Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The hard part about blogging

So... I've been blogging for a little while now. I know I haven't posted much, but I have posted some. Generally I have a LOT to talk about. Even in my Thirty's, my Dad still tells me to take a breath when I tell a story. But when it comes to writing, sometimes I just can't think about what to write. Ya know, between the breastfeeding, working full time, changing diapers and catching spit up, sometimes I just don't have the brain power or the inspiration. Sometimes it's hard for me. In 2010 I will vow to blog more.
The other hard part about blogging is a direct result of my curiosity. Some of you may have noticed I put a little thing at the bottom of my blog that allows me to watch the traffic. (You'll only see this if you scroll ALL.THE.WAY.TO.THE.BOTTOM.) But get this... the more I write, the more traffic I get. HA! What a Concept! So, now I'm addicted to watching the traffic which makes me want to write more (see 2010 resolution above). And watching said traffic cool. I can count the page loads and see if YOU are new or returning guests. The problem with this is... I'm a very curious person and I want to know WHO is reading little ole me...
So, please tell me who you are....leave me a little comment or find me on Twitter!

Four Christmas's and a Wedding Shower

Not like Four Wedding's and a Funeral. Not that I would know, because I never saw that movie. I wonder if RedBox has it. Seriously...RedBox. That cracks me up. I mean COME ON... I digress.... We had/have Four Christmas's and a Wedding Shower this season. We are done with all but one Christmas celebration which will take place on this Saturday. I'm so impressed with little Sydney. Through all the staying up late, noise, paper, boxes, presents and general over stimulation, she did great. She only had one minor meltdown and I think that's because she was scared because she woke up in a strange dark room all by herself in someone else's house. I think I'd be scared too.
Here's how it all played out. Thursday Night - the Eve. Ever since I met Frank in 2002, we have ALWAYS spent Christmas Eve with his Grandma and parents. The last two years, his sister and her family joined us. We eat Ham on Rolls, Grandma's Beans, and Potato Salad, then let Grandma open her gifts. We don't get home until after 9, which makes for a late night for baby because she is usually in bed around 7. Christmas Morning, we get up, this year earlier than usual because we are no longer on my schedule but Sydney's. Then we wait. Staring at the tree. with longing eyes. Actually this year, I put the baby down for a nap and did laundry and filled the dishwasher. I know, On Christmas... But hey, it's got to be done! When Frank goes to pick up Abby, we then get to open gifts. Baby did great! She took hold of the paper and tore it up, immediately followed by putting it in her mouth.
Video to follow when I get 5 minutes to upload them....
Then back to Frank's parent's house for more festivities which include Christmas Sausage and baked Pasta and other goodies, followed by gift opening and games. Sydney did great at opening those gifts too! She got an awesome VTech Learn & Discover Driver. It's awesome and she loves it! She got other noisy toys from her Aunt's and Uncle's as well as a sweet pink afghan made by none other than her Uncle John. I might just steal it for myself until she's old enough to really appreciate it. Before we knew it, our day of fun was over and it was time to go home... Another night past baby's bedtime.
On Saturday we spent the day with Grammy's family at Cousin Kevin's AWESOME house. OHMYGODIMSOJEALOUS! That house was awesome. So awesome in fact that you couldn't even tell that almost the entire family was there. Baby did good and all my uncles just loved her. She got some pretty sweet clothes from family too. BUT didn't really nap ALL day. For those of you with babies, you totally get what I'm sayin'. NO NAP = CRABBY BABY! HAHA! Not my baby! She was awesome until she woke up by herself in the DARK in the Master Bedroom. In which case she proceeded to cry until we wrapped her up and took her home. She was back to sleep before we got out of the driveway. Another late night, but she did good.
Sunday we spent the afternoon at my cousin's Wedding Shower, followed by a little shopping at Costco.
Sunday night she slept ALL NIGHT LONG, from 7:30pm to 6:00am! YAY for me! I thought it was a fluke, but she did it again last night... 7:30pm to 5:30am! We'll see how long that lasts!!!!!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The REAL Postpartum

