Updateness!

Arthur and I are working things out. :) We're back together, we're renewing the current lease (the mouse problem is taken care of thanks to steel wool and duct tape; we finally found the last hole behind the fridge, and haven't seen a mouse since then), and things are finally looking up. Finances suck, but that can you do? I'm looking to get a part time job during the hours Arthur is home from work and can take care of Laura; I've filled out a few online applications, so cross your fingers for me.

These are a few of the scrapbook pages I've been putting together so I can make a book for Laura's birthday next year...

More updates!

Okay, so we're not sure if the move will be to New Hampshire or somewhere close to there. I'll let people know when I know more myself.

Laura had another doctor appointment today. She now weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces! Her doctor says he's surprised that she's gaining weight so well, considering how little she weighed when she was born. :) At this rate, she'll be at an average weight for a baby her age within the month! I'm very happy about that.

We also checked my blood pressure... it's getting better, and I might be able to come off the medication by next month. We're going to keep an eye on it, and I have an appointment in two weeks to have it checked again.

Now that Laura is past a month old, I've started having Tummy Time with her on a play mat that I set in the middle of the floor. Obviously, she's too young to start lifting her body with her arms or to start crawling, but I've noticed she is already using her legs to push herself from one end of the mat to the other!

Her smiles and giggles are too damn precious, as well. Sooner or later, I'll attempt to get a video of them! She's particularly fond of having her feet tickled with feathers. She still smiles and giggles more in her sleep than when she's awake, but I'm sure that as she gets older, she'll share her giggles with us while she's awake. :)

Not the greatest picture...

I look SOOOOOO tired... and I don't know why I'm not wearing my glasses. Oh, wait, it's because Laura has figured out how to stick her fingers under the lens and LAUNCH them across the bed!

She's adorable, though. :)

New Plan

Things are a lot better now. A lot of things have been said, some angry, some sad, some confessions, some unspoken emotional baggage... but all in all, things were said that needed to be said and now the healing has begun.

Still single, though... but that's okay now. Laura will have both her mother and father in her life, living with her. We're looking into moving with a friend, someone we've known for a good long while, someone we trust. We're also looking into getting out of the Worcester area (thank the Gods), possibly into the New Hampshire area. From what I hear, cost of living is a bit lower there, but I look forward more to the trees and nature, something I sorely miss here in Worcester.

Still looking into getting a computer... also looking into deciding if I should start buying Christmas presents now, or wait a few more months :P I want Laura's first Christmas to be great, even if she's too young to remember it. That's what cameras are for!

I'm surviving :P

I'm sure by now it's understandable that I don't post often. I'm surprised I manage to find time to bake bread, or even shower!

Laura, Arthur and I went to Elm Park this last Saturday, meeting up with a couple friends of our's and their one-year old daughter. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but our friends didn't!

Collage // Baby Shower // 7 June 2009

This is my current desktop background :)

Another Cute Picture!

The pictures from my baby shower (that was held yesterday) will be up soon... I just have to GET THEM from everyone else.

Lack of update...

Sorry I haven't been making updates... I barely have time to shower, let alone sit on the computer and type anything meaningful. Laura is currently asleep... I'm holding her with my left arm and typing with my right hand, which is a slow process. She refuses to sleep in her crib, refuses to sleep in her rocker... pretty much refuses to sleep anywhere except on me. Nurses say to let her sleep this way for now because letting her cry it out is too traumatic for a baby her age. When I asked how old she has to be before I can break her of this habit, they said 1-3 months...

I admit, I tried letting her cry... she just keeps going, forever, until she's red in the face. She doesn't stop until I pick her up.

I'm trying my best to do this right, but I can't let her scream, especially at night. The walls are paper thin here, and the neighbors above me love to find reasons to complain as a way of revenge for the times I've called the cops on them.

I don't sleep much, but that's expected. I'm supposed to feed her every two and a half hours during the day and every three to four hours at night, but she wakes up every hour or so, no matter what time it is. It's hard to keep her calm during the time she's awake so that she isn't "snacking" every hour, as she will scream until I feed her, pacifier or not.

