One Month... a little late

I've had it in mind that I would like to write a blog post for every month of Brock's first year so I can keep up with how he's changing and what new things he's learning how to do. That being said, I'm already failing to accomplish my goal since the baby is 7 weeks old now and I have yet to write a blog about his first month. But better late than never, right?
 

At his one month checkup on April 19th, Brock weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces which put him in the 61st percentile. At his followup appointment after being discharged from the hospital (March 28), he had weighed 7 lbs, 7 oz so he had gained 2 pounds in just three weeks! The doctor asked if we had been feeding him steak and potatoes and seemed pleased with his weight gain, especially since he is breastfed. Brock had also grown an inch in length since birth and was 21 inches (50th percentile).

Here are some of Brock's one month accomplishments and patterns:

• He eats every 2.5 to 3 hours during the day and every 3 to 3.5 hours at night.
• He sleeps 16-18 hours a day, unfortunately in the form of 1 to 2 hour naps spread throughout the day rather than consecutively (but I'll take what I can get).
• He will sleep pretty much anywhere we put him and through any noises we make.
• He is having longer periods of awake time but usually no more than 30 minutes at a time.
• He poops about 8 times a day, occasionally more, and needs a diaper change every time he's fed.
• He generally only cries if he needs something or if he has gas.
• He spits up a lot after every feeding, but doesn't seem to be bothered by it.
• He's starting to be able to focus on my and Blaine's faces but only for short periods at a time.
• He always smiles after being fed, although he's asleep so they say it doesn't really count as a social smile yet.
• He loves being bathed and snoozes right through the whole thing.
• He usually has one or two fussy periods a day where he will cry for a little while before he goes to sleep.
• He can turn his head from side to side when on his tummy and lift it up even better when on my shoulder being burped.
• He's not a big fan of tummy time and he doesn't like laying in the playard.
• He loves watching ceiling fans, even if they're not spinning.
• He's very noisy and makes lots of grunting and squeaking sounds when he's both awake and asleep and even when he eats. He also snores occasionally.

Those are just a few things we've noticed in the first month, nothing incredibly significant or amazing yet, but he's changing every day. Hopefully, I can update his second month on time!

A Few of My Favorite Things

After almost six weeks with our little bundle of joy, we have come to realize that there are a few items that have really made our lives so much easier. I thought I'd write a blog post about those particular things just for future reference or to help out any current/potential baby shoppers who might like some suggestions. So here are a few of my favorite things:

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1. The Boppy Lounger

Why We Love It:  This is the cousin of the well-known Boppy feeding support pillow, and in my opinion it needs a new PR person because it's not getting the recognition it deserves. It is the perfect little pillow to lay Brock on because it has a recessed center that his little body fits right down into which keeps him secure and safe from rolling off. This was where he took most of his daytime naps for the first few weeks. We could put the pillow next to us on the couch and have him with us without having to hold him the entire time. It has a wipeable surface that doesn't absorb liquid, which is nice for our little spit-up monster. And last, but not least, we love the Boppy Lounger because Brock really seems to find it comfortable.

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2. The Infant Bathtub

Why We Love It:  I personally am a big fan of equipment that will last us through several years, and this transitional bathtub is one such item. I love it right now because it has a mesh sling for newborns and young infants who can't hold their heads up yet. When the baby is in the sling it rests just on top of the water so his body stays warm in the water but his head doesn't go under. And the sling is removable so I can use the tub until he's able to move to the big bath. Also it comes with three little toys, one that is attached to the tub that I imagine he'll enjoy chewing on when he finally becomes aware of his mouth. Brock gives the tub two thumbs up.

