Birth Story: Kylie Ann 11.18.10, 5:13 p.m.

Kylie Ann finally decided to show her pretty little face on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 5:13 p.m. But, she didn't want to come on her own (is this a sign of stubbornness to come?). The entire experience ended up being really relaxing. I felt like I knew what was going to happen and when it would happen so it lessened a lot of the anxiety I felt with Brooke.

On Thursday, November 18, I called into Altru's Family Birthing Center at about 5:45 a.m. to find out if we could come in for an induction. (Kylie was six days late by this time.) They said the magic words, "Yes," and we made our way to the hospital one hour later.

By 8 a.m. I was dressed up in my fancy hospital gown and laying comfortably in bed as a student nurse learned how to start an IV in an OB patient's arm for the first time. (Gotta love being a Guinea pig.) For as much as I hate needles, she did a good job. Then, once the pitocin was added the waiting game continued. Contractions started to come more often, but weren't too intense. At about 11:30 a.m. (or so), Justin and I started watching some comedians on Netflix before I told him he better get out and get some lunch before things really started moving along. At noon, Dr. Lachance (my OB/GYN) came in and decided to break my water. Justin got back shortly after. Once my water broke, the contractions came about every two minutes. Let me tell you what. Trying to watch comedians and having contractions at the same time is no easy feat. It didn't feel so hot to laugh mid-contraction. But, I made it though. I think the nurse liked that we were watching it. I heard her laugh a few times when she came in the room and heard the jokes. Gotta love Dane Cook. Shortly after, the CRNA came in and did my epidural. It took three times for him to get it going, and I still have some bruising in my back two weeks later, but it was well worth it. I can't imagine what women go through who choose to do everything natural. You women are amazing. Absolutely amazing.

At about 4 p.m., Dr. Lachance came back and checked me. She said she had to go do some paperwork and by the time she got back, I would be ready to push. Well, she was right. I started pushing at about 4:50 p.m. Everything was so relaxed. She really made for a great environment. Everyone was fantastic, calming and encouraging. Then, by 5:13 p.m. Kylie was out. She had the cord wrapped around her neck, like Brooke, but Dr. Lachance was able to move it to help her breathing. Right away they put her on my stomach so I could see her. She wasn't breathing, but they didn't wisk her away. Instead they rubbed her up and kept her on me. Shortly after, she let out a little cry. Her cries weren't very strong, but it showed that she was breathing. So they moved her to the warmer, kept rubbing her down and gave her oxygen.

I think I was so amazed that she was finally there that I was speechless. I just couldn't believe that Justin and I were able to bring another beautiful little girl into the world. She looked just like her sister, Brooke, too. From the second they put her on my stomach, the first thing I said to Justin was, "She looks exactly like Brooke."

Brooke absolutely loves her. And Cody can't get enough either. We are so blessed with this family.

Kylie's statistics:

November 18, 2010, 5:13 p.m.

9 pounds, 5.3 ounces

21.5 inches

14.5 inches (head)

First Family Picture (Thanksgiving 2010)

Sisters - Best friends from the start.

Kylie Ann

Checking out the new kid.

Brooke & Kylie's first meeting.

Late

I don't know why I should feel surprised that I am past due with this pregnancy (not like I'm ridiculously past due or anything, it's just one day so far). But, all pregnancy long you wait and wait and wait and wait and then you feel like the end is in sight with a due date. Then, the day comes and the day goes and here I am. Still pregnant. People I talk with are very supportive. They tell me how nice I look and that it's all belly. I've also gotten a lot of advice from people for how to start labor (I'll leave the advice out.). I find it all pretty funny. But, I did go to the chiropractor yesterday for my weekly adjustment (chiropractors are amazing people by the way) and they did a few more things that could have an effect on starting the labor process. So far nothing. Baby feels like she's dropped some, but by the looks of me I still look like I've swallowed a watermelon sideways. Overall I feel good. I don't sleep well, but for the most part I can't complain. Here is the latest picture of me at 40 weeks.

Due date: 40 Weeks

It was also Brooke's 2nd birthday last week. She turned two and is quite the little lady. She always talks about listening to our iPods so we got a music player with a microphone that we can upload music to. She calls it her iPod. We also went out to dinne

r at Green Mill to celebrate.

Mommy & Brooke - Happy Birthday!

Brooke & Daddy - Happy Birthday!

Halloween – Just About

Halloween is just about the corner and while I was originally being a little bit of a grinch about the holiday, I broke down and bought Brooke a costume today. (Wasn’t going to because, well, she’s just a few days shy of 2 and we weren’t planning to take her trick or treating. But, daycare is having a Halloween party and tonight Justin took her to a guys and kids night and all the other kids were dressing up. So, I just can’t let Brooke be left out so I bought her some wings and a fluffy skirt. I told her she was a fairy, but she is insisting on butterfly.) If I can get a good picture of her in the outfit I’ll be sure to post it.

