Feels good
to be back from four days in Leavenworth and to have this week dedicated to the move. We had a great time with some friends and witnessed two of them getting hitched. I love love!
We stayed in a house with three other couples, another toddler right around Foster’s age, and a six week old. This was the first time we’ve really seen Foster around an infant and he was quite enamoured. Adorable! It was also pretty stinkin’ cute seeing Foster and the other toddler together. I’m curious what tricks they picked up from each other. We’ll see!
I’m looking forward to closing my eyes tonight and working on some packing tomorrow. Need to track down some boxes…
Blowing kisses, pt. 2
Missed last night’s post… Guess I’ll do two today. And maybe look into some sort of app to make posting more convenient.
This guy does the blowing kisses thing like a pro now. So much so that he likes to pull the assist after he’s “blown” his to help you out with blowing yours. He’ll put his paws up on your mouth so you can kiss them then he pulls them away. He still lacks the blowing part after kissing his hands and pulling them away, but that’s coming soon.
He’s also had a recent explosion in sound combinations. He babbles like crazy and makes some of the funniest noises. Then, when others are speaking, he focuses in as if he’s absorbing all the words and cataloging them for later. Maybe one of these days he’ll just start blurting them all out and we’ll be left all wide-eyed. We’ll see.
Hey I know! Let me take note of the words/signs/noises he’s using:
words: bye-bye, mama, yeah, wow, meow (except with a b at the start so it’s more of a beow)
signs: lights on/off, more, food, all done, waves bye-bye, waves i love you, fan, blows kisses, claps; recognizes: milk, book/read
noises: clicks tongue, flaps lips, covers top lip with bottom and blows out a puff of air, smacks kisses, other general baby/toddler screaming/babble/stuff. Turns out it’s hard to describe onomatopoeias!
Bananas Foster
This speaks for itself…
Blowing kisses
I can’t believe just how quickly the past year+ has passed! Between figuring out just what motherhood means for me and raising a wonderful little fella, I put this blog on the back burner. Recently I’ve had a recurring thought that I should really be writing down the daily new things Foster does that I won’t recall 30 years from now, like when he first put his arms through his sleeves while getting dressed or when he first successfully used his spoon. I’ve set a goal of nightly writing ritual to jot these little things down (as well as other musings and inspirations). Tonight’s thing: blowing kisses.
For a while now Foster has given kisses when prompted with “Can you give momma (or Daddy or Grammy or Abu or Aunt Silly or etc.) a kiss?” Granted, they’re open mouthed sloppy baby kisses, but kisses that melt your heart nonetheless. He’s also a big fan of hugs. Another thing we can add to the list of affectionate actions we love is blowing kisses! He did it for the first time a couple days ago and immediately I wondered if he just did what I thought he did. Sure enough! A few times yesterday and repeatedly throughout the day today he’s been practicing this new skill. Anytime someone makes the blowing kisses gesture he responds by bringing his wee paw up to his mouth and pulling it away as if throwing a kiss. Cute I tell ya!
Can’t get enough
Love it!!!
Dear Foster
This morning when we were spending our regular hang-out-and-coo-and-play-about time together I looked down upon you and realized you look more like a little boy than you have yet. Your limbs no longer move anywhere beyond your control. Your gaze no longer moves to anything other than just what you’d like to gaze upon. You’ve always been your own person and you’re quickly revealing just who that is to us.
I grew nostalgic for when you were incredibly dependent upon me; when you were a newborn and, beyond that, when you were still in utero. I recall your movements inside my belly, pushing your feet and tuckus out when pushed upon. To this day you still do that and every time it takes me back to when you were nothing but dependent upon me.
I appreciate and enjoy the progress and growth you are and will go through while cherishing everything you’ve accomplished. Becoming a human is no small feat and I couldn’t have picked better fellas to go through this with.
Thank you.
Stimulation
(I write this as my son, who I am in complete and utter awe of, sleeps quietly across my lap. Writing to the side of the body is a feat that shouldn’t go unrecognized! It also hurts a little bit, the stretching/bending for a period of time… Guess it’s time for some yoga!)
I’ve been needing some more stimulation. I was feeling so incredibly guilty for feeling it, but I did and do crave it. I’ve been spending my days with an infant and don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but it IS a huge change from what I’ve known until now. The hubs has been home for the past couple weeks from work and it’s been wonderful. I’m able to get away here and there to take care of chores, but I’ve come to the realize that with him home also carries with it a negative: I’ve not been able to settle into a “stay at home mom” routine yet. It still feels like a vacation. And vacations aren’t known for their productivity.
As I said, I was feeling incredibly guilty for this which did nothing but made me feel worse about it. If I consider it logically then I have a resounding “Of COURSE you feel that way!” and I’ve decided that instead of preoccupying myself with thinking about this and berating myself I will instead do something about it. I have plenty of personal projects that have been piling up and I’m going to start with taking care of at least one per week. I don’t think it’s too lofty and it will get me out of this maintenance-only space I’ve been in.
I’ve recently come to realize the power of lists. You write down items then cross them off and when it comes to activities, there’s a certain feeling of accomplishment to look down and see all the items crossed out. So that’s how I’ll get a started, by making a list of all those personal projects I’ve been putting off. Then I can pick one or two here and there, cross them off, pick more, rinse, repeat, until the list is nothing but crossed out words then pat myself on the back while thinking “I rock.”
This reminds me, I should start doing some updates akin to those I did throughout the pregnancy. Added to the list!
