Just for fun, I’ve uploaded a series of one-minute videos of Kanan being Kanan over this last month. He will be two months old in a week! Check them out if you’d like by clicking HERE! His two-month highlights and a link to pics will be coming soon—I still have a week more of life to live with him first. I promise this next month’s highlights will be much shorter.
Author Archives: Theresa
He’s worth it
It has been almost 7 weeks since this little man has been in our lives and we have been trying desperately to get him packed with enough calories during the day so that he sleeps for atleast a 5-6 hour stretch. We’ve bought a couple of books with tips and recently bought the “Miracle blanket” to keep his hands from waking him up in the middle of the night and hopefully buy us a couple more hours of sleep (well, buy me some sleep atleast since I’m 
the one getting up 90% of the time). Well this morning, Kanan decided to wake up at 5:50 am after his middle of the night feeding when he woke me up at 3am. My goal is to start the morning at 7-7:30 and Kanan has made it to that point a few times. This morning after Mike tried to get him back to sleep and realized it just wasn’t going to happen, I went in with my eyes still closed and dragging my feet, praying to God to help me get through the morning happily. I picked him up and layed him down on the changing table to change his diaper and put him in his day clothes before I fed him and played with him. There he lay, hair in disarray from his active sleep and he looks up at me and smiles the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I took a picture. Ok, I thought, he is worth it.
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Easter Sunday
Kanan experienced his first Easter this year and wore a festive bunny outfit too because he is so little he can get away with it. Of course Mike believes I tortured the kid in the same way the little boy in The Christmas Story was tortured by having to wear a bunny outfit. But in my opinion when you are one month old, you can get away with bunny outfits. Kanan slept through most of it as he was quite overwhelmed by all the attention he got in the hour or so that he was being sociable. Click HERE for pics of the family on that special day.
Other than that, Kanan is 5 weeks old now and has reached two milestones this last week. One, he is starting to copy faces now. My sister Barbie helped us discover this last week when she came to visit. She would stick her tongue out—Kanan would stick his tongue out. She would make a fish face—he would make a fish face. He has done it a couple more times since then, when he is in the mood of course. And secondly, Kanan is smiling now!! He has given a genuine smile on a few occasians this week. One when he is rubbed in his silky blanket. Another when he sees his favorite stuffed animal while having his diaper changed. Its a cute black and white lamb that his great grandma and grandpa Hill got him in France. And lastly, this morning when I layed him down on his changing table and started talking to him in a high pitched baby-talk voice, he smiled at me and held it for a few seconds or so!!
He went to my work today and visited with some of the teachers on campus whom have become my good friends. Everyone thought he was super cute of course and that he was a big baby. We even got a good lead for a babysitter and so I will be calling her soon to see if she has room for Kanan when I go back to work!
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Kanan is 1 month old on Easter Sunday!
I can’t believe that Kanan is already a month old. He no longer fits into his newborn clothes or diapers and even though I have taken over a hundred new photos since the first week, I fear that I still don’t have enough to help me capture how tiny he once was. I wish I would have taken more! He weighs 11 and a half pounds now and is about 23 inches long! Thats 3 pounds and 3 inches since his birthday four weeks ago! Despite the initial anxiety I felt at being a new mother, I wish I could have slowed down those first few days because already that little newborn is gone. I had to go through the first ceremony today of collecting all his newborn sized clothes and putting them in a bag to hand down to my soon to be here nephew Ryan. I felt so sad putting the little clothes away. Some of the clothes he wore only once and some, he never even had a chance to wear. It was a sad ceremony. And one that I know I will have to do again in a a month or two with the 0-3 month clothes he wears now. Of course, as I folded the newborn clothes, I realized how many positive things have happend since the first outfit in which I dressed Kanan. I have traded that initial anxiety and little newborn now with an increasing comfort and joy at being a mother and a growing baby who teaches me more and more about what he needs and wants each day.
