Thought for the day....

When you're having one of THOSE days....

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this the other day....I thought it was absolutely hysterical...so, my friends, when you're having one of THOSE days...

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal Thermometer made by Johnson&Johnson.
Be very sure you get this brand.
When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed.
Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair.
Open the package and remove the thermometer.
Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.
Now the fun part begins.
Take out... the literature from the box and read it carefully.
You will notice that in small print there is a statement:
'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson &Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized. '

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times,
'I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson &Johnson.'

Ignorance really is bliss.....

People, ignorance really is bliss.....

You see.....I have had a revelation......and not the kind of self revealing revelation that is awesome....no, this one pretty much sucks....

Shooter and I tried for many months to have a baby. For a while before that we were not exactly trying but not exactly not trying.

I've never been one of those gals, and I consider myself very lucky, who's had bad PMS or heavy periods or painful cramping. But tonight, as I got up at 1:30am to go to the bathroom, out of the blue, mother nature had thrown me a curve ball. I had a new badge to add to my Girl Scout sash of life.

Well, this sucks, I'm one of those women who's had a miscarriage

You know, when the brain gets going, it's like a train and it takes a long time to stop it. Before I could stop myself, I was thinking that I've probably miscarrried several times in our venture to get pregnant. I remembered several times where I would have the most painful cramping. I mean, hurting so bad I couldn't sit down on the toilet because of the pain, pressure and burning but I knew I had to so I could get rid of the pain. In reflection, I remember wondering why I was having that kind of pain and then be grossed out by what I saw in the toilet. It never occurred to me that I might be losing a baby. That what we were trying so hard for was just rejected by my body. Ignorance is bliss......

I have laid in bed for almost 30 minutes, trying to put my mind at rest so I could go back to sleep, but I can't. My mind has started wandering to the "what might have been" place. I feel sad for the children who might have been. What would they have been like? Would they have been a boy or a girl?

I'm letting myself mourn for the children who might have been. I also have a new found love for those who've lost babies as well. We all know someone. Listen, in no way do I profess to know what it's like to go though the heartache that so many have felt. The elation that comes from a Big Fat Positive, the joy from telling family, and then the ultimate sorrow you see and feel when it all slips away. I can't imagine that! That takes a strength I'm not sure I have.

My friends, those of you who wear the badge of "I've Lost a Baby" on our Girl Scout sash of life...you're in my thoughts tonight. We're a group who's numbers are large and always growing, unfortunately.

L.

I'm now one of THOSE mothers.....

I really enjoyed the freedom I had when Parker was an infant. He could nap whenever we were in the car and I could simply throw in some jars of baby food and the formula container and some bottles filled with water when we wanted to go out for the day.



Those were the easy days. I didn't realize just how easy I had it when Parker was an infant.



I wore my "I'm not a slave to a schedule" button like a badge of honor. I proudly stated that we were a free flowing kinda family....just did as we pleased without a ton of structure around us. We thrived on that...we enjoyed it.



We did...all of us did....until.....



......the surgery.......



Since "the surgery" a lot of things changed for us, as I've already mentioned in another post. Additionally, Parker has decided that he's a real creature of habit. He thrives on his schedule and if we get thrown off then we're really in for it.



In a way, I like knowing that I need to be back home by a certain time because we need to get him down for his nap. But on the other hand, it's hard if I want to be flexible or if we run behind from an appointment. Luckily he'll usually flex with me about 30-45 min but that's about it.



Now I'm one of THOSE moms. One of the Moms that I always wondered about. It's interesting to see how the other half lives. :-)

My kid is unbelievable!

Okay...so in the past I've not made any secret about our troubles getting Parker to take more solid foods and even table food. It made getting a root canal seem like fun. It made going to the GYN seem like a picnic. It made 10 months of pregnancy and a c-section seem like a walk in the park!!! You get my drift.

Anyway....my son has now decided that he'll eat just about anything. Of course he has to be in the mood for it, but he'll eat almost anything I put in front of him. Yogurt and string cheese are our go-to snacks. But he's now decided that he loves Cinnamon Graham Crackers I give him those as a treat at the end of his meal. He loves the Gerber Graduates raviolis as they are the perfect size to pick up. This weekend I made a recipe from Weelicious.com called Cilantr "Os" . I thought they tasted really good and Parker gets them tomorrow in his lunch. We'll see how they go over.

