About Life

Hmmm, How should I explain what all has happened in the last week and a half? I'll just go chronologically. Because then I'll be less likely to forget something! And I'm looking at my calendar, so that helps too....

A week ago Sunday we went to Lake Padden to my friend Danielle's graduation BBQ. Baxter was a hit, and he wanted to walk everywhere, and meet all the dogs. Jason took him to the playground for a bit, but he found having to be held on all the toys a bit too constraining. And I think it might have been too close to nap time to enjoy the slide.


On monday I got a haircut, and Baxter sat sweetly in the stroller the whole time! Even though it was nap time and I got there early hoping to walk him to sleep in the stroller... he just thought that was funny. So he only took ONE nap that day, in the middle of the day, and went to bed early. He behaved really well though, so now I know he can do it if I need him to. Tuesday we spent doing a ton of laundry, because the rest of the week was going to be FULL.

On wednesday the 17th was Jason's last day of school. They were doing a block schedule, and they only had 6th period that day. Jason has 6th period planning, so he had no students. He had some cleaning and organizing to do, so Baxter and I joined him at school. A few students came in, and Baxter charmed all of them :) He's so sweet. I even managed to get him to nap in the sling for 40 minutes while Jason had a staff meeting! After that there was a staff BBQ, where Baxter continued his conquest to acquire as many admirers as possible. Then we went home, exhausted.

Thursday was spent packing, and cleaning, and doing all sorts of preparing stuffs, so we could go to Seattle for the weekend. We decided to try something new, before now Baxter's carseat has always been in our 4 door Nissan. The Nissan is a good little car, but the gas milage is only okay, and there's only a radio that doesn't tune well. The trunk space is minimal to say the least. So we decided to try putting the carseat in the 2 door Toyota, since it gets much better mileage, has a CD player, a radio, and the iPod player works in that car. As Baxter gets bigger it's somewhat easier to get him in and out of the carseat, and we found that this worked well for us. Good thing too! This was planned as a trial run for our trip to Chelan. Another bonus? The carseat only fits in the middle of the back in the Nissan, but fits on the side in the echo. I know the middle is a little safer, but on the side means the passenger in the front can lean the seat back... almost a must for long drives! We also managed to find time to do some finger painting... Well, more like finger painting the deck, but I did manage to get two paintings finished before Baxter was.



Friday morning Jason dropped us off at playgroup then went home and packed up the car. He came to pick us up, then we had to stop in Seedro Woolley to do a few things before heading down to Seattle for a long weekend. Baxter was a doll the entire time. Did I forget to mention that I taught Baxter a few new tricks on Thursday? :) If you ask "How big is Baxter?" he raises his arms above his head and grins, and you then have to respond enthusiastically with "So big!!!" and then he's pleased and will often do it several more times to see if he can get the same response. And now when you clap your hands, he claps right away, then continues to clap for a little bit... So cute!

Ok, anyway, we got into Seattle around 4:00 and tried to surprise my mom at her office, but she wasn't there. Fail #1. So we went to my brother Brent's store to surprise him, but he was with a really long customer (quoting an entire deck). Fail #2. Luckily, we had arranged with Jessica, Jason's younger sister, to babysit for us that night. So we headed over to the Dilley house and settled in for the weekend. After Baxter went to bed, Jason and I set out for our first date night since Bax was born!

We started at King Wa's, our FAVORITE chinese restaurant ever. We had thought about seeing a movie, but we didn't think it would work timing wise, because it left us just under an hour to eat. Well, King Wa's had exceptionally fast and excellent service, so when we were done we decided to try for the movie anyway. We (when I say we I mean mostly Jason) wanted to see "The Hangover", and it was playing at Southcenter. So we got there 2 minutes after the movie had started, and realized when they remodeled the mall they put in a new theater... and we were at the wrong one. So we decided what the heck, lets check out the other one and see if we make it, it's ok if we miss the first few minutes. Can I just say that the Southcenter mall is now amazing? We didn't have time to explore, but Jason and I just boggled as we rode the escalators (escalators!?!) up to the third floor (third floor!?!). The movie was not 15 minutes in, but we got tickets at what looked like a fancy touch screen atm, and went in. Guess what? We still saw a preview! LOL! Of course, we rushed home after the movie, so there were only two things our date night was missing... drinks and dessert. Ah well, another time.

