The biggest changes these past couple months are in Riley's personality. She is proving to be Smiley Riley for sure!
She is happiest in the mornings and loves to give great big gummy grins!
She has found her voice and talks/makes noises often. She hasn't laughed or giggled much out loud yet, but I know its just a matter of time!
She loves to spit and make spit bubbles. The books call it making raspberry sounds, but lets be honest she is spitting and we are so very proud!
She still loves to kick and takes it very seriously and is so very proud of herself.
She loves for us to sing songs to her. Her favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABC's, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
She still likes to wear pink. ;) Otherwise everyone would think she was a boy. Hairbows are still too big for her head.
She likes toys more. She likes to chew on them. Her favorites are the Sophie Giraffe (which squeaks) and her Lightning Bug (which crinkles).
She loves to put her feet in her mouth.
She tolerates/sometimes enjoys going for walks in the stroller.
We are still working on rolling over. But she already gets on her side to play with her feet, so hopefully it will be just a matter of time.
Can't wait to see what excitement the next month brings!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Happy Birthday Justin!
Today is Justin's birthday! We have a fun evening planned and we will be out longer than we have in a looooong time!
This will also be the first time we will be leaving Riley with Ashley for her final feeding. Usually I try to make sure I am home for that feeding, so my OCD self can make sure she gets enough to eat and will hopefully sleep through the night. But tonight I am letting go and I am determined to not be a control freak and let myself have some fun! It might take a couple beers, but it will be worth it!
Happy Birthday Husband!
This will also be the first time we will be leaving Riley with Ashley for her final feeding. Usually I try to make sure I am home for that feeding, so my OCD self can make sure she gets enough to eat and will hopefully sleep through the night. But tonight I am letting go and I am determined to not be a control freak and let myself have some fun! It might take a couple beers, but it will be worth it!
Happy Birthday Husband!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Progress
When I found out that our baby would be due in May I was very excited about Justin being off all summer and our being able to be out and about in the warm weather.
The reality was quite different. The weekend we came home from having Riley it was 90+ degrees outside and it stayed that way the whole summer. I always forget how hot the summer is here! I guess after 7 months of possible snow I always think I'm ready for summer until I am reminded of what it feels like to sweat to death. (Ok, maybe that's a little exaggerated.)
Anyway, the reality of the summer was not what I imagined. Anytime we tried to take Riley out in the stroller she would scream the entire time. At no point was it relaxing or fun to get outside with her. She had to be strapped in to her car seat at that point since she was so little. She hated this. She would get hungry and cry. She would get hot and cry. She would get bored and cry. If you tried to give her something to look at and the sun got in her eyes she would cry. Who knows half the time she probably cried for no reason. And when I say she would cry, what I really mean is she would scream at the top of her lungs. But we kept at it, otherwise it felt like we would be confined to the house forever.
However, I am happy to say we are finally making progress! Once Fall came and she was big enough to sit up in the stroller we have finally been on some pleasurable walks. It is cooler outside, so she doesn't get too hot. The sun sets earlier, so it doesn't get in her eyes. She can see the world around her and enjoys playing with some toys, so she is much happier going for a walk now! And this makes Mom & Dad much happier in return!
The reality was quite different. The weekend we came home from having Riley it was 90+ degrees outside and it stayed that way the whole summer. I always forget how hot the summer is here! I guess after 7 months of possible snow I always think I'm ready for summer until I am reminded of what it feels like to sweat to death. (Ok, maybe that's a little exaggerated.)
Anyway, the reality of the summer was not what I imagined. Anytime we tried to take Riley out in the stroller she would scream the entire time. At no point was it relaxing or fun to get outside with her. She had to be strapped in to her car seat at that point since she was so little. She hated this. She would get hungry and cry. She would get hot and cry. She would get bored and cry. If you tried to give her something to look at and the sun got in her eyes she would cry. Who knows half the time she probably cried for no reason. And when I say she would cry, what I really mean is she would scream at the top of her lungs. But we kept at it, otherwise it felt like we would be confined to the house forever.
However, I am happy to say we are finally making progress! Once Fall came and she was big enough to sit up in the stroller we have finally been on some pleasurable walks. It is cooler outside, so she doesn't get too hot. The sun sets earlier, so it doesn't get in her eyes. She can see the world around her and enjoys playing with some toys, so she is much happier going for a walk now! And this makes Mom & Dad much happier in return!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Joys and Trials of Breastfeeding (Take 2)
I can tell that I wrote the previous post on an "easy breastfeeding day". The next day we hit a growth spurt.
During growth spurts Riley eats and eats and eats. I can not keep up. A cow could not keep up.
During this time I still love feeding her and its still a special bonding time, but its also trying in that I sometimes feel like a failure as a mom. I usually end up supplementing with formula, because its impossible for me to give her enough milk. If she is hungry, she is in a bad mood. She gets that from me!
Luckily they usually only last about a week for us and then things seem to go back to normal. Whatever that is!
During growth spurts Riley eats and eats and eats. I can not keep up. A cow could not keep up.
During this time I still love feeding her and its still a special bonding time, but its also trying in that I sometimes feel like a failure as a mom. I usually end up supplementing with formula, because its impossible for me to give her enough milk. If she is hungry, she is in a bad mood. She gets that from me!
Luckily they usually only last about a week for us and then things seem to go back to normal. Whatever that is!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Joys & Trials of Breastfeeding
No one told me that breastfeeding would be so much work! But rewarding as well.
We had a bit of a rough start. Riley kept wanting to put her tongue to the roof of her mouth, so you obviously can't be very successful with sucking that way. But eventually we got that figured out. Then she would fall asleep and feeding would take an hour or more. She would keep feeding just not very vigorously. When I was told I would feed her every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, I didn't realize that that was start to start. So for the first several weeks I was pretty much sitting on the couch and she was attached to my boob.
In the beginning, I would only offer her one side because she seemed full and content. However, she was not getting enough. And she let us know! Boy did she let us know...it just took us several days to figure out what all this screaming was about. We've always loved her, but once I started offering her both sides we liked her a lot more!
Since our little Riley Girl is so petite I think she eats more often. We're still on a 3 hour feeding schedule, but luckily she has gotten faster at feeding! I go to a Breastfeeding Group every Thursday to weigh her and see how much she takes in during a feeding. She was 6 lbs. 12 oz. when she was born and the week that she turned 3 months we finally broke 10 lbs (just barely)! She is behind in weight for her age, but as long as she is making progress her pediatrician is happy.
I love nursing her and I feel like its a special bonding time for us. But it also causes a little anxiety for me when she wants more milk and she thrashes around crying like I'm intentionally keeping it from her. But despite all the tears that come with nursing for us, it is worth it because there are even more smiles!
I love when she is satisfied and she looks like she is drunk on milk. Or when she is almost done eating and falls asleep, but she is smiling while still on the boob. Makes me laugh every time! Now that she is getting older she looks at me while she is eating and it is the sweetest thing in the world. I would not trade our time together for anything.
I will cherish this stage; the good & the bad too.
We had a bit of a rough start. Riley kept wanting to put her tongue to the roof of her mouth, so you obviously can't be very successful with sucking that way. But eventually we got that figured out. Then she would fall asleep and feeding would take an hour or more. She would keep feeding just not very vigorously. When I was told I would feed her every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, I didn't realize that that was start to start. So for the first several weeks I was pretty much sitting on the couch and she was attached to my boob.
In the beginning, I would only offer her one side because she seemed full and content. However, she was not getting enough. And she let us know! Boy did she let us know...it just took us several days to figure out what all this screaming was about. We've always loved her, but once I started offering her both sides we liked her a lot more!
Since our little Riley Girl is so petite I think she eats more often. We're still on a 3 hour feeding schedule, but luckily she has gotten faster at feeding! I go to a Breastfeeding Group every Thursday to weigh her and see how much she takes in during a feeding. She was 6 lbs. 12 oz. when she was born and the week that she turned 3 months we finally broke 10 lbs (just barely)! She is behind in weight for her age, but as long as she is making progress her pediatrician is happy.
I love nursing her and I feel like its a special bonding time for us. But it also causes a little anxiety for me when she wants more milk and she thrashes around crying like I'm intentionally keeping it from her. But despite all the tears that come with nursing for us, it is worth it because there are even more smiles!
I love when she is satisfied and she looks like she is drunk on milk. Or when she is almost done eating and falls asleep, but she is smiling while still on the boob. Makes me laugh every time! Now that she is getting older she looks at me while she is eating and it is the sweetest thing in the world. I would not trade our time together for anything.
I will cherish this stage; the good & the bad too.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
6 Week Pictures
I'm catching up! Here's sweet Riley at 6 weeks. Thank you Meghan Shaw for taking pictures for us. They are fabulous!
