Life on an Island

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:52:00.003-05:00

This year has been nothing short of amazing. I am thankful for so much this year. I have a happy, healthy sweet baby boy and an amazing husband. What more could I ask for?! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

And of course a picture of the sweet boy on his first Thanksgiving!

Worthy Hair Do

2009-11-08T20:44:00.004-05:00

Ben got invited to his first birthday party this weekend. I thought in honor of the first birthday party (which happened to be at the beach), he should have a first (and beach worthy) hair do. I proudly present the cutest little boy with the cutest little mohawk. By the way - it was a total hit. Everybody loved it! I see more mohawks in his future (much to the delight of his Uncle Aaron).

In the Army Now?

2009-11-03T21:17:00.005-05:00

Ben has pretty much perfected the army crawl over the last few weeks. Look away for even a second and it seems like he's gone. Each day he seems to get a little bit faster and is into everything - especially if it has a cord. I finally decided to get him on video (mostly for the grandparents). Enjoy!

*disregard his whininess. Along with independence has come his attitude. I have no clue where he got that from ;) *

FORE!

2009-08-19T19:36:00.000-04:00

Apparently we have another golfer (or at least a cute look-a-like) in the family!

The Camera adds 10...years?!

2009-08-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love this onsie on Ben. I think it's cute and green is a cute color for him. When I uploaded the pictures to the computer, I couldn't believe how much older he looked. He looks like a toddler in this picture when in reality, he's a few days shy of 5 months old. Ack! How do I get him to not grow up so fast?!

Our Little Jail Bird

2009-08-16T21:52:00.005-04:00

I never thought about what this outfit would look like on Ben when I bought it. Every time I see him in it, all I can think of is jailhouse stripes. I think he looks cute in it though.

...and for the Grandparents - a video of the little man sitting up on his own: *not sure why it is sideways...working on getting it fixed*

Caution: Teething...almost

2009-08-14T19:07:00.000-04:00

Ben isn't quite teething yet but he sure is drooling like crazy and chews on everything. I think teeth are right around the corner. This outfit was too cute not to share with blogland.

Laughing Baby

2009-08-11T18:21:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend in Miami visiting friends, eating good food, buying a new car and doing lots of shopping. It was a long drive back because we stopped to show off the new car to some friends. I figured Ben would be exhausted because he didn't nap at all from 3-9pm. I couldn't be more wrong.
We got home and I thought it would be nice to throw a ball for Patch because we hadn't seen him all weekend. I figured Ben would whine and we would end up going to be pretty quickly since it was past his bedtime. I threw the ball and all of a sudden Ben let out this high pitched scream which then turned into laughter. The more I threw the ball, the more he laughed. Rick got some of it on camera and it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I am absolutely in love with this little guy!
*excuse the bad quality - it was late and the lights were low because I thought Ben was going to go to sleep*

This was the first and last time I have ever heard him laugh like that. We wish we could get him to do it but as we have learned - he doesn't perform on command.

We have a new addition to the family...

2009-08-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

...her name is Pearl. She's a Chrysler 300 and is the apple of her Daddy's eye!

Eating Applesauce

2009-08-06T21:36:00.002-04:00

Ben tries to grab our plates or cups whenever we are eating near him. I did a little research online and found a lot of opinions that said when a child is ready for solids, they tend to show behavior like Ben. Our pedi wants us to hold off until 6 months until really introducing solids. I figure a little try can't hurt him right now though since he's almost 5 months old.
We tried applesauce and it went over pretty well. I forsee lots of messes in our future though...

Progession of Getting Ready for Swimming

2009-08-03T20:56:00.000-04:00

To get Ben ready to go swimming takes a lot of time and effort.

First - we have to put on the swim diaper (which is usually more complicated by somebody wanting to chew their feet):

Then we put on the (cutest) swimming trunks (ever):
Then, of course, we can't forget the baby sunscreen, swim hat and sunglasses!
Then Daddy takes Ben outside to wait while Mom runs around trying to find toys and towels:
Finally - in the pool float, enjoying the water:

And here's a video to show how much fun we have in the pool:

Too Cute!!

2009-08-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

I like to check in on Ben a few times while he's napping for a longer period of time in the afternoon. There are tons of paranoid reasons but now I have a good reason to check on him! If I hadn't gone in to see him, I would have missed this adorable moment.

Because laying down is for babies...

2009-07-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

Ben thinks it's time to start learning to sit up by himself! While I am proud of him for achieving these milestones, I still want him to be my little baby for a little while longer. He's only 4 months old - he can't grow up just yet!
He will sit up by himself for an endless amount of time if the dog is in front of him. If Patch isn't around, Ben will do it by himself for up to 30 seconds. I think he gets bored and figures he can try to crawl somewhere to be entertained.

The TODAY show takes a vacation!

2009-07-28T20:28:00.001-04:00

The TODAY show was shooting one of their "vacation" shows in Key West this week. Even though we had to be there at 7am (so we could get back in time for work), it was fun to go and see what was going on.
They set everything up at Mallory Square. There were already a ton of people there when we got there, so we didn't get to see too much very well (actually - Rick could see a good bit but Ben and I were just too short). It was fun to say we did it and we got some fun pictures while we were there.

New Toy

2009-07-25T18:30:00.003-04:00

Ben has found a new toy. We actually got it for free. Isn't it sad that we can buy them the most high tech, noisy, flashy toys and they love the free ones better. This free toy happens to the a medicine dropper we're using for Ben's amoxicillin. He loves to chew on the blue rubber end and tries to poke his eyes out with the other end. He will scream bloody murder if we take it away from him though.

Great Stare Down of 2009

2009-07-23T18:16:00.001-04:00

Lately Ben has become obsessed with Patch. If Patch is anywhere near him, Ben is staring at him. He watches everything Patch does. He loves to rub his hands through Patch's fur. It's super cute. This afternoon Ben was doing some tummy time and Patch laid down in front of him. It looked like they were having a staring contest - at least until Ben started inching toward him and got too close. It was so cute to watch though.

The Cheese Stands Alone

2009-07-21T18:05:00.000-04:00

Ben has been showing a strong desire to stand up a lot lately. Mostly he kind of bops around and doesn't hold his own weight for long. The other day he stood for quite a while on his changing table only holding on to my hands. His balance has come a long way since last month. He is also trying to lean to reach things while we're holding him now. I devised a great plan to strengthen his legs and let him get what he wants. I let him use the couch for balance and put a toy in front of him. It worked perfectly! He was able to stand there for a long as 30 seconds and his reward was a toy (medicine dropper that he has fallen in love with). We are so proud of him. He's not pulling up yet but I'm sure that's right around the corner!

*check out his little butt wiggle! how cute!*

4 Months Old!

2009-07-20T11:32:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how fast the months are flying by. Not only because we have Ben, but just life in general. It has been so amazing to watch Ben develop through the months. He's getting so big. He seriously looks like he's 6 months old already. He has been nothing short of an amazing addition to our lives. No matter what kind of day I'm having, he always makes it all better.

Ben - what are you up to at four months?

You weigh 16 lbs and 3 oz. and are 27.5 inches long! You are getting so long so you can be tall like your Daddy.
You are wearing 3-6 months size clothes and a size 2 diaper.
You sleep from 9pm until 6am. You will wake up for a bottle around 6am then go back to sleep until 7 or 7:30am.
You have learned to grab - you are most interested in my hair, the collar of anybodies shirt and Daddy's beard. You absolutely LOVE your silky bear and love to grab toys and hold on to them now.
You smile when we talk to you and when I kiss your belly and neck you just laugh and laugh.
You turn to look at us when you hear our voices.
You have reverted back to a Mommy lover and I can't say I don't love it :)
You are rolling around like crazy. Front to back and back to front. It doesn't matter to you. As soon as we set you down you flip over and start trying to crawl. You haven't mastered the skill of crawling yet. You are more of a scoocher right now.
You LOVE your exersaucer. You loving standing up. You can hold yourself up for 5-10 seconds at a time right now - mostly when you're holding onto the couch or our hands.
You really only cry when you are really tired and are fighting sleep.
You are constantly reaching for our fingers to chew on them. You love to try to shove your whole hand in your mouth. Sometimes you gag yourself once you get it in there. We think you are going to start teething soon.
You still love your bath especially now that we moved you to the big boy seat in the bathtub! You just chew your fingers and splash around like you were meant to be in the water your whole life. You are always so content at bath time.
You LOVE swimming. We bought you a floaty thing and you could spend hours in the pool floating and kicking around if we let you.
You have learned to scream and make your presence known. Most days you smile and make noises - no coos any longer. You want to talk to us so bad!
You have your first ER trip the day before you turned 4 months. You had a fever of 102.1 and an ear infection. Poor baby. You are starting to feel better today though.

