Connor's not sleeping these days which means that all of us are walking around with dark circles under our eyes. Yes - Jenifer I am reading the Healthy Sleep Habits book, but so far, it doesn't seem to be working for us. The worst part is that one night he sleeps like a champ and then the next night (without warning) he's up all night and nothing we do will make him happy. I guess that's par for the course when it comes to newborns.
Sadly, Ross and I made a classic new parent mistake. In a moment of desperation (and extreme sleep deprivation) we let Connor sleep in bed with us. Even though we're regretting this decision now, it was the only way we could get more than two hours of sleep. Now three weeks later, we're fighting to get him back in his own bed. He can be 100% asleep but the second we lay him into his bed, his little eyes pop open and he begins crying hysterically. Ugh!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
Before anyone asks...No, I'm not using my maternity leave to kick off my career as a female boxer however; it does feel like it at times. Let me just say that I've spent the last seven weeks dodging, ducking and weaving through a variety of baby body functions. So since my life has gone from conference calls and director meetings to diaper changes and spit ups, I've decided to write about the "dangerous business" of being the mother.
It's true what they say about babies not coming with instruction manuals. Add to that my inexperience with children and you can imagine my surprise the first time I was changing Connor and saw him shoot a "stream" clear across the changing table and have it christen the wall behind him. My inital reaction was one of pure shock - quickly followed by a sense of pride. The competitive side of me was convinced that my baby had a special talent (albeit a strange talent) for possessing the ability to pee farther than any other infant in the lone star state. It wasn't until I shared this story with a few other mother's that I realized - all baby boys are born with an amazing amount of bladder pressure and the ability to hit a moving target from several feet away.
I guess this is the reason that some cleaver entrepreneur invented a product called the "peepee teepee". I mean the fact that someone can market a product specifically designed to protect slow-handed parents from run away streams of urine is mind blowing. What's even funnier is that according to the sales lady at Whole Earth they can't keep these things on the shelves. These teepee's are big business!!
I understand that I still have a lot of tough parenting lessons ahead of me, but one thing that I've quickly learned is the importance of being on-guard at all times. You see, I've realized that if its not coming from one direction then it's likely coming from the other. For example, after I learned how to become the fastest diaper changer in the south, Connor decided to throw yet another curve ball at me. That's about the time that projectile spit-ups began to be a normal occurrence at feeding time. I'm not sure who to credit with this quote, but I once heard that you're not truly a mother until you have spit up running down your cleavage. If that's true, then I've officially earned my title...several times over.
I know it's silly that I've dedicated an entire blog entry to the topic of my son's bodily functions. However, the point that I'm trying to make is that if anyone would have told me 9 months ago that I would fall madly in love with a bald toothless man who poops in his pants and frequently throws up on me, then I wouldn't have believed it for one second. The truth is that regardless of all these things, I love my son more and more with each day that passes. My heart melts each time he looks up at me with a smile on his face or coo's at me from across the room. One day when he's older, I'll let him read this blog and hope that he appreciates me only half as much as I appreciate the joy that he's brought into our lives.
Mom's Rock - and don't you ever forget it!
It's true what they say about babies not coming with instruction manuals. Add to that my inexperience with children and you can imagine my surprise the first time I was changing Connor and saw him shoot a "stream" clear across the changing table and have it christen the wall behind him. My inital reaction was one of pure shock - quickly followed by a sense of pride. The competitive side of me was convinced that my baby had a special talent (albeit a strange talent) for possessing the ability to pee farther than any other infant in the lone star state. It wasn't until I shared this story with a few other mother's that I realized - all baby boys are born with an amazing amount of bladder pressure and the ability to hit a moving target from several feet away.
I guess this is the reason that some cleaver entrepreneur invented a product called the "peepee teepee". I mean the fact that someone can market a product specifically designed to protect slow-handed parents from run away streams of urine is mind blowing. What's even funnier is that according to the sales lady at Whole Earth they can't keep these things on the shelves. These teepee's are big business!!
