year in review

Oh boy, what a years it's been! Ever since July 15 this year has flown by. It's hard to believe that was almost 6 months ago. It's hard to believe that I'm a mother of a healthy, beautiful baby boy. I couldn't be happier and couldn't ask for more (except for just a little more sleep). He's always smiling and always happy, what a blessing he is! Josh and I have the perfect family and I'm so thankful for it everyday! I can't wait to see what the new year brings. We've got so many milestones coming up... crawling, walking, talking (real words). I can't wait to experience it all!

Over the past 5 1/2 months we survived colic, learned to roll over, smiled, danced to MJ, laughed, started 'swimming' and finger painting, sang along with Tiny Tim, started sitting up and we're soooooo close to crawling! I'd say we're doing great so far!

year in review - photos

Merry Christmas!

Jack Plays Peekaboo with Mommy!

He was controlling the blanket all by himself!

December 15 -5 Months Old

Peepee

Jack woke up crying this morning around 7am. I went to check on him and he was soaked. He had peed through his diaper, swaddle blanket, regular blanket and sheets. He even got Mr. Bunny a little damp. He wears a size 2-3 diaper but I put him in size 3 for bedtime because he can blast right through the 2-3. Well, apparently he can now blast through the 3s! Time to try 4, I suppose! Without hesitation I brought him downstairs and plopped him right in the bathtub. I scrubbed him down, dried him off and dressed him. He fell asleep soon after that, around 8 and has been sleeping for the last 2 hours :(. I miss him. This is the time we're supposed to play together, but I don't want to wake him, he needs all the sleep he can get.

GREAT NEWS! Monday I start back on first shift!! It's going to be a big adjustment because I have to be at work for 6:30 but I think it will be well worth it. Josh, Jack and I can actually be a normal family again. I'll get to spend more time with both of them... I can't wait!
And I'm hoping that when I pick him up in Rochester 2 days a week I can swing over to visit Jaime and my little nephew more! Jaime, I hope that's okay! :)

Snow Day Photo Shoot

4 Month Checkup

Jack went for his checkup this week and is doing wonderful! He's now a hair over 16 pounds and is 26.5 inches long. He's in the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height/length and head circumference. He grew about 4 inches from his 2 month check up which is a lot from what they tell me. He had to get 3 shots again... so sad!!

Today Jack came out with my sisters, mom and I for some Christmas shopping. We left the house around 9:30am and didn't get home until about 5:30. He was such a good boy all day! It was a pleasure being out with him. The was very little fussing and no crying. Hopefully all this action will help him sleep tonight!

Fooling Around

I was going through Jack's clothes to pack up what no longer fits when I came across this clown outfit... he's such a good sport.

Swimming

Jack and I went swimming this morning! He had sooooo much fun. We went to the Works indoor heated pool. At first he wasn't too sure what to do, he just sat on my lap watching all the other kids. But after a while his legs started moving, like they do when he gets excited so I held him on his belly and was moving him around. He was kicking he legs like crazy and had a HUGE smile on his face. It was so much fun for both of us! He also looks absolutely adorable in his little swim trunks. They are hand me downs so they are a little big, but they do the job. Words can't describe the cuteness of him in the water with these little swimmers on!!

After about 45 minutes of swimming around it was obvious that he had had enough. I wrapped him up in his towel and went back to the changing room. I had him on the changing table and as i was bundling him up to go back outside he had fallen asleep. He slept all the way back to the car, through the ran, getting strapped in his car seat and home. He's been sleeping now about about 1 1/2 hours! That's a very long nap for Jack!

I feel like this is nice mommy baby bonding time. This is our special time together and I can't begin to tell you how great it is!! He's just so awesome!

Jack's First Beer

This is what happens when auntie Ashley visits!

Happy 4 Months Old! (11/15/09)

November 15

Jack is 4 months old today!

Bath Time

Today we tried something different. I got in the shower and got myself and the shower/tub all cleaned up. Then I filled the tub up with about 8 inches of water. I got in and then brought Jack in with me. I held him on his belly so almost all but his head and shoulders were in the water. He was kicking and splashing like a mad man with a huge smile on his face. Then I put him on his back and again, he kicked like a mad man! We stayed in there until the water started to cool off. He didn't seem to happy about getting out. He absolutely loves being in the water. I wish I still had my Works membership because they have a nice heated pool that he would love to play in. It was the cutest thing ever!!