Now that baby is 4 months old, I think the real postpartum has set in. Well not really, but maybe a little. I've read how the sleep deprivation and the body changes that you go through during the first few weeks can lead to depression, but I think the real depression begins when you go back to work, still haven't had the baby sleeping through the night, and you realize how broke you really are. At least that's how it is for me. When I first went back to work - more than 2 months ago, I was bragging because MY was sleeping through the night. Was is the word of the day here people... She was only waking up once in the night. Now that she's no longer sick, I thought for sure we'd go back to our old ways of one waking per night....NOT SO PEOPLE! The last 2 nights she has been up 3 times. I'm not sure if it's because she has been soothing herself to sleep with the help of the Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Lullaby Soother and wakes up not knowing how to get back to sleep or if it's because she's at the beginning stages of teething. But either way, it SUCKS for me! I'm also not sure if she's really waking up or if I hear her making noise and immediately go to her. That's the downfall to having her crib in our room. But without another bedroom for the baby, what do you do. I'm hoping that this week will be better... because Momma needs some sleep.
And as for being broke... no one really tells you how much it costs to have a baby. Well maybe they do and once again I didn't listen. Note to self: Learn to listen better. Between daycare and diapers, it's a money pit. I think I better find a way to tap into this Billion Dollar Baby Business. And I also better figure out how to use this blog to make money...any suggestions?

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Cat Named Rascal

So, today my cat went to kitty heaven. RIP 8/1/91 - 12/19/09

She's been my cat since 1991, however has been living at my parents house through college and after I moved out 2002. This cat, named Rascal, was a crazy little bitch. She would bite you and claw at you every chance she got ever since she was a kitten. Even though she was my cat, when I moved out, my Dad sort of took to her. She would sit on the arm of the chair and meow at him when she was hungry until he got up and fed her. Then hours later in the dark of night, as he walked through the dark house, she would jump out and attack. Each of us suffered horrible claw marks to our calves at one time or another due to her attacking. And as much as she pissed us off when she did it, we would still laugh about it. She was the runt of the litter and taken away from the clan about a week earlier than she should have been so I could have her as a gift. The first night I had her she curled up on my pillow next to me. At that time, so small. Even at her biggest, she didn't really weigh much, but she always looked huge because of her long hair. There's a taxidermist that lives down the road from Mom and Dad's so we often joked about getting her stuffed because my Dad would miss her so much. We didn't get her stuffed today, but I might have to go in search of a stuffed toy animal that looks like her to give Dad just in time for Christmas. Dad also always asked me when I was going to pay the back cat support I owed. I always just laughed! Maybe someday I'll pay up!

Rest in Peace little kitty. Have fun playing with Rex, Daisy, Spike and Mooch up there... I'm sure Spike and Mooch are tormenting you and Rex is letting you hide by him. And Daisy is walking on the ceiling.....

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Breaking the Silence

Now that we have a baby and still need to get out the door on time - well actually earlier than we used to, someone has to be the first one up. It's usually always been me, so I guess some things never change. But now that we have a baby and her crib is in our room, since there's nowhere else for it, there's also no more snoozing the alarm. I found that out the hard way twice this week. If I don't get up to shut it off during the first few seconds of it going off, baby wakes up. And if I snooze it so it goes off again in 10 minutes, she most definitely wakes up. And if that happens, she's up almost an hour before I'd like her to be, which usually always makes Dad wake up too. And he is not happy about being up anytime before 7 on most days. I used to think it was totally annoying that I was the first one up in the morning, and I still sort of do, but even though it's the beginning to another rat race day, I sort of like it. I'm the one to break the silence of the night. It's so quiet, everyone in the house still sleeping soundly. Sometimes I even have to check to the baby because she's sleeping so soundly. I hate to turn on the shower or the blow dryer because it's so loud, but when those aren't running I like that I can just enjoy the quiet. It's a different kind of quiet than daytime naptime or after her bedtime. I just can't explain it. It's one thing about the morning and getting up early that I like, even if I am the first one to break the silence.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Mom and Blog

