Leaving on a Jet Plane

My mom left early this morning to go back home to KY. She was here with us for a total of three weeks. I must admit, when we first discussed her staying three weeks, I couldn't help wondering if the two of us being together under the same roof for three weeks would maybe be a bit much. But there were no arguments, no getting on each others' nerves, no needing extra space. The only problem seemed to be that the three weeks went by WAY too quickly!

I really loved having her here. She was such a BIG help in so many ways. At the hospital, she would get me juice all the time, hold back my hair when I was nauseous from the pain meds, she gave me foot massages, and just loved on all of us. At home, she continued to make sure I always had enough to drink and eat (esp when I was nursing), she still gave me foot massages, she was a great baby-burper, and she played with Camden lots to make sure he didn't feel left out. She made wonderful meals for us, including my very favorite meal ever. She reminded me to take it easy (b/c I have this tendency to take on more than I should and feel like I can do it all!). And it was just nice to have my mom with us to share the time.

Some of the things Mammaw Melly did with Camden. They played soccer about every day!

I know our home will seem a little bit bigger and quieter now that she's not here. I already miss her being here with us. Having Aiden and having family visit us has made me miss being in KY already. We knew this would be harder when we started having more kids. Camden had established strong relationships with everyone before we moved so far away, but this baby is coming into the world with his family hours away. We hope to be able to help him foster such strong relationships with them but know it will be more difficult being in different states. We already have a webcam to communicate via video with the grandparents - in hopes that this will help Aiden get to know them all better (versus just hearing their voices on the phone). My dad has one already, mom will be rushing out to get one as soon as she gets home, and we're hoping Ryan's parents will join us with this, too! Still, it's not the same as being so close to them all.

Anyone want to take any bets on how long it will take us to move back "home"??

Tidbits about our little Aiden

Every day we are learning new things about our Aiden. Here are a few things about him...

*He HATES having his diaper or clothes changed! It really gets him riled up!
*He has a birthmark on his left thigh
*He smells like baby - one of the best smells in the world!
*He can sleep through ANYthing! If it weren't for him passing the hearing test in the hospital, we might wonder... We place him in the living room during the day and go on as usual - nothing waking him up! (You can be holding him and cough, turn on the vacuum next to him, etc, and he sleeps away, never even flinching.)
*Even when we try to wake him, it's nearly impossible!
*He wants to nurse just about any time Mom is near and every time she holds him. If he smells me or I touch his face, he immediately wants to nurse.
*He sleeps much better if he is swaddled.
*He might fuss a tiny bit when we're swaddling him, but the moment we're done, he's content.
*He only really fusses at three times (well, four, kind of): diaper/clothes changings, sponge bath (we're wondering how a real bath will go!), and when he's hungry. Otherwise, he's calm and content.
*He does NOT like the pacifier! He will take it occasionally (we only use it when he wants to nurse but really is full - he likes the sucking action and it puts him to sleep). He makes the most terrible face when you try to give it to him!
*He might take the paci every now and then, but he sleeps better if he's nursed.
*He will nurse just for the sake of nursing, even if he's full. That means I have to be aware of that b/c he *will* throw up everything if he nurses when he's full.
*This kid is HARD to burp!!
*Aiden can be passed around while he sleeps and will just sleep through it all. I can move him from the bedroom to the living room or carry him around, and he stays out.
*He looks so much like his daddy!! He has Ryan's lips, nose, fingers, and toes. He does have mommy's skin color (more of a mix between mom's and dad's) and hair color. Like one of our OB's said, he's a little Ryan!
*He's not a spitter-upper (unless I let him eat more than he needs! Then it all comes up!). Camden was a big-time spitter-upper - meaning every time he ate, a bunch would come back out. So I really appreciate that Aiden is not one.

Basically, we have a pretty easy-going baby (so far)! He is just adorable, and we LOVE getting to know every little thing about him.

OUR Birth Story

Like we said in the last post, the c-section went very well, and we are now just spending the time falling in love with our little baby boy.

There is, of course, more to the story, and I finally have a little time to sit down and write it out (well, maybe bits and pieces here and there).

I was pretty nervous about the c-section, to be honest. Not the surgery itself but the spinal and the meds making me sick was worrying me. I hate getting shots - esp big huge ones in my back when I am only around strangers. But the nurses were awesome and did a great job distracting me, and the spinal wasn't all that bad - not compared to getting it in an emergency for my c-section with Camden. In fact, the whole procedure was so different this time b/c it wasn't rushed and I wasn't throwing up. It was calm and exciting, and I was able to be aware of everything going on. One time the anesthesiologist did have to remind me to breathe, though! I said, "I wasn't breathing?" Really thought I was, but I guess I was just so focused on listening to the doctors and nurses doing the procedure. So from then on, I paid close attention to every breath I took - while listening to the rest. I remember the doctor holding Aiden up so I could see his face over the blue sheet - right after she delivered him. I saw his wet dark hair, his red face, and his mouth open crying. It was really incredible.

Afterwards, I actually got to have Aiden with me. I even held him while I was pushed back into the recovery room and then got to nurse him immediately. With Camden, I didn't get to see him for a couple hours after the delivery, so this was a big deal to me.

There are many things we want to remember from that day and from the rest of our hospital stay - and honestly, some things we don't. There was a lot of good and also some bad. Nobody's story is perfect, right? Here are some pieces of our story...

