11 months...

Oh, my word.  One month to go before my baby boy turns a year old.  I can't hardly take it...

We had to lower Deacon's crib mattress at the beginning of this month -- he started to like standing up in his crib and that was just not okay with me.  He was too much in danger of leaning too far over so we dropped the mattress down a couple levels.

We continued to try new foods like broccoli & carrots with cheese, lasagna and apples w/oatmeal (all baby food) and Deacon is not too big a fan.  About a week before he turned 11 mos, we started trying to give him some table food from our dinner -- baked spaghetti, french toast w/bacon, real sweet potatoes, baked beans and peaches...he does pretty well with it all.  My fear of him choking is fading.  :\  We've also begun to introduce whole milk as my supply of breastmilk continues to wane.  As it stands right now, this is what his feeding schedule looks like:

an 8 oz bottle first thing in the morning (whole milk, breastmilk, formula or combo of the 3)

some rice cereal and yogurt for a mid-morning snack or "breakfast"

an 8 oz bottle for lunch

some goldfish, cheerios or puffs and water for snack

dinner with "the fam" (table food from whatever we're eating)

an 8 oz bottle before bed

Since we're talking about his feeding schedule, I'll just mention here that I stopped nursing Deacon at the end of this month.  I had planned to try to nurse through his 1st year and I think we probably would've made it (I had gotten down to just nursing him first thing in the morning by this month) but I went away for a weekend retreat the end of Sept/first of Oct and rather than take the pump with me just for that one feeding, I thought it was time to just be done altogether.  He did great, of course.  He's so easy-going.  :)  I had a little trouble for about 6-7 days with pain & discomfort but within about 10 days I was done with all of that.

[if I'm working on loading or unloading the dishwasher,

he's right there, with his "Dr. Seuss hair"...]

Of course, he's crawling everywhere now.  I mentioned in my last post that he'd finally begun to pull up on everything and was crawling intermittently.  Well, he's really been doing great, getting more fluid and taking less time to get where he's going.  He will crawl right up to me or Jeff where we're standing, grab a hold of our pant legs and stand right up.  It's so endearing -- I just love it!

11 weeks old...

Hey, here's an interesting fact -- Deacon is 11 weeks old today, on 1/11/11.  That's pretty cool, right?  Anyways, it's so hard to believe that this much time has passed...he's growing so much and really entertaining us.  :)

He smiles on demand now -- he will almost always smile at me or Jeff when we play with him or talk to him.  He really likes it when folks talk to him and will seemingly try to talk back.  His gurgling and cooing is SO.cute.

[7 weeks]

[8 weeks]

[9 weeks]

We get to see a lot of that laughing and "talking" in the morning -- he seems the happiest then.  Typically, I try to get him up by 7am to eat, if he's not already awake.  Then he spends some time with Daddy in our bed while I get a shower, have my coffee, start laundry, etc.  He generally eats every 3 hours after that with good awake time and naps in between. 

[happy guy in his crib, 9 weeks]

He LOVES the swing that we borrowed from our good friends, the Olds'.  That is our "go-to" -- if he's fussy, we can usually put him in that and he's good to go.  :)  He falls asleep in it most of the time and will sleep really good.

We also have a bouncy seat that he'll sit in for a little while -- after some time passes, he gets tired of that.  I do try to put him on his tummy for a little bit but he usually gets tired of that real quick.  If he's gonna be on his tummy, it has to be right after he's eaten.  If we wait too long, he's starting to fade into sleepiness and then he has NO patience for being on his tummy.

[9.5 weeks]

His 2 month check up at the pediatrician's office was Dec 30.  He weighed in at 11 lbs, 13 oz!  That's in the 63rd percentile for weight so he's pretty average.  His length measured at 22 1/4 inches which puts him in the 54th percentile.  Again, average.  I'm just fine with that.  :)

He had to have a couple of vaccines at this appt. *frowny face*  He got one stick and one oral vaccine and did fine with both.  He only cried for a couple of seconds after the stick in his leg and then was just fine.  Mommy had a harder time with it than Deacon did.  :)  Yeah, he didn't have any kind of side effects or anything for the rest of the day, either.  He's my tough little guy.

