Almost the Weekend!

*If you're new to Little T's Journey, then welcome. I started this to share Jacob's progress with friends and family across the country and it's morphing in to sharing progress and so much more.*

I started a goal at the beginning of the week to post a picture of Lil' Man every day and that quickly failed. I have been taking pictures, but they just aren't making it on the blog. Maybe I should start with once a week and then add to that.

So HAPPY it is almost the weekend! This was my last full week of work, and I can't wait to spend more time with Jacob. He's falling asleep earlier in the evening which is great for time with Michael but only gives me a couple hours a day with Jacob during the week. The best part though (and I don't want to jinx myself again) is that he is sleeping better now. I'll post more about that later and hope it is not a fluke.

No big plans for the weekend, but I saw a blog (and can't remember where, but will give credit when I do) where she painted her pantry door with chalkboard paint. I took the idea to Michael and he fell in love with the concept of the paint and would like to do the whole house in it now. So that and cleaning out the fridge are my two big projects for the weekend. Can't wait to see how it comes out and will definitely share.

Like a lil' Piggy

For some reason I secretly thought that after giving birth to Jacob not only would I go back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and (here's the kicker) I might even lose a couple pounds from that. I mean I didn't really gain much during pregnancy and everyone told me, "It's all baby." Made complete sense in my mind.

Almost 4 months after and I've come to realize that I liked tight fitting shirts because everything in my closet I put on makes me look pregnant still. Only 7 pounds to go, but my body looks like it has 20 something pounds to go.

There is one secret I've learned though that will help me reach my goals - flavored water. I was doing great losing weight and not snacking and then all of a sudden I started snacking daily on chips and cookies. I couldn't figure out what had changed and why I felt I constantly needed to eat again.

All of a sudden it hit me. I was no longer bringing the flavor packets for my water to work with me anymore. The flavor packets have a sweet enough taste that it curbs my needs for sweets.

This morning I stocked up on Crystal Light packets and even a box of Arizona Iced Tea Arnold Palmer packs (because that is my favorite drink on Earth), and I've already lost my need to snack and craving to break into my lunch at 11.


Hopefully I'm back on track again.

Limbo

I am now down to about one week left at my current job and the start of a career change. It is starting to really freak me out.

I've been in marketing since my Junior year of college when I took on working with the small town community theatre, then I interned with Fisher-Price (absolutely amazing in every way), followed by Corporate Communications with Corning Inc., then an internship that morphed into a job for a medical ID company and lastly my current position of marketing and special events manager for a local outlet mall. Marketing has been all that I've done, and I have a proven track record of being good at it.

Now I've quit my job and I'm not quite sure what to do next.

When we decided to try to get pregnant I enrolled in the community college for teacher certification classes. I was burnt out on retail marketing and the long commute, love kids and wanted to have the holidays and summer off to spend with our new baby. The plan was perfect in my head. The only hitch is nobody told me how hard it is to get hired.

In one week I'll be without a job. I'm excited to spend time with Jacob, but not working is completely new to me. I've put in to be a teacher's aide and also substitute for several districts, and Jacob's daycare has offered me a job. It's just trying to figure out what to do next and if the daycare job is stepping back from my goal of teaching.

Big Step

Probably not that big of a step for Jacob, but huge for me...

Jacob is asleep in his crib right now.


About 2 hours ago Jacob had his last bottle for the night and fell asleep soon after. Michael and I chatted this morning about how we need to start transitioning Jacob to his crib because he is almost 4 months and getting too big for the upper part of his pack n' play.

Now I'm actually enjoying some adult time with Michael while turning the video part of the monitor on every few minutes to take a peak.

He's just in the other room, but it seems so far away.


** I do have pictures for yesterday and today, but I'm too lazy to plug the camera in and download them right now.

Lip Balm

* Completely not Jacob related.

When Michael and I first started dating he was completely against the idea of lip balm. He would let his lips dry out and pick at the skin - which is all unacceptable in every way to me.

As our relationship progressed I began carrying a tube of ChapStick around for him and if I saw him pick at his lips I'd kick him under the table. Out of concern for bruises on his legs (I promise I won't parent like this) or the want for a happy girlfriend he started taking the ChapStick when I offered.

I now can proudly say that every morning before leaving the house he puts Burt's Bees lip balm on and reapplies a couple times through the day.

Anyway...this isn't a post to show my accomplishment.

The other day while browsing through the store I went to check out what new lip balms they had. In the middle of the aisle was an 8-pack of Lip Smackers in soda flavors. I'm not a Lip Smacker buyer, and I think that grown woman covering their lips with Strawberry Watermelon glittered Lip Smakers is trashy (sorry if I've offended anyone), but I couldn't pass up a Sprite and Rootbeer flavored lip balm. I figured as cheap as they are I wouldn't mind losing a few.

They're actually a lot better than I thought they would be; both in taste and how they feel on my lips.

Later that night Michael and I were on our way to dinner when I was putting on a coat of Rootbeer and he asked to borrow some. I explained that it wasn't the normal kind we use and to my surprise he was so excited. He loves them and thinks they're 100x better than Burt's Bees (I like them, but this couldn't be more false of a statement).

After listing the flavor to him and watching his excitement grow with each flavor, I'm pretty sure my Cherry Coke will go missing soon.

Weekend Photos

3 Months 2 Weeks 5 Days

We were getting ready to go swimming when we realized Jacob's sun hat no longer fit. Michael helped by putting sun block on his head. He just didn't realize how much is too much so in this picture his hair is hard and covered in sun block. It took a thorough washing to get that soft baby hair back.


3 Months 2 Weeks 6 Days

Jacob got a frog that sings the same counting song over and over again (in English and Spanish) and he loves it (about as much as his daddy hates it). He was so happy to e in his walker, chewing and have the song going.

Something Every Day

Jacob does something every day to amaze me and instead of taking pictures and just filing them away I realized I should post them to show a story of what's going on.

So...we'll start today.
3 Months 2 Weeks 4 Days


This morning while we were getting ready Jacob decided it wasn't fun to sit back in his swing anymore. It is so much more fun to sit up on your own even if you can't hold yourself up.



...and when you're folded over like that you discover new body parts; like feet!



Yesterday Jacob had fun pulling up another baby's shirt and today he decided it is fun to pull up your own shirt. He spent all evening doing this.

As Seen on TV

Who hasn't seen the commercials for this thing? They used to play non-stop showing women shaking away their flab into sculpted arms anyone would be jealous of. For some reason though they just made me laugh.

I can just imagine sitting at home on the couch shaking my weight while Michael stares at me and cracks jokes.

Well one of the ladies at work today just bought this thing and brought it in. She urged me to try it in the mall lobby - luckily there wasn't much traffic coming through - and I was right, I do look ridiculous shaking it, but I love it. I think it is something I could mindlessly do and you quickly start feeling it.

I guess infomercials do have some use besides keeping you entertained during late night feedings.

Social Parade

I love this idea to find other blogs. Hopefully I'll find some other intersting blogs to read and some people will stop by and follow our life with Jacob.

"The Talk"

It seems like we may have to have "the talk" with Jacob sooner than we ever thought.

Last night we went to a friend's house for dinner and so we could get our babies together. I've mentioned before that Claire is only three weeks older than Jacob, so it is fun to get toghether and see how they're progressing and what they've learned.

And oh boy does my little man have a new trick...

As Claire and Jacob were laying next to each Jacob would roll on to his side to stare at Claire. Then he started talking to her.
Then he grabbed the bottom of her shirt.
Then he pulled up.

Being the great mother I am, I took pictures before pulling Claire's shirt down and handing him a toy. Soon the toy was thrown to the side though and the shirt was up again. This went on and on until we moved to the dinner table to eat.

I must say, his daddy is proud.

