changing it up!

Okay so I am irritated with the photo aspect of this site. I really do love the blogger part but I need to add more photos and Flickr is driving me crazy so I have put together another site and I am starting over....http://ourcantwellfamily.shutterfly.com/ enjoy!

Joe, Melissa and Lucy

Silly Lucy...

So they say that babies don't make associations or manipulate situations until they are 3-4 months old....I say that is a load of crap! Lucy is 2 months today and I have noticed the last two days that her cry has become more of a "mom...hey mom...are you there...mom...could you come here for a second...mom...mom...hey mom" type of sound. It is very pitiful and quite adorable. So I put her down for her nap this afternoon and she starts in with this little pathetic cry and I ignore it. She eventually goes to sleep with me going into her room once to cover her back up and give her one more kiss. I go down stairs and she has been quiet for about 10 minutes now and I say to my sister-in-law, "I think we are good, she is out" and the second those words leave my lips Lucy starts in again! I couldn't believe it! So I go back upstairs and she has kicked her covers off again and is crying her most pitiful yet adorable cry...I go into her room to cover her up and she stops her "cry" and sighs at the site of me...almost like she was saying "oh hi mom, there you are. I was just wondering if you were still around and whatchu were up to..." I couldn't help but laugh and give her one more kiss. I pet her nose and her eyes closed, she is out like a light now. I just love this little personality that is emerging. It is so precious and endearing. I have a feeling she will be quite the little love bug for awhile. I hope she stays the snuggly baby that she is right now. I know I am always saying how I don't want her to grow up but everyday I love her a little more and she is learning to do so many little things right now that I have to admit it is pretty cool. I love my little Lucy!

Best nap day ever!

It really is the small stuff that can make a wonderful day! Lucy had the best nap day ever today! We went down easily, without a fuss and slept for her entire nap time. I actually had to wake her to eat! I am hoping for a good nights sleep but I'm not getting my hopes too high. I have enjoyed the last two days with her so much. She is changing everyday and really growing into a little person. Yesterday she giggled for the first time, it made my heart skip a beat I swear. Today she was all smiles and sleep, what a wonderful combination. When Joe got home from work today I met him down stairs and he asked where she was, I told him she was upstairs in her bassinet just chilling (I was cleaning the bathroom). I went to go get something and he wasn't there when I got back...I figured he went the bathroom or was checking something on the computer. I went back upstairs and there he was playing with Lucy in her bassinet. He had missed her while he was at work. I was so happy to see them together...Joe told me yesterday that he is feeling the bond between him and Lucy grow a lot lately. It isn't as instant for some dads, of course they love the child but for awhile it is just a little sleeping, pooping lump that really just needs its momma. He is really growing as a dad and I love watching it. Lucy adores him, he walks into the room and she grins, he talks and she tracks where he is, he talks to her and she is elated by him. It is so wonderful to see their bonding time together.

Joe and I went out to dinner last night and to Target. It was great to go out as hubby and wife as opposed to mom and dad of Lucy. My parents were watching her and of course that is very comforting. We have such a great family support which makes it easy to get a little more hubby-wife time. We are very lucky in that way and in a lot of ways I am finding out. We shopped for the next size up in clothes for Lucy which was fun because I haven't shopped for clothes for her yet. I was so impressed that four outfits came to 21.00...too bad she won't always be that cheap! Dinner was fun and relaxing. Amazingly we were only gone for two and a half hours but I missed Lucy and was glad to be back home with her. I just love that little one. I can't wait to see the little person she becomes but for right now I am just cherishing each day I have with her and hoping she doesn't grow up too quickly.

Flickr

So I created a Flickr account so that everyone can see new Lucy photos without a lot of work. So if you want to see some new photos of Lucy go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjcantwell/ and you will get the latest. There is a way to link that to our blog page but I'm not sure how yet, so as soon as I figure it out there will be a link that will make it easier. Enjoy!

Time

Well, I have been waiting to blog about this whole parenting, Lucy, new life experience for a while now hoping that I would have time...however, that just doesn't seem to be the case. So here I am at 2:53 am with Lucy eating and me typing because well...that seems to be the only time I have right now that is uninterrupted. So here I go and hopefully I will get this written before she is done eating or God only knows when I will be able to finish.

