Random musings of Amy

hello, does this still work?

2009-11-24T18:30:00.005-05:00

To say it has been a long time is an understatement. Since posting last, Nathan has gone to his first wedding, first trip to the ER (dehydration), first plane ride, enjoyed a week in DC, had his first official meltdown, ear infection and stomach bug. He is running around and chattering up a storm.

At his 15 month check up he was 18 pounds 15 ounces and 31 1/2". I tried really hard for the extra oz but truly, it would not have made a difference. Going from 1% to 2% really isn't all that important LOL. Dr. Elvir said she is pleased with him despite being small. He is still on his growth curve and hitting all milestones with gusto. He has also been crazy sick over the past month or so (thanks daycare!) and she knows that has something to do with it too. We go back next week to recheck his ears. I don't have high hopes for more weight though since he is cutting all 4 molars at once. thank goodness for yogurt and humus. Chewing is not a favorite past time these days. I am also thankful that he is still nursing. Even on the days he doesn't eat so well, I know he is getting something in his belly.

We are getting ready for a low profile Thanksgiving. Since we are making the trip south for the ACC game next weekend, it seemed silly to make the trip twice. I am looking forward to just relaxing and playing with Nathan this weekend. Jeremy's parents are coming Saturday so maybe we will get on the stick and do some Christmas decorating. Or maybe not haha

Bath time is calling. The video is from this past weekend. He LOVES being outside and playing on his slide. I think a swing set might be the Christmas gift we have been waiting for.

He likes his "soos"

2009-09-16T10:04:00.002-04:00

This morning Nathan was playing on our bed when he looked up at me and gave the sign for shoes. I just started using it yesterday so I wasn't sure if he meant it. Then I look in the direction he is looking and sure enough, there are his shoes. I asked if he wanted me to put them on and his eyes lit up. So, he walked around the house in his "soos" and PJs til he got dressed for school. Where did my barefoot baby go??

What else does he like right now? Let's see....

~bananas. loves the bananas.

~He discovered tofu in his miso soup last night and loved both.

~Humus. The kid could eat humus (and crackers if they are there) every day. It is my new go-to food when he isn't into whatever we are eating that day.

~I caved and tried a hot dog with him and he loved that too. It won't be an every day thing but nice to know he likes it in a pinch.

~He could eat yogurt and cheese every single day, and does. Good thing because he could really care less for cow milk. I have not tried soy milk but am thinking about it.

~He is fascinated with us brushing our teeth. He likes to "help" and gets upset if we brush without him. He now has his own toothbrush so we'll see how that goes. He likes the finger cover style we have been using so hopefully it will be just as good.

~Favorite toys are his rocking cow, car for outside, bubbles, blocks (he has started to stack and not just destroy), and books as always.

13 months old

2009-09-14T13:53:00.003-04:00

My sweet baby is 13 months old. He is doing more and more big boy things every day. He is picking up more signs all the time (up to 12 now including cookie and banana. His favorite one is please since it seems to be a catch all for I want that!) and is trying to say a few words. They sound nothing like the real words but we know he is trying to say please, bird and yogurt. Pretty sure banana is in the mix too. He has been pretty sick for the past couple of weeks. All 3 of us were down for the count this weekend. Starting to feel a little better but still not quite right.

The biggest news around here is Nathan's new found love of sleeping at night. For the last year, I have been getting up with him when he wakes. Usually every 3-4 hours. We nurse and he goes back to bed. Some nights are harder than others but it has been our new normal and we worked through it. I am totally opposed shutting the door and not returning for 10-12 hours no matter how much he cries. Just isn't part of who I am as a person or parent. I do not expect babies to sleep more than a few hours in a row and feel it is my job as a parent to be there at night as well as during the day. I really wasn't sure how we were going to deal with helping him to sleep longer periods but I knew it would come eventually. Then one night, it did. All on his own. I woke up at 3:30 am and realized I never heard him wake up. I turned up the monitor and heard him moving in bed so I knew he was ok. And that was that. For the past 2 weeks, he has been sleeping like a rock star. A couple nights he has gotten up once but after a quick nurse, he was back out. Last night was 12 hours with no wake ups. Holy smokes. Who knew that was possible? haha The only thing that changed was him wearing his teething necklace.

Ah the teething necklace. I have been reading about them for quite some time but was not sure what to make of it. I thought that as long as our beloved teething tablets were working, we would be ok. Then all hell broke loose. He was drooling, which he NEVER did, chewing on his fists, being crankier than ever and just overall not being his happy self. So I though, why not? Can't hurt, right? We let him wear it during the day for a week or so and it seemed to be making a difference. I wasn't sure if it was because one of the teeth actually cut or the necklace. Then I put it on him before bed. Low and behold the child slept. and slept. and slept. Since then, we definitely think it is the necklace that is helping him. Even daycare thinks he is less fussy about the teeth. We can see more coming in but at this point with the other teeth, he was a wreck. We showed the pediatrician at our last visit and she thought it was pretty nifty too. Well, on Friday the pedi called to ask more about the necklace! I was floored. She said she had a mom who was at her wits end and had tried everything for her little guy. The only relief came when the pressed on his gums but you can't do that 24.7. I told her what I knew and had been experiencing with Nathan. Then I told her to feel free to have the mom call me. 3 minutes later I got a call from the mom and we talked for a while. So many amazing moms have helped me this past year so if I can give a tiny part of that help to another mom, I was glad to. I sure hope this helps her little one. Like my friend Jenn says, "teething is the devil"!

This weekend, since we were stuck in the sick ward, we watched a lot of football. I have my own fantasy team so I actually tried to pay attention. The best part was teaching Nathan to do "touchdown"! SO CUTE! He kept walking up to the fireplace glass and watching himself. Then he turns to us and claps. I love this kid.

8/31/09

2009-08-31T11:26:00.002-04:00

Let me start by saying that the opinions expressed in my blog are mine. I am entitled to them. Part of why I have not been blogging much lately is I know more people are reading it. I have things to say but know someone will get their panties in a wad so I keep my thoughts to myself. But you know what, too bad. I have opinions and sometimes they are not popular. so be it. Just because my opinions and thoughts differ from yours, does not mean I am judging you. ok, sometimes I judge. who doesn't? but mostly, I am just thinking out loud to myself. This blog started as a place for me to journal and has morphed into a way for others to keep up with us. Nothing wrong with that but I am far too lazy to start another blog :-)

Today marks Nathan's 3rd week of daycare. I guess he likes it well enough. Here is my thing. I feel like it is my job to raise him. I should be with him, not sending him off to be with someone else all day. I feel like it is our job as parents to make the sacrifices we need to in order to be the one to raise our kids. I feel like by forcing myself to find something else to do (ie paying job) that I am somehow neglecting my primary responsibility. It feels so forced. I have no desire to be this big career woman. I want to be home with my son.

Here is the kicker though, I want to be able to do things and go places with my son and husband. Things and places take money. So does retirement but that is a whole other issue. So now, I am trying to find the best of both worlds. Something that can let me exercise my brain, earn a little money while letting me have time to be with Nathan for more than an hour at bedtime. Like today, I am going to pick him up from daycare and head to the zoo with some friends and their sons. This is what childhood should be about.

I know, I know not every family can make it work to have one parent stay home. I get that. Again, I am not judging anyone. Hell, I am the one looking for a job so I am in no place to judge. It is just that to me, the ideal would be to be at home with him. (can I mention that I HATE having to justify myself and preemptively apologize in my own blog.....) it took 2 weeks for him to bring home the first day care funk. I feel so guilty for sending him to a place I know will get him sick eventually. I know a runny nose wont hurt him but it makes me especially thankful to have prevented it for a year.

other things on my mind.

~After his first week at daycare, I co-hosted a bridal shower for Pam. I left early Saturday morning while Nathan was still asleep. I had nursed him maybe an hour and a half before. Well, apparently he woke up as soon as I left and did not quit screaming for several hours. He, like all toddlers, likes his routine and we messed with it big time. He was asleep when I got home and fought nursing when he woke up a few hours later. fast forward several days and he was still refusing to nurse. To say I was crushed is an understatement. I was not prepared for him to just up and quit. I know, I made it to my goal of 1 yr. Actually, it was one year to the day that he started to latch. I cried and cried. I knew he was teething so I thought it might be that so I kept pumping. Then someone suggested he could just be mad at me for leaving most of the weekend. That motivated me to keep pumping in case it was just a nursing strike. I had a talk with him one night and told him I was sorry he was sad or hurting from his teeth but that I love him and will accept his choice to be done if that is what he wants. The next morning, he signed milk so I tried giving him pumped milk in a sippy but he did not want it. I tried water, no good. So, I tried to nurse and he latched. I actually cried on his little head.

The pleasure of nursing is not something I can explain. To look down at him and see that smile and milk dribbling out of his mouth gives me the biggest smile. There is nothing sexual about it and it really is something I think more mothers should do. Outside of medical/psychological reasons not to, it is the right thing to do. Your body was made for it! Not to say that bottle fed babies are not bonded to their parents, far from it actually, but the bond I have with him after breast feeding him for so long is just more than I can describe. I have no plans on when I will wean him. Right now, i am hoping for 18 months or so. if he drops feedings before then, ok. a little longer, that is ok too. I truly had no idea how much I enjoyed our time together until it was gone. so each time he nurses now, which is only 3x a day, I enjoy the moment as if it were the last time. I think that is why it was so hard when I thought he was done. I took each feeding for granted and never made peace with the possibility of him being through.

~Nathan can now sign the following: eat, more, drink, milk, daddy, please, up, waves bye/hello, and is blowing kisses. He tends to use "more" for food/eat but really, as long as we know what he means, we are ok with it.

He is pushing cars around the house and loves the rubbermaid drawer. empties it out every single day. He loves bubbles and playing outside. He loves loves loves his ride on car. He knows how to push the button to make it go and beams with pride. He has discovered the playground and wants to go for a walk every day to play on the slides. He still loves going head first over the couch or bed. He has 5 teeth and a couple more on the way. Books are a daily joy. Brown Bear, Polar Bear and 10 Little Rubber Ducks will never get old. He especially loves story time with daddy before bed. Daddy's favorite is Oh The Places You'll Go.

He is the light of our lives and we are so thankful to have been given such a gift.

nathan's 1st b-day

2009-08-09T07:52:00.001-04:00

nathan's 1st b-day 8-8-09 Video by Heather - MySpace Video

Shared via AddThis

This is a video that my sister took of the festivities. He loved his cake!!

this week

2009-07-03T13:41:00.003-04:00

More details to come. If I don't get it started when I'm thinking of it, I will forget.

Nathan learned how to stand up on his own. No more pulling up for him! He has also started what resembles running. Like I need him to move any faster!

Last week he quacked like a duck. It was more kak kak kak. so cute.

Had round two of the first hair cut yesterday. We went to Doodle Doos and it was a much better experience for us all. They specialize in kids cuts and he did great. Looks like a little man even more now. I dare someone to call him a girl now! I have lots of pictures and will update later.

He has started to blow raspberries/zerbers/farts whatever you want to call them. He does it on the side of his arm, my neck and my belly. It is freakin' hilarious. He is so proud of himself too.

He has learned that if he bends down a couple of the guards on the snacktrap and shakes, the food comes out. Thrilled that he learned this, obviously.

This has been a rough food week for us. He has been eating so well lately that it came as a shock when he literally stopped last weekend. None of my go-to foods would do. Luckily he still nurses so we just nurse a little more often and it seems to be ok. Clearly he is not lacking energy. I think it has to do with his tooth coming in so hopefully we will be back on track soon. I am not of the force feed persuasion so if nursing works, I am going to roll with it.

I think that about covers it for now. I will add pictures later on.

New videos

2009-06-24T21:27:00.002-04:00

Nathan being chased by his alligator

Nathan eating watermelon

New "tricks"

Being a boy laughing at farts

Enjoy!

slacking again

2009-06-10T18:34:00.002-04:00

I have lots to write but will keep it brief. He will be 10 months on Friday! He is so full of personality and grows to be more of a little man every day. He is walking all over the place now. Still crawls when he wants to get somewhere quickly but is walking so much now. It is so amazing to see how proud of himself he is. He says Ma-ma, da-da, and bye-bye (while waving)! He has given me the signs for more and food a couple times. Not consistently but I know he knows what the signs mean. We started pool time with him today and he loved it. I think we are going to have a water baby on our hands! He has discovered the joy of pulling toilet paper off the roll. I hated to laugh but it was so cute. I took tons of pictures and will post later. He has 2 1/2 teeth and another trying to cut. The half tooth has cut but you can't see it yet. Just feel it.

Bath time is over so its off to nurse and get him to bed! As always, I will try to do better with more updates =)

He is 9 months

2009-05-14T15:09:00.003-04:00

He has been out for as long as he was in. Hard to wrap my head around that. On Sunday, he took two steps between Jeremy and me. We just looked at each other in disbelief. He has not done it since but I know it won't be long. My baby is growing up. boo hoo boo hoo =(

Yesterday, we had pictures taken. So much change from 3 months ago. He is not camera shy at all! We had a hard time with him keeping his hands and props out of his mouth but I can't blame him. If I had teeth coming in, I would chew too.

Today, we went for his 9 month check up. Here are his stats:

16 pounds 4 ounces (3rd%)

28" (45%)

head is 5-10%

He passed his vision screening and she said he has slightly low iron. Very good visit! We will give him more red meat and more oatmeal with iron to boost it. Lord knows he isn't short on energy or anything. He got 2 more shots and did great with them. I know not everyone can do the alternate schedule but I have to say I am so glad we are doing it. He tolerates 2 shots well but 5 may be a little rough. I wouldn't want that many at a time so why would I expect my infant to be ok with it? The extra visits are worth it to me. next month we go back for polio. We have some decisions to make about the full MMR vs breaking it up. Mumps is not available so there is a risk but I feel like I am ok with that. He will get that portion with the booster. Our pediatrician delays MMR until 15 months anyway b/c its a lot to give with Chicken pox at 12 months. So, we have a little while to decide. We'll see.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2009-05-14T14:55:00.002-04:00

I had a nice trip home to see my sister's honor roll ceremony. I don't remember them making a big deal about it when I was at that school. It was more of a "here's your bumper sticker now move along" kind of thing. I'm glad to see this improvement. The kids got all dressed up and it was a nice program. Nathan was a rock star even though it was well past his bed time. He snuggled up in the sling and I swayed in the back of the room.

I did not end up going to mom's as she was not feeling well. I was sad not to see everyone but having just gotten over the funk, I understood how she was feeling. Plus, I was not in the mood to bring more funk home. We will plan another trip soon.

We had a lovely Mother's Day weekend. Saturday we went to a dear friend's daughter's 4th birthday party. I cannot believe this child is 4. Had a great time and as always tucked ideas away for Nathan's future parties. The best part of the day was taking a nap! Jeremy and Nathan had some daddy/son time and I got to take a 2 hour nap. Divine! When I got up, I had my cards and gift waiting for me. I got a charm for my charm bracelet which is exactly what I have been wanting. My grandma had a silhouette for each grandchild with our name and birthday. When she passed away, I was given mine back. I put it right on my bracelet. So, now I have the boy version for Nathan and I love it!

Sunday morning we got up at the crack of dawn (5:30.....) and headed to Vidalia to my in-laws. The whole family came in and we had a low country boil. mmmmmmmm It was so nice to visit with everyone and Nathan was such a good boy. He tried to take a nap but my stupid phone went off and woke him up. His highlight was Nonna giving him a cob of corn to gnaw. Loved it! Papa gave him a pickle later in the day and he gummed it to an inch of its life. Such great treats! Nonna gave Nathan a sink bath, put his jammies on and we headed home around 6. It was a long day but worth it to see everyone.

Happy Mother's Day to all the new mommies and mommies to be out there. I hope everyone was pampered and loved and your day went just as you hoped it would!

walking (with a little help of course!)

2009-05-03T18:14:00.003-04:00

So about the hair cut. Bad plan and big fat fail. It was awful. Nathan sat in my lap but lost it as soon as she tried to comb his hair. We never use a comb so I'm sure it just felt really funny. Then came the scissors. No biggy except it involves him sitting still. Not.going.to.happen. So, we pulled the Dr's office trick of me basically pinning his head down. It isn't as bad as it sounds but it still isn't fun. Long story short, there was cutting involved but it wasn't a real good cut. It's still kind of choppy because she couldn't blend it with him wiggling and screaming. I think it looked better before and didn't mind the hair over his ear so much but Jeremy thinks it was too shaggy before. Since a cut will involve me hold him down, another one will not happen any time soon.

