Crazy Train

Time to derail the crazy train and catch y'all up to what's been going since the last time I posted.

I ended up taking Jayson to the doctor.  He did have thrush.  He was put on nystatin both orally and in cream form for 14 days. The cream made his diaper rash worse.  We stopped using that right away and went with straight up cornstarch to clear up his diaper region.  The oral nystatin continues to be a struggle we have to endure until this Wednesday.  He's supposed to take it 4x a day.  Yeah, joy of joys.  Poor kid.  He certainly knows how not to take medicine now.  On the plus side the thrush appears to be gone.

Thrush

I am concerned Jayson may have thrush. He has had a diaper rash that has lasted a little over a week and the roof of his mouth looks milky. If you recall, I had antibiotics a few weeks back for tonsillitis.  Now I'm worried that by being on them it has affected Jayson's "good" bacteria levels resulting in thrush.

Jayson: 7 Months

Weight: Last weigh in was 10/28 and he was 16lb 3oz.  I'm guessing he's somewhere around 17 or more now. 

Height: At his last appointment he was 26.75in.  Judging from the high waters he's been sporting lately, I'd say he has easily gained an inch in the last month. 

Doctor appointment:  He's due for his second flu shot today.  Daddy gets to take him this time. 

Nicknames: Jay, Jay Jay, Jase, Buddy, Baby Jayson

Today's Tangents

• I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  We had 28 family members over for supper and an additional six for dessert bringing our Thanksgiving attendance an all time record high of 34!  It was a little nuts at times but the wonderful thing about it was that we were surrounded by family.  Jayson was also in rare form, as you can see from the above photos, so our families thoroughly enjoyed their time with him.

When Baby's Sick...

...Mommy's sick shortly thereafter.  Whatever Jayson had hit me with a vengeance.  I was back to work Wednesday only to be going to Urgent Care on Thursday morning.  Tonsillitis was my diagnosis.  Thank goodness it wasn't another "it's just viral" appointment!  I was prescribed antibiotics and by today (Sunday) I will say I was feeling much better.  My balance is still a little off since my one ear is still clogged and I'd like it if this general "brain fog" would lift as well, but at least I can swallow now.  The hubs and I did some major house cleaning and hopefully whatever this illness was doesn't impact him next.  We have 27+ people expected at our house for Thanksgiving and we'd like to all be healthy!  Not to mention, I really cannot afford to be off work at all this week since I'll be playing some pretty serious catch up.

Sick!

The theory that breast fed babies don't get sick isn't entirely accurate.  Poor Jayson spiked a fever Saturday which which kept both of us out of work and daycare into Monday and Tuesday.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind the extra snuggle time with my little guy but he was down right miserable for the majority of our time together.  Either that or he was sleeping the rest of the time, which I guess did his body good. 

Klutz

Today I do the obligatory watering of the office plants and then filled up my coffee mug with a cappuccino from the keurig.  On my way back to my desk, I slip in a puddle of water and fortunately for me my name is not Zac Efron.  With my jaw still intact, I was also very fortunate not to wear any of my cappuccino.  How I managed that was like a scene from the Matrix, I swear.  Although after my fancy slow-motion bend and swerve, my ankle and my back are reminding me that I'm thirty and should leave moves like that to a stunt double.  At any rate, my office now smells like an obnoxious blend of cappuccino and Spray Nine since some of it still need cleaning up from the floor.  The real kicker is that although it seemed like a lot of my drink went everywhere, my cup is still somewhat full.  And that my friends is why it's going to be a good day!  Thank God it's almost Friday!

How's your Thursday starting out??

Half a year...

Today Jayson is six months old.  He is looking more and more like a toddler with each passing day. Thankfully he has kept his happy-go-lucky disposition and continues to be a fairly easy baby.

At six months Jayson is doing the following:

★ Screeching at the top of his lungs. This is his happy, hyper self.

★ Raspberrying and I love it. I have yet to catch it on video but I will.

Furry Friday: Tidbits

It has been forever and a day since I posted a Furry Friday post.  Since I don't have any cute stories to share, I'll do a quick update on how Riley's been.  So far he's been pretty good with Jayson.  He's a little much with the kisses to the face, but I guess it's better than biting.  However, speaking of

S.A.D?

Maybe it's the weather but today I feel downright miserable. Does postpartum depression have a statute of limitations?  Can it hit six months later? Or maybe I'm just suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Strange how the acronym for that is S.A.D.  Yes, I feel sad. I'm hoping that by pinpointing the things that I feel most sad about I'll maybe feel better.  Maybe a light bulb will go off and I'll have some epiphany that things aren't so terrible.  Or maybe I'll just end up telling myself "Buck up buttercup.  Put your big girl panties on and deal with it."

Gender Reveal

This past weekend Justin, Jayson and I had the pleasure of being invited to a Gender Reveal Party.  Having never been to one of these sorts of parties before we weren't quite sure what to expect.  If you have never been to one as well, do a search on Pinterest and you will find tons of neat gender reveal ideas.  This couple are the King and Queen of Cute, so it was no surprise that they planned an official Gender Reveal Party.  Skip back on over to my "A Much Needed Weekend" post and you will see how they announced that they were expecting.  As I said, the King and Queen of Cute.

Happy Halloween

Watch It Wednesday

I always post videos to my Facebook page for friends and family, but I guess due to my security settings it wouldn't let me post to here.  However, I've finally figured out how to share my videos on here by making them "unlisted" on youtube.  Of course this is just in time to share Jayson's cereal experience with you.  Enjoy!

