Oh Baby!

Wow, becoming a mom is a strange thing. I feel like he is all I can think about and all I could possibly talk about. So I apologize if I get a little boring.

I almost posted about a week ago about how hard motherhood has been. Don't get me wrong, I love my little man more than anything. But it is HARD. And we have had a hard week. The lil man is a little colic-y (we think) and him crying is really hard on me. Add in that I am overly emotional and it makes for a hard week. I am so thankful for all the family support we have had. My mom being here was amazing! Those first few weeks I am pretty sure that it took 3 of us to take care of one little ninja. And her being here gave me the confidence to take care of him on my own. Having my dad and his girl friend here for the weekend was so special. I feel like my relationship with my dad got better and it was so sweet to see him interact with my baby. Plus they convinced J and I to go on a date. I know how important it is to make sure that our relationship is strong so we can take care of H better, but it is easy to get caught up in the routine of baby care.

This last weekend my Auntie and MoLaw were here (MoLaw is still here) and that has been a relief. After a week of crying baby (and crying mom!), up (what feels like) all night, and just not dealing with stress well it was so nice to have them here. Friday, I cried the whole way home from picking them up with relief. And it was a relief because we just had a real chat about how life has been and how NORMAL this all is. I'm sure all the moms out there can attest to how crazy life is with a newborn and not going thru this before, you feel like a freak. And it was so nice to just know that everything I am going thru is normal, and everything my baby is going thru is normal.

MoLaw is here now and I am enjoying the extra hands to hold the baby. Today has been really really good so far (knock on wood!!!) We are trying the babywise method and last night was our first night of letting the little ninja cry it out a little bit. It took maybe 5 min of crying, and the lil bugger was out like a light. And on our first night, he slept 4 hours, ate for 25 min, slept 4 hours, ate for 20 min, and then slept for 3 hours. It was AMAZING. Because the night before he slept between 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours. And that was sooooo hard. Add in that he was cranky, spit up a ton, then threw up on me and it was a ROUGH night for all of us.

Generally he sleeps 2 1/2 - 3 hours at a time. I am hoping that the babywise method will work for us. Routine is going to be really important and it's up to us to keep it up.

Well, it's time to wake the babe and let him eat. Hope I don't bore the crap out of you with all my baby talk.

Love,
L

He's HERE!!!!

My little ninja made his arrival last Sunday! I can't believe his is already more than a week old. Time flys!

Here are the stats:

Hyatt was born, April 17th at almost 2 in the afternoon.
He was 7 lbs, 7.5 oz and 19.5 inches long
I was in labor for a total of 14 hours and pushed for about 4.5 hours.
I would do the laboring part again in a heart beat. The pushing? Not so much, but the coreman reminded me that usually the second child comes out much easier =)
Epidurals are my best friend.
The best moment was when he finally came out. Words do not describe the feeling.
My husband was the best labor coach I could have asked for. He is best father and is more amazing at this new part of our life that I could have imagined.

So far I am loving being a mom. I am so glad that I have the help of J and my mom this week. I am sad that J has to go back to work on Wednesday. And my mom goes home on Friday. But thankfully we will have more family here soon (Dad - Friday thru Sunday, MoLaw and Auntie the following weekend) The hardest part so far is the emotions. My hormones must be all over the place and that is not fun. But we are all working thru it. Thank goodness for an amazing husband who understands me, or makes me laugh when he doesn't understand.

The strangest part about not being pregnant is that I don't miss my belly at all. I loved (LOVED!) my preggo belly. But now that Hyatt is here, I don't miss it at all. That surprised me. Instead of a preggo belly, I now have what I call my beer belly which is shrinking every day. The other strange thing is that I was retaining a lot more water than I realized. I have skinny arms and calves again! It's amazing!

So that is where I have been these last few weeks. Loving mommy-hood and just getting used to the new routine. Hopefully I will have lots of interesting things to post soon!!!

Love
L

39 Weeks

How far along?: 39

Total weight gain: 45ish pounds

How big is Baby?:  7 pounds, and 19 to 22 inches. I'm honestly hoping for smaller =)

Maternity clothes?  Oh yeah....I love me some stretchy pants!

Stretch marks?: None on my belly!

Sleep?: Still pretty good. Up every few hours to pee. And some days I can't fall back asleep. But all in all pretty good!

Movement?: I have a ninja. 'Nuff said!

Food cravings?: This weekend I loooovveee ice tea with lemon. And of course all I really want is fried, greasy, and sugary....great!

Labor Signs:  Nope. Hardly any BH contractions. So I am thinking either he is never coming out, so when I do get contractions they will be the real deal. 

Milestone: Last week before my due date. Plus this is my last week of work, woo hoo!!! Friday is my last official day (unless I go into labor first). And I can't wait to be done! Hopefully my lil Ninja will cooperate and not make me wait at home for him forever. 

How's Mom?: Still great! I feel really good. Baby has dropped. And I am walking a TON (10-12 miles this week) and loving that. I am still waiting to feel super uncomfortable but it hasn't happened yet. There are some things that are getting harder (like getting into a car, and drying off my feet after a shower, that's a long reach!) but mostly, everything is awesome!

