Dear McCoy: (Of One Month)
*Today is actually your 4th week, but it's not the 17th. I'm blogging today because I have time. If enough changes before the 17th, I'll add it in!
I can't believe we've made it to that one month mark. You've already grown and changed so much. Your neck is getting very strong. Your legs are strong and are always kicking. You love being swaddled in a nice soft blankey in order to take a nap. And Mommy or Daddy needs to walk around with you swaddled for you to actually fall asleep. Except at night. You get all cozy in your sleeper, eat, burp and fall right asleep in your bassinet. Right now you sleep in the same room as Mommy and Daddy. You've gotten a few kisses on your toes from Prudence. You don't mind her barking at all. You really don't care for your paci's anymore. Your eyes are a beautiful dark blue just like your Daddy's and I hope they stay that way. You enjoy stroller rides and long walks to the library or around town. So far you've had Mommy and Daddy both home with you during the day. You've had many visitors and have generally been very good for them. Mommy and you had a lot of learning to do while nursing, but now we've basically figured each other out. You toot a lot! You like to take naps in your bouncy seat which sits in your play pen so that Prudy can't get to you if Mommy or Daddy ever needs to leave the room. You HATE having a wet diaper and need it changed immediately. You and Mommy have read a lot of books. You love when Daddy helps you fly like Superman. You like laying on the couch and "working out the toots" or playing bicycle. You like looking at your black and white picture book and will look for the rattles when we shake them. You'll even track them a bit. You've been to two weddings. One you were pretty cranky, unless Frauntie Jessi was holding you, and the other you were really good and let everyone hold you. You have an adorable smile, but right now it's not in reaction to your Mom or Dad. You used to like car rides, but the last few you have screamed most of the way. You've been to church once and were basically an angel. (At least that's what it seemed like. Mommy was playing piano and didn't hear you once.) You had a hard time gaining weight at first, but now you are making up for lost time. At last check you were 9 lbs 1 oz and 20 1/2 inches. You scream during your baths. You like to be held up, or facing outward so you can see the world. Lately, you have been very awake in the mornings, and very sleepy in the evenings. You still wear all of your newborn clothes. Some are finally getting a little snug, and some are still pretty big for you. You have 5 pairs of shoes and Mommy thinks they are awesome. It's been a month filled with Mommy and Daddy trying to figure out the parenting thing, while you are just trying to figure out the world. It's been a crazy month, and your Mommy and Daddy are excited for the next.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Breastfeeding
How can something that seems so natural, seem to come unnaturally?!? I don't know if I ignored all the portions in the books that described how difficult nursing can be or if I just took the attitude "oh it won't be hard for me". Ugh, I was wrong. We seemed to do all the right things. Daddy was super supportive. Our families were supportive. I tried to nurse you right away. We didn't allow bottles. But you were not an agressive eater. You didn't understand how to latch and I didn't know what to do to help you. The nurses were so wonderful and had soooo many options as to how to help us. Because you weren't able to latch right away, we had to supplement with some formula after each attempt at nursing, and then I had to pump after each feeding as well. When I mean supplement, I mean that Daddy had to sit you up on his lap, fill a tiny little medicine cup with formula and feed that to you. And if I was able to get anything from pumping, that was feed through this syringe type deal that didn't have a needle. It has been a process. Eventually, we settled on using a shield. I'll admit, I felt like a bit of a failure. Everyone preaches about how good breastfeeding is and how you are giving your child such a head start in life. I was trying so hard, why wasn't it working?! I can understand how some people who are lukewarm about the idea would settle on formula feeding. I've had moments where I've wanted to give up, but I let them pass and keep trying. Once we came home from the hospital, we kept nursing. When we went back for your first check-up, you weren't gaining like you should have. I immediately thought "Another failure for mommy." We had a lactation consultant come out and work with us. She weighed you again and you were still dropping. As if my emotions weren't out of whack already, add this stress on top of it. We set up another weight check at the clinic. We worked with the lc on latches and how to get my milk supply up to par. Next weight check at the hospital and you were down almost a pound from your birth weight. Daddy and I were scared. You were supposed to be at least back up to your birth weight by this point. Daddy called Dr. Leino (at home-thank god for Daddy's connections) and we had a new plan. Every time we fed you, I would nurse both sides, then pump. Then Daddy would feed you 1-2 oz of formula from the cup. This process takes about an hour. You eat every two hours from the start of each feeding. We were determined to get you growing. Our next weight check was a few days later at the clinic. We put you on the scale and you were somehow 9 oz bigger. Nurse Chad informed us that this scale just got checked and was the most accurate. The scale that had you down a pound was obviously wrong. While this was a huge relief, you still weren't quite up to where you should be so we would still be supplementing. Another few days passed and the lc let us borrow the scale at home to check progress. Finally we were getting somewhere. By week three you are back to where you should be, but we're still having to do some