We're hosting this week, and I have no idea what I want to make. I'm just doing this because my house is seriously clean after my mom was here.
So, in the spirit of "American Idol", we'll go with the popular vote.
I'll make whatever gets the most individual votes. You can vote via email or comment on the blog. The winner will be chosen after Ladies' Bible Study tomorrow night and revealed here and on the website.
Each person with a valid email address may vote once (no having your kids vote unless they can type their own email)...
Okay, let the fun begin! If you need ideas for suggestions, let me know. I'm just taking the lazy route to deciding tonight.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Loudest Baby Ever...
I went to visit my friend Sarah to see their new baby, Collin. Fox, predictably, screamed for half of the trip down to Southwood. When we arrived, he was wailing at about a 7 (he has cranked it up to 13 on occasion). It was great to see Sarah, KC, and their daughter Emily, and meet little Collin. After awhile, Collin got tired and began fussing, making these tiny little cries. I observed for a bit, and then asked Sarah if that was as loud as he got. She replied that yes, he was pretty upset.
I shook my head, realizing that Collin's 'pretty upset' ranked about a 1 on Fox's scale of mad.
We have the Loudest Baby Ever.
I shook my head, realizing that Collin's 'pretty upset' ranked about a 1 on Fox's scale of mad.
We have the Loudest Baby Ever.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Such a happy boy...
Anna told us a story about something she heard at an infant massage therapy workshop. Apparently, there is anecdotal evidence that babies whose mothers ate chocolate have happier babies. Here are some pictures to back up that theory...
And yes, I totally ate A TON of chocolate. Good thing!
As always, you can see the rest of these pics here...
And yes, I totally ate A TON of chocolate. Good thing!As always, you can see the rest of these pics here...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Slacker me...this is going to be a long one.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. So much has been happening, I'll try to recap.
Let's see. Our trip to Arkansas for Bonnie's wedding in December was awesome. All the prayers must have made a huge difference, because we had the world's best traveling baby with us. He was happy and/or sleepy the whole trip, and only fussed when it was time for him to eat.
We visited with Bonnie, Justin, and Bonnie's family the night. They were all so excited to meet Fox! The next day we were up for the complimentary breakfast at 6am-when it started! That would never have happened before we became parents.
It was also our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in style, eating two meals at McDonalds and visiting the Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas (right across the street from the enormous Home Office!) After that we headed to the Wal-Marts ; ) to buy the necessary ingredients for the Wedding Night Basket 'O Fun I put together for special people when they marry.
The wedding was beautiful. I only cried a little, not like the huge racking sobs I busted out with at Shannon's wedding. It was amazing, getting to be a part of such a special time.
Fox was awesome the whole time. What a blessing!
Christmas was beautiful. We enjoyed seeing both sides of Vance's family in PC, and celebrated with our Canopy Roads family Christmas Eve. The next day we joined the Theobalds for Christmas Dinner and Jesus' birthday cake! Wow, I think that may have been the last time I had chocolate. (We figured out that chocolate upsets Fox's tummy. Yeah, it sucks.)
My folks came up for a few days shortly before the New Year. It's so great having them here with us. Fox got way too much stuff (I know, it's just going to get worse each year) and we all ate too much.
We went to Flager's for New Year's Eve, but left around 10 to try and get the Little Man to sleep.
January was an eventful month of milestones. On the 12th, he let out his first big belly laugh. Ironically, he was strapped in his car seat at Smokey Bones while Vance and I enjoyed lunch with some of Vance's coworkers. The next day we took him over to Julie's house for his first set of pictures. They turned out so great! We, of course, bought one of each one she took! (So did the grandparents). The next day was Sunday. I went into Fox's room to get him up for church. The sight that greeted me was Mr. Fox on his back. He had rolled over and I missed it! Four days later, he slept throught the night (9:30pm to 7:30am with two wakeups) without a feeding.
February has been exciting too. Last week Fox slept all night (no waking) three times. He woke up twice last night, but is on par to make it all night again. This morning I went in to get him up for church (it was his debut for drama-more about that later) and once again, he had flipped himself onto his back. That makes it 4 times that he's done it - AND I HAVE MISSED IT EACH TIME! Little stinker won't do it when he's with me, just when he's waking up. And each time, when I come in for him, he has the biggest, sweetest grin on his face. He seems quite proud of his latest little trick.
So now about the drama. Fox played my son (I know, a stretch) in a powerful piece about a family who is on the verge of splitting up due to the parents not appreciating each other, and losing sight of why they got together in the first place. Fox stole the show when he started cooing and blowing raspberries into my mic. But the point was made. I think a lot of folks were touched today, and it was an honor to be able to help facilitate that.
So what's been going on? Well, Fox still loves standing up, but now he's liking to sit up too. He's able to stay upright for about a minute and a half before leaning over and toppling. He thinks its just great, and then tries to eat his toes as he tips over forward.
We have the happiest baby (most of the time). He's much less fussy, and when he does get fussy, he calms down when we take him outside or hang out in front of the radio. Vance has made him a playlist with lots of funky grooves so we can dance around the house. He has the best laugh. Vance gets him going better than I can. Everyone we see comments on how smiley Fox is.
I've gone back to Irish Dancing. It was easier than I though to just jump back in and pick up where I left off 7 months ago. I really missed my friends from the group, and it's a good break to get out of the house and do something for 'me time'.
I think that about covers everything I can think of. I'd better sign off so Vance and I can catch up on '24'. We're a year behind, but we're going to finish!
