Jacob Loves...

He may be too young yet to appreciate many of his toys, but there are a few things that Jacob really loves.


DADDY! - While I'm sure that he loves me, too, Jacob is just smitten with his daddy. Whenever I hold him and Dave walks in the room and says anything, Jacob's eyes get all wide and he starts looking around trying to find him. When they get face-to-face... smiles abound. Today he got a little fussy for a minute, so I walked around the house with him saying, "Let's go find Daddy. Where is he? Daaaaddy... Daaaaaaaddy... Daddy?" Jacob became quiet and still and broke out into a big smile when we found him. They spend the majority of the day together now that I'm back to work, so I guess it makes sense. I just hope that he starts reacting to me like this once summer comes and I'm home with him more often.

His chickie - The little yellow chickie that I wrote about a few entries ago (the one I bought for him at Hallmark) makes a cute chirping noise that brings a smile to his face whenever he hears it for the first time (or first few times) in a certain time period. He doesn't really grab for the chickie yet, but he loves the sound effect.

Lights and shiny things - In any room we go into, Jacob almost immediately looks up at the lights or out the window to the sunshine. Even when he's sitting in my lap in the rocking chair without the light on, Jake looks up and stares... I suppose at the glass globes around the lightbulbs or the brass on the ceiling fan and blades. Unfortunately, this category also includes the television. The constantly changing colors are a big source of amusement and contentment. My little baby is already a couch potato. :P He does his best at Tummy Time when I lay on the couch so that his head faces the TV. I suppose the fascination will go away once he starts to understand speech and realizes that CNN news really isn't all that interesting.

Music - Jacob's Uncle Derek recorded a bunch of Rockabye Baby albums onto CDs for a Christmas present. These albums have songs from different bands/artists that they've taken the words out of and turned into lullabye tunes. I think we have the CDs from just about every band/artist whose music they "lullabye"-ified - The Beatles, Bob Marley, Green Day, Beach Boys, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, The Ramones, Bjork, and a bunch of others that I can't think of at the moment. Anyway... ever since his first days, Jacob has loved listening to those CDs as well as most music in general. These CDs (along with being snuggled in his sling carrier) helped me get him to sleep for a nap many, many times in his first two months of life.

Being read to and looking at picture books - Jacob loves looking at the colors and pictures in storybooks. Lately, I've been propping him up in the corner of the couch with a pillow next to him for a little extra support/safety and putting the book right in front of him. He stares intently and really seems to love hearing the storyline.

People and faces in general - So far, Jacob's given a huge smile to just about everyone he's met who's spent more than three minutes with him. Every now and then, I'll hold him on my lap facing the computer and look through various peoples' facebook photos. He sits contentedly as I go through them and smiles at the brighter, cheerier faces... gets a bigger smile for babies... and starts moving his little arms and legs (and sometimes making noises) at pictures of people who he knows. It's so cute! :)

Time, Time Tickin' Away

Last Friday, Jacob turned two months old. Every day I find myself amazed that just three months ago I was still suffering from morning sickness and heartburn and had this little life inside my stomach. And every day I find it impossible to believe that this tiny little guy is going to grow into a teenager before I know it. I went to a thrift store today and realized that I will never be looking for newborn or 0-3 month sized clothes again. We're on to the next size up and will just keep growing and growing. I can't wait for Jakey to hit certain milestones, but (like most moms) I'm not ready to lose the "baby" in my baby. It's all bittersweet.

Sigh.

So...

The soy formula seems to be working wonderfully! Jacob almost seems like a different baby these past few days. He's so much happier and much more playful - smiling, laughing, and making cute little noises and expressions throughout the day. He's so much more content and relaxed. No more screaming and turning beet red just to pass gas off and on all day and all night. I feel so bad that he had to suffer through so many weeks of pain before we figured this out and made the switch. He could have been a happy baby from Week One if I had just stuck with my gut instinct and done a little more research on baby formulas. Anyway... there's no point in stressing about that now, right? Hopefully we've found the "cure" and Jacob will continue to blossom and show us his true self in the weeks and months to come.

He's still not sleeping much longer during the night - maybe four-and-a-half or five hours tops. I'm hoping that'll change once his system becomes accustomed to the soy formula. His pediatrician gave us a ratio to safely combine his formula to get more calories per serving, so maybe giving him a feeding of one of these servings at his last evening/late night feedings will help him sleep more. Although, that doesn't seem to be the case during the day as far as the higher-calorie servings allowing him to take longer naps. Hmpf. All we can do is wait it out and hope that he starts drinking more soon. He's finally up to drinking a little over three ounces at some feedings, but most babies his age are already drinking five or six (or more!) ounces at a time!

After my mom's success with bathing Jacob in his tub without the sling/hammock attachment, I tried it here a few days later... and we had a happy bath, too! All he wanted/needed was to be more submerged in the water. The sling attachment - which I had originally thought would be a great way to ease him into the idea of baths - was actually the cause of his discontent. Oy. So Bath Time is now a happy time... until it's time to wash his hair and then get out of the water!

This past Saturday (the 13th), Jacob went on his first road trip. We headed down to Carbondale to visit with some of our friends who we haven't seen since before Jake was born. As usual, he slept most of the way down there and then was so overstimulated that he slept (or fussed and tried to sleep) through most of the visit. I really wasn't expecting to see so many people myself, but everyone ended up over at Pops' apartment throughout the afternoon and evening. There must have been about sixteen kids and adults including Pops.

Over the past few days, Jake's discovered his hands. He's been sucking on his fingers or his knuckles - sometimes when he's content and other times as a way of consoling himself. He's also been taking hold of one of my fingers and leading it into his mouth to suck on when we're playing or just hanging out "talking" on the couch. It's so cute.

His baby acne has come back a little, but it's not too bad. It's much less prominent than it was before. Hopefully it'll go away over the next few weeks.

That's about all I can think of for now as far as his health, progress, and recent excitement. Jacob gets to meet his second of three grandpas next month. My dad will be moving up here for his six-month summer stay, so they'll get to spend a lot of time together. I'm really hoping that either we'll be able to fly out and visit his grandparents and aunt on the east coast one of these years soon or that they'll be able to come out to visit us. I want him to meet as many of his family members as possible... and I want to meet them, too!

My Teeny Little Superguy

Jacob had his two-month appointment today with his pediatrician. He's now up to 8 pounds, 10 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long (I think). He's growing, but he's following his own curve and is still not quite "on the charts". I keep hoping that one of these days he'll hit a growth spurt and start eating like crazy, but I don't think that's going to happen. He'll just be my teeny little superguy. Dave and I were both about the same weight when we were born as Jacob was when he was born, so he probably just has our "small genes". I don't think anyone in Dave's family is/was very tall, and I still swear that I was adopted since everyone else in my family are giants compared to me. Anyway... he got two shots today (one on each leg - see bandages in the picture poking out beneath his onesie) and one immunization in liquid form. He cried a bit after each shot, but he handled it much better than last time.