His Personality and Our Bonding Moments
Kanan’s personality is growing each and everyday. While the first week or so was mainly about eating and sleeping, Kanan does show us a bit of who he is now in the few wakeful hours he has between naps now. Today, I massaged him with baby lotion and then wrapped him in this soft blanket with the silky satin side touching his skin. I kept rubbing the satiny side on his face and body and listened to him cooh and even saw what I think was his first genuine smile because I heard no gas and it appeared on his face during the entire satin rubbing experience. He also is becoming increasingly interested in his Baby Einstein Gym. Originally, he didn’t seem aware of the toys dangling around him and now he does and kicks and stares eagerly around him. He is even getting better at tummytime and seems to even enjoy it for atleast the first five minutes or so. Yesterday, he was laying on his dad’s chest tummy side down and he raised his head up for a good 20 seconds or so and turned it side to side. Mike and I cheered for him so enthusiastically, one would think we were watching him at a soccer game or something. We are definitely Kanan’s number one fans when it comes to tummy time. We even read to Kanan. His favorite books are The Hungry Caterpillar and a pop-up book called Snappy Dinosaurs. I think it’s because of the bright contrast colors in them. He also loves being sung too. I sing to him everyday and he just watches me or lazily closes his eyes and falls asleep–He like’s my rendition of James Blunt’s “Goodbye my lover” and a gospel song in which I changed the words from “I love you Lord” to “I love you Kanan.” Mike plays his guitar for him also and Kanan quiets down and watches him intently. Today, I strummed the guitar with Kanan’s feet and Kanan seemed to really absorb the way the strings felt on his socked-feet. His feet are super sensitive. I rub his soles with my thumb and he pushes them out toward me with a content look on his face when I do.Besides lying back and having his feet rubbed, Kanan’s other favorite positions include being hunched over my shoulder where he enjoys either sleeping, or staring around at the world around him as I walk around, or being burped. He also loves being held under his armpits with his legs dangling free below him—I don’t know how he likes it as it looks uncomfortable to me, but he really does seem to enjoy it. He’ll even fall asleep that way.
He definitely likes falling asleep in our arms or to the lulling sound of the sound maker we bought. He likes the womb sounds it makes and the combination of the ocean waves with thunder and rain. He sometimes enjoys being swaddled, but normally only afterward when he realizes how cozy and warm it makes him feel or how well he sleeps when he is swaddled. But the process of being swaddled really pisses him off and I have to admit, I’ve been slacking off on doing it lately or have been doing it after he falls into a deep sleep. Mike and I call it the “sneekyswaddle.” Its hilarious to hear him wake up and try and break out of his swaddle, which he normally does because I still haven’t mastered the break-free swaddle I learned from The Happiest Baby on the Block. He makes a cute “eh, eh, eh” sound as he pushes out of it. I love his little grunts and peeps he makes as he sleeps. He is such a noisy sleeper, I can’t believe he doesn’t wake himself up–it sure wakes me up on the monitor! (Not Mike though….that man can sleep through most of the midnight cries for milk).
Fussiness and Breastfeeding
While Kanan has been a bit fussy, after 25 days of fully nursing him, I have finally figured out the problem. Kanan is what lactation consultants like to call “The Excited Ineffective.” And I have what they like to call “an over abundant milk supply and Hyperactive Let Down.” Between our two problems, we can get a pretty fussy Kanan during and after feedings. When he eats when he is just a good, normal hungry and my breasts are being good that day, Kanan eats a solid 15 minutes and is lethargic and happy afterward like he is drunk on my milk. But on feedings when he is super hungry (and sometimes this can be as soon as an hour and a half after a last feeding session!) he gets so excited about eating, he cannot latch on or loses his latch. This sends him crying and screaming and he actually seems to be fighting me off when I try and get him to relatch. For the last 3 weeks, when he lost his latch, I tried a few more times but felt he was fighting me off because he just didn’t want it anymore or thought that maybe he just wanted to burp. Then I’d try again afterward and get the same response, so I figured maybe he was just full or refusing my breast because the let down was too fast. But a couple of days ago, I tried a new technique when he was waving his head back and forth over my breast yet pushing away with his arms (a confusing mixed message) that I wish I had tried earlier. I held his head with my hand instead of in the crook of my arm. Then I held my breast with the other hand and shoved my nipple into his mouth. Amazing! He latched and drank for another 5 minutes! Fussiness gone and happy baby there for the last couple of days since the discovered technique. But I still do have a fast let down. When I let down (for those who are like me and clueless to the jargon–let down means when the milk starts to come out on its own), it’s like a fire hose and actually squirts out a bit of a distance. This is a bit hard on Kanan when he is nursing and sometimes he chokes or gasps for air. I feel terrible when this happens and have tried pumping a bit before feeding to relieve the pressure or plugging up the holes with my fingers until the milk drips out instead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But again, yesterday I discovered that if I nursed from the same breast two times in a row before switching to the other, it relieved the problem. Strange, but it works. Why did it take me this long to figure it out? I was thinking I might just pump and switch Kanan onto the bottle entirely in order to avoid this problem, but I think now, I’ll see how my two new techniques work out before I jump to such extremes. While I will miss the skin to skin contact we share during breastfeeding times, I might at least know how much milk he is getting, Mike can share in on the fun, and we don’t have to hear him cry when he gets squirted in the eye with milk or can’t keep up with the flow. Maybe we’ll switch to half breast and half bottle. I could use the break here and there and maybe go out to eat with some girlfriends or go out a couple of hours and actually buy stuff with the Christmas giftcards I still have.
