Logan loves to read/look at his many, many books. One of his favorites is a 'Peek A Boo' book that has several pages with different textures. He always enjoys feeling the different parts and knows exactly where to put his one little finger (as he never does this with his whole hand...always his index finger) to feel the different textures. Out of old habit, while we were looking at this book, I took his finger and had him touch the fuzzy flower petals, instead of letting him do it on his own. We went through the book a couple more times and when we would get to the flower petal page, Logan would take MY finger and rub it on the fuzzy petals. I thought that was so cute that HE was showing ME....almost mocking me for making him do it when he very well knows how.
The other day it was near 40 degrees and sunny outside. As we didn't have much going on, I thought it would be a good idea to head outside. Buddy enjoys the company and Logan loves being outside regardless of the temperature. I got Carter bundled up, put Logan's winter coat on, grabbed his popcorn popper toy and we headed out to the backyard. In some spots where the sun literally doesn't shine there was still about an inch of snow, but for the most part everything was all melted. Logan stayed on our brick patio for a few minutes, pushing his toy and Buddy ran around the rest of the backyard, checking in with Logan every few seconds (as the toy reflects light and Buddy is obsessed with reflected light). All of a sudden Logan realized that he could go the one step down to the grassy area of the backyard...and he walked all around! He LOVED it! Then he thought that he'd climb back up to get his popcorn popper toy and take it onto the grass. It was so much fun watching him. It was then that I realized that he was just walking fluently as the weather was getting cold last year and then it snowed so much, so I never really put him in the backyard to let him just wander around...it will be fantastic this summer! Although, there was one small area of concern - the dog poop. Buddy used to have one designated area that he conducted his business, but when it snows, it seems that all bets are off. In the summer, we will have to make sure we pick it up everyday instead of slacking like we've done the past couple summers. :)
I was feeding Carter, so John was doing dinner for Logan....which was kind of a conglomeration of different things. He started with some sausage links and after they were heated through, he cut them up into little pieces. John would feed Logan one piece, then eat 3 or 4 himself...he repeated this a couple times. Logan noticed this trend and saw how quickly the sausage pieces were disappearing...so John said that when there were 4 pieces left, Logan quickly took action into his own hands and grabbed each piece and quickly shoved them into his mouth before John could get to them! Their next course was a little unconventional (don't worry, some nutritional foods did follow since I came downstairs and saw what was happening...) :) and John busted out some peanut butter girl scout cookies. Logan immediately grabbed two cookies, one in each hand and took a small bite out of each to 'reserve' these cookies as his own.
In other news, I look forward to the Spring Forward time change as Logan STILL wakes up between 5-5:30am each day, regardless of the time he goes to bed the night before. I figure with the time change, he will at least wake up between 6-6:30. :)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Stomach Flu
Oh man, it got me! Of all people, the gal with the c-section just 2 weeks prior gets the stomach flu...yuck!! Friday night around 10pm-ish through 7am the next morning I was up every hour not 'feeling well'. I called my Mom as I didn't know if I could breastfeed and I was nervous about keeping up my milk supply as I couldn't keep anything down. I then called the doctor to make sure I could still breastfeed and ask similar questions. The phonecalls must've done it as a half hour after the calls, I threw up for the last time. John did bottlefeed Carter for the morning and I pumped - I was glad that like Logan, Carter took to the bottle very well and went back to breastfeeding seamlessly. I slowly took sips of water every half hour as directed by the doctor. Throughout the day my parents checked in on me as they would be ready to come watch the boys while John took me to the doctor if need be, but luckily I was able to keep somethings down. John watched both boys all day, which was interesting for me to hear while in the bedroom, keeping my germs away from them - oh, I couldn't imagine either kid getting this sickness....I would feel terrible!
I ended up losing 5 pounds immediately...I have since gained 2 back. My energy was crap for the rest of the day...and was hit or miss the next day. At one point I carried Carter up the stairs and had to put him down immediately because I felt like I had just run a race...oy! I feel better now and am glad the rest of my family was unaffected.
I ended up losing 5 pounds immediately...I have since gained 2 back. My energy was crap for the rest of the day...and was hit or miss the next day. At one point I carried Carter up the stairs and had to put him down immediately because I felt like I had just run a race...oy! I feel better now and am glad the rest of my family was unaffected.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Good Big Brother
It seems that Logan is more aware of Carter each day. Anytime Carter is in the swing or pack n play and makes a sound...Logan trucks over there to check on him.
If Carter is in the swing, Logan will help give him a little push...and is suprisingly gentle and hasn't swung him too hard...yet. :)
If I have Carter propped on the couch, Logan wants to sit next to him. If Carter has a pacifier in his mouth, Logan takes it out...perhaps he is trying to help Carter not become a pacifier baby....or perhaps he is just jealous since he only gets his pacifier for naptime and bedtime.
Yesterday, Carter was crying while propped up on the couch and Logan spotted his pacifier on the end table and tried to give it to Carter. So cute! He would have been successful too if Carter wasn't arleady mad as a hornet and swinging his arms like crazy, batting anything that came near him away.
Logan loves to give Carter kisses. When we ask him to, he never gives just one kiss...it is usually 3 or so. We are sure to always praise when Logan behaves wonderfully around Carter and try not to get hyper if he gets too close when trying to sit down on our bed when Carter is on our bed....or when he tries poking Carter. The other day, Logan actually 'pet' Carter on his stomach...very gently (how we've trained him to pet our dog, Buddy). :)
I know there is bound to be mischevious behavior, but I like the direction we are headed right now.
If Carter is in the swing, Logan will help give him a little push...and is suprisingly gentle and hasn't swung him too hard...yet. :)
If I have Carter propped on the couch, Logan wants to sit next to him. If Carter has a pacifier in his mouth, Logan takes it out...perhaps he is trying to help Carter not become a pacifier baby....or perhaps he is just jealous since he only gets his pacifier for naptime and bedtime.
