life with two: a B family update

I started this post when Oliver was just five weeks old and never really made it around to finishing it.  So I am going to keep what I wrote then but also add in updates about where we are currently.  Oliver is now a little over three months old.  Also, this is a really, unintentionally long post.  More of a journal for my own records.  If you don't want to read the whole thing just know this - all is well three months in as a family of four.

at 5 weeks:  Oliver just turned five weeks yesterday and only in the last few days do I feel like we have developed any kind of routine or flow to life with a toddler and newborn.  Overall, I would say that things have been going far better than I expected they would with two young kids.  Oliver is a really sweet little baby and doing the whole newborn thing again feels way easier the second time around.  Personality and schedule-wise Arlo and Oliver are actually really quite similar - I attribute the ease of this time around to having the experience and knowledge from Arlo's newborn days.  With Arlo everything felt like such a big deal and it was a huge life adjustment to become parents.  Knowing what to expect with a new baby, and having the toolkit to deal with things like evening fussiness and feeding challenges have made a world of difference.  Also knowing that everything is "just a phase" that will soon be outgrown, has made it pretty easy to shrug it off in those moments of difficulty.  That being said, now that we have a newborn and a toddler to care for, there are new challenges being presented that we have had to figure out as we go.  

at 3 months:  I still feel the same as I did two months ago.  The adjustment to two went way better than I had expected.  That being said, I had pretty low expectations, ha.  At this age when Arlo was a baby we were still struggling to even leave the house.  I was pumping around the clock.  We had ongoing issues with reflux and diaper rash and I was having a pretty rough time with it all.  At this age with Oliver we are getting out of the house every morning for the most part.  Being home all day with two kids is a recipe for a stressed out mama, restless toddler, crabby baby, and a very messy house.  This being said, the hardest part of the day is usually trying to get out of the house.  Before we leave it's quite the production to gather the essentials for a morning out - diapers, bottles, clothes, weather appropriate gear for all of us, snacks and a drink for the toddler, and a snack and drink for myself.  Everyone needs to have on actual clothes and not be covered in spit-up or marker.  And even as much as Arlo wants to go our someplace fun, it can be a challenge some days to get him to agree to engage in all the necessary actions it takes to be socially presentable.  I'm not saying we have to look good, but if he arrives someplace barefoot wearing just a hat and underwear people are going to take notice.  However, I have developed my own "operation: exit the house" routine over the past two months and the whole process has grown so much easier.  Sometimes arriving home with everyone hungry (and needing the potty and not wanting to take off those shoes I tried so hard to get him to wear and telling me that he doesn't need to wash his hands because he "already washed his hands this morning" as I try and coax him into the bathroom) all at the same time while I still need to fix lunch has me like "ok. woah. what do I tackle here first." 

Arlo

at 5 weeks:  We are lucky enough to have had our awesome friends Rhianna and John take care of Arlo the first couple of days after we brought Oliver home.  And let me tell you, it was a lifesaver.  Erik and I spent that time getting to know our new little guy and were instantly reminded how it feels to wake up multiple times in the night (and also how much newborns sleep too!)  Once Arlo came home he immediately assumed his big brother role and is still doing awesome in it.  I had anticipated a lot of jealousy because Arlo has always been so attached to me, but I have been pleasantly surprised how okay he seems with me spending so much time caring for Oliver.  I think what has helped the most with the transition is trying to include Arlo in anything we can that is baby-related, and he feels really proud being able to help so much.  And honestly, he is a great helper.  He is happy to bring us fresh diapers, wipes, burp cloths, and take dirty diapers to the diaper pail.  I always let him help me with Oliver's baths, extremely supervised of course, and Arlo loves it.  When Oliver cries, Arlo will usually tell me "mom, baby crying!!" (as if I can't hear it myself, ha) and will either put a pacifier in his mouth or rock him if he's sitting in the car seat or rock and play.  When Oliver does tummy time, Arlo will grab a pillow and lay next to Oliver telling me that he also needs to do his tummy time as well!  Now of course there have also been the times when Oliver was sleeping and Arlo tried to manually open his eyes telling me that "baby needs to wake up" or when he forcefully tries to open Oliver's closed fists so they can "hold hands" but we are working on these things and so far Oliver hasn't seen too much older brother abuse.  Don't your worry though kid, I'm sure you two will be fighting and wrestling with each other before we know it.

So, that's the good.  As somewhat unfortunate timing, Arlo has also recently decided to really step up his toddler game.  I can't figure out if this is a direct result of having a new baby in the family or if developmentally he is just at a point where this would have emerged anyway, but let me tell you this kid has been the definition of defiant lately.  We have been dealing with everything from nap refusal to food throwing to yelling to toy throwing across the room.  Sheesh.  It's such a departure from his usual kind and gentle behavior so it's been a bit of a challenge to figure out exactly the best way to handle it when it happens.  And it's not all the time, he is still his sweet self for most of the day.  But for whatever reason a switch will flip on periodically and this wild, non-compliant, I-am-going-to-test-every-limit-I-can child emerges.  And it's these times that have been the hardest times in the last month or so.  In the last week though, we have started to get out most mornings and head to either the library, community center, or park so Arlo can burn off some energy which I think has definitely helped his behavior.  And two weeks ago he also started going to the babysitters house one day a week which gives him a busy day of social time with his little friends, and also gives mama a break and some alone time with the baby.  So now that we are settling into more of a routine and giving Arlo the physical and intellectual stimulation he needs, hopefully he will settle down a bit.  And if not, there's always bribery!

at three months:  I am happy and extremely relieved to say that the defiant phase Arlo went though was short lived, whew!  Once we got back into our usual routine of getting out every morning, meeting up with friends, and allowing him to engage in activities that burn up all that toddler energy he has, he quickly returned to his usual sweet natured self.  He has continued to be an awesome big brother and has more than exceeded the expectations I had for him.  I kept waiting for the jealousy to start as he has always been a mamas boy but with the arrival of the new family member brought a new Arlo too, a bit more grown-up and less needy.  He still wants hugs and cuddles often but never seems to mind if he's sharing my lap with his little brother, and my heart is so full in those moments of holding them both so close...  This being said he's still a two-year-old and there are certainly plenty of moments of difficulty.  We have just returned back to the usual level of toddler limit testing.

