Bunny Buddy

For his first Easter, my MIL gave Isaac a big blue bunny. At the time, this bunny was bigger than he was. We gave it to him right away, but he wasn't really interested in it too much besides to chew on it occassionally and to feel the silky fur. We put it into his crib, which he wasn't sleeping in, and it occassionally moved around his room, before ending up back in his crib permanently. Now? He loves it. I mean, he looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooves it. Loves it so much that for months it had a hole in the back from where he had pulled on it repeatedly. Once he got big enough, while he was "supposed" to be sleeping or when he woke up and was waiting to get up, he would yank the stuffing out of the hole and toss it all over the floor aroudn his crib. Oh, the bunny massacres we saw. Last week I finally put more stuffing in and stitched him up. Perfect timing.

Isaac wants the bunny to go EVERYWHERE. He shows me "bun-neee" every morning when I get him up. He cuddles him immediately when he lays down. The pillow in his crib is pointless. He only wants to lay on the blue bunny. And more often than not, bunny has to follow us to breakfast and sits ontop of another chair to watch mickey mouse with him while I get ready. He drags bunny around by his long ears or holds him tight around the middle and toddles around haphazardly because the bunny is still about as long as he is.

Sweetly, sometimes "bun-nee" comes out as "bud-deee." This led us to refer to blue bunny as Bunny Buddy.

New Traditions

One of the hardest parts about living in California is being so far away from family for the holidays. Since we moved out here in 03, we haven't been home for Thanksgiving once. We were lucky enough to go home for Christmas for the first two years....then we both got promotions and the retail schedule is unforgiving. We went home the Christmas before I got pregnant. It was the first time we had been back east for the holidays in 2 years. Last year we didn't go because I was too pregnant, and I just squeezed my baby shower in Ohio in before the cutoff flying date.

We talked about going there for this Christmas, but nixed the idea early on. Traveling with a baby has proved difficult. We weren't so thrilled about the idea of traveling with him during the busiest time of the year. Plus it's cold. Cold and freezing, traveling with a baby during the busiest time of the year. Hmmm, yeah...no thank you.

Anyway, Ben and I have our new traditions that we have started for our family. It was really important to us. The first Christmas we were out here alone was hard. And it forced us to make the holidays ours. We want to make this holiday special for Isaac, even though he won't really remember until he gets older.

Every year, I go see the Nutcracker ballet with my friend K. The SF ballet company is amazing, and the Opera House is absolutely stunning.

I bake Christmas cookies for friends. Last year was the first year that I didn't get to, again because of moving and baby showers. Usually I make alot. I think my record is um....21 kinds. in 2.5 days. This year, I did only 8 and that was enough. Isaac helped. He sat in his high chair or jumperoo and supervised.

We got Santa paper for Isaac's presents from Santa. I remember this from when I was a little girl. the presents from Santa were always in different paper, decorated with some image of Santa.

I started making Isaac a stocking. It isn't finished (umm, mom FAIL), but it is quite extensive. I haven't embroidered in YEARS and there are beads and sequins...oh my. Regardless, he still has a stocking and now I know for our next child to start en utero.

We have breakfast together. Usually cinnamon rolls, but tomorrow it's macademia nut pancakes and sausage.

We bought one of those recordable storybooks. Ben and I alternated reading pages. We gave it to Isaac tonight and he loved it. He was enthralled by our voices and turning the pages to make the recordings start. We will have him read it every Christmas with us.

We started Isaac's ornament collection last year. I made train ornaments for shower favors and he will have one of each color. This year I added a Handy Manny ornament. We will make him a first Christmas ornament tomorrow.

Some of these traditions are old, from our families. Some of them we came up with. Either way, we are excited to have these traditions for our new family. We are excited to celebrate our first Christmas as parents with our vibrant little boy.

Star Athlete

A while ago I fed my baby crack habit, and purchased the PP bathtime hippo set for Isaac. It has four different round toys that go in one bigger hippo that floats. Isaac took an instant liking to one of the round toys, a red and clear ball with a small yellow fish inside. He started throwing it and crawling after it.

The little ball disappeared for a few days and in the meantime, Isaac found a similar toy in the cat toys: a blue and white ball with a small gray mouse inside. I couldn't be one to let my son play with the kitty toys, so the next time I was at Tar.get, I found a set of 4 larger foam balls: one basketball, one soccer ball, one baseball, and one football.

HE LOVES THEM!

And he is already showing signs of being a sports enthusiast:

And you can be sure his Daddy is THRILLED. :)

The Many Hats of Isaac Lahman

He wears many hats, mainly because I make him. Or at least make him try them on at Tar.get. :) He likes it. He hams it up most times. MOST times. Sometimes he is just plain mad or annoyed. I think I am into the hats because they are really the only accessory that you can get away with on a baby boy. Well, that and shoes. But baby shoes are expensive. And in my opinion a waste of money until they are walking.

Anyway, the point is I put lots of hats on my baby. :) He's a hat wearing boy. The hospital started it, when he was born and they put the little yellow knit hat on him. He just looked so darn cute. I simply continued it. And he has tons that are just coming up in size.

And we don't always buy all the hats. We just have lots of fun trying them on...the ones we do buy, I wash the heck out of them. :) I am sure other people do what I do.

And incidently, the first picture was taken the day he was born. The last one was taken yesterday night.

Movin' On Up.

My baby has been crawling for two weeks now. After about a week, he discovered he could pull himself up on his knees if he grabbed a hold of the couch, the kitty condo, chair legs, etc. He also figured out that once on his knees, he could push things, like his activity chair. So guess what he likes to do ALL THE TIME now?

