5 month update!

So much has happened this month! Gavin is growing like a weed! We're fearful of the day we have to start feeding him real food! Lol! At his 4 month appointment he was 17.4lbs and 27.5in long- 70% and 95% percentile respectively! It's crazy to us- he looks and FEE LS huge!!! The pedi also broke the news to us that he's officially teething. We wondered about that do to the sudden thrashing of his head but after 2 weeks- still no teeth! Wish they'd hurry though and break through. This month we finally broke the swaddle- woohoo!!!!! It wasn't as tough as we thought and he seems so much happier! After a few rough nights he is back to his nighttime routine of sleeping 8:30-630a. We also started oatmeal a few weeks ago- although initially he was a little skeptical- he has now really adapted. I also started sweet potatoes a few days ago and he loves them! I'm excited about getting him started out right regarding fruits and veggies. I also tried my hand at making homemade baby food and it was so easy. I made sweet potatoes, peas and carrots. Excited to see Gavin try out other veggies as the days and weeks wear on. This month has proved to be another month full of smiles and screams! He loves screaming and imitating all the sounds we make. He also found his feet this month- everything in the mouth- including his feet! Gavin's still wearing a size 2 diaper, but those are starting to feel small. He's also in 6-9 month clothing- see above comments about our pedi visit! :) July will bring a month full of family time, with Ally coming to stay for a month! We can't wait and look forward to this every year! I can't wait for Gavin and her to have all that uninterrupted time together! She is so cute with him! I can't believe she's going to be in 7th grade in just a few months! We love you both so much! Happy summer!

4 Month Update and More....

I can’t believe that Gavin is already 4 months old! We go to the doctor next week so Ill have updated stats then, but I can assure you he is a growing boy. He seems sooooo long! He is loving, loving his hands and his voice these days. As soon as he loses his binky, his hands immediately get inserted into his mouth. He also has seemed to discover his voice. He screams so loud- I think he really enjoys the sound of his voice! It makes watching tv difficult at times and Jason and I just look at each other and worry what the future holds with this little chatterbox. He also has rolled over a few times, probably just 4-5 times. Most of the time he has done it during the day for my Mom but I did get him to do it for me over Memorial Day weekend. He is still sleeping like a dream! We are so very lucky and thankful on the sleeping front. Pretty consistently he sleeps from 8:30p- 6:30a. Occasionally, he’ll cry out in the middle of the night but all I have to do is give him his binky and he usually goes right back to sleep. He is STILL being swaddled (with his legs out) and sleeping in his rock ‘n play sleeper. We’ve tried sleeping in his pack ‘n’ play, which is flat and he seems to tolerate it pretty well but Im dreading the thought of breaking the swaddle habit. He just sleeps so much better when he is bundled up. Without his swaddle he knocks himself in the face and wakes himself up every time. He is wearing a size 2 diaper now and has officially moved up to 6 month clothes. The 3 months clothes are just too tight on his chubby little arms and legs! He is still just so much fun to be around and is so happy! He smiles constantly and is always putting on a show. We love you Baby G!

What else is going on- Ally just finished up her volleyball season and they definitely were improved from previous years. They even won the first game in their end of year tournament. Unfortunately, they lost their second game but they were playing the #1 seed. She also wrapped up her first year in middle school and got numerous awards! She rocked the oboe this year and even made the Wind Ensemble band for next year, which is the best band in the middle school and made up primarily of 8^th graders, so we’re very proud of her. She also got an award (even though she didn’t go up to accept I- stinker!) for making the A-B honor roll every session this year! Moving on to 7^th grade and her first year of school athletics- cant wait!!!!

I’ve still been running a lot- with my goal still being to run a ½ marathon (13.1 miles) in Sept/Oct. I ran my first 5k over Memorial Day weekend and Im glad that I got at least one race under my belt before taking on my ½ in early fall. I still do most of my running on the treadmill, but I have started doing my long runs outside early on Saturday mornings. I’m up to 5 miles now and feeling much more confident these days that Ill make my goal. Just 3 months ago when I started running I couldn’t run more than a few minutes before I’d have to stop and walk for a bit. I’ve definitely been bitten by the running bug!! I never feel as good as I do after a long run is done and I feel like Ive accomplished something I never thought I could. Im definitely encountering challenges/running problems that I never would imagine Id run far enough to have. Im having to research and start considering my options for mid-run hydration and fuel- SO WEIRD TO THINK ABOUT!

