Too much!

Today was a big day and I am beginning to think we did too much too soon. I still feel great- can't get over how naturally mommyhood has been- but I am finally exhausted. I knew that would hit sooner rather than later! Yesterday my SIL and BIL came (M and P) from northern VA to stay the weekend. They are great- a bit younger than we are but they "get it" and were here to see their new niece and help us out. The only thing that exhausted me in regards to them is I fed T at 10 p.m. and went up to bed hoping to make it until at least midnight (I try to feed her every 2-3 hours during the "day"- yes midnight is considered the day right now- and 3-4 hours at night). At 11:00 FJ brought her up to me and said she was rooting and hungry. Ughhhh... I was beginning to think that she didn't get enough food during the day and feeling really guilty. I went ahead and nursed her and she fell asleep and stayed that way until I fed her at 3:00. This a.m. FJ and got up and brought T to church. While neither of us is extremely religious- religion is important to both of us and we plan to raise Teagan catholic. We also love our church so its not a chore to go. When we got back FJ made breakfast and M and P did the dishes while FJ, T, and I took a nap. At noon my dad and step mom came over (they live in FL) and the fun began. Not soon after my mom and step dad showed up (they all get along well) and FJ's mom and dad, SIL and brother and nephew all arrived. So here we were with a newborn and 12 adults visiting. Yes, this was all planned and we thought it would be a ton of fun to have everyone here together. It was, but it was exhausting. By the end of the day I was begging for a nap and trying to make it upstairs to nurse T when FJ's family was taking their time saying goodbyes. Finally I put my foot down, said good bye and headed upstairs for a feeding and a nap.

Breastfeeding is going well. I am so glad I went to the lactation consultant. She really helped me and I am going to call her tomorrow with some more questions. T is doing great and seems to really be filling out. We have a pediatrician appt tomorrow so I will find out how much she has gained. She sleeps all the time. I am not complaining because it gives me plenty of time to rest myself but sometimes it worries me. Today while everyone was here she sat on my step mom's lap and slept the whole day until I would feed her and then she'd zonk right out. Tonight will be interesting to see if she sleeps. I am not holding my breath but hopefully we'll get lucky!

Due date

I woke up yesterday feeling very motivated that I could take things by the horns and get out of the house. Today is the first day I am allowed to use stairs and drive but yesterday seemed a good day as any to start making some plans so I don't get cabin fever. After calling our local por.trait inn.ovations to schedule her newborn photo shoot I also called a lactation consultant. I really wasn't going to but figured- what the heck, we'll see what they have to say. So I went and it was fantastic. For those of you who are soon to be moms- this service is well worth the $40 they charged. She gave me a completely different perspective on how to breastfeed and it actually worked. I am to call her Monday and tell her how we are and I do have some questions (Rome wasn't built in a day you know!) but so far so good and I am so much happier as a result.

My parents have been here since my water broke to "help out". They are fantastic but I think FJ and I are ready to give this parenting a go without them. Yesterday, however, mom mentioned that they weren't leaving until July 7. I understand why- they are going to the beach next week to pick up my grandmother and bring her back and then they don't want to travel too close to the 4th of July holiday. It'll be fine but I thought FJ would die when she mentioned it. The thing is we set some ground rules before they got here saying a week is enough and that FJ's mom would be coming week #2. For whatever reason FJ's mom isn't coming week 2 so I think my mom feels as if they need to stay. Its easier to grin and bear it than hurt their feelings because they have been helpful. We haven't had to lift a finger since they've been here so who's complaining?

T continues to be perfect. Yesterday at the lactation con. she was weighed and she is 2 ounces shy of her birth weight. I am so proud of her! I am also proud of myself for feeding her enough to be gaining weight. I am going to take her on some errands today and we have been taking her and her fur siblings for walks the past few days. It is so nice to be able to walk more comfortably than when I was pregnant. I am thankful that my body is quickly returning to its early pregnancy state (I don't want to say pre-pregnancy yet- that would be pushing things!)

Today would be my actual due date. Its hard to believe that I could still be pregnant today and be anxious about my baby's arrival. Its hard to believe on one hand that T is 9 days old but on another it feels like I've always had a baby. She is the light of my life!!!

