New Weigh In

Everett got weighed again today by Grandma H at work. He was a super baby and gained 1 oz per day for the past week! He's now at 8 lbs, 6 oz! Yay for the E man!

Christmas and Blessing

Here are some pictures from Christmas and Everett's blessing.
Brian and Everett with the first stocking:
Everett found a nice sleeping spot during present opening:I pulled out Brian's baby pictures to see if Everett really did look like him. See any similarities? It's even more striking in Ev's earliest pictures.Everett had his blessing today. Ev wore a 112 year old gown passed down from his great great grandpa Hammond (the first Elton!).
Here are the McPhersons after Everett's blessing:The Hammonds after Everett's blessing:And the tiny Hammond family too:

Getting bigger!

Yesterday we had the big family picture session with Brian's kin. I think the pictures will come out nicely and the proofs should even be ready before we leave town.
In other news, we stopped by Grandma H's clinic this afternoon and got another weigh in. Evy boy is now at 7 lbs, 15 oz! That's four ounces in four days! He also seems to have figured out, as of yesterday, how to suck more efficiently while nursing, which is very encouraging for the process of losing the supplemental bottle.
And now for some pictures!
Here is Brian's mom's old bassinet with butterfly mobile. It's set up in the living room and Ev tried it out last night. He found the butterflies fascinating.Here's a shot from yesterday's photo shoot. Ev with his doubly great grandpa George (don't you just love his adorable Gap dress shirt?):Brian chatting with Everett on the living room floor:Just Everett being unbelievably cute after a great night's sleep:And here's a funny situation. Brian was pacing the room with Evy last night and I noticed that Nora was pacing with him (helping!). Then Brian started walking in circles around the house and Nora continued to follow without fail. Silly dog who loves her boy....

Some pictures

Just a quick update with some pictures. Here we have Brian with his favorite dog of all time, Nora. He said that she is an "appropriately sized lap dog."Next, we have Everett meeting his great grandma and great great grandpa!And finally, just a shot of the Ev man:

We made it

We are now in the land of ice and snow....lots of big, fluffy, neverending snow! Everett did wonderfully on the trip and would promptly fall asleep as soon as the car started moving. Despite several setbacks, everything went well. Brian had his interview and Ev and I hung out with Hayley in uptown. We even went out to a cute little Indian restaurant and Everett kept drifting in and out of sleep in his carseat on the table. The weather was perfect for the entire drive and we weren't even slowed down much by traffic in Chicago. We couldn't have asked for a better trip...but we are very happy to be done driving for three weeks now. We're trying to make the rounds about town today and make sure everyone gets a peek at the little guy before Christmas.
And in GREAT weight news: we took Everett into Grandma Hammond's clinic this afternoon for a weigh in. He's at 7 lbs, 11 oz!!!! Yay Everett!!! So he took an extra week, but he is back to his birth weight! Now he's almost plump enough for Christmas dinner. :)

Leaving today!

Just a quick post - our new little family is leaving today for leg 1 of 3 of our long trek north. We're heading to Madison tonight, taking advantage of the one-day break in bad weather forecasted for Chicago (and hopefully not getting stuck in rush hour (which I think should be called rush 5-hours) for too long. Tomorrow morning, we'll go from Madison to Minneapolis where Bri will go to his interview and I'll visit with Hayley. Then, tomorrow afternoon, it's on to the northwoods. I probably won't post again for a while, so Happy Holidays for now!

To the awaiting fan club:

I know you've all been anxious to hear how the 2 week check-up went, so here's the news! Ev has continued to gain weight! Hooray! He has gained 5 ounces in the past 6 days (and that's immediately after a huge wet diaper and a poopy explosion!) We are to continue supplementing, but I am feeling much better about the whole and not so worried about keeping such a strict schedule. We're still on the schedule, but I'm not as uptight about it now. Now we just need to have him continue to gain weight (we will have to take him in to the clinic in WI for checks every few days) and eventually cut out the bottles, and then maybe we'll start thinking about easing ourselves off the shield...one challenge at a time here... Oh, and he's also gained nearly two inches!!! Long lanky boy...
Now it's time to get ready for our trip north!

Mean mommy...

...gave baby Everett her cold! I tried to avoid breathing on and kissing him (impossible) and was hoping my body would quickly create some antibodies that he would get in his milk, but apparently, we failed there. The saddest thing is to hear him trying to breathe while he eats. Poor little guy! It will be interesting over winter break when he meets all his aunts and uncles....I think we'll have a "no touching the baby's hands or face" rule. I know he is irresistibly kissable, but poor little thing doesn't need any more colds. After our next feeding, I think we'll set Ev in his bouncer in the bathroom while mommy takes a hot, steamy shower...
I'm starting to freak out a little about how much we need to pack and when we'll need to leave to get to Minneapolis on time this Thursday. We have 8 oz of frozen milk, so hopefully we won't have to give him too much formula (or any!) on the drive by including a couple of stops for nursing. I'm planning to stop and visit with my friend Hayley while Brian is at his interview (yay!!!) and then we'll continue on to WI. It's going to be a loooong day.
Well, that's all for now! Back to watching the Today show and listening to people scraping the ice off their windshields outside. :)

Milestone #2

The first real bath! Not exactly planned, but after a diaper change gone awry (and an outfit, undershirt, blanket, and changing pad cover to the laundry basket!), we tried out the baby tub. He loved it! Until we got to washing his back, that is. Brian kept squeezing out a washcloth on E to keep him warm while also scrubbing all parts of baby and I kept his head out of the water and washed his hair. And now he smells like fresh clean baby! Yummy!
And a picture from this morning, pre-bath. Doesn't he look like he's gained weight???

1st attempt at public feeding

Today we had to make a trip to Target and Sam's Club and it ended up taking longer than I anticipated. Soooo, we got to stop at Starbucks and make our first attempt at a public feeding. It didn't work well because someone kept sleeping. We think he may have had some sensory overload because he slept the entire time we were out. As soon as we got home, wide awake. I convinced myself that he would wake up if he got hungry, and as soon as we got home, he spent a good 45 minutes eating pre-bottle. As long as he keeps gaining weight, I'm happy!

