I'm going to attempt to do a quick catch-up blog entry while I attempt to download three months' worth of baby pictures onto our Share site. I should be sleeping. I'm sleepy.
Regardless, since I'm completely alone... the baby has been asleep (in her room) for a couple of hours now and Husband finally stopped pretending to be watching TV (when he is obviously sleeping) and took his self to bed. So.... that leaves little ole' me all alone. I'm rarely alone these days-- that has been the biggest adjustment for me into parenthood-- the only time I'm really by myself is in the shower--if someone is home to keep an eye on the baby, otherwise she is hanging out in her bouncer seat on the bathroom floor while I try to hurry up and wash my hair.
Anyway... a lot has been going on lately.
1. We Christened the Little One the weekend before my last week of school back in June. I felt like I sort of slapped the ceremony together, which was not my intent, but time just got away with me. Looking back on it, we just have just done the ceremony during regular church services-- it would have been less of a pain in my side-- but we thought Husband's parents were going to be out of town that Sunday morning. Miscommunication on my part, I guess. In the end, it was a sweet ceremony and it turned out much smoother than I had imagined.
2. The baby is in her room now! Not long after I got out of school we had a little impromptu "pajama party" and the only person in our house that slept through the night was the baby. She just wouldn't stay down in the pack-n-play sleeper and after the fourth time trying to get her to sleep, I just put her in the bed with us. The next night she went in her crib, upstairs, in her beautiful nursery. We watch her on the video monitor. We have a movement monitor that we have yet to use-- I'm hoping this weekend we will be able to get the board installed.
3. We don't Cry-it-Out in this family-- another blog entry for another time... when I'm not so sleepy maybe?
4. I have a cardiologist now. On Michael Jackson's death date, I had a SVT attack-- or in other words, my heart was beating 240 beats per minute and would not stop. It had never happened before and I hope it never happens again but apparently I have an extra electrical pathway inside my heart that decided to work that day. I got to ride in the rescue squad all the way to the ER and once at the ER I stayed there the entire day. NOT FUN.
5. My Granny died... I really don't have a lot to say about the subject for now. But please know she had been sick for sometime. She was 92 years old and had lived a purpose filled life, a life that touched a number of people in our little part of the world. I am proud to be her granddaughter and I am thankful she got to meet my daughter. We will tell Little One the stories of my Granny, of Pup-Pup, of homemade mini-ghosts and Tom n' Sally...
6. I joined Pinterest and I can see how it can sort of ruin lives. I have became one of those people that sometimes starts sentences "I saw this cool idea on Pinterest...." or "On Pinterest..."
Finally, a little Little One Update:
Little One is officially 8 months old and she is doing great. No teeth yet... but according to the chart I repined on Pinterest we are well within the time frame for teeth to be sprouting. I'm preparing myself, since we are still breastfeeding and all.
We have outgrown the Puj bathtub and now officially use "Howard the Duck" the inflatable yellow duck that fits into the bathtub. She is fascinated with the drain. Sophie La Giraffe (the bath time edition) is a great distraction and makes bath time so much easier.
As you already know we have our bedroom back! I am so excited to be able to watch TV in bed again!
Little One is pulling up and trying to crawl. She loves to stand and wants to take steps when you hold her hands. I think crawling will happen, I'm holding out hope, but she doesn't seem to enjoy it... Being such a love-chunk of a baby, it is hard to figure out the baby belly with the chubby baby legs at the same time. We will get there, I'm certain.
Recently I have put her in our kiddie pool in her big float and she loves it! We can't wait for the beach in a few weeks!
So there... that sort of wraps things up pretty nicely for now. It is late and the pictures I started uploading are loaded... ( I still have like 250 to go... but that will be tomorrow and the next day and so forth)
Be good y'all!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
The Picture...
As I stood, bare foot, on the sand hovering over a half naked, wriggling 6 month old I could feel the color drain from my face. "She's going to blind herself," I kept thinking as I watched fat little fingers, covered in salty sand, form fists and go for her perfect little face. Baby Girl loves to rub her eyes when she's tired and boy was she tired.
I wanted to cry, but crying wouldn't have changed anything. I was the genius who had decided to put the baby lotion on the baby before her pictures... never thinking about how beach sand and lotion are deadly combinations. Damned baby eczema. Damned sea salt and sand.
My friend, my dear, sweet and patient friend, who also happens to be our baby photographer, quickly stepped in and helped me remove the sand from the baby's hands, face and eye area. If I'm a crazed, guilt-ridden, idiot... well, she's the complete opposite. Calmly she dabbed wet wipes at my child's face. "It's just sand," she kept telling me as I tried to keep myself from loosing it.
At that very moment I was deciding, in my head, on whether or not I should tell Husband what was going on... the blinding of our child when we returned to the beach house. Even though he is not always the most observant of husband's (he never can tell when I get my hair cut) surely he would notice that our baby girl no longer was sighted. He would not be pleased.... No, he would not be pleased.
And just as my dear friend had removed the sand from my child's face, Husband was coming over the dunes to see what we were up to with the pictures. I was relieved to see him, regardless of whether or not the child was truly blinded. He needed to be there for the baby's first contact with the ocean--sentimentality aside, I needed an extra pair of hands as most of my belongings were now scattered up and down Ocean Isle Beach.
The pictures were completed soon after. My friend is fast, quick... skilled-- a true artist.
She posted a "peek" picture from that day on her Facebook page and I must say I'm blown away at how beautiful the image turned out to be. You'd never know that mere moments before Baby Girl was covered in sand and her poor, perpetually-guilt-ridden mother was helplessly dying inside.
If you look closely at the picture you can see the sea dripping of her chubby little feet... her first contact with the ocean and it is beautifully documented-- how special is that?
Thank goodness for artistic, sane and calm friends who aren't afraid of a little sand....
I wanted to cry, but crying wouldn't have changed anything. I was the genius who had decided to put the baby lotion on the baby before her pictures... never thinking about how beach sand and lotion are deadly combinations. Damned baby eczema. Damned sea salt and sand.
My friend, my dear, sweet and patient friend, who also happens to be our baby photographer, quickly stepped in and helped me remove the sand from the baby's hands, face and eye area. If I'm a crazed, guilt-ridden, idiot... well, she's the complete opposite. Calmly she dabbed wet wipes at my child's face. "It's just sand," she kept telling me as I tried to keep myself from loosing it.
At that very moment I was deciding, in my head, on whether or not I should tell Husband what was going on... the blinding of our child when we returned to the beach house. Even though he is not always the most observant of husband's (he never can tell when I get my hair cut) surely he would notice that our baby girl no longer was sighted. He would not be pleased.... No, he would not be pleased.
And just as my dear friend had removed the sand from my child's face, Husband was coming over the dunes to see what we were up to with the pictures. I was relieved to see him, regardless of whether or not the child was truly blinded. He needed to be there for the baby's first contact with the ocean--sentimentality aside, I needed an extra pair of hands as most of my belongings were now scattered up and down Ocean Isle Beach.
The pictures were completed soon after. My friend is fast, quick... skilled-- a true artist.
She posted a "peek" picture from that day on her Facebook page
If you look closely at the picture you can see the sea dripping of her chubby little feet... her first contact with the ocean and it is beautifully documented-- how special is that?
Thank goodness for artistic, sane and calm friends who aren't afraid of a little sand....
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Paul Reiser, Oreo's and Mother's Day...
At church, we had a Mother's Day Celebration and a lady in our church asked me to speak. The following is what I had to say on being a new mom...
When Ms. Mary Kay asked me to speak about being a new parent, specifically a new mother, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.
My first thought was to compare parenthood to what I imagine living in a frat house would be like... There are bottles strewn about the house on a pretty regular basis, the laundry is mountainous, overflowing the hampers daily. We sleep pretty much wherever we land and vomit is a real possibility at any given time.
My second thought was to talk about how parenthood, for me at least, has been rather instinctual. I can attest that becoming a mother has brought up some pretty primal urges in me that on recent occasion has given me great pause and stirred up some emotional reactions that I was not prepared to feel at all. Just the other day, at a family reunion of all places, I had to seriously fight the urge to claw a little girl’s eyes out because she was getting a little too 'handsy' with Elizabeth, either that or hide Elizabeth under a bush... At the end of the day I’m not much better than those ill old ‘Mama’ cats we had growing up after they had had a litter of kittens.
But when Ms. Mary Kay asked me to speak about being a new parent the only thing I could think about was this quote by Paul Reiser that I recently stumbled across in an email... that and an Oreo Cookie.