He has also started to stand still when we hold his hands and pull him into a standing position. He takes a few steps, then starts to cry.

Regardless, it inspired my husband to put this together this morning:

Yep, that's a walker!

Seriously, I can barely keep up with the crawling baby! He wants to walk already?! The past few nights I have been so pooped, I go to bed at 8:30! And I can't tell you how many times I have yelled "Isaac, what's in your mouth NOW?!"

Sigh.

And in case you couldn't tell, I am going to give the NaBloPoMo (is that right?) a whirl. 2 down....28 to go! :)

Eight

I have an eight month old baby boy.

WOW. 8 months already.

Yes, Isaac has hit his 8 month mark. I look back at the past 8 months, even the past month alone, at how much he has changed.

He has teeth! FINALLY THANK YOU GOD. His bottom two front teeth have come in. He still has 2 eruption cysts for a few more. Here's hoping those come in soon!

I took him for his flu shot shot a while back. He didn't even cry. I distracted him by blowing in his face. Anyway, at this appointment he weighed 18 pounds 2 ounces.

And he's mobile! He is balancing on all fours and scooting backwards. Every day I expect to see him shooting forward. I have been baby proofing like crazy...and I may or may not have found Pre.cious Plan.et outlet plugs. He also sits up upsupported and tries his hardest to get into that position by himself. He's just not quite there yet.

His vocabulary has become quite vast, just not in context. He says dada, hi, mamo (I think this is mama. But it comes out maaaaamoooo), and hot. This is my fault. I sing Nelly's Hot in Herre to him when changing him. And I noticed that when I do, he says Hot, Hot, Hot! And I swear that yesterday while Ben and I were both home and he was in his jumperoo, he said "thank you" which sounded like "ank ooo." He blows all kinds of raspberries and also makes a high pitched gurgling noise, a "brrrrrrrrrrrr" of sorts. It's hard to describe. But I hear it in my head and it makes me smile. :)

He uses both hands together and independently. He will pick up things with both hands together and individually, and even something in each hand at the same time. He is trying to figure out how his toys actually work. He loves pushing buttons on things. Whenever I mix his cheerios and puffs together, he separates them out. It is so fun to watch him "work it out" in his mind. He loves animals. He loves "Handy Manny" and starts laughing when we sing the song to him, which he can totally identify. If he isn't paying attention and I start an episode for him, when the music starts he automatically turns his little head and smiles. He also loves Wh.eel of F.ortune. Yep. And I let him watch it. He loves watching the wheel spin and the letters appear. Shut up, it's educational!

We are still breastfeeding exclusively. Eight months down. I really want to make it to 12, but if we get to nine with no problems, I will be happy. At 10 months, I am going to start pumping exclusively....I think. I am just so hesitant to change things that are working for us...also for him to grow up in any way. He is eating solids like a champ. He has definate favorites in squash, peaches, avocados, and peas. He finger feeds himself banana chunks, cheerios, puffs, and yogurt melts. We have started small chicken and carrot chunks, but the texture is throwing him off. He still has his own spoon while he eats and he is sticking it into his food and eventually getting some into his mouth. We are working on the sippy cup. He definately knows what it is, but is not that adept at it yet. He is great at holding his bottle, though.

We need to work on his sleeping habits. He is still waking up at night and I just can't let him cry it out. I have excuses galore, mostly "he's teething and in pain" or "he doesn't feel good" or "we will try it this weekend when we can get more sleep." I know, I know. I just have to bite the bullet. Most times he just needs a little comforting, but others he really is hungry. I just don't know what to do. He occassionally sleeps through the night when he is really tired, but not very often. He is still sleeping in a 4-5 hours chunk when he goes down and then wakes up one or two times after that. He sometimes falls asleep soon after I pick him up, but sometimes not until he has ate a little. He doesn't want to be put down but fusses if I am holding him.

And he still hates pacifiers. Unless he picks it up himself in his playpen. Which, incidently, he doesn't like most time. He likes to be free.

He is still in 6-9 month clothes and size 2-3 diapers (god bless you, Pampers for the inbetween size). We scored alot of Rob.eez on Eb.ay. I love those! And he can't pull them off his feet like socks. But sorry, not paying $30 a pair.

He has such personality now. It becomes more and more evident every day. His preferences stand out, as well as his dislikes. It is so amazing to watch him grow into his own person but so bittersweet. I still can't bring myself to pack up the basinett. I still look at it at night and it twinges at my heart. I know I say this every month, but seriously, where the hell does the time go?

Now I'm A Believer

I am not opposed to holistic medicine. Herbal treatments, acupuncture...whatever. BUT, I don't favor it. I am not a die hard all natural, all organic, hi my name is Rain and my skirt is made of wheat type girl. I wanted a natural childbirth, but it didn't work out that way. Epidural = Love. However, for my next pregnancy (not any time soon!), I am going to try for a natural again. Bottom line, drugs are great if I need them, but other treatments are fine as well. Western medicine, Eastern medicine, whatever. If it does the job let's try it.

Isaac went to the pediatrician on Friday because he was running a little fever and pulling at his ear. Uh oh. I knew what that meant. Sure enough, he has a double ear infection, but not so severe that he needed antibiotics. I like our Dr. in that he won't pump my baby full of drugs just because. Not saying that other doctors would, but I like his approach. He told me to watch his temp, keep giving him tylenol and motrin, etc., keep his head out of the water in the bath, and if it seemed to get worse to call back on Monday and we would try some medicine then.