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| 6 Week Riley - She had just started smiling. |
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| Shouldn't I be sleeping right now? |
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| That's more like it. |
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| Winston says, "What is going on?" |
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| Mommy Love |
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| Daddy Love |
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| Precious Riley |
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Favorite Things at 3 Months!
Little Miss Riley has so much personality. These are a few of her favorite things at 3 months! Wow, the last 3 months flew by!
She still likes pink, so people don't have to ask Mom if she's a girl or a boy.
She likes highways where I don't have to stop the car. I just have to hope that I don't hit traffic! Fast is Good, Stopping is Bad!!!! I've been known to run quite a few yellow lights and I take curves faster than I used to...she likes it.
When she is in her stroller she likes it fast and bumpy as well. So I'm sometimes forced to run when I would rather be taking a leisurely stroll. Or I have to go off road to make it more bumpy and exciting. She likes going to the dog park where there's lots of gravel and its extra bumpy!
She likes white noise when sleeping. (At least I think she does...I guess it could be totally annoying, but she can't tell me different.)
Until recently she liked to be swaddled. It used to always calm her down. But now my strong girl is breaking out whenever she can. So we're trying to get her used to not being swaddled.
She likes to sleep at night only. She used to nap well during the day too, but now she doesn't. We're trying to correct this by letting her cry when she wakes up after just 30 minutes. But she is a persistent little booger and has not gone back to sleep yet.
She likes to eat, but apparently has her Dads metabolism. She's 12 weeks and still under 10 pounds. Some babies come out as big as she is!
She likes Winston. Well she likes to look at him. He is still not so sure about her. He mostly ignores her and when she is crying he looks at me like, "Can't you do something about this?" he likes her blankets and thinks they should be his. Usually if I lay her down beside him, he'll get up and move. But on this day he stayed put.
She is a great kicker. We put ankle rattles on her and she will just kick and kick. She has the biggest smile on her face when she's kicking..
She loves bath time. She loves to kick in the water and she has loved having her head scrubbed since the moment they first washed it in the hospital. It will always calm her down. I've also started rubbing her head a few times when I put her down to sleep if she's crying.
She likes to suck. It used to be the paci or dad's finger. Sometimes she would need a little assistance. But now she has discovered her own fingers and they are always in her mouth. I think this plays into not wanting to be swaddled anymore.
She loves her gym. At first I think she liked the animals googly eyes. But now she likes to bat at and kick the toys that make noise. She plays with this every day, but she doesn't seem to get tired of it.
She still likes attention and she still uses that pouty lip to get attention. I think she got that from me. :)
And, of course she likes Mom & Dad! She never cries when we're holding her...that's how much she loves us! ;)
A few things she's not so sure about...
Books. I think they are a little over stimulating for her right now. We'll keep working on this.
Her Momaroo swing. I don't think it goes fast enough for my adrenaline junkie!
Tummy Time. Of course I've been assured that no baby likes tummy time.
She still likes pink, so people don't have to ask Mom if she's a girl or a boy.
She likes highways where I don't have to stop the car. I just have to hope that I don't hit traffic! Fast is Good, Stopping is Bad!!!! I've been known to run quite a few yellow lights and I take curves faster than I used to...she likes it.
When she is in her stroller she likes it fast and bumpy as well. So I'm sometimes forced to run when I would rather be taking a leisurely stroll. Or I have to go off road to make it more bumpy and exciting. She likes going to the dog park where there's lots of gravel and its extra bumpy!
She likes white noise when sleeping. (At least I think she does...I guess it could be totally annoying, but she can't tell me different.)
Until recently she liked to be swaddled. It used to always calm her down. But now my strong girl is breaking out whenever she can. So we're trying to get her used to not being swaddled.
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| Snug as a bug! |
She likes to eat, but apparently has her Dads metabolism. She's 12 weeks and still under 10 pounds. Some babies come out as big as she is!
She likes Winston. Well she likes to look at him. He is still not so sure about her. He mostly ignores her and when she is crying he looks at me like, "Can't you do something about this?" he likes her blankets and thinks they should be his. Usually if I lay her down beside him, he'll get up and move. But on this day he stayed put.
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| Riley learns to share. |
She loves bath time. She loves to kick in the water and she has loved having her head scrubbed since the moment they first washed it in the hospital. It will always calm her down. I've also started rubbing her head a few times when I put her down to sleep if she's crying.
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| See she liked it from the beginning. |
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| Mom, a little help please... |
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| Kick, kick, kick! |
And, of course she likes Mom & Dad! She never cries when we're holding her...that's how much she loves us! ;)
A few things she's not so sure about...
Books. I think they are a little over stimulating for her right now. We'll keep working on this.
Her Momaroo swing. I don't think it goes fast enough for my adrenaline junkie!
Tummy Time. Of course I've been assured that no baby likes tummy time.
A Baby Story
Before I forget, which I've been assured that I will, I want to write down how little Miss Riley came into this world!
Riley's due date was May 20th. She was still snug as a bug that day, so she decided to stay in. All day I kept waiting because I was a little attached to that due date, since that's what I had been telling people for 9 months. But nothing. Then I went to the doctor on Monday and we were still 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced. This is where I was 2 weeks before, so I was a little bummed after that visit. They set my induction date for the following Sunday, but I was determined to not be induced and if she hadn't come out by then I would have pushed it back. I think Justin was a little bummed too, because he was really ready to have a week off from school...and to meet his baby!
On Tuesday morning I started to feel some stronger contractions when I was hanging out with my Mom and Justin's Mom. We were doing some things for the nursery. They just felt stronger and a little more frequent, but no where near regular. My Mom and Pam were so excited, they were little children in a candy store. But by 3:00 that afternoon they stopped and never started back that day.
On Wednesday morning they started back and were 10 minutes apart, but still weren't super strong. But stronger than Braxton Hick's. This continued until about 4:00 and then they stopped again. It started raining/storming that afternoon. So Justin told me to walk the stairs in the house, but that is so boring. So we went for a walk in the rain and thunderstorm, I was desperate. We took Winston with us and at first he was looking at us like ,"are you serious?" Needless to say we were the only people out, so we let him off leash and that won him over. He was as happy as could be after that. We walked a couple miles, but the contractions didn't start back. I was a little disappointed and didn't want to have to start all over the next morning.
I talked to my friend Kim, who is a doula, she said to have sex. :) Something about the sperm naturally inducing me. Which was something that was a little hard to do 40+ weeks pregnant, but we persevered and I know Justin didn't mind. :) I then took a warm bath and went to bed about 11:30 PM. At 12:30 something woke me up from a dream and I went to the bathroom. My back hurt so bad that I thought I was going to get sick on the toilet. It didn't dawn on me that I was in labor, I was still half asleep. I went to bed and told Justin, "that I didn't know why I hurt so bad." He was a little more with it and said, "You're probably in labor." I was like, "Oh, yeah." Duh. So then we started timing them and they were a whole 3 minutes apart, but were only lasting 45 seconds. We were totally confused. We were waiting for the 5 minutes apart, lasting for a minute, for an hour. But I skipped right over all of that. We called the hospital and she told us that the baby wouldn't just fall out, but that I could come in or labor at home for a little while. So we labored at home. (Looking back, I don't know why!) I was having a lot of back labor pain and my contractions were so close together I couldn't get a break. The only thing that felt ok was to sit on the toilet, so that's what I did. The labor ball hurt like H3LL and I couldn't lie down without writhing in pain. I didn't want to drink water, which is what Justin kept telling me to do. Finally we went to the hospital!
We debated for awhile on which hospital to go to before I went into labor. We decided on St. Joes, which was the furthest away from me...but the best. So I knew beforehand that that ride was going to be horrible. I thought I would maybe have 8-9 contractions on the way, but since my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart at that point I had A LOT more than that. But Justin drove really fast to try to get me there. The whole way there I was in a lot of pain and was telling Justin that it was coming too fast. I was afraid that I was going to deliver in the car or that I was going to be too late for an epidural. (I was totally freaked out by that thought.)
When we arrived someone brought a wheelchair out and they realized that I was really really in labor, so they took me into a room to check how dialated I was. She told me I was already at 7 cm. When she said 7 cm several things went through my head. 1. I want/need drugs. 2. See I really was in a lot of pain, I'm not a wimp. 3. I was supposed to have an epidural long before now. 4. Is it too late? I'd had several friends who had babies within weeks of me and I asked them at what point they got their epidural and they all said they were about 5 cm.
They took me right up stairs at that point and started hooking me up to machines. The nurse told me that I had to have a bag of fluids in me before I could have the epidural and the thought of that sounded horrible. I could only think of how many contractions I was going to have before that bag drip, drip, dripped into me. They were still coming really fast and strong. She asked me if I wanted a narcotic to take the edge off and I said, "yes please!" I hadn't really worked on any breathing techniques, because I had planned on having the epidural before we got to the really strong stage. So with every contraction I thought I was going to hyperventilate. But once I got the narcotic in me the contractions were a lot more manageable while I waited for the fluid bag to do its thing. In the meantime the nurse asked me a bunch of questions and checked my dialation. At this point I was an 8.