So, I guess I'm a Mommy Blogger. Since I'm a mom and I blog about my kid and other stuff, that makes me a Mommy Blogger. Ok. I can handle that. I also follow a lot of other bloggers, and it wasn't until I recently read a blog by Jason over at DadCentric that I realized that most of the bloggers I follow have had some detrimental thing happen to their family. His child was sick with Kawasaki Disease when he was a baby. Other bloggers I follow have had horrible things happen to their kids, their spouses or themselves. I'm not sure if these bloggers started their blogs in order to keep family and friends updated to the status of the bad thing or if there was another reason. I haven't done the research, but all I know is that I'm scared that something bad might just happen to us because I follow these other blogs. I know that's stupid, but after reading the horrible things that happen to some people, I can only wonder. One thing I do know is that I'm inspired by how resilient these families are even given the circumstances they have been faced with. I also know that I'm thankful I have a healthy, happy baby and that my family is healthy too!
Speaking of that healthy, happy baby...here she is!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Aquaphor & $100 gift card giveaway!

So, I follow Kristy and her blog here and she's awesome. Go check her out. NOW! AND if that's not good enough, she also reviews things. Yes, and you can see that here.
Right now she's doing a little giveaway for an Aquaphor gift pack and $100 Visa Gift Card. It wasn't until I read Kristy'r review of Aquaphor that I figured out that we need to be using it in this house. A girl at work said this stuff rocks and baby has some bad dry skin on her chubby little legs and we need to get that handled. Doc said use Aquaphor. Well, OK. Funny how I didn't hear of it before but now I've heard how awesome the stuff is from three different people in a matter of a few days.... I'll go get some tomorrow. Until then I decided that I need to get those entries in for Kristy's giveaway because that $100 gift card would be a great little stocking stuffer for the teenage step child!
Go to check out the site and get a chance to win for yourself!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

What's with the Ears?

In early November, I blogged about the baby being sick. Well, she still is. Yeah, that's right. It's December freaking 11th and she's still sick. We've been to the doctor count it 4 times in the last month and I've been called to pick her up early from Daycare 3 times. So, on Nov 10, I took her to the Doc because the stuffy nose was just hanging on. Doc said she was fine, it was just a virus. If I had only known that was not the worst of it. The next day she was better and I foolishly thought we were home free. Then the day after that (Thursday) she got worse. Then over the weekend she got a little worse and then progressively worse throughout the week. That Thursday, the 19th, they called me from daycare becuase she wouldn't eat. I called the Doc and got her in. They again said it's just a virus and her ears look fine. Little bit of Tylenol here and there and she should be feeling better in no time. Ok, that's easy. By the next Wednesday, which mind you was the 25th, the day before Thanksgiving, Daycare called again, and yes I had to leave early to go get my babe because she wouldn't eat and was VERY fussy. Once we got home, she seemed fine just a little fussy so I didn't worry about it. By Saturday the 28th, she had a cough when she woke up. I made the decision to take her to the Doc again. Spend $10 at the clinic or spend $100 at Childrens ER. That's an easy pick, don't you think? Diagnosis: Ear Infection. Fluid in both sides, left worse than right. They started her on Amoxicillin. She proceded to get a little rash by Monday. Great, allergic, just like me. So I called the clinic after hours and they said NO MORE AMOX. Ok. The next day she started Azythromyacin for 5 days. Her last dose was Saturday the 5th - Yes December 5th. She seemed better but not great. So, I sent her to daycare again Monday. They called me again, just before 5 because she had been screaming and again wouldn't eat. My child is not a screamer. When Miss Madeline (the best first daycare provider a girl could ask for) called again at 4:40 on Monday afternoon, I immediately called the clinic...again. Clinic closes by 5 but the nurse said bring her to Urgent Care. Ok, done. This doc said she STILL has fluid in her ears and the rash is not an allergic reaction. Another anitbiotic started Monday night. Now we are at Friday. She seems to be doing better, but has started to grab at that left ear. I'm not sure if this is something she just learned to do or if her ear hurts her. We see her regular doc tomorrow for her 4 month appointment. Hopefully the ears will look better because I am beginning to approach the end of my rope. Seriously.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Stuff - cheap and free

