More updates

I don't really have any pictures and not much is going on here. I have been doing some Christmas shopping this week so I can avoid the malls in December. I have mentioned that we are trying to keep Grant at home as much as possible this cold and flu season (until he has to go to daycare at the end of January!)... so I'd rather not take him out shopping with me after Todd goes back to work (next week is his last week home). AND I'm sure as heck not going out on the weekends in December. We live near Natick Mall and it was a madhouse last December when we came up here to go househunting. I'm not going through that again! So... anyway, I got some shopping done and hope to be done with most of it by the time Todd goes back to work!

Anyway... so, ha ha... we took Grant out today (I mean, we can't stay in our house EVERY day!). We went out for an early lunch at Olive Garden to beat the lunch hour rush. Todd and I had our 4 year anniversary last week, and since we have a newborn, we can't really have a date night just yet. So we did a date lunch! And Grant came along. But he is such a good little baby and only squawked a few times. He was awake the whole time and was really quiet and good. He allowed us to have a nice belated anniversary lunch!

We have also started putting him down for some tummy time. He seems to enjoy it. So much, that he falls asleep! I guess it's comfy for him... it's definitely my preferred method of sleeping! Natalie used to scream and cry. Todd thinks that's because we didn't put her on her tummy until she was about 4 months old because of her hip displasia. Anyway, we will definitely be doing a lot of tummy time in the upcoming days and weeks to work on that head control!

I'm very sad that Todd is going back to work after the holidays. He's been working 3 hours every day anyway (at home) but at least we've been able to spend time together and with Grant. Grant is such an easy baby that I don't think the time alone at home with him will be that difficult! I think it will be much easier than my time at home alone with Natalie. At least I hope it is!

Natalie's first haircut

Natalie got her first haircut! I must admit, I was a bit afraid of how she would react, given her serious aversion to doctors and nurses! But she really did great! We went to SnipIts in Framingham (at Shoppers World). We were in and out in like, 10 minutes! (Thank goodness!) She got up in the chair, the haircut only took a few minutes (we cut off about 2 inches), she got a lollipop and a prize, and we were done! And it was only $17.95. Some people might think that's expensive, but I can't get away with a haircut for less than $100, so I think that's a deal! PLUS, she got a root beer dum dum, that she loved (gross!). I was glad the whole thing was really quick because just as soon as the haircut was done, she said, "I want to get down." But on our way home, she said, "Getting a haircut is fun. I want to tell daddy!"

She must have really liked it because in the car today when we passed SnipIts (on our way to Toys R Us to check out toys that she might want Santa to bring), she said, "I went up, up, up!" At first I had no idea what she was talking about... but then I remembered that the hairdresser pumped up her chair and made her go "up, up, up!" She'll probably be talking about this haircut for weeks!

More of Natalie and Grant

Natalie still likes her brother, or as she calls him, "Brudder." This is a good thing, because she's not so fond of her daddy right now. She has really been acting out with him. She's been great with me... but not so much with Todd. It's funny... our friends Mike and Andrea have a 3-year-old, Annabelle, who went through the same thing when her brother Evan was born in August. I think Annabelle gave Natalie some tips! HA! (Just kidding Mike and Andrea!) Anyway, poor Todd has had to bear the brunt of Natalie's tantrums lately. Andrea said Annabelle's lasted about 3 weeks, so hopefully this will be over soon!

We took Grant with us when we went out to lunch at Panera last Wednesday with Todd's parents when they came to meet #9. :-) That is a rare event! Other than doctor's visits, we are really trying to limit his contact with the outside world. It's cold and flu season, and with swine flu running rampant out there, I'm so scared he's going to get sick! I got the swine flu vaccine, but Todd and Natalie have not gotten it (although Natalie is scheduled to get her seasonal vaccine on the 16th. If they have any H1N1, they'll give her that too). It's going to be a crummy winter because I'm too afraid to take him out in public!

Grant and Natalie

Here is an update on how we are doing as a family of 4!