Reiser says, “People often ask me, "What's the difference between couplehood and babyhood?" In a word? Moisture. Everything in my life is now more moist. Between your spittle, your diapers, your spit-up and drool, you got your baby food, your wipes... your leaky bottles, sweaty baby backs, and numerous other untraceable sources--all creating an ever-present moistness in my life, which heretofore was mainly dry.”
I love this quote, not only because it is true... on any given day there is some sort of baby-by-product covering me in some capacity... but I love this quote for its deeper meaning. Which brings me to the Oreo Cookie.
As we all know, an Oreo Cookie has three parts-- two dry cookies and one creamy (moist) center.
Before Elizabeth, I like to think of my life as the cookie part of the Oreo. For this metaphor to make sense, I need you to pretend with me that you’ve never had a fully intact Oreo cookie. If all you’ve ever had was the outside, dry cookies of the Oreo without the creamy center, you’d probably find the cookies to be a perfectly lovely and an adequate snack. And if you’ve never had the fully intact Oreo, then you’d probably be perfectly happy with eating just the plain cookies for the rest of your life. And that was how I felt. I was perfectly content being a plain, dry cookie... And being a plain, dry cookie was good stuff too.
But since Elizabeth has entered into our lives, I can’t imagine just going back to being just a plain, old dry cookie. Elizabeth is our creamy center and I’m just going to end the debate right now, the creamy center of the Oreo Cookie is the best part of the cookie, it’s what makes the Oreo an Oreo. It’s what’s makes it special. And after you’ve experienced the creamy center of an Oreo Cookie, you no longer think so highly of just the plain cookies anymore. In other words...my old life was great, but my new life as a parent is so much more fulfilling.
So to sum up... parenthood can be compared to a countless many things, but in the end, being a parent has added a degree of moisture that changes the components of life from ordinary to extraordinary.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Yea... I know... But I've Got a Good Excuse...
Yea... it's been a while. Currently, I'm on Spring Break and while in the past I have mocked the idea of elementary aged students needing a Spring Break, as a new mother I'm thankful for the days at home with the Little One and I will leave it alone.
The Little One, while still very much a little baby, is everyday getting bigger and bigger. At our last doctors' appointment she weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces. It is truly amazing to look back at her first little pictures and see how much she has changed.
She looks less like her daddy and more like herself... and let me tell you she has a huge personality. The Little One pretty much is still calling the shots around here. But we happily fall in line, how could we not? You'd have a hard time saying no to her too... she's just too cute!
Unhappily, she has stopped sleeping through the night. Around the time that I started back to work, she flipped the script and now wakes up sometime between 2 and 4 for about 20 minutes for a quick bite to eat. In essence, it is not that big of a deal, as I was already getting up around that same time to pump. Now I just feed her... unless I get behind on my milk and then I have feed and pump. Oh well.
She is, however, going to bed a little earlier, which is nice.
My mother keeps her while I'm at work. Mama tutors at the middle school and also works with student teachers which takes her away for a couple hours each week and then my Aunt comes in and keeps her. It is a great situation and the baby is loving all the attention. And who could ask for better baby-sitters? Two retired educators with master degrees in education that love your kid like it was their own... Little One will be reading next week, I'm sure of it.
The Easter Bunny was good to us this year... too good. We've already told her not to expect this to happen again. It looks like Christmas around here.
Tonight she tried her first bit of sweet potatoes. We've decided to start making our own baby food as we garden and farm. My mom made the first batch. I had never seen a baby gag... until tonight. I think it was a shock to her senses. But she liked it because she ate the entire portion.
Little One is a great eater. It (eating) probably is her favorite thing in the whole world. It shows on her too-- even her rolls have rolls. But as Dr. Langdon says, "it is the only time in your life when being chunky is cute." And let me tell you, it is so cute.
As for work, going back has been super easy. But knowing that the babe is well looked after and that I'm still her primary source of food, it gives me peace of mind... and truly I do better when I'm at work. I thrive on a schedule.
And as for a schedule, I'm breaking mine by sitting up and giving a baby update. It is way past my bedtime and I'm sure that in a very short while, my baby will be crying for a quick feed.
Hopefully, while I'm out on break, I'll have time to write and post later... otherwise, I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again. Summer break is just around the corner though!
Be good...
The Little One, while still very much a little baby, is everyday getting bigger and bigger. At our last doctors' appointment she weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces. It is truly amazing to look back at her first little pictures and see how much she has changed.
She looks less like her daddy and more like herself... and let me tell you she has a huge personality. The Little One pretty much is still calling the shots around here. But we happily fall in line, how could we not? You'd have a hard time saying no to her too... she's just too cute!
Unhappily, she has stopped sleeping through the night. Around the time that I started back to work, she flipped the script and now wakes up sometime between 2 and 4 for about 20 minutes for a quick bite to eat. In essence, it is not that big of a deal, as I was already getting up around that same time to pump. Now I just feed her... unless I get behind on my milk and then I have feed and pump. Oh well.
She is, however, going to bed a little earlier, which is nice.
My mother keeps her while I'm at work. Mama tutors at the middle school and also works with student teachers which takes her away for a couple hours each week and then my Aunt comes in and keeps her. It is a great situation and the baby is loving all the attention. And who could ask for better baby-sitters? Two retired educators with master degrees in education that love your kid like it was their own... Little One will be reading next week, I'm sure of it.
The Easter Bunny was good to us this year... too good. We've already told her not to expect this to happen again. It looks like Christmas around here.
Tonight she tried her first bit of sweet potatoes. We've decided to start making our own baby food as we garden and farm. My mom made the first batch. I had never seen a baby gag... until tonight. I think it was a shock to her senses. But she liked it because she ate the entire portion.
Little One is a great eater. It (eating) probably is her favorite thing in the whole world. It shows on her too-- even her rolls have rolls. But as Dr. Langdon says, "it is the only time in your life when being chunky is cute." And let me tell you, it is so cute.
As for work, going back has been super easy. But knowing that the babe is well looked after and that I'm still her primary source of food, it gives me peace of mind... and truly I do better when I'm at work. I thrive on a schedule.
And as for a schedule, I'm breaking mine by sitting up and giving a baby update. It is way past my bedtime and I'm sure that in a very short while, my baby will be crying for a quick feed.
Hopefully, while I'm out on break, I'll have time to write and post later... otherwise, I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again. Summer break is just around the corner though!
Be good...
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Two Months and Counting...
Tuesday was the 2 month check up for Baby. Can you believe that we are already at two months? Earlier in the week I sat her down for our monthly home photo shoot. She hates it towards the end and basically just cries. But this time I managed to get 105 shots as opposed to month 1 where I think I got 20 before she melted down.
But just to fill you in Baby Girl is growing like a weed, weighing in at a healthy 9 pounds, 13 ounces. I can't help but beam with pride that I've been able to provide the soul nutrition for that darling girl. The doctor was pleased with her development and felt that everything was going on track... No, she isn't in the 99th percentile for height, weight, or head size. But considering that I'm a smaller than average person and Husband isn't a giant, it is to be expected. Regardless, she is doing great.
What wasn't great. Shots. And lots of them. Baby Girl had to endure one oral vaccination which wasn't so bad... the rest were traditional old shots, which were just as violent as ever. One in each leg. DTAP and Prevnar.... hopefully keeping her safe from things like Polio and Whooping Cough. I brought along Aunt Jenny to for moral support as Husband had a tobacco meeting to attend.
As the mom of Baby Girl, I've been wittiness to her pain cry. I know how horrible it sounds... how it makes your insides hurt because you know that she is hurting and you can't really do anything to make it better. Her hunger cry, tired cry, and regular old-notice-me-cry are far less heartbreaking. I'm not sure that Aunt Jenny was prepared... as soon as the nurse was through jabbing the needles into my poor baby's chubby little legs, Aunt Jenny sprung into action, scooping Baby Girl into her arms and methodically bouncing back and forth until she (Aunt Jenny) felt better. Baby Girl was going to need more than just bouncing.
Luckily I was meeting with the lactation consultant and we were going to feed and sometimes food is the only way to heal a hurt.
At home, Baby Girl was in some serious pain... crying anytime her legs were moved-- either by her or us. She got to experience her first dose of baby Tylenol (which by the way did help her a little). She slept from the time we got home except for diaper changes and feeds until the very next morning. Sometime around 2:00am she began to feel better and we caught her smiling in her sleep.
Relief... we survived the first big round of shots. We go back for our 4 month check in March. I think this time Husband is going to have to go with us... I know I don't want to go by myself!
