Reagan: Months 4 to 6

Month Four

In a Nutshell- Everybody says around the three month mark is when things really turn around with a baby.  A baby by this time is better able to cope with their surroundings and begin to interact with the world.  The evening "witching hour"  that can be a baby's fussy time of day begins to subside.  I remember thinking there didn't seem to be any huge change when Reagan hit this mark, but her personality was definitely emerging.  I remember thinking it was unfair that I had to go back to work just as things were starting to get much more fun!  But that's what I did, and the first day I had mixed feelings.  We haven't done any daycare.  My parents have very graciously done all the babysitting.  When it was time for me to go back to work, I typed up about 4 pages of instructions for my own parents, who obviously raised me just fine, but they needed to know everything there was about MY little girl!  I was really upset the night before I had to go back, but when the day came I was excited to be dressed nice and out of the house, talking to other adults.  There was no question I was going to shower and have time to eat lunch.  I was determined to leave by 5 everyday.  Very quickly, I became swamped though.  Between meetings and pumping, there was no time to do real work.  On top of that, Ben was now starting to go away a lot of the time so I was basically a single mom when he was gone- thank god I had my parents around to help- but this was tough.  I will say, the best part of going back to work was that it made me appreciate my time with Reagan more than ever.  Weekends had so much more meaning and I looked forward to them with so much excitement and I cherished every minute I had with my baby girl that much more.  I snuggled her every night before bed- sometimes for hours.

I turned 30 this month.  Ben was away for my birthday but my mom and Bobby took me out to a nice dinner and Reagan again didn't make a peep.  Ben threw me a party when he came back.  We also had Reagan's Christening this month. 

Most Memorable- I thought it would be good idea before we left for the church for Reagan's Christening for Ben to cut Reagan's nails so she didn't scratch herself for pictures.  I was too afraid to do it myself- I still haven't to this day.  Of course this one time, Ben cut a little too close to the skin (ok, to be honest, he clipped a little piece of skin right off) and there was blood all over the place- even a little on her white gown and now we had a fussy baby!  I didn't know who to feel worse for Reagan or Ben.  But we all pulled ourselves together relatively quickly and made it through the rest of the day remarkably well.

Biggest Lesson Learned -  I had a taste of what a working single mother feels like, and honestly I don't know how anyone does it.  Oh, and don't cut your baby's nails right before her Christening!

Month Four Pics

 All dressed up for mom's birthday dinner at Siena!

Below is from my 30th bday party - I don't know how Reagan later slept in her swing during a very loud and rowdy game of Catchphrase, haha!

 

Month Five

In a Nutshell- Most exciting this month was that Reagan started eating solid foods.  She started with rice cereal at 4 and a half months.  The first few feedings, the cereal would just dribble back out but after a few tries, Reagan started to catch on.  This month Reagan also started to stay awake for more of the day- taking 3 scheduled naps a day now.  Although Reagan is not a baby who keeps to a schedule to the minute or even to the hour- but I desperately tried to develop some sort of schedule.  We established an 8:00 bedtime this month which gave Ben and I some much needed down time at night (until then Reagan would sleep in her swing until about 11, we would give her a bottle and and put her in her crib right before we went to bed for the night).  Reagan was still sleeping pretty well at night but we started trying to transition her from napping in her swing to napping in her crib this month, after all she wasn't going to fit in her swing much longer.  This led to a battle at naptime and me dancing Reagan around seemingly forever and often to some Michael Jackson to keep me going until she drifted off and then I'd put her in her crib and hope for the best.  This was a weird transition time where Reagan was awake more but she still was unable to hold a rattle or toy for more than a few seconds- so what do you possibly do with a baby that age all day?  It's tough- you can only go for so many walks.  We brought out the amazing inventions that are the Bumbo seat and doorway jumper this month, although really Reagan just tried to eat the jumper instead of doing any actual jumping.

This month was also mine and Ben's first real night out without Reagan.  She stayed at my mom's and we made a big deal out of it.  We stayed at the Westin in Providence.  I had a spa day during the day, we went to Hemenway's for dinner and then to Trinity Brewhouse for drinks.  It was REALLY hard leaving for the night but I had such a fun night out with my husband!  We couldn't get back to Reagan fast enough in the morning though.

Most Memorable- Reagan's 1st Halloween - she was a cow!

Biggest Lesson Learned- I was so excited for Reagan's first taste of solid food just to have her spit it back out at me.  Babies will learn and grow on their own schedule- not one you develop for them.  All you can do is keep trying new things and when they're ready they'll take to it- maybe on the 1st try, maybe on the 101st.  This has been the case with many things and all you can do is be patient and supportive.