Grant is an awesome sleeper. I didn't think I would get a better sleeper than Natalie... but Grant proved me wrong. I thought for sure, Murphy's Law would show up and I would get a terrible sleeper for my second kid. I actually think he's better than Natalie! At night, we put him down in the pack and play and he hardly makes a peep, unless he has some gas. So Todd occasionally has to burp him, but once that is out, he goes almost right to sleep. He DOES need a pacifier however, which Natalie flat our refused. So we'll see how that goes someday when we have to take it away! Not now though... I need my sleep! Most nights he gives us at least one, if not two (or like last night ... 3!) stretches of 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. A part of me worries that he's not eating enough, but he gained 8 ounces in one week and then another 4 ounces in one day so I'm not really worried about it I guess. He's already over 8 pounds. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz at birth and then dropped to 7 lbs 3 oz as we left the hospital. Then the next day, we had to go back to the pediatrician for them to check out his jaundice and he weighed 7 lbs 4 oz. They are supposed to gain an ounce a day, so this is right on target. Then a week later, he weighed 7 lbs 12 oz again. The next day I went to a nursing class at the hospital and he was already 8 lbs!!! Again, this is a lot better than Natalie did. She had some trouble gaining weight in the beginning and we had to supplement one bottle a day for her.

So far, Natalie is doing pretty well with Grant. I was actually a bit surprised. She doesn't take a huge interest in him, but she's sweet to him when she does talk to him. The other night before bed, she said to him, "Hi I'm Natalie! Do you want to go to the park with me? We'll go on the swings and you won't hurt your head." HA HA! Not sure about that last part... she must be concerned about him hurting his head! She is a really funny kid.

The attached picture is of my sister-in-law Helen holding Grant, and me and Natalie. This was only a few minutes after Natalie got home and got to meet Grant for the first time. As you can see, she is way more interested in mommy! :-)

Welcome to the world Grant!

Grant William Bailey was born on October 30, 2009 at 4:14 pm at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA!

Let me get the stats out of the way first... 7 lbs 11.8 oz (smaller than Natalie who weighed 7 lbs 14.4 oz!) and he was 20.5 inches long. (One inch longer than Natalie).

Okay, now for my birth story!

In the 2 am hour early Friday morning (Oct. 30), I was woken up with contrations about every 15 minutes or so. They weren't too bad, so I fell back asleep afterwards until another one hit. I honestly have little memory of them because I was in a fog. Kind of thinking, "Are these real? Or just round ligament pains? No they feel different... ugh, I'm so tired, who cares..." Then around 3 am, I woke up and they started coming a little more rapidly. Finally at 3:30 am, I woke Todd up and told him what was going on. We laid there for a while, and I think finally somewhere around 4 am, we finally got up, knowing it was the real deal! We hadn't even packed a bag, plus, we had to pack for Natalie to go to Todd's sister Helen's house for 2 days. (If you have a toddler, you know that this requires about 2 suitcases and numerous duffle bags of toys, gear, pack and plays, etc.) Everything seemed to just work out perfectly, time wise. I couldn't have asked for better timing! Go into labor on a Friday morning, still be able to take Natalie to daycare, and have Todd's sister pick her up Friday evening and spend the weekend with them, and we all go home on Sunday! We dropped Natalie off at daycare at 7 am (her usual time) and headed right for the hospital. Dr. Sharon Margulies was on duty from my practice and at first, I was a bit bummed. She seemed to be the only one I met with who wasn't 100% pro-VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). But in the end, she was really cool. More on that in a bit...

I was checked out by a nurse and I was already 4 cm and 100%! Whoo hoo! The contractions were pretty painful at this point, but I think I was handling them okay. Todd was funny- I had previously told him not to touch or talk to me when I'm having a contraction. I just deal with pain better that way. Meanwhile, I'm on the table being monitored and I'm having a contraction and we are just sure the nurse was looking at Todd like, "You total nitwit, comfort your wife!" She was touching my arm and telling me when the contraction was peaking, etc. (Meanwhile in my head I'm like, "STOP TOUCHING ME! SHUT YOUR TRAP!" :-)

So then I get to head to a labor and delivery room. I had a SUPER cool nurse Lisa (if anyone births at Newton Wellesley, I totally recommend you ask for her if you can! She rocked!). I found that standing or moving definitely eased the pain of the contractions (I mean... they still hurt, but it definitely took the edge off). Of course, at this point, they offer the epidural. Naturally, I say YES! Anyone who goes through natural childbirth is completely insane in my opinion!!! And you'll read why I am allowed to say that in just a minute...

