7 - 8 month pics

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a crawler!

Nicholas started crawling a few weeks ago, and just yesterday, began actually going long distances. He seems to be in a much better mood now that he can get around on his own. He's attempting to stand too (using anything he can to push himself up with, including daddy's face, lol), and we don't think it'll be long before he's walking.

Nicholas has been experimenting with little rice puffs, pancakes, chicken & noodles, pizza crust, etc. He's enjoying all the new foods he's trying!

We are really looking forward to Christmas this year, and can only imagine that it'll get better every year!

Nicholas' 6 month check up stats

Nicholas is a growing boy! He's 18 lbs, 2 ozs. & is 26 1/2 inches long. He's doing everything he should be doing, according to the pediatrician. :)

Pics from 6 months

I love my Nana!

Me & My Great Grandma; she's 88 years young!

Some pics from 4-5 months

Almost 6 months old... my, how time flies!

I can't believe my little man is going to be 6 months old at the end of this month. Time really does fly, as every tells you, but it really, really does; almost unbelievably so. Nicholas is starting to get around pretty good these days. Not quite crawling yet, but rolling all over the place. As soon as he gets his arms figured out, we're going to have a crawler on our hands! He's sitting up for short periods of time on his own too. I just can't believe how they become so strong so fast!

He's still sleeping great, between 9 & 10 hours a night; he's been sleeping through the night since he was six weeks old. If baby's sleeping, that means we're sleeping; thus, we can deal with whatever he throws (sometimes literally) our way that day. :)

I'm still breastfeeding, but we started feeding him some oatmeal & fruits a few weeks ago. He likes some of the fruits, but most of the time, could do without the cereal. It can't taste much better than minced cardboard, so I can't say that I blame him. Every time we introduce a new fruit to him, he makes this face like we've just fed him poison, but does quickly get used to it! We plan on introducing veggies to him in the next few weeks sometime.

He's smiling most of the time these days; he's quite a happy little guy. What a difference a few months can make! He's starting to find Max, our golden retriever, hilarious, and has taken quite a liking to Lindsay Lohan, according to our sitter. Linda (our sitter) explains to him that though she may be nice to look at, she's a tramp, and should only be looked at from a very far distance. Thanks Linda! :) We have taken some video of him laughing and will post clips as soon we figure out how to do so!

Nicholas hasn't broken his first tooth yet, but chews on everything, and has for quite some time. It could be that he's just an infant, and that's what infants do, or he may be teething. It's really anyone's guess!

Nicholas is just over 4 months old now

How time flies! He's changing daily it seems, making new sounds, doing new things. At his 4 month check, he's almost 16 lbs. He's definitely an eater! :) Nicholas is still sleeping like a champ, usually 12 hours straight, but his napping has waned over the past week. He's getting over his first cold, so hopefully when he's feeling 100% his naps will get better! No naps (or very short naps) makes for one crabby little guy!

Progress

Nicholas rolled over today (three times actually) for the first time!!! He had an odd look on his face, but didn't seem to bother him! He'll be crawling before we know it!

10 week pics

11 week stats

Nicholas is growing like a weed! He weighs 13 lbs, 3 ozs., and is 24 1/4 ins. long! He does like to eat! :)

10 1/2 weeks old

Hello Everyone! It's been WAY too long since I've updated this, so my apologies...

Nicholas is doing wonderfully. We started supplementing with a small amount of formula for gassy/fussy babies when he was around 6 weeks old (he was definitely fussy, and also seemed gassy). Ever since then, he's been a completely different little man! It may be coincidental, may be because he turned 6 weeks old, or may be that now that we're mostly feeding him with a bottle we know exactly how much he's getting to eat (maybe he wasn't getting enough to eat). Whatever the cause of his improved demeanor, we're sticking with it! Weeks 2-6 were really, really difficult on all three of us, but things are so much better now. He's also sleeping like a champ, up to 10 hours a night, and has been for about three weeks now. When he does get up in the morning, he'll eat, then go back to sleep for an hour or two! We're definitely thankful for that. As long as we're rested, we can deal with whatever he throws our way! He's smiling a lot, and seems to be getting stronger everyday.

We're anxious to see how much he's grown. He sees the pediatrician this week. He's turning into quite the little chunk and we love it! :)

Will post an update after we see the Dr. this week!

1 month appt.

Well, our little man now weighs 11 lbs, and is 22 3/4 inches long! He's growing like a weed.

We had an ultrasound done on his hips last week (because he was breech, and because of my hip birth defect) and everything looks perfectly normal! He was checked out pretty good at birth, they just wanted to do this as a precautionery measure.

A few more!

We had such a hard time deciding which ones to get!

More of the newborn photos!

Thanks again Leah (http://www.leahpuckettphotography.com/)! You did an amazing job!

4 week photos

We can't believe how fast he's growing!!

We've survived weeks 1 & 2!

Well, we've been parents now for almost two weeks, and what a ride it's been! Nicholas has been sleeping for 2 1/2 -5 hours at a stretch, and going back to sleep relatively quickly. Gee, if only that would last! :) He's gained 14 ozs. since last Wednesday, and is now up to a healthy 9lbs. He's been (obviously) eating like a champ. We're really enjoying parenthood so far, and can't wait to watch him grow!

