Wow, I'm so happy for you Smallpotatoes. I'm glad it all went well, and that its all you dreamed it would be, or more.
I still question whether all this will be worth it in the end, but from what EVERYONE says, it will be. Just one months to go - or less (fingers and toes crossed).
smallpotatoes, reading your story makes me excited with anticipation... we still have a few months to go, but reading that def. made monday morning much more enjoyable
So we've managed to stay away from pacifiers, but Rowan has developed into quite a cute little efficient vacuum. She's getting red rings around her thumb/index finger and knuckles from frequent and powerful sucking. She also recently started this routine of getting grumpy around 8pm at night. We think selectively giving her a pacifier will help soothe her angst. Anyone else have experience here?
Our plan is to use a pacifier until we wean. Seems like that would be most logical, though we plan to wean around 6 months or so. My MIL works at a dentist office, and suggests using a pacifier, so it can't be bad for the kid in moderation. I do agree with the article that it shouldn't be used as a stopper to plug the kid up when noisy, but I think we all know that here.
I do know that as far as dentistry is concerned, thumb sucking is a no-no because it can last for so long, and is very hard to stop the habit. Pacifiers, although painful for the parents, can be taken away and hidden when its time to break the habbit; you can't very well amputate your child's thumb or fingers.
My doc said to hold off on the pacifier until the nursing is established and going well (for the first couple weeks or so). Sucking on a finger or his hand is really soothing to him, so we are using a pacifier only after a successful feeding, when he's needing comfort or starting to get ready for a nap. I think the pacifier is a much better option than thumb-sucking!
we didn't exactly get a choice: with our first we said 'nursing' and 'no pacifier' but she arrived in the room at the hospital on day 2 with a pacifier in her mouth! didn't seem to affect nursing, and, in the end she didn't end up loving the paci all that much, so...
baby 2 didn't really take to the paci at all until about month 7 when all of the sudden she became VERY interested in it. now at 10+ months she uses it to calm/sleep but that's about it.
We are still working on the pacifier bit. She doesn't seem too interested in it at the moment but we're keeping it handy for when she does.
The wifey went to the Ricky Lake documentary yesterday and very much enjoyed it. She highly recommends it to anyone considering or interested in natural childbirth. The data they present in the movie is pretty staggering... here's some C Section statistics.
On another note, I was giving Rowan a bath Saturday morning. She's loved her bath time and loves being in the water (like her father) because thus far because she's all smiles during. Well for the first time during Saturdays bath, she started laughing! I almost startled her (see sneezing post) calling the wifey. And there she sat, giggling and laughing up a storm... (...up next dad gets bored with flickr and consumes himself with uploading videos to youtube)
My mom was a daycare provider for 25 years, and here is her golden rule that she shared with her parents in regards to babes who become interested in pacifiers...
If the babe wants one, establish a routine with it.
At first, they might get it when they are sad, when they go down for a nap, and maybe in the morning/evening during mom and dad's mealtime.
As they get older and can understand rules, modify the routine to may only when they are sad and at nap/bedtime.
As time goes by, they only get it for naptime, or, say, for 10 minutes at a time once a day (my mom always let them choose when the child wanted it).
It was very interesting - this routine. The parents that took the routine up at home typically had weaned their child off of it (and any associated finger sucking) by 2 or 3 years old. The kids who did not have the same routine at home were more dependant on it. However, those same kids would abide by my mom's routine while at daycare.
Saturday, I finally cashed in on the pre-natal massage the MIL got me for Christmas. It was Great! Of course it felt good, but the part that was best, was I got to lay on my stomach for the first time in months! I'm not sure how I managed to stay awake through the whole process, I haven't been that comfortable, well, since this 'great adventure' started. I have got to get me one of those special tables.
Yesterday I had to take a sick day from work. I am better now, but my stomach just wasn't cooperating with me yesterday. First it kept me up all Sunday night making all sorts of noises - loud enough to wake me up - and then I was nausious most of the day. I feel better today, the stomach issues are gone, but I'm still pregnant, so I'm still not 100%. Oh will this ever be over?!
I have my first 'progress check' on Friday, and I haven't heard any good reports from other ladies. Seems it will be most uncomfortable, so there's something to look forward to at the end of the week. Maybe I will get REALLY lucky and the Doc will say 'Oh Wow! You're 4.5 cm dialated and (insert proper pecentage) effaced; you could have this baby tomorrow!' Yeah, a bit hopeful, no? That would throw off the weekend plans, though. The Shower is Sunday.
Showers are so akward. Everybody stares at you, and you have to be very careful with your reactions to gifts. I am very facially expressive, and have a hard time hiding it. At my bridal shower, I was given a 'fat-trapper,' some sort of plastic trashcan like thing to hold drippings. Yes I'm from the South, and like all good southern women, keep my bacon drippings, but I don't need a 'fat-trapper' to do so. I did my best to smile, act like I was geniuinly excited, and say thank you, never letting on that I hoped it came from wal-mart for quick and easy exchanging. So thats what Sunday possibly holds. Hopefully, I will have either gotten better in the last 2 years, or I will not get anything that makes me go 'WTF?!' At least Husband will have to sit through it with me this time. And its the last Shower I will ever have to be the guest of honour at.
Hello there, this is Sarah's mother. Yes, I've been lurking here ever since she gave me the news about the impending proceedings. First, I just wanted to say that at her bridal shower, Sarah was very thankful for all her gifts and while I knew that she was thinking WTF, I also thought she covered it well.
Now, let me say a big THANK YOU to all you posters who have given her so much encouragement! You have been able to confirm to her some of the same things that I have been telling her.
And congratulations to JC and SP in the recent births of your children. The fun is just beginning!
Sarah, the room looks amazing! I feel like a schmuck, I barely did anything for Angus' nursery, just curtains and a few photocopies out of I Am A Bunny. Granted, the room was also my dressing room, so it had a lot of stuff in it, including pink-on-pink stripes on the walls...
But back to you. The painting came out great. And I love how bold all the colors are - no pastels! Really fantastic.
Also, congrats to you for your grace under the pressure of having your MOM show up on archinect - yiiiiiiiiikes!!! Though since your mom did use "WTF", she must be super cool.
Hi Sarah's mom, and congrats on the upcoming new grandkid!
