She enjoyed her first St. Patrick's Day and her first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought her some Indestructible books and froggy friend.
Other big 9-month firsts: first bubbles, first trip to the park, and first teeth began to break through.
Showing posts with label Family amp; Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family amp; Friends. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
9 Months
Nine months! My darling girl has been in for as long as she has been out. I spent so much of her inside time thinking about how glorious it would be to finally have her on the outside. I did not enjoy being pregnant. At nine months outside, might be nice to have her back in for a couple days. ;)
On her 8-month birthday (It's that confusing thing where her nine-month post is a reflection on the time that she was 8 months old.), Elizabeth pulled up for the first time, and has been doing that repeatedly all month long. Now she's figured out cruising and zips along the furniture. Zoey is finding it increasingly difficult to hide.
In addition to putting all things in her mouth, she's learning to stick her tongue out. She often sticks her tongue to aid in concentration.
She enjoyed her first St. Patrick's Day and her first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought her some Indestructible books and froggy friend.
The big adventure of the month was surviving the UK vs. UofL Final Four game and the eventual victory by our beloved Wildcats as they became 8-time national champions. It was gr8!
Other big 9-month firsts: first bubbles, first trip to the park, and first teeth began to break through.
She enjoyed her first St. Patrick's Day and her first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought her some Indestructible books and froggy friend.
Other big 9-month firsts: first bubbles, first trip to the park, and first teeth began to break through.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Elizabeth's Birth Story Part 1
And 15 1/2 weeks later, here I am to finally tell you the story of Elizabeth's birth. This is not well written and it is horribly long. But I love birth stories and I know at least one of you really wants to read this (Hey Amy!), so let's begin...
Saturday, July 9
We had some friends over this evening and grilled out. After everyone left I started to feel kind of crampy and began to wonder if maybe this was it. It was a couple days after my due date. I took a bath and while I sat in the tub I realized that the cramps seemed to be lasting for only a minute or so but kept returning at regular intervals. Per my midwife and doula’s recommendation, I decided to ignore this as long as I could and went to bed.
Sunday, July 10
Probably around 2 a.m.-ish the contractions were becoming difficult to ignore. My free contraction counter app said they were about a minute long and 7 minutes apart. I kept trying to sleep but was miserable. I was very distressed because while I
knew labor wouldn’t be easy, I suspected it to be manageable. I thought I would ease into it and have breaks between contractions to rest and regroup. But that was not what was happening. I was feeling the contractions in my back and once the
contraction was over I continued to ache until the next one came. I remember trying to rock in the glider in Elizabeth’s room, miserable, and feeling somewhat panicked that I was already just a few hours into this and already thinking about getting an epidural. While I know there’s nothing wrong with epidurals if you want one and obviously I wasn’t avoiding one to prove a point, I was not happy to think about all the people who said I couldn’t do this and that I was already agreeing with them.
I let Lee sleep awhile, knowing that this would be a long process for him too, and finally woke him up, maybe around 5 a.m. to help me get downstairs so I could watch Arrested Development. It seemed like a good distraction. Shortly after getting downstairs, I threw up. Eww. During a contraction my free contraction counter app informed me that I had used up all the contractions that come with the free app and I would need to purchase the $1.99 app to keep tracking. This was not a good time to hear this information. During a contraction is a horrible time to try to recall a password.
Lee got me settled on the couch and I told him he could go back to bed. When I finally called my doula at 7 a.m. and told her what was going on, pausing in the middle of our conversation to vomit again, she said that labor was probably starting but it sounded like at this rate labor might take a while. She also noted that if I’m vomiting it’s probably because I need to chill out. She
recommended I lie down on my side and switch sides every 30 minutes to help the baby to turn and decrease the back labor. (Babies are supposed to be facing your back for the easiest and most comfortable exit. We guessed she was facing
my front, since that causes back labor.) So I attempted to chill out, set my phone timer to 30 minutes, and went back to bed.
I got a bit of rest and my contractions started to slow down. I took some Tylenol or Advil for my back. We called our parents and I emailed my friends to let them know that labor was starting, but after a few hours the contractions were infrequent, maybe one or two an hour, and by 5 p.m. they had stopped.
