1 Month Old: Life with Landon

In order to best record Landon's milestone events of each month, I put together a pretty vague list of things I want to remember about his first year or so. I will copy and paste the list on the 13th of each month (or near then!) and fill the information in accordingly. 

Average Day:  
Landon usually gets up in the morning sometime between 3:30-5 and eats.  Then I reswaddle him and he goes back to sleep until around 8-9.  This is nice because it usually allows me to get a shower, wake up William, dress/feed/entertain William, and then have just a split second to spare before I have to feed Landon again.  After Landon eats around 9, he usually sleeps off and on and then eats again around 11.  After this, I make lunch for myself and William and Landon has to find something to entertain himself with.  Typically that's the swing, but I am trying to incorporate more of the play mat.  After I get William down for a nap (around 1) I feed Landon again and then he will often take a good afternoon nap for about 2-3 hours.  When the stars align and both boys are sleeping... it's my utopian time.  :)  So far, I have been able to have this quiet time almost every day.  I want to knock on wood just saying that.  Will and Landon both get up around 3 and then I feed Landon again.  This usually starts his more alert period and therefore the tougher time of the day.  I try to get Will a snack and then I have to start on dinner.  Honest to God, as soon as I get dinner ready and William and I have sat down to eat (around 5:30-6) Landon starts screaming his head off and it's time to feed him again.  I shovel the food into my face and try to get William to sit on his bottom or knees while he eats.  (He has been into standing on his chair facing the kitchen).  Dom sometimes comes home right at the height of the noise.  I can't imagine how that makes him feel... anyway, he will often pick Landon up and sush him so I can finish eating.  Then I feed Landon and Will and Dom go out somewhere as soon as Dom is done shoveling the food into his face and picking up the dishes.  Now it's about 7 pm.  I try to join the boys in whatever their evening pursuits are, but Landon is often still kind of fussy at this time.  At around 8, Dom gives William a bath and I feed Landon again.  Then I join the boys for the nightly books (most nights, unless Landon is on a marathon feast, and then Will comes down and gives me a hug and kiss while I am feeding).  From this time until the last feeding after 11 I usually try to keep Landon quiet, since he is fussier in the evening, and he will doze off and on and possibly get a bath.  Then I feed him one last time, swaddle him up in a blanket underneath an Adan + Anais blanket, put his hat on him, kiss both of his cheeks, and place him in his bassinet.

Ahhhhhhh... the end of the day.  It always feels so good to lie down. :)

Signature "Thinker" Pose

Swaddled & Ready for Bedtime!

Favorites: 
Well it's hard to know what babies think of as their FAVORITE, since they know so little about options but besides eating there are a few things I can identify.  When Landon is fussy he likes a strong, solid, rhythmic pat on the butt.  Not fast though, just a solid steady beat.  He also likes getting swaddled, but we force that on our kids.  William seems to think he likes music when he's in his swing, but I am not so sure.  However, in extreme moments of fussiness (which luckily don't happen often) I use white noises that I downloaded on iTunes for $4.99.

First Trip to the Park

Food/Diet/Eating Habits:
In the spirit of the Olympics, if there was a gold medal for nursing, Landon would win! Not only does he eat a lot, he also lowered his time per session by an hour a day!  He usually eats a good amount in the morning and evening, but naps longer in the afternoon.

Growth:

• Birth - 8 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches.
• 2 Days - 7 lbs, 12 oz (discharge weight from the hospital)
• 1 Week - 8 lbs, 3oz
• 2 Weeks - 9 lbs even and still around 21 inches.  * We moved him up from newborn to size 1 diapers at this time. 
• 3 Weeks - 9 lbs, 7 oz and 21 1/2 inches
• 1 Month - 10 lbs, 6 oz and 22 inches

Milestones:
Well a newborn probably has more milestones in the first month than in any other month, but they aren't as easily identified because they are mostly internal. I'm sure Landon is learning about everything in this world at a remarkable pace, but since I'm unable to provide evidence I'll just say trust me.  Wouldn't it be cool though if we could be inside a baby's head?  My Grandma Ayres always says something like, "Don't you wonder what they are thinking up there in their little heads?"  Yes, Grandma, I definitely do!

So what other milestones do 1 month olds reach? Here are a few that come to mind:

• Birth (obviously!) - Friday, July 13th 2012
• Met Both Sets of Grandparents and Had First Bath - Friday, July 13th
• Came Home! - Sunday, July 15th
• First Bath at Home
• 1st Peds Appointment at Maumee Peds - Wednesday, July 18th
• Only experience in the Mapleway house (very emotional one as well) - Wednesday, July 18th
• Cord Fell Off - Friday, July 20th 2012 (it still had a tiny bit left which came off in another week)
• Moved from Newborn to Size 1 Diapers 
• Had his "newborn" photoshoot a little late... but better late than never! - Wed. Aug. 8th
  

Leaving the Hospital!

What He's Talking About
Since he's a newborn, Landon's conversations are limited to a sound that is basically, "Eh, ew, eh, eh ew, eh!"  We have long talks like this.  It's kinda barbaric, but I love it!

Play:
Well there isn't much play going on with a 1 month old, and I have not been too good about giving him Tummy Time because it seems like this big eater's tummy is always so full it's about to explode, but he has had a little bit of fun on the "Under the Sea" playmat.  He also likes to go on walks, even though he does not like to get into his car seat at first.  I think this also goes back to his tummy being full. 

Playing "Under the Sea"

Not TOO thrilled to be swinging, but it does pass the time!