[my little guy's bandaid, 9 weeks]

I went back to work last week. *extreme frowny face*  My heart's desire since I was a little girl has been to stay home with my kids, just like my mom did for us.  I desperately wanted that to work out but it just isn't our reality right now.  However, God did the next best thing for me -- He worked it out so that 1) I'm able to work from home Thursdays & Fridays and 2) a good friend, who is a wonderful mommy to her 2 young boys, is able to keep Deacon for us in her home Mon-Wed while I'm in the office.

The transition back to work went SO much better than I could've ever hoped for!  I actually have not cried once since going back to work (though, I've gotten slightly emotional just once) and Deacon has done fantastically at Krystal's house.  I was so busy while at the office last week that I didn't have time to be sad (though I thought about Deacon a lot :) and then being home with him Thursday & Friday was great.  AND I was able to get everything done for work.  Best of both worlds!

We really couldn't ask for more from Krystal -- she used to teach before she made the decision to stay home with her boys so she's wonderful with kids, no matter their age.  And she says she's already grown to love Deacon just like one of her own.  :)  She gives us a "report card" each day when I pick up Deacon so we can see what he's been up to throughout the day.  What a sweet momento if I have to be away from him!

It's really just the perfect scenario -- I know that my God worked all that out.  It helps this Mommy's heart.

[10 weeks]

[10.5 weeks]

[11 weeks]

Deacon -- week 2...

Yep, still behind.  I have a feeling that will be the story of my life from here on out... :)

Just wanted to post the highlights of Deacon's 2nd week in our lives; again, it may be random:

We took Deacon on his first "outing" at 8 days old.  We went to Jacksonville to Target and to Mongolian BBQ for lunch.  Then Jeff dropped me & Deacon off at his office so I could feed him and Jeff and my mom & dad hit Babies R Us and Sam's.  Deacon did really well -- he slept through Target and lunch.

I mentioned my mom & dad -- we were blessed to have them here with us for 2 weeks, from just a couple of days before Deacon was born until he was 10 days old.  They were a HUGE help to me & Jeff, doing laundry, cooking meals, taking the trash out, cleaning off the porch, etc.  It was wonderful to have them here with us to help, but they also were able to enjoy some quality time with their brand new grandson, too, and I know they loved that.

[10 days old, with Grammy & Grandpa]

At 10 days old, Jeff and I left Deacon with some friends while we went out to eat.  We had read in a book that it was important to get out without our child sometime in the first 2 weeks for the sake of our marriage and staying connected  and it was surprisingly easy to do.  The book suggested we talk about anything BUT Deacon and we did pretty well with that.  Deacon did great at Chase & Hayley's -- incidentally, they are expecting their first child, a boy, mid-December so this was great practice for them.  And I think Deacon initiated Hayley right off the bat by peeing on her.  Welcome to my world.  :)

[10 days old, headed to Chase & Hayley's]

I gotta tell you, that dinner out with my husband did wonders for me.  I was really starting to feel disconnected from him, almost mourning the life we'd had and what our marriage had been like just a week and a half before.  Of course, all your attention is focused on this little one for awhile -- it's the way it has to be until you get the hang of it and get more comfortable at this parenting thing -- so I was starting to feel so far removed from the life that we'd had for the past 12 years.  Just sharing a meal with him and talking about other stuff was just what I needed.  And we plan to take advantage of all the others who've been saying, "Hey, anytime you guys need a sitter..."  It's the best thing we can do for our son...keeping our marriage strong.

[11 days old]

Deacon's cord stump came off at 11 days old.  Jeff changed his diaper and noticed that it was gone -- he looked around and found it in his onesie that morning.  Since that thing's gone and his circumcision is healed up (no more A&D ointment!), diaper changes are so much quicker & easier!  Which is a good thing cuz he HATES having his diaper changed...

