Hello everyone! Just another Mundy family update after a doctor's appointment. I no longer have monthly appointments. Once you hit 30 weeks the frequency of appointments increase (yay!). Which means I will be going in 3 weeks, then 2 weeks after that, then every week after that.
I continue to have no heart burn and surprisingly no charlie horses in the middle of the night. For that, I am incredibly thankful. Of course, those symptoms did not just disappear without replacement symptoms. During this pregnancy, I am blessed with a baby crocodile. Do you know how crocodiles kill their prey? They sneak up on the unknowing gazelle (just an example) and attack, dragging the doomed creature back into the water. This is where they kill it by "death roll." The crocodile continues to hold on to his flailing prey while engaging in a spinning maneuver designed to subdue and dismember the future meal. A death roll typically only lasts about 15 seconds, but destroys the prey's defenses or ability to function.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKOieuk_GQ
Yes, I have a baby crocodile inside me. And this sweet, adorable, loving little fetus continues to death roll my sciatic nerve. My sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in my body which provides sensory and motor function to the lower extremities. This nerve provides sensation to the back of the thigh, lower part of the leg and the sole of the foot. Which means, when a death roll occurs, mama here basically has a shooting pain down the back of her leg followed by a tingling sensation for the next several hours. He chooses fun times to perform this act...like when I'm in the middle of the grocery store, or holding my son. Needless to say, the gasping doubled-over-in-pain motion of a pregnant woman makes other people very uneasy. Also, people do not like a 13-year-old pregnant girl, doubled over in pain and cursing in the middle of Wegmans...Go figure.
This week's appointment went well. Not sure what this doctor is talking about though, because she seems to think that this evil amphibian is actually small for his age. She was looking right at me, so she had to see the basketball-sized growth protruding from under my shirt, but she says I'm "small." She's not quite worried, because the baby is measuring 29 weeks, which only puts me 1-2 weeks behind. His heart beat is strong and steady and according to her, he is probably weighing in at about 2-3 pounds already (yeah, tiny). We have less than 10 weeks left. 69 days. Not that I'm counting. These last few weeks are really just time for him to pack on the pounds and bake until he's ready to grace us with his presence :)
We are all ridiculously excited to meet him. Well, I think so anyway. Maxson seems curious about mama's big belly, but not too eager for anything to pop out of it. Especially if that something is going to take his crib or his spot on her lap.
Wish us luck! Part of me wants the next few weeks to fly by so I can stop waddling, and the other part of me hopes it goes slowly so I can enjoy the last few weeks of being a family of 3 :)
Love you all!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Third trimester, here we come!
27 weeks already! That means we're not far from the third trimester! Crazy, I know. This pregnancy has flown by and as we approach the seventh month marker, I become increasingly anxious, because mama cannot handle 6 weeks of bed rest again (especially with a very active toddler!).
One of my least favorite things about this process (and mind you, I am not saying THE least favorite), is the glucose screen. Let me break this down for you. Between 25-28 weeks, the mama is told that she needs to be checked for gestational diabetes. Seems like it would be a simple process, but simple is not synonymous with tasty.
Here's what happens: A lovely person will walk into a room and tell you, the unsuspecting patient, that you need to drink this "orange drink" or in some cases "fruit punch" and then wait one hour before having your blood drawn. As you take the first sip of this bottle of orange hell, she will tell you that you have less than 5 minutes to finish all of it. I've been to college, I understand the concept of chugging, and this could not taste worse than cheap beer, right? Wrong. This is pure sugar and artificial flavoring. It.is.awful. After your gag reflex is checked and your digestive system takes a beating, you have to wait it out. Here is the other part they don't tell you. If you fail this test, it does not necessarily mean that you have diabetes. False positives are common. So you have to get a SECOND test. What does this mean? Even more of that nasty beverage, but this time you wait 3 hours! Try telling a pregnant woman to fast prior to a test and then wait three hours after it...we are already a moody people, this is not wise.
When pregnant with Maxson, I failed the first test. It was not pretty. This time around, I was determined to pass it, but then I forgot about the test and had two glasses of sugary iced tea the night before. Convinced I was going to fail yet again, I had a "hey-do-me-a-favor" twenty in my back pocket for the lovely lady that would force feed me pure evil and then take my blood. I would say that this was like a bad version of Twilight, but that would imply a good version of Twilight....
Long story short...I PASSED! I had a doctor's appointment today and baby is measuring at 26 weeks and has a good, strong heart beat. He is a very active little man, and he is wide awake first thing in the morning and right when I'm trying to fall asleep (go figure). I eagerly anticipate being able to feel his hiccups. :)
Unfortunately, we do not have any ultrasounds scheduled, so who knows if we'll see his cute little profile again before we meet him in person.
I know these posts are not truly entertaining without pictures, so you will have to settle for his big brother for the time being...13 months old today! We could not waste the beautiful weather, so we played at the park!
Yes, he's playing a game of chicken with a duck. They went right for each other. You will be happy to know, the duck turned first. And yes, right after this picture I went running after my kiddo so he didn't actually reach the duck....
He LOVES to be outside :)
Only one caption comes to mind....: It's so FLUFFY!
Love you all! 3 months left :) Wish us luck!!
One of my least favorite things about this process (and mind you, I am not saying THE least favorite), is the glucose screen. Let me break this down for you. Between 25-28 weeks, the mama is told that she needs to be checked for gestational diabetes. Seems like it would be a simple process, but simple is not synonymous with tasty.
Here's what happens: A lovely person will walk into a room and tell you, the unsuspecting patient, that you need to drink this "orange drink" or in some cases "fruit punch" and then wait one hour before having your blood drawn. As you take the first sip of this bottle of orange hell, she will tell you that you have less than 5 minutes to finish all of it. I've been to college, I understand the concept of chugging, and this could not taste worse than cheap beer, right? Wrong. This is pure sugar and artificial flavoring. It.is.awful. After your gag reflex is checked and your digestive system takes a beating, you have to wait it out. Here is the other part they don't tell you. If you fail this test, it does not necessarily mean that you have diabetes. False positives are common. So you have to get a SECOND test. What does this mean? Even more of that nasty beverage, but this time you wait 3 hours! Try telling a pregnant woman to fast prior to a test and then wait three hours after it...we are already a moody people, this is not wise.
When pregnant with Maxson, I failed the first test. It was not pretty. This time around, I was determined to pass it, but then I forgot about the test and had two glasses of sugary iced tea the night before. Convinced I was going to fail yet again, I had a "hey-do-me-a-favor" twenty in my back pocket for the lovely lady that would force feed me pure evil and then take my blood. I would say that this was like a bad version of Twilight, but that would imply a good version of Twilight....
Long story short...I PASSED! I had a doctor's appointment today and baby is measuring at 26 weeks and has a good, strong heart beat. He is a very active little man, and he is wide awake first thing in the morning and right when I'm trying to fall asleep (go figure). I eagerly anticipate being able to feel his hiccups. :)
Unfortunately, we do not have any ultrasounds scheduled, so who knows if we'll see his cute little profile again before we meet him in person.
I know these posts are not truly entertaining without pictures, so you will have to settle for his big brother for the time being...13 months old today! We could not waste the beautiful weather, so we played at the park!
Yes, he's playing a game of chicken with a duck. They went right for each other. You will be happy to know, the duck turned first. And yes, right after this picture I went running after my kiddo so he didn't actually reach the duck....
He LOVES to be outside :)
Only one caption comes to mind....: It's so FLUFFY!Love you all! 3 months left :) Wish us luck!!