And then he checked Isaac's tooth situation. Or lack thereof. He felt his gums and said he feels the "bump" for the bottom ones. Any day now, but it could still be awhile. Great! :( Apparently teething can cause ear infections, because of the same nerve endings in the jaw. Poor baby.

He asked what I was giving him. And then asked if I wanted to try a Holistic (am I even spelling that word right?) teething necklace from India. He said it was over 90% effective in all the patients he had given it to, and had it on his own children. Apparently, he didn't even notice when his baby cut 4 more teeth.

I said I was desperate and I would try anything if it gave Isaac some relief and me some sleep. :)

The nurses came in and put on this:

It is just a tiny little alloy bead that is threaded on a black string. Isaac hasn't even noticed it. Something about the metal and nerve endings...I don't know.

But so far, IT IS AMAZING. Isaac is in a better mood, and he isn't chomping on everything in sight. We've cut back on the teething tablets. He is sleeping better (to a degree...he still has an ear infection). I am sleeping better. He is back to only waking up once or twice a night when the pain meds wear off, as opposed to the 5-6 times a night.

I don't know how it works. Or even if it is all in my head. But I will say this much: This weekend has been way better on the teething front!

I'm a believer. He will keep it on as long as he can.

Everyone Needs to Wear Sunscreen

Especially in Northern California! It was hot, hot, hot, scorchingly HOT this weekend.

And nothing makes a beastly hot weekend better than a teething baby boy in a house with no AC or screens on the windows for that matter.

Finally, yesterday afternoon when Ben came home from work, we broke down and bought a kiddie pool. And let me say, how they have changed since I had them as a little girl! I remember them being just big ol' round plastic pools. We were lucky if mom sprang for the one with the built in slide. They were like $5. Tar.get had no such pools. And my lord, were there ever a numerous amount of choices! Seriously, it's a paddling pool. My head almost blew up from the stress of the right investment (cause seriously they were all about $25...for a kiddie pool!). Had the hubs not been there, I would have said screw it and bought a huge rubbermaid tub.

We settled on a pool, and stocked up on more box fans. As Isaac snoozed, we set up the pool.

It's nice to know that some things about kiddie pool don't change. For example, you still have to let the sun warm the water. I am not that patient. I dumped about 5 bucketfuls of hot water in it to speed up the process.

At long last, Isaac was awake, slathered in SPF 75 (true story. although I am pretty sure anything over 35 all works the same. maybe it is just peace of mind for mothers to think that their child is covered in an invisble jacket), and in his Ne.mo swimmie diaper. Into the pool he went.

I should have remembered how long it took him to learn to love the bath. He was scared. I am pretty sure the neighbors had the phones in their hands to dial child services. We put him on the bath sling, but he still didn't get it. Finally, Mommy had to climb in the pool with him. In her shorts. But damn, it felt GOOD.

Once I was in the pool with him, he loved it. He splashed and swam around til the it started to cool down (love living 15 minutes from the coast...like free AC at night).

I, however did not put on sunscreen...and I got a little burnt. And PS....I really want the FP Precious Planet Magic Sprinkles pool...and tried hard to feed my addiction....alas, there were no local or online dealers. See how fancy smancy this pool is? And we picked the least extravagant one. True Story. Again, pool manufacturers who supply Tar.get...IT'S A KIDDIE POOL. FANCY NOT NEEDED!

And Friday night marked the first meal of green beans! LOVED IT! and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the BabyCook. LOVE IT! We ate rice cereal and green beans for dinner the past 3 nights. A few more nights of the beans we will move to carrots, I think. :) And let me note, my husband is only brave enough to spoonfeed when I am standing right there.

Five

This time five short months ago, I was happily drugged up to high heavens, slurping down jello...

a few hours, more drugs, and some hefty grunts and pushes later, out popped this critter:



Five months old today. FIVE! It seems like only yesterday, I was typing up a post about turning four months. For that matter wasn't it like last week that I was announcing someone popped out three weeks before his due date? Man, oh man, how the times races by!

The past month has seen so much growth and change, he's like a different baby. If I hadn't been there to witness it all, I would say you were talking about a different child alltogether.

Isaac eats solids like it is his job. He knows that when the high chair is pulled out from the table, and the bib fastened around his neck, it is ON! Here comes the good stuff. He is eating about 2-3 ounces of cereal per sitting teice a day and getting one cereal bottle. We conquered Rice and Oats, and are in the midst of barley. He's not such a fan (don't worry, Daddy...I am sure this is not an indicator that your son will not drink beer), so I am saying screw the barley, green beans here we come! Tomorrow afternoon the BabyCook will make it's debut on my counter and will be filled with organic green goodness. No turning back now!

Given his start on solids, Isaac is moving toward three meals a day with light bottle/boob snacks in between. Sigh....Why am I seeing him eat cheeseburgers as he drives off in his car to head to college all of a sudden?

And he's a mobile man. He still can't quite roll from belly back to belly, but he is really close. And I don't know how, but he can turn himself all around on his play mats. His thighs are monstrous from all the jumperoo action and I am afraid he is going to kick right through the bassinet walls.

Catch that? We are still in the bassinet. And I don't want to talk about otherwise until we are back from our Oh.io wedding trip in 2 weeks (Hear that K? You are getting married in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

He's grabbing toys and chatting up a storm. His preferences are evident more and more everyday. He loves him some snowflakes and ducks (seriously is there a baby einstein with ducks in the snow?), his lama.ze cow, sophie the giraffe, and dancing to "front, back, side to side...front front, back back, side to side." He grabs brother and sister kitty when he can. He chats and squeals up a storm. Bath time is Daddy time, and he loves the water. We introduced bath toys last night and he is rivetted by the Mun.chkin Sq.uirters. He is fascinated by Curious Geroge and I am pretty sure his first word will be mono. Sometimes at night when he is fussing for food, I distinctly hear "Maaaaaaaaaaa-ma." He loves meeting new people and hams it up for the ladies. I'm already defensive of my handsome boy...back off girls, he's mine, all mine! Break his heart and I will hurt you...

