Lorrell's Visit

My mom's BFF and long time family friend, Lorrell, was in Missouri this last week and stopped by to visit Noah (and us...sort of) before heading back to Florida. She decided she was not a fan of Missouri, but thankfully that didn't taint her opinion of our little guy! When she saw Noah, she said that I did all the work, but Matt is getting all the glory because Noah looks so much like him. She's absolutely right. He's a little mini-me of Matt. Lorrell brought Noah several gifts including some cute onsies with pants to match and wrist toys. He doesn't have many "toys" yet, so I'm looking forward to him playing with those. Thanks for visiting us Lorrell!

Also, a quick shout out to our friends the Gourley's for letting us borrow their Bjorn. Noah enjoyed walking around Taste of St. Louis pressed against his daddy's chest!

Holy Weight Gain and Lessons

So, I've been a little concerned as to whether or not Noah is getting enough nourishment from me when he nurses. Well, concern be gone. I took Noah to Cotton Babies today and weighed him on their baby scale. He has gained 14.5 ounces in the past 9 days! It did seem to me that he has been hungry A LOT. Is this amount of weight gain OK? Is he getting too much? Should I cut him off? I'll have a screaming baby on my hands if I attempt this, but I want to make sure he isn't gaining too much too fast. I plan to call the pediatrician in the morning just to check.

Today officially ends our first full week without mom (Grams) around. I've made multiple mistakes...most having to do with pushing Noah's limits when it comes to feed time. I've attempted to brave the public with him a few times and each time he's had a fit of rage because I couldn't feed him the second he started getting hungry.

Lessons from the first week alone:
-I learned that I just need to plan on taking 45 minutes to an hour out of my outing to feed him or else I may be deaf by the time Noah is two.
-I also learned to get super organized long before I actually need to walk out of the door.
-I realized that I get really hot while feeding him, so in order to not end up a pile of perspiration, I need to dress in cooler clothes.
-I learned to put Noah's shade down on his car seat so that the sun doesn't push him to the point of complete insanity, and also so that he doesn't end up sweaty by the time we reach our destination :( (I felt like such a crappy mom!)
-I learned to just smile and keep walking when strangers ooh and ahh over Noah.
-I learned that I need some "nursing" clothes that help make nursing in public a little less miserable.

Video of Grams and Noah in the Park

First Day Alone, Balloons and Yuri

Noah and Yuri...Noah not so much noticing the balloons, and Yuri, completely enthralled with them!

As the previous blog mentioned, my mom left early Friday morning. The day before, I moped around dreading her departure, and then Friday morning while she was preparing to head to the airport, we cried and said our farewells. I made a decision after feeding Noah that morning to try and embrace my new role as a legit stay-at-home-mom. Therefore, I followed the "routine" I had set in my mind...as if routines can even remotely exist at this stage of the game. Anyway, Noah and I had a little activity time (as my good friend Hannah encouraged), then we took an hour and a half nap together, later we listened to music, I ran a load of laundry at some point throughout the day, and of course there was much eating and pooping interspersed throughout it all. Later, Matt came home, and we met Michael and Yuri at Forest Park for the lighting of the hot air balloons. We hope to take Noah every year to this because it really is an amazing sight. The pictures came out a bit blurry, but good enough to get a decent idea of the coolness factor. Considering I had planned to be depressed for days due to mom's flight back to FL, I thought the day went pretty well.

Grams, Noah, and Sushi

Grams (my mom's official new name) left yesterday morning. She's been with us since August 27th, and she was an invaluable help as we transitioned into our new life with Noah. Needless to say, it was a rough morning for me and Noah as we said our goodbyes. Here are some special photos taken during her last week here. Matt and I insisted that she try our favorite sushi restaurant before she left, so we took her to Wasabi. She admitted that it was pretty good! (Before this, she was dead set against enjoying any sort of sushi.) This was also Noah's first trip to Wasabi. Grams also accompanied us to another one of Noah's doctor's appointments, and finally the night before she left, we got some great pictures of Grams and Noah in the park. We sure do miss our Grams!!! South Florida seems further away than ever.

Noah in his Bassinet

Always Eating, Seldom Sleeping

The first few nights of being at home with Noah were such a teaser. He slept for 4-5 hours at a time! Oh my, how those sweet few days have passed. Now, we're up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours it seems. My pediatrician told us to teach him the difference between day and night by waking him up every two to three hours during the day, and then let him sleep as long as he will at night. I've been doing this, but Noah still wakes up fairly often at night. Does anyone have experience with this method? Are there other methods for getting babies to sleep more during the night?