Since Husband was insistant that I post the photos last night, I didn't get a chance to explain the work, and you know that I have been schooled in presenting the whys and whatfors of everything I do, so its only natural that I would do so with this. Here goes...
I originally had dreams of a 60 dollar crib, and beautiful designer furniture, and the like, making the room budget out to about 5-6 grand. After some wise posts on here, and some time, I came back down to earth, and revised my budget to closer to 5-600 dollars. I haven't added up all the recipes, so I don't have an actual total, but I do know that it was much closer to the lower budget than the higher one.
First, I found a crib that was white, with a sleek wood banding along the bottom. On this particular crib, the legs were metal, but all the materials played well together, and it really had presence. So, we went to IKEA, found a simple 70 dollar crib, and I promply had Husband slice the legs off (crappy little 1x4s) and build a new base platform out of 4x4 posts. He inset the crib just a bit, and stained it. It now has presence and looks really grounded. I love it, he did such a wonderful job.
The cabinet above the crib was designed off of a wall cabinet that I wanted that was 1200 bucks! Talk about insane, but it was such a nice peice. So, we took an old entertainment center we had, made of those 15" cubes, repainted them, mounted them on a platform, and voila, much cheaper, but still fitting the ideas of the designer shelf. Husband at first couldn't understand why I insisted on the wooden platform, but I explained that it brings the piece together, and reiterates the themes of the crib below.
The shelves on the wall, which you can hardly see in the photos, I particularly like. They were suppose to be simple wooden plains jutting from the wall, but after the crib and cabinet were installed, it was all wood and white, I felt there needed to be some metal to offset it. So we bought some angle iron, painted it, and attached 1x8s, the perfect size for golden back books. I had thought of painting one shelf white, but Husband thought it would be fine all stained. I like it.
The chai came from walmart, and is super comfy, not to mention super cheap. It rocks, and is padded! I looked everywhere for a chair like this, under 300 bucks, and most were 600 and up. When I came across this one online, I pounced.
The dresser is also from IKEA, but we took the cheapest one they had, and installed hardware to it. Its supppose to be flat panels, but I wanted something more traditional, so Husband drilled out holes, and we put on knobs. All but one of the knobs match; I wanted one to be different in hopes that Abram can discover it some day and wonder why.
Oh, and the paint colour....it took 4 tries. First it was safety orange, and the room glowed, then it was a nice maroon, but too 'old' for a kids room, then pink, then finally the right red.
I am so glad its done. The only think I'm not sure about is whether I should frame out the painting. Husband says no, but I didnt paint the edges of the canvas (which is stretched painters drop cloth, thats why theres a seam). Maybe I should just leave it so that I can call it finished. But then again, I am an 'architect' and no work is ever finished......
we made similar compromises and did a lot of our own making, too. i actually like it better because there was so much more that came from us and not just from the store.
awesome Sarah! Abram's room looks fantastic! And your painting turned out really great too. What a fun space...
and I feel like a schmuck too! I hung some vintage children's book images in frames I made but otherwise we really didn't do very much because a) she's been sleeping in our room b) we're moving before we put her in her own room...
s- the room looks great. hope he likes red. (hi sarah's mom!)
as a renter in a temporary situation, we're just getting the minimal furniture needed for our sanity and for the acorn's safety till we find a more permanent abode. hope he likes white walls.
Wow, you guys are making me feel like quite the over-achiever; I've never been that before.
To be fair, Husband did 85% of the work. I designed, he engineered and executed. I'm so lucky to have such a handy man for a husband. I did help with the trim and wall painting, and I built the dresser and installed the hardware. And I did the painting. Oh, and assmebled the crib! But mostly, I did just make selections and such. Man, I should've been an Interiors major, they have it easy.
And we really tried to keep everything functional and minimal. Our housei sn't large, so everything has to do at least bouble duty, for the most part. The dresser is the changer, we just never framed out the top.
Tumbles, it either had a hole or pillow edges. In either case, there was ample space for both belly and breasts, and still supported me enough to keep from squishing the poor kid. Though, I'm starting to wonder, if I start squishing him, and making him more and more uncomfortable, will he leave sooner?!
we are not doing too much for ours as we have plans to move a few months after the arrival. We have got the furniture set up but that is all.
Sarah
the crib modifications sound excellent - and I also love your explaination of the different knob... the discovery will be a fun day! I just hope you or your husband is in the room at the time to see the look on his face when he begins to question it.
Its been a long week, and much has happened since I last posted, and before you get all excited, I'm still pregnant, he kid just won't take a hint.
So in rough order of events....
Friday I had my first 'Progress Check' with the doctor. Everybody said it would be uncomfortable, but I figured it would be like any other exam. Nope, It was UNCOMFORTABLE. You do feel like he's trying to scratch your throat, and everything certainly feels different down there now than it did 9 months ago. Then he announced '1cm and 50% effaced.' What! Thats all! What the heck have I been doing down there for the last month, get with the program Cervix, lets get this thing moving. He should've said 8cm and 90% effaced, ok, maybe thats extreme, but come on. 1cm is nothing, I have to go to 10!
Then Husband and I headed south-east to my Dad's for a nice visit, and to prepair for the impending shower on Sunday. Husband started to get sick, but we figured it was allergies. We are healthy people, and never get more than an occasional sniffle. Its been really windy, so allergies were a possibility.
Sunday's Shower. As much as I hate shower's, or at least being the honouree at one, Baby showers go much smoother than bridal ones. My mom thinks it has something to do with how bridal gifts are more about taste and such, where with baby stuff, most grown women have been there and get stuff that is needed. There were only two things that we recieved that I looked at like 'what?' but it was more personal taste than anthing, and even though they were both toy-like things, they were 100% cloth, so no plastic, and that was my biggest rule. We got a lot of stuff, too. It really did turn out well. It also helped that Husband had to attend this one (I didnt force him to attend the bridal one). By the time we got home Sunday night, I was exhausted, figured it was from the days activities, but we sorted through all the gifts, and pull out what needed to be washed now, and what could wait.