Let's see. Our trip to Arkansas for Bonnie's wedding in December was awesome. All the prayers must have made a huge difference, because we had the world's best traveling baby with us. He was happy and/or sleepy the whole trip, and only fussed when it was time for him to eat.
We visited with Bonnie, Justin, and Bonnie's family the night. They were all so excited to meet Fox! The next day we were up for the complimentary breakfast at 6am-when it started! That would never have happened before we became parents.
It was also our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in style, eating two meals at McDonalds and visiting the Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas (right across the street from the enormous Home Office!) After that we headed to the Wal-Marts ; ) to buy the necessary ingredients for the Wedding Night Basket 'O Fun I put together for special people when they marry.
The wedding was beautiful. I only cried a little, not like the huge racking sobs I busted out with at Shannon's wedding. It was amazing, getting to be a part of such a special time.
Fox was awesome the whole time. What a blessing!
Christmas was beautiful. We enjoyed seeing both sides of Vance's family in PC, and celebrated with our Canopy Roads family Christmas Eve. The next day we joined the Theobalds for Christmas Dinner and Jesus' birthday cake! Wow, I think that may have been the last time I had chocolate. (We figured out that chocolate upsets Fox's tummy. Yeah, it sucks.)
My folks came up for a few days shortly before the New Year. It's so great having them here with us. Fox got way too much stuff (I know, it's just going to get worse each year) and we all ate too much.
We went to Flager's for New Year's Eve, but left around 10 to try and get the Little Man to sleep.
January was an eventful month of milestones. On the 12th, he let out his first big belly laugh. Ironically, he was strapped in his car seat at Smokey Bones while Vance and I enjoyed lunch with some of Vance's coworkers. The next day we took him over to Julie's house for his first set of pictures. They turned out so great! We, of course, bought one of each one she took! (So did the grandparents). The next day was Sunday. I went into Fox's room to get him up for church. The sight that greeted me was Mr. Fox on his back. He had rolled over and I missed it! Four days later, he slept throught the night (9:30pm to 7:30am with two wakeups) without a feeding.
February has been exciting too. Last week Fox slept all night (no waking) three times. He woke up twice last night, but is on par to make it all night again. This morning I went in to get him up for church (it was his debut for drama-more about that later) and once again, he had flipped himself onto his back. That makes it 4 times that he's done it - AND I HAVE MISSED IT EACH TIME! Little stinker won't do it when he's with me, just when he's waking up. And each time, when I come in for him, he has the biggest, sweetest grin on his face. He seems quite proud of his latest little trick.
So now about the drama. Fox played my son (I know, a stretch) in a powerful piece about a family who is on the verge of splitting up due to the parents not appreciating each other, and losing sight of why they got together in the first place. Fox stole the show when he started cooing and blowing raspberries into my mic. But the point was made. I think a lot of folks were touched today, and it was an honor to be able to help facilitate that.
So what's been going on? Well, Fox still loves standing up, but now he's liking to sit up too. He's able to stay upright for about a minute and a half before leaning over and toppling. He thinks its just great, and then tries to eat his toes as he tips over forward.
We have the happiest baby (most of the time). He's much less fussy, and when he does get fussy, he calms down when we take him outside or hang out in front of the radio. Vance has made him a playlist with lots of funky grooves so we can dance around the house. He has the best laugh. Vance gets him going better than I can. Everyone we see comments on how smiley Fox is.
I've gone back to Irish Dancing. It was easier than I though to just jump back in and pick up where I left off 7 months ago. I really missed my friends from the group, and it's a good break to get out of the house and do something for 'me time'.
I think that about covers everything I can think of. I'd better sign off so Vance and I can catch up on '24'. We're a year behind, but we're going to finish!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
New Me...
Just in case you haven't seen me in awhile, I got my hair cut. Alot of it. Enough for Locks of Love. I think it wound up being about a foot (you know, 12 inches?)
So here's what I look like now. No makeup, nursing tank top and the little man.
I promise, a decent, detailed post is forthcoming in the next few days.
So here's what I look like now. No makeup, nursing tank top and the little man.
I promise, a decent, detailed post is forthcoming in the next few days.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
It's that time...
I should be asleep. I've packed all our things for our trip to Arkansas, my hair is washed, dried, and straight, the kitchen is clean, and I'm blogging.
I would go to bed, but I know as soon as I do Fox will want to eat. He and Vance are asleep on the couch, and have been for about 3 hours.
I love my family. My son is so adorable, I sometimes just stare at him, amazed. How can something so precious scream so much? He's only 2 months old, what does he have to be that mad about? He is learning and growing each day. Today, he realized that when Vance rubs his finger on his mouth and he 'talks' to us, we crack up. Kid's already hamming it up. Last weekend he discovered that when he kicks his legs in his bouncy seat, the animals move. This week he started batting at the animals and smiling even bigger.
Vance is about to have his work cut out for him. I'll be pretty busy with wedding stuff this weekend, so SuperDad is on full-time duty.
I can't wait to see Bonnie. It's been since...February? March? I can't remember. Terri hemmed my bridesmaid dress for me, since I waited till the absolute last minute to have it altered. I don't know what we'd do without the Halls.
I'd better try and relax enough to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us, and we're praying for a cooperative little man. (Or at least understanding folks on our two flights!)
I would go to bed, but I know as soon as I do Fox will want to eat. He and Vance are asleep on the couch, and have been for about 3 hours.
I love my family. My son is so adorable, I sometimes just stare at him, amazed. How can something so precious scream so much? He's only 2 months old, what does he have to be that mad about? He is learning and growing each day. Today, he realized that when Vance rubs his finger on his mouth and he 'talks' to us, we crack up. Kid's already hamming it up. Last weekend he discovered that when he kicks his legs in his bouncy seat, the animals move. This week he started batting at the animals and smiling even bigger.
