Cece's First Week

I had every intention of posting this on Cece's one week anniversary and now here we are three days later and I'm just getting around to it. I think that pattern is going to hold for some time. It's been pretty tough to find time to blog. If I have a moment to myself I'm either taking a shower or trying to sneak in a nap. But it's worth it. The past ten days have been a wild and wonderful ride. It's such a cliche but so true -there's just nothing that can prepare you for becoming a parent. I have never known a love so big.

Since my brain is functioning at less than full capacity due to lack of sleep and hormone override, I want to note a few things about this first week so I don't forget the little details.While I don't have a solid frame of reference, so far Cece has been a pretty easy going baby (cue the furious knocking on wood). She nurses like a champ and has a pretty predictable sleeping pattern. She also has a pretty predictable fussy time every day - the 6-10 pm shift can be rough. Not much makes her happy at this time of day. It's almost like she's so tired at this point yet she fights off sleep. When we finally get her to settle down she's down for the count for a solid 3-4 hours. I'm up 2-3 times a night to feed Cece but she's easy and goes right back to sleep. She stays with us in our room in her 4Moms Breeze bassinet, which is awesome, by the way. My favorite part of the day is after her morning feeding, around 7 AM  when we're all just waking up with snuggles in bed (even Summit gets in on this).

Some other observations about Cece at this point:

 - she's small but STRONG. She's already holding her head up when propped up on your shoulder!

 - she's small but has really long, thin fingers and feet. Marathon feet???

 - she loves to snuggle and like most babies likes to be held.

 - she has a magical scent, sweet and fresh, even after spitting up.

 - noise doesn't phase her (good thing because Summit barks a lot!) but she loves it when you sing to her.

 - she is not a fan of pacifiers but she loves the boob.

 - she has blonde hair with streaks of brown and even red highlights and a bit of a mullet in the back.

 - she loves her hands. They are always in her face, eyes or mouth.

 - she does not like to be swaddled and prefers to sleep with her hands above her head.

 - her eyes are big, bright and blue.

  - she has lots of funny faces. Evidence below.

As for James and I, we are just taking it all in and going with the flow. I'm healing well from Cece's all-natural arrival (detailed birth story to come!) and adjusting to breast feeding. Cece is a champion eater and had no trouble figuring out how to nurse. It's a wonderful bonding experience but I'm also surprised to find out how demanding breast feeding can be. Breast may be best but don't let anyone tell you it's easy, even with a chomper like Cece.And as for all the rest, the small details like diaper changes as well as the big picture, it really does come down to natural instinct. Neither James or I have much experience with babies but it hasn't been hard to figure it all out. And James has really blown me away, he's taken to fatherhood in an awesome way. I think my love for him has grown 100 times in the past week and a half. I couldn't ask for a better partner or dad for little Cece. There's not much sleep happening in my world right now but there sure is a lot of love.

That's all for now. Enjoy these out-takes.

Note: No cheese balls were actually consumed in the making of this photo.

Merry Christmas!

Baby Sitter

Home

We are home. I have a sleepy baby on my chest and I'm typing this with my left thumb on my iPhone so I'll keep it short but suffice it to say we are all happy. So happy. Just happy. And in love.

Cecelia Chadwick Pulaski

James and I proudly welcomed our baby girl Cecelia Chadwick Pulaski to our family today. Cece weighs in at 7 lbs, 3 oz and 18.5 inches. She's a real cutie. More details and better pictures to come!

40 Weeks!

The babe's due date has come and past and yet I'm still pregnant. Mentally, we prepared ourselves for this but it is HARD. Baby girl, we just want to meet you already so stop defying your parents (didn't take long, did it?) and come out already. I really, really hope I'm not taking a 41 week photo next week! Follow our loooong journey on our bumpdates page and stay tuned to the blog and our new Instagram feed for updates on the babe's arrival!

Broken Hearts

This goes out to the broken hearted. To the parents, family members, staff, students and friends of those involved in and affected by the horrific tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in our great state of Connecticut. Today is tainted with sadness. Frustration. Anger. And apprehension. I'm thankful our baby girl didn't choose today to make her way into the world. I think I need at least a day or so to process it all. To think about what all those parents of children who attend Sandy Hook Elementary must be feeling tonight as they grapple with how to explain to their kids what happened today. And to the many parents who's children won't ever come home again. Unimaginable. Our thoughts are with you. Your children will not be forgotten. As I fall asleep tonight I won't only be thinking about my own child, but yours too.

