Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Realities of Parenthood
When you're expecting your first baby, everyone talks about how wonderful and blessed babies are. They talk about how precious and wonderful being a parent is, but no one talks about the reality of it all. Right now I'm reading a book called "Baby Boot Camp" - a must-read for all first time moms. One quote says, "Your drill sargeant wears diapers and screams every command." How true it is! Constant feedings, poopy diapers, crying for no reason (that I can figure out), poopy diapers, screaming when she gets her diaper changed and when she gets a bath and when you don't feed her fast enough and when you change her clothes and.... well, you get the point. I can't believe how much she eats! But she is sweet, so sweet. I love the way she smells after a bath and how she cuddles. The Baby Blues hit me really hard last week. The past two weeks have been very tiring and very demanding. But I know it's all worth it. We thought we'd leave you with a quick picture of her reality. Here you go, grandpa...this is what you're missing out on!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
First Pediatrician Appointment
Eliana had her first pediatrician appointment this morning. She's doing really well. Her bilirubin count was good and her weight was satisfactory. She didn't like it at all, though. She threw a huge fit. The doctor was great - I'm so glad she's our doctor. She gave me a lot of feeding tips to make sure her weight stayed good and jaundice stayed at bay. Here are a few more pictures of her adorableness.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
24 Hours Before My First Overnight Hospital Stay
I've never been a patient in the hospital overnight. Tomorrow night will be my first.
I have to go in to the hospital early tomorrow evening to get some dilation drugs because apparently I'm not dilating on my own. I must have created a really comfy environment for Eliana because she just doesn't want to come out. So tomorrow evening at 5pm I'll be entering the hospital to get the drugs, stay overnight and then Thursday morning they will start the induction with Pitocin. So I may have 2-3 nights in the hospital. Yay for me!
Most importantly, Eliana seems to be doing fine. I'm so ready to hold her in my arms for the first time, instead of my tummy and bladder doing all the holding. We've got her room all ready and we're just waiting now.
I have to go in to the hospital early tomorrow evening to get some dilation drugs because apparently I'm not dilating on my own. I must have created a really comfy environment for Eliana because she just doesn't want to come out. So tomorrow evening at 5pm I'll be entering the hospital to get the drugs, stay overnight and then Thursday morning they will start the induction with Pitocin. So I may have 2-3 nights in the hospital. Yay for me!
Most importantly, Eliana seems to be doing fine. I'm so ready to hold her in my arms for the first time, instead of my tummy and bladder doing all the holding. We've got her room all ready and we're just waiting now.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Maternity Leave
Well, the day has come. I started my maternity leave today at 3:15pm. It feels really good. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. But I have so many things on my list of things to do...I still need to iron and hang the curtains in Eliana's room, I need to put up wall decorations, I need to get some groceries to have on hand when she comes, do some laundry, etc. At least I have the time now to do all those things. I'm really looking forward to it. Oh, and resting is definitely on the agenda! REST REST REST
In case you haven't heard, I am scheduled to be induced on the 15th. After my doctor's appointment yesterday I think they decided I was too small to carry a baby past term. They don't want her to get too big and have complications with delivery. So unless she decides to come on her own before next Thursday, I know she will be here by then - that's within the week! Also, it doesn't seem like my body's going to naturally go into labor on it's own by then anyway, so it's safe to say that the 15th will most likely be her birth day. Of course, there is a full moon coming on Sunday the 11th, so we'll see how powerful that moon really is. :-)
In case you haven't heard, I am scheduled to be induced on the 15th. After my doctor's appointment yesterday I think they decided I was too small to carry a baby past term. They don't want her to get too big and have complications with delivery. So unless she decides to come on her own before next Thursday, I know she will be here by then - that's within the week! Also, it doesn't seem like my body's going to naturally go into labor on it's own by then anyway, so it's safe to say that the 15th will most likely be her birth day. Of course, there is a full moon coming on Sunday the 11th, so we'll see how powerful that moon really is. :-)