I’m taking in a relaxing evening tonight. Justin & Brooke are at guys and kids night (Don’t even ask me what they do there. I think it’s just drink beer, eat pizza and watch the kids play.) So, I’ve been doing a little laundry, getting the house ready for the weekend and sitting on my buns watching Thursday night TV (SWEEET!). 

Since Halloween is just around the corner, that also means that B’s birthday is just around the corner, too. We are having her 2nd birthday party this weekend. And, everyone we’ve invited says they are coming. Unfortunately Uncle Ryan won’t be able to make it, but we just want him to get over his illness. It’s going to be a full house with people upstairs and downstairs, but it will be good. Next weekend, we might do just a family celebration for her actual birthday and go back to the waterpark at Canad Inns like we did last year.

No sign of baby for me, yet. I’ll be 38 weeks tomorrow. I’m not pushing it; I’m just a little tired of being pregnant. I know the last couple weeks will be here before I know it, but the wait is awful. (I feel like I’m waiting for Christmas to hurry up and get here.) Life will be crazy once baby is born, so I know I should enjoy the time we have right now. But, if you’ve been pregnant and waiting for baby to come, you know what I mean.

I’ll post pics of B in her costume and of her birthday party. Until then, here are a few of my faves from this month.

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Living Room Update

When we moved in, the living room was stark white. Then, we decided to paint. Never put me in charge of paint colors. I picked grey and darker grey. After living with it for a couple years, we decided for another change. So, we headed back to the paint section and picked out a soft green for two walls (left the other two the light grey). Justin did this painting after we installed one of the new windows (now all that's left is the picture window).

Then, in August, we made the spontaneous decision to get a new couch and loveseat. (Originally, I just wanted a rocker/recliner. Now, I've got a full size reclining couch and a rocking/reclining love seat). And, finally, after Labor Day, we made the split decision to put carpet down in the living room. I was nervous about covering the beautiful hardwood floors and that it would make it look smaller. But, personally, I think the carpet makes it look bigger. Cody loves lounging on it. Justin was sprawled out on it after work. And, Brooke's first words about it were, "That's nice." If she approves it, it must be good right?

There's still a lot of hardwood left in our house. The entry way, hall, and all three bedrooms. Plus, if new owners want, they can pull up the carpet and have beautifully, already finished floors right underneath.

Here are a few pics of before carpet and after carpet.

Before

All the furniture is jammed into Kylie's room, the dining room and hallway.

After

This was the first look we got when we came in the door.

After

And finally, with all of the furniture moved back in.

Potty training

I just about forgot...We've spent a lot of time since August working on potty training with Brooke. It's been going really well and our little angel is nearly trained (just a diaper at nap and bedtime). The first two weeks were tough, but all of our hard work (and her hard work) has totally paid off. Now, she very few accidents. We couldn't be happier with her!

But, we aren't free and clear of diapers. I think I need to start stocking up with baby 2 right around the corner ;-).

Fall has arrived

Reader beware. This post is pretty choppy. My mom and I were talking today and she said some family members said they liked reading my blog. Well, I finally realized I haven't updated since about July. So, if there are people out there who actually read this, my sincerest apologies. My life with a toddler has gotten so busy, I honestly don't know what happened to summer. (And, now I think I'm going to be able to handle another one in 6 short weeks? Who do I think I am? God bless Grandma Burckhard and Grandma Esther. With 13 and 7 kids, respectively, I don't know how you managed. Sometimes we try to tell Cody that he's in charge, but he just sighs, looks for a sunny place on the floor and curls up for a nap. What a life.). So, again, I'm sorry for how choppy this post is, but I'll try to give some run down of life as we know it.

We've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time outside this summer (which is probably why I haven't spent much time on the computer). Either my parents came for a visit from Minot, or I made a couple trips back to the Magic City. We also had Justin's 10-year high school reunion (along with a couple bachelor parties the Justin attended). Other than that, we made sure to spend time with the Hecht side of the family, too (Katie, Ryan, Austin and Ethan Anderson as well as Grandma Patti & Grandpa Mike). Last but not least, we've rounded out September (and the start of October) with 4 weddings. They were all a blast! Unfortunately we had to miss my cousin Nathan's wedding in Minot because I was a personal attendant for my friend's wedding in GF. We sure wish we could have made them all. Here are a couple shots from August through September.

One of Brooke's favorite past-times this summer was riding her four-wheeler she got at Christmas. She's still learning how to steer. But, when push comes to shove, she just gets off, drags it to a new spot, and hops on for another ride until she needs to "turn" again.

She loves eating tomatoes. She eats them just like an apple. This has got to be a tomato from Grandpa Kenny's garden (her favorite).

Grandma Wendy & Grandpa Kenny came over Labor Day weekend for a visit. For his birthday, Grandpa Kenny got lemon meringue pie (from the store. No, I didn't have a chance to whip it up. But, I'll take the credit. It was delicious.). Brooke insisted on sharing Grandpa Kenny's with him. Things always taste better off of someone else's plate, right?

Our little daredevil now likes to be pushed high enough that she can flip her head back and watch you from behind. She totally has her dad in her 100%. I'm too much of a nervous nelly for this.

