Thursday, October 21, 2010

see ya, stumpy!

milo's stump (the dried up leftover piece from where they clamped his umbilical cord) finally fell off today. there's still some leftover residual stuff, but it's fun to finally see his cute little bellybutton without that black stumpy bit in the way.

it's also very clear that milo's absolute least favorite activity is still getting his diaper and/or his clothing changed.

but otherwise, the little peanut is thriving. he gained 8 ounces at his last checkup (which is a vast improvement from his first and followup checkup, where he had lost a pound, and hadn't been gaining anything back yet).

i'm totally in love with the little guy.

he even peed on the wall the other day. ben was proud. i wiped it off, and i'm still in love with him. (milo, that is. and ben too, of course. although if ben peed on the wall, i don't think it'd be nearly as comical.)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

one week today! one week ago...

i can't believe it's been a whole entire week already!
i can't believe that at this time last week, milo was inside me, and now he's not. one week ago, we had no clue if we were having a boy or a girl, and now we have a milo.

it's pretty mind boggling, really.

it's also milo's "supposed to be" birth-day today. but instead he was born exactly one week early, and i'm so glad he was!

so, in honor of his one week old-ness, this one's for him:

dear sweet little milo,

one week ago today you were born. the night before, your daddy and i had made a dish that was supposed to help women go into labor, because we were so excited to meet you, and we just didn't want to wait anymore. it was delicious, but when i woke up that next morning, i didn't really feel any different. i figured it probably wasn't going to work, and we went about our day like any other.

it was a perfectly gorgeous day out. brightly sunny, blue skies and even a little warm for this second weekend in october. we had decided we wanted to check out the farmer's market that's at the town square (isn't it so fun that we live in a town that has a town square?) every saturday till the end of this month.

so we got up a little bit early (for a saturday morning, anyhow), and got dressed, and headed out. there were so many fun vendors - a lady who sells mittens made from old wool sweaters, bird-house crafters, pastry bakers, honey-bee keepers, and of course, the farmers with their produce. we bought some kolodgekies (i have no idea how that pastry is spelled) for breakfast and ate them as we walked along checking everything out. there was also a muffin lady from whom we bought a pumpkin muffin that was quite delicious.

i got asked many times "when are you due?" with a clear indication that they were worried i might pop right then and there, and while i was certainly hoping it would be that day, i reassured them all that i still had a week to go.

we bought some homemade jams (a wild plum and a black raspberry), and some honey, since we were running out, and i love getting local honey. also a butternut squash which i had planned to bake that day and make filling to freeze for future butternut squash ravioli. next we went to the bagel place in town where they make their own bagels. except we only got a chai latte for me, and coffee for your dad, since we had already eaten plenty.

while we enjoyed our beverages and watched the people coming and going, we also planned out our day and the days ahead. we discussed which church we wanted to try out on sunday, since this was our first sunday we would have the chance to do so. we talked about what else needed to get done around the house, and decided that we would check out the walmart/target/fleet farm/etc to see if we could find a hanging pot rack and possibly a dvd rack (we didn't). as you can see, we weren't entirely convinced that the eggplant parmesan we'd eaten the night before would ensure your arrival.

as we went about, i was finding that i had to pee just about every 5 seconds. entering a store? "ooh, ben, i gotta pee!" leaving a store? "ooh, ben, i gotta pee!" on our way to the next store? "ooh, ben, i gotta pee!" we figured you had probably finally dropped, though i still couldn't tell from looking in a mirror.

by our last store, i was also feeling ravenously hungry for chocolate. we were at wal-mart, and we had bought something else too, but in looking for a check out line, i searched for the one with the crunch bars.

as i wolfed down the crunch bar (ben said it was scary, i opened it, and three bites later it was gone... i told him i was hungry), i started to notice that my stomach was getting hard, and all over hard, too. could these possibly be the fabled braxton hicks? i was also a fiery inferno of heat. it was a hot day to begin with, but every store we went into felt like a sauna... "ben, is it hot in here?" "no dear, it's just you." he said he could even see the sweat on my face and feel the heat in my hands. i was sure i was going to spontaneously combust at any second. after wal-mart, i told him to take me straight home so i could take a cold shower.