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3. The Angelcare Monitor

Why We Love It: This item has probably given these two new, anxious parents the most peace of mind. It's a regular baby monitor but it's also so much more. There is a sensor pad that goes underneath the crib mattress and detects whether there is movement, such as the baby's breathing. If there is no movement for 20 seconds, a warning beep sounds, then the alarm will beep and vibrate loudly so if the baby stopped breathing for some reason we would be alerted immediately. With all the warnings about SIDS, it can be somewhat nerve-wracking to leave a baby in his crib by himself, but this monitor takes away the need to check on him every 5 minutes to make sure he's still breathing. It can also be used just as a sound monitor only, and it displays the room temperature on both of the mobile handsets it comes with. It's a little pricey, but the peace of mind it has given us (not to mention the peaceful sleep it enables us to have between nighttime feedings) has made it worth the money.

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4. The Snug-a-Bunny Swing

Why We Love It:  I did my research on swings, and this is the payoff. There are so many features I love about this thing, and it is great for those times when no other location in the house seems to do the trick of soothing a crying baby. First of all, the fact that it plugs in is a huge plus and saves us a ton of money on batteries. It is so soft and plush and has a little rattle that the baby can play with. The cradle can be set to swing from side to side or back and forth and there are 6 different speeds. There are 8 different tunes that are easy to listen to, unlike some swings/mobiles that have really obnoxious songs that drown out everything else in the room. And the mobile is really cute too, with a mirror underneath that the baby can look at. Brock likes relaxing in his Snug-a-Bunny throne.

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5. Swaddle Wraps 

Why We Love It: Let's just say these past six weeks would have been unliveable without the swaddle. You don't get much sleep with a newborn, but you get even less if you don't know how to swaddle because their arms are just uncontrollable and seem to be magnetically attracted to the sleeping baby's face, inevitably waking him up. Now, technically, you don't need special swaddle wraps because you can swaddle with a regular blanket, but if you happen to be swaddle-challenged like us and just never can get the blanket to work right, or if you have a Houdini baby like Brock who can somehow bust out of the best swaddle job, then these are highly recommended. We have two different brands, the Woombie swaddle (a little expensive but really easy) and the Summer Infant Swaddle Wrap (velcro wraps that aren't escape-proof but work really well). Brock is sleeping peacefully thanks to his swaddle.

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6. The Infant-to-Toddler Rocker

Why We Love It: Again with the transitional items, this little vibrating rocker chair can be altered so that as your baby becomes a toddler he doesn't outgrow his chair. I opted for this item instead of the typical bouncy seat, and I love it. The legs are the perfect height from the ground so that all I have to do is put my foot underneath the edge and raise my big toe up and down to keep the chair gently rocking. As lazy as that makes me sound, it is really great when I have things to do with my hands and can't bend over to bounce a seat for hours on end. It's very portable and great for times like when I need to take a shower but want to have Brock where I can keep an eye on him. It also has a little mobile that attaches for visual stimulation.

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7. The Diaper Caddy

Why We Love It: Technically, this was just a scrapbooking tote that wasn't being used at the time, but since we didn't have an actual "diaper caddy" like they sell at Babies-R-Us, this functioned nicely as one. This item falls under the lazy parent category again, but seriously when you're running on 2-3 hours of consecutive sleep at a time, these shortcuts are greatly appreciated. When Brock was sleeping in the bassinet in our room, this was great for those nighttime feedings. Our child poops approximately every 2.5 hours (no exaggeration) so after we were already in bed for the evening, we could expect to have to get up to change him at least 3 times a night. The diaper caddy at the foot of our bed made it so much more convenient for Blaine to change the baby at night after I would feed him. Now that we've moved Brock to his crib in his own room, the diaper caddy is kept downstairs in our living room for those times we just don't feel like walking up the stairs to the changing table.

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8. The Diaper Dekor

Why We Love It: Okay, as difficult as it might be to get excited about or sing the praises of a garbage can, this one really is a superior diaper pail. It's one of Blaine's favorite baby items, which is good because he's the one in charge of taking the full bags out to the trash. But I really do think it is superior to the Diaper Genie (no offense to the Diaper Genie supporters out there) just because of the hands-free step pedal you use to lift the lid, and there's no complicated twisting or pushing down of dirty diapers. A little trap door under the lid keeps the smell out perfectly, and it's so easy to change the bags. Yaay for garbage cans!