Shooter and I went and tried out this new mexican restaurant that I've read about on several Atlanta food blogs and have been dying to try. It's Taco Rancho and it's on the grounds of the State Farmers Market in Forest Park. It's AMAZING!! Well, I should say that the Camarones taco I got was delicious...Parker's Vegetale taco was delish...and the guacamole was ip smacking good eats. My Carne Asada wasn't all that good, to be honest, the meat was overcooked and dry and so tough I couldn't even share any with P. I also got the corn on the cob which was mighty tasty. All in all, we will be going back. If no other reason than Parker LOVED the guacamole.

I first put a snall spoonful down on his placemat. He gave it a suspicious nudging with his pudgy little finger and then licked the foreign stuff on it. After smacking his lips and giving the approving, "Nom Nom Nom", he reached out and grabbed the small pile of guac and crammed it in his mouth...much like he's demonstrating above. He then started reaching for the bowl in front of me. So, like any good sacrificing Mom, I gave him pretty much the entire bowl. It was too much fun watching him snarf it down, to be honest! I ended up mixing in the contents of his vegetale taco with the guac to get some more veggies in him - he never flinched at the addition, just kept snarfing if down like we hadn't fed him in weeks and he didn't know when he'd see another meal. I think the waitresses were giving us the stink eye....

Oh....and the kid has figured out what the cake was all about that he decided not to touch at his birthday parties. Here he is at his Aunt Paige's party this weekend...again, snarfing down food....I SWEAR, we feed this kid!!! I promise!!!

I'm really enjoying watching him discover new tastes and things he enjoys. He gave some fried okra a real tentative taste...but didn't really eat any. He loves cantaloupe and plums and pluots. Oh...and cauliflower and cheese...watch out if you want to try to keep any of that to yourself!!!

What a weekend...what a month!

Wow...what a weekend...and what a month!!!!

It never ceases to amaze me how much my little man is changing. I reflected on that this morning on my way into work. It has been 3 weeks since Parker's surgery to put tubes in his ears. In that three weeks we've had the following changes happen in our house:

1) P's begun speaking new words and carrying on conversations (where only he knows what's being said, mind you). It's amazing all the new sounds he's coming up with.

2) His balance has improved exponentially and he's now walking without the "frankenstein" pose. Oh...and here's a video from only a week and a half ago...where he had a full on grasp of the "frankenstein" pose. Now he's walking in what I like to call the "Charlie Chaplin" stage. Hands down and feet pointed out and kinda shuffling along. :-)

3) He's started eating table food. This may not sound like anything major to you folks....but to a Mom who's not made a grocery trip without buying baby food in over 8 months...we're ecstatic!! We were at a trip with my company this weekend and Parker ate nothing but table food all weekend and was awesome! He would eat eggs and cheese and grits and waffles for breakfast and then has squash, pork loin, and potatoes for lunch and have mac n cheese and chicken fingers for dinner. Yesterday he even had mexican for lunch! Some chicken, pork, black beans, rice and masa from my tamales! He's such a champ!! Bonus for Mom and Dad - it feels like we've had a raise!!! :-)

4) He's now taking a sippy cup!! This is momentous for us! We tried for many weeks before his surgery to get him to take a sippy...I tried so many different kinds that I was about to throw my hands up in discouragement. Then I was finally able to get him to take a bottle like sippy that is a trainer for kids 4M old! Argh! Well, last week I bought a Born Free sippy similar to what another kiddo in his daycare class has. Of course Mom forgot the valves at home so we couldn't try them this weekend, but I gave it to him last night and he went to drinking like he'd been using that cup for months. All I can say is H-A-L-L-E-L-U-J-A-H!!!!!!

5) He's now completely off of formula and taking whole milk. Another bonus for Mom and Dad - a double raise now that he's off of formula and baby food!!! Yippee!!!!!!