Happy 4 Month Birthday Sweet Baby Boy! - Love Momma

Sick Baby

2009-07-19T21:55:00.001-04:00

All weekend Ben has been feeling kind of yucky. His daycare had a couple kids who were sick this past week. We were hoping since he's only there for a few hours a day, he wouldn't catch anything from them. No suck luck. Little man came up with a fever of 102.1 this evening and so we called the on-call pediatrician - which happened to be our pediatrician anyway. He said since Ben had been lethargic most of the day and wasn't eating nearly as good as he usually does he wanted him to be seen tonight. So off we went.
Once we got there, of course Ben all of a sudden perked up. He was the happiest and most alert he had been ALL day. Of course. Thankfully, the physician's assistant that was seeing Ben was also a physician's assistant at Dr. Boros' office (our cardiologist who I had to see after Ben's delivery because of my bigeminy). He was super sweet with Ben and was very understanding of our sort of franticness. Diagnosis - an ear infection and a cold. Poor baby. He is on amoxicillen for 10 days. At least he will hopefully be feeling better soon!
Over all the trip only took about 2 hours start to finish. Not bad if you ask me. We are considering our first trip to the ER a happy ending sucess. Ben is snuggled in his crib and sleeping soundly. I'm a happy but tired Momma.

No more quiet baby

2009-07-11T10:28:00.005-04:00

Ben has really been finding his voice lately and I think it's so cute. Normally he is talking non-stop until I get the camera out. Then he is quiet as a mouse. The other night he was feeling particularly feisty and was going on with his noises for a little bit so I finally got a little bit on video.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T23:32:00.000-04:00

I used to (and still do) LOVE 4th of July. It is one of my top 5 holidays. If I could change my birthday to any other day of the year - it would be 4th of July. My Aunt Krista lucked out and it actually IS her birthday (Happy Birthday Aunt Krista!!). Lucky duck.
I was super excited this year for Ben's first 4th of July. I hope he grows up loving it as much as I did/do. One of the reasons I love it so much is because when I was growing up, we always used to go camping at our Great-Grandma's house. She has about 200 acres and we camp at the very back by a beautiful creek. We always used to have SO much fun roughing it for those few days. Plus all of the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents - if your last name was James or you were remotely related to a Jame - you were there. We always had a picnic on the 4th with all of the families. Excellent memories. Of course I always loved the fireworks too. I think they are pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread.
This year we had our friends Dave & Deb over for a cookout. The weather was pretty much perfect. It wasn't too hot or muggy and there weren't any mosquitoes! Ben slept through that. Then it was time to head down to the beach for fireworks. We were nervous about Ben's first time but he did great. He watched about half of them and then fell asleep! It was past his bedtime anyway.
Of course Ben had to have a 4th of July outfit! He looked SO cute in it! (We have a video of some of the fireworks and Ben at them but for some reason Blogger isn't letting me upload, humph)

Big Boy

2009-07-02T18:37:00.002-04:00

When I put this outfit on Ben, I actually started to cry. Not sad cry but more of a realization that my little guy is growing up...way too fast if you ask me. I think he looks like a little gentleman with his polo shirt and boat shoes.

Dinner Out with Ben

2009-06-27T17:53:00.000-04:00

Since having Ben, we haven't gone out to dinner much. First off, I dislike when parents bring their kids out and they can't behave - whatever age they happen to be. I may change my opinion when Ben gets older, but for now, that's where it stands. Secondly, I dislike when babies cry through dinner and disrupt everybody around them. Before now, Ben was on a schedule of eating and if I would make him wait too long, he would get really fussy. Now he's at a point where he wants to be sitting up (though he can't support himself yet) and looking all around. I love that he's so curious but it makes it hard to eat. I can't put him in his carseat unless he's tired otherwise he will fuss until I pick him back up. So long story short - I have been scared of Ben's behavior so we haven't gotten to go out to eat barely at all.In a moment of desperation (because I didn't want to go to the grocery and I didn't feel like cooking), we decided to give Outback a try for dinner. We acquired a gift card along the way sometime for Outback so the pros definitely outweighed the cons on this one. I was slightly stressed, trying to predict how Ben would act. Turns out - he was perfect almost the whole time. The waitress loved him and the table next to us couldn't stop staring and had to come see him before they left. He did want to be held at the beginning, which was fine because none of our food had come. I was nervous when the food came out but he sat in his carseat perfectly and entertained himself while we ate. What a perfect baby!

Ready for solids already?!

Friends or Jealous?

2009-06-24T16:02:00.003-04:00

While I was making pumpkin muffins (my mouth waters just typing that), I let Ben play on his playmat and work on his rolling over skills. Plus I knew he was getting tired and that would wear him out pretty quickly. Patch was wandering around the house aimlessly, likely bored out of his brains, trying to find something to do, eat or lick. Sometime, in the midst of cooking, drinking coffee and reading Parents magazine while sitting on the counter waiting for the buzzer, I realized I hadn't seen or heard Patch in a while. When I'm cooking, he likes to hang out in the kitchen, under foot mostly, because I am always spilling or dropping some kind of food. Smart dog. So I realize he's nowhere to be found. I start looking around the house because this week has been hard for Patch. He has been especially needy. He pooped in Ben's room (and the jury is still out on if it was an accident or jealousy because he's been unkennelled almost exclusively every time we've left the house). We are constantly having to tell him no about licking Ben (because he always heads right for Ben's eyes/face and that CAN'T be good for Ben). Just a rough week.
I went looking all over the house and finally found him - laying on Ben's playmat WITH a toy. I couldn't even be mad because it was so cute. I have yet to decide if he was being nice and trying to be friends with Ben or if he was jealous and thought - if he can lay here, I can lay here. Who knows.

New Pool

2009-06-22T20:11:00.000-04:00

Since Ben had such a great time at the beach a few weeks ago, we thought we would buy him a small pool so he could cool off on these horribly hot and muggy days we've been having and will continue to have. I found one for $10 at KMart (because we don't have Walmart or Target down here) and I was really excited for him to try it out. As you can tell from the pictures, we still have a little work to do in the fun department. We waited a little too long to let him go into it so the water had cooled a little bit from what it was in the afternoon. That may be part of the reason for the inquisitive faces and curled toes.

Happy Daddy's Day!

2009-06-21T10:07:00.000-04:00

Happy 1st Daddy's Day Rick!! You have been an amazing Daddy to Ben and a better husband to me than I could have ever dreamed. Thank you for everything you do every day and we can't wait to see what the future holds for family! We love you!

3 Months Old!

2009-06-20T15:21:00.000-04:00

This last month has been full of new things. Ben has started to really start showing his personality and most days it's super cute. We have had a fussy day here and there but mostly he's still the happiest little baby. He is becoming much more vocal about anything - happy, sad, excited, tired, I think you get the point. He even got to meet his Aunt Julie and Cousin Lexie for the very first time.

I still can't believe it has been 3 months since that beautiful, yet sort of stressful, Spring day that we finally got to meet him.

Ben - what are you up to at three months?

You are eating 5 ounces every 5-6 hours during the day.
You are sleeping from 9pm to 5:30am, wake up to eat, then go back to sleep until 7:30 or 8am.
You have complete head/neck control and constantly want to be looking around.
You are so nosey. You even sleep with your eyes half open sometimes almost to say you don't want to miss anything. You definitely take after your Momma!
You are still so in love with your Daddy. He has taught you how to blow spit bubbles and stick your tongue out. It melts Mommy's heart to see that special bond you two have.
Everything goes in your mouth - EVERYTHING.
You are now able to roll over and you think it's a fun game.
You hate tummy time still but you are able to hold your head up and look around (of course, so you don't miss anything!)
You love to sit up and pretty much refuse to lay down if you are awake. No more laying down for you. You might miss something.
You LOVE your rolling around on your playmat, sitting like a big boy in your bumbo seat or learning how to stand up in your exersaucer.
You are learning to screech and you babble to yourself all the time.
Smiles are a dime a dozen with you now.
You are drooling like crazy but no teeth yet.
You are learning to grab things with your hands - including Mommy's hair (ouch!).
You are our world and Daddy and I fall more in love with you every day!

Happy 3 Month Birthday Sweet Baby Boy! - Love Momma

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T21:47:00.002-04:00

WARNING: Cuteness overload!!

Exersaucer Fun

2009-06-14T16:00:00.006-04:00

Ben is been showing a strong desire to sit up all the time and is really starting to hold his weight on his legs if we stand him up. He likes his bumbo seat but gets bored easily with it. A friend of mine suggested propping him in his exersaucer with a blanket under his feet so he can sit and work on his standing if he wants. I was a bit leary because I have read you can mess their feet up if you put them in too early because they will learn to walk on their toes only. I'm sure that's only the case if you don't have the blanket under them but I was still nervous.
The other night, Ben was being fussy because he wanted to stand/sit. So I pulled out the exersaucer and figured we would give it a try. Don't you know - Ben LOVED it. He was pushing up with his legs, spinning the seat so he could see different things and having a ball of a time. He probably played in there for 30 minutes without a care in the world if Rick or I were there.
He still has a lot of exploring to do and I'm sure that will come as he gets bigger and is able to hold himself completely up with the need for a blanket behind him. He's growing up way too fast.

Happy as a clam:

Cooing and Playing:

We have Roll Over!!

2009-06-14T15:40:00.003-04:00

For a while now, Ben has been trying to roll over. He would get very close but couldn't get past the arm he was laying on. The other day, I put him on his playmat and started making dinner because Rick was working late. I kept an eye him to make sure he was alright. Usually he is pretty noisy because he gets frustrated that he can't roll over. Plus he kicks the sound maker a lot and it constantly changes songs. Suddenly I realized I barely heard any noise and the music had STOPPED playing. Apparently I wasn't look up enough because by the time I looked up at him again, he had rolled over! I couldn't believe it. I had to call Rick right away. Sadly, I haven't gotten it on video yet but hopefully soon. I did get pictures though!