A Much Needed Weekend

After being exceptionally busy at work, having my clothes dryer die, and having to switch Jayson's daycare I can definitely say I needed the weekend to regroup.  The weather was fairly nice, albeit chilly, and we managed to get some much needed down time in and also some dreaded seasonal tasks accomplished.

Saturday we had a nice visit with our friends Paul and Cait who have recently announced they are expecting their first child.  Our visit was full of talk about all things baby.  It also gave them some time to get some snuggles in with Jayson.  Paul is actually Jayson's godfather and because they live a few hours away it's infrequent that we see them.

Later we headed over to Elise and Dan's apartment for supper.  On the menu was a roast chicken, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies followed by pumpkin pie.  It's always a feast when Elise cooks which was a nice treat for Justin and I as we've been a little lax in the cooking department as of late.  Hey, we have a baby...

Sunday was spent getting yard work done.  Fingers crossed this is the last time Justin will have to mow for the season.  Probably not the last time, however, that he'll have to use the leaf sweeper.  We also managed to switch out our summer and winter clothes.  At the same time I boxed up Jayson's three months and 3-6 month sized clothing.   So sad that he is growing up so quickly.

Speaking of Jayson, this being his second week at daycare I'm hoping it goes better than the first.  For whatever reason, whether it be just because it was all new or if he's starting to get a cold, he decided to change up his schedule.  He boycotted a bottle a day and decided to take much longer naps than usual, the combination of which totally threw off his eating and sleeping schedule at home which had me a little stressed out.  I was probably driving the new caretaker batty, but the little guy is my world and any change for a normally regimented and happy child is cause for concern. After some reading on the internet, I scared myself thinking he could be reverse cycling or switching up his days and nights.  Any one else experience this with their five/six month olds?

All over the place

Much like my brain lately, today's post is going to be all over the place.   I'm completely swamped at work.  I am seriously behind on house chores.  Oh yeah, and our dryer died.  Add all of that to the fact that Jayson started a new daycare this week and you get one stressed out mommy.  Not to mention, this feels like the longest four day work week EVER.

Furry Friday: Tub Buddies

Future Fire Fighter, Part Deux

In looking back through my posts about Jayson I realized I never did bring you up to speed on his very first fire drill!

 

Jayson was a brand new baby at the time and we planned our first outing together which involved going to see daddy for lunch and then driving to Jayson's very first wellness visit.  We proudly made it out if the house by 11:45am and made it to Justin's work in time for lunch.  We did the obligatory walk around the office to show off Jayson and then settled in at Justin's desk for sandwiches.  Well just as we begin to eat the fire alarm goes off.  Jayson manages to sleep through it as we made our way out of the building and to the edge of the parking lot.   Fire trucks soon arrived and blocked in my vehicle parked in visitor's parking at the front of the building.  Needless to say this was no drill. 

I was in total panic about making it to Jayson's appointment in time,  not to mention worried about when/where/how to nurse him since this "drill" had actually turned out to be a full fledged fire in the building's air conditioning system. I wasn't all that skilled, or comfortable,  with nursing in public at that time.  What a fiasco.   Fortunately I didn't have to worry about it too long and we did make it to Jayson's appointment with enough time to nurse him before going in.

Just my luck though that on our first outing (while I was still very hormonal) we had this high stress scenario. Do you have any similar stories to share?

Time Flies

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies when you have a child.  It seems like only yesterday my husband and I found out we were expecting and only a blink ago did I wake him up to head to the hospital.  Needless to say, Jayson is another month older and still smiling that charming little smile of his.

So to recap month five for Jayson:

Future Fire Fighter

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the SUHRA conference.  I also had the pleasure of toting along my son and the hubs, aka "daddy daycare" as he kept calling himself. 

The conference was held at Adam's Mark hotel in buffalo.  The topics were timely, however the hotel was huge and our breaks were very short so finding time to nurse and/or pump proved challenging... especially when a fire alarm sounds and your room is on the 8th floor.  You read that right. On one of my mini breaks I went upstairs to feed Jayson and no sooner do I get to the room the alarm goes off. So down 8 flights of stairs I go, in heels with baby in my arms. Poor daddy had to haul the carseat, diaper bag and anything else he could think of in our escape from the building. We have yet to hear what specifically caused the alarm to sound, but fire trucks and news crews were on site.  We may be on tv for all I know!  At any rate,  Jayson thought it was a blast and we were let back in after a short while.

Maybe we have a future fire fighter on our hands. This was, after all, his second fire drill where trucks actually had to show up!

Medical Mystery

This past Monday night has quickly become one of the worst nights of my life:  Jayson's first trip to the Emergency Room. 

I picked him up from daycare, bundled him in his bunting (it's been cold in NY) and headed home.  We did our usual routine of unbundling and letting the dog out of his crate before changing his diaper.   This is where the nightmare began.  He was covered in hives. I called daycare just to confirm the hives weren't there before we left, then called my mom for some quick advice.  Based on the conversations I quickly gave him a bath using Aveeno Baby soap before deciding to rush out to the ER. 

What's Happening?

Well we have survived to Friday yet again.  Before I become a "once a month" blogger, let me catch you up on the goings on around the Krueger household lately.

Cuatro Meses

Yesterday my little man turned four months old... FOUR MONTHS!  Ahhhhh!  We're one third of the way to a year already and there is no slowing him down!!

It's Monday: Scream!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  It looks like it's Monday already again.  Let's start our day off with a "Scream" since we all know that's what we want to do at the start of this work week.  Enjoy!

Ok, I get it

I recall a conversation way back when with my cousins about how our cool aunt was no longer cool.  She had a baby and suddenly she was no fun.  At the time this is how it appeared to us pre-teens.  It was that simple.  Well I am here to say "I get it now."