Vance is about to have his work cut out for him. I'll be pretty busy with wedding stuff this weekend, so SuperDad is on full-time duty.
I can't wait to see Bonnie. It's been since...February? March? I can't remember. Terri hemmed my bridesmaid dress for me, since I waited till the absolute last minute to have it altered. I don't know what we'd do without the Halls.
I'd better try and relax enough to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us, and we're praying for a cooperative little man. (Or at least understanding folks on our two flights!)
Monday, December 04, 2006
Sleep
Sleep. I've missed it. I'm heading to bed now.
We're trying to get Fox to sleep more regularly. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is the latest (and hopefully last) sleep book. It was really hard, but tonight we put him down and let him rest on his own. Cute little bugger was cooing and talking to himself for about 10 minutes, then realized we weren't coming in to play. This apparently made him mad. So he cried. And he cried. Vance came out of his office after 10 minutes and gave me a pouty lip and a stern look. I didn't like hearing it either! But, 2 minutes later he stopped crying. He looked up at his monitor, and then fell asleep! It's been 20 minutes. I hope this does the trick.
Sandra came over today to give me a break. She said his crying reminded her so much of Ranen. I told her that if that means Fox is going to be that much fun, then I would survive this colic.
She held him while I cleaned the kitchen, and then when he really got going, I held him and she cleaned the kitchen floor. I have the best friends. Thanks a bunch.
Sleep. I've missed it. I'm heading to bed now.
We're trying to get Fox to sleep more regularly. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is the latest (and hopefully last) sleep book. It was really hard, but tonight we put him down and let him rest on his own. Cute little bugger was cooing and talking to himself for about 10 minutes, then realized we weren't coming in to play. This apparently made him mad. So he cried. And he cried. Vance came out of his office after 10 minutes and gave me a pouty lip and a stern look. I didn't like hearing it either! But, 2 minutes later he stopped crying. He looked up at his monitor, and then fell asleep! It's been 20 minutes. I hope this does the trick.
Sandra came over today to give me a break. She said his crying reminded her so much of Ranen. I told her that if that means Fox is going to be that much fun, then I would survive this colic.
She held him while I cleaned the kitchen, and then when he really got going, I held him and she cleaned the kitchen floor. I have the best friends. Thanks a bunch.
Sleep. I've missed it. I'm heading to bed now.
New Picture for my profile?
Blogger didn't like the old URL for this picture, so maybe this one will work better.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Let's see...
...how fast I can post these pics from the hospital 7 weeks ago...
Whew. Fox went back to sleep once I gave him his paci.
This was Dylan's first meeting with his new cousin. Right after he 'kissed' Fox, he bopped him in the head. It was hysterical.
7 weeks ago my water broke.
7 weeks ago I was 27 and huge.
7 weeks ago I could sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.
7 weeks ago I could eat when I wanted.
7 weeks ago I had no idea what being a mom was really going to be like.
7 weeks ago I didn't know I could be peed on, puked on, screamed at, and love him regardless of all that.
Fox is having a fussy period. His acne has cleared up, but I think he's getting cradle cap. Poor kid is so over his car seat. It took us almost 7 hours to get home from Orlando after Thanksgiving. Being at home with my parents was awesome. I was slightly worried that they wouldn't be as nuts about Fox as they were about Dylan ('cause they were really NUTS over Dylan), but I had nothing to worry about. My dad was cracking me up with his insistence that we take pictures of him holding Fox so he could take them to work. My mom told me that he was worried about how much Fox screams, and that we should take him to the doctor and make sure there's nothing wrong with him. Mom had to remind him that I used to scream for 5 hours a night. ; )
Momma, Granny, Shannon and I went out for Black Friday. I got almost all of my Christmas shopping done. Killer deals out there. The fun part was pumping in the car in the parking lot, trying to hide what I was up to. Vance and I dashed out for an hour and left Fox with Momma and Daddy. It was kind of weird. First time we've both been away from him.
He's starting to chunk up a little bit. His face looks rounder, and he's starting to get some rolls on his arms and legs. He's still in the Newborn diapers though. We have tons of size 1 diapers, just waiting for him. I tried one on him Sunday, and it practically came up to his armpits. Hopefully he'll grow into them soon. We keep buying 40 Newborn diapers at a time, hoping each pack will be the last. He looks so much longer now, lying in his crib. It's amazing how calm and peaceful he is when he's not screaming. His cries have changed too. He sounds older somehow.
We're praying for a smooth trip to Bonnie's wedding next month. I'm a bridesmaid. We're taking our two month old baby to Rogers, Arkansas in the middle of December. It could be snowing. Are we nuts? Probably.
I've been watching all these birth shows on Discovery Health. I guess I'm in the minority for not having an epidural.
Well, I'd better go ahead and post this before Fox wakes up again.
Whew. Fox went back to sleep once I gave him his paci.
This was Dylan's first meeting with his new cousin. Right after he 'kissed' Fox, he bopped him in the head. It was hysterical.
7 weeks ago my water broke.
7 weeks ago I was 27 and huge.
7 weeks ago I could sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.
7 weeks ago I could eat when I wanted.
7 weeks ago I had no idea what being a mom was really going to be like.
7 weeks ago I didn't know I could be peed on, puked on, screamed at, and love him regardless of all that.
