Cooing

Henry started cooing around 5 weeks. And with each week he is cooing more and more. It is SO cute. His favorite word is ahgoo. Luckily, I speak a little baby and ahgoo roughly translates to "Mommy, I love you so so much!". Sometimes among his cooing, Kyle and I swear we've heard a real word or two in there, not just baby talk. The other day we were eating dinner and Henry clear as day said, "Kyle". Kyle and I both looked at each other and said, "Woah, he just said Kyle!". Its possible we have some kind of baby genius on our hands:) Other non-baby words we swear we've heard Henry say, "hi", "I do", "oh" "mom" "help" and "sure". Talking so much at 7 weeks old - the Irish, gift of the gab! He must be my baby:)

Henry's first love

The Nuk: Henry's first love. It was our go to for any and all fussing. He loved his nuk. It worked like a charm every time. I'm sad to report that he has lost that loving feeling for his nuk. He'll still take it sometimes but only briefly. And sometimes he'll refuse it all together.
In its place, a far less portable and less convenient soother, the baby swing. The baby swing is Henry's new love. Once we've exhausted all the other possibilities, he's hungry, sleepy, needs a diaper change, ect., we put fussing Henry in the baby swing and Hallelujah! He's happy and content and quiet:) Now if only we could put the baby swing in his diaper bag and carry it around with us.

Henry meets Santa

Gigi and I took Henry to meet Santa. Henry is too young to have the stranger danger cry but he certainly was unsure about this Santa fellow. The better picture which I wish I had gotten was Henry with his mouth wide open screaming and his fist pulled back like he was going to punch Santa. After I put his nuk in we got this picture with the scowling eyebrows. After taking the picture with Santa the plan was to do some shopping but things didn't go as planned. Henry had a major diaper blow out. Santa literally scared the poop out of him! Good thing Henry didn't getting any on Santa. He would've been on the naughty list for sure!

Spit up

For the first few weeks of Henry's life, he was not a spit up baby. Kyle and I could count on one hand the number of times he spit up. This has unfortunately changed. He's not a big spitter upper but its definitely more frequent these days. Its like he's found his puking reflex! And he uses the few neck muscles he has to pick his head up and get my hair every time! It doesn't matter if my hair is up, down, or to the side, he finds it! Ugh! And his grip on my hair is getting stronger and stronger. He likes to hold on to it when I'm holding him. Perhaps he thinks I might drop him and wants some insurance? Taking matters into his own hands! Don't worry baby, I would never drop you. And you can spit up on me all you want and I'll still think you are the cutest baby ever:)

Muscle Man

Henry does the cutest thing (well, he does LOTS of cute things...). Kyle and I call it his muscle man move or his he-man. He makes fists and flex his arms as if to show off his biceps. Every time he does it Kyle and I ooh and ahh over him. We, like most parents, thought that this was some unique thing that only our unique lil man did. And then...he did it in front of the pediatrician (ooooh and ahhhhh). The pediatrician informed us that this is a newborn reflex. A reflex that occurs when their nervous system isn't quite mature yet. WHAT?! ITS NOT JUST HENRY'S SUPER CUTE THING? Nope, apparently not and he will soon be outgrowing it. So my goal this week is to catch it on video before it disappears!

My Future MU Alum!

Its fun to imagine who Henry will be when he grows up. Although I want to keep him my little baby forever! Kyle and I like to imagine Henry's future. We talked about what job he'll have and the college he'll go to. We imagine that like his mommy and daddy he will go to Marquette but decided that their are a few Ivy league schools that would also be ok:) And of course we imagine that he will be attending college on a full academic scholarship! Our lil genius:) Possibly an athlete scholarship...maybe but only for non-contact sports like track or cross country or swimming. Nothing where he could get hurt. I spent way too long making him!
Above is Henry's first MU outfit! First of many:)
Thanks for the hat Mrs. Schliecher!

Henry's First St. Nick's Day

Henry's 1st Saint Nick's day! He was so excited that he woke everyone up at 3:30AM to see what St.Nick left in his shoe:) He was then so excited by his new toy that he stayed up for another two hours...It's ok though. Henry is the only person in the whole world that I would be happy to wake up for at that hour:)

Henry and Jacob's 1st Thanksgiving!

