New Year's Resolutions

1. Go on a yarn diet. I have been one some kind of yarn binge since Stephen was born, I need to quit.
   
2. Make one pair of socks per month (I think this is reasonable).
3. Get back in shape (this is a post-Stephen thing).
   
4. Run a 4:30 marathon (try at least).
   
5. Submit my literature review for publication (maybe it will be published by the end of the year, but I can't control that, just the submission).
   
6. Submit my Pneumovax manuscript for publication.
   
7. Submit my phase I study for publication (these things help me move towards graduation).
   
8. Try to be calmer (about the house, about life, etc. I've been a little high-strung lately)
   

That's it. Here's hoping. I want my house to be cleaner, things to be more organized, but I'm not Wonder Woman, I need to start small :)

(I wonder how many blog posts have this title today and tomorrow?)

I need to travel more

My travels

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Possum Town Christmas Parade

What did you do with your Sunday? We went to Stephen's first Christmas parade. It was a blast. Here are some of the highlights:

The Possum Stang:

The kids in the cage:

The outhouse-tractor-plane:

And it's owner:

Too many tractors to count:

And finally, Santa's lawn chair:

There are a lot more pictures of tractors in my flickr photoset (if you're so inclined).

Who wouldn't want this on their toilet?

From toilet-tattoos.com.

Lori Schory is a painter with more than 20 years experience and a master's degree in fine arts. Her artistic talents aren't limited to canvas. Her creative work has been expressed on movie sets, in theme parks, on signs, and interior graphics for restaurants and wall murals. Her lovely art can now beautify your bathroom.

Frogs in the Moonlight Toilet Tattoo

9 month well-baby check

Here are Stephen's stats:

Height: 28" (39th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz (38th percentile)
Head circumference: 45.6cm (59th percentile)

Raspberries

My first attempt at putting a video into my post. Of course, this was easy to embed since Flickr did all the work, and I just copied and pasted.

I was the victim of a Monkey Attack

This weekend I unsuccessfully ran the Flying Monkey Marathon.

The monkeys left me alone the first half of the race (or perhaps they were stalking me). At about mile 14 they began to glom onto my legs and slow me down. I thought I could shake them off, but they were relentless. By mile 17 the extra weight had slowed me to a painful walk (but not a crawl, so there's something to be said for that). At mile 18, right before a 1 mile hill (it's steep). I had to stop. Perhaps more training would have helped me fight off the monkeys. Next year, I will conquer the monkeys. 

And Nike claims I ran 19 miles, but I didn't. I ran 18. Here's their chart of my run (which is actually pretty hilarious looking). I don't know what that dip is (or why it looks like I picked it back up and started to run again). But I was out there 4:14'20"

Things I learned while cleaning my desk

1. My desk really needed to be cleaned (this must have been obvious to everyone but me).
   
2. Gum expires, mine expired January 2006.
   
3. Post-it notes are really only a good temporary solution (when they fade, you've had them too long).
   
4. My filing drawer is cleaner, but not my desk space or my shelves.
   
5. I keep a surprising array of things (starting with 2003 when I started).
6. You can keep some of these odd items (Russian house receipt from 2004?) when you're throwing away so much other strange stuff.

Nike + iPod

For my birthday this year Phil gave me the Nike + iPod for my new iPod (his old iPod). Right after I bought my iPod shuffle the Nike + iPod stuff came out and I didn't feel I could really justify another new iPod. So, I waited. When Phil got a new one, he gave me his old Nano and here I am!

Since I don't wear Nike shoes to run in, I had to make-do with the sensor in my shoe. It's not bad (I have very high arches). Okay, so I started downloading my training data to nikeplus.com 

above is my Nike summary for my runs so far, I'm slow, but I'm not that slow!

Here's a screen-shot of my workout last night. It looks like I need to reset my distance. I ran 3 miles, and Nike says I ran 2.56 miles. However, I love the little graph with my pace!

Washington D.C.

We went to Washington D.C. for a conference last week. It was Stephen's second trip and his first trip to the Smithsonian. I think he and Phil had a good time playing while I was in sessions. He was a little angel on the plane there and back. He's such a good baby.

We had a lot of food firsts during the trip. He tried rice, french fry (only a small piece, I swear), chicken, peas, and it turns out he *loves* cheerios. They're the best food ever.

Tag! I'm it!

I was tagged by craftlover:

Here are the rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
**Random Facts About Me**

1. Despite being from Florida, I'm more comfortable in long sleeves than short sleeves.
   
2. I once ate a hot dog with peanut butter and jelly on it (it really seemed like a good idea).
   
3. Not long ago I ate a deep-friend twinkie (I took pictures, I'll post them on the blog eventually).
   
4. I like to get up early and run while the world is quiet, but I haven't been able to do it since I had a baby.
   
5. I can only plan an organize for things that aren't important (my knitting list is organized, my research is not).
6. I am ridiculously unprepared for the Flying Monkey Marathon, but I will run it anyway.

I tag: Martha, Kim, Dr F, and I don't think I read 3 other blogs!

I voted

Cleaning

Today I am cleaning out inboxes: work, gmail, and ravelry. 

I also have a glut of videos of Stephen to upload. It looks like I haven't dumped the video camera since June 20th. He's done a lot since then.

