I mainly wanted to use this blog for pregnancy stuff. So those friends who didnt care about the details didnt have to know.
So now I'm back on posting updates to www.themachamers.com. I'll phase this one out eventually.

2 weeks old

Allison turned 2 weeks old today. Breastfeeding is still hard and it hurts, but it's working, she's back up to her birth weight plus one ounce. The nurse today weighed her at 6 lbs 11 oz. I can already see some fat showing up and her belly is definitely bigger :) I talked to a lactation consultant and got some new tips to try so hopefully it'll get better soon. not much else to speak of. still getting used to everything and we don't have a routine yet. never know if she'll let us go to bed on time or be like last night where I was up till almost 12 trying to soothe her. She grunts alot so naps are possible just not very long.

I'm going to add breast-feeding to the list of hardest things I've ever tried to do.

First week at home

We got discharged from the hospital right at 48 hours, so we were home by 3pm Saturday. Jeff's parents had arrived the day before and Karen had already started cleaning my house - moms know what will make a woman happy :) My parents arrived just minutes before we got to the house. So now we have 2 moms cooking - very nice. They also are good about buying fruits and vegetables making sure we eat healthy. Unfortunately I'm a little limited on what veggies I can eat for a few weeks. Dr has me on a 'low-residue' diet till my stitches heal. You can guess the gross details.

Allison is one of those sleepy babies so far, so it's been on the easy side. When she is alert, she's very alert which makes her cuter. I'm still breastfeeding. That part is not really easy, we're both learning. I had some cracked and bleeding issues, so I forced myself to finish a book I bought and sure enough I learned a few important techniques. Things are better now, but we're still working on a latch that doesn't hurt. I seem to be more sensitive at night, so Jeff gets woken up with a scream from both of us.

I can tell she's gaining weight but she's still small. Her 0-3 mo outfits are still big on her. And we are not very good at dressing a baby yet and pulling arms through. She can get red with frustration from us. We've only had a couple moments where the screaming was consistent for a while. One of those times I guess it just took her 2 hours to work on a big poop. After that she slept through the night except for me attempting to wake her long enough to feed. I like the sleepy part except where it drags out feeding times in the middle of the night.

Jeff worked from home yesterday all day and is doing that again today. I think his parents leave tomorrow and mine on Monday. He'll work from home Monday and then it'll be me by myself. the days do tend to fly by kinda fast when you're scheduled is revolved around 2 hour feeding intervals - trying to see how much you can squeeze in between. So I have not had that much time to work on more photos. it's on the list.

Birth Story

(warning: Typed in a rush while I could remember details)

Short Version:
Timeline:
cramps 5 am
Definitely contractions: 10 am
arrived to hospital: 12:50
Triage: 1:20 pm
LDR room arrival: 1:30pm
Allison's here: 2:27

Long Version:

I woke up around 5 am with some bad period like cramps. starting watching the clock and they were 8-9 minutes apart. Everyone told me you'll know what a contraction is, the real ones you can't talk through. So I got up and watched the clock. Jeff got up like normal I said sure go to work I think I'll go in late maybe. I was on email at home, doing a little work adn told them I was staying here to monitor it. About 10:30 the pain was more real, I called Jeff and told him to come home for lunch. He stopped and got food, ate it here. By the time he got home about noon the contractions were real - I was screaming through them down on all fours trying to get comfortable. they were about 5 minutes apart, so we were packing up the car. Got to the hospital at 12:50 got a wheelchair and was put in the waiting room. I was already pre-registered so Jeff just had to pay the deductible and show insurance. I was so thirsty from the screaming I was doing in my jacket in the waiting room - trying not to terrify the other visitors too bad. I was going to get up to steal some water from the bathroom adn when I stook up my pants were wet. My water broke about 1:10. It was 1:20 before I got in a triage room. Nurse told me to get in the gown. I had another contraction, screammed and she said dont push, if you feel like you're going to push get out here now. I did. She started something but then left for 5 minutes before checking me. when she did, she was frantic on her phone paging the dr, getting a room, other help. At 1:30 I was moved into an official LDR room. nurses were moving around crazy not really telling me much just that it was happening fast. One started my IV. My dr showed up soon and said oh, this should be fast, her head is about here (length of his finger). I asked if I could get an epidural and he said they would have to get blood work first and most likely that would take 20-30 minutes, so no. No drugs for me. I was pushing,without drugs, I coulnd't believe it. Didnt really have time to digest anything though. Dr offered help by way of a vaccuum. I said if I can't have drugs, I'll take whatever help I can get. So 2 more good pushes and she was out at 2:27.

