We had it...that moment that every parent cringes at. While on vacation in TN we decided it would be fun to take a trolly ride at night to see all the beautiful Christmas light displays that they had around the town. We thought it would be perfect timing since it started right after Coleman's nap.
We had gone to dinner, gotten him to sleep in his carseat and were planning on him sleeping for part of the trolly ride, feed him on the trolly, enjoy the lights (since he loves shiny things), and we'd get to enjoy the lights too. Coleman had other plans. He woke up during the transfer from carseat to my arms for sleeping (lesson #1 learned, we should have just brought the carseat along). We got on the trolly with about a dozen and a half people, squeezed the three of us into a tiny seat made for two small people and I began to give Coleman his bottle. He ate like a champ, as always, and burped like a champ too.
Off the trolly ride goes and he was doing quite well. Blowing bubbles, jabbering away, then he decided he didn't wan anything to do with standing on my lap or being held, or looking out the window. He was screaming in protest. I didnt have any other ideas at this point after bouncing him and trying to burp him.
Justin and I tried to remain calm while talking with one another and whispering as to not disturb the tour guide and other passengers trying to enjoy a Christmas light trolly ride without the sound of a screaming baby (and we all know that Coleman has a great set of lungs!). Justin took Coleman for a bit and we switched spots. He couldn't get him to calm down on his lap so he took Coleman to the floor of the trolly. He somewhat enjoyed that in various intervals. To sum it up, we spend 50 out of the 60 min. trolly ride on the floor of the trolly with Coleman attempting to keep him calm. Justin did great with him for a little while, then was out of ideas after he became fussy again, so I sat down on the floor and ended up singing for 20 minutes the itsy bitsy spider, his name song we made up for him, and the ABC's (the only songs that calm him down right now). So that was fun.
It was one of the situations where we were so worried about ruining other peoples experiences. We knew Coleman was tired since he hadn't taken a long nap, he didn't get a good burp because we were afraid of him spitting up over someone sitting behind us, and he just wanted to be on his own to play and not be held for a bit. Poor little guy - Thankfully everyone on the trolly was very forgiving and understanding. One nice lady even said "weren't we all babies at one time?". Of course, as soon as we got off the trolly he was a total ball of joy as he usually is (go figure). And did I mention that he was wearing his "Little Stinker" shirt that evening too? It was very fitting for the event.
I give props to my husband and I for keeping our cool with one another during the situation and for doing everything we could think of to keep Coleman entertained amidst his fussiness. We learned some valuable lessons that day as parents and now know how we'll handle the situation differently next time is comes up (because it definately will).
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Never a day off...
We are on our first family vacation right now in Gatlinburg, TN. More to come on what we've been up to and are going to be doing, but first...
What an experience getting here was! I spent most of Friday packing around Coleman's schedule. Thank goodness I make lists! They were very helpful in being productive during his nap times. He also spent a good portion of his day in the exersaucer or in the Moby "helping" me. As Justin was packing the car in the evening, we did have to leave some things behind that we wanted to bring because of space issues in the car (and did I mention that we are borrowing my in-laws car for the trip b/c mine is too small for everything we need for a baby?) Or maybe I just pack to much.....no, I think it's that we require more things to keep the little one happy, fed, changed, and entertained for 10 days.
So the car is packed, it's 5am and we're off. Coleman woke up as we were transferring him from the crib to the carseat. But what else is new, he was already up several times before then....he still isn't sleeping through the night...ugh! I got to sleep for about an hour and a half before Colie woke up at 7:30. We stopped at McD's to feed him and give him cereal, then he had to be changed from jammies into clothes, diaper change, give him some stretch/playing time, and packed back up in the carseat and then we're off (this took an hour mind you). Before Coleman we would quick stop, use the restroom, get something to eat and bring it in the car. Now there's a whole process to stopping. Oh yeah, and we had to get gas too.
I could make the whole post about how long it took to get here, but I wont...we are here, we made it safely and with really no troubles at all. We have a good little traveler on our hands and both mommy and daddy kept him entertained in the squished backseat while the other was driving. We sang many ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Coleman's name song.
The past 2 days we have been up by 5 to leave for our destination (we made a stop in KY before heading to TN to see the Creation Museum). Also, since my little man doesn't like to sleep through the night yet, I've been up several times in between. So needless to say, I'm a little tired (okay..a LOT tired). And sometimes all I really want to do is get to the destination, put down our things, and just rest...or take a nap...or watch some tv....but that can't happen like it used to because now I am a mommy. And someone is relying on my to take care of him, love him, play with him, nurture him. Of course, there's his incredible dad here to help as well. For both of us this has been a huge change. One that I'm very grateful for...but adjusting to this new job as a parent is tough work.
I'm so glad that we are taking a vacation with a 5 month old. I'm glad we don't stay in our home and not go out into the world because of how little he still is. We make sacrifices on not doing certain things because of his schedule sometimes...but really, it's not too bad. So I'm now realizing that being a parent means you never get a day off (even if you're gone from your little one overnight...because you still think about them all the time!). I'll take the job any day of the week though, it's the greatest job in the entire world.
And now I'm going to bed because the little man is sleeping and I'm sure I'll have to be up with him in a few hours (with a smile on my face of course).
What an experience getting here was! I spent most of Friday packing around Coleman's schedule. Thank goodness I make lists! They were very helpful in being productive during his nap times. He also spent a good portion of his day in the exersaucer or in the Moby "helping" me. As Justin was packing the car in the evening, we did have to leave some things behind that we wanted to bring because of space issues in the car (and did I mention that we are borrowing my in-laws car for the trip b/c mine is too small for everything we need for a baby?) Or maybe I just pack to much.....no, I think it's that we require more things to keep the little one happy, fed, changed, and entertained for 10 days.
So the car is packed, it's 5am and we're off. Coleman woke up as we were transferring him from the crib to the carseat. But what else is new, he was already up several times before then....he still isn't sleeping through the night...ugh! I got to sleep for about an hour and a half before Colie woke up at 7:30. We stopped at McD's to feed him and give him cereal, then he had to be changed from jammies into clothes, diaper change, give him some stretch/playing time, and packed back up in the carseat and then we're off (this took an hour mind you). Before Coleman we would quick stop, use the restroom, get something to eat and bring it in the car. Now there's a whole process to stopping. Oh yeah, and we had to get gas too.
I could make the whole post about how long it took to get here, but I wont...we are here, we made it safely and with really no troubles at all. We have a good little traveler on our hands and both mommy and daddy kept him entertained in the squished backseat while the other was driving. We sang many ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Coleman's name song.
The past 2 days we have been up by 5 to leave for our destination (we made a stop in KY before heading to TN to see the Creation Museum). Also, since my little man doesn't like to sleep through the night yet, I've been up several times in between. So needless to say, I'm a little tired (okay..a LOT tired). And sometimes all I really want to do is get to the destination, put down our things, and just rest...or take a nap...or watch some tv....but that can't happen like it used to because now I am a mommy. And someone is relying on my to take care of him, love him, play with him, nurture him. Of course, there's his incredible dad here to help as well. For both of us this has been a huge change. One that I'm very grateful for...but adjusting to this new job as a parent is tough work.
I'm so glad that we are taking a vacation with a 5 month old. I'm glad we don't stay in our home and not go out into the world because of how little he still is. We make sacrifices on not doing certain things because of his schedule sometimes...but really, it's not too bad. So I'm now realizing that being a parent means you never get a day off (even if you're gone from your little one overnight...because you still think about them all the time!). I'll take the job any day of the week though, it's the greatest job in the entire world.
And now I'm going to bed because the little man is sleeping and I'm sure I'll have to be up with him in a few hours (with a smile on my face of course).
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
5 months
Mr. Coleman is already 5 months old! WOW! So much has been happening around here since his 4 month update. Here are some of the things our little man has been doing lately.
Coleman got a GREAT report at the Dr.'s office this month. He is 25 inches long, 16.9 pounds, and in the 95th percentile for head circumference! He's going to be one smart boy! He had a blast at the Dr.'s office looking at himself in the mirror and was very brave for his shot (so was I...no tears!).
Coleman LOVES to put his hands behind his head and just relax. We call this "chillaxin'"...silly I know, but we're weird like that! He things its really funny and does it in his car seat, when he's sitting his his Bumbo watching Baby Einstein, when he's being held...he even did it in the bathtub last night. We couldn't stop laughing.
Coleman continues to LOVE his baths. He loves to take a washcloth and suck on it during his bath time. He likes having the warm water poured over him and when we wash underneath his chin, he gets a big smile and sometimes giggles. Last night he discovered how to splash and got a big kick out of it! Sometimes I let Coleman hold the rinsing cup with some water in it, he brings it up to his lips and takes a big drink...I think he's getting ready for his sippy cups!
Coleman is finally enjoying tummy time! Probably because he can push himself up a lot higher with his hands, rotate his head around and explore. Sometimes he will roll over to his back and then can get about half way over from his back to his tummy. We're still working on this...
Coleman is in LOVE with Harley! Just this past month he has taken a huge interest in Harley. He loves to watch her chase the ball down the hallway, sit next to her and just observe, he laughs and makes silly noises at her too. The other day he was sitting in the bumbo on the kitchen island and Harley was laying on the floor, he practically leaned all the way over the side of the bumbo just to take a peek at Harley so he could giggle and smile at her. I think they're going to be good friends and we also hope it will help encourage our little guy to crawl and walk soon!
"I'm gonna get your Harley!"
Coleman LOVES to be naked! He can be crying at the top of his lungs and as soon as we take off his clothes, he is happy as can be! He loves to grab his toes and have us blow on his belly!
Good news! The baby eczema has cleared up quite a bit with lotion 2x's a day and a different cream...thankfully I didn't have to give up dairy like I thought! Woo-hoo!
We are excited for the things ahead in the next month: trying solid foods, a family vacation to TN, Coleman's first Thanksgiving, Coleman's first time in the snow, and so many more things Coleman will learn that I'm sure we aren't prepared for!
Coleman got a GREAT report at the Dr.'s office this month. He is 25 inches long, 16.9 pounds, and in the 95th percentile for head circumference! He's going to be one smart boy! He had a blast at the Dr.'s office looking at himself in the mirror and was very brave for his shot (so was I...no tears!).
