Monday, March 31, 2014

Pretty little things.

It's been a few weeks since I've ruminated on the positive going-ons in my life so I'm raring to go, though I can't promise eloquence since I only have a few minutes to get this down so let's get going!

1. My mother-in-law has been with us helping since last Wednesday and we are SO grateful. It would've been a long and really challenging week without her...thank you more than we can really say dear mother-in-law!

2. There are some beautiful daffodils in my apartment.
 
And there had been a yummy fruit arrangement in that green thing prior to the posies.
3. There was a beautifully wrapped gift outside our door tonight...hurrah for surprise baby gifts in pretty colors!
 
4. There's a baby up in hurr. She might scream a bit and require 120% of our time and attention but we're smitten. And we're learning things, boy are we ever. Learning is a really good thing and when she's going through a fussy time of day it's hard to remember just how great it is to be picking up all these new skills but we are, whether we realize it or not, and it's wonderful. Plus she's cute.

5. I'm not in the hospital. A week ago I was. That is certainly marvelous/stupendous/momentous/fabulous...

I hope that you're doing well wherever you are dear Reader, muddling through as we are, hunkering down, soaring through obstacles - wherever you may be.

xoxo, natty ♥

Sunday, March 30, 2014

My dear husband.

Funfetti is a food group in our household.
We ushered in Michael's birthday last weekend in the Emergency Room. 
So we're celebrating today! He's been such an amazing support the past two weeks and I can't say enough good stuff about this man of mine. Suffice it to say he's just the best and we wish him a very happy {& a bit belated} birthday. 

Happy Birthday sweetie; we love you so much!!
xoxo, natty

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Good girls.

I had been thinking about how wonderful my pals are and after some impromptu chatting this afternoon; my suspicions were confirmed.
This freshly bathed kiddo of ours is lucky to have such a wonderful village of love, friends, and family all around her.

xoxo, natty

Friday, March 28, 2014

Wardrobe changes.


Yesterday someone had just gotten dressed and we were all three {Grandma Melamed} enjoying some time together when there was some intense root-toot-tooting.
So Hanny Lucy got two pretty outfits, lucky girl. Meanwhile mama's just lazing around in whatever fits her now and I have a feeling that's something I should get used to {for now at least, right?!?!?!?}.
I suppose this multiple get ups a day thing is also something we should get used to.

In other news, Guinness got to get up close to the baby.
He's been sniffing at her and seems very alert when she cries sometimes. The biggest reaction out of Guinness, though, is when the babe cries at night - he is such a creature of habit and to have his nightly sleep disturbed vexes him.

Oh well, we'll all adjust!

xoxo, natty ♥

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Recovery.

I knew I'd be getting over delivering a baby but I had no idea I'd be recovering from just so much...what a long hail this has turned out to be! But for very good reason; that gorgeous little nugget of ours.
Yeah newborns can wear jeggings.
Today is just more steps in the right direction and for that I'm grateful. Resting and time at home with baby and family is exactly what I need and I'm so thankful to be able to get it. Plus, it's almost the weekend! That still counts for something even when your days are all the same, right?
xoxo, natty ♥

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

One week {& a wee little day}.

Pardon the second post in one day but I'm trying to catch up a bit.
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So we’re technically at a week and one little day old. Thanks to all the health setbacks {a really bad infection [including an104 degrees fever] that landed me back in the hospital two days after we got home; I just got home for good [hopefully]} I’ve been experiencing I haven’t been able to document things when/the way I’d like to but for now I have a few minutes; yippee!!

Anyway, I’d like to do these little statistics weekly for Hanna Lucy’s first month of life and then once a month or so afterwards, though I’m aiming to have a weekly picture in the same outfit to check out her growth visually. It’s so good to be home and we’re all hoping and praying to everything/one out there that I continue to get better and can be home with our little one. And what a stinker, she wouldn’t even look at the camera! So I’ll include a face shot and next week we’ll see if we can get her to look at the lens.
Let's see her face!
Ignore the odd lighting...we were in the hospital still and it was just a bit yellowy.
How old: 1 week old

Weight: it was 9 pounds 5 ounces last Friday and if I get my druthers later I’ll do an un-scientific weighing of me then me holding her. But let’s say/hope more than 9.5 ounces and less than her birth weight of 9 pounds 13 ounces.

