The Christmas spirit

Is definitely alive in this house!

About 2 weeks ago, I received a text message from "Santa" saying Zachary would be receiving a gift in the mail. I was very puzzled but went with it (even though in the back of my mind, I was questioning the safety of this mystery gift). Much to my surprise, "Santa" was actually a very generous mom from my online moms group. Zachary opened his gift today and it was the cutest little screen printed onesie.

Earlier in the week, he received another pretty awesome gift - a leap frog octopus that sings and counts from my awesome labor buddy and her daughter (also from my online mom group). People are so incredibly generous!

Curtis and I have spent most of the week working on Christmas crafts. I made our stockings, a snowman onesie for Zac, and a card tree. We also made a makeshift mantle for or stockings to hang from. It has been a busy week!

My MIL and SIL are also in town for Christmas... It's the first time they have met Zac. MIL and I don't get along very well (that's a whole other post) so I'm really hoping there is no drama this week.

Clay and Alex will be here on Thursday and I cannot wait... This will be our first Christmas with them, as well as Zachary's first Christmas! Soooo exciting! I love Christmas time!!

Weekend recap

Nothing too exciting around here this weekend... That is, of course, if you don't think a baby rolling over for the first time is exciting ;) Best part? We caught it on video! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAqaEAnz0Ds&feature=youtube_gdata_player)

He has been so stubborn about this but he finally rolled yesterday afternoon from back to belly. He still won't roll belly to back... He just gets mad and screams.

I did finally get all my Christmas cards addressed tonight... I swear, I send more and more cards out every year!

Wordless Wednesday

Shots and Snow

That has been my day.

Zachary had his 4 month check up today and he did SO well! I love after lunch appointments... it went so fast! He weighs 14lbs, 2oz and is 24.5" long. He didn't even flinch with the first shot and didn't cry with the second until after she was done... I think she just hurt his feelings more than hurt him. Poor baby :(

Shortly after we got home, Curtis called and said for us to stay home because the snow was coming. I looked outside and thought he was making it up but sure enough, about 10 minutes later, it started sleeting. I got all excited for Zachary's first snow (not that he will remember) then it snowed for about 5 minutes. I was disappointed.

About 11pm, we started getting BIG flurries and they were/are falling FAST! But of course, Zac was already in bed :(

 I can't wait to see what we wake up to in the morning!

I need a boat

If we get much more rain, that'll be the only way I'm able to leave my house. It has rained nonstop for 2 days!

Yesterday was a horribly, craptastic day between a cranky teething baby and a cranky sleepy mama. He fussed all day and my counter got a breastmilk bath... I just love wasting that stuff. But, today has already been a much better day - even with all the rain!

Zachary went to his first Christmas parade on Saturday... He loved all the bright lights until he passed out at the end. He missed Santa :(

Nom, nom, nom

Cereal is YUMMY! We gave Zachary rice cereal for the first time tonight (I know I said I was going to wait a couple weeks but he seemed ready so we tried it). He did really well... he started yelling at me because I wasn't feeding him fast enough!

I tried to add the video but it wouldn't let me :(

Santa Claus is coming...

Say WHAT?! Christmas is less than a month away?! You have got to be kidding me!

These last 4 months have FLOWN! I can't believe my sweet baby is already 4 months old... time really does go too fast. He is getting so big and is so much fun. I'm so amazed by him each and every day!

He is still being lazy and REFUSES to roll all the way over. I put him on his tummy and he gets insanely mad at me and just buries his head in the blanket and screams. I put him on his back and he will roll to his side and turn himself in a complete circle but you can forget that belly business. He hates it.

He LOVES to sit up though... we use the Bumbo a LOT. He loves to sit and watch me do various things (get ready, do dishes, sew) and play with his toys. He smiles constantly but he is very greedy with his laughs... Getting a laugh out of this child is like trying to break into Fort Knox but it is the cutest thing ever when he actually does it.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families and ate way too much, as usual. Zachary even got to try a little sweet potato :) other than little tastes here and there, he is still strictly on BM and that is working perfectly for us. I am planning to introduce cereal in the next couple weeks for spoon practice then on to homemade purees around or shortly after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, we got our tree up yesterday and little man LOVES all the lights! We've also put a pretty big dent in our shopping, which is a huge relief since we usually wait til the last minute! And I'm so excited because we will have my stepsons for Christmas this year! It should be a ton of fun and I can't wait.

Unfortunately, that's all I've got for now since my child is refusing to sleep tonight.

I'm a bad, bad blogger

But blogger finally has an iPhone app! Finding the time to sit down at the computer and blog is very difficult these days!!

