Jenn's Journal

Fairy Dust Smilebox

2007-09-20T16:54:00.001-04:00

Momma Turns 30

2007-09-19T22:25:00.001-04:00

Yes, you read that correctly... I turned 30 today. And you know what, apart from the arthritis that seems to have taken over my joints, the hemorrhoids, gas, and foggy memory that I am suddenly experiencing, I don't feel any different. :-) Just kidding... I don't have any of those symptoms though a certain someone suggested that life is all downhill from here. I just don't see it. I think life is great and only missing a few more hours of sleep!

Today was a good day, sort of. When I woke up, I found a note from Charlotte in my kitchen wishing me a happy birthday. And, my mom came down last night to spend my birthday with me and to watch Charlotte while Bruce took me out to dinner. My mom and I had a good day visiting and took Charlotte to Wal-Mart for her 6-week photos (which is why I don't have any to post here, there won't be in until 10/10). Then, we went to Crisper's for lunch... I love their Harvest Cobb Salad! While at lunch, and after nursing Charlotte, she took a head dive straight for the edge of the table!

That freaked her out, and me too. I think the people in the back of the restaurant heard her wail after her head connected with the table's edge. Fortunately, she is as hard-headed as we expected and calmed down pretty quickly. Then though, she got really sleepy. I didn't know if it was because she had just nursed, or if she had a concussion, so I called the doctor's office. They had an appointment available immediately, so we went in and met with Dr. Sandavol. She was great!

Dr. Sandavol looked her over and told us what to watch for in the next 48-72 hours, but otherwise said that it looked like Charlotte was just fine. And so far, I've not seen any adverse affects of her table-dive. She even still lets me hold her. :-) I will say though, apart from being initially VERY scared, I think I handled this situation fairly well as I didn't cry myself or lose total confidence in my ability as a mother.

After we returned home, I nursed her some more and waited for my husband to come home. After he checked Lottie's head and gave me some good natured teasing, we left for my birthday dinner. Lottie was in the capable hands of her grandma and had plenty of milk in the fridge to hold her over.

Bruce and I went to Chili's for dinner and I discovered Buffalo Chicken Fajitas! Wow! So yummy... afterwards, we went over to the mall to find me some new clothes. I didn't want a lot, but needed something to supplement my current wardrobe of 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of exercise pants, and a couple of tops that also worked for nursing. I had cleaned out my closets this week and packed up all of my maternity clothes so I would have to confront the fact that I didn't have anything to wear!

You see, when I got pregnant, I was down to about 156 lbs and wearing a size 12 or so. Well, not all of the weight I gained during my pregnancy can be blamed on Charlotte, so I really don't have much to wear. I tried to remain frugal though and got 2 pairs of pants and 4 shirts for $27... all from Sear's 75% off-clearance racks. That should be enough to get me through for a little while until I can fit into my pre-maternity wardrobe (which is now hanging proudly and expectantly in my closet).

Thanks for checking in on my 30th birthday post. I've accomplished a major goal and that was having my first child before 30. Thanks Charlotte!

Twelve Rules for Raising Delinquent Children

2007-09-18T06:21:00.000-04:00

May I never be caught following these rules:

Twelve Rules for Raising Delinquent Children

Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.
When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute. It will also encourage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top of your head later.
Never give him any spiritual training. Wait till he is 21 and then let him decide for himself.
Avoid use of the word "wrong". It may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe that society is against him and he is being persecuted.
Pick up everything he leaves lying around (books, shoes, and clothing). Do everything for him so he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on to others.
Let him read any printed material he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.
Quarrel frequently in the presence of your child. In this way he will not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.
Give the child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them?
Satisfy his every craving for food, drink and comfort. See that every sensual desire is gratified.
Denial of his desires may lead to harmful frustration.
Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.
When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him."
Prepare for a life of grief.

(Originally posted here.)

Go Bulldogs!

2007-09-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

Lottie went to her 2nd football game last Friday night. I think she enjoyed it, plus she got to hang out with our friend Latrelle. The Frostproof Bulldogs beat Mulberry. Go bulldogs!

Lottie had another first this weekend too... she went to the church nursery - twice! We visited Northland Community Church on Saturday night and I left her in their nursery. It was a very high-tech experience. I got a beeper (like they give out at restaurants) and stickers. One sticker for her, one for her bag, and one for me to wear to show I was authorized to pick her up. They are very security conscience, which is why I felt comfortable leaving her in the nursery of a church that is not my own. Then, on Sunday morning, Lottie went to the nursery at our church for the entire morning! She didn't cry and was actually asleep when I went to pick her up.

This morning we had an unfortunate incident though... Lottie threw up on mommy. She was fussy while she was eating and I guess I know why now. She didn't cry and it wasn't the end of the world, just the first time she did it. I undressed her and cleaned her (and I) up and now she is sleeping in her swing. What fun!

Update: Doctor's office just called back. They said that f she did it again to bring her in, but that otherwise, since she had no other symptoms, she should be fine. The nurse mentioned something about food in my diet, but I haven't eaten anything unusual in the last 24 hours, so I doubt that is it. She's nursing again now and seems fairly content.

Breastfeeding

2007-09-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

Time Magazine posted this article, "What Breastfeeding Can't Do," online and it seems to be fairly popular. Right now it is ranked #2, which I guess goes to show the fascination we have with breasts in this country, since so few people in the US actually breastfeed. I have made the decision to exclusively breastfeed Charlotte until 6 months and then to continue until she is at least 1 year old, adding solids to her diet as needed. The American Pediatric Association recommends exclusive feeding until 6 months and continued feeding until 1 year old, yet look at these statistics from the CDC.

I suppose I wanted to blog about this because I didn't like the title of the article. While I agree that it is every mother's right to decide how to feed her baby, it would be silly for me to ignore how perfect breast milk is for a baby, even if it might not do the things that some people thought (i.e. prevent asthma and allergies). The headline Time chose seems to reduce the significance of breast milk and support a culture that already tries to disparage breastfeeding mothers.

