I thought pregnancy was awesome, except for the last 5 weeks of course because of how uncomfortable I was, but being a mom... yeah, that tops it all. I literally have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. Those assignments in school where teachers ask what you want to be when you grow up - my response - A mom. I wanted to be the best mom ever. The kind that doesn't forget special events, the one that all the friends love to talk to in the late night hours when everyone else is asleep. I wanted to be a mom that could be a friend, but also have clear and established boundaries that you WANT to respect. So many high hopes and dreams, all came true on July 15th, 2011.
Right away the most amazing things about being a mom were: watching Declan sleep, watching his facial expressions after he finished nursing, feeling his warm little head in the area between my head and shoulder, hearing the cute little squeak at the end of his cry pattern, looking into his blue/gray eyes, feeling the softness of his skin when he wraps his tiny little fingers around my index finger, looking at and feeling his soft head of hair that reminds me of threads of fine golden silk. I can't get tired of his crying, even when it lasts for an hour or more (which is hasn't yet). I love holding him. I love knowing that no one can comfort him like me. I love that he is OURS. I love knowing that even though Aaron and I love him with all our hearts, God loves him infinitely more and has big plans for him. I love knowing that we get to teach, encourage and support him in all that he does.
Being a mommy means - I get to call him, MY son. I am HIS mommy. We don't have to give him back every couple of days. He is ours forever and ever. And ever.
When I go back to work in a couple of weeks I will have 12 amazing weeks seared into my memory. Days filled with naps and lots of cuddles. Hours spent just looking at one another. Hours spent with him sleeping on my chest so I can feel his heart beat and hear his breath. I will have 12 perfect weeks of 24 hrs a day 7 days a week being a mommy to my perfect baby boy. And while I absolutely dread the thought of returning to work, I know that I get to come home each day and see his sweet face.
On another note, we have been truly blessed with the best friends and most amazing family. Folks have brought us meals, offered wisdom and advice. Others have walked Briseis and played with Nathan to give us a few minutes of relief. Everyone has been so supportive and generous and loving. It's actually a little overwhelming to know how much people care and genuinely want to help. Plus, every person that holds Declan becomes wrapped around his pinky finger. They love him so much - and LOVED him before he was even born. I feel stupid for worrying so much.
Anyways... life is good. Sure there's the usual stuff I can't stop thinking about. That won't ever change. Right now I'm just thankful for each moment I have with my family.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Our pictures
Here's the URL link to view our pictures. We upload new pics periodically so check back every now and then.
Enjoy!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=117969701848916329593&target=ALBUM&id=5631551819946787025&authkey=Gv1sRgCNOJh-nhgbP_xgE&feat=email
Enjoy!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=117969701848916329593&target=ALBUM&id=5631551819946787025&authkey=Gv1sRgCNOJh-nhgbP_xgE&feat=email
Dear Declan,
Before any more time passes, I want to let you know how amazing the past 5 weeks have been. I'm going to break it down, week by week if I can cause that's just how I do things.
Day 1 / Week 1
My entire world changed the moment I saw you. The Dr. pulled you out of my belly and the entire operating room staff erupted into laughter. When you came out your legs were sticking straight up in the air, with your feet up by your ears. They immediately took you to the warmer and wiped you off. It was there that Daddy touched you for the first time. That was the best view EVER! While they were closing up my incision, I looked over at the two of you and felt so full of love and joy. Daddy was stroking your cheek and you had put that little hand of yours right on his wrist. A minute or two later the nurses wrapped you up and put you right on my chest. I couldn't believe how perfect you were. So quiet and peaceful. You smelled sweet and your skin was so soft. Daddy and I held you there for the remainder of the time that they were closing me up.