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9. The Sound Machine

Why We Love It: Sound machines may seem like a silly expenditure, but I'm pretty sure this little device helps our teeny, tiny one soothe himself to sleep. I love this one in particular because it has so many different sounds, it has a timer option or endless play, and it has a little projector that displays on the ceiling. The white noise options include a heartbeat, rain, and the ocean, but it also has three different lullabies you can play too. Brock likes the heartbeat and the ocean sounds. I fell asleep to the ocean sound coming through the monitor yesterday afternoon so if he ever outgrows it, I may find another use for it in my room.

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10. The First Years Feeding Seat

Why We Love It: Well, honestly, we haven't used this yet but I do think it's the best seat out there because I've had experience with others. We chose this instead of a high chair to save space and for portability. There are only three or four products like this that can be used from infancy to toddler years, and this one beats the others because it's easier to put together, easier to clean, easier to adjust, and allows the chair to still fit underneath the table when not in use. If you're in the market for one of these seats, this one is the way to go in my opinion.

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So those are our top ten favorite things. Burp cloths and bibs should probably go in there somewhere too since they make an appearance in every picture of Brock, the king of spit-up, but those things are kind of a given. All these things are really luxury items and aren't necessary for adequate childcare, but they really have made things easier for us, and I'll definitely be giving some of them as future gifts at baby showers!



What day is it?

Brock will be three weeks old tomorrow, and I'm not really sure where the past 21 days have gone. I actually had to look at the calendar to make sure that tomorrow is Saturday because our days have all kind of blurred together. Apparently, the combination of a lack of sleep and being a slave to some tiny, little person's 24-hour schedule make for a general haziness when it comes to an awareness of details like what day of the week it is. But we trudge on with our newborn, thankful at least that he takes great naps on a fairly regular basis, allowing us to have a few moments of sleep here and there.

Brock had some significant first experiences this week. He had his first diaperless poo-splosion (as Blaine referred to it). This was not such a great "first" in my opinion, but Daddy loved it (Daddy also cleaned it all up, so I was thankful for that). We successfully introduced a bottle this week, and I was very excited about that "first" because it meant the possibility of a little freedom for myself from time to time. During "tummy time" Brock has begun to be able to turn his head from one side to another, which is really one of those "firsts" that only a mom and dad are proud of or care anything about, but I wanted to document it anyway. Finally, Brock had his first real bath this week, and he was a big fan. You can really see his enthusiasm in the pictures below.

I'll close with some things I have learned in these first few weeks with a newborn...

• Swaddling is an amazing thing that every parent needs to know how to do. We try not to keep Brock swaddled all day just so that he will eventually learn how to use his arms, but it is very helpful for nap time and at night since his arms like to flail about and wake him up constantly.
• Pacifiers are extremely frustrating. I had planned not to use one but revisited my decision the second night in the hospital after Brock had been using me as a pacifier for nearly an hour (after feeding for an hour). They are helpful for soothing, but he just can't get the hang of keeping it in his mouth which makes him more irritated than before I gave it to him in the first place.
• Baby boys love to pee any time you take their diaper off. In the three short weeks he's been with us, I have already lost count of the number of times he has sprayed us or his surroundings. We're wising up now though and keeping him covered with a washcloth every time we change him.
• With babies, it is very rare that you feel like you know what you are doing. I've never questioned myself so often or been so unsure that I'm doing things the right way (or that there even is a right way!).
• Newborns are a little boring. I think whenever I imagined having my baby, I thought of him more as a 3 month old than a newborn because I envisioned him smiling and cooing at me and being able to do things. That is not the case though. Newborns do not do anything, except sleep, eat, and dirty their diapers... oh, and cry. I'm looking forward to getting a little return for all of my investment.
• It is really easy to love your baby. He may cry all night long or want to be fed every time he's awake or get poo all over me, but for some reason no matter how irritated or exhausted I get, all I have to do is hold him and look at him and I feel nothing but overwhelming love for this tiny little human that somehow came from me.