6) He decided this weekend that he likes juice and water. Thank God!!! After many attempts to get him to drink something other than milk, he just decided that he'd drink some water. Then the next time we presented him with juice, he just drank it without protest. I'm beginning to think my kiddo was swapped out for another in the middle of the night. :-)

7) He's now going down to bed all by himself. It only took us a few nights after our 12-month checkup to get this down. It's a HUGE difference for Mom and Dad. We now have about two hours to ourselves to get some work done and watch TV before bedtime. AND he's sleeping all the way until it's time to go to school in the morning. It's awesome!!!

I just look at all that he's doing now and it makes me so proud....but also kinda sad. My baby boy is growing up on me and the days are flying by. We're not sure yet if we're going to have a second....so I cherish each and every day like we may not have another. I look at Parker with such awe and wonderment. He's such an amazing gift that God gave us. Honestly...I don't remember much about what my days were like before he came along. I do remember they were less hectic...and I got to sleep past 7:30am on weekends.....and it didn't matter if I had popcorn for dinner....but somehow those things seem so insignificant. :-)

Well, I thought it was a good idea....

I took one of the most hysterical pictures of Parker last week. He is hitting this independent streak where he wants to feed himself and tries grabbing the spoon and makes a huge mess. So, when we were done, well mostly done, with the jar of baby food, I gave it to him to play with. He ended up with it all over his face and in his hair - everywhere. I just had to laugh because he was so stinking cute...oh....and left him looking like that so I could snap some pics. Because that what mommy bloggers do. :-)

I then got to work and put it on my computer as my wallpaper. I thought that was a good idea....until I realized that I saw that cute mug over and over all day and it only made me sad because I missed him so darn much. The booger....why does he have to be so cute?

Anyway....Day 1 down. Not so bad. Usually the first couple of days are the hardest....but we'll get through this!

Here is a breakdown of what I had yesterday:

Day 1
Breakfast:
2 veggie quiche cups (egg substitiute, red pepper, spinach, onion)
decaf coffee with fat free cream and splenda
diet v-8 fusion
Snack:
laughing cow light wedge
3 celery sticks

string cheese
Lunch:
salad with 3 grilled chicken tenders and balsamic vinegar
Snack:
jell-o sugar free pudding cup
Dinner:
Hmm...didn't really feel like dinner so I had 2 pieces of string cheese and a small bowl of All Bran Flakes

As the pastor at our church says.....you just gotta keep taking the next step, and then the next step, and then the next step......

Day 1 - Mission to get healthier and lose weight

Well...today marks the first day of Phase I of my South Beach Diet. I have had continual issues with my blood pressure since just before Parker was born. We've monitored it and then about 3 months ago my PCP decided to put me on a VERY low dose of a water pill to see if that would help. It did a little, but didn't take care of it completely. My OB/GYN decided she didn't like it where it was so she sent me to a Nephrologist friend of hers who specializes in blood pressure issues. I knew what he was going to tell me.....I knew what I needed to do....had known for a while but had just battled against doing it.



He told me just what I knew he would....Laura, if you lost some weight, your issues would probably go away immediately. You just need to exercise and lose some weight. You need to get healthier.



I KNOW!!!



I don't want my son growing up overweight the way I did. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! Now is the time that I start modeling good behaviors - healthy habits that he can begin following.



So, today I start the South Beach Diet again....I did this diet a few years ago and lost 40 pounds....but then gained it all back when I went back to eating in my familiar way. My goal is to lose 50 pounds....then I'll weigh less than I have.....well....in a LONG, LOOOOOONG time. I can do it...it just takes preparation on my part. I have to plan meals. I have to plan my lunches and snacks. I have to have my breakfast prepared ahead of time so I just grab and go. I have to make it easy on myself to eat healthy or I'll be making it easier to eat bad.



I did a modified version of the diet last week....meaning that I cheated some....and could already feel a change in my pants. But here goes nothing....I have nothing to lose but a bunch of flab! And I have so much to gain - more years with my son, more energy to play with my son, a healthier outlook, and looking positively amazing! ;-)



I'll keep myself documented on here, using this to keep myself accountable.