Likes:
·      Nursing/eating.
·      Sucking; this reflex came out strong in our little one. A finger will do the job for a few minutes but then she soon realizes she’s not getting what she really wants. Since I was in the hospital and we were trying to stretch the milk I was pumping we gave her a pacifier a bit and apparently that went over quite well.
·      Her daddy.
·      Being held – this is a hard one because we can’t possible hold her all the time, can we?
·      Being warm.
·      Driving.

Dislikes:
·      Being hungry.
·      Being cold.
·      Not being held.
·      Sleeping between midnight and six AM.

Milestones:
·      Though it wasn’t for her, Hanna Lucy had her first ER visit…yuck.
·      She met two sets of grandparents and one of her uncles…such love!
·      She was born!
·      She met Guinness…he’s a bit more interested than she for now.

Sleep and eat:
·      Every three hours or so…I have to wake her. Me feeding her helps to keep fevers at bay so this is especially important.
·      She started sleeping better after my milk came in on Friday.
·      She sleeps best when held, though she has had some good stretches on her own.
·      We try to swaddle her for sleeping which seems to be better than not…too many of those infant arm spasms.
·      We’ve also tried a little sound machine {thanks to “The Happiest Baby on the Block”} but it doesn’t seem to help too much; perhaps when we’re a bit more stable we can start experimenting. 

Miscellaneous:
·      This has been such a horrible past few days and I’m really looking forward to feeling better; Michael has been such an amazing husband and our parents have supported us in ways that aren’t surprising at all but it just fills my heart so much to know how loved we all are.

xoxo, natty ♥

A setback and 42 weeks {minus 3 days}.

So we had our baby! But then I got really sick and had to spend some more time in the hospital; I had meant to post this last Friday when I would've been 42 weeks pregnant so please forgive the tardiness. I'm probably not going to be posting as often as before but who knows?! Having been sick and also being a newborn's mother, it might be kind of nice to feel even somewhat connected to the world, even if it's just me plastering something on the internet.

Anyway, let's update!

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And now there’s a baby! It was a reeeaaallly long week between the last update and this one and the last post but the happiest byproduct of is our beautiful daughter, Hanna Lucille. We’re recovering at home and looking forward to feeling more and more human as the days progress, though sleeplessness does not a thing to help with that. Let’s look at some stats.
How far along: today I would be 42 weeks – I had Hanna Lucy at 41 weeks and 4 days pregnant.


Symptoms:

·      We have a daughter, a real live baby that we’ve been entrusted {by whom?!} to care for.
·      It was a long and hard labor that ended up taking place in the hospital. Though not a C-section and I’m not recovering from surgery, it was actually a really difficult labor and I’m going to be recovering pretty gingerly these first few days.
·      Baby is very healthy {& large…see below} and has a wonderful clean bill of health; we are so grateful.

Wait gain: I actually haven’t looked at mine yet but she clocked in at 9 pounds 13 ounces on her birthday. And 22 inches long, just for the record.

Size of baby: see above.

Exercise: we are sequestered at home, besides appointments, for the next few weeks.

Milestones: Hanna Lou is nursing every several hours.

She hasn’t been sleeping for long stretches of time but hopefully now that there’s milk coming in that will change, though she sleeps best in our arms and it would be ever-so-nice for her to sleep somewhere else for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

Despite her size she still fits well enough in the newborn clothes we’ve tried on and is also filling out those newborn diapers.

What I miss
: well, I loved being pregnant but labor/delivery was the hardest thing I had ever done {two marathons seem easy in comparison} so I’m going to say that I do miss feeling the babe move around inside of me as well as lots and lots of sleep if I wanted it, but I am so glad to be on the better side of delivering a baby.