For Henry's first Thanksgiving we went to Uncle James and Aunt July's. My brother Tim and his family and my brother Mike all flew in. Henry got to meet his cousins and Aunt and Uncles. James and July did a great job hosting and I think Henry really enjoyed his first holiday.
It was fun watching my three little nephews playing and I could only imagine that next year, Henry will be right in the mix, wrestling and rough housing with them!
Happy First Thanksgiving to my son Henry and my godson, Jacob!

One Month Old

Henry is one month old! My chunky monkey has already grown so much. He now weighs 10lbs 7oz and is almost 23 inches long. His weight is now in the 70th percentile and his height remains in the 90th percentile. At his one month doctor appointment his doctor commented on what a calm baby he was. I know we are truly lucky to have a little man with such a good temperament. But I don't want to jinx it. I know that at any moment it could all change.
On the day he turned one month I found myself looking at the clock all day and thinking, "what was I doing this time last month..." It's still all very fresh in my mind. I remember how when my water broke, I didn't believe it and had to google it for confirmation. I remember how excited Kyle was on the car ride to the hospital. I remember those first few contraction that Kyle could make me laugh through. And I remember that turning point when the contractions went from laughable to down right crushing. I remember the first moment I saw my baby and the over whelming feeling that came over me and I remember watching Kyle hold our son for the very first time. It was surreal. The whole experience was truly a miracle. Sometimes I look at Henry and think, WOW, I made that. That's my son. And I feel like the most blessed person in the world.

Heaven's Newest Angel

This week my maternal Grandmother, my Ommy, will be laid to rest. I'm sad for my mom and her siblings. I can't imagine the loss of a parent. I'm sad she is gone from here and that she will not get to meet her great grandson. But I am happy knowing she is in a better place. I am happy that she and my maternal grandfather, after 10+ years apart, are finally reunited. Although Henry never got to meet her, I know she will be watching over him from heaven - one more guardian angel for our lil man. In Henry's baby book, is special place for a card written to him from Ommy just days before she left earth. Below is a link to her legacy page. She will be greatly missed and thought of often.
Legacy Page

Belly Button

Henry finally lost his umbilical cord on day 18 of life. It was a little gross. And despite my mother's advice, I did not keep it.
Before his umbilical cord fell off we had to give Henry sponge baths. He hated them. I have his first "at home" sponge bath on video (with all the other 1st) and he is one unhappy guy. After day 18 with the umbilical cord gone I was able to give his a real bath. Unfortunately, I did not record this one. He LOVED it!
However, based on his first bath experience it is safe to say that Henry does not know how to swim yet. When he started to sink into the water...he just kept sinking. Henry's protective daddy was giving me lip the whole time about putting too much water in the tub. It was a learning experience for all of us. I'm just glad that Henry likes bath time now:)

Diapers

MYTH: Newborns sleep 18 hours a day
FACT: Newborns go through LOTS of diapers! AND eat constantly!

I really can not believe how many diapers babies go through. Our pediatrician told us 8-12 diapers a day was normal. 8-12!! I thought we had a pretty good stash of diapers before bringing Henry home. But that box of 180 only lasted about 18 days! And the diaper genie filled up in less than 10 days. Kyle couldn't believe it. When he emptied it he was wowed by the number of full diapers that fit in that compact space. So wowed that he had to weigh it. How much do you think 10 days of Henry's full diapers weigh? MORE THAN HIM! 8lbs 5oz!

And these diapers are a whole new thing to Simba too. In fact, he got a hold of his first full diaper the other day. Apparently, dogs do this? And Simba was so stealthy about it. We were home and just in the other room when Simba got into the diaper genie, got a full diaper and chewed it up in the hallway. SO GROSS!

I think Henry is going to be on the fast track to this whole potty training thing!

Henry James Comes Home!

