NINE

9 weeks.  It has been 9 amazing weeks since Will was born.  9 weeks ago at this time I was lying in my hospital bed, a sleeping baby in the bassinet beside me, a Diet Mountain Dew and Jimmy Johns sandwich in my belly for the first time in 9 months, marveling with Geoff over the miracle that had just occurred. 

I took him to the breastfeeding group I attend weekly (soon to be bi-monthly as I go back to work) and he weighed in at 11 pounds 1 ounce.  He's gained over 4 pounds since he came home from the hospital! 

His bedtime routine seems to be working out well.  In fact, he's decided he likes to go to bed earlier than I planned for him.  He's been in bed tonight since 8pm.  He's also been practicing sucking his thumb.  At first I really wanted to prevent this, but since he's still probably months away from really being able to put his own pacifier in his mouth, I'd love it if he could soothe himself with his thumb.  Especially because it seems unavoidable at this point that he'll be a thumb sucker. 

He's a happy little guy nearly all the time.  He cries, as babies do, but typically it's short lived and because he's hungry or sleepy or wet.  He loves to play and smile and if it were possible, he'd love to be able to sit on his own.  He hates to be lying down or stuck in a position where he can't see what's going on.  He's just too curious. 

He's not a good napper.  He napped today, but just because I was out and about and he fell asleep in the car seat.  If we're home all day, he has a hard time just closing his eyes - I guess nap time will be a task for daddy to tackle!

I love that he's getting big enough to wear some of his 3 month clothes because he's got so much cute stuff and I enjoy putting together outfits for him.  I think his legs must be skinny, though, because all of the pants are quite baggy on him as of yet. 

Anyway, enjoy some pictures and have a wonderful evening.  I'll be blogging about my posters tomorrow, hopefully. 

Holding tight onto his daddy's fingers.

Enjoying his bedtime bath.

So happy during playtime in his "gym."

Getting sooo good at lifting up his head.

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Sleep Tight

So, as I teased at the end of my last blog post, step 2 in my mission to gain some control over my life before I go back to work is getting Will into a proper bedtime routine (and, hopefully, along with that a more regular sleep schedule and duration). 
The planned routine goes as follows:

1) Tummy Time while Mommy draws a bath.
2) Bathtime
3) Infant Massage (I took a class at my hospital - I wish I got a massage every night)
Note: The massage is done in the bedroom with only his nightlight and the hall light on.  After bathtime, only minimal light is used. 
4) Pajamas and Swaddled
5) Nurse/Feed
6) Story/Scriptures/Prayer/Song
7) Sound Machine On
8) Baby in crib

Day 1 of the full routine on Monday started out like this:

Things didn't improve from there.  I woke him up for the bath and he cried...make that screamed...the whole time.  The massage was amended to just a few strokes since he was so mad.  The feeding and scripture time went as planned.  I laid him down to bed around 8:45pm. 

A few minutes later he was full out crying (I'll let him make some noise before I'll come to the rescue).  So, I rocked him and tried again...and again.  Eventually he went to sleep for good around 9:50pm.  Not too bad for the first night. 

Day 2 (tonight) started out like this:

A better omen.  He loved his bath and his massage went really well.  Up until the very end he was enjoying it very much.  I swaddled him up and fed him and he fell asleep during the song and prayer.  I rocked him a bit longer - mostly because I was enjoying it so much.  And I layed him down in the crib around 9pm.  So far he has stirred a couple times, but giving him his pacifier and waiting for a few minutes has sent him back to dream land.  We'll see what time he actually falls asleep.  And how long he stays asleep. 

But, so far, so good.  Now, I just have to be consistent! 

I'll tell you this, though, I'm going to look forward to this Mommy-Will time every single night!

Step 2: Bedtime Routine - in progress. 

Step 3: Routine and Milestone Charts!

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New Year? New Everything.

A lot of people have been posting this week about their New Year's Resolutions.  I'm typically a big "resolutioner" and have a list of things to do (almost always including a weight loss or exercise goal).  This year, I'm just putting "survive" at the top of my list. 

With my first day back at work looming just a week away, I think I've re-entered the nesting phase.  I want, so desperately, to get everything organized and routine before I go back to work so I can spend my time at home with the boy and avoid all the distraction that life can bring. 

