Andrew at One Year

It has been quite a while since I've written an Andrew update. The little pea-pie punkin' guy turned one this week. And to celebrate the occasion, he is walking! Over the last couple weeks, he had been taking a few tentative steps. Just between pieces of furniture and such. But the day before his birthday, he was walking with a "walker" toy and it got hung up on a rug. So he just continued on without it, half-way across the living room. He still crawls most of the time, but he loves practicing his new skill.

Other amazing things that Andrew is doing ...

Yesterday I was emptying the dish washer and putting the silverware away. Andrew grabbed a spoon and, instead of sticking it in his mouth like he usually does, he stuck it in the silverware drawer. Later I was sitting in a chair next to the dryer (a trick I discovered while I was pregnant) folding laundry and stacking it on the open dryer door. Andrew cruised over to the nearby shelf where we keep clean kitchen towels, grabbed one, and placed it on the dryer door. He did this about three times.

Andrew is using about three signs - the signs for "more" (which he does by pointing his index finger to his palm, just like his brothers did) and "all done" (well, mostly just waving his hands around) and pat-pat when he wants milk. He doesn't say much, although he clearly says "Da Da". He can clap his hands and wave "bye bye". He will follow me around from room to room (as the mother of three, I don't stay put for long) and is quite social. When I put on my sling, he gets very excited. This is not new; he's done this for several months. But he's not clingy at all and rarely asks to be held when we are at home. He is a busy boy and has things to do. He doesn't like strangers, though.

He weighs just over 21lbs. which is a bit below the old adage of "triple their birth weight by one year" but on track compared with his brothers' growth curves.

I am actually writing his birth story this week. And I promise photos coming soon.

Waterbirth Photo

I'm just sticking this photo up on my blog because I want to get it online somewhere for reasons that do not concern you.

And it's a great photo. Someday I will write Andrew's birth story, with photos to go along with it. Someday

You may think that the boys are looking at their baby brother, but actually DS5 is reading the writting on the side of the tub to DS3.

Four Months Old

Andrew is four months old ... and I still haven't written his birth story.

He grows and grows. He wears size 3 diapers. He can roll easily from back to front and, on more than one occasion, from front to back (we even caught it on tape the 1st time he did it!). He can almost - but not quite - sit up. Needs a bit of proping and falls over, but he loves to play upright. When he is on his tummy, he tries to kick his legs back and forth, as if he wants to crawl. He is getting rough skin on his elbows, and wearing little blisters on his toes.

Craddle cap is all gone. So is most of the hair. Not only did he loose hair in the front, like his brothers, but, unlike his brothers, lost it on the sides and in the back. So he has a swirl of hair on top and a fringe at the back of his neck, and the rest is peach fuzz. It feels funny against my lips when I kiss his head. He looks a bit like Yul Brenner in "The Ten Commandments".

He smiles a lot. He laughs a little bit, mostly silently, not outloud so much. He chews on his hands and has started to "discover" his feet. He will have a "conversation" and will coo back and forth with Mommy. He is lots of fun.

Three Months Old

Andrew turned three months old this week. Definitely not a newborn anymore. He is much more interactive, loves to make eye contact, and is much more aware of his surroundings. When he is being held by a stranger (that is, pretty much anyone other than his parents and possibly his grandmothers) or when in a strange place, he tends to get upset easily. The new thing this week is that he will be startled by loud, sudden noises and burst into tears.

He can also hold a rattle, brings both hands together, and brings his hands up to his mouth. He is starting to reach out for things. Andrew has been drooling and chewing on his hands, so we suspect he is teething, though it seems a bit early. I don't recall exactly when the other two got their first teeth, but I believe it was earlier rather than later.

Andrew can roll quite easily from his back to his side, and can turn over without much trouble, although he's not sure what to do once he is there. We are giving him more tummy time and he is starting to push himself up with a little encouragement.

We tried him in size 3 diapers last week, but they were just too big, so we are sticking with the 2s for a while longer. He has lost some hair on the sides and the back, although it has already grown back in on the top, so it's like reverse pattern baldness. Has a bit of cradle cap, which I don't remember his brothers having at this age. He looks so much like them, although he is his own person.

He is still exceedingly calm. Daytime naps are getting to be more predictable, though often shorter than one would like. At night he sleeps like a champ. Now if only I would stop staying up until 2am blogging and just go to bed, I could take advantage of my uninterrupted 6 hours.

