Unless you have babies or are thinking about having them, this blog is probably getting terribly boring. Sorry about that - but sleep is a current obsession of mine. So here's the summary of day 2. I'm proud that Mark and I have been sticking to the plan. One more day until the "three day magic" is supposed to happen - although really, if we just see even a small consistent improvement, that will help keep us going for longer.
Nap #1: It took Mark 20 minutes to get him down (morning nap is the easiest). This is the same compared to yesterday's morning nap. He did sleep 10 minutes longer than yesterday though (30 min instead of 20 min).
Nap #2: This has been our biggest struggle. It took 1 hour 10 minutes to get him down today (same as yesterday), but it included a lot less wailing - still lots of fussing (I could handle this - he sounded frustrated instead of desperate), but also a lot less hands-on. He was pretty insistent that I sit next to the crib (wailing would arise if I tried to leave), but I didn't have to hold him, pour my entire upper half into the crib (which I did yesterday - trust me this is not very comfortable - particularly because the crib rail digs into ones armpit), or even pat him that much, so that's still an improvement. Just lots of paci replacement, and bouts of soothing touches when he got himself too worked up. Length wasn't so great - only took a 30 minute nap (there's something wrong with this picture when it takes over an hour to get a 30 minute nap out of this boy!). He definitely needed more sleep, but he had enough that he wasn't going to go down too easy, and I thought it better just to go ahead and get him up.
Bedtime - This is where we saw a great improvement. He only took 10 minutes to go to sleep!! Yeah, Ben! Last night he slept for 2 hours before waking up (improvement over 30-45 minutes prior). We'll see how long he stays down before getting up - it's been 45 minutes so far...
Look for Day 3 update tomorrow. Keep thinking good thoughts/praying for us!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Sleep Training - Day 1
Benjamin's sleep habits are out of control. To no fault of his own, he has become quite demanding on the sleep-front - wanting to be rocked into a deep sleep, waking up soon after being put down to be rocked again (or simply held while he sleeps during times of Mark or my impatience). His newest trick is to take a 45-minute nap at bedtime (7:00ish), and then wake up and either stay up whining because he's tired, or sleep only while being held. The last few nights I've enjoyed movies and lots of TV catch up as I held him between 8:00 (waking from his bedtime "nap" until 11 PM (my bed time). He then comes into bed with me (Mark has since moved (temporarily!) to the guest room to make everyone more comfortable), and wakes up frequently to nurse or to snuggle if I've moved too far away.
It's sometimes endearing to see how close to us he wants to be. The rest of the time it's frustrating and exhausting.
So today is the first day that we've committed to actually doing something about it (well, about a week ago we were going to try for a rigid schedule, but gave up on that after a day and half). After reading the options (both extremes and in the middle), we're settling for the "3-day solution" from the Baby Whisperer book, focusing on the chapter that speaks specifically of our "accidental parenting" approach. I think it's the kindest to the baby (ie not crying it out - you work fairly intensely with the babe), but reaches our ultimate goal of more than 2 hours per day of non-Ben focused time (seriously, that's about all we get right now - and 2 hours per day means 24-hour period!). One thing to note: Baby whisperer says it's 3-days for a baby under 4 months old - we should expect 3-days per step, and we have a few steps to go, so it may take a little while. I'm hoping we'll have a solid sleeper in about a month.
So today, we spent about 3 hours of intense hands-on "sleep training" to get those 2 hours of free time. I think it went well, even if we did have a few screaming fits (Ben screaming, that is, not us), until we figured out how to soothe him with the least amount of help possible (ie finding that middle ground between rocking him to sleep and letting him cry himself there). He's been down for about 45 minutes now, so I'm expecting him to wake up shortly from his bedtime nap.
I'll try to post again to let you know how day 2 goes tomorrow...
It's sometimes endearing to see how close to us he wants to be. The rest of the time it's frustrating and exhausting.
So today is the first day that we've committed to actually doing something about it (well, about a week ago we were going to try for a rigid schedule, but gave up on that after a day and half). After reading the options (both extremes and in the middle), we're settling for the "3-day solution" from the Baby Whisperer book, focusing on the chapter that speaks specifically of our "accidental parenting" approach. I think it's the kindest to the baby (ie not crying it out - you work fairly intensely with the babe), but reaches our ultimate goal of more than 2 hours per day of non-Ben focused time (seriously, that's about all we get right now - and 2 hours per day means 24-hour period!). One thing to note: Baby whisperer says it's 3-days for a baby under 4 months old - we should expect 3-days per step, and we have a few steps to go, so it may take a little while. I'm hoping we'll have a solid sleeper in about a month.
So today, we spent about 3 hours of intense hands-on "sleep training" to get those 2 hours of free time. I think it went well, even if we did have a few screaming fits (Ben screaming, that is, not us), until we figured out how to soothe him with the least amount of help possible (ie finding that middle ground between rocking him to sleep and letting him cry himself there). He's been down for about 45 minutes now, so I'm expecting him to wake up shortly from his bedtime nap.
I'll try to post again to let you know how day 2 goes tomorrow...
Friday, December 28, 2007
New Photos!
I've caught up on updating our photos on our picasa site (see link to right). Happy viewing!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Last Six Months...
Benjamin turned six months old on Dec. 8. Mark and I were going to celebrate with him by making a six-month birthday cake, similar to one I saw in a magazine - which is essentially a 1/2 cake, iced all the way around. Well, the cake didn't turn out quite as nice as expected (it looked like a 1/2 eaten birthday cake), and we couldn't seem to get around to taking the picture of it with Benjamin - so we ate it late one night after he went to bed.
So that last six months has been crazy. It's hard to believe that Benjamin's already six months old - and yet it's also hard to remember what our lives were like (and a full night of sleep) before he arrived. I think we're finally ready to settle into a routine, now that Mark is done with his audition, and I've made it through the "big event" I'd been planning for work (which culminated into 50-hour weeks at the end). With the sigh of relief that we've made it to the calendar page we'd been waiting for, also comes the anxiety about what lies ahead. We both knew the past few months was not going to be fun. What happens if it's still incredibly stressful even after all these events have passed?
For months, I've been meaning to write in my blog my feelings about motherhood. I lacked either the time or the motivation, but now as Benjamin lay newly asleep in his crib and Mark is on "baby duty," I have both - so we'll see if I'm able to put into words what I feel.
What I can say, is that I feel very deep emotion, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what they are and hard to put into words. I think that a lot of the intensity of entering motherhood has been postponed, because until you hit your stride, I don't think your brain can process past survival. Our survival mode was perhaps somewhat extended by our career pursuits, and I'm trying to prepare myself for perhaps a second "postpartum" swing as we settle into our new lives.
I figured I would feel a very deep love for our son, which I do. I wasn't startled when it took a while to settle in, as I've been fortunate enough to have friends who have shared those early feelings (or lack of) that they felt for their newborns. What is different though, is that while I do often find Ben fascinating (Mark and I spent dinner a few nights ago in silent awe as we watched him try to chew a crumb of bread that we gave him), other times I just don't know what to do with him. I get tired of trying to find things to say, and sometimes tired of including him in my life, when I really just want some quiet time to get a few things done.
Having a baby is also hard on a marriage. Mark and I have been fortunate enough to have had a very easy marriage up to this point - with very few conflicts that needed resolving. The biggest struggle with bringing a baby into the family is the lack of time - to spend with each other, to spend alone doing the things we each individually want to do (only one person can do this at a time - the other needs to watch the baby). I feel good about our relationship, but it has definitely taken more work over the last few months. That being said, I'm also very proud at how we've made it a priority to keep our relationship strong, and have both made concerted efforts to keep the other person's well being in mind, when the natural tendency is to be concerned with what I'm getting out of the relationship.
Having a baby also brings about a lot of anxiety. It begins with worrying about his welfare- if I bring him into my bed, will I roll over on him? - Is he getting enough to eat - Is this just a cold, or something worse? Later, you worry about how you are "conditioning" him - do I let him cry it out so that he'll learn to soothe himself, or do I let him sleep in my bed until he's 12 so that he'll feel safe and secure (okay maybe not that long, but still...) - both methods have claims that they improve a child's self esteem and confidence. Is he getting enough attention - am I interacting with him enough? Is he getting too much attention, should I encourage him to play on his own?
All these fears seem like no big deal, until your worrying about your own baby. Rational thought sometimes goes out the window.
Having a baby is also a constant struggle between longing for past, wanting to fast forward to the future, and trying to remember to appreciate the days right now. I already look at Ben's newborn pictures, and wish I could remember more about what it was like to hold such a tiny guy, and wonder why I couldn't appreciate those early days more (instead of being so anxiety-ridden). Some days, I also want to fast forward to the future - to where he'll be eating more solids, so I can leave the house for more than two hours without pumping, or to where he'll finally sleep through the night - or at least for more than 3 hours at a time. Amidst all of these thoughts, I also know everyone says that these are such precious days, and they will pass too quickly, so I try to remember to appreciate his phase and what we're living right now.
Well, I've lost the energy and focus to keep going (it's been a long day). I do hope to be more diligent in keeping this blog. I hope that I've captured some of my feelings about motherhood in this snapshot in our lives. It really is such a life-changing experience, which sounds so cliche, but it's hard to capture the enormity in which it changes your life - not just in how you spend your time, or in how much sleep you get, but in your emotional thought life as well.
Good night everyone - sweet dreams!
So that last six months has been crazy. It's hard to believe that Benjamin's already six months old - and yet it's also hard to remember what our lives were like (and a full night of sleep) before he arrived. I think we're finally ready to settle into a routine, now that Mark is done with his audition, and I've made it through the "big event" I'd been planning for work (which culminated into 50-hour weeks at the end). With the sigh of relief that we've made it to the calendar page we'd been waiting for, also comes the anxiety about what lies ahead. We both knew the past few months was not going to be fun. What happens if it's still incredibly stressful even after all these events have passed?
For months, I've been meaning to write in my blog my feelings about motherhood. I lacked either the time or the motivation, but now as Benjamin lay newly asleep in his crib and Mark is on "baby duty," I have both - so we'll see if I'm able to put into words what I feel.