Already Driving

Just because he is cute as can be - here is a video of Jacob in his ATV. The lights and music are cool and all to him, but as you'll see towards the end of the clip, his absolute favorite thing to do is chew on the chair.

There must be something about that fake leather looking seat that feels so good on his gums.

One Step Easier

I love making things easier. There is no point to add extra steps to something when there is a more efficient way to do it.

My dad actually turned me on to my new favorite site. When I was pregnant he would order diapers from diapers.com and receive them in two days. The prices are good and you don't have to lug around boxes.

Yesterday morning Michael and I were packing everything to stock daycare up on supplies and realized we would be sending our last can of formula to them. I normally try to reorder when we are down to one can, but somehow completely missed this one.

No problem. We still have a few days worth in the can on the counter so I went to diapers.com and reordered to fill our supply. I also went through their sale section and got a vibrating teether (since Jacob is loving his teether toys now) for $3 and small tupperware containers (since I've decided to make foods for Jacob) for $3. No charge for 2 day shipping.

Now I just need to go home on Friday and there will be a box with our necessities and one less thing I need to pick up from the grocery store.

Guilt

Nobody told me how much guilt came with parenting.

No matter what you do or how you parent it seems you feel guilty about something. I thought I was alone on this but saw a post the other day from a working mom that felt guilty because she still enjoyed going to work and a response from a stay at home mom who felt guilty because she no longer contributes financially to her family. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Reading the thread made me think about all the things I've felt guilty about with Jacob.

1) Jacob and I were not a good breast feeding match. We struggled continously with it, and I was determined to make sure he was breastfed. After a couple weeks the doctor had us start supplementing with formula because Jacob just would not gain weight. After using the bottle for that he no longer wanted to be breastfed. I spent so much time feeding him, washing bottles, pumping, over and over again until my supply quickly dropped. I drank organic teas, ate herbs and even oats, and power pumped to try and increase, but it just wouldn't work and Jacob was getting more and more formula. I was so hard on myself and working so hard to get every drop I could that I was no longer enjoying time with my son.
Finally I realized how all my stressing was doing us no good and I let it go. I was able to give him almost 2 months of milk and he was gaining weight and developing on formula. It was time to stop the guilt and enjoy him.

2) I'm lucky enough to have found the most amazing husband in the world and others would be jealous if they knew just how great he is. Before we had Jacob he and I would cook together and he does dishes. Now that Jacob is here he is still that great and helps in every aspect. The only problem is when he helps I feel guilty that I'm not a good mom again because I'm tired, need a break, and pushing off diaper changes, feedings and household chores on to him.
I know he is doing all these things because he wants time with Jacob too and he just likes helping out and at some point I'll just let him do it without overanalyzing in my head.

3) Working and not working. Yep...I can feel guilty about two exact opposites at once. I feel guilty working because I get an hour in the morning with Jacob (if I get myself out of bed early) and then a few hours in the evening before he goes to sleep. I feel guilty about not working/subbing for a while because I'm not contributing to our income and know that I have spending habit.
To come to terms with this I count the days until my last day of my current job and have tried to become more frugal. I've also realized that it is what it is and try not to think about it too much.

The list could go on and on to include small daily moments like when I forgot to pack a blanket to wrap Jacob in at the doctor's office or how I had to drive from day care to the house (short drive) holding Jacob's head up because for some reason my seat propped him forward and his head kept going forward.

I've learned though that there is no time for all those worries and guilty feelings. I feel good about the way I'm raising Jacob and every time he smiles - and now giggles - I know I'm doing fine.

Drool

How can something so small expel so much saliva.

Pictures to follow once my battery recharges.

Milestones

I started this post a couple hours ago and got completely sidetracked. During that time I decided I didn't really like what I was writing and just decided to delete it all. Not that I had something else in mind to post, just in a wishy washy kind of mood.

Jacob just started giggling a couple days ago. It is so freaking cute, but I'm afraid he'll have my laugh. Making faces can get him going every now and then, but the sure fire way to make him laugh is if I sit in front of him and just start talking.

This is how I got the first couple laughs from him, and I'm still trying to figure out what is so funny. Last night I wasn't feeling well so instead of instantly playing with Jacob when I got home we just sat on the couch together and I told him about my day. He thought it was the best thing on Earth and wouldn't stop laughing at everything I said.

Michael wanted some giggles too since he has only really giggled for me. He tried faces and sounds and movments and songs, but no luck. I'm the only one that can make my baby laugh :)

In other great milestone news:

This weekend Jacob rolled over for the first time by himself. I've been working on this with him for a few weeks now by showing him the movements to roll and other activities that I blindly follow from developmental books. Then the one day I got to sleep in and Michael got up with Jacob he rolled over.

I woke up an hour after the two of them got up and as we started playing Michael told me that he rolled over by himself. I was shocked and asked for every detail. Then I asked why he didn't wake me up.

He simply replied, "It's not like I can pause time or rewind it, you just missed it. No point in waking you up."

I tried for the rest of the day to get him to roll. No luck.

Then last night on the way home I was talking to Michael after he had picked up Jacob. He said that Jacob's teacher had asked him if we knew he could roll because during his nap he had rolled from his back to his stomach.

So apparently everyone is going to see him roll before I do.


But at least I can make him laugh!

The Big Reveal

Yesterday we went over to a friend's house for homemade ravioli (yum!) and to find out if they are going to have a boy or girl.

This is kind of a foreign concept to Michael and I since we didn't even wait for the first doctor's appointment to tell family and close friends we were pregnant - our friends waited to tell us until after the first trimester. When we went to the 20 week ultrasound and found out Jacob was a boy Michael didn't even wait until we were out of the doctor's office before texting the news to everyone we know - our friends waited three days and had a small party to tell everyone.

We got to their house and mingled with all of his family and her family. They both come from Italian families so it was a hustle and bustle throughout the kitchen area as they made enough ravioli for an army and topped it all off with angel hair pasta, meatballs, bread, salad and veggies. Finally once most everything was cooked everyone started asking if they would just tell us already. No budge.

Everyone scarfed down their pasta quickly to get to dessert since we knew the reveal would come then. It may just be because I'm not a secret type person, but there is no way I could have stood there and not told someone.

We were all gathered into the kitchen and given a cupcake, but told we couldn't open it until the count of three. 1....2....3... silence!

"Mine has white cream."
"So does mine."

Each of the cupcakes were filled with cream, but during the baking the color had faded and now the cream that was supposed to reveal the sex showed nothing at all. Everyone just stared for a second until the soon-to-be dad's sister-in-law finally blurted out, "so you're having a white baby?"

We all laughed (still not knowing what they were having) and my husband, sweet as can be, was still searching his cupcake to see what everyone was seeing. Finally he understood it was the cream in the center part, but somehow his cupcake got mixed up with the other batch and his had chocolate cream.

Finally we were told they are having a girl.

The secret thing is complete opposite of my style, but the event brought laughter from everyone, and will be a memory to share with Little Tessa once she is born and gets a little older.

Outdoor Saturday

As I mentioned yesterday, I was so excited to take Jacob to the pool today. In fact, not only did we have a pool party planned for today, but we also had a play date with one of my old co-workers and her 4 year old god-son.

We wanted to go to a farmer's market she found thinking it would be an educational experience for the 4 year old and a chance to walk around outside. I talked Michael into it telling him about the great markets I had been to in Boston and even Corning, NY. When we pulled up it was seriously one shed with about 5 different veggies. We got our corn and a bag of beans, but didn't stay for very long.

To extend the play date we headed to the park.

We took a quick break at home to cool off and get a bite to eat and then headed to the pool with Jacob and Scoot.





























