Catch up...

Ok... lots to update!  Here it goes...

Marcus' first few weeks were a challenge!  He had reflux which was causing him to choke and ultimately stop breathing.  It was a scary few weeks.  He is doing great now and we haven't had an incident since he was 2 weeks old.  His pediatrician assured us that, while scary, it is a fairly common thing to happen.  We were given some suggestions on things to do to minimize the reflux... sleeping upright (car seat or swing), burping Marcus after each ounce he drank, remaining upright for 30-45 minutes after eating, tummy time prior to eating and others.

He is 3 months old and the happiest little guy I've ever seen!  He smiles all day long and is such a joy.  He has been sleeping through the night since he was 3 weeks old!  Every night at 11:00 when I put him down for bed I think to myself "this could be the night he stops sleeping through the night" and every morning I wake up at 7:00 I am grateful for another wonderful evening.

Aaron has taken to being a big brother like a pro!  He is so wonderful with Marcus!  He likes watching cartoons with him in his lap, he helps with diapers and bottles and replacing his pacifier when it falls out.

Here is a photo montage of the first few months as a family of four...

This was Marcus' first bottle... Aaron is a big help!

Going home... 9/6/10

Home at last... "He smells yummy, Mommy!"

First sponge bath at home with Mimi

Aunt Alexzndra meets Marcus when the Louras Family came to Boston on 9/10-9/12

Aunt Emmy and Uncle Adam

Apple Picking in VT - 9/25/10

Ace and GG with their boys

Hike to the top of Killington - 9/26/10

Kristi Baleno came for a visit - 9/30/10  She and Aaron had a blast... "I like ketchup on my oatmeal"

Happy Little Pumpkin!

Buzz Lightyear - "To Infinity and Beyond!"

Gainfully Employed

I'm not sure how this didn't get posted... it was written on 8/2.  Anyhow, a little out of order but worthy of posting just the same.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

This post is over due... my apologies, Brad.  We are so proud of you and excited for your new adventure!

Brad got a job offer on Thursday, 7/22 from Haemonetics - "The Blood Management Company".  It is in Braintree, MA which is only a 25 minute commute from our townhouse in Chestnut Hill.  He is the new Marketing Manager, North American Blood Bank - Donor Division. 

They wanted him to start right away and even invited him to join the sales team in Chicago from Wednesday - Thursday last week.  We obviously didn't have daycare lined up so Mimi was kind enough to fly to Boston and stay with Aaron while Brad was away and I was at work.  It was great to have her here - Thank you, Mimi!  We did ultimately secure daycare and the great news is that it is through Haemonetics!  Aaron will be commuting in with Brad starting on Wednesday, 8/4.  He is insisting we call it "little work" and he is very excited. 

Joyfully announcing the birth of Marcus Jeffrey

Marcus Jeffrey Libertore

September 2, 2010

11:18am

7 pounds, 10 ounces

19.5 inches

We are very excited to announce that Marcus Jeffrey joined our family on 90210 (yup! I went there!)  My cesarean went really well... it was very different than Aaron's delivery.  I was able to feel my arms this time, which was great but along with that came the pulling and tugging that I've heard other moms describe.  Yuck!   It was a great feeling to hear Marcus' first cry.  He had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck THREE times!  I'm so grateful I had a c-section... we would have inevitably ended up there. 

My first kiss for Marcus...

Proud Daddy

 

 

Holding Marcus for the first time... 

 

I wasn't able to hold him for long... my temperature went down to 94 degrees and the nurse was concerned that I would "rob" Marcus' heat... :( 

Me in the "Baire Hug" trying to get my core temp back up to at least 97 so I could hold my baby... it was really cozy in there!

Mimi, GG and Ace were all at Brigham and Women's Hospital waiting for the news of his arrival.  They were able to meet Marcus when we were transferred up to my room. 

Brad went to get Aaron from Nanay, Katie and Lola's house so he could meet his baby brother on his birthday...

The exact words for his baby brother were... "He's BEAUTIFUL! Can we take him home now?"

"Look! He has blonde hair just like me!"

My boys!

We are home and happy with our little bundle of joy. 

Pregnancy update - 35 weeks down, 4 to go

That's right... 35 weeks down and only 4 weeks to go before my c-section.  I filled out and signed a release for delivery following a previous cesarean today.  After speaking with Dr. Vincent last week and re-visiting the VBAC/Cesarean talk, we decided to give a VBAC a try IF (and this is a big IF) I go into labor naturally before 9/2/10, my water breaks naturally and the stars are aligned for a safe birth.  The statistics are not in our favor but the worst that can happen is I end up with a c-section which is the plan anyway.  I'm very pleased with this decision. 
I'm feeling really great - braxton hicks contractions have slowed down considerably in the past few weeks.  I am anxious for the baby's arrival.  I am in full nesting mode which is a strange feeling... I have an overwhelming and virtually uncontrollable urge to organize are prepare.  I vaguely remember doing this with Aaron but this feels stronger somehow.  I've had the pack and play set up for a few weeks now... awaiting the baby's arrival.  We misplaced the bassinet insert, changing table and diaper organizer for some time but got a call from my mom last week saying she found them - thank God!  It is driving me up a wall that they are in VT and not on the pack and play but I'm working on that.  My bag is packed for the hospital and I've marked my makeup with stickers (for Brad) in the event that we go early and I am unable to put them in my travel kit myself. 
The outfit we are bringing the baby home in has arrived and I love it! Thank you, GG! 
I am excited about my ultrasound appointment next week... Tuesday, 8/10 at 8am.  I hope I am able to see him in 3D!

