Baby Noah: 2 Week Update

How have two weeks already flown by? I remember how time seemed to just tick by as I waited for this little guy to arrive...now I can't imagine life without him.   Here's a little peek into how his second week has gone.

Weight: Noah is growing like a weed. One week ago he was up to 9 lbs 3 oz. And today we have the nurse coming again, he is now 9 lbs 6 1/2 oz.

 first trip to Starbucks!!

 

so alert!!

Sleep: He is sleeping for 2-3 hour stretches...normally we feed around 1130pm, 2am and 5am. I normally go to bed after feeding him around 830pm and leave him in poppa's capable hands. He brings him into bed around 10pm or so, and we get a little stretch out of him before he is awake and hungry again.

Visitors: He's had lots of visitors this past week. It was great, because it was hubs first week back to work so we needed a little extra support. Not only that, but we were on our own for a night as well this week since hubby had to travel for work. He is also away again for a night next week. We managed pretty well this week. My Mom came and spent Monday afternoon with us. Then my best gf's came over with take out to celebrate my birthday Monday evening. My mom and sister came back later that night to have a sleep over with us. Tuesday, Tim's mom came in to help us out. And Wednesday, by best friend Kyla took the day off work to spend with us. So Thursday was our first official day on our own. We managed pretty well, had Tim's aunt visit in the morning and then we had hubs home at lunchtime and then we had a nap in the afternoon.



Milestones: It was my birthday on Sunday, so we ventured out Saturday to Boston Pizza with the little man and he got along great. He started to get fussy coming on the end of our meal, so we grabbed the bill and made a dash for it. He had a meltdown in the car on the way home, but he was just getting hungry.

 

Clothes: He's basically out of NB and is filling out his 0-3 months well. At this rate, he won't be in those long either!

Crying: He very rarely cries, and has had very few meltdowns. The odd time he gets gassy which causes him to be a bit fussy. But nothing we can't handle.

Gear Love: He loves loves loves his Snugabunny swing!

Noah hangs in his bouncer while Momma showers

Postpartum: I'm doing great...but I'm definitely adjusting to this new "soft" body. Granny panties and pads + nursing tanks = so not sexy. I am so thankful that the weight has been falling off of me. I am only 2 pounds shy of the 150's. Only 14 pounds left to go!
Overall we are doing pretty good and getting the hang of things. I feel much more normal this week as we are adjusting to our new schedule. I only wish it wasn't so cold out so that we could venture outdoors a little more.

Next up...Noah's birth story!

at grammy and grampy's for birthday dinner

smiley

Baby Noah: Week #1

Just a quick update on life with baby...a few days late  :) It's been a whirlwind these last few days, but some of the best of our lives. I plan to post his birth story soon...just working on the details. In the meantime, here's some weekly stats and firsts!

Weight: Noah was born at 8lbs 7oz and left the hospital at 8lbs. We had his first public health nurse visit on Sunday, November 18th and he was up to 8lbs 4oz! By Tuesday the 20th, he was 8lbs 11 oz. A growing boy!!

Medical Issues: Noah was born with a small birth defect of the uretha called Hypospadia. He had to be seen by the urologist. They thought it may be the reason he wasn't urinating frequently in the first 24 hours after his birth. Luckily it is just a mild version, and he shouldn't have any problems down the road with it. It just means we are unable to circumsize him...which we hadn't even decided on doing anyway.

Sleep: We definitely have not mastered the sleep thing yet. He dozes in his swing most of the day and then is up about every 1.5 to 2 hours through the night, sometimes more frequently. We definitely need to reverse this trend at some point, but Tim has been amazing with helping change his diapers at night and I just nurse in bed after he is done.  It is definitely exhausting though, nothing could ever have prepared me for the lack of sleep!

Clothes: No surprise that he wasn't in newborn very long with the way he is packing on the pounds.  So he's wearing a few newborn items but mostly has upgraded to 0-3 month sleepers.

