My little cranky Superman!

The past few days with London have been rough. It seems as though he has two completely different personalities. One is a happy sweet little baby and the other is a screaming demon who hates the world! For the first few weeks he was so good and slept almost 3-4 hours in a row each night. However, a few nights ago we hit an all time low! London was screaming to eat, screaming while eating and then throwing up the milk and screaming some more. I also took a break from breastfeeding and was pumping bottles and could not keep up the milk supply, adding to the frustration. That night he screamed from 11pm until 2am and I was exhausted and on the verge of losing my cool. I had a nice scream and a good cry and took London downstairs and he finally fell asleep on my chest. We slept like that for a few hours.
Last night and today London is like my little baby Superman. He's been alert, content and not acting like a crazy starving frustrated baby. This may be because last night I decided to suck it up and try to breastfeed as much as possible. It may help with the spitting up and it makes him feel so secure and happy. He actually smiles after feeding...so cute! The kid loves boobs! ha. I am feeling so good today and actually not in too much pain. I took London and the dogs for a walk the other day and even got a 30 minute workout on the wii. The weight loss is progressing slowly but I know I will lose it by the time I return to work if not sooner.
My mom and dad will be here in 6 days and my sister Andrea will be here a few days after that. My dad and Andrea have yet to meet London and I can't wait!

Getting to know "Lou"...

Tomorrow London will be 3 weeks old. He has quite a personality already for being a chubby ball of fat that mainly just eats, poops, and cries.




London likes: the sound of birds, the shower, the vacuum cleaner, the blow dryer, his owl and tree wall clings, his eyebrows and head being rubbed, riding in his car seat, when you play with his bottom lip, mama's milk, his bouncy seat, cuddling into mommy and daddy's chests, biting and scratching

London dislikes: being naked, being changed, baths, being swaddled when not tired, waiting to eat, getting lotioned, going to the doctors, pooping his pants


London's room got a slight makeover to make it more suitable for a little dude. We replaced the pink owl picture with alphabet wall art from target. Kary's mom made curtains out of some fabric Kary and I picked out from ikea. They look very cool. We replaced the pink flower with a green bug and had to fix 2 letters in London's name that were too girly. We think the room looks great and London seems to enjoy it too.

first bath and growing fast!

London lost his umbilical cord on Oct. 21st when he was 16 days old. It had been hanging by a tiny bit and we really wanted it to come off so we could bathe him. Kary took him up to change him and came down showing off his cute little bellybutton (London's not Kary's..ha) However, Kary then informed me he did not know what happened to the umbilical cord piece...yuck! Luckily, he found it in a blanket on the changing table.
London was good for his first bath. His whale tub worked great. He cried during it but the screams turned into whimpers after he felt the warm tub water and daddy put warm washcloths on his head and chest. He looked so cute! I cuddled him in his towel afterward and he calmed down instantly. He loves his mama.
London is growing so fast. He is still quite a baldy but getting more hair each day. He also has very long eyelashes. such a cutie pie!
Yesterday we spent the day in Statesville with the Gaffneys. London had a great day. He got to meet his great grandmother (and threw up all over her~she didn't mind though) and he got to spend a lot of time with grandpa Gaffney. He was also held for the first time (after 16 days!) by his uncle Sean. The day really tired him out because he screamed for hours when we got home. So today we are just taking it easy and cuddling...my favorite!

London's calling........