Oliver

 

at 5 weeks:  I am totally smitten with this boy.  He is so stinking sweet and I seriously just want to spend the day staring at his round face and bald little head!  I always secretly wondered how I could possibly love another kid as much as I love Arlo, but this little guy came along and instantly I realized that what they say is true - the love for your kids does not divide but instead multiplies.  I could write an entire paragraph about how much I love this little chunkster (his official nickname) but let me start at the beginning with his first few days at home...  Before we even left the birthing center with Oliver, it was determined he had an anterior and posterior tongue tie as well as a lip tie.  This is the same problem Arlo had that we believe was the cause of all my pain and our feeding difficulties last time around.  We had the midwife correct the tongue tie before we even came home, and even stayed over 12 hours after the birth so we could work extensively with two lactation consultants to get the very best possible start with breastfeeding that we could.  Unfortunately Oliver did not have a very good "suck" and everyone who assessed him said that something was not right.  Likely it was due to the tongue restriction he had in utero and the habits his mouth developed before he was even born.  I noticed pain from the very first feeding and even with trying everything the LC's recommended, I was still having intense pain every time he nursed.  When we arrived home that evening, Oliver had about an hour of wanting to nurse constantly, and by the time he was done I was in so much pain the thought of nursing him again nearly brought me to tears.  I decided to go straight to exclusive pumping - we had been though this before and I knew that it was the next logical step.  I didn't want to get to the point of so much pain that pumping would be impossible.  I was proud of myself for being so prepared, just the week prior I had washed all the pump parts and bottles, and had everything assembled and ready to go.  I had Erik get my pump out and he was like "what do I do with this thing?" and I said "hand it to me and plug it in, it's ready to go."  Which was a lifesaver when you are trying to pump colostrum for your crying baby at midnight when you are coming up on nearly 24 hours of zero sleep!  Unfortunately I also ended up with the same supply issues as before, which resulted in needing to supplement with formula (something I also already had on hand - more on what we are using in a later post) and have also since acquired a nice supply of donor milk that he is still receiving daily. 

So, overall we basically had the exact same feeding problems as last time, but this time it's felt a whole lot easier to process.  I anticipated a repeat experience and could not have been more prepared for it.  That being said, there are still the feelings of disappointment and sadness that we were again unsuccessful at breastfeeding.  But, clearly Oliver is growing and the pediatrician said he couldn't be any healthier so I am trying to focus on how lucky we are to have this strong and healthy sweet guy in our lives and not dwell on the things that I can't change.

Ok.  Moving on.

Personality-wise, Oliver is a pretty laid back little guy.  He isn't bothered by loud noises like Arlo has always been, but this could be due to the fact that we always sheltered Arlo from loud noises (shhh, don't wake the baby!) and this time around there's just no avoiding it.  Toddlers are loud, Lucy barks at her own shadow these days, and if we don't vacuum when we get a free minute it would never get done.  And so far he sleeps through all of that even being in the same room as whatever loud activity we are engaging in.

at 3 months:  Pretty much unchanged from above.  And yes, I'm still completely obsessed with this little chunk.  Oliver is the smiliest (is that a real word?) baby I have ever met.  Really,  he smiles and laughs at pretty much anyone and anything.  He has a laid back personality, but when he's feeling the teething pains look out.  Arlo really struggled with teething so this isn't new territory but still doesn't make watching our sweet boy in pain any easier.  Still, things feel a lot easier than they did when Arlo was at this age and Oliver feels pretty low maintenance as far as babies go.  He is totally content just hanging out in his swing, pack and play, or play gym for long periods of time which is new territory for us.
 

During his pregnancy, I was so worried that life would change drastically and I would have a hard time adjusting and was terrified about having an awful post-partum experience again.  Fortunately, none of that ended up happening.  Oliver has fit perfectly in to this little space in our family where I didn't even know something was missing.  

 

 

 

Me 

at 5 weeks:  I finished pumping this past weekend, we had made it to our goal of a month and the round the clock pumping was becoming a huge stress especially when I was home alone with both kids.  There were times everyday where Arlo needed something (lunch, nap, potty help, etc.) and Oliver was crying and hungry and I was already late to sit down and pump.  These times were so stressful that it's not surprising how quickly my supply was dropping at the end.  As well, pumping was making it nearly impossible for us to get out of the house especially when I was trying to do it alone.  The time it took to pump, bottle feed Oliver, and get all the stuff I needed for an outing with both kids took so long by the time we were ready to leave it was time for me to pump again.  I again feel like I did everything I could to make it work - pumped over three hours a day total in those first couple weeks, took fenugreek and special vitamins, ate oats in every possible form that I could, and still my supply kept dropping.  The pain I was in combined with the time it was taking away from me being able to spend with and care for the kids as well as my decreasing supply made it somewhat of an easy decision to be done with pumping when I did.  I am still having pain and sensitivity but it is definitely starting to improve and it's a huge relief not to have the stress of worrying about how and when I will find the time in the day to pump.

Emotionally, I am feeling better than I expected.  The sleep deprivation in the early weeks combined with all the post-partum hormones was a challenge, and there were a few days that I nearly completely lost my shit.  Thankfully, I had a good support system in place and made it through okay.  Had I known how quickly things would start to seem "easier," I probably would have done a lot better in those early weeks.  But it was hard in the beginning to know what things would look like a month or two in.  Now that Oliver is sleeping well at night and I am feeling well-rested myself, and we have a schedule that allows us to get out each morning to meet with friends or let Arlo get some exercise, life seems almost back to normal.  We just now have a cute little chubby baby who comes along for the ride!

Physically, recovery this time around seemed much easier.  The first week or so was rough and tylenol and ibuprofen were my best friends, but once I started feeling better the pain quickly resolved and aside from the breast pain I felt back to normal.  I took it really easy for the first couple of weeks and was lucky to have had a lot of help from Erik and my parents.  When my parents left, our doula stared coming twice a week, and she has been amazing.  In the early days she would encourage me to rest while she was over, bringing me meals and drinks as I needed.  She also cared for Arlo, had laundry going the whole time she was at our house, tidied the kitchen and downstairs, and started dinner prep.  She is still coming once or twice a week and while I need much less help these days, it's still wonderful to have an extra set of hands to help care for the kids and do the household chores.  I usually spend an hour or so now during her visits taking a long shower and doing thing I wouldn't otherwise get to do but make me feel human - like taking time to shave my legs and actually blow dry my hair!

at 3 months:  The post-partum experience this time around was almost completely the opposite of the first time.  Yes, there are been the challenging "how am I going to get through this day" times but those have thankfully been few and far between.  For the first time, I am actually enjoying this baby stage.  I know I can't go back and do it all over again, but if I could I would have told myself in that first year of motherhood to not be so hard on myself.  Part of what made that time so hard was the post-partum mood issues I struggled with, but I was also trying to hard to do everything perfectly and exactly has I had planned I would during the pregnancy.  And now having done it both ways -- driving myself to near insanity to try and be a "perfect mom" who is also stressed out and unhappy, to this time giving myself a pass when things don't work out as planned and then moving on with a new plan and feeling good about myself and my decision, I will unquestionably choose the latter.  I believe my happiness is as important for my kids and my family as it is for myself.  And who wants to go through life dwelling on the things that didn't work out? 

