Four Months and Counting

I took Brynleigh in for her four month checkup a couple of weeks ago.  Here’s the news:

• She weighs 11 pounds, 9 ounces.  She is in the 10th percentile for weight.  (This means if you put 100 four-month-old babies in a room, 90 of them will be bigger than her.)
• She is 22.75 inches long.
• She had to have two shots and one liquid immunization.
• She does not yet have any teeth coming in.
• She needs to have an x-ray on her right hip; it clicks a little when the doctor manipulates it and they want to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with the joint.

She grew up a lot while we were in Canada.  For one, she is starting to be very intentional with her arm/hand movements.  The Livelys (the friends we went to visit) got her a new little butterfly toy with crackly wings and Brynleigh just can’t seem to get enough of it.  She also discovered her feet one morning while we were getting ready in our hotel room:

Feet!

She also rolled over from front to back for the first time while we were there.  (Honestly, I suspect she could have done it much sooner if I were actually brave enough to withstand the screaming that takes place when I put her on her tummy.  I know, I know – I should be doing tummy time every day.  Go ahead and judge me.  )  Here is a little video that Claire and I took the other day as proof.

Brynleigh was an excellent little world traveler and we got lots of smiles and compliments on our trip!  Several people even remarked that they hadn’t even realized there’d been a baby on the plane.

We did have one scary episode a couple of days ago.  Brynleigh woke up from a nap screaming and I couldn’t calm her down.  There were no tears; it was like she had seen something terrifying and she couldn’t stop screaming about it.  I decided that I needed to do some sort of activity with her that would keep her engaged long enough to break the screaming cycle and allow her to calm down.  So, I fed her!  For about the first six minutes, every second or two her whole body would shake like she was having a hiccup – but she wasn’t hiccuping.  I think she was just that worked up.  I was pretty anxious, but she gradually started to relax and then she was fine.  I gave her some Tylenol just in case, but I don’t think she really needed it.  (Yes, I did check to see if she had a tooth coming in; she did not.)  She was pretty mellow for the rest of the afternoon.  It was a very hot day, so I thought she might need a little help cooling off.  Here she is with a little cold compress on her head; she enjoyed it very much and even started to giggle when I put it on!

The cool washcloth felt so good!

All in all, we have had a great month!

Cuddling with Dad before bed.

A little concerned...and getting very sleepy!

A Set of Graduation Bookends

June 6, 2008 – Graduation Day for the first group of students I’d had all three years I’d taught.

So, what you don’t know is that I found out I was pregnant with Brynleigh at about 4:30 in the morning on that graduation day.  It was our last teacher work day at school, and I could hardly keep myself focused.  The news was expected; the chained-down feeling that came with it was not.

I spent all of last summer on the couch, sicker than sick.  I finally called the doctor and was prescribed some magic pills that helped significantly.  They took care of the 24/7 nausea, but they did not stop the dry heaving that happened constantly and without warning.  I’d be on my way out the door in the morning and as I said “goodbye” to Ben, I’d gag mid-sentence.  Not once did I actually throw up, and I kept thinking, “If only I actually threw up, then I might feel better.”  No dice.

Oh, and all that, “It goes away when you get into the second trimester” crap?  Not so much.  Mine went away when I was sixteen weeks pregnant, on our last teacher work day of the summer.  That would be a Friday…and school started Monday.  Yeah, it was a great, relaxing summer.

Once I was back at school and it started to become evident to my students that I was pregnant (because I didn’t feel the need to tell them; I decided they could figure it out on their own), I realized I had to throw down some ground rules, stat.  Thankfully, a few friends of mine were pregnant at the same time.  Together, we compiled a mental list of rules to follow when dealing with pregnant women.  Here are a couple for you to use with the pregnant women in your own life:

1. Don’t touch me unless you are invited.  (This rule applies to friends and family, too.)  I don’t come in every day and pat your belly to say hello.  It’s weird.  We don’t know each other that well, and even if we did, it would still be weird.  I actually had to smack a kid’s hand away once.  And no, I’m not ashamed of it. 
2. Don’t comment on the size of my belly.  When you say, “You’re so tiny!” I know you’re lying.  It’s also not okay to say, “You’re HUGE!”  And when you walk up to me first thing in the morning and say, “You (or “The baby”) got bigger!” all I’m going to do is get angry.  Here’s why.  First of all, I know the baby (and I) got bigger.  I’ve been here the whole time.  I see the damage as it’s happening.  More importantly, I feel it.  What part of it makes it okay for you to comment on it?  I don’t greet you each day with a cheerful, “Hey!  You got fatter today!”  A pregnant belly is not license to throw away common courtesy. 

