Aubrey update - Early December

Well it's almost 10pm on a Friday night and I should be trying to sleep while Aubrey is but I'm a crazy man. Actually I've really wanted to update everything because I know people have been dying to know what's going on.

If you follow Facebook updates from us you probably know it's been rough since we came home. Breastfeeding has proven much harder and unnatural than you'd think. Kristina really had a rough start not long after we got home. She was in a lot of pain, and to top it off the baby was seemingly hungry all the time. We ended up getting some nipple cream to help.

Then came the exhaustion factor, Kristina realized she was becoming a 24/7 milk machine. Couple that with not being able to really go out b/c first of all baby can't really go out until 2 month when she gets her shots, plus baby needs to eat often so where do you find the time?

We stayed at Kristina's parents the week of Thanksgiving. I had some time off from work already scheduled so it worked out. Kristina's mother has been an ENORMOUS help since we brought Aubrey home. She even took care of Aubrey one afternoon so Kristina and I could go to dinner and a movie, New Moon because Kristina LOVES the Twilight books. There were still plenty of rough nights though at her mom's house with Aubrey.

The thing is this girl just doesn't want to be laid down. This is basically what happens: she eats for a while and slips into a "milk coma", and she's out. I mean the girl is sleeping. Try to lay her down in the bassinet and in 5 minutes she's up and screaming. We've tried different positions: back, side and stomach. Sometimes she sleeps but most of the time she doesn't. The main ways that have worked to get her to sleep for an extended period of time is either a) in her carseat or b) laying on one of us.

One other thing happening is that she really seems gassy or has an upset tummy a lot. I think that's half her problem when she's so fussy, not that she's still hungry or didn't get enough to eat. The pediatrician and lactation consultant family friend have made several diet recommendations for Kristina including no dairy, no spicy foods, no sugar - we're also now trying to stay away from wheat and soy b/c they can be allergenic. I really think this is the cruelest part of parenthood so far, at least for Mom because going through pregnancy and labor's hard enough and she had to cut out enough during that time. Why can't she now eat whatever the hell she wants? NO FAIR MAN!

Anyway, we made a doctor's appointment this past Monday to see if he had any recommendations for Aubrey's fussiness. Baby hadn't gained weight for the whole week since the last appointment, so we set another for the end of the week. We went back yesterday and she had gained 2 ounces, right on target at 1/2 oz a day. So for now I guess everything's ok. We got some Gripe Water to help settle Aubrey's tummy. That seems to be helping.

The little girl will be 1 month old on Monday! Craziness. This whole year's been nuts. I'm really bad at remembering years in general, but I'll never forget 2009 and everything we've been through. This may have been the longest month of our entire lives. Everyone reassures Kristina and me it gets better. I certainly hope so because it ain't easy lately!

Click here for my Facebook album of Aubrey with new uploads. I've added some videos below too from the last couple of weeks. Hope everyone enjoys them.

A few favorite pictures.

Here are a few choice picture selections. They're already on the linked Facebook album from the previous post, but I thought I'd put a few here too. :) - Dustin

Aubrey's Here!

We've been slacking off on the updates, our apologies. Ms. Aubrey Belle was born on Monday November 9th at 9:38pm. She was 6 pounds 6 ounces and 20 inches long. Her head was 13 1/2 inches around.

Aubrey was a week overdue and so we scheduled Kristina to be induced at 5am Monday morning. Once things really started happening the contractions were pretty frequent, every couple of minutes and she was up to 3 or 4 centimeters dilated when she opted for the epidural

I took a short nap after all of that, and when I woke up the doctor said that Aubrey's heartrate was dropping after each contraction which was an indication she was tired. The first strategy was to stop the pitocin drip and start it back up lower, but then Aubrey's head was face up so that's when we decided to get a c-section. Based on what was going on with the heartrate it really was the safest option, although it was the last thing we both wanted.

