1 Month Baby Boy

Our little boy has made it past his 1 MONTH mark! It still feels like I JUST popped him out the other day. Maybe because I still look pregnant and I'm still struggling with 3am & 5am feedings....but also he's still so fragile, I can't wait until he rollie-pollie's up. Speaking of which, he EATS NONSTOP!


His last check up was on November 14th, in which he weighed in at 9lbs, 4oz. I'm pretty sure he has gained something since. This time around, I am almost exclusively breastfeeding..."almost" because sometimes when we're away from home, he'll get EXTRA hungry and we give him a Similac ready-to-feed bottle in addition to nursing him. Yes he's an eater! At home though, he has an endless access to Mom's refrigerator supply :)

I've gotten passed the "soreness" part, and enjoy breastfeeding, even though it is VERY tiring at times. I'm glad that I'm surrounded by friends who are great examples of mothers and who let me ask them a billion questions about breastfeeding tips. And now that I am comfortable with myself, I have no problem when Evan gets hungry out in public. It's funny how everyone will stare at you when your hungry baby is screaming his head off, but as soon as you put your nursing cover/blanket on, the ENTIRE mall avoids you. Haha. I try my best to be as discreet and conscious of those around me, but whatever. I guess only in America do people feel uncomfortable while everywhere else it is naturally accepted as normal. (I felt the same way before becoming a mom)

Slowly James and I are getting our sleep back. We take turns and even Mahie helps out by finding the nearest blanket and covering Evan. We have to keep any eye on that girl, because although she thinks she is helping by kissing, patting or hugging Evan when he cries....she's pretty rough. Cute, but rough! I've caught her a few times sticking her hands in the crib to calm Evan down by patting his arm, but when he doesn't stop crying, she'll get mad and pinch him!

Evan is still pretty fair. Compared to everyone on my side of the family, he is white. Compared to James' family, he could be close to Sharon haha. Maybe it's the German side. Or maybe he's just holding off until his first beach day. His smile is slowly coming through. He doesn't like to be left in his crib, but to be held while walking. He enjoys movement, which will put him to sleep in a second. Maybe it's because I walked a lot while pregnant. He loves car rides too.

And his name?

Evan: We just agreed on it, haha, for reals.

James: I originally was thinking of a Hawaiian middle name after I gave birth, but instead I wanted to name him after James, just incase we only have one boy. Plus, it sounds good too, haha. And no, you CAN'T call him Junior!

Kaohi'ai: "The searcher for food, the provider, will never go without sustenance" A family name given to all the boys, as a tradition passed down through my Grandma Ashlyn's side, her father and my Great-Granfather's Ka'onohi line. All of my brother's carry it, my boy cousins (the Casey's in Punalu'u for example), my Dad and my uncles, my Great-Grandpa and so on. Now my son will be tied to all that history, and like all the patriarchs before him, will provide for his own family.

We love you baby Evan =]

Queen Croup and her Cold Minions

Like my title? It's so true that it's ANNOYING. Finally we have all caught and passed on the cold bug. It began with Mahie, which sadly turned into a mild case of Croup. (That ugly deep seal-like cough) Good thing she caught it right when she had an appointment scheduled for shots, which we held off on.    Having Croup is miserable for both baby and parents, and it sounds scary/heartbreaking. Well, almost a week later she is fully recovered and back to her normal kolohe self. ONLY AFTER giving it to the rest of us...including baby Evan. We took him in late last night to the Kahuku E.R., just to make sure things were ok, especially his breathing. I swear, every time I've gone to that E.R., I've always been seen by an awesome doctor. Why can't they just open their own practice nearby?! Evan was breathing ok, and we needed to just let the cold pass. Very sad seeing him cough and sneeze. Mahie never got a cold this early on. I'm hoping the breastfeeding will help him out somehow, but all faith has been restored when James gave him a priesthood blessing last night.

We celebrated Hillary birthday on Sunday. All my siblings drove down from Kalihi, Hill's friend came over....and we even had visits from Ida & Tiana, and my friends.

Happy 22nd Birthday Hills!

