Helluva Long Time

So...yeah. It's been a while. My little tiny baby is now almost 16 months old and is doing all of the following with growing proficiency: walking, talking, eating, running, climbing, signing, being freaking adorable. He started walking right after he turned 14 months old. He had the motions down, but the balance thing was the issue. Once he learned to stand on his own...he just took off. Really hasn't stopped since. Talking is a slow and steady thing, but he adds a new word every few weeks or so. Right now he says: Mommy, Mama, hey, bye bye, thank you, kitty, puppy, shoe, go, no, uh-oh, bubble, and ball. I might be forgetting something...it feels like i am but cant think of it off the top of my head. Eating was always a sore subject for me when it came to C. At first it was the breast milk woes, then the formula troubles, followed by his rejection of table foods. Well, in December we took him back to the GI who said we should get him back on prevacid, because even though he wasn't having the outward signs of refulx, he was still having SILENT reflux. So, about a week later, he started eating a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. He is still very picky when it comes to textures, but he's coming around. He just now started to eat meat. He still refuses eggs. He'll eat most veggies and most fruits. He loves loves loves pasta. He will always give a new food the benefit of the doubt, eagerly accepting whatever is on the spoon, and only after a few yucky bites will he refuse. He still eats mostly an organic diet. And the boy that once would break out on his tooshie from even the slightest bit of milk, leading to diaper rash from hell, will now gulp down 2 gallons a week and eat yogurt and cheese. His mama and him enjoy special time going to Re.d Man.go to get frozen yogurt. So proud my baby can eat! Running=bruises. EVERYWHERE. But yeah, he runs. Not well, and looks drunk while he does it, but he gets where he's going...and fast! I caught him climbing his bookshelf, the couch, uses his sit and spin for a boost, his shelving unit, a bench at the park, dresser drawers, our bed...and anything else he gets his grubby hands on! He held his own at the big kid park the other day. Baby boy started signing around 13 months. He now uses and understands the signs for: eat, more, please, thank you, kitty, all done...mostly food related signs. This has really opened up communication. Between his little vocabulary and signing, he can pretty much tells us what he wants. So, based on wee man's interest as of right now...if I had to guess what he'd be when he grew up...he'd be a vet who specializes in a combination hydro-musical therapy for pets of all sorts! Why? Because he loves all things musical and will stop and dance whenever music comes on. He has several music/drum sets and loves to play with all the instruments. As far as "make him squeal" type of excitement...that's a tie between animals and water activities! I just love this kid so much...i'm almost ready to have another...but only if he/she will be as awesome as C!

Green...

...with envy.

Ugh. My DP is involved with throwing a baby shower for her friend who is pregnant. This very same friend offered to throw our baby shower back in November. The girl didn't even start "planning" our shower unt a few days before. She rushed it, threw it together, barely decorated, and didn't really consult me on anything. Now she's preggo and my DP had to attend a meeting with the other shower planners! They are renting a hall, having food catered, etc. Her shower is going to be a huge deal. My DP is in charge of her invitations. They are inviting enough people to need to rent a hall! That's going to be expensive...especially with postage. I'm thinking $150-200. That's probably 2-3 times as much as what was spent on our shower! Our shower was hosted at our house, I bought our invitations (the girl offered to send them out, but didn't do that until 2 weeks before the shower even though I had them 2 months in advance), I cleaned, I found seating, and the ONE thing I really wanted (my beautiful cake) I didn't get. It seemed like our shower was an after thought. But my DP is going to go help blow the roof off this girl's shower??? Ugh...I admit it...I'm jealous. And it sucks. :-(