It's true. Henry was nameless for a few days. We had three boy names on the list: Henry James, Andrew James and Matthew James. I would be lying if I said he didn't go by one of those three names for at least an hour or two. But Henry James was the name that stuck. It's a family name. Henry after Kyle's paternal grandfather and James after my dad and brother.
Henry spent the first 7 days of his life in the NICU. His diagnosis was "suspected infection". They poked and prodded our lil man looking for every kind of infection under the sun and found nothing. Although it was difficult having our Baby H in the NICU for so long I think there was a guardian angel or two with a bigger plan. (Now, if only this guardian angel would pick up the NICU tab!)
We learned so much from the NICU nurses. Things that would've taken Kyle and I weeks to learn. Things you don't read about in any of those baby books. Everything from diapering tricks to soothing techniques to feeding help. Maybe it was all part of the plan for Kyle and I to get this extra training before taking Henry home?
Henry came home on 11-10 and had his first pediatrician appointment the following Friday. He's perfect. Healthy and happy and such a good baby. And already putting on weight! 8lbs 3oz already!

"I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW IT!!!"

During my near death experience, AKA labor and delivery, I spiked a fever. As if I didn't have enough already going on (unreal contractions, puking my guts out...) I had the chills so bad that my whole body was shaking. ICK! Unfortunately, a fever for mommy meant a fever for Baby H. My doctor explained that the Neonatal intensive care doctors would need to come in and care for Baby H just as a precaution. So my L&D room went from my doctor, nurse and Kyle to the mass chaos of the NICU squad team. Literally, 10 people came storming into the room.
When Baby H entered the world, my doctor said, "It's a boy!" Kyle started jumping up and down (possibly a fist pump or two in there) and said excitedly, "I knew it! I knew it!" We were so happy he was finally here! A few moments with mommy and daddy before he was whisked away to the NICU.
I feel like this experience is my very own war story. And Kyle was an excellent and supportive battle buddy:)

Baby Pool Results

Baby Henry is here and the baby pool results have been processed.

The Chicago Baby Shower Results:

Correctly guessing his Weight: Mary Jo and Madonna
Guessing Henry's length correctly: AMJ, Gigi, Bree, and Lynn
Correctly guessing the birth date: Kailee

Overall winner, with the most correct guesses...CHRISTINE, Allie's mommy guessed best!

The Carmel Baby Pool Results:

Guessing Henry's length correctly: Gavin, Steve, and July
Closest to time of birth: Jill
Correctly guessing the date: Chrystal

No one guessed his weight.

The Overall winner, guessing the most components correctly: Uncle Tom!!!

Congrats to all the WINNERS!

Happy Birthday, Baby H!

IT'S A BOY!!! Henry James entered the world on November 3rd. Just 2 hours short of his due date. He weighed 8lbs 1oz and is 22 inches long. His length is 90th percentile and his weight is exactly average in the 50 percentile. His head - like his daddy's was 90th percentile (umm...gee thanks Kyle).
My water broke at home (ah? Did my water really just break?) and we got to the hospital around 6pm. Henry came into the world just 4 fast and furious hours later. While it is still fresh in my mind let me say this, anyone that has ever told you that giving birth isn't that bad is lying to you. It is that bad. And to those of you who have gone through the process without an epidural...you are AMAZING. Not to be dramatic, but truly I think without the epidural I might have died. But as every new mommy might tell you, it really was all worth it:)

Not for Wimps

Being 40 weeks pregnant is not for wimps. And if I wanted to I could complain about all the aches and pains and discomforts of it but being a "Debbie Downer" is no fun for anyone. So I decided to only focus on the positive attributes of the situation. Here's what I came up with:
1. I still get priority seating on the CTA (thats right! Give me your seat well-bodied people!)

2. I am not at all embarrassed that the people at my ice cream establishment of choice know me by name and my preferred ice cream order when I walk in the door. What?! Its calcium for the baby!

3. I can still park in the "Expectant Mother" parking spaces at local participating establishments. Sweeet!

4. People are just plain nicer when you're pregnant. Strangers are friendly. They hold doors open for you and help you carry stuff. They ask how you're doing and seem authentically interested in hearing your response.

5. The fact that my body can carry and nourish a whole other person. That's pretty awesome. Show me one man that can do that?!

6. If there's just one cookie left and there are two people, one of whom is pregnant, the pregnant one always wins. It's one of the laws of pregnancy. The same thing holds true for Halloween candy leftovers - the last Reese's Peanut Butter Cup totally mine.