Month Five Pics

 Bumbo + Plug + Sophie = One Happy Girl

Bald and Beautiful

My little cow!

No a lot of jumping going on in the jumper

Month Six

This was an exciting month!!  At 5 months and 2 days Reagan rolled over from belly to back and Ben and I were both home to see it.  Up until then, Reagan just cried non-stop during tummy time, but once she figured out she could roll on her back whenever she wanted, she was much better with it.  Reagan also started to belly laugh this month, and it was the best sound in the world.  This month was also Reagan's first taste of vegetables- carrots!  The faces she made when she tried them for the first time were absolutely priceless!  Reagan went on her first plane ride and took her first trip to Ohio this month for Thanksgiving and got to meet a lot of her Ohio relatives for the very first time.  She was a perfect little traveler.  Naps continued to be a battle this month and Reagan trained Ben and I to get up every couple hours at night (at least!) to put her pacifier back in her mouth.  She was able to play with some toys and entertain herself a little during the day by now though and she was starting to get chatty!  At Thanksgiving, we actually were convinced she was telling the whole family her name was Reagan.  By the end of this month Reagan was in the 75th percentile for height and weight and 90th for head size.  What happened to my tiny little peanut??  Surely she is going to tower over me someday!

By this month, my new job was really not working out for me.  Ben was away quite a bit, my job was so demanding, and there were nights when Ben was away that I would just crash after Reagan went to bed without eating dinner and I would get up early to wash bottles, finish laundry, and clean up the house before I had to go back to work.  I had no trouble losing the baby weight because often I was too busy or too tired to eat, but it wasn't healthy, and I was finally learning that the best mom for Reagan is a healthy mom.  Worst of all, I felt I was missing out on so much during this exciting time when Reagan was growing by leaps and bounds.  Seeing her only a couple hours a day during the week and weekends wasn't enough for me.  There were nights I came home after Reagan's bedtime no matter how hard I had convinced myself I would be home earlier and just cried and cried.  Ben didn't care what I did for work- he just wanted me to be happier than this.  One Friday night when I was leaving work at 9pm (and my mom had been at our house with Reagan since 7am), I told my boss I couldn't do it anymore.  I didn't know if this meant I'd be completely out of a job but I didn't care.  I asked if I could cut back to part time, which would mean giving up my current position and my promotion, and my boss said he thought that could work out.  In the end, it did.  This was November and I had a lot of December off for the holidays and started a new part time schedule working 3 days a week in January.  For me, this was the best decision I ever made.

Most Memorable- The excitement when Reagan first rolled over and her faces eating her first carrots.  Her first flight ever being delayed so long we would've missed our connection so we had to get off- after we sat on the plane for two hours.

Biggest Lesson Learned- If you're unhappy in a situation, do something about it!  You don't know what you can get until you ask for it.  Asking to go part time was one of the bravest and best things I've ever done!

Month Six Pics

 Happier on her belly now that she can roll onto her back.

OH-IO!!

Reagan rolls over!

The contagious laugh

Not so sure about these carrots!

One Year Later...

Wow, so the last time I blogged was July when I blogged about Reagan's birth.  Clearly I have not been good about keeping up with this, but I've been a little busy!  Right after my last post we moved to RI and shortly after I went back to work and there went any free time to blog!

BUT, since Reagan is turning 1 in just four short days, I wanted to blog about her first year.  I'm going to split it into 4 posts.  I think writing about the first year now at the end of the year will be much different than if I had blogged all throughout the year- I can look at many things with much more humor and wisdom now that they are in the past! Hopefully during Reagan's second year I will find time (maybe?!) to blog more often because motherhood just lends itself to too many funny, heart wrenching, dirty and loving moments not to!

Month One

In a Nutshell- Ok, if I was going to really give it in a nutshell I'd say "sore nipples, no sleep, crazy hormones, sore nipples, lack of personal hygiene, tons of poop, sore nipples and the most profound love for a tiny little human being you can ever imagine." 

This month is pretty much a blur.  The very first night home from the hospital Reagan wouldn't sleep without being held, so Ben and I took turns sleeping while the other one held Reagan while she slept.  Many nights I was feeding Reagan basically non-stop until 4 or 5am when she might've finally fallen asleep for a couple hour stretch.  I didn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time for the first two weeks.  At 2 weeks, I ended up in the hospital with mastitis- without Reagan.  I missed her like crazy and cried my eyes out the whole time I was there because I was separated from my baby.  Luckily, I only ended up staying there one night.  This was Father's Day weekend, so Ben spent his first Father's Day caring for Reagan alone (well, with the help of my mom when she wasn't with me in the hospital).  After that ordeal, I saw my lactation consultant again and after that didn't help I went to exclusively pumping by the time Reagan was 3 weeks, which I continued until she was 7 months.  Having so much trouble nursing Reagan and deciding to exclusively pump was the most heartbreaking part of this year for me because I never tried so hard to make anything work in my life, but in the end I really believe the way we did it was right for us and I'm proud of all the work 7 months of pumping requires! 