Our Child The Brain
Despite the fussiness he did have after feedings, sometimes his fussiness comes from being bored I think. There just isn’t enough stuff to stimulate him enough sometimes. He is such a smart kid already and he needs a change in activity about every 5 minutes or else he lets us know. He is already very aware of his surroundings. I know the research says that he can only see 8-12 inches in front of him, but I see him staring at objects on the wall or in the room that are much further beyond him. Perhaps it is blurry, but he knows they are there and is very curious about what they are. He looks adorable staring so curiously at the world around him. We can practically see his little neurons firing away as he just absorbs it all in. Sometimes, he even wants to be stimulated in the middle of the night when I just want to put him back into bed after he eats. At night, Kanan tends to sleep in 2 hour blocks on bad nights where he wants to play and 3 1/2 hour blocks on good nights.
Kanan’s Health
As far as Kanan’s health goes, his pediatrician thinks he is beautiful and healthy. He does have a clogged tear duct in his right eye now, but we are clearing it out by massaging it and wiping his eyes with warm water. Doctor Carpenter does want him to get an ultrasound done on his belly though because she wants to monitor those calcifications we found when he was just a fetus and see exactly where they are and hopefully figure out why they are there. Initially she wanted a Catscan, but Mike and I refused and asked a number of questions as to the purpose and the protocol if indeed she finds out what is wrong. She didn’t seem to have a lot of answers so we compromised with the less invasive ultrasound. That is scheduled in a month and I still don’t want to do it. I think I’m just afraid of what they might discover and of the more stress it might put us through. But I can’t settle with ignorance. If there is something wrong, I’d like to get it solved now. Still, I’m sure he is fine. He is growing. He poops and pees. He is not jaundiced. He seems intelligent and happy. So hopefully, after the ultrasound, we can say goodbye to the calcifications and try and forget about all the worry and stress that came with their discovery.
Pictures and Kanan’s One-month Birthday
Sunday is Easter and that is when I will post this as he will be 4 weeks old. We have a bunny-eared beany for Kanan to wear with some soft pants with bunny paw feet. We will post those pics soon. Until then, enjoy the captioned, hundred and umteen photos we have taken over the last couple of weeks by clicking HERE. We will be sending out baby announcements too if we have your address. To get a preview of the announcements and other photos we had taken at JC Penny’s, click HERE.
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Pics of Kanan’s first days
I finally uploaded all of the photos that everyone has taken of Kanan during his first 9 days of life. Here are two pictures–one of Mike and Kanan and one of Kanan and I. Click HERE to see the whole collection. We are starting to get Kanan on a schedule now and are finally getting some sleep, although probably still not enough. At Kanan’s one week doctor’s visit, we learned that he has already gained almost a pound and has grown an inch!
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Kanan is here!