supplementing. Even though things are better, I can't help but to be paranoid about how much you are actually getting from me. I can't tell how much milk you get at a feeding besides just watching your temperament and how am I supposed to tell if you are being fussing from being hungry, or tired, or just plain old being fussy. This nursing thing is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. We still have to use the shield and we still have to wake you up to eat. Add on top of this the fact that I'm not the type of person that is very comfortable "whipping it out" in public. Yes I have one of those shawls, but is it still weird for people to see that because they'll know what you are doing and that simply makes people uncomfortable?? I'm still determined to make this work and maybe I just need to stop worrying about what others think. It's a perfectly natural thing, even though it hasn't come so naturally to me. It's only been three weeks. Maybe I should just give us a break and be happy with the progress we have made! Or maybe I just need a nap. :)
Prudence's Reaction
So Prudence has been known to be a very spoiled weiner dog. Daddy and I will be the first to admit it. She has full reign of the house while we are away, she sometimes gets people food, she sleeps in bed with us, and is allowed on whatever furniture she likes. I was a bit nervous as to how Prudy would handle not being the baby anymore. I thought she was acting a bit more depressed a few weeks before your due date, but that honestly could have been in my head. When you were born, Grandpa Ben came to get Prudy and she stayed with them for a few days. She loves it at the farm. I guess she did miss us though. Grandma and Grandpa said that she would check upstairs every so often, just to check if we were up there. When we brought you home from the hospital, Prudence wasn't home yet either. We decided to get a day or two of parenthood under our belt before adding Prudy into the mix. And then one morning, Grandma and Grandpa brought her back. Daddy went outside first to greet her and brought one of your blankets to smell. I don't think she noticed the blanket because she was too busy kissing Daddy. Then we switched and I went outside to greet her while Daddy stayed with you inside. Once Prudy was all kissed out, we brought her in and I honestly don't think she noticed you right away. You were sleeping and she was busy making sure that everything was where she left in. We didn't let her get too near to you though. At one point, you were sleeping in your pack and play and Prudy saw you moving. She then got very curious. You started to fuss and Daddy went to pick you up. Prudy started to paw at the pack and play and barked. Daddy and I were quick to reprimand Prudence, and I think she got it. Since then, she has never barked at you. Even when you are screaming your lungs out, she acts completely normal. She very patiently waits while we hold you, until it's her turn to give us kisses. She doesn't try to jump on you, but every once and a while she tries to sneak a sniff or a lick at your feet. Someday you two will be great friends, but as for now, we will be very careful. I really think Prudence has matured since you arrived. She has been such a great puppy and has reacted much better than I thought she was. She is even so kind as to keep my spot warm in bed when I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed you. And she's still as great of a cuddler as she's always been. Maybe someday she'll get to cuddle with you too.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Motherhood-the first three weeks
Because it has been a crazy few weeks, I thought I'd write some of it down so I can remember what it was like for future reference.
The first week-The hospital stay was nice. Nurses rule. They take care of mom and baby so well. I knew that I would be going through a lot of recovery after delivery, but I think I was so focused on the pain of the labor/delivery, that I didn't really think about what happens afterwards. Man, everything hurts. Just to get out of bed is a chore. Sitting is super uncomfortable. Making a trip to the bathroom has never been so much work. The bathtub at the hospital is a godsend. I took about two baths a day. I also took advantage of hospital food, the nursery at night and the slippers the hospital provided. The first 24 hours was the biggest blur. I hadn't slept for a day, family kept showing up and I was really struggling breastfeeding. Tyler was a huge trooper. I don't think I changed a diaper during the entire hospital stay. Because nursing wasn't going very smoothly, he took care of all of the cup feedings. He entertained guests when I was pumping. When he came back in the morning and I was still sleeping, he just went to the nursery and rocked you for a while. Not only did I feel physically out of sorts, I was enotionally whacked out. I remember on the morning we were being discharged, I sat in the bath and cried because I honestly thought that you liked your father more than me. Like I said before-emotionally whacked out! During our first night at home, I was so paranoid that I didn't sleep. I was worried that I didn't do something correctly during the day and something bad would happen during the night. Since then, I think I'm just so exhausted that sleeping has not been a problem! You liked to sleep too. You slept a lot. We had to wake you up for every feeding. See my future post on nursing for more info on that topic. It's been....a rollercoaster we'll say. Everyone said that I'd graually start to feel like myself and I guess thats partially true. I can walk and sit and go to the bathroom normally, but I'm not like I used to be. It's great that you lose 20 pounds right after baby is born, but then it stalls. And most of your "normal" clothes still doesn't fit. So you're stuck wearing odd things because your maternity stuff looks weird and your normal clothes is too small. Add in the fact that it needs to be easy to nurse in. Ugh. So there's my rant on that.