Saturday we spent hanging out at my Mom's house in honor of her birthday (which is actually today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!). April and Riley were there, and Andrew was there for a bit (my step-siblings and nephew). Richard (my step-father) grilled, and we had a fantastic meal. I took about a billion pictures. A fun time was had by all :) That night after getting Baxter down for bed, Jessica babysat again (LOVE THAT GIRL!) and we went out to dinner with Mom, Richard, and Brent. Tony was flying home from California, and managed to get here an hour early, so Richard left to go pick him up right after ordering. We went to the Ram, and my fries came cold. And they forgot to bring the Chicken for Jason's fajitas. But they kept Richard's steak warm while he was gone, got me new fries, and discounted Jason's dinner, so it ended up ok. It was nice being able to spend a bit of time with Brent. While at my mom's I could feel a bit of Mastitis coming on that morning, so I tried to take it easy. No luck. By the end of the day I was miserable. I had a really bad fever Saturday night that just took me out for the count.

Sunday was Father's day, and we spent the day hanging with the Dilley clan. Jason's older sister JoAnne came to visit, and Jason's parents bought him a bike (which he really wanted). I spent most of the day on the couch or in bed. I must say, that if you have to have mastitis, having it while around a super helpful 16 year old who loves her nephew makes it soooooo much easier. Oh, and Baxter loves her too. I swear, that boy only wanted attention from me if it was for food. I could have been chopped liver all weekend for all he was concerned. Jason grilled up some nice ribeye steaks and we had it with baked potatoes for dinner. Overall, very satisfying even if I was pretty sick.

When I've had mastitis in the past, it's passed in about a day. Not this time. Our plan was to leave on Monday whenever, but it was pretty clear by monday morning when I was still having fevers and my mastitis was still getting worse that it was time for me to see a doctor. So I had a 3:15 appt on monday back in Bellingham, and we tried to get out by 11:30... which turned into 12:30. On top of that we needed to stop by and pick something up from my brother and drop something off with him too, and get gas. We finally got on the road and made good time. At this time I'd like to mention that having a passenger seat that reclined was a LIFESAVER. I was in so much pain I couldn't have done it any other way. Baxter was an angel in the car too. We ended up going straight to the doctors office, and I got some antibiotics. So much fun.

So here it is, Tuesday. My mastitis still isn't better, but the antibiotics got rid of the fevers at least. But they give me migraines... so I haven't been overly productive. My friend Danielle came over to visit, which was nice though. Oh, and the lack oh photos of all of this? Two reasons....

1) I pretty much only took photos on Saturday
2) Jason left my camera at his parents house.....

Luckily my friend Laura is coming up to visit on Thursday and she graciously offered to pick it up and bring it to me. Then I can edit cute nephew photos, cute Baxter photos, and start taking more photos! I guess tomorrow I should try to video Baxter's new tricks. He can now climb onto the glider ottoman (which I tried to constrain but it still rocks some). He then sits and rocks it back and forth clapping... too cute!

GAH! I LOVE THAT BOY! Wow, this turned into a long update!

It's entirely too late to do this

It's after 10pm, and I should be heading to bed. But I sat down at my computer desk, and realized I have been super neglectful.



Baxter is still ridiculously cute. No worries. I actually have more pictures on my camera I should upload and edit, but as previously state, it's too late tonight. So just an update. Maybe short, maybe long? We'll see :)

Ok, it's been a LONG time! Baxter is walking everywhere now. He hates to crawl it seems like. Until earlier this week he was crawling a tiny bit so he could pull himself to standing so he could take off again, but he learned how to stand up on his own. It's sooo cute! But it means my baby boy is growing up :( Can you believe he's 10 months old already? It's crazy! He still isn't working on any words, but he has learned a few signs. He rarely uses them though. In fact, I taught him to sign "more" the other day using blueberries, but now he only wants more blueberries. He loves blueberries. Almost as much as he loves pudding.