Body/Mind Conflict

First off, i know i haven't blogged here in a while. Our little family is doing well and C is such a joy. He is a big boy (28.5 inches and 20# as of last month) and he's beginning to be mobile. He does his own modified version of an army crawl...well up until he gets frustrated and rolls to whatever he wants. He can sit up unassisted...for a few seconds. Maybe a minute or two tops. He's a little behind on some things, but the PT he saw for his torticollis said he was a lazy baby and that he was showing signs of readiness for all his milestones. He babbles a ton and really studies his toys and the people he comes in contact with. Still no teeth, but that doesn't surprise my mother...i didn't get teeth until almost a year. He has a ton of interest in "real" food, but not in his formula. Since we switched to Neocate, his bowels are much happier, but he is not. He weaned himself way back on his formula, and will actually refuse bottles. I don't particularly like that. He loves being in water of any sort. He has an addictive laugh and loves anything electronic...particularly cell phones and laptops. He sleeps well. In his crib. Most of the time. He really enjoys co-sleeping, so if he's stirring/whining a lot at night, I'll just go get him and bring him to our bed. Daycare has really done a number on his immune system, which in turn has really done a number on MY immune system. Otherwise, I'm really enjoying my happy little guy.

HOWEVER, my hormones are going crazy. I really miss being pregnant. I felt great during pregnancy (if you don't count the surgery) and some of my "issues" resolved...only to come back full force after giving birth. For months I had "phantom movements" in my abdomen (probably gas) but it felt like when C was moving around inside my belly. *Cue a tinge of nostalgia and a big smiled sigh* It seems like my body wants to be preggo, because as soon as my period returned, they were more regular than than ever! All the "fertile signs" that i spent years training myself to notice/tracking religously are so predictable and like clock work. I'm telling you that if I called the sperm bank and scheduled shipment of my stored vials, I could be preggo in two weeks...i'm feeling pretty confident in knowing my body right now.

BUTTTTT...then i realize that mentally I'm not ready for another baby right now. I definitely have the desire and the ability...but i'm not at the right "place" right now to even start that process. I was so afraid that I just wouldn't be able to conceive the first time, that I didn't want to wait until everything was "perfect". Of course it would have been great if everything was perfect, but at the time, things were alright and we were at a place in our lives where adding a baby was finally possible. That's what I was looking for at the time...possible. Turns out it was very possible and we have little C and I couldn't be happier. Now that I know I can get preggo, i'm more inclined to wait until things are closer to perfect to try and conceive baby number two. Although, I don't want C and the new baby to be too far apart in age. Definitely less than the gap between my sister and I (6 years). Hopefully, things will be in place around the time C is 2. That would be ideal.

Work wise, things still suck. I'm not going to go on and on and complain about it, but I will say that i'm intending to start an intensive job search around October if my current employer doesn't persuade me to stay (monetarily). Work for DP also sucks. She may get realigned to another position or office location. I'm happy to know her job isn't on the line, but it makes plans to do anything more difficult when things with work are up in the air. If she moves, C will have to change daycares because DP drops him off. I would gladly drop him off, but then I'd have to find a daycare that I like that would allow me to drop off before 5 am. I think i'd have a pretty hard time finding that.

Meh. I just had to unload.

5 months...

Today C is 5 months old! He is such a good baby. He sleeps thru the night, altho he is still in our bed. I like him there, but he has started to roll during the night. He rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy with ease. He rolls in his swing, bouncer, boppy, etc. He is much stronger than we give him credit for. He'll hold our thumbs and we'll pull him up to sit, but lately he just goes right into a supported stand. He digs his toes into surfaces and scoots himself on his tummy. If he could support himself with his arms and get coordinated, he'd be crawling. We started some organic rice cereal a couple weeks ago. He thinks its the best thing ever and will grab the bowl/spoon and try to feed himself. DP and i disagree on when to start purees; i want to wait until 6 months but DP thinks that we should base it off his interest in food. Right now i think we are going to try to hold out....but i need to schmooze the wifey! We tried out a new home daycare situation, which would have been very convienient, but the lady decided she didn't want to take on another baby. I was very disappointed because I really want to get him out of the daycare, because he seems to always have a cold/virus. I cant really tell if his head is getting better. Some days he really has strong symptoms of his torticollis, and others he seems fine. I have noticed he is growing more hair on his flat spot, so it might be getting better. I want to get him a special breathable plagiocephaly pillow to sleep with, but they are a little pricey. Also i found a breathable crib mattress by secure.beginings. If i had the money and/or knew abou this before purchasing all C's nursery item...i would have bought one. They are expensive, but i feel its worth it. Sorry it's all one paragraph; all I have isn't iPhone at the moment.

M O M M Y + M A M A = M E

One year ago today...