This month was all about basic survival- feeding Reagan and remembering to feed myself.  That and just being so astoundingly grateful for and amazed by this beautiful, brand new, healthy baby girl!


Most Memorable Moments- 1) All the bonding time Reagan spent snuggled up sleeping on my chest, skin to skin, 2) the day Reagan pooped all over Ben and I laughed so hard (well, really it didn't take much), I peed my pants, 3) all the time I spent topless in the same room with my mother and my husband!

Biggest Lesson Learned- Nothing and nobody can prepare you for the perfect storm right after childbirth that includes having every female body part bleeding and in pain, learning to breastfeed, dealing with crazy, out of whack hormones on less sleep than even everyone told you you would have!

Editor's Note:  If you're pregnant and reading this right now, keep reading- it gets better!!

Month One Pics

 Beautiful girl!  And she looks like her dad!

 We got to know this "poop face" very quickly!

A peaceful moment!

Month Two

In a Nutshell- What a difference a month makes!  Already Reagan started more or less sleeping through the night at about 6 weeks.  We moved to RI and lived with my mom and Bobby for 3 weeks before our house was ready.  I loved my Guinness.  Reagan and I started going to baby yoga at Bellani- and Bellani has been a savior for me!  Reagan and I have had so much fun there and having met so many other new moms has been amazing.  I went to another lactation consultant at Bellani and got back to nursing a little bit for a couple days before deciding once and for all that pumping and bottle feeding was better for us.  

I barely saw summer.  I was a paranoid mom.  There was the day I thought I gave Reagan heat stroke by going out for a walk, the day I thought I accidentally gave her shaken baby syndrome by rocking her too vigorously, and I always thought she was starving!  Ben wanted to throw all my baby books away because every time I read them, I was convinced we were doing everything wrong.  But lo and behold, my tiny baby was starting to chub up and my very fussy girl was starting to smile!

Most Memorable Moments- The first 5-6 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep which ended with me running to her crib in a panic, "my god, is she ok?!"  Her first smiles.

Biggest Lesson Learned- Babies are actually pretty durable!

Month Two Pics

 The best!

 The smile that could light up a room!

She loved her wubba nub (a little too much)!

Month Three

In a Nutshell- We moved into our new house- it was a lot of work!  Ben started his new job as CO of the Morro Bay, which this month wasn't too bad because he wasn't away overnight much.  For me the realization that maternity leave wasn't going to last forever began to set in.  I was fortunate to find another job with Raytheon in RI- and it even came with a promotion.  But with this came A LOT of apprehension.  During month 3, I had to go to a dental appt and I left Reagan with my dad and Claire when I went.  I knew it was going to be a quick appointment, but Reagan was crying when I left the house and I was convinced I was the only person who knew what to do when she cried.  I hated leaving this way and so I cried all the way to my appointment, most of the way through my appointment and probably the drive home too.  I was maybe gone an hour and it was torture!  This baby was in me for 9 months and only I had control of taking care of her then- it was harder than I ever imagined to learn that other people are capable of watching her and can even do a good job of it- of course not as good as I can though :-)  It still amazes me how I went from being very pregnant and wondering if I was even qualified to take care of a baby to thinking I was the only one who could care for my baby.  How was I ever going to go back to work?!

Reagan still slept a lot during the day this month- all in her swing- that thing was a savior!  And she was sleeping well in her crib at night.  When she would nap it was a toss up of whether I would go back to sleep, shower or eat or if I was really, really lucky maybe all of the above- of course that was after I pumped.  I watched way too much daytime TV- Barefoot Contessa and Giada became my best friends, although I rarely cooked.  Reagan was still a relatively fussy baby- not colicky- but she was just feisty in my belly, feisty after she was born and still can be as an almost toddler.  She is just a girl who knows what she wants and will let you know it until she gets it- she's not shy!

Most Memorable Moments-  Going out to dinner- she was always so good!  Nobody would ever know she was there- she didn't make a peep!  And I got out of the house!!  

Biggest Lesson Learned- Nothing and nobody can prepare you for how much you will love this child or how hard it can be to leave your baby when she is upset, even for a 15 minute dental exam!  Also, that you can leave for an hour, even when she is upset, and she will be ok!  Sometimes she even smiles when her mom isn't around- shocker right?!