Oh...and here's a completely fab picture of my little man enjoying some mac and cheese yesterday at lunch:

I mean, seriously! If anyone can find the kid's wrists somewhere, I'd appreciate it! Oh...and how can one not obsess over a baby belly? He has the most amazing round belly!! :-)

The moments you cherish

Yesterday, when I got home from work, Shooter decided that he didn't want to mess up the kitchen and that we were going out to dinner. P had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from daycare so that worked out just fine - he napped on the way home and then to the restaurant and rejuvenated when we arrived.

We had a great dinner....P having his evening meal and snacking on some crackers, cookies and french fries. I so enjoy that time together.

When we got home, Shooter and I both realized that we HAD NO MORE FORMULA MIX!!!!! Which is enough to strike paralyzing fear in the hearts of the most manly of men. So Shooter ran out to get some more formula and I had some precious alone time with my lil man.

He loves to play chase. He'll crawl a few feet away from you and then roll onto his butt and look at you, grin, then turn and crawl a bit more. He'll keep doing that until you come chasing after him saying, "Ima gonna git youuu!". He keeps cackling and then starts crawling like a man on a mission - his lil but just wiggling back and forth - sticking out his leg in his modified crab crawl. I catch him in my bedroom and we play with our mirror and then the door (the kid has this incomprehensible fascination with doors) and then I go sit at the foot of the bed on the floor with my knees up just watching him.

I'm fascinated by how much he can do now. How tall he has grown. What he notices. How he learns. After a bit...he crawls over to me....crawls up between my knees and leans his head over on me.

Can I tell you that I died a thousand deaths right then and there??????

I pulled the lil guy up to give him a big hug and he puts his arms on my shoulders and rests his cheek on my shoulder.

Does life get much better than that? I think not.

He then wanted down and play some more and then would crawl back over and we'd snuggle a little more. He was getting tired and each time would linger on my shoulder a little longer. By then Shooter had gotten back home and it was time to get him in bed. Shooter's time with P is the snuggle time right before we put him in bed. P seems to do better when Shooter puts him to bed than when I do it.

Oh....and the kid went from hysterical to silent in 90 seconds. Amazing!

This motherhood gig is hard. Every day I feel like I make choices and decisions that are HUGE. I feel like everything has the potential to either benefit or hurt P. I know that's not really the case....but I have a heavier sense of responsibility now.

All in all, it's been a wonderful, crazy, tearful, joyous, funny, messy ride and I can't wait to enjoy many many more years of it!

Well...I stand corrected....

Well, ladies and gentlemen....I stand corrected.

In my last post I mentioned that my son was a vomiter. And he was. Up until the day or two after I wrote that post.

**rolls eyes**

At P's one year check-up the pediatrician told me that I had to start putting him down before he was fully asleep so that he could learn to put himself down. Yes, I'd been putting off doing that because I KNEW my kid. I KNEW what he'd do. I KNEW he'd throw up everywhere and well, I just didn't want to deal with it. Also, he's in this very clingy phase and just wants to hug on me and put his head on my shoulder....and....well, crap, I KNOW!! I know what I had to do....

So that night, we tried it....but he went to sleep on Shooter and we had no drama. He woke up, however at 2am and would not go back down. At 5am I laid him in his crib and walked out of his room...I was done...this kid was going to get the hang of this one way or another....

He cried....hysterically cried....sobbed....gagged.....but didn't vomit.

He cried...hysterically.....for over 45 minutes before the sobs got farther apart and he began to lose steam.

Ya know...I didn't think it was physically possible for a kid to cry so long....I am exhausted after 10 minutes of crying...anyway, I digress...

Night #2 - the crying went on for about 20-25 minutes...and I made Shooter be the bad guy and go put P down. After 10 min Shooter went back in to make sure he had his paci and try to settle him down...that just made things worse! Finally about 15 min later he crashed.

Night #3 - attended a birthday party and the kid was so exhausted that he put up no fight and was out almost instantly.

Night #4 - The decision was made to not keep going in his room unless it sounded like he had vomited everything he'd eaten that day or fell out of the crib. Amazingly enough...he cried for less time....only 15 min!