6 Weeks Old

Generally speaking, children get easier to care for the older they get. However, newborns are the exception - they eat and sleep for a couple weeks while you are recovering from the birth and trying to figure it all out. Then they get to be a little more work.

At Wednesday's appointment with our midwife, Andrew weighed in at a good sized 12 lbs. 1 oz. The even bigger news is that mommy weighed in at 125 lbs. - 20 pounds less than my maximum pregnancy weight. Yeah haw! Only challenge now is to keep it off, a feat I have not been able to accomplish in the past. Now, I am far from svelte - my hips are huge and I still look several months pregnant. But there is hope for my wardrobe. Enough about me, back to the baby.

Details... Andrew's acne is clearing up, but he's sprouted a bit of cradle cap. My husband bought Size 2 diapers tonight, though he is at the bottom of the weight range. He is smiling, not a whole lot but occasionally when you smile or make a funny face at him. He smiled at his big brother Christopher yesterday, which just about made C's day.

While he does fuss occasionally, we haven't had more than one or two instances of really colicky behavior. He falls asleep about the same time every night and wakes up about the same time every morning, though his daytime nap schedule is amazingly inconsistent. We suspect he is having a growth spurt, too.

The block nursing technique seems to have helped a lot with my forceful let-down problem. One piece of advice to anyone trying this: ease into it slowly so as to avoid engorgement and the perils that sometimes follow (plugged ducts, mastitis, etc.). From your breast's perspective, it is like suddenly skipping every other feeding. Not good.

Last weekend's night out went fine. He took a couple ounces from the bottle without much problem. I showed my mom our "secret" for getting him calmed down and asleep: turn on the kitchen exhaust fan and hold him, bouncing up and down a little bit. Before we left the house to go to the event, my mom was cooking dinner, I had just painted my nails, and Andrew was fussing in his basinette, so I asked my step-dad to pick him up. He turns out to be a super baby calmer; when we returned home Paw Paw was sitting on the couch holding a sleeping baby.

3 Weeks Old

Wow, how time flies. Andrew is just eating and sleeping and growing and, more and more, will stop and look around a bit. He often makes cute little cooing noises when he sleeps or nurses. He sometimes smiles in his sleep, and even smiled once or twice when awake. He's moved up from Newborn diapers to Size 1. I've trimmed his fingernails three times already.

DH went back to work this week. I'm doing o.k. with that, except that I have to re-learn how to get things done with a baby in the house. When he asked me if I would be all right alone with the boys, I told him yeah, I might not do anything but sit on the couch all evening, but I could manage. Actually, though, I have be able to fix dinner (though I often leave a pile of dirty dishes in the sink for him), do a load or two of laundry, and get the kids ready for bed on a consistent basis. There are still parts of my house that are a complete disaster, but I am gradually reclaiming them. Baby steps, you know.

Andrew has one "fussy" period a day, but he hasn't quite decided when that will be. Last two nights, it's been between about 10 pm and midnight, which is fine, because then he drops off to sleep for a while, and rarely is anyone in this household asleep before midnight anyway, least of all me. The "not fun" nights were when he decided to be fussy between roughly 1 am and 4 am which, since I hadn't gone to bed yet, meant I didn't get to sleep at all until nearly 5 am except for a few 5 or 10 minute stretches when DH was on baby duty. Hopefully we've gotten everything all straightened out. The rest of the time, though, he is exceedingly calm.

The older brothers are doing great. When Andrew cries, they make "shhh" noises at him like Harvey Karp, and Christopher pats him gently. They've not tried to pick him up or feed him peanut butter or anything scary like that, although I do worry about toy footballs landing in the bassinet. Timothy is doing well with the potty training, not completely trained but making progress, despite the fact that his parents have often not had the energy to work with him on it over the past few weeks. He just turned three and his brother will be 5 next week.

I've never had postpartum depression, but I do get the "baby blues" pretty predictably. My tears usually are associated with the changing relationship with my older children - I have a "new" baby, but I am loosing my older "baby". My husband and I are always amazed at how much our other children "grow" on the day we have a new baby. We also look at each other and say things like "Can you believe we made another human being" (at which point my husband reminds me that we only helped), and "Can you believe God actually trusts us enough to give us children?". And with the last one, "Two of us - three of them. Oh no, we're outnumbered!"

