6 month stats & Merry christmas!

We had Ethan's 6 month appointment today! Are you ready for his stats!?

Height: 29 inches! (>95%)

Weight: 20lbs 7oz (90%)

I didn't get the head circumference, but I can measure that tomorrow. He is getting bigger everyday! His growth curve hasn't changed and that is what matters. We just have a "solid" boy as Dr. M put it! She was very pleased with his developments and growth, as are we! We are so proud of our little boy and love him so very much! We are so so excited for his first Christmas!!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

HALF A YEAR!

Ethan is 6 months old! Half a year has gone by since he was born!! It is crazy to think about how quickly time has flown by since he was born. His appointment isn't until Thursday the 23rd so I won't have exact stats until then. He did see the doctor last week though because he was sick and she put him on antibiotics. I am happy to report he is feeling much better! He weighed 20 pounds 6 ounces a week ago, so we will see what he is this week! I measured him a couple of weeks ago to see how tall he was and he is about 29 inches long! My BIG boy! I was curious because the height cut off for his infant carrier is 30 inches (or 30 pounds). I knew he was getting close to the limit, but just wanted to know for sure! I think he only has about another month (if that) in his infant carrier. I am okay with that because it is so extremely heavy to carry now!

Anyways, at six months Ethan is so much fun!! Things I don't want to forget...

He is still on Nutramigen formula & had 4-6 6oz bottles a day.

He is starting to have solids twice a day. Usually one fruit & one vegetable. He does not like the rice or cereal despite several attempts, so we have given up on that.

We introduced a sippy cup today and he loved it! He grabbed onto the handles and chewed on it at first, and then figured out he could drink from it! He had his first sips of water!

He is still wearing size 3 diapers.

He fits perfectly into most 9 month clothes (almost too snugly into some). He can wear a lot of 12 month clothes, too.

He can now roll both ways! On Friday he finally figured out how to roll from his belly to his back and he hasn't stopped since! He constantly rolls from back to belly, then to back again. He gets such a huge smile and is so proud of himself (and so are we!) when he does it!

He can sit really well on his own until he turns suddenly and then he topples over.

He had his first cold/ear infection on 12/13/10. He is almost finished with antibiotics thankfully!

He doesn't have any teeth yet, but he is teething like crazy! We can kind of see little white buds on both bottom teeth, and they are swollen but nothing yet!

Due to him teething, and his illness his wonderful 11-12 hour sleeping at night has totally stopped:( We had a rough week where he would fall asleep around 8-9pm, then wake up an hour later and not fall asleep until 11 or 12, then wake up at 4-5, then 7-8. He was very very fussy, too:( He isn't fussing as much, but still not sleeping that long anymore. Last night he didn't go to sleep until about 11:30pm and then was up at 8:30am ready to go. It seems like no matter what time he falls asleep, his internal clock says to wake up between 8-9.

I tried uploading his other Christmas picture and it won't let me. I'll keep trying because it is super cute!

5 months old!

I know I am super late with this post! Ethan turned 5 months on November 16th & we had his check up on November 19th. He weighed 19 pounds (90%) and was 28 inches long (>95%)!!! He is a big baby and I love it! No one believes us when we tell them he is only 5 1/2 months now. Here are things I don't want to forget about month 5!

He sleeps about 11-12 hours at night. He used to take a late evening nap & we are trying to stop that so he will go to bed earlier. He usually goes to bed between 8-9pm and gets up at 8-9am.

He takes a 6-7oz bottle about 5 times a day & we give him his vegies at dinnertime.

He doesn't care much for rice cereal or oatmeal, so we skipped those and went straight to vegies! He LOVES squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes. He is not too fond of green beans yet! He definitely loves sweeter foods. We are holding off on fruits for awhile, per doctor's orders.

He is proficient at rolling from his back to belly (only towards the right side so far though). If he gets all the way over on his belly, he has a tough time getting back.

He is SCOOTING all over the place. As in, he can lift his little booty up and move around! He started this about a week ago, and no matter which way I put him in his crib, I always find him somewhere else. He will be completely the opposite direction & on his belly/side!

As soon as we lay him in his crib, he pulls up his legs and rolls to his right side. Every time.

He is very very vocal right now. He has learned to squeal, scream & over Thanksgiving started this fake cough thing. I need to catch in on video, it is so funny! He does it and then looks at us to see if we noticed!

He loves to lay on the floor and stretch out and play with toys. He is almost too big for his swing now & doesn't care much for it anymore.

I don't know how much longer he is going to last in his infant carseat. He still fits into the height/weight requirements, but it is almost too heavy for me to lift & carry! We already have his convertible carseat, so I think we will make that transition by the first of the year.

He is wearing 9 month clothes & fits into some 12 month clothes!

He still wears size 3 diapers, hopefully for awhile longer :)

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of anything right now!

Shutterfly giveaway!

I LOVE Christmas! It is my absolute most favorite holiday of all. What I love even more is sending/receiving Christmas cards! Especially if they have pictures! Well this year Shutterfly is giving away 50 FREE photo Christmas cards if you have a blog & blog about the giveaway! That is AWESOME! I love love LOVE their stuff! We ended up not doing birth announcements, though I had one that I really loved & it was from Shutterfly. We are going to make up for it and send an awesome Christmas photo card with a cute picture of Ethan! Here are a few of my favorites!

I love the colors & the initial on this one! I love how many options there are for photos, too!
I love how this one just has one pictures & it's pretty good size. Are you noticing a pattern with the colors? I love black, green & red!

I think this one may be my favorite! The only thing I would change is the color blue. I need to keep looking to see if they have it in a different color!There are SO many options to choose from!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

What a big boy!

Ethan's official 4 month appointment isn't until November 19th (even though he'll be 5 months). His doctor was on vacation the entire month of October, but since I work at the same office we went ahead and got his vaccines on time last week. We did have to take him in on Thursday because he has this ugly rash in his neck fold. We finally got to see how much he weighs! Are you ready for it!? At 4.5 months he weighs 18 lbs 7 oz!! I knew he weighed a lot, but even I was surprised by that number! He is not a roly poly baby though because he is 27.5 inches long! He is way off the charts for both height and weight. He is following in his daddy's footsteps! He is such a wonderful, happy baby. We are so very very blessed!