Coleman LOVES to put his hands behind his head and just relax. We call this "chillaxin'"...silly I know, but we're weird like that! He things its really funny and does it in his car seat, when he's sitting his his Bumbo watching Baby Einstein, when he's being held...he even did it in the bathtub last night. We couldn't stop laughing.
Coleman continues to LOVE his baths. He loves to take a washcloth and suck on it during his bath time. He likes having the warm water poured over him and when we wash underneath his chin, he gets a big smile and sometimes giggles. Last night he discovered how to splash and got a big kick out of it! Sometimes I let Coleman hold the rinsing cup with some water in it, he brings it up to his lips and takes a big drink...I think he's getting ready for his sippy cups!
Coleman is finally enjoying tummy time! Probably because he can push himself up a lot higher with his hands, rotate his head around and explore. Sometimes he will roll over to his back and then can get about half way over from his back to his tummy. We're still working on this...
Coleman is in LOVE with Harley! Just this past month he has taken a huge interest in Harley. He loves to watch her chase the ball down the hallway, sit next to her and just observe, he laughs and makes silly noises at her too. The other day he was sitting in the bumbo on the kitchen island and Harley was laying on the floor, he practically leaned all the way over the side of the bumbo just to take a peek at Harley so he could giggle and smile at her. I think they're going to be good friends and we also hope it will help encourage our little guy to crawl and walk soon!
"I'm gonna get your Harley!"
Coleman LOVES to be naked! He can be crying at the top of his lungs and as soon as we take off his clothes, he is happy as can be! He loves to grab his toes and have us blow on his belly!
Good news! The baby eczema has cleared up quite a bit with lotion 2x's a day and a different cream...thankfully I didn't have to give up dairy like I thought! Woo-hoo!
We are excited for the things ahead in the next month: trying solid foods, a family vacation to TN, Coleman's first Thanksgiving, Coleman's first time in the snow, and so many more things Coleman will learn that I'm sure we aren't prepared for!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Coleman's Baby Dedication
We had Coleman dedicated at our church this past Sunday. He looked super adorable in his outfit! Thanks to my friend, Melissa, for dressing her super-cute son up in the outfit first where I got the idea to get one for Coleman! =) It was a great service and even more special because 3 other couples from our Life Group (small group at church), had their babies dedicated too. My parents, Justin's parents and his grandma were able to attend as well!
Pastor Lee shared Psalm 127:3 along with other special words of wisdom for us parents and we raise our babies.
"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him"
We also got to do the church's famous "Simba" pose with Coleman and the other babies to show them off to everyone at church. Coleman was very good and was totally relaxed he put his hands behind his head and just chilled the whole time. It was adorable!
Here are some great photos from the day!
Our wonderful friends with their babies (L-R) Vyera, Easton, Heidi, and Coleman
Pastor Lee shared Psalm 127:3 along with other special words of wisdom for us parents and we raise our babies.
"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him"
We also got to do the church's famous "Simba" pose with Coleman and the other babies to show them off to everyone at church. Coleman was very good and was totally relaxed he put his hands behind his head and just chilled the whole time. It was adorable!
Here are some great photos from the day!
Our wonderful friends with their babies (L-R) Vyera, Easton, Heidi, and Coleman
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Recently I'm...
Cleaning: The house - trying to do a room or two a day so I don't have to do it all at once, and doing laundry constantly!
Baking: Stromboli this afternoon (shhh...don't tell Justin...it's a surprise for dinner tonight!)
Wearing: my new jeans that fit! YAY! My new black comfy shirt....I got lots of great things this past weekend when Justin and I went away together. =)
Making: a list of things to do around the house and in the next few weeks
Looking for: some Christmas present ideas for Coleman
Loving: Having Justin home before dark each night and on weekends!!
Watching: Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (sad...I know), and maybe what netflix movie comes to our door today (or maybe in the next week or so if we ever find time to watch the movie)
Wishing: I would start working out more
Happy: that my sister and brother in law close on their house this week so they can move next week!
Hoping: Coleman decides to sleep longer periods throughout the night soon...no more 2 hour awakenings please!
Reading: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up In A Ball (for Coleman)...hoping to start Super Baby Food soon!
Craving: Stromboli...I'm super excited about eating it tonight!
Excited About: Coleman's baby dedication on Sunday at church!
Cleaning: The house - trying to do a room or two a day so I don't have to do it all at once, and doing laundry constantly!
Baking: Stromboli this afternoon (shhh...don't tell Justin...it's a surprise for dinner tonight!)
Wearing: my new jeans that fit! YAY! My new black comfy shirt....I got lots of great things this past weekend when Justin and I went away together. =)
Making: a list of things to do around the house and in the next few weeks
Looking for: some Christmas present ideas for Coleman
Loving: Having Justin home before dark each night and on weekends!!
Watching: Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (sad...I know), and maybe what netflix movie comes to our door today (or maybe in the next week or so if we ever find time to watch the movie)
Wishing: I would start working out more
Happy: that my sister and brother in law close on their house this week so they can move next week!
Hoping: Coleman decides to sleep longer periods throughout the night soon...no more 2 hour awakenings please!
Reading: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up In A Ball (for Coleman)...hoping to start Super Baby Food soon!
Craving: Stromboli...I'm super excited about eating it tonight!
Excited About: Coleman's baby dedication on Sunday at church!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
No Cheese Please
I took Coleman to the Dr. yesterday because he had these really dry red patches on his legs and chest. I tried lotion, etc...but nothing worked. So anyway, it turns out that it is baby eczema...and apparently a cause of that could be do to me eating dairy products. So...to rule out the fact that it may be a reaction to that - I have to give up dairy for a week (and maybe longer depending if I notice a difference or not). Then I can slowly start to introduce dairy back into my diet and see if there are any changes in him. They also gave us an ointment to put on it as well (which seems to be helping already). So I'm totally bummed that I have to give up dairy for a week. I am such a cheese eater, love my milk, and ice cream too! It's not ALL dairy products, just the main ones: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. So we'll see if it helps. I'm pretty bummed about it in the meantime.
The good news is I finally got my diaper bag back! I had to return my other one because the zipper broke (their fault, not mine) and they sent me a replacement bag - I've been using a backpack as I have been waiting and I'm so glad to be tranfering my things to my new bag as soon as I finish writing this post.
More good news....the busy season is officially over! We made it! Coleman, Justin and I did 8 weeks of craziness and now we can finally have some time to enjoy together as a family of 3!
So I'll write more later - I have a new diaper bag to pack! YAY!
My little man is doing great - doesn't seem bothered by it at all - so here is a precious picture of him being so happy!
The good news is I finally got my diaper bag back! I had to return my other one because the zipper broke (their fault, not mine) and they sent me a replacement bag - I've been using a backpack as I have been waiting and I'm so glad to be tranfering my things to my new bag as soon as I finish writing this post.
More good news....the busy season is officially over! We made it! Coleman, Justin and I did 8 weeks of craziness and now we can finally have some time to enjoy together as a family of 3!
So I'll write more later - I have a new diaper bag to pack! YAY!
My little man is doing great - doesn't seem bothered by it at all - so here is a precious picture of him being so happy!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
4 months!
It seems like this post has come so shortly after posting about Coleman's 3 month update. I was a little late on the 3 month update and on time with this one...so here is all that is new in the life of Coleman!
We can't believe that he is 16 weeks already! Again, it seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. We are blessed to have Coleman in our lives and don't know what we used to do without him! (Oh wait, I remember...we watched movies (the netflix movie we have on our tv stand has been there for 4 weeks now), stayed up late, did whatever we wanted whenever we wanted....) But it's totally worth not doing all those things because our little man is just too adorable!
Coleman LOVES to put stuff in his mouth and drool drool drool! He is getting really good and gripping his toys and reaching for them. He loves his little teething toys (although I don't think he's teething yet) because they stay in the fridge and are nice and cool when he puts them in his mouth. Here you'll see him doing just that as he sits in his high chair. He loves to play with his toys and watch me do dishes or cook...plus, it gives me a break from holding him.
Coleman still LOVES to stand up. He isn't so much into laying on his back anymore...he will screech when he wants to be upright. He is getting good at putting one foot in front of the other too (with help of course)! Coleman is ALMOST sitting by himself! His cute belly pulls him forward and usually makes him spit up...but he thinks he's so cool when he's doing this by himself. We have enjoyed playing with the stacking cups and watching him push them over as we yell "Timber!" He gets a kick out of this game. The other day I put him in his bouncy seat and he pulled himself right up! I couldn't believe it! It feels like all of the sudden he is growing up so fast... "slow down little man - your daddy and I don't want to miss a thing!"
I woke up one morning to find this lovely little scratch on my son's adorable cheek...poor guy! He must have done it in his sleep. He had his nails trimmed shortly after this happened! I'm sure it wont be the first scratch, scrape, or bruise this little one gets. But I felt so sad for him!
In the past week or so, Coleman has discovered a love for sticking out his tongue! This usually happens when he is standing and looking around. He sticks it out of the corner of his mouth and then gets a big grin on his face. Too cute! (picture coming soon)
Coleman LOVES to "fly" with his daddy and stand on his daddy's hands. It makes this mommy a little nervous, but I LOVE the smiles I see from both of them!
We have a little squeaker and talker on our hands too. He loves to giggle and coo when he lays on our bed. When he is playing under his play-gym he will squeak and shriek....Justin calls him our little velociraptor.
This month we have spent lots of time at the farm visiting Justin. Coleman usually spends his time there in the Moby or standing on the counter. We have been going for lots of walk around the farm property with Harley. It's been very chilly here - so I have to bundle Coleman up in his cute dino hat, mittens, and warm slippers. The other day Harley was chasing Turkeys on our walk and Coleman found this to be super funny. He also discovered our shadow when we walk and loves to kick and giggle at it!
Here is a precious picture of Coleman sleeping in the Moby. We were visiting with friends at the farm and it was close to nap time...the little guy just crashed!
We are getting a fairly good predictable schedule (except for the whole "sleeping through the night" thing) We are so thankful that Coleman is such a content and happy baby. We adore his giggles, coos, shrieks, and charming personality. We LOVE his chubby little cheeks!