Flying Solo

I am home in Boston this week while the boys stayed in Vermont.  It didn't make sense to drag Aaron back for 3 days of Boston heat when they were already at the lake.  They are having a great time... on Tuesday they went to Billings Farm in Woodstock, VT and Aaron got to get up close and personal to "cheese cows" (your plain 'ol black and white Jersey cows but Aaron insisted they are called "Cheese cows").  On Wednesday Aaron, Ace and Daddy went to the The Great Escape and Splash Water Kingdom in Lake George, NY.  They had a BLAST!!!  Here is a photo of Ace and Aaron riding the carousel...

While the boys were away, I decided to get my hair done... it was loooong overdue!  It wasn't exactly what I asked for but I am happy with what she did.  Here is the finished product...

I also decided since today marks the beginning of the 32nd week of this pregnancy, it was time for a pregnancy photo... oh boy - I can't believe I'm about to post this!  (note the grin - I fully acknowledge this is a ridiculous photo. I'll get Daddy to take a better one.).  Only 7 weeks to go... I can't wait!

Last night I went to see the new Twighlight saga movie, Eclipse with our neighbor Annika Wilson.  We had a very nice time and the movie was great!  I'm trying to stay busy so I don't miss Aaron and Brad so much.  It's sort of working. 

The East Coast has had record high temperatures all week... this was a bad summer to be pregnant!  Tuesday hit the triple digits and yesterday topped off around 95 degrees.  I'm doing okay though... staying indoors for the most part and drinking lots and lots of water.  The tough part of this particular week is that I'm taking the T from the Beaconsfield T stop into Longwood (3 stops total) and people have not been offering their seats to me.  I'm shocked by the number of people who make eye contact, scan down to my very obvious belly and then avert their eyes, pretending they didn't see me so they wouldn't have to give up their seats.  The only thing I can say for these people is... Karma, baby!  Karma!

That's all for now... I cannot wait for tomorrow afternoon when I drive back up to VT to be with my favorite guys!

4th of July Weekend

We forgot the charger to our camera over the weekend so sadly we do not have any photos to share.  :( 

We had a great 4th of July weekend in VT.  Aaron got to "drive the car" from the church to the lake house (like Mommy and all his uncles and aunt did growing up!) so he was in HEAVEN!  Uncle No-no and Katie were already at the lake when we arrived which thrilled Aaron to no end!  Ace and GG arrived later and we had a great evening on the lake. 
On Saturday we took the boat out and spent a lot of time in the sun.  No-no had some friends over and Aaron dazzled them with his Ice Cream game.  He asks you what flavor ice cream you'd like, pretends to scoop it into a cone, hands it to you and says "go ahead, take a taste".  Once you pretend to take a taste he shouts "it's hair ice cream!" or "it's garbage can ice cream".  He cracks up while you pretend to choke on the disgusting ice cream flavor... it's very fun!  His "flavors" range from ear wax to poop and are all disgusting!  He is a boy... through and through! 

Sunday was great... Brad ran a 5K in Manchester, VT and shaved 2 minutes off his last race time!  Yay!!!  We stopped at a farmers market/art in the park on the way home and picked up a few goodies for 4th of July dinner.  The Avalon Beach neighbors (Casella's, Brown's, Louras' and Web's) gathered for appetizers and dinner on our deck around 6pm.  It was great!  I made biscuits for strawberry shortcake for dessert... yum!  We all got in our respective boats and drove out to the Crystal Beach area of the lake to watch the Bomoseen Association fire works... Aaron loved them and kept saying "wow - they're so beautiful".  He konked out in my arms on the ride back to the house and didn't budge when we changed him into his jammies and put him to bed. 

It was hard for me to drive off on Monday afternoon but the drive to Boston was easy and I didn't run into any of the predicted traffic!  I was home by 7:30 and in bed by 9... ahhhh.

30 down, 10 to go...

Today is the beginning of week 31 of this pregnancy.  I'm feeling great.  I was singing a slightly different tune a few weeks ago but fortunately, my body seems to have adjusted to the heat of the summer.  The little ninja is kicking, punching and rolling up a storm!  He moves constantly and has kept me up many nights.  I may gripe about it but the truth is, I don't mind... it's reassuring to feel him.  His movements can be seen now which is fun for Daddy and Aaron.  He is particularly active first thing in the morning.  He has the hiccups right now which is a funny feeling and also very distracting... hic..... hic.... hic....
I had my 30 week OB appointment yesterday - everything is going great.  Blood pressure was 117/70, glucose test results were perfect and the baby's heart rate was 150.  We asked to be scheduled for another ultrasound so we are looking forward to that... too bad we have to wait 6 weeks!  I can't wait to see your face, little one!  We also picked a D-date!  Thursday, September 2nd (unless, of course he decides to come a little early -which is ok by me... just not too early!)  I should be getting confirmation of the exact time shortly. 
We had the VBAC discussion with Dr. Vincent towards the beginning of the pregnancy.  She said she would support us if we chose to go for a VBAC but felt that I wasn't a strong candidate for success given the tilt to my pelvis.  I believe her exact words were "if you have a 6lb or less baby with innate acrobatic abilities - it might work".  We agreed to see how the pregnancy progressed and if the baby was measuring small we could give it a try.  It doesn't appear as though small babies are something I can pull off!  :)  We have decided the safest thing for mommy and baby is to have a planned c-section.  I had a very easy recovery from my section with Aaron and feel confident that this section will go equally well.  

We are heading up to VT for the 4th of July tomorrow.  Aaron is very excited to see his Ace, GG and UNCLE NO NO!!  He pretends to call Uncle No-no on the phone every night and they "talk" about their plans for the weekend.  The plan right now is for all of us to stay through Monday then I will drive back to Boston for work and return to VT on Friday evening.  The boys will stay in VT for the week and enjoy the predicted nice weather.  It should be fun for them but I will miss them terribly!