Wow, what a week! Kanan arrived last Sunday morning on March 11th by emergency cecessarian cection and he is finally home after his first 5 days and 4 nights in the hospital. It is day 7 today and I am just now finding a moment to write about what took place. I knew being a mother would take my time, but darn, I didn’t realize it would be this much….:) By no means am I complaining. Mike and I LOVE being parents! Kanan is healthy and beautiful and we are so happy to be home with him. My mother gave him a nickname that is just perfect for him—“Angel Doll.” Here is his birth story:
On Friday morning, I lost my plug and that night, I started getting contractions that got closer and closer until they were about 5 minutes apart. While they were not making me buckle down in pain, they were definitely stronger than period cramps and combine that with some bleeding and a little water, I thought I was in labor for sure. We left the Mower concert at this time–(yes, we were at a Mower show at Canes…lol). Mike and I arrived at the hospital at midnight and the nurse checked me out. I was not dialated and she said the blood was normal and the water was probably urine. I was sent home with a shot of Visitril in my hip to help me sleep through any possible more contractions. I slept well, but when I woke up, the contractions were far apart and sporadic again. This continued through the rest of the day.
Saturday night, however, the contractions picked up again and I layed in bed all night wide awake and watched the clock as my contractions got closer and closer together and stronger each time. By the time 330 am hit, though, I was starting to get the shivers and they were getting really bad. I thought maybe by body was shivering from the shock of the pain, but when 630am hit and I was still shaking under the blankets and freezing cold between and through contractions, I decided to wake Mike (yes, he slept like a log throughout the whole night and didn’t even know I was contracting) and see if he could get me the thermometer. He did and my temperature was 99.8 degrees. We figured it was a little high, but nothing to be too concerned about. Nor was I too concerned that everytime I got up from the bed, my bladder leaked badly. I figured the baby’s head was really low and was just pushing everything out of my bladder. One hour later, I felt worse and my temperature was now 100.4 degrees. Between that rise and the fact that I was contracting about ever 2 minutes, we decided to chance being sent back home and go to the hospital again. This was around 7am.
By the time I was on the bed in the hospital room, my contractions were so bad, I seriously wanted to die. I thought that I must be dialated atleast 3 centimeters by now and was hoping they would say “here is your epideral.” Unfortunately, I was dialated only 1 centimeter. How was I going to get through 2 more centimeters before drugs? I didn’t think I was going to make it. I was crying by this point and the nurse felt my face and said I felt really warm. She checked my temperature which was now 102.7 degrees. The baby’s heart rate had jumped to an alarming speed of 190 bpm and she was worried. She said because of my fever and the baby’s reaction, I was staying. She called the on-call-doctor and while we waited for him, she told me I might have to have a c-section if my fever didn’t significantly improve and Kanan’s heartrate didn’t slow down. They gave me a shot of Tylenol and that it brought it down to 99.4 degrees.
When Doctor White showed up, he checked my cervix and noticed that my bag had broken (so THAT was the “urine” I felt trickling out!) and said this might have something to do with the fever. He asked me some questions and decided the bag had probably been broken since atleast Friday when I originally went into the hospital, but was probably initially a high tear, which is why I didn’t get the stereotypical “gush” of the water breaking we see on so many movies. This would leave enough time for an infection to take place and so confirmed his belief that we needed to get this baby out ASAP, regardless of temperature. When he asked me permission, I said “whatever is good for the baby” and honestly felt that way, but additionally, I was relieved to know that the intense pain I was feeling would be over very soon this way.
Twenty minutes later, I was getting a spinal block and 5 minutes after that, Kanan was pulled out of my belly. Most family hadn’t even shown up yet before the show was all done. My mother had gotten there in time, however, and prayed with Mike outside the operating room before walking him to the door. She said Mike had his hands on his face and was hunched over—after the operation when we were talking, he shared that he was filled with so many emotions and he was scared for me and for the baby since we both were not doing well. She rubbed his back and prayed outloud. He said he felt much better when she was done. When he came in though, he sure was strong. They put up a sheet so I couldn’t see below my chest. Mike had to stay north of the sheet with me. He did peak around the side and said that after they took Kanan out, they layed my organs out on my chest before putting them in place and sewing me back up. Guess he has now seen parts of me that I haven’t even seen. Before then, however, I remember laying there, feeling some pressure and hearing the doctor say “he has a big head.” Then I was warned about some more pressure I would feel as they pulled him out of me and sure enough I was grunting because the pressure was quite strong–no pain, but definitely the most movement I’ve ever felt in my belly before. But then I heard Kanan’s sweet cry and knew he was well. Mike started emotionally describing what he was seeing. I could hear the tears in his eyes while he explained that he had lots of hair, blue eyes, and blue skin (the umbilical cord was wrapped once around his neck!) But the doctor interjected with “its a healthy blue.”
