A special day for Mommy

Jarrod really, really went out of his way this year to make Mother's Day special.  FIRST, he finished his last big paper for seminary EARLY so that it wouldn't be hanging over us to work on that day.   Then, he let me sleep in, surprising me with a huge bouquet of flowers and hand-print cards from the kids.. made breakfast AND cleaned the kitchen afterward.. and then continued to have surprises for me throughout the day.  

It was extra-special because the kids are getting old enough to realize that the day was different from other days.. and Jarrod helped them by giving them little things to give me with throughout the day as well.  

Chocolate! Yum!

 Hugs and kisses... just what I wanted! ;)

Thanks, honey, for making it such a special day!

Sleep training, once again...

It is official, Alaina is not a newborn any more.. she has grown into size 3 month clothes and doesn't
sleep all day, anywhere, any longer.  She has put herself on a 3 nap/day schedule and naturally wants to go to sleep around 6-6:30pm for the night.. up twice during the night to nurse and then waking between 8-9am.  It is a great schedule...  and most would say, "why are you complaining about that??"  Well.. I'm not.  

But she is pretty attached... so she requires ME to go to sleep, and to stay asleep. That isn't all bad.  I love the snuggles, the bond... except, we both don't rest well when we are together.. she wakes me up, I wake her up...  AND I honestly don't think I have been without this child for any extended amount of time since she was born.  I need some time alone.  I will be a better mother when I get some time alone. 

It is time.  Tonight, she is learning to sooth herself to sleep.  And I am blogging about it to keep myself distracted and out of her room.  I have been dreading the sleep training, but I love the results... with Marc, we waited until he was 6 months old... and had a terrible time getting him to sleep every night until we finally bit the bullet and trained him to soothe himself. He became a different baby (not overtired and crying so much) and it really helped all of us.  With Emmalyn, we trained her at 3.5 months, and she took to it much easier.. and it really changed my life: going from struggling to keep her asleep vs stimulate her when she wakes every evening until 11 or 12 at night to her going to sleep well at 6:30 and sleeping soundly for the night.  They both came through it all right, and I was a changed Mommy having the evening to myself once again.  

So here we are again, praying for our girl as she takes some of her first "steps" toward independence.  Alaina actually tricked me tonight... I did the nighttime routine (nurse, pray, rock, sing)... and put her in her bed.. and she went right to sleep for 30 minutes before realizing she was in her bed without her Momma by her side.  But then she woke up, and instead of rushing in for another session of soothing, I am waiting through this intermittent crying for her to learn how to sooth herself and go back to sleep.  

It is not easier this third time, but when is letting go ever easy? I know that it is worth it... and it only gets better from here.

No Regrets

I recently read an article about the top five things that people regret at the end of their lives.  I started thinking about what I will regret - not at the end of my life, but at the end of "my time" with my kids. They are at home with me now, and before I know it they will be going to kindergarten, then prom, college, and off into the world!  I have five foundational years to really invest in my kids' lives. At the end of these years, I would regret it if I hadn't taught them these truths:

1. God is real and in every part of our lives.  I hope that my children now God, and His Son Jesus, and have learned how He is in everything.
2. You are important, special, and loved.  There are so many distractions that take me away from my kids - are they needed?  I want this to be quality time that teaches them they are worth the investment. 
3. It is not about success; it is about effort.  I hope to teach my kids the value of working hard, and not being afraid of failure.
4. Obedience must be immediate.  The phrase "listen and obey" is repeated often in our home. My children need to recognize and submit to appropriate authority.
5. People are more important than things.  When they fight over toys or when I yell because they broke an objet, it can send the message that the toy or object is more important than the relationship.. which is not the message I want the kids to take away. They are always more important.

What is on your list? What things do you want to teach your children before they leave your home? How can you work now to ensure that you are left with no regrets??

1 Month old!

Hooray! Alaina turned 1 month old! Hard to believe she is already one month - we have thoroughly enjoyed the sleepy newborn stage, but are now seeing her eyes open more in the daytime.  She has been able to distinguish day and night - sleeping a 6 hour stretch consistently.  She would be happy to be in our arms all day (and night!), but when we put her down, Alaina likes to be swaddled and has also discovered a love for the car seat, which puts her to sleep as well!  She is starting to track with her eyes, and is interested in looking at her black and white book!  Alaina is loved by all - but especially her doting big sister who would love to hold her and help care for her as much as Mommy allows, and her big brother who is concerned when Alaina cries and  has some advice for Mommy: "Mommy, she needs milk!... Mommy, change her diaper!".

