First Holiday Season with Our Boy!
The guys went hunting the weekend before Christmas while my mom and I finished up the shopping. I also got to visit my cousin, Casey, who had surgery for a tethered spinal cord the week before. Abram was the only person he would sit up for :). He wanted to hold him so bad so I laid them next to each other...too bad Abram was in a crabby mood that night.
Both sets of my grandparents stopped by to see him for the first time too. I am sure the next time they see him he will look {and act} like a completely different baby.
Most of the week we just relaxed and hung out, or played darts, or some other type of game.We always had stuff cooking, so I was stuffed the entire week long stay. We even got a little snow, but forgot to get a pic of Abram in it. Bijou loved it though! It was perfect!
We relaxed at our friend, Leigh Ann's house, for New Years Eve. Luckily their baby just started sleeping in his crib so the pack-n-play was set up and free for us to use for the little man so we could ring in the new year all together. Hope your holidays were fantastic!
Hope Your Holidays Were Filled With Joy...Happy New Year
.png)
Lovin' on my Little Man
To see all of the edited and unedited pictures, go to https://kellinicolephotography.com/proofs/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=13208#page=1
1 Month Old
I look forward to nights with better sleep and seeing what his personality will be like, but I also know he will never be this small and new again. He has started to grow out of his newborn clothes {that I only had a couple of anyway}, and I find myself holding them up and crying as I remember him in them {I'm crazy}.
Weight: Not exactly sure....but at our surprise pediatrician appointment on Thursday he was 9 lbs 7 oz {pre induced diaper explosion}. At the two week appointment he was 21.5" long, so he is probably at least 22 by now, I would imagine.
First real bath with the help of Doodle/G-deb
Crying: He mainly cries for food or when he is gassy, or just when he has an upset stomach {a lot}. Honestly, he could care less about his diaper being dirty.
first visit with Aunt Layla, at Thanksgiving
first Thanksgiving
3 Weeks of Abram
WEEK 1 & 2:
If you couldn't tell by my last paragraph, I have not had the easiest time adjusting to life as a family of 4. After delivery I had some recovering to do, and had lots of trouble getting our little guy to latch on and breastfeed. We decided to stay 2 days in the hospital to work with the lactation consultant more.
We thought we had gotten it all under control, but the first night we were home Abram screamed the ENTIRE night. The next day we realized he was always hungry and had stopped having any type of dirty diapers {every mother's worst fear when worried about not supplying enough milk}. After finding out that he continued to lose weight we decided to supplement formula along with feeding and pumping...I cried about this every day for most of the day.
Then after severe engorgement, no supply still, an ob visit, an infection, a visit with the lactation consultant, lots of warm showers, massaging, ice packs, a little bit of cabbage {that stuff is crazy}, trying to feed him while he screamed bc nothing was coming out, skin to skin, and pumping every 2 hours for a week... I finally started to produce a little. Could I finally stop worrying!? Nope! Within three days of continuing to do all of that on top of taking herbs, my supply was gone!
I cried and beat myself up for days {I still do on occasion} at the thought of not being able to provide nutrients for my child, and HAVING to give him formula exclusively. That is not the way it was supposed to be...the way I had read about in books...the way I had planned! My body just wasn't ready this time around. My OB gave me orders to stop trying {along with my lactation consultant and pediatrician} before I did more harm than good. That is when I realized that the WHOLE first week and a half of my child's life was consumed with breast feeding, and I was missing out on my time with him.
It is a good thing my doc ordered me to stop trying to breastfeed/pump because that night I ended up spending 5 hours in the ER with minor complications from the delivery. Again, my body was just not recovering as well as I would have liked...all of my systems were out of wack. The next few days I just took it easy and tried to recover while FINALLY starting to bond with my baby over a bottle of formula, a kiss, a cuddle, and a little bit of dancing to music. He was being fed and was happy. By his two week appointment he was back up to his birth weight! He turned two weeks on Thanksgiving Day!
