Here comes Fall!

One of the things I love the most about living in the Midwest is the changes in seasons. Ok, so winter I could do without so much of, however, I do enjoy a little snow. It just doesn't have to drag on for months. We are finally experiencing a cool down in the evenings and it isn't getting BLAZING hot during the day. This type of weather is absolutely perfect for walks, sitting in the yard with the dogs, and my personal favorite, fires! I haven't roasted a marshmallow yet, but trust I will soon....very soon!

This past weekend we took advantage of actually being at home for the entire weekend, first weekend for that in months. Unfortunately, Coen had strep so he wasn't feeling the best but we managed. He refused to nap and was only calm when mommy or daddy was holding him, so we walked around the house a lot inside and out.

Even with him being sick I still managed to take these sweet pictures of him hanging out with Tuco. (To tell the honest truth, the bibs were ones B wore as a kid so I had been meaning to get them on him before he grew out of them. I had no intentions of Tuco being in the pics, but when I sat Coen down Tuco came right over and laid down right beside him.. )

Coen looks like he isn't too sure about Tuco in the top picture, but actually he gets EXTREMELY excited when he sees Tuco.
You can tell by his droopy eyes that he wasn't feeling the best, but the warm sunshine kind of helped.
Daddy kissing/tickling him.

Our little salior boy!

My parents have a ski boat and for as long as I have been alive they have been avid boaters. Now that I think about it I think my father probably had a boat before he had his driver’s license. So boating has been a big part of my “summer” life. If the boat wasn’t miles away zooming up and down the gulf coast it was running about in a local lake. The majority of my favorite childhood memories were made because of boating. As you can tell, it was a very big part of my life so in turn I couldn’t wait to get Coen out on the water! Because of when he was born he was a little older for his first trip, 3 months, I was half that and my first trip was the Gulf of Mexico whereas, Coen’s was in Hardy Lake.


The trip was rather short and was mainly to get the boat out on the water to see how Coen would do. Unfortunately, our batteries died on our camera that day (I know a mother’s worst fear), but my parents did have their camera. I haven’t gotten the photos from them but I will get them soon.

I do, however, have pictures from his 2nd trip on the boat. Our family got together for dad’s birthday. AND…..our camera was ready to go!!

Feeling the wind blowing in his long locks

B and Coen: he preferred the shirt to the jacket. So much so he thought he would chew on it.

Coen and I: he loves the water!

After a quick nap on the boat he was ready to boogie!

Back in the water with Papaw and Gammy

We had a great day with the family! Hopefully dad had a good birthday, I know he loved sharing one of his favorite hobbies with his grandson.

Posting will get added into my weekly schedule

Well I thought when I began blogging, that I would be committed to updating…wrong! Since my last post B and I have decided for me to stay home full time with Coen. We have had quite a summer, next weekend will mark 5 months since I started the best job I have ever had.


Coen has been rolling over from back to belly for a few weeks now. He recently found his toes and in case you didn’t know he has the best feet in the world, he will tell you so.

His favorite thing to do when he wakes up is blow raspberries and roll around in his crib holding his left foot. We aren’t sure if the left foot is easier to grab or if he is going to be left handed like his momma  :)


Over the past few weeks we have been pretty busy with finishing some projects at home, visitors, and a few small trips here and there. A few weeks ago B's cousin, Tracee came up from South Carolina to visit with all of her family and introduce their new twins to a lot of their family that hasn't made it down to visit them yet.  So we took the opportunity to get the babies all together again.  Fortunately, B & Tracee's high school class is still pretty close 11 yrs out, (Yea, they are old) :), so we went to dinner with the Biltz's who had their daughter one day after Tracee and Nick's twins (NOTE: They all shared the same due date March 26th, whereas B & I were March 30th, so yes if you are guessing the twins and Eliza Biltz were all 8 wks early.)  Here are some pictures of our fabulous dinner! 

(From Left to Right: Jeremiah & 2yr daughter Brylee, BJ & 5 month daughter Eliza, B & Coen (not so happy, he was VERY hungry, Tracee & 5 month Hadlee, Josh & borrowed twin Owen Kooper)

Of course with a group this size we insisted on a couple of takes, actually I was hoping Coen would hold off a few more seconds and smile..

 

(Yay! We were able to distract him a little bit..but if you notice he is still frowning.)

This is the entire group! (Minus Nick, Tracee's husband & twins papa...he has a crazy work schedule and wasn't able to come up for the visit until the end of their stay.)

