Almost There!

Cian is 8 months and 4 days old and I am so close to being back to my pre pregnancy weight (the weight I’ve more or less been since 16).  My waist is almost back to what it was before as well.  Very impressive and shocking since I haven’t exercised much or eaten well overall.  It seems that every time I am motivated to get back into shape, I happen to get a cold.  And there goes that motivation. 

Well I am motivated again.  To swim a few times a week and to plan our meals in advance.  We were across the water this past weekend to go to a graduation ceremony, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I do end up getting sick.  And then there would go my motivation again and it would set me back a couple weeks (my colds usually turn into sinus infections).  Chris thinks he may be getting sick (oh no!). 

This past weekend there was an almost six month old there.  He was a little under average and still bigger than Cian.  In some ways it’s nice that Cian is so little, but it does worry me.  The doctor said just as long as he’s gaining weight.  But what if he’s not gaining enough?  What if he’s not getting enough nutrition?  I wonder how much of it has to do with his bad reflux.  It was getting better and it seemed to have stopped, but he’s been spitting up again.  Not as bad as before, but I wonder if it’s food related.  Today starts our eating well again (I’ve started several times, so hopefully it sticks this time).

He’s such a fast learner.  Cian recognizes the names of the animals (their given names). I think he’s said Mama a few times, but I don’t know when to count it as official. He’s been crawling for almost two months now.  The last few weeks, he’s been pulling himself up to stand next to everything.  Lately he’s been doing it all the time.  He’s getting pretty good at it.  I really think he’ll be walking by ten months.  I’m  not even pushing him to walk.  As exciting as that will be, I know I’ll miss when I could put him down and not worry about him moving.  The transition between me being able to put him down without him crying and him moving around only lasted a couple weeks, if even that.  He’s moving all over and curious about everything.  He likes to make his rounds around the house.  He's learned that the bookcase near the kitchen has some fun books/catalogs to pull out.  And that cords are a lot of fun, so Mommy has to keep them hidden or doors closed.  And that the pantry has a lot of fun things in it, so Mommy has to keep that closed as well.  Oddly enough, I’ve kept my house cleaner now than before Cian was born.  I guess I have to or else everything would end up in his mouth.  But not just in terms of having things picked up, I’ve actually been cleaning it a lot more (vacuuming, etc).

Previous Post

According to my computer clock, I submitted my blog entry at 11:59 PM on Saturday, July 14th.  Unfortunately, it posted it as Sunday, July 15th, at midnight.  Cian is technically 6 months and 1 day old. 

Well, since I just had to start a new entry explaining why, I might as well write about his day.  We woke up relatively early for us.  We went an hour north to get (hopefully) yummy meat from a ranch.  We barely made it home in time to feed him and then head to Sears to get his pictures done.  I found a great deal on Groupon.  Unfortunately he had his shots on Friday(funny how 6 months prior was a Friday the 13th, the day I was induced).  He’s a little fussy for a few days after the shots.  That with being sleepy and not liking the bright flash made an unhappy boy.  Probably not the best day for us to have taken him, but we wanted pictures done actually on his 6 month.  He was a happy baby when he was on the other side of the camera and was being held. 

I just can’t get over this little guy. 

*I never reread my previous post to check for any errors as I was trying to get it in before midnight.  So perhaps double fail.

Oh where has the time gone…

My little guy is 6 months old today!  What better time than to finally tell his birth story!  Before we get started with that, a little about his doctor visit.  He saw his pediatrician yesterday for the standard 6 month check up.  Weight was 13lb 11oz (2.15%), height was 24.75” (4.75%), and head circumference was 16.54” (10.4%).  He rolled over from back to front at 4.5 months, laughed at 5 months, and started sitting up on his own by 6 months.  I have been really blessed with a great baby (hopefully he will continue to be awesome well into adulthood).  Now for the story about his journey into this world:

Cian was due on the 30th of January.  We had our usual check up on the 9th (37 weeks along).  Well, after she looked at Cian, she told me that I should be induced.  My placenta had matured too fast (he wasn’t gaining enough weight, but don’t panic), so how did the end of the week sound?  Oh my, I had never felt so unprepared in my life.  We at least had the car seat, but we still needed other things for him as well as for myself.  Friday the 13th was going to be the day of my induction.

