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. :)
Friday, June 29, 2007
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!
Monday, April 16, 2007
7 Months Pregnant
So I haven't been as good about updating my blog this last trimester. It seems like the list of things to do before the baby comes gets longer and longer, and all the while my energy to do it gets shorter. I'm on a vacation day from work today to try and clear out the room we'll use for the nursery, as it seems the weekends are only good now for catching up on sleep, cleaning up the mess we made during the week, taking baby preparation classes, and adding more things to the to-do list that we never get to! I think I'll have burned up 10 of my 12 vacation days before he comes, but fortunately I'll be taking a few months off and then going back part time after he's born - so hopefully I won't need them as much!
How I'm Feeling:
Really, pretty great! I thought I would be much more uncomfortable by this time (I'm writing this at 32 weeks). The round ligament pain has actually decreased - although can still be somewhat pronounced when I try and roll over in bed - and I don't really feel all that big. I'm surprised sometimes when I look at pictures or catch my profile in the mirror. Clothes are a bit of a problem, though, as the current style of empire waisted maternity clothes do NOT look good on me. Fortunately, I have been loaned/given a bunch of clothes by my friends and sister-in-law, so I am pretty well-outfitted. :)
Ziggy's Getting Stronger!
Our boy has become quite the acrobat in my belly, which fascinates me to no end. It's gotten to the point where you can actually see my belly shake when he kicks hard enough. Of course, every time I try to get Mark's attention so he can see as well, Ziggy decides he's had enough. Mark can usually catch some acrobatics in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping. And a few nights ago he was kicking with unbelievable force. It amazed both of us.
Baby Preparations:
In my own OCD world, it makes sense to me why I have to have the kitchen finished and our new office completely organized (including all my filing from my inbox done) before I start on the nursery - but we're running out of time! So I did allow myself the luxury of finishing the organization of the kitchen, since Mark recently cut another shelf for our pantry and added a shelf to our spice pull-out drawer! So, yeah, it's ALMOST done!! In fact, the only thing left is for Mark to stain a little piece of the underpart of a peninsula cabinet that hangs down over the counter. We'll probably have to do something to celebrate when it is officially done.
Our computer and most of our day-to-day office items have been moved to our formal dining room, and I love the new location of our desk. It's right in front of the window, so I can see a bit more of the world, and next to the kitchen making it easier to get snacks! I've mostly got the stuff in here organized, but just have (as always) an overflowing inbox and a small stack of random stuff to deal with. That small stack is about to get huge, though, as today I HAVE to clear out the rest of our office stuff from the nursery. Mark is going to steam clean the carpets (first time since we moved in) and put up a closet organizer in the nursery. We've also got some painting to do - the nursery walls (we're leaning now towards a gray), and a dresser and bookcase (probably just an off-white). Fortunately, we have reinforcements coming in to help with the nursery (yeah for mom!), so we may wait to do the painting/organizing in there until she arrives (early May). Fortunately, most of the essential furniture has been taken care of - my parents are giving me the crib and rocking chair they used for my sister and I, we're using a small bookcase that Mark built a few years ago, and Mark's bro and sister-in-law gave us a dresser that they are replacing. The dresser needs a little TLC - a new back, and fresh coat of paint, but it sure beats the hassle/cost of going out and buying a new one! We're going to use the dresser as a changing table - and because it is painted, we can screw the changing pad right on top.
Baby classes:
We've got a ton of classes planned over the next couple of months. We're currently about halfway through our Bradley classes. We've also taken a 1-day hospital prepared birthing class. We're also signed up for a Life with Baby class (necessary, we have little-to-no-experience with newborns), Breastfeeding class, and an infant CPR class. Whew! Our last class is on May 23, so as long as the baby doesn't come more than two weeks early, we'll get through them all.
Vacation/Travel:
We've had/planned a lot of travel in this last trimester. We wanted to see our out-of-town family and friends before we are confined to the house with the new baby. :) I took a three day weekend in mid-March for our "Baby Moon" - and although Mark had to work a bit through it, we had a grand time. It mostly involved going out to eat at all our favorite places, daily naps, and we even went OUT to the movies - something we don't do very often. We saw Amazing Grace - which was quite good.
At the end of March/Beginning of April, we took a trip to Colorado to visit my high school friends. We'd all had this trip planned for over a year - and our host was 37 weeks pregnant herself ! Fortunately, she waited until the day after everyone left to have the baby. We left a bit early, so I don't know if we can claim credit for inducing her (we have this amazing effect on our friends - who seem to go into labor shortly after visiting us) - although a 5-day delay isn't so bad! We had a great time, and I even went on a short hike!
For Easter, we went to Dallas to visit Mark's parents and brother & sister-in-law. We had a lot of fun - including an evening at a local rodeo!
Next weekend, we are going to Wimberly, TX to visit my aunts. The weekend after that, Mark's parents are going to visit us (unless our newest nephew hasn't made his appearance by then). The first weekend of May, my mom is coming to visit and to help us finish the nursery. Then the second weekend of May, we are planning another trip to Dallas to meet our new nephew and to see my sister-in-law's dance recital. Whew! By that time, we'll just be a few weeks from my due date, so we'll spend the last few weekends at home resting and preparing.
