Its been awhile since I've written so I thought I owed an update on all of the recent Brice and H2 happenings.
We had a WONDERFUL Halloween. Brice dressed up as a lion in the costume given to us by Fro and George, Joel's parents' neighbors. I was shocked and astounded at the fact that he loved the outfit. He hung out with cousin Lila (who was dressed as a very pretty ladybug) for a bit before heading back to our house for trick-or-treating. Brice actually did the entire loop with Joel and a bunch of our neighbors as the older kids got candy. I think Brice was just excited to be along for the ride. I stayed back at the house to give out candy and believe it or not, we went through the enormous amount of candy that we had by 8:30 pm.
At eleven months, Brice is now walking like a crazy man. He still likes to hold my hand as he goes, but its more for security than necessity. He walks back and forth across the room unassisted and "cruises" all of our furniture like he's playing a game of Hot Lava.
His other big development is that he figured out how to pull up in his crib. He was in the dark (no pun intended) on this for awhile, so Joel and I had avoided lowering the crib because its hard for me to reach in with this baby belly in the way. On Monday, I heard a loud noise at about 2am. Joel went to go and check on the dogs and I went to Brice's room to see what was going on. What I found was Brice, standing up in the corner of his crib with both hands clutching his curtains and one foot on the top bar of the crib. He looked like he was getting ready to Tarzan his way onto the floor. Needless to say, by 8am his crib was lowered all the way to the ground. Now I basically need to chuck him in after his bottle since I can't reach the mattress! Last night I sang Brice a couple of lyrics from the song "Tarzan Boy." Perhaps I have an idea for next year's Halloween costume?
Our little guy is also quite the talker. He's constantly babbling and its very fun to have pretend conversations with him. I wish there was a way to translate so that I could know what he was talking about. Joel and I taught him how to laugh like The Count from Sesame Street (ah, ah, ah) so now we do that about a million times a day. I keep trying to get him to say "dog" but I think we're a long way off from that. For now, Shamus and Lucy will just have to know to come whenever they hear a series of raspberry type noises or a shout of BA-BA-BA!
In H2 news, I had a great 26 week check up with Dr. Pendyala. Our little girlie's heart rate was 150, my blood pressure was low and my belly measured right as it should. I somehow managed to miraculously pass my one hour glucose test as well (the lemon/lime flavor is only mildly better in taste than the orange). The one shock was when I got on the scale! Up ten pounds in only six weeks. Yikes! I knew the weight was going to come on at some point, but I was surprised to see it that high. I'm hopeful that I can keep it under control to avoid another 50lb total, as I had with Brice. I'm getting uncomfortable but overall, I feel pretty good. I looked at the calendar this morning and I realized that I am now just about 27 weeks (as of tomorrow) and am officially in the third trimester or "The Trimester That Time Forgot." I know that the next 13 weeks will DRAG by at a snails pace as it becomes increasingly difficult to shave my nether regions, keep myself from peeing in my pants and catch my breath as I walk up a simple flight of stairs. For now, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving followed by Brice's first birthday party and the myriad of holiday milestones that are upcoming. I've already talked to Dr. Pendyala about scheduling the c-section for February 8, so hopefully we can get that on the calendar!
I promise to post some photos and videos this evening!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Order returns. My child sleeps. Bloodbath at work. 24 weeks.
Its a cryptic rhyming title of this week's blog, but its so true.
Our home renovation projects are finally coming to a close. I'll post some pics tonight of the progress we've made and I have to say, it really looks wonderful. The bathroom is all fresh and clean with new paint, tile, tub, vanity and mirror (and our plumber even fixed the leaky pipe today). The kitchen got new paint, tile, floor, lighting and cabinets (and as of tonight, we should have our sink back). The painter is painting. The built-ins are... well... built in. Its amazing how personalizing our house ties us to it more and more. In the beginning, Joel and I were keenly aware of all of the things that were wrong with it. The kitchen was just a mess. We knew the people that lived there previously hadn't cared much for upkeep or cleanliness. They weren't handy. They weren't in for the long haul. Now, I'm happy to say that our house feels like home. Ahhhhhhh.
