We've just been soaking this little girl up all the time
We just got back from the pediatrician's and she is doing really well. Everything moving along quite well. She has us all in her little pocket.
Saturday Morning News
7 years ago
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Cuteness overload
I just can't believe how cute Kendra is. Everything she does just has us oo-ing and aw-ing. Check out this yawn
We've just been soaking this little girl up all the time
We just got back from the pediatrician's and she is doing really well. Everything moving along quite well. She has us all in her little pocket.
We've just been soaking this little girl up all the time
We just got back from the pediatrician's and she is doing really well. Everything moving along quite well. She has us all in her little pocket.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Precious Moments in the Middle of the Night
Kendra doesn't spend much time awake, so we have tried to capture a few pictures of her when she is. Last night (in the middle of the night) after feeding her she was so content that she smiled at us. It warmed our hearts so much. It's moments like these that are so precious, especially after those nights when she's a little less content.
The room was almost completely dark and we didn't want to use the flash, so the pictures came out just a little fuzzy, but this is our beautiful little girl being happy and content.
The room was almost completely dark and we didn't want to use the flash, so the pictures came out just a little fuzzy, but this is our beautiful little girl being happy and content.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My cup runneth over...
There's my whole world in one picture.
As you might be able to see, it turns out that I may not be the only one getting a few hours' worth of sleep at a time and only sporadically showering. But I still gush when I see this.
And how is mommy doing?
Since last Saturday...
I have not slept for more than 4 hours in a row--and that much only once or twice.
I've averaged one shower every other day.
Every single muscle on my skeletal structure has spent a significant period of time absolutely aching.
I have experienced the most excruciating pain humanly imaginable.
My hands and feet have managed to swell to unbelievable dimensions.
I really couldn't say what day of the week it is without checking an electronic source.
Suddenly various bodily functions of my own body and our daughter's have become the exciting news worth celebrating and discussing at length for both me, my husband and all of our closest friends and family. I never thought I'd care this much about anybody's poop before, ever.
However...
I have never felt more [insert every positive emotion here, including but not limited to; Love, peace, devotion, contentment, joy, awe, appreciation, gratitude...] in my whole life or ever dreamed possible for someone to experience at all.
And so...
My whole life, all I ever really wanted to be was a mother and have a family of my own. The fulfillment of that this week is pretty stunning to me. Without much warning...it just sort of...happened. I'm still sort of scratching my head processing the fact that it's real.
And although it's said in the song with a very different tone, the words ring true for me.
"Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true."
Happy is what has happened to me since last Saturday.
I have not slept for more than 4 hours in a row--and that much only once or twice.
I've averaged one shower every other day.
Every single muscle on my skeletal structure has spent a significant period of time absolutely aching.
I have experienced the most excruciating pain humanly imaginable.
My hands and feet have managed to swell to unbelievable dimensions.
I really couldn't say what day of the week it is without checking an electronic source.
Suddenly various bodily functions of my own body and our daughter's have become the exciting news worth celebrating and discussing at length for both me, my husband and all of our closest friends and family. I never thought I'd care this much about anybody's poop before, ever.
However...
I have never felt more [insert every positive emotion here, including but not limited to; Love, peace, devotion, contentment, joy, awe, appreciation, gratitude...] in my whole life or ever dreamed possible for someone to experience at all.
And so...
My whole life, all I ever really wanted to be was a mother and have a family of my own. The fulfillment of that this week is pretty stunning to me. Without much warning...it just sort of...happened. I'm still sort of scratching my head processing the fact that it's real.
And although it's said in the song with a very different tone, the words ring true for me.
"Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true."
Happy is what has happened to me since last Saturday.
Kendra Awake
These days we don't need to say much on this blog. Basically we post pictures of what's going on.
Grandma has been helping so much to take care of little Kendra, who gets up every two hours.
I'm not sure how anyone can take care of a baby without a 3 to 1 adult to baby ratio in the home. But I'm impressed that people do.
She's also been making us many a home-cooked meal and even showed us the true and living way to make waffles.
Kendra smiled at us the other day (don't believe people who say babies can't smile at this age). I wasn't able to catch it with the camera, but here's a close miss. Actually it's also evidence that Kendra does, from time to time, open her eyes.
Oh, and I was the recipient of projectile vomiting for the first time (picture not included).
Grandma has been helping so much to take care of little Kendra, who gets up every two hours.
I'm not sure how anyone can take care of a baby without a 3 to 1 adult to baby ratio in the home. But I'm impressed that people do.
She's also been making us many a home-cooked meal and even showed us the true and living way to make waffles.
Kendra smiled at us the other day (don't believe people who say babies can't smile at this age). I wasn't able to catch it with the camera, but here's a close miss. Actually it's also evidence that Kendra does, from time to time, open her eyes.
Oh, and I was the recipient of projectile vomiting for the first time (picture not included).
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A few more pictures
A few pictures from our first day at home. These were taken as we tried to wake her up for some feeding. At first she was sleeping all swaddled up
We unswaddled her and lifted her arms hoping that would rouse her
But it didn't, so we undressed her a bit more
Finally we changed her diaper. That did the trick. She's a very mellow baby. How could someone sleep 20 hours a day and not be mellow? :)
Also, here's a video of her in the first moments of her life.
And when they gave her to Ashley
We unswaddled her and lifted her arms hoping that would rouse her
But it didn't, so we undressed her a bit more
Finally we changed her diaper. That did the trick. She's a very mellow baby. How could someone sleep 20 hours a day and not be mellow? :)
Also, here's a video of her in the first moments of her life.
And when they gave her to Ashley
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Kendra's Birth
Well we persuaded the doctors to let us out of the hospital a day early. So for those of you who have been wondering what we have been up to for the last few days, here you go.
