Okay, okay… you’ve probably wondering… again… where we are. Well, the weeks just fly around here. If I ever thought life moved fast before Cooper, those days are nothing compared to life now.

On August 9th we had JCP take a few pictures of Cooper for his 6th month birthday. I’ve attached a few. I had hoped some would turn out… and of course all of them were absolutely wonderful. I had to use a bit of restraint when ordering prints, because I could have ordered all of them. He’s my baby!

Two weeks ago we traveled to Michigan for Steve’s sister’s wedding and for Cooper to meet his great-grandparents, other aunts and uncles, and cousins. Wow! What a fast week. After packing the van… make that stuffing the van, we made our way to Milwaukee to sail across the lake. Thank God there is a ferry that travels across Lake Michigan… meaning less time in the car for Cooper. It was an interesting ride… rockier than we have ever experienced before. People were getting sick. Thankfully, Cooper cuddled in Grandma and Grandpa O’C’s arms and it didn’t bother him a bit. We had a wonderful evening spending time with my great aunt and uncle. They are wonderful people and much like pseudo-grandparents since my mom’s parents have died. Hope Cooper really gets to know them. After leaving their house we went to my grandma’s for a couple of nights. Cooper did a great job of sleeping most nights with very little waking.

On Thursday we traveled to the other side of the state for the wedding. We stopped in Blissfield and stayed overnight with Steve’s grandparents. On Friday we traveled to Detroit for all the wedding festivities. Cooper did a wonderful job of being a great baby. He sat through the rehearsal and dinner very well. Mommy was a bit nervous about the wedding as I didn’t want him to fuss. I had Steve (in a tux) quickly help me change him right before the service and prayed he wouldn’t poop. I made a bottle and grabbed the diaper bag filled with quiet toys and the “food” bag just in case. I then snuck into the first pew as I was sitting with Steve’s parents and grandparents… I did sit on the end so I had a quick escape, if needed. No need to worry… Cooper crashed as soon as everyone was in and the ceremony started. He snoozed through the whole thing until everyone clapped at the end. The reception went well, too. He got a little fussy, but a bottle and cuddling with Mommy helped. Sunday’s drive back to the ferry and home were a bit more interesting. After a week of four-hour trips, Cooper started to figure out that sitting in his car seat for long periods was not fun. I read to him, sang songs, showed him different toys, but nothing really seemed to work. The only positive was that at about 11pm, Coopers screams were keeping Steve awake while driving. Ugh. No more long trips for a long time. Cooper and I took Monday off to recover and try to get things from the trip put away.

Last Tuesday Cooper started at a new daycare. So far he seems to enjoy it. I love the fact that they make his bottles for him on demand and I don’t have to make and label them every morning. They also keep the bottles there and clean them. Thank you- I now have an extra twenty minutes in the morning. Since this daycare just opened a couple of weeks ago, they are combining the infant class until they have enough to make two rooms (which will be soon) and then they’ll split into mobile and non-mobile.

Developmentally Cooper is changing all the time. He is really sitting up well on his own. When he’s tired I still put the Boppy around him, but he probably doesn’t need it. He’s just a wild man in the exersaucer! Steve raised the seat again and he can still really jump. He loves to play in there! On a stinky note…the exersaucer brings out the “best” in Cooper- it makes him poop. It is almost guaranteed. Put him in it you’ll be changing a diaper… and possibly clothes. I think Cooper is ready for stage 2 foods. He loves peas, bananas, applesauce, and sweet potatoes. On our trip he got a few tastes of some really good things. We had ice cream while seeing my aunts and families in Grand Haven and he loved the taste I gave him. Steve’s grandma makes the best mashed/whipped potatoes and Coops got to try a bite or two. Steve’s Uncle Bill gave him some raspberry sherbet at the wedding reception. The other day the daycare said Cooper tried to drink from another child’s Sippy cup so they got one out for him with some water and he did great. Milestones, milestones. He watches everything and wants to try new things.

Cooper will be seven months old on Saturday… Where did time go????

Happy Six Months Old, Cooper!

Can you believe it??? Our baby is six months old!!! He is growing up too fast!

Life has been full and interesting over the last few weeks… Wondering where I was??? I wish we could say we have the ear infection saga behind us, and hopefully we do, but Cooper continues to be on antibiotics as he either developed another ear infection or the first one didn’t clear. We a very late night or early morning trip to the ER on 7/27. Coops had finished the Amoxicillin the Saturday evening before, but about 24 hours later he was screaming a scream I have never heard before. It took about two minutes for the doc to diagnose him. When his fever of 102-103 continued Steve took him back in last Thursday and they changed his antibiotic. As advised, we took him back in last Saturday since he continued to run a fever over 102. I think as soon as the doc heard we were first time parents, she didn’t hear anything else and blew us off. Thankfully the fevers ended on Sunday and so far he seems to be doing great. Today he gets his six month shots… let the fevers begin, again and an ear check.

Last Sunday we got together with Steve and Jan, a couple we met in our prenatal class, to get our little ones together and share our adventures in parenting. Cooper and Amaya went right for each other. They are just adorable and two peas in a pod. I think Jan would agree that they are so similar that they sound like twins separated at birth… or friends two weeks apart.

Cooper is pretty much sitting up on his own. Wednesday night I had him on his play blanket and he sat up for about five minutes. I was right there to catch him. Later that evening I went to give him a bath and decided to try the tub in the sitting position rather than the reclined position with the hammock. I think he enjoyed it! He was able to sit up and splash. You should have seen the waves in his tub. With his tub in our tub, it doesn’t matter how much he splashes… and it’s not like he really has that much water to get out of the tub. I let him play with a rubber ducky and a fish, but, of course, all he really wanted was the wash cloth to suck on.

Cooper is also beginning to cut teeth. He has one on the bottom that has been trying to come through for a little over a week. He doesn’t like us looking at it and sticks his tongue out.

This morning I dressed Cooper in a 6-9 month romper. Last week he weighed in at 15 pounds. It will be interesting to see what he weighs today and how long he is. The daycare likes to feed him. He is just growing up too fast!

Tomorrow, as long as he is feeling well, we will go to have some six month pictures taken. The poor baby… Mommy always has the camera out and now he has to go have more taken. Mine are cute, but we need a professional take some, too. The person on the phone asked if he is grabbing his toes. Is he grabbing his toes??? He’s now sticking his feet in his mouth. And he tries so hard to get his socks off. Thankfully, his feet are pretty clean. It’s not like he’s walking on them.

Well, I think that somewhat covers the last three week! Take care.

Coughs, sniffles, and fevers… oh my!