We had some professional pics taken of him last week, and should have the proofs by within the next few days. We'll be sure to post 'em!

Pics!!!

Nicholas is finally here!!!

We went in for an induction yesterday at 7 AM. They started the pitocin around 8, as well as a foley catheder in my cervix to help me dilate. After 2 hours, I was dilated to a 5 or 6, from a 1. At that time, they broke my water, only to discover that the baby had flipped, and was now breech. 2 hours later, they took me in for a c-section, and 15 minutes later, there he was! He weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 ozs, and is 21" long!

4/26 -- came and went...

So, as you probably know by now, my due date has come and gone, so unless the baby comes before Thursday, we'll go forward with the scheduled induction. We had a non-stress test this morning, and everything seems fine. The nurse did say though that I did have a few mild contractions while there, so maybe things are going to get going soon!

Induction

My induction has been scheduled for 7 am next Thursday, but I'm thinking he'll come before then! Send positive vibes our way! :)

39 1/2 week update

So, I'm slightly more dilated than I was last week, but not much. I'm 75% effaced, and the Dr. estimates that the baby weighs about 7 1/2 lbs! Everything still measures fine, and his heartbeat is still nice & strong. The Dr's office will be calling me tomorrow to schedule an induction for next Thursday, if I don't go into labor before then. She thinks I have a slightly greater than 50% chance of doing so... So, within a week, our little prince will finally be here! :)

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words of support & encouragement these past few weeks (they've been a bit rough). We're so fortunate to have such wonderful friends & family!

The nursery is finally complete!!

Well, except for baby Nicholas, of course! I spent a wonderful morning with my Mom on Saturday (I'm so happy you called :)) eating banana pancakes and just spending some much needed girl time together! Soon it won't just be the two of us anymore!

We finally got the letters painted for above his crib, and got all the nursery linens washed up and ready to go. I've added a pic of the completed bookcase that J made too!

38 1/2 week update!

For the past two weeks, I've been a fingertip dilated, but yesterday was 1 cm. I'll take a little progress! My ob told me last week that since I was retaining so much water and still gaining weight due to that, that she probably wouldn't let me go past my due date, and may even induce me beforehand if I didn't go into labor. Well, yesterday, she said since the swelling has gone down slightly, and my weight is stable, she wasn't as worried, and would indue me on 4/30 if I didn't go before then... What are a few more days at this point?? Come on Nicholas, we're ready to meet you already! The baby's been very active the past few days; maybe it's the beginning of the "storm", as in the calm before the storm?? Wishful thinking, I'm sure! :)

A friend of mine has a special pedicurist (is that even a word??) that supposedly knows the pressure points down that can cause one to go into labor after having one of her wonderful pedicures. I may have to check into that! :)

Dr's Appt. today

Well, no more progress than last week, still just very slightly dilated. Due to my excessive water retention & swelling, I don't think she'll let me go over my due date by more than a few days, if any at all. The baby is measuring where he should be, and still has a nice, strong heartbeat! We can't wait to meet him sometime in the next few weeks!

My "ankles" at 37 weeks....

NOT pretty! :) Is this what I have to look forward to when I'm old??

25 days to go....

Well, we've had quite the busy week of getting ready for Nicholas' big arrival! Jason has been working so hard on building a bookcase for the nursery. We shopped around a bit, and really couldn't find anything that we loved, so J decided to build one! It's looking really awesome!

We went on a tour of the maternity ward of the hospital last night. Didn't necessarily "learn" a lot, but got a feel for the hospital (three of my good friends have all recently delivered there, so we're somewhat familiar) and the labor/delivery & recovery rooms. Seeing the rooms and the nursery really made it seem so much more real!

We started our weekly dr's appts. today, and everything looks good so far. He's head down, and I'm ever so slightly starting to dilate, so we're in good shape there!

Tomorrow, we're attending a breastfeeding preparation class. We hope to be more comfortable with the process after tomorrow, and know more of what to expect!

A little more work to be done on the nursery this weekend, my bag's pretty much packed and ready to go, so just a waiting game now! :)

Some cute responses on being pregnant!

A few responses to a post I made on a women's messageboard that I'm a part of, stating that I feel "useless" around the house right now:

"I am putting the final touches on a human being, what did you do today?" Chores pale in comparison. (Em)

You're growing a baby. That in itself makes you superwoman. (Julie)

Don't feel worthless! You are carrying a baby! You are priceless! The household work/chores can wait. Take it easy and enjoy your time before the little one arrives. (ohiobride)

Thanks for those ladies! You've really help put things in perspective! :O

Few More Maternity Pics

8 weeks to go!!

Wow, 32 weeks down, 8 to go! Time sure has flown! We're getting the finishing touches on the nursery little by little, and preparing the best we can! Little N is moving around quite a bit these days, and is still loving brownies & sweets! :) We're seeing the Dr. every two weeks now, and will start seeing her weekly in a few weeks until the big day.

Sneak peek - maternity pics!