We can't believe that he is 16 weeks already! Again, it seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. We are blessed to have Coleman in our lives and don't know what we used to do without him! (Oh wait, I remember...we watched movies (the netflix movie we have on our tv stand has been there for 4 weeks now), stayed up late, did whatever we wanted whenever we wanted....) But it's totally worth not doing all those things because our little man is just too adorable!
Coleman LOVES to put stuff in his mouth and drool drool drool! He is getting really good and gripping his toys and reaching for them. He loves his little teething toys (although I don't think he's teething yet) because they stay in the fridge and are nice and cool when he puts them in his mouth. Here you'll see him doing just that as he sits in his high chair. He loves to play with his toys and watch me do dishes or cook...plus, it gives me a break from holding him.
Coleman still LOVES to stand up. He isn't so much into laying on his back anymore...he will screech when he wants to be upright. He is getting good at putting one foot in front of the other too (with help of course)! Coleman is ALMOST sitting by himself! His cute belly pulls him forward and usually makes him spit up...but he thinks he's so cool when he's doing this by himself. We have enjoyed playing with the stacking cups and watching him push them over as we yell "Timber!" He gets a kick out of this game. The other day I put him in his bouncy seat and he pulled himself right up! I couldn't believe it! It feels like all of the sudden he is growing up so fast... "slow down little man - your daddy and I don't want to miss a thing!"
I woke up one morning to find this lovely little scratch on my son's adorable cheek...poor guy! He must have done it in his sleep. He had his nails trimmed shortly after this happened! I'm sure it wont be the first scratch, scrape, or bruise this little one gets. But I felt so sad for him!
In the past week or so, Coleman has discovered a love for sticking out his tongue! This usually happens when he is standing and looking around. He sticks it out of the corner of his mouth and then gets a big grin on his face. Too cute! (picture coming soon)
Coleman LOVES to "fly" with his daddy and stand on his daddy's hands. It makes this mommy a little nervous, but I LOVE the smiles I see from both of them!
We have a little squeaker and talker on our hands too. He loves to giggle and coo when he lays on our bed. When he is playing under his play-gym he will squeak and shriek....Justin calls him our little velociraptor.
This month we have spent lots of time at the farm visiting Justin. Coleman usually spends his time there in the Moby or standing on the counter. We have been going for lots of walk around the farm property with Harley. It's been very chilly here - so I have to bundle Coleman up in his cute dino hat, mittens, and warm slippers. The other day Harley was chasing Turkeys on our walk and Coleman found this to be super funny. He also discovered our shadow when we walk and loves to kick and giggle at it!
Here is a precious picture of Coleman sleeping in the Moby. We were visiting with friends at the farm and it was close to nap time...the little guy just crashed!
We are getting a fairly good predictable schedule (except for the whole "sleeping through the night" thing) We are so thankful that Coleman is such a content and happy baby. We adore his giggles, coos, shrieks, and charming personality. We LOVE his chubby little cheeks!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Fall Decorations
As promised...here is the lovely fall display I set up on our front porch =)Harley isn't part of the display (although at times I wish I could leave her outside to play by herself for a long period of time)...I just posed her because she was getting on my nerves and wanted to be outside with me =)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Fabulous Fall
I just put out my fall decorations yesterday. A little later than I would have liked, but taking care of Coleman all day has me very busy and I couldn't find time to bring up the decorations from the basement and then have time to set them up around the house. Thankfully, we had a wonderful friend come and visit us and she watched Coleman while I set up my fall things. I'm excited that I can keep them out throughout the rest of the month and into November. I love the smells of my candles (pumpkin spice, McIntosh apples, and Hazelenut) YUM. This year, I worked really hard at making sure the front of our house was decorated for the season too (Picture will be posted soon). I don't like to do too much of the Halloween thing, I'd rather focus on Fall with leaves, pumpkins, corn husks, the colors and smells of the season, etc. I'm excited to try a new recipe for cream cheese pumpkin muffins. If I can find the time to make them...I'll definately have to post how it turned out and how I found the time to make them too!
Coleman, Harley, and I went on a lovely walk around the farm today too. It reminded me just how much I love the fall with all the beautiful colors, the crisp clean air, and a bit of chilliness too. Here we are on our walk - the picture was taken with my phone. You can see how clear the sky was today. Coleman is bundled up in his adorable dino hat and mittens and LOVES being in the Moby for his walks!
It was a perfect fall day today. I only wish that Justin could have joined us for the walk. We're on the countdown now though...17 more days of crazy and then it starts to slow down. I'm so thankful for such a hard-working husband. He puts in so many hours during this time of year - and I'm thankful for that because it is why I get to stay home. It's definately not easy and this year was very different too because we have Coleman. I'm looking forward to having him home before it's dark out and very much looking forward to having him home on the weekends. It's a crazy life for us right now, but it's totally worth it.
Here's a picture of Justin and Coleman. We frequently go and visit Justin for lunches and dinners during this busy time. Coleman's shirt says "My dad rocks"...SO TRUE!
Coleman, Harley, and I went on a lovely walk around the farm today too. It reminded me just how much I love the fall with all the beautiful colors, the crisp clean air, and a bit of chilliness too. Here we are on our walk - the picture was taken with my phone. You can see how clear the sky was today. Coleman is bundled up in his adorable dino hat and mittens and LOVES being in the Moby for his walks!
It was a perfect fall day today. I only wish that Justin could have joined us for the walk. We're on the countdown now though...17 more days of crazy and then it starts to slow down. I'm so thankful for such a hard-working husband. He puts in so many hours during this time of year - and I'm thankful for that because it is why I get to stay home. It's definately not easy and this year was very different too because we have Coleman. I'm looking forward to having him home before it's dark out and very much looking forward to having him home on the weekends. It's a crazy life for us right now, but it's totally worth it.
Here's a picture of Justin and Coleman. We frequently go and visit Justin for lunches and dinners during this busy time. Coleman's shirt says "My dad rocks"...SO TRUE!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
3 months old
I can't believe that my little Coleman is already 3 months old. People weren't kidding when they said that the time goes by fast! It seems crazy to me that we have had him for 13 weeks already, when it seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. He is growing SO fast that I'm trying to treasure each moment and capture it so I can remember him being this little because he just keeps growing!
At 3 months old, Coleman already weighs 16 pounds and he keeps on growing! His hair is growing, but he still has his cute little "sprout" in the back. He has the cutest chubbiest little legs.
Coleman LOVES his Moby (www.mobywrap.com). This was one of the best purchases I have made. I wear it out for walks, I wear it at the farm, I wear it around the house! Coleman likes to be in the Moby facing out so he can see what's going on. At home, we use it to vacuum and take of things around the house so I can get thing done! He loves to wiggle around in it and it wears him out so he takes an extra good nap for me!
Colemans LOVES his giraffe. I had thing cute blanket with little ribbons on it that I wanted Coleman to use for his "lovey" toy. However, Coleman has taken to his giraffe that rattles and has little things on the feet for him to chew. He loves to snuggle with it when we are in the car.
Coleman LOVES to stand up and sit up lately too. It's a whole new world for him to see things from a new level. He gets all smiley and giggly when he stand and thinks he is super cool! He is getting better at sitting up too! When he is in his bouncy seat he is lifting up his head to look around. I have also put him in his high chair and set it completly upright (it leans back too) and he enjoys playing with his toys while I do the dishes!
It is so wonderful to see Coleman react to Justin and I. He definately knows us and loves to show us his precious smile and his cute little giggles. We are really getting excited for when he gets that deep belly laugh.
Our little guys isn't sleeping through the night yet which has been a challenge for me. I am VERY tired and trying to figure out how to get him to sleep through the night. Maybe my little man just needs some time.
This month Coleman and I have been spending lots of time at the farm. Justin is working crazy hours right now (at least 90 hours and all 7 days). We go and visit him to say hi or to bring lunch/dinner. We also went on our first wagon ride together too!
It has been a very busy 3 months, but we are excited to see how much Coleman grows in the next month and what new things he will be able to do at 4 months!
At 3 months old, Coleman already weighs 16 pounds and he keeps on growing! His hair is growing, but he still has his cute little "sprout" in the back. He has the cutest chubbiest little legs.
Coleman LOVES his Moby (www.mobywrap.com). This was one of the best purchases I have made. I wear it out for walks, I wear it at the farm, I wear it around the house! Coleman likes to be in the Moby facing out so he can see what's going on. At home, we use it to vacuum and take of things around the house so I can get thing done! He loves to wiggle around in it and it wears him out so he takes an extra good nap for me!
Colemans LOVES his giraffe. I had thing cute blanket with little ribbons on it that I wanted Coleman to use for his "lovey" toy. However, Coleman has taken to his giraffe that rattles and has little things on the feet for him to chew. He loves to snuggle with it when we are in the car.
Coleman LOVES to stand up and sit up lately too. It's a whole new world for him to see things from a new level. He gets all smiley and giggly when he stand and thinks he is super cool! He is getting better at sitting up too! When he is in his bouncy seat he is lifting up his head to look around. I have also put him in his high chair and set it completly upright (it leans back too) and he enjoys playing with his toys while I do the dishes!
It is so wonderful to see Coleman react to Justin and I. He definately knows us and loves to show us his precious smile and his cute little giggles. We are really getting excited for when he gets that deep belly laugh.
Our little guys isn't sleeping through the night yet which has been a challenge for me. I am VERY tired and trying to figure out how to get him to sleep through the night. Maybe my little man just needs some time.
This month Coleman and I have been spending lots of time at the farm. Justin is working crazy hours right now (at least 90 hours and all 7 days). We go and visit him to say hi or to bring lunch/dinner. We also went on our first wagon ride together too!
It has been a very busy 3 months, but we are excited to see how much Coleman grows in the next month and what new things he will be able to do at 4 months!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A little slice of heaven...
Lately I've been doing some research on kidney stones and foods that I should/should not be eating. Unfortunately for me, cola products (good by my sweet fountain cherry coke from the gas station with lots of ice), and coffee are two of the things that I need to cut out from my diet. I gave up on coffee a while ago after the first round of stones hit...so that wasn't too terrible. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't go cold turkey on it, and occasionally I get myself a decaf frozen caramel hazelnut beverage (SOOO good!). It mainly has to do with the caffeine...and that means that I have to start limiting the amount of chocolate that I eat too =(
So when I was at the store the other day...I gave in. I just had to buy this delicious ice cream.