Brice continues to grow like a weed. We've completely taken him off the baby food purees (except for the peaches... he really likes them) and now he eats pretty much whatever we eat. Last night he had chicken, rice, peas, mandarin oranges, half an English muffin, a couple of animal crackers and an 8oz bottle. He slept from 7:30-5:30, woke up for a quick bottle and then passed out again until 8am. I love it. He's very talkative now too. Obviously he's not using real words but his babble is just totally lovable and hilarious. Oftentimes, Joel and I wake up to Brice talking to his toys in his crib. I wonder what sort of crazy story he's telling them. I'm sure it has something to do with wrangling Lucy and giving her big kisses (he's a little obsessed these days).
Work has been...interesting. We'd heard rumors of layoffs coming for a few weeks now and yesterday, the ax fell. Today it continues as HR calls people in to conference rooms one by one to tell them their fate. We've lost four fabulous people from our communications team thus far and we've heard that more are coming for other teams around the organization. The sad thing is, there is no apparent rhyme or reason. The layoffs are not related to poor performance, poor attitude or poor standing within the company. They just are. I guess that's the new economy for you. I'm taking the advice of our former colleague before HR called him. "Keep working, keep your head down and pray."
And in Baby H2 news, we've hit the 24 week mark. Yay for viability. At 24 weeks, a baby has a chance of surviving outside of the womb in the event of premature labor or some other incident. It's a good milestone to reach. One of my co-workers gave birth to her daughter at 27 weeks. From the photos, her little girl looks like a very rambunctious child. I'm feeling good overall. Just tired. I'm not sure if that's pregnancy related or if it has to do with the stresses of work and home reno. Needless to say, I'm ready for a weekend when I can just kick back, snuggle with my two favorite men and relax.
I promise to put up some pics this weekend!
Our home renovation projects are finally coming to a close. I'll post some pics tonight of the progress we've made and I have to say, it really looks wonderful. The bathroom is all fresh and clean with new paint, tile, tub, vanity and mirror (and our plumber even fixed the leaky pipe today). The kitchen got new paint, tile, floor, lighting and cabinets (and as of tonight, we should have our sink back). The painter is painting. The built-ins are... well... built in. Its amazing how personalizing our house ties us to it more and more. In the beginning, Joel and I were keenly aware of all of the things that were wrong with it. The kitchen was just a mess. We knew the people that lived there previously hadn't cared much for upkeep or cleanliness. They weren't handy. They weren't in for the long haul. Now, I'm happy to say that our house feels like home. Ahhhhhhh.
Brice continues to grow like a weed. We've completely taken him off the baby food purees (except for the peaches... he really likes them) and now he eats pretty much whatever we eat. Last night he had chicken, rice, peas, mandarin oranges, half an English muffin, a couple of animal crackers and an 8oz bottle. He slept from 7:30-5:30, woke up for a quick bottle and then passed out again until 8am. I love it. He's very talkative now too. Obviously he's not using real words but his babble is just totally lovable and hilarious. Oftentimes, Joel and I wake up to Brice talking to his toys in his crib. I wonder what sort of crazy story he's telling them. I'm sure it has something to do with wrangling Lucy and giving her big kisses (he's a little obsessed these days).
Work has been...interesting. We'd heard rumors of layoffs coming for a few weeks now and yesterday, the ax fell. Today it continues as HR calls people in to conference rooms one by one to tell them their fate. We've lost four fabulous people from our communications team thus far and we've heard that more are coming for other teams around the organization. The sad thing is, there is no apparent rhyme or reason. The layoffs are not related to poor performance, poor attitude or poor standing within the company. They just are. I guess that's the new economy for you. I'm taking the advice of our former colleague before HR called him. "Keep working, keep your head down and pray."
And in Baby H2 news, we've hit the 24 week mark. Yay for viability. At 24 weeks, a baby has a chance of surviving outside of the womb in the event of premature labor or some other incident. It's a good milestone to reach. One of my co-workers gave birth to her daughter at 27 weeks. From the photos, her little girl looks like a very rambunctious child. I'm feeling good overall. Just tired. I'm not sure if that's pregnancy related or if it has to do with the stresses of work and home reno. Needless to say, I'm ready for a weekend when I can just kick back, snuggle with my two favorite men and relax.
I promise to put up some pics this weekend!
Friday, October 16, 2009
23 Week Update
How far along? 23 weeks exactly
Total weight gain: According to my doc, I'm up somewhere between 14 and 16lbs. She was very pleased as I was up 25lbs at this point with Brice. I'm sure that the ballooning effect will take place momentarily.