Jeff was Mr calm throughout it all. or at least he put on that face for me - I'm glad. neither of had much time to digest most of it though. he cut the umbilical cord and was not phased by all the blood :) I'm glad I had my dr there, he was delaying another surgery for me. So after the baby was out, he disappeared for 20 minutes and came back to stitch me up. I have a 4th degree tear, so he put in 4 or 5 layers of stitches - took 30 minutes and that was just as painful as labor. he gave me Novocaine shots but there was still pain. so far recovery is hardest where stitches are concerned. I guess b/c I didnt have drugs in my system, I feel better than expected. my body is sore in strange places I guess from pushing and using muscles not used to.

Both sets of parents are here. Jeff's parents arrived before we were discharged and I came home to a clean house. Sweet! (Thanks Karen). Now we have people cooking for us. another thing I love - not having to come up with a menu. And I've learned a few tips on burping and putting on baby clothes :)

ok, people are back in the house, quiet moments over. I'll try to be good about blogging but sitting in this chair is not comfortable on my bum.

Overall, Allison is doing great - feeding like a champ. She's perfect to us. Beautiful and only really crying when there is something she needs. Jeff is a great daddy; working on making her a daddy's girl.

Allison Milena

We have a name! Allison Milena. She is doing great and is more alert than expected. Daddy is already a champ at changing diapers :) I'm still moving a little slow due to a 4th degree tear but pain meds are a life saver. I'm hoping since I didnt have any drugs for the labor that I'll recover fast, so far so good.
one set of grandparents are in town, the other set is arriving tomorrow hopefully.
More info to come. Photos are on picasa

Contractions

I stayed home from work today so I can scream out in solitude. Contractions have been about 8 minutes apart since 5 am. in just the last few hours they got more intense. I called Jeff and told him to work from home.
I have no idea why anyone would choose labor without drugs. I know it'll get worse and I'm trying not to think about that.

slightly larger version photo

39 weeks

Today marks 39 weeks. I'm still shocked how many people are brave enough to ask how I feel. Do they really want the answer?! Actually it's not that bad. I'm still working. I feel decent in the morning, but start going downhill in the afternoon. Mainly it's my feet - swollen and tender, and then I have to wonder if my knees are swelling too by afternoon. Since my back is normal in the morning, I'm sure my chair and my posture is probably contributing to some back pain that starts in the afternoon. then there is just the overall uncomfortableness of this huge belly expanding everywhere from my ribs to my bladder.
So when I hear stories of friends with sciatic pain or blood pressure problems or past stories of being on bed rest, I feel a little guilty for bringing up my minor aches and pains.

I'd still like to hold off for natural labor to begin but my doctor will want to induce at 41 weeks. I go back on Friday for another internal (OMG the last one hurt!). So I'll ask if they go ahead and schedule an induction or wait till the next week to schedule it. From the sounds of how many people were busy getting it on back in June making babies, I'll be setting the date on Friday for the week of the 23rd.

And with the mention of an internal exam hurting - you can damn well bet that I'll be asking for epidural. Ofcourse I'll take a reduced pain option. Again - I'm shocked how many people ask me that.

oh, I had a funny dream the other night. I think the set up was something similar to something I experienced as a game on a cruise - scavenger hunt in one room, that involved getting articles of clothing. In the dream I was giving my bra to someone and when I lifted up my shirt I had a nice flat stomach. I don't remember much about the dream (if I actually flashed people or not), but I remember a flat tummy - it was so nice. And I know it's still months away from happening - please don't remind me :)

38 weeks and not even close

I hit 38 weeks two days ago, but the dr appt was today. My belly measured at 37 weeks though. It was my first internal exam. OMG I had to wonder if he put whole freakin hand up in there. The result was I'm still closed up tight. So I go back in a week.

