A few more firsts

Due to the screaming, kicking, and clawing while trying to eat on the right side, we made an appointment for Colin to see our beloved chiropractor on Monday. There had to be something that wasn't right with his little body that made him that angry. We were right! Colin had a kink in his neck, and a little misalignment in the middle of his back. Right after the appointment, he was passed out in his car seat. Dr. S has told me in the past that active people/children often times say they sleep for a long time after a good adjustment. He explains it as their bodies are just so tense/tight that once their spines are aligned again, their bodies can relax. Believe me, I've experienced that myself, because it happened to me after my first adjustment too. So now...guess what?!?! No more resistance on the right side. BUT. We're still working on actually eating. Now that Colin is fixed, it comes down to me and the gushing Mt. Vesuvius that is the right side. Poor guy can't keep up with the gushing. Somehow we will get this figured out.

30 min later: Right side success. No problems :) yes!

On the drive to the chiropractor (call us crazy, but it's an hour away. But it's so worth it to get adjusted without cracks and pops), we had to pull over  and perform our first parking lot diaper change. Good times.

Jess and Nolan are coming over for our first playdate today. We can't wait to see them!

More things we know about Colin:

1. The dude hates pants...especially pants/PJs with feet. Maybe once his umbilical cord falls off (any day now!), he'll tolerate footless pants better.

2. He's going to have some fun with his little boy buddies, Nolan and Isaac (Leah's little guy born on Sunday) this summer and into the future!

3. His poo smells like ham. Not sure why.

I know I've been MIA

When Colin isn't eating, I'm resting/doing housework. How about I make up for it with some cute photos? We had Johanna Price come out to our house (twice...the little bugger was not being cooperative the first day) and take some newborn shots to build her portfolio...

www.johannapricephoto.com

He's C. from the F. family. 

Awesome doesn't cover it. Johanna's super great. I asked her if she'd babysit sometime, but she lives too far away. :(

What we know about the little dude so far:

1. He hates having a dirty diaper. Aside from sleeping, he can't function (read: breastfeed) in one. And we change a lot of diapers. We're using cloth wipes (we have 24 of them), and have to wash those about every day and half, which is better than the first day when we had to wash all of them.

2. He's teeny. We bought some Huggies newborn sized diapers and we had 3 blowouts in one day in them. Pampers Swaddlers to the rescue. Cloth diapers on the back burner...no way will he fit in them yet.

3. He sleeps a lot. His schedule looks like this: Eat. Sleep. 3 hrs later: change, burp (because he passes out and won't burp a whole lot after eating). Repeat. Even at night. I get about 2-3 hr stretches of sleep, Kevin gets a little more because he doesn't have to feed him. I look forward to 2 weeks from now when we introduce a bottle and Kevin can share a bit in that duty. I'm not sure yet if he's looking forward to it though :)

4. He hates eating from the right. Screaming, kicking, clawing at me. So fun. I make him try every time. When I've had enough, I let him go to my left, aka "McDonalds." The fast and easier way to eat. It's a battle of willpower. I will be victorious in this though. I must win. I hope I can make an appointment with a Lactation Consultant tomorrow.

5. He knows what he wants and when he wants it. Started from birth, and looks like it has continued.

6. He smiles a lot. I wonder what he's thinking about?

How's Rocket?

Rocket was a little put off at first, but he's getting better. The first couple nights, I swear I could see bags under his eyes. He's not used to all of the sleep interruptions. He says he can't wait for Colin to start playing with him instead of sleeping all darn day.

Well, looks like it's battle time. Colin is up, and I'm sure he's looking forward to the force-feeding he's about to endure.

More awesomer pictures

Here are some pictures taken on Sunday by my friend Leah, whose hobby is photography. Aren't they awesome?

Mr. Colin

Really quick before the official start of our morning...

Looking teeny tiny in his crib:

He's a thinker like his Daddy:
On the car ride home:

Baby Rain is here...

...and his name is Colin Jacob! In old-style fashion, here are the stats:

Birthday: 4/18/09

Time: 5:16 a.m.

