4-5 months old

Stryker LOVES you!

5 1/2 months old!

Hi Baby Tyler, I've been really bad about keep up with my diary/blog since I've been back to work. Our neighbor, Miss Erin and her 2 year old son Noah and baby Grace (who is yet to be born) have been babysitting you since October 2nd. I miss you ALL DAY LONG while I'm at work, and I hope you have fun at her house!
You've grown up so much since my last post. Now, you can sit up all by yourself, you love to hit things with your hands, touch and feel anything, and put everything in your mouth! You've also started eating solid foods; which turned into a nightmare for all of us. Little did we know that starting you on rice would make you so constipated that you screamed and cried for almost a full day before we could take you to the Dr. I knew something was wrong b/c you hadn't pooped in a week! We put started to add pear juice to your bottle and fed you watered down prunes with VERY little rice and that seemed to do the trick! After a week of good poops, I switched you to green beans and didn't add any water - big mistake! You woke up last night constipated again and there was nothing we could do to help! UH! I guess we are learning as we go, sorry buddy!
Also, yesterday we found out that your Aunt Bridget is having a baby girl! You are going to have another cousin to play with!
During this time, you've also had 2 nasty colds! You would wake up 3-4 times a night not being able to breathe, coughing and just trying to get comfortable :( And boy do you HATE to have your nose touched!!! It's so hard do give you saline nose spray and use an aspirator when you starting fighting with your arms, turning your head and kicking your chubby little legs!
Soo, it's snowing out and Santa will be here in 2 days! You're first Christmas!! We are traveling down to Cincy so you can see your Grandpa Earl, Grandma Judy, Aunt Bridget, Uncle Micah, Cousin Luke, Uncle James, Aunt Kim, cousins Cara and Craig and Grandma Wilma! Christmas Eve night we are driving all the way up to Akron to see Grandmommy, Grandpa Rob, Pop-Pop, Great Grandpa Poppa, Great Grandma Kline and Boston, Uncle Jason, Uncle Greg, Aunt Anita, and cousins Clay, Chase and Cole! Wow - this is going to be exhausting!! This is the last Christmas that we are going to tour the state of Ohio! Next year we will start our own traditions in our new house.
Oh yeah, since I've been back at work, Daddy and I signed a contract to build a new house. It's supposed to take 6-8 months until it's complete, so it'll be right around your first birthday at the time we move in. Just need to sell our condo fist. Grandmommy is helping with that - she sent me a St. Joseph statue in the mail; hopefully it will do the trick!
One last thought, you LOVE to stare at bright lights and fans. You particularly like our bedroom clock. You love the big green lights in the dark room and when you wake up to eat ( you are still not sleeping through the night) you love to talk and stare at the clock. Daddy and I always laugh b/c it's so darn cute and funny!
By the way, you are the absolute joy of our lives and we could have never imagined how much we would love you! You are more then we dreamed and we are so thankful to God that you are a beautiful, healthy, happy boy!

Baby Milestone Updates

Baby milestones to make note of:
4 weeks old – first real smile
August 10th first laugh 5 weeks old – first real coos
6 weeks old – lifts body off ground with forearms and hands 7 weeks old - starting to sprout hair (I consider this a big deal :) )
8 weeks old – starting to eat 5 oz at some feedings. Also transitioning to size 2 diapers!
8 weeks old 6 days – rolled from tummy to back took several minutes!
September 10th 2009 10 weeks old – beginning to discover hands and feet
12 weeks old - Tyler LOVES to put his fingers and fist into mouth
13 weeks old - Unfolded hand. Reached out and touch his Bee's face and hands.
14 weeks old - Held onto rattle for a good 2 minutes!
16 weeks old - Rolled over from back to front!!! Also, Tyler has 3 teeth (1 upper, 2 lower)- they don't look like they will break through the gums for awhile, but this is very exciting and explains why his hands are ALWAYS in his mouth! Oh yeah, and he LOVES to scream for fun. He's found his voice and likes it!

TYLER LOVES TO BLOW BUBBLES :o)

September 20th - Tyler's Baptism

Sunday morning, September 20th Tyler was Baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna. My Mom, Rob, Poppa, Dad, Leona, Wilma, Earl, Judy, Bridget and Micah all came in to witness Tyler's big day.