Visitors: We've been blessed with a lot of family and friends who have come to meet Noah. We had lots of family visits in the hospital, and friends have been gradually stopping by all week that we've been home. It's been nice though that they've all been pretty spaced out, to give us time to adjust to things as of family of 3. 

Diet: He nurses like a champ. He was hungry and rooting from the moment he arrived. I'm very thankful for that!

 

Baby Gear Love: We LOVE the baby log Iphone app. It helps us keep track of his last diaper change, nursing session, and sleep. It's been a life saver! Also the Aden + Anais muslin swaddle wraps...as Noah still isn't sure how he feels about the SwaddleMe wraps yet. Noah also loves his Snugabunny swing from his aunt Stephanie. Its seriously been a LIFE SAVER! To have a few minutes hands free is amazing. I hope that we can soon add the pacifier to the "love" list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crying: I'm knocking on wood as I type this but Noah has been really mellow. He doesn't cry much at all, and even when he does, it's brief. Thanks to the wipe warmer, he actually doesn't even mind getting changed. 

 

 

Milestones: Going home, of course, was a huge milestone.We had a doctor's appointment which went well. We also got out for our newborn pics, he was a trooper! We mastered the bath thing as well...note water temperature is key for baby enjoying bath time!! We had our first trip to Starbucks as a family. As well we made it to Grammy and Grampy's for supper, and a trip to Toys R Us. We even took him out for lunch after his pictures and he slept through the entire meal. He also has his first pee on Dad and on Mom too! hahaha it was funny.

 

 

 

Postpartum: I'm feeling great postpartum! I have little to no pain and haven't taken any pain meds since the first day in the hospital when I took Tylenol 3. I then had one day on regular tylenol and that was it. I was lucky to not have any "issues" down there, au natural! So recovery has been pretty easy. I've learned the importance of Kegal exercises.   I've also been wearing Thyme Maternity nursing tanks every day. I went out and got a few more, and if they would have had more in my size I would have bought even more. 

 

I have to say that this has been the most incredible week of my life. I have never known a love like this before and looking into my son's eyes is the most beautiful and rewarding experience ever.It has been so much fun having my husband home from work for an entire week, we are going to be so sad when he has to go back to work :( When you have a baby, not only do you feel this overwhelming love for this new human being, but love for your husband like no other.

Will try and post our birth story and nursery tour soon! xox 

Home Sweet Home

Well we are now on day #3 at home, I thought it was time for a little update.

 

Our time in the hospital was overwhelming.

As new parents, figuring out the feeding and diaper schedule is challenging.

Noah is a great eater, but lacks in the sleeping department. This morning we got a 2 hour stretch from 8am-10am. That's the most uninterupted sleep we've gotten for days now. Noah is just not a fan of his napper and likes to be near his mommy. I have a rule against baby in bed but am finding it so difficult to maintain this notion. When you only get 1-3 hours of sleep a night you become desperate... I've begun to dread nighttime because I never know what is in store for us. Sigh.

 

I thought babies were supposed to sleep for hours on end. We can't get Noah to sleep longer than 20 minutes. The first few nights at home have been rough. We keep Noah in the pack n play napper next to our bed, and everytime I go to put him down from my arms he wakes up. It is so beyond frustrating. The past few nights we've seen the clock every hour. I just wish he would sleep for a few hours on end to give Momma a little break. Tim is great to get up and change him/rock him to try to soothe him, and then hands him over to feed.

 

Tim was going to go back to work tomororw, but he went in to work to talk to them and now doesn't have to go back until Monday. I am so relieved as I just was not ready to have him go back yet. I've been so insanely hormonal I cried when he told me he wasn't going back til Monday.

 

I think we desperately need a swing. The vibrating chair just isn't doing the trick.

 

Our families are so taken with little Noah, they came to visit us every day. Sometimes twice. We are so fortunate.

