Post-Holiday Update

Sadly and happily, another Christmas has come and gone. It was so awesome to spend so much good old-fashioned family time. Wednesday night we had Grayson’s Baby Dedication at my Grandmama’s house and it was beautiful. My Uncle Bill did a great job. After that, we visited and snacked on Grandmama’s homemade goodies. Thursday (Christmas Eve) we celebrated at lunch with Daddy and Josh and then spent the evening at Billie’s for more food and fellowship. On Christmas we traditionally went to Grandmama’s house for Christmas Dinner and exchanging gifts. We had a great time and we got so many good presents! My most favorite thing being the Moby Wrap I got from my Aunt Christy. I don’t know how I lived without it! I will attach a photo of us using it. Grayson got so many wonderful things as well. A sterling silver rattle with his name and birthday engraved on it, REAL Uggs (ha), clothes, a whale bathtub, and some toys. Madraye and Halle got here on Saturday and we had Christmas with them at Judy’s. Halle gave me home made bubble bath that she learned how to make from the book I gave her last Christmas! I was so impressed and so touched. The girls will be here all week, so we have lots planned to do. I hope Grayson and I can keep up! I will close with some photos from the holiday…

Pre-Holiday Update

Greetings from my old hometown! We moved down on Friday and unloaded the truck on Saturday morning. I had the entire apartment unpacked and decorated for Christmas by Sunday night! I can’t stand clutter… Everything is good so far! The apartment is big enough for us for an indefinite amount of time and our Aunt Billie is so graciously letting us stay here rent-free. It will help us so much until we can get moved to Brunswick later in the year. It has been so nice to be in a familiar place again with family and good friends.

I took Grayson to get his picture with Santa in Brunswick yesterday, and he even smiled for the camera! He is a ham, for sure (in more ways than one). After that, we stopped by our work Christmas Party to see all the co-workers who haven’t seen him yet. It was SO good to see everyone there and get motivated about going back to work soon. Tonight is Grayson’s Dedication at Grandmama’s house. Uncle Bill is christening him about 24 years after he christened ME! I think it’s so cool. Basically, from here to New Years, we are slammed with plans! I can’t wait for Christmas and I will post photos on here then. Keep in mind that I constantly add photos on Facebook.

Merry Christmas!

Some photo sharing…

Merry Christmas!

Introducing our family Christmas card, 2009…

 

Two Month Appointment

Technorati Tags: Pediatrician Appointments,Grayson Photos

Stats:

Grayson is 9 weeks old today.

He is 25 inches long, and 17 pounds 14 ounces.

He had his first shots and he did great!

The bumps on his skin are just dry skin, not eczema.

Everything else looks perfect!

Grayson at 8.5 weeks and Other News

We are rapidly approaching Grayson's 2 month birthday. I can't believe it has been that long. Lately, we enjoy watching him coo and say "agoo" and even chuckle a bit. He also has found his hands and likes to lick them and beat himself in the top of the head with them too. Speaking of his head, he is holding it up really well now too. His schedule is gradually more predictable. He takes naps at about the same times every day and feeds at about the same times. The unpredictable part is night time. However, the last couple of nights he has only woken up twice to be fed. Just when I am getting used to no sleep, he starts sleeping! Gee whiz.
I weighed him last weekend and he weighed 17 pounds! I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. He is growing like a weed. Every day it is more fun to play with him and watch him try and communicate. He goes to the Pediatrician on Monday for his 2 month check up and first set of immunizations. I am DREADING it! Here are some photos from his second month of life:






In other news, I can officially make the announcement that we are moving back to South Georgia. All of our reasons for moving here remain valid, and we have made the best of our time in Atlanta, now that Grayson is here, it isn't working out. We are on one income right now which just gets us from paycheck to paycheck and won't work for very long. If I go back to work here, the excessive daycare costs will eat away my paycheck. We miss the coast, our family and friends. We will be returning to our old jobs. Mine will be part time so that I can spend more time with Grayson and friends and family will be able to keep him when I am working. Jay will be going back to school to finish his Bachelors of Science in Nursing. We are very excited about the new beginnings. Right now I am just trying to finish packing up the apartment and get ready to head south in two weeks. Next weekend Madraye and Halle will be here and then two weeks after that is Christmas (already!). I couldn't afford to do anything but Christmas cards this year, so my shopping is done! The next time I post will be with holiday photos!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Grayson at 5.5 weeks