DAY 1: Admission and preparation
Since Kendra had gone beyond her due date and had already measured quite large, we requested a labor induction. Amazingly, despite all of the weird feelings Ashley had in the days preceding our hospital visit, it turned out that she was not dilated or effaced at all and Kendra had not even descended. So Sunday evening they put a chemical in her that is supposed to cause her to dilate and efface. We let it simmer overnight and then were going to induce on Monday morning.
Well, Monday morning came around and they checked her out...no change. Apparently her body did not respond at all to the preparatory chemical. So they inserted some kind of balloon in her cervix and started dripping pitocin, which is supposed to start her contractions. It turns out it wasn't that comfortable.
DAY 2: More Preparation
So she spent the day having contractions and getting ready for birth. When evening came around she was still not as dilated as they expected and Kendra had not descended at all. So they ramped up the pitocin and let Kendra become basically a battering ram. This is a picture of Ashley trying to smile during a really tough contraction.
Somehow we were still hoping to have Kendra that evening (we had not slept to speak of the night before) but we were thwarted. Labor took a long time. So Ashley was able to enjoy contractions like this all night long. Actually around 2:30 AM the pain got so bad that we got her an epidural, which was a really good decision.
DAY 3: Delivery
Finally early Tuesday morning, the doctor said Ashley had hit 10 cm and was ready to go into labor, except that Kendra still had not descended. This was rather frustrating for all since it seems like most babies descend significantly before their mothers even go to the hospital. We experienced quite a bit of distress over it.
Anyway, there were some medical details which we shall skip, but Kendra finally descended about 9:00 AM and Ashley began labor in force. Ashley's pain was swallowed up in the joy of birth later, but I am still traumatized from watching my beloved wife writhe in the pains of labor (which, by the way, is a very appropriate word for it). For two hours she pushed as hard as she could every time she had a contraction, which was like once a minute. Oh my goodness.
Ashley did so well, and finally Kendra emerged, slowly but surely, at 10:58 AM. I can't even tell you how happy Ashley and I were when Kendra finally arrived. It was the biggest and best moment of our lives, after 25 hours of hard labor and nine months of anticipation.
Kendra arrived a whopping 8 pound 8 ounces and very well prepared for this world. This picture was literally taken within a minute or two of her birth, before any cleaning up. They put her on this scale and weighed her and then handed her back to Ashley wrapped up.
Because Kendra didn't spend much time descended, she didn't get the cone-head that many children do, and she was large and well developed, which is also why labor took so long. She looked a lot less newborn than most newborns do, and so beautiful. We were fully prepared for her to look all wrinkled and ugly, as well as covered in nasty stuff, but she was just lovely in every way from the moment of her birth.
These pictures were taken when she first came out, before they actually cleaned her up
And then they cleaned her up and put a cute little hat on her (and some weird stuff in her eyes)
DAY 4: Blissful Return
They intended to keep us in the hospital where they could watch the health of mother and baby until Thursday, but Ashley was recovering very well from labor (no episiotomy) and Kendra is a a very strong and healthy nurser, so they let us out a day early.
We put on some warm baby clothes, some of which look a little large for her
We put her in our car seat and drove home.
Welcome, Kendra, to the family. We couldn't be more pleased about the way you came, and we are deeply grateful that we are blessed to have you.
DAY 1: Admission and preparation
Since Kendra had gone beyond her due date and had already measured quite large, we requested a labor induction. Amazingly, despite all of the weird feelings Ashley had in the days preceding our hospital visit, it turned out that she was not dilated or effaced at all and Kendra had not even descended. So Sunday evening they put a chemical in her that is supposed to cause her to dilate and efface. We let it simmer overnight and then were going to induce on Monday morning.
Well, Monday morning came around and they checked her out...no change. Apparently her body did not respond at all to the preparatory chemical. So they inserted some kind of balloon in her cervix and started dripping pitocin, which is supposed to start her contractions. It turns out it wasn't that comfortable.
DAY 2: More Preparation
So she spent the day having contractions and getting ready for birth. When evening came around she was still not as dilated as they expected and Kendra had not descended at all. So they ramped up the pitocin and let Kendra become basically a battering ram. This is a picture of Ashley trying to smile during a really tough contraction.
Somehow we were still hoping to have Kendra that evening (we had not slept to speak of the night before) but we were thwarted. Labor took a long time. So Ashley was able to enjoy contractions like this all night long. Actually around 2:30 AM the pain got so bad that we got her an epidural, which was a really good decision.DAY 3: Delivery
Finally early Tuesday morning, the doctor said Ashley had hit 10 cm and was ready to go into labor, except that Kendra still had not descended. This was rather frustrating for all since it seems like most babies descend significantly before their mothers even go to the hospital. We experienced quite a bit of distress over it.
Anyway, there were some medical details which we shall skip, but Kendra finally descended about 9:00 AM and Ashley began labor in force. Ashley's pain was swallowed up in the joy of birth later, but I am still traumatized from watching my beloved wife writhe in the pains of labor (which, by the way, is a very appropriate word for it). For two hours she pushed as hard as she could every time she had a contraction, which was like once a minute. Oh my goodness.
Ashley did so well, and finally Kendra emerged, slowly but surely, at 10:58 AM. I can't even tell you how happy Ashley and I were when Kendra finally arrived. It was the biggest and best moment of our lives, after 25 hours of hard labor and nine months of anticipation.
Kendra arrived a whopping 8 pound 8 ounces and very well prepared for this world. This picture was literally taken within a minute or two of her birth, before any cleaning up. They put her on this scale and weighed her and then handed her back to Ashley wrapped up.
Because Kendra didn't spend much time descended, she didn't get the cone-head that many children do, and she was large and well developed, which is also why labor took so long. She looked a lot less newborn than most newborns do, and so beautiful. We were fully prepared for her to look all wrinkled and ugly, as well as covered in nasty stuff, but she was just lovely in every way from the moment of her birth.