Not According to Plan (Brock's birth story)

Well, tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant. Oh, wait, no I won't because we have a 5 day old son now! Brock Grayson Vandegriff decided he was coming early so last Saturday, March 19, he made his entry into the world. The entire process was completely different than everything that I had expected, anticipated, or planned for and I was completely thrown for a loop, but the end result was a healthy, beautiful baby boy and an incredibly happy, new little family. In this blog, I thought I'd break down the actual experience that we had last Saturday. Warning: It's a long one because I wanted to remember every detail.

Friday Evening: I wasn't feeling anything out of the ordinary, no contractions or any indication that I had less than the expected 3 weeks until Brock arrived. We went to JC Penney to get Blaine some clothes and then had dinner at Carrabba's with some friends from church. My mom came over to visit when we got back home and still insisted that Brock was going to come early. We went to bed around 11:00 pm.

3:30 am, Saturday: My water broke while I was sleeping. Disoriented and a little confused I went to the bathroom and realized what had happened. I walked back to the bed and said with a little uncertainty, "Blaine, I think my water broke?" Blaine jumped out of bed ready for anything and asked what I needed him to do. I still wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next even though I'd been to the birthing classes, read 3 books on pregnancy, and made all kinds of plans. All I could think was My doctor is leaving to go out of town today; My mother-in-law is leaving to go out of town today; Blaine is supposed to go to Atlanta to teach today; I was supposed to clean my house today; We were supposed to have dinner with friends tonight; I'M NOT READY!!!

3:45 am, Saturday: I called my doctor's office to get the on-call doctor's number. I called the on-call number and a very kind nurse calmly explained to me that Dr. Brody was the on-call doctor and that she was putting in a page to him and would call me right back. In the meantime Blaine was busy starting the car, getting our things together, and playing the role of steady, level-headed rock that I desperately needed at that point. I had packed a bag for the hospital just three days before. This was so fortunate because I didn't even have the presence of mind to figure out what I was going to wear to the hospital. I stood crying, staring into my closet when Blaine asked what he could do to help, and I sobbed that I didn't know what shirt to put on. Where was the rational, calm, collected Shelby I always prided myself on being?? Still crying, I kept saying to Blaine, "I'm not ready; I had three more weeks."

4:00 am, Saturday: At this point the nurse had connected me to Dr. Brody (whom I had never met) and he informed me that I was going to have to come downtown to Erlanger because he was the only doctor on call and that he had two other deliveries to take care of there and wouldn't have time to make it to Parkridge for me. "Ok, thank you," I said. I hung up the phone and started crying even harder as I told Blaine we'd have to go downtown. I took the tour at Parkridge; I knew where to go at Parkridge; I had timed the drive from our house to Parkridge and knew what to expect; I don't even know where to park at Erlanger... the emergency room garage? the parking garage? As we headed out the door, I glanced around at my house and panicked again: My house is a wreck! I was going to clean today! I can't bring a baby home to this! We got in the car and headed downtown, Blaine calmly assuring me it would be okay and he would come home and clean everything.

4:30 am, Saturday: We made it to the emergency room and someone sent a nurse to get me a wheelchair. At that point, Blaine and I had to separate because he had to park the car. My rock was being taken away! I started to cry again and the nurse consoled me as she pushed me to the labor and delivery floor. All I could think was I hope Blaine knows where to go; What if he can't find me? I don't want him to be upset. They checked me into Triage and put me in a room by myself to examine me and figure out how far along I was. I heard Blaine's voice just a few minutes later so I was able to calm down some, and slowly my sanity started to return as I realized we made it to the hospital; we were in safe, knowledgeable hands now and everything would be okay. <Insert deep, dramatic, heavy sigh of relief here>

