Family Photo Shoot

For those of you that know my mom, you'll know she LOVES photography! She has won many contests with her photographs and even converted the laundy room into a dark room, for when she isn't doing laundry. :)

Ben and I, however, are not fond of pictures. Well, I actually love taking them, just not being in them. :) A week or two ago I was talking to my mom and she said, "Well, I've been researching baby photos and family photography and I AM going to take some pictures of you guys!" No discussion, haha. Normally I would probably be like, "Uhhh, I ok, I guess." But...since these included Aidyn and I REALLY was wanting some good baby photos of him, not just ones I took with my digital camera, I said, "Sure!"

About a week ago, maybe a little more, Aidyn's face broke out with little pimples. The doctors call it "baby acne". At our 2wk visit he just had a few and the dr assured us it would go away. Fortuntaely, his skin has started looking better...he still has the acne, but not as bad. My mom asked if I wanted to wait for him to be a little older and/or his face to clear up...but I really wanted some photos while he was still little.

My mom and dad came over this afternoon and below are SOME of my favorite photos. It was really hard to get them down to a "reasonable" amount. I do realize there are quite a few, haha, but these aren't even a fraction of the pictures taken today. I love them and am very glad we let my mom come and take some photographs!

Mommy's "Reflection" Time...

Here is my attempt at "reflecting" on being pregnant, our time at home so far, people not understanding or liking our parenting decisions (already!), and me just blowing off some steam...

It doesn't seem possible that we have already had Aidyn 24 days! He will be 4wks in just 4 days! I can remember (not that it was so long ago, ha) thinking, "Will this child ever decide he's ready?!?" I just knew I was going to be pregnant forever! haha

Not to sound ungrateful or mean...but you know how some poeple say, "Oh, I just LOVED being pregnant and can't wait to be pregnant again!" Well, sorry, not me. I thought the whole experience was neat and totally indescribable! I have told many people that I wish for just one day (towards the end) when Aidyn was so active, that Ben could have experienced the sensations and feelings of being pregnant. He always said, "I can feel him and see him when he moves"...but we all know, that isn't the same. The feeling is amazing and kinda weird all at the same time. :) I am SO GRATEFUL for Aidyn and for the entire experience, however, it is not something I am just dying to turn around and do again. Or atleast no time soon...we hope. ;)

Ben was telling me, and our friends John and Lori, that someone at school the other day asked when we were going to have our next one. Keep in mind Aidyn is only 4wks old. Ben said he told them, "Well, I won't say no time soon...but I will say that we HOPE no time soon!"

Our friends John and Lori didn't plan their first, nor the second that was born 13 months later. We (as much as we are totally in love with Aidyn now) didn't plan him either. So, needless to say we all got a kick out of his answer.

As we have gotten more into a routine and "groove" with the whole parenting thing, we have answered many questions that people ask about Aidyn and our family. There are times I feel obligated to explain my answers or decisions, which the more I think about it, I shouldn't feel obligated. Ben and I have read several books on parenting, new babies, feeding/sleeping theories, etc. Granted they are just books - but the information all makes sense and for the time being is working great! I know there will be people that don't always understand or agree with our decisions, I just wish they wouldn't get mad when we stand up for them.

Ben and I love Aidyn with 200% of our hearts and would do anything for him...anything! Including:
*getting up every 2hrs to feed him
*pump the breasts every 3hrs, haha - sorry I couldn't resist
*change his dirty diapers
*inquire with each other about the consistency of his diapers - that's when you know you've reached a whole new level in your life, haha
*get spit up on, pooped on, or peed on...and it doesn't even phase you
...and much more.

We love him, cuddle him, nap with him on the couch, play with him, sing, and talk to him. But we don't hold him or carry him around ALL THE TIME and some people act as though this is an issue. I don't think so. We don't want him to get used to being held or carried around because then he won't be content when he isn't in the future. We also don't let him sleep in our bed and at night we not only close his door, we close our door too. This isn't because we don't care. But...our room is right next door to his. If the wall wasn't there, Ben could literally take 4 steps away from the bed and be at his crib. So with the close proximity, and our baby monitor, we literally hear every little thing if the doors are open. Even with them closed, we can hear him breathing and hiccuping with the monitor. Closing the doors is just our small attempt at trying to get some sleep without hearing every little grunt and sneeze.

In the book, BabyWise, it talks about establishing a sleep routine. They (the authors) suggest this routine - Sleep, Feed, Awake. For instance, the baby should sleep until his next feeding time. Then after you change him, feed him, and in our case - usually change him again, he then should stay awake for 10-30min or so depending on the age. After being awake for the feeding and "wake time" (usually up to an hr total)...he should sleep, or nap, again until his next feeding. If you let him go right back to sleep after eating and not stay awake for a few minutes, he will wake up sooner than his next feeding and want to eat sooner than needed. This is true; we've seen it happen.

In saying this, we've had problems with people (family and friends) that come over or see us out with Aidyn and get their feelings hurt because we won't let them touch him, pick him up, or wake him up...just so they can see him or see him awake. I hate to sound rude, but I'm not going to mess up his routine, and ours, just to make someone else happy. Someone that won't be at home when he wakes up early unhappy or fussy because he didn't get the sleep he needed. I can promise people that in his lifetime (and even theirs) they will eventually get to "see him" and see him awake. And then this same thing applies with people not LETTING him go to sleep...people have shown up to visit, which is totally fine - we love the company, but when he starts falling asleep as he should, they start saying, "No, don't go to sleep! You stay awake and look at me" and they start playing with him, picking it at him, and try forcing him to stay awake. I hate to say it...but he isn't even a month old! He isn't supposed to stay awake all day! I don't usually let this go on long before saying, "It's time for him to go to sleep. He really shouldn't be awake right now...it's time for his nap." And sometimes people seem to get pissed off or get their feelings hurt. I wish they would realize it IS NOT PERSONAL...it's about keeping HIS routine.

We have discussed our decisions with the dr (not just read a book and said OK). There are reasons behind our decisions and THEY WORK, so I just wish people would say ok and not get mad. We don't make these decisions to purposefully hurt someone's feelings or not let them see or hold him. We made them because it gets him into a routine, and us...which is IMPORTANT.

Aidyn NEVER cries; we count our blessings daily! He only cries if he wakes up hungry or has a dirty diaper. We usually change him before we feed him and again afterwards...not because we are anal - because he fills it up that quickly, ha. But if he isn't hungry, he sometimes won't even cry while we change him. He also eats every 3hrs, like clock work. I started this the day we came home from the hospital. At night we don't set an alarm...we let him sleep until he wakes up on his own - which is almost always every 3hrs. A few times he has slept 4hrs and then once he slept 5hrs and another time 6hrs. On those nights I woke up feeling so refreshed like I'd slept for days, haha. Compared to 2hrs at a time, I guess I had. :)

I love him dearly and have grown to love my husband, Ben, even more as I watch him with Aidyn each day. He is totally in love and I think he would say surprised at how quickly he jumped in to help and be an awesome daddy. I always knew single parents had it hard, but I never REALLY KNEW until now. I am constantly telling Ben how thankful I am for his help because I COULD NOT do it without him...or atleast it wouldn't be easy.

I am glad things worked out the way they did, even with my anal OCD of planning and being in control, haha. I do not want to wish time away, yet I cannot wait to see how he grows and becomes a little person of his own.