So the same anesthesiologist that was present for Natalie's tube surgery in September wound up being my epidural man! Can't remember his last name, but his first name was David. They checked me - either right before or right after I got the epi, I can't remember - and I was already 6 cm (around 10:45 am), so I was progressing really fast and glad I said yes to the epi!!! Of course, after about 20 minutes or so, my contractions were not easing up any. My legs were completely numb, but I could still feel the contractions in my belly. NOT COOL. So they came in with some fentanyl (more powerful than the morphine I got with Natalie and TOTALLY worth it). This did the trick. The contractions subsided (and I felt absolutely nothing from the chest down) and by 1 pm, I was 9 cm. This is also around the time that the fentanyl wore off! BOOOOO... they gave me more of the epidural, which in hindsight, even though it didn't ease the contractions, I am glad they gave me more because it completely numbed my... um... nether-regions! The anesthesiologist also came back in with more fentanyl, but I swear they never gave it to me or something because I continued to feel each and every contraction. I had absolutely the worst outcome of the pain medications! I couldn't feel the pressure you are supposed to feel when you need to start pushing, and yet I still had every single freaking contraction!!!

So after 3 hours of pushing - in which they said I was doing very well and he was only a few pushes from being born on his own - I finally caved to the vacuum because I was just totally exhausted. So exhausted, I was falling asleep in between contractions. Out cold. Then another contraction would come, wake me up, I'd push 4-5 times, and be out cold again. Seriously, who falls asleep when they are in the worst part of labor????

I don't even remember much of the last part of labor... I was in another world. The pain was insane and I was so tired. So when Dr. Margulies offered the vacuum, I was like, "YES!" If it took 2 suctions/contractions to get him out, and I could save on the pain and exhaustion of 5 more contractions, it was worth it. That's how tired I was. Dr. Margulies said that she didn't think I needed the vacuum- that I could do it on my own, but it was up to me. I was glad she left the decision to me! Oh, and some poor med student came in and I remember her saying, "Colleen, my name is such-and-such and I'm a student, blah blah blah, do you mind if I observe?" WTF ever lady! Don't talk to me, I'm having a contraction, can't you see that??? Clearly, she has never had a baby!

But in the end, I did it! I had a VBAC! And overall, I think it went pretty well. It was about 14 hours from first contraction to his birth, and although he was born a little jaundiced, Grant is healthy and doing well! I mean, that's all a mama can ask for, right?

And of course, I posted on facebook during the entire labor (up to the pushing part... just couldn't do it!). Everyone thought I was insane. Well, because of the epidural, I was just laying there with Todd. He was reading a book and we were listening to REM and Vertical Horizon on the ipod, talking with Lisa, our nurse. I think some people don't realize it's kind of a boring process, especially if you can't feel a darn thing! I was too foggy from the fentanyl to read, but too excited and nervous to nap... so I just had my BlackBerry and posted on FB! I knew I had a lot of friends and family members on there who were wanting updates, so that was the best way I knew how to get word to the masses!!

Anyway, here is Grant William Bailey, aka: Snack Attack; aka: Little Man; aka: Snugglesaurus!

7 more days!

I'm thinking it will probably be LONGER than 7 days. I haven't had any serious contractions (just the usual braxton hicks ones... they're a bit stronger, but nothing to write home about). PLUS... I'm still 1 cm and 50% effaced as of my appointment this morning. :-( But, I WAS able to get the H1N1 vaccine today, so I'm very happy about that. At least now I won't die, ha ha.

Meanwhile, my cold has turned into a little bit of a cough, which makes it feel like my ribs are going to explode. Rah!

Next Tuesday, if I make it that long, and I'm going to assume I am... I have my non-stress test and biophysical. They are going to strap some thingys to me and see if I'm contracting and make sure he's doing okay. Then they are going to give me another ultrasound (aka: biophysical) to make sure my fluid levels are good, he's in the right position, etc. We will see! I told my doctor, "I hope I don't see you next week!"

8 more days!

I kind of hope it's NOT 8 more days. Perhaps 5 or 6 would be okay with Baby G. I keep telling him there are great things out in the world out of the womb... such as Mommy, Daddy, Natalie, chocolate cake, the changing leaves, milk... but he doesn't seem to want to listen.

At my 38 week appointment last Tuesday, I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. For those who don't know much about it (or were too afraid to ask!), dilation is the horizontal movement of the cervix and effacement is the vertical movement of the cervix. Both need to be done to get the baby out. I need to get to 10 cm's and 100% effacement. So now you are in the know!