But I love her... so I will get through this. I want to cherish the time together, but I can't deny that I'm hoping the next year goes by quickly... I'm told that raising a kid is hard, but the first year is the hardest, and if you can survive the first year, it gets better.

Here's to hoping.

And then there were three...

Sorry for the delay in the updates... I'll give you the quick version.

Friday evening, my doctor calls to tell me that the test results for Pre-ecalmpsia came in positive and he wanted me to go to UMass Memorial to check in for over-night observation. That night, around midnight, they decided it was best to start inducing the birth. The next morning, they forced my water to break. The contractions came quickly, but I wasn't dialated nearly enough (only 3 cm), so they took me in for an emergency cesarean.

We discovered something fun (painful) at this point: I am IMMUNE to epidurals, spinal taps, AND liquid morphine! They had to put me to sleep completely. When I woke up, I had no clue where I was, only that the pain was horrifying!

Seeing Laura for the first time, though, made every bit of that pain worth it!


Yes, I look like crap... all swollen and bloated and drugged up, but that's because, well, I was! They finally found something I wasn't immune to and pumped me full of it. Glory to the drugs, glory! *ahem* Anyways...

I have tons of pictures I'll be posting, but it will have to wait until Monday night, possibly Tuesday. Because I live on the third floor, I opted to stay with friends until the incision heals a bit more. I'll be going home Monday evening, though. :)

---------------------------
Laura Phoenix Granger
17 May 2009
10:56 am
5 lb, 14 oz
19.8"
Beautiful

More stuff :)

Thanks to a generous person on Craigslist, I now have a Boppy pillow (I'll get some new covers for it soon) and a Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat. :)

The cool thing about the car seat is that it's part of a travel set. The parts I have are the carrier itself and the car seat base, all I need to get is the stroller that goes with it!

I'm a bit tired after my doctor visit today... and a little stressed. My doctor is testing me for Pre-eclampsia because my blood pressure has been a bit high over the past couple weeks.

So... to avoid over stressing myself... I'm going to go take a nap. I might make another post tonight after I wake up, maybe post some more pictures. We'll see...

Before I head out to my baby shower...

A bunch of new stuff :)

My mum sent out a package of clothes for Laura, and the cutest thing I've ever seen (when did I turn into such a sap?) has to be this Baby Jack Wrist Rattle...


I've also got a few more items to mark off the checklist thanks to Arthur's friend, Zoey :)



Let's see... what's left on the essential list?

- Crib Mattress + Bedding Set + Extra Sheets
- Changing Table + Pad + Cover
- Rocking Chair/Glider + Ottoman
- Diaper Bag for Mum + Diaper Bag for Daddy
- Extra Changing Pad
- Nursing Pillow
- Stroller + Mosquito Netting for stroller
- Nightlight (I'd like to find one like the ones my mum had in Texas)
- Breast Pump + Bottles + Freezer Trays (I might be able to get the breast pump via my insurance; thanks for the tip!)
- Hooded Towels
- Wash Cloths

Fun fun fun... and only 24 days to go!

Is it cheaper?

So here's the question... is it cheaper to buy baby food by the jar (averaging .50 cents each), or to make my own baby food? I've been looking at various books and I found one that I'd like to pick up when it comes time for Laura to be eating this... um... gunk.



And of course, if I'm going to be making baby food at home, there's these handy little containers that I'll need to get as well. The first set are 1oz jars, and the second are 2oz.

Blog Updates

This is just a quick entry to let people know I've added them to my Updates e-mail list... so from now on, unless you want me to remove you, you'll be getting an e-mail whenever I make an entry in my blog. :)

And now, because it's still so bloody early in the morning, I'm going back to bed... I hope. Sleep is becoming a thing of the past...

More cuteness

There's a second-hand store next door to my apartment complex, and on occasion, I find something neat there. This time, I found a sweater for Laura. Granted, she won't be wearing it until 18 Months, but still... it's cute :P

Swelling?