However, I must say maybe it was a blessing in disguise because the extended hospital stay has been helpful. The little girl has been having issues breastfeeding, primarily she just wants to sleep. The nurses have been very very helpful and so I'm thinking God knew we were unprepared (we took no classes) and we needed extra time here at the hospital.

I was posting updates throughout the day on Twitter, and now have a growing baby album on Facebook.

Here are some of the videos I've got on Youtube too:

Early on in the labor process:


Not long after her delivery:



Rocking with Daddy on her 2nd morning in the world:

Making progress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went in for my 37 week checkup today and man was I suprised! The doctor said Aubrey dropped down to a minus 1 station , I am 80 % effaced , and 1 centimeter dilated. This is a huge change from last week. It also explains the discomfort I have been experiencing :) He said it doesn't really mean anything as far as how soon I will be going into labor. I could still make it all the way to my due date or past it. He did say that it is a good sign my body is progressing on it's own though. And on a cuteness note , the doctor had a hard time getting Aubrey's heart beat because she kept moving all over the place :) When it finally registered it was 150 , which is what it's usually around.

Dustin and I will be going on the hospital tour tomorrow. I am really excited about that because I finally get to see where I'm gonna have this little bugger . I also have some questions that I want answered and I would love to put my mind to rest.

We will keep yall posted at the first sign of anything happening!

Belly cast tonight!

These are the only pictures I was allowed to upload of the belly cast experiment. I have a few more that shows Kristina in all her plaster glory but they are a little too revealing. :)

Belly measuring contest

Baby shower and 9 month update!

We finally had our baby shower this past weekend. It was everything I thought it would be and more! I have never felt so humbled and grateful as I did that day. To have all of my friends and family coming together to support and love this little baby they have never even met before was such an incredible experience! I can't thank everyone enough for making it such a special day , but THANK YOU all so much. When we got everything home and carried inside , we couldn't even walk into Aubrey's room :) My mom came over a couple days later and helped me organize everything which was a big help.

I am now officially 9 months pregnant ( 36 weeks) and can't believe it ! I had my weekly doctors appointment today and was a tiny bit disappointed. I came back positive for the Strep B test , which is really common. I have to get an I.V. of antibiotics when I go into labor, that will take care of any cause for concern. He also checked me to see if I was dilated and all that good stuff. I was not dilated , and Aubrey has only dropped to a minus 2 station ! It feels like this child is right on my freakin bladder. I can't even imagine what it will feel like when she is dropped down into my pelvis. Well here is to hoping she doesn't stay in too long!

Wow. The home stretch is getting tough.

So the countdown by months has really turned into the countdown by weeks . It is amazing to me how I have been pregnant for the better part of a year. Looking back on those days when I thought " man , I wish this could go by faster, it's taking forever," has changed to something more like " oh my gosh , is it really gonna be happening so soon ?!" I go through many rapid emotional ups and downs these days , as Dustin could tell you is true. I go from being extremely happy and elated , almost euphoric at times , to being extremely worried and anxious. I will always continue to feel extremely blessed about our impending arrival , but in all honesty I am getting really nervous! I know that is totally normal and probably to be expected , especially with our first baby. I just wish there was some way we could know exactly how everything will turn out. But , then again I guess that would take out a chunk of the experience. The only reason I worry so much is because I care. Other than your typical first time parent worries , everything else is going good in the emotional department.

Recently this last trimester has been kicking my butt! For those of you who don't know already , I do not work full time. However , when I do work , I am extremely active and on my feet for long periods of time. I think what is really catching up to me now is the fact that Aubrey has finally packed on the pounds. At 35 weeks they are 5-51/2 pounds and a little over 13 inches long. And let me tell you , I can feel every pound of it! I am getting more pressure in my lower abdomen and a lot more braxton hicks . My feet are pretty much always swollen , and they get worse if I stand or sit for long periods of time. I woke up with a migraine so bad this morning that my Tongue was numb! Can you say doctors visit? Everything was fine , and they said it was due to the migraine. But , the absolute worst symptom so far has been the fatigue! Oh.....my.....God........I have never been so tired in my life , other than in the first trimester.But , even then it was a different kind of fatigue. I am having trouble sleeping at night and have pretty much been on the couch for 2 weeks solid. I am also back to napping on a daily basis , which keeps me up longer at night. I have learned to get the sleep while I can though. I just keep telling myself that it is practice for when Ms. Aubrey Belle arrives :)