Nate has been cruising the furniture and playing around with a little push toy for a couple weeks now. He usually makes it across the room but has not been very steady on his feet. Today, he took off! I think he would have been out the front door if we let him. We got a kick out of his little run.

Tomorrow morning we leave for a couple days. We are going to see Heather's honor roll awards then head to mom's for a couple days to see the rest of the family. Might as well spread the sleeplessness around, right? :-)

Past few weeks

2009-05-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

I will update with pictures and all but we have had a busy past 2 weeks. After Heather left, we all got sick. Nathan and I had sinus infections and Jeremy had a throat thing. We are all feeling better so Yay! In the midst of all that, Nathan got 2 teeth. His bottom front ones poked through within a week of each other. Of course, that meant his sleeping is all wonky. yes, fun for everyone. Tonight Nathan gets his first hair cut. I think I may cry.

And, to you out there that likes to be insulting. Grow up, get a pair and post under your real name.

100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Kindergarten

2009-05-01T13:54:00.003-04:00

Borrowed this from a couple friend's blogs. I feel good about the start we are off to!

( ) Each Peach Pear Plum Ahlberg
( ) Wheres My Teddy? Alborough
( ) Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing Barrett
( ) Ten, Nine, Eight Bang
( ) The Three Bears Barton
( ) Madeline Bemelmens
(X ) Little Gorilla Bornstein
(X) Goodnight Moon Brown
( ) Turtles Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story Bruchac
( ) Mr. Gumpys Outing Burningham
( ) The Little House Burton
(X) The Very Hungry Caterpillar Carle
( ) Freight Train Crews
( ) Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Cronin
( ) Happy Birthday, Jamela! Daly
( ) Strega Nona De Paola
( ) Jamberry Degen
( ) The Empty Pot Demi
( ) Rap a Tap Tap: Heres Bojangles-Think of That Dillon
( ) Abuela Dorros
(X) Go, Dog, Go Eastman
( ) A Handful of Sunshine: Growing a Sunflower Eclare
( ) Growing Vegetable Soup Ehlert
( ) Go Away Big Green Monster Emberley
( ) Mean Soup Everitt
( X) Olivia Falconer
( ) Bark George Feiffer
( ) Ask Mr. Bear Flack
( ) The Everything Book Fleming
( ) Corduroy Freeman
( ) Millions of Cats Gag
( ) The Three Little Pigs Galdone
(X ) Is Your Mama a Llama Guarino
( ) Lillys Purple Plastic Purse Henkes
( ) Wheres Spot Hill
( ) Bedtime for Frances Hoban
( ) Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? An Adventure in Color Hoban
( ) Youll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch Hutchins
( ) Biggest, Strongest, Fastest Jenkins
(X ) Mama, Do You Love Me? Joosse
( ) The Wolfs Chicken Stew Kasza
(X ) The Snowy Day Keats
( ) The Caterpillar and the Polliwog Kent
( ) I Took My Frog to the Library Kimmel
( ) Leo the Late Bloomer Kraus
( ) The Carrot Seed Krauss
( ) Swimmy Lionni
( ) Frog and Toad All Year Lobel
( ) Froggy Gets Dressed London
( ) Sylvia Longs Mother Goose Mother
( ) Mabela the Clever MacDonald
( ) George and Martha Marshall
(X) Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Martin
(X) Guess How Much I Love You? McBratney
( ) Make Way for Ducklings McCloskey
( ) Raven: a Trickster Tale from the American Northwest McDermott
( ) Flora McDonnells ABC McDonnell
( ) Widget McFarland
( ) Too Much Noise McGovern
( ) Growing Colors McMillan
( ) I Stink McMullan
(X ) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Numeroff
( ) Diez Deditos: Ten Little Fingers Orozco
( ) BeeBimBopPark
( ) Dos and Donts Parr
( ) Kermit the Hermit Peet
( X) The Little Red Hen LITTLE
( X) The Little Engine that Could Piper
( ) Not a Box Portis
(X) Goodnight Gorilla Rathmann
( X) Curious George Rey
( ) Mouse Mess Riley
( ) The Toolbox Rockwell
( ) Were Going on a Bear Hunt Rosen
() Dog Heaven Rylant
( ) Richard Scarrys Best First Book Ever Scarry
() Where the Wild Things Are Sendak
( ) The Cat in the Hat Seuss
( ) Spicy Hot Colors; Colores Picantes Shahan
(X ) No David Shannon
( ) Lizards Song Shannon
( ) It Looked Like Spilt Milk Shaw
( ) Im the Biggest Thing in the Ocean Sherry
( ) Caps for Sale Slobodkina
( ) Night Shift Daddy Spinelli
( ) Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Steig
( ) A Hat for Miverva Louise Stoeke
( ) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Viorst
( ) Owl Babies Waddell
( ) Mouse Paint Walsh
( ) Mr. Cookie Baker Wellington
( ) Yoko Wells
( ) The Three Little Pigs Wiesner
( ) I Went Walking Williams
( ) Knuffle Bunny Willems
( X) Bear Snores On Wilson
(X ) The Napping House Wood
( ) Big Black Bear Yee
() How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Yolen
( ) Harry the Dirty Dog Zion

What a week

2009-04-19T19:52:00.004-04:00

This week we had my sister staying with us for her Spring Break. She will be 13 at the end of the month and is a beautiful little drama queen. We had a great time. She tried lots of new foods and liked them. Something I never would have done at that age. Ok, lets be real here. I would not have done that 2 years ago! She tried Mexican and sushi (and tempura) out and even helped cook dinners at home. She made a great chili. With some help from McCormick's and a crock pot but thats ok. We even made smores in the toaster oven mmmmmmmmmm

She is making a scrapbook of his first year and she wanted to include a picture of him in the tub. I think this is a pretty cute one! That smile gets me every time.

While she was here, we went to the zoo with Nathan, Michelle and her 2 kiddos. We had such a nice time. Nathan rode the carousel for the first time and Heather got to pet sting rays.

We got the zoo membership so I know we will enjoy going back over the next year.

We tried to go to the beach but the weather was not cooperating. So, we got Rita's Italian Ice and custard instead. Fair trade!

Yesterday dad and Kelly came. We cooked out for lunch and went for wings for dinner. They are quite the wing "experts" so we took them to Wild Wing Cafe. Lots of different flavors and they enjoyed sampling. After they left today, Jeremy and I cleaned out and rearranged the garage.

We brought the slot machine into the den and Nathan took a quick liking to it LOL We have to get a stand for it still but that does not appear to phase little man.

Nathan also learned to climb this week. Good times for us ahead..... I think this is karma for me being a climbing monkey when I was a kid.

Dad, its ok. I can get down by myself. See!

So proud of himself. Stinker!

My own little Gene Simmons

2009-04-14T20:50:00.004-04:00

Tonight Nathan discovered his tongue. Keep in mind this is the child who couldn't stick his tongue out when he was born and had a hard time latching because of it. Apparently he has overcome it! I will spare you the dinner time pictures. ;-)

He has been a little out of sorts the past couple of days so we visited Dr Pat today. He just hasn't been sleeping or eating like normal. She found a blister in the back of his throat so that may be causing some of it. poor kiddo. Nothing too serious though so thats a good thing.

Tomorrow I go pick up my sister for a few days. She is going to get a kick out of how much Nathan has changed since she saw him last. Should be fun for them both. I told her I am having him save up a really good dirty diaper for her LOL

8 months old

2009-04-13T21:20:00.003-04:00

My boo-hoo fest from yesterday is over for the time being. Here is Nathan with some eggs from his Easter baskets.

Today I let him feed himself some egg yolk. Right now the score is Nathan 1, Egg 0. He couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough.

We have a cruiser

2009-04-12T17:46:00.002-04:00

Nathan has started to cruise along the couch. I am so thankful for a happy and healthy child who is doing all these exciting new things but I could really stand for him to slow down! Where has my baby gone? Wasn't he just snuggling on my chest? Now, he is Mr Independent. I think teeth may be the last straw before I cry LOL I will miss his gummy little smile.

Had a nice Easter with the Jeremy's family. He got cute Easter baskets from both Grandmas and his Aunt Pammy. I think next year will be a lot of fun.

Naps have been a rare sighting this weekend so we are off to get him to bed early tonight. I'll let you know how that works out. haha

8 month picture to come!

Just 'cause I like pictures

2009-04-08T21:32:00.004-04:00

The last week from Nathan's view.

This is what happens when daddy feeds me! I had fun though.

Look how big I'm getting. I still love to curl my toes. Mom has decided overalls are the outfit of choice recently.

Hanging out with daddy learning about bird songs. He thinks its funny to get cha-cha wound up with the book. Silly daddy!

Waking up is hard to do! It may be a bad hair day.

Still Senor Fuzzy Head. Just with a little more hair now. Seriously mom, I've been awake for 2 minutes and you have the camera out. Give a fella a minute, would you?

He's crawling!!!!

2009-04-03T16:42:00.003-04:00

Just today he went to all fours to get around!!! Sometimes he moves his hands then does a little frog hop with the lower half but its not the army crawl of yesterday. he also took two steps on his own along the couch but we won't count that quite yet =)

Just for Theresa

2009-04-03T10:59:00.003-04:00

This is just for Theresa. She sells a great line of purses, bags etc called 31. I got a small wallet from her for my diaper bag and ordered a couple extra b/c I just think they are good to have handy. Nathan is a big fan of one of these extra ones. He finds it in the office and immediately starts chewing on it. I've been trying to get a picture but he drops it as soon as he sees the camera. silly boy!

As promised

2009-03-31T21:17:00.003-04:00

Nathan's Army crawling demonstration. He loves to play hide and seek with daddy.

I know this is super long but he was having so much fun gnawing this pickle.

Its Bristol, Baby!

2009-03-31T19:54:00.005-04:00

Have I ever mentioned what a PITA it is to deal with pictures here??? Why can't they just insert where I want them? Why????? I digress.

Every now and then, my red neck shows. Sundays from February through November are among the days. I lurve me some racin'! I was brought up with it. Just kind of how it was for me growing up. Some kids have football, we had racing. I was lucky enough to find someone who enjoys a good pot of boiled peanuts and the scent of racing fuel as much as I do. We used to go to several races a year but over time, we have let the tickets go. Bristol is a favorite though and up until now, there has been a wait list to get tickets. We thought our only chance was through a friend that sometimes has extras. Then came Daytona and we saw a commercial for Bristol. We looked at each other in utter disbelief. Could it be? Monday morning you bet your sweet ass I was on the phone with a sweet woman in East Tennessee who confirmed that there were tickets, good ones at that, still available. Two please!

Then was on to the harder part, finding a hotel room. Let me explain. Bristol, and the surrounding towns are tiny. Like, nothing there tiny. So the hotels are there pretty much for the 2x a year race fans. And those fans pay dearly. Several hundred dollars a night for the motel 6. I was no looking forward to finding a room on such short notice. But, we found a great deal in Asheville, NC which would be about an hour-ish drive. Fine. Done. Called mom and asked her to come along and watch Nathan. No problem. Holy Crap we are going to Bristol! Then, mom calls and says her friends have a cabin in Maggie Valley which is about 30 minutes from Asheville. Longer drive but a house and free..... This trip was meant to be. Getting the house meant we could rent a mini-van and travel in a little more comfort. I know a MV is not tops on many people's list but they have their usefulness.

We got up early on the 21st and made the drive. overall, it was uneventful. Cabin was great. SO glad I wasn't driving though. This puppy was on the side of a mountain and this Florida girl likes her flat land thankyouverymuch. Had dinner with our friends in Bristol that night and came home. Long day but worth it. Nathan did not sleep until 4am. yeah, that sucked. But, I knew he could sleep all day the next day with my mom so we made it through.

Our personal babbling brook. It sounded so nice all night.

First family vacation.

Our home away from home. 2 bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs and a living room/kitchen upstairs. Hot tub on the porch. Amazing views.

Sunday we got up pretty early and headed into TN. Stopped at McD's for breakfast on the road. Note to self: ask for cutlery next time. I ate my eggs, biscuit/jelly, sausage, hash brown and pancakes with my fingers. It was amusing so all is forgiven. I slept since I was up with N all night. J was a good sport about making the mountain drive with no company.

A little about this track we love. It is 1/2 mile oval with about 160,000 seats. It is its own valley set in the valley of the mountains. Its loud. Very loud. I don't think there is another track that immerses you in the whole experience as much as Bristol does. You can see everything from every seat. There is an energy there that just can't be beat. The walking up hills sucks but whatever. Not sure how we managed to walk uphill both coming and leaving but some things are just not meant to be understood I suppose. I wish I would have taken a picture from the top of the hill. Next year! Typically there is a lot of action at this track. With 43 cars in 1/2 mile, beating and banging is bound to happen. Not this year. Sadly, the guys all behaved. I was a little disappointed in them. Again, maybe next year they will act up LOL Overall, we had a really great day and Im happy we made the trip.

About 3/4 of the track in view. Waiting for everything to start.

We take headphones and scanners so we can listen to the drivers during the race. Yes, I know we look silly but everyone else has them too.

We love pre-race. You can see the crews standing in their lines during the National Anthem and all. Its really a neat thing to see.

Drivers getting in their cars just before rolling off.

Pace laps. Everyone is on their feet.

This is about 2-3 laps. I started following the leader but then tried to catch the whole field. This was my first time using the video feature on the point and shoot so its a little shaky. You get the idea of how small the track is and how crowded the racing is.

Monday we drove into Asheville to walk around. Then we went to this little wild life center. Nothing fancy but it kept us amused for a couple hours. Jeremy was smitten with the otters.

Came home Tuesday and had a pizza dinner with some friends. Great way to end our first family vacation.

I suck. I am aware.

2009-03-30T16:56:00.003-04:00

Im not sure how it has been 6 weeks since I posted last. Sorry y'all. A lot has happened. In no particular order, we went on our first family vacation, he army crawls, has learned to sit up by himself, stands in his crib (and now has a much lower crib), sleeps in his crib and is rocking the solids.

The scrape was caused by the baguette crust. He loves his crusty bread!

My matching boys.

7 months old. such a little man!

Fantastic find at a local consignment sale! Thanks to N for telling me how great it is. He LOVES this chair. 7 months

My mom introduced him to pickles. I teethed on them but wont touch them now. He is a huge fan. I have video which I will try to post later.

I have pics from Bristol and the mountains but wanted to at least get a few new things up. More to come!

Teaser

2009-02-13T09:37:00.007-05:00

Here are a couple of the pictures we had taken yesterday. The others are on my snapfish page. If you would like to see, I will send you the link. Such a cute boy if I do say so myself!

Covered in kisses!

They say its my Birthday

2009-02-13T07:37:00.002-05:00

Happy 31 to me! Yet another sure sign that I am a grown up. They seem to keep coming and Im not sure I like it. The signs that is, not the birthdays. haha

I am not big into my own birthday. Its always just seemed like another day. But, we always make it a point to go out to dinner. Usually we do this early since reservations on the 13th can be touch and go with V-day the next day and all. So Wednesday night, Jeremy and I went to Mitchell's for seafood. We had a really nice meal and it was nice to get out and have date night. Mom enjoyed having a little grandbaby time too.

Yesterday, in honor of Nathan's half birthday we took the Birth Center some brownies and had pictures taken. Holy cuteness. I will be posting as soon as someone decides to lay down for his nap.

"Nathan Andrew!"

2009-02-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

I uttered his full name in a mom tone for the first time today. I was putting diaper laundry from the washer to the dryer so I stuck Nathan in the basket for a minute. I look down and the stinker is pulling from seated to standing. Holy crap. I couldn't even think before I just said his name. He sat down and looked at me like What Mom??

Then I took him into the living room and let him try again. He tipped over before he could stand for any length of time but you can see he knows what to do.

I will try to get a better video. Its hard to watch him so he doesnt hurt himself and film at the same time.

My 6 month old peanut

2009-02-03T14:46:00.003-05:00

We had his 6 month visit today. Its about a week early but close enough.

