Mom: The First Month

I can't believe Susan is already one month old.   She has already changed and grown so much! She had her one month visit today.  She weighs 11 pounds and is 22 inches long.  This puts her in the 96th percentile.  I have been trying to think of what I wanted to share with everyone so that those of you who have not done this or are thinking about doing it can learn a little. And those of you who have done it can chuckle at our ups and downs.

Susan at 1 month!  So Big!!

I guess the first thing I will mention is that I knew that having a baby would really change our life. That seems self-explanatory, but let me explain what I mean.  Those of you who know me well know that I am a very scheduled, organized, detailed person (some people might label it "OCD," but I don't like to put labels on things).  Laura Beth and Robbie, my two best friends from law school, will tell you how I used to plan my days in law school by the hour and put the post-it in my planner and pretty much follow it all day.  Robbie can tell you about how when we studied together for the Bar, I created a very detailed weekly study schedule separated by the week day and a separate weekend schedule (We passed by the way).  And I am still a big scheduler at work too.  It is just how I roll.

  How I rolled through Law School:

  Study Schedule – Monday June 1 – Sunday, July 25

  Monday – Thursday Bar Review Schedule  ???? – 8:00 – Individual morning routines
  8:00 – 9:30 – Read today’s outlines/materials for Barbri Lecture
  9:30 – 1:00 – Barbri Lectures
  1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
  2:00 – 4:30 – Create flashcards/summarize today’s lecture notes
  4:30 – 5:00 – Break
  5:00 – 7:00 – Practice MBE Questions and Essay Questions
  7:00 – 8:00 – Review previous substantive material
  8:00 - ???? – Home for Dinner and Relaxation

So during the pregnancy, I tried to prepare myself for how I would need to add flexibility to my life after Susan came. And I will say that I have done a pretty good job.  The first week and half was kind of all over the place.  I was healing, going through mood swings, and Susan was worrying the crap out of us.  Why?  Well, because all she wanted to do was sleep.  This is pretty standard for newborns in the first week.  They take about a week or two to "wake up."  And for those of you who don't know, newborns lose weight within the first few days.  So while she was born at 8 pounds 14 oz, she weighed 8 pounds 8 oz when we left the hospital.  So we spent that first week or so waking up her 30 minutes before her bottle.  "Waking her up" is a nice way of saying what felt like baby torture.  We would change her diaper, take her clothes off, and start rubbing her down with a cold wash cloth to get her to rise and shine.  Then we would battle for 35 to 40 minutes to get her to take 2 ounces.  However, this all passed after she woke up.

We also switched pediatricians.  It took her two weeks to gain back to her birth weight.  In the first week and half, our pediatrician kept making us come in every other day for weight checks.  Susan was only maintaining her weight, not gaining.  At the last one, on a Wednesday, they decided to switch her formula to a higher calorie formula.  Now, Susan has been doing great on her Enfamil Premium Newborn.  No constipation, no spit ups, etc.  It was just difficult to get her to eat because it was difficult to keep her awake!  The doctor wanted us to try Enfamil Enfacare.  We did four feedings with it.  The first one, with Chris, she spit up at the end of the bottle.  The formula was really thick and creamy.  It looked like a milkshake.  Anyway, the next feeding, she basically projectile vomited everything she had just consumed and let out the worst cry we had ever heard.  This happened during both middle of the night feedings as well.  Well, after the second time in the middle of the night, I had enough.  We had gone from a kid who didn't spit up at all to one who wasn't getting enough because she kept throwing it up!  And I was pissed at the pediatrician for stressing us out so much about her weight, switching formulas, and not giving us enough time to try different things.  Because by this time, we were on our third type of bottle.

Good formula to start with.  If she had been constipated or anything, we would have tried Enfamil Gentlease.  We knew better than to start with Similac because for generations, babies on my side of the family have not found Similac to be agreeable.

We had started with the Tommee Tippee bottle.  She didn't really like that nipple.  Then we tried the Avent bottles.  She liked those a little better but not a lot.  So then we tried the basic EvenFlo, which is what she used at the hospital.  EvenFlo is the most basic bottle.  No bells or whistles.  She loved it.  It was her bottle.  But it took us a week and half to figure this out.  So the next morning, after all the spit ups, I called a new pediatrician and set up a new appointment for that day.  I also put her back on her regular formula, and thankfully it didn't mess up her system too much. We went to see the new doctor, explained everything and the doctor said it sounded like she was just starting to wake up.  (She had finally taken a few 3.5 and 4 oz bottles).  The doctor asked us to come back on Monday for another weight check.  We did, and she had gained 7 oz!  We were back to her birth weight and on track with the feedings.