First Church Visit

Today was Aidyn's first visit to church - Love Chapel Christian in Erwin, TN. This is the church that Ben and I attend and where Ben is the youth minister.

Aidyn wore his Polo shirt that was a gift from Olivia, one of our youth. He looked very handsome and was well behaved the entire service. :)

Today was also Aidyn's first chance (and our's as well) to meet Laurel, Tim and Sarah's baby girl. Laurel was born 3 days after Aidyn. They both weighed 7lbs 1oz at birth, but Aidyn was 2 inches longer. They are both growing and doing beautifully after overcoming cases of jaundice. Laurel is a cutie and her hair looked great today, hahaha...her daddy combed it so it would almost look like a spike or mohawk on top. Poor Laurel, haha.

L-Aidyn ........R-Laurel

Happy Valentine's Day

We celebrated our first Valentine's Day as parents yesterday...by going to a basketball game. Ha. With Ben being a coach, and games rescheduled because of the huge snow last week, we were at the gym and then ordered pizza afterwards (at like 10pm) for dinner.

Normally, I would have been disappointed by this scenario. Luckily, I've gotten used to realizing there are going to be times when we are just going to be at the gym (together) or I can stay home (alone). It used to bother me, but being a teacher (even though I'm not a coach) there are things you need to do and sometimes "have" to do for your "kids". Being a coach, if a game is rescheduled, you can't just let the kids play without you and not show because it's Valentine's Day. Ha...that would be terrible.

It worked out pretty good since it was one of the last home games and we haven't taken Aidyn out yet, except to Amigos for dinner one night. :) There were quite a few people but not TONS like the usual packed crowds since it wasn't a huge rival game and a holiday. I looked all over the stores for a Valentine's Day shirt or something red for Aidyn and couldn't find a thing...just girls! I've been told to get used to that. Luckily our friends John and Lori (whose son Cole is a little over a year old) have given us TONS of stuff! One of the shirts they gave us is dark red, or maroon, and says "Lock Up Your Daughters!". hehe I figured that would work for Valentine's Day. :)

Aidyn had a GREAT time at his first basketball game. We took him in with him still in his car seat carrier. Since he was asleep we decided to just leave him. I unbuckled him but left him in there. Didn't want to wake him up if not necessary. He NEVER STIRRED...not even once!!!! I knew he was a sound sleeper but didn't realize how much. With the warm up music, buzzers, whistles, etc...nothing. I guess this is a good thing since he'll be attending many a basketball game during his lifetime, so I hope his sound sleeping continues. He ended up staying in his carrier even though he looked all squished since he never woke up, and he finally began waking up as we left - dinner time!

Valentine's Day was great and even though I've never been "crazy" about the holiday, I have enjoyed doing things with Ben, getting flowers, etc. But now that we have Aidyn it kinda puts things in perspective I guess. I would much rather, and I think most women would agree, receive flowers ANY day of the year besides Valentine's Day because that really makes them special. However, I totally LOVE my 2 bouquet of tulips that Ben got me. Tulips are my absolute favorite flower! We had them in our wedding and my parents just helped me plant over 100 in front of our house. (Well, they actually planted them FOR me.) I wasn't home when they did it. I can't wait for them to start blooming!

Ben also got me a new Vera Bradley diaper bag which I love...I got him a coffee grinder - romantic, huh? Ha I felt bad for not spending more on him, but I couldn't think of anything. His coffee grinder had just died and he HAS to have his coffee, plus - I haven't quite been able to just go out shopping for much lately. :) I don't think he minded.

Aren't they beautiful! I just wish you could save and dry tulips like you can roses. He bought them at Walmart - they have the best flowers sometimes! I actually think he has bought my flowers that last couple of times from Walmart - I love it, haha.

2 wk Appointment

We went for our 2 wk appointment this morning - at 8am! Ugh! Normally I am up with Aidyn around 6am eating, but then it's back to bed. Not this morning. He woke up around 5ish crying. He's been on this "growth spurt" where instead of eating every 3 hrs, every now and then he wakes up at 2hrs and wants to eat.

So I got up at 5 and noticed he had gone to bed without a pacifier, which isn't unusual, but I thought I'd try that before getting "off schedule". With the dr this morning and my hair appointment afterwards (my dad watched him for me), I really wanted to try and keep Aidyn on schedule.

Luckily, with the paci he went right back to sleep and slept until 6. During this time, since I was up, I decided to go ahead and pump and get in the shower. We are still pumping and putting the breastmilk in a bottle. I really like this (even though the pumping can get tiresome) because other people are allowed to help feed him and I'm able to keep track of how much he eats. With breastfeeding the only indications are watching diapers ("if it's coming out, it must be going in" according to the drs and my books I've been reading). With nursing, he should eat 15-20 min on each side, for now, which is like 30-45 min per feeding plus burping time. :) By using the bottles, since he still isn't able to latch on, I not only can see how much he's eating, but we also are usually done within 15-20min. Now, add on my pumping time - 15 min and that equals about the normal time to feed.

Sorry for that sidetrack note, ha. I'm sure you were just dying to know all that.

Anyhow...
At our last appt the lactation consultant, Gloria, said to double his intake from 30mL to 60mL. She said if he wants more, than let him have it. She also said that during his 7-10days and again around 3wks (which would be next Monday) he will hit a growth spurt and probably want more milk - somewhere around 80-100+mL. Well - she evidently didn't know my chunky monkey to well at that time. We have been putting 100-125mL in his bottles so that if he wants more, he can have it without me having to warm up some extra to put in his bottle. He has been eating ALL OF IT! On a few occations, that I would consider his growth spurts, he has eaten anywhere from 140-165mL!!! So what she said would be his growth spurt amounts he's eating regularly and then plus some for the growth spurts. HOLY COW! Ha

Luckily, with pumping, my milk supply is very good and I'm able to fix a bottle and store some with each pumping. We are constantly combining the cooled milk and adding it to the freezer. After a day or so there, we are placing it in my mother-in-law's deep freezer where if necessary will be good for up to 12 months according to Gloria.

So within the 24hrs that she had us double his intake from 30mL to 60mL during his first week, he gained 4oz when we went back for a check up the next day. 4oz in 24hrs! So....with his increased eating, I was VERY interested to see what he weighed today. His head has grown from 33cm to 35cm (that brain is growing smart!!!) and his weight has gone from 6lbs 13oz to 7lbs 14oz all in 12 days. Wow! He is growing like crazy!

Both the dr and Gloria were pleased with his progress. Gloria said that if I decide to keep trying to nurse and need help to let her know, but that she felt like I needed to do what we (Ben and I) felt was best and worked best for us. She is so wonderful and supportive! The biggest thing is eating breastmilk and getting the nutrients and antibodies...and since Aidyn is getting all that, she said the mode of delivery, ha (breast or bottle) didn't make a bit of difference.

So we go back for his 2month on March 16 and we will also begin shots then. I'm sure he'll cry like crazy...but then again he didn't cry for any of his newborn shots, his circumsicion, or his tongue clipping...so maybe not. We'll see.

Date Nights

Aidyn was 2 weeks old yesterday - it's hard to believe 3 weeks ago I wondered if this time would ever come, ha. But anyways - Ben and I have already been on two "dates", if that's what you want to call them.

Normally I would not call running errands and eating dinner a "date", but now we have to consider schedules (both Aidyn's eating and my pumping), and trying to find someone to keep him. Ofcourse its never hard, or hasn't been yet, with two sets of grandparents that go through "withdrawals" according to them if they don't see him, haha.

