Note 1: I have a Kodak Gallery website with many photos of Cooper. If you have not yet received an invite to visit it, please email me and I will send you the link. Matt was kind enough to upload the newest photos last night while he was watching Cooper and letting me get some early night zzz's.
Note 2: Cooper already fits about half of his 3 to 6 month old clothing. Who would of thought Matt and I would make such a plump little feller? Funny!
General commentary...
Cooper's nightly sleep schedule seems to be forming a pattern. He eats a lot in the early evening, usually 6-8pm. Then he gets fussy and upset for a while. And then, if you rock him and generally help him get drowsy, he'll sleep pretty well for almost four hours. So Matt works on the computer keeping an eye on the little guy, and I crash out to get the bulk of my sleep. Then, around midnight or 1pm, Cooper wakes up and proceeds to maintain a less predictable 2 or 3 hour sleep/feed rotation for the rest of the evening. I usually try not to wake Matt for the first feed or two so that Matt gets a decent amount of rest for the second part of the night. By morning we are both at about 9 hours of sleep with interruptions- not too shabby.
Overall, I would not pick this sleep schedule for the rest of my life, but it is very workable. The typical new-parent-zombie period seems to have mercifully skipped our household and instead we are just a little tired and need to take naps on occasion.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
How time flies!
It has been two and half weeks since Cooper was born and it feels like a year ago, and yesterday, all at once.
In non-baby news, two of my friends got engaged in the last two weeks. So exciting!
Cooper is thriving on a steady diet of hilariously over-produced breast milk. My let-down reflex (what allows to milk to come out of the boob) is very easily stimulated, so I have been spending the last two weeks with soft cloth diapers stuffed into my bra. Yesterday I took unclipped a bra cup to feed him and squirted Matt in the chest on the couch- very funny. I soak through a cloth diaper or spitup rag about every two hours, which is about as often as Cooper needs his diaper changed, so needless to say we are doing a lot of laundry.
My bust has finally leveled out at a functional size (36C; one band size and two cup sizes bigger than a year ago). I seem to have a sore plugged duct right now that developed last night, but other than that I am having a very successful time with feeding and I'm really happy with my ability to feed our little guy. I've read that warm compresses and extra feeding will clear most plugged ducts in a day or two, so I'm not too worried. A friend of mine also suggested stuffing my bra with cabbage leaves, which could add a nice touch of bizzareness to my day.
Cooper's weight continues to be a source of amused pride for us. He was born at 8lb 13oz, dropped to 8lb 5oz at four days old (very normal) and as of yesterday at his two week well baby check he already weighed 9lb 14oz. Wow! He is a normal height so he's just, umm... well adapted to the harsh Montana winters.
My father (Grandpa G) seemed most pleased with Cooper's giant feet during my parents' visit. Cooper's feet really do look above average size, and he also has big hands. As the Grandpa G family tendency is to have rather small hands and feet, I'm guessing these big hands and feet are either a Grandma's G (the F family), or a Rad-family trait. Given that Cooper's only blood-related uncle is 6'4", well, perhaps we are growing a stout Olympian swimmer!
Cooper's baby acne is very mild and I'm happy that his little cheeks are looking more clear than a few days ago. He and I had a simultaneous breakout early last week, caused by the same thing (hormone withdrawal) and it cleared up at about the same time. Great! Better for photos!
His sleeping is doing about as well as you can hope for a newborn- he sleeps in 2 to 3 hour stints most nights and typically falls back asleep after each feeding without too much fuss. For a while he was sleeping in 4 hour stretches, but in retrospect Matt and I realized that this was the same time that I was taking a prescription that made me sleepy for my heinous full-body rash ... so that is suspicious that it made him drowsy too. Now that I am not taking it, we are working on a 3 hour schedule. Functional yet tiring.
The rash, geeez... A few days after I delivered I had a rash on my belly and thighs that looked kinda like another attack of PUPPPs, the dreaded pregnancy rash. So I took some benadryl and this other anti-itch thing that I forget the name of. That kept it in check for a few days. Until, that is, the rash suddenly spread to cover virtually my entire body. This prompted me to get it looked at by a dermatologist who took the rash much, much more seriously then I thought he would. Contrary to the belief that this was another random attack of PUPPPs, the dermatologist tended towards a systemic allergic reaction to either the Keflex (for my fun abscess) or ibuprofen (for post-partum swelling and pain). So now I'm finishing up a 7 day course of Prednisone to keep me from going into anaphylactic shock (yea!) and have been told to never take Keflex again. And to not take ibuprofen for at least another month or two, just in case.
