My newest purchase

So a few of you know my stroller situation.

When I was pregnant, Chris had asked for one main thing - a stroller with big wheels. Seeing as I had picked out mostly everything, this was something I was willing to oblige. So after many outing to Babies R Us, we decided on the Jeep Liberty Stroller.



It essentially folded in half, so it would fit in the world's smallest trunk, aka my Cabrio. Right? Wrong. The tires are HUGE and sit waaay too tall. As we found out when Cole was 2 weeks and I was having a get together in Hershey with 2 friends and their babies that next day... and therefore had to run to Babies R Us at 8:30 at night with a 2 week old baby to splurge on a Snap N Go stroller. That's another $70 down the drain.



This came in very handy, seeing as it folded to practically nothing. Also, the baby seat would just snap out of the car and into the stroller (hence Snap N Go. Yep. master of the obvious here). Bring in problem #2... The tank, aka my child, has almost outgrown his infant carrier, and has transitioned to his convertible car seat in my car. Therefore, there is nothing to Snap, so no more Go.

Bring in problem #3. How do you find a stroller that folds small enough to fit in the world's smallest trunk, while still having a full recline for naps on the go, cupholders, and an under-basket? While of course, still being cute, because who wants an ugly stroller... Oh, and while not having to spend his college fund on it.

Enter my new beauty, the Joovy Kooper. To be delivered in T minus 10 hours!



Remember when you got your license and a car? Yeah, it's kinda like that.

Meanwhile, Cole is MINUTES away from crawling. We are up on all fours, rocking, and even jumping our knees forward a bit. I'm not quite ready for this, but I don't have any more time to prepare! I only have one more thing to try to slow down time...

::sticks baby in freezer::

:::waits for CPS to come knocking:::

We are just a few days away...

Cole is almost 6 months. 6 MONTHS PEOPLE! I cannot believe he has been here this long. Every day is fresh and new with him, and it still feels like yesterday when I could feel his every movement - like it or not! On the outside however, he sleeps at 3 am now instead of hosting a rave.

6 months brings yet another milestone - one not to be posted elsewhere (no FB please!) - we are officially 'not preventing'. I won't say we are TTC yet, because of all that the term entails, we are not doing. No OPKs, no BBT, no CBEFM... we will revisit this if there isn't a BFP by Cole's first birthday. We will see what happens. We would ideally like the kids no more than 2 years apart, but I know better than to count on that. Cole took a year, so I'm not holding my breath.

I am afraid of being pregnant and having Cole. Cole was rough. I'm not one of those women who enjoy pregnancy. I would go through labor 10 times over to avoid those 9 months. Now to go through it with a baby... there is no more sleeping until noon. Noon is now nap time, I've already been up, changed diapers, clothes, fed the little man, the dogs, myself, played, and in bed already. If I'm sick again, if I have ICP again... there is no laying in bad all day, there is no sleeping the day away, hell, I won't even be able to take my time while puking. I know I'll manage, but I am such a planner, and this isn't something I can figure out ahead of time. The unknown is not something I am good with!

In other news, there is a new job prospect on the horizon for Chris. Verizon has been talking layoffs again for a while now. This time however, they are talking HUGE layoffs. No one is safe - the new guys were already laid off this year. There is a great job staring him in the face. Even better benefits than we have now, their starting pay is what Chris is at now (also known as Verizon's top pay), complete job security... with one catch. He would have to join the Air National Guard. Deployment is my first worry of course. He is told highly unlikely, but of course they can't guarantee it. Deployment is voluntary, unless the entire unit is deployed. It also wouldn't be a typical deployment, it would only be until their job is done - weeks, not months. I also need to know if there is any bootcamp. Since he would be a reenlistment, he might not have to go. I'm unsure. He'll have to bring more information from the recruiter before I make my final decision. I think he really wants to though, and I would have a VERY hard time telling him no if he decides this would be a good move.

One more plus side of this though - Verizon offers a buy-out (called an ISP) before they start layoffs. This gives anyone a chance to take a lump sum to walk away. Last year, they offered a double ISP. The rumor is, this year will be a TRIPLE ISP! Since Chris already has 5 years with the company, this could be GOOD. Not to mention, if he gets a signing bonus from the ANG, we could potentially be looking at anywhere from $30,000-$50,000. Cash. Lump sum. Yeah, that would be enough to make me say yes.

