Hey, Jude!

Fourteen-Month Letter

2008-07-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Jude,

Today you turned 14 months old. Where, oh where, did the time go?

This month you earned yourself a new nickname. Now you're not just Mama and Papa's Sweet Baboo, you're also their little monkey. Last month you mastered walking. This month you're perfecting your climbing skills. You started out by climbing on top of an old diaper box and then quickly moved on to climbing onto one of your plastic abominations. You've scaled the yoga bolster that's blocking you from some wires in our bedroom, and you've about mastered the climb to the top of the suitcase that is holding close the door to Papa's closet. You use your toes to grip the ground as you walk and the step onto which you're trying to climb. You LOVE bananas.

One of your new favorite things to do is open my dresser drawers, pull my clean clothes out, and either track them all over the upstairs or put them on your head (this includes, but is not limited to, my underwear). Sometimes Papa helps you put the clothes on properly. Sometimes he helps fasten my purple sparkly bra around your waist.

Your vocabulary and your understanding are growing by leaps and bounds. You don't hesitate to say "mama" or "dada" anymore, and you LOVE to say "hello, hello, hello" to everyone you meet. Just yesterday you started signing "more" again, and this time you're doing it with authority. On Sunday we went food shopping and I wore you on my back. As we walked through Wegmans, you took great joy in "clap, clap, clapping" and making kissy sounds and putting your arms straight up in the air as I called out action after action of what Simon Says. Speaking of kissy sounds... you give kisses now! Mostly you kiss your stuffed monkey or Pat the Giraffe, but every now and then you toss mom and dad a bone and slobber all over our faces as well.

I'm a little worried I'm going to cause you to be a bit OCD when you grow up. I noticed the other day that your papa and I instruct you to do things in groups of three: clap, clap, clap; shake, shake, shake; chew, chew, chew; dance, dance, dance. I hope that you don't end up having to touch each door handle three times before you leave your house when you get older or hop on one foot three times in a circle before going to bed at night. I promise I'll try to vary the way I teach you to do things from now on. I might even try just saying the word once and seeing how that goes.

You, Papa, and I have been doing a lot of fun things lately. Just yesterday we all went to the state park for a swim. We met Aunt Demy and Uncle Scott and some other friends there for a picnic dinner, and afterwards, when it started to rain on our game of Frisbee, you happily hung out in the backpack on my back getting soaked to the bone. It was so much fun, Baboo. I can't wait to do it again!

And the big news, Jude, is that your papa got a job in Chicago, so we're going to be moving in just a few short weeks! I'm so excited for this move, Monkey. It means a huge lifestyle change for all of us. I won't be working as much once we get out there, so you and I will get to spend a TON of time together. Do you remember the zoo we went to back in April? Jude, we can go there every day once we move! We'll only be about a mile away from there, and the best part? It's FREE! You know what else, Jude? Wrigley Field is a short train ride away, so we can go and see the Cubs play WHENEVER WE WANT! Oh! Oh! And there's a beach in Chicago, too, Jude! It's right along Lake Michigan. I've never been there, but your papa has, and he says it's great. I can't wait to take you all over the city. We're going to have such a great time.

Love,
mama

Thirteen-Month Letter

2008-06-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Jude,
Today you turned 13 months old. Hooray! Congratulations! You’re officially into your second year of life. How does it feel?

Shortly after you turned one year old, you started walking. Now that you’ve pretty much mastered that walking thing, it is no longer good enough for you. Since you can, you simply MUST run. A nice stroll down the hallway is no longer an option; you sprint whenever possible. You still fall an awful lot, but it doesn’t deter you in the slightest. You love being mobile. You love moving around. You love chasing the cats.

You and I seem to have come to an agreements of sorts. For the first part of this month, there was much whining and fussing on your part and much frustration and anger on my part. You’ve let up on the whining and fussing, and I’ve let go of (most of) the frustration and (all of) the anger. We’ve spent seven days together, one-on-one, this month. They were some of the best days we’ve had, I think. We spent a lot of the time napping together, but we also went on a walk with our friend Joanie, read a fair number of books, sang silly songs, and shared our meals at the dining room table. I didn’t get much cleaning done during these seven days, but honestly, I don’t care! We had so much fun together... I wouldn’t trade that for anything in this world. Not even a spotless house.

You have started giving the BEST. HUGS. EVER. lately. I don’t know what I did to make me rank up there with the cats, but baby, thanks! I love it when we’re playing in your room and you come barreling at me, arms wide open. Most of the time you fall into me, hugging me and holding onto me for more than a few seconds each time. It’s pure heaven... even better than chocolate.

You went swimming for the first time earlier this month, and though you were apprehensive at first, I really do think you enjoyed yourself. Your Papa is looking forward to teaching you to swim. I'm looking forward to relaxing pool-side.

As each month goes by, you become more and more vocal. I guess that's what babies do, but I'm constantly blown away by how much you have to say. In addition to talking, you've really gotten the hang of clapping this past month. Previously, you would awkwardly put your hands not quite together when Papa or I would urge you to "clap, clap, clap." Now... well, now you're an expert at clapping. There's no hesitation in your eyes anymore; there's no worry that your hands might miss each other and send you spinning around from the force of your effort. Now when you want to clap, you bring your hands together in rapid succession, each time knowing with certainty that each hand will meet it's mark.

Although I had hoped that you would live on breastmilk alone for at least the first 10 or so years of your life (hey! Mama LOVES her D cup!), you've recently started eating a ton of solid food each day. Unfortunately, I haven't found the time to make your baby food, so most of what you've been eating has come from a jar. I'm sorry, Jude. I really wanted to say that I cooked for you right from the very beginning. However, after thirteen months, I think you and I both know that Mama isn't Little Susie Homemaker. At least the jarred stuff is all organic! That's something. Right?

Thank you for another outstanding month, Baboo. I can't wait to see what next month has in store for us!

Love,
mama

Josh Thinks It's Funny

2008-06-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

Josh, Jude, and I were in the car A LOT yesterday. We spent so much time driving that we listened to Jude's newest Veggie Tales CD at LEAST four times through. I forget why it came up, but at one point I told Josh that I've been singing "God Is Bigger" when I'm home alone with Jude and scared. He thought that was hilarious and told me I should post about it.

Here are the lyrics:

"God Is Bigger"
Bob: You were lying in your bed
You were feeling kind of sleepy
But you couldn't close your eyes because the room was getting creepy.
Larry: Were those eyeballs in the closet?
Was that Godzilla in the hall?

Bob: There was something big and hairy casting shadows on the wall.
Now your heart is beating like a drum
Your skin is getting clammy.
There's a hundred tiny monsters jumping right into your jammies!

Bob: What are going to do?
Junior: I'm going to call the police!
Bob: No! You don't need to do anything!
Junior: What? Why?
Bob: Because ...

Chorus:
Bob: God is bigger than the boogie man
He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man
And He's watching out for you and me.

Junior: So, when I'm lying in my bed
And the furniture starts creeping
I'll just laugh and say, "Hey, cut that out!"
And get back to my sleeping
'Cause I know that God's the biggest
And He's watching all the while.
So, when I get scared I'll think of Him
And close my eyes and smile!

Chorus

Monster #1: So, are you frightened?
Junior: No, not really.
Monster #2: Are you worried?
Junior: Not a bit.
I know what ever's gonna happen,
That God can handle it.

Frankencelery: I'm sorry that I scared you when you saw me on TV.

Junior: Well that's okay,
'Cuz now I know that God is taking care of me!

Chorus

Junior: One more time!

All: God is bigger than the boogie man
He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man
And He's watching out for you and me.

Monster #1: Watchin' ...
Monster #2: Watchin' ...
Monster #3: Watchin' ...
Junior: Out for you and me! Yeah

Is it really that funny that I've been reduced to singing songs written by talking vegetables? Yes?

Oh.

96 Times More Bitter

2008-06-18T18:12:00.001-07:00

*From Monday, June 16th 2008*

Today was my first day working full-time at Finn Chiropractic. I came home from the first part of my day, 8:30am-12pm, EXHAUSTED. I don't know what was wrong with me. I hadn't felt that tired in a long time. I honestly thought I was going to crash my car because I was in such a fog. Luckily, I made it home unscathed.

At home, while I was making lunch for the boys and myself, Josh started telling me about his morning with Jude. The little guy was super tired, and cried himself to an exhausted sleep on Josh's chest. This phenomenon of falling asleep sans boob in the mouth rarely occurs, and Josh was STOKED to get to indulge in a two-hour-long nap with his son. I have to be honest, people of the internet... I was bitter at hearing that news. There I was, so. freaking. tired. and hungry. and tired. and wanting sympathy, and what do I get? A play-by-play of all the napping goodness my husband and son shared. Jerks.

I expressed my displeasure at having missed out on the napping to Josh. "And yes," I said, "I do realize that I get to nap with Jude all the time, but I DON'T CARE (insert foot stomping)! I'm tired (stomp!), and you got to nap TODAY (stomp, stomp!). And IT'S NOT FAIR (pout!)!" That short monologue got me a rather amused look, and after some quick math work, Josh told me that he was 96 times more bitter than I was.

Josh's math is a little off, thought I don't think he realizes it yet. Josh somehow equated me working three times a week for about eight months with me napping just three times a week for eight months. (3 times/week at an average of 4 weeks in a month times 8 months of Jude's life equals 96 times more bitter than I am.) In reality, the math really works out like this:

Number of days Jude has been alive - 391
Average number of naps I take with Jude daily - 1.5
Total number of days I haven't napped with Jude - 3

*(391-3) X 1.5 = 582

By my calculations, Josh should be 582 times more bitter than I am for having missed out on napping with our son. I guess I'm lucky he majored in English and not math. Could you imagine the resentment if he realized that he had the right to be more than 6 times more bitter than he thinks he ought to be? Wow.

*Don't forget 5th grade math. Order of operations = P E D/M A/S

Girls' Night In

2008-06-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

*From Saturday, June 14th 2008*

Okay, so maybe I didn't spend tonight in the awesome city of Chicago meeting new people and living the life of a bachelor, but I did get to spend a wonderful evening with my son and our friends Sara, Stefanie, and Crosby (Stefanie's son) in Scranton. Home of The Office. So there.

My church's gathering got canceled tonight, but Stefanie was gracious enough to invite Jude and I over for a play date and dinner. Sara had the evening free, so I invited her to come along as well. We shared a veggie pizza, some great conversation, and the watermelon that had been rolling around the floor of the front seat of my car for the past three days. Jude and Crosby played together. Crosby modeled sharing to my sweet little boy. Jude systematically took each of Crosby's toys from him as he picked them up. Stefanie let my child have the run of her house and didn't break a sweat once... not even when he started pulling the books from her bookshelf. She is a seasoned mom: caring and kind; calm and collected; loving and engaging. Her and Crosby have such a lovely relationship. I love watching them interact. I hope I can be as present to Jude as Stefanie is to Crosby. I hope that when Jude is five, the bond between he and I is as apparent as the one between Crosby and Stefanie is.

Tonight's impromptu girls' night supplied me with a much needed break. Sara and Stefanie each had a hand in watching Jude... Sara repeatedly picked him up and threw him in the air, and Stefanie fed him watermelon while I finished my pizza. Crosby even helped out by yelling, "HE'S ON THE STAIRS! I NEED HELP! HE'S ON THE STAIRS!" when Jude crawled over to and up the stairs. And even more than all of that, tonight's get-together gave me a little break from being me. Tonight I wasn't lonely. I didn't want for adult interaction. I didn't worry (too much) about Jude being wound up so close to his bedtime. I had thoughtful conversations with two extremely thoughtful women. I relinquished my need to hover and my need to worry and be uptight.

That's right, people of the internet, I truly feel that it's not just that I'm wired to worry and to be uptight, I feel like the need to worry and be uptight is ingrained in me. It's subconscious for the most part, but every now again when I'm with Jude and he's being fussy (for instance) I'll get very close to being able to just shrug it off and accept that sometimes kids just get fussy, but then I start thinking that his crankiness is supposed to upset and frustrate me. That's what parents do: they lament when their children have bad days; they feel helpless; they grow tired of the crying. They lose it, and thus, so do I.

Tonight, I was able to let go of that need. I let Jude play without worrying. When we got home tonight, I recognized that he was probably a bit overtired and just accepted the fact that he might not settle in as easily as he normally does. He cried while I was in the shower, but instead of getting anxious and feeling like I had to feel like I had to rush through my shower (does that make sense?), I talked to him and sang while I finished up as quickly as I could without throwing out my back from hurried and over-zealous body washing. The wonderful thing about tonight was that Jude and I had a great time together. He had fun playing at Stef's. He calmed down really quickly once I got out of the shower and rescued him from his crib, and he actually settled in to sleep quite easily, despite being overtired. I don't know if it's the luck of the draw or if he has picked up on me being more in tune with how I react to him and his needs, but today, even if it wasn't spent walking the fantastic Chicago streets, was a really great day for us.

Just Tired

2008-06-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

*Written on Friday, June 13, 2008.*

It's 9:17PM, and I'm one short blog post away from hitting the sack. Hard

Josh left for Chicago a little bit ago. His flight got changed because his connecting flight got grounded in Philly, so he ultimately ended up flying on a delayed direct flight to ORD. He should be landing in a little over an hour. I am sleeping with my cell phone tucked near my head tonight.

