week/weekend are one in the same

happy weekend, everyone... the weather has finally started to change here in the DC area, and it's rather on the chilly side today... i was out briefly this morning w/deck - had to run something up to my mom's friend's house so he was introduced to a bunch of people (he was sleeping and stayed in his car seat)... i was able to nurse right before we left, so he slept both ways - can't imagine what it will be like when the trip is longer than 2 hours...

eric went to the john stewart "rally for sanity and/or fear" so i was by myself all day... guess this will be good practice for when he goes back to work in a week or so - i know he can't stay home forever, but the mere fact that he's here with me has made all the difference in the world... he can't help with feedings, but has been great with everyone else and knowing i'll have to handle everything, on my own, is terrifying... i get upset just thinking about it... i get upset after my mom leaves too, but i think i'm just over-emotional right now... i haven't had any other bad feelings so i'm hoping they pass soon and if not, then i will talk to my doctor (have my 2-week checkup on monday)...

my mom came over on thursday which was nice - i've been enjoying her visits because it's nice to see her with deck and to get advice, even if i don't agree with everything she says... she is old-fashioned about so many things - covers, tummy sleeping, baths, etc. and doesn't understand why they say not to do this or that, so i have to explain what the pediatrician/books say... she just rolls her eyes... she did some cleaning and laundry, then we got out for a walk since the weather was so nice... i made spaghetti for dinner and then she went home, which like i said above - made me very sad... course i get sad thinking about her not being around when deck is older too, but that's just me... :(

nighttime is still a challenge - he gets rather fussy at night and then doesn't want to settle until midnight or 1:00 am... then we're up between 3:00-4:00 and again around 7:00-8:00, then it's the normal feedings/sleeping during the day... i've been feeling pretty decent during the day and haven't napped, but will do so when i feel the need... i guess i'm doing okay on the 5-6 hours that i've been getting so far...

a friend of mine stopped by for a visit earlier today - she brought homemade sauce, pasta, and a bottle of wine which was very thoughtful! it was nice having company and someone to talk too - deck was awake for a little bit, but then had lunch and went to sleep... she snapped this cute shot of us before leaving and thought i'd share... :)

happy saturday...



schedules

deckard is sleeping so i thought i'd take advantage of some free minutes and write a quick post... sunday was his 1-week birthday - it is going by so quickly and yet, some moments drag-on like early morning feedings... last night was the longest so far, between the feeding before bed and the first one of the morning - at 3.5 hours... i feel like a new person when i'm able to get over 5 hours of sleep and being it's hard for me to nap during the day - i really look forward to evenings and start crashing around 9:00... any advice on sleeping during the day if you're NOT a napper? i never have been... :(

we had our 2nd appointment w/the pediatrician on monday - his weight was down an ounce so she gave advice on how to do better feedings (15-20 minutes on both sides)... being that he's producing more soiled diapers now - things could be evening-out, and hopefully by next tuesday his weight will be up... since she didn't do the heel-prick test (his weight needs to be closer to his birth-weight), we opted to get flu shots instead... my arm is still sore! ouch!

today's agenda: taking pictures of deckard so i can order his announcement, and painting a set of wooden letters that i bought for the nursery... that's about it... not sure if we'll get a walk in or not, since it's raining, so it may be a lazy day inside (nothing new as of late)... :)

happy hump day...



birth story

sorry that it's taken me this long to post anything - it's been a crazy week to say the least... i can't believe that around this time last sunday, i was about to give birth to deckard - it seems like an eternity and yet, sometimes it still feels like yesterday... i'm trying to take everything in, as best i can, and enjoy all these precious moments because i know he will grow-up fast and all this newness will be just a memory...

now to the birth story... it pretty much started on saturday morning when i woke up - was feeling kinda crampy, but nothing bad and they weren't consistent... i managed to get thru the rest of the day, did some last-minute stuff around the house, watched a movie with eric, and we went to bed around midnight... needless to say, i was pretty uncomfortable and was starving around 2:30 so i went to the kitchen and had myself a brown sugar and cinnamon poptart and glass of milk... i never went back to sleep because around 4:00, the cramps (which were really contractions, i just didn't know it) started to become more regular... imagine having the worst cramps of your life, times 10, coming every 8-10 minutes, and hurt more than anything you've ever experienced! wow! around 5:00, i woke-up eric and told him that he better take a shower while i called the doctor... he told me since i lived so close to the hospital, it would be best to stay home until the pain was around a 10 and the contractions lasted for 1 minute... i struggled thru the next hour, then took a shower, and got things ready - we were out the door at 6:30...

we got to the hospital and i was admitted rather quickly since i was up to 4-5cm, and i told them rightaway that i wanted an epidural... i was taken to a birthing room and made as comfortable as possible, even though nothing would help at that point... i can remember barely being able to concentrate on anything and just trying to get thru each contraction by breathing... when the doctor got there around 10:00, and i was up to 7cm and soon the anathesilogist came and began the epidural (yay for drugs!)... it wasn't the best experience and it was very hard to sit hunched over on the bed, while having contractions, and trying to relax so the guy could stick a needle in my spine... lets just say by the time meds started kicking-in, i was a much happier person...

