Settling In as A Mother of Two

Christina Ariana has reached the ripe old age of 7 weeks, and things are becoming routine in the Stamatopoulos household. My brother was the last visitor for a while so we’ve now had almost 2 weeks on our own and things are floating along nicely. We had some amazing weather whilst he was here so we had our first park outing of the season and bbq down at Pampas.

We went outside for coffees

And we even managed to catch a part of the first of May celebrations down at Kungstregården which looks amazing this time of year with all the cherry trees blooming..

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After my brother left it was almost strange to be just me and Kenny in the evening, but honestly I’ve enjoyed spending some alone time with my husband so much, its nice to have the time after Nicholas goes to bed to sit and discuss the day that has passed and just shoot the Shit as kenny would put it.

Christina has grown loads and is still a super easy baby, almost as easy as Nicholas was. She now weighs a whopping 4300g which is up 2 kg since her first few days in the hospital! Not bad considering the fact that she was sick for 1,5 weeks in the middle of it all. I bet she will end up a little chubby cherub just like her brother.

I’ve actually also had the chance to spend some days alone with both kids and the dog, and although it is a bit of a hassle getting them both ready and out the door at the same time as i’m chasing Charlie around the house to get the leash on him (he doesn’t want to be walked most days) it still works out just fine, I will be getting the real test of how it feels to be the single mother of two soon though. Kenny is leaving with the national team in may, and will be away for over 3 weeks- then I will have to do the daycare drop off and pickup as well as everything else.. I have a feeling I won’t have to work too hard to loose the last 2 kgs of baby weight as those three weeks probably will take care of it for me!!

Two rainy Saturdays in a row I’ve brought the kids to watch Kenny train. I’ve gotten them ready after he’s left (he has to be in early to have breakfast with the team) and then we’ve walked down to Karlberg where the guys train. Nicholas has played on the part of the field that they don’t use- and cried a bit over the fact that he couldn’t join the team and play for real. The as soon as Kenny has been done training he has played some ball with Nicholas before we’ve all gone inside. Nicholas has eaten lunch there and then we’ve driven home and put him straight to bed. Perfect way of getting a Saturday morning to pass quickly!

Today was a nice sunny day, and even if the wind was a bit cold one could find a sheltered spot and feel toasty warm. I took the kids to walk Charlie, and then we went to the park and kicked ball until we had to go home to watch the game. Thank God Christina Ariana likes to sleep as much as Nicholas did, cause she was quite content with sleeping in her stroller whilst Nicholas and I played. I just took her up once and fed her, and put her back down.. So nice when they are content!!

Now I can hear her starting to look for food, so thats all for now!

Have a beautiful week!

Maria

Off they go

It’s been quiet from me, I know, but with two kids to look after, and my brother visiting i just haven’t felt it. I promised myself when I started blogging that I was doing this for me- for me to get a good perspective on things, and that I would only blog when I actually felt like it, never because it was a chore. Thus if you look in my blog archive you will find that there are several gaps in there with no posts- coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally my blog free periods usually occur when I have the most to write about- when things- good things, or bad- are happening and I find that these things take all my attention, and that I can’t find the energy or that particular mood I need in order to write and share!

Well, on last Friday we went back to the hospital, I went with my amazing twin brother Dimitri who came down to help out after Ken’s mother left. Whilst we were sitting there waiting for the Dr to have a look at Christina Ariana she started coughing. She was laying on my chest at the time, I picked her up to look at her and what do I see- she somehow managed to sneeze and cough out the gastric feeding tube- but this time thankfully back out her nose- so there she was with a completely useless tube taped to her cheek and i was just crossing every finger and toe I had for her not needing it back in. Long story short- she didn’t, she had gained weight at home to be declared well, and we could go home tube free!

Last picture with sonde in :)

Going home- tube free!!

My brother has been hanging out loads with Nicholas, and they’ve had so much fun together! The weather has been so good whilst he has been here so Nicholas, Kenny and Dimitri have spent most of the day outdoors. Christina and I went with them a few times too!

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My brother left today, and I’m sitting at espresso house waiting for Christina’s BVC appointment-time to come around! Fingers crossed that she is still gaining weight the way she should!