We've switched over to soy formula 100% now. Today was the first day Jacob's bottles were full soy and no dairy, so hopefully the magic will start and his gas issues will resolve themselves for good over the next week or so. Maybe since I'm vegan and hence didn't have any dairy during my pregnancy, Jacob's system simply can't tolerate dairy well since he never had any in utero. That's my guess. I would have started him on soy formula from the beginning, but I swear I had read that ALL baby formulas had milk/whey in them. Oh well. Now I know. If this doesn't work, I don't know what else to do. Jake's pediatrician didn't seem to have any other answers, either, aside from what we've already tried (the gas drops, gripe water, and the previous type of formula).

I have a few more update-y things to mention, but I'll have to save those for tomorrow or the next day. Jacob finished his bottle and has been sitting up (propped up asleep) long enough to lay back down. Time to get back to bed for a couple more hours.

More Update-y Stuff

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Jake's baby acne is starting to clear up pretty well. Hopefully it'll stay away. His pediatrician said that it can last up until around the twelfth week and that sometimes it can go away and then pop up again just days later. Maybe we'll be lucky.

I discovered a "trick" that's helping us get through diaper changes and sponge baths with a lot less crying and screaming. Jacob hates laying down flat, so I put a folded towel under the top of his changing pad and bath pad to prop him up a little. This has really helped tremendously. We can generally get through about 75% of all diaper changes now without the noise. Hopefully this isn't just a temporary thing. I'm thinking that maybe we need to do something similar with his mattress or the bassinet itself to see if that would help him sleep longer in there instead of him only getting good sleep in the Boppy Lounger Pillow. Which has a warning tag that clearly states that you should not allow your child to sleep in it. :P

Grandma picked him up today and took care of him for a few hours. She gave him a bath and said that it went great this time just sitting him in the water instead of laying him in the sling/hammock thing that came with the tub. So, maybe we won't need to think about the washPOD afterall.

Oh! A few days ago, Jacob laughed in his sleep (in my arms) for about three or four seconds! It was SO frickin' cute!!! I can't wait until he's able to get over his gas pains and show us his true self... to be able to smile more often and to burst out in baby giggles throughout the day. Sigh.

Days with Dad, Nights with Mom

This past week marked my return to work following two months off for bed rest and then giving birth to Jacob. It was so sad leaving him the first morning (and each morning thereafter), but it was reassuring to know that it was Dad taking care of him and not a complete stranger. Dave claimed that he couldn't sleep at all the first night, so his first day as Mr. Mom was a little rough. Until then, I had been taking care of Jakey for the bulk of the day, so I don't think Dave really realized exactly what was in store for him and how draining it would be by himself. I think each day's been getting a little better, but I know Dave definitely appreciates the weekends now more than ever.

I get off work at 3:30 and am home by 4pm, but there's really not time in the evening for any quality family bonding time. Dave and I try to make a quick dinner and eat together before he goes to pass out for a few hours. He's generally up with the little guy for his 3:30am feeding so that I can get some decent sleep to be semi-refreshed for work, so he sleeps from about 6 or 7 until midnight or shortly after.

During that time, I feed Jacob and sit with him for about thirty minutes or so to make sure his "food" stays down. IF he falls asleep (which usually only lasts for about twenty minutes if I'm not holding him or laying with him on the couch), I can run around, start a load of laundry, wash the dishes real quick, check on the dog's and cats' food and water, and maybe go to the bathroom. If he doesn't fall asleep, then it's a long evening of holding him and consoling him through his gas pains and fussiness. Holding, rocking, swaying, talking in a soothing tone, feeding him a little more, or constantly offering him his pacifier to try to get his mind off of the pain.

The poor little guy turns beet red on occasion and thrashes around in my arms until he passes gas or until the pain subsides. Sometimes it's so intense that he dozes off for a few minutes afterwards. Gas drops and "gripe water" don't seem to do anything for him after the first minute or two. We recently switched formulas to one that's supposed to be good for preventing/relieving/easing gas and fussiness. His pediatrician said that if it didn't seem to be helping after a week to give her a call, so we'll probably be trying something new soon since we're almost through a second week.

Anyway, during calm moments, I read him stories, try to play with him on his lounger pillow or in his new vibrating bouncy chair, listen to music and dance with him, sing silly made-up songs, or attempt some Tummy Time. This week, I ended up passing out with him on the couch - him cuddled up in a blanket on his Boppy lounger pillow and me next to him with my arm around him - after his 8 o'clock-ish feeding.

I'm trying to start a little bedtime routine with him this weekend to give us a little more structure, predictability, and mommy-baby bonding time at night. I gave him a sponge bath last night and then read him a few stories after consoling him from the tortures of said bath. He was out like a light within about ten minutes (due to wearing himself out from crying about the bath). Tonight I'm planning on bathing him in his baby bathtub. He hates that so much right now, but I'm hoping that he'll start warming up to it with more and more exposure. It's definitely not the most comfortable thing, and I can imagine it would be pretty chilly having half of your body above the water. Hmmmmm. I keep the bathroom nice and warm and try to constantly pour some of the bathwater over his tummy, but it hasn't made a difference so far. A few people on this baby-community website that I frequent have mentioned having great bathtimes with a "wash POD", but I'm not sure it'd be worth it just for the few months before he outgrows it. Then again, if Bed Bath & Beyond have it in their store, I may go pick one up today. :P If he doesn't like it, we can always take it back. Or can I? Can you return used bathtubs?! And if he DOES like it, then spending $25 for calm baths for three months or so is a worthwhile investment for both my sanity and for Jakey's happiness. (I just called the store and they don't carry any of the baby stuff. So, with shipping it would cost $28 to buy it online. Everything is returnable, but they only refund the cost of the item itself plus tax. Hmmmm, again.)

He's starting to eat a tiny bit more at most of his feedings which means that he's finally starting to sleep a little more at night. This past week, I've been passing out with him on the couch around 9 or 10pm, and he's been sleeping until about 2:30 or later. We get up for a feeding - which takes about an hour (20 minutes or so for him to eat and then 30-40 minutes to sit up with him) - and then pass back out until somewhere around 6:30. It's so nice getting the little extra sleep even if it IS interrupted.

At Jacob's last appointment with his pediatrician, he only weighed one pound over his birth weight. So, he's at 7lbs., 7oz. now and is 20 3/4 inches long. His eating wasn't so good prior to that appointment, though, and he was spitting up quite a bit. So, hopefully he's been gaining weight better since then. He's just barely "on the charts" as far as his weight and height for his age, but he IS on the charts. His pediatrician said she wasn't too concerned right now as long as he started eating a little more and continued to gain some weight. She said that he had lots of time to play "catch up" with other kids his age. He got his first shot that day. He would have received it at the hospital when he was born, but I figured he had been through enough trauma with being born and then having the circumcision on which his dad had insisted. I held him for his shot just like I did for his blood draws for his bilirubin level checks, but this one hurt a lot. He cried and wailed for several minutes afterwards and then passed out in the car on the way home. I think he gets the second dose at that appointment. Poor little guy.