Month Three Pics

Ben takes Command

 "Mom, what am I wearing?" Having a girl wouldn't be as fun without outfits like this.

 Almost 3 months and so sweet!  Getting calmer and happier by the day :-)

My New Life with Reagan Nicole

Ok, so the last time I blogged, I had no idea that Baby K, now officially Reagan Nicole, was going to make her appearance the very next day.  I ended my June 4th blog post with, "off to prenatal yoga...maybe this will do the trick," and I think maybe it did...or at least maybe it helped move things along!

This is my story of childbirth, breastfeeding and becoming a new mom.  It is my honest, un-sugar coated account of what the past 5 weeks have been like in (maybe too much) detail...but I am writing this so I can look back and remember what it was like and to share with all of you who have been dying to know more and to share with little Reagan herself one day.

Warning:  This post talks about the placenta, meconium and lots of blood!

Labor and Delivery


So, like I said I went to prenatal yoga on Saturday, June 4th.  I was having contractions during class, but I had been having contractions for a while so I didn't think much of it.  Ben picked me up from the class and we went to a first birthday party for our friends Liz and Ted's daughter Charlie.  I felt pretty good at the party, but all of a sudden after being there for a few hours, I just started to feel a little weird...nothing I can really pinpoint or describe but I told Ben I wanted to go home and lie down.  A little while later we met my mom for dinner nearby (remember my mom had come into town the day before because she was driving herself crazy being in RI and was afraid to miss anything...it was impeccable timing on her part in the end!).  I was having contractions at dinner...and I was starting to get the feeling that these contractions were different.  They were stronger and in my low belly instead of my upper belly where I had been feeling them and were more often.  We had a relatively quick dinner because I just wanted to go home and rest.  My mom and I made plans to go to church the next morning as we were leaving the restaurant, but I think we both had a feeling that that might not be happening.  Ben and I walked home and I kept having to pause during the walk because of the contractions...this definitely was different!  We tried timing them when we got home and they were about 4 min apart but because they still weren't that intense pain-wise we decided to go to bed and try to get some sleep.  I actually slept relatively well.

On Sunday June 5th, 5 days before my due date, I woke up around 8am and suddenly, OMG my contractions were painful!!  I called my mom to tell her I would not be going to church...neither was she, she was going to head over.  We were timing contractions again...4 min, 3 min, 4 min, 2 min, 3min...what the heck??!!  I thought they were supposed to start at like 10 in apart...what was going on?? I decided not to panic, this was my first baby so things couldn't possibly go that fast.  I took a shower...that took about an hour to shower and get dressed because I kept doubling over in pain.  Meanwhile, we were having an Open House that day so Ben was running around trying to clean the house.  I couldn't believe he was caring so much about the house right then, haha!  I think it was a way for him to keep busy.  When I got out of the shower, suddenly I leaked fluid on the bedroom carpet...this was definitely different!  So as Ben was trying to clean, I was leaking and making a mess...it was hilarious!  A few minutes later, I went to the bathroom to pee, and suffice it to say there was a bunch of stuff coming out of me and I had no idea what it was...I screamed to Ben "we need to leave for the hospital right now!!!!" just as my mom walked in the front door, haha!!  Ben continued to clean, ok now I was getting annoyed!

The three of us left for the hospital at 10am, 2 hours after I woke up...so much for all that laboring at home I had envisioned for weeks.  When we got to the hospital, they confirmed I was 2-3 cm dilated, 100% effaced and  they thought the fluid I had leaked was my water so they decided to admit me, but I could relax a little because this baby still had a ways to go.

So then it was just my mom, Ben and I hanging out in the delivery room which was big and roomy as I went through the contractions...they weren't too bad yet.  Andrea got there around 2.  By 4:00 they checked me again and I had progressed on my own to 6cm.  Ok, I knew if I was going to get an epidural it would have to be soon...but things were progressing relatively quickly and were manageable and I really wanted to do this naturally and use all my yoga training and support from Ben and my mom to get me through.  The scariest part was not knowing how long labor was going to last or how bad it was going to get so there was no way to mentally or physically pace myself.