Night #5 - I was making Shooter and I some hot dogs in the kitchen. As soon as I finished them and had dressed my dogs, Shooter went to go put P in bed. I sat down, Shooter dressed his dogs and then sat down......and then we realized.....no crying! It had to have been only 5 min and he was completely spent like a couple of nights ago!! A-MAZ-ING!! This might actually be working after all!

Night #6 - The poor kid was so tired after day care. Got him home, played with him for a bit, fed him a little dinner, got him a bath, played a little more, then bottle. He zonked out on me before i knew it! BUT - as Shooter was taking him to bed he woke up and started wailing as soon as his butt hit the bed. We had bout 15 min of sporadic bursts of crying...like he'd figure out he was alone in his room in the dark and get really mad....then pass out.....then wake up and be mad again....then pass out....rinse and repeat....

Tonight marks the one week mark and I think we've made significant progress! It's definitely nicer for me because I'm not tethered to the couch with the munchkin curled up on my chest. Now granted...I LOVE that....but every so often I'd like to surf the net, or fold laundry, or bake cupcakes.....something....anything.....

There is hope.....

Now....if we can just conquer the sippy cup.......

What do those books say?

Okay....I have FINALLY come to the place where I fully believe that my child isn't like any of the children that the authors of the parenting books based their theories from.

You see.....my son is a vomiter.

I have tried the Ferber method...or the cry it out...or the let them soothe themselves and put themselves to sleep strategy. He HATES being left alone in his crib and will cry - well, let me be more descriptive - he will scream and sob and work himself up into such a tizzy that he ends up projectile vomiting all down the front of the crib. In the process he ruins his sheets, the rail cover, the mesh bumper and the dust ruffle.

Can I tell you just how much I HATE changing the sheets on his crib? I work up more of a sweat doing that than I do when I actually work out....and I hardly remember what that's like.

I have basically determined that my son is one who has a hard time putting himself to sleep. He needs help. Maybe I created that monster....but it's where we are now. Ever since he was little he'd cry himself into vomiting so we assisted him in getting to sleep.

Now, you just have to let him go for 3-4 min and he'll be technicolor yawning all over the place. I'm not looking forward to the terrible two's....because if he can do this now....without really trying....what if he realizes that he can make himself do it and does it on purpose.

Have I mentioned that I have a SERIOUS aversion to vomit?

I'm really at a loss....I had a bit of a breakdown this morning....after we'd been fighting with him for 3 hours - he'd fall asleep in your arms - then as soon as you got up from the chair he'd wake up crying. I'm not proud of it....I'm very ashamed of it....but honestly...I'm at my wits end. We're a bit sleep deprived....he's tired....we're all a bit cranky....we're just not all that pleasant to be around honestly.

Here's to hoping that this rough patch is merely a speed bump in our road of blissful sleep....we've been doing well until the last week....but oh what a week it's been....

There are days....and then there are DAYS

There are days I wake up and love being a Mom!

Then there are the other days.....

There are days like the week before Christmas....my last week before my two week Christmas vacation...when Parker came down with RSV and I had to miss several days of work and had to make emergency arrangements with his Nana to watch him at home so I could work a little bit.

There are days like last week when Parker came down with a stomach bug....and I was called no more than 10 minutes after I'd dropped him off that he'd vomited and needed to be picked up. It was the week that our office was moving and it was a short week...I didn't have time for this!

Those are the days where I'm pretty sure I didn't sign up for this. Those are the days where you have to make the hard decisions as a working Mom. Those are the days where you have to pick your child over your job. After a few of those days it makes me worry about being able to keep my job.

I know it's not the case...but I feel like I've missed more days from my job than I've actually worked. Deep down I know that's not the case...but I feel guilty every time I have to choose my son over my job. But when I ask someone else to help, I feel even guiltier.

Is guilt the working mother's dilemma? Will I be cursed with this as long as I'm working and he's living at home? Do I have 18 more years of this?

Some days it's so hard I just sit and cry...not knowing what to do...wishing I could make everyone understand that this is a hard decision and that I don't make it lightly. I want people at my job to know that it's not like I want to be out...nursing a sick baby at home. I'd rather be at work, doing something fulfilling and having him enjoying his day care. I'd choose that scenario a million times over.

