First Christmas

We were so excited to celebrate Christmas for the first time with David!  

The night before Christmas Eve was a rough one though.  The poor dude only slept 2 hours because he kept waking himself up.  We were both exhausted. Luckily on Christmas Eve I thought to bust out the swaddle again (he hated being swaddled for a long time so we gave up). It worked!  He was well rested for all the festivities!

 Christmas Eve was celebrated at my aunt and uncles house.  This was the first Christmas Eve that hasn't been at my Grandma's house so it was a little strange for all of us I think.  We had a nice time anyway. David got to debut his first "big boy" outfit! We found the cutest herringbone pants and red sweater and even though he only wore the sweater for a little bit, it was so dang cute! David was awake for a good portion of the evening and then zonked out for a short nap before becoming Mr. Fussypants before church. We weren't sure if we were going to make it to mass, but luckily he fell asleep in the car and slept all the way though church!

Yes, his hands really ARE that big. You should see the feet on this kid too!

That night David gave us the gift of sleep!  Sleeping his first 5 hour stretch!  Ahh sweet, sweet sleep... He must have known he has to sleep for Santa to come!  I celebrated by falling down the stairs in the morning. Luckily I wasn't carrying the baby, but it was quite the spill. My back still hurts! Christmas morning we packed up for the day and headed over to my parents house for breakfast and gifts. He took a good nap and let us eat breakfast and then hung out under the tree while we opened gifts for a little, but soon got fussy and Grandpa had to take over! Something tells me he didn't mind though!

After my parents house we headed over to my Grandpa's house. This was the first time David was introduced to my dad's side of the family and boy howdy, are there a lot of people to meet!!!  I was really nervous about him being passed around with all the germies that usually come with a zillion grand-kids running around, but lucky for us he slept in his car seat the whole time! Everyone got to see him but from a "mom approved" distance :)  Finally we were all totally worn out so we headed back home to open our gifts and crash out for the night.  David slept for seven straight hours that night! He must have been exhausted.  He hasn't slept that long again since, but we are hoping for more to come soon!

Next up we head to my friend Kristy's for New Years Eve. We won't be staying long, but it will be nice to get out and do something. We haven't celebrated NYE in years!

David is Six Weeks Old

Six weeks already!  I have a feeling I'm going to start each update post with that sort of disbelief.  The time is really flying.

I am not exactly sure what to say that has changed since my last update, but I'm sure there's a ton.  He's still pretty much in the same routine that he's been in since we brought him home. He gets up every three hours to eat On. The. Dot.  Once in a very great while he'll sleep longer, but usually it's exactly three hours, around the clock.  I keep waiting for some longer stretches at night and hope they are coming soon... The books I have say six weeks is when they start to finally figure things out, so we'll see about that.

We are also trying to work on sleeping in the crib.  Right now he's not a fan. He sleeps in our room in the pack & play at night (very well, thankfully) and for naps he's usually in his swing (seriously, we'd be lost without that thing!) or sometimes in his little baby seat. We put him in the crib and he'll even put himself to sleep in there but without fail wakes up within an hour screaming.  We'll just keep at it, someday he'll get it.

Meals are still his favorite thing. He eats about 8 times a day and loves every second of every meal. And when it's time to eat and we are taking too long getting the bottle ready - watch out. Hangry to the max! He must get that from me...

His fifth week was a big one though.  I hosted the 10th annual "Girls Christmas" get-together. Usually we go out to eat, but since I'm not comfortable taking David out yet, I had it at my house instead. We had a great time eating appetizers and lots of sweets. David slept most the night but made sure to wake up and have a major scream-fest right before everyone left.  Luckily Zach was home from work early so he could help me out.

Then, this past Tuesday Zach and I had our first day-date since we had David.  We dropped him off at my parents and went to lunch and did some Christmas shopping. We were only gone a little over two hours, but it was nice to get out, just me and him again. And, much to my surprise, it wasn't THAT hard leaving David.  I knew he was in good hands (and would be sleeping most the time...)

