Five Days Old

Opps... little bit of red eye in that one. Oh well.

So here we are, now 5 days old... Pretty crazy. Days don't seem to exist anymore--they kinda just bleed into one another. And nights aren't very long; Probably because it gets dark so eary now, and we usually don't 'go to bed' until midnight or so. By the time we're--well, I'm--getting up for a second or third feeding, the sun's about to come up! And then we sleep 'til noon or two or something. Overall, all is well.

And that's all I get to write for now--he's waking up, which means he's hungry. Oi vey...

Okay, I'm back. I must say, though, out of everything I needed to ready myself for, in regards to his arrival, breastfeeding was probably the biggest surprise. Sure, I'd read up on it, I've got La Leche Legue's book, but I was pretty naive to think that I would be exempt from 'issues'. I can totally understand now why some women don't even want to try--it's very frustrating. And very painful. I was prepared for labor and birth pain, but this... This is almost worse, because it doesn't have an end... I must be doing something wrong, though, because according to the gal we rented the Aqua Doula from (who's a La Leche Legue Leader), breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. And labor is also supposed to be an orgasmic experience (according to some...) I dunno... Everyone else I talk to say, "Yes, you're gonna be sore for a while, but you'll get through it." Well, hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, pray for us??

Four days old!

We did take his picture on Wednesday at the ped's office, but that's on the camera, not my phone. He hasn't changed much, though. Still super cute! (That's my arm, by the way... he's cradled in it...)

2 Days Old

Just a few more for ya... Don't have time to format nicely--baby's hungry.

Close up!

Baby burritos are so cute!

One day old...

And already watching football with his Daddy...

Baby Wilcox has arrived!

All that needs to be said is, I'm awesome! Four hour labor, twelve minutes of pushing, 10lbs 11oz, 22in. I ROCK!

This is it!!!

Just wanted to drop a note to say....


MY WATER BROKE!!


We were at my parents house and I was watching Jeremy and my brother Stephin play Singstar tonight (kinda like a karaoke game...) and they were watching their playback (it records what you sing... they sang a duet to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police)

..................*contraction*............................

and one of the options the game gives you is to playback with a baby voice. Okay, you have to see it for yourself, but it's HYSTERICAL! I was laughing sooooo hard, I was LITERALY SOBBING!

.......................*contraction*...........................

Yeah, so, that's when I felt 'the gush'. Went to the bathroom, and well, things were pretty much soaked. It's all downhill from there! Right now, I'm home, sitting through contractions, waiting for them to get intense enough to call our midwife back for her to come and DELIVER THIS BABY! FINALLY!

Had I known he was going to be so punctual (today is his due date), I would have planned my holidays differently.

.............................................*contraction*..................................................

Okay, can't do this anymore... Gotta run. Will keep you posted!

Jeremy Jr Game, Part 2

Oooooohkay!

So, here we are, three days before our due date, and no baby...

For some reason, everyone thought he would be early (I dunno where they got that idea from... ;-)
So now, only a few people are still in the running (a co-worker, our Bradley instructor, my brother and my Uncle). And I think we're still no closer to seeing baby anytime soon.

So FOR FUN (no prize in this one), we're letting folks vote again at our new game page. Click the link above to get there--it should work! :-) I'm not voting this time, because I think I jinxed myself the last time... And I don't want anyone to follow my trend. :-)

And if for some reason he comes before you have a chance to vote, then great! Either way, it's a win-win situation! :-)

Happy voting!

Your face... It's perfect..

...for me to poop on!

New Diapers!

I'm so easily excited nowadays... :-)

We received our new cloth diapers today (and what d'ya know... they beat Jeremy Jr here... crazy...) and they are so cool! Well, I think they're cool. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the color selection. I guess they were outta the blue and the green, so I've got 24 (maybe 25... I think they sent me an extra...) white and 12 "butternut" (yellow). I guess it's okay, as those'll be great colors to have on hand if we have a "Jess Jr" anytime soon.