Fox is having a fussy period. His acne has cleared up, but I think he's getting cradle cap. Poor kid is so over his car seat. It took us almost 7 hours to get home from Orlando after Thanksgiving. Being at home with my parents was awesome. I was slightly worried that they wouldn't be as nuts about Fox as they were about Dylan ('cause they were really NUTS over Dylan), but I had nothing to worry about. My dad was cracking me up with his insistence that we take pictures of him holding Fox so he could take them to work. My mom told me that he was worried about how much Fox screams, and that we should take him to the doctor and make sure there's nothing wrong with him. Mom had to remind him that I used to scream for 5 hours a night. ; )
Momma, Granny, Shannon and I went out for Black Friday. I got almost all of my Christmas shopping done. Killer deals out there. The fun part was pumping in the car in the parking lot, trying to hide what I was up to. Vance and I dashed out for an hour and left Fox with Momma and Daddy. It was kind of weird. First time we've both been away from him.
He's starting to chunk up a little bit. His face looks rounder, and he's starting to get some rolls on his arms and legs. He's still in the Newborn diapers though. We have tons of size 1 diapers, just waiting for him. I tried one on him Sunday, and it practically came up to his armpits. Hopefully he'll grow into them soon. We keep buying 40 Newborn diapers at a time, hoping each pack will be the last. He looks so much longer now, lying in his crib. It's amazing how calm and peaceful he is when he's not screaming. His cries have changed too. He sounds older somehow.
We're praying for a smooth trip to Bonnie's wedding next month. I'm a bridesmaid. We're taking our two month old baby to Rogers, Arkansas in the middle of December. It could be snowing. Are we nuts? Probably.
I've been watching all these birth shows on Discovery Health. I guess I'm in the minority for not having an epidural.
Well, I'd better go ahead and post this before Fox wakes up again.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Smiley Baby
I know, I don't post enough pictures. So here are a few of my smiley fella. We're totally expecting him to bust out a giggle any day. He is so sweet in the mornings after his first feeding.
Vance is such a great daddy. Fox just loves him. I always knew that Vance was good with kids, but seeing him as a daddy has made me love him even more.
Friday, November 10, 2006
1 month...wow!
What a month its been. Our son is a month old, and so amazing. He's smiling at us, and tracking things in front of him, and turning when he hears a toy on one side. Vance has posted more pictures here at his Picasa site. He also posted a review of our voting experience on his blog here. I just love his Photoshopping ability.
Our lives are settling into somewhat of a routine. Mondays we walk around the street and then go to Monday Night wherever it is. Tuesdays and Thursdays we walk again. Wednesdays we go to the Breastfeeding Support Group at Best Beginnings and then Vance meets us at Subway for lunch. Fridays I walk with Kelly and Gina with our 5 boys. I try to get out of the house at least once a day so I don't go crazy.
I hate to put it into print, but we may have a colicky baby. Apparently I used to scream from 5pm-10pm as a baby, so his fussiness isn't as bad as it could be. I guess we didn't petition quite hard enough for him to have Vance's temperment.
Fox and I are heading to a Family Reunion in Charleston, SC next weekend. Vance is stuck here, he and Jeremy have a big project to do at work and will be working through the weekend. So Fox and I will meet my parents in Jax, one of them will hop in with me (I'll probably let them drive so I can sleep) and then we head to Charleston. Shannon, Jay and Dylan will meet us up there. My dad is so excited about having his two grandsons at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. All of my cousins will be there. It's weird now, we're all parents.
So, this stay at home mom thing can be pretty isolating. I spend a lot of time at my house with Fox. (well, duh.) I haven't been able to keep the house clean or really cook a meal for Vance and I yet. Whenever I try to be 'a good housewife' I wind up totally exhausted with a grumpy baby. Sometimes it's hard to get out of the house, but I know I need to. I miss the interaction and open air. It's just a gamble on keeping Fox happy. I never know if he's going to have more gas problems after a feeding session. Vance and I joke that we have a bipolar baby. I'm sure most parents wonder the same thing.
Well, I'd better get some sleep. Last night Fox slept 5 1/2 hours before waking up for his next feeding. Let's hope for another night like that! I'll clean up in the morning. I should have plenty of time. Vance's parents are coming to visit in the afternoon after Vance's dad plays golf. It will be his first time seeing Fox, and Vance's mom's first time back after she was here for his birth. My mom is so jealous that they only live 2 hours away.
My mom has started reading our blogs. I'm glad...I know there are things I forget to mention that I post, so now she'll see them.
Okay, it's really time for bed. Hopefully I'll be there awhile!
Our lives are settling into somewhat of a routine. Mondays we walk around the street and then go to Monday Night wherever it is. Tuesdays and Thursdays we walk again. Wednesdays we go to the Breastfeeding Support Group at Best Beginnings and then Vance meets us at Subway for lunch. Fridays I walk with Kelly and Gina with our 5 boys. I try to get out of the house at least once a day so I don't go crazy.
I hate to put it into print, but we may have a colicky baby. Apparently I used to scream from 5pm-10pm as a baby, so his fussiness isn't as bad as it could be. I guess we didn't petition quite hard enough for him to have Vance's temperment.
Fox and I are heading to a Family Reunion in Charleston, SC next weekend. Vance is stuck here, he and Jeremy have a big project to do at work and will be working through the weekend. So Fox and I will meet my parents in Jax, one of them will hop in with me (I'll probably let them drive so I can sleep) and then we head to Charleston. Shannon, Jay and Dylan will meet us up there. My dad is so excited about having his two grandsons at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. All of my cousins will be there. It's weird now, we're all parents.
