Liam: Four Months

Likes: Standing, smiling, water, cuddling, his toys (finally), his fist (loves to suck on it)

Dislikes: Sunscreen (it was bad), sitting in his carrier (he keeps trying to scoot out of it)

Biggest Achievement of the Month: Grabbing 

Sleep: Doing alright.  There was a couple nights that I put him down with me at 9 (I work at 5am so I have to go to sleep early) and he decided that he was going to be awake at 5 and make dad be awake too, he was thrilled so we have been putting him down a little later (like 10ish which I know is really late for a baby but it seems to work) and he has been getting up at 6, 6:30 with his dad like he is supposed to.  He does normal get up once during the night to feed but that isn't too bad I figure.  Also he has decided that he no longer like swaddling so we just tuck his blanket around him kind of loosely so that he doesn't get cold.

Temperment/Personality: He is just so happy all of the time.  He smiles so much, and loves to coo and gurgle at us.  He still gets cranky when he gets hungry or gets really tired but once we feed or put him down to sleep he is normally all better.  He is becoming so aware now of everything around him and he loves to just stare at whatever new item or person he sees.

Eating: Still loves the boob. But we have his 4 month appointment on the 17th and I will talk to the doctor about starting to eat real food or see if I can hold off for a bit more

The Superficial: He is getting so big.  Compared to what he was when he was born he is huge now.  We want to say somewhere around 14 lbs so almost twice what he was when he was born.  I tried to have a glass of milk this month too to see if I could and nope, not yet.  Within a day or two his baby acne magically came back but I haven't drank any since so it has gone away now.  He is starting to get some peach fuzz hair and there is debate about what color it is but what I think is it is going to be a strawberry blonde. He is still very chunky and I love it, every roll makes me smile.

Milestones & Firsts: He can hold his head up really well now.  He loves to stand and we are pretty much his balance because he has none of that yet. He coos at us and will have "conversations".  He is grabbing at his toys and hanging on to them now, which makes him so much more fun to play with. He is also trying to sit up and according to one of his sitters he has gotten really close to sitting up by himself but I haven't seen it that much yet.

He had his first decently long car trip (45 minutes) and went to another town besides the one that he lives in.  He also wore his fist pair of shoes (I know he doesn't need them, this was done by my husband who just thought that they were adorable)  He had his first time playing with another animal (the chickens in the pictures and my parents dog he grabbed at a little.)

Favorite Baby Gear:
My new nursing cover which is amazing.  It is made from bamboo cotton so it is really soft and lightweight so Liam will actually eat underneath it.

My hands free pumping bra.  I can't believe I waited so long to get one of these, it is the most amazing thing ever to be able to pump and do other things at the same time. (it won't let me steal a picture)

His sleeper suit.  He had outgrown his first one and it was really warm on him (it was like fleece or something) so I went to Target and found another one that is more lightweight since it is getting warmer, actually fits him and has velcro so that it makes it harder for him to get out of it. (the picture is not the exact one, I can't find the right one of their website so I just chose one that is the same brand and looks kind of similar but now that I look at it this one looks like it is fleece and our isn't, it is just normal cotton)

Liam: Three Months

So obviously I am a bit behind with these and I am writing the 3 month one late so it probably won't be as descriptive as it could be because I can't really remember what he was doing then verses what he is doing now but I am going to do my best.

Likes: Baths, standing, being held, naked time, tummy time

Dislikes: Being put down, being sick, getting out of baths

Biggest Achievement of the Month: Getting healthy again

Biggest Challenge of the Month: Being sick :(

Sleep: Getting much better.  He still likes to wake up a couple times when I am on baby duty but he sleeps almost completely through or only wakes up once for Cody.