Sex: Hanna Lucy.

Movement: she’s a squirmer out here and swaddling her is a must for helping her calm down.

Thoughts/questions/concerns:
hmmm...are we even capable of parenting?

Sleep: not much…let’s leave it at that!

Goals: get some milk coming in and hopefully have her sleep a bit more.

Random: It’s still such a surreal situation; we have a beautiful baby and we are so in love.

xoxo, natty ♥

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Snow baby?

We've had a long 24 hours hoping our little one would come along and it turns out she's not ready; what a time taker!

So let's hope that we actually don't end up having to drive through tonight's predicted snow for a little girl who changed her mind all of a sudden.

Here's to good thoughts and waiting until the roads have cleared!
xoxo, natty

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Baby bows.

I've been having some fun getting ready for baby girl today.
Now hopefully she has a bit of hair to clip these into!
xoxo, natty 

Friday, March 14, 2014

41 weeks.

We’re still pregnant and hoping not to be one week from today {that’s when they would medically induce labor}. Michael’s patient parents have been in town since Tuesday just putzing around with me during the day and we’re all feeling ready for something to happen.

It was a great last weekend we had {way back, almost a week ago}, friends in town and some warm weather, so we’d be OK with that being the last weekend…aka, having the baby tonight would be alright. So let’s get this update started.

How far along: 41 weeks – I was wrong last week; “post term” pregnant is for 42 weeks and beyond {yikes}. I’m just pregnant, albeit beyond my due date.

Symptoms:

·      I forgot to mention this last week but in a cruel twist of timing, the final weeks of my pregnancy have brought me some stretch marks on my tummy, kind of around my belly button. Dear Stretch Mark Fairy, way to wait until the end.
·      I’ve noticed Braxton Hicks contractions, it feels like my whole belly tenses up and tingles and they don’t hurt.
·      I believe I’ve even had some real contractions; they feel almost gassy in and around my lower back and belly.
·      I’m still hungry all the time.
·      My carpal tunnel is very crummy.
·      I’m kind of tired, but for a few days I was out and about quite a bit so I think that was it. After an appointment this morning I was supposed to come home and rest {thank you midwife Dorothy} but I haven’t felt like it, despite having a hard time waking up this morning.

Wait gain: 169 to 173…I saw it all this week; this morning was 169.

Size of baby: there are no more produce comparisons! So sad! I guess that baby is the size of a baby?

Exercise: some good walks in the neighborhood and then when temperatures plummeted yesterday {& the winds were howling – thanks a lot Old Man Winter, you’ve really given us a special season} we mosied around one of the museums for a bit {Natural History}.

Milestones: we had a Non-Stress Test this morning which measures baby’s heart rate for 20 minutes; as an active human outside of the womb, her heart rate should’ve been going slightly up and down according to her movements and any possible contractions I was having – and it did!

My membranes got swept twice. I won’t explain this beyond it’s meant to kick start labor.

If I make it to Monday, we’ll have a Bio-Physical Profile, which is a detailed ultrasound to check on baby and amniotic fluid levels as well as another Non-Stress Test. If that goes well then we see the midwife each day to attempt some more non-medical induction techniques before the looming deadline of Friday March 21st – Medical Induction Day {something I’d like to avoid}.

What I miss
: nothing really. I miss not waiting for a Momentous Occasion to occur at any moment, actually.

Sex: it’s s girl!

Movement: she’s still at it, which is good and what we want.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: let’s have this baby!

Sleep: it’s been the same as before, I’m up each two to three hours for the bathroom and some water.

Goals: not be medically induced.

Random: Is this our final Friday night without a baby? I keep wondering “is this our last ___________?”  

And…might we have an Ides of March baby? A March 16th baby? A St. Patrick’s Day baby? I think a March 14th baby isn’t in the works but I’m hoping in the next few days…

xoxo, natty ♥

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Random cute picture.