Monday, I woke up not feeling so well, but went into work anyway. Yeah, that lasted all of 2.5 hours. Missed the party they were throwing for me. I came home, Husband came home, and we slept all day. He wasn't feeling as badly as me, and so he made me soup and such. Since Monday, we have slept in seperate rooms. We were up till midnight Monday testing my temperature, and watching it closely. When it hit 101.4 we called the hospital's labour ward, they weren't of any help, so we called the ER, they said call your doctor, so we called him. He calls us back only to say, well just keep taking the tylenol, and if it gets to 103, then go to the hospital. Thanks, that was helpful. Luckily, I didn't sleep at all that night anyway, and was able to test my temp through out, and it never got above 101.8. It sucks beings sick, but its 4x as bad when you're pregnant. Every little dicomfort from the pregnancy is amplified by whatever sickness it is that has invaded the body. I stayed home Tuesday, and Wednesday I called the GP, just to see if there was anything anybody could do to help me, and No, Call Your OB. So I called them again, and they say take Robitussin DM. That stuff is evil. I swear it made me worse. Just cloggs everything up, and I don't have the muscular strength to blow it out. Yes, my abs are that warn out.
Now its Thursday, and I am in recovery mode, but I'm still stuck at home. I'm running through my sick time, wasting what I could be using as maternity leave all because I got sick with some sort of cross between the flu and croupe. I'm glad the fever is gone, but the 'smoker's cough/hacking up a lung one piece at a time' cough is still there, and keeps me up most of the night. Hopefully I will be able to make it in tomorrow. As evidence of how badly I've been feeling, this is the first time I've been on the 'nect since last Friday. And even this post was exhausting.
Sarah, honey, I feel for you. And I'm sorry but all I have to offer is reaffirmaiton that you're not being melodramatic or exagerating, it all really is as hard as you say it is right now!
Getting ill while pregnant is the worst: your body is held hostage to the baby and thus won't spend many resources getting you better. AND you are right: it's sick time that feels "wasted" to be using now, and that sucks.
Plus, you can't rest comfortably in ANY position at 8+ months, so it's not like you can get any decent rest.
AND cervix checks aren't just uncomfortable, they hurt!!! My most painful memory of delivery (and maybe this is that procreation-induced amnesia talking) was the initial check, when I arrived at the hospital at 7cm. It f*ing hurt! Also, coincidentally that was the only time in my gynecological history that I had a male doctor - so I irrationally ascribe the pain to his ignorance of the plumbing (My emotional mind does - my logical mind knows that he was an intern and just hadn't had a lot of practice yet, plus, it's a painful procedure, how could he help it? It hurts!).
Anyway, sorry to hear things are rough. Keep up hope that when babies decide to come you can go from 1cm to 10 really quickly - you could still have a baby within any of the next 24 hours! Hang in there.
Sorry to hear you and hubby aren't feeling well, Sarah. Get well soon!
Wifey sent this article to me... We've used many of Dr. Karps techniques on Rowan and found them to be spot on most of the time. I would encourage all to check out "Happies Baby on the Block"
Well, I made it into work today. Yippee! I no sooner get in the door and find out I have to reschedule my doc appt for the morning because some inconsiderate woman decided she needed emergency surgery this afternoon when my appointment was scheduled. Sheesh, right?! So I had to stay at work for an hour or so, then turn around and leave, then drive back to work, and will now be here till 5 instead of leaving at 2 when we all get off. This blows.
On the bright side, I somehow managed to be somewhat productive last week. I increased a whole centimeter, and another 25%, so thats 2 and 75%. I also managed to contract a urinary infection, and as beautiful as orange/amber coloured urine is, it did seem unnatural, and so I was given antibiotics to change it back to normal boring yellow/clear. So boring.
That's an excellent article, ether, and I can see it working for a toddler. When Angus had his first few colicky months (or was it only weeks? Seemed like an eternity), the best solution was much like Dr. Karps' suggestion: Brian would hold him tight, striding quickly back and forth with him in a dark room, cooing, with Nina Simone playing in the background.
After spending the weekend dealing with a new 'symptom,' mainly waves of almost-but-not-quite-nausea and something-similar-to-but-not-quite-heartburn after two bites of food, I get to wake up at 1:30 this morning with a searing pain in my right back muscle. Remember that back spasm I had in the beginning of this adventure, while Husband was away, well, probably not, I mean, it certainly didn't hit you like it hit me, but it came back! My first thought was spasm, after the initial startling 'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!' that went through my head, and then I couldn't tell if I was going to get sick, maybe I had to pee, even though I had just gone an hour ago, but I knew I had to sit up. Thankfully Husband was home this time, and could help me sit up, but no one is very useful when pulled out of sleep by desperate pleas for help.
I stood up, I paced and spun, mostly out of confusion, thought, go to the bathroom, the pain was similar to when you've had to pee but didn't stop at that rest station 1.5 hours ago, and now you've gone too far.... Anyway, yeah, don't try to pee while your back is mid-spasm. Its nearly impossible, and what little I was able to accomplish, didn't help, so that wasn't the problem or solution.
I tried walking some more, but I was trembling from either pain, or just being cold, so that didn't help, either. After 30 minutes or so, still not sure if I was going to be sick, or how to stop it, I laid back down, and Husband rubbed my back/side, and held me. Eventually it went away. In total, it lasted almost an hour, the whole ordeal. This morning I'm a little sore, but I suppose thats to be expected.
About halfway through the experience, I thought 'Oh God, what if this is a contraction, if its real, it won't go away if I move... Oh crap, its not going away. Wait, isn't it suppose to move across the mody or something, not just stay in one spot, OH JUST GO AWAY!'
Obviously, if it was a contraction, then they are sooo far apart that its not even worth calling it one since I am now at work, not having one since last night, and posting on the 'nect. Also, if it was a contraction, then I'm a huge wuss and my ideals of birthing/labouring without drugs just went up in flames.
So I woke up last night right before another one of those spasms took hold. At the time, it was just a sore muscle, but you could sense the evil behind it. So I quickly got out of bed, paced the hall, and rocked on the ball. It started to disapate after 15 minutes or so, enough that I figured I could lay back down. At least, with all these pains, I am figuring out what works to soothe me. So far on the list its Husband's voice just talking about anything random where thought isn't needed, being petted, but who doesn't like that, and repetitive rocking motion. We will be taking the ball to the hospital when its time.