Okay, enough for now. Bedtime... the man will be up bright and early, the teething monster has come to visit. Grrrr!

I gots an award!

Sweetpea has bestowed upon me this little number:


My first award! Part of this though, is to tell you 10 random things about myself. This might take a while. :D

1. I hate an astounding hatred for pickles. I have never met another person who does, but they are gross to me. If I order a cheeseburger at McDonald's, I KNOW if they just took off the pickles or if they made a fresh one - and I won't eat it if they just took them off.

2. I cannot have anything on my feet to sleep. I know when I am able to fall asleep by the temperature of my feet - if they are hot, it's time for bed. Seriously. If they are still cold, I won't be able to fall asleep, so I watch TV until they heat up LOL!

3. I'm a natural blonde, and color my hair dark brown for every fall and winter. It washes out by the time summer hits, so then I'm blonde again. While most people go blonde, I go dark. It's also naturally curly, which you will almost never see.

4. I've never met my best friend. <3

5. I used to be the biggest coffee-holic in the world. I had about an 8 cup a day habit, more if I was tired or stressed. Then I got pregnant, and now, if it's not a Peppermint Mocha, I'm not interested. Also, I am so backwards with this - most people become lightweights after pregnancy. I can drink better than I ever have now LOL!

6. I went to an all-girls private Catholic high school. Knee socks and all.

7. I have the distinguished palate of a 4 year old, but I will try everything. Even fish, though I consistently hate it. You never know when something could be good. I used to like crab, ate it all the time as a child. Then I went years without having it, got it one day thinking I loved it... nope. Not anymore.

8. On the same lines, I have a total wuss mouth. When I do get my peppermint mochas, I order them at 130 degrees (instead of the traditional 190). I cannot drink/eat anything hot at ALL.

9. I am only of the extremely few females that are colorblind. My dad, brother, sister #3, and myself are all extremely bad at it. There have been many things I don't buy Cole because purple is a girl color... only to be told later that they are blue. Oops.

10. I am still taking my prenatals. This way, I can experiment with haircuts, and it grows right back in a matter of 2 weeks. :D

Now for my 5:

Danse

Catie

Rachi

Callie

Brigid


<3

New Year's Spark

I joined Sparkpeople. I have to lose this weight.

It's ironic, actually. In the year it took to make Cole, I gained 30 pounds. In the 9 months it took to bake Cole, I gained 18 - and had to fight to do it. The baby weight fell right off me - plus 2 pounds. The wanting-a-baby weight, however... that has stuck around. Literally. AROUND. I have a spare tire completely around my waist. I look 12 weeks pregnant. I even bought a body-sucker. Oh, I mean, slimmer. :D Yeah, it helps... a little. It smoothes and redistributes, but unless they make one of those out of steel, it's not gonna cut it.

Now my diet (weekday diet, anyway...) involves a whole lot of turkey, swiss cheese, lettuce, whole wheat pita, and hummus. Let's not forget the light yogurt too... And I really like it! This weekend was a massive fail, consisting of pizza Friday, Red Lobster Saturday, McDonalds and pizza Sunday... and a LOT of booze in there with it! Time to get back into it.

Cole and I have a workout hour. Okay, it's more like a half hour. He jumps in the jumperoo, I run on the treadmill. Okay, okay... I run for about 3 minutes until I think I'm dying and then walk. :D I'm hoping he's gonna let me start the 30 day shred too, but I don't really know when I am going to. I was planning to do it at night after he goes to bed, but I'm usually exhausted by that point, so I sit down to a nice screen full of Farmville.

I have really had enough of this cold spell - I would normally take him for a walk in the park and then come home and shred while he jumps. The only problem is, when the wind chill puts the temperature at -5 degrees, you don't take the baby out walking, no matter how well he's bundled.

I am going to try a new plan tomorrow. I will shred while he jumps and then walk when he sleeps. I think the Shred will probably be more productive than walking anyway, so if I have to skip one, it's probably better to skip the walk. I'll let you know how it goes!