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in a month. Are you really surprised? Anyone who has been the Mom of a newborn probably understands.
I sit here, in my bed, spit up and poop stained sheets, trying to finish a blog with minimal interruption. I can't tell you how many times I have made my way to the computer only to write one sentence and get back up. Either the baby needs me, or I think of something better than blogging to do with my time. This works better. I am in the bed WITH my munchkin, typing this on my Blackberry as an email to myself to be copied and pasted into my blog later on. Be prepared, this one may get wordy to catch you up on the last month.

Things everyone says that has proven to be true:

1. You can't imagine loving something so much.
I look at him and know that I would do anything to make him happy and healthy for the rest of his life and that for the first time, I know a person that I would be willing to give my life for if it meant life for him.

2. They change/grow so fast.
Its so true. He is already 5 weeks old which is wild in itself. As gradually as it happens, I definitely wake up everyday thinking: Wow! He is heavier/longer etc. A week ago he was at 13lbs! I take lots of photos of course, almost every day.

Other things too, like:
sleep when they sleep, accept as much help as you can get, the first week is the most emotional of your life, breastfeeding is hard at first, worry will consume you sometimes, and so much more advice I got and will certainly pass on to other expecting mothers.

He has been gassy/fussy a little on and off along with a rash that comes and goes and I think it is in response to something I am eating. Obviously its very difficult to to pinpoint what it is, so I have taken my diet down to very bland and simple. Other than that, Grayson is a happy, healthy boy. He smiles and makes lots of different faces. He is about 14 pounds now! WOW! He is active when awake and likes to practice pushing up and balancing his head straight and looking around. He can follow an object around with his eyes and he is cooing and vocalizing in other ways. Its so much fun to watch them grow. He sleeps well about every other night, and every other night he stays awake a lot. The sleep deprivation is wearing on me a bit. His schedule will start to form over the next few weeks according to the books. He has officially used a bottle for the first time and did well with that also. We had our first trip to Jesup where he met his great-grandparents and lots more family. He did well despite the constant contact with people and the sweltering heat down there! Last weekend his great grandparents Charlie and Franca came back from Italy and saw him for the first time. We are so glad that they are back! This coming weekend, Kate, Tim and James are coming to stay and meet Grayson. After that will be Thanksgiving, where we are hoping he will meet his GREAT-GREAT grandmother for the first time. I am excited. From now to the end of the year is just going to fly by. I am already dreading the thought of going back to work and being without him soon. He is my little best friend. We listen to Christmas music while Mommy cleans the house and we take naps and play and take walks outside. I wouldn't have it any other way, he is such a blessing. I am doing much better as well. I had my final post-partum appointment yesterday and it went well. I have been deemed "recovered". Hooray for that! Ha. I started today with some Yoga, and I feel better already. I am looking forward to exercising more and losing about 30-40 more pounds. I kind of have to, or else I have no wardrobe. I am exhausted and I definitely look like a mess, but I know it will get better soon enough...
Well, it's time to go for now. I promise to be better about blogging as I am finally getting used to how the days will go. Here are some photos from the last month...
Ciao.

Grayson: Week One

Hello! Well, let me just say that time flies ALREADY! I can't believe that Grayson is a week old tomorrow. This past week has been challenging, but awesome. I had to get some help with feeding, but that turned out fine. Lactation Consultants really helped. Sleeping has been very minimal, but it's working out just fine... The deprivation hasn't really caught up to me yet. My Mom came in on Friday and has been a tremendous help. She has cleaned, cooked, changed diapers, rocked him, and whatever else she can do. Of course Jay has been amazing too. He has taken care of me and Grayson and continued to do so much around the house. I am so grateful to both of them. It is still a little hard for me to get around really quickly, as I am still kind of weak. However, I am feeling MUCH better and I get my staples out tomorrow. I will close with some photos from the last few days...

