Our grandma Edith passed away today (Sat.). She has been living with alzheimer's for quite some time now and we believe that she is in heaven with grandpa with all of her precious memories back. We will miss her dearly but know that she is happy now with the rest of her family and know that we will see her again when our time on earth is done.
On that same note, we will be in Minnesota on Monday. We're not sure when we will be returning to Florida. We'll be staying up north for awhile at least--maybe a week or two.
It is times like this when we remember how fragile and precious life is. If you haven't told someone you love them or haven't visited someone as much as you should, take the time---you never know how much time God has planned for you.
We love you all!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
What a weekend!
We had an eventful weekend here....
My first day alone with Viv was on Friday---it went ok...we're still getting used to things here. She had her 2 week checkup...Dr. Kayaleh said she looks great, weighs 9lbs. 80z. (yikes!), grew 2 inches and is in the 90th percentile for weight, height and head circumference. She's very well proportioned! I think she's a little fussier than she should be...perhaps excess gas or something, but doc said everything looked normal!
We had 8th grade awards night on Friday night at school. Viv and I went with Adam to that. He had to present some art awards.
Saturday was a long day for me. I don't know how single moms do it. Adam was at Busch Gardens ALL day with the 8th graders. It is an end of the year trip for them and Adam got blessed with chaperone duty. So, off her went at 6:30am and didn't get back until after 7:00. But, he had fun and we survived.
THE BEST THING THOUGH, WAS THAT EVEN THOUGH HE WAS WIPED OUT AFTER A DAY OF CHASING KIDS THROUGH THE PARK AND IN 93 DEGREE HEAT, HE STAYED UP WITH VIVIAN ALL NIGHT SO THAT I COULD SLEEP FOR MULTIPLE CONSECUTIVE HOURS! WHAT A GUY!
Sunday...well, we planned on going to church, but we couldn't quite get out the door on time. Sorry, God. We tried. Viv and I went to the annual church picnic this afternoon. Adam stayed behind to get the rest of his grading done. (Last week of school is this week!)
When I got home, Adam and I spent some time trying to figure out how to soothe a fussy baby. Don't get me wrong...she doesn't have colic, but just seems really unhappy when she's awake. She cries often and straightens out her body in frustration. Can't quite figure this out.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Need Ideas....
1. Viv has her days and nights mixed up. Not cool for mommy.
2. She also seems to have an un-ladylike problem....gas? poops? Who knows? Lots of grunting and getting mad in the face....
Otherwise, she remains as cute as ever. And strong...I think she'll be rolling over in no time, seeing as though she likes being on her tummy so much! (If only she could tummy sleep right now, we'd be in heaven!)
Girls, you know who you are, have fun on your girls only weekend! Give your guys extra hugs and kisses for staying with the kids!
2. She also seems to have an un-ladylike problem....gas? poops? Who knows? Lots of grunting and getting mad in the face....
Otherwise, she remains as cute as ever. And strong...I think she'll be rolling over in no time, seeing as though she likes being on her tummy so much! (If only she could tummy sleep right now, we'd be in heaven!)
Girls, you know who you are, have fun on your girls only weekend! Give your guys extra hugs and kisses for staying with the kids!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Sleep....IT IS NOT OVERRATED!
I don't know how I will do it...Adam is back at work, so he's not getting up through the night. My mom leaves tomorrow, so she won't be up with Viv in the morning. When am I going to sleep??? I'm feeling pretty anxious about the prospect of being left alone with Viv. Pretty scared, actually. I'm not sure I know what to do!
Also, does anybody know if a baby can eat too much? Don't they stop when they are full? She eats....ALL THE TIME! If you've read past blog entries, you will know that eating has been a rough area so far---combination of breastmilk and formula. I'm afraid she'll gain weight too fast. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Also, does anybody know if a baby can eat too much? Don't they stop when they are full? She eats....ALL THE TIME! If you've read past blog entries, you will know that eating has been a rough area so far---combination of breastmilk and formula. I'm afraid she'll gain weight too fast. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Happy Mother's Day!
To all of you mothers, mothers-to-be, godmothers, grandmothers....HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Take some time to pamper yourself, enjoy your children, call YOUR mother, think of your mom.
Friday, May 12, 2006
The Birth Story
Ok, ok....found some time to write my story....
Tuesday, May 2, 8:00pm
Contractions are getting stronger and we're excitedly anticipating the arrival of Baby Girl Rosenbaum. At this point, I knew I was dilated to a 4, at least, and contractions were coming every 6-7 minutes. This continued on throughout the night, sometimes closer together. I didn't find that this was unmanageable at all--in fact, I was getting an awful lot done around the house (because sleep wasn't happening any time soon).