Maternity clothes? Yes. With Brice, I managed to avoid "business attire" events throughout my pregnancy, so I survived in what I call "business casual" or sweaters and pants. I have to go to an event in NYC on Tuesday and it looks like I'm going to have to buy something more appropriate. Sigh. So unfair. Does anyone really want to see a pregnant lady squeezed into a suit?
Best moment this week: When the cleaning ladies came and magically removed the layer of dust that coated our entire house. Even our nanny was excited about this. Brice also learned how to give kisses which is now my favorite request. He especially likes delivering kisses to Lucy. Its sort of one-sided.
Symptoms: I'm starting to get my waddle on. Sexy!
Movement: H2 is still a low kicker. She seems to enjoy dancing on my bladder. Joel sat with his head in my lap the other day and said she feels like a dragon. I have no idea what that means.
Food cravings: Butter continues. Also raisins, chocolate pudding and sushi.
Gender? Our little girlie cooperated! It was so nice to see her again at the ultrasound.
Sleep: Off and on. Brice sleeps great some nights and other nights, he wants to party. I would say we're good with getting sleep from 10pm-5am. Everything else is a crap shoot.
Belly Button in or out? Booooo. Totally out. It looks like a gross, weird nose.
What I miss: I'm going to stick with my dishwasher, my downstairs toilet and warmth. Its snowing in October. Why do we live in Connecticut again?
Weekly Wisdom: Hmmm. This week I'm going to steal a line from Abe Lincoln: "You can't please all the people all of the time." Nuff said.
Milestones: Next week we hit viability, which is pretty cool. Also, we're looking forward to dressing Brice up for his first Halloween (he's going to be a lion) and my nephew, Jake, is being bar mitzvah ed. Many October milestones!
Total weight gain: According to my doc, I'm up somewhere between 14 and 16lbs. She was very pleased as I was up 25lbs at this point with Brice. I'm sure that the ballooning effect will take place momentarily.
Maternity clothes? Yes. With Brice, I managed to avoid "business attire" events throughout my pregnancy, so I survived in what I call "business casual" or sweaters and pants. I have to go to an event in NYC on Tuesday and it looks like I'm going to have to buy something more appropriate. Sigh. So unfair. Does anyone really want to see a pregnant lady squeezed into a suit?
Best moment this week: When the cleaning ladies came and magically removed the layer of dust that coated our entire house. Even our nanny was excited about this. Brice also learned how to give kisses which is now my favorite request. He especially likes delivering kisses to Lucy. Its sort of one-sided.
Symptoms: I'm starting to get my waddle on. Sexy!
Movement: H2 is still a low kicker. She seems to enjoy dancing on my bladder. Joel sat with his head in my lap the other day and said she feels like a dragon. I have no idea what that means.
Food cravings: Butter continues. Also raisins, chocolate pudding and sushi.
Gender? Our little girlie cooperated! It was so nice to see her again at the ultrasound.
Sleep: Off and on. Brice sleeps great some nights and other nights, he wants to party. I would say we're good with getting sleep from 10pm-5am. Everything else is a crap shoot.
Belly Button in or out? Booooo. Totally out. It looks like a gross, weird nose.
What I miss: I'm going to stick with my dishwasher, my downstairs toilet and warmth. Its snowing in October. Why do we live in Connecticut again?
Weekly Wisdom: Hmmm. This week I'm going to steal a line from Abe Lincoln: "You can't please all the people all of the time." Nuff said.
Milestones: Next week we hit viability, which is pretty cool. Also, we're looking forward to dressing Brice up for his first Halloween (he's going to be a lion) and my nephew, Jake, is being bar mitzvah ed. Many October milestones!
Monday, October 12, 2009
I now sleep two feet from my toilet
That's right folks. My bathroom has been demolished and for the time being, my toilet has been relocated to our bedroom. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and rolled over to see Shamus asleep in a pile of blankets and towels that once occupied our linen closet in the hallway. Just beyond the pile is our toilet. It is empty and to my best knowledge, it is pretty clean. You can't use it, which totally sucks because the second I see it, it reminds me that I have to go to the bathroom. The closest toilet is now a flight of stairs away. That's really far at 5:00 a.m. Nonetheless, its a little nasty to wake up and have that clear of a view of our porcelain throne. I'm ready for this toilet to get moved back across the hall to its usual bathroom resting place.