So, this stay at home mom thing can be pretty isolating. I spend a lot of time at my house with Fox. (well, duh.) I haven't been able to keep the house clean or really cook a meal for Vance and I yet. Whenever I try to be 'a good housewife' I wind up totally exhausted with a grumpy baby. Sometimes it's hard to get out of the house, but I know I need to. I miss the interaction and open air. It's just a gamble on keeping Fox happy. I never know if he's going to have more gas problems after a feeding session. Vance and I joke that we have a bipolar baby. I'm sure most parents wonder the same thing.
Well, I'd better get some sleep. Last night Fox slept 5 1/2 hours before waking up for his next feeding. Let's hope for another night like that! I'll clean up in the morning. I should have plenty of time. Vance's parents are coming to visit in the afternoon after Vance's dad plays golf. It will be his first time seeing Fox, and Vance's mom's first time back after she was here for his birth. My mom is so jealous that they only live 2 hours away.
My mom has started reading our blogs. I'm glad...I know there are things I forget to mention that I post, so now she'll see them.
Okay, it's really time for bed. Hopefully I'll be there awhile!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Just a few quick pics...
I am totally not biased about my cute kid...I went for my first decent walk today. Just about a mile, I walked over to the Conrad's house and back. Got caught in a light shower shortly before the end. It was refreshing. And yes, I closed up Fox's stroller so he didn't get wet.
Well, back to Thank-You Note duty...we have so much to be thankful for.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Welcome to the world, Fox.
I see that my last post was last Sunday, the 8th. To put it mildly, a lot has happened since then!
Here's one of Fox's first pictures:
Vance's mom took this in the delivery room after he was cleaned up.
Here are a bunch of other ones she took the first few days: Fox's Album
We've been home since Friday afternoon. My mom just left this afternoon, and Vance will be home for the next five days. After that, his mom has offered to come and stay with me. I'm not sure if I'll take her up on it right away. I may see how it goes for a few days and then have her come for a bit.
So, since Sunday. I went in to work on Monday to 'wrap things up'. 6 hours later, I dragged myself away. I finished my leave plan, my boss agreed, I'd work 10 hours a week from home until Fox was born. Sounded like a wonderful plan.
(this post has been interrupted by my son peeing all over his daddy and the changing table...back in a moment)
Okay, we're back. Tuesday, I wake up, go to my OB checkup and hear that I'm still at about the same place I was on Friday. They still aren't happy with my blood pressure, so they send me to Triage for an NST. It turns out fine, so they turn me loose. I head up to work to deliver the thank-you notes I finished and pick up the laptop I'll be using from home.
I get home and sit at Vance's computer to catch up on email and then I'm heading to the couch for a nap. I'm perusing Julie's Smugmug gallery of all of our friend's adorable children that she photographs. Apparently Fox liked the pictures so much, he wanted to meet his friends early.
I felt a funny feeling downstairs, and wondered if that was my first 'real' contraction. As I pondered this, I heard a "pop" and all of the sudden it was rather wet all around. I was kind of in shock, because a woman's water only breaks like that on TV or in the movies, and it never happened to anyone I knew! After I got the situation slightly more under control, I called Vance to come home right away. I called my doctor, and they wanted me in to Triage immediately. Tip for anyone who's water breaks and you're full-term - unless you're having serious contractions - stay home as long as you can.
So I called my family, Vance's mom, and a few other folks to let them know Fox was on his way. I made sure to call Sandra to cancel dinner-the girls were planning on going to Bella Bella to celebrate my birthday (which was Wednesday).
My neighbor Katlynn came over and emptied the car of the stuff I was going to return to Target and loaded it up with my birthing ball, and our pillows from Childbirth Class.
Vance FINALLY got home and we finished the last minute packing and headed to TMH. We stopped at Wendy's since it was almost dinner and I figured a grilled chicken sammy would do me good. And a Frosty, of course!
We check in, and sit. And sit and sit and sit. My pastor and his wife come, expecting us to be in a l/d room by now. No, not us. We rushed to the hospital to sit and wait an hour and a half to be admitted to Triage. The only positive I can say is that the two fun nurses from my NST that morning were still on duty. We finally got back to a l/d room around 7:30 or so.
I was having contractions, but they weren't doing a whole lot to progress my labor. My dad arrived, Vance's mom arrived, and things still weren't moving along. They checked me out, and gave me a warning that if things didn't get moving, they might have to make them get moving. Apparently I work well when being threatened with Pitocin.
I got in the tub, and my contractions intensified. Man, I would have stayed there all night if they had let me! Then my mom and my sister arrived with Dylan. That kid got so big! He is seriously a cute kid. We visited for a bit with me modestly draped in the tub. They left to get Dylan and my dad settled in the house, and Sandra came by with some beautiful flowers and encouragement.
They made me get out of the tub to put me on the monitors and see how things were going. Basically, they still weren't. So they had to put internal monitors on to keep a closer eye on Fox.
This upset me a lot, since I wasn't allowed back in the tub with those monitors. So I hung out on the birthing ball most of the time as my contractions intensified more. I had to kick my mom and Vance's mom out. It was too much, and my mom doesn't do well with me in pain. So it was Vance and my sister Shannon for the long haul. A word about that-we could not have done it without my sister. She was able to spell Vance when he needed a break, and the two of them tag-teamed keeping me hydrated and my forehead cooled when I needed it. Vance was still recovering from his sinus infection, and it was so awesome that my sister could be there to make sure he was okay too. They had to start an IV antibiotic drip since it had been 12 hours ago that my water had broken.