Weight: 6 lbs, 4 oz

Length: 20 inches

Hair: longish dark brown

Cute?: Oh yes.

Awesome?: You got it.

And apparently, the fast labors do run in the family (at least for this generation), because he was born in 5 hrs!

Quick little story about his birth:

As you know, I'd been having irregular contractions for days. On Friday, I had my midwife appointment. That night, I went to my co-worker/friend's house and hung out while she, and 3 other co-workers/friends scrapbooked and drank wine while I watched. I left there at 8:30, and went home to lay on the couch. I went to bed at 10:00ish and had a few contractions that were about 10 min apart. I did my best to get to sleep, not thinking anything of them. I awoke with a contraction at 12:20, opened my phone up to see the time, noted it, and moved on. Well, I ended up doing that quite often! Every 3-7 minutes the contractions kept coming. So after an hour, I called the hospital. The nurse suggested I wait a bit longer since this was our first one, and being at home is more comfortable. I told her no way, and I was coming in because of my GBS and because I was born quickly. Kev and I packed up really quickly (the bag was ready to go thank goodness!), and headed to the hospital. We got there at 2:00 am.

When I got checked, my cervix was at 5-6 cm! So then there was a rush to get the penicillin dripping to treat the GBS. Of course, it took 4 tries to get the IV in, but finally we got rollin' on that while I answered a bunch of questions and had contractions. They really weren't that painful. I'm not going to say they didn't hurt, but I never thought I couldn't get through them. 

Midwife came, and started running the water for the water birth. I got checked again and was at 8-9, so I got in the tub at around 4:00. The warm water made the contractions even more manageable. So I labored in there for awhile, and at 4:30 got out to go to the bathroom. After doing that, Midwife broke my water and we were happy to hear that it was clear. If there were meconium in it, we couldn't have had the water birth. I got back in the tub, and felt an urge to push. I pushed for about 30 minutes. Part of me felt like it went very slow, part of me felt like it went very fast. All I know is it hurt a lot, and between the nurse who was whispering sweet nothings in my ear and Midwife who was firmly telling me to push in this certain spot, Colin arrived.

Kevin did a great job of holding my hand and keeping cool washcloths on my forehead while I was in the hot water.

Would I do it again? Considering it would probably be less than 5 hrs, heck ya. I'd do a water birth again. But would I do it tomorrow? Hells no. Postpartum stuff is disgusting!

Colin is learning how to feed, and got circumsized this morning. He sleeps a lot. He's awesome.

We're going to leave the hospital tomorrow morning after breakfast sometime.

More later, including a picture :)

The latest

Midwife appointment this afternoon went a little something like this:

My weight: Up 1 lb, 27 lbs total.

BP: Good the first time this week! Cankles are not as canklicious as I thought they were. Midwife complimented me on how swollen they aren't. She also said that the water building up in my body is released by way of either pee or sweat. Hence, I found out why I've been such a sweaty pig all night long for the past 3 months. I had chalked it up to sleeping with a third "body" in the bed...my body pillow.

Belly measurement: 36 cm. Baby has dropped more than he/she was last week.

Baby's heartbeat: 148ish

Now the exciting stuff...

Cervix: 2+ cm, 90% effaced, baby's head is still at 0 station. Midwife said that people work long and hard to get where I'm at.

Contractions: Still very irregular, but definitely intense. They pick up when either I a) get a bit physical...which these days just involves picking something up off of the floor. or b) rest.

So...tomorrow's game plan is to take it E-Z. We're going just up the road to take a look-see at some blinds for baby's room, and I might go get a pedicure (reflexology anyone?). Beyond that, my plan is to lay on the couch and hope for some consistent contractions. 

Contraction Action/People are dreaming about me.

Contraction action, what's your fraction? ((???))

I woke up at 3:30 am this morning to go to the bathroom, and then went back to bed. I had a hard time getting back to sleep though because I had 3 episodes where I think I was contracting. Then I fell back asleep eventually, and woke up just before 6:00. More contracting.

