Long time nanny, first time mom

I've Moved!

2009-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the new blog http://thumbinmouth.blogspot.com

Why the new location? Well, this blog was very much about the pregnancy. The title just wasn't working for me anymore and I figured if I was going to move, the earlier the better. I'm no longer a nanny and probably won't be again for a long time, if ever. Jack is a thumb sucker, hence the new title.

I moved all the posts over from his birth on. It's all there.

So set your bookmarks and change your links. I plan on staying there for a while.

Newest Breastfeeding issue

2009-07-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Over the last month breastfeeding has been going really well and for the first time I'm actually enjoying it. It's a tough thing to stick with when it's so stressful. I never expected all the emotions that go along with it. I never expected to feel so inadequate when things were going so poorly and I couldn't figure them out. I think not being about to figure out what was going on was the most frustrating part.

This time, I know what's going on! Lately Jack has become quite the chatter box. He'll be eating great and stop to just babble, smile, and coo at me. I have to admit that it's really cute but it also makes his feedings take twice as long. He's very easily distracted now too. If someone new comes in or someone tries to have a conversation with me he has to put in his input too.

The good news is that I know that this is a normal part of development and that it will pass. In the mean time I'm trying to keep feeding as boring as possible, but I don't really think it's working.

New Favorite Picture

2009-07-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

I know, look at all the up-dates. I can't sleep so I loaded my latest batch of pictures onto the computer. I think this is my new favorite! He's just so cute and sweet.

A 4 Letter Word

2009-07-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

I've been avoiding this post for a while, and no, not the vacation post. I'm still working on getting one of the video's to work right. This particular post I've been avoiding because I didn't want to really make public what I'm doing. I've spoken to a few people about it, but I haven't gone into detail here because I don't want to fail and have to admit it.

That 4 letter word is DIET. When I got pregnant I was already overweight. Then I gained even more and ended up heaver than I've ever been. Even now, I'm still heaver than I've ever been and I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that.

Anyways, I've lost weight before so I know I can do it again. 6 weeks ago I joined a weight loss/exercise class at the gym. It meets 3 days a week for an hour with a personal trainer and a nutritionist. The nutrition part I pretty much know, eat sensibly, control portion sizes, mostly animals, vegetables, and fruits. The great thing is that it holds me accountable. I have to write down everything I eat and I get "in trouble" if it isn't good.

I also really like the group that I'm in. It turned out to be all women, and all of us are mom's. There are 11 of us total and 3 of us have little bitty babies. It's an intense work-out but the girls make it entertaining.

Another factor I'm having to learn to balance is the elbow. For those of you who don't know, 3.5 years ago I shattered my left elbow and all hell broke loose. It was followed by 4 surgeries, over a month total in the hospital, WAY to many pain meds, and what started me on this road to being overweight. It's frustrating. Before the accident I was super fit, felt the best I'd felt in my whole life, and I could kick just about anyone's ass. Now... not so much. I'm learning that I can't compare myself now to how I was then and I can't compare how I could exercise then to how I can now. And I'm having to figure out how to do enough with my arm that it gets work but not so much to keep me up all night in pain. That's the tricky part. I've discovered that if I work out on my non-class days all I can do is walk and maybe a little core stuff. No upper body stuff at all. And for now, that's fine. A big part of all of this is getting by body used to moving again and getting my arm strong. Given that, I've taken on not complaining about going. I often times find myself having to bite my tongue and hopefully I'll still have one when this class is over with.

So far I've lost 11.5 pounds and dropped 5.3% body fat. Not too shabby! I'm eating about 1500 calories a day and working my butt off, literally. :-) I have shrunk out of some of my maternity clothes, thank God, and I'm going to have to take the sewing machine to some of my night time bras soon.

This is all a life style change. When you're pregnant it's very easy to eat however you want and as much as I'd like to continue that, I don't want those results.

There is a $750 prize package for the person in all of the weight loss classes who looses the most weight. I think there are about 40 of us total and from what I hear it's any ones at this point. So I'll keep ya'll updated... however it goes.

1st Day

2009-07-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Jonathan's first day of work. Jack let me sleep until 8 today! Well, he woke up at 6:30 ish to eat but went back to sleep after. He's still snoozing a bit but he keeps making all kinds of noises.

I've got tea steeping and we'll see how long before I need a nap :-)

Vacation summary by Jack

2009-06-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here are Jack's thoughts on the vacation. (Video shot on location)

Stay tuned for more...

3 months old

2009-06-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Jack,

This is going to short and sweet, just like you, because I'm tired. A lot has happened this month. We took a trip to the coast on your first vacation. It was great and you actually did okay in the car. We bought you a new car seat and a fan and I sat in the back with you. It all helped and somehow all of us survived.

You are getting quite strong and getting very close to rolling from your back to your front. You are sleeping really well too. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and checked on you via the monitor. It was 2 AM and you were in there wide awake! You were talking and smiling at the animals on the wall. It was super cute but it was also 2 AM, when you're supposed to be sleeping. I debated about going in and giving you your binky but I decided to wait until you fussed a bit... and you never did. It took about 20 minutes but you eventually sucked on your thumb and fell asleep. It was great to know that you could be totally awake and go to sleep on your own but also sad in a way because it's very clear that your newborn days are behind us.

Another bitter sweet thing that happened is that daddy got a job! It's super exciting because it means that I get to continue to stay home with you and that our life will continue as if he never got laid-off. It's a little sad because it means that daddy will be going back to work and won't be spending as much time with us. I know that we will all miss each other. It all worked out perfectly actually, just like you.

Love,
Mama

Light!

2009-06-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a vacation post with video and everything, things are just a little crazy right now. More on that later.

Anyways, the one thing that makes me a little nutty about our house is that we don't have good natural light. The lamps help but I just can't get good pictures inside. While we were on vacation the hotel room had really awesome natural light so I got some great pictures of Jack. Here are a few...

I love how he holds his thumb in his mouth with his other hand. Too stinkkin' cute.

You can really see the tongue tie in this picture. I'm still debating about getting it snipped.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

This is Jonathan's first of many.

I'm going to go off topic just a little here. Most of you know that Jonathan got laid-off. His last day was when Jack was 4-weeks-old. Knowing that the paychecks are going to stop before long and the savings are limited is stressful, extremely stressful. We have to keep reminding ourselves that for now, we're fine and that we're not going to panic until there is a need to. And honestly, there probably won't be a need to. We could worry and really freak out but we're choosing not to. Instead of this being an awful thing that has happened, we have turned it into something great. How many babies get both their parents home to take care of them? And not many dad's get to spend so much time with their new babies and not many mom's get this much help. It has been fantastic for all of us. In a perfect world Jonathan would only have to go back to work part time!

Another great thing about being laid-off is that Jonathan has now experienced first hand how many people respect and admire him. People from his old company (some still working there and some who got laid off as well) are recommending him for job openings all over. He's had 4 interviews, has another this week, and a lead on a different position at one of the first places he interviewed at.

We know he'll find something but for the time being we're enjoying the lay-off.

Oh yeah, remember to call your father today and tell him that you love him.

The trip down

2009-06-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it went much better than expected. Jack slept most of the way and only fussed a little. There was no freaking out, so that's good. I think a lot of it is the new car seat. He can sit much more up right and see more. It's also much easier to get him in and out of so there is less time to fuss about being buckled.

Today we went to the aquarium, this afternoon we're headed to the inside pool here at the hotel, and then we're going to try and go out for dinner.

Tomorrow it's over to Padre Island for some beach time and then to the Big Fisherman for lunch.

That's all we really have planned. I'll do a big vacation post when we get back but for now, I'm going to enjoy the vacation!

Snapshots

2009-06-15T12:07:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures that I've taken. My intention was to edit them and wright about them and then post them, but that isn't happening and I want to share them so here they are...

Jack and his Papa

Memorial day at the lake. A fine family tradition.

Bath time is his favorite time!

Snoozing away and unswaddled.

Just to stinkkin' cute!

Snuggling with mama.
Love those curls!

Vacation here we come

2009-06-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we're leaving town for a few days. We're going down to the coast, about 4.5 hours away, for 3 nights. Jack is sleeping really well so I think we'll be fine there but I'm really worried about the car ride.

On Saturday we made an attempt to take Jack to the farm but didn't make it. He was screaming bloody murder. We pulled over and I took him out and got him calm but as soon as we got back in the car he started right back up. He was beat red and was screaming so hard he wasn't breathing. I was in the back seat and he was just looking at me like "why won't you pick me up", it was awful. I was crying too at one point.

I ordered a new car seat. It's the next size up but holds little ones too. I have my doubts about it working but it's worth a try. I'm also going to call the doctor tomorrow and see if there is anything we can give him because I think he gets car sick. He was spitting up a bit after we got home on Saturday. I also made a play list in itunes that we keep playing during the day and we'll take it with us in the car. I'm not sure what else to do, accept possibly buy ear plugs.

We are looking forward to being at the beach though. I'm really excited that we're going during the week when the crowds will be less. We plan on going to the aquarium, the museum, and the beach.

My dad is super great and he is using some of his points for our hotel! It even has an inside pool so Jack might like it. I tried to take him swimming a few weeks ago and as soon as I dipped his toes in he went postal so this is how he spent his pool time:

Hopefully this time will go a little better.

I have a feeling that we'll be spending most of our evenings in the hotel so I might even have time to blog a bit.

Silly Boys

2009-06-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping that Jack learns to behave better than daddy does during picture time.

Sad Little Monkey

2009-06-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Jack has the pouting thing down. I know I shouldn't laugh at him when he does it but it's just so dang cute.

So it turns out that I'm a bit crunchy

2009-06-02T14:02:00.001-07:00

This is one thing about motherhood that I didn't expect. I've always recycled but the rest is all new. We co-slept for a while, I wear Jack places, and we are doing the cloth diaper thing, which I love.
I wasn't sure about it before we tried it but now I won't ever go back. We had originally planned on using disposables at night and when we go out but Jack gets rashes so easily that we now take cloth with us everywhere and use them at night too. We even switched to using cloth wipes which is easier. Jonathan was worried about the ick factor but it's not bad at all, we'll see if that changes when he starts solid foods. We are very organized about the whole thing which makes it work really well.

And speaking of diapers, it's time to go change a one...

2 months old

2009-06-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Jack,

We've had a lot going on this month. One of the best things is spending so much time with dad. He got told to leave his job a month ago and as horrible as the timing is, it's also turned out to be really great. He now knows what everyday life with a little baby is like and the two of you are becoming great palls. It also means that I have some help and can usually get a little extra sleep in the mornings.

And speaking of sleep you are a little champ. Last night you went 8 hours between feedings. I kept waking up and listening for you. You've been consistently sleeping 5 to 6 hour stretches and I'm hoping last night was a preview of what's to come. Also what's really great is that when you're sleepy we can wrap you up, give you your passy, and lay you down. You do the rest from there. Sometimes we have to go in and put the passy back in but for the most part you put yourself to sleep. The thing that's so great about it is that we won't have to just put you in there to cry at any point. Because you know how to put yourself to sleep, when you wake in the night and don't need food you simply go back to sleep on your own. I love my cuddle time with you and holding a sleeping baby is the best, however it's not worth putting all of us through some stressful nights. You're very advanced.

But don't get me wrong, you have us wrapped around your little finger. You have started smiling and cooing which just melts my heart. You'll sit and cary on a whole conversation. We have no idea what you're talking about but I could sit and talk to you all day. And we're not the only ones in love with you, Baxter has become quite attached to you too. He cries whenever you cry, which is really annoying actually, but he's gotten better at going outside if you're upset. He sticks close to you but is very gentle. Lola will come and sniff your head too but she doesn't follow you around like Baxter does.

Personally, I think you're growing up too fast already. You are an easy baby and I want you to stay just the way you are.

Love,
Mama

update

2009-05-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

We had a doctor watch us breast feed and talked with 2 lactation consultants and everyone thinks the problem is reflux.

The good news is that their digestive systems eventually mature so it's only a temporary problem. It's also great that he's gaining weight and we have plenty of milk. We put him on some medicine and it seems to be helping. Now instead of having 1 or 2 good feedings a day we have 1 or 2 fussy feeding a day. We're going to give it a few weeks and then try stopping it and see if there is a difference. I hate putting him on meds but the other option was to stop breastfeeding and I'm not one to give up on things. This is where I can use my stubbornness for good.

On Breastfeeding

2009-05-20T17:58:00.001-07:00

I had hoped to have this figured out by now but after 7 weeks we're still having issues. From about week 3 to week 4 it was going great, now not so much.