5:15 am, Saturday: Blaine was allowed to come back to be with me after they asked some personal questions they thought I might not want to answer in front of him (one in particular made me laugh "Is your husband the father of this baby?"). Blaine sat next to me holding my hand and said a quick prayer when we had a moment to ourselves. I was a little worried because the triage nurses seemed to be doubting whether my water had, in fact, broken since I wasn't still gushing or leaking and wasn't having any contractions. I was a little frustrated because the questions they were asking seemed to suggest that they thought I might have just peed myself instead. I told Blaine I was going to be so embarassed if that was the case, but I was pretty sure I could tell the difference. At 5:15, Dr. Brody came in, introduced himself, and did a pelvic exam where he confirmed that I was 4 cm dilated and even though he wasn't positive my water had broken, he was going to admit me and we were "having this baby today". Whew, at least I wasn't going to have to go back home in shame because I had confused incontinence for labor.

6:00 am, Saturday: I was moved to a labor and delivery room, given a popsicle, started on a Pitocin drip, and gained full recovery of the logical side of my brain. Blaine and I began to get really excited. The nurses, although numerous and constantly coming in and out of the room, were all so kind and compassionate. I was repeatedly asked whether I wanted to start my epidural yet, but I kept putting it off because I still couldn't feel any of the contractions that I was apparently having. I didn't want to start the pain relief until I actually had pain.

7:00 am, Saturday: Blaine and I called and texted our parents, siblings, and a couple of close friends to let them know what was going on and that we were in the hospital. Excitement was continuing to build.

10:00 am, Saturday: The resident doctor came to check to see if I was any more dilated and to make sure that my water didn't need to be manually broken (which I've heard is pretty painful). I had progressed to 5 cm and she couldn't feel the bag of waters anywhere so they decided they were going to put in an internal monitor to measure the intensity of my contractions since I still wasn't feeling any pain but they were coming in pretty regularly now. Ok, that was painful! Our nurse, Laura, couldn't get the internal monitor to insert correctly after several attempts and I was writhing every time she tried. Finally, Laura called a nurse tech to try because she had more experience and her "hands are smaller". Oh, please let the nurse tech get it right the first time. She did, thank goodness.

11:00 am, Saturday: I began to feel slight pain with my contractions so I went ahead and asked for the epidural since they had told me over and over how it could take a while to get it prepared and that I should ask for it before I was really needing it. I was told that the anesthesiologist was just about to start a C-section with another patient so it would be about an hour but they would get it to me as soon as possible. This was fine with me because I still wasn't hurting bad at all. Blaine was still by my side and displaying very un-Blaine-like characteristics, such as answering his phone every time it rang, responding to every text he received, sending out periodic text updates to people in the waiting room, and completely ignoring the French book he had brought in case he wanted to read or study (he constantly keeps a book with him everywhere we go so that he can take advantage of every free moment).

11:30 am, Saturday: Pain was starting to get stronger and contractions were getting closer together, but the anesthesiologist was still sitting in on the C-section, so nurse Laura gave me a temporary pain killer called Stadol. She told me before she administered it through the IV that people either love it or hate it because it can make you dizzy and loopy. And that it did. I had to keep my eyes closed, but I didn't hate the medication. It caused me to have a sort of out-of-body experience. At one point, I remember the thought coming into my head I think there is a baby in me that I have to get out today? and I remember at another point, I wasn't worried about my house anymore because I was able to get home and get it cleaned up. Stadol was an interesting experience.

12:00 pm, Saturday: The anesthesiologist made his grand entrance at noon. They set me up and he instructed me to relax my shoulders, rest my chin on my chest, and arch my back like an angry cat. He administered the local anesthetic which was just a slight sting with a warming sensation. Then came the epidural. "Relax your shoulders, rest your chin on your chest, arch your back... Relax your shoulders, rest your chin on your chest, arch your back." He repeated the mantra over and over and I found myself doing each action each time he said it. The epidural was over, my toes and legs began to warm and tingle, and then the lower half of my body became dead to the world. Ahhh, sweet relief. Alright, bring on the baby; I could do this forever.