I guess that’s about it! Hope everyone’s summer is starting out well!

Back to work!

Ive been back at work now for 1 week of half days and 2 weeks of full days. It’s certainly been an adjustment but we’re all doing well. Gavin hasn’t missed a beat and for that I’m very thankful. He is still is just a sweet, happy boy. He makes the sweetest sounds these days and does his best to mimic  whatever silly sound his Mommy or Daddy are making. I can’t even believe he is about to be 4 months old. Seems just yesterday we were preparing for his arrival. He still loves his hands and will sometimes stick his fingers so far into his mouth  he chokes himself. He also has made a habit out of giving us a really good cry after every feeding. Don’t worry, he isn’t hungry, we aren’t starving him, he just really likes to feed so he briefly gets upset when it’s over. Have to admit it kind of makes me chuckle. He still isn’t rolling over which worried his Mommy for about 1 minute, but I read up on 3 month milestones and he does everything perfectly so I’m not worried he isn’t quite rolling over yet. He is very close and rocks feverishly back and forth but hasn’t quite made it over yet. He is so strong and when he kicks his feet at me, he often catches me just right and it takes my breath away. I’ve debated over starting some solids at 4 months but I think Im going to hold off until 5 or 6 months. I figure why rush it. We also tried having him move out of his rock ‘n play sleeper and sleep flat in his bed. Let’s just say he isn’t a fan and didn’t sleep as well so we’re going to leave him where he is for another few weeks. We’ll try again. He also is still being swaddled. He is so long we have to swaddle him with his feet out but he loves having his hands close to his body. It’s the signal/routine for him to signify sleep and there seems to be nothing wrong with continuing to swaddle his arms so that’s another thing we’ve put off changing for awhile. He still very much has the startle reflex and without his arms swaddled he knocks himself in the face and immediately wakes himself up. Not fun for anyone.

Ally’s school year and volleyball are wrapping, at least for now. We’re in the midst of the end of season tournament and for the first time they made it to the 2^nd round. Cant wait to see them play Saturday morning. As they’ve gotten more competitive my level of excitement has also increased. Next year she will get to try out for the school’s volleyball team so we will spending some extra time this summer trying to get ready. We have a few camps and clinics lined up for her. She is getting so big, its unbelievable to think I remember when she entered kindergarten and now she’s going to be a 7^th grader next year! WOW!

We’re ready for the summer. Excited that my Mom’s apartment is right down the street which means there is an accessible pool right down the street!

Ive been picking up my running over the last week. My goal is to run a ½ marathon sometime during the fall so I have to make a concerted effort to bump my mileage up. I ran a 5k twice this week. According to my training schedule it says I need to run 4 miles this weekend. We’ll see!

Reflections

Where do I even start my reflection on the last 13 weeks?! They’ve been AMAZING, tiring, terrifying, scary, exhausting but most of all the best 13 weeks of my life. I knew Id love our baby but I didn’t know how much Id love him or have any idea how much Id love my husband and Ally that much more after seeing them with Gavin. Ive said it before but Im so thankful that Ally now has a sibling. She has THAT person! She has a built in best friend for the rest of her life because I promise there is no age difference that can separate siblings! I’m so happy for her. She doesn’t know or realize it yet, but she will. And there is nothing like seeing your manly husband cooing at our 2 month old. Ill forever be grateful for the 13 weeks that my company has afforded me, but Im ready to go back. Im ready to get into a routine that is long lasting, anxious to get in a routine that we can implement long term.

Gavin has absolutely woohed Jason and I into thinking this all easy. Every parent says their baby is easy but ours truly is. At 11 weeks, he was sleeping through the night- 830p – 630a. We cant ask for more. He cries, sure, but only when he’s bored, overtired or hungry. He has almost made us think that another one would be just as easy, but Im not as easily convinced.