We took Deacon to church for the first time at 12 days old.  His little outfit was the cutest thing -- one that Grammy had picked up for him a few days before at BRU.  Everyone at church just fell in love with him, of course.  And he did great as long as someone was holding him -- which everyone wanted to do.  :)

[12 days old, ready for church]

He took his first trip to Lowe's at 12 days old.  Jeff was so excited to show him around his fave store but he pretty much just slept right through it.  Oh, well.  One of these days, Deacon will be begging for Daddy to take him to Lowe's with him.  :)

After we hit Lowe's, we went down to our local mexican restaurant in Surf City.  Jeff and I both love us some mexican food so this kid is bound to like it, too.  He's at least going to eat it a lot.  :)

[12 days old, at Camino Real in Surf City]

[13 days old]

Our baby boy slept in his crib all night at 13 days old.  He obviously didn't sleep through the night -- we have a while before that starts happening -- but he slept in there the whole night between me getting him up to feed him a couple of times.  He's also sleeping in there for some naps, too.  Jeff is so thrilled that Deacon likes the crib Daddy made for him.  :)

[13 days old]

[14 days old]

It is FINISHED!

The crib is done, folks!  And oh.my.word...

Take a look:

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous??!  I am so stinkin' proud of the man I married.  :)

So the nursery still isn't really complete as we're still adding things here & there but I'm taking photos as we go and hopefully I'll have some more to post later on to show you a more complete version of the nursery.  For now, I am SO excited to have this crib done!  :)

33 weeks today...

Each week seems to get faster & faster...I'm 33 weeks today.  7 weeks to go...

Here's what babycenter.com says has been going on:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

And whattoexpect.com has this to say:

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

Just an update on us personally:

Progress is coming along on the crib.  As soon as that is done and moved into the nursery, then I will really go into "getting ready" mode.   And things around here will finally start to look like we're actually having a baby.  :)  Instead of just chaotic, with things just not in their right place.  That's driving me crazy.  :)

We have another class this week, this time on breastfeeding.  I am planning to go that route, as long as everything goes well so I'm game to learn all I can now.

We had some maternity photos done with friends of ours in Wake Forest this weekend so I will probably post some of those when I get the CD from Elizabeth.  I've seen a handful of them and they look fantastic!  Elizabeth is so talented and we really had a good time with her & Matthew (and little Emily :) yesterday.

We have a big baby shower this coming Saturday.  My mom & dad, and brother & sister-in-law (and my niece :) are coming for it.  It's being thrown by our sweet, sweet Sunday school class and we're pretty excited about it.  We haven't been told much, which is fine with me -- I love surprises! -- but I've heard enough to know that everyone has put a lot of planning & effort into it.  We are so blessed...

27 weeks today...

Well, I've made it to the 3rd trimester -- I'm 27 weeks today.  Can't believe it!

Lots of fun stuff is happening with our little one this week.  Here's what babycenter.com says:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

And whattoexpect.com has these things to say:

For a baby, it's time to trade in the old crown-to-rump measurement for a new head-to-toe standard. So what are your baby’s stats this week (which, coincidentally, is the end of the second trimester)? Fifteen inches — more than a foot long — and triple (or even quadruple) what it was in week 12. His weight is creeping up the charts as well, coming in at just over two pounds. More big news: Your baby may recognize your voice by now, so feel free to serenade your belly (start learning those lullabies!).

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

Wow, such interesting stuff!

Now that's perspective right there...

Jeff is steadily working on the crib and it's coming along rather nicely, if I do say so myself.  He's already got the front part of the crib done (sans stain) -- this is the part that will convert to the footboard of the regular bed.  It looks so great.  Now he's working on the curved sides of the crib -- a challenge, but I think he's definitely up for it!  :)  He really amazes me with this handiwork.