Beefcake!!!

And after this, the girl woke up and was HUNGRY!  That weekend, she had her first five ounce bottle.  At 2.5 weeks she had her first 6 oz bottle.  Now she has somewhere between 4 and 6.5 at every feeding.  She is having six bottles a day, with only one in the middle of the night.

I have mentioned feedings, but not sleeping.  Well, from the very beginning, she has been sleeping in her Rock and Play Sleeper.  We have two of them, one downstairs for the day and one upstairs in the guest room for night.  We decided early on to take turns every other night sleeping with her. This means that every other night, one of us gets a full night of uninterrupted sleep while the other one sleeps upstairs with Susan taking care of the midnight feedings.  Well, last week when she started having bigger bottles, she started sleeping 4 and 5 hours at a stretch.  We didn't want her to learn to sleep through the night in the Rock and Play and then have to start all over when it was time to go to the crib.

Cannot recommend this enough!  If you are having a baby, buy one!  Buy two! They have come out with more deluxe models too. Seriously - check it out.  You will not find a baby product that receives better reviews.

So we have done two things.  First, last week, we started swaddling her in the Halo Sleep Sack (while still sleeping in the Rock and Play).  Then, on Friday, we bought Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.  This introduced us to E.A.S.Y. and made us feel brave enough to put her in the crib.  On Sunday afternoon, when it was time for her nap, we swaddled her in the Sleep Sack and put her in the crib.  AND SHE WENT TO SLEEP!  We could not believe it.  She had gone from sleeping elevated in the Rock and Play to sleeping flat on her back without any trouble!  And that night, she slept in the crib all night.  It was an adjustment for me, because instead of her being next to me in the guest room, I was listening to the monitor.  But she has taken all naps and bedtimes in her crib or pack and play (which is in our room) since Sunday.

Asleep in her crib!  Like a big girl!

She has also been on the E.A.S.Y. routine since Sunday.  I would highly recommend Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg to all moms and dads, and to read it before the baby is born and probably again after.  I wish I had read it while I was pregnant.  Anyway, I read it Sunday and Monday.  In the book, the parents learn about family-centered parenting.  It is a way to have a balanced lifestyle, so that the baby doesn't control everything and the baby gets some kind of structure, and at the same time, helping parents adjust to this new lifestyle.  So Tracy created a flexible routine for all babies - Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time (parents time).  It's called E.A.S.Y. because it really is easy!  It is not a schedule, but rather, an easy routine so that the baby always knows what to expect next.  So while every day may not be exactly the same, patterns will emerge.  Susan has taken to the routine like a champ.  After she eats, we talk to her, sing with her, do tummy time and back time.

Side Note:  Tummy time is really important for babies.  A lot of parents complain that their infants hate tummy time but 9 times out of 10, it is because the parents waited too long to start tummy time.  If the baby doesn't start tummy time until she is five weeks old, of course she will hate it.  She has spent five weeks playing and sleeping on her back.  Being on her tummy is totally different.  We started doing tummy time with Susan when she was four days old.  It lasted about 7 minutes before she started fussing, but she turned her head three times.  Now we do tummy time almost four times a day and she is already trying to roll over, lifting her head and trying to push up.

Okay back to E.A.S.Y.  She is usually awake for about an hour to an hour a half (except for the middle of the night) from the time she wakes up to when she goes back to sleep.  And Activity includes diaper changes, clothes changes and after the evening bottle, bath time.  And while she sleeps in her crib or pack and play, Chris and I get to take time for us.  For example, I am able to work out and get dressed during her morning nap.  This is usually her shortest nap, and after the next cycle, she sleeps a little longer and I am able to eat lunch, watch TV, blog, etc.  At night, we can eat dinner and hang out together.  And taking her places is easy because she usually sleeps in the car seat or just looks around at everything.  So going places doesn't affect the routine at all.  It has been great!  It lets Susan know what is coming next, and helps her learn to sleep without relying on the bottle or being rocked for an hour, etc.  The book also helped us learn Susan's cues.  We already knew what her cry sounded like when she was hungry (its the only time she cries without stopping).  But it also helped us figure out what her overtired/tired cry sounded like, what her overstimulated cry sounded like, etc.  And the cries sound a lot different.  We also learned the three stages of sleep and what to look for.  Now we know when its time to go to her room and put her in the Sleep Sack.  And we don't wait until she is sound asleep to lay her down either.  She is always still drifting in and out when we put her down.  We felt like semi-competent parents before this book, but now we not only feel competent but actually confident as well.  And I LOVE having her on a routine.  It is not a strict schedule but it gives us order to our day while still being flexible.  Which is definitely something my organized, somewhat OCD self can get on board with.