Newtown, Connecticut

Biding Time and Keeping Tabs

In case you're counting...the babe's due date has now come and gone. So now we wait. And try to find things to do while we bid our time. So during a moment of boredom and curiosity, I created an Instagram account. I realize I'm a little late to the Instagram party, but better late than never, right? Chances are blogging will take a backseat to baby in the next few weeks and Instagram seems like a good way to keep tabs on our everyday happenings without needing the time required to blog. So, if you're interested, check out our new Instagram page. I hope to keep it updated with daily photos over the next few weeks. These updates will also be published in the sidebar of the blog.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

...this kid is going to be overdue...Christmas at our house! All of the presents are bought, wrapped and under the (live!) tree. Decorations, inside and out are up. Stockings stocked and hung on the mantel. Christmas came early this year. For obvious reasons I don't think we'll have much time to tend to a tree or presents in the next few weeks. I don't think I've ever had everything done this early before but I like it. No stress, no last minute shopping. Of course, we are still waiting for one very special present...pretty sure she's decided not to come early though!

39 Weeks

Squeezing in an extra update this week as we play catch up in the final stretch of our pregnancy. In case you missed it, I posted my third trimester recap yesterday. Also, be sure to check out all of our weekly updates on our bumpdates page - we've come a long way in ten months!

Third Trimester Recap

Here is a run-down of some things I experienced in my third trimester.

Total Weight Gain: This is slightly embarrassing but in an effort to keep it real here, I'm posting my total weight gain...so far. As of my last appointment two days ago, I gained a solid 40 pounds. That sounds terrifying. My doctors still aren't very concerned and told me first time moms tend to retain a lot of extra fluid. Um, ok. I hope that means in addition to a 7-8ish pound human I also give birth to 30 pounds of water weight. Not too likely though, is it?

Stretch marks: None! Halleluiah! Keeping my fingers crossed I can make it through this last stretch of the journey (no pun intended) mark free.

Belly button: Definitely an "outie" now!

Emotions: As of today, at 39 weeks pregnant, I'm still hanging solid. I've been telling myself that this babe isn't going to come before my due date so I don't think I'll start losing it until after our DD. I'm also still working which makes for a more tired me, but keeps me distracted, which is good. However, if the babe decides she's going to settle in for another two weeks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to fray pretty quickly.

Exercise: Very little at this point. I was exercising regularly until about 32 weeks and then slowed down quite a bit. Walking is good, but puts a lot of pressure on my bladder. I can make it about a half mile before I really need to make a pit stop. I found breathing to be much more of a challenge this trimester as well. There just isn't as much room in there for your lungs to stretch out!

Baby movement: LOTS of movement between weeks 28-37. Less in the past two weeks because I think she's running out of room in there. She's heads down and has been for a few weeks. While she can no longer do somersaults, she does like to stretch her legs a lot and I often see or feel little feet sticking out of the right side of my body. She also responds to voices, mainly James'. I think because she hears mine all day she's pretty used to it. But when James talks to the belly she starts wiggling right away. Already a daddy's girl!

Sleep: Honestly, I haven't slept through the night since I was about 8 weeks pregnant. Even at that point I was up at least once a night to pee. And now...I'm up at least 4-6 times a night to pee and at least 1-2 other times to at least roll over. Honestly I feel more rested when I can squeeze in a two hour nap in the afternoon than I do most mornings. Also, apparently now I'm a snorer. Super.

Nesting: Again, lots of nesting going on these past few weeks. Lately I've been obsessed with laundry. Not a single piece of clothing stays in the hamper more than 24 hours in our house! I don't know why, but I just have a compulsion to have house full of clean laundry when I go into labor.

Cravings: Lately I've been guzzling milk. I go through a gallon myself every 3-4 days. Strange considering I never really drank much milk before pregnancy or even through the first two trimesters. Also lately I've been into cucumbers. I can eat a whole one in one sitting.