So...I'm a sucker for cheap and free stuff. And especially if I have a coupon. So today when I saw this, I thought I better share. Because it's awesome.
Burt's Bee's has a Grab Bag that is an awesome deal. Check it out here. It's over $50 worth of stuff for $20 - including FREE SHIPPING. Which in case you didn't know, I'm also a sucker for.
Check it out. And if you get Burt's Bees from me, you'll know I got it for cheap!
And since I'm also a sucker for bloggers giving stuff away, I'll be posting more soon!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Win a Kindle

So ya... I'm trying to win a Kindle. You should use this link to enter to win one too.

http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=1302704832
Win a brand new Kindle!

There's a little ulterior motive here because every time you use this link I get another entry. So enter often!!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The First Day

The first day of the rest of our lives. It was a Tuesday - December 9 to be exact. I finished the last MBA assignment on Friday. Then on the following Monday, I said to Frank "I think I might be pregnant". I was standing in front of the fridge with the door open. I remember it like it was yesterday. His words were, "So take a test". I waited until Tuesday morning - they say the morning is the best time to take one. I didn't want to get my hopes up because we had been disappointed so many times before...but I was actually late this time. So Tuesday, I jumped out of bed - something that I haven't done since I stopped believing in Santa. I had that same feeling of excitement. So I peed. Then I waited. Those few minutes seemed like the longest. moments. ever. Then it happened. My words were "Holy Shit, come look at this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I took another test that night...just to be sure.
That was the day that changed our lives forever. And now I look at the little bundle almost a year later and can't believe it. Awesome.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Help 4 Anissa

I never met her, I don't know her, I don't know what she's done for Aiming Low - my new favorite blog site.

She had a stroke. I'm sad. Very sad. For her family and for her friends and for her.

Please pray and send good thoughts for Anissa Mayhew and her family.

From what I've read so far, she seems like a fighter. I hope she is.

I'm new to blogging and I'm touched by the outpouring of support there is for her.

The following on Twitter and on numerous blogs is amazing. She has touched so many.

I hope to meet her some day. Please help if you can.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/anissamayhew

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Fall

Sydney and I stand outside. It’s mid-November, but overall a nice day. Cloudy and near sixty degrees. The neighborhood is quiet and it’s peaceful. Usually it’s a buzz with traffic since there are a few hundred townhomes where we live. I hear the traffic on the highway. Birds fly south and in the peace I can hear their wings flapping. That’s how quiet it is. The baby takes it all in, the tree, the leaves, the air. There is really no expression on her face but I know she’s just taking it all in. Even the little breeze blowing in her face is a new experience. She’s getting so big, I just can’t believe it’s been three months. To celebrate, we decided to go to the mall for a little fresh air.

We never made it to the mall because Sydney decided to sleep for three hours this afternoon. I decided not to wake her and did laundry instead.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

So Many Things

Sorry NaBloPoMo. I failed.... I didn't attempt to, but I got sick and baby caught a cold so I just couldn't do it. There's always next year...right?