This weekend was beautiful, so we all spent a little time outside between chores and running errands. Saturday, I walked up to the shopping plaza with Jake and went to the Hallmark store. We found the Easter toys and he really perked up when I showed him a fuzzy yellow chickie that cheeped when you squeeze his tummy. He opened his eyes wide and flashed a beautiful smile... so of course I had to buy it for him. We walked around the store for a while looking at things and talking about them and also listening to the sample snippets of the CD's they have for sale. He still looooves music.

Today, Dave and I drove him up to Rock Springs Park and took him for a walk in his stroller. He was awake for the first five minutes or so and then passed out as usual. The weather was gorgeous - in the high-60's - right up until we were about to leave. The clouds in the distance were pretty dark and dreary and the tornado sirens were sounding. We got home just in time before the ten or fifteen minute downpour... never heard anything about a tornado.

Time flies with a baby. There's just never enough to do what you want to do. It's already 7:30 on Sunday night, and we're trying to figure out how to make dinner and get a few other things done so that Dave can get a nap in before starting his "midnight shift" with Jacob. Nevertheless, we just have make due.

Forgotten Mentionables

I was getting ready for bed last night and a few other things popped in my head that I forgot to mention in my last entry. So, here's what I can remember for now.

The pacifier has lost it's job as Diaper Changing Soother. These days, he just screams and spits it out. Absolutely nothing works consistently to calm him down while we're changing him anymore. Sometimes I can get a quiet change done if I do a "sneak attack" and get him while he's still sound asleep. I just have to do it very quietly and handle him extra gently. Sometimes if he's super stinky and messy, he'll gladly lay quietly and let us clean him up. Sometimes. :P And sometimes running the faucet helps. He loves listening to the sound of running water, but that's super-wasteful and adds to the bills. Hopefully once he grows up a little, he'll be more content and easily distracted with songs, funny faces and noises, or a toy or something. As much as I love him, I could really do without all of the excessive screaming and crying.

Every few days it seems like he's doing something new. Lately he's been reaching out for his bottle to get us to put it back in his mouth after we take it out to have him swallow and take a breath. I've been guiding his hand to the nipple part and having him help me put it back in. He's been reaching out for his Binky (pacifier), too, when it starts slipping. It's so cute to see. He's finally starting to have times when he's happy about interacting and "playing". I blew him a "raspberry" the other night and he gasped, opened his eyes wide, and threw his hands up in the air! It was hilarious. Dave did it again the next day, and I recorded some of that. Too cute.

This morning, I propped him up inside my Leachco nursing pillow with a blanket behind it for extra support and played with him "sitting up" for a little while on the couch. He was all wide-eyed and alert looking around and occasionally "cooing". He slid over and down a few times, but he did pretty good for about half an hour. After that long (and then having been awake since 6:45am), he got a little fussy... so on went the Rockabye Baby cd's. He really loves music and generally falls asleep within ten or fifteen minutes after I put one in... IF I'm holding him in my arms and don't lay him down. So, I brought out the sling carrier one of my co-workers bought for me and he was out cold in about five minutes. He loves being all cozy and snug in there, but I worry about it scrunching up his little head and neck, so I still have to use one hand to support that part of the sling. This lets me at least be hands-free at the computer as he can lay in it on my lap, but I really don't have any more freedom walking around with him around the house than I would just carrying him in my arm (since I have to support his head). Oh well.

We took him out on his first non-medical outing this week. Some of my co-workers gave us a gift card for Gymboree (a baby/toddler clothing store), so we took him there and picked out a cute little pirate ship onesie sized for the fall. I was hoping to find another nice soft blanket to swaddle him in, but they apparently only sell cotton blankets that seem more for floor playtime. He was in his sling carrier, so he slept pretty much the entire time. It was nice getting out of the house with him and finding out that he does okay with it.

The baby acne's still sticking around. I'm not sure how long it takes to clear up, but I hope it goes away soon. I have some coupons that I want to use soon to take him in for professional pictures, but I don't want his pimples to be so prominent when we go.

He has his next doctor's appointment next Wednesday. I'm worried that he's not eating enough and not gaining as much weight as he should be, but I guess we'll see. I've read that most babies his age are eating 3-4oz. at a time, and at most feedings he can barely get two ounces down before he either starts falling asleep or spitting it all back up from being too full! Maybe once his gas and constipation issues are resolved, he'll start eating more. Fingers crossed.

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I just read through the last few entries and noticed a few things that I haven't updated on, so I guess I'll start there.

Sadly, breastfeeding came to a screeching halt about two weeks ago. I accidentally skipped a day of having Jacob "try" for a few minutes before any of his feedings and the next day he was absolutely horrible with screaming, crying, and pushing away from me. So, for now I'm hanging on to the double-electric breast pump that I rented from Walgreens and pumping as much as I can. Which isn't often seeing as the majority of my day is spent holding him, feeding him, changing him, and playing with him. When Dave and I do get free time, we have to use that time to rush around preparing bottles, washing/drying/folding baby clothes, and fixing ourselves something to shovel down our throats before the baby wakes up again. Anyway... so I pump when I can in an attempt to get some of the benefits of breast milk in his little system. Since I'm not able to pump very often, there's really not much milk left... but at least there's a little.

We're still doing the dark corn syrup thing in his bottles to try to help with the constipation. The poor kiddo struggles with this so much. I feel so bad for him, but there's not much else we can do right now. I guess formula causes a lot of babies issues with constipation and gas, so it's somewhat reassuring to know that at least Jakey's not the only one. He has major issues with gas, too, so I did some "research" and found a formula that's supposed to be good for combating gas and fussiness. The poor guy must spend almost half of his waking hours fussing, screaming, and squirming along with his gas. I started him on that yesterday with a 75/25% ratio with his current formula. It was suggested to ease babies onto new formulas by giving them 25% of the new formula for two days, 50% for the next two days, and finally 75% for the final two days. So, by Tuesday of next week he'll be on the new formula exclusively. I really hope that it works. My little guy could really do with having less discomfort in his life. I read somewhere that it can take up to three months for a baby's system to get used to formula and trying to break it down. Knowing that makes me feel even worse that breastfeeding didn't work out for us.

