Recipe for Sleep

Ingredients:
1 baby 2 parents 3 grandparents 4 great-grandparents 1 aunt/godmother
2 uncles 1 godfather 1 great-uncle 1 great-aunt 6 other cousins of various relations
5 swords 1 deer 1 dart gun 2 more aunts with pizza

Steps:
1) Visit great-grandma, baby will fuss and only take short naps. Baby will scream when parents nearly hit deer on way home.

2) Grandma visits, stays for remaining steps.

3) Wait a day and visit great-uncle and aunt's house with cousins, only one short nap allowed. Baby will fuss. Baby will fuss only a little while parents drive home white-knuckled with icy roads.
4) Wait a day and celebrate Christmas, make the baby wear adorable sweater outfit with a bib, so no spit up will ruin said outfit. The baby will be perfectly content during Star Wars Episode 1 Monopoly, but will need fed after mother has spent hours preparing Christmas dinner and has just sat down.


5) Visit other grandparents, require baby to wear seasonal clothing. Immediately leave to go out to eat with aunts with pizza. Return and endure sword fight involving everyone present in their twenties. One great grandmother will visit and presents will be opened while there is a short nap. Fuss, fuss fuss. Visit other great grandparents where baby will completely conk out. Return to grandparents and leave for home.


6) Gently bounce baby (never shaken nor stirred) and place in crib.

Results:
Baby will sleep through the night.

We took Xander to go meet Santa Claus for the first time late last week.

Right now Xander is in his bouncy seat and he's stinking the place up. Real bad. I wonder if we need to Fabreeze or Lysol the fabric on the seat. Gross.

3 Months

So it was three months ago that I woke up and thought "At least two weeks to go. Today I think I'll try to get that manicure and pedicure so at least my feet will look pretty when I give birth. Oh, and I need to get the baby safety seat in the car checked this afternoon. And I definitely need to do laundry because Chris is out of jeans and unmentionables." I bet you are wondering if I really refer to Chris's underwear as unmentionables.

Of course all of that changed when I stood up and my water broke.

Now three months later we have Xander, a generally happy baby. He's gained over five pounds and a few inches and has outgrown most of his clothes already. He has good control over his head. He rarely goes cross eyed and can recognize his mom and dad. He's a little chatter box when he wakes up in the morning. He is so different from three months ago.

Now he gets to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with us and we will see what the next year will bring.

heads up 7 up

Here's senor stinkybottom showing off his neck muscles.


Flex for 'em X.

Look at me I'm so cute!

This kid is such a morning person. Waaaaay too chatty. Especially if no one is in the room, he starts using his outdoor voice.
(Sorry for the lousy quality of the film).

Revoked

I should have my mom license taken away. And babies should not have finger nails.

Xander nearly always has a scratch or occasionally a gouge on his face. I try to keep his nails short to avoid this, but it's so hard! He wiggles and squirms or is too peacefully asleep.

I started keeping his nail clippers by his changing table to try to do one finger each time I was there. Last week he squirmed at the wrong moment and screamed bloody murder. And his thumb was a little bloody.

So I haven't tried since. Until today. His nails are practically longer than mine (proportionally anyway). So I tried while he was just waking up and groggy. On the same thumb that I tried last week. With the same results. The poor guy will be missing a fingerprint on the thumb.

I've heard to try filing. I did before with no results because his nails were too thin and flimsy. Maybe that will work better now, they seem to be thicker.

I've also heard to just bite them off. That doesn't make me happy because of germ issues. He's constantly getting his hands into his mouth and if I'm getting slobber and germs all over them... well, it's just gross.

So expect to see Xander in the Guiness records for longest nails in the near future.

no stocking for X!

Amanda just put up most of our Christmas decorations and I just realized we don't have a stocking for Xander. Oh what to do.

I tried to get a photo of him smiling this morning, but it was difficult.




He's been a bit fussier in the evenings lately. We're wondering if he's starting to develop the 'witching hour' thing where he gets really fussy right before bedtime.

He's still a ham whenever we take him out in public. I know babies get fawned over, but he just gets fawned over everywhere we go.

Out for Dinners

This week we were out for dinner twice.

On Tuesday Xander and I met Ikkin for burgers at Red Robin. It was so great to just get out and chat with a friend. Xander was a putz who was on the verge of crying, but he did wait until I was almost done with my burger.

We did discover that he already has a favorite condiment: ketchup. At one point, while Xander was calm, Ikkin held up a bottle and moved it around. Xander was completely fascinated. Then while I was buckling him in and he started to meltdown, she held up the bottle again. He would catch sight of it and get all wide eyed, start to cry, then see the bottle and calm down again. I wish I could describe it better because it was hilarious to see.

Thursday night my mom and aunts came to town for a conference over the weekend, so we met them to eat at Max & Erma's. Xander was tired for half of it and then became incredibly wiggly. Nonetheless he was cuddled and kissed within an inch of his life. Honestly, I found some glitter on his head this morning, so someone had lip gloss on.