Now that baby is almost three months old, there are a few things that I'm still quite puzzled about. Why don't they tell you that after you are done being pregnant, you body does even crazier things than it did while you were preggo? I can handle the leaky boobs and the night sweats, but seriously, what's with the gas? I didn't have any problems being pregnant. I had a very easy pregnancy, didn't get sick and stayed in relatively decent shape. Now that I'm 12 weeks out, I feel like my body is more out of wack now than it was before the birth. W.T.F?
And seriously, why doesn't anyone tell you about the guilt that comes along with even thinking about quitting breastfeeding. We are having no problems and I have no reason to quit, but a friend recently told me she had to due to low supply. I'm thoroughly jealous. Not because she had to quit, but because there is a different amount of freedom that comes along with formula. Formula = Freedom. No one tells you that you'll feel tied down, no one tells you that you'll feel guilty for pumping a bottle just so you can run to a doctor's appointment or to work. No one tells you just how much you'll miss the baby while you're gone. Maybe it's because every person is different. Or maybe people did tell me and I just didn't listen. Yeah, that's probably right. Note to self: Learn to listen better.
On the bright side:
I'd like to thank Frank for the awesome health insurance. It seems that the birth of our baby cost us just under $700. Without insurance, it would have cost us close to $16,000. For you math geeks, that's about 96% savings. YAY for us!
Baby Update: Sydney has figured out how to stick her index finger and thumb in her mouth at the same time. Usually she chokes herself. Not funny, but I laugh anyway. I guess it will take her a while to figure out how to suck on her fingers with out choking. She has also figured out how to rub her eyes when she gets tired. Too.Freaking.Cute. I have yet to catch her in the act with camera ready, so no pics.Yet.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Failure

So... It's NaBloPoMo... and I've failed already. I thought yesterday was the 1st of November, but yesterday was the second. At any rate, I'm going to try to continue to post each day all the way through December 1 to make up for my failure. The baby zone I live in has my mind warped and even though I wrote the date all day long I still didn't realize it was the second. Great job.

Baby has a little cold today. She was extremely snotty when I brought her home from daycare last night... and this morning I had to suction boogers out of her nose. Gross and funny. Poor thing, she sneezed about 10 times between 6:30 and 7:00 this morning. I hope it's just a cold and nothing worse. Seriously though... Suctioning boogers has to be one of the funniest things I've done to this baby yet.

Monday, November 2, 2009

NaBloPoMo

National Blog Posting Month
Like I need another reason to slack off... It seems that I have stumbled across something that will allow me to fail! The tag line is "Post every day for a month. That's all you have to do." Easy...right? yeah, we'll see... What could I possibly have to talk about? I'm sure there's a lot...

Hey baby... What's up with the shivering? When I dropped Sydney off at daycare this morning, she woke up right away... No biggie, I pulled her out of her car seat and handed her to Miss Madeline. She (Sydney, not Madeline) let out a burp (which is what probably woke her), then started to shiver. We looked at each other puzzled. I have never seen the babe do that before. My immediate thought was fever. She didn't seem feverish, just tired, which is normal for the morning. So, I did a little research. Some babies shiver when they pee. Yeah, Ok. I'm hoping this was a one time thing, because it was weird and I don't want to see her shiver anymore, especially when it's 50 degrees out. When it's 2 outside, then fine, but not 50.

And what is up with this Daylight Savings Crap? I'm not on board... Why does it have to be light out before I get up at 5:45am? I really see no reason.

Gee, there's post 1... not too bad...

Friday, October 30, 2009

This is serious. Grateful.

As I read some of the blogs I’ve come to follow regularly, it has occurred to me that I have a lot to be grateful for. For example, Matt Logelin lost his wife shortly after the birth of their daughter, the Spohrs lost Madeline, and countless others lost a portion of their family unexpectedly.
I started my blog shortly before my daughter was born. At the time it was just for fun, now, just a few months later, it has become a little outlet for me and a way for family and friends to keep up with us even if I don't post as much as I'd like to.
I have seen friends lose their idea of birth and end up with a new plan due to high blood pressure or other pregnancy related issues. I have seen people on bed rest in the hospital for months to keep their twins as inside babies and not become outside babies all too soon. I have also recently seen a friend find out that she carries the breast cancer gene. The gene of the disease that took her mother from her way too soon.
Now, as I read the blogs of others and see what some of my family and friends go through in life, I realize just how lucky I am to have had a normal full term pregnancy, a fast delivery, a healthy baby and family and a speedy recovery. I am grateful that my Mom was able to come help me multiple times a week while I was on maternity leave. I am grateful my husband is as awesome as he is. I am grateful to have found such an awesome daycare where the baby gets to do art projects already. I am grateful my job allows me to work 4 days a week so I can spend Friday's at home with my baby. I am grateful that I got to hold her while she slept for 3 hours today. I am grateful we have a warm place to live, food in our pantry and fridge, and a little extra cash to spend once in a while. There is so much more I am grateful for that can't even begin to list.
I’m so grateful!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Oh Shit!