Hopefully this new formula will live up to its claims and Jacob can spend more time being happy instead of being upset and tormented by his gas. When he's NOT being harassed by gas, he's so fun and cute. We've been putting him on his Boppy Newborn Lounger pillow for playtime and spend the time singing and talking to him, making faces and silly noises at him, and letting him feel different textures and look at different toys. I try to do a few minutes of "tummy time" each day to help strengthen his neck muscles, too. I read that babies aren't really able to hold their heads up independently until about four months! I really need to look into finding some kind of baby seat/rocker thing so that we can put him down semi-inclined for a few minutes at a time to allow us to do a few things here or there without having to hold him constantly or worry about him possibly rolling off of his pillow. He still hates laying down if he's not sleeping, so we don't get much hands-free time yet and are constantly doing the baby trade-off so that the other person can grab a bite to eat or use the bathroom or whatever.

The days fly by and are all melding into one. It's all about BABY, and we generally have no idea where the time goes! Before we know it, it's eight o'clock in the evening and we haven't even had dinner yet. We need to try to figure out some kind of schedule and start it next week since I'll be going back to work the week after that. I'm sure we'll probably end up just "winging it", though, and making adjustments along the way. I'm still not completely comfortable with having to be the one to work full time, but at least Dave is here and we don't have to think about leaving our baby with a complete stranger... and paying that stranger to raise our kid... for eight hours each day.

Four Weeks and a Day

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Yesterday marked four weeks of life for little Jacob. He has been staying awake just about ALL DAY LONG unless he's held continuously. He only falls asleep right now if someone's holding him, so we used to hold him until he fell asleep and then put him in his bassinet. But yesterday and Monday, he woke up within five to fifteen minutes each time after laying him down! He was up all day long except for maybe an hour-and-a-half or two of combined naps! It wouldn't be so bad if he actually slept more at night. Today, I put him in his sling/carrier, and he's been sleeping on my lap for hours. :P It's nice in that I can finally have some time on the computer, but I really can't do anything else with him in there (aside from things that involve being seated) because I worry about his neck being too scrunched up if I don't support it somehow. Bah. Oh well. Dave was up with him early this morning, so he's taking a nap himself. Once he wakes up, then I guess I can have some time to do other stuff.

Jakey developed baby acne a few days after his third week, and it's still sticking around. I guess it's typical and should go away soon. For now, I've been washing his face daily and resisting the urge to help the pimples along. :P Poor little guy.

He seemed to be constipated last week, so I called the pediatrician and the nurse recommended giving a small amount of dark Karo syrup along with his formula several times each day. It seems to be working so far. I was worried that it might not be good to keep that up for too long and called the office again to ask. The nurse said to keep it up for a few weeks, though, so I suppose it should be alright.

He's such a cutie. I love watching his movements, watching him sleep, hearing his little noises, discovering his likes and dislikes, and introducing him to new things. Money's getting tight, though, and I have to go back to work soon. I can't imagine leaving him for seven to eight hours every day. I want to be the one to stay home and take care of him. Dave's fully capable of making sure he's fed and changed... but I just want to be the one to be there. I can already sense my jealousy and resentment building up of having to be the one to bring in the paycheck instead of being home so that my baby can have his mommy. Hopefully Dave'll step it up with eBay and bring in enough money to start saving towards getting us out of here.

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Unrelated to Jacob... we finally gave in to reality and took our oldest dog, Buddha, in to be put to sleep last night. His health had been deteriorating for several months. He'd lost so much weight and was practically nothing but skin and bones covered with fur. He was starting to lose his eyesight and had already been deaf for a while. He couldn't stand up on his own 75% of the time and would fall down in the yard just about every other time he went outside. There's not enough room in the car for the baby seat and a dog, too, so Dave took him in by himself while I stayed home with Jacob. They made a clay impression of his paw, so we have that to keep next to the one I made for Karma two years ago. We should be getting his ashes back in two to three weeks and will put those next to Karma's and Cleo's. Hopefully we can get some nice little pet urns or something once we get some more money. I hate just leaving the ashes inside the cardboard boxes the vet gives you. It's so hard "playing God" with those you love, but I'm glad we're able to help release our animals from their pain and suffering. If only it was as easy to help our human family in situations like this.

When Jacob Smiles...

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Yesterday Jacob turned three weeks old... and he smiled at me for the very first time! Not just in his sleep but right at me for a full five seconds or more. It was so beautiful and heartwarming; it brought tears to my eyes. :) He's starting to move his arms and legs around a little more and just started making little noises, too, aside from crying and screaming. I can't wait until he starts babbling and until he's able to hold his head up by himself so we can try out his baby swing. I'm definitely not ready for the crawling stage yet, but I'm really enjoying watching him grow up before my eyes.

Can you hear me now? - and - Cadillac Stroller/Carseat

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When Jacob was just a day old, the nurses did a hearing test on him in the nursery (as they do with all babies). They told us that he didn't pass the test and was getting a referral for a follow-up hearing evaluation by the audiology department to be completed within the month. Apparently it's common for babies to fail the test, though, as they could still have stuff in their ears from the womb or be distracted by other noises in the nursery. Later that day, Dave opened a soda can and the "pssssssssht!" startled Jacob as he lay in my arms. Even mild coughs got his attention, so I figured there probably wasn't anything to worry about. We took him in for his evaluation today, and he passed just fine. Just another thing for the hospital to do to bring in the money.

My grandparents and Dave's birth parents sent Jakey some money for things he might need, so I went out and found a nice stroller-carrier-car seat combo. We already had a really nice car seat that my mom had bought us, but we realized how much easier it would be to have a portable carrier for him after carrying him around in our arms to all of his doctor's appointments within the first week or two. It snaps into a base in the car and unsnaps and lifts out easily to carry him around everywhere. Then the stroller has a bar that goes across the middle inside that the carrier fits onto, so you can either use it like a regular stroller or have the carrier sitting on top. Very nice and convenient. I can't wait until the weather warms up so we can all start taking walks together - us, the little guy, and the "pup". :)

As the days go by...

Today Jacob got to meet a couple more members of his family. Until now, he'd only met his parents, his grandma, and a few friends. His Uncle Derek and Grandpa Pops came up today (along with Derek's girlfriend, Allison) and spent some time looking at him and holding him. It was so nice to see them both up here becoming part of his life. Allison brought her crochet supplies and whipped him up an adorable little soft, brown teddy bear hat in a matter of an hour or two. She had already made one and brought it up, but - having never seen Jakey - it was a bit too big. So, now he'll have one for this winter and one for next fall and winter, too!

He had a check-up on Friday and has gained an average amount of weight since his first appointment a little over a week ago. He's back up to his birth weight of 6lbs. 6oz. and has grown an inch already!

