Day 3 and Life is Good

Well, we've now been home for almost a full 24 hours and things are absolutely fantastic.  Everett is especially sensitive and we're trying to douse him in hugs, kisses, praises, and "I love you's."  He loves to "holder" Callum and lets us know whenever he makes a peep.
I still can't believe how much easier things are this time.  Cal's peeing, pooping, nursing, burping, sleeping....everything he's supposed to be doing.  At this point with Everett, things were starting to get bad.  We have had a little bit of soreness with nursing but nothing near how it was last time.  Callum's just a good nurser.  He has already gotten his milk to come in, so he is one content little guy.  We have his crib side-carred onto our bed and it worked fairly well last night.  Between 1 and 4 he was squirming, grunting, and generally not sleeping, so I ended up laying him in the crook of my arm (that was reminiscent of our early Everett days).  I think it was still a little too cold for him.  We just had him in a long-sleeved t-shirt, socks, diaper, and his fleece halo swaddle sleepsack.  Tonight I'll put him in a sleeper inside the sleepsack I think.
Brian and Everett are currently on a walk.  They went down to the library for story time and then they are stopping by the co-op for some milk, mother's milk tea, decaf coffee, and Everett's cheeky monkey snack (he gets to pick out a free apple, carrot, or banana every time we go in - so cool!). 
If Ev's still in an okay mood after they get back, they might head out to wal-mart to pick up some more stuff like fresh fruit, toaster strudels, and soothing gel pads for nursing (got a coupon from the hospital).  If not, hopefully Ev will go down for a nap and Brian can go alone.  I'm trying to let Brian sleep as much as possible at night so he can have enough energy to deal with crazy monster toddler all day.  He generally wakes up when I feed Cal because I either need a light on to get him latched correctly or I can't get him to burp (I am seriously terrible at burping!).  I was a little worried last night too because he hadn't peed much, but he made up for that today when Nana stopped by to check on us....and peed all over her.  Sorry Nana!
Brian's staying home with us this week and Ev's daycare wants to take him for one more week, so we'll send him over there next week to give me some more time to recover at home with just baby Callum.
As far as things go for me, this recovery is soooo much better!  I still have some stitches but the difference between an episiotomy and a small tear is incredible.  With Ev I was in pain, on tylenol with codeine and antibiotics, lying on the couch.  With Callum, I am a little sore, on regular ibuprofen, moving around the house and up and down stairs.  Don't get me wrong - I'm still really tired and lying on the couch (currently with Callum snuggling up next to me) and taking it easy, but I feel a million times better and more human than last time.  I just hope the nights don't get too bad and I can keep getting enough sleep.  I'm so glad that Bri has his job that allows him to be at home with us this week.  I seriously don't know how anyone could ever have a baby alone/be a single mother....it takes me and Bri both to care for these boys right now.  Anyway.  I should get some lunch figured out for when all my boys are back in the house!

Baby Brother Has Arrived!!!

Friday, February 25, 2011

6:00 am  - wake up.  Everett’s whining.  I go in and replace blankets, hoping he’ll sleep in.  Back to bed for a few minutes but can’t sleep.

6:30 am – I decide to take a bath and have two decently strong contractions.  Different from the contractions I have been feeling for weeks.  I tell Brian that I think he should stay home from work today.  With how fast labor went with Everett, I’m sure this will be coming.

Alllll day long – contractions between 5-20 minutes apart, 40 seconds long.  I start getting annoyed that they are not getting progressively stronger/closer together.

11:30 am – some bloody show.  Now I know that today will be the day.  Just, when???

1:00 pm – My doula, Erica, comes over.  She brings me a delicious cookie, brews some comfort tea, makes me a foot soak, and we walk to black cat and back for some decaf.

4:00 pm – I’m back home and tell Brian I’d like to rest.  Contractions are still going and I have an English muffin with peanut butter before resting.