I know I am not doing a very good job of complaining about their headline, but it irks me and I wanted that on record. There are sound medical reasons why some women can't feed, but those are much rarer than most people believe. I am so fortunate to have a supportive spouse as that appears to be the biggest reason women give up breast feeding too soon. Thanks Bruce! (Even if you are still not quite comfortable with me doing it in public... you are getting there and understand how good it is for Charlotte.)

It seems I am becoming sort of an mini-activist about this. Recently, it was reported that Applebee's tried to prevent a woman from feeding her child while dining at their restaurant, despite state laws and common sense saying otherwise. Well, a nurse-in was scheduled and while I couldn't be there, I called the 2 Applebee's nearest to where I live and made sure they know about the law in FL. Of course, I did this in a respectful way letting them know I just wanted to make sure they understood nursing mom's rights. To their credit, while neither were aware of the FL law, they agreed it was appropriate and would not try to restrict any nursing mother from feeding her child.

Doctors & Dancing

2007-09-10T15:33:00.000-04:00

Monday I took Charlotte to her 1-month doctor's appointment with Dr. Eason. He looked her over and said "she's perfect!" I told him I knew that already, but it was nice to have a professional confirm it. The nurse took her vitals and we learned that Ms. Moon is now 21 1/2 inches long and 8 lb 12 oz. That means she has grown 1 1/2 inches and gained 13 oz since she was born. Her weight is perfect for her height and she is roughly in the 70th percentile of all babies. Some people have commented on her weight gain so I thought I'd explain why she is perfect. Normally, babies lose some weight their first week and gain it back during their second week. So, the real weight gain doesn't start until week three. Doctor's expect babies to gain 1/2 to 1 ounce per day, so after another 2 weeks, a baby should have gained 7-14 ounces. My Charlotte gained 13. She is right on track! Breastfed babies rule!

I'm also trying to teach her sign language and she rewarded me by flashing this sign while waiting for the doctor:

Okay, not really... I had to position her fingers like that in order to take the picture. But I had fun doing it. ;) In addition to "I Love You," we have started to learn the signs for Mother, Father, happy, and blanket.

Onto the dancing... Charlotte and I hit the dance floor on Saturday night in honor of our friend Bill's 60th birthday. There are lots of other people you will see dancing in this video and just a smidgen of us, but I thought it was fun enough so I didn't edit them out at all. Happy Birthday Bill!

(This isn't the video I wanted, but it's a start... I'm having uploading issues!)

Charlotte also spent some quality time with Grumpy. He'd been looking forward to this nap all week long. I love how Charlotte seems to be looking up adoringly at her Grumpy.

While at the party, she finally met our friends the Tillers. Ed and Beverly just became grandparents themselves to a little boy named Jaxon.

Lottie actually met a lot of other people too but unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures. We were at the party for a little over 3 hours, and I probably only held her for 60 minutes, and that was only because she wanted some milky love.

Tomorrow night we get to go to our second Frostproof Bulldogs football game. I'll try to take some pictures to share (of us at the game, not of the game itself).

She's 4 Weeks Old!

2007-09-05T20:25:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th Week Birthday Charlotte!

Today, our Charlotte Moon turned 4 weeks old. A good friend advised me to find a toy that we thought she would keep for a long time and take Charlotte's picture on it at regular intervals to track her growth. So, I took this adorable stuffed dog blanket she received as a gift from another cute little baby (thanks Eni!) and took some pictures. Here are my two favorite.

Isn't our daughter beautiful?

I decided to turn our photo shoot into an opportunity for some tummy time. We've been doing this a couple of times a day for the last 2 weeks and tonight was the first time she really held her head up for more than a quick second. I couldn't get a good picture of it because I was so excited for her. I thought this one though was really cute, even if her chin is resting on the dog's head just a little bit.I think the difference was that tummy time had been on the bed but tonight she was on the floor, which is harder and probably made it easier for her. I guess this is the sort of thing only a mother can get excited about. :-)

Catching Up

2007-09-04T14:09:00.000-04:00

Wow, it sure has been a while since I posted a blog! Thanks to Tess for reminding me that there are people out there who actually read this thing. :-)

I'll start with a recent photo of Charlotte. This was taken last Friday, August 31.

Since I last journaled, I have lost the list I was using to track things to write about, so hopefully you won't mind settling for my random thoughts today.

Sleep - I am amazed at how I can get by with so little sleep. Charlotte wakes me up about every 2 hours during the night and we spend 30-60 minutes eating each time. Bruce has to be up for work at the awful hour of 5 am so we've been going to sleep by 9:30 pm most nights. Most days I am awake and out of bed by 8 am, so I guess that translates to about 6 hours of sleep a night. Today though, when Charlotte woke up at 5:00 am to eat, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I've been up since then and haven't even felt sleepy. For someone who used to require at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night this is quite surprising.

Cleaning - I've read a lot that says you should lower your standards after a baby arrives because you won't have time to do keep your house as clean as you are accustomed too. To that I say, 'HA!' My standards were so low to begin with (not moldy, cock-roach infested low, but I am use to tolerating quite a bit of clutter) that I haven't been able to take that advice to heart. It just so happened that the weekend before Lottie was born we had company so my house had been fairly well cleaned just before the big event. It's been a month now and I am finally reaching my own threshold for uncleanliness. So, since I was up so early this morning I decided to tackle a few tasks. I cleaned our bathroom, except the floor. I even got the moldy corners of the shower cleaned up. I know, I said I didn't do mold, but our shower cleaner ran out a couple of weeks ago so a little bit of black was creeping into the shower. Don't judge me, I have a newborn to take care of. :-)

My Mom - She's wonderful! She finally agreed to come down for the first week after Charlotte was born. Then, she was so wonderfully helpful, after a short weekend at home to spend time with my dad, she came back for a second week. She made breakfast, lunch, and dinner, took care of the dishes, washed my laundry, held Charlotte while I napped, changed diapers, and just kept me company while I was home alone for the first time. She did have to go back to the office for the third week, but just came back and spent the long Labor Day weekend with us. Yeah Mom! In case I didn't say it enough while she was here, 'Thanks Mom! You were a lifesaver.'