New pictures

I have a cold. And it royally stinks. But it didn't stop Ev and me from running some errands today! First we had to deal with a flat tire in the wind chill of 10 degrees (I know, I know, that's nothing but it still made my fingers cold!). Then we were off to the bank to deposit birthday checks and get a roll of quarters. Then mosied on over to the McDonald's drive-thru to get mommy some lunch. We then proceeded on to my work to show off the cuteness of the little guy to my officemates. They enjoyed that, except for the one who really wanted to see the baby and wasn't in the office...oops! After that, it was time to go back home for continuation of our feeding routine. Ev has been an absolute angel for the past day or so. I've had to wake him up for his feedings - I know that that is utterly wrong, but I want a fat baby! I'm hoping that he's been so sleepy because he's going through a growth spurt....wouldn't that be nice? We go to the pedi on Tuesday, so we'll get a weight update then.
In the meantime, here are some new pictures!

Here is the little guy in his uncle Jakey's super old SF 49ers outfit! He wore it for a whole hour or so before we had a diaper issue and he changed into a different outfit.
And here's the happy part about having to give Everett bottles - daddy/son bonding time! Whenever Brian is home, he gives our Evy boy his bottles while I pump.

And here's one of me and Everett having a little chat about literary devices...yes, we actually have had one of those in which I explained onomatopoeia after saying "hiccup" to him. Please ignore my my red nose and darkly circled eyes. :)

Milestone #1!

I forgot to write: Everett lost his umbilical stump this morning! (Just as exciting for everyone as it is for Brian and me, I'm sure!) Now he has a real nuppa!

Hooray for Everett!...and mommy!

We took the Ev man in to the doctor this morning (which was no small feat for me!) to get a weigh in so we can see how the little guy is doing since starting his new feeding routine. Well, he's done wonderfully! He is at 7lbs this morning! Still 11 oz off of his birth weight, but we have until Saturday to gain some more. He has his two week check-up on Tuesday, so hopefully we'll have a nice fat baby by then! Of course I'm not expecting him to continue gaining 3 oz/day, but I'll be happy with 1! While this schedule does make me a veritable zombie, this weight gain gives me some of the strength I was starting to lose. We're already starting to get enough milk for each 1oz feeding which means no formula, so that's more incentive to stay in my zombie-like state of being. And since I'm trying to find the positives around here, I must boast that I think I'm looking pretty good for ten days postpartum:
Oh, and here's one of my favorites from our little living room christmas photo shoot:

Gifts from Tri Club

The Purdue Triathlon Club surprised Brian tonight with several very thoughtful gifts tonight.

In addition to several very generous gift cards to Wal-Mart and Applebee's, they also made up some cute shirts for the little guy. The one on the left says Purdue Triathlon on the arms and the back references a triathlon put on by the club, "The Boilerman." The one on the right is a turtleneck onesie that has a picture of Brian on it (in case you couldn't tell).

Not happy

Well, you got all my happiness, now you're stuck with my crying too. After having troubles with Everett latching correctly and seeing a lactation consultant to fix that, our follow-up appointment was even worse. Everett still has not gained any weight, and has in fact, managed to lose more. Despite all of his frequent nursing and adequate wet diapers, it turns out his ineffective sucking has deprived him of calories. He's down to 6lbs, 10oz. So, obviously, something has to be done. We are now on a strict schedule of every two to three hours, nursing for a half hour, pumping for 15 minutes, and then feeding him what was pumped plus the evil formula until he has been supplemented with 1oz per feeding. We also have to go in to see the pediatrician again this week (goodbye insurance!) to see if he gained anything. I opted out of using a supplemental feeding apparatus for fear it would just frustrate me every time and we're going to use the drop-in bottles we got at the baby shower. I'm hoping that Ev's poor sucking didn't do too much damage to my supply and I'll be able to supplement at least the majority with breastmilk. I have to keep myself from thinking about how my baby was starving and think instead about how it's good we caught it right now and can work with it instead of having to go to the ER or worse. Also, Brian now gets an opportunity to help feed Everett, which he looks forward to. It's going to be a rough 24 hours (at least) for me and I just need to try and not cry myself sick in the meanwhile. I know it will get better....it's just hard right now.

Super Daddy of the Year

For those of you who know my dear husband well, you might understand my slight trepidation that our baby would end up dropped, stepped on, or misplaced within the first week of life. However, I have to be the one to tell you, Brian is so naturally good with Everett, I must eat all my words. Yes, there were some things he had no idea about, but learned very very quickly. He loved the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and when Everett fusses, he will promptly swaddle him up tightly, turn him on his side, shush in his ear, then flash me the proudest grin ever when baby immediately settles. Bri's also been amazingly helpful at night. I never knew that we could work so well together until we suddenly had a little guy waking up every two hours. Even for the tiny things he is there to help, like burping Everett while I switch sides. He is also more than happy to take care of nighttime diaper changes so I can go straight to sleep after nursing. Brian has taken this whole week off (besides classes, a test, and working on a big final project) to stay home and help me with all the new duties.
On another happy note, I finally remembered to put my ring back on! Yay! I missed my pretty sparklies. My birthday was a very calm day. I spent almost all day home with my cutie pie and Brian only left in the afternoon to work with another guy on their project. When he got back we made a trek out to Target, got glared at by the judgmental old check-out lady for taking Everett out in public so early, and had a wonderful dinner delivered to us by someone from church. Today our out of the house trip consisted of bundling up really well and walking across the parking lot to Ace where we picked up a slightly bigger christmas tree than last year (slightly bigger family!). We're going to get it all decked out this evening and I will be sure to take some pictures. Here are some pictures from today:

Brian got Everett dressed this morning all by himself while I took a shower -
Here's our little doll sitting in his bouncer -
And the proud daddy with Everett in the sling -

Happy Birthday to Me!