The next couple days in the hospital were great! You were the best baby and everyone kept commenting on how perfect you were. I loved just holding you on my chest and laying you on my pillow to watch you sleep. We slept skin to skin a lot that first week and it was amazing. You were born on a Friday and we went home that following Monday. Our first night home I could hardly sleep. And I didn't sleep at all the first night you were born. I was too excited! I couldn't believe you were actually here! Everyone kept saying how tiny you were, but I loved how you fit with me no matter what. I cupped your head in my hand and your tiny little fingers wrapped around my fingers while you nursed. Oh, and your cry is one of the cutest sounds I've ever heard. (Not saying that I liked you crying... but even the sound of your cry was super cute). The nurses also kept making comments on how expressive you were whenever they'd take you to the nursery for vitals and such. You weren't awake a whole lot, which is normal... but when you were the eyes were open and you would just stare at me. That first week at home was awesome too. Daddy was home with us, which made it the best week ever. That Tuesday you met Dr. Mike and even he said you were perfect. Nathan came over that Wednesday and met you for the first time. He was so excited and LOVED seeing you finally. We were all together for a couple days after that and even took our first trip to the park that Friday. It was a great way to spend your 1 week birthday! Gosh it went by fast. That Saturday you attended your very first wedding: Jennifer and Ryan Daberkow. It was very beautiful and you did so much better than I could have expected. Almost my entire office was there and they all loved seeing you.
Week 2
Unfortunately, Daddy had to go back to work this week. I still wasn't allowed to drive so we just hung out at home. But it was nice because friends stopped by for visits. Everyone wants to come over and hold you! When folks weren't here you and I did a lot of napping and hanging out. I didn't say a whole lot, but we did a lot of staring at each other. This week you and I kind of had a routine. You definitely slept in shorter stints of time. You would wake up and nurse for about 20-30 minutes and then be awake for an hour or so. Then fall asleep for a couple hours. In the middle of the night we'd be up for a little over an hour. You woke up around 1:30am and then again between 3-4am. Not really any big changes this week. My boss and friend came by to see you during lunch time, but you were sound asleep. You definitely like to nap around lunch time:-) That's also my favorite time of the day to sleep.
Week 3
This week I was able to drive again, YAY! While I was so excited to be driving again so we could leave the house, I was absolutely petrified of driving in the car with you alone in case you started to fuss. We had Dr. appointments that Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tuesday appt was in Aurora, which is far away, so I was really nervous. But, in true Declan form, you did GREAT! You slept the entire time and acted as if nothing happened when we got home. It was a great success and gave me the confidence to leave the house more often. This week we had your two week follow up appointment with Dr. Mike. It was a little over 2 weeks because he was on vacation, but that was ok. Your head measured in the 75%, weight and height in 30%. You were back to your birth weight, which was good... but Dr. Mike had hoped you would have gained a little more weight. Not to worry he said - everything still sounded like it was going great. However, I immediately began to worry cause I don't want you to be underweight. That isn't a good thing. The morning before your Dr. appointment I took you to my work. All the ladies just LOVED seeing you and eventually passed you around so they could all hold you. Again, everyone commented on how perfect and beautiful you were. I just kept saying, "I know;-)" We got to participate in the birthday celebration for Jennifer D, who had recently gotten married, and Aunt Liz announced that I had also been promoted. There was delicious pie and it was great seeing all my work friends. I miss them a lot. Not the work though!
Week 4
Not a whole lot going on this week. This Monday we had to go to Children's Hospital so they could do an ultrasound on your little hips. Because you were born breech, it is common for the hip joints to not form properly. As a precaution we had to get it checked out. Of course I was nervous, but we got the results the next day that everything was just fine. Whew! More friends came by to visit, which was great. I love talking with my friends and seeing them hold you. It makes me feel good to know that you will grow up knowing all the people that are special to me, and Daddy too. The week before, this week and the next after Nathan was with us during the day Wed- Fri. You loved it when he would talk to you and touch your feet, head and hands. He is so gentle with you, but loves you so much. I think CC (Aunt Celeste) visited this weekend as well. She comes down to see you as much as possible and holds you almost the entire time she's over. You love sleeping on her chest and look so peaceful. She comes in and says, "Give me my baby!" Her eyes literally light up when she sees you and I know her heart swells with each breath you take. You are a very lucky boy.
Week 5
The beginning of the week started out a little stressful. You have been eating a LOT more lately, or maybe more frequently and we were worried that you weren't getting enough to eat. So I called a lactation consultant and made an appointment for that Monday. Of course within a few minutes of the appointment I learned we had nothing to worry about. You had gained the perfect number of ounces that Dr. Mike wanted and both ladies reassured me that you were doing great. They gave me some great tips and lots of helpful information. Physically I guess you are a little bit bigger. Your onesies fit snuggly and items that were so big before have filled in over the past couple weeks. Then that Friday (5 weeks old!) we went to see Daddy at work in Arvada. Nathan was with us and we got to walk around meeting Daddy's friends and co-workers. Afterward we went to see my friend Stephen. Later that night we had open house at Nathan's school for kindergarten. Your big brother is starting school! It was a very busy day, but again - you did great.