We're stumbling through parenting learning as we go. We've encountered diaper rash and just had a recent worry about him possibly being contipated and not knowing what to do about it. :P (Everything's fine now - we think.) I'm trying to stay persistent with working on the breastfeeding issue I mentioned in my last post. I have him "try" for five minutes or so before each bottle, and he's starting to improve a little. He's actually sucking several times before he starts showing signs of frustration and disgust whereas before he would suck maybe once or twice and then scream/cry and push himself away from me. So, fingers crossed that this keeps improving. Besides the fact that breast milk is the most nutritious option for a baby, formula's frickin' expensive! Plus we generally end up wasting some of it each time he eats because he's never consistent with eating the same amount at each feeding. :/

Sleep is a rare commodity, but I think we're finally starting to get used to sleeping when he sleeps... or else we're just starting to get used to LACK of sleep. :P He seems to have a little schedule of own going already. He's been having a last feeding around midnight and then waking up around 4am and again around 7 or 8am. We usually prepare a batch of formula at night and then I'll try breastfeeding for a few minutes in the morning while the bottle heats up.

Jacob delights us every day. He's so adorable and has the most beautiful, hilarious, and endearing expressions... and he definitely lets us know when he's not happy! He hates being laid down unless he's sound asleep and will crack his little eyes open at random apparently to peek at us to make sure we're still holding him and not trying to lay him down in his bassinet before he's ready. His other hatred is having his diaper changed. You'd think we were abusing him from the way he cries and wails when we're trying to clean him up! I'd held out letting him have a pacifier all of this time, but I relented today and let him suck on one during a change. Talk about a 100% difference! Dave used it when he changed him later on and loved how smoothly the task went. The last time I changed him, I did it without the pacifier and he was pretty quiet. I'm sure that could have been because he was half-asleep, though. :P Oh, I almost forgot... he hates having to take a break from feedings to burp, too. I'm not quite sure WHAT to do about that yet. If he doesn't burp, he spits up a lot of his food. I'm sure that's not good for his tummy, and it's definitely not good as far as the money that we spend on the formula.

Anyway...

We're both so in love with him. How can anyone NOT be? :P I'm really not looking forward to going back to work, but I don't see any way around it at the moment. I guess "you gotta do what you gotta do", right?

Welcome to the world, Jacob Matthew!

The day after I wrote my last blog was my last doctor's appointment. At my appointment, the ultrasound tech noted my fluid levels had dropped dramatically again and told us that the doctor would probably want to induce me by the end of the week. After 40 long weeks and tons and tons of "morning sickness", I was VERY glad to hear this. We figured we had a few more days to get some more stuff done around the house before it was time... but that was just wishful thinking. After the ultrasound, we waited for the doctor. She walked in and asked, "So, are you guys ready to have a baby?" She told us to get over to the hospital as soon as we were ready; they would induce me that night. We weren't expecting that in the least. Nervousness and excitement set in, and we drove home calling or texting everyone we could.

My mom met us at the house and drove with us to the hospital. I was induced at 6pm (on January 11th) and was told that they would give me Pitocin at 6 o'clock the next morning to get the contractions going or to help them move along. Dave left shortly afterwards to come home and let the dogs out and to pick up a few things we had left behind. My contractions kicked in around 8:30 or 9. Dave returned around that time, and my mom left for the night. I dealt with the pain of the contractions for about two hours as they intensified more and more. After that long, I couldn't take it anymore and asked for the Stadol. Once the nurse injected that into my IV, I was in heaven and felt nothing... for about an hour. I guess my heart rate and the baby's heart rate dropped during that time, so they couldn't give me any more until things normalized. They finally came back to check about an hour and a half later, but by that time (around 3am)... it was time to start pushing. I squeezed Dave's hand to death to help get through the pain of each contraction until the doctor had me hold onto my legs instead. :P After about an hour of pain and pushing and labored breathing, Jacob Matthew made his entrance into the world.

He was born on January 12th at 4:20am, weighed 6lbs 6oz, and was 19 inches long. Blue eyes, blond/light brown hair. Dave was there through everything and said it was "the most horrifying but the most beautiful thing" he's ever experienced. :P He says he now has a much deeper respect for women (mothers) than he ever did before.

We signed out of the hospital the following day and have been enjoying every minute with our teeny little guy. I had to go out the other day and buy some Preemie-sized outfits because he's just swimming in the Newborn and 0-3month sized clothes that we have. He's SO little! But the pants for the preemie outfits are a little too snug! There's just not a perfect size for 6lb. babies. :/

We had some issues with breastfeeding, and I had to give him formula for a day or two. :( I really hated doing that, but the poor little guy needed nutrition SOMEhow. After seeing how easy it was to get milk from a bottle, though, Jacob hasn't wanted anything to do with breastfeeding. I mean, I guess why "work" for food (use your strength and muscles to suck) when you have access to something that will almost just pour it down your throat with just the tiniest sip? :( I'm pumping as often as I can and supplementing with formula. I'm still trying to get him to breastfeed for a while before giving him his bottle, but it doesn't seem to be working. Hopefully I can get some help from a lactation consultant, but I'm not feeling too confident that he'll get back into the swing of things.

He ended up becoming jaundiced a few days after coming home due to not eating often enough and not eating enough at each feeding. He had to have his bilirubin levels checked three times already (they draw blood from his heels) by his tenth day of life. The levels have finally dropped to a decent level, but they're still not perfect as he's still not eating much compared to how much babies are *supposed* to eat. Hopefully we'll get there soon, though.

He's such a cutie... Dave and I are both so in love with him. It's amazing to think back on my pregnancy and realize that he's HERE now... and to think about what lies ahead over the next twenty years. :P

Today's the Day... But Nothing's Going On

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So today's the day that my little guy was estimated to be here by, but he's still pretty high up. I was scheduled for another ultrasound and check-up on Thursday, but we decided to postpone it due to the snow that came the night before. So, I have it rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon but don't have my hopes up for any better news.

I guess as long as he's healthy, I should be satisfied. I know the doctor'll schedule an induction before the baby's too overdue, but I'm just so tired of waiting and feeling crappy. I'm tired of not being able to eat or drink what I want for fear of the impending heartburn and/or vomitting. I'm tired of feeling congested every morning and not being able to breathe easily. I'm tired of staying around the house for fear that the little guy might decide to come if I stray too far away. I'm tired of missing work and am frustrated knowing that (without any paid maternity leave) my other accumulated paid leave - sick leave, personal leave, etc. - will be gone within three more weeks or so thanks to the two weeks of bedrest that I had to take for my low fluid levels.

Sigh.

I just want this little one to be here already.

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Counting Down the Days

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It's January 1st... and the little guy is still comfy inside my belly. No New Year's Baby or 2009 tax break for us. :P He hasn't dropped yet and probably won't come until close to his estimated due date of January 10th.