Oh yeah, if you didn't see them on Flickr or Facebook already, we gave Baxter chocolate pudding. He made a royal mess, but it was so stinkin cute, and he loved it. I still have pudding spots on my walls though... Oops! He's starting to want to eat 3 meals a day, but not eating much. He's such a slow eater, and HATES bibs, so now that its finally warm I've just been stripping him down.

I started doing some Photography on the side, and I've been really liking it! Right now I've only taken pictures of a few friend's kids, and I have more to put up, but here's my gallery of photos. I'm hoping that if I get good enough it can bring in a little bit of extra cash next year. I've still been sewing diapers, and my newest creations, embellished birthday diapers, have been a hit so far! Check out my Dilley Dally blog for pictures of those though.

Jason is getting close to the end of the school year. His last day is the 17th, but then the 18-19 are the beginning of summer school. He's teaching a Geometry class this summer for students who want to skip ahead to Advanced Algebra next year. Usually it goes Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra. So this class will be mostly online, and then Jason will be at the school for 2 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to be there for help. It's a pretty neat system, and I'm looking forward to having him around this summer!

Speaking of summer plans, I'm totally excited to be taking our first vacation over the 4th of July! The Spears/Irvine family is going to the Chelan house, but we're staying a whole week. So some family time, and some just us. We bought a pool/lake toy for Baxter, and stocked up on sunscreen. I even faced the dreaded swimsuit shopping, because none of my old ones fit.

Now, swimsuit shopping is NEVER fun, but it's worse right now. My old suits are all too big, which is a nice feeling, but my tummy is in need of a lot more ahem control now, and by chest is in need of a lot more support. I also can't use anything that ties behind the neck, and V-necks and low necks are out. Yes, Baxter knows where his next meal is coming from, and he's not afraid to go after it if he's hungry enough. So those had to stay on the hangar. Luckily I found the perfect suit at the first place, and scored two amazing skirts that have been a lifesaver in this weather.

Ok, that's enough of an update for now, right? Steve and Krystal and little Bruce are coming over tomorrow, so I better get some rest tonight :)

I am so not ready for this

Starting last friday, Baxter started getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth, getting ready to crawl. He continued to do this all weekend. Sometimes he gets up on his hands and tip-toes, like a funny push up. And this morning he army crawled about two inches. I keep telling him to wait another month!


Last weekend we went to Seattle. We stayed with Jason's parents, which was nice. Baxter couldn't figure out if he liked the dog or if it scared him witless. It was a lot of fun! I got to meet someone from my online forum. I'm part of the July Firecrackers playgroup, even though Baxter was born in August. They're a great bunch of ladies. Kyliee and I met and walked around the Commons at Federal Way with her daughter Natalie and Baxter. It was a lot of fun.



After that Baxter and I went to a baby shower for April, my step-sister. She's due on March 16th, the same day as my last class! Baxter was a huge hit, and the party was fun too.

While Baxter and I were out and about, Jason went with his sister Jessica to an orienteering meet. Orienteering is something that Jason did in High School and loved. It's kind of like a race, but you have to use a map to find different check in points before you can finish it. He wasn't going to run it because he is out of shape, but at the last minute he decided it would be fun. He was sore for three days.

Jason will find out on May 11th if he has a job or not. The irritating thing is that the job fair is on April 16th, so he's not sure if he's going to go to that or not. He might just for information gathering. We're somewhat preparing for the worst, which most likely means a move to Seattle. If we moved to Seattle I would have to find a job, which would be difficult with bottle-refusing Baxter. But with what we could afford rent-wise, I wouldn't have space to sew my diapers. So pray that Jason gets to keep his job!!!