Finally it was time for the epidural. So they asked the moms and Ashley to step out into the hall. The anesthesiologist put the epidural in and he asked me if, "I knew that I had scoliosis?" I said, "No." Apparently I have a curve in my spine right where they needed to give me the epidural. He got it in and said we'd wait a couple contractions to make sure it worked. I waited and waited, but could still feel every contraction and they were still really strong. So he called his supervisor in. They pulled the first epidural out and put in a second. I could feel them moving around my spine. It didn't really hurt, just felt weird. This epidural worked and the doctors left. We kind of forgot about the others in the hall and they were very worried when they came in. I guess it had taken about an hour and they were worried when people kept coming in and out. Oops.
The nurse came back and checked me again. I was still an 8. My water was leaking on one side, but wasn't completely broken. So the nurse officially broke my water while she was checking me to speed things up a little. Then she told me I could take a nap. Finally this was music to my ears! But her shift was ending and another nurse was coming on. The new nurse came in and started asking me all the same questions again. How was I supposed to nap???
In the meantime I started feeling pain on the left side of my back with each contraction. I was thinking, oh crap. I told the nurse and she said I was going to feel some pain and that if I can deal with it that would be better. At the time I said I could deal with it. She then checked me again and I was at a 10. She said they were going to let the baby move into the birth canal for about an hour. So I should just nap. Finally!
But the epidural continued to fade (or it moved in the curve) and the pain was getting stronger and stronger. I think the narcotic was wearing off as well. So I asked (begged) for the Anesthesiologist to come back. Either he was in a surgery or this lady didn't believe me. She kept telling me that their would be some pain. This was not some pain, I could feel everything and it hurt really bad! The only thing that I couldn't feel too much was the hole. Thank you Lord! So instead of waiting the hour, she said we were going to start pushing. I was thinking, but what about my nap? I was not ready to push. But I may have never been ready, it felt very real at that point. I was about to have a baby.
So the pushing began. Justin was on one side and Ashley was on the other holding my legs. (Between the contraction pain and the birth I may have completely freaked Ashley out. I didn't scream or anything like that. It's just something you can't prepare for.) With each contraction I had to push. The pushing part felt good. But after the push as I laid back down my lower abdominal muscles hurt so bad! I'm not sure what was actually hurting, but I had a hard time breathing regular and continued to feel like I was going to hyperventilate. That's when Justin came to the rescue. He had to tell me everything to do. When to take a deep breathe, when to push, when to stop pushing and rest. He told me if I wasn't pushing well and told me when he could start to see the baby. When the head was coming out, they let me feel it. That was cool and weird all at the same time. I pushed for an hour total and finally I could feel the baby come out. I heard Justin say, "Its a girl!" Then I heard her first cry, this is now a very familiar cry that I can pick out in any room anywhere. Just before she cried she had pouty lip and Justin said, "She gets that from her Mom." (It's probably true.) And then I had tears and I was trying to breathe normal again. Finally I wasn't in pain & I had a baby girl! ( I had hoped for a girl, but had also convinced myself I was having a boy...so I wouldn't be disappointed.) They put her on my chest, while I got stitched up. I was so exhausted I think I just held her and tried to keep breathing. Justin asked me if I had looked at her and I said no. So he picked her up, so I could get a good look at our daughter. She was very swollen, but oh so adorable to me. They tried to get her to feed and she wasn't quite ready for that. At some point we kicked everyone out again to decide on her name. Justin really really really liked Riley, so that became her name. I liked that name too and we probably would have named her that anyway, because I was too exhausted and out of it to argue for the other name or to think of anything else. I was so so tired. The parents came back in and we told them her name was Riley Elizabeth. Then they started calling people and taking pictures. We were in that room a little longer and I was able to eat breakfast and everyone got to hold her, although I had to make myself share. I just wanted my time with her, after all she had been in my stomach for 40+ weeks!
We were moved to our recovery room & this is where the fun began (I say this very sarcastically). The nurses told me I had to pee. Simple enough, right? At this point I was still really swollen and couldn't feel much because of all the ice in my pants. Now, some people know that until about 6 years ago I hadn't even peed outside, Justin says I have a "shy bladder". I tried and tried to pee all afternoon, until the point where I really needed to go and the nurses were threatening me with a catheter. If I didn't pee, my uterus couldn't continue to constrict. So I sat on that toilet all afternoon while Riley slept and Justin talked to me to try to get me to relax. I tried warm water in a squirt bottle, they brought me cotton balls with something like eucalyptus to put under me (supposedly it helps to relax the urethra), the nurses brought me tea. Finally I got in the shower, hoping I could just go in there with the warm water on me. That didn't work either. Of course I was just getting more and more anxious. They even brought the catheter into my room. When I got out of the shower the cold air made me feel like I could go, so I sat on the toilet and I FINALLY went! Hallelujah!!! The nurses were satisfied and I could finally get into bed and rest. I was still waiting for this nap that I was promised so early this morning.
Nurses continued to come and go to check on both Riley and I. I didn't realize how sore I would be afterwards. I don't know why this hadn't occurred to me!?! No one mentioned this. In addition, I still hadn't really managed to nurse Riley. She kept getting her tongue in the way, but the nurses didn't seem to concerned. They just let her sleep. Our family had left after the birth to go take naps and they came back to visit that evening. As well as some friends. That night Riley's temperature was low, so they had us skin to skin under the bed covers to warm her up. The nurse brought in some warm towels too and we hung out like that all evening, it was great! That is my favorite memory of that day. I had a baby girl and we were continent to just be with each other.
Riley went to the nursery that night, so Mom and Dad could get some sleep. At that point it had been about 48 hours. They brought her back about 5:00, because she was fussy. I didn't know what to do with her and I was still tired, so we disobeyed the rules and I put her on my chest swaddled and we slept a couple more hours. Every time a nurse came in I pretended to be awake holding her. You aren't supposed to have them in bed with you. I think my heartbeat was familiar to her, so I just held her tight and we cat napped.
That morning a nurse came in and asked if we had successfully nursed yet and I said no. She sat down and helped Riley and I nurse. Riley's tongue was still getting in the way. So she had me pump and then feed her with a syringe, she was starving. We had her suck my finger while the nurse squirted the colostrum in. We did this a couple times until she thought she might have the hang of it. Then we tried nursing for real and eventually we were successful! The Grandmas and Auntie Ashley came back to visit that afternoon. Riley slept all day, which seemed fine at the time. The nurses said she had been through a lot the day before. But then that evening right when we were ready to go to bed, Riley was wide awake. I stayed up with her until about 1:00, because she waned to eat and eat and eat. But it felt like there was nothing in there to come out, so I sent her to the nursery for a few hours to hangout and sleep in a swing. They brought her back about 4 this time and we broke the rules again and slept together in the bed and pretended to be awake when the doctors and nurses came in. :)
We left the hospital that day. I had picked out clothes for Riley to wear home back in February. They were very big on my little peanut, at that point she had dropped down to 6lbs. 4 oz. The dress swallowed her whole and Justin and I couldn't help but giggle at her. We'd only seen her in the hospitals t-shirts. We made it home and Justin and I were still tired. We were lucky to have the Grandmas there, so we could take a nap! The rest of the weekend we continued working on nursing, I attempted to walk to the end of the road and back (that was tough), and we just loved on our Riley Girl!
It took about a week before I felt like I could walk and sit somewhat normally. About 2 weeks and I could run a little. Sometimes even 12 weeks later it still hurts to pee, but I wouldn't change anything! We're still figuring out day to day life, but there's no doubt I love my sweet Riley!
Riley's due date was May 20th. She was still snug as a bug that day, so she decided to stay in. All day I kept waiting because I was a little attached to that due date, since that's what I had been telling people for 9 months. But nothing. Then I went to the doctor on Monday and we were still 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced. This is where I was 2 weeks before, so I was a little bummed after that visit. They set my induction date for the following Sunday, but I was determined to not be induced and if she hadn't come out by then I would have pushed it back. I think Justin was a little bummed too, because he was really ready to have a week off from school...and to meet his baby!
On Tuesday morning I started to feel some stronger contractions when I was hanging out with my Mom and Justin's Mom. We were doing some things for the nursery. They just felt stronger and a little more frequent, but no where near regular. My Mom and Pam were so excited, they were little children in a candy store. But by 3:00 that afternoon they stopped and never started back that day.
