Video for Daddy

Giggles

Just thought I'd post this super cute video of Luke giggling and squeeling.

Bell Witch Cave

My parent's just made their annual trek to North Carolina and stopped by on their way to NC and on their way back. Garen' sister Kristen also came to visit recently and she brought her adorable (albeit crazy) puppy Charlie with her. Luke didn't know what to do with all of the attention and a puppy in the house. Poor Nilla was afraid to come inside.

Speaking of Nilla...a few weeks ago Garen let her inside and he came and told me she was bloody. She had a 5"-6" long, 1.5" wide patch of fur missing along her back and the spot looked like it had been burned. So I took her to the vet and they think she was hit by a car. I'm not sure what happened to her, but I am pretty sure she wasn't hit by a car. She never goes in the street, plus there was nothing else wrong with her. Well, she is fine. The patch is very slowly healing and looks disgusting. It's like raw-hide is slowing peeling off. I wouldn't be surprised if it is Thanksgiving before the wound is healed.

So while my parents were here this last weekend, we went to Bell's Witch Cave, which is about 20 minutes down the road. Apparently this family, the Bell family, is haunted by a witch who predicted both world wars and the end of the world...oh yeah, and it poisoned Mr. Bell. There is probably more to the story, but we didn't pay for the entire tour - just the cave, so we only heard part of the story. The cave was pretty cool. They recently had a geologist out to look at some of the formations and it look like this area was a ocean millions of years ago and in particular - a coral reef. It really did look like coral reef that we were standing under. There were other oceanic fossils in the cave too. We took Luke with us. A very young spelunker!

I took Luke in for his 6 month check-up last Friday (he won't officially be 6 months until Thursday) and he weighed in at 16 lbs 12 ozs! He is almost double his birth weight and he has turned into a bit of a chunky monkey. He is 26.5" long, which puts him in the 50% for weight and the 50% for height. Dr. Roads says his heart murmur is still gone, but we are still taking him to Vanderbilt for a final "clean bill of health" in November. Luke can sit up...well, he can't get into the sitting up position, but if we sit him down, he can stay sitting and he can catch himself if he starts to fall to either side. But if he falls backwards, he is down for the count. He can also walk. Okay, not really. He can hold onto our fingers and walk. He has no balance and his feet are not coordinated, but he has a purpose, and we don't help him much. He gets mad if we help him, he is very determined to do things on his own.

Our trip to Destin

I'm a little behind (okay, a lot) in writing this week because we just got back from our trip with Garen's family to Destin, FL. We had a really nice time and it was fun to show off Lucas and meet his cousin Ava. Of course, it was great to see the other 2 cousins also - Reece and Riley. Reece is probably the smartest "almost" 3 year old I've ever met! He was spelling red and blue to us! Riley is 11 months old now and she is a character! She is walking already and is a beautiful little girl. Ava has the squishy baby-rolls, but I think they are absolutely adorable. She is much more laid back that Lucas is. I was very jealous of her behavior, although her mother swears it was a fluke (we don't believe you Heather!).

The car ride down was pretty easy. Luke did great and we made the 8 hour trip in 9 hours! We were both very happy with that. But because Luke was a grump while we were there, we left Friday night and drove 1/2 way and spent the night in Birmingham, AL and came the rest of the way on Saturday. Thank goodness we did! Luke was not a happy baby on the trip home. I swear he crapped himself ever hour just to make us stop the car! I sat in the backseat with him on both trips and overall he really wasn't awful.

Luke wasn't a big fan of the beach. Because of the storms in the gulf, the water was pretty cold and every time it touch him he started crying. The first and last days we were there the ocean was nice. It rained really bad and they closed the beach one day, and the rest of the days it was "red flag" (rough waves and a strong under tow). Not to mention the jelly fish! I think everyone got stung at some point, but not badly. Emily, the youngest SIL, got stung the worst. She came up from a wave with one stuck to her face! Yuck (and ouch). But when we were out at the beach, the temperature was perfect and the company was fantastic. Garen and I took turns most days, one stayed inside while Luke napped while the other went to the beach. We took him to the pool a few times too. He liked that much better. I have an inflatable turtle for him to ride in and he smiled and kicked and liked the pool.

Garen's friend Adrian came down for a few days also. He took our Engagement pictures and we asked him to take some family photos while he was there. They turned out really nice. If you'd like to see them, go to http://www.eventpix.com/guest/events/index.php?_function=search and put "Nichols" in the "Photographer last name" field. Click on "Harshbarger, Patterson, Grashot" and the password is "destin". Yeah....we did the khaki and white thing. I love it. I think the pictures are wonderful. THANKS ADRIAN!!!

We spent our evenings watching the Olypics and Michael Phelps (and the gymnastic girls). Who knew ping-pong was an sport!