Grayson Parker Hightower

Grayson Parker Hightower was born October 5th, 2009 at 12:28 pm. He weighed 9 pounds, 14 ounces and was 22.2 inches long.
Everything went according to schedule. I went into the hospital for pre-op at 10:30, wheeled into the OR around 12:00 and had a baby soon after. I recovered in PACU for about an hour, and then finally I got to go to my Mother/Baby room. I was a little groggy right after surgery because they gave me something to calm me after he came out... (I was just a little anxious!) After that, I had some itching from the morphine they put in my spinal, and just some gas pains and general soreness. Motrin has done the trick, though. I haven't needed anything stronger thank goodness.
The Pediatrician checked Grayson and said that he is perfectly healthy. He is nursing well and often. Usually after a C-Section you have to stay at the hospital for 3 days, but since we were both doing so well, they let us leave after two. I was so excited to come home where people weren't coming in every five seconds to bother us! Jay has been taking care of us, and I have basically just been a milk cow... feeding every two hours and trying to nap in between. When I don't use the break to nap, I try and shower or take a walk around the house. He smiles and opens his eyes really big at night when he is awake, and that is a lot of fun to watch. It's like he is studying me. So far: I feel good, I am incredibly happy, and I am very in love with this little guy. Every day is different and exciting. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last few days...

40 weeks

Happy Fall! It has been a beautiful week here so far. Not a cloud in the sky and temps in the 60s. This morning, it is actually like 50 outside. I LOVE IT! However, I think today I will be finishing up things around the house in preparation for my hospital stay.
Yesterday I had my OB appointment, and FINALLY the weight gain has stopped! All the books say that it will slow down or stop in the last few weeks and I was waiting for this moment...it never came... and then yesterday- STOPPED! HA! So, I officially know how much weight I gained with this pregnancy, and NO I will not be sharing that information.
I saw Dr. S., who I really like. He checked me, and I hadn't made any progress since last week. The baby still seems to be OP or "face out". He palpated my abdomen and definitely confirmed that G is a very large baby. Based on all the information, he suggested that a C-Section would be in the best interest of myself and the baby. He did not recommend a "trial labor". He felt that that would likely end in an Emergency C-Section from the inability to deliver such a large baby that is also malpositioned for labor. He still said it was my decision, but after his advice and my gut feeling, I opted for the C-Section. The Doctor left to check the surgery schedule for the week and Jay and I discussed the decision and felt very good about it. He came back in and told us that there weren't any openings this week, but that he would schedule me for Monday, October 5th at 12:00 pm. I was instructed that if I start labor before then, to go straight to L&D and they will call the on-call OB in to go ahead and do the section. Hopefully, he will hang on until Monday so that it isn't a mad rush to get to the hospital and get prepped for surgery.
My Mom will be coming in on Friday the 9th to stay with us for five days. I am excited to see her and so thankful for her help. I know that my recovery will be a little more complicated than it would have been with a vaginal delivery.
Regardless, I will have a baby boy by Monday! I couldn't be more excited. Hopefully the next post will be announcing Grayson Parker's arrival.

Some of you are asking what we still need for the baby, so I wanted to say that at this point it would be great to just have Wal-Mart gift cards for things like diapers/wipes and to help out with groceries. This "one income" thing gets tight! :-)

I hope everyone enjoys their first Fall week! It is SO beautiful out!

39 weeks

The waiting continues...

I went for my supposed "last" OB appointment today. They did a final estimated weight with ultrasound that put him at at least 8 lbs 12 oz. The ultrasound tech said she thinks he is every bit of that if not more like 9 lbs. (She is supposed to be the best estimator of all time, ha.)
The doctor I saw today thinks I "look good" for a vaginal delivery because of my cervical changes and the position of the baby. He wants me to wait and see if I go into labor before Tuesday, if I don't then he will schedule the C-Section next week. I am totally OK with all of this. I have to trust the doctors and keep praying for the best thing for the baby and me. Unfortunately, I don't have any more news than that for now! Standby...

Anybody have an Ark with an OB staff on it?

Happy Monday! The weather here has been crappy for a while, but today... WOW! It is raining cats and dogs, literally! Well, not literally.
We have four different flood warnings right now. It is insane outside! I am so thankful that I only live a couple miles from the hospital. Still, I can't help but visualize myself birthing my baby in the car while it is stalled out in water somewhere! Our apartments are in a pretty high spot, so we should be just fine...at home at least...
I have an appointment on Wednesday, and I am counting the minutes! We should be scheduling a C-Section that day if all still points that way... (large fetal weight, malposition, lack of progress). I will post again then!