Yesterday, Carter was crying while propped up on the couch and Logan spotted his pacifier on the end table and tried to give it to Carter. So cute! He would have been successful too if Carter wasn't arleady mad as a hornet and swinging his arms like crazy, batting anything that came near him away.
Logan loves to give Carter kisses. When we ask him to, he never gives just one kiss...it is usually 3 or so. We are sure to always praise when Logan behaves wonderfully around Carter and try not to get hyper if he gets too close when trying to sit down on our bed when Carter is on our bed....or when he tries poking Carter. The other day, Logan actually 'pet' Carter on his stomach...very gently (how we've trained him to pet our dog, Buddy). :)
I know there is bound to be mischevious behavior, but I like the direction we are headed right now.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Cord...
Carter's umbilical cord fell off!!! Last week, the big part of Carter's cord came off, but the base was still in there (I hadn't put a onesie on him and so I think a sharp part of where they clamped it got caught on his fleece jammies).
Tonight I was doing the daily cleaning of his cord and it popped right off...yay! This means we can now give him a bath...how exciting! Since John bowls Thursday night, we will have to wait until Friday. Pics will be posted! It will be interesting to see if he likes it or not...
Tonight I was doing the daily cleaning of his cord and it popped right off...yay! This means we can now give him a bath...how exciting! Since John bowls Thursday night, we will have to wait until Friday. Pics will be posted! It will be interesting to see if he likes it or not...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The night of Gross Firsts
Last tonight was a little crazy funny in the Battermann household.
My friend Kathy and her daughter came over and made us dinner. I decided that I would try to give Logan a raw carrot. He did great with it...but something about the last bite, didn't 'sit right' with him and out it came - it was his first time 'puking' over a solid food. Thankfully, he hadn't had much to eat or drink since he recently woke from a nap...so there wasn't much.
The night progressed just lovely and we ate dinner and while I started feeding Carter, Kathy packed up her daughter and left..who knew that the next 15 minutes would be crazy?!? I told John that I wanted Logan to go to bed early...it was currently 7:40 - so he took him upstairs to start our bedtime routine. About 2 minutes later, I heard a thud and some tears and then John called me upstairs to help since Logan had apparently cut open his lip and was bleeding. I grabbed a wet paper towel and an ice cube and headed upstairs with Carter (who soon after was placed on our bed). Logan's lip was punctured by a tooth and wasn't bleeding much, however his upper gum line by one of his teeth, was bleeding quite a bit. Logan was crying, but not a ton...and I don't think because it hurt...probably because I kept trying to look in his mouth and clean it up with the paper towel. The bleeding simmered and we gave him his pacifier and John carried on with putting him to bed.
In the meantime, I went back downstairs with Carter to finish feeding him - and to make sure Buddy wasn't going to eat the delicious cupcakes that Kathy left for us. :) While eating, Carter went to the 'bathroom' twice. Okay, not a problem, I thought I would finish up and then change him. I rubbed his back in an effort to burp him and my hand was wet.....eeeewwww! Carter pooped through his diaper for the first time! Okay, back upstairs (while laughing at how the night is going) to change him. I change him and his outfit...all is well. However, since I never did burp him, when I gave him to John a second later, I noticed that he spit up for the first time! So I cleaned that up. Then all was calm.
It was pretty humorous. Logan bleeding had worried us a bit....but it was just funny that all these firsts for the boys not only happened in one night, but 3 of 4 of them within 15 minutes. Good times being parents...we really do love it!
My friend Kathy and her daughter came over and made us dinner. I decided that I would try to give Logan a raw carrot. He did great with it...but something about the last bite, didn't 'sit right' with him and out it came - it was his first time 'puking' over a solid food. Thankfully, he hadn't had much to eat or drink since he recently woke from a nap...so there wasn't much.
The night progressed just lovely and we ate dinner and while I started feeding Carter, Kathy packed up her daughter and left..who knew that the next 15 minutes would be crazy?!? I told John that I wanted Logan to go to bed early...it was currently 7:40 - so he took him upstairs to start our bedtime routine. About 2 minutes later, I heard a thud and some tears and then John called me upstairs to help since Logan had apparently cut open his lip and was bleeding. I grabbed a wet paper towel and an ice cube and headed upstairs with Carter (who soon after was placed on our bed). Logan's lip was punctured by a tooth and wasn't bleeding much, however his upper gum line by one of his teeth, was bleeding quite a bit. Logan was crying, but not a ton...and I don't think because it hurt...probably because I kept trying to look in his mouth and clean it up with the paper towel. The bleeding simmered and we gave him his pacifier and John carried on with putting him to bed.
In the meantime, I went back downstairs with Carter to finish feeding him - and to make sure Buddy wasn't going to eat the delicious cupcakes that Kathy left for us. :) While eating, Carter went to the 'bathroom' twice. Okay, not a problem, I thought I would finish up and then change him. I rubbed his back in an effort to burp him and my hand was wet.....eeeewwww! Carter pooped through his diaper for the first time! Okay, back upstairs (while laughing at how the night is going) to change him. I change him and his outfit...all is well. However, since I never did burp him, when I gave him to John a second later, I noticed that he spit up for the first time! So I cleaned that up. Then all was calm.
It was pretty humorous. Logan bleeding had worried us a bit....but it was just funny that all these firsts for the boys not only happened in one night, but 3 of 4 of them within 15 minutes. Good times being parents...we really do love it!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Milestones for my boys...