London is now 2 weeks and 1 day old. He has changed so much already since he was born. He spends much more time with his eyes wide open checking things out. He also spends a lot more time crying. We were bragging early on about how good of a sleeper he is but lately he's been screaming and spending most of the night awake and keeping us exhausted. He usually wakes up every 3 hours but then it takes me almost 2 hours to feed him, burp him and get him back to sleep. He thinks 4am is party time. We are also having feeding issues. He is a rough little dude during breastfeeding so rather than make myself sick and in tears I trade off between pumping bottles and breastfeeding. He has been getting very cranky while eating. It's almost like he doesn't get the milk fast enough and gets all pissed about it and lets us know. Also, he eats a lot and quick and gets angry when we stop him to burp him and sometimes he projectile pukes because he doesn't take a breath. Last night he covered me in barf as well as the bed and himself. Luckily, Kary's boss gave us about 20 pairs of pajamas so a wardrobe change in the middle of the night is much easier. London poops a lot and has a diaper rash :-( But butt paste is working well. Sometimes we go through 3 diapers in one changing because he decides to pee or poop in his new diaper...haha.
London's umbilical cord is now hanging by a string. We cannot wait to see his little belly button and give him a real bath! Gotta get some use out of his cool whale tub. The doctor put a chemical on it to speed up the process and it's working!
London had his 2 week doctor appointment on Monday. I took him alone and was so proud that I got us both ready and there on time. I even managed to straighten my hair and wear my skinny jeans! His appointment went great. He cried a lot because he hates being in just his diaper. He was also hungry. He weighs 9lbs 9oz now and 22 inches long. He is still in the 75th percentile for weight and height and in the 50th for head size. His head did not scar and the doctor was very impressed on how it healed. His breathing was great and she said he must be eating very well. She gave me some info on how to make sure I don't overfeed him and that has been helpful. London always has the hiccups and grandma Gaffney is going to pick him up some gripe water today to help with that. He got them all the time in the womb too.
We are almost finished with his room make-over. We replaced the pink flower light with the same kind from ikea but got the green bug instead. We ordered a new picture for his wall, got a new bed skirt and bumper and grandma Gaffney is making new curtains with very cute fabric we picked out from ikea. I will post pics when it's finished.
London is keeping me very busy and it's been rough with Kary working long hours. But he's bringing home great $ and has been an amazing dad juggling it all. I can't wait to see what is in store for us next. I get excited every time I wake up and see how London has changed. He woke up today with long eye lashes! so cute! Well this was probably the most random blog post ever but I am going on about 4 hours of sleep...and of course, London is calling!.....

11 days of London...

London turned 11 days old yesterday (our lucky number) we are starting to see a lot more personality with our little boo. We are also starting to notice a lot more wake time and crying ;-) Luckily, he only cries when he needs changed or is hungry (which is all the time!..ha) London has been to target a few times and even lowes hardware, ikea and garden ridge. He is such a good baby. He loves his car seat and just sleeps through the entire trip. Even when people ask to look at him he just sleeps sweetly almost as if he knows how cute he is.
My mom was here for 5 days after London was born and she was such a HUGE help. It was so awesome to have her help me with the hell that is breastfeeding ;-) and she always took London about 7am so Kary and I could go back to sleep. That was fantastic those first few days when I was still in so much pain. She also kept the house super clean (only person who cleans like me..hehe) and took awesome care of Brooklyn and Brixton. She spoiled them with about 5 walks a day. My mom is a lot like me and does not sit still so she didn't mind helping.
I love watching Kary with London. He cracks me up. He is always making comments when London does funny stuff with his hands. He grabs his chest when he sucks down milk and Kary says he's having a fat baby heart attack and when he plays with his hands Kary says he is devising an evil plan...it really does look like it.
The scab on London's head is completely gone and you can't even tell he had that giant laceration. His hair growth is also completely normal in that spot even though the pediatrician said it may be a bald spot...doctors always predict the worst...stupid. London will need to meet with a urologist in a few months for a condition he was born with called "Hypospadias" it is a somewhat common birth (congenital) defect in which the opening of the urethra is on the underside, rather than at the end, of the penis. His penis is also wrapped in extra skin and will need to be operated on and straightened out when he is 5 months old :-( The surgeon will also have to move his urethra. As of now, he still sprays pee across the room and looks pretty normal but after the surgery he will have a perfect penis..haha. This condition may be why the ultrasound tech thought he was a girl. His penis was not as visible as if he did not have the condition....enough of the penis talk...haha.
London has his 2 week doctor's appointment tomorrow. I am taking him solo and it will be my first time driving with him in the car. At his first appointment Kary and I forgot the diaper bag and he pooped within minutes of being in the patient room. We had to change him and wrap him in a paper towel...I'll be sure to remember diapers tomorrow. At his last appointment he was in the 75th percentile for height and weight and a bit above average in head size. He weighed 8lbs 11oz....my big boy. I think now he's about up to 9lbs...especially with all the milk he drinks.
I have lost 24 pounds so far and have about 20 more to go. I'm sure the last 20 will be the hardest. I bought a scale to keep track but can't work out until 4 weeks postpartum...then hello wii!!! That's all for now...time to cuddle my little bugaboo♥

