Routine

Greg is away tonight so I was snapping photos of the bed time routine to send him. I realized halfway through that I should write about this because I love the routine and even though I hope it won’t – I know it’s all going to change when baby girl arrives.

Lyle is 15 months and Greg typically does this by himself or we tag team with Greg doing the majority of the work. Since his work days are long this is pretty much the only time the two of them have on week days and they love it. It is also helpful at this point because being 31 weeks pregnant and getting down to bath level is not the most enjoyable thing!

Here goes nothing …

Downstairs playing, reading, watching a little TV or chatting happily with dad and suddenly an unnecessary sad fit or the tenth eye rub indicates it is bed time. This is about 6:45 but can range from 6:15-7:00pm. (We aim to have him in his crib after 7 so if its 6:15 that’s when TV happens.) We simply say “Lyle are you ready for night nights?” And he walks to the stairs. I know. It’s crazy. My mother in law said Greg used to do the same thing when he was little but I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. So up we go …

First the bath is run and the door is closed so sneaky sneak can’t get in. We move to his room to get things set – white noise on. Overhead light off. Side lamp on. Pajamas and diaper laid out. Towel acquired.

*this was taken at the end of the routine, so you’ll see 7:30 on the clock – this is definitely a late night for Lyle

Back to bathroom to strip down and get clean! Lots and lots of splashing happens. We give him a range of time in the tub. From 3 minutes if he is cranky and we are tired to 15 for when we are trying to drag out bedtime a bit. Usually bubble free in this house but he is not for lack of entertainment.

Next is the towel-scoop. I’m pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to do this alone. Greg gave me props for the trick. I might patent it. You’ll need a cute hoodie towel, a closed toilet, and a cute wet baby. Place the towel on the toilet with most of the towel bunched up at the top and only a little over the bottom edge with the hood at the top.  Armpit pick up wet slippery baby. Plop on towel. Lift hood. Scoop baby and smell their good smelling bodies. Giggle in the mirror.

Next we are off to his room for the diaper-pajama wrangle and the paci-lovey acquisition.

Annnnnd it’s book time. Lyle usually tells us which ones he wants and will often read his own while we are reading another one. He has recently started snuggling closer and closer. I love this time of day so much. He is so active that this is the only time we get to snuggle.

After 3-5 books it’s a simple lights out and sing the ABCs as we walk to the crib and lay him down. (White noise has been on this entire time – it is an indicator that sleep is coming. He really enjoys sleep so I think he finds it very comforting at this point.) As for what is in the crib. About 3 months ago around his first birthday we introduced this blanket as a pillow and this blanket as his blanket to sleep under. It has helped significantly to keep him laying down and not doing as much rolling/crawling/walking in the crib that he was doing. He stays under the blanket a lot of the time. There are still nights where he moves a lot and it is off him but for the most part he uses it like and adult would. I think it’s amazing.

(this is not the A&A blanket, nor is this photo from the same night, but this is how I found him one night at 10:30pm – he hadn’t moved a muscle!)

He falls asleep in about 5-10 minutes. Mostly playing with his lovey in that time. And he is up 11-12 hours later around 6:30-7am. Ready and rearing to eat!!!

And this is what I enjoy for the rest of the evening:

 

Cruising

As requested by the lovely Sabrina I thought I’d update you all on all the cruising going on in our house these days!

Lyle has been cruising around the house for a few weeks now. His favorite things are doors. He seriously thinks these cabinets were made his size on purpose.

His second favorite spot to stand is the front window. He pounds on the window to say hi and bye to people coming and going. He also loves cars, trucks, and bikes. It’s too bad for him we live on such a quiet street!

Hand-me-down toys are the best!! The piano is full of endless fun for Lyle. Check out his plaid shorts/manpris – stylin!

This is an oldie but goodie – he loves to stand in his crib waiting for us to come get him. Sometimes he is still half asleep (like in this photo) but as soon as he wakes up he immediately stands!

Additionally we have been cruising all around the world. Literally!! Since the start of April through the end of May our calendars have been booked solid!

On April 28 I threw a surprise party for Greg’s 30th birthday. We cruised Boston Harbor with 42 of our friends and family. The surprise was a success and Greg had a great time eating all of his favorite foods and drinking plenty of bourbon.

Oh and a quick trip to Baltimore for a Hokie wedding? Why not!! Such a blast to see all of our southern friends. We wish they all lived closer!

Then there was that time my sister and I spent a week in Hawaii. I was super super sick for the first two days but managed to have an amazing time in paradise and see one of my oldest friends get married to the love of her life. The views weren’t bad either!

