Peanut, Mother and Belly

Sheryl Sandberg's TED TALK: Partnership

2011-12-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

In Sheryl Sandberg's (COO of Facebook) popular TED talk, she offers 3 rules for women in the workforce to live by:

1. Don't go before you go (keep your head in the game until you go into labor)

2. Sit at the table (sit at the table and offer your opinion)

3. Make your partner a real partner

I would like to elaborate on #3. I am VERY lucky in my marriage to have a REAL partner. We both work, and we both contribute at home. We take turns bathing / reading / feeding our children, cleaning clothes / laundry / floors / cars, paying bills, going to the store, putting up groceries, etc. etc. etc. Ok, I don't mow the lawn but I know how if I had to!

I don't think I've ever truly understood how important this is to my career - until we had our second child. We are literally busy every minute of every day with two little ones. There is no way I could be happy or successful (or awake!) at work if I had to do many of these tasks by myself. In addition, it is nice to be confident that your partner can handle your kids by himself when you are not there. I know he can take care of them just as good or better than I can. So, THANK YOU HUSBAND!

Achieving the elusive work / life balance

2011-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

This blog... it's a changing!

I'm very proud (and late...) to announce that our daughter arrived on Sept 19th, 2011. She is a beautiful, happy little thing.

While I was sad to leave my kids to go back to work last week - I spent the last week preparing mentally for what I was going to face. I am bound and determined to have what they call "work / life balance." You know, where you have your cake and eat it too. I have decided to chronicle my journey trying to achieve this elusive state of living.

Let me be specific.

I want a successful family with a husband and kids who never feel their wife / mommy is missing in action. I want my kids to feel like they have a mother who is present in little and big moments in their lives. I want to be the one to help teach my kids how to be a good person, how to tie their shoes, etc. I do not want to have someone else do this. I also want to share experiences with them that create warm memories when they are old (family dinners, vacations, outings, etc.) and help them to become happy, warm, well-rounded, open-minded adults.

I also want a successful career. Look, everyone needs to make money (at least everyone I hang out with). If I am going to have to spend 8 hours a day somewhere and not with my family - I want to feel passionate, creative, and satisfied that I have created something of value with my time. Let's be honest, I also want to make a lot of money doing it. I want to use that money to create the experiences that help my kids grow and learn.

I am starting with research. If you have any good recommendations please send them my way!

If you have some spare time, here are some of the better pieces of advice I have found:

Steve Jobs 20 Life Lessons

"What Does an Elephant Say, Miles?"

2011-06-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

Choo Choo!

2011-05-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

So since I had to go out of town on a work trip this week, Miles and I had a date Saturday night (Daddy was busy golfing). We went to Zilker and took a spin around the park on the Zilker Zephyr! Once the train started going - we had fun. However, keeping a 2 year old in a seat for 5 minutes waiting on the train conductor was NOT EASY as you can see in the first video!

I should have been more specific in my prayers...

2011-05-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

My hair is STRAIGHT as a BOARD. Always has been, I thought it always would be.

When I was little I used to pray for curly hair. I tried perms 3 different times at different points in the 80s and early 90s- but 3 days out all curl would be completely gone. It was somewhat of a chemical mystery.

So, when I went to bed and night I would pray for curly hair. I should have been more specific, because I finally got curly hair with this pregnancy - the problem is it's only ONE curl, in ONE section of my hair. It's SOOOO weird.

See???? What IS this?

Animal Sounds

2011-05-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!

Peanut, Mother and Belly - Take 2!

2011-05-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

Miles is officially going to be a big brother.... to a little lady! Yep, you read it correctly - we are having a little girl! Why am I just now blogging about this little lady ? Well, come to find out.... being a Mom to an almost 2 year old, puking your guts out, and starting a new job leaves you little time for blogging!

However, I am happy to report a little drug called Zofran is nothing short of a miracle. I take it once or twice a day and it keeps me away from the porcelain throne for most of the day. We are super excited, and can't wait to see Miles with his new little sister!

So how are these pregnancies the same?

- puking, check!

- losing weight for first 20 weeks, check!

- fantastic nails, check!

How are these pregnancies different?

- last pregnancy even though I was sick I felt glow-y, with this pregnancy I feel and look like a truck ran over me.

- last pregnancy I thought my hair was long, beautiful, and shiny - this time it is short, dull, and has developed one big awkward wave halfway down so it looks like I just took my hair out of a ponytail holder at all times. Lovely.

- it goes by SO FAST! I blinked and I'm halfway though.

I can't WAIT for October - my body just does not like pregnancy (don't worry - I'll save the intense complaining for at least 30 weeks). However, knowing I'm going to get something as phenomenal as Mr. Miles - it makes it all worth it! It's crazy to think that Mr. Kenton and I made such a silly, unique, smart, smiley, and coordinated little man with SO MUCH personality - it seems crazy to me we can make ANOTHER one! Will she be similar to Miles? Will she have his allergies? Will she have his temperament, or be a little diva? I am consumed with these questions (well, as consumed as anyone with a 2 year old can be)!

As for Miles - he has turned out to be such a character. I know I am his Mom, but he is such a fun and intelligent little dude. He walks around with a smile on his face all the time - the neighbor girls even call him "Smiles" instead of Miles! He is a pretty easy going kid, until you tell him he can't do something or say the word "No." Then he turns into a feisty little man. Miles is always playing silly games or tricks on people - he likes to sneak up behind you and try to scare you! He has lots of little buddies at school - which cracks me up that they can create friendships at this age. He says "Hello!" and waves to EVERYONE. If a car lets us cross the crosswalk at the grocery store - you better believe Miles is waving to the driver. If someone doesn't wave back - he looks at me or Mr. Kenton with a shrug and his hands in the air like "umm, why didn't they wave back at me?" We are SO very proud of him and can't wait to meet #2!!

I am still getting over the shock I'm having a little girl - I always thought I'd have all boys. The more it sinks in - the more excited I get. I read my Anne of Green Gables and Avonlea, and Little Women books with her! Adam can go see boy movies with Miles, and I can go see girly movies with her! So excited! Oh - and the clothes! I can finally shop at places beyond The Children's Place! Hooray!

Peanut, Mother and Belly....

2011-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

to return in March! Stay tuned! ;-)

Summer Recap!

2010-09-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

Howdy, folks!

Yes, I took a longer break from blog world than initially anticipated. However, as many of you know life gets busy towards the end of summer and beginning of fall!

Each time I considered updating the blog, I was daunted by the "where do I start?" question.

So - I have decided that this will be a Summer Recap!

After a truly AMAZING (and equally EXHAUSTING!) trip to Europe in June - we laid low for a few days upon our return. I find it quite fascinating how at the end of a trip you can absolutely CRAVE the normalcy of home (grocery shopping, going to the park, feeding the dog, etc) while at the beginning of a trip you are just CRAVING to get a way from it all!

In July we headed to a nearby hotel for the 4th of July with some friends. We lounged by the pool, ate leisurely meals, and drank pina coladas by the pool. Oh, and how I could I forget the wine tastings??? At 4 each day they allowed you to test wines from different regions. Since they wouldn't allow children in - Adam was kind enough to watch Miles while I tasted away each afternoon :-) It was so fun - and Miles was not scared of the fireworks -thankfully! Later in July we were also lucky enough to head out to Denver to be a part of one of my good friend from HS's wedding. It was SO fun to see so many fun friends from high school! I have seen very few people from HS in the past 10 years - so it was great catching up with everyone! Oh, and escaping the 103 degree weather wasn't bad either! Also, Miles got to meet my good friend Emily's little boy who happens to be the same age! They were SO stinking cute together. I think they should grow up and be BFFs. (I am still pretending I get to personally pick out all of Miles's friends and girlfriends - oh and wife, of course. Mamma knows best, right? ;-))

August was thankfully MUCH slower - at least the beginning anyways. The big event of the month was MILES'S 1ST BDAY! Can you believe its been 1 YEAR since that little dude came to live with us? I can't. I feel like just the other day I was writing about how Adam was TERRIFIED of the OBGYN appointment. That was almost TWO years ago. Once you have a kid, I swear life goes by so much faster. 1 year doesn't seem like much, but when you think about the fact Miles will graduate at 18 - I immediately start thinking "I only have 17 left???" Make that 16 and 11 months... Scary.

We had a small family gathering for his birth day. We debated having a big friends / family gathering - however our families are so big we felt like that was sufficient (although friends, we did miss you!). What did he eat, you might ask for his birthday?

Well - that brings me to another topic I thought I'd update you all on. HIS ALLERGIES! We also had his 12 month allergist appointment in August. He was retested for wheat, soy, and they added a new test for eggs. We'll start with the good news first...

The wheat came back positive - but it was less severe than the first test. I'll take this as something good as we are trending in the right direction.

Soy came back negative - which is a great thing, however he still has a soy intolerance since he vomits after he consumes soy. As my Dr mentions frequently, soy is a great thing because it opens up so many food possibilities (soy cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc). As soon as he can consume it without getting sick we will try it out. On a separate note, I have tried to find soy cheese. I have spent over 30 min in the cheese sections of both Central Market and Whole Foods - the two places you would think would offer the best selection of soy cheeses ont he market. Here is what is weird - each and every one of them contained a cow milk protein. Now, I can only think of 2 reasons why you would consume soy cheese. 1) You are allergic to cow milk protein and 2) You are a vegan. So 1) why would a person who is allergic to cow milk protein eat a product with the protein? and 2) why would a vegan consume a product made from an animal that they kill? Makes zero sense to me. I am going to ask the allergist about this soon.

Egg was the new one he added to the test. Unfortantely, it came back VERY positive. They scratched a little piece of his skin with oil of specified product they were testing. The wheat made a welt about 1/2 inch in diameter. The soy didn't do anything. The egg? The egg was about 2 inches in diameter. The most severe reaction to date. The good news is that this does not correlate to the potential severity of the reaction (the blood test does - however they have to take it from the vein which is difficult for a baby. Our Dr does not recommend it just yet - and we agree given the fact it wouldn't change our behavior. We would still avoid those foods and then carry epi pens anyways.) However, it definitely makes it VERY probable he would have a reaction.

Let's recap.

The child is allergic to wheat, milk, and eggs.

How do you bake a birthday cake without wheat, milk, or eggs??? I mean I could make one without wheat. I could make one without eggs. I can't make one without EITHER! So, you don't. You call Whole Foods - who then tells you to either choose a vegan cake or a gluten-free cake. No go.

I had some fabulous suggestions from Facebook that sounded great - however far too much effort was necessary for the little time I had. So, we had a cake made for everyone else while Miles got JELLO! It worked out just fine. Miles wanted nothing to do with the jello, but at that point at the party as long as he wasn't screaming all was good. Our party was Curious George themed - which I think fits Miles perfectly since 99.9% of his conversations include "ohh ohh" or "ahh ahh".

Good times were had, although I'm glad I don't have to throw another party for a 365 days in a year (and yes, I just had to ask my husband how many days were in a year. My brain hurts tonight.)

What else happened in August? Oh, Adam went back to school, and thus Miles went back to day care. He has been there for 4 weeks - and he has already been sick twice. Most likely he will have to get tubes put in his ears due to the fact he can't get a cold without getting an ear infection. I've heard wonderful things about it - so I hope it might help our little guy.

What else? Oh, Miles will have a new cousin in Jan named Camille! That's big and exciting news.

On a totally random note, Miles and I went to Target today. We are browsing when I happen to look at my boy in the basket when I notice he is completely covered in eczema. Clearly he was reacting to something, I'm just not sure what it was. So we quickly ran out of the store. I gave him some antihistamine I had in my purse and headed to the car. As I am putting him in his car seat, I feel an awful pinching on my side directly under my arm. I took a deep breath and finished getting Miles secure in his car seat and then called Adam as I headed home. My side starting aching and stinging SO BAD. The thought of whether or not I had been shot when through my head. It felt like there was a hole 10 inches in diameter in my side. That's how bad it hurt. When Adam answered I sobbed something to the effect of "I'm side sting and Miles is red so please help me!!!" - too which he was a bit confused. 2 min later we pull into the drive way and Adam is thankfully waiting out front. I jump out yelling "get my shirt off! get my shirt off!" (and yes, I had a tank top). Once my shirt is off he is able to say a huge welt where I had clearly been stung by something. I have never in my life been stung. Isn't that weird? I think so. My anxiety steps in, and I immediately think I'm going to swell up and die since I've never been stung in my.... ahem.. 28 years. It's been 9 hours and now the welt is about 5 inches in diameter and his purple. Not sure what I should do about it but so far I'm still alive.

As for Miles, Adam quickly got him out of his seat to see a very red Miles. Good news is that it wasn't bothering him too much - he was as happy as can be. It makes it even more pitiful when you see your son looking like a raccoon with red spots laughing hysterically and playing like nothing is wrong. I have to remind myself often it could be worse - and he could be in a lot of pain. We have no ideas what set it off - but I have a hunch that maybe a kid before us sat in that basket and was eating something he was allergic to. Who knows. That's the best I can come up with. I hate allergies. I HATE them.

It was QUITE the trip to Target.