Temperment/Personality: It was bad this month.  He was sick for about 2 weeks and although it wasn't anything serious (thank goodness) he was just uncomfortable and therefore cranky.  So we spent lots of time holding him because that was the only way we could get him to relax during the day.  Near the end of the month I could tell he was feeling better because he went back to being his normal happy self and pretty much only cries when he is hungry or really tired but doesn't want to sleep (yeah it is tons of fun when he does that)

Eating: Eats like a champ, I was worried with him not feeling well that he might eat less (I was told that was something to watch for) but he never wavered   I got a new nursing cover that works amazing and he will actually eat under it (verses my old method of just putting a blanket over him, making him very warm and then he doesn't want to eat) so that is awesome.

 The Superficial: All of the skin issues have gone away!!!  He is all clear now except when I don't notice his nails have gotten long and he scratches himself.  He is getting big, I want to say a minimum of 12 lbs now (but he is probably bigger) and he is officially in the 0-3 month clothes now.

Milestones & Firsts: So the chart that I was using from Baby Center has disappeared   It has the link and when I click on it, it goes to like an article (which is so not easy to just skim like an actual chart is) and it doesn't even hit every month. So I was googling to find a new milestone chart and it is back at Baby Center they just updated the look of it so we are all good now.

He is rolling over now and does what the site calls a mini push up (which is where he lifts up his head and shoulders during tummy time).  He smiles so much which is so much fun. He holds his head up really well and loves to try and stand which he can do, we just hold him because he has no balance yet.

As for firsts he had his first sickness which was hard but he was so great during it even though we know he was unhappy about it.

(Because I am writing this post when he is almost 4 months old it isn't as thorough as it could have been but I also have realized I need to make notes of things that he does so that by the end of the month I know what cool things have happened and I don't just write about the things that happened at the end of the month)

Liam: Two Months

Likes: Eating, being held, getting played with, naked baby time, tummy time

Dislikes: Getting put in his carseat, rolling over (he pretty much cries whenever he is doing it), getting water on his face (my bad on that one but it made him scream), getting his head oiled down

Biggest Achievement of the Month: Rolling over

Biggest Challenge of the Month: Not going to sleep until late

Sleep: He seems to like sleeping for hubby, but not for me.  When hubby puts him to bed he sleeps normally until 4 or 5 when he wants to eat.  When I do it, he stays up half the night and wants to be fed at 3. And during the day he seems to be awake a lot more, so he isn't sleeping as much but when he does, he can still sleep through anything.  I wonder when he stops being able to do that and we have to be quiet when he sleeps.

Temperament/Personality: He is still very sweet and happy although when he does get upset he can really scream.  He was having some problems with his nightly feeding where he would be just so upset that the boob couldn't soothe him and hubby would have to give him a bottle to get him to calm down but he seems to have stopped that.  Other then that he spends lots of time cooing and smiling, which I love.  He is still very expressive and so fun to watch.

Eating: He eats quite a bit but he has developed a fun habit where in the evening he gets so tired and cranky that I can't get him to latch and then hubby has to give him a bottle.  Other then that he is a great eater.

The Superficial: So this has been a bad month for his skin.  He was still struggling with baby acne, and he got a case of cradle cap which meant I got to oil him down for a couple days to get rid of it (it wasn't a bad case of it though).  Then we noticed that he seemed to be getting a rash, so of course like any normal person I googled and after talking to my sister in laws, thought he might be having an allergic reaction (it was only on his torso and arms though so we knew it wasn't from his clothes because it would have been on his legs too).  Apparently one of the most common things to be allergic to is mom drinking milk.  So I have stopped eating dairy temporarily and the rash disappeared   Its very sad because I love milk but I should be able to slowly reintroduce it into my diet and he will get used to it. 

He is getting bigger and from me weighing him myself he is about 12 lbs. He also is officially out of his newborn clothes and into his 0-3 month clothes, which is fun and sad at the same time, because he is not my tiny little baby anymore.

He has the most beautiful eyelashes and his fingernails seem to always be claws, no matter how much I file them.  He is getting all fat too, he has back rolls, and leg rolls and I have to make sure I get in all of the folds when bathing him.

No Milestones or Baby Gear this month because apparently I forgot to finish writing this post, the chart that I was using for milestones has disappeared and I can't remember what he has done so I kind of suck this time.