Friday, August 12, 2011
It's a......
BOY!
That's right, Maxson is going to have a baby brother! We are ridiculously excited!! One of my first thoughts? It is a good thing that we do not own nice things. I have a feelings these boys (their father included) will be wrecking our house in no time. Well, hopefully not until our house is really our own...
I can only see 2 downsides: 1) I will be outnumbered. 2) Chris and I cannot agree on a name.... Maxson has tried to help, but we don't really like Bob of Pop either (one of the few agreements Chris and I have).
I suppose we have plenty of time to come up with something :)
Baby's heartbeat is clocking in a 145 beats/minute (perfectly normal). He is weighing in around 8 ounces, tiny little champ. He was squirming like worm, but I am starting to feel it, which is amazing. I did not think I'd be in awe as much this time, but I have to say that I still love to feel my little moving around. You would not think it is possible, but I am already ridiculously proud of this kid. I suppose I am easily impressed, but you have to admit, he has had a productive few weeks!
Everything else is looking good! I have another doctor's appointment today to check on me, but assuming all my blood work comes back normal, this is looking like smooth sailing (knock on wood).
An update on Maxson:
The kiddo is a rock star. He just turned 11 months this past week. His vocabulary consists of several words: Mama, Dada, Bye-Bye, Cat, Pop, Uh-Oh, and we've discovered that he is always looking at the dogs when he says Bob. It's a little random.
He is cruising like crazy and can stand and even take a few steps on his own, though as soon as he realizes that he is sailing solo, he plops onto his bum. He is pointing to just about anything and everything. My desire to fuel his curiosity means that I'm stopping every few feet while walking the aisles of Target to see what he is pointing to and show it to him. Our outings take a little bit longer than usual as a result. His personality is becoming more and more apparent. This is a kid that loves to laugh, he loves anything kinda scary/exciting and he is fearless. This could be an amazingly terrifying combination for the future. He is constantly making goofy faces and playing around with people, he loves to chase or be chased, and he will try to climb up on just about anything.
Well, I suppose you all want to see pictures, so look below for ultrasounds from yesterday!
(above) an arm and hand! He's shaking his fists at us...
(above) The whole body. You can see the little circles on the side near his head are his little hands, and you can see his little feet at the bottom.
(above) A close up of his adorable little face!
(above) a more clear shot of him from the side. You can see his little hand against the side of his head, and a picture of his ear! This one is probably my favorite.
This one is probably Christopher's favorite. No mistaking it, she zoomed in and labeled it....this feel weird to post, but there you have it.
We love you all!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Storks, Parasites, and Baby A.
All right, so here's the deal. It's been nearly 11 months since the last time we wrote here, and there are roughly 11 months worth of baby-related excuses as to why we've been too busy to put anything here.
In order to play catch up and get to the real business, here's how I'd sum up the last 11 months:
- Babies are inherently messy, disgusting creatures. But with one laugh, all that goes away and a face covered in corn souffle becomes the most beautiful sight in the world.
- I have fallen into the trap that, I think, nearly every decent father falls into. If you ask Jules, this trap is the one that ends with her saying, "Oh, it's MY turn to change him? And how many diapers have you changed today?" But if you ask me, I've fallen into the "my kid is the most amazing and unique kid to ever set foot on this earth" trap.
- The instant joy of hearing your kid first say "Da da" can immediately be wiped away when he follows that with a seven minute speech about some wife-stealing home wrecker named "Bob".
- I probably get an unhealthy amount of amusement from putting Maxson into random scenarios, just to see how he handles it. Naked in a pumpkin. Steel pot. Large rocks in the Badlands. To be fair, he handles these situations pretty well.
- Out of the pages of the bad parenting handbook, as far as I know, he's only been hurt once. And that was scary. Seeing your kid bleed, if if just from a cut on his finger, might be one of the more traumatic early parenthood sights.
- Everyone says it, and I'll keep the trend going. Maxson has grown so much, so fast. There's not a day that I don't marvel at all the things he's learning to do. Just a few months ago, the kid could barely sit on his own. He's weeks (days?) from walking, cruising around furniture. He's on his way to complete mastery of the English language (he can say "pop!"). He's huge (well, probably average if not smaller than average, but much larger than he started). He's got more hair than I do already.
That's the short version. I feel like there are a million memories ready to be written, but those will come later.
The other cause for writing in this space again is that, as of mid-January, Maxson will be a big brother. We found out a few months ago, and have gone through every emotion, from shock (you're what? preg-what? who-nant? no.), to happiness (a new little peanut!), to confusion (how did this happen...? I thought...oh, there's no stork then? what's a pe...oooooh). But most importantly, we've found ourselves feeling just absolutely excited that we're able to have a second beautiful kid. Maxson has truly been a terrific kid. Which we're told guarantees the second to be equally terrific (right? RIGHT?).
In about ten days, we'll check on the gender of the kid. And from there, smooth sailing!
So far, all doctor's appointments have been great. Julia's doing great - I think we all can tell what a great home she is to parasitic beings that leech her precious nutrients away from her own organs. Baby A is doing great so far - great heartbeat, good looking ultrasounds.
There will be more details in future posts. Maybe even some pictures.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Here We Go Again!!
This time last year, Chris and I were blogging about Baby #1. Well, as my grandmother so sweetly puts it, our rhythm gets us into trouble. Who would have thought my husband has rhythm!? Well, you call it rhythm, fate, or an excitable woops, Baby-A is on the way! Yes, Baby-A, not to be confused with Baby #2. That just seems like we're ranking them. Luckily, Baby A will be the last to inhabit my body, so we won't have to come up with another way of saying "the third child."
I know what you're thinking. Sure...this is the last one...you also didn't think you were going to have this one so soon. Well, I have my ways. Actually, I don't have any ways, really, but I hear some general surgeons have their ways. ;) Sorry, babe! And for those men out there who find it inappropriate for me to even discuss such procedures, all I have to say is, too bad! I lost all privacy and sense of modesty through my pregnancy, why should Chris go completely unscathed?
I of course, had heard that every pregnancy is different. Regardless, I began this one assuming I did not need to read up or prepare myself any differently. I mean, c'mon, I JUST did this, I know what it is like. Yeah, this has been different. I like to think this just shows me a unique personality already developing in this little one. I have been utterly exhausted, while not nearly as nauseous. While in the first pregnancy I was almost always on the verge of being sick, this one goes in waves. I will feel perfect one minute and THEN be running for the bathroom in the next. While the reprieve is appreciated, the bolts of despair are ridiculous!
In the first pregnancy I also had food aversions right away. In this pregnancy, I have cravings! Weird ones. The only similarity is that I continue to be easily influenced by television. Yup, advertisements work, just not always in the expected way. For example, a commercial for all natural cheese that begins with a clip of terribly fattening, processed, cheese in a can should make you crave that all natural goodness....Yeah, I wanted Cheese-Wiz. Don't worry, I resisted that terrible urge. I also talked to myself and my son in the cookie aisle for 20 minutes trying to convince myself not to buy Chips Ahoy so that I could dip them in milk.