What I can say, is that I feel very deep emotion, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what they are and hard to put into words. I think that a lot of the intensity of entering motherhood has been postponed, because until you hit your stride, I don't think your brain can process past survival. Our survival mode was perhaps somewhat extended by our career pursuits, and I'm trying to prepare myself for perhaps a second "postpartum" swing as we settle into our new lives.
I figured I would feel a very deep love for our son, which I do. I wasn't startled when it took a while to settle in, as I've been fortunate enough to have friends who have shared those early feelings (or lack of) that they felt for their newborns. What is different though, is that while I do often find Ben fascinating (Mark and I spent dinner a few nights ago in silent awe as we watched him try to chew a crumb of bread that we gave him), other times I just don't know what to do with him. I get tired of trying to find things to say, and sometimes tired of including him in my life, when I really just want some quiet time to get a few things done.
Having a baby is also hard on a marriage. Mark and I have been fortunate enough to have had a very easy marriage up to this point - with very few conflicts that needed resolving. The biggest struggle with bringing a baby into the family is the lack of time - to spend with each other, to spend alone doing the things we each individually want to do (only one person can do this at a time - the other needs to watch the baby). I feel good about our relationship, but it has definitely taken more work over the last few months. That being said, I'm also very proud at how we've made it a priority to keep our relationship strong, and have both made concerted efforts to keep the other person's well being in mind, when the natural tendency is to be concerned with what I'm getting out of the relationship.
Having a baby also brings about a lot of anxiety. It begins with worrying about his welfare- if I bring him into my bed, will I roll over on him? - Is he getting enough to eat - Is this just a cold, or something worse? Later, you worry about how you are "conditioning" him - do I let him cry it out so that he'll learn to soothe himself, or do I let him sleep in my bed until he's 12 so that he'll feel safe and secure (okay maybe not that long, but still...) - both methods have claims that they improve a child's self esteem and confidence. Is he getting enough attention - am I interacting with him enough? Is he getting too much attention, should I encourage him to play on his own?
All these fears seem like no big deal, until your worrying about your own baby. Rational thought sometimes goes out the window.
Having a baby is also a constant struggle between longing for past, wanting to fast forward to the future, and trying to remember to appreciate the days right now. I already look at Ben's newborn pictures, and wish I could remember more about what it was like to hold such a tiny guy, and wonder why I couldn't appreciate those early days more (instead of being so anxiety-ridden). Some days, I also want to fast forward to the future - to where he'll be eating more solids, so I can leave the house for more than two hours without pumping, or to where he'll finally sleep through the night - or at least for more than 3 hours at a time. Amidst all of these thoughts, I also know everyone says that these are such precious days, and they will pass too quickly, so I try to remember to appreciate his phase and what we're living right now.
Well, I've lost the energy and focus to keep going (it's been a long day). I do hope to be more diligent in keeping this blog. I hope that I've captured some of my feelings about motherhood in this snapshot in our lives. It really is such a life-changing experience, which sounds so cliche, but it's hard to capture the enormity in which it changes your life - not just in how you spend your time, or in how much sleep you get, but in your emotional thought life as well.
Good night everyone - sweet dreams!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A first taste...
Today Benjamin had his first taste of rice cereal. Yum! Can't you tell how much he enjoyed it?
This last picture shows he survived without too much trauma. Feeding time is done, and you can tell - he looks a little relieved!! But really, he did quite well for it being his first taste of anything but milk. I think he'll be eating with gusto in no time!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Naked Belly Time!
A few cute new pictures of Benjamin, because I couldn't resist. A true update will follow - although maybe not really for a few more weeks. Must get through 1st week of December. Then it should be a little easier for a while (let's hope!)...
It's naked belly time! Ben's favorite activity following bath time!
It's naked belly time! Ben's favorite activity following bath time!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Halloween Pictures are Up!
So, do you remember our Picasa site for pictures? Well, Mark actually created it. And it's been a pain in the rear to upload pictures to it from my side of the computer. Today I accidentally uploaded our halloween pictures to my picasa site (which I didn't know I had, but I guess since I have a google blog, I have one automatically?
As a result, I guess I'm starting a new website for our pictures. I'll have to figure out later how to transfer Mark's pictures to it. For now, see the new link (to the right) that says Our Pictures (new). I hope to get the rest of October's pictures up soon.
Happy viewing!!
As a result, I guess I'm starting a new website for our pictures. I'll have to figure out later how to transfer Mark's pictures to it. For now, see the new link (to the right) that says Our Pictures (new). I hope to get the rest of October's pictures up soon.
Happy viewing!!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Updating Links
So I've emailed a few of you to get permission to add your blog link to my blog. If you don't want to - no sweat! But if you have a blog, and I didn't ask permission, it's because either your blog is set to private, or because I don't know you have a blog. If the latter is true, please let me know - I'd love to keep up with you via your blog!!
The first link is to our Picasa website where we post lots of our pictures. I'm a month behind, but I'll try to catch up.
Thanks to all my blog readers! Oh, assuming Julia gives me permission to post the link to her blog, you totally have to check it out - it has AMAZING pictures! And if you like it, go to the link on her page to vote for it as the "best blog" - her and her husband Tyson designed it themselves (from scratch, without the use of a tool like google." How's that for a pitch, Julia? How are you doing with votes?
And Robyn, next time there's a vote for my cute baby contest, let me know, and I'll post the link on my blog too!
Happy reading to all - and to all a good night!
The first link is to our Picasa website where we post lots of our pictures. I'm a month behind, but I'll try to catch up.
Thanks to all my blog readers! Oh, assuming Julia gives me permission to post the link to her blog, you totally have to check it out - it has AMAZING pictures! And if you like it, go to the link on her page to vote for it as the "best blog" - her and her husband Tyson designed it themselves (from scratch, without the use of a tool like google." How's that for a pitch, Julia? How are you doing with votes?
And Robyn, next time there's a vote for my cute baby contest, let me know, and I'll post the link on my blog too!
Happy reading to all - and to all a good night!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
September Pictures Are Up!
I'm a month behind, but I finally got a few of our favorite pictures from September up on our Picasa site. Watch for September videos - coming soon!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Ahh, the Quiet
It's been a while since I've posted an update. It's been a crazy (but fun) few weeks. The first week of October we took Benjamin on his first airplane ride, and his first trip out of Houston. We went to Colorado for a friend's wedding. We arrived home, where the Grandparents (my parents) were waiting to help us out for a week. I was supposed to have this big, week-long event that week for work- thankfully, it was postponed until December (especially thankfully since I am the one planning it, and am still nowhere near ready) - but my folks already had plane tickets (we had asked them to visit/watch Benjamin while I worked), and it was time for them to see their grandson again, so we stuck to the original plan. They were a huge help, I got some work done, AND we laid sod in my backyard. Not bad!
That brings us to this week. My folks were supposed to leave on Monday, but couldn't get out of town until Tuesday. Then Wednesday Benjamin had his four month check-up. Then Wednesday night all hell broke loose.
Okay, granted, I'm exaggerating a bit. As you know from previous posts, sleep is something we're always trying to figure out with Benjamin. But then Wednesday it hit an all time low. Was it the trip to CO? No, I don't think so, because although we had some rough nights there, Benjamin returned to more or less the same sleep patterns when we returned home (except a few less naps, since the grandparents are way more exciting than going to sleep). We even had a few record between-feedings - 7.5 hours one night! Was it having someone different take care of him most of the day? Still no, I think, because he slept well while they were here. Was it their departure again? Was it the immunization shots from the doctor on Wednesday? I'm a little more prone to think it has something to do with this. I think his leg was really sore on Wednesday night, and that contributed to being uncomfortable as he was trying to go to sleep. But then why such madness Thursday night, and Friday night, and again tonight? I really don't know. Deep down my irrational fear is that the immunizations messed with his brain (there are theories going around that the immunizations cause autism). While I don't really think it is that, there is definitely something psychological going on with sleep. I think it's also seeped into nap time issues, but somehow we're getting around truly dealing with that, though, because it seems that we go on a walk or run an errand periodically enough that he takes naps in his car seat.
So, you are wondering, what does a tough sleep night look like in the Griffith house? Well it begins with whining. Benjamin is starting to get sleepy. So I try to put him to bed. It seems that as soon as he figures out that's what is going on, he starts SCREAMING. The all caps is NOT an over dramatization. I can begin to understand the pain/fear/overwhelmingness that caring for a colicky child during a meltdown can be. So then I decide he's not really tired enough, so I get him up to play again. He seems relieved for a few moments not to be going to sleep, but then starts whining again because he's tired. Repeat sequence. More screaming. Repeat sequence. Same. Wednesday night I was successful in nursing him to sleep, thinking this was a one time thing because his leg hurt. Thursday and Friday night, not such luck. I thought maybe he was hungry, because his feedings are starting to spread out. Last night, I tried feeding him at 7, 8, 9 and 10 pm. He'd be happy to nurse - until my milk would let down, and he'd start crying. Wasn't hungry. Was he uncomfortable? I tried rocking, then swaying him different ways. Nope that wasn't it, either.
Of course, like all baby (or otherwise) issues that rise up, they always happen to do so right before Mark hits a busy time at work. He had/has concerts Thursday - Sunday nights this week. Four long nights of figuring out this thing solo. Last night, Mark actually did put him to bed. Because the boy was still up at 10:30 when he got home. I had been trying to get him to bed since 7:30. It was maddening and heartbreaking. Tonight, Mark thought he would give it a try before he went to work. But after about 1/2 hour of listening to Ben scream, I had to intervene, because it was driving me crazy.
So we found a solution, for tonight at least (hence the title - finally a quiet night in the Griffith household - at least for now). I took him into bed to nurse him middle of the night style (both of us lying down). After he ate, I held him there by my side. He squirmed for a while, then settled in, then went to sleep. No crying. No screaming. I waited until I was sure he was good and asleep before getting up and returning him to his crib. That was 45 minutes ago, and he's still asleep. A MUCH needed break. So tonight I broke another ideal of how I was going to raise this child "Ideal 4: He'll learn to fall asleep on his own so that he develops good sleeping habits, and doesn't have sleep issues as an adult." Hopefully this is not an iff (if and only if for you math nerds out there - this ones for you Lara!) statement. I figure though that screaming himself to sleep is not a healthier way to approach sleep. So we'll try this method for a while, and see if it works. And then try to go after Ideal #4 again.