Monday, July 11
I was on a mission to get Elizabeth turned and facing my back. I took naps, rotating sides every 30 minutes. I sat on pillows to keep my hips higher than my knees. I went mall walking/shopping with a friend.
Tuesday, July 12
Sometime in the early morning I started to have contractions again. Tolerable contractions with nice breaks in between. Just l had expected. Just like what I felt prepared to deal with. There were maybe 2 an hour. Lee called work to tell them he wasn’t coming in. We called my doula who assured me that Lee should really go to work because 2 contractions an hour isn’t anything to stay home for. So Lee went in to work. I sat on pillows, slept on my sides, tried to get some things done around the house. I called my mom and we talked about how we hoped the baby wouldn’t be born on the 13th. In the evening, I started to give up on sewing, partly because sitting on pillows was getting ridiculously uncomfortable, partly because the contractions were coming a little more strongly, but still maybe only 3 an hour. Lee and I watched some TV and went to bed around midnight.
Part 2 | Part 3
A. Why can't I take cute self-portraits?
B. Good grief I was huge. I did not like being pregnant. Well, the second trimester was pleasant.
B. Good grief I was huge. I did not like being pregnant. Well, the second trimester was pleasant.
Saturday, July 9
We had some friends over this evening and grilled out. After everyone left I started to feel kind of crampy and began to wonder if maybe this was it. It was a couple days after my due date. I took a bath and while I sat in the tub I realized that the cramps seemed to be lasting for only a minute or so but kept returning at regular intervals. Per my midwife and doula’s recommendation, I decided to ignore this as long as I could and went to bed.
Sunday, July 10
Probably around 2 a.m.-ish the contractions were becoming difficult to ignore. My free contraction counter app said they were about a minute long and 7 minutes apart. I kept trying to sleep but was miserable. I was very distressed because while I
knew labor wouldn’t be easy, I suspected it to be manageable. I thought I would ease into it and have breaks between contractions to rest and regroup. But that was not what was happening. I was feeling the contractions in my back and once the
contraction was over I continued to ache until the next one came. I remember trying to rock in the glider in Elizabeth’s room, miserable, and feeling somewhat panicked that I was already just a few hours into this and already thinking about getting an epidural. While I know there’s nothing wrong with epidurals if you want one and obviously I wasn’t avoiding one to prove a point, I was not happy to think about all the people who said I couldn’t do this and that I was already agreeing with them.
I let Lee sleep awhile, knowing that this would be a long process for him too, and finally woke him up, maybe around 5 a.m. to help me get downstairs so I could watch Arrested Development. It seemed like a good distraction. Shortly after getting downstairs, I threw up. Eww. During a contraction my free contraction counter app informed me that I had used up all the contractions that come with the free app and I would need to purchase the $1.99 app to keep tracking. This was not a good time to hear this information. During a contraction is a horrible time to try to recall a password.
Lee got me settled on the couch and I told him he could go back to bed. When I finally called my doula at 7 a.m. and told her what was going on, pausing in the middle of our conversation to vomit again, she said that labor was probably starting but it sounded like at this rate labor might take a while. She also noted that if I’m vomiting it’s probably because I need to chill out. She
recommended I lie down on my side and switch sides every 30 minutes to help the baby to turn and decrease the back labor. (Babies are supposed to be facing your back for the easiest and most comfortable exit. We guessed she was facing
my front, since that causes back labor.) So I attempted to chill out, set my phone timer to 30 minutes, and went back to bed.
I got a bit of rest and my contractions started to slow down. I took some Tylenol or Advil for my back. We called our parents and I emailed my friends to let them know that labor was starting, but after a few hours the contractions were infrequent, maybe one or two an hour, and by 5 p.m. they had stopped.
Monday, July 11
I was on a mission to get Elizabeth turned and facing my back. I took naps, rotating sides every 30 minutes. I sat on pillows to keep my hips higher than my knees. I went mall walking/shopping with a friend.