Ethan had his first full night away from us this weekend. Grandma & Grandpa really wanted to babysit overnight & even though I was a little apprehensive, I agreed. C & I had such a wonderful date night! We went out for mexican food, then rented a movie & made margaritas! I would love to say I had a wonderful nights sleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night & missed my baby boy! I had a hard time going back to sleep. Ethan is such a good sleeper anyways (at least 11-12 hours a night) so I have nothing to complain about:) The really great part was that I was able to clean the house & do laundry yesterday morning before he came home. It is amazing how quickly I got things accomplished! We are finally getting settled into our new place & finished putting together our bookcase and dining set today. It finally looks like a home! :)

4 months!

Ethan turned 4 months yesterday! Time is going by so quickly, I can't believe he is 4 months already! Here are a couple of pictures from our "photo shoot"


Things I don't want to forget...

He eats 6oz of Nutramigen formula 5-6 times a day.

He sleeps 11-12 hours a night, and has been for awhile now.

He finally started lifting his head up while on his tummy & is getting stronger everyday!

He rolled over for the first time!

He weighs about 17 pounds (not exactly sure, will hopefully find out Friday the 22nd)

He is almost 27 inches long!

He talks & babbles constantly!

He has learned to squeal and we love it!

I think he loves the sound of his voice!

He is such a happy baby, always smiling at people.

We just bought an exercauser and so far he likes it. I think he will like it more when he is a little more stable!

We love you Ethan Dale!!!

3 months old!

Ethan is 3 months old today! I am having a hard time believing this. The past 3 months have gone by so incredibly fast, and my baby boy is growing up! At the same time, it's hard to remember a time before I had him. He completes our family (until we decide to have #2:). Here are things I don't want to forget!

He eats 5 ounces about 6-8 times a day. Whenever he wakes up after sleeping (whether it be 8-12 hours later) he will eat 6 ounces. We tried switching him from Nutramigen to Gentlease, but he isn't quite ready for that yet.

He has really good head control when he is sitting up on my lap or I am holding him on my shoulder. He still does not like tummy time, but is learning to tolerate it more. Today he finally lifted his head up, even if only a little! It's hard when you are a big boy ;)

He loves when C & I talk to him. He just smiles, coo's, squeals, and laughs at us. He is really starting to become vocal & I love it!

He absolutely loves his play mat!! As soon as we lay him down he starts swatting at his rattle & frog. He has a really good grip and will hold onto both at the same time and try to lift himself. He is good at lifting his bottom up lol! He loves looking in the mirror on it, too. He just loves the little guy starting back at him! They have great conversations :)

He loves his grandma & grandpa! We go over to their house every week & they love their time with him!

He hasn't rolled over yet, but as much as he is moving his arms & legs, I think it may happen in the next month or so.

He is a BIG boy! I don't know for sure how much he weighs, but considering he was 14lbs 4oz a month ago, I think it is safe to say he is between 15-16 pounds!! Boy I can feel it, too! Especially caring him in his car seat. & I thought it was bad when I was pregnant, HA!

We ordered his "big boy" carseat & it should be here tomorrow. We wanted a car seat for my husband's truck and decided to go ahead and get the convertible car seat since we will need it anyways! We went with the Graco My ride 65 in Prentis. I love it and can't wait to get it!

Ethan starts daycare next week when C goes back to school:( He is only going one day next week, but when I start my new job the following week he will be going 3-4 days a week. Luckily 2 of those days will only be for about 3 hours, and the other 2 will be about 6-7 hours. It could be worse. I really like the place we are going to take him to. We took his diapers, bottles, formula & extra clothes over there today and they got to meet Ethan for the first time. All of the girls just loved him :) The lady that watches over the infants is an older lady, "grandma" and I think he will do really well.

I got a new job!!!

I am so happy to be starting a new job on September 27th! It is with the hospital, but I will be working at a Pediatric office. This is just about my dream job! I absolutely love babies & kids. I will only be working 8 hours a day, instead of 12. I'll have major holidays off, which is not guaranteed with the job I have now. They also completely pay for insurance for the entire family which is awesome!! I cannot wait to start! The office is about 13 miles away from where we currently live, and right next door to the college Chris goes to. We decided it would be best to move into that city to be closer, save gas & travel time. I can't wait!!!

Just a few pictures

2 months old!

This picture was taken at exactly 9 weeks old!

Ethan is 2 months old (almost a week ago!). I cannot believe it. The time has flown by since he came into our lives, and I can't remember what life was like before we had him. We had his 2 month appointment on Friday and here are his stats:

Height: 24 in long (75%)

Weight: 14lbs 4 oz (95%)

Head Circumference: 43cm (>95%)

My baby is HUGE! No one believed that he is only 2 months old. They wanted to know what I was feeding him and how much LOL. I am pretty sure it is more genetics than how much he is eating. His daddy is 6'3" and was a HUGE baby as well. The doctor did not seem concerned at all with how big he is. In fact she said he is extremely healthy :) She said we may look to start solids around 4 months instead of 6 months because he is such a big boy.

Here is what Ethan is up to these days...

He can turn his head side to side while on his tummy, but he hates tummy time. The doctor said since his head is so large it will be awhile before he can really lift it up.

He can hold his head steady while sitting up or we are holding him up on our shoulder. He has very good control and is less bobble-head like now :)

He is wearing size 3-6 month and 6 month clothes. *sigh* We bought so many cute winter clothes on clearance last year that are 3-6 month size that I don't think he will get a chance to wear unless it gets cold SOON!

He loves sitting up and staring at people, fans, lights, basically anything. He loves it when we talk to him and mimic him. He LOVES his grandpa!

He laughs out loud at us, and sometimes just because.

He loves laying on his playmat and staring at the mirror and toys. He loves looking at himself and he smiles and coos. He isn't too interested in playing with the toys yet.

He eats about 5 oz most feedings, sometimes more, sometimes less. He is still on the Nutramigen formula (holy expensiveness) and Zantac for stomach pain/reflux. It really seems to be helping though, so we aren't going to stop it yet.

We love you so much Ethan Dale and we look forward to watching you grow up into a smart, handsome little boy! :)

tummy troubles

When Ethan was born, he was great at latching on for breastfeeding. That lasted all of 3 days and when we came home from the hospital, we had a VERY hard time breastfeeding. My flat nipples mixed with low milk supply made it rough. We started supplementing with formula and I started pumping to try to increase my supply. This lasted 9 days until he had an allergic reaction to the medicine I am on (that I can't stop). We decided to strictly formula feed after that. I had a lot of guilt over this, but in the end it has made us all happier.