Overall I have felt so much better since seeing the lactation consultants knowing that we are doing things right. I can tell you are gaining weight, which makes me feel good. But also a little sad because it means you are growing up already. You have a cute little double chin, your skin is smooth and soft, and certain parts of you are filling out more each day. By this point you stay awake for about 2 hours at a time. You look at me or Daddy for minutes at a time but seem to mostly be interested in what's behind us on the walls. Daddy has lots of artwork placed around so there is always something neat to look at. Our midnight feedings have shortened quite a bit, but are still pretty quiet. You still hold onto one of my fingers when you are eating, which I love. You don't really cry unless you are hungry, tired or have a messy diaper. OH! My best friend, Krissi, had her little boy - Ethan. She and I have been able to text in the night which has been really great.
One of the best things ever these past few weeks has been when you are sleeping and do this cute little laugh. You'll have the sleepy, straight face and then all of a sudden, your mouth will open a little bit and then it will creep into a smile. Then this super cute high pitch laugh comes out. LOVE IT!!!! I haven't been able to get it on film yet, but oh my goodness it's so stinkin cute. Thankfully Daddy got to hear it after a few times of me telling him about it. We really just can't get enough of you. We stare at you in complete awe of how amazing you are. Neither one of us ever imagined that we could create something so perfect, and here you are. My friend, Christine, gave us a book called, "My wish come true" and it is a perfect story of you and I. You see, Declan... all my life I dreamed of having a baby. But one night in October as I was driving home from having had a massage, I looked up to the stars and prayed to God that he would bless us with a baby. I prayed that His will would be done and that if He did bless us with such a precious gift, that we would also be given all the necessary means to take care of you. Boy did He provide! During the course of my pregnancy, I often prayed to God that you would be all sorts of wonderful things. Daddy and I look forward to watching you grow as all of those prayers come true.
You are everything that Daddy and I have ever wanted. You are our wish come true. You are a gift from God. You are perfect in every way and we love you with all that we are.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Feet
During my entire pregnancy folks at work and friends all around me kept suggesting over and over again that I should get a pedicure, a massage or something for myself. I finally got around to doing just that the last week of being pregnant.
The week Declan was born I had a pedicure, got my hair cut and had a prenatal massage.
The pedicure: per a friend's recommendation I went to a salon I had never been to before. I scheduled the appointment and was desperately looking forward to it for over two weeks.
You see, since week 34 my ankles and feet had become one giant loaf of puffy pregnant flesh. It was gross. It was painful. It was incredibly uncomfortable. Walking hurt and even bending my toes in any direction hurt. I was forced to wear my flip flops because they were the only 'shoes' that fit. My skin was so tight that it actually had developed this bright pink/red tone to it on my shins and hurt to the touch. What made it worse was, with all the added weight I had gained, my left foot that had been broken last year KILLED me when walking. Overall, it was a miserable last 6 weeks in the lower leg department. Everything else was fine though.
Anyways... my midwives had recommended that Aaron do this special massage on my feet and shin/calf area to help with the swelling and move the fluid back UP. It was this real quick, barely touch motion that had to be quick with not too much pressure. Once Aaron got the hang of it, I was able to get some relief for a few hours at night. Going into the pedicure I thought, "Hmm... I hope they know how to massage swollen pregnant feet." How silly of me!
I started out in the typical situation, sitting upright in a massaging chair with my feet soaking in warm water. Now, normally I enjoy HOT water... but not right now with my feet all sore and achy. Therefore I didn't mind the fact this water was luke warm. Then each foot was hardly scrubbed and the cuticles were cut and nails were trimmed. The whole 'manicure' process barely lasted 10 minutes. Then she whipped out some scrub and began intensely rubbing on my lower legs. HOLY crap fire that hurt! I felt like someone had put liquid fire right on my legs and kept rubbing it in. I didn't flat out cry, but I teared up quite a bit. I didn't want to say anything because I figured she would notice how red and irritated they had become since putting the scrub on. Uh, no. Thankfully that didn't last too long and before I knew it the lotion was vigorously being rubbed in to soothe the inflamed skin.
