WW Starts Tomorrow

I had joined Weight Watchers (online) after I had Leah and had some success with it. I decided that I am going to give it another try. I really like the program and it is pretty easy to follow (for the most part), as long as I commit to follow it. They have an app for the iPhone, which makes it convenient to track and log my points.

Luckily, I didn't gain as much weight as I did when I was pregnant with Leah, but I definitely still have several LB's I need to shed! I gained 50 lbs this time with Mason, but over the past couple weeks 40 of them have dropped off. (I think a lot of it was water weight. I had TONS of swelling and developed preclampsia towards the end of my pregnancy). Even though I am only 10 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight, my clothes are not fitting how I would like them to fit. I think some of my weight has shifted to other areas of my body - ugh! I definitely need to fit back into my clothes by the time I go back to work. I refuse to buy new clothes that are a size bigger. (If I had to buy a size smaller, I would be happy, ha!)

Once I get the all-clear from my doctor in a few weeks, I hope that I can start making it back to the gym. Also, I bought a Groupon for 20 Zumba classes in Plainfield. I've never done Zumba, but I think it is something that I would like. Some of my friends have done it and have said they enjoy it. We'll see!

Life is Busy

Life sure has been busy lately. Between wrapping things up at work before my maternity leave, to taking care of my new baby (who hasn't quite figured out his night and days) and my family, trying to be there for my dad after his intense surgery, and dealing with the daily hustles and bustles of life - I haven't really had time for much of anything else. However, late last week I had a brief moment to sit back and think. I had a chance to think about my mom and how much I truly miss her. Of course I think of her daily, but I've been so busy I haven't had the opportunity to 'really' miss her because I have been going through the motions of day to day life. (I hope that didn't come out the wrong way).

Last Friday, we had a cleaning service come over so I needed to get out of the house for a little while. Leah was due for a nap and I wasn't quite sure where I would go with her and Mason. It was about 95 degrees outside and it was way too hot to go for a walk or take them to the park. I decided to take a drive out to the cemetery and visit my mom. I haven't been to see her in months. It is not intentional that it has been so long for me to visit, but as I said before life has been busy. I guess I've pushed my feelings to the back of my mind and haven't dealt with them for awhile. I guess everything that has been going on with my dad has put things in to perspective. If anything were to happen to him, it would just be devastating.

Both kids fell asleep on the ride there, so when I pulled up to my mom's grave I left them both in the car and left it running. I only spent about 10 minutes visiting, but they were a good, much needed 10 minutes. I haven't 'talked' to her for awhile, so it did me good to get some things off of my chest. I sat down on the grass and I couldn't help it, but tears just ran down my face. I introduced her to Mason and told her all about him. She would have fallen in love with him the instant she met him. He is the first grandson on our side of the family. I wish she could have been at the hospital the day we welcomed him into this world. All girls want to have their mom with them. I asked my mom to continue to watch over me, my family and my dad. I know she is with me everyday. I've had constant dreams about her and each time she was the mom I used to know, not the mom that had changed before our eyes. It breaks my heart that my kids will never know her. It felt good to talk to her and let her know she is always on my mind. I know I've said it before, but it just isn't fair that she was taken from me (and my family) and the road she had to travel. She must have been needed more in heaven.

Update on my Dad

As most of you know, my dad had surgery last Thursday to remove the tumor on his lung. He had eight weeks of radiation and chemotherapy prior to the surgery. The chemo and radiation were very rough for my dad. He did have a few setbacks and even wound up in the hospital. Overall, it was physically and mentally draining on him. After this treatment he developed radiation pneumonia, where he had spots all over his lungs (from the radiation). The doctor was unable to perform the surgery until all of the spots cleared up. My dad was put on medication to help make them go away. After a few weeks they finally cleared up and the doctor decided he would be able to do the surgery. The doctor said there is only a 5% survival rate if my dad did 'not' get the surgery. Obviously the surgery was necessary, but the timing was not great. I just had a baby and my brother just started a new job. (I was hoping he could have had the surgery prior to Mason being born). Not only was the timing bad, but he was also going to be at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (in Chicago) which would make it slightly more difficult for me to go and visit him (considering I had a newborn at home). He had been referred over to a top specialist at Northwestern because he had an extremely rare tumor and where it was located, it was wrapped up in all of his nerves. The surgeons at his hospital (Good Sam) did not have the expertise to perform the surgery.

