Grampa Steve

Here is Oliver with his Grampa Steve (my dad). He stayed over Saturday night and left Sunday afternoon. We had a good time hanging out. Grampa even fed little Ollie a bottle Sunday morning! mmmm!

 

diapers...

when we first found out we were going to have a baby we wanted to find out all the diapering alternatives. Putting 8-12 diapers a day in a landfill didn't appeal to us, but neither did washing all those poopy cloth ones. Well we found a happy medium - Gdiapers! They are cloth on the outside with a flushable insert. So far we've had a few leaks, but I think it's because they are a little big on our tiny baby. Find out more at www.gdiapers.com

Oliver had visitors! I didn't get very many pictures, and picasa isn't wanting to cooperate right now so I can't post any yet. Aunt Rachael, Uncle Dave, Aunt Sarah, cousin Delilah and Grampa Steve all came up on Saturday to spend some time with their new family member. Oliver seemed to like it a lot. I'll post more detail with pictures later.

Ollie got a stroller from Grampa while he was here. We went for a walk around the complex today and he seemed to have a good time. It was a little hot and muggy, but there was a really nice breeze. Pictures of Ollie in his stroller to be posted later, too.

He's been eating VERY well! Everyone said he'd just get it one day, and it was true. He just latched on real quick one time, and since then he's had it down pretty well. He even had two meals with no bottle today! Hooray for Oliver!!!

Pic of the day

 

Pic of the day

 

What a difference!

The top picture is Ollie just after he was born, below it is Ollie now. I can really tell that he's gained weight. He looks so chubby now!

 

Monkey...

This little monkey's gone bananas!
 

The Thinker...

 

Yesterday was Oliver's two week birthday! To celebrate we went out to buy diapers. We were both exhausted when we got home. We also stopped by RTG to let Ollie meet everyone. They all thought he was super cute! (which of course he is)
Last night at his 12:00 feeding he seemed a little warm and wasn't acting like himself. At 3am, after rocking him and feeding him, I took his temperature and it was 99.1 so I got very upset and woke poor Bob. It wasn't enough of a temperature to call the dr, but I felt very guilty for exposing him to germs and people and stuff. He finally fell asleep and so did I. I woke up at 5 and he felt normal again, and so I made him another bottle, which he didn't want. I was very relieved and so I went back to sleep. He's acting fine today, though, so I was worried for nothing.
He started latching better, he'll usually go about 10 minutes or so on each side at every feeding. I think part of the problem is that as soon as he latches on he starts to fall asleep. I have to keep rubbing his cheeks or pinching his ear to wake him back up.
I noticed today, or realized I guess, that our wedding anniversary is 9-4-04 and Oliver's birthday is 9-6-06. Kind of an interesting thing with the numbers. Maybe we'll plan to have our next baby on 9-8-08 to keep up the trend.
I was getting excited about the house we've been working on buying. Now though, I'm frustrated about it. Apparently the seller is changing her mind and doesn't really want to sell it now. She is refusing to fix any of the major things that are wrong with it. This wouldn't be a problem except that if we back out now we still have to pay for the home inspection and the pest inspection. Seems to me that if SHE backs out then she should pay for it. She's wasted our time and energy, and we only have another month on this lease! ARRRRRRGH!

Pic of the day

 

Ollie update

We had a home visit from the Guilford Co Health Dept today to check on Ollie. The nurse weighed him and checked him out from head to toe. He weighs 6 pounds 1 oz now! That means since last week he's gained 9 oz. He has a little bit of diaper rash, but that's pretty standard I guess. His reflexes and temperature were good, too. She went over some general information and asked a lot of questions. Overall though, he's doing very well!

He is latching a lot better today. Yesterday I got very frustrated because he didn't latch at all. Today at his first feeding he latched right away and ate for 10 minutes on one side and 15 on the other. This feeding he did 5 minutes on each side. I'm glad he's getting better at it. I was starting to feel like a big fat failure.

I'm starving all the time. I guess because when you are making milk you just use so many calories, but for goodness sake. I feel like I need to eat all the time. Right now I'm eating some of the Tater Tot Casserole that Dolly made. It's actually pretty yummy!