I was looking through my pictures the other day, something I don't do often enough, and came across images from our baby shower last month {I'm naughty, I haven't written anything about it yet even though I really want to; you'd think being home without a baby for almost two weeks...}.
Do you have a good photo sorting/organizing/printing system? I got a 100 print coupon from Shutterfly {I think?} in the mail and I should really take advantage of it. It's funny because each year I make a little iphoto album of "pictures to print" but never act on it. 

Have a great Thursday folks!
xoxo, natty ♥

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A beautiful bride.

And a beautiful person.
I'm talking about my dear friend Becs. In the year of our 10-year friendiversary I'm more thankful, appreciative, and in awe of this wonderful young woman and our friendship.
She was helping me practice swaddling way before I even got pregnant.
Here's to a great day {I hope you had one, that is, considering the hour right now} and many, many more wonderful years sweet girl!
She's a top-notch bridesmaid.
Happy birthday and know that we love you so much from here in DC.
xoxo, natty ♥

Monday, March 10, 2014

Walks and books.

The weather today was beautiful and I also took our not-yet-parents status to run a couple of errands...which was great! As are the following things:

1. Tomorrow Mikey's parents arrive here to meet their first grandchild. 

2. Said grandchild isn't here yet but hopefully this week we'll get to meet her!

3. I strolled over to our local library today to check out a baby book I had been interested in reading {but not buying} as well as some other novels to keep me entertained {if I have time}.

4. I also snagged some books at a real book store for our impending arrival; we had some gift cards and I had a blast choosing out a handful of board books to add to our little library.

5. We've had two light bulbs out in our apartment. Today I finally got the replacements and I'm hopeful {that's the positive part here} that Mikey will go down to the shared storage in our building's basement, retrieve a step stool, and change out those suckers. It's not such an easy task, if you're wondering why it's taken so long/is such a feat - our ceilings are kind of high and the lights are recessed.

6. The days are longer! The days are longer!

What's new in your neck of the woods Reader? Enjoying the longer days?
xoxo, natty ♥

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Bad habits.

I know that our schedules will be completely shot to $#@* when our child arrives but I can't help but marvel at how easily I slip into summer sleeping habits; getting up at a good time {eight or nine} but blithely staying up until eleven or midnight doing nothing worthwhile. 

I suppose I should really enjoy this lax lifestyle before changes come. And I certainly am, don't get me wrong, considering changes are very imminent {hopefully...we don't want to wait too long}.

Have a great week y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Maybe this was our last Saturday?

We are still parents-to-be and doing very well at it. I'm feeling antsy but physically doing extremely well and enjoying time with just my husband. 

Today we actually celebrated parenthood with some sweet friends and their five-month-old whom we met for the first time. They are in town for the weekend and it just worked out perfectly to have a nice lunch/catch-up time with them and then a walk around our neighborhood. The walk, though super pleasant because it was beautiful outside today, wasn't very relaxing because we veered off into a busy area when we could've stayed on some quieter streets. But oh well, we had great company and, again, the weather was delightful.

Tomorrow brings some more friends and maybe a bit more nesting {although at this point it's more like re-nesting}...and a drastic cool-down from today {womp} {but then it warms up again on Monday?} but it's lion/lamb weather so it's OK.

OH! And I just remembered, that car seat finally got installed and I even took it to the police department to have it inspected - we got a certificate! #winningatparenthood
xoxo, natty ♥

Friday, March 7, 2014

40 weeks.

We made it to 40 weeks pregnant. And we’re still pregnant! It’s been SUCH a low-key week at home, which has been wonderful, especially after the hectic work pace I had been keeping since AUGUST. Michael was with me almost every day since he was pretty sick and there were snow days. I got things done in the apartment and lazed around a lot.

We didn’t go for very many walks {two, to be precise} but it was so snowy then slushy/icy then frigid. Excuses, excuses, but it might have been a good idea to try and get things going in the “let’s have this baby” department. As of yesterday, according to the midwife, there’s no progress. She cannot {nor can anyone, for that matter} predict when the baby will come but she tactfully told us that many first time mothers will go a bit over a week late. I’m completely OK with our daughter taking her time, though I’m actually feeling impatient – so maybe I’m not completely OK with it then? It’s just that we have some very special grandparents coming to visit very soon who would like to meet their first grandchild and we would like for that too…so let’s get this show on the road baby girl!

