Max - Day 4 - Trying to Find a Groove

Max and Mom had a tough-ish day today trying to figure everything out. Poor Max just hasn't figured out the eating thing yet. He will in time.

Good news is that he slept a little more regularly today, giving us some time to nap and catch up.

Here's a picture of him being precious.
















Last night we tried a little bit of everything to get sleep. Here's a shot of Max passed out hugging my foot. Really gives you a sense of how small he is right now.















Another fun picture of sleepy Daddy, showing Max his cool mobile his Auntie Lisa sent him. He's able to follow it around a little bit already.

Last picture of the day is of the beautiful bouquet we got from work. My boss and coworkers are great.

Things are going well, just need to work on the feeding skills and we should be good to go.

Good Neighborhood, Great Neighbors

Have we mentioned how awesome our neighbors are? The signs advertising our neighborhood advertise it as a way of life as much as a community. I thought this was a real load of marketing nonsense and mostly related to the environmental nature of the community.

Turns out though that Prairie Crossing is a relic of the past. Neighborhoods like this just don't exist much anymore. I didn't know what we were missing, but I'll tell you our country needs a revolution to get back to a time when this type of caring and generosity are commonplace.

When I was a kid if some got really ill, passed away, had a baby, etc, the women from church would pull together and help out the family in need with food, help, and what have you. This was a function of the church as a community more so than the neighborhoods in which we lived.

I don't know if it is like this in the rest of Prairie Crossing, or just in our little corner of "Station Village" (a small section of the neighborhood), but the beauty of the people here is sometimes overwhelming.

Since Kim and I have no family or real group of friends in the area, they all pitched in and threw us a wonderful baby shower. Since we got home from the hospital, we've been showered again with cooked food (they have each signed up for a day for the next couple of weeks), hand-me-down baby gear and good advice on how to make it through the first weeks. We could have gotten by without all of this, but it would have made things much more difficult.

Every time someone is in need, the families in our vicinity "circle the wagons" and help them through as if this were one big family.

Is that awesome or what? Do the world a favor, pass it on.

Max - Day 3 - Coming Home

Well, it has been a very eventful day. Last night was a little rough since Max wanted to eat pretty much the entire night. The lactation specialists said that can be pretty common (babies doing "cluster feedings"). At least he seems to be getting enough food. :-)

Then today he had his first vaccination and was circumcised (ouch, something I was perfectly happy not to watch happen) by Dr. Capezio (the one guy doctor in the practice I went to, which kind of worked out. Perfect day for him to be on call.). We got all the paperwork and last checks filled out and then...we went home.
Here's Max pretty close to before we dressed him to go home. He was looking mighty fuzzy today (very similar to my baby pictures).
Then here he is in his going home outfit (he's such a small fry that his feet are approximately where the knees should be). But, he was definitely good and warm to go.
The car seat also completely dwarfs him. Every body kept going "Oh, what a teeny baby" on our way out of the hospital.
And when we got home, Gracie checked him out (still having no clue what was in store -- the first time he cried she had the most shocked look on her face I've ever seen). We're using the stroller bassinet for now for him to sleep in and rolling him around the house.

The neighbors have been great. Our dinner tonight (and for some other nights) was covered by a group of neighbors. They've all been really helpful and it is much appreciated, especially since we're definitely still figuring all this stuff out.

Max is doing well, but still a bit fussy (when he isn't sleeping and looking completely angelic). But hey, considering all he's had happen to him in three short days, I think he's doing pretty good. He's a cutie pie. Tony has been great too and I'm doing well (especially after a few quick naps today).

Max Day 2

Isn't he cute?

Today Max learned to get into the routine: sleep, eat, poop...oh, don't forget burp or he can't sleep...
Max learned how to do all of the above very well today and he's doing everything he is supposed to do, right on schedule.

Mommy's just about got everything figured out...rule #1 only try to feed Max if you can see his eyes. If you don't see those beautiful eyes, don't even try. Give him to Daddy to wake him up.

Notice the good cop/bad cop thing starting already????

Also notice those nice alert eyes? Feed Mommy feed!

Daddy's jobs are to: wake up the Max so he can eat (be gentle 'cause he won't eat if he's fussy...), burp Max after feeding (Max actually seems to really like this) and to comfort Max after some mean nasty nurse sticks him with a needle so much that both Mommy and Daddy are crying too.