Tuesday, July 12
Sometime in the early morning I started to have contractions again. Tolerable contractions with nice breaks in between. Just l had expected. Just like what I felt prepared to deal with. There were maybe 2 an hour. Lee called work to tell them he wasn’t coming in. We called my doula who assured me that Lee should really go to work because 2 contractions an hour isn’t anything to stay home for. So Lee went in to work. I sat on pillows, slept on my sides, tried to get some things done around the house. I called my mom and we talked about how we hoped the baby wouldn’t be born on the 13th. In the evening, I started to give up on sewing, partly because sitting on pillows was getting ridiculously uncomfortable, partly because the contractions were coming a little more strongly, but still maybe only 3 an hour. Lee and I watched some TV and went to bed around midnight.
Part 2 | Part 3
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Two Months
Elizabeth is two months old!
Today we started wearing size 2 diapers. We wear cloth most of the time (see above) but use disposables when it's laundry time. (E's about to grow out of her prefolds and we need more covers anyway, but I'm toying with switching to pockets and being ridiculously indecisive about it. Feel free to advise.)
After trying to get some tummy time photos today -- she hates being on her stomach unless she's on me or Lee -- she started to cry and I rolled her back and kept snapping. I want to remember everything, even her wails and tears.
She is getting smilier everyday! I'm loving it and everyone just swoons when Elizabeth smiles at them. She's gurgling and smiling at Lee right now. So often I look at her and get U2's "The Sweetest Thing" stuck in my head.
Today we started wearing size 2 diapers. We wear cloth most of the time (see above) but use disposables when it's laundry time. (E's about to grow out of her prefolds and we need more covers anyway, but I'm toying with switching to pockets and being ridiculously indecisive about it. Feel free to advise.)
After trying to get some tummy time photos today -- she hates being on her stomach unless she's on me or Lee -- she started to cry and I rolled her back and kept snapping. I want to remember everything, even her wails and tears.
She calmed down quickly. She's a pretty happy baby most of the time, but we have our teary moments. And our moments where we fluctuate between happy and sad every few minutes.
Her head is getting pretty strong and sturdy. She's watching things move; she watches me. She's kicking and squirming more and more, becoming more resistant to being in her Moby wrap at times. Before too long we'll be able to keep her legs out of the wrap and I think she'll like that. She gets more beautiful and perfect everyday. I was always so afraid that I wouldn't handle her growing up well, and while I often want to just keep her in this tiny, snuggly state, I'm also so excited to see what the next month brings.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Three Years
I'm a pretty indecisive person. But marrying Lee was one of the best and easiest decisions of my life. Mom was right: when you know, you know.
The past year has been one of the better years, since now we are three. Watching Lee be a dad is pretty much the best thing ever, and in case I had any doubts before, I know now that I have definitely picked the best partner for me.
Happy anniversary, Lee! You are always awesome, but this past year you have had to go to birth classes, watch birth documentaries, rub my back every 7 minutes for 17 hours of labor, help me assemble postpartum diapers, walk a screaming baby around the house for 2 hours so I could sleep, grill me countless hot dogs when I was too tired to cook, and comfort me when I was an emotional, sleep-deprived sobbing mess. I love you so much!
The past year has been one of the better years, since now we are three. Watching Lee be a dad is pretty much the best thing ever, and in case I had any doubts before, I know now that I have definitely picked the best partner for me.
Happy anniversary, Lee! You are always awesome, but this past year you have had to go to birth classes, watch birth documentaries, rub my back every 7 minutes for 17 hours of labor, help me assemble postpartum diapers, walk a screaming baby around the house for 2 hours so I could sleep, grill me countless hot dogs when I was too tired to cook, and comfort me when I was an emotional, sleep-deprived sobbing mess. I love you so much!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Welcome Elizabeth!
In case you missed it on Twitter or Facebook, or didn't assume it from my continued absence, on Wednesday, July 13 at 8:48 p.m., Elizabeth Anne was born. The birth was wonderful and Elizabeth is perfection. There are times of the day when I might not say that, but overall she is the most wonderful, sweetest blessing. When she starts to wake up I'll lie in bed a little bit longer not wanting to get up, but then I see that gorgeous face and I'm ready to go.