But when I have one of those days....and I get that call from day care that he's not well....and I get frustrated and upset....I go pick him up and see that face....that face that lights up my world...

And I remember that he was once a tiny little boy who's grown way too fast....

And I know choosing him is the only right thing. He won't be this small forever although I'd like to freeze him just where he is. He's perfect and happy and just the sweetest boy.

When I have one of THOSE days....I look back at his pictures from the last 6 months and everything makes sense again.

Hypo What?!?!?

Well, Parker is growing like a weed folks! I know this because my arm falls asleep when I feed him, he's grown out of his newborn onesies and he's almost grown out of his newborn diapers.

I also know this because we had a doctor's appointment last week and he was weighed for the first time since we got home from the hospital...he weighed 10 pounds 2 ounces!!!! He's just remarkable! He's trying to be as big as his Daddy as quickly as he can!

We had to go to a specialist last week...a pediatric urologist...in regards to a small birth defect that Parker has which is call hypospadias. It basically means that his urethra doesn't exit his guy part at the very end like it should. His urethra exits just a little bit south of where it should and it's incredibly minor as far as that kind of defect goes. Apparently it's caused by the mother taking progesterone early in the pregnancy which I did. Our urologist basically gave us two options: 1 - Don't circumsize Parker and leave the minor hypospadias as it is or; 2 - Wait until he's 6 months old and have the surgery to correct the hypospadias and circumsize him. We feel strongly about circumscision so we'll be electing to have the surgery done to correct his defect and circumsize him once he's six months old.

Anyway...at least I have a while to prepare myself for his procedure....

We also go in on Monday for our one month checkup with the pediatrician! I can't believe he'll be four weeks old on Friday! I am already compiling my list of questions for the pediatrician. One of them is if I can start giving Parker some Pedialyte. A good friend of mine said that her pediatrician said she could give her son Pedialyte during the day to keep him full without extra calories. I am worried because Parker is already taking 4 ounce bottles every three hours and sometimes wakes up at 2 or 2.5 hours between feedings so hungry. If I could give him an ounce or two of Pedialyte then that could satiate him until feeding time. We'll see what our pediatrician says. Also, I'm going to ask him about the possibility of giving Parker some cereal before bedtime. My same friend said her pediatrician allowed her to give her son a bit of cereal at the 9/10pm feeding when he was one month old. We'll see...I'd love to get the boy sleeping a little longer than 3 hours at a time.

We're hoping to get our pictures made soon for our announcements...I promise to post them soon!

Gratuitious Cuteness!

Okay....I'm warning you now...there's more cuteness on this page than most people can handle in one day. It's overwhelming and could cause adverse effects on your fallopian tubes if you're a woman. Scroll at your own risk, that's all I'm saying. :-)



Okay...Here's baby Parker dressed to impress on the day we left the hospital.



Isn't the cuteness just jumping off the page at you? Those fingers...those cheeks...ugh, it's more than I can handle for sure. How I'm ever going to say no to this boy is beyond me.

Also, this cute bundle doesn't even come close to revealing the not so cute behavior that plagued us the night he came home. We were insulated in our nice warm hospital room. We were lulled into a false sense of security. We weren't exactly prepared for our first night home with this 8 pound munchkin. The night this boy came home with us was a night from hell. I won't sugar coat it, it was one of the hardest nights of my entire life. He had been through so much change that he was all out of sorts....and gassy....and just didn't feel good. Did I know how to soothe him, heck no! Did Grandma or Grandpa? No way....well, Grandma finally did get him hugged up to her so that his belly was up against hers and he seemed to like that....but mostly he just cried, and cried, and cried and couldn't be soothed. I cried and fought back the desire to drive back to the hospital and return him. No...I wouldn't have done that....well, maybe....no seriously, I wouldn't have ever done that. I was thinking irrationally from lack of sleep, we all were. Luckily we went to see the pediatrician the next day and he was all like, "Give him some infant Mylicon drops and he'll be fine." Well thanks doc...where were you like 12 hours ago? :-) Anyway, Mylicon is the next best thing since sliced bread and Parker's cheeks. If you're a new Mom or about-to-be Mom, stock up. Trust me!