Ok, it 's Sunday night and I need to go to bed. We had a fantastic weekend at the BEACH and Miles is now pooping sand. Awesome. I'll leave you with that visual.

Thanks for reading my update!

Where in the World is Miles? Day 4-9

2010-06-16T13:02:00.001-07:00

Outside of our window to the left..
And to the right...
Does this guy look like he's having fun, or what???
Pairs and the Seine
Notre Dame

Miles and le Tour de Eiffel
Nice, France... .ahhhh.
The rocks are the best toys we could have ever have imagined.

Well, we made it to Paris after an amazing night of sleep. 7 full hours! heaven! We made it to to the train station in time for a nice breakfast at the station. I tell you what, if we had more train options in the US I'd be all about it. It's SO much easier than flying. Miles was less than cooperative on the 2:15 hour train ride. He was in one of those moods where he was so tired he was wired. Sleep was not something he wanted to do even though he needed it. The great thing about the train is that we could walk over to the beverage coach and entertain him there with cups, straws, etc.

We made then made it to the hotel, which is in this idealistic part of the city. I took French for 7 years, and it's EXACTLY what I always imagined. Last time we came in 2008, we stayed by the Eiffel Tower which wasn't exactly what I had envisioned of Paris. This time, we stayed in the St. Germain district and it is FULL of pedestrian only streets, cafes, markets, etc. It's amazing. How cool would it be to be cooking and say "honey, would you go dow

nstairs and get me some panko breadcrumbs??? or sugar... or flour...." etc.... It would be so nice. You open our windows and it overlooks the streets below - EXACTLY like I had always imagined. It's exciting to fulfill once of your dreams as a little girl.

After we made it back to the hotel, we ALL took a glorious nap with the windows open. When we woke up we went to visit Notre Dame. It was phenomenal. There was a very short line to go inside, so we got to tour the inside as well. One of those places where you whisper because you can't imagine ruining the atmosphere with your voice.

I worked out of the Paris office Thursday and Friday. Friday late afternoon we took a train to Nice. Miles was WONDERFUL, thankfully. If they had more trains in the US we would never take a plane again. So much easier with a kiddo.

Nice is AMAZING. It is quite possible the most beautiful place I have seen thus far in the world. It has the brightest sun I've ever seen - even brighter than Colorado. Today (Saturday) we just laid at the pool and had lots of naps. Around 7 we headed to dinner at a quaint French restaurant. Have I mentioned how late people eat here? At 7 only Americans are in the restaurants. Around 8-830 is when the French arrive. Around 10, the Spanish people arrive. It's crazy! How does one go from 12 to 10 without any food!??!?!?

The other thing we have noticed is how skinny people are here in Europe. They definately do not have the weight issues Americans have. Maybe that means more wine and cheese??? I think so. :-)

Where in the World is Miles?

2010-06-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

London, silly!

Yep, that's Big Ben and the London Eye behind the little guy

Tower Bridge (not London Bridge, as I thought. oops!)

Miles and his castle (or Anne Boleyn's... whatever)

London Calling!

I have no idea what that means, but they used it on The Bachelor with that British bloke so I thought I'd use it! So it was the fact that Miles slept through the entire flight was W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L! However, Sunday night we all went to bed around 930 pm. Around 1:30 am Miles woke up and was ready for the day. Yes - ready for the day. I mean would only stop screaming if we put him on the floor to play with his toys, crawl, etc.. He went back to sleep at 5:30 am. Yes, 5:30 am. You could probably imagine Monday 7 am came VERY early.. somehow we made it through the day. Adam had to keep him from sleeping all day - which was no small task. As we turned in Monday night - we were thinking "he's GOT to sleep tonight." Boy, were we wrong! Miles woke up at 1:30 on the dot! Again, he was ready to go. Good news is that he was back asleep by 4:00 so we got a bit more sleep than the night before. If you add up the amount of sleep I've gotten in the past 3 nights it equals around 4 hours total. TOTAL. I've never been this sleep deprived in my life - even right after he was born when I was waking up every 2 hours to feed him!

Tonight, we are optimistic he is asleep for the ENTIRE night.

I worked all day Monday and Tuesday at the offices here in London while Miles and Adam explored the parks and swing sets around town! Work was actually fun - catching up with people I typically only get to speak to by phone.

My favorite part of London are the parks. There are so many of them, and well placed throughout the city. I've decided that Miles needs to grow up with a British accent - the little boys fighting at the playground with their English accents were beyond cute. I feel bad because at work and at restaurants when people speak to me with their lovely accents - for some reason my brain decides I should speak like that back to them. Too bad it doesn't come out very well - and I think I might have come across as mocking them. Oops.

Tomorrow we are off to Paris bright and early at 8 am! We are taking the train that goes underneath the English Channel - which honestly I can't even think about it or it freaks me out. We took it last time and my brain just can't wrap my head around the fact there is water on top of us as we travel.

One city down... 4 to go!

PS Can I tell you how OBSESSED people here are about World Cup? I mean there are 24 hour channels dedicated to it on TV. You can't compare it to anything in the states. It's completely CRAZY. Also, the news stations here have abnormally long segments. Each story is like 10 minutes long! It kind of bothers me.

European Adventure - Day 1 and 2

2010-06-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: Adam!

If you know me, you know I like to keep things short and sweet. So here ya go.

Packing: Memo to self - next time you go on a 2 week Euro vacation with a child, hire a couple of sherpas. We have way too much stuff and the portion of parent to child luggage is at least 1 to 5. Who knew such a little dude required so much "equipment".

NYC Flight: Miles earns 50 cool points for sleeping from gate to gate.

NY Hotel: When your cab pulls up and there is a bunch of dudes in tight clothes and wide-eyed girls with heels on waiting outside to get in, you might question your hotel choosing abilities. It turns out there is a "swanky" club on the first floor right next to the lobby. So . . . at 12:30 AM when Miles and family walks in, plus 100 pounds of gear, to a scene that is a cross between "Night at the Roxbury" and a Lady GaGa concert we felt a bit out of place.

Day in NYC: Great breakfast. Park. Hot Dog with ketchup. Park. Pink Berry Yogurt (twice) - Mommy earns 50 cool points for finding Pink Berry and introducing it to Daddy. Dinner. Saw Food Network guy at the restaurant. CREEPY waitress who wouldn't stop messin' with our boy (I know he's cute and all but so are miniature donkeys . . . and I don't go around petting them and trying to get them to chew on my fingers). Back to JFK.

Flight to London: Miles earns 100 points for almost sleeping the entire flight. Longer flight = more cool points.

Day in London: Exhaustion from no sleep. Lots of beer to keep us from getting grouchy. Room on 4rd floor with NO elevator. Remember what I said about all the gear, Daddy earns 50 cool points.

Score: Mommy - 50 Daddy - 50 Miles - 150

Hello from Central Park!

Miles right before we headed to JFK for our long flight. We wore this guy out!

Miles scoping out Columbus Circle (Miles was SO quite walking around the city just taking it all in)

Above: Miles' reaction as we drove through Times Square on the way to our hotel

Swingin' in Central Park!
Miles helping us "pack" (i.e. pull everything out of the suitcase over and over and over..)

8 Month Update

2010-05-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

Why haven't I posted lately? I've been chasing one FAST little dude!
Honestly I yawned the other day and for the split second my eyes were shut he had almost crawled off the bed. He is keeping us on his toes.

In two days he turns 9 months old which just sounds crazy to us. We feel like we just got this little guy, but in other ways we feel like he's always been around. We went through about a month where he didn't seem to be changing all that much - then for the past 30 days it's like something new everyday. Somewhere around 8 months he started to crawl, and the day after that he crawled he pulled up on the backdoor window. This AM he took about 4 steps from one toy to the next. The pulling up was scary for about a week when he couldn't figure out to fall on his bottom. There were some crash and burns to say the least. He started saying "ba ba ba" then "bo bo bo" then "da da da" now it's "ga ga ga." (Still waiting for the "ma ma ma" Mr. Miles, but no pressure!) :-) Yesterday he did the "wave" motion. All of the sudden he is changing SO fast we can't keep up!

He has a new favorite toy which I thought I would share with everyone. He LOVES it. They have this toy at daycare and all of the little crawler / standers FIGHT over this toy. So since he is one spoiled little boy we thought we would buy him one of his own. :-) It's called the "Leapfrom Learn and Groove Music Table" http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2293345. I'll post some pictures of him playing with it soon. I HIGHLY recommend it if you have a 6-12 monther!

It seems we have the eczema somewhat under control, although the Neocate formula is E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E so we are counting the days until he moves to rice milk. He hasn't really broken out with the exception of weather fronts that come through. If you live around us and see thunderclouds - odds are little Miles is broken out in a rash.

Last but not least, I thought it includes a video update of Miles. Most of these are taken about a month to two months ago - but I promise to catch up sometime soon! Oh, I'd alo like to address Miles' hair. It is au natural. People keep telling us they like "how you have styled his hair". It takes everything I have not to say "yea, so we didn't style his hair to go to Target, but thanks!" :-)

Eczema Update and a Happy Mother's Day !

2010-05-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

So we had a few good days on the soy formula. His skin cleared up nicely, but around day 3 he started to projectile vomit and have ridiculous gas issues. It sounded like fireworks in his diaper at all times. Pitiful!

So we stopped the soy formula on Saturday evening, and decided to go back to nursing until the neocate came in.

The neocate came in Monday afternoon - and this kid has been golden! His skin is not only BEAUTIFUL but the fireworks have ended too. No more projectile vomit, and just a generally happy little dude. I'm REALLY hoping that this whole ordeal is past us.

I am a little wary to get too excited in case he has a day 3 reaction to this formula too, just like the soy. The only alternative at that point would be for me to stop eating wheat and dairy all together and go back to nursing. That doesn't sound like too much fun to me. I guess it good be worse - he could be allergic to grapes and I wouldn't be able to drink wine. Now THAT would be pitiful. :-)

His chin still has two eczema sores on it, but they are healing nicely. I'm hoping they will be gone by the end of the week.

We have been bathing him nightly, sometimes even 2-3 times a day! It appears to be helping. I'm fearful of the day he realizes that he can use his nails to scratch - if we don't get the eczema cleared up before then we are in BIG trouble.

In other news, he has started saying more syllabals like "bo, bo, bo" and "ba, ba, ba" - and I'm PRETTY sure I caught him saying "da, da, da" in his crib last week. He's going to be talking before we know it!

Mother's Day was GREAT! I got spoiled. Friday I came home to a picnic table and Sunday I woke at 11 am (!!!) to a nice breakfast. I also didn't have to change 1 poopy diaper! Whoo hoo! Thanks husband.

Hooray for the Allergist!

2010-05-07T10:42:00.001-07:00

So we took Mr. Miles to the allergist yesterday, and he was a god send!
I do not know what the nurse was talking about because the Doctor never said a THING about making sure is eczema was completely gone before we go in. Grrr.

The Doctor walked us through the allergy testing process, and told us because is so young that there is a good probability he will grow out of it within the next 3-4 years. With that information he went ahead and tested Miles for milk, soy, wheat, and rice. They swabbed his back with all 4 and then we waited for a reaction.

Within 30 seconds the milk was a huge welp with a white dot in the middle, and about a minute after that the wheat started reacting. So the little dude is not only allergic to cow's milk - but also all wheat products. The good thing is that he did not react to soy, which would have really limited his food options for the next few years.

We also found out because he had such a significant reaction to both of these, and due to the fact he has eczema he is within the highest risk group of peanut and tree nut allergies. To make sure he stays safe, we were then trained on the epi pen in case he ever has a reaction.

While it's not the best news, we feel relieved that we know what to avoid. That night we started him on a 1/2 soy formula 1/2 breastmilk bottles - and this morning he looks like a new person! He still has one open wound that is infected - but it looks better than it did the day before. So that's good news. We are hoping he continues to improve and he can rejoin his buddies at day care Monday!

The Doctor also gave us more information about eczema. He has been in contact with a group of research Doctors in Colorado who seem to have a hypothesis that the eczema is due to an increase in bacteria on their skin. The bacteria then causes the dryness, which makes them itch, which then causes sores, which then get infected.

He told us not to give him bleach baths and for us to continue using the vanicream over the epicream (I told you, different opinion everywhere you go). In addition, he told us to bath him 2-3 times a day to keep his skin moist. That is in direct contrast to what our pedi told us, which was to limit bath time because it dries out his skin. When I brought up this inconsistency he mentioned that some babies do better without frequent baths, and then some babies respond very well to the increase in moisture. We are just going to start playing to figure out what works for us. That seems to be the theme of things - just keep trying these treatments until you find what works for your kid.

One other thing we are going to try is the "wet wrap." This means you soak a pair of his PJs in water, put him on him while damp and then put a dry set of PJs over it. This keeps him moist without getting cold. This should be intersting - but we are going to try anything. Since Miles' face is most impacted - I asked him how we could do that to his face. He told us to cut out holes in a damp wash cloth for his eyes and mouth and place it on his face for the duration of the bath. (Yes, I'm totally serious)

24 hours after our appointment yesterday, he literally looks like a different kid. MUCH better! We are so excited that he won't be suffering as much as he was before.