Wonderful News

Luke had his 4 month check-up on Tuesday. He weighed in at 12 lbs and 11 ozs, in the 25th percentile! They said he is 24 3/4" long - let's just say 25"! His legs weren't completely stretched out anyway. So his length is in the 50th percentile. His head is apparently a bit small though, it is in the 3-5 percentile! But that is still within the normal range. I don't think his head looks small, I just think it is growing up and not out (does that make sense?). It will catch up.

Now on to the great news - his heart murmur is gone! Dr. Roads listened and re-listened and he couldn't hear it, so he is confident that the holes have closed. We will still have to go to Vanderbilt in November for another check-up, but Garen and I are so relieved! Our little boy his healthy.

Last Sunday we had Luke's pictures taken and some family photos too. If anyone cares to look at them, the photographer's website is http://web.mac.com/dawnlombard/iWeb/photo/Lucas.html If you open them in internet explorer the color and quality looks poor, so if you have another browser, use that.

Nothing else really happened this week. We stayed home and did a lot of playing. This week will be a lot of the same. We are leaving next Saturday morning for Destin, Fl. with Garen's family. Joanne and Richard and all of the sibling will be there, which will make a very full house! The total will be 9 adults, 1 toddler, and 3 babies under 1! I'm excited to see everyone and I can't wait to put the babies together and see how they interact.

Ummm...Real Food Good

In the last 2 weeks we decided to start Luke on some real foods. I've been itching to start and I thought he was ready. We started with the traditional rice cereal. The box said to give an ounce at the first feeding and that they may not eat but a few bites. Well...Luke ate the entire ounce and screamed for more while I mixed it up. He ate all of it too! So we did the rice for a few days then moved on to carrots. I'm giving him canned organic carrots. I wanted to make them, but I read something that said baby food carrots should not be home made. Apparently carrots absorb a lot of the nitrates in the ground in which they are planted. So organic or not, you can't be sure of the level of nitrates in the carrots you prepare. Baby food companies test for nitrates and only use carrots that are low in them. So the canned stuff tastes and smells like crap, but he seems to like them. We did the carrots for a few days then started on the peaches that I made. The peaches were hilarious! They are a little tart (but oh so good) and after his first few bites his head kind of twitched after every bite. He is used to the tart flavor now are really likes the peaches. Those are the only foods he has tried so far. I'm hoping to introduce sweet potatoes this week, if I can find some organic ones. Then maybe apples after that.

Luke's turned 4 months this last Friday. He has his 4 month check-up on Tuesday. I'm anxious to see how much he weighs! I'm starting to see a little bit of chunk on his thighs, and his diaper tabs aren't over lapping anymore. Oh, and his 0-3 month shorts aren't too big on him either. I don't notice that he is any heavier, but I'm sure he is! He is definitely longer too. His rise has him almost out of his 3-6 month clothing and into the next stage. He does need to slow down a bit in the length department though. I have some 6-9 month long sleeve stuff that is really cute and it would be a shame if he never gets to wear them.

On a sad note, I found out this week that a girl from my college sorority lost her 5 month old baby on Tuesday. It doesn't say how he died, just that he died in the hospital. I can't even imagine what she must be going through.

A Day at the Zoo

Luke and I went to the zoo in Nashville last week. He absolutely loved it! I didn't think he would get much out of it, and while he didn't really focus on the animals, he loved looking at all of the plants and listening to all of the sounds. It had just rained when we got to the zoo and it was VERY humid and hot, which must have woken up the animals because they were very active. The elephants even went swimming in their pool in front of us. We went to a larakeet garden, which is an enclosed room with a bunch of birds that will land on you. One tried to eat my hair, but Luke thought they were pretty neat.

Luke and I are feeling much better. After I posted last weekend, Luke felt really warm. We took his temp and it was 100.8, so we made an emergency Sunday appointment. Apparently when babies have head colds and they start to get well, it will often turn into an ear infection. I wish they would have told me that at the doctor the week before, I would have been looking out for it! When they took his temp at the doctor it was 101.4 and he had a pretty bad ear infection. They gave him an antibiotic (not fair! I wanted one too) and he is great now.

Luke is figuring out his hands. I'm not sure that he knows what he is really doing yet, but I am more confident that he will. The little toy in the picture below is great. It has thin enough parts that his hand can grasp them. A lot of toys are still too thick for him to grasp well. Heather's (my sister-in-law) little girl, Ava, found her feet this week. She is a month older than Luke. But now Garen keeps trying to get him to find his feet. I just tell him, one thing at a time.

I decided that when Luke is old enough to eat solids, I will make his baby food. It will be cheaper and probably taste better. It turns out both of my SIL's Heather and Melissa make their baby food too. Heather said she just made and froze a bunch of peaches since they are in season now so I decided that was a great idea and I would do the same. So on our trip to Nashville, I went by The Turnip Trunk, which is an organic food store and bought 7 lbs of peaches and a bunch of plums. I borrowed my friends steamer and spent last Friday making baby food. It was really easy and I am so anxious for Luke to try real food. Garen let him try cantaloupe the other night (Garen held the long slice and let Luke suck on the end). I've started giving him rice cereal if he takes a bottle. At his next appointment at the end of the month I hope we are given the go ahead to start on solids.