 

 

 Grampy Ron and baby Noah, minutes after he was born

Auntie Sarah and Grammy Rose

 

Tim's mom and sister have been equally as amazing, they've been here all day today, watching Noah in between feedings so that Tim can do running around and i can try to nap. Noah has a different idea though, he's been wanting to feed every hour which is making napping hard. They've been vacuuming and dusting and cleaning to help us out, its so nice to not have to worry about all that on top of the new baby.

 

My sweet husband slept on the couch right next to us for 3 days,

with little Noah right next to us.

 

 

 

This photo just warms my heart xoxo

 

The day finally came that we were able to go home.

I was so happy and nervous. After being coop'ed up inside for 4 days, it felt so cold outside.

We were so exhausted, but so relieved everything went well.

 

 

Little Noah in his going home outfit. Ofcourse we had two blowouts and one spit up all over the outfit before we even made it out the door of the hospital.

 

 All set to go home!

 How we spent the entire drive home

Welcome Home Noah!!

 

We have also had some delicious meals dropped off at our house (soup, lasagna, fresh biscuits and cookies) as well as sweet cards and gifts that have come in the mail. Tim's work sent this giant blue basket of baby items in the mail yesterday, its so beautiful I can't bring myself to open it to check out the goodies inside.

 

My work also sent a large beautiful bouquet and balloons to the house. It's so nice that everyone is thinking of us in our first few days at home.

 

 

We've had two visits at home from Public Health. Sunday our first day home they came, and Noah was up to 8lbs 4 oz (he was down 8 oz Saturday when we left the hospital from his birth weight). As of today, he was 8 lbs 11 oz. No wonder Momma isn't getting any sleep, little man is bulking up! In other news, his ambilical cord fell off today which is great! No more working around his little stump.

 

We had our first bath at home on Sunday night. Thank goodness it went much better than our first bath in the hospital which was an epic #fail. We didn't want to burn the baby so the water was lukewarm at best. Noah was NOT a happy camper, and made sure to let us know. It was all we could do to get the soap off of him and get him out of the tub. Poor hubs was traumatized afterwards, he kept appologizing to Noah and looked like he was going to cry. Poor guy. Sunday's bath we had the water at a good temp and baby Noah didn't even seem to mind it that much. Bath = SUCCESS!

 

Hubs is also becomming a great diaper changer, his first experience with the meconium filled diaper was an epic fail hahahha. Funniest part was that my family and a few friends had just arrived and witnessed the entire fiasco.

 

We also went out to have our newborn pics done yesterday. Noah was a little rockstar. We were there 3+ hours, which seems so crazy to me. But when you need to have them knocked out cold, it takes alot of time. Our photographer was so amazing with him, she specializes in newborn photography and its not hard to tell why. She was able to soothe him and get him into these positions that most people could only dream of. We were trying to get one final pose done when Noah had a meltdown. We decided to call it a day at that point.

 

Noah loves the car and went to sleep immediately after we got rolling, so hubs and I stopped at a bakery on the way home for a late lunch. Noah slept the whole time but I was petrified he was going to start freaking out at any second. I guess my nervousness will subside eventually.

 

 

 

Here's to hoping that tonight we get a little bit more rest. We may try and venture out of the house tomorrow to buy a breast pump and check out Toys R Us. Friday we have a doctor's appointment, so we'll be making another trip outside of the house.

 

Noah is one week old tomorrow. Will hopefully post again soon! xoxo

Welcome Noah Charlie O'Brien

Well he is here!! And was he ever worth the wait. Little Noah arrived Wednesday November 14th at 12:33pm, 11 days overdue. He weighed 8lbs 8 oz at birth and he's been doing amazing. He looks so much like his daddy and has a full head of light brown hair. We're leaving the hospital today so will post more later.

We are so in love! And are still in shock that he is a boy. We can't believe it!!!