Yarns I would like to try

I decided to make a list (I'm sure this will change):

1. Qiviut
   
2. Yak
   
3. Camel
   
4. Llama
   
5. Possum (really, can you believe this exists?)
6. Beaver (today I discovered this exists)

Fall Swap Package 1

It's taken me awhile to get to posting about my fall swap package. I'm hoping to finally get up my post today. I got a wonderful package from my partner. She sent me a book I want (now I need to go buy needles for 2-at-a-time socks!), some chocolate, some lovely notecards, adorable little spreaders, and some beautiful yarn! I love the yarn. The colors are gorgeous (you can see it below). Now I need to decide on a sock pattern.

  

Finger Food

S is ready to start some finger foods. I've been reading the books to find what's best and what he should try. Lots of places suggested grapes, but you have to quarter and peel them. So I did. I can't say that was an entirely enjoyable experience, and he liked them, but they were too slippery for him to eat. When he's older I suppose. Until then we'll try some other things.

He has liked:

• Bananas
  
• Grapes (but problems mentioned above)
  
• Sweet potatoes (he liked to feed them to himself)
  

More to come!

LolDogs

How could I not add this?

see more puppies

Passive Aggressive Notes

If you haven't discovered the blog "Passive Aggressive Notes.com" I highly suggest it. I found this note this morning and I haven't stopped laughing yet. 

Here's a link to the original post.

I love the "Swiffer"

Who knew a "Swiffer" could be so much fun. S is learning to crawl and he'll crawl across the room to get to the swiffer to play with it and chew on it.

Baby Development Quiz: Test Your Baby's Cognitive Development

Here's the quiz link: View >>

This question (and answers) totally cracks me up:
Is there nothing that a kid won't stick in her mouth? Once Baby passes her first half-birthday, everything ends up soaked in saliva. Why?

• As taste buds are developing, your baby's natural hunger takes over
  
• Your child marks her territory with spit; this is her way of making her presence in your household known
  
• She is orally fixated and needs infant counseling
  
• This is how she explores the world around her; using her senses helps her learn about herself and her environment
  

Hat attack (hat 2)

I finished my second hat last night (here's the previous post) and mailed it off this morning. I still can't believe I'm not dead nor have I heard from my assassin (I suppose potential assassin at this point). 

Here's the finished hat:

And here's S modeling the hat for me:

September Procrastination Challenge

Does anyone else think it's nice that I didn't join this until near the end of September?
All the same, here are the goals I'd like to accomplish this month that will help in organizing everything:

• Baby-proof the house (well, a first pass, surely he'll quickly learn to get through all my careful proofing).
  
• Organize the downstairs yarn stash.
  
• Clean and organize the nursery so I can finally find onesies in the morning for S.

Edited to add where I found the contest (I forgot to do that). I found it here.

Velociraptor

I could survive for 38 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

I am a little unclear on how I could not click on this link, take this quiz, and then post it to the blog (and then misspell velociraptor even though it's in the link and have to edit my post). Also, I am a wimp.

Hat Attack

I joined hat attack. 

Let me start by kind of explaining the rules. It's a round-robin game. Everyone knits the same hat and mails it do their downstream partner. The person downstream from you is your victim and the upstream person is your assassin. If you're killed (you receive a finished hat in the mail), you mail your unfinished hat to your assassin and your previous victim becomes their victim. 

So I mailed off my hat this morning (I made us stop at the post office on the way to work). I'm ridiculously proud of myself for finishing the hat. Now I just have to wait and see if I get a hat in the mail. (or rather, when I get a hat in the mail, maybe I can take someone else out first).

Here's a picture of the hat (plus the weapons used to build said hat):

And, I learned a valuable lesson. No matter how proud you are that you completed your hat, if it's late, your husband does not want to get up to take a picture of you in said hat. So, here's a picture of me looking like a dork (in my pajamas) modeling the hat. 

Fall Swap Question #2

What ‘cold weather’ project are you looking forward to making the most the autumn?

I want to make some sweaters for my son. And, of course, his first Christmas stocking.

This American Life

Each time I hear "This American Life" I wish I was interesting enough to be on it.  My sister and I had this discussion once, imagine what the writers could do with some of the events our lives like:

"Remember when we had a toilet in our front yard?"

"Or the vacation I ruined by not being allowed to bring that brown dress?" (really, and I don't remember the dress)

(or Martha's favorite): "The whole year you wore spandex."

Falling For Ewe Question of the Week

What is your favorite thing about Autumn?

I guess my favorite part of autumn is the weather. I love the colors (I'm from Florida so I'm not used to seasons yet!) and I can leave my windows open at home to let in cool air.

Six-month visit

Stephen had his 6-month well-baby check-up and shots yesterday. Here are his stats:

17 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile)

44 cm head (56th percentile)

27 inches long (74th percentile)

Yarn Stash

I started organizing my yarn stash. I started with the upstairs stash. Pictured above are three of the plastic boxes that the organization went into (there's only one more box and it's unsorted yarn - things I didn't bother to put on ravelry, scraps, etc). So far I've stashed about 80 different skeins of yarn and that totals approximately 22,700 yards of yarn. 

Unfortunately I haven't done any of the downstairs yarn. My goal is to convince myself to use up some of the stashed yarn instead of buying more. Or maybe I'll just be embarrassed by the total yardage in the end.

Pictures at Sears

I took Stephen to Sears this weekend for his first professional pictures. I'll admit that I did this because I had a $5 coupon. I got one set of prints in one pose. This was easier than I thought because about the time he sat down on the background, he discovered his tongue. I've never seen him do this before but he just sat around with his tongue out the entire time. Except of course when he rolled over and started to suck on the background. I must look like the mother of the year.

I managed to avoid the sales pitches about the additional pictures to order...but they gave me an online link. And this link lets me buy sheets of his adorable pictures for as cheap as $15, damn you Sears. 