I'm a Boy Mom

and it is totally different that being a girl mom. Baby Rabies has a fabulous entry on it - you should go read it. A little tear comes to my eye. I hate when people act like having a boy is a misfortune, or a negative thing, or almost pity-enducing... I love every minute. I even hope for yet another boy, because he is so much.... well, there is no word for what he is!

And I too had that moment of panic when I saw those boy bits on the ultrasound. What do I do with a boy? I don't watch sports, I don't play sports, and my husband hits the floor at the sight of blood. I still fear the day Cole comes through the front door with some kind of appendage barely hanging on, blood gushing on the floor, and I have to rush him to the ER to stop the bleeding - and my husband to treat his concussion. But you best believe, I will have the camera in hand, and once everyone is okay, I will have one HELL of a laugh about it!

Being a Boy Mom means slobbery kisses and hugs that start with a running leap.

Being a Boy Mom means saving hundreds on clothes, even if only to spend that amount or more later in life on ER visits.

Being a Boy Mom means developing a keen eye for bugs and coming to terms with the fact that sometimes they can just be considered an extra helping of protein.

Being a Boy Mom doesn’t mean you won’t continue to be squeemish about things like spiders, it just means your squeels will be entertaining to the boy who taunts you by trying to eat one.

Being a Boy Mom means being the builder of block towers so big they lean and topple, leaving you both in stitches.

Being a Boy Mom means developing a very watchful eye while changing diapers, always on the lookout for that surprise pee stream attack.

Being a Boy Mom means having the pleasure of watching your son learn from his father, and then reminding his father that at a certain age they will start to repeat the F word, even if that F word is shouted at a TV during a sporting event.

Being a Boy Mom means you’ve been given the tremendous opportunity and challenge to raise someone who will grow up to be a respectful, loving and kind man. He may break hearts, but hopefully, with your guidance, he will do so gently, and ultimately he will make some lucky partner very, very happy.

Being a Boy Mom may mean giving up the fantasy of getting your nails done together after a frilly tea party, but it’s replaced by so many fun future memories that you can’t even begin to think up because right now you just don’t know what to do with a boy.

Don’t worry… it will come to you.

~Baby Rabies

2009 - a year in review

There is no topping 2009. This has absolutely been the hardest and greatest year of my life... for one obvious reason. Because of this same reason, the blog has been greatly neglected. One New Year's Resolution however, is to get back to it!

My sweet little boy is now 5 months, and the absolute light of my life. We have finally settled into a routine, which makes life both easier and difficult. When we are at home, every day runs like a well oiled machine. Wake up at 7, eat, back to bed, wake up for the day at 10. One hour of play, breakfast for Cole, the dogs, and me, nap almost 2 hours. Two hours of play, nap - anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. Play, start dinner, eat, bath, book, bottle, bed.

This also means, if I leave the house, I am screwed since naps will consist of 30 minutes and I will pay for it the rest of the day! But it's fabulous, I wouldn't have it any other way. I just never leave the house without the Moby, and make sure to do everything on one day!

So here is my year a la Cole in pictures:

January

February

March
IT'S A BOY!

April

May


June

July
He's HERE!

August

September

October

November

December

It's been one AMAZING ride! Can't wait to see what 2010 brings... a sibling, perhaps? ;)

It's been a year!

One year ago today, 11.22.08, Cole was simply...

THIS.

An entire life in one teeny little line. The most beautiful little line I have ever seen, still to this day.

Vote for Cole!

http://gapc-vote.com/?p=1872107

You will be given a few 'offers' before voting, but every one has a 'skip' option!

I would really like it if Cole would stop growing...

Not only would I get my actual money's worth out of these clothes, but there would be no GROWTH SPURTS.

Aka the DEVIL.

Cole went through his 3 month spurt a wee bit early - and we were back to eating every 3 hours through the night. He pushed his bedtime back at the same time, so Mom and Dad were in a world of hurt. Sleep started at 12:45, then we were up at 4, 6:30, 9, 11, and then we would either wake up for the day or go back to sleep until 1 PM! It was like being a newborn again, with days and nights mixed up. Granted, I have ALWAYS been like that, but over the past 3 months, I've been conditioned to go to bed by 11. Midnight is suddenly an ugly hour. And don't get me started on the lack of naps - on Saturday, the man was awake for 8 HOURS STRAIGHT.