Introducing Abram Mack!
On Wednesday, November 7th, we ate one last quiet meal with our families and then headed to the hospital, at 8 pm, to be induced. On the way to the room I reminded Matt to take it all in because the day we had been so excited about was finally here and would pass way to quickly.
.JPG)
They hooked me up to the machines, and gave me the IV and Cervidil. The plan was to watch a movie, get some rest, and get an epideral after they gave me the pitocin at 2 am. At 11 pm {in the middle of the movie}, the intense contractions started and there was no turning back...I didn't know what hit me at first. Something felt seriously wrong! I tried not to be a baby so I was holding off on asking for an epideral. I hate the 1-10 pain scale...they say 10 is death and I don't know about you but I have no clue what death feels like! When the nurse realized that I was crying at every contraction, she informed me that it may take half an hour to get the anesthesiologist ..I told her to make the call.
At 12:30 am, after an hour and a half of breathing/crying through intense contractions my savior walked into the room to give me the epideral. I am so glad Matt and I knew some breathing techniques to get us through the hard times. Getting the epideral wasn't nearly as bad as the contractions, but it is really hard to round your back when you have a big belly in the way. I held as still as possible through several contractions while the guy did his thing to my back. The right side never fully went numb so I tried laying on that side to get more medicine to it so I could rest. I was 4 cm at this point.
At 2 am they started a light dose of pitocin, and by 4 am I was 10 cm and fully effaced. I know. My body worked pretty quickly. Abram was still pretty high {story of my pregnancy} so they had me continue to labor him down until 7 am, when the doctor came in to finish breaking my water {which had partially broken a couple hours before} and up the pitocin a little. He estimated that I would have the baby by noon. He had several patients in the hospital that day so he was trying to plan around everyone. A few minutes later I started feeling intense contractions on my right side, and then the epideral machine started to beep that it was out of medication.
You have got to be kidding me!
Again, I am so glad I had learned the basics of breathing through contractions. Since I could feel them at almost full force again, I felt like the time was coming to push. I commend the women of the past/present that do this naturally. I once thought that I may be one of those, but after having felt both ways I will take the drugs thanks! At 7:45 I got a booster shot to help with the pain so I could start pushing. After 10 minutes of pushing, Abram Mack was here, at 8:06 am...weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long. Oh and did I mention he came about 4 hours before the doctor estimated? Our boy was ready and was the first of our doctors patients to be born that day! Over achiever...
Afterwards the dr. worked his magic while Matt cut the cord and held Abram for the first time. I let him announce the name to everyone. We had a few other names on a list (Grey and Easton), but had liked the name Abram since I got pregnant and finally realized that it was his name no matter how much we looked around for others. We liked that it wasn't common, but not made up sounding either. It is a strong, masculine name and it doesn't end in a "t" (Matt's requirement). Mack was Matt's grandpa's nickname that his grandma always called him.
No one could tell who he looked like...the perfect combination. When they placed him on the scale all you could see was the quad and calf muscles on his long, bow legs. His feet are long {unlike mine} and his thumb nail looks like a miniature duplicate of Matt's. He has a definite widow's peak which he gets from both momma and daddy, as well as his top lip. His ball chin is totally Matt's and his ears are more like mine. The verdict is still out on his nose and the final color his eyes will be {born with dark blue}. His coloring is much lighter than many people thought it would be...I guess my light genes are stronger than some thought.
The first time I held him in my arms was amazing. I thought I would cry {like I always think}, and honestly if there wasn't a room full of medical people, I would have. As soon as I spoke he looked straight at me with his slightly crossed, blue eyes and mouth open like he recognized my voice and knew it was me. It is a moment I never want to forget.