Sleep Patterns:
I addressed this in detail during the "Average Day" section, but he gets up in the middle of the night once to eat, goes back to bed, sleeps until morning, is up for a while, sleeps a good amount in the early afternoon, and then is in and out of sleep until after dinner.  Then after dinner he will usually cat nap and then be ready for his bedtime by 10pm after his "night cap".

Afternoon Nap

Sleeping on my chest.

Who He Met in the Hospital:
7-13 Landon first met Daddy and me (of course) and then Grandma and Grandpa Ayres followed by Grandma and Grandpa Krupp.  That was on his birthday.  Since he was born after 9 pm, by the time Dom's parents left it was after 11 and we were exhausted.  

7-14 My sister (Aunt Amber) stopped by to visit and meet Landon after 3 am when she got off of work that night/early morning.  Then William got to meet his baby brother after he got up.  That was such an awesome thing to witness. He was adorable with Landon on day 1. Later that morning Amber came back for a more "formal" visit with Jeremy.

7-15 Danielle, her mom, and her kids came by first thing after church.  Then when we left the hospital that day our parents, Chad, Kasey, Tim, Mandy, and Simone all got to meet Landon.

PSA for Strangers: Top 5 Dos and Do NOTS for People with Kids

It has occurred to me that many people out in public do not know how to treat parents, especially those with a new baby. I don't mean that they don't know hot to treat their wives, friends, family, or coworkers. I mean absolute strangers with babies. I'm talking completely random people at the store or restaurant.

Part of my realization came when I had my first son, part when I had my second, part developed from events I've witnessed out in public, and quite honestly part of this list stems from the mistakes I made before I ever had kids. I probably shouldn't say "mistakes I made before kids" because if you don't have kids, you don't always know what you are doing is actually considered inconsiderate. Instead I should call these things, "Things I didn't realize I shouldn't do to people who have kids until I had kids of my own", but I didn't because that's a long title.

Since I wanted to stay true to my "Top 5" Friday theme, this is an incredibly short list that could basically be endless in length. Therefore I welcome your comments on what you would add to this list and/or agree with from my list. And remember, this is purely based on my life and observations (in addition to a few horror stories from friends and family).

5. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE; HONOR IT!

Dear Strangers:  When you encounter a parent of a newborn (especially one that appears frazzled) work as quickly as possible and do not try to make small talk. New moms who get the luxury of being out in public for any amount of time are on the clock. Every second is like a ticking time bomb. Remember your role: You are a stranger. New mom hasn't even had a real conversation with her husband in weeks, she doesn't want to talk to a stranger for any length of time! She also doesn't need you to awkwardly end your stranger conversation with the phrase, "Be sure to take care of your baby" as if she's trying not to. (Ok, I'll be honest ... This one stemmed from my first time in public with Landon. At a Meijer. By an old lady selling Margarita mixes, which I eagerly took two samples of... Hey, even though they were dixie sized nonalcoholic samples they were the closest things I've had to a real drink in ten months. And who knew grapefruit margaritas would be so delicious?)

4. EXERCISE COMMON COURTESY

* If there is ever only one item left at the store and you will not die without it, let the new mom have it. This may just be her only trip to the store in months. These things include, but are not limited to: a loaf of bread, Mylicon, dish soap, bottle of wine, shopping cart (yes one of my friends once lost a battle over a shopping cart WHILE SHE HAD HER INFANT CARRIER IN HER HANDS!!!)

* Give up your seat in a waiting room or waiting area at a restaurant.

* If you are waking INTO a store and need a cart anyway, considering taking one from the Mom/Dad who just emptied theirs and have three screaming kids buckled into their carseats. That would save them a trip to the cart coral, which is never located close enough on the days its proximity matters most. And Dear Babies R Us: Invest in some cart corals. Of all places, you would think a baby store would have them!

* Hold the door for someone who has a baby carrier, stroller, army full of small children, or any other kid-related situation that looks stressful. And people in wheelchairs and walkers for that matter! And the elderly! Or healthy people who just so happen to have their hands full! In general, the American public should just think about holding more doors. Surprise someone today by holding the door for them and witness how it changes their demeanor! Then try counting how many doors you hold for other people per day. I believe every American should make it their goal to hold at least one door per day.  Now I know this isn't asking much, but it could really start a behavioral revolution. Plus it's just common courtesy! Ok, sorry about the tangent but I'm passionate about this topic even when I don't have the little ones in tow. When going to work, I always have my hands full and after an entire year of high school only TWO kids ever held a door for me. Granted one of those two held the door for me numerous times.  However, most teenagers just walk around with their heads down and earphones on, but that is grounds for an entirely different top five post on another day...

* And additional note:  A pregnant chick will ALWAYS be grateful to you if you let her go ahead of you in the long bathroom line.  Or even a short line.  Or even when there is no line at all.

3. DO NOT COMMENT ON NEW MOM'S APPEARANCE

* If a new mom is wearing decent clothes and seems to have her hair done (aka looking anything better than thrown up in a sloppy pony) then she is probably doing well that day. Reaffirm her confidence and tell her she looks good. On the flip side, if new mom is wearing sweats and seems as though she just rolled out of bed (even though it is more likely that she has been OUT of bed for HOURS) do not comment at all. If you say she looks nice (in this condition) she knows you are being fake and feels worse about herself. If you say anything negative about her appearance, she might just start bawling because odds are she knows this is not her best look but she had to run out to the store for a butt cream emergency or because there were no groceries in the house and she probably barely even made it out of the door with all of the blow outs and clothing changes.