...baby C was conceived. A big thanks to his donor and our sperm bank for giving us the ingredients to make such a wonderful little person!!!!

Quick update...

Well I have a few minutes while I wait for our take out to be ready to pick up, so I thought I'd give a quick update.

C is doing well. He went to daycare 3 days last week. It was very hard for DP to drop him off, and I was anxious all day to go pick him up. He doesn't seem to mind going and the daycare worker says he is a good baby.

I had some trouble with car seats. I needed one that would fit in the very sloped back seats of a sports car and nothing ended up fitting well. The best I could do was get another base for his infant seat. It is installed correctly, but let's just say I'm glad c only has to make short trips with me in that car.

He has come down with eczema. So another must have (and expensive) cream for him is CeraVe. It's working wonders, I'm just wondering if this is something we are going to have to battle for a long time.

He recently decided he was going to start projectile vomiting after meals. He does it once or twice a day for the last 3 days. I'm wondering if it's reflux or if u should be more worried. He seems fine, altho he has cut back a bit on the amount he's eating. He normally takes about 4-5 oz every 3-4 hours. We try feeding him more often but he just refuses. For the last 3 days he's only been eating 4 oz every 5-6 hours. His mood and demeanor seem unchanged, but I'm not sure exactly why his eating habits have changed?

Well, food is ready...more later!

Edited to add that he's been gaining weight and growing well. At his 2 month visit he weighed 11 pounds 15 oz and was 23.5 inches. Last week at the pedi he was 13 pounds 6 oz and nearly 24 inches.

DP is starting to get worried...looks like I'll be calling the pedi tomorrow.

2 month update...

C had his 2 month appt this week. He weighs 12 pounds and is 23.5 inches long. His bottom is looking better with desonide ointment and triple paste. It's still going to be an uphill battle, but at least diaper changes are more comfortable for him now. He goes in for his PT evaluation on Tuesday. He also has a referral to see a dermatologist for his toosh, but it'll be a while before he gets an appt. C finally outgrew his newborn clothes. He fits into 0-3 comfortably. He had 3 shots at this appt and barely shed a tear. He ran a low grade temp that night, but overall took it like a champ. He still doesn't sleep well through the night. He gets really fussy at about 9 or 10 pm and then is whiney until about 12 or 1 am. I have to go back to work on the 14th, which I'm really not looking forward to. He starts daycare on the 21st because grandma will watch him while she's off work for a week. I wonder how he will do at daycare. He is so used to having his needs met right away, and I just can't imagine him having to cry it out while the daycare worker has to deal with another baby. Hopefully he'll get more attention because he'll be new and will also be the youngest one there. Luckily, DP's work is close by so she'll be able to stop by anytime. I'm also pretty nervous about returning to work. I've been away from patient care since November. Hopefully, it's like riding a bike! Hope everyone else is doing well!

Just a little "post-partum"

So, I'm admitting (and seeking help for) PPD. I haven't wanted to admit that my emotional instability could be PPD for a few weeks now, but even I'm starting to realize this is something more than the baby blues.

I've had a ton on my plate starting from the very beginning of pregnancy. First my progesterone was low so I was on supplements to support the pregnancy until 13 weeks. Then I had surgery to remove a soccer ball sized cyst from my right ovary at 18 weeks. I was out of work for 6 weeks for that procedure. Then I had elevated blood pressure and was put on light duty in November until delivery.

So I knew, without a doubt, that things would be more stressful once baby boy arrived. Duh. But, once again I was bombarded with all these unexpected hurdles. I make no milk. C lost almost a pound in 4 days and became jaundice due to lack of nutrition. I have to formula/bottle feed. Not happy. He has a milk protien allergy and is put on nutramigen. Okay fine. In order to give him ANY of my ever-dwindling breastmilk I had to remove all dairy from my diet. Look it up, it sucks. However, since he's been on special formula he has had the diaper rash from hell...yes we are still fighting it. I think it's formula related due to timing and his pedi just keeps treating for yeast. I'm putting my foot down next visit. That'd be visit number 8 in 7 weeks. He has a mild form of torticollis which causes his head to stay to the right. However, his hips point right too so I'm still trying to get answers from the pedi about that.