Tomorrow will be my first day by myself. Bob has to go to work and no one is coming to stay with me. I'm not really nervous about it at all. Everything has gone really well so far. I usually sleep til noon anyway, so most of the day will be gone and it won't be that long until Bob gets home when I get up. I know that sounds lazy, but it's just because I get up every 3 hours to feed the little bug. It's very hard work!

Playing

This is Ollie playing on the quilt that Nanny made him. He likes it a lot!
 

Pic of the day

 

Pic of the day

 

Updates...

Well so far I haven't had to spend any day without help. Bob was off work until Wednesday, and then on Thursday and Friday Dolly came down to help out. What a help she was, too! The first day we just sat around and chatted mostly, but she answered some of the questions I still had. Yesterday I packed some boxes while she cooked us 3 delicious casseroles. Then she let me take a nap for about an hour or so before Bob came home. It was VERY nice. I also got some dishes washed and a few other small things done too. I caught up writing in Oliver's book so that he'll know what all went on while he was so tiny.
Today I'm doing laundry. There's so much of it! Ollie has decided that he likes to pee OUTSIDE the diaper. Anyone know how to prevent that? We have gone through several outfits and even more blankies because of it. He even peed on Bob earlier today!
He's starting to latch better, even though he still doesn't get it every time. Once he gets it though he will usually go about 15 or 20 minutes. I've stopped pumping at night so that I don't have to get up every 3 hours and stay up for one and a half for each feeding. He wakes up almost exactly every 3, and usually takes about 2 ounces if not more. I think he's gained weight because he looks chubbier.
I feel like I want to get out of the house, but I'm still not supposed to take Ollie out. I don't want to go anywhere by myself either, and we can't just leave the little guy at home while we go out.
We took him for a walk the other night and he got to meet Jasper's girlfriend and her mom. Jaimee liked him very much and we spent a little while talking about his birth and stuff. He got bit by a mosquito while we were out, though! Poor little guy, right on his cheek. I guess I won't take him out after dark anymore because that's when the bugs are out. Unless it gets colder soon and the bugs all go away.
I suppose that's all for now, there are a few new pictures below.

Judy's onsie...

She thought he wouldn't like it! Look at what a great job she did!
 

nice hair

I gave Ollie a mohawk...hehehe
 

Jason's creation...

Here is Oliver in the onsie that Jason made. Isn't he cute!
 

Pic of the day

 

One for Mom

He needs peas and quiet! That still cracks me up!!
 

Pic of the day

 

funny, huh?

Here's Oliver with his boppy pillow. He was trying to recreate being in the womb.
 

First bath!

Here is Oliver just before and just after his first bath. He didn't like it very much but he did really well once he was wrapped back up in that warm towel. Isn't he the cutest?


 

Things I have learned...

The last 5 days since Oliver was born have been a whirlwind of new experiences. Here are a few things I have learned...

1. Having a baby is hard work, but I can handle it
2. Babies poop A LOT
3. It's hard not to talk baby talk to someone so tiny
4. I'm not afraid of babies anymore
5. You really DO have a "motherly instinct"
6. It's hard not to cry when you think your something is wrong with your baby
7. You can miss someone, even if he's just down the hall or in the next room
8. It's hard to put down a baby, they're so snuggly!
9. breast pumps make you feel like a cow
10. I can wake up without an alarm, even if I've only slept for an hour or so

Oliver Lucian

means "Peaceful man of light"

He had an appointment at the pediatrician's today to check his jaundice. The doctor said he looked great! She also said that the puss that was in his left eye yesterday and both eyes today is just a blocked tear duct and that all we have to do is keep cleaning it with a warm washcloth and stroking down his nose as well to clear out the blockage. He gained 2 ounces since Saturday, too!! She said overall he's doing wonderfully.

He had his first adventure yesterday. We took him for a walk around the pond. He saw 3 geese, a heron, a bunch of ducks, a spider in a big pretty web, and he found two little blue feathers. He had a really good time, and he got out in the sun, which helped get rid of his jaundice. I think he's going to love the great outdoors!