This brings me to a couple of my main points.  During one conversation with a pregnant friend, I realized that in some ways, from the moment we told our respective “people” we were expecting, we ceased to exist in their minds.  Everything became about the babies.  And apparently, they weren’t even our babies, because people felt the need to use the word “my” when they referred to them.    (Don’t get me wrong; the enthusiasm is appreciated, but the message gets a little lost when you’re 8 months pregnant and cranky about it.)

But never fear!  I am here to offer solutions!  This is what I’m asking of you, the non-pregnant world at large.  Please remember that attached to “your” ( ) baby is a tired woman who may or may not be thrilled about the whole thing – and even this can change from day to day.  I just need you to take your cues from her without trying to push your views on her in the process.  I think the best way to do this is just to ask her how she’s doing and let her response guide your conversation.  She is so happy that you’re excited – and she is excited, too, to a degree that varies (sometimes daily) with each individual – but please don’t allow your excitement to crowd out the fact that she is the person who is actually here, now, and who has lots of thoughts and feelings not only about what she is currently going through, but also about her normal life – ie, her marriage, her career, her daily activities, and what she’s going to make for dinner later.  And once the baby is born, it’ll be natural for everyone to be preoccupied…but starting off your conversations with, “How are you?” – and then being genuinely interested in hearing the answer before moving on to baby talk – will go a long way toward maintaining a lasting friendship.  It shows her that you care about her, and not just because she’s the person having “your” baby. 

June 6, 2009 – Graduation Day again.  Things in our lives are VERY different this year, but also very much the same.  The world didn’t stop when Brynleigh was born.  Ben’s moved up the career ladder at the bank, and I’m starting a new position at school in the fall.  Brynleigh is getting cuter by the second (I’ll post an update about her later) and we’re enjoying having her around and sharing our lives with her.

My Other Children

Yesterday was the annual Senior Breakfast. It’s so much fun to hang out with the kids – who are really more like grown-ups at this point – and relax for a few hours before the madness of finals begins.

I thought you might like to see some of the faces I get to enjoy every day.  Oh, I heart them!

These two let me practice my camera techniques on them. Here they are modeling for a "senior portrait."

Yep. My school is awesome.

6th Period Buddies

Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

Here's a candid shot of one of my "posers." Senior Breakfast 2009

Senior Breakfast 2009

My other "poser" about to take out his math teacher. With a plastic fork. The same plastic fork he'd attempted to put in his hair just a few moments earlier.... (Btw, this one's on his way to Yale.)

Workin' it with a door prize! Senior Breakfast 2009

Baby Feet

Aren’t baby feet just the cutest kind of feet?

Evening Light

Brynleigh looked so beautiful in her swing tonight, with the evening light coming through the window!

What a sweet little face!

Bathtime

Here are some pictures I took during Brynleigh’s bath last night.  My friend Darren is going to show me some tricks with the new camera today; I am sure you will get to enjoy the fruits of that lesson soon.

Hi baby!

What do you see?

Pretty red hair!

So Handsome

Ben – I mean, “Brynleigh” – got me a fancy-pants new camera for Mother’s Day!  Now, we never did Mother’s Day in my house growing up, so I am considering this more of a “Happy Sunday!” present.

Anyway, when I say “fancy-pants,” what I actually mean is “Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.”  Also something about a “450D.”  All I know is, my Barkley sure looks handsome.

In the actual-size version, you can practically FEEL his whiskers!

Pictures You Haven’t Seen Before

Brynleigh is going to be three months old tomorrow.  I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed!  Let’s take a photographic journey through her life so far.

Just born! You can see the bump on her head that was caused by not being able to fit through Mom's bones.

Here's proof! Yep - that's me and my fat head on the operating table. Looks like Dr. Louw's about to drug me up again. I have no idea who took this picture.

Tiny little blurry baby!

Just a couple of days old in this shot, but she still looks like herself!

This was our second night home. Sweet Barkley had just met Brynleigh for the first time. She's resting her feet on him in this photo.

It was a drive-by kiss.

Our two kids, just hanging out in the kitchen.

This one's for you, Grandmother! Here's Brynleigh modeling a little outfit she received from Sarah's mom. She wore it on Easter.

She might be making a fuss after her bath, but she sure looks cute doing it! Hooray for hooded towels!

Here is Brynleigh sitting in her fabulous Bumbo chair. She has just started to actually "play" with her toys.

Here’s a video of Brynleigh playing with a book (Dotty Dog) that she received from Gloria, one of the librarians at Mom’s school.

Taking a little rest after all that playing.

Enjoying being able to sit up like a big girl.

Kisses from Daddy!

Here’s a video of Brynleigh and Dad having a little chat on Sunday morning.

Catching Up

It’s official: I am back at work full-time.  Leaving Brynleigh is very hard, but it is only for a couple of months.  I am sure the time will pass quickly.