4:30 pm – The plan to rest doesn’t quite go right.  Contractions start coming every 4-6 minutes, increasing in intensity.

6:30 pm – The phone calls are made.  My mom is put on alert, Erica is called.  We tell everyone to go ahead and have their dinner, that we have time.

7:30ish – Brian and my mom work on getting Everett to bed while I work through contractions in front of our living room heating vent.  Back labor is horrid!  I most definitely did not have that with Everett, so it’s an unwelcome surprise.  Erica is awesome about applying counter pressure and rubbing.

I try lots of positions to deal with the increasingly intense contractions.  After one particularly long and hard contractions, I feel a little gush.  It was just blood – things are really picking up.  While sitting on my exercise ball, I realize that my legs are shaking.  I mention this to Erica and my mom and my mom’s eyes get big.  She says, “I got shakey during transition.”  I think I muttered something about this not being transition, but all of a sudden, the contractions were right on top of each other and I had to start moaning to make it through them.

Just before 9:00 pm – Erica tells Brian it is time to go to the hospital and I agree!

At the hospital, I had 4 or 5 contractions before they could even check me.  Forget checking in/getting admitted!  I mostly sat on the ball with Erica rubbing my back and Brian rubbing my thighs.  When they finally got to check me, I was 8-9 cm with bulging water.  Already in transition, just like my mom thought from the shaking I was experiencing at home.  By 9:30, I had been laboring at the end of the bed on my knees while Brian supported all my weight.  It was intensely painful but going so fast.  My water broke (all over me) and I was nearly crying, sometimes screaming from the pain, really feeling that “I need to push” feeling.  It was such a contrast to labor with Everett when the nurses were telling me what to do and this time, I was letting my body do what it wanted and following what Brian and Erica told me.  They were great at reminding me to relax my entire body and keep my eyes open during the contractions.  The nurses gave me oxygen to keep baby’s heartrate up because at this point I was not able to focus on breathing very well.  They tried to get me on my back to push, but there was no way that was happening.  So I was on my side, three pushes, and all 8 pounds, 3 ounces of

Callum George Hammond

came flying out.  He was 21" long and his head was 35cm.  He was crying before his feet were delivered and put immediately on my chest.  My doctor was so amazing about following my birth plan and the nurses never questioned anything.  We waited until Brian approved of the cord being done pulsing to cut it.  The nurses never even asked to take him away, just rubbed all the (huge amount) of vernix away while he lounged on me and started turning super pink.

10:30 pm - My mom and Brian’s mom and dad came over to meet the little guy.  I’m still not tired at all but Brian’s starting to look worn down.

I ended up with no pain meds, no iv, no blood draw, and no episiotomy.  It was the birth I’d wanted and more.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Callum has been an excellent latcher (sooo glad!) but breastfeeding has triggered some unbearable cramping.  I’m only on ibuprofen and regular strength Tylenol but so far, feeling really good!  I ended up with two stitches for a superficial tear and that stings but the doctor thought it would heal better with stitches than without.

I didn’t sleep much overnight because of cramping and suddenly having a functional bladder.  Brian left at 6:10 this morning to go ski his 5^th Birkebeiner race and I’m about to order some breakfast.  My doctor thinks that I’ll be ready for discharge by Sunday and I’m thinking he’s probably right.  We’ll play by ear for now though.  I hope to take a nice soak in the giant tub today, get myself looking presentable, and introduce my new darling boy to our friends and family

What happens when baby's born

I forgot to write about it this afternoon, so I have to do another quick post.  A couple times today, Everett and I have talked about when the baby is born. 

Here's how the conversation goes:

Everett: Baby. Come out. Soon?
Me: Yes, I hope the baby will come out soon and be born.
Everett: Wrap. Him. Up?
Me: Yes, when he is born, we will wrap him up in blankets.
Everett: Hugger? Him?
Me: Yes, we will give baby lots of huggers.
Everett: Mwah? Him?
Me: Yes, we can give him lots of mwah kisses too.