After pool and family time our friends with a baby girl just a few weeks older than Jacob came to visit and they finally started interacting with each other. Claire was a little more interested in Jacob, but I'm sure he'll catch on to the concept soon.














Tomorrow we have a birthday party to go to and finally a moment to just lay around and relax!

Random Friday

I couldn't really think of a subject substantive enough for an entire post, so I decided to be lazy (the way Friday's should be) and just let today's post (and probably all Fridays going forward unless some whirlwind of energy comes over me) be a mumble of random thoughts and things from the week.

Here we go:

- Tonight I'm going to Happy Hour with a couple great girlfriends from my old job. I love them dearly and can't wait to finally have a Happy Hour I can drink at since for the past year I've watched them drink, but at the same time it is my first time to not go home to Jacob since I've been back at work.

- I am so freaking excited for this weekend. Tomorrow we have a park and lunch play date with friends and the 3 year old their watching for the weekend followed by some pool time for Michael, Jacob, me...and Scoot too!

- On Sunday we also get to find out if one of our closest friends are having a boy or girl. Michael has dreams that they have a boy and their son and Jacob grow up just as close as he and Justin did. It is a sweet dream, but we all kind of think Justin is destined to have a beautiful girl.

- I'm finally losing some weight. I now have 6 pounds to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight and 10 more after that to be really happy. I have to break it into two goals because 16 pounds just seems so much.

- We found out Jacob has been eating way, way, way too much. I'm kind of peeved by this actually because at his 2 month appointment I made a point to tell her that he was eating 6 oz bottles every 3 to 4 hours and his doctor just smiled and said that he's a good eater. Now it seemed like I was scolded for letting him eat so much. Any way, we're trying to cut him back to 36oz a day this week and if unsucessful we have to schedule another appointment. So far it is going good though.

- This could actually be a full post, and probably will in the not so distant future - I don't know how people can handle more than one kid. It scares me to think of Jacob and everything he needs and we want to give him times two.

- Lastly, they finally named my replacement for my job and I can't wait for her to get here in two weeks so I can train her on the important stuff and be done with the long commute and start my next adventure.

And a random picture just because I think it turned out amazing.

Playful Thoughts

Jacob and I were at Barnes and Noble a month or so back when we saw the above toy. I instantly liked it, but was only there to look at the books and thought he wouldn't be ready for it anyway.

A week after Jacob started grabbing his toys and wanting to hold them. I thought about the toy and even added it to my cart on http://www.diapers.com/ (one of my favorite sites to get his necessities from). Once again I took it out though thinking he already had enough toys and no reason to waste the money.

Finally Michael and I started talking about how much he loves holding his toys now and I decided that during the weekend we would stop by Barnes and Noble and get the toy that I had spent a couple weeks thinking about.

Instant love!

The small tubing on this is so easy for Jacob to grab and he has plenty of option for where to grab at. It is light enough for him to hold and shake all around, plus large enough that he can hold with both hands and easily pass from hand to hand. The only thing that he didn't like in the beginning is the bend of the tubing was too wide for him to get in his mouth (he had just started mouthing things), so as he played he would get frustrated and fussy, but yell if you took the toy away. It was a vicious cycle that thankfully only lasted a week at most.

I highly, highly, highly reccomend the Winkel by Manhattan Toys for any baby that is just starting to learn to grab and hold toys.

Are You Alive?

If I had to describe my husband I'd probably start out saying he is a sport fanatic, and throw in that he has the biggest heart of anyone I know and all those other mushy things, but somewhere in there I would have to bring up that he is glued to his phone.

He doesn't talk on it much but his thumbs are constantly texting, and the message alert goes off every five minutes. Even when I went into labor with Jacob I had to tell him he could send updates to our families and everything, but the stupid thing had to go on silent.

Last night he called me from the grocery store (we're still working on only going once a week) asking if we needed anything besides the small items he went for. I checked the list with him and then said I was close to home and could pick Jacob up from day care. As soon as we hung up I realized that somehow the map in my mind (of the exact same commute I've been making for 3 years) had skipped an entire section of road. I texted him saying I wasn't as close as I thought I was. No reply.

Ten minutes later I called him to say I was finally close to the highway and wanted to see if he got my message and whether or not he had gone to pick up Jacob. No answer - I left a voicemail. No reply.

Five minutes later I texted him to make sure he was still alive, "Are you ok?" No reply.

I finally got to the daycare and was in the process of packing Jacob up when Michael called to tell me he had not picked up Jacob.

The one time in his life that he put his phone on silent is when I actually was trying to get hold of him for somehting...

Too Much Food?

Jacob had weight gaining issues for the first couple months of his life. He lost almost 10% of his weight while in the hospital and took a month to put it back on. Everyone asked if he was a preemie because of how small he was.If you look at him now though, you would never guess that. I weighed him last night and he is 14lbs - right at or just above the 50th percentile line.

He takes a 7oz bottle about every 3 to 4 hours and (once upon a time) slept soundly from 9:30PM til 6:30AM. Averaging about 6 bottles a day he was taking around 42oz's.

Then on Friday I went to pick Mr. Man up from day care and the director asked me if he had been eating more at home because their daily log showed he was eating about 7oz every 2 hours. We got him home and for the weekend he continued to eat every 3-4 hours. I figured maybe it was just a tough day for him or something and he needed more food.

Monday was even worse though. His sheet said he was eating every 1 to 2 hours. He had eaten 5, 7oz bottles during the day. This puts him at just over 50oz for the day!

We're talking to the day care today to make sure that they aren't just shoving a bottle in his mouth every time he fusses, but actually checking to see if he's bored or tired.

I guess my main question is: I've read several places that there is such thing as too much formula, is this true, and how much is too much? I've emailed our doctor, but would love to hear from others that may have experienced this.

Counting Down

I have 3 weeks and 3 days of work left in my current position. It still seems like a long count down to me, but seeing that number go down bit by bit each day (honestly I count by half days at times) makes me so happy.

When Michael and I started talking about adding a baby to our family I thought I would have no problem going back to work after maternity leave. I grew up with a working mom - and turned out pretty darn well - so I figured I could do it too. Fast forward to one week before it was time for me to return to work. My boss emailed me to make sure I was returning since they hadn't heard from me in about a month and I sadly said that I would be there bright and early Monday morning.

The first day was as hard as everyone says it is. It took all I had not to cry every time someone asked me where Jacob was or how I was doing. I hold myself together much better now, but it is still hard and the day after the weekend (especially a long weekend) is about as hard as the first day was. It kills me that I get an hour in the morning with Jacob and about 3 waking hours at night.

In all honesty there is no point to this post. It just makes me happy to say 3 weeks and 3 days left til I'm home with my Little Man for a while!

Being Thrifty

Michael and I pretty much live at the grocery store.

Every morning I would go to the store on my way to work and pick up breakfast and lunch for the day. In the evening Michael would stop at the store on the way home to pick up dinner and other household needs. Plus our weekend trips where we would get meals for a few nights during the week, but always forget key pieces...which is what kept Michael going to the store in the evenings.

The thing is, every time I go to the store I find something that I must have, so daily visits add up. Every time Michael goes to the store he spends between $50 and $70. Most the time when he comes home and tells me how much he spent after I only asked him to pick up a salad dressing or something I wonder how in the World he does it.

While on maternity leave I started getting better about making sure I got everything for the week in one visit. Feeling pretty proud of myself, and on my quest to save more money so I can spend more time at home than at the office, I decided to start trying coupons.

Michael laughed at me and said he didn't want to be that person at the store with a million coupons and even brought up how frustrated I was when the grocery line was held up because the lady in front of me saved $40 with coupons (seriously...how much do you have to buy and cut for that kind of coupons savings) and then paid with a check which the cashier didn't know what to do with. After laughing at me he agreed to go with me, mostly so we could make sure we got everything we needed and so he could get the special things he likes.