I think she is though- when I look at that cute little double chin that definitely wasn’t there before :)

Have a beautiful day! I will!!

Christina Ariana’s Duedate

Today is Christina’s due date! Today she was supposed to be born, and we are spending the day only a stone throw away from the birthing section of the hospital.

The last few days have been filled with ups and downs -and very very little sleep – but today we get to go home at last. It’s only on leave, and she is still a patient (kinda obvious when you see the tube she has stuck up her nose) but if things progress the way they have been we can come back on Friday and get discharged for good!
The gastric feeding tube was put in again last afternoon as she hadn’t gained any weight since it came out. First picture is taken two days ago, second yesterday! Now she has started being more alert again, and that’s a good sign!

Right now she is sleeping draped over my chest like a little baby monkey. This seems to be her favourite place at the moment. And I am going to sleep now for a few hours. Goodnight!

The Hospital

Thank God Kenny’s mother Christina is still here helping out! Baby C and I have been in the hospital since Wednesday early afternoon. She caught an RS virus- a virus that is a common cold virus for you and me- but quite dangerous for premature and newborn children. She was in the NICU when she first came in- getting extra oxygen and being monitored 24/7, but now she is in a normal room with me- and the gastric feeding tube was taken out yesterday so she is feeding by herself now.

Thankfully she is on the mend now- and thankfully Kenny’s mother was here to help out with Nicholas whilst I’ve been here and Kenny have been training! What would we have done if it happened a week later? Sometimes, who am I kidding- MOST times it sucks living so far away from family!! It’s been so nice these weeks to have someone at home who can help out with the normal things that need to be done around the house. Especially cleaning (still not allowed to vacuum) and cooking -which is time consuming and tiring and takes away time I can spend with either the baby or Nicholas. Also just having someone there who can sit with the baby after she has eaten (she has been so congested with this cold that she would throw up if i put her down) so that I can go play with Nicholas is priceless. Soon she is going home though (which I assume she is looking forwards to after being here for three weeks- but I am NOT looking forwards to it as it means much more work for both Kenny and me..

Ah well, enough about that
Here are some iPhone pictures from the last week.

Before getting sick

The typical RS slime buildup that came with the beginning of the illness

Sick and sleepy

In intensive care

Only gastric feeding tube left and properly awake for the first time in days!

Tube out and sleeping soundly in her own bed for the first time since Monday! Airways are more or less clean (helped by the natrium inhalations she has every two-three hours) and she can lay down without coughing slime! Big improvement!

I hope that by tomorrow afternoon latest the day after tomorrow we can go home!

What I’ve been up to?

Ive been busy taking care of my little baby girl, Christina Ariana who decided to arrive five weeks early in week 35. She was born on March 23rd, weighing only 2530g and 46cm.

She is fine and so am I. Labour ended in cecaerian as she was breached. More about that to come! I am still recovering from the operation- although I feel fine I am not allowed to lift for another 3 weeks- which is of course hard when you have a two year old in the house! That’s right! A two year old!! Nicholas turned 2 on Wednesday the 11th of April- and is honestly the best big brother so far! I am so proud of him! He treats his little sister like gold.

As for us- we were lucky enough that my mum jumped on a plane from Norway once I told her the baby was coming- I don’t know what we would have done is she hadn’t. And we were also lucky enough that a new friend of mine said yes to taking Nicholas when my waters broke all of a sudden. Man I was lucky there, got to know the girl one less than one week earlier! Now Christina Ariana is 3 weeks old (and one day) and Kenny’s mother Christina is here to visit us (the visit we had booked so that someone would be here to help and take care of nicholas when I went into labour..

My little night owl earlier this evening!

I’ll try to be back soon with more pictures and the birth story of my little princess. I totally think my experience sucked this time around- but the prize at the end of it made it totally worth it!

Now I’m going to feed my little girl and get back to bed! Night night! Xx

The Joys Of Pregnancy

Usually I’m the kind of person that really just love being pregnant. I love the feeling of a little body squirming inside of me, I love that certain glow pregnant women have, and I love the way the addition of a pregnant belly makes me feel. I honestly feel much better about myself when I am pregnant than I do when I’m not.