How I left him before the roll over:
Where he ended up after the roll over:

M.I.A.

2009-06-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in what feels like forever. This week was a whirlwind (in a good but exhausting way). I have a bunch of pictures and videos to post - which I have big plan to do tomorrow. For now - good night blogland because I am WAY over tired.

A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-06-03T14:25:00.004-04:00

Rick was taking some photos of Ben the other day, trying to get "the one" for a special frame we bought for his office. As we were going through them, I wasn't really in love with any of them. Some were cute but I didn't see "the one". At least not until Rick called me back into his office and showed me one in black & white. At that moment - I knew it was "the one". From a photography stand point it is less than perfect but I don't even care. This photo captured Ben's personality almost perfectly - to me at least. Love it or hate it - you decide!

Thank You Cpl. Ryan C. McGhee

2009-06-01T13:49:00.003-04:00

While I was talking to my Dad this morning (which it also happens to be his birthday - Happy Birthday Dad!), he mentioned that Aaron was headed to Virginia to attend the funeral of Cpl. Ryan McGhee, a fellow Army Ranger, who was killed in Iraq. Of course I was sad to hear about his death in general, but what really hit me and not until a little while later, was the fact that this barely into his adulthood Army Ranger was almost no different than my little brother. Among the similarities are the fact that they went to boot camp together, knew eachother quite well, were both stationed at bases in Georgia and are the same age. It really hit home what a sacrifice he made. That easily could have been Aaron being sent back in a flag drapped casket. I can't imagine what his family is going through right now. Selfishly, I hope that mine never has to feel that type of unimaginable pain. Seeing photos of the dignified transfer brought tears to my eyes. It made the reality of the danger they face all too close.
Thank you Cpl. McGhee for your ultimate, unselfish sacrifice. May you rest in peace for a job well done.

At least he got ONE thing from me

2009-05-31T10:41:00.005-04:00

Since Ben was born, all I have heard is how much he looks like Rick or has Rick's personality. I love that Ben looks like Rick. I think it's sweet. I wouldn't even mind if he had Rick's personality - though I think it is WAY too early to tell. We'll see I guess.
There is at least one thing Ben has gotten from me though. He LOVES to talk. He jabbers on about who knows what to anything that will listen (usually the toys on his bouncy chair or his reflection in the mirror on his play mat). He has really started being interactive with both Rick and I when we talk to him too. We have read you should pause at normal breaks in your conversation so babies will learn the rhythm of speech. So that's what we have been trying. Ben usually gets camera shy as soon as he sees me pull the camera out. He finally let us get a little bit of it on camera and it's so cute (at least I think so). Be sure that I will post more as he lets us get them.

A Morning at Fort Zachary Taylor Beach

2009-05-25T13:49:00.005-04:00

Yesterday morning we took Ben to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach. Since it was really warm and the water was actually enjoyable, we let Ben play in the ocean for the very first time. He really seemed to like it at first but after about 30 minutes, he was tired of it and wanted to take a nap. We are really excited to take him back as he gets older. Living in South Florida, he'll be a water baby for sure!

Excited to go swimming!

Not sure what to think about it really.

West Matello Fort - A Year later

2009-05-24T08:15:00.004-04:00

Remember this post from May of last year? Fast forward a year and here are a few photos of the same sweet little girl at the same location only a year older (more to come!). Looking back, I can't believe how much she has grown up and how fast! Soon she is going to be a big sister too!

Even MORE Visitors

2009-05-21T12:51:00.000-04:00

We have had tons of family & friends visit since Ben was born. There's another one to add to the list. Rick's sister Julie and our neice Lexie came to Key West this week for a little vacation/visit. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. They got to meet Ben (f/k/a Baby K) via 3D ultrasound and they got to share the special moment when we found out Baby K was going to be a boy! Later that month, Julie found out she was expecting again! They have a little one due at the beginning of August.
This was their first time meeting Ben in person. Lexie did great with Ben. As you can see from the picture, he's practically as big as her it seems (he is 2 months old, she is 2 1/2 years old!). We're looking forward to spending some time with them while they're down here and can't wait to meet new Baby Smith when he/she is born in a few months!

Aunt Julie, Ben & Cousin Lexie

Ben & Lexie

2 Months Old!

2009-05-20T15:25:00.001-04:00

Ben is 2 months old today and I'm pretty sure the second month went twice as fast as the first one! They really aren't kidding when they say kids grow up too fast. Blink twice and they're going off to college I swear.
We went to the pediatrician this morning for Ben's 2 month check up & shots. He weighs 13lbs 8oz (87 percentile) and is 25 inches long (92 percentile). He is his Daddy's son - that's for sure! The pedi said he was happy with the growth and said Ben is right on track to where he wants him. Basically - we have a perfect little boy!
Ben's second month has been nothing short of amazing though. I love every minute I get to spend with him and miss him every second I can't be with him. To make things harder, I've gone back to work part time. Rick has been home with Ben in the mornings (while I'm at work) this month. Starting in June, he will go to our friends, the Wittenmeyer's, house until I get out of work each day. I am already dreading it because I make myself feel so guilty about it but that's a whole other topic for another day.

Ben - what are you up to at two months?

You are eating 4 ounces every 5-6 hours during the day.
You are sleeping from 8pm to 4:30am pretty consistantly. Sometimes you will wake yourself up if you drop your binky. As soon as Mommy replaces it, you're back to sleep.
You are almost completely in control of your head & neck. Sometimes you let your head fall back but that's usually when you're tired.
You are so in love with your Daddy. You give him smiles and try to mimic faces/sounds he is making all the time.
You are more aware of people in the room and follow them with your eyes.
You are kicking your legs all the time now. When you get really worked up, your hands start flying around, out of control too.
You LOVE your Mam binkies. Those are the ONLY ones you take now.
You are smiling and cooing like crazy - especially on our walks or when you first wake up in the morning.
You rarely cry and several people have commented on your good behavior when we're out visiting. You are very content as long as you have your binky. Your only fussy times are when you're really tired or really hungry.
You are pretty much the best baby in the world and Daddy and I fall more in love with you!

Happy 2 Month Birthday Sweet Baby Boy! - Love Momma

That's why I do it

2009-05-17T13:57:00.004-04:00

No matter how bad of a day I've had, how many people have pushed me to the edge (and almost over some days) or how exhausted I am, the reason I can get out of bed each morning (and sometimes in the middle of the night) and deal with all of the crazies the world has to offer is because I get to be a wife and mommy to these two. I absolutely LOVE all of the wonderful memories we're making as a family.

Thank you both for loving me on my good days and my not so good days. You both mean the world to me!

BabyLegs

2009-05-16T12:24:00.008-04:00

t one of our baby showers, we received a pair of BabyLegs for Ben. I just recently found them after reorganizing his dresser this week (when I was pregnant, I reorganized all the time and then immediately forgot where I put things so I guess it was really replacing things). They are really nice because he can wear a onsie while we're out for a walk and then when we get back home in the AC, I can put his BabyLegs on him and he doesn't get too cold. Rick doesn't like them or at least pretends really well. He calls them "man stockings". I call him crazy. Since I'm the Mom and I dress him, Ben gets to wear them :)
Here's the sweet baby boy with his BabyLegs on. See, they look cute, right?

Bouncy Seat

2009-05-14T13:43:00.005-04:00

When we first put Ben in his bouncy seat, he hated it. He sat there for maybe 10 seconds then started crying. That was way back - about 7 weeks ago. Fast forward to today - he LOVES his bouncy seat. He really gets going with his arms & legs and has figured out the bouncing part of it. He is starting to be more interactive with the parrot and monkey that hang down. He has frequent staring contests with a little moving monkey on the bar. He has started to coo at them and we think it's the cutest thing ever.
Not only because I know the Grandparents LOVE videos of Ben, but because it is the first video of him playing in the bouncy seat that we have gotten:

Back to Work

2009-05-13T17:37:00.005-04:00

Maternity leave is a wonderful thing. I loved every minute of the time I got to spend with Ben. I was sort of dreading having to go back to work full time because it would mean that I would miss 8 hours of Ben's life every day. I also didn't just want to quit completely because I really do love my job and my co-workers. I had a talk with my boss (who has been more than accommodating throughout my whole pregnancy - especially considering I had only been there 4 months when we found out we were pregnant) and we worked out a schedule that would allow me to only work part time. I was so relieved when we got out of that meeting. I work from 9am to 1pm and then I get to spend the rest of my afternoon with Ben! Ben usually sleeps most of the morning anyway so it works out perfect. The best of both worlds if you ask me.
Here is what we do during our afternoons together:

We play on the playmat

Ben is so vain already - he loves to stare at himself in the mirror...we play on Daddy's computer...we have tummy time (he was supposed to be doing it
but apparently found this position to be more comfortable)...and of course, we take naps!

Beach Fun!

2009-05-11T14:17:00.005-04:00

As part of my Mother's Day, I wanted to take Ben back to the beach and get some cute photos of him. Plus we love the beach and we hope Ben learns to love it too.
Within a few minutes of being there, Ben ruined his outfit by spitting up on it but we did manage to get a few good photos of him and had tons of laughs. It was the perfect 1st Mother's Day.