So, it's Night One of my weekend adventure without Josh. Tonight is going... as well as could be expected. Jude was tired and hungry and TIRED when we got home from work tonight, and I had to make the poor kid wait to settle in for the night until after I made myself dinner. He made it through with minimal fussing; probably because I ate so quickly that I didn't even taste my dinner. It's been 388 days since I've really been able to enjoy a meal. Ever since Jude was born I've been eating one-handed while he sleeps at my breast, or I've been eating at warp-speed to circumvent a total meltdown. I can't wait to eat slowly again. I can't wait to taste my food... to savor its flavor. At this point in my life, you could throw just about anything in front of me at meal time, and I wouldn't give it a second thought before inhaling it in its entirety.

And now, I'm going to retire to bed with my sweet, sweet baboo. G'night, people of the internet.

Marco!... Polo!

2008-06-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Before getting schnookered on bourbon and vodkda last Thursday evening, Josh and I took Jude swimming for the first time at our friend Maria's house. We expected Jude to really love the water. He loves taking a bath and splashing around in there.

You can't tell from this photo, but the pool water really concerned Jude. It wasn't nice and warm like his bath water. He couldn't stand up on his own like he can in the tub at home (not that we let him stand in the tub! What kind of parents would we be if we let the kid stand in a tub of slippery water?!). Oh, and did I mention it wasn't warm like the bathwater he's used to? Because it wasn't. It was NOT WARM.

Overall, I think Jude had a really great time. He swallowed a few gallons of water, but eh... no harm done.

Here's one more picture of today's outting:

Am I Talking Really Loud? Subtitle: I'm a Cheap Date

2008-06-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a few shots of bourbon and another shot of vodka will do to a girl.

I was at a party last Thursday, perusing the bar, when the guest of honor asked me what I would like. That's a fine question. You see, a while back, I was pregnant. I was pregnant for 40 weeks and 3 days. During those 283 days I had an occasional half-glass of wine, but I really didn't DRINK.

As an aside, you would not BELIEVE the dirty looks I got from the nurse at an OB's office that I considered using during my intake appointment.
Her: "Have you stopped drinking?"
Me: "Well, I have an occasional glass of wine, but..."
Her (sporting an evil nasty death stare):"What?!?! You MUST stop drinking! Don't you know that letting the tiniest drop of alcohol pass your lips WILL KILL YOUR CHILD?!?!!!"
Me: "Uhm. No."
And I continued to indulge in a small glass of wine on occasion throughout my pregnancy. Oh. And Jude's alive. Just in case you were wondering.

Anyway, I was pregnant for 283 days, and I've been a nursing mom now for 387 days. I simply don't know "what I would like." "Well," I say, considering my choices carefully, "I like whiskey. I like Jameson on the rocks or in a highball cut with ginger ale." "My kind of girl," he replies as he scoops a few cubes of ice into a glass. What he covered those ice cubes with was some of the finest bourbon I've ever tasted. I sipped on that for a while, later committing the cardinal sin of cutting it with coke. No, not the white kind of coke, the canned kind of coke. I felt HORRIBLE for ruining such a smooth, perfect beverage, but I'm a lightweight. I can't throw 'em back like I could in junior high.

My second (or was it mt third?) drink was a mixture of vodka, orange/mango juice, and cranberry juice. With a twist of lime. It was fantastically fruity. By the time I was done with it, I was sporting the drunk-girl smile and was complaining that my legs felt heavy.

We all had a great time tonight. I felt wonderful to get out and decompress after what has been a busy few weeks. And as another aside... Jude seems to be sleeping exceptionally well tonight. Muahahahaha!

My Apology

2008-06-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

Dear Jude,

I wish I was writing this letter to celebrate another month of your life, but sadly, I am not.

The past few days have been terribly hard for you and me. You’re either teething or not feeling well or you’re bored or you can’t communicate exactly what it is you want, and I… well, I’ve been getting frustrated and angry and annoyed. I haven’t been as patient as I need to be. I haven’t been the best mom that I can be; I feel like I’ve been down right rotten. Ever since I let the internet people in on my dirty little secret of my abysmal parenting skills, things have just gotten worse. And what’s more humiliating is that I can’t stop writing about my subsequent shortcomings (what kind of mother lets her child get a CAT’S NAIL stuck in his/her mouth?). I have verbal diarrhea of the writing kind.

All of the things that used to entertain you don’t cut it anymore. I thought that giving you the run of the upstairs would be exciting for you (and I hoped that it would make things a little easier for me). That worked for about a day, but now you’re just done with that too.

You’ve started getting very daring with the cats, and while they put up you right now, I can see their patience waning. You have scratches on your hands from trying to hug Cirrus when he didn’t want to be hugged. I know you love them and their furry little bodies, but baby, they need their space! I’ll be happy to be the one you hug. I know I’m not furry, but give me a few weeks! I’ll quit shaving!

None of this is your fault. You’re a year old. You can’t control your emotions or understand that you’re not supposed to pull the cats’ tails. You can’t be expected to recognize when you’re overtired or hell, even when you’re just plain old regular tired. That’s my job. It’s my job to anticipate and meet your needs. It’s my job to recognize when you’re tired or hungry or bored and do my best to remedy the situation. It’s my job to do all of this in a caring and respectful fashion. You don’t deserve my anger or frustration, and I’m sorry you’ve had to be on the receiving end of it.

So, tonight I am a new woman. I am a new mother. When you wake up in the morning, Jude, you’re going to be blown away by the difference you sense in me. I can’t promise you that I won’t screw up and revert to my old ways, but I can promise you that I’m going to try my best to be better for you, because you deserve to have the best mama in the world.

Love,
mama

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My, What Big Teeth You Have

2008-06-03T18:50:00.001-07:00

Today was another trying day.

Early this afternoon, my whiny child started signing “milk” and getting, well, progressively more and more whiny. I sat down to nurse him and he just started SCREAMING. For a minute or two I held onto him, shhh-ed him, and tried to calm him down. Nothing worked and he continued SCREAMING. This act gave me a great view into his tiny baby mouth. So, as he was SCREAMING, I was looking to see if any new teeth were ready to pop through because, THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MAKING HIM SCREAM LIKE HE IS. As I was scanning his gums, I noticed that right behind his two front teeth there was a hard, white mass. Holy shit… my son has a rogue tooth growing behind his front teeth. I SCREAMED for Josh because there was no way I could deal with the gnarly thing on my own.

Josh came up and surveyed the situation. He thought it was a tooth, but by that time I had decided that it was much too big to be a tooth and that somehow Jude must have injured the roof of his mouth and was now suffering from some horrible abscess. This made tons of sense to me because nipples are sharp and pointy, and that kid always has a nipple in his mouth.

As I rushed around looking for my phone, looking up the dentist’s number, calling the dentist and leaving a frantic message with his secretary, Josh grabbed a flashlight and attempted to get a better look at the mass. (All the while, Jude was SCREAMING. Did I mention that yet?) As soon as I hung up with the dentist’s office, Josh announced that he didn’t think it was a tooth or a horrible abscess resulting from roof of the mouth trauma. It was his belief that Jude had a cat’s nail wedged behind his teeth.

Huh? What? Are you fucking serious?

Okay. We have three adorable cats. Our cats have all their claws because to declaw them would be inhumane and horrible and we would certainly be sent to hell if we allowed such an atrocity to be committed. So, our cats have their claws, and cats’ claws shed their outer layer as they scratch things like the carpet or the couch or the box spring of the bed you’re still paying on. Josh and I try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to keep a tidy house. We vacuum or use the dustbuster whenever we see something that needs vacuumed or dustbusted. I guess we missed something.

The poor kid had a cat’s nail stuck behind his front teeth.

Josh was able to remove the nail after just a minute or two of adept finger work. There was no blood, and Josh doesn’t think it was embedded in the gum tissue at all, but Christ. Am I the worst mother in the world or what?

Maybe I’m just the worst housekeeper in the world.

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Sometimes I Need a Break

2008-06-02T04:59:00.001-07:00

I have to be honest. Sometimes I just need a break from my sweet little boy.

This morning Jude wakes up at 5:55am. That’s early for him and really early for us. Almost immediately the whining starts. He nurses for a minute or two but then wants to get down. He gets down and signs “milk,” which really means “just feed me,” so I take him downstairs and fed him some cereal and pears. Then he starts signing “milk” again, so both Josh and I figure he REALLY means “milk” this time, so we head back upstairs and I sit down to nurse him, and OH THE CRYING THAT ENSUED. Then I put him down, and then he’s signing “milk” again. *sigh*

I hate feeling this way. I hate that sometimes I feel like I just can’t take the crying. Sometimes, no matter how hard I talk myself through it… “He’s only a year old. Even he doesn’t know what he wants.” “He’s just trying to communicate with me.” “He’s not trying to drive me crazy. He’s just upset.” Well, that rational side doesn’t always win out. Once in a while I just scream. Less often, I’ll punch something (usually a wall-not hard enough to damage the wall, but certainly hard enough to make my hand sting). I don’t do either of these things in Jude’s presence, but sometimes, it’s all I can do to make it though another hour of not knowing why the little guy is whining.

I always feel horrible when I lose it. The anger of not knowing how to help my son is always followed by deep sadness and sobbing. I don’t know why I’m not able to deal. Possibly because Jude’s cranky times are so few and far between. He is such a happy and content baby. His fussy times are usually linked to something-teething, sickness, overtiredness. It’s just that every now and again I can’t figure out what that “something” is, and that frustrates me to no end.

Oh my. I feel horrible for even writing that I feel this way. I LOVE my son. I love every minute with him. I want to be able to handle his meltdowns with better poise. I don’t want to have to say, “I need a break,” but dammit, sometimes I do.

*smile* My husband is a mind reader. He just came in the bedroom and told me that he’s taking Jude for a walk because “you need a break.” Bless him.

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My Dusty Bookshelf

2008-05-31T07:15:00.001-07:00

I need to find time to read something more substantial than Charlie Parker Played Be Bop.

Rachel over at Yestertime just blogged about her son and his constant need for an audience. I kind of laughed when I read her musings. I mean, I get it. Even at just a little more than a year old, Jude just LOVES to interact with whoever is around. He only enjoys playing by himself for a few minutes at a time, and it's often times hard for me to get a minute to use the bathroom.

Sometimes I miss being able to pick a book off my bookshelf and sit down to read it. Now I have to settle for two pages here and another three or four pages there. I rarely get through an entire chapter in one sitting, and I can't tell you what the last book was that I read straight through. Heck, I started reading The Price of Motherhood about a month before Jude was born, and I still haven't finished it.

So I'm wondering, does it get better or worse as time goes by? When Jude is three, will I be able to sit down with a cup of coffee and read a few chapters of a book while he plays with some blocks on the floor next to me? Am I destined to never finish another book again? Should I just be happy with getting to read Knuffle Bunny and On the Day You Were Born on a regular basis?

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More on Phil...

2008-05-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

When Phil lived in Scranton and needed to park downtown, he would drive all around the city until he found a meter to park at that still had time left on it.* From what Robyn tells us, he does this when trying to park his car in Columbus as well.

*(We didn't even have to search for a spot when we parked downtown to eat at Abe's. The first meter we pulled up to had almost an hour and a half left on it! Phil is our cheap, lucky charm.)

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You Don't Love Me, You Just Love the Local Jewish Deli

2008-05-30T16:19:00.001-07:00

Our friends Phil and Robyn stopped by for a visit on their way from Ohio to Central America. Yes, apparently Scranton, PA is mid-way between Columbus and Honduras.

Phil lived in Scranton about five years ago. He introduced us to our favorite breakfast joint, Abe's Deli. Now whenever I want to entice him to come visit us, I remind him of the yummy goodness and super cheapness of Abe's Breakfast Special. For just $1.95 (it used to be $1.49) you get two eggs prepared any way you want them, home fries, and toast. For another buck or so, you get fantastic coffee. Phil loves food, and Phil loves being cheap. Abe's works for him.

Here's Phil in July 2007. He still looks like this, except his beard is much bigger.

ETA picture of Phil and witty comment about his ever-growing beard.

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2008-05-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Jude with one of the pony doors in the background (on the right-hand side):

This is a picture of Jude at Nay Aug Park. Moments after this picture was taken, I noticed all the caterpillars crawling around and high-tailed it out of there.

And here's one more from this morning:

A Whole New World

2008-05-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

Since Jude became mobile, we've taken up residence in his bedroom upstairs. We have hardwood floors and a fireplace with a stone hearth downstairs, and there just wasn't any good way to really baby-proof all that we would need to down there, so instead we made his room into a playroom, and all was good.

... until recently.

Recently Jude has grown tired of his playroom/cell. He often times cries when I place him on the floor, whereas he used to smile and start crawling around in a wicked fury. He has been giving me these looks that scream , "It's boring in there! Those toys? Pshhhhtt! I've already played with those toys, and they will no longer distract me." So, what's a mom and dad to do... well, we just kind of figured it out.

When we bought this house a little over a year ago, Josh and I were really excited by the wooden gates the previous owners installed at the top and bottom of the stairs and on the then nursery room's doorway. We took the gates (or pony doors, as I like to call them) off because they made it hard to move our stuff in, and we really didn't have a need for them, until now. Honestly, we probably should have figured this out a long time ago, but it took until this morning. Josh *just* finished putting the last door on, and now Jude has (pretty much) the run of the upstairs. I think it's going to make for a much happier baby (and much happier parents!).