by 3:00, i was up to 10cm so they decided it was time for me to start pushing... this continued for about 2.5 hours and though progress had been made, it was apparent that the baby's head was just not going to fit thru my pelvis... the doc said i had 2 options - continue to push, even though it probably wouldn't help, or have a cesarean... the baby wasn't in any danger and neither was i, but his head was starting to get swollen from trying to squeeze thru an area that wasn't made for him... i had a good cry on the hospital bed - i was so exhausted and disappointed that i wouldn't get to experience the joy of "giving" birth in the normal sense... i tried for another 1/2 hour and after still no progress, i gave the go-ahead and they began prepping me for surgery...

the next 1/2 hour flew by very quickly and i remember being wheeled into the OR around 7:00 and deckard was born around 7:16... i couldn't see anything or touch him, but eric was right there and was able to tell me that he was perfect... he cried and peed on the nurse (a good sign) and about 5 minutes later, they handed him to eric and i got to see my little, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, baby boy... perfect in every way and eyes wide-open... that had to be the most awesome moment of my life - nothing has or ever will come close...

the next few days in the hospital were trying, to say the least, i was in a great deal of pain and couldn't move much so eric did most of the first diaper changes... by day 2, i was able to have solid foods again and take a shower, and they wanted me up and moving around which was incredibly hard... it was hard to sleep since i was being checked-on every 2 hours, and both deckard and i were learning the breastfeeding ropes, which has been it's own struggle (but improves everyday)... the pediatrician gave him the thumbs-up on wednesday morning and my OB gave me the "all clear" as well (my white blood cell count had been pretty high the day before) so we were ready to go home... :)

today is the 4th full-day that we've been home - it has been the most trying, exhausting, and incredible experience having a baby... i still look at him when he's sleeping and wonder how he ever fit in my belly, and laugh every time he has the hiccups because he had them while i was pregnant... i can't stand it when he cries and want to hold him and comfort him - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't... i haven't been the best at sleeping when he sleeps, but know i need to work on that so i don't run myself ragged...

eric has been incredible through everything - from the moment i said "i think i'm labor" to just now when i told him i found the binky that i had thought i'd lost and was in tears because i felt so stupid... he's been up with me during feedings, a champ a diaper changing, wonderful at singing him to sleep, and just overall an incredible husband and father which i knew he always would be... my mom has also been an incredible help and was here friday and saturday doing things around the house and spending time w/her first grandson - she is beyond thrilled and to see her hold him just melts my heart... :)

tomorrow we go back to the pediatrician and then who knows what the week will bring... i'm excited, scared, and just nervous with anticipation, but i guess this is normal new parent stuff, huh? who would've thought that after 39 years - i can finally say that i'm a mom and that my ultimate dream has finally come true...

i love you, deckard james weakland, with everyone ounce of my heart and soul...

xo

http://weaklandfamily.smugmug.com/













Introducing

Deckard James Weakland
10/17/10
7 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches

We are doing great, but am exhausted... Will update soon! :)



day 4

funny how i really didn't think that i'd be home this ENTIRE week and not go into labor... apparently, the doctor isn't really worried either since everything looked fine at my checkup yesterday - the little bugger is moving fine, head is still in position, and i'm up to 2cm and 80% effaced... i'm going to stop saying, "could be anytime now" and just focus on monday being THE day, as it's been planned all along... i am still secretly hoping for tomorrow (since my doctor is on-call) but again, anything is possible at this point... so, stay tuned my friends... :)

so what have i been doing all week? besides sleeping-in (which has been wonderful) - i've walked on the treadmill everyday, watched a million cooking shows, gone grocery shopping, cleaned, and organized... there's really not much else i can do at this point besides wait... and wait some more... /sigh/

hope you're having a more productive week than me! :)

happy thursday...



Yup, he's still in there

i started walking on the treadmill yesterday (30-minutes) thinking that would help move things along, and did so today as well... it's kinda nice to be able to watch tv at the same time because the time just flies by! this afternoon, i went to homegoods and the grocery store - apparently, all the stay-at-home moms and expectant mothers had the same idea because that store was a bit crazy... i picked up a bundle of washcloths and some stuff for dinner - then came home, watched ellen, and now i'm watching oprah... don't be jealous - i've been quite bored honestly... :(

tomorrow is my last appt. with the OB so we'll see how much progress i've made this week... i keep looking at the "who's on call" list and have picked my ideal doctor/day (weds or fri), but we all know that isn't how it will happen (one can wish though)... and who schedules inductions at 6:00am, on a monday, anyway... :(

well, time for my afternoon snack - i found some mutsu apples this wekened and they have been super yummy with peanut butter... :)

happy tuesday...