Playing in the sand

Kisses from MommyWore out after playing

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T09:05:00.002-04:00

I am so thankful to be the Mommy of this sweet baby boy.

He makes every day so much better with his chubby cheeks and light-up-the-room smile (which we are working on getting a picture or video of - as soon as we pull out the camera, he goes completely serious, go figure). I'm excited to spend my first official Mother's Day with my two favorite boys!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the other Mommies out there!

First Trip to the Beach!

2009-05-09T18:34:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we took Ben for his first official trip to the beach. It was pretty windy so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been but we still made the best of it. It was hard to find a shady spot as well because all of the homeless people had already found the shaded spots to sleep in. We were able to get a spot under a palm tree that had just enough shade.
Ben didn't like the sand all that much. It was probably cold to begin with. Add to that the fact that he is definitely his Mommy's son in that he HATES anything on his feet - socks, blankets and sand. He would curl his toes up any time we put his feet in the sand. It was cute though.

We're hoping this is the first of many trips to the beach!See h0w he curls his toes!Hanging out with Daddy

I look away for 2 minutes...

2009-05-07T10:46:00.002-04:00

...and he is sound asleep!
I laid Ben down to play for a minute while I got his bath stuff ready. I came back to get him and he was totally conked out. I didn't think he was that tired because he was wide-eyed and looking around when I laid him there. Silly little man.

6 Weeks Old

2009-05-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that Ben is 6 weeks old already. Time has flown by! I don't really know what I have done for the last 6 weeks to be honest. I guess I spend my days playing with Ben and watching him grow up WAY too fast because if you saw my house, you would know that I haven't been cleaning. Rick loves it when we have visitors/house guests because I always clean then. I have this thing about having people over with the house looking like a war zone. I'm sure as Ben gets older, I will care less and less.
Ben also had his first experience sitting in the bumbo seat because he can hold his head up on his own now! It is bittersweet to see him reaching these milestones. I want him to excel but I also want him to be my little baby forever.
Here are some pictures of the 6 week old little man:

Tummy Time

Hanging out with Mommy

Bumbo seat

*Love* him

Look how long he's getting - almost as long as the changing pad!

Tummy Time

2009-04-30T11:06:00.001-04:00

Ben has gotten really good with tummy time. He usually tolerates it for the first 5 minutes or so then he starts getting fussy. We end up having to do it a couple times a day because after a few minutes of fussing he will give up and just lay there. Here's a video of the last few minutes.

More Visitors

2009-04-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

We love visitors, especially our most recent ones. Tara, Kevin & Elai came to Key West for a quick stop in Key West during their week long "Camp the Keys" trip. Last time we saw them was Thanksgiving and I was 22 weeks pregnant. It was wonderful to get to see them again and they got to meet Ben for the first time.
After some time to catch up and open the cute presents they brought Ben, Tara & Kevin headed out to be tourists in Key West. Elai, their cute beagle stayed at the house and played with Patch like they had been best friends forever. It was cute to see them run from one end of the house to the other chasing eachother or a ball. Then all of the playing stopped. I have learned that when you stop hearing children play, they are usually doing something bad and I'm sure the same applies to these two dogs. So I went to check on them. I found them both on the bed, heads on the pillows, fast asleep. I regret not getting a picture because it was so cute. The slept like that for almost an hour. It was so sweet.
After being tourists for the day, Tara & Kevin came back to relax for a bit before we headed out to dinner. We went to Manga Manga, a homemade pasta place. It was wonderful to get to spent some time talking & catching up with them.
It was sad to say goodbye to them but we knew they had a long drive (compared to Key West driving) back to their campsite. Patch will miss his new buddy Elai but hopefully we'll be seeing them again before Thanksgiving.

He weighs HOW much?!?

2009-04-28T11:50:00.001-04:00

Ben has been sleeping a lot lately and not really wanting to eat as much as he has been. Not that I'm complaining (because I LOVE the sleep) but for the last 2 nights he has slept for 7 hours, gotten up to feed for a few minutes then goes back to sleep for another 4-5 hours. It made me a little worried because everything I read said not to let him go more than 5 hours without eating. So I called the pediatrician to see if they wanted him to come in. They said sure just to be on the safe side since he is only 5 weeks old.
They always weigh and measure Ben when we go to the ped. I was excited to see how much he had grown since he was 13 days old (the last time we were there). The nurse took him to get weighed and measured but a different nurse brought him back. She didn't know what his numbers were. Eventually Dr. Sack came in to start the exam. He told us Ben weighed - get ready for this - 13lbs even and was 23.5 inches long! Excuse me!?! That was about where I stopped being able to focus. Ben is only 5.5 weeks old. Those are stats of a toddler practically. I didn't even here if Ben's eating/sleeping habits were ok because I was completely mesmerized by his stats. Later, Rick told me the pediatrician said everything was fine and that he was likely getting ready to sleep through the night and he was just trying to get his body adjusted. I still can't believe Ben's numbers. He is in the 97 percentile for both height and weight. An overachiever already!

Conch Republic Naval Parade & Great Battle for the Conch Republic

2009-04-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

This whole week has been the 27th Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. It is basically another reason to have a week long party here in Key West. They have all sorts of parties and events and sometimes it can get a bit interesting. We opted out of taking Ben to the Drag Races (read: Drag Queens racing through obstacle courses on Duval Street) but we did take him to the Naval Parade & Great Battle out on Mallory Square tonight. They threw toilet paper out of airplanes flying by, boats sprayed each other with water canons (a Coast Guard cutter even got in on the action) and threw Cuban bread and tomatos at each other. A fun specticle to watch. An added bonus was that we got to see a beautiful sunset as well! Both were a first for Ben.

Waiting for the battle to start
*it was very windy, the reason for my hair*

Toilet paper!

Spraying eachotherI love living the island life :)

Thumb Sucker

2009-04-21T16:41:00.005-04:00

Ben has officially found his thumb and thinks it's the greatest thing to suck on. He had just finished our afternoon round of tummy time and I knew he was getting kind of tired because 1. he had those droopy eyes, 2. he started cuddling in very close to my chest and 3. he started to pull his legs up underneath him while trying to snuggle in (read: jam his knees into my ribs as hard as he can). I had a binky nearby because usually he will want that before he falls completely asleep. I don't mind that because, though cute, I didn't want a thumb sucking baby. I have my reasons and we'll leave it at that. I loved that he started taking a binky right away when he was first born. I thought we had won that battle without a doubt. So I'm waiting for him to do his tell-tale signs of wanting a binky - making a sucking sound while trying to snuggle into my chest. I heard the sucking sound, grabbed the binky and went to put it in his mouth. He had his hand near his mouth and his shirt sleeve (long sleep onsie because it's a little chilly in the house today) was covering his mouth. I went to move it out of the way when I realized that he had his thumb in his mouth! It was the cutest moment we've had all week! I even teared up. I know...I'm that pathetic. I was blown away by the cuteness but I was sad that Rick wasn't here to see it with me. Then he immediately fell asleep (and the thumb fell out of his mouth). Apparently I wasn't quick enough with the binky and he took matters into his own hands (no pun intended, haha).
Unfortunately I didn't have my iphone or camera near by to capture the moment. Hopefully I will be able to get one the next time he does it though!

1 Month Old!

2009-04-20T14:15:00.003-04:00

Today Ben is 1 month old! I cannot believe it has been a month - where does the time go?! It has been nothing short of amazing though. Being a mother is more wonderful than I could have ever expected. He is growing up so fast and it makes me sad and happy at the same time. If your a mother you know what I mean.

Ben - what are you up to at one month?

You want to be held 24/7. You love to fall sleep on Mommy or Daddy's chest.
You are a good eater. During the day you want to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
You are a good sleeper too! You are sleeping from 8pm to 5am, only waking up once around 1am to feed. Mommy is really starting to enjoy this!
You are learning to control your facial expressions and we love to see all your cute little faces.
You have great head/neck control already and you really enjoy tummy time now because of it.
You love your warm bath - it calms you.
You do not like to fall asleep and you constantly fight it.
You love going for a walk in your stroller. The street lamps fascinate you.
You have a schedule/routine down and this is allowing Mommy to get more done now - as long as Mommy sticks to your schedule.
You love your swing and play mat.
You have brought more joy to your Daddy and me than we could have ever imagined!

Back in the saddle

2009-04-17T11:08:00.000-04:00

Since I've been cleared to go back to life as "normal", I figured I can no longer make excuses for not working out. My postpartum body is a bit...different...shall we say than my pre-pregnancy body. Though I am very proud of myself that I am already below my pre-pregnancy weight. It will obviously take some time to get back into running but starting today, I'm back to at least doing some sort of workout. I know I will slightly hate myself for this tomorrow, but it will get easier. I'm hoping to run my first post-pregnancy 5K in July. Ambious? Maybe. I let you know tomorrow if I can even get out of the bed, haha.