I also discovered new stretch marks last night. I wanted to cry. Vain, I know, but I want to be beautiful for my Husband, and I don't think its fair that the kid can wreck MY body forever - stretchmarks DON'T go away. I can deal with nine months, but for ever? Its unfair, and yes, I'm whining, but so. Why does he get to disfigure me? What do I get out of it?
Stretchmarks don't go away, Sarah, but they can fade dramatically. Try not to expose them to sun for a year after birth.
Also, your husband will look at those stretchmarks as battle scars of the lengths you will go to for your family and will find them both beautiful and sexy. You may need to educate him that this is the view he will take, but he'll get it eventually! ;-)
NO SPACIO! No Vacancy! How else can I get it across to this kid, get out, or stop growing! I swear!
I went to the doctor on Friday, for the weekly meeting... 3cm. Sounds good, right? And, the 'check' was so painful this time, I was sure it would get things moving. It actually hurt an hour after I left his office, even. And the on Saturday, there was a pink tinge on the tiolet tissue. So, I was hoping....maybe.... And Sunday I woke up at 130am, with new pains, and panicking that it was going to be THAT DAY. I layed awake for 2 hrs praying that it would be quick and easy, and telling myself to sleep, I would need the rest. And then the sun came up, I was emotional; had stressful dreams about the impending event, and people trying to help, but really just stressing me out, and I was nuts. But the pains were gone. Things were uncomfortable, but the kid must've changed his mind.
So last night, I get to experience NEW pains, never felt before. Not really anyway, and I'm hoping maybe thats a sign, I even started timing them, sort of, I wasn't really paying attention enough cause I wanted to sleep. But, every now and then, I get this feeling. Best way to describe it... a ten inch band around my hips feeling like its on fire, mixed with some menstrual crampiness both front and back, with a feeling of expansion in the cervical region. It would hurt for about a minute or so, and come in threes. So naturally, I thought, ok, maybe this is it. DAMNIT NO! Its now 7:47 am, I am at work, and there is NO KID! WHAT THE HELL! Whats taking him so Damn long!
Oh, and I had another dream about the delivery last night. Dreamed that I was trying, but things weren't progressing as they should, and the kid was stuck. I woke up before the Doctor did anything about it. Husband says I should stop worrying about things I can't control, but I'm an architect, and its in my nature. I really don't want an induction, and that looks to be where we're headed. So everybody cross your fingers that its soon. You watch, I'll be part of that 5% that actually delivers on their estimated due date. Thats Friday, but really any day is good with me.
it's not fun nor ideal, but at the end of this ordeal is a baby! you gotta' be almost there at this point...i predict your next post will be from the hospital, post-partum!
yes...you've entered the stage where random friends and internet acquaintances start making inane predictions to lighten the mood.
Tk, make sure you guess low, rather than high - I'm terrified of having to push out a BIG kid. Please, don't curse me with anything larger than 7.5 lbs.
Oh, and when Christina Aguliera (however you spell that) had her kid, I was jealous because it was only like 6lbs, and now I find out she had a scheduled C-Section! What a Whimp!
Yeah yeah, I'm not a celebrity chaser, she just happened to be in the news, and I was REALLY bored at work.
And I forgot to mention...
Husband installed the carseat base on Sunday. We only installed the base because I'm trying to slowly transition into having it in my car, I've still got a selfish streak, but its how we installed it thats the entertaining part.
First, we followed instructions, and strapped and latched it all in, but it only attaches in the back, and the front isn't secured to anything. When we put the carrier onto the base, you could push it from side to side, and it would just flop around. Maybe I was being overly paranoid, but it just didn't seem safe. Seemed like if I got hit from the side, or rolled my car, or something like that, the kid would fly out the window, or have severe side-whip-lash (does that even exist?). So, Husband being the awesome fabricator that he is, and understanding all things mechanical, grabbed a ratchet strap from his trunk, looped it through the support bar in the car seat base, and attached it to the frame bar under the front seat. That carrier isn't going anywhere now, and I feel much better. Really, I'm not a crazy driver, I'm actually one of those defensive type drviers, but something about floppy carseats makes me nervous. Rabbit ears should be floppy, dog ears should be floppy, pancakes should be floppy, I'll even let an occasional floppy hat fly, but not the safety seat that my child has to ride in. Besides, now his racecar dad can take him on racecar drives, and I know he will be safe. Wonder if we should invest in an infant fire-suit and Hans device.....
Hmmmmm....Sarah, I see a red flag. Our car seat base (Britax Marathon, I recall) was solid as a rock, I mean totally immobile. Are you certain it was installed preperly? A lot of places have car seat installation checks - like Toys R Us offers them sometimes, and local fire departments. Maybe you need to have it looked at. Since your hubby is obviously a car guy I don't doubt that you had it installed properly according to the directions, but maybe the car seat itself was, I don't know, missing a piece or something? It should have been completely stable.
you're right, sarah, car seat should not be 'floppy'. if tightened down enough, even though the strap is only from the back, you shouldn't get more than 1" movement back and forth at the front of the base. this requires putting your knee in the thing and pulling the strap while leaning into the base. it takes MUCH more force than you (or your husband) will think it should.
while your husband's solution sounds stable, the concern i would have is that it's simply not the way the seat/base was designed to work. there may be some level of shock absorption in allowing SOME movement.
it should really be installed the way it's designed to be installed and then verified by someone qualified: around here they recommend that the first time you get the installation checked out at a local firehouse. like lb said, they should have someone that can look at your install.
A Great Adventure
of Archinect!
Sawyer is tatertot indeed!
I'm looking forward to this moment
Congrats smallpotatoes, daddy potato, and little french fry!
Congrats smallpotatoes on the new addition to your family!
Sarah - that has got to be the most amazing pregnancy photo I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful!
Congrats smallpotatoes on the new addition to your family!
Sarah - that has got to be the most amazing pregnancy photo I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful!
Wow, I'm so happy for you Smallpotatoes. I'm glad it all went well, and that its all you dreamed it would be, or more.
I still question whether all this will be worth it in the end, but from what EVERYONE says, it will be. Just one months to go - or less (fingers and toes crossed).
yay, small potatoes! so many babies this week: two of my college friends had their new small fries this week too!
congrats!
smallpotatoes, reading your story makes me excited with anticipation... we still have a few months to go, but reading that def. made monday morning much more enjoyable
That is such wonderful news small potatoes! Congratulations! So happy everything went well.