In case your lost, Ideals #1,2&3 went out the window within the first week of his life. Those were: #1 - no formula (still have only given it to him once, but that once was on the evening of the third night when my milk hadn't come in, he was hungry, and we were panicked & exhausted). #2 - no pacifier. I think this was the night after we broke #1. Or maybe it was the other way around. #3 - no co sleeping. I think he was in our bed around the fifth or sixth night.
So I guess that's not bad to go about 4 months between breaking this latest parenting ideal? One thing Benjamin has taught me so far is to never judge another parent. Those ideals are great, but you have to be willing to let them go too!
Anyways, I'm still blogging away. And our house is still quiet. What a beautiful sound. Good night everyone!
That brings us to this week. My folks were supposed to leave on Monday, but couldn't get out of town until Tuesday. Then Wednesday Benjamin had his four month check-up. Then Wednesday night all hell broke loose.
Okay, granted, I'm exaggerating a bit. As you know from previous posts, sleep is something we're always trying to figure out with Benjamin. But then Wednesday it hit an all time low. Was it the trip to CO? No, I don't think so, because although we had some rough nights there, Benjamin returned to more or less the same sleep patterns when we returned home (except a few less naps, since the grandparents are way more exciting than going to sleep). We even had a few record between-feedings - 7.5 hours one night! Was it having someone different take care of him most of the day? Still no, I think, because he slept well while they were here. Was it their departure again? Was it the immunization shots from the doctor on Wednesday? I'm a little more prone to think it has something to do with this. I think his leg was really sore on Wednesday night, and that contributed to being uncomfortable as he was trying to go to sleep. But then why such madness Thursday night, and Friday night, and again tonight? I really don't know. Deep down my irrational fear is that the immunizations messed with his brain (there are theories going around that the immunizations cause autism). While I don't really think it is that, there is definitely something psychological going on with sleep. I think it's also seeped into nap time issues, but somehow we're getting around truly dealing with that, though, because it seems that we go on a walk or run an errand periodically enough that he takes naps in his car seat.
So, you are wondering, what does a tough sleep night look like in the Griffith house? Well it begins with whining. Benjamin is starting to get sleepy. So I try to put him to bed. It seems that as soon as he figures out that's what is going on, he starts SCREAMING. The all caps is NOT an over dramatization. I can begin to understand the pain/fear/overwhelmingness that caring for a colicky child during a meltdown can be. So then I decide he's not really tired enough, so I get him up to play again. He seems relieved for a few moments not to be going to sleep, but then starts whining again because he's tired. Repeat sequence. More screaming. Repeat sequence. Same. Wednesday night I was successful in nursing him to sleep, thinking this was a one time thing because his leg hurt. Thursday and Friday night, not such luck. I thought maybe he was hungry, because his feedings are starting to spread out. Last night, I tried feeding him at 7, 8, 9 and 10 pm. He'd be happy to nurse - until my milk would let down, and he'd start crying. Wasn't hungry. Was he uncomfortable? I tried rocking, then swaying him different ways. Nope that wasn't it, either.
Of course, like all baby (or otherwise) issues that rise up, they always happen to do so right before Mark hits a busy time at work. He had/has concerts Thursday - Sunday nights this week. Four long nights of figuring out this thing solo. Last night, Mark actually did put him to bed. Because the boy was still up at 10:30 when he got home. I had been trying to get him to bed since 7:30. It was maddening and heartbreaking. Tonight, Mark thought he would give it a try before he went to work. But after about 1/2 hour of listening to Ben scream, I had to intervene, because it was driving me crazy.
So we found a solution, for tonight at least (hence the title - finally a quiet night in the Griffith household - at least for now). I took him into bed to nurse him middle of the night style (both of us lying down). After he ate, I held him there by my side. He squirmed for a while, then settled in, then went to sleep. No crying. No screaming. I waited until I was sure he was good and asleep before getting up and returning him to his crib. That was 45 minutes ago, and he's still asleep. A MUCH needed break. So tonight I broke another ideal of how I was going to raise this child "Ideal 4: He'll learn to fall asleep on his own so that he develops good sleeping habits, and doesn't have sleep issues as an adult." Hopefully this is not an iff (if and only if for you math nerds out there - this ones for you Lara!) statement. I figure though that screaming himself to sleep is not a healthier way to approach sleep. So we'll try this method for a while, and see if it works. And then try to go after Ideal #4 again.
In case your lost, Ideals #1,2&3 went out the window within the first week of his life. Those were: #1 - no formula (still have only given it to him once, but that once was on the evening of the third night when my milk hadn't come in, he was hungry, and we were panicked & exhausted). #2 - no pacifier. I think this was the night after we broke #1. Or maybe it was the other way around. #3 - no co sleeping. I think he was in our bed around the fifth or sixth night.
So I guess that's not bad to go about 4 months between breaking this latest parenting ideal? One thing Benjamin has taught me so far is to never judge another parent. Those ideals are great, but you have to be willing to let them go too!
Anyways, I'm still blogging away. And our house is still quiet. What a beautiful sound. Good night everyone!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Loud Mouth
So Benjamin is learning how to talk. And he likes to talk LOUDLY. I can hear him all the way across the house. It's pretty funny. I've taken one successful video (I think). Everytime we come near him with a camera (video or still), he gets real quiet and just stares. But he's really funny to hear when he gets talking. It's mostly shreiks, some "ahhs", some "goo's" and even a few "Buh's" every now and then. He's definitely got the volume, and his voice has some melody to it, as he goes up and down. Just thought I'd share.
And the sleep thing - perhaps many of you are wondering how our plan is going. Well it's isn't. Not because the methods failed, but because we haven't given them a really good try. We went on a date one night, had a visitor another night, and then a friend came to visit from out of own (didn't stay with us), but we were out late yet again. Plus I really, really like my evening strolls - and am just not ready to give them up . I can't seem to get out of the house early enough to make it not an issue of interfering with his sleep.
But I've also made another discovery. At least for the time being - he changes so fast, it's hard to make any real-lasting discoveries. He does pretty well getting himself to bed if I put him down in the right window. If I get him too close to sleep, he gets frustrated being put down. If I put him down too early, he's just not tired and wants to party. Last night I found the window, and he went down pretty easily. But then I had to pick up Mark and a friend at 10:15 from Downtown (long story of poorly planned evening (although a very fun evening!)), so I had to wake him up and take him with me. Then he REALLY didn't want to go to bed.
But -good news. Tonight is my first night off from bedtime duty in 4 nights. So Mark gets to figure out the secret for one evening. Ahh, how nice! :)
I tried to post a few new pictures, but I'm getting error messages - so those will have to wait until the next entry. :) Happy week to you all!
And the sleep thing - perhaps many of you are wondering how our plan is going. Well it's isn't. Not because the methods failed, but because we haven't given them a really good try. We went on a date one night, had a visitor another night, and then a friend came to visit from out of own (didn't stay with us), but we were out late yet again. Plus I really, really like my evening strolls - and am just not ready to give them up . I can't seem to get out of the house early enough to make it not an issue of interfering with his sleep.
But I've also made another discovery. At least for the time being - he changes so fast, it's hard to make any real-lasting discoveries. He does pretty well getting himself to bed if I put him down in the right window. If I get him too close to sleep, he gets frustrated being put down. If I put him down too early, he's just not tired and wants to party. Last night I found the window, and he went down pretty easily. But then I had to pick up Mark and a friend at 10:15 from Downtown (long story of poorly planned evening (although a very fun evening!)), so I had to wake him up and take him with me. Then he REALLY didn't want to go to bed.
But -good news. Tonight is my first night off from bedtime duty in 4 nights. So Mark gets to figure out the secret for one evening. Ahh, how nice! :)
I tried to post a few new pictures, but I'm getting error messages - so those will have to wait until the next entry. :) Happy week to you all!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Yeah for Benjamin...
And yeah for sleep! Last night Benjamin slept like a rock star (maybe it's because he wore his tie dyed "I'm with the Band" t-shirt. He only got up once at 3 AM to eat, and then went right back to sleep, leaving us to continue sleeping until the luxurious hour of 7 AM! And a double yeah because last night was the first night that Benjamin slept in his room ALL NIGHT!! Perhaps this is no coincidence - maybe Mark and I are the reason he keeps waking up during the night? We'll try this trick again tonight, and see if it works again...
Our current routine is that Benjamin takes his naps and is put to bed in his crib. When he wakes up for his first feeding, we put him in our co-sleeping bedside crib thingy, and continue to return him there after each nighttime feeding. Last night we decided to return him to his crib after the 3 AM feeding, which means he slept there all night, and Mark and I finally had our room back to ourselves. Yeah!!
Now before you think we have this whole sleeping thing figured out (which we don't by the way, which you'll probably learn in a future blog post where I complain that he is up every two hours again), he's napping well, sleeping pretty well at night - but bedtime has become this huge struggle - often lasting 1+ hours trying to put him down. We had been trying to get him to sleep at 9 pm, and sometimes he would even go down as early as 8 or 8:30. Lately, though, it's been creeping closer to 10 pm, leaving Mark and I with no alone time together at night.
To remedy this, we're going to try two approaches. One is we're going to start waking him up in the morning. He'll often sleep until 8 am or even 8:30. Today is the first day we were going to try to wake him up, but he woke up on his own out of hunger at 7. It's going to be hard - anyone who has a baby knows that waking a sleeping baby is hard. And no, it's not just because they are cute when they sleep (which they are), but because you are faced with this situation of consciously giving up some of your own free time. I could take a shower and eat breakfast - or - I could wake up Benjamin. Not that I don't love seeing our little cutie in the morning (first morning smiles from his crib are one of the most adorable, heart-warming things I've ever experienced), but if I wake him up, I'll have to change his diaper, feed him and entertain him for at least an hour while I drag myself around hungry and smelly. I'm rambling...