We continue to be under the weather at the Hull household. So far Steve is doing okay and hasn’t come down with the cold. As for Mr. Cooper and me, we spent several days bonding at home. We got in some good cuddle time. I took Monday and Tuesday off since we both weren’t feeling good and Cooper had developed a fever. My thought was to get past the fever on Tuesday so he could go back to daycare. Wednesday afternoon they called to say he had a temp and couldn’t come back until today. After three days of calls to the pediatric nurse line, I was tired of hearing that we needed to let it run its course and took him in yesterday. Sure enough, he has a “blazing red” ear infection and possibly a clearing pneumonia. No need to explore the pneumonia any further as the antibiotic for the ear infection would take care of both. Ugh. Poor baby! As for me, the week of a significant sore throat, yellow stuff running from my nose (sorry), and cough, didn’t come up to anything more than “it’s a virus” and to wait to see if it gets worse. Now, I’m not one to take antibiotics unless they are really necessary as there are too many drug resistant bugs out there now, but oh I don’t feel good. I did get Robitussin with codeine… like I want to take something that will make me sleepy when I have a baby that needs me. Trust me- with a week of sleepless nights as soon as I lay down I fall asleep. I don’t need codeine to help with that. The doc I saw (not mine) was more interested in the fact that I was 36 with my first baby and that his kids (late 20’s and early 30’s) haven’t had kids yet. Ugh, again. We’ll see how today goes with me back at work and Cooper at daycare.

Hate to say it, but since last Friday, the above has been the extent of our week.

So far so good...

Well, we made it through the last two weeks. Cooper did great at daycare. Mom did well… I only called once to check on him. Dad is doing really well with the drop-offs. Last Tuesday (his first day) they took pictures of Cooper and sent them home with a certificate that he completed his first day. On Thursday he got to finger paint blue and red fireworks with his hand. I would have never thought to finger paint with a four month old!... we’ve tried a handprint for memories and… well… it’s not easy. He also got to go for stroller rides. This Wednesday morning the director sent me a picture of him. He really looked happy. It makes it a bit easier to know he is having fun. It’s still hard to think of someone else taking care of him. He’s had a string of blow-outs this week- three in four days. I was looking for extra clothes to send with him this morning and I think we nearly tapped all the clothes that fit him. Hopefully the poo will stay in the diaper today. The daycare viruses have begun. Both Cooper and I have colds. Steve noticed several kids with colds and we are pretty sure that is where we got it. Ugh, it’s hard to be sick, take care of him, and work. Thankfully it’s Friday and hopefully I can rest this weekend. I hope Steve doesn’t get it, but we like to share in our family, so he’s pretty much doomed.

Coops turned five months old last Sunday! He is just an amazing little being. The other night I sat in awe just watching him. It wasn’t that long ago that he would lay and smile, but now he can purposefully reach out to grab something he wants. He was on him tummy and his pacifier was in front of him. He reached out to grab it and managed to turn it to get it in his mouth. Wow! I pulled him from his back to a sitting position and for a few moments he sat without any support. I was, of course, right there to catch him. He can also roll from his back to his tummy. Once in a while his arm is stuck under him, but he is getting better at getting it out. Yesterday morning we found him sleeping on his tummy in the crib. I shouldn’t panic as if he is old enough to get into that position he’s probably okay. The dangling toys, that just a few weeks ago were a challenge for him to pull to play music, aren’t so challenging anymore. I have a feeling we have reached a stage where things are going to start happening very quickly… rolling over, sitting without support, etc. Crawling will probably happen before we know it.

Last weekend we tried peas with Cooper and he loved them. He is like a little bird with his open mouth. We can’t get the spoon in fast enough. The squash we tried before wasn’t a big hit, but we’ll try again. He’s getting cereal twice a day, too. We are still struggling to figure out how much he needs of breast milk, cereal, and food. I was sending three four ounce bottles with him to daycare, but now they want five ounce bottles. The only problem is they feed him at 4pm and he can’t wait until 8pm (right before bed) to eat again. Someday we’ll figure it out… just in time to change, again.

This evening the new daycare that is opening is having an open house, so we will go over to that. I wish Cooper could stay where he is now, but they can only keep him through August at this point. Hopefully an opening comes up. If not, I hope to be impressed by the new facility. We are looking forward to a fairly quiet weekend.

Our BIG day! Daycare and a new job...

Well, here I go again. It has taken me over two weeks to update. Bear with me… it has been a busy couple of weeks. Steve had a couple of engineering interviews two weeks ago and he heard the Friday before last that one of the companies was interested in making him an offer. Of course that meant we needed to start looking for child care… oh my. I knew infant care in Rochester was scarce, but, wow, it is tight. As most of you know I am a bit neurotic when it comes to Cooper’s care and safety… true for all those I love. I’m not going to put him just anywhere and given that I work in organ donation and I hear the worst stories about shaken babies at daycare, it’s even harder. I started to frantically search as soon as we knew Steve was likely to get an offer- which officially came last Friday and they wanted him to start immediately. Most centers don’t have openings until February or March of next year. We looked at a couple of centers last week that were willing to work with us. Thankfully and unfortunately… one center (the one we want) just had an opening, but another family took it right before I called. The good news was they don’t need the spot until August and Cooper can be there as a drop-in… and with other kids going on vacation he can stay there until September. They have him on their wait list, but don’t anticipate an opening until January. Hopefully a permanent spot will open in the meantime and he can stay. If not, there is a new center under construction due to open the middle of August. The only thing that makes me a bit nervous is that I can't see the interaction of the teachers with the students. This is a well established child care corporation so I’m sure they know what they are doing. We’ll see…

So that leads us to today. Cooper started daycare and Steve started his new job. We’ve spent the last couple of days buying new bottles, wipes, extra pacifiers, etc, labeling everything and filling out lots and lots of paperwork. After several nights of tossing and turning about the decision to have someone other than us care for Cooper, this morning arrived. We got up a bit early to get everyone out the door without being rushed… well… we were still a bit rushed, but not too bad. We had a lot to take with us. Steve and I both wanted to drop off Cooper with it being his first day. I think I did pretty good. I didn’t cry this morning until we made it past the front door of the daycare and the director asked how I was doing… then the tears came. I was distracted enough with putting his bottles and car seat away and filling out the “information about today" form that I wasn’t sobbing. I gave him one kiss and said goodbye. Oh, my dear baby. He is in great hands. I know they will take great care of him. I haven’t called yet, but then again, it’s only 9:30… maybe in another 30 minutes… just to see how his morning is going. ***It’s now 10am… I just called and he is doing great. They had him in a bouncer seat this morning. He is startling easily, but Cooper is pretty sensitive to loud noises. They fed him cereal and gave him a bottle. So he is okay… and mom is okay.***

Steve started as an engineer with Kerry, a company that makes bio- and pharma-ingredients. Hmmm, not exactly sure of what all he will be doing. I hope he is having a great day, too! The daycare is close to where Steve is working, so he’ll likely drop Cooper off in the morning.

