The Week of Strength and Clarity

Lucien is now 2 weeks old.  With this 2nd week of life came more fussiness, gas and sleepless nights.  We put the swing together and it has been a lifesaver.  It has become my pacifier as it lulls Lucien off to sleep or into a trance.

This week we saw a lot of changes with him moving his arms and legs.  He is punching and kicking out of his swaddle like a madman.  Although his movements aren't too coordinated yet they do have some muscle behind them.  

Lucien has also started to focus better with his eyes.  He is opening them more and randomly gazing at Mom and Dad.  Every now and then he'll still go cross-eyed but I think he does it to entertain us.

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Baby's first turkey day.  Hopefully the tryptophan will come through in the breast milk and cause little Lucien to pass out for a few more hours.

1st outing to the doctor

On the 10th day of life we went to visit the pediatrician.  Lucien loved the car ride and rocking out to 95.5 on the radio.  The pediatrician remarked on how alert he was...then she opened his diaper and he peed on her.  He loves waiting for that moment.  He weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. 

One Week Old

Baby Lucien was one week old this Saturday.  His grandma and grandpa from NY came all the way down for a visit and to see their grandchild for the first time.  The week has gone by fast and it's blurred into the 2nd week already from the sleep deprivation.  Here are some of the week's highlights:

Monday - brought Lucien home from the hospital.  

Tuesday - my milk came in which caused very painful, very swollen breasts.  Eat more Lucien!  Daddy started to read to Lucien his first bedtime story - the Great Gatsby.     

Wednesday - the visiting home nurse stopped by for a checkup for Mommy and Lucien.  He gained his some weight so now he is about as heavy as he was when he was born.  He weighed in at 6 lbs. 7.5 oz.  

Thursday - Lucien got a nice sponge bath with pau pau (grandma Kathy)

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Friday - Grandma and Grandpa from New York came in to meet Lucien.

Saturday - Lucien is one week old!  He is eating like a champ and I think I've gone through about a hundred diapers already.  His aim is really good and he has managed to pee on us every day this week.  Lucien is a peaceful baby and doesn't cry much but still manages to keep us up all night.

 

Hospital Daze

We spent 2 days in the hospital and was released on Monday the 17th at around noon.  I have chosen to breast feed Lucien so he stayed my my side our entire stay.  During his first day we were told that he had very rosy cheeks which looks cute at first but can change to jaundice if he does not get enough liquids and sun.  So I was feeding anytime he looked hungry.  We sat him over by the window during the day.  On the morning that we left he was cleared of any possible jaundice but we still need to get him out in the sun a few times a day.  The sun and feedings help break down the excessive red blood cells in his face.  His weight at birth was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and when we left the hospital he weighed in at 6 lbs. 3 oz.  

To see Lucien's hospital mug shot go to:

www.mmhs.com

click on Baby Photos

Hospital Code: C33

ID # 26003  

Introducing...Lucien Edward Conway

Lucien Edward Conway was born on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 10:17AM after 10 hours of labor.  He weighed in at 6 lbs 8oz and was 19" long.

  

Labor Pains

Ouch!  It's around midnight on Friday night and I awoke to very painful cramping.  This could be the real deal - contractions.  I started timing them and they were  - 10 minutes apart.  After a couple of hours they still continued and they were 5 minutes apart.  I knew this was IT.  Time to wake up David.  It was 3am at this point and he had trouble believing I was in labor.  He started to get ready, make a pot of coffee, pack his overnight bag, all while I was at the door ready to go.  We left the house at 3:45am - contractions down to 3 minutes apart.  

Week 39 Doctor's Appointment

The week 39 doctor's appointment was on Thursday.  Finally, an internal exam to tell me if Baby Butterball is on the way.  I found out that I am 1 centimeter dilated and 80% effaced.  when I asked the doctor how soon I can expect to have this baby she said it could be tomorrow or still two weeks.  If the baby doesn't come by next Friday they plan on inducing me the following week. Tomorrow is supposed to be my last day of work before my maternity leave.  They are hoping that he doesn't arrive on time and I can push one more week of work out before maternity leave.  

Final Countdown - 38 weeks

I had my week 38 doctor's appointment and I was in and out in a flash.  They check my blood pressure, tell me everything looks great, and they tell me not to call the office at all just go to the hospital if my water breaks or when contractions are 5 minutes apart.  "See you next week"

Life with baby butterball has been a little bit more painful this past week.  In the day he's great - moving around just a little to remind me that he's there.  He must like all the hustle and bistle at work.  At night,  he's doing flips and continues to cause crampiness.  I have started noticing a little waddle in my step these days.  The weight is throwing me off balance from my cat walk strut down the hotel halls.  Total weight gain = about 34 pounds.    

9 months pregnant and counting...

I am officially 9 months pregnant.  The week 37 doctors appointment was a long grueling wait for a short painless visit.  Last week I had thought that my weight leveled off (one of the first signs that your body is getting ready for labor).  This week when I stepped on the scale I had gained another 5 pounds.  Baby Butterball has settled in again for a couple more weeks giving me a chance to tackle a couple more home improvement projects.