Back to Work

I "officially" don't go back to work until after the new year but I am doing a couple trial days to get me acclimated. I went last Wednesday and I will go this Wednesday. Then after the first of the year, I will go three days a week. I feel so blessed to be able to just go back part time ... but it was still REALLY hard. I even get 12 weeks maternity (which most women will go back after 8) but it still does not feel like enough time. Last Wednesday, I was a complete mess. I wasnt that bad while I was at work (because I was busy) but before and especially after I was really emotional. When I was driving home from work, I just kept thinking, I missed a whole day of my Lee Bear. I dont know how I am going to do this. All of my working Mom friends say that it gets easier but I dont know. I am getting nervous about going back again tomorrow. I know it is probably good for the both of us but I just love being with him so much. The only thing that stops me from quitting work all together is knowing that on the days I work he is with my mom or Jason's mom. So I know he is in the best of hands. Hopefully, it will get better once I get in a routine. I will keep you posted.

For now, here is his two month pic!

The Nursery

I dont think I ever posted the final nursery pics ... so here they are:

Sleeping Habits

As of last Friday night, Liam started sleeping in his crib! He had been sleeping in a bassinet in our room but we decided to try to start putting him in his own room. It has definately been bitter-sweet. I like that he is in his own room because now I dont feel like I have to be so quiet in my own room but I dont like it because I feel like my baby is growing too quickly! We usually put him down somewhere between 7-8pm and he will sleep his first shift anywhere from 5-7 hours. He goes to bed by himself so well! He doesnt even cry. It is almost like he is glad to be alone in his bed to relax :). The second shift is usally around 3-4 hours. So, that gets us to about 5-6am. It is still dark out and I know he is still tired (because he can barely keep his eyes open) but he is very fussy until he is in bed with mommy and daddy ... so he starts out here:

 

But at about 5am, he winds up here:

Then, our day usually starts about 7am!

6 Week Check Up

I can't believe my baby is already 6 weeks old! Where does the time go? I have been meaning to update my blog but when he is napping I usually want to clean the house, run some errands, do the laundry, eat, or just sleep. But at least I am doing it now, right? We saw the doctor this morning and my little Liam is doing great!

Here are some highlights of what has been going on with him:
- As of this morning, he weighs 11lbs 5.3oz (62%ile for weight).
- He has gotten a bad case of the baby acne but the doctor said it is normal and should clear up within the next couple weeks. 
- He is losing some of his hair (mostly the hair on top of his head ... so my little man looks like he is balding) :)
- He officially smiled at me on Sunday morning! I mean, he has been smiling in his sleep since we brought him home from the hospital ... but while he was on his changing table, after I put his new diaper on, he looked up and me and gave me a huge toothless grin! It was so precious.
- He is definately a morning person (like his daddy). He is so alert and happy after a good nights sleep.
- He is usually pretty cranky around dinner time
- He LOVES bath time. Usually we take him upstairs around 730pm and as soon as he hears the bath water run, he stops fussing and gets really excited.
- We put him to bed around 8pm and he will sleep his first shift anywhere from 5-7 hours. The second shift is usally around 3-4 hours. Then, we are up for the day!
- During the day, he will eat about every 2-2.5 hours.
- He really likes being on his belly, so tummy time is always fun :)

Here are some pictures of the last 6 weeks ...

First Family pic:

Meeting Frankie for the 1st time:

First Bath:

First Halloween:



Jasons 30th bday:

 

Hanging out with his new bestie, Connor, who is 11 days older:

1 month picture:

Liam Robert Lutz

Sorry this has taken me so long ... but being a new mommy is exhasting! :) I plan on updating more soon. Liam Robert Lutz arrived on 10-09-12 @ 6:58am, weighing 7lbs 2oz and 21 inches long! We feel so blessed!

Here are some pics of our little guy:

39 Weeks

I thought I would do another one of these because I may not be able to do one next week!

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of baby: Mini watermelon (about 7 pounds and 20 inches long).

Maternity Clothes: Yes, definitely
Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time.
Sleep: I feel like I am sleeping more. I am so tired lately. When I get off work, all I want to do is lay on the couch. Eight hours at work just exhausts me. I'm so lucky that Jason has been so helpful with making dinner every night because otherwise, we would be eating a lot of canned soup. I still get up numerous times a night for the bathroom and Jason said I am still snoring but other than that I sleep okay.
What I miss: doing daily chores/activities without getting tired so fast.
Cravings: Sweets!