Stay at Home Mommy

Well, its only been 6+ weeks since I last updated this blog, but now that I am going to be a stay at home mom, I don't have any excuses anymore! So for those of you that don't know (which is probably most of you) I went back to work on Thursday, the 19th of June, only to get laid off (due to lack of work) the next Thursday. I had the option of staying on through the end on July, but I didn't want Luke to get completely adjusted to daycare just to pull him out and make him get re-adjusted to life at home. So I went ahead and made Friday the 27th my last day of work. Friday was a pretty sad day of telling everyone at work good-bye. But Luke made it better - after I picked him up from daycare and we arrived home, he laughed for the first time!

To add to his firsts, Luke also got his first cold! Thanks daycare! It only took 7 days in their care for him to get his first cold. It is a head cold and he is stuffed up and congested. I took him to the doctor on Monday and because he is only 3 months old, they can't give him any drugs. So I get to squirt saline solution up his nose and then suction it out several times a day. He HATES it! I don't blame him. I hate squirting anything up my nose too.

Then on Thursday, I started to get a sore throat and by Friday I was feeling awful. I went to the doctor on Saturday and Luke gave me his cold. I am contagious, so I have to be extra careful not to give it back (or get it back) to Luke, and I have to make sure Garen doesn't get it. Garen is an awful sick person, so I hope he doesn't get it!

Mom and Dad came down for the long weekend and thank goodness they did. It was really nice to have someone else take care of him while I laid around and got some rest. I don't know how people take care of sick children when they are sick themselves! We didn't do a whole lot with them during this trip, but it was a nice visit.

Last Saturday I went to get my hair cut and decided to let her chop it off. I had it cut up to my chin! My hair hasn't been this short since BEFORE my freshman year in high school. I like it, but I don't have any pictures yet. I'll have Garen take a picture in the next few weeks and get it uploaded. In the meantime, here are some more pictures of Lucas.

Lucas' Baptism

Happy Mother's Day.

We had Lucas baptised at Church this morning. My parents and brother were in town, so it seemed like a good time. He fit into Garen's Christening outfit really well, except the tie was too big for him, so we ditched it. As soon as service started, he started crying. It was a fun morning! He cried through the baptism and most of service. He was ready for a nap and he just would NOT fall asleep.

Yesterday was a bad day for him as well. The roofers finally showed up and put a new roof on our house. But everytime they dropped a bundle of shingles he would jump awake. I finally took him over to the neighbor's house so he could have an hour of peace and quiet. But we have a new roof on the house now! It looks great and we don't have to worry about leaks anymore.

Vanderbilt Visit

A friend reminded me this week that I have been very neglectful in my posts. Hopefully now that Lucas is a little bigger and taking better naps (some days) I'll keep this updated more frequently.

Last Thursday we took Lucas to Vanderbilt for his 1 month visit to have his heart looked at. They did an ECHO on his heart, which was just an ultrasound with heart monitors hooked up. Garen and I got to sit and watch. It was actually pretty neat to watch his heart work and beat. They turned on the "color" which showed the blood flowing through his heart. It was both blue and red, depending on if it was oxygenated or not. When the tech zoomed in on the different chambers of the heart, we could actually see the little holes. Surprisingly, it made me feel better because I could see how small they actually are. They are in the muscle of the heart (as opposed to the ligaments) which is very good. They are also no located near a valve, which is also very good. When we met with the pediatric cardiologist, he was very happy with the results and said he does not think Lucas will need any type of surgery. He is confident they will close by the time he is a year old. SUCH good news! He said there isn't anything we need to watch out for and nothing special we need to do. We don't even have to bring him back to Vanderbilt until November! Garen and I are so relieved!

Lucas has also started smiling and cooing in the last week or so. He doesn't yet do either consistently, which means we haven't been able to get a picture of his adorable little smile yet. I'm hope it won't be too long before he is laughing and smiling a lot more. His first bath was the only bath that he screamed through. He doesn't love bath time yet, but he doesn't hate it. He just sits in the water with his eyes wide and a look of shock on his face.

Garen had to go to Texas this week. He left early this morning, so Lucas and I are on our own for 5 days. I have a few friends and neighbors I can call for relief during the week if I need a break. Garen will come home the same day my parents come to town. My brother Jeff flies in on Saturday. With it being Mother's Day weekend and my family being here, we are going to have Lucas baptised on Sunday. Garen's parents may also be coming up, but we aren't sure if they can make it yet. Richard had rotater cuff surgery about a week ago and is still recovering.

