Pinterest Teething Ambition

Okay, I promise I have not forgotten about this blog but I find that I am really unsure of what to write a lot of the time. So I am trying something new.

As most of you know I am a first time mom. This means I am completely unaware of what having a child entails. Just to preface this story so you are aware of what I am getting into.

When John and I moved to Montana it was July, Caleb was about 3 months old, one day we were sitting downstairs in the basement of the house we share with some friends in the living area/Caleb's room/craft area and I said to John I think I want to make every ones Christmas Gifts this year...why did I say this you might think...Well I thought to myself. I don't have a job, all I do is stay home with my son and he takes 3 naps a day and goes to bed around 6 it should be no problem.

Well here I am 5 months later and the realizations that have come to light are 1. no job? How about exhausting job of saying hi all day long to a 7 month old trying to run to the grocery store in the hour and a half I have before he needs to fall asleep again. 2. Do you remember above when I said our living area is also Caleb's room as well as the craft room. This means that the sewing machine is in the room where my child naps, which means no sewing during naps. And while he is awake I am busy saying Hi. 3. On top of that I seem to have managed to sew enough that my 100$ 6 year old sewing machine went on strike for a week until we took it to the spa. But she has return oiled and buffed and with a new set of bobbins. 4. My lovely son is working on his 3rd tooth which means he sleeps twice as much and the hour he is awake between naps means 15 min of happy/eating time and 45 min of being worn in the Moby so he isn't hysterical.

But despite the trials I must face I am still making all my Christmas gifts and today with all the sleeping and no sewing machine I sewed by hand and finished my brother in laws gift!

So I am going to blame Pinterest for making me take on this overly ambitious venture in the midst of the new mommy chaos.

P.S. I also gave up caffeine...

In Honor of Labor Day

I was inspired to share my birth story again in honor of Labor Day By my friend Kourtney who has been doing a birth story marathon today. She has shared birth stories all day long, including Caleb's today. You can check them out here  http://laundryeveryday.blogspot.com/2012/09/birth-marathon-lemuel.html

Caleb’s Birth

Joshua 14:10b-11 -Today I am 85 years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight was well as I could then. (The strength of Caleb)

Thursday, March 29 I had not been feeling very well. I even told John I just felt raw and uncomfortable down there. I really just thought nothing of it assuming that was just part of how the few weeks were going feel as Caleb began to get into position for birth (turns out I was dilating and was unaware of it.

Friday, March 30 I woke up at 6 like always and looked at my phone and checked my baby bump app that read you are 33weeks and 7days, 43 more days to go. I thought to myself 43 that so long and 43 gee we have a lot to do. I was procrastinating that morning, not really wanting to get in ready for work so I was on the computer a little and got in the shower pretty late. At 6:40 John called me and we talked for a min about taxes and stuff and then I got dressed. I was just leaving the bedroom and going to pack a quick lunch when I felt a rush of fluid. My first thought was OMG I just peed myself. When I checked to see how bad it was I realized there was blood in it and then I got scared. I first called John and told him (he was already at work). He asked if he should come home I told him not yet that I would let him know after I talked to the midwives. Second I called school and this was at 6:53 I called Nedra and told her what had happened and she told me she would take care of the school end. I then called Missy and Martina to tell them what was going on.

Missy told me, no I had not peed myself, that most likely my water had broken. This really scared me thinking, what this is so bad my water can’t break this early …infection… etc…Missy and Martina told me to go straight to the hospital. I called John to tell him and she said he was almost home. He had left anyway.

When John got home he was trying to rush me out the door to go to the hospital. I wanted to change my pants first. I changed and we left. Missy texted me and asked me if I was having contractions and if I had felt the baby move. Again this scared me. I didn’t really know if I was having contractions, I had never done this before. I also had not felt the baby move that morning and so I was worried what that might mean. John was driving and I thought I had begun to have contractions which felt like period cramps. I texted Missy and told her I was having contractions. She asked me how long and how far apart they were. I didn’t know since I hadn’t really been timing them we just wanted to get to the hospital.

John pulled up at St. Francis and we went up to Labor and Delivery. A nurse was just about to let us in to the unit when we told her our Doctor was Dr. Caruthers. At that she informed us Dr. Caruthers did not work out of this hospital but St. Francis Bartlett (which we knew but had gone to the wrong one anyway). We headed back outside to try and make it to Bartlett. As John was getting the car to pick me up I felt Caleb move and this made me feel much better. I texted Missy and told her, she was also relieved. Back in the car I began to time my contractions using John’s phone to time how far apart and mine to time how long. When I started doing this they were 30-35 sec long and 2.5 min apart. I thought I must be doing this wrong or I am confused about what a contraction feels like. But the longer I timed them the closer together they got and the longer they lasted. By the time we reached the hospital they were 1 min long and 1 min apart.

