Margaret- One Month

Look who is ONE whole month old!!!

and WHEW!!! What a month it has been! Lots has happened in your first month of life.

After a LONG 2 days in the hospital we finally got to bring you home.

I had you this sweet little outfit to come home in, but you pooped ALL OVER it only moments after this picture was taken. So you got to come home in a white hospital issued t-shirt and no pants. Had you been my first, I would have probably gotten my panties in a wad about it, but I was just ready to get you home- I didn't care what you were wearing. Guess learning to let that stuff go comes with the 2nd child territory. 

D'D, PopPop, Uncle Robert, Aunt Emily, Aunt Mary Leigh, Nell, and Mary Claire were all waiting on us at the house!

Let me just tell you sweet girl, you have LOTS of people who love you very, very much! We have all been waiting a long time to finally have you home with us.

Your first week was relatively uneventful (the next 3 are a whole other story!). Your Aunt Mary Leigh stayed a few days to help out, then your D'D came up for a few days too. You are a good sleeper. I put you down around 9pm-10pm and you will sleep for 3 hours increments until around 8am, only waking up to eat then go right back to sleep. Mommy sure is glad too! And your days consist of the usual... eating, sleeping, and pooping. (Eating is your favorite!!!)

You get your best sleep swaddled up really tight!

For the most part you are passive, laid back, and happy. If you are crying chances are your hungry (again you like to eat), and so far no reflux problems. Wahoo! Maybe I won't smell like sour milk for the next 9 months. You are not overly expressive or "talkative", but you've got the "I'm about to be ticked" scowl down, complete with lip quiver and warning coughs. But every now and then you crack a smile that lights up the room. Your bright blue eyes and the sweet little dimple on your left check melt mommy's heart.

You have the best big sister in the whole world! She is completely smitten with you. When you cry she yells "I'm coming Baby!!!" and is the first one to you trying to put the paci in your mouth or patting you saying, "It's ok Baby Margaret", "I'm here sister", "It's ok Baby."  I pray you two will continue to be best buddies! Sisters make the best friends.

Your first doctors appointment went great!... Well, you got a great check up, the appointment itself was another story. It was our first outing with a toddler and a newborn, and between nursing, potty breaks, new patient paper work, snacks, tears, and poop I was glad your daddy was there.

Your weight was almost back up over your birth weight and everything looked perfect. They checked your billi ruben number again because you were still a little orange and you were up slightly from the hospital. So you napped in the afternoon sunlight and we went back the next morning to for a recheck (Mommy was not up to trying it by myself yet so I called in reinforcements to watch your sister at home). Good News again- your numbers were down and your weight was up! (again- you reeeeaally like to eat) So we got the all clear until your 2 month check up.... Or so we thought...

Your umbilical cord stump fell off the Friday after you were born (8 days old). It was a little red and peeling right where the stump connected but you were peeling all over so I wasn't alarmed. Saturday night at bath time the skin around your belly button started to slough off and was very red. It wasn't oozing or warm, and you weren't running a fever so I was really alarmed. Sunday it had gotten a little bigger but still no fever nor was it oozing or warm. I put neosporin on it and covered it, and decided to call the Pediatrician first thing Monday morning. The nurse did not seem at all worried, but since it wasn't "normal" I still wanted the Doc to take a look. So off we went- All 3 of us! I can handle this I thought, it's only going to be a quick trip. Yeah Right!

After once look at your belly the doctor said, "Oh, you need to go to Children's" Excuse me?!?!? as in Children's HOSPITAL? Another doctor came in for a second opinion, yup! Off to Children's we go! I LOOSE IT! My 11 day old has to be hospitalized - I am a basket case! Poor Mary Claire- she kept asking, "You ok Mommy?" Bless her sweet heart....

I called your daddy, he met us at the doctors office, and off to Children's Hospital we go.

Diagnosis: Omphalitis: Extremely rare infection of the umbilical cord.
Treatment: IV antibiotics
Prognosis: No long term effects as long as treated

If we lived in a 3rd world country you would not have survived. The infection would have spread into your blood stream and infected your brain and heart. It would have been fatal. Praise God for modern medicine. But it breaks my heart to think of all the other mommys out there that loose their babies to such treatable infections.