We went on our first date last Tuesday (he was 1wk old). We needed to return some things to Target and BabyRUs and pick up some things we'd realized we needed or needed more of. Ben's mom offered to come to the house since it was cold and beginning to snow. Apparently this HUGE snow storm was on its way. When we left the house at 4:30pm it was beginning to snow pretty good. On our way to Johnson City, about 25 miles away, the closer we got the bluer the skies got and the sun was out. It was like a beautiful spring day. We completed our errands at Target and BabysRus when some friends called to tell us the interstate was terrible and it was getting bad at home. Still no snow in JC.

We decided to eat dinner and head back; so we went to Applebees. Yum! When we got in the car at 7:00pm it was beginning to flurry (barely). Once we got on the interstate the snow began to pick up. When we were within about 20 miles (we hadn't been far) it got bad. What normally takes about 20-25min to get home took us over 30 min. It was slick, snowing like crazy, and you couldn't see a thing! I think we ended up with about 5in of snow at our house after the 2 days of snow. I find it so strange at the differences around us though...my parents who live in JC barely got half an inch to an inch.

Our 2nd "date" was to a concert - Old Crow Medicine Show last Thursday. Ben was supposed to have a game that night but it got canceled due to weather. He came home from practice and said, "My game was cancled and I was thinking abou that OCMS show." I said, "Sure, that's fine if you want to go." He had been so bummed out when he realized he had a game on that particular night. He just looked at me and said, "Well, I was thinking we both might go." YAY! Haha, ok! I hadn't considered that, haha.

My mom was planning on coming over that evening to see Aidyn. Some girls from work were bringing us dinner (Olive Garden!) and it was delicious! Then we fed Aidyn, I pumped, and we packed up and headed to my parents. They live about 2 min. from Freedom Hall Civic Center where OCMS was playing. The concert began at 8pm and we ended up leaving at 11pm. They were finishing up their encore songs and my back was killing me. Plus, Aidyn was going to need to eat again at midnight and my mom had to be at work the next morning. We had a grea time!

I told Ben that I would like to make it a point to do something, just the two of us, atleast once a month -> February (Valentines Day), March (our annivesary), April (my birthday). I figured we should be in a good "routine" by May. Ben agreed but then kinda suprised me. He said, "How about we make a commitment to go out twice a month that way each of our parents can keep him atleast once." I thought that was a great idea!

So many times you hear about the parents' relationship getting "lost" in parenting and over time losing their relationship they had previously. I absolutely LOVE being a mom and I can tell Ben adores Aidyn...but we both want to keep "us" around too. I think we are so lucky to have parents excited and willing to keep Aidyn as well as many friends with young children who also like to go out periodically. I think our date nights are going to be a great success!

Pictures

I decided to post just some random pictures. I know several people check our blog so I thought pics would be nice. They are in no particular order. Enjoy!

Taking a nap with my daddy - 5 days old.

My first bath - 3 days old.

Going to sleep in my new bed on my first night home - 2 days old.

Being checked by the nurse - just minutes after I was born.

Getting to know my daddy after being born.

Meeting my mom-mom after being born.

(My mommy's mom)

Dressed and ready to go home - 2 days old.

Meeting my papaw after being born.

(My mommy's dad)

Holding my mommy's finger

My daddy watching carefully as the nurse checks me over.

3 Weeks Early?

Wow, I can't believe how much I'm getting done on our blog. Ben finally took Aidyn bc my back began hurting sitting here leaning over him to type. Let me just take a moment to tell how ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL Ben has been!!!! I honestly could not do it without him and have so much respect for single parents. I already knew their job was hard, but now I really know.

Ben has probably changed more diapers than me, or I definately know he did in the beginning. Since we are using bottles, he gets up at night to feed him so I can pump and go back to bed. Otherwise between feeding, pumping, and getting another bottle ready it takes about 90 min. With the cycle coming every 3hrs, that doesn't leave a lot of room for sleeping in the middle. It is very obvious how much he loves Aidyn and it has made me love him even more. He is amazing!

But now - let me explain this whole 37wks thing:

At the dr on Thursday the lactation specialist said, "There are several reasons I think he's struggling to nurse. One is your shape (which I won't explain on here, ha, but feel free to email me or ask me if you want me to explain). Secondly, his being tongue tied - but we got that fixed. And third, I think he's early."

Apparently the hospital does a test, not the Apgar, that measures a baby's age. They test muscle tone, flexibility, and things like that. Aidyn's results (even thought I had no idea this type of test was done) came back that with each thing he tested at 37 wks. She said that even though he has a strong suck reflex, he won't suck until something is PLACED in his mouth. He doesnt try sucking the bottle in, which she said was developmentally. And when we explained to her about how we didn't find out I was pregnant until much further on...and the ultra sound that was supposed to be our 8wk (to see a blob) turned out to be 16wk (and we saw an entire baby!) she was shocked. We told her the dr that did the ultrasound was too, ha...we all where.

They estimated his age at that time, and my due date, by his head measurements on the ultrasound. She told us that babies have different sized heads. If we had been monitoring his growth and progress from the beginning then that would be accurate. But since we jumped in at 16wks (4months), that really wasn't accurate and so he could just be early. She also commented on his size...not that he's overly small bc he isn't, just smaller. Knowing that I gave birth to a 7lb person makes me thing he's quite HUGE, haha.

I wasnt sure what to think. I was upset, but I guess it all made sense. But then I also added this last little bit in...Sarah, our friend from church who had her little girl 3 days after us, had Laurel 3 weeks early. She was actually suppsed to go for her 37wk appt that day and her water broke early that morning.

Anyways, Laurel (being 3 wks early) weighed 7lbs 1oz. The EXACT SAME as Aidyn. He was 2in longer, but really, they were exactly the same. So, who knows...maybe he was early.

All I know is, and I'm sure Sarah would agree, if they both were 3 wks early...I know for me that I could not have gone 3 more wks! I was becoming sooo uncomfortable and having such pressure pains at night that I just wanted to have the baby. Plus, with my small size (and Sarah's too), I don't know that with 3 more wks of growth we could have delivered these babies, ha. Seriously.

So we wont' really ever know I don't think...but it is a possibility.

First Pediatrician Visit

Before we left the hospital, one of the nurses said she thought Aidyn looked a little jaundiced and that they'd probably want to keep him an extra day. If so, I could "room in" with him, but I wouldn't be considered a patient anymore. Ugh!!!
Luckily, when the pediatrician came through, he said no. He told us that Aidyn did look a little jaundiced but nothing to serious...but he did want to see us the next day to keep an eye on him.

Aidyn did well that night. Once we got home from the hospital my milk came in and so I was able to drop the formula and give him 30mL of pumped milk at each feeding. He drank it down and then would go back to sleep. We truley have been SO LUCKY! Everyone has told us, "Stop now while you're ahead. The next one definately won't be this good." Ben would get up to feed him so I could pump and return to bed. This was tiring since we were both up every 3hrs, but helpful as well bc I only had to worry about pumping. We both finished at the same time (feeding Aidyn and pumping) and could return to bed - AND, most importantly, Aidyn in HIS bed in HIS bedroom.