1:00 pm, Saturday: Waiting...

2:00 pm, Saturday: Waiting...

3:00 pm, Saturday: Waiting...

4:30 pm, Saturday: Dr. Brody comes back in to check my progression and see if I have dilated anymore. When he informs us that I'm still only at 5 cm, I feel slightly disappointed. Then I'm blindsided once again. He tells me that by now I should have progressed more, and the baby should have dropped further into the pelvic floor. It has been more than 12 hours since my water broke, and the risk of infection to myself and the baby will go up from here. He has a suspicion that my pelvic cavity is too small to birth the baby, and I need to start considering the possibility of a C-section. Here come the tears again... ugh, I never knew I was such a cry baby! He says he'll come back in about an hour and check me once more, then we'll talk about our options. The doctor leaves, the news is sent to the family in the waiting room, Blaine and I talk it through with each other, I cry some more, Blaine and I pray together, and we decide this is what we want to do.

5:30 pm, Saturday: Dr. Brody joins us again, checks me, finds the same result, and takes a seat next to the bed. We discuss the risks and possible complications of C-sections and he asks what we want to do. I told him we were ready, and he tells me he's really excited about our decision because he's "read a lot of literature on this procedure and he's been dying to try it" (haha). So he initiates the protocol and a flurried frenzy of activity takes over the room that had been so quiet and boring for so many hours. For some reason I became extremely sleepy at this point. I don't know if it was the drugs, the anxiety, or just the relief of knowing this was all about to be over, but I could not hold my eyes open so I rested while nurses bustled all around me. I am prepped and given a stronger dose of anesthesia (which brought on the worst case of chills and shaking I've ever experienced) then moved to the operating room.

6:30 pm, Saturday: They roll me from my bed onto the operating table and stretch me out, crucifixion style, then hang up a curtain just above my abdomen in front of my face. Dr. Brody comes in and tells me he's a little upset because he just went to his locker and his Vodka bottle is empty (haha again), then he goes into his zone and I hear him setting everything and everyone up for the procedure. They bring in Blaine who looks completely adorable in his scrubs, hairnet, and Coach's shirt. I think how much I love him and how thankful I am that he's there with me.

7:18 pm, Saturday: Our son, Brock Grayson Vandegriff, is born. This is the exact point in time that our lives were turned upside down and everything we thought we knew about love was completely obliterated and replaced with a new definition. This 7 pound, 5 ounce little human joined our world and turned us into weeping, sentimental, anxious, overwhelmed parents all in an instant.

Nothing about that day went according to my plans, but at some point God put an impression on my heart that made me realize I am not the one in control of my life. I told Blaine that this was my first lesson in parenthood: I am not in control. We will be this child's guardians, his disciplinarians, his protectors. We will love him, teach him, scold him, and direct him, but we will never be able to control him. He is his own individual, and he will make his own decisions, and we will guide him and pray that he makes wise ones and that he will seek to honor us as his parents and that he will one day recognize his need for a Savior, but we have to trust God to be in control and take care of this little person from now on for the rest of his life. So ultimately, all those things that I thought went wrong about that day served to show me my smallness and to magnify the greatness of our God. What a day!

The Waiting Game

Ok, first of all, does anyone see the countdown ticker at the top of this blog and how it says our baby is the size of a watermelon now?! Judging by the way I feel, I don't doubt that one bit, but have you looked at a watermelon lately? That's basically what is inside my stomach... I really just can't completely wrap my mind around that (which is probably a good thing because then I'd be a lot more anxious than I already am about the birthing of this watermelon). Here we are though, 37 weeks, with nothing left to do now but wait.