But just to fill you in Baby Girl is growing like a weed, weighing in at a healthy 9 pounds, 13 ounces. I can't help but beam with pride that I've been able to provide the soul nutrition for that darling girl. The doctor was pleased with her development and felt that everything was going on track... No, she isn't in the 99th percentile for height, weight, or head size. But considering that I'm a smaller than average person and Husband isn't a giant, it is to be expected. Regardless, she is doing great.
What wasn't great. Shots. And lots of them. Baby Girl had to endure one oral vaccination which wasn't so bad... the rest were traditional old shots, which were just as violent as ever. One in each leg. DTAP and Prevnar.... hopefully keeping her safe from things like Polio and Whooping Cough. I brought along Aunt Jenny to for moral support as Husband had a tobacco meeting to attend.
As the mom of Baby Girl, I've been wittiness to her pain cry. I know how horrible it sounds... how it makes your insides hurt because you know that she is hurting and you can't really do anything to make it better. Her hunger cry, tired cry, and regular old-notice-me-cry are far less heartbreaking. I'm not sure that Aunt Jenny was prepared... as soon as the nurse was through jabbing the needles into my poor baby's chubby little legs, Aunt Jenny sprung into action, scooping Baby Girl into her arms and methodically bouncing back and forth until she (Aunt Jenny) felt better. Baby Girl was going to need more than just bouncing.
Luckily I was meeting with the lactation consultant and we were going to feed and sometimes food is the only way to heal a hurt.
Relief... we survived the first big round of shots. We go back for our 4 month check in March. I think this time Husband is going to have to go with us... I know I don't want to go by myself!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Baby Nursery...
At one time I had planned to spotlight each room in my house as I decorated it. But then the infertility thing happened and all my attention, free time and much of my disposable income was tied up in getting pregnant. Decorating rooms in my newly built house just didn't seem so important anymore. But last June, several months pregnant, we found out that we were having a little girl and suddenly I was consumed with planning the perfect nursery. Finding out that we were having a little girl was thrilling and we were both very excited. Just think about all the smocking and cute hair bows! But then I got a little concerned that I might make her room too pink and green, that it would be overly estrogen filled and that would make poor Husband, literally, the odd man out. So for much of the summer I spent my time obsessing about what kind of gender neutral shade of yellow and cream I should apply. And this obsession sort of drove Husband crazy because he assured me that he wouldn't feel left out if I went with my instincts and made the room reflect that a little girl lived there.
And so I listened.
The lighting fixture was purchased at Pottery Barn Kids. Husband installed it one afternoon with no trouble or assistance. I had debated on whether or not to change out the fixture as the original light was in good condition... since it was less than a year old. I'm glad that I did it as I think it adds a lot to the room.
I was super excited to find a crib that is considered "low-profile" since neither Husband or myself is very tall. I loved the simple lines of the crib and seeing how this would be a piece of furniture that most likely would be used again I didn't want to go overly ornate or frilly since we could have a son at some point. The bedding was one of two choices from Serena and Lily... Husband made the final decision and I loved the French and Indian motifs. Finding the bedding helped me make fabric decisions.
The Indian inspired storage baskets, although rather expensive, have became a favorite of mine for their practicality. The pink textured curtain panels were made by my grandmother. I think they add a lot of drama to the room. The shelving unit was a bargain buy from Target. It is one of those build-it-yourself jobs and for what it costs, if it gets destroyed in a couple of years-- oh well. It serves the purpose. At some point I hope to line the back of the unit with fabric left over from my rocker.
Since the room already had a built in desk I decided to use this space as a changing station. It will be several years before the baby can sit at a desk and do homework, so in the time being, I purchased a curtain from Land of Nod and had my mother hem it to the right length. A tension rod hold it in place. Behind the curtain is room for me to store baby items like diaper boxes and other items that I may not want to display. The built-in cabinets store wipes and diapers from our showers and also can be a place to keep burp cloths, bibs, baby towels and all sort of baby goodness.
Currently the baby sleeps in her bassinet and has yet to spend more than a few hours in her room since birth. I'm hoping that once she gets a little older that she will spend many happy nights and days in this room!
Crib: Pottery Barn Kids, Kendall Low-Profile Crib
Bedding, Storage Baskets, Changing Pad & Cover: Serena & Lily, Lola Bedding Collection, Basic Punch Cover
Glider & Ottoman: Target
Lighting Fixture: Pottery Barn Kids, Olivia Mini- Chandelier
Shelving Unit: Target
Window Panels: my Grandma
Curtain Rods: Lowes
Chest: Vibra's (Dunn, NC)
Fabric (excepting changing station): The Cloth Barn (Goldsboro, NC)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Holiday Wrap-Up...
Did you survive the holidays? I'm pleased to say that Husband, Baby and myself did, indeed, survive and to some degree actually thrived.
Merry! Merry! Christmas Morning with Santa's toys
Yes, it was hard to drag ourselves to all the different holiday functions, but spending time with loved ones is never a bad time... trying to figure out the baby logistics on the other hand can be a bit frustrating.
Christmas morning was spent in our home. This year we had breakfast at our house. My parents came with my father's prized electric griddle and between us four, we prepared breakfast, learned to use a camcorder and entertained the baby. Husband's parents and brother came to eat along with Husband's uncle and three of his boys. I think it is the beginning of a nice family tradition.
Mid-flip...
New Year's was less of a festive celebration. For the first time since I was little, I slept through the new year... I remember poor Husband waking me up as the ball was about to drop. I quickly shut my eyes and went back to sleep. Quite the role reversal as I'm the one normally waking him up.
These days I have no trouble sleeping. Used to, if I stayed at home all day-- just hanging out at the house I'd have trouble sleeping at night because I just hadn't done enough or I slept too late. Now as soon as Little One goes down, I curl up on the couch and that's all she wrote folks. I'm down for the count.
Little One is sleeping through the night and has been since she was 5 weeks old... I on the other hand am not as I get up sometime between 3 and 4 to pump... which can take sometime and then I sometimes find it hard to go back to sleep. I'm punishing myself just so I can stock-pile milk, but it gives me some piece of mind knowing that in a few days I'll be back at work.
That's the big question now... "when do you go back to work?" or "are you going back to work?" and when I reply that I soon go back to work I get the look of pity. Apparently it is going to be tough... and I can honestly say I will miss being at home with my baby, but a large part of me needs to be at work. Monetary benefits aside, I need to have something to distract me and put a little more structure in my day. Will I be sad to leave my sweet girl? Yes. But the reality of it all is that work is something I have to do-- for me and for her. Her practical daddy doesn't understand the need for pretty hair bows and shiny baby loafers... and if I work, those whimsical items will be her reality.
So that is how I'm rationalizing going back to work. I work for her... so I can contribute and set a good example. So we can continue to live in the lifestyle that I have became accustomed to and so she can get accustomed to too.
So to summerize... We thrived this holiday season. Started a new tradition. We are loving experiencing things through the Baby's eyes. The baby is sleeping through the night and if I wasn't a masochist, I'd be sleeping too. Work is looming, sooner than later but if we want pretty bows and fancy shoes, Momma's got to work!
I hope your Holiday was good too!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Just to Catch You Up...
This is what's been happening y'all:
I'm breastfeeding. Its what I do these days.
I never thought that I'd be the type of person that would do such a thing. It had always appeared awkward and unnatural to me. All through my pregnancy when someone would ask if I intended to breastfeed, I'd say (in a rather apathetic way), "if I can I will, if I can't I won't." I took no classes and the only research I did about breastfeeding was to skim over the chapter in "What to Expect" the day before we left for the hospital. But then in recovery, when it was asked if I wanted to try I said yes. The mild sedative that had been given to me in the operating room while they were sewing me up probably kept me just relaxed enough that before I knew it, Little Girl was happily feeding with absolutely no problems.
Little did I know that I would be spending so much time feeding. The first two weeks I fed her every hour on the hour while she experienced her first big growth spurt. I never had the bleeding nipples, but I did experience pain and my pediatrician referred me to the on-staff lactation consultant. I recommend everyone go to a pediatrician that has a lactation consultant... she is the only reason I'm still breastfeeding. Psychologically, breastfeeding 24/7 can be draining.
At week three I contracted Mastitis which persisted through week four (see why below)... it is the sickest I've ever been since having the flu in 10th grade. I had a low-grade fever that left me shaking and chattering for hours on end until the fever reducer would kick in and then I'd be sweating like a stuck pig. I had body aches that radiated to my core. I got a huge lump under my arm pit and it hurt to walk (yes walk!) and feed and the only way to make that feel better was to feed and try to "express" the lump during pumping or feeding which made me want to run in the opposite direction of that precious, crying (hungry) baby. On top of that-- I started throwing up. And I developed an allergic reaction to the medication I was on. I no longer can take penicillin. So after spending one night in the throws of body aches, chills, fever, chattering, crying, throwing-up, itching, etc. I was taken back to the doctor for a different medication.