Here are some pictures taken over the past 11 days...

Labor & Delivery

After coming home from my "false labor" Monday morning Kary and I were pretty anxious to see if my contractions would kick in again. I called the OBGYN and made my appointment earlier so the doctor could check my dilation. Unfortunately it was still 2cm. When we got home we walked the dogs up and down the street over and over hoping to get my contractions started. They were still very sporadic. It was frustrating. The doctor told me only to go to the hospital when they were 3-5 minutes and getting stronger. Around 9pm I started to notice the contractions were more rhythmic and painful. Kary started keeping track and I took a warm bath. By the end of the bath I started to be in a lot of pain with each one. We kept track and by 10pm they were about 4 minutes apart and getting very painful. I called the doctor and he said to come in. We got to the hospital around 11pm. We had to enter the emergency entrance where there was a line of people complaining of mosquito bites and other random stuff. When it was my turn I told the man I was in labor and he quickly put me in a wheelchair. This time I needed it. I was wheeled into a room waiting to be picked up. There were some very creepy people in there and one woman was talking about smoking crack and then asked me, "Was you leaking fluid?" Luckily, a few minutes later Alexis (the most AMAZING nurse) came to pick me up to take me to the maternity ward. The foot part of the wheelchair was broken and my leg was dangling off as I was cringing every 5 minutes.
When we got to the triage room Alexis checked me and I was dilated about 3cm. She said that I will be admitted and have my baby this time :-) She put me on my side because the baby's heartbeat was slowing down. That was kind of scary. While Kary and I were waiting for the nurse to get our room ready my contractions started to come much stronger. I was to the point where I had to yell through them. I never felt anything like that. They radiated into my lower back and then to my uterus and I could feel them coming on each time. Kary was reading through MADGAB cards and I was trying to solve them as I was contacting.
By the time I was admitted to the room I was in hell. It was the worst pain I have ever felt. Alexis rubbed my knees through each one and held the barf bucket as I puked through a few of them. Finally the anesthesiologist arrived for my epidural. I didn't even mind the giant needle. The scary part was afterward I was completely paralyzed from my belly down. I could not wiggle my toes and when they tried to sit me up I fell over and started to faint. He said I had a very low tolerance and this usually doesn't happen. They quickly laid me back and gave me oxygen because my blood pressure dropped. The anesthesiologist then had to go back into my spine and remove some. The numbness lasted 3 hours and made me nauseated but at least I couldn't feel the contractions anymore.
I dilated pretty quickly after that and the doctor broke my water. That was weird. Around 9am the doctor said I was near 9cm and would be pushing soon. By this time a new doctor's shift started. I had met her once and thought she was kind of odd but she turned out to be amazing.
About 10am I started pushing and it lasted 3 1/2 hours. I could not feel the pain but could feel the contractions and the pressure. It took everything in me and seemed as though I would never get that baby out. Kary was by my side the whole time and iced me in between each contraction. I came down with an infection and had a 101 degree temperature. That made labor much more challenging. I felt horrible and had no strength...not to mention I had been up all night.
Finally about 1:00pm I finally started making progress. The head was coming! Kary, the nurses and the doctor were now cheering me on like they were watching the superbowl. They were screaming "Sara!" and "London!" and even though I was in hell I was cracking jokes and telling them how much it sucked..haha. Because of my infection the doctor said I was running out of time and the baby was exposed to too much bacteria. She gave me two options: a c-section or the vacuum. Both sounded awful but I was not going to give up so I let her try the vacuum but was worried about the baby. It was such a weird feeling when she did it and I pushed with all my power. Still no baby!!! As the doctor called in the OR to prep for me she had one last idea. She gave one nurse a towel and told me to pull on the towel as hard as I could as I pushed. I had 2 more contractions this way and did not want to go into surgery so I pushed my brains out and suddenly out popped the baby. I looked down and saw a pink baby that looked much cuter than the purple creepy babies from a "baby story." My baby looked like those giant adorable babies from tv and movies that look a few months old...haha. Besides the giant cone head of course. I didn't hear any crying for a while because of all the fluid in the baby's lungs. When I heard the cry I started to cry with relief that the hell was over and the baby was ok. Kary ran over to take pictures and as he came over and showed me the pictures a nurse told him she needed to talk to him. She pulled him aside and said our baby has testicles. Kary was confused and came over to tell me. When he came to the side of the bed he looked at me and said, "I think London is a boy." His face was pale and confused. I looked at him and yelled, "What do you mean a boy?! We had a girl." I started thinking about all the dresses, the pink room, how everything was perfect for a girl and how we imagined this little girl for the past 10 months. I started to yell and ask the nurses how the hell this happened. It was a very honest moment and now looking back I realize how selfish and bratty I was acting. But, I was in shock and had just been through a lot. I had a healthy gorgeous baby and I was instead thinking about pink stuff. They took London for a few hours for some testing and then brought him back and placed him on my chest. He was hysterical and had a giant laceration on his head from banging into my pelvic bone for 3 hours. He laid on my chest and when he heard my heartbeat he calmed down.
The first night was very hard. Kary and I were still in shock and were feeling depressed and guilty that we felt like this little boy was a stranger. He was not what we were expecting and it felt weird. We felt bonded to the little "girl" in my belly and it was hard to make the switch. It was almost like we had to mourn her and realize she never existed before we could feel like it was him all along.
That next night at 3:15am, London grabbed my finger and as I looked into his eyes I fell in love. Every feeling of guilt or longing for the daughter I thought I was carrying melted away and I saw the most perfect baby I always wanted. I sat there staring at him for hours and flashes of him running around in superman pajamas and acting wild and crazy with Kary made me smile. He was my little baby boy and he had stolen my heart. ♥