Things I'm already dreaming about :

sleeping on my stomach
Rolling over in bed without grunting
Being able to walk faster
Having this rash on my legs gone
A martini
Scooting my chair up to the table without hitting my belly
less farts
no acid reflux
no more hot flashes - though that just gets replaced with summertime
I'm sure I'll think of more.

My feet look like fat sausages! I can't remember the last time I twisted an ankle or something similar so I'm not sure I've ever seen this atrocious a sight on my legs before. Even my flip flops from last season are squeaking like they never have before, must be the extra weight on them. It's depressing. I think I'll have to pay for a manicure to make my fat toes be a little distracting from the fat cankle.

37 weeks

I reached 37 weeks today - meaning she is considered full term and they won't stop labor if it were to start. I think she's pretty cozy since she's still sitting high though. The charts estimate her to be about 6 and 1/3 pounds. I was only 6 lbs 15 oz when I was born, but back then doctors were mean and really tried to restrict women's weight gain. oh and my mom smoked, so we were all right around 7 lbs. I would love it if my baby stayed a 7 pounder :)

I forgot to mention the wonderful name suggestion we had at the last baby shower. Eloise Lucille. I got to try it out later that day when someone asked me the name we picked out. I couldn't get it out with a straight face but they still thought I was serious. It was kinda fun messing with people, so I might have to play that few more times calling her Eloise. I just hope we don't get any monogrammed stuff for ELM - thats too close to Elmer. oooh, even funnier.

Guess I can laugh at myself too

Jeff had a good laugh at my expense the other day. I had a nice nap on Sunday and he came in after I was awake but I didn't have a reason to get out of bed yet (in other words, I didn't have to pee yet, so I wasn't going to move when I was comfortable). We talked for a bit and sure enough w/in 10 minutes I had to pee. I tried to sit up; nope just fell back. So to get out of bed I roll to the edge, let my legs fall off till my feet hit the ground and then I can use my arms to push off from the bed to stand up. I've been doing this for a few weeks now and I guess Jeff had no idea. He was thoroughly amused. I'm sure it was/is a funny sight.

Another funny sight would be how I move today. My legs have not been this sore since I paid a 250lb man to torture me in the gym. Yesterday morning our dishwasher decided to try to flood our kitchen. Luckily I caught it when just a few gallons of water were on the floor. I was already in my work clothes though, so I was bending and squatting getting the water up and moving all the cleaner crap from under the sink, so I could dry out the cabinets. Afterward I figured I needed to flip the breaker switch to turn off the dishwasher till Jeff could look at it, and when I went to climb the 5 stairs down to the garage I screamed out in pain. My days of doing lunges and squats were way too long ago and my body is mad at me now! The day after is always the worst. So today I'm using the handicap bathroom so I can use the handrails to pull myself up and try to give my legs a little break. I hope I don't break the bathroom door knob tonight at my house, since there are no rails :)

NASA baby shower

Yesterday my work threw us a shower. There were several ladies that helped organize it and a few really creative ones. I finally got a diaper cake! I didn't think I'd be one of those women that was all about the froo froo girly stuff, but I've seen pics of those cakes and thought they were pretty neat. So on my 3rd shower I finally got one - complete with a stork, some spoons and a headband :)
I think we are stocked now for baby gear! We got some of the lil onesies that I needed, more blankets, bibs and socks and a few fun things I didnt register for like a rainforest light up musical crib hanging thingy, a heartbeat bear, a Jenny Jump-up (I guess a baby girl can't use a 'johnny jump up'), a bumbo seat and a piggy bank that is handmade by one of my bosses made like an old timey post office box. That had lots of cash it, collected from the group. Ah - the benefits of working at a big place full of kind, generous people :)

Last night when I was watching the news I wasn't as depressed by it as a I have been recently (just depressed during the news hour - not in general). So many people are in bad situations, but Jeff and I feel like we're still at the top of the world. We're happy, in love, healthy, new baby, lots of friends and family and both work in great environments with more friends that are supportive and kind.
(I better not have just jinxed myself)

36 weeks!