after showering, i had your dad feel my stomach during what i thought was a contraction; he felt it, too, and we both noticed that afterwards, my tummy felt squishy. so false or true, these were definitely contractions... they didn't seem all that regular or frequent though, so we decided i would drink some water, lie down and we watched a movie while we waited to see if they went away. they didn't.

i wanted it so badly to be true contractions, but i was also afraid to get too hopeful. i didn't want to get all excited to meet you and have it turn out that i still needed to wait another week. i decided that first, the dishes needed to be done and my hospital bag repacked incase this was true labor.

while running about, trying to get all these things done, feeling nervous, anxious, and completely absent minded about what i should be doing, i called christina who said to call the hospital and see what they had to say. (your dad said the same thing... i really need to get better about taking his suggestions.) so i did, and they said to start timing the contractions. doy! so i did. they were consistently 3-5 minutes apart, each lasting 30 seconds to 1 minute, and this went on for an hour (and continued). i called the hospital again, because they still were completely painless; it just felt too easy. (while i was timing, i got your dad to finish the dishes and install your carseat. i was in total nesting mode, and it was all i could do to force myself to just lay there and count.)

i was told that there was no guarantee that i was in labor, but that i should come in anyway. so your dad packed the car and i got myself in; i made him put the waterproof mattress liner on the passenger car seat in case my water broke on the way there (i did not want to have to deal with that mess).

i tried to stay calm as we made the 45 minute trip to the hospital, but the closer we got, the stronger the contractions got. i was sure this had to be it, and yet still so afraid to believe it and have my hopes dashed. the anxiety and tension of "is this or isn't this?" was entirely worse than the contractions (which, while still not quite painful, had started to become rather uncomfortable).

when we got there, they said i was 6 cm dilated and that they were keeping me!

which leads me to your birth, but i think that's a story for another day.

so there you have it, my sweet milo, that was how your dad and i spent our last day before you were born.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

more on milo!

he is just so fascinating! even when he's been crying for what seems like hours, i still can't help but adore him.

here are just a few of my observations so far:
  • his skin is the softest thing i've ever felt, and his hair is silkier than silk itself. i will never get tired of those two feelings.
  • he's too strong for his own good and has amazing motor skills (i think?) i have no idea what the learning curve is on this one, but i'm gonna go with him ranking at amazing on the charts. :P anyhow, he's already able to hold his head up and/or push himself up a little bit against our chests when we're holding him for tummy time, and occasionally he rolls to his side when we lay him down, even when he's swaddled. he's also a biter, and a really strong one at that (which is the one and only thing i don't love about him).
  • i had no idea a creature so tiny could create such an overly-audible noise... and i'm not talking about his wailing. i'm talking about his back end. (but with my middle-school humor, i still find it hilarious every time he toots.)
  • sometimes when he gets into a really hard cry, he starts to squeak on the inhale. it breaks my heart to hear him cry, as i want nothing for him but love and happiness, but i'd be lying if i said that squeak didn't bring a little smile to my mouth every time.
  • after feeding, he tends to go into what ben and i like to refer to as a food coma. tonight i was nursing him while watching "30 Rock"and he was feeding really well, so i wasn't fully paying attention... until i noticed he'd stopped eating; i looked down, he's still attached, but conked out... and snoring. it was awesome.
  • then, while ben was burping him, he managed to - at least three times - fart (possibly even poop) and sneeze at the same time.
i totally love my kid. (working on posting pictures on facebook soon.... however, i won't be posting a link for them here.... not a huge fan of anybody and everybody who's on the world wide web having access to my sweet little pumpkin's face. so if you don't have facebook, let me know, and i'll email you the link.)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

marvin k mooney is here!

except that's not his name... i'm not gonna post it until we're able to tell our parents first, but he's definitely a ______ ______ _____ :)