It was great to have all the family together at the same time. We are blessed to have everyone play an active part in Tyler's life!

2 Month Doctor Visit

My little man is growing so fast! Today he had his 2 month checkup and received his first two vaccinations, PC and HIB. We have decided to take a slower, alternative vaccination schedule since Nate's brother is Autistic and my grandpa's brother was mentally retarded. No one knows what truly causes these disorders, vaccines or not, but I'd like to at spread out his shots as an extra precaution. Eventually Tyler will receive all his shots. We are following the Dr. Sears alternative vaccination schedule.

August 13th -
Stats from 1 month appointment
Weight: 11 lbs 1 oz (75-90%)
Height: 22 3/4 inches (90%)
Head: 40.5 cm (95%)

September 17th -
Stats from 2 month appointment
Weight: 13 lbs 12 1/2 oz (90%)
Height: 24 inches (75-90%)
Head: 42.2 cm (95%)
Vaccines: PC, HIB

Labor - Delivery - And The Road To Recovery

Friday July 10th 2009, Nathan and I arrive at Riverside Hospital for my scheduled induction at 6:45am. I was 41 weeks, 1 day (8 days overdue) and ready to meet our son.

The first thing the nurses did was start an IV with fluids to keep me hydrated. I like to think that needles do not hurt, but man oh man I remember how that IV hurt for 5 minutes before I started to realize it wasn’t there. It made me a bit nervous to think how that needle hurt and I started to wonder how I was going to manage the rest of the day.

At 8:15 another nurse arrived to begin distributing Pitocin; which helps jump start contractions. She explained to us how to watch the monitor for Tyler’s heart rate and my contractions. Prior to her starting the Pitocin she mentioned that I already had a few contractions on my own, but I could hardly tell. It just felt like stomach cramps.

A little while later I could feel the contractions becoming slightly stronger and the pitocin starting to work. A resident OBGYN came into my room to break my water to help speed up the process. While checking my cervix she mentioned that his head was still floating around and not fully engaged. Because of this she decided not to break my water and to wait a bit longer. She advised me to get out of bed and sit on a birthing ball to his head settle into my pelvis. As soon as she left the room and I sat on the ball, my next contraction hit my like a ton of bricks. The pain was so intense I felt like I couldn’t breathe and I wanted to cry but couldn’t because it hurt too badly. I told Nate that maybe the contraction was just stronger because the fact that the nurse had just checked my cervix for a few minutes. But nonetheless a minute and a half later another contraction came and it was just as painful. It became obvious that these were here to stay. Fifteen minutes later my nurse came into the room and Nate told her about the pain I was in and she offered me Nubain. She told me that it would make me relax and I would feel like I had a few too many margaritas. The thought of relaxing sounded good to me so I told me that I’d like to try it. She administered the Nubain and left the room. I began to feel a bit dizzy and out of it but the drug didn’t take away one single once of the pain! What the heck was the point of this drug??? My contractions were still just as painful but the minute and a half I had in between I felt cloudy and dizzy –this is not what I needed. Thirty minutes later the nurse asked me how I felt and I told her I was still in a lot of pain and the Nubain didn’t work. That is when she told me that it wasn’t meant to take away the pain – it was just meant to help me relax in between the contractions. Wish I would have known that 30 minutes ago. This is when we decided to I wanted the Epidural.

Roughly 20 minutes later the anesthesiologist came in and administered the epidural. I was 7cm dilated. There were two pricks in my back which felt like bad bee stings, but overall it was not as painful as I feared it might be. After the epidural was in place they had me lay on my left side and then on my right side to make sure it was evenly distributed. Roughly 30 minutes later I could tell that it brought relief to pain. What a weird feeling to have your legs numb and feel the contractions coming and going but no pain involved.

As the day progressed I began dilating 1cm every 2 hours. During this time I voiced several times that I felt really thirsty but was only allowed to have a small cup of ice chips; which did not satisfy my thirst.