It was such a great evening!  We were all really happy we were able to get together.  I will admit I know on-lookers were very interested in the 4 car seats and 2 yr old.  Even with all of the adults someone still asked me if all of the babies were quads. 

Hopefully, we will be able to continue this dinner in the future!! 

First Week

Once we had settled in, B and I found out this whole parenting thing was a pretty good gig.  Because Coen had some jaundice he had to be parked in the sunlight a lot of the time.  However, it did make for some pretty good pictures. 

If you remember Coen decided it was time to make his entrance during the Purdue game the week before and I had promised when I thought it was labor that he could stay up and watch the game with daddy if he actually came then.  Of course, he was going to take me up on the offer, so I had to keep my end.  He put on his PU sleeper and hat and watched the game with daddy.

He of course slept through the game and as you might know, Purdue lost that game. :( 

Broc really enjoyed his week off with Booger.

Uncle Bret came to visit the Friday after we were home and I think he really enjoyed getting to spend time with Coen and Broc.

Current news:  Coen LOVES to be tickled, he cracks up everytime.  I know I am a nut when I talk to him but there is nothing better in the world than watching him laugh his butt off at me. 

Home Sweet Home

At 1:15pm on March 24, we were finally on our way home! We had been released earlier in the morning, but Coen had a few tests that had to be ran for his billirubin levels. Everything came back within the normal range so we were out the door!

Of course, B and I were both terrified of driving with Coen but I think every parent has that "first car ride" fear. I sat in the back seat just incase he woke up during the 45 min drive. Before we pulled out of the parking lot I will never forget B's comment, he turned to me and looked at the car seat and said, "Ugh, we have to get on the interstate and go 70 miles an hour." It was his first 'fatherly' comment that made me realize how different a mother and father's roles can be.

While we both have the same fears and concerns we view everything differently. B's biggest concern was protecting Coen from the outside world. (Yep, all of you :) ) He hated the idea of him being on the interstate and being vunerable to the semi's and other vehicles. My biggest concern with car ride was Coen waking up and being terrified because he wouldn't know where he was or waking up and being hungry. I knew B was driving so I wasn't worried about the dangers of the road. It was at that moment that I realized we both played the parent part pretty well, B could handle the protection part and me well I could take on making sure Coen was happy. Of course over the next few days we would both learn all of the different avenues to Coen's well being.

A New World

The hours following Coen's birth seemed to fly. Saying I was exhausted doesn't really cover how tired I really was. All I wanted to do was stare at him but I couldn't even hold my head up long enough to eat. We were moved to a different room where we would stay for the rest of our time there. Of course the nurses offered to keep Coen in the nursery for a few hours for us to get some sleep, but I couldn't handle him not being there. After my parents and B's mom left we decided it was time for a our first family nap, (you quickly learn with a newborn that all you will get for a long time is just a bunch of naps). Coen slept for a while but was sure to wake up to eat. For those of you with children you know that those first few days it is very difficult to keep them awake while nursing. You wouldn't know by looking at him but we did struggle for a while trying to keep him awake to eat.

Right after his birth we were informed that he had a hematoma across the back of his head, (a BIG blood bruise), it was due to Dr. Richardson having to use suction. The nurses all said it looked a lot worse than it was and it would probably be gone in a few days. Of course I was tore up over it because it did look awful and I was so worried that it was hurting him. By the time we got up on Tuesday the blood was nearly reabsorbed! My parents came back and brought tons of BOY clothes, because as I mentioned we didn't find out Coen was a boy prior to his birth.

We spent the rest of our stay learning how to properly nurse and just trying to absorb every little breath.

The days at the hospital seemed to fly by. However, when it came time to go home I was very ready! Coen was slightly jaundice so he was monitored regularly during our hospital stay, he was never bad enough to have to stay under the lights but they did want us to get into our pediatrician the day after we went home.

Current News: Coen rolled over from his belly to his back last night!! Daddy and mommy both went crazy and we were so happy that we were both there to see it. :-)

Its been how long???

I was catching up on some the blogs I frequent; I realized it has been MONTHS since I have posted. Since my last post our world has COMPLETELY changed.

Our little Spark has made it: growing by leaps and bounds, had our first bout with strep throat, went on vacation, and I have went back to work.