Another thing that I believe has helped make things so much easier this time around is knowing that some alone time for myself is not only important, but necessary, and I that I need to plan accordingly to make sure it happens.  I try and coordinate the boys' afternoon naps to coincide, and for the most part these days it usually works out and I have around one to two hours to myself everyday.  I didn't have to take too much of a break from my busy crafting schedule (ha) and I have realized that I really need this creative outlet to feel like myself.  Also, at two months post-partum I found myself wanting to get back into an exercise routine, and damn does it feel good.  I have always exercised in some form or another my entire adult life so taking a long hiatus from this is usually not good for my mental well-being (or my thighs, let's be honest.)  I resumed my Sunday morning yoga classes and as well have started running two to three days a week.  I haven't made running a priority since before Arlo was born, back when I used to run outdoors most days of the week, and it feels so good to have it back in my life.  I am thinking about eventually joining Erik's gym - insert groan here - while I happily spent up to 12 hours a week in the gym during my college years, I later found myself preferring a more organic form of working out and never looked back once I quit my membership.  The main reason for joining is the childcare they offer.  The kids can have fun in the tot room while I run, cycle, or take a yoga class, and the childcare is free.  I am still a little nervous about taking Oliver to group childcare though so I will probably wait another month or two before I join, if I do.  I will also eventually be going back to work so I will need to see how all that plays out.

And lastly, I have already been asked on multiple occasions if two is it for us, so let me just put this out there.  Naturally people want to know what's next and I have probably asked others the same along the way.  I will say that right now I am totally content with these two awesome kiddos we have been so blessed with.  If this is it for our family I will be completely happy and consider us to be two of the luckiest parents around.  I sometimes think about going back to school for my masters, Erik and I talk often about starting a small business or doing something different with our lives, as well we both have the desire to travel more.  Having another baby would delay some, if not all, of these things on our life list.  All this being said, I am still open to a third.  Erik is still in the camp where he's not ready to discuss it seriously yet, ha.  And I am also at a place where I feel like I have completely satisfied my desire to have biological children.  After Arlo was born we knew we would have at least one more and I very much looked forward to another pregnancy.  I never pictured myself in a place where I was okay with not being able to feel those baby kicks on the inside, or experience birth again, but here I am.  So, maybe two is it for us.  Maybe a third is in our future.  I think a lot of parents feel this way after two, so I know I am not alone in this indecisiveness.  We won't be making this decision anytime soon so the answer is still probably a couple of years away.  For now I am just enjoying these two sweet boys, taking life one day at a time, and trying to figure out the best way to convince my toddler to put on his shoes before we leave the house.

Oliver: one month old

Here is what Oliver is doing at a month old!

milestone blanket, hat, bunny, banner, and baby all made by me! 

Sleeping:  Somehow this little man has already put himself on something of a schedule.  In the early days home he was waking up 2-3 times a night to eat, but pretty quickly transitioned himself to waking up only once during the night.  At the time of writing this, Oliver is almost six weeks old and the past two nights he has actually slept through the night (9pm to 5 or 6am) which is so crazy to me.  Evenings are a super fussy time where he eats and eats but then is tanked up and usually asleep by 9pm.  He hasn't loved the co-sleeper so most nights he has just slept next to me in bed.  We recently discovered that he sleeps the best in the rock and play, so we have been starting the nights there and when he wakes up, either in the middle of the night or early morning, I just keep him in bed with me until we get up for the day.  He has a short awake period in the morning then sleeps for a few hours, wakes up to eat in the early afternoon, and then snoozes all the way to late afternoon when he wakes up ready to eat (and cry and make sad faces) like a champ until bedtime!

Eating:  This kid has the most unusual eating pattern.  I remember that Arlo would suck down a bottle as fast as he could and this kid is so lazy with it (although you wouldn't think so by looking at him) and will spend an hour or so working on the same feeding, stopping and starting multiple times.  More about this in another post I am working on, but breastfeeding has gone pretty much the same as last time around as I expected it would.  I started exclusively pumping the day was born after feeding at the breast wasn't an option due to latch and pain issues, but again my supply was not where it needed to be to meet his demands.  We started supplementing with formula, and I have since found a milk donor mama who has been helping us out.  The first few weeks he was getting almost entirely my milk, and maybe a couple ounces of formula at most.  Now it's about half donor milk, half formula.  I am really happy to report though that he is tolerating everything really well and growing like a champ!

Weight and length:   At his one month check-up, Oliver weighed in at a whopping 10 lb 3 oz!  He's only in the 60th percentile, but Arlo was so tiny as a newborn that Oliver seems huge to us.  For comparison, Oliver is 3 lbs heavier than Arlo was at a month, and weighs more than his older brother did even at two months.  Oliver measured in at 21.4 inches in length which puts him in the 53rd percentile.  And apparently we make large headed children, because his head circumference is 15.3 inches, 95th percentile just like his big bro always has been.


Wearing:  It shouldn't come as a surprise that with his rapid growth up to 10 lbs, the newborn sized clothes didn't last very long and by two weeks old I found myself already making a pile of clothes he had outgrown.  He is now mostly in 0-3 and 3 month clothes.  We started cloth diapering when Oliver turned a month old and with his bulky fluff butt he's actually wearing some 3-6 month stuff but definitely has some grow room in it.  The dive into cloth diapers came somewhat accidental, I had put one on for his one month photos and decided to just keep going with it.  I might be jinxing myself here but the transition to cloth this time around has been seamless, zero leaks or blowouts or rashes or any of the other stressful problems we had last time.  While I am grateful for the break we had between diapered kids, I am also really happy to have a baby back in cloth again.  I missed that cute and colorful baby bottom and while I don't look forward with glee to washing the diapers, I do look forward to the therapeutic activity of stuffing the clean ones.  Weirdo, I know!

thank you Aunt Megs for photoshopping this to perfection!  :D

Likes and dislikes:  Likes include snoozing on mom and dad's chests, being in the carrier (we splurged on a Beco this time and love it!), his swing, baths, naps, being outside, bouncing on the yoga ball in our arms, ceiling fans, pacifier (sometimes), being swaddled at night, and eating!
Dislikes include the car seat (insert sad face here - Arlo loved the car seat and being in the car with an unhappy baby is no bueno.  Fortunately he's okay when the car is moving but if he is awake and it's stopped for any real length of time, look out.)  He also dislikes evenings when he turns into a sad, unhappy little man.  Fortunately just having the knowledge that this is a normal phase and that it will pass makes it ten times easier to deal with than last time around.


