Rescheduling

So after writing out 3 pages of schedules, we finally found something that works for everyone. Shaun's moved to a 3 1/2 hour routine which is going really well and everyone has adjusted beautifully. For the past 2 days he and I have gone for a walk around 4:30 since he has a snowsuit now. We got it at Gap for $35. It is down-filled and was originally $98. Good deal huh?

Tomorrow night is New Years Eve and we're heading over to Chris and Lisa's. Lisa's making a pork roast for dinner and I'm bringing a bunch of hors d'oeuvres for later. I have coconut shrimp with apricot-ginger dipping sauce, smoked salmon in tortilla cups and mango-brie quesadillas. It's going to be quite a feast!
And Sunday Mum and Dad are stopping here on the way back from Toronto. We'll just order pizza for dinner from Pizza Pizza. It should be a great weekend!
Oh, and I almost forgot... I think there's a chance I could be pregnant! I remember last year feeling car sick and then I found out we were having Shaun. Well, it's been the same feeling for the last few mornings. I was gagging in the car on the way to Zehrs this morning I felt so yucky. If it continues I'm taking a test on Monday; I bought 2 today. I know the timing kind of sucks (another summer pregnancy and Shaun only a year old) but I'm secretly hoping I am. I loved it with Shaun!

Oh, he's awake. Baby calls!

Is Pooping In The Tub A Milestone?

One more week and Shaun will be 4 months old. Everything has been happening so fast! I can't believe the year is almost over!

So a couple nights ago, Tuesday, I'm putting Shaun in the tub and he pees. Okay, that's normal. But then he's stil grunting and sure enough, a soft yellow turd floats to the top of the water. I'm laughing as I'm getting Shaun out of the water to put a diaper on him so I can wash the tub. I had to call Lisa too so I could share my woes! As I'm on the phone with Lisa, Shaun pukes down the front of my shirt and it drips into my bra - YUCK YUCK! So I change my shirt, clean the tub, fill it back up, take Shaun's diaper off (sure enough it's empty) and put him back in the water. And wouldn't you know it, he pooped again, this time more! Even though he was in the water it squirted all up his back and because he was moving around the floaters got all smooshed between his fingers and in his armpits. It was so gross. I'm sure all the neighbours know he pooped in the tub because I was shrieking and laughing so loudly. By the time I had scrubbed the tub again and washed and dried Shaun, the whole ordeal had been almost an hour. I had to call Lisa again after the second time and I called Mum and told her too... what a milestone!

As far as Shaun's schedule goes, I had tried last weekend to move Shaun into a 3 1/2 hour routine instead of 3 hours and he wanted nothing to do with it. I'm sort of puzzled now as to how I'm going to drop the 6th feeding and 4th nap. I think it will take some experimenting. Currently, this is what his schedule is:

Feedings/Naps

8:00 AM / 9:15 - 11:00
11:00 AM/ 12:30 - 2:00
2:00 PM / 3:30 - 5:00
5:00 PM / 6:30 - 8:00
8:00 PM / night time sleep from 9:30 PM to 8:00 AM
9:30 PM

Now the timing of the last feeding varies by about 45 minutes, depending on if I have the car or not. No car, the feeding is at 9:30, car, the feeding is at 10:15.
Eventually Shaun's last feeding will be at 8:00 and then he'll go down for the night. My thoughts are that for the next 6 days I gradually work back the last feeding to 8:00PM. Can Shaun do it in only 6 days?

Obviously there's the potential that the transition won't go so smoothly but we'll see. Shaun's pretty adaptable and he may surprise us! It's worth a try anyway.

Little Traveller

Shaun certainly has quite the personality! The little monster has learned that he can delay bedtime by singing to me while I'm rocking him. It makes me laugh because he's so cute and as a result it takes me forever to finish the bedtime routine. He's so silly!
He's one of the most easy going babies I know, too. I can be out all day, from the time I drop Craig off to the time I pick him up and Shaun eats and sleeps right along with his schedule. In fact, last week Beth and I were in Toronto shopping all afternoon and Shuan was amazingly good. He makes being a new Mummy so easy!
Craig's really being a huge help now too. It was tough for a while I think because we were still getting used to Shaun and even each other being parents. He's started taking initiative when it comes to getting Shaun up or putting him to bed. Craig even gave Shaun a bath a few nights ago while I was baking some cookies.
It looks like we're going to be here longer than we had originally planned. We pay so little for the mortgage that I think we'd really struggle if we were to move right now; it'd be a huge adjustment. We'll definitely have our second child here. Our goal is to move before Shaun starts school, but hopefully sooner.
Next weekend plans are in the works to go to Mum and Dads for dinner on Saturday. Tara and Wes will be there and Steve and Tamrah have been invited as well. Donna's having us and Chris and Lisa over on the Sunday. This months is getting busy already!