I, in the meantime, am doing things like getting us signed up for childbirth education classes.  We'll take a 4-week Prepared Childbirth class starting on Aug 11 (with our friend and lover of all babies, Jackie Parker -- she's an L&D nurse at the hospital), a breastfeeding class on Sep 15 and a Baby Care class on Sep 23 (Jackie's also teaching that one, yay!).  We'll also have 2 meetings with our doula, Kelley, in September.

Time seems so short and we're just cramming as much as we can into each day.  I hope we get everything done and ready before this kid gets here!

decisions...

Jeff and I have been making some big decisions in the past few weeks.

The first decision was which travel system to get.  For those who aren't familiar with the terminology (times have changed!), a travel system is a stroller/car seat combo that includes a car seat base.  I'm a big fan of making purchases that will grow with my kids, instead of buying one thing at this stage, another at the next stage, yet another at the next stage.  A travel system gives me the infant car seat/carrier until they're 40-50 lbs and it fits inside the stroller until they're old enough to be able to sit in the stroller by themselves.  A twofer.  I like it.  :)

With that being said, I have to be honest here: I look at pattern/colors over anything else first.  Of course, the safety of my child is a close second, followed by how easy the thing is to  use/maneuver.  I have always wanted a turquoise/lime green/brown color combo for my boy.  Do you know how hard turquoise is to find on baby gear??  Pretty tough.  So I had to settle a little bit on the travel system, but we found one that we both like and perhaps, with a little "girly glitz", we can use it for the next one, even if she happens to be a pretty little girl.  :)

It's a Graco Passage Travel System in Lowery (the pattern) and this is what it looks like:

After making this decision, we found a matching pack 'n' play:

This is what Deacon will be sleeping in for awhile, in our bedroom, until he makes the big move to the nursery.  It comes with a changing station and a little napper.  Not sure how much we'll use that but it's there.  This is another twofer because he can sleep in it before he moves to the crib and then we have it for him to play in, nap in or just when we need to corral him for a little while.  :)

Another big decision (HUGE decision for ME) was the crib bedding/decor for the nursery.  Oh, my word -- I thought I would be looking at crib bedding until Jesus came back!  Remember how I said turquoise is just NOT a color they choose to use in baby gear?  Well, that was the case in trying to find crib bedding, etc.  I thought I was going to have to settle there, too, but then I found THIS:

Isn't it cute??!  It's called Paisley Splash in Lime by My Baby Sam.  It has my turquoise, my lime green and my brown in it and I think it will be perfect.  I had a list of about 5 different ones, this one being my top pick.  Jeff put the list in order of his preferences, and this one was #2 for him so he let me go with this one, bless his sweet heart.  :)  It makes me so very happy to have this decision made.

Now, as I said, these are decisions we've made -- we don't have any of this yet.  At our shower in IL last week, we received enough money for the travel system so I ordered that Friday.  It's not here yet but we do have it coming.  The pack 'n' play will go on our registry, I'm sure.  I'm still searching all over to find the best price on the bedding, etc. and I think my family may be planning to help with that.

It's such an exciting thing to be making these decisions and seeing plans fulfilled.  The best part is knowing it's all for our baby boy.  :)

One last decision we made was to have a doula attend our birth.  We have a precious friend, Kelley, who is about as passionate as one person can be about "all things baby".  And she's a doula.  Which makes for a great combination when you're having a baby.  :)  We met with her last week just to find out what her being our doula would mean for us, and with all the knowledge she has and how comfortable she is with the whole thing, we were sold almost immediately.  It will be wonderful to have someone there who has a great rapport with the doctors/nurses at the hospital where we'll give birth (we have several friends who've had Kelley with them) and who just knows what she's doing.  That's the bottom line.  She has 4 kids of her own and she's witnessed/worked tons of births since then.  The girl knows what she's doing.  I think we'll feel more comfortable & confident having her with us.

18 weeks today...

