One year ago today...

A year ago today, April 9, 2o1o...it started as a faint line...

No denying these words!
We would be adding another kid to the bunch!

Our lives would never be the same!

Introducing...

Logan Charles
Born on a cold, wintry day during Cleveland's first snowstorm. Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 3:37 PM. He is a peanut, weighing in at 6 lbs, 9 ounces and 18 and a half inches long.
It was a long and difficult two days. We went in at 6:30 AM on Monday to be induced. My pitocin drip started at 7 AM and my OBGYN gave the in-house doctor orders to break my water. Logan had other plans, and remained at a -2 position all. damn. day.

Twelve hours of pitocin and HORRIBLE BACK LABOR, and the day ended without a baby and Cervadil, along with an overnight stay at the hospital. I was emotionally and physically drained. We had taken the girls out of school for the day, both of our sets of parents were there and NADA. It was so frustrating and upsetting, but because of my pre-eclampsia, my doctor told me that Tuesday I was having this kid either way.

The next morning, I showered, ate, they started my pitocin again and BY GOLLY, Logan had dropped far enough that we were able to break my water.

Which meant my contractions began IMMEDIATELY. And were so horrible that I decided to get my epidural.

God bless the man who invented such a wonderful drug. I was able to nap all day and my contractions were increasing without my knowledge, lol. Around noon, the nurse checked me and I had gone to 7 CM. The pressure started increasing and when I was checked an hour later, we were ready to roll., Two hours of pushing and I was exhausted and he was not budging, With a little assistance from the vacuum, out he popped, crying immediately.

I was surprised at how teeny he is. C and I are by no means little people, and I was expecting a bigger baby. But as soon as he was given to me, I was immediately in love. And I can not say enough about my amazing husband. He was the perfect partner throughout the entire process, and was amazing at keeping me going when I just didn't think I could do it all.

Here are some pictures of the little man:

After his first bath, when our awesome nurse put him in this stocking:

HIs first feeding (holy mother of pearl, I look terrible. And FAT):
With big sister, Alexys:
With biggest sister, Jamie:
Taken the day after he was born:
In his fuzzy polar bear jammies:


We head home on Thursday. And I am not ashamed to admit that we had him taken to the nursery both nights we were in the hospital. We are formula feeding (more on that later) and I honestly just needed some sleep so that I could function. And so did C.

This holiday season has brought us our miracle and I feel truly beyond blessed. I was definitely not the world's happiest pregnant lady, but every bit of suffering was worth it in the end. Logan is a gift from God, and I will be sure to count my blessings daily.

Trip to L&D #2

So. I am apparently THAT first-time mom.

Last night, I started having REALLY bad menstrual-type cramping from about 10:30 on. They were timeable and coming between 4 and 8 minutes Around 4:30 AM, right when C left to go tailgating and to the Browns game, I called him because they were take-my-breath-away painful and then he turned around to come home. I called the on-call OBGYN and he told me to come in. So they strapped me up to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor and as soon as they did, it was obvious that I was NOT having contractions. Baby boy was seriously all over the place and they again had a hard time keeping the monitor belt thingy on his heartbeat. But the nurses and in-house doctor both said this is a very good thing, which is always reassuring. The in-house doctor checked my cervix and I have made NO new progress (still 1 cm and 50% effaced with baby at -2 position). They checked to make sure I do not have a UTI (which I do not) because they can apparently be really common around this time in pregnancy. So after three hours and no sleep for this mama, they sent us home around 9 AM.

The in-house doctor seemed surprised that the on-call OBGYN had be come in. She said normally they would have told me to drink lots of water and lay on my side and see what happened. Hmph.

I came home and went to sleep for a bit and C went to the Browns' game (die-hard fan that he is) and that is that. I guess I know that whatever contractions feel like, they need to be more intense than what I was feeling. Fingers crossed that my water breaks so there won't be any question, lol.