Christopher continues to be an adorable, doting father to both of his children. Surprisingly, I am not the only one who is experiencing a completely different pregnancy. With Maxson, he was a ball of nerves and rarely even talked about the fact that his wife was pregnant as if talking about it would jinx it. While most say to keep it quiet during the first trimester, he seemed to be playing it safe by waiting until I was in premature labor. And I think even then he was forced to tell people because they would be curious why he stopped showing up to work. With this pregnancy, however, he took the 12 week ultrasound pictures into work with him and showed them off. He talks to our son about being a big brother and asks him whether he wants a brother or sister. The responses have been difficult to interpret! It is sweet to see him so excited, even if I did make him speechless when originally breaking the news. If you thought Chris was already a pale little white guy, you should have seen him on that morning!
As of Thursday, we should know the gender, though I will be very skeptic if they tell me girl again... Regardless, pictures will be posted so keep your eyes on the blog! Oh, and here are some pictures to keep you satisfied until then!!
I know what you're thinking. Sure...this is the last one...you also didn't think you were going to have this one so soon. Well, I have my ways. Actually, I don't have any ways, really, but I hear some general surgeons have their ways. ;) Sorry, babe! And for those men out there who find it inappropriate for me to even discuss such procedures, all I have to say is, too bad! I lost all privacy and sense of modesty through my pregnancy, why should Chris go completely unscathed?
I of course, had heard that every pregnancy is different. Regardless, I began this one assuming I did not need to read up or prepare myself any differently. I mean, c'mon, I JUST did this, I know what it is like. Yeah, this has been different. I like to think this just shows me a unique personality already developing in this little one. I have been utterly exhausted, while not nearly as nauseous. While in the first pregnancy I was almost always on the verge of being sick, this one goes in waves. I will feel perfect one minute and THEN be running for the bathroom in the next. While the reprieve is appreciated, the bolts of despair are ridiculous!
In the first pregnancy I also had food aversions right away. In this pregnancy, I have cravings! Weird ones. The only similarity is that I continue to be easily influenced by television. Yup, advertisements work, just not always in the expected way. For example, a commercial for all natural cheese that begins with a clip of terribly fattening, processed, cheese in a can should make you crave that all natural goodness....Yeah, I wanted Cheese-Wiz. Don't worry, I resisted that terrible urge. I also talked to myself and my son in the cookie aisle for 20 minutes trying to convince myself not to buy Chips Ahoy so that I could dip them in milk.
Christopher continues to be an adorable, doting father to both of his children. Surprisingly, I am not the only one who is experiencing a completely different pregnancy. With Maxson, he was a ball of nerves and rarely even talked about the fact that his wife was pregnant as if talking about it would jinx it. While most say to keep it quiet during the first trimester, he seemed to be playing it safe by waiting until I was in premature labor. And I think even then he was forced to tell people because they would be curious why he stopped showing up to work. With this pregnancy, however, he took the 12 week ultrasound pictures into work with him and showed them off. He talks to our son about being a big brother and asks him whether he wants a brother or sister. The responses have been difficult to interpret! It is sweet to see him so excited, even if I did make him speechless when originally breaking the news. If you thought Chris was already a pale little white guy, you should have seen him on that morning!
As of Thursday, we should know the gender, though I will be very skeptic if they tell me girl again... Regardless, pictures will be posted so keep your eyes on the blog! Oh, and here are some pictures to keep you satisfied until then!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
A message from a proud mama!
Not even a week in, but I have experienced more intense emotion in this past week than I have ever felt in my life. I have a deeper love for my amazing husband, who (despite his not-so-convincing "you're doing great" coaching) has been nothing short of a terrific father, and friend. He has been so patient, helpful, and it is hard to describe the feeling when you see him with his son. He adores his little man, and is (not surprisingly) a wonderful father. Though my love for this man continues to grow on a daily basis, my love for my son is unparalleled. While Chris was impressed by the fact that I did not shed a tear through the pushing and the contracting...I realized I had been saving them up for the moment they set him in my arms. Words to describe it? There are none. I cannot imagine not having him in our lives.
Pediatrician Update:
- Maxson had his first check-up. The doctor said (note the quotations) "PERFECT!"
- No jaundice
- He has gained back all the weight he lost (so he is back up to 7lbs, 8oz)
- He was alert, but not fussy.
- He is in the 25th percentile for height and weight (small, but not tiny. and very much in proportion)
- Maxson was given the thumbs up for travel whenever we really feel comfortable. We decided that he would have his second check up (first week of October) to make sure he's still doing well at a month and then probably come up shortly after that! Columbus Day weekend perhaps? That way he still has a couple weeks after daddy leaves to continue building up a good immune system and we can have another check-up to see if he's good to go. The doctor's confidence was reassuring :)
Words from Maxson (or at least, if he could talk, I think this is what he would say about himself)
What you should know about me, or what I have figured out so far.
- Hands taste better than pacifiers.
- I like to mark territory. I have already peed on my doctor's table, my bedroom window, wall, and all over myself. I was perfectly content with squirting until I got myself...
- While I am unsure as to whether or not I love or hate hearing my mommy sing...I am definitely intrigued.
- My brother and sister look funny and have not stopped sniffing me.
- If I'm crying, there is an 85% chance that I just wanna strut around for a bit. There is a 15% chance that I have gas...
- I have discovered my tongue. It is delightful.
- I get mad if mommy tries to give me a pacifier. Who does she think she's kidding? I know she's got the good stuff.
- Daddy is scruffy and I like it.
- I love hats, and I look adorable in them.
- I hate socks or anything on my feet...
- I have discovered another fun thing down in my diaper. It is also delightful.
- I have a great sense of humor. For example, I think it is hilarious to wait until right after my parents change my diaper and then poop! Okay, I think it's funny...
- I didn't cry during any of my shots OR my circumcision. Beat that! I'm a manly man.
Well, that's all I've got. I have now been awake for two whole minutes and demand food. And I'm pretty sure I need my tenth diaper change of the day.
Here are pictures of me!
First one -- on my way to the doctor! That pacifier is almost as big as my face... but again, don't I look adorable in that hat? It's a little big for me, but still.
This is my infamous "poop face" picture. Right after my very first bath at home, I decided it was a good time to poop something fierce! I told you I was funny.
If you are reading this, you are most likely part of our "village" - so thank you so much for the support and love you have shown us. We are lucky to have such family and friends.
I love you all!
Pediatrician Update:
- Maxson had his first check-up. The doctor said (note the quotations) "PERFECT!"
- No jaundice
- He has gained back all the weight he lost (so he is back up to 7lbs, 8oz)
- He was alert, but not fussy.
- He is in the 25th percentile for height and weight (small, but not tiny. and very much in proportion)
- Maxson was given the thumbs up for travel whenever we really feel comfortable. We decided that he would have his second check up (first week of October) to make sure he's still doing well at a month and then probably come up shortly after that! Columbus Day weekend perhaps? That way he still has a couple weeks after daddy leaves to continue building up a good immune system and we can have another check-up to see if he's good to go. The doctor's confidence was reassuring :)
Words from Maxson (or at least, if he could talk, I think this is what he would say about himself)
What you should know about me, or what I have figured out so far.
- Hands taste better than pacifiers.
- I like to mark territory. I have already peed on my doctor's table, my bedroom window, wall, and all over myself. I was perfectly content with squirting until I got myself...
- While I am unsure as to whether or not I love or hate hearing my mommy sing...I am definitely intrigued.
- My brother and sister look funny and have not stopped sniffing me.
- If I'm crying, there is an 85% chance that I just wanna strut around for a bit. There is a 15% chance that I have gas...
- I have discovered my tongue. It is delightful.
- I get mad if mommy tries to give me a pacifier. Who does she think she's kidding? I know she's got the good stuff.
- Daddy is scruffy and I like it.