I understand that I still have a lot of tough parenting lessons ahead of me, but one thing that I've quickly learned is the importance of being on-guard at all times. You see, I've realized that if its not coming from one direction then it's likely coming from the other. For example, after I learned how to become the fastest diaper changer in the south, Connor decided to throw yet another curve ball at me. That's about the time that projectile spit-ups began to be a normal occurrence at feeding time. I'm not sure who to credit with this quote, but I once heard that you're not truly a mother until you have spit up running down your cleavage. If that's true, then I've officially earned my title...several times over.
I know it's silly that I've dedicated an entire blog entry to the topic of my son's bodily functions. However, the point that I'm trying to make is that if anyone would have told me 9 months ago that I would fall madly in love with a bald toothless man who poops in his pants and frequently throws up on me, then I wouldn't have believed it for one second. The truth is that regardless of all these things, I love my son more and more with each day that passes. My heart melts each time he looks up at me with a smile on his face or coo's at me from across the room. One day when he's older, I'll let him read this blog and hope that he appreciates me only half as much as I appreciate the joy that he's brought into our lives.
Mom's Rock - and don't you ever forget it!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
To blog or to nap...that is the question
I apologize for neglecting the blog, but given the choice to blog or to sleep at this point is a no brainer. Connor is doing well. He's growing like a weed and getting cuter by the day. I'll try to post a new blog entry soon, but in the mean time I've uploaded a few pictures for your enjoyment.
Also, check out the photo shoot that Connor had with Kathy Weigand (http://www.hillcountryimages.com/).
Also, check out the photo shoot that Connor had with Kathy Weigand (http://www.hillcountryimages.com/).
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The 7lbs 8 oz life changer
This is my first post since Connor (our 7 pound 8 ounce "life changer") was born on March 31st at 7:57pm. Not only did he show up 4 days before his scheduled due date, but he arrived so quickly that Ross almost didn't have time to unload my hospital bag from the car. Little did Connor know that his arrival successfully validated an argument that Ross and I were having about the amount of time it takes to deliver a baby. In the weeks leading up to April, Ross had been on high alert. He began making preparations for "insta labor" to incur at any moment. I on the other hand, was convinced that we'd have hours and hours of advanced notice before the baby's arrival. While Ross was packing his stop watch for timing contractions, I was packing DVD's to keep me entertained during the 24 hours of labor that I was sure was waiting for us.
When Connor was born, I spent the majority of the day running errands, doing housework and even managed to meet my friend Teresa for a late lunch at Chuy's. I knew that I wasn't feeling great that day, but I had no idea that I was in labor. Around 2:00 in the afternoon, I phoned my friend Jenifer and described my symptoms to her. Since Jenifer has two sweet kiddo's of her own, she listened intently and then ended our conversation with "I think your going to have this baby in the next day or two". After that I called Ross to see if it was feasible for him to come home early from work. He told me that he had a few more things to finish up, but said he'd hurry. He also asked me to call the doctor just as a precaution.
Ross finally made it home around 3:30 and we loaded up the car and headed to the doctors office. Still thinking that we'd have hours before the baby's arrival, the doctor asked us to go over to the hospital for monitoring. Since my doctor wasn't on-call that day, she told me that I could likely wait until my doctor arrived the next day to deliver. Connor however, had other plans.
We were admitted into the hospital at 5:00pm and Connor arrived less than 3 hours later. When we showed up at the hospital the nurses told us that it was already shaping up to be a busy night. They said that triage was full and that they were sending me straight to a delivery room. Little did any of us know that of all the women in the labor and delivery unit, I would be the last to arrive and the first to deliver. Everything was happening so quickly and the nurses were flying in and out of the room as they prepared for Connor's delivery. I began pushing only 20 min after the epidural was administered and after pushing through just three contractions the doctor announced that we had given birth to a baby boy!!
It's true what people say about falling in love so instantly. The moment I looked into Connor's little face, I could feel my heart just melt away. Even at 19 days old, he already has me wrapped around his finger. The thing I can't yet figure out is how I can spend an entire day sitting on the couch with him in my arms. The hours just melt away as I stare at my precious little man while his sleeps so peacefully. Being a mother is the coolest experience I've ever had and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
When Connor was born, I spent the majority of the day running errands, doing housework and even managed to meet my friend Teresa for a late lunch at Chuy's. I knew that I wasn't feeling great that day, but I had no idea that I was in labor. Around 2:00 in the afternoon, I phoned my friend Jenifer and described my symptoms to her. Since Jenifer has two sweet kiddo's of her own, she listened intently and then ended our conversation with "I think your going to have this baby in the next day or two". After that I called Ross to see if it was feasible for him to come home early from work. He told me that he had a few more things to finish up, but said he'd hurry. He also asked me to call the doctor just as a precaution.