Around 7:30 I was 9cm and nervous that I was getting ready to push. I was so frightened of what pushing and potentially tearing would feel like. I also noticed that I could feel slight cramping in my stomach and lower back and so I asked for them to ‘up’ my epidural. The anesthesiologist came back to the room and I felt satisfied knowing that I was now mentally prepared to go through this. Around 8pm my nursed checked my cervix and said I was 10cm and that should would now call in my doctor to begin the delivery. I asked my doctor if she would simply let me tear or if she would perform an episiotomy and she adamantly said that she does not like to do episiotomies and only does about 4 per year. She had the healing process is more painful and takes longer to heal then tearing naturally. I was happy to hear her say this and was glad that I wouldn’t have to go through that.

At 8:15pm I began to push – Three 10 second pushes per contraction until Tyler was delivered. After 45 minutes of pushing my doctor informed me that I was crowning and had torn a bit but his head seemed to be stuck. Around this time the nurse dropped the mirror so I could also watch. It was awesome to see Nate and the nurse talking and debating what color Ty’s hair would be. At this point it appeared to be blonde / brown. No red? What a surprise! With no progression being made, the doctor said I tore, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted to use a vacuum to help him out. She attached the vacuum to his head but it ‘popped’ off and didn’t work. After a few more contractions and no progress she said I would need an episiotomy. Thankfully that worked and Tyler was born at 9:30pm.
Nathan cut the umbilical cord and I briefly got to hold Tyler before the nurses wiped him down. I was overwhelmed with joy and got a few tears but to my surprises, didn’t cry. Tyler was then taken by the nurses for proper procedures while my doctor was stitching me up.

After delivery of Tyler and the Placenta I spiked a fever of 101, started aching, was very thirsty and shacking uncontrollably. It took my doctor about an hour to ‘clean up’ and she told me I had a 2nd degree episiotomy and had lost twice the amount of blood then a normal vaginal delivery. They gave me extra IV fluids since I was dehydrated and gave me another drug to stop the excessive bleeding.

After family came in to visit, the 3 of us were taken up to our post partum room. I remained immobile until about 4am – which meant having a catheter to urinate – oh what fun! I requested that Ty stay in our room and I wish someone would have told me he would be waking up every 20 minutes choking and spitting up brown amniotic fluids! I didn’t sleep a wink – not to mention I was in pain, achy and had a fever. The OxyContin wore off every 2 hours. Sunday morning the nurse came in to check my stitches from my 2nd degree episiotomy and told me that I had a few hemorrhoids. What is a hemorrhoid??? Uh, I wouldn’t have pushed so hard if I knew that this was going to happen!! Days later these got significantly worse which made me phone my Doctor to get a prescription cream. (Thankfully after about 4 weeks, ALL of them disappeared!!)


GOING HOME….

After our 48 hr stay in the hospital we took Tyler home on Sunday evening. What happened the next few days is a blur. However I do remember that I didn’t sleep more then 2-3 hours total from the Thursday before I was induced till Tuesday night when both my parents came to the rescue.

To make a really long story short – here is what happened in the first 2 weeks after we took Tyler home. Tuesday morning, July 14th Tyler woke up for his 2:30am feeding. We went through our normal routine however once I thought he was done he screamed for more. Then more, and more, and more….non-stop screaming and hunger through 11:30am the next morning when we decided to take him to the Dr. He weighed in at 7lbs 7oz – he lost a whole pound in 4 days was a cause for worry. Apparently he was starving and not getting enough food. We started to supplement him on formula to get his weight back up. I was instructed to begin pumping to see how many ounces I could produce and to heal since I was now scarred and bleeding from non-stop feedings. I went to Riverside to meet with the lactation consultant the next day to have her take a look and she recommended I use Jack Newman’s cream (only 3 pharmacies make it in Columbus) and she also thought I had Mastitis and suggested that I start pumping every 2 hours, around the clock for the next 48 hours – uh! I followed these instructions but was very very slow to heal and only produced between 13-15 oz of milk a day.
*OH, did I forget to mention that Tyler was having the WORST time trying to sleep on his back, on his side or in his car seat. NO matter what, he was crying, fussy or waking up every 20 minutes. He had a crazy startle reflex and constantly thought he was falling!! Also, Ty was the LOUDEST sleeper. He made crazy dinosaur noises, snored and sounded extremely congested. Because of this we decided to take him to the doctor to see if maybe he had reflux. Nate and I needed to get some sleep! Turns out the Dr didn’t know if he had reflux, said all this was probably normal, but prescribed Zantac to see if it helped. Also, we changed from Similac Advanced to Similac Sensative.