Daddy's Diapering Changing Abilities - Contrary to his pre-baby claims, Bruce is changing diapers. Our current arrangement is that if I am napping and she needs a new diaper, then he will handle it. He had to get used to wiping it off of Lottie and dealing with the occasional smell, but I think he is coming along just fine. There are a couple of amusing stories here, but I'll let him decide if he wants them shared with the world.

Breastfeeding - I am so happy that this has been working so well for both of us. The first week I did get some chapped nipples, but a little Lansinoh after feeding Charlotte and everything was far less painful. Since we are reaching 4 weeks tomorrow, I went ahead and figured out how to use the Playtex Embrace breast pump that I got as a shower gift (from my mom, go her!) It wasn't hard to set-up and was pretty efficient at getting its job done. We did have one lactation letdown in the first week at home. Everything had been going well, then on day 14 Charlotte just decided to stop eating. After about 6 hours of her lack of desire for milk, I started to get really worried. I tried to tease her with my nipple, but nothing... except crying, no, make that wailing. Since we had to go back to get another blood test done (for her jaundice), I decided to talk to a Lactation Consultant at the Regency. By this point, it was pushing 7 hours of no interest. When Kathy, the LC, walked in and introduced herself, all I could do was start crying myself... I was so stressed out. So, Kathy took me back to her office and asked me to show her what I had been doing. I did the same thing as usual, and Charlotte latched on like a champ and took long, deep sucks for almost 20 full minutes! I felt like such an idiot. Kathy made me feel infinitely better though when she talked me through how to handle similar situations in the future and reminded me that breastfeeding is a 2-person job. Just because I am ready, willing, and capable, doesn't mean the baby will be. Since then though, we've got along handsomely in this department and I couldn't be happier.

Baby Gifts - It occurred to me this past weekend, that Bruce and I have not purchased anything for Lottie ourselves except some diapers. Everything we have to use in her care and amusement was a gift from someone. Some were from people very close to us, some from members of my church we don't know so well, and some from co-workers of our parents whom we've never met. The generosity of so many people has taken good care of my daughter and I am appreciative beyond words. (However, if you haven't received your thank you note yet, don't think I've forgotten... it's going to be there soon, see note below for explanation.)

Overextending Myself - I was asked to take a continuing education course over the summer to hone my teaching skills in reading. I kept up with it fairly well until mid-July then just stopped working on it. A few nights ago, during a feeding session, I suddenly remembered the course ends on September 8th. Oh my gosh!
When I woke up the next day and logged into the course, I realized I had to do one week's worth of work a day in order to finish by the deadline and not lose credit for what I had already done. It used to take me 2-3 hours to finish 1 week, but with caring for a newborn, it takes me close to 6-7 hours! I will write those notes... just give me another week pf grace please.

Overall, I am still amazed by how much time I can spend staring at Lottie. She is more beautiful to me every day. I don't mean beautiful in a celebrity movie star kind of way, but in a wonderful creation of God that I can't believe I've been blessed with kind of way. Do all new moms feel this way? If not, I wish they would.

I've been spending a lot of my time at home reading other mom's blogs. They are all more amusing and insightful than mine and really lift my spirit. This one today really struck me and I wanted to share it with all of you. Go to Multi-tasking Moms to enjoy an explanation of a mom's assignment from God.

Tomorrow Charlotte will be 4 weeks old. I'll try to find her cutest outfit (that fits) and post some pictures for you.

Between Two Worlds: Financing an Adoption

2007-08-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

Between Two Worlds: Financing an Adoption

I thank God everyday that he gave us the blessing of a child and hope to receive the blessing many more times before my life is over. One thing Bruce and I have always discussed is adding to our family through adoption. While we aren't ready to do that just yet, this blog gives some wonderful resources on how to make it more affordable. I look forward to coming back to this post someday to take advantage of these resources.

I Found a New Blog

2007-08-17T12:15:00.000-04:00

I love reading blogs... I have been adding to my Google Reader list regularly for a few months. Some of the blogs have come off, but not all of them. One that I added recently and will probably be keeping is Multi-Tasking Moms. I decided to share this blog with all of you because they are giving away a MomAgenda and I think I'd like to win it. I know I only have 1 little one to keep up after, but being organized is so important to me. This seems like a good time to get started!

Picture Fix

2007-08-16T14:54:00.000-04:00

What is a new mom at home with her baby supposed to do with a digital camera and basic photo software? Go crazy taking pictures of her precious baby of course! I can concentrate on little else besides her even though there are tons of other things I could be doing. So, I thought I'd share the photos with you who are waiting so patiently for more Charlotte Moon news!

Here are the happy grandparents a few hours after Charlotte was born. Grumpy (grandpa) wasn't able to hold her because he had to get back on the road, but he'll be here this weekend! I've heard he might be excited.

This is Bruce's first time holding Charlotte. He was nervous, but you can't tell from this picture.

Here the Sabin family goes from 2 to 3 people.

Charlotte is a baby after her mother's heart. She came out of the womb asking for a manicure!

After nearly 48 hours, they let Mommy and Charlotte go home. She was very quiet for her first car ride.

Uncle Nick and Aunt Michelle came down to visit the next day. I never knew my brother had a soft spot for babies!

Due to her jaundice, Charlotte had to sleep on a Bili-Blanket for the first few nights. She reminded us of her glowworm! She came back Coombs negative so she won't need any transfusions, just light therapy (which she is off of as today).

It looks like I have a gangsta baby. Notice the hand signal she is flashing.

During her first bath at home I learned an important lesson - make sure they are done going to the bathroom before you take the diaper off! I thought you only had to worry about this with little boys. Notice the stain on the front of my shirt and the smile on my face. I'm definitely keeping my sense of humor!