While I knew things wouldn't be easy, having an infant is pretty challenging. I hope to be back soon with the whole birth story and more pictures. In the meantime I'm just trying to stay clean-ish, fed and reasonably well-rested. ;)
While I knew things wouldn't be easy, having an infant is pretty challenging. I hope to be back soon with the whole birth story and more pictures. In the meantime I'm just trying to stay clean-ish, fed and reasonably well-rested. ;)
Monday, June 20, 2011
37 Weeks
Seriously?! 37 weeks?! That's a lot of weeks. Here's a picture from last week because we forgot to take one this weekend.
We're a bit distracted lately. Seriously. I have a hard time focusing and I'm blaming baby. I find that for cleaning, setting a timer for 25 or 30 minutes helps. Sadly, I discovered this after 3 unproductive hours of attempting to clean. Today has been pretty productive, but then I slept a lot last night. Maybe I just need more sleep, which is of course getting trickier because I keep waking up. I don't have to pee. The baby's not kicking. I just wake up. Actually, the past couple nights it might have just been our weather radio's fault. (We need to find the "Only Wake Me Up for Warnings" button because if I don't need to go to the basement, please just let me sleep.) The best sleep I've had I woke up to realize that *gasp!* I was lying on my back. (Don't worry, my midwife assures me that it happens and isn't a big deal if you sometimes sleep on your back because I don't have any risk factors that would make that extra dangerous. But should still be avoided. I didn't realize I was such a back sleeper until I realized you should avoid back sleeping during pregnancy.)
I think the impending baby is starting to take a toll on Lee's usually sharp mind as well. We left the house yesterday to run errands and we had decided it would be best to go to Fantastic Sams first and then Babies R Us. About a minute later, Lee is asking me the best way to get to Babies R Us and we are about 2 minutes from Babies R Us before we realized we were going to go to Fantastic Sams first. Not a big deal, but I had to rush through Babies R Us to learn that Fantastic Sams isn't open on Sundays. Lee thinks the order we took our errands turned out for the best, of course.
At least for now, I am loving washing the baby things and putting them away! I think this is about the only time I'll be able to say it so I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts.
Technically, Elizabeth could arrive anytime between the next 1-5 weeks. What bugs me about this is that I'm starting to outgrow a lot of things. (Oddly enough, the things that fit me best at this point are a pair of pre-pregnancy sweat pants, a pre-pregnancy skirt and Lee's T-shirts from high school.) If it's just going to be another week or two, I can tough it out. If I knew now that it would be a month, I'd probably pick up a couple things. Let's think positively and stretch my stretchy skirt as far as she'll go!
I think I've decided what my absolute least favorite baby comment is. So far this has only come from strange old men, which might make it better? Or worse. But the absolute worst comments are "You know how that happened, right?" and the similar "What'd you get into?" Umm...I know my fingers are swollen so I'm not wearing a ring and I hear I look younger than I am, but what do you want me to say?! Yes, I had intimate relations with my husband of two years?! We are 27/28-years-old and have a house and that's our only debt and we are happy, responsible, God-fearing people. I guess they think they're being funny but I really don't appreciate what they're implying. It's just rude. And creepy. And if I don't know you, there's no need to say anything at all. Seriously, is there any way to even respond to those comments?
Speaking of implying things, I realized that I went out the other day without my ring (because of the swelling) in Lee's high school t-shirt. That probably looked kind of sketchy.
Last week I got the best package in the mail: One of my friends had organized a long-distance library shower. She collected books from friends from California to DC and boxed them up and sent to me. It was the cutest thing ever. If you have a pregnant bookworm friend I highly recommend you do this for her right now.
I'm trying to decide the best way to preserve Elizabeth's first year. I'm kind of obsessed with this daily baby photo project and Elise's wedding album. I've narrowed it down to doing daily pictures, probably in our arm chair so there's a size reference. I bought a cute 8.5 x 11 binder to store the photos in. I want to a sentence or two with each picture about the day. Now, do I do all the layouts electronically and print them like Elise did or do I want to scrapbook it a bit more so where would be handwritten notes, which seem more personal? Thoughts? Also, if your in-laws got you an awesome photo session for a baby gift, would you want those photos taken really early on, or maybe a few months out when baby starts to smile? I guess you run the risk of baby not smiling on cue, but I think I would rather wait a couple months for fun facial expressions.