Overall these outings were a good time. When Xander first arrived on the scene I was absolutely paranoid about going out. What if he began crying uncontrollably? What if he needed fed? What about diaper changes? What if.... well, you get the idea. So it's nice to know that Chris and I can handle these things.

Au Natural

Not too much new is going on with Xander this week. He still can't get that darned thumb in his mouth but usually seems to be content with his first knuckle and index finger. He's spitting up more and I think the knuckle-sucking has something to do with it. And his Uncle Mark has repeatedly warned us that we'll regret letting him suck on his hand when we try to break the habit.

I did order some BumGenius diapers since they went on clearance prices (still expensive, but they'll pay for themselves over time). I only bought eight and I have a few old fashioned diapers. I figure I use a few while at home each day and use disposable while on the go and at night, at least until I get more.

Chris is concerned with the smell and germs while storing dirty cloth diapers. So any suggestions are appreciated, just leave them in the comments (or email if you'd like).

Go Browns!!

Another football sunday. We missed the Browns game, but we got to see the Chargers pound on the Ravens! Whooo-hooo!


I guess I'm the local bleacher for the games.

In other news, we'll have to figure out the cause of the complete meltdowns that we have in the car. It's a painfully long 15 minutes to get from one end of town to the other while meltdown boy is melting down.

crafty crafter

I had some poster frames from when I was a kid that I didn't want to hang up anymore, so I decided to put them to good use for Xander. I used the wife's construction paper and cut out a colorful little alphabet for him on this one....


...and on the other some numbers, the periodic table of the elements, a map of the USA and some colors to fill in the leftover area.


I think they are pretty neat and add some color to his room. Now I just need to get a Cleveland Browns' poster and at UT Rockets poster and he'll be all set.

Two Month Checkup

Xander and I made it to the doctor's office today for his two month checkup. So far, so good! I had a few questions I'd been saving up that were easily answered, Xander was looked over and then he received his first set of vaccinations. Oh, did that make my heart break. He was all happy and cooing when the doctor came in, after a meltdown in the car. When the nurse gave him his shots the screams were even worse than I imagined. He's a tough little guy though, once I was holding him he just sniffled a while and wanted to be held.

Stats:
Head - 15 inches
Length - 22.5 inches
Weight - 12 pounds and 4 ounces

Things to work on:
Tummy time
Chris possibly doing some bottle feeding

Xander's Baptism

Yesterday was Xander's Baptism and it turned out to be a lot of fun. This was after the mayhem and panic that began the day. We all were up early so went to the 7:30 mass. Afterwards I said "You know, we never called to confirm Xander being baptized today and no one called us to confirm. Let's stop by the office and make sure." Good thing we did because they had no information on Xander being registered. He wasn't on the announcement or in the office records. PANIC!

But the lady in the office was super nice and added our name to the announcements (and ended up recopying them). She found an extra candle and set everything up with the deacon. I do want to call and check his baptism certificate is taken care of.

So we headed home to relax, wait for a few people to arrive early and get the house ready. Then I think of what Office Lady said about the white garment - that we would provide it. Huh, I must have misheard because Chris and I both remember in the class saying a white towel (blanket?) would be provided. So I call Office Lady and ask and she is sure we need to have our own white outfit, which I was way too cheap to splurge on and the family baptismal garment is way too antique and fragile to wear. My mom is bringing a sweater and pants, but we don't know if they will work. So Office Lady offers to loan me one of hers! Office Lady is a saint!

I get off of the phone and nearly have a meltdown. No baptismal registration + no white garment + messy home + needing to get food ready + long term sleep deprivation= Meltdown Hugs. Chris spotted this right away and gave me a hug then sent me packing to bed for a nap. That was blissful.

So family arrived and we were distracted and left a little late because we needed to go to the office to change Xander into his fancy white duds. Rush, rush, rush and we make it in time.

The ceremony was long since there were eight different children. Xander was the best behaved of course (that may be due to the pacifier we let him have, none of the other parents let their children have one). Our family and friends took up more pews than any other family, go us!

The best part was after his mouth and ears were blessed he gave us a huge smile.

Then we all headed back to the house for food and good times. It's a fun feeling to have the house so full of people who love our little guy. And I once again learned more about child-proofing a house courtesy of some broken marble chess pieces. :)

Here we are with Xander's godparents, Ukie and T.

a few free moments

Xander's baptism is tomorrow. Amanda is making cupcakes for everyone after the ceremony and they look great. I'm more concerned with eating one...but she only made 21 and I don't know if that'll be enough for everyone to have one, so I have to wait.

He's cutting one loose over there in his swing, so I better go and change him.

The Elusive Thumb

Over the past couple of weeks Xander has discovered that his hand is right by his mouth. So very patiently he brings his hand over and tries to latch on. And he realizes that he can't latch. So he bops his hand around a little and gets drool all over his fist and sleeve. Then he'll flex his fingers and his thumb will pop out. He'll he'll pop it into his mouth and start sucking his thumb, but almost immediately he lets go. I guess it's not as satisfying as he had expected.

Go Browns!

Xander and I got to watch some football today. Touchdown Cleveland!!


Then we wrestled at halftime (just ignore the stain on the shirt).