Hmmm… what else is happening? We are going on three weeks of Cooper sleeping through the night. He was doing every other night until a few weeks ago. Then it seemed like he reached this magical age and now he is sleeping from about 9pm until 6:30am. Some mornings he'll sleep until about 8. Oh, I love it. I still get up to check on him occasionally. We also bought a mesh bumper pads as he would wake up crying with limbs sticking out of the crib. One morning he was on his side with both legs out, an arm out and his head tight up against the rail. He let out a horrible scream. Poor baby. There wasn't any way for him to get out of that position. Even with Cooper sleeping, the “get up early to get ready before he gets up” and the “get as much done as possible before bed” routines cuts into sleep. I find myself crawling into bed at night thinking that it feels I was just doing the same routine moments ago when it really was 24 hours ago. I’m typically the kind of person that really, really likes 8+ hours of sleep. These days if I get five I’m doing well.

Thankfully, this is a short week!

More Milestones...

This has been a big milestone week for Cooper.

Sunday night my parents came to visit and Steve and I took advantage of them being here to get away for a night as a couple. This was probably a bigger milestone for us than Cooper, but still a change for him. Lanesboro has a special place in our hearts as it is where we go to relax. This is also the place we went on our honeymoon and 1st anniversary. Lanesboro is cute little town about 45 minutes south of Rochester. The town is also down in a valley so cell phone use is pretty much nonexistent… a bit of a thought to comprehend when you are leaving your baby for the night for the first time. I couldn’t call every hour to check on him. He was in wonderful hands and the three of them did a great job! Cooper went down for Grandma and Papa around 7:30 and slept until 4am- wow, he doesn’t typically do that for us. He ate and played… and became a little fountain for Grandma. Steve and I had a nice night out and came back shortly after breakfast on Monday. I didn’t sleep as much as I thought I would. I wasn’t worried about Cooper, but I still kept waking up. While we missed our little guy, it was nice to reconnect as a couple… a lot of our conversation was about Cooper- but that’s okay- this is our life! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Last night was also a night of a big milestone for Cooper. Last week his pediatrician gave us the okay to start cereal. After Steve and I had dinner, Steve picked Cooper up out of the swing he was in next to the table. Steve handed him the spoon and he tried to put it in his mouth… now keep in mind everything goes into his mouth at this point. But we thought we’d try the cereal. So I mixed ½ a tablespoon of rice cereal with 4 tablespoons of breast milk and he ate all of it! Thank you to everyone that gave us bibs, we are going to use them! Actually, he did a great job of getting it back in his mouth. Tonight filet mignon… no, not yet- have to wait for teeth and a tummy that can handle it. We’ll stick with cereal and breast milk for awhile.

Cooper is really starting to sleep longer at night. The night before last, I put Cooper down at 8:45pm and he slept until about 5am. Steve brought him to me in bed to nurse and then Cooper and I crashed again. I slept until a little before 7, but Coops continued to sleep while I got ready for work. Steve had a dentist appointment, so it worked out great that he was still sleepy. At 8am I knew Steve was about on his way home and I needed to head off to work, so I started to wake Cooper up and oh my the stretches and yawns… he just wasn’t quite ready to get up. He slept almost eleven hours which means I got about seven hours… that felt good! As I mentioned with our night away, just because Cooper sleeps, doesn’t mean we sleep all the way through. Both Steve and I get up to check on him to make sure he is okay. If only we could figure out how to make it happen every night. Last night he did great, but wanted to chat… and nurse at 2am and then was up again at 5am. As he continues to get older, I’m sure the longer nights are coming more frequently. It’s almost hard to remember the nights of getting up every two hours… well, I still remember them, but I’m very thankful we don’t have too many of them anymore.

After hitting two milestones, even though one was more for mom and dad than Cooper, we had quite the week. Cooper continues to change every day, just sometimes not major milestones.

Happy 4 months old, Cooper!

I know I just updated (feast or famine), but I thought I’d get a short note in today as Cooper is now four months old. The last four months… actually the last year has been incredibly amazing! Just five days from now it will be exactly a year ago that we saw his heartbeat for the first time! He was just 6 weeks and 5 days (in reality he was 4 weeks and 5 days) of being a little growing miracle. It had been one of the scariest days of my life in that I had thought I was losing him, but when we saw his heartbeat I think my heart started to beat faster than his. The picture from that ulrasound is the bottom one on the right side. Life is so very precious.

We survived Wednesday’s exam and shots. Cooper is now 2 feet long… he’s grown about 5 inches since birth and is now 12 pounds and 9 ounces- it could also be that he hadn’t pooped in two days! He’s still a little guy, but is staying pretty consistent on the growth chart. Cooper showed Dr. Alme his ability to chat. The shots were rough. Last time he cried very hard, but this time he screamed and then held his breath and then screamed each time he was stuck. The nurse was quick, but four shots are a lot. We cuddled as soon as he got dressed and he fell asleep. The rest of the night wasn’t too bad, except when Steve went to get groceries, Cooper just screamed for about 30 minutes. I couldn’t give him any more Tylenol and there just wasn’t anything I could do to console him. In desperation I was going to give him a bath. As soon as I put him in his crib and turned on the mobile he calmed down. So I took advantage of it and let his friends dance for him. We did give him a bath a little later and I think it helped sooth him. The fevers weren’t as bad this time. He stayed between 100.4-100.7, but didn’t go higher.

Since putting on a little weight, Cooper hasn’t rolled over as much as he did a couple of months ago, but last night during “tummy time” he rolled over three times. I think he is just about to roll from back to tummy, too. When he is on his tummy he has a look of frustration that he can’t get his arms and legs under him to move. He does a “Super Cooper” by lifting his arms and legs off the ground like he’s ready for take-off. He is also pulling his dangling toys to make the music play.

It’s supposed to rain for the next several days, but we can hope to get out for a walk or two this weekend. This has already been an icky year for severe weather, so I picked up a new alarm clock that has a NOAA radio. It's amazing what being a mommy will do to you- you'll do anything to protect your child. I just want to be as prepared as possible with Cooper being down the hall (not really that far, but far enough). We have had tornados north and south of us, but most stuff is fizzeling out before it gets to us.

Grandma and Papa O’C are coming on Sunday to pick up Lacy. We may take advantage of having them here and go out Sunday night.

Have a great weekend!

So now I give him to the LORD...

1 Samuel 1:27-28 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has
granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD.

We had Cooper baptized On May 18th. Grandma and Grandpa O’Connell, Grandma and Grandpa Hull, my sister and family, and Steve’s sister and fiancé all came. It was an exciting weekend. Cooper wasn’t short on being given attention and being held. He did a great job during the baptism. He likes having his hair washed, so I wasn’t too concerned, but the time of the baptism was just about naptime, so you never know. He watched Pastor Jeff pretty closely. Cooper wore the outfit Steve wore when he was baptized- pretty neat... and it fit just right! Coops is very blessed to have family that will make sure he is upheld in his spiritual life. Our church family thinks he is pretty neat, too. It definitely takes us longer to get out after church as so many want to see him. Steve and I know God has blessed us with this special boy and we give him to the Lord.

