Enjoying the beautiful weather!

A family trip to the park!

Kendall was all bundled.

Lauren got to release some energy!

And..., was very watchful over her baby sister in the stroller.

She's growing!

Kendall did great at her 2 week checkup! She weighed in at 7 lbs, 2 oz. (Only 1 oz. difference from Lauren's birth weight.) Kendall measured 20 3/4 length. She is definitely a pacifier baby. Completely different from Lauren.

I'm really impressed that this picture is taken from my new phone. ;-)

Just cute!

Kendall is wearing one of Lauren's baby outfits.

Yes, the hand me downs began.

Can you tell they're sisters?

They sure do resemble each other! Kendall

Lauren

Happy Birthday to me!

Since I'm solely nursing it's hard to get out of the house, so tonight Gabe and I had a planned escape! We were able to go eat a nice dinner at Season's 52, then we came back home to celebrate with ice cream!

Bath Time

Splish, Splash Kendall's taking a bath.

Watch out Picasso!

With the amount of paper she was hanging to dry, pretty soon you may not recognize the frig.

Nap Time

We're already snuggling together!

Little Miss Mommy

Lauren loves to help take care of Kendall. I really thought Lauren would be jealous of her. So far, so good.

This morning when Kendall cried Lauren said, "She wants her Mommy." Lauren also told me that I could leave her and Kendall alone when she was sitting next to her chair. Don't worry that won't be happening anytime soon. If Lauren had her way she would play dress up with her and I don't think Kendall is ready for that yet!

What a Life!

Kendall is a great daytime sleeper! We now have one child awake during the day and one awake at night. How nice to be able to sleep ALL the time.

Sisters

Lauren is in love with her new sister!

Kendall's First Night

Kendall decided she likes to sleep snuggled in the boppy. She slept for about 2 hours at a time, only waking up to eat and poop. So far, Kendall appears to be a very mellow baby.

A New Year, A New Addition!

They discharged Kendall and I last night!

It feels sensational to be home, especially since they officially admitted me on Wednesday. I felt as if I was there forever.

I was admitted Wednesday due to oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid levels), therefore I had to be induced to deliver. Once I got to the hospital and was all settled in they monitored Kendall for a little bit. Her heart rate was great with some minor dips in levels. Since she had some minor dips in levels and due to it being so late in the evening my doctor gave me a low dose of meds to trigger my labor instead of a constant IV of fluids. So it began! I started laboring in the hospital at about 9:30 PM New Years Eve. It was completely tolerable and comfortable. Gabe and I watched a movie, celebrated the New Year and then about 1:00 AM the nurse asked if I wanted an epidural. Huh? An epidural so early? Since my labor kicked in I felt contractions and had minor cervical changes but wasn't in any sheer pain being that I wasn't put on Pitocin (IV meds to induce labor.) So I was quite surprised that the nurse offered this to me in such early labor terms. She explained that it would help me sleep through most of the early and middle stages of labor, so at about 1:45 AM I gave in and said, "Bring it on." From what I remembered with Lauren's labor and delivery the epidural wasn't much help, but other women rave over the assistance. So why not at least try again to see. My epidural man was a bit wacky. As he was sticking the needle in my back he told us that he ran home at New Year's, kissed his wife, and drank a glass of wine. That sounded greatly assuring as he was piercing my spine with a large needle. My epidural man took SO long! I was administered an epidural quite differently compared to how I received it when I delivered Lauren. Come to find out later that on my medical records it doesn't even state that I had one with her. The feeling was so incredibly different between the epidural I had now compared to the past. How could this be? I asked the nurse and apparently when I had Lauren I had the epidural so late in the game that they administer a different amount. After the epidural man left I couldn't feel my legs! And soon my contractions just weren't so annoying anymore. I was able to sleep through the night and some of the next day. During night they monitored the babies heart rate and noticed some highs and lows. The doctor didn't want to give me anything to speed up my labor because they were slightly concerned about what could be causing those dips in heart rate? So my body slowly progressed. The next day they noticed that as I was reaching the middle stage of labor (comfortably I might add because of the epidural man) the baby wasn't descending down with any of the contractions. They came to a conclusion that the cord is most likely wrapped around her neck causing the dips in heart rate and not allowing her to decent any further. In my mind I was crushed because I had such difficulty with Lauren's labor because of the cord being wrapped. They discussed the possibility of a c-section, as a very last resort. After an exam they also told me that Kendall is in a posterior position (facing sunny side up.) Normal presentation is anterior, which is face-down. So that meant that her delivery could be a bit longer because that is a broader part of her head coming out. I still continued to labor on! Finally when I reached active labor my doctor kicked it up a notch and gave me pitocin because she was thankfully descending down. The nurse asked if I wanted my epidural kicked up, but I declined because I wanted some feeling back in my legs. Of course I didn't want the pain but I knew that the pain would help me get her out faster. And it DID! My doctor was absolutely wonderful. He sat on the bed with me and coached me until he got ready to catch. 20 minutes or less and she was out and in my arms. Thankfully she twirled to the anterior position and she did not have the cord wrapped around her neck. Kendall ended up having a short cord. Her short cord kept her breech for so long and kept her bungee jumping a little higher in my tummy until I reached active labor. Whoo Hoo.....I did it. So I had a prolonged labor but a speedy delivery!