Oh I cannot tell you how much I love saying 'my boys'. Being a mother of 2 is the absolute BEST so far - words cannot describe it. I know there will be some 'trying' days ahead of me, but I just LOVE IT. It is so funny how still when people hear that my boys are 15 months apart, the comments I get vary, but the main jist is 'boy will you have your hands full!'. Well yes, but isn't having 2 kids or more at any time having your hands full? Yes, they are closer in age so perhaps tantrums are likely to happen simultaneously more than not, but eh...we'll see. :)
Today is a milestone day for both of my boys - Logan is 15 months old today and Carter is 1 week old! How cool! So I thought on this milestone day I would update everybody on any latest developments:
Logan has 2 of his 4 first year molars; while he truly hasn't spoken verbally a first word, he knows milk, more, please and all done in sign language - we are currently working on thank you. Please is by far my favorite sign. I need to look up some more signs as he seems to pick up on these fairly quickly. While my in-laws were here, my MIL worked on 'hot' with Logan and that seems to be a word that he likes to repeat. He doesn't say the 't', but whispers a 'huh'. So I will test this out a bit more today and we may just finally have a real first word!!! He says the sounds of mama and dada, but just has yet to say them to John or I. Logan has also mastered eating with a fork or spoon....I have yet to let him use a spoon for applesauce or other things that fling easily. :) Lately Logan has taken to putting his hands in his pockets (I think this is from seeing Grandpa Bill do it this past week when they stayed with us). Logan is also doing absolutely wonderful in his toddler bed...he has been in there for 5 weeks - I have a separate post about that to be done soon (hopefully). While some kids need to be entertained, Logan is one that truly plays so well by himself (and with others)...he really plays with ALL his toys - it is great. We are just working on cleaning some toys up before others get opened. A work in progress. He is just so funny and such a lovable kid.
Carter since day 1 has tried lifting his head up...amazing! The doctors were impressed with that and the strength of his legs as when you try to change his diaper those legs kick so fast and hard! The doctors said that they didn't know Logan's strength, but they think that Carter will win any fights due to his strength. Little do they know that Logan shares the same strength...so we'll see - although, I hope to not see any 'fights' too soon... Carter also has rolled over from his stomach to his back - once on the hospital bed and 3 times at home on my ottoman. It is really impressive....we took a video! He eats about every 4-6 hours, which is just awesome!!! He has such big eyes and sometimes puts his lips in an 'ooo' position.....oh, he looks so cute when he does this! Who knew that I could love another life this much.
We truly feel so incredibly blessed to have 2 wonderful, healthy boys.
Pictures will come...we will try a small photo shoot this weekend. :)
Today is a milestone day for both of my boys - Logan is 15 months old today and Carter is 1 week old! How cool! So I thought on this milestone day I would update everybody on any latest developments:
Logan has 2 of his 4 first year molars; while he truly hasn't spoken verbally a first word, he knows milk, more, please and all done in sign language - we are currently working on thank you. Please is by far my favorite sign. I need to look up some more signs as he seems to pick up on these fairly quickly. While my in-laws were here, my MIL worked on 'hot' with Logan and that seems to be a word that he likes to repeat. He doesn't say the 't', but whispers a 'huh'. So I will test this out a bit more today and we may just finally have a real first word!!! He says the sounds of mama and dada, but just has yet to say them to John or I. Logan has also mastered eating with a fork or spoon....I have yet to let him use a spoon for applesauce or other things that fling easily. :) Lately Logan has taken to putting his hands in his pockets (I think this is from seeing Grandpa Bill do it this past week when they stayed with us). Logan is also doing absolutely wonderful in his toddler bed...he has been in there for 5 weeks - I have a separate post about that to be done soon (hopefully). While some kids need to be entertained, Logan is one that truly plays so well by himself (and with others)...he really plays with ALL his toys - it is great. We are just working on cleaning some toys up before others get opened. A work in progress. He is just so funny and such a lovable kid.
Carter since day 1 has tried lifting his head up...amazing! The doctors were impressed with that and the strength of his legs as when you try to change his diaper those legs kick so fast and hard! The doctors said that they didn't know Logan's strength, but they think that Carter will win any fights due to his strength. Little do they know that Logan shares the same strength...so we'll see - although, I hope to not see any 'fights' too soon... Carter also has rolled over from his stomach to his back - once on the hospital bed and 3 times at home on my ottoman. It is really impressive....we took a video! He eats about every 4-6 hours, which is just awesome!!! He has such big eyes and sometimes puts his lips in an 'ooo' position.....oh, he looks so cute when he does this! Who knew that I could love another life this much.
We truly feel so incredibly blessed to have 2 wonderful, healthy boys.
Pictures will come...we will try a small photo shoot this weekend. :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Carter John Battermann
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 7:54am via c-section our handsome little man, Carter John, arrived. He weighed in at 9 pounds 7 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Had he 'cooked' as long as his big brother he may have shared the same stats as Logan.
Carter does not have Logan's cheeks, but he does have about 3 times more hair than Logan! Carter has an amazing head of hair - it is stick straight, thick and already hangs over his ears and the back of his neck....he even has sideburns!
I will post more pictures later after I get them all organized....until then, here are a couple:
Monday, January 18, 2010
37.5 Week Carter Checkup
This morning we woke up and jumped into action to drive a half hour to meet with the doctor that will be the 'lead' surgeon for my c-section. I was told it was important for me to meet with her and the assisting surgeon before my c-section so they could answer any questions I had and explain things. Today I met with Dr. F and next Monday I will meet with Dr. A (I really tried to get Dr. C to do the c-section, but she was not available either day and I did not want to go a few more days if I didn't 'have' to.)
Well, the appointment was pretty uneventful. I learned that if you have a c-section scheduled they do not continually examine you to see how far dilated you are (which did bum me out...I'd like to know if I have progressed). I thought they still would just in case I went early (and boy do I pray that I do!!!!!). Otherwise, really what is the point of checking anybody if it doesn't matter. Whatever. I was hoping to see if I had in fact dilated more, but I guess I will never know...