London James Gaffney
born October 5, 2010
1:25pm
8lbs 7oz
22 in

it's time!!!!.....to go home?? :-(

We went to bed around 11:30pm on Sunday night and I had some slight contractions about 10 minutes apart. I woke up about 1:30am and started to feel them more often and they were starting to hurt. By 2:00am I woke up Kary and we started timing them. They were exactly 5 minutes apart so we called the call line and the doctor called me back about 20 minutes later. She told us to come in so they could check to see if I was in labor. We grabbed our stuff and by now I was feeling pretty uncomfortable but no real pain. We got to the hospital about 3:00am and were greeted by a trashy lady in the parking lot asking me if I had a lighter. I shouted "no!" and walked into the emergency entrance. I told the man at the front desk, "Umm, I think I am in labor." A nice male nurse rolled out a wheelchair and put me in it. I was laughing because it really was not necessary yet. A nurse brought me up to the maternity floor a few minutes later. They took my info and we moved into "Triage" room 4. The nurse had me change into a hospital gown and started monitoring the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. They were still not really painful but 5 minutes apart. After about 30 minutes, the nurse checked my dilation...still 2cm (same as my last appointment) She told Kary and I to walk the halls for an hour to see if that would help dilation, if not they would send me home. So, for an hour from 4:00am-5:00...Kary and I walked in a circle around the maternity ward. We saw and heard tiny babies...they were so cute and wrapped like little burritos. We started to get excited..but we knew there was a good chance we'd be sent home. We drank ginger ale and my contractions were definitely 5 minutes at this point. At 5:00am the nurse came and got us and I was checked again. She said I was about 2 1/2-3cm and that was not enough. So, she monitored me for another 20 minutes and then had us walk another half hour. By this time, my contractions were strong. I had to keel over and brace myself for each one. We were hopeful that we would not be sent home. We returned to the room at 6:00am and to our despair my cervix did not cooperate. The nurse told me to go home and nap and eat and call when the contractions were 2 minutes apart or my water breaks. I was still having contractions at this point...which sucked. I was super bummed and felt kind of dumb for being sent home. On the way home the contractions were still strong and I wanted to cry. When we got home at 7:00am managed to fall asleep for about an hour. My contractions pretty much stopped for an hour and now at 11:00 they are starting to come and go sporadically. I moved my weekly doctor appointment to this morning at 11:45. Hoping for more progression with dilation. I really wanna meet Lou Lou tonight!!! We'll see....this pregnancy/labor stuff is so confusing :-(

