Downtime

Finally, a little downtime after the busy-ness of Christmas!  I hope everyone had a nice one--We did for sure, what with a Christmas baby coming and all...I must correct the spelling of my last post...Jill's little girl is Cali Cate (Cute!!) and they are doing well and home now.  Our Christmas celebrations began on Tuesday when Keller and I went up to Maribeth's (college roommate) and met up with Elise and Mary.  Trav was unable to make it (JuJitsu night) and I learned how hard it is to have a proper visit with friends in the evening (witching hours) with a boy who likes to eat a lot.  It was nice to see everyone nonetheless, but I felt a little like I was tending to a cranky baby most of the time.  On Wednesday I finished up some last minute Christmas shopping (it was hard getting out and about this year for some reason...) and then we went to Trav's parents' for the annual Christmas Eve gathering and did "Christmas" there after everyone left so that was Keller's latest night out yet...Christmas morning, Trav and I were busy finishing up wrapping and whatnot.  We didn't have time to even do our little Christmas here before heading out.  We stopped at my sister-in-law Shannon's to bring our gifts and then headed to my parents.  Upon arriving at my parents and saying my hellos, I realized that someone was missing and while I said hello to Lenny and Chase, I realized that my sister wasn't around.  That's when I was told she was upstairs...and soonafter I arrived, she and Len were off to the hospital to have their baby, three days ahead of the official "due date." 

Keller's New Radio Flyer From Grandma and Grandpa

It was an exciting Christmas for us all as we awaited the updates from the hospital.  I love the above picture because it was taken in the height of gift-opening---Everybody is busy "doing Christmas", even the dogs (hmmm, where's Bo???  up to trouble somewhere I'm sure)!  

Each day since Christmas we've had visitors here too, friends in from out of town and whatnot.  I think we're in the clear now and can resume our regular family life schedule for a few days until New Years...

As for Keller updates, he is at the moment asleep in his crib for a nap...which he never does.  He has been particularly anti-nap lately unless he is being held.  When he does nap it tends to be in the 30-45 minute range, BUT while that it less convenient for us as far as accomplishing anything during the nap, we really can't complain because he's such a great nighttime sleeper with consistent 9-11 hour nights.  I'll do without the naps so long as I get my nighttime sleeps!!  He also giggled for the first time last night...heartmelting!  He's been smiling much more and Trav and I both have our little smiling games with him.  But to hear that little giggle along with the smile was absolutely adorable!  He loves his playmat and hits, grabs, and holds the dangling toys now.  His favorites are Redbird and Mr. Sun.  And he's really into checking things out in mirrors.  He also has been falling asleep with a healthy grasp on my necklace or my hair.  And he's accidentally rolled onto his back a few times during tummy time...I guess that's how rolling starts, right...(that darn heavy head!!)

I am now looking forward to the holidays coming to an end and to getting into our own everyday groove without feeling like I need to do Christmas shopping and whatnot.  I also want to start going to the gym on a regular basis, but I'm so skeptical about leaving Keller in that little daycare room there...but I know I'll feel so much better if I'm exercising.  I know I can go when Trav is home but I like to be home when he's home (mostly;) and I want to have a sense of being able to decide when I feel like exercising rather than being dependent upon Trav's schedule.  We'll work it out...for now I guess I haven't minded the excuses for not being able to go to the gym... Sounds like Trav is done giving BoBo a bath...must go support the wet doggy...oops, too late, oh well, signing off anyhow!

 

A Christmas Baby!!

Yay!  My sister had her baby yesterday!  A little girl named Callie (not sure if I spelled it correctly)...middle name to be determined!  I'm going to visit today...a whirlwind of a Christmas Day for her and Lenny for sure! 

The Christmas Photo

I think I should have held off on sending the Christmas cards until this image was captured.  Poor Keller having to live with a crazy daddy...The faux mustache came in a package of mustaches that my dear husband gave me a few years back for Christmas...such a thoughtful gift that was!  Actually, I think Keller does a good job pulling off the good ol' boy look, or the barber look--

The picture below is the one on the Christmas card that I should have done in color...I'll tell you, that whole Christmas card process was tedious and now I'm not even happy with the product...The plan was to have a Christmas card that could pass as a birth announcement, too...and I wanted it to have a "neutral" look so I could put it into a shadowbox frame with other Keller items.  As it turns out, the card colors are not what I expected and the other Keller-items don't "coordinate" as much as I'd like for them to be suitable for hanging on the wall.  Now I'll have to follow through and use the frame for its original purpose and put our wedding stuff in it...Next year, a one picture card...in color.  Someone remind me!!