Above is the yummy cake I made her. Bunt pans make things that much fancier, lol. I really need to go back to taking better quality pictures with my Canon. Iphones really are convenient for mommies ;)

It's funny how my little sister went from a shy Momma's girl, to now, where my Mom has to be the one to call her to see how she's doing. Currently she's living the town life scene & taking graphic design classes, pretty much she's living it up and barely comes down to "boring" Laie...but when she does, we love it. I actually love it when any of my siblings drive down to visit, even if it's just a few hours. Awww...we are all so grown! haha. *Side note, Mahie's toddler habits remind me more of Hillary at that age. Always pulls her hair out when I fix it. Would rather run around in a diaper only. Love the outdoors....I named her well after my sis.

I hear Evan crying....time to sign out!

2 Weeks Down

I am 2 weeks and 4 days postpartum, and doing/feeling great. Recovery has been really smooth, although I've gotten a few reminders to still take things slow. So here's a quick family update while both babies are sound asleep:

Mahalo: Chelsea Scanlan Photography

Me: I've almost gotten the hang of breastfeeding. I only breastfed Mahie for almost 3 months, after which my milk supply disappeared and Similac took over from there. However, looking back I realized that I was just doing a lot of things wrong, as in not breastfeeding & pumping often, giving in to the Similac Ready-to-feed bottles from the hospital because it was easier, basically I just wasn't putting in the work......AND IT SURE IS HARD WORK this time around. I mentioned to my friend that I didn't realize how tough breastfeeding is, so, good on all you nursing mommies out there who last the whole first year!! (My inspirational goal) I think what's been very important with my so far success this time around, is having a great support group = husband (especially those early morning feeds), mother, and breastfeeding PROFESSIONAL friends who are just a text message/Facebook comment away w/tips. And yes, I survived with having to nurse Evan a couple of times in public so far, including a time when Mahie thought she was being cute and tried to pull my nursing cover off! Weight and belly have dropped quicker than last pregnancy, yet I'm not sure whether to credit that to breastfeeding or my Belly Bandit.

James: He has officially been named the early morning feeder. His shift starts at midnight and ends at 6am, haha. So if Evan wakes up around that time, James has him all to himself. If I'm not too tired or feel sorry for him, I'll wake up and help out....but lately he's let me sleep in since I barely sleep during the day. He has planned twice to have just a day to himself to do whatever his man heart desires, but twice me and the babies have crashed his fun day. As in today, we just got back from the 007 Skyfall movie. Evan nursed and slept the entire movie, while Mahie lasted until the last 40 minutes. He really is a wonderful husband and picked me up a new Macbook plus took me to Sephora PLUS wanted to listen to Christmas music on the drive home after stopping at Starbucks :)

Cried to wear my Mom's fresh flower lei, only to shred it a minute later

Mahie: She is her own person now......kolohe!!! We have to bribe her to do things, make sure she is entertained constantly, scold her for running to her Grandpa when we say NO, force feed her healthy food when she wants sweets, chase her around the house to stop making a mess, tell her to be nice to Evan. Then on the flip side she melts our hearts. While at Alamoana she climbed on the wall next to the  fish pond and started to sing to them. Later at home she hugged Evan and again started to sing....mind you, it's only "bah, bahhhh, bahh". She is rough at home, but in public she is very sweet to other children. Lastly, we are glad she is finally getting over being sick with Croup. Worst experience ever!

Doctor said we needed to keep her hydrated, including Sponge Bob-sicles!

Evan: Eating for days....he tires me out! He loves to be held and will sleep longer in your arms rather in his crib. No pacifiers for this baby! (Which can be a pain at times) He is finally starting to fill out, more in his face. He still is very light skinned. Now that his features are starting to appear, he's looking more like James. Last week he had a photo shoot with Chelsea Scanlan, and we are so excited to view his pictures. Today he was added on to my WIC, so now we get 3x more yummy groceries because I'm breastfeeding him + Mahie. Tomorrow is his 2 week appointment, so it's time to hit the sack!!

Goodnight, sleep tight everyone!

