Pictures of Theo

Here are some pictures of Theo, Gavin and (a few) of those who love them. (In a totally random order - I really don't feel like sorting through them).

Papa Gordy


Nana Mary Jo & Papa Gordy

Ryan was burping Theo and as soon as he handed the baby over to me Gavin dove in Ryan's lap.

Grandpa Don

Uncle Ike is crazy for babies

Dog's thought: "^%^&*&! Not another one!"

Cat's thought: "%$^&*! Not another one!"

In his carseat from his ride home from the hospital.

In the NICU after he was upgraded from an open warming table w/ heat lamp (so they could monitor his breathing) to a crib complete with clothes and a blanket.

Alert little guy.

Gavin likes to look in the mirror on the tummy time mat and say, "baby".

What do you expect? Both parents are kind of goofballs - he's just getting an early start.

Tummy time about 2 seconds before he loses it (which was about 2 seconds after I put him on his tummy).

Handsome big brother Gavin playing in his birthday present from mom and dad - a house and tent connected by tubes. FUN!

Nana Jo in the tent as seen from the house via the tube.

Me and Theo in the house - kind of cramped.

Gavin and Nana Jo in the tent.

Juice lush.

He wanted out of the stroller so Nana kept tabs on him with the help of the monkey backpack/leash.

Theo's first outting. We had to have the carseat checked so we went to Ikea (last Wednesday of every month they have free carseat check's at the one in Renton) and since we were there we went inside for Swedish meatballs (but we were too early and had to settle from breakfast so I bought some frozen ones and we had them for dinner). YUM!

Daddy & Theo

Ryan and Theo in the NICU after Theo got his feeding tube and was finally able to eat.

At 8 lb 13 oz he was a moose in the NICU.

Daddy giving baby a bottle of breast milk since he was still not well enough to breastfeed.

So cute and sad at the same time.

Theo & I shortly after he was born. (He didn't shows signs of distress until he was about 6 hours old.)

Little Tease

Here I sit in the living room typing away while Gavin naps. I should lie down too but there is not enough time for me to sleep and feel well rested before we have to leave for our PEPS (mommy group). I would be too tempted to sleep right through our meeting and we missed last week because of a late nap. As much as I hate to do it I'm probably going to have to wake Gavin up from his nap so we can make the meeting. I was really hoping to not make it today's meeting. I was really hoping the baby would have been here by now. Really. Really. Really.

Yesterday I had an appointment with my midwife - I was 38 weeks and 5 days. I asked her to check me to see how far I was dilated. 2.5 cm. TWO AND A HALF measly centimeters! I have been having contractions since last Tuesday! Nine days of contractions gets me 2.5 cm? I almost cried when she told me I was so mad. But who is there to be mad at? The baby? No. Me? No? My uterus? maybe. My cervix? For sure.

What do you get when you eat licorice (the real stuff - no watered down Red Vines for me), eat spicy food that makes you sniffle, walk, walk, walk and walk some more, walk the treadmill at full tilt, do some stairs, swim, chase a toddler, get acupuncture, stomp up and down the stairs, do a little jumping, massage pressure points to help induce labor?

N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!!

Oh, and I forgot the more important one of all.... my midwife stripped my membranes. I don't know exactly what is involved - it is not entirely pleasant as it only takes about 30 seconds to do but in those 30 seconds I went from 2.5 cm dilated to 3 cm.

Yesterday was the day. I just knew it was going to happen yesterday because I was so uncomfortable after the procedure. I sat around the house and did very little while my mother-in-law watched Gavin, did laundry, made dinner... spoiled me really. Then I was having lots of contractions. Yesterday was also Ryan's birthday. I held off on being so active because I didn't want the baby to come on Ryan's birthday. But I think I was too lazy because after my little nap in the afternoon all contractions ceased.

Once they stopped I decided it was time to put my butt in gear and get active again. I helped out after dinner with the dishes, I rounded up everyone to go for a walk where I stomped my feet like a little kid in imaginary mud puddles. My poor family had to be seen with the crazy pregnant lady stomping her feet.

We got home, put Gavin to bed, had cake and ice cream and the contractions started again! Woo-hoo! They weren't all that painful but they were less than 10 minutes apart. I called my midwife to get her input as I knew I was no where near ready to go to the hospital but I wanted her to be in the know since she is going to deliver the babe. She told me to lay down and get some rest. If it is true labor you can't stop it.