I finally broke down and retired my shoes simply because it was getting impossible to tie them closed! I hate the swelling in the feet, I really do. Luckily, I have an awesome man in my life that actually didn't mind picking me up a couple pairs of shoes today (City Sneaks and Cross Trekkers). I've never been a fan of sneakers... and I guess these don't really count as sneakers, but they are MAD COMFORTABLE... :D

In other news, I picked up a couple more pacifiers today... these ones say "Daddy's Little Girl" and "I ♥ Daddy"... I love making Arthur squirm! He giggled when he saw them, followed quickly with "You're proud of yourself, aren't you?" Of course, I nodded and laughed as well. I'll be picking up a couple more pacifiers over the next couple weeks... that way there's a selection to choose from, and hopefully Laura will be happy with at least ONE of them...

So my birthday is coming soon (next Monday, actually), and I find myself wanting only one thing: to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time! Okay, that, and a trip to Olive Garden... Mmm, me likey bread sticks! *ahem* Arthur and I are planning on going to see X-Men Origins on Monday (we thought about going during the weekend, but that would be insane since EVERYONE ELSE would be there as well. It'll probably be crowded on Monday, but not as bad as it would be all weekend. I'll be going to see Star Trek the next weekend (I'm so happy that Arthur gets free movie passes; we've been saving them for this month, what with X-Men, Star Trek, Transformers, Terminator, and Night at the Museum all being released this month).

Any excuse to paint...

The first of many little oddities I plan on painting for Laura's nursery...

Oh, and did I mention I've been bored? Playing around with graphics, and made this...

... plus the larger name graphic at the bottom of the page...

Some more pictures

Instead of showing pictures of all the new blankets given to us by Zoey, I just clipped them down into one picture. What can I say, I've been awake for hours, Arthur has been asleep, and I've been bored.




This is super warm, and super heavy... it'll be great during the snow season (and the ears, as Arthur says, are just too damn cute).








And a small handful of toys for Laura to play with, though apparently one of them is meant to hold a pacifier... I'll have to figure out how that works later.

I've been asked why I'm taking pictures of all the clothes I've been getting from friends... well, there's a couple reasons. One, it's a small way of saying thanks to the people that have given these items to Laura. Two, I find myself wondering what kind of stuff I had when I was a baby, so it's also a collective of pictures for Laura to see later in her life. (Or for me to embarrass her with...) Three, when she outgrows this stuff, the pictures will make it easy for me to pass them on to the next person that needs them :)

Snugli!

A friend of Arthur's has donated a bunch of stuff to us (I'll take pictures later today, probably after I get back from my doctor appointment), one of which being this handy contraption... the Snugli! I'm hoping this will make things a little easier on my back, but if not, at least Arthur will be able to use it! Thanks, Zoey!



Arthur also picked me up a couple books this last weekend when we went out to Blackstone Village (I know, I'm supposed to be bed-resting, but I had to get out of the house, I was going crazy).



Getting Ready for Baby is like a big checklist book, which I had a good laugh while skimming through because while the lists are thorough and sound, they sure don't take into account that the person reading the book HASN'T won the lottery. The Baby Owner's Manual is a funny read, as it really does make it sound like the next piece of high tech equipment while giving some sound advice. I'm enjoying it.

Laura's First Book

It's cute, it's short, and it's pretty much what I want for Laura's first book... and it even makes Daddy happy because it's a penguin! (Trust me, he really, truly is obsessed with penguins, it's not just me joking around.)

Registries

There's no doubt that I can get a little carried away when making wishlists (and baby registries, apparently), so I've scratched the ones listed in the link section and have switched to using Kaboodle. I love that site, I really do.

Had a bit of a scare

Nothing worse than waking up to discover blood and having to rush to the hospital. This happened a couple days ago, and the doctors thought that the placenta might have detached and that they might need to induce premature birth. They kept me overnight for observation and told me the next day that all the tests seemed clean, and that Laura seemed to be "rambunctiously healthy", so they sent me home with instructions of bed rest and signs to watch for.

I'm glad that's over... but I'm paranoid now about what the next five weeks hold. I want to have a healthy birth.

On a happier note, we picked up a few more blankets for Laura...










I like this delivery blanket, it's so cute with the bear and the music notes... :)


Arthur was so excited when we saw this pacifier at the store, so we bought it. I haven't decided if this will be Laura's first binkie, though...