Bitter Sweet

2009-04-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

I had my postpartum check up today and it was a bitter sweet moment for me. It was awesome because I got cleared to return to life as "normal". That means anything I was doing before I got pregnant, I can start doing now. That certainly made my husband happy, haha. Then there was the realization that pregnancy is definitely over for me. Call me crazy but I LOVED being pregnant. The c-section itself wasn't all that bad. The recovery wasn't the most enjoyable thing I have had to go through but certainly not enough to make me want to stop having more babies, haha. To be honest, I could get pregnant again right away and absolutely love it. Dr. Peterson squashed any hopes of that by telling me that I should wait 16-20 months to get pregnant to let everything really heal up and settle in. I will be the first one to say I don't know if I will be able to wait that long. We'll see though. Not to mention, I got used to seeing everybody in the office so frequently towards the end. Now I will only see them once a year for that oh so fun annual appointment.
Like I said...bitter sweet.

Why I can't stand to be away from him

2009-04-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

These should explain it all -

Cardiologist Appointment

2009-04-14T19:24:00.004-04:00

I had my follow up cardiologist appointment today from when I had the bigeminy episodes during Ben's delivery. It went exactly how I thought it would - stupid. I know that sounds negitive but it is what it is.

First off - we were there for a total of 1.5 hours. I only saw a doctor for maybe 25 minutes of that whole time and that is likely being generous. Then several different doctors came in and out listening to my heart and each said they don't hear the rhythm anymore. Dr. Boros, my official cardiologist, said that he would rather be safe than sorry and wants me to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours and do a stress test. I think it is a huge waste of time and insurance's money but hopefully I haven't stuck my foot in my mouth.

So far the Holter monitor is down right irritating - especially when you have a 3 week old baby who likes to be held all the time. They have about 8 of those sticky pads with wires hooked up all over my chest - some of which are exactly where Ben likes to lay his head or put his hands. I can only imagine how fun sleeping will be. Who am I kidding though - a Mommy of a 3 week old baby doesn't sleep!

I go back for my stress test next Thursday. If everything comes back "normal" for the Holter monitor and the stress test, then we will just assume the bigeminy was only pregnancy related and call it a day.

Just wanted to say...

2009-04-12T07:32:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter from our little family of three!

Day in Daytona Beach

2009-04-10T21:07:00.012-04:00

We spent the day in Daytona Beach today. I loved spending the whole day shopping with my two favorite boys. Ben did excellent considering we were gone almost 12 hours today! He's really settling into a routine and I love it.
We got Rick a new computer from Best Buy and we also bought a new camera today. It is a small one so that we can keep it in the diaper bag or easily bring it with us wherever we go. It is a Canon Powershot SD780 IS. I LOVE it. It makes it SO easy to take pictures. Since we're trying to take at least one picture of Ben every day, this definitely leaves no room for excuses on why we couldn't take one.
We took Ben on his first trip to Target (and Babies R Us too - no pictures from there though). We were given some gift cards as shower gifts and had a fun time picking out all sorts of fun things for Ben.
Here we are just getting started - Cool sunglasses because who doesn't need a pair in South Florida -
Pitstop for some quick lunch -Getting in a quick nap before more shopping -
Another first! First time going to Firehouse Subs (Daddy's favorite!) -**We got this on the first try by the way. I'm just that good :) **
Then off to meet Great Grandma Karen and Great Aunt Amy -
Busy day but we had a lot of fun as a family of 3! Plus we got Ben tons of stuff at Target and Babies R Us. As if he wasn't spoiled enough!

Road Trip!

2009-04-08T16:51:00.000-04:00

In a last minute (ok, we decided 2 hours ago but still) decision, we're taking Ben on his first road trip. Hopefully it is the first of many!
We're headed up to introduce Ben to his Granny Debra & Grandpa Rick. They live in Northern Florida. It normally takes us 7.5 hours but I'm sure with having to stop more for Ben, it will be closer to 10 hours. Not looking forward to being in the car that long but I will hopefully get to do lots of shopping in Daytona Beach/St. Augustine, so it'll be worth it. be a long time in the car and we'll see how Ben does. Be back on Sunday!

First Pair of Jeans

2009-04-07T10:09:00.001-04:00

He's too cute in them not to make a post devoted to them. Ben got to wear his first pair of jeans today. Sadly, I can't remember who bought these for him but I love them!

Spoiled By Grandpa

2009-04-06T20:37:00.005-04:00

Ben has a cute little outfit that says that on the front of it. It is more than true! My Dad has been down for a visit since Thursday and there has been no lack of spoiling. It has been nice to get out of the house and show him around town. Ben has been enjoying lots of time outside. Glad he doesn't mind being in his carseat/stroller.
Ben loves his Grandpa already!
Ben even got to watch Grandpa run the Turtle Trot 5k on Saturday. Here is a picture of Dad crossing the finish line. Good job Grandpa!

Another picture of the proud Grandpa (with the Spoiled by Grandpa outfit on!).
We're sad you have to leave tomorrow. Come back soon Grandpa!

First Bath

2009-03-24T08:26:00.003-04:00

We gave Ben his first (sponge) bath today. I thought it was going to be a much bigger ordeal than it was. He didn't seem to mind it at all. He just laid there while we dripped warm water all over him. Here is a picture of him in his cute froggie towel from Raquel. What a handsome little man!

Ben's Delivery

2009-03-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

Here are some of the pictures from Ben's delivery. The OR nurses were especially wonderful to us and we are so grateful for these pictures. I will admit, I cried my eyes out when I first got to see these this morning. It made me relive those beautiful moments all over again.

Prepped for surgery. *round 2*

In the OR, waiting for Benjamin to arrive
Benjamin being born
Getting cleaned up and making sure everything is working
Mommy and Ben meeting for the first time! *Best* moment of my life so far.
Daddy & Ben
Relaxing in the room after his first bath - waiting for Mommy to get there

Birth Day Drama

2009-03-21T14:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was certainly a very exciting day for us - we finally got to meet our son! In true Me fashion, nothing is as easy as it sounds though. I was anticipating something to go wrong because we had a perfect pregnancy so to speak. There is never a "perfect" pregnancy from start to finish so I knew my time was still coming.
I get easily annoyed by drama now. I used to enjoy it in some sick way, but those days are long past. I like having a plan and I like when that plan comes together. Yesterday was certainly not how I had "planned" things.
We got up, showered and to the hospital on time. We got checked in, put in our room and they tried to put my IVs in. I definitely put my foot in my mouth because I told her I've never been told I have bad veins. Apparently I was having a bad vein day because after several attempts and lots of tears (from both me and Rick because he's never seen me in pain like that before), we called it quits and would let the OR people put it in while we were getting prepped down there. Around 7am, we were wheeled down and prepped for the c-section. Sean, the wonderful OR nurse got the IV in the first time and it was practically painless. He did all the tests and told us about everything we should expect. I should have known something was up when every nurse and the wonderful anestesiologist, Dr. Gerrard, kept asking me if I had any history of heart problems or symptoms related to it. I've had surgeries before and never been told of anything irregular. Finally my OB came in and told us they saw an irregular heartbeat on my EKG called bigeminy. Basically it is a condition where your heart alternates one "normal" beat with one "premature" beat - every other sequence, my heart was beating 3 times instead of twice. So they postponed the c-section and called in Dr. Boros, the same cardiologist we went to for Rick's heart issue scare, for a consult. They ran blood work and did an echo cardiogram then sent me back to my room to wait to see what Dr. Boros thought of everything. About an hour and a half later, Dr. Boros came in and basically said everything looked good in the echo and this was either something I've had all my life and it doesn't affect me or it was just pregnancy related and would likely disappear after delivery. He cleared me for surgery but required me to get a magnesium drip prior to the surgery because my magnesium levels were 1.7 instead of 1.8. The drip went in and we waited to find out if we were being put back in the schedule. Around 1pm, they told us we were back on the schedule and we were re-prepped for surgery around 1:30pm. Everything went smoothly this time around and all of the OR nurses were happy to see us back there. The bigeminy seemed to go away with the magnesium on board but I was later told that during and after the surgery, I would flip in and out of it. We will be following up with the cardiologist later next week to get that all figured out. Around 2pm, I was in the OR getting my spinal and Ben was born at 2:29pm. The surgery went wonderfully and I was out of recovery by 4pm. They took me back to our room and I was finally able to hold Benjamin for the very first time.
It was a whorlwind day but it was all worth it in the end when I was able to hold our son and kiss his cute little cheeks.

Introducing...

2009-03-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

BENJAMIN EDWARD KETCHAM

He was born at 2:29pm. He weighs 9lbs 14oz and is 21.5 inches long. We are utterly and completely in love with him. He was definitely worth the wait!!

*I'll post the birth day drama when I'm done staring at our absolutely adorable son*

Tomorrow's the BIG day!

2009-03-19T22:57:00.004-04:00

We spent 3 hours at the hospital this morning getting registered, having blood work done and doing the whole pre-op paperwork & form filling outing. It was exciting to get that next step out of the way. It definitely pumped up my anxiousness and nerves though. They told us we were in 5th position for the day (4 other surgeries - not necessarily baby deliveries - were ahead of us) so we didn't need to get to the hospital until 8am. Amazing. So we headed to lunch and then off to the last day of work for several months for me and at least 2 weeks for Rick.
Around 3pm, I got a call from the hospital saying we got moved to 2nd position and we had to be at the hospital at 5am! Needless to say, my anxiety and nerves definitely went through the roof after that.
For our last dinner as a family of 2, we went to Outback and had one of the most enjoyable evenings in a long time. It almost felt like we were dating again because there was so much nervous energy. We are about to become parents in a matter of hours.
All of our bags are packed, the car is ready and now I just need to find the desire to sleep. I know I am going to need it in the next few weeks. We have our alarm set for 3:45am and it's certainly coming up quickly.
Next time I blog, we will hopefully be parents!! Crazy.

