Our Precious Gift has Arrived! Introducing Jax Franz....

In the wee hours of the morning, just after Christmas Eve and before the sunrise of Christmas morning, our second son was born, and his name shall be called........ JAX! (no not Jesus LOL even though there were quite a few religious jokes about the timing of our second little guy's arrival into this world and the significance of it!) Another ironic thing is Jax's middle name Franz is after my grandfather Frantisek who passed away around this precise time in the morning of Christmas day exactly 7 years ago. It just so happens that the number 7 also represents Brad's and mine lucky number..... we have lots of #7s that resonate in our life together....i.e, married at seven-degrees, both our birth months are July the 7th month of the year, and our 7year age difference) My grandfather and I were close and had a very special connection and so I truly believe that even with the number 7 his spirit has transcended in the birth of Jax. I hope Jax will be as good of a man as my grandfather was.

Getting back to the story of how Jax was born, here was our timeline from that evening. All i know is that time passed so quick, and the birth was way faster second time around!

9pm checked in and admitted at the hospital, I was 7cm dilated with strong contractions 7 minutes apart and lasting 1-3 minutes.

Here I am waiting to get my epidural in this photo. We were the only ones in Labor & Delivery that night, so we got lots of attention and VIP treatment from the staff and nurses. Jax was actually the first baby to be born on Christmas Day at the hospital..... and soon after Jax was born we got to push the button that played "Brahm's Lullaby" throughout the entire hospital, announcing his birth!

10:30pm got my epidural:
11:30pm water broken, 9cm dilated

for the next 3 hours i was told to just lay on my side and wait to dilate to 10cm and for Jax to labor down (move further down in the birth canal.) The labor was moving along quick so there was no need for Pitocin.

2:30am 10cm dilated and ready to push

2:43am Using a mirror again (like with Taj's birth) I pushed one time and told not to push anymore because Jax's head was poking out.

2:49am Jax is born!

Here is the video of the birth (if you listen in the background you will hear as Jax comes out, his first cry, and water gushing out (I had retained a lot of water and it all flooded out after Jax). You can't tell in the video but I was sobbing and shaking from the emotion of it all..... this birth was just as amazing and emotional as Taj's birth. Moments like these never get old and remind us just what a miracle giving birth is. I feel extremely fortunate to have had both my deliveries be as easy and beautiful as they were.... I realize this experience is very rare so I feel blessed to have such great labor 2 times in a row.

weighing at 7 lbs, 4.6 ounces, and 20.5 inches long (almost exact to Taj's birth weight and length)

Precious mother son moments:

Another daddy mini-me, father and son bonding:


Jax with his eyes open wearing a handwoven Christmas hat given to him by the hospital:
Like we did when Taj was born, we took a photo of Jax's first sunset (from the window of our hospital room):

Celebration dinner: Cheers to our happy healthy baby boys!
Going home outfit:
My sister and family brought Taj to the hospital as we were being discharged. It was actually only 23 hours after we first checked in to the hospital on Christmas Eve. Jax was only 16 hours old and we got the green light to go home because everything went so well and Jax passed all his tests, made his first poop, and we were eager to get home and have our turn at a christmas morning. Taj was prepped all day that he was going to meet his baby brother so when he arrived he kept saying "baby jax?". This video is of him meeting his baby bro for the first time:


our first family of 4 photo! We were tired from the day's exciting event but boy did it feel SO GOOD to be united and to be together as a family unit!
Jax with his teta!:
Uncle B:
We cannot thank my sis Petra, Bryan, and Chloe enough for being as incredible as they are with Taj. Over the last year we have grown even closer and now with our family expanding we cannot wait to make many more memories with them.
Jax is all ready to go home now..... cozy in his car seat. The boys look so adorable in their individual car seats in the back of the car. I can just see them a year from now giggling and teasing each other in the backseat.... the little rascals they will be :)

Our Very Special Christmas 2011

Our little Grover family had the most special and unforgettable Christmas we will ever have! Remember when I had that feeling baby Jax may decide to choose the holiday as his birthday? Well........ Christmas Eve day I began feeling contractions and when they continued through the afternoon I began to time them. At 8-10 minutes apart, we called Labor & Delivery as we were about to head to my sister's for our traditional Czech Christmas Eve "Jeziska." Labor & Delivery recommended I continue timing the contractions and instead of sitting and waiting at the hospital, we celebrate Christmas Eve and go to the hospital when they fall 5-7 minutes apart. Best advice because we didn't want to miss out on the last Christmas Eve as a family of 3, and to share our tradition especially with Taj at the age he is at. When Chloe and Taj get together they are inseperable and get super silly:
Dinner time! I made the potato salad, and my sister made the traditional delicious mushroom soup and fish (typical Czech Christmas Eve dinner.) Taji loved the soup and fish!
A few pics by the Christmas tree before baby Jesus' "visit"