And my favorite thing: If I lean close to him he grabs my hair with both hands and pulls my face toward his, and plants wetness all over my cheeks and nose.

He is trying desperately to sit up. When we grab his hands he starts to hoist himself. He let go of one arm and let him balance. Or he lets go because he loves the flop backwards. :) He's getting there.

He's still really small...some 3 month onesies still fit and 3-6 month clothes are still roomy on him. His feet are monstrous. His hair is lighter, and his eyes have remained blue with flecks of green and gold.

Yep, it ws just five short months ago that my life changed forever. Five months ago that I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much and so hard. There is just no phrase that fits. I just love him hardcore, my precious little pumpkin face.

Baby Crack

Someone needs to alert the police to Satan's minyons at work down at the Fish.er Pri.ce HQ....they are known distributors of baby crack...or should I say Mommy crack?

Our drug of choice? Precious Planet. Had I known that this collection would arrive soon after my newborn arrival, I would have held off on several purchases to acquire this collection. And my husband informs me that I am not, under any means, to buy an additional swing, play pen, bouncer, jumperoo....etc. I think he threw in the words "baby spending allowance" and "therapy."

Seriously, I can't stop buying the stuff. While I am forbidden on the larger scale items, I have snuck in quite a few of the smaller ones. And like a typical addict, the receipts and goods are well hidden. So far we have scored some kick butt dope in the form of hooded towels, wash clothes, a monkey bank, 2 blankets, a slew of bibs...and this:

And I am totally blaming this gal for enabling my addiction because she tweeted this link and being the twittering fool I am, I fell right into her drug ring. (Note: I don't know if this was the EXACT link, but it's pretty darn close...I followed it from my blackberry and the internet is sometimes not so hot in that form.)

Yep, this adorable little piano that Isaac can play with his feet gave me my next buzz. And I think him, too. He loves it! He's like a little Moza.rt. And see how entranced Sophie is with his masterpieces?

Ah, but the high only lasts so long and I am already looking to score my next buzz. And soon...I'm starting to shake like a dope fiend. I am thinking it's the bath toys. Those are small and seem easy enough to hide. What I really want is the booster chair. If I get really bold in my habit, it might end up in my house sooner than later. Perhaps I can distract the hubs with something from his Daddy crack habit (Ahem! Oh.io Sta.te).....

DISCLAIMER: If I have enabled any fellow FPPP baby crack addicts, I am not sorry. If I'm going down, I am taking y'all with me! Also note, if you purchase any of said FPPP baby crack and post pictures on your blog, or even mention it, you best have an alarm system because my habit might force me to score my next buzz at your house. Or least I will be insanely jealous. :)

DISCLAMER #2: If you work for FP, I realize and fully admit that you don't ACTUALLY sell crack to babies or mothers for that matter. All in good fun, my friends. Don't call the FP peeps if you really are looking for crack.

Ghost Hunters: Sebastopol

My dear husband has recently become obsessed with the paranormal every single show related to this obsession. My DVR is thus filled with such programs as "A Hau.nting," "Par.anormal Sta.te," "Gho.st Adven.tures," "Most Hau.nted," and "Ghos.t Hunt.ers (which is the only one I will watch)." These programs FREAK ME OUT. I am not saying that I do or do not believe in ghosts or demonic possession or poltergeists, etc. All I am saying is that watching hours upon hours of these programs and then being by myself most of the time kinda gets me jumpy.

For example, my grandmother gave Isaac a little musical stuffed frog that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or the alphabet song, whichever you prefer) when you press him tummy. When we first got the frog, you had to pound on it to get any music out of it. Well, the other night I woke up to feed Isaac and I heard the frog going off in his bedroom. And not just once, MULTIPLE TIMES. When I was done feeding him, I put Isaac back in his bassinet and went to get my pump...frog still blazing away. So I went to investigate. Sure enough, there he was wedged into Isaac's stuffed animal basket having a good ol' time. I figured that he must be wedged in to tightly and the other animals must have shifted or something from the weight of all of them. Whatever. I pulled him out and set him on top, silencing him.

Or so I thought. The next morning, what do I hear? Yep, the damn frog!!!! It kept going off at random times, and each time it freaked me out more. I don't think Ben believed me.

Finally on Sunday, the wretched amphibian went off while Ben was home. I sent him to investigate. I heard it go off several more times and finally stop. According to Ben, the music box inside had shifted and was now hyper sensitive and s slight jiggle would set it off...like slamming doors or heavy footsteps or a cat jumping on the bookcase. He put the toy into a plastic toy container up in Isaac's closet, and we haven't heard it since.

According to my paranormal investigator husband, the case of the ghost frog has been debunked. He is now ready for his own show on SciFi. :)

New Projects

I made a decision about the stocking kit I want to order for Isaac. I am not allowed to order it and begin a new project until I have finished the projects on this list:

Pull all old bills and statements to be shredded; file current year's statements, etc.; and reorganize file cabinet
Create Financial binder so all relevant info is in one spot (part of my hardcore buy a house prep)
Isaac's baby book....currently a pile of mayhem
Finish Christmas cookie book (indulging my in Christmas addiction)
Go through old magazine and pull out all recipes to put in recipe binder

These projects will not all be done by the 4th, but I am aiming for the end of May. We'll see.