She was having trouble with the computer playing nice with her - and that seemed to occupy her train of thought. I joked with her that if she felt like taking him early, then she could go right ahead - especially since he's already so big. Nope - they will not move my date. I simply mentioned that since my due date was moved 10 days at the beginning, I thought perhaps it was too many days to have moved it. Nope - apparently the 6 week ultrasounds are super accurate and if it had not shown me more than 5 days difference, they wouldn't have moved it. (So I wondered to myself why if they allow a 5 day variance couldn't they have just moved it 6 days....or why is it 'such' a big deal to not allow me to go any earlier for a c-section....I am sure she had the answer and I'm sure I know the answer, but really didn't care to hear it).
She said well he (pointing to my well-behaved child, Logan) was 10 pounds, are you really surprised that this baby is big. No, I am not. She said if we were to take him early, sure he'd be a more normal sized baby, but he may not be done 'cooking' developmentally and such. Yeah, yeah, I get it.
It seemed no matter what I 'joked' with her about or asked her she was very matter of fact and 'this is why'. Look, lady - I get the textbook reasons why. Just humor me okay? Dr. C would have been on the same wavelength as me. So I told her that I was feeling some groin pain and it was uncomfortable. Yep. Okay, thanks for any sympathy that you could have offered. Thankfully my mother-in-law was a baby nurse for 30+ years and told me that it was likely ligament pain and why I am feeling it more the 2nd time around.
So, the appointment was fine and she gave me all the textbook answers that I 'knew', but gave me zero warm fuzzies. I actually wanted to just cry - and you must know that between my 2 pregnancies, I have probably cried a handful of times...pregnancy does not make me emotional (frustration or hurting my feelings, does). I think it all started when they weren't even bothering with how far dilated I may or may not be (and honestly, it doesn't matter...if I 'knew' I was not dilated anymore or another cm it is not like Carter will actually come early...it is just fun to know and with a scheduled c-section I kind of feel robbed of that excitement).
She did not offer any thoughts as to how the c-section would go (and it is not like I am worried or nervous in any way, shape or form, but a mention besides, 'it will be me and somebody else; - yes Dr. A is what I told her). I did not ask questions because I was just kind of done - and honestly I don't know what questions I have.cx
Anyway, I am sure it will be just fine - she does c-sections every week and I do not question her ability at all. I just wish she hadn't been as flustered with her computer problems and could have concentrated a bit more on me and the reason I was there (and drove a half hour to see her instead of another doctor that is 5 minutes from my house). But whatever. John said that I should switch, but again, even if she wasn't the leading surgeon she'd still be the assisting surgeon on either the 28th or 29th - so no I couldn't switch. They said 39 weeks and I don't want to go over by a few days just for a doctor that will be just as qualified, with some warm fuzzies.
Whew....what a long post just to basically say that he is STILL in my belly and things are still scheduled for the 29th! But I needed to vent.
I did proceed to go to the mall at the Children's Place (to get a security tag removed from Carter's coming home outfit) and they were having an excellent sale, so I bought Logan and Carter some matching shirts for next fall/winter (since it was those types of shirts that were on sale). Here's to hoping I picked the right size for both of them! Eh, if they are a little big, who cares - they will still look super cute!
Well, the appointment was pretty uneventful. I learned that if you have a c-section scheduled they do not continually examine you to see how far dilated you are (which did bum me out...I'd like to know if I have progressed). I thought they still would just in case I went early (and boy do I pray that I do!!!!!). Otherwise, really what is the point of checking anybody if it doesn't matter. Whatever. I was hoping to see if I had in fact dilated more, but I guess I will never know...
She was having trouble with the computer playing nice with her - and that seemed to occupy her train of thought. I joked with her that if she felt like taking him early, then she could go right ahead - especially since he's already so big. Nope - they will not move my date. I simply mentioned that since my due date was moved 10 days at the beginning, I thought perhaps it was too many days to have moved it. Nope - apparently the 6 week ultrasounds are super accurate and if it had not shown me more than 5 days difference, they wouldn't have moved it. (So I wondered to myself why if they allow a 5 day variance couldn't they have just moved it 6 days....or why is it 'such' a big deal to not allow me to go any earlier for a c-section....I am sure she had the answer and I'm sure I know the answer, but really didn't care to hear it).
She said well he (pointing to my well-behaved child, Logan) was 10 pounds, are you really surprised that this baby is big. No, I am not. She said if we were to take him early, sure he'd be a more normal sized baby, but he may not be done 'cooking' developmentally and such. Yeah, yeah, I get it.
It seemed no matter what I 'joked' with her about or asked her she was very matter of fact and 'this is why'. Look, lady - I get the textbook reasons why. Just humor me okay? Dr. C would have been on the same wavelength as me. So I told her that I was feeling some groin pain and it was uncomfortable. Yep. Okay, thanks for any sympathy that you could have offered. Thankfully my mother-in-law was a baby nurse for 30+ years and told me that it was likely ligament pain and why I am feeling it more the 2nd time around.
So, the appointment was fine and she gave me all the textbook answers that I 'knew', but gave me zero warm fuzzies. I actually wanted to just cry - and you must know that between my 2 pregnancies, I have probably cried a handful of times...pregnancy does not make me emotional (frustration or hurting my feelings, does). I think it all started when they weren't even bothering with how far dilated I may or may not be (and honestly, it doesn't matter...if I 'knew' I was not dilated anymore or another cm it is not like Carter will actually come early...it is just fun to know and with a scheduled c-section I kind of feel robbed of that excitement).