**Another thing. We were also told NOT to use Nutrigimin because it is made out of a milk protein. Essentially they just "cut up" the milk protein so that people who have a hard time digesting it can easier. This, however, does not make it easier for those kids actually allergic too it. Ahhh - live and learn. **

You Suck..... Eczema!

2010-05-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am going to take a few minutes out of this gorgeous day to vent about all things eczema.

What is eczema? Well, it depends on who you ask. If you go to a dermatologist it is called "atopic dermatitis." It is a skin disease that has no definitive cause (at least that is known). If you ask an allergist, it is an inflammatory reaction to an allergen. If you ask your pedi, they try to treat it and get upset if you feel like you need to go to a dermatologist or allergist because you are "cheating on them."

Let's start with my definition. My definition is that eczema is a HORRIBLE skin disease that can be brought on by:

- Weather changes (he is better than a meteorologist at predicting cold fronts)
- Food (which foods? That I do not know.... yet)
- Heat
- Cold
- Contact with certain fabrics (even if they are washed in hypoallergenic soaps)
- A Nap
- Just because

It can then get so dry it itches until it opens up into an open wound. That open wound is then at risk for getting an infection - specifically staph. Babies who have eczema for some reason have a higher count of the "natural" staph on their skin, which makes it much easier for them to get this infection. That is the scary part. In addition, you here conflicting advice around every corner. As a parent it makes you feel helpless.

When Miles was about 3 months old, we had our first bought of eczema. It literally covered his entire body. He would scratch, and scratch, and scratch. Generally he was just very grumpy. He couldn't sleep, and neither did we. We called the pediatrician immediately and saw her the next morning. We were sent home with strict instructions to only use hypoallergenic soaps, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc and to apply Eucerine's Aquaphor liberally. Luckily, we were already doing most of these so it was a pretty easy transition. We even had meetings with the day care to make sure he would not come into contact with any detergent on his teacher's clothes, sheets, carpets, etc. No dice. It didn't work. So we went back to the pediatrician to get more advice, which included hydro cortisone and an intense moisturizer. The thing about hydro cortisone is that you can only use it intermittently because it can cause thinning of the skin and a disease called cushions. So we did as we were told. No dice. Miles had his first open and "weeping" eczema spot. We couldn't take him to day care for a week, for fear of infection.

After waking up to another horrific outbreak of eczema one morning and speaking with some friends with children who have had skin issues, I was told that one option would be to go talk to a dermatologist. So I made an appointment that morning and off we went. We were prescribed a prescription strength cortisone cream, and a new hypo allergenic moisturizer called Vanicream (you can only get it at a compounding pharmacy). It is made without any chemicals. We were then told to *not* use Aquaphor because it contains lanolin that can irritate and flare the eczema. GRRRRRRRRRR! Good thing we had been using it for months. Thankfully, we had a few good weeks without any flare ups. However, it was still all over his face. At least this time it wasn't opening up and weeping.

At around 5 months of age, we gave Miles his first rice cereal. It was the Gerber brand. Within 30 minutes - he had completely broken out in eczema from head to toe. The only ingredients were soy lecithin, asorbic acid, and rice. About a week later, I went to the store and got Beech Nut brand organic rice cereal which only contained rice and asorbic acid. No flare up. At this point I am thinking he is allergic to soy. When I bring this up at his 6 month check up, the pedi tells me that she has never heard of a baby being allergic to soy lecithin. Plus, almost EVERYTHING has soy lecithin. Back to the drawing board.

As he entered the 6th month, I started to think about trying to move him to formula (at least a few bottles a day). Plus, it made me crazy to think we had absolutely no back up if for some reason I was stuck somewhere. So, per the pedi's instructions we tried Enfamil Milk Formula. Within 30 min, he had a full eczema reaction. Head to toe. It took about 48 hours to calm down completely, and thankfully none of them opened up. So, I decided we were not going to play with formula anymore until we can figure all of this out.

Around 6 months we also started playing with baby food. As you might imagine, I was a bit gun shy on buying store-bought food for fear of a random ingredient setting of a huge flare up. So we made all of his food, and haven't run into anything yet (knock on wood..) that he is allergic to.

The 7th month of Miles' life was almost eczema free. He only had two spots on his chin that we couldn't get rid of because of the moisture always being present on a drooling baby - but other than that everything was pretty under control. Until this week. This week he had a HORRIBLE flare up with 2 open sores, and a third that is on the verge. As you might imagine, we immediately went back to the dermatologist. The dermatologist said that there was indeed staph in the open wounds, so we were prescribed a super duper antiobiotic ointment to knock it out along with orders to give him bleach baths (yep, baths with a little clorox). THe staph prevents it from healing properly. The idea is that if we can knock that out, we can get rid of those sores for good. We also were prescribed something called epicream - which is a moisturizer that forms a barrier on the top to keep it in. Why, they did not prescribe this at the beginning I have no idea. If you have a child with eczema i would recommend talking to your Dr about this one - it appears to be working better than other "over the counter" moisturizers. I have been using it on my new eye wrinkles that I have acquired from lack of sleep. It appears to do wonders there too :-)

I also called to make an appointment with an allergist. I have had this hunch the entire time that is tied to something I have been eating (since I am nursing..). I have tried cutting dairy out, etc. and nothing seems to work. We have an appointment later this week - but when I called the nurse told me that they would not test him until his eczema was gone. Now, rationally I get this but how am I supposed to get rid of his eczema if I do not know what is causing it? This nurse and I got into a bit of an unpleasant conversation, so I'm pretty sure she is going to make us leave when we get there if she sees his face. (I'm sending Adam to get through the door first, then come later in case she remembers our little war of words.) Since I was home with him yesterday, I decided to do a little test. They make a formula that is hypoallergenic called Enfamil Nutrigimin. I decided to try it - because if it IS something I am eating this would be the "control." (Did I mention I do web site testing for a living :-)) Off we go to the HEB to pick up his prescriptions and the formula. After we get home, I gave him a bleach bath (per the dermatologists instructions) which is supposed to kill the staph. (PS if you google it you will find that they did a test in the fall of 2009 and found that the bleach baths worked so well at minimizing infections they called off the test halfway through and dunked all the 'control' kids in bleach. Pretty impressive, and cheap.)

After the bath, and the lotions and potions were applied to his skin - I gave him a a bottle of Nutrigimin. Miles promptly swatted the bottle and then threw it. I can't blame him, it is HORRIBLE. After 30 min of trying there is no way this kid is going to drink this formula. So then I started thinking, maybe I will try the milk formula again (just a little) to determine if he really does have an allergy to milk. .5 ounces later, Miles had a red face and I had an answer. No milk for this kid! About 4 hours later I tried the soy formula in his bottle. No reaction - so soy is OK. (good to know since I was concerned about soy lecithin from the rice cereal)

Then I mixed have a 1/2 bottle of Nutrigimin with 1/2 breast milk later that night. He finally drank it (his Daddy had to feed it to him). So we were able to isolate that cow milk appears to be the culprit. Now while he could have soy, I'm a little weary given some studies that have been published that talk about soy's estrogen content causing infertility in boys later on in life. However, the pedi says if we are just supplementing it should be fine. We are still deciding what/how we are going to do with formula. I am thinking just going with he Nutrigimin to be safe 1 or 2 bottles a day(even though it is 30 bucks a pop.. yikes).

So, if you are still reading this payers and good thoughts for our little man would be appreciated. We are hopeful between the pedi, the dermatologist, and the allergist we can figure this out and keep this kid safe from infection.

I am writing all of this out so hopefully if you have a child with this condition you don't have to go through all of the hoops (and feel as helpless)as we have! Good luck!

Musical Prodigy - 7 Months Old!!! - should work now

2010-04-09T06:54:00.001-07:00

"Super Working Mom" or "About to Lose It"

2010-03-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's frightening how fast I can go from one to the other.

On "Super Mom Days" it goes like this:

It's usually a Monday or Tuesday where I'm still super motivated from the recent weekend. I have spent the night before carefully organizing Miles' bottles and making his baby food for the week (yep I said making it. word.) so it is ready to go.

At 5 am I wake up to my blinking Blackberry full of emails from our European offices. By 6:30 am they are all answered, and little Miles wakes up with a smile. I quickly get ready (I spent the evening before in my 30 min blow drying session so the morning is a breeze). Miles and I play for an hour before I get him ready for his day. I whisk him out the door around 8:00, take him to day care and then I'm in my office drinking coffee by 8:30. I then am in and out of meetings, but then somehow pump two to three bottles in between. Those are the good days. I usually have about 1 hour or so where I'm like "man I'm awesome." That may sound self-indulgent, but oh well.

Then there are the other days.... usually Wed-Friday. These days are a little different. I wake up late and have a blinking blackberry, but never get a chance to do a thing because it's already time to go. I put my hair in an oily pony-tail and whisk Miles out the door. I usually get to daycare and realize I have forgotten his bottles in the fridge, and have to head back home. So, I head back home, get the bottles and go back to daycare. I kiss the kid goodbye (again) and hurry off to work. I usually get to work and realize that my laptop is at home. I then head home for the second time. I get back to work and look up at the clock and realize it's almost noon and my boobs are about to explode because I forgot to pump. So I go pump. It's now lunch time and I have no lunch, but I have a 1 o'clock meeting and I don't have time to go get lunch. So I eat granola bars from the kitchen. I get home around 5 pm (the little dude has to have dinner!) with BARELY two bottles of milk and have some family time with the husband and little dude. Around 9 we put the little dude to bed, and I begin to answer all of the European emails that I didn't get to earlier that AM (they started sending more ?s late in the night so I have a deadline!). I finally go to sleep and do it all again - chaos at it's best. Did I mention the guilt that I feel by Wed because I haven't seen the little dude all week?

So now you can see why I take the time on Monday and Tuesday to say...

"man, I'm awesome."

That is all.

Mr. Giggles is Back - and in Park City, Utah!

2010-03-05T18:18:00.001-08:00

What am I doing that is SO hilarious? Well, I'm hitting the bed with my hand. HILARIOUS, huh??? :-) This went on for over an hour.

Mr. Giggles

2010-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

That's who we have living at our house. This little kid thinks EVERYTHING is hilarious and is VERY generous with his smiles. He saves his belly laughs, however, for a select few (i.e. only his Daddy).

He is still keeping us on our toes. Two weeks ago he developed a horrible case of eczema that covered his entire face and scalp. It started blistering and was HORRIBLE. After about 5 visits to the pedi and dermatologist I think we finally have it under control.

He is loving day care and his teachers. After a horrible first go around with the first babysitter, we have had a very positive experience this time. He has little 'friends' that he 'plays' with - it's so funny to watch. We really feel like his teacher's love him and are always making sure he is experiencing new things. We even have his first piece of art work on the fridge! :-)

He has developed an affinity for buttons. So the remote, my blackberry, his piano are all favorite toys. He can now sit up on his own for a few minutes (albeit a little unsteady), and his great at spinning to where he wants to go. He rolls over every now and then but spinning seems to be his movement method of choice at the moment. We had wood floors put in last week, and when we put Miles on the floor for the first time you would have thought we gave him keys to the car. He is able to push himself backwards, so no matter where we put him on the floor, within a few minutes he has backed himself into a wall and his angry.

This might be our favorite age thus far, his little personality is starting to shine through. I know we are biased, but he is one FUN little dude! I have proof.... :-)

Bouncin Around

2010-01-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

Dinner is on Miles

2010-01-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas and a 4 Month Update

2009-12-29T13:32:00.001-08:00

Mr. Miles has reached the ripe old age of 4 months. And oh has this been an eventful month!

As you can see above, he is QUITE the social butterfly. He entertained many over the holidays. On my side of the family, this is the first grandchild AND great grandchild. So you can imagine he was definitely the center of attention!

His latest development is the ability to grab, bat at, and hold things. He developed this new skill JUST IN TIME for Christmas! It made Christmas ridiculously fun. Christmas Eve and Christmas day we spent at our own house (first time ever for me) - and we put him to bed, then filled his stocking and laid out a huge spread of Christmas loot! UMMMMM... I mean SANTA CAME! Then of course he woke up hourly for the rest of the night (it was one of those nights). Adam and I both managed to get up without the other one knowing to fill each other's stockings - which we didn't plan. He almost caught me but I told him I was getting up to get some Advil. :-)

Did I mention he got me a little book entitled "idiots guide to being a better person" ?????

Oh yes, he did.

Back to Miles. The next morning we sat him down in front of all of his toys - and over stimulation set in shortly thereafter. A chronology of our first Christmas day as a family:

A Daddy and his Boy on Christmas Eve...

Santa came to visit Miles!!!

here we go...

Miles first played us a little tune (the piano was the clear favorite)

Ahhhhhh! Rings!!!!!

This ball machine is TOO much fun!

The destruction...

Stocking time! (and yes, I wore a onesie for Christmas!)

Where there is a ball... there is a Finley. This day was spent with many "no Finley, that is not your toy" statements.

Pure bliss...

We also went to the Doctor today for his 4 month update. Everything went pretty well - although we have some firm orders to make sure he doesn't sleep on the side he has been sleeping on because it is getting too flat. This can cause the brain to not develop properly. Adam and I were like "umm we can't get the kid to sleep half the time, and now you want us to make sure we have him sleeping in the right position!?!?" Please wish us luck. We need it.