First order of business - cooking.  I took my plan out for a test run today, and things went surprisingly smoothly.  I made a menu for the week of items that can be made ahead and frozen until it is time to eat.  This consisted of crock pot chicken, shepherd's pie, eggplant casserole, stuffed peppers, and beef stew.  Will spent some time watching (and learning) from his bouncer and some time strapped to me with the carrier.  It took two feeding breaks and 4 hours - but all the dinners are prepared for the week.  I will be doing this on the weekends so that Geoff and I won't have to think about cooking during the week (this should help to save money, time, and our waistlines). 

Along for the cooking ride.

Watching from the bouncer, learning about
potatoes and carrots and pineapple.

I'm exhausted and hopeful that Will will go to bed before 11pm tonight, but it was good to see that I can get it all done in a relatively short period of time. 

Going back to work just means I have to get really organized.  Our lives are about to get pretty crazy with Geoff switching to night shifts and watching the baby and going to school during the days, with me returning to work full time and baby duty in the evenings.  We are certainly going to make it work, because we are awesome, but it won't be without its challenges.  Especially since I'm going to miss that boy so much each day. 

But, step one: Food is under control. 

Next up, step two: bedtime ritual for baby. 

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My Little Fam

There's nothing like a newborn around the holidays to really highlight the priorities in life.  There's really nothing more valuable in this world than family.  As I look at my little, tiny, beautiful baby boy, it's hard not to imagine the Savior when he was born.  Like each of us, he was born into this world totally dependent.  Ultimately, he gave us the most precious gift that could ever be given.  The gift of eternal life is one that is infinitely more beautiful to me now that I have my own little family.  The knowledge that I can be together with Geoff and Will forever is not only comforting, but essential to my happiness. 

Over the Christmas holiday, Geoff and I had the opportunity to visit both our families out in Utah and California.  While we were in California, my parents took us to the Oakland temple to see the Christmas lights.  It was beautiful.  It was also so meaningful.  Four years ago, Geoff and I were able to be sealed together forever inside that fantastic building and now that we have added Will to the family, that day has even more significance to me.

A photo Geoff took while we were at the temple

I love Will more each day.  And each day I think to myself, it would be impossible to love someone more than I love him.  I loved our travels during December and having Will have the opportunity to be around all those who love him.  There are so many.  He is such a lucky boy to have so many people who love him. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  May 2012 be full of happiness, strength, growth, change and family.  

Our Christmas card.  Many of you will receive a hard copy. 
They didn't make it in the mail before Christmas -
but that's a long story for another blog day.

I'll try to be a better blogger.  Things are very busy around here, but I want to document so much.  So, don't give up on me yet. 

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Thanks.

I missed a Thanksgiving post on account of my life has been a little crazy.  So, I want to recount a few of my blessings for which I am so very grateful this year.  There are many more, but here are a few.

1) My healthy, strong, handsome little son.
2) My wonderful, loving husband and his willingness to work so hard for our family - even though it's really hard sometimes.
3) My supportive family.  Both my side and my in-laws.  I feel so supported and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.
4) My home.
5) My dogs.
6) My job.
7) A job situation that has worked out for Geoff to ensure we get to keep our benefits and that he can work hours that allow him to be home with Will.
8) A mild North Dakota fall.
9) The ability to Skype directly from my phone.
10) This wonderful holiday season and the chance to celebrate the birth of the Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Here's a couple pics from Thanksgiving at our house.

Dinner: Ham, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Candied
Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans with Bacon, and Rolls.

Me and Will

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1 month old...already!

So, I know I haven't been much of a blogger as of late.  It's a little hard.  When Will sleeps, I have so many things I want to do.  From cleaning, to laundry, to decorating for the holidays, to showering, to napping, to blogging - it's hard to manage all that I want to get done! 

And so here I am, blogging the day after Will celebrated his 1 month birthday.  The last time I blogged it was about his birth.  It's crazy how fast time flies.  But, also incredible how much I love this boy and how much that grows day by day. 

Will is doing great.  He grows cuter by the day.  He's getting increasingly alert and interested in the world around him.  He's tracking pretty well with his eyes (I caught a pretty great video of it if anyone is interested) and has some impressive neck strength.  Tummy time doesn't make him nearly as angry as it used to.  Thank goodness.  He's now over 8 pounds - gained closed to 2 pounds since he was released from the hospital.  So, he's feeding well and growing up fast! 

There's still no telling what color his eyes are going to be.  Sometimes they look very light and sometimes a bit darker.  They are definitely bluer than when he was born (they were very gray), so we'll see.  Either way, we're happy, but it will be interesting to see which direction they go. 