He is now 26 1/4" (50%), 14 pounds, 14 oz (10%) and in 10% for his head. Dr Elvir said he is perfectly healthy though. No more congestion and the nebulizer can be put away. YAY!

She is pleased with his sitting up and ba-ba ma-ma babblings. He showed off his reaching and scooting/squirming to get what he wants while we there there.

We talked about the fiasco that is sleeping and she said we were on the right track with what we are doing for bed time and getting him in his crib. Its just going to take patience and persistence for a while.

This is Nathan's favorite thing right now: his jumparoo. LOVES IT!

Hello out there!

2009-01-28T20:10:00.002-05:00

I have noticed on a couple of my friend's blogs that people link through this one. Nifty says I. So, lets do a roll call =) I didnt think I had more than a handful of local folks reading about us. Who is out there?

MMMM Sweet Potatoes!

2009-01-27T18:56:00.006-05:00

Tonight we made a big step. Solids! Ok, that term is used loosely. We were going to wait until 6 months but went ahead a couple weeks early. He seemed to enjoy himself =)

What are you looking at dad? Do I have something on my face?

Gosh do I love this smile! His face is filling out more and more every day. This was a big first and Im glad it went so well.

2009-01-27T18:56:00.001-05:00

First bike ride

2009-01-25T16:47:00.004-05:00

Today was a big day. We put together the bikes that we brought home from dad's last weekend. These are bikes that I grew up riding but its been close to 5 years since I have been on one. You kind of steer with your hips. Took a little getting used to but we got it. Nathan loved his trailer and fell asleep while we were riding. The neighborhood kids thought they were the coolest thing. Good thing because as is evident by the last picture, Amy needs to go for a lot of rides!

Tomorrow I get a cavity filled. Fun times, I know! I have only had a couple in my life so I guess I can't complain.

I also want to welcome to the world Charlotte Elizabeth Longtin. My best friend from high school and his wife had their beautiful baby girl on Friday. Their blog is Hello World.

5 months

2009-01-23T16:10:00.005-05:00

I know its been a couple weeks since I have posted. Lots has happened since we went to the beach. Remember the tripodding picture? Well, that lasted about 2 weeks. He now sits up to play without having to support himself!

He is getting so big.

He also likes to "help" me with the camera. A little self portrait to showcase his eyes.

We went to dad's last weekend. Had a great time. Heather just loved on him til she couldnt keep her eyes open. She introduced him to her bird, Nickie. Notice Nickie isnt quite sure what to make of Nathan.

Then she "let" him sleep in her lap. I think they both ended up snoozing.

Jeremy has a new girlfriend. sniff sniff. Her name is Nickie. He has never been around big birds but I think he is starting to see the draw of them now. He just adored her. To be fair, she is a cuddle bug and just a very chill Umbrella. There is nothing not to love.

Thats a good summary of the last couple of weeks without getting into poopy diapers and sleep struggles. Both of which I know each reader is eager to read. This weekend we are looking forward to relaxing. Going nowhere. just lazing about.

Beach day!

2009-01-04T18:52:00.004-05:00

We took Nathan to the beach today for the first time. He loves the wind blowing in his hair. So cute. I made him keep his hat on for the most part though. We laid him in the sand and he just wiggled right in. It was a little chilly for him to get in the water =( Summer will be here soon though.

We sat by the little splash zone and he took a nap. Salt air does a baby (and parents!) good.

Did I mention he is tripodding??? This is all happening so fast =(

This is the other new trick. MMMM feet. milk or feet...milk or feet..... I can see the choice to be made =)

Craft time

2008-12-31T12:09:00.007-05:00

For those that know me well, you know that Amy and crafts just do not get along. I have the ideas down, but follow through is just something that doesn't work out so well. Im not patient and my attention to detail on crafting projects is nonexistent.

That said, I am SO proud of myself with these plates. My friend Jenn made reindeer plates with her son's hands and feet. They were adorable. Like any good copycat, I took myself down to the local paint your own pottery studio. Once there,

I begged for help. I wont lie. I looked through her catalog of hand and feet ideas. So cute. Then, there it was. The booty section! Thats right, painted butts of children smooshed onto pottery pieces. So very Amy, right?!

After reviewing her ideas, I settled on the snowman. I liked that it wasn't screaming obvious that its my child's backside but you can still tell. I had hers to go by so I gave it a whirl. 3 hours later, we were done with 3 plates and an ornament with his hands and feet. Katie was beyond helpful. I stripped Nathan and laid him across my like I was going to spank him. SHe slathered on the white paint and rolled the plate into position. Then she helped me do the hands and feet on the ornament. I could not have done it alone. She even let me put Nathan in her daughter's pack and play so I could work a little easier.

The grandmas loved them and even Jeremy said they turned out better than he could have imagined. Katie, the owner, says you can get about 3 years out of the butts. I see 2 more Christmas butts in my future =)

You can see the booty right under the snowman's tongue. It is a slightly different color than the rest of the face.

Admit it, its cuter than you thought, right? Especially knowing that its an Amy creation!

big boy nap

2008-12-31T12:03:00.003-05:00

How cute is he? We are making progress with him napping in his crib. I guess he thinks the room is too bright =) As long as he is sleeping, Im ok with it.

Can you see the bear propping him up? He sleeps better on his side with the congestion and all. But, he ends up rolling over once he falls asleep. So, the bear helps a momma out.

First Christmas

2008-12-31T10:38:00.011-05:00

Nathan's first Christmas was so wonderful.

We started the weekend before with dad's visit.

This is Heather reading Nathan's bedtime story. Melts my heart!

Dad loving on "his boy". It appears that Nathan got my porcelain skin. Sorry little guy. I was hoping daddy would pass on his olive tones.

Then, the moms came in to "help". Read play with Nathan. There was a little competition for attention at first but they settled down once they both saw him roll over. Jeremy's dad and brother came in on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning right when we got up. Notice the requisite drool markings on Jeremy's shoulder.

Later in the morning, Santa himself made an appearance. Grandma Sue insisted that Nathan match. Again, sorry kiddo! Poor Santa was about to melt in his suit in the Florida heat. But, a certain Nonna insisted he wear it.

The rest of the family came over for lunch. 18 people in all. Holy crappola. Amy was a little stressed until the food was ready then I relaxed. Truly though, I feel so blessed to raise him this close to aunts, uncles, cousins and his great grandparents. And, we were lucky enough to have our family of friends here to celebrate the day with our family. It was just a really nice day. Nathan got tons of toys and some great books.
Sunday, we drove to Darien, Ga to see Jeremy's cousin and his son in from Alabama. Dixon turned 2 that day. Child has the curliest hair! You can see the height runs in the family too. The ride home sucked but the trip was worth it to see family.

4 month check up

2008-12-30T09:30:00.003-05:00

We went on the 16th for his 4 month visit. We expected to get a shot and the oral rotavirus vax but it wasn't meant to be. His wheezing has gotten worse so we went from saline in the nebulizer to albuterol. I was hoping to not have to go there but its what has to be done. We went back after one week and the wheezing was better but not gone. Re-check in 2 weeks. Poor baby has had this junk for about half his life. I feel badly for him when he starts coughing. He doesn't seem to care though.

He was 13 pounds, 7 oz (25%), 26" (90%) and has a tiny little head (15%). But, its growing and apparently that is what matters. Makes getting him dressed easier LOL

Family visits

2008-12-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

Dad, Kelly and Heather came over the weekend before Christmas. It was a really nice visit. Dad brought these ridiculous steaks. Seriously, the size of my head. Amazing king crab legs and scallops the size of my palm. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore. Then we sat around and told stories to Jeremy. I was so pleased with how it all went. Heather just ate Nathan up. She helped with diaper changes and his bath. Then, she read him a bed time story. SO cute. She is really into soccer and I had a book with a soccer theme so it worked out well. ::must insert photo here =) ::

Dad cuddled with him and told him all about race cars and go carts. I knew he would be excited about a boy. I just hope Nathan humors him as he grows up if he isn't actually interested in all the garage stuff. Same goes for planes and Jeremy though! Kelly loved on Nathan more than I thought she would. I admit to not knowing how to feel when she called herself grandma. I guess thats what she is, sort of. But at the same time, it just felt odd. Whatever. That's my issue, not Nathan's.

Dad called this weekend and apparently has my old bike for Nathan. For those that don't know, I did not learn how to ride a bike until I was 10 or so. I know, I know.... But, I had this really cool recumbent bike. I used it, a friend's son used it, Heather used it and its still in great shape. I dont know how to get it to Jax but we'll figure it out. He also has 2 adult ones and the pull behind trailer for Nathan at this age. I know he will love it! Again, how to get them home....

It seems that nap time is over so Christmas will have to wait =)

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2008-12-13T23:41:00.003-05:00

I have a rolly polly! He rolled from his back to his belly tonight. See my last post and you will know I knew it was going to be any time. Just did not think tonight was it. Jeremy and I were putting lights on the family room tree and Nathan was having no part of going to sleep so we put him on the floor to watch us. He has been fairly gassy so it wasnt a shock when he let out a "bubble" but it did catch our attention because it was so loud. We look over at him and as he is farting, he rolled over. Guess he needed a little propulsion. LOL He went from back to tummy to back a couple times while we finished. He looked so proud of himself. Once I got the video camera out, all bets were off though. I'll catch it one day.

Looks like tomorrow will be baby book catch up. I dont think I have put in anything for close to two months. bad mommy!

a new day

2008-12-13T13:35:00.002-05:00

Been MIA for a little while. We had a computer virus that was smart enough to disable the anti-virus we installed then it disabled mozilla. Tricky little punk. As our computer was purchased right after I graduated college in '99, it was past its prime. We have been waiting for it to self destruct for some time now. So, off to computer shopping we went. We finally decided on an iMac. My last apple was an Apple 2E which I received in 4th grade. Along with a dot matrix printer... I used both until I graduated high school but used is relative. DOS and I were not BFF. Anyway, we had heard such great things about Macs so we took the plunge. I think we are going to be very happy with the decision. We are still getting used to it but so far, so good.

We are still working with Nathan to get the whole sleeping thing down. He will usually stay asleep but the getting there is not so great. He is fussing to himself as I type. I wont let him scream but a little protest in ok for now. Nonna (his grandmother) has been holding him for naps the past couple weeks and now we have to deal with the fall out. What can you do though? We'll work at it. I have lots of time now.

Yep, I will be with him for every nap for the foreseeable future. On Wednesday, my company downsized my job. Thats a nice way of saying I eliminated my own position. There was not enough money to pay me and what money was there was better used for other things. The company will not be around much longer which is really sad. The owner is a great guy and he builds exceptional homes. He/we were just victims of the market. I felt badly walking away but not knowing about pay from week to week was getting to be too much and I had to know what to do with Nathan. I knew he was too nice to eliminate my position so I did it myself. I cant stay home with Nathan forever but until I can find a new job that pays me enough to put him in daycare, I am going to enjoy every minute.

Nathan has started to try to roll over. He can go from belly to back and about 90% back to belly. Stupid elbow keeps getting in the way =) He will have this down in no time though. He has also been babbling up a storm. He was chatting it up with folks in Target this week. Adorable.

Dad and his gang are coming next weekend. They are even spending the night. Who could have seen that coming?? Heather is excited to help with his bath. Hopefully he doesnt try to pee on her. LOL

I have some pictures of our trees once I figure out iPhoto. Yes, treeS. I am an Edwards after all. Its just what we do. Jeremy's grandparents gave us their "Jeremy tree". Its about 8" and super skinny. You get the drift. It is in the front living room. Yesterday Cheryl and I went to get a real tree for the living room by the fireplace. Jeremy was a little Scroogy about it but I made an executive decision and we have a real tree. We'll work on decorating it tonight. Eventually I would like the Jeremy tree to be the Nathan tree and hang his school/homemade ornaments on it.

Off to organize the house a little bit. Since we are hosting the family Christmas, I feel a little guilty if things arent in better order and a little more decorated.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T21:27:00.004-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for. This year we have been blessed with a home of our own, so many new friends, the ability to forget "the year in Augusta", and welcomed and amazing child. He is happy and healthy. I couldn't hope for more. In my reflections on what to be thankful for last week, I thought about how blessed we are to have such great families. Seriously, my MIL took 6 weeks off of work to be here with Nathan so he wouldnt have to go to daycare so young. Its been an adjustment having her live with us but its been amazing for all of us.

Then I got thinking about dad. Yes, the eternal debate lived on. However, I ended it. I decided that it took for more energy for me to remain hurt and angry than it does for me to move on. So I called and told him about Nathan. I knew in order to move on, I had to have closure on either being angry or on him all together. Looks like it will be closing the door on being hurt and angry. He was so excited. Heather was over the moon. It still remains to be seen how much or if he really changes (meaning him picking up a phone or showing genuine interest on his own) but it doesnt matter. I know I am not the only one with a difficult parent. After talking to a good friend about the whole thing, I feel much less alone. She has to call her mother or she would never speak to her. She reminded me that sometimes the kids have to be the grown ups and just suck it up. So I am. I will call him once a week and update about Nathan. Maybe one day he will ask how things are with me but if not, its ok. As long as he loves Nathan, I am ok.

On with the pictures!
We spent turkey day in St Pete with my family. Grandparents put on a big table with formal setting and the whole shebang. My uncle and cousin surprised us by showing up then my other cousin showed up. One more would have been great but we wont mention any names. ahem, Emily, ahem Alyssa and I used to put black olives on our fingers as kids so we had to teach her daughter, Kira, how to do it too. She wasn't allowed to run around like we did though. We got to break in the white carpet back in the day =) Good times.Nathan wore his madras jacket. He was so stinking cute. The undershirt is an oxford and it was a little big so it looks like an ascot. I promise it isnt though =)While we were there, I made Nathan's stocking. The whole family has them. My mom still uses hers from when she was a kid. Ours are all glued on the front but I am tired of fixing mine so I sewed Nathan's. Mom had stitched the sides to the back but I did all the rest. Mighty fine needlework if I do say so myself. Our 3 stockings look so good over the fireplace.Saturday on the way home, we met dad, Kelly and Heather for dinner. Kelly is my step-mother for those of you without a family tree handy. Heather could not get enough of Nathan. Dad took right too him and cuddled for a long time. It was nice to see. He is all excited about building cars and getting him greasy. Tricycles first dad! Who am I kidding, I had a motorcycle at 4 (it was a real one but had training wheels, so cute), go cart around that time and a 3 wheeler at 5. Oy, makes a momma's head hurt. Maybe remote control things will come first.
This last one is just for fun. What a happy baby! I am amazed and thankful daily.

We have laughter!

2008-11-25T12:39:00.002-05:00

Best. Sound. Ever! MIL was playing with Nathan before dinner last night and he just started cracking up. He has been giving little half giggles for a couple weeks. More like squeals. But this, this was laughter. I grabbed the video camera but he didnt give the same effort. I will keep trying to catch it.

He has definitely found his own voice. He has started to babble non-stop and tell the best stories. Its a riot.

Sleeping is ok but not great. Once he goes down, no problem. But the getting him down part is frustrating. He settles down once the swaddle goes on then we lay him down. He sleeps for 15-30 minutes and is back up crying. Of course I go get him and he acts hungry. I let him eat and he goes back to sleep. We do this usually twice then he stays down for the night around 9. I feel like he isnt really eating but just wants the comforting part. Methinks crying it out is in our future so he learns how to go down alone. Naps arent much better. I think I will hide in the shower until the crying stops so I cant hear it.

Senor fuzzy head

2008-11-20T15:20:00.005-05:00

OK, I know I shouldn't call my child such names but with a picture like this, it just seems alright.

We went to Sears last night after being lured by a coupon. Donnie got Nathan this little outfit so we needed to try to get some pics of him for Papa. It cracks Jeremy and me up b/c Donnie wears ties for "marryin' and buryin'" yet Nathan needed one. Apparently he thought it looked like something Jeremy would wear and Nathan needed to be just like his daddy. I would have paid money to see my self proclaimed redneck FIL shopping for this outfit. So cute and so sweet. Anyway, thats why we went. Since we were there and they do 6 poses, we decided to get some Christmas ones done. Its not the best picture in the world but hey, its us! I hate that Im not wearing my wedding ring and totally meant to cover that hand but Nathan was wanting to chew his hands so I had to basically hold him down. Oh well. They will fit again soon, right?