7. And finally, Kyle, who always takes extra good care of me, has really stepped up his game for his pregnant wife. A girl could get use to all the extra TLC.

With that all being said I have one wish for all pregnant ladies out there present and in the future. I hope for your sake your babies are healthy full term babies that come early!

Enough-already-itis

I am suffering from a touch of enough-already-itis. I've tried everything I can think of to clue Baby H in that it's checkout time, but nothing. As I waddle my way to the doctors office for yet another appointment I never thought I'd have to keep, I'm thinking to myself, seriously if I have to come to one more of these appointments sans Baby H you don't even want to know how crabby I can get. And yes, I officially am sporting the pregnancy waddle. Its not cute. Not to rush you or anything but its check out time Baby H.!

Halloween 2010

Having a due date so close to Halloween I had to be prepared. So, I had costumes for Kyle and I and for Simba and Baby H on standby.
I didn't purchase the necessary pieces for ours until the last possible moment on Friday afternoon. If Baby H had arrived before Friday, this purchase would not be needed at all. So Friday came and no Baby H. Kyle and I went as Juno and Bleeker from the movie "Juno"to a Halloween party (Complete with Orange Tic tacs and a blue Big Gulp!). If you haven't seen it before, we highly recommend it! It is a favorite and often quoted in this household, especially during this pregnancy ("I am a sacred vessel! All you have in your stomach is lunch!" "That ain't no etch a sketch" "Honest to blog?" "My eggo is preggo").

If Baby H had arrived by or before Halloween (as I had planned) he/she was going to be a sweetpea and Simba was going to be a carrot. So they could be Peas and Carrots! But maybe next year...And Simba didn't have a backup costume, so he had to repeat last years dinosaur costume. Sorry Simba.
Happy Halloween 2010!

Friday's Ultrasound

We had an ultrasound on Friday. Baby is running out of room in there! I would share the picture but its not very flattering, rather flattening. Looks like Baby H is looking at us squished up against a glass window! Still cute. Almost looks like Baby H has some Angelina Jolie-like lips in the pictures. And a very defined chin. Where are those features coming from? Or is that just the illusion of the ultrasound picture? Hopefully, we'll know soon.
Baby H is measuring in at a healthy 7lbs 8oz. My doctor doesn't think he or she will gain much more than that before entering the world...soooo then what exactly is the hold up kiddo?
Baby H is also measuring in long. In the 99 percentile for height! (Perhaps a future basketball player?!) And lean. Baby's belly was only in the 22 percentile. No worries though, we'll help to chunk baby up on the outside! Also measuring in with his or her dad's melon head - at the 85 percentile!

Last One Standing

Way back in February when we found out about Baby H's existence, we also learned that others shared similar due dates. Two of my friends from high school and my cousin were also expecting. Its been great going through this whole experience with them. Trading war stories and calling, emailing, and texting to see if anyone else was experiencing what you were. All three of my war buddies have now had their babies. AND ITS SOOO UNFAIR! I'm the only one left pregnant!
Welcome to the world, Abagail Lynn, Brendan Thomas, and Derek Michael! Once Baby H finally arrives, I'm sure you will all be good buddies:)

Ready Set GO!

Well, its Oct. 20, and Baby H is still cooking. Which means Baby H has decided not to listen to me. I think this is just the beginning of Baby H letting me know that I am no longer in control.
We are so ready for the baby. The car seat is installed, safety checked and ready to go. The nursery is all put together, the linens and clothes are all prewashed, I've even finished reading another baby book. I'm really ready! Come on baby, its time!
All the baby books say that baby is fully developed and that these last two weeks are just for putting on weight. I promise, Baby H, you can do that on the outside! Hurry up, there are lots of people wanting to meet you!

Carmel

My doctors grounded me, as of Oct. 7th. Which means no more flying and staying within a reasonable driving distance from the hospital. Before Oct. 7 we decided to have one last flight/vaca before Baby H arrives, to Carmel. Its hard to imagine that my next flight will be with a baby in tow (and stroller, and car seat and on and on and on...)
It was a great weekend spent with lots of extended family:)And a HUGE thank you to all that made it happen. Especially to my dad and Kay, who opened their home to ALL of us - for several days and multiple meals! And thank you to my fabulous sisters-in-law for all the effort they put towards making the weekend special. And to my brothers for being such good sports and helping with the weekends activities. It isn't often that my parents get all five of their children, 3 daughter in laws, 1 son in law, and five grandchildren in one place. And all for Baby H! The little baby that they haven't even met yet. I can only hope that Baby H realizes how much he or she is already loved.
Thanks also to my aunts, uncles and cousins who also made the trip. And to my very AWESOME 97 year old Grandma for coming and spending the weekend with us.