Cereal

So Jack has been getting a little bit of cereal each night. He hasn't been a big fan of the fruit that's mixed in but things changed tonight. He wanted that cereal in his stomach yesterday! If I took too long to get the spoon from his mouth back to the bowl for more food back to his mouth he'd start fussing very loudly. I wish I had video of that... priceless. He's a true Daigle.

Jack Eating Cereal for the First Time!

For some reason the video I'm trying to post has been loading since Saturday so here is the link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfhlK3Z90-w

Jack Meet Zack

Jack met Zack last Friday. This is probably one of the only times in their lives that Jack will be bigger than Zack.

Jack's Eye

Jack as a tiny infection in his eye. A little bacteria got into his tear duct making his eye snot so he has some drops that should clear the eye snot up. He still has a blocked tear duct but the doctor said that will eventually clear up on it's own. They weighed him while we were there and he has gained 7 lbs since he was born. He also took a huge dump while the doctor was checking him out... that's my boy!

Happy Halloween!

This Is It

I'm very excited to see the movie today! Jack is so totally jealous!

He is rolling like a crazy man. It's hard to keep him on his back, it seems like the second I put him down he's rolled to his tummy. I don't think he wants to most of the time because when he's landed on his belly he looks surprised and a little upset.

He's started laughing a little more but it's not a daily thing yet.

He's been sleeping in his own room for about 2 weeks now and that's going okay. He still wakes up sometimes during the night but it's usually because he's looking for his pacifier.

Today was off to a rough start. Jack decided that 6am was a good time to get up. I'm totally out of it and then I fell down the basement stairs... awesome. I need a mountain dew!

Jack is rolling like a tumble weed! He rolled across about 4 feet of carpet! It was awesome!

laugh

Yesterday I was singing and dancing in a very silly/crazy manor while Jack watched. He was getting very excited and his smile kept getting bigger and bigger until finally he let out a giggle!! It was the greatest sound ever and it made me cry a little!

Jack laughed!

Sleep over

My sister has offered to take Jack Saturday night... all night. I'm excited that I'll have the opportunity to get some much needed sleep, but I'm terrified that I'll miss him so much that I make the 1 1/2 hour drive to her house in the middle of the night! I was very excited when I first decided to do this but now I'm having some major second thoughts... I'll keep ya posted.

We're Tired

Is it possible to die of exhaustion? Or at least go slightly mad? I thought that one Jack stopped needing to eat during the night that I would get a full night sleep... I was sadly mistaken. He still wakes up a few times during the night to cry, usually it's because he doesn't want to be sleeping where he's sleeping. If I can get to him while he's still just fussy he'll go right back to sleep. But if I'm too out of it to realize what's going on and he gets into cry mode I'm screwed because then I have to calm him down and then he'll either go back to sleep or ready to be awake. Jack also has a tag team partner. Once Jack has settled down and gone back to sleep our favorite orange cat is tagged in to continue Operation Don't Let Mommy and Daddy Sleep.

Jack was 12 weeks on Wednesday! Holy crap, that went by so fast but I'm defintely not sad about it. Those 12 weeks were pretty rough... okay, very rough. Jack was definitely not an easy baby at all. I'm so relieved that he's gotten much better and the three of us survived.

Jack is now able to roll from his belly to his back, he's been doing this for weeks. But he very recently started rolling from his back to his belly. He's smiling a lot which is the greatest thing in the world. Everytime I see that smile I want to cry, it just melts my heart.

I got him a little bouncy toy that looks like a horse. He thinks that's the greatest thing in the world! He can't seem to smile big enough when he's in that thing. I'll hopefully post pictures and videos of that soon! He's very good at holding his head up but he still gets tired after a little while.

2 Months Old

So I'm a total slacker on adding posts but I've been busy! I don't know if anyone is even still reading this but I'm going to try and update it anyway.