By 6:00 I was at 8cm.  Too late for an epidural...no turning back now.  Ben's parents had gotten there by now.  Kevin didn't last long in the delivery room before he decided to wait outside...things were quickly getting intense but Pat was there for the long haul.  So by 8cm things were getting intense, and it seemed like I was at 8cm FOREVER!  They checked me two more times within the next hour or so and I was still at 8...ugh!!  The contractions were STRONG, about every minute or two and baby girl was making her way down my pelvis.  All I can say is thank god for the 30 second or so breaks in between contractions to take mini rests because without those, labor would be impossible!  Still, Ben was talking me through my contractions and that was really helping mentally to know when they had peaked and I was on my way "back down" but it was getting so intense and Ben was telling me to just breathe and I finally screamed "I can't breathe, it's not helping, this hurts!!  Don't tell me to breathe!!!"  My mom had been rubbing my feet and all of a sudden it was, "Do NOT touch my feet, don't touch me!!"  Haha.  Around that same time, I got up to go to the bathroom.  As I was walking back to my bed, a huge gush of water poured out of me onto the floor...ok my water definitely broke now!!  That morning at home it had just ruptured a little.  There was meconium in the water, the baby's first poop, not a great sign but the OB said as long as the baby's heart rate was stable, it was ok.

By about 8:30 or so I'd say, it was finally time to push.  The nurse I had was awesome and she taught me how to push.  The OB said Reagan was coming out slightly transverse (sideways) and that it might take more pushing than normal to get her out...not what I wanted to hear!  The nurse told me not to think about that and just to focus on pushing.  Lo and behold, it didn't take that long.  The OB called me the "pusher of the month,"  I credit my yoga practice again for this.  Don't get me wrong though...pushing didn't hurt like the contractions but it was exhausting...really, really exhausting!!  I was grunting and screaming on every one...it helped me.  Ben was holding one leg and my mom was holding the other and they as well as Andrea and Pat were cheering me on...something I'll never forget.  At that point, I didn't care what else was coming out of me as long as this baby was, ha! Within an hour of pushing she was here!!!  I heard a little cough and then a cry.  They whisked her away because I had the meconium in my water and they had to suction her out.  But she was fine and her APGAR score was 9.9 out of 10.  Within a few minutes, she was laying on my chest getting some good skin to skin action.

But then, just as I felt a huge wave of relief that it was all over, I realized it wasn't over.  The placenta had to be delivered.  I had read that part is no big deal, maybe requiring one more little push and that I probably wouldn't even notice it.  Not for me.  They had trouble getting my placenta out.  I was trying to enjoy my baby, but I kept asking the doctors "is it out yet??" every few minutes.  They had to manually deliver the placenta, basically reach up and pull it out, and it came out in pieces.  I'm grateful that I didn't know until after how dangerous that can be or how much blood I lost.  They had to shove some pills up me to stop the bleeding and I needed IV antibiotics afterwards because I was now at higher risk of infection.  But when it was out, I could finally relax and enjoy my baby.  My baby!!!  She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and in really great shape for a vaginal delivery...no cone head and great skin tone.  A tiny little thing at 6 lbs 9 oz and so amazingly perfect!  I will also never forget the first time mine and Ben's eyes locked after she came out...just pure joy...we had made this perfect little angel!

Then I tried to breastfeed for the first time and she actually latched on pretty well.  After a few minutes the rest of the family came in to hold her...Kevin, and my dad and Claire who had showed up an hour or two earlier.  Then the family left and the nurses took Reagan to get cleaned up and it was just Ben and I and my nurse.  It was my turn to get cleaned up...problem was when I stood up, I was immediately light headed.  I made it to the bathroom but when I saw myself in the mirror that didn't make me feel any better...I was white as a ghost.  I managed to get cleaned up without passing out...but barely.  When they took my blood pressure after if was in the 80's over 60...so low.  For the next 24 hours I could barely stand long enough to go to the bathroom to pee or brush my teeth without feeling like I was going to pass out.  The doctors talked about maybe giving me a blood transfusion because of all the blood I lost, but in the end I only needed to take iron because I was anemic.  That first night, I barely slept at all.  Nobody tells you about all the blood you're still losing even after delivery is over...it's disgusting.  I was too traumatized by what my body had just been through to sleep.  I think it took me until tuesday morning for me to feel better and for it to fully hit be that OMG I am responsible for taking care of and feeding this perfect little baby girl. I had been breastfeeding the whole time in the hospital, and already I was bruised.  The lactation consultant came in that morning and basically made me feel like I was unfit to breastfeed.  Also, I think tuesday is when all those postpartum hormones kicked in that I didn't think were real until I experienced them.  I was crying all morning before we left the hospital for no reason at all really except that I was already worried about breastfeeding.  I spoke with a midwife before we left, who gave me great advice and made me feel much better.  Before I knew it we were on our way home to start our adventure as a family!