My health is shit. 2 weeks ago I went to the ER with chest pain that was terrible and scared me to death. They said I had pleurisy. 4 days after that, I'm back in the ER puking my guts out and with abdominal pain that was so bad I couldn't stand up. Turns out pleurisy was a misdiagnosis, and the chest pain was actually pain radiating from my badly inflammed pancreatitis and multiple gallstones. So a week in the hospital on a starvation diet until my pancreas had calmed down enough to have yet another abdominal surgery.

So on top of all that, I've been having overwhelming feelings of guilt due to C's conditions...I feel like I jacked him up in utero. Then I feel like if I could breastfeed, he wouldn't be suffering from this rash. I mean he screams like we are beating him at every diaper change. The whole breastfeeding thing really has me torn up. Baby boy enjoys it and it's so calming for him, but at this point I'm little more than a milk flavored pacifier.

So after a heart to heart with my beloved OB, I'm now starting anti-depressants and possibly counseling. I feel defeated...but I don't know what else to do.

In my 2 weeks of experience...

I wanted to share some of the things that I wish I knew/had prior to bringing C home. Also, a couple of tips that might help someone else along the way.

*If you think you may be pumping, buy as many extra shields/flanges that you can afford. I hate washing/sterilizing pump parts. I know have 4 sets, and plan to add to this collection.

*Same goes for bottles. If you find a bottle your LO uses well/likes, buy a bunch. Washing/sterilizing...not fun. I think we have 10+ Dr. Brown in just the 4 oz size!

*Don't get stuck on a specific brand. We really wanted C to only use organic cotton disposable diapers before we made the move to cloth after belly button stump falls off. Well, C just pees right out of them! We were changing diapers/bedding/outfits/blankets like every 15 minutes. We went out and bought the pampers swaddlers that they used on him in the hospital, and while they don't prevent all leaks, they are much better.

*We didn't have any receiving blankets, other than the ones we stole from the hospital. Those swaddle blankets/sacks just won't cut it and they are so much more expensive. We have like 10 flannel receiving blankets now. Big fan here.

*No scratch mittens. The gerber kind suck. The first years and parents choice kind are made better than gerber, but the elastic around the wrist is too loose for the to effectively stay on. The best mittens we have were given to us by the hospital nursery. Had I known it'd be such a hassle to find decent ones outside of the hospital, I would have requested at least another pair. Our boy loves his hands; we call them his "best friends." He's constantly pulling at his hair, scratching his face, poking himself in the eye, etc. We trim his nails, but that doesn't stop everything. So mittens for him are a must. (if anyone knows of a decent brand that will actually stay on a newborn, let me know.)

*C was 7 pounds 2 oz at birth and lost 11oz by 4 days (due to my milk supply being low). He is already 21 inches long and has since gained weight and is above his birth weight. However, he doesn't fit into newborn anything!! We will put him in newborn creepers, but even those swallow him up. We received a creeper set made by carter's called "precious firsts". It is sold at target. When we first saw them we laughed and thought how tiny they were and that our child would surely not fit into them. Well, they are the only thing that fits him. The line doesn't have a lot of selection, but we bought everything we could find. C is probably pushing 8 pounds now, and these outfits are STILL the only thing that fits well. So if you LO could fit in preemie clothes if not for length like our son, u might wanna check this brand out.

*My little lamb bouncer. Love it. The swing...C really hasn't taken too.

*Wipe warmer. Great concept, epic fail. The wipes go cold 10 seconds after removing them from the warmer. They don't hold enough wipes. It seems to dry out the wipes. It's too bulky for the changing area.

*C is having wicked bad poops right now. We're monitoring to see if he has a milk protien allergy. All that poop led to a red, chapped, at one point cracked/bleeding little toosh. We tried desitin, butt pastes, lanolin, and eventually original A&D. The A&D has done a great job of creating a barrier, and his bum is looking 100% better.

*For little boys with circumcisions; Vaseline in the squeeze tube. One handed application is necessary to help prevent pee accidents. Minimizes prolonged exposure, less time for him to give anyone (including himself) a squirt.