We've never gotten off every 2 hour feedings during the day, but he even bumped them a bit closer to an hour and 45! Just when I put the PNP back up in our room, when I'm ready to pull out my hair and lose it... he STTN again. Ahhhh sweet relief! He went down last night at 11ish, in his crib at 11:30, and he slept in the crib until 5:30. He was fussing then, almost to a cry, when I went, got him, brought him into bed, grabbed the bottle - and realized he was fast asleep again. Munchkin did not wake up until 9am!

We still have no interest in rolling from back to belly, which Mommy is grateful for at the moment. He does love his feet, and is now exploring things with them! We put him in his stroller last night during dinner under the ceiling fan (his favorite thing in the world at the moment!) and when we were cleaning up, Chris noticed he was trying to put his feet up on the tray. Sure enough, he really was! I put my hands there, he started kicking my hands. The boy has aim! He's also started drooling, blowing spit bubbles, and chomping/licking everything in sight - especially his hands and my shoulder!

I am amazed at him every day. He is becoming such a little person, not just a baby! He is so alert, so nosy, so interested in EVERYTHING. He's such a happy guy! He LOVES his bath especially. He will splash around, kick his legs, swing his arms, and laugh! Every once in a while, he'll even get so excited, he'll let out a squeal! He is the happiest bath baby ever.

Speaking of the little man, he's waking up. Have to cut it short!

Thank God there is INSURANCE.

-Induction, delivery, epidural, pediatrician, circumcision, hospital stay
Total cost of 07.23 to 07.27: $17,674.80

-Two rounds of betas, quad screen, and weekly blood work to monitor cholestasis
Total cost: $2901.00

-3 ultrasounds
Total cost: $1105.00


Total for all hospital claims: $21,680.80



Total out of pocket expense?



$0.



Dear Aetna,

<3

that is all.

Long time, no post...

It's been the most exhausting and exhilarating 2 months of my life!



Cole is such a good baby. I definitely won the baby lottery with him! Granted, he's president of the Crap Napper Society, but sleeps so well at night that I won't complain. Most times, he sleeps through the night. Last night, he went down at 10pm, woke up to eat at 6:30, and went back down until noon. NOON! The last time I slept until noon, I was pregnant!



Cole is such a big guy! My handsome little man is not so little. At 2 months, he is the size of your average 4 month old. At birth, he was 7lbs, 6oz, and 20". At one month, he was 10lbs, 14oz, and 22 3/4". At two months, he was 13lbs, 10oz, and 25"! That's 89th percentile for weight, and 99th for height! Considering I'm 5'1", we know it didn't come from me! :D



He has also started rolling! He rolled one day at 7 weeks, but I'm pretty sure it was unintentional. I don't really count it. It took him about 10 minutes, and never showed another drop of interest in it again... until Saturday (10.03) when he went down for tummy time, and just threw back his head, threw back his arm, picked up his leg, and kicked himself over. He did it twice on Sunday too! Now, back to belly we are showing no interest in - which I am quite thankful for. It's been pointed out to me that rolling while changing poo diapers is an Olympic sport that there is no practicing for.

Cole did have his first ER trip - talk about scary. He had one hell of a fever the day after his shots - 102.5. They sent us in, they took blood (from a vein people! No little heel prick!), had to use a catheter for a urine sample, took a chest xray, and we are waiting on cultures. Preliminary results are all negative, so it looks promising that it was strictly over his shots. They are slightly worried about GBS, since I was positive and dialated so quickly after they broke my water that I only received one dose of antibiotics.



We are currently on our second of 2 weeks out in Pittsburgh... it's COLD here! I had to go out and get him a hat :D It's a little difficult to live in a hotel with a baby, but luckily the company sprung for the suite - which happens to be a King Suite with a Jacuzzi! Cole is the happiest camper in the monster bathtub. It's practically a pool! He is the happiest bath time baby - he will not sleep at night without his bath. He's a serious creature of habit. His night routine MUST start at 9:30 or Mr. Crankpants comes to visit.