For the most part this whole experience so far has been....nothing like what I expected! This is both good and bad, I have really enjoyed most of it and then there are times when I am scared to death and frustrated to no end. I don't know why no one speaks of all the trials you go through in the early on phase of this parenting thing. For example, Joe and I were home all weekend with Lucy and it was a 3 day weekend so Joe was home more than usual. Lucy has had a particularly difficult time this weekend when in comes to taking naps. Now I am used to this...I do this every day. Joe however is not and is perplexed as to why Lucy doesn't just take a nap as opposed to waking up and screaming only to be comforted by us and put back into her crib to try again. This process goes over and over until she either falls asleep or keeps it up until her next meal. It is tiring when she doesn't get a full nap in but it is sooooo great when she does...at this point it is about a 1/8 success rate. He is such a wonderful dad, he just hates to see her so upset when she has a yucky tummy or is having a difficult time falling asleep. I have decided with naps this week that it is just going to take a lot of consistency and some extra patience. I have been venturing out of the house a lot lately and haven't really created a consistent routine for her when it comes to naps, so that is my focus this week. The other major thing this week is finding a nanny who will be with Lucy this year while Joe and I are at work. We have done a couple of interviews and one grandma-like lady who is retired would be wonderful. We will hopefully see if she can do the job for what we can afford to pay her. Well, I think that is all I have time for right now. Must get her fed and me some sleep!

Little Lucy...

My goodness, I wanted pregnancy to fly by and now that Little Lucy is here I can't slow time down! I really want to make time just stand still right now. She is growing so quickly and I cherish every moment with her. It is truly amazing how my life has changed in such a wonderful and holistic way. She has brought so much to my family and I am so thankful for her. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have such a wonderful gift. Now on another note I have also had quite a few experiences that I was not anticipating. Like an early morning diaper change that included projectile pooping all over me! I have changed a lot of diapers in my day and had never been pooped on!! The exhaustion is another thing I was not ready for. She is getting to be a good sleeper now but waking up every hour or so is really too much for my body...and yet I enjoyed seeing her adorable face looking in my direction every time I woke up. Joe thinks I am either crazy or super mom because I keep on going even when I am really tired. I don't seem to notice...it is what I am supposed to be doing right now and I wouldn't change any second of it!

Mostly Lucy is a pretty good baby, she gets a little fussy in the evening but nothing a little tag team from both me and Joe can't handle. She loves her bath time and snuggle time. I am sooooo glad she likes to snuggle. Basically right now I am just taking this precious time to enjoy her and love her. I am so fortunate to have the amount of time off that I do. It is amazing to think of the bond I am creating with her right now and for the next three and a half months. I feel very blessed. She has started smiling at people in the last few days and that is enough to steal your heart. I am very excited to see what the next day will bring but at the same time wishing time slowed down so she didn't grow up so quickly. I will try to post more frequently now that she is on a little bit of a schedule and naps are no longer in my arms (at least not all of them...:).

This is my birth story…

Wow, you actually have the wee one and time just starts to fly by! Lucy was born at Southwest Washington Medical Center at 3:18 pm on April 1st, 2009 (congrats to all who voted for that date!). It all started with contractions that felt different than any others I had experienced so far. On March 31st I had these harder, more consistent contractions all day long. They were about 8 minutes apart all day until 10 pm when the slowed down to ten and then fifteen minutes apart. At this point I was so irritated because I was thinking this was it and then when they got further apart I thought nature was still just teasing me and they were once again "fake" contractions. Needless to say I went to bed sad and thinking I was wrong about the fact that I was really going into labor. However, at 1:45 am on April 1st I woke up to some pretty good contractions. I laid there for an hour timing them before I woke up Joey. They were five minutes apart and getting stronger...this was it and this time I was sure. Joe woke up and took a shower and we headed to the hospital around 3:30 am. I called my mom and brother to let them know. Brice was in charge of the dog and I wanted my mom in the delivery room.