They're sooooo soft, too... I'm sure Jeremy Jr will appreciate them WAY more than disposables (no rough plastic or paper against his baby soft, sensitive skin). These definitely do NOT feel like the cloth diapers you're probably used to seeing--those seem very rough and coarse. These are niiiiiiiiiice... I wish you could put texture in digitals photos (so you could feel it), but ya can't, so you'll just hafta stop by and visit and check them out then!

Now we just need a baby to put in them! C'mon Jeremy Jr! Don't keep Mommy and Daddy waiting any longer! Be a good boy, and come out already! :-)

Hopefully, we get some word from the midwives today, like, "Oh, you're in labor! Go home, we'll see you in a few hours to deliver your baby!" lol I don't expect that, but it would be pretty cool. I would take, "Wow, I can't feel the baby's head anymore, he must be wayyy down there!" (Katharine's pretty sure I 'look lower' than I did before, so hopefully he's getting into position...)

We'll keep you posted!!

Still no news...

And another woman from our Mom's class has had her baby.

Woot, I'm still pregnant.

:-P

In other news, the fancy schmancy cloth diapers I ordered have shipped and should be here... probably way before Jeremy Jr! Not that we'll be using them right away. Not gonna try to wash meconium outta cloth... ewwwww.... But they'll be here whenever he's done with that nastiness.

They're the bumGenius 2.0 One-size diaper! No need to buy different sizes down the road--these'll fit him 'til he's 35lbs! Check 'em out, I think they're pretty cool. And make sure you watch the video--shows ya how easy they are to use.

Our Christmas tree is still up. It's so pretty... I may take it down tomorrow, though, just so the cleanin' crew can vacuum up all the needles and such on Thursday. But it's so pretty...

And that's all I've got for ya today. :-)

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say that. :-)

We had a pretty low key new years. Ordered some Chinese food ("Herro, tank you fo cawwin China 'Spress, can a take your ordah?"), watched some Jackass Vol. 2 with the inlaws, went to Allison & Kevin's New Year's party for a bit, and then returned home a little after 11 to watch the ball drop. Then I got sick, so I had to retire downstairs while Jeremy returned his parents to Ben's house. I soaked in the AquaDoula for a bit, but then figured I should get out, as I was falling asleep while in it (so cozy and warm.... mmmm....) and crashed on the bed.

A really cool twist now would be to say, "And then I woke up and I was in labor!"

But that didn't happen.

At this point, there's no reason to rush him anymore, as the grandparents are heading back to work/back home (Jeremy's Mom is flying to visit her Dad for a bit, and then will be back for a few days at the end of the week before returning to Canada to re-start her last semester of school), we've passed the window of opportunity for a tax break, and I'm done with work regardless of when he comes! So, I'm trying to forget about it until we reach the 41 week mark. That's when we start to be proactive again. But until then, I'm gonna schedule outtings with my friends, plan on putting up curtains and shelves, plan on making it to things like church and small group, and just try to stay busy in general.

And that's 'bout all I can do.

Anyone wanna hang out this week??? :-)

Car Hits Gas Meter, Causing Explosion

Don't worry, we're okay... This happened at the other side of our apartment complex--people who rent townhomes don't let their cars 'mysteriously' go out of control and into gas meters.

Pretty exciting stuff, though. We got home around 9 pm last night, and the block of Westpark behind our complex was all blocked off. Jeremy went to investigate, as there were many MANY firetrucks and cruisers sitting on the street.

But like I said, all is fine with us, and that's all that really matters, right? :-) I'm sure the folks that aren't being allowed to return to their homes temporarily (like two days) will be put up in some posh Tyson's hotel.

Schmidt said the car, a Mini Cooper, was in the parking lot of the apartment development when it went out of control and headed toward the gas meter, which was about 40 feet away. It was not known why the vehicle went out of control.

The car jumped a curb, struck the meter and came to rest adjacent to the building.

I wonder who the chick is that caused the wreck.... (Seriously, though, how does your car just "go out of control", drive 40 ft, jump a curb, and still have enough omph to take out a gas meter???) Hope she has insurance!!!

:-(

Well, tomorrow is the 31st.... The last day of the year.... And no sign of Jeremy Jr yet.