His stats were as follows:

Height: 24 1/2 inches (25 - 50th percentile)

Weight: 17 lbs (50th percentile)

Head: 90th percentile (yep he's got a biggin'!)

Developmentally he is hitting all of his milestones, and even some for 6 month olds!! I'm going to go ahead and say he's an overachiever. (yes I'm going to be the Mom telling the teacher that he needs to be in GT or AP classes - Adam can't stand those Moms :-))

Hope everyone out there is doing well!

Duuuuuuude.

2009-12-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

This whole working mother thing is absolutely exhausting!!!!!

Thus, the blog kinda fell to the bottom of the list. My fellow Mom blogger (albeit the mother of triplets not a singleton) signed off her pregnancy blog with "I will be busy for the next 18 years or so."

I should have done that. Alas, I did not and so here goes a bloggerific (yes, I just made up that word) update.

So what has been going on? Well let's recap first. Last time I updated Miles was a wee little man. He was a few weeks over the 2 month mark - and a little angel who ate well, slept well, and generally an agreeable little guy.

Here is the little innocent guy at two months:

So what has happened in the past almost 2 months? Well...

1) I went back to work on November 16th. The home daycare lady could not start little Miles until Dec 1, so our fantastic families pitched in for the first two weeks. Miles (and his parents) were spoiled rotten!

I was totally fine until Sunday night before my first day back. The thought of leaving my little one just tormented my soul. I was up until 3:30 am crying my eyes out. Since then I have just taken a day at a time, and it has gotten much better. I try to look at it as spending more quality time with my little boy in the evenings vs multi-tasking all day.

Talk about hard work! Adam and I have never been so exhausted in our lives. Here is our schedule:

- wake up

- feed the wee one

- get him changed and clothed for the day

- somehow feed and get ourselves ready

- go to work

- pump 3-4 times a day

- come home from work

- feed him immediately

- wash pumping equipment, bottles

- make bottles for the next day

- sit down

- get back up and bath Miles

- feed him

- read him a book

- get him hopefully to sleep (this can take 1-4 hours)

- fall asleep

- REPEAT

Being a Mom has also had some positive impact on my work. I am definitely more motivated, efficient, and confident. I feel like I've done the hardest thing in the world - so web analytics? Sheesh! That ain't nothin!

2) Miles started with his daycare (1 of 3 little dudes) on Dec 1st, and had a rough first day but got wonderful report cards each day thereafter!

3) On December 12th our daycare lady quit via text message. She told us she had taken on too much and for us to pick up Miles' stuff - it was on the front porch of her house. (YES.. for reals)

I proceeded to lose my mind. I had spent almost 2 months interviewing people, calling references, etc while I was on maternity leave. Now we were back to square one - and we both had to work 40 hours a week. I could not handle this stress - but my AMAZING husband was able to calm me down and started research alternatives immediately - while I just yelled "HOW COULD SHE DO THIS?!?" on the couch over and over again. (productive, i know.)

4) Our family again has pitched in for the last 2 weeks. We are so very lucky. Adam is now home until Jan - so he has gotten to spend lots of 1:1 one time with his little boy!

5) Our innocent little man decided he does not like to sleep - and prefers to wake up hourly for a little 'snack'. Yes, HOURLY for two straight weeks.

6.) We decided this lack of sleep directly correlated to his new "sleep sack" so we removed it. He slept for 2 nights. Then he got grumpy again. So we decided to take off his clothes altogether. Yep - he has slept through the night again ever since. The boy likes to be naked. (however, yes, i wake up every hour now just to make sure he doesn't loose his blanket.)

7.) Miles has decided to turn into a board when he is angry and does not get what he wants when he wants it. (PS I can't wait for the day where I can say "Miles, Mommy is getting it ready for you." and then he says "OK thanks mommy.")

8.) He has started to laugh. This might be the best sound I've ever heard in my entire life. He is just a happy little rolly polly.

9.) He wants to be sitting up at all times. If you lay him down - he can't 'relax'. He is constantly throwing his chest forward wanting to see what is going on.

10.) He LOVES bath time.

11.) He has started grabbing things which makes meal times interesting. He is constantly trying to crab my plate, food, or utensils.

12.) Adam and I had the most fun date night we've ever had. We went to dinner (where an entire bottle of wine may or may not have been consumed) and then went Christmas shopping for Miles! We bought ENTIRELY too much - but this little man has lots of toys to keep him busy for a long while.

13.) Miles starts at a new day care on Jan 4th. We are both very excited about it - because he definitely is getting to the point where he likes to interact. He will be in a class of 8 young ones all his age - so I can only imagine the fun he is going to have.

14.) We had to look up all of the nursery rhymes online. If not for Google our child would know some very odd versions of Baa Baa Black sheep and Patty Cake.

Here are some pictures of our chunky monkey:

We are having a ridiculously wonderful time with this little guy. We hope you all are doing well and have a great holiday with your families!

Notice - PeanutMotherandBelly is coming back...

2009-12-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

THIS weekend! Stay tuned.

The Infant Radar Detector

2009-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Who knew! Babies are born with an innate radar detector inside of them.

The radar detects two key behaviors:

1. When their Mother is being too efficient. The radar does not like it when Mothers are productive. For instance, say you are holding the baby AND preparing food. This is not acceptable - the radar will IMMEDIATELY go off.

2. When their Mother's mouth is getting too close to food. For instance, you have a sleeping baby and you think "gee, I guess I'll make myself a nice lunch since he sleeping!" The radar will allow you to make your lunch, get utensils and sit down. As soon as you start to move food in the general direction of your mouth - the radar will go off.

Instead of the radar "beeping" it alerts you in the form of an earth shattering cry. There is no ignoring this radar.

What is the lesson here? When you have the rare opportunity to eat, EAT! It might be a very long time before you do it again.

Good thing these little babies are so darn cute!

I introduce you to the Mayor of Droolsville:

Morning Sunshine!

2009-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our Happy Little Man

2009-11-03T05:42:00.001-08:00

Miles - Huge MILEStone! (get it? hehe)

2009-11-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

please excuse my annoying screams.

It's 12:48 pm and OU still sucks!!!!

2009-10-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Daddy Dressed Me...

2009-10-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I slept in on Saturday morning .... Daddy dresses the little dude. If you look closely there is definitely a little Mohawk.

Miles ALWAYS knows where the camera is... even when playing in his new toy!

Which one is the monkey?

Rough Life

2009-10-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

2009-10-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Miles showing off his guns!

Wait until I'm 3 months before I use the Bumbo chair?? Not this guy!

Happy 1 Month Birthday Miles!

2009-09-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

I always said I would never be one of those moms who celebrates monthly birthdays or tells people her child's age in weeks until they are like 5 years old.

Alas - I'm officially throwing the first one out the window today. My baby is growing up! He's 1 month old today!!!! Happy birthday Miles... we don't know what we'd do without you! You are so fun to snuggle with and can't wait to watch you grow - we love you!

A Minute with Miles... 2!

2009-09-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

sorry everyone for the blurry video - but it's the sound that matters this time!

Real Men Wear Shirts with Collars...

2009-09-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

Oops

2009-09-13T14:02:00.001-07:00

Apparently the fact that I am a new mother hasn't sunk in yet. I went to the store (by myself!!) to buy some new clothes (I am Anthropologie's #1 customer after my shopping spree) however when I left I walked up to my car - and saw a car seat. I immediately figured I had the wrong car and turned around and walked off. Ummm I HAVE A CHILD! I'm crazy.

Clearly it hasn't sunken in yet!

Doctor Appointment Update - 2 Week Checkup!

2009-09-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

First off, after about 3 hours at the HEB pharmacy yesterday trying to get incompetent people to get the prescription filled correctly - Miles is FINALLY on some medicine for his choking episodes. It has to build up in his system so we are not choke free yet, but hopefully by early next week we will be! Think good thoughts.

He also got measured, weighed, etc and here are his stats.

Weight: 9 lbs 8 ounces (he gained 6 ounces since his Tuesday Doctor appointment!) 50th Percentile for his age
Length: 21 inches (he has grown a 1/2 inch) 50th Percentile for his age
Head: I don't remember the measurement but it is in the 75th Percentile (he's got a big noggin!)

So minus the choking he's a pretty healthy kid who is gaining weight (and eating!) like a champ.

The Art of Leaving Your House with a Baby

2009-09-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have recently started to take a few outings with the dear child. Talk about stressful! I think I might even find it more stressful because I treat it like a project at work.... with the assumption if I plan it thoroughly and correctly and take care of all details... it will go smoothly. NOPE. You see the dear wee one does not care if I'm a meticulous project manager.

Here is the process I have been following:

Step 1: Dress Miles and change his diaper
Step 2: Get EVERYTHING organized for our outing. And by organized, I mean in the car ready to go! (diaper bag, purse, pacifier, etc)
Step 3: Feed him and wait for him to drift into slumber land
Step 4: Put the baby CAREFULLY in the car seat without waking him up and then.... go! go! go! (clock starts ticking..you have 2 hours!)

Sounds good, right? Well it doesn't work. I tried to go to grocery store and made it all the way around the store with him in asleep in his sling..only to get to the checkout line and have him start wailing. Did I mention I happened to pick the SLOWEST checkout person EVER? And I can say that because I used to check groceries at the Hen House in my home town (and yes, I still remember the code for bananas is 4011!). Once I made it out of course he is wide awake and not happy about being strapped into the car seat so he WAILS all the way home. I have never experienced a wailing child in a car before, and let me tell you it might have been the most stressful experience of my entire life. Of course he is facing backwards in the back seat, so you can't touch or see him. I was visibly shaking all the way home - of course hitting every light possible on the way home.

The other thing I would like to point out is my process above only includes taking care of things for the baby - so I got to HEB without putting my boob pads in and started leaking all over the place. Awesome - you can guess what I stashed in my car after that horrific moment!

We have also started walking in the mornings. So picture me, Miles, and the Finnster all on a walk around the neighborhood. At first it starts out so peaceful. Miles is asleep, I'm walking briskly and feeling like I'm burning some fat, and Finley is trotting along perfectly along side. Then at the furthest point from our house (naturally) - the dog stops dead in her tracks and wants to lay down and refuses to move, and then Miles starts WAILING. Where was the pacifier you might ask? Oh I left it on the counter. Our walk quickly became our first run post-baby.

Today's excursion is to the Dr's office... the third appointment of the week. Yesterday we had to go to the children's hospital to get an Upper GI test which showed what we thought - he has pretty bad acid reflux which is causing his choking episodes. We go back to meet with the Doctor today to discuss our options. Hopefully we will get some meds today and we'll have a non-choking baby soon! (oh, and if you are preggo with your first baby TAKE THE INFANT CPR CLASS! When he started choking all I could do was kick myself for not taking that damn class!)

The quest continues for a smooth outing... and don't worry, boob pads are in! Have a good day everyone!

I leave you with a minute of Miles...

Week 2!

2009-09-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

We made it through another week with the little guy! It's CRAZY how fast time goes now that he is here. I almost want it to slow down so I can get more snuggles with him.

We have also had some scary moments. Miles has had some choking episodes that started a few days ago after he eats too much. The little guy's esophogus doesn't close properly so his milk comes back up and instead of spitting up like most infants do, he freaks out and tries to swallow it back down - which sometimes leads to it going down the wrong pipe. The result is a baby that chokes for about 5-10 seconds and even turned blue once. Talk about TERRIFYING. I am so worried about him choking I can't sleep - which does not make anything easier! Good news is that he should grow out of this in the next few weeks (hopefully).

Other than that, he's such a good baby! We are having so much fun with him. A few new updates this week are:

1. He now is enjoying his baths now that he lost his umbilical cord. He especially likes to have his hair washed.

2. He is "sleep smiling" more and more - I can't wait for it to happen for real!

3. His Daddy has decided that anytime a football game is on his little buddy needs to be watching it with him.

4. He had his first outing to a restaurant. We were super nervous parents - and we must have looked it because many other parents came up to us saying "aww is this your first time out!!?" He did well - only one melt down and we were able to get it under control. Yay us!

5. I HAD A MARGARITA!! Oh how I have missed you. I was definately tipsy! 9 months of not drinking makes you a very economical date! :-)

6. Mommy got pee'd on.

7. We gave him his first bottle of breast milk - just to make sure he would take it OK. He was golden - this kid is pretty content as long as he is fed and his diaper is changed!

8. Miles got some 1:1 one time with his cousin Rachel and Aunt Sarah - she liked his little feet!

Tomorrow Mr. Kenton goes back to work :-( It will be a sad day around our house - but I think he is ready to meet his class finally! Miles is going to miss him (and so will his wife!!).

Look at Those Legs Move!

2009-09-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

So a couple of things we have learned about Miles:

1. He is STRONG.
His arms and legs are ridiculously strong, and he even holds his head up quite a bit. Check out the video below and watch his legs and head move!