Liam: One Month

Likes: Car rides, being held, tummy time (surprisingly enough because I heard some babies hate it) baths, eating and sleeping all day



Hubby holding Liam for the first time

 Dislikes: Sleeping at night, getting put in his carseat, diaper changes

Biggest Achievement of the Month: I would think being born should count for this one, because that is something huge ;)

Biggest Challenge of the Month: Sleeping throughout the night

Sleep: So he loves sleeping, it just tends to happen during the day.  He did this from the day he was born and it is something we have been working on.  What will happen is he will sleep all day and then at around 10 when we try to go to bed he will be awake and then normally he wakes up again around midnight or 1 and is awake for a bit then too.  Christmas night he gave us the most wonderful gift and slept for a 7 hour stretch.  When I woke up that morning hubby told me it was morning and my first question was, "Is he dead?" because I just couldn't believe he slept for that big of a stretch. 

Now we have been developing a few bad habits and I know they are bad but I figure this is my first kid so I am allowed to cheat a little because sometimes I just really need sleep.  The main one I am talking about is when he won't stop fussing, I just pull him into bed with us.  I know, I know, I have been told that when he gets older it is a very hard thing to break but when it is 3 in the morning and he is wide awake and I of course am not, it just seems easier so that I can get some sleep.

But he has been getting better lately, waking up about twice a night, which I will take. 

Temperament/Personality: He has the best temperament   He is a very calm, sweet baby and normally only cries when he is hungry (apparently dirty diapers don't bug him very much).  Another thing that is so fun is that he has the widest range of expressions.  He makes faces all the time and it is just so adorable to watch.  There have only been a couple times that he has been upset for more then a few minutes that I couldn't fix (he had a few really bad nights) for which I am very grateful for.

Eating: I am so happy to say that I haven't had any problems breastfeeding him.  Within an hour of being born I was feeding him and we have been good ever since.  Around week 3 he hit a growth spurt which resulted in hour long feedings for a bit but that seems to be over now, thank goodness.

The Superficial: He is so pretty....  No but really, he really is a cute baby, I love that he was born with hair and I dont really remember seeing him with a cone head so it must have gone back to normal pretty fast.  He is wearing newborn clothes still but some of the outfits now are starting to get close to being too small. 

The only thing that isn't good (well it really isn't bad except for looks) is that he got baby acne decently bad.  Our doctor said it was normal and would go away in about a month.  Hubby asked around to our friends with kids and one of their pediatricians had recommeded putting Aqufor on it and it works like magic.  We put it on and within a day it looks so much better.

Milestones & Firsts: Milestone #1, Being born!!!!  Other then that, he holds his head up really well.  He scoots to the point that he went over his mini boppy pillow. (Video?) He is opening his eyes a lot and will watch us, and some friends say (I haven't seen this personally) that when they are holding him and me or hubby goes by or says something he will look for us.  He makes cute baby noises (I say he is talking to us) and has a great hand grip.

He had his first bath, which he loved.  He had his first time away from mom and dad, which he had no problems with.  His first bottle (which he did fine with thank goodness). His first Chistmas and New Year.  And now that I am thinking about it, most everything is a first because he was just born so I am not sure what else to put without writing every single thing he does.

Favorite Baby Gear: I love his baby wipe warmer.  I know it isn't technically a necessary item but with how cold it is, I feel bad wiping him when the wipe is freezing. 

My boppy pillow, great for nursing and great for putting him on so that he can watch me and I don't have to have him completely in my arms.

His play mat thing (given to him by his great grandma for Christmas).  It is meant for tummy time and came with a mini boppy that you prop him up on so he isn't just lying flat on the floor.  It is very helpful so that we don't have to use one of his blankets which I think sometimes make it hard for him to move because he can't get good traction to move.

(Now none of these have links because either I didn't buy them or I got them used)

Labor and Delivery

So I know that I sort of just abandoned this blog but once I had my son life just sort of got crazy and I didn't really have a chance to update it.  And now since it has been over a month since I have last written and I don't remember much of week 39 I am just going to skip that post and move on.  But my mother keeps telling me that I need to start writing on this again and to write my birth story here so here it goes and I am going to share details I am sure some people do not need to know about me so if you don't want to hear it, stop reading now and just come back for the next post. :) (it will be about baby Liam so it should be fun). Oh and this is going to be very long too, sorry...

