Picture of the Day

Someone loves their animals!

Who says newborns can't laugh?

Often when Drew falls asleep in my arms, he smiles and laughs. I know most people say that it's just gas, but I did manage to catch him 'laughing' yesterday. I definitely believe now that newborns know how to smile and laugh when they are sleeping, they just can't perform when awake yet!

You tell me what you think....

(PS - His eyes look open, but when he's asleep, they are often kinda open like this!)

Big Boy Chair

Just a shot of our little man in his Pottery Barn Kids 'big boy chair' from Mimi and Grandpa!

First Bath

Andrew was not a fan of his first bath, but has since then begun to not mind it. He especially loves his little scalp massaged, but hates his toosh touched!

First Glimpse

Some of my blog posts are out of order as I'm still a bit behind on uploading and sorting through all of the hundreds of pictures we took the first week! I did come across this one and thought it was so sweet. It was from my first look at our beautiful baby boy.

I now know what they mean when they say that you don't understand how you could love something this much at first glimpse. He is a perfect little angel and I love him with all of my heart already. To think that Derek and I created this wonderful little life amazes me and I find myself tearing up often just looking at his precious little face. I'm so honored to get to be called his mother.

Andrew's Birth Story

I wanted to share Andrew's birth story on here as a way to keep it saved in time, but also fill in the details for friends and family who are interested!

Drew's induction began at 4am on January 12th at a wonderful Cleveland Clinic hospital here in snowy Ohio. The anticipation ran so high that I'm pretty sure I only enjoyed a few hours sleep the night before. Either way, I was ready.

Once checked in, my first nurse led me to the the room where I would experience my first contractions leading to the miracle of life. I remember her being completely not what I imagined. I was expecting this happy labor and delivery nurse who would walk me through the process with a smile on her face and a caring demeanor. Instead, her shift was ending in an hour or so and she shuffled me through the process with annoyance and a cold aura. She administered the pitocin, watched my monitor off and on and then her shift thankfully ended. The next nurse was wonderful. I wish I could remember her name, but she's what you want by your side when there is stress on your baby or questions to be asked.

Around 8:14am, my OBGYN, Dr. Jean Reinhold, came to break my water in hopes of speeding up labor. I was progressing fairly slow and I knew that breaking the water was a normal next step. The contractions still didn't really start until around 9:30am. I was quite surprised at how minimal they felt, even joking with Derek about how this wasn't so hard. My mind dwelled on the fact that my stomach was hungry as the contractions began to slowly increase. The idea of a natural labor was something I was open to try, but after an hour or so of deep contractions becoming exponentially worse, I knew it wasn't for me. Derek would later tell me that I looked and sounded like someone possessed writhing in pain. My power labor music wasn't doing it's job and I needed pain management. I opted for the epidural at 11:30am and it felt like forever for the anesthesiologist to get to the room. Just like the cliche, I was terrified of the huge needle and it's a joke when they tell you to hold still despite going through an incredibly strong contraction. I absolutely hated the fact that Derek wasn't allowed to be in the room for the shot, but my wonderful nurse helped me get through the fear and pain. And then bliss set in.

With the pain minimized, I was able to relax and enjoy the experience; even catching a bit of sleep! We watched TV, hung out with Matt and Whitney (who were in town) and just enjoyed what we could. That afternoon, however, my relaxed state shifted dynamics a bit when Drew began to show signs of stress. His heart rate wasn't reacting to my contractions how they should and I was quickly shifted into a few different positions to help. Nothing helped and we seemed to be slipping into a more dangerous state by the minute. I tried to hold back tears as Derek did everything he could to make me feel better over those two hours. The word "c-section" was thrown around and I was mentally and emotionally preparing myself to go that route. I always knew it was an option and wasn't one of those women who are "against" anything. I figured it was 2011 and the world of medicine knew what they were doing. I was more worried with the recovery time and the scar it would leave. Ultimately, I let them know that they needed to do whatever necessary to make sure my little boy came out healthy.

