National Coffee Day

The boys are asleep. So this is how I'm enjoying my "me" time. Did you know its national coffee day? This is my excuse for indulging in some java this afternoon...not that I needed one:)

Source: None via Jenni on Pinterest

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As I type, the house is completely silent. I can hear the gentle hum of the fridge, and the bouncing of the clothes in the dryer, and a few squeaks from a sleeping baby. I brewed some chai tea and am enjoying the quiet.

Today marks my third day home alone with both of my boys. My grandparents had been staying with us but made there way back home on Monday morning. Monday went okay. My only goal was to survive until 5 oclock. I managed to get the boys and myself dressed and fed. We watched way too much tv but I'm at peace with that right now. By Monday evening I noticed some stiffness in my breast. And if you know my history with my first child and mastitis, this is very scary. I went to the clinic and they were closed so I thought I would nurse Paxton and then go to emergency to get some antibiotics. While nursing him, the pain went from a one to a one million. My whole breast got tomato red and my nipple turned purple and bruised (yeah I little TMI). I stopped nursing and it took me three minutes to be apple to but my bra back on. I would rather go through labour then feel that pain again. So now I'm on antibiotics and trying my best to stay positive about breastfeeding. Its very tempting to stop to prevent any risk of infection but Paxton is only two weeks old and I feel terrible about stopping so early. The pain is more or less gone and I've started pumping on the left again. I'm waiting until the nipple heals before attempting nursing again.

So I'm enjoying the silence and the fact that I'm in no pain right now. I feel normal. Like a human. Not a milk machine or a bum who doesn't take a shower:)

Slowly but surely I'm healing and adjusting to life as a mother of two. I even did two loads of laundry today! Oh the things mothers become proud of:)

Paxton Lukas

So here's the newest addition to our little family, Paxton Lukas! He was born on Saturday, September 3, 2011 @ 3:25 AM weighing in at  7lbs 8oz and 20.5" long. I was certain that he was going to be a girl so I was so overwhelmed when he was a boy! I'm already loving the sound of saying "my boys"!

Paxton's journey to the outside world was not without trauma. Cohen (my first born) had a difficult journey too and ended with a c-section.
I woke up with lots of energy and decided I should make a batch of salsa. So my grandma and I chopped up veggies and broke out the canner and got a large batch made. Then we cleaned the house and headed out for lunch.
On Friday afternoon I went to the hospital because I was (TMI) bleeding more than I thought I should be. I was admitted to the maternity ward and they did an internal exam. Turns out I was 8 cm dilated. You have to know I was in ZERO pain and was only feeling light cramping in my lower back. I bounced around on the ball and walked around, listened to my ipod and hung out with Jason. We thought, "Man, this baby is just going to walk right out!"
When my doctor arrived at the hospital, she checked my again and she couldn't feel the baby's head so she broke my water to give her a better idea of where I was. I was actually only 6cm but still no major pain.
By 7:00pm I was 9 cm (still with no pain). My doctor said if nothing happened by ten they were going to induce me to intensify my contractions. I really didn't want any medical intervention so the nurse suggested pumping with the breast pump every hour for ten minutes. I did that for three hours and then my contractions came on strong. By midnight I was trying my best to push that baby out.
After an hour and a half I was done. I hadn't slept the night before and was exhausted. By then they babies head was really far down and trying to get over the pubic bone. After some examinations they realized that yet again the baby was face up. I pushed until 3am and it was decided that they baby was just not coming out.
As the last hope before a c-section we stupidly opted to try the vaccuum. They tried 2-3 times but it didn't work. Two doctors examined me one more time and it was decided that at this point a c-section was the best option. I really didn't want another c-section but I was actually so relieved when I could stop pushing. My pelvis was just not made to deliver naturally.
After getting all stitched back together I was informed that there possibly was something wrong with the baby. They were doing tests and we might be sent to another hospital. I was still foggy from the epidural and exhausted from the labour, that I didn't totally comprehend but I just started crying.
Turns out everything was fine. His blood sugar was a little low but was normal within 24 hours. Apparently that's one of the risks of using the vaccuum.
I was able to nurse with in a few hours of the operation which can be rare after a c-section. He latched on right away and has been a breastfeeding poster child every since.
He is so perfect! And he looks like me when I was a baby:) This makes me happy because my oldest has never ever looked like me.
So we are all glad that is behind us and are just enjoying our new son. My favourite thing so far is his cute gas-induced smiles! He seems to smile at just the right times and its too funny:)

In case you are wondering Paxton means "place of peace" and Lukas means "light, luminous." He is so content and just suits his name perfectly!