These pictures were taken when she first came out, before they actually cleaned her up
And then they cleaned her up and put a cute little hat on her (and some weird stuff in her eyes)
DAY 4: Blissful Return
They intended to keep us in the hospital where they could watch the health of mother and baby until Thursday, but Ashley was recovering very well from labor (no episiotomy) and Kendra is a a very strong and healthy nurser, so they let us out a day early.
We put on some warm baby clothes, some of which look a little large for her
We put her in our car seat and drove home.
Welcome, Kendra, to the family. We couldn't be more pleased about the way you came, and we are deeply grateful that we are blessed to have you.
Monday, February 16, 2009
News
Little piece of news for those who were not aware of it: Ashley is currently in the hospital preparing for labor. We hope to have Kendra with us tonight. :)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Update
It's finally here. The day we've all been waiting for. D-Day. My due date.
Aaaaaand, there ain't much happening around here.
As of yesterday afternoon at the doctor, I'm still completely closed up. No effacement, no dilation. Awesome.
Though last night I did start to feel contractions. And holy crap am I scared now.
So, unless I have some random miracle gene in me that makes labor progress from nothing to pushing in a matter of hours (most women take days or even weeks to get that far), I'm still hangin' tight. Actually, we talked to the doctor and I'm going to the hospital on Sunday night to be induced first thing Monday morning.
Last year for President's Day, my day off was switched to it and I attended a Tim Tam Slam Jam in the afternoon with a bunch of girls from church--I remember it was SUPER bitterly cold so we used hot chocolate for our slams and Grant took me out for deep dish pizza afterward. It was a good day.
Somehow I think that even without the deliciousness of Tim Tams, the fun of multiple rooms of girl talk and delicious deep dish to boot, this year will be a whole lot better. I might have had a good date at the end of the day last year, but with any luck I'll get a baby at the end of the day this year. Now that really is awesome.
Yesterday when she came into the examination room the doctor said every time her pager goes off in the middle of the night and she goes through her list of patients that could be needing her, I'm always at the top of her list...and it's never me.
Lybi's comment gives me hope though, "Your pregnant days are numbered, girl!"
And the maximum number is FOUR.
Man, I could really go for some Tim Tams right now...
Aaaaaand, there ain't much happening around here.
As of yesterday afternoon at the doctor, I'm still completely closed up. No effacement, no dilation. Awesome.
Though last night I did start to feel contractions. And holy crap am I scared now.
So, unless I have some random miracle gene in me that makes labor progress from nothing to pushing in a matter of hours (most women take days or even weeks to get that far), I'm still hangin' tight. Actually, we talked to the doctor and I'm going to the hospital on Sunday night to be induced first thing Monday morning.
Last year for President's Day, my day off was switched to it and I attended a Tim Tam Slam Jam in the afternoon with a bunch of girls from church--I remember it was SUPER bitterly cold so we used hot chocolate for our slams and Grant took me out for deep dish pizza afterward. It was a good day.
Somehow I think that even without the deliciousness of Tim Tams, the fun of multiple rooms of girl talk and delicious deep dish to boot, this year will be a whole lot better. I might have had a good date at the end of the day last year, but with any luck I'll get a baby at the end of the day this year. Now that really is awesome.
Yesterday when she came into the examination room the doctor said every time her pager goes off in the middle of the night and she goes through her list of patients that could be needing her, I'm always at the top of her list...and it's never me.
Lybi's comment gives me hope though, "Your pregnant days are numbered, girl!"
And the maximum number is FOUR.
Man, I could really go for some Tim Tams right now...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
They PLUMP when you cook em!
Last night we took a video of something that has had quite the impact on our lives. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so here are bunch of pictures all streamed together...that's like millions of words! Just for you!
Behold.
They actually plump up when he squeezes them, did you see that?
Momma warned me about this, but I'm still blown away.
Behold.
They actually plump up when he squeezes them, did you see that?
Momma warned me about this, but I'm still blown away.
Pop goes the weasel
Turns out, I'm pretty easily entertained. Especially by my body. This has actually always been true and pregnancy has taken my entertainment (admitted sometimes horror) to a whole new level). However, Grant and I have both felt jipped with one thing.
My silly belly button! It was an innie like this when we started. Actually, Grant made fun of me for having a grossly inverted innie of a belly button. It fascinated him and actually appeared to gross him out at times. Eventually, as my belly grew it got stretched flat, but it never did pop.
That skin has been pulled tight for months--there isn't a layer of fat under it (that's located a little farther down my belly, but it's there) you can feel it over the tough muscle of the uterus. But nooooothing. Nadda. Zip.
Until tonight!
Somehow, as I've been sitting around over the past couple of hours, my belly button has totally popped!
I'm kinda hoping it's like the thermometers that pop when the turkey is done...maybe this means my turkey is done cooking and the next time I mess around with the blog is with a baby in tow!
I'm not holding my breath...yet. But it's still pretty satisfying that my belly button DID pop. It's not broken or defective or so plain old weird that it wouldn't.
But no, I'm not posting a picture of my actual popped turkey timer. Trust me people, even though we think it's adorable, it's still a pregnant belly with old stretch marks all over it. Still not red or growing, amazingly, but there.
My silly belly button! It was an innie like this when we started. Actually, Grant made fun of me for having a grossly inverted innie of a belly button. It fascinated him and actually appeared to gross him out at times. Eventually, as my belly grew it got stretched flat, but it never did pop.
That skin has been pulled tight for months--there isn't a layer of fat under it (that's located a little farther down my belly, but it's there) you can feel it over the tough muscle of the uterus. But nooooothing. Nadda. Zip.
Until tonight!
Somehow, as I've been sitting around over the past couple of hours, my belly button has totally popped!
I'm kinda hoping it's like the thermometers that pop when the turkey is done...maybe this means my turkey is done cooking and the next time I mess around with the blog is with a baby in tow!
I'm not holding my breath...yet. But it's still pretty satisfying that my belly button DID pop. It's not broken or defective or so plain old weird that it wouldn't.