Hiding in Chloe's room and listening as Baby Jesus visits the house and delivers presents. Like Santa Claus, in Czech tradition, Baby Jesus always arrives in the evening after Christmas Eve dinner in his chariot flown by angels. He rings the doorbell, is greeted by the daddies, and then puts presents under the tree. You know when he has arrived because a little bell rings. Just like his anxiety with Santa this year, Taj was a bit nervous about Baby Jesus' visit.
After Baby Jesus' exit, this is how magical we found the livingroom..... with only the christmas tree lit and stuffed with presents.
The kids got right to opening presents:
Winnie the Pooh Lego set and playhouse!
even Baby Jax got something from Jeziska!
Speaking of baby Jax, this pic was taken of the 3 of us right before we left to go to the hospital to become a foursome. In perfect timing, after dinner, gift opening, and dessert, my contractions were coming 4-7 minutes apart. Taji got in his pj's, with baba in hand, and had a slumber party with Chloe. We kissed him goodnite and told him next time we saw him we would have a very special gift for him. My sister told me that after we left for the hospital, Taj could not stop saying "mommy bye bye, daddy bye bye," and "Baby Jax coming."After being admitted to the hospital, both Jezisek (Baby Jesus) and Santa came together to deliver this amazing Christmas present our family felt so lucky to receive. We must have been really good this year because it is rare to get one of these on the exact day of Christmas: More on the birth of Baby Jax and our precious gift in the next post!

But now lets continue with the Christmas festivities..... Taj celebrated Christmas morning at my sister's and later that evening we all came together at the hospital and brought Taj back home along with his new little brother. We celebrated our Christmas Day morning the next morning on the 26th. Santa came on sunday and left these presents under our tree for our Monday Christmas morning celebration.
Taj eating his Christmas breakfast and watching his favorite "Round Round" as he calls it (the Baby Einstein DVD "things that go" with the Wheels on the Bus song.

Let's see what Santa brought! Lucky boy, getting to open presents and celebrate the glory of Christmas three different times!
While we opened gifts and played with toys, Baby Jax slept in his bassinet in the living room. Baby Jax slept and.....
Big bro Taj swept! He swept the floor with his new broom and mop cleaning set....
He got so many fun things..... Clifford the big red dog, a puppy guitar that barks in different tones. He got puppets, books, puzzles, more balls, and his favorite, a choo choo train that goes around the track by itself!
Then after our Christmas dinner (courtesy of Bristol Farms!), Grandma Sue and Poppa Gene came over to meet little guy Jax and p;ay with our big boy Taj.
My sister and Chloe also came over to hang out. What a great Christmas weekend and morning we had!!! This year's definitely takes the cake, especially because we had 2 little elves to celebrate the holiday with! Even though Baby Jax arrived in the wee hours of the morning, Christmas morning, he made it in time for our celebration. Mama was sure excited to be able to dress the 2 brothers in coordinating Christmas pajamas! Love surprises such as these!

Red Light

No induction for me, back to good old fashion waiting we go! Let me ask you this though, how many OBs do you think it takes to check a 39th week pregnant woman? Apparently, 2 OBs and a nurse! Seriously, my appointment was a nightmare and I left an emotional mess, and more discouraged than ever. As mentioned before my midwife is now on vacation in India, so I was seen by a new OB yesterday, make that 2 unfamiliar faces. She had a difficult time "finding" my cervix so she called in a male doctor (yes, a MALE doctor! Which made me very uncomfortable!) to check me since she was having issues. Two stirrups, two sets of hands, "stripping of my membranes", and tons of tears later, this vulnerable woman was told she was misinformed about her dilation last week and that I was actually only 2cm dilated, 50% effaced, with my cervix not exactly as soft or ready for labor yet, and far from being a candidate for an induced labor. Talk about confusion and frustration! #1 my hopes and expectations of Jax being born before Christmas were crushed, #2 I feel like an idiot for thinking the last month that he was going to be born early when I was given the wrong numbers and info and wasn't "ready" as I had been told I was, #3 This last month has been an agonizing journey for not only myself, but for Brad, and all our friends and family involved who have anticipated labor "any day now". I'm not going to discredit my midwife whatsoever because she has been my midwife for the last 2 years, and knows my cervix the best, but I feel like my being told I was dilating at 36 weeks put me on a rollercoaster of not being ready, then being ready, then false labor, then becoming very impatient, to now this setback. I feel like I just took a step backwards! If it wasn't for me being misinformed, having to take care of a toddler 24/7, and nearing the holidays, I swear I would be fine.... but I am done, put a fork in me please! To make matters worse, I was at a whopping 51 lb. weight gain when they weighed me. The OB told me most of it was water weight, that I have at least 6 lbs of water in my feet (i told you I was a swollen hippo).