He latches on just fine and eats for about 5 minutes. After that it all goes down hill. He pulls off and screams. I burp him and try to put him back on but the remainder of the feeding is generally a battle. And we've tried everything. I talked to a lactation consultant who told me to try pumping a little before I feed because maybe he's getting too much too fast. Now we have a freezer full of milk and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm still doing it simply so that he gets more of the hind milk. The milk they get first is more sugary and satisfies hunger, the back milk has all the good fats for brain development and it keeps them full longer.

Not every feeding is so difficult but I can't figure out what makes the good ones good and the fussy ones fussy. I'm writing everything down but I have yet to see any kind of pattern. Either way he's always coming un-latched.

I could go on and on about everything we've tried. Lets just say we're both frustrated.

He has a little bit of a rash on his face so we went to the doctor today thinking maybe that was causing pain. His doc wasn't in so we saw someone else and she thinks it's reflux. His doc is going to call me tomorrow but the one we saw today suspects he'll give us a prescription. I don't want to put him on medicine but I'm willing to try it to see if that's what's going on.

I'm going to call the lactation consultant Again and see if she can observe us. I only hope that he has a fussy feeding so she can see what it's like.

I'm also holding out for him to hit 8 weeks. Maybe when all these crazy growth spurts are over he'll calm down. I hear lots of people say that around 8 weeks it gets easier.

I just feel so bad for him. Clearly something hurts, he's still hungry but all he does is scream. Poor baby. I'm also a bit worried about my supply. If he only nurses for 5 minutes every 3 hours then we're going to eventually have a supply issue.

The one good thing is that his weight gain is fine. He's gained 34 oz in 36 days which is right on track. He's dropped from the 75% to the 50% for weight but he's still just right.

I'm just praying that we get this figured out before both of us pull our hair out.

Ode to Jumping Jack

2009-05-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Jumping Jack is a wooden toy clown that Jack's Papa (my dad) brought him from Germany, and it is one of his favorite things in the world. He will lay on the changing table and talk to it and watch it forever. Sometimes when he's fussy we'll put him there just to calm him down. He loves it so much he wrote this ode to Jumping Jack (with the help of daddy).

Dear Jumping Jack, you are the best.
The only thing better is Mommy's breast.

They give me comfort, and they give me food,
But Jumping Jack, you are one cool dude.

My love for you is stronger than crack!
You are the greatest, my dear Jumping Jack.

Picture time

2009-05-11T09:23:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the pictures from our photo shoot. I love them!

Nick-names

2009-05-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

We have several nick names that we use with Jack. Here is a list of all the ones I can think of right now.

Jack-a-roo
Cracker Jack
Little Buddy
Little Man
Sweet Pea
Little Bug

I think there might be a few more, but I have things to do. I'm sure he will come to loath these in the future, especially the first two.

Overachiever

2009-05-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

Jack rolled over for the first time on the day he turned one month old. Both Jonathan and I were there to see it and it was cool but honestly I thought it was just a random thing. I didn't expect him to do it again until he was about 3 months old. Clearly Jack had other plans. Now I put him on his tummy and he refuses to stay there long. He repeatedly rolls over every time. I have a feeling we may have our hands full with this one!

The fussy baby stopper

2009-05-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

This is Jack's new favorite place. Jonathan needed to study the other day and Jack was super fussy because he was tired and wouldn't go to sleep so I took him out to give Jonathan some quiet. It's hard to know if the car is going to make things better or worse but because he was so tired it worked out. We went to the Austin Baby Store to check out the new location and pick up some cloth wipes. We've been having lots of problems with his little bum getting really raw so we've switched to cloth wipes. It has helped a ton but now we have a dozen packages of wipes that we aren't going to use.

Anyways, it worked out so that I fed Jack at the store, tried on this sling and it made him happy so I used my birthday money to get it. It's actually made by a person here in town and it works great. We walked around to a few different stores in the area while he chilled. Since then every time he gets really fussy I stick him in it and it seems to help.

We're also having breast feeding issues again so I called a lactation consultant today and left a message. Hopefully we'll get things sorted out soon. It is frustrating though.

Jack and the Corn Stalk

2009-05-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

We took Jack out to the farm yesterday for the first time. The little booger slept the whole time.

Thankfully he did okay in the car. I have the one baby who doesn't like the car. If I time everything right he does fine. By that I mean if he's tired and ready to go down for a nap then he's okay while he's napping but as soon as he wakes up it's all over. I wonder if he gets car sick but I would think that he would always cry if that were the case. I'm hoping he changes his mind because it makes going anywhere a pain and we tend to just stay home to avoid the tantrum.

1 month old

2009-04-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Jack,

I can't believe you're 1 month old already. This last month has flown by in a blur of sleepless nights, lots of cuddle time, and an inability to get anything done but to feed and cuddle you. Everyone agrees that you are the cutest little thing. Of course your dad and I think you're the most beautiful baby ever. And sometimes we even "fight" over who gets to hold you. I've been completely enjoying holding you as much as possible and cuddling you, even when you sleep. I can only do this for the first little bit of your life because we want you to actually sleep in your bed and at this point in your life you are too little to actually form habits.

We do put you in your bed every night now. I never thought I would be one to co-sleep, not because there's anything wrong with it but because babies make so many little noises when they sleep. However the first night you were home from the hospital we found you in our bed, snuggled between us. It was the only way we could all get a little sleep at first. Now you stay in your bed until the early morning hours when you come to nurse and stay in the bed with mama while dad goes in the other room and gets a good chunk of sleep. Almost every night now you do a good 4 or 5 hour stretch and we all appreciate that. Four hours at a time is the most sleep I've gotten since you were born and as I can't wait for you to sleep through the night I will also miss our middle-of-the-night cuddle time.

At this point I think we finally have the breastfeeding thing figured out. You had no problems from the start but it's been a little challenging for me at times. Everyone says that it isn't supposed to hurt. Well, they're full of crap. It has gotten less painful, but it's still uncomfortable. The good news is that I think the hardest part of it is over and you are clearly thriving. I took you to the doctor when you were exactly 4 weeks old and you weighed 10 pounds and 10 ounces.

You also hit a milestone today. We were getting you ready for your bath and you were having some naked tummy time in the bathroom. While you were squirming around you rolled over by your self for the first time. That kind of this usually doesn't happen until at least 2 months for most babies but you are a little advanced. Daddy and I both cheered and I'm glad that both of us were there to see it. It's okay to slow down though, you've got plenty of time to grow up.

People always ask me if being a mom is different from being a nanny. And to some degree it is. The biggest difference is breast feeding. After that it's the physical reaction I have to you crying. It never did bother me when other people's kids cry but when you cry I leak milk and when you really get going it actually makes me physically nauseous. Those are the only differences so far. The truth is that I've been a mom for a long time, I've just been a mom without a baby. And the reason is because I was waiting for you.

Love,
mama

A sample of pictures

2009-04-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Click on the link to see a sample of some of the pictures from the photo shoot.

http://www.amberthescrambler.com/?p=551

They are so good. I'm getting a CD in the mail and as soon as it arrives I'll post them. I can't wait!

Water baby

2009-04-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that this is my kid. He loves the water. Before his little cord fell off we could only give him a sponge bath and to say that he wasn't a fan is an understatement.

Here are a few pictures from his first real bath:

Now I find it easier to just get in the tub with him. I can just put my hand under his head and he relaxes and floats. This way I make sure to get cleaned too and I don't have to worry about what day I'm going to get a shower on. He screams when we take him out but he seems to like having lotion massaged on him.

The cutest thing ever!

2009-04-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

He is just beautiful. This is one of the pictures from our photo shoot last Friday, and it's hysterical. He's the sweetest cutest baby I've ever seen. And I'm a professional, I know what I'm talking about.

These last three weeks have been wonderful. I'm a little tired, but I also have the most wonderful little person ever.

Bluebonnets

2009-04-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday. Lots of people comment on how great my pictures are, and these did turn out great. There are just a few things you should know about how I get such good photos.

1st - I take a TON of pictures. I took a total of 40 pictures during this shoot and I like 4 of them so roughly 10% turn out. And that's an extremely high %.

2nd - The camera and lens do matter. And just having them isn't enough, you have to know how to use them. I'm no expert, but I have a good basic understanding of what mine can do. I know there's more that I don't understand yet but I do have a general understanding of how it works. Also, take that camera off of automatic mode and use natural light. Both make for better picture.

3rd - Editing is half the art form. Getting good pictures into the camera is only 1/2 the battle, getting them to look good out of the computer is another. I have 2 different editing software programs and sometimes I use both of them to edit one picture. For example, this is how one of the pictures looked coming out of the camera.

And after running it through 2 different software programs, I got this.

Okay, enough with the lesson, now enjoy the cuteness!

2 week dr's visit

2009-04-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we took Jack to the doctor for his first well-check. It turned out to be a big day. First, he lost his umbilical cord that morning. Finally. I had been waiting for it to fall off so we could start using the cloth diapers, which make him look really big by the way.

I also needed an actually nursing bra as I only had sleep bra's so we were going to stop by the maternity store before the appointment because I had Jonathan to watch the baby and we tossed lunch in there too just because.

So lunch went fine. We went to Boomerang's because it's quick and very yummy. Then it was off to Special Addition for some bra shopping. This is now the only maternity store I will go to. It's locally owned, the people are extremely helpful, they have a return policy (unlike most other places) and I can find affordable things there if I look hard enough. At one point Jack got a little fussy, I think from being in the car seat for so long, and Jonathan was able to rock him and he was fine. Of course I was leaking milk everywhere because of the fussing, which makes bra shopping a little more tricky, but we managed. I now actually have a nursing bra.

His appointment was last on the list and unfortunately he was starting to get a little hungry as we got there. We put him on the scale and he was up to 9 lbs 7 oz! Holy Cow! Almost a pound above his birth weight already. I expected him to be at his birth weight, but that far over it was impressive. He's 75% for weight and 50% for height and head. And the doctor said he looks perfect. We're not going to worry about the tongue tie issue unless we start having problems, but so far I think we're good. The poor guy was screaming by the time the appointment was over so I found a place to feed him and was able to nurse before heading home.

Picture up-date

2009-04-12T16:55:00.001-07:00

Everything is going well, I'm just very busy and don't have much time to give up-dates. I'm lucky to get a shower so I'll just post a few pictures.

We're going to get pictures taken tomorrow and Tuesday is our first doctors visit. Jonathan is back to work part-time right now and will return full-time as of Wednesday. No one is looking forward to that.

A birth story

2009-04-08T17:45:00.001-07:00

I know this is long, and please don’t feel obligated to read it, but I want to have everything I remember written down.

First, I should mention what the “plan” was. My biggest thing was that I didn’t want to have a c-section. I’ve fulfilled my quota of surgeries lately and didn’t want to have to recover from another. Because of that, I wanted to do everything I could to encourage a vaginal birth. I know that being induced greatly increases the chances of a c-section. Also getting an epidural, especially getting one too early, also increases the chances. Because of that, the plan was to go natural for as long as possible and hopefully avoid an epidural all together. I would do things that would naturally induce labor if my body was ready but I wouldn’t medically induce. I also wanted it to be just Jonathan and myself in the room during the birth and I didn’t want our family listening at the door. All of this was laid out in writing and we knew that it was just a plan.

Everything started on Monday the 30th when I had my weekly doctors visit. We got there on time but the doc got called away for an emergency surgery and a delivery and because I was past my due date they wouldn’t let me see a nurse, it had to be the doctor. When they finally took me back they hooked me up to the monitors to make sure the baby was doing okay. The only thing that was close to being worrisome were his fluid levels, they were still in the OK range but just. The doctor was vigorous with the exam to try and get my cervix to do something. I was still only ½ cm dilated but was now 25% effaced.

Up to this point I had tried everything I could think of to help start labor, accept one thing… the dreaded castor oil. So when I got home from the appointment I broke down. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I took ½ the amount recommended mixed into a chocolate shake. I figured at worst I’d spend some time on the toilet.

Nothing happened for a few hours after I took it. Then I took a few trips to the bathroom and had a few contractions. It was still light out so Jonathan and I took a walk. Shortly after, the contractions became very regular and got stronger. I think it was about 8:00 pm at this point. That’s when the contractions got strong enough and regular enough for me to decide to start tracking them. I had a contraction timer application on my iphone that I used and they went from 4-7 minutes apart to 2-4 minutes apart. Once they had been 3 minutes apart for a few hours and I really had to concentrate and breath through them we headed for the hospital. I though it might be a little early to head in but Jonathan was reading the instructions from the doctor that said to call when they were 5 minutes apart and he was getting a little anxious, so we went.

The car ride was horrid because I couldn’t move. At home when I could move I could find positions that would work and could focus on relaxing during the contractions. In the car I noticed that the whole lower half of my body would tensed up and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It was about 1:30 am when we got there and checked in. The nurse we had was awesome. She hooked me up to the monitors but would let me stand next to the bed, move where the cords would allow, and sit on the birthing ball. Unfortunately the contractions slowed down at the hospital and my cervix hadn’t changed therefore classifying it as false labor. They gave me the option of staying and being induced because I was past my due date but I knew the chances of a c-section greatly increase with induction so instead we did the walk of shame and went home.