Lucas' First Bath

Monday night Lucas' umbilical cord fell off - FINALLY. So Tuesday evening, Garen and I gave him his first real bath. Oh boy, did he hate it! I understand that a lot of babies scream through their first several baths, as the new feeling is strange and scary, but after a few baths, they love them. I hope that is the case. He screamed through the entire thing, and occasionally he would get so worked up he would forget to breath! Garen whipped out the video camera, so below is a video of the event! It needs parental consent to view, as Garen's camera skills accidentally made the video X rated towards the end. I'm sure Lucas will hate us later in life when we show this video to his girlfriend!


We experienced our first earthquake Sunday night. Clarksville is located on a fault line, so the earthquake in Illinois shook our entire house. I woke up to the bed shaking and I could feel the entire house swaying. My first thought was that it was a tornado, but it wasn't storming. I didn't figure it out til morning. Lucas and Garen didn't budge...men!

This week we will make out appointment with Vanderbilt. The appointment will be sometime next week. We will keep ya'll updated.



Lucas has started focusing on objects around the house. He has discovered his mobile above the swing and loves to stare at it, and he enjoys watching Law and Order with me in the afternoons!

*Video removed via Garen's request :)

2 week check-up

We went to our 2 week check-up today. Lucas is back up to weight, plus a little bit, weighing in at 8 lbs and 14 oz! He has also gained an inch and is now 21 inches long. Our little boy is growing up! He is nice and healthy and everything looked great.

Going to the doctor was my first trip out of the house alone with a baby. I told the doctor about Lucas's gasiness and the doctor suggested I try to cut cow's milk out of my diet, so in addition to going to the doctor, Lucas had his first trip to Wal-Mart... Mommy had to buy some yucky soy milk. Ummm, can't wait to try that on my cereal tomorrow! Oh yeah - and I need to cut down on cheese and ice cream, just to see if it will effect Lucas. It's like a cruel, sick joke! Do they make soy ice cream? Would it even be worth trying?!

On the plus side, no more ice cream should help me return to my pre-pregnancy weight faster! I definitely do not look pregnant anymore, I just look fat now, so there won't be any pictures of me showing up any time soon. But I'm sure none of you want to see me anyway, so here are some more Lucas pictures!

Lucas Mercer is here!

Sunday night I didn’t sleep very well and when I woke up Monday morning I felt like I was having mild cramps. No big deal, so I went to work. I decided to start timing them and low-and-behold, they were steadily 30 seconds long and 8 minutes apart. I figured maybe I should go home from work and try to move up my appointment.

Garen and I went to the doctor at 11am and I was still contracting steadily. I had dilated to 2cm, still at 75% effaced. He told us to go walk the mall to move things along, but to head to Labor and Delivery if my contractions got stronger/faster/closer or if they continued as is for the rest of the day. Around 3pm things were still the same, except the contractions were lasting 60 seconds. So off to L/D we went. They monitored me for 4 hours in this awful shared room area, where we could hear other people and they could here us. When we came in, some poor woman was screaming “Save me Jesus!” and Garen looked at me with this pale, strickened look. He said, “Yours aren’t that bad, we could go back home still!” Around 7:30 pm, when my doctor checked me, I was contracting 80-90 seconds every 4.5 minutes, I was still at 2cm, but was now 90% effaced, so they went ahead and admitted me.

They moved us to our own room and out in an IV. Around 8:30, my doctor came in to break my water. He told me that should speed things up a bit with my cervix, but it would also make my contractions a bit more intense. That was the understatement of the year. My next contraction was absolutely (and unexpectedly) awful. I went from moderately painful contractions that I could breathe through, to curling up in the fetal position and screaming and yelling profanities. Garen refers to this period as the “exorcism”. After 3 contractions, I looked at the nurse and yelled “EPIDERAL”! She took off running, I think she was actually shocked at how much my pain had changed. It took about 30-40 minutes of pure hell before they showed up to do the epi. They made Garen leave the room (apparently a lot of “support persons” pass out when the epi is given). It took about 2 contractions to administer, and 2 more contractions to be completely, and blessedly numb! I apologized to and the nurses and they went to page Garen. He didn’t come back so the nurse went to look for him and said he wasn’t in the waiting room. I figured he’d gone outside to call someone. Well about 30 minutes later I paged a nurse to go and find him again. He was in the waiting room this time panicked that something had gone wrong with the epi because it had been an hour! He had been in the hallway, not the waiting room, and the nurses had missed him!

Around 10 they came in and started the pitocin to speed things up. Garen and I were told we were going to have a long night, so we went to sleep. A little after 11 pm, 2 nurses came running in the room and turned me on my left side and started me on oxygen. Apparently Lucas’s heart rate had dropped to 70! They had it back up in a matter of moments, but turned off the pitocin and told me I’d be on oxygen for the rest of labor. It really scared us. They also put an internal monitor on him to more steadily watch his heartbeat. They checked me again and I was fully effaced and I’d finally gotten to 3cm! Once again, we were told it would be a long night, but after this scare we couldn’t sleep. A little after midnight, another nurse came in to empty my bladder. She checked me again and said I was at 8cm! So much for it being a long night! From there things moved very fast and Garen and I didn’t have much time to think.