:-(

I'm trying to stay optimistic. I'm trying to convince myself that he's gonna come when he's good and ready to come, and that it's foolish to try and rush him--that is, after all, one of the main reasons we went with a midwife vs. an OB. I have no doubt in my mind that I would have been induced by now if I were still with my Dr. I bet the hospitals see a spike in inductions right before the new year; Gotta get that tax credit, after all.

But here we are, approaching 2007, and Jeremy Jr is still contently sitting pretty where he is. And as our due date nears, and I hear stories from various women from the "Soon To Be Moms'" class that I took in the fall, and how they've had their babies (one of them was delivered by c-section at 38 weeks because of suspicions of a big baby, and that vaginal delivery would be difficult [because his chest was bigger than his head or something]) and I can't help but be a bit sad. Of course, I'm very anxious, and trying to be patient, but y'know what??? I'VE HAD ENOUGH ALREADY!

I feel bad for Ted, as he's only here another day and a half (goes back to the frigid north Monday). There's a good chance (at least the way things are lookin' right now) that he won't meet his grandson before he leaves. What would suck even more is if Charity didn't get to meet him--she's been here since the 17th! Of course, Jeremy Jr. operates solely on HIS schedule--not mine, Jeremy's, Dr's, Grandparents, midwives, no ones but his. I know it's not my fault he's not here yet. Obviously, I'm doing something right, or else he'd be out by now.

It still sux, though.

And that's why I'm :-(

To cloth or not to cloth?

I'm so confused.

We've decided that we'd like to try cloth diapers for Jeremy Jr when he shows up (minus the first few weeks, as we received a bunch of disposables, which will make those tired nights a little less busy, at least as far as diaper changes go...) What I was not expecting, however, was the endless amount of choices and options, and other things to consider! All-in-ones, all-in-twos, prefolds, fitted vs contour, hemp vs. cotton, cotton vs. all-natural unbleached cotton, and so on. It's far more complicated than Pampers vs. Huggies vs. Store Brand. And there are pros and cons to each--AIO's (all-in-ones) are used just like you would use a disposable--however, you need to purchase MORE of them, since you can't just toss the liner in the pail. Therefore, they can be the most expensive choice ($8-$12/each). In the long run, though, they're still cheaper than disposables, especially if you plan on using them for multiple children (that's the plan! Hopefully, we pay for diapers now, and the rest of our children are diapered, basically, for free! Well, plus laundering costs).

Decisions, decisions...

Still preggers!

Just thought I'd let y'all know. :-)

Seriously, though, this child ought to consider speeding things up a bit, if only for Daddy's sake (he'll start two weeks of vacation once he comes). I've resigned myself to the fact that his arrival is COMPLETELY out of my hands, regardless of how much I want it. He's gonna come when he wants to come, when he's ready to come, and when we're ready for him to come. So I'll use this extra time at home to run some errands, rest, relax, and continue to prepare!

Katharine and I are heading to the store this afternoon. Gotta return some things (none of them gifts!) and see if anyone's got any good post-Christmas deals (wrapping paper's the big one for me... and ribbon! My presents looked so pretty this year, all under the tree... they actually looked kinda fake, because the wrapping paper matched the color scheme of the tree...) Hope to get some really good deals!

Jeremy Jr's been pretty active, still, which means he's in good shape. He's actually been a pretty good baby in utero--with the exception of a few weeks in the 2nd trimester, he hasn't actually done anything himself to make me uncomfortable (no kicking my ribs, or continuously laying on my bladder--occasionally, but that's to be expected!) I've been very blessed thus far--hope he behaves this well during his exit and afterwards! :-)

And that's all I've got for ya'z today. Have a great week!

No More Christmas...

Whew. What a weekend! It was fun, but I'm glad it's over--now I get to relax, finally! Hopefully, that will encourage Jeremy Jr to make his grand appearance in the world. Would be pretty nice. :-)

So yesterday was Christmas day, and it was a whirlwind of activities. I woke up shortly before 8 to make sure the turkey got in the oven on time (it did, but took longer than it should have, probably because we were trying to cook 5 other things at once!) and was pretty non-stop until my parents finally left around 8:30/9 pm last night. But I would say it was pretty successful. We had the turkey, baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing and roasted butternut squash for dinner (I had also meant to make zucchini casserole, but forgot about it). It was yummy. Nothing fancy, weird or over the top. Just good "traditional" (for me at least) Christmas dinner.

