1 Month Old!

It's hard to believe that an entire month has gone by! If time keeps flying by at this pace, Nolan will be entering kindergarten before we know it! Ok, so obviously he isn't anywhere close to entering kindergarten, but time really is moving fast (although we've had some looooooong nights).

Now that Nolan is one month old we're starting to see some developmental milestones, which is really fun. Nolan does well with tummy time (as long as he isn't hungry or hasn't been fed too recently) and can move his head from side to side and use his arms to lift his upper body and neck up. Much of the time he is content to just lie there sucking his little hand, which is really cute! He actually fell asleep doing tummy time the other day. It seems like he'd be content sleeping on his tummy all the time, but of course we're not going to put him to sleep on his tummy due to the increased risk of SIDS.

When Nolan is being held he can hold is neck up very well to look around. He loves staring at high contrast things, such as borders, dark objects on a light colored wall, even where the wall and ceiling meet in our bedroom (dark grey wall and white ceiling).

Nolan has also started smiling (see pictures below!) and chatting; he moves his mouth trying to imitate you and he also makes cute little noises. He recently started to make the little "coo" noises, which is sooooo sweet. When he is fed, changed and not overtired he is the happiest little boy! He will look at you and talk and smile for the longest time! His favorite places to chatter away right now are lying on his back on a blanket, in his activity gym and on the changing table.

Things have not changed much with Nolan's sleeping; we have good days and bad days, good nights and bad nights. Hopefully he'll start to have more good days and nights and fewer bad days and nights soon!

One thing that Jason and I can't figure out is whether or not to swaddle Nolan. Swaddling newborns - 3 month olds is recommended so they don't startle themselves awake with their arms. However, Nolan HATES to be swaddled. If I swaddle him when he is pretty sleepy he is ok with it, but if I swaddle him when he isn't drowsy enough he gets so mad. He will grunt and moan and make loud noises while trying to get his arms up and out. He ends up waking himself up completely and then I'm in trouble. It is really hard to get him to sleep after that. We've tried not swaddling his arms and he startles himself awake and doesn't sleep as long as when he is swaddled. He seems to be a light sleeper, just like me.

Nolan got his first bottle when he was three weeks old. Jason gave it to him and he guzzled it down! There is no worrying about Nolan refusing to take a bottle. He seems happy to get food however he can get it! One thing that we need to figure out though is how to get him to slow down his eating. He gets done with his bottle and thinks he is still hungry or wants to suck to soothe himself (like he is able to do while nursing) and he ends up getting a little fussy. Then sometimes when nursing he gets upset when he can't guzzle as fast as he can with a bottle. I think with a little more time he'll figure out the difference between the bottle and nursing.

Nolan will have his first babysitters tomorrow night - my mom and dad! Jason and I are going out to eat downtown with Alissa (Jason's sister) and Derek (her husband, our brother in law). We are excited to get out of the house and go out to eat without worrying about Nolan getting fussy in public, but I know we'll miss him a lot while we're gone! Hopefully he will be on his best behavior for my parents. :)

Here are the most recent pictures:

Nolan in his puppy towel, sucking his hand for comfort.

One of Nolan's first bottles!

Guzzle, guzzle

My grandpa holding his great-grandson!

The two Nolan Davids!

One month old!

Snuggling with Grandma

The three boys taking a nap...well, two of the three are napping.

Close up on Daddy and Son

Smiling away!

He's smiling at his jungle friends on the activity gym.

Just so happy!

Almost 3 Weeks Old!

These past few weeks have flown by! While we haven't been getting much sleep, we've been having a lot of fun snuggling Nolan and showing him off to friends and family. Nolan still loves being in our arms and prefers to sleep with one of us holding him. While we do give and in and do this during the day, we do want him to get used to sleeping in his pack n play, crib, swing, car seat, etc., anywhere so we can get some sleep, too! We've had some successful nights and some not so successful nights. We're tweaking things here and there to find out what works best for Nolan (making the room a tad warmer, warming up the mattress with a heating pad before we lay him down, etc). We're still trying to figure it out. Nolan seems to take after my sleeping habits somewhat...or at least he is acting like that now. He fights sleep so much some days! He'll be fast asleep for five or ten minutes, wake himself up, and then fights it when his eyes get drowsy. It can be frustrating! Hopefully its just a stage that will pass quickly and he'll figure out a nice sleeping pattern.