Once we got to the hospital they put me into triage to see if I was in active labor. I was dilated to 4 and completely thinned out but I had to show that things were progressing before they would admit me. I was able to get into a whirlpool to ease the discomfort and see if I would make progress. During this time Joe and I were cracking jokes and talking between contractions. My mom showed up and we just waited it out. About an hour into this I felt a gush of water while in the whirlpool (even with the jets on!) and I knew my water had broke. So we called the nurse and she had to check and see if in fact my water broke. As I got out of the tub more water kept pouring out of me. I couldn't help but laugh each time and with the laughter came more water! Joe and my mom were laughing too...good thing I wasn't at Costco...there is a lot of water in there!! However about two contractions after my water broke the laughter stopped and the real work began. I tried to labor in the bed and that was a no go so they allowed me to go back into the water, thank God. I continued to labor in the water for 9 nine hours until I was dilated to 9.5 cm. At 5 cm I was begging for the drugs! I told Joe and my mom that it was just my stupid pride and that I didn't care any more...they kept telling me to take one more then they would talk to the nurse...after hearing this about ten times I stopped asking and I'm so glad I did. I was finally told that it was okay to push and I thought to myself 'this is it!!!' However Lucy wasn't in the correct position, she was 'sunny side up' and that made the pushing part extremely difficult and it took three and a half hours! I was thoroughly exhausted and didn't have any drugs and I was sure she was never, ever coming out. I became very frustrated at about 2 hours into it and was wondering what I was doing wrong. They brought out the mirror at my request so that I could see the progress for myself, I thought they were all lying to me when they were telling me good job! After three and a half hours and a fifth push in a row on one contraction I got her out. She was so small it only took one push when she did decide to come out! The entire experience was so exhausting but some how I was reenergized as soon as Joe told me it was Lucy and they placed her on my belly. This was one of those experiences you can try and prepare yourself for, I read all the books and went to class and looked online, however nothing could prepare me for this except for the experience itself. I was so proud to have followed through with my plans and I have my two wonderful coaches to thank for that. They were so wonderful to me and they were my rock throughout the whole time. Both my mom and Joe were very emotional during the last couple of hours, neither wanted to see me in that much pain.

It was the hardest thing I have ever done and probably ever will do but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world (I can say that now because it has been a month, if I would have written this a day or two after it would have been a very different story!).

Waiting is a horrible way to end pregnancy....

I think I might actually be going insane! I hate waiting period, but waiting when you don't know how long you are waiting for is insanity! Now I know how my kids at school feel when we tell them to wait and they don't have all the information. I won't be doing that to them EVER again, it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. And don't try to turn this into a lesson learned type situation because I don't care. Wow, hormones may be taking over right now...sorry. Anyhow, if my loving and adoring mother-in-law wasn't on the east coast right now (for a once in a lifetime opportunity that she planned a year ago) I would be doing everything I could think of to try and entice the little one to join us in the outside world...however since I love her and want her to be here I am trying my darnedest to take it easy and let nature take its course without any excessive intervention. However, I have had the urge to clean and it has taken over my body so we will see what happens....I HAD to clean the car, clean out the fridge, go through ALL of my files and reorganize, do all the laundry and now I am feeling the urge to mop all my floors..I would vacuum too but the dog chewed through the cord so that will have to wait (or I might have to borrow one because I'm not sure if I can handle it!). Off to mop!

New Poll

Since I am stuck at home and bored out of my mind I started a new poll to see when people think baby will arrive. However, I must tell you any day after April 8th is not available because I am refusing to go over due! :) And the later date you vote for the more irritable I will be...not that I will know who did it of course but please be kind. Have fun!

Melissa and Baby

Silly baby...

Doctor has sentenced me to rest...no more work! Apparently I have high blood pressure or possible preeclampsia so I am going to be a good girl and take it easy. I was in the hospital for a couple of hours last night being monitored and everything seemed to be okay so I am at home now resting and will be going stir crazy in no time! I am a little relieved that I don't have work anymore, I was pretty tired by the time my day was done. Joe and I are very ready to meet this little one and are ready to get this all over with. It is really hard to go into the hospital and not know if "this is it" or not. I have had two nights now where I have woken up with a lot of painful contractions. The dr. says that baby is coming soon which is excited. I am dialated to 2.5 and 100% effaced. Baby is really low and everything is showing signs of going into labor soon so I am keeping my fingers crossed. The nurse last night said when she was feeling my belly that baby was petite but everything looked good. She guess by feel that the baby was somewhere between 6lbs. 8oz. and 7lbs. 2 oz. and as far as I'm concerned that isn't too small at all! I have been really impressed with the hospital and staff at Southwest. They are amazing and very kind, Joe has said multiple times how great they are. You can tell my lovely husband is on edge these days. He just can't seem to settle down, it is really quite adorable because I think he is more anxious than I am at this point. I have another appointment on Thursday so we will see what they say!

Almost to the finish line...

