Tub time

Did I mention I can take baths again? I can roll and dip low, stay on my back with no bump in the way. It was so sad near the end of my pregnancy. I could not even sit for long in fear that my oxygen was being cut off. Plus when 95% of your body is well above water level and the water can only be luke warm how is that fun. I think when you get pregnant the government should automatically give you a jacuzzi bath tub and a maid. Hell I can sleep on my tummy again!! But the baths are the most important. Thanks to the bottle and days that KB is home I can stay until I melt. KB and Bear can enjoy their nap time together :)

On a completely different note...Yesterday I bought our first set of cloth wipes and wipe warmer. Very exciting. Next up is cloth diapers! I have narrowed it down to several brands. It's tough not knowing what to use. I have searched blogs and the Internet far and wide. Some work for some peeps and some work for others, but what will work for us? I will let you. I will most likely go with several brands.

Today Bear is 6 weeks old!

Mission Accomplished

I feel like he is growing up so fast. Yes, there is still so much he has not done. Bear either has Colic (yeah) or GERD (acid reflux) or as the Doctor said he may just be fussy...Well thanks that narrows it down. I do have to add a shout out to "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD. That has helped for his fussiness and suggest it to anyone having a baby- fussy or not. Last night I got in the bath with him and he bobbed around and ate right afterwards, and passed out hard with little fuss. He is a true Water sign. He loves bath time. I held his head and submerged his little body, and he floated with a big smile. Perhaps the bath is the way to go- but a bath every night could be bad for his delicate skin. He weighs in at 12 lb. and 11 oz.- basically a 13 pounder. The Doctors are praise him for his ability for eye contact and grasp.
Missions Accomplished this week:
He almost rolled over today!! He gets so frustrated he really wants to crawl.
He used his first pacifier- during one of his manic episodes
He used his first bottle of freshly expressed milk- we are prepping him for when I go back to work
We have been making kiss-y faces at him and oooo's and aaahhh's and he can copy us. Today Kb taught him how to click with his tongue and now every time he sees KB he does it.

I said I wanted to go back to work and I do, but I do not want to miss any little thing. I almost cried when I had to give his first bottle. I am sure that is not my last of almost crying- I expect to cry my eyes out over this kid plenty of times in my life- be it for joy or whatever else may come.

Bob and Bear

Bear loves Bob Marley. When he gets fussy we put the cd on and he nod's his head and drifts off to sleep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9SSL6IydpM

This is obviously not bear...

One Month Update

 Outfit compliments of Aunt Mel...

Hello we are ALIVE!! Its been a very busy first month. When I get a chance I clean. Ya know just the usual poo, pee, spit up....We have made it to One month! Bear has gotten so big. He is a morning person. He likes to wake up eat and get a warm bath. He makes an "Oooo" face when he gets in. After a little tummy time he off to eat sleep poo for the rest of his day. Tough schedule. We guestimate he is about 14 lbs. We go to the Pedi. on Tuesday. He is busting with chub out of his 0-3 month clothes. He loves his car seat and going on long walks drifting off to soft music. He has bad days of growth spurts occasionally but otherwise all good.

He only wakes once or twice in the night to eat and change a diaper. I love how he wakes up in the morning. It takes a good 35-45 minutes of stretching and moaning.

I look forward going back to work, working out, and just doing "normal" things again. C-sections is like a handicap. I miss baths!

Well off to soothe the sleepy crying baby!

How...

How do you go to the bathroom? How do you walk around the house and leave him in another room? What happens if he spits up or chokes on it? How are you not suppose to check to see if he is breathing every two seconds? How do you type on computer with one hand because he does not want to be put down? How do you not want to eat him up with all his cute chubbiness? I want to squish him with love! I want our first week back. I want him to be giggling and walking and talking and asking questions until my head explodes.
How will I deal as he grows older and gains independence? How do you teach and tell him everything is going to be okay when in fact you are just going with the flow, one day at a time.
I am and will have how do you and what do you do's for the next 18 years. I don't expect answers. We will learn together. After all he does not even know "how". He just knows cry now and boob will appear.
Now that I am here it amazes me that so many women do this. Young girls becoming mothers. Single women doing this on their own. I applaud them for their strength. I applaud all mothers and even the fathers. Cheers to new "hows"! ( i am toasting with a cup of water!)

Coming Home

He likes his car seat. He likes the car. He is overall a very good baby. He will notify you when comfort is no more. He lost 1 lb. in the hospital and has gained that and then some back. I would say he is at 12 lbs. now and grown 2 inches. He is healthy and hungry!

Its a Bear

So much to catch up on. So much to say. First off after being a week overdue and asked several times by my doctors if I would like to be induced I finally said yes. Two weeks prior to my induction my doctor was listening to the Bean's heartbeat and stated what a big baby it felt like. Uh oh. It should have set off ringers but I was bound and determined to do this naturally! We went into the hospital on March 7th at 8:30 am ready for our induction. My sister, KB and I completely prepared for not knowing what to expect what so ever. I was hooked up to picotin and an IV. I had been having small contractions for weeks but nothing was happening. So I just knew today would be the day I would have a baby. This time next week I would have a baby. By this time tomorrow I would be a mother.
Some things you can't control but through all of my pregnancy I have kept an open mind- as much as possible. I was prepared with my birth plan, had music, and lovely sister providing massage and fashion and gossip magazines. We began. Contractions were getting bigger and I felt more confident than ever that I could do this. Even my nurse believed in me! However my cervix was not believing in me. They sent in an Ultrasound technician. She measured the baby for his weight and that is were is all started to turn. Her eyes got big and she said "oh, oh my uh oh". That never is good. She said I was going to have a very large baby averaging 9lbs 10oz. My Doctor called and said I could labor all the way to 10 centimeters and do everything naturally as I wanted but in the end my cervix was not opening and my pelvic bones were way to small for something so large. Besides feeling honored that I was petite in the bones I had not expected a c-section. Perhaps an epidural at most. Well there goes that birth plan.
Kb and I finished our game of goldfish got some good food seeing it would be my last for very long time. I had not read the C-section part of What to Expect when you are Expecting so I decided I should brush up on that a.s.a.p. After couple sentences Kb told me I was not allowed to read anymore as to not freak myself out.
This time tomorrow I will have a baby.
So early the next morning the nurses came in and got started on the prep work. In no time Kb was entering the surgery room I hear "Wow that is a big head". Doctor's started biding on his weight "can I get a 9.5, how about 10?". "Kenneth do you want to tell her what it is?" A boy! A perfect 9 lbs. and 12 oz baby boy. 10 fingers, 10 toes, a penis, and the Monroe nose! Just like I was a mother.
As I type this now wearing my boppy I have the most handsome little guy in my lap sleeping very happily. We are home now not knowing what to expect from one moment to another and that is how I expect it to be from now on. No expectations and that is just fine with me.

 All Good!

Our first meeting...