Cautiously optimistic

So a big milestone! Teagan has slept through the night for the last 3 nights.  I am pretty happy and cautiously optimistic that this may mean the start of things getting slightly easier with her colic.  She has definitely become very alert and can go longer periods of entertaining herself without crying. The downside to the alertness, however, is that her naps haven't been great, and she gets very overtired quickly, so there are longer periods of me having to constantly try to sooth her. It is a struggle to try to pick up on cues of a colicky baby for when they are getting tired, because sometimes they are just fussing.  So with all of this said, my latest plan of action had been trying to get her down for a nap within 2 hours of her being awake. Sometimes she can't even last that long.  Also I am trying to encourage the development of her morning nap.  I always told myself that I didn't want to be a slave to my baby's schedule, that hopefully when my baby was tired she could just nap wherever and whenever she was tired.  This has proven to be a little harder than I thought given that I have a colicky baby that  cannot self sooth very well.  Ideally i would like her to get to a point where she can have a morning and afternoon nap on a schedule that is not super strict, but for now I am realizing that some structure may be exactly what she needs given the type of baby she is.  She is 3 months old next week and I am crossing my fingers it is the beginning of the end of the worst of the crying!

Teagan is definitely a little character, and her smiles and coos are getting cuter and cuter.  She has recently discovered her hands which I am hoping will soon take the place of our pinky finger being her pacifier!  Oh! and I almost forgot, She rolled over this week! At less than 3 months old!  I told Marc that I think we have a bionic baby. She is sooooo strong, when she is in the change table, she will arch her back and lift it of the table into a bridge pose and you can see her abs! Yikes!  I am seriously scared she will be crawling next month and walking by six months. Ok maybe that might be a slight exaggeration but I really believe that this colic has made her muscles super strong and that she is going to be early with walking!

Teagan at 2 months!

Seriously, this kid has crazy hair! granted, there was a lot of wind!

Reading fashion magazines with mommy at the lake

Planning her first hairstyle

Teagan discovering her hands

After bath

So I am FINALLY getting around to writing a new post.  My baby is officially 2 months old!  In some ways it seems like just yesterday she was born, and in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago. We love our little peanut like crazy, but we have had a lot of challenges so far!

Ok here we go, in all honesty, life has been HARD.  Yes, it needed capitals.  As luck would have it, Teagan is extremely fussy, gassy, and has reflux. Most of my day is spent soothing her.  In the last few weeks a few things have gotten a bit better, but it's a sloooow change.  I feel like I have tried everything, cut out dairy for awhile, tried ovol, gripe water, slings, baby bjorn, every position imaginable. She was on ranitidine for the reflux but recently we stopped giving it to her since there wasn't a major improvement.  I feel so bad for her and it breaks my heart not being able to make her feel better :(  It is really hard for me to accept that she just has an immature digestive system and that I just have to wait things out.  I feel like I am counting down the days until she is 3 months, which is when colic is supposed to start to get better. This makes me sad too because she is only this little for so long.  I really really want to enjoy every stage that she goes through, but this stage is so hard.  We do have some good days, and that allows me to put some things in perspective a little.  I really have to work hard at pushing all my negative feelings away when they come up, because really, I have a beautiful, healthy baby who's new little smiles and coos make me melt.  She has quite the little personality emerging and it will be so neat to see what kind of person she becomes. I imagine as she becomes more aware of the things around her she will get a bit better at soothing herself, and her being uncomfortable with the gas and reflux will subside.  I am just taking it one day at a time, and trying to enjoy what is left of this summer with her.

Teagan Natalie Alary

She's arrived!
Our little peanut, Teagan, was born on June 22nd at 2:04 am, weighing 6lbs 11 oz, 21 1/2 inches long (the little string bean!)
She was born about 10 days early. Looks like that plug loss really DID mean something! Hah!
It could also be due to the fact I went to aquafit class the night I went into labor! (I highly recommend it)  I felt the week before she was born, as you can see from one of my last posts, i was so frantically trying to get things done.  I really think it was my body sending me a message!
I will post more later, as I have been just a little busy, but here are a few photos so far!

38 1/2 weeks!

I seem to be not getting to my posts quite on time lately, but I have decided that being punctual is overrated at this point.  Its crazy to only have 10 days until my due date...and? I lost my plug today!  I don't know why but I had a weird feeling that I was going to see it today....
So I had my doctor's appt. this morning and let her know of this exciting progress (to me) only to be told.... it means absolutely nothing. :(   but.... it does mean that things are progressing and that I am likely starting to dilate.  Since women can dilate very early on however this is why it doesn't necessarily mean anything.  Dr. said "it can be today, or in a month!" WAHWAH (cue sad cartoon music)  I still think that it may mean that things are going to go down before due date...
I have been getting mild period like cramping very low down and crazy spasms in my thighs still.

In other news, I got most of the stuff on my list done! Yay!  I feel sooooo much better now.  I am still trying to make some foods to freeze but I have done quite a bit, and if I don't get around to any more, I will be ok with that.  Just have a few more things to put in the hospital bag, finish up some thank you cards and I'll be good! So baby, you can come any day now! I think I'm ready! (or as ready as i can be!)