At the end of this week I'll be considered full term :)
The charts estimate her weighing about 6 pounds - that's almost twice as big as her daddy when he was born (he is a twin)
She's still sitting up high and pretty against my ribs. I keep meaning to take some pictures so I can compare when she does drop. So far I just have the usual minor grips of acid reflux at night, some back pain/discomfort, and just a little swelling in my feet. The cold weather has come back and my leg rash came back - I had it nearly cleared up when we had a warm spell and I wore skirts all week. I don't think I've had any braxton hicks contractions but there have been a few moments it seems like more pain that just a baby kicking - though she is getting stronger!

I still need to pack the hospital bag -it's on my list for this week/weekend. Tomorrow is a baby shower at my work, so we'll know what we're missing and can go shopping this weekend.

People keep telling me I look like all my weight is baby. That's nice of them to say and I'm glad I can hide it elsewhere but I think it's only because I'm tall. Yes I have packed on enough pounds I predict the dr to tell me to stop. I have my fingers crossed for a relatively dry (but not drought) Spring, so I can get the stroller out and walk off some of this new fat on my thighs. I guess every woman dreads pulling out their pre-preggo clothes and seeing what will fit. I supposed I can sacrifice wearing shorts for a bit to get a healthy baby though - just have to keep reminding myself that :)

I talked to a landscaper yesterday that is coming soon to add mulch to our flowerbeds, so that will be one less stress this spring :) then maybe my nesting instinct will kick in soon and I will clean my house. If only we could coat the cats in glue so their hair would quit shedding - that would fix alot of our house problems :)

Tired again

I'm getting flashbacks to the first tri where I was tired all the time. I think for the 3rd day in a row I'll be taking a nap when I get home. I think the baby is using all my food for energy and not leaving me with any! ah, the sacrifices we make.

35 / 35

I'm at 35 weeks with 35 days to go!!!

The stats say she's just over 5 lbs and about 18 inches long and running out of room to move around. Though last night I got scared she was having a seizure b/c my belly was going crazy. Most of her basic physical development is now complete, now she's just getting fatter. Note to babymach: you can take some of your mom's fat b/c she'd like to stop gaining weight now.

My changes are nothing that I'm happy about - belly button is about stretched to the max, more acid reflux, back to being tired more often, a few times of crazy hunger fits, and some general body aches and other gross stuff I won't go into. Though some of my latest reading about getting closer to labor and delivery is really grossing me out, so I guess my stinky farts are just practice for whats to come. I really can't wait till my friend Taryn learns about a mucus plug. haha. The evil side of me wants to share the gory details - so I have been with Jeff at least. I keep reminding him, it's partly his fault, and if he can't share in some of the pain, he's certainly going to hear about it. He just smiles like he still loves me :)

I bought a breastfeeding book but so far it's pretty general knowledge stuff. I hope it comes easy for me like my sister. If not, I'm glad I live in a town large enough to get some help.

A tease for Spring

Yeah for warmer weather this week. Probably the biggest reason I'm excited is to see if this rash on my legs will go away. I think I have severe dry skin on my legs from my thighs down to even a patch on the top of my foot. It will calm down when I can wear shorts around the house, but then I go back to wearing pants at work when it's 30 degrees outside and it flares up again. So I washed some skirts this weekend and plan to wear them to work all week and see if it gets better. I looked up skin problems during pregnancy and it's very common. I'm just thankful I don't have one of the really bad ones that is on the belly with big streaks of fire coming up.
I'm also trying to take showers at night since the hot water seems to irritate my skin. So this morning I'm still a bit groggy, but when I put lotion on my feet I saw an ankle bone! Yes my ankles have been a bit swollen, so I was excited to see what they looked like again :)

The Nursery is done!

Photos on Picasa

I finally put up stuff on the walls. I think now it's just missing some diapers and a baby :)

Be sure to remember it

This morning I ordered a baby memory book. I remember finding mine, with some congrats cards stuffed inside and nothing else, no words, nothing. Yes, I'm the 3rd kid and I hear that's common :) So as of now, I have all these great expectations for myself to be that first time mommy that records every first milestone, takes lots of photos, saves the first artwork, and all that jazz. I did see keepsake boxes for hair and teeth, but that kinda grossed me out.