CONS:

Like I said, no sickness from the spinal this time around. They gave me Zofran through an IV (this happens to be the same medicine I had been taking for the morning sickness, but it's much stronger through an IV and worked wonders!). Afterwards, for pain, I was given Percocet. Apparently, I react to some narcotics with severe nausea... So on day 2 (since I already had Zofran in my system during day 1), it hit again. They still hadn't taken my IV out, which was good, b/c I had to have two doses of Zofran given to me again. Same thing the next day. Day 4, though, saw me still getting sick (threw up a couple times - no fun when you still have staples in your abdomen!) even with the Zofran. So, when I ask for more anti-emetic (anti-nausea) meds, they gave me Phenergan, which knocks me out! I had also requested more pain meds, and the dr was ordering me something different. Well, the nurses didn't give me that, even though it was due - and I slept for over an hour. By the time I woke up, I was three hours past due for pain meds - and was in severe pain!! They gave me Vicodin, which is apparently slow acting (thanks, right?! seeing how I'm already late for the meds) and also didn't do a single thing for me! Then they gave me something else (Dilaudid), but it also meant I had to stay longer in the hospital to see how I reacted before they let me go home. (We got out at 7pm instead of 11am.)

On Day 3, Mammaw Melly noticed a rough spot on Aiden's little tushie. We were told to take him to the nursery to see the Ped (which should get him seen faster than waiting for the Dr. to come to us). FIVE doctors looked at the spot and couldn't tell what it was, so the on-call dermatologist came by when making rounds. She thought - maybe a birth mark (but we hadn't noticed this until just that day!). The main derm dr looked at it, too, and they still weren't sure. They ended up coming by the next day to do a skin biopsy on him. Yes, that means they had to numb him with lidocaine and take some of his tushie skin off to get a better look at what was going on. We wouldn't get a call until Monday (this was with a rush put on the results) and would come in later for a follow-up. Needless to say, we were pretty worried. They thought it would just be some inflammation and said it might be fibrous tissue hamartoma, which would be benign. The biopsy was to be sure. Scary stuff to hear when it's your newborn baby.

Day 3 we also find out that Aiden was a little jaundiced and that he would need to have his billirubin checked a THIRD time. He has a different blood type than me, so they said that's why he was already checked twice. We weren't told his results from the second test was so high until the day after...). So we had to wait to be discharged on Day 4 due to this, too. The poor guy came home with a bruise on one of his heel from all the squeezing they had to do from all these tests to get enough blood out for them. :( His levels did turn out ok enough to come home, though, with orders to breastfeed as much as he wanted and would.

Day 4 - supposed to be doing all this breastfeeding, which had gone tremendously well thus far. But he was sleeping ALL day this day - apparently another sign of the jaundice. So I was really engorged and not feeling all that well in that area! I had to finally get a pump and express my milk that way while the little guy snoozed away.

Before being discharged, the dr wrote the prescriptions for the new meds I would need. She said I could take two Dilaudid at a time, though the nurse gave me only 1 - and I needed the two! The nurse later almost refused to give me the extra one before leaving b/c the doctors "orders" stated only one. She finally gave it up right when we were about to leave.

We had stated multiple times that Aiden NOT receive the Hep B vax while at the hospital - because we were asked multiple times. (We're not against vaxing but have a different schedule that is approved by his dr and will get the vax later on.) One nurse even asked us THREE times, as if she never heard it when we declined. When leaving, we are handed the paper to show all immunizations given, dates, dr signatures, etc. On it is written that he got the Hep B!!! Ryan did not take this lying down (I love him!) and demanded to find out why that was on there and that they make sure it was incorrect. The nurse wanted to smooth it over and say she was sure it wasn't - and it turns out he most likely wasn't (he was always with us except to be weighed each night, she says they write this on all of the papers before the child ever gets the vax - what a crappy procedure, huh? - we never saw any mark where the shot would have been, it was in the computer that we declined, etc, etc.). But there's no way to be 100% sure, is there? She had to admit there wasn't.

On Aiden's discharge paperwork, it is stated that his blood type is O+ in one place and A+ in another. We were told A+ (I am O+), but why would they have it written as two different types??? So what do we do? Well, we have to get him retested b/c who really knows which one is right?

The hospital staff made Aiden's first ped appt but made it with the wrong dr. Not a huge deal, but he had to see the other guy for the first appt and we had to explain a million times to everyone why he should see this other person the next time around. Just kind of annoying, but small compared to some of the other stuff we had to deal with.

I have a lot of sores from where the tape was around my incision dressings. The dr said my skin had been "burned" by it. I still have the marks - you can see where it outlined the tape. Not much fun. I also had to have the IV left in for much longer than expected due to needing nausea meds. Each time they used it, they had to flush it out. They eventually had to remove it b/c it was getting to be too much and was really painful. My arm is STILL numb from where all the fluids were in my arm next to the IV.

When leaving, we were given three prescriptions for me to fill (for pain and nausea). Two were pain meds - the Dilaudid and Motrin (800 mg). Even if I only took one Dilaudid at a time, they would only last a couple days - and no refills! We weren't sure if I was supposed to take both that and the Motrin together, so when we called on Monday, we were told I was really supposed to take the Motrin and then only take the Dilaudid as needed. I was not a happy camper! ONLY Motrin? Ha. We tried it that night, and it was the most painful night I have had (including at the hospital!!!). I'm annoyed they didn't give us these directions to begin with, either. Hmmm.... And I keep hearing from people, "You're taking Dilaudid? That stuff is GREAT!" Ummmm - maybe for you. I feel like it doesn't do a whole lot, to be honest.