I so badly want to keep this better updated for those of you that are reading it and as a keepsake for Cooper… and me to look back on. What can I say, I’m a new mommy. Things just don’t always happen the way you plan. The days feel short. Sleep feels short. Where has time gone? Cooper will be four months old on Friday. I feel like just a short while ago I was carrying him.

So what is Cooper doing?… Oh, where to begin. Since my last post (a month ago), we have put away the bassinet. Cooper does a great job of sleeping in his crib at night. We have had more nights of him sleeping longer… and then he regresses a bit, and then sleeps longer again. I’d say many nights of the week he will sleep from 10pm until 4:30 or 5am. Not bad. He isn’t always a restful sleeper as I often find him in a different position then when I put him down. We’ve also found limbs sticking out between the crib slats, but bumper pads aren’t recommended anymore.

Cooper is becoming so much more interactive. He is a little chatter box and he can be so expressive with his eyes and facial expressions. He has also found out that he controls the volume of his voice and he can be quite loud at times. I can’t wait for him to tell me what he is trying to say. I think Cooper has started to discover textures. I’ve found him “scratching” the posts of his dangling toy mat and his shirts. He is also grabbing stuffed animals, blankets, and of course anything that can go into his mouth. He likes to look at the baby in the mirror, too. Coops is on the verge of giggling. He makes a little laugh sound when he is excited. There is nothing better than when he gets excited when he sees me. After I get home from work, his eyes will catch mine and he just lights up… my heart melts. Oh, this is so much fun. But he is growing up too fast!

Well, tomorrow is another big day of shots and a well-baby exam. Last time he ran a bit of a temp after the shots, but hopefully he does well with these. If not, we will have the Tylenol and soothing bathes ready. Momma is prepared for plenty of cuddle time.

Until next time… take care!

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere… bubble, bubbles in my hair…

For those of you that didn’t believe me that Cooper likes his bath, here is a new picture. Mommy got a little carried away with the Bedtime bath and a few too many bubbles erupted from the tub. Note to Mommy… when it comes to Cooper’s bath, add the stuff after filling the tub to prevent too many bubbles (Mommy loves bubble baths for herself). Cooper loves to lay and kick his feet and oh… add to the water, but thankfully not the poop kind since the one time he did it. Sunday after his bath I gave him a rub down with some relaxing baby lotion and look how happy he was! He loves just being in his diaper. He did a great job with tummy time and I got several great pictures of him.

Our baby is growing up! He was 3 months old yesterday… or 13 weeks old today! We’ve reached another milestone in that we are probably ready to put the bassinet away. For the last two weeks Cooper has slept in his crib at night and has done great… and so has Mommy. This morning I did find him turned sideways, even with the SwaddleMe blanket on. I’m not sure how he moves so much, but he can. He is getting longer, too. We’ve noticed the 0-3M onesies just don’t fit too well anymore… especially with the size 1 diapers. He can still fit in 0-3M clothes and I hope he will for just a little while longer. It seems like he just got out of newborns a couple of weeks ago… actually, he did.

Last week we had three glorious nights of sleep. Cooper made it about 7 ½ hours all three nights. The last few nights, we’ve been back to nursing at 3am, but I’m sure some “through the night” sleeps are coming. I loved sleeping for the longer stretches, but when I’d wake up there was a part of me that panicked a bit. I wanted to make sure he was okay. I’ve got to stop worrying, but I’m sure many of you could tell me that worrying is just being a parent. The other morning when I went to check on him his hand was cold (not uncommon for Cooper and Daddy) and he was breathing so shallowly that I couldn’t see or feel his chest rise and fall, so I actually shook him a bit to get him to move. I held my breath for a moment. I’m sure he was wondering why Mommy waking him up.

We bought Cooper an exersaucer that will grow with him. It starts out as a play mat with dangling toys above him. He can’t quite pull on them yet to start the music and lights, but he enjoys it when we do it for him. I don’t think it will be much longer and he’ll be able to do it himself. He is starting to grab things with his hands. Eventually, we’ll turn the toys back into an exersaucer and later it turns into a play table once he can stand and walk on his own. Over the weekend we stopped at Target to pick up a few items and we managed to stop in the baby toy aisle. Steve and I thought he needed a new toy. I found a cute sea horse that has a tummy that glows and it plays soothing lullabies with water sounds. Cooper also loves to get kisses from his stuffed animals. Frog, Tigger, and Puddles, his stuffed puppy give great kisses. He is almost ready to giggle. He will get a big grin on his face and make a gurgling sound. It is just fun to watch him become so much more aware of the world around him.

Have I ever said this is amazing???

Before I was a Mom...

I got this from my mom and I thought I'd share! It is sooo true!!!

Before I was a Mom: I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought
about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom: I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed
on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom: I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got
gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom: I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want
to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I
couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my
life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I
would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom: I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my
body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I
didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that
something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom: I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every
10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy,
the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Happy Friday! I thought I'd share this...

A newborn's conversation with God

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'

God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?'

God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

Adventures in Parenting… take one

Tomorrow Cooper will be ten weeks old… ten weeks! Where does the time go? He is changing before our eyes. I want to hold onto every minute and forever hold them in my heart.

Since my last post we have had a few new experiences. Last Wednesday Cooper had his two month well baby visit. He weighed 9lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long. He is still just a little guy. He got four shots and one oral vaccine. He and Mommy survived, but not without tears for both of us. That was hard and I didn’t watch, but his cries tugged at my heart. Daddy was right there with him, too. While he was in a pretty good mood following them, he did get a fever into Thursday. Poor baby. Overall he looked really good at his appointment. He will go back in two months.

In an attempt to help him feel better after the shots (and because it was Wednesday-bath day) we gave him a warm, soothing bath. Coops proceeded to poop in the tub. Ickapoo. In the past he has been a little fountain and added to the water, but never pooped. Thankfully, Daddy came to the rescue and cleaned the tub while I held onto Cooper. Coops has decided baths aren’t too bad and lays back and enjoys the water (trust me, I know it doesn't look like it from the picture). His tub has a sling to support him and he’ll drop one leg into the water and kick some. I have quickly learned to cover him with a washcloth to prevent the fountain from spraying everywhere… it’s not quite as important now that we are putting the infant tub in the big tub- after the pooping experience, we found it was easier to clean the tub in the bathroom). Before, I would put the tub over the kitchen sink and the dish drainer was in the line of fire. Mommy takes her chances probably too often. Usually I’m pretty lucky. Baby boys!

Yesterday, Cooper had his first real blowout. We’ve had minor leaks, but just onto his clothes. Cooper managed to go through his diaper, the onesie, the SwaddleMe blanket, and the crib sheet. Steve had just changed the crib sheet over the weekend as we are preparing to move him in there at night.

Cooper is starting to sleep longer at night. The last few nights he's gotten up once nurse during the night. I'm enjoying the longer stretches. He has still been in the bassinet next to our bed. I like having him close by, but I think I'm about ready to transition him to the crib. We can at least try it for part of the night and see how he does... or how Mommy does. He is starting to move around more and I've found him at the foot of the bassinet several times. We bought a baby monitor so we’ll be able to hear him. His room is just down the hall from us, but it is going to feel further away. When he first came home, I frequently put him in bed with us and putting him in the bassinet felt like I had sent him to a foreign country. I suppose we should get him in the crib before he is a teenager… for more reasons than one.