Love that boy.

Overdue

I know you all are stalking me on facebook, but just wanted to add that I am now officially overdue.  What a rude little baby.  :)  I think the time for "fashionably late" has now expired and he's just acting like his dad and being late in general.  I think every time he hears Everett screaming like a maniac, he decides he'll stay in just a liiiiittle bit longer.  Tomorrow is Ev's last day of day care and I haven't yet decided if I'm going to go to work at all.  My doulas are coming over after lunch to chat and have some tea and I heard some mention of a foot bath, so I'm excited.  2/24 would be a nice birthday, but we're running out of hours here.  Anyway!  We'll see!

40 weeks!

Ok, so I totally forgot about doing this update today and now you all probably think I have a cute little baby to snuggle.  No such luck.  Not even close.  Contractions this morning that went away by 6am.  I think he's planning to stay in there forever.

How far along?  40 weeks.  Due date today.
Total weight gain/loss:  Around 28-29 lbs
How big is baby?  Likely somewhere in the 7.5-8 lb range, somewhere above 20".
Maternity clothes?  I have now given up on wearing anything but my maternity yoga pants, tank tops and some sort of sleeves over top.
Stretchmarks?  yes.
Sleep?  Monday night was horrendous.  I don't think I slept at all.  I left work at noon yesterday and slept for three hours.  Last night I took some tylenol before bed and managed to sleep ok.  Baby moved his bum out of my ribcage too, so I'm still ok at work for now.  Meeting my doula at 1 and then probably coming back in for the rest of the day since I don't feel utterly exhausted and miserable today.
Best moment this week?  Umm.... right.  Everett's been a pistol and a sweetie at the same time.  Last night he used daddy's cell phone to voice call my cell phone and left a very long message.
Movement?  Still kicking his feet out my right side and wiggling.
Food cravings?  Not coffee, oddly enough.  Since I got sick (again) on Friday, I have not wanted any coffee.  I've been enjoying some jello cups my mama picked up for me.
Bellybutton?  Same.
Boy/Girl?  Boy.
Labor signs?  I wish.  Just the usual.
What I miss? Sleeping, sitting comfortably.
What I am looking forward to? Being done with this pregnancy!
Milestones: Houston, we have reached our due date.  Something that didn't quite happen with Ev, so I guess that's....neat?

Too pregnant to work

I went in to work this morning and quickly realized that this child was going to keep himself tucked nicely into my ribs all day.  I had to hunch over the laptop I was using in order to keep myself from wincing.  So at noon, I packed up and headed home for lunch and a nap.  I'm officially too pregnant to work.  I have sick time saved up, so I'll probably use up some of that.  If I am still pregnant tomorrow, I might go in for the morning again.
So that's that for now.  I'm tired.  I'm cranky.  And I'm going to take a nap.
Here's a picture from last night - 39 weeks, 5 days

39/40 week check up

First I guess I should play catch-up briefly.  Friday night, I got sick.  Again.  I think Ev's daycare is polluting us with every stomach bug known to man.  I got hit hard and fast and was heaving until there was nothing left.  This triggered some nasty, constant contractions.  Like 30 seconds long and 2 minutes apart.  I knew I was extremely dehydrated and kept vomiting water so I told Brian I wanted to go into L&D.  I felt bad for calling everyone in, but I had no idea if this was going to segue into real labor or not.  So my mom and siblings came to watch Ev, the doulas drove into town, and we headed to the hospital.  I was monitored for a couple hours, managed to get some fluids in, and made no progress toward real labor, so went home. 

Saturday night, Brian got sick.  Then we knew for sure that mine had just been dehydration (again.  Man am I bad about the dehydration and contractions this time!).  We all stayed home in pajamas yesterday, resting and Brian took today off work too so that he could recover, not infect his office, and work from home.