But no, I'm not posting a picture of my actual popped turkey timer. Trust me people, even though we think it's adorable, it's still a pregnant belly with old stretch marks all over it. Still not red or growing, amazingly, but there.
Babies on the brain...again.
Grant and I are on a new kick with our Netflix subscription. Now that we're done being there for you in Central Perk, we're boldly going where no one has gone before with the next generation of the Enterprise.
You'd think this'd be the one place a girl could relax and try to forget that she's nine months pregnant and due to have a baby this Friday.
You'd think wrong.
In the premier episode of season two, they spend the first few minutes showing you all the new stuff they've done. After casting off the dead weight of the useless Tasha Yar towards the end of season one, they gave Worf a green uniform and new baldric, promoted Geordie to Chief Engineer, put Wesley Crusher in a less goofy-looking costume (those sweaters from season one--seriously? What was that?), brought in the ever-amazing Guinan and her bar and explain why Dr. Crusher suddenly disappeared leaving the bitter old Dr. Pulaski in charge who doesn't get that Data is more than a machine.
And then things get really interesting when the camera turns to Counselor Troi. Besides sporting a slightly less flattering uniform and a significantly more flattering hairstyle compared to the first season--a little floating light wanders into the ship and empregnates her during the night before the opening credits roll.
What a weird way to wake up, eh? I mean, I was surprised when I found out I was pregnant, but at least there was probable cause I could trace it to, y'know?
Well--not only does she get pregnant, but the whole process lasts 2 days. Two stinkin' days. And labor and delivery? Less than 5 minutes. And in the next scene the doctor is all like, "If I were to give her an examination today, I wouldn't be able to tell she had a baby yesterday--or even at all."
Hoser.
She went from five to nine months pregnant in like an hour! That's not fair! Dude, I want to hold my baby now! How come she didn't have to waddle around for months and have to deal with morning sickness and all that...crap?! How come I have to wait around actually hoping for any sign of labor while she just takes a walk and, "Oh, hey Data. How am I feeling? Well, actually, even though I told all you guys less than 24 hours ago that I'm pregnant, I'm in labor now, can you help me get down to sick bay?" And the delivery? Dude, such a bunch of bunk. For like 40 seconds she breathes a little heavy but experiences no noticeable pain whatsoever. Basically, I get more huffed and puffed making the bed than she did having a baby. And don't even get me started on my qualms with her recovery.
Such a hoser.
Oh, and the kid goes from a newborn to an 8-year-old in the course of like a day and a half. So I'm guessing she only had to worry about her diet affecting her breast milk for like a meal or two.
Bah.
Oh, well. We've got plenty more of it to go that's hopefully pregnancy-free to distract us. Though Grant is thinking of switching us over to 24 now. He strongly opposed me watching 24 before now because he was worried that I would stress out myself and consequently the baby. I kid you not. Though now we're both starting to get just a little ancy and he's thinking maybe the adrenaline would help move things along...and if not at least the time would tick by a little more quickly. I've never seen it and I hear it's exciting and addictive.
But, we're just waiting around to have a baby in the meanwhile. It's kinda funny to me to be the enormously pregnant woman in the grocery store now that you look at and think, "Yikes, she looks like she could pop at any minute..." and you feel like you should be ready to dive to catch something.
Grant's mom had all her babies 2 weeks early. That was way back when I posted the ultrasound picture. Dang. My mom had both of hers 4 days early...that was Monday for me. Dang again.
I reckon it's like a watched pot--so I'm trying to find stuff to keep me from looking and hope I start boiling.
Still, it's kinda hard to not have babies on the brain right about now...
You'd think this'd be the one place a girl could relax and try to forget that she's nine months pregnant and due to have a baby this Friday.
You'd think wrong.
In the premier episode of season two, they spend the first few minutes showing you all the new stuff they've done. After casting off the dead weight of the useless Tasha Yar towards the end of season one, they gave Worf a green uniform and new baldric, promoted Geordie to Chief Engineer, put Wesley Crusher in a less goofy-looking costume (those sweaters from season one--seriously? What was that?), brought in the ever-amazing Guinan and her bar and explain why Dr. Crusher suddenly disappeared leaving the bitter old Dr. Pulaski in charge who doesn't get that Data is more than a machine.
And then things get really interesting when the camera turns to Counselor Troi. Besides sporting a slightly less flattering uniform and a significantly more flattering hairstyle compared to the first season--a little floating light wanders into the ship and empregnates her during the night before the opening credits roll.
What a weird way to wake up, eh? I mean, I was surprised when I found out I was pregnant, but at least there was probable cause I could trace it to, y'know?
Well--not only does she get pregnant, but the whole process lasts 2 days. Two stinkin' days. And labor and delivery? Less than 5 minutes. And in the next scene the doctor is all like, "If I were to give her an examination today, I wouldn't be able to tell she had a baby yesterday--or even at all."
Hoser.
She went from five to nine months pregnant in like an hour! That's not fair! Dude, I want to hold my baby now! How come she didn't have to waddle around for months and have to deal with morning sickness and all that...crap?! How come I have to wait around actually hoping for any sign of labor while she just takes a walk and, "Oh, hey Data. How am I feeling? Well, actually, even though I told all you guys less than 24 hours ago that I'm pregnant, I'm in labor now, can you help me get down to sick bay?" And the delivery? Dude, such a bunch of bunk. For like 40 seconds she breathes a little heavy but experiences no noticeable pain whatsoever. Basically, I get more huffed and puffed making the bed than she did having a baby. And don't even get me started on my qualms with her recovery.
Such a hoser.
Oh, and the kid goes from a newborn to an 8-year-old in the course of like a day and a half. So I'm guessing she only had to worry about her diet affecting her breast milk for like a meal or two.
Bah.
Oh, well. We've got plenty more of it to go that's hopefully pregnancy-free to distract us. Though Grant is thinking of switching us over to 24 now. He strongly opposed me watching 24 before now because he was worried that I would stress out myself and consequently the baby. I kid you not. Though now we're both starting to get just a little ancy and he's thinking maybe the adrenaline would help move things along...and if not at least the time would tick by a little more quickly. I've never seen it and I hear it's exciting and addictive.