I spent the morning planning out meals for the week and figuring out what we were running low on, and then connected that list to what we had coupons for. I even organized the shopping list and coupons in order for each aisle since I know that store by heart with all the time I spent in there.

By the time we finished shopping, Michael had not been embarassed, we did not hold anyone up in line, we got groceries for the week (except for the BBQ for our sandwiches because we like the brand at the other store better) and saved $15 in coupons.

And once again; something so simple makes me proud!

I'm the baby

All Joy and No Fun

I found this article recently printed in the New York Magazine about how having children makes you less happy.

It is hard to disagree with their scientific studies, and there are pieces that I completely agree with. All in all, I thought it was a pretty interesting read.

I've only been a mom for a touch over 3 months and although my little man makes me happy as can be and I love doing things with him, there are times when I feel like he is such a joy, but parenting is no fun. Those moments mostly revolve when I'm washing bottles for the umpteenth time of the day...

The one part I strongly agree with is that the societal demands of America have made parenting a job. Even though everything you read when you are pregnant (and even after) says not to compare your child to others because all children develop at their own rate, it quickly goes out the window once you start parenting. We are a competitive society. You want the best kids and you want to be the best parent. I love talking, singing, and playing with Jacob but, sometimes it does feel like a job since I'm constantly thinking of what to do next and how it will help him instead of simply having fun with it.

The article also mentions that parents spend more time with their children now then they did in 1975 and have less free time. Although parents crave more free time they still feel like they don't spend enough time with their children or do enough for them. I understand this, and have had long conversations with Michael about how I hate that I only have about 3 waking hours with Jacob every week day, but I don't (yet) feel the need for more free time. Michael and I have made a point to still have time to relax together once Jacob is asleep and we've been on several date nights. As long as we keep that up I think all will be good on that aspect.

Michael and I pretty much got our partying done in college and once we started dating easily transitioned through time into homebodies. One of our favortie things to do is have friends over for game nights and family functions. Because of this, having a child is not too much of a life change for our social life.

Also we are both kids at heart. Even before having a kid I can't count how many visits we've made to Toys R Us and the toy department of Target. We took our niece to the Children's Museum mostly for our enjoyment. And we know our park and the playground equipment on it better than any family with three kids in the neighborhood. In fact, for my birthday last year Michael took me to the circus. At this stage in Jacob's life we can't really do all these things with him, but the anticipation is killing us and it definitely won't be a chore to tote him to the zoo, museums or splash parks, it will be the highlight.

So Much for Sleep

The above was taken a while ago, but is a glorious picture of a sleeping baby.

For the past several weeks Jacob has been sleeping from about 9:30PM to 6:30AM, and we loved every minute of it. In fact, we may have loved it too much and became a bit spoiled by it.
Our friends have a baby that sleeps about 12 hours and you have to wake her up in the morning, but we were just happy to get 6-9 hours of steady sleep from Jacob.

All was good until 4th of July weekend. Friday morning started with the same routine of getting up and fed a little after 6, but then because I didn't have to go into work until later I stayed home with Jacob, until Michael got off early and took the afternoon shift. Even without being at daycare, the schedule seemed about the same.

Saturday brought lots of errands (all the stuff I normally spread out over the week while I was home with him, but now need to squish into the weekend). Little Man spent most the day in his carrier in the back of the truck, on top of a shopping cart or at the frogen yogurt shop. We had a couple hours at home followed by a dinner out with a friend and his daughter (who now calls Jacob her boyfriend) and a quick stop at their house.

That was the END of our glorious routine.

After a 4 day weekend for Jacob I learned it is not easy to just take breaks from a routine and ask him to go back to his good habits that we had just spent several days ruining.

Our new routine still starts at the same time every evening that it did in the past, but has a few more interruptions throughout the night. By a few more interruptions...I mean about 4 to 5 short ones, or 2 long ones, or any combination of that.

After waking up at 2:30 to sooth Jacob and keep putting his pacifier in for an hour I was just starting to fall back asleep around 3:30. Then at 4 he started squirming again and was settled in about 10 minutes. Then at 4:30 he started squirming again and 15 minutes into that I gave up and let him sit in his swing vowing to let Michael deal with the next one even if I had to punch him to wake up.

The only problem with this plan is that when Jacob gets to the noise level that wakes Michael it means Jacob is wide awake and no longer in his half sleep area. And if he fully wakes up after midnight he realizes he's hungry and needs to be fed RIGHT NOW! So poor Michael soothed Jacob while I made a bottle and then I finally got a 30 minute nap while Michael fed him.

After several nights of this routine I was cranky this morning. That lasted until I got a shower and woke up a bit, then I felt like the worst mom on Earth because I had pushed off helping my son and gotten cranky with him.

Even when Jacob was only sleeping hour stretches I never did that. I know he can't help it yet and he is too young to spoil right now. If he cries he needs us, and most his night fussiness is due to gas which I know is painful for him. I can't help but think if I didn't have to wake up to go to work - if Jacob was my job - that wouldn't have happened last night.

I'm looking forward to getting Jacob back in his schedule, especially if there is any chance of me feeling comfortable with moving him to the crib. Most of all though I'm looking forward to being done with the mall and having a couple weeks of full-time Jacob duty before starting the next adventure.

A New You

When you get pregnant, or even start thinking about having a child, you know it will change your life. Everyone reminds you of this constantly by saying, "Oh, things will never be the same for you." And it is all very true, but not in the ways you would think.

I knew it would mean more nights in which isn't a problem because Michael and I love having people over.
I knew it would mean less sleep. (This has hit me harder than I expected.)
I knew it would mean more responsibility, and making decisions (both small and large) in your life based on what would be best for the little one.

The thing I didn't realize was how easily these changes happen to you, and how I love who I am as a mom.

1) Anyone who knows me, especially as a kid and teen, knows I hate to clean. I love a clean house, but the chore of getting there has absolutely no appeal to me. However, lastnight while sitting on the couch folding Jacob's laundry for the second time in a week, I realized I love doing his laundry. I love gathering all of his bibs and burp cloths from every room in the house, using his special allergen free soap, folding all his laundry. I don't know if it is because it makes me think of how much he has grown when I fold up an outfit to store because he can't fit it anymore; or if it just excites me that all his stuff is clean and ready for him. A very strange change for me, especially since it extends to my stuff too - we both have tidy rooms now and are trying to go clutter free.

2) I cut coupons. This may just be due to the fact that I want to stay home with him and know that every cent helps that, but it didn't happen until Jacob arrived. Michael laughs at it, especially the other day when he ran out to get dog food and I reminded him that I had a coupon he should take.

3) I could go all day just talking about Jacob. This is something I limit because I know people without kids could care less, and people with kids will pretend to listen but really just want to tell you about their kid.

4) I never knew how much you could love someone. I love Michael and my family with all my heart, but with Jacob it is different. I wouldn't say I love him more, but maybe I just think about how I would do anything for him more often. I don't get excited when Michael burps or farts, but when Jacob does it I get a smile on my face because I know it makes him feel better. There isn't really a way to describe this one, it just is what it is.

And lastly:

5) Perhaps something I knew before, but really take to heart now; treasure the small things. Although this easily pertains to Jacob (and how he'll wake up for a feeding at some horrible hour in the night and all I want to do is feed him and put him back to bed - but then while I'm waiting for him to burp he starts wanting to work on his sitting and we stay up for a couple hours because it is so much fun and a moment I don't want to lose) it is also the small moments like a comment from a family member or a look from Michael, or even a kiss from Scoot that mean so much to me and make me realize how great life is.

I'm sure there are a lot of other changes (we're not even going to get into physical changes now) that I don't even realize happened, but I really do love who I've become in this mommy role.