In addition to this sleeping speed bump, Noah seems to want to eat A LOT. I mean every hour and a half or so. I went to a La Leche meeting a few nights ago, and the ladies there assured me that this was normal and that he would soon develop a more spread out feeding schedule. I'm just so stinkin' sore...which I can deal with just fine because breastfeeding is such a sweet experience, but I can't seem to get anything done during the day. Pre-Noah, I had heard stories of women who were lucky to get a shower in on some days, but I thought that seemed a little ridiculous. Now, I'm eating my thoughts big time. The only productive thing I got done yesterday was going through my mail that had stacked up throughout the week. No shower, and I was in my nightgown all day. Kind of hilarious. And this is with my mom HERE to help me out. She's taking care of all of the chores around the house, so I don't even have to worry about laundry or cleaning the bathroom. My responsibilities consist of feeding Noah and getting him to sleep. How does this take up literally all of my time? I don't know, but it just does. I'm sure I'll get all of this figured out soon...right? Right. I know I will. Any advice?

More midnight moments:

1. In the middle of the night, as I was putting Noah in his cradle, Matt calls me over to his side of the bed and asks, "Is there any leftover breastfeeding stuff?" I reply, "Honey, what breastfeeding stuff?" He says, "You know, like milk." I say, "Matt, are you awake?" He replies in an annoyed tone, "Yes." I say, "I'm sorry, I'm just not sure what you're talking about," and he says, "well, if you're just going to look at me like that then forget it." (He remembered none of this conversation the next day.)

2. This same night, I woke up to Matt looking under and patting the covers on our bed. I assumed he was looking for Noah, as this has happened to both of us multiple times. I said, "Babe, Noah's in his cradle." He said, "I'm not looking for Noah" and I reply, "Well, what are you looking for?" He said, "the thing that goes in his mouth." I said, "You mean his pacifier?" He said, "yes," and I giggled and told him that "Noah's pacifier was not in our bed." He looked a little more, and then fell right back asleep.

Server Dreams

If you've ever been a server at a restaurant, you've more than likely had server dreams. You know...the dreams where you can't ever catch up with all of your tables and every one is mad at you for not being able to pull it together. Well, now instead of server dreams, Matt and I both are having baby dreams. And not precious, sweet baby dreams, but rather "oh my gosh, have I suffocated my baby under the covers" dreams.

Midnights moments:

1. I've woken up frantically frisking myself thinking that I fell asleep while Noah was breastfeeding.

2. Matt has woken me up to ask me if he needs to go get "the breastfeeding stuff."

3. Two nights ago, I woke up to find Matt looking under the sheets for Noah. He asked me where he was; I replied, "his cradle," and he fell back to sleep. Minutes later, I again woke up to Matt patting down our comforter, again looking for the baby that he believed must have been buried somewhere in our covers.

4. I woke Matt up and asked him to take Noah from me...all the while, Noah was in his cradle.

I assume this anxiety will lessen when we become accustomed to this little guy, but right now, we worry so much.

We have a BABY!

1 WEEK

Noah was a week old as of last night! It's hard to believe that one whole week has already flown by. We've only been home for 4 days of his little life, but man, it has just raced by. My baby's growin' up so fast :) Thanks to the Malone's, the Gourley's, Eric Manske, and the Moore's for bringing us nourishment this week. Not having to worry about dinner has been super helpful! And thanks to everyone who has come to visit either in the hospital or here at home: my parents, Buz and Sandy McNutt, Matt's parents, Steve and Debbie Stark, Todd, Shanna, Jenn and Joe, Shanna, Steve and Andrea, EJ and Michael, Rodney and Gina, and Jesse and Kristin. (also the Bush/Garvey clan via flowers)