But, we're just waiting around to have a baby in the meanwhile. It's kinda funny to me to be the enormously pregnant woman in the grocery store now that you look at and think, "Yikes, she looks like she could pop at any minute..." and you feel like you should be ready to dive to catch something.
Grant's mom had all her babies 2 weeks early. That was way back when I posted the ultrasound picture. Dang. My mom had both of hers 4 days early...that was Monday for me. Dang again.
I reckon it's like a watched pot--so I'm trying to find stuff to keep me from looking and hope I start boiling.
Still, it's kinda hard to not have babies on the brain right about now...
Friday, February 6, 2009
Hangin' Tight
Isn't this great? My sister gave it to me. Classic. The tally marks on the wall are at 39--which I think means weeks as a pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks. We're at 39 today. Woohoo!
I've been getting the "How are you feeling?" phone calls, emails, texts and Facebooks for about a week now--which is really funny because they started right when my joking pregnancy newsletter said I would. I'm doing pretty well--my feet/legs have suddenly swollen up and the water retention is absolutely fascinating. It's amazing how sensitive they are to pressure... It's really ugly to look at but it doesn't hurt--you'd think it would from how deformed my feet are. Everybody in the doctor's office noticed my feet (I was wearing pink flats because they're a size too big and I didn't even bother with socks so I could soak up some cold therapy) and looked at me with pity and murmured, "Oh...your poor feet..." I met with the pediatrician as well who did the same thing. It doesn't hurt or anything...am I really that big of a freak?
Oh, and the doctor says I'm all closed up. I've felt a couple of small contractions but no "real" ones and not much action to report at all. I'm kind of jealous of all the other soon-to-be mommies on Yahoo Answers who aren't as far along and saying, "I'm x% effaced and x cm dilated..." Lucky.
But I'm just chillaxing for now. It's kind of interesting...and I don't think I've wrapped my brain around it all yet. For now, Grant and I are just enjoying our time together. He keeps making labor-encouraging comments. He's really excited to stay home with me from work for a while. :) I am too!
So, we've got the carseat, just need to install the thing. The bag is...sort of packed. I've been stocking the freezer so we won't have to worry too much about cooking anything for a good little while. We're just kinda waiting around for a baby to show up...
In the meantime though, where do I sign up for cartoon chick's legs and ankles? Those aren't the elephant trunks I'm waddling around on and I want me some of what she's got...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Letter to my Daughter
Dear Kendra,
I can't believe how fast the time has passed since we found out you were coming to us and soon you'll be here! You have changed the course of my life and Daddy's and we're so excited to see you and hold you and take you home with us.
So, darling daughter--don't feel like you need to wait. It's been fun watching and experiencing you grow inside me, but you can come just any time you're ready. Besides the anticipation of wanting YOU here, there are a few other things I'd like out of my life just the same. Or back in my life, rather.
I'd like for my feet to not constantly resemble foot-shaped marshmallow puffs at all times of the day and night. Sweetheart, I'm starting to worry they'll be stuck like this... It'd be nice to eat something besides Raisin Bran for breakfast without fear of the consequences that will be reaped if I opt out even ONE time. It's just not that delicious. I'm happy to share my body with you to bring you here...but honey, I'm starting to have to ask for Daddy's help to pull me up to a seated position sometimes. I'm worried that I'll get myself stuck one of these days while he's at work. And sleeping--ooohhhhh. I know that it'll be a long time before I can sleep through the night once you get here, but if I could at least go to sleep and not be achy all over and have throbbing, painful hands when I wake up a few hours later, I'd take that.
But I don't want that to diminish how grateful I am that you're coming. I already feel a huge debt to you and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to repay it. And sweetie, I don't know how we did it--but for some reason you never were too stressful on my bladder. Here I am, 10 days from due to having you and I'm still waiting for the part all the other mommies have told me about when they can barely make it an hour in between needing the bathroom--and I've been drinking at least a gallon of water a day for months now!
I know that all-in-all, you've been very, very nice to me as you've grown. I like to think that was a somewhat cooperative effort on our part with coaching from Daddy always reminding me to do things that make life easier for both of us and further enhanced by a long line of good child-bearing genes. But...whenever you're ready, you just feel free to make your entrance. Mommy and Daddy can't wait for you. And for Mommy to be able bend over without effort. And not for there to be a one inch indention on her leg every time she sits Indian-style. And to sit with Daddy and hold you and gaze at you and wonder in awe how something so special and beautiful and amazing could be ours.
So, just a few thoughts, my sweet baby girl. Come to us soon!
Love,
Mommy
I can't believe how fast the time has passed since we found out you were coming to us and soon you'll be here! You have changed the course of my life and Daddy's and we're so excited to see you and hold you and take you home with us.
So, darling daughter--don't feel like you need to wait. It's been fun watching and experiencing you grow inside me, but you can come just any time you're ready. Besides the anticipation of wanting YOU here, there are a few other things I'd like out of my life just the same. Or back in my life, rather.
I'd like for my feet to not constantly resemble foot-shaped marshmallow puffs at all times of the day and night. Sweetheart, I'm starting to worry they'll be stuck like this... It'd be nice to eat something besides Raisin Bran for breakfast without fear of the consequences that will be reaped if I opt out even ONE time. It's just not that delicious. I'm happy to share my body with you to bring you here...but honey, I'm starting to have to ask for Daddy's help to pull me up to a seated position sometimes. I'm worried that I'll get myself stuck one of these days while he's at work. And sleeping--ooohhhhh. I know that it'll be a long time before I can sleep through the night once you get here, but if I could at least go to sleep and not be achy all over and have throbbing, painful hands when I wake up a few hours later, I'd take that.