Game Time

Xander does such a great job of sleeping at night that he has a very calm active awake period in the morning. Today Chris even made up a song about being morning people (Chris and Xander are, I am not). As the morning wears on and I emerge from my lethargy, there are a few games I play with Xander. None are terribly exciting unless you are a new mom and none last for more than a few minutes at time

1) Watch the Rattle - or giraffe blanket or butterfly depending on what is nearby. I just move it from left to right to see if he can follow it. Sometimes he is great at it, other times not so much. His head has a flat spot from always looking towards his left and his eyes also seem to go left easily, more trouble looking towards his right.

2) Repeat the Sound - Xander is cooing and ahhing and making other various vocal noises, so I just repeat them back to him. Nothing exciting there, I'm just waiting until he repeats them back to me.

3) Smile for Mommy - I stand or sit so he can see me and I smile at him. I laugh and stick out my tongue and maybe tickle him a little. And he smiles back. So I leave you with these morsels of adorableness.

dueling what?

So the other day my wife was pumping so that I can share in feeding our kid. The pump she has is a fancy electric one with a dualie setup, so she can pump both at the same time. So Xander is in his rain forest chair and Amanda is pumping and she says "Gee, I wonder which one's going to fill up first?"

So how do I respond to this? Do I complement her shoes? Do I tell her she looks beautiful? Do I tell her that her hair is nice today? Nope, none of the above.

I, being the considerate thoughtful husband, go to youtube and played this for her.

Proof!

Further proof that Chris is the father. LISTEN.


Last week Xander weighed in at 11 lbs 2 oz. It's no wonder he's already outgrowing his clothes and my arms get tired so easily. He's eating like a champ, though the past few days he's finally slowed down some. And the whole sleeping for five hours thing was not a fluke, he did it again last night. Ah, sweet dreams.

bald spot

Our poor little boy is losing his hair and will soon look like a cue ball.

Oh well!

Xander's first Halloween

Halloween was interesting. We got Xander dressed up in his pumpkin outfit for the 5th time in the past 2 weeks, (which makes sense because he's not going to be able to wear it after this ever again) invited Sergey and Ikkin over and passed out some candy. I thought it would be interesting to quiz the kids some simple questions before I gave them candy, what's the capital of the US, what's the capital of Ohio, what's 2*5, what's 10+10, simple stuff for elementary school kids.

Or so I thought. It was a good idea until I got one kid who didn't get her first question right, but her companion did, then her companion got a few more right (and more candy) and then I went back to the girl again and asked her something easy and she replied "I'm not that stupid, you know."

Whoa! Time to stop this little game that I think is cute. So that was a bad idea and I stopped. Let's just stick with questions about their costumes before I get an angry parent beating me up.

Also, am I a bad candy-giver if I only give 1 piece of candy per kid? Am I cheap and stingy or frugal? One kid walked back down the drive and said something to his mother and she said to him "well, it's better than nothing." It's not like we were giving out the teeny tiny tootsie rolls or the 5 packs of Necco wafers, we had the giant tootsie rolls and fun packs of m&m's.

Oh, and the best costumes where the Darth Vaders' (but no mask) and the tornado. Who knows where this kid got this idea, but he showed up dressed as a tornado. He had a cloth he wore over himself that had strips cut in it and cars and houses sewed to the strips. Very original. We gave him extra candy for a cool costume.

Fondue and babies do go together

How to eat fondue with a 6 week old:

1. Flop baby into your arm like so.



You may have to shift him higher if your arm gets tired like this. (Yes, I am the source of Xander's stork bite.)




2. Grab your fondue fork and dig in!

Playgroup at Church

On Friday Xander and I attended the Playgroup at our church. Once again it is advertised as including infants, but I wasn't hopeful. Mostly I just wanted to get out and to meet some other moms in the area.

There were five other moms who attended and about eight kids all together, one who was an infant (the mom brought her and her son). It was nice because it was a small group and half of us were there for the first time. We all got to chat and discuss fun details about pregnancy and birth (two of the moms were pregnant).

I also was able to see what Xander has to look forward to, mostly the problems with sharing and the total mess kids make (green icing was everywhere). Since we have no family, friends or neighbors (though one neighbor is due soon) with infants, he'll be spoiled rotten. Chris and I will have to make up sharing games to play.

On a different note, Xander has had two 'firsts' today.
~He slept for 5 hours straight last night giving me my first long (by long I mean four hours in a row) stretch of sleep in over a month.
~He definitely smiled at me today. He has been smiling, but we kept chalking it up to gas. Today he looked right at me and I smiled and he smiled back for like ten seconds, much longer than a gas smile.

Other accomplishments (or milestones I guess) include:
~ He is a champ at holding up his head. Sometimes it gets a little wobbly and he does a woodpecker imitation. He did head bunt me once and started screaming bloody murder. More and more it is head up and he is trying to look around.
~ He has started cooing. It's a little surprising hearing 'ah' and 'o' coming from the crib/bassinet/bouncy seat.