For someone with good dental hygiene, my gums are receding a bit more than me or my dentist would like. Apparently this could be caused by grinding my teeth or clenching my jaw a lot. I'm pretty sure I don't do either, and Lee says he hasn't noticed me doing any of that. Yet for the past few days, I have noticed myself clenching my jaw a lot. Is this pregnancy related or am I just losing my mind? I ask myself that about a lot of things lately.
I don't know if I the whole "I'm having a baby thing" just hasn't hit me yet, or I might actually be feeling pretty calm about labor. I hope it's the latter. My main goal is not to panic. As you learn in Bradley classes, fear causes tension which causes pain. So no fear for me, please. Wednesday I have my "almost baby time" appointment with my doula and I'm so excited about it. I think she's super cool and if anyone can take me from "not too scared" to "genuinely excited that I'm giving birth!!" it's her.
We're a bit distracted lately. Seriously. I have a hard time focusing and I'm blaming baby. I find that for cleaning, setting a timer for 25 or 30 minutes helps. Sadly, I discovered this after 3 unproductive hours of attempting to clean. Today has been pretty productive, but then I slept a lot last night. Maybe I just need more sleep, which is of course getting trickier because I keep waking up. I don't have to pee. The baby's not kicking. I just wake up. Actually, the past couple nights it might have just been our weather radio's fault. (We need to find the "Only Wake Me Up for Warnings" button because if I don't need to go to the basement, please just let me sleep.) The best sleep I've had I woke up to realize that *gasp!* I was lying on my back. (Don't worry, my midwife assures me that it happens and isn't a big deal if you sometimes sleep on your back because I don't have any risk factors that would make that extra dangerous. But should still be avoided. I didn't realize I was such a back sleeper until I realized you should avoid back sleeping during pregnancy.)
I think the impending baby is starting to take a toll on Lee's usually sharp mind as well. We left the house yesterday to run errands and we had decided it would be best to go to Fantastic Sams first and then Babies R Us. About a minute later, Lee is asking me the best way to get to Babies R Us and we are about 2 minutes from Babies R Us before we realized we were going to go to Fantastic Sams first. Not a big deal, but I had to rush through Babies R Us to learn that Fantastic Sams isn't open on Sundays. Lee thinks the order we took our errands turned out for the best, of course.
At least for now, I am loving washing the baby things and putting them away! I think this is about the only time I'll be able to say it so I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts.
Technically, Elizabeth could arrive anytime between the next 1-5 weeks. What bugs me about this is that I'm starting to outgrow a lot of things. (Oddly enough, the things that fit me best at this point are a pair of pre-pregnancy sweat pants, a pre-pregnancy skirt and Lee's T-shirts from high school.) If it's just going to be another week or two, I can tough it out. If I knew now that it would be a month, I'd probably pick up a couple things. Let's think positively and stretch my stretchy skirt as far as she'll go!
I think I've decided what my absolute least favorite baby comment is. So far this has only come from strange old men, which might make it better? Or worse. But the absolute worst comments are "You know how that happened, right?" and the similar "What'd you get into?" Umm...I know my fingers are swollen so I'm not wearing a ring and I hear I look younger than I am, but what do you want me to say?! Yes, I had intimate relations with my husband of two years?! We are 27/28-years-old and have a house and that's our only debt and we are happy, responsible, God-fearing people. I guess they think they're being funny but I really don't appreciate what they're implying. It's just rude. And creepy. And if I don't know you, there's no need to say anything at all. Seriously, is there any way to even respond to those comments?
Speaking of implying things, I realized that I went out the other day without my ring (because of the swelling) in Lee's high school t-shirt. That probably looked kind of sketchy.
Last week I got the best package in the mail: One of my friends had organized a long-distance library shower. She collected books from friends from California to DC and boxed them up and sent to me. It was the cutest thing ever. If you have a pregnant bookworm friend I highly recommend you do this for her right now.
I'm trying to decide the best way to preserve Elizabeth's first year. I'm kind of obsessed with this daily baby photo project and Elise's wedding album. I've narrowed it down to doing daily pictures, probably in our arm chair so there's a size reference. I bought a cute 8.5 x 11 binder to store the photos in. I want to a sentence or two with each picture about the day. Now, do I do all the layouts electronically and print them like Elise did or do I want to scrapbook it a bit more so where would be handwritten notes, which seem more personal? Thoughts? Also, if your in-laws got you an awesome photo session for a baby gift, would you want those photos taken really early on, or maybe a few months out when baby starts to smile? I guess you run the risk of baby not smiling on cue, but I think I would rather wait a couple months for fun facial expressions.