This is Charlotte's blue sundress. You can't see it here, but the headband Grandma put on her says "Adorable." While she is adorable, I can't figure out why she needs a headband. We aren't going to Jazzercise!

My mom had a lot of fun taking pictures of me this afternoon. Here I am trying to rest peacefully and she is snapping and flashing away!

My hands are so tiny.

And my feet too!

I'm So Happy

2007-08-15T18:11:00.000-04:00

I know many have waited a long time to see a post about Charlotte Moon. And I've been waiting to make the post as well. There are already so many wonderful things I want the world to know about our beautiful baby girl it will take me forever to share them all with you. So, I decided to start small and have been making a list that I will try to get to over the next couple of weeks. The only problem is... sometimes I get so caught up just staring at Charlotte I forget that I have other things to do. :-) I'll start tonight with the "birth story." On Monday, August 6th, I had my regularly scheduled 39-week appointment. While there, Dr. Salamon checked my cervix and decided I was 70-80% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. Apparently, every time my belly was hardening in the last couple of months, I was having a contraction. If only they had stayed so innocuous! Monday afternoon though, I did start to experience stronger contractions but they were fairly irregular.

After talking to several people and doing some of my own research, I am sure the cervical exam helped to spur on my labor. When I woke up on Tuesday morning at 5:30, I was still having some contractions, only they were coming more consistently, maybe every 10-15 minutes on average. Since I wasn't sure if these were the real thing or not, I laid down for a couple of hours to see if they would go away - they didn't. So, Bruce and I spent the rest of the day finding places to walk. We went to Lowe's and visited just about every department. Then, we went to Walmart and walked around there for another hour or so. By this time, Bruce was hungry and I was tired of walking and contracting so we stopped at Burger King for Bruce to eat something. I ate a Zone bar myself since I didn't want any greasy fast food in my system.

From there, I decided to go to the Regency to see if I had made any progress since my contractions were now about 1 minute long and ~5 minutes apart. After the triage nurse examined me, we were told to go home. I had not progressed. She speculated that I was tired and tense so my muscles weren't relaxing enough for my labor to progress. Her suggestion was to go home, take a Tylenol PM and try to get some rest because I would need it. She was right! I caught about 2 1/2 hours of shut-eye and then my water broke.

We high-tailed it back to the hospital and got me admitted. It was a long night of walking around and trying to breathe through the contractions. The most comfortable position during a contraction was kneeling over one of the couches in the Family Lounge. By the time 8:30 am came around though, I was exhausted. My contractions still weren't progressing and I was only dilated about 4 cm. I decided to ask for some Stadol to ease the pain. Along with the Stadol I took something to relax my muscles. This allowed me to sleep for about 2 hours. I desperately needed that sleep. I didn't feel as if I had it in me to push when the time came and it didn't feel like it was coming anytime soon.

After resting for 2 hours (in which I could still feel my contractions, but ignore them if I wanted too), Dr. Salamon came in and pulled my tape only to announce that my contractions had slowed down and were now irregular. Of course, at this point, my water had been broken for about 10 hours and Dr. Salamon said it was time for Pitocin. I wasn't happy about that and we discussed the decision for several minutes before I conceded that her advice was the best for my situation by this point. So the Pitocin drip started out at the lowest dose, 2, and the nurse did her best to not increase it until she had to. I only ended up getting a dose of 6, which I was told is only a half-dose.

The Pitocin worked though. I ended up getting to the pushing stage around 1:45 pm, which lasted for 2 hours. It was not fun nor was it easy. As many people as I talked to and as many books as I read, nothing prepared me for the pain of actually pushing Charlotte through the last bit of the birth canal. Renee, the delivery nurse, told me it would feel like a ring of fire. She was right, but I didn't know how right she was going to be! I think the majority of my pain came from the 2 tears I had. One small one on the bottom and one slightly larger one on top. I ended up with 4 stitches total.

One funny part of this whole story is that when I gave the final push, once Charlotte was out a huge gush of amniotic fluid went flying across the room and part of it caught the doctor in the face. It was a surreal moment to say the least. :)

After she was out, Charlotte Moon was brought to my chest. I didn't think I could get the hospital gown off fast enough to hold her skin-t0-skin. It was an amazing feeling to meet her and well, find out Belly Monster was a little girl! She stayed in my arms for close to an hour before the nurses took her to finish their measuring and testing. Here is a photo taken of her after they took her and bathed her. I like to think her dance career starts here, as she practices her Krumping. If you look close at her eyes, don't be alarmed by the wet stuff... she wasn't crying, that is some sort of vitamin E goop they put there to prevent blindness.

It has taken me 3 days to write this post because I keep getting distracted by Charlotte and her attempts to eat and my attempts to sleep. I'll try to get another post up by the end of the weekend. If I start now I should be able to make it.

Charlotte Moon Sabin

2007-08-08T21:03:00.000-04:00

Charlotte Moon Sabin has been born Aug 8, 2007 at 3:49pm, weighing 7lbs 15 onces with a length of 20 inches. If you're wondering how we came up with the name Charlotte Moon, she was named after someone whose brief biography you can read here.

1 Week Left?

2007-08-06T14:24:00.001-04:00

Today was another ObGyn appointment. I finally met with Dr. Salamon again. She did a pelvic exam and announced that I am 70-80% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. She thinks I might have the baby this week, but we've still scheduled an appointment for next Monday. We also set-up an ultrasound so they can check on the amniotic fluid.