Baby Prep: Freezer Cooking, Day One

I definitely did not get as much accomplished as I would have liked today. I had to pick A up from a sleepover then take her to a birthday party. I then ran to the grocery store for a few things and then had to come home to wait for J to come home from an overnight birthday party at an indoor water park. But in-between it all, including going to pick up A, I was able to get a few things done.

So far, we have

• Baked Ziti (one pan in freezer, one for dinner this week)
• Chili in crock pot to make tomorrow(double-batch, one for dinner this week and one to freeze)
• Meatballs for meatball subs
  
• Cinnamon rolls (note to self: read directions, G. The dough was supposed to be split in half. So now the cinnamon rolls are GINORMOUS. I know this since I just HAD to bake a pan. Even though I have made these before, lol).
  

And I have Potato and Leek soup simmering on the stove as well for dinner for tonight and tomorrow.

I have to do my major weekly grocery shopping tomorrow even though we have enough for dinners for the week (menu to be posted tomorrow!) and then I will be able to pick up the missing components for my other freezer meals:

• Chicken Enchiladas (I am cheating and using a rotisserie chicken!)
  
• Beef and vegetable soup
• Macaroni and cheese
• Orange cranberry bread

So that is where we stand on freezer foods. I will be sure to post an update next weekend when I finish up!

Trip to Labor and Delivery

I just got back from a brief visit to L&D. I called off today because I hadn't slept and have had a continuous headache and nausea for a few days. Then I started to get some floaters in my vision so Chuck and I decided it would be best to call. Because my BP was elevated at my last few visits, she wanted me to go right to the hospital. They strapped me on to the monitors for an NST. Little Dude had been moving away all day so I wasn't really too concerned. He was moving lots and his heart rate was right on; the in-house OB said he sounded "textbook perfect." My BP was still elevated slightly, so she had me turn on my left side and we got a normal reading. No contractions either. She called my OB and they sent me home. I have an appointment with my regular OB tomorrow anyway, so I am sure she will discuss things with me then.

Needless to say, I started to panic. This weekend I am getting my bag and baby's bag packed JUST IN CASE. I was trying to throw some stuff in a bag on the off-chance they wanted to keep me overnight. It really kind of made things REAL. I honestly feel like we have so much to do and I need to get it into gear.

I think I need to get some of my freezer meals done ASAP as well as getting our bags packed!

Happy Halloween!

and happy 34 weeks to baby!

Baby Shower

On Sunday, October 24 (33 weeks!), my amazing mom hosted a baby shower for me. It was held at a local Italian restaurant and the food was a-mazing. The menu was served buffet style and we had chicken parmigiana, rigatoni with marinara sauce, and green beans almondine. For dessert, we had spumoni along with this beautiful cake, made by a woman who make fantastic cakes out of her home. It was created to match my invitations:
Centerpieces were provided by the restaurant and for favors, my mom just had chocolate suckers with blue baby feet made:

We are so blessed to have such generous family and friends shower Baby Boy with plenty of gifts:
We received all of the big items off of our registry and enough gift cards to purchase what was left:
During the shower, the Cleveland Browns were playing the NO Saints. And unbelievably, we won. Here is C watching the score on my phone and his:
My mom wanted a "guest book" so she purchased this Winnie the Pooh book and my dad created this sign. All the guests signed the inside cover:
The diaper cake my friend made:
Alexys, me, C, and Jamie. The girls were a huge help and looked beautiful:
My mother-in-law, me and my mama:
When we got home, we unpacked and sorted through the clothing. Here I am in the nursery with my mom, aunt, cousin and the girls. It was chaos!

I was so overwhelmed at the end of the day, and definitely had an "OH SHIT" moment. I think afterwards it finally dawned on me that this baby is almost here. Holy crap. The next day, I did three loads of laundry and put the clothes away. I am still searching for the perfect organizational strategy for the room and clothing. I need to make better use of the closet, but until our Christmas bins are out of there, it is a little difficult.