The second approach, which I'm not totally committed to yet, is to either nix the evening walk or move it earlier in the afternoon. I don't like this for a couple of reasons. One is I love my evening walks (often using them to catch up with friends and family on the phone - and no one will be home in the afternoon), or Mark and I get a chance to chat if he can come on the walk. Secondly, it's still pretty hot here in the afternoon. But Benjamin seems to think the stroller is his crib during our evening walk, and gets a pretty good nap in while we're walking. This could be delaying his bedtime - particularly because if he falls asleep during our walk at 7 PM, he's refreshed for several hours - and if we are at home, I wonder if there is a chance that he could go to sleep for the night if he were in his crib.
Anyways, we'll keep trying to figure out this bedtime thing, and we'll keep you posted if we have any success. If you have any handy tricks for getting your baby to sleep at night, let me know! I find it strange that he can go down just fine for a nap, but that somehow he knows when he goes down for bedtime that it's for the long haul and he wants to fight it. Curious...
Because I can't resist, here's a few new pictures of the little guy:
Our current routine is that Benjamin takes his naps and is put to bed in his crib. When he wakes up for his first feeding, we put him in our co-sleeping bedside crib thingy, and continue to return him there after each nighttime feeding. Last night we decided to return him to his crib after the 3 AM feeding, which means he slept there all night, and Mark and I finally had our room back to ourselves. Yeah!!
Now before you think we have this whole sleeping thing figured out (which we don't by the way, which you'll probably learn in a future blog post where I complain that he is up every two hours again), he's napping well, sleeping pretty well at night - but bedtime has become this huge struggle - often lasting 1+ hours trying to put him down. We had been trying to get him to sleep at 9 pm, and sometimes he would even go down as early as 8 or 8:30. Lately, though, it's been creeping closer to 10 pm, leaving Mark and I with no alone time together at night.
To remedy this, we're going to try two approaches. One is we're going to start waking him up in the morning. He'll often sleep until 8 am or even 8:30. Today is the first day we were going to try to wake him up, but he woke up on his own out of hunger at 7. It's going to be hard - anyone who has a baby knows that waking a sleeping baby is hard. And no, it's not just because they are cute when they sleep (which they are), but because you are faced with this situation of consciously giving up some of your own free time. I could take a shower and eat breakfast - or - I could wake up Benjamin. Not that I don't love seeing our little cutie in the morning (first morning smiles from his crib are one of the most adorable, heart-warming things I've ever experienced), but if I wake him up, I'll have to change his diaper, feed him and entertain him for at least an hour while I drag myself around hungry and smelly. I'm rambling...
The second approach, which I'm not totally committed to yet, is to either nix the evening walk or move it earlier in the afternoon. I don't like this for a couple of reasons. One is I love my evening walks (often using them to catch up with friends and family on the phone - and no one will be home in the afternoon), or Mark and I get a chance to chat if he can come on the walk. Secondly, it's still pretty hot here in the afternoon. But Benjamin seems to think the stroller is his crib during our evening walk, and gets a pretty good nap in while we're walking. This could be delaying his bedtime - particularly because if he falls asleep during our walk at 7 PM, he's refreshed for several hours - and if we are at home, I wonder if there is a chance that he could go to sleep for the night if he were in his crib.
Anyways, we'll keep trying to figure out this bedtime thing, and we'll keep you posted if we have any success. If you have any handy tricks for getting your baby to sleep at night, let me know! I find it strange that he can go down just fine for a nap, but that somehow he knows when he goes down for bedtime that it's for the long haul and he wants to fight it. Curious...
Because I can't resist, here's a few new pictures of the little guy:
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Three Months Old!
It's hard to believe that Benjamin is already three months old! I believe that pulls him out of the category of newborn. He's really quite fun now - smiling and interacting a whole lot more, and he has a new trick - rolling over! He can't quite do it all the time (although I see him trying as he rolls to one side and grunts as he tries to complete the roll), but he's getting increasingly better. The only thing is that he rolls from his back to his belly. And he hates being on his belly - so once he completes the roll he whines until you turn him back over on his back - from where he proceeds to try to roll over again. :)
Sleeping -
This can be a challenge. Sometimes. And other times he's amazing about it. Once he went to sleep at bedtime within 5 minutes of putting him down. One night he went to bed at 6:30 pm. But the average is 20-30 minutes of trying and a bedtime around 9 pm. He's usually good about naps, but then again, that also changes, as I'm having a terrible time getting this blog entry done, since he woke up 30 minutes into his normal long nap, and won't go back to sleep. Yes, he'll go to sleep in my arms, but then he gets very agitated when I try to put him in his crib, and we have to start all over. This may be partially due to the fact that we're trying to wean him from swaddling. Now that he can turn over, I just don't think it's safe to have his arms bound by his sides. Last night Mark went to get him in the middle of the night for a feeding and he had turned himself onto his belly.
Work -
I started back this week - on a part time schedule. The ExxonMobil policies are great - but we'll just have to see how effectively they are put to work. I'm supposed to be working 4 days per week 4 hours per day (total of 16 hours per week). I thought that sounded pretty easy, but I've been surprised at how difficult it actually is - and I've not even been keeping to that exact schedule (ie just finding time whenever I can to get a little done). I only have to go to the office for 2-3 days out of the four. My biggest concern though, is not being able to get the hours in - but of having unrealistic expectations of what I'll be able to get done during those hours. I've returned to my exact same job, with no additional help yet (they are looking for someone else to also work on the project to supplement what I get done - but I've been given no time frame for when this will actually happen). Additionally, I was supposed to have a month long transition back to my job with the girl who replaced me - and that has been shortened to 2.5 days. She's now on another project in Paris. I'm trying really hard not to stress about the whole thing, but I'm walking back into a job with a ton to do and not a lot of support. I even got a call last Thursday night (I wasn't even back to work - didn't start until Tuesday) to work on something. I feel like I'm being set up for failure, but I probably just need to do what I can and hope the rest works itself out.
Anyways, we've posted some new pictures & videos from Ben's third month. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/griffith.photos
Sleeping -
This can be a challenge. Sometimes. And other times he's amazing about it. Once he went to sleep at bedtime within 5 minutes of putting him down. One night he went to bed at 6:30 pm. But the average is 20-30 minutes of trying and a bedtime around 9 pm. He's usually good about naps, but then again, that also changes, as I'm having a terrible time getting this blog entry done, since he woke up 30 minutes into his normal long nap, and won't go back to sleep. Yes, he'll go to sleep in my arms, but then he gets very agitated when I try to put him in his crib, and we have to start all over. This may be partially due to the fact that we're trying to wean him from swaddling. Now that he can turn over, I just don't think it's safe to have his arms bound by his sides. Last night Mark went to get him in the middle of the night for a feeding and he had turned himself onto his belly.
Work -
I started back this week - on a part time schedule. The ExxonMobil policies are great - but we'll just have to see how effectively they are put to work. I'm supposed to be working 4 days per week 4 hours per day (total of 16 hours per week). I thought that sounded pretty easy, but I've been surprised at how difficult it actually is - and I've not even been keeping to that exact schedule (ie just finding time whenever I can to get a little done). I only have to go to the office for 2-3 days out of the four. My biggest concern though, is not being able to get the hours in - but of having unrealistic expectations of what I'll be able to get done during those hours. I've returned to my exact same job, with no additional help yet (they are looking for someone else to also work on the project to supplement what I get done - but I've been given no time frame for when this will actually happen). Additionally, I was supposed to have a month long transition back to my job with the girl who replaced me - and that has been shortened to 2.5 days. She's now on another project in Paris. I'm trying really hard not to stress about the whole thing, but I'm walking back into a job with a ton to do and not a lot of support. I even got a call last Thursday night (I wasn't even back to work - didn't start until Tuesday) to work on something. I feel like I'm being set up for failure, but I probably just need to do what I can and hope the rest works itself out.
Anyways, we've posted some new pictures & videos from Ben's third month. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/griffith.photos
Saturday, August 18, 2007
More Pictures
Somehow the order of these posts got out of whack. Here are a few pictures, but there is a text update below as well...
An Update
So now that it's been so long since I've posted a blog, I really don't know where to begin. I was hoping to write something profound about motherhood - but I find that idea a little overwhelming and don't know where to start. So instead, I thought I would ramble for a while, post some pictures, and hopefully that will keep me encouraged to try to write again before another 10 weeks go by.
Benjamin is now 10 weeks old. He's taking the long afternoon nap now, which gives me a couple of hours to do something with relative safety that he'll stay asleep. That being said, he does like to give us a run for our money when we think we've got him on a schedule. I start work again in 2 weeks, so I'm really hoping some sort of routine will stick. The long afternoon nap is a good start - since I'll be mostly working during the afternoon, as most of Mark's daytime rehearsals are in the morning. I'm only planning on working 1/2 days, with not every day in the office - partially depending on Mark's schedule. But our boy still likes to eat every 2 hours, so even with only 4 hours at work, plus an hour for commute back and forth, and add in the fact that the 2 hours is usually from the START of the last feed, to be at work for four hours means that he has to go about 5.5 hours between feedings. I'm planning on pumping at work, but am hoping to just have to do so once. Pumping is a not fun and time consuming. Plus I worry about my milk supply diminishing if I do it too much. Wow, I sound like a mom, don't I?
Speaking of feeling like a mom, I don't know that I've ever been "hit" with that feeling. I do feel love for the wee one now, and I worry about all sorts of things with and for him (he didn't make eye contact with me - is he autistic; am I holding him enough or am I smothering him), but the term "mom" still doesn't feel like it applies to me. Perhaps when he starts calling me that, it will.
I thought I would be getting restless by now, and sometimes I am a little bit when he is fussy and I can't get anything done. But for the most part, I'm not as crazy as I thought I would be, and not looking forward to going back to work as much as I thought either. I'm not dreading it, since I don't have to leave him with strangers, only a strange dad (j/k), but I don't feel a need to get away. I actually do think it will be good for me, though, because when I've had him for a while without a break, I get tired of trying to relate to him. I'll find that some time has gone by since I've talked to him, and I'll remember to do so, and he seems pleased - which makes me feel bad for not doing it more. I've actually gotten a surprising amount of stuff done around the house this summer. We had a huge pile of stuff that I had to stick in our new office since I couldn't find time to deal with it when I was pregnant, and that has all been sorted through. I've finished my pregnancy scrapbook, organized digital photos, and just gotten a bunch of odds and ends done around the house. Now that he can sleep without being held, I am realizing just how much babies do sleep - which gives me a few (if not rather small) chunks of time to get things done. I also think having limited time makes you more productive too.
