Friday, August 31, 2007

Milestones...

Nathan rolled from his back to his belly today!!! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! He just looked so proud of himself. I am so blessed that I got to see it. What a wonderful day!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Wednesday's (errrr Tuesday's) thoughts...

So sue me...I forgot to do my weekly installment of Tuesday's thoughts yesterday. In my defense, I had a long day.

Brandon has started a new job! He seems to like it although, like his mother, doesn't really show excitement that well. I am excited enough for the both of us, I guess.


Speaking of Nathan....he is currently taking a nap in his crib!!!!! WOW!! I have been working at this for quite some time now. We co-sleep at night but during the day, I would like to put him in his crib so that I don't have to lie down with him. Today, we finally got it!! So I am enjoying some Mama time.

Hmmm...what else.....not much to write about today.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Tuesday's thoughts...


And now its time for another installment of Tuesday's thoughts!

Today is the one year anniversary of Nathan's conception. One year ago today, we had my eggs retrieved. One year ago today, Nathan's life began in a petri dish! Above is a picture of the two embryos that made it to transfer day. One of those is Nathan Cole. That will never cease to amaze me.

Speaking of IVF....Nathan and I went to see the doctor that performed our miracle this past week. It was so nice to take Nathan in to see the staff. Dr. B was so happy to see him. We took a lovely picture, but I won't post it because I don't have his permission.

Speaking of Dr. B....After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to return to work as an OB nurse. I know it sounds crazy, but my heart just isn't in it any longer. While I think that OB is great, I really want to switch gears and help people who are trying to get pregnant. I want to be an IVF nurse! :) I mentioned this to Dr. B and he said to call him when I am ready to return to work!

Speaking of work....I am thinking of going back to work when Nathan is around 6-7 months. That way, Nathan never has to learn how to take a bottle, he can just use a sippy cup!

I know this is a short message compared to last week. But my darling hubby just arrived home.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Last week was World Breastfeeding Week!!


This is one of my favorite nursing pictures. So incredibly sweet....

I just realized that I never posted about World Breastfeeding week!! Shame on me....

Nursing is one of the greatest things about being a mother. Here is my nursing story up to this point...

Nathan was born on May 12th 2007. After a lengthy pushing phase, poor Nathan was born with some breathing difficulties. They had to take him to the NICU for a couple of hours. While I was waiting to be able to see him, I just kept thinking about how I couldn't wait to begin nursing. I was so ready for him to be with me and ready to begin our lives together. Thankfully, 2 hours later, I was able to take my sweet babe to my room. After all the family cleared out, I was ready to nurse. I realized that I was a little nervous at the time, but I knew in my heart, that everything would be ok. I attempted to help Nathan latch on, but he wasn't really interested at the time. So I just let him lay against my breast, in hopes that we would wake and want to nurse. A couple of hours later, Nathan awoke with a new hunger. His tiny little mouth began searching for my nipple. Seconds later, Nathan latched. Such a beautiful sight. He needed a lot of help and guidance at first. We saw a couple of lactation consultants to improve his latch. He eventually figured it out, he was brand new after all and just learning!

The first 6 weeks were hard. Nathan nursed all the time and my nipples were quite sore. But I just kept telling myself that I was giving him the greatest gift a mother could give her child. After that first 6 weeks, life and nursing got a lot easier. Nathan spread out his nursing schedule and my nipples gradually healed. Now, at 3 months, our nursing relationship is as strong as ever. I love to look down at him and see his eyes flutter closed as he is nursing. He loves to lay his hand on my breast or reach up to touch my face. When he stops nursing long enough to look up at me and smile, my heart melts. I am so proud that he has doubled his birth weight all on my milk. I am so proud that I can do this for my baby.


Sunday, August 12, 2007

Letter to my 3 month old boy....

Dearest Nathan,

Today you are 3 months old. I can hardly believe how fast time flies. It is amazing to me that you are growing and changing everyday.

