4 Weeks (1 Month) Old!

L.J.'s doctor's appointment last Friday went well! He weighed a whopping 8lbs and 10 oz.! Gaining weight fast and getting a pop belly! :) His face turned bright red and starting screaming when he got his second Hep B shot. I of course being the protective Mama wanted to punch the nurse in the face but it wasn't her fault....so instead of raising my fist I attempted to comfort an upset, red-faced L.J. :(

L.J.'s next doctor's appointment will be when he's 2 months old. Unfortunately he will get two shots :( I'm not sure how I'm going to handle seeing my baby be in double the pain...sigh! Maybe I'll leave the room and let his father handle it. LOL!

Oh and did I mention L.J. sleeps through the night! Yup! He's been doing it for a while but he was inconsistent. Now L.J. goes to bed between 10:30 and 11:30 and sleeps until about 5:30 or 6. Unfortunately a lot of times he doesn't sleep well during the day which wouldn't be so bad but he cries non-stop sometimes because he's sleepy...poor baby! Oh well and this too shall pass :) Right now I'll just be thankful for being able to sleep through the night :D

Almost 1 Month Later....

Mommyhood is kicking my butt! But I must be honest...I love every minute of it...well not every minute. I must admit that the moments that are not so great definitely happen but I always look back on them and laugh. I'm truly thankful and blessed to be a mother to such a wonderful, curious and sweet baby.

Okay here is my list (so far) of must-have's from one new Mama to another:

Graco duo 2-n-1 baby swing (pictured to the left)
Keep it Kleen pacifier (also pictured to the left)
Munchkin/Arm n Hammer Diaper pail (truly a lifesaver)
Boppy
Aden and Anais muslin wrap blankets (LOVE these)

Of course this is just my list so far...I'll be sure to add to it as my little one grows and I start using various nick knacks and gadgets. But I can't say enough about that Graco swing. It is a total life saver!!! When L.J. gets fussy or gassy I put him in this swing and he can't help but eventually settling down and going to sleep. The swing plays classical music as well as nature sounds; it has a timer and of course various swing settings ranging from 1-6 (6 being a very high swing). Additionally, the seat of the swing detaches and becomes a bouncer. Yesterday this came in handy because L.J. was just not feeling it and so I took the seat out (very easy) and put him on top of the bed and just bounced the seat until he feel asleep. Now I'm not trying to sound like a sales person, nor is Graco paying me for this excellent sales pitch (lol) but this swing was the best decision ever!

Now as for the pacifier...well it closes when it falls on the ground so you don't need to rinse it off. Really though, just be sure to get your newborn a pacifier...otherwise they will use YOU as their pacifier (if you're breastfeeding). L.J. is sometimey when it comes to taking it. I'm going to try a Nuk pacifier and see if he likes that...if not we've run out of options and brands! LOL!

Diaper pails are a personal preference but the one I have is easy to change and I have yet to smell a smelly diaper. I was a little displeased because you can't purchase the refills in a wholesale store like Costco, Sam's or B.J.'s (unlike the diaper genie refills) but Babies R Us has them on sale quite frequently so I just stock up at that time.

The Boppy I could do without at this point since L.J. and I have our breastfeeding positions down but I've noticed that the heavier he gets the more my carpal tunnel in both of my wrists begins to act up so I'm back to the boppy. Unfortunately I can't take it out with me but I guess I'll just have to get some braces for my wrists :(

Aden and Anais blankets are awesome! They are perfect for swaddling (L.J. hated being swaddled...he always managed to get his arms out...lol) and for going out when you want to protect your little one from the sun or germs. On top of that the blankets are sooooo soft! I absolutely love them! They were not on any of my registries but someone purchased them for us and I'm so glad they did! Awesome blankets!

Anyway....I can't believe a month ago today at this time I was in serious labor pain and got sent home only to go back to the hospital and have my little guy on the date of my scheduled induction! L.J. has his one month doctor's appointment tomorrow. Unfortunately he has to get a shot and I know he's just going to cry his little eyes out *sigh* oh well. It must be done :)

Welp guess I better attempt to keep L.J. on somewhat of a schedule....time to eat!

Ilandus Jr. (L.J.'s) Birth Story

It all began around 3:30 pm on Tuesday morning when I woke up totally uncomfortable and slightly in pain. After trying to relieve my bladder for the umteenth time I just stayed up and watched the sunrise turned on the television around 6:00 and watched the news. I fell asleep and woke back up at 8:00 am in serious pain. What I didn't know just yet was that I was having contractions.

Hubby and I started timing contractions around 8:30ish and headed to the hospital after getting the okay from doc around 10:00ish. We got to the hospital triage where I was monitored for about 45 mins. I was told by one of the docs that although I wasn't contracting regularly and was only dilated to 3cm, she would keep me there (my induction date was set for Weds/Thurs) but she wouldn't be able to get me into a labor and delivery room for five hours. *sigh* Further, the doc told me there was no need for me to come into L&D for cervadil to soften my cervix.

Needless to say I was pissed because at this point my contractions were just getting worse and worse and I couldn't imagine holding out til Thursday!!! But having little choice Hubby and I went home and I tried to get some sleep. I slept all of maybe 30 mins to an hour before my contractions became very painful and regular. Hubby and I started timing the contractions around 8:00 pm and headed back to L&D around 10:30. This time they kept me...oh and I was 5 cm!