Remember when I said I didn't think I was having contractions... I was wrong. I found out today that I have been having them, but since they didn't hurt I hadn't really noticed them. It turns out that all those times my belly got that rock-hard feeling, I was having a practice contraction. I never knew. I just thought it was kind of cool how hard my belly was. How naive of me. :-)

Dr. Salamon said that if I hadn't gone into labor my next appointment, on 8/13, she wanted to schedule an induction. Well, regular readers of my blog know that is not high on my list of ways to begin labor and delivery. I came home and looked into it some more and at this point, can see no medical reason why an induction will be necessary. Even the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doesn't seem to recommend an induction in my particular circumstance. I didn't question the doctor today because she was already behind schedule, but you can be sure that next week if she tries to schedule one (and my circumstances haven't changed) I will politely decline her offer. I don't see any reason why going past my due date, by a week even, is harmful. This of course, assumes that there are no major changes in my condition or that of Baby Sabin's.

I feel ready though. Baby Sabin can come whenever he or she feels ready!

Good Day

2007-08-04T21:39:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day. My parents came down for a visit along with my brother and his wife. The visit was in honor of Bruce's birthday, which is next Saturday. Since my dad is an over the road truck driver we celebrated today while he could be with us. I made a special lunch for Bruce of his favorite Chicken-Spinach Lasagna with Snickerdoodles for dessert. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, which made me happy since I spent most of the morning in the kitchen preparing it. Bruce was also able to open presents and I am proud to report that all but one of them had nothing to do with Baby Sabin.

You see, with Bruce's birthday being so close to the anticipated birth of Baby Sabin, he is worried about his birthday being co-opted by Baby Sabin. I've told him I will do my best to make sure that doesn't happen, though we might have to ask them to share a cake in the future because I don't think I could handle having 2 cakes to eat in the house around the same time.

After lunch, the ladies sorted through some items I received at various showers that I decided I didn't need, mostly some of the 30 receiving blankets and some photo albums. After deciding which store everything came from, we went to Wal-Mart to make some exchanges. While I am the first to tell you that I hate going to Wal-Mart, I am very thankful for their generous return policy. So much better than Target's policy. It turned out that not everything I guessed as Wal-Mart was really from there, but we just put that back in the car and returned the things that were in Wal-Mart's system. I ended up with nearly $100 to spend today. And it didn't take me long. :-) I bought a bath-tub for Baby Sabin, along with some breastfeeding accessories, a laundry hamper, and bedding for a new twin bed we are getting to accommodate my mom's scheduled visit. I think that is about it. I still have 2 more stores to hit, so let's hope things go as well there too.

When we got back, my brother had finished setting up the wireless router my parents gave Bruce to go along with the new laptop they also gave him. This works out great for me too since I was hard-wired to the traditional router we had been using. Now, Bruce and I can chat on IM while we sit next to each other in the living room. No... we wouldn't really do that, except on Wednesday nights when our whole family gets on IM.

Finally, we ended our family day by going to see the Bourne Ultimatum. It was a great movie, though the cinematography was a bit too modern (i.e. shaky) for my tastes. Is this a sign that I am getting old too??? Bruce will be 30 in a week and I am not far behind him...

Erica brought up a good point in her most recent comment... Bruce has been fully trained on how to make a blog post! I have also created a draft e-mail for him to use to send out an electronic announcement once Baby Sabin arrives and I decide to let him leave my side at the hospital. If I have your e-mail address, then you are already included in the draft e-mail. If I don't, and you want an e-mail, just let me know what your e-mail address is.

Apart from being very busy in the nursery yesterday and getting lunch ready for today, I have taken time to just relax. Once I got my To Do list down on paper and started tackling the items one at a time, my brain eased up a little. Apart from needed to finish packing a few items in my hospital bag, I think I am ready (or as ready as one can be for this type of new experience). My house is clean, the nursery is in order, diapers are sorted with the smallest sizes most accessible, clothes are folded and put into the dresser, and things I won't be needing for several months are organized and packed away neatly for quick access. I'll take some photos tomorrow to share with all you devoted readers out there. For now, it is late and I need to go to bed. G'night!

I'm Beat

2007-08-01T19:35:00.000-04:00

Baby Sabin isn't even officially here and I am beat. Now, today was a busy and active day for me, but I'm exhausted and hope a good night's rest will take care of me a little bit. Tomorrow I will try to be a little easier on myself though. We started off the day bright and early to do some work in the yard. It was a great day for yard work as it stayed fairly cool until 10:00 or so.

Have you ever tried to do yard work with a bowling bowl hanging off your stomach??? That is the best way I can describe what it was like to pull weeds and shape some plants today. I couldn't just bend over, so most of my morning consisted of plopping down, pulling all the weeds within arms reach, then scooting or crab crawling to the next patch of earth and pulling more weeds. I was terribly slow, but got the most important areas done. Bruce did a ton as well, pulling up many of the dead annuals we planted 18 months ago along with laying some new landscaping timbers and cleaning up his fish pond. He stayed out a little bit longer than I did and looked tired too.

After taking a much needed, cold shower I worked on my grocery list and coupons. Eventually, I left to run my errands and go grocery shopping. It began raining really hard while I was out and subsequently, I got soaked each time I went into or came out of any place. Should have skipped the shower at home. :-) Publix was nice though because the bagger brought my groceries out to the car and loaded them up for me. Now, I am just waiting for my baby daddy to get home and unload the non-perishables from the car for me. I'll put them away tomorrow.

My friend Julie had her baby today. Jordan Ann was born around 10 am, weighing 7 lb. 8 oz. at Shand's in Gainesville, FL. They will decide in the next day or so when to perform the hernia surgery on Jordan. By all accounts Julie is doing well. I hope to get an update with more details tomorrow.

Everyone keeps assuming that I am so ready to be done with my pregnancy. But I have to be very honest that I am not. Assuming it would be healthy for the baby, I could stay pregnant for another month and I would be fine. My discomfort is fairly minimal and my enthusiasm and energy level are remaining pretty consistent (today notwithstanding). I love being pregnant and hope to do it many more times! I love having a miracle in my belly and being the Keeper Of The Belly Monster (my new nickname around the house).