Finally, my amazing OB made the call to increase the pitocin back up to where it was earlier that morning. If Andrew's stress continued, we would go immediately into surgery to bring him out. If he handled the increase better, we could continue laboring in the room and hope for a vaginal birth. Our little angel decided he wanted to come out the natural way and did a great job keeping his heart rate at a solid level. At about 5pm, the pressure became extreme and I was fully dilated. It was time. Time to do what I had been preparing for the last 10 months. Time to make Derek a father and myself a mother. As Derek texted family with an update for the 79th time that morning, I braced myself and began to push with my OB, nurses and Derek by my side.

After an hour of excruciating pushes, I became very exhausted. With no calories to give me energy and each push feeling like I was going to explode, I remember the fear of not being able to continue. I CRAVED those 2 minutes in between contractions where I could relax. Finally, during one push I heard a nurse say "he has a bunch of light brown hair" and saw Derek's eyes begin to well up. This was the motivation I needed to make those last few painful pushes in order to meet our son. At 6:22 pm, after about 13 hours of labor, Drew emerged into this world and immediately let out a huge cry. I remember thinking I was so very thankful to hear his voice quickly and not have that as another worry. The cord was wrapped around his neck two times meaning Derek didn't get the honor of cutting it, but other than that, he was perfect. I will never forget seeing his face for the first time as they cleaned, weighed and measured him first. He was a big boy at 8 lbs 2 oz and 20.5 inches long with gorgeous blue eyes and an adorable head of hair. When they finally laid him on me, he opened his eyes very quickly and already began to take in his new world as we lay together. If we only knew this would set the tone for his personality as a baby and toddler, always one to sit back and enjoy watching. I was in heaven.

Eventually, Matt and Whit were brought into the room where they met their little nephew for the first time. And what they brought me was something I don't think I'll ever forget. Not being able to eat all day I was absolutely starving and that Steak N Shake cheeseburger and milkshake were absolutely delicious. I don't know if it was the drugs I was on or the emotional state I was in, but I doubt I'll ever have another milkshake that tasted like a little piece of heaven.

The next 2 days in the hospital were full of so many emotions as we spent time with Drew and fell deeply in love. I felt this extreme level of calm and peacefulness, more than I ever have in my life. Bonding with him was the most serene, warm feeling and I just loved every second. The nurses would constantly compliment his temperament saying he cried the least in the nursery, and especially during all the poking and prodding they have to do to infants. We went home 48 hours after his birth and after a quick breakdown from the fear of not being surrounded by medical staff, we settled in. Drew did have jaundice, which was at its height around day 3 and 4, but quickly decreased and was gone by day 8. My parents flew in when Drew was only a few days old and Derek's parents would come shortly after mine left. Our new 'normal' began and I loved being a family of 3.

I must say that I lucked out in the husband department. Derek was by my side every step of the way and did a wonderful job updating our families via text messages while keeping all focus on me. I could not have asked for a better support person and coach and appreciate everything he did for me. Although I know he was feeling what I was during our 'scares', he remained strong and was a shoulder for me to lean on. I'm not sure I would have made it without his encouragement, tender touch and loving words throughout pregnancy, let alone the birth. Love you more than ever babe. You are my rock.

So that's it. A pretty standard story in my opinion. The only thing that's not standard is our deep love and connection with Drew!

Piggy Paint

I HATE the look of bare nails on my hands. But now that I have a little one that likes to suck fingers, I obviously had to just deal with going without nail polish.

That is... until I found Piggy Paint! Piggy Paint, cruelty-free nail polish is specially formulated from natural, water-based formula ingredients, and contains no toxic chemicals.

I ordered a couple of bottles and now my nails have a nice color on them again that I don't have to worry about Drew sucking on. I call that a Win Win!

1st Cloth Diaper

At one week old, we officially attempted our first cloth diaper. It's VERY hard at this size and I'm glad that we didn't purchase too many for how little he is. They seem like it would be near impossible to keep leaks in, but still fun to try some out now!

Andrew seems to have a love/hate relationship already with them -

First Week Home!

What a whirlwind this first week has been. I feel like I've had to almost schedule time to go to the bathroom or get a bite to eat! Andrew has been an angel that has slept so much (partly due to his jaundice), but we really couldn't have asked for a better baby. We loaded him up on fluids to get his jaundice levels down and are happy to report that as of yesterday, he was back into the 'normal' range and has has several poopy diapers (finally!). We simply cannot stop staring at him and kissing his adorable cheeks and we feel so lucky for this little man to have joined our family.