Until now.

We started Ethan on Similac Advance because that is what we had the most samples of. It worked just fine while he was getting some breast milk with it, but once he was getting just that we had issues. He was very gassy and just generally upset/fussy most of the day.

So we switched to soy formula. That just constipated him and made him equally unhappy. After that we tried Enfamil Premium in hopes that the third time was the charm. Not so much! He was still gassy/fussy and uncomfortable the majority of the day.

His pediatrician said to try Gentlease formula, surely that would help. We got the Target brand (half the price) and had our fingers crossed that things would be better. Not only was he STILL gassy, but now he was having trouble pooping, too. From Thursday of last week until Monday of this week he screamed every time he tried to poop or pass gas. He was only pooping once a day, but trying to get it out ALL day. It was horrible watching him in so much pain.

Back to the pediatrician we went. He got weighed first and was 11lbs 4oz on Monday. He obviously has no problems eating and we are thrilled he is gaining weight. The doctor was concerned with the pain he was having. He finally pooped while we were in the room and she was alarmed with the amount of poop he had. It was ALOT.

New plan of action: Enfamil Nutramigen, the most hypoallergenic formula with extremely broken down proteins for easy digestion. AKA one of the most expensive formulas out there. Luckily she gave us samples to try before we have to buy it. If this doesn't work, then we will start him on Ranitidine for the stomach pain.

This formula smells horrible and I can tell he doesn't enjoy the taste but he is eating it. So far it seems to be helping. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have to use the medicine!!

Please let this be the light at the end of the tunnel, I want my happy baby back!!!

One Month Old!

Ethan is a month old! I can't believe it actually. It seemed like forever until he finally arrived & now he has been with us for a month? Time flies! What has he been up to lately? He is starting to notice more things around him. He loves the light and will always look towards it. He definitely recognizes mommy & daddy and focuses on our faces when we talk to him. He LOVES to cuddle & be held (sometimes too much!). This past week he decided he wants to eat every 1.5-2 hours instead of 3-4 hours which is making us tired. He also seems to have a bottomless pit. He is now eating 4oz at a time, and sometimes acts as if that isn't enough. He is HUGE compared to when he was born, and has more rolls than I can count :) He is starting to coo and make noises. Sometimes he just sits in his swing or lays in his crib and "talks" for a while. He makes a lot of noise for someone so small! He is about 10lbs 14 oz and 22.5 in long! He is growing like a weed! We don't go to the doctor again until his 2 month check up. His hair is thinning because his head is growing so fast. It is starting to come back in a little in the front, but you can definitely see where it is thinning! He is still not sleeping very well at night. Especially the past few nights! I am trying to do the same routine at nightime, and it did work well the first night I did it. Not so much anymore. I am not looking forward to returning to work on August 1st! My 4am wake up call is going to be rough!

Here are a couple of his newborn pictures (taken at 12 days old) that I forgot to post. Look how small he is compared to the one above that was taken yesterday!

Post Partum survey

• How far along were you when you had your baby? 39 weeks 1 day (by 18 minutes)
• How long was labor? 24 hours
• Total weight gain: from pre-pregnancy weight FIVE POUNDS!!
  
• Total weight loss since: 16 pounds!!!
  
• Back into your own clothes yet? yep, I can fit into everything.
• Did you get stretch marks? Yep, I have a nice cluster around my belly button
• Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? C-section
• Best moment this week: watching Ethan become more alert and recognize our voices. He also got to meet his aunt & uncle for the first time!!
• What I miss about being pregnant: Feeling him moving inside me.
• How big is baby: He was 8 lbs 3.5 oz on 6/29/10. My guess is over 9 lbs by now! He loves to eat!
• Baby's temperament? he is very laid back & easy going unless it is time for bed--he fights it sometimes, and he likes to be held/rocked until he goes to sleep. He also has been gassy which makes him upset sometimes. We have switched formulas (on our 3rd now) and he seems to be doing better!
  
• What I am looking forward to: watching him grow up! I can't wait until he can interact with us, smile at us for a reason! I can't wait to play with him, watch him crawl, walk, talk, everything!
  

infection

So my incision from my c-section is infected. UGH! I have been diligent about keeping the area clean, dry, and applying neosporin per doctors orders. Everything was going great until a couple of days ago, I noticed my scar had a lump underneath it, pretty much along the length of the incision. I thought maybe it was scar tissue at first. Not so much! I woke up yesterday morning to my underwear soaked with drainage and an even bigger lump. WTF?! The drainage was yellowish/orange, not a color I had seen before. I didn't immediately think it was infected because it didn't look like any infected incision I had ever seen. But taking my husband's advice I called the doctor anyways just to be sure all was well. The nurse wanted me to come in today just to have it looked it.

As soon as the doctor looked at it, he said "Oh well that's not good." Gee, thanks! He said it appeared to be a superficial infection & that he needed to open it up and drain it. Okay, I can handle that. First he numbed the area & OWWW did that hurt! He came back about 15 minutes later and started cutting into the middle of the incision where it was already draining. Once he got a tiny bit deeper than the surface I could feel everything and holy mother of God did it hurt! I had to suck it up so he could get it open enough to drain it. If that wasn't bad enough, then he was pushing hard all around it to get it to drain. Not only is it extremely sensitive and painful, I also had to pee really bad! I was so afraid if he pushed any harder I was going to pee my pants!!! LOL Thankfully I did not:)

So he packed the opening to ensure that it doesn't close, and now I am on heavy-duty antibiotics. He took a culture of the drainage, I am curious to see what shows up! I have to go back Monday to have him look at it again to ensure it is in fact healing. This is such a pain in the ass! Just when the soreness of the overall surgery was wearing off, this happens. Let me tell you, it is pretty painful right now. It hurts to bend over, sit down, stand up, you name it! I hope this antibiotic works and clears it up quickly.

My brother-in-law and his wife are flying in tomorrow from Indiana for the next week and I want to be able to do things and not be in pain! Thank goodness for Ibuprofen and Percocet :)

2 weeks old!