Obviously, I got just what I wanted for my birthday this year! Besides, I'm pretty sure they don't make gift receipts for babies... :)
Yesterday, we received a DVD of Happiest Baby on the Block from Brian's mom. Bri was convinced that Everett cried all the time...until we watched the DVD! He then realized that our little guy is pretty content. He does, however, still have his days and nights switched around. Happily, the DVD did show us a few tricks for calming a crying baby and we tried some out last night when Ev just wanted to be up and awake and moving. Brian was absolutely wonderful last night and took Everett out, put him in his sling (also from his mom!), and walked around the living room/read a book TWICE while I got some sleep. We're not totally unbalanced here because I also had to get up a few times to feed him during the night. And Brian can't really do that. :)
We have a follow-up appointment with the lactation consultant today, but I'm waiting to hear back from her because Everett's been doing so well, we might wait until Monday to follow up. It's amazing how well her advice has helped. I look forward to feedings instead of being ready to cry, and Everett is pleased to finally have some real milk instead of just colostrum.
We are savoring every moment with this beautiful little guy and love staring into his big eyes. Last night (after Brian elatedly swaddled Everett using the tips on the DVD), the cutie was wide awake and just looking at everything. Brian took this opportunity to start reading The Lorax to him while he sat in his bouncer. (The bouncer, by the way, is amazing! It is where he spends all of his daytime naps and where he sits when he is awake and we are not holding him.)
Brian left for the lab to work on a big bridge project and Everett and I are sitting here watching the Today show (thank goodness for TiVo!!!!). This afternoon, we plan to get out of the house by possibly going to the lactation consultant follow-up, and finding ourselves a little christmas tree! I know it will only be able to be up for two weeks, but we MUST have a tree for Everett's first holiday season! I also need to find some new bras (huge!). Brian also picked up a little space heater yesterday because our bedroom gets cold at night if we keep the door shut (to keep cats out).
Anyways! It's time for Everett's lunch!

Doing Great!

Just a quick post to say that things are great here at the Hammond house! We went to see a lactation consultant yesterday and got to sit down with her one-on-one for an hour and a half! It was really great. We learned some new tricks, got some new tools, and breastfeeding has now become a happy instead of painful task. Everett is doing wonderfully and had two four-hour sleeping times last night! We were very happy to get more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep. Even though one of those sleeping times consisted of him lying on my chest sleeping....shhh...don't tell the doctor! :) We go back to see the lactation consultant again tomorrow to make sure things are working out.

Today we went to the pediatrician for a check-up since our little man lost so much weight in the hospital. He is now at 6 lbs, 13 oz (so small!!!), but the dr. seemed pleased. He has the very slightest tinge of jaundice, but nothing to be concerned about. He was an angel while the dr. manipulated all his limbs, just looking around the room. Now we just need to plump this boy up for our Christmas dinner! :)

And here is some proof that I am a bad listener and don't always try to sleep while he's sleeping. Oops. Guess it's time to try and catch a half-hour nap!

We're home

Just wanted to quickly post that we're home and learning how to take care of our little boy. This morning, I felt like I was cramming for a test trying to read over a section about latching on while I quickly ate some cereal and Brian held Everett in the sling. Last night was....miserable really. We're having some issues with latching on properly, which is causing me some pain. We didn't really get to see the lactation consultant before we left the hospital because she doesn't work weekends and by the time she came in on Monday, we were being discharged. So this morning, Bri called in to the center where we had our childbirth classes and scheduled us an appointment to meet with their consultant at 3. It stinks that we'll have to pay for something that should have been free, but what can we do about it now? If we can figure out this one issue, life will be much much better. I'm leanring how to use my boppy pillow too (hence being able to actually type this)...thanks again Britt!
Thank you everyone for the messages here, on facebook, and through email. The whole thing is an adjustment and a half and a bit painful at times, but this little monkey is definitely worth it all. I look at him and still cannot believe that 1 - he was actually in my belly for so long (and that he fit!), 2 - he's actually mine to take care of all the time (in a good way), 3- he's so stinking cute! I know that everyone thinks their own babies are the cutest thing ever and I am definitely one of them. He just looks like perfection to me. Nothing can compare to when he looks me in the eyes and watches me talk to him. Anyway! Enough of my mushiness! (Emotions go off the wall crazy, btw.)

HE'S HERE! [39w6d]

Can you believe this day finally came?!?! I almost can't....besides going through labor....

Please join us in welcoming our little snowpea:


Everett Paschal Hammond

Labor started at 1 am on 11/29/08. Brian and I had just gone to bed and my mom was still awake reading. After realizing that my normal nightly contractions were a lot more painful than usual and not letting up, I tried to wake up Brian...it didn't work well. He couldn't seem to understand why in the world I was telling him to get up. After puking and pooing at the same time, mom and Brian realized just how serious I was. We threw together the last minute stuff, grabbed a puke bowl, called the hospital, and headed off. When we got to the hospital, I was 5cm and the contractions were about a minute and a half apart. CRAZY! I somehow ended up with no pain medication, although I nearly begged at one point. Luckily for my non-medicated self, by 5:44 am, Everett was born! He was 7 pounds, 11.8 oz, and 20.7 inches long (HUGE!). He has beautiful hair and has been very sleepy. I had to get an episiotomy (which sucked) but the dr. said something about multiple tears, so I just went for it. There were several times when I really didn't know if I could finish the whole deal, but we both made it just fine. I've now had breakfast and lots of juice and snowp (errr...Everett) has eaten once. Recovery is going to stink but what can you do? Here are a couple of pictures:

Turkey [39w5d]

Snowp got to eat his Thanksgiving turkey, but he must have taken a nice long nap afterward because he's still not up and ready to move. Maybe he was hoping for some super early Black Friday shopping, but I have already bought all the christmas presents and actually getting the sisters-in-law to wake up in the morning? Yeah....
We might still head out in a while and see if there are any deals left, but meh....
Turkey day was very nice - our apartment was filled to the brim and Brian's mom prepared a lovely feast. I even managed to squeeze in a can of cranberry sauce (which only my mom and I ate)! Brian's got the bones and such cooling overnight to make turkey stock so we should have soup for ages after snowp's around.
Well, time for making breakfast....or something....I think I'm the only person awake right now....unless my mom didn't go to sleep at all last night in order to finish reading Twilight. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Eve [39w3d]

Not sure that's an official holiday, but oh well. Family is coming tonight and Brian has an itemized list of things to do today (in the time that he's not toiling away at the lab). I....am at work. This really should be my last day - really! If I still haven't had snowp by Monday, I might possibly come in for half days, but I don't think my attitude will be able to handle full days. So....yeah. The TiVo is scheduled to record the parade (just in case!), the apartment is getting clean, and the cats are oblivious to anything. Boy is Mabel going to be terrified when all these loud people come crashing into her abode. Heehee.

Nope [39w2d]

I guess I can't say it's NO progress because the NP did say snowp's head has moved down a bit, but we're still stuck at 3cm. Ugh. I'm moving onto acupressure now...