::EDIT:: now that both sets of parents have met him and been told his name, we can finally share it: Milo Benjamin!

oh right, and he's a he!

and he's absolutely perfect.

i'm currently waiting for the nurse to return with some pain meds for the stitches (i was so hoping to avoid those, but not so much... we have quite the little fellow on our hands!)

he was born last night - 10/9/10, at 11:36 p.m. just 24 minutes shy of being a 10/10/10 baby, but as cool as that would have been, he just didn't want to stay in, and i definitely wanted him out.

he weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces, and is 19-3/4" long. (my brother - who's 6'8" - was 8 pounds 9 ounces and 19-1/2 inches long... future nba star perhaps? :P

but that's all i've got for now. the nurse has returned with the pain meds, and i'm ready to pass out. i'll post more - along with pictures - once we get home, but until then, happy 10/10/10 everyone!

Friday, October 8, 2010

marvin k mooney, will you please go now?

i'll be 39 weeks tomorrow and baby is still the size of a watermelon (and hopefully no bigger! i know ben and i are both tall, and i'm sure this kid is gonna sprout up like a tree, but if we can keep the dimensions within a healthy minimal range, my body would certainly appreciate it!)

all the baby clothes/linens/towels/what-have-you are all washed and folded. today i'll be putting them away, reorganizing the nursery, installing the car seat... (i'm tempted to take it to the fire department - i've heard they'll install the baby seat and make sure it's done properly.... maybe i'll call ahead first.... we'll see.)

so i'm definitely making the eggplant parmesan i mentioned in my last post...

either this baby had a massive growth spurt or i'm just ready to be done, but suddenly it seems like there's no room for the little squirt. i'm constantly feeling the pressure of baby against the side of my stomach, my ribs, my pelvis. it's not painful, but it's not exactly a picnic in the park either.

and i think? i've been experiencing a few braxton hicks here or there? i have no clue really - this whole thing has seemed way too easy... i mean, there have certainly been mild difficulties and a few frustrations here or there, but when i hear of other pregnant women complaining about the pains, or i know of the troubles other women have had to go through (bed-rest, gestational diabetes, etc...), i can't help but count my blessings.

but with these possible BH contractions, what i'm feeling is a tightness, i think it's throughout? it was last night that i was feeling them, though, when i couldn't sleep (which was most of the night), and so now my memory is a little hazy. did i dream them? or did i really feel tightness throughout? is this baby gonna come soon? or will i be waiting another two weeks? (oh glory, i hope not, but i suppose that would just be more time to unpack and get the rest of our stuff settled in.)

so anyhow, this tightness, it's not painful, it simply is what it is - tightness. and my stomach isn't rock hard either. (ben's mom said that hers was during contractions. my mom said that her's wasn't, even during hard labor, so i guess everyone's different, and that, if anything, i'll probably take after my mom at least a little bit...)

so maybe these are BH contractions? if so, i'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, as they say.... i'll hope for the best, but i'm preparing myself for some intense pain... and all the while, i'm feeling done and anxious now. ready to have this baby in my arms instead of helga the ever-protective uterus over which i have no control...

i trust that God's timing will prevail, but maybe this weekend is God's timing? yes?? pleeeaaaasssse??? :)


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

still cookin!

well, so far, i've still had no signs whatsoever of eminent labor...

no water breaking, no contractions, no dropping... well, i don't think. as soon as the rechargeable batteries for our camera are done charging, ben's gonna take a picture so you can see how much huger i've gotten and we can compare to see if i've dropped. but i really don't think i have.

and while our house isn't completely settled in (it probably won't be for awhile, i'm guessing), it's still getting closer by the day. and the nursery - for the most part - is all set up. although i think i'll want to do some reorganizing, but that isn't necessarily necessary for baby's arrival. the only thing i still have yet to do in preparation for baby is to wash all the clothes/linens/etc, and our washer/dryer are getting delivered tomorrow! so, since ben wants this baby to be born this weekend, i suppose i'll make that eggplant parmesan that supposedly brings on babies regardless of the due date.