More Photos

Here is Andrew at 1 week old. Sorry about the shadow.

Here is Andrew with his brothers. Christopher is about to turn 5 and Timothy just turned 3.

One Week Old

Andrew is one week old today. Hard to believe! He is so precious. He is cute and perfect and smells good and I am just in love with him.

The boys are adjusting well to their new little brother. There has been a slight increase in fussing, partially attributable to having been spoiled by grandparents for the last two weeks. DS2 (oh, let's call him "Timothy") has only asked me twice to "put him down" in the bassinette or bouncy seat, and yesterday wanted to know what Andrew's favorite color was. DS4 (we'll call him "Christopher") will pat him and give him a kiss, and explains things to Timothy. They are both very helpful.

My recovery is going pretty well. I'll post a birth story here, of course, when I have time to write it. But I'll just say that while most of labor was a piece of cake, the actual birth part was extremely intense. Everyone tells me I had great control and didn't make a whole lot of noise, but all I remember is groaning and roaring and saying things like, "get him out!". But other than being tired and my gimpy hips which are taking their sweet time returning to normal, no major complaints. I had a small tear which I elected not to have repaired and boy, am I happy with that decision, at least so far. I guess I hadn't realized the extent to which the pain and swelling I experienced with the first two was not a normal result of childbirth, but was due to the trauma of the suturing. I wish more of an attempt was made to prevent perineal tears in childbirth. It would make a big difference for a lot of women.

His second night out, Andrew blessed us with 5 hours of sleep, then after a quick snack another 3 or 4 hours. By the third day, however, my milk had started to come in and sleep was hard to come by. I'm thinking, I don't care if he does eat every 2 hours, as long as he actually falls asleep in between feedings. By the fifth night we were back to a normal sleeping and waking pattern.

More when I get a chance.

Photos

It's a Boy!

Announcing the arrival of

Andrew Josiah

Date: Jaunary 13th

Time: 8:50 pm CST

Weight: 8 lbs. 10 oz.

Height: 21.25 in.

Details: not long after Mom sat in the "La Bassine" birthing tub her water broke. Total labor time in the tub was appx. 1.5 hours. Contractions progressed rapidly (and consequestly were strong). The "La Bassine" is very sturdy - so you can really lean on the side without fear of a tidal wave. Once Andrew's head was lifted out of the water he cried a little (so we knew his respiratory system worked) and then he quickly became quiet and calm - even after Dad took him out of the water (so Mom could deliver the placenta).

Labor Part II

After a lot of close (2-4 min.) but short (<30 seconds) and not very strong contractions, they actually moved farther apart to more like every 5 minutes, but 45-60 seconds and pretty intense. Finally I laid down for a while and got a break, even slept a little. Within the last hour, the midwives (2), apprentice, and my mother arrived. The midwives actually just came for a birth this morning, and that following another one yesterday. My mother-in-law has been here since last Saturday, so she helps keep the kids entertained and they have shown very little interest in what mommy is doing. The birth pool is all set up. I just don't feel like I need it yet.

Little boy is being helpful. He kicks me in the ribs right before I have a contraction (like right now) ... (deep breath) because apparently he feels it before I do.

So I'm going to get up, walk around a bit, and try to get things going.

Labor!

Unlike last night's contractions, which were low, irregular, and painless, this morning's are bigger and 6-7 minutes apart. And I definitely feel the need to use some active relaxation techniques. I think they started around 5:30 a.m. - at least, that's when they woke me up - but I started timing around 6:40 and decided at 7:15 to get out of bed. Then, a bathroom surprise! The always-anticipated blood-tinged mucous.

Can you imagine, actually having a baby on his due date? What are the chances?

I think I'll have some breakfast and let everyone get a few more minutes of sleep before I start waking people up. May or may not blog again, depends on how it goes.

Announcing the Arrival Of...

A new blog: The Book Blawg

What, did you think I was going to say a baby?

Labor?

So, I'm having some irregular contractions. I know they are contractions becauase they feel just like the ones I had at the beginning of labor with #2. Very low and painless. I'll have two or three, maybe 7 or 9 minutes apart, then nothing for half an hour, then another couple. We'll see if this keeps up. I'm not calling anybody yet.

39+6 Week Update

I was quite disappointed not to wake up this morning in labor. DH and I had decided that this was the day. Apparently, baby feels differently. Both his brothers were born on Thursdays, and tommorow is both my due date and a full moon. So it would be a good day.