2. The boy likes to suck.
It is like his crack.
He will have a completely full tummy and find no rest until he finds a hand or pacifer to satisfy his need to suck. We think this is because he did this in my belly. Almost every ultrasound picture he was sucking on the back of his hand, and when he made his appearance he had a big blister on the back of his hand from sucking so much. Who are we to deprive this little soul of a pacifer? We will just hide it for the visit with the lactation consultant next week. :-) He will even suck on my cheek if I let him - just like a little leach!

Worry

2009-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you know that I worry about EVERYTHING bad that could possibly happen in any situation. I should really probably be in therapy for it, but I choose to live with it.

Having a baby has put this into OVERDRIVE. Here are the following statements that have come out of my mouth in the past few days:

"OMG he's cross-eyed!"

"Is he pooping enough?"

"Is he pooping too much?"

"He feels warm - he has fever!"

"Is that a cough? OMG he has whooping cough!"

"OMG I dropped my phone on him! He's going to be scarred for life!"

"He's NEVER using a pacifier"

"Over 30 people have put their hands on him, he's got to be sick."

"Did [enter any name here] use Purell before they touched him?!?"

"He just needs a pacifier for a little bit."

"What if he is allergic to milk!"

"Why is he sneezing so much? He must be sick!"

"Is he breathing????!

"Is he choking or spitting up?!?"

Needless to say, I have kept www.whattoexpect.com busy with my questions! Our poor pediatrician doesn't realize who she has signed on as a patient - a little boy with a neurotic mother!

Beginning to Feel Human Again...

2009-08-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am starting to feel normal again! It has taken me awhile to learn how to fall asleep quickly when Miles does - but now that I am starting to my sleep has increased significantly! Last night went so well up until about 330 am. He slept from 9 until 1230 when we fed him. Then he woke up ready to go for the day at 330! He wanted NO part of going back to sleep, so his Mommy and him did some bonding while Daddy slept. Mr. Kenton didn't have any naps the day before like I did, so he was worn out, but it was pretty funny because he would wake up every hour and say "give me 15 more minutes and I'll get up and make some coffee so you can sleep." He said that every hour from 4 am until 7 am. :-)

At 7 I made him some coffee and gave him his son. :-) It was pretty funny. He made it up to me with a 2 hour nap later that morning. It was AMAZING. However, I'm no expert but I think anything over 5 hours of sleep in a given night is pretty good with a newborn. We'll take it!

My Mom has been here since yesterday, and she showed up with a whole car full of groceries and we have been eating homemade meals ever since - I could get used to this!

We have had a couple of firsts this week:

1. His first poopy diaper! (who knew this is such a highly anticipated event with a newborn!)

2. His first bath

3. His first introduction to Finley

4. His first walk

5. His first football game with Daddy

The Birth Story

2009-08-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm starting to feel SOMEWHAT human again, so I thought I'd update you all on how little Miles's arrival went down!

It all started last week. Late Thursday night I started to have regular contractions in my back that were 5 min apart and that were uncomfortable enough I couldn't talk through them. So, we called the Dr on call and were told to head to Labor and Delivery!

So about 3 am we showed up and were put on the monitor - my contractions were good and strong so they called the Dr on in to check to see if I had made any progress. That's when I was told those words I've come to love - "YOU'RE ONLY A ONE." Whhhhhhhhattttt? They continued to watch me for 3 more hours and re check me, if my contractions were strong enough to make any changes - they were going to admit me and get this thing started!

Unfortunately, 3 hours later I was still in pain and still a one. We went back home around daylight.

My contractions did not cease, however, and I spent the rest of the day in pain and screaming for Mr. Kenton to put pressure on my back with each contraction. This is how we spent all of Friday and Saturday. Around Sunday at 1 am we had zero sleep for going on 4 nights, and I was in so much pain I couldn't take it anymore so we called the Doctor again to see what we should do. She again were told to head to the hospital and since we were 100% SURE that this would be it, we packed all of our things for hospital stay - car seat, suitcase, everything. We get to the hospital and the same thing went down. I WAS STILL A ONE! I was on the verge of going nuts at this point. But the Doctor came in to check me again because she couldn't understand why I was having the level of contractions I was having on the monitor without making any progress. Well, when she went to check me - she felt Miles's little head! The contractions were so strong they had made his head swell - but I wasn't making any progress because my contractions were pushing him against a bone instead of my cervix. I was so thankful something was finally making sense because I was about to be committed to the looney bin.

She basically said I had two options - I could "wait" for his head to turn (which may or may not happen) or I could come in the next morning for them to help things along. She preferred I do the latter due to some high blood pressure issues I was having as well. So you could imagine after 4 days of pain and zero sleep I jumped at the Monday opportunity to help things along.

She sent us home with some meds to help me sleep through the next 12 hours (a godsend!) so my body would be strong enough for labor.

So on Monday I went in and things pretty much went like clock work - but slowly until about 3 pm. All day I had been dilating about a centimeter an hour - and they were predicting a late evening delivery. 15 minutes after this prediction I had a very strange sensation and asked Adam to get the nurse. She discovered I had dilated those final 3 centimeters in 15 minutes!! Miles had finally turned his head!!!! He would be coming within the next one to two hours they said. Things moved very quickly after that as you might imagine. He came out with the largest cone head I'd ever seen - my body was pushing this poor kid on a bone for 4 days! My epidural also ran out about an hour before the delivery, and let me tell you IT HURT!

He came out at 6:05 pm on August 24th, 2009 weighing 8 lbs 4 oz (yep, he was big!) and 20 1/2 inches. He IS BEAUTIFUL with a full head of hair and olive skin. He's our little monkey!

He is eating well and hopefully in the next few days he will learn how to sleep :-) Mr. Kenton and I are both EXHAUSTED but are enjoying each and every minute with our little guy.

Can't wait for him to meet everyone!

Can I also say two things:

1) My "forgetful" hormones have not kicked in yet - and having a baby HURTS unlike anything I could possible imagine!

2) I never felt one pain in my belly. Ever. Every contraction I had was 100% in my back. Isn't that weird?

Ok goodnight! I'm going to try to sleep for 2 hours!

Introducing.....Miles Austin Kenton!

2009-08-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

August 24th, 2009 at 6:05 in the pm...

Countdown Continues - 5 DAYS!

2009-08-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Still finishing things up at work.... I am determined to have a stress-free maternity leave!
Nothing is really new, just hanging out on the couch with the laptop.

Adam is back at school of course, and has his "Meet the Teacher Night" tonight. It should be an interesting conversation....

"hello everyone, I will be your son/daughter's teacher but I will probably not be here for the first 2 weeks of school! Sorry!"

Countdown Continues - 6 DAYS

2009-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a Milestone for Miles today :-) Get it? Haha - I'm funny, or going delirious. We'll go with funny!

My goal today is to have ALL of my work completed and my INBOX to 0. Yep, ZERO emails. It will be blank - something I have not seen that since the day I started my job! I will sleep so well if I can actually make that happen.

5 people have called in the past week telling me that I will go into labor today. I don't know how they all decided on today, but I would LOVE for them to be accurate. I even cleaned the house yesterday and finished packing the hospital bag JUST in case :-)

Being organized and a planner "type A" personality has many benefits, but NOT when it comes to baby making. Typically you do everything to be prepared and then BAM you take care of business! Not so much here. I've been ready to go for 2 months, I should have waited on some of those projects to occupy my time. Oh well - I know one thing. Next time around (IF I make it thru the first time) I will not be taking a pregnancy test until I'm like 6 months preggo. Then, I just have to wait 3-4 months and BAM we have a baby.

That's the new plan.

Countdown Continues...7 DAYS

2009-08-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

So today's big Milestone is that Miles's will be arriving WITHIN A WEEK! We are getting SUPER excited. It's so hard to wrap our head around the fact that we MADE a person! We keep talking about what he will look like, what type of personality he will have, etc.

It's so fun to have so many surprises right around the corner.

What have I been doing with my "spare time?" Well I have rented Season #1 of Mad Men, so that has kept me occupied. I am also thinking of trying to sew some more personalized burp clothes for shower gifts if my back will hold up long enough to make a stitch.

May Not Have a Baby Just Yet....

2009-08-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

but Mama has herself a new diaper bag :-)

Dr. Appointment Update

2009-08-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

and I'm a .... wait for it....

a 1.

I'm going to withold my commentary on this development until later.

Countdown Continues... 8 DAYS!

2009-08-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so first we need to give a big shout out to Mr. Kenton. He "officially" goes back to work today to teach those little munchkins. Hopefully he can get his classroom in order and lesson plans done before Miles makes his big arrival so he can spend a few worry-free days at home!

Also, the big milestone today is a DR'S APPOINTMENT! YEEEEAAAAAAAAAH! Hopefully I will have some good news this AM. If I hear the number '1' again I'm going to NOT be a happy camper.

Here's hoping for a 3...or at least a 2! Well heck, how about a 5 if we are wishing! :-) Have a good day everyone.

Continue Continues... 9 Days!

2009-08-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

What is today's milestone, you might ask? SINGLE DIGITS! Whoo hooo!
I am hoping this is my LAST Sunday with feet in my ribs.

Nothing big going on today, just the usual boredom with some golf and the movie The Notebook.
Exciting stuff!

Countdown Continues... 10 days

2009-08-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

I am starting to dislike weekends. I have two full days of nothing to do - which makes time just CRAWL by.

One can only play (and lose) so many games of Yahtzee!

39 Weeks.... HUGE!

2009-08-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Countdown Continues...11 Days

2009-08-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yep, 11 normally would not sound like a very long time to me. HOWEVER, when there is at least a 7 lb baby in you with its feet tangled in your ribs - you would be surprised at how ridiculously LONG 11 days sounds.

I dreamed last night that Miles looked up through a little window in my belly at me and said "Mommy I just like it in here. It's too hot out there so I'm just going to hang out until the summer is over."

OH NO YOU ARE NOT!

At least I get checked for progress again on Monday - less than 72 hours!

If I was still at the office...

2009-08-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

I would hand out business cards with the following web site to those annoying people who would ask me EVERY DAY "have you had that baby yet?!?"

http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Countdown Continues - 12 DAYS

2009-08-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Peace out teens! We are now in the..uh... non-teens? Anyhoo, as you might imagine I look for any little milestone and the NON-TEENS are it today!

Yesterday was my last day working out of the office due to blood pressure making me feel like I'm going to hit the floor when I stand up or move around too much. Alas, I'm stuck on my couch until the big event occurs!

Last night I was hopeful, I had contractions for a long time (and little sleep) before they just STOPPED cold in their tracks. Adam woke up and was getting me heating pads, etc. He was very helpful. He kept saying "are you OK you seem like you are in a lot of pain!" I was like "NOOOOOOOO PAIN IS grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaat!!!" He was like "um OK."

So maybe they will come back today! I've never been so eager to be in pain!!!

Countdown Continues - 13 days

2009-08-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Besides a couple of feet in my ribs....I'm still trucking along. I have some high blood pressure, so taking it easy at home with the laptop.

Just found out Adam's Mom is bringing us a yummy dinner tonight! Yuuuuuuuummmmmmmm!

Countdown Continues - 14 days

2009-08-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm a bit more positive today.
14 is sounding MUCH better than 20 did a few days ago.

I'm going to pretend this is my last week of work.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Countdown.... Never!

2009-08-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

WARNING: My positive attitude is on hiatus today.

***I'M GOING TO BE PREGNANT FOREVER!***

I went to the doctor and guess what.... NO CHANGE!

Are you kidding me? I'm so frustrated @#%^%$$%^!!!!!!!

I'm out of projects, things to clean, organize, etc. I used to think those ladies who took Castor oil, walked themselves to death to make their babies come out were crazy - now I totally understand why and how people do what they do.

Yes, I'm totally just venting right now - but I feel stuck in between two worlds. One where I'm not a Mommy and want to go out and enjoy nice dinners, movies, happy hours, etc with my husband and friends (make the best of the time that we have left with just the two of us)...and the other where I'm a Mommy with a little baby to take care of. For the past 2 months I can't live in either world because my back won't let me do anything but make it through a few hours at work. I think that's the root of my frustration.

Maybe my positive attitude will return tomorrow.

Uggggggghhhhhhhh. And now I have to go to work and listen to another Monday full of "OMG your still pregnant!?! You're huge!".

Count Down: 16 Days to Go

2009-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Got nothin today. We (I mean Adam) are cleaning the carpets today.
Can't have a baby in a house with dirty carpets! We also did our absolute last run to Babies R Us before Miles comes. We are 100% READY.

Adam is super excitd that there is a pre-season game on tonight. Sounds like fall is around the corner!

Countdown Continues....17 days

2009-08-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

I don't really have much to post, I'm super exhausted from the last 24 hours of the A/C going out. Today was pretty much focused on calling people to get it fixed, but I also:

- enjoyed "Donuts and Breakfast Taco" breakfast at the Key household! (I was called out by my nephews for 'cheating' by having two donuts! How can one decide between a traditional glazed donut and a chocolate icing one??? oops!)

- watched Legally Blonde

- ordered Chinese Food for an early dinner

Later this afternoon we have big plans to go to Barnes and Nobles where I am looking forward to browsing while sipping on a carmel frappacino! We are two super exciting parents-to-be!