She did not offer any thoughts as to how the c-section would go (and it is not like I am worried or nervous in any way, shape or form, but a mention besides, 'it will be me and somebody else; - yes Dr. A is what I told her). I did not ask questions because I was just kind of done - and honestly I don't know what questions I have.cx
Anyway, I am sure it will be just fine - she does c-sections every week and I do not question her ability at all. I just wish she hadn't been as flustered with her computer problems and could have concentrated a bit more on me and the reason I was there (and drove a half hour to see her instead of another doctor that is 5 minutes from my house). But whatever. John said that I should switch, but again, even if she wasn't the leading surgeon she'd still be the assisting surgeon on either the 28th or 29th - so no I couldn't switch. They said 39 weeks and I don't want to go over by a few days just for a doctor that will be just as qualified, with some warm fuzzies.
Whew....what a long post just to basically say that he is STILL in my belly and things are still scheduled for the 29th! But I needed to vent.
I did proceed to go to the mall at the Children's Place (to get a security tag removed from Carter's coming home outfit) and they were having an excellent sale, so I bought Logan and Carter some matching shirts for next fall/winter (since it was those types of shirts that were on sale). Here's to hoping I picked the right size for both of them! Eh, if they are a little big, who cares - they will still look super cute!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Growth Ultrasound
On Tuesday morning we had a growth ultrasound. The appointment was at 9am, a half hour away. I was told to empty my bladder at 7:30am and then proceed to drink 32 ounces of water and hold it. I almost 2nd guessed these instructions as when you are this far along I didn't think you needed water to help with the clarity of the ultrasound. I should've....
So I follow those ridiculous instructions and John, Logan and I headed to the appointment. What an uncomfortable ride!!!! ugh.... It took me a solid two minutes to get out of the car and come to a full standing position. You try riding for a half hour with an extremely full bladder and a huge child sitting on your bladder and then try to quickly stand without worrying about doing something embarrassing like peeing on the pavement! We got inside the pretty building, which of course, all pretty buildings have water fountains! Oh come on! Okay, we headed downstairs and while John and Logan admired the pretty fountains, I checked in...and waited about 5-10 additional minutes! I wanted to yell at somebody, but kept my cool and did not sit down...I would not have been able to get back up without peeing! Jon, the ultrasound tech comes to get us and we head back - naturally, the LAST room down a LONG hallway. He tells me to lay down on the table and I contemplated just how I was going to do this, again, without peeing! He asks if I have a full bladder and I said 'goodness, gracious, YES!'. Then he looked at the pure size of my belly and asked how far along I was. I told him 36.5 weeks. He quickly shoved me out the door and took me to the bathroom next door and said 'oh, I'm so sorry - you don't need a full bladder at this stage in your pregnancy for an ultrasound. I wanted to hug him, but instead bolted inside to pee. Oh My Gosh....SOOOOO much better!!!
I walked back into the room and told him that it would have made for a MUCH more comfortable morning. :) Okay, so we proceeded...my mind now on seeing my little guy and less on needing to pee.
Jon (the tech, not my hubby) furiously took measurements of all kinds. I asked if he was going to be able to share the results and he said absolutely yes at the end of all the measurement taking. John and Logan watched Carter on the screen (I couldn't see the screen at this time). I did request that he show me the screen when he was all done - he did and even snapped a couple pictures, which printed on real photo paper in 4X6 size...not like the normal, paper ones. Sweet!
The results were in......give or take 1 pound, Carter currently weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces!!!!! AHH! He is measuring at 38 weeks 2 days and I am only 36 weeks 5 days. (If you remember, at the very beginning of the pregnancy they moved my due date back 10 days...had they not done that like I said, he would actually be right on schedule).
I meet with the doctor next Monday morning and we will see if anything changes. Dr. C. previously made it sound that things would not change, it would just be good information to have in case I went early. Honestly, at this point I would love for him to come early as my stomach just feels so heavy.
So there you have it...another Big Battermann Boy is on his way!!!
So I follow those ridiculous instructions and John, Logan and I headed to the appointment. What an uncomfortable ride!!!! ugh.... It took me a solid two minutes to get out of the car and come to a full standing position. You try riding for a half hour with an extremely full bladder and a huge child sitting on your bladder and then try to quickly stand without worrying about doing something embarrassing like peeing on the pavement! We got inside the pretty building, which of course, all pretty buildings have water fountains! Oh come on! Okay, we headed downstairs and while John and Logan admired the pretty fountains, I checked in...and waited about 5-10 additional minutes! I wanted to yell at somebody, but kept my cool and did not sit down...I would not have been able to get back up without peeing! Jon, the ultrasound tech comes to get us and we head back - naturally, the LAST room down a LONG hallway. He tells me to lay down on the table and I contemplated just how I was going to do this, again, without peeing! He asks if I have a full bladder and I said 'goodness, gracious, YES!'. Then he looked at the pure size of my belly and asked how far along I was. I told him 36.5 weeks. He quickly shoved me out the door and took me to the bathroom next door and said 'oh, I'm so sorry - you don't need a full bladder at this stage in your pregnancy for an ultrasound. I wanted to hug him, but instead bolted inside to pee. Oh My Gosh....SOOOOO much better!!!
I walked back into the room and told him that it would have made for a MUCH more comfortable morning. :) Okay, so we proceeded...my mind now on seeing my little guy and less on needing to pee.
Jon (the tech, not my hubby) furiously took measurements of all kinds. I asked if he was going to be able to share the results and he said absolutely yes at the end of all the measurement taking. John and Logan watched Carter on the screen (I couldn't see the screen at this time). I did request that he show me the screen when he was all done - he did and even snapped a couple pictures, which printed on real photo paper in 4X6 size...not like the normal, paper ones. Sweet!