We also had our nephew, Ethan Anderson's, baptism over Labor Day weekend. He did so well during church. Brooke on the other hand, bless her heart, had so much "enthusiasm" for the service that we had to take turns with her out in the lunch room area so she could run off some steam. (Again Grandma's how in the world did you do it?)

Belly Shots

(I don't know the last time, if ever, that I've posted these, so I figured I'd update with a few of the newest belly shots we have. I've definitely grown quite a bit. Justin and I are making bets on just how big this baby will be. Another 9 pounder like Brooke? I'm not going to doubt it.)

26 weeks

29 weeks

34 weeks

Getting Ready for Baby

This weekend, we finally had a few spare moments to get more of the baby's room ready. From our house projects this summer, Justin already painted the bedroom (along with the living room) and installed a new window (along with one in the living room, one in the dining room, and one in our room). All that was left were the odds and ends. After we got the crib put back together, we had to fill it with nearly everything from the living room because we are getting ready for carpet in that space. (Bye-bye hardwood. Hello soft, plushy, warm, comfortable carpet. I know, I know. The hardwood is what sold me on this house in the first place. But, at least we can tell new home buyers that there is beautiful hardwood under the carpet that doesn't even need to be refinished. They just have to pull back the carpet and viola!) The last few pics are Justin and Brooke pitching in to get baby's room ready to rock.

Brooke helping out by attempting to put the fitted sheet on the crib mattress. (Don't worry kiddo, I have troubles with those darn fitted sheets, too.)

Justin putting the finishing touches on the crib. (Cat's out of the bag if you've noticed. We've decided to name our newborn Kylie. Six more weeks till we see her pretty face. Hopefully she'll fit the name we've picked.)

And, last but not least, Brooke's new and improved big-girl room. We picked up her new full size bed today and got it all made up (hot pink of course). She had a tough time falling asleep tonight (I think because of how big the bed was). But after about 15 minutes she was sawing logs.

So, that's it. That's what's been going on. Doesn't seem like a ton, but it sure takes the wind out of me. And, tomorrow, it's back to work. Next weekend, we've made some time to take Brooke's pictures at Target and my mom will be back in town for a quick visit. We've also got to figure out plans for Grandma Patti's birthday. Then, Brooke's 2-year birthday will be right around the corner. Last but not least, it's Kylie's arrival. I wonder if Justin will be able to handle all three of his girls with November birthdays.....

With that, remember to enjoy life one moment at a time.

Summer Fun

Brooke's latest new favorite doo - pigtails. She always asks me, "Mommy, me pony."

Brooke & Austin snacking on Father's Day 2010.

Watch out daddy, looks like she is a shoe girl.

I just love her hair in this picture.

Summer is finally here! Okay, now that I've said that, I hope it doesn't turn dark and dreary. For a while I thought that April and June got their seasons mixed up because it was so nice during April and then most of June was rainy. But, near the end we got some nice weather out of it.

The Hecht family is still doing great. I really think Cody is enjoying how much Brooke plays with him more. Plus she loves taking him for walks. Well, we walk and Brooke rides in the stroller. Cody doesn't care as long as he gets to leave the fence he's fine and dandy. Baby Hecht is growning too. We are now at about 18 weeks and Ba

by has been kicking so much more lately. I really started feeling a lot on Tuesday night. Since about 13 weeks I've been feeling Baby on the inside and not anything outside. Lately, if I put my hand on my stomach, it doesn't take long before I feel a kick or punch. This was definitely something I missed after Brooke was born. Won't be long now, I guess. About 5 more months and Baby 2 will be with us.

We had quite the surprise yesterday. Justin came home for lunch and noticed our shower door in the bathroom shattered (here's the picture).

(It might be difficult to see, but the one door is completely spider-web shattered. The door on the left is still intact.) Well, we couldn't figure out what happened. As far as I knew, the doors were just fine when Brooke and I left that morning and Justin had an early morning meeting. Plus, Cody was outside all morning so it's not like he would have been in the house doing anything. So, Justin shut the door after lunch and we didn't go back in until later that evening to get things cleaned up. When the three of us got home that night, Justin was sitting in the living room talking with Brooke. He asked her if she broke anything this morning. (Note: We didn't say anything about the shower to her.) She nodded her head yes. Then, he asked her what she broke. So, she walked to the bathroom, opened the door and pointed to the shower door. Then, he asked her how she broke it. So, she put her hand up to the door on the left (the non-broken one) and pushed it in. It looks like our culprit was our own innocent Brooke Marie. She must have pushed hard enough on the bottom corner of the glass for it to bend in and shatter (it's a cheapo shower door that wasn't connected at the bottom). Thankfully none of the glass fell out and instead stayed within the frame. Looks like I should have went for the more expensive door right away (that is attached at the bottom) rather than cheaping out on the sale item. I know better for next time.

That's about it for us. Fourth of July is just around the corner and we are looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home with my parents coming to town. Should be fun. Hot, but fun.