Baby's First Christmas

Well, we ventured out of the house again as a family. We couldn't miss the opportunity to have Chase's first Christmas picture with Santa Claus! And I'm totally game for any opportunity I have to get out of the house!! It was nice because this Santa looked super authentic and was super jolly (I think he was the real Santa! Lol) AND he was so sweet to our little elf. Unfortunately, being an infant and probably still sleeping during the day, sleeping beauty slept the entire time. He made his usual groans and grunts when I took him from the stroller and didn't open his eyes one bit as I placed him in a large white bearded strangers arms. I'm sure he would have been in shock if he had cared to wake up snd see who was holding him but that was not the case. As the girl was snapping away, she turned to Cory and I to see if we wanted to be in the picture. Now, as you will see, the picture speaks for itself. In a moment of hesitation we decided we would, even though being new parents, we left the house looking exactly like that, "new" parents. I like to define us as "delirious but still sane" because it never fails, I always forget to do something, this time it was making sure we looked presentable. I barely did my hair, Cory didn't do his and neither one of us were dressed appropriately. You could totally tell the difference between the parents of toddlers 3+ years and those of infants. The experienced parents were all dressed up in slacks and dresses and their children were nicely polished and dressed as fancy as they could get them. New parents were dressed as if they had 20 minutes to throw on clothes with circles under their eyes (you gotta get dresses as fast as you can, dress the baby, feed the baby, change a diaper, feed him some more, change another diaper, feed him some more, get him in his carseat, pack his bag with ready formula etc - in short, it's no minimal task). All in all, i am glad we did it though because it will be a great memory for all of us!

Sleep Deprived!

Well, it's 2 am and my little guy (I should say big guy bc he's growing so fast and is a big baby) is up for another feeding. He eats literally every 2-3 hours like clockwork! I keep hearing from people that by now their babies were sleeping 4-6 hours at night, not my guy, he's still up to eat! Now normally people who tell me their kids are sleeping longer by now are parents of girls-I still am weary as to why my baby refuses to sleep that long- does he know I am desperate for sleep and already knows how to manipulate mommy and has me wrapped around his little finger? If so, I'm screwed already!!

So, as in every night within every couple of hours, the monitor wakes me up (I should say wakes Cory up and he wakes me up-- I've gone so many nights without sleep that it's hard to wake up once I do get any) and I go get the baby a bottle ready (I'm breastfeeding twice a day but formula feeding at night so he fills up bc who knows how long he'd sleep if I only breastfed- maybe an hour and half lol - it's not hard to get ready bc I have everything set up so I can take as little time as possible preparing his bottle while he cries). So I wake up, ready his bottle and normally change his diaper. Now being a boy, there is always a chance of getting sprayed with pee, and believe me, there isn't a person or wall or anything within a ten inch distance that he hasn't gotten!! But tonight, he topped everything! I was changing him as fast as I could trying to not risk me getting wet and for the second I was grabbing a diaper- he was already at it. I've gotten pretty used to this but I looked down and saw a perturbed look on my baby's face and noticed he had somehow, with his little hose, sprayed himself in the eye, nose, and mouth and even he couldn't believe he'd done that!! I quickly cleaned him off but couldn not help but giggle a little bc everyday it's something new and something I never thought would happen. Between sleep deprivation, my back still aching still after pregnancy since my uterus is still shrinking (no one tells you this has to happen) and every 2-3 hour feedings--anything to make me laugh is worth every minute, but I'm not going to lie--- I can't wait for him to sleep a little longer so I can too- hopefully that night is right around the corner! My only advice to people without kids is, GET ALL THE SLEEP YOU CAN because those days are long behind you once you have your little bundle of joy :)

I'm FREE

Well, it was our first night out since we had the baby! Cory's parents watched Baby Chase and our friends, Loren and Rob came by and we were on our way for sushi and drinks. I can't tell ya how bad I wanted sushi the entire time I was pregnant!! Before I became pregnant, I would eat sushi at least twice a week for lunch when I worked and I had been telling Loren maybe a hundred times while pregnant that I missed eating it! They suggested we go to Blue Fish (same one we have in Dallas) in Delray Beach. Delray is a really neat area. It's a full street that goes all the way to the beach filled with nice restaurants and fun bars. We got there around 8pm and were all starving and ready to order. We probably ordered a ton of food but when the 4 of us are together, we LOVE to eat lol! I was super excited to order alcohol for the first time in a long time!! I ordered a glass of reisling and ended up ordering 2 more. After about 2 sips, I think I was already buzzed! I know, I'm a light weight now! It took us about 3 hours to eat because we would get something for all of us to try and eat it then they just kept bringing out more! We even tried a roll called the Lobster Bomb per the owner's recommendation. My favorite is always the Volcano Roll and my mouth is watering right now just thinking about eating sushi again!! Well, I wish I could say that we stayed out for a long time and blew it out but in all actuality I was exhausted since we got little to no sleep the night before and wine has always made me tired---so we packed it in by 11:30---I feel like such an old fogey!! And I really missed my little boy!!! I couldn't wait to get home and give him a kiss!!