I will write a separate post about the first few weeks as a mom.  This one is already too long.  I will just say it has been a roller coaster so far.  I don't care what anyone tells you beforehand, nothing can really prepare you for childbirth and then before you have time to recover trying to learn to breastfeed (which seems natural but is definitely a learned skill), dealing with hormonal imbalances, and the anxiety of being a new mom...all on little to no sleep!  But also, nothing can prepare you for how unbelievably amazing it is to look into your baby's eyes for the first time, have your baby cuddle you and fall asleep in your arms, and see your baby smile at you for the first time.  It is a truly amazing miracle and I am so grateful every single day for my healthy and beautiful baby girl.  My priorities have already shifted and Reagan means more to me than anything in the world and I love her more than I could've imagined.  I couldn't be happier with our new life together!

More to come...

Tara
xo

Video of the first time I held Reagan...it's a tearjerker...at least for me every time!

Reagan right after birth

Week 40!

Ok, so here we are 6 days until my due date!!  Had a little more excitement this week but still no baby.  These little false starts are just making the waiting game that much harder but we are trying to be patient as we know every day she spends inside me is beneficial for her to finish her development in there before she faces the world!

But anyway, just thought I'd blog a little about the excitement this week without getting too graphc hopefully.  So I went to my weekly dr. appt on thursday and things sounded promising.  The dr. did an internal exam and this time she could clearly feel the baby's head, which was a definite change from last week.  She said I was still about 50% effaced but that last week I was still pretty closed but this week I was 1 cm dilated...more progress!  The dr. didn't give any estimate as to when this all might go down, but I left the dr's appt very excited that this all might be happening soon.

Fast forward a few hours...I'm working from home when all of a sudden I notice some bleeding.  I called my dr's office because my dr told me I might have some bleeding from the exam she did but this seemed like more than I should be having.  They agreed I should probaby go to the hospital to labor and delivery to be checked out just to see what was going on.  So I left for the hospital in a panic.  Ben left work also in a panic and met me there.  And then we waited...and waited.  We were there over four hours in total just to find out that it probably all was from the exam I had earlier in the day.  BUT, they said it also could be a sign that labor was starting since they had me on the monitor the whole time I was there and I was having pretty regular contractions, although still pretty mild.  They also did another exam and said I was now 70% effaced and still 1 cm and that they baby's head is low, although they didn't say how low.  Also, they were monitoring the baby's heartrate and movement the whole time and said we had the best baby they had seen in a long time as far as heartrate and movement go...our baby rocks!!!  In any event, they let me go home but pretty much every nurse and dr we saw made some kind of reference to the fact that I would probably be back there soon for the real thing...maybe even later that night or the next day.  Well that night and the next day have passed and still no real labor. 

My contractions continue but haven't gotten any stronger really.  So maybe it will be soon but we're trying to be patient and trying to keep busy.  My mom flew down to DC yesterday, she couldn't stay away any longer and wanted to be closer so she's ready when this all does happen.  I see the dr. again on thursday assuming I'm still pregnant then, and she will probably give me an induction date at that point.  Let's hope this happens naturally before it gets to that!  Off to prenatal yoga now...maybe that will do it!

Tara
xo

Just Sittin' and Waitin'

So, I thought my last blog post would be the last before baby arrived, but since we're just sitting around waiting for our little girl to get here, I thought I'd send another quick update.

Ben and I had a great mini babymoon last weekend.  We went to Brian Voltaggio's restaurant Volt in Frederick, MD last Thursday night and then stayed overnight in MD.  The food was great, and it was so relaxing to stay in a hotel for the night and sleep in on Friday.  Then on Friday, we went for my final ultrasound.  Everything looked great. "Helen" is head down and her projected weight at 37 weeks was 6 lbs 10oz.  I am so happy she is a good healthy size, but even though I don't feel huge, I think if I go all the way to my due date, she might be about 8 lbs, which would be a big baby for me!  The ultrasound could be a little off though...I think she's going to be somewhere between 7 and 8 lbs.  One thing I hope they're not wrong about is the sex!  At this last ultrasound, she was wide open again showing off her lady parts as she loves to do, so we're pretty confident she is a girl.  People on the street are always telling me I look like I'm having a boy though, and I know that doesn't mean anything but it's a little disconcerting to hear it over and over.  People on the street also have been telling me I look like I'm about to have the baby any minute now...people really are opinionated!

Anyway, to cap off our little babymoon last weekend, I got a prenatal massage...it was the best thing I've ever done!!  The woman was great and it was so relaxing, I was like mush for the rest of the day.

Then this week, I had a little false alarm on wednesday.  I really thought wednesday was going to be the day.  I had several early labor symptoms on wednesday morning but then started feeling better and got in the car to go to work.  But, then on my way to work I started having some stronger contractions than I've had before with some back pressure.  I ended up turning around and going back home instead of going to work, but once I got home and laid down, everything subsided.  I worked from home the rest of the day and woke up thursday feeling back to normal, so it was just a false alarm!  I went to my weekly dr appt thursday and she said "Helen's" head is not way down in my pelvis yet, but I am 50% effaced and was just a little bit dilated, but less than 1 cm...but at least it's a start!