The first 48 hours were full of unknowns. Had it spread to your blood? Did you have meningitis? Endocarditis? Is it staph or strep? What antibiotic do they use? And until we had answers to these questions you were on 4-5 different broad spectrum IV antibiotics. They were treating you for EVERYTHING. And your little veins were so fragile and small that they had to stick you and stick you to get an IV to take and it would only be good for a few doeses before the vein would give out. I lost count of how many times you had to get a new IV. You had them in you hands, feet, arms, and even on your sweet little head.

Finally the initial blood work up came back and it showed that the infection had not spread. It was localized to the skin around your navel and was MSA (Non resistant form of MRSA) easily treated and cured with IV amicillin every 4 hours for 10 days. And since your blood was clean we got the all clear for the much anticipated PICC line so you didn't have to get new IV's every few hours.

After a spinal tap, COUNTLESS blood work ups and vital checks, 6 types of antibiotics, 1 ultrasound, 2 PICC lines, 40 doses of ampicillin, and 10 days in the hospital we got to bring you "home" for the second time.

Battle Wounds:

I say "home" because you don't really have a "home." In the mist of all this going on your daddy got an opportunity we couldn't turn down. He was offered his dream job! Bye-Bye corporate America- Hello small business owner (well, eventually). But the job meant a move.... yes another move for the Peelers. It would not be a Peeler pregnancy if we didn't move states right? But this time we are moving back to our roots- West Tennessee. Where Mommy and Daddy met, hated each other, then eventually fell in love. Both Mommy and Daddy have deep roots there. Both set of your grandparents and all 7 of your great-grandparents live within 45 minutes of each other. It's going to be so nice to live near family again. I am excited for you and for them!

But that meant that while you were in the hospital mommy and daddy took turns packing up the house and staying with you while NaNa and Pops had Mary Claire back in Memphis. It was a chaotic week and a half, but honestly probably a blessing in disguise. Otherwise we would not have had to opportunity to just sit and be with you. We would have been go, go, go. Your having to be in the hospital for 10 days gave both your daddy and I the opportunity to just sit and look at you. Listen to your soft coos, rub your soft skin, smell your sour milk smell, and just take in all your sweetness. We both had to opportunity to really bond with you one on one those 10 precious days- so honestly I am not sure I would change a thing.

On Thursday afternoon- your 2 week birthday you finally got discharged! We ran to the house to pick up the truck and trailer and started the drive to Tennessee.

At 11:52pm on Thursday September 25, 2014 Tennessee welcomed us home.

We moved in with NaNa and Pops until our house in AL sells and we can buy a house here. It sure is nice to have 2 extra sets of hands to help since Daddy's commute is much longer now than it used to be. But hopefully soon our house in AL will sell and we can get a house closer to his work.

You are such a blessing and the perfect addition to our growing family. I know it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and we still aren't "home", but you have been such a trooper for all of this. I'd like to tell you life is not going to be this crazy, but honestly we are a pretty crazy crew. Hang on sister.... the best is yet to come!

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Despite trying EVERY trick in the book, we could not coax Margaret to come out voluntarily. So, at 6am Thursday September 4, 2014 we checked into the hospital for an induction.

I was very a little anxious about inducing. Mary Claire came all on her own and it was very, very "easy." I was nervous that coaxing her out before she was ready would make for a long, painful delivery, but boy was I wrong. 

After getting checked in and settled in our room, the nurse came in and started my IV fluids and hooked me and Margaret up on all kinds of monitors. She said Doc should be up around 8 to break my water and start the pitocin. She said I was already having contractions on my own and had dilated another cm- but nothing consistent/productive yet. 

8am comes and goes... 8:30 comes and goes.... 9:00 comes and goes and still no doctor. 

About 9:15 he comes in and says he got hung up in the OR with a 5'1 255lb total hysterectomy. Apparently took longer than expected. 

First things first- break my water. It was AWEFUL no fun. Breaking my water was the second most painful parts of Margaret's delivery. Having your water break naturally is by far the way to go. And it has a little less traumatic visual than "the hook" as Chase keeps calling it. Then he turned up my pitocin to start the contractions. As he was walking out of the room he told the nurse to call the anesthesiologist because I was about to be very uncomfortable. Yes- he was correct! Took about 20 minutes for him to come to my room, another 10 to get set up, then another 10 for him to get the meds in and working. That 40 minutes was the absolute worst part of Margaret's delivery. Those "controlled contractions" were way worse than I remember the "natural contractions" I had with Mary Claire.