I have a debate on Wednesday for my leadership practicum class, and a mid-term too. So not fun. On Friday we have a recertification appointment at WIC, and then we might go see Great-Grandpa and Grandma for a late lunch/early dinner. And I'm busy making diapers in my free time! Good thing I enjoy sewing them :)

Sunrise, coffee, and alternate forms of fiber

There's one thing they never tell you about being a parent. "Sleeping in" means you got to sleep until 8am. Most mornings you are up between 5 and 6am, and if you're LUCKY it's 7. Jason and I take turns "sleeping in" on the weekend. He gets Saturdays, I get Sundays. But there are benefits to waking up early! Yes, that's right, benefits! For instance, I get to see the beautiful shades of pink and coral in the sunrise every morning. True that it's through the slats on his blinds, filtered through the bare branches of the maple trees outside, but it's still sunrise. And I see it six days a week.

Regardless of whether or not I get to sleep in, I need my morning coffee. I stopped drinking coffee while pregnant with Baxter, but now I drink it again. However, my coffee habits have changed. I now drink decaf, which still wakes me up. I think I'm just conditioned that coffee in the morning wakes me up. The other thing that I'm doing, is contributing my part to save third world countries. I now buy fair trade coffee, and it tastes great. Especially freshly ground in the morning. I swear, I wasn't a coffee snob until I visited the east coast and had to drink their "coffee" for a few days. But if we go back to the sunrise paragraph above, sometimes I don't feel like grinding my coffee in the morning. So today I had a brilliant idea. Why not have some of the coffee pre-ground, and some of it whole bean?!? Fantastic! But where do I PUT the ground coffee? Since Baxter refuses to take a bottle, I have some large bottles sitting around doing nothing. I think to myself "Hey, these bottles are airtight containers! And I paid good money for these!" Hence my new solution:

Enough about my rambling solutions. You want to hear about Baxter. The man child is doing fine, and he's more and more mobile every day. He seems determined to roll where ever he pleases. In fact, when he sees my shoes he gets excited, and makes his way over to them as fast as he can. He then promptly sticks them in his mouth. We did start him on solids (so far he's had carrots, banana, and avacado. Sweet potatoes or oatmeal are next) but by far his favorite food is wood. You know, door frames, chairs, the doors themselves. Seriously, the boy cannot get enough of them! I keep telling him that wood is not an appropriate source of fiber for a six month old.

On my end, things have been going. I'm not sure if they have been going good, or going bad, they're just going. I had a super busy week at school last week, including writing 5 papers. Pretty insane. I actually think my busiest week of the whole quarter ends tomorrow. Then I have a mid-term next week, but overall it calms down for a while. I also got some really great news on saturday. The CPSIA legislation that was passed last August that would virtually end business for small crafters of children's items was put on hold for another year. That means that I can officially start selling diapers in march when I graduate! I'm working on my first large order right now, and this morning I ordered labels! I can't even tell you how excited I was to order labels for Dilley Dally diapers. And on Sunday night I had a "mamas night out" with some of my good friends. It was amazing, and I just need that once a month.

Jason just finished up his first semester and is gearing up for the next set of lessons. He's been great, like always. I really have nothing to complain about with him. Oh wait, there is one MINOR thing. And it's not entirely his fault. He works at a public school, therefore he's ALWAYS SICK. Or bringing home germs. That part I could live without!

Peek-a-Boo!

Baxter now understands peek-a-boo and giggles or smiles. It's great. And sometimes he's ticklish under his arms! He's smiling soooo much more. He's finally sleeping through the night (mostly) again. He keeps getting sick (thanks public school system!) so we keep having him sleep in his chair in his crib. He's almost outgrown the co-sleeper! I have no idea what we'll do when that happens. I don't do super well when he co-sleeps, because I barely sleep or wake up with sore hips. So we might put the bed on the floor with our toddler mattress next to us. But that means buying toddler sheets and a bed-rail so he doesn't roll off. Not that he would anyway, because the boy still sleeps swaddled! We've tried to wean him off of it, but it results in more of a headache for us because he constantly wakes himself up. I try to do unswaddled naps during the day, but the longest he goes is 40 minutes. His swaddled naps are 1.25 to 2.5 hours long... He's also started putting himself to sleep better. We changed pacifiers, and he the new ones put him to sleep. He doesn't like them unless he's sleepy though, which is nice.