So on Thursday, December 6, 2013, I went to my doctor at 2 PM for my now weekly appointment because I was almost at the end.  I was still dilated to a 2 and was told that I most likely wouldn't have him until after my due date (so the chances for getting a baby on 12/12/12 was going to be unlikely).  He offered to strip my membranes and said it would hurt a little and would help speed up my going into labor.  So I looked at hubby and we were both like, why not.  My doctor said I might have a little cramping for about 5 minutes afterwards but it shouldn't be a big deal.  So he did it and it didn't hurt that bad and I didn't cramp at all, so we went to make our 40 week appointment thinking that of course we were going to have to come back.

So I went on with my day and around 8 PM I noticed that I was leaking a little.  I thought it was kind of odd but thought it was because of what the doctor had done earlier.  So when my husband and 2 roommates wanted to run to McDonald's I said alright but only if I can use the iPad (which technically belongs to my husband) to look at stuff.  So I started googling.  I found out (from reading forum posts mostly) that when you get your membranes stripped it works in one of 2 ways.  Either it does nothing and you have to have it done again or you go into labor within 24 hours of getting it done (again no real science behind what I am saying just from what I read that is how it seems).  So I decided to tell my hubby what was going on and he told me to call my doula. 

I did and she said to lay down for an hour and if I was still leaking I could go into the hospital and they could tell me if my water broke.  I then call my mom (by then it was around 8:30, 9) and she said that we should just go into the hospital and see because what else could I really be leaking (good point...).  So I compromised.  She came and got me but I didn't make hubby go and told him if I get checked in I would call and then he could come to the hospital to me. 

Off to the hospital we went.  We go into a nice little waiting area and there is no one there (it is night so it makes sense) we wait for a few minutes not sure what to do and why no one is coming out to help us, so I call my doula again (she also work in Labor and Delivery at the same hospital) and was told we had to pick up the phone and they would let us in.  Yeah it was late and a blonde moment for me.  So once we got into the right place they checked me and yes my water was broken, I was still only dilated to a 2 and I was now stuck at the hospital on a time crunch because once you check in you have to deliver within 24 hours.  Crap.

They got me all checked in and I called my husband to let him know what was going on but told him that to try and get some sleep and I would call him once it started getting more exciting.  Now I know that I haven't said that I was having contractions at this time but it was because I didn't really think I was. I was told that my whole belly would tighten and it wasn't feeling like that.  Basically it felt like period cramps only in my pelvic area, not on my belly at all.  But apparently that is how they decided to be my entire labor, so I was having contractions at this point.
My mom called my doula and asked if she could come in now and of course she did.  The nurse came and hooked me up to a machine to hear the baby and started giving me information.  And more information and talked to me about how I might have to get Pitocin if my labor doesn't progress. I just realized that I have not mentioned what I wanted my labor to be like.  I wanted all natural.  No drugs at all, not even fluids, so taking Pitocin was something I really wasn't wanting to do.  They tried giving me fluids and I told them that I was OK and I would just drink lots of water from the water bottle that I brought (I might have been a little annoying to them but it was OK).  And the nurse kept talking and talking and finally to just make her stop I asked to go to the bathroom.  I felt overwhelmed by all of the information she was throwing at me, knowing that already this was not going as planned and having her push the fact that I was most likely going to have to get Pitocin.  I then decided that because I have been up since 4 in the morning (I had worked earlier) I was tired and wanted to try to go to sleep.  Everyone left me alone and I tried sleeping.  Nope wasn't going to happen.

