I don’t think many words are needed except that Whitney did an excellent job taking all these photos. Check back in tomorrow if you’re interested in a Wes: Week 2 post!
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Late Weekend Recap
In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to lately, it’s only really been one thing: trying to keep a baby alive. Holy hell is it time consuming or what?! The days are pretty easy, but it’s getting him used to the nighttime schedule that has been the absolute pits. I think mostly because I’m tired + I’m convinced I’m doing it wrong + it’s kinda scary and lonely being up alone at night trying to figure out the whole baby thing. And don’t get me started on when I google all things baby on the internet, because it leaves me feeling even MORE confused and overwhelmed and anxious and any other similar adjective.
Good thing my mom is here.
She has really helped take over when I reach my breaking point and just start crying for no reason (see? I am crying now. Mostly because I’m convinced my child hates me. That’s normal, right? Because he seems to settle when anyone else makes an attempt. Except for me)
Ok, so on to actual things we did over the past few days. Note: Must type fast so I can squeeze in a nap before baby wakes up
Friday: Whitney came over to take a bunch of pics of Wes. I am DYING to see all the photos. She was really great with him and I would pay her to come over everyday to swaddle him. She already posted a sneak peak on Facebook and I’ve been staring at it nonstop.
That night, Tyler and I went to The Keg for dinner to celebrate our anniversary/first week of baby. We told the waiter, but he didn’t give us a free dessert…so that sucked. We did order a bottle of wine and I had a glass but felt so guilty about it and now I’m afraid to drink because I’m paranoid about passing it to the baby. Among other unknown guilt feelings.
Saturday: I think we did nothing? I don’t remember. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I stayed in my jammies all day and fed/changed/burped a baby. Maybe I showered. Definitely didn’t sleep. There was a hockey game on TV at some point. My mind is so fuzzy.
Sunday: After a lovely feast of bacon and eggs, my mom and I took Wes to Cross Iron Mills (outlet/regular mall combo). Yeah, BAD IDEA. Everyone from the city of Calgary was there. I don’t do well with crowds. Especially when 95% of said crowd was comprised of unruly children. We squeaked out with a few outfits for Wes then came home to a nice steak dinner. After feasting on a caramel apple, of course (we split just one of those. Guess how much they cost? $9 EACH. Insane)
{insert 60 minute break to feed/bathe Wes. Naked new babies are really cute}
Monday: Again, not too much to report. I started the day with some peanut butter banana protein pancakes. NOMSOHARD.
For six silver-dollar sized pancakes:
- 3/4 c oats
- 2 egg whites
- 3/4 c greek yogurt
- 2 T peanut butter
- 1/2 banana
Add first 4 ingredients to immersion blender until smooth. Pour batter on hot skillet and top with thin slices of banana. Flip. Top with maple syrup. Jam into face hole.
My mom and I then took Wes to Market Mall and bought OURSELVES some makeup. #treatyoself. Although I’m dying a little on the inside at how much it all cost. Whatever.
Which brings us to today. PHEW. Wes is on somewhat of a schedule (eat, change, activity, sleep. REPEAT A BILLIONTY TIMES). And we’ve managed to have him sleep in his crib at night which is apparently a miracle? Although I’m glued to the monitor the hole night since I’m convinced he will be stolen or something.
How was your weekend??
Five Friday Favorites
Happy Friday! Today is a big day- Whitney is coming over to take newborn photos of Wes. And Tyler and I are going out to dinner for our anniversary! (Big thanks to grandma and grandpa for babysitting for an hour or two!)
I thought I’d share my five top favorite things from the past week (aside from Wes, because he would probably win every week)
1. Hospital issued underwear. I mean, they are ridiculously comfy. I was able to snag a bunch of extra pairs from the nurses before leaving the hospital and am really sad they only last through a few washes before they start to fall apart.
2. Buttered Popcorn Rice Cakes-Â I don’t ever buy these but my dad picked up a few packages from the store and now I am obsessed. My mom got some of the caramel ones but I am trying to steer clear of those because I know once I start on them I won’t be able to stop. Nom nom nom
3. Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bars-Â Tyler is THE BEST and picked me up a box of these so I could have some in my hospital bag (we were told the hospital food could either be bad or limited and to pack lots of snacks. Turns out, that wasn’t the case and I was actually offered a few meals with some really great options) I only ate one in the hospital, but I’ve found these bars to be PERFECT to snack on at around 1am in between feedings. Only problem? The wrapper is loud as hell so it’s pretty unpleasant for Wes when I am trying to unwrap one of those suckers and he’s on the boob.
I’m pretty pumped that we just got a $10 off coupon for the local supplement store so I can pick up another box!
4. Juddlies Breathe-Eze Sleeper-Â After the first few nights of having Wes home, we realized he is not a baby that likes to be swaddled. We’ve found (for right now) the best solution is to have him in a sleeper with a light swaddle from the waist down. We also found out that we had only one newborn sized sleeper, so we had made a few trips to pick up some extras. This Juddlies sleeper is SO soft and it’s breathable, so we don’t have to worry about him sweating or being too cold throughout the night.