A Full Night's Sleep!

So right after my last entry Shaun started sleeping through the night. I had talked to Sheri that day and told her about him waking at 5AM. Sheri told me that Shaun was able to sleep longer than 5AM and she encouraged me to let him cry. So 5AM came and he woke, fussed 5 minutes (really!) and went back to sleep. I couldn't believe it. The next week-and-a-half he slept all the way through almost every night. Only a couple of nights he would wake and cry... one night he cried for almost an hour! But now he's not waking at all so this weekend we're going to my parents house and they're going to babysit. His first babysitters! We'll go out for dinner in London and then probably to Yuk-Yuk's or a Jazz bar of some sort. Mum and Dad will give Shaun his 8PM feeding and then take him to the meeting in the morning. He'll have is 11AM feeding whle at the meeting. It'll be interesting to hear what everyone thinks of him! He waking up... duty calls!

Thumbsucker

I'm not sure how mum had time for us 3 kids. Between feeding and waketime I feel like the time in between is so minimal. I need time to relax but it's hard to keep up with the housework too and cook all the meals. And just when I start to really get into a project, it's time for Shaun to wake up again and then the cycle starts all over again. But I love being a mum. Watching Shaun grow and change and learn new things every day is incredible. What a miracle children are!

Shaun found his thumb for the first time last night. He was stirring in his crib so Craig went to check on him and his whole thumb was in his mouth and he was sucking away. I saw it today and it's so cute! His little fingers curled around his nose...
I have cleaning to do and I'll have to go through his clothes soon and pack away what's too small.

Back on the Saddle

We are so lucky! Shaun is such a good baby! The only glich was on Wednesday; he was waking up only 45 minutes into his nap all day and I finally realized it was because he was hungry. Must be going through a growth spurt. We were shopping in Conestoga Mall today and Shaun slept the whole time. He seems to adjust to whatever we're doing.

Craig and I were talking tonight about dropping the 11PM feeding and moving it to earlier but after I read in Babywise that most babies are 3 to 5 months old when that happens, we decided to hold off a while. Shaun is just so hard to wake up for that feeding!

I was writing some new schedules out tonight that we may use once Shaun moves into a flexible 3-4 hour routine. I think it's going to take a lot of experimenting and adjusting to see what works best for us. It's a bit harder for us because Craig's shift is so different than the norm. We don't actually get going until 9:30 at the earliest. I'll have to see what works the best.

Tomorrow we're going to Wayne and Leah's for the afternoon. Chris came back from Colorado last night. It will be nice to see him again.

And our photos are scheduled at Zehrs for this Thursday. I haven't even begun to decide what we'll all wear. I hope Shaun smiles nice for his photos. We're getting 3 poses for $25. Good deal!

My nipples are completely back to normal. I haven't worn breast pads for about a week too and I'm not leaking either. I've even gone braless a couple of nights.
We had sex today for the second time since Shaun was born. It was 100X better than the first time which was last weekend. I guess I just needed a couple more days to heal. Mum told me that with all 3 of us she didn't get her period until she was DONE breastfeeding and we were completely weaned. That would be nice! Although it would be nice to get pregnant in the late spring and I'll still be breastfeeding then. We'll have to see. I'm a little afraid of how we'll do financially but look at other families who are making so much less than Craig and they survive on one income. I'm confident we could make it work, it would just take some adjustments, just like everything. Besides, how does the saying go... nothing worth it is easy to obtain. Something like that. Basically, being a stay at home mum won't be easy and financially it will be challenging but that's what is best for the kids and it will all be worth it in the end. We'll make it work!

The Adjustment is Complete... For Now

Life has stabilized. We're all on a pretty good schedule now. Shaun eats every 3 hours with his first feeding being at 8AM. After his last feeding at 11PM he usually sleeps until at least 5AM. Although last night he woke at 2:30AM hungry. I think it's because he didn't get enough from the bottle at 11PM. He's so cute to watch when he's eating though and he takes the bottle so good. I've been pumping quite a bit so Craig is going to start feeding Shaun his last meal. I think Shaun is getting ready to move into a 3 1/2 hour routine and I hope he starts extending his nighttime sleep soon. Even sleeping until 6AM would be nice... then I can -- actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I know what I need to do. Once Shaun is consistently sleeping until 6AM I can move his last feeding back to 10:00 or 10:30 so that he eats at 5AM still and then 8AM. I think, though, that his schedule is going to be a bit different from other people's because of our schedule. We don't actually get going until 9 or 10AM.
I went and saw Dr. Raby yesterday for my 6 week appointment (even though it's been 7 weeks). She did a Pap spear and also said my uterus is back to normal. We talked briefly about birth control and prenatal vitamins. As far as birth control goes, the pill can affect quantity of breastmilk so that's not an option. She suggested barrier methods: condon and foam. Although, as long as I'm exclusively breastfeeding the chance of me getting pregnant is next to nothing so I'm not sure we'll use anything. Dr. Raby also said that I have to continue taking my prenatal vitamins as long as I'm breastfeeding and add an extra mg of folic acid when we're planning on getting pregnant again. I asked her about weight loss too and she said I could proceed with that whenever I'm ready so I'm going to my first meeting tomorrow night. I'm so anxious to get back to my goal weight!