But I don't want that to diminish how grateful I am that you're coming. I already feel a huge debt to you and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to repay it. And sweetie, I don't know how we did it--but for some reason you never were too stressful on my bladder. Here I am, 10 days from due to having you and I'm still waiting for the part all the other mommies have told me about when they can barely make it an hour in between needing the bathroom--and I've been drinking at least a gallon of water a day for months now!
I know that all-in-all, you've been very, very nice to me as you've grown. I like to think that was a somewhat cooperative effort on our part with coaching from Daddy always reminding me to do things that make life easier for both of us and further enhanced by a long line of good child-bearing genes. But...whenever you're ready, you just feel free to make your entrance. Mommy and Daddy can't wait for you. And for Mommy to be able bend over without effort. And not for there to be a one inch indention on her leg every time she sits Indian-style. And to sit with Daddy and hold you and gaze at you and wonder in awe how something so special and beautiful and amazing could be ours.
So, just a few thoughts, my sweet baby girl. Come to us soon!
Love,
Mommy
Monday, February 2, 2009
Check it
We've added a link on our sidebar to a slideshow of the pictures we've been taking documenting the growth of my belly during pregnancy. One thing I've learned--people looooove seeing pictures of pregnant ladies.
So check out mine!
We've been using the same outfit for every shot, so it's very clear how much we've been growing. The next time around, we're definitely going to take a shot before I start showing for an even more dramatic effect. But, to give you an idea--I had a flat stomach when all this started. No washboard abs, mind you...but flat.
So check out mine!
We've been using the same outfit for every shot, so it's very clear how much we've been growing. The next time around, we're definitely going to take a shot before I start showing for an even more dramatic effect. But, to give you an idea--I had a flat stomach when all this started. No washboard abs, mind you...but flat.
The Nesting Continues....
One of those things that is closely associated with responsibility and growing up is owning furniture. Oh furniture, the atlas' burden of all old people! Why can't we get by without you?
No, I've never been much of a furniture man. I did rather enjoy making myself a loft bed so I could maximize the interior space of my room when I was single. That was more the charm of optimization and doing it yourself that really appealed to me.
Since marrying, though, I've taken quite a shine to the art of home improvement. As in, improving your home with caulk, bubble wrap, styrofoam, and other possibly less orthodox materials. It's all in the name of optimization, I sometimes like to say.
For me, utility has always trumped looks as I kept all my belongings in those plastic bins and the multitude of bookcases I have scattered around my house. Well, getting married changed some of that. I got a real dresser (inherited it, actually, from a friend who was leaving town) and a real bed. But since marrying we have eaten dinner at our computers because we didn't have a real kitchen table. And I was fine with that. Why get a great big stupid table that you would only sit at for a little while, and where would we put it anyway?
Enter IKEA...
Can I just say that IKEA is a furniture store that even the most masculine of men could love. It's two parts brains, one part portability, and one part economy. You can't beat that. This table was a total impulse buy (something about going to a domestic type store when we have a baby about to pop out seems like a recipe for impulse buys) and it has changed our lives. You don't really have a home until you have a dining room table. And it fits so nicely in our dining area! (Plus it was a lot of fun to put together.)
This picture prominently features the plastic cover we put over it. One thing I didn't take into account was the fact that this table and chairs (unlike the floor model) have not been varnished. We'll have to do that ourselves, but not until things get a little warmer here and we can work outside, or at least open a window. In the mean time, we are going to trim this plastic to fit and tape it underneath. We even got placemats.
We actually went to IKEA for these
That is, the matching dressers (so cheap!). The one, as you can see, will function as a changing table and diaper station (are those two separate things?) and the other will hold all of Kendra's clothes and stuff.
And you can see that I put my big monitor and old computer on the tall dresser. You may recall that we recently bought Ashley a new computer and me a monitor to match hers (22 inches). We upgraded our home network to gigabit ethernet and put the old computer and giant monitor on this dresser. Why put the biggest monitor there, you ask? Look at the view from our elliptical machine
Oh yes. You can stream netflix or lost from online, watch a DVD, or copy a ripped dvd from one of the other computers (so fast over the upgraded network!) and watch it while you work out!
We had a DVD player and TV in this room, but we never used it (finally sold it on criagslist, along with our beloved but unused PS2). The truth is that the streaming internet and copied DVD's are much more common things to watch while working out than DVD's, and this monitor is better and larger than the TV was. Ashley watches the shows she likes but I don't (like Jerico and the more recent seasons of Lost) while she works out in the morning. In principle I work out on it when I get home from work. We'll see how well that works out.
But even if I don't use it, Ashley uses it every day and that's a good use of an old computer and a monitor I otherwise would have sold for peanuts on ebay. (Can you believe that you could have a monitor that is large enough that it's uncomfortable to use as a desktop monitor? Well you can. It's 24 inches diagonally.)
I'm not sure if Kendra will fully appreciate these amenities, but I think I am learning to. It's kind of nice transforming this one-time bachelor pad to a real grown up home.
Now we just add a baby. And Ashley's working hard on that.
No, I've never been much of a furniture man. I did rather enjoy making myself a loft bed so I could maximize the interior space of my room when I was single. That was more the charm of optimization and doing it yourself that really appealed to me.
Since marrying, though, I've taken quite a shine to the art of home improvement. As in, improving your home with caulk, bubble wrap, styrofoam, and other possibly less orthodox materials. It's all in the name of optimization, I sometimes like to say.
For me, utility has always trumped looks as I kept all my belongings in those plastic bins and the multitude of bookcases I have scattered around my house. Well, getting married changed some of that. I got a real dresser (inherited it, actually, from a friend who was leaving town) and a real bed. But since marrying we have eaten dinner at our computers because we didn't have a real kitchen table. And I was fine with that. Why get a great big stupid table that you would only sit at for a little while, and where would we put it anyway?
Enter IKEA...