I still itch really badly in a few places (mostly my knees, which is odd) but the rash is almost gone. I feel bad subjecting little Cooper to the constant barrage of different chemicals but I also know that he would not benefit from a mom in the hospital from respiratory failure. So I'm doing what I can to space his feedings from the drugs and drink lots of extra water.
The pediatrician was very impressed with Cooper's abdominal and leg muscle tone- she said he is in outstanding shape for his age. We are really happy with his alertness during the day, eye contact, funny baby noises, and his ability to lift and control his head seems pretty advanced for his age. His smiles are still random and fleeting but they make us so happy! I don't care if it is gas, it is a smile and he's my baby.
Thankfully, Cooper is sleeping soundly in his crib at night and doesn't demand to be held and sung to 24/7. He is a rather dramatic guy- you'd think his toenails were being pulled off each time we change his diaper- but he almost always calms back down quickly and has yet to get really badly upset without cause. The one time he seemed to be screaming endlessly for no reason turned out to be a serious stomach upset- after what seemed like an eternity of horrible screeching and freaking out, the little guy spewed a nearly unimaginable amount of milk all over my face, bra, chest, and all the way down my back. And then he was calm. And Matt and I felt like idiots for not burping him better. It seems to me like parenthood is just one long "amateur hour" after another.
In non-baby news, two of my friends got engaged in the last two weeks. So exciting!
Cooper is thriving on a steady diet of hilariously over-produced breast milk. My let-down reflex (what allows to milk to come out of the boob) is very easily stimulated, so I have been spending the last two weeks with soft cloth diapers stuffed into my bra. Yesterday I took unclipped a bra cup to feed him and squirted Matt in the chest on the couch- very funny. I soak through a cloth diaper or spitup rag about every two hours, which is about as often as Cooper needs his diaper changed, so needless to say we are doing a lot of laundry.
My bust has finally leveled out at a functional size (36C; one band size and two cup sizes bigger than a year ago). I seem to have a sore plugged duct right now that developed last night, but other than that I am having a very successful time with feeding and I'm really happy with my ability to feed our little guy. I've read that warm compresses and extra feeding will clear most plugged ducts in a day or two, so I'm not too worried. A friend of mine also suggested stuffing my bra with cabbage leaves, which could add a nice touch of bizzareness to my day.
Cooper's weight continues to be a source of amused pride for us. He was born at 8lb 13oz, dropped to 8lb 5oz at four days old (very normal) and as of yesterday at his two week well baby check he already weighed 9lb 14oz. Wow! He is a normal height so he's just, umm... well adapted to the harsh Montana winters.
My father (Grandpa G) seemed most pleased with Cooper's giant feet during my parents' visit. Cooper's feet really do look above average size, and he also has big hands. As the Grandpa G family tendency is to have rather small hands and feet, I'm guessing these big hands and feet are either a Grandma's G (the F family), or a Rad-family trait. Given that Cooper's only blood-related uncle is 6'4", well, perhaps we are growing a stout Olympian swimmer!
Cooper's baby acne is very mild and I'm happy that his little cheeks are looking more clear than a few days ago. He and I had a simultaneous breakout early last week, caused by the same thing (hormone withdrawal) and it cleared up at about the same time. Great! Better for photos!
His sleeping is doing about as well as you can hope for a newborn- he sleeps in 2 to 3 hour stints most nights and typically falls back asleep after each feeding without too much fuss. For a while he was sleeping in 4 hour stretches, but in retrospect Matt and I realized that this was the same time that I was taking a prescription that made me sleepy for my heinous full-body rash ... so that is suspicious that it made him drowsy too. Now that I am not taking it, we are working on a 3 hour schedule. Functional yet tiring.
The rash, geeez... A few days after I delivered I had a rash on my belly and thighs that looked kinda like another attack of PUPPPs, the dreaded pregnancy rash. So I took some benadryl and this other anti-itch thing that I forget the name of. That kept it in check for a few days. Until, that is, the rash suddenly spread to cover virtually my entire body. This prompted me to get it looked at by a dermatologist who took the rash much, much more seriously then I thought he would. Contrary to the belief that this was another random attack of PUPPPs, the dermatologist tended towards a systemic allergic reaction to either the Keflex (for my fun abscess) or ibuprofen (for post-partum swelling and pain). So now I'm finishing up a 7 day course of Prednisone to keep me from going into anaphylactic shock (yea!) and have been told to never take Keflex again. And to not take ibuprofen for at least another month or two, just in case.