Pass the Hot Sauce

I've heard the normal inducing labor techniques: eating spicy foods, going for long walks, getting pedicures, and so on. But recently I have heard some rather different ones. Now, I won't be trying any of these until after the 14th (full term) but you better believe that after the 14th its on! I'M SO READY!
A few unusually things I've heard for speeding Baby H's debut up: Taking the stairs two at a time, eating pineapple first thing in the morning, drinking raspberry tea before bed, and someone even told me to go to the park and do the monkey bars (I think I will be skipping this one).
I've even gotten some unusually advice on having an easier labor. A neighbor told me to eat a lot of chicken in the last trimester to insure an easier delivery. No explanation on how this works but if she says so, bring on the chicken.
I just hope Baby H likes spicy chicken with pineapple and raspberry tea:)

Fuzzy Math

Humans do not have a 9 month gestation period. This is some odd lie that has gone on and on misinforming the public. Here's the deal. Your due date is at 40 weeks which is 10 months. You are not considered full term until you are 37 weeks which is 9 months and one week. And the average first time mother gives birth at 41 weeks (10 months and one week). Even longer...they will let you go as long as 42 weeks before inducing you! This is not 9 months by any means!
So recently when people have asked me how far along I am, and I say 9 months I will often get looks that says, "Whoa! What are you doing out of your house!"
Technically, I'm due November 4th - according to my doctors. I disagree. But that's another blog entry. But with a November 4th due date, Baby H is full term on October 14th. With these dates I have selected the perfect birthday for Baby H - October 19th. Here's why: Anni's bachlorette party is on the 16th (don't want to miss that!)and October 16th is already Simba's birthday. I figure I will need at least the 17th to catch up on sleep. The 18th would be ok but the 19th is a Tuesday and the nurse I like at the hospital where Baby H is entering the world works on Tuesdays. So, I think Baby H should come on Tuesday, October 19th. I've told Baby H this. We'll see how well he or she listens to me!

Wedding Anniversary

3 years ago(and a few days), I married my best friend. I still feel just as lucky and blessed as I did that day.

To celebrate this union we went to the Monday night football game, Bears vs. Packers. Because nothing says, I love you, like a good team rivalry!!!

Two awesome things about going to Soldier Field pregnant: 1. They have pregnant lady bathrooms! No lines!!! 2. All pregnant ladies are permitted to use the VIP entrance and exit.Rather than get smashed in the regular doorways. Both totally great advantages:)

Kyle wanted to make a little wager before the game. If the Packers won, than baby H would be a Packers fan and the same went for a Bears victory. I wouldn't take the bet. Its still early in the season and I wasn't confident enough in my Bears. BUT THEY DID WIN!!! Oh, how I wish I would've taken the bet.

But fair is fair and we decided that like Simba, Baby H will just be a Beakers fan. Half Bears and Half Packers fan until he or she is old enough to decide for them self.

We had a great time and Kyle is already talking about how excited he is to take his son or daughter to future games!

Chicago Baby Shower

Sometimes thank you just doesn't seem like enough. Kyle and I are both overwhelmed by the love and generosity we felt at our Chicago Baby shower. My sister in law, July, was the hostess and she did a truly amazing job! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING JULY!!! Everything was perfect and more than I could have asked for.

A few of my favorites:

The Professions Book: Guest were able to write what they thought Baby H. would be when he or she grows up. This was so fun to read through. Some people went traditional(Pilot, Teacher, Doctor), others went with a funny response (OBGYN, Children's book Author, Clown School) and others have some pretty high hopes for our little baby (President, Goodwill Ambassador, 4 star Army General)! There were a lot of lawyer responses too! My favorite response though was by our friend, Sarah. She wrote that Baby H will be what ever makes him or her happy and she was certain that whatever that might be, it would make his parents very proud.