On Wednesday morning they started back and were 10 minutes apart, but still weren't super strong. But stronger than Braxton Hick's. This continued until about 4:00 and then they stopped again. It started raining/storming that afternoon. So Justin told me to walk the stairs in the house, but that is so boring. So we went for a walk in the rain and thunderstorm, I was desperate. We took Winston with us and at first he was looking at us like ,"are you serious?" Needless to say we were the only people out, so we let him off leash and that won him over. He was as happy as could be after that. We walked a couple miles, but the contractions didn't start back. I was a little disappointed and didn't want to have to start all over the next morning.
I talked to my friend Kim, who is a doula, she said to have sex. :) Something about the sperm naturally inducing me. Which was something that was a little hard to do 40+ weeks pregnant, but we persevered and I know Justin didn't mind. :) I then took a warm bath and went to bed about 11:30 PM. At 12:30 something woke me up from a dream and I went to the bathroom. My back hurt so bad that I thought I was going to get sick on the toilet. It didn't dawn on me that I was in labor, I was still half asleep. I went to bed and told Justin, "that I didn't know why I hurt so bad." He was a little more with it and said, "You're probably in labor." I was like, "Oh, yeah." Duh. So then we started timing them and they were a whole 3 minutes apart, but were only lasting 45 seconds. We were totally confused. We were waiting for the 5 minutes apart, lasting for a minute, for an hour. But I skipped right over all of that. We called the hospital and she told us that the baby wouldn't just fall out, but that I could come in or labor at home for a little while. So we labored at home. (Looking back, I don't know why!) I was having a lot of back labor pain and my contractions were so close together I couldn't get a break. The only thing that felt ok was to sit on the toilet, so that's what I did. The labor ball hurt like H3LL and I couldn't lie down without writhing in pain. I didn't want to drink water, which is what Justin kept telling me to do. Finally we went to the hospital!
We debated for awhile on which hospital to go to before I went into labor. We decided on St. Joes, which was the furthest away from me...but the best. So I knew beforehand that that ride was going to be horrible. I thought I would maybe have 8-9 contractions on the way, but since my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart at that point I had A LOT more than that. But Justin drove really fast to try to get me there. The whole way there I was in a lot of pain and was telling Justin that it was coming too fast. I was afraid that I was going to deliver in the car or that I was going to be too late for an epidural. (I was totally freaked out by that thought.)
When we arrived someone brought a wheelchair out and they realized that I was really really in labor, so they took me into a room to check how dialated I was. She told me I was already at 7 cm. When she said 7 cm several things went through my head. 1. I want/need drugs. 2. See I really was in a lot of pain, I'm not a wimp. 3. I was supposed to have an epidural long before now. 4. Is it too late? I'd had several friends who had babies within weeks of me and I asked them at what point they got their epidural and they all said they were about 5 cm.
They took me right up stairs at that point and started hooking me up to machines. The nurse told me that I had to have a bag of fluids in me before I could have the epidural and the thought of that sounded horrible. I could only think of how many contractions I was going to have before that bag drip, drip, dripped into me. They were still coming really fast and strong. She asked me if I wanted a narcotic to take the edge off and I said, "yes please!" I hadn't really worked on any breathing techniques, because I had planned on having the epidural before we got to the really strong stage. So with every contraction I thought I was going to hyperventilate. But once I got the narcotic in me the contractions were a lot more manageable while I waited for the fluid bag to do its thing. In the meantime the nurse asked me a bunch of questions and checked my dialation. At this point I was an 8.
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| Justin Watching My Contractions |
The nurse came back and checked me again. I was still an 8. My water was leaking on one side, but wasn't completely broken. So the nurse officially broke my water while she was checking me to speed things up a little. Then she told me I could take a nap. Finally this was music to my ears! But her shift was ending and another nurse was coming on. The new nurse came in and started asking me all the same questions again. How was I supposed to nap???
In the meantime I started feeling pain on the left side of my back with each contraction. I was thinking, oh crap. I told the nurse and she said I was going to feel some pain and that if I can deal with it that would be better. At the time I said I could deal with it. She then checked me again and I was at a 10. She said they were going to let the baby move into the birth canal for about an hour. So I should just nap. Finally!
But the epidural continued to fade (or it moved in the curve) and the pain was getting stronger and stronger. I think the narcotic was wearing off as well. So I asked (begged) for the Anesthesiologist to come back. Either he was in a surgery or this lady didn't believe me. She kept telling me that their would be some pain. This was not some pain, I could feel everything and it hurt really bad! The only thing that I couldn't feel too much was the hole. Thank you Lord! So instead of waiting the hour, she said we were going to start pushing. I was thinking, but what about my nap? I was not ready to push. But I may have never been ready, it felt very real at that point. I was about to have a baby.
So the pushing began. Justin was on one side and Ashley was on the other holding my legs. (Between the contraction pain and the birth I may have completely freaked Ashley out. I didn't scream or anything like that. It's just something you can't prepare for.) With each contraction I had to push. The pushing part felt good. But after the push as I laid back down my lower abdominal muscles hurt so bad! I'm not sure what was actually hurting, but I had a hard time breathing regular and continued to feel like I was going to hyperventilate. That's when Justin came to the rescue. He had to tell me everything to do. When to take a deep breathe, when to push, when to stop pushing and rest. He told me if I wasn't pushing well and told me when he could start to see the baby. When the head was coming out, they let me feel it. That was cool and weird all at the same time. I pushed for an hour total and finally I could feel the baby come out. I heard Justin say, "Its a girl!" Then I heard her first cry, this is now a very familiar cry that I can pick out in any room anywhere. Just before she cried she had pouty lip and Justin said, "She gets that from her Mom." (It's probably true.) And then I had tears and I was trying to breathe normal again. Finally I wasn't in pain & I had a baby girl! ( I had hoped for a girl, but had also convinced myself I was having a boy...so I wouldn't be disappointed.) They put her on my chest, while I got stitched up. I was so exhausted I think I just held her and tried to keep breathing. Justin asked me if I had looked at her and I said no. So he picked her up, so I could get a good look at our daughter. She was very swollen, but oh so adorable to me. They tried to get her to feed and she wasn't quite ready for that. At some point we kicked everyone out again to decide on her name. Justin really really really liked Riley, so that became her name. I liked that name too and we probably would have named her that anyway, because I was too exhausted and out of it to argue for the other name or to think of anything else. I was so so tired. The parents came back in and we told them her name was Riley Elizabeth. Then they started calling people and taking pictures. We were in that room a little longer and I was able to eat breakfast and everyone got to hold her, although I had to make myself share. I just wanted my time with her, after all she had been in my stomach for 40+ weeks!
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| Sweet Riley |
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| Holding My Baby Girl |
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| First Cuddle with Daddy |
Nurses continued to come and go to check on both Riley and I. I didn't realize how sore I would be afterwards. I don't know why this hadn't occurred to me!?! No one mentioned this. In addition, I still hadn't really managed to nurse Riley. She kept getting her tongue in the way, but the nurses didn't seem to concerned. They just let her sleep. Our family had left after the birth to go take naps and they came back to visit that evening. As well as some friends. That night Riley's temperature was low, so they had us skin to skin under the bed covers to warm her up. The nurse brought in some warm towels too and we hung out like that all evening, it was great! That is my favorite memory of that day. I had a baby girl and we were continent to just be with each other.
Riley went to the nursery that night, so Mom and Dad could get some sleep. At that point it had been about 48 hours. They brought her back about 5:00, because she was fussy. I didn't know what to do with her and I was still tired, so we disobeyed the rules and I put her on my chest swaddled and we slept a couple more hours. Every time a nurse came in I pretended to be awake holding her. You aren't supposed to have them in bed with you. I think my heartbeat was familiar to her, so I just held her tight and we cat napped.
That morning a nurse came in and asked if we had successfully nursed yet and I said no. She sat down and helped Riley and I nurse. Riley's tongue was still getting in the way. So she had me pump and then feed her with a syringe, she was starving. We had her suck my finger while the nurse squirted the colostrum in. We did this a couple times until she thought she might have the hang of it. Then we tried nursing for real and eventually we were successful! The Grandmas and Auntie Ashley came back to visit that afternoon. Riley slept all day, which seemed fine at the time. The nurses said she had been through a lot the day before. But then that evening right when we were ready to go to bed, Riley was wide awake. I stayed up with her until about 1:00, because she waned to eat and eat and eat. But it felt like there was nothing in there to come out, so I sent her to the nursery for a few hours to hangout and sleep in a swing. They brought her back about 4 this time and we broke the rules again and slept together in the bed and pretended to be awake when the doctors and nurses came in. :)
We left the hospital that day. I had picked out clothes for Riley to wear home back in February. They were very big on my little peanut, at that point she had dropped down to 6lbs. 4 oz. The dress swallowed her whole and Justin and I couldn't help but giggle at her. We'd only seen her in the hospitals t-shirts. We made it home and Justin and I were still tired. We were lucky to have the Grandmas there, so we could take a nap! The rest of the weekend we continued working on nursing, I attempted to walk to the end of the road and back (that was tough), and we just loved on our Riley Girl!