Within these first three weeks we've had numerous weight checks and visits from the lactation consultants and gone to two weddings. You do really well on car rides, and enjoy walks in the stroller. You'd rather be held upright than the traditional cradle hold. Your eyes are a gorgeous blue just like your daddy's and I hope they stay that way. You were very content for your first bath, but you've screamed during every one since then. You've recently been very awake during the mornings and very sleepy in the evenings. You love being in your swaddler at night and do very well sleeping in the bassinet overnight. Huggies diapers are not your friend, but Pampers are awesome. You generally like being held while napping during the day, but if you're tired enough, you will sleep in your car seat or your bouncy chair. You also like your paci. Mommy thought she was going to be against them, but honestly, I don't care anymore because it seems to calm you down when you just want to sleep but don't know how to get yourself there. You don't react at all to Prudence's barks. (There also will be a future post on Prudence's reaction to your arrival!) We are very lucky to have Daddy home. You are definitely a two person job right now! You still like to have your hands up by your face. You are super gassy lately and you fuss until you get rid of it. On occasion you laugh in your sleep which in turn makes me and Daddy laugh. You have some hair and it's a very light brown. I can't help but to smooth it out every time I hold you. We sometimes call you Coy Boy as a nickname. I can't believe you are three weeks old already. Before I know it, I'll be sending you off to Kindergarten. (Hopefully between now and then, Daddy and I get to sleep more than 3 hours at a time!) Well, that's a run-down of the first three weeks! I'll check in again soon!
The first week-The hospital stay was nice. Nurses rule. They take care of mom and baby so well. I knew that I would be going through a lot of recovery after delivery, but I think I was so focused on the pain of the labor/delivery, that I didn't really think about what happens afterwards. Man, everything hurts. Just to get out of bed is a chore. Sitting is super uncomfortable. Making a trip to the bathroom has never been so much work. The bathtub at the hospital is a godsend. I took about two baths a day. I also took advantage of hospital food, the nursery at night and the slippers the hospital provided. The first 24 hours was the biggest blur. I hadn't slept for a day, family kept showing up and I was really struggling breastfeeding. Tyler was a huge trooper. I don't think I changed a diaper during the entire hospital stay. Because nursing wasn't going very smoothly, he took care of all of the cup feedings. He entertained guests when I was pumping. When he came back in the morning and I was still sleeping, he just went to the nursery and rocked you for a while. Not only did I feel physically out of sorts, I was enotionally whacked out. I remember on the morning we were being discharged, I sat in the bath and cried because I honestly thought that you liked your father more than me. Like I said before-emotionally whacked out! During our first night at home, I was so paranoid that I didn't sleep. I was worried that I didn't do something correctly during the day and something bad would happen during the night. Since then, I think I'm just so exhausted that sleeping has not been a problem! You liked to sleep too. You slept a lot. We had to wake you up for every feeding. See my future post on nursing for more info on that topic. It's been....a rollercoaster we'll say. Everyone said that I'd graually start to feel like myself and I guess thats partially true. I can walk and sit and go to the bathroom normally, but I'm not like I used to be. It's great that you lose 20 pounds right after baby is born, but then it stalls. And most of your "normal" clothes still doesn't fit. So you're stuck wearing odd things because your maternity stuff looks weird and your normal clothes is too small. Add in the fact that it needs to be easy to nurse in. Ugh. So there's my rant on that.
Within these first three weeks we've had numerous weight checks and visits from the lactation consultants and gone to two weddings. You do really well on car rides, and enjoy walks in the stroller. You'd rather be held upright than the traditional cradle hold. Your eyes are a gorgeous blue just like your daddy's and I hope they stay that way. You were very content for your first bath, but you've screamed during every one since then. You've recently been very awake during the mornings and very sleepy in the evenings. You love being in your swaddler at night and do very well sleeping in the bassinet overnight. Huggies diapers are not your friend, but Pampers are awesome. You generally like being held while napping during the day, but if you're tired enough, you will sleep in your car seat or your bouncy chair. You also like your paci. Mommy thought she was going to be against them, but honestly, I don't care anymore because it seems to calm you down when you just want to sleep but don't know how to get yourself there. You don't react at all to Prudence's barks. (There also will be a future post on Prudence's reaction to your arrival!) We are very lucky to have Daddy home. You are definitely a two person job right now! You still like to have your hands up by your face. You are super gassy lately and you fuss until you get rid of it. On occasion you laugh in your sleep which in turn makes me and Daddy laugh. You have some hair and it's a very light brown. I can't help but to smooth it out every time I hold you. We sometimes call you Coy Boy as a nickname. I can't believe you are three weeks old already. Before I know it, I'll be sending you off to Kindergarten. (Hopefully between now and then, Daddy and I get to sleep more than 3 hours at a time!) Well, that's a run-down of the first three weeks! I'll check in again soon!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
On the day that you were born.....