The penguin art is only there until I can start getting the butterflies from the craft store that I want to paint for Laura's room...

Clothes for Laura!

A friend of mine brought me clothes that his daughters have outgrown. Gabriel, you're too awesome for words :)


Born To Be Spoiled (All major Credit Cards Accepted)
It's cute, I have to admit it.




Arthur thinks it would be a cute Halloween costume... cute as it is, I don't think so :P


This set is too cute... and the size should be perfect for the Autumn season :)


Arthur's obsession with penguins has been satisfied with this one... he's looking forward to having a picture of Laura wearing this :)


I'm glad that this track suit is blue, actually... I'm hoping to keep Laura's clothes at a good mixture of colour instead of being overdone with pink. :) (Oh, and it's cute)


I'm not sure what's more cute... the dress, or the matching knickers :P



A couple of extremely cute velvet dresses! I might have a hard time giving these away after Laura outgrows them!

There's other clothes as well, I just didn't take pictures of all of them. Tonight's task: sorting her clothes into her drawers now that I've emptied the drawers of my clothes (How is it that she gets the armoire and I get the suitcase?!).

The world of sleep deprivation...

I slept for about an hour last night... couldn't fall asleep until about 8 am, woke up to my alarm at 9am. Waited until 10am to wake Arthur up so I could use his phone to get in touch with the person bringing the Fisher Price Swing. Turned out that during that hour of waiting, she had already been and gone and had left a voicemail, but since his phone was on Silent mode, I never heard her call.

Such an aggravation. I'm hoping she's not terribly mad at me...

Yay for stuff :)

So let's see... the checklist continues...

Fisher Price Swing (is being delivered this Saturday morning)
Tub & Bath Support (is being given to me by a friend, awesome of her)
Baby clothes (coming from two different friends, which is equally awesome)

I wish I knew what to expect from the baby shower... I keep getting nervous that I'm going to buy something that someone else is going to buy...

Laura scared me for a moment today... I had the "alien" moment when I saw the shape of her foot on my stomach. It was cute and creepy all at once!

I think I need this!

This looks like something that could save me from going absolutely bonkers when I start living life on two or three hours of sleep each night... if I'm lucky! I've been looking at this, and a couple of similar items, and I think I just might get one...

Baptise or not?

The topic of religion has come up a lot between Arthur and I, considering he is Christian and I consider myself an Eclectic Pagan. We spoke about it, and we think it should be up to Laura to decide her own religion when she's old enough to understand, but we're still planning on having her christened and blessed by our individual belief systems.

We think...

It's still up in the air, really... and open to discussion...

Friends are awesome

So... I have one friend bringing me baby clothes, and another arranging a baby shower at a church local to her. I love my friends <3

Just wondering...

Is there some kind of law or rule that everything for a newborn baby girl has to be PINK??? Grr...

That is all... for now.

Laura Phoenix Granger - 7 April 2009 Ultrasound

The picture didn't turn out too well... it's hard not to get a glare from the paper the ultrasound was printed on.

The Checklist!

It's not much of a checklist, but it'll be worked on over the next month.

Money is tight, so I'm picking up what I can, when I can. So far...

Diapers (40 count, Newborn)
Wet Wipes (store brand)
Bedtime Bath + Bedtime Massage Gel
Baby Powder

I'm picking up some clothes tomorrow that a local mother is selling now that her daughter has out-grown them, so I'll be able to mark some of that on the checklist. I'm waiting to hear back from a friend about a bassinet, and another friend about a stroller.

There's so much that I need to get... and I will find a way to do it. I just sold all my video games today, so Laura's Money is looking a tiny bit better. Arthur thinks I'm jumping the gun a little early buying things like diapers and bath time stuff two months early, but I figure I should buy them while I actually have the money to, that way it's not such a stress later on.

Revamping

Well, let's just say that I currently have my hands full.

I am seven months pregnant, and I feel like a beached whale half the time.

The baby is a girl, and we've picked the name Laura Phoenix Granger.

Sooner or later, I'll get around to making something of this site.

I promise.