Mike went with the doctor over to the table to help them clean the now screaming Kanan up and cut his umbilical cord. They brought our child over to me and held him next to my head. He instantly stopped crying. It was amazing. I kept telling him I loved him over and over again. When they pulled him away to take him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, he started crying again and I felt such an intense feeling of love and loss all at the same time. I just wanted to go with him. But the next best thing happpend–I knew Mike would be able to go with him to NICU and make sure he was okay. I hoped to see him soon.
But when they wheeled me off to recovery, I discovered that because I had a fever, they were worried I had an infection and so I would not be allowed to see my son for 24 hours. It was heartbreaking to not be able to be with him, so I literally day dreamed for the next day and intently listened to all my family members describe him in their own way as they had all taken turns to go up to NICU and visit him over the course of the day. They explained that NICU had him hooked up to an IV and IV antibiotics in case he caught whatever was causing my fever. They also were treating him for water in the lungs which is a common problem with cessarian babies. This would go on for atleast 3 days unless the blood culture came out positive for a bacteria–then that could mean he would be in there for 7-10 days and I would have to go home without him. Mike and I were filled with excitement over the birth of our little boy but scared that he could be ill. I didn’t even care what was wrong with me. I remember telling God that I would gladly be very ill if it meant Kanan would be healthy.
But God had bigger and better plans for me. The next morning at 930, I was 24-hour free of a fever and took a sponge bath and even did my makeup before going up to see my son. I wanted to make a good first impression for him. If you see the pictures, you will see how in just those 24 hours, all the water weight I had packed on the last two days before labor just disappeared, so I already felt a bit more confident about seeing him because I looked more like myself. Funny enough, in weeks prior, I imagined labor to happen smoothly enough that I would have entered the labor room with my legs shaved, my toenails painted, and my hair and make up done. But on this morning, I couldn’t even talk, let a lone get up to shave my legs or do my hair or makeup. Hense, between my poor hair and makeup and my intense swelling, I didn’t even look like me. But not today. Today, I prepared to see my baby boy. Mike wheeled me up to NICU in a wheelchair as my cessarian operation left me unable to walk so soon and we looked like two little kids weaving in and out of the halls up to the third floor–laughing and kissing and glowing on our way to see our baby.
For the next 3 days while Mike came and went because of work, I went up to NICU every 3 hours to nurse Kanan. It was so tiring, but I really wanted to nurse him even though the nurses there tried to convince me that I would be more of a benefit to Kanan if I used that time to rest instead. Yeah right…. for the first 2 days, I was thriving off of like 6 hours of sleep, but the thought of not seeing him filled me with anxiety and I was getting jealous of the nurses because they were the ones changing his diapers and cleaning his embilical cord stump and even feeding him with a bottle–all the things that I should have been doing. I was always eager and excited to head up to see him and sad when I had to leave. The hours in between visits were spent day dreaming of him and missing him. I couldn’t concentrate long enough to read an article or watch a Seinfeld episode without images of Kanan floating in and out. So the only thing I could get done in between NICU runs was get IV antibiotics, eat, and talk with visitors.
On the fourth day, everything changed. When I went up to nurse Kanan that morning, the nurse informed me that Kanan would be coming downstairs to be in my care at last. It was a paramount moment for me that I wish Mike could have experienced with me. Kanan and I cuddled and napped all day long rogether in my room before leaving home the next day and I finally got to count every single toe and every single finger. I got to kiss him and talk to him and love him without anyone looking over my shoulder or sticking him with needles and IV’s. I will never forget those hours with him for as long as I live. They were the most pure moments of my life.
Kanan has now been home for two full days now. We are learning a little bit more about him everyday and what he likes and doesn’t like. He is a very sweet baby who loves sleeping, eating, burping, and listening to his dad play the guitar. He doesn’t like to be cold or have his diaper changed. And he doesn’t like pizza because it gives him a tummy ache after he nurses.
He has changed our lives forever in the most positive of ways and all the work that took him to be here was well worth it. When I sit down and look at him, I cry because of how amazing he is.
More Pics to come!