I still itch really badly in a few places (mostly my knees, which is odd) but the rash is almost gone. I feel bad subjecting little Cooper to the constant barrage of different chemicals but I also know that he would not benefit from a mom in the hospital from respiratory failure. So I'm doing what I can to space his feedings from the drugs and drink lots of extra water.
The pediatrician was very impressed with Cooper's abdominal and leg muscle tone- she said he is in outstanding shape for his age. We are really happy with his alertness during the day, eye contact, funny baby noises, and his ability to lift and control his head seems pretty advanced for his age. His smiles are still random and fleeting but they make us so happy! I don't care if it is gas, it is a smile and he's my baby.
Thankfully, Cooper is sleeping soundly in his crib at night and doesn't demand to be held and sung to 24/7. He is a rather dramatic guy- you'd think his toenails were being pulled off each time we change his diaper- but he almost always calms back down quickly and has yet to get really badly upset without cause. The one time he seemed to be screaming endlessly for no reason turned out to be a serious stomach upset- after what seemed like an eternity of horrible screeching and freaking out, the little guy spewed a nearly unimaginable amount of milk all over my face, bra, chest, and all the way down my back. And then he was calm. And Matt and I felt like idiots for not burping him better. It seems to me like parenthood is just one long "amateur hour" after another.
Monday, March 17, 2008
How Cooper made his escape
I've decided to write a timeline style description of Cooper's birth. It is really long (so was the labor), but I enjoyed writing it all down so just read what you want to! I didn't get too graphic, I promise.
Wednesday the 5th: At my appointment, the midwife offers to strip my membranes to speed the onset of labor. I decline, figuring the baby isn't due for a week so speeding the process up too early isn't prudent. She seems happy with that and says she'll offer again next week on my due date.
Friday the 7th: The delightfully British sounding "bloody show" (a sign that you might go into labor sooner rather than later) starts up. It is kinda yicky, but encouraging.
Saturday the 8th: While Matt is up skiing, I freak out and clean a storage cubbyhole in the upstairs office that we've been ignoring for months, proceed to make a huge to-do list, and then ignore the to-do list in favor of baking lasagna. Nesting urge, anyone?
Sunday the 9th:
2am- I wake up to a contraction that feels noticeably different from the Braxton-Hicks ones that I've been having for months. I go on to have light, irregular contractions throughout the night, interrupting my sleep noticeably and occurring about once every 15-30 minutes.
8am- The light contractions seem afraid of the daylight and basically stop, occurring about once every 45min to an hour. They are stronger, though.
Noon- I call my doula. She gets very excited. She suggests Matt and I take some long walks to speed up the contractions and call her around dinner time.
1pm- Long walk along the golf-course river trail with Matt and Lucky. Contractions get stronger when walking up hill, but stop when we get back to the house. I take a fitful nap when we get back.
4pm- Long walk in the bright sunshine along the Kim Williams Trail with Matt and Lucky. Contractions getting harder to ignore. Another fitful nap afterwards.
6pm- I call the doula (Kathee) again. She advises a light dinner and trying to relax.
7pm- I kick Matt's ASS at Scrabble, including a "scrabble" (using up all your tiles, I spelled "renderer") in a triple word box. Huge score. I am psyched.
8pm- Worried I won't sleep all night due to the pre-labor, again, I call Kathee. She advises a bath to help me relax and tells me that some women's bodies really like to only labor in the middle of the night, so a bath and another nap might be just what I need to get in some decent sleep before the real deal hits me at 2am again.
9pm- The bath proves to be really uncomfortable and instead of stalling out my contractions, it speeds them up and makes them stronger. This suggests that I'm no longer in pre-labor, but instead in active labor. Score! Let's get this show on the ROAD!
11pm- Matt and I have our hands full dealing with seriously hard contractions that are getting long and close together. We call Kathee and tell her to come on down. Matt packs up my gatorade, jello, and other snacks.
Monday the 10th
Midnight- Kathee arrives and checks my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat. We are looking great and labor is getting very real.
2am- I'm now meeting the criteria to call the midwives and drive down to the birth center. Kathee does a labor check- I'm at 5cm. Matt calls the midwives and tells Deni (the midwife on call) to head on down.
2:30am- Labor stops while I'm in the car. Thank goodness- laboring in the car would have sucked.