Thankfully Brice hasn't noticed the toilet in the bedroom yet or we'd be in big trouble. Last week he learned how to flush and now spends the bulk of the evening unrolling the toilet paper and flushing it. Its a cheap thrill so I don't stop him, but now that our toilet isn't attached to any water supply, I have to keep him away from it for as long as possible. The last thing I want to come home to is an entire roll of toilet paper and God only knows what else shoved in there.
So, we've survived phase one of the kitchen renovation project. The kitchen was demolished, new floors installed, new ceilings and drywall on the walls, new recessed lights, new cabinets, new paint. We're just waiting for the lovely people at Viking to install our countertops with our new sink and faucet. I can't wait to have water back so that I can use my dishwasher again. Washing dishes in the upstairs bathroom sink or tub is just totally uncool. I never thought I'd say it, but I also really miss cooking. Since we have no ability to wash dishes, we've been eating frozen dinners or ordering out and I swear, we're on a first name basis with the folks from NPP and Nagoya.
Now we begin on the bathroom. This weekend we gutted the joint. Tub is out. Vanity is gone. Toilet, as I mentioned has been relocated. Tiles have fallen. Joel spent the majority of the day rebuilding the walls and floor so that our tile guy can get to work today. Our plumber came in to hook up the new 300lb tub that was installed yesterday thanks to Joel and some friends. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can be back to having a functional bathroom by the weekend. We still have to paint, put up the wainscotting and replace the vanity, mirror and light fixture. Did I mention how thankful I am to have a handy husband? Well, I am.
Brice has done great through all of this. He somehow sleeps through the bulk of the construction work and he's now taken to carrying the broom around the house. Perhaps he's trying to tell me something. He's getting really good at sleeping through the night and we usually don't hear a peep out of him until about 5:30 a.m. at which point Joel and I are content to bring him into bed with us for some snuggles. He's also totally infatuated with Shamus and Lucy, so if you find any bald spots on our dogs... well, we're trying to teach him how to pet.
As far as Baby H2 goes, we had a great 22 week ultrasound on Friday and a good visit with Dr. Pendyala. After TWO HOURS of drinking coffee, soda and water and doing laps around the block and the office, H2 decided to flip over onto her back and let us get the measurements that we needed. The heart, lungs, bladder and brain all looked perfect and our little girl is now measuring about 1lb, 2oz. She's been happily dancing on my bladder since then and seems to be rolling along with the massive construction work we've been doing. Dr. Pendyala told me that I'm not up 14lbs total for this pregnancy, a whopping 16lbs less than where I was at this point with Brice (yikes!). She's adamant about me getting the H1N1 shot so I guess I'll be the first one waiting in line when it finally comes out in Connecticut. I'm still torn on how I feel about it, but I guess if it reduces the risk of hospitalization, count me in. I'm done with ultrasounds for the next 14 weeks or so and the next thing I have to look forward to is the glorious glucose test at 26 weeks (yuck).
I'll post some pics tonight of the kitchen and bathroom!
Thankfully Brice hasn't noticed the toilet in the bedroom yet or we'd be in big trouble. Last week he learned how to flush and now spends the bulk of the evening unrolling the toilet paper and flushing it. Its a cheap thrill so I don't stop him, but now that our toilet isn't attached to any water supply, I have to keep him away from it for as long as possible. The last thing I want to come home to is an entire roll of toilet paper and God only knows what else shoved in there.
So, we've survived phase one of the kitchen renovation project. The kitchen was demolished, new floors installed, new ceilings and drywall on the walls, new recessed lights, new cabinets, new paint. We're just waiting for the lovely people at Viking to install our countertops with our new sink and faucet. I can't wait to have water back so that I can use my dishwasher again. Washing dishes in the upstairs bathroom sink or tub is just totally uncool. I never thought I'd say it, but I also really miss cooking. Since we have no ability to wash dishes, we've been eating frozen dinners or ordering out and I swear, we're on a first name basis with the folks from NPP and Nagoya.