Made out pretty well, present wise, too. Jeremy got me a laptop (couldn't believe that! They're not cheap, but I believe him when he says he got a good deal), which is pretty sweet (it's bigger than I'm used to, but I'm getting the hang of it... and it has Windows Media Center, which is pretty neat, too). My grandmother sent us a check that was wayyyyyyyy generous, as we will be having her first Great-grandchild soon. My parents got us a Tassimo hot beverage maker type thingie... it's neat, but requires the purchase of these special "T-Disc"s to use. Once I find somewhere reasonable to buy these things, I'll probably be more excited about it (otherwise, it's about $1/cup for a cappuccino... cheaper than Starbucks, I guess... We'll see...) Ted & Charity got me a tea kettle, which will come in handy, as I've been trying to drink more tea (Red Raspberry Leaf tea to help be in 'better shape' for labor). I haven't opened it up yet, but will probably do so later today. Ben & Emilia got me some bath stuff, which is always welcomed. :-) All in all, pretty good haul. :-)

Jeremy made out pretty well, too. He got a Harmony remote so we can go from 4 or 5 remotes down to 1 or 2, a garmet bag for his fancy business trips, some Steelers glasses from James, a 3-d etched glass picture thing (will take a picture once it's done), and some other do-daddy type things (I didn't keep track of everything he got...)

Even Jeremy Jr got a bunch of stuff, and he's not even here yet! A Baby Einstein activity center type thingie, a breastpump ('kay, I guess I'm the one that'll be using that, but it's for him/Jeremy... After all, I can feed Jeremy Jr perfectly fine without it. :-) We registered for it so that Jeremy would have a chance to share that bonding time with the baby, and down the road, when we need to go out, Jeremy Jr will have a way to eat. :) But that won't be for at least two months [any earlier, you risk nipple confusion, which is not helpful when breastfeeding exclusively]), a caterpillar thing that laughs and moves around from his Uncle James, Legos from the Wilcox side, Baby Einstein DVD's (for down the road) from his Great-Uncle Paul, and a few other random things that have yet to arrive.

Wow. We were truly blessed this year, huh? :-)

And I would have traded all of it to have Jeremy Jr here by now! :-) At this point, all we can do is wait. I'll be sad if I make it to my 38 week appointment. Unfortunately, the whole waiting thing is making me very.... irritable? I guess that's the best way to describe it. I'm just kinda bitter right now. Uncomfortable, big, tired, and just feelin' whiny, whimpery, blah-ish. I think some of my family (and Jeremy's) have felt the brunt of that lately. It's nothing personal, I'm just kinda miserable right now, and so I'm not myself. Stupid stuff is making me cry, and sad (like this robe that Jeremy got me for Christmas--it's super soft, which is very nice, but when I saw that the tag said "2x", I wanted to cry.... Right now, that's great, but after Jeremy Jr comes, I really don't want to be wearing anything 2x.... I'll just feel fat and frumpy, like some old lady in a mu-mu. But otherwise, it's very nice... Jeremy Jr will appreciate the softness. Just an example of how silly I'm feeling right now.) So for my own sanity, please, JEREMY JR, SHOW UP ALREADY!

And don't worry! We will post on here/send out an email/make phone calls once we know what's going on! Everyone who needs to know will know (may take a bit longer for those who want to know, but don't necessarily need to know, but rest assured, we'll get the word out in some way/shape/form.)

At least we've got lots of leftovers! Always a plus to hosting Christmas dinner.

Uh huh.... Uh huh... Oh yeah? That's nice...

