-deprived stupor, I actually wondered if I had left it like that the night before. It is totally possible.
No.....so then I thought Marc had done something with it.

Me- "Did you pour a bunch of baking soda out on the counter this morning for some reason?"
Marc- "No. I saw that. I was wondering what that was about."

And then I see it. The shovel. His trusty shovel sitting there on the counter. Caught red handed. That boy had just helped himself to the Arm & Hammer out of the fridge.

Me- "Angel, what were you doing this morning in kitchen?"
H- "Mommy, I was trying to make soup."

Well, there you have it.

And can I get an amen that kids seem to act a million times worse when the grandparents visit?
What's the deal with that?!

Vent over. Ahhhhh......

And then he gives me the biggest hug ever and tells me I'm the best mommy in the world and all is good again.
Love you Hyde. That was the good one right?

Love,
Lyndsey


First day of preschool

Helped put in her paci in and extremely happy about it.

Big guy and little lady!

Mid fart noise with first shiner.  Gotten by running into coffee table.  Not by being punched by Will Ferrell in The Campaign.

House divided reunited by the love of thumb sucking.

Miss Lily Belle is here!

Wow, having a baby sure does throw off your blog writing!  I'm currently sitting here in a spit-up stained tshirt and no pants.  I don't remember why I'm not wearing pants but this is how it goes these days.  I'm trying to roll with it.  My babies are bathed though!  Needless to say, the most crucial decision of my day is whether to shower or nap, so the blog has been on hiatus.  The nap ALWAYS wins.  I need to make sure and write things down or I know I'll forget.  Hence the pants.

Miss Lily Belle Maldoff is 2 months old and I'm just now getting around to writing about her.  She is such a joy!  Lily is starting to smile and coo and her little personality is starting to show, so it's been very rewarding for me.  For a while, I was only getting pooped on so I deserve some smiles!
I'm not sure how I got so lucky (don't want to jinx it) but she is so chill.  And I'm not sure if that's because we're so much more relaxed this go round or if she is just that good.  Maybe it's also having her in the summertime....I swear I was taking her out with Henry when she was just 2 weeks old. 

She does love to be held.  My baby carrier has been put to use, especially when it's just me with Henry and Lily out and about.  She loves to snuggle with me in bed (I was too nervous to bring Henry in the bed), so maybe that's another reason why she's so happy! 
I have never seen a baby enjoy a bath so much too.  What a girl!  Loves to be clean and wear pretty outfits. 
At her 2 month check up, she was in the 50th percentile for height and 90th for weight.  A little chunker! 
Lily has the most beautiful blue eyes and crazy black mohawk hair.  Where in the world did that come from?  Oh wait, me.  I dye my hair to match my son's.  As my sister put it, "The Schroeder is strong in that one."  She looks exactly like Henry did at this age, but her features are more delicate and she's got her daddy's small head.  I think she looks more like her Marc right now overall, but she changes everyday.

Henry has adjusted fairly well.  The first two weeks, he ignored her and didn't want anything to do with her.  Not in a mean way.  He's just a boy and didn't really care.  He finally asked to hold her one day and he has loved her ever since!  He lavishes her with his blankies (sometimes over her head...I can't leave them alone together) and shows her his toys and tries to pick her up (again, I have to watch him).

Having two home with me at the same time has definitely been an adjustment.  It is so much harder than I thought it would be!  But very rewarding.  And full.  When I lay my head down at night, I definitely feel like I've put in a full day!
But I am learning and gradually we're getting into a routine.  As much of a routine as you can with two little ones. 

