The Great List {9.14.12}

For the last few weeks, my friend Jen at Leilaland has been writing a post every Friday called "The Great List", which highlights the positive points from her week (this is an ongoing meme, started by Betsy at Betsylife). I've enjoyed reading her lists and have wanted to get one of my own up too, so now I am!
It's so easy to get bogged down in all the difficult and not-so-rosey moments of being a SAHM. I could give you a list of 50 things that sucked/went wrong/never got accomplished this week... but let's face it, you don't want to read about them (and I'd reallllly rather pretend they didn't happen). It's nice to take a moment and reflect over the good things that happened, otherwise they could get overlooked altogether.

So, here are a few highlights from our week:

1. This past weekend was the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival. The Fest takes place once a year, every Sept., and is literally footsteps away from our house. It's a really cool all day event that has... you guessed it, art and wine. And beer. Yummy beer! There are kiddie rides, bands, and some of the most delicious garlic fries! The weather was gorgeous (of course!) and it was so nice to get out of the house as a family and walk around and just enjoy ourselves. And drink a beer. Outside. Did I mention that?! It was a wonderful weekend!

2. We got not one, but TWO Bears games on TV this week. Neither game was worth writing home about (one win/one loss), but the fact remains that we got to watch them play TWICE already!! That's definitely a luxury around here as we don't get many Bears games in NorCal. Cole was really excited to sport his Urlacher jersey (hand me down from big bro Brady), even though Dad would have preferred to see him in his Roethlisberger jersey instead. Maybe this Sunday.

3. Papa came to visit! Certainly THE highlight of the week. My Dad was in Sacramento on business, so he rented a car and came to visit us on Wed. night. Even though he was here for less than 24 hours, Brady was over the moon to see him and we were happy to have him here. I was glad that he got to see Cole before he got too big, and hope that he and my Mom can come back and visit sometime in November as well.

Now that the weekend is upon us and we're all ready to kick back and relax, I hope you too can find a moment to celebrate the great things that happened to you this week!

Cole's One Month Stats

Last week we took Cole for his one month well baby check up. This was the first time we'd been back to the doctor's office since he was 7 days old, so we were curious to see how much he had grown.

Given the fact that newborns are supposed to gain approx. 1 oz per day, I assumed he'd weigh in somewhere around 10 and half lbs. Matt thought he would be bigger than that; his guess was 11 lbs even. Imagine our surprise when our little Snogger (rightfully nicknamed, we can all agree now) weighed in at a shut-your-mouth-my-one-month-old-baby-weighs-what?! 11 lbs 14 oz!!!

Almost 12 lbs??

Holy. Moly.

Even more surprising, this only put him in the 86 percentile for weight. I'd love to see what those babies in the 99 percentile look like (and their poor Mamas, for that matter!)

I, of course, came straight home and opened up Brady's baby book, just to see how they compared. Brady weighed 7 lbs 13 oz at birth (1 lb and 5 oz less than Cole) and was only 9 lbs 12 oz at one month (2 lbs and 2 oz less than Cole). And what I found to be even more humorous was that Brady weighed 12 lbs 1 oz at his TWO month appt., only 4 oz less than Cole weighed last week (and as much as I'm sure he weighs right now, if not more).

Ummm, can you say future linebacker?!

I'm happy to report that his other stats are in more proportion to his overall size, which was not the case with Brady. Even though Brady was 21 in at birth, he was only 22 in at one month. Cole was 20 in at birth, but is already 22 3/4 in at one month (88 percentile). And let's all breath a sigh of relief that even though he too has a big noggin, it's only in the 98 percentile (vs. 105% for Brady).

What really matters though is that he was given a clean bill of health! Doctor said he looks great. Only one shot (Hep B) and he only cried for a few seconds. His two month appointment brings a handful of vaccinations, so Daddy better come next time (Mom doesn't do too well with shots!)

Cole was being quite the babbler during his appointment and the doctor said those 7 little words that we also heard from Brady's pediatrician... "He's going to be an early talker!" Boy did that turn out to be true. I guess if you want to hang in this family you have to find your voice and use it!

We Survived! Cole's First Month

As hard as it is to believe, Cole's first month is in the (baby) books, and I'm happy to report we're all still standing. Ok, maybe more like leaning... but definitely not down-and-out.

We've had some rough days/nights, but our first month with Cole was much easier than our first month with Brady. I wish I could say that it's because Cole is an easier baby, but that's not necessarily the case. Maybe it felt easier because we had a lot of help. Or because breastfeeding is going a little better the second time 'round. But overall, I chalk up our "success" to not being first-time parents anymore. No offense to our 3.5 years ago-selves, but we had no idea what to do/expect when Brady was born. Now that we have confidence in our ability to keep our offspring alive, it sure makes the journey a lot less stressful.