Congrats SP, glad to hear everyone is doing great!!
another french fry to add to the side order...congrats to you and your family smallpotatoes.
your labor sounds somewhat similar to my wife's. ideals are great as you walk in, but the need to be flexible is paramount. congrats again!
So we've managed to stay away from pacifiers, but Rowan has developed into quite a cute little efficient vacuum. She's getting red rings around her thumb/index finger and knuckles from frequent and powerful sucking. She also recently started this routine of getting grumpy around 8pm at night. We think selectively giving her a pacifier will help soothe her angst. Anyone else have experience here?
Here's an article on the matter.
Our plan is to use a pacifier until we wean. Seems like that would be most logical, though we plan to wean around 6 months or so. My MIL works at a dentist office, and suggests using a pacifier, so it can't be bad for the kid in moderation. I do agree with the article that it shouldn't be used as a stopper to plug the kid up when noisy, but I think we all know that here.
I do know that as far as dentistry is concerned, thumb sucking is a no-no because it can last for so long, and is very hard to stop the habit. Pacifiers, although painful for the parents, can be taken away and hidden when its time to break the habbit; you can't very well amputate your child's thumb or fingers.
My doc said to hold off on the pacifier until the nursing is established and going well (for the first couple weeks or so). Sucking on a finger or his hand is really soothing to him, so we are using a pacifier only after a successful feeding, when he's needing comfort or starting to get ready for a nap. I think the pacifier is a much better option than thumb-sucking!
we didn't exactly get a choice: with our first we said 'nursing' and 'no pacifier' but she arrived in the room at the hospital on day 2 with a pacifier in her mouth! didn't seem to affect nursing, and, in the end she didn't end up loving the paci all that much, so...
baby 2 didn't really take to the paci at all until about month 7 when all of the sudden she became VERY interested in it. now at 10+ months she uses it to calm/sleep but that's about it.
We are still working on the pacifier bit. She doesn't seem too interested in it at the moment but we're keeping it handy for when she does.
The wifey went to the Ricky Lake documentary yesterday and very much enjoyed it. She highly recommends it to anyone considering or interested in natural childbirth. The data they present in the movie is pretty staggering... here's some C Section statistics.
On another note, I was giving Rowan a bath Saturday morning. She's loved her bath time and loves being in the water (like her father) because thus far because she's all smiles during. Well for the first time during Saturdays bath, she started laughing! I almost startled her (see sneezing post) calling the wifey. And there she sat, giggling and laughing up a storm... (...up next dad gets bored with flickr and consumes himself with uploading videos to youtube)
My mom was a daycare provider for 25 years, and here is her golden rule that she shared with her parents in regards to babes who become interested in pacifiers...
If the babe wants one, establish a routine with it.
At first, they might get it when they are sad, when they go down for a nap, and maybe in the morning/evening during mom and dad's mealtime.
As they get older and can understand rules, modify the routine to may only when they are sad and at nap/bedtime.
As time goes by, they only get it for naptime, or, say, for 10 minutes at a time once a day (my mom always let them choose when the child wanted it).
It was very interesting - this routine. The parents that took the routine up at home typically had weaned their child off of it (and any associated finger sucking) by 2 or 3 years old. The kids who did not have the same routine at home were more dependant on it. However, those same kids would abide by my mom's routine while at daycare.
Saturday, I finally cashed in on the pre-natal massage the MIL got me for Christmas. It was Great! Of course it felt good, but the part that was best, was I got to lay on my stomach for the first time in months! I'm not sure how I managed to stay awake through the whole process, I haven't been that comfortable, well, since this 'great adventure' started. I have got to get me one of those special tables.
Yesterday I had to take a sick day from work. I am better now, but my stomach just wasn't cooperating with me yesterday. First it kept me up all Sunday night making all sorts of noises - loud enough to wake me up - and then I was nausious most of the day. I feel better today, the stomach issues are gone, but I'm still pregnant, so I'm still not 100%. Oh will this ever be over?!
I have my first 'progress check' on Friday, and I haven't heard any good reports from other ladies. Seems it will be most uncomfortable, so there's something to look forward to at the end of the week. Maybe I will get REALLY lucky and the Doc will say 'Oh Wow! You're 4.5 cm dialated and (insert proper pecentage) effaced; you could have this baby tomorrow!' Yeah, a bit hopeful, no? That would throw off the weekend plans, though. The Shower is Sunday.
Showers are so akward. Everybody stares at you, and you have to be very careful with your reactions to gifts. I am very facially expressive, and have a hard time hiding it. At my bridal shower, I was given a 'fat-trapper,' some sort of plastic trashcan like thing to hold drippings. Yes I'm from the South, and like all good southern women, keep my bacon drippings, but I don't need a 'fat-trapper' to do so. I did my best to smile, act like I was geniuinly excited, and say thank you, never letting on that I hoped it came from wal-mart for quick and easy exchanging. So thats what Sunday possibly holds. Hopefully, I will have either gotten better in the last 2 years, or I will not get anything that makes me go 'WTF?!' At least Husband will have to sit through it with me this time. And its the last Shower I will ever have to be the guest of honour at.
some gifts are never 'free'
Hello there, this is Sarah's mother. Yes, I've been lurking here ever since she gave me the news about the impending proceedings. First, I just wanted to say that at her bridal shower, Sarah was very thankful for all her gifts and while I knew that she was thinking WTF, I also thought she covered it well.
Now, let me say a big THANK YOU to all you posters who have given her so much encouragement! You have been able to confirm to her some of the same things that I have been telling her.
And congratulations to JC and SP in the recent births of your children. The fun is just beginning!
Well, we finally finished the room, and took the photos. This will be Abram's new place; much more comfortable for me I might add.
the quilt my mom made for him.
Sarah, the room looks amazing! I feel like a schmuck, I barely did anything for Angus' nursery, just curtains and a few photocopies out of I Am A Bunny. Granted, the room was also my dressing room, so it had a lot of stuff in it, including pink-on-pink stripes on the walls...
But back to you. The painting came out great. And I love how bold all the colors are - no pastels! Really fantastic.
Also, congrats to you for your grace under the pressure of having your MOM show up on archinect - yiiiiiiiiikes!!! Though since your mom did use "WTF", she must be super cool.