For someone with good dental hygiene, my gums are receding a bit more than me or my dentist would like. Apparently this could be caused by grinding my teeth or clenching my jaw a lot. I'm pretty sure I don't do either, and Lee says he hasn't noticed me doing any of that. Yet for the past few days, I have noticed myself clenching my jaw a lot. Is this pregnancy related or am I just losing my mind? I ask myself that about a lot of things lately.
I don't know if I the whole "I'm having a baby thing" just hasn't hit me yet, or I might actually be feeling pretty calm about labor. I hope it's the latter. My main goal is not to panic. As you learn in Bradley classes, fear causes tension which causes pain. So no fear for me, please. Wednesday I have my "almost baby time" appointment with my doula and I'm so excited about it. I think she's super cool and if anyone can take me from "not too scared" to "genuinely excited that I'm giving birth!!" it's her.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
34 Weeks
When I'm home Zoey stays within 5 feet of me. Except for when she's sleeping in. Seriously. She will stay in bed for hours after I get up. She's actually in 80% of my bump photos, and normally I crop her out, but I left her in this time for added amusement.
I think my hormones have realigned a bit so I feel less grumpy which is awesome. I'm not a fan of being grumpy.
I watched Pregnant in America this weekend and was disappointed that there weren't as many births in it as The Business of Being Born, which I think is a sign of personal growth. I love watching how the mom's face instantly changes from all the tired frustrations of labor and pushing to the extreme, sublime joy of holding your baby. It makes me cry and reminds me that it's all worth it. (Both documentaries are excellent by the way and get a big thumbs up, but if nipples and crowning heads creep you out, you might want to stick with Pregnant in America.)
The dark nursery and baby craft fabric is in the laundry at the moment! Can't wait to start sewing!
I haven't asked about the estimated size of the baby and I don't plan on it. I'm not sure if my midwife will just tell me but I might ask her to not tell me. It's normally just a guess and if she says anything over 8 pounds it will make me unnecessarily nervous. If I can make it, I can get it out. At the 20 week ultrasound she was "normal" so that's all I need to know. I don't plan on finding out how dilated I am either, unless we're running far enough past my due date that we're starting to discuss induction. I do like to ask if she's head down though, and so far so good, to the best we can tell.
After some confusion, Elizabeth's middle name will be Anne. Someone asked the other day, Lee and I exchanged looks, and Lee answered Anne. Problem solved.
I picked up some cloth diapers the other day and some fabric to make cloth wipes with. I'm so excited about them! I just got 15 prefolds and 2 covers (a Flip and Econobum) since a friend might have some I can have and I've heard that different brands work better for different babies depending on leg chunkiness and potty habits so I'll wait a bit before we commit. I think I definitely want to stick with prefolds though because they're so deliciously cheap. And look at these cover options! OMG the cute!
I haven't worn my wedding ring for a couple days. I was just taking it off when I go for walks because the exertion makes my hands swell, but I had trouble getting it off the other morning when I was getting ready for church and since then I've left it off. I'm paranoid about it getting stuck, but I miss it. Maybe I'm being too paranoid about it?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It's a Girl!!
Like so many other things, it began in November 1998 when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. My love for Jane Austen, which began the previous year after reading Sense and Sensibility, was confirmed. I fell for Mr. Darcy, his breeches, his beautiful estate and his broodingly delicious combination of arrogance and gentleness. And I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet. She is my favorite of the Austen heroines. She is funny and smart, a winning combination that no other Austen heroine repeats. And at some point in all this falling in love, I knew when I had a daughter of my own, she would be Elizabeth.