Don't take that to mean we are pros now, because we are re-learning so many things. It's been three-and-a-half years since we were at this rodeo! Over time, a person tends to forget (block out?) all the unpleasantries when it comes to taking care of a newborn... like the thousands of diaper changes in a single day (and don't forget the joy of being peed and/or pooped on!) And what's with the unexplainable fussing? The ear-piercing crying? And the grunting at all hours of the night? Oh, the grunting!! Or my personal favorite, choosing between showering, eating or sleeping. Heaven forbid I am clean, full and rested all in the SAME DAY!

Besides floating through each day, without any kind of routine (sheer madness for a Mama with OCD), I honestly think the "hardest" part so far has been trying to fill in the moments when he's not sleeping, crying, fussing, grunting or getting his diaper changed. I forgot how difficult it is to entertain a newborn! It's nice that Cole's able to follow us with his eyes now, and I am overjoyed with every smile he gives me, but this not-old-enough-to-play-with-toys stage is really a tough one. I feel like he looks at me like, "well, do something really entertaining to hold my attention or I'm going to cry/poop/fuss/grunt!!", but nothing comes to mind. So I basically just make high pitched sounds or move him from one apparatus to another, until he gets tired enough to sleep. For 15 minutes.

But he sure is cute, and that alone gets me through each day. My heart could not be any fuller than it is right now! Happy One Month to our little Cole Bear. You are an amazing addition to our family.

I was going to post all his 1 Month stats, but his doctor's appointment isn't until Wed., so I'll just wait to post them then. Matt thinks he's tipping the scales at 11 lbs already. I'm guessing he's closer to 10 lbs. 5 oz. Check back in a couple of days to see who's right!

Cole's First Bath

I know what you're thinking... Cole is almost a month old and you're just giving him his first bath?! No, no, sillies. I just got my first "free" moment to catch up on my posts!

For the record, it took 17 days for Cole's umbilical cord to fall off. We were beginning to think that he was going to go to Prom with that nasty little thing! I honestly cannot believe that I left it alone for that long; I am such a picker and it was screaming "do it! do it!"at me every time I changed him. But I was good, and as soon as that shriveled little raisin fell off, it was straight to the sink!

Unlike his big brother, who screamed and cried through his first (and second, and third...) bath, Cole very much enjoyed his first time in the "tub". Perhaps because his "tub" is the comfiest looking thing ever! In fact, I'd like to take a bath in it myself. It's called a Blooming Bath, and I knew I had to get it the moment I saw someone blog about it months ago.

Doesn't it look dreamy??

"Cover my goods, Dad!"

"Hi Internet peeps!" 

Brady helping out

I look forward to the first time we can put both boys in the bath together, but until then, I think little CJ will be very happy in his private flower :)

Introducing Cole Joseph

I can't believe Cole is almost 2 weeks old and I'm just getting this "announcement" up on the blog. When Brady was born, I had his welcome post up within 24 hours! They must have had better drugs at Northwestern :)

Without further ado... Matt, Brady and I are proud to introduce the newest member of our family!

We have been having a wonderful time these past two weeks getting to know our little man, as well as enjoying the company of many out of town guests. We couldn't have made it through the 4 days in the hospital without the help of my brother and parents watching Brady, and the first days at home were made easier thanks to my mother and father-in-law.

We appreciate all the calls and notes of congratulations! I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to everyone but we've been very busy... and sleep deprived... I promise to be in touch soon!

It may be awhile before I can post another update, so until I log on again, here are a few photos from the first few days of Cole's life. The rest can be found here. Disclaimer: Some photos are of a "graphic" nature (ie, naked baby).

Love at first sight!

Brothers!

Our first photo as a family of four!

So alert already!

Brady loves giving Cole lots of kisses!

If you're interested in hearing the details of Cole's arrival, I am going to be posting his "Birth Story" on Mama Dish sometime this week, so check over there when you get a chance!

Full Term +5, Part Deux

How sad is it that about 3.5 years ago I wrote my first post titled "Full Term +5", and here I am doing it again? Argh.

Yes people, I'm still pregnant. I get it... I'm late for everything and so are my kids, ha ha ha. I love irony as much as the next gal, but c'mon, can the joke be over now?! What if I promise to never be late for anything ever again? Now THAT'S funny!


Here's a quick update:


We had our 40 week appointment on Wed. afternoon and unfortunately, I still hadn't made any real *progress*. That basically means no dilating or contractions, but I was at least starting to soften. I didn't get an ultrasound, but Dr. assured me baby is still "head down"... though he is up really high. Thankfully, he doesn't appear to be in that head-to-hip/oblique position like I feared. Phew! I am officially retiring from my job as self-diagnosing internet doctor.