* Never comment on a woman's weight, unless it's positive. And even then, take note of your surroundings and only comment nicely if there are no other new moms around who you are NOT going to say something nice about. And above all else, abide by the golden rule of womanhood: NEVER ASK ANYONE IF THEY ARE PREGNANT!!! Especially if they have a newborn with them. This, fortunately, has never happened to me but I did witness it once. 

2.  NO BABY/KID TOUCHING ALLOWED! (without permission)

* Never touch a random baby or child. Know your role: You are a stranger and this is plain creepy. More than anything, do not touch a child without permission, especially the bare skin of a child ... ESPECIALLY if you are a male sitting on a bench in the mall and the kid is a little girl wearing a skirt and you touch her legs. (Yes this is a true story.) In addition, moms typically want to keep their sleeping child sleeping out in public and do not want to go through the process of getting baby out of his or her car seat just so you can hold or see them.  And a special note in honor of all the pregnant chicks out there:  Hands off the belly!! Strangers should not randomly rub pregnant bellies.  This has happened to me way too much and I would like to put a stop to it.  I NEVER care if a friend or family member wants to touch my baby belly, but to the lady at the grocery store picking out a pumpkin back in '09 - your greasy hands did not need to wrap around my belly while my oldest son was it in.  Although yes, I'll admit that it was nice of you to tell me that my baby bump was the best pumpkin in the aisle.

1. KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELF

* Under no circumstance should you ever disrespectfully comment about a stupid act that the new mom did. She has a case of what's called "Mommy Mind" which is piggybacked off of a nine month case of "Belly Brain", yet added on top of "Great Guilt", "Complete Confusion", "Extreme Exhaustion" and "Emotional Overload" so step off your high horse for a couple of minutes and keep your inside voice INSIDE. Know your role: You are a complete stranger. She doesn't need to hear your advice because she gets enough from her friends and family. (NOTE: Disregard all of this in the event of an emergency or in an extreme case when said mom actually ASKS for stranger's advice.)  

* And yes, we new moms all know that the great moms before us did everything better and more efficiently... so there is no need to remind us. We are already busting our tails hard enough just to make ourselves look remotely normal doing something we have never done before.  Cut us a little slack and just understand that we are trying as hard as we possibly can.  After all (I'm talking to you lady at Meijer with the margaritas) we generally WANT to take care of our babies.

All in all, I hope that this little PSA will serve as a reminder that although many of us have gone through pregnancy and motherhood, we still do not have the right to infringe upon a random stranger's life. And maybe, just maybe, we can make it a little better by staying out of the way when necessary and helping out when necessary. I decided the other day that when I get old enough and these days are far behind me, I want to randomly pay for things for new moms who look stressed out at grocery stores and restaurants.  After all, it would be good to pay it forward because in general people HAVE been very good to me too. :)

Thanks for reading.

Techie Tuesday - Taking Screen Shots and Featured App: Baby ESP

Well, I feel kind of silly admitting this but I had no idea how to take a screen shot (a picture of whatever is on your screen) prior to creating this post. I knew it was possible because I have seen so many screen shots of text message conversations on the iPhone posted online. I knew I wanted to post a couple of screen shots of this app I will be talking about, so I simply Googled "How to Take a Screen Shot on the iPhone 4" and got this wonderful and simple video.  And I can just tell you right here, if you don't want to watch the video, that all you have to do is hold down the power key and hit the home button twice in a row.  So simple!  Now I just wish I knew how to enlarge them so they don't look like junk.  I have realized that you can barely make out the images on this blog.  Anyway, I am sure most of you already knew how to take screen shots, but I figured I would include it just in case someone didn't!

My newest app obsession is for Mommies (and Daddies) who are interested in tracking their newborn's daily habits is called BABY ESP. My friend, Holly, recommended it to me. She originally used it on her Droid, which wouldn't help either of us anymore bc we both switched to the iPhone. Fortunately, the week before Landon was born BABY ESP debuted their app for the iPhone! Perfect timing!

So, what is so great about the app? Well, there is a place to track virtually everything you might want to track (pee/poop diapers, sleep times and lengths, nursing/bottle times, journal entries, medicine, growth in height/weight/head circumference, etc.) and then the option to create any other category you may want to track. So far I have created an immunization tracker for both boys and a potty training tracker for Will.

One Week of Statistics for Landon - Covers the first full week we were at home.

Now some of you might be thinking that this is a bit obsessive, and perhaps you are right, but I did the same thing with William.... Only I hand wrote it all out. He had a few issues after birth so the Peds would constantly question the number of feelings and wet and poopy diapers he had, which there was NO WAY I could remember on my own, so instead I wrote it all down. Now I'm in the habit of doing so, so it's really no big deal and I don't have to worry about how long it has been since Landon ate, slept, peed or pooped. Plus this allows me to see patterns over time, which is something my hand-written book did NOT do for me!

William's Growth Chart over 2.5 Years... He is SO TALL!  He has always been above the 95th percentile!

This app has a fee. I believe I paid 5 bucks for it, which I feel was very well worth it. However, the day after I downloaded it I got an email about another FREE app from Similac which does the same thing PLUS some (yes you can choose the color of poop on an image of a diaper... I just HAD to share this with our Ped. He thought it was awesomely hilarious!) So perhaps you would want to download that few one before purchasing BABY ESP, but that's up to all of you new mommies!

Let me know what you think if you use any of this!

The Similac Poop Selector - I LOVE this! LOL

!!! Answers !!!

!!! Answers !!!

(A response to my earlier post from exactly one month ago called ??? Questions ???