But today I don’t want to sing to the Joys Of Pregnancy. Today I feel like complaining about the crap that comes with it. Heartburn, achy sore pelvis and back, stretch marks,  and bad bad bad sleep quality. The latter of course being what I hate the most, seeing as I’m actually a clone between a human and a sloth..

Normally I love being a mother, and I love being a mother to Nicholas more than anything. Usually I would write how much I love the few times he wakes up at night and I get to cuddle him close with his sleepy warm body molded against mine, a perfect fit for a perfect little human. I would tell you how him calling out “Mamma!!” and then running to meet me, his whole face lit up with joy, fills my heart with so much love it feels like it would burst.. I would tell you how much watching him growing and maturing fills me with a bitter-sweet joy, a mix of proud accomplishment for raising this little person, and a  longing for when he was little, and needed me more..

Not today. Today I just want to complain about how I had to wake up about a thousand times last night because something, no idea what, but something, was bothering Nicholas to the point of him waking every 45 minutes and calling out for me, and how hearing him calling “Mamma”  just made me want to bang my head into the wall with frustration and anger for the loss off sleep and the fact that I knew I had to get up in such a short time to get him ready for nursery. I want to complain about the fact that he for some annoying reason prefers me over daddy at the moment, and how I just can’t handle ONE more NO from his mouth, or one more anger tantrum from him. Ever. I want to complain about the joint hassle of being heavily pregnant and a toddler mother at the same time. How it’s so much more work when you are home with your child 24/7 than if you can just “dump” him at day care and head to work..

But to be honest, as I’m writing this I find all the anger and frustration evaporating, and just thinking about the things I usually find so lovely about being a mother, and about being pregnant actually over shadows the cons by a long shot. I wouldn’t want to change my predicament for anything, I wouldn’t want to take back the 23 months I’ve gotten to have Nicholas home with me for a million bucks, and I definitely love being a pregnant mother of a toddler whenever I think of how much joy these two siblings will have in each other in a few years..

Long story short, I love my life. Heartburn, achy pelvis, tantrum throwing toddler and all..

Now it’s just a matter of remembering that if he wakes up a thousand times again tonight..

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Now I’m going to go clean a stroller so it’s ready for re sale!

Maria

 

Baby Stuff

Today came after a long long long long (as the wiggles would say) night. Nicholas had a real bad one again today, coughing up slime to the point of gagging, so very little sleep on my part. Kenny got up with him twice, but after that I took over and slept in his room. Thankfully when Nicholas got up at 7am, Kenny took him down and I got to sleep in until 12. It was more than needed after the little sleep I’ve had over the last few weeks..

Nicholas ended up needing two naps today, one from 10 till 12, and again from 2-3.30 before he was ready to do anything, so in the meantime Kenny and I got the crib set up, and I just put the new bedding on to see how it looked. Pretty good if you ask me, but I definitely need to pain the crib white!

detail of the bumper

back of the quilt is stripy! so cute

picture of the front of the quilt

inside the bed

The only problem I found is that american standard crib size is about 20 cm longer and 5 cm wider than the European standard (surprise surprise, they love having everything bigger over there)

But nothing that couldn’t be mended on with a bit of smart tying here and there..

Today I also got a look at the things Ken bought for the baby, he seems to have taken off with pyjamas, so hint hint everyone. We do not need too many more baby pj’s in newborne sizes (everything he got was tiny!

PJ's galore

Below are picture of what he bought, there was a big sale on in Macey’s he says, so that’s why he got so much. I think he picked some really cute outfits too!

yeah i held the iphone upside down when i took the picture, not very clever!

After Nicholas’ second nap we were ready to get out for a while, and he was too- so we drove to Bromma Blocks to let him run off some steam, and to have a coffee.

Celso came and met us there, and he was so tired that he nearly nodded off whilst drinking coffee! Nicholas got hung up with this airplane they have in one of the shoe stores, and we just about couldn’t get him out of it!

We had the donkey out for a test ride in the mall today, and Nicholas loved it! He sat in it quite contentedly for over an hour whilst we had our coffee, and the snack tray was a hit. He was opening and closing it, and drinking water from the bottle I had put in it like nobody’s business. So now I’m just looking forwards to taking both kids out in it in a few weeks time (not before april 4th mind you, don’t want her to come before I’m 37 weeks either!)

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Now bath and bedtime!

Maria