- I love hats, and I look adorable in them.
- I hate socks or anything on my feet...
- I have discovered another fun thing down in my diaper. It is also delightful.
- I have a great sense of humor. For example, I think it is hilarious to wait until right after my parents change my diaper and then poop! Okay, I think it's funny...
- I didn't cry during any of my shots OR my circumcision. Beat that! I'm a manly man.
Well, that's all I've got. I have now been awake for two whole minutes and demand food. And I'm pretty sure I need my tenth diaper change of the day.
Here are pictures of me!
First one -- on my way to the doctor! That pacifier is almost as big as my face... but again, don't I look adorable in that hat? It's a little big for me, but still.
This is my infamous "poop face" picture. Right after my very first bath at home, I decided it was a good time to poop something fierce! I told you I was funny.
If you are reading this, you are most likely part of our "village" - so thank you so much for the support and love you have shown us. We are lucky to have such family and friends.
I love you all!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Pictures
Just so everyone knows, Julia and I are posting all of our Maxson-related pictures out on Webshots. Feel free to browse!
http://community.webshots.com/user/AdmlTolwin
http://community.webshots.com/user/AdmlTolwin
Aw crap, I've got poop on my hand
Quick hits from five days of being a dad:
I was sitting in Jason's Deli the other night, waiting for a to go order. I had poop on my thumb. Six days earlier, I would've been disgusted. This time? I smiled.
I smelled like babies the other day at work.
There was something pretty great about that celebratory cigar.
My favorite picture taken so far is the one of Julia and Maxson, the first time she held him after he was weighed and swaddled. I'll definitely admit that at first glance, it's not the most flattering picture of my wife. But the more I look at it, the more I can't help but notice the look in her eyes. She's seeing her son for the first time. That, and she's totally looped out on drugs.
The nurse tech that was screaming for Julia to "GET MAD! GET ANGRY!" has obviously done this before. I think that was way more useful than my, "You can do it honey!" approach.
Babies apparently follow similar physical laws as buttered toast Alanis Morisette's "Ironic." Little man wasn't making us change his diapers as often as we thought, so we took him to the pediatrician. In the waiting room, he decided to show us that we're a bunch of worrying idiots by peeing then and there.
As a corollary to that, it's entirely true that all new parents find an appreciation for counting the number of dirty diapers. And then talking about it with each other.
As another corollary, I now worry. A lot.
I'll level with you. He doesn't do much. He sits, looks around, does his business, sleeps, and cries. But I've never been so entertained by someone that doesn't do much. I could watch him for hours.
This morning, I spent almost two hours staring at him. Instead of sleeping. What the hell is wrong with me?
I was sitting in Jason's Deli the other night, waiting for a to go order. I had poop on my thumb. Six days earlier, I would've been disgusted. This time? I smiled.
I smelled like babies the other day at work.
There was something pretty great about that celebratory cigar.
My favorite picture taken so far is the one of Julia and Maxson, the first time she held him after he was weighed and swaddled. I'll definitely admit that at first glance, it's not the most flattering picture of my wife. But the more I look at it, the more I can't help but notice the look in her eyes. She's seeing her son for the first time. That, and she's totally looped out on drugs.
The nurse tech that was screaming for Julia to "GET MAD! GET ANGRY!" has obviously done this before. I think that was way more useful than my, "You can do it honey!" approach.
Babies apparently follow similar physical laws as buttered toast Alanis Morisette's "Ironic." Little man wasn't making us change his diapers as often as we thought, so we took him to the pediatrician. In the waiting room, he decided to show us that we're a bunch of worrying idiots by peeing then and there.
As a corollary to that, it's entirely true that all new parents find an appreciation for counting the number of dirty diapers. And then talking about it with each other.
As another corollary, I now worry. A lot.
I'll level with you. He doesn't do much. He sits, looks around, does his business, sleeps, and cries. But I've never been so entertained by someone that doesn't do much. I could watch him for hours.
This morning, I spent almost two hours staring at him. Instead of sleeping. What the hell is wrong with me?
Friday, September 10, 2010
Little Man Dreams
Now, if only I could get someone to change my disposable underwear, we'd be an exact match.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Light at the End of the Spaceship?
Okay another update! Complete with Erik-friendly mad-libs so that he does not get queasy while reading this...
Doctor's appointment today. Wait... that means it's been a week since the last appointment, which means the baby did not come in 72 hours?! But...but.... Yeah, I know it has not been fun for me either!
So what's the word?
Baby First:
* His heart is still beating! He's still kicking. These are all good things :)
Mama Second:
* My rainbow is 3 centimeters unicorned.
* The baby is putting a great deal of pressure on my rainbow and that has caused quite a bit of juggling. The stork was amazed that my pot of gold hasn't been stolen. It also made her wonder if it was going to happen on it's own.
* The circus won't let my stork schedule me to luge unless medically necessary or 1-2 weeks past my due date. (LAME, right?) So the stork came up with a plan to cheat the circus! (insert evil laughter and maniacal finger tapping).
* On Tuesday, September 7th at 5:00a.m. I am instructed to go to the circus and tell them that I cannot feel the baby moving, and that my kittens are intense and getting closer together. Yes, my stork is having me lie. Not just lie, but act...and do it well! She has a colleague who will be on call and that colleague will tell them to keep me and ultimately luge. From there they will steal my pot of gold and give me some candy.
* Don't get me wrong, my stork is a good person. While she does not typically lie to the circus, she understands that it has been 8 weeks since I started to unicorn and she does not want me to continue to be so uncomfortable. If she did not have a procedure on Friday, she was going to have me come in before the labor day weekend. Damn!
* Yes, it is still possible for me to begin my mysterious journey before then. Hell, it could be any minute now - but she believes that if it doesn't happen by then, it may not happen without a little help.
SO - Assuming I do not have a baby this week/weekend -- little man will be joining us on Tuesday! It's nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm still going to be walking and hoping for something sooner - but at least we KNOW! I got your hopes up last week - but this time, I mean it. This is not a prediction - it is a guarantee! Yay!!!
THE LEGEND:
Stork = doctor
Rainbow = cervix
Unicorned = dilated
luge = induce
mysterious journey = labor
circus = hospital
kittens = contractions
juggling = effacement (thinning)
lemonade = amniotic fluid/placenta
pot of gold is stolen = water breaks
candy = drugs/pitocin
Doctor's appointment today. Wait... that means it's been a week since the last appointment, which means the baby did not come in 72 hours?! But...but.... Yeah, I know it has not been fun for me either!
So what's the word?
Baby First:
* His heart is still beating! He's still kicking. These are all good things :)
Mama Second:
* My rainbow is 3 centimeters unicorned.
* The baby is putting a great deal of pressure on my rainbow and that has caused quite a bit of juggling. The stork was amazed that my pot of gold hasn't been stolen. It also made her wonder if it was going to happen on it's own.
* The circus won't let my stork schedule me to luge unless medically necessary or 1-2 weeks past my due date. (LAME, right?) So the stork came up with a plan to cheat the circus! (insert evil laughter and maniacal finger tapping).
* On Tuesday, September 7th at 5:00a.m. I am instructed to go to the circus and tell them that I cannot feel the baby moving, and that my kittens are intense and getting closer together. Yes, my stork is having me lie. Not just lie, but act...and do it well! She has a colleague who will be on call and that colleague will tell them to keep me and ultimately luge. From there they will steal my pot of gold and give me some candy.