It was back into the car to head home. As we were leaving the hospital the contractions picked back up and started coming 1 ½ minutes apart. Contractions are timed from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next meaning I had about 30 seconds rest between them. We got home at about 3:15 am and I told Jonathan to get some rest and I would try and do the same. I had no luck at all. The contractions stayed 1 ½ minutes apart and great increased in intensity. I got into the tub and tried to relax there. We think this is where my water broke because when the doctor went to break it during labor he couldn’t find it. I only stayed in the tub for a bit because sitting didn’t work well for me and the intensity of the contractions was getting worse. I could feel the baby moving down and I felt like I was sitting on his head. I was moaning through them and I found that the only way I could get through them was to have the exercise ball in the laundry basket so it was about waist high and then lean over that. I was also wearing my tens until which helped a little too.

Around 6:00 am I started to get a little panicky. How in the hell could this be “false” labor? Before even waking Jonathan up I called the on-call doc and told him what was going on. I’m sure he could hear the panic in my voice and he told me to get back to the hospital. I either wanted this to get going or I wanted drugs and I had been up all night at this point. I also knew that if we waited much longer we would have to wait several hours longer to avoid traffic.

Another horrific car ride later and we were back at the hospital. I remember telling them that I wanted drugs as soon as the nurse walked into the room. They hooked me back up to the monitors but the nurse I had this time wouldn’t let me out of the bed. I wasn’t happy about that. The contractions slowed to about 3 minutes apart though so at least I had a bit of recovery time between them. When they checked me I was 1 ½ cm dilated and 80% effaced. YAY! Because I had made progress they were keeping me and I was having a baby.

From here, my time line gets a little blurry. The nurse that I had also had an intern with her and this was her first day in the maternity ward. She was the one who started my IV, which I was very nervous about at first but I figured whatever pain she inflicted couldn’t be any worse than what I was already in so I just went with it. I insisted on not having the IV in my hand, which the main nurse wasn’t thrilled about, but I didn’t care. She said it would be harder to start elsewhere and I told her I didn’t mind being stuck a few times if that is what it took. The intern was clearly very nervous but she got it on the first try and did just fine. While taking blood after she stuck it in she had some issues with holding it still but she eventually figured it out. Shortly after the IV was in they gave me some kind of pain med. It instantly knocked me out for about 20 minutes. After I woke up I still felt really groggy but was getting no pain relief from it at all. They said they could give me another dose but I could only imagine if it was doing that to me what it must be doing to the baby so I said no.

I think my doctor came in at this point. He said the baby’s head was low and everything looked great. Sometime in here I asked for the epidural. Had I been allowed out of the bed I would have gone longer but I remember looking at the clock and calculating that I had been in labor for about 15 hours at this point and awake for about 25. I needed rest and had determined that the hospital is not conducive to natural labor. Plus I think the IV drugs weakened my resolve a bit. Sometime after that the anesthesiologist came in and administered the epidural. Getting the first part of it where they put the stent in wasn’t a big deal, but putting the little tube into that was horrid. I had shooting pains down my right leg plus the contractions. I just remember making a lot of noise and Jonathan almost passing out. He wasn’t even looking but he got really woozy.

After that the intern put in my catheter and checked me. She got instructions from the nurse and did fine with it. She was really excited when she checked me and could feel the baby’s head. It was very cute. I was 4 cm at this point and I think they started some pitocin to speed things up a bit but I don’t think they left it on for long. The nurse was a little overly cautious about the baby’s heart rate. She though he was having what they call d-sells meaning that with every contraction the baby’s heart rate slows a little but takes a little longer than normal to catch back up when the contraction is over. When the doctor came in he said the baby looked perfect and wasn’t concerned at all.

At some point my mom came in and hung out with us for a while. Jonathan was able to eat and give the people in the waiting room some up-dates. I continued to rest and get rolled from side to side. We went through 4 different nurses total so there were some shift changes happening too. I remember getting checked and I was 7 cm dilated. I don’t know if the doc tried to break my water at 4 or 7. Either way he couldn’t find it and we determined it had broken on it’s own at some point. The next time the doctor came in I was 9. At this point it was about 5:30 pm and he thought I’d be pushing by 6:00. Sometime toward the end I developed a low-grade fever but I don’t remember when.

My cervix was thicker on the right side so they left me on my right side longer. All of the epidural meds drained to the right and I could feel the contractions on the left, and they were strong. I had a button that I could push for a boost of the epidural but I knew I was getting close to pushing and I wanted to be able to feel enough to push. Plus while laying on my right side the meds would just drain to the right and not go where I needed them to go. Eventually I was allowed to sit up which helped a bit. I was breathing and moaning through the contractions and the nurse pressed the boost button twice during contractions. I couldn’t tell her not to because I couldn’t talk. Shortly after they laid me on my left side and Jonathan discovered that the boost button wasn’t actually plugged in. Jonathan plugged it in and I pushed it once. It took a while to kick in but eventually I got a little relief. They talked about having the doc give me a big boost of the drugs but I refused because we were close. It took forever to get from 9 to 10, I think about 2 hours. But I also felt the baby moving down a bunch during that time. The doc originally thought we’d be pushing by 5:30 but we didn’t start until 7:30.

When the doc came back to check the nurse told him that the baby’s head was still high. He said that baby’s head was right there and had me push a few times. Jonathan got all excited because he could see the top of his head. The doctor left and the nurse got everything ready and we started pushing. Jonathan stared to get emotional at this time and I had to tell him to cut-it-out, I couldn’t take being emotional and pushing. They told me that one way I pushed was more effective than another but I couldn’t really tell the difference. I asked for the mirror and when I could see what was going on and what worked things went much faster. I was also shocked to see hair on the top of that little head!

The pushing part was the best. I was motivated, I could see that lots of progress was being made, and I knew it was almost over. I could feel each contraction coming on and knew when to push. It was two steps forward and one step back for a while. When I could push he would come out some and when the contraction was over he’s go back up a bit. The contractions were almost 3 minutes apart so I had plenty of time to rest between pushes. After about 20 minutes his little head crowned and there was suddenly lots of commotion. About 7 people were in the room. They had a neonatologist (preemie/newborn doctor) there because they hadn’t seen my water break and so they didn’t know if the baby had his first bowl movement in-utero.

When the doctor was there and they told me to push again I think it took 2 contractions to get his head out. The doc suctioned out his nose and mouth and all the fluid was clear. With the next contraction the rest of him slid out and this little wiggly person was placed on my chest. He was perfect in every way. I was stunned that a whole person had just come out of me. A nurse was there rubbing him down to clean him up a bit and encourage him to cry and clear his lungs. Jonathan cut the cord and they took the baby to get him cleaned up and do his first checks.

The doctor collected the cord blood and then delivered the placenta. I felt so much better after that thing was out, and then the doc stitched me up. I had a small tear. We spent a little time with the baby, nursed for the first time, and then had some family in to meet him.

The whole experience was very surreal. I’m still amazed that I grew this whole person and that he came out of me. The only thing I can think to compare it to is sky-diving. There’s tons of suspense and anticipation followed by the biggest thrill you can imagine.

Overall I’m very pleased with how things turned out. I’m glad that I got the epidural and I’m also glad that I waited as long as I did to get it. I’m not thrilled that everyone had their ears pressed to the door listening to me give birth, as I had specifically listed in my birth plan that I didn’t want that, but there’s nothing that can be done about it now. IF I were to do this again I would want a doula to help things go more how I want them to and to help me go naturally a little longer.

1 week old

2009-04-07T07:30:00.001-07:00

Today Jack is 1 week old. It's hard to believe that he's been here a week already.

He's doing very well and so far things have gone about how I expected them too. Our nights are hit and miss. Last night he ate every 3 to 4 hours and actually slept between feedings so both Jonathan and I got some rest. The night before however he ate for 20 minutes every hour from midnight to 6 am so I got very little sleep. Some nights he sleeps, some he doesn't, that's about what I expected.

The first few days were tough. Mostly because I didn't have milk. He would nurse for an hour and then scream because he was still hungry. We hooked up this thing called an SNS. I have no idea what that stands for but basically it's a little tube that I would tape to my breast and when he would nurse he would get some formula from it. I would let him nurse for at least 30 minutes before adding it in and it was a pain to get set up, but it helped. And now that we have plenty of milk, he's a happy boy.

Jonathan is going to start back to work part-time Thursday so we'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous about making sure I get enough sleep, but I think it will work out okay.

Jack has pee'd on both of us several times now. Sunday we gave him a sponge bath. Jonathan was holding him and I was washing his hair when he bathed Jonathan. I laughed hysterically but I got mine later that day. And with it he got my shirt, pants, the sheets, and his clothes. We make sure to cover him as soon as we take the diaper off but sometimes he still gets us.

We keep talking about how cute he is. I still can't believe he has so much hair. And it seems like something is new every day. He's smiling in his sleep now. I'm guessing he's either dreaming about eating or he has gas but it's so cute.

Jack Thomas

2009-04-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

My little man finally arrived!

Jack Thomas Kubala was born March 31st at 8:02 PM after 24 hours of labor. He weights 8lbs 8oz and is 20.5 inches long.

I'll post a full birth story later but here are some pictures!

He is perfect and beautiful and we are doing great.

40 Weeks = Due Date

2009-03-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

I expected today to be rather anti-climatic so at least I'm not too disappointed that I still have no baby. We have friends coming over for dinner tonight so I am at least distracted.

The only real change is that the baby has dropped. He had dropped a little, but now he's dropped a lot. Jonathan and I went and played putt-putt golf at Main Event the other night and after we got home I felt a ton of pressure and I was extremely uncomfortable. The only way to get somewhat comfortable was in the bath tub so I got in for about an hour with a book while the baby burrowed his way further down. I have to pee way more often, which isn't that big a deal, but my back hurts all the time now and sleeping has become much more difficult.

I've tried almost every home remedy to get him here. I start again tomorrow with acupuncture and a doc. appt. and I'm hoping that I'm dilated enough for him to strip my membrane. I'm also hoping that I actually get to see my doctor tomorrow as I have some questions. If he is able to strip my membrane I may also try the dreaded castor oil, especially if he insists on inducing by 41 weeks. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

This Week:

Much of the vernix has vanished but you will notice traces on her body.
15% of your child's body is fat. Since he hasn't learned to shiver yet, these fat stores will help regulate his temperature.
Approximately 60 - 75 percent is water!
Your baby's chest sticks out, almost as if he's ready to strut proudly over his accomplishment!
His lungs will continue developing until birth. They are manufacturing large quantities of surfactant which works to keep the air sacs open.
She continues to grow; her hair and nails longer as well. You may need to trim those fingernails soon after birth or protect her face from scratches with mittens.
Small breast buds are present on both sexes.
The baby now weighs 7.6 pounds (3462gm) and is 20.2 inches (51.2cm) long.
Congratulations! Any day now you will be cradling your son!

Super Dad

2009-03-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

This is Jonathan a little over a weeks ago. We went to Dream Dinners and put some meals together for when the baby comes. The meals are good and the freezer is over flowing so we should be set for a while. It's fun to do because they do the clean up for you.

I do have a really cute story about Jonathan and the baby. One night last week I was sitting on the couch and the baby was going nuts. Sitting and watching the baby bang around is often our evening entertainment. This particular night he started around 10 PM and by 1 AM I was exhausted. I wanted to go to bed but there was no way with all the activity. So Jonathan got a few books and he sang to the baby and then read to him. Amazingly the baby calmed down as Jonathan started to sing and he was sleeping by the time the books were finished. Baby already calms down just from hearing daddy's voice. Yay!

time is creeping by

2009-03-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

I swear someone slowed the clocks down. Everything seemed normal, whatever normal is, until this week. Now it's like it was at the beginning of the pregnancy, like the clocks have practically been stopped.

Don't get me wrong, I want the baby to be cooked when he gets here. I'm just ready to get my body back. I'm swollen everywhere, my feet, hands, and face are all bloated. I hardly recognize myself. And I think my ass has doubled in size since this whole process started. I can't walk any faster than a snail, and calling it walking is pushing it.

This trimester has been the easiest on me. During the first we didn't know if we were going to lose the baby and I was on and off bed rest. During the second trimester I was sick 3 times, still working, and had low iron levels that weren't treated. During this trimester I've been uncomfortable but I've had more energy and even if I don't sleep at night I can nap during the day.

Honestly, being uncomfortable isn't that big a deal. I went through 2 years of CONSTANT pain from when I broke my elbow and was having the surgeries. Compared to that, this is a walk in the park. It's the swelling, looking like shit, and not being able to do what I want to do because I'm so huge that is getting to me.

