3 Month Check Up

Although C is not officially 3 months old
until tomorrow we went to the doctor's for a weight check today. Last month she gained the minimum advised amount of weight at 13 oz from month 1 to 2. This month she gained 18 oz which is much much better! :) We aren't going to do any medicine to curb the spit up, yet since she's still gaining in the range and it's always a happy spit up. We are thinking she may have a mild intolerance to the milk protein (that does not mean she'll be allergic to milk!).



On the eve of my first day back to work, I am a mix of emotions. I am excited to be back at work and have a routine that is predictable, but I am going to miss the early morning smiles with my girl, the fighting naps during the day and preferring being in mamas arms, and I certainly will be sad that our time during the day will be cut in half due to me working. Clearly we cannot afford this lifestyle with one income (we tried it for four weeks while I wasn't getting paid and it was ugly - Tim has three extra jobs on top of his full time teaching position). Maybe one day I'll be able to stay home with C and future kiddos...that for now is just a dream!
Dear Sweet Claire,
I love you so very much and have enjoyed my 13 weeks at home with you. You have grown up before my eyes, so much and I adore the time we've spent together so far. I know it will be different with mommy at work, but you will have so much fun at daycare with "friends" and Miss N. She, I know, will take such great care of you! I cannot wait until the school bell rings at 2:10 because soon after that sound I will be rushing to see my pretty girl's sweet face. Please behave and don't forget mama loves you so very much!
Love,
Mom
Our little girl got to see Grandma again and meet Aunt Jeanie! She was quite the cutie pie who showed off her skills: talking all night long with grandma!

11.11.11 and 12 weeks 1 day

Little Sweet Claire is 12 weeks (yesterday) and has quite the personality. Also yesterday we found out the bank accepted our offer on paper and we are moving onto getting an inspection this weekend.

Last night she slept for a record, from 9 pm to 6 am. She did manage to get up briefly at 2 am where I popped in the paci and she passed back out. I of course had to wake at 4:45 am to wonder what the heck happened to my sweet girl and obviously pump a little. She woke up happy and lovey which is always so nice to see!

Today we had wonderful visitors: Sada and Lizzybaby. They came to hang with Claire and we headed to lunch at Ship's together. It's always so nice to have visitors.

Sadly next week I go back to work...in 7 days....next Friday. I am sad to say I am going back to work and looking forward to it, but I really am ready. I feel like a bad mom for saying it. I loveeeee being home with Claire, but I also am getting a little stir crazy and totally excited to interact with old people. I also know Claire will be in GREAT hands with our day care provider!

So the countdown begins...7 days.... :(

It's November and I have the cutest little 10.5 week old!

Dinner's in the oven! (This just in...Tim called this meal, Restaurant Quality! I think James would be super proud of this meal. I am always excited when I make dinner and even more excited when I make it and it tastes so yummy!)

Our offer is being sent to the bank today to see if they accept it - fingers and toes crossed.

Andddd

My baby girl has some pretty cute to spook pictures I need to upload from my mom's camera. Until then - here are a few from our pumpkin patch visit from a couple weeks ago! She was a doll face!




Short post, but today's been quite a busy day.






On a side note, I badly need to fill out C's baby book for Month 1 and Month 2, still. How pathetic. I think my goal tomorrow is to get the pens I want to use at Target and do that. We are also meeting with Miss N, our childcare provider, tomorrow. C is very excited, mommy is too, because surprisingly she's excited to head back to work...not that I want to leave Sweet C, but I am not cut out to be a stay at home mommy, yet at least (I honestly am shocked I am saying this)!

Double Digits, Dang!

10 Weeks Today!

Claire is getting so big, but she isn't gaining a ton of weight so we keep watching her spit up because it's become more of a problem lately. I am now giving up milk and trying to stay away from acidic things like tomatoes (spaghetti sauce, ugh!!). She really has quite the personality. She absolutely loves when I stick my tongue out and make noises. She loves to smile and she lovesssssssssss to be held. Oops. Everyone told me you can't spoil a baby until over 4 months. I think since my sweet daughter is slightly advanced (kidding - it's been a running joke in the family) she may be at that 4 month stage already (again kidding). But seriously I think she's spoiled already and knows exactly HOW to get what she wants (usually Mommy). She's really good at it too, but she is really bad at hiding the fact she just wants Mommy, as she quiets down immediately in my arms.