Labor Pains

Well, its official, Baby Chase is finally here and finally HOME! WHOO HOO! We went in a week ago Monday (actually 12 am Tuesday) to the hospital for our induction and found out I was actually 1 cm dialated already. The whole process started when the nurse put a pill inside my nether region at 1 am Tuesday then gave me a sleeping pill to get some rest. Of course with all the anticipation and nerves there was NO WAY I was getting any sleep. I tried, believe me. Everyone warned me about getting the rest before because labor is not an easy task. I was asking right away for the epidural because pain is not something I was looking forward to after all the labor shows I watched. Unfortunately, either my doctor or the hospital does not give epidurals until you are at least 3 cm dialated because it could hinder dialating anymore supposedly. I think this is just their funny way of watching people suffer to be honest!!

At 5 am the nurse came back in and checked how far along I was and I had dialated to a 2 and put another pill inside (basically repeated the process). Then she asked if I would like some mild pain relief because I was having contractions (at this point they just felt like minor and some major cramps but pretty constant). I, of course, said yes thinking the pain would get worse. She filled a small thing and injected it into my IV. This time it made me drowsy and I got some sleep (maybe an hour). Meanwhile, poor Cory is cramped on a recliner sleeping off and on and waiting for the show to start.

A couple of hours passed and then my doctor came in to check me, at this point he finds that I am at a 5 (for those that have not gone through labor or had kids, supposedly once you get past 4 or 5 everything is supposed to fly by). And unbeknownst to me, while the doctor is checking me (painful as this was already) he decides to break my water and not even give me warning. Well, this really sped up the process. Immediately I started feeling strong contractions and they were even a minute apart and some 30 seconds apart. Now, I cannot really describe the pain. It was like something I have never ever felt before and it was strong and there seemed to be no end in site. I begged and pleaded for my epidural but because the baby was sleeping from the minor pain relief I had earlier we had to wait. This was so hard and I was not happy about this. At one point, I wanted to forget the whole thing and just go home. I really thought I wasn't going to make it. THE AGONY! Finally, the baby decided to wake up and they called for the epidural. Aparently, the guy did not think it was that urgent because he took his sweet time getting there (Cory said it was 10 minutes, but it felt like hours to me!!). So he FINALLY gets there and the nurses and Cory hold me in place while my water is still flowing out and my pains are 30 seconds apart. They lay me down and get me situated but the pain is still coming. The nurse checks me and I am at an eight. AN EIGHT?!! I was so irritated that I had to wait until then but it was all worth it! They put warm blankets on me and all of a sudden I was so relaxed that I just wanted to sleep so I decided I would close my eyes and nap. It was night and day from what I was feeling before. At one point, the nurse woke me up to put an oxygen mask on me and I barely opened my eyes. Also, they had two girls training to be nurses sitting in and helping on my delivery so the room was filled with people but at that point all my prudeness went out the door!

At noon, it was time to push. When you have a contraction coming, that's when you push. You take a deep breath, then push as hard as you can, then repeat that quickly 2 more times. We did a couple pushes like this. Then we switched things up a bit. Cory and I learned this pulling technique with a baby blanket with ties on both ends in our 2 day labor and delivery class we previously took. So I had one nurse holding one leg and another holding the other with Cory at the end of the bed pulling one end of the blanket while I pulled the other. The whole goal of this is to help contract the stomach muscles easier than me just pushing. It actually was very helpful and moved things along pretty fast. During this time, my doctor was performing a C-Section so we had to sit tight and wait for him to arrive. For about 15-20 minutes I had this HUGE urge to push but had to keep breathing a certain way and stop the baby that was knocking on my door to come out. This was no easy task. I could see off along the wall a table set up with forceps, needles and all kinds of shiney things and quickly looked away so that I did not freak myself out.