Here's where people who have jobs involving feet - should know about feet.
The proceeded to give my lower legs and feet a normal foot massage. Ya know, one where they move the fingers around and around going top to bottom and bottom to top, not really doing anything but moving the skin/muscle around. This lasted for about 10 minutes and in the end, my feet ended up in worse shape than when I first arrived. They were even more swollen (if that was possible) and now irritated from having been scrubbed and rubbed the wrong way. You see, if a person is giving a pregnant woman a foot massage and she has obvious swelling - the muscles should barely be touched and the skin should be treated with that light, movement I mentioned before that the midwife showed me. The fluid needs to be moved back UP. And you should actually LOOK at the skin before you put some chemical on it. My point - treat a pregnant chick's feet with care because they are incredibly sensitive!
In the end, I gave a small tip and thanked them for my beautiful paint job. I got this cute little design on each big toe. Now - had I actually thought about the process before scheduling the appointment, I would have just sucked it up and gone to a better place. A couple years ago I went to a salon for a friends birthday and had some reflexology done along with an ion-cleanse treatment. It was amazing. I felt like I had a facial and done 2 days of yoga when I was done. Pricey - yes. But well worth it.
Lesson learned. If I want a fancy toe design painted on my toenails - I'll go to this place. If I want to have my feet pampered - I will go to a place that knows a thing or two about some feet.
The week Declan was born I had a pedicure, got my hair cut and had a prenatal massage.
The pedicure: per a friend's recommendation I went to a salon I had never been to before. I scheduled the appointment and was desperately looking forward to it for over two weeks.
You see, since week 34 my ankles and feet had become one giant loaf of puffy pregnant flesh. It was gross. It was painful. It was incredibly uncomfortable. Walking hurt and even bending my toes in any direction hurt. I was forced to wear my flip flops because they were the only 'shoes' that fit. My skin was so tight that it actually had developed this bright pink/red tone to it on my shins and hurt to the touch. What made it worse was, with all the added weight I had gained, my left foot that had been broken last year KILLED me when walking. Overall, it was a miserable last 6 weeks in the lower leg department. Everything else was fine though.
Anyways... my midwives had recommended that Aaron do this special massage on my feet and shin/calf area to help with the swelling and move the fluid back UP. It was this real quick, barely touch motion that had to be quick with not too much pressure. Once Aaron got the hang of it, I was able to get some relief for a few hours at night. Going into the pedicure I thought, "Hmm... I hope they know how to massage swollen pregnant feet." How silly of me!
I started out in the typical situation, sitting upright in a massaging chair with my feet soaking in warm water. Now, normally I enjoy HOT water... but not right now with my feet all sore and achy. Therefore I didn't mind the fact this water was luke warm. Then each foot was hardly scrubbed and the cuticles were cut and nails were trimmed. The whole 'manicure' process barely lasted 10 minutes. Then she whipped out some scrub and began intensely rubbing on my lower legs. HOLY crap fire that hurt! I felt like someone had put liquid fire right on my legs and kept rubbing it in. I didn't flat out cry, but I teared up quite a bit. I didn't want to say anything because I figured she would notice how red and irritated they had become since putting the scrub on. Uh, no. Thankfully that didn't last too long and before I knew it the lotion was vigorously being rubbed in to soothe the inflamed skin.
Here's where people who have jobs involving feet - should know about feet.
The proceeded to give my lower legs and feet a normal foot massage. Ya know, one where they move the fingers around and around going top to bottom and bottom to top, not really doing anything but moving the skin/muscle around. This lasted for about 10 minutes and in the end, my feet ended up in worse shape than when I first arrived. They were even more swollen (if that was possible) and now irritated from having been scrubbed and rubbed the wrong way. You see, if a person is giving a pregnant woman a foot massage and she has obvious swelling - the muscles should barely be touched and the skin should be treated with that light, movement I mentioned before that the midwife showed me. The fluid needs to be moved back UP. And you should actually LOOK at the skin before you put some chemical on it. My point - treat a pregnant chick's feet with care because they are incredibly sensitive!
In the end, I gave a small tip and thanked them for my beautiful paint job. I got this cute little design on each big toe. Now - had I actually thought about the process before scheduling the appointment, I would have just sucked it up and gone to a better place. A couple years ago I went to a salon for a friends birthday and had some reflexology done along with an ion-cleanse treatment. It was amazing. I felt like I had a facial and done 2 days of yoga when I was done. Pricey - yes. But well worth it.