Thursday morning came VERY early. We fed Aidyn and left the house at 7:30am. Our appt was at 8am. We were totally exhausted! We met with dr first. Aidyn was born 7lbs 1oz. When we left the hospital he was 6lbs 10oz. At the dr on Thursday he was 6lbs 9oz. The dr said he still looked jaundiced and said he hadn't even had to clip a tongue a second time, a little more, but that he thought it might be necessary. We were also meeting with the lactation specialist at the dr and so he wanted her to check before making a decision. She didn't find that it needed to be done.

After trying several "techniques" of nursing and "substitute" nursing, the lactation specialist suggest switching to a bottle, just for now. She explained that we could put the pumped milk in a bottle and feed him that way. She said we don't want to stress him out by thinking eating time is hard, uncomfortable, and unsatisfactory. She assured us that once we got the jaundice cleared up and him where he needed to be, we would work on breastfeeding again. She suggest trying during his 2-3wks bc that would be when he hit a growth spurt and would be anxious to eat. She also suggested increasing his intake from 30mL to 60mL.

I felt MUCH better after talking with her, until she said that. I was just able to get enough milk pumped to not have to use formula (not that formula is bad) and now she's telling us to double?!? Well, wouldn't you know the minute we got home and I pumped...60+ mL. I was thrilled! We spent the day/night giving him 60mL and had to return to the dr AGAIN on Friday for a follow-up to check his jaundice. Our appt Friday was at 10am and that was much better. We were able to sleep a little more, feed him at 9am, and head that way.

We met with the lactation specialist first. She thought he looked better and was pleased with his progress. She said he should be hitting his first growth spurt during his 7th-10th days (Feb.2-Feb.5). She said 60mL was good but if he seems to want more, give it to him. She also said during this growth spurt, he may want 70mL-100mL.

We (Ben, myself, and the lactation specialist) decided he had a small case of jaundice that only intensified due to my lack of supply of milk and the nurses not letting me supplement all those hours! She said had he been hydrated, it wouldn't have been so bad. Also, doublling his intake to 60mL also helped. He apparently was starved.

In the 24 hrs since the dr on Thursday, he had gained 4oz!!! Most babies gain about 1oz a day...he gained 4oz! We were so excited! The dr said his color was looking much better also. Phew! The dr checked his tongue once more, his circumsicion, and then we went home. Well...we went through Chic-fil-a for breakfast (yum!) and then headed home. :)

Since Friday we have been putting about 70-80mL in all his bottles, just to see how much he'll eat before getting full and stopping. On 3 occasions since Friday morning he has eatin 100mL!!! He is such a little pig! Since I have been pumping more than enough, really you have no idea, ha...today we started putting closer to 80-100mL in each bottle. He hasn't eaten the larger bottles, but most of it.

We got back to the dr NEXT WEDNESDAY for his 2wk visit. He'll actually be 2wks and 2days old. I can't wait to see how much he's gained after all of his eating! I'm hoping they tell us to back down from 3hrs to every 4hrs if we can. This may mean more per feeding, but it would def leave us with more sleep between. :)

Hospital Stay & Breastfeeding

With Aidyn propped up on my lap in a pillow wide awake (he ate at 9:15 and has been wide-eyed ever since)...I thought I'd try to update our blog some more.

Our hospital stay was decent I guess. I hate to say nice simply because a hospital, for whatever reason, is never "nice". But anyhow. With the exception of one nurse in training, everyone was WONDERFUL! The moment I began to push for the delivery, they had a shift change in nurses. Good timing, huh? I was totally blown away by this, but what could I do? So we went on pushing, ha. Luckily, my new nurse was the BEST! She was my nurse until Aidyn was born because she really was a nursery nurse. But seeing how she was his nurse, she was in my room a lot and extremely helpful!

As soon as Aidyn was born and everybody cleaned up, Tamika - the nurse, helped me try and nurse Aidyn. He kept trying with all his might, he was starved I guess, but wasn't able to latch on. Finally, Tamika had be use a pump to express some milk. On that first attempt I pumped 37mL! The nurses and doctors said that was crazy - more than double most mom's on their first time. I was excited. So that Aidyn didn't get used to a bottle right away, Tamika cup fed him. That means she poured 20mL of the milk (actually colostrum) into a small cup like what comes with liquid NyQuil. She would barely tip the cup so he got a little on his lips and he would suck that in. The remaining 17mL she put in the fridge to cup feed him again later.

After that, she had me pump every 3hrs to feed him. Unfortunately, the abundance of milk was over. At the next feedings while at the hospital I went from 1/2mL to 3-5mL and that was it. On Tuesday evening I asked one of the nurses about supplementing with formula bc I was quite concerned he was not getting enough. I was told, "I'll check and let you know." I had asked if they were supplementing in the nursery. I didn't mind if they were since I wasn't getting enough, but I just wanted to know.

Side Note: I kept Aidyn in the room with Ben and me all day, but not at night. During the evenings I took everyone's advice and let him stay in the nursery so we could try and sleep. Sleeping of course with nurses coming in to take vitals, give meds, etc. Every 3hrs they would bring him to me to feed and then I would call a nurse when we were through. I recommend this to everyone, just so you can rest up bc you are exhausted after such work. :)

So anyhow, I never heard back from the nurse. So the next time Aidyn was brought to me I asked again and was told, "Let me ask and I'll let you know." Never heard anything again. As I thought about all this later, I thought - why didn't I keep calling the nurses and instead say, "Bring me some formula." I think I was just to exhausted to even think about it. Finally, the next time when Aidyn was brought to me (9hrs since I first asked) a different nurse said, "Have you considered supplementing with formula?" I think I almost blew my top! I said, "Yes! I have been asking for hours and no one will tell me anything or bring me any!" She went straight to get it and I was so thankful.

During all this time I had not been using the "cup method". Instead I had been using a small plastic syringe like you use to give meds to a baby. I would pump milk for 15 min using a hospital pump and then put it in the syringe. Aidyn had several reasons for struggling to latch on: 1)my shape 2)his age, they think he is younger, but I'll explain that later 3)he was born tongue tied.

Tongue-tied means the little connective skin under the tongue was connected to the tip, therefore he couldn't stick out his tongue past his gum line. The pediatrician clipped this skin when he did Aidyn's circumcision. He didn't even whimper when getting his newborn shots and check up, and the ped dr said he didn't make a sound during these last two procedures either! We were impressed. Only did we know this was an insight to his personality - we hope it continues. :)

Once I was able to supplement with formula (for his last 3 feedings in the hospital), I was feeling much better! The lactation specialist for the hospital gave us some formula to take home, that the ped dr recommended, not what the hospital gave us. I was able to rent the hospital breast pump and take home with us. This was great because it is quick, good, helpful, and "sucks" like a baby would so it helps with milk supply. And believe me...we've got a supply! I'm already pumping more than extra and beginning to freeze it for later.

We were admitted to the hospital Monday @ 6:00am. Aidyn was born that evening at 7:36am. We could have gone home earlier Wednesday but I was waiting to meet with the lactation specialist one more time and rent a pump. I DID NOT want to leave without a pump as ready as I was to go home. We finally were released to go home around 5:00pm Wednesday evening.

Both our mom's came over that evening and Ben's home had a big pot of Chicken and Dumplings ready with some fresh broccoli...yum! I felt A MILLION times better just showering at the hospital, putting on my sweats, and even better once we got home!