The results were in......give or take 1 pound, Carter currently weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces!!!!! AHH! He is measuring at 38 weeks 2 days and I am only 36 weeks 5 days. (If you remember, at the very beginning of the pregnancy they moved my due date back 10 days...had they not done that like I said, he would actually be right on schedule).
I meet with the doctor next Monday morning and we will see if anything changes. Dr. C. previously made it sound that things would not change, it would just be good information to have in case I went early. Honestly, at this point I would love for him to come early as my stomach just feels so heavy.
So there you have it...another Big Battermann Boy is on his way!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Logan's in a Toddler Bed!!!
So, we did it. I know it is not super-common to transition a 14-month old to a toddler bed, but we did. On January 1st we decided to at least give it a try and it has gone surprisingly well. Many would say it was done very early, but since he was such a good sleeper we thought why not try it. Plus we've been having trouble figuring out what to do for a bedroom set for either son. Do we get another crib set? Do we get bunk beds? We decided that as we don't know what to do, we'd go for a cheaper option. We ordered Logan a cool race car bed and a dresser. We are soon moving him into the 3rd bedroom (current guestroom, previous office). So we are keeping the bookshelf in there, which is good since we will have more shelf space to store his books and other knick knack items. Both the bed and dresser should arrive before Carter, but we'll see. For now, we have removed the crib side and put on the toddler rails.
Logan has been in his toddler bed for 3 weeks now and it is still going well. The first problem we ran into is that he knows how to get out of the room. We have door handles, not knobs. While we have received advice that we could convert his to a knob, or turn the door locks inside out, or put a door-handle protector we are not ready to do that just yet - I kind of want to take steps to this transition.
For probably the first 2 weeks, we sat in his room, either in the recliner or in front of his bed with our back turned until he fell asleep. We also purchased the twlight turtle which projects a bunch of stars (either green, blue, or amber) on the ceiling (not sure how much he really notices though as he almost always falls asleep on his stomach). We also brought his caterpillar back out (it was tucked away with other baby toys as this is a toy that attaches to an infant carseat). This caterpillar, while it plays cute short tunes about colors and numbers, it also plays 3.5 minutes of classical music (Bach, Mozart, etc.). Since we played this often as a baby, he seemed to recognize it right away and I was hoping it would provide comfort.
If he got out the first time we'd say 'back to bed' and he'd crawl back in. The rest of the times, we would just put him back or block him from getting out. Honestly for the most part, as long as he was being put to bed when he was truly tired, he wouldn't really get out and we could leave the room within 10 minutes. However, there were times we'd be in there for a half hour.
Let's hope it continues to go as well. Yay for such a big boy!!!
Let's hope it continues to go as well. Yay for such a big boy!!!
36.5 Week Carter Checkup
Today I met with Dr. J for my 36.5 week checkup. I measured 37 weeks. I told her that last week, I measured 39. She said that depending on how full my bladder is, if I had to go to the 'bathroom', how the baby is positioned...are all things that could affect measurement. So phew...I am not measuring that big! Granted, that pretty much all means nothing....as Logan measured right along schedule as well.
Carter's heartrate was 145 - still love the sound!
I don't think there is much else to report. I did not get examined this week.
My ultrasound is still scheduled for tomorrow morning...we are excited to see Carter one last time before we get to hold him in 2.5 weeks!!
I called to pre-register for the c-section and put all my other appointments and dates in the calendar/phone. I am trying to keep everything in check. This weekend I organized more of the upstairs - I think we will try to have Logan and Carter share a closet as I really just hang up dress clothes and sweatshirts/sweaters, since they are so bulky. We still have to buy a dresser and bed for Logan in his 'new' room. Hopefully we can do that this weekend as I have a guest bed FULL of baby clothes that are all ready to be washed. It is hard to believe that a tiny little person will be in those little clothes so soon.
I am excited as I am counting down the 2.5 weeks left (it has already flown by so much already)...but sometimes I still don't think it has hit me that after that 2.5 weeks I will have another son...another little person to care for....and start all over with figuring out sleeping, eating, general behaviors. Will he be similar to Logan? Will he be completely different? I am excited regardless to welcome this little guy into our home; he is so loved already.
Carter's heartrate was 145 - still love the sound!
I don't think there is much else to report. I did not get examined this week.
My ultrasound is still scheduled for tomorrow morning...we are excited to see Carter one last time before we get to hold him in 2.5 weeks!!
I called to pre-register for the c-section and put all my other appointments and dates in the calendar/phone. I am trying to keep everything in check. This weekend I organized more of the upstairs - I think we will try to have Logan and Carter share a closet as I really just hang up dress clothes and sweatshirts/sweaters, since they are so bulky. We still have to buy a dresser and bed for Logan in his 'new' room. Hopefully we can do that this weekend as I have a guest bed FULL of baby clothes that are all ready to be washed. It is hard to believe that a tiny little person will be in those little clothes so soon.
I am excited as I am counting down the 2.5 weeks left (it has already flown by so much already)...but sometimes I still don't think it has hit me that after that 2.5 weeks I will have another son...another little person to care for....and start all over with figuring out sleeping, eating, general behaviors. Will he be similar to Logan? Will he be completely different? I am excited regardless to welcome this little guy into our home; he is so loved already.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
35.5 Week Carter Checkup
Tuesday, I had my 35wk, 5 day checkup with Dr. C (who was one of two docs that delivered Logan...and my favorite doc).
As usual as soon as I walk in the door, the receptionist says I'm checked in and tells me to head to the back to provide my urine sample (to check for protein, which would be bad and other stuff I'm sure). On the way back Logan likes to stop and look in their breakroom and we walk by the doctor who is almost always on the computer charting or some other important stuff. The nurse weighs me (after I take off my shoes and jacket and anything else I can) and then we head into the room.