Pregnancy: Week 29

A few days late, per usual. Meh, what can ya do?

But honestly. 29 weeks. Seriously? How did this happen? How did we get here??
Baby is the size of a squash. Which is fitting because all of my insides FEEL squashed. All five senses are fully functioning and the brain is going through major developments. I can definitely tell Little Dude's sleep and awake patterns. I really believe he sleeps through the night. When I wake up in the morning, I usually get one or two kicks/rolls/some sort of movement, and then he doesn't REALLY get going until I start school for the day. Then when I get home for the night and put my feet up, Little Dude doesn't stop moving at all! This is good, because I am a natural worrier and feeling him move a lot puts my mind at ease. I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable, I pee every two hours at night, and I am in general exhausted. Oh, and did I mention my freaking food aversions are back? Yup. Several nights a week I eat cereal because I can't stomach what I made for C and the girls. And I am feeling Braxton-Hicks pretty regularly.

Check out this week's belly shot:
And to show the largeness of the bump:

Everyone keeps telling me I am still small. I suppose we shall see at my doctor's appointment on Friday! It is my last 4-weeker and then we move on to every two weeks!

Stay tuned! I will be posting more nursery pictures this week!!

Pregnancy: 28/82 and 3rd Tri

28 Weeks. 82 days until Little Dude makes his appearance. 3rd trimester. Seriously? Holy crap. In three months, live is going to forever change. It just seems to be hitting me more and more lately that soon I will be holding my son in my arms.

For the most part, I have been feeling great, aside from the occasional emotional breakdown and crying fit. Most of the time I can't wear my wedding and engagement rings because my fingers are slightly swollen. I feel more and more pregnant as the days go on. I find myself unbelievably exhausted after a day at work and just want to come home and nap. It is very reminiscent of my first trimester, so I am wondering if I am headed down that path once again.

Since I am exhausted, here are a few pictures:

27 Weeks:



and 28 Weeks:

Because I love it.

This is the proof my mom sent me of my baby shower invitation!! It goes along with the zoo animals theme of our bedding and I adore it!

I did tell my mom that I wanted it to say Baby Boy and I also found a few missing commas (sue me, I am an English teacher). But seriously, it is adorable.

26 Weeks: Double Digits

Baby is now the size of an eggplant. He is soaking up antibodies to prepare himself for the outside world! Eyes are forming and he is practicing blinking. The nerves in his ears are developing and are more sensitive than before; he may be able to hear not only me but also whomever I am having a conversation with. He is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential in lung development. He is putting on baby fat and his testicles are starting to descent (WEIRD and EW, lol).Overall, this has been a miserable week for me. It was ridiculously hot and my classroom was a million degrees. I felt so bad for my students because at some points, I just wanted to put my head down and take a big nap. And my allergies...well, let's not even go there. I couldn't get through reading to my students because I thought my nose and eyes were going to run right off my face.

Tomorrow we have a bonus day off of school, so I am going in early for my glucose test. Blech. I have the world's weakest stomach so I am not looking forward to it at all.

I decided to be brave and post my entire face. Um, next time I will wear make-up, lol. I look exhausted and my hair is a disaster.
And to get an idea of what I am seeing, my "Mommy View" for this week:
I feel like we are making real progress on the nursery. I keep going in there and just standing there, looking around. And thinking how life is drastically going to change in a few months. Weird. I am having more and more emotional breakdowns and crying jags. My mom said she was going to light a candle and say an extra prayer for C.

How far along: 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 14 pounds. This doctor's appointment I was up 6 pounds. Yikes. But I attribute at least 2 of those pounds to the jeans I was wearing.
Maternity clothes: Mostly. Definitely pants/capris and most shirts. I can get away with some of my non-maternity dresses
Stretch marks?: Not yet
Sleep: A few days of decent sleep a week then a crappy night. But I am going to bed earlier and earlier.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat again on Friday and setting up our changing table
Movement: Oh yes. And time for the kick count sheet.
Food cravings: Anything sweet. It is crazy.
Gender: Boy!
What I miss: Sleep/sleeping in. Having normal taste buds.
Milestones: We entered double-digits on Saturday!