The Birthday Cards: July gathered birthday cards for certain years, as baby H grows up and encouraged guests to write message to Baby H in the future. So great! I already put these cards in Baby H's baby book!

The Baby Pool and the "What will Kyle say when Kathy's water breaks" posters are so fun! I was sure to keep both for our baby.


A sincerely thank you to all of you who traveled from far to join us! It was great having you:) A special thanks to Erika for all her hostess help! And to Beth for taking all these pictures from the day. And there are just so many thank yous, the list would just go on and on. Both Kyle and I are so grateful! Thank you for everything. We are lucky and so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our life!

Maternity Cothes Shopping

I love clothes shopping...usually. Retail therapy is truly my therapy of choice. However, pregnancy has changed this. I didn't want to invest in a whole lot of maternity clothes for a few different reasons. And I was able to postpone maternity clothes shopping for quite a few months thanks to my sisters in law, July and Erin, loaning me some of there baby bump wear.
Earlier this month my mom came over and took one look at my makeshift outfit, trying to make non-maternity clothes fit over the baby bump and she gave me the 'Just because its zips doesn't mean it fits' look. She said three of my favorite words, "Let's go shopping."
So we took an afternoon to shop the streets of Woodfield and the mall. Talk about discouraging. There is a MAJOR gap in the over 5'8" and preggers department. I was getting noticeably frustrated with the lack of clothing options when the sales lady brought one more dress for to try. "Here just try this, the hanger doesn't do it justice." At this point in the shopping, after hours of looking, trying on and not succeeding, I wanted to say, "Lady, if that was the last dress on earth that fit me, I still wouldn't wear it." But instead smiled and said, "Mom, I'm done." So ended our first attempt of maternity clothes shopping.
Kyle, expecting a happy, just shopped all day wife to return home was instead met with an unhappy preggers lady. So started the research for a maternity clothes store that would better accommodate my vertical and horizontal needs. Alis! Belly Dance. My mom and I went to Belly Dace and it was an instantly better experience. Dresses were appropriate lengths and everything. But beggers still can't be choosers. Options in colors and size are still limited but I learned an important lesson and so I pass it along to fellow blog readers. Just go to Belly Dance!

Happiest baby on the block

As soon as Kyle and I announced the coming of Baby Hartman, there was a flood of book suggestions and baby classes to take from other parents. All very welcome advice - we need all the help we can get! So if you have any additional tips please feel free to share!
One of the suggestions we kept hearing over and over was this Dr. Karp's book/video "Happiest Baby on the Block". My brother James and sister in law, July, along with friends Lindsay and Jake, swear by this method.
Around 8 months into pregnancy I started to panic that I was well read in pregnancy and all the labor and delivery stuff but what about when the baby comes?! So Kyle and I finally got around to watching this "Happiest Baby on the Block". Seems simple enough - the 5 S's to soothing a baby. The video is a little cheesy but certainly this method seems to work. So to all you soon to be parents out there - check it out!
Now if Baby H could just wait a few more weeks, I still need to finish reading, "Baby 411" and "What to Expect the First Year". Then I will officially be ready for his or her arrival!

A Weekend in the Northwoods

The last weekend in Aug was spent in the northwoods - visiting with Kyle's family. Wanna know how to make a 6 hour drive even longer? Do it while in your final trimester of pregnancy! Talk about a SUPER uncomfortable car ride! But once we (FINALLY) arrived, the weekend was full of fun activities!

Among them, was a Hartman family baby shower. Its nice when all the Hartman's can get together. It doesn't happen often enough. Kyle and I had our three nephews help open all Baby H's super generous gifts. And Baby H has already started sharing with his cousins. After empty some of the boxes the kids had a great time playing with Uncle Kyle in them.
Kyle and I were later looking at the pictures from the day. While looking at the one above he said, "You know, it would be nice to have a little Hartman girl in that picture." Kyle has been so sure that Baby H is boy that this was the first time I heard him waiver in his certainty.
A special and sincere thank you to my two fabulous sister in laws, Erin and Bree and my mother in law, Chris, for a beautiful shower.