And here's my (roughly) 7 month picture - I've been much worse lately about taking them on time! I used to take them on the very day that I hit the mark! (this is about 31 weeks)
Here's Mark and the belly! :)
How I'm Feeling:
Really, pretty great! I thought I would be much more uncomfortable by this time (I'm writing this at 32 weeks). The round ligament pain has actually decreased - although can still be somewhat pronounced when I try and roll over in bed - and I don't really feel all that big. I'm surprised sometimes when I look at pictures or catch my profile in the mirror. Clothes are a bit of a problem, though, as the current style of empire waisted maternity clothes do NOT look good on me. Fortunately, I have been loaned/given a bunch of clothes by my friends and sister-in-law, so I am pretty well-outfitted. :)
Ziggy's Getting Stronger!
Our boy has become quite the acrobat in my belly, which fascinates me to no end. It's gotten to the point where you can actually see my belly shake when he kicks hard enough. Of course, every time I try to get Mark's attention so he can see as well, Ziggy decides he's had enough. Mark can usually catch some acrobatics in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping. And a few nights ago he was kicking with unbelievable force. It amazed both of us.
Baby Preparations:
In my own OCD world, it makes sense to me why I have to have the kitchen finished and our new office completely organized (including all my filing from my inbox done) before I start on the nursery - but we're running out of time! So I did allow myself the luxury of finishing the organization of the kitchen, since Mark recently cut another shelf for our pantry and added a shelf to our spice pull-out drawer! So, yeah, it's ALMOST done!! In fact, the only thing left is for Mark to stain a little piece of the underpart of a peninsula cabinet that hangs down over the counter. We'll probably have to do something to celebrate when it is officially done.
Our computer and most of our day-to-day office items have been moved to our formal dining room, and I love the new location of our desk. It's right in front of the window, so I can see a bit more of the world, and next to the kitchen making it easier to get snacks! I've mostly got the stuff in here organized, but just have (as always) an overflowing inbox and a small stack of random stuff to deal with. That small stack is about to get huge, though, as today I HAVE to clear out the rest of our office stuff from the nursery. Mark is going to steam clean the carpets (first time since we moved in) and put up a closet organizer in the nursery. We've also got some painting to do - the nursery walls (we're leaning now towards a gray), and a dresser and bookcase (probably just an off-white). Fortunately, we have reinforcements coming in to help with the nursery (yeah for mom!), so we may wait to do the painting/organizing in there until she arrives (early May). Fortunately, most of the essential furniture has been taken care of - my parents are giving me the crib and rocking chair they used for my sister and I, we're using a small bookcase that Mark built a few years ago, and Mark's bro and sister-in-law gave us a dresser that they are replacing. The dresser needs a little TLC - a new back, and fresh coat of paint, but it sure beats the hassle/cost of going out and buying a new one! We're going to use the dresser as a changing table - and because it is painted, we can screw the changing pad right on top.
Baby classes:
We've got a ton of classes planned over the next couple of months. We're currently about halfway through our Bradley classes. We've also taken a 1-day hospital prepared birthing class. We're also signed up for a Life with Baby class (necessary, we have little-to-no-experience with newborns), Breastfeeding class, and an infant CPR class. Whew! Our last class is on May 23, so as long as the baby doesn't come more than two weeks early, we'll get through them all.
Vacation/Travel:
We've had/planned a lot of travel in this last trimester. We wanted to see our out-of-town family and friends before we are confined to the house with the new baby. :) I took a three day weekend in mid-March for our "Baby Moon" - and although Mark had to work a bit through it, we had a grand time. It mostly involved going out to eat at all our favorite places, daily naps, and we even went OUT to the movies - something we don't do very often. We saw Amazing Grace - which was quite good.
At the end of March/Beginning of April, we took a trip to Colorado to visit my high school friends. We'd all had this trip planned for over a year - and our host was 37 weeks pregnant herself ! Fortunately, she waited until the day after everyone left to have the baby. We left a bit early, so I don't know if we can claim credit for inducing her (we have this amazing effect on our friends - who seem to go into labor shortly after visiting us) - although a 5-day delay isn't so bad! We had a great time, and I even went on a short hike!
For Easter, we went to Dallas to visit Mark's parents and brother & sister-in-law. We had a lot of fun - including an evening at a local rodeo!
Next weekend, we are going to Wimberly, TX to visit my aunts. The weekend after that, Mark's parents are going to visit us (unless our newest nephew hasn't made his appearance by then). The first weekend of May, my mom is coming to visit and to help us finish the nursery. Then the second weekend of May, we are planning another trip to Dallas to meet our new nephew and to see my sister-in-law's dance recital. Whew! By that time, we'll just be a few weeks from my due date, so we'll spend the last few weekends at home resting and preparing.
And here's my (roughly) 7 month picture - I've been much worse lately about taking them on time! I used to take them on the very day that I hit the mark! (this is about 31 weeks)
Here's Mark and the belly! :)
And finally, a family shot of the 3.5 of us. Willy tends to get a bit confused, because apparently the voice I use to talk to the baby is the same voice I use to talk to Will.
Hope you are all well! Thanks for reading my blog!
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