Wednesday, October 31, 2007

HOWL-O-WEEN

Saturday, I had grand plans to head out to the Wheel Mobile and find my fame on the Wheel of Fortune…but I was also very lazy :) And, we thought we might be able to meet with a prospective nanny. She posted that she would be at a local dog Howl-O-Ween parade, and we thought that was a cool way to meet! Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to meet her, but we did get some great exercise, and see a plethora of fabulous little pups. The coolest of which had a costume of his kid, Michael, on (i.e. T-shirt) and Michael, subsequently, wore a costume of Bernie, the Bernese Mountain Dog. Oh – and the Bull Dog Bee was cute too. Here’s a photo montage – be sure to note the dogs dressed as Larry Craig and MSP Police – in their respective bathroom stalls :)


Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Happy Halloween!

I couldn't decide which one to post, so I'm just posting both :) He's growing so fast!!!


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

We grow 'em good 'round here

Happy ONE MONTH birthday Little Liam!

Or should I say, Not So Little.

He had his one month check up today, and weighed in a hefty 11 pounds! He also grew a couple inches, so he's at 23 inches long too. His two week check up he was at 9 lbs 2 oz, so he's definitely growing at a healthy clip. I just can't believe how much he's growing.....now I'm officially a cliche mom saying "ohhh....my little boy is growing so fast!". Today he also got his 2nd Hep B shot and took it like a champ. Everything looks healthy and happy for our little man!

Other exciting news - Pat and I signed up to get our flu shots on Saturday. AND after that - I'm going to go play Wheel of Fortune! The Wheel Mobile is coming to Chicago - you get a chance to play, and also audition for the show when its taped here in a few months. SUPER exciting! I'm hoping both Pat and I get to go together, but I don't know if I can bear myself to find a baby sitter. Its one thing to leave him with our parents......but UGH, I'm not sure I'm ready to leave him with - egads - other. people. We'll see though.

UGh. I also have to really start looking for daycare/nanny options...not looking forward to that either.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Sqiggly Wiggly Worm


So, Pat, being the great father that he is, picks up a fussy baby and changes his diaper - because its just about feeding time. But after the diaper is changed, Liam decides that Dad is UBER snuggly, and that he'd like to sleep a while. He starts out on Pat's left shoulder......then slowly, ever so slowly, squirms and stretches and squiggles his way into the position above....where he is soundly, deeply asleep. For another hour past his "normal" (whatever that is anyway) feeding time. Ah....my two boys are so cute :)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

We're on our own....

Well, after a fantastic 10 day visit, Pat's mom is on her way back home to Tucson. This is officially the end of our helpful visitors, so now Pat and I are officially on our own. This means potentially less sleep for the two of us, and probably much less for me knowing that Pat is working/driving long distances, so I'd rather burden the brunt of the sleepless nights knowing that it will keep him safer. This should actually be much easier than in the first two weeks, since Liam is sleeping for longer stretches, and more independently as well. That means better / more sleep for me, and more importantly, more sanity on my end as well!

:::::::: FUNNY LIAM ::::::::

He's discovered that he can grab a hand full and pull his own hair, and does so with great force. He also has discovered that when his hair is pulled, it hurts. However, he has not yet discovered that these two events are related. His brains aren't that big yet :)

:::::::: BAPTISM ::::::::

We've officially asked Kristen and Keith to be Liam's godparents - and this past week we made a couple other preparations for the big day. We officially registered the date with St. Gregory's (it will be December 2nd) and while Pat's mom was here we went to Michael's to pick up some blue ribbon for the family Christening Gown. Then we took out the pink ribbon and threaded the blue in, which wasn't the easiest task known to man. It was made by Pat's Great-Grandma in 1917, and over 50 family members (including Pat's mom, Pat, etc) have been baptized in it. Its a beautiful linen gown with two cotton petticoats - you put either pink or blue ribbon in it depending on, of course, if its a girl or boy. A boy might look funny in a dress, but considering the historical / sentimental value, I'd put the boy in a tutu if it was a family tradition. It is quite pretty, but the outer gown is a bit delicate!

:::::::: FIRST TRIP OUT ::::::::

We had a trip yesterday out to Indiana to visit Kristen & the kids...Mike was in Vegas for work (but we saw him earlier in the week). Its about an hour away, so it worked out well - I fed Liam and then we headed out, and he pretty much slept the entire way. Then we went to Portage to watch Patricia play soccer - I got a couple of cool shots....it was nice to have the kids get some Grandma time, and also just to get outside for a while, because it was GORGEOUS out yesterday (as it was today as well). I tend to spend a lot of time cooped up inside, because its kind of a pain to go out . I'll admit, I don't like taking a fussy baby out in public. Its easier when you have a troop though - so having Pat and his Mom was cool.

Here are a couple photos from the day - first of Patricia kickin' some serious mid field butt, then of my favorite men.