Baby Time at the Library

In an effort for me to get out and possibly meet other moms with babies, Xander and I ventured to Baby Time at our local library. I know, I know, Xander can't read and can't understand what is being read to him. But by golly, the advertisement says "Birth through 2 years." So I fed him, strapped him in his baby bucket and off we went.

Imagine my surprise that all the babies were one year or older. Ok, it wasn't that big of a surprise but I was really hoping. I felt a little silly sitting there with a sleeping infant while everyone else sang songs and listened to Halloween books being read. Actually only like three kids paid attention to the books, the rest were EVERYWHERE, including trying to climb into Xander's baby carrier. I actually had the teacherly urge to tell them to sit down and be quiet. Three times I had to fight that urge.

But the library lady was really nice and made suggestions on books and even came to talk to me afterward. I'm not sure I'll be a regular attendee but it did accomplish my goal of getting out of the house.

On a side note I figured out one thing that Xander HATES. Yesterday he screamed for the entire car ride, which I couldn't understand because he always goes to sleep on car rides or at least quiets down. I'm talking red-faced, panting, sweating screaming here. Today the same thing started and I reached back and pulled off his hat. He instantly stopped and floated off to baby dreamland. I don't think the problem is the hat so much as it is how the hat falls over his eyes when he moves his head. So the car rides this winter should be fun.

The 15 Minute Boy

Since Chris mentioned it, here are the plates we made.


Xander has been doing pretty well at night. He'll sleep anywhere from 2 to 4 hours at a time then cry to be fed. After he's fed though he'll settle right down and I go and drop off to sleep for another 2 to four hours. It averages to about two or three feedings a night.

Of course it doesn't always work that way. Last night I was up for over two hours trying to calm him down enough to sleep.

And the consequence of such decent nights is that Xander transforms into 15 Minute Boy during the mornings. He wants fed every hour and in between he needs changed and burped and is awake being fussy. I get him calm and happy and 15 minutes later he's upset about something else.

Today I calmed him by taking a nice long car ride down to my old library. This resulted in 15 Minute Boy visiting all afternoon. I finally have him blissfully asleep in one of his slings (Thank you Julie!). Of course yesterday he raised the roof with his unhappiness of being in the sling and who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Pumpkin Carving

Aunt Mandy came over this weekend and we had some fun. Hung out, had lunch, went for a walk in the park. It was really a great fall day.


We then picked up some more pumpkins and Xander got his first taste of pumpkin carving this weekend. He was bored with the whole idea.


He's been quite the fussy pants lately too. The whole burping thing is tough.

Falling along

Are you still there? We are.

A few things have been happening. Last weekend we went to a pottery place in town and painted some plates. One for our house with our wedding date on it and another for Xander's room. That was a fun day and we didn't really plan on being out of the house all day, but it ended up that way. So that meant Amanda didn't get to practice feeding Xander in front of the mirror before actually feeding him in public...those two just ended up jumping in head first to the breastfeeding in public club. At least the pottery place was big and empty so noisy boy could be feed. I say noisy boy because he was howling before he ate and he is a noisy eater.

Granny Ba. stopped in this week because she had a seminar to go to nearby, so Xander got some Granny-time. Or vice versa.

This morning for the first time I gave Xander a bath. It wasn't too bad for me, although he was having a nearly atomic meltdown. I find it is easier if he's having a meltdown if I know what is causing it, such as the case was this morning during bath time. However, all other nuclear meltdowns I have trouble knowing what to do. Which usually ends with me saying to Amanda, "Here, I think he needs fed. I'm useless."

It works out. And now he's all slicked up for Aunt Mandy's visit today with his little Tigger Halloween outfit on.

Maybe we'll get a walk in the park in later because today looks great outside!

rollover Beethoven

So tonight in a fit of fatherly frustration at how to stop a crying baby from crying, I decided that Xander could use some time on the floor face down. With all the limb flailing that he does when he is upset, I figured that it would be good way for him to expend that frustration and exercise his little muscles.

Well, as it turns out our little Xander can roll over at 16 days old. And not just once, but we finally got the camera on the third rollover, this is the tail end of it.



And after the first time I made sure he was in a superman position when I placed him on the floor. So don't get the idea that there was any halfway placement by a parent so that we could brag about what our kid could do...this was a full belly arms legs extended starting position.

Slings!

So we got a couple of slings in the mail from Xander's Aunt Julie on Friday. I thought it would be a great idea to cut the grass with Xander. I was so excited I couldn't wait. So Amanda tells me I have to use the brown colored sling. Well, I didn't want to because it looked too complicated. I wanted to use the light brown one. Amanda kept telling me it was too big. I didn't care, I was going to try it anyway.

Well, it was just too complicated and I was too excited to be patient to figure it out. So I put Xander in the light brown sling on the couch and then tried to put it on. Well, that didn't work because it wasn't big enough...which Amanda reiterated to me again for the third time howling with laughter.



And of course, she was right. So then she inflated my ego and said, "You know, you look like a Jedi with that other one on." Oh, well the brown one is my favorite sling in the whole world now!

Wee, look at me, I look like a Jedi!


Prepare to die Dooku!