It was Wednesday June 16th. Daddy had worked the overnight in the ER the previous night and didn't get much sleep. For some reason, he didn't nap that day either. I was getting very anxious to get you out. I went on two walks and had been eating spicy food for days to help you along. At this point, I was convinced I'd have to be induced and would be pregnant for at least a week more. Daddy and I decided to go to bed at about 9:30pm. I had been having trouble sleeping anyway but tried anyway. At 10:15pm, I felt a pop and then a gush of water. It was almost like I was going to the bathroom but couldn't stop. I remember saying something to Daddy but he was in a deep sleep so he didn't respond. I ran to the bathroom and the water kept gushing. I started to think that this was actually my water breaking. I went back into the bedroom and said to Daddy "I think my water just broke". He replied "Are you serious?" He smiled and remained calm. Or so I thought. I was having a mini meltdown but tried not to show it too much. I quickly found some clothes but it all was a whirlwind. I really did not think that my water would break on it's own. Everything I had read said that the odds were very against it. I had figured that contractions would start, and I would have to occupy myself for a few hours at home. Instead I was walking around the house in a trance trying to remember everything I wanted to bring. Daddy got dressed, grabbed the camera bag, my bag and hid the key for when Grandpa came to get Prudy. At this point, I was still trying to function while in the middle of my mini-meltdown. I remember crying a bit simply because I was scared. I really had to go through with this. How would I do? Would everything be ok? What if it wasn't my water breaking and something was wrong? We packed everything into the car much to Prudy's confusion. She thought she was going somewhere with us. Daddy called the hospital on the way just to warn the ob department that we were on our way, even though we just live across town and would literally be there in minutes. It was on the drive that my back started to hurt. Then the pain would go away.
Daddy asked "Are you having contractions?" I thought, "Oh, so that's what they feel like!" At this point they were fairly tolerable. We checked into the hospital and headed right up to the ob department. I changed into the gown and Nurse Carol hooked me up to all sorts of things. My contractions were about 2 1/2 minutes apart and still fairly tolerable. They checked to make sure that my water in fact did break, and I remember NOT liking that test which was really silly when comparing it to what my body was about to endure. Nurse Carol informed us that yep my water had broken and we were about 3 cm dilated and still very well effaced. I remember her saying that our baby's birthday would be June 17th and her guess was that you would arrive by 4am. It was getting pretty surreal. Now it was basically a waiting game. I had the go ahead from Dr. Leino that I could have an epidural the moment I arrived at the hospital. Daddy and I decided to wait just a bit since I could tolerate the contractions and we just wanted to ensure that things were progressing along nicely. So Daddy folded out the little bed in the room and we both tried to rest. Daddy didn't tell me at the time, but now he admits that all he was thinking was "Man I just want to sleep!" It was time to get hooked up to an IV. I got poked three different places before Nurse Steph came up from ER and got it right away. Contractions started getting rougher. I was not doing a very good job relaxing during them. I would tense everything up. Nurse Carol and Daddy worked with me on some breathing exercises. They worked for a while. Daddy tried to sleep more and I tried to relax. By about 1am, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted the epidural. So I woke up Daddy and he agreed. Nurse Carol checked me again and were we were to about 4 or 5 cm. They started fluids because I needed that for about 20 minutes before NA Bob could come and start the epi. This seemed like the longest 20 minutes of my life. I knew relief was coming but I wanted it right now. I had no patience for anything. Everything Daddy did was the wrong thing. None of his jokes were funny. I just wanted this pain to end. Finally NA Bob arrived. I don't even remember feeling a poke. I remember getting a bunch of stuff taped to my back and then my legs started to get a little heavy and tingly. I got repositioned in bed so I could rest for a while and my contractions became much more tolerable once again. Daddy's jokes weren't as annoying anymore. (That's how he could tell I was feeling better!) I could tell they were happening on my left side, but I could breath and rest normally through them. My right side was completely numb. It was about 2 am. Daddy went back to sleep and I rested. There was a little too much on my mind to actually sleep, but I was able to rest. I was checked once more and things were still progessing nicely and I was about to 8 cm. At 5am, Nurse Carol checked and we were at a 10. Time to call Dr. Leino and get ready to push. Daddy went to call Grandpa Ben to come get Prudy. Dr. Leino arrived and Nurse Steph came up from the ER to help. I was actually pretty relaxed at this point. I couldn't really feel anything below my belly button. I wasn't sure what pushing was going to feel like though. How would I know what to do? I remember the news was on the tv. (I actually watch a