Here are the answers to the questions Dominic and I were pondering ONE MONTH ago today:

? - What time will baby come? Morning? Noon? Night?

I started having contractions around 6am Friday morning. After getting the go-ahead from my OB, Dominic and I got in the van to head to St. Luke's hospital at 1:23pm and were in the ER by 1:45. After passing through triage, I was checked into a room at about 3:30. We got room 336, the pink room, so I knew then that it was definitely going to be a boy. Plus we think it was the exact same room we had William in! They started petocin at 4pm to speed up the labor because I had been leaking fluid for quite a while and was already having regular contractions. It was certain that this baby was going to arrive on Friday the 13th. Landon Dean Krupp was born at 9:03pm after about 3-4 minutes of pushing!

Taken Within 12 Hours of Landon's Birth

Pink Room! Again!

? - Will baby be born on a weekend or weekday? - Pulling for the weekend!!!

Friday night counts as the weekend, doesn't it?

? - Will baby be a June or a July baby? - Aka what birthstone will he or she have?

Rubies all the way! Landon not only made it to his due date of July 7th, he actually flew past it by five days!

? - Will I make it past the 4th of July? - I sure hope so!

Affirmative.

? - Will I make it to my due date? - I'm actually the weirdo who is still pulling for going LATE! Fingers crossed that this baby will be a Sunday baby just like his or her big brother, Mama, and Daddy. :) Or better YET - a Sunday the 15th baby like his or her big brother AND Mama!

Well I definitely made it to my due date, but I didn't get to have a Sunday the 15th baby, despite the fact that my induction was scheduled for 7:30 that morning. (I picked that day bc that was the day I originally wanted, but also to give baby enough time to go on his own.... Which he did! Just like with William, Landon didn't quite make it to his induction date.)

? - Will Dominic be at work 80 miles away when baby comes? - When we had William, he worked in Perrysburg. Even better, he wasn't even working! We went to the hospital over the weekend!

Dominic had decided on Thursday that he was going to take Friday off, so thankfully he was at home all day. I remember there was a moment around 6:30pm when I was experiencing severe contractions that I said to him, "If you would have gone into work today, you would just now be getting home!" Needless to say, I'm so thankful he had the intuition to take that day off.

? - Who will handle William when baby comes? - I know this will just fall together when the time comes.

My Mom was VERY helpful. She came up Friday afternoon around 12:30 and stayed with Will when we left for the hospital. Plus she stayed at our house that night. The second night Dominic came home to stay with Will and she went back home.

? - How long will I be in the hospital? - Fingers crossed that it won't be as long as last time!

It definitely was much shorter! Like I said before, we got there Friday at 1:45 and we were checked out almost exactly 48 hours later. What a whirlwind!

Our New Family of Four

? - Will baby be a boy or a girl? - We have to buy clothes either way, since William's will be the wrong size for the season. Or perhaps baby #2 will just be in a onesie and diaper all summer.

It's a boy! So far, Landon has pretty much been in a side snap shirt and pants. However, thanks to a few new outfits, I think we are pretty good with clothes sizes NB-3 months. Although I'd like to find some 0-3 month shorts! Do they even sell those?


? - What will baby's name be? (especially if it is a boy since we still haven't officially finalized one!)

We named him Landon Dean Krupp and it wasn't even for sure until the night before his birth. Even then we talked about our other options. And even when he was born I still asked Dominic if he was certain on the name! Now I can't imagine it as anything else.

? - How much will baby weigh? - My prediction is that this baby will not be as big as William was.

I was right about him not being as big as Will, but Landon was still a good sized baby at 8lbs 5oz. He left the hospital at 7lbs 12oz and was back to 8lbs 1oz by his first Peds check last Wednesday.

? - How long will he or she be? - See above prediction.

Yep- He was a little shorter than Will at 21 inches exactly.

? - Will this baby be tongue-tied like William was? - Man I sure HOPE not...

One of the nurses from his actual birth originally thought he might be SLIGHTLY tongue tied, and that was probably only because we asked. Since then, no one has thought he is (not even the pediatrician) and I certainly have noticed a difference in his ability to eat. It'll probably take until his Pediatric Dentist appointment to find out for sure, but it doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

William serving as BIG BROTHER!

? - Will this baby be on the bilirubin blanket like William was? - See above statement.

Nope! Praise God! He wasn't even significantly jaundice. He has been a great eater, pee-er, and pooper from the start!

? - Will I be finished with all of my work stuff before baby comes? - Uh, I better!

I feel good about where I left work. I was able to finish cleaning and organizing my room and I was able to meet with my sub and give her all of the necessary materials. I have a few small tasks to accomplish before the kids go back, but I'll probably wait until August to handle that. I'd also like to go to school to go through my orders if possible. That will take until our babysitter is back from vacation so she can watch William, which won't be until early August.

? - Will we have the baby before or after we move? - Preferably AFTER we move, but that's not likely.

We WERE able to move before baby! Thank GOD we were! I can't imagine life if we were just now moving. Originally we thought we'd move last weekend (the weekend of July 20-22) but thankfully Dominic is a doer and decided to get this done over the 4th-6th. We still had about four van loads of stuff to move after we got home from the hospital, but the major items had been moved in a Penske truck during the 100+ heat index over the 4th-6th. We slept here Friday, July the 6th after our BIG furniture move.

Our Moving Truck - GO PENSKE!

I loaded this carload up on my own a couple days over due and a couple of days before I went into labor... in upper 90s heat!

Exploring the New House!

? - When will we paint the bedrooms in our new house? Currently the plan is for Dom to paint sometime around July 4-6. But will we be having a baby then?