I am grateful for the week off, though. It was so nice to finally have mental space and energy to think about having a baby and being a parent – a luxury I had a hard time making time for when teaching and commuting was taking up so much of me. Thank goodness we’ll be living somewhere closer to work when the new school year begins AND that I won’t be adjusting to a new textbook/curriculum {read: basically starting from scratch}. So if we get another week still pregnant, I’ll be just as grateful, albeit a bit more impatient.

On to the details.
Shadowville still.
How far along: 40 weeks – I’m now officially post-term

Symptoms:

·      Pregnancy.
·      The carpal tunnel in my right hand hasn’t gotten worse but it hasn’t gotten much better; I’m hoping this is a miraculous “will disappear as soon as I’m no longer pregnant” sort of story.
·      I’ve had maybe a few “light” contractions, so the midwife told me, according to the crampiness I described, but she seemed to think more that it’s an irritable uterus instead; I think this is hilarious because I can envision an angry body organ shaking its fist. This irritability is just considering how huge a uterus gets at the end of pregnancy as well as all of the weight it’s schlepping around {at least seven pounds of baby plus several more pounds of other stuff}…this isn’t a painful condition, rather, I just notice it.
·      I’m still ravenous throughout the day and night. I even had several dreams in which I remarked that I was “starving” and could feel being hungry. Needless to say, I had a snack as soon as I got up the next morning.

Wait gain: 167; still losing a bit.

Size of baby: a pumpkin or a jack fruit.

Exercise: two neighborhood walks and then I walked an entire mall today {both levels}, at a decent clip today.

Milestones: we reached the “end” of a full-term pregnancy; it was great to hit weeks 36/37 and think that my baby was more likely than not completely OK and could go home right away after birth, but obviously 40 was the goal all along. It’s been a wonderful pregnancy; I’ve truly loved almost every aspect of it. I’m assuming labor/birth might not be so enjoyable but, naively perhaps, I’m so grateful for this whole experience. I realize that any subsequent pregnancies could be extremely different from this one so I’m especially thankful for it.

We also got our strollers assembled, all the cloth diapers laundered and stuffed, and bags mostly packed. Tomorrow morning the much-delayed car seat will be installed and inspected {thanks Metropolitan PD!}…we are as ready as we can be.

What I miss
: not much right now! With the light at the end of the tunnel I’m feeling energized and excited.

Sex: still a girl.

Movement: it’s good and roly-poly. I’m feeling some movement way in the bottom towards my hipbones almost, which is an odd sensation.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: I have until 41 weeks and six days to be able to give birth at the birthing center vs. the hospital and to not be medically induced. I’m not worried about this timeline rather, like I mentioned, I’m feeling a tad impatient. I’d like to have our daughter here before her grandparents arrive. So, we’ve tried a few things: spicy food, walking, red raspberry leaf tea, and evening of primrose oil. Only time can tell if any of them will work so look out for an update! One thing I am able to say, though, is that I won’t try taking Castor Oil like some women do; it sounds gross gross gross.

Sleep: I’m still up every two to three hours, but I’m so used to it. Plus, I figure that my sleep will be just as broken up {if not more} soon enough, at least now it’s only needing to use the bathroom and I can go right back to sleep.

Goals: have a baby!

Random: will this be our last weekend together as two? Three, actually; I’d be remiss if I didn’t count Guinness. Again, I really am so glad I had this week. There might be a few random things I’d like to tie up around here, cleaning-wise, but baby preparation is at a good place right now as are we mentally. I’m so excited to see what this next phase of life has to bring us but I am definitely very much so continuing to enjoy my still-pregnant state.
xoxo, natty ♥

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Geared up.

Except for our horribly belated/delayed car seat installation {it hasn't happened yet}, we have our baby paraphernalia all set up.