I got quite annoyed with some of the nurses there - telling me to "cover him up!!" when I would uncover him some to help him wake up to eat (I do know what I'm doing!!), acting like I was crazy about being nauseous (until they saw me sitting next to the toilet and had my mother explain how white I got before I jumped out of the bed to make it there - and you don't typically "jump" anywhere after abdominal surgery...), the constant reminders that they do have lactation consultants and encourage me to take advantage if I need one (why would they think that when the baby was nursing better than most newborns - which they would then notice once they saw him), and other things, some already mentioned. I don't know how many times I rolled my eyes and thought - I DO know what I'm doing, you know. I didn't really say much b/c they were, after all, the ones giving me my meds and other special treatment I or Aiden needed.

Hospital Food!! Ugh. Not just the taste of the food itself but how about the fact that they never got the orders correct? There were always two or three things missing. So I ate a lot of snacks and things others brought in on top of the meals there. Or Ryan would have to go to the cafeteria to get his meal and would get enough for me, too. Glad to be home eating what I choose now. :)

We chose to deliver at Duke b/c it is supposed to be the best place to be - we were somewhat disappointed with many things. Can you tell?

PROS:

I wasn't nauseous at all during the day of the surgery. That was quite a relief!!

I had awesome nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists working with me during the surgery. They made it a great experience for me!

I got to nurse Aiden RIGHT AWAY after he was born, like 15 minutes after he actually was pulled from my uterus. I got to hold him while I was wheeled from the OR to the Recovery room and then nursed him immediately. He was READY to nurse as soon as he was born and we had no problems whatsoever! What a blessing!

Everyone took the tushie spot very seriously. That was nice to see.

I got the pump stuff from the hospital for free b/c I needed it, so insurance covered it. It is to go with a machine but can also be used as a hand pump (which is all I would need anyway). It's also the brand I was going to use, and now we can take back the one we were given as a gift and get something else since we don't need two. Nice plus, I would say. Those things aren't cheap!

My hubby is awesome! He showered me once I finally had the bandages removed from my incision. He dealt with all the yucky stuff that I couldn't help and showed me more love than I would have expected from anyone. He also stood up big time to the nurse when we were getting discharged. That poor lady wasn't personally responsible for any of the stuff happening, but she got the brunt of it and had to deal with us for quite a while before we left. He knew I was getting upset, reminded me that he would take care of it all, and he did. He is really awesome, and I am so thankful for him.

My hubby stayed at the hospital the entire time! And this was without me asking him at all. His idea! His "bed" was not at all uncomfortable, yet he never complained. He WANTED to be there and played a major role in everything! He is going to be (and already is) an incredible father.

Ryan is also really on board with using the gdiapers after the whole tushie thing, even though the disposables didn't cause it. He doesn't want those nasty things on his bottom now (with the exception of the occasional 7th Generation diaper when needed), and he's also not so crazy about using those regular wipes, either. I think officially becoming a father has helped him to think more about what we do to our child (instead of just accepting what is traditionally done in our society) and try to do what is better for him.

One of the doctors (the one working with finding meds that didn't make me nauseous) was pretty funny. She said "let's get you out of here so you can deal with people who have some common sense" after hearing some of the things the nurses had told us (such as a nurse told me I could NOT have an ice pack to put on my incision site b/c it was not part of the doctor's orders!). She also saw the gdiapers and said, "Oh, these are those new biodiapers!" She thought they were really cool. :)

We also settled on our circumcision decision... This was a tough one. Both Ryan and I kept going back and forth. He was slightly more for at times, while I was more against most times. But we were both wishy-washy and were having the hardest time making a final decision that we were completely comfortable with. One dr said, "If you're not 100% sure about a surgery, you shouldn't do it." Another agreed and even said how she regretted doing a circ on her son (you usually don't hear regrets about that, and it was nice to hear). Neither of them were biased (even if this sounds like it) and supported either decision but agreed that we needed to be sure before doing either. So - we defaulted to our original decision - if we can't find a very good reason TO DO something like this, we simply won't. So we left with him being fully intact. The great thing is we both felt by this time that it was really the right thing to do. Like I told Ryan at one point, I'm not ok with us just compromising on this decision - we both need to agree on it whole-heartedly. It's not a minor decision, and we ended up seeing it the same way. That's a good feeling, and we're satisfied.

And of course - the best PRO is that we got the most amazing little boy out of all of this, making everything worthwhile!!! I would do it all over again 100 times and more.

Happy Birthday, Aiden!!!

Baby Aiden Joseph is here!!

The c-section went really well. They gave mom a bunch of meds for nausea (so I didn't vomit during the entire procedure like I did with my first), and that made all the difference! I was nervous about getting the spinal, but there were some AWESOME nurses, anesthesiologists, and doctors working with me, and they helped so much! We even got to do the surgery earlier than planned, which was great, too! It meant we got to meet our new baby that much sooner!

Aiden was born at 10:39am. He weighed in at only 8lbs, 11oz (we expected at least 9lbs, and compared to Camden being 11, this is small!) and measured 20in. long. We were surprised to see a head full of dark hair!! He wanted to nurse right away and took right to it - a pro from the start! He nursed as soon as we got into the recovery room (directly after the surgery was finished) and then went to have his first bath, have his glucose tested (which they do if the baby is over a certain weight - and he was fine each time they checked), etc. Other than that, he's been sleeping away!