Be warned – This post is not for those with a queasy stomach.

Literally….. So, Tuesday. Frank had a half day so he picked up the baby early from his sister’s house. After a few rough days I wasn’t sure how she’d sleep, so early in the day I talked to Nicki and at that time she was sleeping. She continued to take 2 three and a half hour naps during the day only eating once and not pooping at all……. (I know you know where this is going)

At 4:45, Frank called to ask me where the milk was cuz the baby woke up and was hungry. The milk is in the freezer , thaw it in some water and you’ll be good to go.

I got home about 5:20. I don’t even think the screen door was closed and Abby came running downstairs and said “Dad needs you IMMEDIATELY, the baby pooped everywhere”. I laughed – yeah right I was thinking.

Yeah right, ah Yeah, she did. She pooped everywhere. On her onesie, her sleeper, all the way up her back. It ended up on her shoulders, her elbows, the brand new living room pillow, but remarkably, not on Frank who was holding her while the event happened. He said that he didn’t hear anything – mind you, usually my baby does some significant grunting in order to have a BM and usually you can hear the diaper filling up. BUT THEN he smelt it, and lifted her up to make sure she didn’t leak. Moments later she was happy as a clam sitting in her own poo…

So, since Abby was so excitedly telling me that Dad needed me, I RAN upstairs and when I walked into the bedroom, her chubby little naked body was on the changing table with Frank having a little bit of a freak out while mildly gagging and insisted she have her nightly bath immediately. He did a great job cleaning her up, so we waited a bit to see if there was another blow out and then bathed her at her normal pre-bedtime time. No additional blow out and this baby was totally happy, almost laughing in the face of what some would call a disaster.
Thank God, Mom got home in time to clean up the messy clothes, take out the poopy garbage and open the window to get the stink out.

Update: I have been assured that Frank will write his version of the incident. I'll post when complete!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Thursday 10/22

There's an angel above us - 4 years.

So, we've survived week 2 of work/daycare. Sydney is doing so good at both of her daycare places. I'm very pleased. This week she got to watch a Halloween movie and visit the Grandfriends (seniors in the care center next door). She also has been learning to nap well in the hands of others which is putting my mind at ease. I was so worried that she wouldn't sleep while at daycare... but I guess she knows when she's tired and will sleep then. I hate having to take her out in this stupid cold rain and wind, but I know it's only going to get worse. Guess I better get my shit together and make sure I always have a blanket for her...unlike today. (No Mom of the year quite yet!)
She's also been a very good night sleeper.... sleeping anywhere from 5 - 7 1/2 hours per night! Rock on!
I feel like I'm starting to get back into the swing of things at work, actually accomplishing a fairly big project this week. It was nice to walk out of there today with at least one of the 100 loose ends tied up! I'm getting into the zone of pumping at work too... Just call me Bessy... anxiety is going away about that too!
I'm proud to say that it's been a good week and even though I have to be in 4 different places tomorrow, I'm happy that it's my day off! Hope that babe of mine knows how to sleep on the go!

Thanks for watching over us Carrie!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

She's an artist & has a tongue

So, the first week of Daycare, they have already started doing art work. Seriously, my baby is 9 weeks old and she's an artist.

Yes, she created a ghost with her foot, ok well maybe Miss Madeline did the work, but I'm sure this is the beginning of getting those creative juices flowing. I'm so proud! I can't wait to see what else she gets to do.
Oh an by the way she has found her tongue. She sticks it out at everything and likes to lick her burp cloth. I don't know, but it must taste good. Maybe I'll try it tonight just to see.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

2 months, back to work, blogging, thanks

So... This is week two of my going back to work.