5. Starbucks Unsweetened Black Tea Lemonade-Â this is one of my summertime favorites and I’ve managed to pop into Starbucks a couple times this week because the weather was so nice it practically begged me to order it. Mmm mm so delicious.
So yeah. most of my favorites are food related. A close runner-up are some of the dinners we’ve had this week: they’ve all been yummy, summery dishes. I just love food. And having my parents in the house to prepare most of it has just been wonderful. Plus, there’s an endless supply of fruit on the counter, so I’m not complaining.
What’s something on your favorites list from this week?
Week 1
I survived the first week of being a mom. It was actually pretty easy compared to what I thought it would be!
So far, I’ve:
- only cried once (Day 1 home- he was crying on the change table and I just didn’t know what to do!!!)
- spent 2 nights on the nursery floor while he went from crying to sleeping to fussing non-stop
- took a bath AND shower everyday
- had a splash of Bailey’s in my coffee
- took Wes for this first follow-up appointment
- took Wes for his first walk around the neighborhood
- went out 2 times to get him more sleepers and newborn diapers (this boy does NOT like to be swaddled! We found out he does best in a sleeper and a light swaddle from the waist down)
- gone with Tyler to the garden center to get supplies for the backyard project he and my dad are currently working on (levelling the yard, sodding, putting in a raised garden bed and steps to the back gate)
- went to Costco
Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
We have another follow-up appointment today for both Wes and I and I’m pretty sure we will both pass with flying colors. Wes is a feeding CHAMP- which in turn makes him a diaper CHAMP. He’s also getting more and more handsome everyday. My recovery is pretty good too- I won’t go into details (because they’re gross) but I am feeling awesome…awesome enough to want to ease back into some activity…but I’ll listen to whatever the doctor advises!
Having my parents here has been a total game changer. They have helped out SO MUCH and Tyler and I are both so grateful for their help. I’m not sure which I love my mom more for- her taking Wes in the early morning hours so I can get a bit of shut-eye OR her making ALL.THE.FOODS. My dad has been super great as well- getting a ton of our home projects off our plate and running most all of our errands.
I also just want to mention how AWESOME Tyler has been since Wes got here. He is a total natural- even the nurse said so! I know it’s cliche to say, but I love him more now that I’ve seen him with Wes. It’s cool. Like really, really cool. AND yesterday was our 3 year anniversary! We are going to try to celebrate this weekend by having dinner at a nearby restaurant. 🙂
PS: both dogs have adjusted well to the new baby in the house. Reggie actually seems to not care at all and Layla is his sidekick/bodyguard/babysitter. She has not left his side the entire week. I was nervous that they wouldn’t mesh well, but their barking doesn’t even phase Wes. PHEW.
PPS: Boppy pillows are amazing. I should have bought one sooner because they are great snack shelves.
I Had a Baby. It’s a Boy. Here’s the Birth Story.
Woah. Pretty cool that I can say I have a kid now. It’s crazy and I’m still oh-my-Godding every two seconds because I just can’t believe it. What I can’t believe even more is how the birth went down. Like, it was CRAZY easy. I’m not trying to brag, but it really was. And if there was any guarantee that any future pregnancies went the same way, then I’d probably have 100 kids. The end.
So, here’s how the story goes: (ps: I was due April 17th)
Tuesday, April 14th:Â I woke up feeling pretty good. Tyler went to work and I hung out around the house with my parents for the day. Just before dinner, I started feeling crampy, except I wasn’t really sure if they were just cramps because they were a bit stronger. I decided to start playing around with my contraction timer app, but they were inconsistent which led me to believe that it could just be false labor. Sweet. Before bed, I showered (shaved my legs…THANK GOD) and painted my nails. I slept a couple hours until…
Wednesday, April 15th: 12:22am I woke up in typical discomfort. I decided to go to the bathroom so I wouldn’t disturb Tyler and wait out some of the uncomfortableness. Gross alert: I was bleeding a bit, but remembered it could just be the mucus plug thingy you lose prior to labor, so I wasn’t overly concerned since apparently that’s not a red-flag-go-to-the-hospital-right-away thing. I went back into the bedroom and the pain had definitely increased. I tried bending over the bed or propping myself up with pillows, but the pain kicked in quick enough that I had a hard time keeping still/quiet during the intermittent pain. I had 2 of those suckers in a row that Tyler suggested we should go to the hospital (I didn’t really want to). I agreed, and we left at 1:30am. By then, the contractions were frequent and strong enough that Tyler declared he was about to pull over and call an ambulance…um no, please just drive faster we are almost there!