At 1:15am another nurse came in, checked me, and said it was time to start pushing! The nurse was awesome telling me what to do and when to do it. She asked Garen if he wanted to look, and he said no. She asked if he was sure, so he went to look. He shouldn’t have looked. He had to go sit down, and since I had taken my oxygen off to push, he picked it up and used it. The nurse told him to go sit down and put his head between his legs! Then she paged the doctor because Lucas’s heart rate would drop when I pushed. My doctor arrived and said we needed to use the vacuum to help get him out because of his heart rate. It only took a few more pushes, and Lucas Mercer entered the world at 1:48am, on Tuesday, March 25. He was 8 lbs and 12.5 ounces, 20.5” long, and absolutely perfect! They let me hold him right away, for about 10 minutes before they took him to the nursery. Garen got to go with him for the first part. When he came back he said they were going to bring him back in an hour.

After an hour they still hadn’t brought him back! I called the nursery and they said he was breathing too fast and they would bring him back when his breathing reached 60 breathes per minute. It took 2 ½ hours total (and 3 phone calls!) By that time, Lucas was tired and didn’t want to breastfeed!! It took 30 minutes to get him to latch on to 1 side, and we couldn’t get him to do the other side. Things are much better now. Lucas could clean a fish tank! It is pretty painful though and my milk still hasn’t come in. Yesterday we had to start supplementing with ½ an ounce of formula after each feeding because his weight had dropped to 8 lbs and 1 oz.

Our pediatrician found a heart murmur and after a few tests, they told us Lucas has 2 VSDs, which are small holes in the lower chamber of the heart. Otherwise he is completely healthy. They are hopeful that the holes will close on their own. Apparently this is very common (1 in 1000 babies) and not a big deal. But hearing that anything is wrong with your baby is really hard. We go for a follow up with a pediatric cardiologist at Vanderbilt in a month.

We came home yesterday. Lucas is the light of our lives and we are so happy! When things settle down a bit, I’ll post more pictures and this blog can change from a pregnancy blog, to a baby blog!

Garen's Birthday

I've been late posting lately, but for good reason! My appointments have been falling on Mondays, so I've just been waiting to post until after my appointment!

So after last weeks disappointing appointment with no progress, I've been doing LOTS of walking. Garen and I have been going for evening walks before dinner, and I have been getting out in the plant a little more. I've even been taking the awful, exterior, super-steep, industrial steps to go to a couple of departments. I feel so out of shape when I get to the top of the steps! My gluts are on fire and I am out of breath. Although I'm sure the extra weight doesn't help that.

Well, at yesterday's appointment I had made some progress! I'm still not dilated, but I am 75% effaced. In case you don't know, this means that while my cervix is still completed closed, it has thinned out by 75%, which is great! I am still at -2 station, which means that Lucas's head is bouncing off my cervix with every step I take! Really very fun!!!

Saturday I went shopping in Nashville with my friend Shannon. I had a coupon, so we went to Babies R Us so I could buy the last few things I "needed" from my registry. I'm still waiting for Target to send me my final coupon to use at their store!

Sunday was Garen's birthday. It was a very laid back day. We don't have any projects going on right now as we are just waiting to have this baby! So we sat around and did a whole lot of nothing. I did make him lasagna for dinner and I bought him a tiramisu cake - which he wouldn't let me have any of because he is a caffeine nazi!

As of today, I am 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant. My next appointment is Monday afternoon and if I have made more progress by then, we may talk about scheduling an induction. This way, I can guarantee that I will have my doctor in delivery (otherwise I only have a 25% chance), plus we will be able to tell our parents when to come visit. Of course, there is a chance I won't make it to next Monday! COME OUT LUCAS!!!

Officially Term

That's right - 37 weeks is considered term. Which means that at this point, if I go into labor, there is not stopping it, we will come home with a baby. And I am ready! This pregnancy thing is getting old and I am anxious for it to be over. I may miss it once it has passed, but everything is becoming more cramped and uncomfortable and I'd really like to be over to bend over again!

This weekend I finished the nursery. I also cut tags (gasp) off of clothes and did a few loads of laundry. The drawers have been reorganized about 4 times, and now the closet is on it's way there. I also packed our hospital bag and wrote out a birth plan. Garen and I cleaned the house on Sunday.