So far it's not too bad and also not too good. But I'll go so far as to say it's more good than bad. Baby is at daycare 3 days a week and with my sister in law 1 day a week. Yes, that's 4 days and I don't work on Fridays...WAHOO!!!! (HUGE Thanks go to my boss for fighting for my 1 day off!!) Can I just say THANK GOD for my sister in law! She is taking such good care of my baby it puts my mind at ease. Not that the daycare isn't taking good care of her, but you know, it's different when it's family.
I really miss my baby when I'm at work, but I know she's in good hands, learning a lot and that I am in NO WAY cut out to be a SAHM. While I was home, I would work very hard to get her to go to sleep, then after she'd be sleeping for an hour and I was showered and fed, I would sit and stare at her just waiting for her to wake up. Now that I'm back to work, I really miss being able to just sit, because there is just so much to do each night and I still need to get to bed early so I can be up with her at least once.... Thanks to Sydney for having mostly good nights and only waking up once between 9 and 6. Another thing I miss is having time to see my husband and time to write and blog. I vow to take a few minutes each day to get some thoughts out on this screen so I can remember what's going on right now and so Sydney can some day know too!
So, back to this work thing... You'd sure think that some things would have gotten accomplished while I was gone for 8 freaking weeks. I had to create a folder for all the to do list notes I have since I've been back. This is totally crazy! I do enjoy being back in the real world and the fact that this week I have more clothes that fit than last week. Another Thanks to Sydney for helping Mommy shed those pregnancy pounds without much work.
During my maternity leave I found this blog... www.mattlogelin.com. Matt lost his wife 27 hours after his daughter was born. Matt is an amazing writer and is doing an amazing job raising his daughter. Check out his blog, you'll be addicted to the daily happenings of Matt and Maddy's life. I started from the beginning and have to force myself to step away from the computer each night so I can get some sleep. It's like a real life book you just can't put down.
Also, huge thanks to my Mom for coming to help us out so much over the last 2 months. She fed us, did our laundry, folded Frank's underwear, built stuff for us and sewed stuff for Sydney. Mom you ROCK!!!
One last thanks to my hubby. He holds me up, keeps me sane, calms me down when I'm freaking out about him being in school 3 nights a week among other things. He is a great dad and an even better hubby! I must say I'm a little jealous of him cuz he gets to stay up later than me on a regular basis... :) You also ROCK!!!
The thing I'm most surprised about during this whole becoming a Mom process is that I'm dealing with the sleep deprivation remarkably well. At least I think I am...I'm sure there are others who will attest to whether that is a true statement.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

THE labor

I was induced on the day of my choosing, August 14. They started pitocin at 6:45...ok, not bad, we watched some TV and talked to the nurse. At 8:20, the Dr came to break my water... then I was about 2 cm. She said "See you this evening" I said "See you at noon". At around 9:15ish I asked for the epidural... they came in at 10:30. Glad I didn't wait until then to ask.... At 10:50, the anesthesiologist said you should feel no pain, and I didn't...until about quarter to noon, when I felt extreme pressure and the need to push.... I just thought I needed to up the epi.... so they checked me and I was complete and +1... Sydney was ready whether I was or not. So, they called my Dr and she said she would come in an hour or so because she was seeing patients at the clinic. Ok, fine, whatever I thought. Denice (the best nurse at Columbia Center) told me to do some practice pushing, and apparently I was so effective they called the Dr again and told her to get here... I started the real pushing at 12:25, Doc walked in at 12:50 and stood in front of me and said "Well I guess I better get my gloves and booties on". If I would have been able to speak...(at this point, I was really in pain because there was a head lodged in my vajayjay)...I would have said "YA THINK! YOUR GOING TO CATCH THIS BABY WITH YOUR BARE HANDS IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP". Baby Sydney was born at 1:05. Happy and healthy 7 lb 1 oz, 19 in. Cute as a button. My exact words to Frank were "Oh my God, that's our baby. Frank, that's our baby" repeated many times. I was in awe, and still am that I grew her in my belly and that we made such a beauty.
The first night home from the hospital was hilarious... Since my milk came in early Sunday morning while we were still in the hospital, I think Sydney's little system was taken by surprise... We were cleaning up poop and spit up and leaking milk not quite as fast as it was coming... And doing laundry at 3 AM Monday morning. Hilarious!