I figured that if I only had a spoonful when I craved that coffee taste, it wouldn't be as bad as getting a large drink for myself. And so far I've done really well. I bought the little pint of ice cream (on sale, b/c I wouldn't spend the full price on this type of ice cream) on Tuesday and so far have only had 3 little spoonfuls of it. YAY me! It is SUPER DELISH...if you like the coffee flavor, plus some caramel and vanilla, give this a try - it wont disappoint!
So when I was at the store the other day...I gave in. I just had to buy this delicious ice cream.
I figured that if I only had a spoonful when I craved that coffee taste, it wouldn't be as bad as getting a large drink for myself. And so far I've done really well. I bought the little pint of ice cream (on sale, b/c I wouldn't spend the full price on this type of ice cream) on Tuesday and so far have only had 3 little spoonfuls of it. YAY me! It is SUPER DELISH...if you like the coffee flavor, plus some caramel and vanilla, give this a try - it wont disappoint!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Time for a break...
I'm ready for a break... not a break from being a stay at home mommy...a break for being sick or having any other sort of health issues! Since Colemans arrival, it seems like I haven't been able to feel completely myself.
For starters, Coleman's labor did require a little longer of a healing process that we had anticipated. Once finally getting on the mend from that and feeling like I could be the kind of mommy I had always dreamed of (being able to get around easier, bounce and sway him, play on the floor, etc.), Kidney stones decided to make their appearance once again. The first round of these happened when we were on our way back from Traverse City visiting some friends. We had to stop in GR because the pain was so bad I couldn't make it back to our house to go to the hospital. Also, the first time I had to leave Coleman for a long period of time happened this same day because we didn't want him in an ER being that young (around 6 weeks old). So my parents met us at the hospital and took him to their house while I was being treated. After a day I began to feel better...either I had passed the stone that was moving, or it stopped moving and the pain went away.
Then about 2 weeks ago, I began to have bad back pain again...I tried to work through it, but a fever came over me as well and the pain worsened. Back to the ER we go, get treated, and sent home again...and now I'm feeling great. Since this time, I've done some more research on kidney stones and have been working to change some things in my diet in the hopes of being able to prevent more from forming. The thing with kidney stones is you never know when they are going to decide to start moving again and there really isn't much you can do to "prevent" them from happening. They are also a genetic thing, and since my dad and brother have had them, and it's not my first time with them - they are likely to come back at some point. So diet and exercise is my new goal now in hopes that it may help some.
Last week I also ended up in the ER with what I believe was a very bad case of food poisoning. I mean seriously!! Can I please have a break from being sick so I can enjoy being a stay at home mom and take care of my precious little boy? We have been so blessed to have such great family members and friends who have dropped their busy schedules to come and help us out as I have been recovering. I have felt very bad about all the issues I have had because it takes my husband away from his work at the most busy time of the year for us (feeling very guilty about this). He reminds me that there is nothing I can do about it and we will get through it. That we will, but I still feel bad.
Then my husband came home sick from work on Monday and I had to take care of him in the afternoon - while trying to keep Coleman and myself away enough so that we didn't get sick. So Coleman and I slept in a different room of the house that night so Justin could get some good rest. Good rest for the hubby and Coleman, not good rest for me since I slept on the floor of Colemans room.
And yesterday, Coleman and I got back from my moms group at church only to find that Harley had gotten sick all over the living room carpet. I'm so glad that I remembered to shut all the doors to the other bedrooms and bathroom (we've been doing this since her last explosion when I was 7 months preggers). So I spent part of the afternoon cleaning up the explosive mess on the carpet. Thankfully, Justin's grandma was coming over to see Coleman so she could watch him while I cleaned. But before that happened, Coleman needed to eat so I had to sit there, feed him, and smell the awful stench and look at it while Harley is outside on the deck whining to come in. She really feels bad about what she did, and I know she couldn't help it (she obviously has some sort of bug)...keep reading...it gets better!
Last night, Harley woke us up by going to the door to be let out (around 1am). Clearly she is still not feeling well. Then around 3:30 I hear Justin say "oh no Harley"...he jumps out of bed and drags her to the door (later I found out he woke up because he "heard" what she was doing...gross!). I woke up and smelled that horrible smell again and sure enough she had another accident on our bedroom floor. She clearly couldn't get to the door fast enough, and I believe that is what she was trying to do. So it's now 3:30, my husband has left to go rent a steam cleaner and I am waiting for him to get home. Coleman is still sleeping at this point (the longest he has slept yet) so I transfer him over to his crib because I know we have some cleaning to do. Come to find out that the steam cleaners aren't available until 7am so on our hands and knees at 3:30 in the morning we are scrubbing away at our bedroom carpet. By 4:30 we were back in bed and Harley was put in the laundry room for the rest of the night.
Coleman woke up at 5:30 this morning!! He went 8 1/2 hours from his night feeding which is just awesome! I was hoping that I could have slept that long too, but I'll stay hopeful for tonight =)
So now I feel like I am on the mend and things are beginning to feel 'normal' again. I think any sort of sickness has passed through this house between myself, Justin, and Harley....so we are ready for a break!!
For starters, Coleman's labor did require a little longer of a healing process that we had anticipated. Once finally getting on the mend from that and feeling like I could be the kind of mommy I had always dreamed of (being able to get around easier, bounce and sway him, play on the floor, etc.), Kidney stones decided to make their appearance once again. The first round of these happened when we were on our way back from Traverse City visiting some friends. We had to stop in GR because the pain was so bad I couldn't make it back to our house to go to the hospital. Also, the first time I had to leave Coleman for a long period of time happened this same day because we didn't want him in an ER being that young (around 6 weeks old). So my parents met us at the hospital and took him to their house while I was being treated. After a day I began to feel better...either I had passed the stone that was moving, or it stopped moving and the pain went away.
Then about 2 weeks ago, I began to have bad back pain again...I tried to work through it, but a fever came over me as well and the pain worsened. Back to the ER we go, get treated, and sent home again...and now I'm feeling great. Since this time, I've done some more research on kidney stones and have been working to change some things in my diet in the hopes of being able to prevent more from forming. The thing with kidney stones is you never know when they are going to decide to start moving again and there really isn't much you can do to "prevent" them from happening. They are also a genetic thing, and since my dad and brother have had them, and it's not my first time with them - they are likely to come back at some point. So diet and exercise is my new goal now in hopes that it may help some.
Last week I also ended up in the ER with what I believe was a very bad case of food poisoning. I mean seriously!! Can I please have a break from being sick so I can enjoy being a stay at home mom and take care of my precious little boy? We have been so blessed to have such great family members and friends who have dropped their busy schedules to come and help us out as I have been recovering. I have felt very bad about all the issues I have had because it takes my husband away from his work at the most busy time of the year for us (feeling very guilty about this). He reminds me that there is nothing I can do about it and we will get through it. That we will, but I still feel bad.
Then my husband came home sick from work on Monday and I had to take care of him in the afternoon - while trying to keep Coleman and myself away enough so that we didn't get sick. So Coleman and I slept in a different room of the house that night so Justin could get some good rest. Good rest for the hubby and Coleman, not good rest for me since I slept on the floor of Colemans room.
And yesterday, Coleman and I got back from my moms group at church only to find that Harley had gotten sick all over the living room carpet. I'm so glad that I remembered to shut all the doors to the other bedrooms and bathroom (we've been doing this since her last explosion when I was 7 months preggers). So I spent part of the afternoon cleaning up the explosive mess on the carpet. Thankfully, Justin's grandma was coming over to see Coleman so she could watch him while I cleaned. But before that happened, Coleman needed to eat so I had to sit there, feed him, and smell the awful stench and look at it while Harley is outside on the deck whining to come in. She really feels bad about what she did, and I know she couldn't help it (she obviously has some sort of bug)...keep reading...it gets better!
Last night, Harley woke us up by going to the door to be let out (around 1am). Clearly she is still not feeling well. Then around 3:30 I hear Justin say "oh no Harley"...he jumps out of bed and drags her to the door (later I found out he woke up because he "heard" what she was doing...gross!). I woke up and smelled that horrible smell again and sure enough she had another accident on our bedroom floor. She clearly couldn't get to the door fast enough, and I believe that is what she was trying to do. So it's now 3:30, my husband has left to go rent a steam cleaner and I am waiting for him to get home. Coleman is still sleeping at this point (the longest he has slept yet) so I transfer him over to his crib because I know we have some cleaning to do. Come to find out that the steam cleaners aren't available until 7am so on our hands and knees at 3:30 in the morning we are scrubbing away at our bedroom carpet. By 4:30 we were back in bed and Harley was put in the laundry room for the rest of the night.
Coleman woke up at 5:30 this morning!! He went 8 1/2 hours from his night feeding which is just awesome! I was hoping that I could have slept that long too, but I'll stay hopeful for tonight =)
So now I feel like I am on the mend and things are beginning to feel 'normal' again. I think any sort of sickness has passed through this house between myself, Justin, and Harley....so we are ready for a break!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Life around here...
I was checking my wonderful sister-in-laws blog today (since it's one of the reason I decided to start blogging) and decided to "borrow" this cool little snapshot of what is going on and modify it for my life right now =)I was having a hard time figuring out what to write because there are so many things I want to share - this helped sum up all of the little things I wanted to write down.
Outside my window: Sunshine and a lovely breeze. The weather has been beautiful around here, which has allowed Coleman and I to go for many walks together with Harley either around the block or at the farm!
I am listening to: The birds and crickets outside and the sleep sheep in Colemans room that is making wave crashing sounds as he sleeps
I am thinking: Of all the things I would like to get done and not having the time to get them done because of this cute little guy named Coleman. Someday I think I'll figure this whole taking care of the house and baby thing...but it's definately not today
I am thankful: that I get to stay at home with my baby and that my husband works really hard so I can do so!
From the kitchen: Not much - the fridge is full and the freezer needs to be organized. Haven't decided what to do for dinner yet...maybe I should be working on that instead of blogging...
I am wearing: jeans and a grey t-shirt and grey socks. I am hoping: To find time to get some cleaning done in the next few days.