Today to celebrate her 10 week birthday (again kidding - we don't do that) I decided to make her nap in her crib all day AND IT'S WORKING! Usually she sleeps in her swing during the day with it moving and music then I tip toe around (most of the time) to ensure a sleeping baby. Anyways I started this morning with her nap at 7:45am and it lasted until about 9:00, then I put her back down at 10 and that lasted until 11 and again she went down at noon. She woke briefly for her pacifier and I replaced it and she's still out, but it's only been 30 minutes, so I am holding my breath.

So we entered a photo contest for a free cloth diaper. Isn't this just the cutest diaper and the cutest little baby?!?!



Yesterday we were at Mim's and PopPop's meeting Daddy before he went to tutor. It was nice for them to see how fussy she can be. Boy was she a fussy pants yesterday. Clearly I think she has been bothered by the reflux she may have. So check it out when Mim's was chitchatting with our girl...she was very happy before and after!





And that ladies and gentleman is a milkfall!

STTN, what what!

Two Months Old...wow! I cannot believe how quickly two months flew by. We are now in October with the leaves changing all sorts of pretty colors and our beautiful baby girl just slept through the night for the longest time yet. Last night we went out to Mimi & PopPop's to eat dinner with Grandma RoRo and Claire was living up to her most current nickname "Nosey Rosey" and just couldn't take a nap there. We headed home around 8:45 and Claire fell asleep in the car. Once home started our bedtime routine of bath, lotion, nurse, sleep. She took until about 10:10 to really be out in her crib, but it all paid off (as I was rocking her for a while with the dogs barking sporadically) because she slept until 6:45 am! WHAT! Yes you read that right almost 9 hours of consecutive sleep. I woke up at 3 am and 5:45 am wondering what the heck happened to my little girl. On top of the fact that my boobs (sorry for TMI) felt like they were about to pop.

So a recap to the week...

Claire went to the girls' soccer game verse River Hill on Monday (and slept 7 hours straight that night!).
Claire turned 2 months on Tuesday.
Claire went to her 2 month check up on Wednesday and got her shots (she slept about two 4 hour increments).
Claire slept through the night again this time the longest stretch ever (8 hrs and 45 minutes).

As for her check up Claire is doing wonderfully. She is a little peanut and not gaining a ton of weight so we are going to keep an eye on it and get in for a weight check at 3 months, but Dr. S was SHOCKED, literally couldn't stop talking about how well Claire was holding her head up. She kept saying babies shouldn't be that strong until 4 months. :o) She's so advanced!

Weight check in: 9 lbs 13 oz (up 13 oz in one month - low end of normal)
Height check in: 22.75 inches (she's getting longggg)

She is in the 24 percentile for weight and 65 percentile for height. Our little peanut.


And here's a preview of C's first birthday present for 8/18/12...it's a handmade Waldorf inspired doll from Canada named June. I love her!

I am drooling...

FIrst of all Pinterest is my new BFF during nursing sessions. It is sooo easy to scroll on my iPhone and hit Like...because I haven't figured out what "Repinning" means. I am obsessed. It actually almost kept me up last night after the 2:30 nursing session!

Second, I am drooling badly over these two recipes off two new blogs I've found and really like...
1st up: Bacon Chicken Dish yummm what's better than bacon and brown sugar.

And...for dessert: this yummy white chocolate funfetti fudge.

I will post a review when I finally get to making these two things! Tomorrow I need to make zucchini bread with the piece of zucchini I have in the fridge.

Freezer Style Cooking

Wow! What an afternoon. In between Claire's two naps I have prepared and frozen 6 meals!!! Yum!

I stumbled upon Once A Month Mom.com and it's AAAAHmaaazing! So then I just started picking an choosing recipes from there and other blogs and wrote up a grocery list.

Since Tim took off work today I dragged him to Safeway and we spent $200. The good this is now I have meals for the next two weeks frozen in the freezer. I still have two more frozen meals to make as I got tired standing in our tiny kitchen trying to cook, as well as, the fact we ran out of pots/pans and bowls!

4 Blondes and a Brunette

Looks like that's what our Brady Bunch will consist of...

Since C slept so amazingly last night, I got two 4 hour stretches and an hour and half extra this morning. Makes for one happy and observant momma. While nursing her this morning I was playing with her hair and found a blonde patch...literally blonde at the roots for an inch and then dark. Her new hair is coming in while her beautiful newborn hair isn't even falling out completely, yet at least.

So Tim will be the oddball out until maybe the next kiddo.

If I had to give one word to describe her...

She's 7 weeks and the most curious little bugger. She loves to be held. By me. Me only. For now at least. She loves to be inthe know and see everything that is going on. Her favorite thing is seeing new faces, while in mama's arms. She really just would prefer to be carried on my shoulder then pushed in her shoulder. Today we went to the lake to walk with old friends and their babes. Claire was fussy to start and settled down, and fell asleep on my shoulder as soon as I placed her there. She was an angel the rest of the walk.