Once the epidural kicked in around 10:15 it was smooth sailing. Now it was just a waiting game. 

Around 11 he came back and checked, and I was "ready to push". Now that's what I 'm talking about. 45 minutes of active labor beats the heck out of 4+ hours. They got the room set up and we were ready to go!

The doctor and nurses were all taking bets on how big Margaret would be. 7lb 2oz? 7lb 8oz? 7lbs 12 oz? But as she started coming out he word vomits says, "WOAH!!! this is the head of a 10 pound baby!"

Really doc? Don't say that mid push... wait at least until the baby the is out before saying curse words like that.

After 9 pushes, 9 1/2 months of waiting came to an end...

Margaret Rhea Peeler was born at 11:50am on September 4, 2014.

Weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds and 1 ounce and 21 inches long!

After hearing those stats Dr. Johnson looked at me and asked, "Where in the world were you hiding that baby?" I can tell you- she was in my lungs, ribs, bladder... etc. No wonder I was so much more uncomfortable with her the last few weeks then I was with Mary Claire. She is 3 inches longer and 2 pounds heavier. Guess she knew what she was up against out here!

She had a scratch on her head... apparently from my pelivic bone... Sorry baby girl!

Her temperature was a little low so she had to hang out under the warmers for a bit before we could really get our hands on her. But Daddy never left her side and held her hand the whole time. 

Finally got to hold our sweet girl!

 And then welcomed in the grandparents

And finally the BIG SISTER!

And first on the Big Sister agenda... watching Elmo.

And I am fairly certain I am only the incubator for these girls. They both look like their daddy spit them out! That's ok though- I think he is pretty cute too!

Bath time!

After a her first bath we settled in for a long 2 days in the hospital. 

As anxious as I was about an induction it went dare I say better than going into labor naturally. We are so grateful to finally have our stubborn baby girl in our arms!

Tummy Tuesday

40 Weeks

Yup... she is still in there. Believe it or not.

One day we will all be sitting around, and someone will say, "Hey! Remember that time you were pregnant with Margaret and the doctor didn't think there was anyway you would make it to 39 weeks BUT she hung out in there 41 weeks?!?!?" Then we will all laugh and talk about how funny that is and how doctors can't really tell. 

One day we will all laugh... one day... 

But right now this about sums up how I feel about being 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

All kidding aside though I really am great for being almost 1 week past due. If I didn't have the false expectations that she would have been here almost 2 weeks ago I really don't think I would be nearly as miserable as I am. My back does hurt... and so do my feet, but it's probably from all the walking I've been doing. I can't get comfortable so I am not sleeping well at all- which makes me very tired- and irritable. Everyone say a little prayer for Chase and Mary Claire. I don't think I am very fun to live with.

My doctors appointment went great last week. He walked in my room and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Wow! I sure didn't expect to see you here this week!" Me neither doc... me neither...

And again all was well with Mommy and Baby, so he then told me he could induce me tomorrow (last Thursday) if I wanted. Chase and I have talked and prayed a lot about it and had decided we did not want to induce unless it was medically needed and here are a few reasons why... 

1- and the one that holds the most weight... I had a VERY smooth, uncomplicated, and quick labor and delivery with Mary Claire and I went into labor on my own. I would hate to rush nature and have a long, hard delivery just so I will be more comfortable and it's more convenient for us.

2- I am a weirdo when it comes to taking medicine. Not that I think pitocin is unsafe by any stretch of the imagination, but I just don't like to take medicine in general unless I absolutely HAVE to. I'll walk around and complain about a head ache for hours instead of taking tylenol. I'm just weird like that. And to answer your next question- yes I am getting an epidural. For some reason a spinal tap infused with nectar of the gods is appealing to me. To me that is a necessity.

3- We are not TOTALLY sure of her due date. Since it was calculated from a miscarriage they can not be 100% sure when she is actually due so I hate to rush it. She wouldn't be a premie because she was measuring due August 30th on my first ultrasound, but still.... we don't know 100% for sure, so why rush it?