School is... stressful. The quarter is almost over, and there's only one more from here. Jason is sick yet again, but his classes are going well. I can't think of what else to post. I'm putting more pictures up on flickr, and a video of peek-a-boo up on youtube.

reaching...

I forgot to add yesterday that he's been starting to reach for toys. He's pretty good at getting them into his mouth to chew on too. But mostly he prefers my finger... He'll gnaw for ages on my knuckle. Last night he woke up 5 times. Not necessarily to nurse, but because his mouth hurt. He only nursed once out of all of that. He just wanted to know I was there, and to gnaw on my finger for a few minutes before falling back asleep. Did not make for a good exam this morning. It wasn't terrible, but it could have gone a lot better.

Tonight Jason has parent teacher conferences, and won't be home until about 9pm. So I have to put Baxter to bed by myself. I'm hoping to get my prep done for tomorrow, and just go to bed with him. Tomorrow night I'm volunteering at the Mother Baby Center auction (www.motherbabycenter.org). I highly recommend supporting them, they were a great support to me, and they're a fantastic addition to the Whatcom County community. But Jason gets to return the favor, and he gets to put Baxter to bed by himself tomorrow. We'll see how that goes, Baxter has never done that before, he's always had me to nurse him, then Daddy walks with him. It's a two part, two parent process. I'm glad he wants both of us though!

I think I broke it

I think I broke my toe... but now that that's out of the way, I'll update you on the important things. Mostly Baxter. But I'll start with some funny Jason stories (I know, I know, but if I write about Baxter first you won't read about the parents!).

Jason is having a great time teaching. One of his students asked him about his contract with the school. When Jason told her that he had a "continuing" contract, and that unless he was dismissed during his probation period (which he won't be) he'll be there until he chooses to leave. She told him that he had to stay for a few more years so that he could be her teacher for the rest of her education, because she'd never had a better math teacher. The kids seem to like him and respond well! And he had a review with the principal, who only had good things to say. He also went to a math conference and got to know some of the other math teachers better. All good things there!

While at the conference he heard a funny story. At Sedro Woolley kids are allowed to choose teachers for subjects. The first week several kids transfered out of his classes. He heard that one girl transfered out because he was "a creepy coin collector". Jason was pondering this, and the only thing he had told the kids was that he went to the Penny Arcade Expo, a video game conference. She must not have been paying much attention, but funny nonetheless!

We went to Sedro Woolley's homecoming football game last night. We had to leave at halftime, because Baxter was not enjoying himself, and we felt bad for him. It's a totally different culture down there. They had a parade, and the stands were full. They played Ferndale, and the Ferndale stands were packed too. I guess Ferndale is pretty good. I don't know the final score, but I'm pretty sure Ferndale won...

Ok, now to Baxter. He's so great. He smiles more and more and more. He's the most adorable baby in the world. He's getting better at rolling over. He's enjoying playing on his floor mat too. I bought him a mat that has two soft bars that curve up and hold toys. I put him on it wonky, so his feet can touch one of the bars. He quickly learned that if he kicks his feet, his toys move. He'll happily kick away for up to 45 minutes! I'm getting better at keeping the kitchen clean as long as he feels like playing.

I'm doing fine at school, and when I get home on Tuesdays and Thursday's Baxter is a Mama's boy. He wants to be held the rest of the afternoon. I guess he misses me! Breast-feed babies usually eat about an ounce an hour. For the first few weeks Bax was a chow hound, and was taking 14-16 ounces in six hours! But now he's slowed down and for the last week he went on a bottle strike and only took 2-4 ounces in six hours. And then attached him self to me for the rest of the night. I'm sure it will even out eventually. I just don't want him to starve while I'm gone.