my only issue with the thought of giving birth this weekend, aside from the fact that while i'm incredibly excited to meet this little baby whose butt i've become very familiar with (as the baby is head down, and something round and squishy keeps poking out near my ribs, so my only guess is that it's the butt), i'm also still rather anxious about the actual birthing process and mothering adventure that is before me.

oh, and also that the new delivery wing at mayo clinic doesn't open until october 11th - which is also the date of my next appointment.

i mean, ultimately, i trust that this baby will come in God's timing, and i trust that His timing is infinitely better than my timing (as always).... but i figure it could be fun to see if this eggplant parmesan thing really works.

and it would be nice to have my body back - as in to not have major pelvic discomfort when getting up from sitting/lying down, to be able to sleep on my back or stomach, to be able to put on pants in one swift go, to have more space for my bladder so that it can actually hold a quarter of a day's worth of beverages.... i figure it'll take little while to fully recover, but i'm guessing these are the things i'll regain quite soon after delivery.

but, while i still can, i've been meaning to post about the things that i have enjoyed about pregnancy - so here it is!
  • while my cankles are horribly unsightly, it's never been easier to shave my ankles - no sharp corners or bony bumps to maneuver around, just flat puffiness to swipe past, and whoosh! ankles shaved! (getting up from sitting down in a bathtub, however, not so graceful, but we won't get into that at this point, since that's not what this list is about.)
  • people touching my belly - i believe this is rare among pregnant women? i mean, i wouldn't like some random creepy man touching my belly (and really, any man other than ben touching my belly would be awkward), but just about everyone else (ie: women and children), whether i know them or not, as long as they don't get creepy on me (which no one has), i really actually love it when the give my belly attention. i think because it helps to solidify this very surreal reality that there is a baby in there, and i figure they're really giving the baby attention, not my belly, and so it doesn't bother me.
  • being allowed to nap whenever i want/need. i love a good nap. and i suppose with that, being able to take it a little easier than normal. i'm not gonna lie, moving while pregnant - though still stressful - is so much easier for the pregnant party... i can't lift or move boxes, so i just stand there and direct where things go. i felt guilty, but it was still pretty nice to not have to do any heavy lifting.
  • ben has been a lot more sympathetic to my aches and pains and discomforts. (prior to preggo-ville, he generally has a "S.U.A." - ie: "suck it up" - attitude regarding just about everything that isn't life-threatening, but now that i'm carrying his child, he's a lot more concerned about my well-being. not that he wasn't before, but again, he wasn't overly sympathetic for minor things, which is fine. it's just nice to see that concerned side of him.)
  • feeling the baby move. it's also surreal and strange, but it's a lot of fun too. and it's another thing that helps make this baby more or a reality. (is it odd that with only 1.5 weeks left to go, i still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there's a baby inside of me, and that incredibly soon, ben and i are going to be parents? i'm guessing it'll settle in sooner or later, but it's still a bizarre concept to me...)
  • there were other things, i think? but i can't remember them at this moment. so with that, i guess i'm done.
once again, here's the link to the facebook album with all the preggo pics so you can help me figure out if i've dropped or not, once we get the picture taken and uploaded (which will be shortly, since ben has to work at 11, and the batteries are almost done charging).

Saturday, October 2, 2010

slowly but surely...

well, we've finally moved into the house that we're renting from ben's parents. (hallelujah!)

we still have a few more things to move over, but most of our stuff is here. our furniture is set up and in place. the hot water heater and furnace have been set up. the stove and fridge delivered (still waiting on the washer/dryer/dishwasher, but those will come soon enough). even the nursery is (for the most part) all set up.

i still need to wash all the baby's clothes and sheets and such, but i'm feeling much more ready now, and much less anxious about it all.

only two more weeks to go! i can hardly believe it. i'm not sure if i'm ready to simply not be pregnant. after 38 weeks of this altered stated of being, i forget what "normal" feels like.