Ethan is 2 weeks old today! I can't believe how fast time is going by already. Before I know it he is going to be walking & talking *breathes into paper bag*. He already looks so much bigger than when we brought him home. We had his first pediatrician appointment yesterday for his 2 week check up and circumcision. He weighed in at 8lbs 3.5oz and was 20 in long! He gained almost 2 pounds in 9 days! His lowest point was 6lbs 8oz, so we are very happy he is growing well now :) The doctor said he looked perfect! He is having some goopy discharge from his eyes & as I suspected the doctor thinks his tear ducts are clogged. She prescribed some antibiotic ointment and I can already tell a difference.

As for the circumcision he slept through the entire thing! The doctor asked me if I wanted to come with him and watch it and I politely declined. I have seen it done a few times and did not wish to see my own child go through it! He was a trooper though! He also got his heel poked to check his 2nd PKU, and he SCREAMED when the nurse had to poke him TWO times to get enough blood. Poor baby!!

As soon as we strapped him into his car seat he was not a happy camper. I can't blame him either! Those straps are so tight, especially when you've just had something snipped! We had a rough ride home and an even harder time tracking down infant Tylenol due to the recall. We were finally able to get some and once he got a dose at home he slept for quite awhile. We had a few more fussy periods, but last night he managed to sleep almost a 5 hour stretch! Then almost 4 hours! I'm hoping tonight goes just as well :)

We are looking forward to this weekend! Ethan's aunt and uncle are coming to visit from Indiana and staying for a week! We can't wait for them to meet Ethan and to just spend time with them!!

Super Long Birth Story Part 2

My MIL and I got to L&D around 4:30 pm and they took me to a nice labor room. The really sweet nurse I had tried twice to start my IV and both failed. Thankfully another really nice nurse got it on her first try (my 3rd poke). She hooked me up to the monitors and asked me tons of questions. The cervadil was placed around 6pm. It was pretty uncomfortable after that doctor had checked me the last time. My in-laws stayed with me until my husband got there around 7:30 (with dinner thankfully!) A little while later we were moved to a different room and then it was a waiting game. The on-call doctor came in around 9 pm and said I could have an Ambien if I wanted to help me sleep since the next day would be a long one. I got the Ambien around 10:30 pm, but it really didn't help. I don't think I slept at all. I started having contractions around midnight, and while they weren't super strong they were still painful. I had horrible shooting pains in my back every time I had a contraction.

Needless to say, neither of us got my sleep that night (maybe an hour or two). At 6am my new nurse (who was AWESOME!) who I had all day came in and took out the cervadil. There weren't any orders at that point, so I was able to eat a little bit of breakfast and take a shower (which felt wonderful on my back). My doctor showed up (I was so happy he was on called for the next 24 hours!) and checked my cervix. Still about 1cm, maybe 2 and about 80% effaced. Very little progress made! The pitocin was started around 9am and slowly increased. After about an hour I could feel my contractions intensifying and the back pain was almost unbearable. I do not exactly like pain, but I can handle my fair share. I knew from the beginning I wanted the epidural, it was just a matter of when.

The doctor came back in around 11:30 and checked me again and said I was almost 3cm and I could have the epidural if I wanted. Yes please! I'm thankful I asked for it then because they had a c-section to do and it would have been another couple of hours! The epidural was very weird going in, and the first catheter had an extra hole, so he had to remove it and start over. Seriously!? Hubby was holding my hand and I was leaning over the nurse trying not to hyperventilate. He finally got it placed correctly and within about 15 minutes my legs started going numb and I could barely feel my contractions. It was heaven! My MIL showed up at that point and I told hubby he should go eat lunch, that way I could try to rest a little. Sleep did not come easy to me with the nurse checking on me, the monitor beeping, IV beeping, etc. I was good and numb though, and after about an hour my legs were so heavy (right side more than left, very weird). My doctor came in around 2pm and broke my water. I couldn't feel him actually breaking it, but I could feel the fluid coming out.

(Lack of sleep, plus epidural makes me look funny:)
So we waited at that point. We tried to rest, but couldn't. I was too excited about meeting my baby boy. The one thing I am sad about is that once the epidural kicked in I couldn't feel Ethan move around anymore. The doctor came back around 4:30 or 5 and said I was still about 3cm, maybe 4, but Ethan was still up extremely high. He just wasn't dropping down like he should have. They kept upping my pitocin to make my contractions stronger. The nurse commented that the pattern she was seeing indicated that Ethan was posterior, or sunny side up. That explains why he wasn't dropping very well.
Nothing much happened after that. My doctor checked me a couple more times and at 9:30 he said I was still 4cm and we had two options. Go ahead with a c-section or wait a couple more hours to see if any more progress would be made. We decided to wait a couple more hours because I really didn't want to give in right away. At 11:30pm on June 15th, I was still 4cm and it was decided we would have a c-section since I had been laboring for 24 hours and my water had been broken for 12 hours or so. Everything moved very quickly after that. The anesthesiologist came and put a lot of extra medicine in my epidural which made me feel very weird.

They moved me into the OR and I started shaking uncontrollably. My arms and face HURT because I was shaking so hard and nothing would stop it. Once they brought my husband in I started feeling very nauseated and ended up getting sick a couple of times. Bless his heart for holding my vomit pan :) I remember the doctor singing "happy birthday" LOL! I was SO tired at this point, it was all I could do to hold my eyes open. I heard the doctor say he was having a tough time getting Ethan out and he would have to use the vacuum! My child is stubborn and did not want to leave his nice, warm home! He finally pulled him out and we heard the most beautiful cry! He definitely let us know his lungs were working!! Ethan Dale was born at 12:18am on June 16th, weighing 7lbs 5 oz and 19.5 in long.


This was our first family photo taken in the recovery room. I was so drugged at this point, and then given even more stuff to calm my shaking down. I was SO extremely tired and could not keep my eyes open. I was actually afraid to hold Ethan! The nurses were wonderful though and said I was just fine and I could sleep if I wanted to LOL
The shaking finally stopped and I was able to hold Ethan skin to skin which was the most amazing feeling in the world. I even got to breast feed him for a little bit.

We were taken back to around room around 2:30am and my in-laws were able to come meet their first grandson! We got a few hours of sleep that night and I felt like a new woman when I woke up! I was up and in the rocking chair at 11am, and when my catheter was taken out around 3:30pm I was able to finally shower. The pain was bearable thanks to the meds they were so kindly giving me. I ended up being in the hospital from Monday afternoon until Friday evening when they discharged us. Recovery from my c-section hasn't been that bad. I was having pain on the right side for a while, especially when I would sit down or stand up or get in and out of bed. Now 2 weeks later it is finally feeling better. I still have some discomfort, especially if I move the wrong way.