Ross finally made it home around 3:30 and we loaded up the car and headed to the doctors office. Still thinking that we'd have hours before the baby's arrival, the doctor asked us to go over to the hospital for monitoring. Since my doctor wasn't on-call that day, she told me that I could likely wait until my doctor arrived the next day to deliver. Connor however, had other plans.
We were admitted into the hospital at 5:00pm and Connor arrived less than 3 hours later. When we showed up at the hospital the nurses told us that it was already shaping up to be a busy night. They said that triage was full and that they were sending me straight to a delivery room. Little did any of us know that of all the women in the labor and delivery unit, I would be the last to arrive and the first to deliver. Everything was happening so quickly and the nurses were flying in and out of the room as they prepared for Connor's delivery. I began pushing only 20 min after the epidural was administered and after pushing through just three contractions the doctor announced that we had given birth to a baby boy!!
It's true what people say about falling in love so instantly. The moment I looked into Connor's little face, I could feel my heart just melt away. Even at 19 days old, he already has me wrapped around his finger. The thing I can't yet figure out is how I can spend an entire day sitting on the couch with him in my arms. The hours just melt away as I stare at my precious little man while his sleeps so peacefully. Being a mother is the coolest experience I've ever had and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Welcome Connor!!
As many of you have seen in the pictures below, we welcomed Connor Allen McKinnon into our lives on Monday March 31st! He weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and was 20 inches long. Lucky for him, he takes after his momma in the looks department. Leia and baby are both very healthy and we are all home right now doing our best to get some sleep and get our lives into some sort of routine it that is even possible. We are very lucky that everything went so smoothly and I will type a delivery day blog very soon with all the details of the arrival.
Thanks again everyone for your support and well wishes!
Ross
Thanks again everyone for your support and well wishes!
Ross
Friday, March 28, 2008
Incorrect announcement
To stop some of the emails and phone calls before they get too out of hand.. just want to put a note out there confirming that Leia DID NOT give birth Thrusday March 28th as indicated in a mass email from Tesoro. According to the doctor who we just spoke with, Leia is still very much pregnant and is still on target for her due date of April 3rd. Her co-worker Tawny Fries did give birth to a baby boy but not Leia. Some of you are probably thinking this is an early April Fools joke but I promise it is not. The email was sent out by one of Leia's co-workers and was incorrect. When the baby does get here, I will be sending out an email from my account so there is no confusion. I do appreciate the emails and calls as this is a very exciting time and no one wants this kiddo to get here quickly more than Leia and I.
A quick update on Leia, she and the baby are progressing nicely and we are trying to let nature take its course. Our doctor mentioned scheduling an induction but there is no medical reason to do that at this moment so we have decided to sit back and relax as much as possible. The doc did say baby is well over 7lbs and may be closer to 8lbs so as long as the weight is good and everyone is healthy we will just continue to keep on keepin on. According to Leia's eviction notice, there are few days left in storage so no need to rush. Leia still looks lovely as always and she has done such a wonderful job taking care of herself throughout this pregnancy. For someone that's about to go into labor, she looks so calm which actually scares me a little. Calm and Leia are 2 words that are usually not used in the same sentence. She's proved me wrong though and it helps make this easier.
As for me, I'm a train wreck. Freaking out. Holding it in is taking years off my life but that's my job is to be calm. I'll be posting another blog very soon with plans and developments next week!
Thanks,
Ross
A quick update on Leia, she and the baby are progressing nicely and we are trying to let nature take its course. Our doctor mentioned scheduling an induction but there is no medical reason to do that at this moment so we have decided to sit back and relax as much as possible. The doc did say baby is well over 7lbs and may be closer to 8lbs so as long as the weight is good and everyone is healthy we will just continue to keep on keepin on. According to Leia's eviction notice, there are few days left in storage so no need to rush. Leia still looks lovely as always and she has done such a wonderful job taking care of herself throughout this pregnancy. For someone that's about to go into labor, she looks so calm which actually scares me a little. Calm and Leia are 2 words that are usually not used in the same sentence. She's proved me wrong though and it helps make this easier.