And I'm having virtually no signs of him coming any time soon. On Monday I had my dr's appointment where they checked me (nothing has changed), I had acupuncture to induce, got some herbs (that make me nauseous) to help things along, had sex, went for a walk, drank green tea, and the most I got were a few mild cramps. I've had some uterine awareness at times. I wouldn't go as far as to say contractions because I can't time them and I have no problem talking, walking, or sleeping while they're going on. They don't hurt at all and it could simply be because this baby is so big that his weight is making my uterus ache a little. They might be braxton hicks contractions, but even calling them that is pushing it.

We have 3 different social things planned this weekend, so at least I'll be distracted. On Monday I start again with acupuncture and a doc appointment. Hopefully I'll actually get to see the doctor this week. I haven't seen him in 2 weeks because he was on vacation and then last week he got called away to an emergency. Starting this week I'll have to go in every other day to get monitored because I'll be past my due date. That's gunna suck. They want to make sure that the baby is still doing fine in there and that the placenta isn't getting old. I suspect they'll start talking about incuding too. The main reason I don't want to be induced is because I don't want it to end in a c-section and inducing increases that risk. Just like getting an epidural increases the risk of having a c-section, so I'm planning on going without one. I've had enough surgeries to know that I don't want another one. My point is that I want this baby to come on his own. They can't induce without me giving consent, I'm just worried that my will is going to crack at some point.

One hail of a storm

2009-03-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

They say bad things come in threes. The refrigerator, the washer, and the dryer all had to be replaced not long ago. Then nanny died, Jonathan got laid off, and my parents are getting divorced.

Is this starting to sound like a bad country song to anyone else?

Now in the last 3 days the window on my jeep doesn't work (thank God Jonathan managed to rig it so it will stay up and we don't have to spend $400 to get it fixed yet), the belt on the vacuum broke (I'm praying Jonathan can fix it because we use it all the time and I love it) and then we had this happen this afternoon:

I'm actually really excited about this one. It will cost us some money but hopefully we'll be getting a new roof out of it! We've needed one for a few years and we're really pushing it right now. The roof is 17 years old and it doesn't look good.

When the storm started I was napping (because some little baby kept me up really late and got me up very early). The poor dogs were terrified and it was extremely loud. I've lived here all my life and never been in a storm like that. It didn't last very long but it dumped a lot of hail on us, some of it golf ball sized. I'm really glad that everyone is okay and both our cars were protected.

After I took the pictures the dogs though it would be fun to play in the rain and they came in looking like drown rats... and smelling like dead ones.

Jonathan was driving home when it hit here and he decided to pull off down town, park in a garage, and have coffee until it passed. Apparently traffic got shut down in several places up this way from all the hail.

Happiness

2009-03-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's something we all want and something we want for the people that we love.

Last week my parents told me that they are getting divorced. My mom hasn't been financially happy for a long time, and we've all known it. I guess the important thing to know is that everyone is okay. It's sad, but it's okay. I don't see the point in putting blame or fault on anyone, it wouldn't change anything and really would only make it harder.

I've seen and spoken to both of my parents several times and they are doing well. For them, this has been coming for a while, it's just a shock for the rest of us. No one expects this to happen at the age of 29, this generally happens to peoples parents when their in high school. I guess the good thing about it happening now is that both my brother and I are completely independent of my parents. We're close to them because we always have been and we live in the same city but we're not dependent on them.

As long as I focus on what's going on right now, I'm totally fine. It's only when I start thinking about the future and family events that I get a little wonky and that's only because I don't know what's going to happen. But there's no point in worrying about that kind of thing yet. As Jonathan and I start our own family, we'll simply start our own traditions. It might be a little different than we originally though, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The first thing that's coming up is Memorial Day Weekend. I've spent every one of those of my life at Lake Travis. But we were all looking to change that weekend anyways, it just wasn't working for us anymore. I don't know what this year will bring because of the job situation but we'll figure out some crazy adventure to have that weekend and start doing that.

I don't know what's going to come of all of this. I don't know how things are going be. But it's all okay. Everyone is going to be fine.

39 Weeks (-1)

2009-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

As usual nothing has changed. I'm uncomfortable and I think the baby has finally dropped a little. The fronts of my hips are more sore and I have to pee more. I can only imagine what the water bill is going to be like this month. I haven't noticed that I can breath any better so he hasn't dropped much.

I go to the doctor tomorrow but I suspect I'll be in the waiting room for a very long time because it's his first day back from vacation. Before pregnancy the wait was usually about 3 hours. If he wasn't such a good doctor I wouldn't put up with that but given that I've had 2 surgeries by him and have been seeing him since I was 18 I just plan for it. Now that I'm pregnant the wait is much shorter but last time I saw him it was still an hour. I plan on taking my lap top to distract me.

If there is anything to report I'll update here, but I suspect that nothing has changed... still.

Here is the picture I painted for the baby's room. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

This week:

The lanugo has mostly disappeared, but you'll probably find a bit on his shoulders, arms and legs and in those protected little bodily creases. It will vanish completely on its own in time.
His lungs are maturing and surfactant production is increasing and fully prepared to take on the outside world!
Your baby doesn't have much room to move and certainly mom agrees! Did you imagine 8 months ago that this wee one would be able to hook a toe in your ribs while elbowing your bladder?
His body continues laying on the fat stores that will help regulate his body temperature after birth. In addition to normal fat, he is accumulating a special "brown" fat in the nape of his neck, between his shoulders and around organs. Brown fat cells are important for thermogenesis (generating heat) during his first weeks.
Your infant's weight is around 7.25 pounds (3288gm) and length is 19.9 inches (50.7cm).

Dr's apt.

2009-03-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Everything is fine. Nothing has changed. Kid isn't cooked yet.

38 Weeks (-2)

2009-03-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

Not much is new, I'm just getting bigger. I'm actually so big that I can see him hiccuping. Waiting for this baby to arrive is like waiting for Christmas morning, only we don't know when Christmas is coming. The suspense is killing me.

My belly is getting so big that it's going square now and the skin is starting to hurt a bit. Thankfully I'm still sleeping okay and feeling okay.

Last week I went a little stir crazy because I didn't leave the house much. I'm trying to fill my social schedule this week so that doesn't happen. So far I have a few things going on so that will help.

We officially have his room finished. I finished the painting for the wall, we have everything hung, and all the furniture is nailed to the walls too. I even have all the little clothes washed and ready.

We went in today and had the baby monitored for about 1.5 hours. He looks perfect, apparently he just wanted to really sleep in. I have to be put back on the monitor on Tuesday at my appointment, I just hope it's for a shorter amount of time. It's difficult to get comfortable strapped to a table.

This Week:

If he is the "average baby," he weights 6.8 pounds (3083gm)and is 19.6 inches (49.8cm) long.
Have you noticed she hiccups a lot? Because there is no air around her, those breathing exercises cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe. The result? Hiccups!
Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. Meconium takes on the role of being your baby's first bowel movement -- removing the waste that has accumulated.
He may have a full head of hair now -- an inch or more long! Don't be surprised if it's an unexpected color. Some blond couples have dark haired babies; some dark haired couples have red-haired babies; some couples have babies with only peach fuzz! It may just persuade you to take a closer look at your family tree!
Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby. No wonder it's so hard to get a t-shirt over a newborn's head!

Eviction Notice!

2009-03-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

I am issuing 30 day notice for EVICTION. Tenant will have 30 days in which he can either gather his belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, he will be physically removed from the property.

He's being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back and sides of the house were also made!

Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

After 30 days from this day that he doesn’t comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion. Vacating the premises is to take place on or before April 12th, 2009.

In other words, GET OUT!

Dr's apt.

2009-03-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news is that my body is showing some sign that it's going to actually have to get this kid out at some point. I'm dilated 1/2 a centimeter. It isn't much, but it's progress.

I also made it very clear that I don't want a c-section and I would also really prefer to avoid being induced. So far he seems to think that both are possible. There's no point in really worrying about it until it's actually an issue. I know that they don't like to let the baby cook longer than 41 weeks, which is April 5th. I'm not exactly sure why, but again, I'm not going to worry until we get there.

I was in the waiting room for a friggin' hour today. It sucked. I can't sit in one position for nearly that long. My doc will be on vacation next week and the only good thing about it is that I'll be seeing a nurse practitioner and won't have to wait for long.

This evening we took a breast feeding class, and it was very good. We got some great tips about how to handle things at the hospital. One thing that we'll be doing is setting the alarm on one of our phones to go off every 2 to 2.5 hours during the day to remind us to feed. When the alarm goes off we'll ask any visitors to leave the room. I'm not necessarily again some people seeing me breast feed, but at the beginning we need to not be distracted and have time to figure things out. We don't mind visitors at the hospital but if you come, please don't be offended if we ask you to leave.

I also found out that the hospital has hand pumps (the ones that are $50 at We-Be-Babies) that you can request and get for free. Woo Hoo!

37 Weeks = Full Term (-3)

2009-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Baby is officially considered full term now. He could come at "any time" but I don't think he's in any hurry.

I've been a bit more tired this week. Sleeping at night is getting a little more difficult so a nap mid-day is usually needed.

I have another dr's apt on Monday. Last week after my apt I had contractions for a day-and-a-half from it. Nothing I could really time much but lots of cramping and aching. If it's doing something than I don't mind, if it's not doing anything I'll be a little annoyed.

On the plus side we got baby's room mostly ready today! I've been doing one thing a day in there, to at least make a little progress but with both of us (and Jonathan able to move furniture) we made big progress. It actually looks like it's ready for a baby!

This Week:

This week, the average size is about 6.3 pounds (2859gm) now and 19.1 inches (48.6cm) length.
He is official full term now but can still benefit from extra days in the womb.
Your baby continues to practice breathing movements.
Grasp is firm now. It won't be long until you'll feel that strong little fist confidently grasping your finger (or tightly clenching your hair)!
A few weeks ago, your baby would move his eyes toward light. Now he turns towards light outside the uterus.
As the uterine wall stretches and thins allowing more light to permeate, he develops definite daily activity cycles.

Locked up tight

2009-03-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

I had my 36 week doctor's appointment today. Basically, everything is good and this baby isn't coming any time soon.

We had a sonogram. He's head down and he's living on my right side, which is why I feel so much movement on the left side where all of his limbs are. He has cute chubby little cheeks and is practicing breathing. They estimate he's weighing just under 6 lbs so will probably be high 7's at birth, if we make it to d-day. The good news is that doc says even a 9 lb baby would fit out of me so he's not at all worried about me being able to deliver this guy.

My cervix is locked up tight. Nothing is happening... at all. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, but the chances of him coming early aren't looking good. They even said they wouldn't be surprised if he's late but they don't like to let them go past 41 weeks which is April 5th. For the time being, I'm not going to worry about that, we'll deal with it when it comes.

I would prefer if he didn't come the week of the 15th - 21st because it's spring break and my doc will be out of town, so we're aiming for the following week. And I don't want the poor kid to be born on April 1st, that's just mean.

But while I wait I have plenty to do. And I'm going to start walking to see if we can move things along a bit.

your daily giggle

2009-03-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

This video cracks me up. One of the best I've seen in a long time.

36 Weeks (-4)

2009-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

It's March!!! I'm just praying this baby comes by the end of the month. Not much has changed, I'm just getting bigger. I've had a little sciatica, which sucks, but it may be a sign that he's dropping further into my pelvis. I have yet to be able to breath any better so if he has dropped any, it isn't much.

I'm officially allowed to exercise some now. Before now I would either have some spotting or contractions but at this point if it causes labor to start it's totally fine. Today we took the dogs to the dog park and hiked around for a bit. We came home, ate, and then went to the gym to float in the pool. I'm exhausted but I feel good.

And Jonathan finished the bathroom counter! It's very exciting to have a functioning bathroom again. It looks great. I can't wait for the floor to get installed, it's going to look amazing.

This Week:

Your baby is almost ready and most likely, so are you! The only organ still to mature is the lungs. While certainly you are both growing anxious to meet, remember that each day (up to 42 weeks), that your little one stays within your womb will multiply his chances to breathe on his own.
If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal. While breathing for mom becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labor.
Fat is dimpling your baby's elbows and knees, and forming creases in the neck and wrists.
His skin is growing smooth and, shall we say it, "baby" soft.
His gums are very rigid. It won't be many months before you'll see his teeth.
She has a fully developed pair of kidneys and her liver has begun processing some waste products.
Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g). Between now and birth she will gain about an ounce a day!

