Corban Lewis Rollo

Corban Lewis Rollo was born on August 21st at 7:52 pm

He was 6 lb 10 oz and 21.25 inches long (at his check up at 4 days old he was 6 lb 6 oz (10th percentile), 20.25 inches long (60th percentile) with a head circumference of 13.5 inches (17th percentile))

So here's the story as I remember it.  Pardon the length and the rambling.  I am a little tired these days. . .

On the Sunday before he was born I started having a really bad headache.  I had headaches towards the end of my pregnancy with Gabriel, so I didn't think too much about it, but when I checked my blood pressure it was also a little high and that concerned me a little (my BP tends to run on the low side normally).  When I went to the OB on that Wednesday it was still high, to the point that my OB recommended getting Corban out sooner rather than later.  Since I was going to be 39 weeks on that Friday she recommended scheduling an induction and not waiting around for blood pressure related complications to happen.  She did an ultrasound and he looked about 7 pounds and his lungs were fully developed so there was no reason to sit on something that could only lead to problems for him.

The induction was scheduled for Friday morning.  I'm glad we went ahead with that plan because on Thursday my headache was so bad I could not really think and was sick to my stomach too. As much as I wanted things to progress naturally, it was also kind of nice to be able to plan when we were going to the hospital too.  Taylor's mom drove up on Thursday to be with Gabriel (she was such a huge help to us in the last week.  I'm not sure how to thank her enough).  We didn't have to scramble when I went into labor to get Gabriel somewhere. Minor kink in things though: Taylor got food poisoning on Thursday night.  He was up all night sick.  I'm pretty sure that I would not have slept much anyway, but we both started things on Friday feeling pretty worn out.

So we got to the hospital about 11:30 on Friday morning.  I was glad to find out that I was already in early labor (3cm and having regular contractions).  I knew my back was hurting but hadn't really thought about it with everything else going on.  Our nurse was WONDERFUL.  And I'm kinda picky when it comes to nurses (no surprise there).  I have high expectations.  Anyways, she explained things so well and really made me feel secure with the whole "induction" things.  She said her job was to to as little as possible to get my body doing things itself, which is exactly what she did.  Very tiny dose of pitocin that she barely turned up until things started happening themselves.  Then she turned it off.  I was really afraid that I would be pushed into things too fast and that they would want to break my water and start a clock, etc.  She started the pitocin about 2pm and at about 4pm things were moving really fast.  My water broke in the bathroom (sorry Taylor for calling you in there in a panic of pain) and when the OB checked me a little while after that I was 8cm and 80%.  I did get an epidural at that point because oh my back.  Same as with Gabriel.  Every contraction felt in the exact same stabbing spot on my back (it's starting to feel better now, but the pain and internal bruising I've felt back there since then. . .).  Our nurse told me to let her know when I was feeling like I was at the point of wanting to push, but it was so nice to not be in pain for a while that I just wanted to hang out in bed a little longer.  No back pain and no headache.  I had not felt so good in a while.  And, on top of that, it was about 6:30 and our nurse had told me how obnoxious it is when people want to deliver babies at the nursing change of shift.  She was, of course, joking since we were talking about nursing things, but I wanted to relax and I wanted her to get off of work on time too.

When our next nurse started her shift the first thing I told her was that I thought it was time to have a baby and sure enough it was.  She called the OB and got everything in place.  They also called the NICU team since there was a large amount of meconium when my water broke.  But, they didn't have time to get there. Corban came out after one contraction.  Speedy little dude (I was told if we have any more kids there will be no delaying coming to the hospital or they might be born on the side of the road).  To note, the cord was wrapped around his neck when he came out and it had a big knot in it.  So thankful that little man tolerated labor with no complications.

Gabriel in the top picture and Corban on the bottom.  I think they may be related. . .

Brothers meeting for the first time.  Gabriel was more excited about touching buttons on the bed and TV remote though.

Heading to the doctor for the first time.

Gabriel is turning out to be one sweet big brother.  He wants to hold Corban a lot.  He very gently strokes his hair and touches his hands.  He told me the other day that when Corban cries it makes him sad.  Whenever he is holding him and he makes noises he says "he's talking to me!"  When I ask what he's talking about he says "he's talking about Sweet Frog."  On the other side of that thought, Gabriel has been acting out a lot.  He's trying to grab attention any way he can and is breaking rules that we know that he knows.  I feel bad for him because I know that change is hard.  The other day I was putting him down for a nap and Corban was crying and I know that it upset Gabriel not to have my full attention and be able to cuddle like we usually do before he falls asleep.