Happiest Baby on the Block Philosophy

We've hit the breastfeeding at full speed. Noah eats for about an hour 7-10 times a day. It takes up a lot of time right now, but I absolutely love it. It is so special to be able to provide for him in a way that no one else can. I also love just holding him. I've talked to several friends and read about various feeding and sleeping methods. After this research, I've decided to go with the Happiest Baby on the Block philosophy, which states that babies are missing a needed "4th trimester." Basically, I'm going to feed Noah when he gives me the cues that he's hungry, and I'm going to hold him as much as I want until he's about 3 months...Then I'll begin setting a schedule for him. I love this because it really does seem so natural and so instinctive. Dr. Karp, author of Happiest Baby, says that you can't spoil a newborn and that the reason so many American mothers struggle with colic (which from what I understand is when your baby cries a lot...reason fairly unknown) is because other cultures hold and keep their babies close for much of the day. He says that even if you hold your baby 12 hours a day, it is still 12 hours less than they're used to. This idea was completely confirmed by the lactation consultant I met with in the hospital. She really advocated holding and providing for your baby as he/she needs. Most newborns in the animal world are born much more capable than human babies, but we would be unable to birth our babies if we waited until our babies were as capable. Also, us American mothers are all about "independence." We want our children to do as much as possible as soon as possible. Perhaps my opinions will change, but I love Noah's dependence on me right now, and when the time comes, I will certainly give him more responsibilities and boundaries. For now though, I'm thrilled to hold him on my chest until he roots for food, and I'm thrilled to feed him every time he needs it, and I'm even a little bit thrilled to wake up at 3am to soothe him.

Arrival

Noah Matthew is here. It's unbelievable. He is a beautiful baby who greatly resembles his handsome father. He didn't want to come out even after 24 hours of induction, so ultimately a Cesarean was his entrance into the world. He was born on August 28 at 11:14 pm at 8.1 pounds and 20.5 inches long. We were kept separated from Noah for almost 4 hours because they kept us in recovery to examine my "large uterus." Apparently, my uterus is abnormal, but whatever...we just wanted to see our little guy! Anyway, it was a long 4 hours, and we were dead by the time we made it to our postpartum room. I hadn't eaten for 24 hours at this point, so energy was definitely lacking. Friday came with an incredible feeling of newness. It was filled with loved ones coming to visit, attempts at breastfeeding, more jello and broth, and intermittent naps. I finally was allowed to eat half of a sandwich on Friday night, and sadly, it wasn't good. But then Saturday...Saturday, was a phenomenal day! Noah was even more good-looking than the day before, and I learned how to effectively feed him. He is so sweet, and he spent much of the day sprawled out on my chest. He smells just like I imagined he would, and the ability to provide for his needs gives me a feeling of happiness and satisfaction like I've never known. Matt and I are crazy about this kid. I can't wait for everyone to meet him. There is so much more to share, but sleep is calling my name, and I need to get a nap in before Mr. Noah wakes up again. More to come...

Sleeping is overrated, right?

(picture by http://www.ericarankin.com/)
So, getting a full night's sleep has gone from difficult to practically impossible. I love this kid to no end, but I think I'd love him just a little more if he'd show up. Really, the anxiety of "when" is just too much to get over once my head hits the pillow. My thoughts go something like this: is this a real contraction? ok, no just a braxton hicks. dang my groin hurts. come on little guy, don't you want to come out? i've gotta try that barefoot contessa provencal potato salad recipe. who should we have over for dinner when i make that? oh my gosh, that's gotta be his foot poking me. time to turn over. oh my freakin' groin! ok, ev, just breathe. stuff back-pillow halfway under my lower back. i've got to call the mattress company and get our sucky mattress replaced. oooh, lower abdominal cramps; is this a real contraction? doubtful. maybe if i go the bathroom I can fall asleep. Bathroom routine: grab the bed post, slowly roll hips to edge of bed without disturbing the sensitive groin, sharp pain hits, i groan secretly hoping matt can hear and feel sorry for me, slowly lift body from bed, take a moment to steady self with one hand on the wall and limp to the bathroom. crawl back in bed, breathing heavily as if I just did something of significance. re-position the 10 pillows surrounding my body. ok, ev, just try to get comfy, pray for baby again, pray for wisdom again, pray for sleep again, pray for ease of mind again...just pretend your sleeping. rrrrr...this groin thing better go away the second he pops out. did my water just break? maybe that was my plug. take a feel test. nope, just my imagination as usual. why am i sweating? i have two fans pointed straight at me. right arm is asleep, time to re-position. i still need to get paper to print our birth plan. freakin' groin. come on baby, don't you want to come tonight? and so on and so forth...

Pregnancy...when will it end?