Appt this afternoon [39w2d]

This afternoon is what I hope will be my last scheduled doctor's appointment (the next scheduled one is on my birthday, and that's just mean...). I have been mentally preparing myself to try and NOT cry if there are still no changes....I can't promise anything though....I'm sure they're used to it. :) Since my OB is now out of town for the entire week, I get to see my favorite nurse practitioner again. Maybe if I drink like 10 cups of raspberry leaf tea before the appointment, I'll just have the baby at the doctor's office....or not....
Bri and I returned the steam cleaner last night and then walked over to the health food store (out of tea) and stopped by Pizza Hut on the way back (it smelled kind of irresistible). I actually kind of slept last night and only physically got out of bed once! Amazing! I think I'm really starting to get sleep deprived here, and I thought that wasn't supposed to start until the baby was out and screaming! Well, here we go. I have until 4:30 to convince this kid (and my uterus) that I am quite through with this whole deal and ready to meet Snowp.

No calls required [39w1d]

Baby is still comfortably inside. Despite having contractions waking me up all night and a brief date with Brian at 3 am for warm milk (warm water for me), I am at work this morning and Brian's off to the lab. I will update if anything happens....don't hold your breath.

One week away [39w]

Snowp's official due date is now only one week away. On Wednesday, a whole bunch of family is coming down (and over) to visit for Thanksgiving. No, not all of them will be staying with us! I might harm someone if that many people tried to sleep in our apartment. Brian's family is staying at a hotel just down the street and my mom is staying in the nursery. Now we'll just have to see if Snowp decides he's ready to meet all these crazy people yet, or if he'd rather hold off on the introductions until Christmas. Don't ask me what he's going to do, because I have no stinking idea! :)

Boring lab [38w6d]

Where have we been since 10:45 am? The lab, of course. Because I wanted to go to Kohls to use a coupon today, I tagged along while Brian went to the lab to change his samples and do homework. Well, after watching three episodes of CSI on netflix, I think I'm about to melt out of boredom. Blah.
In baby news, there is none. I'm still having contractions but, as usual, they are not painful or regular. Granted, they are getting more intense than they were before, but I still would not characterize them as painful in any way. Seriously, can I walk around dilated to 3 for three weeks and then start having contractions and just do that for weeks on end? Family is coming on Wednesday and they're all saying that there needs to be a baby to visit by then, but I'm starting to wonder.... I told a coworker that I was going to try my hardest to not be there on Monday, and I guess it's still a possibility, but geesh. Come on baby, let's get a move on here!

Pedi. and contractions [38w5d]

Well, we met the pediatrician! We did have to wait a while, which was quite annoying, but what can you do? He is a very nice man and we feel entirely comfortable with him. He answered our questions and provided information and just seemed like a generally good doctor, so we're happy about that. That, and that he practices two blocks from our house!
After meeting the ped, we went to the monitoring room. Of course, I only had two of my bigger contractions while being monitored, but apparently I was also having quite a few little ones. Because of this, the nurse reported that the dr. would check me to see if there were any changes from the contractions. After waiting AGAIN for the dr., I got checked and get this - NO CHANGES! Absolutely nothing has changed since 8 days ago. Oy. I swear. I was really hoping that today was the day and I was very antsy all morning, so I thought maybe it was a sign of something, but apparently not. *sigh* This boy is seriously starting to wear on my nerves. At least I got out of the office for almost three hours including lunch!
I'm still hoping to go into labor sometime in the next 48 hours, but who knows what will happen.... back to my crankiness, I guess!

Meeting the Ped [38w5d]

I am about to leave work to go meet our pediatrician. Brian decided to drive the car today since it was 19 degrees when we got up this morning, so he's coming to get me so we can go to the clinic together. I don't really see the point of meeting the ped., since I don't really care what his opinions are on anything and I only picked him because he's the only ped at the west side location, but whatever. Maybe Brian will have some questions for him.
Also - I asked that after this appointment, the nurses hook me up to the contraction monitor! I know I've been having contractions, but this whole timing deal....yeah.... Obviously, if they are not painful enough to time, they aren't really labor, but I'm hoping that if I can see the monitor and connect that to what I'm feeling, I might be better able to time them myself. We'll see! Anyways! Time to go!

Awake for no reason [38w4d]

It is 4:26 am and I am awake. Doesn't that just stink? No reason for my lack of sleeping at the moment. I woke up to go to the br, realized I forgot to do two things at work for a meeting this morning, went back to bed, couldn't sleep, so I got up to send myself an email reminder to do these things once I get to work. Now I'm still up. Hmmm...

Cranky much? [38w3d]

It is amazing how simple little things can really throw me over the edge lately. The boss said to summarize the four points in some report....yeah, there aren't four points....there are either two or 19-ish. This, of course, made me cranky (which will last for the entire day) because I can't work on it until he gets back to the office and clarifies. It probably doesn't help that snowp is adamantly refusing to get out! Okay, maybe that's going a bit far, but seriously. I can't sleep at night anymore, I'm exhausted all day, and just sitting gets really uncomfortable after a bit. I'm ready to be done here. Maybe I'll make a starbucks run to elevate my mood...

Shortest appt ever [38w2d]

I was seriously out of there by 5:10 and the appointment was at 4:40. Amazing! I opted out of the internal this time for fear it would depress me. I did somehow gain 3 pounds in 4 days though. Yes, yes, I see your bulging eyes and dropped jaw. I am not surprised by anything anymore. Snowp's still doing good. Head down, heart rate fine, I measured 35 cm this week, so we're up a cm from 4 days ago. He's still kicking and his legs are getting stronger every day...fun for me...
The next appointment isn't for another week, so the only kind of update I could have before then would be of the "holy crap, I'm in labor" variety. Right now, I think I'll go lie down until Brian's back from seminar and weight lifting.

Nope [38w2d]

Nothing's changed. The end.

Aaand I'm at work. [38w1d]

That means I'm not at the hospital. The snowy weather has now arrived with possible flurries today and tomorrow. This means that Brian's going to have to start taking the car to school soon, so snowp had better help me decide that I'm done working. Plus, dr. is off on vacation all next week, so he really only has this week if we're going to get our own dr....

Nada [38w]

I was wondering if he might decide to make his appearance on the 7th anniversary of his parents' first date. Doesn't look like it. Oh well!