I will try over the next few days to catch up on all of the above topics and include some current stuff! But first things first lets get booger here:

B and I had done something very odd for this day in age...we didn't find out the sex prior to delivery. I had a feeling it was a girl and B wouldn't even guess (he hates to be wrong so he played the safe bet). So rather than blow it right this minute for you I will make you wait as long as we did :-)

Sunday, March 21: The entire weekend I had been feeling fantastic, it was particularly sunny and warm so I sat outside on the back patio a lot just absorbing all the sunshine. I was relaxed and well rested. It was the best I had felt for about a month. Purdue was playing in the tournament, of course, we were tuned in! Around 4:30 (tip off being at 5:30) I noticed a backpain that kept coming and going every 10 mins. It wasn't strong at the time so I didn't even mention it to B right away. However, by 5:30, mind you he had just set down for the game, I mentioned the pains. He jokingly said, "Maybe you're in labor," he did follow up a few minutes later with, "tell me when you have one." So for the next hour, every 8-10mins, "There's another one!" Of course he was trying to watch the game but I don't know that he paid to much attention to the game because he was very excited at the thought that I could be in labor. Around 8:30, I told him I was pretty sure I was in labor. The doctors had told us the "every 5 mins for an hour" rule and my contractions were still ranging 6-8 mins. Around 10:30pm they dropped down to every 5 mins. We timed them perfectly for an hour then called the doctor. She told B to bring me in! We arrived at the hospital at 12:15am, Monday, March 22.

Monday, March 22: After checking in, I was whisked away to the Women's center and given my own little suite. I was hooked up to all the monitors that did indeed confirm I was in labor. The nurse had told us that she had called Dr. Richardson and she was planning on starting pitocin at 7 am depending on the progress I made on my own overnight.

The contractions continued and around 3:15am I rolled over to tell B I needed to use the restroom when I felt a slight trickle of fluid. I said, "well I guess I waited to long, I either peed or my water broke, but either way I need the nurse." He pushed the button and asked her to come in. She tested the liquid and said "Yep, your water just broke!" I was 4cm dialated at the time. I had planned on trying to have the baby with out an epidural but after the first couple of contractions, post losing my water, I requested the epidural! I was given the epidural around 5:30am. At this time my parents had made it to the hospital.

Just received the epidural...much happier!

By 9:00am I was 6cm dialated and they said probably in the next couple of hours I would be pushing. At 11:00am, the nurse checked me and told us I was 10 cm and it was time to start pushing!! I pushed for about an hour and they began to believe the baby's head was turned. Dr. Richardson checked and said the baby was looking sideways, she helped the baby out a little bit but convincing it to turn face down. Another hour passed, 1pm, and I hadn't made any more progress. Dr. Richardson suggested we opt for suction, which essentially is a tiny plunger, B and I had a very short conversation and agreeded it was time for something! Dr. Richardson used the suction one time helping the baby just the smallest bit and I pushed. At 1:15pm, Monday, March 22, I heard the words I had been waiting (so inpatiently) to hear, "It's a BOY, a really BIG boy!" Coen Micheal was here!

He came out crying. They plopped him on my belly and I realized at that point how big he actually was! Dr. Richardson said, "I bet he is 8lbs 12oz." First lets revert back 1 week prior when she had said, "this baby will be about 6.5lbs to 7lbs at birth, no bigger, because your belly is measuring for a small baby." Fast forward 7 days and she is in awe over his size. He weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 21inches long.

Coen was absolutely perfect. All 10 fingers were long and all 10 toes were short and chubby. He had little baby rolls and the most perfect cheeks for pinching. His eyelashes were definitely his daddy's and his nose and lips were his mama's. He had every little boy's dream a natural mohawk that wouldn't lay down for anything. Our love for him was instant...he had wrapped from the first squal. I couldn't imagine anything else being more perfect. God definitely blessed us!

I will do my best to catch everyone up on the days in the hospital next and our homecoming :-)

Packing up!

I had some things thrown in a bag a few weeks ago that I called the "hospital bag." However, I never really set down and made sure I had everything completely ready. This weekend I officially created our hospital bag! Last Monday when we went to the doctor he said I was 1 cm dilated! Of course, as we go back tonight I have high hopes of hearing I am a lot further.

Last week I ordered 24 Bumgenius OS pockets that will hopefully last us the entire diapering stage. I was so excited to get them last Thursday, even more excited to have a sweet little baby to put in them! I spent about an 1 hr Friday, after washing all of them and the inserts, stuffing them all and putting them away.

After finishing the diapers Friday, I drove to the mall to pick up the outfits we had picked out for Bug to come home from the hospital in. Since we don't know the gender everything we have is gender neutral, but we really felt that the outfit Bug came home from should scream boy or girl.

B installed the car seat the other night. Which after everything I have been doing it was a shock to me how real him doing that made it for me.

The only thing I have left to do is create my play list for labor.