So then after another 10 minutes of trying to get Xander arranged in there we cut the grass.




But only half of the backyard because then I became super paranoid that I was giving him shaken baby syndrome. The nurses at the hospital say "Oh don't worry, baby's don't break." Then they make you watch a shaken baby video with interviews with parents who killed, blinded and gave their kid cerebral palsy because they were shaken.

So the paranoid mom call to the dr only took 10 days to happen.

He's acting normal too so everything is okay.

Diaper Dilemma

One of my bright ideas is that I'd like to use cloth diapers on Xander. Oh, by no means am I under the delusion that I won't ever touch disposables again. However financially and environmentally I would feel better by using cloth diapers at least around the house.

Cloth diapers have come a long way since I was a baby, not that I remember. I do remember my Mom rinsing out the big white rectangles for my youngest brother. I've been looking on the internet and here is what I'm thinking of getting.

There are lots of brands out there, but I'm hearing (well, reading) good things about bumGenius. This one is one-size-fits-all, so they should last a while. They are referred to as pocket diapers because there is an opening for an insert to help absorb.

It feels kind of pricey up front to get a 12 pack of the diapers, but it will save money in the long run. I'm just nervous to order them and there will be some huge glaring error in my plan. Like the diapers turn out to be poorly made and leak a lot (the reviews are really good for these though).

Oh, and they come in different colors!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I can't believe I just wrote a diaper post.

First Doctor Visit

I found a family doctor the day before I gave birth to Xander. It was a big hoop for me to find someone who was recommended, covered by insurance, taking new patients and local. The doctor who seemed to fit the bill would not take us because I wasn't giving birth at the local hospital (excuse me for moving mid-pregnancy). Finally in a fit of frustration I went through the list of docs covered by insurance until I hit one and the receptionist was really nice so I said 'sign us up'.

At the hospital I was repeatedly asked who the pediatrician was and I could barely remember his name, let alone phone or address. When we got home I did call and make an appointment.

So today I get up and get Xander ready. I had half of a melt down because I didn't get much sleep and then I couldn't find the address. But finally it all worked out and we were there. There was no one waiting which could be a good sign (very efficient) or a bad sign (no one likes the docs at this practice).

So we get in and Xander is weighed (7 lbs 10 oz, he's a growing boy), measured (18.5 inches, he's a shrinking boy) and his head measured (13.5 inches, it's his brain that is growing).

Then we waited for the doctor. It wasn't a long wait, but Xander decided it was his food time and was letting everyone know it. In fact, he leaned his head over and I thought he was resting a moment between screaming but in fact he'd latched onto his own arm and managed to suck hard enough to bruise himself. Bad mom, letting your child get hungry enough to maim himself!

The doctor came in and gave him a quick check - heart, lungs, belly button, circumcision and pronounced him healthy. He also asked the fun questions about what the poop looked like. He patiently answered my paranoid new mom questions (his eye is pussy! his lip is purple! he's only eating for five minutes) and made sure to give me his number to call if more panic ensues.

But the thing that won me over was that he said I could stay and feed Xander there if I wanted. No rush to get me out of there (I could hear other patients coming and going, so I wasn't the only person there after all) and it was much appreciated since I had other errands I wanted to run.

Facts about Xander

Here are some fun facts about Alexander Robert.

He is a Virgo:

Modest and shy, meticulous and reliable, practical and diligent, intelligent and analytical

Fussy and a worrier, overcritical and harsh, perfectionist and conservative

His birthstone is a sapphire

.

He is born during the year of the Pig, according to the Chinese zodiac. I believe it is a very lucky year to be born, but I couldn't find details about it.



He was born on a Tuesday: Tuesday's Child is full of grace

He shares his first name with several saints: St. Alexander, St. Alexander Nevsky, Pope Alexander, and so on.

His middle name is after Chris's maternal grandfather (so Xander's great-grandpa).

He has Chris's crazy pinky toe. And Chris's eye shape, nose, ears, shoulders. I'm beginning to question if he's mine at all.

Future bodybuilder?




All is well around here. Xander is nursing for longer amounts of time each feeding so that is good. We (I) are (am) looking forward to our first trip to church tomorrow!

All of the details

Details can mean Too Much Information, so this is not for the faint of heart.

So some of you may have heard that Monday (Sept. 17) was a little rougher than usual for me. I had cramps all day, plus a few other things that really only reminded me of having my period. But I had a good day, went to Molly Woo's for dinner with Ikkin (there is something about the Pineapple Chicken) and my parents stopped by for a few minutes while in town. Within an hour Sarah, Mandy and Lori had all called me and left messages checking how I was. Verrrrry ominous. But I had a headache that became a migraine that kept me up half of the night, which is another precursor of the dreaded period.

So Tuesday (Sept. 18) I skip the usual breakfast with Chris and lay in bed for a while. When he's ready to leave for work I get up to give him a hug, but halfway there I feel a gush. So I say 'hang on' and hurry to the bathroom where stuff is running down my legs. I hurry up and sit down and think 'Gee, I've never had this much trouble with my bladder before' and wait for the gush to stop. It does not, it just becomes a trickle. Chris finally says 'I'm going to be late, love you, see you later!' Meanwhile every time I try to stand the gushing starts again. Finally I notice that it is a nasty green color. Hmmm, this could be my water breaking. Finally after 20 minutes and two clothes changes I can leave the bathroom.