Maybe it's because I'm such a girlie girl. Maybe it's because I've had my daughter named for over a decade and things seem so much more real once they're named. But I hoped that this baby would be a girl and I am so excited that she is. As I often reminded Lee, you can still have Nerf fights and throw footballs with Elizabeth, but I can't paint our son's toenails or put him in dresses. Well, at least I probably shouldn't. ;)
So after years of thinking about her and planning for her and hoping for her, in July I'll get to hold my Elizabeth. In the meantime, I felt the need to compile a brief list of some of the main reasons I love the name Elizabeth.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Dethawed
After what's felt like a particularly harsh winter, we finally got a bit of a reprieve. I guess I could say it's been unseasonably warm (50s and 60s), but Kentucky is prone to unseasonable weather year round so it's expected. Or at least I expect it and get very grumpy when weeks of below-freezing temperatures persist without the usual unseasonably warm break.
While I've enjoyed taking some more walks (which I need to do regardless of lower temps), I think Zoey is enjoying it the most. The first warm day she had no desire to come inside at all, although she had to because eating leaves (at least I hope it was leaves) is unacceptable. There are no squirrels to chase inside and she prefers to sit under the trees and wait for them, full of hope that some day she'll catch one. Not that I'm sure she knows what she would do with it if she ever did. I hope we'll never find out.
While I've enjoyed taking some more walks (which I need to do regardless of lower temps), I think Zoey is enjoying it the most. The first warm day she had no desire to come inside at all, although she had to because eating leaves (at least I hope it was leaves) is unacceptable. There are no squirrels to chase inside and she prefers to sit under the trees and wait for them, full of hope that some day she'll catch one. Not that I'm sure she knows what she would do with it if she ever did. I hope we'll never find out.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The First 16 Weeks
Last Friday marked 16 weeks of pregnancy! Since it was an Internet secret until last week, here's what's been happening...
We weren't trying to get pregnant necessarily, but we weren't not trying to get pregnant. So while there was a good amount of shock that it actually happened, it wasn't that surprising when the pee stick said "pregnant" on October 30.
Much to my joy, when I called to schedule a doctor's appointment, they said they could get me in the next week, which was only 5 weeks. I was still unsure when I wanted to start telling people but after the appointment it seemed time to notify immediate family. That and I knew I wanted everyone to know by Thanksgiving because I hate big announcements like that, no matter how happy.
We just kind of showed up at our parents' houses and told them. It was fairly anti-climatic. They kind of guessed what was coming since we just showed up out of the blue. Especially my parents, since we drove two hours to see them on a Monday night. Everyone is ridiculously excited, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Nugget (better than "it" until we find out gender) will be everyone's first grandchild and 3/4 of our grandparents' first great-grandchild. And for my grandma who already has great-grandkids, this will be the first one in-state.
I felt perpetually a little nauseous for about two weeks around Thanksgiving (Fortunately that didn't keep me from eating turkey. I just had to keep eating the saltines between turkeys.), but have been doing mostly okay since then. I'm still prone to more nausea than pre-pregnancy, but am fine most of the time. I've only vomited twice so I consider than I win. And only 1 really bad headache, but those are becoming the more predominant situation.
Considering I've always been prone to sporadic food cravings, I'm not sure how much of this is pregnancy or just me being me, but in the past few days I've wanted a lot of peppercinis. I have also longed for Panera's Greek salad (with Parmesan instead of feta) and French onion soup. Tragically, I have a huge, unsatisfiable (for another 6 months) longing for Dragon King's Daughter Sushi and the Banshee roll (cream cheese, garlic, avocado, salmon and basil outside). In the meantime I'll have to settle for some cooked sushi, but it's not the same. I've already checked with my doctor that I can eat raw fish while breastfeeding and I might make Lee stop and pick us up some on the way home from the hospital. Unless anyone wants to bring me some to the hospital, which means I will love you second best, right after Nugget.
Yes we will find out the sex of the baby in about another month. Elizabeth (possibly Elizabeth Ann) for a girl (This has been my plan since 1998 when I read Pride and Prejudice the first time.) and Albert Lee Earley V for a boy. We're still debating what we want to call Albert, so if you have any good nicknames, do share. We would go with Albie, but Albie Earley is just too cruel. Especially since if he takes after his father, he'll be genetically disposed to be late. Hal is currently in the lead.