We managed to make it to both families for Thanksgiving. Jason's extended family hadn't seen Nolan yet, so they had a lot of fun holding him. Of course since he was being held the whole time he slept nicely and didn't fuss!

We've introduced a pacifier to Nolan because he seems to have a strong need to suck for comfort. He takes it sometimes, but spits it out when he's hungry, which is good that he's not confusing the two. Tomorrow, when he turns three weeks old, we are introducing the bottle for the first time. We were advised at our breastfeeding class to introduce it at three weeks so he is used to it when I go back to work. So Jason will give him one bottle a day from now on. Jason is excited to finally be able to feed him and I am excited for a break here and there!

Looking back at the pictures from my last blog and looking at the ones I am about to post I can see that Nolan is already changing and growing so much! His newborn Pampers are getting pretty snug on his growing tummy. We'll be switching to size 1's here pretty soon. He's still fitting into newborn clothes (for the time being), but that will probably change pretty soon as well!

Try number 2 with the 0 month onesie

Nolan is so excited to be one week old!

Beautiful bracelet that Jason gave me. It has Nolan's initials on it!

Nap time.

Love that hair!

Activity gym time.

Keegan just has to get in on the activity gym time!

Nolan loves his jungle friends.

Nolan's first Thanksgiving!

Grandparents with their grandchildren.

Nolan's way of letting me know he is hungry and it is time to eat!

Bath time!

Trying to warm up.

Look at those curls!

Hair combed down...

And it springs back up! Sleepy baby.

All tuckered out after his bath.

Introducing Nolan David McCabe!

Nolan David McCabe has arrived! He arrived one day early, giving himself the rhyming birthday of November 7, 2011 (11/7/11). He must like palindromes, because he was born at 9:19am.

Nolan's labor was very fast and he had a dramatic and scary delivery. Thankfully everything turned out fine, but Jason and I were very scared at one point. Here's the story:

 

My water broke at 2:30am, we got to the hospital at 5:00am, and I was fully dilated by 7:45am. It went very fast! At 8:45am the nurse came in so I could start pushing. As soon as she started to raise the bed, his heart rate dropped. She put an oxygen mask on me, which helped raise it back up. I pushed through a contraction, it dropped again. She laid the bed back down and his heart rate went back up. She called another nurse in to come help monitor. She had me push through another contraction, same thing happened. She laid me all the way back down on my left, got his heart rate back up, and said no more pushing until the doctor gets here. She emergency paged the doctor who was there within minutes. The doctor had me push through one more contraction, same thing happened again. They laid me back down and got the heart rate back up. I asked if the cord was around his neck and they thought probably.

The doctor did not like how low his heart rate was dropping so she said she was going to give me one more contraction to try pushing and she was going to try to suction him out, or else it would be an emergency c-section. Suddenly there were about 6 nurses in the room preparing for a c-section and the doctor was yelling for the anesthesiologist to come as fast he could. The next contraction came and I had about 8 people yelling at me to push as hard as I could. The doctor and I were able to get his head out. Sure enough, the cord was wrapped tightly around his neck like a noose. The doctor cut the cord and then I pushed his body out.

Thankfully he was pink from head to toe and cried immediately (which was the best sound I could ever hear) and was wide eyed, alert, and wanting to eat! Nolan's been a great baby so far and loves to cuddle! I'm glad he is a little peanut; if he had been much bigger, I probably wouldn't have been able to get him out with just one more contraction, and would have had to have a c-section. So it was very scary and intense, but thankfully everything worked out fine and we were able to go home on Wednesday!