So...the baby is now just about 7 weeks old and I'm finally getting around to blog. It's amazing to me how much life has changed. I love being a Mom! It's also amazing how much time it takes us to get out of the house. I can only imagine how early I'll have to get up starting the 12th when I go back to work.

I'm forcing myself to live on the little sleep I get because I go back to work on the 12th. That sucks. I totally love being home with Sydney. I get to see her grow every day. At the same time, I'm looking forward to adult interaction, even if it is at work....
Oh yeah, and in between my last blog and now, I also had a birthday... the highlight was that I got pooped on, peed on, and puked on all before noon :) That was Sydney's little gift to Mommy.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The last appiontment

The last appointment

It was a quick one. I was hoping for 3-4 cm but before she even checked me, she asked me how long I wanted to go. What, what? How long for what? Oh, um today. OOHhhh anything but the 19th. You know, the ex-wife’s birthday. Ok, well how’s Friday or Saturday? Well let’s check you first, then we’ll see.

So I got checked. Geez that hurts, that really does hurt. It feels like she’s squeezing my cervix like a melon. Is it ripe? 1-2 cm this week… which is a little more than last week. So, when do you want to do this? Friday or Saturday? I’ll call the hospital and see what works, Friday works.

What just happened? That was a multiple choice question. I didn’t study for that pop quiz. Did she really just give me the choice of when I want to have this baby?

She came back and Friday works. So, we need to be at the hospital 6:30am this Friday. We’ll start pitocin and then I’ll break your water. See you Friday and she was gone.

Wait, what just happened? Holy crap, we are getting induced this Friday. That’s in 2 days. That means I have 1 more day to work and then I’ll be Mom. This wasn’t part of my plan… Again, holy crap, this wasn’t part of my plan. The plan was to labor at home until we were contracting 1-5-1 then we would go to the hospital. So now we are going to the hospital first like it’s any other day and they will make me get to 1-5-1.

Plan has changed and now I’m wondering if they can give me the epidural before they even start the contractions. That wasn’t the plan either, but as long as we’re throwing plans out the window, why not continue…? Ok so the original plan was to tough it out and do this thing naturally. I guess now we just wait and see how tough I feel tomorrow.

It’s Thursday night, and we just had rib eye’s and sweet corn from the grill. Now we’re watching a movie. Today’s there three in our family, tomorrow there will be four. Happy Birthday Sydney! We’re very excited to meet you!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

THE beginning...

So I said to myself and my husband. I'm going to write a blog. We laughed. I said I have things to say and people might actually be interested. We'll see what happens....
What makes me qualified to blog? Well, I'm a recent MBA grad in my early 30's, but really, who needs a reason? I've done lots in life and have lots left to do. That makes anyone qualified. But really I just see this as an outlet to blog and/or vent about whatever is scratching my surface on any particular day.

As of today, I'm just 1 day shy of 39 weeks pregnant with my first child. Hubby's second - He's Daddy 2 times. I'm Mommy 1 time. Counting the days until baby Sydney makes her grand entrance, which according to the Doc could be any time even though most first timer's are born within 4 days of the due date which by the way it August 14, 2009. I think she'll be born on the 12th. So that's the beginning of my official Mom-hood.

Does Step-Mom count in the Mom-hood years?

Speaking of Daddy 2 times, his first time is an AWESOME teenage girl, Abby. She'll be 15 and a half next week. We all know that means it soon will be time for drivers ed and then driving. Yikes! Good thing I just got these highlights done. I wouldn't want to show any gray from all the worry that goes along with having a teeny bopper at home.

THE history...
Daddy 2 times and I have been together for just over 7 years, married for almost 4. WOW, really, has it been that long? let me say it again. WOW! Time flies when you have as much fun as we do!

More to come soon! Hope you all enjoy!