Fast forward to today.  Yes, there is a "40" in that title.  I am 39 weeks, 5 days today.  After rushing to the clinic this morning because I realized my appointment was at 9, not 9:15, I was told the doctor had been called away anyway.  So I was rescheduled for 1:15.  Luckily, since Brian was home from work today, I could swing that time and go in while Everett napped.  I've gained a pound, everything is still a-ok BP-wise and such.  We didn't even do an internal check because really, what's the point?  As the doctor said, there's really no more progress to be made before I'm in labor.  He said he's giving me one more week.  He is open to inducing at any point, but since I think pitocin is the devil, I told him I really want to avoid induction.  So he'll allow me until next Monday.  If little boy here still hasn't decided to make an appearance by then, we'll be talking induction.  If baby were just like his big brother, labor would start tonight at 1am and we would be holding the little guy in our arms before 6am.  Who knows!  I'm extremely tired today, whether due to recovering from the bug or preparing for baby, I don't know, but I decided to just go with the flow and take two naps today.  I haven't decided if I'll go to work tomorrow or if I'll take the day off to be alone and sleep.  Right now, I'm leaning toward the sleeping.

Q&A about Birth Plan

People apparently read my blog.  :)  A few questions came up today after I posted my birth plan, so here are some answers!

I am just curious about the cord being cut and for it to be done pulsating first - is this so that you can save cord blood, or is it more beneficial for you and baby?
We are not saving cord blood (costs a lot, isn't done in our little town), but it is a recent trend.  The reason we want to wait to have the cord clamped is actually to allow more blood and nutrients to transfer from the placenta to the baby.  Here's a brief news article about recent research supporting waiting a couple minutes to clamp the cord.

Does nursing the baby so quickly after delivery help the baby nurse easier and help your milk come in sooner, or is that a bonding ritual you prefer?
Nursing the baby immediately after birth helps with several things - bonding, milk production, and uterine contractions. 
Obviously, it's a great moment for mother and baby to share.  It helps regulate the baby's body temperature by being next to the mother's skin and allows the mother to snuggle her brand new babe. 
While milk will come in after the birth no matter what, having the baby nurse immediately helps stimulate that production (and we could really use that after Everett's troubles with nursing in the beginning). 
The baby's nursing also stimulates the production of oxytocin, which creates uterine contractions.  This helps expel the placenta and prevent hemorrhaging after the birth.

Does distraction work for labor relief?
That one, I'll let you know next week hopefully!  :)  It works well for a lot of women, but I'm not sure how it will work for me.  I read a book on hypnobirthing and decided that technique really wouldn't work for me.  It's all about distraction and meditation to not focus on pain from contractions.  Since I have a lot of trouble meditating in general, I'm guessing this wouldn't work for me.  I'm a much bigger fan of the Bradley and Dr. Sears opinions of just relaxing through contractions and being aware of what your body is doing.  That is much more my speed - I like to know what's going on (hence how I can update you on my cervix all the time), so imagining how the contractions are working actually helps me relax.

Keep 'em coming, girls!

Mama and Ever day and Birth Plan

Well, I'm still here, still pregnant.  Ev and I are watching some Sesame Street before we go meet some friends at BK for...lunch?  brunch?  something around 10!  I'm reeeeally hoping this is my last Thursday alone with Everett, so we're going to play at BK, probably make a quick wal-mart trip, take some naps, and hopefully get the house cleaned up some more.  Daddy is off judging a science fair at a school a half hour (or so) away, but he's done at 11, so he'll be back in town juuuust in case.  I'm supposed to meet with my doula (and back up doula) this afternoon, but I'm not sure when.  I'm kind of hoping I just go into labor before then.  I had two big contractions this morning at 5am, but nothing afterward.  This puts us at about ten days of contractions now.  Prodromal labor = not so awesome.  At least this should mean a very quick labor once it really starts up.  