All in all, even if I don't get to go a little early the latest we will be meeting Bug will be in 3 weeks!

Nesting...

So I had thought a few weeks ago that my nesting instinct was setting in...I can't sit still!! B was trying to get me to watch a movie the other night and only about 30 mins into it I began focusing on what I could/should be doing. I couldn't sit there any longer so I started in with the laundry and numerous other things.

This past weekend we finish up all of our shopping, well at least the things I know we HAVE to have the day Bug comes home. As I mentioned before, or I think I did, we are cloth diapering I found ONE store in the city that sells cloth diapers and accessories. Yea, you read right ONE! I knew going into it that it has become quite rare to find a cloth diapering momma but I was quite disappointed to find out that there is only ONE store near us. They do carry just about everything we will need, but of course the variety is slim. I suppose we will have to use the Internet to experiment with different brands. For those of you who do cloth diaper, here is my stash for when Bug arrives please leave ANY advice!!

24 newborn AIO (all-in-ones)
12 infant PF (prefolds)
1 x-small Thirsties cover
4 size 1 Thirsties duo covers
2 small Thirsites covers
40 Terry/flannel wipes
2 pail liners
1 wet bag (for diaper bag)

I have intentions to make approx. 12 small fitteds, my pattern's small is 11-22 lbs. I might make more depending on time. I am still thinking I need to get 12 more premium PF's just to have ready, because after I washed the infant ones I became concerned as to how long they will last (they REALLY shrink).

I have also ordered Booty Cubes, a solution for wipes. I ordered a sample package that per the WAHM who made them should last for quite a while. I can't wait to make the first batch because the cubes smell amazing, I just have to decide what scent to start with! (If I was super techie I could figure out how to highlight Booty Cubes and send you to her site, but I am not so if you want it leave me a comment and I will get it to you)

Other than stocking the changing table, I have washed EVERYTHING that looked remotely washable this weekend. B kept pulling stuff out of the dryer complaining that Bug wasn't even here to dirty stuff yet.

This week I have been working on putting everything together. The dresser FINALLY showed up today, YAY! Everything that goes in it is patiently waiting on the floor.

Soon I will add photos of the room and maybe a belly pic or two.

Counting Down

So we are finally into single digits, in regards to the weeks left. I am finding it hard to believe how quickly 8 months have passed, but yet it seems like everyday is getting longer now.

Bug, as I affectionately call our bundle, has been moving a lot in the evenings when I lay down for bed. Meaning I am up an hour past my normal bedtime trying to convince Bug we should sleep. For those of you who know me know that my 4:30 am alarm comes quite quickly and that hour is very needed!

I have started this blog for Bug, I am hoping to journal his/her first year; I want Bug to know all of his/her milestones and all the worrying and most of all happiness he/she brings to our life. Also since we have a lot of family and friends who live away from us I hope that this blog helps them to feel like they can watch Bug grow over the next year (and longer).

So you catch you all up to speed: I am currently 33 wks pregnant. As you can probably tell from above we decided to not find out the sex of the baby 13 wks ago. I know this day in age everyone does but I really didn't want to know because it doesn't matter to us and we really wanted to share the moment in delivery when the doctor says, "It's a ____!" We recently had our shower, we were VERY blessed by all of our family and friends! The nursery is coming together. Broc painted it a few months ago and we had new carpeting installed back in October. We finally chose a bed in December and had it delivered. We searched high and low for neutral bedding that we both agreed on. I finally found Pottery Barn Kids, Cottontail Friends. To simply put it: I LOVE IT! A while back we also decided to cloth diaper Bug so I have been working on making AIO, all in ones. Of course I will order some so I am not having to make 30 some diapers. So whats left? Well.....

We still need to get a dresser, more diapers, bottles, and some other odds-n-ends. We don't have very many sleepers but that is mainly because we don't know the gender and there just aren't many neutral clothing options out there! So Papa has been given full responsibility of newborn sleepers and some outfits for Bug. Yep, the man who doesn't shop will get to pick out a lot of the clothing Bug will get to wear while Mama and Bug are in the hospital. His only rule is no sports clothing! I think the 2 Cardinals oneies and 1 Purdue sleeper are enough for right now. Of course a Colts oneies will be thrown into the mix next season. :)

As of now I will shoot for a new post once a week until Bug gets here. Oh and I have full intentions of learning how to add pictures but for now it will be boring ol'letters.

One more thing, if you are a momma and there is something you use everyday and can't live without PLEASE give me some ideas!

Hope you all have a blessed day!