After having Jayson I've realized a few things.  It is no longer fun to host events at our house.  It means I have to find time between the numerous diaper changes, tub times, feedings and my own FT work schedule to clean my house to a point that I feel is presentable.  It also means that because of the numerous aforementioned diaper changes, tubbies, and feedings I cannot really concentrate on enjoying my time visiting when all I can seem to concentrate on is keeping my child from fussing and my chest from bursting at the seems (breast feeding mothers know my pain).  I've also come to realize the importance of the routine my child and I have come to follow because any deviation from it seems to result in a reduction of sleep for an already sleep deprived mom.  Because I'm also someone who's emotions are fairly transparent, I know that everyone can see right through me as a new mom trying to entertain with finesse while in reality I'm a frazzled mess.

So yes, I get it now.  I can totally understand how someone who was relaxed and fun can become high strung and frazzled just by adding a baby to the mix.  The shoe is on the other foot and I am now the aunt/sister/cousin/friend who is "no fun."

On a lighter note, I have found that HaHas for HooHas is fun and you should check them out!

Riddle me this

What do Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes, and Lindsay Lohan have in common?

Shots!

My poor, uncomfortable baby!

Monday Jayson had his second round of shots. The wait time at the doctor's office was almost as unbearable as having to help hold him down.  We had a 3:00pm appointment.  We were taken in at 4:00pm.  By 4:15pm the doctor's examination portion of the appointment was over and we were told the nurses would be in momentarily to administer Jayson's shots.  Fast forward to 4:50pm and finally, after my opening the door and wandering into the hall, the nurses came to stab my beautiful baby's legs.  The crying was over in a matter of minutes and he attempted to take a nap in the car.  When we got home I gave Jayson a dose of Infant's Tylenol and he appeared to have a normal evening (thank God!)  Aside from having to get up with him at 12am, 1am, 2am and then 5am he did much better this time around!  The last time we had shots he screamed from 8pm to 10pm and ended up with the runs and a temp. 

Grins N Giggles

I am happy to say we survived our first week apart.  Neither Jayson or I shed a tear at any of our departures and at each and every pick up he was still smiling.  I swear I love this kid more and more every day.  All the credit for this successful week belongs to my long time friend Michelle who runs Grins N Giggles Daycare.  I had to go with my gut and forgo prior plans to enroll him at another daycare, however infant care is tougher to acquire than a meeting with the President of the USA so as you can imagine I was panicking.  Michelle fortunately had a brief time frame available where she could watch Jayson for me and for that I am SO grateful.  She is a life saver and I swear my kid is now bored when he comes home because he has such a blast at her house every day.  Not to mention he has a zillion little mothers tending to his every need and what can I say, he's a flirt like his father.  Just check out how happy he's been this week:

Weekend Recap

Our little family of three traveled down to the Jersey Shore for a four day weekend.   It gave us some much needed down time before the dreaded return to work and the inevitable drop off to daycare.  On this trip Jayson experienced his first ever carousel ride, a day at Popcorn Park Zoo, his first boat ride and a hibachi dinner experience. As you can see his bucket list (much like this summer) is dwindling very quickly,  lol.  Jayson was all about the carousel.  His face just lit up when we came upon it on the boardwalk.  It was the music that really got his attention.  Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long before the next round of rides. A video of his ride can be seen here. 

Firsts

As we near the three month mark with Jayson, I can't help but think back on all the "firsts" we've experienced with him.

His First Day

His first ride in a carseat

His first tub

Furry Friday: A Great Big Brother

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

They do not ask for all your love,

But give you all of theirs.

The good and bad times in your life,

They willingly will share.

No friend you have could be as true,

And love you without measure,

Yet bring into your daily life,

Such multitudes of pleasure.

They have a way about them,

That's sure to win your heart,

And then before you know it,

You cannot be apart.

Such a blessing when our Lord above,

Puts the puppy dog on earth,

Man's best friend, he is indeed,

That will always show his worth.

~Albert N. Theel

Two Months

I should have written this post back on the 9th but the time has gotten away from me.  Jayson is officially two months old which  means I only have four more blissful weeks with this little cutie.  So the countdown is in until mommy needs Prozac.  I kid, but the thought of putting my little man in daycare has me so conflicted.  Is he going to get proper care? Will he think I've abandoned him?  God forbid anything happen to him, I'll never forgive myself!  Unfortunately in this economy we can't afford for me to be a stay at home mom so its a necessary evil.  But enough Debbie downer talk.  I need to cherish the remaining one-on-one time I have with him and not dwell on the fact that daycare is four weeks away.

So let's see, what have we learned in two months?  How about Jayson's likes and dislikes?

Operation Binky Drop

The husband and I have coined a new term known as "binky drop."  A "binky drop" by definition is the loss of suction on a pacifier leading to its eventual drop from an infant's mouth.  Much like we hear in a Dyson commercial, this loss of suction can prove to be problematic.  The end result is usually detrimental to the sleep pattern of all who reside in the home.  Commence Operation Binky Drop. 

The goal of this covert operation is to replace the pacifier in such a fashion that sleep resumes for all involved.   However this requires a high degree of stealth and precision timing.  At the first sign of trouble on the monitor we must move out quickly.   Too much time spent passing the baton from mom to dad or vice versa could foil the whole operation.   Please also note that this operation does not come free of external complications.   On occasion there is a soiled diaper at play, a squeaky door hinge, or an ill placed dog toy which wreaks havoc.  Not to mention your target is cute and will try to engage you in playful babble sessions.

This mission, which you have no choice but to accept, will need to be repeated several times over the course of an evening and into the wee hours of the morning.  Welcome to Operation Binky Drop.