A little bit more detail [37w5d]

Since my last update was written in about 2 minutes in Brian's office last night before dinner, I didn't get all the details in there. Still no baby! :) Here's a bit more detail for those of you who care. If you don't care, stop reading my blog! First, I have a mini-story for you.
Brian was super late picking me up because he got distracted with all kinds of stuff at the lab, so I started walking to my dr. appt. (I work a whole maybe 6 blocks from the clinic.) Well, if you've ever seen my clumsiness and weak ankles prior to pregnancy, you can guess what's coming next. Stepping off a curb is always a dangerous job, but with me trying to balance this little bowling ball of a belly here, it's just asking for trouble. I stepped off the curb, my right ankle turned, and boom! There's Beth on the ground (and there was even a van parked ahead of me that saw the whole thing! embarrassing!) . My pride was hurt much more than my hands and knees, so I quickly got up and walked on. (I also nearly fell again trying to walk through the icky fruit residue from another tree!) During our hour long wait for the dr., I commented that my knee was really kind of hurting, so I rolled up my pant leg and sure enough, big ol scrape complete with blood. Nice. 37 1/2 weeks pregnant and I fall down and scrape my knee. Oy. The dr. even noticed it and commiserated with me.
Okay, appointment details. Like I said, not much has changed. My weight did not change in the 9 days since my last weigh in, which is normal for the end of pregnancy. Fundal height (they measure how big your belly is!) is now down to 34cm. For me, I was very much sticking to the cm for every week of pregnancy that it's supposed to be until last week when I was a cm behind, and now I'm 3 behind. This is also normal. It just means that snowp has gotten himself nice and snuggled into my pelvis. A co-worker even commented today that it looked like he had dropped more recently.
After the appointment, I had icky crampy feelings all evening. Through dinner, sitting at home, and trying to fall asleep. I was like one giant cramp and achy all over. Not fun. I actually tried to fall asleep for an hour and a half while Brian took his prospective student out to a social event, but no success! I finally called him near 11 and asked if they were coming home soon. They got home very soon after that and I finally managed to fall asleep soon after Brian was home (co-dependent much?). However, sleep was not fun last night. It's getting worse every night and I'm thinking I'm soon going to be way too tired to have a baby. Hmm.... this weekend? Come on snowp!
Oops - I forgot to add: I had to take off my ring today! (two rings, soldered together=one ring) My finger got too big and it was hurting. I was really hoping that wouldn't happen. *sniffle*

Quick update [37w4d]

Not much of an update. Brian's crabby because we had another hour long wait in the doctor's office before we got seen, but oh well. Here's the medical update - we are now at a full 3 cm (rather than almost 3), 80% effaced, and -1 station. So, a tiny bit of progress in 9 days. At least I didn't have negative progress! Come on full moon! Err....or maybe not because that would be kind of awkward with a guest at the apartment.... Tomorrow afternoon wouldn't be a bad time for my schedule though... :)

Full Moon Tonight [37w4d]

Does a Full Moon really mean anything regarding labor? Probably not, but hey! Dr. appointment isn't until after work today, so we'll see what happens there. I think it would be slightly humorous to go into labor during my hour long wait for the dr. to be ready at the appointment, but also slightly not. We are also supposed to be hosting the kid who's taking over Brian's research project tonight (I say supposed to because if I do, by chance, go into labor, he will be sleeping on the street....or another student's place...). That'll be loads of fun. I already told Brian I am not going to be a pleasant hostess and will probably just hide away in the bedroom the whole time he's here. Hmm....can you sense my lack of patience and abundance of crabiness that has become a daily pattern? Oh well! Will update after the doctor's appointment today.

I got flowers! [37w3d]

Despite this week dragging on and on (is it still really just Wednesday?), I got a lovely surprise yesterday evening. As is usual, I was taking a nap from about 4 until around 6, but I heard the UPS truck pull up at 6 yesterday. I thought, hmm....it's rather late for the UPS truck to be coming around...at least it won't be anything for me and I can stay in bed... Not so, my friends! The doorbell rang! So, I jumped up (hard to do, ya know), blind and with my hair smushed in every direction, to run to the door. Poor UPS man probably nearly had a heart attack at the sight of me... But he still gave me my delivery! After I shut the door, got my glasses on, and nearly fainted from the sight of my hair, I opened the package to find a lovely bouquet of white and yellow flowers! I thought...hmm.. that's odd....does someone think Snowp was born already? But no. The flowers were sent from my lovely college roommate, Bettina, just because she has heard that the last month of pregnancy can be rough. After much awww-ing from me and the cats realizing that their theories about my sanity were very spot on, I put the flowers into their vase and set them on the counter. I knew that overnight there would be some fatalities, but luckily, it appears that only some ferns were knocked out and no flowers were eaten or vases broken (have I mentioned that Olivia is a little devil?). Brian insisted that the flowers would not survive a day in the house alone, so I brought them to work with me and they are now sitting on my desk. I should have taken a picture, but I forgot. So you'll just have to imagine them in your mind.
That's pretty much it for today! Thanks Bettina - you are absolutely the best!

Tuesdays aren't much better [37w2d]

Just me. Sitting here. At work. Eating oatmeal. Because my freaking office area is 66 freaking degrees. No labor. No hospital. Just oatmeal and shivers.

Mondays... [37w1d]

I don't much care for them. Granted, the scary person of our office is out on vacation, so life is a bit easier. After waking up at 5:30 am yesterday with baby moving and some contractions and then managing to stay in bed for another hour, I was up and bouncing off the walls (not like me on a weekend morning). My bouncing (literally, I was bouncing) woke up Brian and he just kind of looked at me as if I should be in a psychiatric ward and somehow made my way into his bedroom. I then proclaimed, "Let's go for a walk!" Since this is not a common occurance, he actually got up and dressed to take me on a walk. (Never mind that it was about 30 degrees at the time...) So we bundled up and walked to McDonald's to pick up a new redbox movie (Get Smart this time - good flick!) and some breakfast. After FoxNews officially ticked me off by mocking reusable grocery bags, we made our way over to the grocery store to get donuts and some herbal tea! Can you tell I was in charge of this walk route? We then walked all the way past my dr. clinic and back to the apartment where I promptly had some of my new tea to warm up. After shuffling around the house for a while, I decided that maybe I should shower and when I got out, Brian asked if I wanted to get dressed and go to church (since the weather was icky and there would be no bike riding). So we did that! After about 15 minutes of sitting on a pew, I realized that waking up at 5:30=not the greatest idea in the world. I could barely keep my eyes open and my head propped up. After we got home and ate some lunch, I crashed for a couple of hours while Brian went and lifted weights. Then we pretty much just ate, watched T.V. and our movie, and played some mancala. Boooring! ...but still nice. I like spending quiet time with Brian and who knows how much longer we'll have quiet time! I kind of slept last night, but it has been getting harder and harder every night. I think I got up 4-5 times last night and when my alarm went off, I was tiiiiired! Hopefully I can stay awake for my 8.5 hours away from home today. Our next dr. appt isn't until Thursday (forever away!), which is also the same day we're supposed to host the new grad student who will be taking over Brian's research project. Hmm.... I'll try to keep updating quasi-daily lest you all think I have run away to the hospital.

