FiVe Months

Five Months - This post is pretty lame because I can't remember things from a month ago and we are 1/2 way through month 6 already.


Stats--

•      Height: 25 inches still (I think)
•      Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz ... I weighed him at the vet when we took Simba for a hair cut. lol
•      Eyes: Dark blue still :)
•      Hair: Getting thicker and longer

What's New:  
Mav can roll both ways now whenever he wants. We practice sitting up every day, but he usually ends up on his face (oops). No crawling yet, but he kicks and wiggles like crazy!! Once that boy gets some traction under his feet, he's GONE. His personality just keeps on getting better and better. This kid has the best attitude and temperament ever. This month I took him to Denver for the NEA Student Leadership Conference (and RA, but that was after his 5 month birthday). He let everybody hold him and play with him. He never cried or complained. Mav had his first cold this month - stuffy nose and a cough. So sad. His little cough sounded fake. It was actually pretty cute. But the stuffy nose and suctioning sucked. Before Denver, we went to a Threshers game and experienced the first thunderstorm. We got soaked and spent about 45 minutes huddled under the awning. Mav experienced his first World Cup. Aside from Kyle yelling and screaming and scaring the living daylights out of Mav, he enjoyed watching endless hours of soccer.

Things He Loves:

-staring at people's faces
-standing up (obviously not by himself)
-playing on his tummy with his toys
-chewing on things - except food. Sometimes I give him little pieces of things he could eat and he doesn't put them in his mouth.
-eating his toes
-playing in his exersaucer (he can finally reach the bottom)

Feeding: My supply is back up. YAHOOOO! That was so stressful. Oy! Mav is eating lots and lots. We haven't been doing the pumping and bottles too much since I'm home for the summer.

Sleeping: We are back up to a 5-6 hour stretch and then a 2-3 hour stretch. Next month we are really going to try to work on sleep training. Most of this month he was up every 2-3 hours. It was horrible! :(

Best thing this month: Still hearing him laugh!

Worst thing this month:Stuffy nose. Hearing him not being able to breathe easily was heart breaking!

Check out Maverick's 5 month pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

Four Months

Seventeen Weeks  (or 4 months for normal people)

Stats--

•      Height:25 inches (shot up to the 51st percentile)
•      Weight: 12 lbs 15.5 ounces (dropped to the 11th percentile)
•      Eyes: Still a dark blue color and beautiful! I thought we were out of the woods, but a friend of mine yesterday said her kid's eyes changed when he was like 3 years old!!
•      Hair: Growing back in. No more mohawk. We've got a slight touch of mullet going on. lol

What's New:  
More like what's the same?! Maverick is giggling, smiling, and really starting to have a personality. This month he started rolling over. He first started doing it in his crib. I was amazed when I'd wake up in the middle of the night and he'd be all frustrated because he was on his stomach. I'd wake Kyle up just to look at him before I'd roll him back over. (I'm sure he loved that.) Now he's rolling over during the day also. Not all the time, but he can definitely do it when he wants to. He also found his fingers this month. He has started sucking/chewing on two of his fingers and drooling a lot. I'm thinking we are in the beginning phase of teething. Lord help us. Mav has a strong grib and grasps at everything. I have not had my earring pulled yet and my fingers are crossed. I tried to take them out when I get home, but I don't always remember.

First airplane ride this month! We went from Tampa to Houston, Houston to HAWAII and then Hawaii to DC and DC back to Tampa. He was GREAT. We had plenty of room. The big plane from the mainland to Hawaii and back was United and had 2 seats on each side plus 3 in the middle. Kyle and I had seats on the side, so we essentially had our own row. It was great. PLUS United had free movies, games, tv shows, and music in the back of every head rest. I brought my nursing pillow and Mav was able to lay on my lap facing me so we could play. He also enjoyed some Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, and the movie CARS. He couldn't hear any of it because I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to put headphones on or in a baby's ears, but he liked to watch. 

Meeting his cousins Eli and Maile was such a treat for him. They all LOVED each other. Eli said, "He's a pretty cute baby!" Maile and him both gave lots of loves. Kylah was in Hawaii with us too and she was a great "babysitter" when I had to take a shower. All the kids played and played. Even though Mav just sat in the bouncy chair, they still included him and he had a blast.

Other firsts:
-Tampa Bay Rays baseball game and tailgate
-Mother's Day (first for mommy!)
-movies (It was a horrible movie--Fed Up, so we left early. But he was great.)
-zoo visit (At the Honolulu Zoo--Thanks Grandma Pete!)

Things He Loves:

-Still loves Logan the Lion
-Still loves TV (We've expanded our viewing channels to 1106 AND 1109. My favorite is Super Why. Mav likes everything!!)
-Being LIGHTLY tossed in the air or held up high above your head.
-The Itsy Bitsy Spider is constantly in our heads or coming out of our mouths these days. 

Feeding: Doing great! Eating about every 3 hours (except when going through brain leaps and growth spurts, then it's like 1 1/2 to 2 hours). He occasionally grabs for my food when I'm holding him, so starting solids might be in the near future for us...Or so I thought everything was going great. Come to find out my supply took a huge dip. Maverick isn't gaining weight as fast as he should, which is why he dropped so much in the weight percentile. I'm having to pump every 2 hours during the day (and at 3am after he wakes up and nurses--UGH). It's so frustrating...I'm barely getting 2 ounces sometimes. I used to get like 11 ounces in one sitting. We are trying to bottle feed him 6 oz at a time as much as possible through the day to get him to sleep through the night. That hasn't happened yet.

Sleeping: Well...we were doing GREAT. Mav was going to be between 8:15pm and 9pm and not waking up until like 4am! I was in heaven. Then all of a sudden we went back to waking up every 3 hours. This week we are back to about 5-6 hour stretches. I think it has to do with the brain leap he's going through. I'm praying it's not sleep regression and if it is that it doesn't last FOREVER. I'm thinking we are going to try some sleep training this coming week. My summer schedule is so crazy, I don't know when a good time to do it is. But I neeeeeeeeeed sleep.

Best thing this month: Giggles. He's hilarious.

Worst thing this month:This little fussy period we are going through right now. I hate seeing him upset.

Check out Maverick's 4 month pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

THREE Months

Thirteen Weeks  Happy 3 month birthday...weird how that works out!

Stats--

•      Height: 23.25 inches
•      Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz
•      Eyes: Blue! They haven't changed and I'm thinking they are going to stay. They are a dark,   grayish blue. Beautiful!
•      Hair: There is a dark patch in the back, some times it looks really light, and when the sun hits it just right there is a reddish tint to it.

What's New:  
I thought Mav had a lot of smiles last month. HOLY COW! This kid could melt the iciest heart with his little toothless grin. His one dimple is SOO CUTE. He's starting to get a dimple on the other side.

He babbles, coos, and has whole conversations with us. There is even an occasional laugh in there. I feel like every day we hear new noises.

Maverick can hold himself up on his stomach and lift his chest off the ground. He rolls over from his belly to his back. This is mostly courtesy of gravity, but he does it consistently and leans while kicking his leg over to get started. 

Things He Loves:

 -Logan the Lion (a hanging lion that sings and lights up) He just lays and stares at it forever.

-Channel 1106 ... well I should just say TV in general. He is totally mesmerized by it. He watches sports with his daddy and cartoons with his grandma and I.

Feeding: I've been nursing in public like crazy. I don't care where we are...I just put him on and he's a happy camper. He still nurses on one side each feeding except for occasionally at night. He hit a growth spurt and was nursing like crazy the last couple of days. He takes bottles like a champ when daddy, Naura, and Grandma Ally watch him during the day. He is currently eating 3.5-5oz every 3-3.5 hours.