 She is not a huge fan of tummy time, but will tolerate it in short spurts with appropriate distractions.

Alaina had her first "play date" with her closest in age friend, Kaleb, who is just two and a half weeks younger than Alaina!

Happy 1 Month, Alaina!  We are so glad you are a part of our family!

Alaina's first days

Alaina Lee Puffenbarger joined our family on the morning of October 7th.  

She is beautiful and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.  

 We came home from the hospital on Friday, Oct 11 - where she found the open and waiting arms of her big sister. I am waiting for the novelty of the "new baby" or "baby Ali" to wear off a bit - but as of right now, she is still the celebrity of the house.

1 week old!

Alaina had moderate bilirubin levels so we gave her 24 hours of formula to keep her out of the hospital.  Her big sister was thrilled to have a chance to participate in feeding the baby - and even learned about burping her.  Emmalyn is a pro now when she feeds all of her baby dolls. :)

Alaina has been a good eater, sleeper, and generally will take a lot from her siblings - so it looks like she is going to fit in well. :)

Story time with Daddy!

Even though we are still figuring it all out - especially as Daddy returns to work tomorrow - we are so happy as a family of 5 (and thankful to have my mom's help for the next 10 days!)!

37 Weeks!

After 6 days in the hospital, going back into labor each time this IV drip of anti-contraction meds slows down, I am ready for this baby to come out!  Since 37 weeks is considered full term, and my mom is due to arrive in Korea in just 3 hours, it is time to make a change.

Tomorrow morning around 10am (9pm on Sunday, EST) my doctor is going to attempt an external cephalic version and attempt to manually flip the baby.  It is our prayer that if it is going to work, the baby would turn easily, and if not - we won't force it - but go ahead with a c-section.  There is some risk involved, since the baby's placenta is on the anterior side, but it is sill possible for this to work without any problems.  Pray that - no matter what - the baby will have a safe delivery!

Below are pictures from this past week, click to enlarge!

The hospital's attempt at a "Western breakfast"

sweet treats! to satisfy this Momma's cravings!

 Apparently my family likes to match.. so I gave in. ;)

Marc, learning how to work the bed controls

36 Weeks: The Extended Update!

This past Sunday marked 36 weeks in this pregnancy.  The previous week, on Wednesday and Friday nights I started having contractions - but they subsided several hours after I took anti-contraction oral medication.

Two days ago, on Monday, my contractions started again while I was cooking dinner (sitting down!) and they were so intense I had my family eat and I went to lay down (after taking more of the oral anti-contraction meds).  Several hours later they were still intense and coming every 2-3 minutes, so I reluctantly made the decision to go to the hospital.  BUT, stubbornly, I told Jarrod I wasn't bringing a bag because I just wanted the contractions to stop and then I could go back home.

At Hosan Women's Hospital, the night staff was fine with me being in labor until I told them that the baby is breech, they confirmed with an ultrasound (like I don't know what I'm talking about! ;) and then they made me NPO for the possibility of a c-section that night... wait, WHAT?

Thankfully, we got a call on our cell phone (really!?) from my OB dr, who was at home, to talk about the plan - and she ordered the staff to start me on IV meds that would stop the contractions (Hooray!).  It took several hours but the contractions finally stopped (Jarrod went home to be with our kids) and we were going to see the Dr in morning rounds. My Dr was thinking that we are not going to deliver the baby any time soon... but I didn't know that.. and the staff didn't know that.. so this poor hungry Momma continued NPO until much later the next morning.  I mean, I asked for a (little!) drink of water, and the nurse let me put some in my mouth but made me spit it out! (I know, Dad... the world's smallest violin is playing just for me...)

On Tuesday, they tried to wean me off the IV and switch back to oral meds, but the contractions came back frequent and intense, so I had to restart the IV drip.  Dr. Kim wants to wait until Monday (I am 37 weeks on Sunday) to have a C-section if the baby is still breech,  so the plan WAS to try to wean me off the IV each day and see if my uterus was stable enough to let me go home.  BUT then, later that night, my IV occluded and I wasn't getting the meds I needed and the contractions came back so strong (like 80 on a scale of 1-100) and frequent that Dr Kim decided that I am not going to be weaned (all these contractions aren't good for my body - and dilation!) and I need to stay at the hospital on the IV drip until Monday, when we will do.. something (a c-section, external version, or both..).