This pregnancy is winding down. Sooner than later with any luck. I know that "millions of women" (as everyone likes to remind me) have experienced this, but (again, as I have replied to all that have attempted to comfort me with this sentiment) that doesn't help ME feel better. Widespread as it may be, this is the oddest experience I've ever been through. My body moves without me moving it. I have carpel tunnel all of a sudden. My arms fall asleep while I'm putting on make-up or drying my hair. I quite literally have to roll out of bed. I also, quite literally, walk like a freakin' penguin wherever I go. I seriously can't walk normally if I try. My nose is the size of Texas. I find myself racing for the bathroom every two hours. The width of my profile is freak-show-circus-like. I can't wear my wedding ring. (It's never been off this long since I've had it.) I wake up in an almost panic like state nightly wondering, "is this it?" And now the dreams...they are getting more and more odd. Last night I took a journey to France and learned about a dude named Jean Luke something and some guy named Du Ba`ld. I learned their histories in order to try and have a scholarly conversation with my intellect of a brother, and then I met and hung out with my bro at an NBA game. (Aren't NBA games only played in the states?) The night before (in my dream), I walked myself over to a very ghettofied gas station near our loft and told them they needed to revamp their look. I asked the owner if he liked his homeless clientele (who do in fact loiter continuously at this particular gas station...I'm not just being a jerk), or if he would prefer a clientele of a 'higher caliber' (these were my exact words in my dream...perhaps I am a jerk). I attempted logic, and tried to explain to him how middle class people probably fill their tanks all the way (which would earn him more money), rather than just a little of the way like his 'poorer' customers probably did. Then I handed him one of Matt's pressure washing business cards and told him that my husband could really help him get his gas station looking much nicer, which would appeal more to the downtown inhabitants. (This hasn't yet been reported, but Matt actually did buy a pressure sprayer and is planning to make extra cash on the weekends with it.) Let me just say, I've never been to France, never been to an NBA game, and I've never even been to this ghetto gas station (that really does exist). (Just so that some of you don't think I'm too big of a jerk, some dude did attempt to sell Matt a lawn mower at this particular station. Lawn mower, in the middle of downtown? A bit sketchy, right?)

All of this is just a normal day in the life of a pregee. Needless to say, I'm pretty ready. At this point, the anxiety of "when" won't go away.

Missouri Baby Shower/Pictures

The baby shower was spectacular! Sarah, Janet and Debbie could not have created a more incredible shower. Janet sadly acquired a case of the shingles a couple of weeks before the shower and was advised by her doctor to keep her distance from pregos like me; so she couldn't even come to the shower she helped plan! Such a tragedy. That, although a considerable downer, was the only sad part about the shower. The theme was "tea party," and Sarah made a ton of scrumptious little delights and placed everything on real china. She had varieties of hot tea, coffee, and lemonade for drink, and she made scones, finger sandwiches, several varieties of cookies, and petit fors. Everything was delicious, and the set-up was killer. Pink roses everywhere (that Debbie scoured all of Springfield for)...it just couldn't have been prettier. On top of the decor and food, Janet planned several innovative activities that Amanda Livingston volunteered to carry out in her absense. Debbie and Sarah each had enough on their plates, so it was sweet of Amanda to step up. I practically begged the girls not to plan any games that had anything to do with measuring my circumference, and thankfully they heeded my request. I mean really...don't pregnant women feel large enough without people trying to wrap them in a mile of toilet paper? Anyway, one of the activities involved everyone making either a onsie or a toddler shirt for the little guy. Some of them are hilarious. My favorite game was "While You Were Out." They asked me questions that they had already asked Matt, and I had to give the same answer he gave in order to win a gift. This is where they presented me with some wow-factor gifts. Some of Matt's extended family pulled together and bought us a diaper bag, a pack n' play, and the sports stroller we registered for. The stroller made me cry. Our immediate families had already purchased all of our baby furniture, so I absolutely did not expect any other large gifts. In general, we received a lot of needed items at this shower. Wipes, pacifiers, wash cloths, blankets...etc. Thanks to the girls that came: Sarah, Debbie, Amanda, Erin, Kristin, Sarah G., Carrie, Brittany, Jillian, Emily, and Claudia. I had a great time.

After the shower, Debbie, Sarah G., Erin, Kristin, and I headed down to the lake. The guys had been on the water all day and were crispy red and worn out by the time we saw them. The girls were able to spend some time on the boat. It was a fabulous day, and we ended it with a cook out. I was as swollen as I've ever been after being in the sun for a few hours, but whatever...worth it.
This past Saturday our friend and photographer Erica Rankin (http://www.ericarankin.com/) took some pictures of us. I was hesitant to ask her because I knew I'd see my largeness in all it's glory, but then I convinced myself that I'd be disappointed if I didn't have any prego pics after the fact. So if you check out her site, don't be too shocked at my poundage! It can throw you back for sure. But she really did a jam-up job. Great pics.