* Don't get me wrong, my stork is a good person. While she does not typically lie to the circus, she understands that it has been 8 weeks since I started to unicorn and she does not want me to continue to be so uncomfortable. If she did not have a procedure on Friday, she was going to have me come in before the labor day weekend. Damn!
* Yes, it is still possible for me to begin my mysterious journey before then. Hell, it could be any minute now - but she believes that if it doesn't happen by then, it may not happen without a little help.
SO - Assuming I do not have a baby this week/weekend -- little man will be joining us on Tuesday! It's nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm still going to be walking and hoping for something sooner - but at least we KNOW! I got your hopes up last week - but this time, I mean it. This is not a prediction - it is a guarantee! Yay!!!
THE LEGEND:
Stork = doctor
Rainbow = cervix
Unicorned = dilated
luge = induce
mysterious journey = labor
circus = hospital
kittens = contractions
juggling = effacement (thinning)
lemonade = amniotic fluid/placenta
pot of gold is stolen = water breaks
candy = drugs/pitocin
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Mad Libs!
Hey Family/Village --
I would blog, but this is just easier. We have yet another update :)
Again - there is a legend below. This one may be a bit more complicated....
So after going for a walk last night, I started having some pretty intense kittens. They were about 7 minutes apart, lasting 30-60 seconds. We almost went to the circus, but it was late and we waited for them to get closer together. Alas, they went away. :( The following morning the kittens were replaced with shooting pain. There is no euphemism for that one. It's not graphic. So I called the stork and she told me to come in today and get checked out.
First things first: Baby gets a physical! I had an ultrasound or biophysical exam to look at his movement. Out of 8 he scored....an 8! Kick-ass little kid. This looks at movement of limbs, head, lungs, heart, and lemonade (not, that's not urine. Check out the legend). He is a rock star.
* They are guessing his weight at about 7lbs, 2oz (give or take half a pound).
* His head measured at about 37-38 weeks (which is AWESOME, because I'm 38 weeks, and this means his head may be NORMAL!)
* His not-so-enormous cranium was VERY low. Which most likely explains the shooting pain...
Second things second: Mama gets a physical!
* The stork told me that my rainbow is now 2-3 centimeters unicorned. So I was 1 centimeter for about 4 weeks, and in less than a week I jumped nearly 2 centimeters.
* She also said that my rainbow was juggling and making excellent progress. It continues to be awkward when a stork compliments your rainbow or its juggling.
* Her prediction: She believes I will go into mysterious journey within 72 hours. Of course, she cannot guarantee that. But based on the changes I've made, that would be her guess. She also said that she would be shocked if I made it a week. But crazier things have happened.
* I was told to go straight to the circus if the kittens come back or my pot of gold is stolen.
So, Aunts and Uncles, Nanas and Popis, Mops and Pops, creepy guys that will throw things at my baby (Omar....), oh yeah and father of my future child....there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Pun intended. Let's hope this stork of mine is good at predictions, because she has gotten my hopes up!
Love you all!
Jules
THE LEGEND:
Stork = doctor
Rainbow = cervix
Unicorned = dilated
mysterious journey = labor
circus = hospital
kittens = contractions
juggling = thinning (effaced)
lemonade = amniotic fluid/placenta
pot of gold is stolen = water breaks
I would blog, but this is just easier. We have yet another update :)
Again - there is a legend below. This one may be a bit more complicated....
So after going for a walk last night, I started having some pretty intense kittens. They were about 7 minutes apart, lasting 30-60 seconds. We almost went to the circus, but it was late and we waited for them to get closer together. Alas, they went away. :( The following morning the kittens were replaced with shooting pain. There is no euphemism for that one. It's not graphic. So I called the stork and she told me to come in today and get checked out.
First things first: Baby gets a physical! I had an ultrasound or biophysical exam to look at his movement. Out of 8 he scored....an 8! Kick-ass little kid. This looks at movement of limbs, head, lungs, heart, and lemonade (not, that's not urine. Check out the legend). He is a rock star.
* They are guessing his weight at about 7lbs, 2oz (give or take half a pound).
* His head measured at about 37-38 weeks (which is AWESOME, because I'm 38 weeks, and this means his head may be NORMAL!)
* His not-so-enormous cranium was VERY low. Which most likely explains the shooting pain...
Second things second: Mama gets a physical!
* The stork told me that my rainbow is now 2-3 centimeters unicorned. So I was 1 centimeter for about 4 weeks, and in less than a week I jumped nearly 2 centimeters.
* She also said that my rainbow was juggling and making excellent progress. It continues to be awkward when a stork compliments your rainbow or its juggling.
* Her prediction: She believes I will go into mysterious journey within 72 hours. Of course, she cannot guarantee that. But based on the changes I've made, that would be her guess. She also said that she would be shocked if I made it a week. But crazier things have happened.
* I was told to go straight to the circus if the kittens come back or my pot of gold is stolen.
So, Aunts and Uncles, Nanas and Popis, Mops and Pops, creepy guys that will throw things at my baby (Omar....), oh yeah and father of my future child....there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Pun intended. Let's hope this stork of mine is good at predictions, because she has gotten my hopes up!
Love you all!
Jules
THE LEGEND:
Stork = doctor
Rainbow = cervix
Unicorned = dilated
mysterious journey = labor
circus = hospital
kittens = contractions
juggling = thinning (effaced)
lemonade = amniotic fluid/placenta
pot of gold is stolen = water breaks
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Erik-Friendly Update
Hey family and friends! I have an Erik-friendly update available :) If you cannot figure out what I'm saying, well, there is a legend at the bottom...
Stork appointment today!
1) Luckily, my rainbow is still only 1 centimeter unicorned.
2) Little man is still active and thriving :) And I'm measuring at 36 weeks still.
3) I go off bed rest next week! Yay!
4) The stork is most likely going to keep me on the candy an extra week since I seem to be responding well and she really wants me to make it to 37 weeks. That may change depending on our stork appointment next week, but at this point, I'm on the candy until the 20th.
Funny, as the stork gets less anxious about premature mysterious journey, she makes comments like "Hope to not see you before next Thursday!" or "just go straight to the circus if you start having goosebumps."
So everything is going well :) Little Man could come at anytime, but hopefully not for a week or two at least. Crazy to think he could be here in a week or two!!!
LOVE!
Jules
THE LEGEND:
Stork = doctor
Rainbow = cervix
Unicorned = dilated
candy = medication
mysterious journey = labor
circus = hospital
goosebumps = contractions
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Baking on bed rest....
Captain's Log. Day 14 on bed rest. Every time I think I could lose my mind and go completely stir crazy, something fun happens to remind me what I'm resting for! Whether it's getting more gifts for the nursery, or a new family car, or 4-D pictures of our little one... I have had a crazy, exciting completely boring couple of weeks!
A few things I learned from my hospital stay:
1) One size fits all hospital gowns can double as circus tents. Even with the strings on the back that are supposedly designed to help tighten the gown, this piece of cloth will fall off of you at embarrassing and inconvenient moments...
2) The nurse who says "this is gonna hurt" or the nurse who counts down before sticking you with a needle, is the nurse who is nervous, inexperienced, or just plain bad at what she does. Photographic evidence below. This same nurse had to stick me 5 times...
3) The IV is a needle inserted into your vein which connects to a bag or several bags, which hang on a pole, which are attached to infusion equipment which rolls with you everywhere, yes, everywhere. This entire system becomes an appendage from which you cannot stray more than a few feet. While this concept does not seem so confusing, one should not assume that the hospital cleaning staff is aware of this rule. And yes, it will hurt like hell when he/she attempts to remove your appendage to sweep around it...