The next few weeks are big ones! His first Christmas is coming up and I'm looking forward to it so much!  I hope he's in the spirit because he's got lots of places to go!  Church, Grandma and Grandpa's, and then both Great-Grandparents houses!  It should be fun!  Then the next week he has his two month appointment (TWO MONTHS!) and his shots.  I'm not looking forward to that, but I am looking forward to seeing how much he's grown.  Wow. Time is just slipping by.  I am SO thankful that I don't have to go back to work until the end of March!  I know it will be here before I know it though.... Till then I'm going to soak up every day with him!

David is One Month Old

Hooray! We made it a whole month! Look at us go! 

It's hard to believe that a whole month has already passed us by.  The days are absolutely flying!  People keep asking if we've developed a "routine" yet and I can't help but laugh. There is no such thing as a routine with a newborn I've found out.  I've tried, oh yes, I've tried but he kind of runs the show around here right now. Just when we feel like we've figured it out, he throws us a curve ball. Always keeping it interesting, that David!

3 weeks

He spent most of the first two and a half weeks of his little life asleep. He would sleep for hours if we let him, but we were instructed to wake him to eat every 3 hours, so we did.  And boy does he like to eat!!  He will throw an absolute fit when he's hungry but once we sit down and put on his bib he knows food is on the way and is happy as a clam the whole time he's eating.  The past week and a half he's been awake a LOT more.  Mostly at night.  Of course, right?  I don't really think he's got his days and nights totally mixed up, but he seems to wake up on his own more often at night than during the day.  We'll have good nights were he sleeps for 3 hours at a time, then other nights where he's up on the hour, every hour.  I'm having a hard time believing he'll EVER sleep longer than three hours, really. But at the same time, no matter how tired I am or what crazy hour of the night it is, I am soaking up every single moment of cuddle time I can get right now, because that won't last forever and I love it so much.

4 Weeks

I'd love to report all of his "developmental milestones" but honestly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be watching for (book suggestions welcome!).  He's really good at tummy time and has awesome head control already (we think anyway) but he's also extremely wiggly. The pediatrician said we need to be careful with him because he's so strong and so reflexive right now.  She asked if I felt him move a ton when I was pregnant and was totally shocked when I told her I hardly felt him move at all. I guess he was saving up all his energy!  He can already wiggle his way around his crib, so because of this he quickly outgrew his cradle. He still sleeps in his pack-n-play in our room at night though.  He loves looking at the big windows in the living room, the lights in the kitchen and his blue curtains in his bedroom.  He loves being read to most of the time and is a big fan of his George Winston "December" CD of piano solos that we listen to over, and over, and over again every single night when we rock him to sleep. Overall he seems fairly happy and content but definitely has is majorly fussy moments.  He is a baby afterall :)

As for me? I'm doing alright.  This "mom" business is hard. I feel like I do nothing all day, but at the same time I feel incredibly busy. It's very strange.  I've had a really great recovery though. Despite the PUPP's (which is now mostly gone, thank God!) I have felt back to normal since about the first week!  I am so thankful that I healed so fast! I've lost two-thirds of my pregnancy weight so far and have just started going back to the gym. Oh wow, I've missed that. It felt SO good to put on my headphones, crank up the music and really push myself again.  I hope to drop the rest of the weight fairly quickly. I hardly have time to snack like I used to, so that should help.  I've also quickly realized the importance of getting out of the house every so often by myself. I feel really guilty doing it, but both Zach and I realize I need that time to get dressed, do my hair, get out amongst adults and feel normal for a while.  I am very grateful that Zach is able to look after David while I do that.  Sometime soon we are going to have my parents watch David while Zach and I go out Christmas shopping and to dinner. I'm excited and nervous at the same time!  We need to do it though.

So yeah. One month down! We are so in love with the little guy and can't wait to see what the next month has in store!

Bump Round-Up

I already get a kick out of looking back on all these pictures.  I remember taking the very first one and thinking "oh my god, I'm so fat!!!"  Ha! HaHaHa!!

I had a really fun time taking the pictures each week and I'm SO glad I did. As much as pregnancy was hard on me and not the most fun I've ever had, it just blows my mind that all that work created something so precious and perfect.  I guess it's true when everybody says "I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat..."  

Thanksgiving

We had a successful first Thanksgiving as a new family of 3!