Brian's been reading my Dr. Sear's Birth Book, brushing up on his birthing knowledge.  :)  We have also created a birth plan that we've shared with my doctor and doulas.  Everyone thinks it looks pretty good, so we're excited and hope we can stick to it as much as possible.  Just in case you're interested, here it is:

"Our hope is to have a natural, medication-free birth with as few interventions as possible.  We understand that births do not always go according to plan and will follow our doctor’s advice should anything unexpected occur.

I would like to have my husband, Brian, and my doula, Erica, present for the labor and delivery.  I would prefer to have as few hospital staff as possible in the room during labor.

During labor, I would like:

-dimmed lights

-quiet room

-as few interruptions as possible

-as few vaginal exams as possible

-to eat and drink freely

-to move around freely and use natural pain management techniques

-fetal monitoring to be intermittent and external

-no IV unless necessary

For pain relief, I would like to use:

-breathing

-water therapy

-massage

-distraction

During delivery, I would like to:

-squat/stand

-lean on partner

-avoid an episiotomy unless absolutely necessary

As the baby is delivered, I would like to:

-push without time limits as long as the baby and mother are not at risk

-use a mirror to see crowning

Immediately after delivery, I would like:

-the umbilical cord to be cut only after it stops pulsating

-hold the baby skin-to-skin and breastfeed before baby is cleaned or given eye drops

After the baby is born:

-I would like the baby’s medical exam & procedures given in my presence

Please do not give baby:

-any water or formula

-hepatitis B vaccination

-circumcision"

39 weeks

Oops, I'm an hour late this morning and all my blog stalkers are probably thinking I've gone into labor.  Well, gone into being a flexible term.  I've kind of been in labor for a week and a half (in my opinion).  Still no outside baby though!

Also, a quick mention of my lovely little toddler boy.  We have plenty of fights with him about mess making, tantrum throwing, disobeying, etc. but sometimes that boy makes me forget all of those instances.  Last night, I felt like crap and came downstairs after changing into pajama pants and a large t-shirt.  Everett looked at me, pointed, and said, "pretty Mama!  pretty!"  My eyes got a little bigger, I looked down at my shirt and said, "my shirt is pretty?"  He just repeated, "pretty mama!"  Brian stated that he's teaching Everett to always tell me I'm pretty.  My boys are pretty awesome.

So here's the weekly update.


How far along?  39 weeks.  6 days short of when Everett was born.
Total weight gain/loss:  27-ish lbs.  Lost one this week!  I just can't fit as much food in my stomach anymore.
How big is baby?  Baby is probably now over 7 lbs and over 20 inches.  He's the size of a nice little mini watermelon.  Belly is measuring 39.5cm though, so I think he's a little on the big side.  I don't think I ever measured that big with Ev, which would explain the lovely stretch marks I've grown this time.
Maternity clothes?  Yes.  I have decided to wear as many maternity clothes as I can before baby's born because I can still wear my big, regular clothes after baby is born, but won't want to wear maternity stuff.
Stretchmarks?  yessss.......
Sleep?  I was ready to give up yesterday after being up much of the night and finally just giving up at 6 am.  It's amazing how much different I feel when I get a good night's sleep (like Sat/Sun nights and last night) versus when I am up with contractions repeatedly (every other night since last Tuesday or so).  So yesterday = bad day, today = not too shabby.  I'm not begging baby to get out today.
Best moment this week?  Everything's ready.  Well, except the house being clean, but you know....
Movement?  He's still wiggling in there.  He obviously doesn't have as much kicking space, but he still manages to wiggle a bit.
Food cravings?  Coke and chocolate.  Healthy, right?  At least I'm still eating some good things like smoothies, flax/wheat cereal, grapefruits, carrots....
Bellybutton?  Same.
Boy/Girl?  Boy.
Labor signs?  We're slowwwwwllllly making progress.
What I miss? Sleep, bladder capacity, non-aching belly skin, having the energy to play with my Ever monster.
What I am looking forward to? Baby.
Milestones:  We're done.  Cooked.  Ready.  Time to be born.  Hear me, little guy????

