Lost Stump and VIsitor Parade

Yippy!

We are 2 weeks old today! Do you think the baby would like a DQ cake? Maybe just one for mom and dad then.

The baby lost his ambilical cord stump today! Now he just has a little scab to be careful of. We were kind of scared about the stump - it's hard to avoid touching it when you are getting him dressed and cleaning him up but we managed it.

The parade of vistors to see the baby has continued this past week. We have had a grandma, aunts, and uncles this week. And soon the other set of grandparents will be visiting.

It seems as the visitors increase the help for mom and dad decreases. The first week everyone was concerned with if we were sleeping and eating with the new baby . . . now everone just wants to see the baby and absolutely forgets that mom and dad are exhausted and hungry. I think that dream visitors would help make sure we ate, maybe washed a load of clothes, ad maybe hold the baby when he is fussy between feedings so mom and dad can rest.

The biggest issue for visitors is that everone wants to give the baby a bottle when he is fussy between feedings, even if it is not time for him to eat - especially since he needs to be on the breast and not on formula! This is our greatest fear with the grandma visit. My dream is that the next set of visitors helps mom and dad a bit and respects our feeding plans.

Oh well a new mom can dream!

Early Arrival - Week 36

Well I thought that I had at least 4 more uncomfortable weeks left until the baby's arrival . . . but the baby had other plans. On Friday March 16 at 7:20 am, I was getting ready to go outlet shopping with Logoann and SemiObsessiveMom to shop at Carters and the Osh Kosh outlets, when my water broke. After several phone calls I was told I needed to go to the hospital.

At this point I was in the negotiating phase of labor I guess because I tried to convince the husband that I could go shopping and we could do this later. Obviously didn't win that argument, so off to the hospital we went.

After 2 failed epidurals, 15 hours of labor, and what I am told was about 15 min of actual pushing (it really felt like hours though), the baby was born! He did well on his apgars (8 & 9 respectively) and was 6 lbs and 19", but since he is considered pre-term and had some "grunting" while breathing, which I guess indicated respitory distress, we had a quick picture and then he was wisked off to the NICU, much to my dismay since I really wanted him to be put to breast as soon as possible.

After aprox 2 days in the NICU, the baby graduatd to the regular nursery and I was transfered to a regular room near the nursery. Everything from my perspective seemed really surreal and didn't really feel "normal" until we were transfered to the regular nursery on Sunday afternoon. By the way don't let anyone tell you that labor pain is the most forgetable pain in the world - however the END of the last push is the most satisfying feeling of success! All in all I would do it again though so the pain is worth it!

By Monday afternoon the baby had graduated all his tests and had seen the on-call pediatrician from our doctor's office, so we were all ready for discharge.

Since then, the husband, baby, and I have been just fine - although more tired and sleepy than you can possibly imagine! The baby is growing so fast and he is (along with us are) learning new things everyday. Breastfeeding is getting better with every feeding for the most part and we have learned that sneezing is not such a scary thing after all. And if you can believe it the baby has already been on his first short shopping trip with the husband to Best Buy - like father like son I guess! By far the biggest juggling act is the breastfeeding / formula supplimenting. We are trying to get to breastfeeding only, slow but sure I hope.

Well I guess I really should sleep, if I am lucky I might be able to get an hour or so of sleep before the next feeding. I know that Logoann is going to yell at me for blogging so late when I really should be sleeping since the baby is right now.

By the way - Logoann and her husband have been the most heroic angels for the husband, baby, and me. Without them I would be hungry, unshowered, and have no clean clothes for me or the baby. I really can't say how much their help has meant to us. Great now I am crying and weepy - but that happens a lot now.

Here are a couple of pics of the few 100+ pics we already have taken. I am going to need a case of photo albums - I estimate that I'll be almost done with the baby's newborn picture scrapbook when he graduates from college!

I'll try to blog as often as the baby allows.

A very tired but happy new mom signing off . . .



Our First Family Photo
(Notice the look of relief)




We like our spikey hair!




We graduated from the NICU!

Dropping - Week 35!

Well I can breathe a bit easier this week. The baby is definately dropping and I am continuing to feel less and less stable physically and sometimes emotionally. I cried twice today watching those darn TLC baby shows.

In other baby news - Logoann and I sewed curtains for the baby's room. Well more accurately I helped wash, iron, and pin and Logoann sewed. Next on the agenda is making the crib skirt. When it is all done I will be sure to post pictures.

The nesting is definately set in. We have at least 2 months worth of diapers, diaper changing, and washing paraphanalia. I have been told that babies generally go through about 300 diapers a month! We have all the bedding, blankets, and clothing for 0-6 mo. washed, folded, and put away. The diaper bag is even packed. Little by litle I am also packing the hospital bag as I continue to work on my mountain of laundry. Oh and the glider and ottoman for the nursery came in, so that is all set up as well. Now I just have to remember to mail in the hospital preregistry forms . . . remembering - now that seems to be a skill that I have definately lost track of.

A Note on Comments

FYI: I took off the comments section for the Baby's Blog for one posting the other week because of some personal info that was accidentally posted in a comment. I have fixed the issue so that I can now moderate comments that you all want to make. So feel free to comment again!

Only 7 more weeks! (or less!)

Well it's official, I feel very very very pregnant now. The baby and I are constantly competing for my lung space. He wants to stretch out and get comfy there, while I selfishly want to breathe.

This week is going to be 34 weeks and he is well over 5 lbs. now. When he decides to dance you can totally see my whole belly move. Even as I write this he is having hiccups. So strange to be feeling all of this going on inside me. Right now I am literally the baby's whole world - soon his little universe will be endless and I am sure I will miss him being with me all the time.

As for Operation 'Baby Countdown': I am almost done with all the shower returns/exchanges. I have been running around all week taking care of that and I hope to have the registry almost all done in the next couple of weeks, since there is a sale next week at Babies R us. In fact I have to go there today to order the Glider and Ottoman. I sometimes think I should just sleep at Babies R Us.