And of course, after taking antibiotics, Little Girl got thrush in her mouth. And of course now I have thrush... on my nipples and milk ducts. Yea!
Again, if I didn't have good support I'd be hawking the formula right now. But now I have a special medication and so does Little Girl and hopefully we will be completely well in a few more days.
These days you'll find me sitting around my house in some state of undress in the attempt to air out my boobs all while leaking breast milk... I'm afraid that most days I permeate the air with the soft aroma of slightly soured milk. Little Girl likes it. No complaints on her end. I on the other hand prefer the scent of Ralph Lauren's Romance. But I do firmly believe that my discomfort is a small price to pay for all the benefits that are gained from breastfeeding. So I'm taking it week-by-week, day-by-day. And this week we are feeding!
I'm breastfeeding. Its what I do these days.
I never thought that I'd be the type of person that would do such a thing. It had always appeared awkward and unnatural to me. All through my pregnancy when someone would ask if I intended to breastfeed, I'd say (in a rather apathetic way), "if I can I will, if I can't I won't." I took no classes and the only research I did about breastfeeding was to skim over the chapter in "What to Expect" the day before we left for the hospital. But then in recovery, when it was asked if I wanted to try I said yes. The mild sedative that had been given to me in the operating room while they were sewing me up probably kept me just relaxed enough that before I knew it, Little Girl was happily feeding with absolutely no problems.
Little did I know that I would be spending so much time feeding. The first two weeks I fed her every hour on the hour while she experienced her first big growth spurt. I never had the bleeding nipples, but I did experience pain and my pediatrician referred me to the on-staff lactation consultant. I recommend everyone go to a pediatrician that has a lactation consultant... she is the only reason I'm still breastfeeding. Psychologically, breastfeeding 24/7 can be draining.
At week three I contracted Mastitis which persisted through week four (see why below)... it is the sickest I've ever been since having the flu in 10th grade. I had a low-grade fever that left me shaking and chattering for hours on end until the fever reducer would kick in and then I'd be sweating like a stuck pig. I had body aches that radiated to my core. I got a huge lump under my arm pit and it hurt to walk (yes walk!) and feed and the only way to make that feel better was to feed and try to "express" the lump during pumping or feeding which made me want to run in the opposite direction of that precious, crying (hungry) baby. On top of that-- I started throwing up. And I developed an allergic reaction to the medication I was on. I no longer can take penicillin. So after spending one night in the throws of body aches, chills, fever, chattering, crying, throwing-up, itching, etc. I was taken back to the doctor for a different medication.
And of course, after taking antibiotics, Little Girl got thrush in her mouth. And of course now I have thrush... on my nipples and milk ducts. Yea!
Again, if I didn't have good support I'd be hawking the formula right now. But now I have a special medication and so does Little Girl and hopefully we will be completely well in a few more days.
These days you'll find me sitting around my house in some state of undress in the attempt to air out my boobs all while leaking breast milk... I'm afraid that most days I permeate the air with the soft aroma of slightly soured milk. Little Girl likes it. No complaints on her end. I on the other hand prefer the scent of Ralph Lauren's Romance. But I do firmly believe that my discomfort is a small price to pay for all the benefits that are gained from breastfeeding. So I'm taking it week-by-week, day-by-day. And this week we are feeding!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A Birth Story....
Greetings from Bessies' Best Dairy. We've only got one customer, but the reviews are all raves!
November 6th at 12:24pm one tiny little cry erupted from behind the curtain separating Husband and me from what was surely a gruesome scene as the doctor and nurses worked to bring our little one into the world.
One little cry and our world completely changed.
She still didn't have a name. The nurses that had prepped me for my surgery were kindly reassuring that the name would come. I was a wreck, scared out of my mind for the next part... the surgery part and I finally lost my cool, quietly crying into my chest, pressing the top of my head into the nurse standing in front of me as the needle for the spinal block was put into my back. My resolve was lost.
Husband was brought in, covered from head to toe in blue hospital garb. Oddly enough, the blue scrubs amplified the blue in his eyes and he looked calm and strong--excited, but calm. He was sat near my head and the medical team informed us that they had already begun the procedure. "This is so weird," I remember telling him as I felt his hand on my head and nothing from my chest down. The nurse gave him a tissue to mop up the tears that were still quietly streaming from my eyes.
Lord knows what was going on behind the sheet. It must have been a textbook surgery because my doctor leisurely talked with the nurses about his son and a few colleagues they had in common.
And then we were told she was almost here. To be exact, my doctor said, "just a few more layers." And then there was the little cry and nothing as been exactly the same since.
With big blue eyes and a head full of light brown hair, she weighed in at a respectable 6 pounds, 2 ounces and measured in at 18 and a half inches long.
Speechless and overwhelmed my tears of fear changed to tears of joy. Before I knew it I was in recovery with my tiny new family learning to breastfeed and being poked and proded by several nurses. The OR nurses were right, a name finally came to us. We went traditional and looked to family names for inspiration. Her name is Elizabeth Aldon and we think we did a good job... but of course, I'm biased.
She is perfect in that way that all babies are perfect and we couldn't be more proud. These days she calls the shots. Simply leaving the house takes hours it seems and most days if I can find the time to wash a few dishes or fold a couple of pieces of clothing, I'm on cloud nine.
Yes, everything is different with just that one little cry....
Thursday, November 15, 2012
She's Here....
Our Little One has arrived November 6th, weighing in at a respectable 6 pounds, 2 ounces! I promise to fill in the delightful details very soon... but it is hard to type with one hand and hold a beautiful baby in the other. For now the baby wins. You understand riht?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
38 Weeks: Only 5 Days Left to Go...
Tuesday was the start of our 38th week of being pregnant... and surprisingly I feel really good. I've had little to no swelling in my feet and just on rare occasions my wedding bands become a little snug.
My blood pressure is holding steady as is my weight... things seem to be going well and more than anything, I'm relieved. After going through months of infertility, I had sometimes thought that maybe I'm just not "meant" to be pregnant. And then after finally getting a positive and then becoming so very sick that first trimester, I for sure thought that it was true. But somewhere near the end of that first trimester the sickness lifted and from there out I've felt good.
Now my biggest complaint is that I'm running out of time to prepare and I'm exhausted. My afternoons and nights are spent trying to figure out what I need to do next in some desperate attempt to try and be prepared. Let me just tell you, it is hard to be prepared when you don't know what to prepare for.
But as of tonight... My gowns are washed along with several receiving blankets, burp cloths, blankets and some tiny little baby clothing. They are folded neatly in a laundry basket just waiting to be put into a bag for the hospital. The car seat, although not installed into my new car, is downstairs and ready to go. The baby bassinet is in the bedroom. The crib is set up, dressed and ready to go, even though it will be a few weeks before our little one lays in it. The newborn diapers are ready to go. The nursery, although not 100% perfect is very close to perfect and getting closer everyday.
5 days and counting... it is so surreal to think that very soon there will be a whole new person around... a person that we are responsible for and hopefully a person that we can teach not to be scared of clowns-- unlike the dog who is terrified of small children dressed as clowns for Halloween.
Surreal, impossible... truly a miracle and I hope and pray that things go well.
My blood pressure is holding steady as is my weight... things seem to be going well and more than anything, I'm relieved. After going through months of infertility, I had sometimes thought that maybe I'm just not "meant" to be pregnant. And then after finally getting a positive and then becoming so very sick that first trimester, I for sure thought that it was true. But somewhere near the end of that first trimester the sickness lifted and from there out I've felt good.
Now my biggest complaint is that I'm running out of time to prepare and I'm exhausted. My afternoons and nights are spent trying to figure out what I need to do next in some desperate attempt to try and be prepared. Let me just tell you, it is hard to be prepared when you don't know what to prepare for.
But as of tonight... My gowns are washed along with several receiving blankets, burp cloths, blankets and some tiny little baby clothing. They are folded neatly in a laundry basket just waiting to be put into a bag for the hospital. The car seat, although not installed into my new car, is downstairs and ready to go. The baby bassinet is in the bedroom. The crib is set up, dressed and ready to go, even though it will be a few weeks before our little one lays in it. The newborn diapers are ready to go. The nursery, although not 100% perfect is very close to perfect and getting closer everyday.
5 days and counting... it is so surreal to think that very soon there will be a whole new person around... a person that we are responsible for and hopefully a person that we can teach not to be scared of clowns-- unlike the dog who is terrified of small children dressed as clowns for Halloween.