Jack is now 2 months old... he'll be 11 weeks on Wednesday. He's doing wonderful! At his 8 weeks checkup he weighed 12 pounds 5 ounces and was 23.5 inches long. He had to get 3 shots which were heart breaking to watch... especially when the nurse told me to hold him down.

His colic issues are pretty much over, no thanks to any of the doctors we talked to. I took it upon myself to switch him from breast milk to a lactose free formula and he was almost 100% better within a few days of the switch which was at around 7 weeks. I was still pumping and giving him breast milk that way but after he had my milk he was fussier than the formula so I stopped giving him my milk altogether.

Last week was my first week back to work and it sucked. I don't like my boss and she said Jack looks like ET. She's an idiot. I cried Monday-Wednesday but was able to hold it together the rest of the week. I'm not looking forward to going back there tomorrow, but sadly I don't have much of a choice.

Jack at 9 weeks:

busy friday

Yesterday Molly came over in the morning to visit with Jack and I. Then my mom came over and she, Jack and I went for a walk down to Wal-Mart and back. Then Josh and I dropped Jack off with Neena and Pappy so we could go out to the movies. I was a very busy day for us but it was a lot of fun so thank you to Molly, mom, Neena and Pappy for helping us out! Jack was a good boy so hopefully Josh and I can go out again :).

Jack and I just got back from another walk around the neighborhood. He was a very good boy and he was farting the whole way. I haven't checked his pants yet but he's been making a habit of taking a giant poop in the afternoon that squirts out his pants and up his back and belly. I can't smell anything so I think we're good.

At the begining of this week I weighed Jack and he's now 9.1 lbs. That means he gained 9oz since last week and 1.4lbs since birth (if I did the math right). What a piggy!

A few more mommy moments

Again today I was able to get myself and Jack bathed and ready to go.



Jack has colic... that explains his screaming fits almost every night for the past few days. The only good thing about is after he screams for a few hours he's tired himself out so he sleeps for about 3 1/2 hours which gives me time to sleep. I feel so bad for the poor little guy. He's clearly in pain from a lot of gas and there's not much that we can do. We've been finding more and more ways to make him more comfortable and they seem to be working. It feels nice to finally be able to comfort my own baby. Hopefully this doesn't last too long.

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Jack rolled over from his belly to his back for the first time yesterday!

Today I felt like a real mommy. All by myself I fed Jack, pumped, at breakfast, gave Jack a bath, got him all packed up and headed for my parents house... What most of you don't know is that my mom has been helping me EVERY day since Jack was born so today was the first day getting him and I ready to go out all by myself. I was very proud!

2 week check up

Jack had his 2 week check up yesterday and he's doing great. He now weighs 8.9 pounds, he's 21 3/4 inches long and his head measures 14.5 inches.

He had his first bath last Monday:

Jack has arrived... finally!

Jack finally arrives on July 15, 2009 at 3:22am, the day before my scheduled induction... what a sneaky boy!