Breastfeeding woes

Thank you ALL for the congratulations. T continues to be a blessing. She slept well last night and I only had to feed her at midnight, 3:00, and then at 7:00. Usually (in the few days we've known each other) she doesn't go back to sleep after the 3 a.m. feeding and we stay up until 7:00 but today she was so good!
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Yesterday my lactation consultant called from the hospital to check on me and T and I told her that breastfeeding was going really well. I also told her that I continue to use a nipple guard to protect my precious nips and she told me I needed to begin weaning T off the shield. She said that my milk supply could actually stop coming in if I didn't. This surprises me because T eats SO WELL with the guard and we've had an abundance of poopy and urine filled diapers to prove it. My breasts did feel engorged yesterday but after she fed they felt better which tells me my breasts are getting plenty of stimulation. But- I listened to her because I want what's best for my baby. So yesterday I read up on techniques that make feeding less painful and tried it for a while. All went slowly yesterday and I switched back to the guard since I just couldn't get her to latch correctly. Today it was more of the same and I finally had a breakdown with it a few hours ago. I was so proud of myself and T for being able to breastfeed and now I feel like we are at square one. I am going to call the lactation consultant tomorrow and see what advice can be given but I feel so frustrated. Everything was working great until I started to wean her. I would like someone to look into the future and tell me that my milk won't stop coming in if I continue to use the guard OR tell me that it would stop hurting if I gave the guardless feed a chance. My breasts are so large that it is hard for T's little mouth to get to where it needs to be so she is sucking on the end of my nipple which kills and is now cracked and chafed.

On another note we have received lots and lots of pink little clothes in the past few days. We also have plenty of yellow and green since we didn't find out T's gender before birth but now we also have tons of pink and I am thinking the yellow may never be worn. What a shame. We also received our 3rd piggy bank today. This kid would be a millionaire if only the piggy produced money on its own! Anyway, we love her to death and couldn't be happier (unless of course the feeding thing would work itself out!). Thanks for reading. :)

Wow!

So a week ago I was bored and found entertainment in doing the "seven things you want to know" game. That night I went to  bed as usual and fell asleep after poking my belly to make sure all was well in there. At midnight I got up and went to the restroom as usual and went back to bed. At 2:45 I did the same. This time, however, when getting back in bed and trying to get comfy I noticed something was different. I was sopping wet "down there". It was a warm fluidy feeling like you feel when you get a big rush of blood when getting your period. Uh oh! I woke up FJ and said, "I think my water just broke!" He freaked out a bit and we called my OB (who was still on vacation but I had his cell phone # "just in case"). He told me to call the hospital and to go on in- he'd leave the river and meet me there (have I told you lately that I LOVE my OB???). So off to the hospital we went (after having taken a shower with permission, putting on some clothes, stuffing a baby diaper in my underwear, FJ changing the sheets, doing the dishes, and throwing in a load of laundry). We arrived at the hospital at 4:45 (2 hours after my water breaking) and I was no more dialated or effaced then when I had gone to the OB just 11 hours earlier. The nurse (who was a major jerk btw) started my patosin  (sp???) because they  said it would be a long day since I hadn't started contractions yet. A few hours later I opted for some drugs and off to la-la land I went! At noon I sent FJ to get lunch for himself so that he would have the energy 'when the time came'. At this point my OB was on his way back from vacation to deliver my baby so the acting OB came in to check my cervix. I was 10 cm and 100% effaced and the baby was at +3! The OB said to call my husband and tell him to hurry back, the baby was on the way! I pushed and pushed and pushed. Unfortunately (or fortunately- I haven't decided) the epidural was working so well that  my contractions were not showing up on the monitor and I couldn't feel ANYTHING- no pressure- NOTHING! So as I pushed and pushed- we weren't sure if I was pushing at the right times. Finally after pushing for 3 hours I asked for another option. The baby's heart rate was dropping with each push (and coming back up but it was still causing anxiety). The OB came in and said that I had 2 options- forceps of C-Section. I opted for forceps since I didn't want to have to recover from the stress of labor plus the major surgery and the OB said that he could have the baby out in 5 minutes with the forceps. And he was right! At 3:09 Thursday, June 19 my baby was born. And......

It's a GIRL!!!!!

And here she is....

7 things you may want to know...

I want to play! I haven't been "tagged" officially but I love these things so...

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Let's see- I had graduated from college and moved to Richmond, VA with 2 friends. We lived in the city and I paid $270 in rent and didn't have a car payment. I taught at a horrible school north of where I teach now and was basically miserable thinking that teaching wasn't for me. It was the end of that year that a colleague talked me into applying elsewhere and now I couldn't be happier in a new county/ new school still teaching! I wasn't dating anyone and living the single life with my friends. I did a lot of stupid things but all in all, they made me who I am today!!!!

2. What 5 things are on your to-do list today?

1. Go to OB

  2. Wait for a/c guy to come give us an estimate on a new a/c

3. Call a company about waterproofing our basement

4. Empty the dishwasher

5. Lie on the couch!

3. List some snacks you enjoy.

Uhhh, just about anything! Chewy Chips A.hoy, mint chocolate chip ice cream, most fruits, tortilla with melted cheese, hummus and veggies, and the list goes on...