Surreal, impossible... truly a miracle and I hope and pray that things go well.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
37 Weeks and Waiting...
So we are a go for a C-Section... in less than two weeks! Today was our 37 week appointment and to be on the safe side, an ultrasound was scheduled to confirm if Little No Name is upside down like she is supposed to be or right side up like she wants to be.
Low and behold, she is right side up... as she has been the whole time, as far as I can tell. We were not able to get any really good shots of her face as her face is facing my spine. But the utlrasound technician could tell that she has a head full of hair and she weighs about 5 pounds and 15 ounces, this weight does not exactly put her in the top weight percentiles, but seeing how I'm a smaller than average person and Husband is not a huge guy, the doctors' are not concerned. The ultrasound tech felt for sure that by 39 weeks she'd be around 6 pounds or so... which has been my target goal.
Now we just have to ready ourself for her arrival... putting away the last few baby related items and packing our bags for the hospital stay and deciding on a name...
I'm feeling pretty good these days. My weight, although much higher that I'm used to seeing on my scales, seems to be well controlled as is my blood pressure. I've, so far, experienced very little swelling and for the most part besides being tired, I'm feeling pretty good.
As we head into another weekend, I'm hoping to get much of my "to-do" list checked off.
Check out our maternity pictures at www.marymephotographyblog.com
Low and behold, she is right side up... as she has been the whole time, as far as I can tell. We were not able to get any really good shots of her face as her face is facing my spine. But the utlrasound technician could tell that she has a head full of hair and she weighs about 5 pounds and 15 ounces, this weight does not exactly put her in the top weight percentiles, but seeing how I'm a smaller than average person and Husband is not a huge guy, the doctors' are not concerned. The ultrasound tech felt for sure that by 39 weeks she'd be around 6 pounds or so... which has been my target goal.
Now we just have to ready ourself for her arrival... putting away the last few baby related items and packing our bags for the hospital stay and deciding on a name...
I'm feeling pretty good these days. My weight, although much higher that I'm used to seeing on my scales, seems to be well controlled as is my blood pressure. I've, so far, experienced very little swelling and for the most part besides being tired, I'm feeling pretty good.
As we head into another weekend, I'm hoping to get much of my "to-do" list checked off.
Check out our maternity pictures at www.marymephotographyblog.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Pottery Barn May Be My New Favorite Store...
I ordered a picture frame for the nursery from Pottery Barn. A basic white frame with a white matte that would perfectly set off the pink graphic print I ordered from Etsy.
Today it arrived.
Damaged.
The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner. The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened. The wooden frame was crushed...
Great. I thought. Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one. What a hassle.
So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.
Just Great. I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up. So I called the 1-888 number for customer service. Just Great!!!!
To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative. She was kind, courteous and understanding. I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage. And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!
I don't even have to send it back to the company! Can you believe it?
I'm in complete and utter shock!!!! And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.
Today it arrived.
Damaged.
The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner. The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened. The wooden frame was crushed...
Great. I thought. Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one. What a hassle.
So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.
Just Great. I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up. So I called the 1-888 number for customer service. Just Great!!!!
To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative. She was kind, courteous and understanding. I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage. And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!
I don't even have to send it back to the company! Can you believe it?
I'm in complete and utter shock!!!! And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.
Pottery Barn May Be My New Favorite Store...
I ordered a picture frame for the nursery from Pottery Barn. A basic white frame with a white matte that would perfectly set off the pink graphic print I ordered from Etsy.
Today it arrived.
Damaged.
The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner. The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened. The wooden frame was crushed...
Great. I thought. Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one. What a hassle.
So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.
Just Great. I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up. So I called the 1-888 number for customer service. Just Great!!!!
To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative. She was kind, courteous and understanding. I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage. And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!
I don't even have to send it back to the company! Can you believe it?
I'm in complete and utter shock!!!! And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.
Today it arrived.
Damaged.
The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner. The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened. The wooden frame was crushed...
Great. I thought. Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one. What a hassle.
So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.
Just Great. I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up. So I called the 1-888 number for customer service. Just Great!!!!
To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative. She was kind, courteous and understanding. I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage. And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!
I don't even have to send it back to the company! Can you believe it?
I'm in complete and utter shock!!!! And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.
Monday, October 15, 2012
36 Weeks and Counting...
This weeks marks our entry into the 36th week of pregnancy and with this milestone comes the realization that after this week our baby will be considered full term. She can come anytime and that will be medically okay... crazy huh?
As we leave the 35th week, I am finding Husband in all out nesting mode and I am finding myself in some strange buying mood, purchasing all sorts of things for the nursery. I guess we are readying ourselves in very different ways. As I type there are woven, colorful storage baskets being shipped to the house along with baby clothes hangers, closet labels, a green and white curtain and a coral vase-- although the vase is going in the living room.
There is also a picture frame coming for the Audrey Hepburn quote that I purchased off of Etsy... there may not be much hanging on the rest of our walls, but there will be things on our daughter's walls.
We still haven't picked a name... which I think is more alarming for our friends and family than it is for us. In fact, in my passive aggressive way, the more others seem to worry about it, the less I tend to. A name will be picked, but I doubt it will come to us before she does.
But all this baby preparation, specifically how much time and effort I have put into getting the nursery ready has got me thinking... why don't I spend as much time worrying about all the other rooms in our house?
To my surprise all the rooms in our house are officially filled with some sort of furniture. By making the guest room the nursery and making the once empty spare room the new guest room, we officially have something in every room... but there is little as far as design goes.
After the baby comes, I'm hoping that some of my attention will be back on getting our house as wonderful as I think it can be... although I know that that probably won't be as easy as it sounds.
So as Husband hangs lighting fixtures and builds high chairs and baby swings and adds more landscaping to the yard, and I burn a hole into my gold card... our baby is making herself ready. As far as I can tell she is still breech... so how she gets here is a little questionable at the moment and what she will be called is a little questionable as well. Regardless, I'm feeling pretty good... pretty calm... pretty relaxed... and I'm hoping that the next few weeks are more of the same.
As we leave the 35th week, I am finding Husband in all out nesting mode and I am finding myself in some strange buying mood, purchasing all sorts of things for the nursery. I guess we are readying ourselves in very different ways. As I type there are woven, colorful storage baskets being shipped to the house along with baby clothes hangers, closet labels, a green and white curtain and a coral vase-- although the vase is going in the living room.
There is also a picture frame coming for the Audrey Hepburn quote that I purchased off of Etsy... there may not be much hanging on the rest of our walls, but there will be things on our daughter's walls.
We still haven't picked a name... which I think is more alarming for our friends and family than it is for us. In fact, in my passive aggressive way, the more others seem to worry about it, the less I tend to. A name will be picked, but I doubt it will come to us before she does.
But all this baby preparation, specifically how much time and effort I have put into getting the nursery ready has got me thinking... why don't I spend as much time worrying about all the other rooms in our house?
To my surprise all the rooms in our house are officially filled with some sort of furniture. By making the guest room the nursery and making the once empty spare room the new guest room, we officially have something in every room... but there is little as far as design goes.
After the baby comes, I'm hoping that some of my attention will be back on getting our house as wonderful as I think it can be... although I know that that probably won't be as easy as it sounds.
So as Husband hangs lighting fixtures and builds high chairs and baby swings and adds more landscaping to the yard, and I burn a hole into my gold card... our baby is making herself ready. As far as I can tell she is still breech... so how she gets here is a little questionable at the moment and what she will be called is a little questionable as well. Regardless, I'm feeling pretty good... pretty calm... pretty relaxed... and I'm hoping that the next few weeks are more of the same.
Friday, October 5, 2012
I'd Tell You, But I Can't Remember...
Busy doesn't begin to describe it... and to top it all off, I can't remember anything. Apparently "pregnancy brain" is a real phenomenon. For instance, this week I decided to cook homemade chili. So Wednesday night I put everything into the crock pot, browned hamburger meat and let it cool and then added it to the other ingredients.
I put the pot insert into the refrigerator over night and Thursday morning I put the pot into the crock pot base, turned the dial to "low" and headed to work, not giving it another thought in the world.
I had my 34 week doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon. I drove the new car. Yes, after several weekends of nothing but car shopping, last Saturday we purchased a larger (see: 4 doors) car. And while on the Beltline I noticed that the car was making a strange noisy, a noisy that miraculously disappeared (of course) once I got within a 10 mile radius of home. So now I'm not so sure that I didn't imagine it... as I drove it today and nothing, nada, zip as far as "the sound" goes.