I am officially 9 months pregnant and am really getting ready for the next stage in this process. I hate to say it is almost finished because in reality I am just getting started. It is surreal to think about how much our lives are going to change here in a very short time. The doctor I saw this week said that I need to start taking it easy and should think about being done with work. They are still a little concerned with the size of baby and how early I have had contractions. Me on the other hand am not that worried. I know that things are going great and that baby will do what it needs to do. I am however taking it easy and have been given desk only duty for next week so that I don't over do myself or advance the labor any faster. I feel a little like a loser teacher, sitting on my bum and doing paperwork instead of working with the kids...that is not my favorite role at all but if I can make it to the 27th it will all be worth it. I have thought through this entire pregnancy that we really could not have planned this any better. It is amazing that I get my 39th week of pregnancy during spring break and I finished my masters 3 1/2 weeks before my due date...amazing how things turn out!! I do realize just how lucky we are and I thank God for it regularly! We will keep everyone posted on baby progress, seeing as how it could happen any day now, but we are really hoping to make it last another week or two.

Contractions, contractions, contractions...

Well, I went the doctor on Monday and of course she said to be ready any time therefore the baby decided to give us a jolt into action and show signs of preterm labor on Wednesday. This was a reality check for both Joe and I seeing as how we hadn't really taken the doctor all that seriously! I was at school on Wednesday and was having really long contractions which I chalked up to braxton hicks and kept plugging along...then they got a little more intense and then the were one right after another so my mother hen's of the classroom made me call the doctor and they had me come in to get checked again. So as it turns out I was dialated another 1/2 cm and 60% effaced...so they sent me to the hospital for monitoring. Joe was really cute, I called and told him I was going to the doctor because I was having pretty consistent contractions and he said okay and to keep him posted...he called back 5 minutes later and said, "I just processed what you said! I was in a meeting when you called...I will meet you there." It was like reality hit him and he got a little panicky...for those who know my husband it takes a lot to get him rattled and I found it adorable! After laying in the hospital for two hours and three pelvic exams they sent me home to rest. I stayed home on Thursday and the contractions did seem to slow down. Since then I have taken it really easy and they are much further apart but still coming and going. Needless to say Joe and I have spent the last few days and we are now prepared! Bags are packed, car seat is in, baby's room is ready and we are good to go! I'm not sure if I am excited they stopped or if I was hoping to meet this little one soon...I really, really want to know who this little person is! The ultrasound on Thursday said that baby was 5 lbs and everything looked great!! I knew baby wasn't small!!! I sure don't feel small!!! So we will just wait and see but I really hope the doctors were not getting me all excited for nothing, they said I probably won't make it to my due date and to be honest that is FINE by me! However, if they lied and I go until or over my due date I probably won't be the most pleasant person to be around in those last few days! Just a heads up!

WOWSAH!

Well, we went to the doctor today and baby is still too small! I hesitate to believe this seeing as how I am so uncomfortable and there isn't a lot of room for a much bigger baby as far as I can tell. But be that as it may the doctor has ordered another ultrasound to tempt Joe and I into finding out what this little one is...which we will resist of course because we have made it this far so what is five more weeks. It is crazy though because the doctor also checked and I am 1 cm dilated and am showing signs of things moving along so really she said we should be prepared right now and that I could go anytime or I could go over my due date so just be prepared. That is enough to give me a heart attack! I have sooooooo much to do before baby comes, like finish my masters, find a sub for my classroom, get the room ready, pack, go see Wicked...so baby will just have to hold on a little longer! Plus, I really want an April baby so I can start the Geier family off with their first April birthday. It is pretty miraculous that out of all of us Geier's there isn't an April birthday! Anyhow, I think that I really enjoyed month 6 and 7 and now I'm not enjoying it so much again. It is really hard to get comfortable lately because of baby or I'm just too swollen and chubby to get really comfortable and sleeping is not the most relaxing event anymore...I guess that I should just chalk it all up to getting prepared for the next step which I am super excited for (even though baby is going to wait until April to come, wink-wink). We will see what the ultrasound has to say on Thursday and go from there.

31 and a half weeks!

Here are some photos Joe took this weekend...31 weeks and 3 days pregnant!

31 weeks and still too small!

Well, our midwife says that baby is still measuring too small! This little one is not growing as much as it should and that is unacceptable! However, I don't know how to get it to grow faster or more...my weight gain is right on track so I don't need to gain anything, just the baby does. If it doesn't have a substantial growth spurt in the next four weeks we will have to be tempted by fate to find out if it is Eli or Lucy and I don't want to! It is too hard, I will only be a month and a half away at that point and I can't back down now and find out. So we will just have to wait and see what happens in four more weeks. My belly is really achy today and so I am hoping that it is because the baby is growing and stretching.