Sleeping: I really lucked out. Maverick definitely takes after his daddy! He goes down between 8 and 9pm and then sleeps for anywhere from 5-7 hours. Then he wakes up feeds and goes back down for another 2.5-3 hours. During the day he takes 3 naps. They usually last for about an hour, but sometimes we get lucky and get a 2 hour nap! He gets swaddled when he sleeps still, but wiggles out by the time he wakes up.

Best thing this month: Getting to learn his personality and listening to him babble. I know this will continue to get more and more prevalent, but it's been so fun so far!! Also the longer sleeping is AMAZING.

Worst thing this month: Hands down...going back to work. SUCKS. I hate pumping. I get so busy and work or I don't want to stop what I'm doing to go find a closet, bathroom, office and pump for 30 minutes. Blah. But I love being able to give Maverick the very best, so I don't mind.

Check out Maverick's 3 month pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

TWO MONTHS! (Switching to monthly posts)

Eight Weeks  (and one day because I forgot!) I can't believe Maverick is TWO MONTHS old now. Officially, the two month mark is on Saturday, but 8 weeks is pretty much the same thing.


Stats--

•      Height: I measured with a ruler and it was about 22 inches.
•      Weight: Somewhere between 9 lbs 6 oz and 10 lbs. April 6th is his doctor appointment.

What's New:  
Coos, babbling, laughing, and smiling galore! The first hour that Mav is awake every day is the most fun hour of any day. He makes me crack up. 

His neck is getting stronger every day. I tried to put him in the Bumbo already but he was fussy and didn't like it. But he loves being held upright and just holds his head up and looks around at everything. 

He "rolled over" this week. I put him on his belly propped up on his forearms and he threw his head to one said, kicked is leg, and wound up on his back again. He was very please with himself and my reaction. haha

I went back to work on Friday and Mav stayed home with Daddy. They had a great day. I didn't feel bad about leaving Mav. I would much rather stay home with him, but I more so have decided that I don't like my job; I'm not sad to be away from him. I did miss him of course though.

We also went to the beach, set out Mav's tent and had a blast. By have a blast, I mean he slept the entire time until he woke up hungry. I nursed him in the tent and then it got cold and we left. lol Mommy enjoyed it though!!

Feeding: I think we finally have it down! It only took 8 weeks but I don't hurt on a regular basis, he doesn't cry hysterically before latching, it is wonderful. It still takes him a little while to latch and a lot of tries sometimes, but WAAAAY better. I even feel comfortable feeding him in public now. I have been extremely lazy and haven't been pumping. I'm hoping it doesn't affect my supply.

Sleeping: Night time sleeping is great. About 4 hours (4.5-5 hours between feedings) then back down and another 3 hour stretch. Day time naps are sucking royally this week. He goes down for like 10 minutes and then wakes back up crying. Not sure if he has gas or if he just wants to snuggle or what. Car naps have been a god send though.

Best thing this week: Every first hour of every day this week. I lOVE playing with him in the morning. It makes it easy to get out of bed when I'm exhausted.

Worst thing this week: Fussiness at night and non-nap taking days. I feel like I have so much to do and so I stress when he doesn't nap because I can't get anything done.

Check out Maverick's eight week pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

Seven Weeks

Seven Weeks  


Stats--

•      Height: umm...13 days worth of growth passed 21.75 inches
•      Weight: 13 days worth of bulking up plus 9 lbs 6 oz. He did go through his 6 week growth spurt, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gained a good amount of weight.

What's New:  
We are starting to get on a schedule!! :) :) Up between 5am and 7am. I stay up and start to be productive. He gets up around 8am and eats and plays until 9, when he eats again and then goes down for a nap for 1-2 hours. Then we play and he naps again around 1pm. That's as far as we have gotten on the schedule so far. The afternoons are unpredictable and a lot more awake time. Makes getting dinner ready quite the challenge. Although the sling carrier is a life saver and I have managed to have dinner ready every night so far!

As I mentioned earlier, Maverick went through his 6 week growth spurt. It was an entire day of sitting on the couch. He nursed every hour on the hour ALL day! Keep in mind he nursed for 30-45 minutes each time, which means I only had a 15-30 minute break in between. At one point he was frantic for some boob, I whipped off my shirt and stuck it in his mouth only to realize that now I'm stuck in the corner of the couch about a foot too far from reaching my yogurt and spoon, 5 inches too far away from my phone, and about 4 feet too far from reaching the remote control. So I just sat and stared at him. I got smart after that. That was Monday; it was really bad. Tuesday was better, but still growth spurty. Today was pretty good, but he still ate pretty often. I think a paci is in our near future. 

Maverick went to the beach for the first time. Except we really didn't go down to the beach. We were up at the pool, but there was a sand area and we were right next to the beach. He didn't even feel the sand, so maybe it doesn't count?! Apparently it is frowned on to take babies under 6 months out in the sun and/or in the water. I tried to find a bathing suit or swim diaper, bucket hat, rash guard, and sunglasses for a newborn. NO DICE. So I bought all 6 months stuff. Yeah, epic fail. Way too big. But it was fun playing with them. It made for a few good pictures and I saved myself some shopping in the future!

So sad...Mav started growing out of some of his newborn outfits! Into storage they go... :(

Feeding: Guess I covered that above in the growth spurt from hell update. He's eating pretty good and pretty regular. Grandma Ally gave him her first bottle today. He's taking them well and still nursing well. That's a win.

Sleeping: None of this applies to growth spurt days...but...He is going down between 9 and 10pm and waking up between 2 and 3am! It's so nice. Then he gets up in the morning and I stay up. So I'm only getting up with him once in the middle of the night! Whoop whoop.

Best thing this week: Getting on a schedule. And family time this Saturday and Sunday. I love hanging out with Kyle and Maverick! I'm so sappy.

Worst thing this week: the growth spurt from hell

 Check out Maverick's seven week pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page. And I finally posted his one month old pictures. Scroll up on the Mugshots page to inbetween 4 and 5 weeks.

Things to look forward to (from Similac.com)
By the end of 2 months, he should

• Smile when you touch or talk to him check. I LOVE HIS SMILES!!
• React to loud sounds by startling, crying, or getting very quiet Yes, but not dramatically. Which I think is a good thing. I don't want a screaming baby every time there is a loud noise.
• No longer keep his hands in tight fists He is opening them more and more each day
• Begin recognizing you and your partner as the parents He better!
• Be able to lift his chest off the floor using his forearms for support This kid has a STRONG ass neck. He is always looking around and holding his head up when we are holding him. He plays on his tummy and lifts up a little but mostly his neck. He doesn't use is arms too much.

Six Weeks

Six Weeks  
Waaaaaaa! I can't believe it's already been 6 weeks. I am so not looking forward to going back to work and am SO HAPPY I had to have a c-section and can claim I need to stay out 8 weeks. haha


Stats--

•      Height: As of 3/6 he was 21.75 inches. He's grown 1.75 inches since birth.
•      Weight: 9 lbs 6 oz. oink. oink. (Not really, all of his percentiles are really low. My little peanut!)
•      Head Circumference: 14.75 inches

What's New:  
Well let's see...I finally got it straight in my head about this whole posting about what has happened the whole last week and all of that. I think... So during his 6th week of life:

Mav got is first bottle from his daddy! He took it like a champ. No problems, no nipple confusion, no nothing. I will say, I bought expensive ass nipples for these bottles and the more we use them, I'm not sure they are worth it. 