Cooper is just an amazing gift. Everyday is a new experience.

Eight weeks old!!!

Wow! Where have the last eight weeks gone??? We have spent most of it trying to figure things out. For Cooper, “where am I?”, “how do I go back?”, and “where’s the milk?” I’m sure are the questions to be answered. For me it’s, “sleep, will I ever sleep again?”, “oh my, does Cooper really want to be fed again?”, and how does one heart have so much love?”. I’m sure Steve is just trying to adjust to Cooper and me. It has been wonderful for the three of us to be home together. No one could have prepared me for parenthood. Have I ever said that I am blessed??? I am! This is all so incredible.



I went back to work on Wednesday for four hours a day through next week. I just wasn’t ready to go back full-time… I could have easily taken a few more weeks (months or years) off. I miss Steve and Cooper while I am at work. When I get home I just want to cuddle with Coops and make up for the hours I missed. Can you imagine how I will be after the 14th? Thankfully, Cooper doesn’t mind the cuddle time. I am very thankful Steve is home with him as I know I wouldn’t be ready to hand him over to a daycare center yet. I’m sure they are getting started on their “boy things” while I am gone… the importance of not letting the squirrel population get out of hand, “big boy” noises, which days to look for the Menards, Home Depot, and Lowe’s ads in the paper… and that the Herbergers ad is yucky. They read books every morning. Steve has said “Colors and animals today… algebra tomorrow.” I promise you we will let him be a kid. We just use the Noah wallpaper boarder during diaper changes, the animal mobile, and the books to point out the names of the animals and colors. He seems to be entertained by it. We get a lot of “oww’s” (Steve thinks it’s owl) and “aguooo’s” from him.



I try to read to Cooper, too, but I read the “mushy” books. I have a new favorite “Cooper” book. It used to be (and is now tied) Love You Forever. If you haven’t read it… a young woman holds her newborn son and sings to him: "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." In the end, when he is a grown man and she is an old woman, he sings to her as he cradles her in his arms: "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my mommy you'll be." I still struggle to make it through without a tear. Over Easter I found the book You Are My Wish Come True. A momma bear shares with her baby bear how much she wished, prayed for, and waited for him. One day God chose a special child for her and her wish came true. Both are very special books. I just can’t tell Cooper enough how much I love him.



Cooper is and will continue to grow up fast. If the next 18 years go as fast as the last eight weeks, he will be heading to college very soon. On Monday we had him in the crib to do some tummy time and Coops decided he prefers to lie on his back and rolled over. At first I thought it was a fluke, but he did it several times. I laid a blanket out on the floor in his room to play with him there and do some tummy time and sure enough, more rolls. He also has an amazing ability to hold his head up when he is on his tummy, so I’m not too concerned about a flat head. I’ve also watched him roll from his back to his side… that is how he likes to sleep… so much for putting him on his back to sleep, but I don’t think he can roll completely over to his tummy… yet. It just means we need to watch where we put him and I need to take all the stuffed animals out of his crib.

Keep checking back as I will try to update this more often.

Jen

He's here!!!

I’m a little (a lot) late at getting a new post up, but life has been rich and full over the last week and a half.

Where to begin… In Steve’s last post I was contracting, but the progress was very, very slow. We had checked in at 7:30 am on Tuesday and started with a medication to make my cervix for favorable for dilation. We tried four tablets with four hours between each one (for a total of 16 hours). I was contracting on my own, but it’s hard to say how regular they were. I was being externally monitored, but not all of them were being picked up by the monitor- I felt like I wasn’t getting credit for the ones I was having. After a long, uncomfortable night, Wednesday morning we started a low dose of pitocin and as the dose was inched up every 15-20 minutes the contractions started to pick up. Twice Cooper’s heart rate dropped and we had to cut back to half of the dose and start again. Wednesday afternoon they broke my water by attaching an electrode to Cooper’s head to better monitor his heart rate and also put in a monitor for my contractions. At about 5pm on Wednesday, my OB came in (while she wasn’t on-call she was closely following us) and suggested that since I was only 3cm dilated after about 30+ hours of trying to move things along and Cooper was still pretty high up with no signs of coming down, we should throw in the towel and proceed with a c-section. In all honesty while a small portion of me was disappointed, I was ready to be done. My contractions weren’t horrible, but I was tired. I had opted for an epidural about this same time and wondered why I had waited so long. Shortly after talking with my OB, the nurse came in and said the senior OB that was on-call decided maybe we should try the pitocin one more time. Since Cooper had already had two episodes of decelerations since starting pitocin that morning and I was a bit nervous with the thought of doing it again, but felt I needed to trust the OB. My mom and dad were with us and for some reason we were watching Deal or No Deal. A little after 7pm I asked to talk to the OB and about the same time Cooper’s heart rate dropped to 45. I can’t say I remember much, but a flurry of activity in the room. Even though I had my epidural I had enough movement to get on my hands and knees to see if that position would help relieve any compression that may have been on the umbilical cord. I found myself quickly being rushed down the hall to the OR while Steve changed into scrubs. Thankfully, by the time we got to the OR Cooper’s heart rate was up to 120 and things slowed down a bit. Since I had received my epidural I was able to be awake for his delivery. Steve was able to be with him right away. Cooper was born at 7:46 pm at 6lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long.

After a couple of hours of observation time in labor and delivery, we were moved to the postpartum unit. Thursday and Friday were a bit of a blur with trying to recover from the surgery, figuring out breastfeeding Cooper, and visits from the nurses, OB, peds, and others. Cooper had a fever at birth and I had tested positive for Group B strep and had only received one dose of antibiotics during labor, so he was being closely followed by the peds team. He had a couple of other elevated temps so he was started on antibiotics to be safe. I was discharged on Saturday, but Coops needed to be observed for another 24 hours so I was transferred to a houseguest. After a bit of a meltdown (that I’m sure was primarily hormone induced) I moved to a semiprivate room across the hall with the understanding that L&D was slow and the room would likely stay private and Steve could stay with us. I really needed him. He was my emotional stability. Thankfully Cooper was fine and was discharged about 11am on Sunday. We made our way home in subzero temps.

My parents were here until Wednesday of last week and Steve’s parents came Thursday evening and just left this morning. So I guess we are now ready to settle in just the three of us. I can’t say we are in a routine other than nursing about every two hours followed by a diaper change. Steve and I fit in showers and meals when we can. I’ve gotten pretty good at holding Cooper while eating. I’m really not spoiling my baby, I just love holding him. Actually, he is pretty good at being in his bassinet or swing while we eat. I just struggle to hear him cry as it eats at every cell in my body to comfort him. So when he fusses I feel a strong need to pick him up. I have a snuggler… and I LOVE it!