39 Weeks and Waiting Patiently
Sleep: This is the week I stopped sleeping well…now I see why other pregnant women in the 3rd trimester are so crabby
Wedding rings on or off? On and off when I get worried about swelling
38 Weeks...Happy Halloween
Sleep: Off and on still…it hurts to roll over
Wedding rings on or off? On and beautiful thanks to the jewelers for working miracles
Happy or Moody most of the time: Everything and loving this moment of our lives
Matt's exam was Friday so I sat around most of the week praying the baby wouldn't come on, or before that day. We had dinner with our friend, Ashtyn, who was in from out of town one night which was a nice break for Matt. I have also been sick all week so laying around was not too bad, but as soon as I knew Matt's exam was almost over I started walking around and sitting on Kristen's exercise ball to try and make some progress happen. I have not made ANY in 2 weeks!
Saturday morning I got to see another friend from out of town, Leslie {my lucky week}. We had brunch with Leigh Ann and Leslie's sister...just missing one person {you know who you are}! Once Matt was free from his exam prison, we took advantage of the amazing weather for the rest of the weekend. If you were around our town, you might have caught me walking around...I am a girl on a mission!
D.I.Y. No-Sew Adjustable Crib Skirt
Part of getting to do everything I wanted in my little guy's nursery meant saving as much as I could on the "un-necessaries". This meant that for the bedding I decided to piece together a sheet, skirt, pillows, and blanket from different places instead of buying a set. Before I even knew I was having a boy I found a pretty modern looking plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby...I just knew I would use it in his room! I ended up deciding to make a crib skirt out of the fabric {which I got 30-40% off at Hobby Lobby} since they tend to be expensive. I actually based the whole room off of this fabric and the dog paintings.
I looked for a good crib skirt tutorial that didn't use lots of extra fabric or steps and found this one...one reason I really liked it is because the skirt is adjustable. So basically as the mattress moves down, the skirt moves up. I did make a change to make this skirt "no-sew" so I will have my full tutorial, but feel free to look to hers for more guidance if you get confused, and she is pretty funny.
Supplies:
- your crib as a guide
- tape measure
- way of marking fabric measurements {pins, chalk, anything really...make it work!}
- about 2 yards of 54" fabric {or whatever you can make into 3 rectangular pieces for your
crib...this is more like a starting point}
- Heat n Bond hem tape
- Iron
- Stick on velcro/clips {or whatever you want to use to attach to crib}
Step 1:
Measure the mattress frame of your crib! You will need the measurements for the {1} length of the front, {2} length of the two sides, and {3} the height from the frame to the floor, at the highest mattress setting.
- My Jenny Lind Davinci crib measured about 26.5" on the sides, about 50.5" on the front, and 17" for the height but you should measure yours because they are all different.
Step 2:
Purchase fabric. It took me about 2 yards of 54″ home decor fabric for this project. If your fabric isn't wide enough for the longest side, you’ll need to piece it together.
- Make sure you factor in seam allowances into your final measurements. I added about 1" on each side because my hem tape was 3/4". I also added 2" to the height measurement {3} so that it could wrap around the frame. {so my final measurements were: 52.5"x21" and 28.5"x21"}
- Also, before buying 2 yards and cutting, if you have a horizontal repeat {I did} make sure the repeat will match on all 3 sides. Depending on the repeat, you may need a little more fabric...vertical repeats don't really matter.
- Because I had a square, plaid pattern I was able to use the lines to cut along. If you don't, you will need to use some sort of straight edge to make sure everything is square and cut straight. Sorry I can't give better advice...I am not a sewing novice {hence the no-sew in this tutorial}.
Step 3:
Measure 1" in on the sides and iron fold to create the crease for your hem tape. {There are instructions you can follow on the back of the hem tape}. I then placed my tape in the crease {folding in the unfinished edge if I felt like it} and ironed it all together. Easy as pie.
Step 4:
Attach each piece to the crib mattress frame. Some cribs have a board on top of the frame and could attach with thumb tacks like the linked tutorial above. Mine is just a metal spring cage... I originally intended on using sticky velcro and just cutting new pieces as I moved the skirt, but I couldn't find the velcro I had lying around and was to lazy to buy it. I made sure each piece skimmed the floor and clipped it to the frame with the big clips you use to hold together large stacks of paper.
