First 2 weeks at home

Sleepy 2 week old baby pictures.

The first two weeks at home have been great with Baby Liam. Joey was off for the first full week and was scheduled to be off this week too, but because the baby came early, we both felt like it was ok for him to go back half days this week. We have had lots of visitors. It's been fun to introduce Liam to so many friends and family already.

Liam and I are adjusting to being at home during the day. I think we're doing well. 2 week olds can be pretty unpredictable. Sometimes he sleeps for hours at a time, sometimes he's awake for an hour and sleeps for 10-20 minutes. I like it when he's awake except when he's still crying after being fed and changed and seems to be fighting sleep. Luckily, so far (crosses fingers that it will continue) at night he's sleeping consistently for 4-5 hours at a time. We start putting him in his crib when he goes to sleep between 9 - 10, and wakes up to eat around 1 and around 4:30. And, he doesn't wake up until after 7:30. Awesome!

We took him for a recheck at the pediatrician earlier this week and he was almost back up to his birthweight, which they like to see at 2 weeks. He's not going to be so little for long! I am excited to see him grow and want to enjoy every minute of it.

Baby Liam has arrived!!

Baby Liam arrived on Saturday, September 19 at 11:37 PM. He weighed 6lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. He is such a blessing to our family. We love him more than words can describe!

I was scheduled to be induced on September 21, but I woke up on Saturday morning with the unmistakeable symptoms of broken water. We headed to the hospital and they admitted me. They hooked me up to "go juice" (Pitocin) at about 10:30 AM. I stayed at 1 cm for a really long time so they gave me medicine to help my body relax. It made me very sleepy and I slept through most of labor. I progressed to 3 and was stuck again for about 6 hours. The doctor came in at around 9:00 PM and said that he'd give me 2 more hours to progress or we'd be looking at a c-section. I had a new nurse who suggested I turn on my left side to see if it would help. I prayed that my cervix would open and I wouldn't have to go the c-section route. The nurse checked me about an hour later and I was at 6 cm, then soon after that they checked me again and I was at 9cm. I was ready to push about 11:15 and started with the nurse, she watched his heartrate and I'd push on one contraction and sit out the next to let Liam recover. She called in the doctor and Liam was out in 3 pushes. Even though I was in labor for 13 hours, it seemed to go by really fast and I could not have asked for better medical care. I stayed at the hospital until Monday and because we were both doing so well, we got to come home.

Here are pictures of Liam from his first couple of days...After his first bath at home, his hearing test at the hospital, and just before we left the hospital. Isn't he so cute!!

Baby Watch

We're on baby watch here at 615 Summit. Our doctors have decided to put me in the hospital on Sunday evening and begin the induction process - so it looks like sometime on Monday our Baby Liam will be here....in 4 days! Joey and I are both preparing for work absences, so this week is crazy. My office is moving, so I'm having to pack up everything and hope that it makes it where it's supposed to go and Joey is preparing his team for Code Blue while he's out. We are so excited to meet our son!!!

Liam's Room

This is Liam's room in it's almost complete form. The only thing thats missing is him! Hopefully, he'll be here in just a couple of weeks.

It's September

September is finally here! Football Season, Fall, and most importantly, Baby Liam will all arrive this month! We're ready for all 3 at 615 Summit Drive. We are so excited!
Every day we read a book that tells us what's going on with the baby. On January 19th, the day I took the telltale pregnancy test, the book said that 3 babies could fit in the size of a period on the page. What a miracle that something so tiny can grow so much in 9+ months. I thought back then that September was an eternity away and thinking back now it seems like January was an eternity ago. So much has happened these 9 months, that time has really flown by. I have been compiling a list (in my head to date) of everything that Liam has done while growing inside of his mommy. He's flown on a plane, visited 5 states, "seen" the ocean and the mountains, been to 3 concerts, celebrated 3rd, 60th, 70th, 29th, and 41st birthdays at parties of family and friends, attended 2 weddings (with 1 more to go), marched in a parade, been camping twice, "watched" a Clemson and Greenville Drive baseball game, made it through a week of vacation bible school, and much more. I have been so blessed to feel well enough to continue my hectic lifestyle while being pregnant. Joey and I can't wait to share all of these things and many more with our little boy as he grows up!

No Mirrors, Drugs, Ball, and Background music

Joey and I went to Birthing Class on Saturday. There were close to 20 couples in the class, and all but 3 are having boys. We had a really good teacher who taught us more about the birthing process than either one of us was aware of. We watched a couple of videos and learned some breathing and massage techniques. She showed us ways for me to sit to be more comfortable during labor - my favorites were on the birth ball and the cowboy..haha! We filled out a preferences sheet to use at the hospital which was nice, as there were things on there we hadn't thought about. The Hall preferences include no mirrors, drugs, and background music which sounds like something much more sketchy than a birthplan :). We walked out feeling more prepared to welcome Liam into the world. I suggest to anyone having a first child to take a birthing class.

Baby Liam is due 1 month from tomorrow!!!

Kelly's Breakfast Biscuit Showdown

One of the most common pregnancy questions I get is "Are you having any cravings?". Honestly, my answer is "no" because other than being just generally hungry, I don't 'crave' anything strange or specific. However, I have eaten more breakfast biscuits this almost 33 weeks than I have in my life. I think I am attracted to the protein which keeps me fuller, longer. If I eat a bowl of cereal (my prepregnancy breakfast staple), I'm starving in less than an hour :). At least 3 days a week (usually 4 or 5 :)) the Yaris wheels through the drive thru. My two top choices are Chic-Fil-A and McDonalds, mostly because of convenience on my morning commute.

I decided to research the nutrition facts for each of my favorite biscuits and thanks to the internet and FDA regulations, its all posted on the restaurant websites.

Sidenote: Although Joey says that I am a complete fun sucker in this habit, I find it eye opening to see what restaurants are serving patrons. If you haven't read the book or seen the "Eat This, Not That" guy on TV, it is startling! Things that you would think are healthy can have your fat and sodium intake for a week hiding inside. Just for fun look up the nutrition facts BEFORE you go to your favorite restaurant next time, if you look it up when you get home, it's going to make you very sad :).

So, in trying to stay relatively healthy my usual order is a biscuit and a soft drink. I skip the hashbrowns because they double the calories and fat at almost every place. And, they're not that good.

Here is my breakdown:

McDonalds Sausage and Egg Biscuit: 510 calories, 33 g fat, 36 carbs, 18 g Protein
Hardee's Sausage and Egg Biscuit: (Loser) 610 calories, 44 g of fat, 36 carbs, 17g Protein
Chic-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit: 450 calories, 20 g fat, 48 carbs, 20 g protein
Bojangles Cajun Filet Biscuit (surprise results): 454 calories, 21 g fat, 46 carbs, 20 g protein

Once Baby Liam arrives, it will be back to cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, and my biscuit habit will have to be rolled back to once or twice a month. I will miss the nice people who work in the drive thrus especially at Chic-Fil-A and McDonalds...they have a special gift for serving up convenient breakfast with a smile :).