That night I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever of 100.3 and was feeling very achy and awful! I knew I still had whatever bug I caught Friday during delivery. The aches felt just like the FLU so I went to the OB the next day. She thought I might have mastitis and checked me for a UTI and other infections, but found nothing. Because it seemed to be a viral infection or the FLU, she prescribed Keflex to help fight the infection. Also they drew my blood to see if I was anemic since my Mom and Nate said I lost all color in my face the last couple of days. Turns out I was anemic. My Iron level was an 8 and it should be a 12, minimum. The Dr prescribed me Iron pills to take over the next 5 weeks.

The following week the lactation consultant suggested I take a prescription drug called, Reglan to help increase my milk supply. She told I need to be pumping at least 18 oz a day before I could begin breastfeeding again. I took Reglan for about 4 days, my milk peaked around 18oz a day, but I decided to stop taking the drug after seeing a commercial on TV from a law firm who was pursuing a class action lawsuit against the drug company that makes Reglan because people had been experiencing neurological disorders as side effect. After several weeks, and still trying to heal – I called the lactation consultant, told her that I stopped taking the drug and asked for her advice. She told me I could try breastfeeding again, but would need to supplement with formula no matter what – or – I could continue pumping at least 8 times a day.

I decided to pump because if Ty still needed formula, how would I know how much to give him if he was breastfeeding? Anyways, Ty was not the best sleeper for the first 7 weeks and was up all day long – fussy. I couldn’t find the time to pump expect in the morning, after Nate got off work and then twice before bed.

As a side, during week 4 I went to my OB to see why I still looked pregnant. Why was my stomach pouched out? She checked my cervix and everything was normal. She proceeded to tell me that my abdominal muscles tore during pregnancy and are now coming back together caused a bump. Once I was cleared at my 6 week appointment I could start working on my abs.

During week 5 Tyler went to his 1 month Dr appoint and weighed in at an impressive 11 lbs 1 oz. His head was in the 95th percentile, lol Hope he grows into his big head soon!

At my 6 week OBGYN checkup, I got cleared to work out again, my uterus was back in place, but it appeared that I had a nasty yeast infection of the breasts. WTF?? I didn’t even know you could get those! It sounds really really stupid now, but that explains the shooting pain in my breasts…I just thought it was from pumping. What did I know? I was a newbie at all this. Anyways, apparently I had this infection from probably the last 5 weeks and must have got it when my scabs were open and exposed. My doctor put me on 3 weeks of Diflucan to get rid of the infection. 3 weeks later I go back to my doctor because my infection was better, but not gone. From here I was put on another 2 weeks of Difulcan (but she increased the strength of the prescription) and also prescribed a cream. IN the mist of this, I told her of an uncomfortable feeling that my tissue was dried or scarred – you know where. Apparently this is something called Atrophy – which is when your body does not produce enough Estrogen to moisten the tissue and it’s usually caused from pregnancy and lactation. – Or as my mom put – Atrophy? You’re not a geriatric. I’ve never heard of someone your age getting that! Uh – so nonetheless, I received a month supply of some prescription or as I like to called it, estrogen cream. During this appointment I also pointed out, that on top of the last 15lbs I needed to lose, my abdominal muscles still seem ‘poofed’. She told me it could take between 6-8 months for them to flatten. This put me over the edge! UH, that is not acceptable. How am I going to fit into my clothes??? That night at the gym, I signed up for a personal trainer. I bought 64 sessions and plan on using them between now and Christmas. I am focused, ready to be healthy and more importantly, feel like me again!

Baby milestones to make note of:
4 weeks old – first real smile
August 10th first laugh
5 weeks old – first real coos
6 weeks old – lifts body off ground with forearms and hands

7 weeks old - starting to sprout hair (I consider this a big deal :) )
8 weeks old – starting to eat 5 oz at some feedings. Also transitioning to size 2 diapers!
8 weeks old 6 days – rolled from tummy to back took several minutes! September 10th 2009
10 weeks old – beginning to discover hands and feet

40 Weeks 6 Days

Finally, my LAST appointment at my OBGYN! My doctor was shocked that I still haven't delivered yet. She checked my cervix and I've become a bit more dilated - around 3 1/2 -4cms. She mentioned that it felt like I had a lot more water then usual; hopefully that would explain the remarkable weight gain. I had a 20 minute Non Stress Test to make sure it would be okay to wait to induce me on Friday - all stats looked good. We are guessing that Tyler weighs in around 8lbs. My belly is now so heavy, I feel like I need to carry it - literally.