Debunking Myths

There are two wives tales I have heard recently regarding breast milk.  Yes, I am going to talk about breast milk today.  It's amazing the things you engage in conversation about once you have an infant.

• Myth #1:  breast milk placed in a baby's eye will clear up eye discharge amd help with clogged tear ducts.
  
• Myth #2:  if you are exclusively breastfeeding you won't need additional contraception.  

I am here to tell you that one of these is false and one of these is true.  Want to take a guess? 

Myth #1 is true.  Breast milk has antibiotic properties and is more gentle to an infant's eye than over-the-counter or prescription products.  Consider it a safe homeopathic treatment to try first before running to the doctor for a script.   It has also been said to help clear up diaper rash and eczema when applied topically. 

Myth #2 is false.  Ever heard of "Irish twins"?  Irish twins are babies born nine months apart.  You can become pregnant while exclusively breast feeding even if you don't have a "cycle" yet.   According to the wives tale, women don't resume their cycle for six months while breast feeding. However some women have experienced their cycle resuming as early as two months postpartum.  Either way, if you aren't ready to travel down the labor-and-delivery route again so soon you'll want to employ additional methods of contraception.  

In case you are wondering,  the answer is "no."  I am not expecting again so soon. I have, however,  tried the homeopathic method for clearing up infant eye discharge and it most certainly worked. 

Any other myths or wives tales to share about breast feeding or breast milk?

Tips & Tricks

For those of you tuning in and not looking for posts about babies, sorry to disappoint.  My life right now revolves around a ten pound peanut and so I find my topics tend to center around him as well.  Any who,  with that impromptu disclaimer out of the way let's continue on to "Tips & Tricks."

★  When getting up to nurse (or bottle feed) at some ungodly hour it's helpful to change the diaper first.   The benefit here is two-fold: I found that Jayson will feed more productively when not concentrating on what's in his pants and if he falls asleep while eating I can put him back into the crib without worry of a dirty diaper leading to diaper rash.

★  If you have a male child it's advisable to keep a small wash cloth handy at the changing table.  My husband and I use it as a "pee-pee teepee."  Essentially a urine deflector.   Your floors,  face, and furniture will thank you.

★  This tip is exclusively for breast feeding mothers (sorry).  Tuck a burp cloth into the drop down portion of your nursing bra to catch his chin dribbles and avoid a saturated midsection or soggy bra when feeding time is over. 

★  Small mesh laundry bags are a must to keep from losing his tiny socks,  mitts,  and anything else miniature in the washer and dryer.

★  If your child has relatively slim legs, go with Pampers diapers.  We found that Huggies should be synonymous with husky so if you want to avoid blowouts Pampers are the way to go.

★  If you are breast feeding you may find a nipple shield makes for better latching and easier transition to a bottle later on.  Having two shields in rotation also limits the number of times you have to visit a sink following late night feedings... those moments add up when you are already sleep deprived and just wanting to crawl back in bed.  Plus your lady bits will be less painful.

★  You can tell your baby is eating enough by the number of dirty diapers you go through each day.

★  Babies cry.  Sounds more like a fact than a tip, but its helpful to remind yourself of this when you are feeling guilty about taking a ten minute shower even though your little bundle of joy won't go down for a nap.  He/she will live and actually its good for the lungs.

★  One of the nurses actually said this to me and it sort of piggy backs off the prior tip: "The safest place for your baby is always the crib."  That goes for sleeping and for any moment you just need a break.  Again, babies cry and it won't hurt them.

★  If you choose to pump don't be discouraged if you get only an ounce from each side in the first few tries.  Pump sessions are better if they are short and frequent  (10 minutes long, whenever you can squirrel away the time). They will become more productive over time.

★  No one tells you this but just about every two weeks your baby will go through a growth spurt where it feels like he is feeding every hour.  If you are nursing your chest will go through that whole engorged state again.  Don't give up on feeding though, the milk is there.  If you need to it is ok to supplement during his every hour feeding stage with formula until your milk production catches up.

★  This last one I will share today I learned the hard way.  Don't hold your baby or allow your baby to be held through every nap,  etc.  Yes, babies are meant to be cuddled and loved but if you ever want to have two hands for a task again he/she has to learn to self soothe at times. Especially true if he/she is going to daycare eventually... the daycare provider won't be able to hold your baby 24/7.

Any tips I've forgotten or that you'd like to share feel free to comment below.

Four Weeks

If you ever need proof that time passes quickly, have a kid.  Insane to think that four weeks ago I was waking Justin to go to the hospital.  Now countless night feedings and several cases of diapers later I can proudly say I have successfully managed to survive the first month.

There were tears.  There were many days I cursed the time management gods because I had yet again not managed to get showered before noon.  However there were many more small victories that outweighed the frustrations of taking care of an infant.  A smile coaxed from him on a regular basis, a regimented feeding schedule in place, tear-free tub times, and several outings (hair appt, visiting work, dress fitting, doctor appts) where he was nothing shy of an angel.   Not to mention cuddle time. Nothing beats cuddle time.

In the past four weeks I can certainly say I have learned a lot.  For instance, Huggies diapers suck.  We have had so many blow outs and leaks with them, it's beyond frustrating.  They just don't fit snug enough around the legs.  Pampers on the other hand rock.  Less blow outs and some mesh-like invention within that sifts the poop away from his skin.  Awesome.  Other items that rock: the boppy pillow, breast shields for nursing (these save the lady bits quite a bit), his carseat for naps, wipe warmers, Desitin cream, that fold up travel diaper change station someone bought me, the bassinet on the downstairs level of our house, the video monitor, and his bouncy chair.  These items made daily life possible these last four weeks.