Side note: I was told that about 11% of pregnant women have their water break and that it smells like cleaner or bleach. And it's usually only a trickle. Since I'm a math person, I figured the odds were against me and there was no smell, bleach or otherwise. So I was just confused. Also, everything had been going so smoothly with the pregnancy I really believed I'd be late and giving birth to a 10 pounder.

So I grab my phone and call the doctor to ask. The receptionist said she'd talk to a nurse and call me right back. After 5 minutes I figure I can at least Google it, so I jump on the internet and can't find much about my situation. Meanwhile, every time I lean forward there is a little gush.

The receptionist calls back after 15 or 20 minutes and says to come on down to the doctor's office. I have a 5:30 appointment, but that is waiting too long obviously. So I call Chris and tell him not to freak out and that my water may have broken. We discuss strategy (meet here, there, where?) and he finally tells me I'm babbling and to go take a shower and get the bags.

By 9:30 he is home and we hit the road with the hospital bags and wondering if this was IT. Duhn-duhn-DUHN! The nurse practitioner saw us pretty quickly and did two tests that said yes, my water did break. So we were told to head to the hospital pronto. But I made Chris stop at a CVS to get snacks and we stopped at an ATM for some money.

Meanwhile, while I had been on the internet I felt those pesky cramps again. But they were sharper and were getting my attention. Huh, so those were contractions! When we left I grabbed paper and pen and tracked them. By the time we were on the way to the hospital they were roughly five minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds to a minute. Labor must have started because every time I would write down a time Chris asked if that was a contraction and I had to fight the urge to jab him with the pen.

When we arrived at the hospital I expected to be stuck in a room with monitors for an hour and then told to suck it up and go home for a while. Instead I was stuck talking to the financial lady because the pre-registration I did online last week had not gone through yet. She was nice, but would have definitely gotten jabbed except that Chris had the pen at that point.

We were then shown to our labor and delivery room and told we were straight up being admitted since my water broke. So I got changed and the contractions kicked up a notch. I sat on a birth ball (a regular exercise ball) and tried to breath. Chris was a champ and totally supportive even when I was snapping at him to "Stop HOVERING", "Stop TALKING" or "Stop BREATHING".

Then they wanted to give me Pitocin to help me along, which I did not want. But the doctor was concerned that there was meconium in the fluid and it could cause an infection in the baby. So I received the hormone and my contractions kicked way up, which was supposed to help me get dilated since I was still only 2 cm.

They offered to give me a narcotic to help deal with the pain, because curling up in a fetal position whimpering is not very ladylike. I declined because I'm stubborn but Chris prodded me in the other direction and I had some hooked up to the IV. Pretty soon I was as high as a kite and 4 cm. I still had pain, but I breathed with Chris's help and then just shut my eyes in between contractions. But at this point I did have the shakes really, really bad. None of the books mentioned that!

That's when the anesthesiologist decided to talk to me about getting an epidural, when I couldn't focus on anything. Thanks. She basically said an epidural would be best since there was the entirely small chance I'd need an emergency Cesarean section and I couldn't do general anesthesia due to my malignant hypothermia. I declined. However, after more shaking and pain Chris said some magic words to me (heck if I know, I'm still gliding on the high kite) and I agree to get one. So I found myself bent over and controlling my shaking long enough to get a huge needle shoveled into my spine.

I've always heard how epidurals go wrong and don't work or half work. It worked perfectly for me. I didn't feel any more contractions but could still move my legs. Then I get a visitor! My little brother Lee heard I was in labor and stops in to chat. That gives Chris a quick break to get food. Lee even helps him bring in the rest of our bags while I found out I was suddenly at 8 cm.

Lee headed out of there and we sit around watching the machine tell me I'm having contractions. Then the nurse tells me I'm ready to push. Huh? It's only 3:30 or so, the sun is shining. Shouldn't I be in labor for 10 more hours? Nope, pushing it is. Meanwhile, Chris gets to see what is happening and gets this wide-eyed amazed look at what he sees. And somehow the nurse talks me into putting down the mirror so I can see too. Too many drugs, I tell you. But we stop pushing because the baby's heart beat keeps slowing down whenever I push.

The doctor and a plethora of nurses come in, forceps are used, and Xander is born. He's quiet at first and that worried me because meconium might have gotten into his lungs. But soon he was howling away and getting all of his measurements. The highlight was when the doctor says "Hey, look at this umbilical cord, it's so long!" and he holds it out and the nurses all 'ooooh' astonishingly. I guess the cord was wrapped around Xander's neck twice, which was causing the problems with his heart beat when I pushed.

But he's a healthy boy, I've recovered with little damage (darn them, I said I didn't want an episiotomy) and Chris was the best supportive husband ever. And that is how Xander was born!

here he is...