It was Tuesday (7/14) evening around 7pm and I was cooking dinner. Jaime and Jon came over to drop some stuff off, Jaime and I chatted in the kitchen for a while and before she left she told Jack to come out. Around 7:30 Josh and I sat down to eat and watch Jeopardy. As we sat there eating I was getting a little crampy and it felt like I had to poop. I finished eating and made a trip to the bathroom... nothing. Maybe I was constipated? These cramps continued and I made a few more unsatisfying trips to the bathroom. At one point the cramps started to feel a little different. They started in my back and made their way to the front. The thought crossed my mind that they could be contractions so I started timing them but they didn't feel like menstral cramps, which I was expecting, so I wasn't getting too excited. I called my sister, Bethanie, to describe what I was feeling to see if she had an opinion. I told her that these 'cramps' were about 5-7 minutes apart and lasting 20-30 seconds. She suggested that I call my mom. I made the call around 9pm and told her what was going on. She offered to come over but I didn't think she needed to because I wasn't convinced I was in labor. While talking to her I got a 'cramp', I stopped talking and starting breathing a little heavier. When she heard that she said that she's coming over because it sounded like I was in labor. She came over with my dad. Josh and my dad were watching the All Star game and my mom and I continued timing the contractions and they were getting longer, closer together and a little painful. Bethanie checked in every now and then and when my mom told her that my contractions were now every 3 minutes and lasting about 55 seconds she decided to come over too (this was at about 11:30). We stayed at the house until a little after midnight when the contractions were 2 minutes apart and lasting about 75 seconds. Josh drove his car while my mom and I were in the back so she could rub my back when a contraction would come. When we got to the hospital I got all checked in and the nurse checked my cervix. I was already dilated to 7cms, that was nice to hear! They needed to monitor the baby for about 20 minutes so I had to stay in bed while they did that. Once everything looked good I headed off to the jacuzzi. The water felt great but the room started heating up and that made me feel sick so I decided to get out. I was feeling a lot of pressure so the nurse checked me again and I was 9cm... that was only an hour after the first time I was checked. The contractions hurt but they weren't unbearable so I didn't feel that any pain medication was necessary. The next few hours are a little fuzzy. I remember being checked again and I was almost fully dilated but there was a tiny bit of cervix left so I was told to push to see if I could push past it. After that I was fully and ready to go. While pushing my water EXPLODED and soaked the people surrounding my bed and even splashed myself on the face... gross. It sounded like the onlookers got a kick out of it. In between pushes I was having a hard time catching my breath so I was given oxygen which helped a little. I pushed as hard as I could for 39 minutes, breaking blood vessels in my eyes and face, and then Jack was here. They had me reach down and pull him up on my stomach. Josh yelled out something like, "You just had a fucking baby!" Jack's grandparents took turns holding him. They weighed him (7lbs 14oz), measured him (21in) and did all the other stuff they do to newborns. Finally around 7am everything was done and it was time to rest. They put Jack in a crib thing next to my bed. I wasn't able to sleep... I just stared at him for a few hours. I couldn't believe that I just had a baby. And that he was the one that was inside me for the last 9 months. It was all so overwhelming but in a good way.

Testing... trying to see if i can post from my phone

41 weeks

I had my 41 week appointment yesterday. I think that I'm just too good at being pregnant because they told me over and over Jack is very happy in there. I'm now 3cm dilated and he's dropped a little more since last week. I'm going to be induced on Thursday if he's not here by then so one way or another we'll have a baby by the end of the week.

I was told to call the birth center at 7-7:30am Thursday morning to see when they want me to come it. It all depends on how busy they are but the doctor said they'll probably tell me to come in around 8-8:30am. Since I have no problem dilating they'll just need to start my contractions and will most likely give me Pitocin. The doctor said that they might not be able to break my water right away unless Jack drops further down, otherwise the cord might come down and could get crushed by his head.

Josh and I will do our best to keep everyone updated as to what's going on.

I got another 3d ultrasound at the doctor's office and Jack's cheeks have gotten huge! He looks like he's got jowls! And his balls look huge too. Big chubby cheeks and big round balls, that's my boy!

40 week appt

He's still in there. I had an ultrasound, non stress test and vaginal exam. Everything looks perfect. I'm 2.5 cm dilated with no further effacement. I had my membranes scraped, which is just having crap scraped off my cervix. It might or might not help me go into labor... like everything else I've been trying. If he's still in there next Monday I have to go back for the same tests again and at that point we will talk about induction.

39 week appointment

Nothing exciting happened at the doctor. They didn't check me and won't until my next appointment on 7/7 (full moon). My blood pressure was a little high but because I don't have any other problems or symptoms of hypertension they aren't worried. The midwife said Jack is now about 7 1/2 lbs and should be about 8 at birth... so judging by all the guesses in the past few weeks it sounds like he'll be somewhere between 7-8lbs.

If he hasn't come out by my next appointment I'm going to get an ultrasound, non stress test and vaginal exam (where I was told I could ask to have my membranes scrapped). They need to check the amniotic fluid level and make sure the baby's activity and heartbeat is normal.

Everything is ready for Jack to come. I just need to pack my hospital bag.

39 weeks

I have 6 DAYS until my due date... I hope he comes sooner than that but who knows. I'm doing the best I can to get him out. I was told that I could try drinking Castor oil by my midwife but along with maybe inducing labor it will definitely induce a days worth of vomiting and diarrhea... so I'm a little nervous to try it.