After I explained all this to my doctor and he looked at me like I was crazy for a minute he told me that was fine. "Inducing you before 41 weeks would be solely out of convenience and not medically necessary, but I don't let my patients go past 41 weeks. So I will see you next Wednesday for another appointment and if she is not here we will induce Thursday morning. But I will be SHOCKED if I see you here next week." 

BUT still here I sit. Big belly and all. Hoping this means Margaret is laid back and chill, not stubborn and hardheaded. Guess we will see. 

Margaret, consider this your eviction notice. We have waited long enough. You have until Thursday to come on out, or we are coming in after you! Your mommy, daddy, and sister can't wait to meet you!

Tummy tuesday

Week 39

A certain 2 year old spilled something on our laptop and 70% of the sensors of the mouse pad thing went out. That's why the picture is not so good and no week written down the side.  Gotta work with what we've got while it's at the apple store getting fixed.

Yes folks, that's right I am 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant. That's 3 days over the due date I had given Margaret based on when Mary Claire was born. I just knew I would have a sweet bundle of joy by now. Not to mention TWO different doctors thought I would too. I've tried spicy, Chinese, eggplant parmesan, pressure points, warm baths, walks, and anything else I can find on google. I should at least get an A for effort, but she is obviously not ready.

At my last doctors appointment I had progressed even more. I was already measuring what I was after being in labor for 2 hours with Mary Claire. Doc told me to "go ahead and make an appointment for next Wednesday but I doubt you will make it that far." But here I am still pregnant.

I have come up with a few theories why:
Theory 1- By my calculations MC was due 2 days earlier then the date the doctor gave me. Plus it was leap year. So when she came 5 days early it was REALLY only 2 from my calculations. Margaret was measuring due the 30th on the first ultrasound but they went with the date calculation since it was within a week of the measuring date. So if you wanna get technicial tonight could very well the same night I went into labor with MC.
Theory 2- God is again teaching me that I can't control and plan out everything. He is in control not me... And patience has never been a virtue of mine, maybe he's working on that too.
Theory 3- maybe the right buyer for our house needs a few extra days to work everything out so we can sell it to them?
Theory 4- Margaret has heard her room isn't ready yet

My next appointment is tomorrow and I'm sure he will ask me about inducing. I'm not totally opposed to inducing but I would much rather her come when she is ready. I had such a smooth labor and delivery with Mary Claire I would hate to induce and it be awful and then kick myself for not being patient. Maybe he could just break my water and cross my fingers that sends me into labor naturally?
Am I supposed to induce so she could potentially have the option to start kindergarten early if she is ready?
Is she REALLY due?- I mean my due date was calculated from a miscarriage.
It would be awfully convent for all our out of town family to induce so they could travel over the long weekend.

Oh the things running through my head. I have no idea what is best? I guess I will just let the doctor decide tomorrow.

So here I sit- still pregnant with no nursery. Praying for a smooth delivery that comes very quickly. 

Tummy Tuesday

38 Weeks

Week 38's Tummy Tuesday was the last one I did before Mary Claire came! AHHH!!!! 

So far this pregnancy has virtually been a carbon copy of my pregnancy with Mary Claire. Even the way I am progressing. At this weeks doctors appointment there was no real progression. I have entered a "holding pattern waiting on mother nature" or "circling the airport" as the doctor put it. I am hoping Mother Nature jumps in this Thursday- that is in 2 days! On Thursday Margaret is considered "full term" and why hang out in there any longer than you need to? But if it continues to be a carbon copy of Mary Claire's pregnancy then I will go into labor Sunday night- not as convenient but I'll take it.

The nursery is still a work in progress. They were coming last weekend to finish but the carpet that matches the existing carpet in our house is apparently special order and will not be in until next Monday. ugh......

Making final list of things we need to buy before Margaret's arrival... pack-n-play sheets (you know- since she will be sleeping there at first since she won't have a nursery), a diaper bag, sound machine, and a few other miscellaneous things. But overall we are ready, maybe not fully prepared but ready. Daddy even got a hair cut last night and when he came home said, "I'm ready for hospital pictures!" 

Margaret, Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you. Come on out sweet girl!