How far along?  38 weeks + 4 days!

Total weight gain? 29 lbs. So strange, because it's been fluctuating. A week and a half ago i was at 28, then at my appt last week, 25...now at 29.  I guess its normal to change quite a bit depending on the amniotic fluid, but I am pretty happy with the weight gain overall!

Maternity clothes?  Most

Stretch marks? No!  I think it's safe to say i may be out of the woods?

Sleep? Not great, although I do feel rested when I wake up. Lots of achy muscle and hip pain if I lay one one side too long. Stretching during the night when I get up to pee helps, and also the daily quick massages my husband gives me before he heads off to work (I love him). 

Best moment this week?  Feeling like I have gotten things done and am now ready!

Miss anything?  Maybe a glass of wine, maybe being able to sleep without tossing and turning so much, but nothing major.

Movement? Has slowed down quite a bit (except last night...what was it doing? it was serious constant party in there) but still get leg, foot and knee jabs off to the side, and when I sit baby gets very squirmy low down, i guess due to the pressure of me being folded over.

Food cravings? Still ice cream sandwiches

Food aversions? Nope

Labor signs? Yes! Lost the plug (hopefully this is a sign, at least progress), low cramping, pressure on pelvic bone, thigh muscle spasms

Symptoms? Still the back pain, the shooting pains low down from baby pressing on nerves, also see above

Belly button in or out? Kinda out a bit, depends on the day though!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Looking forward to? Meeting my baby :)

Please excuse these photos... they were taken basically before bed, when I actually remembered I was overdue to take them.  Nothing glamorous about these. We'll just forget that I make my living as a hairstylist for now........

Now, I may or may not be off to make more muffins.......

37 Weeks!

Which means....Full term!

I know I missed my 36 week post, but since finishing work i have just been so darn busy!
I have this huge list of stuff that I want to do before baby arrives, and unlike most women who just want their baby out at this point, I wish that mine will stay in another week or two!  (I don't however want an over due baby, guess I'm asking a little much from the delivery date wish fairies).
Today my mom is coming over to help me weed the garden, which means I can soon get those plants and vegetables in that I insisted we purchase this year. Later is a walk with a fellow pregnant mama that I met at aquafit class, who is by the way due ten days after me! Then hopefully I will get around to  making more meals to throw in the freezer for when after baby gets here and I am pulling my hair out and can't get it together to make something for dinner.

How far along? 37 weeks + 3 days

Total weight gain?  Last time I checked was 28 a few days ago, so could be more

Maternity clothes? Pretty much

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Hasn't changed much the last month, getting up 2-3 times a night to pee, still some pain on the side of the hip I will lay on if it is for too long, then I have to stretch it out

Best moment this week? Being full term!

Miss anything? Maybe just a glass of wine

Movement? Getting a little slower, but still lots of stretches. Baby gets a bit squirmy when I sit and I can feel it's little hands way down

Food cravings? Oreo ice cream. I really am not a huge sugar person, but if I have noticed anything about my cravings the last few months, they have definitely gone the way of ice cream

and some other sweet things.

Food aversions? Nope

Labor signs? Not yet.....

Symptoms? My need to pee during the day has definitely increased, so I guess this means baby has moved down a bit, but It doesn't look like it has actually dropped. Some back pain, blah blah, the usual, and braxton hicks (although not painful, just uncomfortable), belly seems to be getting a little pointier

Belly button in or out? Sometimes it's flat, sometimes it protrudes a teeny bit

Wedding rings on or off? Still on but tight

Looking forward to? Getting my list done! Okay I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I will feel soooo much better when I do!

Random things....

• You know you are pregnant when at the grocery store, suddenly ALL the fruit looks good and you go on a crazy pregnant lady fruit buying frenzy.

• I think this whole nesting thing is setting in. Or maybe it's anxiety that I won't have the time to do what I have on my list before baby comes

          Included on this list are:
          -weeding my planters and garden, then planting the flowers and few vegetables I have to go
           in (believe me I have scaled down this year)
          -getting together with friends I want to see before baby arrives (several BBQs planned)
          -finish the few last things in the baby's room (like hanging pictures, putting up shelves)
          -make and freeze some foods so we won't starve when baby gets here (a little exaggeration
            I know)
          -get my employment insurance form filled out so I at least get some measly pay while on Mat
           leave
         
           and the list goes on.......

• Last night I had a dream that I lost my mucous plug and it was basically 2 hearts (yes the organs)  (!!??!! gross) and I was running around trying to figure out what to do with them... to flush...or not to flush...will it go down??  soooo weird.  That's not even the weirdest thing I have dreamt about this pregnancy.... there have been many more, but I might spare you the details of those ones.  I generally have very vivid dreams, but these last 9 months have been some of the strangest.

• I am still trying to get around to my 36 week post.  I still have to take a picture. Add this to the list.

• Becoming slightly obsessed with Facebook Scrabble

• The distance I can walk now is seriously shorter.  Its giving me Braxton Hicks and when I feel tightening really low down, it feels like it's radiating in my thighs

• I really wish I could get rid of this persistent headache