2:45am- Arrive at birth center and get a labor check. Now at 7cm. Score! We are having a baby! Into the jacuzzi with me! Matt takes a cat nap in the barcalounger while Kathee and Deni take care of me. I eat lots of jello, applesauce, and gatorade.
6am- Labor check. Still at 7cm. Are you freaking kidding me? 3 hours and no measurable progress. I get annoyed and feel a bit dejected.
6:30am- Deni breaks my water for me. Holy crap does THAT change things. I spend the next few hours alternating in bed, shower, jacuzzi, and birthing ball. Matt supports me (now clad in his swimming trunks) the whole time- he was amazing!
7:30am- I develop intolerable, uncontrollable nerve pains in my back that follow each contraction. It is god awful. The second midwife (Jeanne) applies a sterile water block- a bizarre, sorta-homeopathic form of pain control that is when you inject little pockets of water into the skin near the spine. It works perfectly for about an hour, and then the pain returns viciously.
8:30am- During the next labor check the midwives feel the baby's head to find that he is slowly moving it from side to side- a sign that he's been asynclitic (holding his head kinda diagonally) and that is almost certainly what slowed my labor and caused the back pain. At this point, the back pain becomes horrific. I say this in all honesty- the entire labor up until this point had been something that was challenging, long, and intense. But it was totally workable and I had been feeling really good with all the support I had. But the back pain was completely and unbelievably beyond my ability to cope. I get rather frantic and weird, jumping in and out of the jacuzzi, shower, bed and birthing ball in a strange and incredibly painful attempt to find something that doesn't result in horrible back pain. Kathee and Matt take turns applying counterpressure to my back, which sometimes helps a lot and other times makes the whole thing even worse.
9:30am- Now that I've gone off the deep end emotionally from all the back pain, the labor check shows that I'm at 9.5cm and that baby has his head lined up correctly. The midwives (I now have two midwives, a doula, and a nurse with me at all times) tell me that I'm free to push and within minutes, I feel like pushing. Except that sometimes the pushing ends in excruciating stabbing pains in my back. Which sucks.
10 and 11am- I am alternatively pushing, whimpering, screaming and crying. The back pain escalates. I tell the midwives that I'm done with this nonsense. They tell me I'm doing great and that I'm almost there. This sort of penetrates the fog.
12am- The process of elimination shows that the only pushing position I can tolerate (i.e. that does not create horrific back pain) is the least efficient, most tiring, most challenging position. Damnit. But at least it works, so I keep pushing.
12:30pm- Baby's head starts to show. The midwives keep telling me that I'm gonna make it, and that they can see a fine head of hair on the baby. I keep telling them that I'm exhausted and that I just want this to be done and over with. I eat lots of ice chips and cry a bunch in between pushing.
1:00pm- I tell the midwives that I will do anything to make this baby come out faster. They tell me that if I can push just a little more, the baby will be far enough down to effectively use an episiotomy (incision that enlarges the "escape hatch") to speed up the baby's birth. This sounds AWESOME at this point.
1:10pm Baby's head is close enough so that I can reach down and feel his little fuzzy wet scalp. Holy crap there is a baby in there! I push harder.
1:15pm Bigger escape hatch complete. Thank god for local anesthesia.
1:30pm Baby's head emerges. Feels sooooooo good.
1:32pm Baby's shoulders, hips, and feet emerge each with their own separate push, which feels very odd but incredibly exciting. He immediately lets out a very loud screech and starts flailing wildly.
At this point, they held him up and said, "What do we have?" And I said, "OMMYGOD ITS A BOY" and Matt broke down sobbing uncontrollably. They put Cooper all wet and sticky on my chest and he screamed bloody murder, pedaled his arms and legs, and generally showed the world that he had arrived very healthy despite a long time comin'.
That night we got home around 7pm. Matt, Cooper and I all slept hard for about five hours until Cooper woke up wanting to be fed, at which point our little family sprang into action for the first time.
In the end, I had a 36 hour labor, 10 hours of which were "active labor", and 4 of which were spent pushing. My only complaint is the back pain- it was truly terrible. The rest of the experience, however, was amazing and I would not trade any of it for the world.
Wednesday the 5th: At my appointment, the midwife offers to strip my membranes to speed the onset of labor. I decline, figuring the baby isn't due for a week so speeding the process up too early isn't prudent. She seems happy with that and says she'll offer again next week on my due date.
Friday the 7th: The delightfully British sounding "bloody show" (a sign that you might go into labor sooner rather than later) starts up. It is kinda yicky, but encouraging.