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, backaches, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), carpal tunnel in hands at night, tired, and still some swelling in my hands and feet. 
Best Moment this week: I would say the best moment of this week was when my best friend, Melissa, had her baby boy - Connor Andrew was born on Friday, Sept 28th! I went to visit him in the hospital and he is just so precious. I cant wait for our little guy to get here so they can be best friends too :).

Of Course

As if I wasn't uncomfortable enough, I now have poison oak to add to the list of symptoms. I guess both Jason and my mom got it when they were trimming one of my parents trees down. Then, Jason somehow passed it on to me. It is all over my right ankle and a line down my back. I went to my doctor today and she gave me medication but if it doesn't clear up before I go into labor I may not be able to get an epidural because it is on my back. I will be so upset if this doesn't clear up soon! I don't think I am strong enough to handle labor without an epidural. I am already kind of scared of the whole labor process anyway, so this is not helping my anxiety. Please pray it clears up fast!

38 Weeks

(This is a couple days late because Jason was out of town)

 

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Size of baby: Leek (about 6.8 pounds and 19 1/2 inches long).

Maternity Clothes: yes but most of my maternity clothes are summer clothes and we are starting to get into colder weather. So, I am all about the yoga pants.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time. Its not really "kicks" anymore because I dont think he has much room for that but body parts are still definately moving around.
Sleep: Not so great. I can never get comfortable and I get up numerous times a night for the bathroom... and Jason said I am still snoring.
What I miss: doing daily chores/activities without getting tired so fast.
Cravings: I bought some Halloween candy for our trick or treaters because I am trying to get all my errands done before I go into labor. I dont know if that was such a smart idea. I tend to grab a little piece here and there because I am still craving sweets! Its hard but I still make sure and have protein with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, backaches, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), carpal tunnel in hands at night, still tired and my swelling is still pretty bad. When I went to the doctor last week I had gained 6lbs in two weeks! Which has not been the norm for me. I had been averaging 1lb per week. My doctor said I have a lot of fluid in my body and gave me suggestions to help reduce the swelling (ie. drink lots of water, lay on my left side to help with circulation, go for a walk, and keep my feet up when possible). When I went in yesterday morning I lost 3lbs so apparently her suggestions are working ... but she still wanted me to give some blood to make sure that I dont have preeclamsia (because sudden weight gain and swelling are symptoms). She didn't think I had it because I dont have high blood pressure or protien in my urine but she just wanted to be safe then sorry. I just got a phone call this morning and thank goodness, I dont have it! She said we are still on target for delivering by the 11th of October.
Best Moment this week: I would say the best moment of this week was when I got a pedicure! I know that sounds like something small but now-a-days I have a hard time bending over that far without being so uncomfortable. Its hard to put on my shoes and socks or even get off of the couch/bed without huffing. Its seriously not even worth it. So for now, I will get pedicures at a nail salon and only wear flip flops just so I dont have to mess with it :).

Full Term

I can't believe I am already at 37 weeks! Time has seriously flown. I am now considered "full term" which means if I go into labor my doctor will not try and stop it. However, I just had my appointment and she said I am not dilated and I have not dropped yet. So, I don't expect it to happen this week. We will see though. She also said my body is very swollen (which I knew because, hello, I don't have ankles anymore they are seriously cankles). I hate it! I can only wear flip flops and even my fake wedding ring doesnt fit anymore. I am wearing my right hand ring on my wedding finger and it is two sizes bigger than my normal ring size! She said the only thing I can do is drink more water and lay more on my left side to help circulation. I just hope all this swelling goes down after the baby arrives because it is no fun. Everything else is good though. I am measuring on schedule, his hearbeat is strong and my blood pressure is good. I am just anxious to meet our little guy :)

Here is my 37 week pic:

Final Shower #4

I had my final shower last Sunday. Jasons sister, Steph, and his moms best friend, Pat, were the hostesses. It was at a restaurant called BRAVO! Cucina Italiana and it was so delicious! We got so many wonderful gifts and had such a great time!

Here are some pics from the shower:



The hostesses and me

All the presents!



Yummy desserts



Yummy desserts

The Grandmas and me



Jason came to pick up all the presents at the end



36 Weeks

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Crenshaw melon (about 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long).