Hmm...am I leaving anything out? I currently have no "feeling" about if we're having a boy or girl, and while I've always really wanted a girl, lately find I don't care as much. Oddly enough, I have the boy nursery idea much better planned out (light blue, red and white nautical theme) than the girl nursery (Peach and gray? Pink and yellow? Paris? Purple and gray? Tea party? Flowers?) I will hopefully breastfeed (unless it proves physically impossible) and want to cloth diaper. I've decided to switch from an OB to a Certified Nurse Midwife (still giving birth in a hospital!) since I'm hoping to do this with as few medical interventions as possible. I'm still debating on if I want to take Bradley or Lamaze classes and I'll picking a doula soon.
Yay for finally sharing all of that! Feel free to share any advice (Especially on products. Is an Ergo truly the superior toting device? What's a good breast pump/car seat/crib/stroller?) and let me know if there's anything else you're curious about!
We weren't trying to get pregnant necessarily, but we weren't not trying to get pregnant. So while there was a good amount of shock that it actually happened, it wasn't that surprising when the pee stick said "pregnant" on October 30.
Much to my joy, when I called to schedule a doctor's appointment, they said they could get me in the next week, which was only 5 weeks. I was still unsure when I wanted to start telling people but after the appointment it seemed time to notify immediate family. That and I knew I wanted everyone to know by Thanksgiving because I hate big announcements like that, no matter how happy.
We just kind of showed up at our parents' houses and told them. It was fairly anti-climatic. They kind of guessed what was coming since we just showed up out of the blue. Especially my parents, since we drove two hours to see them on a Monday night. Everyone is ridiculously excited, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Nugget (better than "it" until we find out gender) will be everyone's first grandchild and 3/4 of our grandparents' first great-grandchild. And for my grandma who already has great-grandkids, this will be the first one in-state.
I felt perpetually a little nauseous for about two weeks around Thanksgiving (Fortunately that didn't keep me from eating turkey. I just had to keep eating the saltines between turkeys.), but have been doing mostly okay since then. I'm still prone to more nausea than pre-pregnancy, but am fine most of the time. I've only vomited twice so I consider than I win. And only 1 really bad headache, but those are becoming the more predominant situation.
Considering I've always been prone to sporadic food cravings, I'm not sure how much of this is pregnancy or just me being me, but in the past few days I've wanted a lot of peppercinis. I have also longed for Panera's Greek salad (with Parmesan instead of feta) and French onion soup. Tragically, I have a huge, unsatisfiable (for another 6 months) longing for Dragon King's Daughter Sushi and the Banshee roll (cream cheese, garlic, avocado, salmon and basil outside). In the meantime I'll have to settle for some cooked sushi, but it's not the same. I've already checked with my doctor that I can eat raw fish while breastfeeding and I might make Lee stop and pick us up some on the way home from the hospital. Unless anyone wants to bring me some to the hospital, which means I will love you second best, right after Nugget.
Yes we will find out the sex of the baby in about another month. Elizabeth (possibly Elizabeth Ann) for a girl (This has been my plan since 1998 when I read Pride and Prejudice the first time.) and Albert Lee Earley V for a boy. We're still debating what we want to call Albert, so if you have any good nicknames, do share. We would go with Albie, but Albie Earley is just too cruel. Especially since if he takes after his father, he'll be genetically disposed to be late. Hal is currently in the lead.
Hmm...am I leaving anything out? I currently have no "feeling" about if we're having a boy or girl, and while I've always really wanted a girl, lately find I don't care as much. Oddly enough, I have the boy nursery idea much better planned out (light blue, red and white nautical theme) than the girl nursery (Peach and gray? Pink and yellow? Paris? Purple and gray? Tea party? Flowers?) I will hopefully breastfeed (unless it proves physically impossible) and want to cloth diaper. I've decided to switch from an OB to a Certified Nurse Midwife (still giving birth in a hospital!) since I'm hoping to do this with as few medical interventions as possible. I'm still debating on if I want to take Bradley or Lamaze classes and I'll picking a doula soon.
It looks like I shrunk back down some. Is that possible?
Yay for finally sharing all of that! Feel free to share any advice (Especially on products. Is an Ergo truly the superior toting device? What's a good breast pump/car seat/crib/stroller?) and let me know if there's anything else you're curious about!
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