Saturday the 8th: While Matt is up skiing, I freak out and clean a storage cubbyhole in the upstairs office that we've been ignoring for months, proceed to make a huge to-do list, and then ignore the to-do list in favor of baking lasagna. Nesting urge, anyone?
Sunday the 9th:
2am- I wake up to a contraction that feels noticeably different from the Braxton-Hicks ones that I've been having for months. I go on to have light, irregular contractions throughout the night, interrupting my sleep noticeably and occurring about once every 15-30 minutes.
8am- The light contractions seem afraid of the daylight and basically stop, occurring about once every 45min to an hour. They are stronger, though.
Noon- I call my doula. She gets very excited. She suggests Matt and I take some long walks to speed up the contractions and call her around dinner time.
1pm- Long walk along the golf-course river trail with Matt and Lucky. Contractions get stronger when walking up hill, but stop when we get back to the house. I take a fitful nap when we get back.
4pm- Long walk in the bright sunshine along the Kim Williams Trail with Matt and Lucky. Contractions getting harder to ignore. Another fitful nap afterwards.
6pm- I call the doula (Kathee) again. She advises a light dinner and trying to relax.
7pm- I kick Matt's ASS at Scrabble, including a "scrabble" (using up all your tiles, I spelled "renderer") in a triple word box. Huge score. I am psyched.
8pm- Worried I won't sleep all night due to the pre-labor, again, I call Kathee. She advises a bath to help me relax and tells me that some women's bodies really like to only labor in the middle of the night, so a bath and another nap might be just what I need to get in some decent sleep before the real deal hits me at 2am again.
9pm- The bath proves to be really uncomfortable and instead of stalling out my contractions, it speeds them up and makes them stronger. This suggests that I'm no longer in pre-labor, but instead in active labor. Score! Let's get this show on the ROAD!
11pm- Matt and I have our hands full dealing with seriously hard contractions that are getting long and close together. We call Kathee and tell her to come on down. Matt packs up my gatorade, jello, and other snacks.
Monday the 10th
Midnight- Kathee arrives and checks my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat. We are looking great and labor is getting very real.
2am- I'm now meeting the criteria to call the midwives and drive down to the birth center. Kathee does a labor check- I'm at 5cm. Matt calls the midwives and tells Deni (the midwife on call) to head on down.
2:30am- Labor stops while I'm in the car. Thank goodness- laboring in the car would have sucked.
2:45am- Arrive at birth center and get a labor check. Now at 7cm. Score! We are having a baby! Into the jacuzzi with me! Matt takes a cat nap in the barcalounger while Kathee and Deni take care of me. I eat lots of jello, applesauce, and gatorade.
6am- Labor check. Still at 7cm. Are you freaking kidding me? 3 hours and no measurable progress. I get annoyed and feel a bit dejected.
6:30am- Deni breaks my water for me. Holy crap does THAT change things. I spend the next few hours alternating in bed, shower, jacuzzi, and birthing ball. Matt supports me (now clad in his swimming trunks) the whole time- he was amazing!
7:30am- I develop intolerable, uncontrollable nerve pains in my back that follow each contraction. It is god awful. The second midwife (Jeanne) applies a sterile water block- a bizarre, sorta-homeopathic form of pain control that is when you inject little pockets of water into the skin near the spine. It works perfectly for about an hour, and then the pain returns viciously.
8:30am- During the next labor check the midwives feel the baby's head to find that he is slowly moving it from side to side- a sign that he's been asynclitic (holding his head kinda diagonally) and that is almost certainly what slowed my labor and caused the back pain. At this point, the back pain becomes horrific. I say this in all honesty- the entire labor up until this point had been something that was challenging, long, and intense. But it was totally workable and I had been feeling really good with all the support I had. But the back pain was completely and unbelievably beyond my ability to cope. I get rather frantic and weird, jumping in and out of the jacuzzi, shower, bed and birthing ball in a strange and incredibly painful attempt to find something that doesn't result in horrible back pain. Kathee and Matt take turns applying counterpressure to my back, which sometimes helps a lot and other times makes the whole thing even worse.
9:30am- Now that I've gone off the deep end emotionally from all the back pain, the labor check shows that I'm at 9.5cm and that baby has his head lined up correctly. The midwives (I now have two midwives, a doula, and a nurse with me at all times) tell me that I'm free to push and within minutes, I feel like pushing. Except that sometimes the pushing ends in excruciating stabbing pains in my back. Which sucks.