My birthing plan: water birth, no epidural, just gas and air as needed.

Thursday night came and Chris let me know that our visas would not be renewed as initially planned.  Meaning, we had to be out of the country by the 31st of January.  Oh joy!  But nothing we could do, because we had to get ready for the hospital.  I had to be checked in by 8, but I wasn’t actually admitted until about 9.  I had my first membrane sweep around 9:30 and the little strip of something to induce me was inserted right after.  Then came the waiting game.  A lot of waiting.

I couldn’t sit still.  I was uncomfortable and in a bit of pain.  I was thankful that Chris got to be with me for most of it.  The food was good.  The midwives were great.  They would check me to see how my progress was every few hours.  Not a lot was happening, though, besides the pain increasing.  It was nighttime and Chris had to leave.

Chris had been writing all these details about the hospital stay, but since we left Belfast, I have no idea where that notebook currently is.  So, I’m doing all of this off of memory. 

My midwife that I had during my pregnancy was now on duty.  Around 2 a.m., the strip got to be checked to make sure it was still in place and I had another membrane sweep.  Tears were streaming down my face, as I was in so much pain.  That was really hard for her to do since she actually knew me.  She offered me pethidine (not sure if it’s in the U.S., but it’s a painkiller injection) and I took her up on that without hesitation.  There went part of my birthing plan, but that didn’t bother me.  I was prepared to be flexible.  I hadn’t been able to sleep, but the pethidine helped me get a couple of hours in.  I woke up and was in so much pain.  Time had gone by so fast during the day but at night it just dragged on and on.  My midwife checked on me again around 4 a.m.  I thought I got another shot of pethidine sometime after that, but I don’t recall when.

Luckily the obstetrician I had during pregnancy was able to be there in the morning, but unfortunately right away she would be trying to make my waters break again.  Thankfully at 8:15 a.m., an hour before she was due to arrive, my waters broke.  The midwives had a shift change, so I had a new midwife.  Chris actually arrived a few minutes beforehand.  Chris got the midwife to check me.  I had heard contractions are super painful after being induced, and I completely agree.  I was begging for the epidural.  The midwife told me that it was too early for that.  I guess the epidural slows down the labor and would wear off before the actual giving birth part if given too early. 

Have I mentioned how much pain I was in?  Gas and air was NOT helping in the least bit.  She asked if I’d like her to check to see if I was dilated enough to get that epidural.  This wasn’t that much longer, but I think she just asked me for my benefit.  I don’t think she expected me to be ready for a while.  So, she checked and was like, oh we better get the anesthesiologist in here right away.  Maybe I was about 5cm at that point.

The anesthesiologist came in and got me hooked up.  I had to sit up on the side of the bed.  My body was trying to push that baby out and there was nothing I could do to stop it.  The midwife kept telling me not to push.  I couldn’t control it!  Nothing I could do!  The anesthesiologist was great with setting the epidural up.  But apparently he told Chris that he didn’t think the epidural would take effect in time.  I was so thankful for that epidural.  I still had the feeling that I was having contractions, just not the actual pain.  This made it great for the rest of my labor.  Probably a little after 11 a.m., it was time to start pushing.  Half an hour later, at 11:41, Cian Benjamin was born.  I was given a shot and out popped the placenta.  Cian was apparently waiting to pee until he was out because he started peeing for a very long time.  Then he was put on my chest and peed again for a very long time.  I was filthy, but I didn’t care.  I could only look at this tiny baby that Chris and I had created.

