Little dude 2-week 1

Hello world! It is Paxton Fletcher Czerniak here! Officially been away from womb service for a week and in my mommy and daddy's arms. It is truly the best place to nap!

I had my first spa bath while in the hospital while mommy was recuperating!  It may look relaxing but it took me out of mommy's arms so I wasnt too happy about it!

Due to an added procedure during delivery.... mommy is not up as quickly ... more time to snuggle with me!

I am Houdini when it comes to breaking out of my swaddle. I want my hands up by my face and the blanket gets in the way so I got put in comfy jammies that allow me to move!

Thanks to 9 months of womb service I like to be held closely and snuggly.

We came home as a family on Saturday. The fur brother and big brother tentatively welcomed me as the new addition to the all boy crew! 

I am glad to be home. We are all camping out downstairs until mommy can comfortably climb stairs as the dr said she could only do it 1 time a day!

I had my first drs appt. Dropped a bit of weight to 7lb9oz and still battling a bit of jaundice. We also got a call that one of the newborn screenings came back positive so we will have to make a trip to Radys Children's Hospital in San Diego for follow up. Please be praying that it was a false positive as I like to throw off bloodwork samples!

My big brother, Dillion, is very tentative around me. He wants to share and gets very sad when I cry.  He is learning to be very gentle. We are going to be great friends.

I am nursing like a champ every 2-3 hours.

I also spend most of my time sleeping with only a few hours a day with my eyes open checking out the world around me!

Dreaming of my next big adventure!

The new "normal"

Here we are on April 23rd, 2020... the eve of D's 17 month birthday and our original due date for little dude 2. We have been under stay at home orders for a month and a half at this moment and I am finally having a moment where I am awake enough to catch up on life's events.

Normal is only a setting on the dryer!

Things with this pregnancy and birth story are no where close to normal. With a high risk pregnancy and only leaving the house for essential drs appts... leaves one very uncomfortable and with a whole lot of anxiety.

Honestly at this point I can say I am thankful for friends and family that have come alongside at a safe distance to pray... encourage... and bring meals. You guys have and continue to be a blessing.

Even though Paxton's delivery was planned and easier in many ways... my recovery seems to be much harder. It has taken much longer to be up and about... maybe because of a shorter hospital stay or the fact I didnt have to walk to NICU like with my first.   I will spare all of the details of what is making this recovery slower as it may be TMI for most.

Little dude 2's birth story

Due to complications from Ds birth and a high risk pregnancy,  we opted for a planned csection.  Amid covid19 precautions we went to the hospital at 5:30am on April 16th to deliver our little dude.

Masks are required at all times and temperatures were taken upon entering the hospital along with a series of questions.

Very grateful that Justin could be by my side for the entire stay and that he could come and go as needed for D who was staying with grandparents.  No other family or visitors were able to come by... unless they worked at the hospital! ;)

Hello world! Meet Paxton Fletcher Czerniak.... born at 8:22am...weighing in at 8lbs 4oz and 20 inches in length. Dr. Safie delivered both of our boys. Paxton came out very vocal and active.

Daddy got to cut the umbilical cord. 

And yes... I had to wear a mask the entire time and didnt have an issue.

Paxton took to nursing almost immediately. We spent two full days in the hospital and were able to go home as a family on Saturday... a day earlier than originally  planned.  

We are blessed by Paxton's addition to our family. 

Less than a week to go....

Due to everything going on ... COVID19... drs appts several times a week... a very active 16 month old... and being very pregnant...

I have not been the best at blogging with this pregnancy.

Thankfully it has been a routine "high risk" geriatric pregnancy.... with the minor exceptions of PPE that has to be worn when I leave the house for drs appts.

Little dude 2 looks to be keeping up with his big brother... very active and not tiny! He is taking up every inch of my abdomen... which means having a lot of acid reflux... struggling to breathe as there is not room for my stomach and lungs and head butting my bladder requiring frequent trips to the restroom. 

Thursday, April 16th I am scheduled to have a csection. With all the complications from  the first pregnancy we are not taking any chances.  Unfortunately with all that is going on right now... it is not the easiest time to give birth. Not something you can do through telemedicine!  Or push off til a better time!

The more I know... the more my anxiety raises surrounding this delivery. I know I am not supposed to worry about tomorrow as tomorrow has enough concerns of it's own... but I could use extra prayer.

- we have been under a stay at home order for over a month at this point and besides drs appt... D and I have abided by that. J is an essential employee so he has just been able to be working from home for the last couple of weeks. And he is the one that goes out for groceries and prescriptions.  Please pray we all stay healthy...

-please pray that we all get rest...

- please pray for peace during this time as the possibility of not having J by my side through this terrifies me and knowing I have to be wearing a mask the entire time in the hospital freaks me out. (I have already had a lot of breathing problems with this pregnancy and having to wear a mask that covers my nose and mouth especially during delivery while laying flat on my back sounds agonizing.)

-please pray for D's transition during this time as he has not been away from me or J for more than a few hours at a time... much less for 72+ hours. This mommas heart is struggling with this as well as I dont want this to be a traumatic time in his life. 

-pray for quick healing of my body as this is major surgery. I realize I need to take the time to rest after and Justin will be working from home but trying to balance a 8+hour job... a very active 16 month old... a newborn... and a wife who shouldn't be doing too much is a lot to ask of any one person... not to mention everything that needs to get done around the house... cooking... dishes... laundry... getting groceries... etc. 

With all of that said... we also pray for a safe and healthy delivery of this little dude. 

My strength and joy is in the Lord... I just sometimes need a reminder to take a step back to count my blessings and to rely on others. I appreciate your prayers and look forward to sharing the news of this little dude's arrival!