Induction - Labor and Delivery

Well, Aidyn is now almost 5 days old so I thought this would be a good time to update the blog. I have several "posts" to add, so we'll start with this one. We were supposed to arrive at the hospital Monday, Jan. 26th at 6am to be admitted, IV and pitocin (to start contractions) started. My dr was going to come between 8-9am to see how I'd progressed and break my water if it hadn't broken on its own. We got there a little early and were in the room by 6am; they said the nurse would be there shortly to start everything. At 7:15am we still hadn't seen a single person - no one! Ben was getting mad and so was I bc the dr was coming in 45 minutes and nothing had been done! I paged a nurse to ask for ice chips (can't even have water according to the anesthesiologist (sp?) and told them I'd been there over an hour and hadn't seen anyone. When the nurse brought the ice chips she said - we've had two emergency c-sections so we're behind. I was ok with that, just wished someone would have come and told me.

Being the case, nothing had been started when the dr came. She broke my water anyways and then they started an IV at 9am. Braking my water felt like a normall pelvic exam they do at the dr to see how far dilated you are. It was uncomfortable and hurt a little, but nothing major. The worse part was that I saw her open the tool she was going to use - ahhh! Wish I hadn't seen it. :) I thought the IV was the pitocin until another nurse came in at 11am and said, "Ok, here's your pitocin." At this point I figure we're 5hrs behind schedule for starting contractions and I wasn't very happy since I figurered that ment a much longer day!

Side note: you can't eat anything after midnight (and not even water) for an induction incase they have to do a quick surgery i guess and you get choked or throw up. However, with as much water as I drink, my dr said..."IF you do drink water before you come in, just make sure you tell them no." Sounded good to me. I figured, for people who eat dinner and do their normal thing and then go into labor naturally - you never know when the last time they've eaten and it's always fine. Soooooo, I was so hungry before we left that morning (at 5:15am) I ate half of a pear fruit cup and 5 goldfish crackers. I didn't want to over do it, ha, but I was starving and new it would be a while before I could eat again.

So anyways, before the dr left after breaking my water she checked and I was 2cm. I had increased 1cm on my own over the weekend. She said she would be back at lunch to see how things were going. Dr came back around 11:30-Noon and said I was still 2cm. She asked the nurses to increase the pitocin and said she'd be back again after the OB/GYN office closed around 5pm unless they called her sooner.

While there she asked if I wanted to go ahead and get the epidural or wait. I was pretty uncomfortable, but nothing terrible. She assured me that I could get it at any time and didn't have to "be a hero"; that it might help me relax and sleep a little. I said sure, let's do it. Shortly after that the anesthesiologists (2 docs) arrived to do the epi. I was totally nervous about it just because of the possibility of paralysis and other side effects, not to mention the size of needle and idea of something being inserted into my spine. I didn't see any of the tools (I purposely didn't look when they were getting ready) which helped, some. In the end, the IV they gave me in the morning was much worse than the epi. Sure, it stung for a quick second like when they are going to draw blood at the dr, but that was it. Wow! I was amazed when they said - ok, we're done.

They stayed in the room for prob 30 min periodically checking my blood pressure, temp, heart, etc to make sure everything was ok before leaving. Then I was able to sleep. :) Before laying down the nurse said, "Ok...let me give you my little lecture. The worst part is getting to 4cm because we don't know how long it will take. Then you can expect 1cm per hour to the last 10cm." Great I thought. 6hrs minimum and I'm still 2cm. At this point it was after lunch and I knew we were in for a long day.

Next thing I knew I was being examined again by a nurse at 4pm - about 2 hours later, maybe a little more. I was 4cm (yea!) and the baby was -1 (which means he was decending into the birth canal. They start with -3 then 0 means baby is in the birth canal and back up to +3 which means baby is coming out!

So 4pm I was 4cm and -1...6cm and 6hours to go...looking around 10pm. Ugh!
Knowing the dr was coming back around 5-6pm, Ben headed down to the cafeteria to get a snack and I was still trying to sleep. I was beginning to get more uncomfortable, even with the epi, just because you can feel pressure (not pain) pushing down - the baby ofcourse. Ben was gone and the nurse came in about 5:15pm to check. Only 1 1/2 hr later (from the 4cm) she said I was 8cm and the baby was +2!!!!!!!

I began to freak inside because we figuered we had all night. Ben was eating in the cafe and my parents were at home (only about 5-10 min. from the hospital). I quickly grabbed my phone and texted Ben, "8cm". He then called me and all I could say was, "I can't talk", because of the pressure. I was beginning to be WAY uncomfortable. With this progress, the nurses decided to sit me up in bed so that gravity could work to pull Aidyn the rest of the way down and I could dilate the last 2cm. Not fun. Within 30 min to an hr I had reached 10cm and the dr was there. Around 7pm they said I was ready to push.

I will not say it wasn't painful. The contractions got strong, but weird enough, they only hurt until I was able to push through them. You can feel the contractions coming on with LOTS of pressure. When it begins to max they told me to push. I think I "couldn't feel" because my focus was on pushing and listening to the dr's instructions. It actually felt better to push then sit and feel the pressuer and contractions peak. At the same time, Ben on the left and my mom on the right pushing my knees to my chest, I pushed with all my might. I'm not sure how many pushes it took, they just kept saying, "You're doing great! He's right here...we can see his head and hair. Come on, Whitney, give it all you've got!"

I was, and it was exhausting, and in between when I could just breathe I thought, I just want to sleep (and I think I thought I could) until another contraction came. Being a teacher that tells kids, "You're doing great!" to boost their confidence when they may not be doing great...I didn't believe the nurses, ha. Go figure. I began getting tired and the dr said, "He's getting tired, Whitney. Come on, you're gonna have to push and get him out. He's wearing down." I just knew they were going to have to do a C-section. And as Ben reminds me, even though his head literally WAS right there!

Luckily, the dr did an episiotomy (sp?) and within 1-2 more contractions - he was born! It was the strangest feeling and I let out a sortof scream when he came out. My mom said it wasn't a pain scream, and I think it was more of a cry of relief. I did not think I could have done it much longer! I have SO much respect for women who do it naturally and/or have to push for an hour or more! I just read Sarah's blog (Edisto Surprise to the left of this page) and she pushed for 1 1/2 hr! I don't know how she did it!

Aidyn Garland Evely - Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 7:36pm. He weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 21 inches long. He seems teeny tiny, and yet HUGE at the same time when I look at him knowing he was INSIDE me. He absolutely had to have been totally squished!

While the dr worked on cleaning me up, stitching up the episiotomy, and deliverying the placenta, Ben cut the umbilical cord and watched closely as the nursery nurse cleaned Aidyn up, measured him, and so on.

I think it took about an hour between the stiches and placenta being delivered.
Listening to Aidyn scream and cry was amazing! I couldn't believe it and it was almost like it wasn't really happening - I can't explain it. Then...the next thing I thought - Can I eat now? Ha... I was totally starved!

39 Week Appointment - INDUCTION!

Today Ben and I went for our 39wk appointment. In trying to "prepare" for better news today, since I've been 1cm since Jan 2nd, I've been doing some things to help - or I've been told they help: taking Evening Primrose Oil vitamins, doing squats, and eating grapes. Ben and I also went for a 30min walk around our neighborhood yesterday (which resulted in me exhausted and terrible back pain and cramps lastnight).