Must read for new parents.

 And I don't think we have much longer before she is sleeping through the night.  I have a feeling it will come within the next month or so.  And we are both REALLY looking forward to that!

Mom: The Birth

Well, she finally came!  Thank you all for your prayers and kind words.  She is absolutely AMAZING.  I cannot imagine our life without her now that she is a part of it.  And truly, I forgot how semi-miserable (okay, let's face it -- pregnancy is not my favorite thing) the previous nine months were as soon as they put her in my arms.

So I went into labor around 9 p.m. on March 18.  Actually that entire weekend, I had a feeling she was coming soon because there were a lot of indicators.  Some of them are gross so I won't share them, but suffice it to say, I was getting my hopes up.  So when I laid down at 9 and felt the first uncomfortable contraction, I tried not to get too excited.  I laid there for about thirty minutes, and the contractions didn't stop.  So I decided to wake up Chris, and he whipped out the contraction timer app that he had downloaded onto his iPhone.  FYI for those of you who don't know, just like everything else, there are some awesome pregnancy and baby apps.  We used the Full Term app as our contraction timer.  Anyway, we timed them for an hour.  They were coming every 2-3 minutes and lasting about 60-75 seconds.  They didn't go away and they got more uncomfortable.  By 10:30, I was having to really breathe through them so I called the hospital.  I spoke to the on-call doctor who said that I could either come in and be monitored or start drinking water and see if they stopped (that's supposed to calm down false labor).  I knew I wasn't dehydrated because I had been drinking 12 glasses of water every day since The Great Fall.  So I told her we were coming in.

Yeah that's not gonna help.

 And yes, I then took a shower.  I didn't know when my next shower would be, plus, in case this was the real thing, I wanted to look cute for the pictures.  At this point, I still was not sure this was the real thing but I was hopeful.  Moving around didn't stop the contractions and I had to stop, breathe and concentrate every time I had one.  After I finished getting dressed (I did not curl my hair; I opted for the straightener to save time), Chris put Oscar up and we left the house.  It was a little after midnight.  We got to the hospital at 12:30.  On the way, I had my first "Um this really hurts and is not just uncomfortable" contraction.

After registration, they took us to a labor and delivery room.  I was put on the monitor, and the contractions were definitely painful.  And unless you have ever had one, there is no frame of reference for one.  They start as period cramps.  They are in the lower abdomen.  And then they start to HURT.  And there really isn't any way to describe the pain.  So I was breathing through them while they monitored how Susan was handling the contractions.  Then the nurse checked me and I was 2 cm! TWO CM!? COME ON.  I just knew I had to be further along than that.  I had been one cm about three days before, but still.  They made me walk around for an hour, so Chris and I walked the halls of the labor and delivery floor.  Me in my hospital gown, pausing and swaying and holding onto Chris every three minutes as the contractions got more painful.  An hour later we were back in the room.  By this time it was 3 am   Chris went to get some water, and I had a contraction and then felt this trickle run down my leg.  I knew I had either just peed myself or my water was breaking, so I buzzed the nurse.  The nurse and doctor came to check on me.  The doctor checked me again and said I was now dilated to 4 cm!  I was officially in labor!  She broke my water the rest of the way, and I requested my epidural.  I was hoping to wait until 5 cm, but no way.  The contractions were really painful at this point and I was not waiting any longer.  HA - little did I know I was going to be waiting another hour.

We called our parents and told them the news that I was officially in labor.  We decided a while ago not to call them until we knew I was staying because I didn't want anyone to make a trip for a false alarm.  After the doctor officially declared me to be in labor, they had to do a bunch of stuff before I could get my epidural.  I had to get hooked up to a drip, blood was drawn and then there was a lot of waiting.  And lying in a bed, writhing in pain every three minutes is not fun.