Anyway, I took a screen shot of his pictures so I could share how adorable he is. By the way, I bought the second one, him sitting up and kind of smiling.

Who am I, now?

Questions from my Publix baby club mail :)

• Three adjectives that describe me are... tired, happy, stressed.
  
• My greatest strengths are... perseverance? Odd that I can't think of any.
  
• My most obvious weaknesses are... self-confidence and focus(or lack thereof).
  
• What I want most in the world is... to stay home with Stephen AND be able to work.
  
• If given the gift of a day with no responsibilities, I would... bike on the trace, knit.
  
• If I received an "outstanding award" in 10 years, it would be for... I don't know, there's a lot I'd like to accomplish. I sure would like to have my PhD by then :)
  
• The one thing I can do this week that will help e to get that award is... Get my research done!
  

Yarn Swap Package #3

I don't think I wrote about my second package but it was wonderful. I received my third package (and remembered to take pictures of it) just the other day. It was full of wonderful things and beautiful yarn! I got some great patterns, wonderful notions and some other cute/adorable/useful things.
I love the colors of the yarn. I'm hoping to make wonderful socks out of the blue skein on the right and I want to make the vest (you can see the pattern in the top picture) out of the blue yarn on the left. We'll see if that works out :).

Falling For Ewe Autumn Swap Questions

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
   I knit more than I crochet. I prefer the knitting.
   
2. Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?
   No spinning.
   
3. Are there any other crafts that you participate in?
   Hmm, not really. I run.
   
4. What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
   Probably natural fibers, wool, alpaca.
   
5. What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers?
   I don't really have a least-favorite. Fun fur has it's place
   
6. Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?
   Ooh, I'd like to try some hand-dyed sock yarn.
   
7. What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
   Right now I'm on a sock kick and I have some thing I want to make for my son
   
8. What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn?
   I'm making socks for Christmas gifts and sweaters for my baby.
   
9. What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.)
   I don't know...I'll think about it
   
10. What is your oldest UFO?
    Some projects my grandmother started and passed on to me :)
    
11. Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn?
    Maybe toe-up socks or the two at a time socks
    
12. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
    Yes, I wear a size 5.
    
13. Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
    Yes
    
14. Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
    Everywhere
    
15. Do you collect anything?
    Maybe frogs, not that I can really think of
    
16. What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?
    They Might Be Giants is my favorite band. I am MP3 ready
    
17. Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
    Swiss chocolate.
    
18. What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?
    2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 baby, some fish
    
19. Are you allergic to anything?
    Dust :)
    
20. Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal.
    I do have an amazon list and an etsy list.
    
21. Are you having a birthday during this swap?
    Yes, 11/02.
    
22. What is your Ravelry ID?
    jdexheimer
    

Severe Weather Alert in Nashville

Seriously, who writes these? Skimpy?

...RAINLESS AUGUST THUS FAR IN NASHVILLE...

THE FIRST 14 DAYS OF AUGUST HAVE BEEN RAINLESS IN NASHVILLE...MAKING THIS THE DRIEST START OF ANY AUGUST IN AT LEAST 60 YEARS.

THE DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD WAS BACK IN 1929 WHEN ONLY 0.51 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. IN CONTRAST THE WETTEST AUGUST... WAS IN 1923 WHEN 9.60 INCHES OF RAIN FELL.

LAST YEAR NASHVILLE MEASURED 1.38 INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST...MUCH OF WHICH FELL LATE IN THE MONTH.

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM TODAY IN NASHVILLE... BUT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS THE RAIN CHANCES LOOK PRETTY SKIMPY.

Baby's First Internet

Sent to me by Kim.

Juggling for Jugs

This year Stephen and I will participate in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in Nashville. It's a 5k. We are part of the the team (actually, I'm a co-captain, the one with jugs) Juggling for Jugs. The team captain, Jacob, is an avid juggler and will joggle the race (juggling + running). You don't have to joggle if you want to be on our team, I don't. We're hoping to get some shirts made too! If you would like to join our team or donate to the cause, go here.

Spit up

Yesterday afternoon, Stephen and I were sitting outside. Baley jumped on my lap to get pet. I pet her, I let Stephen pet her. He was doing a good job ruffling her fur and sometimes grabbing her legs (she's a very patient cat). And then, with no warning, Stephen spit up all over Baley and me. It was hilarious. I wish I could have captured the look on Baley's face. I couldn't stop laughing about it. Miraculously none of it got on Stephen, he has excellent aim.

I couldn't resist this

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy

I guess we'll try again in a few months.

I disagree with Dear Abby

Not that this is exactly news, but still I thought I'd mention it. Here's her advice: 

DEAR ABBY: Is it rude or inconsiderate for a person to knit, crochet or piece a quilt while attending a meeting or other gathering? -- CURIOUS IN THE SUNBELT
DEAR CURIOUS: Although I may get some argument about this, I do think it's rude. When someone is attending a meeting or a social gathering, it is considered good manners to give the speaker or other attendees your full attention. And while I expect to hear from readers who say they can "multi-task," to do so sends the wrong message. (from 7/16/08)

I guess she's not a knitter.

Travel

This past week Stephen and I went to Washington DC for a conference and then Pascagoula, MS for my grandmother's birthday. He was an angel to travel with. 

On the way back from DC we spent roughly 13 hours in the airport and on planes (it was a huge mess, we had to change airlines and everything), he never really made a peep. He kicked around and giggled and slept. What a wonderful baby. 