The Texas Weather

2009-02-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

is really annoying me today. It was 86 today. 86! The average temperature this time of year is 68. We actually started trying to get pregnant when we did so I wouldn't have to be big and dealing with the heat. I realize that for here, 86 isn't hot, it's actually quite nice. However this makes me feel like I've been pregnant for over a year now as it was extremely hot for my entire first trimester and part of the second. I've been sitting around in my underwear and taking lots of baths to try and stay cool without turning the AC on, but I broke down today and turned the damn thing on, I just couldn't take it anymore. There is supposed to be a cold front coming through tonight to get temperatures back to normal and if it doesn't get here, I'll be pissed.

I think I need a cup cake.

the future...

2009-02-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

I was at lunch with some friends yesterday and they asked about the lay-off and what was happening with the job search. One of them said something about if you want to make God laugh, make plans. I commented that he must be rolling on the floor about now, probably with tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. And by the way, it's become very clear to me during this pregnancy that God is male, because no female would put another female through this.

Anyways, I started think about the last time I really could have freaked out about something. It was at the beginning of the pregnancy when I had a lot of bleeding and we were told that we might lose the baby. By the time we left the doctors office I told Jonathan that we were keeping this one, and I was absolutely sure about it. There was no doubt in my mind at all. Sure I was a little nervous about the whole thing and being on bed rest and restricted activity wasn't easy, but I was willing to do everything I could to give this little guy the best chance. I just kept saying that we were keeping this one. And look, now I'm all fat and uncomfortable, thank God.

So what I've been saying about the job situation for the last week or so is that this is going to turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Jonathan's career. He's going to find something here in Austin and start mid May. He's going to like it even more than he likes his current job, it's going to be more lucrative and have lot of room for moving up and expanding.

Now in reality do I know this is going to happen? Of course not, God could have other plans. I have put in a request that if we have to move out of TX that it be someplace I can snow ski, but we'll see. My point is that it's much better for us to look at it from this point of view than to freak out about what could happen with no income.

35 weeks (-5) and some random things

2009-02-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed the widget on the side with the baby floating in it? It now says 33 days! 33. I look at it every day and though that floating baby is inaccurate as mine is squished with very little room left, the days are numbered. Technically as of March 8th he will be full term and could come any time, that's less than 2 weeks away. And we are no where near ready. The bathroom is still a disaster zone and I haven't even begun to deal with his room. Not to mention the painting I haven't finished or the curtains I need to alter. I've been slowly working on things but I move so slow that it takes forever to finish anything.

I keep reminding myself that he's easier to take care of where he's at. And I take advantage of sleeping in if my body and baby let me because those days are numbered too. It's also really weird to think that a fully formed person will be coming out of me soon. And it's going to live here, in my house. The whole thing is weird.

Saturday evening we had a baby shower. I hesitate to use the word "shower" because it was more of a party with good food, alcohol, friends, and some presents. It was great fun and a wonderful evening. One of the thing we got was a book about dogs. It's basically a lot of dog sounds and Jonathan read it to the baby when we got home. Baxter went nuts with Jonathan making all of these noises. Baxter is our silent dog, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've heard him bark in his life and I think that number has now doubled from that book. Very funny.

This Week:

The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
Her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).
The testes have completed their descent in males.

Pre-baby photo session

2009-02-16T04:58:00.001-08:00

We know that I'll take a ton of pictures of this little guy after he's here, but it's difficult to take pictures of ourselves so yesterday afternoon one of the people from my nanny network, who is also into photography, took some pictures of us. Here is her site www.ambersnowphotography.com

We had a really good time and they turned out really well.

Baby Shower

2009-02-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

We had a baby shower last Sunday and it was great. It was really good to see everyone and we got some things we need for the little one. Thanks to everyone who helped and who came, it was greatly appreciated.

From left to right: Michelle, Jennifer, Me, Aunt Laura, Kelly

I was caught dipping some fruit into chocolate sauce.

Presents

The blue punch with a rubber ducky. It was quite good.

My adorable nieces.

The very cute cake that was SO tasty. Italian cream!

Lots of food... yum!

Some of the guests

And more guests

The grandmas and great-grandma.

And everything loaded in the back of the Jeep. It was quite the haul.

Now there's just finding a place to put it all...

34 Weeks (-6)

2009-02-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

It's hard to imagine that the baby would need very little assistance if he were born now. The twins I used to take care of were born at 32 weeks. It seems very weird to me. I'm uncomfortable, it's just the way it's going to be. I waddle, you do what ya gotta do. And I always have to pee.

Right now the next thing I'm looking forward to is him dropping. I know this will require even more trips to the bathroom, which is hard to imagine, but it's so hard to breath that I keep having dreams that I'm suffocating. My ribs ache from all the pressure.

We had a great time in San Antonio over the weekend and as of today I'm not allowed to travel more than an hour from home. Which actually works out, sitting in the car for much more than that is next to impossible plus we have to stop every 30 min for me to pee so it's more of a pain than anything.

I have another nurses visit this week but it's nothing exciting, but at 36 weeks we'll get a final sonogram to estimate his weight and check his position. I do know that he's head down, I feel the hiccups really low and I get jabbed in the ribs by little feet, which is good.

And I can't believe how much bigger my belly looks. I know that he's about 4 1/2 lbs now, it's just amazing how quickly I'm growing. The main thing he's doing now is packing on the fat. How in the world and I going to grow for 6 more weeks?

This week:

Your baby acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized!
Antibodies from your blood are being transferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breast milk will add even more protection against disease.
Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. She may scratch her face even before she is born!
Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).

Speechless

2009-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure what to say about what's going on. Yesterday Jonathan got laid off. His job is ending May 1st and he has 14 weeks of severance pay after that which will take us to mid August.

Jonathan is dealing with it really well. He's sad because he loves his job, but he knows it's not personal.

I'm all over the map. One moment I'm fine, the next I'm freaked out.

We don't expect the economy to turn around any time soon. At the same time, Austin is a good place to be right now. Jonathan is doing everything he can, talking to people and getting his resume together. And all we can really do past that is wait, pray, and hope for the best. This could be a great opportunity.

A sad state of affairs

2009-02-10T20:40:00.001-08:00

yeah, his room is a total disaster zone. It's a combination of not having a bathroom (behind me is the mirror and base boards that belong in there) and not knowing where to put the stuff. And his room is starting to look like IKEA threw up in there.

Here is the newest shelf for him to climb on and fall off of. That's not why we got it but lets face it, he'll fall off it a few times.

33 weeks (-7)

2009-02-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy symptoms are about the same. It's gotten more difficult to sleep. This is the thing that will get me in the end. I've only been sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night. Thank God I can nap a little, but more sleep at night would be better. Most people start sleeping in a recliner at this point but we don't have one and aren't buying one for 7 weeks.

This kid is also so high that he feels like he's attached to my right lung. The back and hip pain isn't too bad. It's there, but I'm managing.

I've been told that I'm not allowed to exercise. I tried last week and would have ended up at the hospital had I called them. I didn't want to go so I didn't call. I had lots of braxton hicks contractions for several hours after. They said that after I get to 36 weeks I can exercise a little so only 3 more weeks to go. Until then I'll simply enjoy swimming.

This Week:

Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

tiny bebe socks

2009-02-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

Socks always fall off of newborns because they are too big so I knitted an itty bitty pair for the baby.

32 Weeks (-8)

2009-02-01T15:17:00.001-08:00

I had a nurses visit on Thursday that went really well. There's not a lot to report, just that everything is on track. They said that if baby is head down by 32 weeks they usually stay that way, so yay. I was very very slightly anemic, by 2 points. As long as I take my iron supplements it should be fine. All of my other tests looked great.

My next appointment is at 34 weeks (almost 35) then at 36 weeks they start checking for progress and do the last sonogram to approximate baby's weight and check his position.

It would be nice if this baby would drop soon so that I could breath. Often times I find that I have to lay down and stretch out just to catch my breath. It's annoying. And my ribs hurt.

This week:

Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure.
Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. Will he have dad's black hair or your red hair?
Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your son is dreaming about?

When does that nesting thing kick in?

2009-01-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

I could really use it right now but I have no desire to get things organized or cleaned up. I want to sit on the couch and knit or paint while drinking hot tea, that's about it. And the best part is that we have company coming this weekend and the house is a mess. But apparently I don't mind the mess. I would like it to be cleaned up but not enough to actually do anything about it. Hummm? With only 9 weeks until this kid arrives I wonder if we'll be ready. I'm giving myself a break this week and then next week I'll start making lists and crossing things off.

The good news is that baby seems to have turned again, thank God. He is no longer kicking my bladder and cervix. I feel more pressure in my cervix but at least that's how it's supposed to be. Usually he's sideways so I often see both sides of my belly move at the same time. It's very alien looking.

And yesterday the little booger was super active. He woke me up at 4:00 AM and then when I tried to go to bed at night he kept me up until 2:30 AM. That was one very long day with only a short nap in the middle. He's been back to his calm self today so I'm hoping that he was just excited about the girl scout cookies yesterday. I know that I was! I've been craving them for about a week so I was thrilled when Jonathan came home with a box last night.

Ok, back to procrastinating...

31 weeks (-9)

2009-01-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

It was an interesting week. My last day of work and a weekend away. Jonathan did a 12 hour adventure race with some friends. I'll do a whole other post just on that, with some fun pictures and everything. I went along to support them and cook them food. So Friday I was on my feet most of the day cooking and Saturday I was on my feet a lot heating things up and walking between the camper and the transition area. This is how my feet looked Friday night.
And Saturday they were worse. I didn't sleep well Friday night, between the bed, Sam (Jonathan's dad) and Jonathan snoring, and the dog chewing on a bone, I think I slept about 5 hours. And my back and hips were super sore. I took Tylenol all day and that still didn't help so I left Saturday night so I could sleep in my own bed. Luckily today they are getting better. I'll go float in the pool tomorrow and hopefully that will help too. I enjoyed being out there, but it was challenging.

This Week:

The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer, she will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.
Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns her skin from red to the rosy pink she will have as a newborn.
Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and his bones are growing and hardening.
Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)
His brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!
She may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that she also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own.

A lady of leisure

2009-01-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Or at least one who's frantically trying to get things ready for the baby.

It's funny, over the last month or 2 Cooper has started touching my belly. It makes me wonder if he knows there's a person in there or if he just wonders why I'm getting fat.

I am going to miss this little guy though. It's impossible to not get attached to some point, and this one is a sweetie. His parents were great too, which makes it even harder leave such a great job. It will be nice to have a few baby-free weeks before my own shows up and over all I feel very good about the whole thing.

Cooper has become quite the little mess! He's voicing his opinion more and isn't happy if he doesn't get his way. In short, he's turning into a toddler.

Here are some pictures that I took over the last few days.

little feet

2009-01-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

The baby flipped again. He has resumed kicking my bladder and cervix. It's so uncomfortable. And his head is up so high that it's pushing my diaphragm up and making it even harder to breath. If I hold my boobs up it helps a bit, but people look at me funny if I walk around like that all the time.

I also can't see him move anymore. It was so great to watch the belly bounce around but most of the movement is so low now that I can't see anything. Bummer. My entertainment is gone. And I can't feel him from the outside either. The only way anyone knows he's moving is from me groaning as I get a sudden and unexpected jab that either twinges and feels like he's trying to poke his feet out or makes me run for the toilet.

Basically, it was so much more comfortable when he was head down. I'm praying that he turns again soon, and stays that way.

2 days and counting

2009-01-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm only working with Cooper for 2 more days. Kim and I got our wires crossed and the new nanny is starting next week, not the week after. However after today, I think it's a good thing. I fell as I was walking up the stairs while holding Cooper. Luckily it was a slow fall and I didn't have far to go. Both of us are fine, it just scared us both. My hip is sore and it probably will be for the next few days.

I'm worried about the money, given Jonathan's recent pay cut, especially over the next few month. After we get our tax return it will be easier, in the mean time we may be eating a lot of beans and corn bread. It's a good thing we like them :-)

30 Weeks (-10)

2009-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Only 10 more weeks to go. I'm very much ready to be done working, but 2 weeks to go.

I have noticed that my belly has gotten heavier. My belly button is also threatening to become an outie. It hasn't popped yet but I suspect it will in the next few weeks.

The baby gets the hiccups on occasion now. It's very cute, as long as it's not at 4 AM, and it makes me giggle. And I could sit and watch it move for hours. If I can't even stop staring at my belly I'm not going to be able to take my eyes off the kid once he gets here.