Sanity has been kept here in the household mostly because my parents were in town. My mother has prepared every meal and has made a few extra for when she leaves. My father has done some much-needed projects around the house along with helping out with the dogs. But more importantly, they have provided 'baby-watching' services on demand..... although I'm thinking that has been probably their favorite 'duty'!! Having this help in the house has made our lives so much easier and we are very thankful to have them here.

That's enough rambling for now as I know you just want to see some baby pictures! Obviously, there's no time for pretty editing, so here are some raw photos. Oh, and yeah, we haven't caught the little guy with his eyes open much yet!

What's in a Name

Derek and I chose our sons name about 3-4 years back, but at the same time, didn't "officially" decide on the name until about 4 weeks before he was born. Confused? Let me explain.

Somehow, we got into a discussion about names quite a few years back (before even wanting children) and both were in love with the name Andrew (Drew) for a boy. Over the years, we always thought that's what we would name him when the baby discussion came up. Once we found out we were pregnant though, we wanted to make sure that we explored a variety of names before actually settling on the one that our child would carry for the rest of his life. We had a good list of about 5-7 names at one point, whittling the list down monthly. A couple months before he was born, it was down to Andrew and another name that we liked as well. Finally, we just both realized that Andrew was perfect for our son for a number of reasons.

     A) We wanted a name that could be shortened as neither of us got to experience that growing up.
     B) We wanted a name that could stand the test of time and was not a 'fad' name.
     C) We had both always loved this name for years so why second guess our original top choice?

That being said, neither of us are fans of 'Andy'. While we realize someone who doesn't know our son could ultimately call him Andy, we plan to start early with calling him 'Drew' so that his teachers and classmates brand him with that name early on.

And what about the middle name; Calvin? Well it's Derek's fathers name. This, again, was a VERY tough decision as there were quite a few options to choose from that would honor someone in our family on both sides. Ultimately, since it was our firstborn son, Derek really wanted to give him his fathers name in hopes he will carry on Cal's characteristics of a loving, intelligent, well-rounded, caring man. It sounded perfect with Andrew and that was that!

Who Does He Look Like?

Who do you think Andrew looks like more?

Derek had a lighter brown color and I had a full head of black hair!

NEW BUNDLE OF JOY!

Introducing Andrew Calvin

January 12th, 2011 at 6:22pm
8 lbs 2 oz

20.5 inches long

I will share his birth story as soon as I have the time to sit down and recap everything that happened. For now we are just overcome with joy and excitement...and obviously a bit tired. Stay tuned also for more pictures!

(For the sake of privacy, we don't have our last name on this blog anywhere and therefore,
you will not see it on this post!)

More Cleveland Visitors

Derek's siblings were in town for the past week to enjoy some time up here in Cleveland and meet Baby K! Even at 40 weeks pregnant, I have been with them every step enjoying the sites around town. From eating at our favorite's (The Melt and Angelo's Pizza), to visiting the Museum of Art and the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, to seeing the West Side Market, it's been wonderful having them in town.

This past Sunday, we took them to toboggan and were lucky with how short the line was. They got several rides in before we headed home to watch the Chiefs lose and KU win. Whitney even prepared a few meals for us to enjoy and Matt taught me Photoshop after installing it on my computer! I can't wait to practice some fun edits on Baby K's pictures.


Hopefully Baby K makes his debut soon and they will both get to meet him before they head home in the next couple of days! Either way, we will sure miss you guys and thanks for everything!!!

Goodbye Pregnancy

As my pregnancy comes to an end, I just wanted to reflect on the pros and cons I felt over the last 40 weeks. I've been extremely blessed during this time and honestly think I'll miss being pregnant, unlike many other women out there. I feel like Derek and I knocked on wood so many times throughout this journey, especially after knowing what some friends and family went through.

PROS
- Never once did I throw up.
- I NEVER felt "miserable" (only uncomfortable).
- I was able to work out consistently until the last few weeks of the pregnancy.
- I only suffered heartburn one time. It was horrible, but it was only one time!
- Stretch marks = 0. HUGE pro!
- I never got swollen feet or cankles.
- My back pain was only mild during the night when trying to sleep.
- The little man really only liked settling in my ribs for about 2 weeks and then he was done there.