Then we drove the roughly 8 hours to Mississippi. He slept most of the way, but still slept at night. I couldn't ask for a better baby.

Stephen rolled over!

Stephen rolled from his back to his tummy today. I can't believe it. He had no idea how he got there, but he did :)

4 month visit

We had the four month well-baby visit on Thursday. So here are Stephen's vitals:

14 lbs 14 oz - 50th percentile

42cm head - 45th percentile (or so, I can't remember)

26 inches long - 87th percentile

I would have never said my son would be tall. This must be a temporary growth-spurt fluke :)

Traveling Scarf #2

I joined a second traveling scarf group. I'm sending my scarf out today. I used more of the pink Cascade 220 to start it and another pattern from Knitting on the net. This time I used the Chevron pattern. Godspeed little scarf.

Stephen said "Mom"

He was babbling and cooing happily on the bed and instead of just vowel sounds, he said mom! In fact, he did it twice. Sure, he may not have known what he said, it was an accident, whatever. I'll take what I can get. Besides, he got such a good reaction, he'll probably try to make that noise again :)

Babies = Laundry

I knew when I had a baby I would have more laundry to do. What I didn't count on, was how much more laundry I would need to do. I guess I thought about a load a week. I can already hear other the mothers laughing. How can someone so small produce so much laundry? This is a mystery to me. His clothes are so small.

For future advice I would suggest (at least):

• 3 crib sheets
  
• 2 mattress pads (this will be important if you want to put your baby back to sleep quickly)
  
• 3 changing table covers
  
• 2 boppy covers (I do love my boppy)
  
• Many blankets
  
• Many clothes (for him to grow out of as quick as he can)
  
• Lots of socks (which is also a mystery because he can't even walk)
  

Yarn Swap Package #1

I received my first yarn swap package and it was wonderful! I got a great pattern book with an adorable pattern for Stephen. I'll have to add it to my queue :). And you can never go wrong with jelly beans.

My swap partner sent me some heavenly yarn called "Heather" by Schaefer that's really soft. 

And finally, some beautiful sock yarn from Noro. All these yarns (and even the pattern) are in one of my favorite colors, brown :)

I hope my swap partner likes the presents I sent as much as I like mine.

Traveling Scarf

I started my traveling scarf this weekend. It's a ravelry group where we mail the scarf pieces to the next person in our group and each person knits (or crochets) on the scarf and then passes it on to the next on the list. In the end about 12 other people should work on my scarf (and me on theirs) so the end-result should be very nice. 

Here's the start to my scarf. I used the Little Pyramids stitch from Knitting on the Net in Cascade 220 on size 8 needles. Let's see how it goes :)

Baths

How often should you bathe your baby? I'm at constant odds with this. He gets a bath between 1 and 2 times a week, but now that he's in daycare I'm paranoid they'll tell me my baby is dirty. You'd think I'd have better things to worry about.

But baths are usually pretty good now. He cried through his first few, but now he sits happily and smiles. I don't think he really likes them, but he doesn't hate them either. Baths should be morning activities though (or anytime you want your baby to stay awake). They don't put him to sleep (at least not yet).

Baby Pattern Baldness

Stephen has started losing hair. It's sad, I held on for weeks that he was keeping his hair and his head was growing, but I've been defeated...he's losing it. Oh well, we'll see how it comes back.

Summer of Yarn Love Swap Questions

I joined my first yarn swap. I'm so excited! I have my first assignment, to answer the following questions:

1. I knit much more than I crochet. I've been taught to knit several times but the time that stuck was probably in 2000.
2. No spinning for me, although it seems cool.
3. I love natural fibers and hand-dyed yarns. I probably have expensive taste in yarn. Although I'm always swayed by "fun" yarns and sale yarns and nice-fiber yarn... I'm not sure what my least favorite yarns are, maybe acrylic, or anything from the 70s. 
4. I tend to like blues, greens, and browns for color. I don't really have a least-favorite color, everything is fine.
   
5. I'd love to work with Schaefer Judith, but that's only because of the name :) 
   
6. I just learned to knit socks, so they're my new favorite. I seem to make a lot of blankets, but hats and scarves are nice because they're quick. 
   
7. I'm currently working on some socks, my first pair of baby socks, and a baby blanket. 
   
8. Hmm, I'm not sure what my favorite FO is. I made an adorable baby cardigan for a friend a few years ago, it had the cutest frog buttons. 
   
9. My oldest UFO came from my grandmother. I have all of her UFOs as well as my own. I have plans to finish her baby blankets one day.
10. I can't think of any techniques I want to learn since I just did my sock class, there will be more in the future.
    
11. I am on Ravlery. 
    
12. I am currently a sock knitter, but a new one. I'm not sure what foot measurements I need to provide, I have a tiny foot, I wear a size 5. 
    
13. I appear to collect yarn :). 
14. I have a yarn winder and a swift.
15. I love sweets and I have a real weakness for Swiss chocolate.
    
16. Hmm, my favorite scents, gardenia and honeysuckle. 
    
17. Oh, I keep my needles everywhere. Most of them are in a drawer, some are in a bag, and many have projects cast on. 
18. I have an Amazon wishlist, but I doubt it's that interesting. 
19. No summer birthday for me.
20. I'm allergic to dust, but that's it.

Yarn confessions

1. I hoard yarn. Each skein has a project it belongs to, but I can't pass up a texture or color that I adore. At least I'm migrating to socks so it'll only be one skein per project.

2. I work on too many projects at a time. This goes with the too much yarn thing, I cast on a fun project, and then get side-tracked a few weeks into it.