Right now we are working on learning how to develop a sleep time routine at night and getting her to sleep at least 4.5 hours at night. She's done it once so far and I am hoping it will come again soon. Bath time routine at night is nice but often she needs a bath in the morning too if she spits up throughout the night. I am currently reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child right now hoping to find some answers.


Claire's Milestones:
At about 4 weeks she started smiling, but not consistently. At 5 weeks we got consistent social smiles! She's been such a doll. This morning while in the bassinet I rolled over to her waking up and just laying there smiling, cooing and perfectly content while staring at the movement of shadows. She just melts our heart.

Right around the same time of smiling Claire started telling us stories. Well that's what we call them. I ask her to tell me a story and she responds with "coo", "ahh", "goo", etc. It's adorable.

Last weekend Claire met her great grandma and great grandpa from Buffalo. They traveled all the way down here to see her and it was a fun Saturday!

She now loves bath time. We do it in the sink without anything. Just me holding her and she pushes the edge and sometimes goes under the faucet if it's running (that's the only time she gets a tad upset). She lovessss to have the water run over her chest with a washcloth and she just relaxes completely with the water from the faucet running on her head. Then when it's time to get out she screams bloody murder because she's cold, wet, and hates to be changed into new clothes cold and wet. She settles down as soon as mommy picks her up!

We've been consistently using cloth diapers now for about a week. I use the disposables when we go out sometimes, but I used cloth yesterday at the soccer game and it worked wonderfully. It's nice to let her bum breath in a cloth fitted without a cover during the day (it's intense to learn about cloth, but not unbearable). We actually just ordered a few new fitteds that are ADORABLE. One came today and I am in love with her new poop catcher, so cute! I will do a post soon about the cloth diapers and what we use / do with them. I am actually in need of purchasing new cloth diaper safe rash cream for her. When I go back and forth her bum gets red and the newborn poo is just soooo frequent!

The dogs have been great with her with the exception of barking at every person/dog/car that goes by during the day. They are getting better and she sleeps through it most times unless she's overly tired.

Now I am going to eat her up for the next 5 weeks I am off of work for because today she is SEVEN weeks old. She has changed my life completely and I have never been so in love with someone as much as I love her. She is just the best thing in the whole wide world.

A Photobook Sharing Claire's First Month of Life

Click here to view this photo book larger

One Month Old

Claire Elisabeth is ONE MONTH OLD TODAY!

1 month stats: 9 lbs !!!
Claire also got her Hep B 2nd shot and it was heart wrenching...she screamed then was easily calmed when I picked her up.

Nicknames: Beary, Bears, Clairey, Claire Beth, and Sweet C, more to come I am sure.

Things Claire can do:

She has rolled over probably more than both hands can count. It doesn't happen all the time and sometimes it startles her and she cries after the fact. She goes from her tummy to her back pretty quickly, especially if her hands are out in front of her.

Claire also props herself up with her knees bent like she'd like to crawl, but she's clearly too young. I have a feeling we may have an early crawler (uh oh!).

Sweet C loves, loves, loves, to stare and can get easily fixated on black and white objects.

She is extremely alert 5-6 hours a day and sometimes longer. Her eyes are so big and already turning, what we think is Brown. She's going to be our brown eyed girl (most likely).

She has the prettiest complexion. It's just gorgeous. Definitely got her daddy's coloring.

She has her mommy's just about everything else (see the picture for comparison). It is pretty scary how similar Claire looks compared to my baby pictures. Poor Tim!

Her hair is starting to fall out, as we've found random strands of her pretty dark hair around. Tim is very sad about this and wants it to stay. I do too!

Claire has been wearing cloth diapers not on a regular basis, but more and more as mommy is getting used to it. We like them because I change her as soon as she's wet because we can tell and she isn't getting rashes with them. Whereas the Pampers we are noticing rashes overnight. She really has the cutest fluffy bum because it's sooo big! Pretty darn cute:

Claire is gooing and gahhing all over the place. She loves to coo! It's adorable. The cutest thing is I say, "Hiiii" to her all the time in a high pitch and she's been imitating it. It really sounds like, "hiii". So cute.

Beary is smiling now. She has been shooting us smiles for about two weeks (like since just before she was 4 weeks old). She now can do it when I work really hard to get her smile for mommy. She loves to do it and they always show her entire toothless mouth. I just love her gummies!