I am creating: a newsletter for the farm for our new e-newsletter
I am praying: that this fall season goes well for the farm, that we are able to still find family time despite Justin's long hours, that Coleman's stuffy nose and cough will go away soon, and that I will figure out how to multi-task better =)
Around the house: BABY stuff everywhere! Still trying to find a home for it all...makes me think we need a bigger house.
I am reading: I should say, GOING TO START reading Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkston for my moms group at church which started this week - I'm so excited about it!
I am watching: TV...what is that? I'm watching DVRed shows when I feed Coleman if I have time. We've had a netflix video sitting on the tv shelf for over 2 weeks now...thats how much tv/video watching we've been doing around here, which is very unlike us!
One of my favorite things: Seeing Coleman smile each morning when I sing him the "good morning" song
A few plans for the rest of the week: Colemans 2 month Dr. appointment tomorrow, church on Sunday, visit Justin at the farm during opening weekend!
A picture that I am sharing: My sleeping Coleman. We went to some friends house on the lake a few weeks ago. Coleman fell asleep outside because he was nice and warm. Too funny!
Outside my window: Sunshine and a lovely breeze. The weather has been beautiful around here, which has allowed Coleman and I to go for many walks together with Harley either around the block or at the farm!
I am listening to: The birds and crickets outside and the sleep sheep in Colemans room that is making wave crashing sounds as he sleeps
I am thinking: Of all the things I would like to get done and not having the time to get them done because of this cute little guy named Coleman. Someday I think I'll figure this whole taking care of the house and baby thing...but it's definately not today
I am thankful: that I get to stay at home with my baby and that my husband works really hard so I can do so!
From the kitchen: Not much - the fridge is full and the freezer needs to be organized. Haven't decided what to do for dinner yet...maybe I should be working on that instead of blogging...
I am wearing: jeans and a grey t-shirt and grey socks. I am hoping: To find time to get some cleaning done in the next few days.
I am creating: a newsletter for the farm for our new e-newsletter
I am praying: that this fall season goes well for the farm, that we are able to still find family time despite Justin's long hours, that Coleman's stuffy nose and cough will go away soon, and that I will figure out how to multi-task better =)
Around the house: BABY stuff everywhere! Still trying to find a home for it all...makes me think we need a bigger house.
I am reading: I should say, GOING TO START reading Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkston for my moms group at church which started this week - I'm so excited about it!
I am watching: TV...what is that? I'm watching DVRed shows when I feed Coleman if I have time. We've had a netflix video sitting on the tv shelf for over 2 weeks now...thats how much tv/video watching we've been doing around here, which is very unlike us!
One of my favorite things: Seeing Coleman smile each morning when I sing him the "good morning" song
A few plans for the rest of the week: Colemans 2 month Dr. appointment tomorrow, church on Sunday, visit Justin at the farm during opening weekend!
A picture that I am sharing: My sleeping Coleman. We went to some friends house on the lake a few weeks ago. Coleman fell asleep outside because he was nice and warm. Too funny!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
2 Months Old
I have officially gotten a "mommy" haircut. I LOVED my long hair, and worked very hard and growing it out...but I just couldn't stand that all I was doing everyday was a ponytail because it was the easiest thing to do. So I gave in and chopped off 5 inches to allow myself some room to at least appear like I have done something with my hair each day. I'm also happy to annouce (because I can) that I fit into some pre-pregger jeans and shorts! Woo-hoo...it happened this past Sunday and how fitting that in church we sang "Happy Day". =) It was a happy day indeed!
I can't believe our little Coleman is already 2 months old! The time went so fast. We have enjoyed adjusting to life with Coleman and are still working on getting into a routine during the day and at night, but each day seems to get a little better. Here are just a few things that we are learning about Coleman.
Coleman LOVES his mornings. After he has his morning feeding, we get to play a LOT together. It's so much fun. There's something about him in the mornings that is just a little different - I notice that he is more alert and is very interactive with me. I love getting his smiles when I talk to him. We sing a "Good Morning" song while we are getting dressed for the day, look around his room and talk about all the things we see, then we do some playing on his tummy time mat. Soon, I hope to incoorperate a walk/run with Harley - but we aren't quite there yet.
Coleman LOVES his baths. He can be screaming at the top of his lungs and once he hits that warm water, it stops. He loves the water being poured over his chest and tummy. He likes to stick his tounge out to try and lick up the water. Luckily, we have only had one 'wet' accident in the bathtub and the other day, some toots (which was quite funny as Justin and I were scrambling to finish bathing him to get him out before something else happened). We are working on teaching him how to "splash" by moving his legs and arms. Another fun part of bathtime is that Harley likes to be involved too! As soon as she hears the tub turn on she is in the bathroom, head leaning over the tub, and ready to get in. She will lay in the bathroom with Justin and I as we bathe Coleman. I think if she was allowed, she would be in that bathtub with him.
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Coleman LOVES the car. He is very good about having his straps put on in the carseat and once the car starts moving - he is calm and usually falls asleep. I'm excited to see what happens when he is awake more often - I look forward to singing and talking with him on our little car trips here and there. He also loves the stroller, I think any sort of motion with the carseat he adores. If he's crying in the carseat before we are out the door, all we have to do is pick it up and walk around and he stops.
We are so blessed to have this beautiful little boy as a part of our family. We love his smiles, his giggles, his "talking", and enjoy learning something new about him each day! Our lives are forever changed and it's definately been an adjustment, but I just can't imagine our lives without our little man.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Buttons
I'm excited to announce that I fit into some pre-pregger pants! Horray! While I was wearing some of these pants/capris the other day I realized when I went to use the bathroom that I had to unbutton them to go! I had totally forgotten what it was like to use buttons! The past 8 months I have enjoyed wearing things with big bands around the belly, or lots of elastic waists, gauchos, yoga pants, etc. It was great to have one less thing to think about when using the bathroom. The buttons on all my maternity pants were there simply for looks. I'm excited about fitting back into my pre-pregger clothes, but I think I will miss not having to unbutton and unzip my pants, life was much easier when I didn't have to do this.
Now if only I can get rid of this flabbiness around my stomach so my cute shirts will fit nicely once again...
Now if only I can get rid of this flabbiness around my stomach so my cute shirts will fit nicely once again...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Mommy Life
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I LOVE being a mom. Seriously, I think it is the greatest job ever! I am feeling really blessed to be able to stay at home. As challenging as it is sometimes, it is totally worth it and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Haven't had a lot of time to post lately...probably because I have an almost 4 week old with me all the time! Things have been going fairly well around here. I am able to move around MUCH better than I was right after Coleman was born. We are getting to know each other more and more each day. I am learning what his cries mean. My favorite one is when the bottom lip pushes out and he does an "oh so sad" sob which just means "I'm tired mom, I want to sleep". I think it is the cutest cry ever! The ones I'm not such a fan of are the screams that I can't do anything about because I've already fed, changed, and burped, and nothing I do seems to work. I then need to remind myself of my wonderful moms advice that "sometimes babies just want to be fussy".
Harley is adjusting well and has taken a HUGE liking to Justin. Not that she didn't like him before, but I think he is now her favorite person in the world, which makes me a little sad. I think because my attention is shifted on Coleman more than her now is making her sad. She has become very whiny and striving for attention. She likes to bring her toy to whoever has the baby and whines to go outside every 10 minutes, eventhough all she wants is a treat. Now that I am able to get around better, we can start going for more walks and then maybe I'll become a bigger fan of hers. She does love the little guy though....here she is taking a nap with him on our way home from Holland.
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Life will never be the same again now that Mr. Coleman is here, and I am totally fine with that. We took our first family outing to Take of Kalamazoo last weekend and it went really well. It's funny how much "stuff" we have to make sure we bring with us (diaper bag, carseat, baby, stroller, etc.) We also took Harley to a lake so she could swim, which gave me an opportunity to dress Coleman in a cute hat and his sunglasses (still too big, but I couldn't help myself)
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Isn't he just adorable!? Justin and I also went on our first date since Coleman's arrival. We had talked before he arrived about making sure we took time for ourselves and how shortly after he was born we wanted to make sure we went on a date for some "us" time. Well, at 3 and a half weeks, Justins mom came and watched Coleman for an hour and a half while we went to Applebees for dinner and Walmart for an errand (so romantic I know). It was nice to get away for just a short time and talk. It was also great to be able to finish a meal in less than 5 mintues! We are excited to take more "date nights" when Coleman is able to take a bottle and we can be gone for a longer ammount of time. Not that we want to be away from our precious son all the time, but we know that time together is super important for us to stay connected so that we can be better parents to Coleman.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Our Birth Story
Instead of re-writing our birth story, I'm just going to post the same one that I sent to our Birthing Class group. #1, it will take too long to re-write and #2, I don't have all the time in the world now (the little one is sleeping and I actually have a few mintutes to myself)
So here it is... Our Birth Story:
As most of you know, we went the full 42 weeks...that's right, 2 weeks past my due date. And I know my due date was right on too. It was probably the longest 2 weeks of my life. I tried to stay busy cleaning, walking, doing all the things suggested to get labor started and NONE of them worked! The baby's head was positioned very low at about 36 weeks - so I was just waiting to have my body decide to go into labor. I was being monitored every 3-4 days past our due date to make sure the baby was healthy. He had a great heartbeat and was moving around TONS so there was no need to worry. Justin and I were prepared to go 42 weeks, but not beyond that - and our midwives agreed. So we were scheduled for an induction on Friday July 2.
When we arrived at the hospital I was totally thinned out, not dialated, and the babies head was between a +1 and +2 station (again, his head was VERY low which is probably why I had such a great waddle) We began the induction by trying Cytotec. Less invasive, no needles, etc. This was inserted and was supposed to help soften and thin out the cervix to help get contractions started. Unfortunately we had to be monitored the whole time which was rather uncomfortable. Luckily, there were no chords attached to anything so we were able to walk around. The labor/delivery floor was in a "C" shape, so we couldn't do laps which was frustrating and had to keep turning around to do the "loop". My contractions started, but were not strong enough to really be doing anything. Around noon we decided to try pitocin. This helped my contractions to get stronger, but I wasn't making a ton of progress. At 5:30pm I was dialated to where the nurse could get maybe the tip of her finger into the cervix (BUMMER! all that work and no progres). Our midwife suggested that we take the evening, go off the pitocin, sleep and get some rest so we could have this baby the next day. We agreed that this was a good decision. We were able to cap off the IV and get off the labor/delivery floor, had some Subway with my mother in law, and just waited to see if my body would start up things on its own. During dinner my contractions were still coming every 4-5 min. We walked around the hospital, but the pain wasn't intense enough for me to have to stop and work through them. Around midnight, we headed to bed in the "comfortable" hospital bed on the labor and delivery floor along with that lovely couch that wasn't made for tall men (Justin's feet hung well off the end of it). At this point I was very discouraged and VERY tired, but Justin reassured me that soon we would be able to meet our baby boy.