Hi Sarah's mom, and congrats on the upcoming new grandkid!
Thanks LB.
Since Husband was insistant that I post the photos last night, I didn't get a chance to explain the work, and you know that I have been schooled in presenting the whys and whatfors of everything I do, so its only natural that I would do so with this. Here goes...
I originally had dreams of a 60 dollar crib, and beautiful designer furniture, and the like, making the room budget out to about 5-6 grand. After some wise posts on here, and some time, I came back down to earth, and revised my budget to closer to 5-600 dollars. I haven't added up all the recipes, so I don't have an actual total, but I do know that it was much closer to the lower budget than the higher one.
First, I found a crib that was white, with a sleek wood banding along the bottom. On this particular crib, the legs were metal, but all the materials played well together, and it really had presence. So, we went to IKEA, found a simple 70 dollar crib, and I promply had Husband slice the legs off (crappy little 1x4s) and build a new base platform out of 4x4 posts. He inset the crib just a bit, and stained it. It now has presence and looks really grounded. I love it, he did such a wonderful job.
The cabinet above the crib was designed off of a wall cabinet that I wanted that was 1200 bucks! Talk about insane, but it was such a nice peice. So, we took an old entertainment center we had, made of those 15" cubes, repainted them, mounted them on a platform, and voila, much cheaper, but still fitting the ideas of the designer shelf. Husband at first couldn't understand why I insisted on the wooden platform, but I explained that it brings the piece together, and reiterates the themes of the crib below.
The shelves on the wall, which you can hardly see in the photos, I particularly like. They were suppose to be simple wooden plains jutting from the wall, but after the crib and cabinet were installed, it was all wood and white, I felt there needed to be some metal to offset it. So we bought some angle iron, painted it, and attached 1x8s, the perfect size for golden back books. I had thought of painting one shelf white, but Husband thought it would be fine all stained. I like it.
The chai came from walmart, and is super comfy, not to mention super cheap. It rocks, and is padded! I looked everywhere for a chair like this, under 300 bucks, and most were 600 and up. When I came across this one online, I pounced.
The dresser is also from IKEA, but we took the cheapest one they had, and installed hardware to it. Its supppose to be flat panels, but I wanted something more traditional, so Husband drilled out holes, and we put on knobs. All but one of the knobs match; I wanted one to be different in hopes that Abram can discover it some day and wonder why.
Oh, and the paint colour....it took 4 tries. First it was safety orange, and the room glowed, then it was a nice maroon, but too 'old' for a kids room, then pink, then finally the right red.
I am so glad its done. The only think I'm not sure about is whether I should frame out the painting. Husband says no, but I didnt paint the edges of the canvas (which is stretched painters drop cloth, thats why theres a seam). Maybe I should just leave it so that I can call it finished. But then again, I am an 'architect' and no work is ever finished......
looks great! i love it.
we made similar compromises and did a lot of our own making, too. i actually like it better because there was so much more that came from us and not just from the store.
awesome Sarah! Abram's room looks fantastic! And your painting turned out really great too. What a fun space...
and I feel like a schmuck too! I hung some vintage children's book images in frames I made but otherwise we really didn't do very much because a) she's been sleeping in our room b) we're moving before we put her in her own room...
Hi and thanks Sarah's mom!
I vote no frame. Everything looks great! I feel ashamed now since my own apartment is still dreadfully bare and rental "off-white."
Thanks for the pacifier insight siggy!
s- the room looks great. hope he likes red. (hi sarah's mom!)
as a renter in a temporary situation, we're just getting the minimal furniture needed for our sanity and for the acorn's safety till we find a more permanent abode. hope he likes white walls.
Wow, you guys are making me feel like quite the over-achiever; I've never been that before.
To be fair, Husband did 85% of the work. I designed, he engineered and executed. I'm so lucky to have such a handy man for a husband. I did help with the trim and wall painting, and I built the dresser and installed the hardware. And I did the painting. Oh, and assmebled the crib! But mostly, I did just make selections and such. Man, I should've been an Interiors major, they have it easy.
And we really tried to keep everything functional and minimal. Our housei sn't large, so everything has to do at least bouble duty, for the most part. The dresser is the changer, we just never framed out the top.
Tumbles, it either had a hole or pillow edges. In either case, there was ample space for both belly and breasts, and still supported me enough to keep from squishing the poor kid. Though, I'm starting to wonder, if I start squishing him, and making him more and more uncomfortable, will he leave sooner?!
For all of the parents and soon to be parents our there.
oh the irony. SH, that was EXACTLY the color my office was before August's arrival and it's subsequent change in hue.
this was a little 30 sec thing for the family back east to see what we were up to. it was pre-completion and pre-partum.
it's pretty full now though i can assure you!
SH + ML
both of your rooms look great!
we are not doing too much for ours as we have plans to move a few months after the arrival. We have got the furniture set up but that is all.
Sarah
the crib modifications sound excellent - and I also love your explaination of the different knob... the discovery will be a fun day! I just hope you or your husband is in the room at the time to see the look on his face when he begins to question it.
WARNING*** LONG POST INEVITABLY AHEAD.
Its been a long week, and much has happened since I last posted, and before you get all excited, I'm still pregnant, he kid just won't take a hint.
So in rough order of events....
Friday I had my first 'Progress Check' with the doctor. Everybody said it would be uncomfortable, but I figured it would be like any other exam. Nope, It was UNCOMFORTABLE. You do feel like he's trying to scratch your throat, and everything certainly feels different down there now than it did 9 months ago. Then he announced '1cm and 50% effaced.' What! Thats all! What the heck have I been doing down there for the last month, get with the program Cervix, lets get this thing moving. He should've said 8cm and 90% effaced, ok, maybe thats extreme, but come on. 1cm is nothing, I have to go to 10!
Then Husband and I headed south-east to my Dad's for a nice visit, and to prepair for the impending shower on Sunday. Husband started to get sick, but we figured it was allergies. We are healthy people, and never get more than an occasional sniffle. Its been really windy, so allergies were a possibility.