To my mommy friends: how good are you with keeping up with all your kid's milestones? I know my friend Keri is good with it because she keeps a blog and I get to read about it. Man, how I wish more friends had blogs or at least online photo galleries (hint hint). But I don't really know about my other friends, since I don't exactly go snooping through their house to see how many photo albums or keepsake boxes they have :)

It's Mommy, not mama

I'm going to try my hardest to get my child to call me mommy. Not mama. Oh, how I hate mama. (And I'm already being called that which makes me cringe a little inside) I think it's some left over resentment for being taken out of Texas and forced to live in Alabama where I still don't like the southern accents. Since neither Jeff nor I have much of an accent, there is hope that our baby wont. Otherwise she'll have her mommy correcting and constantly nagging her to repeat herself in a normal tone. And I still have vivid memories of making friends with 20-something year old men that still call their mom, mama. That just seems like they're stuck in a time warp to me. I had a mommy, and sometime around middle school she was called mom. sweet and simple. And last night talking to friends I heard stories of grandparents with nicknames like bubba. Maybe I'll change my mind when those words are coming from a cute 2 year old, but for now, I truly hope nothing like that sticks in our family.

almost ready

Yesterday I ordered envelopes for the baby announcements. I plan to get them addressed before I deliver, so afterward all we have to do is get a cute photo, make the order and stuff them. I thought about designing my own and printing from Vistaprint, but this site (www.photoaffections.com) had so many cute options and for just a little more $$. I figure since it's my first baby, I'll go all out and mail cute announcements.

I hit 34 weeks today - only 6 weeks left. yeah! The big belly is starting to cause some discomforts, so I'm definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore.

I'll get Jeff to install the car seats this weekend, so we can get them inspected soon, and then I have to pack a hospital bag and that's about it. My work is having a work shower in a couple weeks, but the only things left we really need are diapers, wipes, baby wash, and some cheap onesie's. I've gotten so many cute outfits for gifts and then Angie loaded me down with some great 12 month outfits. It's great to have friends with kids - I don't mind hand-me-downs at all :) Esp when I saw some Ralph Lauren and Tommy overalls. haha. But I won't let on to the baby those are good brands - don't want to get her smart on that, that early :)

oh so tiny clothes

I washed my first load of baby clothes and sheets this weekend. I was worried about loosing one of the tiny socks or mittens, but only lost one that Jeff found later. I'll be buying some of those mesh washer bags for those tiny things. It did feel more real on how soon this baby is coming since I already started doing the laundry :)

Last weekend Jeff and I were talking with his parents about their new washer/dryer, that they set to stack to save room. It got us to talking about laundry and how much more of it we'll soon have. I saw a flyer for HH Gregg's sale going on, so we decided to go look. About 24 hours later (and after some researching online) we had a couple delivery guys at the house with our new Whirlpool Duet Steam w/d on a raiser/drawer. I must be getting old to get this excited over an appliance :)

Part of that excitement is also shedding some guilt. I had no idea how much water the typical top load washer actually uses. I think I read about 70 gallons of water per load, whereas the new front loaders sense how much laundry is inside and typically use about 14 gallons. I feel pretty bad for all that wasted water and the environment now.

And this shows a little bit of how clueless I am - I was talking to a friend last night about the new washer and she said the whole sensing/using less water is good because I'll be doing more frequent smaller loads. That spitup/spoiled milk smell will stink and make me want to do laundry. oh joy.

Quit asking me

I think I've reached the point now where people should quit asking me how I am or how am I feeling. I don't think they want the real answer. I feel stretched and bloated, my crotch feels like I've been on a bicycle for 20 miles, my back hates my office chair, I make a grunting sound when I have to rollover in the bed, and I'm back to being hungry all the time which makes it hard to pack lots of small food meals for work. Yes it's been a long week and I had to vent.

Baby Shower

I had my 8 month appt check up and everything still looked good. Now I go back every 2 weeks.