That last picture pretty much sums up Liam for the entire day - bump on a log. Hey, I'd rather have a bump on a log baby than a screaming one any day! I'd call the day a success! Note Liam's outfit - Pat picked that up at Carters last week.....apparently, it is Liam's official Saturday Football Watching With Dad outfit. The hood is the cutest, isn't it?!?! The third picture makes me all mushy - isn't Pat the handsomest? *sigh* he's so dreamy, and SUCH a great dad, I could not ask for a better man :)

:::::::: LAST BUT NOT LEAST ::::::::

My fabulous Creative Team Designer, Shannon Lee Carlson, did the sweetest thing for me and another girl on the team who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy around the same time as Liam. She created kits for the newborns - one for Liam and one for Jack! I was so touched....got me all teary eyed and stuff! Here's Liam's kit, available for purchase at The Digi Chick:

And here's the first Layout I created with it....you can see all the credits HERE.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Liam's Birth Story

I’ve been putting this off, as I don’t really feel like sitting down to write it all (i.e. I should be sleeping, since Liam is!), but since time is gradually floating by and the details are becoming hazy, I suppose its best to do it before I lose any more details.


My OB appointment with Dr. Clinton on Friday, the 21st was pretty uneventful. My cervix was still closed and high, and it was surmised that the baby’s head was probably too big for my pelvis – thus, not dropping and not putting any pressure on the cervix to open. I scheduled an ultrasound for Monday, the 24th, to determine the size of the baby, and at my appointment with Dr. Kelsey on Tuesday the 25th we would either schedule an induction or, depending on the size of the baby, a c-section. I also thought to myself that maybe the procedure I had done on my cervix over 10 years ago was causing some issues – I had a LOOP procedure to remove pre-cancerous cells. It healed well, but I always wondered if the scar tissue would cause any problems down the road……


Saturday evening, September 22 – Pat and I had plans to meet with my cousins Will & Amber at Leona’s in Des Plaines, to have dinner with our other cousins Gina & Jav (and Justo & Liz too) before they headed out to see George Lopez in Rosemont. It was like any other night really. I was feeling fine, ready to have the baby, but knowing that I hadn’t made any progress in the dilation or dropping department I resigned to the fact that it probably wasn’t going to happen any time soon.


We had a great dinner (despite waiting FOR ever for Gina & Co. – wrong directions, lateness, etc.) and headed home sometime around 8:00PM ish. I don’t recall doing much (this is where the details are fuzzy), just relaxing and such, and we went to bed somewhere around 11PM. I do remember Pat telling me “you know, if you had to go into labor tomorrow, would be a good day because the Lions are playing on Network TV”……Ironic, no?


I couldn’t get to sleep (which at that point in the pregnancy, was par for the course) so I got up shortly after midnight to go to the bathroom (again, very normal). Except that I couldn’t stop peeing. It went on forever! Then I realized it was probably my water breaking! I calmly called the doctor’s office (without waking Pat) and explained the situation – no contractions, no symptoms, just possibly broken water. Dr. Clinton was on call – I had just seen her on Friday. She said I could just see what my body does and wait it out at home, or I could go into the hospital – either way it would end up with Pitocin to start labor. Being the kind of person who gets relatively freaked out about medical issues, I opted just to go to the hospital right away.


It was at the point after I called the Dr’s answering service, but before she called back that I woke Pat up and let him know what was going on. I was shaking at that point, scared of what was going to happen, anxious that it was actually happening! After talking to the doctor we got up and got dressed, emptied the dishwasher, got the kitties some food and water, grabbed the hospital bag and were on our way. I didn’t call my parents right away, because even though I was already pretty sure about my water breaking, I wanted verification from the hospital….


We checked in sometime shortly after 1:00AM on Sunday, September 23rd. Yes, my water had indeed broken – yes, we were starting Pitocin right away to start the contractions. I did pretty well – I could feel them, but didn’t need any pain medications.


They started to get relatively strong at around 5:00AM, when I started seriously discussing my options with my nurse. We all knew, since we were starting from scratch, it was going to be a long labor. I didn’t want to slow things down or be stuck in a bed for longer than I had to with an epidural, so I decided to hold off on that for a while. Pat and I walked the halls, I took a nice shower – I was still holding my own. Then they hit. WOW. Holy intense batman……I just can’t even explain the pain. I figured since I couldn’t even have a contraction without crying and bawling my way through it, that it was time for the epidural. I finally got one sometime after 9:30 AM, and sighed sweet sweet relief!! My mom and dad arrived sometime around noon-ish or so - and by that time I was a pretty happy camper!


At that point, I was still not dilated much, and still really high, but after the epidural I was progressing at an OK clip. I made it to 6, and they could feel the head, but it still wasn’t down far enough. At about 12:00AM on September 24th, about 24 hours after my water broke, Dr. Clinton finally ceded I wasn’t progressing enough on my own, baby’s head was swelling, my temperature was beginning to increase – it was finally time for a cesarean.