lot of local news, and this newscast just happened to be KARE 11's.) They got all the tools out that they would need for delivery and we just started pushing. I could somewhat tell when contractions were because there was kind of a tightening in my belly, but it didn't hurt. I just waited for the nurse to tell me when to go and I did. They warned me that the average push time for a first baby is an hour and a half, so I didn't let myself get too worked up about time. I remember that we had totally normal conversations in between contractions because I was relaxed. I think this really helped me give it all when it was time to push. About 45 minutes into pushing, your heart rate dropped a tiny bit. They gave me some oxygen. I was a little worried at this point, but they really didn't seem to be. Within a few minutes, you were back to where you should be. I remember asking "Is everything still going ok?" after about every push. By about 6:15am, Dr. Leino told Daddy to get his scrubs on and get ready to catch. Nurse Steph just got called out of the room to the ER. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't be there for the actual delivery. Daddy had worked with her quite a bit on the overnights. By 6:22am, Ty was in position and delivered you. You were placed on my tummy as Dr. Leino took over and Daddy grabbed the camera. I couldn't believe that this baby just came out of me. I didn't even look to see if you were a boy or girl. Someone else looked quick and told us we had a boy. They quickly weighed you and checked to make sure everything else was normal. You were a screamer when you were born and you had your hands up by your face. (You still like your hands like that. ) I remember the Nurses commenting that you had huge hands. They wrapped you up and gave you back to me. Someone asked Daddy if we had a name and he replied "McCoy". Within an hour, we called family and friends and they started pouring in by lunch time. And that's the story of the day you were born!
Other things to note about June 17th:
*This was the day of all the horrible tornadoes in MN. I really didn't know exactly what happened until the evening of the 18th because the cable went out in the hospital right after supper on the 17th. We have some newspapers saved from the 17th and 18th so we can show you what really happened.
*You also share this day with a relative. (We aren't exactly sure how you are related, some sort of cousin, something removed probably?!) So your Daddy and his cousin Nick were born about two weeks apart. They both got married about a month apart and had purple and green for the colors of their weddings. Nick's wife Angie and I were both due on the 15th of June. You were born at 6:22am on the 17th and Baby Claire was born at 10:30pm on the 17th. Crazy world!
Daddy asked "Are you having contractions?" I thought, "Oh, so that's what they feel like!" At this point they were fairly tolerable. We checked into the hospital and headed right up to the ob department. I changed into the gown and Nurse Carol hooked me up to all sorts of things. My contractions were about 2 1/2 minutes apart and still fairly tolerable. They checked to make sure that my water in fact did break, and I remember NOT liking that test which was really silly when comparing it to what my body was about to endure. Nurse Carol informed us that yep my water had broken and we were about 3 cm dilated and still very well effaced. I remember her saying that our baby's birthday would be June 17th and her guess was that you would arrive by 4am. It was getting pretty surreal. Now it was basically a waiting game. I had the go ahead from Dr. Leino that I could have an epidural the moment I arrived at the hospital. Daddy and I decided to wait just a bit since I could tolerate the contractions and we just wanted to ensure that things were progressing along nicely. So Daddy folded out the little bed in the room and we both tried to rest. Daddy didn't tell me at the time, but now he admits that all he was thinking was "Man I just want to sleep!" It was time to get hooked up to an IV. I got poked three different places before Nurse Steph came up from ER and got it right away. Contractions started getting rougher. I was not doing a very good job relaxing during them. I would tense everything up. Nurse Carol and Daddy worked with me on some breathing exercises. They worked for a while. Daddy tried to sleep more and I tried to relax. By about 1am, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted the epidural. So I woke up Daddy and he agreed. Nurse Carol checked me again and were we were to about 4 or 5 cm. They started fluids because I needed that for about 20 minutes before NA Bob could come and start the epi. This seemed like the longest 20 minutes of my life. I knew relief was coming but I wanted it right now. I had no patience for anything. Everything Daddy did was the wrong thing. None of his jokes were funny. I just wanted this pain to end. Finally NA Bob arrived. I don't even remember feeling a poke. I remember getting a bunch of stuff taped to my back and then my legs started to get a little heavy and tingly. I got repositioned in bed so I could rest for a while and my contractions became much more tolerable once again. Daddy's jokes weren't as annoying anymore. (That's how he could tell I was feeling better!) I could tell they were happening on my left side, but I could breath and rest normally through them. My right side was completely numb. It was about 2 am. Daddy