This past week I've been miserable. I feel like a beached whale that is suffering from Mono and I'm very grumpy. I've been working from home since last Tuesday and I am bored out of my mind. Mentally, I want to do a bunch of errands, go to the pool, etc - but as soon as I get up every 5 minutes to pee, I realize that I'm simply exhausted for no good reason! I have never laid around like this in my life!

Oh one last thing, no more suggestions on what might induce my labor.. :) Spicy foods, long walks, sex, sitting on a birthing ball, the full moon - nothing works....this is why they are called myths!

My induction is scheduled for this Friday morning July 10th, 2009 at 6:45am. We are praying that the labor / delivery go well and that Baby T comes out healthy!

Stats for appointment today:
Blood Pressure: 120/62
Dilated: 3 1/2 - 4cms
NST: Heart Rate / Health is good
Contractions: a few BH, still nothing real
Weight Gain: Incredible! 3.5 lbs WTF?

39 Weeks Day 6

During my doctor's visit today we discussed my 3 options for labor. The first option being just to wait for labor to happen naturally. The second would be to get my membranes stripped tomorrow. The third to choose a date and get induce via Pitocin and getting my water broken.

After calling Nate, I've decided to wait this pregnancy out through this weekend, and if it doesn't happen naturally then I'll get induced early next week.

I've read online and my doctor told me that the stripping of the membranes feels like a really aggressive cervix exam that lasts about 15 seconds. Uh, that sounds so painful - I opted to not go with this option.

Here are the stats from my visit today:
Blood Pressure 102/58
Belly Measurement: 37 cm
Tyler's Heart rate: 130
Effaced: Didn't ask
Dilated: 3 cm
Baby's Position: Head down
Contractions: Some Braxton Hicks
Baby Dropped: YES
Weight Gain - lost 1/2 a lb.

On a different note, as of this past week, it's official that I am losing my mind - literally! Here is a list of few things I've done.
1. Got out of my car and tried to lock it. When it wouldn't lock I realized the keys were still in the car and it was still running.
2. After leaving work and getting ready to get on the highway, I realized I left my purse on my desk at work.
3. Apparently I left the sink water running overnight. When Nate woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen to feed the animals he found the faucet facing over the countertop, water running at 1/2 force. Water on the counters, in the cabinets and leaking in the basement. Luckily we think that it couldn't have been running over the counters for more than a few hours. We think Stryker (our kitten who LOVES water) found the running water and wanted to play. He probably hit the faucet moving the water to pour on the counters; outside of the sink. After days of drying and bit of bubbling under the kitchen tile - we were left with minimal damage. We will need to replace the linoleum in order to sell the condo, but that's it.
4. Left the oven on 425 for a few hours after dinner. It wasn't till Nate brought it to my attention that I left it on.
5. Accidentally emailed a coworker that I could feel the baby's fingers and toes move and that I am on the verge of getting stretch marks. This message was supposed to be a text, meant for my friend! So embarrassing

39 Weeks Day 4

HOLLY BIG BELLY!

NO MORE BELLY BUTTON!!!

38 Weeks Day 6

Quick Update:
My results came back from Riverside Hospital and everything is normal - no blood clot. For the most part, all my stats are the same from last week. While she was measuring my belly she mentioned that it felt like I was having a contraction. Really? I had no idea! If that is what a BH contraction feels like, then I'm certain I've had several. She also told me that the baby's head is very low but she just wanted to make sure because my cervix is still tilted back and needs to come forward. Not sure what this means but I guess there is nothing that I can do about it. Anyway, she did an ultrasound and confirmed that the baby's head is down and took measurements. From those measurements the US machine guestimated that the baby weighs 7lbs 1oz. Glad to know he isn't a 10lb baby! The ultrasound wasn't as fun as I thought it would be because he's so big now I really couldn't see anything. On the screen was a giant circle and I was asked the Dr where the head was and she said the circle is the head! I was looking inside the circle....crazy how different this US looked compared to week 20. I also got to see his stomach and it looks like his mommy has given him plenty to eat!