Mom has been experiencing the expected pain after the c-section. But I'm not complaining TOO much since I remember how horrible it was to have this pain on top of the day FULL of throwing up when Camden was born. (Not a good mix with surgery in the abdominal region...) I'm taking some "good" meds, am not feeling much difference with them, but am keeping things in perspective. I did get a perfect baby out of this, after all. What's some pain, right? ;)

Camden has been so excited to meet his new brother. He waited anxiously for him to wake up so he could finally hold him! Daddy got to change Aiden's first diaper, which was, of course, dirty - and as he put on the new diaper, he peed into it - so he got to change it again! Aiden looks a lot like Ryan. I knew it ever since we saw the first ultrasound - Aiden has daddy's lips! :) We also think he has Ryan's toes and fingers. And we think he might have mommy's dark skin, but we're still waiting to be sure. He definitely has my dark hair, though!

Here are some of Aiden's first pictures. You can click on the slideshow to view them in the album if you prefer.



We'll give more updates later! Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts. We are so very thankful for such a perfect baby boy!!!

Sunday through Today

Sunday was a big day here... My mom flew in to stay for a few weeks, and CAMDEN CAME HOME! Ryan drove to the meeting point to get him, since I can't go that far. Mom and I were at the grocery when they got in, and I came in the door saying "Where is my baby???" He came running into my arms and hugged and hugged (and hugged) me. What better feeling is there of your child running into your arms like that??? I can't think of anything!

Today is the big day... We're about to leave for the hospital! I wasn't sure how I would sleep last night, but it was pretty much the same as other nights. I think Aiden knows something is going down today, though. Last night he was moving like CRAZY! And oh man, the pressure!!! That was not fun. Really hurt, to be honest. I wasn't sure if he was trying to say - hey, I'm ready to come out of here! or hey, I'm NOT ready to come out! Hmm.... Like Camden said to him yesterday, ready or not! ;)

I woke up Camden this morning, and the first thing he did was reach over to my belly, patted it, and said, You ready to come out today?? Very cute. I think he's pretty ready to become a big brother! I can't wait to see them together!!

NOT Yet! ~ Update!

Went to the dr today and had an exam to check things out. While Aiden is way down there (I didn't need an exam to tell me that - I know quite on my own!), my cervix is not open. So the dr says I shouldn't be going early. That's very reassuring! :)

See you Wednesday, Aiden!!!

Not YET!

So it is exactly one week before the scheduled c-section... And for the past week, I have been worried over every single contraction I have. Maybe it's silly, but maybe not... In the past 2 hours and ten minutes, I have had 8 contractions. Not what I am wanting. Remember - we really want this guy to wait until next Wednesday before he arrives because Ryan will then get an extra 3 weeks off from work (paid!). I'm feeling the pressure in a number of ways............................

Please pray, send out thoughts, whatever it is you do - that this little guy can stay in there one more week!

More Than My Belly

I had a dream the other night. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, couldn't stop thinking. The dream wasn't directly related to Aiden being born, and I actually can't remember now what the dream was about, but I know it made me realize something I hadn't consciously been aware of.

I have been telling Ryan that I'm not sure I'm quite ready for the little guy to come out of my belly and into the "real world." It's not that I'm not ready to hold him and take care of him. I just love having him in there and with me all the time, with just me (yes, I'll admit that!). Right now, he's all mine, but soon I'll have to share him. We joke about that because once he's out, Ryan will get to take him, too. He'll tell Aiden through my belly, mommy will have to share you with me soon!

But what got me thinking this night when I woke up was the fact that, I have to share him with the world now, but in a different way. In my belly, I am the one taking care of him. I take care of myself, and he gets everything he needs through me. I know he is safe and healthy in there. He has everything he needs. Once he is out in the world, though, he is exposed to so much more. I'm not just talking about germs and such, though that's there, too. Other people can affect him, can do him good or harm, can teach him things, can expose him to all sorts of things. I'm not at all worried about Ryan taking care of him. I know he will be fantastic. But I have to think about how others will treat him, what they can and will do to him and for him. I have to worry about what he'll learn, what he'll eat, wear, everything.

The world can be a scary place, and now Aiden will be exposed to that instead of only experiencing the warmth and safety of my belly. He will soon be able to experience discomfort, pain, cold, hunger. There is just so much that can affect him once he's out of me, and there is so much to consider. I love having him in my belly and knowing that he is in the best place possible. Don't get me wrong, I'm not scared. Just as all you other parents, I want the best for my child. I want to know he's protected, he's happy, and that he's getting the absolute best he can possibly have. And soon it will take more than my body to ensure that.

Differences

They say that no two children in a family are alike. I think that pregnancy is the same way! There have been some similarities, but there have been a lot of differences between my pregnancy with Camden and this one with Aiden.

Yeah, I still got the severe morning sickness, but this time was worse, I do believe. Never had meds with Camden, though I remember how sick I was through month 5. Not a lot of fun to be dry heaving all day and have to cut back to part time at work b/c I couldn't make it in due to being so sick. But this time, it got too bad NOT to have any meds. I'm still on them. I've been wondering - do I really still need them even now? I've tried to go off a few times, even though I just take one pill when I get up now. But this morning, I forgot! I kept wondering why I was so nauseous when I ate the same thing for breakfast and then when I was still sick to my stomach before it was lunch time. Finally it hit me - didn't take your meds today!! So, yeah, still need them.