I would do it all over a million times to have my little boy!!!!!

Super Long Birth Story Part 1 (better late than never!)

So I guess I should start with my final OB appointment on June 14th. Remember I wasn't supposed to be induced until the 16th? Not so much. When I woke up on the 14th I knew my blood pressure was high. I had a horrendous headache that would not go away. B/P was 168/108. My appointment was a few hours away, so I decided to wait it out. Instead of laying down like I should have, I decided I needed to clean our bedroom/bathroom and a few other things. I took this picture right before I left for the doctor (my last belly pic!)

See how high he still was? When I got to the doctor's office the nurse hooked me up to the NST and then checked my B/P. It was 148/104. She said I may not even make it to my induction on Wednesday. I laughed nervously because I had a feeling she was right. My husband was taking finals and would be done on Wednesday so he had given me strict instructions to not have the baby before then. Ha! This was also only the 2nd appointment he couldn't come to and I had a feeling something bad would happen. The doctor came in and said that while Ethan looked great on the monitor, he was not pleased with my blood pressure. Since I was 39 weeks, he felt confident that Ethan was ready to come out. Not to mention that my mother had toxemia with her first child, who was still born because of SUPER high B/P (my mom almost had a stroke and died). He checked my cervix and I swear to god he tried to rip my child right out! I'm pretty sure he tried to strip my membranes or something. All I know is that it hurt like hell, and it made me bleed! I was barely 1 cm and 50% effaced. It was a start right? He called L&D and told them to expect me in about an hour.

I called my husband frantic and told him what was going on. He couldn't leave school right away because he still had a final to take. I was okay with that because I knew nothing major would happen right away. I called my mom to let her know what was going on & then called my MIL to see if she would take me to the hospital once I came home and got our bags. She met me at our place and watched me run around frantically trying to grab last minute stuff. I was a wreck & couldn't believe it was finally happening. I was going to meet my baby!!

To be continued....

pictures galore!

A few pictures of Ethan's nursery. My wonderful mother-in-law made all of the bedding & curtains for his room. I just love it! She is still working on the letters to go above the crib which I think will really make a difference. Remember we live in an apartment and cannot paint. I love the monkey theme!! The glider we got is still in our living room.

1 week old!

I can't believe Ethan is already a week old. Time is flying by and needs to slow down a little! Ethan weighed 7lbs 1 oz yesterday which means he is up 9 ounces since Sunday! Sadly he is not nursing at all so we have been supplementing with formula and whatever breast milk I get when I pump. I am still not getting very much so I started taking Fenugreek yesterday which is an herbal supplement to help my milk supply. It smells like maple syrup and will supposedly make me smell like that in the next day or two! I don't care as long as it helps. I really want to be able to feed him breast milk solely, but only time will tell. The most important thing is that he eats and gains weight and he is doing that now!

We had our first big outing on Monday. I had to go to the doctor to get my staples out. My blood pressure is still too high the my doctor put me on medication to bring it down. Hopefully it will only be temporary, but about 40% of women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy end up with hypertension for good. I hope not! That is what happened to my mom, so it very well may be my future. We ran a few errands after my appointment and Ethan did so well. he slept pretty much the whole time which was great.

I am still in a little bit of pain from the c-section, but have slowly decreased the pain medication. It is getting a little better everyday. I definitely can't walk too much (which I did on Monday) or it will start hurting a lot. I am learning to sit more and take it easy! I will post a few more pictures soon, but right now Ethan is ready to eat!

He's here!!

My doctor's appointment on Monday the 14th turned into an induction when my blood pressure was through the roof again. To make a long story short...after being induced and being in labor for 24 hours I never dilated more than 4 cm. Ethan Dale was born via c-section on June 16th at 12:18am weighing 7 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 in long! He is absolutely beautiful and we are in love! We were able to come home yesterday evening which was wonderful after being in the hospital this entire week!
Ethan is a great nurser when my breasts cooperate. It started off really great and I thought I had gotten lucky, but then by Friday my nipples were completely flat and he couldn't latch on. It was getting to the point last night that he was so hungry and angry that he wouldn't latch at all because it was too much work. Thankfully a wonderful home health nurse came to see us at home today and helped us out. We are now the proud new owners of a breast pump which I will be using to help my milk come in as quickly as possible ( I think it's almost there anyways). I may have to pump exclusively and feed him with a bottle but at least it's breast milk.

The doctor said I definitely had pre-eclampsia after follow up labs on Thursday and it seems to have gotten slightly worse after I delivered Ethan. My blood pressures are still kind of high and my right lower leg/ankle is HUGE! Hopefully that will subside soon. I go to the doctor on Monday to get my staples out. I have to say the c-section wasn't as bad as I thought. The whole experience would have been better had I not been completely exhausted from being up for so long but what can you do. The pain has been tolerable, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
So that's what has been going on this week. We are home in time to celebrate my husband's first Father's Day! Here are some pictures of our little boy. He's pretty damn cute if I say so myself :)

The end is near!

I had my appointment and NST today. My B/P was high all morning and then I get to the office and it isn't too bad. Ethan wasn't as active for the NST as he usually is, but he still passed. My doctor said since all of my labs were still okay he doesn't like to induce before 39 weeks unless absolutely necessary. However, since I am still having higher than normal B/P and frequent headaches he set up an induction for next week! We are going in Wednesday night at 7:30pm to start the cervadil, and then the pitocin will start Thursday morning. I have one last appointment on Monday, & if my cervix has progressed at all we will probably skip the cervadil and just start with the pitocin induction on Thursday. I didn't have the doctor check me today since I am going back on Monday (it is really uncomfortable for me!). So that is our plan! He asked what I really wanted and I told him I didn't want to go past my due date, and he said he wouldn't have let me anyways because of the B/P issues I have been having. Here's hoping for a smooth induction & delivery! Hopefully I have made some progress on Monday too!

38 week survey & scary belly pic ahead!