This weekend we've just been relaxing and waiting.  We still have 11 days until my due date but I still think this might happen a little sooner.  We've gone to a baseball game this weekend, went to the movies twice, had some friends over, and I went to yoga...just trying to keep busy and cool! Luckily, I am not too swollen even in all this heat, but I did have to take my wedding rings off about a month ago.

So, we will continue to keep everyone updated.  I'm not going into the office anymore and will be working from home probably until she gets here.  I go to the dr again on thursday and we'll see if there's been anymore progress.  I've still been having a fair amount of contractions though...more today again kind of like on wednesday (don't jump on a plane just yet though, Mom!)...so who knows??  It's so weird to me that things can be completely normal one day just sitting here waiting for the baby and then without warning the next day she could be here!  What day will that be??!!  We will let you know...soon enough :-)

Love,

Tara, Ben and "Helen"

Here is a picture of me today in my sweet jorts I made from some cheap maternity jeans, ha!

Weeks 28-36

Wow!  I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in two months!  Time has really been flying by with only 26 days left until the due date and just 5 days until I'm full term!  April was super busy with a baby shower in RI, a baby shower in Ohio and a trip to Penn State for Easter.  The baby showers were both so amazing and our family and friends have been so generous...we are so lucky!!  My thank you cards will be going out very soon!!  In May, we have been working very hard to get our house ready to sell and it just went on the market this weekend!  It's been a lot of work getting it ready, although I have to say Ben has done way, way more work than I have...but it's also great to clean and declutter the house before the baby comes.

So, we have been so busy, the last couple months have really just flown by and we can't believe it's almost time!  The nursery is ready to go and Andrea was here this weekend and we washed and organized all the clothes, linens and blankets.  It was a lot of fun...this is going to be one well dressed little girl, for real!!  I can't wait to see her in those cute little outfits.  The car seat is in the new Volvo, all safe and secure.  We've been to breastfeeding class.  We just have a few last minute things left to do...I have started packing the hospital bag (and I bought some new pj's to bring) but we need to finish packing the bag this week.  We need to have our email distribution set up so Ben can email all of you with the details soon after she's born and we also need to work on a labor playlist.  But other than that, I think we're pretty ready to go!

"Helen" is supposedly the size of a watermelon right now!  I haven't had an ultrasound since I was 30 weeks, but at that time about 6 and a half weeks ago, she was 3 lbs 7 ozs and still in the 58th percentile for her size (the exact same percentile as the ultrasound before) so she seems to be just above average.  By now she's probably about 6.5 lbs but I have one more ultrasound scheduled for this coming Friday so we'll have a better idea then.  She is head down though and ready to go!  She is very active still, but she doesn't keep me up at night, which is great.  Most of the time I'm sleeping through the night still, which I think is pretty unusual at this stage, so I'm very grateful for that!  I think the fact that I'm staying active and busy helps me sleep.  I do for sure have my moments or days of discomfort or just pure exhaustion though.  My belly is getting heavier by the day, I'm having mild contractions more and more, the heartburn is still there, I have to pee every 5 seconds, I still get leg or foot cramps here and there, and I have a pretty good waddle going on...but for the most part I still feel really good!  I'm not really at the point yet where I'm just dying to get this baby out of me...although I am getting increasingly nervous about that part, but I'm counting on my yoga breathing and Ben's support to get me through!

This will probably be the last time I update this blog before out little girl is here, so next time I update, I will be updating with pictures of her on the outside!  The general consensus seems to be that I'm going to be a little early, even though I think that's a little unusual for a first baby, but I have to say I think I agree.  I don't really know why, it's just a feeling...we'll see.  Even though I'm not huge (I think I just have an average belly for a late third trimester pregnant woman), I get comments all the time from women at work and random strangers on the street that I look like I'm about to pop.  I guess I'm carrying pretty low so that's why, but who knows??  She'll come out when she's good and ready.

We will update you all after she makes her grand entrance into the world!!  Wish me luck!!

Love,
Tara
xo

Here is a good profile pic from my last ultrasound and her seemingly huge foot!  I won't put on here the freaky looking 3D picture we got too!  

Here is a recent picture of me just yesterday.

And here are a couple pics of the nursery all ready to go!