Oh yeah, thank you to captain obvious who pointed out that my ticker is inaccurate (see comment on my last post) Believe it or not it's rather hard to find any time to get on here and post, so it was really nice to get a stupid comment after I spent about 5 hours typing that. I have had my hands full and haven't had a chance to take it down yet. Oh and obviously he was premature.

birth story

This is the way I remember things, starting with Tuesday, even though he wasn't born until Wednesday...

Tuesday morning I still didn't feel very well (see the post below for why). We had an appointment to go see a house so I got dressed and off we went. We really liked the house, and told the realtor that we wanted to go ahead and make an offer. He said we should go over the house really well so we knew what we wanted to offer. As we were going around my back was hurting and I just wanted to sit down so I went back and sat in the car until they were finished. Bob came back out and we decided to go to Wal Mart to return some things and get some other things. When we got there I was not doing well standing in the line to return the stuff so I went and sat on a bench while Bob took care of business. When he was done we went back and got a wheelchair and Bob wheeled me around while we picked up the things we needed. When we were done we went home and I just rested for the rest of the evening. Bob made some spaghetti and it was really good! We went to bed at about 10:30.
I didn't actually go to sleep until 11:30, but got up every hour to go to the bathroom. (I was still having diarrhea) and my back hurt a whole lot! Finally around 6ish Bob's alarm went off and he was sort of awake. I told him how I felt and he asked if I wanted him to stay home with me that day. I told him no, to go to work I'd be fine. He got ready for work, and took the dog out. When he came back he asked me again if I wanted him to stay home. At this point I was having some cramping across my lower abdomen so I told him that he better stay. We called the birth center and since they were not open yet we left a message and waited for the midwife to call us back. When she did we told her what was going on and she told us to go ahead and go to the hospital. We got our things together and headed out. While we were driving the pain was getting worse so Bob was driving as fast as he could, honking and passing people. We got to the hospital and as we were walking across the parking deck I had a contraction and the parking attendant looked over and saw us. She ran up to the building and brought back a wheelchair and rushed us into the hospital. We rushed past admitting and straight to the 5th floor where they put us in a room and the midwife checked me. She said that I was dilated 3 cm and that this baby was coming out today. She offered some pain meds, and I let her know that I wanted none at all unless I asked for them. I think we got to the hospital around 10:45. They put us into another room where they hooked up the IV with the penicillin (my appointment for my Group B Strep had been scheduled for Friday). They also hooked up the fetal monitor and stuff. I don’t remember everything at this point. I do remember that the contractions were getting closer together for a while, and when one would come I would grab Bob or Bob’s shirt. After a while he got me my teddy bear and the labor necklace. I used the bear as a pillow against the edge of the bed. Then it seemed to me anyway, that the contractions were so far apart. I was sleeping in between them and each time I would think “this is going to take forever if these contractions don’t get closer together”. Although, as it turns out, even though it felt like 30 minutes of very refreshing sleep, it was only 30 seconds or so. At 8 cm I was getting such a strong urge to push that I could not stop myself. The midwife kept telling me to blow the pain away, but I just couldn’t stop from pushing. They gave me oxygen to help me breathe. Soon they were actually telling me to push, and I was really trying! After a few sessions of pushing I didn’t feel like I was making any progress so I asked if he was coming. Someone, I’m not sure who, said that his head was showing, and that he had a lot of hair. I reached down and felt his head. Bob said I started crying, but I don’t remember that. After that I pushed and pushed, but it was so hard. I felt like my head would explode and my lips went numb. The midwife said that if I didn’t get it in a few more pushes they were going to have to use the vacuum extractor thing. Oh yeah, even though I definitely did not want it, she gave me the episiotomy. THAT pain was almost worse than a contraction. I screamed like a crazy person! Anyway, when she said that I got upset. There was no way that I was going to let my baby get his head suctioned! I pushed and pushed and pushed with the next contraction. The next thing I knew his head was out, and then with a gush the rest of him came out, too! They rushed him over to give him oxygen and get him warmed up. No one told me at the time, but apparently with each contraction his heart rate was going down. Bob says when he came out they rushed him to cut the cord. He was so purple. The cord was wrapped around his neck, belly, and one leg. I’m not sure how he ended up that way. After a few minutes I asked if I could see him and the brought him over. He looked better (I didn’t see him before, but bob said he was almost black!) but he was still purple. I snuggled him a little bit and then they took him to get him under some lights for warmth and give him more oxygen. Just after they took him the midwife started helping me get the placenta out. It took a while, but it blurped out. I asked to see it and she came over and showed it to me. Bob said that he wanted to keep it, so it’s in our freezer now. The midwife started to stitch me up and in came my mom and sister! I was shaking so badly, I felt cold and I was exhausted! My mom said they had seen the baby in the hallway and he was so beautiful. She gave me a big hug and told me that I had done good. After I got stitched up they wheeled me out to the recovery area, and on the way from delivery to recovery they stop and you get to push a button that plays a lullaby to let everyone know that a baby was just born. We got into the room and started getting guests, but that’s a story for another time.