What is this guy going to do to me?

Gabriel got a couple of "post baby" presents.  One was figures from the movie "A Bugs Life" that Taylor found on ebay.  Those were not easy to find but he loves them.  He also got a doctor kit. His play has really changed over the last few weeks.  He's all about pretending.  He likes to be characters from his favorite movies (this week he's every character from "The Incredibles", but he also does "Star Wars" a lot and runs around the house pretending to be "The Croods."  He likes to shout "To the cave!").  He likes to make us "picnics" in his play kitchen.  He pretends to answer the phone and always says the same thing: "Hello?  Anybody there? Haha.  Ok, bye."  He's full of energy and never runs out of things to talk about.  He also starts most stories with "On another day we _____", even if it's something that we just did today.  He also says frequently, "Oh, that so NICE of you," even when it in no way goes with what is going on.  I realized yesterday that he got that from a Mo Willems book that we have from the library. He's funny.

Watching "Little Einsteins" while having a picnic on Mommy and Daddy's bed.  He was one happy guy.

First "Tummy Time"

Darth Vader and his baby

First Bath

One week old

The Good Knight and The Bad Knight

I don't really have anything in particular to post, but I figured I'd put up a few more pictures of our summer outings.  Baby #2 will arrive sometime in the next few weeks so there may (or may not) be much on here for a while.  I have an OB appointment with an ultrasound on Thursday morning and while it's not making me anxious in terms of results I am a little apprehensive to get it done and see how things look.  Apparently the rate at which the baby is growing has tapered off over the last month, and while this may be absolutely nothing, given the fact that the placenta stopped working properly for Gabriel somewhere around this time an ultrasound will determine if the same thing is happening again.  If for whatever reason that is the case we will go ahead and get the baby out instead of leaving him in there not getting what he needs.  While I don't want to miss any of the time that we have remaining as a family of 3, this pregnancy thing is getting old too :)  His little head is pushing up against my back and I'm not the most comfortable.  Ahh, the third trimester of pregnancy.  Enough complaining (because I could do more).  Here are a few pictures:

Playing at the duck pond with Gammer and Pop Pop

Playing at the Children's Museum.  He has yet to get into much "dress up" play, but he has wanted this knight mask the last few times we have been there.  He loves Little Einsteins, and his favorite episode is called "The Good Knight and The Bad Knight."  He acts it out frequently.

Also with dress up play he put on his Darth Vader shirt today, wanted to put on Star Wars music, and grabbed his usual light saber (a vacuum cleaner wand) and was running around the house using The Force on things (please pardon Darth's lack of pants).  I like that he's starting to pretend more.  He also has wanted to make me a picnic with plastic plates and food multiple times lately.  So cute.

Three of his favorite things: the pool, granola bars, and Daddy

We celebrated Taylor's birthday with a trip to the zoo. Gabriel's favorite things were watching the Marmosets eat apples and watching a Snow Leopard jump on some rocks. 

Looking at snakes and lizards

Hay ride at the church picnic

Potty Training, Movies, Cows, and Baby on the Way

I feel like every day when I do something with Gabriel lately I find myself thinking "what if this is the last time we do this together before the baby arrives?"  It makes me a little sad because he loves going out and having fun and I don't want that to change.  I'm nervous for how he'll adjust when he can't have so much attention.  I know that there are going to be lots of new things that he learns as he adjusts to our family of 4 that are good lessons, but I can't help but feel sad for his changing world.

On the other hand being pregnant with a toddler is no joke and I'm ready to meet this very active little boy that's busy growing and soon to arrive (man does he kick a LOT).  I am tired at the end of the day (or many days way before that) and Gabriel for sure doesn't stop or slow down.  I feel that I have no reason to complain because everything is going really well with the pregnancy (none of the little things that I had with Gabriel -- no significant swelling, no carpal tunnel, no blood pressure issues), but at the same time I am just plain tired and trying not to be cranky and take it out on Taylor and Gabriel.  My fuse is a little short these days I'm afraid.

Anyway, it is summer and that means there are lots of fun things to do around here (many of them free).  Gabriel has enjoyed the park, special events at the library, the pool, free movies, and the children's museum.

First movie in a theater!  Despicable Me 2.  I figured we would give a theater a try since the movie was free and if we had to leave early it wasn't a big waste of money.  He had so much fun!  Every time we drive by the theater he talks about seeing the movie and eating popcorn.  He's ready to go back.