Facebook has lots of good pics from both baby showers too!  xo

Weeks 24-27

Baby Helen, Ben and I are still doing fantastic!  Things are really cruising along!  Today I am 27 weeks and 2 days and we only have 89 days to go (more or less) until our little girl arrives!  According to my What to Expect app she is now the size of a head of cauliflower at about 16 inches and 2 and a half pounds.  At my last ultrasound on March 3rd, my mom came with me and Ben was still traveling for work, but Helen was being a little shy.  She is in a transverse position still (straight across my belly) with her head to my left and her feet over to my right.  I guess she likes that position because she was in pretty much the same position the ultrasound before that in January too.  This time she was napping for the most part during the ultrasound, and she was face down so it was hard to get a good picture of her to take home.  I have attached one below though that is a pretty good profile shot.  My mom and I did get to see her practicing her swallowing and breathing though during the ultrasound and she is awesome at it!  So, the ultrasound tech told us that she looks "gorgeous" and everything is accounted for and in proportion.  Her size was exactly 2 pounds and her heartbeat was a perfect 150 beats per minute.  The tech said she is not too big or too small and her size puts her just above average, in the 58th percentile.  She is still tracking a couple days ahead of the June 10th due date, but I know my dad is really hoping she holds on until June 10th so she can be born on his birthday!  And she is definitely a girl...she is not shy about showing that off in her ultrasounds!  Ha!  My mom and I really loved seeing her in action.  I will actually be having probably 2 more ultrasounds because I've had some mildly high blood pressure prior to pregnancy, they just want to make sure she continues to grow on track.  My blood pressure is very well controlled now and actually very low when I'm not at the doctor, but they still want to keep a close eye on everything.  I know she is growing just fine so I'm happy to have the extra chances to see her.  My next ultrasound is scheduled for April 1st and Ben will be there for that one, and hopefully his mom this time too!

The other test I had recently was the glucose test for gestational diabetes.  My initial one hour glucose test came back elevated so I had to go for the 3 hour test.  That was no fun!  I had to fast beforehand and then was in the lab for a period of about 3 and half hours and had my blood taken a total of 4 times.  The worst part was I was so hungry by the end, I was just getting delirious and the extra sugary stuff I had to drink for the second test was just gross!!  That test came back normal though so I don't have gestational diabetes, yay!!  I was pretty worried about it for a couple days though and was worried I haven't been exercising or eating healthy enough, but I've been trying really hard to do everything right so I was relieved when it caem back normal!  I know in reality, gestational diabetes is caused by hormone fluctuations during pregnancy anyway and it isn't always a symptom of what you do or don't do, but I'm just glad I don't have it.  Since then, I've tried to ramp up the exercise a little anyway (just walking and yoga) and continue to eat well, but I'm glad I don't have to cut out desserts because I really enjoyed myself a Wendy's Frosty just today, yum!!!

Ben and I have been making a lot of preparations.  We've been working on the nursery (pics are below) but we're not decorating completely because we're going to be moving about a month after she's born.  We've gotten such cute outfits so far from both our moms and enjoyed some baby shopping with Ben's parents when they were in town at the end of February.  Ben also bought her the cutest little outfits from Petite Bateau on Newbury Street when he was in Boston for work...he did soo good!!  Pics of those are below too.  I've been reading all kinds of books and magazines on Baby Gear, Pregnancy and Childbirth and Ben has almost finished his book, "Dad's Pregnant Too."  We took an entire weekend of Childbirth classes a couple weeks ago and it was really great.  We practiced breathing and relaxation techniques (very similar to yoga) and Ben practiced giving me massages, haha!  We learned a lot and I feel more prepared and more determined to try to have a natural childbirth.  Ben lucked out too because the DVD player wasn't working so we didn't get to see the video of an actual birth, haha!  Yesterday we went to a Baby Care Basics class, but that one wasn't as good.  The teacher was terrible and it was pretty much a waste of time.  We're taking a breastfeeding class at the end of April so hopefully that one will be better.  We also test drove some Volvos today...we're in the market for a safe, family-friendly car!

So, I think that about covers the last few weeks.  Helen is still very active and we love feeling her kick, punch and move around.  I'm still sleeping very well at this point, although I get more and more uncomfortable sometimes, like when I was sitting for a couple hours at the movies last night, it was a little tortuous.  And my feet are sore (but not swollen yet), but Ben rubs them all the time for me...he's so good!  And the heartburn is still on and off, but that's tolerable.  And I have to pee at least every hour when I'm awake, sometimes it's more like every 5 minutes, but at least I can sleep through the night so that's good!  Overall, everyone is doing great!  Enjoy the pics below!  I'll have another update soon.

Love,

Tara, Ben and Helen (and Meatball too) xo

March 3rd Ultrasound

My belly - March 2nd

The beginnings of a nursery

The little outfits Ben bought her!!