Lesson learned. If I want a fancy toe design painted on my toenails - I'll go to this place. If I want to have my feet pampered - I will go to a place that knows a thing or two about some feet.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Things I want to blog about
Of course I haven't kept up on my blog as I had hoped... but I haven't stopped thinking of stuff I want to say. Here's my list as of right now:
- People who work with feet - should know about feet
- Having a baby is bliss
- Dear Declan
- Grateful for family/ friends
- Cats drive me crazy
- My husband is amazing
- Being awake in the middle of the night is lonely
That's it for now. But the plan is to tackle each item in the next couple weeks. Bare with me people... I'm tryin to get my life organized :-)
- People who work with feet - should know about feet
- Having a baby is bliss
- Dear Declan
- Grateful for family/ friends
- Cats drive me crazy
- My husband is amazing
- Being awake in the middle of the night is lonely
That's it for now. But the plan is to tackle each item in the next couple weeks. Bare with me people... I'm tryin to get my life organized :-)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
2011 Quarterly Update
Well not writing until now has been a little unexpected, but that's ok. I'll do my best to catch everyone up!
Baby: Found out on Monday February 14, 2011 that we are having a bouncy baby BOY!!! At first I was a little disappointed, but now I'm super excited. I realized that my lack of thrill came from the fact that I never really "bonded" or connected with Nathan and so in my mind I thought - well, if I have a girl I'll bond with her. I have since come to recognize that it's not because Nathan's a boy, it's because he's not 'mine'. I mean, I love and adore him and he's known me since day 1, but still. It's not the same as his relationship with his mom. Which it shouldn't be anyway. But yeah, all is good. Aaron is excited and most everyone else is happy for us. My mom said that she's disappointed for me because she knew how much I wanted a little girl. However, something I thought was funny... until we found out everyone was like, "Oh, it's a girl for sure." Then I break the news its a boy. Everyone says, "Oh you know what... little boys love their mommies. They are your best friend until they are teenagers. And little girls hate their mommies. So you'll have fun." Super. Thanks people. I love the idea that my kid might hate me.
Anyways... I'm almost 26 weeks along and so far all is well. I had a midwife appt the other day. I've gained 10 lbs, which is terrific because until this point I had been in the negative on weight gain. But weeks 21, 22 and 23 I was an eating machine. I could not get enough to eat. Never felt full. Just ate and ate and ate. It paid off! My belly size is perfect at 25 cm. Baby's heartbeat is around 140bmp and my blood pressure remains super low and ideal. We are also officially registered for a highly recommended childbirth class in June. It'll be a 3 day event, but the lady that give the class is supposed to be really good. I'm excited. Still need to register for the breast feeding class. That'll be in June too.
Baby shower is fast approaching. It will be Saturday May 14. Of course I didn't take into consideration high school / college graduations so a few people have already told me they can't make it. Plus it's the start of wedding season. I was a little down for a week or so knowing these ladies wouldn't make it. But I know I'll see them another time. I just wanted to have all my chicks in one place at one time, ya know? Put faces to names so folks know who I'm talking about. We registered at Babies R Us and Target. That was actually a lot more fun than I imagined. I had gone to Babies R Us a few days prior with a friend and got a lay of the land, so to speak. That helped a LOT. The store wasn't nearly as overwhelming when we registered. A note on registering though... I find it highly frustrating that new parents go through all this effort to register for items they really like and/or need. Yet people still completely disregard the registry and buy what THEY want. So I put a note on both registries to please include a gift receipt. We seriously don't have the room for unnecessary items. We registered for what we truly need.
Which on that note I have to say - we are soooo blessed. A close friend is loaning us her crib, my boss gave us her car seat with two bases AND the stroller that goes with along with a bassinette. Then another friend is loaning me her breast pump. And we've already received a huge bag of bottles and baby toys. All the big items are covered, with the exception of the baby monitor and a couple other things here and there. But still.. that's a lot of stuff we don't have to worry about.