Here are the stats from my visit today:
Blood Pressure 112/64
Belly Measurement: 35 cm
Tyler's Heart rate: Good
Effaced: 70%
Dilated: 2 1/2 cm
Baby's Position: Head down
Contractions: Some Braxton Hicks
Baby Dropped: YES
Weight Gain - Put a fork in me, this baby needs to come out so that I STOP gaining weight!!!!!

38 Weeks Day 1

Just a quick update to my posts...Today I'm officially 2 weeks away from my due date!!! I feel like things are moving along the way that they should and I THINK, let me stress the word - THINK- that I lost my mucus plug (lovely) and had my first 2 or 3 Braxton Hicks contractions. Nate is out of town today and when I told him this he got really excited and wondered if he should cancel his appointment in Dayton and come home...I think he thought that meant the baby is coming today. :) Cute! Unfortunately, I read on the internet that it could still be weeks before he decides to come - we'll see. Anyways, my feet / ankles were the biggest they have ever been today and I made poor Nathan rub my chubby feet once again. I can't say that he is ever thrilled about this task! Also, I'm getting used to running on less and less sleep since it's sometimes hard to breath and I'm getting up multiple times to pee!

37 weeks 6 days

This last week has been interesting as I've noticed all my acid reflux is now gone but it's getting harder and harder to stand for more than a few minutes at a time. My feet and ankles do not like all this extra weight that I'm carrying around! I can definately tell that Tyler has dropped and he is moving around like crazy! I can see how big he is getting by the visable movement in my belly. Aunt Andrea was in town over the weekend and was freaked out by how much you could see him moving. I can tell he is running out of room because sometimes his movements are painful. Nate put up the fan in the nursery this week and now I think everything if finally complete! Pretty soon we'll be admiring him in all his cute clothes and I'll be wondering if I bought enough diapers and onsies!

Here are the stats from my visit today:
Blood Pressure 106/64
Belly Measurement: 35 cm
Tyler's Heart rate: forgot to ask :(
Effaced: 70%
Dilated: 2 1/2 cm
Baby's Position: Head down
Contractions: None
Baby Dropped?
YES Weight Gain - 1 lb

Me and Andrea Before Jen and Mike's Wedding! (37 weeks day 3)

36 weeks 6 days

Just a brief update from my Dr appointment today, not much has changed. This past week I've enjoyed having swollen ankles, rib pains, and 'flu like' aching / pains in my lower adomen / lower back. I can tell Tyler is getting bigger because he feels heavier and when he moves around it looks like a little alien in my belly!

Here are the stats from my visit today:
Blood Pressure 120/60
Belly Measurement: 37 cm
Tyler's Heart rate: low 130's
Effaced: 50% Dilated: 1 1/2 cm
Baby's Position: Head down
Contractions: None
Baby Dropped? A little bit
Weight Gain - Still no comment!

9 Months!

Weekly Visit - 35 weeks 6 days

Today I began my weekly visit to the doctor and I've been anticipating this visit the last two weeks. This is the first time she checked my cervix and I was hopeful that there would be some sort of progression and there is! Although, really at this stage, it doesn't mean a whole lot as far as knowing if the baby will be here in 2 weeks or 5 weeks! I also received my screening for Strep B. She also predicted that Tyler will weigh roughly 7lbs on the day he is born....Time will soon tell!

Here are the stats from my visit today:
Blood Pressure 102/60
Belly Measurement: 37 cm
Tyler's Heart rate: 145
Effaced: 50%
Dilated: 1cm
Baby's Position: Head down
Contractions: None
Baby Dropped: NO
Weight Gain - no comment!

8th MONTH

SWOLLEN ANKLES + SWOLLEN FEET = CANKLES!