And now....for my little ducky....




Now those cheeks...they slay me....those blue eyes, oh Lordy be I'm in trouble. What else is there to say? He's just too cute for words. Of course, he's mine so I can be that blatantly biased. :-)

Hugs to you all!
L.

My sweetest boy!

Here are the first pictures of me, Shooter and Parker from the OR delivery room. As you can see in the first pic, I have an ice pack on my chest. Apparently most women end up vomiting during a cesearean delivery, I lasted longer than most....I didn't get sick until the surgeons were sewing me up. That made spending time with Parker a little difficult, but we managed some first family pictures thanks to the wonderful anesthesia nurse, Barbara.

Here is the first picture of Mommy and Parker:

Here's the first picture of Daddy and Parker:

Here's our first family picture:

Here's Parker after his first bath while he was being worked on in the transition nursery. He inhaled some meconium during delivery and had to spend 4 hours in the transitional nursery being monitored. He was born at 5:11pm and I didn't get to hold him until a little after 9pm.

But once I got to hold him, I didn't let go for a while. This munchkin grabbed my heart and hasn't let go. Methinks it'll be that way for a long, long, long, long time. :0)

He's a little yellow here...we fought off jaundice and we won, but he looks a little like he's been in a tanning bed. :-)

Look at those cheeks will you? They slay me. I kiss and smooch and snuggle to them daily. I can't help it. They're addictive....like Cheetos only better for you!

Labor....wherefore art thou labor?

Well....now it's time to talk a little about my delivery of Baby Parker. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I was on Pitocin for several hours with no progression of my labor. As you can see by the picture below, I was in so much pain.... ;-)

Since I knew the day before that I was being induced, my parents had time to make it down from Tennessee. Here are me and my Dad in the labor room.

We were really hoping that Parker (and I) had progressed so that we could get the delivery show on the road. Here is Shooter giving Parker the what's what on how he needed to come on out and greet us. Unfortunately it didn't work!

Once the doctor came in and evaluated me, it was determined that we were off to surgery. Here I am prepped and ready to go!

I also had to give Shooter's head a good rub for luck....here we both are dressed, prepped and ready to head off to surgery so that we could meet our precious Parker.

Here is a picture of me with my L&D nurse DeAnna. She was the sweetest nurse and really made the time I spent in L&D a good experience. She accompanied me to the OR and then was there through my surgery as well.

More to come......

Baby Parker has arrived!!!

Well, as I posted Wednesday a week ago, I had been having issues with my blood pressure. After being observed on Tuesday I went back on Thursday just to be checked out and found out that my blood pressure was still as high and my doctor was very nervous about things.

She sent me back over to the hospital to be observed and see what happened after a few hours of rest. Well, the OB on call came to see me after an hour and said, "Well, I think we need to get you ready for a delivery. I'm ordering Cervadil for the night and then we'll start Pitocin in the morning to get your labor going." I nearly freaked out! Shooter comes to the hospital to stay with me and then I get on the phone with my parents so they can begin the drive from Tennessee to Hotlanta for the birth of their grandson.

On Friday morning they pulled the Cervadil and then started the Pitocin at 9am. At about 2:30pm I started having these horribly strong contractions that had me crying and writhing in bed. I then found out that they were so strong because I had a full bladder. Once I went to the bathroom they subsided to the non-existent point they were before. At 4pm the OB on call came in and checked me and I was barely, and I mean BARELY, 1 cm dilated after 7 hours on Pitocin. Also, Parker's heartbeat was starting to drop with each of my contractions so the OB on call was justifiably concerned. She decided at 4pm to do a c-section and Parker was born at 5:11pm on Friday, July 10th. He weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. I found out later that I wouldn't have been able to deliver him anyway due to a huge kink in his cord, about the size of Shooter's fist. He had somehow somersaulted and knotted his cord in a big way!

I owe a huge debt of thanks to the OB who delivered Parker because she made a decision that saved me a lot of pain and saved Parker pain as well. I have recovered remarkably from my c-section and we're all doing amazingly well.