This past weekend, Natalie got to spend time with the Fitch's again as Todd and I went to Mandy and OB's wedding. It was a really great wedding... they were introduced at the reception following a small marching band of bagpipers! HOW COOL! 

I even got out on the dance floor and danced (I think people thought I was insane). I figured it couldn't hurt my cause. Oh, they had awesome cake too (pumpkin cake I think... something like a spice cake) and it was even served with vanilla ice cream. It made this extremely pregnant woman very happy!!! It was really great to hang out with the whole Wilmington crew (minus Greg and Jan... who are about to have their second baby out in California any day now). Greg was supposed to be in the wedding too, so it was sad we couldn't see him. But even Kern and Dorothy came out from Seattle! 

The dragon made an appearance at the wedding as well. He hasn't been seen or heard from since our wedding in 2005. It's a long story about a large dragon medallion that Kern's mom got him for Christmas one year. Now it makes appearances at weddings and bachelor parties. Everyone wears it and makes gang signs and we take a ton of pictures. 

I'm re-reading this as I'm writing it and it sounds rather lame, but it is actually very funny. I guess you had to be there. I especially liked the picture of Dorothy, her dad, and Mike Morris! And a wedding isn't complete unless Kern is making some kind of goofy face. The guy has a real talent for it! (See attached!) The other picture is of me, with a basketball under my dress! Or a baby... one or the other.

Meanwhile, Todd, Natalie and I all have minor colds. Nothing too bad, but enough to make us just want to hang out and rest and watch football on Sunday afternoon (even though we have a few more things to do before Baby G gets here). I'm already feeling better today and it seems like Todd and Natalie are too. If only all colds could be this easy!

Congrats to my friend Brian and his wife Shawn, who are expecting their second in April!

15 more days!

You can't tell that I'm excited about this, can you? I can't tell if I'm more excited to meet my little guy, or if I'm more excited to just NOT be pregnant anymore, ha ha. I feel like I'm not a very good mommy to Natalie when I'm this exhausted. Poor kid... if she thinks it's bad NOW....

We had a fun weekend, except that Natalie is coming down with a cold. (Shocking, right?) She sneezed about 100 times yesterday, which is always the first sign with her. Then she was pretty congested last night, but no fever or anything and she's still the same old Natalie.

Saturday, we went to drop off my car at the car detailing place before heading to Wellesley for breakfast at Maugus. It was YUM. We will definitely go there again. Then we went apple picking at Dowse Orchard Farm in Sherborn (which is just the town south of Natick, so it was only a few miles away). We were thinking about going to Belkin Farms, but it was a $14 entrance fee for adults ($12 for Natalie!!!) PLUS you had to pay for what you picked at astronomical prices. Of course, they have a maze to go through, a huge playground area, pony rides, a petting zoo, etc. so it would have been really fun, but it was already 10 am so we knew we were only going to get 2 hours worth out of our visit. (Not worth it). We definitely will go to Belkin's at some point, when the kids are older and don't need naps anymore! (It will still be fun for them). We just wanted to do some apple picking, so we went to Dowse where there is no entrance fee, and only $10 for a decent sized bag. We picked some Empires (Todd's favorite), Idareds, Courtlands, and Macouns. Then we got to ride a tractor (or as Natalie called it, a "loader" which is totally accurate) that took us back to the parking lot. Natalie thought that was pretty cool. We then went over to their farm stand where they sell other goodies. We picked up a nice pumpkin, and two small pies - apple crisp (my fave) and apple blueberry. YUM!

After picking up my car from the detail shop, which looked awesome by the way, we went home for some lunch. I got my haircut and colored in the afternoon (ahhh, much better!) and Todd started putting up the clear plastic sheeting over the windows, which helps insulate in the winter. He got our first floor done. Hopefully he can get the rest done by the time Baby G gets here.

Sunday was nice too. But it was rainy and snowy all day. YUCK. After church, Todd got a haircut, and made a crockpot meal (our second of the weekend). After Natalie's nap, we carved our first pumpkin as a family! It came out pretty well and Natalie really had fun. She was very good as Todd carved the pumpkin with a knife. She stayed back and watched. She also liked scooping the seeds out. I made an attempt at cooking the seeds, and followed the directions to a tee... but they still came out chewy (flavorful though, with salt and garlic powder). Oh well, maybe next year. It was snowing when we were carving our pumpkin. SAD. It's far too early for that!