Coops has already picked up a virus… a week and a half old and he’s already sick. The only place we went with him was to the pediatrician for his first well baby visit and to Culvers for about 30 minutes for dinner on Thursday. The only people that have held him besides us were grandparents. Saturday he sounded congested to me and then he melted down Saturday evening and there wasn’t anything we could do to console him. Yesterday the runny nose started with a junky cough. Steve started the humidifier in his room and I sat with him in the bathroom with the shower running. We put saline drops in his nose and frequently suck him out. The poor baby. We called the on-call pediatrician three times in about 12 hours, but I think that’s pretty good for new parents. He still sounds rough, but is definitely more alert. Hopefully he will be past it soon.

Well now that I’ve written a book, I’ll close by saying we are incredibly blessed and in awe of parenthood. There is no doubt that this is a love that can’t be measured.

Love, Jen, Steve, and Cooper

Still working at it

No baby, but Jen is in progress. After coming to the hospital yesterday morning things have been slowly progressing. Jen is sitting in a rocking chair at the moment sucking on a See's candy sucker ( she has only been allowed clear liquids since coming in). Contractions are lasting about 45 seconds every 3-8 minutes with the help of pitocin which started this morning. Will update later. Steve.

Got Baby?

Well it is Monday night and no baby… yet. So we’ll plan to check in tomorrow morning to be induced and hopefully, one way or another, we will have a baby either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Here are a couple of pictures from last night.

Sorry this is short, but I must get to bed to rest for tomorrow’s adventure. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

I’ll try to get a post up as soon as I can.

Love,
Jen

Overdue…

We sound like a library book.

We had another OB appointment yesterday and guess what… 1cm. Can you believe it??? 1. What can I say? Little one is just not ready to come. His head is definitely still down, but between him and my body nothing is happening. His little heart was beating along at 145… I love that soothing sound. He is laying lopsided to my right… I almost feel like I have a baby butt in my armpit. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. He is wiggling at the moment with a foot (or something) poking my right ribs.

So… unless something happens over the weekend, we’ll move forward with the induction on Tuesday at 7:30 am. Obviously even that could change depending on how busy Labor and Delivery is. It’s been almost frightening to see in the birth announcement section of the paper that 6-8 babies are born every day. Hopefully Tuesday will be a quiet day. They only have eight birthing rooms. Once we start hopefully we will stay put. The OB we saw yesterday was great in explaining what would happen and informed us that it could be a long process depending on how I respond to the medications. That 30 hour labor prediction could be reality. We will take things as they come and pray for a smooth labor.

Much like last weekend (without the food poisoning), Steve and I will enjoy this weekend as a couple and relax… one more date. We were talking this morning that this will likely be the last weekend as a couple for the next eighteen plus years. We are so embracing this journey, but life will definitely be different. I don’t think there is much we have left to do… baby-wise. I should make sure Steve gets plenty of rest as he will be very busy Tuesday and probably Wednesday.

I’ll try to get one more update in before Tuesday, especially if anything changes. For now keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for Tuesday.

Love, Jen

DUE DATE

We have met that miracle milestone in pregnancy of reaching our due date, but I think it is going to come and go without the delivery of a baby. Nothing appears to be happening. Oh well. Yesterday we had blizzard warnings and about a -50 degree temperature drop so I would have thought he’d come… don’t babies like blizzards???

Actually, maybe this is best. Steve and I went out with Jackie and Kyle for lunch on Saturday and it looks like Jackie and I picked up a case of food poisoning. Yuck, yuck. Thankfully, we are both back in the land of the living, but I am still a little tired, achy, and probably still a bit dehydrated from the experience. Thank God, I didn’t go into labor on Monday as I really couldn’t move without vomiting. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. On top of it, I couldn’t tell the difference between stomach cramps and contractions. Ever try to hug a toilet with a full-term baby belly? Not to mention trying to get off the floor… sorry- that was too much information. Today I feel every muscle I used to get sick with, especially in my neck and back. I have had two bad chest colds during this pregnancy that I would take 100 times over that one really bad day of vomiting. Food poisoning and pregnancy… I don’t recommend it.

My OB is still on-call tonight and tomorrow night, but I think I have lost hope of her being there for the birth of our son. Oh well. Once again, I have no control over what is happening. So for now, unless little one decides to come, the plan will be to take Monday off to relax. My mom and dad will come that afternoon. Steve and I will check-in on Tuesday morning at 7:30 for the induction and prayfully, little one will arrive sometime later that day or early the 6th. We have an OB appointment tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll see if our plan changes.

I’ll try to get an update in tomorrow after our appointment.

Love, Jen

39 weeks and waiting...

We are still waiting and could be for another two weeks. We saw the OB yesterday and again, no news to report. She didn’t check me as we figure if there is really anything to know, we’ll know soon. Little One appears to be happy hanging out within me. He squirms and wiggles… and seems to be napping at the moment. With it being 0 degrees outside, I’m sure he’d love to stay inside me. He is still head down, his heart rate is fine, my blood pressure and blood sugars are really good, and so we WAIT. He could come tomorrow or the 5th of February. Ironically, I said at our last appointment I need to anticipate it would be the 5th… actually, last Thursday I said I needed to prepare myself for the 5th, with a 30 hour labor, 3 hours of pushing, and a 9lb baby (oh, I hope I am wrong) and sure enough that is our induction date. We are on the schedule for 7:30 that morning. I really don’t want to be induced, but it is nice to know we have an end date set… not as early as I had hoped, but we have a date. I was told yesterday that trying to do an induction when your body isn’t ready really sets you up for a long labor and probably a c-section. As I mentioned before, our OB is on-call next week Monday through Thursday nights, so I wouldn’t mind going any one of those days. Any OB here is probably great and at that point I probably won’t care as long as they manage to get him out- healthy!, but since we’ve seen her for the last many months, it would be nice to have her there. A couple from our prenatal class (Steve and Jan, instead of Steve and Jen) had a little girl on Sunday. They were due February 2nd. I’m a bit jealous. As our OB reminded us yesterday, we need to enjoy our last few days as just a couple as our lives will never be the same. It will be for the better, but it will be different. She is so right. But at the same time have I mentioned that I ache and I’m tired???

So until something exciting happens, a need to ramble, or our next appointment next Thursday (31st)… we wait. Take care and pray for us.