Did I tell you Ben was called for jury duty the week of his birthday?  He was actually chosen to serve on the jury!  We thought it would just be a quick little trial, but he was consumed with court stuff for FOUR DAYS.  They ended up deliberating for several hours (it was a DWI case).  The hardest part was that he couldn’t tell me anything about it until the trial was over.  Thankfully, I take the justice system very seriously and knew better than to ask for details.

We celebrated Ben’s birthday with a small get-together at Grand Lux in Dallas.  It was really nice to spend an evening out with our friends.

As part of his birthday gift (you know he turned the big 3-0 this year!), I scheduled a consultation for Ben to see if he is a good candidate for LASIK.  He has been talking about having his eyes fixed for several years, and I thought it would be nice to give him a place to start.  Turns out he IS a good candidate.  We have not scheduled the surgery yet, but it’s still on the table.

At last week’s checkup, Brynleigh weighed 9 pounds, 11 ounces.  She is growing!  She did very well with her shots.  She cried for a moment or two, but I was able to settle her down fairly quickly.  Still, I am glad we don’t have to do that again for another couple of months.  I had to keep reminding myself that having a quick shot is MUCH preferred to actually getting polio…or tetanus…or pertussis…or any of the multitude of diseases she was vaccinated against.

I am currently trying to figure out life as a married, working mom.  I don’t feel like life is much different than it was before the baby was born; the biggest differences are that I’m more tired and I have less time.  I’d love to lose more weight.  This has been a source of near-constant frustration lately, as I am STILL having to wear maternity pants.  I realize it has only been two months, but I feel gross.  However, finding time to go to the gym has been next to impossible, and if I do find the time, I’m just downright exhausted and end up taking a nap or resting in front of the television instead.  It’s a vicious cycle that I’m hoping will break soon – when Brynleigh (and me by extension) starts sleeping through the night.  (She is getting close!)  Last year at this time, Ben started a savings account for me at WaMu.  He had a set amount automatically deposited each month, and the account is nearly mature.  I am thinking of using some of the money for a personal trainer.  I need someone who can instill in me the hope that I CAN lose the weight and feel good about myself again.

Last weekend found Ben embarking – with our friend Daniel – on a Man Weekend.  They played golf on Saturday afternoon and went to the NASCAR race on Sunday.  They had a pretty fantastic time!

As for our summer plans…we’re discussing them.  We have thrown around the idea of visiting Toronto and meeting up with our friends Jon and Hanna who live in Northern Ontario.  We met them on our honeymoon (we were all married on the same day) and haven’t seen them since – that’s going to be seven years this summer!  Crazy.  Anyway, they’re a super fun couple and it would be awesome to spend some time with them.

Otherwise, things continue as usual.  Ben’s trying to get our taxes done before the deadline.  I’m trying to get the laundry done…at all.    Life is good!

Two Month Update

Brynleigh is now two months old! I am estimating her weight to be right about ten pounds. She has her two month well visit with the doctor on Thursday, so I will update her statistics at that time. Unfortunately, she also has to have several shots. Poor little thing.

The last month has been a little bit more trying than the first month. She is sleeping better at night, but I am not. Case in point: two nights ago, she went to bed at 10:00 and didn’t wake up until 5 in the morning! I, on the other hand, was up at 3:30. It’s been hard.

According to a book that Angela’s pediatrician recommended, Brynleigh is a “hyperalert/high needs” baby. She doesn’t sleep very much during the day – just little cat naps here and there. She’ll doze off for 10 minutes and then wake up again. She also likes to be held nearly all of the time. So, she’ll fall asleep while you’re holding her, but the second you put her down she wakes up again. It makes it VERY difficult to accomplish anything around the house…nevertheless, we will persevere!

The spit-up issue is better, at least in the sense that we know what causes it and most of the time we’re able to keep it under control.  She still spits up more than I’d like her to, but she doesn’t seem upset about it so her doctor and I are not worried.

Brynleigh had her first real smile on Tuesday, March 17th.  I was sitting with her on the stairs and she gave me two big grins.  That was it for the day, but I got about five straight minutes of smiles the next morning!  These days, she smiles quite a bit more – I think she is finally getting the hang of it – especially after she’s eaten and she has a nice, full tummy.  It’s fun that she’s a little more “interactive” now; it makes it easier to cope with the fussing and the long nights.  I’m amazed at how rewarding those little smiles are!

Here are some recent photos.  OH!  And if you haven’t seen the portraits that my friend Darren took, make sure you take a look!  She’s VERY cute in them.

This is the outfit she came home from the hospital in.

Here she is looking sweet in her bathtub.

This video was taken on Ben’s birthday; I was hoping to catch a smile or two for him…and I did!