Tomorrow=Full Term! [36w5d]

No baby yet. I think I will now start every post that way. :) I decided that since we have no idea when we might be able to have our last date night for a while, we had better do something about it. So last night, Bri and I went out to Applebees. (I wasn't super hungry and didn't really feel like trying somewhere new.) We had a very nice time and took advantage of their 2 for $20 deal - which meant we got spinach artichoke dip AND two meals! Yum! Then we stopped by McDonalds to pick up a redbox movie and watched Leatherheads at home. Good flick, especially if you have an unhealthy fondness for Duluth.

Today we had to do laundry, take out the trash, stop by goodwill to get rid of some things, return some sheets at Target, get a giant bag of craisins from Sam's, stop by the lab (where I watched CSI on netflix while Brian worked!), drop off the movie, and get groceries! Yikes! All done now though. The rest of the evening's plans consist of Brian going for a run in the cold, eating dinner, folding laundry, and relaxing. I'm thinking that I don't like this whole idea of having contractions for weeks and weeks, and I'm hoping this boy decides to make an appearance sooner rather than later. I actually still haven't reached the point of being sick of being pregnant and wanting him out, but the waiting is what kind of irks me. Maybe I'll find myself some raspberry leaf tea.... :)

Anyways! Here's a picture from today:

And one of me at the lab:

Someone had a baby, not me! [36w5d]

My cousin Gilbert became a daddy yesterday! I just had to share because this kid's cheeks are unbelievable! :)
Here is Olivia Victoria, baby girl to Gilbert and Betty.

Does my brain know... [36w4d]

...that my uterus exists? I've been pondering this for the past two days. I know that it is extremely rare that women don't notice contractions, but I think there is some sort of disconnect between my brain and my uterus. I mean, I had no idea whatsoever that I was already somewhat dilated and effaced, no idea! Now that I've been trying to pay attention, I have noticed what I think are contractions, but they don't really hurt, so I've brushed them off as being Braxton Hicks. However, since I must have had some sort of contractions that led to progress, am I still likely to have Braxton Hicks or more likely to have real contractions??? Sometimes I wish I had a medical degree.... oops, guess I fell off that career path already! From what I've read, the location of these contractions (higher and lower, not just in the lower abdomen) seems like they're real. But seriously! If they're real, I should be able to at least notice when they start and end! I think I'm going crazy...

I also wonder if my regular doctor would like to know about my pondering, or if she really doesn't care one way or the other until I am crying in pain at the hospital...(something I hope to avoid anyway....crying? really? I'm a monster!!)

Another thing I've noticed is that snowp's movements = not so fun anymore. I know that this is normal because he's getting bigger, but goodness! I definitely notice him moving around (every time!), but it's only occasionally that I will either feel something or just look down at my belly and go, "hmmm...." and realize that the whole thing is hard as a rock. I still wonder if the rock hard belly is a contraction or if snowp has just balled himself up in an odd spot.... Guess I'll find out sooner or later....

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. Of course, I'm still freaking out (just a bit) that we don't hit 37 weeks until Sunday. I want fully developed lungs on that boy, darn it!

We voted!

Appointment Update! [36w2d]

Okay, here is the official update and boy is it a doozy!

Since I couldn’t get in to see my regular OB today, I got to see the Nurse Practitioner (who I absolutely adore, so I was happy). She is just so easy to talk to and ask questions. There isn’t anything wrong with my OB at all, I just really love the nurse practitioner. ANYWAY! Now for the synopsis of the appointment. Blood pressure was still fine, but when she measured my belly, she asked if I have normally been measuring small. I said, “no, I’ve been right on the whole time.” She seemed a bit surprised and said that I was measuring a week behind (35cm, whereas I was at 34cm two weeks ago…and it’s supposed to be equal, cm=weeks) and that maybe it was because the baby had dropped some. Well, as you know, I had already determined that he had started his descent because I have some fun and lovely pressure on my bladder from his head, so I was not concerned in the least.

Listened to snowp’s heartbeat and it was perfectly normal still. I had to have the lovely Group B strep test, which wasn’t nearly as bad as my OB made it sound. Then it was time for fun – the Internal Exam. Dun dun dun! (Those were scary and exciting sounding duns, just so you know.) Boys, beware! I hold nothing back. (Oh, and I’m going to try and provide general info as I explain where I’m at for those of you who have not had babies.)

She felt for his head, and as she did so, he protested by kicking me. Thanks snowp. Sure enough, he’s at -1 station. Explanation: There are 7 stations (as seen in this picture). -3 is way up high still and +3 means there’s a baby coming out. So, snowp definitely has his head settled nicely down in my pelvis. I was amazed because I figured that by this point, it would be difficult to walk/waddle, but while I do get tired faster, I have felt pretty normal.

Now, here is the really amazing part (well, to me at least, since I knew he was pretty low already). I am currently at 2.5-3cm dilated and 70% effaced! WOAH! I never ever would have guessed that! I figured she would use some comparison to Fort Knox when explaining my dilation, but apparently I was very wrong. The chart above (for the stations) actually shows a 3cm dilation of the cervix. So now let me try to give explanation again. Dilation: Can be somewhere between “a fingertip” to 10 cm, with the 10cm meaning you are about to drop a baby on its head. :) The way I can make this sound even more impressive is that were I having regular contractions right now, I could have an epidural. No kidding. By the time some women reach 3cm, they are in active labor and dying for their epidurals. Apparently my obsession with sitting cross-legged/half-lotus at all times has done something! Effacement: You go from 0 to 100% effaced. This is the thinning and shortening of the cervix and 100% means that the cervix is open and there’s not much holding baby back. See charts below for illustration of dilation and effacement.