And on the Christmas card topic, Keller LOVES looking at all of the colorful babies and kids on the fridge.  He stares and stares so we've been telling him all of his friends and cousins names and whatnot.  Very cute:)  

We finally got a video camera, too.  We had one delivered the day before I went into labor and used it for the hospital, but returned it because when it was delivered, none of the "extras" that were supposed to come with it came...screwy business practices.  Luckily Trav was able to return it for a full refund after extremely poor customer service (very very rarely have I ever seen Travis get his feathers ruffled...)

So the new camera comes with a story, too:)  I am somewhat of a giftcard hoarder...I've been saving them up in anticipation of my year off of school (no more paychecks for me this year:(  Last Christmas, my class had given me $150 in gift cards for Stop and Shop.  When I opened it I was thinking, great...groceries...thanks...but then when in Stop and Shop, I walked past the gift card display and thought that these room parents must have wanted me to be able to pick out my own gift cards, right?!!!  So I saved them.  AND also last Christmas, we received more Stop and Shop cards from Trav's aunt and from my mom (who labels the envelope she puts them in every Christmas, "food stamps")...So the other day, I went into Stop and Shop armed with $250 of giftcards and bought Best Buy giftcards.  On top of that, we had an American Express gift check (a wedding gift, conveniently hoarded for such a purpose!) AND we received a Christmas card with a $50 bill in it from Trav's aunt...I think Travis said that when he bought the camera with all of these gift cards and such, he ended up taking home 13 cents or something...(to be hoarded for our next big purchase, of course)!!  Merry Christmas to us!  Sometimes I have good ideas!!

Christmas with a Dog and Child

So things are definitely a bit different this year as we get ready for Christmas.  I always loved getting all sprawled out on the floor ready to wrap gifts, losing the scissors or the tape at least 10 times during the process.  So what's different?  Well let's see, every time I've planned to start the wrapping, child wakes up, or cranks, or I'm just too tired and go to bed instead.  Well now it being an official "snow day" and all, I take out the wrapping paper (hmmm...I thought I had more festive wrapping paper than that?...I guess my mom never got around to buying us all clearance wrapping paper last year...funny the things you count on that you don't even realize you count on).  That's okay about the wrapping paper, I guess I'm only wrapping the "kid gifts" and really, what do they care what the wrapping paper looks like...The fun part is ripping it off and seeing what's inside, right?  So snow day today, Trav's home early, clearly a great day to do the gift-wrapping.  But where??  This is where the dog comes into play, yes, dog or rather dog-hair, everywhere that I don't want to sit in nor do I want it all over my gifts.  Since when is a broom involved in wrapping presents?  That's new this year.  As is the constantly crying baby today....shhhhh...right now he's asleep in his swing.  I think maybe he's not feeling so well.  He's having a little issue with his "special purpose" today; the doc says to just keep an eye on it...He's been sooooo tired and just not letting himself go to sleep for more than a half an hour or so.  I think now he's down for the count...another good hour would be ideal.  So now I'm supposed to be wrapping those gifts I was talking about...Trav is outside shovelling with the dog, baby is asleep, dog hair is swept, and I've got gifts to wrap in the quiet house by the light of the still crooked and still undecorated Christmas tree.  Yup, things are definitely different this year!

Smiles and Such

Peek-a-Boo!!  Keller has been actually using his hands to grasp things...He officially must be supervised more closely when covered in a blanket.  Luckily we still swaddle him in the kiddopotomus bags at night so he has no access to his hands...I wonder how long he'll be swaddled for.  We have those regular blanket bags too that his arms stick out of, but we're afraid of loosing some of our precious sleep time if his arms are out and he startles himself awake.  When does that startle thing stop??  I have to buy the bigger size swaddle bag next time I'm at BRU.

This is Keller trying to get milk out of his teddy bear's nose.  He was unsuccessful.  Look at those delicious chunky thighs!!  Oh, fat!!!!  (there's the mysterious blue-underlining again...)

This is Keller's 2 month shot with his bear buddies.  There's a little smile for you!  What a difference from his one month shot.

Cutie laughs while playing Up and Down with Daddy!  So much fun!!

Blue Baby Goes Hunting

**(see note)  So this poor little blue boy was dragged to the tree farm today, apparently against his will.  We even forgot the Bjorn so I carried him around.  He was in good spirits all morning, in the car and even as we bundled him in his toasty suit and hiked up the tree farm hill.  Then the cranks started in eventually making way for full-fledged crying.  We did a quick job finding a good little tree .  Hopefully Trav won't be allergic to it like last year (see December 2007 posts).  My theory this year was that if we buy a fresh one it won't have the allergens that a tree cut down a couple of weeks ago and shipped from Canada might have.  We'll see what happens.  

As we were walking through the trees, Trav was expressing that he felt bad about cutting down a tree, which I understand, but I stood up for our action by explaining how we were supporting local business and small farmers, which is true, although in the past I've preferred buying pre-cut because I hated thinking that if they weren't bought they'd just be mulched or worse, end up at the dump.  Poor trees.  Poor little blue baby.  Poor allergic Travis.  Poor me who overthinks EVERYTHING.  