I called everyone back in so that I would have company and decided that it was time for hubby to come in.  So around 1:30 AM he got there.  Now the contractions were starting to get worse but I was still doing alright.  The problem now was that I was feeling like I was going to throw up so it would make it worse.  After dealing with a bunch of contractions like that my doula explained that they have medication that they could give me that would make me feel better and it wouldn't affect the baby so finally I gave in and let them give me I think it was Zofran (?) and some fluids.  Once they were all done I promptly threw up and then felt better. (not sure what good the medication was).

Since the contractions were starting to get worse now we decided to try the labor tub.  So I got in and it was really nice for the first bit.  Now after this time gets really screwy for me so I have no real memory of how long I was anywhere.  So I started getting really bad contractions, and my back started hurting.  I somehow got in an odd position where I was hanging on the side of the tub, leaning my head on the edge.  The contractions were lasting around 20 minutes.  They felt like they were never going to stop.  This was when I started to ask for drugs.  I was pretty much ignored.  The nice nurse (a different one from the one that had helped me originally) wanted to check me to see how far I was but I didn't want her to because it hurts when she does that and I was in enough pain at the time but my team (aka my mom, doula and hubby) convinced me to let her check because the contractions had gotten so bad it means that I had been progressing a lot. (I don't remember when I was told this but they checked me at some point before and I was told that I was at a 4)  So she checked me and I was think I would be at a 6 or something like that, nope.  I was at 4 and a half. 

I was very upset at that.  I wasn't stupid about this.  I knew labor was normally 18 to 24 hours and I knew that I could not last with this amount of pain for that long.  They convinced me to get out of the tub and I sat on a low stool for a bit before they could convince me to go back to the bed. (Every time I moved a new contraction would start and they were so painful that I was terrified of doing anything that would cause one, hence my team having to convince me to do anything)  They tried to get me to stand but I didn't want to so I grabbed the rolling stool that was in there, leaned on it and proceeded to walk while on my knees back to the bed. Once back on the bed I must have been in another bad position because the contractions went back to being 20 minutes long.

It was bad, I would try to concentrate on my breathing like I was supposed to and I would go from breathing to just screaming because it hurt so bad.  Mind you, this entire time I have been asking for drugs and have been ignored.  And my team kept telling me how good I was doing.  I didn't really believe them considering I was asking for drugs and screaming, to me that means I was sucking at this and they were just saying that to be nice.  So finally I get told that they are going to get me drugs, they just have to call the doctor to get the OK for them.  (when I say drugs, I mean something in my IV, not and epidural)  I then asked why they didn't do that 10 minutes ago when I was asking then.  A bit later I get told that they got the OK for drugs, they just have to check me first.  I told her no, that I didn't want her to do that because it hurts and will start another contraction but she said they have to before they can give me anything so I let her.

She told me I was at an 8 and I was thrilled.  Then she told me that means that it is too late to give me any drugs, that they wouldn't do any good.  I was pissed but at least I knew I was closer to the end.  Around that time a different CNA came on for her shift and came to help.  She decided that my position wasn't helping me and because I was still being stubborn and refusing to move she took it upon herself to get a blanket under me and have my team help lift my up using the blanket so that I was sitting upright. Then it was a lot better.  I had breaks between the contractions and because I was exhausted, I would try to sleep between them. I was told to let them know if I got the urge to push.  And after awhile I told them that I think I felt like I wanted to.

They said that was alright and got me told me when i had a contraction to push for 10 seconds and then to take a breath so that the baby would get oxygen still.  So I would push and not feel like anything was happening.  Then the doctor got there and said that it might be the position I was in and so they laid me down and told me to do the same thing, for for 10 then breathe and they would count for me.  So they told me that they could see the head and that he had hair (something I was really wanting) and asked me if I wanted to feel it, I told them no.So they kept telling me, just one more push so they would count to 10 and I would push and then I would keep pushing because I wanted to be done now, and then they would remind me that I do need to breathe and not just continue pushing.  So finally they told me that he was coming out and told me to watch to which I told them no again and just kept pushing.

He came out and they put him on my chest but since I was laying on my back I couldn't see him very well and I tried to pull him up more, to which I was told I couldn't really do that because he was still attached to me (they keep the umbilical cord attached for a minute to let all the extra blood and nutrients get to him).  He cried like he was supposed to and my mom cut the cord.  Then they wrapped him up partially and gave him to me to hold.  He was so perfect.