Good news is 17 days until we meet Mr. Miles (or less if I have anything to do with it!), and I get checked again for progress in less than 40 hours!

A/C Update: It's Fixed

2009-08-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

After an intense 24 hours dealing with the home warranty company, we were able to get it fixed. I definately played the 9 months pregnant card!

In other news, the bun is still in the oven.

ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME.

2009-08-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

These are the facts:

1. hottest summer in austin...EVER (for reals)
2. i'm 9 months pregnant
3. it is Friday night
4. our air conditioning is out
5. we have to go thru our home warranty company to get it fixed (which moves about as fast as molasses!)

So what happens if we have our baby this weekend and we don't have an air conditioned home to bring it home to?

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!

Donut Day! .... 18 days to go...

2009-08-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

So I made it through another one! (PS I realize these countdown posts are lame but it is keeping me sane!)

Yesterday wasn't that eventful, but we did have a fun visit with my niece and nephews! They are fun to be around - and definitely brightened my day. Last night I was up with lots of Braxton Hicks and bathroom breaks - so I am SO THANKFUL it is Friday!

I also tried Indian food yesterday, I heard it can bring on labor. So, I ordered me some pineapple curry! Clearly has not worked yet, but I am hopeful this weekend something will happen.

I woke up to my second day in a row of a good hot breakfast courtesy of my husband, I know I'm lucky! And tonight, he's making homemade chicken parmigiana!!!

We don't have any big plans this weekend, however I am going to try to go to a friend's birthday outing Saturday night. I hope I can make it - it would be nice to see friends!

I would also like to give a big shout out to my (also preggo) friend at work, Sarah. I walked in this morning to find a box of Shipley Donuts and chocolate milk on my desk to celebrate the fact I lived through this another week. It made my week! Thanks Sarah!

Positive Attitude Day 2 - 19 Days to Go

2009-08-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

So far so good. Yesterday I had a productive day of work (after the yacking of course).... and then an eventful evening:

- Went to Schlotzsky's with the husband
- Stopped at Michael's for some baby book supplies!
- Swam laps at the neighborhood pool
- Created a "delivery" template in the baby book
- Took a bath and read my book (Time Traveler's Wife)
- Went to sleep!

To top it all off, I actually slept AGAIN! So I 'm feeling MUCH better today after 2 good nights worth of sleep! And 19 sounds a heck of a lot better than 20! Teens - let's go fast!!!

Only 3 more days until I get checked again for more progress - yay Monday!

A Second Wind ...20 Days and Counting

2009-08-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

So today I woke up finally... after a good nights worth of sleep. I slept from around 11 until 830 this AM. Don't get me wrong, I still woke up every 5 minutes for a bathroom break - but I'm getting pretty good at not letting myself wake fully up. This has been the best night sleep I have had for 3 days - and it has done wonders for my attitude (which you could argue has been a bad one for the past few days. shocker - I know!). So I woke up and decided that today was going to be a good day. I even set a few more goals for myself in the next few weeks:

- Resume my prenatal yoga class 2x/week (I have been lazy the past 2 weeks)
- Resume swimming again (and figure out a bathing suit alternative!)
- Take a photography class on the 13th
- Complete Miles's baby book (thanks for the template suggestions Lisa W!)
- Finish all of my thank you notes (yes, I know I am very late on these but I had a bit of an address fiasco - like I lost them all)

All are positive things that need to be done before the baby comes!

Fast forward to around 930 this morning, when I am sitting in my boss's office eating a breakfast taco when BAM! - I'm going to puke. I literally SPRINTED to the bathroom, and preceded to BARELY make it to the toilet before I started getting sick. Yes, my friends - as if I didn't need another reason for a bad attitude it seems my 'morning' sickness has returned to get me thru these last few weeks. How nice.

I spent a few minutes tearing up thinking "Why is this happening to me!?!" and basically feeling sorry for myself. But now I'm over it. I'm not going to let this keep me from being positive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This baby HAS to come out of me soon, right? And he is healthy, I'm healthy - so all in all things are VERY good.

20 days to go. (And no, we are going to pretend there is absolutely NO possibility of going over my due date for my sanity's sake. There are limits to my positive attitude.)

Tick Tock... Tick Tock... 37 Week Update UPDATE

2009-08-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

Time is ticking by PAINFULLY slow. I have spent the past 3 days at home, and I swear it feels equivalent to the past 9 months I have waited for this little one. This whole thing about surprises, the unknown, and lack of planning does just not sit well with me. Oh, and there is the lack of sleep. My sister-in-law was NOT kidding when she said that the reason people are pregnant for 9 months so you get rid of all of your fears of labor. That is so true! I do not care how much pain I have to go through at this point, I am just ready to have this little boy here with us (oh and NOT in my belly!). So, for all of you 1st trimesters out there that might be fearful about labor - do not be. This process will get you SO ready for it it's ridiculous. Funny how that works.

I appreciate all of the project suggestions I have received, and think I have finally found one that will keep me occupied for at least a few hours! :-) I have casually been browsing for a baby book for Miles in the past few weeks, however haven't found a cute boy one that I really liked. So I have decided to enter the world of scrapbooking - and make my own! Last night Mr. Kenton and I went to Target to buy the basics! We got a book and some fancy paper and a glue stick! After we get home, I had created 3 masterpieces in about an hour! I have shared them below:

Title page - introducing Miles Austin Kenton! (yep, that's our 3D ultrasound if you look closely - he's a handsome little man!)

**had to remove because of privacy reasons**

Here is the chronicle of his life so far in ultrasound pictures:
**had to remove because of privacy reasons**

And finally, the template we will be using for his little foot prints!

Now, the only problem of course is that now I can't think of any more templates to make until we actually have Miles here with us. You can't exactly do a "first bath" scrapbook page without a picture of a baby taking a bath! So maybe this isn't the best project - but we'll see what I can come up with!

In addition, I have also decided to read the following book before the movie comes out on Friday:

Now for a few observations about being "about to pop" pregnant. In addition to people asking you how you feel ALL the time (which I know they mean well, I'm just sick of answering the question!) the latest one is the exasperated "Oh my gosh! You're Still Pregnant!" or the better yet "When are you going to HAVE that baby!" I try to be nice, but I literally can't do much more at this point but smile and say "I don't know" while my insides boil. Please, never say that to a pregnant woman! I promise you she is saying it in her head over and over and over again....

In addition, you also have pains in places that make it very awkward to be in public places...namely work. Excuse my bluntness, but how can you casually just pretend it doesn't feel like a knife is stabbing you in your cervix for about 5 seconds? Um, you can't. It's not like you can act like it's your foot!

Now for the goods... the 37 week update:

37 weeks is THE milestone you want to hit - it's when the baby is considered full term. If you have a baby at 36 weeks - he/she is considered "Pre-term." If you have it from 37-40 weeks, it is considered "full-term." And, if you have it 40+ weeks, it is considered "post-term." So Miles, we are ready for you! As you all might remember, I have had August 5th circled on my calendar for quite awhile - that is the day I think he will make his appearance! Last night I was up until 5:22 am with contractions that HURT so I am hoping my prediction is coming true!

weight: 7 lbs!
length: 20 inches!

We have a Dr. appointment at 4:15, which I am hoping and praying we get some news about PROGRESS. I'm already 75% effaced, and have been for almost 2 full weeks. We need some DILATION! I will update later today - now I'm going back to work to be a zombie with zero sleep.

UPDATE: well, I guess I should be happy that I made SOME progress. I am exactly 1 centimeter dilated. Only 4 more centimeters to go.

A Sign of the Times

2009-07-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

My XXL swim suit top that I bought to hold my pregnancy boobs has busted in two. Yes, it lives no longer. I put it on and just as I was going to the neighborhood pool to swim some laps - the plastic piece that holds the back together split in two. Good thing I was still in my bathroom and not jumping in the pool!

What size do I buy now?

Sara Needs a Project

2009-07-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

As I sit here at my desk, I am staring at my wall calendar that is completely blank for the month of August.

No events or any small milestones to get me through to the end of this lovely pregnancy. SO, I have decided I need a project. Here are the requirements:

- I have to be able to do it at home
- I can't sit up for more than 30 min to an hour because of my back.

Someone give me SOMETHING to do please!

36 Week Update

2009-07-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

So to say we had an eventful weekend would be an understatement. On Saturday afternoon I started to get a headache.

Now, prior to being pregnant I suffered migraines for as long as I could remember. One of the good things about pregnancy is that I made it for almost 7 months with NO headaches! (ahh-mmazing!)

So, you can imagine that after 7 months I was NOT excited about this new development. As the evening progressed, it started to get worse. I took my two measly Tylenol that did absolutely nothing - and tried to sleep it off in a dark room.

At around 10 pm I started just crying because my headache was UNBEARABLE. Nothing would make it better - and then I started getting sick and shaking. About an hour later, we were on the way to the hospital. Now, when a 8 1/2 month preggo lady walks into the emergency room - all immediately think she's in labor. Not me! I surprised them all with a migraine :-)

However, since I was 8 1/2 months preggo and my body was under so much stress - they wanted to monitor the baby to make sure he wasn't stressed. Luckily, he was perfectly content! So they hooked us up to two monitors - one to monitor his heart rate and one to monitor my contractions while they called the Doctor to see what she wanted to do. At first, my contractions were referred to as the nurses as "random braxton hicks." There was no clear pattern to them, and I couldn't feel them at all. Just small jumps on the monitor screen. I continued to get sick (I missed Adam's feet by maybe a quarter of an inch - he's a lucky man) and shake, when all of the sudden I started to actually FEEL the Braxton Hicks and the monitor showed them starting to get stronger and more in a pattern. The nurse came back in and I told her that "ummm I 'm starting to feel uncomfortable when those little spikes happen" to which she responded "yes, we've been watching and have called the Doctor because you are having quite a few of them. I'm going to check you to see if they are real or false labor contractions." Now, as much as I want to have this baby - and you all know by now how ready I am to be DONE with this, this made me get even more upset. Why? you might ask. Well, my head hurt so bad I couldn't enjoy or take in one single second of it. You watch all of these birthing shows on TLC, read all of these books, and NOT ONE STORY mentions a migraine so bad before the whole thing even begins the mom wishes they were dead. Now, don't get me wrong. You see them wish they were dead around 10 centimeters and the baby is about to come out. But not before it even happens! I wanted to be nervous, excited, and in the kind of pain I have been expecting! Not a blinding headache that makes me feel like I am going to pass out!

So, the nurse checked me and I hadn't made any changes so - they went ahead and gave me the pain meds. A few minutes later I got one big shot of morphine and nausea medicine in my left butt cheek. It hurt like $%*%** (the medicine not the shot) but I did not care - anything that was going to make me feel better I was willing to do. Also, I got emotional again because I didn't want to have any type of pain meds besides an epidural - even in labor! Well, that's now out the window. This baby has now had narcotics before even being born. Awesome.

WIthin 15 minutes, I was loopy as could be. Adam said I kept telling people how the hospital had a lot of doors. I also tried to tell him how to get home, which was completely incorrect. I felt like I could finally sleep! So off we went to bed. However, I don't sleep well on pain meds and I was stilling having the stronger Braxton Hicks contractions that would wake me up. So, it was an OK evening -but I was happy to have a few hours of relief. WHy a few hours you might ask? Well, I woke up the next morning and took some TYlentol because I felt a faint presence of that migraine. I knew it was not a good sign. As the day went on, it got worse and worse and worse. So, around 2 pm off we called the Doctor and off we went to Labor and Delivery . The nurses were so nice and helpful. THey even turned out all the lights in my path so it wouldn't make my headache worse. A few minutes later I had an IV full of fluids (even though the tests showed I was plenty hydrated - anyone who has had migraines knows this is a frequent cause) and a big morphine shot to my RIGHT cheek. Yep, our baby has now had 2 days worth of narcotics. This is not good. I am sincerely praying our child is not going to be addicted to drugs at some point in his life. I hesitate to even right this - but apparently the IV did the trick because it's now 7:34 pm on Monday and I have not had the headache make a return appearance.

However - doesn't mean we didn't have to go to the hospital! 3 days in a row! Yep, I had my 36 week appointment today, and they wanted to double check that I don't have a bladder or kidney infection that could be causing my body to revolt with a headache.

It was a quick appointment where she told me I am still 75% effaced and not dilated. I thought after everything I'd gone thru I deserved at LEAST a centimeter! She seemed amazed too, because his head is apparently right there - he is just choosing to rest it there instead of press against it.

That is all for now. I'm EXHAUSTED and my voice sounds like I was screaming in a smokey bar for 2 days. Oh, and both of my butt cheeks feel like they were punched over and over again. I need to sleep.

And the Craziness has hit a New Level...

2009-07-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

After two days of having some sort of "progress," it's hard to go back to the days where nothing happens. :-( I don't know how 9 months has flown by while these last few weeks feel like they are INCHING by the minute.

Today I went home to have lunch with Mr. Kenton and to rest my back. Luckily for us (OK, maybe just me:-), A Baby Story was on from 1230-1 on TLC.

The show reminded me of something I had read and asked Mr.Kenton to remember to tell our Doctor during labor in case I was out of it. I asked him if he remembered. I concluded after the look I received he clearly did not remember.