David and I got up early and made a delicious french toast casserole for breakfast. He is such a happy baby in the morning (he gets that from me, Zach is the night owl of the family). He gets a fresh diaper, bottle, a chat and some cuddles and then is content to hang out in his seat while I feed the dogs, eat breakfast or do whatever else it is that I need to get done in the morning. It's my favorite time of day!

Then we went to our first family gathering at my Grandma's.  I think he's going through his 3 week growth spurt because he slept through the entire thing only waking up to eat and then back to sleep he went.  At least he was a good baby! It was really great because my cousin was also in town with her little girl so my Grandparents got to spend some time with their two Great-Grandkids! Really cool!

So, overall it was a great day! Needless to say we have a lot to be thankful this year.... and for many years to come!

David is Two Weeks Old

6 Days Old

David is now two weeks old!

I feel like the days are flying by and he's already changed so much and seems so much bigger!

The first week was hard, just like everyone said it would be.  We spent a lot of time running around to different doctor appointments. Some for David, some for me.  I developed a rather severe case of post-pardum PUPPP's (horrible, itchy rash...horrible. just awful really.) and was absolutely miserable. I ended up at the dermatologist twice in one day and left with stitches and a chunk cut of my leg for a biopsy.  Then poor David had to go the hospital twice to have some labs re-drawn all in addition to our normal doctor appointments. What a whirl-wind! Luckily we both seem to be doing just fine now but those few days were difficult. I was a ball of emotions, but we made it through!

8 Days Old

Luckily David is a really, really good baby.  He hardly fusses unless he's tired, hungry or getting his diaper changed. He sleeps like champ and we frequently have to wake him up just to eat. He is so sweet and has an absolutely adorable half-grin that he pulls out every so often that melts our hearts.  We spend most the day just holding him and watching him sleep. We love every second.

13 Days Old

Zach has been amazing. Just amazing.  He took two weeks off work to stay home and has done so much for us.  He loves David and will do whatever we need.  He even gets up in the middle of the night to help feed and soothe him. He's a pro! I couldn't have done it without him.

 The dogs have reacted just as we suspected. Missy wants to be his best bud, but is being good about it and Ted just keeps his distance, spending most the day snoozing in our bedroom.

First bath at home

He's also had several visitors throughout the past couple weeks.  Lots of family, friends and Zach's mom even came and stayed for a week to help out.  He's one lucky little dude. So loved!

2 Weeks Old

David's Arrival

My last week of pregnancy was week 38 since David was born at exactly 39 weeks. A whole week early! The Sunday before that I got a big burst of energy and spent the whole day out shopping.  I was so exhausted and sore, but I couldn't stop.  That night I did all the grocery shopping, made dinner, baked some muffins and lightly cleaned the house.  Your typical "nesting" episode that usually precedes birth. Although I just convinced myself that I was "trying" to bring on labor.  Monday (Halloween) came and went and I felt totally fine. I was a tad bit bummed I wasn't in labor. I always thought a Halloween baby would be fun.

Tuesday I woke up late and was rushing to work.  I took a shower but didn't wash my hair, shave my legs or pack a lunch.  (I should have known....)  The whole morning at work I felt really off and totally distracted. I didn't feel any contractions or pains, but I just felt really strange and had a hard time concentrating on anything.  After my 11:00 Halloween recap meeting I went to the restroom before I planned to meet a co-worker up outside the card shop.  It was there that my water broke!!  Thank goodness I was in the restroom, but of course I wasn't totally sure that's what it was because it wasn't a huge gush or anything.  I managed to fix myself up enough to go back to my desk and grab my phone to call Zach. He was getting ready to take Ted to the vet so luckily he had my car with my hospital bag in it.  I haven't asked how fast he drove to Hallmark, but he got there pretty quickly. I instant messaged my manager and told him I wasn't feeling well so we were heading out. I said I didn't want to make a big to-do because how embarrassed would I be if I told everyone my water broke only to find out I just peed my pants!? Ha!