Our "good nights sleep" didn't turn out like we had hoped. At 4:30am I was awakened by contractions! YAY - except I was SO tired. I tried to sleep in between contractions but they were getting stronger and I really had to work at them. Around 7am things were starting to get really tough. We were walking, side-lying, using the birth ball, and using the tub in the room. I began to have doubts about being able to do this on my own, but then there was my wonderful husband encouraging me to keep going and reminding me why we chose to go this rout (natural) and how happy we were that my body was doing this on it's own instead of being hooked up to and IV. (way to go Justin - although he later told me that he was wavering and wanting to help with my pain). Our midwife came in around 8:00 when things were really starting to get intense. I was having very bad back labor (as well as in the front) and it took everything in me to get through each contraction. The one thing that really helped was using those low birth noises and Justin rubbing my hand like we had learned in our birth class. Justin and our midwife made such a great team at this point because she knew just where to rub me on my back and help me through each contraction while Justin was rubbing my hand and encouraging me. At 8:30 I was dialated to a 3, maybe 4. At this point my back labor was so intense that we decided to try having sterilized water balls that get injected into the back. A more natural approach to pain relief than getting drugs. This was probably the worst pain I have ever felt, but it was only temporary. I can remember shouting "Stop please Stop, ouch ouch ouch". This was only temporary but it totally relieved the pain in my back for a little while which allowed me to sleep in between contractions. At 10:30 we had another decision to make since my body was not progressing like we were hoping. We could break the water and continue to go naturally hoping we wouldnt have to do any sort of intervention (pitocin) or we could do the epidural and break the water and see what happens. The epidural was never suggested to us by any of the nurses or our midwife, this was something we had to decide.
Since my pain was so bad and we had hardly gotten any sleep and had been "laboring" since the day before, we decided to go with the epidural. I don't regret the decision, it was the right one for us at that point. I firmly believe that because of the babys head position, my body just wouldn't progress how it was supposed to.
So, around 11:30, epidural was in, I also had to have a catheter put in because the baby was compressing on my bladder that I couldn't go to the bathroom (which was bad because we were staying hydrated and eating during the labor!!). I had to be monitored again from this point on. Our midwife broke my water as well. At 2:00 pm. I was dialated to a 5. 2:30pm we decided to start pitocin since my body wasn't making a ton of progress. The epidural helped with the back and front labor, but it didn't take the pressure so I still had to work through each contraction. Low labor noises and Justin rubbing my hand continued to be my "thing" during contractions.
By 6:00pm I was finally a 10! YAY! I pushed for an hour before they decided to turn off the epidural so that I could really feel where I needed to push. Another hour and a half later at 8:40 Coleman Douglas Wendzel was here and placed right on my chest as he cried and cried. It was the most beautiful experience ever!
We're not done yet! My placenta had a hard time detaching itself as well. I was given cytotec right after he was born to help with the placenta and only 1/2 of it detached. So while I'm having skin to skin time with the baby our midwife was trying to get the rest of the placenta to detach as well. 40 min. later it was delivered and we got to look at it. She said that you could tell the baby was overdue by looking at the placenta but it was still neat to see. I had lost quite a bit of blood at this point and was getting light headed and nauseous. Again, my husband to the rescue as he took off his shirt, took Coleman and did skin to skin with him. Coleman knew his daddy from the very first moment, Justin talked to him and sang to him and he looked wide eyed at his daddy (probably another one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life). At 10:30 we decided to have Coleman weighed and measured. 8 pounds 7 oz 22 inches long and a 14 1/2 inch head! =)
Although our labor didn't go according to OUR plan we were very happy with how it all turned out. God had a different plan for Coleman's birth and we did get our #1 goal of a healthy mom and a healthy baby. Our birth plan was followed just as we asked by the staff at Bronson. I was never asked to rate my pain, I got to wear my own clothes, they never suggested drugs or an epidural. We made all the decisions on our own with input from our midwife, which we asked for.
I am thankful that breastfeeding is going so well (I kinda think I deserve it after what I had to go through)
Here's another picture of my little peanut...I just can't get enough of him!
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So here it is... Our Birth Story:
As most of you know, we went the full 42 weeks...that's right, 2 weeks past my due date. And I know my due date was right on too. It was probably the longest 2 weeks of my life. I tried to stay busy cleaning, walking, doing all the things suggested to get labor started and NONE of them worked! The baby's head was positioned very low at about 36 weeks - so I was just waiting to have my body decide to go into labor. I was being monitored every 3-4 days past our due date to make sure the baby was healthy. He had a great heartbeat and was moving around TONS so there was no need to worry. Justin and I were prepared to go 42 weeks, but not beyond that - and our midwives agreed. So we were scheduled for an induction on Friday July 2.
When we arrived at the hospital I was totally thinned out, not dialated, and the babies head was between a +1 and +2 station (again, his head was VERY low which is probably why I had such a great waddle) We began the induction by trying Cytotec. Less invasive, no needles, etc. This was inserted and was supposed to help soften and thin out the cervix to help get contractions started. Unfortunately we had to be monitored the whole time which was rather uncomfortable. Luckily, there were no chords attached to anything so we were able to walk around. The labor/delivery floor was in a "C" shape, so we couldn't do laps which was frustrating and had to keep turning around to do the "loop". My contractions started, but were not strong enough to really be doing anything. Around noon we decided to try pitocin. This helped my contractions to get stronger, but I wasn't making a ton of progress. At 5:30pm I was dialated to where the nurse could get maybe the tip of her finger into the cervix (BUMMER! all that work and no progres). Our midwife suggested that we take the evening, go off the pitocin, sleep and get some rest so we could have this baby the next day. We agreed that this was a good decision. We were able to cap off the IV and get off the labor/delivery floor, had some Subway with my mother in law, and just waited to see if my body would start up things on its own. During dinner my contractions were still coming every 4-5 min. We walked around the hospital, but the pain wasn't intense enough for me to have to stop and work through them. Around midnight, we headed to bed in the "comfortable" hospital bed on the labor and delivery floor along with that lovely couch that wasn't made for tall men (Justin's feet hung well off the end of it). At this point I was very discouraged and VERY tired, but Justin reassured me that soon we would be able to meet our baby boy.
Our "good nights sleep" didn't turn out like we had hoped. At 4:30am I was awakened by contractions! YAY - except I was SO tired. I tried to sleep in between contractions but they were getting stronger and I really had to work at them. Around 7am things were starting to get really tough. We were walking, side-lying, using the birth ball, and using the tub in the room. I began to have doubts about being able to do this on my own, but then there was my wonderful husband encouraging me to keep going and reminding me why we chose to go this rout (natural) and how happy we were that my body was doing this on it's own instead of being hooked up to and IV. (way to go Justin - although he later told me that he was wavering and wanting to help with my pain). Our midwife came in around 8:00 when things were really starting to get intense. I was having very bad back labor (as well as in the front) and it took everything in me to get through each contraction. The one thing that really helped was using those low birth noises and Justin rubbing my hand like we had learned in our birth class. Justin and our midwife made such a great team at this point because she knew just where to rub me on my back and help me through each contraction while Justin was rubbing my hand and encouraging me. At 8:30 I was dialated to a 3, maybe 4. At this point my back labor was so intense that we decided to try having sterilized water balls that get injected into the back. A more natural approach to pain relief than getting drugs. This was probably the worst pain I have ever felt, but it was only temporary. I can remember shouting "Stop please Stop, ouch ouch ouch". This was only temporary but it totally relieved the pain in my back for a little while which allowed me to sleep in between contractions. At 10:30 we had another decision to make since my body was not progressing like we were hoping. We could break the water and continue to go naturally hoping we wouldnt have to do any sort of intervention (pitocin) or we could do the epidural and break the water and see what happens. The epidural was never suggested to us by any of the nurses or our midwife, this was something we had to decide.
Since my pain was so bad and we had hardly gotten any sleep and had been "laboring" since the day before, we decided to go with the epidural. I don't regret the decision, it was the right one for us at that point. I firmly believe that because of the babys head position, my body just wouldn't progress how it was supposed to.
So, around 11:30, epidural was in, I also had to have a catheter put in because the baby was compressing on my bladder that I couldn't go to the bathroom (which was bad because we were staying hydrated and eating during the labor!!). I had to be monitored again from this point on. Our midwife broke my water as well. At 2:00 pm. I was dialated to a 5. 2:30pm we decided to start pitocin since my body wasn't making a ton of progress. The epidural helped with the back and front labor, but it didn't take the pressure so I still had to work through each contraction. Low labor noises and Justin rubbing my hand continued to be my "thing" during contractions.
By 6:00pm I was finally a 10! YAY! I pushed for an hour before they decided to turn off the epidural so that I could really feel where I needed to push. Another hour and a half later at 8:40 Coleman Douglas Wendzel was here and placed right on my chest as he cried and cried. It was the most beautiful experience ever!
We're not done yet! My placenta had a hard time detaching itself as well. I was given cytotec right after he was born to help with the placenta and only 1/2 of it detached. So while I'm having skin to skin time with the baby our midwife was trying to get the rest of the placenta to detach as well. 40 min. later it was delivered and we got to look at it. She said that you could tell the baby was overdue by looking at the placenta but it was still neat to see. I had lost quite a bit of blood at this point and was getting light headed and nauseous. Again, my husband to the rescue as he took off his shirt, took Coleman and did skin to skin with him. Coleman knew his daddy from the very first moment, Justin talked to him and sang to him and he looked wide eyed at his daddy (probably another one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life). At 10:30 we decided to have Coleman weighed and measured. 8 pounds 7 oz 22 inches long and a 14 1/2 inch head! =)
Although our labor didn't go according to OUR plan we were very happy with how it all turned out. God had a different plan for Coleman's birth and we did get our #1 goal of a healthy mom and a healthy baby. Our birth plan was followed just as we asked by the staff at Bronson. I was never asked to rate my pain, I got to wear my own clothes, they never suggested drugs or an epidural. We made all the decisions on our own with input from our midwife, which we asked for.