All Natural Momma

 Evan's Birth Story

 (proofs done by the hospital)

Since the beginning, this second pregnancy has been a very different experience from Mahie's (my firstborn). When I found out I was expecting Evan, I had already been almost 4 months along. I was finishing my last semester at BYU-Hawaii, including a rigorous 6a.m. jogging class that I NEEDED to pass. I felt no side affects, which with Mahie, I had to take off from work the first few weeks, I threw up every morning, slept all day in between classes (I even fell asleep sitting under a  coconut tree waiting for class)...and found out I was pregnant at 8 weeks. I guess I anticipated it more with Mahie because James and I were newlyweds and I was pregnant for the FIRST time! However, this time around, my thinking was pretty laid back...and look what happened, I didn't even know I was pregnant, HELLO!

I'm glad that I found out late, because it made my months of pregnancy go by fast. I didn't really enjoy the 'pregnant' part of last time, because I came across so many health issues and bad experiences. I guess you could say it dampened my attitude towards pregnancy altogether, which YES is very selfish & dumb, so I was constantly thinking the worst this time around....and the worse never came! I should've enjoyed this pregnancy more, it was perfect.

I carried low from the beginning, which someone had said it was a sign I was having a boy. At 36 weeks I started to dilate, which surprised the Midwife at Castle, and thus we were advised to have our hospital bags packed in case baby came early. At 38 weeks, I dilated to a 4 and baby Evan was already positioned head down and super low. That was Monday, we were told to come back on Friday. However, until Friday I was strongly encouraged to exercise, eat spicy food, etc. to break my water. But I never did, HAHA. Ask James, my family....I just didn't "FEEL" like giving birth. Honestly, I feared labor! (Another bad experience from last time) And most importantly, I DREADED the recovery (WORST experience of my life).

At our 39weeks appointment, I was dilated to 5cm, baby's head was apparently RIGHT THERE, and I was already having 3-5minute contractions....basically I was in "silent" labor and didn't know it. Tina Doyle (Midwife) kept asking me if I could feel the pain, and I was like no. (Most women at 5cm are screaming for drugs) After monitoring me and speaking with the head of their department, they decided to call the Birth Center to prepare to admit me. I then told her I was hungry and wanted some Burger King, haha. She quietly let us go since I felt no pain, and so off James, Mahie & I went to eat.

At 11:30am I was admitted, around 12:30pm-ish they broke my water.....and I stunned the entire Birthing Center staff for the next 5 hours NOT FEELING ANY PAIN!! They couldn't believe it as I was at 7cm and still walking around the hospital talking to my Mom, sister & even playing with Mahie in my ugly patient's robe. Tina Doyle kept asking what my birth plan was (Drugs or no Drugs) and I kept saying I don't know. However, she strongly encouraged me to go natural. *The epidural didn't work on me last pregnancy, my spine/back area kept clotting, but I still felt the side affects after.

At around 5pm-ish....that's when the pain came full force! So back to my hospital room I went. I could still handle them, but it totally sucked. Just before 6pm they INTENSIFIED and my back hurt from laying on the hospital bed. Yup, I told James, "GET ME THE EPIDURAL! NOW!"....however, my Midwife sly persuaded me to hold off a little since I was "...almost there!" Yah right, almost there seemed like almost never! But, she won me over with the jacuzzi. The nurses helped me into the jacuzzi, and I was in heaven! *So all you future Mama's get in that bubbly warm water instead of lying on the hard bed.

Well, jacuzzi heaven lasted only 10 or 15 minutes (Castle doesn't do water births) and out they pulled me because I was ready to push. I still had a little cervix, which made pushing even harder! And you know it, I screamed for that epidural....but through tears, groans, screams....my little Evan popped out at 6:36pm, and I officially joined the ALL NATURAL Labor Club.

I still can't believe I went natural. Even though I didn't feel that intense pain until the last hour, that pain was REAL! It's also amazing how your body kicks into gear and knows exactly what to do. And the recovery? As soon as they cleaned me up and I fed Evan....I was literally up and about. TOTALLY the opposite of how crappy and drugged I felt with Mahie. I loved it & was surprised at my recovery from deciding to go Natural.