Next post I think I will talk tips and tricks of mommyhood.  Got any good ones to share?

Welcome Jayson Xavier!

 

Guess what?  We had a baby and I didn't die.  Time management is a foreign term around these parts so my posts will be few and far between.  However, I figured I'd better get something out on the old blog before someone set up a search party.

My birth experience was wonderful after the epidural.  I hadn't planned on medications during labor and delivery however, but the best laid plans don't always pan out.  Contractions started at 12:25am on 5/9/13.  They weren't so bad.  I waited the prescribed hour before calling the doctor's office.  My contractions were consistently 4-5 minutes apart.  Still not terrible but getting stronger by the time I woke the husband to leave.  His response? "I need to shower and shave!"  We arrived at the hospital around 2am, did the check-in thing which was rather quick since the doctor's office called ahead, and then we hung out in triage for a little over an hour hooked to a monitor with a nurse named Susan.  I will say that triage is no place to labor.  There are no squat bars and when you're hooked to the monitor you cannot walk around.  At some point Susan said she was going to get me some apple juice and I swear she was gone for hours.  My contractions were getting ridiculously stronger and by the time she got back I agreed to have all the necessary hook-ups put to my arm just in case we decided to go the epidural route.  I still managed to walk up to the labor and delivery room and continued to stay upright to let gravity do its thing.  Not long after getting to our room my water broke.  Friends of mine had insisted that after their water broke they felt instant relief from the pressure.  I can't say I felt any relief.  If anything it made things worse.  The contractions were coming so close together I couldn't catch a breath and no matter how Justin rubbed my back or what I did I was ready to climb out of my skin.  All the techniques from class went out the window.  Visualizing, relaxation techniques, and fixating on something other than the pain was not an option.  Squats didn't help, especially when my knees felt like they were going to buckle at any given moment.  Breathing techniques were useless and laying down made things worse as I had terrible back labor.  If anyone was curious what it feels like to pass razor blades, I'm fairly certain birth is comparable.  Anyways, as you can imagine I was finally ready for the epidural.  The anesthesiologist arrived somewhere around 5am.  I had all I could do to stay still long enough for him to get the needle in.  I remember looking down at my hospital gown at the little teal square pattern and spelling out the word T-E-A-L in my head and counting the squares.  Three contractions later and I was pleasantly pain free.  Why I waited so long to let them give me the happy juice I have no idea.  Next kid I'm telling them to hook me up right away.  I felt instant relief and was actually able to enjoy labor and the excitement that Jayson was only two hours and twenty-three minutes away.  Due to the limited sensation I had, however, I found that I had to gauge when I was having a contraction by listening to the baby's heart beat monitor and anytime it slowed meant it was time to push.  Dr. Dewey was the physician on duty and he was just awesome. Small world moment - we got talking in a down moment and it turns out he worked at Bassett Healthcare with friends of ours, even more amazing was that we found out he actually delivered my younger twin sisters.  Insane right??  Well enough with all the gory details.  Who wants to look at some pictures?

April Showers...

This weekend I had another shower to attend, but this time it wasn't mine! Our family celebrated my sister-in-law's upcoming wedding by throwing her a bridal shower at Brooks House of BBQ.  The weather was fantastic and the location was so accommodating.  I tell you, they do such a nice job over there.  Not only do I love their food, but now I've attended four events they've hosted and the service is consistently stellar. 

That officially concludes my obligations for the month of April!  Boy, it was such a busy month but now our little man can come at any time and I'd be completely ready.  I've made no further weekend plans or commitments from here on out.  Seventeen days and counting!

Furry Friday: Collages

For the month of April I have been one heck of a busy pregnant lady so my apologies ahead of time for the lack of posts.  My mother-in-law surprised me with a baby shower on April 5th, my sister-in-law's bachelorette weekend was the weekend of the 13th, my surprise family baby shower was on April 20th, a baby reception was held for me at work on April 24th, and this weekend is my sister-in-law's bridal shower!  Not to mention I've been trying to wrap things up at work in preparation for my impending time off.  Unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day and only so much of my energy to go around.  For those of you missing out on Furry Friday posts, Riley is still very much his self and our little love bug.  He gives everything the sniff check in the baby's room and the downstairs playroom.  Here's hoping he's a great big brother!  So let's kick off this Furry Friday post with a new photo of our Rye-guy followed by photos from each of the events that have been keeping me so busy (click to enlarge):

Fourth Place?

I have read many an article over at the MMSL blog and I have to say that I have come to appreciate the viewpoint that Athol, the author, brings to the topics at hand.  Many times something he says will hit home.  His article from Monday is no exception: "She Comes Fourth In Your Life vs. Children Come First."  To give you the short and sweet, essentially he's addressing the order of importance in which you place your spouse/partner.  It appears the norm has become (1) self -or- children, (2) blood relatives/immediate family, (3) career -or- mission, and lastly, (4) the spouse/partner. This has led to many an unstable/unhealthy relationship because ultimately the spouse/partner ends up feeling pushed away and devalued.  This particular topic has been one I have grappled with on many occasion.

Furry Friday: Grandpa's Bud

It's no secret that Riley and his Grandpa are buddies.  Grandpa comes over every work day to walk him at lunchtime and even just the mention of Grandpa's name makes Riley do an excited little tap-dance.  In case your wondering what a dachshund tap-dancing is like, just imagine Riley jumping around on his little 3 inch legs clickety-clacking his little toe nails all the while.  It's cute, really.  He also does this when he can't decide if he should sit/stay or run for the back door when we're getting ready for a car-ride.  So as you can see, Grandpa ranks right up there with car-rides.