I went to the doctor today and I am two centimeters dilated (same as last week) and about 70% effaced (10% more than last week). He seemed pleased with that but told me to keep my legs crossed this next week because he's going out of town on vacation. My mother-in-law will be out of town during this time too, so hopefully Brock stays put a little while longer. I haven't had any contractions yet, or well, if I have I'm not aware of what they feel like, but I've had every other discomfort in the book I think. The most recent development would be pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel which is basically tingling numbness in my hands that prevents me from doing anything where my fingers have to work together to complete a task: writing, picking things up, brushing my hair, etc. This pleasant little symptom apparently likes nighttime the best because it flares up with a vengeance while I'm trying to sleep. So now I not only have hip pain, a huge stomach, and a dime-sized bladder fighting to keep me awake at night but I can also add to that mix the thousand tiny needles that attack my hands every hour or so. I may actually get more sleep when the baby does finally come.

Speaking of hip pain, I'm pretty sure that Brock has taken up residence on my left hip. I think I've made my last pre-baby trip to the grocery store that I'll be able to make because I was almost certain I was going to have to get one of those motorized carts at Walmart when I went last week. Several times my hips would just lock up, which was incredibly painful and slightly embarassing as it would stop me in my tracks. I mostly played it off I think and would just pretend I saw something on the aisle I really wanted, but I'm sure my walking patterns looked odd to anyone who might have been paying attention.

So aside from the heartburn, overactive sweat glands, swollen hands and feet, and general exhaustion I'm feeling great! We got all of the baby clothes washed (thank you Mom for your help) and I finally got all of his tiny, little socks matched back together. The car seat is installed, the room is set up, and all the thank you cards have been completed and mailed out (considering all the gifts we received, that may be what brought on the carpal tunnel haha). I must give props to Blaine too for all of the extra help and attention he has given me lately; not to get all mushy, but I really am grateful for such a wonderful, caring husband to be my teammate in all this. At this point I think everyone is mostly ready for Brock to make his appearance, after next week of course. So now we're just waiting...

Everything but the Baby

It's getting closer and closer to delivery day (4 weeks to go!), and we have been showered with so many gifts from so many people. Both Blaine and I have been humbled by and grateful for all that we have received, and it has been such a huge blessing and help. I wanted to post a picture blog of his room now that we've pretty much gotten it all organized. I think we basically have everything in there but the baby now!   





The above picture is the view of Brock's room looking in from the doorway. I have one more thing to hang on the wall to the left of the window, a framed picture of dandelions blowing that my mom bought for us. The picture below is the view of the room from the opposite corner. Blaine recently installed the sliding mirror doors for the closet because the previous homeowners took out the closet doors in a couple of the bedrooms for some reason.  





This little corner of the room will be the nursing/reading/rocking corner. I love our glider rocker (as I posted in a previous blog), and we got a little lamp and cd player to complete the corner. You may also notice the diaper bag sitting in the chair which is being prepared for the trip to the hospital.



 

A lady at my church whose daughter is in our Sunday School class makes these personalized buckets that I absolutely love! They gave this to us as a shower gift filled with diapers and other little items. We're using it now to hold the stuffed animals Brock has so far.

 

It's probably a good thing that all the showers are over now because I don't know if we could fit much more in his closet. We are definitely stocked up on clothes, diapers, and wipes which I am so thankful for. I'm sure we'll go through all of it very quickly though. We also put up a small dry erase board next to the closet to help keep track of feeding and nap times or other important information. It's part of my Type A personality :)



One thing that we clearly have plenty of are socks! They are so tiny and cute. It is hard to imagine feet that are small enough to fit in those socks, but only a few more weeks and we won't have to imagine anymore. Brock has a few pairs of shoes already too. I can't wait to put those flip flops on him!





We're borrowing this bassinet from Brock's cousin, Anna, who was born back in November and has outgrown it now. It is sitting next to his crib in his room for now, but we'll actually move it to our bedroom for him to sleep in for the first few weeks after he comes home.