Wednesday, May 3, 4:00am
Wow! Contractions are getting closer together--4 minutes apart and lasting longer. I knew that I needed to get antibiotics, so it was about time to go to the hospital. SO--I took a shower, packed my bag, woke up Adam and told him to get ready. We still weren't in a big hurry, I know this whole labor thing could take forever. He showered, shaved, etc. and we were off. We stopped at the gas station and then headed to school to drop off Adam's lesson plans for the week. On to Celebration Hospital we went....
8:00am
They checked me--yes, contractions were coming pretty strongly and they figured I was progressing well. Nope. 4 cm. Yikes. So, we got checked in. What was nice is that all my monitors were cordless and I didn't have to have them much, so I was free to move about the hospital. We walked....and walked.....and walked....enjoyed the gardens, checked the lunch menu, etc. Eventually I had to get an IV so I had to get to the room...and drag a pole around with me for the rest of the time. (yuck).
Morning, afternoon and night were quickly passing by. The length of time was certainly taking its toll on my tolerance level...exhaustion was setting in. I was focusing a lot more and concentrating on breathing that baby down. Around 9:00pm on Wed. night, contractions were very intense, but I wasn't dilating any further. My labor seemed to have stalled out at only 6cm dilation. We didn't have any progression... Truthfully, at this point, I was exhausted and couldn't stop shaking. I'm not sure where the shaking thing came from...
Around 11:30pm, they administered the dreaded epidural---I was still 6cm. Adam helped me make the decision that it be done, nausea or not, I was too exhausted to continue. (I had been awake for 42 hours, laboring for 27 at this point). The epidural hurt worse than anything I could have imagined and I absolutely hated losing feeling in the lower half of my body. Luckily though, I didn't throw up (although I was VERY dizzy).
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Once I was able to relax a little more and stop shaking, I progressed from a 6 to a 10 in 2.5 hours. I started pushing at 2:15am....pushed for a half hour, and out she came. All 8lbs. 13 oz. of her. I was extremely happy that I could feel her coming out---wasn't totally numb after all---and knew when and how to push. The doctor was surprised that she came out so quickly with the epi, but I wasn't. I knew what to do and did it. And she is beautiful. What a miracle and a joy.
All in all, it wasn't an ideal natural labor/delivery for me--I continued to be dizzy for a few days. I really feel that the hypnobirthing helped me stay focused for the first 27 hours, but pure exhaustion set in. I think I could have done it completely natural if labor had been shorter. It wasn't the pain/pressure at all.
Tuesday, May 2, 8:00pm
Contractions are getting stronger and we're excitedly anticipating the arrival of Baby Girl Rosenbaum. At this point, I knew I was dilated to a 4, at least, and contractions were coming every 6-7 minutes. This continued on throughout the night, sometimes closer together. I didn't find that this was unmanageable at all--in fact, I was getting an awful lot done around the house (because sleep wasn't happening any time soon).
Wednesday, May 3, 4:00am
Wow! Contractions are getting closer together--4 minutes apart and lasting longer. I knew that I needed to get antibiotics, so it was about time to go to the hospital. SO--I took a shower, packed my bag, woke up Adam and told him to get ready. We still weren't in a big hurry, I know this whole labor thing could take forever. He showered, shaved, etc. and we were off. We stopped at the gas station and then headed to school to drop off Adam's lesson plans for the week. On to Celebration Hospital we went....
8:00am
They checked me--yes, contractions were coming pretty strongly and they figured I was progressing well. Nope. 4 cm. Yikes. So, we got checked in. What was nice is that all my monitors were cordless and I didn't have to have them much, so I was free to move about the hospital. We walked....and walked.....and walked....enjoyed the gardens, checked the lunch menu, etc. Eventually I had to get an IV so I had to get to the room...and drag a pole around with me for the rest of the time. (yuck).
Morning, afternoon and night were quickly passing by. The length of time was certainly taking its toll on my tolerance level...exhaustion was setting in. I was focusing a lot more and concentrating on breathing that baby down. Around 9:00pm on Wed. night, contractions were very intense, but I wasn't dilating any further. My labor seemed to have stalled out at only 6cm dilation. We didn't have any progression... Truthfully, at this point, I was exhausted and couldn't stop shaking. I'm not sure where the shaking thing came from...