38.1

2007-07-31T14:48:00.000-04:00

38.1 - That is the number on my chart today for how far along this pregnancy is. 38 weeks and 1 day. I have one maybe two more appointments with the ObGyn before I will meet her (or him depending on who is on call) at the hospital to help welcome Baby Sabin into the great big world. Today I met with Dr. Gatto and I must admit he was my least favorite of all the doctors in the practice. I can't say there was anything specifically wrong with him, but we just didn't click. If he was the doctor to show up for delivery, I wouldn't mind, but I wouldn't choose him. I think I was primarily turned off by his approach to pain management during L&D. He mostly talked about epidurals and how he likes to see women enjoying themselves during labor. He said recently that one woman actually asked him recently, "am I having a contraction now?" She didn't know because she couldn't feel anything! Somehow he thought this was a good thing. I don't want to know I am having a contraction because I see some lines on a monitor move up and down. I want to know I am having a contraction because I can feel my muscles doing what God intended them to do.

I know that must sound harsh to someone who chose an epidural. As I've said before, that is a personal decision and I don't expect that every woman will agree with my personal views on labor. I also know that many women have a lower pain threshold and a higher level of fear of labor. It is the fear of labor that I believe causes the most pain during L&D. When we are scared, our body goes into fight or flight mode. During either of these modes, blood and oxygen are carried to the essential muscles and organs of the body. The uterus and cervix are not included in the body's definition of "essential," so they get left out of the blood and oxygen cycle beyond what is minimally needed to keep them functioning. That doesn't leave much room for relaxing those muscles and allowing a baby to pass through the cervix.

I can also add that I feel confident trying to limit medical interventions during L&D because I have a solid rock of support in the form of Bruce. He is very patient and long-suffering and understands that what I will go through cannot compare to anything he will personally experience. I don't envision him trying to leave the room for a four-course meal while I am sucking on ice chips. He won't starve, but he will be very aware of my needs during this time. Bruce has demonstrated that during the last few weeks as my comfort level has decreased.

There was one minor bit of joy last night on the comfort front - I only woke up one time to empty my bladder instead of the now-typical three times! Yeah! I was able to get nearly 4 continuous hours of sleep. Which was definitely a blessing because we went by Bruce's new classroom today and I needed the sleep to deal with the stress of the condition of his classroom. It's no wonder Haines City High School has a hard time academically... there seems to be little pride in what happens to the facilities or supplies. I might post more about his classroom later, but probably not. He definitely has his work cut out for him in preparing for this coming school year (which is less than 3 weeks away!).

Today we also met with Suzanne at the Regency to make sure our car seat was properly installed. She was very gracious with her time and expertise and I feel as secure as our seat now is. :-) I must admit though that part of the experience was so horrible it was funny. It started to rain just as our appointment began so Suzanne had us pull up under the canopy at the front door (the place reserved for ambulances). We knew that if we saw the sirens, or a pregnant lady in labor, we would have to move out of the way, and quickly. Well, a taxi service pulled in behind us to pick up a random person and because we didn't move for him to pull through (Suzanne, a hospital employee told us to not move), he started yelling at us. Suzanne motioned for him to simply back up (it shouldn't have been a big deal) and go around, but he refused. He probably sat there for 4-5 minutes trying to wait us out. We ignored him and kept working on the car seat installation. Finally, he did back up and when he pulled up next to us told us how next time, he would just "push" our car out of the way! Suzanne took down the name of the cab company then went inside to notify security and a hospital administrator. The Regency won't be calling this cab company anymore! In the end though, watching him get angry was fairly humerus because his response was so wildly out of proportion to the situation.

I leave you with the Babycenter.com blurb about what Baby Sabin might be experiencing in the womb these days:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's nearly 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Packed for the Hospital

2007-07-27T20:23:00.001-04:00

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because
her time has come; but when her baby is born she
forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born
into the world. John 16.21

I love this verse. I am claiming it as I prepare for my labor and delivery experience. I know it won't be free of discomfort and pain, yet I also know it is all part of the blessing I will experience once I am able to look into the eyes of our child.

I finally got myself packed for the hospital. There are still a couple of things that I need to put in the bag (I ordered them online and they haven't arrived yet), but it is all by the door now. Below is a list of items I packed (or will pack once I have). Let me know if you think I've forgotten anything that would be useful.

Copy of my birth plan/preferences
Sign with the above verse to hang in the delivery room
Clothes for Baby Sabin to wear home (inc. socks and cap)
Receiving blanket
"Baby On Board" sign for the car
Labor aids (lotion, massage tools)
Toiletries for Bruce and I
Hair bands for me
Robe, slippers, maternity bra, fresh clothes for me
Boppy nursing pillow
Change of clothes for Bruce
Snacks
Change for vending machine and phone
Pre-paid phone card

We'll have to add the cell phones, camera, iPod, and reading material before we leave. I used a list I found on-line but if you can think of anything else that might be useful, leave a comment or send me an e-mail so I can add it before it is too late.

I have a little more than 2 weeks until my official due date, but am not stuck on that since I know many first-time moms deliver a week or more later than their official estimated date of delivery (EDD). I know Baby Sabin will come when he or she is good and ready, but I don't think I would mind if Baby Sabin was a week early or a week late. Either way, I would be able to be at school during the teacher planning days and that would be very helpful as far as our budget is concerned for September and October. I am praying that God will nudge Baby Sabin along at exactly the right time, whatever that may be... though I do have my own opinion about that. ;-)

Here is a photo Bruce took of me while I was trying to sort through what baby stuff I needed to pack for the hospital. He thought it was funny how I looked so overwhelmed with all of the things we've received and purchased (though mostly received)!

Speaking of received... I still have some thank you notes to write! I will finish those this weekend! I don't want anyone to think I am ungrateful. We are not. We have actually been blown away by the generosity of so many people. It has been a real lesson to me in learning how to accept gifts. Everything about being pregnant has been very humbling... how am I even worthy of this blessing?! Through God's grace for sure!