So the surgery was set and scheduled for Thursday, July 26th at noon. Luckily my uncle was able to take my dad to the hospital in the morning. I felt awful that I couldn't be there, but with a one and a half week old at home, I would not be able to make it to the hospital. My brother was able to be there the whole time. The surgery itself lasted 6 hours and then he had to go to recovery for a few hours. The surgeon said it went as good as it could have, but he would need to focus on rest and recovery. My dad was in a lot of pain afterwards. He was in and out of sleep but had a general sense of what was going on (he was very heavily medicated). The short version of the story, the days that followed were extremely tough on my dad. He said this surgery was far worse than his quadruple bypass. He was having significant breathing issues and had to receive several daily breathing treatments (and he almost wound up back in ICU). He was on morphine. They had to reduce his pain medication because his blood pressure was getting extremely low. It was VERY difficult for him to move around, but the nurses made him get out of bed to sit in a chair or go for a short walk. I could see how much pain he was in and it killed me to see him like that. It probably didn't help that I am already emotional as it is just having Mason. If you know my dad, he is always Mr. Tough Guy, but this surgery truly beat him down. I definitely wasn't able to go see him as often as I would have liked and I feel awful, but my dad understands. My dad had AWESOME nurses and we are so thankful for them! As the days went on, he started feeling slightly better and his breathing improved (it is still not great, but it is better). He is still in pain, but it is being controlled with medicine.

I talked to my dad earlier today and he said the initial pathology report came back and he is cancer FREE (for now). The surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer, but they still need to determine if he'll need any follow-up chemo or radiation treatments. He also said there is a 75% chance that it will not return. Today, they also unhooked him from all of the IV's, tubes and machines (oxygen, catheter, etc.) he was connected to. He is able to get up on his own (with some assistance from the nurses). Overall, this was great news! As of now, he thinks he will be able to go home on Friday. We weren't sure if he would be going home or going to an inpatient rehab center, but it looks like he will be going home. He will still need a great deal of help once he is there though. He said they may send a nurse to his house daily to check on him. Once he is home, it will be much easier for me to go see him and help since he is much closer.

Thank you everyone for your kind words of support and prayers. It's been a difficult week, but hopefully my dad is on the road to recovery and will remain cancer free!! We need him to be healthy for his grand babies!

Two and a Half Weeks

I can't believe little man Mason is already two and a half weeks old. And to think, Monday was supposed to be the day he was born (if everything went according to plan with my scheduled C-section). I am glad that we got to meet him sooner than later. I am thankful everything was okay even though he was born 3 weeks early! He has been such a blessing to our family. Leah has definitely come around and you can tell how much she loves her little brother. It melts my heart. She always gives him kisses and is very protective of him.

I took Mason to the doctor for a follow-up appointment on Monday. The doctor wanted to check his weight to make sure he was gaining. Our little champ put on 10 ounces since his last doctor's appointment. He weighed in at 7 lbs 7 ounces (he was 6 lbs 13 ounces) at his last appointment. The doctor was pleased and we don't need to go back until his 2 month check-up.

Mason is eating just about every 3 hours and is taking 3 ounces at each feeding. He is pretty laid back (most of the time), but is waking up about 3 times during the night. I am one tired momma. Usually, he will eat and go right back to bed (which I am thankful for), but there are other times he is wide awake and wants no part of going back to sleep. As I mentioned before, Leah was fully sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old. I told Mason he only has a couple of days to get his act together to keep up with his big sister. I know I was really lucky with her, but I am hoping he follows suit soon! If I can get him to do 4-5 hour stretches, I would be happy. (Right now he is like clockwork - every 3 hours). He has no problem getting his zzz's in during the day. This kid poops more than any baby I know. I am constantly changing dirty diapers.

I am definitely enjoying my time home with him!
 

Mason's Photo Shoot

We did do the Bella Baby pictures while we were in the hospital, but I really wanted to have professional pictures taken when we got home. I had researched photographers a few months before Mason was born. I ended up going with Rose Alene Photography (www.rosealene.com). She had done several photo shoots for a friend of mine and I have always loved the pictures she posted. She also did a shoot for one of my coworkers and another friend. When I booked her, I was excited because she would come to our house to do the pictures. I originally scheduled the session for August 6th, but little did I know that Mason would be arriving so early! Luckily, I was able to call her and it wasn't a problem to reschedule. So the Friday after we got home from the hospital, we did our first photo shoot at our house.