Nolan does have jaundice, but it has not been enough to need to use the lights. When we were discharged we were told to get him to the doctor within 2 or 3 days instead of waiting the standard week so the pediatrician could check his bilirubin level. We got an appointment last Friday morning with a pediatrician (who also is a Gustie!). Nolan had maintained his hospital discharge weight - 6 lb 13 oz, which the doctor was happy with. She didn't like the "suntan" he had (yellow in his skin) so she ordered a blood test to check his bilirubin. We went to the lab and the nurse pricked his heal, which made him scream and cry. Jason and I hated that part. A few hours later we got the phone call from the doctor that Nolan's bilirubin was high, but still considered in the normal range (same as it was in the hospital). She told us to make sure he eats on demand and does not go for more than three hours without eating, because eating and pooping will naturally lower his bilirubin level.

We went back to the doctor this morning to check Nolan's level again and were happily surprised that he gained 8 ounces since Friday! He has surpassed his birth weight of 7lb 1oz and now weighs 7lb 5oz. Looks like he won't be my little peanut for long if he keeps that up! He'll be my chubby guy. The doctor thought he didn't look as jaundiced today but wanted to be sure, so she ordered another blood draw. Nolan acted like a pro and didn't cry this time though, so it wasn't as painful for Jason and me to watch. :) 

A few hours later we got the great news that his bilirubin level was lower! Because he already is gaining weight (the goal is to be back to birth weight by 2 weeks old) and his jaundice is getting better, Nolan won't need to go back to the doctor until his 2 month checkup.

Nolan has been a great baby so far. He only fusses when he's hungry, which is an easy fix. The first few nights home Nolan refused to sleep unless Jason and I were holding him...he wanted to snuggle! I read that this is completely normal for newborns; they have realized that they aren't in the warm womb anymore and the next best thing is snuggling up to a warm body. Laurie and Nick gave us some great tips though! We bought him a womb sound teddy bear  (recommended by Laurie and Nick) which simulates the mom's heartbeat heard in the womb. The other tip is when putting him down in the bassinet, lay him down with his cheek touching my cheek and wait 10-15 seconds before pulling away. The last three nights Nolan has slept in his bassinet inbetween feedings and will sometimes sleep in his swing when he naps during the day.

Both Jason and I have been peed on while changing Nolan. Today he started peeing at the exact moment my hand was moving to grab his onesie, and the pee ricocheted off my hand and went all over Nolan, his outfit, and the changing table. He definitely got a bath after that one!

Keegan has been a great big brother to Nolan. He is interested in him, sniffs him, but doesn't try to lick him. He respects his distance with Nolan and hasn't seemed to be too jealous of him yet. Jason's been great with taking Keegan on walks to play fetch and we both have been trying to give Keegan lots of attention.

Other than being extremely tired (why is it that I'm always wide awake when Nolan's asleep - I haven't been successful at sleeping when baby sleeps), Jason and I are so happy and in love with our little guy. We are so happy that everything is going well with him. We could stare at the cute faces he makes all day long; it never gets old! We can't believe that Nolan is already one week old. Time can slow down now.

Last belly pic before Nolan was born! 39 weeks

Our furbaby dressed up as a banana on Halloween. He hated it.

First time holding Nolan. :)

Nolan's first bath. He obviously loved it...

Clean, warm and snuggled in his sleep sack.

Mommy and son.

Nolan's a little gangsta.

Daddy and son looking at each other. :)

Nolan's going home outfit. Ready to meet big brother Keegan!

Wondering what the heck he is sitting in.

Nap time.

My three boys!

Nolan's zero month onesie. Love how his hair curls up after his baths!

Family of three!

Rocking the shoe socks.

Relaxing with my little man.

Nolan's nursery (still not completely finished - I'll post more pics of it when it is done).

A few more in the zero month onesie with a football to show his size.

                                                                                                          

Any time, now!