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A Day at the Park

2008-05-27T04:25:00.001-07:00

Josh got home from his trip to San Diego at 9:45am yesterday. Jude and I were SO EXCITED. Josh opened the car door and the kid just couldn't stop smiling. His eyes lit up and seemed to scream, "Hey! Hey! I know you... I'm so happy you're home!" In addition to that light in my sweet baboo's eyes, there was also a little bit of a glare that seemed to plead with his father, "Please don't leave me alone with this woman for days on end EVER. AGAIN. All the kissing and the snuggling... even a baby needs a break, ya know?"

We spent the majority of the day outside at the local parks. After lunch with hit up Nay Aug Park for a short walk. We settled down in some shade to let Jude play for a bit, but that was short-lived because, well, there were caterpillars. I don't do caterpillars. I don't do bugs. None of them. Not even sweet little lady bugs. So, after a few minutes of me freaking out because Jude almost stepped on one, we headed back to the car.

After another short family nap, we packed up and headed to the park at South Abington Elementary to have a picnic dinner with our friends the Bader-Sayes. After dinner Josh and Scott took all the boys to the playground to play, and Dem and I went on a short walk. It was great. Sadly, there were caterpillars at South Ab too, but this time I just put Josh on baby duty and let him deal with the little critters. I stood way, way back from it all.

Everyone was good and tired when we got home. After two quick showers and a bath, the Frank family was ready for bed. Well, Jude was at least. Josh and I stayed up and watched two episodes of The Office on his MacBook Pro. Sleep came quickly after that.

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2008-05-26T06:14:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in Jude's room, watching him play, and I have the windows open. There's a fantastic cool breeze maneuvering through the room. I wish I could just take Jude outside and sit on our porch with him for a while. The problem with this fantasy is that the little guy won't sit still. He would want to get down and play and then, oh, he'd want to nurse, but then he'd want to play, but don't forget about that nursing! He would crawl/walk and get into stuff he shouldn't be getting into, and I would have to keep getting up from my chair to chase him/remove him from whatever danger he had gotten himself into. Before I knew it, I would be wicked tired and would need a nap, and that would be the end of our beautiful May morning on the porch.

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Rest

2008-05-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

Jude is sleeping. He's lying on his side with both his arm and both his legs extended out in font of him. He kind of looks like a capital E minus the top perpendicular line. I love this time of night.

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Downward Dog

2008-05-25T15:54:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm happy to report that Jude is following in my yoga-loving footsteps. Over the past few days he's become quite proficient at doing the yoga position downward dog. It's really amazing. God knows I haven't been keeping up with my yoga practice at home, so I'm guessing it's just one of those baby things. He also gets into a child's pose quite often, though I suspect that's because he's a child. (= I hope it sticks... I hope he grows up loving to do yoga with his mama. That would be nice.

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2008-05-25T08:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a great day for Jude and I. We spend the morning lazing around and then took a drive up to La Tonelteca to hang out with the Bader-Saye family for a bit. After a short nap later in the afternoon, we went to Peacemeal to worship and have dinner. It was a really nice day.

Today has been pretty cool so far as well. I woke up this morning to a really nice email from my grandpa and decided to call him and see if he wanted to go out for breakfast with Jude and I. He did, so we picked him up and went to Abe's for their fantastic breakfast special. Abe's is a kosher Jewish deli. My grandfather had never been there before so, I was explaining the little I know about kosher law to him. At the end of the lesson, Pop asked jokingly asked me if he had to wear a yarmulke. I laughed and said no. Then I mentioned to him that the gentiles LOVE Abe's... that I always chuckle to myself whenever a priest comes in to eat (and most of the time, there's at least one priest there). Everyone at Abe's LOVES my little guy. He flirts with the waitresses and other patrons, smiles big smiles for the owners, and makes friends with whoever talks to him (like, the priest who came in and struck up a conversation with him today, for instance). After breakfast, we all came back to the house... Jude settled in for some milk and a nap, and Pop settled in for some tv watching. At the moment, Jude's still sleeping, and Pop is still watching tv. When Jude gets up, we're going to go to my grandfather's house and from there we're going to walk to my great aunt and great uncle's house to visit. They haven't met Jude yet... I'm sure they'll be excited to see him.

Later today we're getting together with my friend Michelle. I'm thinking we'll go to Nay Aug to hang out for a bit and maybe come back to the house for some food. Jude and I are also planning to stop by our friend Fred's house for his going away party. It looks like it's going to be a busy day!

Josh comes home tomorrow morning, and I am so, so grateful for that. I miss him terribly, and Jude does too. I really dislike sleeping without him (though having Jude snuggled up next to me helps), and I miss talking to him and hugging him and kissing him. Only 22 hours and 39 minutes to go! Woo hoo!

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On Our Own

2008-05-24T05:36:00.001-07:00

So, Jude and I are on our own until Monday morning. Josh is in San Diego on business, and though we had originally planned on Jude and I accompanying him, tickets prices skyrocketed by the time we tried to buy tickets, so we, unfortunately, are stuck in NEPA this weekend.

Jude has decided that he doesn't like playing in his room (read: the playroom) very much any more. I'm not sure if he's teething or if he doesn't feel well or if he's tired, but the kid just cries and cries whenever I put him down. Up until this point, Josh or I could take Jude into his room, put him down on the floor, and he would play for a while... sometimes hours. Now i put him down and he screams bloody murder. I hope this passes quickly.

What Jude *does* like these days is playing in our bedroom. I mean, overall, that's okay, but the room as a whole isn't baby-proofed. And man, that kid can find the un-proofed spots like a champ. For instance, it just took me a solid five minutes to write that last sentence because I had to redirect, redirect, redirect.

Yesterday Jude and I took a short walk at Nay Aug park. We found a nice, flat, grassy spot and sat down to play. That lasted all of ten minutes. Then the boy just wanted to be picked up and held. I complied... threw him back into the backpack and headed back to the car. It was nice to get out in the sunshine, but I was hoping to get a few minutes to read while we were there. I hear that sometimes kids will play by themselves while mom/dad reads or relaxes. Is there any truth to this scenario, or is it just an urban legend?

Oh man, the kid found the CD player and turned it WAY UP! And now down. Wow. Down again. That's right kid... bring it down to a normal level. Now he has the thing in his hands, and that means I should sign off.

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Breastfeeding: The First Year

2008-05-21T19:59:00.001-07:00

As I celebrate Jude's first year of life today, I also celebrate 12 successful months of breastfeeding.

I'm proud of having made it this far. I constantly read stories of mothers and babies who have their nursing relationship ruined due to misinformation and a lack of a good support system. I'm grateful for all of the support I've been given over the past year, and I'm grateful to have found good information regarding breastfeeding.

Josh has been nothing less than FANTASTIC when it comes to supporting Jude and I in our breastfeeding relationship. The first few weeks after Jude was born were scary. Sometimes he nursed for hours on end with half-hour breaks thrown in (if I was lucky). Josh kept me sane. He re-researched during the wee hours of the night when I started to doubt myself. He reassured me that I was doing great and that those long nursing stretches were NORMAL and GOOD for our baby. He kept me well fed, well hydrated, and as well rested as humanly possible. He took on 99% of everything so that I could concentrate on feeding our child. Josh's support and encouragement in this endeavor are the greatest gifts he could ever give me (with the exception of Jude himself).

I'm also really lucky to have some stellar mom-friends as breastfeeding role models. Dem, Helen, and Stephanie continue to be my personal cheerleaders when it comes to nursing my baby. Actually, all of my friends have been uber-supportive of me breastfeeding Jude. It's a wonderful thing to have your friends' full acceptance and support. I consider myself very blessed in this regard.

And since this is sounding more and more like an acceptance speech at an awards show, there are few other people I'd like to thank:

Thank you, Jerry, owner of Abe's deli, for making me and my nursing son feel so welcomed in your dining establishment.

Thank you, crazy BBC friends for making three nursing moms feel comfortable while you all got drunk during Friends' Week (BBL) '08.

Thank you, old guy at the Target in IL who commented positively on me nursing Jude while we searched the store for wipes.

And finally, thank you, smelly guy at the rest stop in OH for complimenting me on my decision to breastfeed my son. You kind of scared me, but I appreciated your kind words and your passion.

Thanks again to all of you who have supported and cheered us on in our journey. Jude isn't showing any signs of slowing down, and I'm hopeful that we'll make it (at least!) another full year!

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Twelve-Month Letter

2008-05-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

Dear Baboo,

Today you turned one year old. I can't believe how fast the past twelve months have flown by. I could swear that just yesterday I was able to hold you in one arm; that it was only last week when you learned to roll over, sit up, and stand. Was it really much longer than a month ago that you started crawling? Where did all the time go? How did your growing up sneak up on me?

This past month has been a joyful month for you, Papa, and me. You've become so very vocal. You talk and sing to us nearly non-stop during the day. Just in the last three days or so Papa and I have started signing to you, and you've already gotten the hang of signing "milk" back to us. Tonight I witnessed you take about eight steps on your own. I don't think it will be long until you're full-on walking.

A couple of weekends ago we went to Philly to see you Aunt Lauren, who was visiting from Maine. It was the first time she got to see you since you were born, and she was so excited to spend some time with you. Aunt Lauren gifted you a fantastic zippy that says "Maine" on it. It fits you great, and I'm sure you're going to spend the vast majority of next fall and winter in it. During our visit with Aunt Lauren, we all went to the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey. We saw tons of fish, penguins, seals, and turtles. (And tons of other animals... too many to name!) You really seemed to enjoy watching the fish swim all around. More than once you put your hands out to the glass tanks and tired to touch the fish! I'm sorry you couldn't get to them, but it was sweet watching you try.

For your birthday, we celebrated with friends and family at South Ab's park. Papa went to the park early to stake our claim on the picnic benches under the pavilion. Papa (with some help from Aunt Michelle and DJ) decorated the tables and pavilion with streamers and balloons... it looked really beautiful. I baked you a banana cake because you love, love, love bananas! You spent the afternoon playing on the grass and being adorable. Everyone was excited to celebrate with you.

Early this morning, Papa and I took you to Pop Pop's Workshop to pick out your birthday present. You came home with a little wooden car and a little wooden truck. Papa and I had been looking forward to taking you there for some time. I hope those little wooden vehicles will entertain you for many hours to come!

You had a fever a few days ago, but Papa and i attributed it to teething. Dr. Jennifer checked your ears, and they were all clear, and you didn't seem sick otherwise, so neither Papa nor I worried too much about it. Today you have a bit of a rash, and that has me a little worried since we haven't changed our laundry detergent or anything of that sort. I'm hoping to get a better look at it tomorrow, and hoping even more that it will be gone away by the time I go to check it out. On the upside, you don't seem bothered by it, so I guess I'm probably worried over nothing.

Jude, I know I've said it before, but you bring your Papa and I such joy. I can't imagine my life without you. I'm so grateful for this past year, and I'm excited about the years to come.

Happy Birthday, Jude.

Love,
mama *=

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2008-05-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, Josh, Jude, and I were driving somewhere. We decided to take Jude's stuffed giraffe with us because he seemed to really be enjoying playing with it at home. About 15 minutes into our drive, Josh and I heard this "chhh chhh" sound coming from the backseat. I turned around to find Jude spanking that little giraffe's bottom over and over again. Now whenever we go for a ride, we tell Jude to "pat the giraffe" (no spanking allowed!)... it's really funny to watch.

Another thing my boy has taken to doing more and more often is emptying the trundle drawer under his crib. We normally keep extra crib sheets and mattress pads down there, but as of late, those items have taken permanent residence on Jude's bedroom's floor. Occasionally, Josh or I will attempt to put the items back where they belong, but honestly, it doesn't really help... he just crawls right on over and pulls everything out again. It *is* super cute to watch, however.

Over the past few days, Jude has started taking little steps all on his own. I think he would be full out walking by now if we actually dressed him in pants that fit him (most of his pants are a bit long). Now more than ever, you can see that he *wants* to walk. I don't think it will be too long before he's running around the place instead of crawling around the place. I guess this means I need to get some shoes for the kid.

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They Don't Get Any Younger

2008-05-01T07:18:00.001-07:00

I'm in the market for one of those time-turner thingies ala Hermione Granger. Anyone have one they're looking to get rid of?

Jude just keeps getting bigger and older. On the one hand, it's wonderful. He's understanding more and more each day; he's communicating with us on a new level; he's learning and growing like children do. On the other hand, it's heartbreaking. I was looking through old (okay, 11-month old, but old to me!) photos earlier today, and I just couldn't (and can') get over how little he was. I have a hard time admitting that I don't quite remember how far his legs stretched down on me when he would sleep on my chest. It makes me sad to know that no matter how much I write down/blog/remember, there will be tons of little things that I end up forgetting. *sigh* I like to think that I haven't taken our time together for granted. I tried to notice all that he did and everything about him. Even so, I don't think I did a good job. I don't feel like I took enough pictures; I don't feel like I wrote enough stuff down. I feel like I have missed out on a whole lot of his life, even though I've been with him for 99% of if.

I remember some things. I remember how, especially when he was first born, he would press his lips together and throw his head back while he slept. I thought he looked like a little bird when he did that. I also remember how good he smelled when he was born... he still smells good, but it's different now. I know I won't forget how sweaty his head would get as he slept on me (actually, he still gets quite sweaty when he sleeps)... but I guess I'm just really worried about all the things I'll unknowingly forget. That's the trouble with forgetting, I guess.