went back to sleep and I rested. There was a little too much on my mind to actually sleep, but I was able to rest. I was checked once more and things were still progessing nicely and I was about to 8 cm. At 5am, Nurse Carol checked and we were at a 10. Time to call Dr. Leino and get ready to push. Daddy went to call Grandpa Ben to come get Prudy. Dr. Leino arrived and Nurse Steph came up from the ER to help. I was actually pretty relaxed at this point. I couldn't really feel anything below my belly button. I wasn't sure what pushing was going to feel like though. How would I know what to do? I remember the news was on the tv. (I actually watch a lot of local news, and this newscast just happened to be KARE 11's.) They got all the tools out that they would need for delivery and we just started pushing. I could somewhat tell when contractions were because there was kind of a tightening in my belly, but it didn't hurt. I just waited for the nurse to tell me when to go and I did. They warned me that the average push time for a first baby is an hour and a half, so I didn't let myself get too worked up about time. I remember that we had totally normal conversations in between contractions because I was relaxed. I think this really helped me give it all when it was time to push. About 45 minutes into pushing, your heart rate dropped a tiny bit. They gave me some oxygen. I was a little worried at this point, but they really didn't seem to be. Within a few minutes, you were back to where you should be. I remember asking "Is everything still going ok?" after about every push. By about 6:15am, Dr. Leino told Daddy to get his scrubs on and get ready to catch. Nurse Steph just got called out of the room to the ER. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't be there for the actual delivery. Daddy had worked with her quite a bit on the overnights. By 6:22am, Ty was in position and delivered you. You were placed on my tummy as Dr. Leino took over and Daddy grabbed the camera. I couldn't believe that this baby just came out of me. I didn't even look to see if you were a boy or girl. Someone else looked quick and told us we had a boy. They quickly weighed you and checked to make sure everything else was normal. You were a screamer when you were born and you had your hands up by your face. (You still like your hands like that. ) I remember the Nurses commenting that you had huge hands. They wrapped you up and gave you back to me. Someone asked Daddy if we had a name and he replied "McCoy". Within an hour, we called family and friends and they started pouring in by lunch time. And that's the story of the day you were born!
Other things to note about June 17th:
*This was the day of all the horrible tornadoes in MN. I really didn't know exactly what happened until the evening of the 18th because the cable went out in the hospital right after supper on the 17th. We have some newspapers saved from the 17th and 18th so we can show you what really happened.
*You also share this day with a relative. (We aren't exactly sure how you are related, some sort of cousin, something removed probably?!) So your Daddy and his cousin Nick were born about two weeks apart. They both got married about a month apart and had purple and green for the colors of their weddings. Nick's wife Angie and I were both due on the 15th of June. You were born at 6:22am on the 17th and Baby Claire was born at 10:30pm on the 17th. Crazy world!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Dear Baby Helland: (Of 40 weeks)
Dear Baby Helland: (Of 40 weeks)
So, we've made it through another church service, both Michael and Wilson's Grad Party and Daddy's battle this past weekend. It's time for you to leave hotel mommy. I've cleaned the oven, the microwave, the kitchen, dusted, washed all of the clothes, rewashed/folded organized all of your clothes and even cleaned both sinks with a toothbrush. It's not that I want to do all of the organizing/cleaning. I'm just trying to find ways to pass the time. I'm done having people ask "You're still around??". I'm done having my sensitive belly button being rubbed. I'm done waking up at 3am and having just wrestle with the body pillow to find a comfortable position to POSSIBLY get back to sleep. Mommy's getting cranky.
Every time you move I think "Oh is that the start of a contraction??" and then it lasts about three seconds and I can visibly see that it's just your foot trying to stretch out. I haven't felt a single contraction yet. Some say it feels like a charlie horse in your stomach, others say it's like menstral cramps or explosive diarrhea. I'm sure once it starts hurting every few minutes....I'll know it's contractions.
There really isn't too much new. I just need to vent.
Hopefully see you sooner rather than later.
Mommy
So, we've made it through another church service, both Michael and Wilson's Grad Party and Daddy's battle this past weekend. It's time for you to leave hotel mommy. I've cleaned the oven, the microwave, the kitchen, dusted, washed all of the clothes, rewashed/folded organized all of your clothes and even cleaned both sinks with a toothbrush. It's not that I want to do all of the organizing/cleaning. I'm just trying to find ways to pass the time. I'm done having people ask "You're still around??". I'm done having my sensitive belly button being rubbed. I'm done waking up at 3am and having just wrestle with the body pillow to find a comfortable position to POSSIBLY get back to sleep. Mommy's getting cranky.
