So In Love

      This morning, I brought the princess into bed with me to feed her and just have a cuddle session. {who wouldn't!} Well, we laid there and I was just in awe of her. I'm so truly blessed to be her mommy! I love seeing how she's already hitting development milestones... Moving her arms and legs together, turning her head, "talking" (aka cooing) up a storm... We had an entire "conversation" this morning. But my favorite milestone she's hit so far is responsive smiling... The struggles of motherhood {being tired, living with spit up on you, changing 1,000 diapers, etc.} ... It all melts away when you see that big toothless grin. There is nothing more rewarding. Her and her big brother have my heart.

The 1st Month

       It does not even seem possible that my baby girl is already a month old. It's been quite the exhausting journey. I just keep reminding myself of how much I miss Braeden being so little and want to enjoy each and every moment {no matter how hard it is}. 

       First, we had to get over the hump called jaundice. Both of my children had jaundice, so I knew the drill. That doesn't make it any easier. As a mother, you naturally worry about the wellbeing of your children, and all you ever want is for them to be healthy and happy. All the foot pricks do not keep them happy. You want to return the favor to the person hurting your baby, even if it's for a good cause. Finally, a week postpartum, the jaundice levels were lowering instead of raising.

       Having to get used to her feeding habits really have been a struggle this time around. Unlike Braeden, she wants to eat all the time. {Like every hour} Luckily, my milk supply came in fast and plenty. I never had a freezer supply with Braeden, but this time, I'm running out of room in my freezer. 

       Unfortunately, within the past week she seems to have developed colic and maybe even acid reflux. {We go to the Dr. next week to discuss her symptoms}. Due to all her nightly pain, I'm extremely sleep deprived. So, I can't guarantee I'll make sense. 

      What I do know is this... She has grown so much so fast. Time is flying by, and I know I'm going to miss all this. No matter how tired or hard it seems, it's totally worth it. I'm so blessed with my wonderful little family. 

~Mommy loves you so much sweet little girl!~

Kathryn Elizabeth Campbell 

-I can lift my head up

-I enjoy belly time

-I can roll to my side 

-I enjoy eating all the time

-I love being held

My how things change with 2 children

       Well, I knew things would be different when my daughter was born, but I never imagined how much would change.
        For starters... I forgot just how much sleep you lose with a newborn! {I'm not certain that I'm fully awake writing this post.} When my son was born, he would sleep 4-5 hours at a time.... I've had nights with my princess that I've literally been up every.single.hour feeding her. Since I'm nursing, it's on me at night to keep the princess happy. She eats, no kidding, 10 times more than my son did. It's taking every ounce of energy I have to just keep up with her milk demand. We have finally started to introduce the bottle (I'm using Tommie Tippee bottles) mainly because I needed a break to sleep some. One big positive I love about starting to add bottles to the mix, is that my toddler now can help feed baby sister some.
       Speaking of big brother.... At first, he was not certain if he liked her or not. I think the fact that mommy and daddy had been away for an entire day, he was not thrilled that she was the reason (and we ended up having a 48 hr stay at the hospital). Now, that she's been home for nearly a month now, {is it really almost a month?!} he's definitely grown more fond of her. He loves to hold her... until she starts crying. I've caught him holding her hand in the car while she sleep {yes, it's as sweet as it sounds}. He asks to help change her, so I let him pick out her diapers for me. Like I said earlier, he loves to hold her bottle when we do give one to her. One night, she was fussing in the car while we were packing everything up to leave my parents house, and before my husband or I could get the bottle to her, big brother had grabbed it and put it in her mouth. We quickly took over, but it was such a sweet gesture. He even tries to console her when she cries, or if one of us have her, he will ask us what's going on... Like as if we aren't doing everything to make the princess happy.... I do believe she already has her big brother wrapped around her finger!
       Trying to keep up with both of them, with or without help, has been such a struggle. Big brother has been a little more temperamental than usual. One, I think it's his terrible two's... Two, I think he is finding that any attention, good or bad, is attention (my mom pointed that out to me the other day)... Three, He's super energetic too, and too smart for his own good.... Boredom strikes and he MUST find something to do... it's not usually something good that he gets into. It always seems to be while I'm either in the middle of nursing the princess or pumping for her. That's when he can get out of my line of sight. Before her, he was never able to get into so much because I could keep up with him... Now, I find myself praying he's just not into anything that will harm him or make a huge mess until I can get to him (not exaggerating). The sleeping and eating habits of the princess are enough to have any mom, new or experienced, to be utterly worn out. The second I see either of them smile, it makes my day better.
       I have fully decided... IF I have more children, I want the princess to at least be 3 or 4 years old before another baby. {That's a BIG if}.... I have been totally blessed with two wonderful, healthy children... and one of each gender. It really is perfect, in that sense. However, it's been hard work thus far. I was not certain if I could love another child as much as I love my toddler.... My heart just explodes with love now. I'm one lucky and blessed momma!

Breaks... There are no true breaks when you're a mother

     I'm blessed to have a husband that can occasionally take my toddler with him to work (perks of a family owned business). Having the day with only the newborn was a much needed "break." I was actually able to sleep when baby sleeps (at least for a much needed 2 hour nap). 

      I have also been blessed with a family situation where I can go over to my parents house pretty much any day and get some semblance of a "break" there too. Since I'm nursing and don't like using a bottle very much right now, I can't be too far for too long from my newborn. I know my situation is very lucky. I know many new moms, whether first time or not, don't have the kind of help I do. I definitely suggest... If you are a new mother, take all the help and free meals people offer. You do need and deserve a "break" no matter how little of one it may be. 