Speaking of Aubrey , she is doing Great! She is taking up room in me wherever she can get it at this point . I can pick out individual limbs instead of just a big blob. Her little knees and feet often go from one side of the belly straight across to the other which is one of my favorite feelings. She has also been getting the hiccups several times a day , every day for the past week or so. I guess she will have some strong lungs:) I still marvel at her when she is moving around , and when Dustin is talking to her and she stops moving. She has definate personality traits now and it is really cool. With every day that passes I get more and more excited and can't wait to meet her!

Excitement is really setting in!

I can genuinely say that these days I'm really excited to meet Ms. Aubrey Belle. Now that her nursery is painted and there's some furniture in there, crib included, the reality of her arrival is setting in. When I got home in the morning a few days ago I walked by her room quickly and glanced at the crib and thought to myself "Wow, soon when I walk by this room there will be a baby in there!". I can't help but feel dumbfounded and amazed by this.

I think the other part that adds to the excitement is being able to feel her moving around so much. It's just really fun to have my hand on Kristina's belly and feel Aubrey moving, kicking and whatever else she's doing in there - and this can all last for a while too. Aubrey's too funny because it's like she knows when we're trying to catch all this movement on film because she stops as soon as we hit that button on the camera. :) Little rascal! The other funny thing is like this morning she was moving around, and I started talking to her - and she stopped moving. These little things are just personality elements that are making her seem more real as we get closer to welcoming her to the world.

Everything continues to go well with the pregnancy though and we are so incredibly thankful for that. Kristina has one more 2 week gap between appointments, and after the next visit they will become weekly!

The only issue if we can complain about anything is Kristina's sciatica pain. I feel so bad for her when it flares up because she's really hurting, and there's not a whole lot to do about it.

-Dustin

Fresh paint.

So , the paint color for Aubrey's nursery has really had me boggled lately.I went back and forth between a turquoise blue and some sort of green for a little while. Well , after getting her dresser in the room I decided on Green. The name of the color is Water Sprout and I LOVE it ! It's really soft , but it also really opens up her little room. We left one wall unpainted because it has huge sliding mirror closet doors which reflects the paint color anyways. I got a picture of that wall next to the new paint color so you could see the green better. I hope yall like it :)

The beginnings of Aubrey's Nursery.

So my mom has been slaving away on Aubrey's dresser . It was a piece of furniture she found on the curb ready to be thrown away. We decided to refinish it in a crackled antique type look to match her espresso crib. Here are the pics. I could not be happier with how it turned out ! Thanks Grandama "D" , Aunt Janet , and Christy :)

Our growing girl!

So, I had my 31 week check up today. This was the appointment where they check the baby's weight and measurements to make sure she is growing on track and everything. I am very happy to say everything is right on track! She is in the 55th percentile of development. She weighs around 4 lbs., give or take half a pound the doctor said. And based on her weight now , they are predicting she will weigh right around 7 lbs. when she is born. The doctor also said the amount of fluid in my uterus is very important right now and they actually measured that. It is a sign that the placenta is functioning correctly , and it looked really good. So medically all is really well!
She was sleeping in a head down position while we were doing the ultrasound,and had her little hands right on her face again :) I always love seeing her on that screen and hearing her little heartbeat. I am getting very anxious and excited for her arrival , I can't wait for her to finally get here! But I will have to , and I hope she stays in the oven to bake for the next 8 weeks. So , just a little update for ya :) Please keep us in your prayers.

New photos to share!