3. I am reading knitting mysteries, how nerdy is that?

4. I am scared of making complicated projects. I don't know why, when I start one, it goes fine, but I seem to worry about them an excessive amount (seriously I just made an entire garter-stitch sweater and blanket, boring).

5. My ravelry projects rarely go up before they're done. I'm trying to plan some out now, but we'll see. 

6. Finally, I love kitchener's stitch! The toe of my first sock looks a little stupid (I think it should be round), but I really wanted to do kitchener's.

Our first plane trip

This past weekend we went to Austin for my grandmother's 90th birthday. A trip to Austin required either a 2 hour plane trip (straight thank-goodness) or many, many hours in the car. We decided to go for the plane trip.

The trip out was great. Stephen cried a little, but not much. Mom, Dad, and I all sat in one row so I had people to help me hold him. He ate, he looked around, he napped.

The trip home was not so great. As I said "some damn baby cried the whole flight." Unfortunately, that baby was mine. He slept through take-off and then pretty much cried the rest of the flight. I still don't know what was bothering him: ears, gas, bored? Whew, I will never, ever get mad at anyone with a crying baby again. And to all the other passengers, I'm sorry, I really am, and if it helps, I was probably more upset by it than you.

More infant life

Phil (giving me a kiss): You smell nice, are you wearing perfume?

Me: I took a shower.

Phil: silence

Mother's Day

Flowers

Mobile

Today was my first Mother's day. My family sent me some books about Stephen including the Rookie Moms book and . My sister sent me some beautiful flowers (irises and lilies), my mom bought me a mobile that Stephen and I could share, and my husband (and son) got me a sock-knitting class (I started my first pair of socks and Stephen can wear them when he's about 4). Woo presents! :)

Rug shopping with a 2 month old

In honor of the Rookie Moms contest, I thought I'd write about Stephen and I rug shopping. I decided (while pregnant) that we needed a new living room rug, but I didn't actually start searching until Stephen was born. 

The first step was measuring the current living room rug (long-since destroyed by the two cats and house-breaking two dogs). Then we went to several stores to look at rugs, see which ones we liked, and how much we could plan on spending. This activity took up many days and required a spiral search pattern starting at our house so quick trips could be made home for extra-fussiness, feeding, whatever Stephen wanted, etc. We narrowed it down to three stores and visited them more times than I'd like to admit to compare rugs, colors, and prices. Each time I got to a new store, I'd curse and realize I had just taken my camera out of the diaper bag (and my phone camera doesn't really take good pictures of 8' x 10' rugs). The inherent problem is my pickiness. I want the rug to be light enough that you can't see the dog hair (a major problem with the old one), colorful enough that it looks good, and still match the rest of the room. Stephen was consulted on each rug we saw what he thought of all these qualities. Needless to say, some crying was involved on both sides.

Rug-testing is kind of an embarrassing thing to do in a store. I stopped short of putting Stephen on it to kick around to see if he'd like them, but I feel you need to sit on the rug, walk on it shod and unshod, feel it, and be able to jump from one to the next to compare them. It's best to do this in the middle of the day when the least amount of people are at the store.

Then my mother-in-law got involved and sent me some rug suggestions she found as well (now the search spanned two states). Despite the temptation just to tell her to buy what she wanted and we'd make do, she did send me pictures. The pictures spurred yet another round of looking at rugs and deciding what we wanted, and a complete reevaluation of size (we did go with the smaller ones she suggested).

Finally, I picked on out I loved, it was light but not white. It was affordable (I fell in love with one that was small and $600, this clearly wasn't a good investment in the land of pets and babies). It had a lot of color in it, and when I went to buy it, they only had the size hanging up. This was larger than 8' x 10' and reflected accurately in the price. So, I feel back on my second choice and ended up withe a runner that goes outside the nursery too. The picture is the new rug with Tucker sleeping on it, and Seismic (one of the cats) has already begun to claw the runner.

2 month visit

Friday was Stephen's 2 month check-up. He was 23" long, 12 lbs 6 oz, and had a head circumference of 36.5cm. He got his first round of vaccinations (and did not enjoy them). He looks great and he's growing nicely :)

Bug Porn

Our local newspaper had a picture of bug porn on the front of the local section. It's two crane flies mating. The article is about how they aren't mosquitoes, don't bite, and what people think of them. I'm a little bit embarrassed this is "news" in our paper, but I'm also very fond of the phrase "bug porn" so I posted it.

The picture is from the Tennessean and here's a link to the story.

My son has monkey toes

Look how long they are!

Netflix

For people thinking about having children, I highly suggest Netflix.

While I'm offering unsolicited advice, I also have a few movie guidelines I've learned:

Don't watch anything with a complicated plot (you won't have the brain power to figure it out).

Watch things that you can understand in 5 minute intervals.

If you can watch a movie for two hours straight, you should have been napping.

TiVo or DVR is a good second choice (or if you like watching recent shows).

Running

There's something I enjoy about running (or biking) for each season. I ran my 2 mile loop with no walking today (hooray) so I'm feeling more confident about getting in shape. However, while I ran, I was thinking about the things I liked (and missed while pregnant):

Spring: Flowers (I know a lot of my neighbors yards by their flowers), getting back on my bike (I'm too wimpy to bike in the winter), and weather.

Summer: Triathlon season (I'm not fast, but I love to race, it's fun), biking (I bike the most in summer), and rain (I've always loved running in the rain).

Fall: Weather, then changing leaves (I've never lived anywhere with actual seasons until now), biking (I like to see the turkeys and pileated woodpeckers on the trace).