New milestones and developments:   While we have gotten a few small smiles, we are still awaiting our first real social smiles.  I think they are coming soon though!  And just as his big brother did, Oliver also lost all the hair on top of his head around two weeks old and is currently sporting the cute, bald, wrinkled old man look.  His neck is getting stronger but he's still quite the bobblehead.  He does well if he's in an upright position but to lift his head for any real length of time during tummy time is still something he's working on.  That being said, I did prop him up on the boppy last week and he stayed up on his arms for a good 20 seconds or so!

Happy one month sweet little Oliver!

the birth of Oliver William

For the past few months, I have been wondering how this birth story would read.  With our first son, Arlo, we had a wonderful birthing experience.  Erik and I were freshly graduated students of our Bradley birthing classes, and after an easy, enjoyable pregnancy there was no reason I was planning on anything other than a smooth labor and delivery.  Fortunately for all of us it was, and we were able to have a natural, out-of-hospital birth at the local birthing center.

Fast forward two years later.  We found out I was pregnant with baby number two just before Arlo's second birthday.  Having had an easy, enjoyable pregnancy the first time around, I expected the same again.  Much to my surprise, this one did not go as smoothly.  I spent the first 14 weeks nauseated throughout most of the day, with fatigue so extreme at times I felt like I could barely care for our toddler.  Just as the nausea started to subside, I came down with an awful case of the flu which kept me home and out of work for nearly three weeks.  The rest of the pregnancy was filled with feelings of anxiety, heartburn, swollen ankles, and some pretty intense back and rib pain.  None of which I had experienced before.  Early in the third trimester I was told that this baby, we choose not to find out the gender this time, was in the OP (sunny side up) position, but not to worry since it was still early and he/she would likely turn by the time I was full term.  Every appointment that followed confirmed that baby was still comfortably hanging out OP, and every birth story that I read about birthing a baby in this position talked about everything from extreme back labor to a long pushing phase to broken tailbones.  I was doing all the exercises recommended to turn this baby, but nothing seemed to be working.  In the last few weeks leading up to the birth, I had fully convinced myself that I would be experiencing a long, hard labor - likely with complications related to the baby's position.

The actual birth story I think really starts the day before the birth.  I was 39 weeks and 4 days, nearly a week longer than I went with Arlo.  I was getting anxious to meet baby and starting to worry about going well past the due date.  Leading up to Arlo's birth, I had a full six days notice that labor was imminent.  I had starting losing my mucous plug nearly a week before and was also having braxton-hicks contractions that were increasing in both frequency and intensity.  This time around, I expected the same signals telling me that my body was getting ready for labor.  But the only changes I noticed in the days before the birth were a slight increase in the braxton-hicks, which were still far too mild for me to think anything was about to happen, and an increase in pelvic pressure - although I knew both could last for a week or two before true labor started.  And so, I was growing worried that I was approaching my due date without any hint that this baby wanted to exit my body anytime soon.

So, I figured I should start trying to get things moving.  I went for a long morning walk with Arlo, dumped extra hot sauce on my lunch, and that afternoon I googled "natural ways to induce labor."  I read through lists of old wives tales until I came across a website that stated " The best advice to past-due women longing for that first contraction? Skip the home remedies, eat right, rest and enjoy those last few days of pregnancy as much as possible. The safest and healthiest labor is one that starts spontaneously."  And immediately I realized how true that was.  I decided to just relax and try to stop wondering when it was going to happen.

That evening, both Erik and I were unusually tired.  As well, Arlo had taken a shorter than usual nap that afternoon and was showing signs of being tired well before his usual bedtime.  So we put Arlo to sleep early and headed to bed ourselves, nearly two hours earlier than usual.  While Erik was getting Arlo ready for bed, I had the urge to quickly tidy the downstairs living room and kitchen, despite feeling as tired as I was.  When I went to sleep that night I had no idea what was about to happen next.  I don't remember having a single contraction that entire evening before we went to bed, and I certainly had no other indication that I would wake up anything other than my usual pregnant self.

It was 1:00am exactly when I felt the first contraction.  My first thought as I woke up was "what the hell?!  who is doing that to me??"  I realized I was having a contraction, but decided immediately that the braxton-hicks were just deciding to pick up in intensity and it probably meant nothing.  I dozed lightly until around 1:20 when I felt another.  Slightly annoyed that I was awake so early and would probably have a hard time getting back to sleep (I had been also dealing with some pregnancy-related insomnia for the past month or two) I decided to just lay there and see what happened next.  I had a few more contractions and ended up getting up to go to the bathroom where I noticed that I was losing small amounts of my mucus plug.  Around that time I decided I was probably in early labor, but by 1:45am the contractions were less than five minutes apart, and growing stronger.  I fought the urge to try and ignore them, climb back in bed, and turn on Netflix - my usual coping mechanism with the middle-of-the-night insomnia I was growing accustomed to.

At this point I started wrestling with feelings of what to do next.  On one hand - I had a really fast labor last time around.  Active labor lasted just five hours with Arlo, and the midwives had warned me that this time would likely be much shorter.  On top of that, we now had a good 45 minute car ride to the birthing center, much longer if we were to wait until later in the morning and hit rush hour traffic.  But on the other hand, I couldn't help but think about the baby's OP position and how, in my mind, I was going to have a longer labor this time around.  As well, I really didn't want to wake anyone up - Erik, the midwives, Arlo, or friends to care for Arlo.  So I decided to just labor a bit on my own.  I went back and forth between the bed and the bathroom.  I was timing them at this point, and they were around four minutes apart lasting around 45 seconds each.  Part of me knew that I should at least wake Erik up and let him know what was going on, and the other part of me was hungry and wanted to eat.  So of course, the stubborn, pregnant side of me decided to head downstairs to have a bowl of cereal before I woke Erik up.  If this was true labor I was going to need to eat before things got more intense.  I had no sooner set the milk on the counter top when I was hit with a contraction that brought me to my hands and knees on the floor.  It was during that moment I knew what I had to do next.