The ride to the hospital was a little surreal. I had myself convinced that my water hadn't broken and we'd be sent away since I was having zero contractions. Then I also thought maybe I was having contractions and I was just a total rock star and they weren't bothering me.  One could wish!  We just kept taking turns asking each other "are you ready?"  Over and over. I think we were both a little nervous.  We checked in at the hospital and they quickly put us in a room and started hooking me up to all sorts of monitors and getting an IV ready.  They did a quick test and indeed my water had broken. It was time to have a baby!! So we got all hooked up, settled in and they checked my progress. Still 2 cm like I'd been the past two weeks and no contractions to be seen or felt.   They asked if I wanted to see if I went into labor on my own before starting Pitocin to get things moving and I said yes. They said if nothing was happening within 4 hours they would have to start it since my water had broken to help minimize the risk of infection, which I was fine with.

Zach and I started making our calls and sending the "it's baby time" texts and just kind of hung out.  I was feeling totally normal and knew I wasn't going to go into labor on my own.  At 5:30pm they started me on a really low dose of Pitocin.  They tried to check me but were unable to do so.  Do not ask me how that's possible, all I know it was super painful while they tried!!  At 7:30pm I was only having really mild contractions and they checked me again. This time they were able to tell I was about 5cm (yay!) but they weren't sure of the baby's position. So they brought in the ultrasound machine. Both nurses were pretty convinced he was transverse (sideways - which I had thought he had been for nearly my entire pregnancy) and that I'd need a c-section.  They started prepping everything immediately. I was disappointed and VERY nervous but the health of the baby was our number one priority, so, we accepted it. 45 minutes later the doctor came in and took another look. Either the nurses were wrong or he moved within those 45 minutes because she was convinced that he was indeed head down, 6 cm and ready to go. Alright, back to business then!

Around 8:30pm my contractions started really kicking in and while I was able to get through them fairly easily I knew I would want some relief when it came to pushing so I agreed to the epidural. Oh my god, I was so nervous about the epidural.  I sat on the edge of the bed and  just shook uncontrollably. The nurse held my hand and I closed my eyes until the whole thing was over. I never even saw the anesthesiologist until she was done.  It really wasn't bad at all.  It took a few minutes to take effect and by the time they had me lay back down I was in HEAVEN. Seriously. I had never been that relaxed in my whole life. I felt warm and cozy and so, so sleepy. I remember telling Zach "I'm going to start doing drugs! This is great!" ha! I could still move my legs and feel pressure but I was totally pain free. I tried to sleep but was too excited so I just rested my eyes and relaxed. Best decision ever.

At 9:15pm they checked me again and I was nearly 9cm and everyone was so pleased I was progressing so fast and were convinced I'd be having an 11-1-11 baby, no problem!  They left to go "help the girl next door" (who was NOT having a fun time. She was literally screaming. Blood curdling screaming... only mildly concerning..and part of the reason why I got the epidural, actually.) and said they'd be back soon and we'd start pushing! Around 10:45pm I started feeling intense pressure and was really wanting to start pushing.  I just kept saying "hurry up, I need to push, hurry up....."  FINALLY at 11:30pm it was time to push. Everyone still was convinced we'd be having a baby that day, but I knew better.

Pushing was the hardest thing I've ever done in all my life.  I can't really explain it and quite honestly I've already forgotten most of the "pain" but it was just this extreme amount of "pressure" and frustration when no matter how hard I pushed, nothing happened.  Turns out the baby's head was tilted sideways and in order for any progress to be made, he had to turn is head "just a little bit".  Luckily I had an amazing doctor (not my normal doctor, which made me nervous, but she turned out to be really great) and she stayed with me nearly the entire time working her magic.  The nurses were amazing as well.  I could not have asked for a better medical team, that is the truth.  Zach was totally awesome as well. He stayed right by me the whole time and was definitely my biggest cheerleader.  I couldn't have done it without him.  We alternated regular pushing with playing "tug of war" where the nurse held one end of a towel and I held the other. That was my favorite but man it took a lot of energy.

I knew I had been pushing a long time and was really getting exhausted. They had to give me oxygen after a while since I was hyperventilating after contractions and I hated having that thing on my face so much. They also kept putting a cold washcloth on me which fell in my eyes every time I pushed which just made me mad.  I kept saying over and over again how I wished I was doing better and how I was sorry I wasn't better at it and everyone kept telling me I was doing great and cheering me on anyway.  At one point I proclaimed "I wish I wouldn't have stopped working out!" and then accused everyone of lying to me when they kept saying "you are almost there". Heh!  I remember just wanting to rest and the nurses even told me to rest through a couple contractions to get my energy back but I physically coudn't do it, I HAD to push. My eyes had been shut practically the whole time and I remember opening them at one point and looking at the clock. It said 2:35am. OH. MY. GOD. I had been pushing for THREE HOURS already!!   That was apparently the fuel I needed so I started pushing with all my might.  After three and a half hours of non-stop pushing it was finally time. The room got really full and everyone was rushing around getting things ready.  I just kept my eyes closed and tried to concentrate.