Here is the happy baby we know and love. And no, I had no intention of putting shoes on him. Winter or not! He wears socks most of the time but I just love his little toes and how he curls them up. And I swear, they are pants, not shorts.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. I know this one will be amazing for us and our little family. I wish we could see more friends during this time though. Nathan has so many aunts and uncles that will be such wonderful influences in his life and I am sad that we arent around them as much as we would like. Be on the lookout for ringing phones and a cooing baby!

I love my detergent

2008-11-12T10:21:00.002-05:00

With cloth diapers in the house, I had to find a special detergent for them. Most of the common detergents have things which leave a residue on clothes. If that happens with CDs, things repel and thats not such a good thing. In looking, I found Crunchy Clean. It has none of the yucky chemicals and is all earth friendly. And let me tell you, the scents are wonderful! She sells both cloth diaper and regular detergents. I have been using them for about 5 months. I'm still on my original order of the regular kind! Ok, thats a fib. I also tried about 4 different sample scents along the way. But still, this stuff goes a long way and is cheaper per load than what I used to use.
I have gotten my mother in law, mom and Jeremy's aunt all hooked on it. So, if you are interested in finding a new detergent, check out this site which is featuring CC this week. I link you here instead of CC directly because there is a 5% discount code this week. I know it isn't much but it might be enough to entice someone to try it. http://www.mysentimentexactlee.com/

My baby is 3 months old

2008-11-11T21:49:00.002-05:00

How did that happen? Crazy.
Today he had his 3 month appt for shots. He got HIB and Pc. I am very happy to be on the 2 shot at a time plan. He did fine with them but the longer the day went, he started to get fussy.
Stats: 12 lbs, 4 oz and 25 1/2". That is up 1 Lb 5oz and an inch and a half in one month. Thats a lot of length in a month. He better start slowing down or we will have to find a seamstress soon!

After his appt, we went to the Alligator Farm. Had a really nice day. He slept most of the time. I'll post pics later.

For those following my milk issues, I am happy to report that things are improving. My supply isnt where is was but it is definitely better than it has been. I am taking A LOT of pills though and pumping tons. In fact, Im pumping now =) Yep, Im flashing the screen hahaha Its worth it though. I have been really sad facing the possibility of not being able to nurse. Thanks to those that have been there with an ear and an encouraging word.

Things with work are, well, notsogood. Details to come as things progress. Keep sending happy thoughts.

::off to snuggle with my little man while he'll still let me::

Couple of firsts

2008-11-05T22:23:00.004-05:00

I know Im behind a couple weeks. With work being what it is lately and dealing with my decreasing milk supply, blogging has been the last thing on my mind. Anyway, here are some of Nathan's firsts over the past 2 weeks.

Just before he turned 10 weeks, he got his first real bubble bath. We usually bathe him in his little tub and he likes it just fine. But he was especially fussy this day and we thought a little more movement in the water might calm him. It sure did! He loved to kick and splash.
Later that week was his first Halloween parties. First was at the Laird's. At first he wore a funny outfit from his Nonna. Don't mind the old man pants. I swear I didn't realize I had them pulled up that far. Poor kid.

Then he turned into a cuddly pumpkin. It was a little chilly so the comfy sleeper worked out well. Last but not least was his first FL/GA game. In our house we pull for Ga Tech and anyone playing UGA =) His Aunt Pammy is also a HUGE UF fan so she made sure he was well dressed.

What should I be?

2008-11-04T15:31:00.003-05:00

No, not for Halloween! What should I do for a job? I love working for my boss but being in this market, one never knows what might happen. So, I have to keep my resume spiffed and mind open. Problem is, I dont know what I want to be when I grow up. I have a degree in Exercise Science but dont want to do research. Minor in Business but what the hell does that mean? I like learning but cant afford to be a perpetual student. Going back to school is a possibility though.

So I leave it up to you to give me some suggestions. What do you see me as? Any personality traits I need to use to my advantage? Help me out here =)

Pics from St Pete

2008-11-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from our trip to St Pete last month. I cant believe its been almost 4 weeks already!

While there, my grandfather loved on him. G-pa only has one eye and it has more bad days than good ones lately. So he had to stay inside for a couple days just to be able to focus on Nathan when we got there. I guess the sun makes things worse and he is an outside kind of guy! He just drank Nathan up. So cute. And I found out that at one point, his middle name was Andrew as well. Long story but he never had a middle name so he took Andrew after an uncle then dropped it when the uncle went wonky. You learn all sort of things talking to grandparents. Nathan also got to meet his Aunt Tracey. He got a little comfy on her and spit up breakfast. Its a sign of love! Here are T and Buddy.

While we were unpacking, Nathan got his first piggyback ride on Jeremy's shoulders. I don't think he knew quite what to make of it.

First time sick =(

2008-10-16T11:01:00.002-04:00

Nathan is sick. He has been congested in his nose for a few weeks but thats pretty normal. We use saline drops and the dreaded brain sucker and all seems to be well. Then Monday he got this terrible cough. I could hear it rattling and feel it in his back. Went to the pedi Tuesday and she said his lungs are clear but its better to nip it in the bud now than deal with it once it gets down in there. So, we have a handy dandy panda bear nebulizer that we use with saline to help break things up. Im glad we aren't having to give him medicine just yet! Saline doesnt count =) It doesnt appear to bother him much but I hate it for him that he's sick.

And to make it better, my cough is back. Yuck! Maybe I will breathe over his shoulder while Im giving him his nebulizer and see if it doesnt help me too.

Tonight is our NFP (natural family planning) class with Heather. I dont want to do back on the pill and I had pretty clear signs before so I feel pretty good about it. It will be nice to see Heather again too.

back to work

2008-10-13T14:22:00.002-04:00

I came back to work today. its only part time this week but Im back. I miss Nathan. I pumped under my desk (blinds are not in yet and see previous posts about people opening my door) and realized how much I love nursing him. Its our quiet time together when nothing else in the world matters. le sigh what can you do? Maybe my FIL will win the lotto this weekend and I can quit. A girl can dream right?

So they have not reconciled our check book here since I did it in July. You cannot imagine the PITA it is to fix what they messed up. How hard is it to write a check and write it down. ::pulling hair out:: I have been working on this for over an hour when it usually takes me all of 10 minutes. ::chanting "Paycheck" over and over::

I cant wait to get home and have a little boy try to chew on my nose when I kiss him.

In other news...
We spent the weekend with my family in St Pete. It was a really nice visit. My grandfather looked so blissful holding Nathan. I have so many fond memories with him so Im glad I am able to see him with my baby. Makes me miss Grandma Kay even more but I know she met Nathan before I did.

TMI but his poops are back to brown. Wahooo but they stink to high heaven. Boooooo I dont know what happened but Saturday after we got back from breakfast with Tracey, he went and it stunk. damnit man. This wasnt supposed to happen until he got on solids right? I dont think he got the memo.

Jeremy and I had a great date night for our anniversary. We went to the Columbia at the Pier in St Pete. We will definitely be going to the one in St Augustine. Such a great meal overlooking the water. Took our time and relaxed while mom had Nathan. I didn't even call to check in =)

We also bought a video camera so be on the lookout for snippets of our life. Got a Sony hard drive camera. Im excited to not have to mess with tapes or disks. Seems pretty easy for now.

Back to this stupid reconciliation.

2 month check up

2008-10-07T16:55:00.002-04:00

Nathan had his 2 month visit today. We really like the new pedi. The old ones were great too but this is just so convenient and she is wonderful.
He was 10 pounds 15 oz and 24". Thats up 8oz and 1 inch in a week and a half. Still 50th percentile for weight but now 90th for height. Go figure!

We are doing an alternate vax schedule (Dr Sears) so today he got DTaP and Rotovirus. The nurse said all the kids so far have either vomited, spit, etc the roto but he took it down just great. I had just fed him so i kind of expected something but he was wonderful. He only fussed for about 15 seconds with the injection too. Here's hoping next month goes as well.

She told me to wait longer to feed him at night too. I've been getting about 4 hours once we go to bed but then its every 2 hours the rest of the night. Its my fault though b/c I get him up to eat before he actually wakes up so he doesnt get fussy and bother Jeremy too much. I just hear him grunting with gas or smacking his lips and get him up. Then he doesnt end up eating well and falls asleep nursing. This could mean he is getting more foremilk and less hindmilk and could be leading to the green poop. We'll see how it goes. Jeremy is a light sleeper so I expect crankiness from him for a while. haha

We are so blessed

2008-10-06T13:41:00.002-04:00

My group of girlfriends follow several blogs of families that none of us know. They are sad and tragic stories of lung transplants/premie baby, losing a mother the day after her baby was born for no preventable reason, the loss of one triplet and others. Today, Kerrie posted about a baby who will be born tomorrow but will likely not live more than a few moments. I sobbed as I read the posts. I cannot even imagine.

I went into Nathan's room and cried over him as he was napping in his crib. I know that each cry, fuss, and dirty diaper is such a blessing. This family would give anything to have a "rough night" or poop in a just changed diaper or a load of baby laundry to do. They would do anything to have teething difficulties. It reminds me how lucky we are to have a healthy baby. When he cries, I know his lungs work. When he poops, I know his tummy is working. When he teethes, I will know he is growing up.

I pray daily that God continues to bless us with health and happiness for our little boy. I also pray that He blesses these families with the strength they need to face each new day.

Makes a momma's heart melt

2008-10-02T16:26:00.003-04:00

We have been getting so many more smiles lately but they are hard to get on camera. Got this one last night after bath time. le sigh...

I just love a clean baby. All wrapped up and cuddly.

Took a big step today

2008-09-30T18:31:00.003-04:00

So most of you know about my struggle about dealing with my dad. I havent talked to him in over a year and Im not sure why. It just seems to be the way it goes with him. There are times I feel like I should be the bigger person and just call but then I get pissed off that Im always the one to call. Its been like this for years. The only time he called me was when I kept my sister for a week.

Anyway, he does not know about Nathan. Or even that I was pregnant. I struggle with this decision daily. I also struggle with not having told the rest of that side of my family. So today, I called my favorite aunt from my childhood and told her and caught up for a few minutes. Im glad I did. She said to just join the club of Neil being a schmuck. I think she is a founding member since she had to grow up with him! Regardless, Im glad I can share this part of my life with her.

Who knows, maybe I will step up and be the bigger person one day and call him. If he would just make one shred of effort, I would return it 10 fold. I guess that is putting a condition on love though. I just would hate to tell him and him not be excited or make any effort to be a part of Nathan's life. It would be the biggest slap in the face and how would I ever explain that to Nathan? So, I keep hiding from the possibility.

clean vs dirty

2008-09-30T11:58:00.002-04:00

I vote that babies know clean from dirty. For instance, a brand new clean diaper is the only thing suitable to poop in. In fact, it has to be so fresh that it doesn't actually make it off the changing table. One that has been on for an hour is certainly too "used" to add more to.

A clean set of jammies is in dire need of spit up of course. The outfit they have been in all day is not good enough. Bonus points for getting it freshly washed hair.

And my favorite from today: clean sheets, clean momma. I stayed up when he woke up at 5:30 this morning and got my shower while he went back to sleep. I had just changed the sheets last night. I crawled back in bed and snuggled him next to me. When he woke up, I thought I would try nursing laying down. It wasnt as easy as I hoped but we got it. I dozed off. It was great. Then I wake up to him moaning/grunting. He's pretty gassy so I thought he was working on that and its not usually a big deal. Next up was about an ounce of freshly ingested milk. All over me, the bed, him. Note to self Nathan, dont poop and eat at the same time or you will wear it on both ends!

I got pics working from home!

2008-09-29T13:29:00.004-04:00

I went to the store Saturday evening and left the boys home alone. This is what I came home to. How stinkin' sweet is this?

Nathan rolled over again on Saturday and I had the camera ready. Here is the series from tummy time to WTH just happened?? This was his first time in a Happy Hieney. This is the only way my boy is going to have a butt. LOL

You can see the rest of his diapers in the background just waiting to be stuffed.

Im not quite sure what changed between these last 2 pics. Happy to crying in 2 seconds flat.

Now that I have had a mental victory over Kodak and their evil software, I will be posting more pictures with my updates.

getting it off my chest

2008-09-26T14:40:00.002-04:00

This is a post for me to get a thought out of my brain and just "say" it out loud. I know it will seem silly. I feel badly even thinking about it but the thought is there so before I can let it go, I have to acknowledge it, right? So, here goes.

I am a little sad I didnt have a water birth. Dont get me wrong, I loved my birth experience. But, a part of me really wanted the water birth. I dont know why or what would be different but its something I think about. I loved laboring in the water and just wanted the whole experience of it. Deep down, I know it was best for me to have delivered in the bed since his shoulders were hard to deliver. We would have been under a little more pressure to get him out quickly in the water and moving to the bed with his head out would have been a crazy process. So, I know things went the way they were supposed to, but... Again, I know its silly. I have an amazing baby and 99% had the birth I wanted. Its not like I had to transfer for an emergency C or anything so I dont know why I even think about it. Bah. OK, off my chest.

On a side note, what a completely different week from one year ago. Today, I woke up to a gummy smile and eventually green poop from a happy baby. Beats the bleeding and negative pregnancy test from a year ago today. I dont know why I even thought about it. Just sort of dawned on me yesterday. Time heals all things. =)

back from pedi...

2008-09-26T13:42:00.002-04:00

so he has been pooping non-stop since last night. Then this morning it turned from yellow and seedy to green and slimy. I called the new pedi and she got me right in. She doesnt think anything is wrong with him but Im glad we went all the same. Its been a couple hours since his last poo so hopefully its all out of his system.

I think we did the scale wrong yesterday because today on the digital scale at the pedi (we used the slider scale at the birth center) he was 10 pounds 7oz. I dont think he gained a pound overnight with all the pooping he did. 10 7 makes me feel a lot better about his weight gain and feeding. I know the 9.5 was fine but this makes me know for sure he's getting enough and growing strong.

He's napping now so mommy is off to find food herself!

He rolled over!

2008-09-26T11:02:00.002-04:00

OK, So I know it wasn't the real roll over milestone but I cant believe he rolled over. I put him down for tummy time so I could email a couple friends. He usually is fine for about 5 minutes then he fusses. I turned my back and about 2 minutes later he was crying. I turn around and he is on his back. Im sure he surprised himself. I wish I could have seen it though. I know the next time wont be for a long while yet. =(

He hit his 6 week growth spurt this week too. That means feedings have been non-stop. Gone form one side for 10 minutes every 3 hours to 15+ minutes on one side and 10+ on the other every 1 1/2 hours. Still sleeping at night ok for 3 hours but the day time is rough. no more 2 hour naps this week. Growing is good though! I weighed him yesterday at my 6 week check up and he was 9 1/2 pounds. Just about a pound in the last month. Seems like thats ok. His next pedi visit is 10/7 so we'll weigh again then.

The best thing this week has been his smiles. He has been smiling at us hit or miss the last couple of weeks but this week has really been great. He is really reacting to us and the tone in our voices. I cant wait to hear his laugh. We are getting the coos now but a real laugh will be so wonderful to hear.

We also started his "big boy diapers" this week. He has been in the kissaluvs which are for the newborn period. They have been great. No leaks, no blowouts up the back, no diaper rash. I cant complain. His little legs have been too skinny for the bumGenius though. Well this week, I thought I would give it another chance and they fit. I have to really wrap it around his waist still but they didnt leak when he had a major poo. Good sign! I also had him in one over night and it didnt leak. I really stuffed it good but still. It made the night nursings so much easier. He barely woke up to nurse. I will start phasing all of his new dipes in so I can figure out which brand I like before he outgrows the kissaluvs.

Started walking this week too since the weather has been so nice. I sling him and out we go. I have 8 1/2 pounds to go so hopefully this will help some. I would love to be under my pre-pregnancy weight anyway so I need to exercise more regardless. Im glad he likes his sling.

Outings

2008-09-13T10:03:00.005-04:00

As of this week, I have officially had enough of being in the house. We have nursing down and I have become much more efficient at using the Hooter Hider. So, there is no reason not to get some fresh air!