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Belly Casting
I finished painting my belly cast today and am so excited about the results. As I noted in an earlier blog, my cousin Jennifer and her husband Chris sent us a belly casting kit in the mail as a baby shower gift. Jennifer had made a cast of her pregnant belly and breasts and thought she’d share the experience with us. Mike worked hard molding the plaster to my body for a good hour and boy was it a lot of work. But afterward is where the real fun came in. I got to practice painting (which my only experience comes in the form of pastels, so this was new for me.) I used acrylic paints and a latex high gloss finishing spray to make my masterpiece. I painted it to go with the colors of our room which is comprised of garden colors–wine, green, and white primarily. I originally didn’t plan to use so many other colors, but as I continued painting, my mood changed and so I just went with it. Anyway, for those who would like to see more details of the painting, please click here.
I had such a fun time and am disappointed that I’m already done with it. I was hoping to have something occupy my time until Kanan comes. Well I still need to drill two holes in the chest area and hang the casting from a sash on a wall in our room. After that, I’ll start my new book. Its called A Long Way Gone: memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah. Its a memoir about the author’s experience being corrupted and brainwashed by the militia in Sierra Leone as a boy. After seeing Blood Diamond, I really would like to read more about what this could be like.
I’m feeling pretty crampy right now, so I’m hoping that means I’m making progress. I’m eating lots of pineapple, spicy foods, and exercising in multiple ways, so hopefully something will kick my body into gear.
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40 weeks and still waiting!
I had my 40 week appointment today and low and behold, I’m still “high and tight” as my doctor would say. The baby seems happy though. His head is still down and he has a good and steady heart beat of 130-140 bpm. My blood pressure is good and there is no sign of hyperplasmia or any other problem. Still, my doctor doesn’t not think it is safe for the baby to stay in me after one more week. She will be gone until next Wednesday, so if I go into labor before then, her on call doctor will deliver Kanan. As a back up plan in the likely event that Kanan does not make his grand entrance by then, she has me scheduled for a NST (a non-stress test) to see how the baby is doing next Tuesday. And then next Wednesday night (9pm), I will go in for in for Cervidil (to soften my cervix) before they induce me the next morning (Thursday). So that means the baby will be here sometime between now and the 15th! Hopefully, I will not have to be induced and the baby will come before then. But my doctor doesn’t think it is safe for the baby or me to go past a week overdue. The chances of the baby passing his first stool increases, as well as my placenta not working properly. The chances of still birth increases and then of course comes the possibility that the baby will begin to get huge–thus increasing my chances of tearing or needing an episiodomy or suction cups or something else drastic. I’m a little scared of the cervidil process because if I need that, it shows that my body is just not ready for labor and I’m scared that it will foreshadow a long, dragged out, painful labor, but waiting longer seems like it might not be such a safe idea either.
In the meantime, I’ll keep walking and using my birthing ball. I walked to the pier and back a couple of days ago with Bandito (the black Corgy). He was such a good dog. He walked at my slow pace because I basically had to waddle the whole way down to the beach. He waited for me outside of The Dairy Queen as I bought a large Butterfinger Blizzard and we sat outside on the sidewalk meeting passing pedestrians who had something to say about either him, my belly, or their own stories about their dogs or pregnancies. This week, I’ll take Smoky (the blonde) but I just can’t take them both because then they get competative and my 40+ week pregnant self can’t handle the pull.
I also just spent 50 bucks on art supplies to decorate my belly cast this week. I started doing the background paint already and will work on some details tonight while Mike is at his EMT class. My mother went with me to find the art supplies this weekend. She was so sweet by coming down to cheer me up and keep me company since Mike has been swamped with work and it hasn’t helped me cope with this wait. Its definitely affecting me along with the hormones and anxiety about the upcoming labor. We went shopping and ate out and saw a movie. She even spent the night! Thanks Mama!! But Mike’s partner will be back this Saturday and Mike will be able to take all of next week off so that will really be helpful!
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39 weeks!