24 Weeks: V-Day

Today marks viability for Baby Boy. This means that if something were to happen and the little one would be born, he would stand a chance at survival. He is growing steadily and should weight over a pound now and is over a foot long. He is pretty skinny right now, but has started filling out proportionally. I am working on plumping him up by eating lots of ice cream. His lungs are working hard to develop so they can work once he gets to the outside world. His skin is still translucent, which is REALLY weird to me.

Here is my 23 week belly shot (because I forgot to post it):I am feeling pretty good these days! Today was our first day of school and was teacher report day. Baby Boy must have been right on my bladder because I seriously peed like every 15 minutes. And it was just a trickle, which was really annoying. He was also moving a TON today, so he must have thought our meetings were really interesting :) I was totally exhausted when I came home from school today, and took a brief nap.

People definitely noticed I was pregnant at school. I don't think there is much denying my belly now! Here is my 24 week belly shot. Happy V Day, Baby Boy!

Pregnancy Week 22 (plus 2 days)

We will not have a new fruit every week anymore, but ever month now! This month (weeks 22-24), baby is the size of a papaya! Measurements are now taken from head to toe.
Baby boy can now hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. I have started to read to him very often; this week, it is The Wizard of Oz. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. He is most active early in the morning or when I am most relaxed. But I think the heat may be making him lethargic as well, because I feel like total crap.

I am a few days late with my belly shot, but here I am at 22.2 weeks:

Had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Heartbeat was nice and strong and Dr. P. said the ultrasound looked great. She also told me that I was a few pounds under where she likes to see patients by now, but I was in the ballpark so that was ok.

How far along: 22 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds
Maternity clothes: Some, but with summer clothes, it is easier to wear stretchy non-maternity skirts and tanks
Stretch marks?: Not yet
Sleep: What is this thing you call sleep?
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat again on Monday.
Movement: Lots of it, early int he morning and at night. And while I am sitting down eating.
Food cravings: Ice cream. Lots of ice cream
Gender: Boy!
What I miss: Miller Chills on the patio around a bonfire
Milestones: 2 weeks til V-Day!

Week 20: Half-Baked!

Ladies and gents, we have reached 20 weeks! Baby boy is now half-baked! Baby weights about 10 and a half ounces and measures about 6 and a half inches from crown to rump. Starting next week, we start measuring him from head to toe! He is swallowing more, which is practice for digestion, and he is producing merconium, which will accumulate in his bowels and which we will see in his first poopy diaper (um, gross). At the halfway point in pregnancy, the top of the uterus is about even with the belly button.

I have had a TOUGH time sleeping this weekend, and tonight I am hoping to catch up on it. Baby boy has been a little quiet for a few days, but I think the heat was getting to me and since I wasn't very rested, I don't think he had the time to feel me calming down and give me a few kicks. He was moving around quite a bit this afternoon, and hopefully tonight he will start being squirmy again. And, because worrying is what I do best, the fact that he has been mellow has me a tad stressed out. Here is this week's belly shot:


We leave on Thursday for a wedding in New Jersey and I am the matron of honor. I am not sure how I am going to make it all day on Saturday in heels. Yikes!

Pregnancy Week 19

This week, baby is the size of a mango! The best fruit yet!
The hair on baby boy's scalp is sprouting and it is an important time in sensory development! He is designating special areas for taste, smell, hearing, vision and touch. There is some research that suggests that baby can now hear me, so I think I may start reading to the belly. Unusual, yes, but what else do you want from an English teacher? I already have regular conversations with the bump, so why not go a step further?? Arms and legs are now in the right proportion to the rest of his body. His kidneys continue to make urine and a waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Here is this week's belly shot:

After this, C and I went to a wake. I had to go out and buy an appropriate dress because I have nothing for dressy occasions that fits. I put on the dress and C walked in and said, "My love is pregnant!" It was the first time he had remarked on the belly, so the dress made me look REALLY pregnant! I should have taken a picture in that, lol.