41 Week Update

Well today was interesting. It started off like every other day the past few weeks. With the realization that once again, I have not gone into labour. So I got up, did laundry, cleaned a bit and went for a 5km walk. Tim came home for lunch, we hung out. I packed my hospital bag to bring to my doctor's appointment (just incase she decided to send us directly to L&D), got in my car to drive to my apt, and then suddenly I felt a 'little" gush. Now by gush I mean my underwear were wet and my tights were a bit wet. Nothing like what you read in books or see in the movies. It didn't really occur to me that it could be my water breaking. I came back in the house and changed because I didn't want to go to the doctor all wet and icky. 

After arriving at the doctor's, I told her what had happened and she immediately went all up in there to check things out. I had no idea what was going on, and she was making me very stressed out. Talk about a hot sweaty mess. And sure enough, my membranes were gone...and next thing I knew we were off to L&D. I assumed we were there to be induced. What the heck did I know! When we arrived, the nurses hooked me up to a gazillion monitors to see what was going on. Of course my BP was elevated after the crazy afternoon we had. And I was having mild contractions but nothing major. So after about an hour, we were sent home to see if labour would begin on its own. So here we are, back home, just killing time to see what will happen. If nothing happens by 7am tomorrow, we have to go back in to be induced. They tell me about 80% of people's whose water breaks will begin labour on their own within 24 hours. The other 20% have to be induced. Here's to open I am a part of the 80%!! I really don't want to be induced, and neither does this baby. I find it very funny that as the threat of induction increased, baby stubbornly decides to maybe make an appearance. So typical.

So here is week 41's post...and our last chalkboard update. Hooray!!

this is my best try at looking happy for the photo...

How far along: 41 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: 40 pounds, give or take a pound
Exercise: Walking, usually daily anywhere from 5-10km. It’s a lie that this does anything to help progress labor as I exercised every darn day!
Maternity clothes: I don’t even want to get dressed. It’s a good thing I’m no longer working!
Sleep: Still sleeping well. That's about to change.
Best moment this week: Knowing that this is the end of the road.
Things you miss: Basically everything!
Movement: A bit still, but not much.
Food cravings: I’m eating my feelings at this point, i've been eating like CRAP! Every time I get another message asking if i've had this baby, I eat another cookie.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The fact that I am still pregnant.
Labor signs: My answer to this as of this morning would have been "Bwahahahaha. Please. Stop. Don’t make me laugh. Nothing, locked up tight." But now that my water has broken, I guess I can say that is one MAJOR sign!
How I’m feeling: Right now, pretty darn calm considering the afternoon we had. Hubs and I are gonna cuddle up on the couch and watch our favorite shows, cook some spaghetti and hopefully catch a bit of shut eye before things get moving!
Looking forward to: The end of this pregnancy so I can finally hold my stubborn (but I assume very cute) baby who likely will be born with a mustache or a full fledge poney-tail at this point.

Will keep everyone posted!! Come onnnnnn baby ob, we can't wait to meet you. Hopefully this time tomorrow we will have a little bundle in our arms :)

My Hospital Bag & Baby's Bag

Well here it is, the final product! I finished packing before my appointment last Tuesday just incase we got sent directly to labour and delivery (which they did because my membranes were gone). I can't believe I got everything inside except the camera. I am so pleased with myself.

So here is everything I packed. I'll also note what we actually did use...and could have done without.

 

1. Notebook and pen for gifts/visitors

2. UNO if we need a distraction- DId not use!!!

3. Camera

4. IPAD & Charger - did not use!! and phone charger

5. Kindle E-Reader - did not use!!

6. Yellow Robe- did not use!!

7. Toiletries and Make up

8. Snacks and Water Bottle

9. Comfy socks and slippers

10. Call List

11. Super giant diaper-like pads

12. Lanolin cream- hospital provided did not need my own

13. Headband/hair ties/brush

 

14. Baby book and baby footprint maker

15. Nursing Tank- could use ten of these!!!

16. Yoga pants, t-shirts and jacket/scarf for me

17. Flip Flops

18. Nightime and nursing bras

 

 

And for baby...(which Tim can bring later)

 

 

1. Boppy pillow- so glad I brought this from home!!!

2. Car seat cover

3. Warm blanket

4. 2 receiving blankets for head rest

5. Mittens and socks

6. Hats/botties/knit sweater for baby to wear home

 

A Weekend in Review...