This final picture is Trav's justification for cutting down the tree.  He figured at least he was going out and hunting like his ancient ancestors would have had to do.  He tracked and slaughtered this tree like a pro.  But alas--we have a cute little tree still on the roof of my car.

After the tree cutting, we had a nice visit with my parents and Abby and Shan.  Keller enjoyed being held by his grandma, grandpa, and aunt Abby.  He was mesmerized by the fire...one day he'll have a house with a fireplace, too.    

(**note:  don't know why the top paragraph is underlined...it was blue, too but I fixed that.  Also, I am getting better at the one-handed blog-post typing, just like Amy said I would...please excuse any errors and be glad to be reading and seeing anything at all here!!)

Life is Good

Life is good when your only job is to sit on the couch with your boy on your lap and find ways to make him show off his sweet little smiles!!

2 Months Old!!

This is a picture of Keller in his "Going Home " from the hospital outfit that didn't quite fit him so well and he was mistaken for a girl 2 times on our way to the car.  Poor little boy.  He was about 8 pounds in this picture taking into account his post-birth weight loss.  He still prefers that big ugly hospital bink when he takes a bink at all.

This is Keller 2 months later and 5 pounds heavier practically bursting out of the same "Going Home" outfit, thankfully (he's looking forward to outgrowing all of his yellows and greens)!  He rejected the bink I tried to stick in for the sake of replicating the original photo, but you get the idea!

So yesterday we had our 2 month check-up and the Dr. is quite pleased at the Little Man's growth and progress.  She is not a very punctual doc and so we always spend a lot of time waiting when we go there, so each time she walked by our room she poked her head in to see how we were doing.  Keller was entertained by the new surroundings, the fact that he got to hang out practically naked in just his diaper and blue blanket, and have uninterrupted lap time with mommy.  He's a big fan of the Up and Down game where he pushes himself to standing up (with help from mom or dad) and then down again.  He gets this wonderful expression of satisfaction each time he goes up.  He gets to play this every day with mommy and daddy both.

Mr. Magoo is in the 75 percentile for weight and the 50 percentile for height--22.5 inches and 13 pounds, 7 ounces.  We've been squeezing him into his size 1 diapers which we only have a few left that I insisted on finishing...we do give him the big size 2 at night as we've learned that diapers that are too small tend to leak. I expect to finish the little 1s today...Actually, now that I think of it, they're 1-2 diapers that are supposed to go up to 15 pounds...so I'm not such a bad mommy after all!  

Keller is consistently sleeping for 8 hours and even had a few 9 hour nights in there...knock knock!  Travis and I have been able to read before bed again!  Yay!  Poor Trav has been reading the same book since before Keller...one page at a time it seems...hopefully he'll be able to move onto a new one soon... 

What else can I report on Keller now that he's a big 2 months old...He's smiling more and more, loves watching his daddy and his dog, especially Bo's tail--it's a crack-up!  He's grasping things more including my hair, our shirts, blankets, whatever is in the way.  Of course he has no idea that something is in his hand, but we're moving in the right direction!  So standing, grabbing, smiling, and sitting in the Bumbo seat for small amounts of time seem to be the highlights right now.  I'm still loving being home, able to hang out with him all day, even when it makes me tired or unable to accomplish anything.  We've taken a few quick trips to the store, although trips need to take place within the slim 2 hours between daytime feedings.  Hey, I'll feed him every hour during the day if that means we can sleep at night!!  I'm so glad to have had the choice between going back to work and staying home.  It's a gift to be able to watch all of the details of Keller's growth moment to moment!

Holiday Card Photo Shoot

Here are two of the keepers from this mornings last chance holiday card photo shoot.  There's lots more photo shoot pictures, but they're on the other computer so that's all for now...  Mr. Crank calls...must make him happy!!

Pictures As Promised

Makin' Faces

Conked Out on Grandpa's Lap

after eating too much turkey

(or sucking too many binks;)

Practicing Holding Up His Head

The First Sink-Bath

(is that hand on the right flashing a gang sign?)

Hammin' It Up!

Thank Goodness for Grandma and Her Swiffer getting BoBo's ball out from under the TV!

A Quickie

NO!!  Not that kind, silly!!  I mean a quick post!  It's been a busy few days since the holiday and on top of that, we (Trav) got a new computer thankfully.  I had to give my computer back to school for my leave at the end of October so then Trav and I were sharing his computer, which is oldish and has been getting slower and slower by the minute.  It was getting to the point of taking 20 minutes for me just to get logged onto my email...needless to say all I generally have time-wise is 20 minute blocks so there goes most opportunities to check email and respond, no less download pictures and post a blog.  Soon though.  I am using the new computer now but all the pictures I just downloaded are on the old one (which Trav is using) so look forward to some updated pics soon.  