Despite all my walking and concert attending, among other-things (clears throat), I cannot get this show on the road. I went to the doctor’s today and I’m still closed tight and the baby is still high (sighs….). Alas, my doctor tells me to continue doing what I can to try and get some contractions to happen and if by next Monday I haven’t started labor yet, she will induce me that week because she will be gone the week afterward. She said hopefully she will see me before Monday, but if not, she will probably induce next Tuesday (the baby’s due date) or Wednesday. Mike wants to see if we can schedule it for next Friday instead because that way he doesn’t have to put the business on hold. He is running it by himself right now because his partner is in Panama until next Saturday. Of course, all of this is hypothetical given if Kanan decides to come before then and on his own. I’d prefer this even if he does come at an inconvenient time just because I hear induction is a long and painful process, much worse than just going into labor naturally.
In other pregnancy news, I have lost 2 lbs since last weeks appointment, which I am very excited about because I was getting too close to the total weight I wanted to have gained by the delivery day. I think most of the weight I lost last week was water weight because at last week’s appointment, I could barely close my hands they were so swollen and I had like two chins and couldn’t even see my collar bones. I think I’m back to one chin, and my collar bones are visible although barely and yes, I can make a fist. Funny though, last night I was kneeling down folding baby clothes for maybe 4 minutes tops, and my feet started hurting. I looked down and my feet were dark purple…..I jumped up and immediately, the blood started flowing back up to where it needed to be. So regardless, my weight is definitely affecting my circulation.
Despite the fact that I wish Kanan would come ASAP, it was a good thing that he didn’t come this weekend. Mike and I went on a mission this weekend entitled, OPERATION KILL MICE. Yes, our kitchen was a disaster area as we (actually just Mike, while I pretended to manage from the kitchen table and eating pasta) patched up holes in the kitchen wall where mice have found there way in and replaced the stove and microwave with new ones because mice destroyed the old ones. We are now looking for a new refrigerator and dishwasher as well because they have been messed up from the mice as well. We have electrocuted almost all of the mice except there is one left that is too big for the electrocuting trap. My sister lent us a sticky pad, but our fatty hasn’t found it yet. A random little brother did, (we didn’t know he was here) and Mike killed it trying to pull it off the sticky trap (it was a messy death).
Finally, yesterday after OPERATION KILL MICE was over, I gave Mike a little present. He has been very insistent on Kanan coming home from the hospital in some sort of pirate outfit. Of course, I refused to have our son come home with an eye patch and a peg leg, but compromised for a dark onesie with a pirate emblem on it. What did Mike want for the pirate emblem? You got it, a skull and cross bones. Well I went to the swap meet yesterday in an attempt to start labor and found a booth that custom designed onesies. Kanan will be coming home in a black onesie (God forgive me, but Mike couldn’t have it any other color) with a skull and cross bones on the front. 
I’ll try and tame it down with some soft khaki pants and light blue beanie, but that is the best I can do. Mike is ecstatic and has his own dark blue pirate skull and crossbones shirt washed and ready for that special day too.
On the sweeter side, last night after the Academy awards, we made my belly cast. My cousin Jennifer bought us a belly casting kit to make a mold of my 9 month belly. Mike had to do most of the work while I sat at the edge of the chair in the bathroom covered in wet plaster for almost an hour. My rear-end was numb by the time we were done and Mike’s back hurt, but we now have a beautiful casting of my pregnant belly and breasts. I am going to paint it a dark cherry-wood brown and paint a white butterfly on the belly using Kanan’s feet as its wings. This may take some time, but I will post the final product in a couple of months. It will hang in either our bedroom or bathroom as I think it would be tasteful there given its intimate appearance.
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The Nursery is Officially Done!
Well we have two weeks until Kanan is due to arrive. I’m finally off of work so I can put my feet up (when I’m not nesting like mad!). My 38 week check up shows no progress so far at the signs of labor, so I just might have to figure out more things to do as I wait. One of which, has been finishing up Kanan’s room. Click here to view the photo album of his room. It’s narrated, so just double click on each picture and you will get the narrative and then you can scroll through at the speed you wish. If you do slideshow, it might go too fast for you to read the captions. Thanks so much to everyone who has spoiled Kanan with gifts whether you were at the nursery or gave your gift in private. We could not have done this without you. I tried to set up the nursery so that pieces of all of you are everywhere. Whether you are in the decor or in his closet or dresser–your love is present and felt strongly in the room. Sometimes I just hang out in there because it just feels so full of love.
TheEntrepreneurialWife 