As much as I tease, I don't want to stifle his growth. I'm really looking forward to watching him grow up and helping him learn new things and appreciate life. I'm just sad. His one-year birthday is in 20 days... He has been alive for nearly a year, he's barely been away from me during that year, and I still feel like I missed something... like I'm forgetting something really important. What's worse is, I can't get any of it back.

Do all moms feel like this? Help!

Eleven-Month Letter

2008-04-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Baboo,

Oh my word. You turned eleven months old on the 21st, and that means you're only one month away from turning one YEAR old. Wow. Just wow.

You've spend the past month refining your waving and shaking techniques. You now wave "hi" but haven't figured out "bye" yet. After many a walk outside with your egg shaker in hand, you've learned to "shake, shake, shake" whenever instructed to. It's really adorable... Papa did a great job picking out your first musical instrument.

We recently spent week in Illinois. You traveled *amazingly* well. You spent most of your first plane ride nursing and sleeping, but during your awake times, you made friends with everyone on the plane. The train ride from Naperville to Galesburg was a teeny tiny bit tougher. It took you a while to settle in, but when you finally did, you slept for most of the remainder of the ride. The first few days of our vacation we visited your grandma and grandpa, and the last few days we spent in Chicago while Papa attended a conference for his web design job. Everyone was super excited to get to spend some time with you... Grandma and Grandpa; Great Aunt Lois, Great Uncle Don, Andy, and Amy; Aunt Erin and Uncle Grant; Uncle Richie; and Aunt Kenzie. They all wish they could see you more often.

You, Papa, and I were lucky enough to get to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field during our trip! Uncle Richie met us there, and so did Papa's friend Kierstin. You really made out that day; not only did your papa and I buy you a Cubs hat and two Cubs onesies, but your Uncle Richie also bought you a Cubs hat for when you get a little older/your head gets a bit bigger!

It was super fun walking around Chicago with you tucked firmly inside the Ergo carrier. Everyone smiled at you and many had kind words to say.

Sadly, during our travels you picked up one nasty cold. You had a low-grade fever for two days or so, and you still have a runny nose and a hacking cough. None of this is slowing you down, but it makes Mama and Papa sad to hear you cough.

While on our trip, you got to experience grass for the first time. At first, you wouldn't even touch the grass! You cried every time either your papa or I tried to put you down to crawl on it. Eventually you decided that grass wasn't so bad, and your second time out (at our friend Marty's house), you were crawling around with the best of them.

You seem desperate to walk these days. I'm sure you'll master that skill soon enough. I can't believe that not too long ago you couldn't even roll over. It amazes me how quickly you're learning new things.

In a few short weeks you'll be one year old. I'm amazed at how quickly this past year has gone by. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me, Jude. You are all the best parts of your papa and I combined (and you're super cute, to boot). You're happy and sweet and smart and expressive and just plain old wonderful. I can't imagine life without you.

I love you, sweet one.

Love,
Mama

Ten-Month Letter

2008-03-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Baboo,

The past few weeks have been big for you. You've nearly mastered standing on your own, and you've learned to pivot a bit while you stand. Though you don't wave "hello" or "goodbye" with much consistency yet, you're getting the hang of it and always look very proud of yourself when you accomplish the task. On our walk the other day, Papa and I discovered that you really enjoy shaking things that produce a neat sound. Little do you know, today Papa is taking you shopping for a real egg shaker! What a lucky boy you are.

I remember when you were first born. For the life of me, I couldn't understand how your skin and your breath smelled so wonderfully sweet all the time. This past week I was reminded of both and started worrying about how soon both those lovely smells would be gone. I love when you're asleep with your mouth agape. During those times, I love to get really close to you and breathe in your breath as you breathe out. I don't think I've ever smelled such a sweet smell as your milky breath. I love it when you fall asleep on my chest... it puts you in the perfect position for me to smell your head. I don't know what I'll do when those smells are gone.

Over the past week or two, you've started half waking up at night. Sometimes you'll sit yourself straight up and then collapse into a child's pose. Last night you did this and followed it up by rolling your back towards me and draping yourself over my side. It made me laugh, and when I looked at you, I realized you had fallen asleep during the transition, and I laughed again. You bring me such joy!

The weather has started to turn, and you and Papa and I have gotten in a few good walks. Just last week we went to Nay Aug Park and saw some of the animals they have in the wildlife center. You were especially amused by the monkey-type animals. Mama really liked the binturon.

I can't believe that in (less than... eep!) two months you'll be a year old. I have loved watching you grow, but a part of me wishes you would stay little forever. I have a hard time imagining what life will be like when you no longer need to be carried or worn... when you don't need me to console you when you fall down... when you don't need me to fall asleep... I know there are lots of fun times ahead, but as we approach your first birthday, well, I can't help but get a bit weepy.

I love you, Sweet Baboo.

Love,
Mama

Nine (and a half)- Month Letter

2008-03-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Baboo,

You’re about nine and a half months old today, and as I sit here, watching you play (with one of the many horrible loud plastic toys you’ve been gifted *smile*), I am again amazed by you.

You can stand unassisted for a few second now. You cruise along furniture (or whatever is handy) and can climb up on small boxes if given the chance. You cut two new teeth last week… the second one coming about three days after the first. This time around, you were quite a bit cranky while you worked to get those teeth to break through. You amaze me (and others) by how content you are. You’ve started letting me use the bathroom on my own with little fanfare, and for that I’m grateful.

I think you’ve finally said your first official word. Though you’ve been making “mama” sounds for quite a while now, I don’t think you’re really connecting the word “mama” with the person mama (me). However, each morning you wake up, sit yourself up, and proclaim “cat” (or there abouts) while smiling at and reaching for the nearest feline. You *are* your mother’s son.

I’m looking forward to spring time and the nice weather that accompanies it. I can’t wait to take long walks with you and your Papa, and I can’t wait to take you to one of the local parks to play.

I love you, sweet one.

Love,
Mama

Get Up, Stand Up

2008-01-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

Our boy is growing by leaps and bounds.

It surprises me how much can change in 4 hours, let alone a few days or a week. For instance, when Jude started crawling, Jillian called me to let me know. I think she said something like, "Your son is going to crawl while you are gone this morning." By the time I came home late that afternoon, our world was turned upside down. Jude was moving, and moving fast. And this was only the worm-like, military crawl; I had no idea how fast he could be until he started crawling on all fours recently.

So then he starts sitting up on his own. And within a week he started pulling himself up to standing (thus, this video entry). Now it seems like all he wants to do is crawl to the nearest not-quite-safe object and use it to pull himself up. There haven't been any major walking-like steps yet, but he's starting to shuffle his feet a bit to move around while holding onto whatever he's standing up against.

This whole fatherhood thing is beyond words: wonderful, exhilarating, tiring, scary, frustrating, self-emptying, joy-filled... There are times when I can't wait to see who and what Jude becomes, what he'll look like, how tall he'll be, who he will look like, what his interests and passions will be; and then there's the part of me that wants him to stay little, crawling around, trying to climb over me, looking up at me with bright eyes, a smile, and beautiful sounds right when he wakes up in our bed each morning.

Eight-Month Letter

2008-01-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Baboo,

I should have started doing this a long time ago.

You recently turned 8 months old. In the matter of two or three days you learned how to sit yourself up and how to pull yourself to a standing position. A few days prior to the above listed events, you abandoned your military crawl for a traditional all fours crawl. You’ve gotten more daring over the past two weeks than I could ever have imagined an eight-month-old could be. Recently you’ve started having some separation anxiety, and though it makes it hard for me to use the bathroom while we’re home alone, there’s something heartwarming about you needing me for comfort and security the way that you do.

Although it seems like I’ll need to start putting you down to nap on your own during the days soon, I can’t really bear the thought. I love laying down with you… nursing you while you kick your feet into my belly, legs finally coming to rest over my mid-section as you drift off to sleep. I love it when you wake up slowly and smile because you see me close by. I love being able to anticipate your needs because I am right beside you, listening to you breathe.

These first eight months have been a true blessing. I love you.

Love,
Mama

2008-01-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Jude's first Christmas was wonderful! On Christmas Eve, Josh, Jude, and I had dinner and worship with Peacemeal. It was lovely... after dinner, we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. At home, we gave Jude two gifts: a special pair of pjs and his first Christmas ornament. After getting Jude changed into his Christmas pjs, we hung his new ornament on the tree and got ready for bed.

In the morning, Jude had tons of fun ripping open his presents. Josh and I got him a set of three soft blocks, two books, a teething ring made from stuffed wool balls, and two additional sets of pjs. Around 11am, my mom, her husband, and my grandfather came to visit and to give Jude (and Josh and I!) some gifts. We asked my mom to limit the gift giving to two or three gifts. She obliged (for the most part *smile*). After having a nice brunch and taking a nap, we called Josh's parents and siblings via our webcam. They got to see Jude crawling around, grabbing at the tree and other things he shouldn't play with. During the call, my father stopped by to visit. After that we had dinner and relaxed. It was a great day.

We spent New Year's Eve in Philly with Josh's brother and almost sister-in-law. Josh, Richie, and Jenny rang in the new year by banging pots outside. On New Year's Day, we watched a bit of the Mummer's Parade, but spent the bulk of the day caught up in an ANTM marathon. We're a bit lame. (=

Since New Year's, Jude has learned to sit up by himself. He's in the midst of cutting new teeth, and has started reaching for people (namely, me) when he wants to be held. He's getting really big.

That's all for now. I'll have Josh upload some new pictures soon.

Let it Snow!

2007-12-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

Wow.

Josh, Jude, and I had a wonderful day together. It started snowing this morning at around 7am, and we knew it was going to keep up for most of the day, so Josh decided to stay put and work from home. Well... kinda.

It's December 13th, and as of this morning, we still didn't have our Christmas tree up. Our original plan was to get one of the small potted spruce trees from Wegmans and decorate that, but Josh didn't think we would be able to fit our ornaments on it, so we decided to put up our artificial one instead.

So, by the time we actually got moving, everything was covered in snow. I thought that since we had the day off, we should go ahead and put our tree up. One problem: no hot chocolate mix. Well, as I'm sure you're all aware, one simply *cannot* put up a Christmas tree without hot chocolate (and Christmas music). So, in order to remedy this situation, Josh and I bundled Jude up in his snow suit (thanks, Bader-Saye boys!), I loaded Jude into the Ergo, and we all walked down to Gerrity's supermarket. While there, we picked up hot chocolate mix, chocolate chips for cookies, and syrup for the pancakes we had frozen in the freezer. This afternoon, while Josh and Jude played together, I whipped up a batch of cookies. After lunch, we all took a nap together... well, the boys did. I got up and cleaned the kitchen and got dinner started. After dinner Josh got the Christmas stuff down from the attic and I put up the tree. Right now we're at a stand still b/c we need new lights, but that didn't stop us from making hot chocolate and sitting in front of the fire for awhile.

Jude seemed to enjoy the snow. We took some pictures, and Josh actually uploaded them already! Check them out here.

It was a really simple, lovely day. I can't wait until Sunday... that's when the next storm is supposed to hit us.

This * is Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2007-12-11T18:44:00.001-08:00

2007-12-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well, Jude's 6-month birthday has come and gone. I had planned on writing a rather lengthy blog post to commemorate the occasion, but life happened, and I never got around to it.

Anyway... here is the recap.

Jude is fantastic! (Stating the obvious, much?) At more than 6 months old, he is an incredible little guy. As of today, he has two teeth... they showed up exactly a week apart. If he keeps this up, he'll have an entire mouth full by Christmas! Jude desperately wants to crawl, though he hasn't quite figured out how to yet. He loves banging on the hard wood floors while he plays on his belly, and he LOVES grabbing fists full of cat fur whenever one of the boys gets within his reach. We haven't started Jude on any solid food yet, and I can't say we're in any rush to start... he's doing wonderfully on his mama's milk!

Jude (and Josh and I) had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends, the Bader-Sayes. Now, we're really looking forward to Jude's first Christmas. We got him an outfit for pictures a few weeks ago, and we're going shopping for our tree and a few other goodies this weekend. I'm really excited about picking out an ornament for Jude.

Anyway... it's about bedtime for someone in this house, so I must cut this short. Check out Jude's Flickr page for new photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshfrank/sets/72157600253725888/

Jude's First Trip to Miller's Orchard

2007-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

My chiropractor's office ended up not opening on Monday because the doctor's son was sick and she needed to be at home with him. At around noon I got the phone call letting me know that I didn't have to come in. It was nice to have the day off.

Since neither Josh nor I had anything pressing to get to (okay, Josh did, but he needed a break, and how often do you get an unplanned day off of work???), we decided to take Jude to Miller's Orchard to see the animals, go on a hayride, and pick out a pumpkin. We had a really great time. The weather was beautiful and it wasn't crowded at all. Jude got to see a llama, horse, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, and bunnies!

We picked out a small pumpking for Jude (he was asleep by the time we got to the pumpkin patch). Hopefully we'll have time to carve it. If not, we'll at least date it with a Sharpie marker and take a picture of it. (=

Josh took a bunch of pictures while we were at the farm, but he hasn't uploaded them to Flickr yet. I'll add a few to this post when he does.