I've had two more appointments since my last entry on here. At my last appointment, the doctor checked my cervix and... OUCH! That frickin' HURT! I knew that they did a finger measurement, but I had no idea that he was going to use so much pressure. I swear it felt like he was trying to dig the baby out himself! He didn't give me any kind of a warning that it might hurt or even that there would be pressure until I was already crying out in pain! No efforts to tell me to try to relax and breathe or anything. Hmpf. Nor did he warn me that I might spot a little bit (or for the remainder of the night!) afterwards. I had to do my own "research" on the internet to find out whether or not the whole thing was even remotely normal. Sigh. Well, at least that's over for this week. I'm assuming that they'll be doing that again each time until the baby comes. Hopefully the baby will start dropping and my cervix will soften up so that the check isn't so painful next week! And hopefully the baby arrives on time and not PAST his due date. (Or at least not TOO far past it.)

Aside from that, everything's going alright. I'm STILL getting sick periodically and experiencing heartburn like crazy, but (surprisingly) my fluid levels are up. My blood pressure's normal as is baby's heartbeat, and he's moving around good and doing his "practice breathing". He still doesn't want to show us his face and keeps hiding it with his hands whenever the ultrasound woman tries to get a picture for us. He's been stubborn (shy?) all along, though, so it's really no surprise. It'd just be nice to see a good, clear picture of his face. I guess we'll just have to wait until he's born to truly see him.

I'm starting to get nervous about going into labor. I've read and heard a lot of birth stories, but I know there's really no way to truly be prepared for the intensity of it all. I've always had a pretty high tolerance for pain and am determined to give birth naturally (no epidural or drugs), but I also know that childbirth is a completely different kind of pain than anything I've ever experienced. Everyone says that once your little one is here, you start forgetting all about the pain and just focus on the new life in front of you. I'm sure that's true, but knowing that still doesn't make the pain go away while it's happening! At least I'll have Dave there with me and have my mom around for support, too. I can't imagine going through this alone.

I want my little sunshine here already, but then I'm so nervous about lies ahead. The first few days... the first weeks... the first months... the first year. I have no idea what's going to happen as far as going back to work, Dave finding a job, staying in O'Fallon or moving down to Carbondale, my dad coming back to live in March or April. There's always uncertainty in Life, and there's always increased uncertainty when a new life is on the way... but it seems so much worse with the situation Dave and I are in right now.

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It's Been a While

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I've had quite a few appointments since my last entry. At 33 weeks, I was only measuring 29 weeks... so they did an ultrasound to make sure there weren't any problems. The little guy is on the small side; he was in the 25-29th percentile at that time with an estimated weight of about five pounds. I figured this wasn't a big deal since he still had a month of growing time left. They found, though, that my fluid levels (my own levels and that of the amniotic fluid) were pretty low and put me on bed rest for the week. I had another ultrasound the following week where they told me my levels were up a little but still advised continued bedrest.

Two weeks of my accumulated sick leave is now down the drain. I suppose I needed the time off to keep myself and Little Ninja well, but now that means less paid time off after he's here.

Anyway, we went in for another ultrasound this past week and my fluid levels are lower than last week. They're still a little better than the first time, but I NEED to drink more. It would help if I could stop getting sick and if my heartburn wasn't constant. Grrrrr.

Dave and I took a childbirth class last Saturday and this Saturday. It really seemed like all of the material could have been presented in a DVD/video format that patients could check out from the hospital or watch in a room there or something. It was pretty uncomfortable sitting in the sparsely padded chairs for a four-hour class. She gave us breaks... but still. Oh well. I found out that my hospital *does* offer vegetarian and strict vegan food options, so I want to call the Food and Nutrition manager and see what they actually have available (and to make sure there's stuff there when I come in to deliver). I'll still definitely pack my own snacks and have Dave or someone bring in some of my soy ice cream, tho'. :)

I found a lone bed bug crawling around on one of the bathroom rugs at the beginning of the week, so I guess our efforts with diatomaceous earth didn't fully do the job. It could have been the only remaining one from our little ordeal months ago, but we didn't want to risk anything with the little guy on the way. (Neither of us had gotten bitten at all after all of this time, and this was the only one we had seen in months.) Five hundred dollars later, the Terminix guys told us they didn't find any more bed bugs when they used their machines around the most common suspect areas. We're under contract to have them come quarterly, though, for the next year at an additional cost of $100 each time... so it's actually going to cost $800 for the treatment. Sigh. At least we're "safe" now and can call them back any time within the next year if we happen to find any more.

Now that this weight's off our shoulders, Dave's trying to get the bedroom back in order and then we can FINALLY start putting the baby's room together. With all of the diatomaceous earth that he sprinkled down, it's quite a task trying to vacuum it up. All of the dust clouds-up and is making it hard for him to be in there long. Little by little, I guess.

I have weekly appointments from here on out due to the low fluid levels. Hopefully I can get them up more and more and keep this little one healthy.

The one thing I like about pregnancy is laying on the couch and watching my belly change shape when he kicks and moves around. It makes me laugh more than anything. I want to get my digital camera out and film it one of these days. ;P Aside from that, I really don't think I'll miss much about pregnancy. I can't wait for the heartburn and vomiting to go away! I guess I'll miss my days of NOT worrying about the little being I brought into the world, but I'm so ready for this little guy to be here! Sorta. :P

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Moving Along Slowly

The little guy is apparently doing well and growing just fine. I had another appointment on Thursday and have another one in two more weeks. I can still feel him moving around at times, but it seems like he's moving less than he used to. Is this normal? I'm figuring that maybe he has less room inside there now so maybe he's just comfy? Or is he sleeping more? Any input would be appreciated. I have the whole worried-mom thing going on already. :P

Here's a picture of me on Thursday. It really doesn't look like my tummy's growing very much, does it? I'm guessing that maybe I'll start getting HUGE in another month or so. Not that I really WANT to look or get humongous, but some people still don't know that I'm pregnant since I've always worn fairly loose-fitting clothes. It's only when I wear maternity shirts that I actually even look a little pregnant. I'm definitely starting to get tired again more easily and more often, though. Just another month-and-a-half until winter break at school/work, so I'm pretty excited about that. And just a little over two months until my anticipated due date.

I'm too lazy to look back to see if I already posted about this last time, but I'm now getting heartburn with just about EVERYTHING that I eat. It's quite annoying, but I guess it's another one of those pregnancy side-effects that's pretty common. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping like mad that my all-day-long morning sickness doesn't return towards the end like it does for some women. Think "happy tummy" thoughts for me, please?

So far I haven't had any swelling in my feet or ankles, haven't had any Braxton Hicks contractions, round ligament pain, or much other pain or discomfort aside from the sickness and heartburn... so I guess I should be thankful. Also, I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that the little one is still cozy inside and hasn't come early (too early). And also that there haven't been any major indications of anything wrong with him. I hope everything continues to go smoothly and that he's a strong, healthy little guy when he's born. Dave's insistent that our little boy is going to be just fine - perfect. I just hope that's the case. Positive thoughts... positive thoughts.

Happy Halloween!

Me and the little guy - October 30, 2009

Two-and-a-half more months?! NOOOOO!