The pressure turned to PAIN and I knew I was about to have my baby.  The rest is a blur.  I just remember Zach telling me "he's coming!" and the nurse saying "dad get your camera" and "the doctor is suctioning his mouth and nose" and then BAM - Baby on my chest.  Holy cow.  I was so exhausted and so overwhelmed that neither one of us cried but instead we just stared at him and held his hand and said our hellos.  It was like an out of body experience.  He felt so heavy and looked so big. I couldn't believe we made him!

David Louis was finally here.

November 2, 2011
2:58 am
7 lbs 13 oz
19.5 inches long
full head of dark hair

After a while they whisked him over to the warmer and Zach followed while they finished working on me.  It was really uncomfortable and not at all enjoyble but my eyes were glued on Zach and David. After a while they brought him over to me all bundled up and we just held him and stared at him.  So amazing.

The rest of that morning is a big blur. I know Zach took a nap and a nurse came in to give David his first bath while I tried to stand and watch. I then ordered some breakfast because all I had to eat the day before was cereal that morning and some almonds I grabbed before leaving work. We checked into our recovery room around 8:30am and the rest of our stay was a whirlwind of visitors, nurses, doctors and very little sleep. I didn't like being in the hospital at all. They were constantly taking David to the nursery and not telling me when he'd be back. I was so happy to head home Friday afternoon, that's for sure.

So, now we are home and loving every second. He's a very good baby and sleeps like a champ. We can't imagine life without him...

I will try my best to do weekly (or maybe bi-weekly) updates.  He's doing great so far and we couldn't have asked for a better little baby.  We love him so much!

Introducing....

David Louis

Born November 2, 2011

2:58am

7 pounds 13 ounces

19.5 inches long

Very much loved

At some point I'll share our story and update more, but right now I've got a baby waiting to be loved on...

Pregnancy - Week 37

Today marks the end of week 37 and I am officially wanting this baby out!

Week 37 started off with a weekly doctors appointment.  I had my first official cervical check and am already 2 cm dilated. The doctor said this was "good news" especially since I hadn't been having any noticeable contractions. She said "progress without pain is always good!" I had mixed feelings at that point.  We are in the process of getting a new roof put on the house and this baby cannot come until after that is done! (currently scheduled for tomorrow...fingers crossed for no rain!). Now that a whole week has passed, I'm taking all the progress I can get! Although I fully realize I can walk around all kinds of dilated for weeks on end.  Yay.

I thought I was standing in front of our tree...not a dead patch of grass and the neighbors AC unit... sigh. Also, this shirt is clearly not flattering, but dammit it's comfy!

We are busy at home getting all the final little things set up, like the swing, the cradle, the monitor, and the pack n play.  I've washed all the bottles and binkies, my hospital bag is in the car and I carry my makeup and phone charger in my purse with me wherever I go. I keep telling Zach we are like the boy scouts right now... always prepared!

Baby-wise, he's definitely dropped. Or he's just so huge that it feels like it.  I've got the "beach ball between my legs" feeling and lots and lots of pelvic pressure, so much that it sometimes wakes me up at night.  He's still moving and grooving in there.  Sometimes I'm looking down and my stomach will literally jump two inches to the side and back. It is the coolest/craziest thing!! 

We had another busy but restful weekend. I've been getting in the habit of waking up early with the dogs, feeding them, eating breakfast myself and then going back to bed until close to noon!! I feel bad for wasting my whole morning, but I'm taking all the sleep I can get, whenever I can get it because nighttime sleep is very hit or miss.  Saturday I went to my friend, Erica's bachlorette party. Lucky for me she just wanted to have a girls night at her apartment. We played games, chatted and I watched everyone drink. It was actually a really great time though.  It was nice to get out one last time with the girls before the baby gets here!!  Then Sunday Zach's work threw him a surprise shower! His boss called me on Friday and asked if I wanted to come and of course I said yes.  He was really surprised to see me and I think it' so cool that his co-workers went all out for him! They even had games and cupcakes! That's not too common for the guys these days!!