Much Ado About Nothing

So motherhood is amazing. I've had a few low points and I seem to take my stresses out on Craig at the end of the day but for the most part I'm completely enjoying baing a mum. I love picking him up and hearing him stop; I love how content he is after eating; I love that he smiles at me when I smile at him... it's just amazing!
I've come to realize though, that I'm way too hard on myself and especially hard on Craig. I'll harp on the smallest things that are totally worthless to even worry about. Like the other night, Craig went in to settle Shaun since he was fussing and left the night light on when he left the room - no big deal at all, right? Well I came downstairs with Shaun and immediately started complaining to Craig about the light. He just looked at me but didn't say anything. Thinking about it now, why did I say anything at all? Who cares? I've noticed that he'll check with me a lot before he does stuff relating to Shaun. I think it's because he's worried I'll freak out over whatever he does. On one hand I really appreciate that he checks with me because he realizes that I'm working hard to get Shaun on a schedule and stuff but on the other hand I feel like he feels like less of a parent - insuperior to me. I don't want it to be like that at all!
He's such a great dad. He talks so funny to Shaun and does diaper changes and ALWAYS kisses him before Shaun goes for a nap or Craig leaves for work. He's adjusted so well and goes to work and works hard all day and then comes home and helps as he can with Shaun. Yet I still get angry that he's watching TV and not helping me. But ask me what I want him to do and I probably won't know. It's strange. I think we just have to spend more time talking to each other and not like "how was your day". It's just hard to find the time. We'll be fine it's just going to take some time to adjust.

1 Month Old

It's hard to believe that Shaun's almost a month old already! He has his one month appointment on Monday.

Last Monday we went to get his circumcision done. He barely cried at all. The freezing must have really helped. This morning when I opened up his diaper his plastibel had fallen off. His penis looks so short now! Lisa says that's normal and that it will grow.

The scheduling has been going very well for the most part. Shaun is a terrific eater and latches like a professional even though, really, it's only been 2 weeks since he figured it out. I've even fed him in out in public a couple of times: in Sears, at the Early Years Centre, and today in Boston Pizza. The only time I'm sort of struggling with him is at nap time when we're away from home. He can't settle himself unless he's in his crib. It'll just take some more practice. He's being a bit of a stinker tonight though. It'll sound like he's fast asleep for 5 minutes or so and then he'll start crying. Maybe it's gas. It's not a constant cry either, sort of off and on. What a pain! I have to go resettle him...

Later...

I have come to discover that Shaun has a really hard time releasing gas after he eats. Sometimes I'll spend 10 minutes burmping him and nothing comes out, like tonight. Then he won't settle for his nap, and again like tonight, as soon as I pick him up he burps. I don't understand it at all. It's very strange. I'd love to think that he doesn't burp because he doesn't need to but obviously he does. It's pretty frustrating. I put him down at 6:45PM tonight. Now it's 8:07 and he's still not asleep... crying off and on. I don't know what to do!

Craig's with Wayne at a football game. They left at 5:30AM and should be home any minute.
I have to go and see if I can coax this gas out of Shaun. This is crazy!

Later...

So now it's 8:20 and Shaun's sitting on my lap in the kitchen. He doesn't seem to have gas anymore but his hand is in his mouth and he's sucking like crazy. He must be hungry. He's starting to gain a bit more control over his hands... seems to favour his right one.

Oh! He smiled today for the first time! I was leaning over him and he gave me a great big grin. I cried! He's so cute!

On Becoming Babywise

I've been reading On Becoming Babywise for the last few days; learning how to get Shaun (and me) on a schedule. It's a great book. All the questions I've had about: how long to let him cry, what to do if he wakes early for a feeding, how long to have him feed from each breast; they've all been answered in this book. It's reassured me that what I'm doing is okay.
These are the times he eats: 9AM, 12PM, 3PM, 6PM, 9PM

All of these feedings follow the eat-play-sleep routine. Shaun will spend about 15 minutes eating and then about an hour of wake time. Then I put him down for a nap. Ninety percent of the time he doesn't even cry when I put him down.