*Snuggle nest sleeper. This is what we are currently using in the bed with us. It is portable, light, has a hard shell covered with soft/plush fabric, it has a little mattress and sleep positioned, and even a little light (although it's very dim as to not wake baby). C is only inches away from me when he sleeps, and DP doesn't feel like she's going to roll over on him. We got ours new at a consignment shop for $17. Definitely worth it!

That's it for now; I'm sure I'll add more later.

2 weeks...

2 weeks; the time has just flown by. Right now the babe is napping while I tote the baby monitor with me like it is my lifeline! I don't like leaving him unsupervised, even while napping. These 2 weeks have been a far cry from easy. He's been to the pedi twice already, with another call this week to talk about poop. The boy was on a starvation diet the first 4 days of life, contributing to his jaundice (which has since cleared up). We now "supplement" with formula, although the formula to breastmilk ratio is probably 2:1. I've been desperately trying to increase my milk supply. I'm taking fenugreek and marshmallow root. I pump as often as I can, which is usually every 2-3 hours. The bub has kind of taken a shine to the bottle, leaving my boobs feeling a bit shunned. I've cried many a time over this. In the last couple of days, he'll accept the breast in between feedings (and even then, he'll only latch on the right) but I fear this breast time is more like a pacifier than a meal...at least it is nutritive sucking. I haven't started with the cloth diapering; we're waiting until his belly button stump falls off. I keep thinking it will, and it keeps hanging on! Even still, with as much as this boy poos (and until we find out if he indeed does have a milk protien allergy/reflux) I'm thinking it may be prudent to combination diaper with cloth and disposable. Best laid plans, huh? Overall he is a joy. And cute enough to eat. We already can't imagine our lives before him. The stress and sleeplessness are definitely worth every gas bubble induced smile from those pouty lips and all the other amazing/amusing things a babe can bring to your life.

Birth Story

Sorry I've been MIA; DP and I are learning about/adapting to/loving life with baby C.
Birth Story: At about 4:30 PM on 1/5, I was relaxing on the couch when I felt a warm little trickle. It really wasn't much fluid (didn't even soak through to my pants) so I thought I might have just peed myself a little. LOL. I told DP when she got home from work, and neither of us put too much thought into it. Especially since I wasn't contracting at all. Then at about 8 PM, I was walking down the hall and it happened again. A little more fluid this time, but still not much. I decided to call the doc. It took almost an hour for the on call OB to get back to me, and she said I should come in just to get checked. I still had in my head that there was a possibility I was just losing bladder control since I was 39 weeks pregnant, and I was worried about what the nurses would think once they found out I came in because I peed myself. So we did some last minute hospital bag packing (we had most everything together, but we needed toiletries, etc.) and drove 45 minutes to the hospital. We checked in to the birthing suite, they had me fill out paper work, then the nurse tested the fluid and sure enough I had a high amniotic leak. She checked my cervix and I was at 3 cm and about 90% effaced. After the cervix check, I started to contract a little, but they were still very mild. DP and I rested as best we could, because every 5 minutes the nurse would have to come in and adjust the monitors because baby C was all over the place. At about 5 am I had progressed to 7 cm and was fully effaced. The contractions were still ok; a little more intense, but the pain didn't keep me from carrying on a conversation, etc. A little after the last cervix check, my water full on broke, and the contractions got very very bad. I asked for an epidural by about 6 am. The epidural was amazing, but it was a little uneven. My right side was completely numb, while my left still had some feeling. The nurse said I was having very strong contractions about 1-2 minutes apart, but I could barely tell. At about 7 am, my OB surprised me by showing up (she wasn't supposed to be in the city...she was supposed to be at another office in a different city). She checked me and I was still at a 7. She said she would do her best to make it to the other office and back before I delivered, but that I should prepare for her partner (the OB I switched from earlier in the pregnancy) to deliver. I was disappointed to say the least. They put me on a very slow drip of pitocin, since the epidural had slowed things down. I started to feel a lot of pain on my left side, so my epidural had to be re-dosed. By 9:30 am I was at 9 cm and the nurse called my OB to let her know. Initially, my OB told the nurse to call the office and let the other OB know they'd have to deliver. But 30 minutes after that, my OB called back and told my nurse to offer me the choice of have the doc I switched from come now, or turn the pitocin off and labor down for a while and wait for her. I chose to have the pitocin turned off. Baby was still fairly high up in the birth canal, and I would have just been pushing that whole time anyway. So right before noon, my OB runs in and announces "let's push out a baby!" I was very glad she could make it. I pushed for 20 minutes or so, and Baby C was born at 12:27 PM on 1/6/11. He weighed 7 pounds 2 oz, and is 20.5 inches long. He surprised us all with a full head of gorgeous blonde hair. Several nurses said it looked like he had highlights. LOL. We are in love.