Winter: Christmas lights (I love to look at them while I run), the occasional snow, Marathon season (but I haven't been up to a big race in awhile).

A day in the life of Stephen

2:40am - wake up, eat, go back to sleep.

5:50am - wake up, eat, go back to sleep.

7:30am - wake up, play with Daddy.

9:10am - wake up from a short nap, eat, play and kick.

11:10am - eat, play and nap (fitfully)

1:10pm - eat, leave to run errands, fall asleep in the car, wake up in the store.

3:05pm - eat, sleep through Costco, and the library.

5:15pm - return home, eat.

6:30pm - realize you didn't really nap lately, be angry and hungry, eat. After eating, be fussy for a couple of hours (gassy I think).

8:30pm - eat again, nap some, be fussy some more.

10:45 - eat, sleep and off to bed for the night.

Clothes

Today we moved up from 0-3 month clothes to 3-6 months. A few of the 0-3s still fit so they're hanging around until they're too small. But we made it 6.5 weeks on the first size. Sheesh.

More Running

My second run went much better than the first. Hopefully the third will follow soon. It's nice to feel kind of normal again :)

Peeing

Baby boys (unlike baby girls) can pee on many, many things while you're changing them. If you didn't know that, it's valuable information to have in your repertoire of knowledge. You can stay dry by purchasing these, which I am totally smitten with. However, if this is one of your major concerns you might want think about having a baby (pee, by far, is one of the cleaner fluids to hit you). 

Who could not love something named Pee-pee Teepee?

Running

I went on my first run today. I ran 2 miles, or rather I ran/walked 2 miles. It felt good to be out, but I sure am out of shape.

My Glider

Phil got me a glider for my birthday last year. It is one of the best gifts ever. I spent many nights sleeping in it when Stephen wouldn't sleep in his crib. It reclines only a tiny amount, which led me to think that I'm going to be one of the best sleepers ever on an airplane. I can recline my seat a little bit and then fall straight asleep (probably even faster if I'm holding Stephen). 

3 weeks old

Stephen was three weeks old yesterday. I have to say I think the first week was the hardest (so far). He sleeps in his crib on a semi-regular basis now and he's starting to have some kind of schedule (although it's rough). All the information says he should be able to see 8-10" now. 

The only issue so far is that we've had a couple of bad nights (lots of crying and he was just unhappy). I started recording everything I eat in an effort to determine if that's the problem. Right now I think it's broccoli. 

Another lesson with a newborn

Don't wear a v-neck shirt while burping your baby. Results will be disgusting and hilarious.

Another milestone

On Friday Stephen lost his umbilical cord. This milestone has been duly noted and checked off the list. We'll see what he does next. 

First time for everything

Well, today I had to clean my wall for the first time. Stephen peed all down the wall. Hooray for semi-gloss paint.

Pets and a baby

We have two cats, two dogs, and a baby. 

The cats are kind of divided on the baby. Baley could care less (she's the one pictured in the Boppy), but this is a normal state for her. Seismic seems to like him as long as he's not crying (then she runs out of the room). 

The dogs are also divided in their concern. Ladybug could take him or leave him, he's interesting but she gets yelled at when she tries to lick him. Tucker loves him (and as a result tries to lick him a lot) and gets excited when he cries. 

As Phil pointed out, why did we get a baby monitor when we have two perfectly good ones already? As soon as he cries, they race to the room to check on him (although they never quiet him down).

Flowers

My parents sent Stephen and me flowers and they're very pretty so I thought I would share (please ignore the messy kitchen table).

Little indulgences with a newborn

Remembering to:

- brush your teeth twice a day

- brush your hair

- take your vitamins

- pay your bills

Finding time to:

- take a shower

- sleep

- actually see your husband

- read your email (and maybe even respond to some)

- pick up your house

- go to the grocery store

- etc

"Boppy"

If you don't know what a "Boppy" is, it's a semi-circular pillow used for feeding (to make it easier to balance the baby). I put it on the couch the other day, when I came to retrieve it, this is what I found. I guess I'm not the only one who likes the pillow. 

Needless Worries

I had a lot of worries before little S was here that turned out to be needless. I continue to have plenty of worries, but these (at least) have been solved.

1. What if the baby doesn't like me - this one was so stupid it's almost funny. Of course he likes me, he's heard my voice for 9 months and knows what I smell like. I'm very familiar to him and no one else is.

2. What if I don't like the baby - also, a pretty stupid concern. I'd say from the moment I met him he was the most important thing in the world to me. 

3. What if I don't know what to do - this isn't totally needless. I don't know what to do, but it's not quite as scary yet as I envisioned and you and the baby can kind of figure things out together. 

4. Delivery will be scary - again, not totally needless, it was, in a way, but in a more exact way it was worth it.

Hospital Stay

After the lovely experience of labor and delivery the baby and I had to stay in the hospital an additional two nights. The above picture is one of my dinners: potatoes, broccoli with cheese whiz, and steak (Phil bought me the diet dr pepper).  Not pictured is an eclair and a little salad. I can't really complain about the food, just the strange hours they feed you: 9am, noon, and 5pm. You're left to fend on your own all the rest of the day (5pm-9am is a long time). 

But you can have your baby with you as much or as little as you'd like. It's very comforting to know there are tons of nurses around to help you out. You have to give him up sometimes for newborn screening, rounding, etc.