Bears also drools and blows bubbles. We keep teasing and saying she's so advanced that she is already teething. For my sake, I am praying she isn't teething anytime soon. ;o)

Beary has gone to her first lacrosse tournament last weekend (I'll do a separate post on this). We won and the girl's gave her the huge (tacky) trophy.

Visitors so far:
Claire has been so fortunate to have so many visitors. We have seen Sada, Erin, Ian, Heather, James, Katie, Natalie, Jess, Sa, Miss Karen, and for now that's all I can remember because I am drawing a blank.

Places we've gone:
Target, Babies R Us, Marshall's, Giant, Starbucks, to Baltimore City for the Ravens/Steelers Tailgate (she must of been the good luck charm) Century HS for the girls soccer game, OC, Kelly& Harper's house for a playdate
, Liz & Penelope's for a playdate

Daddy Beware

Claire took her first bottle today!

I've started pumping since fall lax starts up soon! She didn't love it the whole time but she was hungry and enjoyed mose of it.

Yayyy! Sunday's practice will be easier knowing she cannot starve.

September Goal

I'd like to make these for Claire eventually so when she's old enough she can play with them on the fridge.

Goal Deadline: Let's go with the end of maternity leave...hmmm, we'll see.

Announcements Ordered Check, Shower No Check

I love what I created on Shutterfly and the main reason I used this site was because they had a 20% off cards promo and I got an additional 20% off from a card I received in the mail with a code. It came out to about 99 cents a card, still a tad expensive, but they're beautiful and I had to share our pretty little C to everyone!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

I think I put all my addresses on my external harddrive so my goal tomorrow is to get them off the harddrive and print out labels to send out the cards when they arrive.

I am not creating a photobook of Claire Bear from birth until 3 months so I can order them for the grandparents for Christmas! Ohhhh they're going to be in love! :o)

Sadly, today, I have failed to shower yet. Not because Claire hasn't slept, but because I am lazy, sleepy, and my back hurts!

Am I crazy?

Why would I even be considering a second baby already?

I just can't get the baby fever out of my head. I want to start running again, yes, but I can do that, lose the rest of the baby weight, and get knocked up again! That's my plan at least. Is it pathetic that I want to get pregnant in February - April, already?

I think Tim is about to have a heart attack with the financial issues, but I know every body freaks about this with every baby whether it's one or six.

On a more reasonable note, I started using the cloth diapers that we stashed ourselves up with throughout the end of my pregnancy. It is going great so far. I got a little motivation from a group of cloth diapering mamas on Facebook. They encouraged me to just go for it and promised me I would love it. So far so good. I am going to do diaper laundry tomorrow, so I think I need to run to Target on our way home from a friendly visit to meets Claire's new friend, Harper, to get a drying rack.

For the first time, we used a fitted with a cover, I used a prefold and a pocket. I think I'll probably use an AIO Lil Joey's tonight since it will be the easiest to change and another pocket diaper. I also just ordered some fleece liners since those were recommended to help with nighttime changes!

So I may be crazy not only because I already want to have another child (well not in 10 months, BUT you get the idea), but because I started to cloth diaper?! You decide.

Sunshine and Tummy Time

Claire turned three weeks old on Thursday and we've been having so much fun with her. She is the reason I wake up everyday (literally and figuretively) and she is the reason my heart feels so much more love than I ever imagined.
Sometimes I catch myself just staring at her while she sleeps or checking on her even though I can see her through the monitor when she naps. I even notice that I long for her even when she's out of my arms or sight for a couple minutes. Clearly, a mother's love.

Today for the first day in nearly a week we had sunshine and boy was it nice, even though I didn't really venture outside. I did however get the chance to try out our new wheels on our stroller with Claire until she decided to be a fussy pants, so we turned around. It seems that in the evenings she just wants to eat, eat, and eat (well today, at least). So now she and I sit in the dark living room while she "naps" on the boppy and daddy is upstairs watching football (I banned him from her because he is claiming he feels sick). Wow, did he just find the way to get off the hook in the middle of the night (I think so!).




Tummy time is a must per the pediatrician's orders so every day we try and get plenty of it in whether it's on my chest or actually on the ground or couch. She even loves laying on her back and looking at the sights in her crib, or sitting up nice and tall on mom's shoulder and scanning her surroundings. She certainly is an alert little girl and is very curious already.

Tomorrow the plan is to let daddy go watch the Bills game in Canton with his friends, while mommy introduces the newest addition to her favorite NFL team, the Ravens. We are going to head down into the city with a purple cardigan, because her Ravens onesies will not fit until playoffs (when it counts), to experience her very first tailgate with her Mimi, PopPop, and Uncle Pete! Hoping for a very restful night.