Jude's Baptism

2007-10-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jude was baptized in the midst of many dear, dear friend and family. It was a hectic day for Josh and me. We had a bunch of running around and shopping to do before the celebration, but we got it all done with minimal difficulty. Jude only got in one short nap yesterday afternoon, but still did really well during the service.

Our friend, Demery, baptized Jude and gave the most beautiful sermon. Friends Jer and Helen stood up for Jude and promised to help guide him through life as his godparents. Members of the Peacemeal community took part in praying for Jude. It was a really beautiful time.

I'll post some pictures of the event as soon as we upload them from the camera. Stay tuned!

2007-10-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I don't often have both hands free when I'm using the computer. Most of the time I surf the web at night while nursing the little guy.

Jude has made some amazing strides since I last updated. On August 26th (the day after Josh's birthday--the reason why I remember), Jude rolled over for the first time! It was great... he had been trying to do it for a few weeks by that point. He just recently started rolling from his tummy back to his back. I'm amazed by his development. Just yesterday he really started getting his knees under him while he is on his belly. I can't believe he is grearing up for crawling! This mom is so not ready for all of this!

In addition to all that, Jude is also bearing a fair amount of his own weight when he is held in a standing position. He has been really, really talkative the past few days. He's an amazing child. He smiles and laughs often. He's rarely cranky. He's (thankfully) doing much better in the car.

We've taken a few mini-trips with Jude during the past few months. About three weeks ago, Josh, Jude, and I went to New York to stay with the sisters of the Order of St. Helena in Vails Gate, NY. How did we end up at a convent? Josh recently started working for the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and he was asked to attend their yearly meeting that was held at the convent. Jude and I were invited to attend, so we accompanied Josh for the long weekend. We all had a great time. Our new EPF friends were wonderful, and the sisters were amazing. Everyone LOVED Jude, and he loved getting to know everyone.

Just yesterday, our family traveled to Bethlehem, PA. We stayed over night at the Marriot because Josh had a convention to attened this morning, and Jude had a check-up scheduled in nearby Quakertown. The appointment went really well. Jude now weighs a whopping 17 pounds, 12 ounces (95 percentile), and has grown to be 28 inches tall (he's off the charts in this category! Our little guy is super tall!). We'll try introducing solids for the first time in another month and a half. Until then, it's mama's milk all the way!

This Friday (October 19th) Jude will be baptized and offically welcomed into God's family and the Peacemeal community. Our dear, dear friends, Helen and Jer (mom and dad to Jude's future girlfriend, Everly) are going to be his godparents. Josh and I are super excited that Helen and Jer said yes. Jude loves them so much, and it's apparent that they love him equally. Our good friend Demery is going to be in charge of the baptizin'. We feel so blessed to have someone so close to us baptizing Jude. It makes celebration all the more special.

In other news. I took a job at our chiropractor's office at the end of August. I work 10.5 hours a week doing scheduling and other office-type things. It's a really great gig. It's hard being away from Jude, but it's nice to have some adult time. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon have become daddy and son time for Josh and Jude. They've been hitting up a bunch of Abington's sporting events and (up until two days ago) have gotten to spend a lot of time enjoying the nice weather.

In other, other news, Josh and I have decided to sell our house! Yes, we've only owned it for a year, but we think it's going to be a great move (no pun intended) for us. Without a mortgage, I won't have to go back to work full-time. Josh and I will be able to put our bodies into raising Jude (our hearts are certainly there already). This is a really exciting and stressful time for us. Your prayers would certainly be appreciated.

I'll ask Josh to update Jude's Flick set soon. Sadly, we haven't taken many photos lately, but I'm going to make it a priority to do so consistently from now on. Sometimes it's hard to put him down and pick up the camera, ya know?

Oh... and I'll do my best to update this thing more often, too. No promises!

... 2007 and other things

2007-08-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

During the first week of August, a bunch of our friends gathered from all over the country (and then some) at Big Bass Lake in Gouldsborough, PA. Josh, Jude, and I made day trips to the lakehouse everyday... we had a really fantastic time. Our friends started vacationing together three years ago. This was the first time Josh and I were able to join them. I'm really looking forward to next year, and Jude is looking forward to seeing his friends Matthew and Gracie again.

In other news, I got a job! Two jobs, actually. I'm going back to Marywood to supervise the computer labs for 15 hours/week. I'm really excited because my boss has said that it's fine for me to bring Jude to work with me! Then, three afternoons a week I'll be working at our chiropractor's office answering the phones and scheduling appointments. I'm really excited to be going to work for Dr. Jennifer. She's amazing, her practice is amazing, and this is the kind of work I want to be doing. Anyway... me being gone for 3.5 hours three days a week means that I had to start pumping this past week. Sadly, Jude has thus far refused a bottle. (Truth be told, I'm actually really happy that he didn't take right to it... I need to feel needed.) We're going to try again tonight and over the rest of the weekend. Hopefully he'll come around and let his father feed him. If he won't take a bottle, we're going to try a cup/sippy cup/syringe... all those things. If he won't take anything, I'll just tank him up on the boob before I leave for work and hope it can make it through (and really, he should be able to... he sleeps for 4-5 hours at night without waking up to eat now).

Sorry it's so long between updates!

9 Weeks

2007-07-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Jude's 9-week birthday! To celebrate, we drove to Quakertown to see Jude's doctor for a check-up. He did great on the drive down, though mom and dad were stressed because of all the construction.

Jude is a whopping 25 inches long now! We think he's going to be one tall guy. He weighs 13 pounds, 4 ounces, and his head is 15.5 inches in circumference. Over the past few weeks, Jude has really started interacting with Josh and me (and whoever else happens to be around). He's also super alert... especially in the mornings. He can roll onto his side by himself, and he smiles and laughs often. Right now he's having some tummy play time with his dad. (=

Backtracking a little... Earlier this month, Josh and I took Jude on a trip to Illinois. It was a LONG trip, but Jude did really well, all things considered. We had a great time visiting Josh's parents, and we even got to see some of his old friends while we were out there. Jude got to meet his Grandpa, Aunt Erin, Uncle Grant, and Aunt Makenzie for the first time. He also got to meet his Great Aunt Lois and Great Uncle Don as well as his cousins Andy and Amy.

On Jude's 2-month birthday, we celebrated by reading the new Harry Potter book. Jude really enjoyed it (and so did mom!). We've gone on a fair number of walks over the past few weeks (Jude in his Ergo baby carrier), and we've done a lot of lying around. It's been really great. I'm not looking forward to going back to work.

Check out Jude's photo set on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/joshfrank/sets/72157600253725888/

Life with Baby

2007-06-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, Jude's here and he's settling in just wonderrfully.

The last 32 days have been simply amazing. In answer to all of the FAQ-

1. He's sleeping really well. Josh and I usually get between 2-3.5 hour stretches of sleep each night.
2. No, he doesn't cry. Well, he will let me know if he's hungry, but other than that, he's a really content baby.
3. He's a champ at nursing. Neither he nor I have had any real problems regarding our breastfeeding relationship (minus one early-stage breast infection, but I got over that fairly quickly).

Josh has done an amazing job taking care of Jude and me. He does almost all of the diaper changes on a regular day, and he makes sure that I'm eating well and drinking enough water. Josh has also been great at reminding me that it's normal for small babies to nurse for hours on end (and I do mean hours).

Jude has been seeing the chiropractor regularly since he was three days old. Dr. Jenn has been wonderful to our little family. She's caring and gentle and has taken a real interest in Jude. She's located in Clarks Summit (Dr. Jennifer Jaffe Finn).

On the doctor front, Josh and I have decided to take Jude to a practice in Quakertown. He's seeing a woman named Dr. Denise Kelley at the Woodlands Healing Research Center. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Quakertown, but the care Jude has recieved is well worth the drive.

In other news, Jude got a bath early this morning. Twice in about 6 hours, the kiddo peed on himself during a diaper change. He also managed to pee on his crib and on the wall. He also peed on himself last night and had two blow-out pee-pees yesterday. He needed a bath. (=

Hope everyone enjoys this update. Josh has posted a bit on his personal blog. You should check that out as well.

3:43am

2007-05-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 3:43am, and I'm awake... kind of. My little guy has been waking up to nurse every 30 minutes or so, so I thought that it was probably time to stop trying to sleep between feedings and just "woman up" and wait for him to be hungry again.

So! Jude Isaac Frank was born on Monday, May 21st at 8:54am. He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounes, and he measured 21.5 inches in length! Sadly, he was not born a home, though I did give it the ol' college try.

My water broke at around 2am on Sunday morning. Contractions didn't start for at least another hour or so. 26 hours after my water broke, I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open, and the pain was really unbearable. I decided that I wanted to transfer to the hospital and get something to take the edge off... not an epidural, but something. Anyway, at 4:30am-ish on Monday morning, Josh, Dhyana, Mary, and I hauled butt to Mercy Hospital. When we got there, I agreed to receive fluids and antibiotics via IV since my water had been broken/I had been laboring for so long. After sticking me six times, the nurse gave up on trying to get a vein. Note: then nurse got a vein every time she tried. The problem was that every. single. time. she got a vein, it proceded to blow or bubble. What all that means for yours truely is that I *did* get the drug-free birth I had been wanting... I'm glad things worked out that way.

Other aspects of the labor/birth (the aspects that occured at the hospital) make me sick to think about. The OB was horrible (as I had anticipated), I was bullied, poked, and proded, and I'm having a really hard time getting over feeling like I/my body was violated. My birth prefererences were ignored, and many a thing was done to me without my informed consent. To make matters worse, I lost a lot of blood during Jude's birth (most of which may be as a result of one or more of the OB's procedures) and had to stay in the hospital for 48 hours. Sleeping in a place where you feel you lost a big part of yourself is really hard. I don't recommend it.

Anyway... Jude is doing really well. He's healthy and happy and is nusing like a champ. Now, if he would just sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time... (=

2007-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have brought with them both good stuff and bad stuff.

The Good

Josh and I are pretty much finished painting Jude’s room. There are a few places where touch-ups are in order, but honestly, I think I have enough furniture to hide them. (= Earlier this week, our friend Jer came over to help Josh move the full bed out of Jude’s room and into the attic. Once that was cleared out, we were able to vacuum and shampoo the carpet. The next night, Josh and I (okay, Josh did it all by himself… I watched) put Jude’s crib together. Not to toot our own horns, but the room is looking fantastic. I’ll try and take some pictures of the room with the crib set up over the weekend. Another cool note… Josh bid on an Ergo baby carrier earlier this week and won! Woo hoo! So, that should arrive either this weekend or early next week. I’m really excited to get it.

The Bad

I have had the worst eating habits over the past two weeks. I know I haven’t been eating healthy things, and I know I haven’t been eating enough protein. How do I know this? I know I’ve been eating poorly because I feel like a slob. I know I haven’t taken in enough protein because my feet and ankles are swollen to all holy hell. However, today is a new day. Today I am eating well, taking in lots of protein, and drinking tons o’ water. Tonight I have a date with a bathtub full of Epsom salt.

The Other

This weekend is actually looking pretty empty. I have prenatal yoga tomorrow morning, Peacemeal in the afternoon, and a block party (for lack of a better term) later in the evening. On Sunday we have two church services and one (yes! only one!) youth group meeting. We’re planning to spend the afternoon on the couch, watching the Cubs (hopefully) beat the pants off the Phillies. I’m also hoping that we’ll find the time to put together Jude’s bookshelf and toy box this weekend. Wish us luck!

2007-05-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, besides having to do a few little touch-ups, Jude's room is completely painted! Josh and I finished painting the stripes on Friday night. It feels great to have it done. Tonight we're going to strip the bed that's in there and wrap the mattress and box spring in plastic so that as soon as someone is available to help him, Josh can take both to the attic for storage. Once the bed is out of the bedroom, we'll only have to vacuum and steam clean the carpet and put together/set up the crib, bookshelf, and toy box. Last week, Josh and I picked up three pieces of canvas art for Jude's room. They are super adorable and look great in there. We still have to get one of Josh's paintings framed before we can hang it, but overall, the room is really coming along.

In addition to the art pieces, Josh and I found a lamp shade and night light we really like. We also purchased a Pack 'n Play, mattress pads, sheets and a mattress pad for the Pack 'n Play, and our diaper bag (the Retro Stripe-Blue style). It's not the Timbuk2 bag we had originally wanted, but it's really neat and has a lot of great diaper bag specific accessories. What's even cooler is that Josh found the bag on eBay, and we got it at a really reasonable price. Right now we're bidding on some cloth diapers on eBay... if we don't win any of the auctions, we'll be ordering a dozen or so within the next week or two.

Last night, Josh humored me and took me to the Cafe Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre to see The Slackers play. I had been joking that Jude had better not decide to come until at least Monday morning (today) because I was dead set on seeing that show. I swear, the band hadn't started their second song before I actually started feeling what might have been Braxton-Hicks pressure waves, but could also have been real pressure waves. It was really quite funny. They really settled down once the show was over/I stopped dancing/I drank some water. I'm not sure what the band would have thought if my birthing time would have really started... I think it would have been hilarious!

Speaking of the band... my friend Marcus plays bass for the Slackers. I haven't seen him in about three years. Last night was great... It was nice catching up with him and hearing about his wedding. Oh... and speaking of catching up with people, not only did I get to hang out with my Michelle last night, but I also got to see my long-lost friend Doug. Our paths haven't crossed in many, many years. Last night felt like old times... it was really great.