I have only gained 2 pounds during my pregnancy, which I am really happy with. I think this is partly due to the fact that there are many things I can't eat and am avoiding because of my heartburn. I talked to the pharmacist today about something else I could take, and he guided me to Prevacid. I think I may give that a whirl, since Zantac is doing NOTHING for me now. And to be honest, besides the heartburn, my pregnancy has not been too tough! I am feeling very blessed and happy these days!

Baby Boy Purchases

So, Mama here has purchased a few things for her baby boy.

First, a few hooded towels and a washcloth set that was on clearance from Target. I couldn't resist the sea turtle:

And while attempting to match paint samples to our bedding at BRU, I began perusing the clearance section and found these four outfits in 6-9 months, which will be perfect for next summer. And all of them come with shorts! Bonus! Can you see the plaid bermudas that are with the "Here comes trouble" shirt? I am in love.

And this hat and mitten set. Because I am a sucka:

Operation: Nursery

Now that we know the bambino is a Baby Boy, it is time to get started on the nursery! I know many mommies to be decide to make their own bedding, but I am not that talented and unfortunately, do not know anyone who IS (and who has the time to give me to do that, lol).

Before we started our registry at Babies-R-Us, I saw this bedding and completely fell in love. It is the Peek-a-Boo Pals bedding from BRU.
It is ridiculously soft and plush and I adore the skirt. And, as an English teacher, I love the alphabet! I have decided to incorporate both the animals and the alphabet in Baby Boy's room. I will NOT be doing the decals and at this point, I have no idea what colors we will be painting. I know I want to do two-tone somehow; either one color on top and another on bottom, with a chair rail, or subtle stripes.

Today, I was browsing my newest addiction, Etsy, and came across this print from seller PotatoPatch:And I also found these adorable clothing dividers from the same seller. Totally unnecessary? Yes. But it appeals to the organizing freak that is currently hidden WAY DEEP inside me (where did she go??):And if I am feeling ambitious enough, I may attempt something like this:
I have no idea where I found this picture, but it was awhile ago. And I love it. I doubt I will be able to find letters as awesome as these, but I can try!

Stay tuned for pictures of the disaster area that we currently call our third bedroom. It is scary.

We are Team...

BLUE!!

Our ultrasound was bright and early this morning. I was supposed to go in with a full bladder so I didn't even bother peeing before we left the house. By the time we got there, I was in pain and dancing all around the place. The tech took us back and started the ultrasound. For most of the time, baby was facing us and had his mouth open (definitely his mother's child...). She got all the measurements she needed and had me go to the bathroom (FINALLY) to see if baby would move positions and she could get a shot of the goods. And then she saw what she needed and told us we are having a boy! I immediately started to cry, lol. She said my doctor would get the scans in a few days, but that everything looked good.

So hard to believe it...a baby boy!

Pregnancy Week 18

This week, baby is the size of a sweet potato!Baby is spending the hours in the uterus yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. Now is about the time that I may start feeling more real kicks and not just flutters, although baby has been pretty active lately. Right now he is squirming away in there!

I put together this slide of my belly shots. I can see a definite difference between weeks 12 and 17 (sorry it is so tiny):And here is this week's belly shot. I feel as if I have actually popped. I made C take like, 6 pictures. The lighting is bad and my capris were cutting in at a weird point on my belly:


Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! OUR ULTRASOUND! I am beyond excited to find out what we are having, but even more than that, I am praying that baby is healthy and developing as expected. I will be sure to post the results when we get home!