4) In the middle of the day, you cannot find your nurse. Don't bother, she's gone. In the middle of the night, she gets lonely and wakes you up every two hours.
5) Magnesium sulfate is evil. It will not stop your contractions, but somehow it does speed time and cause menopause to start early. Your hot flashes will never cease and your husband will suffer through you dropping the temperature to 55 degrees while still requiring a fan. (Picture of a contraction below!)
6) You get your own television. It has 20 channels, 15 of those channels are hospital guides. The TV is attached to the ceiling and practically unreachable for the vertically challenged. The remote consists of 1 button that changes the channels in only one direction. You will have memorized all the hospital guides before you give up and decide to watch a marathon of Cash Cab.
Now for a medical update and cute pictures!
We had another doctor's appointment today. I surprisingly have not gained any weight in the past week, and he hasn't really gained much in the past 2 weeks, but little man is still thriving and active as ever!
At first he was not happy. Mr. Grumpy Gills does not like to be woken up. He prefers to do the waking. :)
He just has such a tough life, doesn't he? Don't worry, the pictures after this one show a much more content little boy.
Below you see a much happier baby boy! He's content and quiet, but that cord keeps getting in his face.... it was difficult to get a clear picture, especially of his mouth.
Then you see him falling back into a pretty sound sleep. Isn't he adorable? I'm biased...I wonder if he'll actually look anything like this later....
Okay, so there is your update! Like I said, it has been a boring and dull, amazingly exciting couple of weeks. I love this little one more than I can say. His room is completely ready, the overnight bags are packed, all we do now is wait :)
I love you all! We will find a way of letting you all know when he decides that it is time.
A few things I learned from my hospital stay:
1) One size fits all hospital gowns can double as circus tents. Even with the strings on the back that are supposedly designed to help tighten the gown, this piece of cloth will fall off of you at embarrassing and inconvenient moments...
2) The nurse who says "this is gonna hurt" or the nurse who counts down before sticking you with a needle, is the nurse who is nervous, inexperienced, or just plain bad at what she does. Photographic evidence below. This same nurse had to stick me 5 times...
3) The IV is a needle inserted into your vein which connects to a bag or several bags, which hang on a pole, which are attached to infusion equipment which rolls with you everywhere, yes, everywhere. This entire system becomes an appendage from which you cannot stray more than a few feet. While this concept does not seem so confusing, one should not assume that the hospital cleaning staff is aware of this rule. And yes, it will hurt like hell when he/she attempts to remove your appendage to sweep around it...
4) In the middle of the day, you cannot find your nurse. Don't bother, she's gone. In the middle of the night, she gets lonely and wakes you up every two hours.
5) Magnesium sulfate is evil. It will not stop your contractions, but somehow it does speed time and cause menopause to start early. Your hot flashes will never cease and your husband will suffer through you dropping the temperature to 55 degrees while still requiring a fan. (Picture of a contraction below!)
6) You get your own television. It has 20 channels, 15 of those channels are hospital guides. The TV is attached to the ceiling and practically unreachable for the vertically challenged. The remote consists of 1 button that changes the channels in only one direction. You will have memorized all the hospital guides before you give up and decide to watch a marathon of Cash Cab.
Now for a medical update and cute pictures!
We had another doctor's appointment today. I surprisingly have not gained any weight in the past week, and he hasn't really gained much in the past 2 weeks, but little man is still thriving and active as ever!
- They estimate his weight at 4lbs, 9oz. (completely normal) While his cranium is bigger than expected (cough, CHRISTOPHER, cough), it's only about a week further along than it should be.
- There is still some pressure from little man's head on my cervix, but I have not really progressed in the past week. Yay, bed rest is working!
- We got a 4-D ultrasound...and I hear it's perfectly normal for the baby to try to chew on their own umbilical cord...He really wants out of there....
At first he was not happy. Mr. Grumpy Gills does not like to be woken up. He prefers to do the waking. :)
He just has such a tough life, doesn't he? Don't worry, the pictures after this one show a much more content little boy.
Below you see a much happier baby boy! He's content and quiet, but that cord keeps getting in his face.... it was difficult to get a clear picture, especially of his mouth.
Then you see him falling back into a pretty sound sleep. Isn't he adorable? I'm biased...I wonder if he'll actually look anything like this later....
Okay, so there is your update! Like I said, it has been a boring and dull, amazingly exciting couple of weeks. I love this little one more than I can say. His room is completely ready, the overnight bags are packed, all we do now is wait :)
I love you all! We will find a way of letting you all know when he decides that it is time.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Week Getting Closer to the End...or the Beginning
Just wanted to put out a couple of quick highlights from this weekend.
Man Baby Shower
Really big thanks to Omar and Scott - you guys are some really good friends. These two guys put on a totally awesome Man Baby Shower, which, at its core, was an awesome way to justify going to Clear Lake Park at 10:00am and cracking open a couple of Miller High Lifes. Can anyone else think of a better way to celebrate impending fatherhood?
Omar and Scott also organized a pretty great "Man About to Have a Baby Emergency Kit", filled with some shop towels and Monster energy drinks, among another things. They also got folks to pitch in for one of the best gifts of the weekend:
"Real" Baby Shower
Julia also had her baby shower this weekend, and it was equally awesome. Sure, it wasn't "walk around in the park with a forty" awesome, but it was still pretty great, nonetheless. Tamsin, Smashers, and Rosleen - you guys did an AWESOME job. From what I can tell, the party was an huge success. I'll let Julia fill in the details, but really, these ladies went way above what we expected. Thank you so much.
Here are a couple gift highlights:
One Last Gift
I thought this was one of the cuter gifts of the weekend, courtesy of Mr. P. Sure it was for the shower, but it has a little extra meaning on Father's Day.
Thanks!
Thanks again to everyone for the weekend. Really, really awesome.
Man Baby Shower
Really big thanks to Omar and Scott - you guys are some really good friends. These two guys put on a totally awesome Man Baby Shower, which, at its core, was an awesome way to justify going to Clear Lake Park at 10:00am and cracking open a couple of Miller High Lifes. Can anyone else think of a better way to celebrate impending fatherhood?
Omar and Scott also organized a pretty great "Man About to Have a Baby Emergency Kit", filled with some shop towels and Monster energy drinks, among another things. They also got folks to pitch in for one of the best gifts of the weekend:
"Real" Baby Shower
Julia also had her baby shower this weekend, and it was equally awesome. Sure, it wasn't "walk around in the park with a forty" awesome, but it was still pretty great, nonetheless. Tamsin, Smashers, and Rosleen - you guys did an AWESOME job. From what I can tell, the party was an huge success. I'll let Julia fill in the details, but really, these ladies went way above what we expected. Thank you so much.
Here are a couple gift highlights:
One Last Gift
I thought this was one of the cuter gifts of the weekend, courtesy of Mr. P. Sure it was for the shower, but it has a little extra meaning on Father's Day.
Thanks!
Thanks again to everyone for the weekend. Really, really awesome.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hello 3rd Trimester, good-bye blood....
Greetings to the 3rd trimester! We have less than 3 months before our little man joins us, and the thought of that is both ridiculously exciting and unbelievably terrifying.
Oh, Lorraine....