Christmas in April....

So I do not consider myself to be a crafty type person. I made Isaac's baby shower trains, and I just finished painting a picture frame for his room, but compared to certain godmothers who shall remain nameless ( he he :) ), my craftiness could fit on the head of a pin. However, I have this burning desire to make my son a Christmas stocking. I did some browsing today via internet and I found this one that I really like from Buc.illa:

I love Christmas. I love decorating, baking cookies (which may be an understatement given Christmas cookie weekend), buying and wrapping gifts, Christmas music....you name it and I love it. I am thinking that making this stocking will take me quite a bit of time given my new distractions and what seems to be A.D.D....seriously, right now I am supposed to be making a mexican meatloaf for dinner. And what am I doing? Shopping for a stocking that I should not buy yet and won't be able to start for about a month or so. I guess it is just my new compulsive nature or OCD to have everything done and done right now....except the meatloaf. :)

Oh! and I got my first insurance statement for my labor and delivery. The hospital billed them over 13k. My insurance believes that they only need about 4k, of which I only have to pay about $800. Whew. I was expecting way more. The Dr.'s contracted rate for labor and delivery and post partum care is covered 100% so I don't have to worry about that. Whew again. (Ps. his rate was over 5k....and he was seriously in my room for 20 minutes.) The only thing that I haven't seen yet is the anesthesiologist (sp?) bill for the happy meds. EPIDURAL = LOVE. However, I do not believe that will make up the balance of my OP max which is $2500 per year. And of that amount I had already used about 200 I think. We kept notes on every pill, pad, and napkin we used in the hospital. Everytime I asked for something or they brought me anything, we wrote it down (by we I mean my husband....I was otherwise occupied with pushing a baby from my loins). Thankfully, my madre is an insurance coder and biller, so she will go over everything before we pay a cent.

And I will close with an Isaac update and picture: the cry it out method...not working so well. I did get him to nap though (still sleeping in fact) on my bed by doing the side nurse. Another skill he has mastered at least somewhat is that when I go to change his diaper, he pulls his legs up for me once the diaper is off. :) However, he refuses to put them down when the new diaper is in place and ready to be fastened. We are working on it. He also LOVES the alphabet song. Someone gave him a leap frog toy that sings it and he laughs and laughs. I took a video but haven't figured out the software for the video camera yet.

The picture was taken by the aforementioned disgustingly talented godmother...but we love her anyway. :)

Baby Love

I know everyone says this, but I can't believe how incredibly much I love my baby boy. I am so tired, but I don't want to shut my eyes and sleep because I can't stop looking at him. Even when he is crying and fussy, I still look at him and think how beautiful he is.

We are doing good so far. Tired, of course, but we are doing ok. Isaac sleeps for about a 4 hour block each night, so we get some sleep and we are able to take naps during the day. Well, I am able to take naps during the day. Ben goes to sleep each night a bit before me and sleeps well after Isaac and I get up for his feeding. It works easier this way, because Ben will go back to work sooner than I will, assumably. Plus, Ben can't really do a whole lot for the baby at night as he doesn't have the built in milk factory.

We have a mini routine done, in which Isaac gets changed then fed then cuddled when he wakes up before he falls back asleep. He is usually asleep for 2-3 hours and wakes up for about 1-2 hours. He has a fussy block that usually lasts about 3 hours, and we have been trying to push it back to about 9 pm, instead of the 3 am time that it was for two days. We got it to about 11 pm, so he is doing good.

I have to say that I am realizing how great the advice of friends and family has been in terms of baby products I need and don't need. I had that overwhelming urge to just have everything, and I am glad I passed on some things and also got things I normally wouldn't not have.

Examples: I LOOOOOOOVE my boppy and so does Isaac. It works so well to feed him on. He loves to lay on it, in it, have belly time on it. If I would have known this, I would have gotten 2, just because we use it so much. Friend D told me the best burpie cloths were those microfiber towels, and oh my god was she right. Not only are they cheap cheap cheap, but they are so super absorbent and soft. And they double really well as boob towels after nursing. Isaac also loves his pacifiers...the first years soothie brand. These were recommended by the hospital and other friends. They are not the cutest ones, but he loooooooves how soft and easy to suck on they are. And lastly, we love those Kiddo.potamus one piece swaddlers. We got a couple for shower gifts and they work soooo well. What we really like about them is that they contain our squirmy little man so well and calm him right down. He gets swaddled in regular receiving blankets during the day and the swaddlers at night. He always manages to wiggle his way out of the blankets no matter how tight we swaddle him, which in itself is a bit difficult, because he is so squirmy. :) The one piece swaddlers work sooo well that I went and got 4 more from BRU yesterday. So thanks everyone for your advice. :) Keep it coming.

I was planning to type more birth story but it will have to wait. Someone is calling for his mommy. :)

Finally!

Ben and I have named Baby Lahman! Yay, he has a name and we love it! But...we are keeping it a secret until he arrives. We have had too many comments on names we come up with and too many people pushing the names they like. Everybody has an opinion. :)


The doctor's appointment went well. I really, really like our doctor. He is so laid back and mellow. I can go in there completely stressed out and ramped up and he always calms me down and explains that everything is perfectly normal. I lost another pound (in a week!) putting me at a loss of 2.5 pounds so far for January. The doctor seemed very unconcerned by this and assured me the baby was growing fine. With the 12 pounds I lost in the beginning, this puts my net weight gain at 15 pounds above my starting weight. He doesn't anticipate that I will gain much more weight if any, and will most likely continue to lose weight at this point. He didn't have a ped. rec. for us, but suggested some areas to look. I will have to remember to ask the people I work with. We went over my time off, and my last official working day is 2/6. Two weeks from today. :) Originally we didn't exactly budget for this extra time, but I sooooo need the rest. This is assuming Peanut does not appear early. Oh, and I do not have Strep B, which is great because I am allergic to penicillin. No pelvic exam was done and I don't know when he is planning to do one. Part of me really wants to know if the labor process has started at all, and part of me doesn't...the part that is terrified that it hasn't and is no where close to starting. We will see next week I guess.