I was going to get some wooden letters to paint and hang Brock's initials above the changing table, but my stepmom went one step further and painted his entire first and middle name for us! I had no idea she was doing this, but they turned out great and it filled that blank spot on the wall perfectly. I love the varying patterns she did with the stripes too. Brock will have no excuse for not knowing how to spell his name now. :)

I think we're materially and physically ready for Brock now, but we're both still trying to prepare mentally as much as we possibly can. We'll be welcoming him soon though, and meanwhile the excitement, anxiety, and weird dreams about his arrival continue to increase.



What have I gotten myself into?!

It's been a few weeks since I updated the blog but mostly because there haven't really been any new developments to talk about. I've mainly just been feeling like the picture to the left indicates. However, after attending our first childbirth class last night I feel a blog update is definitely in order. We're going to be having Brock at Parkridge East hospital in East Ridge, and they offer several educational classes there for parents-to-be, so I signed Blaine and myself up for a "Prepared Childbirth" class that meets twice for three hours each time. The description of this class said it is for the parents "who aren't interested in floor excercises in breathing and relaxation and those who are pretty sure they want an epidural." Since I've known before I was ever even pregnant that I wanted an epidural and that I definitely didn't want to sit around with a bunch of other couples practicing Lamaze, I knew this was the class for us. I respect and admire all the women who do it naturally (my mom included), but that's never been a badge that I aspired to wear so I'll be saying "yes please" to the drugs... and especially after what we witnessed in that class last night!

The information we were given in the class was very helpful, and we were able to take a tour of the hospital to get more familiar with everything. It definitely increased our confidence in knowing what to expect and understanding what the procedures will probably look like. However, the birthing videos they showed the class have left me feeling a little uneasy and nervous. It must just be the impending certainty that looms over me as I get closer to the end of this pregnancy because I have seen childbirth videos before and was even present in the room when my sister-in-law gave birth back in November, but none of that has ever bothered me like those videos last night. Blaine and I both felt a little terror-struck as we learned about the stages of labor and saw the crowning babies. What have we gotten ourselves into??

I might not be as fearful if I hadn't had an ultrasound three weeks ago that seems to indicate our sweet little boy may be a slightly large baby. At 30 weeks, all of his measurements averaged out to be 31 weeks and 5 days which means he is measuring 12 days larger than how many weeks old we think he is. The doctor estimated Brock's weight to be about 4.3 pounds and said that he will gain about a half a pound a week from here on out. For those of you who don't do fast math, that's an expected weight gain of 5 more pounds meaning I could end up with a 9 pound human that I have to somehow get out of my body! Nine pounds... please let the doctor be wrong. But even if the weight is wrong, Mr. Brock already looks to have a slightly large head. The first ultrasound below was Brock's head at 22 weeks. The picture underneath that one is the most recent ultrasound at 30 weeks. You may notice the measurement chart on the left of the picture. The BPD (biparietal diameter) measurement, or the measurement from one side of the head to the other (ear to ear), indicates a gestational age of 35 weeks and 4 days! At 30 weeks, one of the measurements of my child's head is 35 weeks and 4 days! Fortunately the average of all the head measurements only put him at about 32 weeks or so, but good grief... I may just need to prepare myself for a big baby with a large head, two things that I had actually been hoping against.

So now we're nearing the end and maybe entering into a little bit of freak-out mode. It's scary to think of the actual birthing process but scarier still to think that we'll be bringing this new little person home with us and we'll be responsible for him like we've never been responsible for any other person before. It occurred to me as I was clipping my nails the other day that soon I will have someone else's nails to worry about and that I will have to be responsible for this other person's nails for at least the next 10 years (maybe 20 years if he is like his father haha). It is a bit overwhelming.. exciting and awe-inspiring and humbling and amazing, yes... but also overwhelming. I just keep repeating to myself the mantra that I have heard over and over from countless other parents, "It's all worth it." I sure hope so because on this side of things it is one scary-looking ride ahead!