Overall, the pregnancy has been awesome. I haven't had a migraine in 12 weeks. YAY!!! I haven't had any sickness. My biggest thing is that I'm tired, pretty much all the time. But aside from that, I feel great. Pregnancy agrees with me :-)
The Squirt: So he started soccer a couple weeks ago and that's been really fun. He also started swim lessons last week and is doing GREAT. Which is a huge relief to me because I was worried how he'd do this summer when we play with other kids at the pool. Now I can feel confident that he will have fun and not be stressed out by being in the water. Once soccer is over, t-ball season will start up in June. Not sure how many of those games I'll make, but looking forward to it still. It's so fun to watch little kids play in jerseys and little shorts with shin pads and helmets and chase balls around. Fun stuff. He tried out preschool for a little while. Jan - March. That, unfortunately, didn't go as we had hoped. Turns out coming into a class mid way through the year is frowned upon. Whatever. Jerks. The kid is good. So now he's home with mom full time and that seems to be going well again. In general, having a 5 year old hasn't been too challenging. But he is defiant and has his own agenda, which can be frustrating. He and Daddy had a battle of wills last week and that was not fun to witness. Stubborn, strong willed kids are HARD! Regardless, we are all going to do our best to prep him for kindergarten in the fall. It's coming quick. Crazy how fast they grow!
Daddy: Not a whole lot new here. He's shown a lot of different art pieces in various exhibits. There was one at a spa, one at the Jeffco Sheriff's office, another one at a huge art gallery near down town and then this week it's a golf club. The exposure is good, but nothing has sold yet. What is the 'sweet spot' in pricing for good art? Work is still the same. He hates it. Still no raise and no room for growth or other opportunities. He's on the hunt now for a part time job so that we can afford child care come September / October. He did join a softball league for 6 or 8 weeks and that's been fun for him. They have won a couple times and I think most of the guys on the team are pretty focused. It's a good group of men.
Furry Kids: Briseis is doing alright. She's still crazy and super attached to me, which can be good and bad. Right now I'm a little worried just because she gets excited and jumps a lot. I've gotten two firm paws to the lower belly a few times and that doesn't feel real good. Plus she's just not real obedient. We need to really carve out time to work with her and hopefully that will help. Otherwise I'm scared to bring a baby in the house. She pawed me in the face 3 times last week! The cats are fine. They've slowly been getting used to having a dog in the house so Roxy creeps out to the living room every once in a while. Only took 6 months! But when all 3 are in the bedroom, it's fine. They know each other is there but don't mess with one another.
What else? Work is the same for me. Busy busy. Just pluggin along and hopefully moving toward getting my next promotion in July. Gotta attend some training in May for that, but it's cool.
I think of stuff to blog about ALL the time but obviously it hasn't made the transfer over to here. Sorry about that. I'll try to write more and maybe even post a new pic or two! In the mean time... thanks for reading. Hope you feel more in the loop on our life. Adios! xoxox
Baby: Found out on Monday February 14, 2011 that we are having a bouncy baby BOY!!! At first I was a little disappointed, but now I'm super excited. I realized that my lack of thrill came from the fact that I never really "bonded" or connected with Nathan and so in my mind I thought - well, if I have a girl I'll bond with her. I have since come to recognize that it's not because Nathan's a boy, it's because he's not 'mine'. I mean, I love and adore him and he's known me since day 1, but still. It's not the same as his relationship with his mom. Which it shouldn't be anyway. But yeah, all is good. Aaron is excited and most everyone else is happy for us. My mom said that she's disappointed for me because she knew how much I wanted a little girl. However, something I thought was funny... until we found out everyone was like, "Oh, it's a girl for sure." Then I break the news its a boy. Everyone says, "Oh you know what... little boys love their mommies. They are your best friend until they are teenagers. And little girls hate their mommies. So you'll have fun." Super. Thanks people. I love the idea that my kid might hate me.
Anyways... I'm almost 26 weeks along and so far all is well. I had a midwife appt the other day. I've gained 10 lbs, which is terrific because until this point I had been in the negative on weight gain. But weeks 21, 22 and 23 I was an eating machine. I could not get enough to eat. Never felt full. Just ate and ate and ate. It paid off! My belly size is perfect at 25 cm. Baby's heartbeat is around 140bmp and my blood pressure remains super low and ideal. We are also officially registered for a highly recommended childbirth class in June. It'll be a 3 day event, but the lady that give the class is supposed to be really good. I'm excited. Still need to register for the breast feeding class. That'll be in June too.