Reflecting on where we are: Gavin is now “talking”, cooing and smiling like a crazy man. He is consistently wearing 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. He probably could move up to size 2 diapers but we had so many size 1 diapers that Im holding off until I absolutely have to move up! LOL! He is so fun right now. He can lay on his play mat and play independently for 30-45 mins. Its great for Mom when she’s cooking dinner! He has the most beautiful eyelashes and eyes, they just suck you in!  Im so proud to be his Mommy and having him here with us, has exceeded anything I could have imagined. I cant wait to experience the next few months, years when his personality really starts to come out.

Now comes real life- going back to work!! Ill have many more updates when I have a bit more “hands free” time. Sure Im sad about going back to work, but I can promise that never before will I ever be so glad to come home at the end of the day.   

Some Pictures from Gavin's Birthday!

Gavin's Birth Story

I figure its time for me to document Gavin’s birth story while all the events are still fresh in my mind, although its unlikely Ill ever forget the highlights! The day before, Monday, January 30th Jason went in to work; however I stayed home with my Mom. I was scheduled for induction the next day at 5am. We went and ran a bunch of errands and around early afternoon I started having contractions and lost my mucus plug. The contractions started coming pretty close together and I wasn’t sure Id make it through the night. Jason came home from work around 6 and Mom, Jason and I headed out to dinner at Mama’s pizza. I had plans to go home that evening and try and go to bed really early, 3:45am was going to come bright and early! I laid down around 8:15 but didn’t take my usual Tylenol PM to rest because I was nervous I was going to go into labor over night and didn’t want to be groggy. As it turned out, I should have taken the Tylenol PM, because I definitely didn’t go into labor that night. My plans of going to bed early were squashed as well; I was entirely too keyed up. It was closer to 11 before I went to bed.

My alarm went off at 3:45 and I got up to call L&D to ensure they still had room for us to come in at 5am. Thankfully they did. I woke Jason up, we got dressed and loaded the car. We made it to the hospital right on time. We had to first stop by the registration desk and it took about 15 mins to finish up the paperwork. I was shocked to find out that they were asking us to pay before I had even been set up in a room!!!

Made it up to L&D and immediately there were 3 nurses that descended on our room. One was setting up my IV, the other was taking my blood and the 3rd was asking me loads of questions. I took a full bag of saline and the pitocin was started. I wasn’t contracting at that point. They also checked my cervix at this point and I was still dilated to only a 2 even after a week had passed since my last appointment. Should have known that was a bad sign.

Dr. Seligman came in bright and early around 7am to break my water and at this point the contractions started coming every 5-6 mins or so; however they weren’t anywhere near unbearable. My Mom arrived around 7:30 and brought Jason Whataburger breakfast. Dr. S was scheduled to do a surgery that morning from 8:45-11 so he asked the nurse to take my pitocin up very slowly. Should have recognized that was the 2nd bad sign. Around mid-morning the contractions started coming every 3-3:30 mins and around 11 I signaled that I was ready for my epidural. I didn’t end up getting it until about 1 so I labored for quite some time in significant pain. I was also experiencing a lot of back labor. However, the anesthesiologist was terrific and I was quickly out of pain and in great spirits. Aaahh, the glory of drugs.

The nurses were awesome the entire day and I ate my fair share of sugar free popsicles throughout the afternoon. Early afternoon I progressed to 4 ½ cm; however that was the last significant progress Id make until early evening. Late afternoon they decided to change my position and rolled me to one side and propped one of my legs up in a stirrup. They were hoping this would move Gavin down the birth canal. The position was surprisingly comfortable and that was the first rest I got all day. Ally, Jim, Jordan and Ashley were all there with us for most of the day. I was nervous about how I would handle the company, but it proved to be a great distraction. After the position change I did progress to 7 1/2cm.