On a sad note, my boss was in a ATV accident LAST weekend. She and her husband were riding up a steep hill when they hit an tree root. The 4-wheeler tipped backwards, she fell off, her husband fell on top of her, and the ATV fell on top of him. He had minor injuries (scrapes and bruises). She broke her right collar bone, her left upper arm (right below the shoulder) and the bone in the left shoulder in 3 places (basically crushed). She also broke a few ribs, 1 of which punctured her lung! She has been in the hospital for over a week and will not be back to work for at least 6 weeks! She has surgery this Wednesday to repair her arm/shoulder. They have had to wait so long because of her lung. Say a prayer for her if you get a chance.

I waited until today to post because I had my 37 week appointment today and I was hoping to report some progress. As of today I am 37 weeks 2 days pregnant. Even though I have been having cramps and pains, I have not dilated or effaced. However Lucas is at station -2, which means his head is VERY low. I could have told the doctor that! So no baby for a little while yet, but he has a few more weeks before he is due. In the meantime, Garen and I will start walking in the evenings, and I am going to try and get out in the plant a bit more over the next few weeks - and I'll be taking the stairs. It's time to walk this baby out!

Lucas "dropped"

We'll make this short and sweet this week. Garen made it home on Wednesday and won't be leaving town again before we have this baby. I had my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Everything looks good. Lucas turned heads down, probably on Tuesday night. When I went to work Friday morning, a lady asked me if I had "dropped", then on Saturday a lady told me she didn't think I'd make it 4 more weeks. Guess we will see. I have been having some cramps the last few days, but they aren't anything serious. I think it is just a bit of a warm-up before the big game!

We finished the shelf for Lucas's room and hung it on the wall -

Garen's sister Kristen flew in for the weekend. My friend Shannon through us a shower on Saturday. It was really nice. Kristen found Garen's christening outfit in an old cedar chest and gave it to us. It is beautiful and probably my favorite thing! We also got a few stuffed animals, safety hardware, bathtub, towels & washcloths, bibs, car window shades, sippy cups, some adorable outfits, and a couple gift cards. We had a great time and it was really nice to get to spend some time with Kristen.

As of today I am 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant. There are only 27 days left until our due date. Next Saturday, if anything happens, the doctor will actually let us have this baby!

Scary Childbirth Class

Wednesday night was my 3rd childbirth class. This one covered medical interventions and pain killers. The scary part was in the video - I didn't think they would actually show a c-section, an epidural, an episiotomy... While I have read about all of the different types of intervention and drugs, it is entirely different watching them. After that we were shown the tools that could be used in our deliveries, including what forceps look like and a vacuum suction device. Yikes!

Last weekend and this weekend have been very productive. Garen has been out of town and I have taken the opportunity to reorganize half of the house. He won't be able to find a thing when he gets home. I also made sheets for the bassinet (they don't sell the right size for out bassinet!), and started seedlings for a landscaping project Garen and I are planning to do this spring. I sanded the shelf Garen made and restained it. When Garen comes home he will polyurethane it - I'd do it myself, but its fumes are bad for pregnant women. I guess the "nesting" instinct has set in. As soon as the shelf is finished and up the nursery will be done and I can take and post pictures!

Friday night my sister-in-law Heather gave birth to a baby girl, Ava Rhylee. I can't wait to meet her and introduce her to her cousin Lucas. I'll post a picture of her when I get one.

As of today, I am 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Lucas is still heads-up. Bending over is getting much more difficult. It hasn't been easy for a long time, but now it is actually a bit painful! If only I weren't clumsy....dropping things is something I'm very good at. Wednesday is my next doctor's appointment. Then I will start going every week for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy. It is so weird to think that within a month, I'm going to be a mom!

Work Shower this week

Let me start off with my doctor's appointment this week. I went in on Wednesday for my 33 weeks appointment. In the past 3 weeks I gained another 5 pounds, which puts me at 30 pounds total now. I go back again in 2 weeks, and then I will start going to the doctor every week until I have the baby. Lucas and I are doing well. I asked the doctor to poke and prod to figure out which way Lucas is laying. His head is up by my ribs and his butt is down below my belly button. His back is to my stomach. The doctor isn't concerned that he is still heads up. He said we won't care about that until I am 37 weeks. Then, if he hasn't turned yet, the doctor will manually try to turn him. But he has 3 weeks to flip. Now I know what has been poking my ribs when I laugh...a head!

Thursday the ladies at work had a shower for me. It was really nice. We had lunch and they had the most adorable rocking horse cake! Lucas got so much stuff, and a lot of things that we really needed! We got his bouncer (which Nilla absolutely LOVES), a bunch of cute clothes and blankets, bath-time stuff, some health stuff, feeding stuff, a Boon Frog Pod, a changing pad, and some homemade gifts. Nurse Helen knit a beautiful blanket, and another coworker painted a stool. I was really surprised and overwhelmed by everyone's generosity!
I also had childbirth class again this week. Garen is out of town, so my friend Shannon went with me. Shannon has 2 children (both were over 11 lbs!) so it was nice to have an experienced person with me. Of course, Garen missed the birth video! We also practiced breathing and relaxation positions. I'm planning on drugs, LOTS of drugs, especially after watching the video. Unfortunately, they won't give me drugs until I am dilated to 4 cm, which took the lady on the video almost 8 hours! So the breathing and relaxation techniques may actually be necessary even with the drugs. Shannon and I did a lot of hugging! It was really very funny. The girl-girl couples in the room outnumbered the guy-girl couples (4 ladies in the class have husbands in Iraq, & 1 isn't married).