1.5 days!!

2009-03-18T17:42:00.003-04:00

We just got the official word that Baby K will be born on Friday!! We went for our "second opinion" ultrasound today and the tech estimated him to be 10lbs 5oz. We'll see how accurate she is. She told us to stop by and let her know, which we'll certainly do since we're delivering at the same hospital. I have so many different emotions and feelings running through my head at this point. It's really just one of those things - You're never completely ready, it just becomes your turn. So here we go I guess.
We have to go tomorrow morning to get the orders from our OB then we head to the hospital to get pre-op blood work done (yippy...). After that, we will head up to Labor & Delivery to find out when we have to be at the hospital on Friday, what we have to do, etc. They will also give us our "time" but I have been told that changes based on how the previous people's surgeries go before me (I have been told my OB has 4 surgeries scheduled ahead of me anyway) and a bunch of other things. So we'll know more tomorrow but won't know the most accurate time until they actually come to get me.
We're super excited to say the least and will keep everybody updated!

38.5 Week Update

2009-03-17T12:43:00.001-04:00

We had our 38w 3d appointment today and we are not having a St. Patty's Day baby. Dr. Peterson wasn't able to get good measurements of the baby partly due to the fact that he is going to most likely be a macrosomic baby (over 9lbs) and he was laying in a funny position. He is sending us for our "second opinion" ultrasound at the hospital tomorrow at 1pm. Their machines are more accurate and we will get a better idea of how big this baby actual is. Once we know that, we will have a better idea of our plan of action. I'm trying not to get too excited so that I'm not disappointed when it doesn't happen "my" way. We should have our plan of action in place by 5pm tomorrow though if everything goes right. *fingers crossed*
For the record, not that it really matters but all those painful contractions this weekend - worthless. I'm barely even dialated. What a crock!

Trying Not to Get Excited Update

2009-03-16T12:37:00.004-04:00

I wish my uterus would get its act together and figure out this whole contractions thing. Saturday we had painful contractions with no regularity. Somewhere 20 minutes apart while others were 3 minutes apart and every other possibly combination. We were hopeful until suddenly everything went away at 10pm and immediately fell asleep. By mid-morning on Sunday, irregular contractions were back but not as much pain really. They came and went as they pleased most of the day but didn't really hurt. Now today, I'm having pretty regular contractions but almost zero pain unless I stand up and walk around. I'm not getting my hopes up at all anymore and am pretty much ignoring every pain so that I don't get excited.
Rick on the other hand is more excited than I have ever seen him be. He's been researching symptoms of pre-labor, false labor and real labor. He almost knows more of what to expect than I do. I'm hoping my body just guides me really and I'll just "know" to be honest. He checks on me every hour to see if things are progressing and how I'm feeling. I think it's super cute. I can't wait to see him holding our son for the very first time.
We go back to the doctor tomorrow for our 38.5 week appointment. We're hoping for some good news (aka a birth date) or even a St. Patty's Day baby. We'll keep everybody updated!

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-13T04:45:00.002-04:00

Happy 27th Birthday to my amazing husband!! I look forward to all the exciting adventures this new year is going to bring for you!

No Full Moon Baby

2009-03-12T07:31:00.001-04:00

Well, we didn't get our full moon baby. Oh well.
I've decided that Old Wives Tales are a crock. I'm not going to believe a single one from now on. None of them have worked for this baby. I know that may be more of the baby's fault than the Old Wives Tale but it's my blog and I can blame who I want.
I am definitely learning patience through this whole process. I hate feeling out of control but in the end it will be worth it...right?

Days=Weeks=Forever Feeling

2009-03-09T09:23:00.002-04:00

I thought that having weekly appointments would make the weeks go by faster. I couldn't have been more wrong. This has been the slowest 7 days ever, I swear. We will have 24 hours until the next OB appointment too! Maybe it's because I'm awake more hours each day than any person should be (thanks to growing this baby and now you can add Daylight Saving Time to that). Maybe it's because all I think about, 24/7 is this baby. Maybe it is because everybody asks me all day how much longer we have left or tells me I look like I'm about to pop. Aside from the "normal" pregnancy symptoms (peeing a million times a night, not sleeping, crazy dreams, braxton hicks, sore hips, etc), I am still feeling great. I wish I would start feeling at least some sort of productive contractions or have some sort of spotting so I knew things were at least progressing towards birth. At this point, the days can and are stretching in to long, what seems like never-ending, weeks.
Please Baby K, I beg you, PLEASE want to be born soon! You are full term and everybody wants to meet you - especially Mommy & Daddy!!

Daylight Saving Time

2009-03-08T05:38:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize it was Daylight Saving Time until I saw it on somebody's status on Facebook. How sad is that?! In my own defense, my mind has been completely consumed with thoughts of this baby and all of the anticipation of meeting him (which I know is fruitless because he will be born when he's ready and that's all there is to it). I didn't get enough sleep already, now we're losing an hour. It makes it seem a little bit more reasonable to get up and see 5am instead of what used to be the old 4am. Back to dark mornings for a while around here while the sun figures it all out.

3 Weeks

2009-03-07T04:01:00.004-05:00

That is *technically* how much time we have left until our due date. I'm pretty sure and hoping we won't have to wait that long to meet this little guy. It is like having to wait to go on the most anticipated vacation of your life - only 100% more. I will be the first to admit that I love surprises but also find some fun in ruining them for myself. This is one surprise that I can't ruin for myself - what day this little one decides is his birthday. Seeing his completed nursery everyday only makes me more anxious to meet him and bring him home.
I guess I should throw in there that I like to be in control (my husband will vouch for this one, haha) and it is pretty much killing me to have this be out of my hands - completely. I wishfully think every thing is possibly a labor pain at this point. I'm driving myself crazy with anticipation to meet this sweet baby boy who I've spent the last 9 months growing and feeling move around in my belly.
21 days never sounded more like eternity than it does now...

Roomba Drama

2009-03-05T20:56:00.001-05:00

If I already didn't think I had the greatest husband in the world, he certainly proved it again tonight.
Around Christmas, my Father-in-law sent us a Roomba as a gift (check out that post for more details). It has been nothing short of the most wonderful thing in the world. My floors have never been cleaner - until this week. I went to turn it on and it only blinked red and sang a sad song at me. I knew this couldn't be good. Even when I would plug it in hoping it would just charge up and be fine, it would sing its sad song of death and glow red instead of blink yellow meaning it was charging. Crap! I immediately started googling the signs it was giving me. To my complete sadness, I thought we were going to have to replace some expensive parts in it but I was more than willing to do it since it has been such an amazing help to our house.
While I was making dinner tonight, Rick was playing around with the Roomba. I assumed he was trying to figure out which pieces needed to be replaced. I didn't think too much of it. That is until I saw the most beautiful yellow blinking light come on at the top of the Roomba! He did it! He fixed my Roomba! The panic of thinking I might actually have to vacuum my floors with a real vacuum was gone.
By the time we got back from our walk, the Roomba was charged up and ready to clean the floors. What a wonderful job it did too!
I simply have the worlds greatest husband. End of story.

Surprise!!

2009-03-04T20:24:00.003-05:00

During the last few weeks, I have had my off days. Days where this pregnancy has gotten the best of me. I hate complaining because in comparison, I've had it really good. Yesterday was one of my off days. To top it off, I didn't sleep very well last night. I was wide awake at 3am. Needless to say, I was exhausted by 7am. If I didn't have a huge project at work (going through medical records at the State Attorney's office for a criminal trial we have in a couple weeks), I would have taken a "sick" day. I sucked it up, tried to trick my body with some decaf coffee (it didn't really work) and went on my tired way.
I finally got done searching through thousands of pages of medical records by mid afternoon. I headed back to my office and was definitely ready for a break. When I walked in, I knew immediately what I was smelling - stargazer lilies. On my desk was a beautiful vase with a gorgeous arrangement. Rick had them sent over with a sweet card saying - Hope these make your day a little bit better. A photo I took on my iphone (sorry for the quality):
I have the best husband ever. It totally made my day and whole week for that matter! It has been such an emotional week for a variety of reasons and I love that my husband knows exactly how to make everything seem ok. Not to mention - I love surprises and this was the perfect one.

36.5 Week Update

2009-03-03T11:08:00.002-05:00

We had our 36w 3d appointment today. Dr. Peterson told me exactly what I thought he would – I’m still pregnant and I’m having a big baby, haha. He told us it’s not guaranteed by any means, but it’s more likely that we’re looking at a c-section. I don’t mind all that much because in the end, there isn’t anything I can do about it if things stay the same. Plus, we trust Dr. Peterson’s professional medical opinion and know he won’t do something that isn’t necessary. We go back next Tuesday and we will get a better idea of if we will do the c-section for sure or not. My fingers are still crossed for Baby K to decide to be born this week on his own. Dr. Peterson wasn’t too hopeful but said it is entirely possible. I’m just so ready to meet him and love on him.