Doctor's Appointment Today

2007-07-24T20:59:00.000-04:00

I had my 37-week appointment today with Dr. Gabriel. He is one of the doctor's in the Bond Clinic practice and I am making my rounds through them since I don't know who might be on call when I go into labor. I really liked him and his sense of humor. It's not that he told jokes or anything like that, but he seemed to be quick with a smile and encouragement. That's a good thing because I found out today that my body is colonized with group b strep (GBS).

Now, before your go and get all alarmed like I did, let me tell you a little about GBS. Anywhere from 30-40% of all adults carry this bacteria. For the average adult, this means nothing. Everyone has all sorts of bacteria crawling around their bodies. This is why skin to skin contact with a baby is so beneficial, it helps to colonate the baby's body with the mother's bacteria and develop resistance for the baby early on. However when GBS is found in the birth canal some medical precautions are needed.

Modern medicine has reduced the incidence of GBS transfer from mother to newborn to almost nothing (something like 1-2 in 1000 births). This is done by delivering antibiotics to the mother once labor begins or once the water breaks. Typically, the antibiotic is delivered via IV every 4 hours once labor begins until the baby is born. This ensures the antibiotic (usually penicillin) crosses the placenta and is in the baby's system prior to passing through the birth canal and coming into contact with the bacteria.

From my own research, no one knows how GBS is transferred from one person to another. It just hops around like any other bacteria and really only presents a problem for newborns and the elderly. The CDC has as much information as any other website and it is easy to understand if you want to know more than my very brief, amateur summary.

In other news, we did buy a car yesterday. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by posting pictures of the car. Here you can see just how cute the car is and just how big my belly has become! It is a 2007 Ford Focus for which we negotiated an excellent deal.

Dr. Gabriel estimated that Baby Sabin is about 7 pounds now. He thinks we can reasonably expect to have an 8 lb baby. I'm not sure what I think about that except that lots of women have delivered 8 lb babies and I won't be the first! Belly Monster has been playing a lot of sports recently (mostly volleyball and basketball) so I am hopeful this is the start of a healthy life for him or her.

Finally, I got my hair cut today. I wasn't able to grow it out for Locks of Love just yet, but I am still working towards that goal. I took some pictures to post my new cut, but upon review they were just too unflattering to share. I need to put some make-up on and tone down the frizz before I share my new do with you. The woman who cut my hair did not put enough anti-frizz goop in my hair for the FL humidity. Someone should really design a frizz serum specifically for Florida's near 100% humidity summers!

Midwife with a Knife: A Tale of Two Births [part 1/2]

2007-07-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

I hope that if it is necessary for my ObGyn to intercede on my body's behalf during L&D, she is as careful and thoughtful as this doctor.

Midwife with a Knife: A Tale of Two Births [part 1/2]

I'm really looking forward to reading part 2!

Less Than a Month Left

2007-07-21T08:52:00.000-04:00

I had a very relaxing week in Ft. Lauderdale. I was able to wake up and at my leisure make my way down to the pool at the Lago Mar Resort. There, I read a novel, Daughters of Silk(click here for a pdf sample of the story), and enjoyed the cool pool and the warm sun. By lunch time I would head back up to our suite, have a small meal, then get to work on some continuing education. It was all very soothing and productive. I am actually all caught up on my Reading Competency II course and should be working on it some more right now, but thought I'd catch you up on Baby Sabin's progress.

Come Monday I will be in my 37th week of pregnancy which means there are 3-4 weeks left until we all get to meet Baby Sabin in person and find out if "it" is a he or a she. Here is what BabyCenter.com says about the 37th week:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs a little over 6 pounds and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

I am sure lots of you out there are thinking about the peach fuzz look... that is sort of what we are expecting given the condition of Baby Sabin's Daddy's current hair-do. :-) For those of you who aren't sure what that is, check out our Dome website for a great picture of his "hair-do."

I am still feeling well and haven't been overwhelmed with uncomfortableness. I am very grateful for this as it is about 100 degrees outside on a daily basis now, with near 100% humidity. Ahh.... gotta love FL!

On other news, my car is ready to retire. It let me know this in no uncertain terms when it starting smoking yesterday as I turned onto my street coming back from my relaxing week. The fine crack in my radiator is no longer fine and can only be repaired by replacing the entire radiator. We aren't sure yet if there is any engine damage, but have gone ahead and started looking for my Altima's replacement. The 2 cars in the lead as of right now are the Nissan Versa and the Ford Focus. I never thought I would seriously consider buying a Ford, but the Focus is the only Ford model that Consumer Reports recommends. Since it is a very inexpensive car, the Focus has made it on my list. I really like the Versa though, and in no small part because it is a Nissan.

We did test drive a Toyota Yaris and I knew it wasn't the right car by the time I pulled out of the dealer's parking lot. The proportions are all off. In order to have comfortable reach to the pedals with my legs, my arms had to be almost straight out. That is not conducive to long trips. Even Bruce had this issue, so I know it isn't just me being out of alignment or proportion. Right now, we are waiting to see which Ford dealership comes back with the best price for the Focus. If anyone has an opinion about either the Focus or the Versa, feel free to let us know. We plan to make a decision within the next few days.

Oh, one more thing you can pray about... Bruce is taking the Biology 6-12 test this morning! It is necessary for him to pass in order for him to keep his current IB Biology teaching position. He has done such a good job studying, far better than I could have done. I am praying that God will honor his time commitment and this new teaching position choice. We won't know the answer until at least August 21, the week school starts.

See what happens when I wait 6 days to post... you have a novella to read! I hope you don't mind. I won't promise to be better though. My life is going to get a lot busier real soon. Thanks for making it this far to the end of my rambling. ;-)

Prepared Childbirth

2007-07-15T09:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a long day. Bruce and I went to the prepared childbirth class at the Regency. The class was from 9 am - 5 pm with a 1-hour lunch break. I thought it might be information overload to try and absorb everything in one day instead of going to the 5-week session (1 night a week for 5 weeks), but it really wasn't. Suzzane was the instructor this time and she did a great job of keeping the class moving forward and covering information quickly enough that we didn't get bored.