Closets and Diapers

We had our last scheduled ultrasound on Wednesday. The 3D picture is so cool. I can put a face to my little guy now. Matt thinks he looks like me, but I don't really think we can tell yet.

Matt also finished our closet projects this week. We and our guests can't see all of our crap anymore, which is great! We managed to fit the baby furniture and our guest bed in our second bedroom. Also this week, I bought the bumGenius reusable diapers. Matt and I decided to use them for several reasons. First of all, they pay for themselves within the first 3 months of the baby's life, and we'll be able to use them for any other children we have. Also, in the effort of being a little "greener," reusables are tons better for the environment. Plus, I'm staying home, so I'll be capable of doing a load of laundry a day. We'll see how it goes. I'll be sure to report.

This Saturday is the baby shower that Sarah, Janet and Debbie are throwing for me. Friends from St. Louis, Springfield, and college are coming. I'm really excited about seeing friends I don't get to spend much time with, but as odd as it sounds, I'm a little nervous too. I'm quirkily (my own word) bad at being the center of attention, so I hope everyone mingles well. I learned this at my first shower in Florida. Nonetheless, the shower is going to be fabulous no doubt, and I can't wait to write about it next week.

32 Weeks Today

This last week has been filled with revamping our loft for this new addition. It's been easier than actually moving, but it's been a hassle no less. More of a hassle for Matt, as he tries to juggle the agency, put together baby furniture, find storage for all our stuff that won't fit in the loft, and generally do all of the tasks that I'm not "supposed" to do. AKA, move furniture, climb on ladders, carry heavy boxes...etc... So really, the pressure has been on him; but I've gotta say, he's been a trooper. As I write, he's building towel storage for our bathroom and valances for our "curtain closets." Sure am glad I married a handy guy. (Above, Matt is constructing the dresser/changing table, and the picture below is of the towel rack he built.)

A couple of physical changes have taken place this week. I feel like the baby dropped a little. I don't know that anyone else would notice, but I think my belly area is actually a good couple of inches lower. I don't think it's my imagination, but I'll ask the doctor at my appointment this week. In addition to the dropping, I feel like my belly has also become hard. It just constantly seems really tight. And bigger. (normal though I suppose.) Sleeping comfortably is also a thing of the past (sniff, sniff). I hear this continues throughout the first year; the sleeplessness that is. Fantastic.

Our good friends, Sarah and Aaron Garrison stayed with us for a couple of nights this week. They actually got us the most amazing seats at the Cards vs. Cubs game on the 4th of July. We were 6 rows behind the Cards dugout, right on the first baseline. The seats were cushioned and the weather was perfect for a big 'ole pregnant woman. It was a great night. Sarah took some pictures, so I'll post those when I get them. It was actually the baby's second baseball game, but this time he was developed enough to hear it. I think I was early in the second trimester during his "first" game.

Earlier this week, my friend Shanna gave me a ton of baby stuff! A bouncy seat, a really cute swing, a Baby Einstein floor activity mat, clothes, diapers, bibs...the list goes on. I couldn't believe how much she just handed over to us! Just in general, friends and family have been so generous in helping us build our "baby stuff" collection. My sister-in-law Janet has also given us quite a bit of baby goods...a breast pump (which brand new is like $200!), the whole Avent feeding system, tons of clothes, and she says she has a lot more for me to look through on my next trip down to Springfield. And as I mentioned in my last post, our parents have purchased all of the baby furniture. I don't know how we would do this without so much help! It's such a blessing to have so many supportive, loving people surrounding us during this transition.

9.5 Weeks to Go

Right now the little guy (name yet to be revealed) is sticking his rear end into my ribs. I was warned by many that this interesting position would have the ability to make me uncomfortable, but experiencing it is much more awkward than simply conceptualizing it. However uncomfortable though, I love it when I can feel him. It makes this amazing process of pregnancy much more real. (As if the engorged belly, excessive fatigue, and large appetite isn't enough to make it real.)

I just returned from spending my last alone moments with my parents in Florida. Lorrell Bush gave me my first baby shower at her home, and I had several family members attend, along with a couple of good friends and of course my mom. The Bush family is like our family, so we had a great time. And the food was delicious! (Food on the brain...it's lunch time.)

It was decided this week that my parents and Matt's parents were going to buy us all of the baby furniture, which is just incredibly, amazingly generous! The crib was delivered today, so Matt will be busy putting that guy together tonight. We realized after I came back from FL how behind we are in preparing for this child. There is so much left to be done. Thank goodness for a non-working summer.