Full Term!!
Sleep: Off and on still
Wedding rings on or off? Off bc I got super glue on them….ya, not happy
Happy or Moody most of the time: Every emotion possible
This past week I kept busy with pumpkin decorating, Junior League stuff, my doctor's appointment, and the LSU game. Kristen and I also got our Tdap shot {and I got my flu shot}...we handled it like champs with no fainting, so we got milkshakes! The doctor confirmed what I had been anticipating my entire pregnancy; my progress has stopped. He also thinks that going past your due date is somewhat hereditary...and I am pretty sure that just about EVERY woman in my family has gone past their due date. Instead of freaking out after this appointment, I actually felt calmer and back on schedule haha {circling 41 weeks on the calendar}. I have been trying to finish up everything and take some time to watch Halloween movies by myself while Matt studies {poor Matt}. Hopefully he can pass his exam on Friday and then we can move on to walking this baby out with a little more confidence.
Since I am nearing the end, I must say I have enjoyed pregnant for the most part...ya, I am one of those people. No, it is not because I got "the glow", because I didn't. I just have loved the crazy experience of it all. I don't know, maybe it is because of how bad the previous year was, but I just feel so blessed to get to go through this. Nowadays I walk the line between being ready for him to be here so I can get back to myself, and not wanting him out so I can still enjoy the time with "just the two of us".
Things I did not enjoy:
I heard you get tired, but had no idea how tired
The headaches of the first trimester that lasted for DAYS!
When you get sick, you have to fight it the "old fashion way"
Of course nausea...who likes that!?
Sciatica, tailbone bone, and rib pain (since the first trimester for me)
Not being able to run because of the pressure
How easy you can dehydrate...and the dizziness that comes along with that
The rash from Hell! I would not wish that on my worst enemy...
The red busted capallaries I have gotten all over my skin
The overwhelmingly freaked-out feeling of the unknown
My balloon feet
Things I've enjoyed:
Telling our friends/family
Hearing his heartbeat
Keeping track of this once-in-a-lifetime event
My growing belly...it is seriously the first time I have not been self-conscious of my stomach in my life!...I will miss it
Being able to work out with Matt while pregnant
My clear complexion on my face {for the first time in my life}
Feeling our little boy move
Being able to eat dairy again
Seeing him on the ultrasound
Seeing Matt get so excited to meet him...he fidgets like a little boy trying to sit still :)
The crazy excitement/anticipation
I know I am not to the "hard part" yet, but so far the good has definitely outweighed the bad, and meeting him at the end of all this will be so amazing. Matt's co-worker told him the other day that having his son will be like the best toy anyone can give him haha. I thought it was only fair that since I am the one bringing him into the world, then I am covered for Christmas gifts for the rest of our lives...but that just wouldn't much fun! ;)
The Nursery Details
Paint Color: Sherwin Williams "Quietude" Ceiling Fan: Hunter fan from Lowes Curtains: Old Ikea linen curtains I had in my previous house. My mom and I found a striped fabric and she added a piece to the curtain to give it more interest.
Dresser: Craigslist find {along with a matching nightstand that wouldn't fit in the room right now}...it was already grey {I had every intention of painting a piece of furniture, but got lucky}, but I did glaze it to give it the antiqued/rustic look. Basket next to Dresser: Home Goods...and I am making it the diaper trashcan Glider:Walmart Pillow on Glider:Ikea Hanging Lamp: Ikea light and shade that was covered by my mom with some extra Amy Butler fabric I had laying around. I wrapped the cord in twine to hide the white and printed electrical numbers.