I also decided it was time to buy a stroller. I have to take him with me to meetings on campus sometimes. Last monday I walked across campus with Bax in the sling while I carried my backpack and the diaperbag. On the way back it was raining and much colder. So I had him wrapped in a blanket under the sling, which makes it less secure so I had to keep a hand on him. And I tried to put the blanket over his head because he didn't like the rain, but then he screamed. So I stopped at the bookstore and bought an umbrella. So I had two bags, Bax and the umbrella, and had to walk all the way across campus to the car in the rain. It was about 3/4 mile, and I don't want to do that again. So the stroller will be here on Wednesday. Too bad I have to do it again on Monday, but now with a broken toe. I think I'm going to pay for parking and hope for a quick meeting. $2.00/hour is pretty steep, but I don't think I can make that trek again.

I've been reading a book called the "no-cry sleep solution" and it's great! Bax has been sleeping through the night for a while now, but he doesn't nap well. There are some great solutions in there, and tonight we started doing a bedtime routine. He doesn't need it now, but he will later, and if we establish it now it will be even easier. So he went to bed at 7pm, and now after 10 we haven't heard a peep. And I didn't even need to nurse him down! He's such an easy baby (we truly are blessed) but it's nice to make it even easier. I don't think I can find one thing to complain about with Bax. I think the only thing Jason would say is the smell of his poop makes him gag, but I manage just fine :D

Wow, that was a really long update! I've been so busy with school I don't write as much as I mean to. My dad (Grandpa Gary) is coming to visit from New York next week, so that will be fun. I'm sure I'll have more to write about soon. Bax is growing up so fast! He's already outgrown all his newborn clothes, and the length of his 3 month clothes. So he has t-shirts from cut off onesies. And I had to buy more PJ's in 6 months so his shoulders don't pop out the top. Ok, it's really hard to stop writing... I'll close the floodgates now!

I love my husband

He's so incredibly supportive. He appreciates that I breastfeed, and understands how important it is. He feels bad for babies who don't get held as much as ours does. He thinks that cloth diapering was the right decision, that it's better for Baxter, the environment, and our bank account. What did I do to deserve him?

He took a bath with Baxter tonight. We have discovered that Bax LOVES to take baths with a parent. Having freedom in the water, and being able to play, and be warm and wet, he grins almost the whole time. It calmed both him and his dad down. Jason is grading tests tonight, which is not always fun.

I started classes again this week, and I have no idea how I will finish all my school work. Luckily I have one professor twice, and he's super supportive. He's been a supporter of the mother baby center for a long time and he told me that if I ever needed to bring Baxter to class I was more than welcome to! That's one stress gone, but that doesn't help me get the required reading done...

Acne and Smiles

Well, baby acne set in shortly after my last post. But the smiles began! Baxter has even giggled in his sleep a few times. He's the bestest. We went to Seattle this weekend to visit family and had a great time. But now his schedule is a little off, so we're experiencing some fussiness. Sigh. Jason's week went great last week, but tomorrow he starts with kids, wish him luck! Ok, Baxter is crying, must go, but I"ll update more later!

So Big!

I can't believe that Baxter is over 2 weeks old already. He's grown up so much! If you haven't been watching, I've been posting a LOT of photos on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/liarsandfrogs) and rarely a day goes by that I don't take a few more. His hair is turning redder and redder, even his doctor noticed at his 2 week check up. Baxter looks so much like Jason when they're asleep. It's really the sweetest thing.

So far he really enjoys tummy time on Daddy's chest. He's getting really good at holding his head up, but his neck is still pretty unstable. He also regained his birthweight by yesterday, which is incredible. On wednesday he was 9lbs 7oz, and babies usually gain between 1/2 and ounce and an ounce a day, so I didn't expect him to gain 4 ounces in 2 days. But he did! No wonder he wouldn't leave me alone the last few days, the boy is growing like a weed!