Within 10 seconds my face and neck started to feel like they were on fire, and then the next thing I knew tears were gushing uncontrollably down my cheeks. Keep in mind, 1 minute prior to this I was laughing. Within the next 2 minutes I had run out the door yelling "Fine, I'll have this baby all by myself!" I don't think Mr. Kenton even had a chance to react. Yes, I have crossed over into irrational craziness.

While Mr. Kenton was kind enough to call me to tell me he was sorry he didn't remember off hand and has started a notebook of things he needs to remember about the hospital visit (isn't he sweet to try to make his crazy wife happy again?), being an emotional looney toon is exhausting. I think it is time for bed.

35 Week Update - Part 2

2009-07-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

So we made some more progress over night. I won't go into details - but the "cork is off the champagne bottle" if you know what I mean. This doesn't mean anything is imminent of course - but it's a good sign that Miles is getting ready to make his appearance!!!

35 Week Doctor Update

2009-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

Weight: according to the doctor 6 lbs (not measuring big anymore - right on time)
Length: 18 1/2 inches

Today marked the first day where I was checked for progress! This will occur each and every week until Miles makes his appearance.

The doctor said I was 75% effaced, however no dilation just yet. What is effacement you might ask? It is the thinning of your cervix - which is necessary for the baby to make his exit.

In addition he has "dropped" in my belly and his head is lined up in my pelvis ready to go! This totally makes sense -the past few days I felt a tremendous pressure so I guess that is is little head!

I'll take it though! At least SOMETHING is happening!

Miles's FRIENDS Have Arrived!!

2009-07-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

I awoke this AM to an email update from a friend of ours (and fellow blogger - Manic Milligans on the right hand nav) saying that they had their set of TRIPLETS early yesterday morning! While they were born at only 25 weeks, all are doing well and have not even needed to be on a ventilator as of yet! They had 2 girls and a little boy - Ella, Claire, and Slade.

Please keep their family in your prayers!

Congratulations!

"The Beginning of the End." Yes, that is a quote.

2009-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

So on Friday night, I awoke to a familiar ache in my lower back. It was a dull, persistent ache that wouldn't go away no matter what position I went in. "Why does this feel so familiar yet so strange? " I thought to myself.

Ah ha! These are the same exact cramps that I had each and every month before I got pregnant! That's why the felt so familiar - yet strange since I hadn't had them in 9 months!

They were annoying, but after an hour or so I was able to go back to sleep. Saturday I got up and didn't feel them again until early evening. This time the "dull ache" was stronger and every few minutes I would have a sharp pain that would come and go. After about 4 hours and some online research - we decided to call the after hours nurse who had the Doctor on call give me a ring just to make sure I wasn't going into pre-term labor (he needs to stay in there at least until Aug 5th!).

I explained what I was feeling and her exact words were "well, it sounds like the beginning of the end." She basically thought these cramps were the result of my body doing what it needs to do to prepare for labor! I know this is small potatoes and I could still end up having a baby in September, but being that I have been MISERABLE for the past few days it was music to my ears! Wednesday I go in to the Doctor for my first of my weekly checks to see if I am dilating! It's amazing how happy I am about cramps that I would have just whined about months ago. Yay! If they are productive - cramp away back!

A Phone Call from Labor and Delivery...

2009-07-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

So I woke up this morning to find that Miles has now grown into my lungs.
When I'm sitting up I feel like I can't breathe. And to make matters worse, I think he has positioned himself further down in my pelvis too! It feels like I have a permanent pair of too tight jeans on. This is NOT fun anymore. Baby needs to be first be healthy of course, but baby needs to come OUT.

So this is the mindset I am in when I received a phone call this morning from Labor and Delivery:

Me: "Hello"
Nurse: "I need to speak with Sara."
Me: "This is she."
Nurse: "Hi Sara, this is Joanne, a Nurse in Labor and Delivery."

<Me thinking: "Oh are they calling because they had someone cancel and have an opening for me to have my baby! Hooray! They must know how uncomfortable I am today." Ugh. Oh yea, it doesn't work that way>

Nurse: "We are prepping your paper work for your delivery and wanted to confirm a few things. It says here that you have declined all forms of anesthesia - including an epidural. Can you please confirm?"

Me: "Um, absolutely NOT!" (Me thinking: "HELL NO!")

I have told my Doctor in each and every appointment that I want an epidural - just so she is 100% aware. How this mistake happened I will never know - now I'm worried - what if they don't change the documentation correctly?

I am going to call back to day to test them to see what it says.

35 Week Update and Photo

2009-07-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Peanut Update...

weight: 5.5 lbs

length: 20 inches! (and those new inches are pushing directly into my ribs!)

new developments:

- kidneys completely developed

- Miles does not like movie theaters. I went to see "The Proposal" and was kicked in the ribs the ENTIRE time.

"Miles, please stop pushing your butt out, it makes Mommy's belly look lopsided. Thanks!"

What to Take to the Hospital...

2009-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is a post that is meant to solicit feedback - so participation is encouraged!!! (Especially all of those secret readers out there!)

After last Friday's excitement with the whole trip to Labor and Delivery, we came home and immediately started getting things in order for the baby - including packing a bag for the hospital.

Now, I am typically more of a "less is more" type of gal....however I have no idea what I am getting into with the whole delivery experience. So, I would rather have EVERYTHING I could possibly need at the hospital vs. nothing. Who knows if my medicine ball will be the only darn thing to relieve my pain? I don't - so I'm bringing it!

With that said, below is our list thus far. I would appreciate any and all feedback. For all of those mothers who have done this before - is there something that you wished you had or you had that made a world of difference? LET ME KNOW!!!

1. Robe
2. Slippers
3. What to Expect When Expecting
4. Breastfeeding Book
5. Socks
6. Comfy Clothes (tank tops, yoga paints, sun dress, etc)
7. Toiletries
8. Boppy Pillow
9. Onesies for the Baby
10. Receiving Blankets
11. Medicine Ball
12. Texas Longhorn Infant Hat
13. Camera/Batteries
14. Car Seat and Base (after a class to teach us how to install of course)
15. ipod with labor and delivery play list

What am I missing???

A Tribute

2009-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Milk,

How I have loved thee. I enjoyed our time spent together over the last 27 (ahem...) years. I have appreciated the role you play in a spicy dinner - you always knew how to calm things down. Although some thought it a bit gross, you were always such a compliment to my pizza and pasta dishes! Apparently this pregnancy has made me lactose intolerant - and so it is with a heavy heart that I tearfully let you go. What am I going to do without you? I will be entering a world with dry cereal, no milkshakes, and nothing to counter a spicy meal. You will be missed, oh milk.

Take care of yourself. I hope our paths cross again someday.

Love,

Sara

34 Week Update...

2009-07-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Peanut Update:

Length: 20 inches!
Weight: 5-51/2 lbs

New Developments:

- fat! it's all about the baby getting fat now!
- I have reached the following milestone:

"you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine." - What to Expect

That makes me feel MUCH better. I used to spend a lot of time worrying about if he's OK in there - and now I don't have to worry about that as much. He's made it through the most critical developmental time! Now if he can just stay put at least until the next milestone - 37 weeks! 28 days until that big milestone - Aug 5th. Then I can just start worrying about labor :-)

I also think it's funny that on one of the sites I visit on a regular basis for pregnancy information...a new section has appeared on the weekly updates. It's only on 34 weeks and beyond - and it's called "staying sane." That pretty much hit the nail on the head.

At least I know I am not the only one!

A Weekend to Remember...

2009-07-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

So I have been a little bit of a bad blogger lately - and I think it is because I have hit the "I want to be done with this!" wall. However, this much I am feeling much better so watch out readers - it might be a MULTI-POST week :-)

Friday we had an interesting day.... the Dr. noticed that I have a very slow amniotic fluid leak. So, next thing I know I get a phone call saying "can you meet your Dr. at Labor and Delivery at the hospital?"

"Yep, I sure can." I replied. Next thing I know I am having all kinds of tests to figure out what is going on. The main test was to make sure the baby is not stressed out - which apparently he is making more amniotic fluid faster than I am losing it - so that is a good thing. He's happy as can be in there. I am hoping to find out first thing tomorrow the results of the other tests. I was SUPER annoyed that they didn't call me back Friday evening - but hey, no news is good news right? I know we have been preparing for a baby for almost 9 months now - but HOLY CRAP it sinks in when someone tells you to go to the Labor and Delivery unit. Our life is about to change!

So we took it super easy this weekend. Which, I should point out Friday was the ONLY day I have had off of work since we found out we were pregnant. Gotta love stock piling PTO so you can get paid during maternity leave - the beauty of working for a start-up company.

So in an effort to "lay low" on the 4th, we woke up on Saturday AM and started brainstorming things I could do in the heat. (we have had about 2 weeks of 105 degree days - the hottest summer EVER. I have impeccable timing for being pregnant) We both knew we wanted to see fireworks - but I am in no condition to walk miles to the park and fight crowds in the heat. About an hour after saying "what do you want to do?" back and forth and then searching for some internet hotel deals - we made reservations at the Westin Resort about an hour and a half from our house. Off we went! We were checked in and at the pool by 3 pm and I had a virgin pina colada in my hand by 3:30. It was beautiful. We napped, munched, sipped fruity drinks, and swam for about 3 hours at an adult only pool. It was AMAZING. Around 7 pm we showered and went upstairs to their nice restaurant and had a much needed fancy date.

After dinner, we opened the door to a grassy area outside our room that overlooked a valley where they had a fireworks display. We made a pallet (sp?) out of towels and enjoyed the fireworks. Not only did we see 1 show, but we could see 4 different shows across the city at the same time. The best part was that only people at the resort could watch the fireworks from their property. No fighting crowds, no trying to find parking, no waiting for hours, etc. It was WONDERFUL. We then went to bed early, and woke up and had room service breakfast while watching Andy Roddick lose a heartbreaking 5th set to Federer at Wimbledon. After that was over, we heading back out for day two of the pool. Gotta love 3 pm checkout times!!!!

It was EXACTLY what I needed. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend - and want to thank my wonderful husband for making it happen!!!! Happy 4th of July everyone!

I leave you with a picture of 3rd trimester bliss...

33 Week Update....

2009-06-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

Peanut Update....

Length: 17 INCHES!
Weight: 5 lbs

New developments:
- those cute little "taps" are now sharp "jabs" that hurt and almost knock the wind out of me!
- a slight waddle
- charlie horses in the middle of the night

It's OFFICIAL! 2nd to Last Piece of the Nursery has Arrived!

2009-06-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am going to sleep well tonight.

So yesterday's excitement was that the letters had come in for Miles's room.... which after waiting for 2 months I was VERY happy to receive.

Today I got a phone call that the picture I had framed for his room had arrived! So at lunch I went and picked it up and Mr. Kenton hung it on the wall. (He's getting really good at hanging stuff!)

And now the unveiling of the picture pretty much finished nursery....... (still trying to find a cheap small white table with a dimmer lamp)...

In other news, I woke up to a completely fat belly button this morning. My belly button lives no longer.

A Project in Pictures

2009-06-25T20:28:00.001-07:00

(The letters need to be moved down...but we'll wait a few weeks before we share that with Mr. Kenton :-)

Pregnancy Brain - Part 2

2009-06-24T16:18:00.001-07:00

So earlier this summer we went in with some friends and purchased a boat. Our first payment was due this month, and so on my to do list was "set up auto-draft at bank."

So on Friday at 4:30 pm, I left work to go do just that - set up the auto-draft before the bank closed as 5 pm. [BTW, who can go to the bank between the hours of 9-5?? It doesn't make any sense!!! Sorry, I digress.]

You see the loan was not at our bank, but another one here in our city. I saw the orange and blue sign for the bank from a far, and turned into the parking lot. This bank is always trying to be "young and trendy" - and their bank lobbies reflect that.

As I entered, I immediately noticed they were PACKED! Clearly I was going to be here for awhile. A man who had the responsibility of greeting and triaging guests met me at the door. He asked what I needed - "well, I need to setup an auto-draft for my account." He said "OK, it is going to be about 30 min however, you can have a seat." (A seat miraculously appears when you are pregnant, even in a packed bank. I will miss that part of pregnancy.) About 15 minutes go by, and I am patiently waiting and playing on my blackberry when the triage guy comes back to me and says "ma'am you know you could just do this on the phone by dialing x4616. That way you won't have to wait."

At first I thought to myself "well when did banks get short little fancy phone numbers?" I typically think of myself a pretty technically savvy lady given my job - but I figured I just missed this new phone development! I then explained to him that "No, I can't. We just bought a boat and need to set up the payments."

Now he looked completely confused by my statement. He then says "well, if you want to wait it's going to be a long while - the new iPhone came out today. So sit tight." He then disappears. "Huh? What does the iPhone have to do with my boat payment?" I thought.

THis prompted me to take a look around the store. As I took a closer look, I find that this is not a bank. This is an AT&T cell phone store. I have been sitting her waiting for upwards of 2o minutes at a cell phone store?!?!?! I quickly run out of he store, frantically trying to figure out a good reason why I made this mistake. There was none. About 10 feet away from the door I came out of was another orange and blue sign and door - that said the name of the bank. Of course it had closed 10 minutes prior to my realization. Needless to say, I did not set up our payment that day. I went home feeling like I had lost my mind. And I think I have.