3 Months

Earlier this week my little man celebrated his 3 Month birthday the same day I celebrated my birhtday. It made Michael and I realize that Jacob has the same month for his birthday as Michael and day as me. If that makes any sense to anyone else but us.

I can't believe how quickly these 13 weeks have gone by and how much Jacob has learned and grown. Some of the amazing things he can do now:

- He loves, loves, loves to sit. Not by himself, but he is definitely working on it. For the past week or so, whenever Jacob is sitting in a lap he grabs on to your fingers and pulls himself into a sitting position. This game can last for up to 30 minutes.

- Not only does he like to sit with help, but he also likes to stand like this too. If sitting gets boring Jacob loves for you to lift your hands a bit so he can pull up into a standing position. Although this game doesn't last as long since it takes so much work, it makes him just as happy.

- Toys finally exist. Since the beginning of this month Jacob has been batting at the toys on his bounce chair and play mat, but didn't care for anything else. Now he really likes to grab on to toys and explore them.

- His hands are always in his mouth. There is no stutter on getting those hands to his mouth anymore, it is a very smooth move to get his hand up and in, and sometimes two hands is better than one.

- No longer do we have to cradle Jacob when we cary him around the house, instead he'd rather be held upright with his head over your shoulder. Throughout the month his neck has gotten much stronger which is nice for me because it means less of his head falling different directions and hitting me in the mouth.

- He's not so quiet anymore. Our boy can talk! Going to restaurants has been so easy with Jacob because he either sleeps or looks around quietly. I think this month/birthday marks the end of that phase. On Monday Michael came up to my office so I could go to lunch with him and Jacob. At the restaurant Jacob wanted to be the star of the conversation and thought yelling would be the best way to accomplish this. He wasn't angry at all, just had a lot to say and thought the quiet restaurant was the best place to let everyone know.

- Mirrors are the best. This isn't new, he has loved mirrors since the beginning, but it is still his favorite thing on the play mat. He just lays there and talks to himself. I also got a larger mirror to help him with tummy time. The idea is he will forget how much he hates tummy time because he's too busy looking at himself...it isn't perfect, but is helping and he is getting better and better with tummy time.

- He's driving!!!! Actually, he let us sit him in his ATV Walker for a bit. It was just too cute.

And lastly, a cute picture done on the 4th of July of Jacob playing with his favorite toy during the fireworks.

286 Days

286 days until Jacob turns 1. It is a bit early to start celebrating, but kind of exciting. Jacob has only been here for a little under 3 months, but already he has done so much.
1) In this past week he took his first trip. We managed the airports and actually didn't forget anything. He was such a trooper on the plane - nobody even knew there was a baby on board.
2) He attended his first wedding, once again the best baby possible. During the rehearsal he didn't even let the trumpets borrow, however during the wedding he was a bit upset that we didn't sit him up to see what was going on. During the reception everyone stopped us to say how wonderful he was. (We had to agree!)
3) Although I don't like having to buy clothes in a larger size, I love the fact that Jacob no longer fits almost any of his new born outfits. In fact he is wearing 3 month khakis today with a golf shirt and looks like a big kid!
4) The smiles are amazing. The first few were sweet and now that he does it all the time every day it makes you feel like a good parent.
5) Jacob says "I love you." It sounds nuts, but is so true. A couple weeks ago I was playing with Jacob when he mumbled "I love you." I told Michael and he looked at me like I was crazy. Fastforward to the past weekend in Georgia - we were in our room changing Jacob when he did it again. We made him repeat for about an hour until finally letting him go to bed. I know he doesn't know what it means, and that it is not truly saying it, but for that to be the first thing he repeats must means that he hears it all the time and hopefully he realizes how truly loved he is.
6) Sleep! Sleep is a glorious thing. I was a horrible sleeper before I had Jacob and would push myself to exhaustion about once a month, however with Jacob I learned how to nap and fall asleep at 8PM because he kept me on my toes and sleep just didn't exist anymore. He now steadily goes 6-7 hours between his last feeding and the next morning one. There is usually one 15 minute stretch where he needs to be calmed, but still so much better than getting up ever 1 1/2 hours.
7) It's small, but from the day Jacob came home he has been great at tracking objects with his eyes. In just the past week he started turning his head to follow things. Not only does he move his head to see things, but he has also realized he can move his head so he sits and turns his head all around just to try it out.
8) Jacob is on a mission to see how many fingers he can get in his mouth. Sometimes one hand, sometimes both hands. There is just nothing better in the world to him.

He has a neck!

At Jacob's 2 month appointment he didn't want to show the doctor that he could easily raise his head when on his tummy. From that day forward we dramatically increased the amount of tummy time we did each day. We wanted to make sure he aced that development test at the next appointment.
That plan didn't quite work. I'd put him down on top of me, flat on the mat, pillow on the mat, over a mirror... every combination possible, but all he wanted to do was suck his fingers and kick his legs.
Last night Michael put Jacob on hi chest and what do you know - he held up his head! I kept trying and got the smallest lift, but nothing substantial. All of a sudden this afternoon I put him on my chest and he kept his head up high almost the entire time.
He's sitting up in his Bumbo and holding his head up, he'll be crawling around before we know it.

2 Months and a some

Jacob Tiger has reached the 2 month mark. I can't believe my little boy is already 2 months, I feel like this next year, and probably many after that will fly by. Every single little developmental mark makes me so proud. You always think it is funny how people think their little one is advanced and so amazing, but I definitely fall in that group now.
In just the past couple weeks Jacob has started smiling more and more. It's a smile that can melt your heart. It doesn't take much to make him smile, just a rub on the cheek or silly face, but just to know that you can make him so happy is a great feeling. However, today all he wanted to do was sleep in my arms, but that doesn't feel too bad either.
The time awake now is a great change too. Jacob now takes two naps a day, one around 10 and one around 3. It helps me plan when I can get some stuff done and also gives us a lot of play time now. Even when I take him shopping he keeps his eyes open a bit longer now. The first time he did this was last week at Target and his eyes were just so big taking in all the colors.
Jacob also went to his first birthday party for a wonderful little (now) 3 year old. All anyone could say was how much the parties have changed now that we all have little ones - or have one on the way. We sat at the baby table with Claire, 3 weeks older, Jedi, 2 months older and Colt, who made a few appearances while running around and is 16 months old. Plus Justin and Karen with their little one that will make an appearance in about 5.5 months.

The sad part of hitting the 2 month mark is there isn't much time left until I have to go back to work. Luckily I have a plan, and 100% hope that it will all work out. I've become too addicted watching all the milestones we've hit so far to dare miss any future ones.

It has been awhile

I've forgotten to post for awhile now. Not actually forgotten, but thought about it and then ran off to do something else. A couple of the things I wanted to post.

1) A couple days ago I realized that even though Jacob can't talk, he does have a say in what he wears. If he doesn't like the cute outfit I put together for him he lets me know by finding a way to pee through his diaper. This doesn't happen all the time, but the other day he peed through every diaper I put on him as if he hated each outfit I chose until it was time to take a bath and put on his sleeper.

2) Another pee related post (since the majority of my day is spent with diapers now). Jacob loves bath time!!!! I highly, highly, HIGHLY, recommend the bath tub we have for Jacob. I don't know the name for it, but it gives you the temp of the water and a zone for what baby finds comfortable. Ever since we found batteries for the tub to actually get the thermometer to work he has loved bath time. And to the pee... now that he loves it so much; he pees every time he takes a bath. It is great because we don't have to clean it up in the tub, but it is so funny to see him smile as it happens.

3) Jacob went to his first movie this weekend! We have a drive in theater close and met up with some friends (one couple and their little one that is a few weeks older than Jacob, and another couple that announced to us they are expecting!!!!). Jacob didn't care for the movie nearly as much as he loved looking at the moon, but he was so good.
A quick meal during the slow part of the movie. Nap for the very last part of the first movie. Mommy and Daddy wanted to do the same about this time.