nothing new

so much for a 10/10/10 baby... i'm still hanging in there and wonder what i'm going to do on my first day-off (eric's going to work)... i'm sure i can find something to do around here, and going for a walk will be my first priority... :)

7 days and counting...



last day until january 2011

this could be my final update (who knows at this point):

  • current weight: 206.4
  • gained so far: 35.6 pounds
  • how many weeks: 38
today is my last day in the office... besides random people stopping-by to say goodbye and wish me well, it's been pretty normal... i was able to get my last big project off to the printer AND my boss was able to tell me that i got a 9.9% raise! holy cow! during my review last week, she mentioned that HR was going to do this salary-comparison thing and apparently, it worked to my advantage... i will say some extra thank-you's in my prayers tonight because i feel really truly blessed to have a good job (in this economy), a great boss, and awesome coworkers... :)

in pregnancy news, i felt pretty bad yesterday - lower back pain, tired, and sluggish... i really thought "this could be it" but of course, it wasn't... when i got home - all i wanted to do was take a bath so while eric made quiche for dinner, that's exactly what i did... then we watched some tv, and then i layed down on the bed and watched 'alien' for the 100th time... it had to have been almost 1:00 by the time i fell asleep, but not waking-up during the night helped and i've felt okay today... so far, so good... :)

weekend plans: breakfast at a friend's house tomorrow morning and then i told eric that we should take some things to goodwill... the weather in DC sounds amazing - sunny and in the lower 70s - so i hope to enjoy the sun for a bit, or at least be outside for a while... maybe i'll go for a walk too since they said that can help "move things along"... i haven't exercised in a while and really should because i certainly won't be able too after this guy is born (for a few weeks anyway)...

well, that's all i have for right now... hope you're having a good friday and have a fabulous weekend! :)



no news is good news

my weekly appointment was non-eventful, probably the least one so far... i'm still 1.5cm and when i asked if he thinks i could go earlier than 10/18 (like 2 other doctors have said), he replied "i don't know"... what kind of answer is that!?!? i KNOW he doesn't know, but give me something more than that - geesh! i've known this guy for over 10 years, so i was hoping he'd be more honest with me but i guess there's not much else to say at this point... the sono looked good, the NST looked good, and i'm measuring exactly where i should be at 38-weeks... i was also given some paperwork to take to the hospital with me, as well as the induction info which states i have to be there at 6:00am... good grief! hopefully it will happen sooner but if not, at least it's before rush-hour and close-by... :)

i didn't get to work until after 1:00, so i picked-up an egg salad samich on the way in and then did some work... nothing like a short afternoon! i plan on hitting target for a few things before heading home, and then i have plans of doing nothing... awesome! i can't tell you how great that is to say! :)

happy hump day!



hurry up

I AM SO READY TO HAVE THIS BABY!!!

okay, maybe not READY ready, but i'm tired of feeling uncomfortable, and not being able to move around, and getting up to pee during the night, and feeling like a stuffed-pig... enough already... i have my weekly appointment tomorrow so let's hope i've progressed since last week (1.5 cm) - stay tuned... :)

this weekend was really busy for both eric and i... we started off with breakfast at the diner on saturday morning and then i headed to the salon for my day of pampering... i got a bikini wax, haircut, and pedicure, and boy was it nice to just sit and relax for a change... i heard all sorts of baby/kid stories during those few hours so that was pretty fun... i also made my next two appointments including foil-highlights in december so i'm all funked-up before coming back to work... :)

on my way home, i stopped at the mall to have some security tags taken-off my nursing tops i bought last week then went to target to pick-up a few things... i needed to pee and upon doing so, (TMI) found some brown spotting/mucus and high-tailed it home... i knew since it wasn't bright red that i was okay and i hadn't been feeling crampy or back-achy so upon reading, it was probably the passing of my mucus plug... i WAS a bit freaked-out when i got home and told eric, "i'm not ready" and he goes, "yes, we are - stop worrying"... and that i did and proceeded to clean the bathroom, do laundry, organize more stuff in the nursery, and swap our summer/winter bedding... on sunday - i was still pretty motivated and went to the grocery store, made banana bread, did more laundry, and then my mom came down to help iron/hang curtains and do some final organizing in the baby's room... we watched both the steelers and redskins game, and then eric made ham, potatoes, and green beans (from our garden) in the crockpot for dinner... my back was really hurting by the end of the day so i took a hot bath and then sat in the chair with the heating pad for a while... needless to say, i slept like a baby (pardon the pun)... :)

as for work - my last day is friday so only 3 more days to go... i finished a big report this morning and technically - there's nothing else pending or on my plate right now... my boss told me on friday (during my review) that's she's not sure what they'll do without me, and says to call if i get bored... ha, right... i have too many projects on my to-do list and worrying about work doesn't even make it to the top-20... ;)

so that's it for now... hope you're having a good week!



couch before/after

and these are my couch and chair... :)









bathroom before/after

just getting around to posting these, sorry...