Around 11:30pm, they administered the dreaded epidural---I was still 6cm. Adam helped me make the decision that it be done, nausea or not, I was too exhausted to continue. (I had been awake for 42 hours, laboring for 27 at this point). The epidural hurt worse than anything I could have imagined and I absolutely hated losing feeling in the lower half of my body. Luckily though, I didn't throw up (although I was VERY dizzy).
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Once I was able to relax a little more and stop shaking, I progressed from a 6 to a 10 in 2.5 hours. I started pushing at 2:15am....pushed for a half hour, and out she came. All 8lbs. 13 oz. of her. I was extremely happy that I could feel her coming out---wasn't totally numb after all---and knew when and how to push. The doctor was surprised that she came out so quickly with the epi, but I wasn't. I knew what to do and did it. And she is beautiful. What a miracle and a joy.
All in all, it wasn't an ideal natural labor/delivery for me--I continued to be dizzy for a few days. I really feel that the hypnobirthing helped me stay focused for the first 27 hours, but pure exhaustion set in. I think I could have done it completely natural if labor had been shorter. It wasn't the pain/pressure at all.
Eating Issues...Resolved...
Viv went to the doctor on Tuesday for her first checkup. Doc was concerned that she was losing too much weight (she was down to 8lbs. 3oz.). It turns out that I don't produce enough milk, partly due to anemia. So, we're currently having to supplement with formula in addition to milk---not an ideal situation, but at least she's not crying from hunger. I'm still pumping in the meantime so she's getting as much milk as I can give her. We had a nightmare few days of constant crying (which we feel HORRIBLE about) before we all figured out what was going on. Most thought she was just a fussy/colicky baby. In actuality, she's such a mellow, peaceful baby so far...
We went back to the doctor today for a weight check---all is better, she gained 5 oz. back!
We're lovin' every minute of being with her and learning all about her. She's so vibrant and alert--tracks us pretty well with her eyes and LOVES her hands. She always has them up by her face and likes to suck on them as well. Her current favorite thing to do is sleep on daddy's chest during her morning nap. (I think that is his favorite thing too!). She sleeps well during the night and is a content little bug during the day. We couldn't be happier!
Monday, May 08, 2006
More pictures and a quick update!
Here's a quick update while Vivi Voo is sleeping on daddy (her favorite place!).
We got home on Saturday afternoon--they debated keeping her longer because of jaundice, but then checked her again and her levels had dropped :). Friday and Saturday night were both rough---she was super fussy and rightfully so...so many peaceful months with mom and then BAM!--lights, sounds, environments like never before!
Sunday night was GREAT! She fed at 9:00pm, 12:30am and 4:45am...otherwise, she slept soundly all night...yea! Now, if we could only be so blessed as to have that happen again!
Feeding has been a challenge, to say the least. Our girl is such a little drama queen...quite feisty...I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHERE SHE GETS THOSE BEHAVIORS! :) If she doesn't get milk immediately, it is all over! She howls like a banshee and it is tough to calm her after that. She's learning though...
She's a great sleeper so far and makes the best facial expressions. She's very curious and seems to have good hand-eye coordination (Adam is happy because she tends to favor her right hand over left....whatever....left handed people are cool too, gosh!)
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
We're off!
Hey everyone! It is about 5:30am in FL and Baby Rosenbaum decided that May 3rd is a fine day for a birthday. (At least we hope baby picked the 3rd and not the 4th!)
Anyways, we're probably going to head to the hospital in an hour or two---we need to stop for gas and stop at school first if possible. We may not leave that soon, but as far as I can tell, things are moving along well! Yippee!
Funny side note: I finally woke Adam up at 5:10....told him no rush, but if he wants to shower/shave etc. then he should get up. So, in a slightly frazzled state of half-sleep/half-awakeness, he goes into the bathroom, puts ON deoderant, then gets in the shower. Poor guy. I think I wanted some company...otherwise he probably could sleep a little longer.
Anyways, updates coming soon! Have a GREAT day! :)
Anyways, we're probably going to head to the hospital in an hour or two---we need to stop for gas and stop at school first if possible. We may not leave that soon, but as far as I can tell, things are moving along well! Yippee!
Funny side note: I finally woke Adam up at 5:10....told him no rush, but if he wants to shower/shave etc. then he should get up. So, in a slightly frazzled state of half-sleep/half-awakeness, he goes into the bathroom, puts ON deoderant, then gets in the shower. Poor guy. I think I wanted some company...otherwise he probably could sleep a little longer.
Anyways, updates coming soon! Have a GREAT day! :)
Monday, May 01, 2006
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