I want to go back when Marmaduke plays there, and this time we'll take Scoot ;)

A Side Note...

Monday is TV night in our house. It usually means a quick, easy dinner (frozen pizza) and then recording shows in both rooms since there are so many to watch.
Right now we're watching "24." Actually, it is getting a little gross right now so I'm on the computer with the show on in the background. The best part of this relaxing night though is the amazing part of my life on the couch.
Scoot has his normal spot on the couch facing the window, and beside him is Michael with a sleeping Jacob nestled against his shoulder.
I love Michael every day, but honestly there are a few moments where I feel like I couldn't love him anymore:
1) The day of our wedding. From before we saw each other that day and he was planning ways to break into the closed alterations store where my dress was stuck, seeing him as I walked down the aisle, letting loose at the reception, to the moment we left the reception as husband and wife.
2) Last night when Michael decided to do story time. Seeing him sitting in the glider while reading Petunia at the Bat was the most adorable thing and Michael melted my heart.
3) This moment now. He just looks so natural with Jacob, and with Scoot next to them it is my 3 favorite guys in one spot. So adorable.
I can't wait for more moments like this. Even though there isn't much sleep these days, I don't think I could ever ask for anything more.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

On Friday Michael and I tried to get Jacob excited about his toys since we now have to keep him entertained instead of nappy. We started with Sophie the giraffe and he fell asleep with his arm around her. Then we tried the rattle and he couldn't care less.
Sunday we tried again, and although the toys don't entertain him that much (however he does like mirrors now) he learned to hold on to his toys! I first noticed when he had pulled his pacifier out of his mouth and was so pissed that it wasn't in his mouth but I couldn't help because he was holding the pacifier in his hand and I was so proud of that. After getting agitated enough he dropped the pacifier and I replaced it in his mouth, and all was good in the world.
As I was getting ready for the day later on he was in my lap as I put make up on. He played with my mascara and an eye pencil, holding and swinging it all around. So cute!
Any way, below is a video of him with his rattle.

1 more month until our next appt

Today we had Jacob's 1 month doctor appointment to check his weight, and the appointment made me realize what a great doctor's office we chose. I will recommend them to everyone!

I got to our appointment about 15 minutes early and the office was completely dark. If I hadn't checked the appointment reminder card right before leaving the house I would have thought that I showed up on the wrong day and the office was currently closed, but then I remembered our first appointment and that showing up early to a 1 o'clock appointment means you are showing up while everyone is at lunch. So we signed in and waited for everyone to come strolling back.

It only took a few minutes and the receptionist came in and said hi, then two minutes later the nurse came to the door and called us back like old friends. As I got to the door he took Jacob's carrier for me and noted how big he is getting. That comment alone won me over since everyone else that meets Jacob says he is so small, it was nice hearing someone else notice his growth.

We got into the room and started the normal procedure as he told me how he and his wife were thinking of having another kid. It is such a friendly office, and not forced conversation like most offices.

Anyway, the important stuff:
Weight 8lbs 4.5ozs
Length 21.5 inches
Head 15 inches

His head was re-measured because he couldn't believe the growth in just a month. We have a smart baby :)

Dr. Anstee came in and was so proud of his weight gain. Even though he got off to a slow start she said he was putting on the weight perfectly now. She rolled him on his tummy and Jacob showed how strong he was raising his head twice for her. All looks good!

The only issues we have now:
1) He's starting to drool which although there are no teeth showing yet, means that teething is around the corner. Se we just need to keep an eye out for it.
2) Jacob likes to take cat naps now. No full naps. He starts to fuss and get sleepy, so I soothe him to sleep and then by the time I get ready to take a nap with him he wakes up. The doctor said I should keep him entertained when he wants to sleep to try and avoid the quick naps, and if he is really tired he'll ignore me and take a real nap. This should also help with teaching him the difference between night and day. Since he still wakes up several time through the night and takes forever to fall back asleep we're going to see if ending the cat naps helps. If he hasn't started sleeping through the night more by the next appointment in a month then she's going to teach us some tough love options to soothe him back to sleep instead of picking him up and feeding throughout the night.

Once the visit was done she reminded me about the vaccinations we start at the next visit and reminded me to call or email her if I had any issues or questions. So nice!

As we checked out the receptionist came from behind the counter to see Jacob and made me feel like a proud mom again. Then as we got ready to walk out she told us "Happy Mother's Day."

Michael and I chose this office the night before I went in to have Jacob and we really lucked out. I wish Dr. Anstee was my doctor too.

1 Month Old

I can't believe Jacob is already 1 month old. It seems like time is just flying by, and he's growing so fast.
It's strange when we go out shopping or to dinner and people comment on how small he is. He seems huge to me now, and so strong. We're still struggling with the whole sleeping at night thing, but during the day he doesn't sleep nearly as much. He wakes up fully around 11AM and never takes a full nap during the day anymore, but instead about a 20-30 minute nap every few hours.

Tomorrow we have our 1 month dr. appointment and I can't wait to see how much he weighs now. He's not quite as excited since it is the first appointment for vaccinations...poor thing.

On the night of his 1 month birthday Jacob gifted us with an explosive diaper. We were out celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a couple friends and I was holding Jacob just after a feeding. All of a sudden he let out a huge fart that was definitely a poop. I ran my hand across his back and felt a wet spot on his onesie. Lovely! I took him to the ladies' room for a quick diaper and outfit change. I figured it was about time we had our first...but then today he had another. I'm hoping this isn't the new trend for this month.

A little random for this, but while we were out last night I also met a very strange man. We were sitting in the lobby waiting for a table when this old man in overalls and a straw cowboy hat sat down next to me. He made a couple comments about how cute Jacob was and I smiled politely and said thank you. Then he asked, "Does he smoke cigars." I thought maybe he was just going crazy and laughed and said no. Then turned around which most people realize means the conversation is done. No kidding he kept talking til he got my attention and said, "I call the nipple a cigar." I smiled again and turned around again. Then he tapped me on the shoulder and once again asked, "so does he smoke cigars?" Conversation over! Jacob and I moved away and quickly engaged in the conversation of our friends.

Daily Play

Every day Jacob and I play the same activities. I seem to get some more enjoyment out of them than he does, but it will be for his benefit in the end.


A little bit of tummy time. It isn't his favorite activity, but he is quick to pick up on it and can move his head easily and pre-crawl like a champ. Before we know it he'll be running around the house chasing after Scoot.



This is one of Jacob's first few times practicing sitting in his Bumbo chair. His neck isn't strong enough for long periods of time in it, but he can handle a minute or so. Also, his attitude can't take being in it for more than a minute, but that will change too.

I'm going to be SOOOOOO Big!

Jacob doesn't like going more than a week without seeing his doctor. Everyone in the office is super nice and there is always someone in the waiting room to tell him how cute he is. It's the perfect place...if they would just stop sticking his heel with needles.
Last night Michael noticed some pus coming out of Jacob's belly button so we got hold of the doctor on call who told us to come in today. All is good. It's just a minor infection that we now have some ointment for and should be gone in about a week.
The best part of the appointment was what happened when we first got in the exam room though...I mean I'm very excited to find out that there is nothing to worry about with the infection, but his weight made me so happy.
After having to make sure he gets enough to eat and watching his weight so closely to make sure he got to his birth weight in two weeks, it was amazing to see that he had gained 10 ounces in just over a week! My baby boy will be 8 lbs in no time at all.
I'm looking forward to the end of feedings every two hours, but seeing him grow is just the best!!