Nevertheless, I walked into the house expecting to smell the wonderful sent of homemade chili, and instead I just smelled the house. I thought that was odd. I immediately walked over to the crock pot. Had I forgotten to turn it on? No. The dial was turned to "low" just as I remembered. Did I forget to put the pot into the base? No. The pot was firmly locked into the base.
I had forgotten to plug it in...
This last appointment was an interesting one... 34 weeks pregnant and we've learned that the baby is breech. This doesn't bother me. But the doctor wanted to let me know that a C-section would be likely if the baby doesn't make a turn in the next couple of weeks.
I didn't want to seem eager, but the idea of actually knowing when the baby was going to come, seemed attractive, even if the recovery is supposedly more difficult. I told the doctor, just as I have told many others... as long as the baby can come out safely and we both live to tell about it, I'm fine with whatever.
After all, I'm just a school counselor. Not a doctor. To quote a favorite movie of mine, "I don't know nothing about birthing babies."
Oh, did I mention that we dropped out of birthing classes? Yea... we did. The third class got blown off for maternity pictures and the fourth class got ditched because Husband was barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes and couldn't be ready to leave in time. This last class, which I think was to be a like a "dry-run" of the birthing process (I realize that is probably not a great term to use to describe that particular class) got blown off for a bikini waxing appointment. I forgot (imagine that) that I had booked the appointment for that particular afternoon and since Husband was still barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes, I decided to keep the appointment and just pick up some food on the way home.
We ate, I got a shower and I went to bed... at like 8:30pm. I've never done that before. I'm exhausted.
My best friend had a beautiful baby boy on her due date two weeks ago. I'm pleased to report that she got through the labor and delivery with little to no problems. It is reassuring that we too just might get through this...
This weekend is our first baby shower and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and spending some time with family and friends.
I think that about catches everyone up... I'm going to have to start remembering to document more because at this rate, I may forget!
I put the pot insert into the refrigerator over night and Thursday morning I put the pot into the crock pot base, turned the dial to "low" and headed to work, not giving it another thought in the world.
I had my 34 week doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon. I drove the new car. Yes, after several weekends of nothing but car shopping, last Saturday we purchased a larger (see: 4 doors) car. And while on the Beltline I noticed that the car was making a strange noisy, a noisy that miraculously disappeared (of course) once I got within a 10 mile radius of home. So now I'm not so sure that I didn't imagine it... as I drove it today and nothing, nada, zip as far as "the sound" goes.
Nevertheless, I walked into the house expecting to smell the wonderful sent of homemade chili, and instead I just smelled the house. I thought that was odd. I immediately walked over to the crock pot. Had I forgotten to turn it on? No. The dial was turned to "low" just as I remembered. Did I forget to put the pot into the base? No. The pot was firmly locked into the base.
I had forgotten to plug it in...
This last appointment was an interesting one... 34 weeks pregnant and we've learned that the baby is breech. This doesn't bother me. But the doctor wanted to let me know that a C-section would be likely if the baby doesn't make a turn in the next couple of weeks.
I didn't want to seem eager, but the idea of actually knowing when the baby was going to come, seemed attractive, even if the recovery is supposedly more difficult. I told the doctor, just as I have told many others... as long as the baby can come out safely and we both live to tell about it, I'm fine with whatever.
After all, I'm just a school counselor. Not a doctor. To quote a favorite movie of mine, "I don't know nothing about birthing babies."
Oh, did I mention that we dropped out of birthing classes? Yea... we did. The third class got blown off for maternity pictures and the fourth class got ditched because Husband was barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes and couldn't be ready to leave in time. This last class, which I think was to be a like a "dry-run" of the birthing process (I realize that is probably not a great term to use to describe that particular class) got blown off for a bikini waxing appointment. I forgot (imagine that) that I had booked the appointment for that particular afternoon and since Husband was still barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes, I decided to keep the appointment and just pick up some food on the way home.
We ate, I got a shower and I went to bed... at like 8:30pm. I've never done that before. I'm exhausted.
My best friend had a beautiful baby boy on her due date two weeks ago. I'm pleased to report that she got through the labor and delivery with little to no problems. It is reassuring that we too just might get through this...
This weekend is our first baby shower and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and spending some time with family and friends.
I think that about catches everyone up... I'm going to have to start remembering to document more because at this rate, I may forget!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
30 Weeks: Things We Now Know...
At 30 weeks we now know some more things about Little No Name that we did not know a few weeks ago.
1. She looks an awful lot like her daddy. She has his nose and we think she may have a cleft in her chin as well.
2. She is camera shy. She keeps her hands (and feet) in her face a lot (which is why we can't tell for sure if she has a cleft in her chin or not.) We had to do two different 3D-4D ultrasound sessions!
3. She has pout-y lips... Husband doesn't and I don't really posses this trait either, but my father does, so I'm claiming this trait for my side.
4. She has my long toes...the trademark long middle toe that towers over the "big toe."
Things have been going pretty well lately besides being extra tired. We started birthing classes last week and we are well on our way to getting the nursery together. I finally decided on a crib mattress and I finally ordered the crib bedding. This past weekend I took the bedding swatches to my favorite fabric store and picked out fabric for the glider rocker I want to recover and a fabric for the curtain panels I want my grandma to make.
Things are coming together! I want to get a rug maybe, this really cute vintage chest I found at a local store (if it is still there), a new lighting fixture and possibly a bookcase for display. Still a lot to do, but we are making progress.
I'm thoroughly disgusted from last night's birthing class. The image of a large half naked woman hanging from a metal pole while pushing out her baby is burned into my brain. Last night was birth video time. I've decided that the moment that this is suggested as a pushing technique I should consider... well, that is when I request an operating room and a C-section. However, I seriously doubt any doctor would willingly want to see that either-- I think it has more to do with the hippie-dippy Douala and that woman's medicine free birth.
We got to take a tour of the birthing center as well and I never once saw the metal pole hanging over any hospital bed. The "natural childbirth" couple however did ask where it was because, of course, she wants one. Apparently they hide them in a closet somewhere.
Recently, I learned that 10 extra pounds means I can't wear 6 inch heels all day long and not have sore feet by 3:30pm. I have resorted to wearing lower heels or (gasp) flats(!) to work. A pair of flats is in my pocketbook everyday, just in case.
So I think that catches everyone up on where things stand at the moment... Have a good one!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
28 Weeks: Sick, Sicker, Sickest...
The mouse massacre in my car's A/C was not the only surprise we came home to after spending a couple of days at the beach. No, Husband brought home a cold and since Saturday week, we've been busy passing that sucker around the neighborhood.
Saturday, when I was discovering my latest kill, Husband was coming down with a sore throat. By Monday he was in the throws of a full blown head and chest cold. I did my best to stay away... but by Friday afternoon I, too, was starting to feel the beginnings of a sore throat. Since Sunday I've been feeling alittle lot less than human.
Apparently this is one of the most contagious colds known to man. Since coming down with the cold, Husband has passed it to his brother and cousin. I was his latest victim... however he believes that it is likely that I could have caught it from my sister, who also has had the cold and was sick enough that she was throwing up and missed two days of work. She passed it to her husband and I believe that I have passed it to a co-worker. If I had known I had the bug on Thursday, I would have not sat with her during our back-to-school meeting.
I think the orginal carrier monkey was the little boy who was at the beach... I don't remember him being sick, but I do recall some instances of a runny and snotty nose, a couple temper tantrums that could have been a tell-tale sign of a cold and a few unfortunate snot-rocketed sneezes--unfortunate because of one which sneeze landed on a certain cousin of mine.
Carrier monkey or not, there must be something going around. At the doctor's office today for my 28 week check-up it was mentioned that several people have complained of a cold. So my theory might be busted...
As for my 28 week check-up, besides not feeling 100%, things are looking good. Little No Name had a really strong heartbeat-- like 160 beats per minute! My belly is measuring right on track, which I think surprised my doctor because I've not gained a huge amount of weight and I'm a smaller than average sized human being. That being said, 107.4 pounds (my current weight) is the most I have ever weighed in my entire life.
She had warned me that I might start measuring small, but because I'm petite in frame and height, that it was to be expected. If I start to measure small, they may start doing more ultrasounds to verify that things are still progressing on track... which is absolutely fine with me! The more ultrasounds, the better as this is one of those times where 'less' is not more... especially when you are a nervous, worry-wort of a first timer like me!