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| It had been such a long wait. My heart is full! |
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| Heading Home |
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| Yard Decorations |
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| Someone crashed Mommy's nap time...it was time to eat. :) |
Friday, July 6, 2012
Introducing Riley Elizabeth Boggus!
Now that I have been MIA for more than a month, I am back and can't wait to introduce you to you our precious little girl Riley!
She arrived at 9:21 AM on May 24, 2012. She weighed 6 lbs and 12 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. Everyone says she looks, "just like her Daddy." That makes Mommy roll her eyes, surely there is something of me in there somewhere! I did all the work! :o)
She likes to be swaddled all the time and she really likes to eat! She likes to wear pink (mostly so people don't think she's a boy and mom doesn't have to correct them). She's already a pretty good sleeper. I usually just have to get up once in the middle of the night. So I'm very thankful for that! She likes baths when Mommy gives them to her, but not so much when dad does. He accidentally poured water on her face. :o)
She dislikes having her diaper changed, but she also dislikes sitting in her poop. So that one is kind of a lose/lose.
She can't make up her mind about her pacifier. One day she loves it and the next she wants nothing to do with it. Go figure!
Needless to say we love her so very much and love getting to know her every single day!!!
She arrived at 9:21 AM on May 24, 2012. She weighed 6 lbs and 12 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. Everyone says she looks, "just like her Daddy." That makes Mommy roll her eyes, surely there is something of me in there somewhere! I did all the work! :o)
She likes to be swaddled all the time and she really likes to eat! She likes to wear pink (mostly so people don't think she's a boy and mom doesn't have to correct them). She's already a pretty good sleeper. I usually just have to get up once in the middle of the night. So I'm very thankful for that! She likes baths when Mommy gives them to her, but not so much when dad does. He accidentally poured water on her face. :o)
She dislikes having her diaper changed, but she also dislikes sitting in her poop. So that one is kind of a lose/lose.
She can't make up her mind about her pacifier. One day she loves it and the next she wants nothing to do with it. Go figure!
Needless to say we love her so very much and love getting to know her every single day!!!
Monday, May 21, 2012
40 Weeks, 1 Day, and Counting...
Baby, it's time to come out! I know it's warm in there, but there's no way its cozy!
There are lots of things going on around here, but having a baby is not one of them! Last Wednesday my Mom got here and Thursday morning Justin's Mom arrived. All day Thursday the three of us ran errands that I had been putting off. Then on Friday the three of us and Ashley and one of Pam's friends Ellen went to breakfast at Snooze and then we went to get manicures & pedicures. I was totally that pregnant lady falling asleep in the chair! Friday night we ate burgers at Ellen's. Saturday was cool and cloudy and the Mom's were hoping that would be the day. Instead we went to the movies.
Yesterday was "the due date" and I had lots of Braxton Hick's contractions, but nothing ever really progressed from there. We went to church and then Justin and I went to a graduation party. Last night my Mom made lasagna and we went for a walk. I can tell that Justin is getting very excited! I was feeling a little partial to a birthday on May 20th after saying it for 9 months. But the 22nd works too (hint, hint). :)
This morning I had my 40 week doctor's appointment. And everything looks good. I am 2 cm dialated and hoping that things will start to happen soon! Otherwise I'll be induced on Sunday...unless I can talk them into pushing it back to Tuesday or Wednesday. It increases your chances of having a c-section and I'd really really like to try to avoid that!
So for now we're still hanging out and waiting for something to happen. It's hard to imagine when it will, but I know its inevitable!
There are lots of things going on around here, but having a baby is not one of them! Last Wednesday my Mom got here and Thursday morning Justin's Mom arrived. All day Thursday the three of us ran errands that I had been putting off. Then on Friday the three of us and Ashley and one of Pam's friends Ellen went to breakfast at Snooze and then we went to get manicures & pedicures. I was totally that pregnant lady falling asleep in the chair! Friday night we ate burgers at Ellen's. Saturday was cool and cloudy and the Mom's were hoping that would be the day. Instead we went to the movies.
Yesterday was "the due date" and I had lots of Braxton Hick's contractions, but nothing ever really progressed from there. We went to church and then Justin and I went to a graduation party. Last night my Mom made lasagna and we went for a walk. I can tell that Justin is getting very excited! I was feeling a little partial to a birthday on May 20th after saying it for 9 months. But the 22nd works too (hint, hint). :)
This morning I had my 40 week doctor's appointment. And everything looks good. I am 2 cm dialated and hoping that things will start to happen soon! Otherwise I'll be induced on Sunday...unless I can talk them into pushing it back to Tuesday or Wednesday. It increases your chances of having a c-section and I'd really really like to try to avoid that!
So for now we're still hanging out and waiting for something to happen. It's hard to imagine when it will, but I know its inevitable!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Is it a clue...
We had our 36 week Doctor's appointment last week. When the doctor went to listen to the baby's heart beat it was beating at 194 beats per minute, which is obviously high. So they hooked me up to a heart monitor and a thing that tracks contractions.
While sitting there the heart beat would go from the 190's to the 150's, to the 120's, to the 160's, to 115, back to the 190's. It was seriously all over the place! And it started hitting/kicking at the sensors. I guess it didn't like them taking up some its room. The nurses that were coming in to check on us didn't seem to worried, which helped me. And they were laughing at how crazy the heart beat was. Usually you sit there for about 20 minutes, but thanks to my wiggle worm we ended up sitting there for an hour. They were waiting to get a base heart rate, but after an hour I think they gave up and since it was so active they decided Baby was just fine. Mom was still a little anxious, but baby was good.
The nurse predicted a boy. Also while sitting there I had two contractions. Hopefully Baby will make its debut very soon and then I'll finally know is it a boy or a girl!
While sitting there the heart beat would go from the 190's to the 150's, to the 120's, to the 160's, to 115, back to the 190's. It was seriously all over the place! And it started hitting/kicking at the sensors. I guess it didn't like them taking up some its room. The nurses that were coming in to check on us didn't seem to worried, which helped me. And they were laughing at how crazy the heart beat was. Usually you sit there for about 20 minutes, but thanks to my wiggle worm we ended up sitting there for an hour. They were waiting to get a base heart rate, but after an hour I think they gave up and since it was so active they decided Baby was just fine. Mom was still a little anxious, but baby was good.
The nurse predicted a boy. Also while sitting there I had two contractions. Hopefully Baby will make its debut very soon and then I'll finally know is it a boy or a girl!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Child Birth Class
Last weekend we had our child birth class. It was a big day for me and the end of my ignorance is bliss bubble!
We started the class learning about the different stages of labor and what happens in each stage. Then we moved on to how to help ease pain when you are in Active Labor (see I learned something). Which means we learned positions on the birthing ball or for holding onto Justin while trying to also walk the halls, etc. Then I got a massage (in class) and that made my day! The husbands were supposed to try different massage techniques to see what we liked and didn't like for the big day. We learned that I liked most anything, but that he shouldn't use his elbow to give me a massage. Only my husband would use his elbow right in my back. It mostly just made me jump...not very relaxing. :)
We watched a lot of videos. And it turned out I knew someone in them. It was the lady that I babysit for, she told me she was in it and I appreciated the warning. So I got to see Renya being born.
The last video was a woman giving birth naturally. During the whole class I kind of forgot about the whole pain part. We were practicing positions, massages, what to do, what not to do, when to go to the hospital...that pain part just slipped my mind. Until I watched that video and that does not look fun! I'm pretty sure Justin was more traumatized by the video than me though. I don't really have a choice and I'm so ready to get this little "alien" out. But I think he teared up multiple times, not because of the miracle of birth...but because he was going to have to watch me be in that much pain and not be able to do anything about it. Such a sweet husband I have!
However, I have no intention in being in that much pain! My plan is to go as long as I can without, so the labor progresses and then its an Epidural for me!
We started the class learning about the different stages of labor and what happens in each stage. Then we moved on to how to help ease pain when you are in Active Labor (see I learned something). Which means we learned positions on the birthing ball or for holding onto Justin while trying to also walk the halls, etc. Then I got a massage (in class) and that made my day! The husbands were supposed to try different massage techniques to see what we liked and didn't like for the big day. We learned that I liked most anything, but that he shouldn't use his elbow to give me a massage. Only my husband would use his elbow right in my back. It mostly just made me jump...not very relaxing. :)
We watched a lot of videos. And it turned out I knew someone in them. It was the lady that I babysit for, she told me she was in it and I appreciated the warning. So I got to see Renya being born.