So things got pretty intense. I was basically communicating in one-syllable commands/requests and was getting extremely tired. Thoughts of C-sections flitted across my brain, and I wanted to be checked for progress. I had reached 5 cm, but that's only halfway. I decided I needed something to take the edge off, since my contractions were serious now. They gave me a hit of Stadol. Apparently it only lasts 30 minutes. Good thing they didn't tell me that, I lasted 2 hours before I wanted another one. That was just enough to allow me to rest between contractions. I'll spare the gory details after that, mostly because I don't remember all of them. I know that it's a big deal when you have to be reminded to breathe. Thanks, Vance. ; )
Essentially, the next time the checked me, Fox was crowning. Everything got really busy around me, but I just tried to focus on breathing. Pushing was seriously the hardest thing ever. Let's leave it at that.
Fox arrived at 6:47 am on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006. My birthday. Best present ever!
Here's one of Fox's first pictures:
Vance's mom took this in the delivery room after he was cleaned up.
Here are a bunch of other ones she took the first few days: Fox's Album
We've been home since Friday afternoon. My mom just left this afternoon, and Vance will be home for the next five days. After that, his mom has offered to come and stay with me. I'm not sure if I'll take her up on it right away. I may see how it goes for a few days and then have her come for a bit.
So, since Sunday. I went in to work on Monday to 'wrap things up'. 6 hours later, I dragged myself away. I finished my leave plan, my boss agreed, I'd work 10 hours a week from home until Fox was born. Sounded like a wonderful plan.
(this post has been interrupted by my son peeing all over his daddy and the changing table...back in a moment)
Okay, we're back. Tuesday, I wake up, go to my OB checkup and hear that I'm still at about the same place I was on Friday. They still aren't happy with my blood pressure, so they send me to Triage for an NST. It turns out fine, so they turn me loose. I head up to work to deliver the thank-you notes I finished and pick up the laptop I'll be using from home.
I get home and sit at Vance's computer to catch up on email and then I'm heading to the couch for a nap. I'm perusing Julie's Smugmug gallery of all of our friend's adorable children that she photographs. Apparently Fox liked the pictures so much, he wanted to meet his friends early.
I felt a funny feeling downstairs, and wondered if that was my first 'real' contraction. As I pondered this, I heard a "pop" and all of the sudden it was rather wet all around. I was kind of in shock, because a woman's water only breaks like that on TV or in the movies, and it never happened to anyone I knew! After I got the situation slightly more under control, I called Vance to come home right away. I called my doctor, and they wanted me in to Triage immediately. Tip for anyone who's water breaks and you're full-term - unless you're having serious contractions - stay home as long as you can.
So I called my family, Vance's mom, and a few other folks to let them know Fox was on his way. I made sure to call Sandra to cancel dinner-the girls were planning on going to Bella Bella to celebrate my birthday (which was Wednesday).
My neighbor Katlynn came over and emptied the car of the stuff I was going to return to Target and loaded it up with my birthing ball, and our pillows from Childbirth Class.
Vance FINALLY got home and we finished the last minute packing and headed to TMH. We stopped at Wendy's since it was almost dinner and I figured a grilled chicken sammy would do me good. And a Frosty, of course!
We check in, and sit. And sit and sit and sit. My pastor and his wife come, expecting us to be in a l/d room by now. No, not us. We rushed to the hospital to sit and wait an hour and a half to be admitted to Triage. The only positive I can say is that the two fun nurses from my NST that morning were still on duty. We finally got back to a l/d room around 7:30 or so.
I was having contractions, but they weren't doing a whole lot to progress my labor. My dad arrived, Vance's mom arrived, and things still weren't moving along. They checked me out, and gave me a warning that if things didn't get moving, they might have to make them get moving. Apparently I work well when being threatened with Pitocin.
I got in the tub, and my contractions intensified. Man, I would have stayed there all night if they had let me! Then my mom and my sister arrived with Dylan. That kid got so big! He is seriously a cute kid. We visited for a bit with me modestly draped in the tub. They left to get Dylan and my dad settled in the house, and Sandra came by with some beautiful flowers and encouragement.
They made me get out of the tub to put me on the monitors and see how things were going. Basically, they still weren't. So they had to put internal monitors on to keep a closer eye on Fox.
This upset me a lot, since I wasn't allowed back in the tub with those monitors. So I hung out on the birthing ball most of the time as my contractions intensified more. I had to kick my mom and Vance's mom out. It was too much, and my mom doesn't do well with me in pain. So it was Vance and my sister Shannon for the long haul. A word about that-we could not have done it without my sister. She was able to spell Vance when he needed a break, and the two of them tag-teamed keeping me hydrated and my forehead cooled when I needed it. Vance was still recovering from his sinus infection, and it was so awesome that my sister could be there to make sure he was okay too. They had to start an IV antibiotic drip since it had been 12 hours ago that my water had broken.
So things got pretty intense. I was basically communicating in one-syllable commands/requests and was getting extremely tired. Thoughts of C-sections flitted across my brain, and I wanted to be checked for progress. I had reached 5 cm, but that's only halfway. I decided I needed something to take the edge off, since my contractions were serious now. They gave me a hit of Stadol. Apparently it only lasts 30 minutes. Good thing they didn't tell me that, I lasted 2 hours before I wanted another one. That was just enough to allow me to rest between contractions. I'll spare the gory details after that, mostly because I don't remember all of them. I know that it's a big deal when you have to be reminded to breathe. Thanks, Vance. ; )
Essentially, the next time the checked me, Fox was crowning. Everything got really busy around me, but I just tried to focus on breathing. Pushing was seriously the hardest thing ever. Let's leave it at that.
Fox arrived at 6:47 am on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006. My birthday. Best present ever!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
So Blessed...