This appointment was my last 'once a month' appointment. From now on I will start seeing the doctors about twice a month or every two weeks. During my final month they will bump me up to once a week. Even though it is a little scary to think that I'm in my third and final trimester, it makes me so happy to be seeing the doctor more often. I even joked with the doctor today that I'd like to have a window installed in my belly so I can just look down and check to make sure Little No Name is doing okay. I figure that they can do this to cows' stomachs up at State University to watch digestion, then why not a 28 week pregnant person who wants to watch development?
My next appointment will be an exciting one as we will get to do the 3D/4D ultrasound. Our first birth class will also be this same week... yes, we bit the bullet and have decided to join up. But that, my friends is a story for another day.
Saturday, when I was discovering my latest kill, Husband was coming down with a sore throat. By Monday he was in the throws of a full blown head and chest cold. I did my best to stay away... but by Friday afternoon I, too, was starting to feel the beginnings of a sore throat. Since Sunday I've been feeling a
Apparently this is one of the most contagious colds known to man. Since coming down with the cold, Husband has passed it to his brother and cousin. I was his latest victim... however he believes that it is likely that I could have caught it from my sister, who also has had the cold and was sick enough that she was throwing up and missed two days of work. She passed it to her husband and I believe that I have passed it to a co-worker. If I had known I had the bug on Thursday, I would have not sat with her during our back-to-school meeting.
I think the orginal carrier monkey was the little boy who was at the beach... I don't remember him being sick, but I do recall some instances of a runny and snotty nose, a couple temper tantrums that could have been a tell-tale sign of a cold and a few unfortunate snot-rocketed sneezes--unfortunate because of one which sneeze landed on a certain cousin of mine.
Carrier monkey or not, there must be something going around. At the doctor's office today for my 28 week check-up it was mentioned that several people have complained of a cold. So my theory might be busted...
As for my 28 week check-up, besides not feeling 100%, things are looking good. Little No Name had a really strong heartbeat-- like 160 beats per minute! My belly is measuring right on track, which I think surprised my doctor because I've not gained a huge amount of weight and I'm a smaller than average sized human being. That being said, 107.4 pounds (my current weight) is the most I have ever weighed in my entire life.
She had warned me that I might start measuring small, but because I'm petite in frame and height, that it was to be expected. If I start to measure small, they may start doing more ultrasounds to verify that things are still progressing on track... which is absolutely fine with me! The more ultrasounds, the better as this is one of those times where 'less' is not more... especially when you are a nervous, worry-wort of a first timer like me!
This appointment was my last 'once a month' appointment. From now on I will start seeing the doctors about twice a month or every two weeks. During my final month they will bump me up to once a week. Even though it is a little scary to think that I'm in my third and final trimester, it makes me so happy to be seeing the doctor more often. I even joked with the doctor today that I'd like to have a window installed in my belly so I can just look down and check to make sure Little No Name is doing okay. I figure that they can do this to cows' stomachs up at State University to watch digestion, then why not a 28 week pregnant person who wants to watch development?
My next appointment will be an exciting one as we will get to do the 3D/4D ultrasound. Our first birth class will also be this same week... yes, we bit the bullet and have decided to join up. But that, my friends is a story for another day.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
You Dirty Rat...
Well, more accurately--mouse.
The phone rang at 4:41pm. A number I didn't recognize appeared on my Blackberry screen. Deep breath. It was the mechanic. (Cue ominous music)
"Hi Emily. It's Daniel at Family Tire." Oh, great. I thought to myself. What is he going to tell me? I muttered an, 'oh hey.'
After what seemed like a long pause, Daniel continued, "Your car is ready to be picked up." I quickly asked my next question in shock that my issue had been resolved so soon.
"Well, what was it?" Half afraid to know I sort of squinted my eyes and looked at my floor, ashamed that something had chosen my car as it's final resting place. Over the years I had killed many things with my car-- a little girl's puppy on the first day of school, two black cats at the same time trying to cross a rural road, a crane, and let us not forget the night I hit and killed the deer. Yes, me and the Civic were a lethal combination. But in all our happy years together, mowing down unsuspecting animals I never once considered the idea of killing one that called ye ole' Civic home.
"It was a rat." I could hear the smile. "It was chopped up pretty good. But we got 'em out and cleaned the system up real good. You probably are still going to have smell for a couple of days, but we deodorized and put some air freshener in your car. The smell should be gone once it airs out."
"Okay, thank you," That is what I meant to say. Instead of think I responded in a very sophistocated, "Gross!"
I was comforted to know that he agreed with my sentiment. It was gross.
About an hour later, standing in the waiting area of Family Tire and Auto, Daniel's dad told me that the animal had made a home in the A/C and had been going in and out probably for sometime. As he was explaining that it was by far not the worse case he's ever seen-- a case that involved a rotting piece of chicken wedged between two seat cushions was by far much worse-- Daniel and another unidenitified young man gleefully entered into the waiting area caring a blank envelope. Inside the envelope was my latest kill-- the lower two thirds of a little mouse.
It is amazing to me that something that was less than a couple of inches in length and probably weighed less than a ounce, if even that, can create such a horrible smell. And more over, if that tiny little body can smell that bad, imagine how bad a big body must smell? It is truly a wonder to me that dead bodies can go unnoticed at all.
In the end, I paid my bill and took my car home. I left it running in the driveway with the window's down and the air conditioner full blast for a good thirty minutes to help it air itself out. The smell, especially in the humid August air, is still very unpleasant, but at least the rotting carcass is out and things should start to go back to normal... I hope.
Soon we will be looking for a new car, and this little incident has made me more motivated to find another... I just don't know that I can ever feel the same about the Civic after knowing that something crawled up and died inside it... I'm sure you'd feel the same if something crawled up and died in your car.
The phone rang at 4:41pm. A number I didn't recognize appeared on my Blackberry screen. Deep breath. It was the mechanic. (Cue ominous music)
"Hi Emily. It's Daniel at Family Tire." Oh, great. I thought to myself. What is he going to tell me? I muttered an, 'oh hey.'
After what seemed like a long pause, Daniel continued, "Your car is ready to be picked up." I quickly asked my next question in shock that my issue had been resolved so soon.
"Well, what was it?" Half afraid to know I sort of squinted my eyes and looked at my floor, ashamed that something had chosen my car as it's final resting place. Over the years I had killed many things with my car-- a little girl's puppy on the first day of school, two black cats at the same time trying to cross a rural road, a crane, and let us not forget the night I hit and killed the deer. Yes, me and the Civic were a lethal combination. But in all our happy years together, mowing down unsuspecting animals I never once considered the idea of killing one that called ye ole' Civic home.
"It was a rat." I could hear the smile. "It was chopped up pretty good. But we got 'em out and cleaned the system up real good. You probably are still going to have smell for a couple of days, but we deodorized and put some air freshener in your car. The smell should be gone once it airs out."
"Okay, thank you," That is what I meant to say. Instead of think I responded in a very sophistocated, "Gross!"
I was comforted to know that he agreed with my sentiment. It was gross.
About an hour later, standing in the waiting area of Family Tire and Auto, Daniel's dad told me that the animal had made a home in the A/C and had been going in and out probably for sometime. As he was explaining that it was by far not the worse case he's ever seen-- a case that involved a rotting piece of chicken wedged between two seat cushions was by far much worse-- Daniel and another unidenitified young man gleefully entered into the waiting area caring a blank envelope. Inside the envelope was my latest kill-- the lower two thirds of a little mouse.
It is amazing to me that something that was less than a couple of inches in length and probably weighed less than a ounce, if even that, can create such a horrible smell. And more over, if that tiny little body can smell that bad, imagine how bad a big body must smell? It is truly a wonder to me that dead bodies can go unnoticed at all.
In the end, I paid my bill and took my car home. I left it running in the driveway with the window's down and the air conditioner full blast for a good thirty minutes to help it air itself out. The smell, especially in the humid August air, is still very unpleasant, but at least the rotting carcass is out and things should start to go back to normal... I hope.
Soon we will be looking for a new car, and this little incident has made me more motivated to find another... I just don't know that I can ever feel the same about the Civic after knowing that something crawled up and died inside it... I'm sure you'd feel the same if something crawled up and died in your car.
Monday, August 13, 2012
The Unmistakable Smell of Death...
We spent most of last week living in a yellow and purple beach mansion... a real life sand castle that my Uncle and Aunt rented for the entire week. They have perfect timing in that this week will be the start of yet another school year.
This year we were actually able to get away from Wednesday through Saturday, which is a pretty big deal seeing how Husband is a tobacco farmer and tobacco farmers generally do not get that many days in a row to be away from their crops.