With Camden, I got these horrible, horrible leg cramps in the middle of the night - all the time. What a way to wake up, huh? This time, I kept waiting for them. I've had maybe two. I take measures to try not to have them, such as not stretching my legs when I wake up. I always feel that the muscles are so tight and am sure that if I stretch them out before I get up and walk around, surely I'll have a cramp. Not sure if that's made any difference, but I haven't had cramps like I did before. That's been really nice!

I also had heartburn like crazy with Camden!! I carried Tums around in my purse and popped them like candy all day long! I was prepared early on this time. I have some in the bathroom, in my purse, etc, etc. I think I have taken Tums twice! But I'm not complaining. At all.

I can't remember how often I had to get up in the middle of the night during the last pregnancy - to pee, of course. But I'm sure I did it plenty. This time - nope. I think I have woken up and had to go ONE time! Now, I do take measures to help with this, of course. I stop drinking after a certain time each night (or at least only take a few sips if I really need it). I go before I get into bed, and then I read until I'm falling asleep - and am sure to get up and make sure my bladder is as empty as possible before sleep comes. It seems to have worked. I've been thinking this for a while but was afraid to voice it and have my luck change! I think it's pretty safe to say at this point, though. It's been nice not to have to get out of bed in the middle of the night. I do wake up lots, but I'm one of those people that just can't go right back to sleep if I get up. So I am VERY thankful!!!

Weight gain... This one is a little funny to me. I have gained less this time around, but my ending weight is about the same with Aiden as it was with Camden. I started out about 20lbs smaller prepregnancy with Camden and ended up about the same. I wonder if a woman's body just knows where she needs to be or something like that. Hmmm.... Not sure.

I didn't get Braxton Hicks contractions with Camden, which is not abnormal with a first. And with this one, I started getting them at 13 weeks. That's been different for me. I get them all the time right now, but I can tell they're still just BH contractions. Every time I get one, though, I pay close attention to how long it lasts, how often it happens, etc, etc. I am so aware of every tiny little thing that happens to my body right now!

With Camden, I'm sure I had some back problems and sore muscles. But man, this time around it is killing me!! I am aware that much of it is due to some areas being out of alignment, after going to physical therapy for a while. My pelvic area is better over the last month, though it's a little worse now that he's moved down there and pushes on the bones more... My back, though - wow! Now that is just nonstop. That and the pain from my ribs being pushed out, too.

Sorry if it sounds like I went back to complaining there... Not intending to. But these are some of the major differences I have noticed from the two pregnancies. It makes me wonder how the third will be and what other differences I will experience. And yes, there will be a third (at least). ;)

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane...

Ok, so not really - I'm not going anywhere on any kind of plane. But that song has been in my head for the past week.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go....

The hospital bags are all packed just in case - my bag, Ryan's bag, laptop, cameras, everything! All that's left is a few things I still use everyday, and I've got my list ready for that. What a way to make his arrival so REAL other than packing hospital bags. Wow! It also meant that, not only did I have to pack my things (or Ryan's or Camden's), but I had to get AIDEN'S things ready! I had to sterilize his pacifiers (b/c I want him having the ones I have picked out, not what the hospital gives the babies), get his going-home outfit, pack scratch mittens, nursing items I need, and some other little things.

Aiden's going home outfit is really special, sentimental. When Camden was born, my mom made his Christening gown, and he wore that home from the hospital. Of course, nobody expected him to be soooo big, so we couldn't even close the back of the gown! But he still wore it. Nine years later, it's still in perfect condition and waiting for Aiden to wear it home, as well. It will mean so much for him to be able to wear it just like his big brother did!

Camden in his Christening gown that Mammaw Melly made

A Little Grumbling...Topped Off With GOOD Thoughts

So now that I'm in the "final stretch" things are getting even more uncomfortable. You other moms know what I'm talking about. I'm really trying to focus on the great experiences from the pregnancy, but I want to take just a moment to complain a bit. Then I'll be done with it. :)

• I am not sleeping well AT ALL, of course. I was getting these annoying leg pains when sleeping. Whichever side I was sleeping on, that leg would hurt, waking me up. I would turn over - which is nothing easy at this point!! - to the other side. The leg would stop hurting, but an hour later, I'm awake again from the other leg, the one I am now lying on. Back and forth all night. Waking up every hour or two just to switch sides. The dr said this was normal, actually - from pressure on my nerves from the baby weight. So I've finally found a sort of solution... I am not wedged between two pillows, one on each side, so that I am not on my back or my side (if that makes sense at all!). No more leg problems, but I'm still waking up every hour or two, and it's not really all that comfortable.

• My back is killing me! Nonstop. Upper. Lower. You name it - it hurts.

• Every time I move, I sound like it's the most difficult thing ever. I have to put so much effort into getting up, down, everything which means all this huffing and puffing and then big sighs once I'm done with all the work (yes, even from just getting up sometimes!). I can't seem to do anything without making a bunch of noise!

• Oh, and if I for some reason need to sit on the floor...just try to watch me get up! If Ryan's not around to help, getting up involves both hands, knees, and all sorts of struggling...