On the other hand, babies #1 & #2 made me wait, so why should this one be any different? Why on earth did I think he would come early? Oh, I have a whole piece to write about due dates and how they are wrong and don't mean anything. Maybe I should write it, then read it to myself over and over and over. Sigh...

Well, the day's not over yet!

Anyway, the last several days I have felt a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen, back & pelvic floor, mostly in the evenings. It comes and goes. I've never quite figured out what a Braxton-Hicks contraction is, so maybe this is it. Feels completely different from pre-labor with the first two.

I've completely lost all motivation. Last week I had that nesting instinct, but this week I don't really want to do anything but sit around. I am bored and discouraged.

Not much else to report. My prenatal visit was fine, nothing new.

Hopefully will post an update later.

39 Week Update

Yes, I am getting tired of my mom, my stepmom, my mother-in-law, my sister, and my best friend calling me to ask "if anything's going on". And I know most of them read this blog, so please take no offense. But we will call you. I promise.

Questions I get:
Do you think the baby will come soon? Yes, I do, but what I think means diddly-squat. I thought the last two would be early, and they were 41-weekers.

When does your midwife say about when the baby will come? She, very wisely, says nothing. She knows better. In fact, I am the one with the calendar, so my due date is based on the dates I give her, not the other way around. And we don't do weekly cervical checks, because that too tells you nothing. One woman could be one or two centimeters dialated for a month before she goes into labor, or have prodromal labor for weeks before going into active labor. Another woman could be tight and "unripe" in the morning and have the baby later that same day. Doctors or midwives who try to predict when the baby will be born are foolish, in my opinion.

About the only thing I can tell you is that, apart from a slight backache and a rather sporadic nesting urge, I am not having any pre-labor signs.

What I did learn at the midwife's this week: Baby is ROT and about 7 lbs. Fundal height 38 1/2 - 39 cm. I gained just one pound this week (completely normal to loose weight or have slow gain at this point, and my appetite is way decreased). My urine stick looks great, no glucose, leukocytes, or protein (very good, since my feet are still swollen). Blood pressure great as usual.

My dear sweet husband salvaged our waterbirth plans today. The distributor of the first tub we ordered was out-of-stock, and we had pretty much given up all hope since we had waited so late to order. But today he got on the phone with the owner of YourWaterBirth.com and arranged to have a La Bassine overnighted. So we are getting the tub tomorrow and I'm so excited! All I have to do is try not to go into labor in the next 12 hours or so.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's ready to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

38+4 Week Update

Ok, I have a confession to make. I usually do the "X Week Update" at X+6 days, sometimes later. Don't want to get too specific about my due date. So even though I haven't done the "official" 38-week update yet, I think I'll do some blogging every day or two until the baby comes, since we're getting close now.

Tonight I had a contraction. Just one, but it was definitley a contraction and not the baby moving around or gas or something. I had one or two a night for a week before Baby #1 was born, so don't get too excited. Also had some back pain yesterday which was different from my usual been-standing-up-too-long-need-to-sit-down soreness.

Does cleaning the inside top of the microwave count as nesting? What about staying up half the night cleaning the bathroom? Which looks gorgeous, by the way.

My husband is nesting, too. Right now he's cleaning out the closet in the office, which is a mess and needs to be done, but not exactly on the top of my priority list. When he's in this kind of mood, however, I just let him be and stay out of his way.

My mother reminds me that there is a full moon on my due date, but we're supposed to get a cold front tomorrow which means a rise in the barometric pressure, as I understand. Besides, I really don't want to wait until my due date.

I have a list entitled "To Do Before Baby Comes". It has 21 items on it. I've checked off 8 items. Some of them are not essential, like "update boys' baby books". What I have done is: washed all baby clothes, blankets, towels, and linens; assembled all birth supplies; finished our birth plan, and actually discussed it with my husband. Etc. Except for vacuuming the livingroom and bedroom, I am feeling mentally prepared.

The birth tub didn't get ordered in time. It's out of stock. Haven't ordered from anywhere else. Wouldn't get here in time, unless I go late. Looks like plans for waterbirth will be scrapped. However, I did do a ton of research which I plan to bless you all with as soon as I can blog it.