Morphed

This morning my mother-in-law brought me a baby photo of Justin from when he was first born.  Combine that with a photo I had from when I was a baby (not sure exactly how old) and I've begun to wonder just what our impending bundle of joy will look like.  For starters, Justin was a 6lb cone head and his parents thought he looked like E.T.  I was an 8lb chunk-a-munk with dark hair and leg rolls comparable to the Michelin Man.  I know what you are thinking... this poor kid has no chance.  Well fortunately there are a few play-pretend sites out there that help you imagine what such a combination would result in.  I decided to try out The Baby Morpher over at The Bump.  What resulted is probably far from accurate but it was fun to try.  

 

What other sites have you used and did you find that they were anywhere close to what your child actually ended up looking like?

Thirty Four

In only three weeks time I'll be considered full-term.  Insane to think that our little man could arrive as soon as that.  In many ways, I'm more than ready for him to be here.  Although three weeks seems a little soon.  As I've said before, I have so much I want to get done before he's here!  For starters, whenever my mother scheduled my shower for has got to be coming up and I'll have to get all those goodies put away and organized.  I also have to pack my hospital duffle, get the car seats set up, and of course there are two weekends designated to parties for my sister-in-law's wedding!  Check off the list that we've completed the "play room," the family wall, our birthing classes, and we've sent e-cards to important family members alerting them of the location of the hospital.  Justin also downloaded the Daddy511 app for his phone which has my doctor's number, the hospital number/address, and our baby's statistics all in one convenient place.  The count down is quickly dwindling but we still have one looming item that will need to be decided pretty quickly once he gets here (although preferably before)... HIS NAME.  Initially I thought it would be so easy to pick a boys name, but in all honesty the girls names were much easier for us to compile into a list.  We have three finalists, although middle names are making the decision even harder.  We like Jayson (or Jaysen), Caleb, and Kyle.  Kyle we've pretty much settled that the middle name would be Alexander or Xavier.  I guess we could use either of those with the other two names but I'm not sure I'm really feeling it.  This is a life altering decision folks.  The poor kid will be stuck with this name the rest of his life.  So, suggestions are welcome.  Feel free to comment below.

Anyways, enough worrying about that.  Let's add a little humor to the post.  Here's the top ten things they don't tell you about pregnancy at 34 weeks:

Nesting?

I don't know about you, but these weeks just continue to fly by!  Another weekend bites the dust.  This one was notoriously short, although productive.  We finished the painting and trim work in the other spare bedroom, aka our soon to be play room.  So far we've hung curtains and moved the bassinet in there.  Justin also boxed in an outlet in the closet and did some drywall work.  I tell you, he's becoming quite handy.  I guess I'll have to keep him around. We also had our last "Prepared Birthing" class.  Justin was so proud he successfully swaddled our fake baby.  My cousin Cindie had her baby shower, which we missed because we were in class, but my mom took photos for us of her opening our gifts.  We're only two weeks apart on our due dates. It's getting close folks.  And lastly, I've thrown in a picture of my younger sisters in their new Easter Dresses, which they sent me photos of last night.

I did get some items completed for my sister-in-law's upcoming bridal shower and bachelorette, although photos will have to be postponed (wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for her if she happens to pop on here!)  Other household chores went by the wayside however.  I completed some loads of laundry, but they've yet to be put away.  I guess I know what I'll be doing during the week when I get home from work, presuming I have enough energy.  Our little four-pounder (his last measurement from 3/20!) must be going through some serious growth spurts because I have had little to no energy lately.  "I think I can, I think I can..."  Surprisingly though, I did have enough energy to whip up a good meal the other night.  I had fresh parmesan cheese and buttermilk in the house so I made a homemade parmesan cheese sauce with pasta (recipe here, substituted half of milk called for with buttermilk) and some Oven Crisp Chicken (my Aunt Lynda's recipe, below).  It was so yummy.  Really hit the spot.

What are the signs of nesting?  I'm pretty sure I'm on the cusp of this phase.  I have so much I want to get done at home!

The Bonsai Run

Top o' the morning to ya!  How are we feeling today?  Tired?  Hung over?  Imbibed a little too much in the green drink yesterday?  Ah, I remember those days.  The most I "imbibed" in was an extra scoop of rice pudding.  Oh so good, but I digress.  This holiday weekend was jam packed full of a little bit of everything.  Guess I might as well just get to it.

The great majority of Saturday was spent in the first of two "Prepared Birthing" classes the hubs and I are signed up for.  Our instructor Judy has way too much energy for a Saturday and the class instructions of "bring a yoga mat and a snack" for a 10a-2p class should have been translated to "if you need to eat lunch, bring freaking lunch."  Now I know for next week.  Anyways, the class so far has been pretty informative and I can honestly say we at least feel comfortable asking questions and participating in the class dialogue.   We also realized we need to get going on writing up a birthing plan/wish list.  I guess you really shouldn't just wing it.  We followed up our class with a great lunch at Panera, a tux fitting at Men's Wearhouse, a trip to Macy's for some nursing bras (ahhhh! sizing is such a headache!!),  Lowes for some supplies for the future playroom, Harbor Freight for tools, and lastly Walmart for some last minute grocery items including the fixings for homemade Irish Soda Bread.

Mr. Sandman

I have heard and read several articles about strange dreams during pregnancy.  Up until now I haven't had too many that I could recall upon waking.  Last night however was the exception.  

• We were in a tropical location.  Think: wooden huts over water.  Gorgeous.  Not too shabby for a dream.
• We were there for Thanksgiving.  This didn't strike me as particularly odd. I've contemplated going on a cruise for this holiday before. 