 On Saturday, we took our first trip to Satellite Beach. Which also included attending his first birthday party. He loved hanging out with his cousins Kylah and Tanner (first time meeting the Tan Man) and seeing his Grandpa Rodney, Grandma Pete, Aunt Claire, and Uncle Brad! 

Sunday, Mav got to see his first Japanese dinner show. It sucked. Royally. We had our entire meal on our plate in about 5 minutes. There was no "show". So, I'm thinking we can have a do over on this first. 

Monday, we went on a walk to the park down the road with our new friends Aleah and Gavin. We had lots of fun. Maverick even had his first swinging experience! I put a blanket behind him to cushion the swing and make sure all the holes were plugged up and stuck him in it. He wasn't quite sure what to think about the whole thing, but he didn't cry--he must have loved it. 

Not sure when the official first social smile happened, but boy oh boy this kid is smiling up a storm. It is the CUTEST thing EVER. He will be smiling so big and about every 5 seconds and as soon as I take the camera out, it's gone. Back to the serious, worried, thinker face! (All his smiles are just for me.)

His neck is sooo strong. He's staying awake longer and holding his head up for longer. He LOVE LOVE LOVES his little elephant sound making mobile thing on his bouncing monkey chair (or whatever toy he's in because he LOVES it). He stares all around and takes it all in. Today he was even watching TV while I cooked dinner.

An finally, today, I think we are facing the first cold! He caught it from his daddy. My poor little boys are sick. AWWW. Mav's little congested breathing is so pathetic and sad. It breaks my heart!

Feeding: Thursday was eh. Friday I went to baby cafe and felt like I had to go back to breast feeding 101. Then since Saturday it's been a freaking breeze! No sore nipples, no crying hysterically before latching, no nothing! Yaaay! Occasionally when I'm not sure what's wrong and I try to feed him just because he cries and doesn't latch, but that's because he isn't hungry. Duh.

Sleeping: As I was singing his praises on Monday about how great it's been at night and how he gets up between 1 and 3 and then again between 5 and 7, latches, eats, and goes right back to sleep...He decided that Monday night he would scream his head off from 3:50am until about 5:15am then eat and go back to sleep. He had the worst gas and tummy ache :( I felt HORRIBLE for him. But since then we are back to sleeping great. Poor thing is a little sick-I think-so we'll see how tonight goes. Guess you'll have to wait for his seven week report to find out!

Best thing this week: All the family time! It was so fun seeing all the cousins together.

Worst thing this week: Watching Mav have all of that tummy trouble. Poor baby :( :( And tonight, listening to him try to breath with his stuffy nose... pathetic. I feel horrible for him.

 Check out Maverick's six week pictures on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page. 

Mommy Update:
Went to the doctor today. Everything is back to normal. I have lost 22 lbs. 15 more to go to be pre-Mav weight again. I started weight watchers back up on Tuesday and am doing good so far. Fingers crossed this last 15 falls off pretty fast! Anybody that ever wants to walk give me a call!! Also, I had my first beer this week! It was DELISH. I only had 1/2 of a Pliny the Elder. But I LOVED IT! :)

Five WeekS!

Five Weeks  
I almost didn't get to blog today because we were sooo busy! Whoever says they get bored staying home with a newborn is either Super Woman or has a dirty house and a bored baby. lol Today Maverick and I woke up (duh), he ate breakfast and I ate a banana. I pumped while I played with him laying on the bed. Then I put him on his playmat and put the dishes away from the dishwasher. Then we played for awhile in his bouncey seat. He laid down for a quick nap while I showered (score!), made the bed, and started laundry. After that he woke up and ate again. We swept the whole house and steam mopped, followed by vacuuming the carpets. He loved being in the sling for all that movement. (I did think he was going to fall out a few times though.) Of course, he ate again after that. We ended up doing 3 loads of laundry all together. Robyn and Lindsay came to visit for a little while. And then it was already 6:30!! Time FLIES. I started dinner and waiting for Kyle to come home while I played with Maverick on the couch, read our mail, and wrote thank you cards for the last few gifts we just received. I'm sure you really wanted a play by play of our day, but SERIOUSLY I love being home with him and can't believe how fast the day goes.


Stats--

•      Height: We find out tomorrow. Stay tuned for next week's blog.
•      Weight: Same ^^
•      Head Circumference: Apparently his head has grown a lot this week! We'll find out that tomorrow too.

What's New:   (So I keep changing this section. I don't like how it's turning out... Maybe this will be better?)
Well this week (Friday & Saturday) Maverick and I had our first road trip together. We went ALL THE WAY hehe to Orlando by ourselves for an FEA Young Educators' Meeting. This in turn caused us to have our first hotel stay, first dinner meeting, first day being away from mom besides feeding time, and first time meeting all my wondering FEA friends and family! It was quite exciting. Maverick was a champ!! He did awesome during my meetings and was a great for his Grandma Pete in the hotel the next day. 

Kyle and I went on our first date since Maverick has arrived. We went to Shoot Straight to shoot my 9mm Smith & Wesson that he got me for Christmas 2 years ago. Ladies shoot free on Mondays, so it was fun and cheap. PERFECT. In honor of date night, I shaved my legs for the first time since Maverick was born. One perk of the pregnancy is that my hair grows in a lot lighter and a lot thinner now (well it has been, let's hope it stays that way). Sidenote: Since we are talking about my firsts and being all cleaned up, this week was the first time I didn't have to wear a pad!! I have finally stopped bleeding. Thank goodness. 

Tasha (Kyle's sister in law) texted me at the perfect time this week to tell me about this new app "The Wonder Weeks". It tells all about brain development and the "leaps" they make and when. So this week he started making his first leap in brain development. I'll try to summarize how the app describes this leap-- It's called the World of Changing Sensations. His metabolism, organs, and senses mature rapidly during this week (between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 weeks). He's more interested in the world--looking around, being able to see things farther than he has been able to before, and responding to me, touches, and sounds more. He is getting SO FUN! Random: He produces for the first time/much more real tears when he cries (breaks my heart).  

Maverick had his one month pictures taken this past week. He was so fussy. But keep your eyes peeled for when I post them. It'll probably be in a separate post instead of on the "mugshots" page.

Feeding: Half of this week was rough and half was great. The only rough part was his latch--it was pretty shallow and was kILLING my poor nipples. He is latching a lot better though and eating without crying forever first. We are even on a pretty good schedule/pattern. I started pumping on Sunday and stocking away milk for when I'm at work (so not looking forward to going back to work). During 3 weeks there was a growth spurt going on that made Maverick want to eat EVERY freaking hour. It happened AGAIN this past week. This is another reason I was thankful for Tasha texting me with that app. The brain leap he is making, causes babies to want to eat more and be held more/comforted. I was very happy for a reason for his fussiness and excessive eating.

Sleeping: Got much better this week. We are on a 4 hour, 2-3 hour, 2-3 hour schedule. He is going back to bed a lot faster feedings in the middle of the night too. Thank goodness!

Best thing this week: The sweetest thing ever--Kyle gave Mav a bath all by himself. He was so proud and did such a good job. I needed a nap, so he took over. When Justin and Courtney came home, I could hear him telling them that he did it by himself and all of that. It was great! Monday night he asked me to get him a book to read to Maverick!!! I freaking love how much he loves him. SO CUTE.

Also, Sunday was an all around AWESOME day. We had lots of family time. We played outside in the backyard (on Maverick's play mat). We also got the garage cleaned up and organized. I felt very accomplished and happy we had a good family day.