So, now we are just waiting. I've been having light contractions on and off the past few days. Sometimes I try to time them, but I still can't tell when one ends and another begins. That just tells me that it's definitely not the real thing yet.  Hopefully soon though!! Stay tuned!

Foreshadowing?

Just for fun one night, way before we were even engaged, Zach and I thought it would be funny to try out "The Gene Machine" at Dave & Busters. Here's the result.  Could this be what our kid will look like?  You never know, but it sure was funny!

Pregnancy - Week 36

I should be pretty darn thankful that I've had such a "boring" pregnancy.  I really don't have a whole lot of updates this week, which is good! I'm at the end now and quite honestly starting to get really nervous!!  I've run out of baby projects to occupy me so now I just kind of putter around the house and find myself sitting in the baby room staring at all the stuff.  It's really kind of surreal!

The weather has finally cooled (way) off and I am loving every second of it!!  We had another beautiful weekend too.  Saturday, Zach spent half the day raking leaves and I spent half the day taking naps, I was so exhausted that day. I even got in a little rest outside on the deck and got some color!!  That night we went on our "date night/anniversary dinner" to The Dish in Liberty. I know it's nothing fancy, but that's totally us and the pizza was delish!  Sunday I got a burst of energy and cleaned the house, ran a bunch of errands and did some baking! Boy, was I ever sore that night!! 

Physically things are pretty much the same.  I'm really sore, really tired and moving slightly slower than a snail. I think the baby has dropped or is just getting really big because I'm having quite a bit of pelvic pressure and pain at times.  Sometimes I will stand up and feel like I've been kicked square in the crotch a thousand times.  Luckily once I get moving most of the discomfort goes away. It's just the getting up and getting going that takes the effort.  I've also started getting some mild carpal tunnel in my fingers. The tips of all of my fingers are numb all day and in the morning I can hardly move my right hand.  However it's nothing that has been too bad, just weird.

Lubbin' on the baby....

The baby has been quite the mover and shaker lately!!  Lots of people say they stop feeling movement as often once they get this far along, but I've actually been feeling much more!! There's always this one random body part that he likes to poke out all the time, I'm guessing a knee??  My doctor says he's head down and once I showed her where all the movement is she said he's just a "little rump shaker" ha! It is really neat feeling him that much though!  The hiccups are also really cool too. He gets them for LONG periods of time too!!

So, that's that.  I'm officially "Full Term" now at 37 weeks.  He could come at any time! How crazy is that?!

The Baby's Room

So, the baby's room is finally done!  I actually had a lot of fun putting this together.  I never went into it with a "theme".  I knew I wanted to do wood alphabet letters in lots of different colors and patterns, but beyond that I had no idea where this was going to end up.  I stuck to mostly blues in all different shades and threw in some green here and there as well.  We wanted to do something that could easily transition into a "little boy's room" once he gets old enough to proclaim what he wants.  I really do love it and cannot wait to spend time with our little guy in there. 

Looking in from the hallway

Alphabet Wall - Opposite from the crib. I figure it will be something for him to look at when he's older and chilling out after a nap or whatever. Ha! This is probably the most "creative" thing I've ever done on my own and I've got to say I'm quite proud of it!!

The corner of the room I had no idea what to do with. I thought some colorful paper lanterns (not lit) would be cute.

The dresser and changing area.  The pictures above are of our little family, some will be replaced with baby pictures once we have them.

The bookcase and storage area.  The picture is the movie poster for "Matchmaker Mary". Our little Missy dog was used in it while she was a "waif" at Wayside when we were waiting to adopt her, so her picture is on it several times. I went to the big movie premier (ha!) when it came out and got this poster thinking I'd put it in a baby's room one day.  We also own the movie and I'm sure we'll watch it with the kid someday! 

I have a feeling we'll be spending plenty of time here.

Organizing closets is not my strong suit, especially ones this small, but this neat organizer thing really helps. Clearly, this is still a work in progress...

Ted's always checking on me.

Now we just need a baby!!