I'll try and get a belly shot this week. In the mean time, here is a picture of where all of my organs have re-located to:

This Week:

Did you know your baby is nearly three pounds now?
His head is getting larger to accommodate a period of rapid brain growth. Don't forget to continue to "teach" your baby in the womb by exposing to music, literature, and simply talking to him.
A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him. As he grows and fills your uterus, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease. Funny, you certainly won't feel any lighter!
He spends more and more time practicing opening and closing eyelids. His eyes can move from side to side, following a light source. He may even reach out to touch the light.
Early lanugo is beginning to disappear that served to protect your baby's skin from the water in the womb. Your little one's own hair may begin to appear.
Toenails are entering their final growth stage.
Bone marrow is now in charge of red blood cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes (carbon monoxide and other gases).
Your baby has the capability now to produce tears -- yes, within the womb.
By the end of this week, your baby is now 15.7 inches (39.9cm) long and weighs 2.91 pounds (1319gm)

new found relief

2009-01-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

I've been debating about getting a swim suit for a while. Who wants to spend money on a swim suit that's going to be worn for 10 weeks? It seems wasteful. However I had some store credit and they had maternity suits on sale so I splurged.

I actually enjoyed trying them on. Mostly because I knew I was going to look fat either way, but at least I look pregnant too. It's much better to be fat and pregnant than just fat. (I'm not looking forward to swim suit season this year.) But it was entertaining trying to find something that would fit my boobs and my butt.

So today I went to the gym and swam for a bit then soaked in the hot tub. It was the most wonderful thing ever. Floating took all the weight off my hips and lower back. It was finally the relief I've been looking for. And now I'm going to take a nap.

So if you can't find me for the next 10 weeks it's because I'm in the pool at the gym.

Cuteness

2009-01-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not working this week because Cooper is sick again. My last day is officially January 28th, hopefully I'll actually get to work some between now and then.

In the mean time, here are a few cute and funny things that we've collected for the baby...

I actually knitted these. They are known as shorties. They are made to fit over cloth diapers and be super absorbent. I've got some more yarn to make a few more.

This is one of my personal favorites. And Jonathan was the one who picked it out.

29 Weeks (-11 to go)

2009-01-11T08:51:00.001-08:00

This week hasn't brought a whole lot of new things, just more of the same. What's missing from the picture below are all of the woman's internal organs getting squished. Yes, squished. I was driving home from work one day and realized that I had a sore muscle, like I had been at the gym working one very specific muscle. Then I realized that muscle was my stomach, getting squished. It was a very odd feeling. Everything is just a bit sore from being relocated. I hear that when the baby drops I'll be able to breath a little better so I'm looking forward to that.

The swelling in my feet has set in again and I don't think it's leaving. It's not pretty but at least it's not hot outside. We did actually plan for that one.

And I'm thrilled to report that he has finally turned!!! For the time being at least, he is head down. I realized this 2 days ago when it felt like he was trying to kick my right boob. He's done this before, went head down for 2 days and then decided he liked it better the other way. This way is much more comfortable for me so I'm hoping he stays there, but he still has plenty of time to get into position. In the mornings he is usually sideways. And by morning I mean 5 AM or when Jonathan's alarm goes off, that wakes him up too. It's weird feeling him stretch that way because both sides of my belly move. I usually put my hand on it and feel from the outside too but I haven't gotten up the nerve (or desire) to turn on a light and actually watch both sides pooch out at once. Waking up that early definitely comes from Jonathan.

And speaking of things that come from Jonathan, have I mentioned his big head? We had a sonogram at 28 weeks and they always take measurements. His legs were right on track, his belly was right on track, and his head... his head was a week big. A FULL week. Maybe he's just going to be smart? But I want him to fit coming out too.

This Week:

Your baby's head is in proportion with body now. He appears more like a newborn each and every day!
Fat continues to accumulate under the skin -- only now preparing for entering the *real world*.
Your baby's brain can control primitive breathing and body temperatures.
His eyes can move in their sockets. Soon he will be able to follow a blinking light.
Your baby is increasingly sensitive to changes in light, sound, taste, and smell! Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences (or disdain) for particular tastes or odors at this stage
He is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, he will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if he is performing somersaults for a circus act!
Her length is now approximately 15.2 inches (38.6cm) and weight is 2.54 pounds (1153gm)

More Painting?

2009-01-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

These are too cute. I found them at www.elephantsonthewall.com and they have a ton of options, the pictures are just a few that would match the nursery. I'm debating about painting a few on his walls. It would be more difficult to sell the house with these there, but it would be easy to paint over them if we decided to sell, which we aren't even thinking about right now. What do you think?

I also got my glucose test results and I don’t have gestational diabetes! I didn’t even tell anyone about taking the test because I was so nervous about it. I have a friend who’s a nutritionist who was pretty sure I was going to have it and she had me freaked out. I was almost sure I was going to have to take the 3-hour one. 6 months before we started trying to get pregnant I went on a low carb diet in preparation for this and to hopefully try to prevent it. There’s no way to know if it was that or if I would have been fine either way, but I’m relieved. I’ve also continued to eat healthy since I’ve been pregnant but I do have sugar on occasion now. I figure that I can’t drink, I feel like crap and my body clearly doesn’t belong to me anymore, food is one of the few things I can still enjoy. (That and the doc said my weight gain is perfect so it all works out.)

28 Week Dr's Apt.

2009-01-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

I saw the doctor today and everything went well. They did a sonogram and the little guy isn't so little anymore. He weighs approx. 2lb 10oz. and looks perfect. He was sucking on his hands and kicking my bladder. He's still breach and they say he probably will be until about 32 weeks.

The doc said that my weight gain is on track, pound for pound actually. So I think I should win a prize.

And the doctor loves us. We talked about what hospital we'll be delivering at and he said that they'd probably let us pick. I told him that we're registered at both and that we'll go wherever he is. That's the important thing here. He told us that he wished all his patients could be so easy, and then he hugged me. I just want him to deliver this baby and this baby to get here safe... and preferably not late.

Making Progress

2009-01-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

We finally got the boy's closet cleared out, all the furniture moved around and his new dresser put together. And as you can see we also got the wall that the dresser is against put together.

The rest of the room still has a ways to go, but we've got the biggest parts done!

I'm getting excited!!!

28 Weeks - the 3rd trimester

2009-01-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester and 12 weeks until D-day. I was hoping that it was going to seem closer after the holidays, but so far it doesn't.

About 3 days ago I started having sciatica. I can't get comfortable and doing just about anything hurts. I've been stretching but so far it's not really helping. I'll go in for some acupuncture if it doesn't clear up soon. It doesn't take long for it to get really annoying. But other than that, no new symptoms.

Here are lists of things I want to remember, and forget, about the 2nd trimester...

Remember:
Jonathan feeling him move
Seeing him move
The good parts of the Vegas trip
Our level 2 sonogram and finding out that he's perfect!

Forget:
Freaking out on the day I didn't feel him move
All the swelling in Vegas
My feet hurting all the time
Not being able to breath
Being uncomfortable

As I'm tying this I'm realizing that I'm not going to be able to forget those things until this is over with, because I don't think they're going away. Can you tell that I'm ready for this part of it to be over with?

And he's getting bigger... much bigger.

I'm feeling huge and wondering how he's supposed to grow so much more. I'd also like it if he would turn already. Usually his feet are in my bladder or they feel like they are trying to escape. It's not comfortable.

From here on out he's mostly growing and putting on fat. Here's what's happening this week:

Eyebrows and eyelashes are now very noticeable!
Hair on baby's head is growing longer. Some babies are born with almost none at all, while others appear to be ready for their first haircut!
Eyes are completely formed now. Quite a view from inside!
Your baby's body is getting plump and rounded. Most of that increase is muscle tissue and bone.
Muscle tone is improving. Preparation for the Olympics feels like it is taking place in your womb!
Lungs are capable of breathing now (but baby would still struggle and require medical attention if born now)
Talk to your baby often, reading stories, singing songs and more. He or she can recognize your voice now and will often calm to it later on!
Your baby weighs in now at 2.2 pounds (1005gm) and is 14.8 inches (37.6cm).

Vegas trip continued: Hugo's Cellar

2009-01-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read the first Vegas post, start here.

The first night we ate at Hugo’s Cellar at the 4 Queens hotel. The hotel was in the old part of town and it was really cool to be down there and see it. All the hotels were a bit trashy and there was an outside bar on every corner, it was really funny to see.
The whole thing is covered but the ends are open. It goes on for about 3 blocks I think.

The meal that night was amazing! Probably the best meal I’ve had in the states. I think we had 4 different people waiting on us and all of them had been there for over 20 years. We spoke with the sommelier (wine expert) who was British and hysterical. He spent a lot of time with us and was totally great. Then the salad guy came by. He make the salads there at the table and make them individually. It was yummy. One of the really great things was that they gave us time to digest between serving things. They were in no rush to get us out, it was all about enjoying the food and company.

Jonathan and I split a steak with vegetables and potatoes. There was plenty of food and neither of us could have eaten that much by ourselves. The steak was perfectly done. We added a tiny bit of blue cheese on top and the whole thing just melted in our mouths. It was divine.

Then standard with the meal came a tray of chocolate dipped things. There was a strawberry dipped in milk chocolate, a fig dipped in while chocolate, and a dried apricot dipped in dark chocolate for each of us. All served with homemade whipped cream.

And of course we couldn’t pass up desert in this place. Real desert, the fruit was just the warm up. We ordered bananas foster. The salad guy came with a different cart and made this at our table too.
They cut up bananas and fry them in some kind of alcohol. The flames were so high that they licked the ceiling at one point. Part of the enjoyment of ordering this is watching it being made. And then it’s served over ice cream. I had never had bananas foster before and it was really good. I would totally recommend it.

And we can’t forget the coffee. And at this place, even coffee is a big ordeal.
It’s really a percolator, but it looks like a coffee bong. They got six small cups out of it and it was very strong and very good.

It was an expensive meal, but it was totally worth it. If we ever go back to Vegas, there is no doubt that we are eating there again. It was amazing, the people were wonderful and the experience was memorable.

Getting to Vegas

2009-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

I’m going to break this up into a few posts because otherwise it’s going to be too long. Getting there really sucked. I have no pictures from these 2 days because we didn't want tokens from them. It could have been worse, we could have not made it at all, but I wouldn’t wish what we went through on anyone. Our plane leaving Austin was delayed for mechanical reasons. When it was delayed the 2nd time we suspected that we wouldn’t make our connection so we went to speak with the woman at the counter. She said that if there were enough people on our flight catching the connection then they might hold it. She couldn’t call and check or tell us how many people it would take. After talking to her it looked like our best bet was to get to Dallas and go from there. There was nothing from Austin to Vegas the next day so if we were going to get there at all we needed to at least be in Dallas.

Our connecting flight was delayed as well so Jonathan sprinted down the airport to check it but they took off as we were getting off the plane. They were supposed to leave almost an hour before we got there, why they couldn’t wait another 15 minutes is beyond me. There was another flight that had been delayed even longer so we got on the stand by list but had no luck. All of the American Airlines people were very un-helpful. We were put up in a crappy motel and told that we were top of the stand by list for the 1st flight out the next day. To sum up that evening it took us over an hour to get to the hotel and we got about 4 hours of sleep. There was a little entertainment when Jonathan was wheeling himself around in a wheel chair while we waited for the shuttle that never came.

When we got to the airport the next day we were numbers 4 – 7 on the stand by list and didn’t make the flight. At this point I just wanted to get home, but there were no open seats on flights to Austin either. We finally asked to speak with a manager who at least explained why we were having so much trouble. We stood there and debated about what to do long enough that she managed to book us on 3 separate flights to Vegas all leaving by 12:50, granted we had been there since 6:30. We had 1 person booked on the 9:00 flight and the rest of us on stand by, and finally at the top of the list. We all managed to get on that flight. Marlene was in 1st class. They originally put Jonathan and I in 1st class too but kicked us out as soon as we got settled because the people showed up. Damn them. Will was super generous though and gave his exit row seat to me so that I had a little more space.

I generally don’t get claustrophobic. It takes a lot to get me there but not that day. I think it was a combination of the lack of sleep, the extreme swelling, all the stress, and the completely packed plane. I tried to sleep but I just couldn’t and that just made it worse. It was the most awful plane ride of my life. By the time we got to Vegas I hadn’t eaten in 5 hours and I was in such a panic that I was almost in tears. I couldn’t talk and tell everyone what was going on or I would have totally lost it. I just sat on the floor of the airport and snacked on some nuts while I calmed down. The urge to pee eventually got me up.

I don’t think the baby liked flying. He was very still that day, probably from all the stress but he squirmed on the way up, and on the way down.