The nurse mentioned that they'd be testing me for Group B Strep since I'm '36 weeks'. I kind of though that if you had it once (which I did) then you always do...apparently not the case. Had I known this was going to happen I probably would have asked my friend to babysit as the only seating in the office (where I needed to sit Logan since I don't bring in the stroller anymore) has a clear shot of 'me being examined/tested'. Eeks...thankfully he is too young to be scarred. And thankfully he did really well. I gave him a book to look at and his juice and he was occupied and didn't misbehave at all (phew).
Dr. C came in the room and said so you are 35 weeks 5 days, but when I saw you walk down the hall, I thought you looked around 39 weeks. Um....thanks.?.?.?.? So she measured me and sure enough, I my belly/uterus is measuring 39 cm and I should be 36 cm to match the week # I am in. Oh. I get measured every week and they all mention a 'big baby', but they've never told me that I was truly measuring 'big'. With Logan, I measured a week or two big at the beginning of the pregnancy, but always measured right on target towards the end (which is part of their shock that he was 10 pounds).
So she said that we should do a growth ultrasound (even though we were already planning on it). So that is scheduled for next Tuesday. My next appointment is next Monday though, so I am really hoping that the ultrasound tech can tell me how big he is measuring and I don't have to wait for the following visit to hear how big he is. Dr. C. also mentioned that I should not go beyond 39 weeks since she is assuming that he is big. So she gave me the number of the c-section scheduler.
In the meantime, while I was on the table, she also checked his heartrate and it bounced around 125-130ish, which she said is normal (however I am noting that it is the lowest it has been so far). She had a hard time getting it because he kept moving away - so he was still very active. :) She also asked if I would like to be checked for dilation...sure, why not?!? I am already 1-1.5 cm dilated. I just checked my blog and it wasn't until week 39 that I was dilated 1-2 cm...so who knows. Granted, I didn't move much past that until I was induced, so I don't expect much, but I guess all those braxton hicks contractions I've been having have paid off. I am not effaced at all. She said she touched his head, but he retracted immediately.
So I think that pretty much sums it up. It was a very exciting appointment!
I did call and schedule the c-section. Jan. 28th is 39 weeks, but they were pretty booked, so our scheduled date (if Carter doesn't come on his own) is Jan. 29th at 7:30am. We are very excited! All of a sudden though...there is a deadline date...he will be here in 3.5 weeks!
My next stop was Babies R Us, where I did by my 'boys' a couple of matching outfits...can't wait to see them both in them.
We do still have quite a bit to do to prepare, but nothing that is earth-shattering. I do hope to accomplish a bit this weeked though. Exciting!!!
As usual as soon as I walk in the door, the receptionist says I'm checked in and tells me to head to the back to provide my urine sample (to check for protein, which would be bad and other stuff I'm sure). On the way back Logan likes to stop and look in their breakroom and we walk by the doctor who is almost always on the computer charting or some other important stuff. The nurse weighs me (after I take off my shoes and jacket and anything else I can) and then we head into the room.
The nurse mentioned that they'd be testing me for Group B Strep since I'm '36 weeks'. I kind of though that if you had it once (which I did) then you always do...apparently not the case. Had I known this was going to happen I probably would have asked my friend to babysit as the only seating in the office (where I needed to sit Logan since I don't bring in the stroller anymore) has a clear shot of 'me being examined/tested'. Eeks...thankfully he is too young to be scarred. And thankfully he did really well. I gave him a book to look at and his juice and he was occupied and didn't misbehave at all (phew).
Dr. C came in the room and said so you are 35 weeks 5 days, but when I saw you walk down the hall, I thought you looked around 39 weeks. Um....thanks.?.?.?.? So she measured me and sure enough, I my belly/uterus is measuring 39 cm and I should be 36 cm to match the week # I am in. Oh. I get measured every week and they all mention a 'big baby', but they've never told me that I was truly measuring 'big'. With Logan, I measured a week or two big at the beginning of the pregnancy, but always measured right on target towards the end (which is part of their shock that he was 10 pounds).
So she said that we should do a growth ultrasound (even though we were already planning on it). So that is scheduled for next Tuesday. My next appointment is next Monday though, so I am really hoping that the ultrasound tech can tell me how big he is measuring and I don't have to wait for the following visit to hear how big he is. Dr. C. also mentioned that I should not go beyond 39 weeks since she is assuming that he is big. So she gave me the number of the c-section scheduler.
In the meantime, while I was on the table, she also checked his heartrate and it bounced around 125-130ish, which she said is normal (however I am noting that it is the lowest it has been so far). She had a hard time getting it because he kept moving away - so he was still very active. :) She also asked if I would like to be checked for dilation...sure, why not?!? I am already 1-1.5 cm dilated. I just checked my blog and it wasn't until week 39 that I was dilated 1-2 cm...so who knows. Granted, I didn't move much past that until I was induced, so I don't expect much, but I guess all those braxton hicks contractions I've been having have paid off. I am not effaced at all. She said she touched his head, but he retracted immediately.
So I think that pretty much sums it up. It was a very exciting appointment!
I did call and schedule the c-section. Jan. 28th is 39 weeks, but they were pretty booked, so our scheduled date (if Carter doesn't come on his own) is Jan. 29th at 7:30am. We are very excited! All of a sudden though...there is a deadline date...he will be here in 3.5 weeks!
My next stop was Babies R Us, where I did by my 'boys' a couple of matching outfits...can't wait to see them both in them.
We do still have quite a bit to do to prepare, but nothing that is earth-shattering. I do hope to accomplish a bit this weeked though. Exciting!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Mother of the Year award goes to....
LIKELY NOT ME!