Hind Sight...

The sight of our poor boy's hind side is definitely one for sore eyes. We've been battling thus diaper rash for nearly 3 weeks, and need I remind you, C is only 4 weeks old! His butt is red like someone painted a target sign right on it. It has been chapped, peeling, and at times has even bled. We had it clearing up with original A&D ointment, but after we changed his formula (because of his milk protein allergy) it came back with a vengeance. He's used A&D zinc, aquaphor, Vaseline, questronon (script), and nystatan (script). We have been giving him oatmeal baths nightly, spraying off his bum with water during diaper changes, stop using diaper wipes, blow drying his nether regions after diaper changes (on mildest setting of course, also...our little perv enjoys the blow dryer immensely), and he's getting 30 min to an hour diaperless a day. I just made my umpteenth call to the pedi. I have a feeling it will turn into our 5th visit either today or tomorrow. I'm afraid our pedi is going to think we are psycho Munchhausen moms because of how often we seek her professional opinion within such a short time span! I just want him to feel better. He's so gassy, colicky, and fussy some times. It sounds like we are murdering him when we change his diaper. His stools have improved in consistency since changing formula, but his bum has taken a beating. On top of all that, my milk supply continues to dwindle. I have a hospital grade pump and a script for reglan, but I haven't seen much improvement...if any. Woes me. I just want wee man to feel better and I just want to be able to feed him. Btw, for the last 2.5 weeks I have had absolutely NO dairy. I am going to give that boy every oz, or half oz, I make. Until I dry up. If it means eating like a kosher vegan (minus the no meat thing) for the next forever, then so be it. I'm off to see if little man will hold still for some pics. Wish you all well!

Water broke!

At the hospital now!

He's almost here!

Well after a few days of hardcore contractions (only to completely stop after a few hours), doc scheduled me for induction on Saturday 1/8/11. She said I'm 2.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. She stripped my membranes and stretched my cervix again. Baby boy will be here soon!

OMG...I'm 37 weeks!!!

I can't believe this much time has passed and my pregnancy is coming to an end. That being said, I'm crossing my fingers for a 2010 baby!! I want him to come out soooooooooo bad! At last Mondays appointment I was only 1cm dilated and just beginning to efface. However, baby boy has been 100x more active than normal. I've been getting a lot more Braxton hicks contractions during the day (they never seem to come at night). My pubic bone is still very sore. I've noticed he's dropped down a bit, although he's always been right underneath my ribs. I'm currently up @ 4 am because sleeping is just impossible! My trips to the bathroom have probably quadrupled during the day, and I'm up at least every hour @ night. Sometimes just standing up makes me feel like I have to pee! I'm really hoping all this means good things. I'm very ready to meet our son. Amz tells me she wishes every night before bed that I go into labor, lol. Now that I'm 37 weeks, I'm wishing right along with her!

Ready to pop!

I feel like I'm going to explode! My pubic bone feels like it got chopped in 2! Everything is stretching and sleeping is impossible. Other than that I feel great! Lol. I'm on desk duty still at work and it seems to be helping ith the blood pressure a little bit. It's still slowly trending up. Swelling is still an issue, but it doesn't bother me much. I am getting so anxious to meet this little man! I want to kiss his little face so badly! Amz and I are getting impatient.

Nesting/Moving Rant...