I've made it through 2 1/2 days of 'bed rest'. Well, 'couch rest' for me. I can't just stay in bed, I'll sleep all day and then be up all night. Vance has been to Urgent Care and been diagnosed with a nasty sinus infection. You know the man is sick when he misses church and is staying home from work tomorrow (Sorry Jeremy...).
I haven't been as good as I should be...with Vance sick, and these nesting urges, it is so hard not to do a load of laundry here and there. I get back to the couch in between loads, I promise! But I'm totally letting him clean the dishes from dinner, and I'm going to pay one of the youth that cleans houses to do my floors later this week. The kitchen and our bathroom floors are driving me crazy, but I am not about to get down and scrub them.
So, I'm catching up on thank you notes from previous showers, I'm making lists like crazy, and watching way to much Food Network. I love me some Rachael Ray!
About the blessings...
Canopy Roads threw us a shower this afternoon. Yes, I got permission from my midwife to go.
It was so amazing to see how many people came and blessed us. There were at least 40 people there! It was fun to hang out with the ladies of our church, but it will be nice when Fox is here and he can be the center of attention for a change! As I looked around the Fellowship Hall, I was blown away by the generosity and love shared by the ladies from all different ages and stages in life. I love our church.
Then Allyson (the Pastor's daughter and wonderful friend) came back the house with me to help me unload and hang out. We got all the loot into Fox's room, and unpacked and sorted out what needed to be washed, returned, or put away. Then she asked if I'd like to have my toenails painted. But of course! I certainly can't reach them at this point. So we went across the street and borrowed a cute color from Katlynn, and headed to the couch. We went to the couch so that I could at least claim that I was behaving myself. She was just finishing the first coat when the bottle accidentally dropped. On the carpet. And splashed on the couch. Yes, the new couch.
I didn't freak out, I just grabbed the laptop and Googled "Stain Removal Nail Polish Carpet". There were tons of results, and most of them were pretty similar. So, the nail polish is mostly out of the carpet, it's mostly off of the couch, and now we can all relax on the couch a little more since the first stain is taken care of. ; )
I'd better go...more thank you notes to write, and I need to get to bed at a decent hour. I'll be going in for my likely last day at the office tomorrow. Let's hear it for Bed Rest!
I haven't been as good as I should be...with Vance sick, and these nesting urges, it is so hard not to do a load of laundry here and there. I get back to the couch in between loads, I promise! But I'm totally letting him clean the dishes from dinner, and I'm going to pay one of the youth that cleans houses to do my floors later this week. The kitchen and our bathroom floors are driving me crazy, but I am not about to get down and scrub them.
So, I'm catching up on thank you notes from previous showers, I'm making lists like crazy, and watching way to much Food Network. I love me some Rachael Ray!
About the blessings...
Canopy Roads threw us a shower this afternoon. Yes, I got permission from my midwife to go.
It was so amazing to see how many people came and blessed us. There were at least 40 people there! It was fun to hang out with the ladies of our church, but it will be nice when Fox is here and he can be the center of attention for a change! As I looked around the Fellowship Hall, I was blown away by the generosity and love shared by the ladies from all different ages and stages in life. I love our church.
Then Allyson (the Pastor's daughter and wonderful friend) came back the house with me to help me unload and hang out. We got all the loot into Fox's room, and unpacked and sorted out what needed to be washed, returned, or put away. Then she asked if I'd like to have my toenails painted. But of course! I certainly can't reach them at this point. So we went across the street and borrowed a cute color from Katlynn, and headed to the couch. We went to the couch so that I could at least claim that I was behaving myself. She was just finishing the first coat when the bottle accidentally dropped. On the carpet. And splashed on the couch. Yes, the new couch.
I didn't freak out, I just grabbed the laptop and Googled "Stain Removal Nail Polish Carpet". There were tons of results, and most of them were pretty similar. So, the nail polish is mostly out of the carpet, it's mostly off of the couch, and now we can all relax on the couch a little more since the first stain is taken care of. ; )
I'd better go...more thank you notes to write, and I need to get to bed at a decent hour. I'll be going in for my likely last day at the office tomorrow. Let's hear it for Bed Rest!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Bed Rest...well, maybe just the couch...
Soooo....
I've been swelling a lot this week and my blood pressure has been high. Went in for a checkup this morning and I've been told to get to the couch, at least for the weekend.
Fox is doing well, his heart rate is great, he's in the right position to come on out, and things are moving along well in that department.
I'm hanging out on the couch, I have permission to come to my shower and church on Sunday, and I'm going into work for a bit on Monday to wrap things up.
My next checkup is Tuesday morning. They'll have my lab results then, and we'll see if I can go back to work part time or not.
Please be praying that my blood pressure regulates, that my body makes more progress toward birth, and that I can relax and rest, knowing that God's in charge of all this, and not me!
Thanks for your prayers and support as we prepare to welcome Fox Carson Rutherford sometime soon!
I've been swelling a lot this week and my blood pressure has been high. Went in for a checkup this morning and I've been told to get to the couch, at least for the weekend.
Fox is doing well, his heart rate is great, he's in the right position to come on out, and things are moving along well in that department.
I'm hanging out on the couch, I have permission to come to my shower and church on Sunday, and I'm going into work for a bit on Monday to wrap things up.
My next checkup is Tuesday morning. They'll have my lab results then, and we'll see if I can go back to work part time or not.
Please be praying that my blood pressure regulates, that my body makes more progress toward birth, and that I can relax and rest, knowing that God's in charge of all this, and not me!
Thanks for your prayers and support as we prepare to welcome Fox Carson Rutherford sometime soon!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Running Late...or right on time?