My parents have been here all week with me and have been a godsend. I do not know what I would have done had they not been here...especially Mom...whew....she's an angel for sure, peeps!

Anyway. I'm slowly working on getting photos in order and such and I'll be posting them soon!

Hugs to all of you!
L.

I would SO not make a good bedrest patient

Yesterday I had a bit of a scare during my doctor's visit. I went in, a little earlier than my scheduled appointment because I'd been having contractions, and discovered that my blood pressure was pretty high. Higher than it's been all through my pregnancy. I've been kinda worried that this day might come but had figured I was past the point where I'd really have to worry about it.

Well, after resting, my blood pressure still didn't go down far enough to please the doctor so she sent me over to the hospital for observation and blood work. Well, it took about an hour to just get in there, get settled, answer their questions, get hooked to monitors and have my blood drawn. Ugh! Then they said it would take another hour to get the results from my blood work. I hadn't had breakfast and it was lunch time...I was about to die! Luckily my nurse took pity on me and brought me a lunch menu so I ordered some lunch. Lunch came about 1pm, I'd arrived around 11:40am, and I didn't get the results from my blood work until between 3 and 3:30pm. I was so freakin' bored out of my mind that I thought I was going to go batty! The only thing on TV was the Michael Jackson memorial and I am so oversaturated with MJ coverage that I couldn't stand watching it. Also, I discovered that watching "A Baby Story" on TLC really isn't as entertaining when you're in the hospital hooked to monitors in a labor and delivery room! Thankfully my blood work results were all good and my observation went well so nothing further was needed to be done.

The doctor did send me home with strict instructions - no more work, rest, stay off my feet as much as possible and stay out of the heat. Not too hard...I can handle that!

I have to say that not having to worry about work has been one of the greatest gifts. I slept really well last night have abided by her orders to the letter!

I will keep everyone updated for when Parker arrives...he's being stubborn and slow so we might be waiting for a while. :-D

Recipe Time!! Mediterranean Couscous Salad

One Sunday evening I got really industrious and worked away in the kitchen making three salads/salsas for the week's dinners and lunches. One was a brand new one for me and one I completely made up on the fly. I have since worked with the dressing element of the salad and feel that it's now perfecto! I hope you enjoy trying this out!


Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1 cup dried couscous prepared according to package directions and cooled
3 Roma/plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 english cucumbers, quartered, seeds removed and diced
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped well
1 8oz container feta cheese crumbles

In a large mixing bowl stir all of the ingredients above together until mixed well.

Dressing:
Juice of three lemons
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp minced garlic (I use the jarred kind)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk all these ingredients until thoroughly combined and then pour over the couscous mixture. Stir well until the vinaigrette is well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

No news - the waiting game continues

Well....we're one week away from my due date. 7 measley days. I'm actually hoping that tonight or tomorrow will be the magical time. It's a full moon tomorrow and we all know that full moons bring out the crazy people and cause preggos to go into labor. I don't wanna jinx myself, but I just haven't felt right today. My tummy is really tight, my lower back hurts and the baby is really, really low!

I've been having some stern conversations with my son this weekend about how his father and I are very ready for him to come and that we can't wait to see his little face. His father has had conversations with him urging him to come out of the womb and into the room! This weekend didn't see much activity - only random Braxton Hicks contractions. Today....today feels different somehow. We'll see if it means anything. I have an OB appt tomorrow late in the day so we'll see what she says and see if I've made any progress.

In other news....can I tell you how oversaturated I am with all this Michael Jackson stuff? I mean, seriously....I've had enough of it. Shooter and I pulled into our local pharmacy yesterday and discovered that the sign out front was rigged to stay on the message, "We'll miss you, Michael J!!!!!!!" I nearly gagged. I've contemplated going to the pharmacy website and emailing them a complaint. Eh, it's probably my grouchy pregnancy hormones taking over my otherwise easy going self.

Okay....since I've been writing this....I'm feeling more and more uncomfortable and weird. Maybe it was my sandwich for lunch....then again, maybe it's labor. Let's all pray that it's the latter!

Hopefully the next time I return it'll be with pictures of baby Parker!