Erik had been sleeping in a spare room next to ours for the final months of my pregnancy - my tossing and turning was keeping us both awake and we both slept better in separate beds.  Just shy of 3:00am, I quietly tiptoed in his room - partly feeling really silly for waking him up when I was feeling completely fine between contractions, and partly thinking about the next strong contraction that was probably now only a minute or two away.  I woke him up and said something like "hey, I think I am in labor and we might need to go to the birthing center soon."  He sleepily asked me if I was having contractions or if I was timing them or something like that.  I don't even know if I answered before the next wave hit and I was suddenly on hands and knees on his bed moaning my way through the contraction.  Suddenly wide awake, he literally jumped out of bed saying "yup, this is happening" as he ran into our bedroom to change his clothes; he knew those moans well, having coached me through my previous labor.

I told him I wanted to eat before we left, and he was already scrambling to get things together so we could get out the door.  I calmly reminded him we still needed to call the midwives to let them know we were coming.  Erik called and got the answering service, who asked him questions related to my progress so they could relay the message to the midwife on-call.  I was contracting every three to four minutes at this point, and after answering a string of questions he grew frustrated and I heard him (almost shout into the phone) "I don't know, but my wife is having a baby!"

Minutes later the on-call midwife called us back and asked us the same questions again.  Erik finally handed me the phone and after she heard me moan through a contraction she said to head in and she would meet us at the birthing center.  Erik made us some toast at my request, all the while growing increasingly anxious and saying things like "I hope we make it there."  And eventually I started to wonder the same thing.  Luckily we had already packed the car with our birthing bags and the infant car seat.  I told Erik to let out our dog and to feed both her and the cats before we left as we didn't know when we would be returning.  He then ran upstairs to wake up Arlo and get him loaded into the car. 

What happened next is one of my favorite parts of the story and something I never want to forget.  I put on my shoes and headed into the garage, about to get into the car.  I realized that I should probably try and explain what was going on to Arlo because he would likely get scared or concerned when he heard me having contractions.  I opened the back door, where Arlo was already buckled in his seat, and he looked at me and asked "mommy, where are we going?"  I told him simply "to meet the baby."  His eyes opened wide and his mouth formed a perfect little round shape.  "Ohhhh, exciting!!" he responded with a big smile on his face.  It was such a sweet, genuine response from my little guy who had been waiting for so long to be a big brother.  It's a moment I want to remember forever.

Backing out of the driveway at 3:40am, headed to the birthing center with our toddler sitting in his car seat directly behind me, felt surreal.  I had never planned on going into labor in the middle of the night and in my mind if I did I was going to spend a few hours laboring at home before we left the house.  When Erik started up the car, my Chris Stapelton CD started playing and instantly I was drawn into his deep, calming voice.  Before I had the first contraction of the drive I restarted the CD so I could scan through my favorite songs as we drove.  During the contractions, I focused on the music and lyrics and almost felt hypnotized.  I couldn't be on hands and knees and still be buckled in so I had positioned my body to be as much on my side as I could, with my head somewhat over the center console and holding on to the back of the drivers seat as I needed to.  Between contractions I sang along quietly and reassured Arlo that I was doing okay and these were the noises I had to make for the baby to come.  He didn't seem too phased by the whole experience and surprisingly stayed wide awake the entire drive.  Erik was completely in driving mode - hands gripping the wheel at three and nine as we drove 80-90 mph down the nearly empty highway. During the drive I attempted to text and call my friend, Rhianna, who was on-call to pick up Arlo from the birthing center should I go into labor in the middle if the night.  She didn't wake up for the calls, but in the end it ended up being a blessing and I realized it all worked out the way it did for a really good reason.

We pulled into the parking lot of the birthing center just 29 minutes after we left the house - certainly making record time.  When we had arrived to the birthing center when in was in labor with Arlo I was mid-transition and can barely remember walking inside the building.  This time, I was still feeling completely normal between contractions and walked in the door like nothing was happening.  Erik carried in Arlo and the midwife and nurse were just inside to greet us.  I asked if he remembered which of the four birthing rooms I had Arlo in, and he pointed to one of the doors.  Since we were the only people in labor at the time, I had my choice of room and was really happy we could welcome this baby in the same exact place that Arlo came into the world.

I went straight for the bed and had a contraction almost right away.  I asked the midwife, Lydia, if she wanted to check my dialation status to see how far along I was.  As she was checking she felt around for a little while without saying anything.  I started to worry (do you see a trend here?  yes, I am a natural worrier) and told her if I was only two centimeters or something not to even tell me.  She said she felt the head, bag of waters, that I was 9cm, and the baby still had to move down a good bit.  This was exactly where I was when I had arrived to give birth to Arlo.  Erik and I exchanged glances, this was really going to happen and probably pretty soon.  We were going to meet our baby and Arlo was about to become a big brother!

Being the middle of summer and almost always uncomfortably hot, the thought of getting into a warm tub did not sound appealing at all.  I had used the tub for pain management during Arlo's birth but had no desire to this time, so I stayed where I was on the bed.  It felt like the contractions had started to space themselves out since our arrival at the birthing center, but since I was no longer timing them I can't say for sure.  They were still what I would call pretty moderate in intensity, I definitely had to moan and work through them but they were by no means unbearable.  Between contractions I sat up and chatted with the midwife, nurse, and Erik who was sitting in a rocking chair nearby holding our slightly stunned looking toddler.  I don't remember what we talked about but I remember laughing a few times and at one point I told them we hadn't decided on a boys name yet which somehow Erik had turned into a joke and we all laughed.  At one point I almost felt silly were were all just sitting around waiting for the baby to come.  Here it was, the middle of the night practically, and I was feeling completely fine between contractions.  I mentioned that I felt like labor was slowing down a bit and that I didn't even feel like I had hit transition yet.  Lydia said she thought I had, and that it was normal for things to slow down sometimes upon arriving in a new place.  Not two minutes later I was hit with the most intense contraction yet, and immediately after told her how I regretted saying what I had just said.

After I had been laboring at the birthing center for 30-40 minutes or so, I asked Lydia how I could encourage the baby to move down.  She said what I was doing with frequent position changes would help, but we could also try the peanut ball.  My friend Katie, who is a labor and delivery nurse, had told me about this special ball they often use for women in labor with an OP baby.  "Yes!" I thought, let's try that.  So I laid down on my side with the peanut shaped ball between my legs to help open my pelvis.  A contraction came on and the intensity was so much that I started pushing the ball away and kicking my legs to move it off the bed.  Erik saw me thrashing around and immediately came to help me back to hands and knees, by far my preferred position to labor in.  Sometime around this point the midwife and nurse stepped out to greet another woman who had just arrived in labor.  They told us to come get them if anything changed.