Dom's parents painted all day on the 4th of July while his brothers and Kasey helped us move and unpack. My in-laws did an awesome job taping, priming, trimming, and painting the three small rooms in one day. Cathy came back up the morning of the 5th and she and Dom finished touching up, a few final coats, and even did a fresh coat in the Master that we were originally not going to touch at all. I'm glad they did a fresh coat in our room though, because it looks a LOT better!

Painting the Nursery

? - When should I schedule to get the carpets cleaned? - As long as the paint is done this will probably be the weekend of the 7th, but that is my due date... So.... who knows!

The carpets were cleaned the afternoon of the 5th after the rooms had been painted, but before our furniture was moved in.

? - What washer and dryer will we buy? - Leaning towards the top-loaders now that the front-loaders have had so many negative "Mom Reviews".  We're also sort of waiting until we get a nice Lowes coupon in the "change of address" package because we were told by the Lowes worker that you can get that discount ON TOP OF the sale they are currently having (10% off appliances). Not bad, especially once we use our Discover reward gift cards!

After a couple conversations with Lowes employees and reading reviews online, we ended up getting the Whirlpool Cabrio Platinum top loading washer with a glass lid and the same dryer without the glass front JUST in case a kid was to smash and break the glass accidentally. We used Discover reward gift cards, a 10% off Lowes coupon plus a sale price, and then bought the rest of our gift cards at Kroger and Giant Eagle for fuel perks (we got $1.30 off a gallon at Kroger and $2.30 off at Giant Eagle because of this!) I am still figuring out all of its many features, but I've had plenty of time for this bc I have to do laundry about every day!

Day of Installation

? - Will we have our master furniture ordered and delivered early on or put it off until later? - I sure hope it's the former and not the latter. I don't feel like dealing with this once we have a baby.

Yay! We decided on a set and ordered it through a direct company in Michigan that Dominic leases trucks to. Originally we were told it would be delivered Sunday the 29th, but we found out yesterday that it'll be here THURSDAY! I'm so excited bc our master bedroom looks like junk with random piles on the floor and boxes still in the closet and master bathroom.

? - Will William be ok in his big boy bed? - We may find out tonight!  Dom and William are currently on their way to get the new mattress and we are transitioning him tonight in order to to slowly start all of his many changes.

William has done an amazing job with all of his transitions, especially this one. He sleeps very well in his bed; I think he realizes that it is much more comfortable than the toddler mattress. He curls up in the corner of his bed between two walls, which we call his "nook", so I haven't even been worried that he will fall out. I was a little nervous that he'd get upset about the fact that the nursery looks the same (just set up differently due to the room shape) yet it's not HIS room anymore, but he has been FINE with every bit of the bed and room transitions. Thank God!

First night in his big boy room in our new house.

? - How long will it take us to move? We have until early August to move out of our home on Mapleway, so we know we will be fine but we are hoping we can move all of our big stuff in a day or two.  The tentative plan is to move our big stuff the weekend of July 15-17.  Of course that depends on when the baby comes!

Well, like I already mentioned we moved in about three main days and then picked away at small loads for another week and a half. Although we had the keys until early August, we gave ourselves a deadline and the new owner an advantage by getting him the keys last Saturday (the 21st) so he could move in before his family vacation this week.

Cheers-ing at Bob Evans to Our Last Night at Mapleway

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Our Old House, Pretty Much Emptied Out

****************************************************************************************

Ultimately, the days since our closing date (June 30th) have flown by and have been packed full of craziness. We got the keys to our new home July 2nd, painted all of the bedrooms and cleaned the carpets by the 5th, moved in and slept here by the 6th, had a baby the 13th, came back from the hospital the 15th, and handed our keys over to Mapleway on the 21st. This may sound virtually impossible, but I have learned that anything is possible when you're married to Dominic and with our friends and family. A special thank you goes out to Matt McClure for being a furniture-moving beast on one of the hottest days in our area's history. Productivity and hard work is synonymous with the last name Krupp. William would even agree to this and say he can't talk long bc he has "work to do!" Now I am trying to train him that he has PLAY to do. After all, it IS summertime!

Weeding - Both WORK and FUN!

38 Weeks Pregnant: Update on the Li'l One!

Dear Baby,

THANK YOU for being so cooperative!  I just know that we understand each other.  :)  That means a lot to Mommy!

So here is the news.  Today I went to see how you were doing at my regularly scheduled 38 week check.  For the record, I was down a pound since last week and I have only gained 19 lbs since my first recorded check during this pregnancy!  Anyway, the doctor checked me to see how you were doing and it turns out that you were SO HIGH that he couldn't even tell if you were head-down or not.  Now this was a little scary for a minute, but I said a quick prayer and knew God was going to handle this for me.  He did take a minute to inform me that the heartbeat was higher than last week and that he predicts you are a boy.  So last week your heart rate was lower and he said girl, this week it's the opposite.  I really don't take his predictions seriously.

Next, I was shuffled down to the ultrasound room where the amazing technician was able to inform me in less than a minute that you were in great position!  Head-down!  Instant relief!!! I just love the tech at my OB office.  She always has KLove playing in the background, and it's so comforting to hear Christian music while I'm seeing your picture on the machine.