I was really hoping to get some pictures of Mason and Leah together, but Leah had other plans. I found all of these adorable sibling poses on Pinterest. None of them worked out though. Leah would sit by Mason for 10 seconds, but then would be on the move. She wouldn't sit still and definitely didn't cooperate. I was disappointed, but we have plenty of time to try again. Luckily, we did get two cute pictures of Leah by herself though. I was happy with the way the pictures turned out. Coincidentally, we ended up doing a second photo shoot the next day (more to come on that session). Basically it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. I haven't gotten the pictures back yet, but can't wait to see them!Mason is now a pro in front of the camera!

Third time is a charm

After Mason was born, he took the hearing screening in the hospital. The first time he took it, he passed in one ear and failed in the other. They re-did the test the next day and he failed in both ears. Rob and I were both pretty upset by this news, not quite knowing what it would mean for little Mason. Rob always thinks 'worse case scenario,' where I am always more on the optimistic side. They scheduled us an appointment to come back and re-do the test for a third time. We were both pretty anxious on the way to the hospital this morning. Once we arrived, they hooked up all of the little sensors to Mason's head and started the test. After about ten minutes the test finished up and he passed!! We were so relieved! The technician again told us that some babies fail the test when there are no issues at all. Sometimes c-section babies don't pass because there is too much fluid in their ears right after birth. We were pretty certain that Mason could hear because he has been responsive to noises at home. Overall, we were happy that he passed, even if it was on the third attempt.

Before heading to the hospital this morning, we dropped Leah off at daycare. We left a little early so we could have some time to bring Mason in too so the kids could meet him. It was sweet, they were all excited to see him and were so good with him. Leah did not want to go to daycare today and told us so the whole way there. She said she wanted to stay with Mom and Dad. We are going to continue to send her to school at least 3 times a week so we can keep her in a routine and give me time with Mason. Plus, once she is there she has so much fun with her friends. Luckily, she was fine shortly after we left. She brought treats for all of her friends at school to celebrate the arrival of her little brother!



After Mason's appointment, we ran over to the mall (since it is practically right next door to the hospital). I needed to pick up a few things. It was Mason's first trip to the mall. I stopped in Carson's and they had all of their summer baby clothes on clearance with an extra 60% off. Mason made out and got several new outfits today. I didn't think he was going to be so small when he was born, so I didn't buy a ton of 'newborn' size clothes for him.

Later in the afternoon we had Mason's first check up appointment at his pediatrician's office. He had to get his first shot. Boo. He weighed in at 6 lbs 13 ounces (this was his weight when we went home from the hospital). The doctor wants to see him back in a week to see if he has gained any weight. Mason's umbilical cord was loosely hanging so the doctor just pulled it out (which caught me by surprise)! Other than that, his appointment was pretty uneventful. Mason has had a busy day and is now relaxing in his swing!

My kids - Sushi, Mason and Leah!

A shout out to my amazing husband!

I wanted to take a minute to share how amazingly wonderful my husband has been over the past week. Of course he is wonderful all of the time, but I could not have gotten through this week without him. He has been my backbone and has gone above and beyond anything I could have expected from him. As soon as we found out that we were going to deliver Mason early, he definitely stepped it up for me and our family.

From holding my hand while I was laid out on the operating table to wiping away my (happy) tears after hearing the sweet cry of my son, he reinforced why I love him so much. Not only did he take care of me and Mason while we were in the hospital, but he also had to keep things together at home. Although we had some help, taking care of Leah is no easy feat. He had to handle dinner, baths and the bedtime routine on his own. Leah was up and down (mood-wise) because she really missed her momma, so I know she probably was a handful. Rob ran back and forth from home to the hospital many times, and took care of any running around that needed to be done. I know that can be exhausting in iteself. He still made time to take Leah to see the kitties at PetCo (her absolute favorite thing to do). She loves, loves, loves to go and look at the cats that are up for adoption. She could spend hours there talking to them and playing with them.

Rob surprised me with a pair of beautiful diamond earrings as a push gift (even though he had already bought me a new Coach diaper bag as an early push gift earlier). He arranged for our home to be cleaned while I was in the hospital so I was able to come home to a nice, clean house. Since we've been home, he has jumped right in and has changed the majority of the messy diapers, fed him numerous bottles (even in the middle of the night) and has gotten him dressed. We had a bit of a diaper explosion this morning and I didn't hear one complaint. He immediately handled it and gave Mason his first bath. These are just a few examples of why my husband is so great and just wanted to take the time to let him know he is very much appreciated!