Mother’s Day reflection
On this year’s Mother’s Day I frequently reflected upon a greater appreciation for not only my mother, but all mothers. While it might not be Mother’s Day today, I still appreciate and want to thank you all. And thank you, Foster, for the best Mother’s Day gift I could ever dream of.
The birth… my version
It’s been a good almost month since my last post and nearing six weeks since the birth. And I’m ready to sit down and type out my version of Foster’s birth.
I decided to stay home Thursday and Friday from work from not being able to sleep at night due to having to get up every hour if not more frequently to pee and having an upset stomach keeping me up. I had a massage Friday afternoon after which I rested for the afternoon then went out with Michael and a couple friends with nothing too exciting happening. For the previous couple weeks my braxton-hicks contractions were increasing to almost constant and I was feeling a new sensation that might have been contractions but they weren’t of the “you’ll DEFINITELY know when you’re having them” variety. I went to bed around midnight after a relaxing evening including updated preggo photos for week 38.
About 3:30am I woke up with what I thought were gas pains. I went to sit in the restroom and soon realized that the pains I was feeling were very different from gas pains. The pains were starting in my cervical area and would intensify as they traveled up the front of my stomach to the top of the uterus then decreasing as it went down the back of it and into my legs where it would radiate a bit then fade. I went in and told Michael I thought I was having real contractions, but, assuming I was at the beginning stages of labor, I got back into bed to try to rest. That lasted about five minutes. I got back up and told Michael to keep on sleeping while I went and sat on the toilet (supported squat!!) and started timing them.
After about 45 minutes of timing them I them I looked at the averages and discovered the contractions were consistently over a minute long and four minutes apart, tops. I called to Michael that maybe we should call someone. Micahel came into the bathroom immediately to check the iphone tracker app and was equally surprised. He called our doula who was to our place within a half an hour. At this point I was in the tub and thinking to myself “if the pain is this intense I don’t know that I’ll be able to make it through without pain relief.” I was paying attention to how the pain was moving through my body, starting internally and moving out and up my stomach then down my legs. Definitely unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
Once I described the pain I was experiencing to the doula she took on a project manager role and suggested I get out of the tub and that Michael go ahead and call the hospital. After I was out of the tub I began using a hanging cloth setup that allowed me to move my hips around a lot, but at that point any movement triggered additional contractions. About the time the doula asked if I felt like I needed to push I was overcome with the urge to. She told Michael to let the hospital know we were on our way there and that we needed to leave NOW.
On the way to the hospital I kept having the urge to push and the doula helped me focus on not pushing by bringing up my chin and “poofpoofpoof”ing. When we came to a red light she yelled for Michael to run it, which thankfully he did. We arrived at the hospital and Michael ran in to find someone. At that same time, I was wanting to not move since the contractions were so intense and I was trying not to push. The doula sternly told me that I was NOT going to have the baby in the car. She helped me get out of the car and into the hospital where I was whisked to a room by the staff at 5:40am.
The attached the arm band blood pressure cuff (which wasn’t used until after the birth) and the external monitor and got the machine started. My dilation was immediately checked and I was told I could push whenever I felt like it. Really?! But it had only been 2 hours. I couldn’t be to the point of pushing yet! But my body knew otherwise. I pushed through one contraction and the sensation of intense pressure. Our doula did a wonderful job of telling me what stage I was at throughout and that I was now to the “ring of fire” and it would burn, but I needed to continue pushing. I pushed through two more contractions. Foster Maitland Truman was born at 5:48am, eight minutes after we arrived at the hospital, weighing 6lbs 7oz and measuring 19″ long.
I’m still in shock of how quickly it progressed. There wasn’t time for pain relief options let alone for me to process the pain I was experiencing or to use yoga poses. I can recall where I felt it and when it changed, but not the intensity. The adrenaline rush after birth was more intense than any I’ve experienced before. We were expecting an experience nothing like the movies since those “never happen” yet ended up with that happening.
The next couple hours were dedicated to admiring our son and leisurely filling out the check-in paperwork we conveniently avoided on the way in. Family and friends trickled in through the course of the day and we spent every moment falling in love again and again. After a quiet night of wakeful sleep we awoke and after some newborn testing was completed, headed home to begin our new journey.
38 Weeks
This is a bit after the date, but better late than never…
How far along: 38 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: Holding at 12 lbs.
Stretch marks: Yuppers.
Sleep: This week it eludes me. I’ve stayed home two days now from work due to getting very little sleep, if I’m lucky.
Best moment this week: Dilated to 2cm, 80% effaced, -1 station. Wowzers. I keep hearing “any day now” and “don’t have it this weekend” for various reasons. One being my doc is out of town this weekend for her birthday. Maybe that means we’ll be meeting our new buddy this weekend.
Movement: Goodness, yes. Everywhere.
Food cravings: Still craving carb heavy foods, but only because I know I can’t really have them.
Gender: Lil fella.
Labor Signs: I’ve been feeling what I *think* are contractions for a while, but they aren’t a definitive “THESE ARE CONTRACTIONS” that I keep hearing I’ll feel.
Belly Button in or out: Outie.
What I miss: Going more than an hour without having to pee.
What I am looking forward to: Prenatal massage and beyond that, meeting my son.
Weekly Wisdom: This guy will make his appearance when he’s ready. Only when we’re both ready will it happen. I need to keep this in mind and not let myself get too excited about the possibilities the natural induction methods might hold.
Milestones: Further progress toward labor.
UPDATE: Guess I was making some good progress afterall…