When will she sleep...

...she doesn't! She's often wide eyed and perfectly content in her mama's arms, but put her down and you get an angry scowling cry. But today when I finally got her down for the third time (the first two she only slept for up to 40 minutes, so who knows how long this "nap" may be) I came across this lovely blog post. I forwarded it to my hubby and we emailed back and forth some of our favorites.

I know T will love to take his little girl fishing and she her eyes when he puts the squirmy worm on the hook. And I know she'll ask for a pony one day because like mama like daughter, since I did, I am sure she will. It just reminded T that he doesn't have to say YES to this, but he can compromise by renting one when we are out at Mimi & PopPop's for a birthday party! I also am pushing the handwritten letters to his little girl each year for her birthday. I am going to do this as well and hand them to her in a package when she heads off to college, gets married, or really needs a motivational and emotional boost!

Sweet C is our baby girl and we love her so very much, regardless of the fact that she barely sleeps (no way is she sleeping the "recommended 15 hours a day").

Sleep is Overrated

A direct quote from my dearest daughter, Claire. She clearly thinks nighttime is wake time and daytime is sleepy time. Nice - not that her days and nights are mixed up, the pediatrician just says that's how newborns are. She is the cutest little peanut and I love her so very much, but how can a baby only sleep for 45 -90 minutes at a time ALL DAY LONG.

You know the new TV show on NBC: Up All Night with Christina Applegate, it probably is foreshadowing my life to be...oh boy! I think Tim and I are in for it with our little diva.

I must say she is eating like a champ for weighing in on Thursday at 7 lbs, 9 oz, and quite honestly I swear she's gained a few more ounces, because I think she's starting to feel like a brick when I pick her up.

Some of my favorites that Miss Claire does:
arching her back and head while moving her head, with pursed lips, side to side
completely rejecting the pacifier like we are about to murder her with it so she swings pretty hard for a 2.5 week old at it
when she realizes she is going to get fed, she roots like crazy with a satisfied look on her face (Thanks, Mommy)
when she is pooping - yes pooping - she is actually quite adorable: she scrunches her little forward, stares ahead, which is followed by a little push and some musical notes from her behind....oh so cute
oh and I just love her wide open eyes!

2 Weeks Today

Claire Bear is two weeks today! She is growing like a weed (well not like a weed), she's putting on the L-Bs like a champ. My sweet C went to the doctors today and Dr. M said she looks "great" and he just kept saying it to us: how "great" she looked. We measured her head to toe and she was 20.5 in (still). And we measured her head circumference for that nerdy science brain and it was 13.75 inches. And lastly they weighed her in, NAKED, she topped the scale at 7 lbs 9 ounces, WOWSERS! My girl just gained 12 ounces in 9 days. She's a very good eater!

Our sweet C met her grandma and grandpa from Buffalo yesterday and she is such a cuddle bug with grandma. She loves the special attention because she is being held during most of her daytime naps. I think mommy is going to have a hard time trying to break this habit when they leave, but everything I keep reading says you cannot spoil a baby under the age of 2 months. So I think I am safe, for now.

Over the weekend, Claire experienced her very first hurricane, Hurricane Irene which took up the East Coast causing a lot of damage and flooding all along the coastline. We got some pretty bad wind and rain which caused most people to lose power, including us. We got power back on Monday, but schools were out Monday (the first day back for students) and my school was even out for Tuesday as power had not been restored. It was quite an experience feeding C in the middle of the night by flashlight or her glowing seahorse (thank you Brett and Harper)!

Anyways, this Labor Day although I am not working I will be spending most of the weekend with family. Tim's parents are here until Saturday and my brother and sister in law come in late Friday night! I am so excited for C to meet her Auntie Alli Jo and Uncle Alex! I'll post an update with pictures from the weekend, once I load them!

1 Week Old Adventure

Claire is one week old today! We went to Kim Flores Photography studio today and had so much fun watching Claire pose like a little newborn model. I almost cannot contain my excitement to see the pictures. I wish I saw them right now. I am in loveeeee with the poses. She looked like a little angel! The sweetest faces she made along with three poops right on Kim twice, and 3 pees twice on Tim! It was kind of funny, but pretty gross too! Poor Kim has a ton of laundry to do today since Miss Claire paid a visit to her.

As soon as I get a preview picture, I'll post it...I can barely wait!

Sweet C POD (Pic of the Day)

Tummy time when she's alert is what the doc ordered!

Seriously she is one strong cookie.

I mean she walks up with her legs when on her tummy and moves her head from side to side.

She's so darn cute!