On the bright side-- there were two really good pieces of information that came out of the appointment-- 1) I actually LOST a half a pound (whoo hoo!) and 2) I was able to reschedule my c-section from 7/23 at 5pm to 7/24 at 7:30am. It doesn't necessarily give us that much more time to go into labor on our own (although every hour counts!), but 7:30am is a way better time to have a major surgery, in my opinion! Who wants to go an entire day, entertaining family, caring for a 3 year old and not eating for 8 hours BEFORE going into a c-section? A c-section you really, really don't want to have? Not this girl. I am very happy with the change.


My brother arrived on Tuesday night and it's been nice to have the help/distraction/peace of mind. It's been really great for Brady too, because if it was just him and I, we'd be spending most of our day on the couch watching movies. But instead, he's able to go to the park to play baseball and frisbee, ride his bike, go for walks (ok, that part I do) etc. with Uncle Mike. Every day he keeps saying, "isn't it so much fun to have Uncle Mike here?" He is really going to go through a rough time when family is all gone in August :(


My parents arrive tomorrow morning, so things are about to get a little more hectic around here. While I know everyone is here to "help" there is still that feeling like you need to entertain everyone, which I don't really have the energy to do. On the flip side, it's no fun to sit around here by yourself while everyone else is off doing fun stuff/playing. We'll just take it one day at a time, I guess!


As I mentioned, our c-section is scheduled for the morning of 7/24, so the pregnancy is going to come to an end and our baby will be here very soon... one way or another. I'll try to get in another update in the next day or so; hopefully it will be about his (own) arrival!


Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, interest & well wishes. We can't wait to share details of our little man soon!

xo

Full Term + 2

"Full Term + 2". A pregnancy term I am *uncomfortably* familiar with. Unfortunately, I've even been acquainted with Full Term + 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8, as well... but I hope and pray that we do NOT get that far in the count this time. Full Term + 8 is 7/23, and the date my c-section is currently scheduled for.

Two days past due, and honestly, I am a bit surprised. I am obviously no medical professional, but in my heart I always figured that I never progressed into labor with Brady because he was breech. It seemed to make "sense" that one would only dilate, efface, etc. if the baby's head was in, or at least somewhere near, the canal. I've been told that this baby has been head down all of my third trimester (confirmed again last week via ultrasound), so I had hoped that we'd be moving along "as nature intended" and that I'd be dilated (or at least feeling more contractions) by now.

As of my 39 week appointment last Tuesday, nothing is happening. No dilating, effacing... nothing. "Closed shut" is the official term my wonderful doctor prefers to use, and it feels awful to hear. I want nothing more than a little reassurance that my body is with my heart in its desire to succeed with this VBAC. It definitely is making me start to wonder-- what is wrong with my body?! Why can't I "have" babies?

Some days, I feel like I am so close. I get little bits of encouragement that tell me that maybe labor is just a step away. I walk long distances every day (sometimes twice!) and I swear the baby moves lower and lower, and afterwards I have that crampy feeling. Is this the beginning?, I wonder. Then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and he's still high up, or I get heartburn and/or kicks in my ribs, and can't help but feel defeated.

And lately, I've also started to feel like his head in actually stuck above my right hip bone. I thought nothing of it really, until I "Google-searched" it (damn Internet!), then I started to worry that he's in what's called oblique position. Technically "head down", but not in a real engaged position for labor. If he is oblique, I think there is still a possibility that he could slip into the canal, but from what I read there is also the possibility that I will need a c-section after all. Awesome.

Anyone with real-life experience care to weigh in??

All this back-and-forth, waiting, worrying, has caused me to have some serious insomnia, which doesn't help matters at all. And I know what you're thinking... GET OFF THE INTERNET! It's funny how you can get online "just to check Facebook" and end up in tears 5 minutes later thinking you have to give up your dream of a vaginal delivery because you do one stupid search that leads you down a rabbit hole. But I just wanted to find a solution, that's all!

Anyway, that's what's going on here. My brother arrives late tonight which is a huge relief, because one way or another, at least I now have the comfort of knowing that Brady will be taken care of and won't have to be uprooted from his life too much. I have my 40 week appt. tomorrow (technically 40 week/3 day) so I hope to have more answers at that time. Trouble is, my Dr. isn't truly supportive of the VBAC in the first place, so I feel like he'll jump at the chance to c-section me/us. Fingers crossed I can get an objective opinion.

I'll keep everyone posted...