So it has been a month since I was here last. Zachary is 3 months old today! He had his first round of shots on Monday... Not fun. He is now 12lbs, 5oz and 23.5" long! We moved into size 2 diapers this morning... He is getting big way to fast!

He is in a mood this morning too... He only wants his daddy. I bet he changes his mind when he gets hungry!

Has it been 7 weeks already?!

Indeed it has. My little man is getting so big!! He is such a good baby, too. We had a rough start with breastfeeding but after some help from a lactation consultant, he is a pro. I was really unsure about it before he came but now that we've been doing it for almost 2 months, I LOVE breastfeeding and I'm so glad I chose this path for us.

I love everything about being a Mommy... it has absolutely changed me and I think for the better. I am so grateful for this amazing blessing.

It's almost time for his 2 month shots and I'm so not looking forward to that! I had my 6 week PP check-up last week and am only 10 pounds from pre-baby weight. I feel great... no depression (I had issues with it before I got pregnant) but I do have some occasional anxiety, which was also a pre-preg issue, but I'm choosing to deal with it on my own for now since I'm BFing. I'm also not on BC for now because I'm scared it will dry up my milk... we are going to use alternative methods of BC until I'm done breastfeeding.

Life is good and I'm finally starting to get into a routine and figuring out how to do things (like blogging) while taking care of a baby. It's all a big balancing act.

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Still no baby.

I think he wants to stay in there forever. I am not a happy mama right now. I went back to the dr on Thursday, which was also my EDD and had still not made any progress. I cried for over an hour... especially after he said if I don't go on my own, it will be another 2 weeks before he will induce me. I think he hates me. So here I am... hot, miserable, cranky and over-due.

Then my grandma, who is a nurse at the hospital where I will be delivering (the only hospital for an hour), calls this morning to tell me to cross my legs and not let him come out. Why? Apparently everyone else is having babies and the L&D unit is over capacity... 16 beds and 17 new babies. Awesome.

No pics this week... I'm too lazy.

Will it be this week?

Doubtful. 39 weeks, 4 days and he refuses to come out.

I saw the OB last Wednesday and had made NO progress so he was kind enough to strip my membranes and I will say that hurt like hell. It was at that moment that I decided drugs would definitely be necessary to endure childbirth. I was extremely crampy for the next few days then early Saturday morning, I started having regular contractions. Every 5 minutes for 5 hours so I finally decided to head to L&D. Yet again, I had made no progress. They gave me something for pain and sent me on my way.

I want a new cervix. This one doesn't work!

I'm really starting to get scared that my cervix won't cooperate and I will have to have a c-section. I really hope that isn't the case but I guess we will see. Thursday is my EDD and I go back to the dr that day so we will see what he says.

How far along?:39w4d
How big is baby?: Watermelon (19-22in, 7lbs)

Weight gain/loss?: +30.5lbs
Stretch marks?: I look like I’ve been attacked by a wild animal
Maternity clothes?: Definitely… and even some of those don’t fit

Sleep?: I have been sleeping much better the last few days

Labor signs: He’s dropping and I’m having contractions but not dilating
Food cravings?: Fruit

Gender?: Still a boy.
Movement?: yes and it hurts
Belly button?: still in but getting smaller and very flat looking
What are you looking forward to this week?: hopefully finding out when this baby will come out, if he won’t come on his own

He will come out, eventually

Yup... we are at that point. 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant with no signs of impending labor. Holy cow, I'm tired of being pregnant! I'm VERY anxious to meet my little man and definitely ready for my body to be my own again. I know he has to come out of there eventually so now we play the waiting game. As of last Monday, I'm not dilated at all so we will see what happens Wednesday when I go back.

Everyone is ready... we are now to a point where every time I see someone they say "You haven't had that kid yet?!" Curtis gives him little pep talks every night and Mommy has resorted to begging. I know every little bit they get to bake is a plus and I am very grateful for that, but it's HOT and even as I type this, I have little feet protruding into my rib cage. Um, OUCH!

His big brothers are very anxious to meet him, too. When Curtis took them back to their mom's last week, he assured them that he would be back to get them once the baby got here and Clay's response was: "How long is that going to take, Dad?" lol who knows, buddy.

So, once again, I leave you with pictures of an inside baby. A friend of ours took some family/maternity pictures last week and I just got them back today!