The last video was a woman giving birth naturally. During the whole class I kind of forgot about the whole pain part. We were practicing positions, massages, what to do, what not to do, when to go to the hospital...that pain part just slipped my mind. Until I watched that video and that does not look fun! I'm pretty sure Justin was more traumatized by the video than me though. I don't really have a choice and I'm so ready to get this little "alien" out. But I think he teared up multiple times, not because of the miracle of birth...but because he was going to have to watch me be in that much pain and not be able to do anything about it. Such a sweet husband I have!
However, I have no intention in being in that much pain! My plan is to go as long as I can without, so the labor progresses and then its an Epidural for me!
Monday, April 30, 2012
A Shabby Chic Baby Shower
So this Baby Shower was supposed to be outside. We picked April thinking that the weather would be beautiful and warm....and perfect for OUTSIDE! But as the weather in Colorado would have it, it was a cold 40 something degrees that day with a chance of snow. The only cold day like that for all of March and April. I should have known! So the shower had to be moved inside instead. This did not make your Auntie very happy and the weather didn't make me very happy because I refused to wear black to my "shabby chic" baby shower! After trying on everything that I could fit over my belly and not liking anything. I decided to pretend that it was a beautiful sunny day and I wore a blue sun dress with my jean jacket and flower pin. Lollie said when you're pregnant you can wear whatever you want!
This shower was hosted by my sister, Ashley, and my friend, Cristin Buys. Ashley and I went antique shopping about a month before and got lots of good stuff. She wanted the shower to look like this...
See a warm sunny day would have been perfect!
Ashley made/bought the decorations and made some of the food. And Cristin let us use her house, helped Ashley make some food (along with her husband Aaron) and planned the games. The house looked great and I hope everyone had a great time! Ashley even had someone ask her to plan their kids birthday party.
We had a great time! And we were blessed to recieve most everything on our registry. Now we're just waiting...
This shower was hosted by my sister, Ashley, and my friend, Cristin Buys. Ashley and I went antique shopping about a month before and got lots of good stuff. She wanted the shower to look like this...
See a warm sunny day would have been perfect!
Ashley made/bought the decorations and made some of the food. And Cristin let us use her house, helped Ashley make some food (along with her husband Aaron) and planned the games. The house looked great and I hope everyone had a great time! Ashley even had someone ask her to plan their kids birthday party.
We had a great time! And we were blessed to recieve most everything on our registry. Now we're just waiting...
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| Ashley's cute & delicious invention! Brownies w/ Nutella, Coconut, and Chocolate Eggs |
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| The Blessings Tree: People wrote well wishes and advice for me and baby. |
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| The Blessings Tree before. This was probably the millionth tree or branch that Ashley collected for this purpose. She finally found one that worked! |
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| Stamped Seed Paper as Party Favors (Very cute!) |
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| Pennants from colorful paper. |
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| Fruity Water and Orange, Pineapple, Ginger Punch |
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| Cumcumber Mint Sandwiches, Lemon Cakes, Fruit Salad, Candy Olives!, Tomato/Mozarella Skewers. We also had Homemade Salsa, Brushetta, and Chocolate Cake! Everything was so delish! |
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| Opening Gifts. Baby and I were very blessed between all of these showers! |
Monday, April 16, 2012
Baby Shower Invitation
This weekend I had my Colorado Baby Shower. This is the invitation and I'll post more about it when I get some pictures in my possession!
Breastfeeding Class/Daddy Boot Camp
This weekend was another exciting whirlwind of baby stuff. Which has been really positive for me, since work is really stressful right now. It helps me keep things in perspective and it gives me something to think about other than the job situation.
Saturday morning I had my breastfeeding class and Justin had Daddy Boot Camp. In other words I saw lots of boob videos and he got to change a dirty diaper. And we paid good money for this!
On the way home and over a fancy lunch at Costco we shared what we each learned. I'm sure if someone heard us from a nearby table, they would think we have the weirdest conversations EVER!
But after the breastfeeding class I am feeling more capable and slightly more confident in what its all about. I am excited to give it my best shot and Justin is totally on board...probably because it will save us about $1500+ during the first year. But he knows its better for the baby too.
I also learned the importance of skin to skin contact with the baby, especially right after its born. And that Dads can do this too. Even Grandmas, but I think that's a little weird...so I'll just pretend that I didn't hear that. ;o) I also learned that for about the first 2 weeks I can warm or cool the baby down by placing him/her on my chest (again skin to skin). I also learned that a baby's stomach is the size of the top joint of your pinkie finger when it first comes out.
I am pretty confident in the breastfeeding positions and in the baby knowing what to do. But not as confident in knowing the difference between engorgement and being full. I also feel like the teacher may have sugar coated the first two weeks a little. But I've heard if you can make it through those two weeks, then it gets easier from there. If anyone has read a book that might help, let me know!
Justin learned signs for postpartum depression. He learned about labor and that I'll probably crap myself. (Which let me point out was the first thing he told me he learned and I think he found it pretty amusing. I on the other hand am horrified by this.) He learned to ask me how he can help, since he obviously can't breastfeed. He learned about the wife being a "Gate Keeper". Which is where the wife takes the baby back whenever it starts crying thinking the Dad can't do it "right". He said he didn't think this would be a problem for me. I'm not so sure about that, but at least now I can be more aware and make an effort not to do that. When you marry someone who is slightly OCD (me), I would think that would be a natural problem. But maybe I'll surprise myself and prove him right!
They also had a couple new Dads with 3 month old babies in the class. I could hear one of them crying in my class where I learned that if that happens while I'm breastfeeding, my milk will come down and I will start leaking. What!?! This should lead to some pretty hilarious stories in the next few months!
Next weekend is Labor/Delivery Class. No more living in denial. No more ignorance is bliss. I put it off as long as I could. I should probably bring snacks and juice to keep my blood sugar up, so I don't pass out. I imagine there will be more videos...oh great. It's time for a heaping dose of reality. It's probably a good thing, because at this point I'm pretty nervous.
So I am ready for helpful tips if anyone has them. But I'm still not ready for horror stories, so keep those to yourself! :)
Saturday morning I had my breastfeeding class and Justin had Daddy Boot Camp. In other words I saw lots of boob videos and he got to change a dirty diaper. And we paid good money for this!
On the way home and over a fancy lunch at Costco we shared what we each learned. I'm sure if someone heard us from a nearby table, they would think we have the weirdest conversations EVER!
But after the breastfeeding class I am feeling more capable and slightly more confident in what its all about. I am excited to give it my best shot and Justin is totally on board...probably because it will save us about $1500+ during the first year. But he knows its better for the baby too.
I also learned the importance of skin to skin contact with the baby, especially right after its born. And that Dads can do this too. Even Grandmas, but I think that's a little weird...so I'll just pretend that I didn't hear that. ;o) I also learned that for about the first 2 weeks I can warm or cool the baby down by placing him/her on my chest (again skin to skin). I also learned that a baby's stomach is the size of the top joint of your pinkie finger when it first comes out.
I am pretty confident in the breastfeeding positions and in the baby knowing what to do. But not as confident in knowing the difference between engorgement and being full. I also feel like the teacher may have sugar coated the first two weeks a little. But I've heard if you can make it through those two weeks, then it gets easier from there. If anyone has read a book that might help, let me know!
Justin learned signs for postpartum depression. He learned about labor and that I'll probably crap myself. (Which let me point out was the first thing he told me he learned and I think he found it pretty amusing. I on the other hand am horrified by this.) He learned to ask me how he can help, since he obviously can't breastfeed. He learned about the wife being a "Gate Keeper". Which is where the wife takes the baby back whenever it starts crying thinking the Dad can't do it "right". He said he didn't think this would be a problem for me. I'm not so sure about that, but at least now I can be more aware and make an effort not to do that. When you marry someone who is slightly OCD (me), I would think that would be a natural problem. But maybe I'll surprise myself and prove him right!
They also had a couple new Dads with 3 month old babies in the class. I could hear one of them crying in my class where I learned that if that happens while I'm breastfeeding, my milk will come down and I will start leaking. What!?! This should lead to some pretty hilarious stories in the next few months!
Next weekend is Labor/Delivery Class. No more living in denial. No more ignorance is bliss. I put it off as long as I could. I should probably bring snacks and juice to keep my blood sugar up, so I don't pass out. I imagine there will be more videos...oh great. It's time for a heaping dose of reality. It's probably a good thing, because at this point I'm pretty nervous.