I got my epidural right away and was instantly comfortable! By this time it was 12:15 am Wednesday morning and I was instructed to get some sleep. Hubby and mom were real troopers and spent the night with me in L&D. My mother in law even showed up later that morning before she headed to work to check on us. Later in the morning I was informed by the nurses that they didn't want to check me any longer because my bag of water was bulging and the doctor had not arrived yet.

So from 12:15 am that morning until about 10:00 am later that morning all anyone knew was I was 5cm. One of my nurses (tired of waiting on the doctor) finally decided to check me and told me I was 9cm (this was at 10:30). When the doctor arrived he broke my bag of water and we discovered the baby made a bowel movement in utero! This is very common but it can also be scary because the baby could aspirate the fluid into his lungs and get a serious infection! So the NICU had to be in the delivery room *sigh* Around 12:00ish I started pushing and an hour later at 1:14 pm my little guy Ilandus Jr. or as we lovingly call him L.J. was born!

L.J. weighed in at 7lbs, 12oz and 20.5 inches long! He wasn't as big as I anticipated him to be (Thank God!). It was love at first sight!

Happy Birthday L.J.!


Finally going home!

L.J. the thinker! :)

Eureka: The Induction Date

So after waiting all weekend --which by the way seemed like an eternity-- I decided to call my doc's office early this morning and not wait on them to contact me...you know take the proactive approach. Needless to say I did not get a desirable outcome. I ended up being left on hold forever and then to add insult to injury I had to leave the woman who sets up the induction dates with the hospital a message. No problem! I definitely intended to call back. :)

About 2-3 hours later I called back and actually spoke with the nice lady and she told me something I definitely didn't want to hear and that was that the hospital was booked this week and had no room for me for my induction! WTF!!! *SCREAM*

So here I am thinking I'd be 42 weeks before anything popped off and I was not happy about that at all! The only reason I didn't burst into immediate tears is my dear sweet Mom telling me to "get over it." LOL! So I did and we proceeded on our journey of attempting to find some wallpaper to finish redecorating our half-bath downstairs in hubby and I's house.

Once I got home an hour or so later I received another phone call from my doctor's office telling me that there was a cancellation and that my induction was scheduled for THIS WEEK! YES!
I am going into the hospital on Wednesday but I won't start any pitocin until early Thursday morning. So the hope is I'll have a June 23rd or 24th birthday celebration for my little guy! Hubby and I were desperately hoping for a Gemini baby since we're both Geminis but unfortunately that just wasn't meant to be.

Of course ultimately the most important thing here is that our little guys is healthy and will be here in a few short days! Thank you Jesus! We are too excited and overjoyed and can't wait to meet him.

When Your Due Date Comes and Goes

So its June 18th and yes I am still pregnant! I know I should be thankful and feel blessed to even be pregnant and especially to have a healthy baby who is breathing (yup saw it on the ultrasound). But I can't help but feel over it!

I had a good cry yesterday and my hubby is so sweet he comforted me and told me it will be over soon! He also expressed how he understands my frustration and I how I have a right to feel the way I do. This sentiment made me feel so much better! <3 that man!

At any rate, I will be blowing up my doctor's number come Monday so I can get an induction date. Of course going into labor naturally is always a much better option but at this point, I don't see any benefit to my little guy staying in utero furthermore, I'm tired and would like my body back...well somewhat! :)

And the Frustration Sets In...

So I started my maternity leave on the 13th of June (Monday) and not only am I completely bored out of my skull, I'm very frustrated as I thought L.J. would be here by now or I would at least have some serious contractions and be on my way to having him.

Yet I am one day away from my due date and NOTHING has been happening. To add insult to injury I have family and friends calling, texting, etc. daily asking how are you feeling, what's going on, are you still pregnant! UGH! I know they mean well and they are excited to meet our little guy but I'm annoyed!

At this point my biggest fear is that my induction date won't be next week but the following week and I honestly just can't deal with that! I need my baby out in the world now! LOL! I've gone through so much to get to this point and Lord knows I'm blessed and happy to be here but I kinda feel like I've done my part now bring on the baby! LOL. I can't even really enjoy my favorite website The Bump anymore because its filled with birth stories and pictures of babies and all I can think about is....good for you ladies BUT I need my baby now! LMAO!

Anyway, I see the doc tomorrow (on my due date) and I get my last ultrasound. Fingers crossed I get an induction date for next week and we can get this show on the road! Doc seems to think that baby will be about 8lbs and that my labor will go quickly.....all I can say is I hope so!

And now I have to find something to do all day so I'm not bored. Thank God for my parents because if not for them, I'd truly be sitting in the house staring at 4 walls! Gotta love 'em!

Nine Days Left!

Yup so I think my doc cursed me! LOL! He told me that I'd probably be one of those patients that have to be induced, which is ironic because I had a cerclage put in due to a shortening cervix.

My uterus has been very quiet. I do believe I had some minor contractions last Saturday but other than that nothing major is going on! UGH! At this point I'm over being pregnant and the thought of going past my due date is slightly freaking me out!

I'm not getting any sleep, I'm hot all the time and I think I'm coming down with a summer cold! Eek! I just want an outside baby, but apparently L.J. is not ready to make his grand entrance. I'm hoping however at my appointment tomorrow that I'll get an induction date. I really don't want to be induced because I'd like to think my body can do something on its own! But, at least I'll have a final date to look forward to because at this point I really really REALLY need an end point in sight!