Sweet C Pic of the Day

Spending time with her daddy wide awake before bedtime!
5 Days Old

1st Day Out & History in the Headlines

Well Claire is like every newborn in the sense she clearly has her own agenda and will do whatever she wants, whenever she wants! Last night Mimi stayed over and Tim got 8 hours of sleep; I'm so envious, and I got a few 2.5 hour straight sleepy time because my mom stayed up with her if she wasn't sleeping.

Breastfeeding is not what I expected as I am in some pain and discomfort as I pray my body will figure everything out sooner rather than later. I guess I didn't have an expectation I was just hoping I'd stick with it. Today it got easier because I went and got shield which is helping with the engorgement! Tim is loving the fact that I just keep growing, although there is no way he would be getting near them anytime soon, for one they hurt, and for two they look like a leaky faucet (TMI, most likely, my apologies).

Today, we headed out at 10:40 and Tim got a coffee...my chai tea from Starbucks would have to wait as of course we were "right on time". The doctor's office was an absolute zoo - wow! I guess that's the story of a pediatrician's office: sick kids, well kids, screaming kids, hyperactive kids, etc. We luckily got called back fairly quickly and gave all Claire's information to the nurse. She weighed out baby girl and she measured 6lbs 13 oz. That means she's already gained one ounce. Babies typically will lose weight until 5 days of age where they start to put it back on. I was thrilled with the fact, clearly she's eating! Dr. M came in and he checked her out and said she's doing beautifully. He answered some of our questions, but unfortunately, Murphy's Law, I left the entire piece of paper with my list of questions on the dining room table. Luckily I remembered a few, but honestly at this point Claire was screaming with a dirty diaper, so Tim was changing her while I was trying to talk about our concerns. He told us to put her in her crib tonight and see if that works. He said he did it with all his kids, from day one. He said try not to get used to all the inclined like sleepers. Hmm...things to think about. He mentioned to go try pacifiers and not to be afraid of them because I should not be her pacifier. UGH - I have probably already started this bad habit and it needs to be broken. He also encouraged us to do tummy time with her when she's awake and shockingly we've been doing it here and there and she is a strong cookie. I am amazed by how much she can control her neck and head and the fact she does the army crawl up with her legs pushing on the ground or my chest as her butt enters the air. She also can turn her head side to side. He was surprised by how alert she is when she's awake. She was pretty eyed looking at the doc as to say, "Yes, I am a strong baby girl and dashingly beautiful, don't ya think?".

Headlines Today: Quake of the East Coast - sadly I will not be in school next week to actually start the school year with current events of Earth Science - I am super SUPER bummed about it. But, clearly for obvious reasons I will be home and I am pretty happy about that! My baby girl needs me and I can't imagine leaving her - November is far in the distance and in the back of my mind! Well we had just gotten back from the doctors and Babies R Us and I sat down to feed the little one. As soon as we started the room started shaking and Tim and I look at each other puzzled for a second, then he opens the front door and I stand up with Claire in the football hold saying get away from the window and we wobble to the doorway between our dining room and living room. I crouch down on the floor and both pups come sitting next to me. And it stops...

Tim and I stare at each other and are like are you serious that just happened...we both concluded "earthquake". Sure enough we turn on the news 10 minutes later and a 5.8 quake just hit in Virginia and spread up and down the East Coast. That sure will make it in the baby book for Claire.




As she sleeps on my chest right now I just think about what a bad habit I may have started, and will I ever get relief while she naps. I think I am going to start trying to have her feed while I lay down.

1st Day

When 1 + 1 = 3

August 18th, 2011 we were blessed with the arrival of our little girl screaming her lungs out as she made her grand entrance.

It all started on the 17th when I felt crampy and different. I knew it was most likely near...but I guess I was sure it would happen within the next 26-28 hours. I was timing some inconsistent contractions between 5-10 minutes apart for the later portion of the day on the 17th. I woke up at 2 am and couldn't ignore them anymore, while sleeping and started timing. This time they were about 5 minutes apart. So I called Dr. J...and he told me to go in and get checked...

We were at the hospital from 2:30-7 am with very little progress, but some was made. I was ordered to walk the tiny hallway of the 3rd floor for an hour straight before I could be rechecked and admitted or discharged. My doctor told me to come to the office at 9:30 that morning so he could actually check me and in his office he said if we were ready (since my water hadn't broken yet) we could head to the hospital around 2:30 pm because he'd be there doing a procedure on someone...but if we showed up we weren't leaving and baby girl would be entering the world. Wow, a flood of emotions: uncertainty, excitement, anxiousness, elated, relieved, and thrilled...