So I am ready for helpful tips if anyone has them. But I'm still not ready for horror stories, so keep those to yourself! :)
Baby Center
Every Monday morning I receive an email from Baby Center telling me approximately how big Baby is and what's developing this week. It also tells me how my body is changing. This week I'm at 35 weeks (how did that happen!). So it says that Baby weighs about as much as a honeydew and that he/she shouldn't be doing somersaults anymore, but that the kicking should be about the same. I never really felt somersaults, but I can definitely tell the kicking hasn't let up. When I went to the doctor last week the doctor checked my cervix to see if I was dialated at all. So she told me that the baby was head down. So I asked her what these lumps are under my ribs and she said that in the center is the butt and to the right side are the legs/feet curled up. Well now that explains A LOT! Every once in a while I get a nice kick in the ribs or Baby stretches those legs out and I think he/she might just bust through! I'm sure I'll miss those kicks once they are gone, but maybe Baby you could just let up a little or kick a different spot its feeling a little bruised right there.
Baby Center also tells me this week that my uterus is crowding out all the other organs. Duh! I pee all the time. Justin, Ashley and I went to the movies last weekend and Justin went in first while Ashley and I went to the bathroom. He picked the seats and of course he went to a prime spot in the middle of the row. Luckily we got there early, so I asked him if we could sit on the aisle. Of course to him this sounded ludicrous. He said, "Why?" I said, "because I'm going to have to go to the bathroom." Now this was not a quiet conversation we had between ourselves, because that would have required me climbing over some people in the aisle only to need to be let out again. So all the older women and their husbands were cracking up around us. Justin got up to make the move and one of the men said, "sometimes you just learn as you go." Something tells me those men could give Justin (and I) a lot more valuable insight!
Baby Center also tells me this week that my uterus is crowding out all the other organs. Duh! I pee all the time. Justin, Ashley and I went to the movies last weekend and Justin went in first while Ashley and I went to the bathroom. He picked the seats and of course he went to a prime spot in the middle of the row. Luckily we got there early, so I asked him if we could sit on the aisle. Of course to him this sounded ludicrous. He said, "Why?" I said, "because I'm going to have to go to the bathroom." Now this was not a quiet conversation we had between ourselves, because that would have required me climbing over some people in the aisle only to need to be let out again. So all the older women and their husbands were cracking up around us. Justin got up to make the move and one of the men said, "sometimes you just learn as you go." Something tells me those men could give Justin (and I) a lot more valuable insight!
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Vending Machine
We have a vending machine at work. I don't get snacks out everyday, just here and there when I get hungry or if we haven't been grocery shopping and I don't have anything to bring from home.
Doritos makes taco flavored Doritos now and the vending machine carries them! Unfortunately the last couple times I've tried to get them I've been rejected! Let me explain a little more...
Today I go to the vending machine and I select B3 (the Taco Doritos) and I hold my breathe and then it beeps and tells me to make another selection! I can see them right there! I want those stinkin' Doritos! Baby needs those Doritos!
Begrudgingly I make another selection, probably one better for me, and out pops choice #2. Dang it! Stupid vending machine! Oh well...
Doritos makes taco flavored Doritos now and the vending machine carries them! Unfortunately the last couple times I've tried to get them I've been rejected! Let me explain a little more...
Today I go to the vending machine and I select B3 (the Taco Doritos) and I hold my breathe and then it beeps and tells me to make another selection! I can see them right there! I want those stinkin' Doritos! Baby needs those Doritos!
Begrudgingly I make another selection, probably one better for me, and out pops choice #2. Dang it! Stupid vending machine! Oh well...
A Full Baby Weekend
This weekend we had our hospital tours! I scheduled them on the same day, so they would be easier to compare. The first stop was St. Joes in downtown Denver. I'm not really sure what I think about this hospital. We found ourselves a little confused because the tour guide was very soft spoken and would start talking before we all caught up to her, so I would miss half of what she was saying. But I did see the labor & delivery area and the recovery area, so I guess that is what I came for. St. Joes is a little older, but it has everything we would need and is in walking distance for Justin to some restaurants and a Starbucks. I'm not really sure what else it has, because I couldn't hear! The recovery area has a double bed, so Justin can sleep there too and they room in with the baby.
The next stop was Sky Ridge by Highlands Ranch. This hospital would be closer to our house. It is a smaller hospital, but still has a NICU and everything we might possibly need, but hope we don't! It is a newer hospital and a little easier to get to and find your way around in. Again we saw the labor & delivery area and the recovery area. This one had a single bed, but a futon for Justin. They also allow you to room in with the baby, but also have a nursery if you need to get some sleep or shower. But their are no restaurants within walking distance. However, everything was a little nicer than St. Joes because it is newer.
At the end of the day we were leaning towards Sky Ridge, but everyone keeps telling us how great St. Joes is. So I guess at this point I need to find someone who has delivered at Sky Ridge to see what they think of the experience there. It's kind of an important decision, but I don't really have anything but the aesthetics if the two to base my decision on.
Any one know anything about either one?
Then on Sunday we kept the nursery for the first time at our church. We decided that if we are going to have a baby in that nursery then we should volunteer once a month to keep it.
I couldn't help but day dream about our little baby being in there. Then I was trying to day dream about whether it is a boy or a girl and I was imagining walking in and saying, "This is..." I can't fill in the blank yet, because we haven't decided on a name. I'm pretty sure this baby will come into the world without a name and then we'll have to kick everyone out of the labor and delivery room, while we decide. It's another big decision after all!
The next stop was Sky Ridge by Highlands Ranch. This hospital would be closer to our house. It is a smaller hospital, but still has a NICU and everything we might possibly need, but hope we don't! It is a newer hospital and a little easier to get to and find your way around in. Again we saw the labor & delivery area and the recovery area. This one had a single bed, but a futon for Justin. They also allow you to room in with the baby, but also have a nursery if you need to get some sleep or shower. But their are no restaurants within walking distance. However, everything was a little nicer than St. Joes because it is newer.
At the end of the day we were leaning towards Sky Ridge, but everyone keeps telling us how great St. Joes is. So I guess at this point I need to find someone who has delivered at Sky Ridge to see what they think of the experience there. It's kind of an important decision, but I don't really have anything but the aesthetics if the two to base my decision on.
Any one know anything about either one?
Then on Sunday we kept the nursery for the first time at our church. We decided that if we are going to have a baby in that nursery then we should volunteer once a month to keep it.
I couldn't help but day dream about our little baby being in there. Then I was trying to day dream about whether it is a boy or a girl and I was imagining walking in and saying, "This is..." I can't fill in the blank yet, because we haven't decided on a name. I'm pretty sure this baby will come into the world without a name and then we'll have to kick everyone out of the labor and delivery room, while we decide. It's another big decision after all!
Monday, March 26, 2012
The B.O.B.
Justin's parents were nice enough to give us a BOB stroller for the baby. We were so excited because they got a good deal and its something we had wanted since my good friend Amy showed us hers. So we registered for a car seat that would fit the stroller and the adapter. Problem was I didn't know which BOB stroller we had and I wasn't entirely sure if I registered for the right carseat. I registered back in December, so I figured I had plenty of time to figure it out.
For at least a couple months now I have been telling Justin we needed to figure it out one weekend. Then the weekend comes and goes and we are having too much fun doing other things (nothing baby related, so totally unproductive overall). So this was finally THE weekend! Prior to going to Babies R Us this weekend I have spent countless hours on the BOB website trying to figure out what we have and then countless more hours on the Babies R US website trying to figure out chich adapter works and for which car seat. I also spent time on the REI website because the two websites crondradict eachother. In the end, I just assumed we had an older version because we knew his parents got it at a good price and we'd figure it out once we made in into the store. (In my defense, I never actually saw the stroller prior to Saturday. Justin picked it up from REI and we took it right to storage.)
So we head to Babies R Us. We walk to the stroller area I see an adapter, so Justin just picks it up and heads off to pay for it. I knew this was not the right adapter because I had spent enough time looking at it online to know what it should look like. But he shows me where it says Bob adapter and insists that this is it. That's when I got teary eyed because he wouldn't listen to me. Now in his defense, this was most likely because 1. I was hungry 2. I was thirsty 3. I am 8 months pregnant 4. who knows why...it just happens sometimes.
So we buy the adapter and I buy a snack and a drink. Good thing they have food in there! We head off to go try the adapter on the BOB and it doesn't fit. At that point I think he's starting to understand my frustrations. And I did really good because I didn't say "I told you so." But I was thinking it! Then we were trying to decide whether to give up all together on the BOB and just get a stroller that comes with a carseat and use our friends jogger that they offered to give us for free.
We had friends coming over for dinner Saturday night, so this would just have to be continued on Sunday. Plus if we kept at it much longer we might have ended up in an argument or I would have started crying again. In my defense (after a 3 mile walk that morning) I was tired and frustrated and I had been trying to figure this out forever! I was soooo over it!