Today...all day long...I had contractions that made me stop and go hmmmm? Maybe 1-3 about 5 minute apart. Then they'd stop, another hour would pass, and repeat. I hugged my students goodbye "just in case" I'm not there tomorrow, and I called Ms. W. to give her the heads up "just in case." I probably jinxed it.

I called Midwife to tell her about this, being GBS+ and not quite knowing if my game plan still followed the 5-1-1 rule. It does. And that scares me because I want to be sure I have enough time to get to the hospital, get hooked up, receive my 2 doses of penicillin, all before having baby. I've talked about it before. I was born in 7 hrs. If that happens here, time is of the essence. I may follow the 6-1-1 or 7-1-1 rule instead. Shhh...don't tell Midwife. In labor or not, I'll see her tomorrow because I have an appointment in the afternoon. If she tells me I'm still 1+ cm dilated, I'll scream.

It's weird when people dream about you giving birth

My co-worker had a dream about me having the baby this weekend, and she not being on the immediate notification list and being so sad when she came to work on Monday and found out I'd had the baby.

My principal also had a dream about me going into labor on Saturday and having the baby on Sunday.

2 dreams, both about baby's arrival on Saturday. I'll take it. There is a storm a-brewin' for the weekend. A high pressure system is coming in. Could be.

39 weeks: Mini watermelon

Yes, that's right. We've reached the watermelon stage. Rain is hanging in there waiting until he's ready to come out, and it could be any day now. He's probably measuring about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 lbs. The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath, just like ours does out here.

Every night now, Kev and I take a walk around the neighborhood. Our 'hood is set up in five differently-sized circles, so we can go on very short walks or longer walks. I've been choosing the longest circle to keep things moving along. Although I noticed yesterday that I'm slowing down quite a bit. I can't quite walk as fast comfortably as I used to be able to (last week!). I'm continuing to have crampy contractions sometimes throughout the day, and my cankles that usually lessen at night are becoming more of a temporary permanence. That's not good.

Yesterday at work (crabby day...see last post), a few of the other teachers said I've noticeably dropped. Although technically I dropped before last Friday's appointment, it's now more apparent to others. What do you think? Here's belly pics:

Make sure you get your vote into the expectnet poll. After yesterday's "off" feeling and nesting-induced crabbiness, we might be reaching the end and you don't want to miss out on guessing!

A Crabby Day Vent

First off, I felt very...different this morning. I don't know if it was that longish walk we went on last night or what the deal was, but I didn't feel quite the same. That in and of itself was nerve-wracking.

Then along came my students. We're preparing for the 4th grade program which is this Friday. All of the 4th grade classes were practicing moving from the bells/chimes tables (they play a few tunes they've learned) to the stage. All my class has to do is "follow the leader" in order of their parts and walk up on the stage and sit on the second row of risers. They know the order. Do you think they can pay attention and tell their feet to move when it's their turn to get in line? No. Then they sit there, listen to a few other classes do their thing, sing a song or two, then it's our turn. All they have to do is "follow the leader," say their little part, "follow the leader" and sit back down on that second row of risers. Think they can do that? No.

So I told them that just our class would be practicing later in the afternoon to get the bugs out. They went off to social studies, and at 2:00, they came back in the room to fill out their agendas. I'd already told them that we're practicing even if it goes into recess. They know that recess is coming up at 2:15, but do you think they quietly sit down, fill out their agendas, and wait for instructions? No. They talk! Recess is their "currency" as Dr. Phil would say, yet here they are wasting time. Not my recess to worry about, but you know...I want them to go outside and they're not helping any.

Finally we got out to the stage, we go through the route once, as quick as I can possibly make it with the craptastic listening skills they're showing. When they're not paying attention to what's going on, I of course make them do it again. And then they get all huffy at me for taking time out of their recess. Eyes roll, "come on!" is said under breath, as if it's MY fault they have to do it again. I say, "You know, I might not be here tomorrow, and I don't want Ms. W. (sub) to have to figure this out. I want you to know it." And they look at me like, "why would Ms. W. be here tomorrow?" Ugh. Seriously. I know you're 10, but get a clue!