And finally last weekend we were in Vegas (baby!). Greg had to be there for a work conference all week and I joined him on Thursday to celebrate his actual birthday. We had some time to enjoy the sites and scenes. And man were there a lot of scenes.

This Thursday we head to Myrtle Beach with my family and then to Maine the follow weekend for memorial day with Greg’s family. It’s bananas but worth it for all the memories we are making. Wish me luck with Lyle’s first flight!!

prepping to care for yourself

One of the things I completely didn’t think about while pregnant is the extreme change that MY body was going to go through when I gave birth. I was more then ready, willing, able, and capable to care for a newborn baby – but what about me. One of the hardest things I discovered post baby is that I really needed someone to take care of ME too. Thankfully I had a wonderful husband, mother and tons of other friends and family to help. I was stubborn though, I tried to do too much, too soon. I wanted to be the best mom possible (who doesn’t?!) and didn’t want to need someone, but I quickly discovered that I did. I have a few friends who are expecting babies soon so I want them and all soon-to-be moms realize that the phrase “it takes a village” is very true, and that you should trust in your village! Here are a bunch of random things that I learned from experience, hope they are helpful!

What to bring to the hospital (there are plenty of amazing lists and I won’t begin to attempt to copy but here are a few things I think are most important):

• Slippers/warm fuzzy socks/flip flops – hospital floors = yuck! and cold!
• Notebook and pen (or be prepared with an app on your phone to use to keep track of everything like feedings and diapers and medication for yourself, there are a lot of things that are based on a schedule and it’s very hard to keep track of!)
• An old but big and fluffy towel from home; your own shampoo & conditioner & bodywash – the hospital grade is usually terrible (Thanks Emily)
• Your own pillow!!! (bright/patterned pillow case so they don’t try to clean it and it will be lost forever)  I brought an airplane/neck pillow too because you’re doing a lot of upright sitting during labor and recovery. I also brought the boppy pillow which I found very helpful for breastfeeding but also for tentative/nervous guests (and Dads!) visiting you and holding the baby for the first time.  (Thanks Emily)
• You don’t necessarily need to bring this with you but perhaps prepare a pile of your favorite maternity clothes for you to wear the first few days post partum. If you have a c-section someone can bring them into you – since you are there for 3-4 days after a c-section you will have more visitors and more photos taken in the hospital – call me vain but I wanted to be in normal clothes asap. I understand if you are only in the hospital for 2 days then you don’t need it and can wear the hospital gown, but by day 3 or 4 I wanted to appear somewhat normal.

What to buy from the drugstore so you don’t have to send your husband out searching to CVS at midnight after you get home from the hospital and there isn’t a plethora of items at your disposal (didn’t happen to me, but did happen to my poor brother, he is still traumatized I think).

• PADS. Big, huge, large, with wings. And smaller thinner ones and then panty liners too. It goes on for weeks. Literally. Yuck.
• Dermoblast*
• Tucks pads*
• Witch hazel*
• Colace – it’s a stool softener – gross but so needed – you can take before delivery too to get your body ready
• Nursing Pads**
• Lanolin – nipple cream**

*Due to my c-section I didnt really need to use these things and therefore can’t explain too much, but they are to help if there is tearing/irritation “down there” – eek. If you don’t have a friend to talk to about it – ask me! Or ask a nurse after delivery – they are there to help!!

**If you plan to breastfeed you’ll want these things to help your body adjust.

Things to steal/take from the hospital

• Everything that isn’t tied down – as stated above – you/your insurance paid for everything so TAKE it. diapers, wipes, formula, pads, swaddle blankets, hats, disposable underwear, bring an extra bag for it all!
• You will also get a spray bottle thing from the hospital – to spray instead of wipe! oh yeah I went there – ask for two if you have two bathrooms!

Other things to buy for you:

• at least one size up (two if you know you are going to have a c-section) yoga pants from old navy – you will still look / feel pregnant in the stomach area for a few weeks – accept it, wear the yoga pants and move on
• at least one size up (two if you know you are going to have a c-section) (just make sure they are big and loose and comfortable!) – hanes cotton underwear – go to Target and buy a 10 pack – it’s all you will want to wear for a few weeks – then you will want to toss them!

With all that said – try to remember that you really have been through a traumatic experience. If it is an eight hour or 48 hour experience your body deserves a rest. Take the first two weeks and seriously recover. Make sure you have someone to help you pretty much 24/7. Your husband, your mother, sister, friend – ask for help and ask now. Two full weeks. If you do that – you will feel SO much better. Sleep. Eat a lot and eat whatever you want. (Speaking of eating – if people say that they want to bring you food, say thank you and request a specific day so that people don’t bring it all at once!! We had so much food for the first week, then week two we had nothing!) I did NOT do this. When my husband went back to work at day 9 I thought I could and wanted to do it on my own. I regret it. I never felt too terribly overwhelmed because many people stopped by often (my mom especially) but looking back I wish I had relaxed and let people help me. I had many people who wanted to be there for me but I was being too prideful. Let it go. You just had a baby. You brought life into this world (go YOU!) – now give yourself some time to rest and recover so you can be the best mom to your beautiful baby.