After the peanut ball incident, Erik set Arlo up in a big, squishy beanbag chair the nurse had brought in for him.  He put on a Mickey Mouse cartoon on his phone and covered Arlo with a blanket, hoping he would fall back asleep.  We had tried a couple more times to touch base with our friends, still without success.  At least at this point Arlo was totally engrossed in his show, not even caring about his laboring mom on the bed not 10 feet away.  Erik was now by my side, rubbing my back and helping me work through contractions.  They were taking more of my attention and I was no longer feeling "completely fine" between them, I was starting to become grateful for the rest.  All of a sudden, I felt the urge to push a little so I did.  At first I thought the baby had descended into the birth canal but there was no pain associated with the feeling so I was unsure as to what was going on.  Immediately after the push I felt a pop and was instantly covered in warm water.  My water had broke!  I remained on hands and knees, stunned at what had happened.  My water never broke spontaneously with Arlo so I hadn't experienced that feeling before.  Erik literally ran out the door to get the midwife and within seconds they were all back in the room.

Still not knowing what to do at that point, I simply told them "I'm all wet."  Which was pretty obvious by the puddle underneath me!  The nurse quickly changed out the wet pads that I was kneeling on.  I didn't look to see what they were doing but there was suddenly a commotion at the foot of the bed, and I knew they were getting the birthing supplies ready. Lydia said to me "Kendra, I think what is about to happen next is that your baby is about to come."  I asked her if I should take off my shirt that I was still wearing knowing that we would be doing skin to skin immediately after birth, and Erik started to help me finish undressing.  He started to help me with my bra and suddenly a strong contraction came along with the urge to push.  Instinctively I wanted to fight it, I remembered how much I disliked the feeling of pushing last time and I was really wishing I didn't have to.  I gave into the urge and felt the baby move down the birth canal during what felt like a nonstop contraction.  I had pushed out Arlo laying on my right side and remember liking that position so I immediately lied down and assumed the same position.  Lydia told me to grab my left leg and during the next contraction curl towards her and push with everything I had.  I barely remember a break from the previous contraction and it was happening again.  It took every bit that I had, but our new little baby came into the world during that next push, just six minutes after my water had broken.  The intensity of the actual birth was considerably more than I remembered with Arlo, and pushing him out was by far the most pain I felt the entire labor.

We had put in the birth plan that if it was possible Erik would like to catch the baby.  But with as fast as everything happened, and the fact that he had his cord wrapped around his neck, foot, and hand, Lydia ended up being the one to guide him in to the world and place him on my belly.  He had a short cord and couldn't quite make it up to my chest yet.  He cried loudly immediately, and seconds after he was born Erik announced, with the most proud look on his face, "it's a boy!"  I realized in that moment that I had forgotten we were about to find out the gender, something that I had always thought would be the first thing on my mind after I gave birth.  I was super excited to learn that we had another sweet boy in our family, and then filled with mild concern that we hadn't yet decided on a boys name.

Through the whole commotion of bringing his little brother into the world, our two and a half year old sat quietly watching his show, either oblivious to what was going on or maybe just choosing to ignore it.  Erik picked him up and asked him if he wanted to meet his brother, and at that point Arlo realized there was a new tiny person in the room and became interested in what was going on.  He spent some time next to us looking at the baby but eventually wanted to go back to watching his show, which was fine because I needed Erik next to me for what was about to come next.

After the cord stopped pulsing the midwife clamped it and Erik took the opportunity to cut it.  The placenta was delivered a short time after without issue.  At this point, Lydia started to assess me to see if I needed stitches, and with the amount of pain that I experienced during the birth and afterwards, I was not surprised to learn that I did.  I later learned that our little guy was born with both shoulders coming out at the same time (usually it is one then the other) which is the reason for the tearing that occurred.  Another midwife, Carey, came into the room about this time, she was second on call and since the other laboring woman in the birthing center was about to deliver they called her in for backup.  She came into the room at a great time, and was an awesome support person during what ended up being a rather painful repair.  Eventually Lydia left to go catch the baby in the room next door, and Carey took over with the stitches.  After what felt like an eternity, in reality was probably something like 45 minutes, she was done and I was able to sit up and for the first time really get a good look at our newest family member.  He had began rooting very shortly after he was born and had already spent a good amount of time nursing.  The first thing I noticed about him was his tiny, pouty lips and round face.  I fell in love immediately.

It was around this time that we got in touch with our friends who we had been calling to come pick up Arlo.  They were very excited to learn that we had a boy, and said they would jump in the car immediately to come up.  Rhianna wanted to know could they all come - her, her husband, and two kids, and I loved the idea of them all visiting to meet the new baby.  We met John and Rhianna in our Bradley birthing class when we were both pregnant with our first babies, and have been good friends ever since.  They are the closest thing we have to family in the whole state, and I was thrilled to have them all come visit during such a special time in our lives.  When they arrived a bit later, Arlo was filled with so much excitement to not only see his bestie, but also to introduce them to his new little brother.  He started literally jumping up and down on the bed next to me when they walked in, talking so fast we could barely understand him - "my new baby brother right there!!  baby was born!  baby came from mamas belly!" and we all had a good laugh.  All four of the kids in the room had been born at that very birthing center, three of them in that very room!  I like to think that it was a very special time for all of us.

They hung out for a bit and gave the new baby some snuggles before heading out with Arlo and the overnight bags we had packed for him.  It was a little hard to say goodbye to my toddler, but he was so excited to be going to his friends house he didn't seem sad at all to leave, which made for a really easy transition.  In the end, I wouldn't have changed a thing about the birth and realize how awesome it was to have Arlo there to meet his new little brother right after he was born.

After bonding for a few hours with our new little guy, he was finally weighed and measured.  He looked so tiny to me so I was shocked to learn he weighed a healthy 7 lbs 6 ounces!  He measured in at 19.25" long.  Not long after he was born it was shift change at the birthing center and the midwife who came on for the rest of the day was Allison, the same midwife who delivered Arlo! She was the one who did Oliver's newborn exam, and everything checked out just fine.  Erik and I spent the rest of the morning discussing boy's names, and texting family to let them know that the baby had arrived.  We hadn't wanted to wake anyone in the middle of the night to let them know I was in labor, so the first text everyone received was a picture of him and a family picture of the (now) four of us!  After a few hours of discussion, we decided upon the name Oliver William.  Oliver was a name we had considered with others in the months before the birth, and William is after Erik's maternal grandfather.  After getting to know him these past few weeks, I couldn't picture him with any other name.

I am beyond thankful that we had another healthy, supported, natural (and fast!), out-of-hospital birth.  Everything I had worried about in the months leading up to the birth - back labor, long pushing phase, broken tailbone due to an OP position baby, turned out to be non-issues.  Oliver was not born OP, and must have turned sometime during labor.  He entered the world four hours after active labor kicked in, less than five hours after I felt my first contraction, and only 90 minutes after our arrival to the birthing center.   We headed home later that afternoon, and again, just as it had after Arlo was born, felt surreal walking in the door with a tiny little person who wasn't there when we departed just hours earlier.