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

I would most definitely do something with the environment. I am not totally green but I  think I would like to be. I am too lazy and cheap to do most things but I think if I had a lot of money it would be easier. I would also buy FJ and I a house and pay off our cars (maybe get new ones- Prias?) and pay all of my families' bills. I don't think I would quit work but ask me again once the baby arrives!

5. List the places you have lived...

Born in Fayettville, NC

Moved to Heidelburg, Germany and Frankfurt, Germany until I was 4 or 5

Moved to Oakton, VA until I was 11ish

Moved to Burke, VA until I was 13ish

Moved to Cheshire, CT until I was 18

Went to college in Farmville, VA

Moved to Richmond, VA when I was 22 and am still here!

6. List the jobs you have done...

Frankie's hotdog restaurant, Everybody's grocery, tutored a Down Syndrome child, daycare, Honey b.aked Ham, Teacher

7. List people you want to know more about...

Everyone!!!

Thanks searching for the ideas!!!

38 weeks

Still here and still preggers! I am now down to less than 2 weeks until the infamous due date- June 28. My OB is currently on vacation about 1 hour away so I am really hoping to hold out until he gets back. He told me that he will come home to deliver me if needed but I don't want to put him in that position. It is really important to me for him to deliver this baby. I know that it might not happen that way but its what I am really hoping for! He has always been so supportive of me/ us and I feel like he knows how important this is to me on a personal level (I guess any good OB would know how important a baby is...). Anyhow, I have his cell phone and am to call if "something" happens. I still feel like I won't know when labor hits. I am afraid of having a slow leak of amniotic fluid and not knowing it or having contractions and not knowing it. Everyone says, "you'll know!" but I just get this feeling that maybe I won't! FJ has been amazing lately getting things done around the house. It stinks because I feel like I can't help out with much these days. I am still incredibly swollen and my pelvis hurts a lot. I spend 90% of my day with my feet up and he runs around cleaning, shopping, etc. On top of that he has to go to work tomorrow but I don't. As a teacher I am off for the summer. As an administrator he has to work until the end of this month and then he'll be off for the month of July. He is taking 2 classes this summer as well as expecting our first child. I know I am demanding a lot from him but he seems to "get it" for the most part and has done a great job making me keep my feet up and doing the household chores. I do worry about him getting stressed with his workload and breaking down but so far he is just so excited for this baby to come! We ran millions of errands this weekend trying to put the final preparations in. The car seat is installed, art on the walls of the nursery, duplicate baby gifts returned, stroller and pack and play purchased etc. Our bags are packed for the hospital so now we wait... Last OB appt I was still 1 cm (in fact I think a little less) and 70% effaced. I can't believe my body is doing what it is supposed to do! 

Hi all! Just a brief check in... I am still here, still preggers, and still delighted to be that way! (Although if the baby came now, I would be totally cool with that!) Last week I went for my 37 week exam and the OB didn't measure me. I will definitely insist on that tomorrow. There was a little protein in my urine and my bp was a little high for me, but the OB didn't seem concerned. Since I am also going weekly for NST he feels confident that I am a-okay. My NST Friday was non-eventful. Everything looked great. It was great to see the baby again and to watch him/her on the ultrasound. He/She is breathing in there and they say that's a great sign. They hooked me up to the monitors to measure the baby's heart rate and my uterus' contractions. At first the contraction ticker was at zero but before long it shot up and down like a jumping bean! It went all the way to 80 at one point! The nurse asked if I could feel any of it and I couldn't. She wasn't concerned because they weren't regular enough to be "real" contractions but was surprised that I couldn't feel anything. The specialist asked if my OB had talked about having the baby early and I said no. I will be bringing all of this up at tomorrow's appt.! I am swollen, swollen, swollen. Today I totally stayed off my feet and drank lots of water but my feet right now are huge. It concerns me. My OB says that swimming helps so I have been going out to the pool once the sun goes down. It is relaxing and great to feel weightless, but the swelling doesn't really subside because of it. The only thing that seems to work is putting my feet up but even then they don't go down to "normal" size. 

We had another shower today. Our last! We are so lucky to have such great friends to spoil us. We haven't received some of the big items that we will need but have plenty of gift cards and duplicate gifts to return to cover it all. I just can't believe how generous everyone has been! I will try to post more tomorrow after my OB appt. Wish me luck!!!

A special congratulations goes to Farah at Fertilized! She and I were due date buddies!!!!