3 Pugs and a Baby

So after some consideration, we have decided to add a third pug to the Johnson clan. Someone I used to work with needed a home for her 7 year old almost blind pug. Needless to say, she asked the right person. I figure Bruce and Clark can show him the ropes, our backyard is fenced and really how much trouble could a vision imparied slightly geriatric snuggle pug be? He is trained to stay off the furniture so his little world will be upended when he moves in (I say this as Bruce sits stoically on the couch and Clark races back and forth on the back of the couch). He also sleeps in the kitchen at night in his current home. Again, this guy is in for a mighty big surprise when he moves in with the couple who had to upgrade to a king sized bed to make sure there was enough room for the puppies. What can I say, I love adventure and we're excited to have him spend his golden years as a Johnson!

Today was much better at the gym, Ollie let me get a solid workout in. The regular daycare girl, Julia, was there today and there were about 10 kids running around but Ollie had no problems at all. I WOULD have gotten to shower but all the showers were full. Oh well, gotta take what you can get. Chris and I started Crossfit and I have been three times. It is an amazing workout AND I can bring Ollie! It's a small gym with basic equipment like rowers, pull up bars, kettle bells, etc. I love it because the first time I went, our friend Tucker was the only other one working out with me and yesterday I was all by myself. It's like amazing personal training. It's also great because everything can be modified. My goal is to be able to do a legit pushup and pull up. Right now my upper body strength leaves a bit to be desired but I'm confident that will change.

On a separate but related note, Crossfit is to junk food as Antabuse is to alcohol. Yesterday Chris and I had Jimmy Johns not once but twice (within a few hours of each other) and I had two of the cookies and one and a half sandwiches. Gluttony, thy name is Michelle. Well when I woke up with a horrible stomachache today, I figure all this working out makes me want to eat healthier too.

*Note there is a moratorium on future pugs as we have reached the City of South Bend's limit on dogs.

My poor poor neglected blog. That about 3 people know about. If I could figure out how to properly upload photos, I would. But, I don't so I guess it's going to be a one photo per post type of day. Tried Crossfit today, Chris was gracious enough to watch Ollie so I could go to the Crossfit gym. I've been trying to workout more but the last 3 times I've gone to the gym Ollie has had meltdowns, not just meltdowns but MELTDOWNS. Like cries so he's tomato red and I'm toting a screaming child back to the locker room to try to feed him or grab as much stuff as will fit in my hands from my locker before hightailing it out of there. Last time, I was feeling great on the treadmill and even put my headphones only in one ear so I could hear if they paged me. My friend Marie was meeting me at the gym and I knew it wasn't good when she came up to the machines with her coat still on and keys in her hand. When she dropped off Ollie's bff Claire, he was in the midst of his meltdown. I jumped off the still going treadmill to race down to my locker and then grab the bright red, inconsolable Oliver. He fell asleep on the way home and was happy as a clam when he woke up.

Delivering Baby Oliver

I love my birth story, right after I gave birth I loved telling the story (probably because I was so freaked out about the fact the baby had to come out and it was such a great experience I am compelled to tell everyone).

On Saturday September 3 Chris and I were walking the boys and I was saying how conflicted I was about having the baby, I was really ready for him to come but at the same time liked knowing he was safe and sound in me. We got McDonald's for dinner (super classy but I was in love with chicken mcnuggets) and ordered a movie on our tv that night. We both fell asleep on the couch and I woke up around midnight contracting. I tried waking Chris up but he was tired and a little out of it. I kept contracting and called the doctor around 2:30am and calmly told him, "I think I'm in labor but my contractions are slowing down. They were every five minutes or so but have really spaced out." My doctor told me to try to get some rest and call him if they picked back up. Bruce and I snuggled for about a half hour before the contractions woke me up again. This time I woke Chris up and told him he needed to start timing my contractions. We were timing them until about 4:30 when I asked Chris when we should leave for the hospital. He responded, "not before 5 unless you say otherwise." At 4:40 after some contractions that scared Bruce, I decided it was time to go. Chris kept asking if I was sure I wanted to go and I responded that worst case scenario we would go to triage and be sent home (I think the doctor in him didn't want to come in with his wife dilated to 1cm and be sent home). We got to the hospital and Chris started to drive up the parking deck to park like when we went to childbirth classes. I (probably not too nicely) asked what he thought he was doing and told him to drop me off at the door of the childbirth unit, he promptly put the car in reverse and dropped me at the door. The lady working the registration desk looked a little nervous when she saw me come in and kept asking if I wanted a wheelchair. I responded, no I'm fine, and we walked back to the triage room with me stopping during a contraction on the way there. The nurse told us that the resident on call had politely declined to check me and asked what I was at my last doctor's appointment. I said my doctor doesn't check and she then asked Chris if he had checked me at home. He said he hadn't and so she checked me. I thought I was maybe about 5cm and was surprised when she said, "you're 8cm dilated and 90% effaced." I, in my usual way yelled, "what the ****!" The nurse asked if I wanted to have the baby naturally because I had already done so much at home. Chris responded before I could, "she wants the epidural." I have no recollection of how I got from triage to the labor and delivery room. I do remember getting stuck by the nurses three times to start my IV and yelling "I want the epidural!!!" I got the epidural around 7am and the doctor did an awesome job. His bedside manner left much to be desired but if you're sticking a catheter in my spine, I'd rather you be competent at your job and not quite so friendly than vice versa. After the epidural kicked in I labored down for a while and our friends Katie and Janel came by to sit with me while I waited to push. The doctor had to break my water because it didn't break on its own and there was meconium in the water. Around 1pm I decided it was time to push and pushed for about an hour and fifteen minutes. I heard my nurse calling someone saying "we're about to deliver in room 7." I thought oh wow they must be getting ready to get this room ready for the next person but in actuality the NICU team was coming in (when there's meconium in the water the NICU team comes in to assess the baby and potentially suction out their lungs). The NICU team came in and my only thought was "great more people are here that must mean the baby's almost here!" My doctor gowned up and they starting breaking down the bed. I pushed a few more times and heard my doctor ask Chris to cut the cord. The baby was rushed to the NICU team but luckily started screaming before he got to them (meaning he hadn't inhaled the meconium into his lungs). Chris brought Oliver to me and we finally got to do skin to skin and try our very first feeding.

Starting Out

So after months of blog stalking my friends, I've finally decided to make my own blog! I've finally had a free minute (Oliver is sleeping away in his crib, both pugs are asleep on the couch and Chris is en route from O'Hare coming back from his trip to Cyprus) to get it started and will hopefully be able to keep up during nap time!

Things have finally slowed down around here after my super awesome raging case of mastitis FINALLY cleared up and we are starting to get back to normal, although our new normal is a lot different than two months ago! If you know me, you know I love to sleep. All of my college roommates could attest to the fact that if I wasn't at class I was most likely enjoying a solid nap. That has probably been the biggest adjustment since Oliver was born, the lack of sleep I have been getting. Chris is more used to getting no sleep with his schedule but it took me a little while getting used to maybe getting six hours of sleep in a day and very few of those hours being consecutive. But I'm adjusting and would take my snuggly baby boy over a nap any day!