Potty training is going ok I suppose.  I'm not sure what my expectation was for how long it's supposed to take or how many accidents are involved but overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  We're still working on "going #2" in the toilet but as far as the other is concerned he has very few accidents and often says "Big boys use the potty!"  I think he's proud of himself.

Loves his Daddy.  When I get him up in the morning and Taylor has already left for work the first words out of his mouth are "Daddy's at work?"  He wants to see Daddy first thing when he wakes up (which he often does and that is why he therefore misses it when it doesn't happen).  Also, he has aptly named Starburst candy "Daddy snacks."  When he sees them in the cabinet he always asks to have a "Daddy snack."

He still makes me laugh with how much he talks and the random things he says, but lately it's been a little frustrating because the answer to most questions is "I don't really know."  When I ask what he enjoyed about his day or what he played in the nursery at church the answer is often the same.  "I don't really know."  If it's a "yes or no" question he usually says "Umm. . .I think so."  It's funny but frustrating at the same time when I want to have a conversation in the car and he won't answer anything.  I think that I need to lower my expectations for leading a conversation with a two year old :)

Gabriel enjoyed dressing like a cow and getting some free Chick-fil-a.  When we walked in the manager said "are you a cow?" and he said "I want free breakfast!"  He then proceeded to "Moo" at most of the employees.  He was pretty entertaining.

So, while most of our questions are met with "I don't know", apparently we have taught Gabriel that asking lots of questions is great fun.  He is constantly asking us things that he certainly knows the answer to.  As we all sit down to eat the same food he will ask "Mommy, what are you eating?" or "Daddy, what are you drinking?"  He sees colors that he knows and asks "Is this marker blue?"  He was eating some soup the other night and said "Is this a noodle in here?"  I guess we ask him so many things that he wants to interrogate us the same way.  Example below.  He individually pulled the sprinkles off of his donut and asked "Is this sprinkle blue?" followed by "Is this sprinkle pink?" and so on through every color, all of which he already knew.

We've been reading "If You Give a Dog a Donut" a lot this week, so when he asked for one this
morning I thought it a reasonable request.  He also wanted to eat it
 "in the gazebo in the big park."  Sounds good to me.

So that is all for now.  Just trying to stay caught up with things since who knows when little boy #2 will come to say "hello". . .

Random

I am one tired Mommy this evening but I wanted to post some pictures because I'm trying not to get too far behind. . .

Loving the big tree in the backyard

I don't have a long list in my head of new or funny things that Gabriel says (even though he still says plenty), but one that has come to mind is how he talks about food and gets the words mixed up.  For example, he will say "I'm thirsty about milk" or "Daddy is thirsty about tea".  I think it's funny.

Sharing a bag of cereal and watching something exciting

Gabriel transitioned a couple weeks ago to a bunk bed.  He loves that thing.  I took him to the park while Taylor was putting it together and he was telling random people "My Daddy is putting together my bunk bed.  He can do it!" I think what he likes most about it is that we can get in it with him.  It's hard to resist him when he says "Mommy wants to sleep with me?" or "Mommy wants to come get in my bed and cuddle with me?".  I may have fallen asleep a couple times curled up next to him singing him songs before nap time. . .

Besides the bunk bed transition we started potty training TODAY (thus why I'm probably so tired).  I figure that we should give it a serious try now or wait until after the baby comes.  This may be TMI for some people, but for the longest time he's known when he's going "#2".  It used to be that when I asked him if he was pooping he'd lie and say "no."  I explained many times that he was not being honest if his diaper is dirty and he says that it's clean.  Now when he poops he often come to me and says, "I'm being honest.  I pooped."  It cracks me up.  At any rate though today was a challenging day and I'm not exactly looking forward to giving it another go tomorrow but we will keep trying.

We've had various people come to visit in the last month and Gabriel has had fun showing them his favorite hang out spots (Children's Museum, Duck Pond, "The Big Park", Romp and Roll).  He also got to take some swim lessons. . .

Children's Museum

Cousin Love

Swim Lessons

He loves his Aunt Stephanie

Duck Pond with Grandpa

There was an event lately with lots of trucks to explore.  He especially loved getting to ride in a fire truck. . .

Lastly, he just got to go bowling for the first time.  He seemed to enjoy it, but waiting your turn gets a little boring.  Seeing his first arcade was also a highlight (lots of flashing lights and buttons to push), but after a while he got over stimulated and needed to get out of there. . .