Other than that, the appointment went well. I tested negative for Group B strep so that means no IV antibiotics required if we do a vaginal delivery. I didn’t gain any weight this week but Dr. Peterson said that wasn’t a big deal at all. Blood pressure is perfectly normal. Basically, I’m having the perfect pregnancy!

A very spoiled baby - already!

2009-03-02T19:35:00.003-05:00

Baby K is a very spoiled baby already. Today, Rick's work (the IT department) threw him a surprise "celebration" luncheon (the manly version of a baby shower, haha) and had some very sweet gifts for the baby. We have barely had to buy anything for this baby because of the sweet, generous people in our lives. I am going to have to change his outfit every time I change his diaper in order for him to get to wear everything that we have received!
We want to say Thank You to everybody for showing us so much love during this wonderful time in our lives! We can't wait to be able to introduce you to this sweet baby boy!

Stroller - check!

2009-03-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

We ordered Baby K's travel system stroller last week (actually 2 Saturdays ago). On Tuesday of last week, I got an email saying they didn't have any more of that particular travel system in stock and didn't anticipate getting in any time soon (they said it in a lot more words than that but that's what they wanted to say). So I had the choice to pick out a different travel system or get a refund. Since I had already paid and it charged to our bank account, I figured I would see what else I liked. The two other travel systems that I had picked out were conveniently "out of stock" as well. I was getting very frustrated by that point. Finally, I was able to find one in a similar pattern to the original travel system we had picked out and both Rick and I agreed would work out just fine. It is a Graco Passage Travel System in Abbington pattern. This is what it looks like:
So I have been waiting all last week and through the weekend for it to arrive. When we got home from work today, it was on our doorstep! I was so excited to get it all put together. Another thing we can check off our very short list! Now we're just waiting on Baby K!

Nursery Pictures

2009-03-01T16:05:00.003-05:00

I was finally able to get some pictures of the nursery. We still have to hang some wall hangings but we're waiting until after the baby is born and named because some of them are personalized so we haven't received them yet. We're having a custom sign place make the letters (that will likely go above the crib) and some other hangings that will match the bedding (both in color and design). Until we get those, we will hold off on putting anything on the walls to make sure everything is where we want it.

Here is what you see when you walk in the door - changing table and crib.
To the left of the changing table is the closet. Those are only the newborn to 3 month clothes. He is already a very spoiled little boy.
Going around to the room to the right from the changing table/crib is the papasan that will be replaced with a glider. In case the little man decides to come early, we bought the papasan. Our glider is going to take 2-6 weeks to get here :(.
Then of course, the bookshelf.
The room is the smallest one in the house but it will fit the baby perfectly I think. I will update with new pictures once we get the wall hangings and letters up.

Call me Betty Crocker

2009-02-28T16:50:00.003-05:00

Lately, I have been having the desire to become a better cook. Maybe because I am starting to realize that I'm going to be a Mom in less than a month (if we go to our due date). Rick has been enjoying it because he's been getting yummy homemade dinners. We are really striving to clean up our eating and find good alternatives to eat at home instead of eating out. After the baby is born, it is likely that we won't go out very much, at least for the first few month.
My latest "Betty Crocker" moment was this morning. I made blueberry muffins from scratch, they were a healthy version (170 calories each) AND they tasted very yummy. I'm actually enjoying the learning experience and it's especially rewarding when things turn out just right!
Don't let me fool you though. When my Mom comes down after the baby is born, I fully plan on letting her cook everything because she is the ULTIMATE Betty Crocker in the kitchen. For now, I will be enjoy being Betty Crocker Jr.

Busy Week

2009-02-27T20:05:00.004-05:00

I am so thankful that it is Friday. This week was definitely one for the books. The attorney I work for was in court much of the week. When he wasn't in court, his schedule was jam packed with client meetings. Normally, I wouldn't mind these types of weeks because they usually go by pretty fast. Now that we've got 4 weeks left until the due date, I dread weeks like this. It forces me to be on my feet a lot (usually running between courtrooms and the office) and I tend to go until I'm exhausted. I have been in bed by 8:30pm every night this week.
I am definitely glad that the weekend is here. I hope to get some blogging in, get some photos posted of the nursery and pack my bag for the hospital. I have everything for the baby's bag ready but I have been putting off packing mine. I figure we're getting close enough that I should probably have that stuff ready, just in case this little one decides to listen to Mommy and come out early! Other than that, I'm putting my feet up and relaxing the whole weekend!

Good Report

2009-02-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

Finally - a post NOT about the baby. First one in a while.
Rick had an appointment with his cardiologist today - his 4 month check up. A brief history of why he was seeing a cardiologist: Rick had a health screening at work, his blood pressure was really high and so we thought we would see a cardiologist to get everything checked out because he had had high blood pressure when he was a child briefly. Over a 4 week period, they did several tests, drew blood and managed to stress me out more than I have ever been in my life (read as: I kept thinking they were going to tell me my husband was dying). In the end, he basically needed to exercise more and lose some weight because he had resistance high blood pressure. If it didn't get corrected, more problems could develop down the line but at this point, he would be fine. They scheduled him to come in 4 months later for a check up.
Fast forward to today. I couldn't go to the appointment because of a last minute Court hearing that my boss had to attend. As soon as 10:30am rolled around (when Rick's appointment was), I started sweating and my pulse was racing. I was a complete nervous wreck because just the thought of the cardiologists office elicit that response. The next 30 minutes took 5 hours, I swear. Finally, at 11:05am, Rick called and said the check up went perfectly and they are very pleased. That is the EXACT response I needed to hear. I was so relieved (as I'm sure he is too). A perfect ending to a horribly long week.

Baby Shower!

2009-02-21T21:56:00.001-05:00

My Mother-in-law hosted an amazing baby shower for us today. It was wonderful to get everybody together and celebrate Baby K's (hopefully soon!) arrival. We played some fun games, ate tons of good food (including have a chocolate fountain to dip stuff in!) and got lots of the essentials that we will need when Baby K gets here. My Mother-in-law also ratted Rick out to many of his coworkers. I'm sure he'll get an earful on Monday! Poor guy. I'll post some of the photos once she sends them to me.
Baby K - you can come out any time now! We're ready for you!

I have the best husband!

2009-02-20T20:33:00.004-05:00

I have the most thoughtful and wonderful husband in the world, in my opinion. He surprised me with a Spa manicure & a Hot Stone pedicure at Ocean Key's Spa Terre. He wasn't able to schedule me for the Mommy-to-be massage because Dr. Peterson unavailable because he was at the hospital all afternoon delivering babies and they require his consent. Either way it was just what I needed after a very stressful and exhausting week. All of that thoughtfulness just to make my week end well - I couldn't ask for a better husband or best friend.
Now I have beautiful fingers and toes just in time for our baby shower tomorrow! Thank you for the wonderful surprise Love!

34.5 Week Update

2009-02-19T16:35:00.004-05:00

If we were going by ultrasound dates, this would actually be somewhere between a 37 & 39 week update. Baby K is measuring somewhere between 37w3d and 39w4d depending on which body part you are looking at. He is also estimated to be a whopping 7lbs! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! My bladder and cervix certainly know I'm not joking every time I stand up. Thankfully, he seems to have his Daddy's height as his femur is measuring in the 38 week range. I know these dates and weights are only estimates but they are still pretty scary to me none the less. We will go for a "second opinion" aka a more detailed ultrasound in the next couple of weeks if he doesn't decide to make his grand entrance first. We did the group B strep test this week (instead of at the next appointment just in case he does come early.
It was an exciting and scary appointment. I'm just so ready to meet this little guy. Also, I think I'm ready to stop hearing people ask me how many weeks I have left and telling me how huge I'm getting.
We go back in 1 week and 5 days for the "36" week appointment and then will start weekly appointments after that until baby is born. It's starting to finally feel real.

Birthdays and pregnancy are a lot alike

2009-02-17T17:18:00.001-05:00

I am a HUGE fan of birthdays. I love everything about them. That may change as I get older but for now my birthday is likely one of my favorite days of the year. Maybe for me it feels like a continuation of Christmas because my birthday is less than a month after who knows. Either way, who doesn't love a party all about them AND receiving presents. I have decided that being pregnant is similar to having a birthday, except that it lasts for several weeks. I love coming home and seeing a package on my front door. Even though it is usually always for the baby, it is addressed to me. I can barely get in the door fast enough to open it. I have been known to open some of them right out on the front stoop because I just HAD to know what was in it. I absolutely LOVE surprises but can hardly wait to find out what they are.
So another one of the reasons I love being pregnant - I get to have the same birthday excitement without it even being my birthday (and I don't even have to get another year older!)!

It's early and I'm feeling sappy...oh boy.