I'll be 39 weeks on Tuesday, so this baby can come at any time! I was considered full term at 37 weeks, so the baby could have come by now! If he isn't out by about a week after my due date, I'll get induced. So I think it's safe to say that three weeks from now I will for sure be home with the little guy! Hopefully he'll come on his own before that, without having to be induced, though. :)

Things have still been going well with everything. Other than getting rescheduled and having to wait at the doctor's a lot, I can't really complain too much. One doctor's appt was rescheduled due to the doctor being sick. Another time the doctor was the "hospital doctor" for the day, so when she came in my room she warned me that she had a patient at the hospital dilated to a 9, so she could get paged at any second to go deliver. Of course 2 minutes later she did. So that was a super fast appt! Then this past Friday I was scheduled to have the hospital doctor again. When I arrived at my appt I was told that she was in the middle of a C-section and then would be delivering another baby. I ended up seeing a nurse practitioner, which was fine. This coming Friday I made sure my appt is not with the hospital doctor for the day! Hopefully nothing will be rescheduled and I won't have to wait or switch doctors at the last minute.

Besides that drama, the appointments have gone well. I'm showing some signs of labor, which is exciting. I don't really feel the need to post what exactly I'm dilated/effaced/what station the baby's head is at though. You could walk around dilated to a 4 for weeks and not go into labor or you could not be dilated at all and go into labor, so it really doesn't matter what you're dilated to.

Jason and I have been busy buying last minute things for the baby and getting the nursery ready! It is almost all set up - except for the CRIB! It still hasn't come yet. The company we bought it from is based out of New Jersey and said our crib is in the truck ready to go, but the truck isn't full yet and they're not going to send it out here until it is full. HOPEFULLY that will be soon! The baby won't be using the crib right away so it's not vital that we have it before he comes, but I want the nursery to be ready! I will take pictures and post them on here when the nursery is all done.

This baby is going to have a tough decision to make in the future - Gustavus or St. John's! (Jason and I actually decided that whatever college he ends up at is fine, as long as it isn't St. Olaf or St. Thomas (our rivals)). Sorry, Christine! :)

I've had three baby showers now, which all have been wonderful! We've been blessed to get many wonderful things for the baby. I feel lucky to have such caring family and friends. My first shower was hosted by Jason's Aunt Joni and his mom, Colleen, and had women (and many kids!) from both sides of his family there. My second shower was hosted by my friends Alicia and Callie and had a bunch of my coworkers there. My third shower was hosted by Natalie, Christine, and Elsa and had a bunch of my friends there! They were all different types of baby showers, and all of them were very fun! Thank you to all those who hosted a shower and those who came! :)
Other than that, the bags are packed and we're pretty ready! I'm just hoping my water doesn't break while I'm teaching... :)

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

38 weeks

Getting closer and closer...

The last three weeks have been very busy! From Jason's birthday, to re-siding the garage, to my 5 year reunion from Gustavus, Jason and I have been on the go! Luckily I've been feeling pretty well this trimester and the baby has been growing and moving around a lot.

At my 32 week appointment everything went well. The doctor I had for that visit asked if I had any concerns, so I told her how big Jason was at birth (9 lb 5 oz, 23 in) and that I'm worried this baby will be really big. She couldn't believe how big he was at birth and asked about how tall he is now. She said that it was too early to tell if the baby is getting really big, since the average weight of the baby at 32 weeks is about 4 lbs, but they will keep an eye on it as things progress.

I also told this doctor about how ITCHY my stomach has been! She asked if I have a rash or stretch marks, which are common causes for itchiness. I don't have either, and when she was measuring me she noted that I don't have the type of skin that will get stretch marks. That was awesome to hear; I hope she is right! Since I didn't have a rash she told me to try oral Benadryl at night and Claratin during the day. The baby was measuring right on at 32 weeks and his heartbeat was great, so I was told to come back in two more weeks.