SO! Basically, I could stay this way for a while OR I could start having contractions or have my water break at any time. The NP asked if our hospital bag was packed and I said, “nope! Guess that’s the task for tonight!” and she agreed. She also went through a checklist with us, making sure we had a carseat, asked if I was interested in getting an epidural, went through why they give IVs, etc. It was kind of crazy! Further evidence of how I love talking to this woman – she asked if I had a lot of cramps with my periods. I was surprised by this question but told her that yes, I had miserable cramps and went on the pill because of them. She then told me that women who had harsh menstrual cramps sometimes don’t even notice early labor because they’re used to worse pain. I thought this was fascinating. I have not noticed contractions at all, except for occasional tightening. I don’t think I’ve really had any real contractions yet, but now I’m wondering if I’ll even really notice when they do start. Of course, I’ll know when they get more intense, but seriously – I didn’t have any clue that I would already be dilated at all!

So now, my list of stuff to do this week has a little more pressure on it (at least in my mind!). I need to pack the hospital bag, rearrange our room so the pack n’ play will fit next to the bed, get the carseat base into the car, order my breastpump tubing, wash baby clothes, and get Christmas presents wrapped! I’m getting really excited (seriously, actually not scared/nervous about the whole giving birth thing at all….just the afterward part.). I told a co-worker and my boss as soon as I got back about everything, so at least if I had to one day call in and say I’m a bit busy doing other things, they wouldn’t be horribly shocked. I'm really hoping that I don't just stay at 3cm for the next month and that this actually means we'll have a baby by Thanksgiving, but who knows. So yeah. I guess that’s it for now. Enough of an update for ya? :) If I’m leaving out some important fact that you want to know, just leave a comment or shoot me an email. Here we go!!!

My own update [36w1d]

Here you go mom, two posts in one day (and Christy, who apparently thinks my first post of the day was "boring").
So I may not have a medical update until tomorrow, but Brian finally agrees with me that snowp has now stuck his head into my pelvis. I walked up to him and said, "does my belly look lower to you?" and his response was, "uh oh." Which he translated for me to mean, "yes, it does look lower and that means it's getting closer to time for snowp to be born, for which I do not feel entirely prepared."
So here's the picture (please pay no attention to my messy hair and tired eyes):

Grrr to doctors! [36w1d]

Today was supposed to be the day for my first weekly appointment and the day I get measured, tested, etc. Well, the dr's office leaves a message on my cell phone yesterday saying that they need to reschedule my appointment (mind you, this is an appointment that had already been rescheduled once before!). So now I am forced to use up some of my comp time to go to an appointment that should have used up NO work time. Grrr...
Okay, that is my vent for the day. So, no news on progress today for you! You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Which is also when I get to discuss with my boss my plans for maternity leave.... oooo.....

Presents everywhere! [35w5d]

We got a load of stuff today! Not just baby stuff, too. First off, we had attended a halloween...errr...."harvest" party at our apartment office on Wednesday and they had said costumes were encouraged. So Brian assembled half of a pirate costume (a hat from a costume store and a plastic sword) and we went and ate their food. Turns out, he won a gift basket for his costume! I think it's really because the office girls like us and know that snowp's on his way, but hey! Here's the gift basket:

If you have trouble identifying the objects, I will detail them for you: a lovely basket which will now become snowp's laundry basket, some Tide Free (love the stuff!), Bounce Free (yay for no dyes and perfumes!!!), some Arm and Hammer detergent, Tide Pen (one of my fav inventions of all time), a bottle of Shout gel (yes!), and a tide mesh laundry bag. How cool are our aparment workers???

In addition to the awesomeness of winning a basket full of laundry stuff, my work surprised me this afternoon with a baby shower of sorts! We were having a staff lunch (which I knew about), and then after we ate, everyone brought out bags of lovely baby stuff! SO awesome! So here I go detailing the gifts!

First, we have this lovely, handmade quilt with jungle creatures. It's a nice, heavy quilt that will keep our little guy nice and cozy this winter!
Then we have this amazing creation from our supremely creative former elementary school principal. Are those flowers?

No! It's all kinds of onesies, washcloths, and socks!My boss just got back from a disney cruise with his grandkids and he brought back this authentic disney cruise minnie mouse for our snowp.
Even the high schooler who snoops my blog brought something. Hi Nathan! :) A very nice, heavy receiving blanket with cars that match snowp's nice heavy towel. Matching things! Woot. Also, some burp clothes that match more blankets we have!

High school co-worker also helped with the shopping of this basket of wonderfulness from the girl who started at the office the same time I did. I will attempt to detail all the stuff in this one too: we have a Johnson's bedtime bath set (smells soooo good!), a set of two towels and two washcloths (now we can clean the snowp!), an awesome little penguin onesie (no Christy, you may not steal it for Daisy.), the coolest bib ever since it has a MOOSE on it!!, a cute little stuffie/blankie combo and I like rubbing on my face, and BOOKS! The Lorax (environmentally friendly edition), Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, Dr. Seuss' ABCs, Put Me in the Zoo, and....Are You My Mother?

In addition, she got this awesome card that reads: "It smells funny, makes a lot of noise, and depends on you for everything!" The inside reads "But enough about your husband. Congratulations on your baby!" Loved it!

AND, her sister is donating some hand-me-downs from her boys to the cause of Operation: Keep Baby From Being Naked.

I had to have snowp model the cuteness of that bib:

Happy Halloween Week [35w2d]

I know, I know, two posts in one day. I'm a bit ridiculous. Just wanted to share a picture of Olivia and me (and snowp) with our pumpkin!

Shoes or socks? [35w2d]

I had heard of this company before because they make the cutest little girl socks that look like Mary Janes, but I could not obsess over them for snowp is not a girl. However, I just discovered that the same company also makes these:How stinking cute! They made me think of Auntie Janelle with her crazy converse shoes. Now if only they weren't so overpriced...

Fuzzy Ultrasound Videos [34w6d]

Sorry, YouTube made them quite fuzzy. I have not made DVDs yet....man I hope they start making DVDs instead of VHS sometime in the near future....