A few things for the moms-to-be - my list of useful and junk. I plan on making a full post, but for now, a quick list. Now, this is just what I discovered - I know there are people who hate gowns, who swear by the mittens, who loved t-shirts... write it on your own blog. :D

Get:
SwaddleMes - at least 3 if your kid is a puker like mine!
Carter's speedy exit creepers (onesies that snap all the way down the front, no over-the-head, easy belly button access)
Sleep n plays (snaps for the day, ZIPPERS at night. You never want to try to match up those tiny little snaps in the dark!) Carter's and Old Navy sell ones with flippy hands (built in mittens) to keep life simple.
BABY LEGS (do you know how hard it is to get jeans on and off a baby?)
Carter's Gowns - until he hit 3-6m clothing, he never wore anything else for bed. Keep things simple for middle of the night diaper changes! And they have flippy hands!
Gerber Burp clothes - the kind that are like cloth diapers, NOT the terrycloth ones. 3 for $8.99
Shout Advanced - again, especially if your kid is a puker like mine. (To be crazy cautious, I put it through a double rinse cycle in the washer. My skin is super sensitive, so I can only imagine his is too. I can only use All Free Clear detergent for myself, and I have no problems with it. Neither has Cole.)
Dr. Brown's Formula Pitcher. Now, it is by no means a neccesity. Cole has a lactose intolerance and we had to switch him to Similac Sensitive. No matter how long you let the formula sit, there will be SO much foam on the top, it was bad. I would scoop it off with a spoon after making his bottle. The pitcher mixes the formula without incorporating air into it, and what tiny bit of foam is in there will stay in the pitcher as you pour out bottles. You can also add a little Mylicon to the bottle, but I've found Cole spits up more (he has reflux) when he gets the drops. It also has oz measurement along the sides, so you can make a full day's worth of formula at one time, pour out bottles, and when the man is hungry, I just grab a premade bottle out of the fridge.

Leave:
One piece outfits without feet. Socks don't stay on. Cole ONLY wears socks when it's cold under babylegs. And the rare occasion he gets dressed up.
Mittens. They never stayed on Cole, I lost more than I owned. Get the outfits with flippy hands insted.
DON'T stock up on clothing! We expected Cole to be a decent size, so we stocked UP on 0-3 and only purchase 2 NB outfits. He wore NB clothes for a month, and we had to go out and get more. He only wore 0-3 for ALMOST 3 weeks. He didn't wear HALF the 0-3 clothes we had bought! You never know how fast or slow they will grow. Get a few pieces, basics in each size, build from there WHEN they get there.
Baby t-shirts. Nothing like having to adjust the clothing EVERY. TIME. You touch your child. They may as well be baby half-tops.


And my general FYI: Gerber onesies run a full size too small. By the time Cole got out of the hospital, he could no longer wear his NB t-shirts. NB fits preemie, 0-3 fits NB, etc. The sleep n plays run pretty true to size, but a tad short. Carter's are longer than most brands, and get the longest time's use in my house. BabyGap sizing is dead on.

Cole is here!

Cole’s birth story

We went in Thursday night at 8 pm. We were brought back right away to a Triage room – I had to wait for a room for about an hour - and I got the Cervidil right away. It turns out I had been having contractions all week, but I thought it was Cole stretching! I was a fingertip dilated already. Contractions picked up with the Cervidil in, so Cheri (my midwife) gave me an Ambien to sleep through the night.
Sleep didn’t go so well, seeing as my little man was sunny side up – and was not impressed with being monitored! They had to come in and track him down about every hour. He never liked the Doppler at any appointments, why start now? It turns out Cervidil was a big fail – it gave me contractions, but not regularly enough. Cheri came back in at about 7 am, checked me (a tight 1 cm) and gave me Cytotec to get contractions rolling. That really did its job, and hurt like hell in the process.

Cheri came back around noon, and told me she would be back after office hours, when she would break my water if it hadn’t on its own. She didn’t check me then – thank GOD, that hurts! – but told me she was ready to start Pitocin. My response was, “And my epidural too?” She laughed and told me that she would write the order for it, just to let them know when I wanted it and they would start the IV bolus. She was more than okay with that, since when my water broke, the contractions would really pick up.