Taking a Stroll

One of the dog-baby training items I have been dragging my feet on, is the stroller walks. The dog meets baby class/book recommends taking your pup for walks with the stroller before baby arrives, just to get them use to it. I feel silly walking around the neighborhood with an empty stroller. I mean, I'm already the neighbor that walks her dog in her pajamas - do I really want to be the neighbor that is pushing around an empty stroller too?
This morning while Simba and I were walking to dry cleaners, I saw just this circumstance! A preggers lady with her dog and her empty stroller! I thought, alright, if she can do it, I can do it. I fully anticipate getting some pretty strange looks!

Birthing Class Continued

During the pain management portion of the class I noticed several dads-to-be in the room, had very strong opinions about how their baby mommas should manage their pain. There were a few men that strongly believed in natural child-birth or c-sections and they weren't afraid to make their opinions known. THANK GOODNESS Kyle doesn't have a strong opinion on how our baby H comes into the world. I was ready to give some of these dads a piece of my mind. DUDE, its not your body. Let your baby momma decide whats best for her.

One portion of the pain management section focused on having a comfort item. Something that makes you feel calm. I tried to think of what my comfort item would be and only one thing came to mind. Do you think they will let me have Simba in the delivery room?

Birthing Class

This past weekend Kyle and I took our birthing class. It was a whole day of everything from pain relief options to labor and delivery to postpartum and finished up with a tour of the hospital. Kyle, like most men, knew little about the whole labor and delivery process. Needless to say this class was, eye opening for him. About 30 minutes into the class the instructor was showing an anatomy diagrams when Kyle looked at me, a little on the pale side and said, "Maybe you should get a push present for that." A few more minutes into the diagram and Kyle changed his tune once more saying, "You can have whatever push present you want!" It was a good class and I'm glad we took it but now I'm wishing more than ever that the childhood stories were true and that the stork really did bring babies!

Lil Lamb infant seat

I put this together! ME! ALL BY MYSELF! With tools. Ok just one, a screwdriver but still!
As previously mentioned, I am not gifted in product assembly. I believe we all have our talents and this is just not one of mine. However, just because something doesn't come easily to me, doesn't mean that I not going to continue try every once and awhile. Kyle's mom got us this suuuuper cute infant chair (Baby H, says thanks Grandma!) and I really wanted to see it outside the box. So, I laid out all the pieces and volia - its completely put together and properly to, without any left over parts. I was so proud of myself that I thought about writing Fisher Price on an instruction manual well done! Each step was short and simple with a picture and a "hint" section if you were having trouble - totally my kind of directions!

Baby Goes West

At least once a year, in mid summer, my brothers and I (plus families) make our respective treks to the Big sky country. A week long vacation at my dad's place. This tradition is over a decade old now. Its a week full of family adventures and good times. This August was Baby H's first trip. I'm thinking she might enjoy it a little more next year, on the outside! But this trip she was able to take in the fresh country air and good eats:) Baby H also had her first (in utero) horse experience. I could tell, that like me, she was ready to jump into the saddle and ride off into the sunset. But not this year - doctors orders. Next year for sure!
Let the search for the perfect baby cowboy/girl hat and boots begin!

Gender Revistied

I have decided that if this baby is a boy, I will officially give up on having a clean home. Boys are just messy! I am constantly trying to keep up with Kyle and Simba and if another boy gets thrown into the mix, I will just have to throw my hands up!

Just like, if this baby is a girl Kyle will have to forget about keeping my love of pink at bay. I currently only have small amount of pink throughout our home. But if Baby H is a girl, there will be a serious pink explosion! PINK EVERYTHING!

Little more than two months left!

Painting the Baby's Room

Why does this seem like such a difficult decision? I mean is the color of Baby H's room really going to effect his sensory development? Probably not!

Kyle has had to listen to me (and probably a few others of you) talk about the color(s) of the baby's room for weeks now. He has been really good about it, putting in his input and all. I have probably shown him over a million color swatches and have dramatically changed my mind several times. But the week is here...painting time! I hope Baby H. likes what we decided!

Oh! And don't worry, for those of you who have painted with me before, I will not be doing the actually painting. Kyle will be putting on one of his many hats this Sunday - Painter man Kyle:)