I am thankful that breastfeeding is going so well (I kinda think I deserve it after what I had to go through)
Here's another picture of my little peanut...I just can't get enough of him!
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Coleman Douglas Wendzel
Baby Coleman is finally here! We waited a whole 42 weeks for him and he arrived at 8:40p.m. Saturday July 3, 2010. 8 pounds 7 ounces - 22 inches long
More to come later on our birth story...it's been busy around here!
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More to come later on our birth story...it's been busy around here!
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Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tomorrow I'll be a Mommy
Tomorrow I'll be a Mommy! WOW! It's a little weird to be writing this since I thought that I would be posting about my birth experience with photos and the introduction of the newest member of our family...but God had other plans for us. I'm sitting in my glider chair (anxious to be holding a baby in by the way), listening to the clock tick and the quietness of my home. Harley is sleeping on the cool linoleum floor since we just got back from a trip to the farm where we played with the 'chuck it' (a great toy for dogs!). I'm realizing that soon my house will be filled with noises from baby gadgets like the bouncy seat, swing, itunes playlists I have so meticulously created for my little one, along with baby cries and coos. I'm SO excited about that, but relishing in the silence right now as I know tomorrow will change our lives forever. It will no longer be a simple task to grab the car keys, Harley, and head off to the farm for a quick visit to see Justin and play ball. I'll now have to have the diaper bag and baby in tow, following his schedule. I was at the grocery store today getting some things for next week and realizing that it was probably one of the last "relaxing" grocery shopping experiences I will have for a while.
I'm so excited to be a Mommy. I have wanted to be a mom my whole life. Tomorrow is the day when we will get to meet our son (hopefully...unless we have a LONG labor and he waits 'til Saturday to grace us with his presence). We have waited so long for this baby plus an extra 13 days later than we thought we were going to have to wait. It was a little weird today packing up the last of the things we will need for the hospital tomorrow. I always envisioned us (Justin mainly) packing up the bags with the last minute items from the color coated notecards I made him so he didn't miss a thing while I was laboring at home. I envisioned us having the thrill of going into labor at home and getting through the contractions one by one and deciding together when the right time to go to the hospital would be. I thought about how we'd call our parents to let them know we were "on our way". I wont have these things with this baby, but I'm okay with that. I've been working through those emotions the last day or so since hearing that we will be induced tomorrow. And I'm okay with it...while it might not be the birth story we had planned, it is definitely the birth story that God had planned for us. We learned in our birthing class that you can have a plan all you want, but you have to know that it is a "flexible" plan and things may have to be tweaked here and there according to what's happening in that moment because you can't predict how it is all going to go. We are ready for what tomorrow has in store for us - we are excited, nervous, and ready to meet our little boy.
So here is my final "soon to be mommy" post. Next time, I will be a Mom and I'm sure the posts will get more interesting of things I have to share about! YAY!
*One of my friends posted a cute list of "Goodbyes" to things that she will and wont miss about being pregnant! Thought you'd enjoy a good laugh - the list of very accurate and the additions from other people are wonderful too! http://surprisinglysouthern.blogspot.com/2010/06/goodbye.html
I'm so excited to be a Mommy. I have wanted to be a mom my whole life. Tomorrow is the day when we will get to meet our son (hopefully...unless we have a LONG labor and he waits 'til Saturday to grace us with his presence). We have waited so long for this baby plus an extra 13 days later than we thought we were going to have to wait. It was a little weird today packing up the last of the things we will need for the hospital tomorrow. I always envisioned us (Justin mainly) packing up the bags with the last minute items from the color coated notecards I made him so he didn't miss a thing while I was laboring at home. I envisioned us having the thrill of going into labor at home and getting through the contractions one by one and deciding together when the right time to go to the hospital would be. I thought about how we'd call our parents to let them know we were "on our way". I wont have these things with this baby, but I'm okay with that. I've been working through those emotions the last day or so since hearing that we will be induced tomorrow. And I'm okay with it...while it might not be the birth story we had planned, it is definitely the birth story that God had planned for us. We learned in our birthing class that you can have a plan all you want, but you have to know that it is a "flexible" plan and things may have to be tweaked here and there according to what's happening in that moment because you can't predict how it is all going to go. We are ready for what tomorrow has in store for us - we are excited, nervous, and ready to meet our little boy.
So here is my final "soon to be mommy" post. Next time, I will be a Mom and I'm sure the posts will get more interesting of things I have to share about! YAY!
*One of my friends posted a cute list of "Goodbyes" to things that she will and wont miss about being pregnant! Thought you'd enjoy a good laugh - the list of very accurate and the additions from other people are wonderful too! http://surprisinglysouthern.blogspot.com/2010/06/goodbye.html
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Silly Puppy...
I love my Harley girl. She is just the most adorable dog ever and I am so lucky that we picked her out. Well, it was hard not to choose her since she was the last one left in her litter. I think we got the 'runt' too because she is fairly small for a lab (which is fine with us) and when we got her, she had a little growth on her head which may have detered some people from picking her. Not us! We happily said "we'll take her"! She has so many interesting little quirks too....to name a few:
*We think she has separation anxiety: she HAS to be by us at all times. If we are watching TV, she's laying at our feet. If you take a shower, she lays in between the two curtains just to make sure she's not missing anything. If we're driving in the car, she's got her head on the consol in between us. If we invite her on the bed, she's in between us.
*She likes to sleep on her back, totally open and exposed for the world to see and has no shame whatsoever
*She LOVES the water - a true lab. She loves the water so much that if you go to start the bathtub she rushes from wherever she is in the house and sits patiently waiting to go in. And if you take a bath, you better believe she's laying down right next to the tub in hopes that she might be invited in (don't think so!). She enjoys getting hosed down outside and having a bath. She loves mud puddles at the farm and will just lay down in a puddle of water whenever she can find it. She loves the creek at my parents house which runs through their backyard and can't be trusted alone outside without supervision or she will take off running up and down the creek only to finish off her run by laying down in it.
*She is very routined: Harley knows when it's time to eat. Apparently she thinks that 6am is a good time everyday! She wakes up, goes to Justin's side of the bed, puts her paws up on it, and whines. then one of us has to get up, let her out, feed her, and finally head back to bed. She will sleep until one of us gets up aftewards, but she MUST eat at 6 apparently. She also knows when it's time for dinner each night. Around 5:45/6:00 she's whiny and very clingy. Once she's fed, she's fine. Weirdo.
*Her newest quirk is that she is facinated with the hair dryer. She used to be afraid of it until one day when we gave her a bath and decided to let her "air dry" a little more in the house. I notice she was curled up in a little ball on her pillow shaking. Poor baby...I got out the blow drying and started drying her off. She rolled on her back and LOVED having her belly dried. Unfortuntately this started a new habbit of whenever she hears the hairdryer going she has to come into the bathroom, lay down, and wait for 'her turn'.
My dog is a little weirdo...but I wouldn't trade her for anything. Now if I can only figure out how to post pictures - this post could be a little more interesting.
*We think she has separation anxiety: she HAS to be by us at all times. If we are watching TV, she's laying at our feet. If you take a shower, she lays in between the two curtains just to make sure she's not missing anything. If we're driving in the car, she's got her head on the consol in between us. If we invite her on the bed, she's in between us.
*She likes to sleep on her back, totally open and exposed for the world to see and has no shame whatsoever
*She LOVES the water - a true lab. She loves the water so much that if you go to start the bathtub she rushes from wherever she is in the house and sits patiently waiting to go in. And if you take a bath, you better believe she's laying down right next to the tub in hopes that she might be invited in (don't think so!). She enjoys getting hosed down outside and having a bath. She loves mud puddles at the farm and will just lay down in a puddle of water whenever she can find it. She loves the creek at my parents house which runs through their backyard and can't be trusted alone outside without supervision or she will take off running up and down the creek only to finish off her run by laying down in it.
*She is very routined: Harley knows when it's time to eat. Apparently she thinks that 6am is a good time everyday! She wakes up, goes to Justin's side of the bed, puts her paws up on it, and whines. then one of us has to get up, let her out, feed her, and finally head back to bed. She will sleep until one of us gets up aftewards, but she MUST eat at 6 apparently. She also knows when it's time for dinner each night. Around 5:45/6:00 she's whiny and very clingy. Once she's fed, she's fine. Weirdo.
*Her newest quirk is that she is facinated with the hair dryer. She used to be afraid of it until one day when we gave her a bath and decided to let her "air dry" a little more in the house. I notice she was curled up in a little ball on her pillow shaking. Poor baby...I got out the blow drying and started drying her off. She rolled on her back and LOVED having her belly dried. Unfortuntately this started a new habbit of whenever she hears the hairdryer going she has to come into the bathroom, lay down, and wait for 'her turn'.
My dog is a little weirdo...but I wouldn't trade her for anything. Now if I can only figure out how to post pictures - this post could be a little more interesting.
Monday, June 28, 2010
And so it goes...
Well...it's Monday, June 28 and still no baby. I can't believe that he isn't here yet. Talk about a lesson in patience and trust. I hope he decides to show up before July. It's been sort of a sad day today. My wonderful Grandmom (who has been in town since June 10) is leaving tomorrow to go back home to Maryland. We were hoping that having her here for close to 3 weeks would allow her to spend some time with her first great grandson - looks like that isn't going to happen. We will go and visit her sometime this summer thought - so she will be able to see the baby when he is still so little. And again in September at my cousins wedding. Also, my wonderful sister-in-law had to head back home today to get back to her routine with our nieces and spend some time with her husband too. She was here for 2 weeks waiting with us on the arrival of our little one. Guess he had other plans. We were so looking forward to having her be a part of the birth, but I know that Justin will do a fine job on his own! So now we continue to wait. Another appointment on Tuesday to make sure baby is still doing fine and then we keep on waiting. Of course, I'll keep posting!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Timing...