I have my next appointment tomorrow and I'll update you after that.

Below are 39 week pictures, I failed on 38 week pictures. Saturday morning the cats decided they literally wanted to kill each other. I got in between them to break it up and ended up with a few scratches on my belly (just in case you were wondering what those red marks were... I'm proud to say they aren't stretch marks.)

Jack's new name

He shall now be call Michael Jackson Tara.

38 week appointment

Everything looks great. They are now saying that he'll weigh around 7 1/4 pounds when he's born. I gained 2 pounds since last week. Nothing else going on. They didn't check me again and won't until 40 weeks I believe. I got some tips on how to speed up the softening of my cervix so I'll be working on that.

I'm working on getting pictures from this week.

I saw Cricket (not her real name) this week and will be seeing her again next week. When I first saw her I thought she was a crazy hippy and she weirded me out but the more I see her the more I like her. Next Tuesday is her last day so that will be sad but it's not like I'll be going there much after next week anyway. She's going to work with all natural type of healing with Native Americans or something like that... Before she worked at Garrison she worked on a reservation so I'm guessing that's how she got the name Cricket?

16 days...

Dear Jack,

Please come out of me. I'm ready to meet you and I'm really tired of being your cocoon. 16 more days is just too long and don't even think about being late or my medical team (Daddy and the cats) will help remove you!

Love Mommy.


I called and set up maternity leave with corporate this morning. What a pain in the ass. I have to call them again once I'm out on leave (next Friday is my last day) and then again once the baby is born... I've got other things to do, people!

I was up from 2-6 last night... or actually this morning. I just couldn't get comfortable and then felt wide awake. I had a few mildly painful contractions but they only lasted an hour or two.

Molly has come over a few times to give me the most incredible foot/ankle massages. They feel so good I honestly think I could slip into a pleasure coma. Hopefully she'll continue to do this until the baby comes and maybe even after! (hint hint)

37 week appt

I had my appointment this morning and they told me that I am now considered full term and could go anytime. That's encouraging, however, I could also go two weeks past my due date (which is another 5 weeks) so that's not so encouraging. I lost 2 pounds this past week which was nice to hear. That puts me at 27 pounds gained total so far. (I packed on the pounds in the past 5 weeks). Right now Jack is estimated to weigh about 6-6 1/2 pounds. The midwife said they can only give a guess and could be off by a few pounds. She said that Jack does not feel like a big baby at this point, though. She checked my cervix and I'm about 1 centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. That was exciting to hear but again I could remain this way for another 5 weeks. She said that it feels like Jack is moving down because I'm starting to measure small. I'm measuring 36 weeks instead of 37, and last week I was measuring 35 when I was 36. She could also feel his head in my pelvis.

I have also lost my sense of humor about this whole pregnancy thing. I can no longer pretend to laugh along when people make comments about my size. It's NOT FUNNY, SHUT UP and LEAVE ME ALONE.

Off topic... Sharon found us a couch for the 'office' and put a nice cover over it. Apparently, the cat doesn't understand that you're supposed to sit on top of the cover, not underneath it. And yes, Binkie already puked on the cover... it took him about 3 days

This is why I choose not to make friends...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090607/ap_on_re_us/us_pregnant_woman_killed

God's Gift to My Bowels

This has been a rough week for my bowels. I haven't had much trouble with constipation for the last 35 weeks but this past week was HORRIBLE! I picked up come Citrucel and have been pounding it for the last 2 days and oh the relief!

36 weeks

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and everything is coming along nicely. Jack is estimated to be about 6lbs now and 8lbs at birth. I've been having horrible rib pain on the left side to the point where I can no longer lay or lean on that side. I asked the doctor about this and she said she had the same problem when she was pregnant with her son. Her son is now 30 years old and she still hasn't forgot how painful that was. Apparently it's only going to get worse, especially during labor... awesome. I've been having problems sleeping so I was given a prescription for Ambien but I'm afraid to take it. I get up about 3 times a night to pee and if I take a sleeping pill I fear that I'll just wet the bed and sleep right through it. She said I could also take Tylenol PM or Benadryl so I think I'll try one of those first since they aren't that strong.