Welcome to the world, little Oliver!  Your parents and big brother couldn't love you any more if we tried.

Meet Oliver William!

It's a BOY!!!

 

Introducing Oliver William B.!

August 23, 2016  5:41am

7 lbs.  6 oz.

19 1/4" long

birth story coming soon!

9 months

Whew, final pregnancy update.  Yay!  And I am ready.  We are ready.  The house is ready.  Baby 2.0, let's do this!

37 + 2

How am I feeling you ask?  Pregnant.  Quite pregnant.  Also, it's confirmed - I have zero immune system when I am preggo.  A few weeks ago (in the middle of the hottest weather ever, no joke - I think we hit some records or something) I contracted a nasty summer cold.  How's that for irony?  And it stuck around for a week or so and started to go away but then BAM, turned into a painful sinus infection just like that.  I have had two sinus infections in my whole life that I can remember and both have been during this pregnancy.  I had no idea they could make your face (eyes, head, nose, teeth) hurt so bad.  Anyway, even though I just said how ready we are for baby, I am really hoping to be 100% recovered before he/she actually arrives.  I think I am on the upswing finally but would like another week or so to recover.  I was so sick when Arlo was born and it did not make for a fun recovery period those first few weeks...

37 + 2  (plus an enormous dinner from our new fav Mediterranean restaurant!)

I am totally eating my words from my last update when I said I hadn't been bothered by the heat.  Ha!  Shortly after I posted that we had something like 10 straight days of temps in the high 90's with most days having a heat index of 105-109 degrees.  I know that I would have been miserable in those temps had I not been pregnant for them, but add in the fact that I was nearly 9 months along and the discomfort was taken to a new level.  We stayed inside as much as possible, but when I did have to leave the house I felt sick almost immediately, nauseated and exhausted.  This is around the time I also started noticing mild swelling in my feet and ankles, pretty much just on my work days but I also blame the heat.  I have been wearing compression socks to work which keep the swelling down and as a bonus have also helped me reach a new level of sexiness.  Fortunately, the temps have cooled down a little and we have been able to spend some time outside in the mornings and evenings when it's not the heat of the day.

Not too many other new symptoms to report.  I feel like in the last few days baby might have dropped a bit.  My belly looks like it's sitting a bit lower and I have had some random sharp groin pains here and there which kind of feel like round ligament pain but a little more intense.  Some pelvic pressure too.  Walking normally is a thing of the past, it's a full-on waddle now and has been for weeks.  Contractions have decreased in frequency over the past month or so considering I was having so many for most of this pregnancy, but when I do have them now they are much stronger than before.  I really have zero feeling that labor is coming anytime soon, it just doesn't feel like baby is quite ready to come out yet, and that's okay with me.  Come when you are ready little babe (and when mama is feeling better, please!)

taken this morning, 38 +1.  belly a little lower maybe?

I had to miss my 37 week appointment this week due to sickness but the midwives were okay with me coming in next week instead since I have been measuring on track and they don't have any concerns right now.  At 34 weeks my weight had gone up 3 lbs for a total of 20, and less than three weeks later at 36+4 it was up another 3 lbs!  I think some of that was water weight though since it was a work day and I had already noticed some swelling in my ankles when I arrived at my appointment.  Belly has measured right on track every time though, and unfortunately this stubborn kid is also still hanging out OP (sunny side up.)  So besides doing some light exercises to try and turn him/her and sitting on the birth ball a lot, I have also been mentally preparing myself for a long and intense labor which is typically the case with babies in this position.  And I have gone from being worried that the baby is going to be born in the car to being worried that the baby is going to take 40 hours to come out.  There is a chance that baby could turn during labor and of course I am hopeful that is what is going to happen, but my motto this pregnancy has been expect the worst and hope for the best, so that's what I am doing.  Sometimes there is a reason that a baby picks the position that they grow in depending on factors happening on the inside so I am trying to keep in mind that this might be the healthiest position for baby right now.  I also think this baby is going to be bigger than Arlo, if I had to predict I would say somewhere around 7 lbs.  Arlo was 6lb 3 oz and while I feel like my belly is around the same size this time around, this baby just somehow feels larger.  But maybe it's just the OP position??  We will find out soon enough I suppose.

belly 35 + 2 weeks.  "I drive bobcat on baby.  Ohhhhh, baby moving!!"  - Arlo 2.5 yrs old

Ok, so we still haven't officially decided on a boys name.  We have had our girls name for a couple of months now.  Somehow that one felt relatively easy to choose, and Erik picked out the middle name which is lovely.  I have a boy name in mind but Erik isn't completely on board yet.  We have a few other contenders on the list but nothing has jumped out at us like Arlo's name did.  The past few weeks I have been thinking so hard about boy's names that I have started to wonder if random words are names.  Can we name our kid Tree?  Honda? Lamp??  Now I am just rolling with it.  If it's a boy we will figure it out when he's born.  Maybe when we see him the name will come to us.  I never thought I would have this attitude but spending hours upon hours reading through lists of boys names hasn't proven successful so this is what I have come up with as my alternative plan.  We do have a boys middle name picked out (well technically we have two family names in mind and will use the one that fits best with the first name we choose) so at least that part is figured out.

Since my last update, the crazy-pregnant-lady nesting behaviors have continued gotten worse.  Our pantry is so stocked with food it literally falls off the shelves if I am not careful.  The freezer has been completely cleaned and restocked with food for when the baby comes.  I have typed everything that I bought in a neat list organized by meal type for Erik so it's easy for him to make our meals the first few weeks.  OCD, why yes I am.  We had our foyer, stairway, upstairs hall, and master bedroom painted (good riddens gold hallway and puke-colored master bedroom walls!!)  I wanted to do part of the painting but was obviously too pregnant by this point in the game so we decided to hire someone, and I was so glad I did.  As much as I love painting having someone else do all the prep, edging, rolling, and clean-up while I sat on my butt with my feet up was pretty much the best thing ever.  Erik also rented a carpet shampooer and cleaned all the rugs and carpets in the entire house.  The nursery is 98% done.  I have been crafting like crazy sewing baby things but also making/buying things to hang on the wall because you know it's going to be really important for the baby to come home to a fully decorated house, right?!  ;)  All in all, the house is feeling so much cleaner, cozier, and more of our style than it did before. 