38 2/7: Waiting

Steve and I saw our OB yesterday afternoon. No real news to report. I am 1cm dilated, but as I know some of you could tell me I could be at 1cm for awhile. I’m spending time sitting on my big ball hoping it encourages him to engage a bit more and put pressure on my body to make a bit more progress. Little One continues to be head down and happy. YES!!! His movements are really becoming less intense, but he can still push on my ribs pretty well… and push his head against my bladder. I feel him gently wiggle frequently. Our OB doesn’t think he’ll be a big baby, but she said he could surprise us at 8lbs… and I know 8 is still a nice number. Believe me… I’ve heard a million 10lb baby stories in the last week… that are frequently prefaced or followed by a 36 hour labor story. I know people are well meaning, but… The OB was sharing with us she just had a first time mom that got her epidural in right at the same time they discovered she was completely dilated and she pushed twice. I’m not sure those stories help either. I said I need to plan for February 5th, a 30 hour labor, 3 hours of pushing, and a 9lb baby. Then I will be thrilled when he comes next week with a shorter labor, little pushing, and he is a nice 7lbs. Time will tell. I am constantly reminded that I have little to no control over any of this. We have another appointment on Tuesday. She will schedule an induction for the following week, just so we know we have a date planned if things don’t start on their own. She is on-call the week of the 28th, so my appointment that week will be with another OB, but hopefully that appointment isn’t needed… actually I hope the one on Tuesday isn’t needed either. I’m going to keep my new “hope” date between Steve and me for now.

We are doing great. Many of you know I am a control freak at heart... but I try not to let it show very often. So this waiting and not being able to plan is hard. I really like to know what to expect and when to expect it. I’m one to read everything I can about something new or get all the travel books and maps for a new place we are going to visit. I’ve read my pregnancy and birth books and looked at the internet a bit… that isn’t always the best place to get information. But as I’ve said about many things I’ve experienced during pregnancy, NOTHING is going to really prepare us for what is about to happen. We’ve talked about and know that we are both feeling like we don’t know the first thing about being parents. We both are probably feeling a bit nervous and apprehensive, but you know we are going to do great! We have wonderful family and friends. We have each other! And most importantly we have God, who has blessed us with this miraculous gift.

So for now we wait… and wait… and wait. We’ll get in one more date as we plan to go to a movie tomorrow. Maybe do a little shopping… at least walk a bit. And wait.

More as things progress...

Stork Watch… well, Baby Watch

16 days left!

Back on December 7th’s post, I said I was predicting January 14th was the day and Little One would be 6lbs 7oz. Hmmm, today is January 14th and I really doubt today is the day. I could be hopeful, but since nothing is happening… probably not. I’m ready. Over the last few days I have reached a new feeling of being ready to be done. I LOVE being pregnant!!! and I’ll really miss the feeling of him being inside me. It’s a special gift that only I get to feel, but the time is coming for him to come and meet us. Physically this is becoming a bit more challenging. I had several people say that this would happen. You’ll get so uncomfortable that you want it out. I’m not too uncomfortable yet, but it is getting harder to move and walk. I feel like I have a 6lb. bowling ball on my bladder and a tremendous amount of pressure. I think the Braxton-Hicks contractions are picking up as quite frequently my belly will tighten to feeling like a rock… nothing with consistency in duration or timing. Oh well, soon.

Can you handle on more clothing saga??? I’m sure this will be one of the last ones… my clothes just don’t fit (oh really… surprise, surprise) and I’m really, really getting tired of them. First I didn’t have enough to fill out maternity clothes and I felt like I was “playing” pregnant. Then I finally had enough baby and the clothes fit great. Now they just look silly. Many of my shirts are too short and my pants hit my belly in an awkward spot. I struggle with putting on dress clothes and I just want my sweat pants (that actually aren’t maternity pants and they do fit!) and a t-shirt. I suppose that wouldn’t look very professional.

The good news is that at our OB appointment on Thursday of last week, Little One is head down!!! Hopefully he has gained a bit more weight and can’t flip anymore. I have body parts tackling my ribs, so I’m pretty sure he is still head down. To be safe we will request a quick ultrasound when I go into labor. The OB estimated his weight at about 6lbs. I was down a couple pounds, but hopefully he is getting everything he needs. We’ll see our OB this Thursday and hope all continues to be great. The only disappointing news was that she has previously said that she probably wouldn’t have me go much past 39 weeks and now she is thinking I’d be fine to go to 41… ugh. When he’s ready, he’s ready. I shouldn’t rush this.

Our bags are packed… Steve’s, too. Have I mentioned I have a wonderful husband??? I really do! Yes, I will let him go home… to shower and change, but I have moments of anxiety where I just want to know that I won’t be left there alone for a long period of time. Maybe it’s part of that, “Oh my, I don’t know the first thing about being a parent” panic. There isn’t anything I don’t think we can get through together. He’s my rock. He also put the base of the car seat in the Jeep. So we are ready!

Keep coming back. I’ll try to get an update posted soon after our OB visit on Thursday…

4,3,2,1… Happy Baby!

Okay, so I put a spin on the New Year countdown. We have just four weeks until our due date! What can I say… we are in the home stretch. Everyone keeps saying, “Any day now”, but I think we still have a few days… probably weeks. I am definitely pre-nesting. I don’t think it is nesting yet, but I might be getting close. My parents were here after Christmas and Mom helped me wash four loads of baby clothes and blankets. His crib and bassinet are made. I got the baby’s bag packed and now I’m panicking that mine isn’t done. I keep starting projects and then leave them to work on something else that I think is more pressing. In my head it all makes sense which is incredibly frightening as I have a serious case of “pregnancy brain” going on and I can’t formulate a clear thought. We should probably put the base of the car seat in the Jeep. It’s not like Steve couldn’t put it in before we come home, but I have a need to do it now. I asked him if he wants a change of clothes and a tooth brush in my bag, but he said he’ll just go home to shower and change. Home??? And leave me??? Okay, the hospital is only eight minutes from home, but…leave me???

In the midst of preparing for our little guy’s arrival, I again have picked up a cold. It isn’t horrible, but with trying to get things set at work, preparing at home, slowing down from the holiday rush, being nine months pregnant… I’m really tired. And for some reason my body doesn’t think it needs sleep… at night, anyway. I am so tired of being awake at 3:30 and never quite falling back asleep. No wonder I crashed for about three hours yesterday afternoon. My body needs to be ready to bring this little one into the world. Oh, and did I mention I have pregnancy brain? Mix that with a cold’s fuzzy, disconnected feeling and I really can’t function well. Steve and I spent about an hour or so in labor and delivery triage again on Monday… just to be sure little one and I were both okay. The triage nurse I spoke with on the phone suggested bringing a tooth brush and a change of underwear… just in case since we are getting close to delivery. Now you know why I am in a panic about wanting my bags packed. Initially, we were told they were delivering three babies at the same time so we wouldn’t be seen right away and little one needed to be on the monitor for about an hour. He just wiggled enough occasionally where the monitor wouldn’t pick up his heart rate and the nurse would have to readjust it…. my little wiggle worm. I just loved hearing that soothing sound of his heartbeat. He seemed happy at 140-150 beats. Thankfully we saw the chief OB resident and got out of there fairly quickly with a couple of prescriptions. Delivering three babies at the same time??? Yikes! From the looks of the newspaper birth announcements they have been busy. Oh, I hope all these pregnant women have their babies and it is nice and quiet up there when we get there.