Baby shower is fast approaching. It will be Saturday May 14. Of course I didn't take into consideration high school / college graduations so a few people have already told me they can't make it. Plus it's the start of wedding season. I was a little down for a week or so knowing these ladies wouldn't make it. But I know I'll see them another time. I just wanted to have all my chicks in one place at one time, ya know? Put faces to names so folks know who I'm talking about. We registered at Babies R Us and Target. That was actually a lot more fun than I imagined. I had gone to Babies R Us a few days prior with a friend and got a lay of the land, so to speak. That helped a LOT. The store wasn't nearly as overwhelming when we registered. A note on registering though... I find it highly frustrating that new parents go through all this effort to register for items they really like and/or need. Yet people still completely disregard the registry and buy what THEY want. So I put a note on both registries to please include a gift receipt. We seriously don't have the room for unnecessary items. We registered for what we truly need.
Which on that note I have to say - we are soooo blessed. A close friend is loaning us her crib, my boss gave us her car seat with two bases AND the stroller that goes with along with a bassinette. Then another friend is loaning me her breast pump. And we've already received a huge bag of bottles and baby toys. All the big items are covered, with the exception of the baby monitor and a couple other things here and there. But still.. that's a lot of stuff we don't have to worry about.
Overall, the pregnancy has been awesome. I haven't had a migraine in 12 weeks. YAY!!! I haven't had any sickness. My biggest thing is that I'm tired, pretty much all the time. But aside from that, I feel great. Pregnancy agrees with me :-)
The Squirt: So he started soccer a couple weeks ago and that's been really fun. He also started swim lessons last week and is doing GREAT. Which is a huge relief to me because I was worried how he'd do this summer when we play with other kids at the pool. Now I can feel confident that he will have fun and not be stressed out by being in the water. Once soccer is over, t-ball season will start up in June. Not sure how many of those games I'll make, but looking forward to it still. It's so fun to watch little kids play in jerseys and little shorts with shin pads and helmets and chase balls around. Fun stuff. He tried out preschool for a little while. Jan - March. That, unfortunately, didn't go as we had hoped. Turns out coming into a class mid way through the year is frowned upon. Whatever. Jerks. The kid is good. So now he's home with mom full time and that seems to be going well again. In general, having a 5 year old hasn't been too challenging. But he is defiant and has his own agenda, which can be frustrating. He and Daddy had a battle of wills last week and that was not fun to witness. Stubborn, strong willed kids are HARD! Regardless, we are all going to do our best to prep him for kindergarten in the fall. It's coming quick. Crazy how fast they grow!
Daddy: Not a whole lot new here. He's shown a lot of different art pieces in various exhibits. There was one at a spa, one at the Jeffco Sheriff's office, another one at a huge art gallery near down town and then this week it's a golf club. The exposure is good, but nothing has sold yet. What is the 'sweet spot' in pricing for good art? Work is still the same. He hates it. Still no raise and no room for growth or other opportunities. He's on the hunt now for a part time job so that we can afford child care come September / October. He did join a softball league for 6 or 8 weeks and that's been fun for him. They have won a couple times and I think most of the guys on the team are pretty focused. It's a good group of men.
Furry Kids: Briseis is doing alright. She's still crazy and super attached to me, which can be good and bad. Right now I'm a little worried just because she gets excited and jumps a lot. I've gotten two firm paws to the lower belly a few times and that doesn't feel real good. Plus she's just not real obedient. We need to really carve out time to work with her and hopefully that will help. Otherwise I'm scared to bring a baby in the house. She pawed me in the face 3 times last week! The cats are fine. They've slowly been getting used to having a dog in the house so Roxy creeps out to the living room every once in a while. Only took 6 months! But when all 3 are in the bedroom, it's fine. They know each other is there but don't mess with one another.
What else? Work is the same for me. Busy busy. Just pluggin along and hopefully moving toward getting my next promotion in July. Gotta attend some training in May for that, but it's cool.
I think of stuff to blog about ALL the time but obviously it hasn't made the transfer over to here. Sorry about that. I'll try to write more and maybe even post a new pic or two! In the mean time... thanks for reading. Hope you feel more in the loop on our life. Adios! xoxox
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Exciting News for the New Year
For those that know me well, keeping a secret about myself doesn't usually last long. So to have to keep something for 8 weeks has been excruciating!! But it was with much excitement that we announced on Tuesday - I AM PREGNANT!!!!! Whew. Word is out. I feel such a huge sense of relief now.