10 and 11am- I am alternatively pushing, whimpering, screaming and crying. The back pain escalates. I tell the midwives that I'm done with this nonsense. They tell me I'm doing great and that I'm almost there. This sort of penetrates the fog.
12am- The process of elimination shows that the only pushing position I can tolerate (i.e. that does not create horrific back pain) is the least efficient, most tiring, most challenging position. Damnit. But at least it works, so I keep pushing.
12:30pm- Baby's head starts to show. The midwives keep telling me that I'm gonna make it, and that they can see a fine head of hair on the baby. I keep telling them that I'm exhausted and that I just want this to be done and over with. I eat lots of ice chips and cry a bunch in between pushing.
1:00pm- I tell the midwives that I will do anything to make this baby come out faster. They tell me that if I can push just a little more, the baby will be far enough down to effectively use an episiotomy (incision that enlarges the "escape hatch") to speed up the baby's birth. This sounds AWESOME at this point.
1:10pm Baby's head is close enough so that I can reach down and feel his little fuzzy wet scalp. Holy crap there is a baby in there! I push harder.
1:15pm Bigger escape hatch complete. Thank god for local anesthesia.
1:30pm Baby's head emerges. Feels sooooooo good.
1:32pm Baby's shoulders, hips, and feet emerge each with their own separate push, which feels very odd but incredibly exciting. He immediately lets out a very loud screech and starts flailing wildly.
At this point, they held him up and said, "What do we have?" And I said, "OMMYGOD ITS A BOY" and Matt broke down sobbing uncontrollably. They put Cooper all wet and sticky on my chest and he screamed bloody murder, pedaled his arms and legs, and generally showed the world that he had arrived very healthy despite a long time comin'.
That night we got home around 7pm. Matt, Cooper and I all slept hard for about five hours until Cooper woke up wanting to be fed, at which point our little family sprang into action for the first time.
In the end, I had a 36 hour labor, 10 hours of which were "active labor", and 4 of which were spent pushing. My only complaint is the back pain- it was truly terrible. The rest of the experience, however, was amazing and I would not trade any of it for the world.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Its a boy!
Matt and I are thrilled to announce the birth of our son, Henry Cooper "Radwood" (Cooper will be his nickname). He is a whopping 8lbs 13oz, 20 1/4 inches long, with a nice head of medium brown hair. He made his grand appearance at 1:32 in the afternoon on Monday the 10th. He came out kicking and screaming, literally- very excited to meet the world!
We were all safe and back at home by Monday night- it was a great (if rather long) birth and we all came out of it very healthy. My hopes to deliver via "natural childbirth" were fulfilled with the help of two midwives, a doula, a nurse, a whole bunch of non-invasive birth aids and techniques, and the unbelievably wonderful support of the best husband EVER!
As time goes on, I'll post more about the birth, Cooper, and where to go to see cool pictures. Right now I have to nap...
We were all safe and back at home by Monday night- it was a great (if rather long) birth and we all came out of it very healthy. My hopes to deliver via "natural childbirth" were fulfilled with the help of two midwives, a doula, a nurse, a whole bunch of non-invasive birth aids and techniques, and the unbelievably wonderful support of the best husband EVER!
As time goes on, I'll post more about the birth, Cooper, and where to go to see cool pictures. Right now I have to nap...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
I love generic tums
I love the generic brand, mixed fruit flavors, tums. They are so delicious. I like how crunchy, sweet and tangy they are. They are like giant smartee candies. I could eat an entire container of them. Sometimes I contemplate eating more than just two not because I need to, but because they taste so good. But I don't, because I don't want to grow dependent on them. Two is enough. Every night, before I brush my teeth, I chomp down two and savor their fruity-licious-ness.
Occasionally I wake up in the middle of the night with some mild acid reflux. I don't like this when it happens, but I always think to myself, "well, at least now I have an excuse to eat more tums." And then I go downstairs and slowly chew up two more wonderful little tum-licious tablets.
Is this wrong? Is it weird? Matt thinks I'm nuts- he claims they are gross and chalky. But they aren't! Now the real "Tums" brand tums- those are super disgusting. Their texture is all lumpy yet brittle, the flavors are too strong and kinda nasty, and they make my teeth feel funny. But the cheap generic type- I could pop them like candy all day.
Mmmmmmm... I wish I hadn't already had my nightly two tasty, tasty tums. Because if I hadn't already eaten them, I could justify having two more! Maybe I'd even get a lime flavored one (my favorite).