You are getting so big! You weigh about 16.5 lbs now. You have wonderfully chunky thighs and a beautiful double chin. People always remark at how big you have gotten. I am so proud of the fact that you get all your nutrition from me. You love nursing so much. You are now popping off mama's breast every so often to look up at me and smile. You now notice so much of the world around you. You look around when are you nursing now. You will also watch mama walk across the room and smile when I get close to you. You like to watch Lucy play on the floor. You talk to Daddy and I all the time. You love bath time! You have just learned how to splash around so you have lots of fun playing in the water.

You are so important to me. I love staying home with you during the day and watching you grow. There is never a moment that goes by that I don't look at you with pure love and amazement. Well, my dear Nathan, you are wanting to nurse now, so I must go. I love you so much sweetie.

Hugs and Kisses,

Mama

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Its my party....

Happy Birthday to me! :) I keep forgetting that today is my birthday! I miss the days of being so excited for this day to come around (i.e. 16, 18, 21). Anyhoo, 24 here I come!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Tuesday thoughts....

Some random thoughts....compiled neatly in one post for your viewing pleasure.

Brandon got a new job!! I am so thrilled for him. He will be making more money and the opportunity is one that he couldn't pass up. This also means that I can stay at home with Nathan longer. That is such a relief because there is no way that I could leave him.

Speaking of leaving Nathan...I realized that I won't be able to do this ever. :) I can barely let my mother-in-law old him. For example, Brandon and I went to a wedding this past weekend. Long story short, Brandon gave Nathan to his mother so that I could eat. Even though I didn't ask him to do that. I didn't even want to eat because I wasn't feeling well due to the fact that it was 85 freaking degrees in the reception room (more like a closet). Anyway, my mother-in-law held Nathan and I was watching like a hawk. Then she disappeared around the corner and I nearly had a panic attack. I proceeded to run over there so that I could supervise (she is not one to bring him to me if he is crying, but that is a whole different story). Of course, as soon as Nathan saw me, he started to fuss and wanted me to hold him. :) So I got my baby back and didn't let go the rest of the night. Some people may call me overprotective, and maybe you are right, but when you have gone what I have gone through to have this baby, you can talk to me about overprotection.

Speaking of what I have gone through to have this baby....(notice how all my thoughts just kind of run together). This time last year, I was giving myself shots four times a day in preparation for IVF. I can hardly believe that it has been over a year since our IVF cycle began. Our IVF cycle was one of the most scary segments of my life. I try not to think about what might have happened if it didn't work. I look down at Nathan (who is napping on mama right now) and wonder what might have been if our cycle didn't succeed. For one, I would need to be in some sort of therapy. I would have fallen into a depression so deep, it would have taken months for me to surface again. Brandon and I would, no doubt, have serious marital issues. I often ask Brandon what we would have done next on our quest to have a baby if IVF didn't work. He tells me he honestly doesn't know. We most likely would have moved to donor sperm because there would have been no way we could have afforded another IVF cycle. Just the thought of donor sperm makes me sad. One of the greatest things about having a baby with the man you love is looking down at my child's sweet face and seeing part of his father. Nathan has his Daddy's eyes. They are the kind of eyes that can change color in a matter of seconds. Some times they are the brightest green and sometimes they are the deepest brown. It is amazing. I thank God that IVF worked. I owe my heart, soul, and entire world to the miracle that is IVF.

Speaking of infertility...I have a very dear friend. I will call her "H". H is one of the sweetest and most amazing women I have ever known. She has a remarkable sense of self and a remarkable amount of faith in God. H also struggles with infertility. It makes me so sad that a woman like this, who is obviously going to be a fantastic mother, has to wonder if she will ever get the chance to have a baby. H is scared to get her hopes up because she has been let down for so many months. I sincerely hope that H reads this and realizes that there is nothing wrong with a little hope in the world. Hope is what makes the world go round. Hope and mothers like her make the world go round. And yes, I called her a mother, because her baby is simply waiting in heaven.

And that, dear friends, is the end of Tuesday's thoughts...stay tuned for next week. Yes, I plan to make this a weekly installment.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Such a big boy!


Pictures

Feet!
My happy baby!
Cloth diapers
Love this picture!