Today was me and Keller's debut into the real world by ourselves.  While last week we went to Quest for my iron count and then to the health food store to get my Calcium supplements, those were both pretty quick.  Today we went to Macys to swap some sizes and look for a nice shirt or two to accommodate my slightly altered figure for me for the holidays.  No luck.  Looked for a couple Christmas gifts while there, also no luck, then the little man awoke and I knew lunch-time was imminent so we left.  He began to cry.  I had to decide whether to feed him in the parking garage or to make my way to Babies R Us which was our next stop anyway and opted for the latter.  I made good use of the "Mother's Room" there and joined another woman, her husband, and 5 week old.  Exchanged some more items then headed to Linens N Things (which is going out of business) to use an old store credit I've had for awhile.  Of course they didn't have the handfull of things that I actually needed from a place like that, so I settled for new pillowcases to replace the formerly white ones-turned greyish and the green ones from Job Lot which are shaped more like trapezoids than your standard rectangle shape...

How's that for a boring post!  It was exciting for me to get out into the world and I actually had things to talk about with Trav...I find that just being home feeding and tending to the boy doesn't make for interesting dinner conversation...I must add a little spice to my life now.  Tomorrow my spice will be a visit to see Jen and Molly and the Belly...AND I get to stop at the health food store by them and get my favorite Indian cooking sauce that I can't get anywhere around here:)  What an exciting life...I guess I'm living up to my blog title though!  Happy December!

No Title in Particular

So as I mentioned, we were going to try to start getting Keller to sleep in his crib for naps and for part of the night...Well, on Friday night, we put him down at about 8, which was early for him but Trav and I were going to watch a movie (The Assassination of Jesse James...) so Keller ate a little and was bundled up and put in the crib...no problem. After the movie, around 11 I woke him up, feeling a little selfish to wake him up to feed him because I wanted to sleep for 3 to 4 solid hours rather than to have left him sleep and wake me up in an hour...I got over it though when he ate happily with his eyes closed...he got a new dipe, was re-bundled and put back to the crib around midnight and slept to 3:30...pretty typical. Of course his crying woke us because he was hungry...when he was in the room with us, he wouldn't have to cry because we'd here his little "I'm hungry" cooes and lip-smacks...So as it seems for now, he likes the crib. Trav pointed out that it's much softer than his bassinet, particularly considering that under the thin bassinet mattress we have books to prop the mattress a little...I forget why...nasal drip? puke control? I really don't remember why we did that...But of course, it's a little sad that he's now "big enough" to sleep in his own room...but it sure is nice to sleep in a dark bedroom again without hearing every little grunt and groan that Keller makes. We haven't even used the monitor yet because it needed to be charged on Friday when we took it out of the box and then somehow last night it was uncharged again because somebody unplugged it...hmmm...

What else...On Thursday, my mom came down for a visit with Keller which gave me some time to head out into the world for a little while (I welcome any chance I can to get out...) Keller showed off some of his cute smiles that he's been sharing on occasion. I'll have to make a conscious effort to try to catch them on film...(can I still say that?)
And on Friday, Vicky, Becca, and Richie came for a visit. Bo of course thought they came strictly to visit him as he usually thinks when we have guests, but luckily, these guys are accustomed to a big slobbery "active" lab...Becca did a great job tiring out Bo who enjoyed chasing her and being chased by her and jumping over her when she fell;) Richie just got his little hands licked and licked and licked...and Vicky got to hang out with Keller while Lisa go to sit back and take it all in. It was kind of neat to see all the different stages of early childhood from Keller's cranks, to Richie's curiousity/button pushing/basket emptying, to Becca's conversation skills and dog-playing. After a walk to the park to air out the kids and the dog, Vicky and I speedwalked back home out of the cold air...

On that note, Mr. Squishy is up from his nap and apparently needing me...

All Wrapped Up

Ohhh cutie!!! We're finally getting into using the ring sling from Jen:) Keller has begun to prefer being held and is not as interested in hanging out in his swing or bouncy, which makes for a loooonnnngggg day particularly on those "don't feel like napping" days or "I'll fall asleep in your arms but as soon as you put me down I'll wake up..." days. Granted, he's only really had 2 or 3 of these in the All Day capacity, but regardless, the sling has been great.

Today Keller had his first nap in his big-boy crib. We know that we've got to start transitioning him into the crib sooner than later seeing as we need to get the bassinet to Jill by the end of December, so I thought he could start getting used to it by having naps in there rather than in his swing (or my arms). Today I tricked him by wrapping him in a toasty toasy blanket, swaddled so he might feel sort of like he was still in my arms when I put him down and jackpot!!! It worked! (today at least) We'll have to keep at it and see how things go.I weighed him today and he was 12 lbs!! Yikes!! We tried on some of his 3-6 month clothes...still a little big but awfully close to fitting! I put him in a button down shirt and got all sad because he looked so big and grown up. That's the thing about babies...they grow up so fast. I'm so trying to savor all of the littleness of him. I took out my journal today for the first time since September and began listing all of the things I love about little Mr. Keller. When I look at him I have so many thoughts and so many things that I want to remember about him in this moment in time...I have to make a point of writing those things down...ahhhh, sentimentality...