       Even though your "break" may be something as simple as getting a shower to yourself... Take it and enjoy it. Remember, motherhood is the best and most rewarding thing that can happen to you, but it is also the most difficult thing you will face. It gets easier, it's just a matter of finding your groove and learning from your experiences. I love being a mom. I remember wondering while I was pregnant with my second child if there was any way possible I could love another child as much as I love my son... The answer is yes absolutely! I feel like I love them both more than I could ever imagine. I feel  like my heart is just over flowing with love for them.

       This year my birthday actually falls on Mother's Day (so fitting for me). When my husband and family started asking what I wanted for my birthday, I didn't have an answer. Honestly, it's because I already have the best 2 gifts in the world... Beautiful, healthy, and happy children. 

Post Pregnancy Fitness Goals

       Since I am currently only 2 weeks post partum, I have not started a strenuous exercise or fitness plan. My OB  put a 6 week post partum lifting restriction of no more than baby plus carrier. From what I've read, that's pretty typical. Due to that, I am trying to keep to that rule. However, you all know that

I do have a 2 1/2 year old toddler complicating that. All in all, thanks to the help of my husband and family, I have been able to mostly stick to only letting him climb in my lap to be held. 

       All that being said, I have been inspired and motivated, mostly by my beautiful children, to work at becoming the healthiest version of me. Unfortunately, I am still having some medical issues. I am still having back and neck pain, along with terrible and constant migraines. I know this will complicate things a little for me on this journey. 

        So far... I am below my pre-pregnancy weight. The only thing I have done, thus far, is wear a post-partum corset to help get my uterus back into shape and breastfeed. The corset does seem to make my stomach appear flatter not only while wearing it, but also when I remove it. Breastfeeding is not only one of the best things you can do for your baby, but it burns a ton of calories (major positive!). 

       I am going to include a picture of me showing pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy, and where I am currently post-partum. The pre-pregnancy picture was taken about 1 month prior to conceiving my daughter. The post-partum picture was taken today. I'm 2 weeks and 2 days pp. 

We're a family of 4 now!

      On April 13, 2015 at 12:52pm, we welcomed Baby Kathryn Elizabeth Campbell into this world. She weighed 8lbs 3oz (almost a pound heavier than Braeden when he was born). She was 20 inches long. We are so excited (and extremely tired). Braeden seems to love her more everyday... He wasn't so for sure at first. Once we can get on a better routine and things settle down, I plan to post in more detail about labor, post partum, and life with another child. 

Last Day as a parent to 1: Synopsis of my pregnancy

     My pregnancy is drawing to a close tonight at Midnight (technically Monday). My OB and I discussed my options about 3 weeks ago, and we both concluded an induction may be best. Of course we both knew there was a chance lil bit could come before I reached 39 weeks, but we decided we'd go ahead and plan on this. The main reason for my induction this time is due to the fact she measures about 2 weeks larger than she should. She's definitely going to be larger than my little man when he was born. I was induced with him too, but only because he didn't want me to go past my due date.

     This pregnancy has been so much different than my first one was. I did not have a single problem (out of the ordinary nausea and fatigue). At 11 weeks I had spotting, but apparently it was the way the placenta attached to my uterus. My OB said everything is normal and that is something that is fairly normal too. This time, I have had nausea almost the entire pregnancy, which typically only happens to about 10 percent of pregnant women. I had terrible  back, neck, and arm pain. So bad, that I was unable to work past 20 weeks and my sweet husband has had to pick up slack on housework (and typing my blogs). I've also suffered from migraines this entire pregnancy. Luckily, my OB was able to prescribe me a pregnancy safe migraine medicine because only Tylenol did not cut it. The migraines have hit an all time high in my last trimester causing me to lose vision and have numbness in my face and arms- every.single.time I got one. I know close family and friends are probably over  hearing me complain, but I have tried to keep a positive attitude this whole time (I'm not saying I've fully succeeded). Pregnancy is such an amazing miracle. 

      Since I am becoming a second time mom (STM), my husband and I have made it our goal to help our toddler understand he's about to gain a sibling. He is currently 2 1/2 years old. We know based on our conversations that he understands that baby sister is coming, but I'm fairly certain he does not totally grasp the concept yet. He loves to look though her stuff with us and talk about getting her things. So I am interested to see if he still likes her after a week. I know he will be a good big brother and helper, but I'm already prepared for a conversation about when are we taking her back. We did see an idea about presenting the big sibling with a gift from the younger sibling when they come to the hospital to meet their new sibling. We do have a gift packed and ready to go in the vehicle. (We got him a puzzle, finger paint, some candy, shirt that says he's the "world's coolest brother," and some sidewalk paint.) I know with a toddler there's really no way to fully have him understand until she arrives. Our goal is to mainly make it fun and exciting that he has a new baby sister. 

       Today, my ultimate goal is to run though all my check lists and make sure I have everything I need, and I hope to relax and rest as much as possible today. I will need to be on my game tomorrow. While I look forward to no longer being pregnant, I know what lies ahead of me with a newborn. What I don't know exactly, is how other dynamics will change having 2 children to care for. I know I'm a very lucky woman to have wonderful support from my husband, family, and friends... But it will be interesting to see just how life is about to change for us. To say I'm not a little nervous about all of it would be a lie. However, I do look forward to it too. Tomorrow, at some point, I will officially be a mother of 2 children. I will litter your news feeds with pictures, so just be prepared.