Every time you move I think "Oh is that the start of a contraction??" and then it lasts about three seconds and I can visibly see that it's just your foot trying to stretch out. I haven't felt a single contraction yet. Some say it feels like a charlie horse in your stomach, others say it's like menstral cramps or explosive diarrhea. I'm sure once it starts hurting every few minutes....I'll know it's contractions.
There really isn't too much new. I just need to vent.
Hopefully see you sooner rather than later.
Mommy
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Dear Baby Helland: (Of 39 weeks)
Dear Baby Helland: (Of 39 weeks)
Just got back from another doc appointment. TMI: 1-2 centimeters dilated, 70 % effaced and membranes majorly stripped again to get things going. Measured right on, and weight didn't change from the last appointment. TMI done.
Dr. Leino warned us that there is a possibility we might have to be induced. Everything is looking perfect for delivery, but she just likes to warn people and I could be just one of those people who doesn't go into labor on their own. I really hope we go into labor on our own. We have one more appointment next Thursday, and if you haven't arrived yet, we start setting up the dates. Her hope is that we set things up and prepare for induction and then you just decide to make an appearance on your own. I work that way too. I am currently scheduled to play for a service this Sunday and next Wednesday in hopes that I won't be able to play for the Wednesday one because you are on your way, or have just recently arrived. It's not that I don't enjoy playing, I just figure if I plan stuff, you're more likely to show up!
Speaking of labor, if I said I was looking foward to it, I would be a huge liar. To be quite honest, I'm scared. People keep saying "You must be getting so excited!" Excited to find out your gender-yes, to take you home-yes, to highlight my hair and have a beer-yes, to wear pants iwth a zipper-yes. To have days worth of pain-no. Like I said before, the worst pain I've had was an infected root canal. How on earth am I going to handle hours upon hours of the worst pain I've ever felt. Will I get drugs? Yes. No doubt. But then there is the pushing thing. That could be a few hours too. Gr. Some people worry about taking you home, I worry about getting you out!!
Last night both Daddy and I had dreams about you. His dream was about changing your diaper. I guess you were wearing a size 6 (which is like enormous, wait do they go up to that size?!) and couldn't figure out what size to put back on you, at which point I suggested a size 2 1/2 (pretty sure they don't make 1/2 sizes!). Then you started making a poopy mess and Mommy ended up taking care of it. Oh and in his dream, you were a boy. Mommy had two dreams recently. In one, it was delivery time, but the nurses were basically no where to be found and Daddy ran off to get something and never came back. I wasn't sad or mad in the dream, I was just frustrated that I was left alone! Then in last nights dream, I was at today's appointment and was ditched again. Dr. Leino and Daddy left me naked to go take care of another delivery. In my dreams I never got through delivery so I'm not sure what sex you were.
Remember before when I said I thought you were a girl? Well, now I'm starting to rethink that. No idea why. Still don't care either way. But as of today, my guess is that you are a boy.
And I'll take a gander as to when you'll arrive...........either the 14th, 16th or 18th. Do I have a thing with even numbers? Yes. Does it really matter? No. I won't be like Pam on "The Office" and try to hold you in until midnight hits. Your cousin Allie would like if you arrived the 18th because then she gets a dollar. She's not sure who it's from, but she remembers someone saying she'll get a dollar, so she's hoping for the 18th. I'd be ok with that. Then you'd share your birthday with Frauntie Naomi.
Mommy's belly is making things noticibly more difficult. I pull up a chair to the table where I normally would, and then have to back it up because I don't quite fit. If I try to turn to sleep on the other side in bed, I have to lift myself all the way up and flip over. Even getting off the couch, I need to scoot all the way to the edge and then push myself up. Am I complaining? Not really, just stating some facts. If this is the way things have to be for you to be healthy(which Dr. Leino says you are) then so be it. Just don't be surprised if I ask Daddy to get me some chocolate because it's too much work for me to do it myself.
I don't think I've quite nested yet. Yesterday however, I filed all the paid bills, paid all the June bills so I didn't have to think about them the rest of the month, balanced my checkbook and organized some music in binders. Is there more to be done? You bet. The oven is a disaster and the shower could use a scrubbing. Actually all the floors could. Maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow. On today's schedule: Make Hudson some lunch (he's been staying over while his parents take cousin Wilson to orientation at Iowa State), get hair cut (it's driving me nuts and I do not do well with long hair!), and hopefully go to the Ice Cream Social at Aunt and Uncle-Jodi and Dave's church (the BEST turkey salad sandwiches).