OR. The baby could turn naturally -- every time the baby wiggles I get into a yoga position to help it turn... I feel a little silly but it worth it! Because, if the baby turns, then I could just be in labor.  AND have this baby.   Turn, baby, turn!!!

Today, Wednesday, has been uneventful (for me!) - the IV meds are working and I have been contraction-free and pain-free.  There are so many things that we have to be thankful for: faithful friends that have stepped up to watch Marc and Emmalyn, clean my house, and provide meals for my family; my mom was able to change her plane ticket so that she will arrive on Sunday night - just in time for Monday's action - and will be able to stay the rest of the month; and even unexpected small things like the owner of the hospital giving us a discounted rate for my hospital room (I have one of the largest rooms -actually the same post-partum room that I was in for Marc AND Emmalyn- but am being charged for the smallest room.. a significant difference!).   We have felt love and support around the world as people are offering up prayers on our behalf and encouraging words.  And for those of you who are wondering (probably no one), Jarrod has been able to bring the stuff to the hospital that I need to fill the hospital bag that I didn't bring with us on Monday night.

Just hanging out with me at the hospital!
I'm so glad to have such special visitors!

Well, there you have it.  This is definitely an unexpected turn of events in this pregnancy.  Please keep our family in your prayers! I left on Monday night after Jarrod put the kids to bed (I was in labor!) and when they woke up on Tuesday, I wasn't there.   It is hard on our whole family to be apart this long (and with a c-section, that adds another week long hospital stay).  I miss my kids - this is definitely the longest I have ever been away from them!  Jarrod is doing a great job taking care of things at home - but it is stressful on him to have to balance work, seminary classes, and being a full-time single parent (and coordinating child-care, etc).  Marc and Emmalyn have each other to go through all of this together - but it is still hard on them to suddenly have such change to their normal routines. This evening Marc came down with a fever and is having a rough night sleeping, please pray that he gets well soon!

While we are really hoping and praying for this baby to turn naturally, at the same time we are trusting that the Lord is in control and even if things don't go the way we want (and we need a c-section) we do not doubt His wisdom or goodness in this situation.  We praise Him for this new life that is soon to join our family and most importantly want her to have a safe delivery!

Thank-you for joining with us in prayer!  I will definitely update the blog if anything exciting happens.

Potty Training!

Yes, that is right - today was the first day of officially potty training Emmalyn.  Our sweet 20 month old has been using the potty daily since the end of last month - but we have continued to put her in diapers and not really push or teach her to use the potty.  After over 3 weeks of watching her potty train herself,  I decided I needed to jump on board rather than see her lose interest in the potty and get used to being in diapers.

I am using the same 3-day potty training method I used for Marc (not following it exactly, but most of the principles.. let me know if you want more information!) and am hopeful that we will be ready to officially say Emmalyn is potty trained by the time her little sister is born (or really.. by the end of the week.. or the end of 3 days!)

So - after day 1, I am super optimistic!  After Emma woke up, I took off her diaper and from now on, she is no longer going to wear diapers during the day.  Emmalyn only had one accident all day (while I was cleaning up the kitchen.. and it was just outside the bathroom door!)... and she took herself to the potty and sat down when she had to go #2. ;) What a big girl!

Here is Emmalyn outside for the first time in "big girl" underwear. :)  She is getting the hang of it -- and even teaching her baby the same thing!...

...well, almost the same thing. ;)

34 Weeks!

Keeping this baby in a little longer!!

Baby #3!

Baby #3 at our 28 week ultrasound (on August 5th)... we are excited to meet this little one!

Mommy's little helpers

We hang our laundry to dry, since our washer/dryer all-in-one combo takes forever to dry clothes, is really expensive to run the dryer, and the instructions on how to run it are in Korean.  The kids have really gotten into helping out on this chore.  I cannot pull out of load of laundry to hang up without both kids converging to take the clothes out and either hand them to me or hang them on the rack themselves.  I love their helpful spirit and want to encourage it- so I usually wait until they are distracted by other things to go back and fix the clothes they hung up. Occasionally, I forget to go back - and then the clothes just dry with interesting lines in them.
Oh well, there are worse things! :)

Thanks for helping, Marc and Emmalyn!