Now, I want to take a second to say something about the pro-epidural v. anti-epidural debate.  There is a saying that there are no awards given to those women who give birth naturally, aka without an epidural.  WELL THERE SHOULD BE.  An epidural was definitely the right choice for me and I pray that I am able to have one with my second child.  But a serious "YOU GO GIRL" to all women who have done it without one.  I really admire you.  Do I think it's a little foolish?  Sure.  Because let me tell you, after I got mine, I was a different person!  I was able to sleep and rest.  I could still feel the pressure of the contraction, but there was zero pain.  It was AWESOME.  So congrats to those of you who did it without, but since I ended up pushing for 3.5 hours and was in labor for 19, I am so thankful I had one.

They have trophies for 21-year-old boys who play football,
but not for moms who do this au naturel.

After the epidural, my parents arrived and came to visit for a little bit.  I was really in good shape.  The doctor came to check me again and I was still only 4 cm!  Ugh.  So they decided to start me on the lowest dose of pitocin to get things going.  About an hour later, they upped it a little.  Then, thirty minutes later, at 10 a.m. I was fully dilated.  And I could also kind of feel her.  But I didn't feel the urge to push, and my nurse could tell.

SIDE BAR - My nurse was amazing.  She encouraged me the entire time and made the entire long day a lot better.  Since I didn't feel the urge to push, they decided to let the contractions move her down a little bit on their own.  So at noon, she came back and said we were going to start pushing at 12:30 p.m.  When she left, Chris and I tried to predict when Susan would be born.  Both of us guessed around 12:45 p.m.  HA - I wish.

Right on schedule, I started pushing at 12:30.  Three hours and 14 minutes later, Susan Louise Cook finally came out, cord around her neck and that right hand right next to her head (that is what made it so hard to get her out).  Now initially, I didn't want to see anything and I didn't want Chris to look either.  But since he was holding my leg, he really couldn't help but look.  And hearing him encourage me during the pushes and telling me what he could see really did help.  And then, the nurse brought in a mirror to help me see what I was actually pushing.  And while it was all kinds of nasty (sorry, but seeing your HooHa like that is not beautiful), it did help me become a much more effective pusher.

In the end, when I was close, Dr. Avery came in.  She said I would have to have an episiotomy.  I won't go into great detail as to what that is, exactly (those of you who don't know can look it up).  Basically, she had to cut a little to expand my opening due to what turned out to be Susan's hand slowing things down.  Thanks to the epidural, I didn't feel it.  When her head came out, I had to stop pushing so they could clear out all the gunk and unwrap the cord around her neck.  One more push and she was out!  Finally!  And she cried immediately.  My first thought was how beautiful she was and then how big she was!  Chris cut the cord and then I felt another contraction, and delivered the placenta.  It was over! They placed her on my chest and started cleaning her up.  Chris held my hand and we laughed and cried.  I know its cheesy but it was a beautiful moment.  Then they took her over to the baby section of the room to clean her up, and the doctor began stitching me up.  Chris stayed with Susan and took pictures.  When they announced her weight, a healthy 8 pounds 14.2 oz (only two ounces shy of 9 pounds), everyone was impressed.

8 pounds, 14.2 ounces!

About thirty minutes later, we let our parents in to meet her.  They were all worried about me (pushing for nearly 3.5 hours is a pretty amazing accomplishment) but I assured them I was fine.  And I will brag a little here - NO HEMORRHOIDS!  I just knew I was going to get them after all that pushing.  Something like 75 percent of pregnant women get them.  Some get them during pregnancy but most get them as a result of pushing.  Well, I didn't!  I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.

Anyway, they all marveled at Susan while I held her and the nurse took a picture of us.  About an hour later, we were wheeled to the post-partum room.  And that was it.  That was how Susan Louise Cook came into this world.  I had planned to blog a little about these first few weeks and I will later this week.  But I needed to share my version of the birth before I did.  As a final note, I'll add that Chris was an amazing birth coach, partner, friend and husband throughout the entire 19 hours.

Susan!