For those of you who don't know, I have decided to try and experience childbirth without any medical intervention. This means that, barring a medical emergency, I do not want anyone doing anything to my body other than providing comfort measures (like massage). I have read about the many different interventions that are possible (breaking the water, medication to induce or speed up labor, medication to reduce pain, constant fetal monitoring, c-sections, etc...) and it seems to me that once you decide to accept one intervention, there are others that almost always follow behind it. Kind of like a slippery slide, and not the fun kind. As we watched a few different birthing stories on DVD, I observed that the women who had epidurals did not really seem to be any more comfortable than those who chose no interventions. And it was easy to see that one intervention led to another.

I've really come to the conclusion that I should have chosen a mid-wife for delivery instead of a traditional ObGyn in a hospital setting. However, with only 4-5 weeks left, it is a little too late to change my mind so I'll be completing my birthing plan as thoroughly as possible so there is no doubt with the nurses and my ObGyn as to what I want to experience. I am fully aware however, that medical emergencies do occur and my "plan" for birth will be completely thrown out the window. Bruce and I have discussed what I want in that situation, or in the situation that I am unable to contribute to any decision making.

I'm off to spend a few days in Ft. Lauderdale with my mom and her co-workers. I'll mostly be hanging out by the pool in the morning and working on some continuing education for school. Bruce will be alone at home studying for his Biology certification exam. If you think about it, send him an e-mail to remind him to eat his veggies. :-)

Rookie Dad

2007-07-11T14:12:00.000-04:00

I forgot a picture last night! Bruce received a gift from the Tillers at the shower and he has had it on almost none stop since then. What do you think?

Belly Monster

2007-07-10T19:55:00.000-04:00

We have a new name for Baby Sabin - Belly Monster. I'm not sure where it came from, but it is Bruce's new fun name for the one who makes my belly move in weird ways without notice. Many people thought they'd be sneaky this past weekend and try to trick me into revealing the top real names for Baby Sabin, but I didn't just roll off the turnip truck. I knew what they were up to. I remain steadfast... you will all get to meet Baby Sabin properly at the right time. I promise.

I was very blessed to have a third baby shower this past weekend. It was hosted at Beverly Tiller's house along with my mom, Debbie Suit, and Michelle Roun. Several old and new friends were present and I had a lot of fun hanging out with all of them. So many people were generous beyond belief in their gifts for Baby Sabin and Bruce and I are very appreciative. I am not sure there is much left for us to buy!

There are several pictures to share this week. I hope you enjoy them all!

Bruce and I are fans of the Simpsons TV show. When we found out recently that a 7-11 in Lake Buena Vista was being temporarily converted into a KwikE Mart as a promotional stunt we just had to make a visit. We were not the only ones who brought our cameras to 7-11 that day. People were taking pictures in the store and outside the store. This was cultural history in the making. Here is a photo of me hanging out with Homer.

This is the same dress I wore to my brother's wedding. I love this dress and was glad to have one more opportunity to wear it. I did not realize until I was looking at the pictures though how um, much I had grown since the wedding. And I don't just mean my belly. Lots of things changed, so this dress will be retired until my next pregnancy.

One of the biggest blessings was a gift from my mom and dad of a Crib4Life system. It was delivered yesterday and by the end of the day I had washed all of the bedding so I could properly show it off. I am very excited about this piece of furniture and am looking forward to getting several years of use out of it.

Below is the dresser that matches the crib. It has a built in changing table area and the changing pad comes with snaps to keep it securely on the dresser. I still have some rearranging and packing to do before the room is set up the way I like, but we are several steps closer to being ready for Baby Sabin's arrival in about 5 weeks.

I apologize that I haven't been posting as much recently. I took a one-day-a-week job at Curves for the summer to pay for my membership and it has turned into a little more than that. The owner hurt her back in some way and I have been working about 3 days a week for a couple of weeks now. By the time I get home I am pretty tired and haven't had much energy to do more than sit around and recover. Plus, the head cold I had last week is back again. I have been busier since school let out than I was while teaching. I plan on playing catch-up with a lot of things next week, including getting ready for my maternity leave.

On a final note... here is what is happening with the Belly Monster (remember BabyCenter.com alternates gender each week, there are no hidden clues contained here):

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds plus. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Co-sleeping

2007-07-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

One of the great gifts I received at my baby shower last week was an Arms Reach Mini Co-sleeper. It was something that I very much wanted but hadn't even been able to find to put on either of my registries. My mom found it at Babies 'R Us and knowing how much I wanted one, purchased it as a shower gift. I am so excited about it. Last night, Bruce and I set it up and wheeled it into the bedroom to see what sort of configuration might work best for us. As I laid in bed to figure out what sort of layout was best, I put my hand into the co-sleeper and for a moment pretended that Baby Sabin was right there, soundly sleeping. Such a nice feeling washed over me as I thought about being close to my baby in the middle of the night. While I may not be looking forward to waking up several times a night, I am looking forward to this new chapter of responsibility in our lives.

I know that co-sleeping, or the family bed, is a hotly debated idea in the US. However, it just makes sense to me to keep my baby as close as possible. For those who know me well, there is of course, the desire to not have to go walking across the bedroom, or the house even, several times a night to nurse of check on Baby Sabin. Then, there is also the reason of bonding. I can't say exactly why, but I feel in my gut that this is one of the best ways to bond with my baby. Many people have given me advice on how to parent, but the advice I receive most often is to trust my instinct as a mother. God gave me this instinct so I would know how to care for the unique individual He has created. I surely plan to use it. If you want to know more about co-sleeping, you can check out Dr. Sears' site or Kidshealth.org. I don't feel safe having Baby Sabin in the same bed, but I think I can achieve similar results with the co-sleeper since it attaches to the bed and has the baby right next to me.