How far along? 38 weeks 2 days
How big is baby? last week he was measuring 7lbs 3 oz!
Weight gain?I have officially gained back the 10 pounds I lost, plus 7 or 8 :(
Maternity clothes? I am ready to wear my normal clothes again!
Stretchmarks? Yes, I have a nice cluster making a circle around my belly button.
Sleep? I don't know what that is anymore!
Best moment this week? Seeing our baby boy again for our BPP ultrasound (which he passed quickly)Movement? a lot, and very strong! He is running out of room!
Food cravings? I like food, PERIOD. I need to stop eating!
Gender? Boy!
Labor signs? a few contractions here and there, nothing really painful or consistent. I haven't had any other signs that labor is imminent! :(
Belly button in or out? still in
What I miss? my couple good friends at work! I'm all alone at home these days...
What I am looking forward to? meeting my baby boy & a nice margarita ;)
Weekly wisdom? I'm drawing a blank
Milestones? well I'm still baking this little boy, 12 days away from my due date....

Just when I think I can't get any bigger, my belly has another growth spurt. It looks much larger and perhaps lower this week. Please come soon Ethan! Disregard my tired looking self!

another trip to L&D

When I woke up this morning I had a horrible headache. I checked my blood pressure & it was 148/103. Well, that's not good! I saw down for about 10 minutes and rechecked it. It was 159/102! I continued to check it about every 10 minutes and it stayed just as high for another couple times. I called my doctor's office and they had the nurse call me back about 15 minutes later. I told her what my blood pressures were and she wanted to know if I had been started on any medication yet. No, I sure haven't. She said she would talk to the doctor and get right back to me.

Let's just say that 4 hours later when she finally called me back my blood pressure was fine and my headache was gone. Obviously, if my blood pressure had continued to be high and/or my headache had worsened I would have called them back earlier. It was nice to know that they were so concerned though...

She told me my doctor wanted me to go to L&D for another non-stress test and lab work. I asked her if it was really necessary since my B/P had been fine for a couple of hours and my headache was gone!? She told me I needed to go anyway. C was in class and couldn't leave, so I went by myself. I got there and they hooked me up to the monitor, drew my blood and I laid there in THE MOST uncomfortable "bed" for 2 hours. Of course my B/P was fine the whole time, and Ethan looked great on the monitor. My lab work came back great once again so I go sent home. I don't understand why my blood pressure keeps spiking in the mornings (it has gotten progressively higher the past few days in the morning time) but then it levels out during the day. As long as I'm not doing anything that is!

So now I just keep sitting and waiting. I have my BPP ultrasound tomorrow and won't even see my doctor until Friday. I hope I don't end up in the hospital again until it is time to have my baby!!!

because I actually fixed my hair today

and I have on real clothes! It was worth documenting :)

Sitting & waiting & wishing & hoping...

I had another appointment today to check my B/P and check Ethan. The NST went great, he was moving around like crazy. My B/P was 146/96 which is higher than it has been at home the past couple of days. That was the lowest reading they got after I had been sitting there for about 10 minutes. The doctor finally came in to see me and I am going to have another Bio-Physical Profile (ultrasound) next week on Tuesday and then another NST and appointment on Friday. Sometime next week they are going to repeat my lab work again. She said once again if my cervix showed any sort of progress they will look at inducing me prior to my due date. She said he is definitely good size and will be just fine if born now. I am okay with waiting, as long as my B/P continues to not rise too much. Maybe we will have our little boy by the time I'm 39 weeks? Who knows! He doesn't show any signs of coming on his own yet, but he still has time :) For now I'm just sitting and waiting still on "bed rest" which for me is mainly couch rest lol :) I'm trying to enjoy this peaceful time & resting before Ethan makes his appearance!!

37 week belly pic

This ended up being my last day at work! This is a good thing if you notice how snug my scrub top was getting :)

Bedrest it is:( super long post...

It's amazing how quickly things can change. I was at work yesterday (my 3rd 12 hour day in a row) when I noticed my head was throbbing. It hurt so bad to even keep my eyes open. I had a sinking feeling that my blood pressure was high so I had the other nurse check it. 146/112!!!! WHAT! She rechecked it in my other arm and got the same thing. I started getting nervous at this point and called my doctor's office. They said to come in right away, so I left work about 3pm (2 hours early). Luckily C had just gotten home so he was able to take me.
Once I got to the doctor's, they hook me up to the NST (non-stress test) and the nurse checks my blood pressure again. 138/108. Crap! She said she would recheck in after I rest for a little bit, but that I would most likely have to go to L&D for further monitoring. We sat there for about 20 minutes listening to Ethan's heartbeat (it was great!). The nurse came back in and rechecked my B/P and it was still 148/98. The doctor came in and had this somber look on his face and said, "You are DONE working!" Ok, I can handle that. It's a few weeks earlier than I had planned, but we'll make do. He then said he would meet me over at the Childbirth center, that I needed more lab work and more monitoring. He said IF he sent me home it would be on bedrest until Ethan is born. Okay, I can handle this...
We spent 4 hours in triage hooked up to the NST. My lab work came back okay and I am in the middle of doing another 24 hour urine collection to check for protein. I had quite a few contractions while I was there, but they were not painful. I had my regular appointment and ultrasound scheduled for this morning, and things just keep getting better..

The ultrasound went great! Ethan is about 7lbs 3oz (79th percentile) and measuring about a week ahead. He passed the Bio-Physical Profile which checks for practice breathing and movement. Then I had to see the doctor. First things first, my B/P was 134/98. Crap! She wasn't too thrilled with that. She listened to his heartbeat, 152 which is great. She checked my cervix: CLOSED! He is still up higher right about my pubic bone. She said the only way to fix my B/P is to have the baby, but my cervix is not favorable for inducing at this point. She said I am to be on strict bed rest until he comes. I got sent home with a blood pressure monitor and have another appointment Friday for another NST and B/P check. I will now be seen at least 2x/week until he comes. He sweet little face in 3d!
Not exactly how I saw things going, but it's out of my control. I'm thankful this didn't start until now and that I know Ethan is good size and will be okay if he comes a couple weeks early. The good news is he continues to do great with all the tests! Now I just sit and wait...I'm not a very patient person :)

Did I mention I still haven't packed my bag? LOL! We will be doing that when C gets home!

still here...