Then the nurse’s shift changed.

I was doing really well laboring on my own, but contractions hurt like hell. I knew I was afraid of the Pitocin for a reason! Everyone in the room knew when I was having one, that they were to shut up in the process, let me breathe, don’t touch me or my bed… I couldn’t have yelled if I wanted to, I couldn’t bear the thought of using a muscle to do it. The pitocin was really kicking my ass at that point – contractions were coming every minute and they were actually off the monitor’s scale.

So I asked the nurse for the epidural.

The nurse, Cathy, gave me a lecture as to how it was risky to get an epidural too early, that I didn’t know how far along I was, how I should really try changing positions, a million other blah blah blah’s, and walked out. We moved me out of the bed since she said I should really stay off my back. The problem was, if I wasn’t on my back, I was having serious back labor because of his position. About an hour later, Cathy came back in, and I again asked for my epidural. This time, she rattled off a list of ‘natural birthing’ techniques. She really was pushing me to get on a birthing ball. Um, hey lady, I can’t imagine moving a muscle to scream, I have no desire to EFFING BOUNCE. When I told her no, she again just left.
Another hour goes by, she comes back in. At this point, I’m annoyed. I again ask for the epidural. She goes on this giant ramble about the birthing ball again. I snapped at her, told her I had NO desire for a birthing ball, I wasn’t getting out of the chair unless it was to get on the bed for my epidural placement. She continued with her birthing ball speech, and after the FOURTH time telling her no, I just closed my eyes and ignored her. It’s now 5:30pm, I’ve been in labor for over 21 hours without relief. Cheri calls, says she is leaving the office and will be over in a little bit. When she asked how I was doing, the nurse – while standing next to me, replied, “She rates her pain at a nine, but I think she might just be ‘allergic to pain’.” I thought I was going to DECK HER. She said something again about the birthing ball, and the only response she got from me was “OH. MY. GOD. NO.” She went to leave the room, and told my sister-in-law that she was going to go get the birthing ball to show me how to use it!

When my sister-in-law told me what she said, I got PISSED. I told her that if she comes in this room with that DAMN BALL, I WAS GOING TO F@*&ING CHOKE HER WITH IT. My SIL tried to intercept the nurse at the door, and told her that I did NOT want the ball, and she literally pushed past her and said, “I’m just going to show her how to use it.” I had to SCREAM at her “NO! I DON’T WANT IT!” then laid my head back, closed my eyes, and breathed through yet another endless contraction. The nurse stared at me for a minute, then backed out of the room – and took the ball with her.

After about a half an hour, Cathy reemerged. She sat down next to me and gave me a speech about how she was my advocate, and how she talked to the anesthesiologist who told her an epidural can last for days, and about some other patient’s natural birth that I didn’t even listen to… I finally cut her off midway through her ‘I didn’t mean to make you mad, I’m only here to help’ speech to tell her that when I say no, I mean it – and when I say it 4 times, I REALLY mean it. That isn’t an invitation to have your own ideas. Oh, and that whole allergic to pain comment – just because I am not SCREAMING my head off doesn’t mean I’m not in pain. Look at the effing monitor! I asked her if SHE would feel better if I were to start screaming through my contractions, then would she believe me? Then can I get my epidural? Cathy tried to rationalize it as ‘her way’ to describe my situation to Cheri, quickly apologized, and again left the room.

There was suddenly a situation in the Special Care Delivery, and Cathy would no longer be my nurse since she was needed there. YES! Danielle from the night before would be there for the next hour. Cheri arrived shortly after, saw me in the chair, and I watched her face drop. She asked me why I didn’t have my epidural. Insert story here about crazy nurse… Cheri was PISSED. First thing out of her mouth was “I didn’t want you to feel your water broken. I WROTE the order for the epidural, she had it.”