• I have learned the art of surviving the witching hour from 4 to 6pm.  Coffee, beer, or wine depending on how the day has been.
• It's best not to need to be anywhere in the morning at a certain time. 
• Now is not the time to be potty training.  I knew it was time to stop when I grabbed a squatting Henry out of his room and made a beeline for the bathroom only to have him poop in mid-air.  I was in mid-stride, so yes I did kick the poop with my bare foot.  And yes, it did explode into pieces and splatter all over the bathroom floor.  And yes, my immediate thought was that I was glad I was on the tile floor.  Not for concern over my foot.  Yes, time to stop.  Do these things only happen to me?
• The crockpot is my friend.
• Tantrums are best worked out in their own good time with no interference from me.
• When both of the kids take a nap at the same time, the heavens are shining down from above.  LAY DOWN.
• Calling friends to chat, even if it's just for 5 minutes, helps so much.  Staying at home with two littles that can't have adult conversation can be isolating.  I can only talk about construction equipment so much.
• Meeting up with friends and kids is even better.  We've had a lot of play dates.
• Going to try on clothes when you are not your ideal size is not a good idea when you do get that rare hour to yourself.  But I can't wait to get some colored jeans!  And I only have 8lbs to lose.  YES!!  Ok, that was my bragging moment.
• The dishes can always wait till morning. 
• Taking care of one kid at a time in the easiest thing in the world.  Why did I think having only Henry was hard? 

And it is now my bedtime of 9pm and I must stop.  Next post, I'll write about Miss L's birth story.  This might be when she's a year old but it will happen.  Please excuse if this writing is poor quality.  I fear my brain may be gone forever!  And I'm finally reading Fifty Shades, which is not helping.  Ha!

Love,
Lyndsey

37 week update

I had my last ultrasound today for baby girl to check on her weight and general check up stuff (I really pay attention during these appointments, can't you tell?)

Mind you, she is totally scrunched up in there but she looks EXACTLY like Henry did!  All lips and cheeks.  It's really amazing to look back and see the resemblance. 

All my fluids look good, which is usually the first thing they check when you have gestational diabetes.  Her heartbeat has also slowed down to about 128, closer to my own heart rate.  The nurse said this happens as it gets closer to that time (need to google it).   She's usually around 145.

She is 7lbs, so if she goes all the way to the due date of July 5th, she'll probably be 8 to 9lbs.  3 more weeks.  Wow.

Marc and I are so relaxed with this baby.  It's really strange with the 2nd.  I probably need to make one more trip to Babies R Us to stock up and I scanned through my Baby 411 book to try and get back in the zone. 

Henry joined us for the ultrasound and threw out his usual zingers.

H-"That my brother?"

Me- "No sweetie, that's your sister.  A baby girl, remember?"

H- "Ohhhh....my sister.  She looks like monkey."

Me- "Yeah, she looks a little weird in that picture."

H- "That too bad."

It is unfortunate I suppose.  To have a sister that looks like a monkey.

Love,

Lyndsey

Ready for our girl!

The nursery is done!
Well, almost done.  I still want to get a cute rug and I just ordered a little owl pillow for the rocking chair, but other than that, DONE.
I have decided that Pinterest is not the best thing for a manic nesting pregnant woman.  They didn't have Pinterest when I was pregnant with Henry and I was a crazy nester then too.  Multiply that by ten! 
I loved putting this nursery together.  I was able to use so many of my things from my shabby chic days from my first apartment on my own.  I saved everything thinking if I ever had a little girl I would want to use them in her room.  And now I am!

Here's the view walking into the room! 

My mama bought me the bedding from Etsy and I love it!  Is it weird that I would like to sleep in here?  Yes, that is weird.  I ordered the frame from a photography shop in Concord.  The branch was salvaged from the backyard.

I have had this old desk since I was 14!  I bought some new knobs from Anthropologie (totally need a new one for the middle drawer now that I'm looking at it) to spruce it up.  The desk is too small for a grown up person who is taller than 5ft tall to use comfortably, so I thought it would be good for the changing table.

I think this says it all.

My mama made this for me after Ash and I picked out the scrapbook paper at Michael's.  I have had this window for years and years.  This is hanging right by her closet.

The old door!  Once again, another item I have had forever.  I bought this back when I was in college.  Hmm....I might be a hoarder.



Oh my, look at all the flea market treasures!  Doesn't it just make your heart happy?