I haven't really been having any contractions, that I know of, except for a few the past couple of days...maybe like 3 or 4. Some people I talk to have said, "Oh you'll definately know when those contractions start" and yet others have said, "I was having contractions and didn't even know it." So who do I listen to? HaHa Due to this wonderful advice, ha, I THINK I've had maybe a few the past couple of days, but nothing regular or too intense. What I've experienced is tightening in my lower abdomen with some back pain also - for maybe 15 seconds, not long. A few times I've also felt pressure like I need to use the bathroom, but again, no intense pain and nothing unbearable.

During the day I'm usually fine. The evenings and late nights are when I get extremely uncomfortable to have these pains. Its hard to go to sleep at night, but once I'm finally able to fall asleep, I always take up feeling fine...unfortunately. :)

The group of doctors I see are all very good, but Ben and I have two that we prefer over the third. Last week and this week I got to see the same dr. She examined me and said, "You're a good 1cm..." and I interrupted her by saying, "Oh, please don't tell me that!" When she asked why I explained that I've been 1cm since Jan 2nd. She continued with - "No, but you're a really good 1cm with your cervix 50% thinned out and ready, and the baby's head is getting lower, at about a -2 right now. That's great!" I sure hope she's right. I began to think that I'd be 1cm forever until she asked, "So, what would you like to do?"

This confused me for a minute. What did she mean? Finally she said, do you want to talk induce or would you like to wait and come back regular time next week? I was blown away by this option and think maybe Ben was too. Blown away, but definately excited about the possibility! I had planned on asking about induction again this wk, but was completely shocked when she did. I think I was at a loss for words, ha. I looked at Ben and looked at the dr and said, "Well, I think it sounds wonderful! I really don't want to go past next Friday (our due date)."

She informed us that everything looked great and she would be totally comfortable doing an induction if that's what I wanted, but if we wanted to just wait and come back for another appointment next week, that'd be great too. My friend's daughter had this same dr for her delivery in November and was very happy and impressed with her. The dr is only on call all day Monday, Jan. 26th and then not again until the next week except for two half days - and most inductions are longer than just a few hours. After talking about pros/cons and asking different questions as well as her opinion, Ben and I decided to go ahead and plan on Monday.

I considered waiting and see if we could schedule another check up for Mon or Tues and then discuss induction then...but I kept thinking, "What is 2 more days?" and I couldn't keep thinking about how uncomfortable I have been the past few nights. Induction began sounding better. The dr went to check if there was space available (a room and scheduling I assume) to set my induction for Monday. While she was out Ben and I decided that if she couldn't Monday we would ask about coming in for another exam early next wk and then see about her availability, or the other dr we prefer. She came back and said everything looked good and was ready to go - so we were excited!

We have to be at the JCMC hospital ER Monday morning at 6am. You have to use the ER entrance since they are doing construction at the women's center. They will send me down to the women's hospital to start an IV and pitocin (for contractions). The dr said she'll be down to check on me between 8-9am and break my water if that hasn't happened on its own. She said I am not to eat or drink anything (even water) after midnight on Sunday...anesthesiologist's (sp?) rule. I can have an epidural anytime I wish, just not after I've dilated to 8cm.

So...looks like we've got 2 more days of what we know as "normal" before everything takes a huge (and much welcomed!) change in our lives! Here we go...

10 days and counting...

Wow - 10 days! It seems impossible to think that in 2 weeks (hopefully) our lives will be forever changed! Unless ofcourse Aidyn decides to hang on a little while and the doctors don't schedule me an induction until the 41st week...ugh. I hope that isn't the case.

It seems like everywhere I go and everyone I see lately wants to know "How much longer?" When I tell them 2 weeks they seem to take it as their cue to tell me how to make him come now. I know it's all with good intentions, and Ben keeps trying to remind me, "They're just excited for you Whitney...calm down, geez." But I think I'm at the point now to where I know when Aidyn is ready, and God knows it's the right time, things will happen accordingly. Yes, I'm totally ready and excited. Yes, I'm trying to do some things to help speed up the process, kinda (ha), but after like the millionth time hearing something to try - it gets old. I don't want to sound ungratelful or unappreciative of people's geniune advice and care, so I just try to smile and say "ok".

I've been doing squats (recommended by a friend at work - thanks Kim), taking Evening Primrose Oil vitamins (recommended by a friend at church - thanks Sarah), and eating grapes (recommended by Ben's grandmother), ha. I'm not real crazy about food suggestions, but I like grapes, so what can it hurt? If nothing else it's a natural, healthy fruit that's always beneficial for anyone to eat.

I haven't had any signs of labor such as "real" contractions or back pain other than just being really uncomfortable at night. But once I'm able to settle down and get to sleep - I always feel better in the morning, unfortunately. ;) We go back to the dr on Friday (just 3 days) and that will be exactly 1 wk until our due date. So, I'm hoping between squats, grapes, and EPO vitamins, we'll be told something good. I think if I hear that I'm still 1cm (like I was Jan.2)... I may cry, ha. So... let's all keep our fingers crossed that things are moving along by the time we get to the dr. Even if they say I'm just 2cm, at least that's progress.

38 Week Appointment

Ben and I went yesterday for my 38wk appointment. My appointment was at 3:15 and we got there a little early (about 2:50). They always take you straight back to check blood pressure, weight, and all that good stuff, but then you're sent right back out to the lobby area. After "holding steady" for so long, I can't believe I gained more weight. I'm not disappointed, it just seems weird that I hadn't gained in over a month and now that I'm on weekly visits it starts going back up. Usually you gain up until your last month and then things settle down, I thought. Go figure. Since last Wednesday I've gained 3 more pounds - so now I'm up to 141. Ben says that's probably a good thing since Aidyn is supposed to be growing about half a pound a wk now anyways. I tried telling myself it's partly because we had just come from a wonderful lunch at Jason's Deli (yum!) and I had a HUGE baked potato with broccoli and an ice cream cone.

At school a bunch of us always ordered out lunch on Fridays and several times we ordered from Jason's Deli. It's new to our area but REALLY good and always busy. We met one of my friends, Jennifer, there yesterday for lunch before the doctor. I was anticipating a huge mob of people because of the lunch crowd... and it was extremely busy - but the place is HUGE inside! I had never actually been to the place to eat. And the best part... they have FREE, yes I said FREE ice cream for customers that eat there. As much as you want! I started to get a 2nd cone for the road, ha, but Ben gave me this funny look and since I was headed to the dr I decided not to. Probably a good idea. :)

But anyways, Ben started getting annoyed because we got to the dr at 2:50 and at 3:40 they still hadn't called us back. I told him we got there almost 30 min early and that if we weren't called back by 3:50 then I would go ask. Luckily, we were. He absolutely hates waiting, and I do to, but I guess I try to look at it this way - things happen throughout the day and as the day progresses, you know they are going to slowly become more and more behind schedule. Oh well.

The dr didn't do any sort of examination since I've had one the last 2 weeks and nothing has changed. So I may still be 1cm, we don't really know. At first I was kinda disappointed, but I guess I'd rather not know then really be disappointed by being told it was still the same. She said my weight looks great and everything seems good to go, we're just waiting on Aidyn. She went over when to go to the hospital and that sort of thing: contractions 5 min apart for an hour. She said at this point it could be any day. I asked her about inducing and she said they usually don't discuss that until your 39wk appointment (which would be next wk for me). She said none of the doctors in my group let patients go past 41 weeks, but that they really try to wait and let things happen on their own. With inductions, evidently more moms end up having to have c-sections. Not because it harms the baby, but because nothing happens. She said if your body isn't ready to go on its own, the induction helps, but sometimes thing just don't progress like they would naturally and with it taking longer - mom becomes exhausted and once the water breaks they only give 24 hrs anyways.

