One Month Pics

We finally found a day when Colin was calm enough to take his one month pics!  I set up my makeshift studio and Nana helped me prop him up.  I saw this adorable chair and could not help myself!  He was so cute sitting in it and I can't wait until he starts reading and can sit in it with a book!

We are trying to get him on a better feeding/napping schedule now that he's 5 weeks and I think it's working. We definitely have fewer fussy days, but it's still a work in progress.

Thanks to digital photography, I can take one million pictures until I get a good one, and believe me I had to take about 150 to get these.  Is it bad that I like the outtakes almost as much as the good pics :) These literally made me LOL when I saw them! Click the picture to make it bigger so you can see his facial expressions. They're the best part!

Huh?

Smile like this, Mom?



I might be pooping!

This looks like a cry, but he was actually sneezing.

One Month

Holy cow, I can not believe its already been a month! The time is flying by so fast. Ward goes back to work in a week and I have no idea how that's gonna work!  I don't have his "offical" one month pics with his special shirt on yet because he's been a total fuss-bucket this week. I don't want a crying baby in the pictures :)  Here's what Colin's been up to (written to Colin for his baby book...I'm sure there are typos and misspelling everywhere...I'm a bit sleep deprived).

One Month Stats

Height: 21"

Weight: 8lbs 2oz (22nd percentile)



Your favorite naptime spot!

Sleep: You sleep 12 hours a day total usually in 2 hours increments. You don't like to sleep in the morning or early afternoon and do the majority of your sleeping between 3pm and 5am. At night you sleep in your Rock & Play and during the day you sleep wherever you are (usually in your Boppy Napper which is your favorite spot). We are anxiously awaiting the day when you sleep more than 2.5 consecutive hours at night!

Daddy doing a middle of the night feeding

Eat: You eat about 22oz per day. Usually in 3oz bottles about every 3 hours. Sometimes you like to nibble and eat 1-2oz every 1-2 hours.

Size: You are still in newborn diapers and clothes though you are quickly growing out of them.

Play time!

Activity: You just started using your activity mat, but you are only amused for about 10 minutes. You are really good at tummy time and can hold your head up for about 15-20 seconds on your own.


Loves Wubbanub

Likes/Dislikes: You love sitting outside and sometimes when you are fussy all it takes is a trip to the patio to calm you down. You love to be held, particularly while we are standing and bouncing. You do not like your bouncy or your swing! We think you are just a little too small and your neck gets squished. We hope you start to like them soon so we have a place for you to sit while Mommy and Daddy get ready for work.

Firsts: You had your first bath which you very much disliked! We took you on your first outing at 2.5 weeks to Atlanta Bread Company for lunch with Nana and Papa. You were pretty good, but started getting fussy after Mommy shopped for too long! We also got your first smile and it makes my day everytime you smile at me :)

First outing to Columbus Park Crossing!

First Bath! 

I see you baby!

We like to sing to you and make up our own versions of songs.

Too Much Poopy in the Pants
(sang to the tune of 'Too Much Booty in the Pants')

Fuss-Man
(sang to the tune of 'Soul Man'. This one even has a dance)

No Sleep Till Nana
(Sang to the Beastie Boys 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn')

Napping together!

Nana has been a huge help and loves coming to watch you while Mommy and Daddy take a nap! We are very lucky to have her and she spoils you rotten.

Birth Annoucements

We FINALLY got around to doing birth annoucements. I took these pics with my newish fancy pants camera that I just started learning how to use. I did the card on Shutterfly.  Enjoy!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Road Trip

Monday we took the first of many car trips to Scottish Rite in Atlanta to meet with the cleft palate team that will handle Colin's care and surgery. I was expecting a total disaster since we would be traveling 2 hours each way with an 8 day old baby. It wasn't that bad and the team seems great.

The first priority is making sure that his cleft palate isn't causing any feeding problems and preventing weight gain. They monitored him while feeding and said that everything looked good. They want us to increase the amount of milk we feed him and go in to the pediatrician for weekly weigh ins to make sure he is gaining enough. They will do a corrective surgery at 6-9 months and one of the things that could delay the surgery is his weight.

Things we learned on the trip:

1. Take the number of diapers you think you'll need and double it! I took 12 diapers for a 7 hours trip and we almost ran out. We never go through that many in that short time at home, but somehow we did.

2. Feed the baby right before you walk out the door. For some reason I thought we would be able to feed him in his car seat. No dice...fussy baby...gas station feeding.

3. Pumping on the road is awful! It's awkward, takes twice as long, and no matter how discrete I tried to be, I'm pretty sure I flashed at least one trucker.

4. A chauffeur is absolutely necessary! My mom drove us and there is NO WAY we would have been functional to drive considering we are still adjusting to our newborn sleep schedule.

Our next appointment is in July and we will actually meet with the surgeon and discuss the surgery in more detail. For now, we will focus on fattening up our little man so I'm off to pump some more of the good stuff!

Labor Day!

This is the story of how Colin Edward Boswell came into this world. Don't worry, there's not anything graphic.















I'd been having prodromal labor since Thursday May 24th. I was already 3cm dilated and was having a lot of contractions. The contractions were either intense and spaced far apart or medium intensity and coming every 10 minutes. My Dr said she expected him to come any day and we scheduled an induction for Monday May 28th if he wasn't here by then. I walked and bounced on yoga balls and kept hoping he would come on his own.



Fritz laying in front of me while I was breathing through a contraction

Sunday morning I woke up at 6:30 am with a huge contraction. They were coming every 10 minutes, but mostly medium-low intensity. I hadn't slept well, so I laid down to take a nap around 8. I woke up at 10:00am with another huge painful contraction. 15 minutes later another and 15 minutes later another. They continued about every 10-12 minutes, but not all of them were as strong. I told Ward to slowly start getting his stuff together while I had a shower. We had to pack for the induction the next morning regardless.