37 Week Update

Never before have I felt this anxious to have a baby. With numbers 1 and 2, I would get to 40 weeks (or what we thought at the time was 40 weeks) and I would feel patient and calm (unlike my OB, who was a basket case at 41 weeks. Between that and my 48+ hour labor, I think we probably gave her an ulcer.). This time, however, I am ready. Well, not ready in any practical sense. The sheets and towels are being washed as we speak, my birth plan is not written, and DH has not even looked at baby names. The birth tub we ordered is out-of-stock. But all that's just fluff, and I would be perfectly happy if the baby came today. At least we have the birth kit and baby clothes ready to go. You don't really need much, actually. Hot water and some clean towels.

I am a bit paranoid. Last week while Christmas shopping I felt like people were staring at me and my huge belly. Perhaps they were - you know that saying, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"? They are thinking "wow, look at that woman, could she be any more pregnant?". Or perhaps they are just pointing their spouse in the direction of the organic bananas.

Another interesting thing I noticed this week. Perhaps as a result of my internal organs being squished up and down, I have a lack of normal sensation of bodily functions. For instance, I don't really feel hungry or full. I eat when I feel "snacky", and at a certain point I decide to stop. I do have cravings for certain foods - spinach salad, fruit, protein, etc. (we won't mention the Christmas candy) - so when I feel like eating something, I eat it. And I don't feel a normal urge to pee. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I assume I need to potty so I go. If I feel some pressure in my lower abdomen, I go. Every once in a while, I go just for the heck of it. Kind of like my DS2 who is still potty training.

My hands and feet started to swell this week. Christmas eve, I took my wedding ring off - took some doing - and transfered it to my pinky finger. I'm chugging down the water now and trying to put my feet up from time to time. My shoes are uncomfortable, so I'm glad for the unseasonably warm weather (highs range from 65 - 80 degrees) as I can wear my birks. Without socks.

This week's details: GBS test was negative. Gained 3 pounds since last week. Fundal height 38 cm. Baby is about 6 1/2 pounds.

From BabyCenter.com:

Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point 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 are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36 Week Update

Remember in my first post where I promised not to discuss bodily functions for as long as possible? Well, be warned, I'm going to start discussing my cervix now.

This weekend, my right hip stopped functioning. Made it a little difficult to walk. Saw the Chiropractor on Wedesday, who worked me over pretty good. For about 12 hours after that, my muscles were all tensed up and I still couldn't walk, but I could tell that my hips were back in balance. So after some stretching and a good night sleep, things were as right as rain again. It's something of a constant effort, keeping the baby in a good position and my hips functioning. But at least I am not in the pain I was with the first two pregnancies. Still have trouble turning my whale-like self over at night, though. I discussed pubic symphysis separation back in Week 15.

Had the Group B Strep test this week. So I say to my midwife, while you are at it, let's see if anything's going on down there. Turns out I am 50% effaced and "real soft". That's encouraging. I feel like I need to be ready for a labor that is either fast or early. Fundal height is 37 cm. and the big shocker was that in the last month, I gained 13 pounds. My weight gain is still constistent with the other two pregnancies; the little champion is just putting on some fat. Still, there's something about crossing into the 140's that seems like a milestone to me.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby is still putting on the pounds — about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that covered and protected her skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, which will stay in her bowels until birth. This blackish mixture, called meconium, will become her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 is post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery, but if she isn't in the next week, your provider may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position manually, by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

35 Week Update

Pregnancy brain has finally caught up to me. I wasn't able to finish a "medium" sudoku puzzle four days in a row this week. I can usually whip through one of those in no time.

We're just plugging away at our "to-do" list. Got photos for Christmas cards. Moving furniture around. Christmas presents? Uh... working on it.

Although I look huge, I'm measuring 36 cm. at 35+5 weeks. My midwife thinks the baby is about 5 1/2 - 6 lbs. Everything else is boringly normal. Next week: Group B Strep culture.

This week's appointment was the home visit - where the midwife comes to your house, makes sure she knows how to get there so she doesn't get lost when you're in labor, sees where you've stashed the birth supplies and the coffee maker, and generally checks out the birthing environment. My mom was able to come, which was nice. I'll be seeing the midwife and the chiropractor once a week from here on out.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. 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.

Your uterus — now up under your ribs — has expanded to about 15 times its original volume, and you may feel like you've run out of room! If you could peek inside your uterus, you'd see that there's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your internal organs too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and have heartburn and other digestive problems. If you don't have these problems, you're one of the lucky few.