So we finished practicing at 2:30 when recess was over. The other classes were still outside, so I let them go out for 2 minutes, which was nice to just clear the air a little. Honestly, some kids and their attitudes. If they'd just pay attention and do it right the first time, they would've gotten a heckuva lot more recess. And I would've gotten more recess too.

Midwife Appointment Stats

My weight: Down 2 lbs, which I guess is normal at the end. Total weight: 26 lbs. But then Kev and I went to Culver's for dinner, and aside from my Butterburger with cheese, I also got a sundae, so now I'm probably back up those 2 lbs. ;)

BP: A bit high at first, but a few minutes later, nurse Alex re-checked it, and it was lower (whew! the evident cankles gave me a scare!)

Belly measurement: smaller than last time, which once again is normal at the end.

Baby's HB: 140. Midwife almost made me cry when she said, "remember the first time we heard it and it was in the 170s? Now it's a full-term baby in the 140s."

Baby's weight (a guesstimate): In the area of high 6 lb/low 7 lb

Baby's length (another guesstimate): Long

Cervix: 1+ cm dilated, Baby's head is at 0 station, which means definitely no more floating around! An illustration, if you're curious...

And then Midwife said how perfectly everything is going, and how my body build is perfect, and everything I'm doing is perfect, and we're going to have a perfect birth, and then I really did cry. I think she wanted to make me cry to make sure my hormones were working correctly. Yeah, they are.

Good Friday! Belly pics, to-do list

Here they are:

Today's To-Do List:

-Load iPod with music/visual imagery to listen to during labor

-Pack hospital bag

-Create email distribution list to spread the good word

-Get car seat checked at the fire station

-Make freezer meals

-Midwife appointment at 4:15

I've still been having those contractions I mentioned on Wednesday. Still relatively painless, still very irregular. I'm hoping they are doing their job and I'm more dilated today. I'm so sick of being at school, and it's not because of my kids anymore.

38 Weeks: Leeks and Eeks

Our little Raina is still in there plumping up. She weighs about 6.8 lbs, and each day she gains 1/2 oz of fat! Raina is over 19.5 inches long, about the size of a leek. She has a firm grasp, which soon we'll be able to feel ourselves when she squeezes our pinky fingers. Her matured organs are ready for life outside. The vernix is most likely disappearing, but might stick around until birth. Her skin is becoming thicker and paler.

I think I'm making a bit of progress on Operation: Baby Evacuation. Every once in awhile, I feel a little crampage (on the pain scale, I'd give it a 2.5) and the infamous "lightening crotch," which gets more of a 6 on the pain scale, and luckily doesn't linger too long. I'm definitely getting more uncomfortable. Last night, after day one of "training" in my long-term sub at school, Kevin and I went to the grocery store. By the time we were done shopping, I was so miserable, tired, and crabby. When we got home, I laid on the couch and watched TV. Kevin did his duties to his pregnant wife and rubbed my back and did a load of laundry. Despite the fact that I'd really like to lounge on the couch all night, after tomorrow I'm making Kevin walk laps with me around the neighborhood until I'm equally as uncomfortable as I was last night. Oh, and I'm definitely at that point where I'm so very sick of wearing the same clothes over and over again. 

After seeing the pictures I took of the baby's room the other night, I decided I didn't like the arrangement, and we moved furniture around :) Nesting much? Naaahhh.

When today is over and my sub has gotten her 2 full days of observing, and if she still doesn't want to back down (she told me she wouldn't!), I'm both physically and mentally ready for Raina to make her big appearance. But that doesn't mean I'm letting my midwife strip any membranes at my appointment on Friday.

Stop back later today for a belly picture. I gotta eat some breakfast!

Shower and Nursery Update

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon with some of my family members at a shower. It was a small gathering, but that's the way I like 'em. My aunt, the hostess, put together a crossword puzzle that related to everything baby and this blog. Being the super sleuth I am and the author of this, I won. We had one of my favorite things to eat of all time, but unfortunately forget about and thus don't get it often--strawberry salad. Yum! We received the crib mattress, clothes, diaper bag, gift cards, blankets, knitted hats, crib sheets, toys, books, bath salts (for me!), etc. Once again, awesome stuff for the much-loved baby.