Well seeing as this was most definitely our last weekend together as a two-some, and it was a long weekend at that, we spent lots of QT together soaking it up. Spent lots of time in bed, started watching a new TV season (the Walking Dead...not sure how I feel about it yet), and did some running around.

 Our last photo (potentially) with baby still in the belly

Still no sign of baby. That being said, today is last doctor's appointment so we will have a plan in place sometime this afternoon to bring this baby into the world.

So this is the position we have been finding our kitty Jax in these days. When we were putting the nursery together the past few months he had no interest whatsoever in the room. Now as soon as it is ready to go and sheets are on the crib, he decides to make it his new resting place! It's like he knows baby is coming home soon. I am a little nervous about how he will adjust to the new addition. He and hubs are very attached, and I have a feeling he is going to be very jealous in the beginning.

Mom and Sarah and I went to a Xmas Craft Fair on the weekend. There was a ton of vendors, and some really nice stuff. I really wish we had a larger house so I could have bought more crafts!! I had to restrain myself. What I couldn't restrain myself from buying was these cute knitted items! I know we don't even know it its a girl or not, but Mom couldn't help herself from getting this sweet sweater and hat. I figure it would make a great gift for someone if we have a boy. If we do have a girl, then this is what we are bringing baby home in!

I also got this gender neutral hat/bootie set. The weather is chilly and baby needs to keep warm!

And last (but not least) I got my bday/pushing present a little early from Hubs :) Isn't he wonderful!!! Its a Nikon 3100, and I am just a little stoked!! I've wanted a really good camera for ages now. And its perfect timing, we can bring it to the hospital to get some really good pictures of baby OB when he/she makes their arrival. We've been playing around with it a little bit, but still have lots to learn.

So off to my 41 week appointment later this afternoon. I am going to re-pack my hospital bag one final time incase she sends us right there. I'll take some photos to show everyone what the final items are that we are bringing.

Send us some good labour vibes, we could sure use them! :)

Officially 41 Weeks

Oh, hi there. Hope you didn’t think the absence of a post the past few days meant I was in labor. Definitely not laboring over anything over here, unless you count the cookies and muffins I’m about to make in the kitchen.

Another day is here and my belly is still large and in charge. I had no idea how big my belly was until I got hubs to take this picture. My goodness!! I have resigned myself to an induction, but I am still hoping I will go into labor on my own before Tuesday. The past few days i've taken it extra easy. We went out to dinner as a family last night. Had a potluck with some of the pre-natal yoga ladies on Thursday evening which was so much fun. Otherwise i've napped off and on, been doing lots of reading, hanging out in the baby room admiring all the cute things. Not much to report.

I’m not having any contractions and didn’t have any other “signs” to give me any hope of going on my own. Today I am forcing my mother to take me to a xmas craft fair that is an hour away. She is petrified I am going to go into labour while we are out of the city. Wouldn't that be funny. No really, it actually would be. That sounds like a dream right about now actually! Everyone is so impatient, including us, at this point. Nobody can believe this baby isnt here yet.

Our good friends Kerri and Chris welcomed a little bundle, a little miracle, at 30 weeks on Wednesday. Little Hudson weighed only 2 lbs 14 oz, but he and his Momma are doing wonderfully and we are so excited to meet him. They weren't due until the new year, but now our little ones will be the same age and in the same school year. I can't wait for them to meet :)

Will keep everyone updated if we have any progress in the next few days!

Week 40 Update

Can I just say....that I never thought we would get to the 40 week post, but here I am! Just getting in from my 40 week appointment. This baby is too much like his/her father...always late!! She was able to get 1 fingertip today, which is a bit of progress over last week. Doc said for someone healthy and with a tectbook pregnancy like me, they hate to interfere unless absolutely neccessary. We do however, have a tentative plan in place incase we need one. With Monday being remembrance day holiday, I go in to see her Tuesday afternoon. That would mark 10 days overdue. We'll try the gel at that point, and if nothing happens, make an induction plan for later next week. The more I think about waiting that long, I think am going to call on Friday and see if we can't get into L&D to try the gel on Friday before the weekend. I'd hate to have to wait until next week for some progress. I will literally lose my mind!