At this point, I had now been in labor for 22 hours. It was 6:30 on Friday night. Another nurse change, Erin was on duty, who would be there the whole time. I loved her! Cheri checked me, and I was a loose 1 cm. 22 hours of labor and all day of pitocin and I’ve only gone from fingertip to 1 cm?! She broke my water - and BAM. I didn’t know pain like that existed. I couldn’t breathe through the contractions, I couldn’t do anything. I was prepared for them to get worse, but I thought maybe they would ramp up, not immediately change! Luckily, I only had to deal with that for about 10 minutes before Dr. Davis came with that magic epidural. It was in place in about a minute. He was GOOD.

At that point, it was time for a nap. I was exhausted. I slept for about 2 hours, then my SIL and MIL came back in. We talked for about an hour, when suddenly, I had to poop. I know everyone says that means you are ready to push, but being as 3 hours ago I was 1 cm, no, I was pretty sure I just had to poop. After a very awkward conversation with Erin about how to go about that, there was no poop progression. She decided to check me to see how things were going, and yep, it was time to push. 1 cm to 10 in just under 3 hours.

Pushing sucked. I’m not gonna lie. At first, it felt good to push, like it was a relief of some kind to the pressure. About 20 minutes into it, I started having this hip pain on my right side. Every push made the pressure worse. My contractions were still 2-3 minutes apart, and every time I stopped pushing to wait for another contraction, I thought my hip was going to break. My epidural was still in, but I was in tears with the hip pain. After an hour of pushing, Erin called Cheri to see what she thought. Cheri and Dr. Eichenlaub came in. It turns out Cole was stuck on my hip. Every time I pushed, I was pushing him harder into my hip.

Get ready to cringe.

So Dr. Eichenlaub pushed Cole back up, out of my hip, and had to turn him so I would have a chance at getting him out. One hour of pushing, undone in 2 minutes… then the fun started. I could hear Cheri and Dr. Eich talking, but I didn’t even hear what they were saying. MIL, SIL, and Chris told me afterward, and Dr. Eich the next morning, but I am so glad I didn’t hear this. Cheri had come up to my head at one point to tell me about once his head comes out, I still needed to push hard to get his shoulders out. There was apparently a big debate going on about whether or not he would be able to come out at all. I was pushing, they had gotten the vacuum ready, but decided it could be a danger to use it. He was either going to come out or we were going to the OR. I started tearing on the inside, so I was given an episiotomy. I had no idea I did actually – and Dr. Eich actually apologized that he had to do it the next day LOL. After about 5 more contractions, they were ready to pull the plug and head for the OR, which I again didn’t know. I pushed his head half way out, when my contraction ended. Talk about pressure! I was BEGGING for someone to pull him out – what I didn’t know was that they weren’t going to touch him – and I had to stay like that for 3 minutes until the next contraction. All I wanted to do was push, and I wasn’t allowed to!

I remember asking my SIL, “How far out is he?!” And her response? “I don’t know, you’re gonna have to ask my mom!” Another 3 contractions and Cole was out. He was born after 2 hours of pushing and 28 hours of labor, at 12:21 am on Saturday, July 25, 2009. He was 7lbs, 6oz, and 20” long… and the most perfect thing on earth.

The countdown is ON!

Thursday night, 8 pm...

Last blood draw is DONE!

Granted, there will be more after he is here to make sure my levels go down, but the last prenatal is done! Hopefully results will be in at my 1pm appointment and we'll be able to schedule everything with (almost) certainty today!

(For those that don't know what I mean, inductions are scheduled, but then you still have to call in before you go to see if they have a room. They won't start someone's labor intentionally without a place for them! :D )

I definitely FEEL the increase in the levels this week. I don't know how far up yet, obviously, but I have gotten even itchier - and a new pattern has emerged on my hands and feet. It's not a rash, I'm just... red and white speckled LOL!

I'll update later today!

Cole's eviction notice has been dated!

My liver numbers are still climbing.

The plan? Get to 38 weeks, and then GET HIM OUT PRONTO! If all goes well, he will make an entrance on next Thursday or Friday! I still need a round of blood work on Monday, and we are hoping all will be fine to hold out until the end of the week. I hit 38 weeks on Wednesday, 7/22. If the liver panel results come back on Monday that we can wait, I'll be induced depending on hospital availability.

I will know on Monday when we get to meet the little man!