By early evening Jason began getting very antsy by the amount of time Id been in labor and everyone started to get a bit on edge. Finally around 6pm they checked me again and I had made no further progress from 7 ½ so they said that Dr. S had gone home to have dinner but that he was only giving me 1 ½ more hours to make it to 10 before we had to start discussing a csection. At this point we were open to anything that would get Gavin hear safely. Dr. S showed up around 7, asked Jason to come back to the room and proceeded to tell us that he thought it was highly unlikely that Id be able to birth Gavin naturally. They were starting to see his heart rate dip in time with my contractions and they felt that this was because he was trying to move down the birth canal when I contracted but for whatever reason, was unable to. We trusted Dr. Seligman implicitly and quickly made the decision to take him via csection. Once the decision was made, everything moved quickly.

My room filled with nurses prepping me for surgery and we said our goodbyes to everyone before they wheeled me down the hall to the OR. Dr. Seligman gave Jason photography instructions outside the OR while they prepped me. Once I was prepped and ready, Jason was allowed back in. I remember Jason kept repeating over and over that I needed to breathe. I was so nervous! I just wanted our boy here safe and sound. It seemed like an eternity but between the decision to proceed with a csection and Gavin being delivered was only 1 hour. Dr. Seligman delivered Gavin at 8:01pm after over 14 hours of labor. I immediately heard him cry and felt a sudden surge of relief. I didn’t cry at first, actually I didn’t cry until I saw him and his head full of dark hair. I even exclaimed to Jason about his head full of hair. It was a subject we had discussed a lot over the last several months. I desperately wanted him to look like Jason and I definitely got my wish. In fact, I can’t identify a single feature that he might have gotten from me. LOL! Oh well! Jason and Gavin left the operating room pretty quickly so that he could be moved to the nursery and they could finish cleaning me up. It wouldn’t be until 11:45pm that I was able to hold or nurse him. Long day, long night but oh so worth it. He was healthy (9 out of 10 on the Apgar), perfect and of course we immediately fell in love! Our little miracle had finally arrived after a long journey!

Ill follow up later with more details on our extended hospital stay.

Pictures of Gavin's First Two Weeks!

Ill be back later with his birth story and pictures from his birth and first few days but in the mean-time Ill leave you with a few of my favorites from the first few weeks.

Progress!

People, we have progress! I had my LAST doctor's appointment today and I am thrilled with my progress. Dr. Seligman said I was 2+cm and 80% effaced. That's major progress in just over a week! He also swept my membranes so hopefully that speeds things along. If not, we will go in Tuesday morning at 5am for my scheduled induction!! Here is a 38w belly picture!

Update!

It’s a bit surreal to sit here, 10 days away from Gavin’s birthday (if he doesn’t come earlier)- to know that after over 2 years of working toward this day, that our baby boy is finally scheduled to arrive…. In just 10 DAYS!. It’s been a long time. It’s been hard. It’s been happy. It’s been sad. It’s been a little bit of everything, but here we are. Just 10 days. 1 more OB appt. We’re ready. We have everything packed, washed, cleaned and set to go- now we just WAIT. We are scheduled to induce on Tuesday, January 31^st if he doesn’t make his appearance earlier. My gut is that he won’t. I fully expect, have prepared for and am ok with just waiting it out until the 31^st. At my last drs appointment I was dilated 1cm. Whoopty doo dah! LOL! Im feeling pretty emotional these days and it seems that the smallest things can set off feelings of wanting to cry. I suppose that is to be expected. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the pressures around delivery, how it is going to proceed, how I’m going to feel, what I’m going to be comfortable with, etc. I think I’ve finally convinced myself to just relax and let it play out. I think my family and friends are going to understand and go with the flow of whatever I want. I’m a control freak. I like things to be very planned out, detailed, down to the last dotting of the I and crossing of the T. Unknowns make me nervous. And right now the whole delivery scene is a huge unknown to me so naturally I’ve been nervous about it. Starting to feel better though.