The Man Shower

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."  ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Not too many people can count themselves fortunate enough to experience a Man Shower in their lifetime.  For those with dirty minds, I am referencing the baby shower held in my husband's honor at work today.  It came as a complete surprise, although in retrospect it really should have come as no surprise at all considering how wonderful his work family is.  Under the guise of a faulty conference room telephone he was ambushed with this outpouring of kindness. I cannot wait to get home to see all the nice things that were purchased/made for the baby.  I know I speak for the both of us (the three of us?) when I say we feel truly blessed to have a wonderful support group of not only family and friends but coworkers as well.  

Have you found something to be thankful for today?

Furry Friday: Bonding

It feels like ages ago that I've written a blog post about my little buddy Riley.  He's still alive and well.  Since I last wrote about him in February, he's been enjoying his Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone and snuggling up with his mama.  I swear that bone was the best investment we made at Christmas time for him.  Even when its out of rawhide refills, he loves to sit and chew with this for hours.  It must be because he can get a better grip on it with the ball.  

At any rate, you might recall that we prematurely got him groomed in February on the same day as my dreaded Glucose Test. I love how he feels after he's groomed though.  His fur is so soft like a little teddy bear.  However, even though he really needed it, his new short haircut doesn't make him too fond of the great outdoors especially on days like today when the weatherman continues to forecast snow.  So we spend a lot of our time bundled up together on the couch in the evenings.  As I'd mentioned in my ESP post, this is the time that he just loves hugging up to my belly.  I finally got some shots of it to share on here.  I hope this is a good sign that he's already bonding with his brother.

Any pet experiences to share?  Particularly how your pet was during the pregnancy and once the little bundle of joy arrived?

Juice Head

Contrary to popular belief, the above title is not a reference to Jersey Shore.  Although, I caught the tail end of a segment on E! last night about Pauly D and something about being the DJ for his own wedding??  I didn't realize he was in a committed relationship.  Guess I'll have to google that later... 

Original image found at www.djpaulyd.com

Getting back on topic, I wanted to tell you all how wonderful having my own juicer is.  This past summer my mother and I attempted to make our own grape jelly with the grapes from my yard. I had a 30 gallon garbage can FULL of grapes that I needed to use up.  Let me tell you, the process would have gone a lot smoother if I'd had a juicer and a lot of grapes would not have gone to waste.  That being said, this year I'm prepared thanks to my mother-in-law Jean and her guy Dave.  My Christmas gift from them this year was a Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer Express.  This puppy purrs.  Seriously, it sounds like it is purring.  I can't believe I've waited until now to test it out.  I was a little intimidated at first but it was so easy to use, easy to clean, and the juice I made tasted amazing.  My husband and I finished the 2 quart container of juice I made in 3 days.

Cake Boss of Schenevus

“You know how I’ve got a guy for everything? Well, they’re all in New York. My suit guy, my shoe guy, my ticket guy, my club guy… and if I don’t have a guy for something I have a guy guy to get me a guy. And oddly enough, his name is Guy.”  ~Barney Stinson

Like Barney, I've had a go-to cake maker for the last few years.  It started with the offer to make the cakes for my parents' 25th Wedding Anniversary and since then I can't bring myself to buy an ordinary cake when a special occasion arises.  So for my Dad's 50th and my Husband's 30th, I of course reached out to the Cake Boss of Schenevus, aka my Aunt Michele.

Look Who's Thirty!

Photos courtesy of Jen Dorety

Lucky

Let's rewind to last Friday around 3:30pm.  My husband's phone pocket dials me and I hear all sorts of commotion going on and then phrases like "dude, I wouldn't tell her," "leave it at my place, we'll fix it," and "you know I'm not going to hear the end of it because we have the baby on the way."  These are never good things to overhear when your husband is on a trip up north snowmobiling.  

I held off on posting anything about this because as you can imagine, I have mixed emotions on the subject.  First and foremost I was worried about him.  Obviously some form of accident had occurred and from the pocket dial I wasn't sure if he was even injured. I was also disappointed for him because he was so excited to be heading north for the first time with his sled and now his weekend was ruined.  Lastly, I was angry.  I was angry at the direction the conversation I overheard was taking and I was angry because we'd recently put +$400 into the sled and it was becoming apparent our bank accounts were going to suffer some more.  You may recall my eluding to his sled having work done in my Manic Monday post.  At any rate, it's just money, but certainly not something else we needed to encumber at this point in time. 

A Thousand Words...

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes.  I've been so remiss about getting pictures posted that I owe you some updated photos of the spare bedroom overhaul, the baby's room furniture, and some up to date belly shots.  Enjoy!

Manic Monday

This past Monday I had off from work for my Glucose Test, however, very quickly the day filled up with other events including a visit to the Vet's Office, a stop at two different stores, baby furniture delivery, media cart assembly, and a second trip to the Vet's Office.  No worries, Riley is fine but I'll delve into our two trips momentarily.

For starters, Justin and I took the whole day off as we didn't know what to expect from the Glocose Test.  I've heard horror stories of vomiting all day, etc.  The Glucose test turned out to be a piece of cake, no pun intended here considering the copious amounts of sugar consumed.  I only felt a little queasy midway through the hour of observation, similar to that carsick feeling I get when reading in a moving vehicle.  The liquid wasn't terrible either so long as you gulped it quickly.  The flavor of choice for the day was orange and it was fortunately served cold.  I'd say it was a sweeter version of orange soda without the fizz.  Certainly a flavor I'll never forget and not something I'd like to consume again.  