Jerry was a racecar driver...polyester makes me sweat...I know, random, but Travis put in some random CDs and right now I'm hearing a little old school Primus...reminds me of Tom Barry and working at the liquor store, the Phish show at Great Woods with Jen and Donna wearing my favorite polyester shirt from Sally's...Then there was the Toad the Wet Sprocket that came on before Primus reminding me of freshman year of college and Mike Brown...Crazy the memories that music holds...Oh the soundtrack of our lives;)

1 Month (and 1 day)

So, I'm a day late on the one-month post. But I did take the pictures yesterday, in betweencrying fits (his, not mine, although I confess to having shed a tear or two myself in there at times...) His doctor visit was Monday and she reports that Keller has the look of a healthy breastfed baby...whatever that means...I asked and she only mentioned his "calloused" lips...but I think she was implying that he has certainly begun to "round out." He weighed in at 10 pounds, 11 ounces...yup...that's up 1 pound 6 ounces in two weeks! He likes his eats just like his mama! In fact, I think yesteday's misery stemmed from him not eating enough...we had a freezer issue the night before (the door wasn't all the way closed--my fault from stealing cookies out of there) and so the frozen milk in there needed to be used since it already began to thaw so we decided yesterday would be a bottle-day...and figuring he should be done eating after a 3 or 4 ounce bottle (at one month) I didn't get that he wanted more...thought he was just fussing. Poor baby...I'm stickin' with the boob from now on...

Let's see, now that Keller is one month...he has begun tracking us or other objects with his eyes, he actually sees and watches the singing and dancing birds on the top of his swing, he is fitting better into his 0-3 month clothes (actually beginning to grow out of some...already!) He likes the bink only sometimes, which is fine with us, he actually slept 5 hours in a row last night!!! (not getting my hopes up though), he holds his head up briefly for tummy time, he's still so cute:)
As for the mom and dad here, yesterday I went to the bedroom at about 7:30...pumped, brushed teeth, and was ready to sleep by 8:00. Slept for 2 hours and was awaken by that fussy fussy baby again...I let Trav handle it awhile then got out of bed to switch shifts. It was much easier after having that little burst of sleep that I had missed the night before. After trying all kinds of consoling, it was the boob that made everything better. All hail the sacred boob! After a fairly decent nights' sleep, Trav was taking the dog down to the park this morning when a neighbor told him he looked exhausted (and that's after a good nights' sleep)...I guess the cumulative effects take a toll on you. But overall, we're just fine, just needing to recover a little and remember that there's good sleep nights and not so good ones and that it's all worth it when we get to hang out with our cute little munchkin and smile at all of the precious things he does. Must now shower before the little man awakens!

Poop!!!

Last night; 1:10 am...Keller awakes for his first feeding of the night...by 1:45 he's back in his bassinet sleeping...good boy.

3:15 am... up again, a little earlier than I'd have liked but what are ya gonna do?... feed him, put him down... try to go back to sleep amidst all of his grunts and groans (is he making a poop? is he gassy? is he hungry? how come I can't always tell the difference yet? frustrating...)

3:45 am... Trav says, "He sounds hungry." I argue, "How do you know that's not gassy?" No comment. I feed him, again...out comes the gas/poop he was trying to get out while also being hungry, I guess...that's why we couldn't figure out what kind of noises he was making.

4:15ish... I get up to change him. Diaper off, still grunts and groans when all of the sudden out comes a surprise...SQUIRT...but no, not of the pee pee kind...ugh!! I never knew of projectile poop until last night...straight out of the hiney, squirted everything in its line of fire...the pile of clean diapers, clean paper towels/wipes, the changing pad, and yes, even the wall...I had to call Trav out of bed for this one...and just when things were just about under control out comes the pee pee squirt! A mess!!

4:45...back to bed

7:15 the day begins...

While every night we're up for a few feedings/changes, last night was a particularly eventful one I thought I'd share! Amy, Jen, Candace...are you ready for these eventful nights again??!!

My Pumpkin

Happy Pumpkin

Sad Pumpkin

Serious Pumpkin


Sleepy Pumpkin

Just Adorable!

Happy Halloween!