Monday was book club. 4 weeks from the last one and from when I went into labor. Only seemed fitting. It was great to see the girls and Nathan was mellow. Dont ask me what the book was =)

On Wednesday, we went to lunch with Theresa and Jessica then hung out while they worked on crafty stuff. Lord knows I do not need to help with putting labels on straight. Attention to crafty details is not my strong suit to say the least. He missed one of his naps but did great.
Jess took this while Theresa was holding him. Those eyes!

Yesterday, we had a long day out. Jeremy had a lunch time hair cut so we met him for lunch then went to the mall with him. I nursed at Cracker Barrel, at the hair place then later in Belk. Yay Hooter Hider haha Anyway, he did great while Jeremy go his hair cut and I pushed my luck and got mine cut too. He was a champ! Fell dead to the world as soon as the hair dryer turned on. Good to know! The hair dresser was so impressed with how good he was. He just watched the whole time. After that, we walked around more and found some frames for his newborn pics. He fell asleep after I nursed him and stayed asleep through moving from the stroller to the car, car ride home, shopping at Publix and then about 30 minutes after we got home. My boy can sleep!!

Today we are expecting his grandparents and great grandparents for the weekend. While it might be a little hectic, I am so glad he will get to know his extended family.

I have more pictures to share and if he takes another super nap, I can work on it from home. Stupid computer! Otherwise, I will run up to my office this week to upload and post.

Proof that babies learn in utero

2008-09-08T12:37:00.002-04:00

We are always telling ChaCha to "Go Potty" when we take her off her cage and about every 15 minutes while we have her on us. Its easier to catch it on a napkin than find it on us later. Jeremy and I joked that Nathan's first words would be Go Potty since he will hear it all the time. Well, today I was holding Nathan and picked ChaCha up (trying to get her used to him) and told her to go potty. Right then, Nathan unloaded in his diaper. I couldnt help but laugh. I know it was total coincidence but that gummy little smile told me he knew he did something funny.

news from the last week..long

2008-08-30T15:16:00.005-04:00

Since the 24th, Nathan has been nursing like a rock star. Just about every 2 hours with a 4 hour one thrown in for good measure. It wasnt all that, um, comfortable, in the beginning and I got a blood blister on my right nipple. If you have the chance to experience that, skip it. I toughed it out though and it got better. He is really getting better with his tongue so I thought it was just a learning curve.

Let me back up. When we first went to the LC (Lactation Consultant) at 6 days for him not latching, she thought he might have a minor posterior tongue tie. He wasnt able to put his tongue to the roof of his mouth or even stick it out to his lips. There was a possibility we would have to go to an ENT to talk about having it clipped if he kept showing interest but wasn't latching. I had started to pump at day 2 just to get him what colostrum I could and protect my milk supply once it came in. We had to use formula for 2 days until I could pump what he needed at each feeding. During that time, we used a syringe to feed him then moved to attaching a tube to it, feeding it next to a finger in his mouth and encouraging him to suck enough to pull the milk down. This was every 1 1/2 to 2 hours round the clock. Jeremy would feed and I would pump. Fast forward to now: he can stick his tongue out just fine and moved it where he should when prompted.

I had a really hard time with pumping and not being able to get the bonding time of feeding him. Hormones did not help the matter. It was very important to me to do everything I could to make it work as long as he was in good shape in the mean time. Using formula for even 2 days really upset me. I know it was necessary and I got over it but I will admit to being very down about it. But, the night after I had a pretty good breakdown, he figured it out. Pushing me to the edge already. =)

Back to the original train of thought...Then, Thursday, it happened again and I couldnt handle it. I called the LC at 9:30 at night b/c I couldnt handle the thought of nursing him on the right side and the left side was headed in that direction. She told me it was ok to just nurse from the left and pump the right and to use the Adiri bottle if we needed to just to make it through the night. We go in to see her the next day and she worked with the latch. Much better now! He is back up over his birth weight too which makes a momma so happy. He gained almost a pound in the 6 days since he started nursing! chunky thighs, he we come =)

If you are nursing, do not make the mistake of not asking for help. I learned this lesson from my friend Kristin and Im glad I listened. Its not something that just magically makes sense to most people so you have to work at it in the beginning. Doesn't mean it wont ever work!

What else.... he discovered this thumb and that it can be sucked. SO cute. I have a picture but cant upload it until I run up to my office. I hate my computer....

He's sleeping in about 3 hour blocks at night which is great. Those I can handle.
The cloth diapers are going great. He used to get really upset when he peed and stay upset until we changed him. As soon as we made the switch to cloth, he only fusses as he pees then settles right down. I started experimenting with the bigger dipes but I think they are still too big around the thighs.

Jeremy is great with him. From the start, he has changed diapers and was amazing when we had to do the finger feeder. Only once, at 2 day at 2am, did he ask if we couldnt just "fill him full of formula and get some sleep". I just took Nathan, figured out how to feed him myself, and he slept on my chest on the couch. I know it was just the lack of sleep talking and he has never been less than 100% supportive since.

I think that about catches us up. Now that Jeremy is back to work and I am figuring out how to make it work with Nathan alone, I think I can give more frequent updates.

Breakthrough!!!!

2008-08-24T20:26:00.002-04:00

He nursed today!!!!!! wahooo. He nursed Friday at the Pedi's office then seemed to forget everything he knew. Then, today he nursed like a champ. I feel like I have dropped off the face of the earth but with pumping, feeding him with a syringe and tube, and trying to nurse its just been a lot. If he can keep the nursing up, I will be back in the game in no time!

Thanks for all the good thoughts while we have been struggling with this challenge.

As an aside, I have a great non-hormonal birth control method that I would be happy to share. What is this miracle product you might ask? My birth photos of course! Up close and personal with a minute by minute account of him emerging. Heather was not afraid of the zoom either =) There are some amazing pictures of right after the birth that I am so thankful for. I just wasnt ready to see myself in that condition. So, if you have a 15 yr old niece that you need to help understand the consequences of her actions, let me know and I can email the slide show. yowza is all I have to say! hahaha

Nathan's Birth Story

2008-08-23T18:49:00.002-04:00

Monday the 11^th, his due date, I started to lose my mucus plug around lunch time. By dinner time, I had lost more. After coming home from book club, I started to have bloody show. Got a little excited but after 2 weeks of timable BH, I thought it was just another tease. Went to bed around 11 and woke up about 1:30 with 8 min. ctx. Same old, same old. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up at 2:15 and started writing the last of my thank you notes. I hopped online and started chatting with our doula, Heather, on gmail. Told her what was happening and she told me to go to bed. I did around 3. At 4, the ctx moved from 8 minutes to 5 minutes and were much more intense. Started hurting in my back too. I kept getting up to go to the bathroom since I felt like I had to go so badly.

At 6:30am, we called Heather to let her know we thought this was real. There was no reason for her to come at that point so we agreed to call the BC at 8 and page the on-call MW to give her a heads up. I labored in bed on my side in between feeling the need to sit on the toilet. Jeremy made me breakfast but I couldn’t sit down to eat it. So, I ate while on the toilet. It was the only comfortable seat. Heather kept calling to check in but we told her there was no need to come just yet.

Jeremy was a rock-star coach. He was right there with me and offered water every 3 ctx. He got out the child birth class book and read about different labor positions helping different feelings and had me moving around to try them. I wasn’t sure I could walk but he was right there to encourage me and help me. Walking circles in the living room and using him to lean on and hang off turned out to be great.

At 11:30, we called Heather to ask about the tub at home or other positions and to see if she would start making her way here. I told her the pain left my back but was super intense in my butt. She said she was just chatting about us with the MW and that why don’t we call here and meet them at the BC. WHAT?????? I didn’t think I was that far along. So, we called the MW and told her. She listened to a couple ctx and had us come in. We scrambled to pack the cooler and load the car. Its hard to do 2-3 minutes at a time. We made the first round of calls to family too.

I rode in the car kneeling in the back seat hugging the front passenger seat. We got to the BC around 12:30. I was checked and was 8-9 with a bulging bag. SO glad to hear that. I was afraid she was going to say 4 or something. I don’t even remember stripping my clothes and getting into the tub. It felt amazing. They poured water over my belly the whole time and it helped relax me so much. Around 1:30, MW checked me again and she felt like I was fully dilated. She broke my water and discovered I had a small lip left. After another little while, I could not get comfortable. That is a relative term in labor but I was flinging myself about in the tub just to try some other position. It was like I lost my mind or something. (the next day, my head hurt. Apparently I smacked it on the wall during a flinging fit) They had me get out of the tub and sit on the toilet backwards hugging a couple pillows. Felt good. I had them squeeze my hips and that was wonderful. Jeremy and Heather actually had to team up b/c I wanted so much pressure. I ended up starting to push on the toilet. After a few minutes, Heather asked what I was feeling and I told her it was burning (ring of fire in hind sight for me). She told the MW and into the bed I went. I was hoping for a water birth but I was not pushing well in the tub when we tried before.

I pushed for 48 minutes. I know I kept asking how much longer she thought it would be. I was so afraid it would be a couple hours. Pushing is hard work. Jeremy was right there in the bed with me and encouraging me with every push. There was no counting and I was able to hold my own legs. I don’t think I would have liked someone else to be pushing my legs back. At the very end, I actually didn’t even hold them but used Jeremy as leverage on one side and gripped the bed with the other. His head took a while to come out. Then Sharon had a hard time with his shoulders and thought they might be stuck. She had me push w/o ctx and that sucked. It was so hard to do. I remember asking her to just pull him out and DH said that is pretty much what it looked like she was doing. She ended up being able to get him out and I pulled him to my belly. There was a ridiculous gush of water with him. Soaked the bed. And when I say soaked, I mean soaked. I had so much water weight, it wasn’t even funny.

He was 8 pounds, 8 oz; 22 ¼” long; 13 ¾” head and 14 ¼” chest. I needed no stitches although I did tear in a couple places. I thought my urethra would be split in two, I will be honest.

Delivering the placenta was not so fun. I wasn’t feeling the heavy ctx anymore and all I wanted to do was look at my baby. Got it out though and then started bleeding. They had to give a shot of pitocin and “massage” my uterus. Um, that sucks. I was crying. It was worse than labor and pushing. I was screaming. I care not to think about it. I ended up trying to pass out a couple times so I had to chug Gatorade as to avoid a transfer for an IV.

We left at 10pm, 6 hours after he was born. It was a truly amazing experience and Im glad I got the birth I planned for. I do remember thinking though that now I get the appeal of epidurals. I have never judged someone that chooses one but have not really understood it either. Now I get it. Having the majority of the pain taken away and being able to hold a conversation during labor could certainly have its high points. As would sleeping! But, I never once thought I cant do this or I want the drugs. I am proud of myself but more for being a mother than how it happened. It was a personal choice and not a cause for medal as some would claim.

Funny stuff: Jeremy says labor noises from me sounded like I was talking to the whales in Nemo. It was so primal. I wasn’t even thinking. It just felt right. During pushing, I went high and once told to keep it low, I did and it made a difference.

While I was pushing, Heather had the flashlight on my thigh instead of on my vagina. Sharon thought it was funny to make shadow puppets on my thigh. I heard them laughing and Sharon say that I would think it was funny once I wasn’t pushing. Once they told me later, I was cracking up. You don’t get that in a hospital!

I will post more later. He is well. Nursing is challenging but we are keeping at it. I cant believe Jeremy and I created this perfect little person. He is just amazing.

opening a closed door

2008-08-08T13:34:00.003-04:00

Why is the concept of knocking so hard? If a door is closed and you dont know 100% what is behind it, why wouldn't you knock? The mail man at my office does it to me all the time. UPS too. Now, I have a window right beside my door so you can clearly see if I am on the phone or in a meeting with a client. Who barges in?

My boss is on a call with a bank and a new sub just walked right into his office. No knocking, no pardon me, no nothing. Great way to make an impression you schmo. I had to go fish him out and into my office. While he was leaving, he did apologize for barging in. In typical Amy fashion, I explained that its probably best not to walk into either of our offices without knocking as the doors are generally shut for a reason. Then I explained that once I come back to work, I will be pumping and wouldn't want him to get an eye-full. (I will have blinds on my window by that point but I don't think it will stop anyone)

There is a therapist on my hall and I have overheard her clients do the same thing. Just barge right in on someone else's session. Clearly they know what is happening behind that door so why on earth would it make sense to just open it up 10 minutes before their session?

Has knocking gone the same direction as stopping at stop signs, using turn signals and letting people merge on the interstate?

39 weeks

2008-08-08T09:18:00.003-04:00

Had my check up yesterday as usual. Everything is still a-ok. I gained some weight but its all water. the alfalfa pills are helping I think but I cant expect a miracle :-) All my stats were fine. I was measured at 40 weeks. Its a 3cm jump from last time but she felt like it was mostly water and not a giant baby. He's still in good position, just not ready to make an appearance yet. I decided not to ask to be checked. It really wouldnt tell me anything and would only frustrate me one way or the other. I have known girls to have had no progress who deliver that day and others who were well on their way for several weeks. Im glad the birth center does not check as a matter of practice. its something I have to ask for. Which, I know prevented me from having it done. I would have just gone with it just to satisfy my curiosity if she had said she was going to check. That would have gotten me nowhere though...

I stayed home from work to rest. It felt really good. I wish I could just be done working but giving up the paycheck is hard. So, Im back today to do what I can. If I need to go home early, so be it. Im very blessed with an understanding boss.

Dubs and I walked last night after supper. Ctx got to 4 minutes while we were walking. Got uncomfortable but never painful. I knew better than to get excited. Once I got home and sat down, they stopped. Shocking right?

Lastly, since my troll has decided to make a reappearance, I have disabled the anonymous commenting. I don't think that will hurt any one's feelings since my friends are big kids and post with their names. If you would really like to post about the fat ugly cow again, kindly do so with your name. TYVM!

brain dump

2008-08-05T10:41:00.002-04:00

Its been a couple days and I need to just dump my brain. Ever get like that? Seems like every thing just backs up in there some times. This dump is in no particular order and may be long. Sorry.

~I am still having contractions but they are getting me no where. Last Thursday after my appt I came back to work and they stayed at 10 minutes for a long time. Then about 2pm they went to 7 minutes. That got my attention. I busted out so much work! I filed and entered items like, well, it was my job. My boss commented on how feverishly I was working. I thought that was my sick style of nesting and that he was coming that night. HA! Once I got home and the drama of the comments unfolded, everything stopped. Damnit.

Heather came over and we had a wonderful meeting. I really like her a lot and know she will be a great asset at the labor and birth. She's a smart lady! We had a great time just chatting. She answered some CD (cloth diaper) questions for me too.

Since then, the ctx have been fairly steady at 10 minutes. The more I relax, the more they come.
Double edged sword I guess. Trying to decide if I want to be checked at my appt this week since it looks like I will make it that far. Not like knowing Im dilating will tell me anything but I would love to know if there is anything going on. Chances are I will pass on the who-ha inspection but we'll see.

~Brett Favre. Seems like everyone is talking about him so why not me too? Let me first say that I am by no means the football guru. I pick fantasy players based on last names (I like the fun ones!). Granted, I have done well with this method but don't really know enough to "talk" football. That said, I have thoughts. I have lost so much respect for Favre. I have seen him as a great player and a great leader. But now, I feel like he has his head up his ass so far he can't see what he is doing. Have some pride man! Make a decision and go with it. You wanted to retire and you went out on top. Now you look like a fool. How stupid to play 1-2 yrs for a team other than the Packers??? You have taken the team's focus from where it should be and you should be ashamed. Jeremy hopes you break your leg in the first game back. I won't go that far b/c I know karma is a nasty bitch but Im awfully close to it.

~I cannot get into racing lately. The races are sucking and I can't get over it. Indy... we wont even go there. Even Montreal was bad. I get testing rain tires. But on a road course? What, 1/3 of the race was actually ran? Cautions and early checkers are not what fans wanted to see. BORING! I couldn't even get into Pocono. Not looking forward to a road course this weekend either. Michigan has potential but really, Im holding out hope that Bristol grabs my attention. I need a good fight or something. It will be one of Nathan's first races and is of course, my favorite track. Thunder Valley can't let me down!