So as I sat at home with Tim, my mom, and Peter for 4 hours before we headed to the hospital I was breathing through contractions as they began to get more intense and I was having a harder time. 2:30 pm came and we left for Labor & Delivery, ah! Nerves!

4:30 pm...By the time the doctor showed up I had already been there for 2 hours (my least favorite part of the entire labor because it was miserable to be hooked up to monitors for those two hours while in moderate pain). Once Dr J arrived, he checked and saw I was 4 cm and 80% effaced (more progress - I started as a fingertip and 50% effaced at 2:30 am). He then went ahead and broke my water. They noticed meconium in the fluid which meant that NICU would be on call once the baby delivered and I wouldn't be able to hold her right away. He then asked if I wanted anything and although I thought I could try natural I really just wanted to get some sleep since I had 3 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours. I said, "Yes, please - get me the epidural."

6 pm...I was petrified, almost in tears when the anesthesiologist came in because I just didn't want to be the 1 in 2,000 women cases of things gone wrong. I could have cared less that it was an enormous needle. I got the epidural and it worked immediately on the right side and took a little maneuvering of my body to get the left side to work. The right side was much stronger, but I couldn't feel ANYTHING! It was heaven.

7:30 pm...I figured I should try and rest my eyes, especially before Big Brother. Dr. J had anticipated Claire's arrival around midnight, so he left to go get dinner, shower, rest (remember, I woke him up that morning at 2), etc. My new nurse, Meghan, had just come in and met me as the shifts changed. And I rolled over to my right side to try and close my eyes. As I rolled over I was face to face with the heartrate monitor machine and as I am looking at it I am noticing the wide range of bpm...from 200 all the way down to 50, nothing really seemed normal or consistent. So another nurse came in and checked to see if they couldn't readjust the monitor to get a good reading. Sure enough my nurse comes running in and is somewhat panicked. She grabs the oxygen mask faster than I can think and holy sh** I am wide eyed, panic stricken, with 15 nurses in my room, an emergency OB on call as they are hurrying to call my Dr J in...although there would be no way he'd make it in on time if it ended up an emergency C section. One nurse was on my right leg the other on my left, I was tossed and turned from my right side to my left (thank God I had an epi because all I could think of after the fact was holy crap if I had a contraction at that point - I was about 8.5 cm dilated). I kept hearing "emergency C section", "anterior lip", "we think it can be corrected"...I have the oxygen mask on and I am just trying to focus on slowing down my breathing and getting my body under my control. I am shivering like crazy, freaking out and scared to death that something terribly wrong was going to happen. My poor hubby was dead asleep at the time this all started and he woke up startled with all 15 nurses and chaos in the room as they are yelling at him to fold up the bed and get out of the way. He looks as if (so I'm told later) that he's going to pass out.

7:45/50pm...The "I think it can be corrected" comment I overhead worked with some pushing by me and hands in low places...but her heartrate immediately got back up to 135-145 and things were perfectly fine. I just was praying my doctor would be arriving soon before it would happen again. I asked everyone in there probably 3 times is it going to happen again, and they kept saying no. Was that the truth or just a satisfying answer to calm a panic stricken pregnant lady?

8:20pm...Dr. J arrives smiling and saying "Geez I can't get away from you two today" - we've been very needy all day! He walks in like nothing happened, looks at the heartrate records and just goes on his business checking me (I'm now about 9 or 9.5 cm). I push 2 contractions to see where we were and he says he's going to have me relax for an hour and let her move down a little further, but we're almost ready.
WHAT? Almost ready, I though you said around midnight and it's 8:30. It then hits me as very real! Very, very real!

8:30-9:30 pm Tim and I spend it holding hands praying and hoping everything is smooth from now on. We actually put Big Brother on for about 30 minutes before I started to push. I could feel the pressure with every contraction, but still felt wonderful with the epi. I knew she was ready to come out!

9:30 pm...Dr. J arrives again, Meghan comes in and Tim is there. I push through 2-3 contractions, and Meghan calls NICU and an additional nurse. By 9:55 pm baby Claire Elisabeth enters the world SCREAMING, strong, and pink. Her cord was wrapped around her neck which could have been part of the issue earlier. She was moved to the table where NICU checked her out and made sure the meconium was not effecting her in any way. OH MY GOSH, we have a daughter. I did ask, "does she have 10 toes and 10 fingers?" because one of our ultrasound pictures showed 6 toes on a foot and I was a little worried about it. But to no avail, she's perfect, beautiful, and healthy!

Doggie Fun with Daddy

Tim LOVES his boys...

and when I say love, I mean LOOOVEEEEE!