We arrived at the hospital around 8 am (that is my best guess). We went up to Labor and Delivery. I walked up they asked if I wanted a wheel chair I said no. Looking back I probably could have used one. From here on out everything was a blur. They made John go downstairs and fill out intake paper work. It seemed like he was gone forever, but we have deduced that it was probably only 15 to 20 min. They took me to a holding room where I changed into the gown. At this point we are still unsure of what is happening. We didn’t really know we were coming in for a birth. I changed and was being asked many questions about med history and the like. Martina arrived around this point and began helping me breath through contractions. I think to sign paper work I went through 4 contractions. They were coming very fast. The doctor arrived right after that and checked my cervix. He told me I was 6 cm dilated and that there would be a baby today. I couldn’t even really focus on that news. That was the point I wanted John back. I told Martina I had to pee and she took me to the rest room. I told her I also felt like I had to poop and asked if that was the baby and she told me it was. Right after getting back from the restroom John arrived and I was so happy to have him back but I still couldn’t really focus on him.  Around then Martina told me to tell her when I felt like I wanted to push and I immediately told her I felt like pushing right then. She told the doctor he checked me out and said that indeed I was ready.

There were no rooms available so they wheeled me to the OR to deliver. I was wanting to push but I didn’t really feel confident that I could or that I was doing it right. The doctor had his fingers in my cervix and kept telling me to push them out. This made no sense to me so I really just focused on John and on Martina. I knew John was praying for me but I really needed to hear him so I asked him to pray out loud, he did and I instantly felt the Lord’s strength to push the baby out. At that point I knew I could do it and I was able to push with more confidence then I had been. Martina was telling me to get behind it and push down. This made total sense to me. I could really feel what she was talking about. She was coaching me and telling me I was beautiful and I just kept praying Jesus let the baby come fast. At one point John told me he could see the head and I thought I want to see the head. The worst pain was when the head was crowning and I waiting between contractions with his head half out. But Martina reminded me this was good to let him stretch and not to push to avoid tearing. The next push his head was out and he was mid shoulders.  This time I knew I wanted him out and pushed him out the last push with no contraction. I looked down and they were pulling him out and I think I said, “Did that really just happen?” I could not believe it. His actual time of birth was 9:09 am March 30, 2012They brought him to my chest while John cut his cord and then took him away to check his breathing. John went with the baby, while Martina stayed with me and the doc while I delivered the placenta. Which at that point actually felt good and like a relief.  They brought Caleb back for a sec let us take our first pic and give him a kiss and the off he was to the NICU.

They took me into a room which was cleaned while I was delivering.  My mind was blown at how fast everything was. I was in good spirits and did not really begin to get tired until afternoon.

That’s the story of how Caleb Andrew Geiger arrived in about 2 hours.

Montana Update

Things have begun to settle down here.
Our family has officially been in Billings for 6 weeks now. Enough time to find your way to Target and the know where the grocery store is. A few weeks ago we visited a mountain town called Red Lodge it is at the start of the Beartooth pass that goes through Yellowstone. They close access to it this weekend for the winter. Crazy.

It is pretty gorgeous. I am glad we got to go up there before it snowed. This is all about and hour or so from where we live.
Other family milestones
Caleb is 5 months old. He loves to laugh and smile at strangers. He does not like to sleep through the night.
John just purchased an XL Green Egg to replace the one we had to leave on Gordon St. He got it for a steal.
I have decided to make all my Christmas gifts this year. I am have already started. I figured it might take awhile.

Don't worry I have not forgotten about this blog :)

Swaddle Blanket Irritation

I am looking at my 3 month old laying in a bouncy seat with his swaddle blanket up around his neck, covering most of his face, with his arms poking out the bottom. He is wearing a Swaddle Me swaddle blanket with the Velcro, supposedly easier to use than actually swaddling him. It's pretty much a pain. I spend a lot of time swaddling him because he has colic and we are trying the methods recommended in "Happiest Baby on the Block" I tightly swaddle him every night using a mayraid of swaddling aides. We have used flannel receiving blankets, the Swaddle Me, muslin blankets (the big ones everyone raves about), even one I made myself. What I use the most are Carter's Little Layette stretchy swaddle blankets. These are large, but not too large 35x35 they stretch so you can get them very tight. They are the best thing I have used so far. But the child is Houdini and still busts from his swaddle in the fewest kicks and flails. I find this irritating Becuase the book has led me to believe from the outrgeous amount of tstimonies that if I have a proper swaddle my child will sleep for a glorious 6-8 hours better than the current 2-3 I get even with a swaddle. This expectation I now have has caused me to purchase 2 more swaddle devises a Woombie and a Miracle Blanket, to add to the 10 swaddle blankets I already have (not counting flannel receiving blankets). So what I am trying to say is I guess "Happiest Baby on the Block" has given me unrealistic expectations about what swaddling can do and I am willing to cough up some big bucks to make it happen because at this point I would do almost anything to make him sleep for more than 3 hours.

Trying This Thing Out

Okay, I told a friend that I was going to try out this whole blogging thing for my friends that are sans Facebook. I hope I do not disappoint, because I know I hate it when I start reading a blog and it is not being updated on a regular basis. I hope I can be an interesting blogger and that you like keeping up with our family and mostly I hope you like reading about my baby boy since he consumes most of my time. But if that does not do it maybe I can persuade you t read my blog by ending with a joke. What did the snail say while it was riding on the turtles back....weeeee And now my baby just screamed out of nowhere so I should attend to him