I'm not sure what else to write - a little brain fried perhaps, so I'll try to update again soon. In the meantime, here are some new pictures of Ben, as well as more home improvement photos (yes, can you believe that we're still getting projects done - well actually, that's mostly Mark's doing)...
Something happened with some of the photos - see entry below for the rest...
Benjamin is now 10 weeks old. He's taking the long afternoon nap now, which gives me a couple of hours to do something with relative safety that he'll stay asleep. That being said, he does like to give us a run for our money when we think we've got him on a schedule. I start work again in 2 weeks, so I'm really hoping some sort of routine will stick. The long afternoon nap is a good start - since I'll be mostly working during the afternoon, as most of Mark's daytime rehearsals are in the morning. I'm only planning on working 1/2 days, with not every day in the office - partially depending on Mark's schedule. But our boy still likes to eat every 2 hours, so even with only 4 hours at work, plus an hour for commute back and forth, and add in the fact that the 2 hours is usually from the START of the last feed, to be at work for four hours means that he has to go about 5.5 hours between feedings. I'm planning on pumping at work, but am hoping to just have to do so once. Pumping is a not fun and time consuming. Plus I worry about my milk supply diminishing if I do it too much. Wow, I sound like a mom, don't I?
Speaking of feeling like a mom, I don't know that I've ever been "hit" with that feeling. I do feel love for the wee one now, and I worry about all sorts of things with and for him (he didn't make eye contact with me - is he autistic; am I holding him enough or am I smothering him), but the term "mom" still doesn't feel like it applies to me. Perhaps when he starts calling me that, it will.
I thought I would be getting restless by now, and sometimes I am a little bit when he is fussy and I can't get anything done. But for the most part, I'm not as crazy as I thought I would be, and not looking forward to going back to work as much as I thought either. I'm not dreading it, since I don't have to leave him with strangers, only a strange dad (j/k), but I don't feel a need to get away. I actually do think it will be good for me, though, because when I've had him for a while without a break, I get tired of trying to relate to him. I'll find that some time has gone by since I've talked to him, and I'll remember to do so, and he seems pleased - which makes me feel bad for not doing it more. I've actually gotten a surprising amount of stuff done around the house this summer. We had a huge pile of stuff that I had to stick in our new office since I couldn't find time to deal with it when I was pregnant, and that has all been sorted through. I've finished my pregnancy scrapbook, organized digital photos, and just gotten a bunch of odds and ends done around the house. Now that he can sleep without being held, I am realizing just how much babies do sleep - which gives me a few (if not rather small) chunks of time to get things done. I also think having limited time makes you more productive too.
I'm not sure what else to write - a little brain fried perhaps, so I'll try to update again soon. In the meantime, here are some new pictures of Ben, as well as more home improvement photos (yes, can you believe that we're still getting projects done - well actually, that's mostly Mark's doing)...
Something happened with some of the photos - see entry below for the rest...
Friday, August 10, 2007
Videos Are Up!
Videos are up on the Picasa website! You have many wonderful choices - you can see our boy hold his head up, smile, and hang out with Mark and I. What could be more fun? :)
I still promise to update my blog soon! Seriously, I really will!
I still promise to update my blog soon! Seriously, I really will!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
We're Still Here!
Is anyone still checking my blog? I hope so! Don't give up on me yet - I do intend to post an update soon! In the meantime, check out Benjamin's two month pictures (he's already two months old!) - they are also on Picasa - just refer to the link in the last post. We have new pictures in the "Second Month" folder, and also in the "Cousins" folder - from a recent visit with Dan's brother & family.
Also, we'll be posting videos on the Picasa website soon, as well, so check back in a few days for those.
Hope you are well -and keep checking in!
Also, we'll be posting videos on the Picasa website soon, as well, so check back in a few days for those.
Hope you are well -and keep checking in!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
New Website for Pictures
Mark started posting some pictures via Google's Picasa Website, so although there aren't really any new ones that weren't posted on Snapfish, they are better organized here. Plus, we'll try to update soon with some more recent pictures, so please keep checking back:
http://picasaweb.google.com/griffith.photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/griffith.photos
Friday, June 29, 2007
Pictures
We've posted some pictures from Benjamin's first three weeks here:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=167215948/a=37679041/t_=37679041
They are all out of order (except for the first batch of hospital pictures, they basically go from newest to oldest), and we didn't weed out the good from the bad, so there's lots for your viewing pleasure. :)
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=167215948/a=37679041/t_=37679041
They are all out of order (except for the first batch of hospital pictures, they basically go from newest to oldest), and we didn't weed out the good from the bad, so there's lots for your viewing pleasure. :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Benjamin's Birth Story
Benjamin is now 11 days old. I'm just now starting to feel like myself again - yesterday was the first day that I did not have a sobbing meltdown, and this morning I not only showered, I also put on make-up! My dad is sleeping on the couch with Benjamin right now, so I thought it was time to write down some of the details surrounding his birth - before I forget them. Although many of the details are already a bit foggy.
Early Labor
The first contractions started the day of my 38-week check-up. I wasn't really sure they were contractions, but something felt different, so I tried to prepare things at work "just-in-case" I didn't return the next day. At my check-up the doctor measured my cervix, which was 50% effaced, -1 station, and fingertip dilated. Nothing happened (ie no more contractions) though for another week and a half.
On Sunday night before Benjamin was born (June 3), I began having more of these very faint contractions. Some of them even got a bit stronger that I would call them mildly uncomfortable. Mark and I got pretty excited thinking that this may be it - and finished up a few of the last minute preparations, also "just in case" - we were both wary to get our hopes up. When I went to bed, though, the contractions went away. They returned again on Monday morning, and actually continued all through the week, although sporadically. I would mostly feel them in the morning and in the evening, but they either got weaker or I was too distracted to notice them while I was at work.
False Alarm
On Thursday afternoon, I went to the bathroom around 4 pm just before heading home. When I pulled my pants up, I notice that my underwear seemed rather wet. I didn't think much of it, because incontinence is a bit of a problem in late pregnancy (not too bad, fortunately for me, but also not perfect). On my way to my car in the parking garage, I felt some more contractions, also a bit stronger, and my pants seemed wetter than I thought they should. I pulled the towels out of my trunk that I had stashed in case my water had broken (which I was beginning to think had happened), put them on the front seat and called Mark to let him know that I thought my water had broken. When I got home, I changed pants and checked again to see if they got wet. They did, but just a tiny bit. I changed again, and this time everything stayed dry. I was beginning to doubt whether my water had broken, but I called the doctor-on-call (now it was past 5 pm), and they advised that I come in to get checked, just in case it had broken. Mark was supposed to play a concert on Thursday night, so we frantically packed up our stuff for the hospital, while he called the personnel manager (who he couldn't reach) as well as a sub to let them know that we were headed to the hospital, so he wouldn't be coming to the concert. We headed to the hospital, and were escorted to a room where I got to put on one of those wonderful gowns and was strapped up to a machine that checked fetal heart rate and contractions. A doctor came in and took a swab of my cervix to see if it was leaking amniotic fluid (which did so announcing that she could not use lubrication when inserting the speculum because it would taint the sample, as she was holding up the metal device - OUCH! - actually it was not as bad as I thought it would be).
The doctor actually spent a lot of time talking to us (apparently it was a slow night) as we waited for the results - she read over our birth plan and pointed out the problems (which we had already had approved by my doc) - and she was so pro-epidural it made us doubt our plans (ie that I was more likely to tear if I didn't get an epidural, because they wouldn't be able to massage my perineum, etc). The tests came back negative - ie. I just couldn't hold my pee- so they discharged us from the hospital. One interesting thing was that we found out that I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes during the time I was hooked up to the machines. I felt some of them, but not nearly that many.
The Real Thing
Friday morning I woke up at 6 AM (alarm clock was not set to go off for another hour) with some stronger contractions and very hungry. I poured myself some cereal and settled in front of the computer for my normal morning routine of checking email and reading blogs. I was surprised by how much stronger the contractions were, and how frequently they were coming. When I finished breakfast, I went and woke up Mark to tell him about them, and we stayed in bed for a few minutes timing them, and trying to decide what to do. I had been having contractions all week during the morning (although none this strong), so we spent some time figuring out if I should go to work. Also, I was supposed to have my 40-week appointment at 8:45 am, but if this was real labor, I didn't know if I should go to my appointment, or wait at home and labor until I really needed to go to the hospital. We still remained indecisive, as we showered and got ready for the day. Finally, I decided not to to go work, and we decided that Mark also should not go. We also decided to go ahead and head to my doctor's appointment, and decided (thankfully) to pack up the car just in case we needed to check-in to the hospital when we got there. Once again, I seemed to be leaking fluid, but after the false alarm the night before, I thought I might still be suffering from incontinence. From here, everything seemed to happen really fast. My contractions got pretty intense very quickly, and as Mark drove us to the doctor's office (right next door to the hospital), we both called people at work to let them know we weren't coming in. I remember having a lot of trouble dialing the right phone numbers, and then the admin who was supposed to set up my disability leave was out of the office. So I called Randy, my boss, to let him know I wasn't coming in, and by this point the contractions were hard to get through - but I didn't want to be moaning in labor while on the phone, so I tried very hard to have a normal conversation with him. When we got to the doctor's office, I had to stop every few minutes as we walked through the garage and through the halls to the check-up. She checked my fluid, and this time I was actually leaking amniotic fluid - my waters had broken. I was also 3 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and I think still a -1 station. My doctor recommended I check-in to the hospital, which was a relief, because I wasn't up for another car ride home and back. We checked into the hospital around 10 AM, at which point the contractions were really strong and close together, and meanwhile I'm trying to change into a robe while nurses brought my form after form to sign (that's really hard to do while you are in labor! I didn't even care what I was signing - just writing my name down was hard enough). Mark called the Doula and asked her to head over, and I was wishing we had called her sooner, because it was already getting really challenging to get through them. Although Mark and I had practiced and prepared with Bradley, we weren't able to really focus and work on relaxing with all the distractions of getting "settled in" to the hospital. I think Patti, our Doula, got to the hospital around 11 AM, and she also brought (with our permission) Soila, her intern. Patti got started massaging my back right away (the baby was posterior for all of the labor, which means that I had back labor, which was REALLY hard), and we tried different positions on the birth ball, I tried standing in the shower as hot water ran on my back, tried leaning over the bed, etc. It was really hard to relax, and right away I was thinking of an epidural, but I couldn't seem to say anything about it - the contractions were so intense, and it seems I couldn't fully recover from one before the next one came.