I can’t tell if he has flipped head down yet or not… or if he is just flipping over and over. I can tell that he is moving all the time… and I really mean all the time. I have the wave going on as I write this. My whole belly is moving. What is he doing? We see our OB next Thursday. From there we’ll get an update as to his position and what we need to do. So for now, we wait. Oh, and probably nest until I can’t think of anything else to do.

Well, Happy New Year!!! I pray everyone is blessed in 2008.

Jingle Belly, Jingle Belly, Baby on the Way!

I can’t believe it is Christmas Eve. Life is incredible! Last year during the Christmas Eve service I had the overwhelming sense I’d be very pregnant this year and I am. God heard our prayer and we are blessed!

Steve and I got a Christmas Eve present is afternoon as we got to see our son on ultrasound. It was a growth check and he looks good. I just loved seeing him as it has been about 15 weeks since our last ultrasound. It was a fairly quick exam, but we got to see his profile and face (as best as you can see on ultrasound). His leg, head, and belly were measured. He is measuring about a week behind at about 4lbs 12 oz, but our OB said it isn’t anything to worry about. Actually, it may be to his advantage as he is currently breech and needs to turn. His smaller size may give him the room. She’ll check him in two weeks to see if he has turned head-down. Silly boy! I had a feeling this was the case as my bladder has been a “soccer ball”. However just a few days ago I was feeling the most activity at the top of my belly, so I think he flipped in the last day or so. I’ll likely spend the next week resting on my knees and elbows to encourage him to turn. We have confirmed that he is definitely a boy! The US tech saw what she needed to see with in moments of starting the exam. There is no doubt… he is a boy! Whew, with all the blue it would have been hard to change it all.

We had a great appointment with our OB. After losing little bit of weight since the first part of November, I have packed on three pounds since our last visit. Baby needs it. Our OB suggested packing our bags and pre-registering at the hospital. Of course with it being Christmas Eve, we have to wait as they were all gone this afternoon. She also said if I starting contracting for a minute at about three minutes apart, we need to come in. I guess we really are getting closer. As I mentioned, we’ll see her in two weeks and discuss his position. If he is still head-up we’ll need to discuss an option to try to turn him or plan a c-section. Please turn, Little One!

On that note, I will close for now. Steve and I will go to church tonight and then spend a quiet Christmas together. My mom and dad will be here later this week.

Merry Christmas!

We graduated!...

We graduated!... from our prenatal class. So did the couple that missed two classes, but it's a milestone in the pregnancy journey. Where did those six weeks go? Are we prepared… ready??? Well, maybe we know a little more about what to expect, where to go, and a few techniques for relaxation that I still need to practice, but are we really ready is a tough question to answer. Our lives will never be the same. On one hand I am incredibly anxious to meet this little guy, as you all know and at the same time I have to admit the “unknown” makes me a bit nervous. Yes, I think to truthfully answer the question, we are ready. Steve and I spent sometime on Friday shopping for a few more baby necessities… a crib mattress, newborn size diapers, wipes, a sheet for the bassinet, etc. I’m sure we’ll think of a few more things that we completely forgot. There’s still time and if he arrives and we don’t have something, we’ll get it then. We have a car seat, a crib, clothes, diapers… hmm. We can do it.

My guess is I am sensing time is getting closer. I can look at the calendar and see we have about six weeks until his due date, but I’m also starting to get a maternal sense that he is coming. I’m starting to feel like we need to get stuff organized for our bags. I’m not quite ready to pack the bags, but I did set out little one’s coming home outfit on the changing table so it’s ready. It still needs to be washed. I’m also making a mental note to pull out the items I think I will find comforting during labor… the little back massager, a tennis ball, the Bed Buddy, warm socks, etc. I just don’t want to be frantically saying, “grab this” or “oh, I forgot that” as we are leaving the house. I’ve seen list after list of what to pack, but we still need to tailor it to our needs. And then in the back of my mind I know things don’t always go as planned so I don’t want to get too set in what I think should happen.

Things are becoming a bit more interesting from a physical standpoint. I’ve recently noticed this belly that I’m not sure I remember from a few days ago. Keep in mind I see myself everyday, but there are some days that I look in the mirror and think wow that’s big. I can also tell that rolling over in bed is getting harder. Just flipping sides is a challenge... getting that wonderful Cuddle Pillow to come with me, leave the blankets on Steve, and get comfortable again isn’t easy. Getting up from a reclined position or from bed now requires rolling onto one side and pushing up. My shopping stamina now lasts about two hours. At the same time I get to feel this precious gift growing inside of me. His quick kicks and jabs are changing to longer, more intense movements. He frequently, a couple of times a day, has the hiccups. I’m even more fascinated watching my belly move. I must admit that I will miss feeling him move inside me after he is born. But at the same time it will be so wonderful to know he is here.

Time is definitely getting closer… Take care!

Week 32… Countdown: T-8…

Another week has flown by! We are about 8 weeks from the anticipated arrival (hopefully a few days or a week or two earlier). At our prenatal class we had to guess our arrival date and weight. I said 1/14/08 as I just have that date in my head for some reason and 6lb 7oz. Now that I’ve said it twice, I’m sure he’ll come Feb 5th or so at 9lb 3oz. Please, don’t let him be later or bigger. Anticipation, anticipation! Have I mentioned I’m like a five year old waiting for Christmas???

Speaking of Christmas, I am feeling so behind on so many levels that it just really dawned on me yesterday that Christmas is less than three weeks away. I haven’t started shopping (except for Missy and Mike and boys were done at Thanksgiving) or thought about Christmas cards. Oh my. I’m thinking I have a month or two left. Can I blame it on pregnancy brain and fatigue??? Hopefully this weekend I can get started. We also need to get the tree and a few decorations up. I’m not overly motivated as I’m feeling tired now and can only imagine when it comes time to taking everything down I will be exhausted.

We have had a great week. We had an OB appointment on Monday and little one is right on track. The doc had me lay on my back to measure him and check his heart rate and he apparently didn’t like me laying in that position. His heart rate rose to 160-170s so she had me lay on my side and he dropped to 140s to 150s. The good news is that she is on-call nights the week he is due, so we actually have a chance of her being there if he comes on time. So do I wish to go two weeks early or have my doctor deliver him? I’ve heard that by the time he is due to arrive I won’t care who delivers him, I’ll just want him out. None of it is in my control anyway. We’ll see.

Tuesday night we practiced our labor positions and breathing again. Without being in labor, my favorite position is the “slow dance” with Steve and him rubbing my back. I can breathe the best standing up and the swaying, even now, feels good. Some of my postpartum fears were relieved when our instructor said even if we end up in a semi-private room, our husband may possibly be able to stay and they would move us as soon as a private room opens. Whew. I feel a bit better. I can’t believe we only have one more class. Our OB said soon we will be ready to pre-register and pack our bag. Wow!

Little one and Daddy both had the hiccups yesterday. I can’t say enough how much I love every wiggle and squiggle. It is such a precious gift.

Here’s to another wonderful week! Take care…