I am starting to worry that I'll have to get induced (not something I want to do!) . And I am crazy for feeling this way! I still have a week to go to my due date (either the 16th or 17th depending on the doctor) plus another week and some days before they would consider inducing me. So really nothing to worry about at this point. I am trying (continually praying actually) that I will give up my time schedule and give it to God. He will time everything perfectly and I don't need to worry. But I am horribly impatient and would like to quit waiting now. But I'm letting go, and letting God. Well, at least I'm trying!

Hopefully there will be some great news in these next few days. Next doctor's appointment is Friday, so maybe something will be happening by then. 

Love,

L

38 Weeks and SO HAPPY!

So happy!!! This weekend was so amazing. I have 3 of my besties come to visit and I couldn't be happier. What a great weekend!

They came up Friday night. J made dinner and cleaned leaving us girls lots of time to sit and chat and be silly. I think he even enjoyed it (he loves these girls too). We stayed up late chatting and drinking (non alcoholic for me!) and when I woke up the next morning I had a sore throat. Probably from talking so much!

Saturday we hiked a beautiful trail on base, got pedi's, had appetizers and drinks at a yummy brewery. After that we had some MAJOR retail therapy at the NEX. My friends were loving the prices on the purses. And I got a new pair of running shoes. I'm hoping these ones won't give me shin splints. After the NEX, we headed to Target to get some last minute baby/new mom items. And so now I am TOTALLY prepared for this baby. Well as prepared as I am going to get. Saturday night we stayed up late chatting some more (can girls talk too much?). 

Sunday morning they all headed back home =( Early afternoon I hiked the trail on base again with a friend. Then got to cleaning my house. 

It was a perfect weekend. I am so happy that last week I got to see J's family, this weekend I got to see my besties, and once my lil man gets here I get to see my mom. Life is so good!!!!!!!

How far along?: 38 Weeks and a few days

Total weight gain: 40 pounds, and still feeling great!  

How big is Baby?:  7 pounds, and 19 to 22 inches. I'm honestly hoping for smaller =)

Maternity clothes? Haha! 

Stretch marks?: Same old ones. Belly is still looking fab though!

Sleep?: Pretty good. Up about every 2-3 hours to pee (can anyone say nursing sessions?) and some nights I just can't fall asleep. 

Movement?:  Hello ninja...Lots and lots!

Food cravings?:  I love food. I've gained 40 pounds...need I say more? =)

Labor Signs:  Hmmm....Maybe? Probably not though. Some tightness in my belly a few times a day but I'm sure they are nothing. 

Milestone: Home stretch! Hopefully only 3 weeks or less.

How's Mom?: Fabulous. I keep waiting to get really uncomfortable or just be dying to have the baby out. And I will say that I want him to please be here but not because I feel incredibly ready or anything I just feel like now is the time. I'm never going to feel ready so he might as well be here. And now would be a great time. 

Ready or Not!

So I am officially 37 weeks by all calculations. All cleared to have my lil man at any time now. I have spend the past 37 weeks knowing that I am by no means ready for him to show up. But with a nice visit from family and a few last purchases I'm feeling like ready or not he can show up any time now.

I've also come to the conclusion that I will never feel prepared for him to be here. There is no way for me to prepare for labor. Or sleepless nights. Or for how much our lives are going to change. And finally I have come to the conclusion that it is completely fine that I am not prepared. And I will never feel prepared for this.

On the plus side, I feel like we have bought every possibly baby item that we need and probably could want. So while I may have no idea of what is to come, I have all the necessary items to take care of Hyatt!

So, lil man, any time you are ready we will be waiting for you. So anytime in the next 4 weeks, we will be seeing you! Ready or not, you will be here!

Love,
L

37 Weeks

How far along?:  37 Weeks...Home stretch! Strange that I will have a lil man in my arms in less that 1 months.

Total weight gain:   38 pounds...And counting! =)

How big is Baby?:  The size of a watermelon. 19-22 inches and 6.5 pounds. But my doctor says that my uterus is measuring "slightly" small so hopefully he is less than this. And if not, oh well. He will be perfectly sized when he comes out!

Maternity clothes? Love maternity clothes!

Stretch marks?: Same old, same old!

Sleep?: Up about twice a night. And SOOO thirsty when I get up to pee. So I keep at least 2 glasses of water by the bed. 

Movement?:  Lil ninja! I did a kick count today, and I've counted 10 kicks in 10 minutes at least 4 times already. Yep. I've got a mover in here!

Food cravings?:  No cravings. But I love me some salt and sugar. And this explains my swollen fingers and toes =)

Labor Signs:  A few painless braxton hicks. But nothing major. Baby is starting to move south though!

Milestone: In-laws, and Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law are on their way up here as we speak! Can't wait for some family time. Got the house (mostly) in order. Can't wait for them to get here so we can catch up and enjoy our weekend together!

How's Mom?: Really good. I only seldom feel crappy pregnant. I really am enjoying every moment. I'm going on lots of walks with a friend (4 miles today and a total of 5 miles last week) and that is super fun. We have plans to go on lots of walks after the baby is born. Yeah! And I am really just looking forward to spending some time with family. I know this weekend will be filled with laughs and fun. Love it!

Love,

L