I guess I should be used to this by now: the endless offerings of parenting information. And I'm sure it will only get worse, as the years go by. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate being told the "what no one told me"'s, but what I don't want is the, "Oh you think you're tired now???" (Yeah, no duh I'm gonna be tired when the baby comes... I've already been told by the midwives I'll hafta wake him up every two hours to nurse for at least the first week or two...) or the, "You're going to need this, and you're going to need that, and you HAVE to get this..." (most of these things require extra space in the house, which we don't really have, and I've known plenty of people who have raised their children perfectly well without them.) Stuff like that.

Anyways, just had to vent a bit. :-) I just don't enjoy being told what my child will be like when he hasn't even been born yet (Jeremy and I were similar, but pretty opposite, personality wise, as children, so it's a mixed bag when it comes to assuming what Jeremy Jr will be like--and assuming he will be exactly like Jeremy simply because he's a boy doesn't hold well in my book. I have three VERY different brothers who are all like my father in some ways, but none EXACTLY like him.)

/rant

Tomorrow's Christmas. I kinda wish I could still get excited about Christmas the way I used to when I was a kid. But that's okay. It's easier for me to fall asleep these days, not anxiously waiting to wake the next morning and tear into gifts. I'm hoping the day goes well (we're hosting Christmas lunch), and everyone enjoys their gifts. :-)

Merry Christmas!

No news is not necessarily good news...

So, last night, I had yet another "hopeful" experience. I fell asleep on the couch while Jeremy and Stephin played the vi-day-yo games, and woke up really crampy. They felt like they could have been contractions, and I was really uncomfortable, so I thought, "This is it! It's about time!"

Well, I went to bed because it was really late, and I certainly didn't want to be starting my labor off half asleep and exhausted. After snoozin' for a few hours, I woke up, again feeling crampy, and decided to try and time them. A few of them managed to make themselves apparent as 5 minutes apart, but they were so mild, I had a feeling that wouldn't hold.

Sure enough, they kinda went away. I was wide awake by then, and remembered from my Bradley class that you need to "keep busy!" during early labor--try to do stuff, walk, nap, shower, whatever. Just do something!

I needed to do something, so I got dressed and went to the mall. Maybe walking around there will help get things going? Well, wouldn't you know that the stupid mall doesn't open until 9?!?! It's the busiest shopping day of the year, and they don't open 'til 9?!?!?!?!

I was not happy. :-(

Got myself a Starbucks, went to CVS, went to Best Buy (they had opened at 8), chatted with one of the guys I knew there (from my Sony days), and then returned to the mall at 8:50. Wouldn't you know that the ONE store I had really wanted to go to had been open since 8?! Grrr.... I could have stayed at the mall instead of having to go back. Oh well.

So anyways, I returned home at 9:30-ish, and it doesn't look like Jeremy Jr's comin' my way today. :-( Oh well. Ohhhhhhhhhh well. I guess now I will have to take it easy, because my Birth Assistant has forbidden me to go into labor until after 3 pm on Christmas day--she's worked the past two Christmas Eves/Christmases, and would like to be able to spend this one with her family. I don't blame her. You hear that, Jeremy Jr????? You can either come today, or forever (until Monday evening) hold your peace! No funny business!

I guess I will take it easy the next day and a half.

The Jeremy Jr. Game is now LOCKED!

I hope you had a chance to cast your vote! As our due date approaches, and we have already passed several guesses on the poll, we thought it only fair to remove duplicate votes and lock the game. So if you didn't get a chance to vote, SORRY! But you've had plenty of time. :-)

So now we wait and see who was right, who was wrong, and who was wayyyyyy off (I'd be very surprised if we went 5 days past our due date and ended up with a 7lb-er who was only 18 inches long.... Especially since everyone thinks I'm having twins as it is! Nope... we're pretty sure there's only one....)

As an update, we had our 37 week appt yesterday. No news to report. The midwives think he's a LITTLE further down than before, but not much--definitely not enough to be considered "ready". I, on the other hand, am getting more and more uncomfortable. Between back aches, pelvic aches, and swollen hands and feet, I'm soooooo ready for him to make his appearance already!

Anyways.

We're gonna go brave Target now... I'm hoping it's not too crazy (wishful thinking, I know...) Wish us luck!