I was taken to the ward.  Chris could only be there during visiting hours, which was unfortunate.  It was hard for him to leave us.  Cian and I got to spend the night and we were discharged Sunday afternoon.  I had a couple of tears and lacerations.  I was definitely in bed for at least a week.

Fitness Fun

My goal is to lose 25 pounds in 3 months.  On Monday, I started this 5k 7-week training schedule for beginners.  I am so out of shape (on land at least).  I don’t think I’ve run consistently since freshman year of college.  I picked this schedule as it starts off fairly easy.  Monday started off with 15 seconds of running followed by 45 seconds of walking for 30 minutes.  I was ready to be done after 5 minutes, but I pushed through and finished!  It really doesn’t help that I live in a hilly neighborhood.

In junior high, my fastest mile around a track was 6:35 (2 mile cross country under 15).  I hated running, but I was pretty good at it.  I still hate running but now I’m super slow.  Hopefully I’ll be able to run a mile in less than 10 minutes after the 7 weeks.  I’m doing the Warrior Dash at the end of July.

Now off to do day 3…

Reflux

As you may be aware, Cian is not gaining as much weight as he should be.  At 1 month he was 10.42%, at 2 months 2.93%.  At our 2 month visit, he was given a reflux medicine and I was told to bring him back for a weight check in 2-4 weeks.  Last week I changed his appointment to 2 weeks later as he was still spitting up a lot.  At his weight check appointment, he was at 9 pounds 1.5 ounces (he gained 6 ounces), but his weight percentile was down to 1.67%.  His doctor put him on a reflux medicine that is a step up from the one he was on.  He also has an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow to make sure there is nothing wrong with the muscle that opens and closes the stomach. 

If you remember, at his 2 month appointment, the doctor wanted me to feed him whenever he wanted to eat.  Well, I think Cian heard what she said because that next day I was feeding him almost every hour.  Then last Friday, I decided to actually record the times of feeding.  I stopped doing it when I got to Arizona at 2 weeks since he had a hearty appetite and was eating plenty.  Well, during one session, he ate for 1.5 hours straight.  My poor nipples.  I am really thankful that he actually latches on properly or else that would have been unbearable. 

I guess the reflux causes him to be fussy when he eats sometimes.  Lately he has been scratching my chest all up.  I used mittens once, which really helped.  The thing is, is that I don’t remember that I forgot to grab them until he starts scratching me and by then it’s too late.  And I keep forgetting to trim his fingernails.  They are really sharp and painful.  At least he isn’t scratching up his own face.

Still have so much more to write for the next few times.  Next up my weight goal and exercise plans.

Books!

I never realized how useful the library was until now (and how much money it will save me).  Growing up, I would just check out reading books for entertainment.  I’ve been looking into a lot of home improvement type and language books on Amazon (I have sooo many saved for later that the library also has).  To give you an idea of how intense my list is, I have 50 already checked out and about 70 on hold or waiting and still so many more I haven’t requested yet.  Thank goodness the library has a 100 book limit.  The books I have so far are decluttering and organizing, landscaping, gardening, and German.  I also was able to check out several cd’s to learn German.  I figure Chris can listen to it on his commute.  We’re going to be on a tight budget, so it’s exciting that I can also check out Kindle books for free!  That will save us quite a bit of money.  It’s so easy to buy books on the Kindle without realizing how much it adds up.

Cian still likes to be with someone at all times.  It may only last a few more months, but I should actually do something productive during that time.  I am thinking about getting more language books/cd’s from the library, specifically Spanish and Arabic.  Also, this way I’m not on the computer all day and not tempted to buy things on Amazon.  My goal is to do a half hour a day, at least three days a week for each language, including German.  One semester of college, I had Spanish class right after German class.  In Spanish class, I would think in German but then had to speak in Spanish.  It will be interesting to see how this will work out.  There’s a German school in north Seattle that I’d like to put Cian in.  It would be in place of the public elementary school here, but so far they only have preschool through second grade. 