Worst thing this week: I don't have a debbie downer story this week! YAY. The hurting nipples suck, but what else is new?! lol

 Check out Maverick's five week picture on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page. 

NEED HELP: I'm not loving this blog...I liked the questions I answered every week during my pregnancy, but I don't feel like this blog is very exciting or consistent. I also forget a lot of stuff and get confused about the timing. All of the stuff I wrote on this entry happened while he was four weeks (and x amount of days) old. Now he's officially five weeks and will be this whole week. Then I'll write about it, but it'll be titled 6 weeks... ugh. Should I change the titles of each entry? Anything else I should add that you want to know about? or take out?  text me, call me, email me, leave me a comment...ANYTHING!

Four Weeks -- ONE MONTH (kind of)

Four Weeks  
I'm calling this his one month birthday because he'll never really be "one month" old since there is no 29th of February. I can't believe how fast time is flying.

Stats--

•      Height: Waiting for the doctor appointment on March 6th
•      Weight: Same ^^

Firsts/Milestones:   

-got changed for the first time on one of those changing tables lol

-went out to dinner at Cheddar's with Kyle, his parents, and me (He was so good! He slept the whole time in his seat.)

-had his grandma Ally (and Pop Pop, GGJo, & Great Grandpa Alan) babysit while Kyle and I went to Chase to open a new checking account.

Baby's sensorimotor development in Month 1

How baby sees in the first month

·         He stares at objects, and sees best within 12 inches of his face.

·         He likes bold shapes and high-contrast objects, such as a black and white bull's-eye. I just bought a few high contrast books off Amazon. He loves them :)

·         He loves looking at faces, especially your expressions, and might imitate them right away. He doesn't imitate them yet, but he makes HILARIOUS faces.

How baby hears in the first month

·         He generally likes sounds that change, such as your voice or music, but might react 

      negatively to loud sounds. Not really--he doesn't mind loud noises.

·         His hearing is well developed, but he will not look for the source of the sound. This makes me feel better. I thought there was something wrong with him. lol He doesn't look for sounds, but definitely reacts to them.

·         When startled by a noise, he might cry, stiffen his body and legs, or thrust his arms 

      outward and pull them back to his chest.

 Baby's early reflexes

·         Grasping lets your baby reach for rattles or your fingers, but not hold on to them.

·         Yawning increases the volume of air in the lungs.

·         Rooting helps him open his mouth and find the nipple for feeding.

·         Pulling back signals pain or injury.

·         Sneezing clears the nasal passages.

     ·         Turning his head to one side helps open his airway if his breathing is blocked.  Feeding: So breast feeding is now only half horrible. We have like 2 really good days and then 1 kind of bad day. Nothing like it was before, but still not consistently good. UGH. This week Maverick went through his 3 week growth spurt. Kyle and I calculated it and figured out that Maverick was attached to me for between 6 and 8 hours on Monday. He ate EVERY SINGLE HOUR OF THE DAY from 8am until about 11:30pm. I wanted to shoot myself. But I'm glad I knew ahead of time about the growth spurt so I wasn't as annoyed. I was definitely tired though. No naps ALL DAY was rough. I went to the Baby Cafe (a little mommy breast feeding support meeting group thing) in Brandon and the lactation consultant said I can start pumping! Woowhoo! So Sunday I am going to start pumping once a day and stocking it away. Then on Maverick's 5 week old birthday we are going to start offering a bottle a couple of days a week. I think Kyle will be excited to be able to feed him and not always have to hand him back to me.

Sleeping: Going ok. Last night he slept for two 4 hour times. He was sleeping about 3 hours at a time. We started a routine last night that we do bath time every night, massage lotion on him, feed him, and put him down. The lactation specialist said he will start sleeping longer and longer. Fingers crossed!

Best thing this week: All the amazingly cute faces he makes and the good days breast feeding.

Worst thing this week: This wasn't too bad AND I was prepared, which makes it even better... I went out to dinner with Tessa last night to sushi and right as we sat down to wait for our food Maverick spit up like a cup and a half! It went all over everything. But I learned my lesson. I had a fully stocked diaper bag. I laid his cute little self on the bench, changed him out of his wet clothes and wrapped him back up. I even had a burp cloth to clean his stroller. It was GROSS!

 Check out Maverick's four week picture on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

Three WeeKs

Stats--

•      Height: I don't know...Dr. appointment on March 6th. I guess I could measure myself, but I suck at measuring.
•      Weight: I hope over 8 lbs. I can't wait to start using my little sling thing. Although, I don't know exactly how to use it. YouTube here I come...
•      Others: Coolest 3 week old on the block!

Firsts/Milestones: There aren't really any lists out there that go week by week. I might have to re-think my template.
-A first for me was lifting the baby carrier and driving. I was so nervous when I first pulled out of the driveway.
-His belly button cord fell off! He's finally like a normal little person.

Feeding: The bane of my existence. Breast feeding SUCKS. Ok, so I'm exaggerating a little (but not by much). I want to quit every night and morning. During the day is ok. I've had about 3-4 ROUGH nights this past week. Lots of crying (screaming crying to be exact, like he looks like he's in pain) and no latching over and over and over and over and over. Then my tears start. It makes me feel like such a horrible mom to not be able to feed him good. It will get better though! Thank goodness for my mom, Kyle, and the lactation consultant. They are all very supportive and keep encouraging us.

Sleeping: Unfortunately, he is sleeping so good he's starving himself. He was sleeping between 4 and 6.5 hours at night. But then when he wakes up he is so hungry that he is mad and gets frustrated with the latching issue-see above! It's vicious cycle.

Best thing this week: I got up, got me and Maverick ready and made it to where I needed to be ON TIME! Wooowhooo. Of course, just hanging out with Mav all week. And I would be lying if I didn't mention my personal diaper changer this week. My mom was an AMAZING help. I missed Kyle like crazy, but being at my parents' house was so nice. Seeing my grandparents was awesome; AND Don and Beth (the best neighbors EVER) cooked me lots of yummy meals. They are like the baby whispers. Mav LOVED LOVED LOVED them.  Which brings me to the last "best thing"....Kyle came home!!!

Worst thing this week: Gas. Poor Maverick and his immature stomach. Gripe water does not work, but he loves it. Next on the list is Milanta (however you spell it). You should see how bright red his face turns and the screeching. It breaks my freaking heart. Also, leaving my moms was pretty sucky. Good thing my reward for leaving was seeing Kyle and being at home as a family.

 Check out Maverick's three week picture on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

Two WeeKs

Stats--

•      Height: He grew 3/4 of an inch! Now Maverick is a whopping 20.75 inches long. He is a little above average.
•      Weight: In the last week Maverick gained 13 ounces. So now he weighs 7lbs 14 oz. 2 more and I can carry him around in a sling thing! Can't wait. 
•      Others: They measured the circumference of his head again, but I left the paper on the table. So oh well--who cares anyways?!

Firsts: I need to Google a list of firsts, post them, and then check them off when they happen. A week is too long to keep track of! He did have his first little surgery...wait until you read about that below.
             *Maverick tried to pee on me for the first time! I dodged the pee fountain and covered him before he could do too much damage. It happened again to his Grandma Ally yesterday. haha I'm so nervous every time I change him now.

Feeding: We are feeding about every 2-3 hours during the day and then 3-4 hours at night. Last night he let me sleep a whole 5 hours! Go Mav! Thank you, thank you. We did go through quite a rough patch with the eating. I even had to pump and spoon feed him at one point. By Monday he was back to eating great on a pretty decent schedule. He's also latching pretty quickly now. Much less fussiness, but he still has a lot of gas. Pediatrician said his stomach is just immature and still developing.