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Me and the little chickadee... yesterday... at 28 weeks, 6 days (almost seven months along)----->

Is it wrong to call a boy a "chickadee"?

I went in for another appointment this past Thursday. I'm up to twice-a-month appointments now. Generally this would have been just another "nothing" appointment (weight, urine sample, blood pressure, heartbeat check of the baby, tummy measurement), but I needed to have my placenta checked to see if it had moved and also had to do the glucose screen to make sure that I haven't developed gestational diabetes. No one told me to request the drink for the glucose test as soon as I got there, so the lab woman was a little peeved when I told her that I hadn't taken it yet at 11:30.

You're supposed to fast beginning at midnight the night before the test, so I hadn't eaten anything all day and it was already lunch time. The lab tech asked if I could come back in thirty minutes since she was scheduled to break for lunch, but I told her that I had only scheduled a half-day off from work. I told her that no one had instructed me to come in and ask for the drink, but that if I had no other choice than to come back that I guessed I would do so. She grumbled a bit about having to miss her lunch and placed the drink on the counter, "Go ahead." So I chugged it down (not too bad... kinda like orange soda or a highly sweetened orange Kool-Aid) and then had to wait in the lobby for an hour before she called me back to draw my blood. For as many times as she draws blood each day, she's pretty crappy at her job. Granted it was a little more difficult to find a vein this time since I hadn't eaten or drinken anything, but she had to poke me like three or four times to find a spot. I've ended up with bruises all over my inner elbow before from this woman in the past as have my co-workers who see the same OB/GYN. She said that I would definitely get a call the next day if the bloodwork came back positive for GD. I didn't get a call, so I'm assuming that I'm fine. I guess I'll find out for sure at my next appointment in two weeks. I love the professionalism of businesses these days.

Oh, my placenta moved a good 6cm out of the way, so everything should be good to go for a regular vaginal delivery as long as nothing else pops up before it's time.

I'm getting so impatient to set up the little guy's room. Sara, the teacher whose class I work in, dropped off her son's crib this week. He's two years old now and has a toddler bed, so she's letting me have his crib. Her and her husband have been trying for baby #2 for a while, so if that ends up happening, I'll pass the crib back to her if she still needs it when our little man outgrows it. Otherwise, she said to just pass it on to someone else.

I used the gift card my aunt and uncle sent me to buy the bedding set that I wanted (picture to the left), and then I bought some flat wood circles at the craft store that I plan on painting with pictures of the animals from the bedding so that there's some kind of coordinating artwork/wall decor in the room. It should be pretty cute.

Anyway, I have to wait for Dave to come up for a few days again so he can maybe move my dad's desk and computer out of there so we have room for the changing table and a bookcase. I really don't like the idea of an office/baby room. I really wasn't planning on being here with the baby at all, but sometimes life forces you down a different path than you intend.

I have a lot to do before the baby comes, but I still have a lot of time. Ten weeks doesn't sound like a very long time, but when you think of it in terms of months... two-and-a-half months seems like forEVER. Especially when you've already been pregnant and dealing with all of the loveliness that accompanies that for the past six months - the morning sickness, the peeing when you cough or sneeze, congestion that comes out of nowhere, sleepless nights, bizarre dreams, the odd cramps, and so on. Granted not everyone has all of these symptoms (and some have a lot more and a lot worse), but that's what it's been for me... and I'm already ready for it to be over with and to have my little one in my arms. I have no idea what life's going to be like afterwards - work, insurance, child care, etc. -, but I'm just tired of waiting!

Another "nothing" appointment and a wonderful baby shower...

Friday was my second "nothing" appointment since the ultrasound. They took my weight and blood pressure, listened to the baby's heartbeat, and measured me again. The doctor said the baby seems to be measuring normal and that his heart rate is great... but that they found some white blood cells and protein in my urine.

Apparently I possibly have a bladder infection?? I had no clue. I've never had one before and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Anyway, he prescribed me something that's supposedly safe for the baby (which I still need to drop of the prescription for somewhere to have filled... oops) and said they'd call me on Monday with a definite answer. I guess they have to send the sample of to a lab or something. *shrug* Aside from that, everything's good.

I have another appointment in two weeks to get tested (blood drawn) for gestational diabetes and for them to check on my placenta previa. They said it was only marginal (not "complete"), so hopefully it's moved up to where it should be by now. Fingers crossed.

I've been feeling the little guy kick off and on throughout the day just about every day now since a few days after the ultrasound. It's a reassuring feeling... knowing that he's in there moving around. I'm sure the kicks won't be quite as "fun" as time goes by. I've heard a lot about babies kicking hard in the ribs and am not looking forward to that!

My mom threw me a baby shower today which went well. I only have a few friends in the area - mostly co-workers -, so it was a pretty small gathering. That's fine, though, as it was at her (my mom's) house... which is pretty small. I don't think we would have been very comfortable if there had been more than another person or two there!

She made all of the food vegetarian, and most of it was vegan. She tries so hard but doesn't always pay attention to the fine print of ingredients... so she overlooks the fact that it clearly states (for allergy purposes) that something contains eggs and/or milk. I think with everything, though, there were really only two things that weren't vegan - some veggie "chicken" patties and some cheese cubes that she had as an appetizer on skewers with some sugar-coated grapes. We made a veggie tray with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, cauliflower, and cucumbers... a fruit tray with strawberries, grapes, and kiwi... veggie burgers and chicken patties on buns... vegan herbed cream cheese and vegan herbed sour cream for crackers and the veggies... a black bean-corn-red pepper-mango salsa/salad... a tomato-green onion-cilantro salsa... and then had tortilla chips. I love color contrasts with food, so everything looked fabulous. I arranged the fruit and veggie trays and was quite pleased with how they looked. :P

My mom found a picture of a layered cake with strawberries and kiwi in the middle and on top with a whipped topping and tried her best to make it vegan using soy yogurt and blending in some powdered sugar. It didn't stay together very well... the soy yogurt was a lot softer than she had anticipated... but it tasted delicious! It was all so good and everyone was stuffed. (And now... hours later... I have horrible heartburn!) I'd post pictures, but we only used my mom's camera... so I'll have to post them whenever she sends them to me in an email.

I received a lot of items that were on my registry and several things that weren't but that are super-cute or that will come in handy as the baby grows. I ended up with two baby memory books - one from my mom that wasn't on my registry and one from one of my co-workers that was. So now I don't know what to do. I hate returning things that family got for me... but I really don't need two of basically the same thing. :/ Hmmmmm.