All distress and disappointment aside, I have come to the realization that the most important thing is that Jax is a healthy baby boy, and that my body and he have to be ready...... there's nothing more I can do than wait and be positive. I have so much to be grateful for, and I know that no matter how many days or weeks (if he decides to go over 40 weeks) there is an end in sight for this pregnancy, and I will be back comfortable in my own body holding my sweet little newborn in no time, and probably when we least expect it. I have tried everything from jump starting the contractions, to positive thinking, praying, even requesting an induction to bring this little human being into this world before Christmas, and if its not meant to be then we just have to live with that. If he is born on the holiday or close to it, I know that as a family we are creative and will find a way to make his birthday special every year of his life.

39th Week Baby Jax Birth Plan

Well, looks like Jax is stalling...... in my 39th week now! I have been dilated for close to a month, and our bags have been packed for weeks! Our predicted dates, the 12th, the 15th, the 18th.... have all passed and we are days away from the big holiday. As my belly grows insanely big (bigger this time versus last), I am feeling more uncomfortable, more pressure, more acid reflux and heartburn throughout the day & night, and a sharp pain in my lower left side of my pelvis making it more difficult to walk. I am officially a waddler, and boy are my feet, ankles, and hands swollen! Occasional cramping, but still no contractions. I have tried everything from the red raspberry tea, foot massages, spicy food, pineapple, even long "waddles" around the coast and neighborhood, to help bring on contractions, but Jax will not budge. I don't remember being this impatient with Taj, but probably because of the looming Christmas holiday I feel more stressed with Jax's birthday plus again this time I dilated early and it has been a slow progress since.

After reading up on the 39th week I found out that the baby's weight is pretty much set at what it is now, and that if we head closer to the 40th and 41st week there is less benefit to the baby thriving off of the placenta. So after much thought and discussion, Brad and I decided that at today's 39th week appt we would try to follow through on my midwife's earlier suggestion (to get induced at the 39th week mark if I continue to dilate, etc.) Right now that sounds like gold. What's the next best thing to being able to plan the exact date and time of your baby's birth? A Pitocin induction. This basically means that since labor has already started for me weeks ago (the dilation and effacement of the cervix) and I keep steadily dilating, i can be administered Pitocin (which is given about 99% of the time now in the labor process) to jump-start my contractions. If the OB agrees and gives me the green light, I am given permission to go to the hospital, get induced, get my epidural once contractions start up, and deliver our baby possibly tonight or tomorrow morning. A perfect scenario when you think about the planning ahead we can do in regards to dropping Taji off with my sister and such. At my appointment later this afternoon I will find out whether our birth plan will be approved, whether we will need to schedule the induction or I can just arrive at the hospital this evening. Fingers crossed!

Our Festive (and hopefully last) Weekend as a Family of 3

As we continued to wait for Jax's arrival, we decided to stick to our annual Grover Christmas tradition of visiting Santa at Roger's Gardens here in Corona Del Mar. Brad taught Taj how to say Santa Claus and all day he was chanting "see Santa Claus" and was so excited to visit him. When we arrived (and luck has it, especially at the Gardens just like last year) there was no wait to see Santa! But of course, no matter his enthusiasm to see Santa, the second we attempted to put Taji on Santa's lap he started shaking and saying "no, no" and got very scared! Poor Santa, what a trooper, he stood with us (as you can see on the picture above, and very furthest from Taji (because even his presence next to him made him nervous) for our "family" Santa portrait. If I had known Brad and I were going to be in the picture with Taji, I would have at least put on make up!
These next pics are what we do every year in the garden, because every year since we started coming here I either have a belly or a baby! This year I am fortunate to have both!

I can't get over how large and in charge I look lately with my huge belly. Especially in my solo pic I look like I'm truly hiding a beach ball under my shirt! It also seems like I can't get out of the spotlight, lately everybody comments "whoa look at that belly" or "you look like you are ready to pop!"..... you think? Try telling that to Jax who is comfortably and squishably relaxing inside!