22 more days...

I'm obsessed with the countdown clock.

We finally bought baby G some furniture. We got a good deal at Baby Furniture Warehouse in Reading. Natalie had a good time playing in the toy section, and we, sadly, had to watch the Red Sox season come to an end on the television they had there. G's furniture will be delivered next Thursday! Hopefully he won't come before then.

Todd and Natalie have today off... it's Columbus Day! They went to the park and to Panera Bread, and Natalie started complaining of ear pain. I can't really figure that one out. Of course, the doctor is closed for the rest of the afternoon as they are operating on a "Sunday schedule." Naturally! I was thinking about it, and since she hasn't had a cold, and we've been very diligent about not getting water in her ears at bathtime, I can't figure out why her ears have been hurting. But then I was thinking... she actually has sneezed a handful of times in the last couple of days. Not a ton, like she normally does, just maybe 5 or 6 times. No runny nose, only a few random sneezes. Can she be that sensitive? A handful of sneezes and we get an ear infection? I must sneeze 10-15 times every day due to the amount of dust in my office (and sadly, this is a company wide thing because it did not get any better when I switched offices!). It's actually become kind of a joke for those who sit around me. Anyhoo... so maybe she had a little cold that we missed? Unfortunately, I have my own doctor's appointment at 8:15 tomorrow morning. It stinks not being able to be ubiquitous for your family.

Back to the weekend... Todd and I had a fun time at the UNH-Villanova homecoming football game! UNH was ranked #5, and they beat #2 ranked Villanova! How about that for a homecoming game. Sheesh, Auburn usually schedules someone like the Citadel or Southeastern Louisiana Univeristy or someone like that for homecoming. UNH schedules the #2 team in the FCS! It was a close game though, and it was very breezy and the wind was a factor. Natalie got to hang out with her cousins and Aunt Helen and Uncle Gordie in Wilmington. Unfortunately the football game was at noon, which is pretty close to her naptime. Helen and Gordie were awesome to watch her. She had so much fun with cousin Lulu. They made cookies together and decorated a pumpkin with markers.

Now we are in the homestretch...

26 more days...

I like my countdown tickers at the top of this blog. It helps me stay focused.

So... only 26 more days and we still have some things to do. Very important things. Like getting a manicure, pedicure and pre-natal massage next Friday. This is VERY important. I also need to get my car cleaned (washed, waxed, inside cleaned, etc.). I am planning on doing this on Sunday - weather depending, and trip to New Hampshire this weekend depending. We are hoping to go to Durham, NH for the University of New Hampshire's homecoming football game. We have no plans to go to the game, but we wanted to see the campus and enjoy the homecoming festivities. TWC was calling for rain, but they keep decreasing the chances, so maybe we'll get lucky and have some nice weather.

We also are anxiously awaiting the swine flu shot. Natalie needs both flu shots (seasonal and swine), and Todd and I only need the swine flu shot. Whenever that may be!

AND... I need to get my hair cut and colored. I've gotta look good when this baby gets here. I can't have him coming out of the womb, taking one look at me, and crying his eyes out because he's frightened of his scary looking mommy! (OK, he will probably be crying anyway, but at least if I get myself put together beforehand, I know it won't be because I'm scary!). Meanwhile, we also have OB and Mandy's wedding on the 24th. Mandy has already made it very clear that I am not allowed to go into labor before their wedding. Duly noted!

This morning, Todd and I got Natalie signed up for pre-school... for NEXT September! She will be going to Face Children's Center in Natick for at least 3 days a week (full days). We have her on the wait list for the 5 day a week program. It seemed really neat and fun there, and we think it will be a good fit for her. She will be in the Teddybears class. They have a garden, a big playground, lots of arts and crafts time, a dance instructor that comes every other week, lots of reading and playing, cooking (yes, the real thing!) and overall, just a good well-rounded curriculum. I'm not wanting it to be too rigorous. I want her to have FUN while learning. Check out their website for more information (I'm providing the link to the daily schedule): http://www.facechildrenscenter.org/curriculum/daily.php

So that's all the news that's fit to print for now. Have a good weekend!