Our first story is about a nurse named Lorraine. She means well. I suppose that says it all. I received a call from Lorraine last Friday where she simply said, "Your hemoglobin looks good, but your glucose is 160. You need to come in for more tests." Well, I'm not the smartest person, but I understand what hemoglobin and glucose is...but I have no idea what my glucose should be. So after trying to ask several questions, she simply responded that they worry I have gestational diabetes. How did I hear that? Well, you know that commercial where they ask if you are suffering from GINGIVITIS...... yeah, that voice.
G-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N-A-L D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S.
Well, she could not answer any of my questions. What does this mean? How can it impact the baby? Should I be changing my diet? I got nothing. So I scheduled another test and did what no person should do...I googled.
Test 1: Fast the night before, chug the second nastiest beverage ever (50 grams of sugar), wait one hour and have your blood drawn.
Test 2: Fast the night before, have your blood drawn (#1), chug the nastiest beverage ever (100 grams of sugar), wait one hour for another draw (#2), wait another hour for another draw (#3), and wait, oh yes, wait one more hour for another draw (#4).
Did I mention I'm pregnant, and hungry, and thirsty, and in all that time I cannot drink or eat? So during the week of not knowing, what is Julia doing? She's avoiding carbs, any types of sugars and restricting herself to vegetables and meat and lots of water. I denied myself fruit! That takes will-power. I get a call yesterday (not from Lorraine) saying "perfectly normal, you look healthy." And the clouds part, and the light shines down and angels sing...okay, so I was happy. That was such a relief. The funny part? The nurse tells me, "I don't know why you were worried. When your normal weight and good health, if you get a positive on the 1-hour test, it's typically a false positive, I'd say 95-98% of the time. It's not uncommon to get a false-positive. The 3-hour test is just a precaution." Oh Lorraine...that would have been nice to know. All that worrying for nothing.
The history of Lorraine:
-- Julia has back pain, calls the doctor. Lorraine says "whatever you do, rest. Stay laying down as much as possible." Later the doctor says, "Whatever you do, move around and stretch it out. It'll get worse if you rest too much."
-- Julia has been exposed to whooping cough, calls the doctor. Lorraine says, "Oh my GOD! Let me find a doctor, they're not here, I'll page them, wait I'll call her cell phone. We'll probably need you to come in and take labs and get on antibiotics right away." The doctor says, "No symptoms yourself? You've been vaccinated? You'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on it, but the baby won't get it unless you have whooping cough while giving birth."
Lorraine can be hysterical. She makes an unknowing-first-time-mother....hysterical. Next time she calls, I may have to ask to speak to another nurse. She means well.
Baby Class!
Yes, as Chris said, this class is informative and necessary. But as others say...ignorance is bliss. I mean, who really needs to see that epidural needle? I don't need to see it, I'll close my eyes, turn around, and you do what you need to do. And wait a minute, what are these other tubes and and catheters...plural? Where are you putting all those...oh no no no. Something is supposed to come out of there, you're not supposed to be putting more in. Yes, people say childbirth is natural and beautiful. Those people have no watched these videos. Those tubes are not natural, and they're not pretty. And forceps sound harmless, right? You see a picture, and giggle...but wait...take a look at those forceps next to a pair of tongs or something...forceps are HUGE! Why are they that big? Why do they look like the bad guy's hand from the Terminator? Why is Chris smiling?!
A big thanks!
A big thanks to Pops and Terri who helped us finish up furnishing the nursery with a glider!! Comfiest piece of furniture ever, and I'm already using it.
Baby
He's doing VERY well. :) Kicking like a champ...in the middle of the night.
Leading names:
Maxson
Parker
Cooper
Feel free to vote!!! My beautiful sister is getting married in 3 weeks! We are Buffalo-bound very soon and cannot wait :)
Oh, Lorraine....
Our first story is about a nurse named Lorraine. She means well. I suppose that says it all. I received a call from Lorraine last Friday where she simply said, "Your hemoglobin looks good, but your glucose is 160. You need to come in for more tests." Well, I'm not the smartest person, but I understand what hemoglobin and glucose is...but I have no idea what my glucose should be. So after trying to ask several questions, she simply responded that they worry I have gestational diabetes. How did I hear that? Well, you know that commercial where they ask if you are suffering from GINGIVITIS...... yeah, that voice.
G-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N-A-L D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S.
Well, she could not answer any of my questions. What does this mean? How can it impact the baby? Should I be changing my diet? I got nothing. So I scheduled another test and did what no person should do...I googled.
Test 1: Fast the night before, chug the second nastiest beverage ever (50 grams of sugar), wait one hour and have your blood drawn.
Test 2: Fast the night before, have your blood drawn (#1), chug the nastiest beverage ever (100 grams of sugar), wait one hour for another draw (#2), wait another hour for another draw (#3), and wait, oh yes, wait one more hour for another draw (#4).
Did I mention I'm pregnant, and hungry, and thirsty, and in all that time I cannot drink or eat? So during the week of not knowing, what is Julia doing? She's avoiding carbs, any types of sugars and restricting herself to vegetables and meat and lots of water. I denied myself fruit! That takes will-power. I get a call yesterday (not from Lorraine) saying "perfectly normal, you look healthy." And the clouds part, and the light shines down and angels sing...okay, so I was happy. That was such a relief. The funny part? The nurse tells me, "I don't know why you were worried. When your normal weight and good health, if you get a positive on the 1-hour test, it's typically a false positive, I'd say 95-98% of the time. It's not uncommon to get a false-positive. The 3-hour test is just a precaution." Oh Lorraine...that would have been nice to know. All that worrying for nothing.
The history of Lorraine:
-- Julia has back pain, calls the doctor. Lorraine says "whatever you do, rest. Stay laying down as much as possible." Later the doctor says, "Whatever you do, move around and stretch it out. It'll get worse if you rest too much."
-- Julia has been exposed to whooping cough, calls the doctor. Lorraine says, "Oh my GOD! Let me find a doctor, they're not here, I'll page them, wait I'll call her cell phone. We'll probably need you to come in and take labs and get on antibiotics right away." The doctor says, "No symptoms yourself? You've been vaccinated? You'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on it, but the baby won't get it unless you have whooping cough while giving birth."
Lorraine can be hysterical. She makes an unknowing-first-time-mother....hysterical. Next time she calls, I may have to ask to speak to another nurse. She means well.
Baby Class!
Yes, as Chris said, this class is informative and necessary. But as others say...ignorance is bliss. I mean, who really needs to see that epidural needle? I don't need to see it, I'll close my eyes, turn around, and you do what you need to do. And wait a minute, what are these other tubes and and catheters...plural? Where are you putting all those...oh no no no. Something is supposed to come out of there, you're not supposed to be putting more in. Yes, people say childbirth is natural and beautiful. Those people have no watched these videos. Those tubes are not natural, and they're not pretty. And forceps sound harmless, right? You see a picture, and giggle...but wait...take a look at those forceps next to a pair of tongs or something...forceps are HUGE! Why are they that big? Why do they look like the bad guy's hand from the Terminator? Why is Chris smiling?!
A big thanks!
A big thanks to Pops and Terri who helped us finish up furnishing the nursery with a glider!! Comfiest piece of furniture ever, and I'm already using it.
Baby
He's doing VERY well. :) Kicking like a champ...in the middle of the night.
Leading names:
Maxson
Parker
Cooper
Feel free to vote!!! My beautiful sister is getting married in 3 weeks! We are Buffalo-bound very soon and cannot wait :)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Week 25-ish: Hey! That's not an umbilical cord.