Tyler pulled up to the ER doors, put me in a wheelchair and brought me up to labor and delivery. The nurses at the desk were taking their sweet time asking for my health care card and getting some paperwork sorted but we finally were wheeled to a bed where yet another nurse was slowly having me get in a gown. As difficult as it was, I undressed and as soon as I laid on the bed I screamed “I GOTTA PUSH!!!!!” (so weird how abruptly and loud that came out considering we were in a room with several other laboring women behind various curtains). The nurse said she’d check me (YES, please do! We had been at the hospital for a few minutes and I was in very obvious pain. PS: Super awkward to all of a sudden start moaning a writhing in a wheelchair when you can see a huddle of nurses behind the desk sharing a bag of rice cakes and chatting).
She checked me and said I was 9.5 cm and they wheeled me into a delivery room. YAY/OH SHIT. One nurse and the doctor came in and introduced themselves- both were girls who appeared my age! The nurse stood on my right- Tyler on my left and they propped my feet up on the bar. Tyler did the 10-count with every contraction while the nurse was giving me tips on how to push. It was basically just the three of us in the delivery room for a few rounds of contractions and the doctor would pop in every once and I while to look at the progress I was making.
DID I MENTION THIS ALL HAPPENED SO FAST THAT I HAD NO EPIDURAL. NO DRUGS. NONE. NOT EVEN AN IV. JOT THAT DOWN UNDER ‘INTENSE’
The doctor/nurse kept commenting on how crazy it was that I didn’t know I was in labor and how strong I was, yadda yadda. I was in the zone. If my eyes weren’t closed, I was staring straight ahead of me. FOCUSED.
At one point, I remember readjusting my grip on the blanket I was laying on and I noticed my left hand was stuck to the blanket- I was so warm and had gripped so hard that I ruined the manicure I had just given myself a few hours before. I commented on it out loud and they all started laughing that THAT was what I was frustrated about..nevermind the head that was coming out of my body.
Just a few minutes later, the nurse called the doctor in for delivery and the detached the bottom half of the bed. They told me I had to make the next round of pushes my best (some of my contractions resulted in baby’s slight heart rate drop for only a few moments) If I didn’t PUSH, a c-section could present itself as a possibility. As soon as I heard the C word, I let out a loud, evil NOOOOOOOOO and pushed as hard as I could (while still grunting the tail-end of nooooooo). The head came out, I pushed a bit more per the doctor’s instructions- a couple of small pulsing pushes and a couple more big ones- and then there was a baby on my chest: 3:30am. That’s right. Less than 2 hours after we arrived at the hospital.
NEAT.
Tyler cut the cord (which was apparently very short). Then the doctor asked if we wanted to see the placenta, to which we both firmly replied in unison a big fat NO, so she went to work on fixing up a level 2 tear and we just stared at this tiny human we were not expecting to see few at least a few more days.
Run on sentence, but whatever. I’m trying to write all this before I forget it!
She warned me the freezing agent she was going to use prior to stitches would sting and be pretty painful. A couple of seconds later, I asked if she had used it yet, and her facial expression completely changed. She was shocked not only that I pushed out the baby like a breeze *sans medication* but now I couldn’t even feel her shooting a needle up my lady bits and stitching me up! TAKE THAT.
To be honest, the worst part was having the nurse massage my stomach afterwards. I mean, if I had to have one complaint- that would be it.
After all was said and done and the doctor/nurse were about to walk out of the delivery room, Tyler and I both thanked them. They both responded “No, thank YOU!” They were still commenting on how calm/strong/whatever-awesome-adjective-you-want-to-use I was throughout the whole process that they said I made their job easy. You’re welcome.
They also told me not to tell other mamas about my awesomeness, but….. here we are. 😉
We stayed in the delivery room for an hour longer so that baby could be checked out, paperwork could be completed, and I could basically be taught how to pee for the next few days. By 5:15am, we were wheeled to a private postpartum room and had several other nurses come in and do checks on both me and baby. They asked if I wanted ibuprofen for the pain, but I didn’t really have any. They made me take it anyways since it wouldn’t hurt anything.
Not that it really mattered, but I had a sweet view of downtown from my room!
We spent the rest of Wednesday and overnight in the hospital and we discharged Thursday morning after the NP checked him out and he got a bath. Scary part: having to stay in the hospital overnight by myself. Um, my first day as a mom and I was left alone with a newborn! It was pretty overwhelming trying to make sure he fed enough/on-time (ps: he also had an immediate and great latch), that he was changed properly, and that he didn’t suffocate in the bassinet when I attempted about 5 minutes of sleep.
Another scary part: I had JUST gotten him to sleep after a change/feed at 6:45am on Thursday and some lab techs walked in to draw blood from his foot. Lucky for us, the tech was BRAND NEW and even admitted she was scared to touch the baby. So of course she made him massively cry which of course made me massively cry. I just wanted my parents and Tyler to get back to the hospital ASAP!
So that’s just about it. A nice, easy peasy birth. And now we have a handsome little dude in our house that I would die for because I love him so freaking much.
PPS: he is a hipster baby
Wesley Arlo Linton, 4/15/15, 7lbs 15oz, 21.5in, 100% handsome
nutcaseinpoint 