Diaper Changes

Last night Michael took Jacob to see if he needed a diaper change, and came back out laughing. Apparently Jacob not only gave a little squirt this time during the change; this time he decided to go the distance and cover the wall, himself and changing table.
Scoot's lessons on marking your territory really got through to Jacob, and I found it hysterical.
Today I'm home alone with Jacob and decided to wake him up for a diaper change and figured it would be easy since he was so tired and out of it. I'm not sure if it is because I'm so tired too, or my mind just wasn't with it, but I didn't get the clean diaper unfolded and ready. As I unfolded the new diaper I looked down at Jacob to see a stream of pee flying up in the air and covering a good section of the wall.
I got the stream covered and was ready to move on when all of a sudden his farts were no longer just air and there was still no diaper down.
Now Jacob is in another outfit for the day and both changing pad covers are in the wash. Guess that's what I deserve for laughing at Michael.

Jacob is here!

A little late...just a week and a half. Time has flown by, but it is already impossible to imagine life without Jacob in it. It is absolutely amazing how much he develops each and every day.
Just a few things since Jacob arrived:

1) His Arrival
We checked in to the hospital at 5:30 AM and immediately got our labor room. They started the meds right away and let us get settled in. I was far enough along that the doctor could come in and break my water, we just didn't know when he would be heading over to the hospital. At one point the nurse said he may come around lunch, so I figured we'd be in for a long day, but he actually got there around mid morning and easily broke my water to get things started. With the amount of fluid I had he agreed with the nurse that I was lucky it didn't break out of the hospital since it would be really embarrassing with that much fluid. My contractions were right on top of each other, but it took a few more hours for the pain to start kicking in. When the nurse came to check in on me I still didn't have any pain, but she said the lady in the room next to me was getting her epidural so she was going to get me ready for it since it would be awhile for the anesthesiologist to get to me. She was right! The pain started and since my contractions were so close there was no time to rest in between them. I was so ready for the pain meds. Finally they came in and the epidural was not painful at all.
The only problem was once the medicine started kicking in Jacob's heartbeat plummeted. He was stressed from the intensity and speed of the contractions plus the medicine. They quickly flipped me to my side, hooked up the oxygen and gave me a shot of something. Finally his heartbeat went back to normal.
A couple hours later I could feel the contractions again but didn't want to push the button for more medicine because I was scared for Jacob. When the nurse came in I told her I could feel the contractions again and she gave me the go ahead to push the button once and wait 20 minutes to push it again. Of course as soon as I hit it Jacob's heartbeat went down again. The oxygen got it back to normal again, but I knew I definitely didn't want to hit the button again.
They checked my progress and the nurse was shocked that I was just about ready to push, so honestly it wasn't even up to me if I wanted more meds or not.
At that same time the lady in the room next to me started labor so my nurse had to go assist her and another nurse came in to check on me. I told her I felt pressure to push so she checked me again even though it had only been about 30 minutes and she said my feeling to push was the understatement of the year, Jacob was ready to arrive!
Pushing was so much harder than I ever thought it would be and I don't know how some people can do that for hours. I was exhausted and only had to do it for about 40 minutes.
The minute I saw him I was in love, and fell even more in love with him watching Michael run around the room following the nurses for pictures.
The birth was much easier than I thought it would be.

2) Gas
A couple months ago I was reading a newborn book and there was some section about gas and dirty diapers. I think it said something about how loud the farts are, and I told Michael that I thought it would be hilarious. Now with Jacob here, I can say that I was right. It is the funniest thing on Earth.
The second night home Michael and I were laying in bed with Jacob after a feeding, completely exhausted and ready for him to fall asleep. All of a sudden the silence was broken by the loudest fart you could ever imagine coming from a baby. I couldn't stop laughing.
The farts continue to be funny, even though they mean there is a dirty diaper or one on the way. In fact the farts are becoming even more funny because now they are accompanied by the most adorable faces.

3) Ahead of the Game
Jacob is a week and a half old now, and he is a genius. If not a genius he will definitely be a good athlete. Within the first several days Jacob could raise his head while burping him and turn from side to side. Since then he has been practicing his head movement by constantly lifting his head during burping sessions. Amazing, but a little scary now that he's spitting up more.
Also, at this stage babies should be able to see clearly 8 to 12 inches away from their faces. Jacob can follow fingers much further than that. He's amazing!

4) Doctor Visits
Jacob and I don't have compatible blood types so there was no way he was going to get away without having Jaundice. Poor little thing. This has caused extra doctor visits and even a return to the hospital to have his blood tested during the weekend. We're hoping that his levels have peaked, we at least know that it isn't going up very fast anymore, so that's a good thing. However, because of the amount of weight he lost right after birth and the Jaundice, we have to supplement his feeding with a couple of ounces of formula during each session...which has caused the increase of spitting up.
And just because we can't have things go smoothly Jacob and I now have back to back appointments on Friday because of an allergic reaction to my pain medication which has caused a lovely rash all over.

I'll get better about posting again. I've wanted to post for a while now about the things he does that make me laugh and shock me with how amazing a growing human can be, but there just hasn't been time or energy these past few days. Now that we're falling into a rhythm and I'm learning how to sleep during the day time naps :) I'll keep up!

Tomorrow we head up to Conroe to visit my office and a trip to Babies R' Us for a few small necessities (it's amazing how many diapers you go through)!

38 Weeks

I just went and checked on a charity event we have going on in the mall. I haven't seen our main contact in a couple months, but went up to say hi and ask her to let me in so I could take pictures. She stopped me at the door, started offering me a box to put the things I wanted to buy in and then started escorting me to the table to pay for entrance before saying, "Oh my gosh, I didn't even recognize you all pregnant."
It was much nicer than the guy I spoke to before who I have never spoken to before. His only comment was, "Looks like something has gotten in you," followed by, "bet it's girl."
I must admit, I'm a little excited to not have strangers make random comments on the way I look.
On that note, I've been on an emotional roller coaster with whether or not he'll arrive each day. I really think it's going to happen and I'll have all signs point to yes, plus contractions and then once again nothing. However, this weekend I think it is going to happen. In fact, I'm not sure I'll make it a full day in the office today just because I feel so blah and gross.

* How far along?: 38 weeks
* Total weight gain: Still at right about 25 pounds.
* How big is baby?: He's about 7 pounds 10 ounces right now based on the last ultrasound and normal growth. Also he should be about 20" and done growing in length, it's all about adding on fat now.
* Maternity clothes?: Yep
* Sleep?: About back to normal, up about 3 hours each night. The past couple nights I haven't been able to stay awake past 9:30
* Best moment this week?: Hearing the doctor say, "Any day now."
* Movement?: A lot less frequent, but a kick every now and then. Plus hiccups almost every night.
* Food cravings?: No real cravings this week
* Labor signs?: All of the 6 signs of labor (which just means in the next 4 weeks), plus another that supposedly means very soon labor and great progress from my exams.
* Belly button in or out?: I never knew how deep my belly button was, but I think we're nearing the end.
* What I'm looking forward to: (This will probably not change now) Having him here. Both Michael and I are very anxious to have him here.

Michael emailed me this morning that Scott (one of the outside sales reps he works with) called him at 8:05AM to tell him that Jacob would be born this weekend. He also did this to Brandon the day their daughter was born. I like the sign, but when I read it at first I thought he meant Scoot and was just being silly. That would be pretty amazing if Scoot were to call him and say that though.

Any Day Now - At least that's what I heard :)

Today was my 37 week appointment and it was a good one.

Before the appointment Michael asked me to not get upset if there was no progress. I let him know that my goal was 3 cm, I'd be happy with 2 cm, and upset if I heard that I was still 1 cm.

The doctor came in and we discussed a couple pains. I told him I think Jacob is really low and he just kind of brushed it off.