Do you have anything to add?

Maternity Fashion Show

 

Maternity clothes are impossible. They are really, really, really difficult to find; to fit to you; to purchase ahead of time. To have the ability to purchase an item in a STORE is like a miracle. I have found the Old Navy is my best friend. The clothes are cheap enough I don’t feel bad buying but also solid enough that they have been lasting. I also am very lucky to have a Motherhood outlet about 20 minutes from my house. They have Motherhood Maternity, Pea in a Pod, and their own “outlet” line there — I like it because they had a fake belly for me to use to try stuff on when I was just about 4 months pregnant. It was helpful because here I am 2 and 1/2 months later and hellooo belly.   Anyway, I finally figured out how to use the wordpress app on my iPhone so here are some various photos of me along the way. You’ll note one strong theme  – carigans!! EVERY top that I liked was a tank top, and this spring has been really really cool. That, along with the fact that I can’t really wear tanks to work, cardigans have become my best friend! So here you go … a quick maternity fashion show.

(Sorry I have NO idea how far along I am in most of these and don’t feel like figuring it out!)

There you have it.  I know that last one was from last Wednesday — at my 28 week appointment so 12 more weeks to go – ahh!! I hope to update with more photos with more outfits now that I know how to use the app.

 

 

eve

If our baby was a girl her middle name would have been Eve, but alas, it’s a boy and Evan just isn’t as special as Eve. Christmas Eve morning, December 24, 2010, is a morning I will never forget …

6:00 pm, December 23rd, 2010

Colleen: But what if I am? I mean I don’t feel like I am but I totally could be, and what if I drink this weekend and I hurt the baby? I need to know before going to parties this weekend.

Greg: Just take the test now!

Colleen: Noo!! You have to take it in the MORNING, or it doesn’t WORK! duh!!!!

Greg: Oh, oh. Umm, okay, tomorrow morning then, you’re taking a pregnancy test tomorrow morning!!!

4:45 am, December 24th, 2010

Colleen: [to myself, since, umm it was 4:45 in the morning] Why am I wide awake? I wonder if I am. I really don’t think I am. But man do my boobs hurt. But your  boobs hurt with your period sometimes too. I know but maybe this is different. Maybe I really am. Oh man why am I wide awake at 4:45 am. Maybe I should just go take it now. I’ll just take it and if it’s negative it’s negative – or maybe I’ll just wait to wake Greg up. Or maybe I could do something cute and like put a bun in the oven and make him go look in the oven …. hmm we don’t have any buns that won’t work … okay I can’t wait anymore I am going to go do this.

Bathroom – stick – you know the drill …

Colleen: [to myself again, since, it's only about 4:52 am at this point] Okay 3 minutes, deep breath, no big deal either way. We haven’t been trying too long. It’s not a big deal either way. Wouldn’t it be cool if we were actually … OMG … that’s a plus sign!  OMG OMG OMG. AHHHH.

Run into bedroom and jump on the bed.

Colleen: [outloud this time, quite loudly] Greg! Greg! I’m pregnant! We’re having a baaaaby!!!! I’m pregnant!!!

Greg: [rolls over to look at the clock, very very confused] It’s 4:53 in the morning.

Colleen: I took a test — IT WAS POSITIVE! Like INSTANTLY. We’re pregnant. We’re having a BABYYYY!!

Greg: [a little more alert] Oh my gosh, are you serious? For real? Wait why are you up at 4:53 in the morning? You took the test? And it was positive? Which test? How many did you take? Wait really? let me see it!! We’re having a BABY!!!!

annnnnnnd scene!

I proceeded to run over and grab the baby books, as if they would suddenly say “yes, you ARE indeed pregnant!”  We read them for about an hour, while giggling, laughing, omg-ing and just general happiness. The one thing we were able to figure out (with a little iPhone assistance) that we were having a late August baby!  Holy moly, hot summer. We then decided that we needed to go back to sleep, but that lasted only about an hour and we were once again wide awake at 7am. I took another test then, just to be sure, and yup, it wasn’t a joke!

Here’s a shot of me at Greg’s family Christmas Eve party later that night … at this point only our parents and siblings knew … see that wine glass in my hand there, don’t worry it was all a ruse! Do you think I had the glow then?

(Greg’s cousin is a budding photog, how lucky are we?)