After 15-20 minutes of waiting my doctor arrived and it was time. Cory and I did a couple more of the tug of war and then he moved to the side and my doctor was in place. I pushed and all of a sudden felt a tremendous feeling of relief, the baby's head was out...ahhhhh! Shortly after that, Cory noticed something was not right because they were talking about how the baby's shoulder was stuck. I heard someone say something about a shoulder along with some medical mumbo jumbo but didn't think they were talking about my baby. I don't know what I thought because I was waiting to hear the baby cry and didn't hear anything right away. Then they got the baby out and put him on the warmer while they cleaned him up. And let me tell ya, this kid has some pipes!!! The nurse was commenting on how long his fingers are and how he will be a basketball player as my doctor was stitching me up. Then the nurse took Baby Chase over to the scale in the room to weigh him. Everyone in the room was waiting because they were all commenting on how big he was.."8 lbs 7 oz" she announced. Everyone was in shock! They couldn't believe it and I couldn't believe it. But now I know why I was having such a difficult time the last month of the pregnancy...he was TOO BIG for me! The doctor even said he never thought he was that big and if he did think that, he would have probably suggested a C Section.

All in all, everything turned out well and we are extremely happy that our little boy has entered our lives! He is so alert and such a good baby!! We absolutely adore him and can't wait to watch him grow and learn everyday! Oh and also, I heard somewhere that your second child is normally born bigger than your first...if thats the case, I am totally terrified!!!!!!!! lol

I--SCREAM!

Every night I get this big craving for something sweet. Normally something that includes chocolate. Well, tonight I was craving dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips from Maggie Moos (for you guys that don't have Maggie Moos, its just like Marble Slab or Coldstone Creamery where they mix in stuff in your ice cream...it's mmm mmm good). Anyways, I got in the car with the anticipation of the most delicious thing I could possibly eat at the moment with my mouth watering and drove myself up to the closest Maggie Moos. The closer I got, the more excited and overjoyed I became with the thought of ice cream. Now, normally when I am not pregnant, I do enjoy dessert occassionally but not to the point of leaving my house at 8 pm at night to get some. So, I pull up to the ice cream shop, walk up to the door and pull on it, only to find that it was LOCKED! Mind you, the place does not close until 10pm. Surely, I thought, this has to be some kind of joke. There was a father waiting there with his son and I turned to him with curiousity and obviously looked upset "Is it locked?" As if I had forgotten how to open doors and needed reassurance. He seemed a little irritated as well and said "yes". While we waited there, I found their number on my phone and called them to see if maybe someone could not hear our knocking and pounding. No answer. So, disappointed as I was, I got right back in the car and thought of my next stop. This time I remembered this gilato place that one of my friends told me about in Wilton Manors next to all the gay clubs. So, away I went. As I finally found the place, I noticed that you had to park on the street or in a certain parking lot. Meanwhile, I have to stop every second for groups of guys going to the bars nearby and manoeuvre my way around. After driving around for 10 minutes, I finally gave up and decided it just wasn't meant to be. I then realized my last resort would have to be McDonalds or just return home to cry to Cory. I'm sure you guessed that I got the ice cream from McDonalds and went home to tell Cory of my ridiculous journey. Moral of the Story: Obvously I need to cut down on the ice cream...it's making me crazy! LOL!

Waiting for baby.....

Well, we have now six weeks until the baby arrives and are on pins and needles with anticipation! I think even the baby is getting restless because his kicks are turning into serious attacks on my inner organs. Plus, my bladder cannot take this constant emptying. I swear, I didn't have a sip of water from 10 pm the night before and was peeing every single 10 minutes. I don't know where its coming from to be honest but it keeps coming! And, I have been getting tired more than usual with little bursts of energy which is normal from all the information and books I have read. (And I have read a LOT!) There's so many things I know we want to do but sometimes I just don't feel like leaving the house! Still, the excitement keeps my spirits up! I cannot wait to hold the little baby boy in my arms and have him look up at me with curiosity. His room is all ready and we basically have everything ready for him. I think Muppet and Lucy are a little perplexed with all the changes to my figure (they just stare at my big belly in awe) and all the changes in furniture in the guest room. They have to know something big is about to happen to their lives. We just took our pregnancy photos today and cannot wait to go see them this week and pick out which ones we like. It was actually a lot of fun because the photographers were fun to work with and definitely knew what they were doing. Hopefully, we have some really good ones that we can frame and put up before the baby gets here. Wellllll, ta ta for now....