The big friends and family baby shower was this past weekend at our house. My sister and niece got in Friday night. I was trying to remember if I had seen my sister since my wedding 3 years ago, so this was a big treat to have to her come visit me, just me. Well I guess she was curious to get to know Jeff a little better too ;) Then Jeff's family got in Saturday afternoon. (they live closer, so we see them on a semi-regular basis) We had several hostesses for the shower so when they showed up early to set up, it was really like the party started early. We had a pasta dinner with some great homemade sauce, garlic bread, salad and lots of wine and beer that I assume was good. The cake had a strawberry mousse cream in the middle that was delicious, and that part may get picked out from the remains that are STILL in my fridge :) I was half anticipating some cheesy shower games, since I was pretty sure our friends know that Jeff and I are clueless with baby stuff; haven't even changed a diaper. But they stuck with just opening gifts -lots of gifts :) I have to say it's a bit weird having a party for me (and Jeff) where people come and decorate your house, cook for you, and bring you gifts. I haven't felt like the center of attention at a party atmosphere since I was maybe 12. (The wedding maybe, but that was more of a grown up/fancy setting). But I enjoyed it thoroughly. And in the last couple months of belly growing, since I really started showing, I realized just how much people love new babies. I hear this kind of attention with showers, etc only happens on the first, so I'll take the attention :) It is a nice feeling to have milestones in life that bring together all the people you care about.
Now it's just a matter of weeks before the craziness starts and we start asking all those family and friends for advice and/or help. hehe.

oh, one of the highlights of the shower was opening a gift from my sister-in-law. I was not sure if I could read the name of the book out loud, and my shocked face must have been hilarioius for the guests. It was 'Porn for New Moms'. It's a photo book of fully clothed hot dads with cute babies and sayings like 'we can wake up mommy in just 8 more hours' or 'don't get up, I can get that load of laundry started'. It's hilarious. When I saw Jeff flipping through it Sunday, I asked him if he was learning stuff; he just gave me a smurk like get real honey. haha.
More photos on Picasa

The good kind of showers

We had our first baby shower yesterday - from Jeff's office. I think they just took up a collection and then one of the owner's wives went to BRU. I guess the young folks at his company were generous because we got alot of stuff :) They filled up a baby tub with lots of little outfits, hangers, spoons, socks, etc. And then we got the baby swing. I think this was a first baby shower for the office, but it looks like they will have a couple more with one pregnant employee and another guy's wife that just announced she's due in August.
It's funny going out to his office - how different the atmosphere is from mine. Aside from the owners, most of the employees are close in age to Jeff and me, or are younger. My office on the other hand has a retirement party every other week, and out of at least 30 people on my floor only 2 other ladies are in their 30s. Big difference :) And yes, that's some jealousy on my part, but I guess I did have that setup for one good year at my job.
It's starting to feel a little more real - that we'll have a miniature person soon to put in these cute outfits we're getting. hehe.

The big friends/family baby shower is this weekend. One of my friends/hosts said this is the first baby shower she's ever looked forward to going to. I think it'll be more of a party. fine by me :)

It's Alive

I can look down at my stomach and see it move. Most people's reaction is 'how cool', mine is more of an alien like feeling. Yes it's exciting, but still strange to think something has taken over my body and can make it move without my brain telling it to.

Is that a bouncy ball - nope it's my bladder

I think the baby has found a new squishy organ to play punching games with - my bladder. A few minutes ago I was sitting in a meeting, sitting up fairly straight, and all of a sudden massive pressure on my bladder, which made me slide my legs forward and slouch my back backward, trying to get horizontal. A coworker next to me started laughing. This sudden punch / OMG did I pee myself / wait no I don't feel any wetness, but man that was close / feeling is becoming a common thing.

So to my friends that don't have kids yet and read this blog - I hope you have nice clean bathrooms at work, because you will be seeing them alot. I can go pee, wash my hands and open the door to leave and turn around thinking I have to pee again. seriously, it sucks. I tried posting a question to a board about this and the common responses I got were kinda funny - after you finish peeing, lean forward to try to express another few drops, or lean forward while holding up your tummy. Yes it's as awkward as you are picturing :)