~To update the breastfeeding fiasco: She told our MW about it who in turn posted her letter on BF message boards. It spread like wild fire and got back to the local news station. They interviewed my friend for a story for Breastfeeding Awareness Week. In the process, she learned of another woman who was harassed by the same man in the same park about a week before. She stood up to him and quoted law but he, get this, shut down the water portion for 30 minutes while she finished feeding her child!! She was no where near the water. Its not like he cleaned or sanitized the area or anything. Just made everyone get out to prove he could. What a jackass. The city's response was they were sorry for his actions and he must have misunderstood the rules. He will be educated on state law. I dont think thats good enough. I think he owes both women an apology and needs to have extensive training on customer service and breast feeding. Seriously, ignorance is one thing but to lecture women about the HIV transfer from BF is ludicrous. If you dont have the knowledge to do your job, ask for resources. Dont be an ass about it.

~Friends... I have been reflecting a lot lately on family. Family that we are born to and family that we choose. I am very fortunate to have some amazing friends that are in my chosen family. I may be an only child and Jeremy only has one brother but Nathan will not be short on aunts and uncles. I look back at Orlando and Augusta and realize I/we didnt have any real friends there. We had lots of acquaintances and friends from our pasts, but nothing more than that. I think thats why we were so unhappy. Over the past few days, we have been trying to spend as much time with friends as we can before Nathan comes. We know we wont be able to have this time back and want to savor it. We had a great meal with Nancy, Brian and Quinn this weekend. It was nice to just sit for a couple hours and chat. With some people, it feels like work to sit for that long but it never does with these guys. We are all who we are and it works.

Then last night, Jeremy and I took pizza over to Michelle and Bill's beach house and had the best time. We just sat around in comfy clothes and talked for hours. Courtney even gave my belly a hug and kiss goodnight. I melted. Love that kid. This is another couple that I am always comfortable around. We dont have to get all gussied up and never feel the need to be who we arent. Sure, I have known Michelle since college but it wasn't until we moved that I really got to know her and Bill. I am SO thankful to have them as our friends. They are just the kind of people who are there for you if you need a beer or if you actually need something.

Dont get me wrong, I couldn't do without my long distance friends too (Pam and Tracey!) but I am grateful for the ones I have here too. I like that I have friends who put me in my place when I need it but also lift me up when needed. I realized the other day that this coming school year, Pam and I will have been friends for longer than we weren't. 10th grade seems so long ago but then, it seems like just a couple years ago. Funny how time works isn't it?

2008-07-31T12:10:00.002-04:00

Checkup went well. I really want Hope to be the MW on call when Nathan comes. I just feel like we click more than Sharon. Had a great chat with her this morning about when to call and what all happens during my stay. Told her I would pay for the big tub if there are 2 of us in labor =)

Still head down but not engaged. He's a little further down before but not all the way. had his hand by his head and pushed her away while she was feeling his head. We'll have to have a talk about moving that hand. Not so comfy for mommy to have him come out that way... All tests ok. Told her about the 10 minute apart BH and I had several while I was talking with her. She felt my belly and said its not BH. They are real ones! But, since they arent getting stronger or closer together, they may or may not mean anything. drats, foiled again! So they are "pre-labor" ctx. Whatever =)

We meet with Heather, the doula, tonight to discuss the impending activities. Set up the co-sleeper last night in our room. Not so sure how I am supposed to get out of bed with this thing right up next to me but we'll figure it out.

38 weeks and counting

2008-07-29T10:27:00.003-04:00

Had the car seat checked this morning. Passed =) She said she could tell I had done my homework. Well duh silly lady!

Last night I had time-able BH Contractions for over an hour. Right at 10 minutes apart. What does that mean you ask? A whole lotta nada. My uterus is practicing. Great then. Until he engages, its not going anywhere. I went to bed and woke up with ctx quite a few times but since I cant see the clock I have no idea if they were regular. They weren't real ones so I wasn't going to grab my glasses and look. Started visualizations of him dropping into position. My mind wanders so much though. I'm not sure how effective it will be. Cant hurt right?

Had a little mini melt down this morning while I was doing my hair. OK, get your laughing out now about me doing my hair. This is actually a style I can handle. She cut it much shorter in the back and I can make it look like she did. Anyway, back to my melt down. While I was putting the paste in my hands and in my hair (yes, I even used product!) it hit me again that I cant feel texture. I cant feel the paste on my hands to tell if I have washed it off. You know that slick feeling when all the soap isn't off? I can't feel that right now. So then I started thinking about touching Nathan's face and all when he is born and how I won't be able to feel how soft he is. Ok, my pinky can feel him. So I sat down on my bathroom floor and had a pitiful little cry/pout. I know there isn't anything I can do about it but it doesn't make it suck any less. I should be able to feel my baby and that won't happen for who knows how long. I chalked it up to hormones but it still sucks.

37 weeks

2008-07-24T16:06:00.003-04:00

These were taken Monday at 37 weeks. Had my check up today and nothing new to report. Still head down and not engaged. He flipped from being on my left side to being on my right though. That means nothing haha My tests are all normal. No protein in urine etc. I am up 5 pounds from last week though so I think I have to lay off the pizza! They noticed my feet for the first time this week too. Not bad enough to mean anything though. Group B Strep came back negative. wahoo, no IV for me!

I talked to Sharon about natural means of encouraging him to move along and she basically told me to suck it up. The carpal tunnel is "normal" and although I am numb all the time, it is not an indicator of permanent damage. Great. She just said that he will come when he is damn well ready and that if I am truly miserable, i have to consult with their back up OB for a pitocin induction in the hospital. Guess I just tough it out. I got a massage but it did not help. it wasn't even relaxing b/c she was working the muscles so deeply to get them to release.

Blood boiling

2008-07-22T12:38:00.004-04:00

A connection at work sent me this letter about her experience last weekend. She had a home birth with the birth center and we have talked a bit about breastfeeding and whatnot. I am outraged at this. I have taken her name out for her privacy. She was far nicer than I would have been! I encouraged her to send copies to LLL (La Leche League) and Healthy Moms Healthy Babies here in Jax. I would be all up in the newspaper too. What an asshat!!!!

July 20, 2008

City of Jacksonville
Parks Department
220 E Bay Street
Jacksonville Florida 32202

Re: Harassed for breastfeeding at a city park

Dear Director:

I am a 31-year-old mother of three who lives, works and plays in Jacksonville, Florida. I have chosen to breastfeed each of my children as I believe that the health and emotional benefits far outweigh any perceived inconvenience. My youngest child, S, is 5 months old. Family economics required that I return to work when she was only 2 months old. Although it has been challenging to continue to breastfeed while working full-time, it has been well worth every effort. The wonderful people that I work with have been flexible and understanding of my needs to express milk during the workday and to take an extended lunch hour in order to nurse S midday. I have accepted these challenges with open arms, unlike the unexpected challenge that I encountered yesterday at a city park.

On Saturday, July 19th, I took my 3 children for an outing to the Kids Kampus at Metropolitan Park. They were very excited to play in the water area. We arrived early in order to avoid most of the crowds. I had decided that my 2 older children would play in the water while myself and S watched them from the benches in the roped off area that was labeled “adult section.” This “adult section” of the water playground is separated from the water portion and provides a cool, dry place to sit and supervise.

Initially, S was sitting in her stroller, content to watch the children play. Eventually, she became restless and hungry. I discreetly nursed her. I am a modest person and can say with confidence that no-one saw any portion of my breast during this process. I covered myself very thoroughly with a towel. While nursing, I was approached by a young man who told me that S must remain in the stroller at all times unless she was wearing a “Little Swimmer” diaper. At this point, I was not willing to force S to quit nursing until she was finished or to leave my other 2 children unattended in order to nurse her elsewhere. Unwilling to argue with the young man, and knowing that S would soon be finished, I simply acknowledged the young man’s request and told him that we would not be getting in the water at all. As stated, S and I were not in contact with the water at all. Both of us were thoroughly dressed, not in swimwear, and sitting on a bench in the roped-off sitting section. It would be ridiculous for me to go to the expense of purchasing “Huggies Little Swimmers” diapers in order that I might hold my infant while sitting on a bench at the park. I find it somewhat amusing that the park employees seem to think that by requiring infants to wear the Huggies Little Swimmers brand of diapers they are somehow guaranteeing that no urine or feces will escape into the water.

S finished nursing within minutes of the young man approaching me, so I put her in her stroller as I had been asked. Although I adamantly disliked and disagreed with the rule, I didn’t feel at that point that it was worth conflicting over. I was then approached by another park employee, who I assumed was a manager, by the name of Tom Wright. Mr. Wright began to inform me that I could not breast-feed my daughter at this park due to the hazardous nature of breast milk as a bodily fluid. He informed me that I could be potentially exposing other children to disease while nursing my child. (As a reminder, I was not in the water or in contact with the water. I was sitting on a bench, covered with a towel while nursing, and not within 10 feet of anyone else.) I felt very humiliated as Mr. Wright also sought to educate me on the high rate of HIV transfer from a mother to an infant. I was speechless. Obviously, I cannot pass a disease onto other people who are around me by breastfeeding my infant. If this was the case, I suppose that breastfeeding mothers should be banned from all public areas at all times, whether in the process of nursing or not, due to the possibility of this hazardous substance leaking onto our shirts or some other ridiculous nonsense. How can Mr. Wright guarantee that a child who is drinking a bottle is not also drinking expressed breast milk in that bottle? In regards to Mr. Wright’s lecture regarding HIV transfer, I am not HIV positive and certainly would not be breastfeeding if I was. His information regarding HIV presence in breast-milk was irrelevant to the situation and something he had no business discussing with me.

There were several infants in the water, wearing “Little Swimmers” and playing with their parents. I doubt Mr. Wright has the time or ability to micromanage the possibility of one of these infants spitting up in the water or urinating. As a parent, I am aware of the fact that other children are in the water with my child and may be doing any number of things and yet I still choose to allow my children to play in the water. There is an inherit risk in all activities. The fact that I was breastfeeding on a bench posed no threat at all.

If this would have been the end of the matter, I probably would not be writing this letter. Mr. Wright was apparently not satisfied that I understood the severity of the situation. Later that morning, while my children and I were at the bike riding portion of the park, I was once again approached by Mr. Wright. I was not breastfeeding at the time. He brought to me an internet print-out regarding the high rate of HIV transfer between mothers and infants. He attempted to engage in a discussion regarding the hazardous nature of breast-milk and strongly urged me to read the article. I stopped him in mid-sentence and stated that I did not wish to discuss it with him and I also let him know that he had thoroughly embarrassed me. I do not understand what point he was trying to make. As stated, I do not have HIV. Even if I did, it still would be none of his business. I was highly annoyed that he had sought me out in a different area of the park in order to further harass me.

In conclusion, I felt harassed and embarrassed by Mr. Wright. He was overstepping his duties as a park employee in his attempts to educate me on a subject on which I am already thoroughly educated. As a tax paying citizen, I have the right to enjoy the parks our city has to offer. The city should take steps to ensure that their employees are properly informed regarding breastfeeding and the Florida law. The Florida law protects my right as a mother to breastfeed my infant anywhere. Increasing breastfeeding rates is an international, national and state health priority and should not be hindered by city employees like Mr. Wright who seek to discourage it.
CC: Councilman Daniel Davis
117 West Duval St., Suite 425
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Anyway, If this pisses you off as much as it does me, please post a comment so she knows she has some support. I am floored at the whole thing and hope she gets a response from the city.

Daycare: check!

2008-07-22T11:35:00.002-04:00

I dropped off the wait list form and payment to Primrose this morning. One more thing off the list. They seem to think January will be a go. Depending on when he comes, I may have to beg for December but I'm hoping not. We'll have to see. I feel good about him going there if I have to send him someplace. The director approved the wet bag (misnomer since its a dry bag but for wet/dirty dipes) instead of using individual plastic bags. Fabulous!

Next item to be done: breast pump. I've been putting it off to help extend the warranty period as long as I can. Its one year from purchase so buying it 3 months out would have been a waste. The time is here now though I suppose. I have a list of sites that carry the one I want (Ameda Purely Yours) so I just need to go comparison shop to see who is running the best deal.

I think that should be the last of the big things for a while. Once he grows we will have to get a new car seat but hopefully that won't be soon.

In his defense...

2008-07-22T11:28:00.003-04:00

In Jeremy's defense, here are the pictures of his "prey". See the giant nest in the trees? This one is a little closer up. Its a good size nest. Im glad the neighbor decided not to bust out the gasoline filled super soaker to be honest. Now the challenge comes with finding who owns the preserve land to try to get it down. We dont have the rights to go on the land but neither the county or the HOA is being helpful at figuring out who does. Shocking right?
Here are the little beasts he killed last weekend. What I thought was the stinger isn't really the stinger but still. The stinger doesn't look like it would be all that comfortable to get cozy with.
There you have it. Somehow I don't see us having these prizes stuffed and mounted but it makes me feel better to know they aren't stalking my patio anymore!

Thanks N!!

2008-07-21T22:06:00.003-04:00

N, known to some of you as my mommy mentor, called a little while ago to tell me about a sale at Cottonbabies.com. These are the folks that make BumGenius diapers. They are probably among the most popular of pocket diapers and seem to fit most babies well. While I have been collecting a few other types to try, I have been leaning this direction. Normally their 3.0 version is about $18 each and their AIO OS (All in One, One Size....tutorial to come later) runs about $25 b/c its also organic. Its a bit pricey for me. Well, tonight they were selling seconds for $12 and $17 respectively. I'll have to buy some inserts for the pocket style but those wont be bad and still make the sale worth while. PLUS, we had no tax, no shipping and I had a 5% coupon code. In all, even counting $3 a piece for inserts (which I think I can get for less) I still saved $70 on 12 diapers. I am very pleased with that. I have no hesitation over seconds as the ones from Kissaluvs were great. And, knowing how picky Cottonbabies is when it comes to their used items, which I have as well, I can't imagine them selling something that truly sucks.

Plus, if I hate the AIO's, I can sell them for about what I paid and be out nothing. Works for me!
SO, thanks again N for calling me!! You know I love a bargain hahaha

Yes, Im still here...

2008-07-21T13:26:00.002-04:00

Good lord, this cant be starting already can it?? I was running a little, ok an hour, late this morning. When I got in, my boss looks at me in disbelief and told me he was for sure I wasn't coming in. He also sent me home early Friday b/c my feet made him hurt. He asked if he could tap them to water his lawn. Apparently I resemble a weeble-wobble and he doesn't see how Im still walking.

One of our clients is an agent in the building and he walks by my office every day. Same one who told me how huge I am not long ago. Anyway, today it went like this: "Holy cow, you're still here? I thought you would have popped by now. I didnt see the truck and knew you were out." "Actually Bob, I have 3 more weeks." "No way in Hell are going to make it 3 weeks. I give you til Friday tops" Um, if you say so. Kid will comes when he wants. I will also make a note to notify the building when I need to drive the car as well so no one flips out.

Does no one think I will call when things happen? Seriously? Im not the no call, no show kind of kid. I may be a slacker but not totally rude.

J Dub: Hornet Hunter

2008-07-19T11:00:00.002-04:00

I am about to pee my pants laughing. Jeremy has been hornet hunting since 8am (about 2 hours). He has been determined to kill the 2 hornets in our yard. "We were here first damnit!" Ok dear. So he goes out this morning with the 20' spray and stands on the porch waiting for one to land on the grass. He sprays....DOH it only goes 5' and pisses the hornet off. Great. He gets closer and misses. Maybe 3 rounds of misses. Then he goes out after each one and cleans off the poor crepe myrtle that has been doused with chemicals. Score is Hornets 5, Dubs 0.

Then he changed his approach. He'll stand by the tree very quietly and wait for one to land so he is closer. I see it and of course have a smartass response. Be vewy vewy quiet cha-cha, Daddy is hunting hornets. He was not amused. A few minutes later, he gets one and comes in does the touchdown sign. Hornets 5, Dubs 1.

I was on the phone with my friend Ashley so I really wasnt paying attention to where Jeremy was. After we hang up, he comes in an announces the 2nd one has been taken out. "I must protect this house!" A la underarmor commercial. SO FUNNY!

As any good hunter would do, he has to show off his kill. I get taken out back and have to look in a bucket to see what this thing looks like up close. I swear the stinger is 1/2". No wonder I scream like a girl any time I hear a buzzing. The other has its grave marked with a flip flop so I dont step on it or in the chemical until he sprays it down.