Daddy driving us to the hospital.

By 2:00 contractions were every 5-6 minutes and really strong. I was doubling over and was yelling some expletives. After watching me endure a particularly bad one, Ward decided we were going to the hospital. I thought for sure it was too early and we'd be sent home. We checked in about 3:45pm and got the process started. I was still only at about 3-4 cm dilated which was depressing. About 5:00pm I decided to walk the halls to get things moving. I was constantly having to stop for excruciating contractions. Around 6:00pm my OB broke my water. Things picked up from there, quickly. Contractions were coming right on top of each other and I was screaming and shaking. The epidural was ordered and I got it around 7ish. Actually getting the epidural was nothing short of hell on earth, but once it kicked in it was instantly worth it! I was 5cm dilated.

I was shaking from the drugs and Ward read some random sports blogs to me to help me relax. I think I even fell asleep for a few minutes. The nurses came back around 8pm to check me and said I was still at 5cm, but they had a concern and wanted to call my dr. Dr came in around 9pm and confirmed what the nurse suspected. He was head down, but he was presenting face first (they could feel his nose and mouth when they checked me!). The dr said she would not advise normal delivery because while he wasn't a big baby per se, he was big for me and coming in a face first position would make a very long painful labor, delivery, and recovery. She was concerned about him not handling it well (and me not handling it well) so we decided to move forward with the c section.

They prepped me and took me to the OR. I was very freaked out, but trying to remain calm. I have a huge fear of needles and I was oddly relieved that I would not need any more needles since the epidural had already been placed. Ward had to wait in the hall during the prep and I didn't like being alone.

Meeting Colin for the first time!

In the OR they did the pinch test to make sure I was numb; I wasn't. They increased the dosage and I could still feel it. The anesthesiologist said he was going to max out the dosage and if I could still feel it they would have to knock me out. Well, I could still feel it! Within seconds they had the mask on me, no time to see Ward.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. I was completely out of it, but I unconsciously put my hand on my stomach and realized it was flat. My baby wasn't in there anymore. A few minutes later Ward was able to come in and see me. He showed me some videos he took of Colin getting his bath and screenings. I was still shaking uncontrollably and was ready to see my baby. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long before the nurse brought in our perfect little baby and we got to be together as a family.

I missed my baby's birth, but the reality is I'm not sure if I could have handled being awake for the procedure. I get freaked out by anything remotely related to blood, guts, and needles and might have had a total melt down during the csection. Recovery has been really painful and I couldn't even change a diaper for 24 hours, but it's getting better every day (thank you Vicodin).



Changing his first poopy diaper solo!

Colin is perfect and Ward is a rock star Daddy! We discovered Colin has a cleft pallet and will require surgery at 6-9 months to repair, but I'll post about that later.

Birth Stats: 

May 27, 2012  (his original due date!)

9:48pm

7lbs 3oz

20 inches long

Daddy's Boy

When Ward and I first started dating, we had very different methods for preparing for car trips. I would pack everything the night before except what I needed to get ready in the morning (and even those items were compiled and ready). I would fill up the car with gas the night before and get straight up that morning and leave town swiftly.

Ward *might* get out his suitcase the night before. He would get up in the morning, shower, and then sit down to watch tv or play on his computer until 15 minutes before we were scheduled to leave the house when he would start packing. The car would always be on empty and he wanted to stop for breakfast or coffee on out way out of town. When I would try to hurry him along he would say "but you said we were leaving at x time so I still have 20 minutes." This drove me absolutely crazy and we have since reached a compromise, but I started many a car trips frustrated in those early days.

Colin clearly takes after his Daddy in this area. I can picture him right now, chillin in the womb, playing with his toes saying "but you said I had until May 25th so I still have two days."

Still Going....

How far along: 39 weeks

Total weight gain: 27 pounds

Food craving: Everything! I am ravenously hungry all the time. I inhale my food when I sit down to eat these days. I’m such a cliché.

Cankles, Stretch Marks, Waddling: By the end of the day I have cankles, by the morning they are gone. It’s good I guess because they aren’t always fatty mcfat, but they are swelling up just about every day. I’m always waddling and *knock on wood* no stretch marks yet.

What I’m looking forward to: I think is a given at this point, but meeting our baby!

Milestones: Colin’s estimated weight based on ultrasound on 5/7 was 6lbs and 13oz. In the beginning I was worried about having a 4lb baby, but now I’m worried about having an 8 pounder!

Best moment this week: Finding out that I’m 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced as of Monday. I’m ready to get this show on the road, but Colin is taking his dear sweet time. I’ve been having lots of practice contractions and I hope that all this prep work will translate to a slightly shorter labor. Fingers crossed!

When you are pregnant, you tend to get asked the same questions over and over again (often by complete strangers). Here are the answers to the most frequency asked questions:

     Yes, I am walking and bouncing on my yoga ball (as much as I can while working 40 hours a week)
     No, I will not take castor oil or any other laxative
     Yes, I will get the epidural but I will *try* to wait until I am 6 cm dilated
     No, I will not schedule an induction prior to my due date
     No, I’m not taking any leave before the baby comes
     No, I’m not worried about my water breaking at work

If I’m still pregnant at this time next week, I’ll be one cranky pregzilla! I was very depressed on Monday when I had to get up and get ready for work. I thought for sure when I left last Friday that I wouldn’t be coming back for a while. I had medium intensity contractions about 10 minutes apart most of the day Sunday, but they eventually stopped. Over the week this week they are medium-to-high intensity and every 2 hours or so.

Come on, Colin! The world is waiting to meet you.