Arlo knows that baby is coming soon and is very excited about it.  When he sees me rub my belly he asks if baby is awake or asleep and when baby is awake he wants to feel him/her move.  This pregnancy surely hasn't been the blissful, easy one I had with Arlo, and when I think about doing it again I can't say I get too excited about it.  But when Arlo is so sweet with my belly everything else is kind of forgotten and I think - "yea, I want this again!"  We've always talked like we would have three kids but are definitely not set on that idea and we really need to see what life looks like with two before we make that decision.  If we do decide for a third there will likely be a bigger age gap before that one comes along.  Three-ish years would be ideal I think.  Arlo would be in kindergarten and 2.0 would hopefully be as independent as Arlo is now - potty trained, sleeping in a big kids bed, able to feed themselves, etc.  That being said, if we only have two I would feel so incredibly lucky and really, really fortunate.  I already feel that way when I think about how much I love Arlo and what a cool kid he is, and how we get to have another one soon.  So, maybe a third is part of our future, maybe not, time will only tell.

Arlo climbed up on the couch with me, kissed my belly, said "love you" to baby, and settled in for the sweetest snuggles.  And I melted into a little puddle right then and there...

And some final thoughts...  I am really excited we have chosen to find out the gender at birth.  And while it was pretty easy not to know initially, I am SO ready to find out who this little person is!  My patients at work are always trying to guess the gender and some people tell me they can tell for sure based on whichever old wives tale they decide to use, ha!  Old men almost always tell me it's a girl.  It's pretty much a 50/50 mix from everyone else.  I have loved hearing everyone's guesses and it really has been fun not knowing.  The vast majority of women my age tell me there is no way they could go the whole pregnancy not knowing.  And some people (again, typically the elderly folks) get really excited when I told them we chose not to find out.  Arlo has pretty consistently said that he is getting a sister.  Erik is guessing boy.  I am still undecided.  I said girl a few months back purely based on symptoms but now I am not sure.  When I was decorating the nursery I hung up the baby's ultrasound picture and think it looks exactly like Arlo.  In my mind this baby is going to pop out a little Arlo but I guess because that's all I know.  I can't wait to see!

birthing bag packed!

From here on out, there's not much to be done besides wait for baby.  We are meeting our postpartum doula this weekend (yay!)  My next midwife appointment is on Monday.  I think yesterday might have been my last day of work (sniff, sniff) but not being good at good-byes I haven't committed to a last day yet.  I told my manager I might show up on Monday for a partial shift after my appointment, and if I am magically feeling way better than I actually might, but there's a good chance I will instead use the day to take Arlo out to lunch or to park and just enjoy these last few days/weeks of him being my only little one. 

Come when you are ready baby, cause we are ready for you!!  : D 

Next baby related update will hopefully be a birth announcement, eek!!  (but I also have some house and craft posts in the works so depending on timing those might come first!)

last photo as a family of three??

DIY stretchy car seat cover

Taking a break from pregnancy/house update/vacation posts to write about a DIY project I recently made.  I fell in love with those striped, stretchy knit car seat covers that seem to be everywhere on blogs and social media right now.  I have a heavier weight car seat cover that I used with Arlo, but for this summer baby I wanted something lighter and more breathable that still allowed me to provide shade and protection when we need to.  I had planned on just buying one of these covers, but realized I could easily make my own for a fraction of the price - and I already had the materials on hand!  I had recently bought several yards of stretch knit material to sew baby hats and headbands, and realized I had the exact amount I needed to whip up a seat cover - and in a striped black and white pattern just like the one I was planing to buy.  I think in times like these it was just meant to be...

I based the size of this cover to fit a Chicco Keyfit 30, but I think it would likely stretch to accommodate most brands of infant car seats.  One of the best things about this project is that it's multi-purposed - it can also be used as a high chair cover, nursing coverup, or shopping cart cover.  It folds up to a compact, lightweight, portable size so you can always have it on hand in the diaper bag.

Ok, on to the tutorial!

DIY stretchy car seat cover

Materials needed:

• lightweight stretch knit fabric - fabric that has a lot of stretch to it works best
• coordinating thread
• scissors

1.)  Start by prewashing your fabric.   Although I don't think stretch knit will shrink too much, it's a good practice to always prewash everything before you sew.

2.)  Cut your fabric to 29" tall by 63" wide, making sure that the width is the stretchy part!  note: if your car seat is larger than a Chicco Keyfit, you may need to cut your fabric a bit wider.

3.)  Fold fabric in half width-wise (see photo below) and lay flat so fold is on left, and fabric is wrong side out.

4.)  Stitch up right side of fabric using a zig-zag or stretch stitch if your machine has one.  (Ignore the pins in the photo below for now, I am about to explain those...)  Your fabric should now be in the shape of a tube with the top and bottom being the open part.

5.)   Keeping fabric wrong side out, lay your fabric flat again.  Measure and pin the corners as I did in the photo below, 8" over from each side and 14" down from the top.  Put a pin in each of those locations and then run pins between them, making a triangle shape.  I used a marking pen and straight edge to draw a line first, then inserted my pins along the line.

6.)  Repeat for other side.

7.)  Sew along the pin lines, again using a zig-zag or stretch stitch.  Now is a good time to mention the walking foot.  I recently purchased one for all the knit fabric projects that I am in the process of making, and let me tell you - it is a game changer!  A walking foot helps to feed the fabric evenly on top and bottom, avoiding the annoying bunching that can otherwise happen when working with knits.  I highly recommend one if you plan to work with this type of fabric often, they run only about $20 at JoAnns.

8.)  Using a rotary cutter (or scissors), cut off triangle of fabric that you just sewed.  Repeat for other side.  note: don't cut off the stitched line that you just sewed!

This is what it should look like at this point:

Hey, guess what?!  You are done!  That's how incredibly easy these are.  Turn it right-side out and pop on your car seat!  The small hole is at the top and the larger hole is on the bottom.  There is no need to hem the top or bottom because this type of fabric will not fray.

See how stretchy it is?  So easy to peek at baby!

I was just a tiny bit sad that I had used up every inch of this fabric that I bought without making a baby hat, which was this materials original intended use.  Well, I had used up almost every inch...  I realized the two cut off triangles could be sewn into a piece large enough for a newborn size hat!

Now, I can say that I used up every inch....

This cover (and hat!) cost only $10 for the fabric, about a third of the price of a ready-made one you might buy online.  It only takes about 10-15 minutes to sew up and would make a great gift as well.  If you make this tutorial please let me know, I would love to see pictures and know how it worked out for you!  Here is a picture I found on Pinterest showing how else you can use a stretchy cover like the one I made:

happy sewing!  :)