Kevin spent Saturday with my dad. He finished the trim around the windows and installed most of the clothes closet. There was a bit of a measuring snafu, and the drawers need to be tweaked a bit because the doorframe stops them from opening. So what you see here...where the basket is on the left...is where the drawers will go. The closet itself is still in the process of getting organized, but we're getting there! Oh...and we do have more clothes. The clothes shown are only the ones that came with hangers.

On Sunday, Kevin and I puttied and painted the nail holes in the trim, and then we went to Target and Babies R Us to purchase the things we need to have on hand when baby comes. We bought some pants so Raina doesn't have to come home half naked, itty bitty socks, plain white newborn short-sleeved onesies, a changing pad cover, a wastebasket for diapers, cheapie washcloths for butt wipes, hangers, thermal receiving blankets, a bathtub, and MY CHAIR! We went with the Dutailier. It's marvelous. The only thing I'm a *bit* disappointed in is that it looks so much greener under the flourescent lights at Babies R Us. In our house, it looks tan. Boo, but whatevs. The crib bumpers will be removed and possibly used as "curtains" to cover the closets. I just had to see what they looked like :)

Forgive the lack of wall decor. Once we know if we have a Rain or a Raina, we'll decorate the walls. I'm thinking of getting some paper lanterns to hang above the crib, for sure if it's a girl. If it's a boy, I'll have to do some more thinking. And I'll probably join the bandwagon and hang some letters that spell out his/her name. Or maybe some vinyl lettering/art. We'll see.

I did a bunch of baby laundry this weekend, which was SO FUN. I got the stuff I know we'll use washed, like the changing pad cover, the sheets, blankets, towels, washcloths, Boppy covers, and clothing essentials. I'm waiting to wash the rest of the newborn-sized clothes until I know Rain isn't a chub who won't skip them and go right to 3 month sizes.

I see only 10 of you have put your guess into the expectnet poll. 2 votes are from Kevin and me, and we don't count. What are you waiting for? Time is running short. My aunt thinks I'm having the baby this Sunday! There's no sign-up/registration or anything. Super simple. Takes 2 minutes. Dooooo it.

37 weeks: Swiss Chard

Cue the trumpet! ::Duh-da-da-duuuhh:: We're full term! Any time little Rain decides to come, there's no stopping him now.

Rain's as big as a stalk of swiss chard. He weighs about 6 1/3 lbs and measures a little over 19 inches. His lungs should be fully mature, hence the reason why he'd be a-okay out here if he decides to show early. And...that's all for development this week. It's just a waiting game now.

Here are the belly pics of the week:

And a full-frontal by request:

I had my midwife appointment this afternoon. Here are the stats:

My weight: Up a big, fat 0 lbs. Total: holding steady at 28. Hurray for slowing down the weight gain! And don't worry, I'm not starving myself. I have my fair share of healthy snacks throughout the day. Oh yeah...and chocolate. Tomorrow one of my students is bringing a BROWNIE CAKE in for his birthday. I'm already considering how I can save some "extra" for myself to pig out on, and then lie to him about someone coming in and taking it. I would definitely not get the teacher of the year award for that, so ::sigh:: I guess I'll take only my fair share. 

Belly measurement: on track, I think

Baby's HR: wasn't told, but probably in the 140-150 range. I used the doppler I'm borrowing from a co-worker on Sunday, and it was still right around there.

Baby's position: Head down still. Feet are usually on my right side. Better not flip now, Mr. Rain Man!

Cervix: 1 cm dilated! Eep!

GBS test results: Positive :( Boo!! This means that I have Group B Streptococcus in my body, and that baby could potentially get sick upon birth. BUT, if I get the proper doses of Penicillin through IV on delivery day before he's born, everything should be okay. It doesn't sound like much to worry about, but I also can't spend as much time as I want laboring at home. The Penicillin treatments have to be 3-4 hours apart from each other. If my birth (7 hrs) is anything like this birth is going to be, there will be a hustle to the hospital.

**Scroll down to the "March showers bring April babies" post. I added a picture!**