How far along?:38w3d
How big is baby?: Watermelon (19-22in, 7lbs)

Weight gain/loss?: +30lbs
Stretch marks?: I look like I’ve been attacked by a wild animal
Maternity clothes?: Definitely… and even some of those don’t fit

Sleep?: I have been sleeping much better the last few days

Labor signs: He’s dropping but that’s about it
Food cravings?: Fruit

Gender?: Still a boy.
Movement?: oh yea… feet in ribcage, anyone?
Belly button?: still in but getting smaller and very flat looking
What are you looking forward to this week?: nothing in particular… praying for progress on Wednesday

A little trip down Memory Lane

This could get kinda long so bear with me :)

I practically grew up in an amazing house on 5 acres here in AR. While I lived in TX with my parents throughout the year, I spent my summers in this house and made a lot of awesome memories there. It was my Mamaw and Papaw's house.

When my Papaw died in '05, Mamaw sold the house and most of her possessions because it was just too hard for her to deal with everything without Papaw. Well, in the months that past, she came to regret her decision and has since. I've said for the last 6 years that if the house ever came available again, I would do anything to have it back.

Well, yesterday when we were coming back from our little Father's Day fishing trip, we drove past the house and there just so happened to be a For Sale signed outside. I think my heart literally tried to jump out of my chest. I cried. It was like a dream come true. After talking to Curtis and my aunt and uncle, I thought "what the hell?" and called the number.

The lady I talked to sounded very nice on the phone and said they were eager to sell but in no hurry and said we could come look at it tonight. She also told me that I probably wouldn't recognize it because of all the changes they had made. She also mentioned the asking price... $40K over what she paid for it 6 years ago but I thought "Eh, it just might be worth it if they've done a lot of renovating..." I knew the house needed it but I was not prepared for the change.

So Curtis and I decided we would just go check it out and we would talk finances later. I really thought I was going to throw up on the way there. I haven't been on this property in 6 years... the last time was when we sold all my grandpa's possessions.

They did make a lot of changes... landscaped the yard, took out a couple walls in the house, tiled the floor, sheet-rocked the walls (they used to be paneled), painted. The only rooms that looked the same were the bathrooms. Oh and she (the owner) managed to throw in a few jabs at my grandparents, knowing they were my grandparents and I might be interested in buying the house. Who does that?! Apparently, Papaw getting sick and dying interfered with their buying process 6 years ago. Well, excuse the hell out of us. She also didn't like the way he "landscaped" or the fact that he had burned trash on the property (in barrels) or a few other things he had done in the 15 years him and Mamaw owned it.

Needless to say, I was not impressed and we won't be trying to buy the house. It was great to see it and I definitely miss it. But I miss Mamaw & Papaw's house... this one just isn't the same. I just don't see how what they have done to the house can jack the price up that much in 6 years in this market.

It was a nice trip down Memory Lane.

Almost baby time!

I know I've been a bit of a slacker again but it has been INSANE around here! My family was in from Texas all last week, we had my baby shower last Sunday (6/5) and my great-uncle passed away on 6/5.

It was great getting to spend time with my family and I'm happy to say they are MOVING up here right around the time that Zachary is due! I'm so excited that he will get to see them more than 3-4 times a year!

My shower was wonderful... there were a ton of people here and everyone was VERY generous! We got our travel system, pack 'n play, 2 swings, a ton of clothes, diapers plus a lot of other stuff. I was very overwhelmed. And it was the ONLY time in my entire life that all 5 of my siblings were together in one house. I am the oldest of 6 - 4 of my siblings share the same father and 1 (a brother) shares the same "mother" (if you can call her that). It was amazing and I was thrilled to have us all together!

As I mentioned, my great-uncle passed away after a 15 year battle with heart problems. His death was really unexpected though... we thought the doctors had everything under control with medication and his pace-maker but I guess his body had just had all it could take. Uncle Archie, you will be VERY missed and I am extremely sad that Zachary will never get to meet you.

I am SICK of being pregnant! Thank goodness I only have 4.5 weeks to go!!

As usual, I will leave you with new pictures!

Me & my best friend (& shower hostess)

Zachary's bed is finally made!!

I think someone is a little jealous! lol

All of my brothers & sisters - ranging in age from 5-24 (me)

shower decorations.... Tasha did an amazing job!!!

Baby survey!

How far along?: 35w, 4d
How big is baby?: large canteloupe (19-22in, 6ish pounds)

Weight gain/loss?: +30 punds
Stretch marks?: I look like a wild animal got a hold of my belly :(
Maternity clothes?: Definitely

Sleep?: eh... not so much
Food cravings?: Fruit!

Gender?: Still a boy.
Movement?: this kid is going to be the death of me! He keeps sticking his little feet out on my side and it's really painful!
Belly button?: looking rather strange these days but still in
What are you looking forward to this week?: spending time with my stepsons and Father's Day on Friday