I'm 18 weeks today.  That seems like a significant number to me.  I'm not sure why -- maybe it's because in just a couple of weeks I will be HALFWAY through this pregnancy!  Incredible...

We had quite the exciting week this week, finding out I'm carrying a sweet baby boy.  And while we've had our excitement, our little guy has been having his own little excitement, growing and developing more and more.  Here's how babycenter.com describes his progress:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

At the ultrasound on Thursday, they did tell us that he weighs about 7-8 oz so he's right on target according to this description.  Our u/s tech told us you could fit him in the palm of your hand right now.  I saw Jeff look down at his hand when she said that.  Awww.

I haven't felt any movements yet -- not that I know of, anyway.  I've heard & read how lots of people describe the feelings of movement so I'm on the lookout for those, understanding that my body is still doing its natural functions, just like always.  Hopefully, I'll be able to recognize when it's our little guy soon.  :)

 

As a side note, now that we know it's a boy, we'll hopefully be able to start looking seriously at the things we'll need and be able to get registered soon.  I have been looking at crib bedding for both up to now.  Having this new information, Jeff and I are working to narrow down our choices.  It's kind of frustrating at times since we don't always agree, but exciting and fun, nonetheless, to be planning our baby's nursery!

 

Here's my 18 week photo:

 

big week for us...

So we're sharing the news this week.  I'm pretty relieved about that, actually.  Not because I'm afraid I'm gonna slip up (I'm more worried that Jeff will :), but because I don't want to have to skirt any more questions about when we're going to start our family.  At this point, we have to get pretty creative to keep from right out lying.

We went to Babies R Us last night so I could see the crib we agreed on in person and so Jeff could get some measurements.  We went to the one in Jacksonville because we knew they had it but I pointed out that there would be less chance of someone that we know seeing us.

Would that just ruin everything??

Anyway, we plan to make sure that our families are aware, through multiple means, this week and then Sunday we will tell our Sunday School class.

Whew.  Makes my heart just about beat out of my chest just thinking about it.

I'll be glad when the beans have been spilled.

ideas forming...

I think I'm starting to get a little more excited.  Not that I wasn't before, but we're starting to get ideas and form plans on how we're going to share the news with friends and family.  That makes me feel better.  That we have the beginnings of a plan in place.  Ya'll know I'm a planner.  :)

Also, Jeff found a crib today at Babies R Us that he thinks he can build and I like it, too (which was an issue yesterday), so I think we've decided on that, too.

One more thing down.

Yep, just taking it one day at a time.  One thing at a time.

whoa.

I'm pregnant, it seems.

It sure doesn't feel like it.

I took a pregnancy test last night after being 3 days late, and it was clearly positive, but truly, I keep waiting for my period to start.  It just doesn't feel real to me yet, I guess.

I really didn't even want to take the test last night -- I thought I should give it a few more days -- but Jeff was actually hounding me to take one.  I was pretty anxious about it because I just didn't know what to expect.  Or what I wanted.

No, that's not right.  We've been trying since last August (2009) -- about 6.5 mos -- so, of course, I wanted it to be positive, but I guess having never done this before, never had this experience before, I was a little out of sorts, if you will.

But I took the test & when we looked, there was the " + ".  Positive.  Pregnant.

Well, now what?  I should be jumping up and down with joy, right?  Knocking Jeff over with my hugs and kisses?

But there wasn't any of that.  We just kinda looked at each other a few times, and said, "Okay.  So.  We're pregnant.  Huh."  I saw that going differently when we eventually got this news.

It was just kinda weird.  I didn't know what to think.  I still don't.

We're both dealing with this (good) news in different ways -- today I looked all over the internet for creative ways to share the news with friends and family.  Jeff has been researching plans for cribs.  He told me he woke up 2:22am this morning thinking about how everything in our life is about to change.  Our world is about to be rocked!  I had that same thought in the shower this morning.

I guess we'll just take it one day at a time.