Around 2 PM, my doctor came to check on me. I was now dilated to 4 cm (only one cm progress since my 9 am checkup), and she said that we could go naturally for a while longer if we wanted, but we needed to start thinking about using Pitocin to move things along, particularly because my water had broken the night before, and we didn't know exactly when. She left, and Mark and Patti and I discussed how to proceed. Patti said that we could continue naturally, but with the back labor, I wasn't relaxing enough, so things were likely to continue slowly - and I didn't have the luxury of a lot of time. Also, she had been trying to massage the baby off my back all afternoon, but every time we changed positions, he went right back to it. I was also getting really worn out. At this point, I was very willing to have an epidural, but it was much harder for Mark. One reason is that the anesthesiologist makes everyone leave the room when I get it. Also, the hospital was known for giving very strong epidurals, which worried us about my ability to feel contractions effectively to push. We decided to get one - and the procedure itself was painless. I think I finally actually got the epidural around 3 PM (I had to get hooked up to all the monitors, get IV fluids flowing etc), and it really wasn't very bad at all. And finally I was able to get some relief from the contractions.
Looking back, I am glad that I got an epidural, because I think I may have ended up with a C-section had I not. For one thing, I had the clock working against me (I was NOT going to take Pitocin on top of back labor without some relief! - and later they found some meconium in the fluid I was leaking, which was also not a good sign). Secondly, the baby showed distress at one point, and they gave me a pepcid tablet, which is apparently what they do if they think you are going to need a C-section (He recovered, though, with some help from Patti massaging him off my back rather vigorously). And finally, I tore pretty badly, and I am glad that I didn't feel that. The only part I regret is how strong the epidural was - I couldn't feel anything at all - I had to be coached when to push - and I didn't feel the baby come out. It made it all rather dream-like, because here I was pushing without having any knowledge of the progress being made, and all of a sudden they are holding this baby up for me. That being said, I'm still glad I got the epidural, and we achieved our goal - which was to have a vaginal birth. Next time, though, I think I may try a different hospital where they don't give them so strongly.
Anyways, the next few hours passed rather quietly. Since I didn't feel much, I pretty much just rested. Patti gave me more massages to help me rest and prepare for the pushing. Mark came and sat quietly next to me, holding my hand and stroking my hair, and we talked a little about how soon we were going to meet Benjamin. Soila (the Doula intern) came over at one point to give me a massage, but the rolling chair she was going to sit on slid out from behind her and she fell loudly to the floor, bumping her head on the chair before it slammed into the wall. I was facing the other way, and it was all rather confusing, but she recovered okay.
At one point, I hit transition (I don't remember what time) because my body began shaking uncontrollably. Mark seemed distressed by it, but it really didn't hurt - it was just a bit tiring to have all your muscles tense up and shake. The nurse kept telling me to let her know when I felt like I needed to make a bowel movement, but I couldn't feel anything. At one point they rolled me to my other side, and I guess they saw something, because they decided it was time for me to push (they weren't doing many vaginal exams to reduce the risk of infection, since my water had been broken for a while).
The nurse held one leg, while Mark and Patti took turns holding the other leg for me for the pushing. I also pulled back on both legs. For each contraction, they counted to 10 while I held my breath, curled my chin to my chest, pulled my legs back and pushed. I then took a quick breath, and repeated two times. The baby was still posterior at this point, so they had me push on one side and then the other. I guess I began tearing at one point, because they were trying to assess how bad the tear was, and how to proceed. I guess it wasn't bad enough for an episiotomy at that point, so we continued. I ended up pushing for about an hour. It was hard to figure out if I was pushing right because I couldn't feel anything, but I could tell from everyone's eyes lighting up when I was doing it right, and I would try to remember what I had done to repeat it for the next push. When I was getting close, they started warming up the baby receiver, and then called the doctor in. I think I only had to give a few pushes once the doctor and her assistant arrived before he was born. Then they put this wriggling bloody little boy on my chest and began cleaning him up. After we spent a few minutes together, they moved him to the warming table, and spent some time suctioning him out (he had some fluid in his lungs, I think), and spent a lot of time sewing me up (2nd degree tear - I am surprised how fast it seems to be healing). Finally, they returned him to me, we tried breastfeeding and hanging out with him, until they moved him to the transition nursery, while I waited to be moved to the recovery room, and Mark went out to make some calls.
Both my and Benjamin's temperatures were running a little high, so we both had our vitals taken a lot during the next 24 hours, and I was kept on an IV. Everyone checked out okay, though, so we were able to proceed normally. We were discharged from the hospital on Sunday morning (although told we didn't need to leave until 11 PM - so we left at 10 PM! - we wanted to glean all the wisdom we could from the baby nurses!).
So that's Benjamin's birth story! Below are some pictures:
Monday, June 11, 2007
He's Here!
Benjamin Howard has arrived! Our very punctual guy arrived on his due date - June 8 at 8:57 PM. Benjamin weighed in at 8 lbs 7.4 oz and is 21 1/4 inch tall. I'll update (someday) with more details about his birth. But in the meantime, here are a couple of photos...
Mark and I are thrilled to have him join our family, although I think Will may be a little less than thrilled to have been relegated back to the place of family dog. Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts and prayers - we can't wait to share more about Benjamin with you soon!
Love,
Katherine & Mark
Mark and I are thrilled to have him join our family, although I think Will may be a little less than thrilled to have been relegated back to the place of family dog. Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts and prayers - we can't wait to share more about Benjamin with you soon!
Love,
Katherine & Mark
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
An update....
We've enjoyed all the emails and phone calls from you all (and thanks too for all the blog comments!), so that we'd give you a brief update - which is, there is no update!! No baby yet! Looks like this little guy is still quite comfortable in utero.
I have been having light contractions very sporadically since Sunday night (of course when they started on Sunday night, we got all excited thinking "this is it" and started getting ready). They tend to come in the morning and in the evening, but very few during work - and there is no frequency to them - usually appear in clusters, and then go away for hours. I have my 40-week appointment on Friday, and my doc is going to check for cervical dilation, etc. so we'll see if these are Braxton Hicks, or if they are actually accomplishing anything.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers - and keep rooting for this little guy to decide he's ready to come greet the world!
Love,
Katherine & Mark
I have been having light contractions very sporadically since Sunday night (of course when they started on Sunday night, we got all excited thinking "this is it" and started getting ready). They tend to come in the morning and in the evening, but very few during work - and there is no frequency to them - usually appear in clusters, and then go away for hours. I have my 40-week appointment on Friday, and my doc is going to check for cervical dilation, etc. so we'll see if these are Braxton Hicks, or if they are actually accomplishing anything.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers - and keep rooting for this little guy to decide he's ready to come greet the world!
Love,
Katherine & Mark
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Nine Months Pregnant!
So we're truly in the final stretch now. We're ready (and rather eager) to meet Ziggy - so we're just waiting for him to be ready. The month has passed quickly - and has been rather tiring as we tried to finish things up to get ready for his arrival. He could have been three weeks or two weeks early - and it was tough not really knowing how much time we had left to get ready, so we were always trying to hurry, hurry get everything ready. We're pretty close now - just a few more things to accomplish before he comes - filling out the 2nd round of hospital forms, deciding whether to circumcise him, and make our final decision about whether the Houston Symphony or ExxonMobil is going to provide his healthcare coverage. Not bad! Last weekend we packed the hospital bag. We've finished all of our classes. I've got things relatively wrapped up at work (impossible to ever finish, as deadlines keep getting extended, which means that everyone and their brother wants to give "input" into my Project plans (documents), so daily I continue to revise them). But my replacement is relatively up to speed, and I just copy her now on all the requests that come in and the responses as I form them - so when I finally don't come in, she'll be able to track what's been done and what's left to do.
While we never did complete some of the house projects we'd hope to (a new driveway gate, and removing the sun room), we did complete the projects we really wanted to finish to make more room in our house for a baby and all of his stuff! This is the first weekend where our list seems relatively small - so we're taking some time to do some fun things - last night we went out to dinner. This afternoon we're going to a movie (Knocked Up - which makes me wish I could fit my wedding rings on my fingers so that everyone at the movies doesn't think I'm going to go see knocked up because I am!). Tomorrow, we're treating Willy to some swimming at the dog park (and he'll be treating us by letting us give him a bath afterwards - he smells pretty bad right now!).
It's interesting after all our birthing classes and my complete obsession with preparing for my ideal natural birth, that I'm not really worried about it anymore as we get closer to Ziggy's arrival. A friend ended up with an emergency c-section following her 38-week appointment recently because the baby was in distress (she had no idea anything was wrong). So my catastrophizing has changed from the birth experience (which was mostly about me) to how this little guy is faring within my belly. Like, "he hasn't moved in the last 5 minutes - is he okay?" He's a pretty good mover though (especially with some poking and prodding from his mom), but then there is the ambiguous instructions to call the doctor if his movements seem to decrease. This is actually really hard, because he's not terribly consistent. Usually at least once a day he has a very vigorous exercise session - but it may be in the morning one day, and in the evening the next. So in the 36 hours between those sessions I worry whether he is in distress. I spoke with my doctor yesterday during my 39 week appointment, and she had me do a nonstress test to ease my mind. And it did. Basically, they hook up a heartrate monitor, a contraction monitor (which didn't show anything, because I'm not having contractions), and I push a button when he kicks. He was sleeping through the first 20 minutes, so I had to do a second round, but then he got more vigorous for them (I poked and encouraged him to do so). It was interesting, because his heart rate gets a lot higher when he's moving around - so now when I feel him kick, I can hear the fast wooshing of the monitor they used for his heartbeat (it was set very loudly, I presume so the nurses could hear if everything was working as they walked by my room).