We haven't shared many photos on the blog, although Kristina has continued to keep her facebook and myspace friends updated. The first one is the latest ultrasound picture of Aubrey Belle's little face. :) The appointment we had 2 weeks ago we weren't able to get to see the Dr. because he was in surgery, but 3rd time's a charm we saw him today. He confirmed that this 100% a girl so no doubts now! I'm also posting a few of the latest pregancy belly shots of Kristina, including the last one of her perspective looking down. Hehehe

Are you sure she can't break through?

Well , lately Aubrey has been extremely active! She is moving a lot in the mornings and at night. Sometimes it feels like she is just trying to get comfortable in there or something :) She loves to lay at the very bottom of my tummy and I can feel her hands and feet going at the same time! When Dustin talks to her she will almost always react to him , it is so sweet. We also tried shining a flashlight against my belly the other day and she was moving away from the light . Needless to say we are having some fun with her :) The newest thing about the pregnancy is that you can see my whole belly changing shape when she really gets going. I love to sit and watch her at night just doing her thing. The whole time I am wondering just what exactly she is doing in there? I keep trying to catch it on video , but I think she is camera shy or something!

We have a Doctors appointment this coming Wednesday. We will be getting a sonogram this time to try and confirm the gender.If " she " does turn out to be a boy, I want to find out now, rather than in the delivery room. I also have to do the Glucose test this time around , and it should be interesting. I can't eat or drink anything except water until I have my blood drawn. I am not a happy camper without food these days! Keep us in your prayers that everything will be fine , and we will keep yall posted!

Funny blurb about headphones

The thing I can't wait to share with Aubrey Belle is music. Anyone who knows me understands how much of a music lover I am. When I try to picture what our household is going to be like one thing I continue to envision is our house just being a house of music. :)

I think it was just over a week ago I decided I wanted to play some music for Aubrey using my DJ headphones and iPod. Kristina and I were just laying in bed getting setup for this. The funny part of the story is when she was first trying to get the headphones pointed towards her belly, she came SO UNBELIEVABLY CLOSE to breaking my headphones in half because she was trying to stretch them over her belly!

That would've been a bad day if it had actually happened. Thank God it didn't.

23 weeks and it is hot as hell!

I am 23 weeks and one day in this video! I have felt baby girl kicking a lot lately. She is over 11 inches long and weighs just over 1 pound! I can't believe how fast things are moving now! My belly is getting rounder, and I seem to have developed a bit of a waddle already :( People have actually been asking me if I am pregnant now and touching my baby bump. Dustin has finally felt her kick over the last week, and he also saw her using this same " method". So I have a metal coaster on my belly. You can see her movement s much easier with something on my tummy. After the one minute mark the coaster will jump a couple of times , and that is her kicking it! I go to the doctor this Wednesday and hope to do an update video. I hope yall enjoy!

Dustin was trying to record , but it really was too dark . He could not get me or my mom' s reactions , and he couldn't concentrate on the moment so we stopped after a couple minutes. You do get to hear the babies heart beat! It was 151 :)

Gender Announcment!

The Gender visit !!!!!!

Me and my Mom waiting at the doctor's office for the ultrasound. Dustin is taking a picture of my belly :)

Part 2

Part 1

Doctors visit, baby clothes, and parenting classes

I know I know

Apologies for the lack of updates. Kristina and I recorded a video blog together last week but it was two minutes too long apparently.

So we just need to sit down and re-do it, that chance just hasn't happened yet. Sorry again!

My brilliant solution

Certain smells around the house will make Kristina nauseous. One that's the most consistent is when I'm making or have made coffee. I'd talked about moving the coffee pot out on the patio earlier in the week but never got around to it. I thought it'd be funny to do it yesterday morning because it was raining. Something about brewing coffee outside in a rainstorm just tickles me.

Baby Do's and Dont's

This has been floating around the web for a while now. What better place to post it than a first time parent's baby blog?





























Oh me and baby are gonna play chess, checkers, Risk, and all kinds of card games! MUAHAHAH!!