The nursery is coming along. I made the trip to the dreaded BRU tonight and spent.....2 hours doing the registry completion. AND....I have t go back because they overcharged me....wait for it....$10. Yep, that is just how neurotic I am feeling. Ben suggested that I call customer service tomorrow because BRU is kinda far away from us, and something tells us that TRU will not be helpful in the slightest. The good news: there is really only one thing that I wanted to get that I did not, which was the newborn bottle starter set, but we will not be needing that in the near future. I also have to do a return eventually, because I bottle a set of newborn bottle nipples that we already had. I didn't realize they came with the bottles we had. The breast pump kinda scares me, even though I have seen someone use it and know that it is not. Tomorrow is a hardcore baby room day. Hopefully I can get most of it done. :)

Also....My blood sugar as been really low today. It is suppose to be less than 90 when I wake up, which it was 87, and less than 130 an hour after I eat....and after breakfast it was 86, lunch 92, and after ice cream in the afternoon, 75. I ate dinner late, so I am waiting to take my reading. I am not sure what low readings mean, but hopefully it isn't bad.

All Things Baby

Today is our 37 week appointment! But I will get to my thoughts on that in a moment.


First things first: The Baby Shower! It was sooo much fun and I had such a great time. It was nice and small with just my friends, so it was not as overwhelming as the big Ohio shower. The most important aspect of the shower, to me, was to get to see everyone before Peanut arrives. It made me really happy to see all my friends and to have them celebrate this time with me. K did a really wonderful job hosting, and kept the cutesy baby stuff to an extreme minimum to my delight. I thoroughly enjoyed the mimosas, especially after months of no alcohol. :) And of course, my favorite part, the cake, which was D-E-LICIOUS. I still got overwhelmed opening all the presents...it's something about the bags of teeny baby things that all have to be held up to view and oohed and aahed over. I talked to Ben on my way home, and he asked what we got. My response was "um....alot of bags of baby stuff and a swing (which was the only single item I could distinctly remember)." I have to say that my very favorite part of the shower, even topping the mimosas and cake :), was having Z there. It meant so much to me that she flew in just for the weekend and that short time. She also documented the shower, so I should have pictures to post. :)


We got so many great things from the shower, really boosting my "we are ready for the baby" level. Ben, being the ever patient husband that he is (which is very hard for him, let me tell you), took me to Tar.get on Monday night to do the registry completion. He was very good in the store, most likely because we got the video camera and he was anxious to play with it. We are really excited about it because it is memory card camera and is really lightweight. Oh, and its and HD camera (which everything has to be these days with Ben). We wanted this particular one so we can send videos to the family back east and such easily. It works just like a digital camera. The baby's room is definately packed with all things baby now. We even broke down and bought some diapers. BRU was having a special that if you bought 2 jumbo packs of Pampers, you would get a $15 giftcard. I definately feel more prepared for Peanut's arrival, at least in terms of having everything he needs. We have one more trip to BRU this weekend to finish up the registry there, but all that is really left there is the jumperoo, pump and supplies, and misc. crib bedding. I have massive coupons and discounts to use there, so I am pretty sure we can get it all.


I have been hard at work in the nursery. Z made some runners for the dresser tops to coordinate with our non-theme. I will try to get pictures up. I am really happy with the way it is coming together. I got the drawer liners into the dresser and all the clothes and other cloth items need in 0-3 months are currently in the laundry line. I think awhile back I mentioned that I finally found a bedding set that I liked. The problem we were having is that we didn't want to commit to one particular theme due to my love of the ocean and boats, and Ben's love of Ohio State Football. We ended up getting the set on clearance from 99.99 to 67.99. When we went back to Targ.et this week to do the registry thing, we noticed it was now 19.99! So we ended up buying another set and then I will return the one we already had since they don't do price adjustments.

Ok, the doctor: I am told he may do the pelvic exam this week. I have been have what feel like strong menstrual cramps over the past few days. I also need a rec for a pediatrician and new OB in our area. I am turning in my disability paperwork and getting all of those dates figured out. And I think I am going to ask to go on disability a week before my due date. Hopefully my BP and blood sugar are still Ok. I forgot my meter at work over the weekend and didn't get a chance to pick it up right away. Oh well.

And I think that makes this Baby Day #11. Wow.

What the F*** is this?!

Ok, before I got preggo, I was not the most patient person. This is one of the main reasons I could never be a teacher. As the pregnancy hormones keep ramping up, especially getting so close to delivery and given my increasing discomfort, my patience level has sunk even lower.