Now we begin on the bathroom. This weekend we gutted the joint. Tub is out. Vanity is gone. Toilet, as I mentioned has been relocated. Tiles have fallen. Joel spent the majority of the day rebuilding the walls and floor so that our tile guy can get to work today. Our plumber came in to hook up the new 300lb tub that was installed yesterday thanks to Joel and some friends. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can be back to having a functional bathroom by the weekend. We still have to paint, put up the wainscotting and replace the vanity, mirror and light fixture. Did I mention how thankful I am to have a handy husband? Well, I am.
Brice has done great through all of this. He somehow sleeps through the bulk of the construction work and he's now taken to carrying the broom around the house. Perhaps he's trying to tell me something. He's getting really good at sleeping through the night and we usually don't hear a peep out of him until about 5:30 a.m. at which point Joel and I are content to bring him into bed with us for some snuggles. He's also totally infatuated with Shamus and Lucy, so if you find any bald spots on our dogs... well, we're trying to teach him how to pet.
As far as Baby H2 goes, we had a great 22 week ultrasound on Friday and a good visit with Dr. Pendyala. After TWO HOURS of drinking coffee, soda and water and doing laps around the block and the office, H2 decided to flip over onto her back and let us get the measurements that we needed. The heart, lungs, bladder and brain all looked perfect and our little girl is now measuring about 1lb, 2oz. She's been happily dancing on my bladder since then and seems to be rolling along with the massive construction work we've been doing. Dr. Pendyala told me that I'm not up 14lbs total for this pregnancy, a whopping 16lbs less than where I was at this point with Brice (yikes!). She's adamant about me getting the H1N1 shot so I guess I'll be the first one waiting in line when it finally comes out in Connecticut. I'm still torn on how I feel about it, but I guess if it reduces the risk of hospitalization, count me in. I'm done with ultrasounds for the next 14 weeks or so and the next thing I have to look forward to is the glorious glucose test at 26 weeks (yuck).
I'll post some pics tonight of the kitchen and bathroom!
Friday, October 2, 2009
21 week update
How far along? 21 weeks exactly
Total weight gain: Still no clue, due in part to the kitchen construction that is keeping me from my upstairs bathroom. Yeah, that's it.
Maternity clothes? Yes and thank goodness. October 1 brought true fall weather here so I was happy to have some comfy pants and sweaters for work.
Best moment this week: It was technically last week, but my best moment was taking a sledgehammer to my ugly white counter tops. Man, what a great way to blow off some steam!
Symptoms: Metallic taste continues!
Movement: Flutters are turning into kicks. She's a low kicker, unlike Brice who spent his days elbowing and kicking me in the upper ribcage. I'm just waiting for the day when she gives me a swift kick to the bladder and I wet my pants.
Food cravings: Salted butter. The kind my grandma used to buy to spread on challah bread.
Gender? We have a follow-up ultrasound one week from today, so I'm still going girlie!
Sleep: None to speak of. Between home renovation projects, Brice teething and general discomfort, I feel like I'm probably maxing out somewhere around 4 hours per night.
Belly Button in or out? Almost totally out. I hate this.
What I miss: Summer (yeah, its gone already), sleeping with the windows open, Brice sleeping through the night, my kitchen, running water, cooking without use of the microwave oven, using a dishwasher instead of my bathroom sink, the general feeling of calm instead of chaos in my house.
Weekly Wisdom: Hire a contractor if you work full time or buy a brand new house. While it feels great to say, "I did that" I also have to assume that it feels pretty good to not be coated in three different colors of paint, have a gutted kitchen and appliances sitting in my front foyer and being able to sleep at night without worrying about if the counter tops will be too light, the floors will be too dark or the dry-wall taping job on the ceiling is going to show. Invest in Home Depot stock. I can't walk into that place without dropping $200.
Milestones: Looking forward to seeing little H2 on the ultrasound next week. Just 5 short weeks away from the third trimester. Hurray!
Total weight gain: Still no clue, due in part to the kitchen construction that is keeping me from my upstairs bathroom. Yeah, that's it.
Maternity clothes? Yes and thank goodness. October 1 brought true fall weather here so I was happy to have some comfy pants and sweaters for work.
Best moment this week: It was technically last week, but my best moment was taking a sledgehammer to my ugly white counter tops. Man, what a great way to blow off some steam!
Symptoms: Metallic taste continues!
Movement: Flutters are turning into kicks. She's a low kicker, unlike Brice who spent his days elbowing and kicking me in the upper ribcage. I'm just waiting for the day when she gives me a swift kick to the bladder and I wet my pants.