Having baby Kendall join our family = Priceless!

Baby Kendall weighing in, covered in vernix ~ cheesy baby!

Lauren meeting Kendall.

Welcome Baby Kendall

Kendall Lynn Padilla

6 lbs., 13 oz.

19.5 inches

6:47 PM

01/01/09 Picture taken minutes after she was born.

I've reached 40 weeks!

Today I reached 40 weeks pregnant! If I was to continue on in the pregnancy (my doctor is extremely thorough) I had to pass the tests that I mentioned in the post below. I was admitted into a hospital room this morning for one part of the test then wheeled (yes I said wheeled ~ apparently they like to give pregnant woman a free ride around the hospital) to an ultrasound room. Her fetal heart rate was great! She appeared to have enormous chubby cheeks. But, my Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) was low. I think I'm leaking? So, the verdict is.... they sent me home to eat lunch and get my things because I have to be induced TODAY! They said I should have one leg up (not literally ~yet anyways) because my body is already in pre-labor. I'm going back to the hospital around 4:00 PM. I'm still wondering if she will be a 2008 or 2009 baby? We are bringing our laptop to the hospital so we will keep everyone updated!

39 weeks / 6 days update...

So far I'm 2 cm dilated (big whoop) and my cervix is completely softened. I go to the hospital tomorrow to perform a Biophysical Profile (ultra-sound), an Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI), and Fetal Non-Stress Test. This will tell my doctor if I can continue past my due date. If all goes well then I will most likely (?) pass my due date. BUT, I could easily go sooner too. If Kendall is very stubborn then I will be induced. This all seems way more comprehensive then when I had Lauren. Wish me luck!

2 days and waiting...

We are patiently awaiting Kendall's arrival. Will she be a 2008 or 2009 baby?

My Little Artist

Lauren drew pictures of everyone for their holiday gifts.

Here are the pictures of Mommy and Daddy.

Merry Christmas

Lauren had the best reaction by far this Christmas. She was well rested the night before and was super excited for Santa to leave her presents! I heard her bedroom door crack open and saw her run halfway out to the living room. Then she came running back to our bedroom screaming, "Santa brought me presents!" Lauren rocked out with her new Barbie guitar.
She loved her new dress up set.

Here is Veterinarian Lauren!

And, the presents grew throughout the day!

We had all of our family over to celebrate Christmas, even Bailey had company.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we spent the night making cookies and getting ready for Santa's arrival. We left reindeer food outside.Bailey was patiently waiting for her gifts from Santa too.

Holiday Musical

Lauren was a little elf in her school holiday musical. Mommy was so excited to see her perform! During each class performance there was a crier. As they were getting ready to bring the 3 year old class out to perform I heard a loud, "MOMMY" in the hallway followed by sobbing. Lauren was the crier in her class. As soon as she came out to perform she saw me in the audience and stopped crying. She quietly sang, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." After a loud applause her class walked off and then the tears began again! I quickly snuck out to grab her and congratulate her on her performance. We took a snap shot at the entrance of her school and then went out for a yummy breakfast. You can see her watery eyes in the pic.

It's official

If Kendall wasn't born yesterday, then she is officially going to be a Capricorn. Just like Mommy!

Interesting...

Your little Capricorn will have a quiet, meditative nature ruled by reason instead of impulse and may seem older than his or her years at times. These children are thrifty, reserved, diplomatic, deep thinking, and determined. They are cautious in what they do and say. They know what they want and they usually get it by methodically planning every detail ahead of time-they like to take their time with things, learning lessons well along the way.
Capricorn children are receptive to down-to-earth activities. They feel a deep sense of responsibility and love being praised for a job well done. Parents should take time with their Capricorn child to show them the joy of touch and sharing comfort. Though typically practical and serious, the Capricorn often has a well-developed sense of wit and humor and is also known for being reliable.

Happy Hanukkah

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. After lighting the candles, I gave Lauren a present 'unwrapped' and she gave it back to me and said, "wrap it Mommy." Whoops, won't make that mistake again.

I SO look ready to burst in this picture!

2 weeks to go!

With 2 weeks to go, Mommy is thinking, "I can't eat, I can't sleep, but I can do a great imitation of a beached whale. Seriously, are we almost done with this?" Being on the final stretch with a 3 year old at home and being a teacher is quite exhausting. I've been crampy and had some contractions, however they are a complete fake out because they aren't officially dilating my cervix. I guess Kendall is just not ready yet. 2 weeks and waiting...

A Meeting With Santa

This year it wasn't so easy to get Lauren to hop onto Santa's lap.

She was so excited to see him but too shy to get close.