Brothers...

Here is Jasper with his new brother. They got along really well, and Jasper didn't even act weird. He does like to lick baby toes though! 

Our family..

This is Bob, Oliver and I a few hours after he was born. The only family member missing in this picture is Jasper. 

beautiful boy!!

Here are a few more pictures of the sweetest baby ever! The people he is with are Gramma Diane (middle right) then from right to left on the bottom is Aunt Rach-O, Pappy, and Nanny. Isn't he the most adorable baby you've ever seen? He's so well behaved too! He doesn't cry hardly ever, and he's eating like a madman! 

Welcome!

Oliver Lucian, just after he was born on 9-6-06
 

The show...

Ok so here's what happened. Saturday at work the store ordered KFC and I ate some. I knew I shouldn't have, it was greasy, but I was hungry. After work we went out with Kyle and Cindy to a Chinese buffet. I didn't eat anything odd there, so I don't blame them for what happened next. All that night I felt bloated, like I had gas or needed to go to the bathroom, but when I did nothing happened. Sunday I didn't have to work so Bob and I spent the day doing some stuff and lounging around the house. I still felt horrible. Monday I went to work, even though when I got up I felt worse than ever, and it was our 2 year wedding anniversary. Bob told me to call out, but I went in anyway. The day was pretty unbusy, so I just sat in a corner doing almost nothing and moving as little as possible. At about 1 my inlaws stopped by on their way back from WV and took us to lunch. We had a pretty good time with them, although the service at Ruby Tuesday was lacking. After I got back to work I still felt pretty bad so I did some busy work that I do for the manager every month. When I was finished I was going to hand out the finished product to the salespeople, but stopped by the bathroom first. To my dismay, I had a little bit of blood on the TP! I started to get nervous, so I called Bob and he told me to come on home. I talked to my mgr and she said it would be ok so off I went. I spent the rest of the night calling people and trying to figure out if this was something I needed to really worry about or not. I laid on the couch and drank lots of water. Bob made me some yummy spaghetti for dinner. We went to bed fairly early and I slept really well! I only got up 4 times. I didn't end up calling the birth center until Tuesday morning though. They very calmly told me that it was probably just the mucous plug and that I could go about life as usual. Well, that was a relief! I still felt miserable most of the morning, but after I took a nap I felt better. Not great, but better. So I've been reading up on the mucous plug and apparently I could go into labor ANYTIME! I'M NOT READY!!!
So, if anyone can help me out...I need to know what else I absolutely MUST have when the baby comes home. I have a bassinet and a crib, I have a car seat, i have plenty of clothes and blankets and diapers. What else do I need?!?!?

Asheville shower

Here is a group picture of everyone at the Asheville shower. From left to right: Rachael, Dave, Bob, me, Dale, Mom, Delilah, Sarah, Aunt Sandy, and Gramma
 

belly picture

Here is a picture of my belly, taken August 20th at the shower in Asheville.