Sleeping: Not as good of a sleeper as the first week of life, but I think that's normal. He still sleeps on a pretty good schedule and especially during/after car rides. I really can't complain. He's GREAT.

Best thing this week: Still everything about having a baby is amazing. Even when he cries, it's still the best sound. We got to share Maverick for a whole weekend with our first overnight house guests, Kelly, Jason, and Aidan. That was really fun. We also took a 2 miles walk with the stroller. He did great and so did Mom-C-section recovery and all.

Worst thing this week: I feel like such a Debbie Downer with all of these awful stories, but HOLY COW. This poor child has been tortured the first 14 days of his life. Last Thursday, Feb. 6th (my original induction date, if I was late), we took Maverick to Dr. Sierra's office to get his tongue and lip tie looked at. Dr. assured us that he definitely has a textbook case of both. He explained all of the complications it could cause now and in the future. He also commended us on coming in so early. I'm so glad Trish, the lactation consultant referred us right away. She's AWESOME. To revise the tongue and lip tie they take a laser and clip the skin under the tongue and the skin on the gums up under the top lip. Dr. Sierra asked if either of us wanted to go in with him. HELL NO. I was crying just as we was explaining the procedure. Kyle opted out too. Who wants to watch their poor baby go through surgery-even if it only lasts 5 minutes and doesn't even bleed?! We waited in the waiting room for about 10 minutes and then they brought us back to see him. I was allowed to nurse right after, but between the trauma and the numbness, Maverick didn't want to nurse. He just snuggled. Timing sucked because by the time we got home he was pretty much over due for a feeding. Now that the numbness had wore off, he REALLY wasn't down for the nursing. Needless to say, Maverick was hysterical and I was crying. Poor Kyle probably didn't know what to do with the two of us. I just kept telling Maverick how sorry I was he had to have the surgery and it'd be better in the end. I also kept begging him to eat. After almost a solid hour of crying and not eating (which now put him at like 5 1/2 or 6 hours without eating), I dug out my hand pump. Thank goodness I threw it in my bag. We weren't planning on staying the night at our house. We were planning on going back to my parents', so we didn't have very much with us. I pumped about 2 ounces and had to spoon feed him. It was awful, but at least he ate. We did a lot of skin to skin cuddling. I had to pump more and spoon feed again at some point. Kyle was very supportive and awesome. He went out and got Infant Natural Orajel and Infant Tylenol, which helped. All of this exhausting crying and hurting and everything else put Maverick into a loooong sleep. He woke up a lot at night and slept during the day. He was backwards! So Friday and Saturday we worked on getting him back into his regular routine. It took us probably until last night to get back in the awesome schedule we originally had. Yesterday, I met with my awesome lactation consultant at the Baby Cafe in Brandon and she checked up on him. She said he's healing great and watched me feed. His latch is good, his position is good, and I got a few other questions answered. I don't regret doing the surgery, but OMG.

 Check out Maverick's two week picture on the "Maverick's Mugshots" page.

One weeK

Stats--

•      Height: 20 inches (49th percentile)
•      Weight: At the pediatrician's office on Monday, he weighed 7lbs 1 oz (21st percentile). He          dropped to 6lbs in the hospital and then was 6lbs 13 oz when we were discharged. We have a      2 week old appointment scheduled for next week and he's supposed to be back at or above          birth weight. I don't think he'll have any issues with that. 
•      Others: They measured the circumference of his head, which is 13.75 inches (25th                      percentile). 

Firsts: ummm everything. We went outside for the first time on Saturday when we got discharged from the hospital; had our first car ride; Tuesday night we had our first bath (pics on fb--so cute!); Tuesday night we also had our first family walk. Obviously everything we did this week was a first, but those are the highlights that I can remember off the top of my head!

Feeding: Maverick is eating good. He's having trouble latching, but once he's on there he eats great. We are taking him to a pedi dentist this week to look into laser surgery. He is a little tongue tied and has a thick lip thing going on. It's a quick and painless surgery that will hopefully help him latch better/use his tongue to it's fullest, and not run into speech and dental issues later down the line. During the day we try to eat every 2-3 hours, even if I have to wake him, but at night I let him be in charge of the schedule. He's been sleeping like 4 and 5 hours at night, so I'm only getting up once or twice to feed depending on what time I go to bed. HE'S SO GOOD!
Sleeping: Takes after his daddy. That's all I have to say. If sleeping was an Olympic sport, he'd get gold.

Best thing this week: Everything! I could not be happier. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we have a beautfiul house and a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Everything is coming together.
Worst thing this week: Well let me tell you a little story... Saturday we got discharged from the hospital around 11:30. I had all my paperwork, we packed up our million bags of stuff we brought/acquired, and I got wheeled down to the car. After fumbling with the carseat for about 10 minutes we were locked and loaded. Home we go... (to my parents' anyways). I get home, we are settling in, feeling great... my mom says, "oh, should we fill your prescriptions? I don't know if the drug store will be open tomorrow." Hmmm...well although I knew I had my prescriptions, it didn't dawn on me that I was now in charge of medicating myself and duh, I needed them filled. Thank god for mommies! "Yes, please! Here's my insurance card/health account credit card, my ID and the hard copies." My mom noticed none of the prescriptions were signed. I figured it was a new thing and there was probably some QR code or something on there that meant it was "signed". All this dang technology! So off she went. Well, about 20 minutes later she called me and said that they can't fill any of my prescriptions because they aren't signed. OY VEY! (Questions running through all of our heads...and to the pharmacist: "Can you call and get it approved?" "Can you call and have them fax you signed ones?" "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?") Back at the house I'm in more and more pain and feeling overwhelmed and miserable. Thank god Maverick was sleeping so good and not needing me during this ordeal. So, we call the nurses' station at the hospital and explain. We get in touch with my nurse that discharged us (scatter-brained is a nice way to describe her...). She says we have to come in person, bring the hard copies back, and get the doctor to sign them. REALLY?! FINE. Ok. Well the doctor is in surgery... HEAD SLAP. After 3 phone calls back and forth, we figure out he'll be out in about 45 minutes. Kyle heads to the hospital with the nurses' number in hand and prescriptions. The plan was for him to meet the nurse outside of the McDonald's at the hopsital. She was going to take the prescriptions to the doctor, he would sign them, and she'd return them to Kyle. Well... Kyle calls, "I'm walking from the parking garage up to McDonald's." Nurse, "Ok, I'll meet you in a few minutes." Nurse then calls me. "Tell your mom that the doctor is going to come down himself and sign the prescriptions. He knows you're about to pull up in the circle outside of McDonald's. (I forgot to tell you, I orginially thought my mom was going so that's why she thinks she's meeting my mom.) I tell her that it's my boyfriend, not my mom, but that I'll call and tell him. He's probably almost there. She says, "Oh I just talked to him!" So I call Kyle anyways to tell him it's the doctor coming to the car. I didn't know he had called her and told her he was walking into McDonald's. He says he already talked to her and I just re-iterate that it's now the doctor and he thinks he's in the car. After 10 minutes Kyle never finds the doctor. He has to call back. The doctor is waiting for the car to pull up. Kyle is waiting for the doctor. HUGE CONFUSION. Finally, Kyle saves the day. He deals with the "special" nurse, finally finds the doctor, gets the presctipions signed and comes in with the drugs. What a life saver!! And he never complained once. I am one lucky girl!