I had my first baby shower yesterday, it was the work baby shower. They did such a nice job and it was really a lot of fun! The shower was a combined shower of three of us at work. I was the odd woman out because we aren't finding out if it is a boy or a girl. Everyone else at work is having girls. I was told on more than one occasion that I was difficult to shop for....I was actually impressed with some of the gender neutral clothes people found, there are some really adorable things we received. It is amazing how tiny the newborn size is! It is hard to believe that the little one in my belly will be wearing the clothes. I think the most surreal moment was when they asked the "mommies" to come up and start opening gifts...it is still so weird to hear the word mommy in reference to myself. Not much longer and I guess I will be getting used to it! Can't wait, I am ready to be done with the whole pregnancy thing!!

Baby loves President Obama...

(Disclaimer: I am not usually so political but this is just weird...in a great way...)

So this may sound crazy and I am fine with that...however I really think the baby loves our new President of the United States. I recall in November when the election was held and I was first starting to feel the baby move that it kicked three times during his acceptance speech (which was the most I had felt at that point in time). Now I just watched his inauguration speech (I was working so I couldn't watch it live) and the baby was going crazy in my belly! Coincidence? I think not! I feel so blessed that the barriers are breaking in America and we are becoming a more excepting society...my child will never experience race as an issue for the presidency. It is only one step, but a major one and I am thankful for that. We have a long way to go but knowing that we are on our way is comforting. It is a great day!

28 weeks and in the third trimester!

The latest ultrasound was quite amazing. It showed that the baby is fine and healthy, a little small (about a week small) but healthy. The baby had grown so much since the last one. It was so much cuter! I was very thankful for that because I was truly paranoid that I was going to have an ugly baby. Skeletor is really not who you want your baby to look like. Also, during the ultrasound the baby was kicking and sucking his/her fist. It was so adorable. Now that I know where the baby is in my belly it is really easy for me to identify if it is an arm/elbow or foot/knee that is poking me and moving around.

This whole pregnancy has gone by so quickly up to this point. It is amazing because when I first found out, I was three and half weeks pregnant, it seemed like it would be eternity waiting nine months. I think starting the first of the school year early on in my pregnancy has really helped the time go by quickly. It really isn't hard for time to fly by during the busiest time of the school year. This is the portion of my pregnancy that has been most enjoyable. I don't really have any symptoms other than back pain and being tired. I am completely obsessed with watching my stomach roll and move around. I sit and watch it as much as I can (he or she is moving right now). I really can't believe how much the baby moves, it seems to be on the go all the time. Oh and I hit the 20 lbs. mark on the scale...it is amazing how those numbers keep going up. I am actually pretty proud of myself for really maintaining a healthy weight gain. Since my appetite is back I think it will be a little harder to keep the maintenance under control.

Joe and I went on a tour of the hosipital last weekend! It was pretty cool to see the whole facility...however, I was really disappointed that they don't have water births! I was really set on giving birth in the water...it is a little unsettling to have my whole birth plan unravel. Thankfully we have enough time to figure out a new one. We will start our birthing classes on the 22nd and that should be able to help us decide another route that would be appropriate for us. It is really exciting to be doing all of this "end of pregnancy" stuff, hopefully it will all keep me occupied until the baby comes because I can really see how I might get a little antsy towards the end of this. We will see how it goes!

26 weeks...

Well, I went to the doctor today and my glucose levels are great! No gestational diabetes! YEAH! However, the baby is measuring a little small. I have an ultrasound on Wednesday to make sure everything is okay. Baby is moving all the time and I don't really feel like anything is wrong so I am not worried. It will be nice to have an ultrasound to make sure though...just in case. This is the first time there has been any indication of something being wrong...I have a feeling that everything will be just fine though.

This little one is becoming someone quite special, I can feel it. I have been getting to know him or her through lots of movements and the time of day that baby is most active. Baby is really active most of the day now. Joe and I are really afraid that this baby will NEVER sleep. Baby had the hiccups this morning and kept me up for most of the night last night, kicking and bouncing around every which way. It is because of all this movement that I feel everything will be okay. I am getting anxious to know more about this little one, I really want to know more about the little one and find out who he or she is and what he or she will be like. It really isn't long until I find out! Less than 14 weeks to go and I can hardly wait (or believe it)!!