With that said:


I had noticed on BRU that the gym we chose for Peanut was on sale, 20% off. With that discount and several others we had, we could get the thing almost 50% off. Additionally, BRU just had free shipping on $100 orders. So, given my anal state of needing everything done and ready, we orderd the gym and a few other not so fun things, like the hamper. Now, when I registered for the hamper, I picked the ecru colored one. It also comes in blue and green and pink. I picked the eggshell because it was neutral and we didn't know if we were going to do a theme or anything yet. And this was one of those items that every color had an individual number so if you wanted a particular color, you scanned that one. When I did the order for the gym and hamper, I was looking for other thigns to get me above the $100 mark and noticed that some items, like pacifiers, said "Colors selected at random upon shipping" meaning that even though I chose the blue pacifiers or something, whoever filled the order to ship could just pick a color set at random, and it may not be the one I chose. Did it say this for the hamper? Um, no. Because again, each color has a seperate number you register for. AND, the free shipping didn't come through when I was placing the order online, so I had to call for assistance, at which time the kind salesperson took my entire order. When I received the confirmation email, it said "Folding Hamper - ECRU." So imagine my dismay when I open the box yesterday and pull out a box that says "Folding Hamper - PINK!" Seriously! WTF!!!!!!!!! Of all the colors available, they send the one we absolutely can't use. I was instantly ANGRY. Upon inspecting the packing slip and invoice, it indeed says "Folding Hamper-ECRU." I had to run some errands and was going by a TRU, so I took the heinous hamper in there. To my further irritation, they don't carry it there, because it is an exclusive BRU item. OF COURSE. The closest actual BRU store is about 35 minutes away from me. I called customer service when I got home, and I can return it through the mail and they will send a new one. However; I will have to pay shipping on the correct hamper! WTF!?! It was their error, not mine. I said to forget it, I will haul it to a store. So tomorrow on the way to pick up Z from the aeropuerto, I have to stop into the BRU nightmare. This situation did not help my patience level.


Then, today I discovered that the security deposit refund check that we had been waiting for and waiting for and finally received, DID NOT CLEAR THE BANK! Now we have overdraft protection just in case, but we only keep a couple hundred dollars in that account. Plus, since we were waiting so long for this freaking check, I had to use that money to actually pay bills, as all our other money is in a seperate bank that we don't live close to, so we don't take out. That means our checking account turned into one of those big inflatable houses with stuff bouncing all over the place. I was MAD. So I went to the bank and had them explain what happened. All they could tell me was that they had tried to put the check through twice and it would not clear. I then called the apartment manager. OF COURSE she was so helpful. She ended up checking with their bank and said there was plenty of money in the account and there was not anything she could do to help me. I stopped at home on my way to run a work errand to grab some lunch, and what was in the mail? The check! The bank had not been able to clear it because the manager didn't sign it! Needless to say, they got another phone call and we kinda got into it because it still apparently was not "their fault." I was asked if I checked to see if it signed before I put it in the bank, to which I responded "did you check to see if you signed it before you mailed it!?!" WTF!?! So now, in addition to my journey to BRU to return the heinous hamper, I have to swing by the old apartment in order to have the damn thing signed so I can deposit it again. And I fully intend to submit my fees to the manager once they are all in. I am MAD.

On the plus side: my hair cut went well and I love it. It is still long enough to put up and has style once again. Friend K asked what was wrong with it before and all I could say was "it was just overgrown." True story.

I did get alot done this evening. I am still obsessed with cleaning the floor. I also decided that the nursery furniture needed to be rearranged. I want the hamper, the right one that is, and the diaper genie to be on either side of the changing table and in order to do that, it needed to be moved. I put the bouncer together and it works really well. The replacement motor for the swing came and it is so much better and quieter. I understand that all swings make some noise if they had a motor, but this was BAD, especially hearing how much better this new one is. I have to call Graco to see what they want me to do with the old one. I also put batteries in the mobile. It is so cute! I love how it puts stars and stuff on the ceiling, although it is kinda distorted at the moment given the angle the crib is at. I will have to fix that. Baby stuff is so much fun to play with! I have to get more batteries to make sure everything works, and I still need to get stuff washed.

I also got my SDI paperwork completed and am ready for my maternity leave. My temp starts training full time next week, and that kinda freaks me out.

Ugh, I so need this fun weekend with Z, even though it is a short one! I just need to not obsess for a few days! :)

"No! It Just Needs to Get Done!!!!"

...is my exclamation and response to when my husband, mother, friends...pretty much anyone tells me to chill out and just wait for stuff.

Case in point: I am all hyper about making sure we have everything the baby needs before he gets here. I know my baby shower is this weekend, but I am still making lists of what needs to get bought, how much it is, what coupons I have, etc. I have been so completely hyper about this that Ben has sworn to take me to Babies R Us next Wednesday in order to get everything on my list. Countless people have told me to relax and just wait to see what we get from the shower, and that the baby really doesn't need such and such when he is first born...blah blah blah. It doesn't matter to me. IT JUST NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR MY PEACE OF MIND. It seems easier to do it now then to tote a newborn somewhere to get it.

Another example: We have new hardwood floors in the house. I do not like to feel the grit and litter beneath my bare feet. I sweep the floor about 17000 times per day. And as soon as I feel the grit, it has to be swept up right away. I can't stand it. Ben thinks I am nutso. He comes in from the garage and I sweep up the dirt behind him.

There are many examples. Really I just want it done. It is the nesting kicking in full force.

In other baby news: Today is baby day #11 (I think). 36 week appointment happens at 4:20 pm. I think they do the test for Strep B, but I am not sure. I also have a long list for the doctor as to what has been happening. ALERT: what I am about to say may be TMI for some. My boobs are leaking some runny clear gel-like stuff. I have been told this is completely normal and it is just the colostrum. It still freaks me out.

I am now able to use my belly as a table. The baby doesn't like hot plates and such so I have to put a blanket over it, but it still saves me from getting out a tray, which doesn't work anyway since the belly is too big and the tray is essentially over my knees. My new favorite thing to do is grab on to his little knees when he sticks them into my sides and shake him a little. He responds by yanking away his knee and then kicking his little feet. :) I also like to push on one side of my belly and watch the other side respond.