As we always do, at the Gardens, Taj enjoyed watching the choo choo train and we picked out 2 new handmade ornaments (all from Poland) to put on our tree. The blue "baby" heart is for Jax (his first ornament), and the Santa in the Car is one that Taj picked out for this year 2011.
After Santa's visit, Brad took us out for a nice family dinner at Gulfstream, where Taj feasted on his favorite Clam Chowder. We told ourselves how special this dinner might be, since it could be the last time we dine as a party of 3!

The next day, still no baby Jax, so...... we headed out on our duffy boat to watch the last night of the Newport Boat Parade. We bundled up, and along with Aunt Sherry and Taji's cousins Cayden and Sierra, we hit the bay, caught a beautiful sunset, cruised around looking at the decorated houses and boats, and had prime seats for the boat parade (out on the water of course).

After goofing around with his cousins, and being super hyper, Taj finally mellowed out and took in the sights of the boat parade. He was fascinated with it and loved watching them go by, exclaiming "big boat!" We pointed out the santas, the snowmen, the angels, and other characters... it was his first time seeing anything like this, so cool!
Here were our favorites of the night:

38th week Update

I'm 4 cm dilated now, 70% effaced, and was told my cervix is "soft and ripe"..... interesting terminology, eh? Had my 38th week appointment yesterday and since labor is progressing my midwife did not "strip my membranes." She highly recommended I increase my daily number of red raspberry tea to 3-4 cups a day, I guess this really does strenghten the uterus and aid in contractions. She is on-call at the hospital today and tomorrow so how ideal would it be if he decided to be born now ;) I swear I lost my mucus plug yesterday too..... so just waiting on the contractions to start any time now! I feel cramping here and there throughout the day along with Jax's movement and pressure. Can you tell how incredibly impatient we are at this point?!! Taj's labor was much faster I remember, one week I was 1cm dilated then the following week I went into labor dilating to 4cm and in the hospital to greet him! Yup, instead of getting my epidural at 4cm like I did with Taj, I am walking around and going about my regular day..... I think Jax is just too comfortable! And I know he has another 2 weeks to technically "cook" but with Taji being born at 39 weeks and Jax being a second baby, my expectation is that he will come sooner?! I told you I scared him off when I found I was dilating two weeks ago! Oh well, nothing like good 'ole surprises..... everything definitely has its timing, no matter how much wishful thinking or preparation.

Dear Baby Jax,
This may be the last entry I write before you enter this world and I want you to know how much love, warmth, and excitement is awaiting you when you decide to make your entrance! Your big brother Taj loves to give you kisses on my belly and is contstantly pointing at my belly saying "Jax." When we ask him "Who's your brother?" He excitedly yells your name! He is just as impatient for you to come out and play as we are! Maybe I am feeding you too much good stuff...... the salmon, the spinach, the pomegranate seeds.(trying to pack all those in the last few days so your brain is well nourished!), but I promise you I have more goodies for you when you are born! I hope your delivery is fast and easy, we are going to try and video it too! I love you so much my little baby boy and cannot wait to introduce you to your dada and big bro, and the rest of our family that is excitedly anticipating your birth! We hope to celebrate your first Christmas with you as well, wait until you see our beautiful christmas tree and our warm colorful home! Please please come soon, I just don't know how many more hours and days I can wait to hear your cry, see your face, and hold you! Let my impatience and excitement encourage you to make your descend, and allow my love and joy to wipe away any fear or anxiety you may be feeling........ hope to see you soon! Love, Mama

Deck The Halls

With boughs of holly. Fa Lalala lalalala. Tis the season to be jolly. Fa Lalala lalalala. Yes it is! Its quite the jolly festive time in the Grover household nowadays, especially with the anticipation of baby Jax (ha ha sounds a lot like Baby Jesus!) Our holidays have begun, and its so warm and sparkly at home:
We have our outside christmas lights on the balcony and around the windows, the wreath is on the door, and the poinsettias greeting our guests. On the inside, our mantle is glittering with more lights, the tree is exuding the spirit of christmas, our Christmas Clock is counting down the days, and our stockings (including Jax's) are hanging by the fire. Proudly, we did all this in the last week!

It all started last weekendwith CDM's annual Christmas Walk. Our little town threw a street party with lots of food, drinks, a band on every corner, and people just kind of strolled down the sidewalk of PCH and hopped around from restaurant and bar. This year was a huge turn-out, they even had a santa taking pics with kids. We left our kid at home with the babysitter for the first part of it so we could go over to our newly married friends Griffin & Jane's annual Ugly Christmas Sweater pre-party brunch. Then later in the afternoon Taji came by to say hi to everyone and we headed home while dada hit the local bars and partied on with everyone else:



This last Saturday we took Taj to pick out his Christmas tree; we just love the smell of a real noble fir in the home despite the messies. We took this family pic by the Grand Wagoneer, can you see our tree on the top of the car?
Then just in time for the holiday season, Taj got his 2nd haircut by the same lady who cut it the first time. So funny our little boy has his own stylist! She does an excellent job and Taji always has fun "flying" the planes. Look at Mr. Handsome with his short 'do, very proper for the holidays!