All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good vacation. I got to spend some time with my family which was wonderful. It is an exciting time for our family... my cousin is marrying a really great guy this coming Spring, another is about to move into a place of her own, two are just before graduating from college with engineering degrees, and we are about to add to the size of the clan with a baby... so with all these happy changes, it is nice to be able to spend some time together and reconnect.
Saturday we returned home and immediately I got busy unpacking our suitcase and toiletry bag. By six o'clock that afternoon I had everything washed and put away only to realize that I badly needed to make a quick trip to the grocery store. I sat down and made a quick list, called Husband to see what he needed and headed to the garage.
Tuesday had been a busy day for me. I had an appointment with the dentist that morning, followed by an emergency hair removal trip that afternoon, as pregnancy prevents me from being able to do my own waxing-- you sort of need to be able to see what you're doing, especially when it involves hot wax.
Of course my dentist appointment took longer than expected which did not leave me much time to get from Smithfield to my next destination. I made it to my waxing appointment on-time without a moment to spare, but that meant skipping lunch, which can be a little unnerving when you are six months pregnant.
Regardless, after one of the best waxing appointments I've ever had, I quickly made it to a Burger King and got myself a burger. I'm not sure if it was the hunger or the food, but it was really, really good.
I next went to my mom's house to pick up a bill for Husband and on the way home my air conditioning started to make a strange sound. A loud clicking to be more accurate. I happened to be on the phone with Husband and he could hear it when I held my phone to the vent. As we were talking I turned up the A/C dial and the sound got louder, then followed by sound-- something akin to paper being sucked through a vacuum. The sound stopped and Husband said that it probably was a piece of paper that got caught in the vent.
I paid little attention to the smell the vent was putting off-- a mild sweet smell as I thought it probably was the Burger King bag that had been sitting in my hot car.
The next day I followed Husband to carry his truck for a tune up. I noticed that the smell was still present, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant, just different. When Husband sat down in my passenger seat, I mentioned that my A/C smelled different, but we were both quick to point out that it was probably just my super human sense of smell brought own by all the pregnancy hormones coursing through my body, because he didn't smell a thing.
Upon arriving at home, I parked my car safely in our two car garage and forgot about the strange clicking sound and the strange smell and started packing like a mad woman because we were to leave after lunch at it was already 1:30.
So Saturday I went into the garage and opened my car door. I was hit by a wave of stale, hot air that smelled very much like the unmistakable smell of death.
I sat down in the car, cranked it up, hoping that getting the air flowing would help the smell. It didn't. I backed the car out into the driveway and popped the hood expecting to find a dead something... nothing seemed out of place. Husband had gone to work and so I called and told him what was going on. He of course, couldn't help me. I called my father, who had always taken a more active interest in my car, as he is the one that bought and picked it out for me when I was 16.
He said it probably was a rusted out coil and that what I was smelling was antifreeze. I drove with my windows down and sun roof open to the grocery store, purchased what I needed, and quickly got the groceries in the boot, rolled down the windows and sun roof again, thankfully there was nothing wrong with the electrical system and headed home.
After unloading the groceries, Husband came home and popped the hood. He saw nothing unusual and other than the smell, which he said did not remind him of antifreeze, he was at a loss as to what to do next.
An hour or so later, Mama and Daddy were in our driveway inspecting the car. Daddy confirmed it, it had to be a dead something, probably a mouse or something small that could easily find it's way into an A/C.
I'll be the first to admit, that this summer I'd done very little driving and the likelihood of something finding it's way into my car is likely, but really? I've had this car for a really long time. The worst thing that had ever gone wrong with it was when a spark plug cable got messed up and caused the engine to not run properly. It was an easy fix.
From what I've read on the Internet, this is not going to be an easy problem to fix. This morning my car went to the shop to be repaired. I need my car by Thursday morning... and I'm hoping that it will be fixed and normal smelling by then.
I find this so ironic, because over our beach trip it was mentioned that I would have to get a new car for the baby. My two door car is not really practical after all. I mentioned how I dreaded getting a new car as my car had been so good to me and that I would not get rid of it, ever! 143,000 miles and still going strong, 13 years later... when I didn't have the baby with me I'd surely be driving it over the new car.
Now I'm a little more motivated to get a new car that doesn't smell like death... I'll keep you posted on what the poor mechanic finds.
This year we were actually able to get away from Wednesday through Saturday, which is a pretty big deal seeing how Husband is a tobacco farmer and tobacco farmers generally do not get that many days in a row to be away from their crops.
All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good vacation. I got to spend some time with my family which was wonderful. It is an exciting time for our family... my cousin is marrying a really great guy this coming Spring, another is about to move into a place of her own, two are just before graduating from college with engineering degrees, and we are about to add to the size of the clan with a baby... so with all these happy changes, it is nice to be able to spend some time together and reconnect.
Saturday we returned home and immediately I got busy unpacking our suitcase and toiletry bag. By six o'clock that afternoon I had everything washed and put away only to realize that I badly needed to make a quick trip to the grocery store. I sat down and made a quick list, called Husband to see what he needed and headed to the garage.
Tuesday had been a busy day for me. I had an appointment with the dentist that morning, followed by an emergency hair removal trip that afternoon, as pregnancy prevents me from being able to do my own waxing-- you sort of need to be able to see what you're doing, especially when it involves hot wax.
Of course my dentist appointment took longer than expected which did not leave me much time to get from Smithfield to my next destination. I made it to my waxing appointment on-time without a moment to spare, but that meant skipping lunch, which can be a little unnerving when you are six months pregnant.
Regardless, after one of the best waxing appointments I've ever had, I quickly made it to a Burger King and got myself a burger. I'm not sure if it was the hunger or the food, but it was really, really good.
I next went to my mom's house to pick up a bill for Husband and on the way home my air conditioning started to make a strange sound. A loud clicking to be more accurate. I happened to be on the phone with Husband and he could hear it when I held my phone to the vent. As we were talking I turned up the A/C dial and the sound got louder, then followed by sound-- something akin to paper being sucked through a vacuum. The sound stopped and Husband said that it probably was a piece of paper that got caught in the vent.
I paid little attention to the smell the vent was putting off-- a mild sweet smell as I thought it probably was the Burger King bag that had been sitting in my hot car.
The next day I followed Husband to carry his truck for a tune up. I noticed that the smell was still present, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant, just different. When Husband sat down in my passenger seat, I mentioned that my A/C smelled different, but we were both quick to point out that it was probably just my super human sense of smell brought own by all the pregnancy hormones coursing through my body, because he didn't smell a thing.
Upon arriving at home, I parked my car safely in our two car garage and forgot about the strange clicking sound and the strange smell and started packing like a mad woman because we were to leave after lunch at it was already 1:30.
So Saturday I went into the garage and opened my car door. I was hit by a wave of stale, hot air that smelled very much like the unmistakable smell of death.
I sat down in the car, cranked it up, hoping that getting the air flowing would help the smell. It didn't. I backed the car out into the driveway and popped the hood expecting to find a dead something... nothing seemed out of place. Husband had gone to work and so I called and told him what was going on. He of course, couldn't help me. I called my father, who had always taken a more active interest in my car, as he is the one that bought and picked it out for me when I was 16.
He said it probably was a rusted out coil and that what I was smelling was antifreeze. I drove with my windows down and sun roof open to the grocery store, purchased what I needed, and quickly got the groceries in the boot, rolled down the windows and sun roof again, thankfully there was nothing wrong with the electrical system and headed home.
After unloading the groceries, Husband came home and popped the hood. He saw nothing unusual and other than the smell, which he said did not remind him of antifreeze, he was at a loss as to what to do next.
An hour or so later, Mama and Daddy were in our driveway inspecting the car. Daddy confirmed it, it had to be a dead something, probably a mouse or something small that could easily find it's way into an A/C.
I'll be the first to admit, that this summer I'd done very little driving and the likelihood of something finding it's way into my car is likely, but really? I've had this car for a really long time. The worst thing that had ever gone wrong with it was when a spark plug cable got messed up and caused the engine to not run properly. It was an easy fix.
From what I've read on the Internet, this is not going to be an easy problem to fix. This morning my car went to the shop to be repaired. I need my car by Thursday morning... and I'm hoping that it will be fixed and normal smelling by then.
I find this so ironic, because over our beach trip it was mentioned that I would have to get a new car for the baby. My two door car is not really practical after all. I mentioned how I dreaded getting a new car as my car had been so good to me and that I would not get rid of it, ever! 143,000 miles and still going strong, 13 years later... when I didn't have the baby with me I'd surely be driving it over the new car.
Now I'm a little more motivated to get a new car that doesn't smell like death... I'll keep you posted on what the poor mechanic finds.
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