But at the end of the day, thankfully we were in Vegas, still with ½ a day left. We checked into the Mirage and settled into our room. It was lovely. You can go here to see pictures of the rooms. Our room was quiet and very large. But the best part was the bed! It was a new serta mattress and so comfy. The room had been newly re-modeled and was so great. For only $98 / night it was a steal. We ordered room service, took showers, and then a nap. And the vacation was back on track…

A strange week

2008-12-31T16:18:00.001-08:00

Monday morning when I got to work they told me that Cooper was sick and that we were going to take him to the doctor. The poor little guy did not feel good. He wanted to play but all he would do was crawl around and moan or cry. He was a little warm, had been throwing up, had diarrhea, and hadn't been eating. That morning he developed a rash. Turns out it was the stomach flu and the doctor said it was very contagious. I respectfully told them that I didn't want to work with him being that sick. If it was a runny nose, that's one thing but I've been sick 3 times during this pregnancy and it totally sucks. And all 3 times, Cooper was sick first. I'd rather not get paid and be healthy than get sick from Cooper and have to take un-paid time off because I'm sick. I hope he gets better soon though, I need the hours.

They are trying out another nanny this weekend. They didn't like the first one they tried out and this other one is the last one on the list so if she doesn't work I'll be staying past the end of January. I wouldn't mind the money, it would actually be really helpful, it's just getting harder to pick Cooper up and carry him around.

So this week I've been taking it easy. I've slept in when the baby has let me, he's woken me up by 5:00 AM 2 days. He clearly gets that from his father, that is in no way, shape, or form, any part of me! I took the dogs on a little hike yesterday, it was beautiful outside. and I've gotten a few little things done around the house. I hope to get all the Christmas stuff put away and the spare bathroom cleaned out and ready for renovations by the end of the weekend.

I've also been working on baby shower stuff. We were going to just throw our own out at the UT Golf Club but it was going to be a little too expensive. Thankfully we had 2 people offer to host showers so we're working on dates and guest lists.

I'm still working on that Vegas post. I promise it's coming soon.

Hope everyone has a happy new year!

27 Weeks

2008-12-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we're at 27 weeks already and approaching the 3rd trimester. If you notice, the little counter on the side says how many more days we have and it's below 100!

Symptoms have been about the same. Heart burn and reflux have been the biggest annoyance and I'm always trying to stay on top of things so I don't get leg cramps at night. My feet were a little swollen before Vegas but they poofed up like an old Russian woman during the trip and have yet to return to normal, I may not see them again until after delivery. At least it's not summer. Someone mentioned swimming to help, but then I realized that I don't have a swim suit that I would fit into.

The baby is getting much stronger and he's flipping around constantly. Sometimes I have feet in my bladder and sometimes they are in my ribs. All of my internal organs have headed north so it's getting harder to breath. The cool think is sitting on the couch and watching him move. It's hard to imagine how big I'm going to be in 3 more months because I already feel like a beached whale.

This week:

Your little one's brain continues its rapid growth. Don't forget to share music, conversation, and even books with your baby!
Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete. Your baby's hearing continues to develop, he or she may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner's.
Lungs continue to grow and prepare for functioning outside of the womb. Each day in the womb greatly increases survival rates!
He also continues to take small breaths and although he's only breathing in water and not air, it's still good practice for when he's born.
Eyelids are now open more. Your baby can distinguish between light and dark.
Retinas have formed.
Your baby will grow over an inch this week alone! You may suspect this phenomenal growth rate repeats in the preteen years!
Average size is now 14.4 inches (36.6cm) and 1.9 pound (875gm).

I'm working on a Vegas post, hopefully I'll get it up tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T07:48:00.001-08:00

We're going to spend the day with family. I hope everyone has a great and memorable Christmas.

Now I have to get back to wrapping presents because I'm so far behind on getting things done it's scary.

And Jonathan felt the baby move for the first time this morning!

We're home

2008-12-22T22:12:00.001-08:00

The flight there was awful. We got delayed overnight and got there a day late. The baby didn't like the change in pressure on the way up and down in the plane. I'll write more about the whole trip later. The trip itself was good, but it's good to be home.

I also made the 26 week mark over the weekend. And I swear my belly is bigger since we left. My feet are killing me and are swollen but hopefully they'll recover in a day or so. We did a lot of walking.

For now I'm back to making Christmas presents... and hopefully I'll get some sleep at some point.

Happy Vega-Versary

2008-12-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

Today Jonathan and I are going to Las Vegas for the weekend! Our 5th anniversary is on the 20th and this is actually the first year we've actually done anything. Usually we go to dinner, but that's it, no presents or anything because it's so close to Christmas. I didn't plan that very well.

Anyway, we are very excited, we have some friends who are coming too, and it should be a blast.

Jonathan,
I wanted to actually post a little note to you on our anniversary but I have a feeling we'll be too busy on our latest adventure. That and I'm not taking my computer and though the iphone is great for most everything else, blogging is challenging on that thing. I want you to know that the last 5 years have been the best time of my life. I've never been more happy or had more fun. I appreciate all that you do to make our lives possible and all that you do for me. I can't wait to start the next part of this adventure when our son is born. I don't know how it's possible, but since I've been pregnant I love you even more. You have been so amazing during this whole process and you even let me be right almost all the time, even when I'm not. You are going to be an amazing father and I am so grateful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.

Making Christmas presents

2008-12-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

I'm going crazy trying to get all the Christmas presents made. Jonathan is even helping out a bit. But here is one that I finished and it looks good. I made Cooper a little hat for his first ski trip, they're leaving Thursday.

He even left it on his head. Isn't he cute?

25 weeks & date night

2008-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight Jonathan and I had a date! We won tickets to a comedy show at the Paramount and it was great. My favorite by far was a guy named Mike Reyburn. Here's a clip, one that he did. It's Led Zeppellin sings Dr. Seuss.

And I'm now 25 weeks pregnant. I'm getting bigger and baby is getting stronger. The reflux and heart burn are annoying. Even when I haven't eaten anything for 2 hours, I still have reflux. If I had money to put into the stock market, I'd invest in Tums.

Here is a rare shot of me wearing make up. It was for the big date. And it was taken in the baby's room so you can see the nice color of the walls.

This week:

The structures of the spine begin to form -- joints, ligaments and rings. These will protect the all important spinal cord which serves as the information transmitter for your child's body.
Blood vessels of the lungs develop.
Your baby's nostrils begin to open. There is a study out of Belfast that suggests babies at this stage have the capability of scent preferences!
The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. When baby is rooting for food later on, these will be valuable!
His swallowing reflexes are developing.
Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and would clasp objects placed in palm.
Your child has now obtained an approximate length of 13.6 inches (34.6cm) and weighs 1.46 pound (660gm).

And I'll leave you with a close up...

Homade House-hold Cleaners: Clean House, Clean Planet

2008-12-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

I got this book (Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan) on a recommendation and it got great reviews on Amazon. Given that we will soon have a little one crawling around and putting everything in his mouth I would prefer to not clean with a bunch of chemicals. At the same time, I want things to be clean. So I'm not really doing this for the planet (I suppose it's an added bonus) but I'm doing it for the kid.

According to the book you can basically stop buying all cleaners and just make your own. They tell you how to make everything from all-purpose cleaners, to disinfectants, to furniture polishes, to laundry detergents and dishwasher detergent.

I followed the guide lines in the book and started out getting my containers, then ingredients. I would actually suggest figuring out what cleaners you want to make first, then getting the container and ingredients you need for them. Getting everything at once was a little more expensive than I had anticipated, but on the plus side I don't have to buy anymore.

The containers: There is a list in the book of suggested containers, sizes, and quality guidelines, and it's too long to put it up here. I definitely see the point in buying the better containers. You want to be able to adjust the spray on your squirt bottle and you don't want something that's going to clog or break after a few uses. I think I paid about $3.50 for each of my big bottles here, sure I could have gotten them for $1 but I would have to replace them much sooner. I would also suggest collecting empty container from around the house. As you finish with something in a bottle (like shampoo) just wash the container and keep it to use for a cleaner.

Next are the ingredients. The most expensive thing was the essential oils, but that's also my favorite part. And those may be some tiny bottles, but they last forever. I ordered mine from Amazon and I think I paid about $17 for 8 different oils.

Shopping list:
baking soda (get the biggest box)
liquid soap: castile, vegetable-oil based, or glycerin (I got the non-scented castile soap at HEB)
white distilled vinegar
lemon juice
borax (this is the one thing I could not find at HEB, I guess I'll have to try walmart)
club soda
purified water: or you can use a home filtration system if you have one
There is also a list of things you should have around, like salt, petroleum jelly, and olive oil, but I'm not going to list them all because I have yet to need them.

Now for the fun part - mixing things!
I stared out with a basic all-purpose cleaner (mostly for the kitchen counters)

Ingredients: (for a 16 oz squirt bottle)
10 oz water, 4 oz vinegar, 1 tbsp liquid soap soap.

How to Make: Use warm water and stir in the soap, add the vinegar, dump into the squirt bottle.

Review: It worked fine. I wasn't too impressed until after the counter had dried and I came back to it. I think it looked the cleanest it ever has and I would have easily eaten off of it. This ones a keeper.

Next it was onto the bathrooms. One of my big concerns is the diaper pail(s). Given that we'll be using cloth diapers and they'll be sitting the the pails for a day or so, I can imagine the smell. Bleach is what I've always used to clean out these types of things and I haven't ruled it out yet but here are 2 ideas to try first. There are 2 things to keep the smell under control, one is simply putting some smelly essential oil on a paper towel and putting that at the bottom of the pail. The other is using this recipe and sprinkling it in the pail and using it to clean the pail while diapers are being washed.

Doctor Diaper Pail: Disinfecting spray alternative (works to clean the bathroom too)

Ingredients: (in shaker)
1 cup baking soda, 50 drops tea tree oil; optional lemon and lavender oil too.

How to Make: Add the oil(s) to the baking soda and stir with a work to get all the lumps out.

Review: This was super easy to make. I added the lemon and lavender oils and it smells great. As a cleaner I was much more impressed with the next one. Obviously I haven't tried it out on a diaper pail, but I have hope.

Earth Scrub: Tub and Tile Cleaner

Ingredients: (for 16 oz. bottle)
1 & 2/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap, 1/2 cup water, 2 tbsp. vinegar, Optional essential oil.

How to Make: In a bowl mix the baking soda, liquid soap, and water. Stir until the lumps are gone. Add the vinegar and oil, pour into container.

Review: I love this one! It was fun to make and reminded me of something I would have tried as a kid. Plus when I added the vinegar it bubbled and fizzed. I cleaned the bathroom counter with it and it worked great. Next time I'll use the combination of oils from the previous recipe (tea tree, lavender, lemon). But this is by far my favorite. It got all the gunk and stuff off the counter and out of the sinks very easily and it didn't take a lot of rinsing. After I scrubbed the counter top, I just rinsed the rag and wiped it once and it was gone. You can use it just about anywhere, the tub, sink, toilet bowl, garbage cans, any greasy, grimy job.

From left to right we have a floor cleaner (very similar to the all-purpose cleaner, just concentrated) I didn't put it up because I haven't tried it yet. The big bottle is the all-purpose cleaner, the one with the blue lid is the Earth Scrub, and the shaker is the Diaper Pail disinfectant. I need some labels!

Basically, I really like it so far. I don't know that I will ever completely give up my bleach and I don't plan on using only baking soda in the dishwasher (that is what's recommended) but I do like that I'm using far fewer chemical. And who knows, I may get adventurous one day and try making my own laundry detergent. I must admit that I'm curious...

Rule #1: Don't scare mommy!

2008-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

I feel the baby move on a very regular basis and have since about week 19. Every 2 or 3 hours I feel something. Sometimes it's just a little kick but most of the time it's several. Last night I was sitting on the couch and I even told Jonathan, "wow, he's getting stronger" because I got some big movements.

Then today I didn't feel anything. At all. All day. At first I was thinking that maybe he was having a lazy day but even on lazy days I feel something. So I called the doctors office and they told me to come in.

The nurse put a monitor on me, at first she couldn't find the heart beat which just about made my heart stop, but she did find it. Thank God. The nurse tracked it for about 5 min and it was fine. The doc came in and did a sonogram and baby was moving.

So, my placenta is at the front and it always has been. Until last night, his feet had been down and his head by the placenta. Last night all those big movements I was feeling was him turning head down and now his feet are kicking the placenta, which is why I haven't felt anything.

Anyways, everything is fine. I have felt a few little movements since I left the dr's office but not much. The doc was glad that I came in and told me that I did the right thing and that that's what they're there for. I love my doc.

24 weeks - Viability!

2008-12-07T08:27:00.001-08:00

This is the best picture we got at the sonogram the other day. He was wiggly and stubborn at the same time. The other clear picture we got was of his boy parts. There is no doubt about his gender. The white blob in front of (above) his face is his placenta. The placenta is high and in the front so his head is right around my belly button and his feet are down. He seems to like that position right now. Sometimes I'll feel him kick towards my left side, which I prefer to him kicking straight down, but it's always one of the two.

We are now officially at 24 weeks which is considered viability. What that means is that if the baby were born now they would do everything possible to keep him alive. The chances aren't great and the risk of having long term problems are high so we wan't to keep him cooking for a while longer but it is a big milestone.