I know I probably don't want a c-section, but I really don't want to wait an extra wk either, ha. So... I'm sorry I don't have any "exciting" news to share, but that's the latest. 2 weeks from our due date and still just waiting on Aidyn to decide he's ready. I'll keep you posted if we find out more before next Friday, that's our next appointment.

I'm supposed to go "weekly" and last time the receptionist tried scheduling an appt past a wk and one of the other girls said she couldn't do that. She said if there isn't anything the exact next week, then the appt needs to be scheduled earlier. I started to say something yesterday since next Friday would be a wk and 2 days, but I didn't. I figure that's exactly 1 wk till our due date, so hopefully if nothing happens by then we'll have a few extra days before going back to the dr. Keep your fingers crossed!

Day vs. Night

I think it's official that Aidyn has his days and nights mixed up... great! :) Aidyn is usually quite an active little guy, and when he wasn't in his normal "mood" yesterday, I got worried. I pushed on my belly to get him to move a little, but not like normal. Next I tried music. Ha. I took my iPod, turned the headphones up, and put those against my belly. Now, that got him going!!! It either totally freaked him out, or he really liked it, ha. So then I was relieved. He still wasn't as active as normal throughout the late afternoon, but he did begin to move a little more. THEN.... night rolled around. About 7pm he decided he was ready to be "up", and he didn't stop until this morning.

Ben went to bed without me lastnight because I wasn't tired and I didn't want to lay down and have a repeat of the night before. I decided to stay up until I was really tired and then hopefully I would be able to sleep better.

I ended up going to bed between 12:45am and 1am lastnight. I am not sure what time I woke up for my first "bathroom break" but I had slept really good up until that point and was excited. I knew the night would go better than Sunday. Next thing I knew I was up again hot and having to pee. I normally don't look at the clock when I get up because I don't really want to know what time it is. I'd rather not know it was just an hour since I'd previously been up, ha. But... lastnight I checked the clock. It was 4:10am. So, within 3 hours I thought I had been sleeping really well, but really I had already been up twice to use the bathroom or just woken up by Aidyn continuing his rounds of exercises.

I ended up moving into the office and slept on our futon until Ben got up for school at 6am. I slept some on the futon, but was continually woken up by Aidyn moving around. When Ben got up at 6am, I climbed back in bed and slept on and off until about 9am this morning.

I got up and got ready this morning to go run some errands and to visit my friends at work. I'm hoping maybe Aidyn will get "back on schedule" tonight as he has continued to move throughout the day. As I was standing in the checkout line at JCPennys I got tickled because it was as though my whole stomach took a huge leap to the right. I couldn't help but laugh. And he is still on the move. Hopefully by tonight he will decide it is indeed NIGHT time. We'll see.

Sleep... what sleep?

So lastnight was pretty much a "waste", if you can say that about sleeping. I may have slept a solid hour between 11:30ish and 6 this morning, I'm not sure. I tossed and turned unable to get comfortable and then when I finally would fall asleep, I would either wake up burning up or having to pee. Go figure.

I usually get up about every 2-3 hours and Ben normally sleeps right through it all. Not lastnight. He didn't sleep either. I would hear him start snoring and think, "Oh good, well atleast he's asleep now." But that never lasted long either. I felt bad for him since he had to actually get up and go to work this morning. Atleast I knew for myself, I could take a nap later if I wanted.

When his alarm went off 6am this morning, it was almost like a blessing. (Not for him I'm sure). But I went ahead and got up, used the bathroom once more... even though I think I had just laid back down from the bathroom not 20 minutes earlier, and headed downstairs. Sometimes I wake up hungry at night but would rather go back to sleep then "trek" downstairs and find something to eat. Plus, I figure by the time I do that I'll really be awake - and I'd rather sleep, if I can. :) So anyways, when his alarm went off this morning I got up and went downstairs to get some breakfast. Before doing that though, I thought it would be nice to fix his coffee and some breakfast. Ben usually gets the coffee ready the night before and just sets it to come on in the morning. He forgot lastnight, and with the lack of sleep I knew he'd be fighting this morning, I went ahead and started some for him. He also likes to eat muffins every morning for breakfast... which we had run out of. I had planned on making more this afternoon, but since I was up at 6am and wide awake at that, I thought - what the heck, I'll just make them now.

So on a day that I would normally be sleeping in, I was up at 6am making coffee, 2 pans of mini-muffins (which yields 48 total), eating cheerios for myself, and cleaning. I decided to get as much cleaning and straightening up done while I was up so that when I finally got tired, I could lay down and just sleep without worrying about Ben coming home and finding me asleep on the couch and the house a mess. :) With that being said, I was able to clean the kitchen, vacuum the rugs in the house, put laundry away, and straigten some things up before I started feeling tired. About 9am I closed the curtains in the living room and decided to lay down. Luckily, I was able to sleep until about 12-12:30 this afternoon. Ben has a basketball game tonight in Greeneville (about 30 min from here). The team will leave around 5:30 and be home around 9pm. So I plan on him coming home from school and just crashing or he'll be exhausted I know.

Hopefully we'll have better luck tonight. If not, I probably won't wait the entire night like lastnight. If tonight's the same, I figure I'll be heading to the couch downstairs and hopefully not keep Ben awake as well.

Baby Consult with Pediatrician

I went and met with Aidyn's pediatrician this morning (at 8am...yuck!) in the cold and freezing snow. :) One of the things I was looking forward to about maternity leave was the snowy days that I could just sit at home and actually enjoy for once. Teaching in a different county than where I live means we ALWAYS have school, always! Not that I'm complaining because there never is any reason for us to be out. But anyhow, today being the one day it snowed and Ben got to sleep in - I had to be at the dr office by 8am. Go figure. :)

I met with Dr.Pearson at First Choice Pediatrics in Johnson City. While I was sitting in the waiting area, one of my students actually came in for her well check-up. So I got to sit and talk with her and her mom for a little while about their Christmas and Aidyn. When I finally got to meet Dr.Pearson, he was very nice. He just gave me a quick "run down" of some of their procedures and a booklet that they give to all new parents about office procedures and frequently asked questions (about meds, coughs, sleeping, feeding, etc.).

After meeting with him for about 20 minutes we were on our way back to the lobby when we saw Gloria, the lactation consultant, on her way to her office. I've known Gloria for about 5 yrs now, so I am very excited that she works for the doctors that we'll be using. I actually taught her son in our school's summer program and after school program when he was in kindergarten. I think he's in 5th grade now.

Everything went well and was helpful, I guess. Dr.Pearson said they make two rounds a day at the hospital and so will be there to check on Aidyn the day he is born and each day afterwards until we are discharged to go home. I like that they will be checking on him and seeing him from the very beginning. He will schedule a 2-wk first check up before we leave the hospital unless he thinks he needs to see Aidyn sooner (due to jaundice or anything like that). I'm also glad to know that Gloria (the breastfeeding consultant) will be meeting with us at our first appointment and readily available through phone and email should I have any questions.