As of today I am 34 weeks and 0 days pregnant (although I'm posting this late enough that I might as well add the 1 day!). Lucas should be over 5 pounds now. He is definitely getting bigger as some of his kicks are beginning to sting and hurt a bit. I'm feeling great. Getting up and down is a challenge, especially with my back. I'd say the sciatica has definitely taken a turn for the worse, but I only have 6 more weeks to get through. It's amazing how comforting having an end in sight is.

First Childbirth Class

Halleluiah, this week is over! Life can slow down a bit now! Aside from Garen and I both working ridiculous amounts of overtime this week, throw in a childbirth class, a church membership class, and the last week of class for Garen. Oh, and throw in a bunch of tornados and storm warnings, plus voting in the primary, and I'm exhausted again just typing it!

We had the first of 5 childbirth classes this week. We learned about the anatomy of how the baby grows and what it does to my insides, explaining many of the symptoms that occur during pregnancy. We also were explained how to tell when you are in labor and the difference between real labor and false labor. The scariest part was when the instructor held up a diagram showing how large 10 centimeters is! I mean, I understand how big the baby is, but seeing that circle was disturbing! We also were taken on a hospital tour and explained many of the hospital specific policies and procedures. The hospital is very pro-"baby-in-the-room", as opposed to keeping the baby in a nursery. We both really liked that.

I am the 2nd farthest along in the class, but the 2nd smallest as far as looking pregnant. All of the girls look farther along than me, and most aren't due until the end of April or the beginning of May. The only girl I look more pregnant than isn't due until the end of May! There are about 15 pregnant ladies in the class. Garen will miss the next 2 classes, and then will be back for the last 2. In his absence, my friend Shannon is going to come with me.

As of today, I am 33 weeks and 0 days pregnant. Lucas is the size of a honeydew. My next doctors appointment is this week, and I am dreading hopping on a scale again. I outgrew a pair of pants this week, which was sad and depressing. I really don't want to have to buy more maternity clothes with only a month and a half left! I finally took another belly picture.

We have a name! Lucas Mercer Grashot

Let me start off by apologizing for not posting last weekend. Garen came home and we have been so busy! Last Saturday we spent the morning with our Pastor. We start taking church membership classes this week. There are 13 classes total, and with Garen's travel schedule, we will be missing several of the group classes and have to make them up one-on-one. Not to mention we are going to have a baby before classes are over!

Garen had quite a Honey-Do list when he came home. First I had him finish the drawers he was building in my kitchen cabinets. Then I had him build a shelf for the baby’s room. While he was working on that, I was busy making special wall letters to put on the shelf. We both finished, however, I don't think I like the color I had Garen stain the shelf, so we will redo it this weekend, hang it, and I'll try to post a picture of it next weekend.

I went to the doctor last week for my 31 week appointment. I've gained another 4 pounds, for a grand total of 24 pounds now. Lucas kicked the doctor while he was listening to his heartbeat! It was pretty funny. I go back on the 13th of February. That date just sounds too close to March!

The ladies at work are throwing me a baby shower on Valentine's Day. And my friends in town are throwing Garen and I a shower on March 1. This having a baby thing is starting to get very real very quickly! Our baby stroller and car seat came in this week. I had to send the stroller back...Babies R Us sent the wrong color. My new stroller should be here next week.

As of today I am 32 weeks and 0 days pregnant. There are only 56 days left until my due date! Lucas' skin is turning from red to pink and pretty soon he will need his fingernails cut!

Hectic Week

This week has been such a blur. I moved into my new office and settled in. I'm behind because of the time I spent arranging the transition and then actually moving. But that means overtime and what better time to get overtime than right before we have a baby! This next week is going to be just as hectic as last, so I've spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing.

I was going to make wall letters for Baby G's room and post a baby name this week. But even after we picked a name, Garen changed his mind yesterday, just in time. I'd already bought the supplies to make the wall letters but I hadn't started yet. I guess Baby G will have to wait a little longer before he has a name.

As of today, I am 30 weeks and 1 day pregnant. This pregnancy is 75% complete! Baby G is EXTREMELY active. He moves all day long, everyday. My tummy just jumps and bounces and moves all around. Garen asked me if I was drinking caffeine to make him move so much! (I'm not.) I think he must have always moved this much, he is just big enough now that I can feel more of his movements. Baby G is fully developed now and is starting to put on some body fat. He should weigh almost 4 pounds! Next week I have a doctors appointment so I'll have an update on my weight gain as well.