So, that's what's new. (=

Our New Mei Tai

2007-05-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

How adorable is this picture?

Two weekends ago, Josh and I went on a little retreat with our church community. While there, our friend Helen gave us our new mei tai baby carrier! We were so excited to get it, and even more excited to try it out. Sadly, there were no cats around to wrestle into it. There was, however, this fantastic little girl named Everly. Josh really loves our new mei tai. It gives him the freedom to have his hands free (for beer bottle holding, for example), while still keeping our baby (or an on-loan baby) close. I love it too! It's a bit hard to wear when you're sporting a large baby bump, but it can still be done. Sorry... no pics of that.

We recently received an amazing quilt and matching beach-type duffle bag from my friend Gail in Florida. I'm going to take some time today and shoot a few pictures of it so that I can show it off. We also received a package in the mail from Josh's family yesterday. They held a video baby shower for us two weekends ago. I'll have to take some pictures of those items as well!

Josh and I are playing hooky today. I have this overwhelming nesting urge. It cannot be ignored. I'm hoping to get the bulk of the painting in Jude's room finished. I would also like to get all of the junk cleared out of my closet so that I can move the junk from Jude's room into there. Maybe I'll get the downstairs floors cleaned as well... maybe not. (=

The Definition of Productivity

2007-04-30T13:38:00.001-07:00

Last night, Josh and I were uber-productive. Uber.

After a fairly busy day (food shopping/youth group shopping/youth group meeting/more food shopping/dinner), Josh put up another coat of blue in Jude’s room. While he did that I cooked the following: meatballs, hamburgers, taco-seasoned beef, and lasagna. Most of that food was put directly into the freezer for after Jude is born. Some of it was left out to get us through the week. Right now, Josh is at home cutting up a club pack of chicken. We’re going to bake some of it for dinner this week, bake some more of it to freeze, and make taco-seasoned chicken to freeze. Also, tonight I’m making mashed potatoes for dinner this week. The leftovers (you guessed it!) will be frozen. As you can tell, we’re really stepping it into high gear. Our little bugger can decide to show up at any time now (though I’m hoping he waits until at least Monday… Josh and I are going to see The Slackers play at the Café Metropolis on Sunday night). Hopefully, I'll be able to get pancakes, pizza crusts, and sauce made and frozen by the end of the week. We should also be finished painting Jude’s room by the end of the week (maybe/hopefully earlier).

I’m getting more and more excited to meet my baby boy each day! We're up to almost 38 weeks now, so, theoretically, I should have to wait no more than 4 weeks to make his acquaintance!

Painting continues...

2007-04-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

After a break of a week or so from painting the closet and getting the shelves reinstalled (and baby laundry done, folded, and put away, and other things stockpiled into the closet), we resumed painting in Jude's room last night. We were able to get a first coat done on the whole room. The tan/latte color should only need a second coat to smooth it out. The blue you see isn't the final color; that's just the primer. It will be blue, but a bit darker and richer.

And yes, you see a green stripe running along the blue wall. That will be there along with two smaller stripes of the tan/latte color.

If all goes well, we could be done painting Jude's room by the end of the weekend.

My Husband Is Better Than Yours....

2007-04-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

My husband rocks.

On Friday afternoon, my amazing husband surprised me with a gift certificate for two prenatal massages at Sanderson Place. He spent his hard-earned web design money on a frivolous treat for me… hard-earned money that was supposed to be spent on a frivolous treat for him. He never ceases to amaze me.

On with the story. On Saturday I went to my first prenatal yoga class in over a month. It ended a few minutes before 11am, and I hauled ass home so that I could grab some lunch before heading out to my twelve o’clock massage appointment. When I got to the spa, I was informed that there had been a mix up. The woman I had been scheduled to see is new to the spa, and she doesn’t do prenatal massages. The woman who does do prenatal massages didn’t have an opening until 1pm. Ugh. So, I called Josh and he said to stick around and take the 1pm appointment, so I did. I must have looked pretty ticked off though, because five minutes into my magazine reading, one of the receptionists came over and told me that they would like me to have a free pedicure while I waited because of the mix up. How could I say no to that?

So after an amazing pedicure—I have *bright pink toenails now, fyi—and a more than amazing massage I headed home. When I got there I found out that Josh had taken care of all of the housework I was planning on doing that afternoon. I married the most incredible man ever. This is proof.

Other stuff on which to update... I don’t think I wrote about the baby shower my sister and my mom threw for us. It was a hoot of a good time. They arranged a brunch at Cooper’s in Pittston for us, and we were more than spoiled. (= I got to see some of my great aunts that I hadn’t seen since my sister’s wedding last year, so that was nice. A few friends that I haven’t been able to hang out with lately were also present. It was really great to see everyone.

Josh and I finished painting Jude’s closet last week and started reinstalling the shelving yesterday. He needs to pick up some anchors for the braces because there doesn’t seem to be any studs behind the wall the shelving is going on. I’m hoping to have it all put together by midweek. It looks really great in there. The color is brilliant.

I guess I’m finally moving from the ‘looking fat’ stage to the ‘looking pregnant’ stage. I had been under the impression that I’ve looked good and pregnant for some time now, but just today I got my first “When are you expecting, honey?” from one of the women who works in my building. I’m only five weeks away from my guess date. I expected to have to field these questions some time ago.

My Baby Is Eating My Brain

2007-04-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Proof positive that my baby is eating my brain:

While writing my return address on thank-you notes yesterday morning, I had to stop and email my husband because I no matter how hard I tried, I could not come up with our zip code.

*hides under desk*

Being Productive

2007-04-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Even though this post won't be 100% baby-related, I still feel like I need to write about the afternoon I had yesterday.

It was beautiful outside when Josh picked me from work, so we decided that we would go for a walk after resting for a few minutes at home. Wow... what a walk it was. In the hopes of avoiding having to walk one of the HUGE hills we live on/near, we decided to walk south along Stafford Ave., and then through the cemetery. Well, bad news for us... Stafford has two really big hills on it as well! Anyway... it wasn't too horrible. The walk itself was just perfect. I got a bit winded on the way home (that would be, walking *up* the hills), but overall, it felt great.

Once we got home (here's the actual baby-related part of the story), Josh and I threw open the windows and took down the shelves in Jude's closet. Then Josh went to start dinner, and I took the brackets off of the wall in the closet and started taping off the woodwork in the hopes of painting sometime soon. We took a quick break for dinner, switched the laundry, and while I cleaned up the kitchen, Josh headed upstairs to do some more taping. The closet is almost ready to go... I'm hoping to finish the taping tonight before we go to Josh's youth group book study. My goal is to get one coat of paint done in the closet by Friday. Wish me luck.

Today, I'm sore. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. My ankle is still pretty swollen... Josh is convinced it's because I won't wear my brace everyday, but what does he know? Otherwise, I feel good. I have an appointment with Shelley this afternoon, and one with Dhyana on Friday afternoon.

Today marks 34 weeks of my pregnancy. Help.

Woo Hoo for Baby Showers!

2007-04-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Last week was a huge week for Josh and I. On Thursday, my coworkers (along with the help of my husband) surprised me with a baby shower! It was fantastic. It started at 11am and carried on through lunch. My friends, Jen and Danielle, were the ones who planned the whole thing, and they did a really great job. The conference room looked great, the food was fantastic (everyone brought something to share), the cake was super yummy (another friend/coworker of mine, Nancy, made the cake), and the gifts were over the top. Josh and I received our Snap 'n Go Stroller frame, a Diaper Champ, and a bouncer that we registered for. Not only were those items necessities, but they were also big wants of ours. Oh... we also received a hamper full of wishing well items. I tell you... we're going to have one great smelling baby.

On Saturday, my mom and my sister threw a shower for Josh and me at Cooper's in Pittston. It was a wonderful affair. The people at Cooper's always do a really nice job setting things up, and my mom and sister did a great job decorating and planning the whole thing. It was a small-ish shower... there were about 25 people there including Josh, mom, Jenn, and me, but it was really quite nice. We got to visit with friends and family that we haven't seen in months, eat good food, play fun games, and open an abundance of presents. Josh and I are really excited to be on the receiving end of a Mei Tai baby carrier (complements of the Bittel/Protska and Bader-Saye families), a Maclaren baby stroller, the infant car seat we registered for, a crib, and many, many, many other items. Oh... we also received two crocheted blankets from our friend, Pat, and a knitted blanket from my sister. I can't tell you how much these things mean to Josh and me. I know the kind of hours Pat works, and I imagine that it took some time to create such lovely blankets. In the same way, I know how much time and effort my sister put into the blanket she made for Jude... it's made up of over 60,000 stitches... and I don't think that any words can adequately express how much I appreciate her taking the time to create such a beautiful blanket for my son.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of the events sometime soon. They were both really grand affairs!

What Not to Wear, Mooses, and Cake

2007-03-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Even though it doesn’t have *much* to do with my pregnancy, I feel compelled to relay this story to my (our) faithful readers.

I’m only work a half day today. Because of my shortened work schedule, I thought it would be nice to wear a comfy pair of sweat pants and a comfy tee-shirt. So I did.

During our 10 o’clock break, I was sitting at my desk, reading some baby boards, and I heard my boss talking with one of my coworkers… my boss was introducing my coworker to our new BIG BOSS MAN. This wasn’t a short conversation, either… not just a “Nice to meet you” kind of thing. They talked… for at least three or four full minutes. *sigh* I hoped, no, I *prayed* that I would get skipped over…But alas, after talking to my neighbor, my boss brought the BIG BOSS MAN over to meet me. I stood up, shook his hand, and tried not to look pathetic in my “bumming around the house” outfit. *double sigh*

On to more pregnanty things.

About two years ago, one of my best friends, Lauren, send me the awesomest tee-shirt from Maine. It’s a green and white baseball style tee that says Maine Mooses on it. I LOVE this shirt. Every time I visit Lauren in Maine, I tell her that I want to see mooses. She said that she saw this shirt in a shop window and thought of me. Sadly, the store only had the display shirt left, and it was a size XL. So, while I happily accepted the gift, I felt only a bit of resentment that it would be my husband, not me, wearing the shirt.

That all changed today.

Woo hoo for being pregnant! That darn shirt finally fits. I’m stoaked. Hopefully I’ll be able to post a pic of me in all my moose glory sometime later this afternoon.

And finally, I have a confession to make: By 10:45am today, I had already eaten a piece of leftover cake. *hides under desk*

The Countdown Continues

2007-03-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

So, I'm just over 33 weeks along, and I think I want to vomit. (= I'm so excited I can barely stand it. (And nervous... did I forget to mention nervous?)

I had a check up with Dhyana last week. Everything checked out okay. The little bugger is in a great position and is already situated pretty low. I'm really looking forward to my birthing time and to meeting Jude.

My mom and my sister are throwing a baby shower for Josh and me this weekend. I'm really, really excited about it. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends that I haven't seen in a while. After the shower, my mom is coming over to our house to help me clean Jude's room (thank goodness!). It really needs a good scrubbing. Once the cleaning is done, Josh and I are going to start painting. When we finish painting, we'll shampoo the carpet, and then (finally), we'll set up the crib. Did I mention I only have about seven weeks in which to do all of this? Eep!

I've been feeling pretty good lately. I've been really tired after work, which makes it hard to get motivated to walk, but otherwise, I'm doing okay. My ankle is healing up nicely, but slowly (my own fault... I just don't rest it as much as I should). Jude is still super squirmy... he's pounding on my belly right now! In other words... life is good. (=

Seven

2007-03-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

33 weeks today...only about 7 to go.

(yes, I did just throw up a bit in my mouth!)

Karate Chops and Chubby Cheeks

2007-03-20T05:52:00.001-07:00

32 weeks today...holy crap, that means only about 8 more to go! I'm definitely getting very excited and a bit of nervousness is settling in, too. We really need to make some time to clean out the nursery and paint. But who can do that when it's so easy to sit around at home after a long, exhausting day and then reality TV shows that shall remain unnamed suck you into their vortex. *sigh*

The ultrasound was really, really cool again last week. Seeing Jude exercise his diaphragm, checking out his long, skinny foot, and catching a glimpse of his face (which looked much more like a face, especially with those chubby cheeks!) was all wonderful. I think maybe the most amazing part for me was getting a view of his brain developing. We could see the blood pumping in the brain! If you've never seen an ultrasound in person, it really is sweet. And we didn't even have one of those high-tech, fancy-schmancy 3D/4D kind of ultrasounds, either.

So we're moving right along...and Jillian is starting to get pummeled. Jude still tends to calm down whenever she calls me over to feel him, but it's getting less predictable that way. I keep telling her that she would want to stretch and push on her confining environment if she were cramped up like that, too, but somehow that doesn't cut it when she gets kicked really hard in the ribs. Who knew?

Our Follow-Up Ultrasound (Thumbs Up) and New Health Benefits at Work (Thumbs Way, Way Down)

2007-03-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a follow-up ultrasound at the OB's office. It was really, really great to see Jude again. He's head-down right now, and is growing really, really well. The ultrasound tech gave us two extra points because the little bugger is already exercising his diaphragm, which I guess babies don't always do when they're only 31 weeks along. Here's a picture of the little bugger... the tech had to really annoy him to get him to turn so we could see his face. He was (apparently) quite comfy.

So, on to the crappy new benefits my company is(n't) offering.