Today, I was fixing Logan a sippy cup for lunch. I chose a straw sippy cup which he has mastered. I poured in the juice and mixed it with water. There are 2 straws to the sippy cup...a sturdy straw that goes in the bottom and a flexible straw that goes on the top, so the lid can close. Okay great. I couldn't find the sturdy straw...finally in a basket of random sippy cup lids, I found it.
I assembled the cup and thought, for some random reason, that I would test it out. I was curious how hard he had to suck through this valve-straw. This really is random for me as I really don't make it a habit to test out his sippy cups. So I sucked on the straw...nothing. I thought, man alive, this kid really has to work hard to get this juice! I tried a few more times. Okay, something MUST be wrong. I took it all apart. I couldn't figure it out. I then looked through each straw to see if something was clogged. Nothing in the flexible straw. But alas! The sturdy straw was a lot more sturdy than I anticipated as the sturdy straw was actually a hot glue gun stick!!!!! Go figure that it would be the same exact size and look. Oh man - egg on my face!
I then put the hot glue gun stick in the appropriate place (not in the sippy cup basket) and searched for the actual sturdy straw (which had fallen into the bottom of the dishwasher, hence why I couldn't initially see it). So I cleaned it off and re-assembled the cup and voila - it is really not that difficult to suck through his sippy cup.
What a random day for me to test his cup out! Imagine if I would have given it to him and he would've tried to use it and then got frustrated. I probably would have wondered what on earth he was whining about. Way to go Mother of the Year!
(in the meantime, I posted this on Facebook and some of my other Mom friends made me feel better by telling me their 'Mom Brain' stories!)
Today, I was fixing Logan a sippy cup for lunch. I chose a straw sippy cup which he has mastered. I poured in the juice and mixed it with water. There are 2 straws to the sippy cup...a sturdy straw that goes in the bottom and a flexible straw that goes on the top, so the lid can close. Okay great. I couldn't find the sturdy straw...finally in a basket of random sippy cup lids, I found it.
I assembled the cup and thought, for some random reason, that I would test it out. I was curious how hard he had to suck through this valve-straw. This really is random for me as I really don't make it a habit to test out his sippy cups. So I sucked on the straw...nothing. I thought, man alive, this kid really has to work hard to get this juice! I tried a few more times. Okay, something MUST be wrong. I took it all apart. I couldn't figure it out. I then looked through each straw to see if something was clogged. Nothing in the flexible straw. But alas! The sturdy straw was a lot more sturdy than I anticipated as the sturdy straw was actually a hot glue gun stick!!!!! Go figure that it would be the same exact size and look. Oh man - egg on my face!
I then put the hot glue gun stick in the appropriate place (not in the sippy cup basket) and searched for the actual sturdy straw (which had fallen into the bottom of the dishwasher, hence why I couldn't initially see it). So I cleaned it off and re-assembled the cup and voila - it is really not that difficult to suck through his sippy cup.
What a random day for me to test his cup out! Imagine if I would have given it to him and he would've tried to use it and then got frustrated. I probably would have wondered what on earth he was whining about. Way to go Mother of the Year!
(in the meantime, I posted this on Facebook and some of my other Mom friends made me feel better by telling me their 'Mom Brain' stories!)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Christmas Morning
Logan woke up around 8am on Christmas morning. Knowing there were several gifts to open and we had to be to my parents house around 11am, we opted to get showered and ready before heading downstairs (we are lucky this year since he had no clue).
I had spent most of Christmas Eve searching for my camera charger, but hadn't found it so I had to take pictures and video somewhat sparingly. Luckily since it was bright outside, our iPhone could work (they don't take stellar pictures in the dark). I ran downstairs to catch Logan's reaction to what Santa left him (a tunnel and tent). He had a stunned look on his face and threw out a few 'oh wow's'. John set him down near the tunnel and he bent down to look inside...so cute! John put his head in the tent to try to coax Logan through. I sent one of Logan's trucks through to try to coax him to crawl through. He thought it was all neat to look at, but not so much to go in. He ended up going in the tent for a little bit, but still has yet to crawl through the tunnel.
We had Logan open up his stocking. He would take out a present, hand it to John. John would rip a little piece of paper and then Logan would open the rest. Every so often he'd say 'oh wow' or 'oooo'. It was very cute. He'd stop to play with a little truck or train, but we had to keep him moving. I'd say his favorite gift of the morning was the Learning Lawn Mower. He pushed that toy around with such pride - it was very cute. Logan helped hand John and I our gifts, then we finished getting ready and headed down to my parents. It was a great Christmas morning! I just know that it will get better each year as he and his sibling(s) grow and get older and understand what is going on. :)
I had spent most of Christmas Eve searching for my camera charger, but hadn't found it so I had to take pictures and video somewhat sparingly. Luckily since it was bright outside, our iPhone could work (they don't take stellar pictures in the dark). I ran downstairs to catch Logan's reaction to what Santa left him (a tunnel and tent). He had a stunned look on his face and threw out a few 'oh wow's'. John set him down near the tunnel and he bent down to look inside...so cute! John put his head in the tent to try to coax Logan through. I sent one of Logan's trucks through to try to coax him to crawl through. He thought it was all neat to look at, but not so much to go in. He ended up going in the tent for a little bit, but still has yet to crawl through the tunnel.
We had Logan open up his stocking. He would take out a present, hand it to John. John would rip a little piece of paper and then Logan would open the rest. Every so often he'd say 'oh wow' or 'oooo'. It was very cute. He'd stop to play with a little truck or train, but we had to keep him moving. I'd say his favorite gift of the morning was the Learning Lawn Mower. He pushed that toy around with such pride - it was very cute. Logan helped hand John and I our gifts, then we finished getting ready and headed down to my parents. It was a great Christmas morning! I just know that it will get better each year as he and his sibling(s) grow and get older and understand what is going on. :)
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