Since Baby Jax was nowhere in sight and mama was feeling good, we decided to continue our Christmas spirit by taking Taj to Disneyland for the 1st time on Sunday. Since he is older now, and so observant and captivated by all the Christmas decorations and lights, we thought it would be fun to show him the grand display of decorations only Disney knows how to do. Plus, Brad and I have been wanting to go to Disneyland during the holiday season for this exact reason. We planned to make an evening out of it, to see the sights and sounds, ride a few of the family storybook rides, watch their christmas parade, have a yummy dinner under the twinkling lights of the princess castle, and make our way home after their fireworks display. We even made plans to meet up with our friends, the Jacobsen Family. We got there just in time to see that last half of the parade, but it was completely impossible to find the Jacobsens! :

Then, benounced to our expectations and hopes, we got caught up in the BIGGEST crowd. Seems like everyone else had the same idea as us. There were SO many people it was very difficult to walk, to see anything..... to enjoy ourselves. We attempted to see the "Small World" light display and even got caught up in the snowfall at the castle...... however, we were miserable so fortunately Disney refunded us our tickets (we were there for less than an hour).

In the end, we actually got to see the holiday highlights of the theme park (along with the annoying and overwhelming crowd and chaos,) and it was all free thanks to Disney's hospitality. We walked back through Downtown Disney and had the most fun there. We grabbed dinner, Taji loved running around the fountain, and we took him into the huge Lego store where he picked out his favorite Lego set Santa will put under the tree for him. I think he enjoyed himself the most at the Lego store, playing with the legos!:
On our way home, we actually got to see the fireworks, so I guess we were somewhat successful in our Disney plan of the night! I told Taji this visit didn't count, so his first official Disneyland excursion will be sometime soon, and on a weekday when its not packed, so we can relish in the beauty, imagination, and fun the park has to offer. Plus, Taj will be a bit older so he will probably be more into it anyhow...... can't say the same for Baby Jax, but he'll like people watching and hearing his older bro giggle!

These Boots Were Made for Walking (Downstairs!)

Taji boy got some new boots from dada the other week, very slick Vans ugg-style boots for the winter weather. And what a big boy he is wearing them, they definitely made him grow up a little more, he is now walking down the stairs all by himself!!!!! Check out our stylish big boy!!

False Alarm

It's 4:30pm Thursday and I start having contractions. They come and go every 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes lasting only a few seconds, and the longest 60 seconds. They continue through the evening, sometimes stopping for an hour and then all of a sudden, BOOM, they are back. I alert the husband, and my sister who is on-call for this reason. She asks if she should drive up and stay the night in case we have to go the hospital. Could it be that I am in labor? No. Its called False Labor, and it was yet another little joke Baby Jax played on us! Just like the other week when I found I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced at 36 weeks, I had not encountered a single contraction until this past Thursday when they came full force. But no, Baby Jax is becoming a little tease...... it was false labor because the contractions were irregular, would come and go, and would dissipate if I laid down or changed positions. They faded when I fell asleep in the night, but then woke me up at 4am..... still irregular. And I haven't had one since! You would think being pregnant for the second time would be familiar territory, but trust me when I say every pregnancy and every delivery is different. The symptoms can be different, the progression towards labor can throw you for a loop and confuse you even more (like now!), and I expect my delivery will probably also be unique. I wonder if Thursday's contractions dilated me more, and if so, does that mean that when the actual labor happens I will get my epidural in time or will I be too dilated to get it? Ayayay! Anyway, being that this is the 2nd wake up call in the last 2 weeks, we are definitely prepared and ready for Jax Franz Grover to come out and play. Even Brad has his bag packed now! I have my 38th week appointment Tuesday morning and my midwife is going to check how much I dilated and wants to "strip my membranes." Sounds weird, and it is probably going to be uncomfortable since in some women it could possible rupture the "bag of water" or bring on labor contractions within 24 to 48 hours. So, we are taking bets now, on which day will Baby Jax arrive? I like the sound of the 11th or the 12th, Brad prefers the 15th, our babysitter predicts the 12th (so next year on 12-12-12 he would be turning the big ONE), and both Brad's dad and my mom predict the 20th. Only little Jax knows for sure!