First Ultrasound: 7w3d - April 16



Second Ultrasound: 20w4d - July 17



Third Ultrasound: 27w3d - September 3

Last of the 2 weekers [34w5d]

Yesterday's dr. appointment actually taught us new things! We still had to wait a half hour to get in, but we also spent a little time chatting. Apparently there is still a slight risk that I would have to deliver at the icky old hospital. Dr. was telling us about how another dr. was at the old hospital with a VBAC and because it's a more risky birth, he couldn't leave the hospital. As a result, he had to deliver three other babies at the old hospital instead of the new. Poo on that idea! I don't like the old icky hospital! I want the new one with the giant rooms and flat screen tvs! : )

Everything is still right on track. Weight, bp, urine are good, baby's hb is good, fundal height is 34cm. Also, dr. figured out how snowp is chilling out in there and I was exactly right! I'm so proud of myself. sniff sniff. He is most definitely head down (as I knew from hiccups in my tailbone...) and she grabbed his head...through my skin! Strange strange things happen at these places called doctor's offices. Oh yeah, but continuing with the description: His head is down, he's lying with his back along my left side (which is why I have a large hard lump on my left and not my right), butt up by my ribs, and feet that enjoy kicking my on the right side. And although I swear the other night he was trying his darndest to turn himself completely in a circle, dr. says that is very unlikely to happen now. Hear that snowp? You may try but will not succeed!!! Or better not.... ok time to stop taunting the unborn child now.

In two weeks, we have another appointment which will start the beginning of the scary internal exams! Eek! To repeat the words of the dr., those aren't comfortable when you're not pregnant, so it's not that fun. After the first check, I have the choice to get checked every week or every other. We'll see how the first one goes before I decide. Anyway, for those of you who are wondering about why I would get internals, let me briefly explain: boys beware. Since I will then be 36 weeks (plus some days), the dr. is going to start checking to see if my cervix has dilated or softened at all (which is what it does when you have a baby). ; ) Since 37 weeks is technically golden brown, snowp could decide to make his appearance as soon as Nov 9! Craziness! (Of course I know he could make an appearance whenever he darn well feels like it, but I'm just telling you the dates here, people!) He could also decide to show up on the 16th (38 weeks), which is the day Brian and I went on our first date. Or if he decides to be a little butt, he could very possibly wait until December and be a painful birthday present for me. Who knows.... my mom apparently, who is convinced that he won't make it to his due date because I might explode or something. So far, I am happy to say that I am not so uncomfortable that I'm cranky about the bun still baking....he supposed to still be baking!....but once 37 weeks hits, I might be whistling a different tune.

Well, that's pretty much it. I have to figure out a halloween costume this weekend (I have some ideas) and carve my jack-o-lantern! (Brian doesn't want to carve one, because I just fix it anyway...)

Finally another belly pic [34w2d]

Greetings blog readers! I come to you this afternoon bearing a new belly picture. Since I refused to stand up every time Brian has suggested taking a new picture and I was finally awake enough today, I decided to try a few shots myself (Brian's at class). I'm hoping that we might be able to get some nicer outdoor pictures of us and the snowp belly sometime soon. The fall leaves here really are a lovely sight....and we still need a pumpkin....hmmm....

We spent the past weekend in Bloomington (as you can read about on our other blog) and since we stayed at the motel 6, which advertises internet access but really just has two phone jacks, I didn't have the internet to entertain myself while Brina rode bike. As a result, I found a lot of shopping. :) I bought Christmas presents (nearly done now I think!), found myself a nice new scarf on sale at Kohl's, and got some baby stuff! I finally bought a baby book, got a cover for the changing table pad, found some side-snap t-shirts for those first days after birth, and a new cross-stitch kit to make a new baby stitching (I'll work on it beforehand and then only have to fill in the birth data afterward). I'm still working on crocheting - it's just kind of transitioned from baby stuff to items hopefully good enough to work as christmas presents for some little rascals I know.

I plan to get the car cleaned out this weekend and get the base of the carseat set up in the backseat. I might even go so far as to make a carseat check appointment since I'm a little anxious about the fact that we have a used carseat. If I had the decision to make over again, I would have bought one new, but since we've already spent the money and Brian keeps reassuring me that it's fine, I'll deal. Also in the plans for this weekend is to start getting together stuff for "the hospital bag." Yes, it is finally time for my over-prepared self to go into crazy mode and start getting stuff ready. All that's left on my list of stuff to have ready for snowp is a bouncer, so I obviously have to move on to something even scarier like the hospital bag. :)

Well, that's all for now. Dr. appt on Thursday, then we have another two weeks from then, then we're onto the weekly schedule!!!

Sneaky, whiney people! [33w4d]

I knew that announcing we had picked a name but withholding the gem from y'all would promote some subversive tactics, but geesh people! :) My mom has now tried to trick me (twice!) into giving away any hints, darling sister-in-law has tried to convince me that since she's my "favorite person," I should tell her, and I've received other notices that people are just curious. Not that I mind, of course, because none of you are going to be told the name! mwa ha ha! I told Brian last night that he is not allowed to tell anyone what the name is either. He questioned this rule, pondering what might happen if he did happen to tell someone. My reply involved bodily harm, ridiculously inappropriate emotional responses, and that I would change the name and he would not find out what the boy will be called until he is born. So now you see, I'm serious here. No one will know the name!!!! :)

In other strange and should-be-private pregnancy news, I've now developed some kind of tender spot right under my sternum and ribs. It kind of hurts to touch and doesn't feel so great when a certain someone decides to stick a pointy body part up in the spot. I'm sure it's just another of my whiney complaints (ribs hurting, back sore, running into things with balloon-like body, stretching skin, etc.), but it is particularly grievous to me that playing too much guitar hero now causes physical discomfort somewhere other than my poor little fingers that can never manage to get from green to orange and back quickly enough...

Tomorrow we leave for Bloomington so Brian can leave me sitting in a smoky motel room all day while he enjoys the fresh air, riding the Hilly 100 with his grandpa and Ron and Katie. (yes, there were two "and"s in there, but it's because I say "Ron and Katie" as if it were one word.) Of course, now that riding a tandem for 100 miles would be true physical torture, I can admit that the ride was quite fun last year. And just for fun, here's a picture of us during a rest last year: