Remember this kid...

We're still around. I suck at blogging but I just wanted to say hai! 

Guess who is 4 months old!

Four months! I can't believe it. Every parent says this but it is so amazing how fast time flies and how quickly the baby changes. 

Jordan weighed 12 lb, 11 oz at his 4 month checkup and was 24 1/4 inches long. He's so close to doubling his birth weight and has grown over 8 inches. That's crazy to me. 

Night time is going really well and I hope the 4 month sleep regression doesn't hurt us. He sleeps anywhere from 10-12 hours a night and naps 3-4 times a day. The naps range from 35 minutes to 2.5 hours. He wakes up everytime at 35 minutes and if he can go back to sleep then he's in for the long haul nap. 

Laughing and smiling are an everyday occurance and we do any stupid silly thing to make him laugh. He's starting to roll over. He's done it once or twice but today I watched him in the crib while he should have been falling asleep he was rolling 95% of the way onto his stomach and then flipping back over. Moving that arm from underneath him would have made him stay on his tummy but he couldn't figure that out. 

I'm back to work and it stinks but it's not as bad as what I imagined. I at least get to see and play with him for several hours before my shift starts at 11 a.m. 

Without further delay, here are the pictures. Which is, let's face it, what you guys come here for. :) 

14 weeks!

Time really does fly when you're having fun. And wow, is life getting funner and funner. 

Those first couple weeks of Mommyhood aren't rainbows and roses. It's tough. It's no joke when people say all you do is go into survivor mode. But now, life is getting back to a new normal. Jordan is doing great. 

He's sleeping through the night and has technically been doing this consistently since around 7 weeks if you believe in that whole nonsense of "5 hours is STTN." Uh whatever. I've never thought 5 hours was STTN. I've taken naps that are 5 hours. But since then he's been slowly but surely sleeping longer stretches and is now going 10-12 hours a night. I'm dreading the 4 month sleep regression because I'm loving this sleep now. 

His routine is waking up around 8 am, nursing, play time for about an hour or a little longer and then down for a nap. Typically he takes a 35 minute nap. It's like his little internal alarm is set for no more than 35 min. This cycle repeats all day and usually he will take a longer nap in the late afternoon which may last 1.5-3 hours. 

Bedtime starts around 7:30 with some books, bath, boob and then bed. We did a little modified sleep training to get to this point but now were able to lay him down awake and he goes to sleep on his own with minimal fussing. Since I'm going back to work soon we needed to get him used to not nursing to sleep or rocking and cuddling since DH won't have help to put him to bed while I'm at work. It was taking an hour or more of feeding and rocking and walking between the two of us but now he lays down without swaddling and goes to sleep after a little fussing and talking to himself. 

I haven't weighed him lately but he's at least over 12.5 pounds. He's starting to grow out of some 3 mo clothes which makes me incredibly sad.

Jordan is grabbing toys purposely now and talks back to us all the time. He is laughing a little more and were always doing something to get him to smile or laugh. He's such a serious baby and doesn't crack a smile unless we work for it. 

Snorting like a pig is how I got him to laugh at me for the first time. Although, technically DH earned the first laugh while just talking to him on the changing table. 

Jordan can't decide which is better -- sucking his thumb or sucking his fingers. It is nice though because he can self soothe. 

Because who doesn't love cute baby pics.

I'm Batman. Yes, those are capes on my shoes.

After milk. 

This is his before milk face. EVERYTIME! He has zero patience for Mommy to get her bra unhooked. "Give me dem boobies!"

Tiny baby in a big stroller. I can't wait for him to get bigger so we can use the jogging stroller. I got it for $45 at a thrift store. I'm so excited to be able to use it soon. 

Let's take a selfie! 

::smacks myself for this last caption because I'm not 13 years old::

Happy anniversary to us!

DH and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last week. A decade! I can't believe it.

I swear it was just yesterday that we were getting married. And it was just the day before that when we started dating in high school. We've been together for 15 years, nearly almost half of our lives. But we even go back farther than that. At the ripe old age of 10, we met at vacation bible school at my church. DH came with my cousin to vbs and I introduced myself with the most romantic gesture ever portrayed by a 10 year old. 

I hit him with a water balloon. 

He promptly made fun of my name, saying, "It just doesn't sound right." 

Needless to say, we've given each other crap almost daily since then. It's the key to a happy relationship. Or at least it works for us. We even had a few classes together in high school. One of which included lessons on parliamentary procedure in which I banged my gavel and told him to shut up. I'm pretty sure that was proper procedure, parliamentary speaking. 

It's been a decade filled with lots of bad and good times, but we've endured. It seemed like the bad times of IF would never end the way we wanted but we got our wish. And to celebrate we took Jordan on our anniversary trip this weekend. We walked along the touristy streets and shops and planned for the years ahead, dreaming of the days when he will be old enough to enjoy the zoo, aquarium and go kart tracks. 

The last 10 years have been fun, but I can't wait for the next 10. 

Crying baby to happy baby

How babies feel about shots. 

Luckily all is well a couple days later especially when the tiny human is milk drunk. 

8 weeks old!

I'm sorry about the lack of posting. A newborn really does take a shit ton of time to take care of, especially when said newborn has his first shots and WILL NOT let go of mommy. 

He did pretty well with getting the shots and has been very clingy and whiny since the appointment. Overall, the appointment went great. 

Jordan is now at 10 lb, 15 oz and is 23 inches long. His head is at 15.2 inches and he's right at 50th percentile for weight and height. 

He's still nursing like a pro and sleep is getting better. We've even had a few nights where he's slept 8-9 hours! 

Smiles are common in the morning and the colic is easing up in the evening. Car seats are the devil lately and his best friend is a moose.

Without further delay, here's the big guy.

They see me Rollin'. They hatin.'

6 weeks

Jordan is 6 weeks old! I know it's always said by parents, but how in the world did he get this old and big already? 

He's big enough to start fitting into some 3 month clothes and is filling out cloth diapers a little more. We haven't made the full transition to cloth yet because his little legs need to get a little fatter for some to fit. 

This shit is hard.

Reflux, hiccups, growth spurts, colic, poor sleep ... 

It all can suck it. Taking care of a high needs 5 week old is tough. 

But at least he is so freaking cute.

Just chilling

Just hanging out with my bear friends.

Also, TINY TOES!!!

We're both still learning.

13 days into this Mommy business and me and the munchkin are still learning.

Today, we attempted the Moby wrap. He's not sure if he likes it or not. This is the second time I've used it and the first was a big nap success and this one was just meh. He couldn't get comfy. Maybe he just needed to fart though. 

Practice makes perfect

Over a week old and working on my basketball skills. 

Stages of milk drunk

Step 1. Enjoy skin to skin. 

Step 2: look cute so Mom will feed you all the time.

Step 3: Nursing success and milk drunk baby. 

There's someone I would like for you all to meet.

Remember that last post where I said Hey look I'm still pregnant?! That lasted about 24 more hours after that post went live. 

There's some I would like for you guise to meet. 

Say hello to Jordan Samuel. He arrived at 4:47 pm on Saturday, April 19. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 18 inches long. 

His birth story is 25 hours long so that will be another post ... eventually. For now, he and I are doing great. He is an old pro at breastfeeding and is currently latched on and I am in hog heaven. 

More to come later, but DH and I have never been happier or more proud and I wanted to share this little bundle of happiness with you all. 

You will be happy to know that I am still pregnant. 38w,4d.

So it seems like I have missed a couple of the weekly updates. I didn't realize that I haven't posted weeks 35 through now, so we will just do a brief update overall. Mmmmkay??

 

My mornings: I still hate mornings. Add in some snoring and I am finding DH on the couch more often than not. The snoring usually wakes me up too and I can't figure out a sleeping position that I don't snore in.

My nights: Snoring is becoming a problem. See above. Ear plugs are my friends.

How far along: 38w, 4d. 11 days until my EDD. SQUUUUEEEE!

How big is baby: Baby He-Man is over 7 pounds and could be anywhere from 19 inches and up. DH is pretty tall and judging by the size of his feet in our last US, it looks like he may be taking after his daddy in the height department and after mommy in the big feet department.

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 44

This week: 174

How I’m changing: Still growing. All over.

 

Weight is a sensitive subject for women, whether they are pregnant or not. It really irks me when someone makes insensitive comments that they think are benign but are really kinda hurtful for the mother. My coworker has the ability to make little comments that really hurt, like "Look how big you're getting," "Aren't you ready to pop yet? You look like it," "Your feet and face look puffy."

None of those comments are in any way helpful or conversation starters. Several times I have looked at her with the death stare and just ignored her, but I've also said things like, "Yes, I know I am getting bigger. That's a sign that the baby is also getting bigger, which is kinda the goal." This is also the same stupid coworker that put her hand on my belly without asking, rubbed all around and said, "Does it bother you when people rub your belly?" Ummmmm Yes, it does. Then she was stupid enough to call me rude for telling her to stop. I said, if you didn't put it here, then stop touching it.

 

What I miss: Feeling comfortable. Don't get me wrong. I am trying to cherish every moment of the pregnancy, especially the last few weeks...or days. But, let me preach some truth...third trimester is a whole new beast and that beast hurts. The majority of the day is more pain and uncomfortable feeling than easy, free to move around. Getting up off the couch is truly an issue. I used to look at pregnant women who needed an extra hand to get up from laying down position as "weak" or just "lazy." HAHAHAHAHA. There have been moments where I've said, "Eff it. I'm just going to lay here until DH comes back in the room."

Don't even get me started on rolling over in bed. I don't know how women who are pregnant with multiples can even function near the end. It has to be so hard.

Symptoms: A little more heartburn. I hope the wives tale is true and that he has lots of hair.

Cravings: I want fruit or sweet things. Lately, I've been into pineapples and watermelons have started creeping back into stores so that's exciting!

Food Aversions: Nothing. I've been lucky that nothing has made me sick.

Highlights this week: I installed the car seat in my car. DH put together the stroller, which is still sitting in the kitchen. His car is in the shop so we will install that base soon, but since we will be taking my car to the hospital there really is no rush.

Last week, during week 37, I took a tour of the hospital, birthing suites and finished my pre-registration. Whoboy did that little visit make things seem real.

Maternity clothes: Yep. Couldn't live without them.

Stretch marks: I have them on both butt cheeks but none on my belly.

Sleep: I wish. That's all.

Movement: Always! But it is slowing down some with more of it being him twisting and turning some. It's not like jabs but I can see his feet or butt move across my upper belly. He is settling in head down so I don't get a whole lot of movement down low.

Gender: We're Team He-Man!

Labor signs: I've had some days of cramps and contractions that gets me a little excited that things may be getting close to labor day but then they go away. 

 

During my 36 week visit, my OB checked my cervix and I was 1 cm dilated. That didn't change between the checks from 36 weeks to 38 weeks but each time I get checked I end up spotting and cramping a lot.  

Belly button: I thought I would have an outie by now, but the innie is still holding on.

What I am looking forward to: LABOR. No seriously. At this point, there's not much else to do except wait. And waiting is getting exciting.

Milestones: Major nesting going on. Even though I think we're pretty prepared now, I am still trying to organize. I go into the nursery every day and piddle around. DH is also getting more curious about all the stuff, like asking me about the sound machine, how swaddlers work, etc. I sometimes forget that I have spent so many years researching and reading about babies that it's not like that for him.  I kinda need to teach him some of the basic things that he may not know, but that I have come across through research or from babysitting.

I'm getting bigger by the minute!

Less than 2.5 weeks

I declined the cervical check today. It can increase the risk of infection, plus it makes no difference to me if I am dilating or not. My OB wants to do one next week if my contractions continue, so I'm good with that. 

I'm up another 2 pounds and the belly is measuring a week behind, but that's not an issue as long as I'm measuring within two weeks either way. 

I've spent yesterday and today trying to organize the nursery and do more laundry. How can one kid have this many socks? 

Throw Back Thursday

From the days of when the bump was more of a blump ... 

37 weeks, 4 days and I'm about to go to the OB for another weekly NST and cervical check. 

Last week I was 1cm, high and tight. I've had contractions in the evenings for a week or more and they're starting to feel more crampy instead of like Braxton hicks. 

The dresser is done!!!

It's been a thorn in my foot for weeks now as I have waited, not very patiently, to get the dresser so I can organize the nursery. 

Without the dresser, I couldn't put away washed clothes, blankets, or diapers. My kitchen table looks like Babies R Us exploded on it. 

But NOW, we finally have a dresser! I can't really blame Dad and DH for taking longer than my initial deadline of March, seeing as how DH had some work issues that wouldn't allow him to make the hour trip to work on it for several weeks. And then Dad had unexpected shoulder surgery. But don't these guys realize how crazy a nesting 8-month pregnant lady is!?!? 

They both are under the male mental mindset that a due date is exactly when the birth will be. Ha! Poppycock I say. 

Sure. I get that I could easily go past my EDD but I would rather be prepared for an earlier arrival than not prepared at all until the due date. 

I can't thank them enough for they hardwork in handcrafting this dresser. We got to custom design it with type of wood, layout, drawer sizes, finish, and drawer pulls. It's simple and exactly the way I love handmade pieces. I want something that will look timeless and will look beautiful for years to come. Since I know it will last for decades, I know it's designed to be an awesome focal piece in any room. 

I'm not even going to show you the other side of the room. You would die if you saw how much stuff is piled upon other piles of stuff. It would make a great setting for a baby hoarders TV show episode. 

This post is brought to you flat on my back...

Flat on my back with my tootsies in the air, I am thinking about how far I've come. 

Someone in the interwebs read my BFP post from August 2013 and that one little view made me click on it and relive the sweet and overwhelming feelings from that time. 

Even in just the few minutes it took me to read the BFP post, I got the same sick feeling in my stomach. It's like that butterfly-in-my-belly-excited-feeling but also the I'm-so-scared-and-going-to-vomit-feeling. All it takes is a few written words on a blog to bring back all those memories. 

So as I lay here trying to get my feet to reverse the swelling, I'm reminded of how blessed I am. My ankles are non existant and I can't bend my toes, but it took a lot of money and time and prayers to get to this point. I'm lucky that I don't have any serious complications and the pregnancy is progressing as normal as can be. 

And now, it's hard to believe that I only have about 25 days to go until my EDD. In a month, I will be holding a baby in my arms. Insane. 

Also, I am in desperate need of a pedicure. 

Attention Ho notice!

Of course, it's my blog and all the attention is on me, but I have to brag!

The last thing we needed before baby arrives was the Britax B Agile stroller. I bought the car seat at a ridiculously stupid half price months ago. 

Tonight, I armed myself with a 20% friends and family coupon to BRU, plus my 10% registry coupon and a butt load of gift cards. 

Priced at $209 before coupons, I was able to get it down to about $165 after coupons and tax. My gift card stash brought the total to $0 out of pocket for me with $60+ on one card left. 

I'm so excited. And if my ankles didn't feel like they were breaking, I would assemble it and drive it around the house. 

A day all about the baby!

The day started off with another weekly Dr appt with an NST, non stress test. Me and the baby are doing fine and the NST went well. For those wondering, the NST is a heartrate and contraction monitoring test that lasts about 30 minutes. The doc wants to see that baby is moving as it should be and that the heart rate rises with each movement. Theoretically, baby's heart should beat faster for about 15ish seconds after movement to show that proper oxygen and blood supply is happening. I'm happy to report that all is well, plus no contractions. 

Then DH and I went for another elective US. It's late in the pregnancy game for this and it was originally supposed to be 2 weeks ago but work schedules and sickness prevented it. We didn't get any good pictures because of how squished in he was, but we did get some reassurance that all is well and baby is growing like a little chunker. 

The doc estimated that he is over 6 pounds already and she thinks my due date should be more like April 24, about 4 days ahead of schedule. My placenta looks mature and she said it would rate a 3 on maturity level of 1-4. He also has big feet, like his mama. His head is down low and placenta is still anterior so that's great. 

The cord is a three vessel cord and all other organs look great. We got to see the four chambers of the heart, plus see him open his mouth and breathe in some fluid. DH was pleased to see the lil guy is still all boy and that all the private parts are looking as they should. 

It was calming to see that he's in a goo position for birth and I feel better knowing that my hunches about where his head, feet, etc were at were correct. Plus, I don't feel weird now saying this is his butt or his feet that keep poking me in the ribs. 

In other pregnancy related topics, my feet look like balloons with little sausage toes. Plus, I am now on an antibiotic for a UTI that I was unaware that I had. If there's a positive side to a UTI it's that at least I didn't know I had it until I peed in a cup today. :) 

This is about the best face shot we could get without hands and arms in the way. 

Holy crap. I'm behind. 33-34 weeks

My mornings: I still hate mornings. Add in some snoring and I'm pretty sure DH hates mornings now too. 

My nights: I can't sleep more than an hour at a time. Snoring is becoming a problem. Ear plugs are my friends. 

How far along: 33-34 weeks

How big is baby: Baby He-Man is over 5 pounds and over 18 inches. At this point, he's gaining half a pound a week. I'm gaining way more than that. :) 

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 35

This week: 165
 

How I’m changing: Still growing, which is a good thing. My feet have taken on a bigger size as well.

What I miss: Sleep and feeling normal. Being uncomfortable is the new normal. Pain is settling in all over and I'm getting to the "not fun" stage of when it hurts to walk, lay down, roll over, move an inch ... You get the picture. I hate to sound whiny and I'm completely grateful to be at this stage and almost done, but I will not sugar coat it. Pregnancy isn't all puppies and rainbows. It hurts sometimes and that's the truth. But I wouldn't trade it for a thing. 

Symptoms: A little more heartburn. I hope the wives tale is true and that he has lots of hair. I was bald until I was about 2 and DH had hair pretty early on as an infant so we shall see!?

Cravings: I want fruit. Sweet, delicious fruit. Strawberry season is coming up and I am so stinking excited!

Food Aversions: Nothing. I've been lucky that nothing has made me sick. 

Highlights this week: My second shower. It was amazing, as I expected. I loved having a small, intimate shower with close friends. My SIL decorated it and it was so cute in a 'lil man theme. As soon as I download pics from my camera I will show it off. 

 

Maternity clothes: Yep. Couldn't live without them.

Stretch marks: I have them on both butt cheeks but none on my belly.

Sleep: I wish. That's all.

 

Movement: Always! And now that his home is getting more limited in space and fluid, he is getting tough in his punches and kicks. Some of them really, really hurt. 

Gender: We're Team He-Man!

Labor signs: nothing except for some Braxton hicks. 

Belly button: I thought I would have an outie by now, but the innie is still holding on.

What I am looking forward to: I am having another US tomorrow just as a last sneak peak before he is due. We had to reschedule it from two weeks ago so I'm excited to see if we can get some good pictures. 

Milestones: Showers are done and organization is happening. I can't wait to get everything put in its place and ready for his arrival. 

Some furry love

Caught red pawed... Again. See, they really do love each other. 

Minnie is hard to see because she is so tiny and black all over but she creeped up to Bella and curled right up under her front paws. 

My foot had a Puma tattoo.

The puffy feet are becoming a daily thing, even when I'm at work sitting with my feet up all day. 

Maybe wearing ankle Puma socks wasn't the best idea. Hence, my new fat/fluid roll at my ankles and if you look real close you can see the Puma symbol embedded on top of my foot. 

I'm bringing sexy back. 

Wrapup of weeks 31 and 32

My mornings: I still hate mornings. My hips and knees hurt constantly at night. It's like a calf cramp only in my hips.

My nights: I can't sleep more than an hour at a time.

How far along: 31-32 weeks

How big is baby: Baby He-Man is over 4 pounds and almost 18 inches.

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 31

This week: 161
 

How I’m changing: Still growing, which is a good thing. 

What I miss: We've had warmer weather recently so really the only thing I am missing is sleep. I have a feeling I will be missing that for a long while.

Symptoms: Some heartburn. A little bit of breathlessness.

Cravings: I want sweets! Specifically Samoas girl scout cookies!!! I also ate an entire box of fruit roll ups. 

Food Aversions: Nothing.

Highlights this week: My shower. It was amazing.

 

Maternity clothes: Yep. Couldn't live without them.

Stretch marks: I have them on both butt cheeks but none on my belly.

Sleep: I wish. That's all.

 

Movement: He is active in the mornings and late at night. That's when he is bouncing all over the place. He has his moments during the day of stretching and rolling his limbs. Currently, he is laying transverse with his feet in my left side of my ribs.

Gender: We're Team He-Man!

Labor signs: I have had a few days of spotting on the days when I am more active and not relaxing enough. I am forcing myself to stop trying to do everything and take it easy more. My OB wasn't too worried about it and said the cervix is a sensitive little thing that gets irritated easily.

Belly button: I thought I would have an outie by now, but the innie is still holding on.

What I am looking forward to: I am having another US tomorrow just as a last sneak peak before he is due. It's an elective US and I am excited to see how much he has grown.

 

Milestones: Down to single weeks left and getting the nursery set up more.