Food cravings: Salted butter. The kind my grandma used to buy to spread on challah bread.
Gender? We have a follow-up ultrasound one week from today, so I'm still going girlie!
Sleep: None to speak of. Between home renovation projects, Brice teething and general discomfort, I feel like I'm probably maxing out somewhere around 4 hours per night.
Belly Button in or out? Almost totally out. I hate this.
What I miss: Summer (yeah, its gone already), sleeping with the windows open, Brice sleeping through the night, my kitchen, running water, cooking without use of the microwave oven, using a dishwasher instead of my bathroom sink, the general feeling of calm instead of chaos in my house.
Weekly Wisdom: Hire a contractor if you work full time or buy a brand new house. While it feels great to say, "I did that" I also have to assume that it feels pretty good to not be coated in three different colors of paint, have a gutted kitchen and appliances sitting in my front foyer and being able to sleep at night without worrying about if the counter tops will be too light, the floors will be too dark or the dry-wall taping job on the ceiling is going to show. Invest in Home Depot stock. I can't walk into that place without dropping $200.
Milestones: Looking forward to seeing little H2 on the ultrasound next week. Just 5 short weeks away from the third trimester. Hurray!
Some updated photos - Nate's Baptism Weekend in Maryland
I wanted to share a couple of photos from Nate Lydem's Baptism weekend in Maryland. We had a great time with the Lydem and Amato families. Unfortunately, due to miles in between, rambunctious children and chaotic work/life schedules, we don't get to see one another nearly enough and one weekend just couldn't make up for the months of catching up that we need to do!
Me, Kelly and Heather enjoying the beautiful weather and the view from Kelly's backyard.
How things change in three years. We went from three single ladies to three married ladies to three moms. Here's a great picture of the Lydem, Harvill and Amato families. Yeah, its impossible to get all kiddos looking at the camera (or any kiddos for that matter).
Our three sons. Brice at 9 months, Nate at 6 months and Alexander at 20 months. How three brunettes end up with three fair-haired boys is beyond me.
Mommy at 19 weeks pregnant and briefly dressed up for the occasion. Brice sported his favorite "crab" shirt since we were at a true Maryland crab feast!
Me, Kelly and Heather enjoying the beautiful weather and the view from Kelly's backyard.
How things change in three years. We went from three single ladies to three married ladies to three moms. Here's a great picture of the Lydem, Harvill and Amato families. Yeah, its impossible to get all kiddos looking at the camera (or any kiddos for that matter).
Our three sons. Brice at 9 months, Nate at 6 months and Alexander at 20 months. How three brunettes end up with three fair-haired boys is beyond me.
Mommy at 19 weeks pregnant and briefly dressed up for the occasion. Brice sported his favorite "crab" shirt since we were at a true Maryland crab feast!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Halfway point and Brice 9 month update (late, as always)
I took Brice for his 9 month checkup yesterday. We're a little late as he's 9 months and 3 weeks, but hey, I'll give you the rundown anyway. We walked into the office and signed in. Brice was immediately infatuated by the fish tank in the waiting area so we spent about 10 minutes practicing our fish faces. He thinks mine is super cool, by the way. He was fine and dandy until the monster of monsters came to usher us into the examining room. Brice took one look at him and burst out into tears. You know who I'm talking about. The shot guy.
I'm not talking about the busty bimbo selling test tubes full of alcohol at Senor Frogs, people. I'd call him a nurse and I probably should, but he's not. He's an overweight, long haired hippy. He's the nicest guy ever, but he carries a plastic box with him everywhere he goes. The shot box. The box of hysteria.
It took Brice 9 months to figure this out. One look at the shot guy and we were in big trouble. Brice was suddenly defying gravity and had climbed up my chest and was perched on my shoulder clinging to my t-shirt and a fist full of hair. I'm probably bald on one side. I fought him down onto the table, removed his clothes and held him down while the shot guy weighed and measured him. The stats: Brice now weights 23lbs and is 30 inches long, putting him in the 95th percentile for both.
The shot guy left the room and told us that Dr. Lialios would be in momentarily. Brice was instantly calm and I believe that he somehow thought he would avoid further poking and prodding. Dr. Lialios walked into the room and the hysteria started up again. Once again, I held him on the table while Dr. L examined his eyes, ears, listened to his heart, etc. Dr. L explained to me that they would give Brice the first half of the regular flu shot and they would prick his finger to take blood for an anemia/lead poisoning test. He told me to get Brice dressed and shot guy would return.