• Every time I move, I have a contraction. No, they're still Braxton Hicks - no labor (thankfully!) yet. But it's still happening all the time, it seems. My whole belly gets hard for a minute or so every time I bend or lean over, and whenever I do all sorts of things! Of course I can't bend much... It can be pretty funny to watch, I'm sure.

• Sitting down is even uncomfortable sometimes. Now that Aiden has moved down a bunch more, I feel like I'm squishing him at times! And when he moves, he'll move onto my bladder suddenly, then off again, on again... You get the picture.

• My belly is definitely outgrowing my maternity clothes at this point. I am constantly having to pull down my shirts to cover it all the way (that is - the ones that I can still wear, which are few).

• Every little thing I do is exhausting! Man - just fixing my hair does me in! Sometimes just standing for a bit has me feeling weak and out of it.

But none of that's stopping me!!! Regardless of how difficult every little thing seems to be these days, I still LOVE being pregnant! People are already assuming that I am anxious to NOT be pregnant anymore and that I'm just miserable. Well, sometimes I'm a bit miserable, I suppose - but I am certainly not anxious to not be pregnant! I am not going to wish away the last couple weeks when I know that once it's over, it's over. Yes, I can't wait to have my little boy in my arms. I still love him being in my belly, though. I get him all to myself and have him with me every second of the day. All I have to do is put my hand on my belly, and I can feel him moving around in there.

I can even watch him and feel him practicing his breathing! My belly will barely move up and down as he "breathes" in my tummy. It's really amazing!

I know I am going to miss being pregnant. I have been looking forward to it for so long, and nine months (well, it's really 10 now isn't it?) does go by so quickly! And I already know that as hard as pregnancy can be for me, I can't wait to do it again!

Totally fits!

So this is the card that Ryan gave me for our anniversary. I laughed out loud when I saw it because it totally fits me! Yes, I will stick out my tongue and go "pbth" plenty. ;) (Oh, he does his fair share, too! But it's all in good fun.)

Inside: Making faces behind the back of whoever's acting childish helps, too.

And yes, we both make plenty of faces at one another - we don't bother with doing it behind each other's backs, though! :)

I just thought the card was hilarious. Totally us!!

Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversary!!!

July 15th was my and Ryan's 2nd wedding anniversary. We celebrated the way we normally do (yes, I know it's only been two years, so it might sound silly to say "normally" but we did this the day after our wedding and for each anniversary since and plan on continuing...) - by having dinner at The Melting Pot.

Oh yummy. It was so good. I kept telling Aiden that he needed to move down to make room for all the food I was eating b/c I WAS going to eat it, regardless of how full I might have felt! Haha! There would be no stopping - especially once dessert came our way! It was a great night, and once again we sat in the special, intimate seating areas down "Lover's Lane" (yes, it's really called that), where we had curtains we could even close for privacy if we wanted, which we actually didn't use this year - it gets too hot in there if you do...(from the steam from the food, people!!! geez.... I can hear some of you making little comments about that already. You know who you are!).

Dinner at The Melting Pot in Durham


Yummy! Dessert!!!

And a couple wedding pics :)

Showered with (even more!) Baby Gifts!

This past weekend, we traveled out of town for the last time until the baby comes. I think Ryan's mom was a bit nervous having us so far away from home and me being 36 weeks, but it went well. The traveling wasn't too bad (the trip before was a few hours more driving, so this wasn't a big deal! Haha!), and we took it easy over the weekend. We went to Huntington for a baby shower where we got a lot of nice things. Someone even found some gDiapers for us! It was really cool. She said she heard we were having a "green" baby and gave us some of the gDiapers, some Seventh Generation wipes, and packed them in a reusable back from Whole Foods. I thought it was really cool. (And yes, we are having a "green" baby! And we do use the reusable grocery bags, too!) :)

We also got another homemade quilt, this one from Ryan's sister Rachel. I had no idea she could sew like this! It is beautiful!!! Here are a just a couple pics...

Rachel's quilt for Aiden


Me and Ryan with our moms :)

How do you make such BIG babies??

This was the first thing the nurse said to me today at the dr office.

We were in for our visit, with questions in hand (as always!), one of which was if they were going to try to estimate Aiden's size/weight. I know they can't know for sure and a guess is just that, but I am just so curious! I know he's not as big as Camden was when he was born b/c I am not showing that big. But I'm still big and am so curious as to how big Aiden will be. Since we had the cool lady and it was a really early appt (VERY early, so nobody else was hardly there), she said, let's go see! We did a quick ultrasound and got to peek in at our little guy! I was soooo excited!!!

Based on his measurements (head, spine, legs, etc), he is estimated to be 7.4 lbs right now, so she guesses he'll at least be 9lbs when he's born, considering I don't go into labor before the c-section is scheduled. So, yeah, he's not going to be as big as Camden was, but he still should be a big guy. The first thing she said when we saw him was that he IS big. "How do you make such big babies? And with you so small!!" I don't know, but apparently I do!

The ultrasound pics weren't that good and clear this time around. We weren't in for a long one, and he's bigger now, too. Plus, the good machines are at the hospital (where they do the routine ultrasounds). But here is one we got from today that shows his face. The white on the right side is his hair - looks like a crew cut (kind of like dad's hair, huh? haha!). You can see his eye with a little white line under it - that's his eye lashes. So cool that we can see even that. She tried to get a 3 or 4 D pic of his face, but he kept putting his arm over it, making it pretty much impossible. His head was so low down and turned to the back, so it was hard to get a face pic at all to begin with.