waiting......

We are all awaiting our baby girl in anticipation, even Brooklyn and Brixton. They are ready to meet their sister! Two more days until her expected arrival and still no baby. We were hoping to make her arrive this weekend. On Friday I decided to take the day off. Thursday when I came home from work I was overheated from sitting in a meeting with no AC, Brixton had pooped on the floor for the second day in a row, and then I sliced my foot open on a brick in the backyard. I had had it! Plus, I was supposed to attend an Open House event that night. So, I decided it was best to just throw in the towel and take the day to relax. Plus I lost my mucus plug the day before and am 2cms dilated so I wanted to play it safe. I made sure to hug my kids before leaving them Thursday and I also got a smiley wave from them when I saw them later outside during a firedrill. I also left them each a card with a little poem printed on it: *I got it from a website

While I am gone…
*Keep searching for answers
…but never stop asking questions.

*Keep your good common sense
…but don't forget to use it.

*Keep doing your work
…but remember the difference between "done" and "well done".

*Keep your feet on the floor
…but let your love for learning soar.

*Keep turning in your library books on time
…but never stop checking them out.

*Keep your nose clean…
…but soil your hands with hard work.

*Keep yourself in your own space
…but let your thoughts mingle with those of others.

*Keep your sense of humor
…but share it when it will make someone else feel better.

*Keep your area clean
…but clutter your mind with knowledge.

*Keep quiet in the halls
…but speak loudly and proudly when presenting your ideas.

I will be thinking of you and missing you….see you in January

Love, Ms. Chesley-Gaffney

Back to baby news...Kary and I are very well prepared. We have our bags packed, our final checklists on the counter, dog's food and meds packed up and we make sure to keep the house spotless at every moment.
Thursday night was an odd night and we were hoping it meant she was coming...but nope. Oddly, the power went out in our entire neighborhood and about 3 miles down the street. Annoyingly, I had hauled my ass to the store by foot only to see it was closed due to the power outage. So we drove a bit further to a creepy food lion and then ate some subway...with lots of jalapenos...Then we saw a giant rainbow in the sky. Luckily, the power was back on by the time we got home.
Yesterday we had a fantastic day! The weather was gorgeous! We got up at 7:30am, had some bojangles breakfast and did a little shopping. We got awesome halloween stuff at the dollar store, we got Brooklyn a new toy and halloween bandanas for the dogs at walmart, we even bought the travel version of "madgab" to play in the hospital to try to distract me with word riddles. Kary hung the decorations, we went for a bunch of long walks, I ate a ton of wasabi all in attempts to get this labor started...but no luck. Today we are going to babies 'r' us to look for a baby blind to block the sun from Lou. I love to plan out my day and not knowing when she'll arrive is driving me crazy! So, perhaps today's plan may involve me experiencing an intense amount of pain and giving birth to my tiny little puffy wrinkled, red-faced baby girl....you never know...but I sure hope so!