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time. I think he gets the hiccups frequently as well. I know they aren't kicks because it is so consistent. Its such a weird feeling!
Sleep: Not so great. I can never get comfortable and I get up numerous times a night for the bathroom... and apparently, Jason said I started snoring.
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets but I make sure and have protein with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet, backaches, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), carpal tunnel in hands at night and very tired lately. 
Best Moment this week: installing both of our car seat bases! It makes it feel so real that I actually have a car seat in the back seat. We even installed the little mirrors that you put on the back of the headrest while they are still rear-facing. I cant wait to look back and see our little guy peacefully sleeping (and hopefully not uncontrollably crying) :).

Maternity Pics

I am so lucky to have such a talented cousin! She is Maureen Tennant Photography and always does such a great job! Here are some of the pics from our maternity session from Monday (I'm two days shy of 35 weeks in these):

I had to add a picture of Frankster in here :)

These are just a few sneak peak pictures (I havent even seen the rest of them yet) but I am LOVING them so far!

34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: Average Cantaloupe (about 4 3/4 pounds and 18 inches long).

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time. The other night I noticed he was kicking up a storm after I had some ice cream - I think he might have liked the sugar :)
Sleep: Not so great lately. I get up even more times a night for the bathroom. I guess my body is just getting me ready for when our little guy comes!
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets but I make sure and have protein with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet, backaches, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), carpal tunnel in hands at night ... and now I have definitely started the "nesting" phase. I feel like I cant get my house clean enough! I've tried to make room for his stuff in places throughout the house - I've cleared a cabinet in the kitchen for him, I've cleared out the spare bathroom (which used to house all of my stuff) for all of his bath stuff, I've cleared out a closet in the basement for all of his toys and I have cleared out some room in the garage for his toys. Some of these projects I could have definitely waited until he gets older but I just keep thinking I wont have time later.  
Best Moment this week: when we finally got our rocker and ottoman in. I had been waiting since June and I was just so excited to finally see the nursery come together. I usually go in the babys room every night and just piddle around ... now I usually also rock on the rocker for a while and just imagine what our little guy is going to look like :). 

Finally ... they're in!

This will be a short post but I just thought I'd share that our glider and ottoman have finally arrived! I love the way they look ... and I love that they are so comfy! I can't wait to start rocking our little guy to sleep in it :)

Shower #3

I had my third shower last Saturday. My best friends were the hostesses and it was just a small group of girlfriends. It was so much fun! They did a theme of "ready to pop". So, there was "pop" corn balls, jalapino "popper" dip,  ring "pops", blow "pops", etc. It was so cute! One of the big items we got was our carseat - which I am sooo excited about. Now, he can come home from the hospital :).

Here are some pics from the shower:


The Guests



The Hostesses



Ready to "Pop" theme



Ready to "Pop" theme



Bestie Preggos - Mel 33 weeks, Me 32 weeks

Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts!!! I am so lucky to have such great friends!!!

32 Weeks

Sorry, Jason had to leave early for work so I was half awake :)

How Far Along: 32 Weeks
Size of baby: large jicama (about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long). I wasnt sure what a jicama was so i looked it up - apparently it is a root vegetable. Here it is:

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him throughout the day. I seem to feel him kick a lot more after I have had spicy food - which I like because then I know he is doing okay in there.
Sleep: I get up a couple times a night for the bathroom
What I miss: A good workout. Now-a-days I get winded coming up the stairs.
Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets but I make sure and have protien with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet, backaches, and my newest symptom is symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD).
Per Babycenter.com, the two halves of your pelvis are connected at the front by a stiff joint called symphysis pubis. This joint is strengthened by a dense network of ligaments. To help your baby pass through your pelvis, your body produces a hormone called relaxin. Relaxin softens your ligaments. As a result, your pelvic joints move more during and just after pregnancy, causing inflammation and pain.
I only notice this when I try and go for walks. I can barely make 1/2 of a mile before I start to feel pains in my pelvis. My doctor just said to listen to my body and not to push it too hard. Its just so frustrating because the weather is just starting to get nice again!
Best Moment this week: So, I think I have said this in an earlier post but my belly button sticks out a little now. It isnt all the way out but its definately a little nubbin. However, Jason and I just discovered that when I laugh it sticks out even further! Its pops in and out every time I have a good laugh - which makes me laugh even harder. We think it is pretty funny so I thought I would classify this as the best moment of the week :).