Rug: T.J. Maxx
Moose head:Ebay {painted white myself}..it was one like this "T" Art: Made by me with scrapbook paper Green and Yellow dog paintings:Logan Berard Paintings Clock: Matt's old clock from his childhood room Boy Art: Made by me using photoshop, modge podge, and a canvas Framed black dog picture: Made by me using an old photo and photoshop
Crib:Jenny Lind Davinci Toy Basket: Home Goods Navy Wild and Free Art: Made by me with burlap{tutorial coming soon} Hanging Planes: Vintage looking decor planes from Hobby Lobby...used fishing line and command hooks to attach to ceiling Drift Wood Mirror: Marshalls Sheets: Target Crib Skirt: Made by me using a plaid fabric from Hobby Lobby {tutorial coming soon} Pillows and animals in Crib: Gifts from friends/family or picked up from discount stores Orange Knitted Quilt: Made by my great grandmother before she passed away Brown Knitted Quilt: Target "I love you like" rag: This is actually a tea towel from a sweet woman on etsy...figured I could use it as a burp rag/decor
Book Shelve: An old laminate garage sale shelf that Matt used in college...updated with left over semi-gloss white paint and Benjamin Moore's "Cork" from other projects in my house. Humidifier:Crane Lamp on Shelf: Ikea {from years ago} Assorted pieces on shelve: pieces from our house and discount stores, pictures of us, knitted quilt from my great grandmother, LSU burp rags from a friend, assorted books and toys, and things from Louisiana... I tried to accessorize it with things that didn't cost much money and can easily be removed to make room for his items later in life.
36 Weeks
Sleep: Off and on…Sometimes I can’t fall asleep, yet I am tired ALL day
Belly Button in or out? Same as the week before
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and freaked!
Looking forward to: Packing my bags {still} and seeing what he looks like
Wild and Free Nursery | Home Tour
When I started thinking about a nursery I knew I didn't want a specific theme. I hate themed rooms in my house; I get bored with them quickly. We didn't know yet whether we were having a boy or girl, but we knew we wanted the bright dog paintings my friend, Logan, painted for me. Our dogs are our babies and we liked the idea that although they were no longer physically with us, they could watch over our new baby and keep him/her safe.
Before I found out we were having a boy I saw an awesome grey and yellow plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby...so I then began praying for a boy so I could use the fabric haha {half-way sarcastic}. Prayers answered...thanks God, you have gotten me one step closer to finishing the nursery.
I, like most people these days, love the look of vintage and modern mixed. I love color and when patterns, color, and texture mix in an interesting way. I really had no direction besides that...I just kept saying that I wanted it to be a room for a boy. I began trying to incorporate everything we love into his room and hoped it would somehow create unity when combined{oh ya I have an eclectic taste}. A little bit of animal fun {our dogs and pigs bc I'm obsessed), hunting {Matt's love}, patterns, travel, planes {Matt's other love}, rustic, etc...our little one's well rounded boy room. Hope you like!
10 Years With My Darlin'
I cannot believe it has been a decade...
I'm a Pregnant Beast
Sleep: I start to get uncomfortable at certain times
Belly Button in or out? It started to pop out a little this week…oh well you held strong my friend
Wedding rings on or off? On, but feeling a little tight
Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy and tired haha
Monday was the first day of October {my favorite month}, the weather cooled, my feet were normal, and my rash was gone. I felt great! I had so much energy so I had a great workout and worked in the yard. I felt like myself and hoped it would continue. I was back on track! Then I got one of my first trimester headaches for the entire night so the next day all I wanted to do was sleep. Oh well! Oh and my ankles now make my shoes look small. Feel.Like.A.Beast.
Thursday we had our last ultrasound. I would post pics like I had been, but he had his hands in his face the whole time so all we got were pics of his junk haha. At least it was more proof that he was a HE...which works out considering HIS nursery is 99.8% done! He was an estimated weight of 6.1 lbs and in the 72 percentile. He was moving a lot {of course} and had a good heart beat. We could even see him practicing breathing...crazy!
For the first time ever Matt said he thinks this baby is going to come before his exam {38 weeks}. He thinks that my belly is so big that there is no way I can possibly grow any more...I have a feeling he will eat his words in 2 weeks when I am so large he can just roll me around the house.