Here are some cute pictures with Tim and the boys:





And just because I love them too, I've gotta share this one...

A few days out from the EDD...

...and I am most likely in early labor, right now! So, if you plan on entering the pool - a big hint might be in the next two days...

Yesterday afternoon I started feeling the "cramps" which I just attributed to crampiness...not really realizing until my mom asked if I was timing them. Sure enough they were coming every 7-10 minutes apart. I went home and went to bed since I knew I had a doctors appointment in the morning.

Fast forward to this morning - I went to the docs and was checked (1 cm! yay some progress). But I was still having contractions. I went ahead and headed into school to get some last things done for my sub.

Once I got home I realized what was going on and went into total nesting mode - yes I scrubbed the bathroom like crazy, had Tim put things in the attic, finished packing for the hospital just in case, took the dogs for a walk to see if they continued (I had about 3 on the walk), put things away, and did a load of laundry (towels, shower curtain, and rugs).

Now I am sitting around trying to figure out when to call my doctor and see what he thinks, haha. My back is starting to hurt with them which is totally scaring me to death.

Tim is switching the stuff in both of our cars as I type and he's going to install the carseat in the Pilot.

Tuesday = 39 weeks and 3 days

So we are four days out...Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday.

WOW!

Is labor in the forecast?: Yes...I am having major Braxton Hicks - daily. Sometimes they seem to be almost timeable which gets a little scary. I think I did have ONE REAL contraction in the middle of the night (Sunday night), but it was just one and I was able to go back to sleep.

Walking?: I think today I plan on taking the pups on a few walks - they will get lucky that mommy is getting uncomfortable and slowly ready to have Claire come out.

Crafty - what the heck?: Yes I am being crafty these last couple days, just because. I am bored and I really don't feel like doing any school work.

School bound?: I plan on going up today soon...but I have a feeling I may push it back until tomorrow. We'll see. I need to drop off my binder of things...just in case things happen before Monday.

The Baby Pool?: Did you play? http://www.expectnet.com/game.php The name of the game is babyclairebrady.

Boys, how are they fairing?: Well, both pups are anxiously anticipating the arrival of Miss Claire. Look at Sullivan...I caught him hanging in her room BY HIMSELF, sleeping the other day. Then this morning I walked into her room to find 6 stuffed animals scattered around her room. No, none of them were destroyed, just hanging out. I think he was looking for the bunny he keeps wanting to play with, but I positioned it nicely in the crib so he couldn't find it!

What happened during Saturday's Full Moon Hype?: Well Sweet C decided to be super lazy Friday (half the day) through Saturday night and I really started to worry. We called Dr. J and headed into Labor & Delivery to get monitored. Sure enough 9 pm like usual she began moving and doing her thing...but seriously all day I barely felt her and it was very unlike her. The doc didn't want me to wait because going in at 11 pm would have been silly when they could check me immediately. Sure enough Sunday and Monday she moved like normal and I definitely do not feel stupid or silly for going in because looking back she moved very minimal on Saturday compared to both Sunday and Monday. I've read too many stories about babies dropping and the cord being too short and it's too late by the time mom's determine the movement has slowed completely and stopped. So sad...I have insurance for a reason! So I am okay with our decision of going in. Again Tim felt at ease with another practice run!

Newborn Photography?: I have decided on Kim Flores Photography in Catonsville. I am obsessed. I cannot wait for that session and I am totally thrilled with her work that I can't even question the cost. They will be priceless images!

Today's Agenda:
Maybe go to school
Getting Tim to go to PNC with me so we can open up a joint account and figure out our Money Management Plan before Sweet C arrives.
Putting things in the attic
Finish packing the hospital bag
Sweep and maybe clean the sofas
Get Tim to put shelves in the China Cabinet he refinished so I can organize and put the china away.

Gloomy Monday

It was raining off and on today. Sometimes stormy rain, sometimes torrential downpour rain, and sometimes it was sunny.

Tim & I went to Old Navy to get some lounge pants, for me, and JCrew to get some school clothes, for him.

Then we came home to eat lunch.

Then I went back out to get the rest of the supplies I needed to finish making a ruffle bum onesie - AHH, it's so adorable.

We bought iPhones today and combined our Verizon bill - YAY we're saving nearly $60 a month this way!!!

Tim made Ranch Chicken Sandwiches for dinner, yum!

Then I watched the Bachelor Pad while I made this adorable Taggie Blanket. It's so cute. I am going to make a few more for gifts! These are the two DIY instructions I used to make them.: What Rachel Made Today Blog and Mamasdoodles Blog.