Dad: Mission Accomplished

I don’t want to put words in my wife’s mouth, but the nine months of hormonal swings, back pain and general ickiness of pregnancy was worth it. WELL worth it. We now have our baby girl. She is awesome. And chubby. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. The first “I’m a dad” moments for me came shortly after she was born when she a) grabbed my finger and b) looked me right in the eye while I was feeding her.  

Mary Jane went into labor at about 9 p.m. on Sunday night a little over a week ago, and we were in the hospital by 12:30 a.m. She, of course, had to shower, do her makeup and fix her hair before we went. She wasn’t really sure when her next shower would be. Then there’s the whole Maternity Ward Beauty Pageant that she had to prepare for too (she won).

All the labor inducements we tried over the past month paid off. It was either the sex, spicy food, walks, evening primrose oil, pineapple, bouncing ball, eggplant parmesan, membrane sweeping or Punxsutawney Bill that did it. The good thing is, one of them worked. The bad thing is, we used 25 independent variables so we’re not exactly sure which one worked for next time around. Maybe that’s why nobody can pinpoint what exactly triggers labor.

Albert Einstein had three kids, and we still don't know what causes labor.

During the 19-hour labor, Mary Jane was a champ and lasted about eight hours without an epidural. She was much better once she got that going, but then she ended up pushing for OVER THREE HOURS. Susan, all 8 pounds and 14 ounces of her, was very stubborn working her way through the complicated maze that is my wife’s birth canal. She came out with her hand on her chin, which – if you’ve seen any her ultrasound photos – is her standard pose. It didn’t make the pushing any easier, though. Susan still doesn’t sleep without at least one hand on her chin.

The many faces of Susan. All with that hand.

My role during the entire labor was to coach Mary Jane through the contractions and pushing, but honestly my job was not that hard. I just tried to keep her focused on the next push while holding her leg up and telling her how awesome she was. She will say that I was a great coach, but coaches are only as good as their players. Phil Jackson was a great basketball coach. He won 11 NBA Championships. Six of those were with the Chicago Bulls and a guy named Michael Jordan. Five were with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. In the delivery room, I was coaching my wife who outperformed Michael and Kobe on their best days.

Michael Jordan = MJ. Mary Jane = MJ.
Coincidence? I think not.

Since the birth, we’ve spent no less than 12 waking hours per day just watching the baby. Everything she does is cute. Open and close her hands? Cute. Stretch her arms over her head? Cute. Yawn? Cute. Burp? Cute. Fart? Super cute.

All babies have undeveloped motor skills, so their movements are very herky jerky. Susan lays there and flails her arms and legs at random, which is also cute but keeps our dog, Oscar, on edge at all times.

You know who else has undeveloped motor skills? Her father at 3 a.m. I woke up to feed her two nights ago and BOTH my arms were asleep. After trying and failing to push myself out of bed, I eventually rocked myself back and forth into a seated position. I whipped my torso around, and my arms flopped along like Bernie Lomax. After doing what I can only describe as a human helicopter, the feeling finally returned. Only then was I able to pick up my baby daughter. I was still 75% asleep at that point, so it got even more out of hand when I ended stumbling into the bathroom with Susan for meal time instead of her nursery. The unforgiving chill of the porcelain toilet on my legs (as opposed to the plush warmth of the glider) snapped me out of my daze in time to avoid feeding her a bottle of hand soap.

Weekend at Bernies 3 is currently in production every night at our house.

So now we’re parents. Susan is an angel. I’m not sure at what point everything goes to hell and she becomes a screaming banshee all night long, but she’s taken it pretty easy on us so far. We’re getting settled into our routine, and while Susan throws us a curveball every now and then, we feel like we’ve gotten the basics down. I know it’s early, but parenthood hasn’t been the terrible “say goodbye to your free time” and “have fun while you still can” scenarios that some people will have you believe. Susan IS fun, and we’d rather spend our free time playing with her.

Husband: March Madness

It’s March, which means its basketball tournament time and for those of us working in college athletics, it means a whole lot more work.

On the homefront, however, we’re having our own version of March Madness. My wife, she of the 38-week and one-day-old infant in her womb, is looking for signs of labor. Any sign of labor…anything that could even be construed as labor because she wants that baby out of her right now. She can’t sleep. She can’t get comfortable. She can’t bend over to tie her shoes. What she can do is balance things on her belly, which she now refers to as “the shelf,” but I know she’d gladly trade that party trick for a baby. Madness is an appropriate word because I’m watching her slowly descend into said Madness trying to figure out if she’s in labor or just having another false alarm.