My crafty sis knitted the flowers and I covered a cheapy Target lampshade in burlap and hot glued the flowers on.  Easy!  I mod podged an old canvas I didn't like anymore with some book pages and added a few trinkets.

Shutter ribbon holder

The closet!  I am in so much trouble.


I am so happy the room is finished.  I am 37 weeks pregnant and I am literally still in disbelief that I will have a baby girl here very shortly.  How did this happen?  Wait, I think I know how it happened but where has the time gone?
I'll blog more later in the week after we have our last ultrasound on Friday.  Hopefully, we'll have some pics to share!

Love, Lyndsey

From the mouths of babes

I have vowed to start writing down all the funny things Henry is saying these days.  He cracks me up.

He enjoys making up words.  His favorites right now are "bar bar" and "corbles".  I have no clue what these are or what he thinks they mean.  He just says them and then I act all exasperated and shocked and he laughs and laughs. 

Shopping
He is obsessed with Target.  His sitter, Mary, took him and his buddy Jack to Target one day to get birdseed and he talks about it all the time.  "Mom, go to Target and buy birdseed?"  We go there probably twice a week.
We'll start out in the cart, but by the end of the trip he's helping me push and being pretty well-behaved most of the time.  Although, he's starting to get really bossy.  If he's in the cart and he's not enjoying what I'm shopping for, he'll say, "Mom, turn around!  This way!" 
We were there the other day and getting ready to leave and I said we needed to go check out.
He gives me the most serious look and says, "No mommy.  Let's keep shopping."  That's my boy!

Riding to the sitter one day, I hear from the back, "Mom, I NEED new shoes."

For some reason, he is still not on board with the splash pad this year.  He loves the pool and the beach, but seems to be intimidated by the splash pad.
We're walking up one day, I've got him all slathered in sunscreen and ready to go and he starts freaking out.
"I don't like the fountains!  I want Starbucks!"  (there's a Starbucks close by)  Well, ok then.
We tried again another day, thinking it would be different.
"I don't like the fountains!  I eat my snack!"  Finally after watching the other kids playing for 20 minutes, I ask him if he wants to go shopping and look at the fire hydrants on the sidewalk.
"Yes!!"

Money
"Mom, let's go to the bank and get some money out."
Finds a coin on the floor, "Here's a coin just for YOU mommy!"
Finds my Lowe's card in my wallet, "Mom, tractor store card!"

Magic
We read a Mickey Mouse Halloween book every night despite it being June.  Mickey is dressed up as a magician.  So, Henry likes to interject magic words into everyday life.
Henry loads dirt in his dump truck.  "Tada!"
Henry demands apple sauce.  "What's the magic word?" I ask.  "Abracadabra!" he says.
Henry waves a tree branch in the air.  "Hocus pocus!"

Bedtime
He will do anything for Coke.  ANYTHING.  Forget wine tasting.  Try Coke tasting.  He drinks it so slowly, savoring it, swishing it around in his mouth.
During the transition to the big boy bed, that was the only way we could get him to stay in his bed during the night.  Straight up Coca-cola bribery.  We haven't mentioned it in a couple weeks now since he's sleeping well.  But, oh how they remember.
"I sleep all night in my bed and I get sip of Coke!!  But too much coke...tummy ache (rubs stomach)."

One of us will read him a story and then we lay with him for like 5 minutes or so.  One night after his story, he turns to Marc and says, "Dad, it's time to get cozy."  We don't call it bedtime anymore.  We call it cozy time.

That's all I can think of for now.  I'm sure I will be adding more!

Love,
Lyndsey

Easter photo dump

I am in love with Instagram. I will now bombard you with pictures.

I know I'm about the last person on Earth to use this app, but I just got my Iphone and I love it! Aunt Ashie took so many awesome pics when we were home in Texas for Easter with it, that I just had to go ahead and turn in the ancient Blackberry once I got home. I missed it for about 2 minutes. Die evil rolly ball!