Pictures:
I'll post more next week. I put so many on Facebook that there really aren't any new ones people haven't seen.

Here's our boy at (10 hours shy of) one week old. Napping so his mommy can blog! LOVE this little kid.   

Maverick Carter Elam has ARRIVED!!

It's bitter-sweet to not have done my 40 week blog yesterday! As you all know, I had "the plan" of when he was supposed to come and for my many reasons, but Maverick had his own. Here's how it went down...

Let's back up to Monday, January 27th. I slept on Davis Island the night before on my air mattress because we are pretty much all moved in, but I had a 7am doctor's appointment. I felt great. I literally said to Tessa as I was going to sleep, "I don't even feel like I'm at the stage of 'OMG I feel huge, I feel like I just want him to get out of me'!" I went to work, was wearing heels (for most of the day), and then went to a PCTA Legislative Reception until 7pm. I STILL felt great! Well about 8:30/9ish I started feeling these pains in my lower uterus. It felt like sharp pains of gas bubbles and constipation. They say that's a normal part of pregnancy, especially towards the end, so I didn't think much of it. Around 9:13 I felt them more and more and was really uncomfortable. But stupid me, still was convinced that it was just gas/constipation. I tracked my pains all night. They got to be pretty consistent--anywhere between 3 and 8 minutes apart. ALL NIGHT. The most I slept was in a one 20 minute increment. The rest were like 5 minutes at a time and then I was up with pain. I sucked it up and went to work Tuesday morning. I was still feeling the pain, but it was tolerable. I was just praying at some point I'd have the time and urge to go to the bathroom. Then I could go back to the plan as scheduled.

Tuesday, about mid-morning I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't focus on work. I couldn't sit in a chair for a long time. I was miserable and TIRED. I decided to go ahead and take a half day. I was really trying not to let my pregnancy get in the way of my job and I had done a really good job so far. I was a little disappointed that it was happening like this. I had a mani/pedi scheduled for later than afternoon and thought I'd try to move it up so that I could get home sooner and lay down. SPA801 was very accommodating. They moved my haircut up, my mani/pedi, and even my waxing from the following day to right after my mani/pedi. I thought a spa day might be a good relaxer and if nothing else I could check it off my to-do list before I did go into labor. I napped in my car, went to the SPA and went home feeling a little bit better. Not for long. Again I was up all night moaning, punching/tapping the wall, complaining, and taking a million baths/showers. I dirtied EVERY single towel and pair of underwear we own. Every time I got out of the shower I'd put on new panties and they'd be damp/wet within minutes to an hour. Thank goodness Justin wasn't staying at the new place yet. He would have been a) uncomfortable with me walking around half naked, moaning and b) really pissed I kept him up all night. Around 3 am I called USF Health and tried to talk to an on-call physician. (I did this Monday. They told me "just try to relax" and that I could take gas-x or something.) So I called twice Tuesday night. Both times I talked to the same doctor. She was not very nice or compassionate. She basically told me it sounds like warm up labor and to keep tracking my
"contractions" and not to come in until they follow the "511" rule (5 minutes apart, last at least 1 minute for 1 hour). On average I could have gone in, but if I literally tracked every one I couldn't get to the exact 511 formula and STILL wasn't convinced that they were real contractions. I made it until 4am and texted my mom. I wanted her to come hang out with me the next day and maybe take me to the hospital to get checked out. We concocted a plan and were going to wait until it got later in the morning and she could do a few things before coming over. At 7 Kyle came out to the couch were I was "napping' every 4-5 minutes and moaning and groaning the rest of the time. He suggested I call again. So this time, I called and tried to make a regular appointment to just get checked by my doctor. This nurse was SO NICE AND COMPASSIONATE and listened to me. She said it sounds like my water did break and that I was in labor. She said I could go right into the hospital and they would check me there since was 39 weeks and it sounded like I was already in labor.

Kyle got showered and ready. We headed over the bridge to Tampa and pulled up the ramp and into the emergency valet lane. They took our car and directed us up to the 4th floor. Just in case I was wrong and I was in labor, we had all my bags and everything. Sure enough, I get into triage, get naked, and lay down. The nurses come in, start asking me all these questions--including: "Why did you wait so long to come in?" REALLY LADY? YOUR STUPID DOCTORS KEPT TELLING ME I WAS IN WARM UP LABOR AND TO BASICALLY SUCK IT UP!!--anyways, sure enough, I was 5 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and his head was in a -2 position (below my pelvic bone). They got me admitted and moved into a beautiful room overlooking the bay. Too bad the weather was so crappy and we couldn't enjoy the view. But it was still nice. Kyle did an AMAZING job of immediately updating everybody and keeping them updated throughout the rest of my labor. (See all of the facebook posts below for the blow by blow according to the new daddy.) My mom headed right over to the hospital and so did Kyle's mom.

My "now for sure" contractions, were coming on stronger and stronger now, but I held it together. I breathed through them, squinted my face, and tried not to embarrass Kyle (or myself) too much by moaning and groaning too loud. I immediately asked for an epidural and they got the process started. Once that was in it was SMOOTH sailing. It wasn't even scary. It also didn't hurt at all. It was EXTREMELY uncomfortable how I had to sit with all the pressure and contractions happening. I didn't like that at all. I just had to keep telling myself that as soon as these people were done I would be home free. Sidenote: One of the anesthesiologists had to explain all of the "risks" to me and he sounded like freaking Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Talked so slow and mono tone and said ooookkaaaaay after every sentence. YES I FREAKING GET IT. I DON'T CARE. GET THIS THING IN MY BACK ASAP AND BE CAREFUL. I took a little nap around 7cm dilate and tried to rest up for the rest of the day. When the nurses came back I asked if they would just check me for shits and giggles and see if I had made any progress. They agreed and surprisingly announced that I was fully dilated!! wooo whooo! Next up is pushing. They went and got a doctor, but she was going to the OR so they had to "see how I was going to be at pushing" and then find "somebody to deliver my baby". LOL Well they didn't have much luck, everybody was having babies at the same time. BUT they said we could see how I push and then go from there. Good thing I didn't tie up a doctor because I sucked at pushing. I couldn't feel anything from the epidural and wasn't being very helpful. They called anesthesiology and they came to lower my dose of epidural. So once I could feel again I tried to push. I pushed for 3 hours. I was exhausted and Maverick was making minimal progress. At one point his heart rate started to dip, I was on oxygen, and I just wanted it all to be over. I didn't think he was ever coming out.

The doctor that was checking in with us came in and checked our progress. She said she didn't think it was a good idea for me to keep pushing and that we needed to get me into surgery ASAP. I wasn't even worried. I was more relieved that it would be over and I didn't have to push (or feel like I sucked at pushing) anymore. Then the excitement came. LOTS of people came rushing in. I started getting wheeled into the OR so fast the nurses were still trying to get a sheet on top of me as they were taking me out. Everybody had to go to the waiting room, except Kyle. They took him and got him suited up. I felt like I was in Grey's Anatomy. It's so bright in there. But it's like a party!! Everybody was greeting each other and doing their stuff as fast as possible. They were all extremely nice, funny, and took great care of me. Before I knew it, I was strapped to the table, poked, prodded, and tested. They fixed my epidural so that I couldn't feel again (thank god that worked ASAP). Then I was cut open, Kyle came in, Maverick got pulled out. Apparently, he was positioned a little from the side so he was trying to go crooked down through my pelvic bone. He was also a little face up instead of down, which isn't the end of the world, but combined with the crookedness, the dr. said no matter what I would have done it wouldn't have mattered and he wouldn't have come out naturally. Oh well. Kyle got to stick around with Maverick as he got cleaned up and checked out. I got stitched up and wheeled to recovery to meet the rest of our families.