After a brief hiatus, here are a couple of the most interesting baby-related developments:
We finally decided on her name. It’s…Chuck?
No, we didn’t really pick her name, but we were pretty close. Until she grew a wiener.
To be honest, this totally threw me for a loop. It’s not that I wanted a girl or a boy in particular, but it’s a total change in perspective (interesting that he’s not even born yet, but there’s already the gender role influence). Pretty weird how one extra little (no jokes) appendage can change things.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if she’s a he or he’s a she. Now I just have to replace all the “Daddy’s little hockey princess” shirts with “Daddy’s ass-kicking hockey goon” shirts.
In terms of names, Julia and I are miles apart.
Actually, that’s not true. We’ve got a decent list of five or so names that we both really like. What is true is that, in typical good-versus-evil fashion, my top name (the good one) and Julia’s top name (the evil one) were simultaneously removed from existence. It was like matter and anti-matter coming into direct contact. Black holes formed, and our top names were no more.
Seriously, though, I’m pretty pumped about the names we have left. This is going to be one cool kid. He will have adoring fans, charisma will ooze out of his pores. Ladies will flock to him like…wait a minute. We’re naming him Eugene.
Welcome to birthing class! Here’s an excess showing of areolas.
We started going to birthing classes. Here’s my serious statement: in the end, I think these classes would help any first time parent. They’re educational, calming, and a good way to spend time with your wife. You realize you’re not the first one to blaze this path – there’s so much research and great advice out there for you.
On the flip-side, I’ve never seen such an unattractive showing of fifty-odd breasts. You hear “video on breast-feeding”, and your inexperienced ears perk up. Five minutes later, you’re searching for a spoon to gauge your eyes out with.
And then there’s the video where you get to watch the baby crown. Where’s that damn spoon!?!?!
Like I said before, it’s a great resource. In the end, it’s totally worth it. But during? Just imagine how awkward it is to be sitting in class when the instructor flashes a picture of her feeding her own kids up on the board. “Hey, that’s your bo…oh.”
One more note on the “It’s a boy!” thing.
Make all the jokes you want about that boy’s genetic inheritance. I’ll reiterate what Julia’s post said. The ultrasound doc said he’s “a boy ALL DAY LONG.”
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
SURPRISE!!!!!
She's a he? Whaaaat? That's right....surprise!! It's a BOY! I still cannot stop laughing. I guess he has a wonderful sense of humor. He definitely had us fooled...
The doctor's appointment went wonderfully! He started off hiding his face again, but after a while he was willing to smile for the camera. Again, he is not a morning baby. The picture below was our doctor's favorite, because he kept rubbing his eyes with his tiny little hand.
He was also sucking his thumb and kicked the ultrasound wand. I cannot describe being able to see what I am always feeling. I feel the baby kick and squirm in there, but it is a beautiful experience to see him stretch and then feel it at the same time.
Funny story: So when you get pregnant, everyone asks you what you, as the mommy, predict the gender to be. Mothers, nurses, and doctors alike claim that mothers have this ability to sense or feel what their baby is...when asked, I thought the baby was a boy. At first, I even had a hard time coming up with girl names! After being told that he was a she, I would still have dreams about a little boy. You can call B.S. if you want, but ask Chris, if I had a dream about a baby, it was a boy. I felt like I was just a bad mom. So when they told me "Oops, we were wrong...it is a boy." I could NOT stop smiling. It all made sense! I'm not a bad mom! Yay!! While we would have been happy either way, it is just fun to me that I was right!! Somehow my body or my brain knew! Take that science!
Oh and for those of you who do not believe me when I say it's a boy....well, the doctor took literally 9 pictures of his pee-pee up close! And direct quote, "It's a boy all day long....no doubt." While I hesitate to put such pictures online, I cannot imagine this being dirty....he's not even 2 pounds, and it's just a cute willy! Yes, looking back at that sentence seems weird.
Oh, another funny story. My friends are throwing me this VERY wonderful and sweet baby shower in a month. I got the invitation today....on the way home from the doctor's appointment.... oh funny! (look below) I guess I have some explaining to do...
Okay, this is a picture-full blog, but also hilarious to me... I'm at the doctor's office, a purely OB-GYN/Maternity office....and the reading material? American Baby....a TEXAS magazine, and American Rifleman....not really, just guns all over the place. Next to the baby magazines... clearly I don't understand their target demographic....
Final picture. I have had a couple requests for the bump. So as we are approaching month 6 and the 3rd trimester, it only seems appropriate. I'm getting HUGE! Enjoy!
Fast facts:
His little foot -- just over 1 inch long
His heart -- 158 beats/minute
His weight -- 1.5 pounds
His head -- not abnormally big!!!!
Mom has gained -- 8 pounds total (normal is 25-35 by the end) So a lot more to gain in 3 months...
He looks healthy, active, and happy! If you have any name suggestions, feel free to pass 'em my way! We're starting from scratch! More pictures to follow from daddy - more face shots and little toes. Hope you enjoy!!!
The doctor's appointment went wonderfully! He started off hiding his face again, but after a while he was willing to smile for the camera. Again, he is not a morning baby. The picture below was our doctor's favorite, because he kept rubbing his eyes with his tiny little hand.
He was also sucking his thumb and kicked the ultrasound wand. I cannot describe being able to see what I am always feeling. I feel the baby kick and squirm in there, but it is a beautiful experience to see him stretch and then feel it at the same time.Funny story: So when you get pregnant, everyone asks you what you, as the mommy, predict the gender to be. Mothers, nurses, and doctors alike claim that mothers have this ability to sense or feel what their baby is...when asked, I thought the baby was a boy. At first, I even had a hard time coming up with girl names! After being told that he was a she, I would still have dreams about a little boy. You can call B.S. if you want, but ask Chris, if I had a dream about a baby, it was a boy. I felt like I was just a bad mom. So when they told me "Oops, we were wrong...it is a boy." I could NOT stop smiling. It all made sense! I'm not a bad mom! Yay!! While we would have been happy either way, it is just fun to me that I was right!! Somehow my body or my brain knew! Take that science!
Oh and for those of you who do not believe me when I say it's a boy....well, the doctor took literally 9 pictures of his pee-pee up close! And direct quote, "It's a boy all day long....no doubt." While I hesitate to put such pictures online, I cannot imagine this being dirty....he's not even 2 pounds, and it's just a cute willy! Yes, looking back at that sentence seems weird.
Oh, another funny story. My friends are throwing me this VERY wonderful and sweet baby shower in a month. I got the invitation today....on the way home from the doctor's appointment.... oh funny! (look below) I guess I have some explaining to do...
Okay, this is a picture-full blog, but also hilarious to me... I'm at the doctor's office, a purely OB-GYN/Maternity office....and the reading material? American Baby....a TEXAS magazine, and American Rifleman....not really, just guns all over the place. Next to the baby magazines... clearly I don't understand their target demographic....
Final picture. I have had a couple requests for the bump. So as we are approaching month 6 and the 3rd trimester, it only seems appropriate. I'm getting HUGE! Enjoy!
Fast facts:
His little foot -- just over 1 inch long
His heart -- 158 beats/minute
His weight -- 1.5 pounds
His head -- not abnormally big!!!!
Mom has gained -- 8 pounds total (normal is 25-35 by the end) So a lot more to gain in 3 months...
He looks healthy, active, and happy! If you have any name suggestions, feel free to pass 'em my way! We're starting from scratch! More pictures to follow from daddy - more face shots and little toes. Hope you enjoy!!!
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