After the concern about your position was over and we were simply looking at your pictures, I told the tech (who is always very supportive of the fact that we have not found out your gender) that it was tempting for me to just ask her to tell me TODAY, since I am GOING NUTS wondering if you are a boy or a girl.  Bless her heart, because her response was that we are so close to finding out in real life that she would probably just lie and tell me that she couldn't tell even if I DID ask her... just so we could wait to find out at your birth.  I laughed and thanked her for supporting me, because had she been interested in finding out there is a possibility that she might have convinced me to take a quick peek!  Yet she kept your gender a mystery, and honestly I am grateful for that despite my CONSTANT questioning!  I'm still saying girl like I have been since day #1, but lately I have been planning on you being a boy so I am not super surprised.

You measured somewhere around 7 1/2 pounds (sorry, but I forget the exact amount) and showing that you are about 38 weeks.  I am supposed to be 38 weeks 5 days, so this puts the newest due date prediction at July 12th.  Lucky me!  I might get to have you later than planned after all.  I'm still keeping my fingers (and legs) crossed that you don't come until at least July.  We have a house to sell and one to buy tomorrow, and it would be GREAT if we could have most of our stuff moved and your nursery set up for you before you come.  Yes these may seem like high expectations, but welcome to the Krupp family.  If your Daddy gets it into his head that we are moving next weekend, then we will be moving next weekend.  I guarantee it!

Of course, as you know, I am still hoping you come Sunday July 15th.  However, I have made MANY requests to God and I can't be too greedy.  I will settle for your arrival anytime after this weekend, but preferably after we move.  I know you are frustrated because of the cramped conditions you are living in (I can tell by the ultrasound pic that the tech gave me today) so I apologize to you for this news.  However, I must say that I am happy to see that you will probably be staying put for a little while longer.  We will have plenty of fun when you come out; just let us get through a few more to-dos before you join us.  You don't want to be involved with this crazy move anyway!  Avoid it if at all possible!

Regardless of when you arrive, you are loved very much and we are so happy that you are making our family a family of four.

Love always,
Your very excited Momma

This is either a smoosh face or a ticked-off grumpy one. Either way, it is adorable and I can't wait to kiss your cheeks! 

 

 

 

Mama Monday #2 - Finally Getting Ready for Baby!

I realized that most of my first Mama Monday post today was about my son.  See, even the posts about ME are about my kids.  That's what the life of a Mom is all about. Therefore I decided to do a second one... Which ends up being about my other child anyway!

Actually, lately I have been thinking that the life of a Mom is like one HUGE load of laundry with ups and downs in between.  That may sound depressing, but I don't mean it to be.  I have done laundry every night for a week.  I don't mind it... it's just crazy how much laundry there is to be done!

Speaking of laundry, I took the first steps toward preparing myself for the fact that this baby will be here soon... And only part of it involved laundry!

1. I washed the neutral baby clothes (although I have yet to put them away!) Man are they small!

2. I pulled out some baby rattles. Of course William was instantly drawn to these "new" toys, so I had to explain what they were for.  It was so cute hearing him say he wanted to teach the baby how to use a rattle or talk on the phone or help me change the baby's diaper.  I think the more we talk about baby and show him evidence of baby's imminent arrival, the better it is on William's transition.

3. Dom and I picked up the bassinet from Andy and Sarah's house yesterday and we set it up in our room.

4. I washed all of the bassinet bedding.

5. I pulled out some newborn diapers. I'm not sure where I should put them though, so odds are they'll end up in the drawer with the clothes. Eventually this baby will have the nursery which comes with the diaper stacker, but for now he or she is getting the "bare bone" treatment!

6. I washed my nursing clothes and started creating a pile of items I want to put in my hospital bag.

All of this was a pretty big deal for me after doing absolutely nothing to prepare for baby throughout the first 38 weeks of pregnancy. With William, all of this was done much earlier ... But then again we weren't in the process of moving. And we were like all other first time parents who worried about having everything perfectly in place in the nursery so it would look adorable and give the proper welcome to baby. Then we learned that babies don't even sleep in their cribs for a while (Will slept in the bassinet in our room) and rarely use the nursery at all for the first couple of months!

So what else needs done for baby? Not too much. I need to get a double stroller soon. I'm still holding out until Babies R Us sends me a 20% off coupon. I'm also going to borrow my friend's Moby wrap to practice wearing around a bit before I commit to buying one.

I had to get groceries today, and I noticed that the milk expires on my due date.  That was enough to get me thinking that I better start preparing.  Nothing screams, "Your baby is going to be here soon" like seeing the date slapped on a milk jug.

Good thing I was super productive at work today. :)

What I Wonder: Our Upcoming Transitions

On Monday I had lunch with a couple of girlfriends who quickly commented on how extremely relaxed I seemed, despite all that I have going on right now.  I was flattered, as I know that oftentimes I am annoyingly stressed out, and I was very happy that the girls were able to note my calm demeanor without me having to say that I really DO feel calm.  In fact, it's bizarre how calm I feel about everything.  I know that I will be closing the sale of our current home and the purchase of our next home only nine days before my due date.   I know that I have absolutely nothing packed (well nothing more than what we binned in order to put our home up for sale.)  I know that I can't do a ton of work moving houses.  I know that my body is about to go through a lot during the birth of my second baby.  I know that soon enough I will be spending hours each day nursing, changing diapers, and NOT SLEEPING.  I know that I have virtually nothing prepared for my maternity leave and I haven't even talked to the person who is going to sub for me (in my defense, I was just given a sub a few days ago)... yet I feel completely calm.  At least for now.