The remaining 2 feedings are: 12 AM and about 4:30AM, depending on when he wakes up. For these feedings he doesn't get any wake time; I put him right back into bed once he's finished eating. The schedule seems to be falling into place rather easily. The next thing to do will happen in the next few weeks. I'll try to drop the 4:30AM feeding. Babywise says most babies drop the feeding on their own. Those that don't sometimes wake during the feeding time and cry for a short time. They put themselves to sleep in the end. I'll end up reading that section about dropping a feeding a million times, I'm sure.

We're going to Sheri and Pete's for a family dinner tonight. It'll be great to see everyone!

Breastfeeding Woes

Yikes! Being a mum is so much harder than I ever imagined but oh my word, it's so rewarding and I wouldn't go back to not having Shaun at all.
Up until last Friday breastfeeding had had it's ups and downs. Most people live "day to day"; I was living "feed to feed". My moods were fluctuating so much based solely on how Shaun was breastfeeding.
I think a lot of the nursing problems I brought on myself... I came into motherhood with the impression that breastfeeding was painless and natural for mommy and baby. Since Shaun had so much trouble latching, my nipples got cracked and raw. They hurt so terribly I'd be in so much pain I'd cry and my toes would curl and I'd get all tense. Shaun probably felt how tense I was and that prevented him from relaxing and latching well. By the time last Friday came I didn't even want to feed him anymore. I was in Wayne and Leah's bedroom with Craig and through tears admitted to him that I wanted something to happen to Shaun so I didn't have to feed him anymore. Craig took that as the sign to ask Lisa for her breastpump for that feeding. I pumped for 2 or 3 more feedings after that and I used the frozen breastmilk I had too. By the time the 1AM feeding rolled around, Shaun was hysterical and I was desperate. I stuck it out for almost 2 hours and Shaun finally figured it out. He latched and hasn't gone back since!
I walked to the mall today to buy Stesha's shower gift and to buy Melissa a gift too. My perineum is really sore now though. I'll have to take it easy tomorrow.
I've decided to be firm and strong and not only get Shaun on a schedule but let him cry it out too. He's been upstairs about an hour. He cried for 17 minutes at first and then it sounded like he fell asleep. I think, though, that the TV was too loud and there was a new mum using a high pitched voice like me. Shaun woke up and now he's been crying for almost 10 minutes again. I'm going to go up in a few minutes to do his feeding if he doesn't stop. Otherwise I'll go up in 30 minutes... maybe an hour. It's be 9 PM or 9:30 PM.

Shaun Anthony Martin's Here!!

Wow, what a trek we've been on these last 10 months or so.
Shaun, you finally arrived; albeit 8 days late but you're perfect and we couldn't be happier. I was supposed to be induced Sunday, August 28 but the hospital was too busy so we ended up being called in at midnight. Nothing was really happening though until Dr. Raby came in at around 8 AM. Originally I had hoped they would break my water when we arrived to try to avoid receiving the Pitocin but he was too high and there was a danger of a cord prolapse. So, finally, at 8 they broke my water. Up until then the nurse had been asking me how my pain was from 0 to 10. It was mostly 0 but closer to 8 AM it was around a 2 and I was still able to sleep through the contractions. Once my water broke though, holy cow! Did things ever get started! Within about 5 minutes I got out of bed and was rocking side to side and breathing heavily and deeply. I decided to try the birthing ball and spent at least a couple hours on there. I wanted to lean forward but it hurt so bad during the contractions so I tried leaning back, hanging onto the bed to hold myself up. But I got tired and would lean into Craig for support. His shirt smelled so good! I remember at one point he turned to walk away just as a contraction was coming and I pulled him back to my by his shirt. Eventually the Pitocin had to be decreased a bit because the contractions were coming too close together and I wasn't getting the chance to catch my breath in between.
It's strange, I remember all of this happening but my memory is sort of foggy; almost like a dream.
The nurse suggested a shot of Demerol at noon, right after I threw up all over Craig's shoes, to help take the edge off the contractions. I hadn't wanted any drugs originally but the contractions were becoming more than I could handle. Craig says once I got the shot and the doctor was leaving the room, only then did I say "ow". I guess I was in a lot of pain... When the Demerol came I was 5 cm and 10 minutes later when it had completely taken effect I was up to 9! But the Demerol had taken too long for me and I was begging for an epidural. Craig asked me so many times if I was sure that was what I wanted. It was great to have his support!
Once I was fully dilated, since I'd just received the epidural I was completely numb from my boobs down. It was a wierd feeling. By 4 PM I could feel enough to start pushing. It felt like I had to take a monster poop. I was allowed to push as I wanted and I counted in my head. It only took 45 minutes and felt like much less. When Shaun finally came out it was 4:55 PM and he was 10 pounds 4 ounces! Quite the porkchop!!