Update: Glucose Test

2009-06-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

I PASSED!!!!!!!!
Oh yea! Whoo hoo!

I'm doing a little dance.
Oh yea! Whoo hoo!

I'm not having a 10 lb baby!!!
Oh yea! Whoo hoo!

32 Week Update

2009-06-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Week 31 has come and gone, and now that I have entered week 32 I thought I'd update!

length: 19 inches!
weight: 4 lbs!!!!
new developments:

There is REALLY a baby in there! I can reach down and pat his butt or poke my belly and he'll hit me back with his little hands or feet. We play that game each night. Crazy! Before I would wonder "is there really a baby in there!???" Now I know. He's like RIGHT THERE. He has been doing all kinds of gymnastics lately that are quite interesting. It's hard to be in a meeting with your tummy going up and down!

His new development this past week has been more coordinated movements. It's not like he's just kicking me (which he still does - he's a strong little one!) but he will drag his foot or arm across my whole belly. It's so weird. I feel like every time I get used to one movement he breaks out a new one! He's saying "look what I can do now!"

The other good news is that he hasn't really kicked me at night this week - so maybe he will be a good sleeper??? (wishful thinking I know) He wakes me up around 6 am wiggling away, but 6 am I can deal with - 2, 3, and 4 am was tough.

So as you can tell, this week was a little bit better than the last few. I'm getting more and more excited and anxious each day to meet this little guy.

Another Thing to Complain About...

2009-06-15T19:38:00.002-07:00

I have poison ivy all over my legs!!!
ARE YOU SERRRRRRIOOOOOOUS?

30 Week Belly Update

2009-06-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm getting huuuuuuuuuuuuge.

Glucose Test Update

2009-06-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning I went in for a test that all pregnant women around 28 weeks receive - the Glucose Test. This is a test that will determine if you are developing gestational diabetes. I had to fast before the test, and then drink a super sugary orange soda drink in less than 5 minutes. Once the sugar is in your system, they make you wait for an hour and then take your blood to see how well your body metabolized the sugar.

Ever since I can remember I don't like loads of sugar in my body. Sugary drinks just make my tummy hurt, so I usually avoid them. So as you might imagine, I was not too excited about this test. It was as bad as I anticipated. Within 2 minutes of finishing the drink I was shaking and apparently white as a sheet. I pretty much blacked out for a few seconds and ended up propped up in a chair feeling like I was about to vomit. It was awesome. After an hour I got my blood taken and then I ran to the nearest store to get some food for tummy!

My instructions after I left were "no news is good news."

Fast forward to today - the phone rings and it is my Doctor's nurse with news that I had failed my Glucose Test. :-( What does this mean? It's not necessarily bad - they do have some false positives. So how do they see if you really have it? They make you do the test AGAIN by drinking TWICE the amount of sugary substance and then wait 4 hours. :-(

I'm NOT looking forward to going through this again. No need to worry though, even if I have it 99% of the time it's a non-issue once treated properly.

Ugh. Happy Friday.

Me: "Are you ready for bed?" Mr. Kenton: "umm No, it's only 7 pm"

2009-06-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

That conversation occurs each and every night these days. 3rd Trimester so far has been rough, I'm not going to lie. While some might say this is whining, I do not care. Here is a list of my ailments:

- Miles has repositioned himself head down, ready to go (yay!) which causes an intense pressure on my pelvic bones each time I or he move

- Miles' feet are kicking me in the diaphragm which makes it really difficult to get a good breath

- My sciatic nerve is completely squashed which causes me to wake up in the middle of the night because of the throbbing. This also has prevented me from walking very far. I almost had to have Mr. Kenton come pick me up from a walk around the block because my right leg wouldn't move.

- My hips are numb and bruised on from sleeping on my sides so much

- My chest feels like someone dumped acid down by throat - it's on FIRE! You would be amazed at how almost everything you want to eat has some sort of acid in it (fruit, tomato sauces, etc)

- And finally and most significantly, my back has completely revolted on me today. I was sitting in a meeting at work when apparently I turned the wrong way and excruciating pain was sent up and down my spine and across my back rib cage. I had to go home from work and have been horizontal ever since.

- Exhaustion is officially back. All I want to do is sleep, and yes, a 7 pm bedtime sounds just wonderful

- I get maybe 3 hours a sleep a night between the bathroom breaks, switching sides, re-organizing my pillows, making myself a PBJ becomes I'm starving, or getting up to lay on a tennis ball to alleviate my sciatic pain.

oh and I still have 2 months left!!!!! Discomfort I can deal with, but this is outright painful.

Also, those are just the physical ailments.

Mentally, I am becoming a freak. I walked in the door yesterday and started crying because the baseboards had dog hair on them and the pantry wasn't organized. I mean, how can you have a baby in a house with dirty baseboards and a pantry with no clear organization of canned beans or vegetables? Oh the horror.

How am I going to make it 60 more days? How am I going to keep my husband?

In order to keep my eye on the prize, we scheduled a 4D ultrasound this evening. Of course I was in a horrible mood when we went in (my back is still KILLING me every time I move) but it turned out to be such a great experience! I'm getting more and more hopeful this little guy has Adam's demeanor. Countless times through the ultrasound the tech would try to bump the little guy to make him move his arms or feet so we could see his little face - however Miles would not be phased. We even saw him grin a bit while trying to get him to move. The ultrasound tech said "wow, it takes a lot to get this little guy's feathers ruffled!" Clearly, that did not come from me! Let's hope that stays true here on the outside in a few weeks! We got a perfectly clear shot of his little face and he couldn't be any cuter. Now we can't wait to meet him! If he would just stop kicking my lungs......

Baby Brain - My Version

2009-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Some people become forgetful while pregnant. Their car keys, hair ties, cell phones, etc go missing. Lucky for me, all of that stuff is exactly where it should be. However, I have been experiencing a version of baby brain. What do I do? I have begun accidentally insulting people!

The first situation occurred a couple weeks ago when I was in a meeting at work. I used the phrase "red-headed step child" to describe a project that wasn't getting the love it needed. However, I used it in a room that included someone with red hair. I do not know if he took offense to it - but I quickly turned bright red myself. Why did those words come out of my mouth? I have absolutely no idea. Clearly I did not mean any harm with that phrase, and in my defense I have probably spent upwards of $3,000 in my lifetime getting auburn highlights in my hair.

"I need to think more before I speak!" I thought to myself after that incident.

Fast forward a week later, and our entire German office is in Austin for our global strategy meetings. I had a meeting with 3 of them in which I definitely uttered the following words about a vendor: "yea, they are being Nazi's about that."

WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAT????? I don't think I remember the last time I said that phrase! What would compel me to use it in a room full of Germans?? I don't even know if that is offensive to them. I just kept right on talking - maybe the won't notice? Yep, they noticed! Again, in my defense I'm probably 1/2 German if you added up the portions across my family.

I am hoping these are last two incidents that occur before this baby comes.... someone needs to lock me away before this gets worse!

Rags to Riches.... (ok, or just a window valence)

2009-06-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

So I have searched far and wide of the type of window valence for the baby's room I want. All I was looking for was a straight-cut, sage green window valence. Nothing fancy. Last week I gave up and decided I was just going to have to make it myself!

After a late night trip to Target, I brought home a new toy:

Who knew how complicated of a contraption this little "easy to use" sewing machine is! It took me 3 days just to thread the damn thing. After many failed attempts we finally figured it out. I was about 90 seconds away from putting it back in its box and taking it back to Target - so it's a good thing it decided how to cooperate. In my defense, it might have had the WORSE user manual ever put together.

So after a few "starter" projects that included a personalized burp cloth for our friend's baby shower Wednesday (Lindsay, please don't look at the stitching - concentrate on the pretty fabric :-)) - I decided I was ready for my curtain project!

This afternoon we went to Joanne Fabrics (I love that place!) and picked up some sage green material (5 yards just in case I had a few mishaps).

And now, the results of my 1.5 hour project:

Please note it currently is hanging in our kitchen, but will be moved to the baby's room as soon as we have a curtain rod tomorrow. I'll be sure to update the nursery pictures. I'm pretty proud of myself - I think it looks pretty good as long as you are not looking at it closely. My stiches aren't pretty - but they hold it together which is all that matters for a sewing rookie! "Function over style", as they say :-)

In other news, we woke up to maybe the worst scene I've ever experienced this AM. Our 3 year old chocolate lab, Finley, had a full blown seizure. I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. It lasted what felt like an hour - but most likely around 5 minutes. It was pitiful! Mr. Kenton picked her up and put her in the back of the car and off we went to the Pet Emergency Hospital where they diagnosed our Finley with epilepsy. So now we have to keep an eye on her and chart how far apart they happen to determine if she needs to be put on meds. Please keep her in our prayers. I don't know what we'd do without her - especially with a baby on the way!

29 Week Photo Update

2009-06-05T10:42:00.001-07:00

Day 1 : Childbirth Class

2009-05-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

Since we are entering the home stretch of our pregnancy, we signed up for the "Essentials of Childbirth" class at our local hospital. It is a two day 8 hour extravaganza. Yesterday, we arrived at noon for our class and met the 6 other couples that were due around the same time we were. They were all very nice, however in most classes you usually have the guy/girl who asks millions of questions that drag the class along. We didn't have that, but what we DID have might have been worse. There was a guy in his late 60s who happened to be the neo-natal respiratory therapist at another local hospital, his wife (in her 20s) was pregnant with their first child. He knew EVERYTHING. He wanted to share his experience and thoughts on EVERYTHING. By the end of the 4 hour class yesterday, we wanted to put duck tape around his mouth.

We got to watch (as many of you have, I'm sure) a video of a natural birth, and tomorrow we will watch one with an epidural/pain management. I have to say, they picked the unhealthiest couple ever for the birthing documentary.

Mr. Kenton was quite the Father-to-be in this class, he took notes the entire time and even created a checklist for himself of things he could do to make me feel better. I feel very lucky!!

Today we get to discuss all of the pain management options in labor, which I'm particularly interested in. Have a good day!

28 Week Photo

2009-05-27T19:14:00.001-07:00

28 Week Update and The Big Reveal

2009-05-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Peanut Update:

Length: 15 inches!
Weight: 2 1/4 lbs!
New Developments:

1. Eye Lashes
2. Light Sensitivity
3. Blinking Eyes
4. Brain Neuron Development!
5. Fattening up (but please, don't get too fat - You have to come out of there some how!)

And yes...IT'S A BOY!! If you haven't gathered from my "subtle" hints (like using HE!) in my past few blog posts - now you know! The little guy's name is Miles Austin Kenton and he is a squirmy little fellow!

It was funny this morning, I was laying silently in bed thinking about how I needed to get up when Finley stood up next to the bed and did her morning stretches which includes a big shake - just like a wet dog! This shaking makes her collar jingle pretty loudly - and when this happened this morning Miles must have been sleeping because all of the sudden he jumped! My entire belly went 18 different ways as he kicked every startled extremity. It was kinda cute! So, apparently the little guy really CAN hear in there! I spent the rest of they trying to talk in the most soothing voice I could make.

In other news, I have officially been the furtherest along pregnant lady in my yoga class 2 days in a row - feels like just the other day I was the newbie in class. Now there's all these 10 and 13-weekers joining - and they ARE bright eyed and bushy tailed. One even complained she couldn't sleep well. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Oh how the tables have turned. At least I knew enough to keep my mouth shut.

I feel like I'm starting to get mean. It must be my back pain getting to me again.

A Nursery Update and a Shower to Remember!

2009-05-23T14:22:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received a cryptic phone call from one of Adam's 3rd grade parents. They were planning a baby shower for their Mr. Kenton - and would love it if I (or the belly) would attend. So this past Friday, I got off work early and headed to Adam's school to attend this secretive event. Now if you know Adam, he HATES surprises. So I couldn't wait for the look he was going to give me when we (I brought his Mom and sister along as well) walked in the classroom.

He didn't disappoint!

(this is him at the front of the classroom in front of all his kids - giving me "the look" as I walked in)

Mr. Kenton is QUITE popular at school.... I felt like I was married to a celebrity as I walked into the classroom. The cutest thing they gave him was a book they had made as a class called:

Each child wrote a letter to Mr. Kenton on what he needs to do to be a good parent... and others were letters written directly to Baby Kenton.

Here are some of my favorites:

Another favorite piece of advice was was "never take your child's night light away until they are ready." Clearly, this child had just had his night light taken away. Very cute stuff.

The gifts they brought were ridiculous - we now have a full house full of baby accessories including some hand sewn by grandmothers, mothers, etc:

A hand-knitted receiving blanket.

Hand-sewn burp cloths that are so cute I don't even know if I could use them!

Our Boppy Pillow!

And my personal favorite:

We also got the phone call from the store that our Bumper Pad for our crib had arrived!!! Here is a little preview:

It is becoming more real each and every day - this kid now has more stuff than Adam and I do in our house! We can't wait to meet the little guy!