So, when did I find out? Monday, November 8th.
I don't know how many women have the fear that they won't be able to get pregnant, but I was definitely one of them. We started trying in October with the idea that it would take at least 4-6 months. Well... first time's a charm baby!
Ok. The reveal. Friday the 6th I was a week late with my period so when I got home from work I took a test. Hubby and kiddo were home so I quietly disappeared to the bathroom. First mistake was that I kept Briseis out. I peed on the stick, set it on the counter. Almost immediately Briseis started to freak out. You are supposed to wait 3 minutes to read the results, but I was short on time. I looked at the stick, saw the dark line for "Negative", tossed it in the trash and opened the door to a crazy puppy. Next day we went to the park because the weather was gorgeous!! It's rare that we have a sunny AND warm Saturday in November, so we took full advantage. As hubby and I sat on a bench watching kiddo play I said, "What if I can't get pregnant?" And hubby said, "I think you are worrying way too soon." Of course he was right. That Monday morning the 8th I went to walk Brieis at around 5:45am. As we were walking I got curious. The box for the pee tests say not to read the results after 10 minutes. Well what happens after 10 minutes? Do the results go wacko? She and I got back and I dug through the trash and pulled out the test from Friday. It read POSITIVE!!! GAH!! I had already peed! I chugged 3 glasses of water and hopped in the shower. Got out, managed to squeeze out a pee and TADA!! POSITIVE!!! I couldn't believe it. I called CiCi. Texted her. And proceeded to completely freak out. FINALLY CiCi called back. I told her, "I took a test and it's positive." OMG... her reaction was by far the best ever. She screamed and cried. And screamed. It was awesome.
Went to work. Waited until 11 to take lunch. Went up the street to Rite aid, bought a test and peed right there. POSITIVE!! However, I know tests are supposed to be accurate.. but I just couldn't believe it. Got back to work and called my Dr. office. They had an appt at 3:30 that afternoon. Sure enough their test confirmed that I was in fact pregnant. YAY! Of course I had all day to figure out a creative way to tell hubby. Nothing fit though. SO I just went old fashioned. Got home, walked in, sat down on the couch with him and blurted it out. YAY! We both cried and hugged and it's been amazing ever since.
I haven't had any morning/afternoon sickness at all. I was really tired weeks 2-9. And last week I was dizzy for a few hours. But aside from that, no issues. We had our first prenatal appt on December 9th. The midwife did an impromptu ultrasound which helped me feel more secure that there was actually a baby in there. It was so neat. You can totally see the arm buds and leg buds and the heart valves pumping super fast. We got a picture - see below.
My next appointment is this Thursday. I'll have the full physical exam and hopefully hear the heartbeat. I have started to show a tiny bit and thanks to some great finds here and there I have a few staple clothing items that make me feel more comfortable. Then, on February 8th we find out the sex of our little "Sweet Pea". I can't wait!!!
What else has been going on?
Kiddo turned 5 in November. Hard to believe he's that old already. He is completely obsessed with presents, which I haven't quite figured out how to deal with yet. Then hubby and I spent Thanksgiving in Albuquerque, NM with my girlfriend and her family. We had a really great visit and Briseis did great on the road. Christmas came way too quick this year. We had kiddo which was really fun. Since we hadn't had him for Christmas since he was 3, it was neat to see him so excited. He was very motivated by Santa. Overall, it was a really nice holiday season. We had lots of home time just relaxing and being together.
Work is still pretty busy. I learn something new every day.
Still don't miss school. Ha ha. No surprise there, right?
Briseis is doing really well. She's been with us for almost 4 months. She actually just went into heat again last week so we're dealing with that. Little fuzzy butt is crazy!!
Home is great. Hubby and I are super excited for our new arrival and to have this time together before life is changed forever. Truthfully, I feel like a different person being out of school. I'm less stressed, less on edge, and feel overall relaxed. Or as much as I can be. It's nice.
Next on the agenda is a trip to D.C. to see my best friend in February. It will be a quick trip, but I can't wait to see her. She's pregnant too - about 3 weeks behind me which is SUPER exciting. Other than that... we're just taking it day by day. I'm happy. I'm healthy and life is good.
OH! The guess due date is July 15, 2011.
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