Can I just say that IKEA is a furniture store that even the most masculine of men could love. It's two parts brains, one part portability, and one part economy. You can't beat that. This table was a total impulse buy (something about going to a domestic type store when we have a baby about to pop out seems like a recipe for impulse buys) and it has changed our lives. You don't really have a home until you have a dining room table. And it fits so nicely in our dining area! (Plus it was a lot of fun to put together.)This picture prominently features the plastic cover we put over it. One thing I didn't take into account was the fact that this table and chairs (unlike the floor model) have not been varnished. We'll have to do that ourselves, but not until things get a little warmer here and we can work outside, or at least open a window. In the mean time, we are going to trim this plastic to fit and tape it underneath. We even got placemats.
We actually went to IKEA for these
That is, the matching dressers (so cheap!). The one, as you can see, will function as a changing table and diaper station (are those two separate things?) and the other will hold all of Kendra's clothes and stuff.
And you can see that I put my big monitor and old computer on the tall dresser. You may recall that we recently bought Ashley a new computer and me a monitor to match hers (22 inches). We upgraded our home network to gigabit ethernet and put the old computer and giant monitor on this dresser. Why put the biggest monitor there, you ask? Look at the view from our elliptical machine
Oh yes. You can stream netflix or lost from online, watch a DVD, or copy a ripped dvd from one of the other computers (so fast over the upgraded network!) and watch it while you work out!
We had a DVD player and TV in this room, but we never used it (finally sold it on criagslist, along with our beloved but unused PS2). The truth is that the streaming internet and copied DVD's are much more common things to watch while working out than DVD's, and this monitor is better and larger than the TV was. Ashley watches the shows she likes but I don't (like Jerico and the more recent seasons of Lost) while she works out in the morning. In principle I work out on it when I get home from work. We'll see how well that works out.
But even if I don't use it, Ashley uses it every day and that's a good use of an old computer and a monitor I otherwise would have sold for peanuts on ebay. (Can you believe that you could have a monitor that is large enough that it's uncomfortable to use as a desktop monitor? Well you can. It's 24 inches diagonally.)
I'm not sure if Kendra will fully appreciate these amenities, but I think I am learning to. It's kind of nice transforming this one-time bachelor pad to a real grown up home.
Now we just add a baby. And Ashley's working hard on that.
New Toys
For those of you who don't have much experience with the Farns--when he gets excited, he really get excited about something. He talks about it to everyone he talks to and if it can be shown, he shows it to everyone he sees.
We've been getting pretty into the Video Chat, and it just cracks me up that at a point in every first conversation we have with people via Video Chat, he says, "Hey--lemme show you something!" Then he disappears for a moment to go get this...
I don't know much about newborns, but I know they eat often and they don't care where Mommy is in relation to them. So to save ourselves (not to mention the neighbors) time and trouble those first couple of months when she'll need to be fed several times a night we decided we definitely wanted a bassinet. And we found a pretty nice one on Craig's List for $10--woohoo! It has attachments you can put on the legs to make it a rocking bassinet if you like, and the whole basket comes right off the base so you can carry it around. Pretty cool! Right now, it's stashed behind the bedroom door but we'll pull it up to my side of the bed when she gets here, at least at first.
He loves showing it off, and though the face is accurate he always does it without the onesie. The onesie is actually something I left in there. Sometimes, I get a little freaked out when I contemplate what birth actually means (it's been getting a little real...) and to calm myself down, I lie down in bed and spread out this onesie beside me and look at it and suddenly it isn't so scary. Grant's come to bed a lot of nights to find me like that.
However, I digress. It happens so easily...
The other item he looooves to show off is our carseat carrier and stroller. I'm actually quite impressed with and proud of this myself--it's our choice after thorough Farns-like research on the matter.
Turns out, there are a lot of options in the car seat and stroller department! After asking around, we decided to get a holder for the carrier instead of a combination situation that's a whole stroller that you attach the carrier onto. This seemed a lot better for these Farnsworths--light, easy to collapse, sturdy and very affordable. The carrier snaps on and off the frame of the stroller very easily and I really like that I'll only have actually handle her once to leave and once when we get home, no matter how many stops we make along the way (unless she needs a feeding or diaper change, of course). And something I didn't realize about it before but was really glad to notice is that this way, I'll actually be able to see her while I'm pushing her around. No can do on those larger, coordinated stroller/car seat combos. So nice. Especially for the first-time mommy without a clue.
I'd still like to know why there was over a $100 difference on Amazon between different versions of the same dang car seat model...
It's nice to have things so prepared and to be so satisfied with the things we've acquired. I enjoy watching Grant show it all off for a few reasons. First, it's just funny. He's a grown man, yet thrilled over a bassinet and a stroller and other proof he's an expectant father. But then the fact that he's so genuinely thrilled means so much in and of itself. Grant's very much a What-You-See-is-What-You-Get and he's not the type to put on airs or fronts or pretend he's anything that he's not. His sincere enthusiasm throughout pregnancy has made it sooo much easier on me.
Granted, he also gets excited to show people his tarantulas or our new hissing cockroaches...but the look on his face every time he's just gotta show someone our baby stuff is quite endearing indeed.
We've been getting pretty into the Video Chat, and it just cracks me up that at a point in every first conversation we have with people via Video Chat, he says, "Hey--lemme show you something!" Then he disappears for a moment to go get this...
I don't know much about newborns, but I know they eat often and they don't care where Mommy is in relation to them. So to save ourselves (not to mention the neighbors) time and trouble those first couple of months when she'll need to be fed several times a night we decided we definitely wanted a bassinet. And we found a pretty nice one on Craig's List for $10--woohoo! It has attachments you can put on the legs to make it a rocking bassinet if you like, and the whole basket comes right off the base so you can carry it around. Pretty cool! Right now, it's stashed behind the bedroom door but we'll pull it up to my side of the bed when she gets here, at least at first.