CONS
- I did get melasma (the pregnancy mask), and some acne, early on and it is still hanging around.
- I gained about 10 pounds more than I really wanted to.
- I guess it's a con, but I never got the hair 'volume' that a lot of women get towards the end!
- Let's just say my 'two girls' never experienced a growth spurt. Isn't this supposed to be one of the BEST parts about being pregnant?!?!   :)


So here's to you, pregnancy, and all of the joy and ease that you have provided me. I would also thank my parents for my height which, I believe, was a huge factor to why I was so comfortable the entire time. As much as I will miss the idea of being pregnant and carrying our son around with me everywhere I went safe and sound, I can't wait to see his little face and move on to the next step in our lives!!

Homecoming Outfit

The outfit that we have chosen to bring Baby K home is the same outfit that Derek was brought home in! I'm so glad Lesa kept this outfit as it's an actual Feltman Brothers onesie from back in the day. I've cleaned it up, very carefully and it looks almost new! It's a super cute, light blue color with an adorable belt and cutesy collar.


Here is Derek at 6 weeks old in the outfit -

Heirloom Rocking Horse

One of my favorite nursery pieces is a rocking horse from my childhood.

Once purchased, my father stained the entire piece, then carved my name and year of birth into the seat. I think it's a perfect accessory for Baby K's room, don't you?

40 Week Update

Looks like the little man wants to stay in his hot tub a bit longer. I'm officially at my due date today and at Monday morning's appointment, nothing had really changed week over week. I feel the same and he's still sitting high. I always knew in the back of my mind that I would make it past 40 weeks, but now I'm getting really excited to meet him and see his little face.

That being said, we have some 'home induction' methods on the slate for this weekend and if you have any to add, please leave a comment with suggestions. We plan on eating Eggplant Parmesan, drinking some Castor Oil (maybe.... only if I don't puke from the smell!), doing jumping jacks, etc! Derek's brother and sister are in town for a week and we want nothing more for Baby K to come when they are here.

So fingers crossed we can get this little guy out within the next few days!

Sony Bloggie

In our pursuit to find a good video camera, we were told by Best Buy that our new DLSR camera had a wonderful built-in HD video camera feature. The stability was great and the picture quality was wonderful. The only problem? You had to manually focus as you were filming. There is a way to start the focus before recording, but the minute your subject moves farther or closer, you have to manually re-focus which just was NOT working out. I was content with just using our camera, but after several attempts to make short videos, it just was not working for us.

So on to what would be recommended to us by MANY people; the Flip. Cheap, easy to use and with wonderful video-camera features, we headed to Best Buy to purchase one as they were having great post-Holiday deals.

We were pretty set until the employee mentioned Sony's newer version (only out for a few months) of the Flip, called The Bloggie. It's essentially the same (even the price point), however there are just a couple differences. The first being that the viewing screen is fully touch, and is about 2x larger than the Flip, and the zoom is about double that of the Flip as well. After a couple other employees came over to express their love for the Bloggie over the Flip, we were sold. It's 2011 and I'm confident that both are a fine selection.... I'm just a sucker for peer pressure.

Here's a video from the Indians Snow Days. Derek and my brother are on lanes 3 and 4 from the left.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to a wonderful 2011!

Hope everyone has a year full of happiness, success, laughter and love!

Baby K Update

 

We are 39 weeks tomorrow and no sign of Baby K. He hasn't dropped at all and I really don't feel any different this week than I usually do. I'm still feeling "OK" (just uncomfortable, not miserable) and really starting to feel anxious, nervous and excited all at once!

We are extremely thankful he has decided to stay in there for a while longer and fingers crossed that he stays put until his due date in 8 days!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are staying warm during all of these winter storms sweeping the nation!

Cleveland Indians Snow Days

Who hasn't been tubing down a huge hill in the middle of their MLB team's field?

Weird right?

Derek found out a while back about the Cleveland Indians Snow Days event where they essentially fill up the entire Progressive field with snow. They have a mile long ice skating rink, a maze for the kids, and some other fun snow activities.

The best part though? HUGE tubing chutes that are fairly long and drop pretty steeply!

We took my brother Mike, who is in town for a few days over Christmas, on Sunday and although I couldn't participate, it was fun seeing him and Derek really enjoy themselves in the snow.