Shaun Anthony Martin
August 29, 2005
10 lbs, 4 oz

Way Overdue!!

Taken at my Uncle Danny and Aunt Helen's wedding the day before I was induced at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. I don't remember feeling as huuuuge as I am in the picture but I know Helen commented during her speech at how I looked like I was ready to burst. We headed home early from the wedding so I could sleep a little before all the action started the following day. Little did we know that instead of being called in at 7AM, it would be midnight before we got the call that there was a bed and nurse ready for my (and Shaun's) arrival. We could have danced the night away and maybe brought labor on it's own. Oh well, live and learn!

39 Weeks

39 weeks. Anytime now Shaun; we're waiting for ya.

38 Weeks

38 weeks. I'm ready for this Little Man to come out.

Full Term

So, I finally made it. The pregnancy and Mr. Magoo are considered term. If I was to go into labour now the doctors wouldn't do anything to try and stop it. It's pretty exciting that in less than a month there's going to be a newborn in this house. Pretty amazing that Craig and I made a baby. Sex is wonderful!

So Craig and I are pretty much the only Martins in town this weekend besides Pete and Sheri. Wayne and Leah and Lisa and Matthew are up at Uncle Jim's cottage. They've been there since last Sunday and will leave tomorrow for Lisa's wedding in Las Vagas. I think Wayne and Leah are returning on Tuesday with Matthew.

We've been looking after Felix but he had started spraying in the house so yesterday morning we took him home. He even peed on the rocking chair. I was so upset I cried. We didn't even get to use it and it was ruined already.
Mum and Dad left for Kipawa late last night, 1 AM or something. They'll be gone until next weekend and then they're camping at the Oinery Aug 19-21. There's not too many days left for the baby to come especially since Danny and Helen are getting married August 27. That's only 6 days after I'm due. I hope the baby's here by then so everyone can see him!

So all the baby shopping is done. We have everything we need and more! Lisa loaned us a ton of clothes. Three boxes! We ended up keeping about a box. There was so much the baby would never get the chance to wear it all. I still don't feel like the room's done but I can't put my finger on what it is that's incomplete. Once I figure it out I'll have to take a picture.

We visited Chad last night. Tom was there too. It was nice to touch base. So Chad's going to be our messenger when the baby's born. He'll call everyone and let them know. It's great that he's so interested. Tom and Chad felt the baby's hiccups too. They thought that was pretty cool!

36 Weeks

36 weeks and the stretch marks are comin'!

No Break From the Heat!

I never did get back to that entry the other day. I had every intention to though.

Once again this week has been stifling hot. It reached 35.3C yesterday and that was without the humidity. The temperature was similar today. I heard on the news last week that June was the hottest June on record. Thirteen days were above 30 degrees and 10 days broke records! Now I can truly say I was pregnant during the hottest summer ever. I wonder how July will compare. If these temperatures keep up, I have no doubt that July will break records too. So much for enjoying a cool, rainy summer like last year.

It rained this afternoon for the first time in over a month. I've taken advantage of the temporary break in the heat to do a bit of work on the baby's room. It's been such a mess since the shower but I haven't had the stamina to even get in there because it's been so stinkin' hot and humid. I'm considering rearranging it... but how? Maybe I'll just leave it as-is. Less work. Better get back to work before I have to pick up Craig from work.

Countdown

The weeks left until my due date are quickly becoming days. Fourty-one days to be exact. I only have 9 days of work left. That's scary. No more alarm clock, no more curriculum sheets... it's going to be really strange.

Baby Shower

So it's not that I haven't wanted to write, I've just been so busy with so many other things lately. Things like the baby shower that was last weekend at Sheri's. We received so much wonderful stuff for the baby; I said to everyone that it's a little overwhelming that there's so many people who support our having a baby. Many babysitters and advice givers. Donna bought us a playpen. We think we're going to leave it with Mum and Dad since we really don't stay overnight anywhere else. Everybody in town, even if they babysit, is close enough to either come here, or we can set the baby up on the floor or surrounded by pillows on the bed.

Today Craig and I are going to Niagara Falls with Wayne and Leah and Lisa and Matthew. Leah has packed a picnic lunch for everyone. The weather's supposed to be beautiful.

Only 7 weeks to go... hard to believe!!