38 Weeks

I had my 38 week appointment today. If you recall, last week my cervix was high and closed. Today I am 2 cm dilated, 60% effaced and baby is at -1 station. Where as many women will remain this way for weeks without progressing, my midwife said it is promising that the progress happened so quickly. I am hoping to go into labor on my own before my next appointment! If I don't, then I will have my last ultrasound on Wednesday the 23rd to estimate his weight. When it is verified that he is exceptionally large for dates, I will be scheduling a C-Section for either 9/25 or 9/28. Let's hope I go into labor before then!!

REGARDING HOSPITAL VISITORS:

I found out OFFICIALLY today, from my Doctor, that as long as nothing changes with the policies between now and then, I WILL be able to have FAMILY ONLY visitors briefly while I am in the hospital. However, absolutely NO ONE under 18 years old, and NO ONE who has been around anyone with flu symptoms of any kind. You will also be screened with questions relating to your health before being allowed in. If you are not immediate family, please plan on coming to see Grayson at home in the coming weeks!

Private Blog!

As you have noticed, I have made my blog private. Soon, I will be posting pictures and video of our new baby and I feel more comfortable with that type of thing just being shared with friends and family. Thank you so much for requesting your invitation! I know it is a pain to have to make a Google account, but I am really excited about sharing everything with you all through my blog. xoxo

Katie's Current State of Being

Good Morning. I just ate a fried egg and a cup of yogurt and I find myself in awe of the fact that I am still, in fact, PREGNANT. Here is proof from Saturday night (yes, I know I'm huge):



By the way, I only have about 11 hours left until I reach the 48 hour mark on my Eggplant Labor Induction. My conclusion is that the eggplant definitely causes contractions, but that doesn't necessarily mean labor for all of us. Still, it was a fun test!

This human gestation time is a little ridiculous, but I guess I should be thankful I am not an Elephant. (Although, some may argue that fact.) I slept for a few hours at a time last night, on our HORRIBLE mattress that feels like it's breaking all your bones while you sleep. I got up for the final time at about 8am, angry. I tackled the chore of getting OUT of bed...5 minutes... waddled and stumbled to the bathroom...sat on the toilet and came face to face with a centipede on the wall that was headed straight for me. I was SO tired and it would have taken SO long for me to get up, that I just sat there. Fearless. This is what it looks like, if you haven't seen one:



Needless to say, I murdered him. After that, I put on my "daytime pajamas" and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Breakfast is now complete and I now plan on boycotting my usual "A Baby Story" episode, in an effort to forget that I am pregnant- so that I will magically go into labor in surprise! Like: "Oh my gosh! I totes forgot I was preggo!"



Yeah, Right.



Realistically, I guess today I will find some more housework to do, make a trip to the Post Office, and yep that's about it.

On another subject...

I went Goodwill Shopping for the first time EVER on Friday! This sounds insane if you have never done it, but I can assure you- it was AWESOME. If you have a retail addiction, like me, and you want a way to channel this energy in a way that is cheap, but still fulfilling- GO TO GOODWILL. Try to find one in a ritzy part of town, where the donors would be, umm, "rich". I seriously bought two pairs of 7 (For All Mankind) jeans, and I SAW lots of other $200 jeans that I would never be able to wear, so I didn't buy them. The jeans are like $4 each. There is so much designer wear that still even has tags that this place is selling right along side Walmart jeans for $4! It's insane. THEN- they have baby clothes. Well, if you are a mom, you can imagine that everything is practically new (if not new) because of the short time that they can wear things. I bought Grayson a small wardrobe of baby designer clothes for $1.50 per item. My favorite buy being a pair of brand new cashmere Baby Banana Republic pants valued at above $60. I'm just saying- if you have a couple hours to pick through everything, and you are trying to save some money, or you just feel like shopping and not spending your whole paycheck- you should REALLY check it out. It was AWESOME! Oh- I also got Jay a few designer button-up shirts too (for $4 a piece).

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and again, I hope I will have a baby at the end of this one. I will blog my 38 week appointment update on Thursday afternoon. Til then...