Lastly though is the actual hospital room. If you've never been admitted to the hospital before, you might not realize that a hospital room is actually a little highway. In post-partum you and the baby each have a nurse, you each have a physician, there is someone for the birth certificate, for cleaning the room, for checking to see if the room was cleaned, for bringing the food, for taking it away....It's almost impossible to get sleep in the hospital. Every night everyone needs to come in to assess you (or the baby) every 4 or so hours (and these schedules are not synched). 

It's nice to be home.

It's a boy!

Born March 2nd at 6:02am, 8 lbs 8 ozs and 20" long. No name yet, soon.

Labor & Delivery

This is one of the best quotes I've found about labor "It takes a lot of pushing and stretching to move a baby the size of a melon through a cervical opening that starts out as the size of a kidney bean."1

The Positives of Still being Pregnant

I've been complaining a lot because I'm so tired. I'm trying to also think of the positive side of still being pregnant. I'm not quite to my due date, but at my last OB visit, he made an appointment for a week away, so that didn't exactly fill me with hope.

1. I have more time to get things done before the baby comes.
   
2. I'm closer to my due-date (which is a cool day, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed).
   
3. I'm not really scared of labor and delivery anymore because I'm so tired.
   
4. This is really the most convenient way of carrying the baby around (and I know he's warm).
   
5. He's certainly not premature.
   

Pedicures

I really suggest a pedicure for pregnant women. I got one at 7 months, one at 8 months, and one at 9 months. The 7 month one is really just a nice spoiling indulgence but by 9 months it really is wonderful. It's pretty hard to get to your toes and this way someone else paints them for you (so they look nice) and cuts them and everything. It sounds weird and in general I'd be uncomfortable with someone working on my feet, but by 9 months, it's totally worth it.

All the pregnancy books suggest them as a way to make yourself feel special. I can only really suggest them late in pregnancy when you're tired of trying to reach your feet :).

39 weeks

Nothing is new with the baby, The rest of the information in the book is about what to pack for the hospital stay.

The APA has more information:
Your baby is continuing to grow and working on the layer of fat underneath his/her skin. This is an important part of your baby’s ability to regulate their body temperature once they are born. Your baby is also beginning to form new skin cells which will replace older skin cells.

At this point you should really plan to take it easy. Your life will not be the same once this new addition arrives. So take some time for yourself, your partner, your family, and your friends.

Labor & Delivery

As the due date draws closer, I'll admit labor and delivery scare me more and more. I did have a freak-out about everything a couple of weeks ago. I'm a lot calmer since then. Now my worries have shifted from the horrible things that might happen to me to the horrible things that might happen to the baby.
It's a strange set of worries because there's nothing I can do about any of them. I'm giving birth in the hospital, there is a NICU, there will be fetal monitoring, and I can't prepare more than that. At first it really helped to tell myself millions of women have done this before me (and millions will after me) but as the date gets closer, that helps less and less.
I find myself much calmer after researching and saying I'll take epidural anesthesia. I guess I was more scared of the pain than I realized. The up-side of course is that each day is another day closer to actually meeting the baby.
I'll try to find time to write about everything once he's actually here.

Hospitalization

I was hospitalized a few weeks ago for dehydration. I woke up in the middle of the night with nausea and vomiting and when it didn't get better and I couldn't keep anything down we went in to the emergency department.
In retrospect it was kind of entertaining because in triage they asked if I had called labor and delivery (and no, I had not, I wasn't in labor). So they called labor and delivery who didn't seem to want me, then the ED attending who also didn't seem to want me, and finally labor and delivery again. I ended up in labor and delivery so the baby could be monitored (he was perfectly fine the whole time).
I had an IV for fluids and then anti-emetic drugs.
I won't say it was a fun experience and I didn't eat normally for about a week, but it was pretty reassuring. My OB was on-call and the nurses were very nice. It was kind of like a labor dry-run. Now we've tested how to get there, we were reminded to call first, and we've used one of the rooms.
Still, I don't suggest it for anyone.

Pregnant Women are Adorable

Okay, 6 or 7 month pregnant women are adorable. 9 month pregnant women are little barges wandering around hoping their water will break and they can be normal people again.

38 weeks

There isn't that much information this week except that there may be some dilation, but don't worry. I should keep my cell-phone charged (and so should Phil). The baby should be between 6 and 8 pounds.

The APA tells me to look for swelling in my feet now. And the baby news is that most of the organs are fully mature except for the brain and lungs and these will continue to mature during childhood.

Books I've Read (that I can recommend)

I've read two birth books that I can suggest.
1. Thank You, Dr Lamaze by Marjorie Karmel.
This one was well-written and fun to read. I liked her take on birth and her honesty about how she felt before, during, and after.

2. The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries
I thought this was good read (although it was a little mid-wife and home-birth heavy for me). It was honest, but not scary about everything.

Thing I did today (of note)

1. For the first time a total stranger touched my stomach (one more has, but she asked first).
   
2. I thought labor would be better than the way my research is going (some fear has clearly disappeared).
   
3. I watched the video Jacob has been trying to get me to watch for months (You Tube, 9 months in 20 seconds). 
   
4. I mailed off the last daycare application (I hope).
   

Things I Ponder about the Office

1. Why is there a jar of maraschino cherries in the fridge?
   
2. Who actually eats all the free food left out?
   
3. Am I really more effective at my desk or my kitchen table?
   
4. Am I the only one who wishes we had Muzak in the bathroom?
   
5. When are they going to finish carpeting our floor (they started about 2 years ago)?
   

37 weeks.

The baby weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is considered full term. Now he can be born at any time, although most first-time pregnancies are late.
Now is when to expect lightening, the baby getting ready to "drop" into position for the birth. This is important because although it lowers my center of gravity, it lessens the pressure on my diaphragm and I can breathe more easily.