He loves showing it off, and though the face is accurate he always does it without the onesie. The onesie is actually something I left in there. Sometimes, I get a little freaked out when I contemplate what birth actually means (it's been getting a little real...) and to calm myself down, I lie down in bed and spread out this onesie beside me and look at it and suddenly it isn't so scary. Grant's come to bed a lot of nights to find me like that.
However, I digress. It happens so easily...
The other item he looooves to show off is our carseat carrier and stroller. I'm actually quite impressed with and proud of this myself--it's our choice after thorough Farns-like research on the matter.
Turns out, there are a lot of options in the car seat and stroller department! After asking around, we decided to get a holder for the carrier instead of a combination situation that's a whole stroller that you attach the carrier onto. This seemed a lot better for these Farnsworths--light, easy to collapse, sturdy and very affordable. The carrier snaps on and off the frame of the stroller very easily and I really like that I'll only have actually handle her once to leave and once when we get home, no matter how many stops we make along the way (unless she needs a feeding or diaper change, of course). And something I didn't realize about it before but was really glad to notice is that this way, I'll actually be able to see her while I'm pushing her around. No can do on those larger, coordinated stroller/car seat combos. So nice. Especially for the first-time mommy without a clue.
I'd still like to know why there was over a $100 difference on Amazon between different versions of the same dang car seat model...
It's nice to have things so prepared and to be so satisfied with the things we've acquired. I enjoy watching Grant show it all off for a few reasons. First, it's just funny. He's a grown man, yet thrilled over a bassinet and a stroller and other proof he's an expectant father. But then the fact that he's so genuinely thrilled means so much in and of itself. Grant's very much a What-You-See-is-What-You-Get and he's not the type to put on airs or fronts or pretend he's anything that he's not. His sincere enthusiasm throughout pregnancy has made it sooo much easier on me.
Granted, he also gets excited to show people his tarantulas or our new hissing cockroaches...but the look on his face every time he's just gotta show someone our baby stuff is quite endearing indeed.
What's wrong with us?
Friday, I posted an awesome picture from my ultrasound earlier that morning--something that would make any proud parents just sigh and coo in awe. Our beautiful baby girl. Precious.
Grant asked to see the other pictures they printed up for me and I handed them over telling him, "Well, they're not very good--you can't really see anything." However, upon closer examination we looked...and is that...? No...you can't see that on an ultrasound can you? Surely not...but it does look an awful lot like a...face!
We turned the picture and we were pretty sure that's what we were looking at. We could see eyes, a nose and two little nostrils and a mouth. Wow!
However, we weren't very excited about our discovery. Why, you might ask? What parent wouldn't want to and be completely thrilled about having a perfect face shot of their child in the womb?
Because it looks demented!! The image disturbed us so much we couldn't stand looking at it for too long! And talk about an onslaught of guilt complexes--we're staring at this picture with horror wondering what we've got growing inside of me because the picture we're seeing almost isn't at all human. I zoomed in and painted the features we thought we were seeing on for reference.
AHH! What the heck is this?!
Luckily, we have a med student in the family! And med students look at LOTS of ultrasound pictures, so I forwarded these to him to see 1) if we're imagining things and 2) why the heck our baby looks so weird if it is what we think it is.
Seth made us feel soooo much better by replying that, yes it was a picture of our baby's face and--it's perfectly normal looking for an ultrasound picture. The ultrasound doesn't show her eyelids, or even really her nose--just a big hole in her face, etc. I tried to keep that perspective as I remembered that they use this thing to look at her internal organs and bones. Ain't exactly gonna get the same effect as the DSLR we got to record her every living moment. He also showed us a couple of other ultrasound pictures of faces and one of them not quite as far along as we are now looked exactly like this.
So we can relax. Our little Kendra isn't a demented alien creature. Thank goodness. I can't speak for Grant but I was feeling like the worst mother ever for thinking my baby was absolutely hideous!
I really wish they could have gotten a picture of what I saw when the technician looked for her femur. For a moment on the screen I totally got a shot of a little leg, complete with fat rolls. Talk about CUTE!
Cute. That's what she is. Not a demented alien creature. Beautiful baby girl.
Grant asked to see the other pictures they printed up for me and I handed them over telling him, "Well, they're not very good--you can't really see anything." However, upon closer examination we looked...and is that...? No...you can't see that on an ultrasound can you? Surely not...but it does look an awful lot like a...face!
We turned the picture and we were pretty sure that's what we were looking at. We could see eyes, a nose and two little nostrils and a mouth. Wow!
However, we weren't very excited about our discovery. Why, you might ask? What parent wouldn't want to and be completely thrilled about having a perfect face shot of their child in the womb?
Because it looks demented!! The image disturbed us so much we couldn't stand looking at it for too long! And talk about an onslaught of guilt complexes--we're staring at this picture with horror wondering what we've got growing inside of me because the picture we're seeing almost isn't at all human. I zoomed in and painted the features we thought we were seeing on for reference.
AHH! What the heck is this?!Luckily, we have a med student in the family! And med students look at LOTS of ultrasound pictures, so I forwarded these to him to see 1) if we're imagining things and 2) why the heck our baby looks so weird if it is what we think it is.
Seth made us feel soooo much better by replying that, yes it was a picture of our baby's face and--it's perfectly normal looking for an ultrasound picture. The ultrasound doesn't show her eyelids, or even really her nose--just a big hole in her face, etc. I tried to keep that perspective as I remembered that they use this thing to look at her internal organs and bones. Ain't exactly gonna get the same effect as the DSLR we got to record her every living moment. He also showed us a couple of other ultrasound pictures of faces and one of them not quite as far along as we are now looked exactly like this.
So we can relax. Our little Kendra isn't a demented alien creature. Thank goodness. I can't speak for Grant but I was feeling like the worst mother ever for thinking my baby was absolutely hideous!
I really wish they could have gotten a picture of what I saw when the technician looked for her femur. For a moment on the screen I totally got a shot of a little leg, complete with fat rolls. Talk about CUTE!
Cute. That's what she is. Not a demented alien creature. Beautiful baby girl.
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