As for me, I'm a train wreck. Freaking out. Holding it in is taking years off my life but that's my job is to be calm. I'll be posting another blog very soon with plans and developments next week!
Thanks,
Ross
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Get out, get out, get out!!!
I’m full term today which means that our precious little bundle is technically ready to face the world. His/her legs, arms, eyes, ears and lungs are all fully developed…so what’s the hold up?
Why am I left to suffer these last few weeks if the “bun” if fully cooked? Picture finally making it to the front of the line at the post office during the Christmas rush. You’ve been waiting in line for hours and you’re really excited about being the very next customer served…then BAM – they throw up a sign that says “out to lunch”. Ugh!
Without sounding like the worst mother on the face of the planet, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m officially serving this baby with an eviction notice. “Dear baby, This is your first warning to vacate the premises. Failure to comply will result in spicy foods, trampoline bouncing and other labor inducing activity.”
If the eviction notice doesn’t work, then I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. Little does this baby know that it has a very determined and resourceful mother waiting for it on the outside. Here are a few of the things that I have working in my favor right now…
Full Moon – it’s well documented that an overwhelming number of women go into labor when there’s a full moon. After doing a little research and consulting the 2008 lunar calendar, I discovered that the next full moon is on the 22nd…next Friday, so get ready baby.
Doctor on Vacation – if you guys have been following out blog, then you know how much trouble we’ve had with the doctor. So when Ross and I heard that he was going on vacation next week, our chances of going into labor increased exponentially.
My Entourage – animals sense seizures and strokes, so who says they can’t sense labor. I’m not joking when I say that I can’t go anywhere without a four legged entourage. Do they know something that I don’t know?? It’s as if I’ve turned into Evan Almighty overnight. They wait for me outside the shower door, climb in bed with me for naps and sit at my feet while I eat dinner. It’s like Ross doesn’t exist and I’m the leader of the animal kingdom.
Now while I like to think that these three things give me the upper hand, I know realistically that the baby’s in the driver’s seat for this one. What pains me the most is that for once in my life, I have absolutely no control over when, where or how this baby will make its grand entrance. But that won’t stop me from trying, so baby – if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out now.
Why am I left to suffer these last few weeks if the “bun” if fully cooked? Picture finally making it to the front of the line at the post office during the Christmas rush. You’ve been waiting in line for hours and you’re really excited about being the very next customer served…then BAM – they throw up a sign that says “out to lunch”. Ugh!
Without sounding like the worst mother on the face of the planet, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m officially serving this baby with an eviction notice. “Dear baby, This is your first warning to vacate the premises. Failure to comply will result in spicy foods, trampoline bouncing and other labor inducing activity.”
If the eviction notice doesn’t work, then I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. Little does this baby know that it has a very determined and resourceful mother waiting for it on the outside. Here are a few of the things that I have working in my favor right now…
Full Moon – it’s well documented that an overwhelming number of women go into labor when there’s a full moon. After doing a little research and consulting the 2008 lunar calendar, I discovered that the next full moon is on the 22nd…next Friday, so get ready baby.
Doctor on Vacation – if you guys have been following out blog, then you know how much trouble we’ve had with the doctor. So when Ross and I heard that he was going on vacation next week, our chances of going into labor increased exponentially.
My Entourage – animals sense seizures and strokes, so who says they can’t sense labor. I’m not joking when I say that I can’t go anywhere without a four legged entourage. Do they know something that I don’t know?? It’s as if I’ve turned into Evan Almighty overnight. They wait for me outside the shower door, climb in bed with me for naps and sit at my feet while I eat dinner. It’s like Ross doesn’t exist and I’m the leader of the animal kingdom.
Now while I like to think that these three things give me the upper hand, I know realistically that the baby’s in the driver’s seat for this one. What pains me the most is that for once in my life, I have absolutely no control over when, where or how this baby will make its grand entrance. But that won’t stop me from trying, so baby – if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out now.
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