I am not sure what is going on with the baby shower this weekend. :) It is kind of a surprise, which I am excited about. It will be just my friends which I am really excited about, especially since I haven't seen most of them in quite some time.

I have made the decision to cut my hair. It is hella long right now, and becoming a pain in the arse. It takes forever to dry and style. I am leaving it long enough to pull up when the baby arrives, but short enough that I can actually style it in the morning.

And lastly: I keep having dreams that I go into the doctor and he tells me that my fluid is low or something and the baby has to be born right now. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

Maybe Crop Tops Will Come Back In Style....

Because seriously, I now have a ton. :)

Ok, so they aren't REAL crop tops. In the recent move, I cleaned out my closet and drawers yet again, this time with the intent of "what am I seriously never going to wear again, as a new mother?" I also tried to find anything that would fit over "the belly." I have had a hard time finding maternity clothes that fit me right, so I have been relying on longer and baby doll style shirts that I have had in my closet and hand me downs. As the days tick by, fewer items are fitting me. In fact, quite a few shirts do not cover my belly anymore but land somewhere below the belly button. So started my collection of preggo crop tops. Keeping in mind that these shirts fit me fine just a week or two ago, I may have to raid Ben's sweatshirt collection. My pjs no longer fit and the pants have to be worn well below my waist, creating a spanse of belly not covered by anything.

I can't really complain. I have had a pretty good pregnancy so far: No serious morning sickness, just some nausea. No massive headaches frequenting.

I am growing increasingly tired. Lugging around this little boy is quite tedious these days. I can't bend over to put on pants, socks, or shoes anymore. Everything must be done sitting down. Climbing in and out of bed is always a feat that involves quite a bit of grunting and rocking around (This is of great amusement to my husband. Although last night he did seem more sympathetic as I was arranging my 10,000 pillows and explaining that yes, I have to do this everytime I get in and out of bed at night). I have to potty about every 30 minutes it seems (this may be a slight exaggeration...I am known to do that from time to time). And yes, the stretch marks I fought so hard to avoid have won the battle and have emerged.

My blood sugar has been pretty good. I have had a few high readings, but nothing that could be deemed seriously out of control. I was reading about it online the other night, and am now convinced that every cramp I have is preclampsia. I have figured out what sets the sugar off, and try to avoid those foods if possible (sometimes it is just not feasible to avoid a cookie). I am sure everything is fine, but have a long list of things to go over with the doctor next week, including that I think the baby has dropped. The pressure in my hips is maddening, and my left hip gets stiff if I sit or lay too long. I then look like an old woman as I hobble around (an astute observation from Ben). I have also had a little bit of discharge that could be considered to be the start of effacing and passing of the mucous plug (sorry if that is TMI....I could have been more descriptive). I can breathe alot easier, also leading me to think Baby Lahman may have dropped and my tummy looks different. the bump is lower than before.

The nursery is coming together. We got the rocking chair in there and all of the pictures to be hung elsewhere out and on the walls last night. I finally called Graco and requested a new motor tower for the swing. It just doesn't sound right. I also registered all our products online with their various manufacturers for notification of product and parts recalls or replacements. I separated out all of the 0-3 months clothes and those are first in line for a trip to the washer. I am trying really really hard to hold off on purchasing anything else until after the shower next weekend, but it is very hard. I am at the nesting stage where everything needs to be done and ready for Peanut. EVERYTHING. Ben promised that we would go to BRU the Wednesday following the shower and get everything else we need.

Yesterday was the offical 35 week, 35 days left marker. I can't wait to meet this little boy! (He still does not have an official name). If he cooks until next week, he will be able to stay in Sonoma instead of going to a NICU in Santa Rosa.

Things to do:
-Get drawer liners for dresser
-Resubmit paperwork to hospital
-Update photos (still not done :( )
-Work on Baby Book (I did update the calendar)
-Pack hospital bags
-Get batteries
-Wash clothes and other fabrics

Oh! Ps...the kitties are doing really well with the baby furniture. Layla just hides underneath it, which is fine. Guiliani has had some incidents in the bassinet and pack and play, but he is learning. He hates the spray bottle. :)

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas for us was very different this year. We didn't have a tree, I didn't send out cards or do my Christmas cookie weekend, there were no presents to be opened (besides that for my BIL). There was so much going on this year around the holidays that it was harder to fit everything in. It will just make next Christmas more special.

We did have a nice day. My BIL stayed over on Christmas Eve and we all put together baby stuff and the last dresser. Yesterday we had a lazy morning and then finished putting together the crib and changing table. The three of us went to see "Val.kyrie." It was not an amazing movie, but it was OK. I made a pot roast and we got to see Ben's family over the webcam we got them for Christmas. It was a very laid back day, and it was nice in its own way, even though it was not what we were used to having for the holidays.

It is surreal to see the baby things assembled and in the nursery. There is still alot to be done in the next 7 weeks (eeek!), but all the big stuff is in there. It is really just a matter of cleaning and organizing. We aren't going to buy anything else until after the next shower.

I stood in that room alot yesterday, staring at the crib and turning the mobile with my hand. It still just doesn't seem to be possible that our baby boy will be in there so soon, and that we will be parents in just a few short weeks. After 33 weeks, it still hasn't really sunk in. All the clothes and blankets in the closet, all the toys and bottles and binkies...it just really seem possible that it is for MY son, and that this time next year, there will be a 10 month old boy sharing Christmas with us.

I will try to get some pictures up of the nursery and the furniture. I need to put Photoshop on this computer.