Occasionally I wake up in the middle of the night with some mild acid reflux. I don't like this when it happens, but I always think to myself, "well, at least now I have an excuse to eat more tums." And then I go downstairs and slowly chew up two more wonderful little tum-licious tablets.
Is this wrong? Is it weird? Matt thinks I'm nuts- he claims they are gross and chalky. But they aren't! Now the real "Tums" brand tums- those are super disgusting. Their texture is all lumpy yet brittle, the flavors are too strong and kinda nasty, and they make my teeth feel funny. But the cheap generic type- I could pop them like candy all day.
Mmmmmmm... I wish I hadn't already had my nightly two tasty, tasty tums. Because if I hadn't already eaten them, I could justify having two more! Maybe I'd even get a lime flavored one (my favorite).
Friday, March 7, 2008
I am not a zit
Somehow, the term "pop" kinda grosses me out. Like "ready to pop," "have you popped yet?" etc. I associate popping with popping a pimple. My belly is not a pimple. I do get some tiny pimples on my belly sometimes, which I attribute to my nightly slathering it with thick oily belly grease (it feels sooooo good), but that is different.
Also, no need to ask me if I have had the baby yet. I will let you know.
There are plenty of things that I don't mind if people say. Here is a list of things that do not bother me, with my inner commentary in italics.
- Wow, you look just about done, huh? yes, in fact, I am just about done, thanks
- Geez, that belly is huge! no denying that, really
- You must be so uncomfortable well I'm not really that uncomfortable, but your concern for me is nice
- Are you having twins? no, and thank god for that
- So when you gonna have that baby? you are dumb, but at least not blatantly offensive
- When is your due date again? soon... soon...
Also, no need to ask me if I have had the baby yet. I will let you know.
There are plenty of things that I don't mind if people say. Here is a list of things that do not bother me, with my inner commentary in italics.
- Wow, you look just about done, huh? yes, in fact, I am just about done, thanks
- Geez, that belly is huge! no denying that, really
- You must be so uncomfortable well I'm not really that uncomfortable, but your concern for me is nice
- Are you having twins? no, and thank god for that
- So when you gonna have that baby? you are dumb, but at least not blatantly offensive
- When is your due date again? soon... soon...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
39 weeks, 1 day
I don't think I look bigger than I did in the last photo. Do I? Hmm... Hard to say. I weigh a bit more than in the last one. From the looks of this photo, most of that weight is residing in my right boob.
Bun is clearly baked. And look at how much my hair has grown!
Bun is clearly baked. And look at how much my hair has grown!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
From the mouths of midwives
"The bun is fully baked. Its done. It can come out today. There is no need for bun to stay in the oven any longer."
Stares at my belly as a foot pokes out, wiggles around, smooshes across the belly and then pulls back in, alien style...
"You got an impressive baby in there. Now, we need to work on getting it out! It is a shame we shouldn't use castor oil on you, given your... umm... yeah, you don't need me to tell you why not."
Let's not go there, shall we?
All systems are go!
Stares at my belly as a foot pokes out, wiggles around, smooshes across the belly and then pulls back in, alien style...
"You got an impressive baby in there. Now, we need to work on getting it out! It is a shame we shouldn't use castor oil on you, given your... umm... yeah, you don't need me to tell you why not."
Let's not go there, shall we?
All systems are go!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Baby name
I'm not telling the baby name of the latest baby. It is too much to handle. I will simply say this- it is not only the name of a dog I know, it is also a noun in a language that neither of the parents speaks.
Sigh. What are people thinking...
Now, here is a caveat. My cat growing up was named Sally. If people name their kid Sally, I do not even blink. It is a lovely people name that was applied to a cat. If I was to name my kid Sally, that would be odd, but other people outside our family are obviously not affected by my sister's decision as a 4 year old to name the cat Sally.
But it doesn't work the other way. You do not name a child Rover, Spot, Mittens, Boots, or Fluffy. This kid is not named any of these, but I think I can guarantee that if you made a list of the top 20 dog names in Missoula you would come up with this.
Sigh. What are people thinking...
Now, here is a caveat. My cat growing up was named Sally. If people name their kid Sally, I do not even blink. It is a lovely people name that was applied to a cat. If I was to name my kid Sally, that would be odd, but other people outside our family are obviously not affected by my sister's decision as a 4 year old to name the cat Sally.
But it doesn't work the other way. You do not name a child Rover, Spot, Mittens, Boots, or Fluffy. This kid is not named any of these, but I think I can guarantee that if you made a list of the top 20 dog names in Missoula you would come up with this.