So the past few weeks for us have been mostly Labor Watch 2012. There are seven main signs of labor, and Mary has experienced six of those. She’s had a major uptick in Braxton Hicks contractions, some of which are pretty intense. She’s 1 cm dilated and 50+ percent effaced. The baby has “dropped,” meaning Susan has settled down into Mary’s pelvis and is forcing her to adopt the pregnancy waddle. We already talked about Mary’s nesting, and we WON’T talk about the thing called a mucus plug which looks exactly like what you think it looks like. If her water breaks, she wins pregnancy BINGO and an all-expenses-paid trip to the maternity ward.

PREGNANCY BINGO!
Baby Kicks	Discharge!	I want pickles	Wake up at 2 a.m. …every night	New maternity wardrobe
Swollen feet	Mucus Plug	So tired I can’t move	Nesting	Mood swings
Baby Kicks	Dilated!	Water Breaks! (WINNER!!)	I feel fat.	Gassy
GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT	Braxton Hicks contractions	Waddling	Can’t tie my shoes anymore	Baby stabbing vagina with a knife
Baby Punches	Crying at nothing	Constipated	Severe morning sickness	Effacement

For a first-time mom, it’s gotta be very nerve-wracking trying to figure out what is labor and what is not. Every new twinge in her stomach could be a sign. Oh, three contractions in a row? Is it labor? You feel like you’re going to puke? That’s new. Is it Labor?? You’re leaking something? Describe it to me! GROSS! That's gotta be labor!!??

In related news, I saw two groundhogs hanging out on the side of the road on Monday (true story). One (who I’ve named Punxsutawney Bill, the Patron Groundhog of Labor) ran across the road in front of my car. Assured it was a sign that he made it across safely, I expect labor any day now.

In Punxsutawney Bill we trust.

Every time we go see the doctor, we’re both secretly wishing that the doc will pop out from between my wife’s legs and say, “Well, look at that! You’re like 8 centimeters dilated! I can’t believe you haven’t felt that yet! You must have had the most painless labor ever! Eight centimeters, wow! You’re like a pregnancy miracle! Let’s get you right over to the hospital so we can have that baby right NOW! And before you go, here’s a trophy, your $5,000 baby delivery award and a NEW CAR!!!” 

You'll get a baby...and a NEEEEEEEEEW CAR!!!!

According to doctors, nobody knows what causes labor. In all the years that humans have been pushing out babies, NOBODY has been able to figure out what sparks the process. According to the highly trained research team at FunTrivia.com, an average of 133 million babies are born each year. That’s 247 births EVERY minute, at least half of those fathered by Travis Henry alone. All the OBGYNs in the world can’t find one factor that those women had in common and say, “Yes, that, that right there is what caused her to go into labor.”

So since we both want Mary Jane to go into labor like right now, and since we can’t find any definitive answers as to how to get that train a-runnin’, we’re trying every possible method we come across. Every wives’ tale out there, we’re giving it a shot (except castor oil, gross): raspberry leaf tea, long walks, sex, evening primrose oil, spicy food, sex, massage, pineapple, oregano, bouncing on the exercise ball, sex, sweeping the membranes, visualization and sex. Of course, we have two weeks to go until the actual due date, so the doctors won’t induce Mary yet because of “medical risks” or something.

Tonight, at the suggestion of one of my friends at work, we ate a massive vat of eggplant parmesan. No labor yet, but based on these testimonials, we’re hopeful.

Not in the pregnancy books, but you can't argue with the results.

All this aside, we both realize that we’ve been so blessed to have a complication-free pregnancy. But COME ON SUSAN. It’s been 38+ weeks! What else can there possibly be to do in there?

Surely, one of these methods HAS to work. My only hope is that when she comes out, she doesn’t see her shadow and jump back in.

Wife: FULL TERM!

Today, Susan is 37 weeks and considered full term, even though there are still three more weeks until my due date.  So in my opinion, she is more then welcome to come at any time.  I don't think she will come this week, but I do think it is possible for her to come sometime next week, especially toward the end of the week.  FINGERS CROSSED.