Mr. Piggy

Yesterday, Trav, Keller, and I went to a lactation specialist who came highly recommended by both my OB group and a couple of friends. I figured we'd make sure we were doing things properly and get some good tips, advice, and recommendations, which we did. One thing this woman recommended was the "skin to skin" idea of putting the baby high up on your chest and allowing him to find his way down to the yummy part himself...we watched a video about it and I had seen this done at the breastfeeding class I went to. Anyway, Keller is an old pro at "the latch" since he was born...no problems...(as long as he remembers to do 'big mouth' as I call it)
Anyway, last night and today, when I've used this particular feeding method, I found myself chuckling at all of my boy's noises that he makes when feeding...from the "I'm hungry" whimper, to the "There's the nipple! Quick get my mouth on it" snorts, yes snorts! Very endearing;) To the "Oh my gosh, it's coming out so quick" gulps AND raised and/or furrowed eyebrows, Then there's the standard "Ahhh, refreshing" glug, glugs, and finally the little ewok sounding coo-s of contentment as he sits on my lap, my hand patting his back awaiting those sweet cooes to give way to a hearty belch from one end and a cacauphony of relief from the other end! Ahhh, the sweet delight of a full-bellied baby! This little guy sure knows how to eat!

Two Weeks Old!!

Okay, okay, here's some long awaited pictures...mostly from Keller's first week of life. He's doing great, and so are we. Bo, the dog, is having some jealousy, which he had before Keller when me and Trav would not give him enough attention. Now that jealousy is compounded. Trav has been going out of his way to make sure Bo is feeling loved now that this new creature has infiltrated his turf...He also is not adjusting well to the new doggy run that was installed in the back. He doesn't like the idea of having to "walk himself" after having been spoiled with regular walks down to the park. He'll get them back, but for now, especially now that Trav is going back to work on Monday, he'll have to get used to the backyard...In the above picture, please note the double chin...I passed that along to Keller...I told him it was all mommy's cookies she ate during the last couple weeks of pregnancy;)
Trav was super-dad at the hospital and back home. After having had a C-section at midnight, following 30 hours of labor and lots of drugs...pitocin, epidural, anti-biotics, "fluids" (yup, so much for "natural childbirth") and 3 hours in the recovery room...I was not attentive to what anyone was telling me. Good thing Trav's ears still worked. He knew just what to do (or at least acted as if...)

Keller weighed in at 8 pounds 11 ounces. Big guy! When we left the hospital, he was down to 8 pounds 6 ounces and for our first pediatrician visit 3 days later he was down to 8 pounds 5 ounces, which meant I wasn't doing the best job feeding him (I'm nursing)...so the next few days I was in a feeding frenzy and luckily for the next visit which was on Monday, he was up to 8 lb. 10oz. and the pediatrician was pleased. Oh, and on top of making sure to feed him more, we also learned that he was/is most likely lactose intollerant, at least for now, which means no dairy for Mommy...I didn't quite realize how much dairy I actually eat...cheese and crackers, yogurt, milk in cereal...pizza;) So we're figuring that out too...
Mr. Serious

Keller taught himself how to hold the hospital issued "bink" into his mouth. We have a collection of photos of him holding it in in different ways...one hand, two fingers, the arm hold, the "up and over" grasp...very talented. Luckily, he is not "bink-addicted" as we thought he might be at first. We were first skeptical about even using one since he didn't seem to "need it" but alas, we allowed the nursery to use it if needed and for his circumcision they gave it to him...which was fine...anything to soothe the poor little guy from that trauma. His pediatrician says there's no harm in the bink as long as it is used with love;) We like her...

This is our first family outing the day after we came home. We strolled down to the park and Trav propped the camera on the stroller to take this shot. It's been nice to be able to get out for some walks before the weather gets too cold...fresh air is much needed! We're figuring things out, including how to sleep "on demand"...he's out, quick, get in bed! It's just the beginning of a life-long adventure for us!

Figuring Things Out

Well, if you haven't already heard, IT'S A BOY! Keller Campion was born at 12:15 am on Saturday, October 11...a healthy happy little guy! (at least I think he's happy...or else gassy;) Since he was delivered by Cesearian, we had a five day luxury stay at Bridgeport Hospital, with many visitors and well-wishers...Thank you everyone for thinking of us! We came home Wednesday late afternoon and started figuring out how to do everything we learned at the hospital in the comfort of our own home. The first night was a bit rough with not much sleep at all...funny, the kid can sleep all day long, but come bedtime and he's rarin' to go! Last night however was MUCH better. He's been sleeping for 3-4 hours at a time which means 3-4 hours for us to sleep (although I tend to wake up frequently just to make sure he's breathing:) but easily fall back to sleep upon confirmation! So if that continues for awhile I think we'll be in good shape, sleepwise.
Yesterday morning I wanted to post a blog along the lines of "Got Milk" because holy cow were things a little out of control!! Wow! Who knew! Luckily I had a pump lesson at the hospital because man was that necessary yesterday! It's nice to know we've got some milk stored already, just in case. Did I mention holy cow! And the pump itself...weird...come to think of it, all of the things that happen to the female body during pregnancy and childbirth are pretty crazy when you stop to think about it...crazy, but amazing!
So since my last blog post, our lives have changed dramatically here and we've shared lots of moments of pain, fear, joy, and elation together. No pictures to post yet since this morning is the first time on the computer since pre-Keller. I'll post some soon though so you can check out our little man. Now I'll take a nap!