Over the next couple of weeks I tried the oral Benadryl at night (my stomach doesn't itch nearly as much during the day) and it didn't help much. At all. So I looked on my practice's website for the list of medications that my doctors say are fine to take and tried Cortaid cream, which is helping. I've been using that for the nights when the itching is really bad. Nurse Gail (my mom) thinks that the itching maybe is hormonal.

I had my 34 week appointment this past Friday and everything is still going well (knock on wood)! I was 34.5 weeks at the appointment and I was measuring right between 34 and 35 cm, which is exactly where I should be. The heartbeat sounded great, too. The doctor I had this time (the one male in the practice) read in my last appointment's notes that I am nervous about the baby's size. He also commented on what a big baby Jason was! He felt the baby and guessed that he is about 5 lbs right now. So we'll see in the weeks to come how much he gains! I was told to come back in two weeks and they will start checking for signs of labor. From that appointment on I will go in every week to check for signs of labor.

It's hard to believe how fast this last part of pregnancy is going! Jason and I have a goal to get the nursery painted this week. We have our dresser and rocking chair. Our changing table should arrive sometime this week and our crib should arrive sometime in the next couple weeks. Then everything should come together nicely! I am getting anxious, being almost 35 weeks, to get everything ready.

Jason's mom, Colleen, is making us a crib skirt and curtains for the nursery. When the men were all working on the garage, Colleen, my mom and I went to the fabric store and picked out a solid orange fabric for the crib skirt and a green fabric that has tiny, tiny multi-color polka dots for the curtains. The crib skirt fabric matches the deep orange of the polka dots in the crib sheet and the green curtain fabric is a darker shade of the green of the rocking chair. I'm excited to see the finished products! It's awesome that Colleen is making them for us.

The teacher I am job sharing with, Michelle, is lending me her fetal heart rate monitor. It's not as loud or as clear as the monitors that the doctors use, but you can definitely hear the little guy's heartbeat. It sounds like horses galloping. Jason has fun listening to it; he hadn't heard the heartbeat since our 20 week ultrasound. We also put the heaphones on Keegan's ears. It was really funny - he just froze in place and listened for about 10 seconds and then freaked out. I wonder what he was thinking!

Hopefully everything will keep going well with my pregnancy and hopefully we get the nursery put together (soon)! I will be posting pictures of the nursery as we get working.

Here are the last three weeks of pictures (oops for wearing the same shirt for weeks 32 and 34. Jason doesn't think it's a big deal, but it annoys me).

  Week 32

 Week 33

Week 34

(About) Two More Months!

Well, my due date is two months from today! These past few weeks have flown by thanks to back-to-school chaos! Workshops and the first few days of school have been a whirlwind. I can't say that this will be the best class I've ever had (there are some extreme behaviors). Let's just say that I'm feeling very thankful that I'm job sharing this school year.

I went to the doctor last week for my 30 week appointment and I experienced major "pregnancy brain" (aka forgetfulness). The nurse who weighed me gave me a label and a cup so I could give a urine sample. I went into the bathroom, completely forgot about the cup, and used the bathroom just like normal. I didn't realize until I was washing my hands that I forgot to give a sample! I felt stupid as I told the nurse, but she laughed and said that it happens more than you think it would. So I felt a little better after she told me that....until my lovely mom laughed at me and told me that the nurse probably "felt sorry for me so she just told me that to make me feel better." Thanks, Mom! (My mom was just joking, though.)

The rest of the appointment went well. The heartbeat was steady and strong. I was measuring at 31 weeks though, so I think the little guy is getting big!

This week I've been having a lot of round ligament pain. The ligaments that hold the uterus in suspension have been aching a lot. As the uterus stretches and grows, the ligaments tense like rubber bands. The only thing that helps is to lie down, which isn't exactly an option when I'm teaching! Thankfully the past few days have been better.

I go back to the doctor a week from tomorrow for my 32 week appointment. Time is flying by!

                                                                                 29 weeks

                                                                               30 weeks

31 weeks