This part is pretty yucky.  I am so uncomfortable and miserable.  And I only get more uncomfortable every day as she gets bigger.  About two and half weeks ago, she "dropped." This means her head sank lower into my pelvis.  So now my pubic bone is killing me, my hips hurt and I have that unmistakeable late-pregnancy waddle.

 And since last Sunday, I can no longer sleep..  I have to go to the bathroom at least every hour, if not sooner.  I have to sleep on my side, and my left side is the preferable side.  But when my hips start hurting, I turn to my right side.  But that is not as comfortable, so I usually just doze on my right side until I think my hips can handle the left again.  And then almost every single night, without fail, I wake up at 2:30 and cannot go back to sleep.  My mind starts racing with all kinds of thoughts and anxiety, all having to do with Susan.  Last night it happened.  I laid in bed until 3:30, got up and read my book for about an hour until I got sleepy and went back to sleep from about 4:45 to 6:45.  It was awful.  And it is every night.  I tried staying up later to see if that helped, and it didn't.  And the thing is, this is apparently very normal for the last few weeks in pregnancy.  The books joke about how it is preparing me for the sleep deprivation to come!  UM, shouldn't I be getting tons of sleep now so that I can be better rested?  That makes a lot more sense to me.  Sadly, after almost a week and a half of this, I am getting used to it.  I guess that is a good thing.

So how have I been passing the time?  As Chris explained in his last blog post, I have been nesting.  But now, I have run out of things to do!  I don't feel like watching TV, even though I have a DVR full of things to watch.  I mostly just want to stay busy, because I feel like time goes by faster if I am doing stuff.  So we finished the nursery, putting together all of her things, and we have packed our hospital bags.  I have included all the pictures of the nursery at the end of the post.  I have done laundry, cleaned, cooked and its just getting harder to find stuff to do.  These last three weeks seem like the longest ever.

It isn't just that I want her to come so I don't have to be pregnant anymore (but that is part of  it).  We are just so ready to meet her!  So far, we have waited 37 weeks.  I want to feed her and change her diaper and play with her and cuddle her and watch her sleep.  I am ready for the next part!  So not only are my fingers crossed that she comes sometime next week, but I am doing all I can to help her along.

Now, all the books and websites say that nothing has really been proven to induce labor.  I will go into labor when my body and baby are ready.  SO SICK OF HEARING THAT IT MAKES ME WANT TO GAG!  I know that!  But it doesn't mean I can't try to help things along.  I can be proactive.  Nothing I am doing is hurting her, it is all doctor approved and it could help!  So I have been taking nice, long walks almost everyday.  I bring Oscar along so we can make it a family thing.  The walking helps lower her further into the pelvis and get her into a better position.  The same is true for the yoga/exercise/birthing ball.  I typically bounce and rotate my hips on that for about an hour a day.  I added that on Sunday.  Other things that can help prepare my cervix for labor and sometimes cause contractions:  pineapple, evening primrose oil and sex.  Check, check and check.  As far as the last one goes,  I told Chris that it was a great way to bookend the pregnancy.  We did it a lot to get pregnant; now we are doing it a lot to get un-pregnant.  So while I realize Susan will come on her on time regardless of whether Chris and I are doing it six times a day while bouncing on the birthing ball, I at least feel as though I am being proactive.  And having fun too!

So I am partly doing all of these things so that I can start getting comfortable again and start feeling like me.  But I am mostly doing it so that I can meet my daughter!  I mean, I already feel like I know her really well since she has been sharing my body for the last nine months.  But I want to hold her hand and give her kisses and cuddle her. And I am doing everything so I can do all those things sooner rather than later!

Check out the nursery below - it is pretty awesome!

Entrance into the nursery.

Glider and dresser - view from the doorway.

Changing table.  Also, our second nursery project - framed children's book covers!

We are both huge readers and we wanted to pass our love for reading onto Susan.  We love how sweet this turned out!

Glider.  It is also swivels and reclines!  For rocking, feeding, reading and cuddling!

Susan's dresser - filled with all of her clothes that I have organized and folded several times.

Susan's bookshelf for all of her toys and books!

Crib and bookshelf!  So happy with how everything turned out!

Second view

Susan's closet!  Everything has been washed and ironed.  And we have stockpiled a pretty good selection of diapers!

Chris' great aunt gave us a huge box of bows that she made for Christmas.  Susan is set!

More bows!  These are a little bigger for when she is older!