I have the urge to get everything for the baby set up...only problem is we're in the process of moving and there's no where for me to put C's things right now. So i've started thinking about what we could do to get the house ready to move. Our leasing experience has been somewhat...less than wonderful. I'm ready to just get everything packed up and get out of here! This weekend my mom is helping us move stuff into the storage unit. Then we can hopefully move all of C's things and have the nursery set up by Sunday night. We assembled the crib last weekend...it is gorgeous! I then want to wash everything! His diapers need to be pre-washed a good 5 times, so that they'll be good to go by the time he's here. Our dog trainer will be taking our old living room set. I'm glad to see it go (and equally glad to give her something she needs)! Work will be hectic next week. For some reason people think the holidays are a great time to cram in elective surgery. Packing will take a back seat until the weekend. So while everyone else is off at the black Friday sales...i'll be putting things in boxes and making several trips between houses. That Saturday, my sister and her boyfriend will be coming to help move the heavy stuff. I think it will take them both, plus Amz, and possibly my mom to move our king sized tempurpedic mattress. After our bedroom set goes, then its just a bunch of little things. Once everything is out, its time for minor repairs (thank you dogs), cleaning the carpets, and raking the backyard (thanks again, pups). So hopefully by the Sunday after turkey day we'll be all moved out/in. This turned out to be a lot more planning for me...oops. I'll make up for it another time.

An update...

Shower: Wowzers did we get a lot of stuff for little man! One of our registries was completely bought out, and the other one people made a good dent in as well. The shower itself was pretty low key, but that's more our style anyway. The shower planner came through, and obviously tried her best, even if it was all done kind of last minute. It was a little weird to have all the family, friends, and co-workers mingling...but we survived. C-man will never wear the same outfit twice...at least not till he's over a year. The only things I want to get before baby comes home (either through one of my 2 remaining showers or via self-purchase) is a convertible car seat, bathtub, diaper pail, and changing pad. That is literally it, because everything else has been purchased. I just bought more cloth diapers today, so I shouldn't have to buy anymore until he's over 15-18 pounds. I think we have a grand total of 50 diapers so far...making for a pretty decent stash. We also have 2 boxes of disposable newborn and one box of disposable size 1. We only plan to use them while C still has his belly button stump. Pictures of the shower will have to wait...mainly because I didn't take a single one! I flew DP's friend in from Seattle as her shower present, and she brought her camera. She caught some candid moments, but wants to go through and edit them first before sending us the pics. All in all, it was a good day.

Doc: We successfully switched OBs. It wasn't the least bit hard/awkward. We were in the waiting area at our appt on Monday, and in walks Dr. D (the doc we want to switch to). She asked us how we were doing and was taking the time out to make conversation, so I just kind of looked over at Amz and blurted out "would you mind taking over our care, i just felt like we click better." Without hesitation she said yes. So we eventually made it back to the exam room, thinking it'd be our last appt with Dr. P, and in walks Dr. D! She made time for our appt with zero notice. That...is why we love her already. In other news, I had a lot less protein in my urine at the last visit, but I still have to wait for the result of my 24 hour urine study and my kidney function panel. My BP was up at the appt, but I showed her my log that I'd been taking and she felt reassured. If i get diagnosed with preeclampsia I will have to go to bed rest. I'm not the least bit excited about that. I'll keep y'all posted.

TMI ALERT: Today i noticed discharge from my nipples. I can't believe how much my body is changing and preparing for little man to arrive. Go boobs, go!

Time to shower...

Baby shower tomorrow! I am excited and nervous! I'll update again on Sunday; maybe with pics.

In other news, i'm seriously thinking about switching my doctor. I have met my doctor's partner a few times (she also assisted with my surgery), but I had a visit with her the other day because my regular doc was in a delivery. The appointment was like night and day in comparison. The other doc was so nice, and had a bubbly personality, and...called Amz up to see the ultrasound. Something my regular doc had NEVER done. She talked to both me and Amz...also something my regular doc doesn't normally do. So, I am nervous about approaching the docs on this matter, but my gut is telling me to switch.

In other other news, my BP was up a little at my last visit and i had a little bit of protein in my urine. So now I get to do a 24 hour urine collection, and hope to hell my protein levels fall within range. I also have been getting some swelling in my lower extremities and also around my surgical site. So...we're keeping an eye on that as well.

All things considered, I'm still feeling pretty good and am in good spirits. I'm very ready to meet this little man!