Life is going well, we're adjusting to having him around. It really helps that neither of us is working right now. There's random things that come up that we never thought about before and we can take care of them right away since we don't have other things going on.

We went down to SedroWooley the other day and got to check out Jason's classroom for next year. That was a lot of fun. Although I'm not sure Baxter really enjoyed the afternoon out. He doesn't like being warm, and it was rather warm there. Overall it went well though.

Cloth diapering is going well. No leaks (besides one minor poo blowout) so far! he's such a heavy wetter that I'm sure we would be having more problems with disposables. And the cloth is just so cute! Jason's getting really good at changing diapers. And we're both getting better at catching pee before it goes everywhere.... So far the worst it's gotten us is a tiny bit on my pants and a rather large patch on Jason's shirt. Our bedding gets washed a lot more frequently now too.

And Baxter makes the cutest noises ever. He squeeks and grunts all the time. And he GRINS in his sleep! They are oh so elusive though, and I have yet to get a picture, but man, when this kid is able to smile in response to people he's going to be a heartbreaker.

Ok, enough typing today. Jason's changing a diaper now which means I'll be needed after it's done. That and it's lunchtime soon, and Baxter has this crazy sixth sense that means he wakes up as soon as I want to eat, even if he just went down for a nap. I'm getting good at eating one handed!

Single Digits?!?

So I am now 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant. That means I have 9 weeks left. Give or take. I can't believe how fast time is going! I know I need to take another picture, maybe tomorrow. I'm just sooooo busy!

Jason interviewed at Sedro-Woolley today. He thinks it went well, so that's exciting! I got one of my projects turned in, I have another one that's doing well, one I pretty much need to start, and one that I have a few more things to do. And two presentations and three exams. And I still need to start packing... Oh, and I have to go to a play tonight and then write a review. so I hope you all understand why there isn't much here!

We started birth classes, which so far have been good. I like the other couples there, and it's nice to meet other pregnant women in the area. One couple even lives in Mt. Vernon, but both work at the school district Jason applied to. If he were to get that job, Kevin (the husband) might be teaching with him some! He's one of the special ed teachers at the high school. That would be neat for them.

Ok, must do something productive with my time, like working on that management project. So here's what's happening this week:
Your baby weighs about 4 pounds and is about fifteen to seventeen inches tall. Photographs of babies in utero at this stage show their skin becoming less translucent and pinker, as layers of fat are deposited under the skin. His skeleton is rapidly ossifying (turning from cartilage into solid bone), which means that kicks will become visible through your shirt as the trimester progresses. Well-placed kicks under your ribs can take your breath away!

First Mother's Day

Hello All!

So what's happening, the short version: We found someone to rent our apartment, and found a townhouse in North Bellingham. Jason is still looking for a job, and he just applied to Seedro-Woolley. I'm doing a billion things for school, work and my internship. So we're keeping busy. We have boxes to start packing, but haven't done any yet...

Mom and Richard came up for Mother's Day. It was really nice. We went out to lunch at the Keg, and we drove around Bellingham a bit. It was really nice to be able to spend time with them.

Congratulations to Kit and Christine, and their new son Joel, and Kimmie and her son Joe! You make me jealous, this little man keeps kicking me in the lungs.

I probably have more to say, but it's lost out of my head right now. So here's what's happening this week:
You baby weighs between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds. He continues to gain weight at a faster pace than he lengthens, which will give him those cute chubby cheeks. He's about fourteen to sixteen inches tall, although individual growth rates vary. Your baby begins to run out of room as he puts on weight. You should feel about ten kicks an hour. Some care providers suggest keeping a "kick chart" by writing down how many kicks you feel in an hour, so that you are aware if there's a decrease in activity. Other care providers may advise that as long as it feels like the baby's active, there's no need to keep notes. If you do sense a decrease in activity, try drinking a large glass of juice. If that doesn't make the baby energized, or makes him less energized than he usually would be, call your care provider.