I thought a lot about the positive comments from the girls after I left that lunch. Why am I so calm?  I should be flipping out in typical Lavender-style.  Perhaps it's because I already went through a month-long period of mourning leaving our home and debating whether or not we were making the right decision by moving.  Perhaps it's because I feel like I still have enough time to get all of my work done for school before baby comes.  Perhaps it's because a lot of this is out of my control.  MOST LIKELY it's because I am constantly reassured by my favorite Bible Verse:

Here it is again in a paraphrased version:

So yeah, I am personally at peace right now.  Mental peace.  It feels great.  So what do I wonder this Wednesday, you ask?  Well this is going to sound SO Mom-ish, so be prepared...

                                            I wonder how William will handle it all.

Toddlers are interesting.  I believe that they are truly creatures of habit.  For example, every night when we give William a bath we have to do the EXACT SAME THING.  Whenever someone watches William when we are gone, we assure them that he will tell them what is next if they don't know so they don't need to worry about it.

Here is the bath/Band-Aid/book/bedtime routine we have fallen into for the past... hmmmmmm... I'd say five months at least.

We let him choose what color tablet he will use to dye the water and then he throws it in.  We bathe him, then we rinse his back, then we rinse his head.  We lift him out of the tub and then we dry him off.  He says, "Brush your teeth is next" ... which it is ... and then when that's done he will say, "Band-Aid is next!" ... which it is ... We have to give him a Charlie Brown Band-Aid every single night that he plasters on his bare chest and marches around saying, "I got a Band-Aid!"  Then we put his diaper on him, dress him in his PJs, and then he picks out a "chair book" (which is a book we read in the glider).  He hands me the book and then walks to the ottoman where my feet are propped, grabs both of my ankles and hoists himself up to the ottoman, says "I climb Mommy Mountain!" and then, kneeling on the ottoman, he holds his arms out to me and says, "You got me?"  And I always say, "I will always catch you" and he does a little bit of a lunge/leap forward to the chair (over the small separation between the ottoman and the glider) and then we cuddle up with his blankie and mimi and read the "chair book" of the night.  After the book is over, he slides off of the glider and goes under my right leg, back to the bookshelf saying, "I go in the hole!"  He picks up one more book, walks it to his bed, and lies down.  I read him this "bedtime book" and then we say our prayers.  I always take prayer requests first and they have been the same from William for at least three months now.  He always asks that we pray for, "Chuck E. Cheese, The Giraffe Store, The Letter Store, and the Big Box Store" (translated that means Chuck E. Cheese, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and Costco - and the ironic thing is that we've only take him to the first three of these places about two times each since he could actually remember... we are evil parents who always tell him that these places are sleeping when he wants to go there... I promise I will take him back to Chuck E. Cheese before baby comes though.  I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do that for him after months of praying for CEC).  So we pray and then do "tucky tucky" which sometimes is "mumify" which once turned into "Dadify" and then later "Lavender-fy"... so funny.  Then I kiss him on his cheek, tell him that I love him so much and then Dom does the same and we turn off his light and leave the room.  EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

So there, that's why I think toddlers are creatures of habit.  Not to mention how William has to give a hug, a kiss, and a high-five to everyone he says goodbye to... in that order.  He will literally grab your hand to slap it if you forget the high-five at the end.

Therefore, despite my personal calmness... I have come to realize that I am extremely nervous about how William will handle his upcoming changes.  I usually feel as though we are doing the right thing by changing a lot at once, so that we can just get it all over with, but perhaps that will make William go nuts.

What exactly are the changes that William will soon endure?

Well, for starters he will become a big brother.  When we ask if he is having a brother or a sister, he usually answers.  If he says brother, the name he says is Keegan.  If he says sister, the name he says is Hannah.  Neither of these are names we are using; they are the names of the youngest boy and girl at the babysitter's house.  Sometimes though, William will say NO when you ask him if he's having a brother or a sister.  I am sure this is perfectly normal, but it worries me a bit.  Life is going to be a LOT different for the little guy.  He won't be the only kid anymore.  I know that eventually he won't remember life as an only child, but I am sure the transitional phase is a challenge.

Another change is our big move to the 'burg.  William has only ever known this house to be his home, so I am worried about how he will handle the move.  He once looked at a picture of the house and said that it was Margaret's house (his babysitter's).  I realized that they do kind of resemble one another.  We ask him if he's ready to move to the big house, and again he usually answers "NO".

We are also moving William from the nursery (he has been in the crib converted into a toddler bed for a while now) to his "big boy room" when we move.  We figured it would just be easier for him to do the switch all at once.  However, we are keeping the same nursery furniture and bedding... which is b/c we have all gender-neutral stuff and because we are cheap.  I always said I was glad we didn't find out with the first baby so we could just cheap-out and use the same stuff over for the next kid, but now I worry about the fact that the nursery will be almost the SAME and William might think it's his room.  I am working hard to make his toddler room look more enticing than the nursery, but this is another unpredictable situation we'll soon be facing.

A couple of other changes that William must go through in the near future are getting rid of the mimi (binky) and potty training.  For now, I am not going to fret about either situation.  OK, so my 2 1/2 year old still uses a pacifier and wears diapers.  Well, I have bigger battles to fight right now.  I can't make him go through ALL of these changes at once, so I am not going to even bother.  In fact, my pediatrician told me to wait on the potty training until the end of the summer... so I might go with that advice.  I know my babysitter prefers it done over summer, but he won't even be three until November so I don't want to rush anything. At this rate maybe it will be NEXT summer. Not that I want to buy diapers for two...  He's not super interested in it right now, although he is starting to get the idea that he should be peeing and pooping in the Elmo potty and not in a diaper.  Even the change in the fact that now he tells us when he poops in his diaper is a positive one.  We are working with that and trying to remind him to tell us BEFORE he goes "next time".  Finally, I am going to switch his car seat position from behind me to behind the passenger seat.  This will allow me to hand him items easily.