My 24 hour urine turned out fine! Thankfully she called me first thing Friday morning so I did not have to wait too long! I spent the day cleaning and doing a little shopping at Wal-Mart for last minute things. My MIL and I went shopping yesterday for fabric. She is going to make the curtains, dust ruffle, and crib bumper. We found the cutest fabrics!! We have been trying to stick to a brown/green/blue theme. The fabric we found is green with yellow, white, and chocolate brown mixed in. One of them is different kind of stripes and dots that we are going to use for the curtain. The other one has the cutest monkeys on it!! I can't wait to see the finished product!! Yes, I know we waited until the last minute, but she is a teacher and wanted to wait until school was out! I think it will be finished before he arrives :)

Here are a couple of pictures from Friday at 36 weeks 3 days!


My view first (notice the lack of feet:)

Update!!

The nurse just called and said my lab work was good! Thank goodness! Now I just have to finish my 24 hour urine collection. She said that would show more if it is pre-eclampsia or just hypertension depending on what the protein level is. I hope it turns out okay! I have a stupid headache again today which tylenol is not helping with. It makes me worry a little bit! I am trying to take it easy & just do laundry and light cleaning today. I have Ethan's bag packed, now to work on mine... :) Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts!! They are working so far :)

36 week appointment & slight scare..

I had my 36 week check up yesterday. I thought it would be like any other, except they were going to do my Group-B Strep swab. The nurse takes me back and asks how I have been feeling. Fairly good, except I am still working 3, 12 1/2 hour shifts a week and it is super stressful. I mentioned that I have been getting really bad headaches the past 3 or 4 days but thought it was related to work. She checked my blood pressure and said "Well that's why". My blood pressure was 142/94!! It has never been that high! She said the doctor would be in soon.

My OB practice has 4 doctors that you see throughout your pregnancy so that when you deliver, you will have seen all of them. I love this since it won't be a complete stranger delivering my baby. I was seeing the one doctor I had not seen yet and she was wonderful. When she came in she immediately went over any signs/symptoms of Pre-eclampsia and what I need to look for. I had been seeing white spots for a couple of days, but she said it was only worrisome if they were black spots or my vision became blurry. She measured my belly, listened to Ethan's heart rate (which was great & he had the hiccups which was funny). She did the GBS swab and checked my cervix which I did not enjoy! She then said she wanted to do a few things. Number one, get some baseline lab-work to check for Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Number two, I have to do a 24 hour urine collection (which I will finish in 5 hours thank god). Number three, I have to have a growth ultrasound next week to see how big Ethan is. Since I'm a bigger girl she had a harder time telling how big he really is. No complaints here, we get to see our baby boy again!

The bad part about all of this was that it was the one appointment my hubby could not come to! I had a feeling something would happen, too! The nurse gave me my lab slip and said she would call me first thing in the morning(today) with the results since my blood-work was being done STAT. I had to get stuck twice because I had a new lab guy who put my blood in the wrong tube. Great! Then he thought I could magically pee in the collection jug....umm I don't think so! Anyways, it is now 12:45 and I have yet to hear from the nurse or doctor. I called about an hour ago requesting results, but I am sure they are on lunch now. I am hoping that no news is good news, right!?

It really put things into perspective that we could have our baby SOON if this continues to be a problem. Luckily I am pretty much full-term and this didn't happen any sooner! The doctor didn't seem too worried since I could deliver now if I really needed to. But I don't WANT to! I want him to bake for at least another week! It got me nervous though, and today I have been cleaning and doing his laundry and packing our bags! I need to be ready to go!

I don't know how many of you read this, but if you could just think good thoughts for us I would really appreciate it! I will keep you updated!

growth spurt!?

Holy growth spurt! This belly is getting out of control (at least it feels like it!). I also think he has dropped some. As soon as my friend walked into work this morning she pointed at my belly and said "he's dropping down!". He has been up SO HIGH in my ribs, I literally couldn't sit a certain way or bend over at all. Today? I can breath a little easier and there is not a tiny baby bum so high in my ribs. There is also a little more pressure down lower, especially first thing when I stand up. It feels like he lands right on my bladder as soon as I stand and I have to pee. The really annoying part is that it just trickles out! I am 35 weeks, 1 day today so we have 34 days left until I'm due!!!!

We had a wonderful baby shower over the weekend, I'll post a couple of pictures later. We got a lot of wonderful gifts, and 3 inflatable duck baths lol. Apparently Target was having issues with my registry! Hopefully I can exchange two of them for something else! Now I have to final list of things we need & need to do before he comes. I am working overtime this week, and an extra night shift of all things so I am worn out! Hopefully I can start working on that list tomorrow...or Friday...when does this nesting kick in!? :)

Head down!!

We had our doctor's appointment today, and everything still looks great! I mentioned to the doctor about what position he is in, and he said "why don't we take a quick look?" YES PLEASE! I truly believed he was still breech the way he is curled up in my right side under my ribs. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that is his BUTT curled up there and he is head down! He is still pretty high up, with his head resting on my left hip. This totally explains why my sciatic nerve has been killing me lately on my left side. I am just happy we won't have to have the "breech talk" as my doctor put it lol! Time to start walking to help this little boy drop down! Next appointment is May 26th, I'll be 36 weeks 1 day. Then I'll go every week after that! Two more weeks Ethan, then you will be full-term!! :)

Tomorrow is our baby shower and I cannot wait! We are leaving really early in the morning (5 or 6). It usually takes 4-5 hours to get there, but there is road construction south of Tacoma so who knows how long it will take! I am not thrilled about sitting in the car for that long, there will definitely be frequent stops! I am excited to see family again that we haven't seen since Christmas! I can't believe how close we are getting!

I'm bored

About the Mommy:
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: hazel
Skin Complexion: Fair with freckles
Age: 25
First Child? Yup!

About the Daddy:
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: blue
Skin Complexion: fair, but tans easily
Age: 26
First Child? Yep!

Finding Out:
What day did you find out? 10/11/2009
How did you feel when you found out? I was so happy, but shocked! I didn't think we had good timing.
Who was the first person you told? I was out of town, visiting family & friends. I told my best friend first!
How did they react? she was THRILLED

Telling the Parents and Grandparents:
How did your parents react? my mom was surprised, and cautiously excited (since I had a miscarriage earlier in the year)
How did his parents react? his parents were ECSTATIC!!! First grandchild for them!
Are they helping with baby names? nope, we named him ourselves
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? tons of stuff, he is so spoiled!
How often do they call and check on you? I talk to my mom about 1-2 times a week, and we see C's parents once a week for dinner.