Later today, the neighbor is planning to fill a super soaker with gasoline and spray the big nest. That ought to be pure entertainment. Why don't I have a video camera??? Score should be Hornets 5, Humans 10,000 by sundown.

$50 baby

2008-07-17T14:04:00.003-04:00

I forgot to add the best part of the visit! The center's fee for all prenatal visits and delivery is $3500. By OB/hospital standards, very reasonable. Blue Cross was being a PITA about covering the center b/c of the place in Palatka. We got them to agree to $500 for my portion. Fine. Gets us out cheap. Then I changed to Aetna with work. Thought it was going to be just the $50 copay for a specialist visit. Wonderful says I! Then I call Aetna to confirm. My bubble burst. $750 deductible plus 30%. That was going to be about $1600. While still less than the hospital would be, it was not what we were expecting.

I have known the payment was due by 36 weeks all along so I was somewhat dreading the appointment today. I go to the desk to settle up and she tells me its $50!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOO
So, the total cost is $50 copay, $15 for iron tests, $25 copay from the ultrasound. Yep $90. Ok, I have had to buy a few more supplies for the birth than I would at a hospital (initial pads, chux pads, undies) but under $20 total I bet. Nothing big. Spending $500 on the doula is actually the most expensive part. But, we would have done that for the hospital too so really its a wash.

After the vehicle repairs, life insurance bill and upfront diaper investment, this came as a wonderful surprise for us.

36 wk check up and teaser photo

2008-07-17T13:11:00.004-04:00

Had my check up this morning. Weight is good (30 pounds total), BP good, iron is back up to normal, urine fine. Well, except for glucose. It was sky high. Then it dawned on us that my Fruit Loops for breakfast may have skewed things a bit since I am never high. Note to self: cheerios next week. He is still head down but not engaged. All his measurements were great. Im still perfect as Kristin and Jenn would have said =)

I asked about my hands again. Will work on getting my next prenatal massage moved up a week. Hopefully that will help. If it doesn't, Hope said we can talk about stripping my membranes after 38 weeks. As you know, I am fairly opposed to interventions so this is a lot for me to entertain. It may come down to sanity though. I cant feel my fingers. Its like they are frozen or something. Even typing hurts. So, we'll just have to wait and see how things go.

Since my fingers have been hurting so much, I have started working from home one day a week. Yesterday was my day. I needed it after Tuesday night anyway. Long night and I wont share the details. Jeremy and I met with Bill (the financial advisor) in the morning and set up life insurance. Yep, more adult type things. Then I went home and met my friend Sara for maternity pics. We had so much fun. Took some in the back yard, where she got to see the hornet and its crazy nest. Then went to the playground and had fun with the stripper pole haha I got stuck in the slide! so funny. Used my grandmother's rocking chair too, which I love. ChaCha even got in on the action.

Here is a little teaser pic she sent me:

Thanks Sara and I cannot wait to see the rest!!!

Uncle, for the love of all things Holy, Uncle!

2008-07-15T09:21:00.002-04:00

So Jeremy had a rough day Sunday. He tried to mow the lawn Saturday but it rained a lot. Ok fine. Sunday it is. Thats when the fun began.

He goes to get gas and ends up slamming on the brakes and spilling gas in the back of the car. He throws all the laundry in the washer and makes my laundry room smell like gas instead of the Crunchy Clean I had worked so hard at the day before. What can you do though?

Next, he fills up the mower with his new gas. As he pulls the spout out, it backsplashes into his eyes. He comes running in the house and tries to wash his face at the sink. Now, this should not be an issue except that Jeremy cannot have anything near his eyes. He truly cannot hold his eyes open to be flushed out. We won't go into the absurd idea of him wanting contacts.... So, I convince him to lay on the kitchen floor so I can do a saline rinse. I pour lots of saline in his eyes (with them shut of course) then let him blink the pool of liquid to rinse. We go over this for about 5 minutes. I tried to get him to let me put his face in the hose or shower but it wasn't happening. He decides he is fine and goes back outside.

I go out about 30 minutes later to bring him water and check his eyes. Turns out the pull string on the mower broke while he was starting it. Great. After the already great morning, I tried to convince him to leave the lawn be for a couple more days. Oh no, that isnt happening. "you could go into labor any time and things wont be done" Sounds like someone is nesting to me!

Then, I watch him the the back yard watching this single hornet guarding an area of grass. I say, mow around it. He says, that would be silly. He ends up mowing with one eye over his shoulder watching this hornet. Then as he gets closer to her area, he shoves the mower in a few inches then runs. Then he retrieves the mower and runs with it. I swear it took 20 minutes to mow about a square foot. I was in tears laughing at him. he of course, was not pleased at my hysteria. We later found a gigantic hornets nest in the woods behind the house. Not zesty. Im glad he wasn't stung but it would have served him right to be messing with this hornet.

So that was the day. Im pretty sure God was telling us to go back to bed or that we should have been in church. Clearly we listen.

36 weeks belly and nursery

2008-07-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

36 weeks. Yeah, I know Im a big, cheesy, not-so-photogenic mess. This was at 9:30 at night though so give me a break =)

36 weeks from the side. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the chin/neck I got from my father? Well, lack there of anyway....
Yeah, the belly is still growing. Its purty though isn't it??? Even the midwife comments on how kind Thumper/Nathan is being to me. My boss is convinced I can't possibly get any bigger. HA says the baby!Here is his crib all in place against painted walls. His Nonna got him the Georgia Tech mobile. It plays the Ramblin' Wreck song (which sounds a lot like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the mobile) Gotta love teaching him young about being a Helluva Engineer and drinking his whiskey clear! We have some great matching pieces to the bedding that will go over the crib. Just haven't gotten to them yet.
Some detail of the bedding set.

Everything else is as it was before. We have the valance yet to hang but other than that, we are pretty well done.

Last weekend I got all his clothes from 0-6 months washed. Everything past that will go in a bin in the top of the closet for right now just to open up some space. His newborn diapers are washed and ready to go. His car seat will be installed tonight. My bag for the birth center is 90% packed. Just a couple little things left.

I truly can't believe its getting so close.

Why Ga Tech guys get a bad rap...

2008-07-09T17:17:00.002-04:00

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/atl/744997359.html I believe this speaks for itself.

I see these guys every year at the Tech scholarship dinner and send off party. Yikes. Poor girls. How is it that Tech attracts the dorkiest of guys and the cutest of girls. It makes no sense. Now, dont get me wrong, most of these guys will grow out of it but dear lord. Jeremy wasn't the dating type in school but he never would have posted on CL...

Grown ups...

2008-07-09T16:08:00.003-04:00

As if my 30th birthday, bulging belly and purchasing a home do not indicate that I am somewhat of an adult, a meeting with a financial planner sure does. Holy smokes. Only grown ups have that kind of meeting, right?

We decided to bite the bullet and meet with an advisor to get our acts together on investments, retirement and insurance. Owning a home and having a baby are good reasons for life insurance I suppose. So, we decided to meet with Bill (Michelle's husband) since we know him and I trust the advice he would give. We gathered our papers and were prepared for him to laugh at us as Jeremy thinks we are a mess and "po' ". Pleasantly, he told us we were already in much better shape than the average couple our age. In fact, he said we were already more prepared than 50 and 60 year olds he meets with. SCORE! We rolled over our 401ks from prior jobs into traditional IRAs as this is not the year for extra taxes for a Roth roll over. (I sound like I know what Im talking about dont I?? Bill explained things well!) We'll start new Roths moving forward as neither of us have 401k options at work. Next week, we will meet again to discuss life insurance.

If anyone is interested in financial planning/advising, I would recommend Bill in a heartbeat. It was far less scary and intimidating that I expected. I thought only rich people had "planners" but that isn't the case at all. I think most of us could use a little evaluation just to make sure we are growing our money the best way possible.

Next up is meeting with an attorney to draw up a will and guardianship for Thumper. Talk about another grown up thing to do. When did I become an adult?

multi-purpose remote

2008-07-09T16:05:00.002-04:00

I am a ding-dong as my friend Ashley would say. I try to use my car door remote to open everything. I have tried to open the front door of my house while sitting in the car. Only to hear the clicking and realize what Im doing. Today, I tried to summons the elevator at work with it. I dont know why I cant comprehend that the remote only works for the car.

Kids say the funniest things!

2008-07-07T12:20:00.003-04:00

As I said before, we went to Bill and Michelle's for the 4th. They had lots of people over and a couple families had little ones. One girl, maybe 4 years old, asked if God put a baby in my belly. I thought it was very sweet and said that yes, He did. She and her brother started to rub my belly. Ok fine, they're kids and I was ok with it. I pushed the baby around a little bit so they could feel him. Then she asked if there was just one. I said yes and snickered to myself. She looked at me as serious as can be and asked if I was sure. OMG, even kids think Im huge! Her mom was about to bust a gut. It really was funny.

Then, Michelle's daughter Courtney (my buddy and Jeremy's girlfriend) who is 3, tried to sit in my lap. As I have little lap left, this was not easy. She tried to push my belly out of the way to no avail. She hopped down and started rubbing my belly and talking to the baby. So cute. She told me he was sleeping and wasn't ready to play yet. Then, out of the blue, she grabs my left boob. I was taken back but knew she didnt mean any harm so I said nothing. About 5 seconds later, she announces that she has found another baby. hahhaahahhahahahaha I was laughing so hard I started to tear up. Michelle's sister was sitting there too and we were just rolling.

Good times.

Busy weekend..sort of

2008-07-07T11:56:00.003-04:00

We were ready to have a jammed packed weekend. I had my "plan" laid out and was going to get so much done. Then reality set in and we enjoyed a couple days of doing nothing. SO glad we did that instead.

Friday we got up and got ready to do baby shopping and paint before going to Bill and Michelle's. Getting ready is as far as we ever got. I ended up sleeping on the couch and Jeremy watched qualifying for the races. He rubbed my head and then my feet; it was perfect. Had a great time at Bill and Michelle's and got home around midnight.

Saturday we got up and watched some of the pre-race from Friday night. Then we went to Babies R Us to finish up getting baby stuff. Again, I realized just how generous our friends and family have been to us. We really didnt have that many "needs" to get. We are incredibly blessed. Got home and started laundry. I got some Crunchy Clean and the laundry room smells so yummy now. Even got some more of the baby's laundry done. Then we settled in for the Busch race (I know, Nationwide---BAH says I!) then the Cup race. I slept through part of the race as is par for the course. Not happy with the finish but what can you do?

Sunday we were finally productive. Swept the floors, changed the sheets, more laundry and we painted! Professionals we are not. But, it was done with love and thats what counts, right? RIGHT? We ran 1 wall short so we will finish that up tonight. In the mean time, here are the progress pics.

Come hell or high water I was getting this switch plate on the wall before I went to bed last night. When it comes to screws, apparently size does matter =) It was much more of an ordeal than it had to be... I think it looks cute though. This is how the glider will look against the wall color. Im pleased.

I feel like we got a lot done even though it wasn't everything I wanted. I can only do so much though and am learning my limits. Especially with my hands lately. Its very frustrating. I bought a brace but it isn't helping and hurts at night so I end up taking it off. Midwife said the carpel tunnel should go away after I deliver so I just have to stick it out a little longer. If thats the worst thing I have to deal with, I say I am a lucky girl!

34 week check up

2008-07-03T13:17:00.002-04:00

Had the check up today. All is well. Small level of leukocytes in urine (white blood cells) but not enough to be concerned about. BP was fine. Up 27 pounds overall. Still right on track. He is still head down but not yet engaged. I had hoped he might be but no luck. Only a minor chance that he will flip though so Im not really worried. Jeremy got to feel for his head....hmmm, let me rephrase that.... The midwife showed Jeremy were to feel for the baby's head position. he couldnt believe how hard she was pressing into my belly. I keep telling him the baby is just floating around in there but I dont think he believes me that we wont hurt him.

Filled out the paper for the birth certificate today. Yeah, so that makes it even more real. Holy cow. Talked about the newborn procedures today too. Im ok with the vitamin K shot, especially since we will have him circumcised. It will be roughly day 8 so his vit K levels should be at their ideal then but just in case. No harm from what I have read. The eye goop is up for discussion. I have no cooties to pass on to him so there really shouldn't be a reason to do it. At the same time, it can be wiped off after 30 seconds so why not? we'll have to see. The heel prick can be done when we see the pediatrician at 3 days so it saves us a trip back to the center since they are in the same building.

Need to call the Rabbi that will do the circ to get on his radar. Yes, Im aware that we are Catholic. This guy just comes highly recommended. He's a holocaust survivor too, how neat is that. Everyone says he is just so interesting to talk to. Anyway, the pedis will do it but they are strongly opposed. I would rather it be done by someone who has done tons of them than someone who really doesnt want to do it. We aren't making a big to do about it. No one is coming over to watch or anything. Apparently I get sent out of the house and Jeremy will be there with him. I am SO ok with that!

Jeremy wants to get my bag packed soon. So maybe that will be a weekend project. I keep telling him we have time but if it makes him feel better, so be it. We have to get the car seat installed too. Other than that, the weekend will be full of painting his room, organizing the closet more (already done by size, now will be done by item within the size...maybe by color within item once everything is washed. Dont laugh at me!), washing diapers and clothes and hanging things in his room. I want his room done. Not that he will be in it for a while, but I want it done.

Have a happy and safe 4th!

Letter from an OB that gets it

2008-07-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

I found this while browsing blogs linked to At Your Cervix. While an out of hospital birth is not the right choice for every family, I deeply feel that it is one that should be available and legal to every family. By ACOG issuing a statement that out of hospital births are inherently dangerous and that congress should take steps to prevent/outlaw them, it brings us closer to limiting MY right to choose what I feel is best for MY body and family. I am not ok with congress making medical decisions for me. Especially when there is no basis for their decisions.

As this Dr points out, midwives are highly trained and have the best interest of their patients at heart. I know that my own midwives want what is best for me and my baby, even if that means they can't be the ones to provide it. On a much simpler level, they don't want the risk of something "happening" on their watch! If there is even the slightest indication that something may not be routine or lowest of risks, I risk out of their care and to the hospital I go with their OB back ups. This is for the love of my child as well as their own necessity to CYA. I get that and knowing it gives me that much more confidence in them. It is not a blind choice that we make when we choose a birth center or home birth.

Anyway, reading that letter from an OB who fully supports midwives and out of hospital births made me feel more confident that there are those out there willing to fight for what women have been doing since the dawn of man. Its a lengthy letter but one worth reading in my opinion.

I suck as a mom already

2008-06-30T12:52:00.003-04:00

Not that I have to worry about packing lunches just yet but good gravy do I feel inferior already. Check out this blog to see what I mean. Not in a million years would I be 1) that creative or 2) well hell, be that creative. Are you kidding??

Cloth Dipe contest

2008-06-30T12:14:00.002-04:00

Enter this contest to win 18 BG 3.0, a sprayer and cloth wipes. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea but just enter! There are those of us around who would be happy to share in your luck =)

Thanks!

Nursery in progress

2008-06-30T08:58:00.004-04:00

We got the glider and crib this weekend. So glad its all in. One bolt on the crib won't tighten but I have a call in so hopefully it will be resolved soon. Not the end of the world since he will be sleeping in the co-sleeper in our room for 3-ish months but still. I want it done. Here's the thing that cracks me up. The crib has taken about 12 weeks to get in, all because its made to order blah blah blah. We get it out of the box only to find inspection stickers from JULY 2007!!!! Uh, were they psychic about our selection? Really, its been sitting in storage and you couldnt get it here any faster than this, really? What a crock.

N and B came over yesterday. N helped me move furniture in the nursery so we can figure out where things fit best. Who knew 4 pieces would be such a hard thing? I have also come to realize how small the rooms in our house are... B helped Jeremy get our crap, errrr, precious belongings, in the attic. This opens up the garage to get the rest of the crap out of the closets. Why must we keep electronics we arent ever going to use? I digress. We got the room laid out and then picked a wall color. Sherwin Williams Honest Blue #6520. So, I'll be getting that today so we can start painting.