Lots of stuff has happened lately. I'll try to catch up later, but I have to share a cool story about dinner tonight. We had Matt and Terri Hall (our Pastor and his wife, one of my best friends) over to eat with us. We've been very close to them since they did our pre-marital counseling 5 years ago, and haven't managed to have them over dinner before tonight. I had a nice roast thawed, and it was getting to the point of no return - you know, eat it in the next two days or you've wasted your money?
So, I talked to Terri last night about how best to cook it, how long, etc. Then I invited them over to come eat it! We agreed to eat around 6:30 or so, Matt could come right from work, etc, etc.
Well, Matt got a call from someone whose relative (a young woman) was visiting from out of town this week. The woman had gotten word that her alcoholic uncle (who lives in Tallahassee) was hospitalized, very ill, and not given much time to live. The woman called Matt to see if he would visit her uncle in the hospital, since she had been praying for him for a long time. Matt went to the hospital, planning a short "hello, how are you, sorry you're sick" kind of visit.
God had other plans. The uncle had been discharged from the hospital and released to a rehab center. Matt didn't know where the place was located, and he knew that he and Terri were supposed to be at our house for dinner at 6:30. Matt hates being late. But, as he drove toward his house to get Terri, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was supposed to see this man today. So he called Terri to find directions to the place, turns out he was right near it, and told her to call me and apologize, but he had a visit he had to make.
Meanwhile at the Casa de Zorro, I've had this roast in the oven for an hour and a half, and it's still reading 100 degrees in the middle. I was trying to get everything cooked and ready for 6:30 dinner.
God had other plans. The roast was taking forever, I didn't have room in my oven for the roast and the cake I just had to make (darn nesting instinct) and I had to take the cake across the street to bake at the neighbors house.
Vance calls. He's running late, some sort of last-minute emergency at the office and he doesn't even leave until after 6:15. On the way home, the Hulk starts ticking in the engine. Never a good thing. So when he finally gets home at 6:40, he's surprised that Matt and Terri aren't there yet, but relieved that he has the opportunity to diagnose the ticking issue before they arrive.
Matt and Terri pull in, Matt helps Vance with the truck, Terri helps me get the roast out and the darn thing is still not done.
Eventually, Vance and Matt come in from the garage, we get tea for everyone, the roast finishes and we sit down to eat, right around 7:15.
At this point, Matt tells us about the visit with the dying man that caused him to be late.
That man is now going to heaven when he dies, because Matt listened when God told him not to worry about being late to Vance and Michelle's house for dinner.
If Matt, Terri, and Vance had all arrived at the house at 6:30 for dinner, I would have been so upset that everything wasn't ready. Vance wouldn't have had time to figure out what was wrong with the Hulk. More importantly, Matt would have missed the opportunity to share Christ with a dying man. That man told his niece on Saturday that he had done too many bad things to go to heaven. I'm so thankful that nothing worked out on my timetable tonight.
Dinner was awesome, probably one of the best I've cooked in years. Just ran a little late...or did it?
So, I talked to Terri last night about how best to cook it, how long, etc. Then I invited them over to come eat it! We agreed to eat around 6:30 or so, Matt could come right from work, etc, etc.
Well, Matt got a call from someone whose relative (a young woman) was visiting from out of town this week. The woman had gotten word that her alcoholic uncle (who lives in Tallahassee) was hospitalized, very ill, and not given much time to live. The woman called Matt to see if he would visit her uncle in the hospital, since she had been praying for him for a long time. Matt went to the hospital, planning a short "hello, how are you, sorry you're sick" kind of visit.
God had other plans. The uncle had been discharged from the hospital and released to a rehab center. Matt didn't know where the place was located, and he knew that he and Terri were supposed to be at our house for dinner at 6:30. Matt hates being late. But, as he drove toward his house to get Terri, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was supposed to see this man today. So he called Terri to find directions to the place, turns out he was right near it, and told her to call me and apologize, but he had a visit he had to make.
Meanwhile at the Casa de Zorro, I've had this roast in the oven for an hour and a half, and it's still reading 100 degrees in the middle. I was trying to get everything cooked and ready for 6:30 dinner.
God had other plans. The roast was taking forever, I didn't have room in my oven for the roast and the cake I just had to make (darn nesting instinct) and I had to take the cake across the street to bake at the neighbors house.
Vance calls. He's running late, some sort of last-minute emergency at the office and he doesn't even leave until after 6:15. On the way home, the Hulk starts ticking in the engine. Never a good thing. So when he finally gets home at 6:40, he's surprised that Matt and Terri aren't there yet, but relieved that he has the opportunity to diagnose the ticking issue before they arrive.
Matt and Terri pull in, Matt helps Vance with the truck, Terri helps me get the roast out and the darn thing is still not done.
Eventually, Vance and Matt come in from the garage, we get tea for everyone, the roast finishes and we sit down to eat, right around 7:15.
At this point, Matt tells us about the visit with the dying man that caused him to be late.
That man is now going to heaven when he dies, because Matt listened when God told him not to worry about being late to Vance and Michelle's house for dinner.
If Matt, Terri, and Vance had all arrived at the house at 6:30 for dinner, I would have been so upset that everything wasn't ready. Vance wouldn't have had time to figure out what was wrong with the Hulk. More importantly, Matt would have missed the opportunity to share Christ with a dying man. That man told his niece on Saturday that he had done too many bad things to go to heaven. I'm so thankful that nothing worked out on my timetable tonight.
Dinner was awesome, probably one of the best I've cooked in years. Just ran a little late...or did it?
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