After that it was kind of a blur,....Mom & Dad waited in the family waiting room, Pat was issued scrubs and I was whisked into the operating room. It was cold and sterile, as it should be, and I was quite nervous – mostly expressed in the form of the shakes….I did manage to calm down a bit after Pat came into the OR – his calm, kind eyes always seem to have that effect on me. Baby was born at 1:17AM on Monday, September 24th – with a nice big cone head from being stuck in my pelvis for so long – but still as beautiful and perfect as could be. The doctor announced it was a boy by saying “Well, looks like you finally broke my streak” – she had delivered 9 little girls
prior to Liam.


The parts I recall most about the surgery is after Liam was born, they were closing me back up and apparently my bowels were popping out all over the place, and somehow, despite the epidural and drugs, I could feel it. Not pressure, PAIN. The anesthesiologists were great though, and took care of me, and it didn’t last that long. They were smart asses, which I could definitely appreciate! Also, I recall the doctors being kind of mean to the residents…just like in the movies :)


Then, finally, they placed that sweet little boy on my chest, and wheeled me out to recovery.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Babies and Laughing. And smiles too.


They always say its just gas. Babies don't really smile or laugh - its always just gas. At least until they're about a month old and have the ability to recognize faces and such, and make the connection in their little brains.

But do you think babies can actually have funny thoughts? I dunno - Liam does the most hilarious thing when he's in that foggy land somewhere between wake and sleep. He smiles....and then he laughs. Seriously. Its a laugh. Its just hilarious and adorable! Pat and I have no idea what he's thinking of.....so we've decided he's chasing rabbits. I know, I know, that's something you say when a dog is barking or running in its sleep...but whatever. We're entitled to make things up.

:::::::::::::: VISITORS ::::::::::::::

Pat's sister & family came to visit yesterday - it was quite a nice treat :) Liam got to meet his cousins Larkin & Seamus....got a couple pics of them. Boo the Bear (who recently received a really creepy face transplant - so he looks rather weird now), Fred the Frog and Blankie are also featured. Note also Liam's "wiggleproof" socks from Carter's...not so much wiggle proof, but still cute and they keep little toesie's nice and warm.


Pat's mom also flew in yesterday as well - she's staying here as our helper for the next week and a half or so. We had a couple of days on our own with no help, and although peaceful I definitely missed having the extra set of hands around. It will be nice! She already made us chocolate chip cookies :)

:::::::::::::: WHAT ELSE? ::::::::::::::

Hmmm....Liam's 2 week check up went well - he chunked out at a healthy 1 pound heavier. He's 9 pounds 2 oz and growing. He's getting so big! His umbilical cord mostly fell off (save for a small gooey portion) and we're also doing pretty darn well at breastfeeding now. No nipple shields or any other attachments, which speeds things up quite a bit.

We also had a small victory this week with a sleeping stretch that lasted two sessions of three hours or so - completely in his own cradle! Basically I waited until he was pretty well conked out, wrapped him in his swaddle sleep sack and swaddled him nice and tight, and set him in the cradle. It was great. It was the first time Pat and I spent the night sleeping in the same bed.......
of course, when I tried the same thing last night it didn't work :( but I'll take it as a sign that things are improving in the sleep department. Slowly but surely!

Speaking of sleep, or lack thereof.....here's what I look like after two and a half weeks of not sleeping for more than 2.5 consecutive hours - for a total of maybe 6 hours a day if I'm really, really lucky:

and here's what I look like with the magic and wonder of Adobe Photoshop :) Much, much better! I {heart} Photoshop!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Scrappage....

Credits HERE

Breathe.

Wow! i can't believe its been over two weeks already since Liam has come into the world! Its been quite the transition from Coupledom to Familydom, but we're learning as we go, and finding our way into some resemblance of what will be normalcy. Right now, we're just working on the sleep thing....which has been interesting since little Liam doesn't really like to sleep anywhere except for cuddled on a nice warm body. Not to say that I blame him at all - that is an aweful nice place to sleep! It just makes it a bit difficult to get anything at all accomplished. When I don't have cuddle duty, I'm trying to catch a consecutive 90 minute section of sleep before he wakes up and would like another round of the 24 hour Karin buffet. That doesn't leave a lot of extra time for blogging, showering, cleaning or anything else for that matter.

Today is Liam & Mommy day - our first whole day alone! My dad left Monday night (after a litle over a week of helping out - my mom was here the week before) and Pat is in Wisconsin working all day and evening......so far, so good! I do have a friend who is a nanny that lives in the condo below, so I have an emergency plan, just in case I can't hack it alone :) I did just have a whole hour of baby sleep time - I got him to sleep in his crib/bassinet....but he's starting to stir now, so my time is numbered right now. I managed to eat breakfast, go to the bathroom uninterrupted, empty the dishwasher and watch 15 minutes of Regis & Kelly - AND blog paragraph or two!

Alas, now its time to change and feed, so I shall bid you all adieu......until next time!

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Announcing :)


Its pretty much been mass chaos since his arrival - not much time left for the computer between breastfeeding and sleeping, but I just thought I would officially announce it :) More posts will follow, eventually....stay tuned :)