Silly things
All these silly things happen to you while you are pregnant. Noone talks about it, though, because they are dumb and not even worth complaining about. But so weird.
Item #1. Moles and freckles change color
For the first one I went to a dermatologist, who more or less said, "Yeah, you are 6 months pregnant, so unless it gets really weird you can chalk it up to pregnancy." Since then, I've noticed darkening of several freckles and one mole, and I'm chalking it up. One in particular is really dark brown, but otherwise unchanged in texture, size, etc. Supposedly they will go back to normal afterwards.
Item #2. Skin tags
I've never had a true skin tag before. Now I have two itty bitty ones, in my left armpit. I am sort of embarassed (but also amused) that I decided to yank them off the other day. I discovered that doing so does not hurt, but the tiny wounds bled like the dickens. Matt then informed me (he has a few tiny skin tags normally) that they'll grow back really fast and while it is tempting to yank them off, it does you no good. Oh well. It didn't hurt.
Item #3. Extreme toenail growth
Yes, your fingernails and hair also grow faster. But you can easily see, and reach (thus trim), those! But your toenails? Hard to see. Harder to reach. Very challenging to trim. If I'm not vigilant, I end up with scary long toenails in what seems like only a few days. Eww!
Item #4. Tyrannosaurus rex syndrome
This is my term for a problem I have right now. You know how T. rex looks like he has a big belly and tiny disproportionate arms? Arms that hardly can do any good, and can't possibly reach past the belly? Arms that flail uselessly? Try making dinner like that. Or doing the dishes. No wonder the poor dinosaur went the way of the... wait... dinosaurs.
Item #1. Moles and freckles change color
For the first one I went to a dermatologist, who more or less said, "Yeah, you are 6 months pregnant, so unless it gets really weird you can chalk it up to pregnancy." Since then, I've noticed darkening of several freckles and one mole, and I'm chalking it up. One in particular is really dark brown, but otherwise unchanged in texture, size, etc. Supposedly they will go back to normal afterwards.
Item #2. Skin tags
I've never had a true skin tag before. Now I have two itty bitty ones, in my left armpit. I am sort of embarassed (but also amused) that I decided to yank them off the other day. I discovered that doing so does not hurt, but the tiny wounds bled like the dickens. Matt then informed me (he has a few tiny skin tags normally) that they'll grow back really fast and while it is tempting to yank them off, it does you no good. Oh well. It didn't hurt.
Item #3. Extreme toenail growth
Yes, your fingernails and hair also grow faster. But you can easily see, and reach (thus trim), those! But your toenails? Hard to see. Harder to reach. Very challenging to trim. If I'm not vigilant, I end up with scary long toenails in what seems like only a few days. Eww!
Item #4. Tyrannosaurus rex syndrome
This is my term for a problem I have right now. You know how T. rex looks like he has a big belly and tiny disproportionate arms? Arms that hardly can do any good, and can't possibly reach past the belly? Arms that flail uselessly? Try making dinner like that. Or doing the dishes. No wonder the poor dinosaur went the way of the... wait... dinosaurs.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Yet another...
I am growing tired of all these people having their babies. Why not meeeeeee? Frogger is so done, and my belly is so comically enormous... sigh. Patience is a virtue, right?
Another friend had her baby. She was due on March 7th, if I remember correctly, and had the little guy at 2am on the 1st instead. Bummer that she missed the 29th by only a few hours- that would have been cool. He weighs 7lbs and some amount of oz's, is looking very healthy, and mom and dad are doing well. She had a vaginal birth in the hospital that went pretty smoothly from what my other friend who visited them in the hospital has gathered.
They had not yet named him as of yesterday afternoon, so I cannot report on that. I also do not know if he will bear mom or dad's last name, as they are married but maintain separate names for professional reasons. I think they are going with dad's name, but not sure.
Another friend had her baby. She was due on March 7th, if I remember correctly, and had the little guy at 2am on the 1st instead. Bummer that she missed the 29th by only a few hours- that would have been cool. He weighs 7lbs and some amount of oz's, is looking very healthy, and mom and dad are doing well. She had a vaginal birth in the hospital that went pretty smoothly from what my other friend who visited them in the hospital has gathered.
They had not yet named him as of yesterday afternoon, so I cannot report on that. I also do not know if he will bear mom or dad's last name, as they are married but maintain separate names for professional reasons. I think they are going with dad's name, but not sure.
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