So all in all... 43 hours of labor (36 of which I just thought I was extremely constipated). 3 hours of pushing. and then an "emergency" c-section. (It wasn't a super emergency but they said they had to have me done in 30 minutes and they were very "urgent".

He is perfect and I don't care how it happened or that he was 1 day early or that I missed 2 extra days of work. It was all worth it to hold this perfect little bundle of job.

Maverick Carter Elam was born on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:11pm. He weighed 7lbs 3oz and measured 20 inches.



Facebook blow by blow:

Thank you for all of the well wishes, out pouring of love, and happy notes from everybody via texts, Facebook, voice messages, and visits.

39 WE"eeeeeeek"KS!

How far along? 39 WeeKs!

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a watermelon! ...small basketball if you ask me, but what do I know?

Baby keeps growing, despite being so crowded in there. He probably weighs around 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches. He's probably able to flex his limbs now. His brain is still rapidly developing -- he's getting smarter by the week! His nails may extend past his fingertips.

Total weight gain: Welp. According to the doctor yesterday I weighed 160.2 lbs. So from my skinniest I have gained 37 lbs and if you just go by my doctor chart, I've only gained 29 lbs. I like the doctor chart scenario better, but whatever. I'm hoping for no more lbs, but that would probably mean Maverick coming early and we all know I'm not down for that. So I guess bring on the few (hopefully only a few) extra pounds.

Maternity clothes? My wonderful grandma helped me do all of Kyle and I's laundry this weekend so I have plenty of clothes to wear. Same old outfits though--thank goodness I work at 10 different schools.

Stretch marks? Checked myself out this morning in the mirror and didn't find any! yay me!

Sleep: Not bad. Lots of getting up to pee and BOY OH BOY is that hard when you're sleeping on an air mattress! That only happened one night, but I was like stuck in a hole in the middle and I had to like roll out of bed onto the floor and then get up from the floor. It was quite the adventure. Sleeping with Kyle when he sleeps diagonally in the bed is another challenge. Can't wait to start sleeping in my bed with him so that we have more room! Bye bye full size bed! 

Best moment this week: Hands down closing on the house! Duh. I feel so much better having a place for 1. all of us to live ...together and 2. all of Maverick's stuff without dominating somebody else's living space. He's been moving like crazy, which I LOVE. I'm enjoying all of the last minute attention about "are you ready?" "wow, you're due in ____ days?! You look great!" etc.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. Disgusted maybe at how bad I've been eating this week. Living in between 3 different house, no grocery shopping, and lots of eating out... But whatever.

Gender: Baby Boy

Belly Button in or out? This morning it was definitely sticking out. Still depends on where Maverick is sitting. I'll say..."not an innie"

Miss Anything? Ahi tuna still--I don't even crave it, but when I see it on the menu (a picture) I want to eat it sooo bad! I miss the discipline I had at the beginning of my pregnancy. The first five months of my pregnancy I had 3 diet cokes. Now I have at least one a week and sometimes multiple. I know it's "OK" but between my eating habits and this...ugh. I REALLY REALLY REALLY miss being independent this week. Having to point and wait around for other people to move all the furniture and stuff has been hard. I am so appreciative of the help we've had from family and friends. But it's hard to sit back and watch!! Thank goodness for my love of organizing and need to nest.

Food cravings: More french fries and fried chicken-like chicken nuggets and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. And apparently rice. I ate chinese food on Monday, a rice bowl on Wednesday, left over chinese at some point, and totally would have eaten it again today, but I thought I'd give Kyle a break.

Labor Signs: Not that I know of?! I can't stop wondering if I'm going to be one of the 10% of women that actually have their water break... TEN percent--how crazy is that?! 100% of women in movies water breaks, but only 10% in real life. I'm almost hoping it does break. I'm afraid I'm not going to know when I'm in labor. hahaha (hold all comments...I know, I'm SURE I'll know...)

39 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• False labor. Usually these pains start in the front of your body and ease up when you switch positions. You'll know it's real labor when they start at the top of your uterus and become more frequent. Like I said...not happening that I can tell. I did ask my doctor if she was going to check me at any of my appointments and she said she usually doesn't, but would if I wanted. She said that it doesn't mean anything so she doesn't bother. Mostly it's just uncomfortable. Kelly, don't you will you had my doctor?! haha But she did check me this time and she said my cervix is still closed but it's soft.
• Water breaking. Call your doctor if you suspect yours has broken, or if you think you could be leaking amniotic fluid. I will be blogging from the hospital (and if I can't, my mom will be blogging for me), but this blog would have started off WAAAAAY different if my water had broken already. So...NO.
• More heartburn, hemorrhoids, pelvic pressure and trouble catching your breath. Pelvic pressure-sometimes. Usually corresponds with having to go to the bathroom. Not always though. Trouble catching my breath---um YES! Today I was walking DOWN THE STAIRS on the phone and it took me like 30 minutes of driving to finally be able to breath again. Oy vey!
• The urge to nest. Don't stress though -- you'll never get everything done. Abso-freaking-lutely!! I am LOVING our new house and putting everything away. What a perfect project for being at the end of my pregnancy.

Happy or Moody? Pretty freaking happy and excited!! Trying to pace my excitement so I can make it until Feb. 1st (2nd or 3rd). No getting impatient and wishing him here early. I did have 2 crabby moments this week. One, I kind of text yelled at our realtor and then he apologized and I felt horrible for making him feel horrible. Oops! And two, I was very standoffish/bitchy towards my car salesman about my leather situation, my car not being detailed last time I was there (I don't even think they are supposed to do that every time, but hey why not?), and the level of my gas tank. He then had my car detailed and followed me to the gas station and bought me $20 worth of gas and stayed extremely nice to me the entire time. Again, I felt bad for being bitchy. BUT I got what I wanted and I don't think I was being unfair!

Looking forward to: Finishing this move. Having our parents come over this weekend and work on house projects...especially painting the nursery. I'll post lots of pictures during the process and when everything is done. And going to the doctor on Monday. It should be my last routine appointment!!

38 WEeKs

How far along? 38 WeeKs! 

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a pumpkin! (Must be a pretty small pumpkin...)

Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Her head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen.

Total weight gain: Start weight (at my lightest right before I technically got pregnant...not my start weight according to the doctor) 123.4 lbs -- Weight at last doctor's appointment 159.1 -- So I have gained 35.7lbs. Eh. I keep getting "wow you're still so small" and "you don't even look pregnant from the back" so I'll take it! However...just for the sake of documenting this whole experience I feel like my thighs are HUGE every time I sit down to pee and last Sunday I felt like my face looked SO FAT I wanted to cry!

Maternity clothes? Nothing new.But really needing that extra length in my shirts these days. I think I'm going to need to go get a few more shirts to get me through these last two weeks. Or maybe I should just do laundry...

Stretch marks? Not that I can find...and I've checked as many places in the mirror that I can think to check.

Sleep: It was pretty good this week. I mostly slept at my apartment and had all the pillow a girl could ask for...pillows on both sides of me, pillows propped behind my back/head, pillows under my feet, pillows between my legs. It's like freaking pillow land in my bed!! Getting up to pee and then drink water constantly throughout the night though.