First Choice recommends that parents read a book called "Baby Wise" - they believe and follow the philosophy pretty closely. They were out of the book today and so was Books-A-Million, so I'll keep checking. Something I saw in the office handbook he gave me that I really liked was about parenting classes they offer... not that Ben and I will attend, althought I think it's a great idea, but it mentioned how the classes are "bibically based" and a lot of the recommending readings they listed were by Dr.James Dobson.

So not knowing a whole lot about the First Choice group, other than recommendations from other people, I feel like we have chosen a great group of pediatricians to look after and help us take care of Aidyn. :)

Ben's Birthday

Ben is disappointed he didn't get his birthday wish today...Aidyn being born. He has reminded me that we still have a few hours left if I would like to do some laps around the block (in 25 degree wind and snow) or do some squats (as suggested by a friend of mine from work). No thanks. :)

I feel more than ready for Aidyn to be here whenever he decides, but I'm not big on the idea of walking in the snow and freezing wind to make it come quicker, ha. Not yet anyways...ask me next week if nothing new has happened.

Since he didn't get his wish, I got him a couple other things for his birthday. Once of the things I got was a picture frame. At the top it said "Son", then had a place to put a picture, and at the bottom this poem (sorry it's hard to read):

The poem says...
"Just think, your son is not here just by chance, but by God's choosing. His hands formed him and made him the person he is. God compares him to no one else...he is one of a kind. Your son will lack nothing that God's grace can't give him. God has allowed your son to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation."

I thought this was very neat, especially since we hadn't planned on Aidyn...but God had. :) I told Ben once he is born, we will put their picture in the frame.

We also had our 37wk appointment today with the doctor. They were only planning on listening to the heart and measuring my stomach, but asked if I would like to be examined again. Trying to be optomistic for good news, I said yes. Unfortunately, no new changes have taken place. I am still only 1cm. :( We still have 23 days, but after last week's news of 1cm and Aidyn turning head down into the correct position, we were hoping for maybe atleast another cm. Oh well, there's still plenty of time.

We go back next Wednesday for my 38wk checkup. Hopefully we'll receive good news there if nothing happens between now and then.

Since today is a Wednesday, we still had our weekly youth group meeting at our house this evening. I made Ben's birthday cake lastnight and decorated it today. I attempted to write with icing on the cake, ha, good thing I don't secretly want to be a cake decorator. I also placed 26 candles that we made him blow out. :)

Here he is AFTER blowing out his candles. He got ready to blow them out and I yelled, "Wait!". He did, for like a second, and by the time my camera flashed, only smoke was left. Ugh!

Maternity Leave

Well, I'm "officially" on maternity leave as of yesterday, January 5th. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am to just sit at home, ha... but I hate just sitting at home. Our house is clean (really clean!) since we cleaned it for our shower Saturday, all the laundry is done (mostly), and the baby's room is ready with all of his clothes neatly folded and put away or hung in his closet. I have finished all of my thank you cards and will be mailing them out soon and have even baked a birthday cake for Ben - tomorrow is his birthday. The big 26!

I have tried finding some really great books to read - any suggestions? I've read Marley and Me, the John and Kate+8 book, and tried reading Twilight twice. Yes, tried. For whatever reason I just can't seem to get into it, which really frustrates me because I hear it really is a great book! I need to find a really good series (like Harry Potter, ha) that has plenty of books to keep me busy. I have a gift card to Mr.Ks Used Books and two to Books-A-Million, so I think I may go searching on Thursday after my appointment with Aidyn's pediatrician.

I was told that the doctors like you to have a "pre-appointment" before the baby is born. Luckily for me I get to meet with Aidyn's at 8am!!! Yuck! That is one thing I DO love about being at home... sleeping in! And even though I get to "sleep in", usually until about 9 or 9:30, when you wake up 3 times in the night to use the bathroom or because your back hurts and you have to reposition yourself, haha... I wouldn't really count that as sleeping in. More like - just trying to get some sleep. :)

We go back to the doctor tomorrow for my 37 wk appointment. Since I was dilated 1cm last week, I'm really hoping I'm further tomorrow, but I still have 23 days so I know I may not be. It's getting harder to sleep at night and my back has been hurting more lately. Nothing regular or unbearable, just sore. I borrowed my dad's back massager and that helps a lot! It's like a little chair seat that you sit on the coach and has 3 settings - lower back, middle, and top/neck. I've placed in on my rocking chair/glider and turn it on. aaaa, relief! :) Ben laughs because it is kinda loud and sounds like the whole house is vibrating.

Well - I'm up for any good book suggestions, so PLEASE leave a comment with any great books you've just finished up and I'll go check them out soon!

Baby Shower #5

We just had our last baby shower for Aidyn. We decided to have one last shower for family and friends at our house this past Saturday, January 3rd. My mom suggested having the shower at our house since so many people have been wanting to see the progress and changes we've made, and PLUS it would be easier than having to pack up all the gifts, bring them home, and unload everything. GREAT idea that I suggest to anyone planning a shower for friends and family. Everyone else also enjoyed coming to the house because they got to see Aidyn's room.

For those of you that might not know, Ben and I bought this house in Oct. 2006 and had to completely renovate the entire thing including electrical, plumbing, re-drywall all the walls, you name it, we (or our parents, ha) pretty much did it all. So we've still got some things to work on and finish up, but who doesn't?

We had a great baby shower and received a lot of wonderful things we were still needing for Aidyn. I have posted some pictures below of the afternoon.

People eating up at the wonderful "buffett" of chicken salad sandwiches, quesadillas, fruit, veggies, cheesecake, peanut butter pie, cookies, fudge, and much more...yum!

Here my grandmother, aunt, other grandmother, and cousin are enjoying the food and delcious punch before the "party" got started, ha.

Bath time numbers and letters! Poor Aidyn doesn't have a hope...

with a reading teacher as a mom and math teacher as a dad, he's destined to live a rough life, ha. Not to mention his dad also being a football and basketball coach. But luckily, we can start practing those numbers and letters soon. :)

Pacifier thermometer - what a great invention!

It's just like a regular pacifier except there is a little screen on the front that gives you a digital reading of the baby's temperature.

One-of-a-kind, Blue Devils play mat.
My mom made this "rug" or mat for Aidyn to play on. It's supposed to be a replica of the Blue Devils football stadium with the different sections of fans. After opening it, she took it back, ha... to finish. She had Ben draw out a football play so that she could go home and put the players on the field. She is using pictures of Ben from when he played football as the players and pictures of me in a cheerleading costume from Halloween as the cheerleaders. She is so creative!

Our baby swing that I know will come in handy!




After everyone left, we sat around and talked with some of our friends. I was so lucky to have my friend Aimee in town from Nashville and my two friends Heather and Joni also at the shower. They live in Johnson City but it seems like we only get to see each other once a year. It was nice to just sit and relax and chat a while. You can see Heather's little boy in the picture too. He's a cutie!

(Joni, Heather, me, Ben, and Drake)

After everyone left, my mom tried getting some "pregnancy pictures" as she calls them. She loves taking photos and having people pose to get the "right light" and angles. :) We took several photos of me looking out Aidyn's bedroom window, but I liked this one the best. It's kinda hard to see because of the light, but I think it turned out pretty good.

Then it was time for one last photo, mom and dad (to be).

Ben hates pictures, but we got a pretty good one. Then my mom had to say, "Now, turn and look into each other's eyes like you really love each other." Ofcourse Ben and I lost it laughing and he just started walking away.