We're getting into the swing of things. Tomorrow we wrap up everything at the hospital and try it at home. I'm actually thinking this will be easier, as poor Mommy will now be able to get away from nurses who wake you up just as you finally get a break.

More to come tomorrow as the Pauley adventure continues down its new and exciting path.

Introducing Royce Maxwell Pauley

Royce Maxwell Pauley joined the Pauley Family on March 10 at 2:20 PM Central Time. Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome weighed in at 5lbs 14 oz and was 19.5" long. He has a full head of black hair and has very dark eyes.

Mommy and Daddy Pauley were very glad to see the little bugger after a nerve wracking night.

All involved are healthy and in good spirits, but exhausted.

More adventures to be posted shortly. Wish us luck.

The light and the rug (no hidden deeper meaning)

Tony finished installing the light for the Peanut's room today. It looks really great, almost like we planned it (we soooo didn't). It's a bowl-shaped pendant light with soft clouds on it on a light blue background.
And here's a shot of the room that shows the carpet. I don't think I got a picture before that showed what the rug looked like. We found this particular one at Ikea. Wanted something soft and kind of grass-y looking.
So that's all the update for today. Still having the non-regular contractions and feeling generally sore and drained (yay, pregnancy). Tomorrow I check into the hospital and then Monday...Max!

Gratuitous Belly Shots

So this, hopefully, is as big as it gets. As the nurse says, I'm pretty much all baby (other than all the extra poundage I had before I got pregnant...some advice...don't get pregnant on a cruise...). I've actually still just gained about 20 pounds total, so that isn't too bad. We'll see how much I lose on Monday...

Gratuitous Belly Shot Outtakes

As with any photo shoot, there are some associated outtakes...

We were using the timer and I told Tony to hold still while I checked to make sure he was in the frame. So he, of course, had to put on his patented goofy face. Even funnier if you click on it and see it full sized.

And then there's this one. I have no idea what he just said or what I must have been about to say or what I was thinking. But it is pretty funny.

And geez, if you can't make fun of yourselves, who can you make fun of?

T minus 4...but who's counting (heh)

So we had our final doctor appointment today (the next time we see the doctor should be at the hospital). The fluid levels are back up some more, which is good, but they would like me to continue on bed rest to be on the safe side. Heck, I've made it this far, I can take it easy for a few more days (4!).

The peanut did NOT cooperate for the NST (non-stress test), however. He was determined to get in some nap time, I suppose, and didn't provide any good movement the whole time I was hooked up, other than a few spurts when they buzzed him to try and wake him up. So they hooked me up to the ultrasound (for the second time in one day) and did a (bio-feedback? it was something like that) test instead where the ultrasound tech looked for specific movements. It's on some 8 point scale and the peanut did manage to hit all 8 points, though he definitely wasn't at his most active (he curled his fingers and toes, did the fetal breathing thing, etc.). So it was a little nervewracking, but ultimately he checked out okay. It was pretty cool to see him curl his toes.

Poor Tony, though. He hadn't been to many of the appointments in the middle and has gone to these last two because I'm just pretty much at the shouldn't-be-driving-myself point. And both appointments have gone on really long for one reason or another. He was trying not to fall asleep in the corner during the NST scan. Can't blame him...all the magazines are for women, pretty much, and all you can do during the scan is sit there and listen to the peanut's heart going thumpety-thumpety-thump.

Everything else is still pretty much same status as Monday (no big surprise). So, assumming things stay the way they are, I'll be going in on Sunday night to get things rolling along. I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be (mentally, that is...physically, I think you get ready pretty much once you get towards the end of the third trimester and can't help thinking "get this thing outta me!" as you wobble around the house).

I've been having those "practice" contractions and they are getting stronger, but they still aren't regular. But you can't help but wonder "is this it?" whenever a new one starts up.

Oh, and I got a really cute care package from Pam yesterday, though she had to clue me in as to the theme (it had to do with my 43 Things list)...I'm definitely not at my best mentally at the moment. And it reminds me I have a lot of things I need to add and remove on my list. :-)

Win an ARC of Sucks to Be Me

I'm giving away an advance copy of my book, Sucks to Be Me, on my author site. So check it out!

Back from the Doctor

We're back from the doctor now. The fluid levels were pretty much the same (so they didn't drop much more, which is good). The peanut is up to 6 lbs. 13 oz. (approximately). And I'm 50% effaced, which means things are at least starting to progress along. Next appointment is on Thursday when they'll check everything again and then, barring any peanut appearances, the induction will be Monday. So that's the official word. :-)