I put Brice's clothes back on, calmed him down and offered him a bottle. He snuggled into my chest as we sat in the chair waiting and within five minutes, my little guy was sound asleep. Shot guy came back into the room and gave me an apologetic look as he knew that Brice would soon be awake, alert and very, very angry. He opened his shot box, pulled out the needle and pricked Brice's finger. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy filled the vial and quickly pulled out the flu shot. He rolled up Brice's pant leg and quickly jabbed him in the thigh. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy told me we were free to go, so I picked up my bag and walked out. He slept. Basically, I have the only kid on the face of the planet that screams bloody murder through the regular exam and then sleeps peacefully through the painful shots. I love my little weirdo!
In current pregnancy news, we have reached (almost) the halfway point. Here's the weekly update:
How far along? 19 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: I'll be honest, Joel took the scale to work (lord only knows why) so I haven't weighed myself.
Maternity clothes? I finally went shopping and now have new fall wear. A couple of pairs of pants and a few sweaters will hopefully last me until the chilly days of winter.
Best moment this week: Finishing up a couple of home improvement projects. We've got many to go but the new recessed lights and the baseboard heat look great.
Symptoms: None really. Just the metallic, penny taste in my mouth that exists ALL THE TIME. Heartburn.
Movement: Minor flutters only.
Food cravings: Curry. Peanut Butter. Apples.
Gender? I haven't had another ultrasound to tell me otherwise, so I'm hoping she's still a little girl!
Sleep: Hello coma. I could fall asleep sitting up in my officle with three people talking to me.
Belly Button in or out? Slowly moving out. Damn.
What I miss: Having a glass of white wine at the end of a difficult workday. Having a second glass of white wine because I can. Ankles instead of cankles. Having a third glass of white wine.
Weekly Wisdom: A friend of mine posted this on her blog. For the most part, I totally agree.
So this is the advice no one ever told me:
1. Babies don’t sleep through the night – for years! That’s right people, some babies don’t sleep through the night FOR YEARS! I was prepared for a rough start. No one warned me it would be years.
2. A baby crying, and a baby crying for you are two different experiences. Which brings me back to #1. I was always told that you just let the baby “cry it out” and then they sleep through the night. Well, if you’ve ever had a baby who cries, “mama!” – Crying it out really isn’t a great alternative.
3. The first year of having children is the toughest for a marriage. People used to tell me that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Ours was a cake walk. The first year of having a baby – well, that’s a different story. Its not like its bad, but having a baby has thrown us curve balls that I never expected. And it doesn’t help when one, or both of you, haven’t slept in about 1.5 years.
4. Sleep deprivation starts before the baby even arrives. I was up about 4 times a night during the first trimester – often for several hours at a time, and I think I only slept through the night once while I was pregnant.
5. Postpartum recovery is worse than delivery. It was for me anyways – it lasted months. At least labor and delivery were over with in a day, and you can get an epidural for that.
6. Motherhood is competitive. Even if a mother had a baby 30 years ago, some will still compare themselves to you. If you want to brag about your kids, brag to your parents (because they still have a genetic stake) or to your friends without kids.
7. You really don’t know anything about being a parent until you are one. If someone had told me this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Things that I said, “I will never…” to, I am now doing.
8. In the beginning, do whatever you have to do to stay sane. If the baby has to sleep on your 24/7 – then go for it. You can worry about the details later.
9. Having kids is fun. I don’t know if anyone told me this. I thought it sounded like fun, but I mostly hear people complain about kids. I absolutely love having my baby and spending time with him.
Milestones: HALFWAY POINT! 20 weeks to go! WOOOOO HOOOO!
I'm not talking about the busty bimbo selling test tubes full of alcohol at Senor Frogs, people. I'd call him a nurse and I probably should, but he's not. He's an overweight, long haired hippy. He's the nicest guy ever, but he carries a plastic box with him everywhere he goes. The shot box. The box of hysteria.
It took Brice 9 months to figure this out. One look at the shot guy and we were in big trouble. Brice was suddenly defying gravity and had climbed up my chest and was perched on my shoulder clinging to my t-shirt and a fist full of hair. I'm probably bald on one side. I fought him down onto the table, removed his clothes and held him down while the shot guy weighed and measured him. The stats: Brice now weights 23lbs and is 30 inches long, putting him in the 95th percentile for both.