About the Pregnancy:
When was your first appointment? November 4th
When is your due date? June 22, 2010
How far along are you? 34 weeks 1 day
Pre-pregnancy weight? RIGHT! Like I would actually write that! ;)
Weight now? I am only up 3 pounds from pre-pregnancy. I lost 10 pounds, but gained that back by 32 weeks. Now I'm up 3!
Have you had any ultrasounds? 4! viability at 7 weeks, dating u/s at 8 weeks, BIG u/s at 20 weeks, and another at 28 weeks.
Have you heard the heartbeat? Yup. At every appointment starting at the 12 week mark.

About the Delivery:
Are you going to videotape it? definitely not.
Are you allowing everyone in the room? just my husband
Medications or Natural? epidural please!
C-Section? Water Birth? Natural? hoping for a vaginal delivery!
Will you cry when you hold your baby for the first time? I know I will
Will daddy cry? probably
Are you scared about the labor? not scared, just a little nervous!

Names:
Is your baby going to be named after someone? middle name is Dale, which is a family name on my husband's side.
Name: Ethan Dale!

33 weeks!

Time just keeps flying by! Four weeks until I am "full-term" and 7 weeks until he is due!? I cannot wait to hold my little boy!


How far along? 33 weeks 2 days
How big is baby? over 4 pounds and 17" long
Weight gain?I have officially gained back the 10 pounds I lost, plus 3.
Maternity clothes? yes please. I love my jeans! I have a few maternity shirts, and a couple non-maternity shirts that still work. I have maternity scrub pants, but for now my tops still fit! I am hoping I can make it all the way!
Stretchmarks? I had a few small ones pop up around my belly button. Bright red. BOO! I already have enough, I don't need new ones!
Sleep? I love to sleep, I just wish I could! I get up to pee 2-4 times a night, and I have to switch sides every couple of hours because my hips start to hurt. I'm so looking forward to the day I can sleep on my belly again!!
Best moment this week? Going to see Nickelback in concert again tomorrow night!! Excited to see some family we haven't seen in way too long!
Movement? I've noticed the last few days it has slowed down a little. I was worried for a bit but then he started moving around like crazy again. I think *and hope* he is going to be a mellow baby (like his dad!)
Food cravings? all of it!!!
Gender? Boy!
Labor signs? I think I am starting to have braxton-hicks contractions. My belly will get really hard and tight but it only lasts a short time. I noticed it more on the days I work, so I make a point to sit down and drink lots of water.
Belly button in or out? still in
What I miss? being able to get out of bed without feeling like I need a crane LOL
What I am looking forward to? baby shower next weekend!!
Weekly wisdom? trust your instincts!
Milestones? hmm...getting closer to full term!

For once it isn't in the bathroom! I was trying on tops at JCPenney yesterday and decided to take a pic. I have had so many people say my belly is small for how far along I am, I can't possibly be due in 7 weeks. I love them :) I think it's because I have quite a belly pooch on top of the baby LOL

Remember me?

Sorry for the lack of posting! I had the stomach flu last week which kept me down for a couple of days. Thank god for Phenergan & Imodium or I don't think I would have made it! I had a check up last Friday and everything is still going great. So great that the doctor doesn't want to see me for 3 more weeks! My next appointment is May 14th, I'll be 34 weeks 3 days!! I have been busy trying to get the apartment cleaned (and stay cleaned). I have also been working on cleaning Ethan's room. C just needs to put away a few things and get rid of some big boxes! I still need to pick out the fabric for Ethan's bedding & curtains so MIL can make it (soon hopefully!). We are keeping the decorating to a minimum, especially since we can't paint. I did find a wall decal with his name that I LOVE and will be ordering soon. I am so excited to get everything together!!

I am looking forward to May 7th because we are going to Tacoma for the Nickelback concert!! Ethan is going to be rocking out in my belly :) Then the next weekend is my baby shower in C's hometown which is 4 hours away!! We are driving there and back the same day because I have to work on Sundays and can't get it off. That is going to be one LONG day and I am not looking forward to sitting in the car, but I am looking forward to seeing family and getting things for Ethan! After that we only have about 5 weeks left to get everything else finished! I can't believe how close we are getting to having this little boy and I cannot wait!!!!

I'll leave you with a belly pic that I took yesterday.

Super long post with a few pics!

We made a couple big purchases recently that I am so excited about! Last week we were looking online at glider's and found the one we wanted on sale! It was $40 off, score! We also got free shipping which saved another $48 dollars! It is the Storkcraft Tuscany Glider in Espresso with beige-ish colored cushions. We ordered it from Meijer.com and they were awesome! We ordered it last Friday, it shipped Monday, and arrived to our doorstep on Wednesday! Talk about super-fast! Here is a picture of it set up in our living room for now (we are still working on cleaning out the nursery). The picture doesn't do it justice because it was taken with my cell phone.

The other thing we have been waiting for is the car seat & stroller. C's parents are buying that for us, and for some reason we just hadn't gotten it yet. Well I happened to look online a couple nights ago to see if it was still available and it was SOLD OUT! WHAT!?! We searched long and hard and this is the ONE that C & I both agreed on. I looked online, and it was sold out everywhere! I started freaking out a little bit, but C said just call Babies R Us when you wake up in the morning (it was about 10pm at this point.) The closest store is 1 1/2 hours away, but it's worth it if they have what we want! But, of course they didn't. So I called the next closest store which is TWO hours away. After being on hold for 10 minutes she told me they had ONE in stock. ONE! It was a miracle considering it wasn't something they even carried in their store! So I drove about 4 1/2 hours yesterday in the lovely Seattle/Bellevue traffic to get the travel system we wanted!! It was so worth it too! It is gorgeous in person, and we LOVE IT even more than we did before! We decided on the Baby Trend Flex-Lock travel system in Mojito. This picture does not do the colors justice! It is the prettiest green/brown combo I have seen. The underside of the canopies on both the car seat and stroller have a geometric pattern. It is TOO CUTE!!
So of course we had to practice with our baby duck! I had to show C how to put him in their properly lol. Again, the picture quality is bad with the cell phone and the sun was shining very bright!
It is so crazy to see this in our house now! Only 9 1/2 weeks left until Ethan is due, and we CANNOT WAIT!

Today we started cleaning out the nursery & our bedroom, finally getting rid of clothes/belongings we have held onto for far too long. Our apartment is a mess right now, but we will get there! Tomorrow I am going to finish cleaning both rooms out so that C can put the crib together!!! I'll post pictures of that once it is all together.