(Thankfully, it was a nice 28 degrees. Could have been WAY colder!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Derek and I are very thankful again this year for many things and are looking forward to our BIG change coming soon!

We hope you had a wonderful year as well and wish you peace and happiness in 2011.

 We were fortunate enough to host my brother, Mike, for about 5 days over Christmas. Seeing as how both sets of parents will be flying down shortly after the Holidays for the birth of Baby K, they couldn't make it for Christmas ALSO and then turn around and fly back. And anyone who has been pregnant knows why I wasn't about to get on a plane at 38 weeks! My brother is a med student and has to hit the books again on Jan 3rd so mom and dad flew him up here as a surprise for Christmas!

Maternity Pictures

I searched high and low for a photographer here in the Cleveland are that had good, natural talent and would be able to elegantly capture this pregnancy through film.

I stumbled across Cassie's website and was amazed. She has a knack for capturing the moment with great feeling and colors. Click here for the Cassandra Plummer website.

And without further adieu, here are some of our pictures from our session  -

(All pictures copyrighted by Cassandra Plummer Photography)

Thanks again Cassie!

Make Ahead Meals

One thing I loved doing for my friends who had newborns was to prepare large meals to help ensure they aren't ONLY eating delivered pizza once the baby came! Living up here in Ohio I don't get to do that often and it made me start to think about our nutrition once Baby K arrives.

I decided to bake something weekly (in a huge portion) and freeze it so that Derek and I can have some good home cooking when we're sleep deprived and can't even tell if it's day or night out.

So far I've made some great meals like lasagna, meatloaf, casseroles, etc. If you have something that freezes well and makes a large batch, please feel free to share! I have a few more weeks and can stock up a few more meals in that time.

Pregnancy Picture of the Day

Here's the current 'bump'! The doc estimates that he is between 6.5 and 7 pounds now!

Waiting

Almost 5 and a half years ago I was waiting to marry my best friend.

Now I'm waiting to meet our little man.

What a crazy journey life is.

(Photo credits: Banfii Photography and Cassandra Plumber Photography)

Happy Birthday Whitney!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister-in-law who has essentially been a 'real' sister to me for the past 8 years. Derek and I are so proud of you and everything you've already accomplished in your life. You will be the best Aunt for Baby K.


Love you tons and can't BELIEVE you will be 21 next year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

FULL TERM!

Yep! Baby K is officially full term meaning baby is likely to thrive well after birth. He's about the size of a watermelon and is practicing his blinking, sucking, inhaling and exhaling skills. We are so excited to have made it to this milestone but hope that he still decides to stay in his little hot tub for a while longer.

I'm still feeling pretty well, just having a REALLY hard time sleeping and sometimes he gets into uncomfortable positions. Other than that, we are just anxiously awaiting to find out when our little family of four (including the two pups), will become a family of five.

I haven't had any contractions yet and the doctor said that based on everything, I should hit or pass 40 weeks. Anything could change quickly at any point though! Keep your fingers crossed for us that I make it past 40 days.... I'd like to avoid a Holiday baby if possible!

On a side note, I just want to say that I'm so thankful for my friends who check up on me daily to see how we are feeling. It's hard being up here away from everyone and having that daily reminder that there are people (other than Derek and I) who care about Baby K as much as we do makes me smile.

Nursery Pictures

There are still a few missing pieces to the puzzle like some picture frames and a large monogram over his changing table. We can't order that, however, until we have his name picked out! It's also hard to tell that the walls actually are green, but they aren't white... it's just a very faint green. I'd say we're about 90% done at this point!

Countdown Chain

Isn't the 'countdown chain' so fun? Seeing as how we are officially under the one month market, we have this little chain hung outside the nursery to remove one ribbon daily. My friend Michelle found this for us and I think it's a wonderful visual reminder of just how close we are!

It will only be getting shorter and shorter!

Dogs or Pigs?

Check out what the oinkers instantly do when there is more than 2 inches of snow on the ground.

You'd think they never got fed or something.

Who's Bigger?

Yep, that's my dad comparing his belly to mine after a full Thanksgiving meal.

I think we're almost exactly the same size, but only I have an "excuse".    :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!