Under our old owners, I was entitled to eight weeks of paid (100%) maternity leave, plus four weeks of unpaid leave under FMLA. Josh and I have been saving up to make sure we have enough money to cover my unpaid time off. Today I find out that under our new benefits, there isn't going to be any parental leave offered. Instead, they give me an *entire* (note the sarcasm) six weeks of short-term disability. The first week is unpaid, but I can use any personal time I have saved up. The last five weeks are paid at 80%. Then I have an additional six weeks of unpaid leave that I can take under FMLA. *sigh* Besides the fact that it utterly sucks that I'm finding this out nine weeks before our guess date, I find it... man, I can't even think of a word... disgusting might work... that my company feels that six weeks is adequate time to heal from a birth and adequate time to bond with a newborn.

If you haven't picked up on it, today is really sucking the big one for me. I *might* have been able to better deal with the news of my changing benefits if I had actually gotten any real amount of sleep last night. Instead, I went to bed before 10pm, sick to my stomach with exhaustion and couldn't fall asleep. Around 2am, I got up to use the bathroom, and sometime not long after my return to bed, my throat felt like it was closing up. It wasn't the acid reflux that I'm used to. The sensation was different (possibly worse). I was awake until 5am (downstairs on the computer from 4-5) and then headed back to lie in bed until around 8:30am (I went into work late). I feel horrible, and I want a drink. Jameson on the rocks, preferably.

PA Breastfeeding Legislation

2007-03-12T10:14:00.001-07:00

Check out this post, and then send an e-mail detailing your support for Senate Bill 34, which gives women the right to nurse in public in Pennsylvania, to these people:

Members of the Committee:
Greenleaf, Stewart J., Chair (sgreenleaf@pasen.gov)
White, Mary Jo, Vice Chair (mwhite@pasen.gov)
Costa, Jay, Minority Chair (costa@pasenate.com)**
Scarnati, III, Joseph B., ex-officio (jscarnati@pasen.gov)

Majority
Browne, Patrick M. (pbrowne@pasen.gov}
Earll, Jane M. (jearll@pasen.gov)
Gordner, John R. (jgordner@pasen.gov)
Orie, Jane Clare (jorie@pasen.gov)
Piccola, Jeffrey E. (jpiccola@pasen.gov)
Rafferty, Jr., John C. (jrafferty@pasen.gov)

Minority
Boscola, Lisa M. (boscola@pasenate.com)**
Fontana, Wayne D. (fontana@pasenate.com)**
Stack, Michael J. (stack@pasenate.com)
Stout, J. Barry (stout@pasenate.com)

**These senators are co-supports of Senate Bill 34. When you write to them, please express your thanks!

This is the first time I have ever engaged in letter writing for an actual cause. I urge you all to do the same. (=

Funny Story

2007-03-04T05:01:00.001-08:00

I was asked to accompany a friend and her husband to the hospital so that I could keep the husband entertained (because entertaining is what I do best) while my friend was in surgery. So, at about 4:45am on Thursday, my friend and her husband pulled up to my house. I said goodbye to the boys and proceeded out the door. Knowing that the previous day had been very warm, I made a mental note to be careful on the stairs/sidewalk since there would likely be a nice sheet of ice.

There was.

I fell.

Yes... On my way to the car, I did this slow-motion type of fall straight onto my back (actually, I had a backpack on--filled with some books, Uno, and Connect Four--and it really softened the fall). On the way down, I twisted my knee and did something really nasty to my ankle. For a few minutes (while I was lying on the ice-covered sidewalk, nauseous with pain), I thought it was broken. I told my friends to leave. They were already running late, and I could just call up to Josh in the house and he would come and take care of me. They looked at me with big eyes and said that no, they weren't going to leave me lying on the sidewalk (these are some of my best friends, as I'm sure you can tell by their care for my wellbeing). Anyway... while my friend's husband was yelling into the house for Josh, I realized that I could move my ankle if I really tried. I decided to just continue with the day as planned, since we were already headed to a hospital. Josh came out and checked on me, and I told him I would call with an update as soon as I could.

Side note: Jude was/is fine. He was quite squirmy after the fall... I think he enjoyed the ride. (=

Off to the hospital we went! I was lying across the backseat because I was pretty sure that if I stayed upright I would pass out. We got to the hospital and found our way to valet parking. After checking in with the nice attendant, my friend told him that a wheelchair (along with someone to wheel it) was needed b/c her friend (that's me) fell on the way to the hospital. It was funny. A nice young man wheeled me over to the ER while my friend and her husband went to get checked in for her surgery.

The people in the ER were very nice... they even found me a bed in one of the hallways when I told them that I felt like I was going to pass out. After x-raying me (with three protective vests on my belly) and telling me that I only had a nasty sprain, they sent me up to OB to be monitored. Marie, my OB nurse, was very, very nice. She put the monitors on my belly and got a glass of water for me. She made me nice and cozy with a warm blanket, and made sure to give me my book bag so that I wouldn't be bored. Really, all of the attention was nice.

Once I got the word that Jude was in fact fine, I started calling around the hospital looking for my friend and her husband. Right as I got a hold of my friend, her husband walked into my room. He has been looking for me too! The nice people in OB gave me a wheelchair to use for the day (I couldn't put any pressure on my left foot), and we headed down to see my friend before she went in for surgery.

Everyone... really, I think everyone in the hospital knew our story. Since I'm pregnant, I got all of the sympathy. My friend kept telling me that it was all about me, and not her, even though *she* was the one having surgery. (= Afterwards, and to this day, both my friend and her husband tease me (relentlessly) over my request that they "just leave me" and head to the hospital by themselves.

I'm healing up pretty well. Josh has been making me stay off of my feet, and I've been icing my ankle and taking Tylenol like it's my job. (Oh, in case you're wondering: Tylenol does NOTHING for pain. NOTHING.) We've had a long (but lovely) weekend, so I opted to stay home this morning while my husband and our friend Phil went to Abe's for breakfast. I think I'm going to eat some leftover cinnamon chip pancakes for breakfast. That sounds really yummy right now. (=

Another Update

2007-02-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday I had another appointment with Dhyana, my home birth midwife. Both she and Josh and I were at her office early (we were her only appointment that day), so she took us right in... and spent an hour and a half with us. I LOVE it that she cares enough to take the time to get to know us as people and not just as patients. We had a really nice conversation, and my checkup went well. Jude's heartbeat was 144 bpm, and I think I actually lost a pound (or two) since my last appointment with Shelley, my other midwife. Dhyana asked me to compile a list of what I eat every day for three days. She also encouraged me to keep walking and seemed pleased to hear about how much I'm working out on a daily basis.

The only downside to the appointment was that Dhyana recommended that I stay with Shelley for complementary pre-natal appointments just in case I change my mind at the last minute. I understand her reasoning... being that she's already committed to another woman who is due at the same time I am, I may have to travel to her (Dhyana's) house for my birthing time. I'm more than okay with that, but I think she's a bit fearful that I'll change my mind at the last minute. Staying with Shelley means that Mercy will have all of my records, and I'll be up-to-date with her and with the OB. Overall, I'm okay with it... I just don't want to have to deal with Shelley's old hag of a nurse at my next appointment. Oh... the big upside to Friday's appointment? It turns out that Dhyana has a birthing tub that she rents out to her expecting moms! So, now Josh and I are considering a water home birth! Woo hooo!!!

Yesterday, Josh and I finished up our baby registries. It was a lot of fun, but also very tiring. On top of that (and this might be TMI for some of our readers), we spent at least an hour bra shopping (for me, not him *smile*). It was very, very frustrating, but in the end, I found a bra I like and that fits. Apparently, my rib cage (much like my ginormus thighs) is expanding at the speed of light, whereas my cup size... well, not so much. In short, bra makers don't readily make bras in the size I'm in right now. I either have to go up a cup size (I'm in between two sizes) and down by two inches, or keep the inches correct and deal with a bra that can fit boobs the size of my head in each cup. Fun. I don't know which is worse... trying to find a bra at this funny in-between time in my pregnancy, or trying to find pants that fit my tree-trunk thighs at any time, pregnant or not.

An Addition to Our Family

2007-02-13T10:52:00.001-08:00

Well, to my extended family, at least. At 12:17PM, my cousin MaryAnn had her second baby girl, Abigail Ann. Abby weighed in at 8lbs. 11oz. Mom and baby are doing great!

Woo hoo for babies!!!

Baby Furniture

2007-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Time is flying fast...27 weeks! That means there's about 13 left...wow.

We bought a crib yesterday. Well, kind of. We've know that Jill's mom wanted to buy it for us. And Jill found out yesterday that the one we registered for went on sale for a crazy-good price at Target. So we went out and bought one, loaded it into the back seat of the Honda (yeah, it fit...barely!), and now the box rests in the room-that-will-be-Jude's. Did we mention that we picked out colors? A blue, a light tan, a dark tan, and a green. You'll have to see it to really understand (pictures once we paint). Anyway, we picked it up before it sold out 'cuz the Grandma-to-be couldn't make it there until Friday.

It's kind of serving as motivation to get things cleaned up and what not. Baby furniture sitting in its box kind of does that to you, I guess.

Oh, and Jude still insists, for the most part, on stopping his kicking and squirming when Jill calls me over to feel him.

Hypnobabies

2007-02-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Some of you know that I'm using a natural, unmedicated birthing method called Hypnobabies for my impending birthing time. Most of you have also asked me what in the heck it is! I'm going to copy and paste some info from the Hypnobabies website to give you a better idea of what self-hypnosis for childbirth is all about:

"Hypnobabies is a complete childbirth education course that also teaches Gerald Kein’s famous Painless Childbirth techniques to Hypnobabies mothers so that they can enter hypnosis, deepen it themselves and remain mobile during labor, completely comfortable at all times. Our Hypno-babies have no drugs in their systems when they are born, and are able to nurse, breathe well and interact with their happy parents immediately. Our goal - No drugs for Baby; No Pain for Mommy. Fantastic!"

Maybe that doesn't do it for you. Here's what I wrote to a friend about Hypnobabies earlier today:

The jist of Hypnobabies is this (or at least this is how I think about it): for years and years and years, women are programmed to believe that childbirth is this horrible, painful experience that requires tons of interventions (epidurals, IVs, episiotomies, etc.). We're taught that we shouldn't trust our bodies, but that we should trust a doctor to save us and "deliver" our children.

I don't buy it.

If you can reprogram yourself (your subconscious) with the truth (that women are designed to do this; birth is natural; we CAN and SHOULD trust our bodies; birth isn't scary), then we (women) can enjoy a p**n-free birthing time. That's not to say that there won't be pressure felt... there will be... but there's no need to feel what those people on A Baby Story feel. There's no need to be afraid, tense up, and suffer. Instead, women need to trust themselves, educate themselves, relax, and enjoy their birthing time.

So, that's my take. I should also say that I've been using the Hypnobabies home study course for more than two weeks now, and it's just fantastic. I listen to a CD worth of pregnancy affirmation each day while I work, listen to a self-hypnosis/relaxation script and practice my self-hypnosis skills each day, and take some time to read some supplementary material in a spiral-bound workbook each week. The home study course also provides moms with a separate Birthing Partner guide, information on birthing positions, and well... tons of other stuff. Oh... and it also comes with a Hypnobabies bumper sticker for your car. (Look for ours around Scranton once Spring hits and we're able to wash all of the salt off of of Betty the Blue Honda!)

The link to the Hypnobabies web site can be found at the beginning of this blog post and also in the right-hand side bar. Check it out, and if you want to talk more about it, email me, or leave a comment for me.

Movement, Happy Pills, and an Experiment

2007-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked 26 weeks on this fantastic journey. It's scary, I mean exciting, to think that Jude will be here in around 14 weeks.

So, the little bugger has grown so much over the past few weeks that now you can actually see my belly move when he kicks/punches/head butts me. It's pretty neat. Jude is already a little defiant. He can be kicking up a storm, and as soon as I call Josh to come over and feel, the little guy just stops. (= It's kinda funny.

Good news on the acid reflux front... papaya enzymes. Josh picked up a bottle of these little, yummy, chewable pills on Tuesday afternoon. I'm happy to say that I've been reflux-free ever since. These things are great, and they don't have the adverse affects on your kidneys like TUMS do, and they're relatively cheap ($5.98 for 60 pills).

So, my experiment. Coffee. That's right... that sweet, sweet poison that I love so much. I haven't been able to drink it lately without suffering for days. This morning I decided to put my pills to the test. Josh brewed some yummy (read: strong) coffee, I filled up our travel mugs, and away we went. It's been about 3.5 hours since I finished my mug, and I'm still feeling great. Go buy papaya enzymes if you suffer from reflux/heart burn. Do it now. Now.

Damn the (Pork) Man!

2007-02-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

Check it out...

Overzealous Big Pork Stomps on Breastfeeding Blogger

A Truly Hellish Tale...

2007-01-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

The story of "How Much My Life Sucks" by Jillian Frank.