2009-02-15T05:54:00.002-05:00

I have loved almost everything about being pregnant. I am so thankful that we didn't have any trouble actually conceiving (since the GYN said it might take 3 months coming off birth control and to our surprise, it took less than 30 days, haha). I am extremely excited that we haven't had any complications to date and I am still feeling great. I have been reading & hearing about different couples lately who are having trouble conceiving, have major complications or lose the baby at any stage in their pregnancy and my heart breaks for them. I cry at almost every single one because I couldn't imagine going through what most of them have. It definitely makes me appreciate every little thing about this little one growing in my belly. We are still weeks away from meeting him, but I love him already. I love every kick, punch and roll that he does. It may be a first time Mom thing or it may be an every time thing, but I still love to sit and watch him move around in there. I love feeling his little hiccups (even though it gives me the hiccups sometimes too!). I love sitting in the nursery or staring into his closet. I eagerly anticipate the day that he gets to wear those clothes. I try to imagine what he will look like sleeping in his crib or playing in the swing. Getting to hold him in my arms and watching him grow up makes every little back ache or uncomfortable pain I'm feeling through this process completely worth it. Hopefully these next few weeks fly by so all this dreaming can becoming a reality!!

To my Love - Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T05:03:00.000-05:00

To the greatest husband in the world - Although I don't always tell you in so many words... I love you in so many ways. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Fog? In Key West?

2009-02-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning to fog in Key West. I have obviously seem fog before, but never since we lived in Key West. According to my boss, it only happens once every 7 or 8 years. To add to the creepiness of fog (in general, you know, think scary movies), it is Friday the 13th. I'm not superstitious to that at all but it's always fun when things fall together like that.

Another one to check off the list!

2009-02-12T18:09:00.004-05:00

We have finally picked a pediatrician for Baby K. I think this was harder than finding an OB that we really liked. Maybe because there are so many touchy subjects with children. Either way, everything just felt perfect from the minute we walked in the door which actually scared me because I was waiting for something to go horribly wrong the whole time.
The doctor was sweet and simplified the medical terminology and explanations so that we could understand everything. Their whole office is digital - a sign they are keeping up with the times. He took the time to answer every question we had with both his personal and medical view of the issue. I nervous when it came time to talk about vaccinations, just because I know there is one doctor in town who feels one way and thinks that is the only way to do things. I do not agree obviously. This doctor understood our personal stance on wanting to do delayed vaccinations and didn't try to overwhelm us with medical facts. He only asked one thing of us - to do the research of both the side effects of the vaccines AND the actual diseases. He said he would respect our wishes for whatever we choose and that was important. There was nothing negative about this office and I am excited to develop a relationship with them. It definitely put my mind as ease.
Just one more reason to realize Baby K's birth is getting closer!

Sounds more like a super low to me!

2009-02-06T05:22:00.003-05:00

I have developed Key West blood and therefore I do not like cold weather at all. The last two mornings, it has been below 50 degrees outside and I'm not excited about it. The dog doesn't even want to go out to go to the bathroom! Bring back the sunshine and happiness because this is hardly paradise without it! All we have left are a bunch of crazies without it. Besides, we sound ridiculous saying 56 is the high for the day. It sounds more like a super low to me!
Though, my sister-in-law knows just how to put some happiness in a dreary day. We had a box full of stuff for the baby waiting on our porch when we got home from Prepared Childbirth Class last night. It had some of the cutest outfits I have ever seen! Thank you so much Julie!

Prepared for Childbirth, on paper at least

2009-02-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

We finished our last Prepared Childbirth class tonight. On paper, we are supposedly "prepared" for childbirth. I think it may be a little misleading because I for one do not feel all that prepared! We did enjoy the class though. The instructor is also a nurse in the Labor & Delivery unit so it is likely that we will get to see her when we give birth (because she says she practically lives at the hospital). She was very sweet and took some extra time after the whole thing was over to answer some of my millions of questions.
For our last class, we got to tour the Labor & Delivery unit, which I think made me more nervous. She put all of the mothers on a fetal heart monitor and let us listen for a while. We even got a little printout from the machine that records it. Baby K's heartbeat was a strong 150 a good majority of the time. He just laid still and didn't have a care in the world. Do you think that will continue on once he's born? I wish! I'm not super sure why she did this, but she SHOWED us the epidural needles that they use. NO THANK YOU is all I have to say to that! We'll see how fast labor pains change my mind though :)
With each thing we get checked off our list to do, reality sets in a little bit more. We only have roughly 52 days left until Baby K's due date. The list is definitely getting smaller now. I can't wait to meet you sweet baby boy!

32 Week Update

2009-02-03T13:32:00.004-05:00

Nothing grand or even remotely exciting this go around. We're 32w 3d. We got some really cute sneak peeks at Baby K. He has the cutest little profile ever. He's going to have some long legs just like his Daddy! His heart was beating away perfectly. He is back to measuring 2 weeks ahead now instead of 4 weeks so that's good. Dr. Peterson will likely send us for another diagnostic ultrasound as the due date gets closer to get a better idea of his actual weight to see if we need to make preparations for an early delivery (that's what my fingers are crossed for) or a c-section (not too hot to trot on this idea). Right now Baby K is estimated to weigh 5lbs 14ozs but that can be off by up to a pound at this point because Dr. Peterson's ultrasound machine is not as fine tuned as the one the hospital has (where we get our diagnostic ultrasounds done).
To be sure, Dr. Peterson also confirmed that yes, Baby K is DEFINITELY a boy! I just like hearing him say it every time, haha.
We go back in 2 weeks to do it all over again! I can't wait!

I knew it was coming...

2009-02-02T07:35:00.003-05:00

...but I was hoping it wouldn't be this soon. I think I'm going to have take my wedding rings off for the remainder of the pregnancy. We have just about 8 weeks left and that seems like a forever long time to be without them because I have wore them every day since Rick put each one on my finger. With the temperature getting warmer here and the humidity going up, I have noticed that it is getting harder to take them off. I would hate to have them cut off because I was too stubborn to just take them off.
It feels weird without them on - like something is truly missing from my life. I have only had them off for about an hour and I am realizing how much I touch them each day. Instead of fidgeting, I play with my rings apparently. A strange habit I never realized.
Now I have one more reason to look forward to the birth of this sweet baby boy!

And...we're back!

2009-02-01T06:12:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging this week. It was definitely a hard week for me. Work was incredibly frustrating some days (ok, 4 out of 5 days this week!). For it to last more than one day is out of the norm really. It could have been in combination with the fact that Rick was in Washington DC on a business trip all week long too. All of that together made me have a few low tolerance days, all in a row. Mostly my blogs would have been complaining and nobody likes a complainer!
Rick is home now (yippy!) and we are in the last day of an amazingly, wonderful weekend (thank you Rick!) so life is back to normal now. Hopefully blogging will get back to normal as well!

Perspective Is Everything

2009-01-27T16:41:00.002-05:00

Normally I would be pretty cranky at somebody for waking me up at 3am by kicking me repeatedly in the ribs and side, for making my stomach bulge out, for making me have to waddle around, for squishing my bladder to only start punching it as soon as there is anything in it, for letting people have a preconceived expectation that they can touch my belly any time they want or make comments about how this somebody was making me look "swollen" or "so big". But because this is my child, growing inside of me, that is making all of these things happen, I am ok with it.

Jealous Dog?

2009-01-26T11:59:00.000-05:00

When we first got pregnant, Patch was very clingy to me and his attitude towards other dogs changed significantly. Instead of wanting to play with them, he would stand in front of me, still very close and would growl at them. We did some research and talked to some breeders and most of them confirmed that dogs have a sense about things going on with their owners (pregnancy, a sickness, etc), especially breeds like Jack Russells that tend to have one person that they view as master. Since I was home all the time with Patch as a puppy and basically took care of his needs and training on a daily basis, Patch views me as the “master” of the house. It is probably the fact that he knows I can be quite a pushover too, haha.
We have been working with him to not be as clingy to me and certainly we’re working on his “protective growl” that he has with other dogs. All of that was going well until we set up the nursery and really started getting baby items in the house. He will whine while looking up at the crib or sniff around in the baby’s closet. Whenever I’m in the nursery putting clothes away or doing something on the floor, Patch immediately comes in and has to be right on my lap. He doesn’t care if he is in the way or if he has to step on my belly (and the baby) to be there.
This morning he really shocked me though. We have the pack & play set up in our bedroom because it will likely be somewhere between our room and the living room most of the time. Patch usually has to sit right outside the shower when I’m in there. When I got out this morning, he wasn’t there. That was unusual, especially since Rick is out of town on business this week again. I started to look around for him on my way to get dressed, just curious as to what he was up to (as with children – when they are quiet you know they are up to no good). He tried to stay very still but his curiousity got the best of him and he raised his head up from where he was laying to try to see me better. I just barely caught the movement out of the corner of my eye. He was in the changing table part of the pack & play! He had used some boxes that were stacked up next to it to get it. He was just laying there with his favorite toy – the Kong – like that was where he was supposed to be. He had even moved some of the sheets that I had laying on it to make it a little bit more comfortable for himself! I couldn’t even be mad about it because it was so cute. See, I’m such a pushover!

Sunday Tradition for First Time Parents

2009-01-25T06:29:00.003-05:00

I love Sundays because that is the day of the week that we move to the next week in the pregnancy supposedly. One of the first things I do when I wake up on Sundays is log onto www.babycenter.com and see what their description of the baby is this week. Then I pull out my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book and read the section corresponding with the week we are on out loud to Rick. I don't know why I only read the book to him - just something we have always done. I didn't find out about Baby Center until we were a little further along in the pregnancy. I never read ahead because this is such an exciting thing for us to do weekly. You can definitely tell we are first time parents!
So, this week - 31 weeks - according to What to Expect:

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds.

Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).