Belly pic from the camera phone in the work bathroom:
38 weeks                                      and                             39 weeks

Valentine's Day check up

Still here, still pregnant, and wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!  Ev and I had a busy morning of a doctor's appointment, a trip across the parking lot to the grocery store to get some "you were a good boy" donuts, a trip back across the parking lot to share them with daddy, and then a swing by the library to get new books and listen to grandma goose.  Then we came home, read all the new books, had lunch, and I took a nap.  The boy sat in his room for two hours and did not sleep.  Really, this whole "I'll nap for anyone but mama" thing is getting ridiculous.  I knew he was safely locked in his room (quiet you, it's what we have to do), the stairs were blocked off with a gate in case he DID get out, so I zonked while he played.

For the check up update.  Oddly enough, one of the first things dr. said to me today was ask if I had though about inducing.  Insert sideeye.  At 38 weeks, 5 days?  Of course I'm not thinking about inducing!  Although if he'd asked me on Saturday after not sleeping because of contractions all early morning, the sideeye may not have been so severe.  I just told him that I'd really rather avoid induction.  He apparently just wanted me to know that he's okay with the idea from here on out and I didn't feel like arguing medical reasons for induction with my doctor, soooo.....
Still sitting here at 4 cm, now 75% effaced, still -1 station.  So he is slowly making some more progress, but he's just going to be like his big brother.  Have mama be in "early labor" for a month and a half and then make his entrance when he's good and fat and ready.  And I'm okay with that.  I really am.  Sure, I am extremely uncomfortable, rarely sleeping well, finding food less and less appealing (excluding chocolate of all sorts and regular coke - caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, acid and all),  but that doesn't mean I am going to force my and little peanut's bodies into something they are obviously preparing for all on their own.  My body knows what's going on, baby's getting big (measuring 39.5" fundal height today), and things will happen when they are supposed to.  Oh, and Brian no longer has to leave town this week, so I'm much more relaxed.  Still working on picking the right name, but everything else is ready now.  I'm even alllmost ready to take care of a newborn again.  Definitely ready to be done working, but not quite ready for the paychecks to disappear.  So you know.... any day/hour now....
Oh and look at Ev's ticker.  Today he is 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days old!  Cool!

38 weeks

How far along?  38 weeks.  We're only 1 week, 6 days shy of when Everett was born.
Total weight gain/loss:  28-ish lbs
How big is baby?  Baby's now around 6.8 lbs and 19 1/2 inches long (for your generic baby, of course).  At our appointment on Monday, Dr. (who is back to work!  phew!) estimated baby at a bit over 6.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Yep.  And not always matching either.  ;)
Stretchmarks?  and growing...
Sleep?  I feel so tired all the time but the past two nights, Everett has slept through the night again!  We've moved his bedtime a half hour later (now 8 pm) and while it's harder on us, it seems to be serving him ok.  We had to wake him up this morning at around 7:15!
Best moment this week?  Getting some stuff done.  Worked on wool diaper covers yesterday and I just need to lengthen a pair of Ev's before I do a big wash/lanolinizing.  I guess it was nice to find out I was at 4cm....sort of.
Movement?  Yeeeeessssssssss...........the head-butting is reeeeeally starting to get annoying now.
Food cravings?  Coke.  I know, terrible, but I'm addicted right now.  On a recent wal-mart trip, I bought a pack of those little 8 oz (?) bottles and a 12 pack of sparkling grapefruit waters.  YUM.
Bellybutton?  Same.
Boy/Girl?  Boy.
Labor signs?  Besides the crazy dilation?  Not a lot.
What I miss? Sleeping, being able to bend and reach things, not constantly feeling like I need to go to the bathroom.
What I am looking forward to? Kind of starting to look forward to this whole not being pregnant thing.
Milestones:  Baby's pretty much ready to be born.  All organs should be developed and mature.