Here is our Xander!

7 lbs 8 oz
19.2"

9/18/07 4:27pm

(editted, the correct date is the 18, NOT the 17, Chris was loopy with happiness when he typed that)

I lost the bet...

Well, good thing I didn't put any money down on the bet whether or not Amanda would progress from Dr. appointment last week. In case I didn't call you already, she (we) had the baby!

Cliffnotes version:
She was feeling crampy yesterday and last night, but didn't realize that contractions felt just like cramps. So this morning I go off to work and she gets out of bed and there is a gush. Oh yea, her water broke alright. So after a series of phone calls to the dr, me and the dr again I end up coming home from work and driving us to the dr's office. The dr confirmed that it was amniotic fluid and told us to go to the hospital. So we get to the hospital by 11am.

The contractions started getting hot and heavy and they gave her some drugs. A bit later she got an epidural, then about 4pm the nurse checked on her and whoa, the baby is right there and you need to push.

Wait a sec, that's it? We've only been here for 5 hours! I thought this would take days! I'm not ready for this yet!

So after 3 or 4 sets of good pushing a healthy baby boy popped out, 7 lbs 8oz and 19 inches. We named him Alexander Robert, for short we will call him Xander. I liked just Xander, but Amanda vetoed that because later in life he might want to be called something else and Alexander is a Saint's name as well. The middle name is from my maternal grandfather.

Xander.

So I'm stopping at home now to make sure the cats are fed and headed back to the hospital to sleep on the pullout couch.

I'll try and put up some pictures tomorrow.

bets?

Anyone willing to wager any bets as to Amanda status at her Dr tomorrow? Do you think she'll be:

A: same as last week. 2cm dialated 50% effaced
B: further dilation and effaction

I betcha it'll be A.

week 37

Here we are, week 37.


I put the car seat in the car this weekend. Just to get used to the idea...and I don't know where else to put it in the house. I think she's got her bags packed for the hospital.

Amanda is now able to balance bowls and cups on her belly while she is sitting.

And here is some of the finished room. That's the dresser I've been yapping about for the past 2 months; finally complete and serving as a changing table.

side note

I posted about the baby shower, but it's further down the blog (September 4th).

I (THINK we) are ready

Peanut's room is done. The dresser is finished and has drawer liners. Most of the clothes are washed. The crib has cushions in it and blankets are ready for it. Glider is bought and assembled. We have a car seat and it's installed. Amanda's bags are somewhat packed.

Amanda has some other details to finish up, but I'm finished preparing for Peanut.

Your move Peanut.

weekend recap

So we had this baby class over the weekend on birthing babies. It was quite useful since "...I don't know nothin' 'bout birthing babies." It was a good class, we went over breathing techniques and got to watch a birth video.

They also had some goofy acronyms that they told us. There was PAIN for contractions (purposeful, anticipated, intermittent and normal), COAT for when the water breaks (color, odor, amount and time) and 5 1 1 for contractions (5 minutes apart, 1 minute in duration and 1 lasting 1 hour --that means go to the hospital).

We also had fun trying to read the greek letters on the instructors inner left foot below her ankle. To me it looked like alpha xi delta and a rose, but it was hard to tell because tattoos hold their beauty with age.

Oh, and are you ready for real scary news? Amanda went to the doctor today and she is 2 cm dilated and 50-60% effaced. Oh sh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!t was my reaction. I needed a shot of vodka after hearing that, but since I was at work that really wouldn't work out. The doctor also said that anytime now within the next 2 weeks.

Right now I still have the deer in the headlights scared feeling. Good thing we bought the stroller and car seat yesterday. I guess I better pay attention in the "First 3 months" class tomorrow on how to change a diaper.

week 36

Ta da!



Week 36...is great! We had our birth class this past weekend and spent alot of money at babys r us this past weekend. I'll try and fill in more details tommorrow on those, but right now I need to get to bed and give up the computer to Amanda.

The Baby Shower

My baby shower was great! Here's a little recap of what went down.

It started at 2 with food. Sarah and Nikki had a great spread of wraps, sandwiches, veggies, fruit, brownies and lemon squares. Oh, and punch (I couldn't get enough of that), lemonade and fancy mint-lemon water to drink. People kept arriving and I got the chance to get around to everyone and say hey.
Then came the games. First was a game to embarrass me - everyone had to cut the length of string they thought it would take to go around my big belly. I must look huge because almost everyone had one too long. The winner was my mom, probably because she's given me so many hugs. There was still talk of a conspiracy though.

Next was the dirty diaper game. I've heard of it, but never seen it played. It is at the same time gross but oh so entertaining to watch. They took 10 diapers and melted a different candy bar in each. So the guests had to guess which diaper had which candy bar by passing it around and smelling it and looking at it. I tried to get some people to taste, but there were no takers.

Finally was the name game. I pulled a letter out of a bag and everyone had to make a list of names starting with that letter. We did this twice, once with B and once with N. It was funny how some people just would go totally blank under pressure (my sister's friend is Brittany and she totally forgot until the end) and others were getting all sorts of names (like Bentley).