I don't really remember the order of what happened next (by this time I had been up around 28 hours straight).  They took him and weighed him and did all of that stuff.  He got the APGAR test to which he got a 9 on. My mom held him, and he cried a little and then hubby held him and he calmed down immediately.  He knew us.  I don't remember if he got a bath before or after I fed him (which he did great, no problems there) and at some point I got to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up.  That order might be really off but I know all of those things happened.  My mom packed up her stuff and went home to sleep and within 2 hours of giving birth they let me go up to the maternity ward where I would stay the rest of my time there.

I stayed another night in the hospital and the only time I really got to hold him when when I was feeding him because we had so many visitors coming and going.  I got to shower which felt wonderful and the food there was great (it might have been because I was starving but who cares).  I only got to sleep a half an hour during the day and then I went to bed around 10 at night but I was decently awake.  Liam didn't want to sleep much his first night and I was up almost every 20 minutes to comfort him but I didn't mind.  I went home at around noon the next day.

All in all, when people ask me how it was I tell them horrible.  That it was really bad.  Everyone that was there says I was amazing and I did great but I really don't think that I did.  I had a 10 hour labor and pushed for only 30 minutes, which I am told is not that long at all.  My son Liam was born at 7:52 AM on December 7, 2013.  He weighed 7lbs 3ozs and was 20 inches long.  He is my perfect boy and it was all worth it to get him.

38 Weeks

Photo Thoughts: Cute picture but sucky quality due to the fact my hubby felt the need to take the picture with his new iPad mini.  And love the sign so so cute

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 29 lbs

Size Of Baby: 18.9 to 20.9, about the size of a pumpkin

Cravings: I am still not having anything too extreeme, I just eat a lot of the same thing

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new and exciting, just wearing the same old things, although because I am doing maternity pictures next week (yeah yeah I know I am waiting until the last minute to do them) and when looking at other ones I saw a bunch have women in their pre pregnancy jeans with the top unbuttoned so I thought, lets see if I can do that.  So i tried my favorite pair and voila, they still fit!!  No I can't button them but they look nice and I don't even have a muffin top unless I slouch so I feel like that was a good acomplishment

Stretch Marks: No new ones still and I am praying that the ones I have will be it.

What I Love: Feeling him. It is something that I am going to miss so I am trying to cherish the time that I have him always with me

What I'm Looking Forward To The Most: Having my list done.  With only working one job and with the help of my wonderful hubby I have been crossing things off my list and I just can't wait until everything is done and I know I am ready for him to come.

Sleep:  It comes and goes. Some nights I sleep great, some nights it feels like I am just not sleeping as deeply as I normally do but it isn't horrible.

Belly Button In Or Out: Out and if I am not wearing my normal 3 layers over it, it pokes out through my shirt now.

Happy Or Moody Most Of The Time: This week was happy. I have pretty much relaxed, and let myself be lazy so it has been good.

Symptoms: Back pain, stomach still hurts, and I have to pee (they tend to alternate which is fun) lots but those are about it (am I the only one wondering why I have less symptoms at the end of this then I have throught the rest of it?  It seems odd to me...)

Movement: He loves moving for me and I have got to show a couple people how he likes to stick his leg or something out in my side but in general he doesn't move for other people very much.  I thinkhe is getting too big for my belly though.

The Belly: It is still there, but I don't think it is growing any larger but some people have said it looks bigger so maybe I am wrong, but I don't know

Doctor Visit: So went and saw the doctor today and he said I am a little more effaced but not much and I am dialted to a two still.  He is thinking I should be right around my due date if not a few days late which is fine by me but hubby wants it to happen sooner (I think it is easier for him to say that considering he doesn't have to go through any of the painful stuff).  Oh and he has dropped, I wasn't sure so I asked and apparently he has.

Milestones: He is clinically mature now and is ready to be born at any time.  His body systems are developed.