UNDERS!!!

Just had to share quickly before bed.  In hopes of getting Everett to use the potty, we bought him some "unders."  We told him that he can wear the unders when he goes on the potty.  We always ask if he wants to sit on the potty before bed and tonight he did and actually went!  We did our happy clapping and cheering and he went screaming from the bathroom, flailing his arms in the air, yelling "UNDERS!!!!" and grabbed a pair off his dresser and started putting them on (backwards, but hey).  We let him wear them while he brushed his teeth, but obviously we couldn't leave them on for the night.  He was so disappointed that we had to take them off and put on a diaper for bed, but we hugged him and told him he did a good job and that tomorrow after daycare if he goes on the potty again, he can wear his unders.  Time to get out the little green machine and carpet cleaners.... :)

37/38 week check up

Males beware.  This post concerns matters involving the female body and its progression toward labor.  Turn away now if you don't want to know way too much about icky girl details. 

Well, we've made some progress towards outside baby, but not a whole lot.  At 37 weeks, 5 days, we're now sitting here at 4cm (yeah, that mark that is supposed to indicate active labor....4cm?  Not my boys....they like to make me sit around at 3-4 cm for weeeeeks before being born.).  50% effaced and a -2.  -2.  Seriously?  The boy is pushing on my cervix so much, it doesn't seem possible to be at a -2 station!  (FYI, -2 is like one step away from actively floating around in there.  Like, not really sitting deep in the pelvis yet.)  Just for comparison, at this point with Everett (1 day off, but hey), I was at a full 3cm, 80% effaced and a -1 station.  So way more effaced and low.  This child is not giving me hope that he'll decide to be born before 39 weeks, 6 days.  Probably because I still don't have a name fully decided on, the carseat is not installed, the curtain is not up in the nursery, and the wool diaper covers are not lanolinized.  Maybe once I get all of this done, he'll come.  Right?  Hmmm...

In other news, the packers won the super bowl, eh?  We went to a friend's house for a massive party and had a fantastic time!  Everett stayed up for the whole game, running around with all the other little kids.  He loved that everyone was wearing "huppa!" shirts (translates to football, obviously) and there were lots of yummy things to munch.  We only had a couple breakdowns and he zonked out as soon as we drove away in the car.  He was still tired today and fell asleep on the way to a playdate, and again on the way back and I managed to completely undress and rediaper him and put him in bed without him waking up.  And now he's still asleep.  Maybe I should have used this precious time to take a nap, but instead I sewed up a pair of wool longies and a wool soaker for new babe (to do lists, people!).  I did manage to get a full 8 hours of sleep last night since Everett was so zonked out, he didn't wake up knocking!  Glorious!  And now he's waking up, so I'd better go tend to him. 

Slobbery kisses

I've learned of another aspect of parenthood that makes you realize you hadn't felt absolute joy yet.  Toddler kisses are such a beautiful, loving thing, you can't help but feel your heart swell with love and joy and smile to yourself.  Everett has recently discovered kisses.  We've always hugged and kissed him but he just figured out how to kiss us back in the last month or so.  He started out by giving kisses to the baby (which a heart melter all on its own), and progressed to bestowing kisses upon his mama and daddy.  Just like I can't say no to a request for a "hugger" (yep, he still calls them that!), I can't say no to a "mwah!"  (What can I say?  The boy can convey what he needs to.) 
At first, daddy was put off by the idea of kisses and would only plant one on the boy's cheek or forehead.  The boy, however, had different ideas.  He knows what lips are and he knows they are for kissing.  He will lay a big wet one right on mama's lips, so daddy should be no different, right?  When he was directing the smooch, he would aim it right for daddy's lips and sometimes correct daddy and make him re-kiss if he got the cheek or forehead.  I think daddy's now come around and realized just how precious, and likely fleeting, these expressions of love are and lets E man smooch away. 
Having grown up in a house where hugs and kisses weren't necessarily a daily (or hourly) affair, it's different having this boy constantly hugging on me and nightly requesting at least two "mwahs!" but I love it more than words.  I enjoy this outward show of the affection that I've always seen in my little guy.  He's such a kind-hearted boy (you know, when he's not slapping babies in the face....ahem....anyway...) and I hope he keeps giving his mama huggers and mwahs for a long time to come.