Aiden's face at 35 weeks

She also measured my belly, and this time around I do not measure on target - I measure two weeks over (37). I have definitely noticed a difference in the belly lately, especially since I seem to be outgrowing my maternity tops! (Yikes!) And when Aiden moves around now, it can REALLY hurt! Not that I'm complaining. I'll take the bad with the good. :)

We also double checked...and Aiden IS still a BOY. Nice to know. :) Oh, and I really do think he has Ryan's lips.

Aiden's Official "DUE" Date

Officially, Aiden's due date is August 10th, but since Camden was sooo big (11lbs), the drs are going to do a c-section the week before. That size is too big to risk delivering naturally after I've already had a c-section.

So....we were recently told we would need to do the section between Aug 3-5, and we had kind of settled on the 4th. But then...Ryan's work interfered. They have a great paternity leave - he first has to take 3 weeks vacation (which is no problem b/c he gets plenty vacation time from Duke to begin with), and he is then given another 3 weeks paid paternity leave - giving him 6 weeks at home with our new baby (paid)!

BUT they just told him that the "qualifying event" (Aiden being born) must occur on or after he has been with Duke for 12 months. That 12 month mark - August 6th. Are we cutting it close or what?? So the drs say it should be fine to move the section back to the 6th. It's annoying that they can't be a little flexible with one or two days (or even allowing him to take extra vacation time to make up for it), but we are also grateful that the timing is as close as it is and that we *should* be able to make it.

Now we just have to hope and pray that I don't go into labor early... That would not be good! It would be great to have that 3 weeks paid time off! I was induced with Camden on his due date, not going into labor on my own before that, so I'm not too worried. But you never know!!

We still have yet to meet the dr that is on the schedule the 6th, so that is our next move - to meet with her as much as possible between now and then. If we don't like her, a dr we do know and like is on the schedule on the 7th. But this lady has much more experience and we've heard good things about her, so let's keep our fingers crossed. (She's actually booked with appts until the end of August, but I refuse to have a dr I don't know deliver my baby if I have anything to say about it - and I will have things to say about it.)

So - that's that. As of now, Aiden will be joining us on August the 6th at Duke Hospital. And I plan on TRYING to keep July as stress-free as possible and doing as little as possible so that I *hopefully* do not go into labor early!

***********

UPDATE - we have scheduled the rest of our dr appts since we will be meeting weekly from now on. And they managed to get us two appts with the dr that will be doing the c-section. :) I told Ryan ahead of time that I required meeting with her at least twice if she was going to be doing major surgery on me (I think that is quite reasonable of me to expect, too!), and he made that happen. We've heard she's a great dr, and she is one of the main ones at the practice, so we feel pretty good about her - and are looking forward to getting to meet her now.

Please keep us in your prayers that Aiden will stay put until the 6th! Some people have commented that I look like I have dropped some already - and looking at my weekly pictures and basing things on what I (and HE) feels like, I think I have some. I continue to get BH contractions, though they are a little stronger than what they were before (I've been getting them since week 13, though, so that doesn't really say much for now...). The little guy is definitely getting bigger. He's running out of room but still tries to move as much, so I'm constantly yelling "Ouch!" and trying to push him back in a bit so he doesn't hurt as much. And I'm starting to outgrow many of my maternity clothes (yikes! and I still have over 4 more weeks to grow!!!). But hopefully he will STAY IN THERE! :) I know I can't help it if he comes earlier, but I would hate for Ryan to miss out on those 3 extra weeks at home with his new baby!!!

"Mommy, I want to come HOME."

It's that time of year again where Camden has his BIG visit with his dad and their family. He goes to KY for 4 whole weeks, which is hard on mommy. He's always fine with it and has a lot of fun. This time has been a little different, though. He stayed a few days with my mother and his cousin (who is a year older than him) before going to his dad's, and he is getting an extra couple days at his dad's so that we will meet again on a weekend day (well, Ryan will b/c it will be too far along in the pregnancy for me to travel). So, instead of 4 weeks, it's really almost 5. When getting ready to leave him last week, he even said to me, "Why can't you stay?" I was surprised but didn't think much of it. I reminded him that Ryan had to go back to work the next day. He wasn't upset, though. Of course, I cried when we hugged and said our goodbyes, as we were pulling away, and for a while on the road. It's just such a long time away from my baby - and such a big distance, too.

Camden and I saying "Goodbye" for the next month. :(

The next night, Camden called me at 10pm, which surprised me. He kept saying things were fine and he just wanted to talk, though he never calls me - I always call. (I even ask him when he wants me to call him so that I'm not crowding him - even if it's hard to wait, though he usually asks me to call every or every other day.) But he finally admitted he was homesick. He said, "I want to come home." And I could soon tell he was crying, given away by his sniffles and me asking - is your nose running or are you crying? My child has NEVER been homesick in his life (and neither have I, so this is new to me in many ways). Hearing him so sad and crying on the other line just tore my heart into pieces. We both talked and cried for the next hour until he got off to go to bed. He kept telling me he wanted me to come and get him, he wanted me there, he wanted to come home. The hardest part was just not being able to do what BOTH of us wanted (of course I wanted to bring him home!!!) and knowing that he was far away, hurting - too far for me to be able to comfort him. I couldn't hold him or rub his back and sing to him while he went to sleep. I could only talk to him over the phone lines. This was definitely one of the most difficult conversations I have ever had with him - maybe it was the most up to this point even. For once, I looked at Ryan and said, "I don't know what to tell him. I don't know what to do to help him." And that is very hard for a mom.