I had my first ever massage this week. We ended up hiring a doula to help us during Ziggy's birth - and the package we chose comes with a labor prep massage (which is supposed to open up my hips to encourage the baby to move down, which worked I think, because it is now very hard to close my legs!), a postpartum massage, and a session on how to give infant massage. The massage was good (a bit painful at times as she worked out tight spots) - but I don't think I'm really that big of a massage person, overall.
So when is this baby going to come? It is funny to hear everyone's predictions. The morning before my 38-week appointment, I was sure something was starting up. I had some weird sensations/cramps in my lower abdomen (I don't actually think they were contractions). I got pretty excited, and tried to finish up handing things over to my replacement "just in case." I tried to explain that I just felt a little different, and was just trying to take a precaution by showing her some of the rest of the things I'd been working on. But she was pretty convinced that I was going into labor at that point. I came in late the next morning, and she had left a couple of voicemails asking if I was in labor. At this point, though, if I don't return someone's call at work within an hour, they seem to assume I'm in labor and not coming back. The doctor performed a cervical exam at that appointment to see what was going on - and there has been some progress made - the baby's at a -1 station, and I'm 50% effaced and a fingertip dilated. We debated whether to have another exam this week, but ultimately decided not to (our doc is awesome that way - she's been really cool about not subjecting us to things that are routine just because they are routine) because if I haven't made any progress, I'd be discouraged. And if I have made progress, I'll be expecting something to happen soon, and then it might not, so I'd be discouraged later.
So in the meantime, we just have to wait! My doctor sounds like she might want to induce when I'm at 41 weeks (2 weeks from now), and I originally thought I'd want to push for her to wait until I'm at 42 weeks, but I am now leaning towards whatever she recommends - I just want to make sure the baby is okay. At 41-weeks we'll be well past worrying about the baby being premature (particularly because we know when he was conceived), and I don't want to run the risks associated with a prolonged pregnancy. Of course, we're very much hoping that induction won't be necessary, and he'll come along on his own. But Mark and I were just talking this morning about how the perfect birth experience doesn't seem so important anymore, and how making sure Ziggy is healthy and we run the route with the least risk to him is what we need to focus on. But in the meantime, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers for this little guy to make his way out on his own before we have to do some prodding! :)
And here is the final picture - 9 months!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
8 Months Pregnant
Well, we're in the final stretch now - no going back! :) While the first part of my pregnancy seemed to last forever, this last trimester is flying!! We're at 4 weeks from my due date now and counting down. My original hope was to be totally ready for the baby by 3 weeks before the due date, and we're not too far from being ready in many regards. We've got the nursery completely ready (thanks to a visit from my mom last weekend, more on that later). Mark's got a car seat installed in my car, and is having his installation job inspected next week. We've completed our Bradley birthing class. Work is a whole separate story, though, and even if I went 2 weeks past my due date, I'm not sure I would be able to wrap everything up the way I would like.
Traveling
As I write this, we are in the throes of our final pre-baby trip. I'm writing this on Mark's parents kitchen table (which is a brown wood, for you, Melissa). We're here visiting for three reasons. One, our nephew Nathan was born two weeks ago, so we wanted to meet the little tike. (Newborns are TINY, btw!). Mark's bro & sister-in-law bought a dance studio about a year or so ago, and tonight is the studio's dance recital, so we wanted to come support them and cheer them on with that. And finally, tomorrow is mother's day, so we wanted to celebrate that with his fam, particularly because his parents will be moving to Mexico this summer. I was a little nervous about traveling this close to our due date (would prefer not to have this baby in Dallas), but I'm glad we came. No baby so far, so seems like a good choice. :) It's going to be nice to just stay at home for the next weeks too, though.
A couple of weekends ago, we made another weekend trip to Wimberly, TX to see my aunts. We had such fun - we spent the day on Saturday going in and out of children's thrift shops (got some great deals!), and then on Saturday night, my aunts surprised us with a birthday/baby shower, complete with homemade cake! Yum! They really showered us with gifts, and we felt very special.
Speaking of showers, we have actually had three so far, and my friends at work are throwing me one more next week! The first was a surprise joint shower in CO with my high school friends, the second another surprise shower with our friends from church, and the final was last weekend, a more intimate joint shower with a group of friends from our old church. My mom was here for this last one, and it was really nice that she was able to be included and meet our friends. Lots of parties for this little guy on the way - we have definitely felt a lot of love coming from our friends and family.
Preparations
As I mentioned, my mom came out last weekend, and helped us transform our old study into an adorable nursery! She came on Friday night to a totally empty room (which was quite an accomplishment just to get it that way - remember me having to overcome my OCD and resign myself to just putting away a bunch of things in boxes), and HUGE piles of baby stuff - from showers & gifts from friends, our thrift store shopping sprees, Mark's old toys that his parents gave us as they clean out their house. The baby stuff was stacked all over our living room and guest room, and a lot of it needed to be cleaned. Well, by Wednesday morning when she left, we had painted the nursery, cleaned the nursery windows and screens (which hadn't been done in probably 20 years), put up a closet organizer (that was Mark's doing - good job Mark). Arranged all the furniture in the room (previously repaired and painted by Mark), sorted/cleaned/put away ALL of the baby stuff, and even hung up the wall decorations!! We're done!! My mom also organized all our stuff in the "game room," which is the sun room off our living room that we intend to tear down and make into a patio some day. I just could not believe how much we got done when she was here! The room has lots of personal touches from many generations in both of Mark's and my families, and I really like that it is not just all new stuff - and not just because I'm cheap. :)
Below are pictures. The pale quilt my Grandmother made before she died - actually she made it about 7-8 years ago, and died about 5 years ago. She made it for her "next great grandchild," which happens to come from Mark's and my loins. It's neat to have something personally made for Ziggy which comes from his great grandmother, who made it before he was even being thought of being conceived. The crib and the rocker came from my parents - they bought those in Boston before my sister was born, and used them for both my sister and I. Fortunately, they break down pretty flat, so they were able to mail them to us from Oregon. The crib bedding and brighter red/yellow/blue quilt above the dresser was made for Ziggy by my mom. The dresser is a hand-me-down from Mark's family. Mark's parents bought it for Mark's brother Dan when he graduated from college, to help him furnish his first apartment. Dan and Robyn painted it a few times -first for their guest room, and then painted it to match the nursery for their first child. They then handed it down to us, and Mark repainted it, put on a new back, and put on new hinges. The bookcase is one of Mark's first woodworking/handyman projects. He made it in Starke to hold some kitchen items in our breakfast nook. This also received a new coat of paint. The yellow quilt on the bookcase is actually a little sleeping bag that Mark's mom made for Mark when he was a little kid. There is also another quilt and taggie blanket made by our friends. And finally, we bought the lamp during our thrift store spree in Wimberly. We liked the base, but not the lampshade, so our aunts helped us recover it with fabric and cut out the yellow and red squares so it would match the room. We didn't get to quite finish it, so my mom glued all the fabric in place when she finished. Even the small stereo has some history - it belonged to Mark's grandmother, and we acquired it after she died.
Traveling
As I write this, we are in the throes of our final pre-baby trip. I'm writing this on Mark's parents kitchen table (which is a brown wood, for you, Melissa). We're here visiting for three reasons. One, our nephew Nathan was born two weeks ago, so we wanted to meet the little tike. (Newborns are TINY, btw!). Mark's bro & sister-in-law bought a dance studio about a year or so ago, and tonight is the studio's dance recital, so we wanted to come support them and cheer them on with that. And finally, tomorrow is mother's day, so we wanted to celebrate that with his fam, particularly because his parents will be moving to Mexico this summer. I was a little nervous about traveling this close to our due date (would prefer not to have this baby in Dallas), but I'm glad we came. No baby so far, so seems like a good choice. :) It's going to be nice to just stay at home for the next weeks too, though.
A couple of weekends ago, we made another weekend trip to Wimberly, TX to see my aunts. We had such fun - we spent the day on Saturday going in and out of children's thrift shops (got some great deals!), and then on Saturday night, my aunts surprised us with a birthday/baby shower, complete with homemade cake! Yum! They really showered us with gifts, and we felt very special.
Speaking of showers, we have actually had three so far, and my friends at work are throwing me one more next week! The first was a surprise joint shower in CO with my high school friends, the second another surprise shower with our friends from church, and the final was last weekend, a more intimate joint shower with a group of friends from our old church. My mom was here for this last one, and it was really nice that she was able to be included and meet our friends. Lots of parties for this little guy on the way - we have definitely felt a lot of love coming from our friends and family.
Preparations
As I mentioned, my mom came out last weekend, and helped us transform our old study into an adorable nursery! She came on Friday night to a totally empty room (which was quite an accomplishment just to get it that way - remember me having to overcome my OCD and resign myself to just putting away a bunch of things in boxes), and HUGE piles of baby stuff - from showers & gifts from friends, our thrift store shopping sprees, Mark's old toys that his parents gave us as they clean out their house. The baby stuff was stacked all over our living room and guest room, and a lot of it needed to be cleaned. Well, by Wednesday morning when she left, we had painted the nursery, cleaned the nursery windows and screens (which hadn't been done in probably 20 years), put up a closet organizer (that was Mark's doing - good job Mark). Arranged all the furniture in the room (previously repaired and painted by Mark), sorted/cleaned/put away ALL of the baby stuff, and even hung up the wall decorations!! We're done!! My mom also organized all our stuff in the "game room," which is the sun room off our living room that we intend to tear down and make into a patio some day. I just could not believe how much we got done when she was here! The room has lots of personal touches from many generations in both of Mark's and my families, and I really like that it is not just all new stuff - and not just because I'm cheap. :)
Below are pictures. The pale quilt my Grandmother made before she died - actually she made it about 7-8 years ago, and died about 5 years ago. She made it for her "next great grandchild," which happens to come from Mark's and my loins. It's neat to have something personally made for Ziggy which comes from his great grandmother, who made it before he was even being thought of being conceived. The crib and the rocker came from my parents - they bought those in Boston before my sister was born, and used them for both my sister and I. Fortunately, they break down pretty flat, so they were able to mail them to us from Oregon. The crib bedding and brighter red/yellow/blue quilt above the dresser was made for Ziggy by my mom. The dresser is a hand-me-down from Mark's family. Mark's parents bought it for Mark's brother Dan when he graduated from college, to help him furnish his first apartment. Dan and Robyn painted it a few times -first for their guest room, and then painted it to match the nursery for their first child. They then handed it down to us, and Mark repainted it, put on a new back, and put on new hinges. The bookcase is one of Mark's first woodworking/handyman projects. He made it in Starke to hold some kitchen items in our breakfast nook. This also received a new coat of paint. The yellow quilt on the bookcase is actually a little sleeping bag that Mark's mom made for Mark when he was a little kid. There is also another quilt and taggie blanket made by our friends. And finally, we bought the lamp during our thrift store spree in Wimberly. We liked the base, but not the lampshade, so our aunts helped us recover it with fabric and cut out the yellow and red squares so it would match the room. We didn't get to quite finish it, so my mom glued all the fabric in place when she finished. Even the small stereo has some history - it belonged to Mark's grandmother, and we acquired it after she died.