I just don't want him to think he's "being replaced" by baby.  Or hate our new house b/c it comes with a baby.  Or get angry with Dom and me because we took him from the home where he took his first steps.

I will keep you posted on how William handles everything.  Of course many people smile and say that this is NOTHING and that their kids were perfectly adjusted within NO TIME and many others say it is a challenge, but like everything else we will get through it. I know all the lines.  I have heard them a million times and I am prepared to hear them a million more.  I am just not prepared to live it all out... quite yet.

Wish us luck! Chuck E. Cheese did!

 

Email from 11-18-09 - The Birth of William

Here is the email that I sent my family, coworkers, and Masters classmates the first full day we were home from the hospital.  I thought I had posted it on this blog as well, but I see that I didn't. My apologies!

"I can't type much now, but I'll do my best. Here are the basics that everyone is asking about... I'm sure Jan really has been wondering about all the nitty-gritty details, but I'll leave them out.

I had been having mild labor pains all day Friday and finally after timing the early labor contractions at 3-5 minutes apart lasting for about 45 seconds to a minute, we decided to go to the hospital at 2AM. Luckily I showered before we went b/c I didn't get to for a loooooooong time after! :-P

After a really rough 29 hours, I delivered William Elixander at 7:32 am on Sunday, Nov. 15th. Dominic and I were both Sunday babies and our bdays were on Sundays this year, so we think that's pretty cool. Will was 21 3/4 inches long and weighed 8 lbs 14 ounces. Both the OB and nurse on duty said that the longest baby they had ever delivered was 22 inches, so our big boy was almost a record-tier. And I beat Carrie's baby size with Xavier so now I have all the bragging (or complaining) rights! William doesn't look that BIG right now, he's just really long. (Allison, our stories were unfortunately rather familiar! Have pains all one day, go in another day, a deliver a day after that - I think you cursed me when you told me your story - JK!) BTW - William is Dominic's middle name and Elixander is a name that my Mom found in my family lineage while doing geneology. Dom and I both loved the name Eli, but with Elijah being so popular now and that just not seeming like a name we would use we instantly fell in love with Elixander (pronounced like Alexander, but with an "L" sound at the beginning.) It is our hope that since we named William after Dom's middle name that Will will one day name his son Elixander something.... and he can go by Eli if he wants. Of course, you all know me to be the one who has her first grandson named already! Such pressure for poor Will!

BIRTHday Gift from St. Luke's

William Elixander Krupp - Born on 11/15/09 at 7:32am.  8 lbs 14 oz, 21 3/4 inches long

The "only two people per room" rule with the H1N1 virus made the time at the hospital really tough b/c we never knew if people were sitting in the waiting room waiting to visit ... so we'd talk to the people in our room for a long time without even knowing other people were waiting to see us. Due to this rule, we had to tell the same stories over and over when it would have been simpler to have all our guests listen to it once and stay in our room for a while and talk to one another as well as visit with the baby. Instead we were pretty much flooded with visitors from the first minute he was born until the day we left, which was awesome but didn't allow us much time to rest.

Proud Mommy - 11/16/09

Proud Daddy - 11/16/09

So anyway, we were at the hospital until Tuesday evening. Tuesday was the worst day of Will's little life because he got circumcised first thing in the AM, and right after that he had his tongue snipped b/c he was tongue tied, then he had three blood tests done, got immunized, had his hospital pics taken, had his hearing test, and on top of everything else he had to take a bath. :-( The entire day was a huge emotional roller coaster for both Dominic and myself.

We just got home last night (Tuesday evening) at about 5:30. It was crazy to be outside for the first time since Friday night, and it was really bizarre b/c the radio was playing Christmas music so I felt like I time-warped about a month... oh 101.5 The River.... but it was really cool b/c it just made us even more excited for Christmas now that we have the best gift ever. Anyway, we left later yesterday that we wanted to b/c Will had an elevated level of jaundice (his level was 14 and anything 12 or higher is considered elevated... if it was 20 or so he would have had to stay at the hospital) and so he has to be on a Bili Rubin (sp?) blanket. Sooooo we had to wait around because he had to get that blanket set up from a company who brings it in and explains it all to us. Don't worry if you have no idea what that means, b/c I didn't until yesterday, but it's better than having to be under the Bili Rubin lights. So all last night we hung out with our little glow worm and felt terrible for him. So much for playing fun dress-up games and hanging out in the bouncy seat. :-(

Our Little Glowworm - 11/18/09

We took William off of the blanket for a little bit, just so we could hold him better. 11/19/09

Sooooooooooo after our first night at home, we had to go back to get bloodwork tested today at St. Luke's to see if his level had gone down at all. Therefore we were right back at the hospital this morning on day 3 of his life. Sadly, his test results came back even higher, so we have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow and after that we have to go AGAIN to St. Luke's for another blood work test tomorrow. This is all so sad, emotional, and overwhelming. I just wish we could enjoy this time at home together on our first day as a family, but instead we went to St. Luke's this am and just got back .... and it's already 3:45. I feel like it was just morning! Added to the fact that we haven't slept much at all.... I have only slept 18 hours from the time I went into the hospital Friday night/Saturday morning at 2:30 AM until today...

Anyway, if you are a praying person please just pray that William's Bili Rubin level is down tomorrow so he can finally be off of the blanket and able to move around more.

I hope everything is going well for all of you."

Father and Son on Day #1 ... This Makes My Heart Melt <3