Geoff is surviving amazingly well considering he's juggling full-time work, school, and daddy-hood.  Luckily the semester is almost over and he'll get a much-needed 2 week break from school and work.  Come January when I return to work, Geoff will switch to a night/weekend work schedule and stay home during the day with Will.  I'm going to try to hide my jealousy because I'm so glad that my two favorite men get to be together if I can't be with them. 

On Saturday we had Will's newborn pictures and our family photos taken, so we should get those back soon and be able to send out announcements/Christmas cards.  I'm looking forward to that.

Here are a few photos to document what we've been up to over the past few weeks.  Enjoy! (Click on the photos to view them bigger)

Will during his first bath.  Just a couple days old.

Grandpa came to visit!

A little cuddle time with Grandpa G.

Will, Daddy G and I.  Almost a smile on his face.

We attempted to take some family pics while the Gs were here.

The men and their "cigars."

A couple weekends ago Geoff replaced the window in our living room
with french doors.  There is a deck out there.  He did an amazing job!

The shirt says it all.

Our living room - Christmas style.

My dining room table

Will rocking a little tummy time on the quilt his Grandma
Parker made for him.  It's amazing.

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Best Day - Ever

Well, for those of you are are also my Facebook friend, you know that the little man has arrived.  The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm glad to report that everyone in the Parker household is doing great.  Let me back up a little bit - back to November 2nd - and let you in on a few of the details surrounding my boy's arrival. 

On November second, I was 38 weeks and 2 days along in my pregnancy.  My blood pressure, as you likely recall, had been hovering far too high.  When I went in for my regular doc appt on the 2nd, they took a urine sample, as usual, and it came back positive for [trace amounts] of protein.  Add in the fact that I had begun to vomit regularly, the doc and I decided to go ahead and have me induced.  I was only dilated to a 1, so the doc warned me that it could be a difficult induction. 

I was taken immediately over to the birthing center (it was about 5pm at this point).  They gave me a drug called prostin to help prepare my body for labor.  Geoff came over to the hospital and stayed with me in the birthing suite from that point forward. 

After another dose of prostin and a long night, they started the pitocin IV around 5am on the 3rd.  They increased the dose every half hour - but by 2pm I was only dilated to a 2.  Not the progress the wanted to see.  Moreover, the baby wasn't tolerating the pitocin very well.  By about 4pm, the doc came in to tell me they were turning off the pitocin.  She didn't want to break my water because I wasn't progressing and breaking my water would likely mean I'd need a c-section (something we all wanted to avoid, if possible).  To help prepare my body for labor, yet again, I got a new drug (administered for 12 hours). 

At 6am on the 4th, they removed the medicine.  Within about 10 minutes, I started having some serious abdominal pain.  I called the nurse in to see what was going on.  She looked at the monitor and did not see any contractions being registered, so she told me she wasn't sure what I was feeling.  The nurses switched shifts soon and my new nurse immediately recognized that I was having contractions - even though the monitors weren't detecting them.  They then started the pitocin drip to keep the contractions going and even them out (some were lasting very long!).  I continued laboring until about noon - thank goodness for my supportive mom and hub during this time - when I had finally progressed and was dilated enough to get an epidural. 

Once I got the epidural, things [obviously] got a lot easier.  I took a quick nap.  Unfortunately, baby still wasn't tolerating the pitocin well and his heart rate was a bit all over the place.  The nurse and the doctor starting monitoring him very closely.  Eventually the doc came in and broke my water and put a heart monitor directly into the baby's head to make sure they could really see what was going on. 

By 3:30pm on the 4th, I was dilated pretty much all the way and the doc decided it was time for me to start pushing and get this little guy out.  After just about an hour of pushing, he was born at 4:27pm on November 4, 2011.

We named him William Douglas, Will for short.  This may seem a little out of left field, since it isn't a name I've really mentioned before.  When Geoff and I first got married, actually, we agreed on naming our first born William Douglas - but somehow had changed our minds during the whole pregnancy process.  At the last minute, it came back and just felt right.  William is a family name on both sides (my great-great-grandfather's name and Geoff's father's middle name) - and I've loved it since I was a kid (my best friend never cared for it and vowed to call my first born Rocky if I insisted on naming him Will).  Douglas is my father's name. 

Here's a few photos to enjoy.  I'll try to post again soon about everything that has happened since he was born.  Happy 10 day birthday, Will!



Our first family photo

7 pounds, 7 ounces

Snuggled up

Holding his mama's hand



Snuggling with his dad at the hospital

First ride in his car seat

Big yawn for his first night in his cradle at home

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