Tomorrow night I think Grandpa Ben is going to bring the changing table/dresser. I have a feeling you won't arrive yet because you know how badly mommy wants to organize everything in that room (for about the 18th time).
Well, I'm going to try to get some pictures up of Wilson's ceremony quick. Maybe see you within a week???
Mommy
Just got back from another doc appointment. TMI: 1-2 centimeters dilated, 70 % effaced and membranes majorly stripped again to get things going. Measured right on, and weight didn't change from the last appointment. TMI done.
Dr. Leino warned us that there is a possibility we might have to be induced. Everything is looking perfect for delivery, but she just likes to warn people and I could be just one of those people who doesn't go into labor on their own. I really hope we go into labor on our own. We have one more appointment next Thursday, and if you haven't arrived yet, we start setting up the dates. Her hope is that we set things up and prepare for induction and then you just decide to make an appearance on your own. I work that way too. I am currently scheduled to play for a service this Sunday and next Wednesday in hopes that I won't be able to play for the Wednesday one because you are on your way, or have just recently arrived. It's not that I don't enjoy playing, I just figure if I plan stuff, you're more likely to show up!
Speaking of labor, if I said I was looking foward to it, I would be a huge liar. To be quite honest, I'm scared. People keep saying "You must be getting so excited!" Excited to find out your gender-yes, to take you home-yes, to highlight my hair and have a beer-yes, to wear pants iwth a zipper-yes. To have days worth of pain-no. Like I said before, the worst pain I've had was an infected root canal. How on earth am I going to handle hours upon hours of the worst pain I've ever felt. Will I get drugs? Yes. No doubt. But then there is the pushing thing. That could be a few hours too. Gr. Some people worry about taking you home, I worry about getting you out!!
Last night both Daddy and I had dreams about you. His dream was about changing your diaper. I guess you were wearing a size 6 (which is like enormous, wait do they go up to that size?!) and couldn't figure out what size to put back on you, at which point I suggested a size 2 1/2 (pretty sure they don't make 1/2 sizes!). Then you started making a poopy mess and Mommy ended up taking care of it. Oh and in his dream, you were a boy. Mommy had two dreams recently. In one, it was delivery time, but the nurses were basically no where to be found and Daddy ran off to get something and never came back. I wasn't sad or mad in the dream, I was just frustrated that I was left alone! Then in last nights dream, I was at today's appointment and was ditched again. Dr. Leino and Daddy left me naked to go take care of another delivery. In my dreams I never got through delivery so I'm not sure what sex you were.
Remember before when I said I thought you were a girl? Well, now I'm starting to rethink that. No idea why. Still don't care either way. But as of today, my guess is that you are a boy.
And I'll take a gander as to when you'll arrive...........either the 14th, 16th or 18th. Do I have a thing with even numbers? Yes. Does it really matter? No. I won't be like Pam on "The Office" and try to hold you in until midnight hits. Your cousin Allie would like if you arrived the 18th because then she gets a dollar. She's not sure who it's from, but she remembers someone saying she'll get a dollar, so she's hoping for the 18th. I'd be ok with that. Then you'd share your birthday with Frauntie Naomi.
Mommy's belly is making things noticibly more difficult. I pull up a chair to the table where I normally would, and then have to back it up because I don't quite fit. If I try to turn to sleep on the other side in bed, I have to lift myself all the way up and flip over. Even getting off the couch, I need to scoot all the way to the edge and then push myself up. Am I complaining? Not really, just stating some facts. If this is the way things have to be for you to be healthy(which Dr. Leino says you are) then so be it. Just don't be surprised if I ask Daddy to get me some chocolate because it's too much work for me to do it myself.
I don't think I've quite nested yet. Yesterday however, I filed all the paid bills, paid all the June bills so I didn't have to think about them the rest of the month, balanced my checkbook and organized some music in binders. Is there more to be done? You bet. The oven is a disaster and the shower could use a scrubbing. Actually all the floors could. Maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow. On today's schedule: Make Hudson some lunch (he's been staying over while his parents take cousin Wilson to orientation at Iowa State), get hair cut (it's driving me nuts and I do not do well with long hair!), and hopefully go to the Ice Cream Social at Aunt and Uncle-Jodi and Dave's church (the BEST turkey salad sandwiches).
Tomorrow night I think Grandpa Ben is going to bring the changing table/dresser. I have a feeling you won't arrive yet because you know how badly mommy wants to organize everything in that room (for about the 18th time).
Well, I'm going to try to get some pictures up of Wilson's ceremony quick. Maybe see you within a week???
Mommy
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