Sunday's Shower. As much as I hate shower's, or at least being the honouree at one, Baby showers go much smoother than bridal ones. My mom thinks it has something to do with how bridal gifts are more about taste and such, where with baby stuff, most grown women have been there and get stuff that is needed. There were only two things that we recieved that I looked at like 'what?' but it was more personal taste than anthing, and even though they were both toy-like things, they were 100% cloth, so no plastic, and that was my biggest rule. We got a lot of stuff, too. It really did turn out well. It also helped that Husband had to attend this one (I didnt force him to attend the bridal one). By the time we got home Sunday night, I was exhausted, figured it was from the days activities, but we sorted through all the gifts, and pull out what needed to be washed now, and what could wait.
Monday, I woke up not feeling so well, but went into work anyway. Yeah, that lasted all of 2.5 hours. Missed the party they were throwing for me. I came home, Husband came home, and we slept all day. He wasn't feeling as badly as me, and so he made me soup and such. Since Monday, we have slept in seperate rooms. We were up till midnight Monday testing my temperature, and watching it closely. When it hit 101.4 we called the hospital's labour ward, they weren't of any help, so we called the ER, they said call your doctor, so we called him. He calls us back only to say, well just keep taking the tylenol, and if it gets to 103, then go to the hospital. Thanks, that was helpful. Luckily, I didn't sleep at all that night anyway, and was able to test my temp through out, and it never got above 101.8. It sucks beings sick, but its 4x as bad when you're pregnant. Every little dicomfort from the pregnancy is amplified by whatever sickness it is that has invaded the body. I stayed home Tuesday, and Wednesday I called the GP, just to see if there was anything anybody could do to help me, and No, Call Your OB. So I called them again, and they say take Robitussin DM. That stuff is evil. I swear it made me worse. Just cloggs everything up, and I don't have the muscular strength to blow it out. Yes, my abs are that warn out.
Now its Thursday, and I am in recovery mode, but I'm still stuck at home. I'm running through my sick time, wasting what I could be using as maternity leave all because I got sick with some sort of cross between the flu and croupe. I'm glad the fever is gone, but the 'smoker's cough/hacking up a lung one piece at a time' cough is still there, and keeps me up most of the night. Hopefully I will be able to make it in tomorrow. As evidence of how badly I've been feeling, this is the first time I've been on the 'nect since last Friday. And even this post was exhausting.
sarah - sorry to hear about the bug, get well soon!!!
Sarah, honey, I feel for you. And I'm sorry but all I have to offer is reaffirmaiton that you're not being melodramatic or exagerating, it all really is as hard as you say it is right now!
Getting ill while pregnant is the worst: your body is held hostage to the baby and thus won't spend many resources getting you better. AND you are right: it's sick time that feels "wasted" to be using now, and that sucks.
Plus, you can't rest comfortably in ANY position at 8+ months, so it's not like you can get any decent rest.
AND cervix checks aren't just uncomfortable, they hurt!!! My most painful memory of delivery (and maybe this is that procreation-induced amnesia talking) was the initial check, when I arrived at the hospital at 7cm. It f*ing hurt! Also, coincidentally that was the only time in my gynecological history that I had a male doctor - so I irrationally ascribe the pain to his ignorance of the plumbing (My emotional mind does - my logical mind knows that he was an intern and just hadn't had a lot of practice yet, plus, it's a painful procedure, how could he help it? It hurts!).
Anyway, sorry to hear things are rough. Keep up hope that when babies decide to come you can go from 1cm to 10 really quickly - you could still have a baby within any of the next 24 hours! Hang in there.
Sorry to hear you and hubby aren't feeling well, Sarah. Get well soon!
Wifey sent this article to me... We've used many of Dr. Karps techniques on Rowan and found them to be spot on most of the time. I would encourage all to check out "Happies Baby on the Block"
Ether, you're back, as Ether that is.
Well, I made it into work today. Yippee! I no sooner get in the door and find out I have to reschedule my doc appt for the morning because some inconsiderate woman decided she needed emergency surgery this afternoon when my appointment was scheduled. Sheesh, right?! So I had to stay at work for an hour or so, then turn around and leave, then drive back to work, and will now be here till 5 instead of leaving at 2 when we all get off. This blows.
On the bright side, I somehow managed to be somewhat productive last week. I increased a whole centimeter, and another 25%, so thats 2 and 75%. I also managed to contract a urinary infection, and as beautiful as orange/amber coloured urine is, it did seem unnatural, and so I was given antibiotics to change it back to normal boring yellow/clear. So boring.
That's an excellent article, ether, and I can see it working for a toddler. When Angus had his first few colicky months (or was it only weeks? Seemed like an eternity), the best solution was much like Dr. Karps' suggestion: Brian would hold him tight, striding quickly back and forth with him in a dark room, cooing, with Nina Simone playing in the background.
You'll pop any day, Sarah!!
After spending the weekend dealing with a new 'symptom,' mainly waves of almost-but-not-quite-nausea and something-similar-to-but-not-quite-heartburn after two bites of food, I get to wake up at 1:30 this morning with a searing pain in my right back muscle. Remember that back spasm I had in the beginning of this adventure, while Husband was away, well, probably not, I mean, it certainly didn't hit you like it hit me, but it came back! My first thought was spasm, after the initial startling 'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!' that went through my head, and then I couldn't tell if I was going to get sick, maybe I had to pee, even though I had just gone an hour ago, but I knew I had to sit up. Thankfully Husband was home this time, and could help me sit up, but no one is very useful when pulled out of sleep by desperate pleas for help.
I stood up, I paced and spun, mostly out of confusion, thought, go to the bathroom, the pain was similar to when you've had to pee but didn't stop at that rest station 1.5 hours ago, and now you've gone too far.... Anyway, yeah, don't try to pee while your back is mid-spasm. Its nearly impossible, and what little I was able to accomplish, didn't help, so that wasn't the problem or solution.
I tried walking some more, but I was trembling from either pain, or just being cold, so that didn't help, either. After 30 minutes or so, still not sure if I was going to be sick, or how to stop it, I laid back down, and Husband rubbed my back/side, and held me. Eventually it went away. In total, it lasted almost an hour, the whole ordeal. This morning I'm a little sore, but I suppose thats to be expected.
About halfway through the experience, I thought 'Oh God, what if this is a contraction, if its real, it won't go away if I move... Oh crap, its not going away. Wait, isn't it suppose to move across the mody or something, not just stay in one spot, OH JUST GO AWAY!'