Dave's currently in Las Vegas with one of the guys for whom he works. The guy always wanted to go to Vegas, so his mom (who lives in California) paid for him and Dave to fly out there and meet them there. Dave's still working while he's there obviously (and more shifts than usual), but it's nice that he gets an all expenses paid trip to somewhere that he's never been. He's never had paid vacation time anywhere that he's worked ever since we've been together, so this is much deserved. They went to see Cirque du Soleil last night and were going to see Penn and Teller tonight. I guess their hotel is huge. Dave was telling me tonight that he got lost for about 25 minutes just in the hotel itself. :P

He said he bought the baby a little Las Vegas - well, Nevada - license plate with the name that we've pretty much chosen and stuck with so far - Jakob. Only apparently Dave didn't hear me (or wasn't paying attention is probably more like it!) when I told him that we'd spell it with a "k" rather than a "c" so that his name would at least be a little different... and so that when you shorten it to "Jake", the "k" is already there. I mean, really... doesn't it make more sense to spell it like that rather than to spell it with a "c" and have to change it to a "k" for the nickname?! I think so! :P So, he's going to see if he can find one with a "k" before he comes back home. It's so cute the way he's always thinking about the little guy. He's so excited at the thought of being a daddy. :)

It's been pretty hard living apart all of this time. It would have been nice to have Dave around more this summer when I was sick constantly, but it's going to be even more difficult over the next month or so as I get bigger and start having a harder time doing things normally. He's planning on moving up here in December (yes, the plans have changed once again), but I just want him here now. :( He wants to stay down there and work as long as he can so he can save up money, though. The job market is pretty slim, and I can't imagine it'll be any better around Christmastime. So, I guess I can understand. I just don't like it.

My dad decided to go ahead and sell the furniture that he had bought at auctions over the summer (in anticipation of us moving out of here), so there's some room in his "office" for the baby's crib and changing table. Now I just need to convince him to stay down in Phoenix for a year since certainly he wouldn't want to be awoken by a screaming/crying baby throughout the night every night next spring and summer (if he makes his annual trip back here for his six-month stay). :P You wouldn't want to wake up to that if you were 60+, would you?! Honestly, I didn't intend to still be here after our first year back from Seattle. And I definitely didn't intend to be here past this last summer when Dave and I had planned on moving into the little fixer-upper trailer that he had bought down in Carbondale. But the mesocyclone demolished that little idea... and our not-great credit scores prevented us from obtaining the home loan we were hoping for. Sigh. Life happens, though, right? It's so frustrating, though. I feel like such a loser living in my dad's house at my age... and with a baby on the way. Hopefully this will be the last year and then we can find our own place... SOMEWHERE!


I want to start posting more pictures on here, so I'll start with this one. This is me and the little guy a few weeks ago (at about 24 weeks, I think). I'm finally starting to show a little. One of the speech therapists at work had no clue I was even pregnant until someone told her the other day. She commented that it looked like I had lost weight... which I did and still haven't gained half of it back yet... so I told her about my "fun" summer of sickness. I've been trying to wear more actual maternity shirts so that I look pregnant rather than just my chubby old self. That helps a little.

Three more months exactly until my estimated due date... and that seems SO far away. I'm sure with work and the holidays and everything that the time will fly by, but I'm just so anxious for him to BE here. There's so much still to do and to think about, but I'm tired of waiting already! I know the last month is probably going to be the worst... especially since I'll be on winter break from school (work) and have nothing to think about except how much I want him out of my belly! I still need to talk with the human resources person at work and figure out how to set up my maternity leave and if/how I can use my vacation time and sick leave for part of it so that I'm not completely without a paycheck for however many months I decide to stay at home afterwards. I need to look into the labor and delivery class at the hospital, too, and sign Dave and myself up for one in November or December. Oooh... AND I need to see about getting WIC and state medical/health coverage for the little one. Because I really can't afford to put him on my insurance with what little I make. Urg. I'm such a procrastinator and hate having to be "responsible". Can't someone just do all of this FOR me?! :P

September Update

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A month in between doctor appointments and a month in between posts. :P

My last appointment was just a "nothing appointment". They weighed me and took my blood pressure and then the doctor asked if I/we had any questions. I asked about the placenta previa and she stated that mine was noted as just being "marginal", so hopefully everything should be fine and the placenta will move up where it's supposed to be over the next few months. I asked again about the "white spot" on the baby's heart and she said that if the baby doesn't have Downs that the spot will dissolve over the course of the pregnancy. We got to hear his heartbeat again and then set up the next "nothing appointment" for next month. Two weeks after that one, I'll be tested for gestational diabetes... which I need to research more on before then.

I've still been getting sick about once or twice a week, but I'm actually eating fairly well for the most part. It's actually been almost two weeks now since my last "episode", so I'm hoping that it stays that way more often. Still no cravings (yet?) and I've only had a fleeting fancy for chocolate (brownies or cupcakes!) a few days ago... but that's passed. I think I've gained about five pounds back now of the 18 that I lost with my sickness. I've been reading a lot of postings on baby/parenting websites from women who were about my weight when they first got pregnant (due the same month as I am) who have gained 30-40 pounds or more and am actually pretty glad that I was sick for so long and lost the weight that I did. It definitely wasn't anything I wish to experience again, but I'm hopeful that I'll only have 10 or 20 pounds to lose instead of 30-50! Then again, I tend to think that I've gained a lot of will power and self-control over the last year or so when it comes to refraining from stuffing myself with junk. :P So I'm sure that makes a difference, too.

Over the last few weeks, I've managed to turn my sadness around as to having a boy. I've found several cute little outfits and have been doing a lot of reflecting on the little boys that I know and have known over the years. Now I just can't wait to meet him! :) I've also been doing a lot of thinking about gender stereotypes and hope we can find a good balance. I have a lot of pastel yellow and pastel green outfits for his first several months (along with some more "traditional" colors and "boy" styles), but it's pretty hard finding gender-neutral clothing after the age of one or two. I bought a light pink polo shirt yesterday at Target (for 3-6 months) that has a simple neckline, white buttons, plain sleeves, and a little red crab embroidered on it. It's a cute summer shirt that I personally think could be for either a boy or a girl... although I'm sure I know what strangers will think when they see him in it... "Oh, what a cute little girl!". I bought the blue one that's just like it and it has a whale on it. I would've bought both of them if I was having a girl, too. We'll see what Dave has to say. Not that it'll matter much to me, though. I'll let the little guy choose for himself. :) As far as the "big picture", though, it's not just about the colors.

On Sunday, I started feeling him kick and even saw my tummy move at one point! I've felt him moving around just about every day now, and it's so exciting and reassuring. He seems to be more active in the evening and at nighttime. Hopefully that's not an indicator of how his sleeping pattern is going to be when he arrives!

I'm approaching the six month marker soon. It's seems like the time has gone by pretty fast, but four more months seems like an eternity! I'm just now starting to show... if I wore skin-tight clothes. Most people who don't know me probably have no clue that I'm pregnant, though. I look the same now as I did pre-pregnancy. I can tell, though... and that's all that really matters. I'm sure I'll probably look/feel HUGE by the end, and I'm really not in any hurry to experience everything that goes along with that. :P