Me and my pregnant barristas at Starbucks are becomming very chummy. I forgot to order my gingerbread latte decaf today, and my barrista picked up on it right away. She also made me promise to bring baby in ASAP for a drink on the house. Sweet girl!

How far along? 40 weeks...3 days! 

Baby Size: A small pumpkin. Orrr a large pumpkin with my luck!

Total weight gain: 38 pounds, no gain this week.

Maternity clothes? Lately, I've been wearing my non-maternity lululemon yoga clothes.

Stretch marks? I don't think I have a single one. I heard, however, that sometimes you don't notice them until after you give birth.

Sleep: Sleeping well still! Normally just one pee break a night.

Best moment this week: It's been a quiet week...

Miss Anything? I miss alot of things at this point. Including my due date!

Movement: Still movin' a bit, especially after eating sweets and/or chocolate.

Food cravings: McDonald's fries. Good thing I haven't given in to that craving!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Garlic gives me reflux lately.

Gender: Just really dying to find out at this point.

Labor Signs: Still no labor signs. I may have shed a few tears afterwards. It is so frustrating.

Symptoms: Just feeling really large. no swelling or anything this week.

Belly Button in or out? Still hanging on.

Wedding rings on or off? Off

Mood: Definitely at my wits end.  But I'm still relatively comfortable and sleeping good, so I guess I should be thankful.

Looking forward to: Having this baby!!

Here I go for a nice long 5 mile walk. I used to laugh and say wouldnt it be funny if my water broke on my walks, but really, i'd take that right now over anything!!

 

40 Weeks +2

For those of you wondering...yep still pregnant! I've been twiddling my thumbs, anxiously waiting for the slightest twinge of anything starting. Unfortunately for me, all is quiet!

I had some slight cramping after my doctor's appointment last week, and the odd cramp over the weekend. But that is all to report. Even my bodily functions have slowed down this week, instead of speeding up! (TMI sorry) I wish I was feeling something! At this point, the days are creeping by like a snail. I am still sleeping really well, so the mornings start off well. I watch 4 episodes of a Baby Story/cry and read my book. Some mornings, like this morning, I am sad to wake up to no changes. Why isn't my body doing what it is supposed to? As the day creeps on, my hope dwindles. By the time the evening rolls around, i've lost all hope of going into labour and resign myself to waking up in the morning with this overly large belly and having to answer a gazillion questions from others if we're in labour yet. Everyone keeps saying "be patient" and "soon enough" but I just think my body isn't meant to do what it is supposed to. I have a fear it'll come to induction for me.

I know the average Mom delivers at 41 weeks +1 day, so that still gives me another 6 days. I will be in a padded room by the time that day rolls around.

So another doctor appointment tomorrow. I am not expecting to hear any good news since I feel the exact same, just slightly larger. There is nothing left to do, i've wondered the aisles of the new Toys R Us 3 times since last week. I am basically on a first name basis with the employees. I've had a gazillion lunch dates, i've tried accupuncture to induce labour with a naturopathic doctor. I've walked 4 times over 5 miles. I've eaten spicy foods (asian stirfry, curry). Maybe its time to start xmas shopping and walking aimlessly around the malls.

We kept busy on the weekend. We had one last possible "date night" before baby. I feel like we keep saying that every weekend just incase baby arrives. We went to dinner Saturday at the inlaws. And Sunday we had dinner at Mom and Dad's. I feel like that is all i've been doing, lunch dates and big suppers! Maybe baby is enjoying all the food a bit too much and that is why he/she doesn't want to come out.

Well i'll be back tomorrow with the week 40 post. Hope everyone is having a good week! xo