I have a runny nose and a headache. Everyone seems to have something right now so I guess it was just a matter of time before I picked something up. Hopefully this is as bad as it gets. This is the down side of being pregnant during the winter instead of the summer, there are so many more germs and the chances of getting sick are much higher. And when you are sick, all you can take is Tylenol, Sudafed, or Benadryl.

The child birth preparation class yesterday was okay. It was good to find out what happens in the hospital and what the standard procedures are. It just re-confirmed that I love my doctor. All of his staff has been with him for a long time, and as long as everything is ok medically he lets the patient call the shots. He's very big into making this my day and even though things don't always go as planned he does everything he can to help the plan happen. He also delivers 90% of his own patients. All during the week, even in the middle of the night, he's the one there. If I have the baby on a weekend it's whom ever is on-call, so we're shooting for a week day.

We are also back to not knowing which hospital we're going to be at. The nurses have all been talking like it's going to be up north. We now need to take a tour and pre-register at that one just in case.

This week:

Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
His body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved as he sucks his thumb.
Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
This week your baby is officially considered viable.
Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler! (ours is 1.4 lbs, according to the sonogram)

Longhorns got screwed

2008-12-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

No one really understands the BCS rankings, even the people who claim to have no idea what they're talking about. It's a computer that spits out numbers that everyone goes by. That being said, 2 teams played for the Big 12 championship, the winner of that games generally goes to the national championship (if the computer deam them worthy). Both the teams that went to the Big 12 game were beaten by the Longhorns earlier this season.

To be fair, their was a 3 way tie for one of the spots. I just don't get how it makes sense for a team that has 5 loses gets to play in the game when two other teams only have 1 loss.

I saw a sign around town this week that said, "To us OU will always be #2, and we're not talking about rankings" All I can say is that I'm going to be so pissed if OU wins the national title after we beat them.

And then my dad sent me this. It totally explains how the BCS works in terms that anyone can understand:

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II US Ranked 4th!!!!

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted
event."

German Chancellor Adolph Hitler said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

Sonogram

2008-12-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't put the pictures on my computer yet but the sonogram went really well. Our little guy looks perfect! He's measuring about 3 days behind but they said that was perfect. All of his organs looked great and his body parts are all there. We saw him swallowing and sucking on his hands. He was also a bit stubborn, the sonographer was trying to get a cross section of his spine and he wouldn't move. I have no idea where he gets the stubbornness from...

After the appointment we walked over to the hospital and took a tour of labor and delivery. We also signed up for a child birth preparation class that's tomorrow from 9 to 4, so it's going to be a long day.

My belly is really sore now from having it poked, prodded, and shaken around for so long. I don't think the baby liked it either, he sure did kick a lot during the process. Hopefully it will be better in the morning.

spray-n-wash STAT!

2008-12-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

I was re-painting a wall in the baby's room because it needed an extra layer. I couldn't locate my painting clothes so I just did it in my underwear. No problem right, just keep everything clean.

So I got it painted and was cleaning up. Given that it's a bit chilly today I was getting cold so I put my clothes back on. Now you have to understand that I have 3 pairs of pants that I can wear. I have 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of stretchy pants that I can only wear with long shirts, and 1 pair of sweat pants that I love.

I was wearing the sweat pants and carrying the can of paint, I'm sure you can see where this is going. After I put the paint in the garage I noticed that the side of my pants were covered in paint! AHHHH. I immediately stripped them off and put spray-n-wash on them and stuck them in the washer. I'm praying for the best. I did happen to notice that they also had a small hole in the back of the leg near the butt. I may be down to 2 pairs of pants. :-(

And Baxter has bad gas today.

Tomorrow is our big sonogram where they measure all his body parts and organs. Keep your fingers crossed that we have 10 fingers and 10 toes.

A family affair

2008-11-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jonathan's family came over to help paint the baby's room. It looks awesome, and I love the color. Jennifer, June and I did most of it but I think everyone was involved in some way.

Jonathan made up snacks and went to get another gallon of paint, and everyone else had a paint brush or roller at some point. Today I did some touch up spots and cleaned everything up and it's all done. Now we can work on actually getting things in there.

Here are my helpers, hard a work:

Even Emily helped, she was very excited to get to help paint her cousin's room.

And She was so cute!
Thanks everyone! I could have never done that myself.

23 weeks

2008-11-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday makes 23 weeks. The little guy has been quiet today, but I've been moving around a lot. I've gotten to where I always have to have tums around, otherwise I'm miserable. Other than that, no new symptoms. My feet still hurt and my hips are sore but I don't think those things are going to go away.

The baby's hearing is fine. The other night I was in bed and I heard this huge sound coming from something inside me. It was loud to me so I can only imagine how loud it was to him. After the second time it happened he started kicking around. He had been sleeping but that woke him up.

He's getting stronger and I've felt him move from the outside a few times, still not very often though.

This week:

Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since he hasn't begun to form body fat.
Bones located in the middle ear harden.
Your baby is able to hear.
The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. He has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day.
The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

so much to be thankful for

2008-11-28T14:39:00.001-08:00

I was going to do a post and list all the things that I'm thankful for, but the list just got too long :-)

Tomorrow we're going to pain the baby's room and then maybe we'll be able to start pulling it together... I hope.

96 years

2008-11-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my Nanny's 96th birthday. It's funny, I still can't find the right words to say about her, nothing seems good enough. She had a long life, a great life, and I'm grateful for that, but she didn't think she was done living. In her mind, she still had so much she was looking forward to. Her body may have been old, but her mind and her spirit still had so much and that's what makes it hard. When you see someone suffer with illness or fade over time it can be comforting when they finally go, but Nanny wasn't like that. She was the spunkiest little old lady I knew and by far the sharpest resident at that nursing home. I am so thankful that she didn't suffer, she wasn't crippled by the stroke, and that it was quick but no matter how I try and justify it, I would so much rather just have her back.

Nanny took care of me every day after school, from kindergarten through high school. She was always there. When she'd pick me up from school I'd always ask for a chocolate malt and french frys. Sometimes we'd go out for them, and sometimes she'd make them at home. I didn't get them all the time, it was a treat, but I always think of her when I have a chocolate malt.

Anyways, I could go on forever here, tell tons of stories, share lots of pictures (which I will put a few up in the next few days) but I'm too tried right now. I just got back from having dinner with my family at her favorite restraunt, Catfish Parlor. We would have been there tonight with her and I think she'd be thrilled to know that 20 of us got together to celebrate.

Another one bits the dust

2008-11-24T17:00:00.001-08:00

Yes internet, that's right, things are still breaking around here. Only things around here seem to have a slow death, we can see them coming and watch them suffer and die miserably. This time it's our 5 disc DVD player. We've cleaned it, blown air into it, and now we're down to banging on it when it doesn't work. We're not replacing it any time soon. We have a one disc DVD player that will do in its place. It means we'll have to walk from the couch to the TV more often, which doesn't seem bad, but when you've been spoiled by being able to switch between DVD's and have two different people have what they want in there and pregnancy suck your butt into the couch like a magnet, it's a bummer.

22 Weeks!

2008-11-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

It seems like time is flying now, thank God. I hope it continues this way. Not much is new, but the acid reflux and heart burn are getting worse. I don't expect them to get any better until this is over with. The headaches are mostly gone, which is great. My feet hurt but if I wear shoes most of the time it helps.

I love feeling him move around. Jonathan can't wait to feel him, he's just too little still. Jonathan often talks to him, reads to him, and sings or resits poetry to him. It's very cute.

This week:

Your baby weighs close to a pound at this point!
Your baby can now hear your conversations more clearly than before!. When you talk, read, or sing, expect her to hear you. Studies have found that newborns will suck more vigorously when read to from a book they heard frequently in utero.
Eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed.
Fingernails have grown to the end of the fingers.
Be prepared for all those "Why" questions coming! Your baby's brain has entered a stage of rapid growth.
With some help from mom, baby's liver is starting to break down bilirubin, a substance produced by red blood cells.
If your baby is male his testes begin their descent to the scrotum.
Primitive sperm have formed and he is producing testosterone.
Length is 10.94 inches (27.8cm); weight is nearly 1 pound (430gm).

refrigerator woes, and a belly shot

2008-11-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

This is being delivered on Sunday. We're just praying that things are done breaking around here. We're having to put some projects on hold and re-arrange things to make everything work, but at least I'm still working for a little while longer. And now our refrigerator will match the rest of our appliances.

Also, here's a belly picture. As you can see, I'm getting big! I had a stranger mention something to me at the grocery store the other day. At least I don't just look fat anymore.

21 Weeks

2008-11-16T17:12:00.001-08:00

The little guy is definitely growing, I feel him more every day. Today I tried to take a nap but he wouldn't stop kicking me. It's cute now, but I have a feeling that it's going to get old. Unfortunately my feet are growing and most of my shoes are too small now. It's a bummer because I love my shoes. I went and got some ugly crocks, I don't like how they look but they fit.

My stomach still isn't back to normal. I'm hoping it regulates soon. And my back and hips are still really sore. It's not nearly as bad as it was a few weeks ago though, thank God.

Oh, and thanks to my friend Beth we have a bunch of 0-3 month clothes! They are so tiny and cute!

Here is how the baby looks in my belly this week:

White blood cells are under production. Leukocytes (or white blood cells) form our body's defense system. They help fight infections and diseases.
Your little one's skin has changed from translucent to become more opaque.
Your infant's tongue is fully formed. If you were able to peek you might catch your son or daughter practicing giving you a raspberry!
Baby swallows more this week. After your baby takes in amniotic fluid, his body absorbs the water in the liquid and moves the rest into the large bowel. This is good practice for his digestive system!
Wake and sleep periods become more consistent. Some research suggests that baby sets her internal clock to match the outside world's even before birth! Your eating and sleeping habits as well levels of light and noise serve as her signals.
Length is now measured crown to heel.
Baby measures about 10.51 inches (26.7cm) and weighs nearly 12.7 ounces (360g).

Because you asked...

2008-11-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

I've had several people ask what we still need for the baby. Well, lots of crap. 1st, there's the registry. Check out the links to the right. We're going to try the cloth diaper thing so we need some supplies and diapers for that, those are on the Amazon registry. Also, the little guy needs clothes. I have a few things but oddly enough I have no idea how much we really need.

We were going to go with IKEA sheets and decore, but I was having trouble finding the pictures I wanted and even the sheet set. And then I found this on ebay for only $50.00 so this is what we're using. I actually like it much better, it's very cute. I'll register for a few other accessories at babies-r-us.

We'd like this from IKEA, it's the TROFAST storage combination, but we'd like different colored bins. This is just an accessory, nothing that's necessary but great for toys and stuff.We have a dresser from my nanny, but Jonathan is worried that it's not very stable. Eventually we'd like this one from IKEA, it matches the crib. It's the LEKSVIK 4-drawer chest.
I also like this from IKEA. It's the LEKSVIK High Cabinet.

My parents already got us the crib, here it is!

And they got us the glider/ottoman! I think they're a little excited about the baby. :-) Here it is just out of the box.

And me putting it together.

And the finished product. It looks great.

Thank you mom and dad!

As you can tell from the pictures, the room needs a little paint.

We have a thumb sucker!

2008-11-13T11:42:00.001-08:00

I went into the doctor today to be checked. Yesterday I had pain in my lower abdomen that lasted 9 hours. I talked to the nurse yesterday evening and she told me to get checked today. Everything was fine, they took some blood and are running some tests but the pain is gone and they aren't worried.

I saw the little guy sucking his thumb on the sonogram again. He was huge compared to 5 weeks ago. He was measuring good though and his heart rate was perfect.

If I could fine the little camera I'd get a belly picture up. Today at the grocery store was the first time a stranger mentioned something about being pregnant to me. Clearly the bump is getting bigger.

Ask a Toddler...

2008-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

This video cracks me up, enjoy!

Sick up-date

2008-11-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't work today, I stayed at home in bed. Things are getting better. I drank a ton of water and some gatoraid. For most of the day I ate mostly bland food, rice, bananas, and apple sauce. This evening I craved veggies and broke down and had some peas and some squash. I'm having a little more cramping this evening after the veggies, but it was worth it.

The plan is to work tomorrow, as long as tonight and the morning are okay.

Feeling crappy

2008-11-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

I stared having some stomach cramping last night and was a little concerned, just because I didn't know what was going on.

And today I've had awful diarrhea and very painful cramping. I called the doctors office and they think I have a stomach virus of some kind. Lovely. I didn't eat much today, I tired, but I just couldn't ever get more than a few bites down. I'm drinking lots of water and gatoraid and praying I feel better soon.

I did work today but tomorrow is questionable, we'll see how I feel in the morning.