The APA's information is: The amount of amniotic fluid begins to decline around 37 weeks. Braxton Hicks contractions also increase in frequency.

Fetal Movements

I was worried about fetal movement last week. I thought the baby wasn't moving enough so I called my OB. The nurse asked me if I had been feeling at least 5 kicks/hour. I had no idea, and I have no idea who is keeping a record of this.
So, instead I was told to drink some water, then drink something with sugar in it (juice, coke, etc) and lie down for an hour. I had to stay there and count kicks (up to 5) for an hour.
I felt 5 in less than an hour, so officially everything is okay, but it was a really boring/stressful time waiting for those kicks. I still don't keep track of the kicks/hour (because I have a normal life I assume), but it's nice to know I can check on things easily.

Fun games to play with a baby

From Do's and Don'ts with Babies (with many other good parenting tips)

36 weeks

The baby weighs around 6 pounds and is about 20 1/2 inches long.

All of his senses are well-developed and he has a sense of taste. He can hear a wide range of sounds and when he's born he'll be able to see faces from about 6 inches away.

The APA says the downy hair covering his body is starting to disappear and so is the vernix caseosa.

My Mother was right

Mom told me that by the time February rolled around i wouldn't care if the baby was born on the due date or not, I'd just be ready for him to be born. And I'm now forced to admit that while I still want him to have February 29th as a birthday, I'd really take any day in February (as long as he's healthy) so I'm no longer pregnant. Amazing the things mothers know.

35 weeks

The baby weighs about 5 1/2 pounds and is about 20 inches long (20 inches is a normal newborn isn't it).
The book says my feet may be swollen or feel flat (I'm not sure mine could ever be flat). I don't think I've gotten any swelling yet, at least not enough to notice.

So the APA says that most of the growth is complete and the kidneys are completely developed and the liver is beginning to process waste.

It also handily gives me a reason for why I'm short of breath...it is due to your uterus being underneath your rib cage, causing you to have difficulty breathing.

And finally, their advice is: by this point, you should have gained anywhere from 24 to 29 pounds. (Uhh, yeah)

Falling Down

I went to the dog park today and it was surprisingly muddy. The point of this is that, of course, I slipped and fell down. It must have been pretty good to watch because I almost caught myself mid-fall and then (and here I blame my new center of gravity) I slipped on some more mud and hit my knee on a stick and slide down part of the hill on my side. I'm pleased to say that my tummy was perfectly fine and I only bruised my leg...I'm even more pleased to say I didn't hit any dog poop. Either way, it was my first fall as a pregnant woman (which is interesting since I've always tripped all the time).

34 weeks!

The baby weighs about 5 pounds and is about 19 1/2 inches long. And the baby dreams a lot and he can make faces in response to his dreams. One wonders who did that research and how.

It also says that a lot of mothers will dream about their babies and some women say their dreams are accurate (to how to baby will look). I have not had this happen yet.

The amount of amniotic fluid peaks between 34 and 36 weeks and then starts to decrease to make more space for the baby. So the movements may feel different to me (I guess I have some more time though).

T. O. B. P.

One of my friends is a medical student and after his OB rotation told me about the diagnosis of T.O.B.P. or Tired of Being Pregnant. I think I'll be diagnosed with this soon. I had an OB appointment today and he liked my analysis: "I'm tired of being pregnant, but I'm not ready to have a baby yet."

Bony Feet

I think the baby has very bony feet (or elbows or whatever). Every once in awhile I get a really good kick that feel kind of like someone is poking a crochet hook into my side from the inside (not a knitting needles because they're so pointy). I can only assume this is a knee, elbow, foot, etc.
6 1/2 weeks to go

33 weeks!

7 weeks to go. I'd like to point out that 7 is an incredibly small number.

The baby weighs about 4.4 pounds and is almost 19 inches long. All the bones (except the skull) are hardening. Nesting is common in the third trimester and the book says that a strong nesting urge at the due date week can signal the onset of labor. The book also suggests freezing food now so we have plenty to eat (easily) after the baby is born.

Here's the APA's information on the baby:

Your baby’s skin is beginning to look less red and less wrinkled. Fat stores are continuing to be deposited under his/her skin. His/her bones are all beginning to harden except for the skull. The skull needs to remain soft and pliable for delivery.

And the kicks keep getting stronger...

This is an excellent sign, I know, but I'm beginning to fear a little for my internal organs. Everyone once in awhile I have a kick that's so hard you can see my stomach poke out a little (of course, these aren't all kicks, they could be little punches or even little head butts).

It's kind of neat, but it makes the baby feel more like "Alien."

32 weeks!

8 months.

The baby is 18 1/2 inches long and weighs around 4 pounds. The baby's skeleton is completely formed now and the lungs are continuing to mature.

I'm pleased to see the book back up some of my symptoms: fatigue, sleeping poorly, pain down the legs.
The APA says that now I may have trouble breathing or have some shortness of breath because the uterus is putting pressure on my diaphragm (and this can also cause increased heartburn, although I haven't had that yet). My total blood volume has increased 40-50% from normal.

So close and yet so far.

My Common Complaints

My most common complaints:

• I'm hungry.
• I'm tired.
• My back hurts.
• I'm uncomfortable.
• I have to potty.
• My stomach hurts (this is my actual stomach because I ate more than three bites).
• My tummy hurts (this is different from the stomach complaint).
• I had the weirdest dream last night (I don't know this is a complaint, but they are weird).