I've been having mentsral like cramps the past few days and the doctor said that that might be my cervix rippening so they will check it next week.

Jack feels huge and he's still moving like crazy. He gets the hiccups about 3 times a day. I can't sleep much any more. I have no problem falling asleep but then I'll wake up (usually to pee) and won't be able to fall asleep for 2-4 hours. I desperately need naps throughout the day but because of the new work schedule I don't have time for them. I can't wait to be done with work and I especially can't wait for Jack to come!

My baby shower was this past Saturday and it was awesome. Everyone was so generous, we're very blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends. Below is Hazel trying out the Pack n Play.

Below are my 36 week pictures. My belly button is now sticking out and still no stretch marks, phew!!

I need this for work...

And all the other tshirts on this site... http://www.cafepress.com/evilgeniusstore/1993389

34 week appt

Everything is fine and dandy in my uterus. Jack weighs a little over 5 pounds and his head is securely planted in my pelvis, which feels awesome by the way. I have to go back to the doctor in 1 1/2 weeks and then I start going every week until the end.

I have about 4 weeks left of work until my maternity leave begins... I can't wait.

Ahhhhh

I went to get dressed for work yesterday and realized that overnight I outgrew a lot of my maternity clothes. Not impressed. My collection of mens large t-shirts don't even fit, what the hell! I think I'm going to get a few more dress from Old Navy (even though I'm still angry with them about the $5 trickery) since those are kind of like moo moos and I can't easily outgrow those.

Look what I found for Jack's room:

comfort

I've got two pairs of capris that are the most comfortable things ever. I wish that I could wear them everyday, but that just looks dirty. I've also discovered that wearing just a sports bra and these new SUPER comfortable undies around the house is the best feeling ever (sexy, I know!). A few weeks ago I decided to spend the day in just a bra and I've been doing it as much as possible ever since. I really enjoy the feeling of nothing touch my skin other than the breeze from my fan.
Last night to work I wore a fitted undershirt and another fitted (not tight) shirt over it with maternity pants that zip and button right under my belly. I couldn't have been more uncomfortable! I haven't worn the pants in two weeks and they are getting a little difficult to button. And there was just too much touching me. As soon as I got home I took all my clothes off, what a relief! I know what I'm going to wear tonight and even though it will make me look like a moose, I just don't care anymore. I'm choosing comfort over style.

I ate 1/4 of a whole watermelon yesterday and washed it down with a gallon of water... Jack approved, my bladder did not.


p.s. -old navy, don't tell me you have maternity clothes for $5 and show me a pair of flip flops!

This week

I'm not sure what to call this post.

I think that I'm ready to be done gaining weight but at the same time I want to eat like crazy (mostly ice cream). I just took a picture for 34 weeks and realized my face looks a little... puffy. My arms are getting large and squishy and my legs and ass are filling out. Yes, this is my fault because I sort of stopped exercising a few weeks ago but I've been so busy and exhausted from working on the baby room that exercising would push me over the edge. I can barely make it through work from being so exhausted. Something that is not my fault, however, is that the D bras I bought LAST MONTH are now too small... I'll just pretend that all the weight gain went to Jack and the girls!

Yesterday Jack kicked me so hard in the ribs that I yelled very loud. It actually really hurt and startled me quite a bit. He's getting good at landing those kicks.

34 Weeks

Jack's about 5 pounds now and I can feel his every movement! He's been moving most of the day and I'm hoping he takes a nap soon so I can get some sleep. He definitely feels bigger to me because of how uncomfortable most of his movements are. According to babycenter, a baby that is born from 34 weeks on should do as well as any other term baby which is great news, preterm labor is no longer a worry!

I heard a rumor from someone I work with that I had my baby this weekend... good to know!

Dick, Dot and Sharon came to my last ultrasound on Thursday. Jack was moving like crazy so he put on a good show for us. We got to see an ear, his penis and his long fingers!

I forgot to take a 33 week belly picture but I'll post a 33 week Jack picture instead!

Penis