I am excited though that 1.WEEK.FROM.TODAY is my last day of work until Tuesday, May 1^st. Holy cow!!! That is crazy to think about. Since I was 16 and started working at Stanley’s I haven’t had more than a few weeks off at a time. It’s absolutely mind boggling to me that I will be off for 13 weeks. I feel very blessed my company offers this benefit but I am still apprehensive about how I will feel with 13 Mondays rolling past where I don’t go into the office. However, every Mom has told me that I’ll be so busy I won’t miss it, so I’ll take their word for it.

This whole process has humbled me so much, to see my body transform and incubate this little human for the past 10 months. I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the awe Ill feel after Im able to actually get him out of my belly and here with us. It is certainly an experience that I will never forget. I feel incredibly blessed that after everything that happened last year, this pregnancy has been so flawless and uneventful. I’m very thankful for that and I hope and pray that the delivery and birth is just as uneventful. I think one of the things that Im most excited about is to see Jason become a dad again. Before Christmas I put together a gift for him that included pictures of Ally from birth -12 years and it was so emotional for me to see the pictures of Jason with Ally just after she was born. I just loved him even more seeing the sense of total adoration on his face in the pictures where he was holding Ally just hours after she was born. I can’t imagine what I’ll feel when I see him with our son. I also think a lot about what this all means for Ally and how I can’t wait to see her with Gavin. Jason and I are giving her the gift of a sibling. Even with the gap in age, it’s a friendship that she will have for the rest of her life that can’t be duplicated with any other friendship. They’re going to have each other, someone to depend and lean on long after Jason and I are gone and I’m very happy they will have each other. Can you tell I’m emotional? LOL!

This will probably be my last pregnancy update so here are some of the details:

Total weight gain: 18-19lbs

Belly button: completely flat, pretty much non-existent these days
Size: at my ob appt 2 weeks ago (36w2d) he was 6 ½ lbs and over 18 inches long
Movement: VERY dramatic- when he moves I feel it everywhere- his head is down with his spine laying on my right side. I do feel like he has slowed down in the last 2 days though
Symptoms: lower back pain, major Braxton Hicks, a little more heartburn, definite shortness of breath and of course PEEING ALL.THE.TIME!!!
Sleep: has gotten much more difficult, but with the help of Tylenol PM I’ve been able to combat it pretty effectively  J
 

… and here is one of the last pictures of this big belly.

.... and because none of this would be without him, the last picture of Gavin before we get to see him in person

Getting back in shape!

Baby Gavin is not even here yet and I’m already pricing treadmills for my journey back to getting in shape!! LOL! We have the space upstairs so I want to invest in a really good treadmill. I just feel like this is my best opportunity to consistently get some running time in. I can do it while he’s sleeping, regardless of what I look like, at any time during the day and all with no gym commute at all. Plus there’s the extra benefit that my mom and Jason can use it too.  I have no idea how long Im going to have to wait before I can start running again and Im sure Ill have to start with walking. I think it will be at least 4 weeks if I have a normal delivery, 6 or 8 if it’s a c-section. My goal for 2012- run a half marathon!!!

35 Week Update and Belly Picture!

How Far Along? 35w2d

Size of baby: Over 5lbs and 18 inches- size of a honeydew melon!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes – luckily I still have plenty of items that fit and should last through the remainder of my time

Gender: BOY- Gavin Tyler Ramey

Movement: He is still moving a lot- he prefers my right side and is constantly sticking his butt up near the top, it gets very distorted and very hard when he does this, still freaks Jason out.

What I miss: I miss being able to get up off the couch without issues- lol!

Sleep: Getting up multiple times to go potty, but for the most part I’m able to go right back to sleep!

Symptoms: Peeing ALL THE TIME! Fatigue has made a comeback, I’m also experiencing quite a bit of Braxton Hicks and I definitely am not able to breathe as easy as I once did.

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks- moisturizing with this super greasy BB tummy butter TWICE a day!

What I am looking forward to: Hopefully an ultrasound really soon to figure out how big he is!

Belly button (in or out): Mostly out

Milestones: 99% of babies born after 35 weeks require no additional medical assistance because the majority of physical development is COMPLETE!!!

Baby Ramey’s Progress

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete – he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.