On a completely different, entirely irrelevant, and not at all sentimental note, I was the victim yesterday of targeted marketing.  Whilst watching Teen Mom 2 (shush you!), there was a commercial for this new product.  It was being touted as something to use for your hair on days that you don't wash it.  Well, knowing myself and knowing just how hard it's going to be to try and shower on a daily basis with TWO little boys taking up all my time and attention, I thought to myself, "self, this is an amazing idea.  They created this dry shampoo for ME!  I must buy some."  After I finished those thoughts, the more rational side of my brain said, "you realize that Tresemme knows exactly who watches Teen Mom 2 (silly moms who don't always have time to wash their hair and feel frumpy) and they're trying to trick you into paying $5 for a bottle of shampoo when you could just wash your hair, put it in a ponytail, or not care, right?"  Silly rational side of the brain.  Of course I know that!  Then we went to Wal-Mart yesterday.  And I just decided to see if maaaaybe they had this new, interesting product.  They did.  So I read the bottle.....it still sounded kind of intriguing....and it wasn't THAT expensive....and I don't want to be super frumpy......so in the cart it went!  I tried it this morning and here's the result.  It is not some miracle cure that makes your hair bouncy, shiny, and amazing, but it did do something.  It actually seemed to pull out some excess oil and I felt a little less icky going to work with day old hair.  So there!  Not sure if I'll buy another bottle when this one's gone, but I don't regret the purchase!

Newborn Knitting

I finally took some pictures of my recent projects and wanted to share!
Newborn stuff - so tiny!!!

Coming home hat and booties:

Swirly hat:

 I've also made another pair of wool longies, but they are still missing their elastic, so I haven't taken a picture yet.

And here we are at full term!  37 weeks, 1 day! (My face looks tired, my hair is messy, and the thermostat on the wall looked like it was attached to my head....so headless it is!)

37 weeks - TERM!

How far along?  37 weeks, aka full term, aka baby can be born time!
Total weight gain/loss:  Not sure
How big is baby?  Baby's now around 6 1/3 lbs and somewhere around 19 inches long.  Like swiss chard, apparently.
Maternity clothes?  Of course.  Although I do still wear my plaid fleece pajama pants every evening!
Stretchmarks?   Yep.
Sleep?  Decent!  Everett even slept all night last night, which was glorious!  Don't get me started on how he slept through the night at a young age and very recently decided that it's fun to wake up once or twice every night and knock on his door, calling for us.
Best moment this week?  Got our room organized, the crib set up to sidecar, desk upstairs, diapers prepped, hat finished.....woohoo!
Movement?  Still a bunch.  And he's big.  If we go to 40 weeks, I really think he'll be bigger than Ev.
Food cravings?  I made a chocolate cake yesterday.  To celebrate January 31....or something....  Does that tell you anything?
Bellybutton?  Not quite as "popped," more "stretched" now.
Boy/Girl?  Boy, although people keep trying to convince me "he" will come out a "she" and I won't know what to do.
Labor signs?  Not a lot.  He's low (my own judgment) and I think he'll come before 40 weeks.
What I miss? Being able to run up and down stairs without getting totally out of breath.  Not a lot.  I'm enjoying these last weeks!
What I am looking forward to? Getting the rest of the baby to-do and daycare to-do lists done!
Milestones: TERM!!!

And just as a sidenote: my doctor is ill.  Like, mono ill.  So that's not so awesome.