Husband: Nesting, Contractions and AJ Burnett

It’s been almost a month since I last blogged. A lot has happened. There was the Great Fall of 2012, the three-hour stay in the hospital, our first “HOLY CRAP BABY IS COMING NOW” scare, a couple baby showers and lots of baby gadgets that are now assembled. The curtains in the nursery have been hung, her swing is built and we finally got a lamp in the nursery, meaning that Susan’s room is now officially finished and ready for her to move in.

Mary is now nine months pregnant. She’s having contractions like crazy (“Like Crazy” is medically defined as “a shitload”). The doctors, several of them since we’ve been to about 72 unscheduled appointments in the past two weeks, all say that they aren’t real contractions, only practice contractions. Her entire belly gets as hard as a rock for about 20-30 seconds, sometimes accompanied by a shooting pain that Mary describes sometimes as “pressure” and other times as “MAN this hurts.”

The doctors, of which we’ve seen at least four recently, told us those contractions are Mary’s body’s way of preparing itself to give birth. Her uterus has to warm up before real labor like Mariano Rivera has to warm up before he cleans up the mess that A.J. Burnett left behind in the ninth inning. The only problem is that Mariano has been bailing out the Yankees for over a decade, and my wife’s uterus is just now getting started. It’s obviously new at this because the contractions are all over the place in timing and intensity, and not much is getting done. “Inefficient” is the word they’ve been using. Maybe it’s more like Burnett than Rivera after all.

If Mary's uterus had a face right now.

We have another appointment on Thursday, and Mary has sworn that if she’s not dilated yet and these contractions have been for nothing, she’s going to go Pregzilla on anything in her path. I feel her pain (figuratively, not literally) because the waiting has been brutal. We both want Susan to hurry up and get here, but we’re now at the mercy of our unborn daughter as to when she wants to make her debut. She’s not even here yet and is already treating us like her pawns.

Your move, baby.

Mary has recently started passing the time by cleaning the house and organizing Susan’s room over and over again. I woke up one morning to find her folding sheets in the upstairs linen closet…at 6 AM...on a Tuesday. I thought that was strange, but was still waking up so I didn’t inquire. Thirty minutes later when she didn’t come downstairs, I went up there to find her folding Susan’s clothes…clothes that were already folded. She had a huge smile on her face and was moving around like Speedy Gonzales on speed. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Folding her clothes!” she said.

“It's 6:30 morning?” I said.

“Yeah, come look! Ok so I was thinking this would be her coming-home outfit…and this one she can wear in the hospital…and this one would be so cute at the beach…and THIS one, awwww SO cute. So I have her little onesies here in this drawer organized by color and material. And then HERE are her socks…these are like newborn socks, and she probably won’t fit into these, so I put them on this side…but THESE will be great! I don’t want her little feet to get cold. And then the hats are up here – which one do you like the best? I think this one’s my favorite. Oh and I organized her closet. Come look – her summer outfits are on the left…”

…and so on. In my first 30 minutes that morning, I drank half a cup of coffee and read three paragraphs of the sports page. My wife, who apparently launched herself out of bed at 4 a.m. like Usain Bolt out of the starting block, had already organized and re-organized the entire nursery running on nothing but pregnancy hormones.

Pregnancy: The ultimate PED.

Come to find out, there’s something called the “nesting instinct” that most pregnant women experience at various stages of pregnancy. I consulted the internet, and it had this to say:

At the end of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world. Females of the animal kingdom are all equipped with this same need. It is a primal instinct. Just as you see birds making their nests, mothers-to-be do exactly the same thing.

The cause of the nesting instinct is both physical and emotional. A woman’s hormones during pregnancy are responsible for the most of the nesting instinct, and residual survival instinct is responsible for the rest. The nesting instinct can be observed in all pregnant mammals as they prepare for birth.

Source: The Internet

After watching my wife labor up stairs for eight months and fall asleep before 9 p.m. every night, I thought nesting had bypassed her this time around. Not the case. Since the first morning of nesting a week ago, she’s spent more time in the nursery than any other room in the house. She washed every single piece of clothing that Susan has and has sterilized all of her bottles twice. I’ve helped out a bit, but she hasn’t asked me to do any of this because I think she enjoys it that much. I feel like I should be doing something, but I usually end up just standing there while she folds and irons tiny dresses.