We started the exam and when Dr. White felt Jacob's head extremely low (just like I told him) he seemed surprised and quietly said it could be any day now. He didn't say it to us, but he definitely said it and even Michael heard it. The rest of the exam showed that I'm still only 1 cm, but I'm definitely thinning out as I'm not 50% effaced. To confirm what I heard during the exam I asked if he thought I would go to my due date which brought the official Dr. answer of, "well you won't go past your due date," and explained how if I start having contractions 5 minutes apart to not even bother calling the office but to just go ahead and go in to the hospital.

I know the official answer was some time in the next few weeks, but I heard him say "any day now," and that's the answer I'm sticking with.

So even though I'm still at 1 cm, I'm not upset. I'm extremely happy!!!!

Still Waiting

Friday morning brought a sign that labor should start within 72 hours. As of now it has been 48 hours and nothing to show.
We've done everything I can think think of to get things going and I'm starting to think none of this will help until he has finally decided to come. Yesterday we even walked just over two miles at the mall and it didn't even bring on more than a couple contractions.
Oh well, I guess it will happen soon enough.

37 Weeks - Full Term

This is going to be short and sweet because I'm in a hurry to transfer some files and clean my desk so I can go home.
Last night I started getting a really crampy feeling that just hasn't gone away. There have been a lot of B/H contractions to go with it and several "true" contractions that hurt. I just want to get out of the office before it gets worse. Really hoping this is the start of something that will end this weekend, because I will not be a happy camper if this lasts for a few weeks.

* How far along?: 37 weeks
* Total weight gain: Still at right about 25 pounds.
* How big is baby?: He's about 6 pounds 10 ounces right now based on the last ultrasound and normal growth. Also he should be about 20" and done growing in length, it's all about adding on fat now.
* Maternity clothes?: Yep
* Sleep?: About back to normal, up about 3 hours each night.
* Best moment this week?: I don't know, maybe going to class
* Movement?: He's back to giving kicks so that I know he's ok
* Food cravings?: Comfort Foods and pineapple
* Labor signs?: A lot more contractions and an overall crampy feeling
* Belly button in or out?: I never knew how deep my belly button was, but I think we're nearing the end.
* What I'm looking forward to: (This will probably not change now) Having him here. Both Michael and I are very anxious to have him here.

Busy weekend and a steak

I guess this weekend wasn't really that busy, but it included two long activities.
On Saturday we had our 4 hour childbirth class. Because we found the information they sent us to prepare for the course so boring, we rented a childbirth class DVD and spent Saturday morning finishing up pieces of that. Even though the DVD was from the late 80's or early 90's with great high waisted khakis, it was funny when our instructor went over some of the same materials with the same facts. My favorite part though was practicing the massage.
The tour of L&D was nice even though Michael and I had already been through half of it. When we stopped to see the triage room everyone went in to peek but us.
Today was the 1960 St. Patty's Day Parade. Luckily it was sunny out, but it was so freaking hot.
Anyway, the biggest part of the weekend is I decided I wanted a steak for dinner and not just the little filet I normally eat. Tonight I ate a large T-Bone steak! Not only did I eat it, but I devoured it.

36 Weeks

Today is officially 36 weeks which means they wouldn't stop us now if Jacob decided he wanted to be a St. Patty's baby. Today is also in my head 37 weeks which is full-term! So now I think everything is a sign that maybe he'll be coming soon. If he decides to be on time or late there is a good chance I'll go crazy.
We've made progress for Jacob's arrival! Michael has a carseat set up in his truck and I have half a hospital bag packed!

* How far along?: 36 weeks
* Total weight gain: Still at right about 25 pounds. (Last night Michael and I were watching a childbirth class movie because the online class part to prep us for our class Saturday is so boring and it listed 6 signs your body is getting ready to go into labor. As soon as she said that one of the signs is your body weight stabalizes or even loses a pound or two, Michael looked at me and confirmed that I'd been at the same weight for the past week or two.)
* How big is baby?: He's about 6 pounds 6 ounces right now based on the ultrasound last week and normal growth. Also he should be about 20" and done growing in length, it's all about adding on fat now.
* Maternity clothes?: Yep
* Sleep?: Wednesday night there wasn't much since I was worried about Jacob moving, but other than that not too bad. I only have to get up to pee about once or twice a night and when I wake up for that I spend about 20 minutes debating if I really need to get up.
* Best moment this week?: Watching Michael watch the contractions. During the video last night they showed a chart of what pre-labor and labor contractions looked like and Michael explained to me that I had a mix of both.
* Movement?: He's back to giving kicks so that I know he's ok
* Food cravings?: Comfort Foods and pineapple
* Labor signs?: Strong BH Contractions, but nothing steady for too long. Plus I have 4 of the 6 pre-labor signs :)
* Belly button in or out?: Still very flat, and getting ready to poke out I think. Stay in!
* What I'm looking forward to: (This will probably not change now) Having him here. Both Michael and I are very anxious to have him here. +Class tomorrow +Even though we haven't decided if we're going yet, the St. Patty's parade is this weekend.

Self Guided L&D Tour

Early this morning I got up to pee as usual, went back to bed, laid on my left side and had some water. Then I waited for Jacob to kick like normal, but he just wouldn't.
Because for the past couple months his mid-night bouncing around has become so normal, this all of a sudden stall scared me a bit. I decided to grab a juice box from the fridge thinking maybe my water wasn't cold enough or the sugar in the juice may help wake him up a bit. Still there was tiny movement.
I started trying to nicely wake Michael up to let him know I was scared and had made the decision that I wanted to go get it checked out. I thought I was being nice waking him up by scratching his back, but he later told me that he was getting ready to snap at me for rubbing his back so hard it was waking him up. He finally rolled over and I explained what was going on and we got ready to go.
Our childbirth class is on Saturday, so the only thing I knew about L&D was that it was somewhere on the 2nd floor.
We walked in to the reception area and asked the concierge where exactly to go, which was a simple 2nd floor, to the left and something about double doors. So after searching all the doctor's offices we decided the first door we saw labeled Birthing and Surgery was actually where we wanted to be. Because it was too early they didn't have anyone at the desk, just a note that said what extension to call. We called L&D which led to more directions and something else about double doors. As soon as we walked in all I saw was double doors and was completely lost again. Luckily, we found our way :)
I explained our reason for being there to the nurse who's only question was, "Why are you monitoring movement at 3:30AM." I guess that's not normal for most.
The nurse hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor. Michael enjoyed the contraction monitor. At one point he told me the line was going up as I felt my stomach start to tighten. About 10 minutes later I let him know that there would be another bounce in it so he got up to watch. It was funny because I told him this one was really strong and he confirmed it for me by letting me know it went three times as high as the last one.
Once they were happy with the heartbeat being steady we were released, and the nurse said she would probably see us in a couple weeks. Not sure how you can tell off of heartbeat and contraction readings, but it makes me happy!
When we got home Scoot ran straight to Jacob's crib and sniffed around like he wanted to see if he was here.
So all in all, Jacob is good and Michael knows he'll have fun watching the contractions when we go in for real.

Holy Contractions

My Braxton Hicks contractions are getting stronger, and there may be some real ones mixed in.

Since last night I've been having regular contractions about 7 minutes apart. They aren't incredibly painful, just uncomfortable. I can talk, breathe and walk through them...so no biggie and just hope that it is happening soon because I'm tired of waiting.

In the mix of these normal "fake" contractions I think there may have been two real ones. One last night and one this morning. They are a bit stronger and I can feel my entire stomach tighten up to a squeezing sensation.

Our childbirth class is this Saturday and my next appointment is Wednesday. I'd really like to take the class before things get going too much. However, just as a precaution, Michael and I are packing the hospital bags tonight and installing at least one of the car seats.