Obviously, if it was a contraction, then they are sooo far apart that its not even worth calling it one since I am now at work, not having one since last night, and posting on the 'nect. Also, if it was a contraction, then I'm a huge wuss and my ideals of birthing/labouring without drugs just went up in flames.
hang in there sarah!
So I woke up last night right before another one of those spasms took hold. At the time, it was just a sore muscle, but you could sense the evil behind it. So I quickly got out of bed, paced the hall, and rocked on the ball. It started to disapate after 15 minutes or so, enough that I figured I could lay back down. At least, with all these pains, I am figuring out what works to soothe me. So far on the list its Husband's voice just talking about anything random where thought isn't needed, being petted, but who doesn't like that, and repetitive rocking motion. We will be taking the ball to the hospital when its time.
I also discovered new stretch marks last night. I wanted to cry. Vain, I know, but I want to be beautiful for my Husband, and I don't think its fair that the kid can wreck MY body forever - stretchmarks DON'T go away. I can deal with nine months, but for ever? Its unfair, and yes, I'm whining, but so. Why does he get to disfigure me? What do I get out of it?
Stretchmarks don't go away, Sarah, but they can fade dramatically. Try not to expose them to sun for a year after birth.
Also, your husband will look at those stretchmarks as battle scars of the lengths you will go to for your family and will find them both beautiful and sexy. You may need to educate him that this is the view he will take, but he'll get it eventually! ;-)
NO SPACIO! No Vacancy! How else can I get it across to this kid, get out, or stop growing! I swear!
I went to the doctor on Friday, for the weekly meeting... 3cm. Sounds good, right? And, the 'check' was so painful this time, I was sure it would get things moving. It actually hurt an hour after I left his office, even. And the on Saturday, there was a pink tinge on the tiolet tissue. So, I was hoping....maybe.... And Sunday I woke up at 130am, with new pains, and panicking that it was going to be THAT DAY. I layed awake for 2 hrs praying that it would be quick and easy, and telling myself to sleep, I would need the rest. And then the sun came up, I was emotional; had stressful dreams about the impending event, and people trying to help, but really just stressing me out, and I was nuts. But the pains were gone. Things were uncomfortable, but the kid must've changed his mind.
So last night, I get to experience NEW pains, never felt before. Not really anyway, and I'm hoping maybe thats a sign, I even started timing them, sort of, I wasn't really paying attention enough cause I wanted to sleep. But, every now and then, I get this feeling. Best way to describe it... a ten inch band around my hips feeling like its on fire, mixed with some menstrual crampiness both front and back, with a feeling of expansion in the cervical region. It would hurt for about a minute or so, and come in threes. So naturally, I thought, ok, maybe this is it. DAMNIT NO! Its now 7:47 am, I am at work, and there is NO KID! WHAT THE HELL! Whats taking him so Damn long!
Oh, and I had another dream about the delivery last night. Dreamed that I was trying, but things weren't progressing as they should, and the kid was stuck. I woke up before the Doctor did anything about it. Husband says I should stop worrying about things I can't control, but I'm an architect, and its in my nature. I really don't want an induction, and that looks to be where we're headed. So everybody cross your fingers that its soon. You watch, I'll be part of that 5% that actually delivers on their estimated due date. Thats Friday, but really any day is good with me.
it's not fun nor ideal, but at the end of this ordeal is a baby! you gotta' be almost there at this point...i predict your next post will be from the hospital, post-partum!
yes...you've entered the stage where random friends and internet acquaintances start making inane predictions to lighten the mood.
is there a prize for guessing the birth weight?
Tk, make sure you guess low, rather than high - I'm terrified of having to push out a BIG kid. Please, don't curse me with anything larger than 7.5 lbs.
Oh, and when Christina Aguliera (however you spell that) had her kid, I was jealous because it was only like 6lbs, and now I find out she had a scheduled C-Section! What a Whimp!
Yeah yeah, I'm not a celebrity chaser, she just happened to be in the news, and I was REALLY bored at work.
And I forgot to mention...
Husband installed the carseat base on Sunday. We only installed the base because I'm trying to slowly transition into having it in my car, I've still got a selfish streak, but its how we installed it thats the entertaining part.
First, we followed instructions, and strapped and latched it all in, but it only attaches in the back, and the front isn't secured to anything. When we put the carrier onto the base, you could push it from side to side, and it would just flop around. Maybe I was being overly paranoid, but it just didn't seem safe. Seemed like if I got hit from the side, or rolled my car, or something like that, the kid would fly out the window, or have severe side-whip-lash (does that even exist?). So, Husband being the awesome fabricator that he is, and understanding all things mechanical, grabbed a ratchet strap from his trunk, looped it through the support bar in the car seat base, and attached it to the frame bar under the front seat. That carrier isn't going anywhere now, and I feel much better. Really, I'm not a crazy driver, I'm actually one of those defensive type drviers, but something about floppy carseats makes me nervous. Rabbit ears should be floppy, dog ears should be floppy, pancakes should be floppy, I'll even let an occasional floppy hat fly, but not the safety seat that my child has to ride in. Besides, now his racecar dad can take him on racecar drives, and I know he will be safe. Wonder if we should invest in an infant fire-suit and Hans device.....
Hmmmmm....Sarah, I see a red flag. Our car seat base (Britax Marathon, I recall) was solid as a rock, I mean totally immobile. Are you certain it was installed preperly? A lot of places have car seat installation checks - like Toys R Us offers them sometimes, and local fire departments. Maybe you need to have it looked at. Since your hubby is obviously a car guy I don't doubt that you had it installed properly according to the directions, but maybe the car seat itself was, I don't know, missing a piece or something? It should have been completely stable.
you're right, sarah, car seat should not be 'floppy'. if tightened down enough, even though the strap is only from the back, you shouldn't get more than 1" movement back and forth at the front of the base. this requires putting your knee in the thing and pulling the strap while leaning into the base. it takes MUCH more force than you (or your husband) will think it should.
while your husband's solution sounds stable, the concern i would have is that it's simply not the way the seat/base was designed to work. there may be some level of shock absorption in allowing SOME movement.
it should really be installed the way it's designed to be installed and then verified by someone qualified: around here they recommend that the first time you get the installation checked out at a local firehouse. like lb said, they should have someone that can look at your install.
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