Aversions: None that I can think of, although I cut out my half-caf and decaf coffee all together because it was giving me heartburn. 

Morning sickness: Nope.

Baby's size: week 28 - size of a head of iceburg lettuce (2.2-2.5 lbs), week 40 - size of a watermelon (7-8 lbs)

Unwanted side effects: I have been noticeably more tired this trimester, especially in the last month or so, than I was in the second trimester. I've been introduced to heartburn as well, which is something I never had before in my life. Also, probably one of my biggest complaints is carpal tunnel syndrome, which has gifted me with swollen hands, sore joints and numb fingers 24/7. If I'm on my feet all day, they will swell too. None of my clothes fit and even many of my maternity jeans are uncomfortable at this point (note to self - you will hear people say "buy the same size you were before you were pregnant" but that doesn't work out well if you gain 40+ pounds!). But I refuse to buy more clothes so for now I pretty much wear sweatpants every day.

Wanted side effects: Pretty much nothing at this point. Even my hair is driving me crazy because it is so thick (I don't think I lost a strand in 10 months!) and unruly!

What I miss: sleep, exercise, feeling like "myself" physically, my clothes and shoes...oh my shoes, especially my boots now that it's fall/winter! I've worn the same pair of sneakers for the past 6 weeks. I'm so ready to throw them away! I also miss sleeping on my stomach and being able to shave my legs and paint my toes.

What I'm looking forward to: First and foremost, meeting our little girl! Also, I'm looking forward to the challenge of getting back into shape. I like a good project.

Is it all worth it? Yes, definitely!

PS -  here are my recaps from the first trimester and the second.

38 Weeks

Playing catchup in these last few weeks. I've been posting these about a half a week behind real-time schedule so I'll try to squeeze in another bumpdate later this week. Here we are at 38 weeks, hard to believe the babe could come at any time...or decide she's happy in there for another three weeks, ugh! As always, check out our progress through the last nine and a half months on our bumpdates page.

Documenting the Bump

Yes, I'm still pregnant. I'm trying not to get too anxious about things so I'm trying to convince myself she'll be in there for at least another two weeks. But I'd be fibbing if I didn't say I am secretly hoping that doesn't happen! But, alas, for now, I am still sporting a giant belly. Other than our weekly bumpdate, I haven't really taken any photos of myself throughout this pregnancy. My good friend and fellow photography lover, Eric, convinced us that we should have at least a few photos to remember these last few weeks and to show off my giant belly. So when we went to Eric and his wife Jen's house for dinner last night, we also had a mini photo session in their dining room. Big thanks to Eric for inspiring me to do this and for taking a few photos for us, the first two photographs below are his. The rest are self portraits from my own mini session taken in our bedroom earlier today.

37 Weeks

Hurray! We made it to full term. This babe is officially cooked. And I think also officially burrowing in for another few weeks. We'll see but my guess is she will stay in there until she's ready to come out. Check out this week's update below and see where how far we've come on our bumpdates page.

Thanksgiving 2012

Celebrating Thanksgiving this year took up almost a whole week. We had three separate turkey day dinners, celebrating with both sides of the family (Tuesday and Thursday) and then hosting our annual Friendsgiving feast at our house yesterday. That meant having 20 friends over for dinner.

We also went out with good friends to dinner and to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Friday night. I didn't take any pictures so I borrowed this one. It was a good show but I'm not sure what the baby must have thought of all the loud electric guitar music and laser beams of light shining on us.

As if all that wasn't enough we decided to get Christmas started early this year since we will be a bit preoccupied in a few weeks. We went with the fam to pick our Christmas trees today. We got another live tree that we can replant and watch grow over the years. We plan on putting it up later this week.

When we got home from the tree adventure we decided to pull down the Christmas boxes from the attic and before we knew it, James was already putting up lights his workshop and I was hanging stockings on our mantel. We still have more decorating to do but it's a start.

It was a busy week. Maybe too busy. I woke up this morning and literally every part of my body hurt, especially my hands and feet, which were also really swollen and achy after spending several days going non-stop. At 37 weeks pregnant it's probably a sign I should start taking it easier.