Then came the cakes I made, everyone seemed to enjoy them and there was enough leftover for Chris to take into work. And of course, the presents. Wow, it's so great to be so loved and everyone to be so excited for us. Now we have pretty much everything we need to welcome the little one home!
A big thanks to everyone who made it that day, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

A huge thanks again to Sarah and Nikki for organizing this for me!!

One Month To Go

I feel a little pale and clammy when I think too hard on that fact. One month. Maybe less (maybe more). I just try to stay focused and not get sick.

At the Labor Day party, people were so great and helped out and asked if I was doing ok. I did great all day, I was kind of proud of myself. I thought for sure I'd need to just lay down for a while. The hardest part was playing Cornhole and having to pick up the bags. I did really feel it on Sunday morning though. Tired, sore back, achey, bleh. It's a good thing Chris is so wonderful and didn't bug me about cleaning up after the party.

Several people have commented about how I was still wearing my rings. I leave them on all of the time, so it doesn't occur to me that they might be too snug. I gave that up after this weekend. It was a great weather and it still hurt to try to turn them around, so I'm wearing them on a necklace now.

The baby classes start this week! Chris will miss the first two, but should be back for the important one on Saturday, "Labor and Delivery". Today I have "The First 3 Months" which will continue next week. Since we have no friends nearby with kids and no close relatives with kids, we need this just to cover 'common sense' things and what to expect and hopefully how to diaper the little guy. Later this week will be the breastfeeding class. Most of the books I've looked at cover this, but I feel like this is an area where I'll need something more than illustrations in a book. I hear there are a lot of great resources out there for breastfeeding, so hopefully I'll get lots of pamphlets at the class.

week 35

Week 35:


We were at the movies friday night and Peanut's heel or some other pointy appendage was poking out of Amanda's belly. It looked like she was starting to grow an antler right out of the middle of her belly. But then he moved and it was only there for 10 seconds or so, but it was really funny.

cutting it up

We are just cutting it up tonight.

C: Sweet, look at that vein! It looks like a stick figure!
A: Gross! (pulls shirt back down over belly)
C: Can I trace it with a pen?
A: No!!
C: C'mon, it'll be cool, like hieroglyphics!
A: No! It's my belly.
C: Whatever, it's my belly too.
A: (mockingly) It's not uter-you, it's uter-us.

So that got me to wondering if there is pregnant body art. Yes there is, and Google has all the answers (and photos).

A little more creepy is the belly casting. No thanks.

And I never knew what a placenta looked like. Thank you Google image search (shudder).

Controversies

So as any current or expecting mother knows, having a baby is full of controversy. Apparently you argue with relatives, friends and even perfect strangers about what is best for baby. Such as:

Have the baby sleep on back or stomach? (Back is now the commonly accepted form, that alone has apparently dramatically cut down the rate of SIDS).

Breastfeeding vs. formula?

Cloth diaper vs. disposable?

But wait! There is now another alternative to the diaper situation. I have seen the book at the library on this, but am not in any way tempted.
Diaper free babies!

Also, Baby Einstein is taking a hit. What, they want me to actually interact with my child?

I'll give everyone the fun details of the baby shower soon, I'm trying to get a few more pictures. Because the one of Dandy sniffing a diaper will be priceless!

week 34

Week 34:


Her belly is starting to get hard sometimes. Mostly when she is moving around....like tonight when we were out for our walk we had to stop and take a break.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Thank you to Sarah and Nikki for throwing my wife a wonderful baby shower!

And thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful baby things. I'll figure out how to use them eventually.

herd of preggers

From time to time pregnant women may be found in packs.


Now I know everyone knows the pregnant one on the right, but the other girl that Amanda is belly to belly with is Lacey! For those of you who don't know Lacey she is the one who introduced us a long, long time ago back at UT. Well, not really introduced. It's complicated, but in a nutshell this girl named Becky asked me out on a date, I was dating someone else at the time, but we became friends and through Becky I met Lacey. A few months later Lacey turned 21 and had a party, Amanda and her roommate Becky (a different one) were there. Amanda and her Becky left and I asked Lacey "Who where those two?", because they were both blonde and hot. I asked if either one was available and she said that one was engaged but she couldn't remember who (Lacey has a knack for remembering important details). Then Lacey had another 21st birthday party (because her bday was in the middle of the week and being that we were engineering nerds we couldn't tie one on) and Amanda walked in --I'll never forget that --hoowee those legs! So then I twisted Lacey's arm and made her introduce us.

So that's the how I met your mother story for Peanut and the rest of you!

So then we got hitched and we made Lacey the reader, then Lacey got hitched to Steve.



Aww, what a nice couple!

Since Lacey can't make it to the shower this weekend, we had to meet up with her so her and Amanda could rub bellies. We had a fun time chatting and catching up. I think it was the first time I've been around Lacey and she didn't drop her beer--I think it was only because she isn't allowed to have any.

week 33, I think

Here we are, week 33.



Every time I look at the baby ticker at the top of the page I only shudder in horror a little bit worse each time.




Goodness, what have we gotten ourselves into!