He's doing better now. Sounds great when we talk and says that he's not as homesick, though he admits he's still a little homesick. I think it surprised him so much b/c it was his first time, and surely that made it harder on him and scared him some. He's getting older and is starting to see things differently, and perhaps that's part of the reason he suddenly got homesick this time. Sometimes it hurts me a little to know that I am missing him like crazy while he's having too much fun to think about missing me. But after this call, I know it feels worse to know he misses me and that he is hurting. It hurts me more b/c I can't do anything to fix it for him, and that's what I always want to do - to make it better. That's my job as his mommy.

Camden wanted a picture with my belly showing. :)
He's so sweet and is really excited about Aiden arriving.
He keeps saying, "I can't wait for it to be August already!"

Kentucky Baby Showers and Birthday Parties!

We took a trip to KY this past weekend. In two days, we had two baby showers and two birthday parties. It was Camden's actual birthday on Saturday, and big brother could not be overlooked. :) So after each shower, we had a party for him, as well. One of each at my mom's and then my dad's. It was so great getting to see everyone - a lot of family and many friends, some of which we haven't seen in about two years!! I wish I had been able to get more pictures of everyone and had more time to actually sit down and chat more. Being the person opening gifts and all, it was difficult to do that, though. I realize the big downside to having everyone get together is that it is so hard to actually get to spend much time with anyone, so I ended up seeing some people that I really wanted to see but not really getting to have time with them.

We got a lot of nice baby items we needed, many things from our registries and some nice extras, as well. Here are some pics of the weekend:



To see larger pictures, just click on the album and go to our picasa album.

Summer Beach Vacation

This month is whizzing on by! We have so much going on and are having a lot of fun with all of our traveling. It is a bit exhausting and leaves little time for relaxing when we're home, but still lots of fun. Our last trip was to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend at the beach. It ended up raining a little bit every day, but we still managed to get to the beach every day, as well. And we did a lot of other fun stuff and had a great time! Click on the album to view some highlights of the trip. :)

Beach Vacation 2008

While we were at the beach, we did plenty of non-beach things. We went to the IMAX theater one day while it was raining. We went to the Aquarium, which was a lot of fun. Camden especially loved the ray tank and the horseshoe crabs - because he could touch the rays and even pick up the horseshoe crabs. We also got to see divers in a couple different tanks for feeding time. We played putt-putt - Camden and I not taking it all that seriously, while Ryan would line up his ball and even take a couple practice swings before he went. Camden kept calling him "Mr. Perfect." ;) Camden, however, would take sometimes six swings to get the ball in, and he didn't mind one bit. I was pleased with how happy he was just to play, not caring how long it took to get the ball in the hole. :)

We went out to eat at a few good and a few not-so-good places. The ones worth visiting another time were The Melting Pot (of course!) and Planet Hollywood (lots of yummy things there, great servings, and not overpriced).

Putt-putt and dinner at the Melting Pot

Some places we plan to NEVER eat at again - Senor Frogs and Calabash Seafood (their seafood buffet was over $25 per person and did not look worth it in the least! Ryan and I shared a meal from the menu, which was still way overpriced and not that good...).

Camden up bright and early, ready to head out to the beach!


The boys playing in the water

One funny thing I found out about Camden... He (like me) is picky about how the toothpaste is squeezed. You know how this is one of the prime examples of husband/wife differences that come to surface after marriage - this really is one for me and Ryan. I like to go from the bottom up, he just squeezes. I tease him about it and just continue to do it how I like. We don't actually argue over it. But Camden comes out of the bathroom one morning, saying "MOM! Who squeezed the toothpaste like this?!" He likes it like I do. Random but something I wanted to mention because I thought it was pretty funny.

Me and my hubby

Happy Father's Day!!!

Since we were traveling over Father's Day, we decided to celebrate it a little late. Ryan didn't know what we had planned, if anything. But we surprised him tonight when he got home from work. We had already packed a picnic dinner and put it in the car trunk moments before he pulled up, so he didn't have a clue. We instructed him to put on some outdoor clothes (couldn't have him going outside in his long pants and shirt from work - that would just be mean!) and told him nothing else.

We drove to a park nearby, where we ate dinner and then opened gifts. We don't go all out for gifts, but Camden and I happened to find a few "daddy" books, which many of you probably know are very, very difficult to find! I found a board book that he can read to Aiden, and Camden found two others that he liked. One was special b/c he has a book by the same author and illustrator that is written about the child and mom - this one is about the child and dad! He was really excited about that. They're young for his age, but great books for bedtime or just taking a few minutes to cuddle up together - exactly what we were looking for anyway.

After all that, we went to an open field and played frisbee for a while, then it was home to some yummy rootbeer floats. All in all, it was a nice, relaxing family time together. Except of course for the time Camden thought it was funny watching me trying to get the frisbee when it went over my head. I couldn't run, of course, and he said I looked "jiggly" and then proceeded to act like me trying to bend down to get the frisbee from the ground (which of course probably does look rather humorous at this point...). Yep, the kid loves me! ;)

Happy Father's Day, Ryan!!!