A Week of Ups and Downs

A lot has happened in the last week, and most of it very early in the week. I guess I'll just start at the beginning...

Monday at work, the HR department was called into my boss's office. There is some restructuring taking place and the IT department is moving under HR and some office's and hierarchy's are changing. The important part of this (to me) is that I am being moved to IT and I will report to a new boss. I'm also moving buildings. This is a really good move for me. I'm going from a cubicle in HR to my own office in IT. I'll also get to concentrate on IT projects. YEAH! I made it back to my major....finally. But at the same time, I'm not thrilled about moving to a new building. I like where I work and who I work with. And while I know everyone where I am going, it will just be different.

I also took this opportunity to talk with my (current) boss about maternity leave and coming back to work. Yes, I realize I should have done this months ago, but I didn't. I told him I wanted 3 months off for maternity leave. I think a 6 week old baby is just too little to put in daycare! By 12 weeks he should have better head control and I should (let us hope) be getting a better night of sleep (as compared to 6 weeks). I also asked him about the possibility of coming back to work part-time. With Garen's travel schedule, I'll be a "single-parent" on a pretty regular basis. If I work everyday, but for less hours, I think I will be happier and more productive. I also think I will still be able to accomplish my job. No decisions have been made yet, but I should have the loose ends tied down soon.

Monday night Garen and I had some friends over to watch the LSU vs. OHS game. It was a great game! Our friends Shannon and Donal brought their 2 kids (4 and 1) over and it was great watching Garen watch them drop crumbs on the carpet! LSU won, which made the evening even better.

Tuesday on my way home from work I talked to Mom and I could tell something was wrong. JP was sick...very sick. For those of you who don't know who JP is, he is my cat. I got him in college and had him when I lived by myself in Des Moines. He even came with me when I moved to Memphis. When Garen and I moved to TX, I asked my parents to keep him until Garen and I became "stable". When we bought our house last year, I tried to get him back, but Dad wouldn't let me have him. After a year with my JP, Dad became a bit attached and said that JP was his cat now. And JP loved my parents house! So JP stayed in Iowa and Garen and I got Nilla.

Well on Tuesday, Mom played with JP around 10am. Around noon, when Dad came home for lunch, they could here him meowing. He was lying at the bottom of the stairs, not moving. His back half was completely paralyzed! They rushed him to the vet and after several x-rays, said nothing was broken and they had no idea what was wrong. They had 2 guesses...either a herniated disk or a blood clot. Unfortunately the vets office didn't have the equipment to tell definitively. They recommended my parents take him to Ames (Iowa State's vet clinic) for further tests. JP couldn't move or feel anything below mid-back and he lost control of bowel functions. They began treating JP for blood clots immediately. At 11pm that night, when the vet came in for rounds, JP looked sick (up to this point, he didn't actually act sick). While the vet was working on him, he died. The vet called my parents in the middle of the night and requested to do an autopsy, for free. He said he had never seen a perfectly healthy cat (or any animal) die like this.

The autopsy showed several blood clots throughout JP's body. He died from an infection in his intestines that spread very quickly. Apparently JP had a heart problem, although he didn't have any symptoms of heart disease. Mom and Dad (and me) aren't taking this very well. JP was a really good kitty...he even liked Garen!

As of today, I am 29 weeks and 1 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a squash. Garen doesn't think that is very descriptive...as squash come in all sorts of sizes. The baby is about 3 pounds now and moves all of the time. Sometime my stomach just jumps and twitches!

Hello 3rd Trimester!

I had my first appointment in the 3rd trimester this week. I go back again in 3 weeks, so he has moved my appointment frequency up just a bit. Baby G is doing great. His heart is beating fast and my stomach is measuring at the right growth. I gained 4 more pounds over the holidays, putting me at a total of 20.5 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight. I glad the rate of weight gain slowed to something more moderate! If it had kept up with the rate of the last few visits I'd be a cow by the time this baby is born! I definatley look a lot more pregnant now. But the picture below actually doesn't look too much different from the one 4 weeks ago. I've gotten bigger above the bump and below the bump, but the bump itself hasn't grown out anymore. I also feel pretty good. My back still hurts from time to time, but nothing like it did before. Things have finally settled down into a nice pregnancy (please don't let me eat those words!).Garen's parents came up on Thursday. They had a wedding to go to in Nashville this weekend so they came up a few days early to visit. It sure did get cold for the few days they were here. It made me remember what Iowa in winter is like! I just wish we would get some snow with the cold weather.

As of today I am 28 weeks and 1 day pregnant. There are only 83 days left until my due date! The baby weighs about 3 pounds at this point, and he can see light (although I'm not sure from where), smell, hear noises outside the womb, and taste. Apparently the foods I eat now he can actually taste, so my eating habbits will influence his for the rest of his life. No preasure! I guess I better put down the ice cream and pick up a carrot...