On Friday, I surprised Matt by taking him to Saint Arnold's Brewery, near Downtown Houston. I heard about it a couple weeks ago and thought it would be a good getaway from studying and a good thank you for putting up with me. Then I realized that we will have been together for 10 years this Wednesday, so it sort of turned into a celebration too. I was so scared he had already been. When we drove up he saw the name on the side of the building and said, "This is where we are going!?", with a huge smile. Score. I am a wife genius.
It was $7 a person for a souvenir glass, 4 beer tokens, and a tour. Since I obviously wasn't drinking they gave me a free glass and root beer for the night...oh the looks I got from people who obviously didn't know they served root beer. There were some regulars who bring pizza and cards and just hang out and drink for $7. Matt said it was one of the best, cheap man dates ever. I was happy to get cool wife points before the baby comes.
The happy hour ended at 5, so we found a fun place to eat instead of fighting the traffic. $5 for a mountain of nachos. Don't mind if we do. My favorite cupcake shop just so happened to be in the next building. I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you their gluten-free cupcakes {and of course their normal ones} are better than any cupcake I have had in my lifetime...and the shop is so cute! I was wondering why I gained a couple pounds this week then I wrote this post ha!
My Tired, Swollen 34 Week Post
Sleep: Ok…some nights are good and some are bad
Belly Button in or out? It may just stay flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I am happy and stressed which I think is normal at this point
Nice and Round
Sleep: Ok
Belly Button in or out? Still flat and funny looking
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I need to get more organized so my anxiety is more at ease
Our DIY Maternity Photos
Here are some of my tips for others who want to take their own pictures:
- Sunrise and sunset have the best lighting for outdoor pictures, and natural
lighting is much easier than figuring it out indoors...so just do that.
- If the light does get too harsh, find trees our something that provides
shade. We only have one picture in the cotton fields because (as you can
tell) the lighting was so harsh it created intense shadows and didn't
flatter my skin tone.
- We printed out a page of the poses we liked so we could just copy them
quickly...didn't waste our good light and didn't have to think too much
(which is good when you are the photographer and model)
- Know your camera. I am still a beginner with mine so I used a guide setting
(for now)that helped me pick what I wanted based on the lighting. *We did
have trouble keeping ourselves in focus while blurring the background though
(advice welcomed).
- When you can control it; think of angles, getting in close, and using the
sun to your advantage...and then there is always photoshop!
What we used:
- Nikon D3100 camera (used the self timer on the ones with both of us)
- Camera tripod
- Sunrise
- Whatever props you want
- Photoshop
- Features used: Crop, levels, shadow/highlight, curves,
brightness/contrast, exposure, vibrance, black and white, color balance,
photo filters, paint brush, clone, healing brush, blur, opacity, smart
sharpen, gaussian blur, lens flare, layers, and lens correction
vignette. (when needed...based on the photo)
- Make sure you save your original file and then a new one for editing so
you are not scared to play with these features...and duplicating layers
as you edit different features helps to be able to turn them on/off and
see changes quickly.
32 Week Fail!
Sleep: I sleep good when I don’t itch…if I do then there is no sleeping that night
Belly Button in or out? Still flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Both…anxiety is at its worst
Watching our Tigers Play at 31 Weeks
Sleep: pretty good
Belly Button in or out? Still flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I have my moments
In all the excitement of last week, I forgot to mention that my best friend's premature baby got to come home from the NICU! Sam was born in August, at 34 weeks, in a surprise delivery that began at the nail salon and me rushing Leigh Ann to the hospital, and ended with a sweet baby boy that was 5 lbs. 10 oz. They threw a little celebration the night he came home and we got to see him for the first time. He is so tiny and so sweet...he never cries! (I can only pray mine takes note). I am sort of in LOVE with the little doll! They also came over for the LSU game, on Saturday, and I got to hold him for the first time. It has been so long since I have held a newborn...it will take some getting used to. Welcome to our clan baby Sam!