Classes/Learning
Like I said, we finished our Bradley class last weekend. We ended up deciding to hire a Doula, and as part of the package, she offers a 4-hour private childbirth class. We originally thought we would skip this (after 8 weeks of Bradley classes and a full day hospital class), but she convinced us otherwise. She's helped deliver over 200 babies, and has some particular theories in effective pushing. She says she thinks that most women push ineffectively, and that most of her mothers now only have to push for about 30 minutes when using her techniques. That combined with her claim of an average of only 6-10 hours of active labor, I'm sold. I'm still not sure when we'll fit in this class, but it sounds worth it!
We're also signed up to take a few more classes in the next couple of weeks. I hope Ziggy can hold on long enough for us to get through them! We're signed up for a 6-hour breastfeeding class, two 2.5 hour sessions of "life with baby," and a 2-hour infant CPR class.
Now that I'm finally able to stop obsessing about the birth, I've got to start learning about how to take care of this baby! On friends recommendations, we've bought "The Happiest Baby on the Block," which Mark is actually reading right now. It's about how to soothe your baby. I've got two books on breastfeeding, and we also have Dr. Sears Baby Book. We even picked up SupperNanny's book at the thrift store.
My body
Definitely changing! I'm up to about 50 pounds of weight gain, now. More than the "recommended," which maxes out at about 35 pounds, I think. But my doctor hasn't said anything, and it actually seems to be in line with many of my friends weight gains, so I'm not worried. I'm actually fairly impressed with my weight. I'm rather substantial now - you don't want to mess with me! :) I'm almost up to Mark's weight, and I think he's hoping that I'll pass him just for the sheer shock factor of weighing more than him. Although, he's not quite as willing to let me sit on his lap anymore. :) I'm actually pretty comfortable considering my size. I've got the round ligament pain coming back more pronounced, particularly in my groin. The biggest discomfort is my feet, which hurt a lot when I stand/walk, and as a result, I've slowed down on how much walking I do. But this morning, Mark dangled enough of a carrot in front of me to get me take a long walk. Mark's folks live not too far from a Whataburger, so I did manage to walk there to get my honey butter biscuit combo. Yum! I've also got some fairly considerable stretch marks - mostly on my hips, but I don't really mind them too much. Sure it would have been great if I didn't get them, but they'll go away eventually. Also, I can't inhale quite as much food as I used to, as my stomach gets squished into a smaller and smaller space. I suppose it's like having that gastric bypass surgery. :) I also have some nauseousness again - but I think that may really be heartburn/indigestion. Once again, it's that feeling like I'm starving, and it makes me want to eat, which is NOT helpful if it's really heartburn. So figuring out really when to eat can be confusing.
Overall, though, I feel like I'm doing pretty good considering I'm 8 months pregnant. I think working actually helps, because it keeps my occupied and busy, without having to exert too much energy. When I'm at home I get worn out and frustrated that it takes all of my energy to put three dishes away. At work I can be much more productive sitting in one place. :)
Work
Speaking of work, I'm still not sure how much time I'll take off, and in what capacity I'll go back. I do know that I'm taking a minimum of about 3 months off, and that I'll be going back part time. But in speaking with some new moms at work, I found out that I can keep my benefits unfrozen (most notably, the vesting part in the savings program), if I take a 30-day personal leave, versus the extended LOA for family. With six weeks disability, and 30-day personal leave (that's 30 working days - another 6 weeks), that's almost 3 months. Then I can go back as little as one day per week (8 hours per week - doesn't even need to be all day), and my team seems pretty flexible in even letting me do some work from home. I'm starting to lean this way (versus 6 months off), so we'll see what happens.
I'm in the handover period right now with the woman who will be taking over my job. It's a little frustrating, because she's got a LOT to learn, and who knows how much time she has to learn it. I think everyone assumes this baby is not going to pop out until it's due date, and that we technically have two people working my job full time, so they are still trying to give me new work to do. Fortunately, I'm able to pass the new stuff on to her, as I try to wrap up all the stuff I've already started. They have also only scheduled her to work until the end of September, so if I decide to take the full six months off, I'm not sure what they'll do. I'm actually more worried about coming back part time, without any support, and needing to get a full-time job done on a half-time schedule. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Too many unknowns for now. But at least the time is flying by at work, as I really do want to wrap up as much as possible, so my replacement isn't overwhelmed and doesn't have to re-do work just because it's hard to pick up some of my work mid-cycle.
And finally, here is the 8-month pictures.
Like I said, we finished our Bradley class last weekend. We ended up deciding to hire a Doula, and as part of the package, she offers a 4-hour private childbirth class. We originally thought we would skip this (after 8 weeks of Bradley classes and a full day hospital class), but she convinced us otherwise. She's helped deliver over 200 babies, and has some particular theories in effective pushing. She says she thinks that most women push ineffectively, and that most of her mothers now only have to push for about 30 minutes when using her techniques. That combined with her claim of an average of only 6-10 hours of active labor, I'm sold. I'm still not sure when we'll fit in this class, but it sounds worth it!
We're also signed up to take a few more classes in the next couple of weeks. I hope Ziggy can hold on long enough for us to get through them! We're signed up for a 6-hour breastfeeding class, two 2.5 hour sessions of "life with baby," and a 2-hour infant CPR class.
Now that I'm finally able to stop obsessing about the birth, I've got to start learning about how to take care of this baby! On friends recommendations, we've bought "The Happiest Baby on the Block," which Mark is actually reading right now. It's about how to soothe your baby. I've got two books on breastfeeding, and we also have Dr. Sears Baby Book. We even picked up SupperNanny's book at the thrift store.
My body
Definitely changing! I'm up to about 50 pounds of weight gain, now. More than the "recommended," which maxes out at about 35 pounds, I think. But my doctor hasn't said anything, and it actually seems to be in line with many of my friends weight gains, so I'm not worried. I'm actually fairly impressed with my weight. I'm rather substantial now - you don't want to mess with me! :) I'm almost up to Mark's weight, and I think he's hoping that I'll pass him just for the sheer shock factor of weighing more than him. Although, he's not quite as willing to let me sit on his lap anymore. :) I'm actually pretty comfortable considering my size. I've got the round ligament pain coming back more pronounced, particularly in my groin. The biggest discomfort is my feet, which hurt a lot when I stand/walk, and as a result, I've slowed down on how much walking I do. But this morning, Mark dangled enough of a carrot in front of me to get me take a long walk. Mark's folks live not too far from a Whataburger, so I did manage to walk there to get my honey butter biscuit combo. Yum! I've also got some fairly considerable stretch marks - mostly on my hips, but I don't really mind them too much. Sure it would have been great if I didn't get them, but they'll go away eventually. Also, I can't inhale quite as much food as I used to, as my stomach gets squished into a smaller and smaller space. I suppose it's like having that gastric bypass surgery. :) I also have some nauseousness again - but I think that may really be heartburn/indigestion. Once again, it's that feeling like I'm starving, and it makes me want to eat, which is NOT helpful if it's really heartburn. So figuring out really when to eat can be confusing.
Overall, though, I feel like I'm doing pretty good considering I'm 8 months pregnant. I think working actually helps, because it keeps my occupied and busy, without having to exert too much energy. When I'm at home I get worn out and frustrated that it takes all of my energy to put three dishes away. At work I can be much more productive sitting in one place. :)
Work
Speaking of work, I'm still not sure how much time I'll take off, and in what capacity I'll go back. I do know that I'm taking a minimum of about 3 months off, and that I'll be going back part time. But in speaking with some new moms at work, I found out that I can keep my benefits unfrozen (most notably, the vesting part in the savings program), if I take a 30-day personal leave, versus the extended LOA for family. With six weeks disability, and 30-day personal leave (that's 30 working days - another 6 weeks), that's almost 3 months. Then I can go back as little as one day per week (8 hours per week - doesn't even need to be all day), and my team seems pretty flexible in even letting me do some work from home. I'm starting to lean this way (versus 6 months off), so we'll see what happens.
I'm in the handover period right now with the woman who will be taking over my job. It's a little frustrating, because she's got a LOT to learn, and who knows how much time she has to learn it. I think everyone assumes this baby is not going to pop out until it's due date, and that we technically have two people working my job full time, so they are still trying to give me new work to do. Fortunately, I'm able to pass the new stuff on to her, as I try to wrap up all the stuff I've already started. They have also only scheduled her to work until the end of September, so if I decide to take the full six months off, I'm not sure what they'll do. I'm actually more worried about coming back part time, without any support, and needing to get a full-time job done on a half-time schedule. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Too many unknowns for now. But at least the time is flying by at work, as I really do want to wrap up as much as possible, so my replacement isn't overwhelmed and doesn't have to re-do work just because it's hard to pick up some of my work mid-cycle.
And finally, here is the 8-month pictures.
Hope you've enjoyed this entry. We'll have to see if the next one has pictures of our son!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