So I have about a week and a half left in the 8th month and I can definitely say I am ready for this baby to be here. I can't say that I'll ever be ready for the crying and no sleep, but I want my old body back. Right now I'm sitting on the couch with Nate, watching the Cavs play Orlando in the Final Four and my feet are propped up in front of me....they are HUGE. My right foot / ankle especially likes to swell up but today is the biggest that it's ever been. In fact, it's swollen all the way up to my toes! I'm sure there are a number of reasons, a few of which I could have avoided - like watching my salt intake (which I haven't) and staying out of the heat (I sat in the sun today), but it's good to know that this swelling is normal and temporary! I also don't believe there to be any cause for concern because last week during my Dr visit my blood pressure was 102/58! I will say that I've been shocked at my continued weight gain, 36lbs to date. I swore at the beginning of this pregnancy that I would not gain more than the recommended 25-35...well, it looks like I've already tipped that scale and I imagine I'll be packing on a few more before Tyler decides to make his official debut.

Also, we had both of our baby showers during the first two weekends at the beginning of May. We're very thankful for all our family and friends who have helped us prepare for this baby! Thank you Mom and Bridget!

During this month my Mom shared with me that my brother Jason was delivered 3 weeks early and I was 2 weeks early - she should have never told me this! Now, all I can think about is that I want to be 3 weeks early!! In addition to that, my sister-in-law, Anita said to me today, "You know big babies run in your family, right?" My answer to that was, "What?? No, I didn't know that!" Apparently my Dad and brother Greg were both 10lbs.....ut oh, I wonder if Tyler will be that big...?

One last thought about the past few weeks: Since week 32 I've noticed random stomach cramps, lower back aches, sharp pains in my "v", throbbing short headaches in my left temple, an increased shortness of breath and bad acid reflux! Hello 3rd trimester! Wow!

Memorial Day Weekend in Akron

Love Heart for Baby Tyler

Grandpa Rob and Grandma! They are both so excited to meet and spoil you!!

Me and Mom - Cheeeeeeese :)

Proud Mom and Dad.....

Tyler, your dad also proudly wore this same shirt 3 days in a row after the historic game two win from Lebron James against Orlando. I picked this shirt out for him...it's an old school 'throw back' shirt - your daddy looks great in blue!

Me, Poppa and Mom. Tyler, your Great Grandpa "Poppa" is 88 years old and looking great!

Baby Shower at Linworth Church - Beach Theme

Me, Wilma and Jason getting ready to eat!

Baby Shower - New Albany Park Club House

Mom's Famous Jungle Diaper Cake! Yummy Cake!

7th Month: 28th week Day 2 belly shots

6th Month Update

For starters, the 6th month turned into a time that I wanted to get everything done! Nate and I finally decided on a name, Tyler Boston....but we are still thinking about the middle name. A unique name became an option when my grandpa was looking through my Baby Boston photo album. I had a sticker in different shades of blue that said "It's A Boy" but apparently he could only read the letters, SABO. Sabo? he said, "Is that the name of the baby?" None of us knew what he was talking about until he started laughing a said that he couldn't read all the letters at first and thought we had named him Sabo. Of course, this strange name caught Nate's attention, as he immediately thought of the famous athlete, Chris Sabo.

Tyler Sabo Boston? Tyler Keith Boston? Tyler Mattis Boston?.......to be continued....

Switching gears just a bit, overall I felt pretty good during my 6th month. I cut back on salt and noticed that really helped with the swelling in my ankles. However, I did begin to notice that I was starting to get the same food aversions that I had in the first trimester, only this time it was because of Acid Reflux. I have never had this in my life and wasn't sure what it was. I told Nate I had a constant feeling of acid just sitting my esophagus and it was a horrible feeling that wouldn't go away....foods to stay away from: pineapples, chocolate, any tomato based sauce, ice cream etc.

I'm still going to the gym 3 times a week. I do cardio for 20 minutes, lift for 30 and then stretch. Going to the gym is not as fun as it used to be, but it's definitely necessary. I can't imagine not going at all, I would feel so weak and tired all the time! It is a really weird feeling to have everyone in the gym staring at me and my belly. Sometimes I wish I knew what they were thinking....I would imagine some might think I'm crazy for still lifting weights and others might be proud, either way, it would be nice to see more pregnant ladies in the gym!