Tonight, in between Seinfeld and Rocky III {IV is on the docket for tomorrow}, we assembled both of our strollers {one's smaller and less bulky}.

Then we tried Guinness in one.

Also, our cloth diapers are all laundered and stuffed and ready to be used, though the little one won't be big enough for a few weeks.

There are other things done and some that still need to get done {see: car seat} but we're feeling naïvely ready for this baby. It's good enough timing considering tomorrow is my due date.

And something else we're ready for? Warmer weather - today's highs were in the 30s; bring on spring please!
xoxo, natty

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Cabin fever.

Thankfully it will be nice outside soon {yes?} because after two days of pre-baby-maternity leave, I'm ready to get out. 

Granted...

They were snow days which means that driving was out.

It was COLD and icy which means that walking most places wasn't the best idea.

Mikey, even though he was home with me, has been pretty sick so he hasn't been motivated to do much beyond laze around.

I've had plenty to do around our home so it's actually been good to be here and get it taken care of but I'm ready to get out and do something. I think tomorrow's agenda will include a trip to a store.

And maybe a walk.

Anything is an improvement over only taking out the dog.

And in some other temperature related news, the prediction for peak cherry blossoms is slated for sometime in early/mid-April.
So happy times are on their way! By that time I think/hope our little one will be big enough to go for a nice long walk down to the tidal basin {just about 1.5 miles}.
xoxo, natty ♥

Monday, March 3, 2014

Thoughts in a crummy weather week.

The first day of my maternity leave was technically a school closure day - it began with a walloping of ice very early this morning followed by heavy snow. 

And that ice remains covered by inches of snow out there resulting in a second day of school closures...it's so weird to not be working but not yet kept busy with a small human being; I totally have my feet in both worlds.

In other news...

1. I've loved pregnancy. I'll say it proudly and with the almost certain prescience that any further pregnancies will probably be riddled with weeks of morning sickness and other ills of the condition but for now, I'm really trying to savor my last days. I was never sick, never too achy, and the worst has just been from being on my feet and driving for two hours a day. I've been mentally conjuring up a list of things I'll miss about these three trimesters that I'll try to get down in the coming days.

2. Speaking of being in the car, I'm DONE with my horrid commute. This drive has made me kind of an angry person and I really don't like that. I've also come to resent Washington, DC, and parts of Maryland for the sheer facts that there are so many people here {& on the roads} and the roads are bad and people are crazy drivers...you get the picture. We will be moving somewhere in Maryland this summer {which will cut this drive in half, thankfully} so that when I'm back at work, things will be better, driving-wise.

3. Michael and I took advantage of today's sequestration and started that last part of Breaking Bad's final season. The poor husband of mine is actually pretty sick so we'll most likely continue down this binge-Netflixing road tomorrow. And it's good; it had been so long since we've gotten into a TV drama and been able to race through the episodes in what I feel is kind of a soul-less manner. Soul-less but really enjoyable.

4. Hopefully said husband is over the worst of what he has so that he can be healthy when we have our first child. Which could happen any day now. Which is so weird, it totally won't sink in until we bring her home, I suppose.

5. Related to our first born's pending arrival, Michael's parents are coming next week to visit and meet her {she's got one week to get here before they do!}; we've been so excited about their visit and then my dad and step-mom's visit the following weekend and looking forward to it all and now the time's coming rather quickly!

How are you doing this first week of March Reader? Sniced {snow + ice} in like we are? Be well!!
xoxo, natty ♥

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Awards of snow.

We're watching the Academy Awards and hunkering down for tomorrow, what's maybe hopefully our last snow day {and please don't let it be our daughter's birthday}.
Stay warm where you are folks!
xoxo, natty

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Last Saturday?

We spent what could be our last Saturday sans bébé being suburban and uninteresting, even though we live in a very vibrant city. And I think that pace was just right for us.

The evening was capped off with The Social Network on TV. So what if we're only four years behind the times, it's still a good movie!

Here's to laying low before a humungous life change. How was your Saturday Reader?
xoxo, natty ♥