The shot guy left the room and told us that Dr. Lialios would be in momentarily. Brice was instantly calm and I believe that he somehow thought he would avoid further poking and prodding. Dr. Lialios walked into the room and the hysteria started up again. Once again, I held him on the table while Dr. L examined his eyes, ears, listened to his heart, etc. Dr. L explained to me that they would give Brice the first half of the regular flu shot and they would prick his finger to take blood for an anemia/lead poisoning test. He told me to get Brice dressed and shot guy would return.
I put Brice's clothes back on, calmed him down and offered him a bottle. He snuggled into my chest as we sat in the chair waiting and within five minutes, my little guy was sound asleep. Shot guy came back into the room and gave me an apologetic look as he knew that Brice would soon be awake, alert and very, very angry. He opened his shot box, pulled out the needle and pricked Brice's finger. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy filled the vial and quickly pulled out the flu shot. He rolled up Brice's pant leg and quickly jabbed him in the thigh. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy told me we were free to go, so I picked up my bag and walked out. He slept. Basically, I have the only kid on the face of the planet that screams bloody murder through the regular exam and then sleeps peacefully through the painful shots. I love my little weirdo!
In current pregnancy news, we have reached (almost) the halfway point. Here's the weekly update:
How far along? 19 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: I'll be honest, Joel took the scale to work (lord only knows why) so I haven't weighed myself.
Maternity clothes? I finally went shopping and now have new fall wear. A couple of pairs of pants and a few sweaters will hopefully last me until the chilly days of winter.
Best moment this week: Finishing up a couple of home improvement projects. We've got many to go but the new recessed lights and the baseboard heat look great.
Symptoms: None really. Just the metallic, penny taste in my mouth that exists ALL THE TIME. Heartburn.
Movement: Minor flutters only.
Food cravings: Curry. Peanut Butter. Apples.
Gender? I haven't had another ultrasound to tell me otherwise, so I'm hoping she's still a little girl!
Sleep: Hello coma. I could fall asleep sitting up in my officle with three people talking to me.
Belly Button in or out? Slowly moving out. Damn.
What I miss: Having a glass of white wine at the end of a difficult workday. Having a second glass of white wine because I can. Ankles instead of cankles. Having a third glass of white wine.
Weekly Wisdom: A friend of mine posted this on her blog. For the most part, I totally agree.
So this is the advice no one ever told me:
1. Babies don’t sleep through the night – for years! That’s right people, some babies don’t sleep through the night FOR YEARS! I was prepared for a rough start. No one warned me it would be years.
2. A baby crying, and a baby crying for you are two different experiences. Which brings me back to #1. I was always told that you just let the baby “cry it out” and then they sleep through the night. Well, if you’ve ever had a baby who cries, “mama!” – Crying it out really isn’t a great alternative.
3. The first year of having children is the toughest for a marriage. People used to tell me that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Ours was a cake walk. The first year of having a baby – well, that’s a different story. Its not like its bad, but having a baby has thrown us curve balls that I never expected. And it doesn’t help when one, or both of you, haven’t slept in about 1.5 years.
4. Sleep deprivation starts before the baby even arrives. I was up about 4 times a night during the first trimester – often for several hours at a time, and I think I only slept through the night once while I was pregnant.
5. Postpartum recovery is worse than delivery. It was for me anyways – it lasted months. At least labor and delivery were over with in a day, and you can get an epidural for that.
6. Motherhood is competitive. Even if a mother had a baby 30 years ago, some will still compare themselves to you. If you want to brag about your kids, brag to your parents (because they still have a genetic stake) or to your friends without kids.
7. You really don’t know anything about being a parent until you are one. If someone had told me this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Things that I said, “I will never…” to, I am now doing.
8. In the beginning, do whatever you have to do to stay sane. If the baby has to sleep on your 24/7 – then go for it. You can worry about the details later.
9. Having kids is fun. I don’t know if anyone told me this. I thought it sounded like fun, but I mostly hear people complain about kids. I absolutely love having my baby and spending time with him.
Milestones: HALFWAY POINT! 20 weeks to go! WOOOOO HOOOO!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