In the mean time, here are some pics of the room in progress. We were able to get the changing table from a friend for $20 and already had the dresser. Little one wont know they don't match =) We have a mirror to go over the changing table too. Bad gold frame but we will re-paint to a dark blue to match the frames going over his crib.

The glider and changing table as you look in from the door. Looking for a bookcase to go on left wall in this pic.

The crib as you turn right into the room. Closet to the left of the window.Dresser as standing at closet.

Diaper stacker that came with the bedding set. We'll be using this as a blanket stacker instead. Jeremy loves the plane!

Not so fantastic close up of the bedding. The curtains will be the same stripes as the inside of the bumper.

Last but not least is this amazing gift we got this week. My Zeta Little Sister Kerrie made this for our baby. She and her mother are so super crafty. They made our whole Zeta family quilts when we were in college too for our eventual babies. It is pink and blue with a rocking horse. I have that waiting to come out as well. I know, dare I say, "Nathan" will love tummy time on this.

So, thats was the project of the weekend. I am pooped today but thats to be expected I guess.

Math problem for all the geeks out there

2008-06-24T12:13:00.002-04:00

This is one of those think outside the box questions.

You have $10k in your bank account. Friday, you will deposit $91k. You found out today that at the end of the month, you will owe $309k in order to keep open loans you currently have. How do you make it work? Keep in mind while solving this problem that the $91k must go towards other bills and overhead (rent, insurance premiums, etc). And Go!

This was the problem my boss just presented me with. Seriously, we found out today that we will owe $309k to the bank in order to keep our current loans open since the appraisals went in the toilet. Good times. Not making payroll the next 2 periods would not even begin to make a dent in this issue. Im a little concerned to be honest. So, if you have a creative mathematical solution, Im all ears.

Best.Weekend.Ever!

2008-06-23T09:44:00.003-04:00

What a blur and amazing time all at once. The cousins and Pam got in Friday night. Pam even brought me boiled peanuts from Jake's back home. OMG do I love these things. I couldnt even wait until after dinner to dig in. We had a bit of a cluster with the charcoal so we didn't eat until late but Jenn's rum-chicken was fabulous. We stayed up til midnight shooting the breeze and catching up. I cant tell you how exciting it was to have everyone come in for this.

Saturday morning we got up and I made an oven omelet and giant pot of grits. mmmmmm We lazed a bit then got ready for the shower. Hotel de-Williams was a hoppin' place. Mom, MaryBeth and G-ma got in about noon. Once we got them toured and changed, we headed to Michelle's. All I can say is Michelle and Pam outdid themselves. Amazing. It was a tea party theme so they busted out their silver tea sets and china. We had finger sandwiches, scones (with clotted cream! yum) fruit, quiche, petite-fours, eclairs... So much. It was so pretty and tasted delicious. We had a great time just sitting around and chatting. No games, just a nice, girly afternoon spending time with friends.
I cannot even begin to describe how generous everyone was. It was very overwhelming to me. This is a lucky little boy to be surrounded by so much love. I will post some pics as soon as I get them uploaded. I felt as big as a house and the pics seem to confirm that... Oh well.

Once we got back from the shower, the fam stuck around a few minutes and then headed back to St Pete. Apparently g-ma was anxious from leaving g-pa all day and didnt want to spend the night. I love them all but I wasnt really sad when they decided to head back. I needed a break from the crazies =) The rest of us went out to a late dinner then came back and shot the breeze some more. I really wish Em, Alyssa and Tracey lived closer. This kiddo better like traveling b/c we can't have these visits taking to long next time.

Sunday morning was pretty lazy. I was super tired from Saturday and the swelling was getting impressive. While we were sitting on the couch talking, Tracey asked why my feet were sparkling. Thinking it was glitter or something, I look down only to find me feet are sweating. Nice. Not that sweet southern girl glisten, Im talking beads of sweat. On my feet! GROSS. I feel like I have so much water in the cells that they are going to burst or something so this water just oozes out instead. I know thats not the case but it was not something that made me happy.

That afternoon, the cousins went to the outlets and shopped. I squeaked in my flops the whole time. again, gross. Hoped to find a good coming home outfit but no luck. Why do stores carry about 3x as much girl stuff as boy stuff? What gives? Anyway, we got home and checked Em's flight. Delayed as expected. She ended up being delayed several hours so we ate more peanuts and introduced her to Nascar. I fell asleep at some point (as is custom) and woke up in time to take her to the airport. I was so sad to have her leave. We had a great time. Looks like she will be getting engaged here pretty soon so I cant wait to meet her man and get her hitched =)

Looks like the next couple of years will be wedding central again. Em, Alyssa and Pam are all expecting to head down the aisle. Then the next round of babies! I know, Im getting ahead of myself.

32 weeks

2008-06-20T14:34:00.003-04:00

Had a check up this morning. All is well. Head down. No weight gain since last appt (that is the antibiotics fault though, not so friendly on my system). Only bad news was that my iron went down again despite being on the supplement. Its gross stuff and I was only a little low before so I took 1 instead of 2 doses a day. Apparently it isnt enough. Even with taking it, I went from 10.2 to 9.9 and I need to be at 11. Great.... I will be calling Native Sun to see if they can get me the pills.

The family is all on their way in today for the shower tomorrow. Hoping everyone behaves and that there are no issues. Should be entertaining...

Read in the CFHusband Blog that you should avoid "random" and "musings" as part of blog titles. Good to know. Maybe that explains my low readership. Oh wait, maybe that has more to do with me not AWing everywhere and truly not being all that interesting.

I need a tape recorder to carry with me in the car to catch things I see that I mean to blog about later. Today, while on the exit ramp waiting to merge, I see a guy smoking in the car behind me. Then he busts out his cologne and starts spraying his body, hair, pants, everything. I cannot imagine how strong that must be but more directly, how about not smoking you jackass! If you dont do things to make you stinky, you wont need to swim in perfume.

Last bit of randomness for today. Why does my butt have stretchmarks but my belly doesnt?
Im not complaining about the smooth belly, I just dont get it. I didnt realize my butt had grown that much but apparently it has. I said something to Jeremy and his response was stellar. "Maybe your son will need it" Um, no, he may need the ones on my boobs but I am 97% positive that the size of my butt will have very little impact on him. What gives?

Super excited for my BFF from HS

2008-06-16T16:06:00.002-04:00

Jason's Amy is pregnant!!!!! He was my BFF in HS and we went to Stetson together. Thats where he met Amy (aka his new Amy haha). They have been married 6ish years and are just wonderful people. His father passed away unexpectedly about 2 weeks ago and I have been so sad for his family. Mr Longtin was a wonderful man and always greeted me with a hug. Very sad to lose him. Well today, J posts on myspace that Amy is PG!!!! She is about 8 weeks. I am so very excited for them. I know his mom must be over the moon.

For those that went to HS with me, this announcement is not to be confused with Jason Worsham's Amy. She already gave birth =) This is who I have always referred to as "my Jason" and his wife. He went to Lecanto. The original tall skinny guy in my life.

Such a wonderful day.

32 weeks

2008-06-16T09:35:00.003-04:00

I am feeling SO much better today. Still stuffy but what's new? We had a great time in Vidalia celebrating our shower, Father's Day, and birthday's for MIL, MeMa and Uncle Scott. It was a full weekend for sure!

We had been told that Erick, Jeremy's 15 yr old cousin, has been very excited about Thumper. Asking his mom questions about feeling him move and whatnot. Well, when his mom went to get our shower gift, he insisted on coming. He, a 15 yr old boy, picked out the cutest plaid shorts and matching shoes and bought them with his own hard earned lawn mowing money. Then, he gave us the sweetest card and wrote the nicest note about what a blessing this baby is in our family. It was all I could do not to tear up. I think it may be the most touching thing we have received for Thumper.

Here are pics from right after the shower:

I have a midwife check up on Friday. He feels like he is still head down so hopefully he stays that way!

Really looking forward to the shower this weekend. It will be nice to celebrate with my own friends and family instead of friends of my ILs who I have never met. It has been amazing to feel the love for this baby but I admit very strange to get gifts from people I dont know. FIL has started introducing my belly first then me as his DIL. I have to laugh b/c thats just him. But to tell someone in a restaurant to say hi to his grand baby before introducing me is not something I have experienced before. haha So very Donnie though!

Crib is shipping this week at some point so we should have it soon. His room is not even close to being ready so this will force us to get it done. I'll post pics once we have things in a semi-order.

Fucking Bronchitis...

2008-06-11T11:34:00.003-04:00

that is all that needs to be said about my current situation. Do you have any clue how badly it hurts to cough and blow your nose repeatedly while pregnant? I feel like I have been kicked in the ribs in not such a fun, feel-the-baby-kick way.

Day 2 of antibiotics....

Names?

2008-06-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

I drove up to Vidalia for the first shower this weekend. It was nice and casual, which I totally needed. I haven't been feeling well so it was nice not to be expected to dress up or even put on shoes. (its a chest funk, not pregnancy making me not feel well) Met a lot of people I had heard of for years but never actually met so that was nice. Got our bedding and matching lamp so now we can start working on paint colors.

When I got home yesterday, Jeremy made me my sick-stand by of egg noodles boiled in chicken broth. Grandma Kay always made it for me and something about it works. I napped and he rubbed my back. Bless his heart! When I woke up, we decided we have to do something about the "name situation". So, being the methodical dorks we are, we set out with a plan. We took our list from Charleston and picked the names we liked as first names and put them in a column. Then we took the middle names we liked and put them in a second column. Some were duplicate but thats ok. I have to say we liked far more middle names than first names. Then we took each first name and went down the middle name list matching up what sounded good together. We were able to eliminate 2 of the 4 first name choices doing this. 1 was perfectly fine except that it is my ex's exact name and that just wasn't happening.

So, drum roll please.... this is our list of 5.
Nathan Andrew
Nathan Elliot
Spencer Andrew
Spencer Elliot
Spencer Thomas

I think we will start trying them out to see what we think and take 2 to the birth center. I hate that his name will have come from a list match up but seriously, we are 2 very indecisive people so it was the only option. In all fairness though, these were all names that were on our very first list, just not put together. And as always, we reserve the right to change our minds~

Babymoon!

2008-06-05T14:25:00.005-04:00

This past weekend Jeremy and I took our last vacation before Thumper comes. Friday night, we went to Trace Adkins' concert and had a great time. He isn't very showy but has great songs.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to Charleston. We got checked in to our B&B and walked around for an hour or so. Such cute little shops! Found a $245 baptism outfit...which stayed on its pretty little hanger! I can't even imagine. Anyway. Jeremy's college roommate and his wife just moved to Charleston a couple months ago so we went to their place to see what they have been up to. Then we all went to dinner and walked around. And by walked, I mean like 5 miles of walking streets. We had such a great time. We took a carriage tour, ate yummy dessert, saw one of my client's art gallery, then walked to the Battery. Amazing homes. I can't even think about living in one of them. So beautiful. We actually ended up getting coasters to bring home that have pictures from the Battery on them. We aren't big into souvenirs so this was a good compromise. We got back to our room around midnight. My feet were killing since I wore my flops. I had no clue we were walking that far! Worth it though.

Sunday we got up, ate breakfast and walked some more. Got some gifts for people and saw the local art festival.

This was taken at the B&B after breakfast. Photogenic I am not...

This is just for Pam. Its the Daughters of the Confederacy building and museum.

After we walked in the morning, we went to Patriot's Point and toured the Yorktown. Jeremy is a big history buff and was happy as a clam to be there.

After I was exhausted from the Yorktown, we headed to Hilton Head. We stayed at the Hilton Resort there and had a fantastic room. They even upgraded us =) It pays to play the pregnant card! Monday morning we got up and walked on the beach. Probably about 2-3 miles in all. We saw tons of sand dollars, crabs, jelly fish, a shark right off the short, a dead baby shark on the shore and a star fish that we put back in the water. It was such a nice walk. Then we went to the pool. I cannot even begin to tell you the joy that a pool brings to a pregnant lady. It felt nice getting in and I could feel the weight being lifted from my belly. Amazing. They have umbrellas in the pool itself so I was able to get some shade. I discovered later that it clearly wasn't enough shade but I digress. Getting out of the pool, that is a whole new level of stupidity. Why would I leave this weightless wonderland?? The difference was incredible. I very clearly could feel every ounce and every pound that my belly has grown. If I could stay submerged for 10 more weeks, I would be all over it. We laid out for a while watching a storm roll in and talking baby names. More on that later. The list has changed...again.... poor kid. We grabbed lunch at a local marina/shopping destination. Very touristy but whatever.

Tuesday morning we got up and went for a 2 hour kayak tour. We lucked out and there were no other people signed up. So we had the guide to ourselves. Did you know tides in HH can be 9 feet or more? We could actually see the water going down over the oyster beds. We saw tons of birds and a few fish. No dolphins though. Here is a Great Blue heron and a Snowy Egret in an oyster bed. This bed was submerged about an hour beforehand.

There is no need to comment on my stylish look. I was so wedged into this boat it wasn't even funny. The life vest was a child's because the adult wouldn't fit over my belly. The hat was Jeremy's personal touch to the ensemble. Whatever though, i was already burned and being covered up helped.

I am SO glad we did this trip. We really haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon and it was so nice to get away from everything. We would go back to both places in a heart beat. Hilton Head was much less pretentious than I thought it would be. Pleasantly surprised for sure. Now we can settle in to the next few weekends of baby showers and getting ready to meet our little no-named man!

This week

2008-05-28T13:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we met with the pediatrician group that is next door to the birth center. They have a great reputation so we are going to go with it. We can always change our minds. We like that they are very pro-breast feeding. One of the MDs is also a lactation consultant. They are very holistic too. I hate pumping kids fully of drugs if there are other things that can be done. At the same time, they are not afraid to Rx if needed. It feels like a great balance. They will work with us on spreading out the vaxs too. I am not anti vax, I just dont want them all at once. The extra time off work and co-pays are worth it to me. Anyway, feels good to be done with that part.

This weekend we are going away for our babymoon. We'll stay in Charleston Saturday night then Hilton Head Sunday and Monday nights. We are really looking forward to some down time and relaxing. I have to go find a bathing suit so I can lounge in the pool. I am looking forward to being a little less heavy feeling for a little while. Jeremy is excited about touring the Yorktown so I am excited for him. He loves that stuff and has seen about everything made about the battle of Midway. We should be able to spend Saturday evening with Rusty and Shelly on a dinner cruise. He is Jeremy's college roommate and fellow race fan. They just moved to Charleston from Charlotte and haven't explored much. Maybe we will give them an excuse.

I am getting so excited for all the people that are coming to town for my shower. I spoke with my old boss and friend from Orlando last night and she is coming up. We are so blessed with people who love us so much. I can't wait to get to talk to everyone and catch up. I could care less about gifts. I just love knowing that my son will grow up knowing how loved he is not only by blood family but the family of friends we have been able to choose over time. It truly is an amazing feeling.

On a totally selfish note, I scored some great deals on newborn diapers this week. The ones I want run $11.50 to $12.50 each (plus tax and sometimes shipping). There is a rental program where you rent, send back and then get partial credit. It comes out to be about $5 per diaper for the actual cost, not the credit part. I got 20 gently used and 4 new dipes for an average of $8.41 each, total. So, as long as I can resell each for $4, I am doing great. Chances are I can sell them for $6 minimum and up to $8. If I can get $6 each for them, I will have diapered the baby for close to 3 months for under $60! How cool is that? These diapers have no stains, nothing sketchy at all. 12 were from a retail store that has a buy back program where they only take truly excellent used dipes and the others were from girls on a chat board with me. I have seen pics and am super excited. I dont think I will buy the rest of my stash used since they will be used for such a long time. I dont mind spending the money for new ones that will last 3 yrs. The newborn ones though only last a couple months since they outgrow them. I would have bought new if need be but why not try this route?

One more feet rant

2008-05-23T12:08:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pics from last week. The swelling has since gone down dramatically and I have been assured that my current level is normal and acceptable. The day I took these though, I was a little freaked out because my flip flops were cutting in. OMG, flops??? really??? Cant be a good sign. I will apologize now for my funky feet. I need a pedicure badly!

You can see the line where the flops cut in.

I think my obsession with my swelling feet has just about ended. Next up is trying to capture moving belly on my camera. We dont have a video camera so Im going to try to get it on the digital. I want to practice before the elbows really start flying.