One day, Jillian had horrible, horrible reflux. Remembering what her midwife said, Jillian decided that her best course of action would be to buy a container of milk from one of her company's vending machines. Sadly, Jillian then remember she had no money. She went upstairs to see how much money she would need. The milk was not marked, but was next to $1.00 items, so she guessed that she would need about a dollar to help the pain go away. She went back to her department and over to her friend Scott's cube. Scott, being the wonderful man that he is, loaned Jillian the dollar so she could buy some milk. Back upstairs Jillian trekked. She inserted her dollar and pressed A1 to activate the machine, only to then be told that the item cost $1.25. Back to her department she went. After searching long and hard, Jillian found a quarter at the bottom of her purse, left over from the preceding weekend. Disheartened but determined, Jillian made the long trip up the stairs to the cafeteria. She inserted $1.25 into the vending machine, pressed A1, and thanks be to God, a container of milk dropped down. Jillian reached over and pried the container from the machine, happy at last. She then happily looked at the the milk container... that which would save her from hours of pain...

And it was expired.

)=

Note to self...

2007-01-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

... coffee makes Jude squirmy. (=

Daddy Fever?

2007-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not sick. But "baby fever" just doesn't seem like the right way to put it...isn't that what people get when they are trying to have a baby? Or get all wacky when they're around other babies but there are none of their own in the foreseeable future?

Anyway, last week when we were laying in bed, Jude was doing his best to put one of the little things in this picture through Jill's stomach wall. He was really going at it, and it was cool to feel. Add little moments like that to being around infants a few times a week via our dear friends, and you've got one excited father-to-be. Maybe I should be a bit scared, a bit nervous, a bit "oops-I-just-crapped-my-pants-because-I-realized-I'm-REALLY-having-a-baby-in-3-and-a-half-months." But I'm not.

Yet.

Just happy, thrilled, excited...wish I could hold that little bugger right now!

Introducing, Jude Isaac!

2007-01-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

Well, that's the little bugger!

On January 2nd, Josh and I went to my 'big' ultrasound appointment at 9am. After waiting for quite some time, we were finally able to get in with the ultrasound tech. Everything is looking good in regard to the pregnancy, and we were able to find out that we're having a boy! His 'official' due date is May 15, 2007... only 17 more weeks to go (*gulp*)!

Josh is finally able to feel Jude kick. Actually, the night before our ultrasound was the first time we were able to feel Jude on the outside of my belly (I had been feeling him internally for a few weeks by that point). He's quite the squirmer... especially around lunch time.

So, newest news is that Josh and I are meeting with a home birth midwife on Friday afternoon. As it stands, she is committed to another woman who is due three days after me, so unless that woman goes before I do (which we won't know until it happens), we won't be able to use that midwife. She has offered to let me labor and give birth at her house (which is half way between my house and the other pregnant woman's... she would be invited to labor there as well) or to come and sit with me at my home until I'm 8 or 9cm and then escort me to the hospital to advocate for me. If that happens and she gets a call that the other woman is in labor, she'll simply have to leave me in the hands of the OB (ick).

I also just got the contact information for a different home birth midwife who is located in New Jersey. Apparently she travels. I'm going to give her a call by the end of this week to see if she would be available to come and assist at my birth.

So, that's about it. Hopefully Josh will update with how cool it is to finally be able to feel his little boy kick!

My baby, my growing belly, and my husband

2006-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

I had my monthly checkup this afternoon. The doctor said everything is in order, and we got to hear the little bugger's heartbeat again. The big ultrasound is scheduled for 9am on January 2nd. I'm really, really excited to find out what we're having.

I'm up about 11 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, and man, do I feel it today. I'm still wearing my normal jeans (sometimes with a BellBand, sometimes without), but today I just felt like I was bursting out of them. Josh had to take me shopping for longer shirts about a month ago. Today it seems like even those are too short. *sigh*

Tonight Josh and I made dinner for my sister and my brother-in-law. I'm totally spent, but Josh offered to do all the clean up, so I'm sitting here relaxing. He's absolutely wonderful. I know I couldn't do this without him.

Wump wump, Wump wump...

2006-11-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday of last week - what the midwife has determined is the 14th week of the pregnancy - we had the thrill of hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was freakin' amazing!!! I know I've never heard one live and in person, and I think I've barely ever paid attention to hearing one during a TV show or educational video or what not. But man, was this cool.

And the midwife found it, like, immediately. It was almost as if as soon as she put the ultrasound goop on the instrument and plopped it on Jill's belly that the heartbeat came galloping out of the speaker.

Our baby's heartbeat clocked in at around 160 beats per minute - fast in terms of grown-ups, but at the top end of the normal range for babies at this stage. Does that mean our baby is high-strung? Rip-roaring ready to go? Excited to be heard for the first time? Who knows, but this Daddy-to-be was in awe.

The ultrasound is up on January 2nd. If our little bugger cooperates, we want to know the sex. What a great late Christmas/New Year gift that will be!

Practicing/Baby Envy

2006-11-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

This adorable little lady bug is Hannah. We met Hannah while attending Elm Park UMC. And, I must say, she may be the most well-behaved, easy-going, happy little baby I have ever met. And cute? Puh-leeeeeease. She's adorable!

Anyway, Jill was able to visit Elm Park a week ago, and she invited our friend Melissa (mommy) to stop by our new house while they were out trick or treating.We thought perhaps that they had run out of time, but just before we were getting ready to leave to go to Northern Light for coffee, they turned up! It was really great to see Jill oohing and aweing over Hannah, and to watch them on the floor and on the couch playing together. Hannah takes particular interest in our cats, and she was very insistent upon petting Graham. Graham, you know, the fearless orange tabby who isn't phased by chewing threw electrical wires even when they're plugged in? Yeah, that boy scampered under the papasan chair and stayed for most of the visit. Hannah persisted, running over and squatting under and scrunching up her hand to entice the kitty out.

So, that's Hannah. And we want one. One like her would be great. Although we both think we'll end up with a lovable little terror!

The bumble bee is the amazing little Everly Skye with her proud and happy daddy Jeremy. We had the pleasure of being at her baptism on Saturday, which was a touching affair. She's a little young yet to see how she'll be when she's mobile; but if the Friday nights at the Peacemeal gatherings are any indication, she's going to love our house! She seems very happy and peaceful and cozy there. I hope our little one feels the same way!

So, what's up with babies and parents dressing them up as bugs? Must be in this year. Next year, we'll have our own little one to dress ridiculously and take gazillions of pictures of.

I can't wait!

My turn to update

2006-11-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well, today marks 12 weeks of our big journey! I’m excited to be moving away from the first trimester. After we hear baby’s heartbeat, I’ll be even more excited (and relaxed!).

So, like Josh said, we met with a midwife named Shelley Rosenberg on Wednesday afternoon. I think she’s fabulous. We seem to be on the same wavelength, and she assures me that Mercy doesn’t have a lot of procedures it does across the board for every mother (for example, not every mother needs to have an IV). I am a bit disappointed that she isn’t on-call anymore. Because of this fact, I think I’m going to have to really consider hiring a doula. Hopefully Josh will get on board with that! (Thanks for posting the picture, Grumpy!)

I’ve been feeling pretty so/so. By the time evening rolls around, I’m pretty well spent… even if I did get to bed at 9:30 the night before. I get really nauseous if I allow myself to get tired, so now I’ve resigned myself to going to bed at 8:30 PM, if that’s what my body is telling me I need to do. We’re supposed to be going to a movie tonight… I don’t think I’m going to make it!

In short order, I’m looking forward to getting some of my energy back and to leaving my nausea behind. I’m really excited to hear my baby’s heartbeat and really excited to have found someone like Shelley to care for us during this time in our lives. My belly seems to be getting bigger, and though I blame it on not having run in more than a month, all of the other mothers I know tell me that it really is the beginning of a pregnant belly. Oh well…I knew I would never get into a bikini again anyway.

12 weeks!

2006-11-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

So, we're at 12 weeks! And, after a great consultation on Wednesday this week, we've settled in on who will be providing Jillian and the baby with care throughout the pregnancy (and, if the little bugger cooperates, during delivery). I finally found a Certified Nurse Midwife included in our health care plan, and she was great! Her name is Shelly Rosenberg and she delivers at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. The one downside is she no longer is on-call, so unless Jill is in labor during her normal office days/hours, there will be an OB helping with the delivery. But Shelly seems to be comfortable with the 3 or 4 doctors that work at Mercy, so that's good. We're glad to find someone who is going to be supportive and extremely knowledgeable about natural births. At one point Shelly even said it took her a long time to get past thinking a home birth is the only way to go!

So, we're moving right along. Jill's next appointment is on the 15th, and we're hoping they'll try to find the heartbeat then, even though we're anticipating more of a basic intake/phsyical kind of appointment.

That's all for now...maybe Jill will update a bit with how she's been feeling, what she's thinking (ahem, cough, cough, nudge, nudge).

2006-10-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm very greatful that the all-day-sickness has finally left (well, mostly), but if the headache that I've had last night could go away as well, I would really appreciate it.

So, things are going well on the baby front. I found a new OB. I have to wait until I get my bloodwork test results back before I can set up an appointment with her, but it's nice to know that I have someone (mostly) set-up.

In non-baby-related news, Josh and I closed on our first home last Thursday. We moved all of our stuff in on Saturday, and now we're living amongst boxes! It's really exciting to know that we're going to raise our family in this home. I have big plans for the nursery... just no energy to go along with the plans. Oh well... we've got time... it'll get done.

(=

Thanks, Pop

2006-09-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Jillian's grandfather e-mailed her this comic. I thought it was hilarious and provided a good bump to the beginning of the dreaded Monday morning.

I'm extremely excited about this baby! Every so often, it just hits me: we're having a baby; I'm going to be a dad! AWESOME.

I think one of the things I'm most excited about is hearing the heartbeat for the first time. I don't think that happens until at least week 10, so we still have another 4-5 weeks to go.

My First Doctor's Appointment

2006-09-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

I had my first doctor’s appointment yesterday. I’m 100% sure that I’m not going to stay with her for the duration of my pregnancy. The practice itself doesn’t seem very NCB (natural childbirth) friendly, and since that’s what I’m planning on, I think I need to find an OB/midwife/birthing facility that can support me.

One thing that really irked me about my appointment was that the nurse who took my information was totally dismissive of the information I gave her. For example, when she asked me when the first day of my last cycle began, I told her “August 8th, but my cycles aren’t 28 days long, they’re around 31 days (on average).” She asked if I had estimated a due date yet. I said yes, “May 18, 2007.” At that point she pulls out her little circular due date estimator (you align the concentric circles to the first day of your last cycle and the due date gets estimated at another point on the apparatus). She says, “Huh, I’m coming up with May 14th.” Then I asked her if the estimator was based on a 28 day cycle. She said yes. I then repeated that I have 31 day cycles and that that was the information I used to figure out my due date. She wrote the 14th down in my chart. Maybe this doesn’t seem like a big deal. In truth, it isn’t… especially because I’m not staying with this particular OB. However, most OBs will only ‘let’ you go about 2 weeks past your due date before talking about induction. Her putting down the 14th (if I were to stay with that OB) would mean that she would be screwing me out of 4 days already. Again, this is a moo point (a cow’s opinion… it doesn’t really matter) because (1.) I’m not staying with this practice, and (2.) They can talk induction all they want. I’m not doing it. Am. Not. Consenting. Not going to happen. Repeat ad nauseam.

So, I guess I’m going to start my new OB/midwife hunt a little earlier than I had expected. My next appointment is scheduled for the 6th. I’m hoping to have someone else set up so that I don’t have to go back to that office at all. Wish me luck.

Just thought I would also let everyone know that all-freaking-day-long-sickness set in this past Tuesday. I’ve been sucking on Saltines and drinking ginger ale/ginger tea ever since. I’m also pretty darn exhausted, though I’ve found that if I can get to bed no later than 9:30 PM, I’m pretty much okay for the next day… at least until 5PM. My husband is wonderful (just another little tidbit of information). He’s been taking care of all of the cat stuff for days now and sending me to bed as early as possible. I love him.

God Is a Trickster

2006-09-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

At 4am on Tuesday, I took a HPT, and it came back positive! At that point I ran back to bed, tapped my snoozing husband frantically on the arm and yelled, "I'm pregnant!" He asked me if I was serious, and I asked him if I would joke about such a thing.

By that point the adrenaline was rushing, so there was no going back to bed for us. Instead, we got up, washed dishes, and did two loads of laundry. And, we actually had time to go out to a celebratory breakfast at Abe's deli... our waitress was the first person to find out our good news.

Tuesday was a rush and a blur. So far we've told most of our families and just about all of our good friends (oy! Ferris... give a girl a call back, would ya?!?). We're going to wait to tell work people for a few more weeks. Right now I'm about five weeks along... we'll probably wait until after the first trimester.

So, I'm nervous. And I'm excited. And nervous. Nervous.

Josh picked up two books for me that I had been requesting: The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, by Henci Goer, and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin. I cannot wait to get further into them.

So, the title of this blog. Let me explain. God is a trickster. Josh and I have been (quietly) TTC since around March. I have been praying/hoping/wishing for a baby since then. About a month ago, Josh and I decided to buy a house. Things have been going pretty well with the sale, but I've really been praying/hoping/wishing that this house thing works out. So, now that the house buying is full steam ahead and we're looking at a mortgage, insurance, taxes, utilities—in short, being poor—God has blessed us with a baby... God's little was of saying, "There you go! Everything you've always wanted! *nudge, nudge* Don't say I never did anything for ya'!" Also, another little 'screw you' from the big guy: I have finally gotten into a routine of working out. My clothes are fitting really well and I feel great. In another few weeks, I'll be big and round and will definitly NOT fit into my jeans.

Still, I'm stoaked.