Evan is such a perfect baby. A little white baby so far...he is much lighter than all of us. Passed all his tests, loved skin to skin contact, latched well, didn't cry a lot through the first night. We are again blessed with another little spirit.

And Mahie? Sometimes she notices he's there, and sometimes she's too into watching Tangled or Princess in the Frog. One time he cried too loud and she climbed down from the bed, walked over and kissed the side of Evan's crib. But then pointed her finger and scolded him.

Now we are a family of 4!

A family of 4

....finally finding some time for a quick blogging update. If you didn't know, our little Evan is a week old, arriving last Friday, October 26th at 6:36 p.m. I'll include a separate post about his birth story, which was TOTALLY different than when I had Mahie. WAYYY DIFFERENT!

Evan James Kaohiai Aspinall

8lbs, 4.5oz, 21inches

Recovery has been great! Which I totally did not expect and actually dreaded. I was ready to go home the following morning, but was advised to stay by the hospital staff. Good thing we did because later that night came the tsunami warning, and we didn't have to evacuate Castle Hospital. I am so thankful for Heavenly Father watching over and inspiring us to do things because we had decided last minute to just have Mahie sleepover with us. Our little family was safe & together.....and relaxing in a.c. w/food. I'm also glad my parents and siblings were also safe.

We got home Sunday Afternoon. James and I couldn't believe we had TWO car seats in the back. Crazy. Then before we knew it Halloween was here! So glad I finished Mahie's pirate costume before I gave birth. She knew something out of the ordinary was going down that night and got very excited, it was cute. As soon as my Mom got home from work, Mahie followed her around to help set up outside for the trick-o-treaters. I'm surprised she cooperated with me that evening. Usually she is a grump around the evenings, but she woke up calmly from a nap and had a bath....and calmly stood there while I dressed her in her costume. When we were done, it looked like she was very proud of her pirate transformation and would run to my parents or anyone to show them her costume. Now that Evan is here, Mahie looks more like a little girl.

When she first got outside, she put her bucket down and started dancing to my Mom's Halloween music. It was hilarious and cute.

Eating her Grandma's candy while waiting to leave. Surprised she kept that patch on the entire night.

All I have are iphone photo's! She stayed out all night helping her Grandparents and just feeding off the excitement of seeing all the kids come. Evan and I stayed inside, I was kinda bummed that I didn't get to pass out candy, or to tag along as my Dad took Mahie trick-or-treating. But she had her night of fun & sweets, so thats all that matters. 

Every parent of a newborn should get a gold star after the first week. hahaha, I honestly hate the around the clock feeding schedule, but it's all for a sweet little baby! I have learned and re-learned a lot of things this week. How delicate a newborn is, breastfeeding, skin to skin contact, non-stop diaper changing, sleep when bab(ies) sleep, and especially being grateful for a supportive and loving husband who is a HUGE help!

I have also learned a lot from Mahie....that I constantly need to remind myself that she is still a baby too, and I need to be patient with her. That she needs just as much attention and cuddles. It sucks being on a 6-week postnatal recovery where you can't do any workouts or heavy lifting....especially when you put your newborn down to sleep in their crib and turn around to see your toddler holding out her arms, waiting for her turn to be picked up and rocked to sleep....it breaks my heart so I have to ask someone to place her in my arms when I sit, or help her climb up on the bed next to me. The doctor strongly warned me not to lift her after I clotted really bad at the hospital. Having another baby has made me love and appreciate Mahie even more.

I'm not going to lie, having two is tough so far. Hats off to my friends who have 2+ kids, and some who have to raise them on their own. James was gone majority of the day and usually someone in my family is also home....but today it was just me and the babies, and I struggled. Limited sleep, constant feedings, still trying to get nursing down, Mahie demanding attention....it was a lot, but somehow James came home and found all three of us napping. 

Anyways, this turned into a looooong post, but that's how things are! Oh & just in....Mahie just busted her lower lip from running around the house, again! The other day she fell off the bed from jumping. Accident prone!

Goodnight from the Zombie Aspinalls