Best moment this week: Hmmm...scheduling our closing date had to top the charts. It's all coming together! Other highlights included: One of my awesome schools (Southern Oak) throwing me a semi-surprise all day diaper shower. As I visited each grade level on their planning time each team gave me a pack(s) of diapers in the same size as their grade level (e.g. 5th grade gave me size 5 diapers, 4th grade gave me size 4 diapers, etc.). I also got a gift from their administration--so cute!! THEN another one of my AWESOME schools (Orange Grove) threw me a shower after school today. We got showered with love and gifts and lots of books in place of cards. I am so lucky to work with such wonderful staffs even though I only see them 2-4 times a month. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! And to round out the list of excitement Kyle and I attended a million hour labor and delivery class last Saturday. It was from 9 to 4:45, but we learned a lot and I feel somewhat prepared and ready to Maverick any day...like on Feb 1st, 2nd, or 3rd ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yeah when I don't have snacks readily available. Not necessarily queasy or sick, but I think Maverick was gnawing on my insides today. I ran out of snacks and I thought I was going to die! lol

Gender:  Little guy!

Belly Button in or out? eh. flat. sticking out occasionally...especially when Maverick decides to snuggle up RIGHT next to it.

Miss Anything?Wearing heels (although I've managed to do it almost every day of my pregnancy, at least at school, but only select pairs that are VERY worn in). I miss shaving and am SO stoked to go get waxed before the hospital adventure. This week I've felt like I am constantly so full, bloated, and have to go to the bathroom. (TMI?) Oh AND ahi tuna! I've been to BJs twice in the last like week or so and their ahi tuna appetizer looks AMAZING.

Food cravings: French fries and sweets. I have not given into the french fry craving yet, although I'm weighing the though of just giving into it to see if the craving will go away...?! What do you think? Stay strong? Give in? Hmm... Sweets--I give in all the time. I try not to over do it, but I end up with something sweet every day. Today was marble cake with peanut butter frosting...but it was my baby shower! Other days are a little mini Hershey bar or 1 piece of weight watchers chocolate or frozen yogurt.

Labor Signs: Who knows? I had a couple of extremely uncomfortable pains one night, but I'm pretty sure that was gas. LOL I do feel more pressure "down there". I don't think I'm going to know when I start having little contractions. I'm so oblivious to what's going on with my body...

38 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• "Lightning crotch." As baby bumps against nerves in your pelvis, you might feel shooting sensations down your legs and even inside your vagina. Maybe that's what those 2 pains were? They weren't down my leg or in my vagina though. just a little pressure, sometimes.
• You're probably still having Braxton Hicks contractions, difficulty sleeping, vaginal discharge, an itchy belly and swollen feet and ankles.If I am having Braxton Hicks I have no idea, not really difficulty sleeping thanks to Pillow Wonder Land, HECK YES on the vaginal discharge...holy cow...I think I need to buy some thong panty liners to get me through the rest of the pregnancy. Itchy belly--eh maybe sometimes. And another HELL yeah to the swollen feet and ankles. Kyle tonight, "Babe, you're feet are looking pretty plump tonight." However he then asked if I wanted a pillow to put under them and set me up so I could type my blog and rest my "plump" feet. I'd say he's a keeper.
• You might have had a slightly bloody, mucus discharge, known as bloody show. This is a sign labor is coming. No bloody showing here.
• You might also have some diarrhea, which could also mean baby is coming soon. Well that just happened tonight. But no baby. By "coming soon" they better mean in 2 weeks and 1-3 days. These whole bathroom issues are irritating and super inconvenient. Thank god I'm not in the classroom this year. My kids would be like...ummm Ms. Davis...did you fall in the toilet?!
•  Other symptoms (self diagnosed): SOOO TIRED ...like right now, one of my breasts may or may not have leaked in the past like 2 months. I have a small spot on the inside of my bra that looks like liquid damage, but who knows? Just thought I'd document that too. Last, but not least, crying/wanting to cry or getting an attitude real quick. Then I feel stupid afterwards. Oops. 

Happy or Moody? Over all H.A.P.P.Y. ...I cried at Honda this week because the car seat doesn't fit very well in my back seat and then the leather got messed up and then I couldn't get to the latches to squish the car seat in...so I went there and cried and tried to trade in my car again. Maybe I should add crazy to the options of happy or moody...

Looking forward to: Kind of having a day off/light load tomorrow, doing the final walk through for the house and dropping off all of my furniture in the garage on Sunday, day off on Monday, interviewing 2 more pediatricians, closing Tuesday, and Dr. appointment Wednesday morning.

37 WEEKS!

How far along? 37 WeeKs! T minus 3 weeks until due date and hopefully 3 weeks and 2 days until his birthday! (I know, I know, "You look like you're about to pop"..."he could come anytime"..."they come when they come" ... "You can't plan these things". Save it. I know it's just wishful thinking.)

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a winter melon. What on earth is that?!

Yay! Baby has reached full term. (Although some articles I've read say doctors don't consider babies full term until 39 weeks...) He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

Total weight gain:So it wasn't 10lbs that I gained...thank goodness...but pretty close. *tear* My new weight when I stepped on the scaled was 158.7-ugh. So I gained about 8 (almost 9 lbs) since my last visit, skyrocketting my total weight gain to 35.3 lbs. AND the worst part about it is I think that my face is getting fat! You can be the judge of that:

Fat right?! Oy vey.

Maternity clothes? Nothing new. Thank goodness for those sweaters Kyle's mom got me though. These last 2 days were COLD.

Stretch marks? Checked myself out the other night in the mirror and nothing so far...

Sleep: I want more sleep! Pretty sure that will my mantra for the rest of my life at this point. All that napping over Christmas break was a mistake. Now I get so tired in the afternoons and just want to nap. Then I get my second wind, am up late, and don't want to wake up in the morning. It's a vicious cycle over and over and over. I'm mostly worried about the amount of sleep Kyle requires/gets right now and how much he's about to get...

Best moment this week: Making the last 4 of my doctor's appointments for the rest of my pregnancy was pretty exciting! House stuff is kind of creeping in on the excitement, but it's all so that Maverick can have a nice place to live. That counts right?! I also have enjoyed interviewing pediatricians. Two down, two to go!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: Boy
 
Belly Button in or out? Depends on the day. It hasn't been sticking out as much lately. AND you can't see it in the picture I took today, sooo I'm going to officially say flatie.

Miss Anything? non-swollen feet. laying on my stomach. being about to bend over easily. TMI but wiping in the bathroom...geez! and shaving.

Food cravings: Still nothing specific. I wish I craved something...anything...! It would make making dinner or picking a restaurant WAY easier.

Labor Signs: None. Still not 100% sure what I'm looking for, but nothing is happening out of the ordinary.

37 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• The urge to "nest." this instinct might make you want to clean house in preparation for baby. Ummm ABSOLUTELY 100% YES. Not closing on the house until the 20th is making it a little hard, but I'm doing a lot of organizing in my head.
• Heartburn, since baby continues to put pressure on your digestive system. None.
• Spotting. But call your doctor if it's heavy bleeding. None.
• Stretch marks -- sorry, but new ones might appear each week from here on out. Zip.
• Increased pressure on your abdomen (and greater urge to pee!), since baby may have dropped. Yes! I have to pee A LOT and then right after I pee I always feel like I have to pee again. I get the pressure thing once in awhile but mostly before and after I have to pee.
• Trouble sleeping. Be sure you're getting plenty of exercise during the day, drinking lots of water and limiting your caffeine intake. A little, maybe some nights...not really...

Happy or Moody? Happy! :) :)

Looking forward to: My next doctor's appointment on Monday. Interviewing more pediatricians. And getting 1 week closer to meeting MAVERICK and closing on our house!