No baby yet! Just got back from our appointment with our midwife and all is healthy with baby Wendzel and mama - YAY! So we're still going to wait. While this may seem crazy to a lot of people, we know our options, and research shows that most first time moms go 41-42 weeks with their first babies. We will have to do something to get him out at 42 weeks, but we think that he will decide to join us in the next 7 days so that we don't have to intervene to get him out. So right now, we are going to let this little guy decide when he wants to join the world. I believe strongly in God's perfect timing. Justin and I would not be where we are today without God using his perfect timing to bring us together when he did and I believe that He has picked this little one's arrival date way before we even knew we were expecting him. So we will be patient (and sometimes anxious) and wait. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep busy...but I'm to the point of making up projects for myself just to stay busy. Maybe if I stop and do nothing he will come...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Still waiting....
Well....no baby yet. It's okay, I'm learning how to practice patience because of it. LOTS of patience. I'm such a planner and organizer that I was hoping this little guy would decide to be very punctual and show up on his due date or on Father's Day. Not so much. I guess he's just made himself nice and comfy inside of me...however, it feels as though he is getting a little squished with all the big kicks I have been receiving lately. I know that is one thing that I will definitely miss when he does decide to join this world. Feeling this little guy move inside me is so amazing. A true miracle for sure. I'm also hoping he will show up so that he can meet his daddy, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and his mommy and daddy's friends who have been anxiously awaiting a phone call or text from us too. I am a people pleaser too, so the fact that he isn't here yet is hard for me to deal with too because I want everyone to meet him just as much as I do (okay, I probably want to meet him a little more than them). So I might as well blab on about a few random topics associated with this pregnancy...maybe a little highlight of all that has gone on the past 40 weeks and 2 days...
We found out we were pregnant at the beginning of October. Much to our surprise (because we didn't expect it to happen so soon), we get pregnant on our first month of trying. I remember taking the test early one morning before work...then telling Justin as I'm getting ready (he's sleeping) "Babe, I took a pregnancy test"....and he said "yeah?"...and I said "what do you think it said?"....he said "I don't think we're pregnant"...I said, "you're wrong"....he said "really?" at that point, I think he woke up a bit =). Just to be sure, I ended up taking 4 more tests because I myself couldn't believe it either and I was feeling totally fine so I just had to be sure.
We told our immediate families right before our first appointment at 6 weeks. They were all thrilled and excited. For Justin's family, it will be his parents first grandson, which is really neat. We already have two wonderful nieces from Justin's older brother and his wife. For my parents, it will be their first grandchild. Very Cool! Also, for my grandmom (moms mom) it will be her first great grandchild which is very exciting too. She has been here in Michigan since June 10 to be here for the arrival of this little one (so you can understand why I am so anxious for him to arrive) and is leaving on the 28th. Other friends and family found out we were expecting when we were 13/14 weeks pregnant. On January 28th, we found out we were having a boy! I didn't really have any sort of feeling what we would be having. I had dreams of both a girl and a boy so it was an exciting moment when the ultrasound tech said "there's his legs and here's something in the middle". She pointed to it and Justin and I looked at each other and smiled, then started giggling. We were excited to have a boy for our first child. Something about having a son to carry on the family name and to be the "big brother" is very exciting.
Throughout this pregnancy I have felt for the most part, great! I was VERY tired in the beginning and would go to be very early, but never got sick (just nauseous sometimes at night). I'm thankful for that as I know many other people get very sick and have a hard time functioning with daily tasks. I have only had one probably true craving the whole time and that was for fresh fruit. This was very hard in the winter because it just didn't taste as good as when it's actually in season.
The name we have chosen was thought of by me! Justin and I have and agreement that we both have unlimited Veto power (like in the Friends episode). So we could share a name with each other and then the other had the power of Veto. His name is uncommon, but not weird. We have decided to keep it a secret because we have already shared with everyone that we are having a boy, and want to have something exciting to share when he arrives. Also because there are so many opinions when it comes to names that we just wanted to keep it to ourselves because we love it so much.
Justin and I have also taken a birth class to prepare for the arrival of our little one. This class was a natural childbirth class to help us prepare ourselves to deliver this baby naturally. This means without any kind of medication. Why natural birth for us? Well, we think it is the best thing for both me and the baby. We talked about natural birth a little bit as well as having medication during the birth and then I found a natural childbirth class and we signed up for it. This class solidified for us that we wanted to try for an all natural labor. We are very excited about it as well and hope that all goes as we would like, but we know that it is possible for things to change and are prepared for that as well. We are also excited to have our sister-in-law, Corie, here to be a part of the labor and delivery process with us too! I am excited to have someone there who knows what I will be going through and to also have extra support for Justin. We couldn't be happier and appreciate that she has been away from her home for a week now so that she is closer to us when we go into labor (another reason I'm wanting this little guy to make his appearance).
So that is probably enough for now....hopefully next time I'll have our birth story of how everything went and the name of our son!
We found out we were pregnant at the beginning of October. Much to our surprise (because we didn't expect it to happen so soon), we get pregnant on our first month of trying. I remember taking the test early one morning before work...then telling Justin as I'm getting ready (he's sleeping) "Babe, I took a pregnancy test"....and he said "yeah?"...and I said "what do you think it said?"....he said "I don't think we're pregnant"...I said, "you're wrong"....he said "really?" at that point, I think he woke up a bit =). Just to be sure, I ended up taking 4 more tests because I myself couldn't believe it either and I was feeling totally fine so I just had to be sure.
We told our immediate families right before our first appointment at 6 weeks. They were all thrilled and excited. For Justin's family, it will be his parents first grandson, which is really neat. We already have two wonderful nieces from Justin's older brother and his wife. For my parents, it will be their first grandchild. Very Cool! Also, for my grandmom (moms mom) it will be her first great grandchild which is very exciting too. She has been here in Michigan since June 10 to be here for the arrival of this little one (so you can understand why I am so anxious for him to arrive) and is leaving on the 28th. Other friends and family found out we were expecting when we were 13/14 weeks pregnant. On January 28th, we found out we were having a boy! I didn't really have any sort of feeling what we would be having. I had dreams of both a girl and a boy so it was an exciting moment when the ultrasound tech said "there's his legs and here's something in the middle". She pointed to it and Justin and I looked at each other and smiled, then started giggling. We were excited to have a boy for our first child. Something about having a son to carry on the family name and to be the "big brother" is very exciting.
Throughout this pregnancy I have felt for the most part, great! I was VERY tired in the beginning and would go to be very early, but never got sick (just nauseous sometimes at night). I'm thankful for that as I know many other people get very sick and have a hard time functioning with daily tasks. I have only had one probably true craving the whole time and that was for fresh fruit. This was very hard in the winter because it just didn't taste as good as when it's actually in season.
The name we have chosen was thought of by me! Justin and I have and agreement that we both have unlimited Veto power (like in the Friends episode). So we could share a name with each other and then the other had the power of Veto. His name is uncommon, but not weird. We have decided to keep it a secret because we have already shared with everyone that we are having a boy, and want to have something exciting to share when he arrives. Also because there are so many opinions when it comes to names that we just wanted to keep it to ourselves because we love it so much.
Justin and I have also taken a birth class to prepare for the arrival of our little one. This class was a natural childbirth class to help us prepare ourselves to deliver this baby naturally. This means without any kind of medication. Why natural birth for us? Well, we think it is the best thing for both me and the baby. We talked about natural birth a little bit as well as having medication during the birth and then I found a natural childbirth class and we signed up for it. This class solidified for us that we wanted to try for an all natural labor. We are very excited about it as well and hope that all goes as we would like, but we know that it is possible for things to change and are prepared for that as well. We are also excited to have our sister-in-law, Corie, here to be a part of the labor and delivery process with us too! I am excited to have someone there who knows what I will be going through and to also have extra support for Justin. We couldn't be happier and appreciate that she has been away from her home for a week now so that she is closer to us when we go into labor (another reason I'm wanting this little guy to make his appearance).
So that is probably enough for now....hopefully next time I'll have our birth story of how everything went and the name of our son!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Anxiously Awaiting...
I can't believe that our due date is in 2 days. We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first son for almost 40 weeks (this Sunday). Since I finished work last week Friday, I have been trying to stay busy at home doing things around the house like cleaning windows, floor, bathrooms, organizing drawers and closets - you name it, I've cleaned it in hopes that it would encourage our little one to make his appearance into this world. No such luck yet. So now I'm waiting...waiting...waiting.
So I've decided to start a blog. One reason is that I'm getting a little tired of facebook, and the other is that I'd like to keep a record of the everyday things that are happening around our home as we begin our life as a family of 3 + a dog. Hopefully others will enjoy reading it and if not, at least I'll have a journal of our everyday activities and milestones that we create as a family to look back upon years from now and remember. I'm so very ready to meet my son. I know that he is going to come in his own time, but I am just so excited to hold him in my arms and touch his little nose, his feet, and snuggle with him. I am excited to see Justin with his son - he is going to be such a good dad and I know that he is eager to meet him as much as I am. Lately we have been laughing at how large my belly is. We think it is getting bigger by the day. Not sure if that is possible, but it sure feels like it.
So I'm hoping that after writing this post my little guy will decide to come and then I can post about the birth experience, post some photos, and we can finally share his name with everyone!
So I've decided to start a blog. One reason is that I'm getting a little tired of facebook, and the other is that I'd like to keep a record of the everyday things that are happening around our home as we begin our life as a family of 3 + a dog. Hopefully others will enjoy reading it and if not, at least I'll have a journal of our everyday activities and milestones that we create as a family to look back upon years from now and remember. I'm so very ready to meet my son. I know that he is going to come in his own time, but I am just so excited to hold him in my arms and touch his little nose, his feet, and snuggle with him. I am excited to see Justin with his son - he is going to be such a good dad and I know that he is eager to meet him as much as I am. Lately we have been laughing at how large my belly is. We think it is getting bigger by the day. Not sure if that is possible, but it sure feels like it.
So I'm hoping that after writing this post my little guy will decide to come and then I can post about the birth experience, post some photos, and we can finally share his name with everyone!
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