Speaking of Cian, we bought a used jogging stroller for really cheap from a coworker.  I tried it out for the first time today and love it!  I like how easily it moves.  Cian was a little fussy before we left, so I was pleasantly surprised that he calmed down once we started our walk.  He looked so adorable in his snow suit.  I’ll try and take a picture next time.

I still have his birth story to write about, but next time I’ll probably write about the organizing of my house, specifically the pantry.  It’s going to be epic.  I’m excited!  And also of the house projects we had/will have done.

2 Months!

My little Irish boy is two months old today.  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long.  The story of his birth will come later.

Stats:

Weight:  Birth – 6lb 1oz, 1 Month – 8lb 2oz (10.42%), 2 Month – 8lb 12oz (2.93%)

Height:  Birth – 19.7” , 1 Month – 20.5” (12.47%), 2 Month – 21.25” (3.94%)

Head:  Birth – 12.6”, 1 Month – 14.02” (7.12), 2 Month – 14.49” (3.48%)

He had his 2 month wellness check today.  I noticed he has been getting bigger, so I was disappointed to see that he did not gain as much as he should have.  He was a tiny baby to begin with.  It is hard to believe that babies are being born that are bigger than he is.  He still fits in his newborn size clothing, though not when I have cloth diapers on him.  He is right on the edge of them being too small for him.  And here I was afraid of the clothes only fitting for the first two weeks, if even.

At his appointment, he was given a prescription to help with reflex.  We will see the doctor in three weeks to see how that is working and to make sure he is gaining enough weight.  I am supposed to feed him whenever he wants to eat, even if it is just for comfort.  He also had his first set of shots today.  He only cried for about a minute.  So far no fever or loss of appetite.  When we got home, he was eating for over an hour.  And if he wants to eat that long every time, I have to let him because of doctor’s orders.  And yes, I am producing plenty of milk, so it i not because he is not getting enough during a feed.  And we figured out how to properly latch on and feed pretty fast (thank goodness!). 

At 4 weeks old, he rolled over.  At 7 weeks old, he stood up on Chris.  He has the strength to stand, just not the balance and coordination.  I think he has pretty good head control.  He has been able to lift his head for a while now.  He smiled at Chris and me once (on separate occasions), though it was not a full smile like he does when sleeping.  It will come eventually.

There is still so much more I can write!  He always wants to be in contact with someone.  Guess I better enjoy it now since he is not going to want to much longer.  I wish I could just freeze him at this age.  He is so adorable, and I am not just saying that because of a bias.  He definitely has my ears and probably my lips.  I am hoping he will have my eye color as well.  His eyes are so pretty right now.  They’re the dark blue/grey but with light blue around the pupil. 

I really should update more so my updates are not so long.  It has been a bit hectic, though, these past few weeks.  Our carpet was replaced last Friday, so we had to bring everything down to the garage.  Basically only the furniture has been brought back up.  I am still sleeping on an air mattress.  And I cannot really do much during the day in terms of putting things away since Cian can’t go more than half an hour without realizing that he’s alone.  I have a sling, which he loves to be in, but it is hard to do much with him in it.  So now my only opportunity to get anything done is to hand him off to Chris in the evening.  It is going to be a long, slow process.  But on a good note, we love our new carpet!  We were not sure how we would like the color we chose.  The sample looked so dark against our old carpet color.  It did not turn out as dark as we thought and we actually like this color in the house better than the previous one.  Also, our master bedroom is now painted, as well as the master bath and Cian’s bedroom.  Our room is a light blue/grey color, bathroom is a light tan, and Cian’s room is green on one wall and blue on the rest.  Our house is slowly coming back together.  More on life in Belfast, trip to Arizona, Arizona, trip to Washington, and our first few weeks back home later.  But first I will leave you with a few pictures.  Enjoy!