Also during this month we finished our nursery. I drove Nate absolutely crazy wanting to get this done so early, but who can blame me? Even though Nate didn't want to help register or pick out the baby furniture, I will give him credit for painting the entire room by himself and putting together the furniture when I wanted it done. There are a few pictures below of the room; which is still a work in process.

Week 25: Trip to Akron to see friends and family

The nursery is starting to come together

All Is Well

3.10.09 - I had my Doctor appointment today and all is well. Baby Boston's heart rate was 145 and he is doing good. Every day he is kicking me more frequently; especially when he is happy and gets to eat! My blood pressure was 106/64, there was no protein in my urine, but to my surprise I have gained 8 lbs since my last visit one month ago! My Doctor said the majority of this weight gain is from water retention - that's hard to believe! She wrote me a prescription for 'granny thigh highs' that are supposed to provide my legs with better circulation. I think I'll try and cut back on the salt intake, drink more water and continue going to the gym 3+ times a week. If all of this doesn't help, then I'll resort to the tights. ;0)

6 Months!

As of last Thursday, little baby Boston now weighs about 1 lb and is 23 weeks old which begins my 6th month of pregnancy. I've started to notice over past several weeks that my calves and ankles seem to tighten up later in the day and there is nothing that I can do 'loosen' them. It's a very weird, uncomfortable feeling to have a muscle feel so tight for hours on end. This has started happening more and more in addition to my ankles starting to swell. Oh man, I figured that I must have had too much salt or maybe I ate something that I shouldn't have, but I've never ever retained water before. This past Saturday was the worst! I woke up with Cankles - you couldn't even see my ankle bone! I drank a bunch of water and walked all day....I even went to get a pedicure hoping the massage would help circulation. The Asian lady at the spa couldn't speak English but managed to tell me that my ankles, especially the right one was very swollen! I'm really hoping that my Dr will have some insight on what I can do to avoid this - I visit her tomorrow, thankfully!

On a more exciting note, the little guy is moving around more and more each day. The little flutters from week 17 have now turned into him kicking and punching me, he especially likes to move around after I eat!

Week 21 Day 2

ALL SUSPICSIONS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED! IT’S A BOY! (Week 20)

Yesterday morning Nate and I went in for our 20 week ultrasound. I don’t' think I've seen Nate this nervous since our wedding day :) We were ready and excited to find out the sex of the baby and hoped that everything was progressing along at a healthy rate. Once my Doctor came in the room and started the ultrasound she was immediately able to get a good view of the baby's private parts.......She asked if we could see what she was pointing at and said that it's obviously a boy and that she was 100% sure. I was glad we were able to find out so soon and that his feet weren't blocking the jewels. I looked over at Nate and he was grinning from ear to ear. So cute! :)

~Check out these pictures. You can see the feet, spinal cord, penis, profile, and in one picture he is sucking on this thumb. ~

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW

(IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT PICTURE HE IS LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE CAMERA - WAVING HIS HAND. "HI WORLD")

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE FOR A LARGER VIEW!!!!!!

(TOP RIGHT PICTURE - PROFILE VIEW OF HIM SUCKING HIS THUMB!)

It was really amazing to see everything they are able to find out from an ultrasound 1/2 way through the pregnancy. She could tell that the 4 heart chambers, the kidneys, bladder, brain, etc were all healthy. She could also tell that he doesn't have a clef lip...how she could see that I have no idea! The heart rate is now down to roughly 143 beats per minute; which is where it'll stay from here on out. The little baby is already positioned upside down in my belly and might stay that way until he is ready to come out.....hopefully that won't be anytime soon.

All in all, she spent about 30 minutes doing the ultrasound and told us that she could see he has good arches in his feet. She also pointed out his profile showing us his little nose, lips and chin. This baby's profile certainly didn't look anything like mine AND I have extremely flat feet....Now I’m convinced that this baby boy is going to look just like Nate AND act just like Nate...since they will both be Cancer's and practically share the same birthday. If this baby is a fiery red head, Nate will be in charge of discipline :)

Belly Shots - 17 weeks 1 day - all taken BEFORE I ate dinner :)

These picture are all 17 weeks 1 day

Belly SHOT - Around week 13......

GETTING THICKER........

9 Week Belly SHOT and 10 weeks 6 days - 4th Ultrasound - Dancing Baby