On Sunday we decide to head over to REI. Maybe they can help us! We're both feeling more rested and less aggitated, so we're bound to be more productive than on Saturday! We walk to the stroller area and we're looking around. And Justin says, "I know why it didn't work. We don't have a BOB." I looked closer and he was right! We have a "Baby Jogger". Right then and there relief washed over me! Finally it made sense! I wasn't an idiot afterall! Justin wanted to keep the Baby Jogger and just get the right attachment. But I really wanted a BOB and nothing else was going to do, my heart was set on it. Hence the tears the day before. After all I will be the one jogging with it.
So then this light bulb went off in our minds. We just got our REI points in the mail and we had $110 to spend at REI. Now that should tell you how much time my husband spends at REI. (It doesn't help that its right across the street! At first I thought we got all of that from him buying jackets...its his new thing this year. But then we remembered that we bought some backpacking gear, but I'm not sure how we got that much money in points. Anyway...) And we have a 20% coupon to use too. So I got my BOB! And we only had to pay an additional $20! Finally we had it figured out!
I do have to exchange the carseat that my friends got me for one a little smaller. But that's easy to do and finally I can check this off my list!
This weekend we also bought the nursery furniture. We got the crib from one place, but they didn't have the dresser. So we were going to have to track it down somewhere else. Which probably played into the extra frustrations on Saturday. On Sunday we checked at Babies R Us while we were there returning the adapter that wouldn't work and I found out they have some in their warehouse. So we should have the dresser in about 2 weeks!
We're making progress...slowly but surely!
For at least a couple months now I have been telling Justin we needed to figure it out one weekend. Then the weekend comes and goes and we are having too much fun doing other things (nothing baby related, so totally unproductive overall). So this was finally THE weekend! Prior to going to Babies R Us this weekend I have spent countless hours on the BOB website trying to figure out what we have and then countless more hours on the Babies R US website trying to figure out chich adapter works and for which car seat. I also spent time on the REI website because the two websites crondradict eachother. In the end, I just assumed we had an older version because we knew his parents got it at a good price and we'd figure it out once we made in into the store. (In my defense, I never actually saw the stroller prior to Saturday. Justin picked it up from REI and we took it right to storage.)
So we head to Babies R Us. We walk to the stroller area I see an adapter, so Justin just picks it up and heads off to pay for it. I knew this was not the right adapter because I had spent enough time looking at it online to know what it should look like. But he shows me where it says Bob adapter and insists that this is it. That's when I got teary eyed because he wouldn't listen to me. Now in his defense, this was most likely because 1. I was hungry 2. I was thirsty 3. I am 8 months pregnant 4. who knows why...it just happens sometimes.
So we buy the adapter and I buy a snack and a drink. Good thing they have food in there! We head off to go try the adapter on the BOB and it doesn't fit. At that point I think he's starting to understand my frustrations. And I did really good because I didn't say "I told you so." But I was thinking it! Then we were trying to decide whether to give up all together on the BOB and just get a stroller that comes with a carseat and use our friends jogger that they offered to give us for free.
We had friends coming over for dinner Saturday night, so this would just have to be continued on Sunday. Plus if we kept at it much longer we might have ended up in an argument or I would have started crying again. In my defense (after a 3 mile walk that morning) I was tired and frustrated and I had been trying to figure this out forever! I was soooo over it!
On Sunday we decide to head over to REI. Maybe they can help us! We're both feeling more rested and less aggitated, so we're bound to be more productive than on Saturday! We walk to the stroller area and we're looking around. And Justin says, "I know why it didn't work. We don't have a BOB." I looked closer and he was right! We have a "Baby Jogger". Right then and there relief washed over me! Finally it made sense! I wasn't an idiot afterall! Justin wanted to keep the Baby Jogger and just get the right attachment. But I really wanted a BOB and nothing else was going to do, my heart was set on it. Hence the tears the day before. After all I will be the one jogging with it.
So then this light bulb went off in our minds. We just got our REI points in the mail and we had $110 to spend at REI. Now that should tell you how much time my husband spends at REI. (It doesn't help that its right across the street! At first I thought we got all of that from him buying jackets...its his new thing this year. But then we remembered that we bought some backpacking gear, but I'm not sure how we got that much money in points. Anyway...) And we have a 20% coupon to use too. So I got my BOB! And we only had to pay an additional $20! Finally we had it figured out!
I do have to exchange the carseat that my friends got me for one a little smaller. But that's easy to do and finally I can check this off my list!
This weekend we also bought the nursery furniture. We got the crib from one place, but they didn't have the dresser. So we were going to have to track it down somewhere else. Which probably played into the extra frustrations on Saturday. On Sunday we checked at Babies R Us while we were there returning the adapter that wouldn't work and I found out they have some in their warehouse. So we should have the dresser in about 2 weeks!
We're making progress...slowly but surely!
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| The Crib |
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| The Dresser |
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| The BOB! |
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Go Big or Go Home, Right?
...That's the Colorado way. You don't go for a leisurely hike, you hike a 14,000 ft mountain (a "Fourteener"). You don't go on a leisurely camping trip, you backpack in with all your supplies for however long you are going to be there. At least this is my husband's motto.
In this instance I am talking about stress levels, which was pointed out to me by my dentist. (Which is a stressful thing to me all on its own!) We were chatting about the baby coming in a couple months and then some how the fact that we are moving the beginning of May came up. And he said, "You know you are supposed to spread the most stressful life events out don't you?" I said, "we like to just get all done at once." And he didn't even know the half of it! Because just a week ago my boss did finally decide that she wasn't going to hold my position after I have the baby. So she is letting me go once I go on maternity leave. (Which is a whole other Oprah...)
So in the course of a month I am moving, having a baby, and getting laid off. Which is # 8, 12, and 32 on the Stress Scale List. But for me I'm pretty used to doing big life changes all at once. I moved to Colorado, started a full time job, and started full time grad school all at once. I started another job, continued full time grad school, got married, bought a house all at the same time. So I'm not too worried. Ask me again in May and I may be singing a different tune!
In this instance I am talking about stress levels, which was pointed out to me by my dentist. (Which is a stressful thing to me all on its own!) We were chatting about the baby coming in a couple months and then some how the fact that we are moving the beginning of May came up. And he said, "You know you are supposed to spread the most stressful life events out don't you?" I said, "we like to just get all done at once." And he didn't even know the half of it! Because just a week ago my boss did finally decide that she wasn't going to hold my position after I have the baby. So she is letting me go once I go on maternity leave. (Which is a whole other Oprah...)
So in the course of a month I am moving, having a baby, and getting laid off. Which is # 8, 12, and 32 on the Stress Scale List. But for me I'm pretty used to doing big life changes all at once. I moved to Colorado, started a full time job, and started full time grad school all at once. I started another job, continued full time grad school, got married, bought a house all at the same time. So I'm not too worried. Ask me again in May and I may be singing a different tune!
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Thresher Maw
I don't sleep much during the night, but Friday night I managed to and I woke up after dreaming about Baby (in the dream Baby was a girl and I already knew her name) to my husband waking up as well. I told him that I dreamed about having a girl and it was a wonderful dream. (Again, Baby sorry if you are a boy, I can't control my dreams.) And he told me that he stayed up until 3:30 in the morning playing X Box and that his new game was awesome. He then proceeded to make me watch video where this giant worm (a Thresher Maw) attacks the Reaper and then eats it. I wasn't quite as impressed with it as him, but I pretended to be.
What was really going through my head was I think I have one of those in my belly...at least that's what it feels like all night long. Baby I can't wait for you to come out, so we can show you that you are supposed to sleep at night and play during the day. :)
What was really going through my head was I think I have one of those in my belly...at least that's what it feels like all night long. Baby I can't wait for you to come out, so we can show you that you are supposed to sleep at night and play during the day. :)
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| The Thresher Maw. But mine is going to be much cuter! |
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Baby Shower Time!
Two weeks ago now I went home for my baby shower! It was great seeing family and friends and letting them love on my baby belly! I got to relax the first couple days, which was perfect! My Mom wanted to take me to buy some baby clothes to bring Baby home in and since we don't know what we are having that meant at least two outfits. And thanks to Auntie Ashley two outfits turned into LOTS of outfits, half of which will have to be returned. For some reason we kept ending up in the girl section, so Baby if you are a boy, I'm sorry they were just a lot cuter than the boy clothes.
I had a great time being home and these are just a few pictures of the weekend!
I had a great time being home and these are just a few pictures of the weekend!
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| Fun Times at Sheryl's! |
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| Tinley was told that there was a baby in my belly and this was VERY confusing to her! She even "made" me pull up my shirt to show her my belly. After about 5 times, I think she gave up on seeing that baby! |
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| Sheryl and I were laughing at Parker playing his game. Everytime the character would jump, so would Parker. |
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| The Stair Picture, I think Andy might have been making fun of us for taking "another" stair picture. :) |
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| My Granny Chair at the Shower. It was actually pretty comfortable. Smart thinking Jill! |
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| Jill, my Mom and I |
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