We had a wonderful Easter! Since Marc was in China for 2 weeks for work, Henry and I took a trip to Texas for 5 days. We were there the week before Easter, but we still had a hunt in the front yard. The weather was perfect and we had a great time just hanging out with the family.

The festivities & sugar wore him out. Blankie in hand. He loves his blankies.

I could not wait to take pictures in the bluebonnets this year. It's funny the things you miss about Texas when you don't live there anymore. And bluebonnet season is one of them!
He was not having it.

Sucker time!

Time for a smoke break.

Sour!

We found one!

I like this picture. Green shirt with the green grass.

Oh my, I am large.

The things you do to make them laugh.

How did the Easter bunny get my blankie in here? Whaaa?

That's a big egg.I have decided that Easter might be one of my favorite holidays. It's so festive, yet not much work is involved. Fill a couple eggs with candy, done. Buy a ham (or in our case, visit 3 grocery store and have your husband practically have to arm wrestle to get the last one), done. Dye some eggs, done. Invite friends over, let the kids play, and watch the Masters. Done and done.

Marc got back the Thursday before Easter and we were so glad! Single mommin' while pregnant is hard. Heck, single mommin' not being pregnant is hard.

Not just mentally, but physically too. I'm trying so hard not to carry him as much anymore, but it's so automatic to me. I put my Zen Massage groupon to use for sure.

And we missed Marc big time. We were able to Face Time every other day or so, but Henry just doesn't get it. As soon as he sees the Ipad, he wants to play games. Poor Marc! Anytime he tried to talk to him, all Henry would say was "Dozers?" and then cry.

But when he got home, oh my gawd. Reunited and it feels so good. Marc had a shadow for 2 days straight. His tackling and football playing buddy was back.

I'm slowly realizing that he's not a baby anymore and we need to celebrate him being a "big boy" before the baby comes. We're doing all we can to talk up the big boy thing and how proud we are of his growing independence.

The big boy bed has been a success! It took about a week to get back into good sleeping habits from Marc being gone, trip to Texas, moving out of the crib....etc. All I can say is, the ferber method is a miracle worker. Straight up miracle. After 12 minutes of crying that first night, he finally gave up and conked out. He slept throught the night and when we both went to get him in the morning, he was so proud! Sitting up in that big bed, just smiling.

We moved the queen guest bed mattress to his room and just put it on the floor to see how it would go. We just bought him a full bed with a twin trundle underneath on Craig's List. I'm also the last person in the world to discover Craig's List. When you are buying a lot of furniture for a new casa, it is awesome!

Speaking of the casa, we close next FRIDAY, April 20th! I cannot believe it. Our friends who just moved generously gave us all of their packing stuff (boxes, bubble wrap, tarps), so we just starting packing this week. The closing date has changed multiple times and finally got confirmed....um, yesterday. So, needless to say, we are kicking it into high gear. Movers are booked, boxes are being packed. It's coming together.

Hugs with our neighbor friend Austen.

We planted m&m's in the dirt to grow lollipops (thank you Pinterest). I think this was his favorite Easter activity.

28 weeks pregnant. Take it in. This is girl pregnant. I will be starting as offensive linebacker for the Panthers in the fall.
I failed my gestational diabetes test. Sigh. I go back to take the 3 hour test on Tuesday.

I ate very well the week prior to the test, so there's not much more that I could have done. We'll see how this next test goes. I will definitely be fasting starting at midnight rather than 2 hours prior to the test just to be safe.

Frustrating, but maybe this is just how my body reacts to pregnancy.

Luckily, I'm already in the dieting mindset so maybe it won't be so bad if I have it. I've already got the pantry and fridge stocked with all the foods I'm able to eat and that's half the battle.

Dipping red pepper strips into guacamole instead of tortilla chips? Oh it's healthy alright and I'm smiling on the outside. But I am crying on the inside. I'll see you in 10 weeks chips. Oh margaritas too. I'll go ahead and make a request for both of those items at the hospital, mmkay?

Lots of exciting stuff happening around here!
Next time I write a blog, it will be from the new house!

Love,

Lynds