I laid down and the contractions stopped.

Boo.

When I got up to use the bathroom I would have a contraction but as soon as I laid back down - nada.

About 5 am Ryan woke up when I returned from the 3rd or 4th potty trip and asked how I was. "Pissed off," was my gracious, lady like reply. I thought about it and changed my answer to, "disappointed".

So here I sit experiencing mild contractions and yet expecting nothing to come of them. I don't think I've ever wanted to experience pain more than I do right now.

Tonight Ryan's dad and step mom are going to be here. Tonight would be another great opportunity for the baby to come. We will have babysitters sleeping downstairs. There would be no need to pull out the phone tree. We would just take the monitor downstairs and say, "See ya!"

Bring it on!!!

Waiting in Filtered Sunlight

Gavin is just about asleep for his nap. I am unwinding in bed, waiting to be ready to sleep but it may be difficult since I had coffee at church and some Coke at lunch. It's hard to not drink caffeine somedays. Today is a someday. Last night I was up every hour because my bladder was lying to my brain saying it was full. My brain is so gullible. It just takes a baby nestling into your bladder to make a night super long and short at the same time. Then Gavin woke up screaming at 3 - darn those molars! I rushed to get him some teething gel for his gums and infant Tylenol. Poor tyke. The gel works almost instantly so after rubbing his back for a minute or two he was asleep again and I headed back to bed but the night was shot.

I went back to bed at 6 am and didn't wake up again until almost 8! I tried to keep my eyes closed so as to not let the sun completely wake me up as I shuffled to the bathroom. After another 90 minutes of sleep I sprung out of bed and ran downstairs to get the clothes out of the dried so I would have something to wear to church and to let Ryan know we were on for service today.

During service I kept thinking how nice it would be to go into labor right then and there since my midwife was there and we were surrounded by friends who could take Gavin while Heather (my midwife) drove me and Ryan to the hospital. No such luck.

I was having several painful contractions in groups throughout the day starting on Tuesday but I think I may have had one yesterday. I'm starting to lose hope of this baby coming anytime soon. I'm 38 weeks and 1 day as of today. That gives me 13 days until I'm 40 weeks. I really, really, really don't want to go two more weeks. Gavin was nearly 3 weeks early and he turned out just fine.

So that leaves me sitting here in my bedroom just waiting. Trying to enjoy some of the solitude that naps provide. My room is still clean since we just had carpet installed on Wednesday of last week. My bag for the hospital is sitting next to window. Then there is the small bassinet a friend is lending just to my right. For now it is housing my body pillow when not in use. Soon it will have a baby in it. Hopefully a baby who likes sleep. Or at least one who doesn't fight it.

As I'm sitting here in the filtered sunlight that is coming through our white curtains casting the room in a warm hue I am really hoping the baby comes in the next day or two because the weather is supposed to remain nice this week. It would be so great to bring the baby home and to take him to his first well baby check 3 days post delivery in sunny weather.

My moods do tend to change a bit with the weather - I may even go so far as to say that I suffer a bit from S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) which is so prevalent in the Northwest with our wet, gray, gloomy fall, winter and spring seasons and all. Maybe taking mega doses of Vitamin D will help combat the gloominess this year. I'll take all the help I can get because not seeing the sun for weeks on end can be a tad depressing. And then when you tack wet, gray and gloomy on top of sleep deprived it just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Or maybe having a toddler to chase around will be my saving grace this time around. I can't stop because I want to. No. The best I can do is enjoy his nap time with the new one and hope that the new one will want to take a nap at the same time. I'm not going to hold my breath.

Once the new one is at least 6 weeks old I can get 2 whole hours to myself at the gym. The kiddos will go to kiddie club and I will get to exercise and take a shower and dry my hair and put on make up if I so desire. What a luxury. Ooh, and if I have to pee - I can use a stall in the locker room and close the door!

That's right all of you people who do not have children: going to the bathroom with the door shut is a TREAT.

Today is looking a little more promising. I've had some weak contractions but they are lasting longer than the strong ones from a few days ago. One lasted a full minute but I could talk through it so it's probably nothing. It gives me a little hope though.