Officially....

Uncomfortable!! I have been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy I'd say. The biggest problem encountered until now was the tingling arms at night, which continues to come and go annoyingly and the permanently numb fingers...it will be nice to feel texture again soon! But aside from a little morning grogginess from not sleeping as well, I've been active and energetic enough to make it through my work days, run an errand or two after school and laze my way through the evenings.
But then, last night I was awaken by cramping, like menstrual cramps...which I've been getting on and off here and there, however last night I'd get them, they'd go away, I'd fall asleep, I'd get them again...and on and on...eventually I came out to the couch (remembering what you had told me Vicky;) thinking "is this it? does the marathon begin now? better let Trav get a good night's sleep at least"...so really didn't end up sleeping much at all last night. When Trav woke up I told him that maybe we might get a baby today, but alas, the cramping stopped...at least in any continuous manner...But, still I'm getting sporadic cramps and it's getting really uncomfortable to even sit, no less walk...
Funny, just yesterday at school I was on the phone with Human Resources asking how I'm supposed to handle not wanting my maternity leave to kick in until baby was in my hands...I was asking about going in to work next week and all, and really feeling fine with that. One day later, (a no school day at that) and I can't even imagine being at school feeling this uncomfortable...so alas, the end is near, or rather the beginning!! The belly is still up high, so who knows what any of this means...it could be hours, days, or weeks still! I'll keep you posted!

Update...Not Much to Report

So, we're due on Friday officially, but I've definitely got the "going late" vibe...Today the doc reports no dilation and a "not overly large" baby so it would be just fine to go beyond the due date. I did have to schedule an ultrasound and non-stress test for next Wednesday if there's still no baby...all good. The baby will come when the baby is ready. No rush at the moment.
Still at school this week. Only Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to go before I begin my leave...It's kind of weird to feel such ownership over my class but at the same time to be letting them go into the hands of someone else...hard to explain...
I was in Kohl's today and noticed a "seasonal help wanted" sign...crazy how the brain gets going...
This past weekend was a nice weekend...hmmm...what was Saturday? napping? oh! cleaning yes, I was getting worried that I was going to miss that whole "nesting" crazy cleaning thing and the house really kind of needed it, so yes, after the nap on Saturday was cleaning, starting from the rear of the house, bedroom, bathroom and then worked the way forward...It felt good to be cleaning and preparing....It's amazing how much more "ready" I feel now (sort of) than even just a week ago...Sunday was a nice morning with Trav having a yummy breakfast and then a visit from Vicky and Becky, lunch and pumpkin bread and tea:) A good visit. The evening was yet another social even with Trav's friends coming by with a pizza and a two year old who wasn't afraid of Bo, which made it much easier than having to keep Bo caged...It was actually really cute to watch Bo so curious about all the things this little guy was up to...watching the battery operated train go across the kitchen (picture perked up doggie ears and tilted head as the train moved all by itself...he's so sheltered;) On the topic of dog, I finished reading Marley and Me last night with a few tissues of course. It helped to remind me to be more patient with Bo, to let him stop and smell the trees and leaves and random grass patches at the park that I usually drag him away from...he has a big heart and means well...he's just a little clumsy and slobbery and jealous about things sometimes, but those are the traits that make him who he is...I found him to be very cute today...I gave him extra pets and threw the tennis ball for him to make amends for past frustration...oh parenthood!
I'll try to keep everyone posted...you never know when this big belly is going to be ready!! Wish us luck!

Baby Bellies and Such

Okay...here are two lovely comparative shots...the first is me on my shower day...September 7...Thought my belly was sticking out then, but in retrospect, it's just little:)

And, lovely photogenic me below is the belly one day last week...Wednesday or Thursday, so roughly 3 weeks later than the above shot...and still growing with just under two weeks until estimated time of arrival...Everything appears on track and progressing as it should. Been feeling great except today was a particularly tired and cranky day...tears for no apparent reason...just because I guess I'm just holding in lots of random feelings and emotions and anticipation and allowing myself to be ruled by my lists rather than just allowing myself to relax, which is what I feel like I should mostly be doing right now. I believe my lesson plans are as done as they're going to be. My replacement teacher will begin working with me this week, which is good I guess...although I also realize that there goes my planning time since I will likely be supporting her and making sure she's all set...oh well...home stretch:)

And below I found this lovely picture on Trav's camera of "the baby's room" amidst a cleaning purge...this is me organizing all of my "soap stuff." What a mess!
And finally, below, is "the baby's room" now...a little better than what it was:) Nothing on the walls yet. I have a couple of things in mind, but no rush, and I will not be adding those things to any "list"...If I come across what I'm thinking of, great, but I refuse to make it a mission of mine at the moment. Same goes for a rug...eventually there will be something there...