Furry Friday: ESP

For a while now, I've been convinced that Riley knows what's up.  By that, I mean, he knows I'm expecting.  I've always considered him extremely intelligent (what mother doesn't think her furbaby is brilliant??) but I'm really convinced he has ESP.  I know that dogs are really good at picking up on mood changes and all that jazz, but from very early on he was extra lovey with me.  When we first found out we were pregnant he would walk by me and lick my leg, which was entirely unusual.  He's always been a snuggler but a fly-by dog kiss wasn't his thing ever before.  As for sleeping arrangements, he is usually all over the bed (up by our heads, down by our feet, snuggled between the pillows, etc) but since I've become pregnant he wants to sleep by my stomach for as long as his little body can stand the heat.  This is true for our couch time together in the evenings as well.  He has taken to laying across my lap in such a fashion that one of his ears is propped right up against my belly.  I'm curious if he can hear our little guy in there. 

Top Ten Things...

It's been a while since I did a full-on pregnancy post, so here goes.  The top ten things I've noticed about pregnancy at 26 weeks:

1. The little bugger is running out of space and makes connection with the left side of my ribcage quite often.  It can be painful enough at times that I wonder if my gallbladder is dysfunctional.
2. Speaking of running out of space, my eyes are truly bigger than my stomach now.  I sometimes feel hungry enough to "eat a scabby horse" (Aunt Pat says this all the time) but then all I can manage to eat is the ear of that scabby horse without feeling uncomfortably full.  
3. I'm finally round enough that people are no longer assuming I've just put on weight, although I love getting the hesitant "are you expecting question?" or "when are you due?"  I sometimes just want to mess with people and say I'm suffering from a thyroid condition or that I'm just fat, but I think better of it.

Winterfest

This past weekend we took a break from all housework we were doing last week and headed out to the Cortland, NY area for some much needed down time with some good friends of ours, Paul and Cait.  About once a year we head out their way for a weekend, and vice versa.  We also see each other around Thanksgiving when Paul and Cait are visiting family who are within a half hour of us.  But let me tell you, it felt so good to have nothing else on the agenda aside from catching up with the two of them.  Months can pass and you feel like you've only seen each other yesterday.  And the laughs.  I haven't laughed so hard in a while. 

We started out our weekend at Homer's Winterfest which included some antiquing and a craft fair.  I scored a Nickel Chicken for my mother while browsing the antiques.  For those of you unfamiliar with what a Nickel Chicken is, it's a hollow glass chicken figurine where items like loose change can be stored.  My grandparents used to keep nickels in theirs, hence the term "Nickel Chicken," and the kids would grab their milk money from there throughout the week.  School milk at the time was only a nickel.  You get the picture, I'm sure.  At any rate, the last time I found one of these gems for my mom I was on vacation with the in-laws in Tennessee about ten years ago and it was a miniature.  The one I found this weekend was a full size and it was a steal at only $5.00.  

No Spring Chicken

This weekend I had the great idea to repaint our spare bedroom.  Well actually, it was more like chain of great ideas which included repainting our former bedroom and making it the new spare and then repainting what was the current spare bedroom and making it into a playroom.  Also mix in wanting to repaint the hallway.  All easier said than done.  I'm not sure if it's my "nesting" phase kicking in but I'm fairly certain that second trimester energy is much like my appetite lately:  my eyes are bigger than my stomach...er...my goals outweigh my current burst of energy.  Something like that.

Furry Friday: Muttluks

About a week ago I went to bed in Upstate New York and woke up in Antartica.  I kid you not.  All week long each day has started out below zero and only reached a high of eight degrees midday.  Insanity!  This of course leads to a number of things - the hubs is upset that it's too cold to snow any sort of accumulation for snowmobiling (we have had some crappy years for that) and I intake more calories than normal in the mornings by packing a hot cocoa for the ride to work.  Not to mention the dog has decided he's striking on anything related to going outside, and that includes bathroom breaks.  I swear he thinks he can cross his legs until springtime. 

Lollygagging & Other Oddness

Today I am dragging butt, and any other expression out there that depicts tiredness and sluggishness.  We attended a viewing last night for a former coworker of Justin's and stayed out past Cinderella's curfew.  Well, not really.  We were home before midnight but with the ever growing child in my midsection, anything past 8:00pm feels like midnight.  As sad as last night's event was, it was actually nice to see and catch up with many folks we haven't seen in at least a year since he switched jobs.  Many have married, expanded their families, and even started companies since we last saw them.  And yet it felt like we'd never missed a beat.  That in and of itself was comforting considering the circumstances.  I think I've found my New Year's Resolution for 2013: make more time for catching up at predetermined pleasant events as opposed to at funerals.

Back to my original thought though, where do expressions like "dragging butt," "lollygagging," and the like come from?  Visually I imagine dragging butt as a man dragging a donkey through a task (donkey = ass, ass = butt.)  Donkey's can be stubborn and I'm sure dragging one of them around could make for a long day.  This is of course an uneducated guess.  Likewise, lollygagging for me really doesn't make sense when I try to think it through literally.  Lollygagging means to procrastinate or waste time.  Visually I imagine someone choking on a lollipop but I'm fairly positive it's not an equal translation.  Although sitting around sucking on a lollipop could be considered a waste of time, similar to "eating bonbons" (which, btw, I've still yet to try.) 

And totally unrelated to the above paragraph (just call me Jessie - "oooh shiny"- those who know my sister will know what I mean) my left eye is watering today.  Not itchy, not painful, not red.  Just deciding to tear up sporadically.  I'm thinking it's a side effect of tiredness and possibly pregnancy (I blame everything on pregnancy.)   I'm hoping it's not a cold starting.

Thoughts?