So those are a few shots to hold y'all over...there's actually another dresser/chest to the left of the changing/combo dresser and to the right of the chair is the closet which is still designated Trav's closet (and Bo's additional dog-food storage). So we're gettin' there. The 0-3 month clothes are washed and ready to go, the newborn dipes are in the basket, the video camera has been ordered and is expected in 7-10 days so really, we can't have the baby until that arrives, right?? (Not that we're planning on getting the whole thing recorded or anything...)

AND you know what showed up in my car a week or two ago??? The darn 20% off coupon for Baby Depot! Go figure! We ended up doing just fine on the furniture anyhow given their furniture sale, but we did use the coupon for glider which is nice and comfy...wish I had that when I was going through my achey feet stage this summer!

Trav's birthday was yesterday, kept it low-key. I originally was going to try to "get away" for a night this weekend but...what was I thinking?? So we mostly stayed in yesterday and went out for Thai food last night with Trav's buddy Tupper and his wife which was nice. Today was laze around in the morning, I did those lesson plans and took a nap while Trav had Bo to the dog park for a swim and a run and home for a bath. We went to Trav's parents for his and his sister's birthday celebration and now I need to correct math tests...yuck!

And I'll leave you with Bo on his ottoman keeping his eye on the neighborhood for us:) That window overlooks the driveway, too, so when we come home we can always spot him watching out the window for us. He's cute:) (In a pain-in-the-neck-kind of way!!)

A Couple of Pics, Finally...

Okay, officially a month ago was Abby's wedding and here are a couple of pictures from that beautiful day:) Yea, better late than never! And yes, I continue to suck at updating the belly shot, but most of you saw it fairly recently so there you have it! It continues to grow!
So we're at less than 4 weeks to go on this pregnancy thing and it is getting more exciting to feel so close! As of about 2 weeks ago, I was feeling funny stuff going on "down low" and called the Dr. only to be told that this is how it feels to be pregnant (be lucky there's only one in there...or something like that was added...) I wasn't complaining, I was just needing to be reassured that what I was feeling was normal. I now completely understand why pregnant women waddle...cause it all just feels funny.

I'm getting really good at teaching from my chair on wheels in the front of the classroom, getting out of breath easily (at open house I had to stop and catch my breath in the midst of my part of the whole third grade presentation...thankfully one of the other gals picked up the rest, but I know my students' families were thinking, great, my kid gets the pregnant one...hey, I'm a damn good teacher, pregnant or not!) My principal no longer looks me in the eye or says hello...she just stares at my belly as I walk by...Last Thursday I went in to school after a night of horrible sleeping (or not sleeping) and a sore throat and by the end of the day knew I needed to take Friday off so I wrote up my sub plans and stopped in the office to let her know I would be out on Friday and she said fine but then asked if I thought I would make it teaching up until the end...I had said I would work up to as close to my due date as I can...which I still would like to do, provided the Dr. says fine and I have the energy to...every day is a pay-check to me...

So Trav insisted I stay home this weekend and just relax, which I really needed to do, though I did miss my nephew Chase's birthday party...I would have been no fun anyway with a sore throat, post-nasal drip, and general crankiness...I did some organizing around here, finished writing thank you's and making a list of the "still-needs" for the baby...I also ordered our organic mattress from amazon and began adding additional items to our amazon registry (that we would buy anyway) because I figure we might as well have $750 of items purchased off of our amazon registry to earn $250 worth of Seventh Generation Diapers (amazon promotion)...might as well...the bedding and mattress alone cost over $500...so I've been trying to figure out what else we'll really need and stock up on...how much diaper cream does a baby need? is baby powder a necessity? please advise...

Got a call from the Dr. office today telling me that I need to be on an antibiotic for an infection...how frustrating! The culture was taken 2 weeks ago, which means that for two weeks the infection has been growing and whatnot...maybe that's why I've been feeling like crap? I have a regular check-in appointment tomorrow so I'll get the low-down. Two weeks seems like a long time to get test results back...

Knock knock, my tingling arms have been a little better, not keeping me up as much, although they still tingle...my back seems to be less inflamed which was likely leading to the intense tingles/pinched nerve kind of thing. I guess that Friday off and relaxing weekend was what I needed. I think I can officially attribute my upper back spasms/discomfort/tightness to stress. There's a lot going on in my life right now, I have to cut myself some slack and make sure I rest and relax. Even though I want everything perfect for when the baby comes, as Travis continues to remind me, the baby doesn't care, he/she is only going to want to eat, sleep, poop, and be loved. So for those basics, we're covered!